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WELL GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE MONDAY APRIL 1ST 2024 WORK SESSION FOR THE GARLAND CITY COUNCIL. FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA THIS EVENING IS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON WORK SESSION ITEMS. I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP. OK ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON TO CONSIDER THE CONSENT
[CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA]
AGENDA. UH, THIS WOULD BE FOR TOMORROW NIGHT. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY REQUESTS TO HAVE ANY ITEMS PULLED. UH, BUT OBVIOUSLY, UM IF YOU WOULD LIKE THAT WE THE SOONER WE CAN KNOW IT THE BETTER[WRITTEN BRIEFINGS]
AS FAR AS HAVING STAFF PREPARED ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO WRITTEN BRIEFINGS ITEM ONE YOUTH PROGRAMS, STANDARDS OF CARE. ITEM TWO ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION REFUNDING AND IMPROVEMENT BONDS. ITEM THREE WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM REFUNDING BONDS. AND ITEM. ITEM FOUR FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE PROJECT SPECIFIC AGREEMENT WITH DALLAS COUNTY FOR RALEIGH ROAD CYCLE TRACK FROM GREEN BELT PARKWAY TO LAKE RAY HUBBARD. THERE'S A LOT OF WORDS. WRAPPED UP IN THAT ALL[5. Introduction of Niels Brown, Real Estate Director]
RIGHT ON TO VERBAL BRIEFINGS, INTRODUCTION OF NIELS BROWN REAL ESTATE DIRECTOR. COME ON UP HERE AND HAVE A YOU CAN HAVE A SEAT. GOOD EVENING COUNCIL. MR MAYOR, WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE YOU TO NIELS BROWN, WHO IS JOINING US AS OUR NEW, UH, REAL ESTATE DIRECTOR. NIELS IS JOINING US FROM THE CITY OF FORT WORTH. HE HAS ABOUT 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE REAL ESTATE. UH, BUSINESS. UH, HE IS A CERTIFIED BROKER IN THE STATE, AND HE IS ALL BUT NINE HOURS IN AS A CITY EMPLOYEE. SO UH, HOPEFULLY WE DON'T SCARE HIM OFF AND HE'LL BE BACK TOMORROW, BUT WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO NEIL'S, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. YOU MAY HAVE VERY GOOD, SIR. GO AHEAD. UH, YES. SO UM, NAME IS NIELS BROWN. AND UH, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, BE PART OF THIS GROUP AND, UH, BE PART OF THE CITY OF GARLANDS. UM, TEAM GARLAND. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNSEL. UH MAYOR MAYOR PRO TEM. VERY GOOD. SO I THINK THIS HAS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE NEW FOLKS. FIRST DAY IS A WORK SESSION DAY. AND SO THAT'S THAT'S A THAT MAKES FOR AN INTERESTING DAY. I'M SURE BUT ON BEHALF OF THE COUNCIL. WELCOME UH WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR US. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING. UM AND SEEING WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW I GUESS YOU CAN GO HOME FOR THE DAY. BUT YOU HAVE TO COME BACK IN THE MORNING. OF COURSE. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM SIX AUDIT[6. Audit Committee Meeting Report]
COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT. DEPUTY MAYOR MOORE. YOU WANNA PRETEND MORE? YOU WANNA START US OFF? THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. UM WE'VE GOT A WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON WITH OUR AUDIT COMMITTEE, AND WE DO BUT I'M GOING TO DO, UH TO, UH, EXPEDITE THINGS IS TO TURN IT RIGHT OVER TO OUR AUDIT DIRECTOR, UH, JE JOHNSON. VERY GOOD. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, COUNCIL CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU.THANK YOU FOR HAVING US AS THE AS YOU HAVE SEEN. WE HAD AN AUDIT COMMITTEE ON MARCH 26TH F NUMBER OF ITEMS WERE DISCUSSED. BUT BEFORE I GET INTO ALL OF THAT, I WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU, UH, TO MY TEAM MEMBERS. UH, YOU HAVE SEEN OUR REPORTS. YOU HAVE SEEN THE WORK FOR A LONG TIME.
IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR THEM TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES TO YOU. SO WITH THAT, I JUST GONNA TURN IT OVER TO PATRICIA. AFTER THAT ERIN WILL INTRODUCE HERSELF. ZACH AND J AND BOOK I'M GONNA INTRODUCE VERY GOOD. GO AHEAD. HELLO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE TODAY.
APPRECIATE THAT, SO I EARNED MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE AT TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY WITH, UH, CONCENTRATION IN HUMAN RESOURCES AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT. AND PRIOR TO PUBLIC SERVICE. I SPENT TIME IN THE CORPORATE WORLD 17 YEARS AS A PARALEGAL AND LEGAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR DEFENSE FIRM WORKING ON PERSONAL INJURY, PRODUCT LIABILITY AND CONSTRUCTION CASES, AND ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TIME IN THAT WORLD WAS SPENDING FIVE MONTHS IN THE COURTROOM ON, UH, ONE OF THE LONGEST, UH, JURY TRIALS IN TRAVIS COUNTY HISTORY. UH, IT'S FIVE MONTHS LONG. UM, AND FOLLOWING THAT I SPENT TIME IN ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING REVIEWING CONTRACTS, PAY APPLICATIONS AND PLANS. ULTIMATELY I MOVED TO PUBLIC SERVICE WHEN I ACCEPTED A PROGRAM MANAGER POSITION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND IT WAS THERE THAT I LEARNED MY OF WHAT INTERNAL AUDITING IS BECAUSE THE PROGRAM THAT I MANAGED WAS
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AUDITED. UM. AND WHILE IT WAS OCCASIONALLY PAINFUL, I UNDERSTOOD THE OBJECTIVES AND THAT YOU KNOW IT'S A PROCESS OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. AND SO I WANTED TO EXPLORE THAT PROFESSION AND WHAT WHAT THAT MEANS. UM AND SO I CAME TO THE CITY OF GARLAND AS A STAFF AUDITOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO, AND, UH, I NOW SENIOR AUDITOR AND I ENJOY EXPANDING MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS AND DEPARTMENTS AT THE CITY OF GARLAND PROVIDES TO THE COMMUNITY AND UM, I ENJOY THE DAILY WORK OF RESEARCH DATA ANALYTICS, REPORT WRITING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE. UM, AND IN A MOMENT YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE OTHERS. WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE BACKGROUND. BUT SOMEHOW IT ALL WORKS VERY WELL TOGETHER, AND WE ENJOY WHAT WE DO. UM YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND? AND OVER THE YEARS I'VE SERVED ON VARIOUS BOARDS, COMMITTEES, ADVISORY COUNCILS AND TEAMS IN BOTH PUBLIC OR PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND VOLUNTARY SECTORS, INCLUDING COMMUNITY RELATIONS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. UH ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW PARKS AND RECREATION, SINGLE PARENT MINISTRIES AND, UH, CURRICULUM ENRICHMENT FOR STUDENTS. AND I CONSIDER MYSELF A LIFETIME LEARNER AND, AMONG OTHER THINGS, HAVE COMPLETED A HUMAN RESOURCES CERTIFICATION AT UT AUSTIN AND EIGHT INCIDENT COMMAND. UH, CERTIFICATIONS WITH FEMA. AND NEXT MONTH WE'LL RECEIVE THE NATIONALLY ACCREDITED CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER. I CAN SAY TO THAT IS WOW. THAT IS THAT IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ERIN PENNY. I'M A SENIOR AUDITOR. UM SO I STUDIED POLITICAL SCIENCE AT TEXAS A AND M'S BUSH SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE. UM, ONCE I GRADUATED ONCE I GRADUATED I COMMISSIONED IN THE MARINE CORPS. UM AND I SERVED 6.5 YEARS ON ACTIVE DUTY, UM, MOST OF WHICH WAS IN A FINANCIAL CAPACITY. SO UM, I SERVED HERE IN THE STATES AND ALSO ABROAD IN JAPAN, IRAQ, SYRIA, KUWAIT AND THAILAND. UM, A FEW OF MY POSITIONS WERE, UM, AIR WING BUDGET OFFICER DEPLOYED, DISPERSING OFFICER UM, MANAGER OF INTERNAL CONTROLS. BUT DEPUTY COMPTROLLER FOR A LARGE MILITARY EXERCISE. I WORKED IN MILITARY PAYROLL TRAVEL ENTITLEMENTS. UM I'VE GIVEN BROADWAYS AND ABUSE TRAINING TO SUBORDINATE UNITS AND I PERFORMED COMMAND SPONSORED INVESTIGATIONS. UH, SEPARATED FROM THE MILITARY AT THE RANK OF CAPTAIN AFTER SERVING AS A COMMANDING OFFICER, UM, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR TWO YEARS. NOW I ENJOY BEING AN AUDITOR, BECAUSE, UM, IT PROVIDES A VERY DIVERSE UM WORK. UH, SO EVERY AUDIT THAT I PERFORM. I LEARN SOMETHING NEW, UM FROM SOMEONE, AND, UM, SOMETHING ELSE. UH, WHEN YOU LEAVE THE MILITARY, YOU TEND TO SEEK OUT CAMARADERIE THAT SIMILAR TO THE MILITARY ENVIRONMENT. UM I THINK I FOUND THAT HERE IN GARLAND. UM IT REALLY DOES FEEL LIKE A FAMILY.UM YOU KNOW, I DON'T I DON'T FEEL LIKE A NUMBER HERE. UM, SO IT'S THAT PLUS, UM WE HAVE A VERY FULFILLING JOB. I FEEL LIKE WE MAKE A GOOD IMPACT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS AS WELL. UM LOOKING FORWARD IN MAY I'LL GRADUATE, UH, FROM TCU WITH AN MB, A AND A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN ANALYTICS, AND THEN I'M HOPING TO PURSUE MY, UM CERTIFIED INFORMATION SYSTEMS AUDITOR CERTIFICATION SOON AFTER SO THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. WELL, WE HAVE TWO MORE. THANK YOU, UH, AGAIN, LIKE JET SAID MY NAME IS, UH, ZACHARY EVANS. I'VE MOVED TO GARLAND IN 2020 WHENEVER I GOT MARRIED AND ACTUALLY STARTED WORKING HERE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023 LAST YEAR, SO HAVEN'T BEEN HERE QUITE AS LONG.
BUT UM, I DID GROW UP VOLUNTEERING IN THE CITY OF MESQUITE WHERE I GREW UP, UH, WITH MY DAD, UH, BOTH IN BOY SCOUTS AND WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. HE'S WORKED WITH THIS, UH, SKI FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT 31 YEARS, SO HAVING A ROLE MODEL SUCH AS THAT I JUST ALWAYS CRAVED AND DESIRED TO WORK AND VOLUNTEER AND CONTRIBUTE TO MY COMMUNITY. UM I SPENT THE FIRST FOUR YEARS OF MY CAREER WORKING IN PUBLIC ACCOUNTING. UM AND THE HEALTH CARE CAPACITY. SO A MORE OF AN AUDITOR AND CONSULTANT, UM FOR THAT SIDE HOSPITALS, SENIOR LIVING AND AS SOON AS I SAW THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO THE CITY OF GARLAND, WHERE I THEN LIVED, UM AND BEING ABLE TO SERVE MY COMMUNITY IN THE SAME WAY WITH THE SKILLS I LEARNED I JUMPED ON
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IT. UM, I'D ACTUALLY APPLIED FOR THE JOB IN 2020 WHEN I HAD NO SKILLS, AND I DIDN'T BUT FINALLY, AFTER THREE YEARS, JED DID CALL ME SO I I'M EXCITED. UM NO. BUT WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF BEING IN MY INTERVIEW, I COULD FEEL THE SENSE OF, UM COMMUNITY SERVICE AND BELONGING AND FAMILY THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SPOKEN ABOUT. AND I COULD SEE THAT SAME, UH, PASSION IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. JAVIN WASN'T HERE YET, BUT I KNOW I KNOW HE HAS IT, TOO. UM I LOVE BEING A PART OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT BECAUSE ONE I DEEPLY VALUE TRANSPARENCY AND PLUS, I GET TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE AMAZING PROGRAMS AND DEPARTMENTS , YOU KNOW, BEING A CITIZEN.THAT'S THAT'S EXTREMELY COLD AGAIN. INSIDE VIEW OF THAT, UM AND AGAIN LOOKING FORWARD, UM, I DO APPRECIATE AND I'M VERY THANKFUL AS AN EMPLOYEE FOR THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE THEIR EMPLOYEES TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION. AND RIGHT NOW I'M WORKING ON MY CPA EXAMS. A LOT OF STUDYING, BUT I HOPE TO FINISH THAT UP SO VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MR MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF. MY NAME IS JAVIN. MATTHEW UH, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY OF GARLAND FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS NOW . SO ALMOST DONE WITH PROBATION. UM I ATTENDED BOTH UNDERGRAD AND LAW SCHOOL IN MICHIGAN. UM I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF CLERKING UNDER JUDGE AQUILINA AT LANSING AND THEN WORKED AT PRICEWATERHOUSE COOPER IN TORONTO. FUNACT. I AM CANADIAN. UH WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF THE IF IT'S THAT FORM OF A FACT BUT UM, ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND LOBBYING IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. UM SOME OF THE REASONS WHY I GOT INTO INTERNAL INTERNAL AUDITING FOR A CITY LIKE GARLAND IS BECAUSE I'VE LEARNED THAT INTERNAL AUDIT, UH FOSTERS A CULTURE OF TRANSPARENCY AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT WITHIN THE CITY. UH, BY REGULARLY EVALUATING PROCESSES, CONTROLS AND PERFORMANCE. INTERNAL AUDIT HELPS THE CITY IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION AND ENRICHMENT. UM I'M HONORED TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT AND TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF GARLAND WHILE ALSO BEING PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE.
ANOTHER REASON WHY I LOVE WORKING HERE AS A TEAM, AND, UH, WELL, IT'S ALL SAID IT. YOU KNOW , THIS TEAM IS PASSIONATE, HIGHLY DRIVEN, AND MAINLY, THEY HAVE INTEGRITY AND CARES FOR GARLAND. UM I AM PLANNING ON ACQUIRING MY CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINER CERTIFICATION SHORTLY.
THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. I THINK ATTENDING A WORK SESSION DOESN'T THAT GET THEM PAST THE PROBATION PERIOD? LIKE WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME SOME QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
WE'LL SEE WHERE IT GOES, UH DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TIM MOORE. THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. AND AS I'VE JUST SAT HERE AND LISTENED TO THE NATIONALISM, THE EXPERTISE AND, UH, THE ACADEMIA THAT GOES BEHIND. THIS IS A GREAT TEAM. I'M I'M JUST, UH I'M EXCITED. IT'S A GREAT THING TO KNOW THAT FIRST OF ALL. AS I WATCHED THIS TEAM, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT GARLAND HA, UH, AN AUDIT DEPARTMENT THAT A LOT OF CITIES WOULD REALLY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE, AND THAT IS IN ITSELF. THAT IS AWESOME. BUT I THINK EVEN MORE THAN THAT, UM I'VE I'VE PROBABLY TOLD THIS STORY BEFORE, AND THAT IS WHEN I WORK WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN THE BUREAU OF PRISONS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I USED TO DO IN THE WAY OF TRAINING. WHEN I'M TRAINING OFFICERS, I WOULD ALWAYS TELL THEM THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU. THAT PAPER AND PENCIL THAT WE GIVE YOU GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY. THEY GIVE YOU THE AUTHORITY OF PEOPLE'S LIVES YOU HAVE. YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE CANNOT GIVE YOU WE CAN'T GIVE YOU THEIR RESPECT. YOU HAVE TO EARN THAT AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I CAN SAY ABOUT YOU AND JUD. UH, JED, I WANNA START WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WAS ASSEMBLED THIS GREAT TEAM AND IT STARTS I THINK AT THE HEAD WHEN I OBSERVE WHAT YOU DO. YES I APPRECIATE YOUR CREDENTIALS. I APPRECIATE SO MUCH YOUR PROFESSIONALISM. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT I APPRECIATE IS THAT THERE IS NO AUDIT WITHOUT SOMEBODY BEING EMBARRASSED. SOMEBODY IS GOING TO BE FOUND. LACKING BUT THE MANNER BY WHICH YOU GO ABOUT DOING IT. I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. ALWAYS THEY PARTICIPATED. THEY GAVE US WHAT WE NEEDED. THEY DID THIS. THEY DID THAT. SUCH THAT WHEN WE'RE FINISHED, WE'RE NOT OUT TRYING TO FIND FAULT WITH ANYBODY. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE OUR CITY A MUCH BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE, GROW AND PROSPER. AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO YOU AND THIS TEAM. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THE EXPERTISE BUT MORE SO THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS THAT YOU BRING TO THE JOB THANK YOU, MR BEER. VERY GOOD AND CUSTOMER LUCK. I LIKE TO ECHO THAT I THERE'S SO MUCH INTEGRITY INVOLVED IN THE JOB THAT YOU DO,
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AND IT'S EVIDENT BY THE WAY JED LEADS THE TEAM AND BY JUST THE WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM YOU ALL TODAY THAT THAT IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY. AND I CAN TELL I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR EVERYONE ON COUNCIL AND I SAY WE TRULY APPRECIATE THAT, AND WE TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO FOR OUR CITY. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. K WILLIAMS, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY MOVE ON TO A REPORT. WELL, I WASN'T BUT MY ARE THEY TO MY RIGHT? UH, CHAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOUR TEAM.THANK YOU. YOU'VE ASKED AS YOU WERE TALKING. AND, UH, UM SO LAST THING I HAD SORT OF HAD A FLASHBACK. I REMEMBER THIS COUNCIL'S FIRST ONE OF THE FIRST CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU. BEFORE YOU WERE THE QUOTE CITY AUDIT. AND HAVING WATCHED, I BELIEVE EVERYTHING RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP. I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT AND JUST HAVING SPECTATED. HAD NOW BEEN INVOLVED AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE. UH, AND WATCHED YOU COME FROM WHERE? WHERE YOU WERE WITH THIS ORGANIZATION. AND WHERE YOUR TEAM AND YOUR ORGANIZATION IS NOW IS JUST AMAZING. THAT'S PERSPECTIVE THAT I THINK ALL OF US REALLY APPRECIATE WHEN YOU CAN. YOU CAN SEE THAT, AND I'VE SEEN THAT FILTER DOWN TO YOUR TEAM, SO I JUST WANNA COMMEND YOU. FOR WHERE YOU ARE NOW AS AS A LEADER. AND COME IN ANOTHER THING, COUNCILMAN SAID. SOME THINGS YOU CAN'T TEACH YOU. WE CAN'T TEACH YOUR TEAM TO CARE ABOUT THIS CITY. AND IT COMES THROUGH AS SOMETHING YOU CAN'T TEACH. NOW WE CAN GIVE YOU A JOB. WE CAN GET A PAYCHECK. BUT WE CAN'T TEACH PEOPLE TO CARE AND THAT COMES THROUGH YOUR TEAM. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. MORE IMPORTANTLY THOUGH. THANK YOU FOR CARRIE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. VERY GOOD. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU TO ALL THE TEAM. IT'S VERY NICE TO MEET ALL OF YOU IN PERSON. MAYOR, UM THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT COUNCIL. THANK THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR SUPPORT. HONESTLY THIS TEAM UM IS WHAT MAKES US BETTER. THEY REALLY DO CARE FOR WHAT WE DO. UM SO AT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, UH, WITH THE FIRST ITEM THAT WE DISCUSSED WAS THE OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT. I DO WANT TO THANK OUR EXTERNAL AUDITOR WEAVER AND ESPECIALLY SARAH, WHO IS THE PARTNER AND HER TEAM FOR PROVIDING A WONDERFUL, UH, AUDIT AUDIT PROCESS. SO AT THIS POINT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO SARAH. I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR SOME GOOD RESULTS AND THANKS TO OUR FINANCE TEAM FOR HELPING US ON THIS VERY GOOD.
YES MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY MANAGEMENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY. UH MY NAME IS SARAH DEMPSEY. I'M THE AUDIT PARTNER ON THE ENGAGEMENT AND WE WRAPPED UP THE AUDIT IN MARCH.
AND THEN LAST WEEK, WE PRESENTED THE RESULTS TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. UH, FANTASTIC RESULTS , UH, REALLY SPEAK HIGHLY TO THE WORK THAT'S DONE IN EACH DEPARTMENT. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH FINANCE. BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND THERE IS JUST, UM, SUCH PRIORITIZATION ON GETTING US EVERYTHING. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE T THAT. UM THE RESULS ARE AN UNMODIFIED OPINION, WHICH IS A CLEAN OPINION THAT, UM HIGHEST LEVEL OF ASSURANCE THAT WE CAN GIVE AND WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS NO MATERIAL WEAKNESSES AND NO SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES TO REPORT TO YOU. SO WHEN WE DID OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT IN THE CITY PROVIDED THEIR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR US, AND WE STARTED AUDITING THOSE BALANCES.
WE WEREN'T FINDING ERRORS. EVERYTHING CHECKED OUT. WE LOOKED AT THE RECONCILIATION. WE P PULLED THIRD PARTY RECEIPTS. DISBURSEMENTS UM, WALKED THROUGH INTERNAL CONTROLS, AND WE WERE OUT HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND ASKED FOR A LOT OF INFORMATION. SO UM, GREAT RESULTS. WE HAD A SINGLE AUDIT AND THEN A FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT. THE SINGLE AUDIT IS OVER YOUR FEDERAL EXPENDITURES. SO THAT'S YOUR ARPA FUNDING YOUR EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN YOUR HOME PROGRAM, AND THOSE ALSO RECEIVED AN UNMODIFIED OPINION AND NO SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES OR MATERIAL WEAKNESSES. SO I MEAN, THAT'S THE BEST RESULTS THAT I CAN BRING TO YOU TODAY. SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU DO WE HAVE DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL, OR ARE WE GONNA DO IT? I JUST WANNA MAKE ONE COMMENT. WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING THEIR ASSISTANCE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL THE SERVICES THAT Y PROVIDE TO THE CITY.
YEAH. WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING, TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OK THE NEXT ITEM THAT WE DISCUSSED WAS THE MUNICIPAL COURT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM UPDATE AS MAYOR COUNCIL YOU MAY REMEMBER BACK IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023. WE ISSUED A REPORT AFTER REVIEW AFTER LOOKING AT THE PROGRAM AND DO WANT A HUGE, UM, KUDOS TO THE MUNICIPAL COURT TEAM. UH, ESPECIALLY KEVIN SLAY PHIL AND THE NEW DIRECTOR. UNFORTUNATELY KIM COULD NOT BE HERE AS WELL AS THE JUDGES. UH, WE HAD A NUMBER
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OF OBSERVATION. MADE UM THEY HAVE ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTED AND ACTUALLY WENT FURTHER IN IMPLEMENTING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. SO PATRICIA DID THE AUDIT. SHE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB BACK WHEN WE DID IT, SHE'S GONNA GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OF WHAT WE DISCUSSED AT THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. VERY GOOD. OK SO LAST IN SEPTEMBER IS, JED SAID, WE ASK YOU IF YOU CAN PULL YOUR MIC A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU. YOU CAN PULL IT FORWARD. THERE YOU GO. SO LAST SEPTEMBER, AS JED SAID, WE ISSUED A REPORT OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES DEFENDANTS WITH VARIOUS WAYS OF RESOLVING THEIR MISDEMEANOR COURT CASES, INCLUDING PAYMENT PLANS. SO DURING THE REVIEW, WE OBSERVED SOME PROCESSES WE'RE NOT CLEARLY DEFINED, SUCH AS ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT OPTIONS AND APPROVAL OF PAYMENT REDUCTION PAYMENT PLAN. TERMS AND CONDITIONS WERE INCONSISTENT AND INTERNAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND REPORTING WAS LIMITED.ADDITIONALLY THERE WERE LIMITED ELECTRONIC PROCESSES IN PLACE FOR THE CITIZENS TO MANAGE THEIR CASES. SO SINCE THAT TIME SINCE SEPTEMBER, THE NEW LEADERSHIP HAS CONFERRED WITH THE JUDGES AND TWO STANDING ORDERS HAVE BEEN PREPARED THAT PROVIDE GREAT CLARITY TO THE PAYMENT PLAN CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES AND ESTABLISHES TWO SEPARATE PAYMENT PLAN APPLICATIONS. THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL HAS ALSO BEEN COMPLETELY REWRITTEN, AND IT DEFINES THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS THE CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES TO BE ADHERED TO ALL FORM.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW ALSO IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. AND ALL THE ALTHOUGH THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS APPROXIMATELY 25 YEARS OLD AND HAS LIMITED CAPABILITY, LEADERSHIP HAS WORKED WITH IT TO DEVELOP A PUBLIC FACING PORTAL TO ALLOW THE DEFENDANTS TO OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO MANAGE THEIR CASES ONLINE. THE DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY EXPLORING REPLACEMENT OF THE SYSTEM WITH A NEW, MORE ROBUST COURT CASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE NO ONE IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. THE LAST ITEM IN THE GENERAL SESSION OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE THAT WE DISCUSSED WAS THE DRUG AND FIREARM DISPOSITION AUDIT. THE OBJECTIVE OF THAT AUDIT WAS TO EVALUATE THE RISK AND RELATED CONTROLS OF DRUGS AND FIREARMS DISPOSITION. OUR SCOPE ONLY INCLUDED ADJUDICATED CASES. UH, BETWEEN JANUARY 2014 AND SEPTEMBER 2023. I DO WANNA THANK THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY CHIEF BRIAN AND HIS STAFF ON HONESTLY, IT IS A VERY COMPLEX, UH, PROCESS THAT THEY HAVE OUT THERE AND THEY HAVE VERY DETAILED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AS YOU ARE AWARE, THEY JUST MOVED TO THAT NEW FACILITY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. SO GOING AT THIS POINT CONDUCTING THIS AUDIT WAS LITTLE DIFFICULT, BUT I DO WANNA APPRECIATE THEM FOR ALL THE COOPER OPERATION THAT THEY PROVIDED. AARON DID THE AUDITS. I'M GONNA TURN THIS OVER TO HER.
SHE'S GONONNA GIVE U A HIGH LEVEL BRIEFING ON THIS AUDIT. SO WE PERFORM VARIOUS TYPES OF TESTS TO VERIFY ACCOUNTABILITY OF DRUGS AND FIREARMS PENDING DESTRUCTION. THIS INCLUDED COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM MANUAL TRACKING SPREADSHEETS AND THE PHYSICAL INVENTORY. DISCREPANCIES WERE IDENTIFIED. IN A FEW INSTANCES OF UNDOCUMENTED MOVEMENT OF ITEMS, UNLABELED ITEMS AND ITEMS NOT BEING TRACKED IN THE SYSTEM. WE MADE RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP IMPROVE TRACKING ACCURACY, SUCH AS PERIODIC AUDITS AND ADDING REQUIREMENTS TO THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. MANAGEMENT CONCURRED . UM THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF REVISING ITS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF A THIRD PARTY VENDOR TO AID IN PURSUING ACCREDITATION WITH THE TEXAS POLICE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION. UH, G . BT IS ALSO ENLISTING IT PROFESSIONALS TO AUTOMATE MANY OF THEIR PROCESSES AND OPTIMIZE THE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM AS WELL. UM WE IDENTIFIED TWO AREAS , UH, WHICH, IF EVALUATED AND RESTRUCTURED AS RECOMMENDED, COULD IMPROVE EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES IN SPACE AND INCREASED DATA RELIABILITY. THE FIRST AREA IS THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING ADJUDICATED CASES TO QUALIFY EVIDENCE FOR DISPOSAL, AND THE OTHER IS TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM A MANUAL INVENTORY TRACKING AND FULLY UTILIZING THE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM INSTEAD. MANAGEMENT CONCURRED AND IS AS MENTIONED BEFORE IS LOOKING INTO OBTAINING A DEDICATED IT PROFESSIONAL TO ASSIST IN AUTOMATING AND OPTIMIZING THE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM, UH, WHICH WOULD ADDRESS THESE OBSERVATIONS. WE FOUND SOME DOCUMENTATION OF PROPERTY DESTRUCTION, UH, WAS NOT RETAINED ON FILE SUCH AS WITNESS FORMS. PROOF OF DESTRUCTION FROM THE SERVICING COMPANY IN VIDEO RECORDINGS. WE RECOMMEND, UH, ADDING MORE STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS IN THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, MANAGEMENT CONCURS. AND AS MENTIONED, THEY'LL BE REVISING THEIR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AS THEY PURSUE THE ACCREDITATION. THE INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM REPORTING CAPABILITIES WEREN'T BEING USED TO ANALYZE VARIOUS CRITICAL INVENTORY FACTORS SUCH AS SIZE AND GROWTH AND AGE OF INVENTORY. SO WE RECOMMEND GENERATING SUCH REPORTS MANAGEMENT CONCURS. AND THEY'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITIONING ITEMS INTO THE NEW INVENTORY SYSTEM AGAIN AS A DEDICATED IT PROFESSIONAL WILL BE ABLE TO SET UP THE SET UP USEFUL REPORTS FOR THEM TO USE.
[00:25:04]
UM FINALLY, WHILE ACCESS RIGHTS WERE BEING MONITORED, WE BELIEVE A MORE FREQUENT REVIEW WILL ENHANCE SECURITY OF BOTH PROPERTY AND EVIDENCE FACILITY AND THE, UH, INVENTORY TRACKING SYSTEM MANAGEMENT CONCURS IN GUIDELINES WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REVISION. MAYOR EXCELLENT. THAT'S ALL THE ITEMS THAT WE COVERED DURING THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. VERY GOOD. I HAVE NO ONE IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU TO YOU AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, UH, IN OUR EXTERNAL PARTNERS AS WELL, THANK YOU TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THAT WAS OUR LAST VERBAL BRIEFING FOR THE EVENING. UH, NEXT UP. WE HAVE ANNOUNCED[ANNOUNCE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ANYBODY HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS COUNCIL REMORSE? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'D LIKE TO ASK CHIEF BRIAN TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE REGARDING CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE AND THE WAYS IT'S BEING ADDRESSED. OK I'LL SECOND THAT WE'LL HAVE THAT FOR A FUTURE WORK SESSION. AND IT WAS THAT IT I'M SORRY. I OK, UH, COUNCILOR ROT. I'D LIKE TO HAVE CHIEF BRIAN. MAYBE WALLY'S HERE.ALSO I GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE FLOCK SYSTEM. SOME OF THE SUCCESS STORIES OF IT. THAT WILL BE, I THINK. SAME WORK SESSION. ALL RIGHT. YES, ALL RIGHT. COUNCILOR LUCK WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE CHIEF BRIAN TO DO? WELL THIS IS ACTUALLY I WOULD, UM, IN LIGHT OF THE SECOND CONTAMINATION OF DUCK CREEK IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. UM I WOULD LIKE A RISK ASSESSMENT DONE OF THE PROPERTIES IN THAT AREA FIRST, AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE CAN START OUT AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE REST OF THE CITY. BUT I WOULD LIKE A RISK ASSESSMENT DONE OF THOSE BUSINESSES IN THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, AND DUTTON IS THE SECOND ON THAT. I'M SORRY, MR ENGLAND.
IS THAT A DISCUSSION OF THAT OR WHAT IS THAT? WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW? WHAT ARE WE? WHAT'S THE MOTION AND WHAT'S THE SECOND? OH, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE ASKING FOR A RISK ASSESSMENT, AND THAT'S PROBABLY NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THIS COUNCIL TO ASK FOR A RISK ASSESSMENT.
BUT IF YOU'RE ASKING A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, THAT'S CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE FOR THAT.
A DISCUSSION, PLEASE. I THINK WE CAN HAVE THAT A T A FUTURE WORK SESSION AND THEN DECIDE WHAT ACTIONS MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR STRING ENGLAND. AND CAN'T REMEMBER WILLIAMS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MAYOR I'D LIKE TO LIKE FOR I GUESS THIS WAS BE SPED OUT THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE. TO GIVE US AN UPDATE. AND UH, SOME STRATEGY DISCUSSIONS ON NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING PARTICULARLY HAVE ALL SAID VEHICLES. UH, I KNOW IT'S UH, PREVALENT EVERYWHERE, PARTICULARLY IN MY DISTRICT, SO I'D LIKE TO GET AN UPDATE ON ON THE WHAT OUR POLICIES AS IT RELATES TO THOSE, AND HOW WE MAY BE ABLE TO BETTER ADDRESS THAT LIKE FOR FUTURE MAYOR, WE CAN SCHEDULE CANCEL DUTTON AS A SECOND ON THAT WE WILL SCHEDULE THAT FOR A FUTURE WORK SESSION UPDATE AS WELL. THANKS, MAN. ANY ADDITIONAL FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I SEE NONE. ALL RIGHT, UM,
[EXECUTIVE SESSION]
COUNCIL WILL NOW MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, THE CITY COUNCIL ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 551.08755 0.086551, 0.089 AND 551.071 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS ONE 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 AND WITH WHICH THE CITY IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER. OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE TO A BUSINESS PROSPECT TO RELOCATE A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT IN THE VICINITY OF STATE HIGHWAY 190. ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGE AND UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAME ITEM TWO SECURITY ASSESSMENTS OR AUDITS RELATING TO INFORMATION RESOURCES, TECHNOLOGY AND ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGE AND UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAME ITEM THREE COMPETITIVE MATTERS OF A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY RELATED TO RISK MANAGEMENT INFORMATION AND STRATEGIES. AND ATTORNEY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGED AND UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAME AND NUMBER FOUR POTENTIAL AND CONTEMPLATED CLAIMS OR LITIGATIONS RELATED TO CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE AND OBLIGATIONS UNDER CITY CONSTRUCTIONONTRACT CONSULTATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING A MATTER IN WHICH THE DUTY OF THE CITY ATTORNEY UNDER THE TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT OF THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS CLEARLY CONFLICTS WITH CHAPTER 551 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE AND ANY CLIENT MATTERS CONCERNING PRIVILEGED AND[00:30:05]
UNPRIVILEGED CLIENT INFORMATION RELATED TO SAME, UH, WITH THAT WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A SHORT RECESS. UH, WE WILL HAVE EVERYBODY BACK HERE AT 640. PLEASE. WE ARE IN RECESS.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.