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WELCOME TO THE THIRD MEETING OF THE FIRE AND EMS STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE.
UH, THIS COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED WITH A CLEAR, LONG-TERM PURPOSE.
ONE IS TO SUSTAIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES FOR GARLAND CITIZENS.
TWO IS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND WELLBEING OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, AND THREE IS TO ACHIEVE BOTH IN A WAY THAT IT'S FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE.
THE NINE MONTH PROCESS DESIGNED TO PREPARE OUR FIRE AND EMS SYSTEMS FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
FIRST, OUR FORMER CONSULTANT CHIEF, UH, TIM NOAC IS NO LONGER ASSISTING THE COMMITTEE.
UH, SECOND, UM, CITY MANAGER, JEFF WILL NOT BE WITH US THIS EVENING.
UH, WHAT WE DO HAVE TONIGHT IS OUR SUPERSTAR STAFF TEAM WITH CFO, MATT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR ALLISON AND OUR COORDINATOR LETICIA ON DECK.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SERVICE AND PARTICIPATION.
AND OUR FIRST ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WE WILL NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND WHEN YOU START, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER TONIGHT IS CHAD LUNCH.
CHAD BLUNT, 1 2 1 4 BABY LANE, DARWIN, TEXAS 7 5 0 4 2.
I'M A FORMER EMPLOYEE, FLORIDA CITY FROM 1996.
I WAS THE CIVILIAN FOR THE FIRE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BEFORE THE BIRTHDAY YEAR.
MY COMMENTS CONCERNING, UH, THE 24TH 72 POSSIBILITY, AND I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL'S SAFETY AND THEIR WELLBEING IS PRIORITY.
UH, IT TAKES PRECEDENCE AND I'M FOR THAT, BUT THE CONCERN WOULD BE IT IS WHERE THE MONEY WE WOULD, WHERE WOULD THE MONEY BE DRAWN FROM AND TO, UH, WHERE IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANY OF THE OTHER CITY SERVICES, AND HOW CAN WE GET THEM THE CARE THAT THEY DESERVE AND WHERE AND HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE HELP THEM MAKE THE CITY BETTER BY HELPING THEM BE MORE HEALTHY.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE MY CONCERN IS TONIGHT, THAT WELL, WE'RE BLESSED FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO TRY TO, WE NEED TO TRY TO FIND THE MONEY SOMEWHERE, BUT WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL WHAT BATCH OR WHAT BUCKET WE TAKE THE MONEY FROM SO THAT DEPARTMENT AND WHATNOT IS THAT LEFT SHORTHANDED.
SO THAT'S WHERE MY CONCERN COMES FROM.
UM, I KNOW A LOT OF THESE GUYS FOR A LONG TIME ARE GOOD, VERY GOOD PROFESSIONALS AT WHAT THEY DO, SO WE JUST GOTTA MAKE SURE WE GET THEM COVERED THE BEST WAY WE CAN.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TOMMY LITTLE.
I, UH, LIVED IN THE CITY OF GARLAND.
I MOVED TO CITY OF GARLAND WHEN I WAS THREE YEARS OLD.
FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS I'VE SPENT LIVING, PLAYING, GROWING UP AND WORKING FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND.
I'VE GOT 33 YEARS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND I WANNA PREFACE ANYTHING THAT I SAY BY THE FACT THAT I WILL PROBABLY NEVER GET ANY BENEFIT FROM ANY KIND OF SCHEDULE CHANGE WE HAVE.
I JUST WON'T BE HERE LONG ENOUGH.
WHEN I GOT, I WANT TO REALLY WANNA ADDRESS TWO THINGS THAT WERE STATED, A COUPLE THINGS THAT WERE STATED DURING THE LAST, UH, THE MEETING.
AND THE FIRST ONE WAS, UH, ABOUT WE KNEW THE SCHEDULE WHEN WE GOT HIRED, AND THAT'S CORRECT.
WE DID, WE KNEW WHAT THE SCHEDULE WAS, BUT THINGS CHANGED.
WHEN I GOT HIRED IN 1992, IT HAD SEVEN FIRE STATIONS.
WE HAD A MINIMUM STAFF, MINIMUM STAFFING OF 55 PEOPLE.
TAKE US TO TODAY, WE NOW HAVE 11 STATIONS.
HOWEVER, WE ONLY HAVE 62 PEOPLE AS A MINIMUM, AND WE MAKE 32,000 RUNS A YEAR.
TWO AND A HALF TIMES INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAD THEN WITH ONLY MINIMAL ARRAYS IN STAFFING.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU WORK IN COMPUTERS OR YOU WORK ON ASSEMBLY LINE BUILDING CARS OR WHATEVER, WE FIND OUT NEW PROCESSES, SCIENCE CATCHES UP WITH US AND WE FIND OUT THINGS THAT, THAT ARE,
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YOU KNOW, WE FIND THINGS THAT ARE BETTER, MAYBE A LITTLE MORE HEALTHY FOR YOU.THE THING IS, RIGHT NOW WE'RE SO SHORT STAFFED AND THE CALL VOLUME IS SO HIGH THAT STATUS QUO JUST DOESN'T WORK.
WE'RE, WE'RE AT LITERALLY AT THE BREAKING POINT PER CAPITAL FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
WE MAKE MORE RUNS THAN ANY, ANY CITY HERE IN THE METROPLEX, WHICH MEANS WE PROBABLY MAKE MORE RUNS THAN MOST PLACES IN THE ENTIRE NATION PER FIREFIGHTER.
WE'RE WAY BELOW MINIMUM STAFF.
THE, THE STAFFING WE SHOULD BE AT, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO GET A, YOU KNOW, MASTER PLAN AND WE PROBABLY SHOULD BE ABOUT 20, 25 PEOPLE MORE STAFF NOW THAN WE WERE WHEN THIS WAS APPROVED FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO, WHATEVER.
SECOND THING WAS THAT, UH, UH, I HEARD THAT WE, WE CAN'T COMPARE OURSELVES TO PLAINTIFF.
WELL, WHILE WE HAVE A DIFFERENT SITUATION THAN PLANO DOES, WE DO COMPARE OURSELVES TO PLANO.
BECAUSE THEY, THEY ARE IN ACCOUNT WHEN WE FIGURE OUT SALARIES AND BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
YEAH, THEY'RE THE HIGHEST PAID MOST DEFINITELY.
BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT AND THAT'S GOT TO FIGURE IN, WHEN YOU FIGURE IN THE, THE MEDIUM PAY FROM THEM TO WHOEVER'S THE LOWEST, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA FIGURE IN EVERYBODY.
ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, I THINK THE POLICE DEPARTMENT GOT A, GOT A SIZABLE RAISE THAT ACTUALLY BROUGHT THEM UP TO BE THE HIGHEST PAID IN THE AREA AT THE TIME.
WHY DID WE DO THAT? BECAUSE OF RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT.
IT'S ALL, WE'RE ALL PULLING FROM THE SAME POOL OF PEOPLE.
AND IF YOU COMBINE PLANOS HIGH PAY WITH NOW A, A BETTER SCHEDULE, IT'S GONNA BE HARDER FOR US TO GET PEOPLE IN.
WE USED TO GET NINE, SEVEN TO 900 PEOPLE EVERY TIME WE GAVE A TEST.
THIS LAST TEST WE HAD FIVE, A LITTLE LOWER 500 PEOPLE.
MEANWHILE, IRVING, WHICH HAS ACTS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER REQUIREMENTS THAN WE HAVE GOT, GOT LIKE ALMOST 1100 PEOPLE TO COME TAKE THEIR TESTS.
YOU HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO SUM IT UP, OKAY, BUT, SO WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT MY POINT IS THAT THE STATUS QUO DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE, SO WE'VE GOT TO KEEP UP WITH, WITH EVERYBODY ELSE OR WE'RE JUST GONNA GET FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.
NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID CALDWELL.
I'M, UH, DONATING MY TIME TO PROBABLY OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BRIAN.
IS THAT CORRECT, SIR? MR.
UH, I ADDRESS 7 3 16 RIVER PARK DRIVE IN MCKINNEY.
UM, I'M A CAPTAIN HERE WITH GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT AND I'VE BEEN HERE JUST OVER 14 YEARS.
I'VE LISTENED TO THE LAST TWO MEETINGS AND THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I FEEL THAT NEED TO BE STATED FOR CLARIFICATION.
MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS COMMITTEE IS TO COME TO A CONCLUSION ON HOW TO MAINTAIN THE EXCELLENT SERVICE THAT THE GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES, WHILE ALSO FINDING A SOLUTION TO REDUCE THE EVER INCREASE IN TOLL THE MEN AND WOMEN TAKE ON YEAR AFTER YEAR.
NOW, FIRST FULL YEAR IN OPERATIONS WAS IN 2012.
WE MADE A TOTAL OF 20 2069 CALLS FOR SERVICE.
LAST YEAR WE MADE, IN 2024, WE MADE 30,851.
THAT'S AN AVERAGE INCREASE OF 7 31 CALLS PER YEAR.
AND AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO ADD MORE RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN APARTMENTS, GDS CALL VOLUME WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO INCREASE.
A SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT A FEW YEARS AGO, AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT STOOD OUT TO ME WAS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAD SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND OR PLAN.
OUT OF 157 RESPONSES, 17 PEOPLE REPORTED SUICIDAL THOUGHTS.
FOUR PEOPLE CREATED A SUICIDE PLAN AND ONE PERSON MADE AN ATTEMPT IN THEIR LIFE.
WE HAVE 285 FIREFIGHTERS AND IF YOU APPLY THAT ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT, THOSE NUMBERS WOULD NEARLY DOUBLED.
SUICIDE MENTAL HEALTH HAVE BECOME AN INCREASE IN PROBLEM WITHIN THE SERVICE, AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT A WORK WEEK, WHICH PROVIDES THE REST AND RECOVERY NECESSARY, WOULD DRASTICALLY REDUCE THESE NUMBERS AND ALSO CREATING A HEALTHIER AND STRONGER WORKFORCE.
I ATTENDED AT A LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE A COUPLE YEARS BACK AND ONE OF THE CLASSES I ATTENDED FOCUSED ON THE NEWER, YOUNGER GENERATION.
THE NUMBER ONE THING SPEAKER COVERED WAS HOW YOUNGER PEOPLE VALUE THEIR TIME OVER ANYTHING ELSE TO TELL A YOUNG FIREFIGHTER THAT THEY SHOULD LEAVE BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE WORLD WORKS IS CONCERNING TO SAY THE LEAST.
INSTEAD, WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR WAY OF THINKING AND MAKE THE CITY OF GARLAND A PLACE WHERE GEN ZERS WANT TO WORK BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE CITY VALUES THEM AND THEIR TIME.
ANOTHER TOPIC AREA THAT I'M CLEAR OF IS THE MISBELIEF THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY HIRING 240 HOURS PLUS OF OVERTIME EVERY SINGLE DAY.
ACCORDING TO NPA 1710, WE ARE STILL UNDERSTAFFED, HOWEVER, WE HAVE INCREASED OUR STAFFING NUMBERS AND WE CAN'T GO SEVERAL DAYS WITHOUT HIRING A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL WITHOUT WORKING OVERTIME.
WHILE OUR LAST CLASS WAS IN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL, I SAW A STAFFING DROP TO THE LOWEST LEVEL I'VE EVER SEEN OVER MY CAREER.
AND THIS WAS A UNIQUE SITUATION BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO QUICKLY INCREASE OUR NUMBER OF PARAMEDICS IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE BURNOUT MANY FIREFIGHTERS WERE EXPERIENCING.
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THIS TEMPORARILY INCREASED OUR NEED FOR OVERTIME.SO I'VE SAID A LOT, BUT HOW DO WE COMBAT ALL THIS? WE CAN ADD EXTRA EQUIPMENT, EXTRA AMBULANCES, FIRE ENGINES AND TRUCKS TO DIVIDE THE LOAD ABOUT THE TIME YOU ADD THE EQUIPMENT TO THE HIGHER PERSONNEL TO STAFF EVERYTHING ACROSS THE THREE SHIFTS, YOU COULD HAVE HIRED A MORE SHIFT.
YES, WE ALL KNEW WHAT WE SIGNED UP FOR WHEN WE TOOK THIS JOB, BUT THINGS CHANGE.
PEOPLE CHANGE AND PRIORITIES CHANGE.
ADDING ANOTHER DAY OF REST MOVES US FROM A 56 HOUR WORK WEEK TO A 42 HOUR WORK WEEK, WHICH GETS US CLOSER TO WORKING THE SAME HOURS AS EVERYONE ELSE IN SOCIETY.
THINK OF THE LASTING EFFECT THIS CAN HAVE ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S MENTAL HEALTH AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.
CURRENTLY WE SPEND A THIRD OF OUR LIFE AWAY FROM OUR FAMILIES.
WE MISS BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, GAMES, AND HOLIDAYS.
YES, IT'S WHAT WE SIGNED UP FOR, BUT WOULD IT NOT BE BETTER FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SERVING THE CITIZENS OF GROWING TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE NORMALCY IN THEIR LIVES LIKE EVERYONE ELSE? DON'T YOU THINK AN EXTRA DAY TO RECOVER FROM A ROUGH SHIFT WILL BE BETTER MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY? IT'S NO SECRET THAT A LACK OF SLEEP IS HARD ON THE BODY AND MORE AND MORE EVIDENCE IS COMING OUT THAT A LACK OF SLEEP LEADS THROUGH AN INCREASE IN CANCER.
I'VE HEARD SEVERAL PEOPLE TALK ABOUT HOW PROFESSIONAL WE ARE AND HOW GREAT WE ARE AT WHAT WE DO, AND WE'RE GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
AND EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM AND EVERYONE OUT IN PUBLIC WILL ALWAYS SEE NOTHING BUT THE BEST
BUT WHAT YOU WON'T SEE, AND YOU DON'T SEE IS THE TOLL THAT A ROUGH SHIP TAKES ON AN INDIVIDUAL AND HOW THAT STACKS UP OVER THE YEARS.
YOU DON'T SEE THE NUMBER OF DIVORCES AND FAMILIES THAT ARE TORN APART 'CAUSE OF THIS JOB.
WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU AND WE'LL ALWAYS ASPIRE TO PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE WE POSSIBLY CAN.
HOWEVER, UNLESS WE ADDRESS THE WORKLOAD AND START PROVIDING THE RECOVERY TIME THAT IS REQUIRED, OUR FEAR THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THE CITIZENS HAVE GROWING, HAVE GROWN TO KNOW OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING TO SUFFER MORE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
CANCER RATES, CANCER RATES WILL RISE.
FAMILIES WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN DIVORCE, AND OUR CITIZENS WILL BE LEFT HOLDING IN THE BAG.
WE ARE PLANO, WE NEVER WILL BE, AND WE DON'T WANNA BE PLANO, WE JUST WANNA STAY IN THE SAME BALLPARK.
AND IF THAT ULTIMATELY MEANS GOING FROM A 56 HOUR WORK WEEK TO A 42 HOUR WORK WEEK, SO THESE MEN AND WOMEN CAN FULLY RECOVER AND SPEND MORE TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES, ATTEND THEIR KIDS BALL GAMES.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE HEALTHY AND FIT TO CONTINUE PROVIDING A HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF GARLAND, THEN THE ANSWER IS CLEAR.
WE MUST MAKE A CHANGE ON OUR SCHEDULE, AND NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST IN OUR FUTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT AND THIS COMMUNITY.
ALL RIGHT, OUR LAST SPEAKER IS ROBERT SPEARS, CHAIRMAN.
WHAT WAS THE, UH, GENTLEMAN'S LAST, LAST GENTLEMAN'S NAME? HARPSTER.
I'M 2 1 8 4 BRADY DRIVE, LEWISVILLE.
I WAS ASKED TO READ A STATEMENT FROM BRETT FERRIS AND THIS IS, UH, I'M JUST GONNA READ OFF THE PAPER.
UM, REV WAS THE PERSON THAT LEFT AND WENT TO PLANO, I MEAN TO FRISCO AND CAME BACK.
WE'VE BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT HIM.
I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR SOME THINGS UP OR HE WANTED TO CLEAR SOME THINGS UP.
UH, BRETT'S A PARAMEDIC DRIVER ON AM ONE SIX ON C SHIFT.
UH, HE SAYS, I WANTED TO SHARE MY STORY TO CORRECT THE RECORD.
IN 2015, I CHOSE TO LEAVE GARLAND FOR THE PRISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW, AROUND THAT TIME, THE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION WAS TRYING TO GET THE RETIREMENT STABILITY FUND TO SUPPLEMENT OUR RETIREMENTS BECAUSE IT LOST COLA.
AT THAT TIME, I MADE AN INCREDIBLY HARD DECISION FOR WHAT WAS BEST FOR MY FAMILY TO GO WORK FOR FRISCO FOR A BETTER RETIREMENT.
I DID NOT GO TO CHASE A PAYCHECK.
I ACTUALLY TOOK A SIGNIFICANT PAY CUT.
AFTER A LITTLE TIME AT FRISCO, I REALIZED I'VE MADE A MISTAKE.
THERE IS NO FAMILY FEEL AT FRISCO LIKE THERE WAS HERE.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THE FAMILY DYNAMIC IS LIKE AT GFD, JUST ASK ANYONE WHO KNOWS HOW GARLAND TOOK CARE OF DEVIN KOHLER AFTER HIS ACCIDENT.
UM, I DECIDED TO TRY TO COME BACK TO GARLAND, BUT THAT MEANT TAKING ANOTHER PAY CUT AND STARTING OVER AGAIN.
AS A ROOKIE, I KNEW THAT WAS WHAT I HAD TO DO TO BE PART OF THIS FAMILY.
IN 2017, I STARTED BACK WITH GFD ALL OVER AGAIN AS A ROOKIE FOR THE THIRD TIME, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO COMPETE IN AREAS LIKE CULTURE AND DESIRABLE SCHEDULE.
WE NEED TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE TO KEEP OUR CULTURE AND TO KEEP FROM LOSING GOOD PEOPLE.
MY FEAR IS THAT SOME OF THESE YOUNGER HIRES THAT DON'T KNOW THE TRUE GFT CULTURE WILL USE GARLAND AS A STEPPING STONE TO GET THEIR CERTIFICATIONS, THEIR MEDIC AND FIRE THEN LEAVE FOR A BETTER SCHEDULE THAT IS MORE SUPPORTIVE FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR HEALTH.
WE AS A DEPARTMENT ARE TRULY THANKFUL FOR WHAT THE CITIZENS AND THE COUNCIL HAVE PROVIDED FOR US AND WE HOPE TO KEEP SERVING THE, WE HOPE TO KEEP SERVING GARLAND TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
UM, I GOT ON WITH BRETT AND UM, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I ALMOST WENT TO FRISCO WITH HIM
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FOR THE SAME REASONS, BUT I STUCK AROUND BECAUSE I WAS 35 YEARS OLD AND WASN'T A MEDIC YET.AND IF I LEFT AND IT DIDN'T WORK OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE, IT'D BE REALLY HARD TO GET ON, DO ANOTHER FIRE JOB AND I'D BE INELIGIBLE TO COME BACK HERE.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE CONSIDERING THAT AT THE TIME.
UM, WE DID GET COLA BACK, WE DID GET AN RSV, UM, BUT NOW IT'S KIND OF THAT SAME FIELD WHERE A LOT OF THE YOUNG GUYS ARE CONSIDERING MAKING MOVES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
UH, UH, WE'D LIKE TO CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE OCTOBER MINUTES.
UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE SECOND MOTION BY A SECOND BY.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS A RECAP OF OUR PRIOR MEETING.
WE HAVE QUESTIONS THAT ARE OUTSTANDING.
UM, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER SOME QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN FROM THE OCTOBER 8TH MEETING, UM, AND YOU'LL SEE THEM UP ON THE SCREEN.
SO FIRST WE HAVE, WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN IN CALLS BY APPARATUS REQUESTED FOR SERVICE BETWEEN FIRE AND EMS. THIS WAS AN EXTENSION OR A FOLLOW UP QUESTION FROM, UM, COMMITTEE MEMBER OF JASON COLLAR IN REGARDS TO THE QUESTION FROM LAST MONTH.
AND WE HAVE POLICE SLATE TO ADDRESS THAT.
PULLING UP MY INFORMATION AS WE SPEAK.
THE SHORT OF IT IS JASON, WE MAKE 30,000 CALL, 30,200 CALLS.
20,000 OF THOSE ARE EMS DRIVEN CALLS.
THE REMAINDER ARE ANYTHING OVER THE MAP.
UM, AND NOT TO SAY THAT THE FIRE APPARATUS DID NOT GO ON EMS CALLS THAT THOSE ARE, WE RESPOND MULTIPLE OF BOTH SIDES.
AMBULANCES MAY ATTEND FIRES, FIRE TRUCKS ATTEND AMBULANCE CALLS.
SO, BUT THE BREAKDOWN ON NON MS DRIVEN IS ABOUT 3000 CALLS PER YEAR.
THEN THE NEXT QUESTION REGARDING CITIES THAT SHIFTED TO THE 24 72 SCHEDULE, WHAT DID THEIR OVERTIME LOOK LIKE BEFORE THEY MADE THE SHIFT? MS. STUT
UH, I ACTUALLY TALKED TO A HUMAN IN PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA TODAY WHO SENT ME TO THE CHIEF THAT CAN GIVE ME THAT INFORMATION, WHO LET IT GO TO VOICEMAIL AND I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK.
SO AS SOON AS I CAN GET SOMEBODY TO RETURN THAT CALL, THAT HAS DATA.
THE OTHER ONE WAS 40-YEAR-OLD DATA AND THEY DON'T HAVE 40-YEAR-OLD DATA.
UH, AND THEN ANOTHER ONE WAS EMAIL FILTERS CAUGHT IT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY DON'T SEND BADGES OR PATCHES.
SO WE'LL KEEP WORKING TO GET YOUR ANSWER ON THE OVERTIME BECAUSE THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS IF WE WERE TO MAKE A MOVE LIKE THIS, WHAT DOES THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF ALL OF THAT LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO WE OFFSET COST? AND SO WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT QUESTION AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AS WELL.
YOU, UM, NEXT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF DEPARTMENTS IN THE METROPLEX HAVE ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULES IN PLACE? TYLER ADDRESSED THIS ONE AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE FOUR COUNTY REGION OF DENTON, COLLIN, DALLAS, AND TARRANT COUNTIES.
AND THE TOTAL NUMBERS THAT CAME UP, HOW MANY DEPARTMENTS WERE THERE? TITLE? 75 DEPARTMENTS 75.
WHY, WHY DON'T YOU GIVE YOUR BREAKDOWN ON, ON THE DISCUSSIONS.
SO LIKE CHIEF LEE SAID, UH, THOSE FOUR COUNTIES WERE USED, WE PRETTY MUCH POLLED EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT THAT EXIST IN THOSE THAT ARE ALL, UH, CAREER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, 63 DEPARTMENTS ON 48, 9, 6, 9 DEPARTMENTS ON 24 48.
TWO HAVE, ARE MOVING TO THE PORTLAND SCHEDULE, UM, THAT HAVE ANNOUNCED.
AND THEN PLANO ON 24 7 2 BASED, THIS RESULTS IN 88% ARE ON AN ALTERNATE SCHEDULE.
AND THEN 12% ARE STILL ON THE ONE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY 24 48 THROUGH TYLER'S DATA.
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SAID, WHAT'S THE POPULATION THAT THEY'RE SERVING IN THESE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS? THE BREAK POINT WAS 230,000 POPULATIONS, 226, I BELIEVE KENYA IS THE LARGEST CITY DOING 24, EXCUSE ME, 48 96.UH, EVERYBODY ELSE ABOVE THAT LINE IS DOING 24 48 OR MOVING TO 24 72 ARE MOVING TOWARDS, WELL EVEN PORTLAND'S, NONE OF THEM ARE MOVING TO PORTLAND.
IT'S 24 72 OR 24 48 AND A POPULATION LINE OF 230,000.
UH, NINE DEPARTMENTS ARE STILL ON 24 48.
AND THEN THE, THE PORTLAND SCHEDULE IS THE 1 3, 2 3 AND THEN WHICH, UH, WHICH CITIES ARE MOVING TO 24 72? UH, PLAIN, CURRENTLY JUST PLANO.
THE PORTLAND MOVES ARE ALLEN AND FRICA.
SORRY, THE ONES THAT ARE MOVING TO PORTLAND.
UM, CORRECT CHIEF, YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE CITIES MOVING TO 24 72 AND THIS FOUR COUNTY REGION, PLANO IS THE ONLY ONE CURRENTLY MOVING TO 24 72.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL DISTRICTS NEARBY? THOSE ARE REAL CLEAR ON WHAT THAT QUESTION IS ASKING.
IS, IS IT ASKING ABOUT ESDS AND IF IT IF SO? YES, THERE ARE, UH, PARKER COUNTY HAS ESDS, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY RUNS SEVERAL ESDS.
THE HOUSTON, MARTIN MONTGOMERY COUNTY AREAS RUN SDS.
UH, DENTON COUNTY HAS A PART OF THEIR AREA THAT IS MANAGED THROUGH AN ESD.
TARRANT COUNTY HAS AN OTHER ESD PLUS A BRAND NEW ONE SERVING THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF TARRANT COUNTY ON THE WEST SIDE, PLUS SOME OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE MERGED INTO THE ESD AND THOSE DISTRICTS AS WELL.
SO THERE ARE DISTRICTS THAT, THAT RUN IN THIS AREA AS WELL AS AROUND THE STATE ARE THE ONES IN, ARE THE ONES IN FORT WORTH BECAUSE FORT WORTH IS BRINGING THEIR, UH, EMS BACK IN HOUSE.
AND SO THEY HAD TO SOME OF THOSE OUTLIED? NO, SIR.
NO, THE, THE CITIES AND AREAS THAT WERE COVERED BY MEDSTAR ARE CONTINUED TO BE COVERED BY, OR EMS. OKAY.
AND IT, IT, YOU HAD MAYBE HELPS TO CLARIFY, MEDSTAR WAS OWNED BY FORT WORTH AND RUN BY FORT WORTH.
IT WAS JUST RUN BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
THEY JUST INCORPORATED IT INTO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND PUT IT UNDER THE FIRE CHIEF.
SO IT, IT, SO IT'S JUST, JUST MOVING THINGS AROUND.
I DO, I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT.
DOES DALLAS RUN TWO PARAMEDICS AT A TIME? YES, THEY DO.
THE MAJORITY OF THE METROPLEX OPERATES WITH A TWO PARAMEDIC SYSTEM.
UM, I CAN'T SPEAK TO EVERY AGENCY IN THE METROPLEX, BUT UH, AFTER TEACHING FOR SIX YEARS IN EMS IN THE DALLAS REGION, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THEY'RE ALL RUNNING THROUGH PARAMEDIC SYSTEMS. I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE THAT QUESTION CAME FROM.
HAS THERE BEEN ENOUGH TIME TO COLLECT DATA? ONGOING FULLY PARAMEDIC, WE'RE STILL 2223 PEOPLE SHORT OF BEING FULLY PARAMEDIC.
THAT WON'T OCCUR UNTIL SEPTEMBER OF NEXT YEAR.
AND THERE'LL ALWAYS BE A AN EMT GROUP.
WE HAVE SEVEN PEOPLE THAT STARTED RECENTLY, SO THEY WON'T GO TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL UNTIL PARAMEDIC SCHOOL UNTIL JANUARY OF 2027 IS WHEN THEY WILL GO TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.
SO WHOEVER GETS HIRED IN THE PRIOR YEAR, WE WILL GO THE FOLLOWING JANUARY AND UH, THIS GROUP WON'T BECAUSE THEY'LL BE IN FIRE SCHOOL IN JANUARY, SO THEY'LL GO TO THE STATIONS FOR A WHILE.
AND THEN THE FOLLOWING JANUARY WE GO TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.
BUT, UM, AS YOU HEARD, UH, CAPTAIN HARKER MENTIONED A WHILE AGO, UH, THE, UH, THE OVERTIME RIGHT NOW IS GREAT TO REDUCE 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY IN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.
WE'RE STILL PAYING SOME OVERTIME ON SOME PARTICULAR SHIFTS.
BUT RIGHT NOW FULLY STAFFED, UH, WE ARE, UM, SEEING A, A GREAT REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME BEING PAID.
AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS FROM LAST FUND.
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ALRIGHT, THAT'S GONNA MOVE US ON TO ITEM FOUR, A FINANCIAL OVERVIEW, HIGH COST REVENUE AND BUDGET CONTEXT.I'M THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND.
THIS IS ALISON BELL STEADMAN, THE BUDGET DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND.
AND I WANT TO THANK, BEFORE WE START, I WANNA THANK CHIEF LEE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR HELPING US PUT THIS, UH, PRESENTATION TOGETHER AND GATHERING THE DATA NECESSARY TO, TO SHOW THE FULL FINANCIAL PICTURE OF WHERE NOT JUST THE CITY IS, BUT WHERE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS.
UM, WE, I WANNA ALSO PREFACE THAT THERE IS A PATH FORWARD.
I THINK CHIEF LEE AND BILL CRUZ KNOW ME PROBABLY THE BEST OUT OF THE GROUP HERE.
WE HAVEN'T FOUND IT YET, BUT WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER.
WE'RE NOT COMING UP HERE SAYING THERE'S NO MONEY.
WE'RE GONNA SHOW THAT THERE'S NO MONEY, BUT IF THERE'S A PATH, WE WILL FIND IT.
OUR PRESENTATION'S GONNA COVER REALLY FOURTH THINGS.
FIRST, WE WANT TO START BIG PICTURE AND TALK ABOUT THE CITY OF GARLAND AS A WHOLE.
FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS FUNDING CHALLENGES.
THE CITY OF GARLAND HAS FUNDING CHALLENGES.
SO WE'RE GONNA PAINT THAT PICTURE FROM A HIGH LEVEL OF THE CITY OF GARLAND.
WE'LL DIG INTO THE GARLAND FIRE BUDGET AS IT EXISTS.
NOW WE'LL SHOW SOME BENCHMARK DATA ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, OTHER FIRED EMS METROPLEX, UH, AREA CITIES COMPARED TO GARLAND.
AND THEN WE'LL END IT WITH A HIGH LEVEL COST ANALYSIS OF TWO PROPOSED CHANGES TO GET TO THE 24 72.
AND I'M GONNA PREFERENCE THAT LAST ONE, ONE THAT IT IS STILL IN THE WORKS.
WE'RE STILL MASSAGING NUMBERS.
IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED, UH, TASK TO TRY TO CALCULATE THE EXACT COST OF GOING TO A 24 72.
'CAUSE IT'S MUCH MORE THAN JUST ADDING FIREFIGHTERS.
I GOTTA START LOOKING AT THE CO LONG-TERM COST OF HEALTH INSURANCE.
UH, COLA WAS MENTIONED, YOU GOTTA START LOOKING AT THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF THE COLA.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S SUSTAINABLE.
SO THERE IS JUST A LOT OF MOVING PIECES WITH THIS, BUT WE WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND SHOW SOME NUMBERS TO GET, UH, DELIBERATION STARTED AND THE DEBATE MOVING FORWARD FOR US TO START THINKING ABOUT START.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ALICE AND SHE'S JUST QUICKLY GONNA GO OVER A HIGH LEVEL OF HOW WE BUDGET, HOW WE, UH, ACCOUNT FOR THE MONEY THAT COMES INTO THE GARLAND FROM NOT JUST TAXES, BUT FROM ALL SOURCES.
AND THEN I'LL JUMP INTO, UH, KIND OF THE FINANCIAL BASE AND OUTLOOK, UH, FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND AS A WHOLE.
SO THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE AWARE, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT BUDGET CYCLES HERE AT THE CITY OF GARLAND.
WE HAVE WHAT IS OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
YOU CAN THINK OF THIS AS OUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS, DAILY OPERATIONS.
UM, WE CONTEMPLATE THAT TYPICALLY, UM, IN ON AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER TIMEFRAME FOR THE CITY COUNCIL ENGAGEMENT.
AND THEN WITH THAT OPERATING BUDGET RUNS FROM OCTOBER ONE TO SEPTEMBER 30TH.
WHAT YOU'RE BUDGETING FOR IN THAT IS YOUR DAILY OPERATIONS, YOUR REOCCURRING EXPENDITURES, YOUR PERSONNEL, UH, DAY TO DAY SUPPLIES, THE LIKE, AND YOUR PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE WOULD BE YOUR TAXES AND FEES.
AND WE APPROPRIATE THIS LOOKING AT A ONE YEAR ANNUAL TERM.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE BUDGETING FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
AND SO THIS IS AN ANNUAL ENGAGEMENT WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH DEPARTMENTS ON DEVELOPING THEIR BUDGET IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER AND THEN ENGAGING THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, PRIMARILY IN THE FALL, UH, FOR THEIR DIRECTION AND APPROVAL OF THAT.
WE ALSO HAVE WHAT IS CALLED OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN THINK OF AS SOME OF YOUR ONE-TIME LARGE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES.
THIS WOULD BE PURCHASING YOUR FIRE APPARATUS, YOUR AMBULANCES, ANY SPECIAL OPERATING EQUIPMENT FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, AS WELL AS ANY OF OUR BOND PROGRAMS. IF YOU RECALL, IN OUR 20 20 19 BOND PROGRAM, UH, WE HAD RENOVATIONS AND REBUILDS OF SEVERAL OF OUR FIRE STATIONS AS WELL AS A CURRENT PROJECT TO REMODEL.
UH, MOST OF OUR FIRE STATIONS, BOTH ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE BEING EXECUTED THROUGH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
UH, WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR ON THAT IS A FIVE-YEAR PLAN OF OUR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES.
IT IS APPROPRIATED ON THE ANNUAL BASIS.
IT RUNS ON THE CALENDAR YEAR, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT A FIVE-YEAR PLAN OF HOW WE'RE PLANNING TO ISSUE DEBT BECAUSE MAJORITY OF PROJECTS ARE FUNDED BY DEBT THROUGH OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE.
AND WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT A A LONG TERM PLAN.
WHEN YOU START A PROJECT IN YEAR ONE, YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES TO SEE THAT THROUGH.
AS, UH, MANY OF YOU'RE AWARE WITH OUR MAJOR REBUILDS OF OUR FIRE STATIONS, THOSE ARE THREE OR FOUR YEAR PROJECTS TO GO FROM THE DESIGN TO THE CONSTRUCTION TO THE GRAND OPENING.
SO WE'RE LOOKING OVER THAT FIVE YEAR TERM TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RESOURCES TO EXECUTE THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS.
BUT WE'LL BE DIVING INTO MOST DETAIL
[00:30:01]
TODAY IS OUR OPERATING BUDGET.SO LOOKING AT OUR FUND TYPES IN THE BUDGET, UH, WE HAVE A VARIETY OF FUND TYPES.
MOST OF THESE ARE BROKEN OUT FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES.
UM, SO WE HAVE OUR GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS OUR BASIC OPERATING FUND THAT INCLUDES MOST OF OUR GENERAL OPERATING SERVICES.
THIS IS WHERE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS WITHIN OUR ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET.
THEY ARE A PART OF OUR OVERALL GENERAL FUND.
UH, WE HAVE OUR DEBT SERVICE FUND, WHICH IS ACCOUNTING FOR THE REPAYMENT OF DEBT.
WE HAVE OUR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS.
THIS IS, UH, REALLY SPECIFIC TO OUR GRANT AND RESTRICTED USE TAXES.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES FUNDS.
THESE ARE FUNDS THAT WOULD ORDINARILY BE A PART OF YOUR GENERAL FUND, BUT WE HAVE BROKEN THEM OUT FOR TRANSPARENCY REASONS SUCH AS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, REPL REPLACEMENT AND REPAIR FUND.
WHICH FUNDS ARE MOST OF OUR STREETS PROGRAMS. WE DO HAVE PROPRIETARY FUNDS IN THE OPERATING BUDGET, WHICH IS FUNDED BY UTILITIES OR OTHER RATES WITHIN, UH, YOU KNOW, EACH ONE OF THOSE.
THESE ARE CONSIDERED SELF-SUPPORTING FUNDS.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, THESE ARE FUNDED BY RATES AND FEES DIRECTLY CHARGED TO THE USERS FOR THAT PARTICULAR SERVICE ACTIVITY.
LOOKING AT YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY FUND, YOUR WATER WASTEWATER UTILITY FUND, SANITATION, STORM WATER FUNDS.
AND THEN FINALLY WE HAVE OUR INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS.
THESE ARE FUNDS THAT SERVE AS OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, SO FLEET MAINTENANCE, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
THESE ARE FUNDS AND DEPARTMENTS DEDICATED TO MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF US CAN SHOW UP AND DO OUR JOBS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS AND SERVE THE CITIZENS.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE ACCOUNT FOR ALL OF OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND SPECIFIC FUNDS, UM, RELATED TO THE DEBT ISSUANCES THAT ARE BEING, BEING USED TO FUND THOSE PROJECTS.
BUT FOR TODAY'S PURPOSES, WE'LL REALLY BE ZOOMING IN ON OUR GENERAL FUND.
SO OUR GENERAL FUND, UH, FOR FY 26, WE HAVE A TOTAL ADOPTED BUDGET OF 257.2 MILLION AND A TOTAL FTE COUNT OF 1,319.
WE HAVE A LIST OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND AND WHAT'S MOST NOTABLE HERE IS THAT THOSE GROUP IN RED IS OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, WHICH FIRES ONE OF THEM.
AS YOU CAN SEE IN OUR BREAKDOWN BY BUDGET AREA.
UM, OF THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET OF 257.2 MILLION, PUBLIC SAFETY IS 67% OF THAT, OR 171.4 MILLION.
AND WE'LL GET INTO EXACTLY HOW MUCH FIRE IS IN SOME LATER SLIDES.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE HOW HOW BIG OF A SHARE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS IS AT 67%.
MOVING TO OUR RESOURCES, UM, WE ARE, THE GENERAL FUND IS PRIMARILY FUNDED BY THREE MA, SEVERAL MAJOR RESOURCES.
WE HAVE OUR PROPERTY TAXES ABOUT 30% AT 77.3 MILLION.
OUR SALES TAX AT 47, 45 0.7 MILLION, ABOUT 18%.
AND THEN WE HAVE TWO UNIQUE FUNDING SOURCES FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND THAT HELP MAKE UP OUR MORE MODEST PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX BASE.
THAT WOULD BE OUR LANDFILL AND OUR GPNL RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
OUR LANDFILL AND DISPOSAL REVENUE MAKES UP ABOUT 10% AT 26.3 MILLION.
AND OUR GPL RETURNS ON INVESTMENT ALSO MAKES UP 26.8 MILLION, ANOTHER 11%.
AND THEN WHAT'S MOST NOTABLE IS OUR 30, THAT THE REMAINING 31% IS OUR ALL OVER REVENUE.
THIS WOULD BE THE FINES AND FEES THAT ARE LEVIED BY OUR GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THAT WOULD BE OUR DEVELOPMENT PERMITS, OUR MUNICIPAL COURT FINES AND FEES.
AND THEN WHAT WE'LL BE ZOOMING IN FOR TODAY'S DISCUSSION IS OUR EMS FEES.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE FOUR LARGEST REVENUE SOURCES ACCOUNT FOR 69% OF THE GENERAL FUNDS RESOURCES.
AND IF YOU RECALL, OUR FOUR LARGEST REVENUE SOURCES DON'T EVEN FUND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY EXPENDITURES.
SO WE'RE HAVING TO LOOK AT A COMBINATION OF ALL OTHER REVENUE SOURCES THAT THE CITY CAN LEVY ON ANNUAL BASIS TO HELP FUND ANY MAJOR CHANGES IN OUR ANNUAL EXPENDITURES.
QUESTION, YEAH, WE ALL BEEN COVERING WHAT THE G-P-N-L-R-O-I IS RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
WHAT, CAN YOU GO INTO MORE DETAIL AS TO WHAT THAT IS? SURE.
SO WHAT THE G-P-L-R-O-I IS IS, IF GPNL WAS A PRIVATE ENTITY, THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY FRANCHISE FEES, THEY WOULD HAVE TO PAY TAXES, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE A RETURN TO SHAREHOLDERS FOR, UH, THE INVESTMENT THAT THEY PUT IN.
SO THE CALCULATION BASICALLY FOLLOWS THE A PATH THAT AS IF GPNL IS A PRIVATE ENTITY AND WE ARE THE SHAREHOLDERS AS THE CITY, YOU OWE US SOME MONEY BACK FOR THE, THE BENEFIT OF BEING AN PART OF THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.
AND THE, AND HONESTLY, THAT IS OUR, REALLY OUR LIFELINE HERE IN GARLAND.
[00:35:01]
THAT G-P-N-L-R-O-I, THE REST OF THIS PRESENTATION, WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX.GARLAND HAS AN EXTREMELY MODEST PROPERTY TAX SALES TAX, BUT WHAT WE HAVE THAT OTHER CITIES DO NOT HAVE IS THIS G-P-N-L-R-O-I IN A LANDFILL THAT SERVES THE REGION.
SO THAT IS HOW WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE OURSELVES WHOLE AND CONTINUE ON THE SERVICE LEVELS THAT WE HAVE.
NOW, I WILL SAY ON G AND LRI JUST SOME MORE KNOWLEDGE ON THAT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS OVER THE LAST 10 15 YEAR AT THE STATE, UH, THE, THE G-L-R-O-I, NOT SPECIFICALLY IT, BUT MUNICIPALLY OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITIES HAVE BEEN TARGETED MOSTLY BECAUSE OF AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO'S WHO HAVE A MUCH HIGHER ROI.
AND THE, THE, THE THE REASON IS, IS THEY SEE IT AS A, AS A HIDDEN TAX ON, ON THE, ON, ON THEIR, UH, RESIDENCE.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T WANT EVER WANNA REALLY EXPLORE PUSHING THE ENVELOPE TOO MUCH WHERE OUR ROI IS AT 8% AND YOU LOOK AT, AT AUSTIN OR SAN ANTONIO, YOU SEE ON THAT LIKE 14%.
BUT THIS IS AN ENVELOPE THAT'S, YOU GOTTA REALLY MAKE SURE YOU'RE, YOU'RE TOEING THE LINE BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANNA PUSH THE LEGISLATURE INTO TARGETING THIS YET.
MOVING INTO OUR PROPERTY TAX BASE.
SO WE, UH, THE MAJORITY OF OUR CITY IS APPRAISED BY THE DALLAS APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
WE DO HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT IN, UH, THE COLLIN COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
SO ON AN ANNUAL BASIS WE RECEIVE WHAT WE CALL OUR CERTIFIED VALUES.
SO FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR OR MAY NOT BE A HOMEOWNER, UH, YOUR APPRAISAL DISTRICT LOOKS AT YOUR RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS BASE.
THEY ASSOCIATE A VALUE WITH THAT PROPERTY, THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THAT PROPERTY TO KEEP IT VERY SIMPLE.
AND SO ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, CITIES RECEIVE AN ESTIMATION OF WHAT THAT IS AND THIS IS WHAT YOUR PROPERTY TAX BASE IS ESSENTIALLY COMPRISED OF.
AND SO ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AROUND JULY, WE RECEIVE WHAT IS OUR CERTIFIED VALUES FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICTS.
FOR THIS UP, FOR THIS 2025 YEAR, OUR CERTIFIED PROPERTY TAX BASE IS 28.3 BILLION.
THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 5.6% FROM 2024.
AND AS WE'RE GONNA GET INTO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY A MORE MODEST INCREASE THAN WHAT WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING IN RECENT YEARS.
SO SINCE SB TWO ONE, IN EFFECT IN 2019, WHICH WE WILL CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THIS PRESENTATION, GROWTH FROM YOUR PROPERTY TAX BASE, PARTICULARLY IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, HAS BECOME MORE CRITICAL IN ORDER TO INCREASE YOUR TOTAL REVENUE.
IT'S PARTICULARLY FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
SO ESSENTIALLY, AND WE'LL GET INTO THE CALCULATION SB TWO CAPS, HOW MUCH YOUR REVENUE CAN GROW IN ANY ONE YEAR TO 3.5%.
AND SO ANY GROWTH IN YOUR PROPERTY TAX BASE ON THE GENERAL FUND SIDE IS NOT ALWAYS REALIZED BECAUSE OF THAT CAP.
SO LOOKING AT THIS, WHAT WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON IS THAT LITTLE AREA IN BLUE OR NAVY ON THIS SCREEN IS THAT NEW CONSTRUCTION GROSS THIS PAST YEAR FOR 2025.
UM, WE HAVE RECORD HIGH NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND, WHICH EQUATES TO ABOUT 1.6% OF OUR TOTAL PROPERTY TAX GROWTH FOR 2025, WHICH IS REALLY BENEFICIAL, UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, AND ITS CURRENT CONDITION.
UH, YOU WILL SEE BACK FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, UH, AND I'M SURE AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW THERE WAS A BOOM IN HOUSING PRICES, YOU KNOW, REALLY FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC WE ARE, AND WE'LL GET INTO THIS IN LATER SLIDES, STARTING TO SEE THAT SLOW DOWN.
SO THE INCREASES SEEN IN THAT 2022 THROUGH 2024 RANGE IS NOT SOMETHING WE'RE ANTICIPATING TO SEE IN FUTURE YEARS.
LOOKING AT OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, OUR CURRENT PROPERTY TAX RATE IS 68.97 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUATION.
THIS PROPERTY TAX RATE IS OUR LOWEST PROPERTY TAX RATE SINCE 2007, 2008 IF YOU RECALL.
THOSE HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH IN 2019.
WE MOVED FORWARD WITH OUR 2019 BOND PROGRAM.
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT BOND PROGRAM WAS A SIX AND A HALF CENT INCREASE TO OUR PROPERTY TAX BANK ON THE DEBT SERVICE SIDE TO FUND ALL OF THE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR FACILITIES TO HAVE EXPANDED PARKS, EXPANDED PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES, AND REALLY INVEST IN, UH, HOW WE HAVE OUR CORE SERVICES FOR THE CITY.
UM, FOLLOWING THE GREAT RECESSION, WE HAD NOT MADE THAT INVESTMENT IN SOME OF OUR PUBLIC FACILITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOME TIME.
AND AS YOU KNOW, MATT WILL GET INTO, WE REALLY DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT.
SO BECAUSE OF THOSE INCREASES LEADING UP,
[00:40:01]
UH, TO THAT 2019 BOND PROGRAM AND THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, WE HAD THE MEANS TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE GOT THE APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT SIX AND A HALF CENT INCREASE ON THE DEBT SERVICE SIDE OF THE TAX RATE.HOWEVER, THAT SAME, THAT FOLLOWING YEAR SB TWO WANTED TO AFFECT AND THAT ESSENTIALLY CAPPED HOW MUCH WE COULD INCREASE OUR O AND M, WHICH IS OPERATIVE MAINTENANCE TAX RATE, WHICH FUNDS THE GENERAL FUND THAT REALLY TIED OUR HANDS.
THE INTENT FOR WHEN WE PASSED THE 2019 BOND PROGRAM TAX RATE INCREASE WAS THAT SIX AND A HALF STENT WOULD BE USED TO FUND THE DEBT SERVICE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE FACILITIES AND COUNCIL AT A LATER DATE MAY SHIFT THE PORTION THAT RATE OVER TO THE O AND M SIDE TO FUND THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF THOSE NEW AND EXPANDED FACILITIES.
SB TWO MADE THAT IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH COUNCIL ACTION RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF SB TWO, UH, IF WE WANT TO GO ABOVE WHAT IS CALLED OUR VOTER APPROVAL RATE, WE HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE ARE BEGINNING TO LOOK AT AND EXPLORE, UM, IN NOVEMBER OF 2026.
BUT, OH, OH, YOU GO, GO AHEAD.
UM, THE LAST THING TO POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE IS SINCE THAT WENT INTO EFFECT IN 2019, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT RED LINE, OUR TAX RATE HAS GONE DOWN, WHICH EQUATES TO ABOUT 30 MILLION IN LOST GENERAL FUND REVENUE SINCE THIS WENT INTO EFFECT.
BUT REALLY THE IMPORTANT THING TO GET OUT OF THIS AND WHAT SB TWO AND THE REVENUE CAPS IS DOING IS AS YOU'RE SEEING THESE 16% INCREASES, 12% INCREASES, 11% INCREASES.
HOW THEY ARE CAPPING YOUR REVENUE AT THREE AND A HALF IS ON THE OTHER SIDE BY DRIVING DOWN YOUR TAX RATE.
SO WHILE WE WERE SEEING VALUATIONS GROW AT SUBSTANTIAL RATES DUE TO THE HOUSING BOOM, OUR TAX RATE WAS BEING SHIFTED DOWN TO CAP US AT 3.5% ON THE DEBT SERVICE SIDE, THERE IS NO CAP AND WE BECAME VERY CAPITAL INTENSIVE IN 2019.
WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THE 2019 BOND PROGRAM.
WE HAVE THE 2025 BOND PROGRAM.
AND ONE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION HERE IS MANY OTHER CITIES THAT AREN'T, AREN'T IN DARK YET, ANOTHER 1% SALES TAX, UH, AND ABLE TO USE THAT TOWARD SPECIFIC ITEMS, ONE OF THOSE BEING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE ARE VERY MUCH DEPENDENT ON OUR PROPERTY TAXES WHEN WE ISSUE DEBT.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS IT'S THE LAST BOND PROGRAM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROPOSITION OF 75 MILLION CITIES, LIKE IN ARLINGTON OR IN GRAND PRAIRIE, COULD USE THEIR, WHAT'S CALLED THE FOUR B SALES TAX TO HELP SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE'RE STUCK USING OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE FOR PROPERTY TAXES IN ORDER TO COMPLETE ANY OF THAT.
WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW HERE IS SINCE THE GREAT RECESSION, AND I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL PROBABLY TIRED OF ME TALKING ABOUT THE GREAT RECESSION, IT WAS IN 2009, BUT IT'S STILL KIND OF THE STORY OF OF GARLAND BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY A MODEST TAX BASE.
WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS PROPERTY TAX VALUES FROM 2009 TO 2026.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS ON THE VALUATION SIDE, NOT A TAX RATE SIDE.
AND YOU CAN SEE FROM 2009 TO ALMOST TO 2021 AND THIS RED DOTTED LINE IS A THREE HALF PERCENT.
JUST WE NEED 3.5% INCREASE IN VALUATIONS AND REVENUE EACH YEAR JUST TO COVER CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS.
YOU CAN SEE IT TOOK TO 2021 TO EVEN GET TO THAT LEVEL, WHICH MEANS WE WERE FOR FURLOUGHING PEOPLE, WE WERE HAVING LUMP SUM PAYMENTS TO EMPLOYEES.
WE WERE CLOSING LIBRARIES AND WE WERE HAVING TO DRIVE DOWN A LOT OF THE AMENITIES FROM PARKS IN ORDER TO, TO KEEP PUBLIC SAFETY WHOLE.
SO, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT IT TOOK A LONG TIME FOR US TO CLIMB OUT OF THAT GREAT RECESSION AND THE BOOM HERE'S GOING FORWARD YOU WOULD THINK, WELL NOW YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF MONEY.
THEN SB TWO COMES INTO EFFECT AND CAPS IT AT THREE AND A HALF.
THIS IS SHOWING TOTAL GENERAL FUND REVENUE ON THAT SAME TILT THREE AND A 5% INCREASE SINCE 2009.
AND YOU CAN SEE WE'RE BASICALLY JUST MEETING THAT NOW IN 2026.
NOW IS AGAIN, IS DUE MOSTLY TO THE FACT THAT YES, OUR VALUATIONS ARE GROWING, BUT DUE TO THE TAX CAPS, IT'S JUST REALLY BAD TIMING.
WE WERE JUST COMING OUT OF THE GREAT RECESSION AND THEN THE TAX CAPS COME ON.
SO THIS IS A LOOK AT HOW YOU, UH, HOW OUR TAX RATE IS SPLIT AND THEN HOW MUCH A TYPICAL HOMEOWNER IN THE CITY OF GARLAND PAYS BASED ON IF THEY ARE A HOMEOWNER OR AN UNDER 65 OR A HOMEOWNER AND A SENIOR.
ONE THING I WANNA POINT OUT IS ON THE TAX RATE, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT OUR OPERATING MAINTENANCE IS 42% OF THE TOTAL TAX
[00:45:01]
RATE OF 68.97 IN OUR DEBT SERVICE IS 40.1089 IN MOST CITIES.THAT'S FLIPPED AGAIN AFTER 2019.
WE INCREASED OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE SIX AND A HALF CENTS.
WE BECAME A CAPITAL INTENSIVE CITY.
WE WANTED TO REBUILD AND REVAMP ALL OF OUR REC CENTERS.
WE WANTED TO BUILD A NEW ANIMAL SHELTER.
WE WANNA REPAIR ALL OF OUR ROADWAYS.
WE'VE BECOME CAPITAL INTENSIVE.
AND, BUT NOW ON THE DEBT SERVICE SIDE, WE, WE CANNOT MOVE ANY OF THAT OVER INTO THE OPERATION MAINTENANCE WITHOUT GOING FOR VOTER APPROVAL.
AND WHAT THAT WILL READ ON THE BALLOT IS THIS IS A TAX RATE INCREASE.
AND THE REASON WHY THAT IS, IS BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T APPROVE IT, THEIR TAXES WILL GO DOWN.
SO AFTER 2019, OUR INTENT WAS TO SLOWLY ROLL THAT BACK OVER TO THE OPERATIONS, BUT AGAIN, THE REVENUE CAPS FORCE US TO GO TO THE VOTERS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE KIND OF LEADING UP TO FOR THE NOVEMBER, 2026 IS WE WANT TO MOVE A PORTION OF THAT, GO TO THE VOTERS SO THAT WE CAN FUND ALL OF THE SURF AND SWIM ALL OF THE REC FACILITIES THAT COME ON, COME ONLINE AND ALSO TO, TO MEET SOME OF THE OTHER DEMANDS FROM A COMPENSATION STANDPOINT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, VALOR TAX CALCULATION RIGHT NOW, UH, UH, HOMEOWNER AND UH, GARLAND, THE AVERAGE ASSESSED VALUE IS ABOUT 299 2 4 8.
IF YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER, WE HAVE AN 11% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
AND SO YOUR NET TAXABLE VALUE IS ABOUT 2 66 3 3 1.
IF YOU'RE A SENIOR, YOU GET THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION AND YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR THE SENIOR DISA DISABLED UH, EXEMPTION, WHICH IS JUST A FLAT DOLLAR AMOUNT OF $60,000.
SO ONE THING TO POINT OUT HERE IS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION IS A PERCENTAGE.
SO THAT MEANS THAT THE HIGHER YOUR HOME VALUE IS, THE MORE OFF YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE SENIOR IT IS JUST A FLAT DOLLAR AMOUNT.
IT'S DESIGNED THAT WAY BY THE STATES SO THAT PEOPLE WITH LOWER HOME HOME VALUES SEE MORE OF A BENEFIT 'CAUSE IT'S $60,000 FLAT.
SO YOU SEE THE AVERAGE TAX BILL PER YEAR, UH, FOR UNDER 65 IS ABOUT 1,837 FOR A SENIOR, IT'S ABOUT 1,423 PER CITY OF GARLAND TAX.
WE'RE NOT THE ONLY TAXING ENTITY IN TOWN.
GISD JUST HAD THEIR PROPOSITION PASSED AND GOT AN INCREASE IN THEIR TAXES.
THEY'RE BACK TO ROUGHLY 50% OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL FOR A GARLAND RESIDENT CITY OF GARLAND.
WE'RE SITTING JUST UNDER 30% OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL WITH, UH, THE COUNTY OPERATIONS MAKING UP THE REST THROUGH THE, THE, THE DALLAS COLLEGE PARKLAND AND DALLAS COUNTY THEMSELVES.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THOSE TAX RATES ARE MUCH LOWER.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S TAX RATE TIMES VALUATION.
THEY'RE ABLE TO PULL FROM THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
WE'RE ONLY PULLING FROM THE CITY OF GARLAND SO THEY HAVE A MUCH LOWER TAX RATE.
SO I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT, UH, THE TAX RATE SWAP THAT WE ARE CONTEMPLATING WITH CITY COUNCIL TO GO TO THE VOTERS FOR IN NOVEMBER OF 2026.
BUT THIS IS JUST KIND OF A HISTORY OF WHAT OUR TAX RATE LOOK LIKE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR DEBT SERVICE HAS CLIMBED A LITTLE BIT IN ORDER TO DO, UH, MANY OF THE, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH THAT IS ROADWAYS DOING STREET PROJECTS.
AND WHAT WE'RE SHOWING HERE IS WHERE IT SAYS STATUS QUO.
THAT'S WHAT THE TAX RATE WOULD BE IF WE GO TO THE VOTERS AND IT'S NOT APPROVED.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR TAX RATE WILL GO DOWN TO ABOUT 0.2851.
IF IT'S APPROVED, THE TAX RATE WILL THEN BE 0.3141.
ON THE M AND O SIDE, WE'RE GONNA GAIN ABOUT 3 CENTS.
THAT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT $8 MILLION TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH WE'LL GET INTO LATER IS MUCH NEEDED JUST TO COVER THE BASELINE SERVICES THAT WE'RE ALREADY PROVIDING.
ALL WANTED TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE CERTIFIED VALUES ALLISON WAS MENTIONING AND START TALKING ABOUT OUR OUTLOOK FOR LONG TERM ON WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN TAX BASE FOR BOTH PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX.
AND WHAT I CIRCLED HERE IS A BOX TO SHOW OUR RESIDENTIAL BAGS AND HOW MUCH THEY WENT UP IN 2025.
ONE THING I WANNA POINT OUT IS THE CITY OF GARLAND, ABOUT 60% OF OUR TAX BASE IS IN RESIDENTIAL AND 40% IS IN COMMERCIAL.
AND WHAT WE CALL B-P-P-B-P-P IS BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY.
SO IT'S BASICALLY INVENTORY WITHIN INSIDE OF A COMMERCIAL FACILITY.
MOST CITIES ARE 50 50, YOU SEE A 50% OF THEIR TAX BASE COMING FROM RESIDENTS AND YOU SEE 50% COMING FROM COMMERCIAL.
WHAT I'M SHOWING MEANING BY THAT IS WE ARE HAVE A HIGHER TAX BURDEN ON OUR RESIDENTS BECAUSE 60%
[00:50:01]
OF ALL THE VALUATION IN THIS CITY COMES FROM SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.SO THIS NUMBER HERE IS WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT BECAUSE IT'S THE MAJORITY OF WHAT WE GET IN OUR SALES TAX COLLECTION.
AND YOU CAN SEE LAST YEAR IT ONLY WENT UP 1.9% WITH 0.6 OF THAT IN, UH, NEW CONSTRUCTION.
BUT 1.9% INCREASE IS OBVIOUSLY ALARMING WHEN YOU'RE USED TO SEEING 10, 12, 14% INCREASES.
ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, YOU'LL SEE THESE HUGE NUMBERS IN NEW CONSTRUCTION.
MOST OF THAT WAS RELATED TO DATA CENTERS OFF OF GEORGE BUSH AND SEVERAL MULTI-FAMILY HOMES COMING IN.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS BUILDING PERMIT VALUATION STARTING TO DROP, WHICH IS A SIGN FOR US THAT THE ECONOMY IS STARTING TO RETRACT.
WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS KIND OF A, A BUSY CHART, BUT WHAT THIS IS IS MLS DATA ON HOMES SOLD, BUT USING A 12 MONTH MOVING AVERAGE BASED OFF OF THESE, UH, SQUARE FOOTAGE CLASSIFICATIONS IN SEPTEMBER OF 22, THAT WAS WHEN THE BOOM JUST KIND OF HIT.
AND HOME VALUE PRICES SKYROCKETED.
BY APRIL OF 2024, GARLAND'S AVERAGE, A HOME PER SQUARE FOOT WAS 193.64 SOLD ON THE MARKET, WHICH IS, IT'S SUBSTANTIAL AND WE LOVED IT.
AS OF SEPTEMBER, 2025, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE PERCENT CHANGE STARTED MOVING NEGATIVE AND THE PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT IS NOW AT 180 2 0.24.
BUT NOW GETTING INTO, I MENTIONED EARLIER WE HAVE A MODEST PROPERTY TAX BASE ON THE SINGLE FAMILY SIDE.
IT COMES DOWN TO REALLY THIS CHART AND THE ONE UP SHOW INDEX.
YOU CAN SEE MOST OF 'EM WERE WERE BUILT BEFORE 19 90, 80 1% OF THOSE.
MANY OF OUR OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WE COMPARE TO THE PLANOS FRISCO'S OF THE WORLD, YOU'RE SEEING A BOOM IN LATER YEARS.
AND TYPICALLY THAT BOOM IN LATER YEARS MEANS BIGGER HOMES, MORE VALUE ON A HOME.
SEE THAT MOST OF OUR HOMES ARE, UH, 74% OF 'EM ARE 2000 SQUARE FEET OR SMALLER.
NOW, NOT EVERY HOME, UH, THE VALUE GOES WITH SQUARE FOOTAGE, BUT TYPICALLY THE HIGHER THE SQUARE FOOTAGE, THE MORE VALUE YOU GET OUT OF A HOME.
NOW I'M GONNA START GETTING INTO SOME BENCHMARK DATA BASED OFF OF WHAT IN THE FINANCE AND BUDGET OFFICE, WE TYPICALLY REPORT ON THESE CITIES AS, UH, METROPLEX COMPARISONS.
WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOME IN THE METROPLEX AS OF 2025.
AND ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS GARLAND IS TYPICALLY RIGHT NEXT TO MESQUITE IN GRAND PRAIRIE.
WE'RE USUALLY BATTLING GRAND PRAIRIE FOR THAT.
SECOND TO LAST STANDPOINT, WHY AC FORT WORTH AND ARLINGTON SHOWING UP IS TARRANT COUNTY DID NOT APPRAISE ANY VALUES THIS YEAR.
SO IF YOU WERE IN TARRANT COUNTY, YOU DIDN'T SEE A TAX RATE INCREASE 'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T ENTERPRISE YOUR PROPERTY BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY'VE KIND OF SLID IN FRONT OF US.
I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT CAVEAT THERE THAT IT HISTORICALLY, GARLAND HAS BEEN KIND OF BATTLING GRAND PRAIRIE FOR THAT SECOND SPOT TO LOWEST.
YOU CAN SEE THE AVERAGE OF ALL THESE CITIES, THE AVERAGE MARKET VALUE OF A HOME IS 394 7 3.
AND WE ARE SLOWLY CLIMBING OUT OF THE, OUT OF THE BOTTOM, BUT WE'RE AT 3, 2, 5, 6, 1 6.
BUT AGAIN, THAT AVERAGE IS SKEWED BECAUSE FORT WORTH AND ARLINGTON DID NOT APPRAISE VALUES.
THIS CHART IS SHOWING TOTAL TAXABLE VALUES.
SO THROW IN THE COMMERCIAL, THROW IN ALL OF THE TAXABLE VALUE PER CAPITA.
SO BY POPULATION, HOW MUCH VALUE PER PERSON DOES EACH CITY BRING IN ON THE PROPERTY TAX SIDE? YOU SEE ARLINGTON IS STILL SLIDING RIGHT THERE.
AND ON THIS CHART, WE'RE TYPICALLY BATTLING ARLINGTON FOR SECOND TO LAST.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE APPRAISED VALUE SITUATION THAT WENT ON IN TARRANT COUNTY, THEY'VE KINDA SLID BACK DOWN BELOW US.
YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR, OUR, OUR TOTAL VALUATION PER PERSON IS ABOUT A HUNDRED TWELVE THREE NINE NINE WITH REALLY ONLY MESQUITE BELOW US AT 98 1 1 9.
BACK TO THE EQUATION, TAX VALUE TIMES TAX RATE.
TYPICALLY WHEN YOU HAVE LOWER VALUES, YOU HAVE A HIGHER TAX RATE.
SO YOU HAVE TO GENERATE THE MONEY TO DO THE THING SOMEHOW.
SO IN THE CITY OF GARLAND, WE ARE THE SECOND HIGHEST TAX RATE IN THE, THESE COMPARATIVE CITIES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE AVERAGE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND POINT 0.59, SIX.
SO ABOUT 10 CENTS MORE IS WHERE GARLIC IS.
THIS IS A SLIDE WE LIKE TO SHOW.
IT'S JUST A, A COMPARISON SLIDE ON.
AND REALLY THIS IS A, A UNITED STATES PROBLEM ON OUR
[00:55:01]
INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHY INFRASTRUCTURE'S SO HARD TO BUILD THAT.THIS SLIDE PRETTY MUCH SHOWS THAT WHY STREETS TENDS TO FALL BEHIND.
THE AVERAGE HOME IN THE OF DARLAND IS 2 66 3 3 1 AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OVER 20 YEARS, WE'RE GONNA COLLECT $51,950 ON THAT HOME.
ASSUMING THE TAX RATE STAYS THE SAME.
IN ORDER TO FIX THAT 150 SQUARE, UH, UH, SQUARE FEET IN FRONT OF THE HOME, IT'S GONNA COST US $84,875 TO FIX IT AND THEN MAINTAIN IT OVER 20 YEARS.
SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT WE HAVE A, AN ISSUE, AND THIS IS REALLY JUST DESIGN THAT OUR, OUR MODEST TAX BASE PLUS THE COST RISING COST OF STREETS MAKES IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDPOINT TO KEEP UP MOVING ON TO SALES TAX.
OVER THE LAST, WELL SINCE, UH, THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, REALLY WE'VE SEEN A MASSIVE BOOM IN SALES TAX COLLECTION AND UH, IT'S, IT THE RESPON, IT'S RESPONSIBLE FROM THREE THINGS.
ONE, THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED THE WAYFAIR ACT THAT WENT INTO EFFECT THAT ALLOWED US TO START COLLECTING SALES TAX FROM ONLINE VENDORS.
SO AMAZON IS, YOU KNOW, NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST SALES TAX CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CITY OF DARLAND, EBAY, ALL THOSE THINGS COME ONLINE, WE'RE ABLE TO COLLECT THE SALES TAX ON THAT.
SO IT WAS A HUGE BENEFIT TO THE CITY AND TO THE STATE.
SECOND IS, AS PEOPLE WERE COMING OUT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THERE WAS A BOOM IN SPENDING.
PEOPLE WERE GETTING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AGAIN, THEY WERE SPENDING AT RESTAURANTS, THEY WERE GOING TO RETAIL STORES.
THE THIRD PIECE WAS RIGHT AFTER THE PANDEMIC INFLATION WAS HIGH, THAT 9% AS INFLATION SPIKES, COST OF GOODS GO UP, THINGS COST MORE, YOU PAY MORE SALES TAX.
AND THEN THERE'S ACTUALLY ONE MORE THING AND THESE LITTLE BLUE DOTS AT THE TOP OF THESE.
WE HAD SOME ONE-TIME SALES TAX CONTRIBUTIONS COMING IN FROM DATA CENTER CLUSTERS IN THE NORTH, UH, BASED OFF OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS WE HAVE IN PLACE WITH THEM.
WE WANTED THEM TO SOURCE THOSE MATERIALS IN GARLAND SO THAT WE GIVE SALES TAX.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING THERE IS SOME LITTLE BLIPS UP THERE OF ONE TIME SALES TAX FOR THEM TO FILL THOSE FACILITIES WITH SERVERS.
BUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IS WE KIND OF HIT THAT PEAK AND WE'VE LEVELED OFF.
AND WHAT THIS CHART IS SHOWING THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THAT THE GROWTH HAS COME TO BASICALLY A FLAT LINE OF ZERO.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS GOING BACK TO RIGHT AFTER THE PANDEMIC.
THE RED LINE IS A 12 MONTH MOVING AVERAGE.
THE BLUE BARS ARE JUST THE PERCENT CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S MONTH.
AND YOU CAN SEE WE WERE PEAKING AT 24%.
PEOPLE WERE COMING OUT OF THE, THE PANDEMIC.
THE WAYFAIR ACT COMES INTO PLAY, INFLATION STARTS COMING DOWN, PEOPLE START COOLING OFF, THE ECONOMY STARTS SLOWING DOWN.
AND REALLY WE'VE BEEN SEEING NEGATIVE, THESE TWO LITTLE BLIPS OF POSITIVES ARE MORE DATA CENTER, ONE TIME REVENUE THAT'S COME IN.
BUT RIGHT NOW THE CONCERNING FACTORS IS OUTSIDE OF THESE ONE TIMES WE'RE RUNNING NEGATIVE ON OUR SALES TAX COLLECTION.
THIS ONE'S PROBABLY THE MOST SHOCKING SIDE OF IT.
I TALKED A LOT ABOUT PROPERTY TAX.
THIS IS SALES TAX COLLECTION AT THE, IN THE GENERAL FUND PER CAPITA, CITY OF GARLAND COLLECTS $181 PER PERSON.
THERE IS ONE THAT'S SKEWING THIS MESQUITE.
BUT ALL THESE OTHER CITIES ARE BASED OFF OF 1%.
BUT IF YOU WERE TO TAKE MESQUITE AND TAKE OFF THEIR, UH, THEIR, THEIR HALF A PERCENT, THEY WOULD DROP DOWN TO ROUGHLY 235, I BELIEVE.
BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SHOW IS GENERAL FUND, JUST GENERAL FUND CONTRIBUTION.
SO LET'S ADD UP PROPERTY TAX PER CAPITA.
IT SELLS TAX PER CAPITA FOR THESE METROPLEX CITIES.
AND I'VE DROPPED DALLAS AND FORT WORTH OUT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REALLY REAL GOOD COMPARISONS HERE.
THE AVERAGE COLLECTION PER PERSON FOR PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX IS $857.
CITY OF AR 488, THAT'S ROUGHLY 43% BELOW IF YOU DID THE MATH AND DID, SAID, WELL, THAT DIFFERENCE TIMES OUR POPULATION COMES TO $93 MILLION.
SO IN THEORY, UNDER OUR CURRENT TAX RATE, UH, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO COLLECT $93 MILLION IF WE WERE THE AVERAGE OF THESE CITIES.
HOWEVER, I MENTIONED EARLIER WE HAVE TWO THINGS THAT OTHER CITIES DON'T HAVE.
[01:00:01]
WE HAVE THE LANDFILL.YOU ALSO NEED TO BACK OUT MESQUITE, THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE A 1.5.
THE REAL KIND OF NET NUMBER OF THIS 93 IS MORE LIKE 36 MILLION, BUT THE 93 IS JUST SHOWING FROM THE GENERAL FUND SIDE.
SO THAT 36 MILLION ALSO A COMPONENT OF THAT AS ME, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT OUR DEBT SERVICE TAX RATES HIGH AND OUR MNOS LOAN AT MOST CITIES, IT'S FLIPPED.
SO THAT PLAYS INTO THAT 36 MILLION TOO.
WE, WE ARE A CAPITAL INTENSIVE CITY.
ANY OF THE OTHER CITIES ARE STILL IN THEIR OPERATION MODE.
SO REALLY, THESE ARE THE BOTTOM LINES FROM WHAT WE CALL GARLAND'S CHALLENGE.
WERE 93 MILLION BELOW THE AVERAGE GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAX SALES TAX COLLECTION FROM ALL THE, THOSE OTHER METROPLEX CITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY COSTS MORE THAN OUR PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX ALONE WERE BUILT OUT.
MANY OF THESE OTHER COMMUNITIES I MENTIONED WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT NEW HOMES, NEW HOMES BUILT AFTER 1990.
MANY OF THESE OTHER CITIES HAVE MARINE FIELD LAND THAT THEY CAN EXTEND FURTHER OUT.
WE ARE IN REDEVELOPMENT MODE, WHICH IS TYPICALLY MORE EXPENSIVE AND HARDER.
SO THAT GETS TO THE FINAL POINT ON FO FOCUSED ACTION.
BACK TO THAT 2025 BOND PACKAGE WITH THE 75 MILLION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 75 MILLION TO FIX A GAP OF, YOU KNOW, 93, 30 6 MILLION, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, 75 MILLION'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE FOCUSED, TARGETED THINGS TO BRING IN THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT IN THE RIGHT AREA.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PROPERTY TAX ANYMORE.
IN THE PAST BEFORE SV TWO, IT WAS ALL ABOUT DRIVING UP VALUES.
NOW IT'S DRIVING UP VALUES, GETTING THAT NEW CONSTRUCTION, BUT BRING IN THE SALES TAX.
THE CITY OF GARLAND SELLS TAX BASE IS MADE UP OF NECESSITIES.
PEOPLE GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, PEOPLE GO TO GAS STATIONS.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE GO TO, UH, FAST FOOD, MCDONALD'S RESTAURANTS, AMAZON, ANY OF THE OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WE WERE SHOWING HAD DESTINATIONS, THEY HAD PEOPLE COMING FROM OUTSIDE GARLAND INTO THEIR, OR OUTSIDE OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND SPENDING MONEY IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
THE CITY OF GAR, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR TAX BASE ON SALES TAX, IS HEAVILY RELIANT ON JUST THE NECESSITIES.
SO LOOKING FORWARD, THIS IS A, A, A LOOK FORWARD OF THE OUR FIVE YEAR MODEL FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
AND WE'RE USING THESE ASSUMPTIONS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS PROPERTY TAX, IT'S CAPPED AT 3.5%.
SALES TAX IS STAGNATED OUT ROUGHLY AT TWO POINT A HALF PERCENT INCREASE PER YEAR.
THE G-L-R-O-I, AGAIN, IT'S 8% OF THEIR RETAIL SALES LANDFILL.
UH, A MODEST 3% GROWTH PER YEAR.
AND THEN OTHER PRESSURES, UH, UH, THAT WE FACTOR IN OR SUCH AS THE CONSTRUCTION IS STARTING TO DRY UP.
SO BUILDING PERMITS, DROPPING.
BIGGEST ONE THERE IS TELECOM FRANCHISE FEES.
AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE MOVE TO STREAMING, WE ARE COLLECTING LESS AND FRANCHISE FEES FOR TELECOM.
SO ALL THOSE THINGS ARE FACTORED INTO OUR REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS.
ON THE EXPENDITURE ASSUMPTIONS, WE'RE ASSUMING A 3% MERIT EACH YEAR.
6.25% INCREASE IN OUR MEDICAL INSURANCE BASED OFF THE ACTUARIAL DATA.
OUR PROPERTY AND LIABILITY INSURANCE TRENDING ABOUT 8.8, WHICH HAS JUST STARTED SKYROCKETING.
MOST OF IT BECAUSE OF WEATHER PATTERNS.
THERE'S A HURRICANE EVERY OTHER WEEK, THERE'S A TORNADO IT CYBERSECURITY.
WE'VE INVESTED IN A LOT IN CYBERSECURITY.
WE INVESTED A LOT IN A LOT OF OUR CRITICAL SYSTEMS. THE FINANCE SYSTEM BEING ONE OF 'EM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING ROUGHLY ABOUT 7.2% INCREASE EACH YEAR.
OUR FACILITIES, WE HAVE 289 I BELIEVE, FACILITIES THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN.
ANY OF THEM ARE EXTREMELY OLD.
WE'VE HAD, UH, STUDIES DONE ON WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO MAINTAIN THOSE FACILITIES, AND WE'RE AT ABOUT 5.3% INCREASE IN COST EACH YEAR.
AND THERE'S NO OTHER SERVICES IN THIS, UH, MODEL THAT WE, THAT WE USE.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WE HAVE SURF AND SWIM COMING ONLINE AND FY 26, WE, UH, HAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW CENTRAL LIBRARY.
SO A LOT OF THE BOND PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE, UH, PASSED IN THE 19 BOND PROGRAM ARE NOT EVEN FACTORED.
THIS IS JUST CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS.
AND WITH THAT, OVER THE FIVE YEARS EACH YEAR, WE'RE ANTICIPATING ABOUT A $4.8 MILLION DEFICIT THAT WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO CLIMB OUT OF BASED OFF OF THESE ASSUMPTIONS.
SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT, AND WE SAW IT THIS YEAR, WE STARTED
[01:05:01]
THIS YEAR IN A 4 MILLION HOLE.HOW WE COVER THAT 4 MILLION HOLE HOLE WAS WE REVISED OUR G PINAL, ROI, WE INCREASED OUR LANDFILL FEES AND WE DID SOME OTHER THINGS TO USE ONE TYPE, WHAT WE CALL ONE TYPE MONEY, OR WHEN, UH, ACTUALS COME IN BETTER THAN BUDGET TO FUND THINGS THAT ARE REALLY ONGOING.
SO WE PRETTY MUCH PUT A BANDAID THIS YEAR TO BRIDGE OURSELVES TO GET INTO THIS TAX RATE SHIFT.
THIS SLIDE THAT, UH, WE'VE USED IN OTHER PRESENTATIONS, BUT JUST A VISUAL OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS TAX RATE SHIFT IN NOVEMBER IS WE HAVE A 3% CAP.
WE HAVE A DEFICIT ALREADY MOVING INTO OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN THAT WE NEED TO COVER JUST TO COVER CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS.
AND THEN WE NEED TO ADD TO THAT BASE TO COVER OUR 2019 BOND PROGRAMS. AND THEN WE NEED TO ALSO ADD, BECAUSE THIS YEAR, AS MANY OF Y'ALL KNOW, WE'VE HAD TO DO A LUMP SUM THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF A MERIT INCREASE, AN ONGOING INCREASE, WHICH MEANS WE'RE GONNA FALL BEHIND MARKET EVEN MORE.
SO WE HAVE A, SOME HOLES WE GOTTA CLIMB OUT UP RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
SO THIS TAX REELECTION HAS BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US JUST TO SHORE UP CURRENT SERVICE LEVELS AND PROVIDE ENOUGH TO FIND THE THINGS THAT WE, UH, UH, PROMISED THE VOTERS IN THE 2019 BOND PROGRAM.
WITH THAT, I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS NOW OR JUST KEEP MOVING.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I DO.
OF THE 289 APPROXIMATE FACILITIES THAT THE CITY OF GARLAND HAS, ARE THERE ANY OF 'EM THAT ARE NOT BEING USED CURRENTLY OR CAN BE SOLD OFF TO PRIVATE DEVELOPERS? UH, THAT'S PROBABLY A QUESTION THAT I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON.
UH, WE CAN GET THAT DATA AND THAT'S A QUESTION FOR NEXT TIME AND WE'LL, WE'LL RESPOND TO THAT SO THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GIVE YOU THE RIGHT INFORMATION.
I'LL JUST WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE END OF THIS, FOR THE REST OF, OKAY, WE'LL KIND OF DIG.
WE'RE GONNA KIND OF DIG INTO THE GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET FOR NOW AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, MAKE UP THAT FIRE BUDGET AND, BUT SPEND MOST OF THE TIME TALKING ABOUT COMPENSATION BECAUSE THE BULK OF FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET IS COMPENSATION.
UH, THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING TWO THINGS, AND I'VE BEEN SHOWING SLIDES SINCE THE GREAT RECESSION.
WHAT THIS SLIDE IS SHOWING IS HOW MUCH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET HAS INCREASED SINCE THE GREAT DEPRESSION, OUR GREAT DEPRESSION, GREAT RECESSION GOING WAY BACK,
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, OVER THAT TIME, THE THE BUDGET'S INCREASED ABOUT 46% AND THE IS ABOUT 12%.
BUT WHAT I WANTED TO POINT OUT AND RIGHT OR WRONG, IT IS, THIS IS MEANT MORE JUST TO SHOW THAT THE, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN 20% OF THE GENERAL FUND.
AND IF YOU LOOK ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE 2009, IT KIND OF TWEAKS BACK DOWN TO 19, JUMPS UP TO 21, BUT KIND OF AVERAGE IS ALWAYS ABOUT 20%.
NOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE WERE PROPERLY FUNDED IN 2009, IT JUST MEANS THAT AS NEW RESOURCES HAVE COME ON, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET TENDS TO STAY AROUND THAT 20% RANGE.
AND THE SAME'S REALLY TRUE FOR THE FTES.
SO FTE INCREASE OF 12%, THE TOTAL GENERAL FUNDS FTE INCREASE IS ABOUT 13% SINCE 2009.
SO, UM, AGAIN, THE, THE, THE PERSONNEL, NOT RIGHT OR WRONG, THE ON THE PERSONNEL ON IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE INCREASE, BUT IT'S PRETTY MUCH FALLING IN LINE WITH THE PERCENTAGE YOU'RE SEEING FOR THE GENERAL FUND AS A WHOLE.
UH, ALLISON TALKS ABOUT THE TWO WAYS AND THE, THE, AND THEN THE TAX RATE.
THE TWO WAYS WE FUND ITEMS, ONE IS OUR OPERATING BUDGET THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS IN THE GREEN, AND ONE IS THROUGH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR FACILITIES AND OUR EQUIPMENT.
YOU LOOK AT OUR REVENUE, WE THROUGH EMS AMBULANCE FEES AND THE EMS MONTHLY FEE, WHICH IS A $2 AND 50 CENTS ON WATER U UH, WATER UTILITY BILL, UH, GENERATES ABOUT $7.9 MILLION OF REVENUE.
UH, THE COST OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT $49.1 MILLION WITH A NET OPERATING COST OF ABOUT 41.3.
[01:10:01]
THE AMBULANCE FEES FROM JUST INSURANCE THAT PAYS IN OR WHERE'S THAT, WHERE'S THAT MONEY? I GOT FLAT NET AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BUT, UH, IF I DON'T HOLLER ON THE CAPITAL SIDE.2019 BOND PROGRAM PASSED A LOT OF FIRE STATIONS IN HERE.
UH, IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL ON GEORGE BUSH, BUT THIS IS THE 2025 CIP ON WHAT'S LEFT FOR US TO DO ON THE PROGRAMS. WE HAVE THREE PROGRAMS WITH HOW WE FUND APPARATUSES, AMBULANCES, AND ALL THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE GEAR FOR FIREMEN OUT OF OUR DEBT SERVICE SIDE.
SO OVER THE FIVE YEAR PLAN, WE HAVE ABOUT $25 MILLION OF DEBT ISSUANCE PLANNED FOR APPARATUSES.
WE HAVE ABOUT 10 IN OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE EQUIPMENT, ABOUT 2.7 MILLION.
UH, THE CAPITAL PROJECTS WE HAVE RELOCATION OF FIRE STATION SEVEN AND ONE, UH, THE FAST BUILDING, WHICH IS THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, UH, THE TRAINING TOOLS, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THAT THAT ARE IN THAT BUILDING AND THE BUILDING UPGRADES OF ABOUT A MILLION.
AND WE ALSO HAVE A LARGE FIRE STATION REMODEL PROJECT THAT HAS KIND OF A PASS THROUGH FROM THE ARPA FUNDING FOR A TOTAL CIP OF ABOUT 88.2 MILLION.
SO BACK TO THE AMBULANCE FEES, UM, ON THIS TABLE, WHAT THIS IS, IS A SCORECARD FROM OUR EMS AMBULANCE FEE COLLECTION, UH, COMPANY FOR A 2024.
SO WHAT THIS IS SHOWING IS THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING THE NUMBER OF TRANSPORTS, THE PERCENTAGE OF TRANSPORTS, AND HOW MUCH MONEY WE COLLECTED TO COME TO A FINAL PAY PER TRANSPORT.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE IS ON INSURANCE AND MEDICARE INSURANCE AND MEDICARE MAKE UP, UH, 69% OR SO OF THE TOTAL TRANSPORTS THAT COME IN.
AND WE'RE COLLECTING ROUGHLY 99% OF THAT NET AMOUNT FROM ON THOSE ON INSURANCE AND MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.
BASICALLY THIS IS, UH, A CHARGE TO THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE TO RECOUP THIS THEMSELVES.
WE'RE COLLECTING ON THE GROSS SIDE 9% AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS THEY WORKED THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS, WE'RE STILL ONLY COLLECTING ABOUT 13.
SO THAT MEANS THAT 30% OF ALL THE TRANSPORTS THAT THEY ARE DOING WE'RE COLLECTING ROUGHLY $74 AND 76 CENTS PER TRANSPORT IN FY 26.
UH, KUDOS TO CHIEFLY AND THE FIRE STAFF, WE REALLY STARTED EXAMINING HOW WE CORRECT SOME OF THIS.
AND WE CAME UPON A SOLUTION HERE TO CHANGE THE TOTAL STRATEGY.
NOW WE'RE LOOKING TO OPTIMIZE OUR FEE SCHEDULE TO PICK UP AS MUCH FROM MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND INSURANCE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
SO IF SOMEBODY HAS INSURANCE, WE'RE GONNA BILL THEM TO THAT MAX THAT THE INSURANCE WILL PAY.
AND THE INTENT IS TO TRY TO DRIVE THAT TRANSPORT NUMBER OF 3 21 26 CLOSER TO 4 45.
SO REALLY JUST LOOKING TO, UH, UH, WRITE OFF ALL PATIENT TRANSPORTS IF YOU'RE UNINSURED, BUT COLLECT FROM INSURANCE AND COLLECT FROM MEDICARE AND MEDICAID.
SO IT'S KIND OF A DIFFERENT MODEL THAT WE'VE MOVED TO.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE'RE ANTICIPATING ABOUT $760,000 OF ADDITIONAL REVENUE IN 26.
SO WHILE THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW IS 5.1 MILLION, HISTORICALLY THAT'S FOUR AND A HALF, 4.6 MILLION OF COLLECTIONS EMS MONTHLY FEE.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, GARLAND JUST KIND OF STUMBLED INTO BECAUSE PAST LEGISLATION, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR US.
SO IRVING ACTUALLY WENT IN SUCCESSION AND GOT BRACKET LEGISLATION FOR YOU TO ADD AN EMS FEE ON A WATER UTILITY BILL.
AND THAT EMS UTILITY FEE IS MEANT TO HELP CO RE RECOVER WHAT WE'RE LOSING.
NOW YOU LOOK AT PATIENTS, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF STRANGE HOW THIS $2.8 MILLION, IF WE WERE COLLECTING 99% ON PATIENTS, THAT'S ROUGHLY $2.8 MILLION.
SO THE INTENT WAS TO TRY TO INCREASE, UH, UH, THE EMS, UH, TRANSPORT, YOU KNOW, COVER THE COST OF THE TRANSPORT.
UH, THIS APPLIES TO MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE LARGER THAN 220,000 AND LESS THAN 275,000 ARE IN AN COUNTY WITH A CITY THAT'S PREDOMINANTLY IN IT OVER OVER A MILLION.
AND ALSO HAS EMS ADMINISTERED BY FIRE DEPARTMENT BUILT FOR IRVING DARLING ALSO FALLS INTO IT.
SO IN 2010 WE IMPLEMENTED THIS BY ORDINANCE WITH CITY COUNCIL AND ADDED A DOLLAR 50 PER MONTH.
MOVING FORWARD TO 2019 AS TIME VALUE OF MONEY AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WE INCREASED THAT TO $2 AND 50 CENTS.
AND THAT'S WHERE IT STANDS TODAY AT $2 AND 50 CENTS.
[01:15:01]
YES, IS THERE A LIMIT ON HOW MUCH THAT, HOW MUCH THAT FEE COULD BE IF THE STATUTE? NO, BUT YOU CAN PROBABLY GET INTO SOME LITIGATION ISSUES AND WE, WE WILL HAVE TO, WE'LL TAKE THAT BACK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEYS BECAUSE AT SOME POINT, UH, YOU'RE BASICALLY IT, THE FEE BECOMES A, A HIDDEN TAX, SO TO SPEAK, BACK TO THE DISCUSSION ON CHIEF CAN KNOW.SO YOU WANNA BE MINDFUL OF THAT, BUT IN THE STATUTE, NO.
SO REAL QUICK, I WANNA WALK THROUGH WHAT MAKES UP THE BULK OF THEIR, THEIR BUDGET AND ITS PERSONNEL.
UH, 30.4 MILLION OF THAT IS FOR THEIR BASE
THEY ALSO HAVE SEVEN, UH, NON-CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS, JUST ABOUT HALF A MILLION OVERTIME.
WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT OVERTIME AND UH, I'VE GOT ANOTHER SLIDE TO GO IN DETAIL ON IT, BUT THE OVERTIME BUDGET IS ABOUT 1.5 MILLION.
YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE UH, DESCRIPTIONS, THEY TYPICALLY RUN ABOUT $1.3 MILLION OVER THAT.
LONGEVITY AND STABILITY PAY ARE BASICALLY ONE TIME PAYMENTS BASED OFF OF HOW LONG YOU, UH, HAVE BEEN AN EMPLOYEE IN THE CITY.
AND IT'S PAID OUT KIND OF IN THE DECEMBER TIMEFRAME AS WHAT A LOT OF US CALL THE CHRISTMAS BONUS.
BUT IT'S JUST A LONGEVITY PAY FOR IT KIND OF STAGGERS UP.
IT CAPS OUT TO ABOUT $1,200 IF YOU'VE BEEN HERE 25 YEARS.
OUT OF CAPACITY PAY IS BASICALLY WHEN A FIREMAN WORKS 24 HOURS OR MORE BEYOND THEIR CURRENT POSITION CLASSIFICATION.
SO THIS IS WHEN A FIREFIGHTER HAS TO MOVE INTO, SAY, A DRIVER POSITION.
THEY WILL BE PAID AS A DRIVER ON A 24 HOUR SHIFT.
PARAMEDIC PAY IS BASICALLY A, A CERTIFIED PARAMEDICS GET $50, UH, SEMI-MONTHLY.
UH, THERE'S AMBULANCE ASSIGNMENT PAY IF ASSIGNED TO AN AMBULANCE, IT'S $30 FOR A 24 HOUR SHIFT.
WE, WE BUDGET THAT SEPARATELY.
UH, THERE'S ALSO EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION PAYS BASED OFF OF THEIR CERTIFICATIONS, I BELIEVE, THROUGH THE STATE FOR THE, FOR THE PARAMEDIC SCHOOLS.
UM, STAFF ASSIGNMENT PAY IS ONE, UH, THAT WE ONLY BUDGET FOR ON THE 40 HOUR SHIFT.
THE REST OF IT IS ACTUALLY AN OVERTIME FOR THE 56 HOUR SHIFT GUYS.
AND WHAT THIS IS IS, UH, BACK IN THE GREAT RECESSION, WE, WE'VE MOVED SOME TIME, WHAT WE CALL BAD LEAD CODES.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS, IS WHAT DO YOU GET OVERTIME ON? UH, SO WHEN WE MOVED AWAY FROM SAY, UH, YOU ARE WORKING ON A A, UH, YOU TAKE A VACATION THAT'S, AND, AND THEN YOU COME BACK.
SO YOU PUT 80 HOURS IN ON VACATION, THEN YOU COME BACK AND YOU START CODING OVERTIME, YOU REALLY JUST GETTING THE ONE, YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE HALFTIME GETTING ONE.
SO WHAT THIS IS, IS BASICALLY A, A DELTA, UH, BANK, I THINK IT'S ROUGHLY NINE HOURS THAT IT'S JUST PAID TO, UH, FIREMEN FOR WHAT WE'RE CALLING STAFF ASSIGNMENT PAY.
SO, AND THIS PIECE RIGHT HERE ON THE 40 HOUR SHIFT IS REALLY AN EQUITY OF PAY SITUATION.
'CAUSE 56 WAS GETTING IT, ENSURING THAT 40 GOT IT TOO, SO THAT THE PAY WAS EQUAL.
UH, FICA, UH, FOR FIRE CIVIL SERVICES IS REALLY JUST MEDICARE TAX ONLY.
UH, IT WAS MENTIONED IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT THE RETIREE STABILITY BENEFIT, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT LATER.
BUT IN 1964, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OPTED OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND THE, THE CITY AS A WHOLE REALLY TRIED TO DO THAT IN THE EIGHTIES AS WELL.
BUT, UH, SOCIAL SECURITY KIND OF LOCKED THAT DOWN.
SO WE GOT HALF OF OUR, UH, NON-CIVIL SERVICE PAYING INTO SOCIAL SECURITY AND OUR CIVIL SERVICE NOT PAYING INTO SOCIAL SECURITY.
UH, YOU LOOK AT A CITY LIKE PLANO, NONE OF THEM PAY INTO SOCIAL SECURITY.
SO IT, IT IS KIND OF A, A STRANGE TIMING ISSUE THAT HAPPENED FOR OUR CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.
TMRS IS TEXAS, TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
IT'S THE PENSION THAT WE PROVIDE.
SO FROM AN ACTUARIAL BASIS, THE CITY OF GARLAND PUTS IN 14% OF GROSS SALARIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYEES ARE, UH, MANDATORY, HAVE TO PUT IN 7% OF THEIR GROSS SALARIES.
WE DID REINSTATE COLA IN 2025 AT 50% OF CPI.
SO AS A A, AN EMPLOYEE RETIRES.
PREVIOUSLY WE HAD NO COLA, SO YOUR ANNUITY WAS FLAT.
NOW IT INCREASES AT 50% OF CPI.
THEN THE RETIREE STABILITY BENEFIT, I BELIEVE IT WAS 2018 WHEN WE DID THIS AND WE'RE STAIR STEPPING IN, THE INTENT IS TO GET TO THE EMPLOYER.
[01:20:01]
3%, THE EMPLOYEE MINIMUM NEEDS TO PUT IN 4% OF THEIR SALARY.AND WHAT WE DID IS LOOKED AT ACTUARIAL STUDIES AND RAN DATA AND THAT 7% IS MEANT TO COVER SOCIAL SECURITY OVER THE LONG TERM.
SO WE'RE STILL STEPPING INTO THAT.
AND RIGHT NOW, IN 2026, THE EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION IS 2.75 WITH THE EMPLOYEE MINIMUM AT 3.25.
BUT AGAIN, THE GOAL IS TO GET TO THREE FOUR.
THAT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST THE PART, OUR PORTION, THAT NUMBER, YES.
OVER TIME, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, UH, ROUGHLY RUNNING, YOU KNOW, 1.4 MILLION, 1.7 MILLION OVER BUDGET AND IT IS A SHOCKING NUMBER TO LOOK AT, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, IT'S A BUDGETING SITUATION AS WELL.
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE BUDGET HAS BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT OVER THE YEARS AT ROUGHLY $1.7 MILLION.
WELL, OBVIOUSLY AT FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN GETTING MERIT INCREASES, STEP CHANGES.
SO THEIR SALARIES HAVE BEEN GOING UP BASED OFF THOSE MERITS AND THE BUDGET STAYED FLAT.
SO TAKE YOU, WE ALL NEED TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE'RE SEEING THOSE SHOCKING NUMBERS.
AND SO YOU, YOU MAY ASK THE QUESTION, WELL THEN HOW ARE WE FUNDING IT? MOST OF ALL THIS FUNDING COMES FROM DURING THE YEAR WE BUDGET THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE ALL EMPLOYEES, ALL BUDGET EMPLOYEES ARE GONNA BE HERE FOR THE FULL YEAR.
WELL, THERE'S VACANCIES, PEOPLE LEAVE, PEOPLE COME.
AND SO WE HAVE A DASHBOARD THAT'S ACTUALLY ON THE WEBSITE AND ONE OF THE INDICATORS WE LOOK AT IS WHAT WE CALL SALARY SAVINGS.
SO WE HAVE SALARY SAVINGS COMING IN FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS DUE TO VACANCIES THAT IS BEING USED TO COVER THAT GAP RIGHT NOW.
ALRIGHT, REALLY THIS IS JUST ONE SLIDE.
THANK YOU CHIEF LEE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR HELPING PULL ALL THIS TOGETHER.
BUT REALLY WHAT THIS, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THIS, THERE'S A BUNCH OF DATA.
WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU SOME OF THE DATA, BUT REALLY IT'S TELLING YOU WHAT, WHO YOU'VE BEEN HEARING ALL ALONG.
ONE THING IS, IS THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT $2 50 CENT, UH, WATER UTILITY BILL FOR EMS MONTHLY FEES, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT'S COLLECTING A DECENT AMOUNT OF MONEY COMPARED TO THE METROPLEX THAT COMES TO REVENUE FOR EMS. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COSTS PER 1000 A POPULATION, WERE 19% BELOW THESE METROPLEX COMPARISON CITIES.
COST PER CALL, 31% BELOW COST PER SERVICE, 11% HIGHER OVERTIME EARN WERE HIGH.
WE'RE AT 26% OVERTIME COST PER CAPITA 18.
NUMBER OF STATIONS WE'RE A LITTLE BEHIND.
WE'RE AT 8% BELOW THE METROPLEX ENGINES, TRUCKS BELOW, BUT AMBULANCES WERE HIGHER.
WHERE WE ARE, WE ARE AT 0.44 AND THERE, AND THE RISK
SO REALLY THIS, THE DATA'S SHOWING A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE HEARING AND, AND THE QUESTION OBVIOUSLY BECOMES HOW DO YOU FIX IT? THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT WHAT THAT, WHAT ALL THE TESTIMONIES YOU'RE HEARING AND EVERYTHING THE DATA IS SHOWING.
YES, WE ARE UNDER BUDGET COMPARED TO MOST FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND OUR COST, UH, PER CALL IS, IS LOWER AND OUR CALL VOLUME IS HIGHER.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WANTED TO CALL OUT ONE ADDITIONAL ONE.
IT WOULD BE THE CALLS PER FIREFIGHTER.
SO RIGHT NOW THE CITY OF GARLAND HAS 106 CALLS PER FIREFIGHTER.
THE METROPLEX AVERAGE IS 86 CALLS PER FIREFIGHTER.
SO THAT'S A DIFFERENCE OF 20 OR 23.3% THAT WE ARE HIGHER THAN THE METROPLEX ON CALLS PER FIREFIGHTER.
COST ANALYSIS, AND AGAIN, I CAVEATED THIS ONE AT THE FIRST IS THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH NUMBERS.
THIS IS A, A COMPLICATED TASK TO GET DONE, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH IT.
BUT WE WANTED TO THROW OUT SOME NUMBERS, UH, UH, AS APPROXIMATE NUMBERS.
SO JUST TO GET THE GROUP THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT IT WILL COST IN ORDER TO MOVE TO THE 24 72.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
ONE IS AMBULANCE TRANSPORT SERVICE UNDER A 24 72.
SO THAT, WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE CONTINUE TO DILUTE, DO THE AMBULANCE TRANSPORTS IN HOUSE, WE MOVE TO THE 24 72 SHIFT BY DOING THAT.
THE ESTIMATED COST RANGE IS BETWEEN 13 AND $16 MILLION PER YEAR.
[01:25:01]
NEW POSITIONS AND INCREASE THE OPERATIONAL STAFF TO ABOUT 348 POSITIONS ON FOUR SHIFTS.TAX RATE IMPACT, AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST FOR, UH, AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT, THAT WOULD BE ON, ON THE TAX RATE IF IT WAS FUNDED OFF THE TAX RATE, ABOUT FIVE OR 6 CENTS TO COVER THAT, WHICH WOULD IMPACT A HOMEOWNER ABOUT 133 OR $160 A YEAR.
AND IN THIS ANALYSIS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ASSUMING NO ADDITIONAL APPARATUSES OR EQUIPMENT.
THE NEXT SCENARIO IS AMBULANCE TRANSPORT SERVICE PARTNERSHIP UTILIZING 24 72.
THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE MOST OF THE QUESTIONS.
UH, THE ESTIMATE COULD BE THE PERFECT WORLD ZERO COULD BE AS HIGH AS 5 MILLION.
AND AGAIN, THAT IS PARTNERING WITH THE TRANSPORT SERVICE OR EMS HERE, YOU STILL GET THE FOUR SHIFTS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE PARTNERSHIP, ESTIMATING ABOUT FIVE NEW POSITIONS IN ORDER TO MOVE TO 24 72 OPERATIONAL STAFFS AT 260 FOR FOUR SHIFTS AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OR EMS TRANSPORT, ESTIMATED TAX RATE IMPACT AND ONE TO 2 CENTS.
UH, AND IT'S AGAIN, ASSUMING NO ADDITIONAL APPARAT OR AMBULANCES.
SO THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO REALLY DIG INTO IS REVENUE IMPACTS FOR TRANSPORT PAR PARTNERSHIPS.
UH, THE $5.1 MILLION OF EMS AMBULANCE TRANSPORT WE GET, WELL THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO GO TO THE PARTNERSHIP IN ORDER TO FUND THEIR SIDE.
SO THAT'S NOT BAKED INTO THIS.
THIS IS JUST COST REVENUE OR REVIEW OF OVERTIME THAT YOU MOVE TO THE 24 72.
IN THEORY, OVERTIME SHOULD GO DOWN, BUT HOW MUCH? SO QUANTIFYING THAT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO.
REDUCTION OF DEBT SERVICE FOR EQUIPMENT, I MENTIONED AMBULANCES AND OUR CIP PLAN.
IF YOU'RE PARTNERING WITH AN OUTSIDE ENTITY FOR TRANSPORT, YOU CAN LOWER YOUR DEBT SERVICE SIDE PORTION OF BUYING FUTURE