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WELL GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE MARCH 4TH 2024 WORK SESSION FOR THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL.
UH, THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA THIS EVENING IS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON WORK SESSION ITEMS. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP. TAKE THAT, OK? NO UH, NEXT IS CONSIDER THE CONSENT
[CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA]
AGENDA. OBVIOUSLY FOR TOMORROW NIGHT. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY, UH, REQUESTS TO HAVE ANY ITEMS PULLED. UM BUT THERE'S ALWAYS THAT OPPORTUNITY JUST TO MAKE SURE WE KNOW ABOUT HIS FOREIGN[WRITTEN BRIEFINGS]
ADVANCE AS WE CAN. MOVING ON TO WRITTEN BRIEFINGS. ITEM ONE GARLAND HOUSING FINANCE GRANT AGREEMENT. ITEM TWO ORDINANCE UPDATE FOR PUBLIC AND SEMI PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS. THIS ONE WAS PULLED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO CAME BACK THROUGH SO UH, NEXT ITEM THREE CONSIDERATION OF FIRE STAFFING REALIGNMENT. ITEM FOUR NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION. AND NUMBER FIVE PAVEMENT CONDITION INDEX SURVEY FOR THE GARLAND STREET NETWORK. ALL RIGHT. VERY[ 6. USDA Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grant Report]
GOOD. MOVING ON TO OUR VERBAL BRIEFINGS. FIRST UP ITEM SIX USDA, FOREST SERVICE, URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY, INFLATION REDUCTION AND ACT. GRANT REPORT MOUTHFUL. WOW, THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS. MATT. HOPEFULLY, THEY CAN BE SHORTER. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. UH THIS EVENING? HOPEFULLY I'M GONNA THIS IS A AN AWESOME AWESOME OPPORTUNITY. I'M GONNA PREFACE THAT, UH, IN IN, GARLAND REALLY, UH, STOOD OUT IN THIS PROGRAM AS YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE START TO DO IT, AND AS WE IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM, UH, IF YOU ALSO CHOOSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, UH, IT WILL REALLY PUT GARLAND IN THE MAP ON THE MAP WHEN IT COMES TO URBAN FORESTRY AND HOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH WITH PLANTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CANOPY WITHIN OUR WITHIN OUR CITY. SO I'M GONNA INTRODUCE TO YOU TODAY A POTENTIAL PROGRAM CALLED TREE GARLAND, WHICH WOULD BE AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO PLANT 10,000 TREES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, RESULTING IN A GREENER CLEANER COOLER GARLAND. LAST YEAR, UH, AS PART OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, THERE WAS FUNDING FOR THE USDA FOREST SERVICE FOR $1.5 BILLION TO GO TOWARDS TREE PLANTING AND RELATED ACTIVITIES TO HELP WITH CLIMATE RESILIENCY, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST INFLUX OF MONEY INTO URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY AND THE HISTORY OF URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY WITH AN AIM OF REDUCING URBAN HEAT ISLANDS AND REDUCING STORM WATER RUNOFF AND BUILDING AGAIN CLIMATE RESILIENCY, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. PUBLIC FUNDING NOTICE FIRST WENT OUT IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, AND, UM, WE APPLIED. WHAT THE KIND OF THE GUIDELINES GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON WHAT THIS IS. IT'S BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE US D FOREST SERVICE. UH, AND IT'S IN THE FUNDING CAME DIRECTLY TO DIRECT FUNDING TO COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCE LOW URBAN TREE CANOPY DEAD AND HAZARDOUS TREES. EXTREME HEAT, SEVERE FLOODING, LIMITED AWARENESS OF GREEN AND THERE IS A JOBS PROGRAM. UM, COMPONENT, TOO. SO AGAIN TO BUILD RESILIENCY AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TO BENEFIT FROM THE COOLING EFFECTS OF WHAT TREES CAN BRING TO THE COMMUNITY. UH, IMPROVED OVERALL FOREST HEALTH CONDITIONS AND PROVIDE SAFER ACCESS TO TRUE BENEFITS. UH AND THEN AGAIN THE JOB, UM, PROGRAM THAT SOME ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE GOING THROUGH WHICH IS TO BROADEN A CAREER WAY FOR, UH, PATHWAY TO GREEN JOBS. SO THERE WAS OVER 1200 APPLICANTS THAT SUBMITTED FOR THIS ROUGHLY $1 BILLION OF FUNDING AFTER THEY TOOK OFF THE ADMINISTRATION PIECE OFF OF THE TOP OUT OF THOSE 1200 APPLICATIONS, ONLY 385 PROJECTS WERE FUNDED. AND ONLY SIX WERE FUNDED IN TEXAS. UH AND YOU CAN SEE HERE HERE, THE OTHER, UH, COMMUNITIES THAT WERE FUNDED HERE HARK IS A HOUSTON ADVANCED RESEARCH CENTER OUT OF HOUSTON. THAT DOES A LOT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. UH, THEY GOT A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY AND THEN ACTUALLY, MY OLD UH UH, PAST POSITION AT THE TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION GOT A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY TO DO A BUNCH OF WORK IN SOUTH DALLAS. WE WERE THE LARGEST, UH, REQUESTER FOR CITY AND THE LARGEST FUNDED, UH, GRANT FOR ALL CITIES IN TEXAS. UH, THE ORIGINAL REQUEST WAS FOR 1.25. UH AND WE WERE GRANTED, UM, A MILLION. UH AND ALL KIND OF EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE AS TO THE TO THE GRANT AS WE MOVE
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THROUGH IT. SO THIS GRANT NEEDS TO BE SPENT IN FIVE YEARS. IT'S A SHORT TIME LINE. THEY WANT TO GET IT IN, GET THE WORK DONE AND MOVE ON. SO THAT THOSE BENEFITS CAN BE, UM, REALIZED. SO IT IS A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM TO INCREASE TREE CANOPY COVER THE TREE. GARLAND PROGRAM WOULD LOOK, UH, ON A HIGH HIGH LEVEL. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF DETAILS THAT WILL DEVELOP THIS IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S MOVED FORWARD, BUT WOULD BE TO FOCUS PLANTING 400 TREES A YEAR, UH, IN PARKS AND MEDIANS IN, UH LOW CANOPY COVER AREAS. UH UTILIZE CONTRACTORS, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS. THERE'D BE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THIS DOLLAR. UH VALUE WITH OTHER PARTNERS. UH, OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S TO BE A SIGNAGE AND AN ENTIRE MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WOULD NEED TO BE DEVELOPED AROUND THIS. THE PART THAT'S REALLY EXCITING ABOUT THIS IS WORKING IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, AND SO WE PARTNER CLOSELY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY AND PARTNER CLOSELY WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ON DISADVANTAGED AREAS TO GO IN AND REMOVE DEAD TREES. UH WE HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE LARGE DEAD ASH TREE. AND DEAD PEAR TREES AND TREES THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLANTED AND THEY EITHER HAVE DIED OR THEY DIED BECAUSE OF THE FREEZE, OR THEY'VE DIED BECAUSE OF, UM SOME OTHER TYPE OF DISEASE OR ISSUE. UH AND THOSE RESIDENTS CAN'T AFFORD TO REMOVE THOSE TREES, SO IT BECOMES A BLIGHT ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT BECOMES A RISK TO THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE LIVING IN THOSE HOMES. AND SO A BIG CHUNK OF THIS WOULD BE ABLE TO GO INTO THESE COMMUNITIES TO ACTUALLY PAY A CONTRACTOR TO GO IN AND REMOVE THOSE TREES, GRIND OUT THOSE STUMPS AND THEN COME BACK IN AND PLANT A NEW TREE, UH, THAT WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW AND PROVIDE THE BENEFITS THE TREES CAN PROVIDE TO OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS. THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IN THIS, UH, REALLY REACH OUT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS. IT'S GREAT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY DEPARTMENT THAT HAS GREAT INSIGHT INTO THESE COMMUNITIES. SO THAT PIECE OF IT, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY HARD AND A PROGRAM LIKE THIS IS REALLY YOU KNOW, HALFWAY DONE WITH THE CONTACTS AND THAT THEY HAVE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY DEPARTMENT. AND THEN WE WOULD DO A VERY, VERY TARGETED TREE GIVEAWAY PROGRAM. UM AND INCREASE THE TREE GIVEAWAY PROGRAM THAT WE DO WITH THREE PNL AGAIN TO TARGET THOSE THOSE TREES INTO DISADVANTAGED AREAS. SO I KEEP SAYING DISADVANTAGED AREAS BECAUSE THIS GRANT IS DEDICATED 100% OF THE TREES THAT ARE PLANTED WITH MONEY FROM THIS PROGRAM HAVE TO GO INTO A DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY. UH AND THEY HAVE ACTUALLY CREATED A TOOL FOR IT. IT'S CALLED THE CLIMATE ECONOMIC JUSTICE SCREENING TOOL. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE GARLAND IN THE HIGHLIGHTED AREA. THIS TOOL USES DATA SETS THAT INDICATES BURDENS. THOSE BURDENS ARE ORGANIZED INTO CATEGORIES. UH AND PUT ONTO THIS MAP ONE IF THEY MEET THE THRESHOLD OF ONE OR MORE OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLIMATE OR SOCIO ECONOMIC BURDENS, THEN THEY FALL ONTO THIS LIST OR IF THEY ARE ABOVE THE THRESHOLD OF ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIO ECONOMIC BURDENS. SO THIS IS THE MAP THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW. IN TERMS OF WHERE, UH, IF THE MONEY IF WE'RE PLANTING TREES THAT ARE BOUGHT WITH THESE DOLLARS, UH, WE WOULD HAVE TO FOCUS IN COMMUNITIES WITHIN THESE AREAS.UM BUT THIS IS ALSO AREAS WHERE THEY NEED THE MOST WORK. THESE ARE AREAS WHERE WE HAVE COMMUNITIES THAT NEED MORE TREES THAT HAVE JUST WHAT THIS THIS GRANT IS TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO GO IN AND REMOVE DEAD TREES AND HAZARDOUS TREES. UH, AND THEN AGAIN PLANT THAT NEXT CANOPY COVER. SO IT'S A FIVE YEAR PROJECT. IT'S A FI FIVE YEAR. FIVE YEAR PROGRAM WITH A $2 MILLION COST, SO WE'VE RECEIVED A MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE US FOREST SERVICE THAT WILL PAY FOR 3.5 YEAR FUNDING FOR AN URBAN FORESTER, UH, WHICH WE WOULD DESPERATELY NEED TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT A POSITION LIKE THIS. UH, OBVIOUSLY A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT OF TREES. UM A LOT OF THAT MONEY WOULD GO TOWARDS REMOVING DEAD TREES. UH, CONTRACT LABEL SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS. OUR MATCH. UM WOULD BE MO HALF IN KIND, WHICH WOULD BE STAFF EQUIPMENT SOFTWARE, UH, OTHER TYPES OF IN KIND SERVICES, AND THEN WE WOULD BE REQUESTING TO USE $100,000 OUT OF THE TREE MITIGATION FUND EACH YEAR OVER THOSE FIVE YEARS FOR THE PURPOSE OF PURCHASING TREES TO PLANT BACK INTO, UH, THESE COMMUNITIES INTO PARKS AND INTO MEDIANS. AND THEN THE LAST, UH, YEAR. AND A HALF COST FOR THE URBAN FORESTER . SO ESSENTIALLY, IT GETS US A FULL TIME FD THAT HAS THE FIRST THREE YEARS COVERED FOR IT SO WE CAN PLAN FOR IT THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. IT'S A HIGH LEVEL. UH, LOOK AT WHAT THE BUDGET WOULD LOOK LIKE, UM OBVIOUSLY TRACKING AND PROMOTION WOULD BE HUGE. WE WOULD WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PM R OFFICE TO DEVELOP A LOGO AND DEVELOP A BRANDING STRATEGY. UH, WE WOULD TRACK ALL OF THE TREES THAT ARE PLANTED THROUGH OUR GIS PROGRAM.
WE WOULD TRACK THAT GROWTH OVER TIME, AND WE'D BE ABLE TO PROVIDE WHAT THOSE ECOSYSTEM SERVICE BENEFIT. ARE WE WOULD USE A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT OF VOLUEERS TO BE ABLE TO HELP GET THIS DONE. UM WE CAN'T PLANT ALL OF THESE WITH OUR STAFF OR PLAN ALL OF THESE WITH CONTRACTORS, UH, SO WE WOULD WORK WITH VOLUNTEERS ON TREE PLANTING DAYS TO GO OUT, UH, AND
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PLANT TREES IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND IN PARKS. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AGAIN.WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO IS GROW THIS PROGRAM OVER TIME AND LEVERAGE IT AGAINST OTHER POTENTIAL PARTNERS AND SPONSORS SO THAT WE CAN GROW THIS AND KEEP GOING EVEN AFTER OUR FIVE YEARS. SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO WE'VE COMPLETED OUR FIRST URBAN TREE CANOPY COVER, UH, HERE IN THE CITY, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ON THE LEFT. WE'RE RIGHT AT ABOUT 25% TREE CANOPY COVER RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS ACTUALLY WAY HIGHER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE. AND A LOT OF THAT IS THE TESTAMENT OF WHEN THIS CITY WAS DEVELOPING, AND A LOT OF, UH, GRACIOUS LANDOWNERS TO DEVELOP LARGE SWATHES OF BOTTOM LAND, HARDWOOD FOREST AND GREEN SPACE THAT WE HAVE TODAY, WHICH HELPS WITH A LOT OF THAT. AND BEING AN OLDER COMMUNITY, A LOT OF OUR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS THAT STILL HAVE TREE CANOPY COVERED, HAVE GROWN OVER TIME. UM WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE VALUE BECAUSE TREES DO HAVE VALUE THE ANNUAL VALUE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF OUR CURRENT TREE CANOPY COVER IS RIGHT AT $29 MILLION A YEAR, SO THERE'S SUBSTANTIAL VALUE TO THAT ASSET THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CITY. THE VALUE OF THE 10,000 NEW TREES THAT WE WOULD PLANT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OVER THEIR 40 YEAR. TYPICAL LIFETIME IS $40 MILLION IN TERMS OF WHAT THEIR ECOSYSTEM SERVICE BENEFITS WOULD BRING BACK TO THE CITY, SO THAT'S A PRETTY HEFTY RO. I, UH IF YOU ASK ME SO THAT'S A IN A NUTSHELL. WHAT THIS PROGRAM IS, UM AND I'M READY TO GET TO WORK. IF YOU ALL ARE READY TO GET TO WORK, AND I PROMISE I CAN GET A BUNCH OF GOLD SHOVELS THAT YOU TWO YOU GUYS CAN HAVE AND WE START PLANTING TREES IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE. AND SO ONE THING I NOTICED, UH, JUST LOOKING AT THE SIX TEXAS CITIES LIKE UM. YEAH LOOKING AT THE YOU KNOW, AT AT ARLINGTON AND KLUGER, BILL, I MEAN, 100 AND 50,000 CAN'T GO. VERY I MEAN, COMPARATIVELY. TO WHAT? WE'RE WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING. MY GOSH, I MEAN, 100 AND 50,000. CAN'T I MEAN THOSE WERE VERY SPECIFIC ONE TIME PROJECTS. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS TO DO PRIVATE REMOVAL, UH, IN A PARK INTO PLANT SOME TREES, SO IT'S A VERY STATIC ONE TIME DEAL, BUT I DON'T USUALLY THINK SMALL. I WANTED TO BUILD A PROGRAM. UH, I WANTED TO NO, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY 1 MILLION VERSUS 1, 100 AND 50,000. SO OK, LET'S GO WITH SOME QUESTIONS. COUNCILOR MORSE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, MATT. AND THANK YOU FOR, UH, THINKING BIG DREAMING BIG AND DOING THIS A COUPLE OF QUICK THINGS. CAN YOU FOLLOW UP AFTERWARDS AND SEND ALL OF US THE POWERPOINT THAT YOU JUST PRESENTED BECAUSE THAT'S EXCITING. UM SO YOU YOU CAUGHT MY EARS BIG TIME WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT REMOVING DEAD TREES AND THESE DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE DAYSGO, AND THEN I'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH GHFC ABOUT. WE HAVE, UM, I HAVE RIGHT NOW A LIST. OF UM ELDERLY OR DISABLED PEOPLE IN MY DISTRICT TO HAVE HUGE, VERY DEAD TREES. THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE DOWN.
THEY'RE EYESORES. UM SO I WAS. I HAD NOT HEARD THAT PART OF THIS. SO I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE THAT CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND IF I HEARD YOU RIGHT, IT'S NOT ONLY TAKING THE TREE DOWN, IT'S REPLANTING. YES, MA'AM. THAT'S THE I LOVE THIS. THE PROGRAM WOULD BE TO GET THAT TREE OUT. THAT'S NOT DOING ANYTHING. IT'S NOT PROVIDING ANY ECONOMIC BENEFITS.
PLUS IT'S DETERIORATING AND IT'S BECOMING A RISK TO THE HOMEOWNER . IT'S BECOMING A LIABILITY TO THE HOMEOWNER, AND IT JUST NEEDS TO GO AWAY. BUT IT CAN BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO CUT DOWN A VERY LGE TREE AND TO GRIND THE STUMP OUT THE WAY THAT IT NEEDS TO BE DONE. BUT YOU CAN'T STOP THERE. YOU HAVE TO COME IN AND YOU GOT TO REPLANT SO THAT THAT TREE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW UP. UH AND PRODUCE THE SHADE AND THE CANOPY COVER THAT THAT WE NEED MOVING FORWARD. WELL, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I KNOW TEXAS BAPTIST MEN HAVE COME IN A COUPLE OF TIMES WHEN A TREE WAS LITERALLY LEANING OVER. A HOUSE AND THEY TOOK IT DOWN, DOWN. UM AS A AS A GIFT TO OUR COMMUNITY, BUT HAVING SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN PLACE, I LOVE IT. I HOPE WE CAN FIND A WAY TO NOT JUST DO THIS ONE THING AND END SO I AM LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD AND HOPING WE CAN FIND WAYS TO KEEP THIS GOING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YEAH. THAT WILLIAMS THANK YOU, MAYOR.
THANKS, SIR. UH JUST A FEW QUESTIONS RIGHT? QUICK ONE. IT'S PROBABLY BE OBVIOUS, BUT I'M GONNA ASK IT ANYWAY. AS AS YOU ROLL OUT THIS PROGRAM WILL SPRING CREEK PRESERVE CREW HAVE ANY INVOLVEMENT IN RELATIONSHIP TO THIS INITIATIVE AT ALL THE PRESERVATION FOR SPRING CREEK, UM. IN THE MATCH THAT I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO VOLUNTEER TO COME OUT AND HELP
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US PLANT SOME TREES. UM BUT IN TERMS OF US PLANTING ANY MORE ADDITIONAL TREES AT SPRING CREEK PROBABLY NOT WOULD BENEFIT DIRECTLY FROM THIS. UM BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH THEM AND GET THEM TO COME OUT AND HELP US PLANT TREES. AND I KNOW THAT DAVID WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DO THAT. BUT THAT'S EXACTLY MY QUESTION. IT WAS MY QUESTION. WAS IT NOT FOR US TO PLANT MORE TREES IN SPRING CREEK, BUT IT WAS IS TO MOBILIZE THAT ORGANIZATION 100% TO PUSH OUT THIS INITIATIVE THAT THAT WAS THE GENES THAT THAT WAS WHY I WAS ASKING THIS QUESTION. UM Y. YOU WOULD YOU WOULD YOU COVER AGAIN THE CRITERIA. THE NEIGHBORHOODS. CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT SCREEN? UH, YOU WANNA LOOK AT THAT ONE OR THE MAP. YEAH. THE MATH IS FINE. YEAH.WOULD YOU WOULD YOU GO THROUGH THE CRITERIA AGAIN, OR PARTICIPATION IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS? WELL THIS THIS MAP WAS DEVELOPED BY THE CLIMATE INITIATIVE THROUGH, UM, THE PRESIDENCY'S OFFICE, ACTUALLY, AND IT'S A CLIMATE, ECONOMIC JUSTICE TOOL AND WHAT IT DOES, IS IT WHOLE LOT OF COMPLICATED STUFF ON THE BACK END, BUT WHAT ESSENTIALLY THEY DID IS THEY TOOK A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT BURDENS IS WHAT THEY CALL THEM, AND THERE'S ABOUT 10 OF THEM, AND IT IS EVERYTHING FROM ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE TO EVEN 10 MINUTE WALKS TO A PARK TO, UM SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS TO LITERACY RATES AS A WHOLE ISSUE OF BURDENS IS WHAT THEY CALL THEM AND YOU CAN GO ON TO THEIR WEBSITE, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU, TOO, AND READ MORE IN TERMS OF WHAT ALL OF THOSE ARE AND THEN WHAT IT DOES IS IT GOES IN THERE, AND IT HIGHLIGHTS THOSE COMMUNITIES. UH AND THIS IS LOOKING AT CENSUS TRACKS. WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE.
UH AND IT W. IT LOOKS AT EACH OF THOSE TRACKS AND IF IT'S AT OR ABOVE THE THRESHOLD FOR, UM ONE OR MORE OF THOSE BURDENS, THEN IT FALLS INTO ONE OF THOSE WHAT THEY CALL A DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY. OR WHAT THEY LOOK AT IS ABOVE THE THRESHOLD FOR AN ASSOCIATED SOCIOECONOMICAL BURDEN. SO ESSENTIALLY, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT IS THE ECONOMICS AND THE SOCIAL, THE SOCIOECONOMICS OF THAT AREA AND COMPARING THAT TO THE SURROUNDING AREAS, UM, AND THAT'S HOW THEY'RE SELECTING THAT. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. I'VE HAD A LOT MORE READING INTO THAT ONE TO FEEL HOW ALL THEIR THEIR SELECTION CRITERIA IS BECAUSE IT IS ACTUALLY PRETTY COMPLICATED. UM BUT IT'S THE RULES THAT THEY PLACED IN FRONT OF US AND THEY ACTUALLY CREATED THE MAP. SO WHAT WE'LL WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS TAKING THIS MAP AND WE'LL BE OVERLAYING IT WITHIN RGIS AND WITHIN OUR CANOPY MAP SO THAT WE CAN, UM, SHOW EXACTLY WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE. IDENTIFY IT DOWN TO THE STREET LEVEL AND THEN USE THAT TO START SETTING OUR PLAN OF WORK. AND THEN WE WOULD TRACK WHERE THOSE TREES WERE PLANTED. UM SO THAT WE COULD REPORT BACK, OK? YES, WE'VE GOT TO WAIT. FEDERAL REGS. MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU, AND THAT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF IT. SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS A REMOVAL OF DEAD TREES. DOES IT? DOES THIS APPLY TO NEIGHBORHOODS? YOU MENTIONED OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS. MOST OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN IN MY DISTRICT WERE BUILT. WHAT BACK WHEN. AND TREES WERE TWIGS. BUT NOW THEY'RE GIANTS AND THOSE TREES ARE LOCATED EITHER AT OR NEAR. SIDEWALKS AND EASEMENTS ARE PARTS OF THE YARD THAT PEOPLE SAY IS THEIR YARD. IT'S BETWEEN THE CURVE AND THE SIDEWALK AND MAY THEY CUT THE GRASS. THEY PLANT THE FLOWERS THAT WITH THIS PROGRAM AND A LOT OF THOSE TREES OR CAUSING MAJOR CHALLENGES, PARTICULARLY TO SENIORS TO THE SIDEWALKS TO THE FOUNDATION. SO WITH THAT, WITH THIS PROGRAM COVER ASSISTANCE TO OUR CONSTITUENTS WITH THOSE SITUATIONS. LET'S SAY EXAMPLE, THE TREE IT'S DEAD. IT'S TEARING UP THE SIDEWALK BECAUSE IN THE YARD OR IT'S IN THE EASEMENT WITH THIS PROGRAM. UP WITH THAT BENEFIT THEM OR NOT. DO YOU KNOW YET IT IT WOULD IF THEY FALL INTO ONE OF THESE AREAS, SO THEY FALL INTO ONE OF THESE AREAS, AND WE CAN GO IN AND ASSIST THEM TO REMOVE A DEAD TREE. UM AND GET IT OUT OF THERE, THEN YES, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN THAT AREA IF THEY SO CHOOSE TO, UM, PARTICIPATE. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT GOING TO CUT SOMEBODY'S TREE DOWN, DEAD OR ALIVE, IF THEY DON'T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM BECAUSE PART OF THE PROGRAM WOULD BE REPLANTING THE TREE. UM AND I HAVE DONE PROGRAMS. LIKE THIS IN IN THE PAST, AND SOMETIMES I WE WILL GET PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT THE TREE BACK.
UM, BECAUSE THEY HAD A BAD, UH, A BAD SITUATION OR A BAD HISTORY WITH THE CURRENT BECAUSE IT WASN'T THE RIGHT TREE. IT WASN'T PLANTED IN THE RIGHT AREA, AND IT'S A IT'S SOMETIMES IS A, UH, AN EXTENSIVE EDUCATION PROCESS FOR THEM TO WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER TREE PLANTED BACK FOR HIM. SO PART OF THE PROGRAM WOULD BE IF WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A TREE DOWN. WE'RE GONNA REPLANT ANOTHER ONE.
SO IF SOMEBODY I WILL SAY IF SOMEBODY JUST WANTED US TO REMOVE THE TREE, WE WOULD WE
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WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE THEM ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PROGRAM. IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GO BACK AND PLANT ANOTHER ONE IN ITS PLACE. OH, OK. AND I SEE WHEN YOU SEND THIS PER COUNCIL. LADIES MORRIS REQUESTS THIS PRESENTATION. WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SEND US SOME INFORMATION, AT LEAST ON RECALL.HOW WOULD HOW WOULD SOMEONE APPLY? BUT THIS PROGRAM DO YOU HAVE ARE YOU AT A POINT? WHERE WHERE YOU CAN PROVIDE SOMETHING FOR US, IN CASE OF QUESTIONS COME UP TO SAY, WELL, THIS IS THE INFANT THE START UP OF THIS, IF NOT NOW, THEN DOWN THE ROAD. SOMETHING SO PEOPLE, YOU KNOW HOW HOW DO I? I'VE HEARD ALL THIS. IT'S A GOOD PROGRAM. ALL THAT. HOW DO WHAT'S MY FIRST STEP? HOW DO I HOW DO I START THAT ENGINE? CAN YOU SHARE THAT? IF NOT TONIGHT, LATER ON WITH US? YEAH. WHAT? I WOULD BE HAPPY TO IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN IN TERMS OF APPROVING THE FUND. SO DOWN THE ROAD IS FINE, RIGHT? SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COUNCIL WAS COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD IN THIS DIRECTION. UM AND THEN, UH, IF YOU ALL ARE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS, IT'LL COME BACK TO THE FUTURE AGENDA. UH WITH A RESOLUTION THAT THE CITY MANAGER CAN SIGN, UM, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD, AND THEN ONCE THAT'S DONE, THEN I CAN OFFICIALLY START TRACKING COSTS SO THAT I CAN GET REIMBURSED. AND SO AS SOON AS THAT'S DONE, THEN WE WILL START THE PLANNING IN EARNEST. VERY VERY QUICKLY. UH AND SO I FEEL YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST PLANTING SEASON WOULD BE THIS COMING UP FALL. UH AND SO I WOULD FEEL PRETTY COMFORTABLE ONCE WE GET THIS DONE, UH, IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS FROM NOW BEING ABLE TO COME BACK TO YOU AND GIVE YOU A FULL REPORT ON WHAT THE PROGRAM IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, UH, HOW SOMEBODY CAN SIGN UP FOR IT ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF DETAILED INFORMATION THAT WE DEFINITELY ARE GONNA NEED TO DIVE INTO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MEAN, JUST TO CLARIFY.
TO CASMAN WILLIAMS PLAY. IF A TREE HAS ALREADY DAMAGED THE SIDEWALKS, WE'RE NOT RIGHT.
WE'RE WE'RE NOT GONNA WE'RE NOT FOR THE DAMAGE OR REPLACING THE SITE. WE'RE NOT REPLACING. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S VERY CLEAR THAT WE THE SIDEWALK MAY BE DAMAGED NOW BECAUSE OF THE TREE. WE TAKE THE TREE OUT. WE'RE NOT AUTOMATICALLY FIXING THE SIDEWALK. OK I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO BE VERY, VERY CLEAR ON THAT THERE. NO MONEY IN HERE TO REPLACE BECAUSE A MILLION DOLLARS IN SIDEWALKS WILL NOT GO VERY FAR. GO VERY FAR. ALL RIGHT, UH, COUNCILOR O. HEY, MATT. UM I'M THRILLED BY THIS. THIS IS A SOUNDS LIKE A FANTASTIC PROGRAM. UM COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WILLIAMS AND MORRIS ALREADY WENT THROUGH MOST OF WHAT I WAS THINKING, BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR. THIS IS BOTH ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND ON PRIVATE PROPERTY . IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, 100.
SO, UM MAINTAINING TREES CAN BE REALLY, REALLY EXPENSIVE. UH AND SO THIS IS WHERE YOU THE BEST WAY TO BE ABLE TO GROW. YOUR YOUR CANOPY IS TO WORK IN THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE YOU PROVIDE THEM BACK THE TREE AND THEN THEY HELP YOU WITH THAT LONG TERM MAINTENANCE, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT IT'S THE RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE PLANTING TREES THAT ARE GONNA GET TOO BIG FOR THE SPACE. WE'RE NOT GONNA BE PLANTING TREES. UM THAT WILL GIVE THEM THE FUTURE PROBLEMS THAT THEY MAY HAVE HAD. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE MORE ASH TREES THAT WE KNOW WHEN THERE'S EMERALD ASH BORE COMING, THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE THAT WE'RE GOING TO PLANT THE RIGHT TREE FOR THE RIGHT PLACE SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE THAT AND THEN WE WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH ALL OF THE EDUCATION AND RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT TREE AND TO WATER THAT TREE. UH AND THEN WE'LL CHECK UP ON IT OVER THE FIRST THREE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S HAPPENING AND BE ABLE TO SEND REMINDERS. WE'LL HAVE A DATABASE OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE, SO WE CAN, UM, SEND OUT NEWSLETTERS. WE CAN SEND OUT ALL KINDS OF COOL THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO BE ABLE TO HELP KEEP THEM ENGAGED WITH MAKING SURE THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, GET THROUGH ESTABLISHMENT. IS THERE ANY REQUIREMENT FEDERALLY FOR IRRIGATION OR ANYTHING FOR IT? NO THERE'S NO UM WE JUST HAVE TO TRACK THE TREES FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS IS ALL THAT'S REQUIRED . I LIKE TO DO THREE BECAUSE IN TEXAS IT REALLY TAKES, YOU KNOW THREE YEARS TO GET THAT TREE FULLY ESTABLISHED, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE YOU PLANT, SO WE'LL TRACK THEM FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS AND THEN WE HAVE TO TRACK SURVIVABILITY. SO WE'LL DO AN ANNUAL AUDIT OF THEM. WE'LL GO AND COUNT THEM AND WE'LL SEE HOW MANY DIED. HOW MANY LIVED AND THEN THAT WILL BE PART OF OUR REPORTING PROCESS. IT'S EXCITING. LOVE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD CUSTOMER LUCK. I THINK THAT IF THIS PROGRAM IS IMPLEMENTED, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO FILL OUT SOME PAPERWORK FOR TREE CITY USA. AND JUST LIKE UM, SO WHAT? WHAT IS THE CURRENT BALANCE OF THE TREE MITIGATION FUND? DO YOU KNOW UM I DON'T KNOW OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I THINK I'M JUST CURIOUS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS. AT A FUTURE YOU CAN SEND THAT TO US. THANK YOU.
WHEN WHEN YOU SAID IN PRESENTATION, I DO. I DO. REMEMBMBER WHENE FIRST HAD THIS CONVERSATION, AND WE MET WITH ANDY AND HAD CONVERSATIONS THAT THERE WAS I. I DON'T WANNA GIVE A NUMBER. BUT IT WAS ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO COVER THIS AND THERE WOULD STILL BE SOME IN THERE, AND OBVIOUSLY THE PLAN WOULD BE THAT IT WOULD BE MORE COMING IN THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. OTHERWISE I WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN ASKED. UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT EXACT NUMBER IS AT THIS TIME. I'M
[00:25:05]
REALLY JUST CURIOUS. UM UH AND THEN YOU MENTIONED MEDIAN. SO WOULD THIS INCLUDE, LIKE OUR G? AREAS IN THESE HIGHLIGHTED REGIONS IT COULD IT COULD, AND SO A MEETING IS WHAT WE WOULD DO IS WE WOULD HIGHLIGHT THOSE AREAS WE COULD HIGHLIGHT GATEWAY TO AREAS WE'RE GONNA HIGHLIGHT AREAS WHERE, UM MAJOR THOROUGHFARES, UM, PLACES WHERE THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM TO PLANT TREES. UM AND THEN WE WILL PLANT THOSE WITH CONTRACTORS, AND THEN WE'LL HAND WATER THOSE AND STAFF. IS THERE ANY TALK ABOUT LIKE CONCRETE REMOVAL IN ORDER TO PUT RIES OR PROBABLY NOT IN THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM NOW, IF WE GROW THIS PROGRAM, AND WE CAN BRING ON OTHER PARTNERS AND OTHER SPONSORS THAT BRING IN ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BECAUSE I'M WILL BE APPLYING FOR OTHER GRANTS, TOO, TO BE ABLE TO MATCH THIS. UM THERE'S ALWAYS THAT POSSIBILITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO START TO DO THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S MY FAVORITE THING TO DO IS TAKE OUT CONCRETE AND PUT IN IN, UH, PUT IN PERVIOUS SURFACES. BUT THAT AGAIN IS REALLY, REALLY EXPENSIVE AND WE WANT TO GET AS MANY TREES AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM. WE WANTED TO GET AS MANY DEAD TREES OUT AS WE CAN AND AS MANY NEW TREES IN AS WE CAN. I'M GLAD THAT'S THE FOCUS. UM IF I HAD MORE THUMBS TO GIVE YOU ON THIS PROGRAM AND THE FIRST TIME I EVER MET UM, YOU ASKED ME WHEN THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS SO WHEN YOU REMEMBER THE ANSWER, I DO. 30 YEARS AGO. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND BECAUSE WE'RE HENDRICK THANK YOU, MAYOR. I. I SHARE. OF COURSE, EVERYONE ELSE'S EXCITEMENT AS WELL ON THIS AND YOU KNOW UH, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL PROGRAM, ESPECIALLY ALL THOSE AREAS AROUND 635 IN THAT INDUSTRIAL AREA WAS A BIG EMPTY SPACE O THAT TREE MAP THAT YOU HAD TO.I'D LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING IN THERE, BUT HAD A FEW OTHER QUESTIONS TOO, FOR YOU. UH THIS, UH, COUNCIL LADY LOVE TOUCHED ON A LITTLE BIT WITH THE TREE MITIGATION FUND OF WITH SOME OF THOSE FUNDS BE USED TO OFFSET THE COSTS GOING FORWARD AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM IN THE THREE MITIGATION FUND, OR HOW DOES IT INTERACT WITH THAT? YEAH. SO I WOULD BE LOOKING TO SO ONE WITH THE PROJECT. WHEN I APPLIED FOR THE GRANT, WE WERE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A 5050 MATCH. THEY'VE SINCE WAIVED THAT, UH, THEY SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A MATCH BECAUSE 100% OF THE WORK IS BEING DONE, UM, IN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES, SO I BUDGETED OFF OF HAVING TO MATCH AND USING MONEY OUT OF THE TREE MITIGATION FUND FOR TREES TO HELP FUND THIS PROGRAM. IF I KNEW I DIDN'T HAVE TO MATCH IT, I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR 2 MILLION. UM BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. WE'RE THERE. BUT TO ME, THIS ALSO GIVES US A WAY TO BE ABLE TO OF THIS WILL BUILD THE PROGRAM TO SPEND THE MONEY OUT OF THE TREE MITIGATION FUND FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE, WHICH IS TO GET MORE TREES INTO THE GROUND FOR TREES THAT WE'VE LOST THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS BECAUSE I'D LOVE TO SEE. I KNOW THIS WILL ADDRESS LARGELY LOOK FROM THE MAP SOUTH OF BUCKINGHAM IN THE CITY, BUT I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF AREA NORTH OF BUCKINGHAM, ESPECIALLY IN MY DISTRICT AND DISTRICT ONE AS WELL. AND THERE ARE AND THE GREAT THING IS, UM THEY COUNT ALL PARK SPACE AS BEING SINCE IT'S PUBLIC SPACE WILL COUNT. SO WE'LL BE DEFINITELY PLANTING TREES AND PARKS ALL OVER THE CITY. UM BECAUSE THAT WILL COUNT TOWARDS THIS. IT'S JUST THE PLANTINGS THAT WE DO AT RESIDENTIAL HOMES WILL HAVE TO FOCUS, UH, IN THAT AREA, BUT AGAIN IS THIS IS THIS PROGRAM GROWS? UH ANDF WE'RE ABLE TO GROW IT OVER THE FIVE YEARS AND BRING ON OTHER FUNDING, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND IT BECAUSE WE'LL EVENTUALLY PLANT OUT A LOT OF THESE AREAS, AND I'D LOVE TO EXPAND TO OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND PLANT THERE AS WELL. THAT'S THAT'S GREAT AND THEN ONE OTHER QUESTION I HAD IS REGARDING THE URBAN FORESTRY RULE THAT POSITION. UH WERE THEY STRICTLY BE ON THIS PROGRAM WHERE THEY GET MORE INVOLVED WITH DEVELOPMENT REVIEW OF PLANS AND THAT SORT OF THING? I KNOW SOME OTHER CITIES I WORK IN, HAVE THEY? THEY ARE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. WHAT DO YOU SEE THAT ITS ROLE BECOMING SO FUNNY? YOU SHOULD ASK BECAUSE I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH WILL GARIN ABOUT THAT, AND I CAN SEE THAT THIS POSITION COULD COULD HELP IN THAT ROLE COULD HELP WITH REVIEWING TREE SURVEYS WHEN THEY COME IN. HELP RE, UH, REVIEWING, UH, LANDSCAPE SUBMITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM BUT THEY'LL BE THIS WILL TAKE UP A BIG MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME. OVER THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, BUT, UM I DO SEE THEM BEING A RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO HELP OUT IN THAT ASPECT OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THANK YOU. I'M EXCITED. THANK YOU, MAYOR. VERY GOOD. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT.
SO IT SAYS ON HERE, UH, SCHEDULED FOR FORMAL CONSIDERATION AT A FUTURE MEETING. UM DO YOU HAVE IT READY TO GO FOR US TO FORMALLY CONSIDER? I MEAN EVERY ALL THE I DOTTED TS CROSSED, I WILL BUY YOUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. OKAY. WELL THAT WAS, UM, WHERE I WAS LOOKING AT, UM WITH. ARE YOU ARE OUR ANNUAL ARBOR DAY TREE PLANTINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT'S COMING UP VERY SOON. UM, IT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO KIND OF LAUNCH. ALL THIS BLEND ALL. . YH I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE A HUGE, UH, STATEMENT, SO I NEED TO LOOK AT THE TIMING TOTALLY. UM AND. I
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THINK THAT'S IT THAT I'VE GOT VERY GOOD. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. MOVING[ 7. Captioning, Translations and Related Services for Council Meetings]
FORWARD TO ITEM SEVEN CAPTIONING , TRANSLATIONS AND RELATED SERVICES FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS.THIS ITEM WAS ALSO PUSHED FROM A PREVIOUS AGENDA. SO MITCH. I APOLOGIZE. MAYOR MAKING A NOTE THAT WHENEVER MATT RETURNS ON THE TREE ISSUE, DO NOT FOLLOW THAT GUY. AND I HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE AGENDA, SO MAYBE I CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN A LITTLE BIT. SO YEAH. MAYOR AND COUNCIL JUST WANTED TO RETURN. YOU KNOW, WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION LAST MONTH AND THE QUESTIONS CAME UP ABOUT HOW CAN WE ASSIST OUR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY? HOW CAN WE ASSIST? UH THE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT MAY SPEAK IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE. AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO I HAVE SOME OPTIONS FOR YOU. UH, WE'LL START OUT WITH SAYING WHATEVER.
WHATEVER THE, UH AND I'LL HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOU HERE SHORTLY. BUT WHATEVER THOSE FINAL DECISIONS ARE ONE OF THE OUR TEAM HAS ALREADY TALKED ABOUT AND I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TIFFANY VINO MIKE BETTS AND ALL OF THEIR TEAMS. AS WE DISCUSSED THROUGH THIS OVER THE PAST MONTH , WE WILL BE PUTTING THAT NOT ONLY ON THE WEBSITE, WE'LL PUT IT OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS WE CAN DO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE OUR COMMUNITY KNOWS WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST THEM. SO JUST KNOW THAT WILL BE A BIG PART OF WHATEVER WE END UP DOING . SO LET ME START OFF WITH THE ASSISTING OUR DEAF IN THE HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY. UH, I. I DID A LOT OF LOOKING AT NOT ONLY WHAT OTHER CITIES HERE IN NORTH TEXAS DO, BUT ACROSS THE STATE AND WHAT THOSE OPTIONS MAY BE, I FOUND A LOT OF CITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DOING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST. UH BUT THE ONE THING THAT THAT WE DO HAVE SO I CAN RECOMMEND TO YOU A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE FOR OUR AGAIN DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING. UH WE DO HAVE THE CAPABILITIES TO DO LIVE CAPTIONING AND FROM TALKING WITH OTHERS AND OTHER COMMUNITIES AND RESEARCHING SOME THINGS. OUT IN THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY. THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT THEY SAY YOU CAN DO TO HELP THAT COMMUNITY WITH THAT. UM SO WE HAVE THAT CAPABILITY NOT ONLY TO DO THAT, FOR OF COURSE FOR OUR CABLE TV BROADCAST. IT WOULD BE REAL TIME THEY WOULDN'T NOTICE A DIFFERENCE, AND IT WOULD JUST BE LIVE CAPTIONING FOR THEM. WE CAN DO IT AS WELL.
AND THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS THERE WILL BE AS YOU GUYS KNOW, THERE IS A 8 TO 12TH DELAY FROM THE BROADCAST GOING OUT VERSUS REAL TIME. BUT IN THE RESEARCH THAT I'VE FOUND THAT ACTUALLY IS FAIRLY COMMON TO HAVE THAT IN TALKING TO SOME OF THE LOCATIONS, NOT EVEN NOT EVEN CITIES THAT DO IT, BUT OTHERS THAT DO THAT, UH AND I'M HEARING THAT THAT THAT CAN STILL BE HELPFUL FOR EVEN TO HAVE TH IN OUR COUNCIL CHAMBERS FOR THE TWO MONITORS THAT FACE THE, UH, PUBLIC OUT THERE, WE WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE MONITORS. MONITORS NOWADAYS ARE NOT A HUGE COST. UM WE NEED TO DO SOME THINGS TO UPGRADE THOSE MONITORS TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE LIVE CAPTIONING BETWEEN TALKING WITH MIKE AND TIFFANY. IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT WE MAY NEED AN ADDITIONAL ADAPTIVE DEVICE. NONE OF THAT'S HUGE COST . THAT'S EASY. IT'S JUST WORKING THROUGH THE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. SO AND IN ADDITION, IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, UM AND I WILL TELL YOU I DIDN'T KNOW THIS, BUT WE DO HAVE ASSISTED LISTENING. IS THAT WE'VE HAD FOR MANY YEARS. WE JUST HAVEN'T PROMOTED THAT THEY'VE BEEN PURCHASED. THEY STILL DO WORK.
SO ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES. MEANING UH, JUST LIKE YOU DO. MANY OF THE CHURCHES WILILL HE THAT WHEN YOU COME IN AND PEOPLE THEY CAN HOOK IT UP TO THEIR HEARING AIDS OR LISTENING DEVICES. WE ACTUALLY HAVE SEVERAL OF THOSE AS WELL THAT IT CONSISTS SOMEONE THAT IF THEY JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE ASSISTANCE BETWEEN THEIR HEARING AIDS, OR WHATEVER IT IS, WE ALREADY HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE, UH , DATE, UH, WE ARE EXPLORING UPGRADING OR UPDATING THOSE SINCE THEY ARE SEVERAL YEARS OLD, SO WE BE ABLE TO DO THAT. UM THAT'S THE NUMBER THING. I KNOW ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I THINK THAT WAS ASKED LAST TIME IS THE QUESTION CAME UP OF SIGN LANGUAGE SERVICES. THOSE ARE AVAILABLE. THEY'RE ALREADY OUT THERE. BASICALLY IT'S NOT A HUGE COST AS WELL. UH THE CONTRACTS ARE OUT THERE THAT WE COULD SCHEDULE AND GET SOMEONE IN. BUT WHAT WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS IT'S NOT UH, FROM THE RESEARCH I'VE FOUND IS ONLY ABOUT 1% OR LESS OF THE, UM DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY ACTUALLY USE SIGN LANGUAGE AND WHAT I'VE SEEN OUT THERE. IT'S MORE OF A CASE BY CASE BASIS WHEN REQUESTED WHEN NEEDED, SO I THINK WHAT WE COULD DO WITH THAT IS WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB PROMOTING THAT. AND IF SOMEONE NEEDS THAT WE CAN SCHEDULE THAT TO HAVE THEM HERE. IF AND WHEN NEEDED. THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES FROM A BROADCAST STANDPOINT, WE CAN OVERCOME THOSE BUT IT WOULD NEED ADDITIONAL. UH UM CAMERAS AND MONITOR MONITOR FEEDS AND ALL THE REST OF THAT, SO THAT'S THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE, BUT A HUGE ISSUE. THAT IS OVERCOMEABLE. BUT WHAT I'M FINDING IS, IT'S NOT. IT'S ONLY BEING USED, UH, WHEN
[00:35:06]
THERE'S A SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR THAT, UM, BECAUSE THERE ARE ACTUALLY NOT THAT MANY, EVEN WITHIN THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNITY TO ACTUALLY DO USE SIGN LANGUAGE, SO I THINK WE'D BE ABLE TO HANDLE THAT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS AS NEEDED WHEN IT COMES TO LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS. OF COURSE, SPANISH IS PROBABLY THE MOST COMMON UH, AS FAR AS THE TRANSLATION THAT COMES UP, AND I THINK WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT VIETNAMESE AS WELL. SO WHAT WE AS A TEAM PUT TOGETHER IS I THINK WE CAN DO A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE. WE HAVE ENOUGH CITY EMPLOYEES THAT ARE FLUENT IN SPANISH FOR MOST OF THE COMMON THINGS THAT WOULD HAPPEN, WE COULD ROTATE AMONG THOSE AND HAVE A STAFF MEMBER THERE TO ASSIST IF AND WHEN NEEDED. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND AS WELL. ANY TIME THERE'S A TECHNICAL USUALLY IT WOULD BE A DEVELOPMENT TYPE ISSUE. USUALLY OUR TEAM AND WE'LL MAKE SURE WE DO THAT IN COMMUNICATE. WE'LL KNOW IF THEY NEED SOMEONE OF A CERTAIN TECHNICAL EXPERTISE THAT CAN TRANSLATE. WE CAN SET THAT UP SEPARATELY AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED, OR THEY CAN MAKE SURE THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED. THIS IS FOR THE DAILY ROUTINE COMMA. I HAVE A QUESTION AS A CITIZEN ABOUT THIS ITEM, THIS KIND OF THING WE CAN ROTATE AND HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF HAVE A STAFF MEMBER AVAILABLE THAT COULD COME IN AND TRANSLATE FOR THOSE AND MAKE SURE WE'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE THAT THAT YOU AS A COUNCIL KNOW WHAT THE CITIZEN IS ASKING AND THEN AND VICE VERSA. UH VIETNAMESE. WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY, UH, HAVE VERY FEW EMPLOYEES THAT ARE ACTUALLY FLUENT IN VIETNAMESE. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO, UH, I KNOW, COUNSEL FAMILIAR THAT WE DO HAVE VOY, WHICH IS OUR LANGUAGE LINE SERVICE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS USED IT FOR YEARS, THE 911 CALL CENTER AND IN MANY OTHER AREAS, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL DEPARENTS THAT ARE USING IT IN OTHER AREAS , SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO TIE IN. A BASIC SLEW A, UM. UM A CONFERENCE PHONE LIKE IN A CONFERENCE ROOM THAT WE COULD PUT AT THE PODIUM FOR NOW AND IF AND WHEN NEEDED, WE COULD DIAL INTO THAT. NOT ONLY FOR VIETNAMESE THEY ACTUALLY VOY WILL COVER OVER 200 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. SO IN THE RARE CASE OF SOMEONE SPEAKING THE OTHER LANGUAGES WE CAN ACTUALLY DIAL IN. GET SOMEBODY ON THE LINE THAT CAN TRANSLATE THERE FOR US, SO YOU WOULD KNOW, AND I DID FIND A FEW CITIES THAT ARE DOING THAT. THEY THEY ALL USE DIFFERENT COMPANIES. OURS IS VOY. THEY HAVE SOME DIFFERENT COMPANIES, SO THAT IS AN OPTION AS WELL. ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING AS WELL THAT TIES INTO THIS THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH A PROCESS WITH MY AND TIFFANY OTHERS TO SEE FROM OUR COUNCIL CHAMBERS.THE OVERALL TECHNOLOGY THAT'S TIED IN WITH THIS. WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING THROUGH THAT TO SEE IF WE CAN'T FIND ONE SYSTEM THAT WILL DO IT ALL. IF AND WHEN WE GET TO THAT POINT. IF WE CAN FIND THAT SOLUTION, WE MAY ACTUALLY BE TO BE ABLE TO IMPROVE ON THIS EVEN FURTHER BUT JUST KNOW THAT VOY WOULD BE AN OPTION. IT TAKES A FEW MINUTES. 234 MINUTES SOMETIMES TO GET THE PERSON ON THE LINE, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE LANGUAGE IS, IF IT'S A UNIQUE LANGUAGE, THAT KIND OF THING, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE COULD DO TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS BETWEEN US AS STAFF WORKING WITH THE CITY SECRET'S OFFICE, IF WE GET A HINT THAT SOMEONE MIGHT NEED THAT ASSISTANCE, WE CAN HAVE STAFF IN THE BACK AND ELSEWHERE. CALL INTO THE NUMBER. GET IT QUEUED UP, GET IT READY TO GO TO MINIMIZE ANY KIND OF DELAYS FOR THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. SO JUST KNOW THAT'S UH, AN OPTION AS WELL. FOR THE FOR THE NOT ONLY VIETNAMESE, WHICH I THINK WAS ONE OF THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGES THAT WAS BROUGHT UP, BUT THAT WOULD HELP WITH ANY LANGUAGE THAT'S OUT THERE BECAUSE THEY HANDLE OVER 200 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. AND AGAIN WITH ALL OF THAT, UH UH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE'LL BE DOING IS UPDATING OUR CITY WEBSITE. WE WILL PUT SOME THINGS. SOCIAL MEDIA CITY PRESS THE USUAL THINGS OF THE TYPES OF SERVICES AVAILABLE TO ASSIST. UH OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITIZENS AND COMMUNICATING AT A COUNCIL MEETING THAT KIND OF THING, SO WE CAN UPDATE ALL OF THAT. I DID FIND A LOT OF CITIES THAT PUT THINGS YOU KNOW YOU YOU HAVE TO GIVE 48 T 72 HOURS NOTICE TO GET CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. MY RECOMMENDATION ON THAT WOULD BE IS WE DO THAT WHEN POSSIBLE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE GOING TO TURN SOMEONE AWAY. BUT THE MORE ADVANCED NOTICE WE CAN GET WILL HELP US PREPARE AND HAVE WHAT THEY NEED THERE IN PARTICULAR WHETHER IT'S A, UH SOMEONE LIKE A SIGN LANGUAGE SERVICE OR A UNIQUE LANGUAGE, THAT KIND OF THING. IT JUST HELPS US PREPARE A LITTLE BIT BETTER. UH AND I THINK MAYOR THAT IS IT. SO WITH THAT, UH, MY AGAIN MY RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE LIVE CAPTIONING, UM, ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES, WHICH WE ALREADY HAVE. BUT WE COULD UPGRADE THOSE GIVEN A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. UH AND THEN FOR SPANISH AND THE VIETNAMESE AND THE OTHER LANGUAGES TO USE VOY COMBINATION OF VOY AND WITH SPANISH, IT WOULD BE A COMBINATION OF THAT AND THEN HAVING A STAFF MEMBER AVAILABLE TO HELP US WITH THE TRANSLATIONS. ALRIGHT. HANG ON ONE SECOND HERE. BECAUSE FOR WILLIAMS THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MITCH. UH, UH, I VOTE? YES.
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FOR HOW DO YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE RESEARCH MITCH AND THE TEAM FOR WORK FOR WORKING ON THIS. I LIKE ALL OF YOUR RECOMMENDATION. THE NATION WITH THE JUST ONE JUST ONE THING. AND YOU MENTIONED, UM , OF COURSE, HAVING STAFF AVAILABLE FOR JUST GENERAL QUESTIONS, SOMEBODY SOMEBODY CALLED CITY HALL WITH A QUESTION OR THEY WALK INTO THE HALL. HAVE SOMEBODY DOING DOING NORMAL WORKING HOURS, RIGHT? OK, GREAT. HOW HOW. AND YOU MENTIONED HAVING SOMEBODY AVAILABLE TO DO THAT. DOING DOING COUNCIL MEETINGS, USUALLY DOING PUBLIC HEARINGS. IF WE'VE GOT A PUBLIC HEARINGS, WE GOT PLANNING SOMETHING COMING COMING OUT OF PLANNING. UH THAT'S WHAT WE'VE SEEN SOME CITIZENS STRUGGLE STRUGGLING. AND LOOKING AROUND, AND SOMETIMES THE MAYOR HAS INTERVENED AND HELPED FACILITATE THAT, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE'VE SEEN. MOST AND FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NOT USED TO THE PROCESS WHO'S NOT BEEN IN IN THAT CHAMBER BEFORE AT THAT MIC, UH, THAT'S NERVE WRACKING ANYWAY AND SO WHAT CAN WE DO, MITCH? TO HAVE.UM AND IT'S BEEN BEEN BOTH JUST SPEAKERS AND SOME DEVELOPERS WHO COME DOWN AND THEY THEY'VE LOOKED AROUND AND WE'VE HAD TO PROVIDE SOME SOME SOME QUICK SUPPORT FOR SO MAKE. WHAT CAN WE DO AMONG YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS? AND I LIKE YOUR YOUR STATEMENT THAT WE DON'T WANNA REQUIRE PEOPLE. YOU GOTTA TELL IN 72 HOURS AND 40. IF I DON'T LIKE AT IN OTHER CITIES, I KNOW SOME CITIES THAT THAT'S CREATED A LOT OF ISSUES THAT THEY DON'T WANT. I DON'T LIKE THAT. BUT HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN PREPARE? MITCH HAVE SOMEBODY ON CALL OR SOMETHING SO THAT IF WE HAVE, LIKE A PUBLIC HEARING ITEM AND SOMEONE NEEDS THAT DOING DOING REGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGS. HOW WOULD WE? HOW WE ACCOMMODATE THAT MUCH? IF WE'VE GOT SOMEBODY COMING TO THE ROSTER AND COMING TO THE MIC GOOD COMMENTS, BUT THEY NEED THAT ASSISTANCE ON THE SPOT. CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT THAT PIECE, MITCH? WE ACTUALLY OUR PLAN WOULD BE TO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER AT THE COUNCIL MEETINGS AVAILABLE AT ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEETINGS. UH, WHICH IS 24 YEAR, GENERALLY RIGHT TO OR ACTUALLY FOR A MONTH, BUT UH, BETWEEN THE WORK SESSIONS AND, UH, SO EVERY WORK SESSION EVERY REGULAR SESSION, WE WOULD HAVE A STAFF MEMBER WHO'S FLUENT IN SPANISH AVAILABLE IF THOSE QUESTIONS CAME UP, THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO TRANSLATE WHETHER WHETHER IT'S A DEVELOPMENT ISSUE , WHETHER IT'S JUST A SIMPLE QUESTION ON A ZONING CASE OR ANY OTHER ITEM THAT'S OUT THERE.
THEY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE AND DO THAT, UH, AGAIN IF WE HAVE A REAL UNIQUE CASE, UH, THAT CALLED FOR A SPECIFIC TECHNICAL, LEGAL SOMETHING EXPERTISE. THERE'S A DIFFERENT ROUTE WE COULD TAKE TO WORK WITH THAT, AND USUALLY THAT'S A DEVELOPMENT CASE. AND THEN THROUGH OUR DEVELOPMENT TEAM AT EVERYBODY, WE COULD WORK THAT OUT WITH THEM, BUT WE WOULD HAVE A STAFF MEMBER AVAILABLE THAT SPEAKS SPANISH, UH, AT EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEETINGS. I LIKE THAT WORST CASE. WE WOULD ALSO HAVE VOY AVAILABLE AS WELL, IF WE HAD BECAUSE THEY THEY DO SPANISH, BUT OUR PLAN IS TO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER AT EACH COUNCIL MEETING. OK AND LA AND LASTLY IF COUNCIL GOES TO YOUR RECOMMENDATION THAT CERTAINLY SUPPORT THEM. WHEN DO YOU LOOK AT? ROLL OUT OR STARTING THIS PROCESS, MITCH, YOU AND YOUR TEAM. SO UH SO WE WOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THE EASIER THINGS NOW, OF COURSE, WE WOULD GET TOGETHER WHAT ALL OF THESE WOULD FOR THE SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE PUT OUT ON THE WEBSITE. UH, SOME OF THEM WILL BE ABLE TO START SOONER. YOU KNOW, THE TV S IS JUST CHOOSING THE MONITORS, WHICH ONES AND SEE IT FINDING OUT THAT SO I THINK IT WOULD JUST BE A FEW WEEKS. IT WOULD BE A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEETINGS TWO OR THREE COUNCIL MEETINGS DOWN THE ROAD. UH, OR WE'D HAVE IT, BUT I THINK WE WOULD PIECE IT TOGETHER. UH THE VOYAGE. WE JUST GOT TO WORK OUT THE SPEAKERS. WE'VE ALREADY TESTED IT. WE WILL KNOW IT WORKED, BUT WE JUST GOT TO WORK ON THE SET UP A LITTLE BIT SO I THINK IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, WE CAN HAVE, UH, MOST OF THIS DONE, UM YOU KNOW, REPLACING SOME OF THE ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES. WE JUST WANNA DO A LITTLE MORE RESEARCH ON THAT. SO IT PROBABLY WON'T TAKE TOO LONG SO, BUT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY. IF THIS IF THIS IS, UH, COUNCIL GIVES, UM A CONSENSUS THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WE WANT TO DO. WE'LL MOVE FORWARD RIGHT AWAY WITH IMPLEMENTATION AS MUCH OF THIS AS POSSIBLE AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES FOR REMORSE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM AND THE TIMING ON THIS HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD. I'VE WORKED WITH OUR OUR DEAF COMMUNITY HERE FOR A WHILE AND ACTUALLY JUST HEARD FROM ONE OF OUR, UH, MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY JUST IN THE LAST WEEK, AND I WAS VERY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SAY OK, WE'RE LOOKING AT GOING THE NEXT STEP BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY DONE THE YOU KNOW,
[00:45:01]
UM, MAKING ALL OF OUR PUBLIC FACING TV S BE CLOSED CAPTIONED, AND WE'VE BEEN CAPTIONING ALL THESE THINGS, BUT IT'S AFTER THE FACT SO LIVE CAPTIONING 100% FOR IT. UM. AND YEAH, THE 8 TO 12TH DELAY IS IT'S A IT'S A STANDARD PEOPLE ARE USED TO THAT, AND THAT'S THAT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. UM I AM A LITTLE ENTERTAINED TO LEARN THAT WE HAVE ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES THAT HAVE APPARENTLY BEEN MOTHBALLED ALL THESE TIMES. I NEVER EVEN KNEW THAT. THAT'S INTERESTING. UM I.I AGREE THAT THE CASE BY CASE A SL, UM, MAKES SENSE. IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE, UM, ONE OF OUR INTERPRETERS SITTING HERE AND ALMOST NEVER CALLED ON. I WILL SAY, ARE YOU ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WAVE LOW OR ANY OF THE SIMILAR. IT'S SIMILAR TO VOYE. ONLY IT'S A VIDEO SCREEN WITH A SL THAT YES, OK, SO THAT'S ANOTHER TECHNOLOGICAL POTENTIAL. I'VE USED THAT, UM, TO COMMUNICATE BY PHONE. AND IT WORKS. IT ACTUALLY WORKS PRETTY WELL SO, AND IT'S SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO BOYANCE ONLY IT JUST INCLUDES A VIDEO SCREEN, RIGHT, SO VO WOUOULD BE SOMETHING WE COULD IMPLEMENT RIGHT AWAY THAT TECHNOLOGY THERE'S DIFFERENT ONES. DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
DIFFERENT KIND OF THINGS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT MIKE UH AND TIFFY AND I HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING DISCUSSING WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE VIDEO THING. UH, THERE'S OTHERS EVEN THAT YOU CAN USE THROUGH. BASICALLY IT'S SOFTWARE ON A COMPUTER WHERE IT'LL TRANSLATE IT FOR YOU BACK AND FORTH, AND ACTUALLY THE COMPUTER. TALKS TO YOU BACK AND FORTH. WE WANNA EXPLORE THOSE A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT I MY GUESS IS WHATEVER OPTION WE END UP WITH TRYING TO IMPROVE THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE SERVICES AND THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, UH, WILL BE ABLE WE WANNA FIND AN OPTION THAT WORKS WELL TOGETHER. UH, THAT KIND OF THING TO AVOID SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD IN PREVIOUS YEARS WITH TECHNOLOGY, SO AGREED. UM ALL RIGHT, AND I ALSO AGREE HAVING A 24 TO 72 HOUR ADVANCE NOTICE REQUIREMENT. WE DON'T EVEN POST OUR AGENDAS UNTIL 72 HOURS THAT TO ME, THAT'S A NO STARTER IT IT DOESN'T WORK. IT'S NOT FAIR TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO COME AND SPEAK TO US. UM SO, UH, SO THIS WOULD BE THIS WOULD BE INCLUDED IN WK SESSIONS. YES WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL. AND REGULAR SESSIONS. HOW ABOUT PLAN COMMISSION. UH WELL, WE I GUESS WE CAN. YEAH WE CAN ROLL IT FURTHER. UH, IF WE NEED TO, UH, IT'S A LITTLE MORE LOGISTICS. I JUST GOT TO LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF AND OF COURSE, I KNOW THERE'S UH, THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITH THE SPANISH AND I. I GUESS I'M JUST HESITATING. I JUST NEED TO THINK THROUGH, UH, THE LOGISTICS OF THE STAFF SIDE OF IT SOMETHING YOU KNOW, VOY IS NOT A HARD THING TO DO IF AND WHEN NEEDED KIND OF THING, THE TECHNOLOGY TO DO THAT, UM, I JUST WOULD NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. SO WE FOCUSED ON CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FROM PRIOR GUIDANCE FROM COUNSEL. THIS ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO END UP IN THE CITY COUNCIL POLICY AND PROCEDURES. SO IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION COUNCIL WANTS TO GO, JUST LET US KNOW AND WE CAN PROVIDE THE SAME RESEARCH AND THEN INCORPORATE THAT INTO YOUR YOUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. IF YOU WANT TO. WELL, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A NATURAL CARRY ON. CERTAINLY WE NEED THIS FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND WORK SESSIONS. UM BUT SINCE CITIZENS GET NOTIFICATION LETTERS IN SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE AND HAVE SHOWN UP AT THE PLAN COMMISSION WANTING TO COMMUNICATE IT, IT FOLLOWS TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE REASONABLE FOR US TO TRY TO PROVIDE THAT FOR THE PLAN COMMISSION IF IT'S IF IT'S DOABLE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT, IT COULD BE SO I WOULD I WOULD AT LEAST BE INTERESTED IN IN SEEING US PURSUE THAT. UM SO I LOVE ALL OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS. ABSOLUTELY UM, AGREE WITH THEM, AND I'M GONNA LOOK BACK HERE AT THE CITY ATTORNEY. THE RELATED SERVICES, CAPTIONING, TRANSLATIONS AND RELATED SERVICES FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS. WE DID HAVE A WOMAN SHOW UP HERE IN AN UBER, UM, SIX WEEKS AGO WHO COULDN'T FIT HER WHEELCHAIR IN AND SO I HAD A REALLY HARD TIME COMING IN TO TALK TO US, SINCE THIS IS ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS. WOULD THAT FIT INTO RELATED SERVICES FOR THIS AGENDA, POSTING. NO OKAY, I'M GONNA I'M GONNA GO OUT ON THE EDGE HERE AND SAY ACCESS INTO THE BUILDING AND COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT THE SAMETHAT'S I. I ASSUMED, BUT I DID WANT TO ASK, BECAUSE THAT DID PREVENT, UM, THAT THAT CREATED AN OBSTACLE AND WE'RE TRYING TO REMOVE OBSTACLES FROM CITIZENS COMMUNICATING WITH US. SO UH, WITH THAT, I, I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR RESEARCH AND ABSOLUTELY AGREE WH YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK YOU, MAYOR. APRIL TIM BASS. THANK YOU, MITCH REALLY APPRECIATE THE RESEARCH YOU AND
[00:50:01]
YOUR TEAM HAVE DONE. IT'S OBVIOUS THAT YOU GUYS EXHAUSTED EVERY OPTION YOU COULD FIND.DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THE LIVE CAPTIONING, UH, HAVING SPANISH TRANSLATOR FOR WORK SESSION AND, UH, REGULAR SESSIONS AND THE USE OF VOY, UM. COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ONE FOR THE ASSISTED LISTENING DEVICES. HOW WOULD ONE GO ABOUT ACQUIRING ONE OF THOSE, IF THEY SO CHOSE, SO OUR STAFF ACTUALLY HAS THEM HERE? DAN HAS THEM IN THE TEAM HAS THEM HERE. SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO? WE JUST NEED TO PUBLICIZE THAT AND PUBLISH IT MORE THAT AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT TYPES, DEPENDING ON YOUR HEARING DEVICE, HEARING AID OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE, SO THERE THEY ARE OLDER. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY WERE PURCHASED IN 2015 WHEN THIS BUILDING WAS REDONE AT THAT POINT, I MY UNDERSTANDING IS WE PUT SOMETHING OUT BACK THEN I GUESS IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE THE WEBSITE AND THE REST OF THE THING. SO WE HAVE SOME AVAILABLE AND WE WILL UPDATE THAT SO BASICALLY IS WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A SYSTEM WHEN THEY COME IN AND ASK WHETHER BETWEEN THE CITY SECRET'S OFFICE OR JUST ANY STAFF THAT ARE HERE. UM AND THEN WE WILL WORK ON THAT PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO GET IT TO HIM. WE HAVE THEM AVAILABLE. UH I DO WHAT? I'VE ALREADY TALKED TO TIFFANY AND MIKE. WE WANNA UPGRADE THOSE AND FIND SOMETHING THAT IS MOR OF THE MORE RECENT VERSIONS, BUT THEY STILL DO WORK. SO IF SOMEONE COMES IN, WE HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE. TO USE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE AN OLDER MODEL. OKAY. PERFECT I. I THINK THAT YEAH, GETTING THEM FROM THE CITY SECRETARY MAKES SENSE. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW BIG THEY ARE, BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW SHE COULD KEEP THEM THERE. SHE COULD SHOW PEOPLE HOW TO USE THEM. IF WE HAD HER TRAINED IN THAT, UM THEN ALSO ON THE, UM IN I'M GLAD DEBORAH BROUGHT THIS UP. I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, TOO. ABOUT OTHER MEETINGS. UM I MEAN, OF COURSE, I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA LOOK INTO THAT. BUT I WOULD THINK THAT PROBABLY JUST THE USE OF AVOIDANCE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR OTHER MEETINGS, I WOULD THINK, BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY WANT THAT. YOU KNOW, WANT PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS AVAILABLE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD STAFF THAT WAS TRAINED IN USING IT IF IT IF IT WERE NEEDED AT EACH OF THE OTHER. EACH OF THE OTHER MEETINGS, PLANNING COMMISSION AND SUCH, UM OK, THAT'S ALL I HAD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. PRETTY GOOD MAYOR IF I MAY REAL QUICK ON VOY. UH YEAH, WE CAN DO THAT. THAT'S FAIRLY EASY WITH THAT. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF TRAINING. IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO YOU HAVE TO GET, UH THE STAFF MEMBERS SET UP. THEY HAVE TO HAVE AN ACCOUNT NUMBER IN THE TRAINING IS VERY SIMPLE. IT TAKES FIVE MINUTES TO SHOW THEM HOW TO USE IT AND EXPLAIN IT TO HIM. IT'S JUST GETTING ALL THE WORK UP FRONT SET UP, SO IT'S NOT A HUGE THING. IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE BIT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND WE DON'T PAY PER PERSON WE PAY PER MINUTE USED. ALL RIGHT.
HENDRICK. THANK YOU, MAYOR I. I AGREE WITH ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE, EXCEPT ONE POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT REQUIRING A STAFF MEMBER TO BE HERE AT EVERY COUNCIL MEETING AND WORK SESSION AND COUNCIL MEETING. IF WE HAVE THIS VOICE TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM, IT'S USED VERY RARELY. I'D HATE FOR ACCOUNT A STAFF PERSON TO BE SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM AS MUCH AS THEY ARE ENTERTAINED BY OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS. I DON'T THINK THEY'D BE USED VERY OFTEN.
AND IF WE HAVE THIS GREAT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION, I IMAGINE SPANISH IS A LANGUAGE THAT YOU SAID SOME OF THE HORROR ONES MIGHT TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES IN SPANISH. I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD DEFINE VERY MUCH DELAY TO FIND A SPANISH SPEAKER AVAILABLE TO TAKE THAT TRANSLATION. CALL, UM TRYING TO WORK ON MY SPANISH EVERY DAY AS WELL ON MY DUOLINGO AT HOME, BUT NOT QUITE THERE YET, BUT, UH I THINK SPANISH WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO USE ON THAT SYSTEM. VIETNAMESE I IMAGINE PRETTY QUICKLY AS WELL. AND I, THOSE WOULD BE THE TOP TWO THAT WE WOULD POSSIBLY EVER NEED. SO IF THERE'S THAT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION, IT COULD BE AVAILABLE FOR US AS WELL AS ANY OTHER BOARD OF COMMISSION MEETING RATHER THAN HAVING A STAFF PERSON'S TIME SPENT THERE AND I'D HATE FOR THEM, YOU KNOW? TO HAVE TO DRAW THE SHORT STRAW AND SIT HERE AND THERE'S GONNA BE A ROTATING SCHEDULE. YOU IMAGINE YOU WOULD PUT IN PLACE, BUT JUST CONSIDERING THEM AS WELL. I WOULD URGE THE COUNCIL TO THINK ABOUT IF WE HAVE A TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTION TO UTILIZE THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN HEDRICK. UM I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE VOYAGE SYSTEM. UM IMPLEMENTED FIRST AND IF IT IF IT'S TOO CLUNKY, OR IF IT'S JUST NOT WORKING OUT, THEN I WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER A STAFF MEMBER, BUT UNTIL THEN, I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON BUOYANT AND MAKING THAT PROCESS STREAMLINED. UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE MORE BENEFICIAL FOR THANK YOU. AND CO. RO. WELL, I CONCUR WITH THAT , UH, THAT ALSO, UH. I KNOW THAT IN 12 YEARS FROM THE PLAN COMMISSION ONE YEAR ON COUNCIL WE HAD. THREE OCCASIONS THAT I CAN THINK OF WHERE THERE IS SOMEBODY THAT JUST FLAT OUT COULD NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. AND SO IT'S NOT AS COMMON AS PEOPLE WOULD THINK. UM, I THINK THAT BY REQUIRING STAFFING UP IN ANY WAY UNTIL IT PROVES THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR IT, I THINK THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF A WASTE OF RESOURCES. BUT THE VOY IN THE LIVE CAPTIONING THAT THE MONITORS EVERYTHING LIKE THAT FANTASTIC IDEA. I THINK THAT'S JUST THAT'S DEFINITELY A WAY TO GO. OK? THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER
[00:55:05]
QUESTIONS. WELL YOU KNOW, ONE AS FAR AS INTEGRATING THESE THINGS INTO OUR SYSTEM, I, I WILL RELY ON THIS EXPERIENCE, AND THAT IS IF WE WERE ABLE TO INTEGRATE ZOOM. INTO OUR SYSTEMS AS.CLUNKY AS THAT WAS IN ITS INITIAL STAGES, AND THEN THE ENDLESS UPDATES THEY WOULD RUN WEEKLY DAILY. WHATEVER I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL PROBABLY PLAY NICER WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY THAN THAT, SO I DON'T I AGAIN. IF WE CAN MAKE ZOOM WORK, WE CAN PROBABLY DO ANYTHING. UM AND I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD POINT. UH, YOU KNOW, THE UH, RATHER THAN HAVE A STAFF MEMBER ON STANDBY IF YOU WILL, UM TO YOU KNOW, LET'S LET'S USE THE TECHNOLOGY, THE VOYAGE OR WHICHEVER SYSTEM WE END UP GOING WITH, UM, I, I THINK, UH, I THINK THAT IS A VERY LOGICAL SOLUTION. UM AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AS FAR AS, UM YOU KNOW, THE TELEVISED PLAN COMMISSION MEETINGS. I MEAN THE. A CLOSED CAPTIONING CAN BE ADDED TO THE I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THAT'S UH YOU KNOW, IT'S THE SAME SAME SYSTEM JUST DIFFERENT PEOPLE SITTING BEHIND THE DESK. I DON'T THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE AN ISSUE. UM BUT, UH UH, LET'S DEFINITELY, UH, CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT, UH, THE PURCHASE OF THE MONITORS IN THE SYSTEMS AND ALL THAT. I THINK WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT. TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. YES ALL RIGHT. GOT IT. I MAKE NOTE THAT COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE ENTERTAINING. I HEARD THAT, UH, WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT THE DEFINITION OF ENTERTAINING. WE MIGHT HAVE TO SEND THAT TO COMMITTEE. HANG ON.
DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MOORE. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. AS WE WERE TALKING ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME TO MY MIND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE NEW A I TECHNOLOGY IS, UH INTO ALL THE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES OR NOT. I DO KNOW THAT AT THIS POINT THAT I'M USING AND IN THE WAY OF IT, INTERPRETING AND, UH, BRINGING A LONG DIALOGUE AND BREAKING IT DOWN TO A SUMMARY OF WHICH FOR SUCCINCT AND IT'S DISTINCT, UH, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT ALSO INTO RUNNING WHATEVER THE TECHNOLOGY IS THROUGH THERE, SO THAT'S THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR ALL THE RESEARCH, MITCH. AGAIN I DON'T THINK THAT MEANS WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS. ALL RIGHT. THAT WAS
[ANNOUNCE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
OUR LAST ITEM UNDER VERBAL BRIEFINGS. UH, NEXT UP IS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. ANYBODY HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FOR THIS EVENING COUNCIL MEMBER, DUTTON. I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE MOBILITY COMMITTEE REVIEW IN SUMMARIZED ALL ACTIVE LINES IN DESIGNATED QUIET ZONES WITHIN THE CITY. VERY GOOD. SECOND WITH, UH, CUSTOMER LUCK. OK ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S IT? THAT WAS A LOT. ANY ADDITIONAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FOR TONIGHT.OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A PROCESS AFTER WE ADJOURN. UH, JUST ONE QUICK UPDATE. UH, BEFORE THIS MEETING, UH, MR REX AND I WERE MEETING WITH, UH, DART AND IT IS COMING UP TIME FOR OUR ANNUAL SORT OF, UH, UPDATE WITH THEM, SO WE'LL GET THAT ON THE CALENDAR. WE SPOKE WITH THEM ABOUT THAT THIS AFTERNOON. I THINK IT'LL BE UH, PROBABLY IN THE SUMMER, JUNE, JULY ISH, I THINK IS WHEN IT WOULD COME UP, SO JUST KNOW THAT THAT IS COMING TO A FUTURE WORK SESSION. FOR, UH, FOR OUR ANNUAL UPDATES THERE. ALL RIGHT. SO NEXT ITEM UP IS, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION.
[EXECUTIVE SESSION]
COUNSEL ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 551.07255. 0.074551 0.087 AND 551 POINT. 071 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS ONE THE PURCHASEXCHANGE, LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF HOPKINS AND WEST AVENUE, D PERSONNEL OR MATTERS RELATED TO THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT EVALUATION REASSIGNMENT OF DUTIES. DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGE AND UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAME AND TWO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MATTERS RELATED TO COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION THAT THE CITY HAS RECEIVED FROM ONE OR MORE BUSINESS PROSPECTS THAT THE CITY[01:00:03]
SEEKS TO HAVE LOCATE, STAY OR EXPAND IN THE VICINITY OF SOUTH GARLAND AVENUE AND INTERSTATE 635. UH AND PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TURNPIKE IN HOLFORD ROAD WITH WHICH THE CITY IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS, INCLUDING POSSIBLE PURCHASE OF REAL PROPERTY AND ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS RELATED TO SAME PRIVILEGED AND UNPRIVILEGED. UH, LET'S TAKE A QUICK RECESS. SO WE KIND OF CLEAR THE ROOM OUT. LET'S HAVE EVERYBODY BACK AT 710 PLEASE, WITH THAT WE ARE IN RECESS.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.