[00:00:05]
WE READY? WE READY? ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMITTEE MEETING.
TODAY IS, UM, THE 26TH, MARCH 26TH.
UH, MY COUNCIL MEMBER BEARD, JEFF BASS WILL BE JOINING US HERE IN A MINUTE.
UM, WE'VE GOT MIKE BETS, SCOTT BOLLINGER.
WE'VE GOT A, UM, TEAM OF OTHER STAFF HERE TO JOIN US.
UM, FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS TO APPROVE THE JANUARY 22ND, UM, MINUTES.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
UM, SECOND ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMENTS.
UM, NATURALLY WE DO NOT HAVE ANYONE HERE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
YOU ALWAYS WELCOME TO JOIN US, UM, AND BRING THINGS TO OUR COMMITTEE, UM, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO.
AND THE THIRD ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS GONNA BE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION, WHICH IS GONNA BE SPECIAL EVENTS, OVERVIEW AND SCOPING DISCUSSION.
THE COMMITTEE WILL HAVE A SCOPING DISCUSSION OVER CITY SPECIAL EVENTS.
THIS ITEM WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY MAYOR PRO, TEM LU, AND SECONDED BY MYSELF.
UM, WE'VE GOT DANA AND WHO ELSE IS WITH YOU? ANTONIA.
UH, DANA LODGE, DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EVENTS AND I BROUGHT MY PARTNER IN CRIME WITH, UM, WITH ME TODAY.
SHE IS OUR SPECIAL EVENTS MANAGER.
UM, SHE'S OUR CREATIVE BRAINCHILD OF THE DEPARTMENT AND JUST A REALLY WONDERFUL ASSET FOR THE CITY.
SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU GUYS TO START SEEING HER FACE, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THESE, UH, MORE FORMAL SETTINGS.
SO SINCE THIS IS SCOPING, I'M NOT 100% SURE THAT I'M PRESENTING, UH, WHAT YOU WANT.
SO I JUST KIND OF STARTED WITH THE, UM, CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND, AND PROVIDING SOME STATS FOR EACH ONE.
UM, JUST AS AN OVERVIEW, UM, THIS IS JUST A ALL INCLUSIVE CALENDAR OF THE CITY PRODUCED EVENTS, UM, THAT, UH, THAT THE CITY, UM, HANDLES.
AND THEN I'LL GO INTO EACH ONE, UM, INDIVIDUALLY.
SO THE FIRST ONE THAT'S TRULY CONSIDERED A CITY PRODUCED EVENT IS OUR ART FESTIVAL.
IT'S HELD AT THE END OF MARCH EVERY YEAR.
UM, THAT PARTICULAR BUDGET IS 28,000.
UM, WE HAVE ABOUT 2,800 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE.
WE GET OUR ATTENDANCE NUMBERS FROM A, UH, PROGRAM CALLED PLACER AI, WHICH TRACKS CELL PHONE DATA.
IT, UM, IS FILTERED PRETTY CLOSELY TO THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE.
IT TAKES OUT RESIDENTS THAT ARE HERE IN THE FOOTPRINT ON A DAILY BASIS, ALONG WITH, UM, EMPLOYEES OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AND CITY HALL.
AND, UH, THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE FOOTPRINT ON AN EVERY SINGLE DAILY BASIS.
IT, UM, UM, EXCLUDES THOSE FROM THE COUNTS SO THAT WE CAN HOPELY TRY TO FILTER IN CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO WHO ACTUALLY ATTENDED THE EVENT.
UM, WE PRESENTED A LITTLE BIT OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION FOR YOU, UM, ON EACH EVENT AS WELL.
SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE 68,000 IMPRESSIONS AND 3000 ENGAGEMENTS.
AND IT ALSO THE PLACE WHERE AI SHOWS US WHERE THE ATTENDEES CAME FROM, IT GIVES US A QUICK SNAPSHOT.
SO WE'VE INCLUDED THAT AND WE'VE ONLY GONE OVER ONE EVENT, UM, WHICH IS THE ART FESTIVAL.
THAT'S HAPPENS THE END OF MARCH, AND THAT HAS A BUDGET OF 28,000.
SO, UM, THE SECOND, THESE ARE KIND OF IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
THE NEXT FESTIVAL, UH, THAT WE PRODUCE IS IN MAY.
IT HAS A BUDGET OF 40,000, ABOUT 4,600 IN ATTENDANCE, 200,000 IMPRESSION AND 7,000 ENGAGEMENTS.
[00:05:01]
SEE THE ATTENDEE SNAPSHOT FOR THAT PARTICULAR EVENT.AND THEN IN JUNE, WE PRODUCED THE JUNETEENTH, UM, CELEBRATION.
IT HAS ABOUT 1500 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE.
IT GETS A LITTLE BROADER AUDIENCE.
YOU CAN SEE THE ATTENDANCE SNAPSHOT.
THEY'RE COMING FROM A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AWAY.
UM, 150,000 IMPRESSIONS AND 5,000 ENGAGEMENTS FOR THAT PARTICULAR FESTIVAL.
RED, WHITE NU HAS A COMBINATION OF BUDGET, 160,000 FROM THE SPECIAL EVENTS BUDGET AND AN ADDITIONAL 75,000 FROM GPNL.
AND THAT PAYS FOR THE FIREWORKS 14,000 IN ATTENDANCE.
UM, 217,000 IN IMPRESSIONS AND 20,000 IN ENGAGEMENT.
AND I'M SURE WE CAN COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THAT AS I GO THROUGH THIS LIST.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE THING TO NOTE WAS THIS PAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN DOWNTOWN WITH FIREWORKS.
SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A DIFFERENT OR KIND OF A FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, UM, KIND OF SITUATION.
THIS ONE ALSO, UH, PROVED TO HAVE SOME OUTTA TOWNERS AT AS WELL.
UM, THE FALL FEST GSR RUN FUN RUN HAS A BUDGET OF 43,000.
310 SOCIAL MEDIA, 310,000 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS AND 10,000 ENGAGEMENTS HAS A FEW OUT OF TOWNERS, UM, AND SOME THAT COME FROM A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AWAY FROM THE METROPLEX.
OUR DIA EVENTS DEFINITELY WAS OUR SHINING STAR LAST YEAR.
HAS A BUDGET OF 40,000, 13,600 IN ATTENDANCE.
YOU'LL NOTICE IT IS REALLY TAPPING ON THE DOOR OF OUR TWO LARGER EVENTS.
CHRISTMAS AND RED, WHITE AND YOU, AN INCREDIBLE 522,000 IMPRESSIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND 45,000 ENGAGEMENTS.
UM, DID HAVE SOME OUT OF STATE, UH, VISITORS AS WELL.
CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE HAS $78,000 IN SPONSORS.
I MEAN, IT HAS $78,000 BUDGET.
UM, 17,500 IN ATTENDANCE, 530 IMPRESSIONS AND 21, UH, THOUSAND ENGAGEMENTS.
ALSO, B UH, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE ATTENDANCE SINCE IT IS CELL PHONE DATA, YOU WANT TO THINK TO YOURSELF, ALL OF THE LITTLE KIDS THAT ARE HERE TO SEE SANTA ARE NOT, THEY'RE NOT PART OF THIS NUMBER.
AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOUR GUESS IS PROBABLY AS GOOD AS MINE, BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE'S AT LEAST 4,000 KIDS HERE TO SEE SANTA.
SO I, IN MY OPINION, BELIEVE THIS EVENT GOES OVER 20,000.
OUR MUSIC MADE HERE CONCERT, THIS IS THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
IT HAS A WIDE RANGE OF COST PER EVENT AND A WIDE RANGE OF ATTENDEES THAT COME TO IT.
SO, UH, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE EXPENSIVE ONES THAT WE DO IN THE SPRING.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE MUCH SMALLER SCALE IN THE FALL THAT WE PUT UNDER THE PAVILION.
SO EACH, UH, CONCERT RANGES FROM ABOUT 1500 TO 40,000 TO PRODUCE.
UH, LIKE THE ONE IN MARCH AND APRIL.
WE HAVE MARSHALL TUCKER, UM, LITTLE BIT MORE OF A WELL-KNOWN BAND, MORE EXPENSIVE.
AND THEN OUR ATTENDANCE REALLY FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON WHO THOSE ARTISTS ARE.
UH, FROM A HUNDRED PEOPLE SHOWING UP TO 6,500 THAT MAY CONCERT THE NORTON BAND, UH, POOLS THE BIGGEST ATTENDANCE AND IT ALSO VARIES IN THE IMPRESSIONS AND THE ENGAGEMENT FOR MUSIC MADE HERE SINCE I THOUGHT THE SCOPING WOULD BE WHERE'S THE MONEY FOR SPECIAL EVENTS BEING SPENT ON.
I INCLUDED THESE THAT WE CONSIDER ALSO CITY PRODUCED, BUT THEY REALLY ARE KIND OF GRANDFATHERED IN THIRD PARTY.
UH, THE MLK UH, PARADE, UM, WE SPEND ABOUT A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
THE BIGGEST COST FOR THAT EVENT IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, WHICH IS AN IN KIND, UM, COST TO THAT EVENT.
5,900 IN ATTENDANCE AND 98 8,000 IN IMPRESSIONS.
[00:10:01]
AND WE GET FOLKS FROM ALL OVER FOR THAT PARTICULAR EVENT.THE DFW ASIAN AMERICAN SOCCER TOURNAMENT, UM, IT, UH, COMES WITH ABOUT A $30,000, UH, PRICE TAG ALONG WITH IN KIND SERVICES FROM THE CITY, UH, 2,600 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE.
YOU CAN SEE THE OTHER TWO NUMBERS.
WE DO GET FOLKS FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES FOR THAT, BUT IT IS NOT, UM, TRANSLATING INTO HOTEL STAYS.
SO THAT IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE ARE TRYING TO WORK WITH THAT ORGANIZATION.
UM, THIS, UM, IS 2025 NUMBERS.
WE WILL NOT BE HOLDING THIS EVENT IN 2026 BECAUSE OF THE WORLD CUP.
UM, WE'RE, UM, THAT'S RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
AND OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS, UM, ASKING US TO SCALE BACK DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
UM, SO THAT COST WILL NOT HIT THE CURRENT FY BUDGET.
QUESTION ON THIS ONE, DOES THE ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE INCLUDE THE PARTICIPANTS? YES.
THE FIRST RESPONDER TOURNAMENT, AGAIN, WE WILL NOT BE HOSTING THIS ONE THIS YEAR EITHER BECAUSE OF THE WORLD CUP, BUT THAT ONE, UM, THE CITY SPENDS ABOUT 6,000 ON, UM, MUCH SMALLER SCALE.
UM, YOU KNOW, VERY, UM, IT, IT'S A VERY LOCAL FIRST RESPONDER TYPE TOURNAMENT.
THE BUDGET THAT WE, UH, UTILIZE FOR THIS EVENT IS A LITTLE OVER 5,000, ABOUT 5,000 IN ATTENDANCE.
UM, AND WE DO GET QUITE A FEW VISITORS FROM, UM, OUTSIDE OF THE, UM, GARLAND AREA AND UM, ALSO SOME OUT-OF-STATE VISITORS FOR THAT.
I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE ONE OF THE ONLY CITIES THAT DOES A LABOR DAY.
SO IT, IT, IT SHOWS, IT SHOWS WHERE, WHEN YOU SEE WHERE THE FOLKS ARE COMING FROM, THE WILLS OF HOPE CAR SHOW, UM, OUR BUDGET IS 8,000, ABOUT 4,200 IN ATTENDANCE.
UM, AND THEN THEY TOO DRAW A BROADER AUDIENCE TO COME TO THAT, UH, SENSORY CHRISTMAS.
UH, WE ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A BUDGET FOR IT, BUT WE SPEND ABOUT 3,500 ON IT.
IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, PURPOSELY KEPT VERY SMALL, PURPOSELY DON'T DO SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE ACTUALLY HIT A HUNDRED THIS PAST YEAR.
UM, BUT UM, IT'S USUALLY BETWEEN 50 AND A HUNDRED PEOPLE.
SO WE JUST PLUGGED IN 75 FOR THIS.
UM, AND, UM, WE ARE GONNA HAVE SOME FURTHER CONVERSATIONS, UM, WITH LIBRARY TO TAKE THIS EVENT OVER BECAUSE THEY JUST HAVE THE SKILLSET THAT'S A LITTLE BIT STRONGER THAN US, UM, TO HAVE THIS EVENT MOVING FORWARD.
AND THOSE, THAT'S KIND OF A RUNDOWN OF THE CALENDAR.
I'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WE'RE GONNA LET, UM, MIKE CHAT FOR JUST A SECOND.
SINCE HE, UM, HAS HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET ON, UM, KIND OF WHERE SHE WAS GOING WITH THIS AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH IT.
I REMEMBERED A FEW THINGS THAT SHE HAD MENTIONED, BUT YEAH, WE'LL LET MIKE, UH, TAKE THE STAGE.
UM, DANNY, DO YOU BY ANY CHANCE HAVE THE TOTAL BUDGET THAT WE SPEND ON ALL OF THESE EVENTS COMBINED HANDY? IF NOT, I MEAN, IT'S A, IT'S A FAIRLY LARGE NUMBER.
I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS.
AND THEN IF YOU ADD THE IN KIND IN, IT'S EVEN BIGGER WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE POLICE BUYER OVER TIME.
AND I DON'T HAVE IN KIND, I THINK THAT, LET, LET ME GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT.
HERE WAS, HERE WAS, UH, MAYOR TELUS, UH, CONCERN THAT YOU RAISED.
AND WHAT I THINK DROVE THIS TO COME HERE IS THAT WE SPEND A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND AS OUR BUDGETS BECOME TIGHTER AND AS WE TRY TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE SPENDING MONEY IS, IS WHICH EVENTS ARE WE GETTING THE BANG FOR THE BUCK IN TERMS OF EITHER WHAT THE COMMUNITY'S LOOKING FOR OR ARE WE BRINGING PEOPLE DOWNTOWN AND HELPING DEVELOP THE DOWNTOWN AREA? AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD THESE EVENTS BOTH FOR THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE ALSO HAVE THEM BECAUSE IF WE'RE SPENDING MONEY ON THEM, ARE WE GETTING A RETURN ON THEM IN TERMS OF HELPING DEVELOP THE DOWNTOWN AREA? AND I THINK, UM, HER POINT WAS TO TRY TO THINK OF A WAY TO LOOK THROUGH THESE EVENTS AND SAY, OKAY, AS BUDGETS GET TIGHTER, WHERE DO WE, WHERE DOES IT
[00:15:01]
MAKE SENSE TO SPEND OUR MONEY? AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN SLICE THIS AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT AND CONSIDER IS HOW, WHAT ARE OUR PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF, IS IT PURELY BASED ON ATTENDANCE? IS IT PURELY BASED ON ON COMMUNITY FEEDBACK? IS IT PURELY BASED ON WHAT ITS ECONOMIC IMPACT IS ON THE DOWNTOWN? IS IT SOME BLEND OF THOSE THINGS? AND HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT THAT, UM, AS AN ORGANIZATION IN DECIDING WHICH OF THESE TO GO FORWARD WITH? AND I THINK THAT WAS WHERE SHE WAS COMING FROM IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S TIME WE LOOK AT, THIS IS A BIG NUMBER.HOW ARE WE SPENDING OUR MONEY AND DOES IT MAKE SENSE IN ALL CASES? 'CAUSE THERE'S SOMETIMES WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY AND DON'T GET A LOT OF ATTENDANCE.
OTHER TIMES WE SPEND LESS MONEY AND GET A LOT OF ATTENDANCE.
IS THAT NECESSARILY THE END ALL BE ALL SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING WE SHOULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT.
AND I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'LL BE ANY IMMEDIATE DECISIONS ON ANY OF THESE THINGS, BUT AT LEAST START THE CONVERSATION.
THAT WAS HER DISCUSSION WITH ME.
THAT'S, THAT'S, UM, WHAT I WAS REMEMBERING, UM, AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE SLIDES, UM, AND JUST SOME OF THEM SEEMING TO BE A LITTLE OFF BALANCE ON MONEY VERSUS, UM, THE ATTENDANCE THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THEM AND KIND OF, UM, I KNOW HER AND I HAD ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UM, LIKE FOR WILLS OF HOPE, IF WE'RE SPENDING $8,000, LIKE WHAT DOES THAT MONEY COVER? UM, BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO, IT IS A THIRD PARTY, UM, PROGRAM.
AND SO, UM, JUST KIND OF GETTING A BETTER IDEA OF LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, AND THEN LIKE THE MUSIC MADE HERE, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THESE THINGS THAT WE JUST DON'T, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE PAYING FOR, RIGHT? AND SO, BECAUSE THAT IS Y'ALL'S JOB, YOU DO AMAZING.
UM, OUR EVENTS ARE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, SUPER FUN.
BUT AS COUNCIL, WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW LIKE, WELL, $40,000 IF WE'VE GOT MUSIC MADE HERE AND SOME OF THEM ARE $1,500 AND SOME OF THEM ARE $40,000.
IT'S KINDA LIKE THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE JUMP.
AND ESPECIALLY WE'RE LOOKING AT MAX 6,500 PEOPLE.
UM, IT, IT SEEMS A LITTLE UPSIDE DOWN.
SO, UM, JEFF, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? YES.
SO, UM, JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT NOTE RIGHT THERE, RIGHT, SO WHEN LOOKING AT THE, WELL, I GUESS ONE THING WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE MEASURE HOW ARE WE MEASURING RETURN ON INVESTMENT? UM, AND THEN IF WE ARE LOOKING, UM, TOWARD THE FUTURE AND TOWARD, UM, REDUCED BUDGET, ARE WE, ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AT REDUCTION OR DEDUCTION, RIGHT? ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AT REDUCING PER, OR WE GOING TO LOOK AT DEDUCTING, UM, OMITTING HER
SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT STYLES.
THERE'S ACTUALLY THREE BIG DIFFERENT STYLES OF EVENTS THAT I SEE PRESENTED HERE.
UM, ONE IS COMMUNITY EVENTS, ONE IS THE MUSIC EVENTS, AND ONE IS NONPROFIT EVENTS.
UM, AND THERE MIGHT BE EVEN MORE THAT'S JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, MUSIC MADE HERE, THAT ONE IT LOOKS LIKE IF WE'RE CUTTING BACK WOULD BE A GOOD, A GOOD OPTION WOULD BE, UH, DEDUCTION, RIGHT? NOT HAVE AN EVENT, UM, OR HAVE A, YOU KNOW, SMALLER EVENT INSTEAD OF A BIGGER EVENT.
IT COULD BE, FOR EXAMPLE, IT LOOKED LIKE ONE OF 'EM THAT WAS A LITTLE LOPSIDED WAS THE ASIAN AMERICAN FESTIVAL, RIGHT? BUT I THINK WE'VE ONLY HAD WHAT, THREE OF THOSE SO FAR.
SO IT'S STILL A NEW THING, IT'S STILL GROWING, BUT THAT ONE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DEDUCTION, RIGHT? WHAT CAN WE DO TO, TO SCALE IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT SINCE THE ATTENDANCE ISN'T QUITE AS GREAT.
UM, BUT ALSO, AGAIN, JUST ALWAYS GOING BACK TO HOW ARE WE MEASURING ROI, UM, I, I, IF IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS WERE TO BE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, SOME THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN BE ESTIMATES, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO DO ALL OF IT.
WHAT KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF FINANCES ARE BEING GENERATED FROM THESE, WHETHER IT BE SALES TAX, HOTEL STAYS, UM, IMPACT ON THE SQUARE, AND THEN ALSO FOR SOME OF THEM THAT ARE NONPROFITS, WE NEED TO CONSIDER THAT TOO, RIGHT? IF WE, IF WE ARE SUPPORTING THESE NONPROFITS, WHAT ARE THEY GETTING FROM IT, RIGHT? WHAT KIND OF, WHAT ARE THEY RAISING? WHAT'S WHEELS OF HOPE RAISING? WHAT ARE THEY RAISING IT FOR? HOW MUCH ARE THEY COLLECTING? UM, ALSO YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THE, I THINK THE V UNITED SOCCER TOURNAMENT.
SO WHAT ARE, UM, WHAT ARE THE NONPROFITS GETTING OUTTA THIS, UH, FINANCIALLY AS WELL? SO THOSE ARE JUST MY THOUGHTS.
UM, I THINK OUR NUMBERS ON ATTENDANCE ARE SKEWED DOWN AND I THINK WE NEED TO CONSIDER, 'CAUSE YOU SAID THOSE THAT ARE IN DOWNTOWN REGULARLY, THEIR CELL PHONES ARE AUTOMATICALLY KICKED OUT OF THE GROUP.
WELL, A LOT OF US COME TO THOSE EVENTS AND I'M DOWNTOWN ALL THE TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, AND I BRING PEOPLE WITH ME FOR DOWNTOWN ALL THE TIME, YOU
[00:20:01]
KNOW, SO IF MY CELL PHONE'S BEING KICKED OUT OF THE GROUP, THERE MAY BE FOUR OR 5, 6, 10 PEOPLE WITH ME AND WE MAY ONLY HAVE TWO CELL PHONES.WELL, IF IT'S MY CELL PHONE AND MY HUSBAND'S CELL PHONE AND OURS ARE KICKED OUTTA THE GROUP, THEN THAT WHOLE 10 PEOPLE IS NOT BEING COUNTED.
SO, AND I KNOW THAT'S 10 PEOPLE OUT OF, YOU KNOW, 10,000.
BUT IF YOU'VE GOT A HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT EACH HAVE 10 PEOPLE THAT AREN'T BEING COUNTED, THEN YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T BEING COUNTED.
SO I THINK MAYBE OUR NUMBERS ARE SKEWED LOW ON ATTENDANCE AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT WE COULD DO TO MAYBE BEEF THAT UP.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, OKAY, WHEN WE DO HAVE THESE EVENTS, I DO KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OF OUR RESTAURANTS THAT IF THERE'S FOOD TRUCKS DOWNTOWN, THAT THEY DON'T GET BUSINESS IN THEIR RESTAURANT.
IN FACT, I'VE SEEN ONE RESTAURANT WHERE THEIR STAFF WENT DOWN TO THE FOOD TRUCK AND BOUGHT FOOD AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE RESTAURANT.
UM, BUT
SO, YOU KNOW, DURING THESE FESTIVALS IS YOUR, ARE YOUR SALES INCREASING OR DO YOU SEE IT FLAT? OR ARE YOU JUST NOT GETTING VISITORS OR THEY JUST WANTED TO COME IN AND USE YOUR RESTROOM AND YOU'RE NOT ALLOWING THAT ANYMORE? UM, SO I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.
UM, 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE NUMBERS SEEM A REALLY BIG BUDGET FOR, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TALKING A HUNDRED PLUS DOLLARS PER PERSON, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE AMOUNTS, IT SEEMS PRETTY OFF.
BUT IF IT IS BRINGING IN PEOPLE AND LIKE BOOGIE NIGHTS OR ROXIES OR DEAD WAX CAN SAY ON THE DAY OF THE FESTIVAL, OUR SALES IS THREE TIMES WHAT IT IS ON A NORMAL DAY, THEN THAT'S BENEFICIAL.
BUT IF THEY'RE SAYING OUR SALES ARE HALF OF WHAT THEY ARE ON A NORMAL, NORMAL DAY, THEN WE'RE DEFEATING THE PURPOSE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, DEFINITELY.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ADDRESS ANY OF THESE ITEMS?
BUT, UM, SO I FEEL I, I FEEL A COUPLE OF THINGS.
I THINK SPECIAL EVENTS HAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FACE THAN IT HAD PRE COVID.
UM, I THINK THAT REALLY AND TRULY, YOU ALMOST HAVE TO START WITH THE DATE THAT THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE REOPENED UP.
OUR, UM, EVENTS DON'T LOOK THE SAME.
THEY'RE ELEVATED, THEY'RE JUST REALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN 2019.
AND ONE VERY SIMPLE, UM, EXAMPLE IS THE DIA CELEBRATION IN 2019, WHICH, YOU KNOW, SCOTT HAD A LOT TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, HAD AN ATTENDANCE UNDER 500 AND YOU SAW WHAT WE DID THIS PAST YEAR IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITH COD AND DOWNTOWN'S CONSTRUCTION IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT.
SO JUST EXPONENTIALLY, UM, KIND OF SKYROCKETING.
I DO, UM, HAVE BEEN, I'M ABOUT TO HIT BUDGET TIME AND UH, BEEN TASKED WITH, YOU KNOW, IS IT REDUCTION OR IS IT DEDUCTION? I TOTALLY LEAN TOWARDS DEDUCTION BECAUSE UM, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE SET A PRECEDENT OF SOME REALLY WONDERFUL EVENTS AND TO DEDUCT FROM THOSE, UM, WOULD, UM, OR TO REDUCE THE SPENDING ON THOSE, I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO COME AND SAY IT WAS BETTER LAST YEAR.
THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS YOUNG LADY'S GOAL IS ON ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
I'M NOT SURE MUSIC MADE HERE WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE IF THE STAFF WAS LEADING THE DECISION ONLY BECAUSE AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT, WE ARE FOR THE FIRST TIME CHANGING THE IMAGE OF MUSIC IN GARLAND.
UM, EVERY PARKS AND REC ACROSS THE DALLAS FORT WORTH METROPLEX DOES COVER BANDS.
AND WE HAVE REALLY, UH, LEANED TOWARDS ORIGINAL ARTIST.
UM, WE'RE BUILDING AN, AN REPUTATION OF BEING A SERIOUS MUSIC,
[00:25:01]
UM, CITY.WE DON'T DO WHAT EVERY OTHER PARKS AND REC DOES ACROSS THE METROPLEX.
WE DO A FEW TRIBUTE BANDS, BUT NOT COVER BANDS.
UH, VERY RARELY, HOWEVER, I MUST SAY WE HAVE LARE FOR THE FALL FEST.
SO THAT ONE, UM, IT'S A FUN SILLY EVENT.
UM, I IF, IF I WAS DEDUCTING IT WOULDN'T BE FROM MUSIC MADE HERE, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE SOME OF THOSE, UM, NONPROFITS WE MAY WANT TO LOOK AT, UM, ON MAYBE PROVIDING IN KIND, UH, ONLY OR REDUCING THE ACTUAL SPEND ON SOME OF THE NONPROFITS, BUT MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE SUPPORTING THEM WITH THE IN KIND 100%.
IF I WAS TO ACTUALLY PULL ONE OUT OF THE ACTUAL CALENDAR THAT IS CITY PRODUCED, UH, WOULD PROBABLY BE THE ART FESTIVAL.
UM, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT IS, UM, THE LEAST TALKING ABOUT WHO GARLAND IS.
UM, BUT UM, THAT'S JUST MY OWN PERSONAL PERSONAL OPINION.
WE ARE ALSO BEING VERY COGNIZANT OF FOOD TRUCKS MOVING FORWARD.
UM, WE NOW HAVE, UH, TACO EINO, WE NOW HAVE LOCKWOOD DISTILLERY.
SO WE UM, HAD THAT MEETING JUST RECENTLY ABOUT, UH, DECREASING THE AMOUNT OF FOOD TRUCKS THAT COME ONTO THE FESTIVAL FOOTPRINTS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL ARE THESE BRICK AND MORTARS THAT HAVE SPENT MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO COME INTO OUR CITY.
UM, AND SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UH, LESS REAL FOOD, BUT KIND OF WE STAY WITH THAT PLAYFUL FOOD LIKE COTTON CANDY OR POPCORN OR, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING.
SO, UH, WE HAVE MADE THAT ADJUSTMENT AS WELL.
UM, WE DO HEAR FROM THE BUSINESSES WHICH EVENTS THEY FEEL LIKE THEY GET MORE, UM, BUSINESS FROM, BUT IT'S VERY INFORMAL AND I CERTAINLY COULD DO SOMETHING IN A MORE FORMAL STRATEGY.
I THINK I GOT MOST OF THE THINGS.
UM, I JUST WANNA ADD ON TO THE MUSIC MADE HERE.
UM, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US FOCUS MORE ON THE NO NAMES, LIKE THE LOCAL BANDS THAT ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR START.
UM, BECAUSE WHAT, WHAT BETTER MUSIC MADE HERE THAN ACTUAL LOCAL GARLAND PEOPLE? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T HAVE 1800 BANDS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, PRACTICING IN THE GARAGES, BUT I, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A BUNCH OF, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF REALLY GOOD BANDS THAT AREN'T, YOU KNOW, PLAYING A MAIN STAGE AND AREN'T GONNA COST US AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO HAVE THEM COME.
AND A LOT OF THEM WOULD COME AND PLAY JUST OUT OF THE KINDNESS OF THEIR HEART TO GET EXPOSURE.
AND SO, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US FOCUS ON THAT AS FAR AS LIKE THE MUSIC.
UM, BECAUSE THESE OTHER PEOPLE, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PLAYING OTHER GIGS, RIGHT? OR THEY'RE NOT FROM GARLAND OR THEY'RE COSTING US MORE MONEY, WHATEVER.
'CAUSE I'M ASSUMING THAT'S OUR BIGGEST COST FOR MUSIC MADE HERE IS PAYING ARTISTS.
I MEAN, EVERY TIME YOU SEE THAT STAGE ROLL IN IN FRONT OF THE PRISMS, YOU CAN JUST SAY THEY WOULD JUST SPENT $12,500.
SO I MEAN SOMETIMES, UM, THERE IS AN ASSOCIATED COST REGARDLESS.
UM, BUT FOR SOME OF THOSE WE DON'T BRING IN THE STAGE, WE PUT THEM UNDERNEATH THE PAVILION, UM, AND UM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO REALLY SCALE BACK WHAT THE COST OF IT IS.
SO, UM, I WILL ALSO JUST SAY, UH, THE SPECIAL EVENTS DEPARTMENT NEVER EVER WORKED TOWARDS SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS UNTIL I BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, WE'VE REALLY BEEN, UM, WORKING HARD AT THAT FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, FOUR YEARS.
AND WE BROUGHT IN ABOUT 130,000 LAST YEAR TO HELP SUPPLEMENT THE COST OF THIS.
SO, UM, WE DO FEEL LIKE, UM, WE HAVE A VALUE FOR THOSE FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE THEMSELVES.
UH, WE ALSO GET, BESIDES THAT MONEY, WE ALSO GET SOME IN KIND, UM, UM, DONATIONS.
FOR INSTANCE, LAZY DOG FED THE ENTIRE CHRISTMAS, UM, ON THE SQUARE STAFF, WHICH IS 170 THOU, 170 PEOPLE.
SO IT'S NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT LAZY
[00:30:01]
DOG PROVIDED, UM, IN, IN KIND SERVICES.SO, UH, WE ARE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, HELPING PAY FOR IT.
SO JUST BY WAY OF SCOPING, SO WE, 'CAUSE I THINK THIS PROBABLY IS GONNA NEED A BROADER DISCUSSION, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST BEFORE IT GOES BACK TO THE COUNCIL, IS, IS WHAT I HEAR IS NUMBER ONE, A MORE DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF HOW THE MONEY'S SPENT.
SO WE CAN SEE THAT AND UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MONEY'S SPENT.
TWO, THE QUESTION OF WHY, WHY THESE EVENTS? AND SO WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THESE EVENTS? IS IT A GOAL TO, TO, UM, MAKE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY HERE? IS IT A GOAL TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THE RESTAURANTS AND, AND, UM, UH, COVER YOUR EARS, DANA, WHEN I SAY THIS,
THEY COME HERE, NEVER BEEN TO THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE, AND THEY SEE THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE.
ANYTIME WE CAN BRING PEOPLE IN FROM OUTSIDE OF GARLAND AND THEY SEE OUR DOWNTOWN SQUARE, THEY THINK, OH MAN, THAT'S NOT WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT GARLAND.
THAT'S NOT, AND IT GIVES THEM THE, I WE NEED TO GO BACK THERE AND EAT SOMETIME.
SO THE FACT THAT THEY DON'T EAT THAT NIGHT AT AN EVENT IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ISSUE, BUT IT STILL GOES TO THE ISSUE OF WHY, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE COVER THAT WHEN WE COME BACK IS, AND THEN, AND THEN A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF ONCE WE SEE WHAT ALL THE NUMBERS ARE, UH, IS LOOK AND SAY, CAN THESE BE REDUCED OR DO WE HAVE TO DEDUCE DO IT TO DEDUCT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND HAVE THAT TYPE OF DISCUSSION SO THAT WE HAVE I THINK A, A MORE, UH, FULL DISCUSSION.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD THREE PART, UH, PRESENTATION FOR NEXT TIME.
AND THAT WOULD GIVE US A GOOD SCOPE OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT UNLESS SOMEBODY, UH, SUGGESTS SOMETHING FURTHER QUESTION.
SO, UM, AND I KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE, I KNOW YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND, AND PLANNING AHEAD IN CASE THE, THE TAX RATE SWAP DOESN'T PASS, BUT, UM, IF, IF WE DO GET, IF WE DO GET THE VOTE, UM, ARE WE LOOKING AT ANY REDUCTION IN THIS DEPARTMENT? UH, I'LL SAY THIS ABOUT THAT NEXT YEAR, PROBABLY NOT.
BUT THE, THE PROBLEM THAT WE FACE AND, AND I'VE MENTIONED THIS IS STRUCTURAL.
THAT IS, IT'S A LONG-TERM STRUCTURAL PROBLEM UNTIL WE CAN GROW OURSELVES OUT OF IT.
AND SO EVEN IF NEXT YEAR WE DO THE RATE SWAP AND THERE'S MONEY AVAILABLE TWO YEARS AFTER THAT, WE'RE BACK UPSIDE DOWN ANOTHER $10 MILLION.
AND THEN IF THE VOTERS GIVE US 10 MORE MILLION DOLLARS, THEN WE GO TWO MORE YEARS AND WE'RE BACK UPSIDE DOWN $2 MILLION.
AND AT SOME POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHERE, WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE VOTERS DON'T SAY YES? AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A, A ABILITY TO TRY AND REDUCE SPENDING ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THAT'S KIND OF OUR PLAN IS WE'RE GONNA REDUCE, UH, SPENDING TO THE EXTENT WE CAN UNTIL WE CAN GROW OUR WAY OUT OF THIS.
AND THAT'S A 10 TO 20 YEAR PLAN TO GROW OUR WAY OUT OF IT.
SO I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER IS FOR NEXT YEAR, PROBABLY NO, BUT REALLY FOR LONG TERM THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE SPEND OUR MONEY, UH, I THINK THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION JUST BECAUSE THIS IS A LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE PROBABLY 10 YEARS TILL WE START SEEING SIGNIFICANT RETURNS AND NOT THE CONSTANT DOWNTURN ASSOCIATED WITH SENATE BILL TWO.
AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LEGISLATURE'S GONNA DO TO US, SO I THINK IT'S A WORTHY DISCUSSION TO HAVE IN, IN EITHER CASE.
I HAVE A QUESTION, DANA, ON CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE, DOES THAT JUST INCLUDE THE NIGHT OF, OR THE DAY OF CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE? SO, BUT THE SQUARE IS SET UP FOR FIVE WEEKS, BASICALLY.
DO WE PULL IN ANY DATA ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE COME DOWN HERE? WE CAN, I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA ON ME, BUT WE CAN PULL, UM, THE WHOLE TIMEFRAME THAT THE TREE IS UP OR THE SKATING RINK WAS UP THIS PAST YEAR.
THE REASON I ASK IS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE COME DOWN HERE QUITE FREQUENTLY DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, AS YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE ANYWHERE FROM THREE TO 500 PEOPLE ON THE SQUARE AND THE RESTAURANTS THAT ARE OPEN, IF YOU NOW MONDAY NIGHT'S A DIFFERENT STORY, BUT, UM, FORTUNATE SIGNS PACKED, UM, DOES BANDERAS IS PACKED UNTIL ABOUT SIX 30.
UM, BUT WHAT ARE WE SEEING AS FAR AS ECONOMIC DEVELOP OR ECONOMIC IMPACT DURING THAT WHOLE TIME PERIOD? BECAUSE THAT'S NOT JUST A ONE NIGHT THING, THAT'S A WHOLE MONTH THAT GOES FROM THANKSGIVING TO NEW YEAR'S AND WE HAVE PEOPLE DOWN HERE EVERY NIGHT TO ENJOY THE SQUARE.
ARE WE SEEING ANY ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR THOSE PEOPLE BEING
[00:35:01]
DOWN HERE? I WOULD BE CURIOUS.IS THAT, AND THAT WOULD REALLY CHANGE THAT ATTENDANCE NUMBER IF YOU INCLUDED THE ENTIRE THING.
THE SAME ONE WE DID WITH THE FALL FESTIVAL STUFF WHERE WE DID THE PHOTOS WITH THE, THE PUMPKINS ALL OVER TOWN.
I KNOW PEOPLE CAME JUST FOR THAT.
UM, BECAUSE I MET PEOPLE, OH, WE JUST CAME TO SEE HOW MANY PICTURES WE COULD GET TAKEN.
SO THOSE EVENTS, YOU KNOW, IT'S OUR, JUST OUR DECORATIONS, IT'S NICE TO HAVE THE DECORATIONS, BUT PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY COMING BECAUSE WE PUT AN EVENT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE SCORE SCORECARD AND YOU GET A PEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT EVENT.
AND THAT ALSO BRINGS PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE HOW, NOT JUST THE EVENT ITSELF, NOT JUST THE FALL FESTIVAL, BUT ALL THE STUFF LEADING UP TO THE FALL FESTIVAL, NOT JUST CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE, BUT ALL THE THINGS AROUND THAT.
THEY COME FOR THOSE DECORATIONS FOR THAT FESTIVAL TYPE FEEL, EVEN IF IT'S NOT ON THE DAY OF THE ACTUAL EVENT.
I'LL SEE WHAT PLACE OUR AI NUMBERS I CAN PULL FOR YOU 100%.
I WILL SAY IF THE NUMBERS, THE NUMBERS MAY BE SKEWED, I, I, I WILL, UH, GIVE YOU THAT.
THEY MAY BE SKEWED, BUT, BUT MY ONLY ARGUMENT IN THAT IS THAT THEY'RE SKEWED ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO IF THEY'RE TOO LOW, BECAUSE WE USE THE SAME FILTERS FOR EVERYONE.
SO IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT REFLECTING ENOUGH FOR ONE, THEN IT, WHATEVER PERCENTAGE DOWN YOU FEEL THAT IS, IT WOULD BE THE SAME PERCENTAGE DOWN FOR ALL OF THEM ACROSS THE BOARD.
I ACTUALLY PERSONALLY THINK IT'S HIGH
I ACTUALLY THINK IT'S SKEWED A LITTLE BIT HIGH JUST 'CAUSE I'M ON THE FOOTPRINT AND I'M LIKE, REALLY? WE HAD 6,000 PEOPLE HERE TODAY.
IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT, BUT UM, BUT REGARDLESS, THE PERCENTAGE OF HOWEVER IT IS SKEWED, IT'S ACROSS THE BOARD BECAUSE OF, UNLESS YOU REALLY FEEL LIKE AN EVENT, UM, IS MORE CHILDREN ORIENTED LIKE CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE, DEFINITELY I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT COUNTING ANY KIDS BECAUSE UNLESS THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE CARRYING A CELL PHONE AND YOUR MUSIC MADE HERE, CONCERTS DOESN'T NECESSARILY ATTRACT THE SAME PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN QUESTION ON USING THE CELL PHONE DATA THE WAY WE DO IT.
RIGHT? SO YOU SAY WE USE THE CELL PHONE DATA AND WE, WE, WE DISCOUNT PEOPLE WHO HAVE OUR REGULAR VISITORS TO THE SQUARE.
SO THIS, UM, THE FORMULA THAT, THAT YOU'RE USING TO ESTIMATE ATTENDANCE, IS IT A STANDARD FORMULA ACROSS THE INDUSTRY? IS IT USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN JUST PRESENTING TO COUNCIL? I MEAN, WHAT IS THE, TELL ME, TELL ME ABOUT THE HOW WE
SO THE SOFTWARE IS CALLED PLACER AI.
IT'S VERY, UH, WELL UTILIZED BY MANY CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
IT'S SORT OF THE GOLD STANDARD OF TRYING TO COUNT CELL PHONE DATA.
IT'S UTILIZED BY MANY, MANY CONVENTION AND VISITOR BUREAUS THAT ARE TRYING TO UM, UM, BE ABLE TO COME TO COUNCIL AND, AND, AND TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR CITY.
UM, I'M SURE THAT THERE ARE OTHERS, BUT IT REALLY IS KIND OF THE GOLD STANDARD AND IT'S USED BROADLY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
SO IF I WENT TO ANOTHER CITY, THEY WOULD BE SAYING, OKAY, WELL OUR ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE ALSO IS JUST CELL PHONE DATA.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO ARE REGULAR VISITORS.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE KIDS, THAT KIND OF STUFF OTHER, SO, SO WE COULD, I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT OUR, OUR OUR NUMBERS, APPLES TO APPLES TO OTHER CITIES USING, WITH THIS PARTICULAR PLAN, WE CAN FILTER IT DIFFERENT.
LIKE I CAN TAKE OUT THE FILTER THAT KNOCKS OUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS.
BUT WE WERE TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT COUNTING THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE IN THE, UM, APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT ARE NOT COMING.
SOME OF THEM COME TO THE EVENT, WHICH WOULD MAKE IT SKEW DOWN, BUT THERE'S ALSO PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST GOING HOME AT FIVE O'CLOCK AND NOT COMING TO AN EVENT.
I MEAN, I WOULD, I WOULD THINK, I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHATEVER YOUR INDUSTRY STANDARD IS, OF COURSE WOULD BE THE WAY THAT I THINK WE SHOULD GO.
BUT I WOULD THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE BE AS LIBERAL AS WE CAN WITH THOSE ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, WITHIN REASON.
UM, JUST BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GONNA GIVE A BETTER, YOU KNOW, BETTER INFORMATION.
WE EVEN FILTER THE TIMEFRAME OF THE FESTIVAL.
SO FOR CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE, FIVE TO NINE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP TWO OR THREE O'CLOCK SO WE CAN BE MORE LIBERAL
[00:40:01]
ON THOSE FILTERS.AND ON THAT I WOULD SAY, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE LOOK AT THE COLUMNS, RIGHT, OUR FIRST COLUMN BUDGET, RIGHT, THAT BUDGET ISN'T JUST FROM FIVE TO NINE, RIGHT? I WOULD, I WOULD WANT TO SEE THE ATTENDANCE REFLECT THE BUDGET.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THAT BUDGET COVERS, YOU KNOW, DECEMBER 1ST TO DECEMBER 31ST, THEN THOSE ARE THE ATTENDANCE NUMBERS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE BECAUSE THEY, YEAH, THAT BUDGET COVERS THAT TIMEFRAME.
IT DOES NOT, IT COVERS THAT ONE DAY EVENT, THE BUDGET.
UM, THERE'S ANOTHER DEPARTMENT THAT I'M OVER CALLED THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND THAT COVERS SOME OF THOSE SIX WEEK TIMEFRAME THAT THE, UM, TREE AND AND ACTIVITIES IS, IS UP.
SO LET ME THINK ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO EXPAND A BROADER LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING DURING THAT TIMEFRAME.
UM, SO I, I HAD JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN GET THESE KIND OF LIKE THE SAME BREAKDOWN FROM THE LAST, UM, COUPLE OF YEARS, LIKE AFTER WE HAD THE, UM, REMODEL OF DOWNTOWN JUST TO KIND OF GET A HISTORIC ISH? UM, I'M GONNA QUOTE THAT BECAUSE, UM, OBVIOUSLY BEING ONLY THREE YEARS PAST, PAST OUR, UM, RENOVATION, THINGS AREN'T GONNA BE AT THE PRIME NUMBERS.
BUT, UM, MAYBE JUST SO THAT WAY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT IT NEXT TIME WE KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA OF LIKE WHERE THE BUDGET STARTED AND THEN WHERE DID IT GO VERSUS, UM, ATTENDANCE AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
UM, AND SO ONE THING ALSO I WOULD, I WOULD REALLY LIKE US TO LOOK AT IS, UM, AS CHRIS WAS SAYING, CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE IS MORE THAN JUST THAT ONE NIGHT EVENT.
AND SO, WHICH I LOVE AND I THINK IS FINANCIALLY ONE OF THE SMARTER THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON, RIGHT? IT'S THE MOST FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE ONLY BECAUSE IT'S NOT A ONE NIGHT EVENT WHERE AFTER THAT NIGHT NO ONE GETS TO ENJOY PART OF THAT $78,000 BUDGET BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT BUDGET IS CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.
AND SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE GET TO ENJOY AND THEY COME TO SEE MORE THAN JUST THAT ONE NIGHT.
SO GOING OFF OF THAT, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE KIND OF THE NUMBERS.
UM, IF YOU COULD PULL THE, UM, THE DATA ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE DOWN HERE SENSORY ON THE SENSORY CHRISTMAS NIGHT, UM, 'CAUSE THERE WAS A TON OF PEOPLE, BUT WE HAD CAROLERS AND WE HAD ANOTHER EVENT ACTUALLY HAPPEN ON THE SAME DAY OF SENSORY, AND WE DID THAT ON PURPOSE AND THAT WAS PRODUCED YEAH.
THE 78,000 IS FOR THE EVENT ONLY.
IT IS NOT FOR SIX WEEKS OR WHATEVER.
SO I JUST WANNA BE, YOU KNOW, VERY CLEAR ON THAT.
I MEAN IT, AND, AND IT'S ACTUALLY NOT QUITE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THAT EVENT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ATTENDANCE.
UM, AND ONE THING THAT ALSO HAPPENED, UM, ONCE WE MOVED TO DOWNTOWN AND THESE LARGER EVENTS, DIA UM, WELL CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE IN RED WHITE AND YOU IS OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ASKED US TO EXPAND THE FOOTPRINT IN ORDER TO, UM, SPREAD OUT THE CROWD.
THEY DON'T WANT A HEAVY, THEY DON'T WANT IT TO BE WALL TO WALL PEOPLE.
THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH.
SO WITH THAT COMES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ACTIVATING A SPACE THAT WE WEREN'T ACTIVATING THE YEAR PRIOR BECAUSE LIKE WE ONLY PUT THINGS ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET, NOW WE UTILIZE AVENUE EIGHT AT TIMES.
I MEAN, SO GOING ALONG WITH WHAT POLICE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WANTS COMES WITH A COST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T EXPAND A FOOTPRINT AND THEN NOT PUT ANYTHING OVER THERE BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVEN'T EXPANDED YOUR FOOTPRINT.
SO THERE ARE SOME THINGS LIKE THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH CHRISTMAS THAT ALMOST MAKES THAT BUDGET.
AND MOST OF THE SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS THAT WE GET, THIS IS THE EVENT WE APPLY IT TO BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE THAT SMALLER BUDGET IN COMPARISON TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
AND CHRISTMAS ON THE SQUARE AND, UM, RED WHITE AND RED WHITE AND YOU, UM, WE BOTH, WE GET IN KIND SERVICES FOR THOSE AS WELL, RIGHT? ASIDE FROM LIKE THE FOOD, BUT WE HAVE FIRE CLUB VOLUNTEERS, UM, TO HELP WITH WHATEVER, UM, CITIZENS, POLICE CITIZEN, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YEAH.
[00:45:01]
ASSOCIATION COME AND HELP IN KIND MEANING, UM, POLICE DOESN'T CHARGE US AN EXTRA FEE.FIRE DOESN'T CHARGE US AN EXTRA FEE.
I BELIEVE THE CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY, UM, PARTNERS UP WITH PD TO HELP WITH LIKE THE BOXING GYM PARKING LOT TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR VEHICLES TO THAT EXTENT.
UM, SO THERE ARE SOME SERVICES THAT AREN'T PAID OUT OF LIKE THE, UH, BUDGET THAT YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE, UM, FROM THE CITY DEPARTMENTS LIKE TRANSPORTATION, UM, COMES IN AND THEY ASSIST US WITH SOME PARTICULAR BARRICADES THAT ARE TRICKY THAT OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT DOESN'T NECESSARILY KNOW THE NUANCE.
SO THERE ARE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT, UM, KIND OF, WELL, I DON'T THINK THAT THEY ACTUALLY CHARGE US FOR THOSE SERVICES.
THEY KIND OF EAT THAT, UM, AS AN
UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE, UM, SO THEY, THEY ASSIST WITH THOSE LARGER EVENTS IN PARTICULAR, UM, THE EMS ROVING.
UM, THEY JUST, THE FD JUST EATS THAT, UM, WITHIN THEIR BUDGET OR THEY PAY OUT OF THEIR BUDGET.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT WHEN, WHEN DANA, WHEN YOU COME BACK, IF FOR THE EVENTS WHERE WE, THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE IS DECORATED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, I KNOW IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THAT BUDGET, IF YOU COULD BRING BACK, UH, THE DATA ON WHAT WE SPEND TO DO THAT TYPE OF DECORATION AND STUFF, BECAUSE THAT ALSO IS, MIGHT BE RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION AS WE GO FORWARD.
AND, AND WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO SLICE AND DICE THESE NUMBERS AS MANY WAYS AS WE CAN IN TERMS OF THE COSTS AND THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE IMPACT OF THE BUSINESSES AND ALL THAT STUFF, JUST SO YOU HAVE A FULL, UH, VIEW INTO THIS SO THAT AS YOU DISCUSS IT, YOU'LL, IF I LOOK AT IT THIS WAY, IT'S THIS AND THAT WAY IT'S THAT, JUST SO YOU CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
I, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT FROM MY DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM THAT SHE WAS ANTICIPATING THIS WOULD COME BACK ANYTIME SOON, BUT JUST TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, UH, SO THAT WE HAVE, UH, A FRAMEWORK THAT WHICH WE CAN LOOK AT THIS GOING FORWARD.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY, WE'LL LET Y'ALL OUT OF THE HOT SEAT THEN.
UM, WE ALL LOVE TALKING ABOUT EVENTS ANYTIME.
SO I WILL SAY THAT LAST NIGHT, UM, WE HAD THE MORGAN JAMES CONCERT AT THE PLAZA, ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE BY THE WAY THAT WOMAN'S VOICE IS TO DIE FOR.
UM, I'M ALSO, I TRIED TO CONVINCE HER TO COME TO, UH, RED, WHITE AND BLUE TO SING FOR US.
BUT, UM, I RAN INTO ONE OF MY DAD'S OLD BEST FRIENDS THAT I'VE NOT SEEN IN 30 YEARS AT THE PLAZA LAST NIGHT.
AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT IN THE, AND HE SAID, I'VE, I'VE NOT BEEN TO DOWNTOWN GARLAND EVER, BUT HE CAME FOR THAT CONCERT AND HE WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZED WITH WHAT DOWNTOWN IS NOW VERSUS WHAT HE REMEMBERED.
UM, AND EVEN THE BAND TALKING TO THEM AFTER THE CONCERT WAS LIKE, THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
LIKE, WE HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS IS WHAT WE WERE COMING TO.
WE THOUGHT THIS WAS GONNA BE LITTLE TOWN.
LIKE THERE WERE GONNA BE DIRT ROADS, YOU KNOW? AND SO, UM, I, I DON'T WANT EITHER OF YOU TO THINK THAT, UM, YOU ARE NOT AMA AMAZINGLY VALUED AND APPRECIATED, UM, BECAUSE YOU ARE, AND ALL OF THESE EVENTS I THINK HAVE REALLY HELPED, UM, FOSTER THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
AND SO, UM, WE DO APPRECIATE ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO.
I MEAN, I, I KNOW, UH, I PROMISE I'LL END IT, BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE IT'S ALMOST TAKEN THE PLACE OF THAT IMAGE CAMPAIGN.
WE STILL HAVE AN IMAGE CAMPAIGN AND WE ARE STILL DOING, UM, STUFF WITH THAT PARTICULAR, UM, BUDGET, BUT NOTHING WAS BEING TALKED ABOUT WHEN THAT IMAGE CAMPAIGN GOT CREATED IN 20 17 20 18.
AND THE TEAM, UM, YOU GUYS KNOW LES REDMOND AND ANTONIA, THEY REALLY FEEL LIKE THEIR JOB IS TO CHANGE THE IMAGE OF THE CITY.
AND I THINK THEY REALLY ARE MOVING IT, MOVING THAT NEEDLE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, VERONICA FROM THE CONVENTION OF VISITORS BUREAU GOES TO EVENTS ACROSS THE STATE AND CONTINUALLY HEARS GOD, CARLIN'S GOT SO MUCH GOING ON, YOU NEVER USED TO HEAR ABOUT THEM.
THAT'S WHAT'S MAKING THAT HAPPEN.
SO, UM, I DO THINK YOU CAN'T PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT ON EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, HAVING SOMEBODY THAT HASN'T BEEN HERE FOR 30 YEARS COME AND BE, YOU KNOW, WOWED BY THE CHANGES.
AND WITH THAT, AT 11 ON THE DOT, WE ARE ADJOURNED.