* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL [00:00:01] AFFAIRS COMMITTEE [ NOTICE OF MEETING CITY OF GARLAND, TEXAS Legislative and Public Affairs Committee Work Session Room of City Hall William E. Dollar Municipal Building 200 N. Fifth Street Garland, Texas March 17, 2025 2 p.m. ] IS NOW IN SESSION. UH, OUR FIRST, UH, ORDER OF BUSINESS IS, UH, O AND THE PRESIDENT WITH US TODAY IS, UH, COUNCILMAN JEFF BASSMAN, DISTRICT ONE AND COUNCILMAN CHRIS, ART FROM DISTRICT, UH, EIGHT. EIGHT. I GET 'EM MIXED UP. UH, UM, UH, THE FIRST AUTO BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR, UM, UH, SEPTEMBER 3RD MEETING. UH, CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THOSE MINUTES? MOTION SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OKAY. MOTION PASSES. OKAY. MINUTES ARE APPROVED. UH, NUMBER TWO ON OUR, UH, IS THE, UM, THE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION FROM THE 89TH, UH, LEGISLATIVE, UH, SESSION OUTLOOK. AND, UH, MS. ARIEL TRIBE WILL PROVIDE US WITH AN UPDATE ON THE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUSTIN. THANK YOU, ARIEL. ABSOLUTELY. UM, I WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU GUYS WITH SOME OF THE IMPORTANT DATES THAT ARE COMING UP. WE ARE JUST, UM, OUT OF THE BILL FILING DEADLINE. THAT WAS ON FRIDAY. UM, WE SAW ABOUT 3000 BILLS FILED LAST WEEK. UM, SO WE HAVE BROKEN A RECORD WITH OUR, OUR BILLS FILED THE SESSION ABOUT 650 MORE THAN THAN THE LAST SESSION. UH, MAY 12TH WILL BE THE LAST DAY FOR HOUSE COMMITTEES TO REPORT ON HOUSE BILLS AND HOUSE RESOLUTIONS. SO THAT'LL BE THE LAST DAY FOR HOUSE COMMITTEES TO GET ANY HOUSE BILLS OUT OF THE COMMITTEE. UM, AND THEN THE 28TH OF MAY WILL BE THE LAST DAY FOR THE SENATE TO CONSIDER ALL BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS ON SECOND AND THIRD READING. AND THEN JUNE 2ND, WE WILL HOPEFULLY BE DONE WITH NO SPECIAL SESSIONS. FINGERS CROSSED, . UM, I WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF OUR, OUR TRENDS THAT WE'RE SEEING FOR, FOR OUR BILLS. UM, WE HAVE CLOSE TO 10,000 FILED. WE HAVE CAME IN AT 98, 97. WE'RE ACTIVELY TRACKING 985 AFTER, UM, OUR CALL WITH TML THIS MORNING, WE EXPECT AFTER WE'VE REVIEWED ALL OF THOSE BILLS, THAT IT'LL BE CLOSER TO 2000. UM, WE HAVE QUITE AN UPTICK OF PUBLIC SAFETY BILLS. UM, A LOT OF THEM HAVE NOT YET MOVED. A LOT OF THEM HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN REFERRED OUT TO A COMMITTEE YET, BUT WE'RE SEEING THEM IN, IN ALL FACETS. UM, WHAT, IF I MAY ASK WHAT, UH, KIND OF WHAT, WHAT AREA OF PUBLIC SAFETY ARE MOST OF THEM? OR IS IT, MOST OF THEM ARE DEALING WITH PD. UM, SOME GOOD, SOME BAD, SOME IN THE MIDDLE THAT WE COULD PROBABLY WORK WITH IF WE HAD TO. UM, THERE'S ONLY A COUPLE THAT HAVE MOVED AND ONE OF THEM IS HOUSE BILL 33, WHICH IS THE VALDI STRONG BILL. UM, THAT ONE IS INCREASED TRAINING FOR POLICE AND FIRE, UM, AND ANYONE WHO'S A FIRST RESPONDER. SO, UM, THAT WHEN DISASTERS OCCUR, THERE'S A CLEAR TRAIN OF COMMAND AND EVERYONE'S TRAINED ON IT. UM, THAT ONE WILL BE, IS UP FOR A HEARING THIS WEEK. OKAY. GOOD. GO AHEAD. WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF LAND USE BILLS ABOUT CLOSE TO 90 OF THEM. UM, SENATE BILL 15 IS ONE OF THOSE, THAT'S THE LOT SIZE AND DENSITY BILL. UM, WE'RE SEEING RELIGIOUS EXEMPTIONS, MULTIFAMILY, UH, AND RESIDENTIAL BILLS. WE'RE JUST, IT'S KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE IN TERMS OF LAND USE. AND WE'RE JUST NOW SEEING A LOT OF THOSE GET SET FOR A HEARING. UM, ABOUT A HUNDRED PROPERTY TAX BILLS. UM, MORE SO NOW THAT, UM, BILL FILING IS DONE AS WE GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM THAT WERE FILED LAST WEEK. UM, WE EXPECT ALL OF THESE NUMBERS TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE. UM, WE'VE SEEN PROPERTY TAX FROM FULL ABOLISHMENT OF PROPERTY TAX TO, UM, EVERY KIND OF, UM, EXEMPTION. UH, YOU COULD IMAGINE A LOT OF UTILITY BILLS, UH, A LOT OF UTILITY BILLS. SO, UM, EVERYTHING TOUCHING WATER IMPACT FEES, UH, ELECTRIC, UM, WE SAW A COUPLE BILLS THAT WERE FILED, UH, ON THE LAST DAY THAT TOUCHED ON GENERAL FUND TRANSFERS FROM THE ELECTRIC UTILITY. SO WE'RE FOLLOWING ALL OF THOSE QUITE CLOSELY AS WELL. UM, AND THEN WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF PERSONNEL, UH, SALARY CAPS. UM, WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, MANDATORY USE OF E-VERIFY CANCER SCREENINGS FOR POLICE, UH, FOR FIRE, UM, DIFFERENT THINGS FOR, UM, OUR RETIREMENT AND POLICE, RETIREMENT, FIRE RETIREMENT, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE, WE'VE SEEN SEVERAL OF THOSE. UM, THE, THERE'S TWO GRAPHICS HERE THAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT. ONE OF THEM AT THE ONE AT THE BOTTOM IS BILL VOLUME BY ISSUE. THIS KIND OF IS A, A, A REALLY GOOD SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE MOST BILLS. SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT IN POLICE, LOT IN ENERGY. [00:05:01] UM, SEVERAL IN THE CITY ATTORNEY THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH PREEMPTION OR, UH, ZONING LAWS OR, UM, ORDINANCE, UM, ABILITIES THAT ARE BEING TAKEN AWAY, GIVEN, ALTERED, HOWEVER. AND THEN, UM, I TOOK ALL OF THE BILLS THAT WE CURRENTLY OPPOSE AND I ALL, I FILTERED THOSE BASED ON, UH, REPRESENTATIVE. SO YOU CAN SEE KIND OF OUR BIGGEST DETRACTORS IN THE LEGISLATURE RIGHT NOW. UM, BETON COURT IN MIDDLETON IN THE SENATE BEING, BEING THE TWO TOP. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR? COUNCILMAN BASS? YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, I JUST, NO, I'VE JUST GOT SOME SPECIFIC ONES I WANNA TALK ABOUT. OKAY. UH, COUNCILMAN OT OPEN, GO AHEAD. UM, WE WANTED TO KIND OF NOTE A COUPLE OF BILLS OF INTEREST. UM, 'CAUSE WE HAVE THREE PAGES OF THEM HERE. THE FIRST ONE IS SENATE BILL 1202 BY SENATOR KING. THIS IS, UM, ONE OF OUR MUNICIPALITY BILLS OF OUR MUNICIPAL UTILITY BILLS. TAYLOR'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS ONE, WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE OFFICE TO TRY TO MAKE THIS, UM, BETTER FOR US. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S OPPOSED, BUT THAT COULD CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. UM, THE HOUSE BILL 1227 BY GATES IS A FRANCHISE FRANCHISE, UH, FEE. BILL TAYLOR'S WORKING CLOSELY WITH HIS OFFICE ON THAT AS WELL. SO CURRENTLY IT'S OPPOSED, BUT THAT COULD ALSO CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. SENATE BILL SIX BY REPRESENTATIVE KING IS THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PRIORITY BILL. UM, IT IS TRANSMISSION FOR, FOR CUSTOMERS. IT'S ALSO A-G-P-N-L BILL. WE'VE WORKED EXTREMELY CLOSELY WITH HIS OFFICE AND WITH SENATOR SCHWARTS OFFICE TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE, UM, IN BOTH THE ORIGINAL BILL AND THE SUBSTITUTE. AND I THINK WE HAVE GOTTEN TO A REALLY GOOD PLACE ON THAT. UM, I THINK WE ARE STILL DOING SOME WORK WITH THE OFFICE TO FINE TUNE A COUPLE OF THINGS. SO YOU MAY SEE SOME AMENDMENTS ON THE SENATE FLOOR. WE'RE MONITORING THOSE AS WELL. ALL, UM, SENATE BILL 15 WAS HEARD LAST WEEK IN SENATE LOCAL LAST MONDAY. WE SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AND OPPOSITION TO THE BILL. UM, THE MAYOR OF FLOWER MOUND AND THE MAYOR OF GEORGETOWN WENT DOWN TO TESTIFY AGAINST THE BILL AS WELL. UM, AND I URGE YOU TO, TO WATCH THAT TESTIMONY. UH, BUT THIS ONE IS THE LOT DENSITY BILL. UM, SO NO LOT. WE CAN'T REQUIRE A MINIMUM LOT SIZE GREATER THAN THAN 1400 SQUARE FEET. UM, SENATE BILL 6 73 IS ONE THAT WE ALSO SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST. UM, THIS IS, THIS LIMITS OUR ABILITY TO REGULATE A DU. SO, UM, THOSE ARE ALSO PREFERRED TO, AS CITAS OR, UH, MOTHER-IN-LAW SUITES, SHEDS, WHATEVER, WHAT HAVE YOU IN YOUR BACKYARD. UM, THEY WERE VIEWED AS A SOURCE OF ADDITIONAL INCOME FOR PROPERTY OWNERS, BUT ALSO, UM, AS A WAY TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING CRISIS. UM, BUT THIS WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO REGULATE THOSE. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE, UM, SUBMITTED COMMENTS AGAINST SENATE BILL EIGHT 40 BY REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES. UM, THIS IS THE MULTIFAMILY AND MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT. UM, SO THIS ONE IS, IS INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU COULD HAVE A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY AN OFFICE SPACE. UM, IT WOULD ALLOW THAT SWITCH, UH, WHICH WE BELIEVE WOULD CREATE SOME FOOD DESERTS. UM, IN, IN OUR AREA. WE'VE ALSO SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST SENATE BILL 8 54, WHICH IS BY MIDDLETON, WHICH ALLOWS THE SAME THING BUT GIVES A RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION AS WELL. WE'VE SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST SENATE BILL 10 0 4 BY BENTON COURT. THIS IS, UM, A MUNICIPAL FINANCE BILL THAT'S, I MEAN, LIMITS, UH, OUR ABILITY TO ISSUE ANTICIPATION NOTES OR, UM, OR COS UH, SO IF THERE, IF WE TRIED TO DO ONE AND THEN IT FAILED THE BOND PROPOSITION, WE'D HAVE TO WAIT FIVE YEARS BEFORE GOING BACK TO DO THAT AGAIN. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST HOUSE BILL 23 BY CODY HARRIS. THAT'S THE THIRD PARTY REVIEW OF INSPECTIONS. THIS ONE IS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT RE IT ALLOWS YOU TO DO AND REQUIRES A THIRD PARTY, BUT IT DOESN'T REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE ANY SPECIFIC LICENSING OR FOLLOW REGULATIONS, AND IT STILL LEAVES THE CITY LIABLE. SO WE'RE WORKING WITH HIS OFFICE, UM, TO TRY TO FIX THE LIABILITY, UH, ISSUE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEIR INSPECTORS ARE HELD TO THE SAME STANDARDS THAT WE ARE. AND WE ALSO RECEIVE A COPY OF THAT INSPECTION. UH, ALL THE BILLS THAT, THAT WE HAVE, THAT I'VE DISCUSSED, THAT WE'VE SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS AGAINST. WERE UP IN SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LAST MONDAY. THEY WERE PASSED OUT OF THE COMMITTEE, UH, LAST THURSDAY. SO WE ARE MONITORING THOSE AS THEY MOVE TO THE INTENT CALENDAR FOR THE SENATE. [00:10:01] NOW ON TO THE SENATE FLOOR, UH, I ALSO WANTED TO OUTLINE, UM, HOUSE BILL 24 BY REPRESENTATIVE ORR. THIS ONE, IT, IT DOES A, A MYRIAD OF THINGS, BUT IT WOULD BE REALLY BAD FOR OUR ABILITY FOR, UM, ORDINANCES AND, UH, ZONING CHANGES. IT WOULD SEVERELY LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO, TO MAKE THOSE TML AND A COUPLE OF US CITIES HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH TEXANS FOR REASONABLE SOLUTIONS. WHO IS THE ORGANIZATION BEHIND THE BILL. UM, WE'VE COME UP WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE THAT WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GET BEHIND AND SUPPORT. SO WE'RE WORKING WITH REPRESENTATIVE ORR'S OFFICE TO GET THAT FILED AHEAD OF THE, UM, COMMITTEE HEARING THIS WEEK. THE LAST FOUR, UM, WE'RE WATCHING SENATE BILL 2118 BY PARKER. THIS ONE RESTRUCTURES THE DART BOARD. UH, IT CHANGES THE COMPOSITION, VOTING RIGHTS OFFICER ROTATION AND TERM LENGTHS OF THE OFFICERS. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO WATCHING SENATE BILL 1557 AND THE COMPANION HOUSE BILL 31 87. UM, AND THIS IS THE DART BILL THAT, UM, CHANGES THE STRUCTURE OF DART. SO IT WOULD ESTABLISH A GENERAL MOBILITY FUND, UH, WHICH IS FUNDED BY A QUARTER CENT OF, UM, OF A QUARTER OF THE PENNY OF SALES AND USE TAX. UM, IT ALSO CHANGES THE WAY THAT THEY CAN, THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, DO REVENUE AND BONDING AND THEN ADJUST TAX RATES AND SETS A COUPLE DIFFERENT NEW REGULATIONS FOR WITHDRAWING. SO WE'RE MONITORING THE TWO OF THOSE. THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN REFERRED TO A COMMITTEE, SO THEY'RE STILL QUITE A WAYS AWAY FROM BEING HEARD. BUT, UM, WE'VE GOT A CLOSE EYE ON THOSE. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE WRITTEN COMMENTS READY TO GO FOR SENATE BILL 8 78, WHICH WAS HEARD, UM, IN SENATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TODAY. UM, THIS IS SENATOR BIRDWELLS ABILITY, OR HIS PASS AT RESTRUCTURING. UM, UM, CHAPTER 360, AGREE, THREE 80 AGREEMENTS. UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE WATCHING THAT ONE CLOSELY AND WORKING WITH THE TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. UM, THEY ALSO TESTIFIED AND SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS. HOWEVER, WE DO SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 21 BY GATES, WHICH, UM, IS ABOUT HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATIONS. IT, UM, GIVES THEM, UM, INCREASED TRANSPARENCY. IT GIVES US SOME, SOME BUY-IN AND, AND, UM, VOTING ABILITY TO SIGN OFF ON VARIOUS PROJECTS. AND IT ALSO MAKES THEM, UH, OPERATE WITHIN THEIR SPECIFIC BOUNDARY. SO THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE THAT WE ARE WATCHING. WE'VE, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATED IN CONVERSATIONS ON OR SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS. UM, AS HOUSE AND SENATE HEARINGS KEEP COMING IN, WE, UM, WE HAVE A, A SHEET THAT WE GET INFORMATION ON AND DECIDE STRATEGY FROM THERE. BUT, UH, OUR INVOLVEMENT IS EXTENSIVE THIS SESSION. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON SPECIFIC BILLS THAT I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU? ALL THAT BEST? THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO SAY, DOES IT WORK? HELLO? OH, IT'S NOT, IT TESTING S**T. IS IT RIGHT? IT'S NOT ON, DOES IT HAVE TO BE ON THE RERECORDED ME, OR LET SEE, THAT'S PROJECTED VOICE I CAN PROJECT NOW. WELL, . OKAY. SO, UM, ACTUALLY, YEAH, THE THE, OKAY, THE ONE THAT STUCK OUT TO ME THE MOST WHEN I WAS, SORRY, I DID HOMEWORK. UM, SB 15. YEP. I MEAN, JUST INSANE. UM, I'VE GOT EIGHT 40 ON MY LIST ALSO, BUT I HAVE SOME OTHERS ON MY LIST. I WAS CURIOUS WHERE, WHAT WE WERE, UM, WHERE THE CITY STANDS ON THIS, AND A LOT OF THESE, IT LOOKS LIKE THE ONES THAT I HAVE HERE ARE RELATED TO, UH, OUR CON CITY CONTROL RELATED TO, UH, PROJECT DEVELOP DEVELOPMENT. UM, SO I'VE GOT 1883, UH, 1921, UH, 1566 AND 1 0 2. ALL SENATE BILLS. ALL SENATE BILLS, YEAH. ALL SENATE BILLS. AND I THINK, YEAH, I THINK ALL OF THOSE, IF I'M, I'M LOOKING AT MY NOTES HERE. I THINK THEY'RE ALL RELATED TO, UM, DEVELOPERS. UM, YEAH, 1883 IS BY IMPACT FEES. 1921 IS ABOUT PIS. UH, 1566 IS, UH, RELATED TO, UH, DEVELOPERS AND UTILITY CONNECTIONS. AND THEN 1 0 2 IS MUDS. OKAY. THOSE ARE SOME I HAVE HERE TOO. UM, YEAH, I HAD EIGHT 40 ON HERE. I HAD SB 15 ON HERE AND SB 15. THAT'S THE WORST. UM, I CAN GET OUR STANCES. SO WE USE QUORUM AND THAT ALLOWS US TO TRACK ALL OF OUR BILLS, UM, AND, UM, WE CAN WORK WITH OUR DIRECTORS AND MANAGING DIRECTORS AND COMMENT BACK AND FORTH AND, AND ANALYZE BILLS. SO I WILL PULL THESE AND [00:15:01] THEN MAKE SURE I GET BACK TO YOU ON, ON WHAT OUR STATUS IS AND WHERE THEY ARE. COOL. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . DID IT, UH, COUNCIL HART. YEAH. UM, HOW IS, HOW IS THE ALCOHOL ZONE, UH, PROGRAM THERE? OKAY. , WELL, JUST BEFORE WE, I ALREADY SAW IT RIGHT HERE. OH, OKAY. JUST, YEAH. I, I I DIDN'T TURN THE PAGE. . OKAY. IT'S COME, IT IS COMING UP. BUT, UH, 2118, WHAT EXACTLY, UH, ARE THEY, THEY'RE CHANGING DART'S GOVERNANCE, BUT ARE THEY MAJOR? CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF SNAPSHOT OF WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING THAT DART STRUCTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE COMING OUT OF THE LEGISLATURE? CAN YOU, SO, YEAH, WHAT IT WOULD DO IS IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY TAKE, UM, IT SAYS THAT EVERY CITY GETS ONE REPRESENTATIVE. SO THERE'S, IT, IT CHANGES THE STRUCTURE IN THAT WAY. SO WE WOULD GET A REPRESENTATIVE, DALLAS WOULD GET ONE, PLANO WOULD GET ONE, EVERY MEMBER CITY WOULD GET ONE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD. UM, AND THEN IT ALSO CHANGES IT IN THAT DALLAS IS THE ONLY CITY THAT GETS THREE VOTES. EVERYONE ELSE GETS ONE VOTE. UH, AND THE TERM LINKS ARE FOR CHANGE IT ONE YEAR. SO IT, DALLAS WOULD GET THREE VOTES. DALLAS WOULD GET THREE VOTES, AND EVERY OTHER MEMBER SAID HE WOULD GET ONE VOTE. AND THE RATIONALE WAS, WELL, THE IS, WELL, THE RATIONALE IS YOU HAVE HIGHER TURNOVER BECAUSE YOU HAVE TERM, TERM LIMITS, AND THEN YOU HAVE TERM LENGTHS. SO TERM LENGTH IS ONE YEAR. I THINK THE TERM LIMIT IS THREE YEARS. IF I'M, IF I'M CORRECT, I'LL HAVE TO PULL THE BILL UP TO VERIFY. UM, AND THEN SO THAT ALLOWS YOU MORE ROTATION. BUT ALSO THEY, THE AUTHOR, SENATOR PARKER RECOGNIZES THAT DALLAS CONTRIBUTES THE MAJORITY. SO THEY FEEL LIKE, OR SENATOR PARKER FEELS LIKE THEY SHOULD GET A MAJORITY VOTE, NOT A MAJORITY VOTE, BUT THEY SHOULD GET MORE VOTES TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT FACT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND, UH, 1557. YES, THAT IS, THAT'S THE DART BILL THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. I KNOW THAT'S THE, YEAH. THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. UH, WE WOULD ACTUALLY BENEFIT FROM THIS ONE. IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY CREATE THE GENERAL MOBILITY FUND. UM, INSTEAD OF REDUCING THE PENNY BY A QUARTER, IT TAKES THAT AMOUNT INSTEAD AND CREATES THIS FUND, WHICH CITIES CAN, CAN TAKE MONEY FROM. SO WE WOULD GET A PORTION OF THOSE FUNDS TO DO, TO FUND OUR OWN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY OF GARLAND. UM, AND INSTEAD OF USING OUR CITY BUDGET FOR THOSE PROJECTS, WE WOULD USE THAT MONEY FROM THE GENERAL MOBILITY FUND. UM, AND SO THAT OFFSETS OUR BUDGET A LITTLE BIT. SO WE'D PAY IN, UM, 40 MILLION AND THEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE ABOUT 11 MILLION FOR THOSE TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. HMM. WHICH WOULD OFFSET COSTS TO OTHER AREAS IN THE CITY. OKAY. SO WE ACTUALLY DO BENEFIT FROM THAT ONE. AND IT, IT, IT ALSO SETS NEW RULES FOR WITHDRAWAL. SO IF, IF I, IF WE AS A CITY OR ANY OTHER CITY DECIDED THEY WANT TO WITHDRAW FROM DART, UM, IT WOULD SET THAT AMOUNT THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY BACK IT. YOU IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULD PAUSE IT AT THE DATE THAT THEY DECIDED TO WITHDRAW. AND THEN IT ALSO REDUCES, UM, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THEY CAN, LIKE BETWEEN YEARS THAT THEY CAN WITHDRAW. SO IT REDUCES IT TO SIX YEARS. OKAY. AND MAKE IT, IF A CITY DECIDED THEY WANTED TO WITHDRAW, THE DART BOARD WOULD HAVE NO VEHICLE FOR PREVENTING THAT, AM I RIGHT? NO, AND THEY DON'T HAVE, AND IT ALSO ELIMINATES ANY OF YOUR RETALIATORY EFFORTS. OKAY. I WAS GONNA ASK THAT QUESTION. MM-HMM . OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. AND UH, I LIKE THE OPPOSITION SHEET. YEAH, WE DID HAVE ONE SUPPORT. SO YEAH, I LIKE THAT. BUT, UH, UH, THE HOUSE BILL 24, I'VE, I'VE DONE A LOT OF READING ON THAT ONE. UH, WHAT'S, WHAT'S, I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S BEHIND THAT, BUT CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? YEAH. THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION CALLED TEXANS FOR REASONABLE SOLUTIONS, AND I FEEL LIKE THAT NAME IS MISLEADING. YES, IT IS. UH, EVERYTHING I'VE, I'VE RESEARCHED ON THAT GROUP. THAT NAME IS VERY MISLEADED. YES. UM, SO THEY'RE BEHIND THE BILL. THEY ACTUALLY WROTE THE BILL, UM, AND TML ALONG WITH A COUPLE OTHER CITIES, HOUSTON, AUSTIN, UM, US AND, AND A FEW OTHERS HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH T-M-L-T-M L'S BEEN THE ONE THAT'S BEEN WORKING WITH THEM DIRECTLY. INSTEAD OF ALL OF US WORKING WITH THEM SEPARATELY, [00:20:01] WE'RE, WE'RE GOING THROUGH TML AND IT'S ONE CONTACT, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY, REALLY NICE. MM-HMM . UM, I JUST RECEIVED THE LATEST DRAFT OF THE, UM, OF THE BILL, WHICH WORKS GONNA BE INTRODUCED AS A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE. IT'S NOT YET COMPLETE. UM, BUT THAT BILL WILL BE HEARD, UM, AT THE END OF THIS WEEK ON THURSDAY. SO WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE EVERYTHING KIND OF LAID OUT BY THEN, BUT THERE WILL BE A SUBSTITUTE. UM, WE'VE WORKED OUT, I THINK, A GOOD AMOUNT WITH THEM. I STILL NEED TO READ OVER THE LATEST SUBSTITUTE, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD BE AT LEAST NEUTRAL ON. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. YEAH. YEAH. THANK THAT ONE'S RED FLAG. OH, FOR SURE. YES. . YES. YES. AND THAT, AND THAT THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION IS VERY MISLEADING. OH YEAH, IT IS. YES. . THAT'S ALL I SAY ABOUT THAT BY THE END. OKAY. GO AHEAD. DO YOU HAVE ANY, ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY, GO AHEAD. WE HAVE TWO LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES. THIS TIME WE HAVE OUR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE ZONE BILLS. UM, AND THAT'S HOUSE BILL 30 85 CARRIED BY RED OF BOWERS. AND THEN SENATE BILL 26 33 CARRIED BY SENATOR NATHAN JOHNSON. BOTH OF THEM HAVE BEEN FILED, THEY'VE NOT YET BEEN REFERRED, SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THEM REFERRED OUT OF, UM, REFERRED OUT TO A COMMITTEE. UH, AND THAT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING PROCESS. UM, ESSENTIALLY IT'LL ALLOW US TO, UH, HAVE AUTHORITY OVER, UH, ZONING AND LAND USE REGULAT REGULATIONS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE BUSINESSES THAT, THAT SELL, UM, ALCOHOL. DO WE KNOW WHAT COMMITTEE, UH, THEY'LL GO TO. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. OH, WE'RE WORKING ON MAKING SURE THAT THEY GO TO COMMITTEES THAT HAVE A HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF IT BEING PASSED OUT OF. OKAY. OKAY. GOOD, GOOD. OKAY. AND THEN OUR LAST ONE IS A QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT. UM, SO WE HAVE HOUSE BILL 55 62 AND SENATE BILL 25 65. UH, RED OF BOWERS IS CARRYING ON THE HOUSE SIDE AND SENATOR WEST IS CARRYING ON THE SENATE SIDE. AND WHAT THIS ONE DOES IS IT PUTS US INTO THAT BRACKET, UM, SO THAT WE CAN DRAW DOWN SOME OF THOSE FUNDS, UH, THOSE HOT TAX FUNDS, UM, FOR A QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT. AND THEY'VE BOTH BEEN FILED BUT NOT YET REFERRED. OKAY. UM, AND THAT BRINGS US TO MY, MY LAST, UH, MY LAST SLIDE HERE. AND IN, IN THESE PROCEEDINGS IN, UH, PASSING OR GETTING, UM, HOT TAX FUNDS FOR A QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT, IT IS CUSTOMARY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO PASS A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THAT EFFORT. UM, I'VE DONE THE, I'VE TAKEN THE LIBERTY OF DRAWING UP A DRAFT HERE, BUT I, I WANTED TO TALK THROUGH, UM, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE WITH YOU ALL AND SEE IF THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO MAYBE BRING THIS TO THE FULL COUNCIL. UM, WHAT IT DOES IS WHEN OUR BILL IS BROUGHT UP TO HEARING, UM, A LOT OF THE TIMES SENATORS OR REPRESENTATIVES ASK THE QUESTION, WELL, IS YOUR COUNCIL SUPPORTIVE OF THIS EFFORT AND HAVING THIS RESOLUTION READY TO GO SHOWS THEM THAT, YES, IT VERY MUCH IS. UM, AND IT SHOWS THAT WE'VE PUT THOUGHT AND EFFORT INTO IT AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE, THAT WE TAKE LIGHTLY. UM, SO IT'S CUSTOMARY TO HAVE THIS READY TO GO FOR A BILL TO BE HEARD. UM, SO I WANTED TO GET, UH, ANY OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON, ON THIS AND IF THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION TO BRING IT TO THE FULL COUNSEL. SO YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT THE RESOLUTION? YES. THE RESOLUTION ITSELF, ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT SAYS IS THAT YOU SUPPORT GARLAND BEING BRACKETED INTO THE LANGUAGE. UM, BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO A QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT AND HOT TAX FUNDS ALLOWS FOR INCREASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN THE CITY OF GARLAND, UM, HELPS OUR CITIZENS, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE AND ALLOWS US TO ATTRACT, YOU KNOW, TOURISM AND NEW, NEW BUSINESSES TO THE, TO THE AREA. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN BASS, I'M GONNA GO TO YOU FIRST. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN? OKAY. UH, WELL AS A COMMITTEE, UH, CAN WE GIVE CONSENSUS THAT OKAY. OKAY. YOU HAVE THAT. UH, ARI ALRIGHT. AND THAT WAS ALL I HAVE. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. YOU'RE ON THE AGENDA FOR TONIGHT? YES. I'M GOING TO GIVE AN UPDATE OF WHAT WE DISCUSSED HERE IN THE COMMITTEE. I'M ESSENTIALLY GIVING THE EXACT SAME PRESENTATION. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT, WELL, WELL THAT'S GOOD. UH, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING COUNCILMAN BASS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION? OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, ANYTHING ELSE? OKAY. UH, COUNCILMAN MARK. ALL RIGHT. THIS, THIS HAS, HAS BEEN A, [00:25:01] A VERY GOOD, UH, UPDATE AND I'M SURE COUNSEL TONIGHT, UH, WILL BE GLAD TO HEAR, UH, OF, OF, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, AND, UH, AUSTIN. SO, UH, WE'LL WAIT AND, UH, UH, SHARE THAT TONIGHT AND, UH, THEY'LL PROBABLY HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. BUT I WANTED TO, SO NOW, ARE YOU GONNA SPEAK TO THE RESOLUTION TONIGHT ALSO THAT THE C THAT THIS COMMITTEE'S, I NEED TO DISCUSS THAT WITH JUDD AND BRIAN. OKAY. FIRST. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. UH, IS THAT DISCUSSION GONNA HAPPEN BEFORE TONIGHT OR YOU YES. WILL YOU LET ME KNOW? YES, ABSOLUTELY. OH, OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. OKAY. JEFF, I HAVE A QUESTION. YEAH. SO, UM, THIS ON EDUCATION, SO OF COURSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE IS INDEPENDENT OF THE CITY, BUT DO WE AS A CITY GET INVOLVED IN ANY, UH, OPINIONS ON EDUCATIONAL BILLS? WE DO NOT. OKAY. UM, I THINK I, WHAT I HAD ON HERE. OKAY. RIGHT. SO WE STICK STRICTLY TO THINGS AFFECTING THE CITY. SO WE STAY AWAY FROM THE COUNTY EDUCATION, ALL OF THAT. YES. COOL. JUST ONE I WANTED TO CONFIRM. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND THIS IS THE COPY OF THE RESOLUTION, RIGHT? YES, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. DID YOU MAKE ONE FOR MM-HMM . OKAY. YES, SIR. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT. OKAY. NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. I SUPPORT IT. OKAY, WONDERFUL. OKAY, COUNSEL, YOU SUPPORT IT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UNTIL TONIGHT, THEN, UH, AT 2:27 PM ON WHICH AN ADJOURNED. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR, YOUR SHARING. PERFECT. THANK YOU. SURE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.