* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:04]
          OKAY, WELL WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, FIRE AND EMS STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE MEETING. 
          THIS IS OUR JUNE 17TH, 2026 MEETING. 
          IT FEELS LIKE FOREVER, SINCE WE WERE TOGETHER. 
          WE GOT THE BAND BACK TOGETHER. 
          ALRIGHT, BEFORE WE BEGIN TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON THE WORK THAT BROUGHT US HERE. 
          NEARLY A YEAR AGO, THIS COMMITTEE WAS, WAS ASKED TO EXAMINE FIRE AND EMS SERVICES THROUGH THREE LENSES, MAINTAINING EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS, IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS, AND ENSURING LONG-TERM FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR GARLAND S TAX PAYERS. 
          OVER THE COURSE OF THIS PROCESS, WE HAVE REVIEWED DATA, HEARD FROM EXPERTS, LISTENS, LISTENED TO FIREFIGHTERS, RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT, AND HAVE MANY THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS. 
          THIS COMMITTEE HAS NEVER CREATED, WAS NEVER CREATED TO CHOOSE WINNERS AND LOSERS WHO HAS CREATED TO GATHER INFORMATION, CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS, AND HELP IDENTIFY A SUSTAINABLE PATH FORWARD. 
          TONIGHT REPRESENTS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE. 
          I WANT TO THANK INTERIM, WELL, NOT INTERIM ANYMORE, CITY MANAGER MIKE BETS FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO FINDING A WORKABLE SOLUTION. 
          I WANT TO THANK, UH, FIRE CHIEF MARK LEE FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND FOR PROFESSIONALISM THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          AND I WANT TO THANK THE GARLAND PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR ENGAGEMENT, WILLINGNESS TO STAY IN FAVOR. 
          I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE ALLISON AND MATT, OUR FINANCE TEAM, FOR HELPING TO ENSURE THAT ANY PROPOSAL BROUGHT FORWARD COULD BE SUPPORTED NOT ONLY TODAY, BUT FOR THE YEARS TO COME. 
          MY FELLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, PREPARATION AND THOUGHTFUL CONTRIBUTIONS AND TO THE RANK AND FILE OF FIREFIGHTERS AND CITIZENS WHO PARTICIPATED THROUGHOUT THIS, THIS PROCESS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOUR VOICES MATTERED. 
          ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT TO ME IS THE VALUE OF TAKING TIME TO REFLECT. 
          THE TIME BETWEEN MEETINGS ALLOWED EVERYONE TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, TEST THOSE ASSUMPTIONS AND RETURN TO THE TABLE WITH A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE CONSTRAINTS. 
          THAT REFLECTION HELPED PRODUCE THE MIDDLE GROUND WE'RE DISCUSSING TONIGHT. 
          WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US IS MORE THAN A SCHEDULE CHANGE. 
          IT IS A BALANCE PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES A REDUCTION IN FIREFIGHTER WORK HOURS, ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER POSITIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES AND FINANCIAL GUARDRAILS DESIGNED TO MAKE THIS, UH, ENTIRE PLAN SUSTAINABLE. 
          NOBODY RECEIVED EVERYTHING THEY WANTED, BUT EVERYONE CONTRIBUTED TO A SOLUTION THAT MOVES GARLAND FORWARD. 
          WE ALSO KNOW THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE HAS A HABIT OF CHANGING THE PLAYING FIELD. 
          WHAT EMERGES NEXT SESSION MAY REQUIRE US TO REVISIT SOME OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS, AND I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF THIS COMMITTEE IS ASKED TO RECONVENE IN THE FUTURE TO HELP EVALUATE THOSE IMPACTS. 
          THE SCHEDULE IS IMPORTANT. 
          THE STAFFING IS IMPORTANT, THE FINANCES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT WHAT I'M MOST PROUD OF IS THAT PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES STAYED AT THE TABLE LONG ENOUGH TO FIND COMMON GROUND. 
          THAT'S WHAT THIS COMMITTEE WAS FORMED TO DO. 
          AND TONIGHT, I BELIEVE, WHILE WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING THAT MISSION, AND TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR GARLAND, AND THANK YOU, AND LET'S PROCEED. 
          OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS TODAY IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. 
          MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          SECOND. 
          SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER SECOND AND A SECOND THERE. 
          A CORRECTION. 
          OH, I SEE A CORRECTION. 
          YOUR SO, UH, ON THE, UH, UNDER FOUR OF, EXCUSE ME, FOUR D, THE LAST LINE STATES THAT THE COMMITTEE AGREED TO SKIP THE APRIL MEETING ON ALLOWING ADDITIONAL TIME FOR P THAT WE COMPLET IN IN MAY. 
          I'LL THINK IT WAS A SKIP APRIL AND MAY CONVENE IN JUNE. 
          WHICH PHASE US HERE TODAY. 
          THAT SOUNDS, UH, THAT SOUNDS CORRECT. 
          AND WE WILL WITH THAT, UH, MOTION, ACTUALLY AT THAT MEETING, IT WAS JUST APRIL, THE ADDITIONAL SKIP WAS DONE AFTER THE MEETING. 
          SO THAT, I THINK THE ACT THE MEETING MINUTES ARE ACTUALLY ACCURATE. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          AND WE'LL KEEP THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED WITH A, WITH A, UH, WITH A MOTION BY, UH, BY, UH, DEPUTY, UH, MAYOR PROTO DUTTON, AND, UH, AND WITH COUNCIL MEMBER L THE SECOND. 
          ALL, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? A AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM. 
          WE HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. 
          UH, PERSONS WHO DESIRE TO ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE ON ANY ITEM ON THE AGENDA ARE ALLOWED THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. 
          AND WE HAVE THE HONORABLE CHRIS BEARD 
          [00:05:03]
FORMERLY. 
          HONOR, HONOR, HONOR, HONOR, OKAY. 
          FIRST OF ALL, I JUST CAME TO SAY THAT I REALLY, TRULY SUPPORT OUR FIREFIGHTERS. 
          AND I KNOW THE CITY OF GARLAND SUPPORTS OUR FIREFIGHTERS TOO. 
          WE'VE SHOWN THAT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WITH ALL OF THE ADJUSTMENTS WE'VE MADE, THE, THE REVISIONS TO, UM, FIRE STATIONS, THE NEW FIRE STATIONS, WE'VE BUILT THE NEW EQUIPMENT. 
          AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING OPEN AND HONEST AND US COMING TO A NICE COMPROMISE BECAUSE ALTHOUGH MY HEART SAYS I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE OUR FIREFIGHTERS WHATEVER THEY WANT, I KNOW FOR A BUDGET STANDPOINT THAT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE. 
          SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THE TABLE, COMING TO THESE, UH, MEETINGS AND US COMING TO SOME SORT OF COMPROMISE AND, UM, I HOPE THAT WE CAN MEET EVERYBODY'S NEEDS IN THE FUTURE. 
          AND, UM, I WROTE A BUNCH OF STUFF OUT THAT I'M NOT GONNA READ . 
          SO AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO SAY I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE. 
          I'VE, I'VE LEARNED A LOT SITTING THROUGH THESE MEETINGS. 
          UM, I'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT OVER THE YEARS, BUT THESE MEETINGS HAVE REALLY BROUGHT IT CLOSE TO HOME, AND WE ARE A TEAM OF COMPROMISE. 
          AND SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL THIS. 
          IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? OKAY. 
          WELL, MOVING ON TO OUR ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. 
          UH, ITEM FOUR, A DISCUSSION OF SCHEDULE OPTIONS PRESENTED BY THE GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, MEMBERS OF THE, UH, STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEE'S BEEN A LONG TIME, UH, REFLECTING BACK, I THINK IT WAS IN JUNE AT THE COUNCIL BUDGET RETREAT WHEN WE FIRST CAME UP WITH SOME CRAZY IDEA ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MODIFY THE FIREFIGHTER SCHEDULE. 
          UM, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES THAT I HAVE BEEN IN HERE AND BEEN VERY FRUSTRATED. 
          THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES I'VE BEEN HERE, HERE AND VERY DISHEARTENED, UH, THE NEW 17 MILLION WAS NEVER GOING TO WORK. 
          SO THAT, THAT WAS GIVEN, UH, THE OTHER OPTIONS WE WANTED TO EXPLORE. 
          AND YOU TOOK ENOUGH TIME, ENOUGH PATIENCE THAT BILL AND HIS TEAM HAVE COME UP WITH A PHENOMENAL COMPROMISE IN MY MIND. 
          SO I WANT TO TAKE US BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED THE MISSION OF THE GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR PASSIONATELY, PROFESSIONALLY AND PROACTIVELY. 
          UH, IT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING HERE IN THIS ROOM. 
          WE'VE BEEN PASSIONATE, WE'VE BEEN PROFESSIONAL, AND WE'VE BEEN PROACTIVE AND HELPED THE COMMUNITY THROUGH PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY. 
          UH, THAT'S WHAT WE DO. 
          THESE SLIDES WILL BE FAMILIAR TO THE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO, THE MAYOR PRO THE COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WERE AT THAT BUDGET RETREAT. 
          UM, THE FIREFIGHTER HEALTH WAS THE FOCUS OF THIS ENTIRETY. 
          UH, IT WAS SLEEP DEPRIVATION. 
          IT WAS THE MENTAL HEALTH AND THE PREDICTABLE SURPRISE, THE PREDICTABLE SURPRISES FOR PEOPLE LEAVING THIS TO GO TO OTHER AGENCIES AND LEAVE THE PROFESSION ALTOGETHER AND HAVE HORRIBLE HEALTH ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE OTHER TWO ITEMS. FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S MASTER PLAN, GOAL NUMBER TWO, RECRUIT AND RETAIN QUALITY STAFF. 
          THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THAT PRESENTATION AS A GOAL FOR THIS STAKEHOLDERS GROUP. 
          UM, I THINK THIS COMPROMISE THAT YOU'LL SEE TONIGHT IS GOING TO HELP US ACHIEVE GOAL NUMBER TWO, FUTURE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 
          FINISH THE FIRE STATIONS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY BUILDING, FINISH THE ONES THAT WE'RE REMODELING. 
          UH, THE HONORABLE BEARD, UH, MENTIONED THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THOSE PROJECTS FOR A LONG TIME. 
          THE CITY'S MADE A COMMITMENT. 
          WE APPRECIATE IT. 
          UH, CONTINUE REPLACING FIRE APPARATUS IN A TIMELY MANNER. 
          YOU SEE THE NEWS THAT DEPARTMENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM NOT HAVING ADEQUATE FIRE APPARATUS BECAUSE OF THE MANUFACTURER'S DELAYS. 
          WELL, THE MANUFACTURERS TOLD US THEY WERE GOING TO BE DELAYED, AND THIS CITY WAS 
          [00:10:01]
GENEROUS ENOUGH TO PRE-ORDER THESE APPARATUS FAR ENOUGH OUT THAT WE STILL HAVE GOOD FIRE APPARATUS ROLLING DOWN THE ROAD. 
          WE'RE NEXT WEEK GOING TO DO A FINAL ON THREE PUMPERS AND A LADDER TRUCK, PROBABLY A MONTH LATER. 
          SO WE'VE GOT MORE IN THE STREAM COMING BEHIND IT. 
          RIGHT ON TIME. 
          WE WANTED TO EXPLORE FIREFIGHTER RECOVERY TIMES. 
          WE PRESENTED SOME OF THE SCIENCE TO YOU. 
          WE STATED OVER AND OVER AND OVER THAT OUR GOAL IS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR PEOPLE, THE GOOD AT OUR JOBS, AND REMAIN PHYSICALLY RESPONSIBLE. 
          GOAL THREE, DEPLOY AND MAINTAIN RESOURCES EFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE. 
          EFFECTIVELY, THE NUMBER ONE RESOURCE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS IS OUR PERSONNEL. 
          SOME OF THEM ARE HERE TONIGHT. 
          UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IN, IN THE WAY THAT WE WE WORK. 
          AND LASTLY, I GO BACK TO REITERATE AND TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE. 
          BE GOOD AT OUR JOBS. 
          THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MUST EXAMINE OUR SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL. 
          LOOK FOR WAYS TO SUSTAIN AND CONTROL OUR COSTS, EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE LEVELS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE FIREFIGHTERS PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY. 
          UM, THAT IS WHAT THIS STAKEHOLDERS GROUP WAS ALL ABOUT. 
          AND I THINK TONIGHT, BILL'S GONNA PRESENT A AN OPTION FOR US. 
          OUR CITY MANAGER IS GOING TO FOLLOW THAT WITH SOME KEY THINGS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND. 
          AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE CAN COME TO A RECOMMENDATION FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE TO GO BACK TO COUNCIL, UM, WITH, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHAT, WHAT DIRECTION TO GO FROM HERE. 
          SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO BILL CRUZ. 
          UH, UNLIKE MY, UH, ESTEEMED COUNTERPART, I, I, I STAYED ENTHUSED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, UH, BECAUSE I, ONE THING I'VE LEARNED IS THAT WHEN GARLAND SETS THEIR MIND TO SOMETHING AND, AND RECOGNIZES THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, WE TOGETHER FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. 
          A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WE FOUND A WAY TO MAKE COLA, UH, HAPPEN FOR ALL, UH, CITY EMPLOYEES. 
          UH, AND THAT WAS THE COMPROMISE OF WORKING TOGETHER AND FINDING A PLAN TO DO THAT. 
          UM, AND, AND I APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE STAYED AT IT. 
          I MEAN, THERE WERE, IT WOULD'VE BEEN VERY EASY FOR THIS BEEN SHUT DOWN AT ANY POINT. 
          UH, JUST TO SAY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. 
          WE CAN'T MAKE THAT HAPPEN. 
          UH, SO I APPRECIATE ALLOWING THIS TO CONTINUE, ALLOWING US TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND WAYS THAT, THAT WE COULD, WE COULD MAKE THIS HAPPEN. 
          UH, SO GO THROUGH IT. 
          UH, THIS IS WHAT OUR, OUR CURRENT STAFFING LOOKS LIKE. 
          UH, IN, UH, ADMIN, WE HAVE 30 ASSIGNED PEOPLE UP THERE, UH, OF VARIOUS RANKS. 
          AND THEN EACH SHIFT HAS 85 PEOPLE. 
          AND AGAIN, UH, THE OF THE VARIOUS RANKS. 
          UM, AND, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IN TOTAL IS THAT WE HAVE A FULLY AUTHORIZED FORCE OF 285 UNIFORM PERSONNEL AND EIGHT EACH DAY THAT OUR DAILY STAFFING IS 62. 
          THAT MEANS IT TAKES 62 PEOPLE TO STAFF, UH, THE PHYSICIANS ON ENGINES, TRUCKS, UH, AMBULANCES, UH, THE BATTALION CHIEF CARS, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT APPARATUS OUT IN THE CITY. 
          AND WHEN WE TAKE THAT STAFF, AND ONE THING WE TAKE TO ACCOUNT IS ALLOWED, UH, VACATION HOLIDAY. 
          UH, CURRENTLY WE ALLOW 12 PEOPLE TO BE OFF EACH DAY. 
          SO WE GO THROUGH AND, AND AT THE BE END OF THE YEAR, PICK VACATION HOLIDAYS, WE ALLOW FOR 12 SPOTS. 
          UH, IN THAT, FOUR OF THOSE SPOTS ARE FOR OFFICERS, UH, NO MATTER FOUR OFFICERS OFF THE DAY REMAINING SPOTS FOR, FOR FIREFIGHTERS. 
          UH, AND WE, UH, IN FORSIGHT, LOOKING AHEAD, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE TRAINING LIKE FDIC OR SWIFT WATER, WE BLOCK OFF SOME OF THOSE SPACES SO THAT WE DON'T, UH, SEND OURSELVES INTO A-A-A-A-A DEFICIT. 
          BUT THAT GIVES US A CUSHION, UH, HAVING THOSE 85 PEOPLE A CUSHION OF 11, UH, POSITIONS. 
          UH, AND SO WE HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE CALLED IN SICK THAT DAY, OR THAT ARE OFF ON ENTRY, UH, OR OFF TRAINING OR, OR VARIOUS THINGS THERE. 
          WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING IS THAT WE REARRANGE OUR FOLKS, UM, AND INSTEAD OF HIRING AD SHIFT THAT WE TAKE THE FOLKS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE AND SHIFT THEM AROUND. 
          AND INITIALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE WILL HAVE 64 PEOPLE ASSIGNED TO EACH SHIFT, OKAY. 
          ASSIGNED, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND WITH THIS, THAT WOULD ALSO MEAN THAT ONE WOULD COME OUT OF ADMIN AND HAVE 29 THERE. 
          UH, BUT WITH, UH, THE NINE NEW POSITIONS THAT COUNSEL HAS ALREADY DISCUSSED, UM, IT MAKES THIS THAT MUCH BETTER, UH, AND MORE FEASIBLE, UH, 'CAUSE NOW WE WOULD HAVE 66 ASSIGNED TO EACH SHIFT, UH, WITH 
          [00:15:01]
RETURNING THE NUMBER TO 30 OF AN ADMINISTRATION WITH A TOTAL APPROVED, UH, UNIFORM FORCE OF 291, WE WOULD DROP. 
          UH, WHAT WE WOULD DO IS WE DO THIS SHIFT IS ONE OF THE THINGS, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY AN ITEM THAT CHIEF LEE AND AND OTHERS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, FOR A WHILE NOW. 
          AND THAT IS ELIMINATING THE LIEUTENANT'S POSITION. 
          UH, RIGHT NOW, THEY DON'T HAVE A, A WRITING SPOT. 
          THEY ARE OUR SWAY LIEUTENANTS. 
          UH, AND, AND AT TIMES WE DON'T HAVE A POSITION FOR 'EM, SO THEY END UP RIDING BACKWARDS. 
          UH, SO WE WOULD ELIMINATE THAT POSITION. 
          UH, OF COURSE THAT WOULD MEAN CREATION OF THE 14 NEW CAPTAINS ON THE SHIFT. 
          UH, AS WELL AS ANOTHER SHIFT IN THE INTEREST OF THE SAFETY OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OF BCAS BECOMING WHAT WE WOULD CALL COMMAND CHECKS RATHER THAN THAT BEING A TAILBOARD FIREFIGHTER OR A BASE LEVEL FIREFIGHTER THAT WOULD BE A CAPTAIN. 
          UM, AND THAT CAPTAIN IS THERE TO AID THAT BC IN THE COMMAND OF FIRES, BUT ALSO TO ACT UP AS THAT BC UH, WHEN THAT BC IS OFF, UH, WE WOULD BE REMOVING THE DRIVER POSITIONS FROM THE AMBULANCE. 
          RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE A DRIVER, EITHER AN ENGINE, A TRUCK, OR A DRIVER'S POSITION ON THE AMBULANCE. 
          THIS IS A SHIFT THAT WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT. 
          UH, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THAT SHIFT. 
          'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE, UH, FIREFIGHTER OR DRIVERS THAT ARE PROMOTING TO OFFICER, AND THEY SPENT VERY LITTLE TIME IN THE FRONT LEFT SEAT OF AN ENGINE OR A TRUCK WATCHING THAT CAPTAIN, UH, DO THEIR JOB. 
          UH, AND IT PUTS THEM AT A, AT A, AT A SHORT CALL THERE. 
          SO THIS, NOW, ONCE THEY PROMOTES THE DRIVER, THEY'LL BE ON A TRUCK OR AN ENGINE, UH, OR OUR OLDER, SOME OF OUR OLDER DRIVERS, YOU, YOU SHIPPED OVER TO OUR STINGERS THAT ARE NOW IN SERVICE, UH, AND BETTER PREPARE THEM WHEN IT COMES TIME FOR THEM TO, UH, TO OFFICER. 
          THERE'S A POSITION THAT WE, WE PLACE IN THE STINGER AND APPRECIATE COUNSEL YOU PUTTING THOSE OUT THERE AND PUTTING THOSE IN SERVICE. 
          THAT WOULD SHIFT OUR MINIMUM STAFFING TO 64, UH, WHEN WE PUT THIS IN INTO ACTION. 
          SO WE WOULD DECREASE THE NUMBER THAT WOULD BE OFF EACH DAY OF VACATION HOLIDAY DOWN TO NINE WITH NOT AS MANY PEOPLE ASSIGNED TO SHIFT. 
          YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE AS MANY SPOTS. 
          PLUS OUR BURN RATE WOULD BE CHANGING AS WELL. 
          SO WE WOULD NOT HAVE AS MANY SHIFTS OFF AS WE DO ON THE 24 48. 
          SO WE DROPPED THAT DOWN TO NINE SPOTS PER DAY. 
          BUT WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT TO PUT THIS IN PLACE, TO MAKE UP FOR THAT SHORTAGE OF THE NUMBER THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CUSHION TO STAFF APPARATUS EACH DAY, IS THAT FIREFIGHTERS, EVERYBODY ON SHIFT WOULD WORK A DEBIT DAY. 
          AND WHAT THE DEBIT DAY IS, THEY WOULD COME IN AND WORK WITH THE 24 48. 
          WE WORK 10 SHIFTS A MONTH, BUT WE WOULD BE SHIFTING TO WORKING SEVEN ASSIGNED SHIFTS. 
          A DEBIT DAY WOULD BE AN EIGHT, OKAY? AND THAT EVERY SPLITTING THE, THE, THE PEOPLE OUT AND WORKING THAT DEBIT DAY ADDS NINE BODIES TO THE STAFFING FOR THAT DAY. 
          WE WOULD ALSO WORK ANOTHER DEBIT DAY THAT WOULD COME INTO PLAY EVERY OTHER MONTH. 
          SO WE WOULD BE WORKING OVER ALL THE YEAR 18 DEBIT DAYS. 
          SO FOR ME, I'D WORK A DEBIT DAY IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY OF TWO DEBIT DAYS. 
          AND THE WAY THOSE DEBIT DAYS WORK IS, WHAT THAT DOES FOR US IS THAT INCREASES THE NUMBER. 
          UH, THAT WOULD BE SHOWING UP TO WORK TO ACCOUNT FOR SICK LEAVE, TO ACCOUNT FOR VACATION HOLIDAY. 
          AND WE WOULD HAVE A CUSHION OF SEVEN PERSONNEL. 
          UH, SO, YOU KNOW, TO ACCOUNT FOR SICK TIME INJURY, THOSE IN TRAINING, WHAT HAVE YOU, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. 
          THIS IS OUR NEW SHIFT CALENDAR IF YOU SO BLESS US, US GOING, HOLY CRAP. 
          UM, AND SO YOU OF COURSE, WE ADD THAT FOURTH SHIFT. 
          UM, AND WHAT THAT DOES IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ASSIGN THOSE DEBIT DAYS, UH, WE WILL JUST TAKE ME FOR AN EXAMPLE. 
          WE'LL JUST SAY, I'M ASSIGNED TO YOU THE SUBGROUP C ONE. 
          SO I WOULD, YOU KNOW, HAVE MY SHIFTS, THE RED DAYS THERE. 
          BUT ON THIS DAY, UH, THAT B SHIFT BEFORE THE C SHIFT, I'D BE COMING IN, I WOULD WORK AT 48. 
          WE DID, AND OF COURSE WE DISCUSSED THE DANGER OF 40 EIGHTS, WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT THERE. 
          BUT WE WOULD BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON OUR PEOPLE. 
          SO IF SOMEBODY GETTING WORN OUT ON THAT FIRST 24, IF WE NEED TO SHIFT TO A DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENT AND A SLOWER STATION, WHAT HAVE YOU, WE'LL MAKE THAT SHIFT, UH, AND, AND, AND DO WHAT WE NEED TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. 
          BUT WE WORKED IT IN THIS WAY SO THAT WHEN THEY GET DONE WITH THAT 48, THEY'VE GOT A SEVEN TWO HOUR OFF PERIOD, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THEY COME BACK IN TO WORK THEIR SHIFT AGAIN. 
          AND IT DOES SO HAPPENS THAT THIS IS 
          [00:20:01]
MY MONTH TO WORK, TWO DEBIT DAYS. 
          SO I'M IN THE SUB SUBGROUP C ONE A, UH, SO THAT IS MY SECOND DEBIT DAY FOR THIS MONTH IN THAT 28 DAY CYCLE. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, WHEN I WORK THAT DEBIT DAY, THAT FIRST DEBIT DAY, UM, I, I WOULD WORK THESE TWO DAYS AND THEN I WOULD HAVE THESE THREE DAYS TO RECOVER. 
          OKAY? UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO, UH, WE WOULD HAVE THOSE GROUPS OF SUBGROUPS, UH, AND, AND IT DIVIDES OUT NICE AND EVENLY WITHIN SEVEN. 
          UH, WHICH, UH, AND, AND SO WE, AGAIN, WE HAVE, UH, THOSE SEVEN SUBGROUPS, AND THEN WE'D HAVE A SUB SUBGROUP WORKING THAT SECOND. 
          SO WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ALLOWS US TO PUT THE 24 7 2, UH, INTO PLACE. 
          UM, AND WE ARE ALLOWING THAT LONGER RECOVERY TIME AND EVEN WORKING THE DEBIT DAYS, WE'RE STILL WORKING LESS SHIFT. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, WE ALLOWING FOR THAT. 
          IT'S NOT THE 42 HOUR WORK WEEK BASED ON WHICH MONTH, WHICH SUBGROUP YOU'RE IN. 
          UH, THAT AVERAGE IS LESS. 
          UM, OF COURSE, THE QUESTION COMES UP THE DEBIT DAY. 
          IS THAT AN OVERTIME DAY? NO, THAT'S A, IT IS AN ASSIGNED DAY. 
          UH, SO THAT THE NUMBER OF SHIFTS, IS IT 102, THREE, A HUNDRED, THREE 103 SHIFTS ARE WHAT EACH FIREFIGHTER EXPECTED TO EACH WORK, YOU KNOW, THAT YEAR. 
          UH, AND THAT COURSE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SHIFT TO THE 28 DAY CYCLE, UM, THAT CHANGES OUR FLSA REQUIREMENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE NOT, EVEN WHEN WE DO WORK AN OVERTIME SHIFT, WE'RE NOT GETTING INTO THAT HALFTIME, UH, AS QUICKLY AS WE WOULD, UH, ON THIS SCHEDULE TODAY. 
          UH, BUT WITH THIS PLAN, AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, PLANOS DOING A FIVE YEAR IMPLEMENTATION, AND WHAT I SEE WITH THEIR PLAN, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY GET INTO YEAR TWO AND SOMETHING HAPPENS FINANCIALLY, WHETHER IT BE THE LEGISLATIVE SIDE OF THINGS OR WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          THE WHOLE THING GETS KIND OF BLOWN UP. 
          THIS IS A PLAN THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN FOR SEVERAL YEARS AS WE ARE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, AS WE INCREASE, UH, REVENUE LEGISLATURE, CHAINS, WHAT HAVE YOU, WE CAN TAKE OUR TIME AS WE INCREASE OUR PERSONNEL, UH, OVER TIME, AND I'M NOT GONNA COME NOT KNOCKING ON THE DOOR, UH, ANYTIME SOON ASKING FOR THOSE NEW PEOPLE. 
          UH, WE WILL BE PATIENT. 
          I WILL TELL YOU THIS, WE'VE HAD MEETINGS OVER THREE DAYS, UH, LAST WEEK, UH, WITH OUR MEMBERS AND LAID THIS PLAN OUT. 
          AND I DON'T THINK WE HAD A SINGLE DISSENSION, I HAVEN'T HAD A SINGLE PHONE CALL THAT SAYS THIS NOT GONNA WORK. 
          THEY ALL WHOLE HAW SUPPORTED THIS AND WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS WORK. 
          QUESTION, UM, FIRST I HOPE THAT MIKE CAN CREATE AN APP TO TAKE HER TO ORGANIZE C ONE A IN ALL OF THOSE DAYS BECAUSE RECYCLING DAY TRACKING, YEAH. 
          YES. 
          LUCKILY YOU HAVE IT D SO HOPEFULLY HELP THAT. 
          BUT, UM, CAN YOU GO TO ONE OF THE SHIFT SLIDES AND ONE, DOES IT MATTER THE BREAKDOWN OF, UM, OR I'M SORRY, THE PERSONNEL SLIDES, LIKE THE BREAKDOWN OF HOW MANY PERSONNEL YOU HAVE FOR EACH? YEAH. 
          UM, SO FOR THOSE OF US WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW, CAN YOU EXPLAIN ON UNDER ADMIN WHY YOU NEED TO LIVE IN FIREFIGHTERS AT ADMIN? UH, THEY ARE IN VARIOUS POSITIONS. 
          SOME OF THOSE ARE IN THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE. 
          SOME OF THOSE ARE IN SUPPORT SERVICES, SOME ARE IN TRAINING. 
          UH, AND THEN, UH, PUBLIC EDUCATION. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND THOSE ARE ALL POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENT RIGHT NOW. 
          SURE, SURE. 
          BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK AT 'EM, I'M LIKE, WELL, WHO'S FIRE FIRES FROM ADMIN? SO I'M GLAD EVERY DAY, MA'AM, EVERY WEEK YOU AROUND. 
          NO, WE KNOW. 
          HAVE YOU MET OUR PERSONNEL? I MEAN, JERRY IS A WALKING FIRE, SO I GET IT. 
          YOU NEED THAT. 
          SO BASICALLY, JUST LOOKING AT THESE, THESE ARE THE RANKS AND YOUR RANK IS FIREFIGHTER, DRIVER, ENGINEER, CAPTAIN, CHIEF ASSISTANT, AND THEN MR. LEE. 
          I MEAN, CHIEF LEE, MR. WORKS . 
          HE'S BEEN CALLED WORKS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BECAUSE I, I, I QUESTION THAT TOO, THAT I HAD TO THINK IT'S RANKING, IT'S NOT RIGHT. 
          AND IN MY HEAD I FELT LIKE THAT WAS THE CORRECT ANSWER, BUT I JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ASSUME. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          SO I, I HAVE A QUESTION JUST TO CLARIFY. 
          UM, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT C ONE AND C FOUR A, UH, IF YOU GO TO SLIDE 33 PLEASE. 
          SO LOOKING 
          [00:25:01]
AT, UM, THE WEDNESDAY UNDER THE B MM-HMM . 
          YOU HAVE C ONE AND C FOUR A. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND EACH FIREFIGHTER'S GONNA BE ASSIGNED A DIFFERENT C GROUP, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE HAVE B SHIFT WORKING THEIR NORMAL SHIFT. 
          WE HAVE C ONE AND C FOUR A THAT ARE SCHEDULED AS WELL. 
          ARE THEY GONNA BE DISPERSED, UM, TO THEIR SPECIFIC, OR, WELL, I GUESS I SHOULD SAY, ARE THEY GONNA BE ASSIGNED TO THEIR SPECIFIC STATION ALSO FOR, ARE THEY GONNA BE ELIGIBLE TO OR ABLE TO BE DISPERSED FOR COVERAGE ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY? THEY, THEY WILL BE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND SO, AS YOU STATED, IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S AT STATION ONE AND THEY WERE ON AMBULANCE ALL DAY LONG AND THEY'VE MADE 18,000 TRIPS TO THE PRISON AND THEY WERE JUST WORN OUT, WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR REGULAR SHIFT THE NEXT DAY, IS THIS SOMETHING WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO BACK TO THEIR STATION OR THEY STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO TO A SLOWER STATION TO KIND OF HAVE A CHILL TIME? OR CAN IT BE DONE MID SHIFT? I, I, I THINK THERE'S ANY NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO THERE. 
          AND IT MAY BE THAT, THAT, THAT THEY STAY AT STATION ONE, THAT THEY SHIFT OVER TO THE ENGINE, UH, RATHER THAN WRITING THE AMBULANCE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO Y'ALL ARE, Y'ALL HAVE, Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO MAINTAIN THEIR WELLBEING, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE STRESSED, OVERWORKED, WE'RE PUTTING THE TRUST IN THE HANDS OF THE CAPTAINS THAT ARE RUNNING THOSE STATIONS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE MONITORING THEIR PEOPLE AND NOT PUTTING SOMEBODY IN AN UNHEALTHY POSITION. 
          OKAY. 
          I WOULD ALSO CHARGE THAT WE PUT THE TRUST AND THE FIREFIGHTERS TO STEP UP AND SAY WHEN THEY NEED THAT HELP. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY DURING SHIFT, BUT EVEN OFF SHIFT IF THEY NEED HELP, IF YOU HAVE THAT RESOURCE THAT THEY CAN GET THAT ASSISTANCE FROM. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          I LIKE THIS IDEA. 
          SURE. 
          YES SIR. 
          HE WAS FIRST, I JUST WANNA MAKE A POINT THAT WITH IT LAID OUT LIKE THIS, YOU ONLY HAVE 14 PEOPLE ON A 48 PER DAY. 
          NOT ALL 62. 
          SO A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE RIGHT. 
          OF YOUR STAFFING IS ON 48. 
          AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE MOSTLY FRESH PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY. 
          GOOD. 
          OKAY. 
          IT JUST, OKAY, SO ON THE, THE C ONE DAY, OKAY. 
          OKAY, SO THE C ONE DAY IS THE PLUS NINE, THAT'S THE PLUS NINE, AND THEN THE C ONE A DAY IS THE PLUS FIVE? CORRECT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          THE, THE NUMBER THAT I WAS JUST TRYING, I WAS LIKE, YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE. 
          YEAH. 
          THE GROUP ON THE LEFT REPRESENTS THE NINE, RIGHT? AND THEN THE GROUP ON THE RIGHT REPRESENTS, UH, THE FIVE. 
          YES, MA'AM. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT AS FAR AS, UM, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE PERSONNEL WHEN THEY'RE WORKING 48, THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND EVERYTHING, IT'S NOT GONNA BE A GUARANTEE THAT YOU CAN SAY, THIS FIREFIGHTER'S NOT GONNA BE ON AN AMBULANCE TWO DAYS IN A ROW. 
          YOU'RE SAYING THAT'S UP TO THE CAPTAIN? 'CAUSE I THINK MY THING WITH THAT IS AMBULANCE IS WHERE PEOPLE OUT, YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEN THE FACT THAT IT MAY NOT BE FAIR THAT THEY'RE ON AN AMBULANCE, YOU KNOW, TWO DAYS IN A ROW. 
          I MEAN, I LOVE THIS, I LIKE THIS. 
          I THINK IT'S GREAT. 
          I'M JUST STILL THINKING ABOUT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CERTAINLY. 
          AND THAT, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT'S AN EDUCATION PIECE AS WE STEP UP. 
          BUT IT, IT'S ALSO A DISCUSSION PIECE. 
          AND WE HAVE CAPTAINS THAT ARE ALREADY DOING THAT BECAUSE, UH, YOU'LL HAVE SOMEBODY COMING, WORKING A SHIFT OF OVERTIME OR THEY SUB THE DAY BEFORE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. 
          SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING IN 48 ALREADY. 
          UH, AND OUR, OUR CAPTAINS ARE VERY GOOD ABOUT LOOKING AT THAT AND GOING, HEY, WHERE DID YOU COME IN FROM? HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT? AND THEN ADJUSTING THAT. 
          AND WE HAVE SOME UNWRITTEN RULES THAT SUBS DON'T NORMALLY RIDE THE AMBULANCE OR, UH, YOU KNOW, OVERTIME OR WILL OR ALL THESE VARIOUS THINGS, BUT OUR CAPTAINS ARE PAYING MORE ATTENTION, UH, TO THAT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING SOMEBODY IN A POSITION THAT IT'S DANGEROUS TO THAT I, I, I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, HOW IT WORKS AND JUST STILL ON FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR THEM. 
          AND I KNOW Y'ALL ARE AS WELL, BUT, UM, I KNOW THIS IS ALL KIND OF NEW, BUT, UM, I DO LIKE THIS. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, SO NOT CONSIDERING, WELL WITH, YOU KNOW, REGULAR SHIFT 24 7, UH, 48, THEY WORKED 120 DAYS A YEAR NOT COUNTING THE HOLIDAYS OR WHATEVER. 
          SO LIKE, YEAH. 
          SO IT'S GONNA BE 103 DAYS MM-HMM . 
          NOW A YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO JUST ADJUST THE PAY SCALE SOME KIND OF WAY ON THAT. 
          YEAH, WE WOULD, IT WOULD JUST ADJUST THE PAY SCALE TO, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY MAINTAIN THE SAME YEARLY RATE. 
          WOULD THAT BE FROZEN OVER A PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT INCREASES CONTINUE? THAT'S UP TO COUNCIL. 
          UH, I, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD STILL MAINTAIN SOME COST OF LIVING EXPENSES IF, IF WE CAN. 
          UH, BUT, BUT 
          [00:30:01]
I THINK WITH PLANO, UH, IN, IN DOING THEIR PAY FREEZE, WE'RE GONNA SEE PAY FREEZES ANYWAY. 
          UH, PLANO HAS DRIVEN THE MARKET AND, AND MOST EVERYBODY'S BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH 'EM. 
          UH, AND I THINK EVERY, EVERY CITY IN THE METROPLEX THAT HAS USED THEM AS A, AS A A COMPARISON CITY IS, IS BRINGING A LITTLE SIZE RELIEF. 
          RIGHT. 
          THEY, BUT THEY, THEY'RE TRYING TO COME BACK DOWN CLOSER TO THE MEDIAN. 
          AM I CORRECT? THEY'RE NOT COMING DOWN. 
          THEY'RE JUST NOT, THEY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, YEAH. 
          WELL, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LETTING THE MARKET CATCH UP. 
          THAT AND I'M SORRY, WHAT? HOW MANY, I'M SORRY? HOW MANY SHIFTS CURRENTLY IS THE 24 72 OR 24? 48. 
          120. 
          120. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE'RE DROPPING 13 SHIFTS. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I JUST HAVE, SO YOU MENTIONED 24, UH, AND, AND ALL THE , YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE CALENDARS AND ALL THE VARIATIONS THAT GO AROUND THE COUNTRY, SO, BUT WE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS. 
          SO DID YOU GUYS CREATE THIS? YES. 
          LIKE, LIKE YOU GUYS CAME UP WITH THIS? YES, SIR. 
          AND I MEAN, IT OBVIOUSLY ON THIS SCREEN, IT WORKS WELL. 
          IT, IT SEEMS TO WORK WELL IN THE PAPERS. 
          UH, IS THERE SOME WAY WE CAN PUT A PATENT ON IT OR SOMETHING , WHAT I SEE IS GONNA HAPPEN, I ASK THAT YOU DON'T DO THAT. 
          OUR FRIENDS IN OUR ADJACENT CITIES ARE PROBABLY GOING TO TAKE NOTICE OF THIS, AND I HOPE THEY DO. 
          AND I, AND I HOPE THAT I COULD PASS THIS ON TO ANY NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS A WAY TO BEGIN TO MAKE THE SHIFT. 
          YEAH, I MEAN, AND, AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE WAS, WE LOOKED AT THE PORTLAND SCHEDULE, THE SUCH AND SUCH. 
          THIS IS THE GARLAND SCHEDULE FROM NOW. 
          I MEAN, IF THIS GOES FORWARD, IF THEY USE IT, THEY HAVE TO CALL IT THAT . 
          AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE PORTLAND SCHEDULE WAS ACTUALLY NOT CREATED IN PORTLAND , IT WAS CREATED IN EUGENE, OREGON. 
          AND DIALER HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THEM, UH, BECAUSE EUGENE, OREGON JUST RECENTLY SHIFTED FROM THE PORTLAND SCHEDULE TO, UH, 24 72. 
          THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THIS, WHERE THEY'RE WORKING DEBIT DAY AND THEY WILL PUT IN PLACE AND THEY HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED IT, 50% REDUCTION IN THEIR OVERTIME. 
          I MEAN, I CAN SEE THAT NOBODY WANTS TO WORK THE EUGENE SCHEDULE. 
           NOBODY, NO OFFENSE TO ANYBODY. 
          UNUSUAL GARLAND SCHEDULE. 
          YEAH. 
          IT IS CALLED THE GARLAND SCHEDULE. 
          I'VE ALREADY COPYRIGHTED. 
          IT'S BE THE LITTLE, YEAH, IT'S THE LITTLE SCHEDULE. 
          UH, THE CREW LITTLE OR THE LITTLE CREW, WHICHEVER WAY WE BOTH, WE'VE LOCKED UP, WE'VE LOCKED UP THE DOMAINS AS WELL. 
          I DO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL PUT INTO THIS. 
          THIS SEEMS LIKE IT, IT COULD BE A VERY VIABLE, UM, OPTION FOR US TO CONSIDER ON THIS. 
          THIS IS, YOU'RE GETTING NO DISSENSION ON THE RANKS ON THAT. 
          IS THAT WHAT I UNDERSTAND YOU SAYING? YES. 
          NO, I, I, AND I DO, I DO THINK IT'S A WORK SCHEDULE. 
          AND, AND, AND BELIEVE ME, I WOULD, IF THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IF WE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THERE WAS GONNA BE RECEPTION OR WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN TO THAT. 
          UH, AND SO THAT, THAT'S APPRECIATED THAT, UH, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THIS PROCESS AND THAT, AND WE'RE BRINGING IT TO THE POINT THAT WE HAVE TODAY. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THIS COMMITTEE WAS TO RECOGNIZE THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE CURRENT SCHEDULE AND CALL BY THE LOAD AND TO COMPLETE IT WITH, WE UNDERSTAND THERE'S A PROBLEM. 
          WE APPRECIATE THE PROBLEM, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM, CONTINUE WITH THE PROBLEM. 
          AND I FEARED THAT THAT'S WHERE WE WERE APPROACHING. 
          AND, AND BILL AND TYLER WORKING WITH YOU, DEAN AND THE OTHERS, UH, LOOKED AT HOW MANY DEBIT DAYS WOULD IT TAKE. 
          AND THEY GAVE US A SOLUTION THAT FINANCIALLY IT HAS BEEN DEEMED SOMEWHAT ACCEPTABLE. 
          AND MR. BETS IS GOING TO SHARE WITH US VOLUNTARILY ON, UH, ON GUARDRAILS IF YOU WILL. 
          UM, BUT WE FOUND THE WAY THAT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE STAKEHOLDERS, GROUP FIREFIGHTERS, CITY MANAGEMENT, CITY STAFF, COULD ALL SAY, WE THINK THIS WILL WORK. 
          I WAS ALREADY LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULES. 
          THE COURT WOULD BE ONE OF 'EM. 
          THE FULTON FIRE CHIEF SAID IT'S A GREAT SCHEDULE, EXCEPT 
          [00:35:02]
THEY FIGURED OUT THEY COULD TAKE OFF THEIR ONE DAY ON THEIR 1 3, 2, 3, THEY TAKE OFF THEIR ONE AND NOW THEY HAVE SEVEN THAT THEY'RE OFF. 
          SO THEIR SICK TIME WAS ESCALATING ON THE ONE DAY. 
          THEY WERE OKAY WITH WORKING THE 40 EIGHTS, BUT THEY, THEY WERE WORKING THE SYSTEM THEY WANT, 'CAUSE THEY CAN TAKE OFF ONE SICK DAY, BE OFF A WEEK. 
          AND SHE HAS SEEN HER OVERTIME ESCALATE. 
          SO THAT WAS NOT THE GOAL OF THIS GROUP WAS TO CREATE A TIGHTER FINANCIAL STRENGTH. 
          UH, SO THESE GUYS PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS VERY WORTH FOR. 
          BILL, ARE WE READY TO HAND IT OFF TO MR. YES, SIR. 
          BACK SOMEBODY, MR. CHAIRMAN, PRESENT THE COMMITTEE. 
          GOOD EVENING. 
          SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT, I CAME TO THIS PARTY A LITTLE BIT LATE. 
          SO WHEN I CAME, WHEN I WAS NAMED INTERIM, I THINK WE WERE A FEW MONTHS INTO THIS AND I HAD TO PLAY CATCH UP. 
          AND I CAN TELL YOU IT WAS KIND OF DURING THE, THE DREARY TIMES BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF, UH, UH, INFORMATION WE WERE LISTENING TO AND WE'RE LISTENING TO THE NUMBERS AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE MINIMUM SOLUTION BEING $17 MILLION. 
          AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T BEEN FOLLOWING COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING IS YOU DON'T HAVE $17 MILLION. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT, UH, A CITY BUDGET AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK ACROSS THE ENTIRE BUDGET IS WHENEVER YOU PUT SOMETHING SOMEWHERE, IT HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE AS IT'S A ZERO SUM GAME, RIGHT? AND SO WHENEVER PEOPLE SAY, I WANT MORE OF THIS, THE QUESTION ALWAYS TO THEM IS, WHAT DO YOU WANT LESS OF? AND WHENEVER SOMEBODY SAYS, I WANT LESS OF THIS BECAUSE THEY WANT MORE OF SOMETHING, AND THE QUESTION, IT, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A SITUATION WHERE THERE'S JUST EXTRA MONEY LAYING AROUND AND WE'LL DO MORE OF SOMETHING. 
          WE'RE IN A POSITION FINANCIALLY WHERE IF WE'RE GOING TO DO MORE OF SOMETHING, THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO DO LESS OF SOMETHING ELSE. 
          BUT IT'S WORSE THAN THAT BECAUSE THE SENATE BILL TOO, EVERY YEAR FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, UNTIL WE GET SOME TRACTION UNDER OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, EVERY YEAR WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING LESS OF SOMETHING. 
          BECAUSE EVERY YEAR GOING FORWARD FOR THE NEXT DECADE UNTIL THIS PLAN COMES INTO, UH, EFFECT STRATEGIC PLAN WE'RE WORKING ON, MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME RELIEF IN SIX OR SEVEN YEARS, BUT EVERY YEAR WE'RE $5 MILLION WORSE OFF BECAUSE OF SENATE BILL TWO. 
          SO EVERY YEAR WE HAVE TO FIND $5 MILLION OR DO $5 MILLION LESS OF SOMETHING. 
          AND WHEN YOU COME IN AND YOU'RE NEW AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S THE FINANCIAL REALITY AND YOU'RE HERE, BUT WE NEED 17 MILLION MORE, YOU CAN BECOME PRETTY DISHEARTENED PRETTY QUICKLY. 
          AND SO, LIKE THE CHIEF SAID, I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS GOING MAYBE NOWHERE, AND THAT WAS KIND OF A FIELD IS THAT WE LISTENED TO THE, UH, FACTS OF WHAT GOING IS GOING ON WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT THEY HAD VERSUS 10, 20 YEARS AGO AND THE SAME NUMBER OF HOURS. 
          WE SAY THAT WHATEVER THE SCIENCE AND, AND WE NEVER WERE ABLE TO GET HARD SCIENCE FACTS. 
          WE DON'T HAVE ANY ACTUAL STUDIES. 
          WHATEVER THE SCIENCE, WE HAVE TO REALIZE IF YOU'RE DOING TWICE OR THREE TIMES AS MUCH WORK IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME, THAT HAS SOME IMPACT. 
          IT SOME IMPACT. 
          YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THE FIREFIGHTERS SAY, HEY, WE NEED SOME RELIEF FROM THAT. 
          BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF YOU'RE THE CITY MANAGER AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BUDGETS, YOU SAY, HOW COULD WE EVER AFFORD TO DO THAT IN AN, IN AN ECONOMY WHERE WE'RE SAYING EVERY YEAR WE'VE GOT $5 MILLION LESS? AND SO THAT'S WHEN YOU THINK OF THE CHARGE OF THE COMMITTEE THAT THE CHARGE COMMITTEE WAS TO TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT IN A FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE WAY. 
          AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS WEIGHED HEAVILY ON ME THE ENTIRE TIME THAT WE'VE BEEN IN THESE MEETINGS IS THAT'S ALL GREAT. 
          I WOULD THINK TO MYSELF, BOY, IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, BUT WHERE DO WE GET, WHERE DO WE GET $17 MILLION? AND THAT WAS THE LOW END COST, RIGHT? BECAUSE THERE WAS POTENTIAL TO BE A HIGH END COST. 
          AND THAT COMES AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF WHERE WE STAND TODAY 
          [00:40:01]
IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE'RE HAVING THESE FISCAL PROBLEMS. THAT IS THE BUDGETED OVERTIME THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD. 
          WELL, IN FISCALLY 25, AND IT'S INDICATIVE OF THIS GOING BACK SEVERAL YEARS, I'M TOLD WAS $1.79 MILLION IN OVERTIME AND THE NEW OVERTIME THAT WE'RE BUDGETING OR PROPOSED BUDGETING UNDER THE YES BUDGET, IF THE VOTERS APPROVE THE RATE SWAP WOULD BE TO BUDGET TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OF OVERTIME. 
          THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT FISCAL YEAR 25, THEY ACTUALLY SPENT $3.54 MILLION IN OVERTIME DESPITE ONLY BEING BUDGETED $1.79 MILLION IN OVERTIME. 
          SO THERE'S TWO COMPETING THINGS GOING ON, RIGHT? THERE'S THE FIREFIGHTERS ISSUE THAT THEY HAVE OF WE'RE DOING ALL THIS EXTRA ADDITIONAL WORK THAT WE WERE DOING 10 OR 15 YEARS AGO. 
          WELL, AT THE SAME TIME, THE OVERTIME IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF. 
          NOW YOU CAN MAKE A GOOD ARGUMENT, MAYBE THEY'RE RELATED. 
          AND THAT'S KIND OF THE POSITION THAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE FIRE ASSOCIATION AND FROM THE CHIEF IS THAT PART OF THIS OVERTIME IS DRIVEN BY JUST BEING TIRED AND BEING EXHAUSTED. 
          AND THAT'S A, A REAL POSSIBILITY. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE HARD DATA TO SHOW THAT, BUT IT, IT MAKES SENSE, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T OFFEND YOUR SENSIBILITIES. 
          I THINK THAT MIGHT BE WHAT'S HAPPENING. 
          AND SO THIS PROBLEM MAKES THE $17 MILLION PROBLEM EVEN HARDER TO SOLVE, RIGHT? 'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST 17 MILLION, IT'S, WE'VE ALSO GOT THIS OVERTIME THAT'S ESSENTIALLY A HUNDRED PERCENT ABOVE WHAT WE BUDGET AND IT MAKES IT A VERY DIFFICULT, UH, PROBLEM TO SOLVE. 
          AND SO WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE PROPOSED SOLUTION AND I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY, UH, CREATIVE, I HAD MY HATS OFF TO THE ASSOCIATION AND TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DID ON THIS. 
          AND THE CHART, JUST TO PUT THAT CHART TOGETHER, UH, PROBABLY TAKES A VERY SUBSTANTIAL AI MODEL SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIT AND DO IT ALL YOURSELF PIECE BY PIECE. 
          BUT IT WAS, IT WAS A BRILLIANT SOLUTION. 
          AND MY HATS OFF TO THE ASSOCIATION. 
          AND WHEN I FIRST SAW IT, WHAT I SAID TO THE CHIEF IS, THE ONE THING THAT STRIKES ME THAT MAKES ME FEARFUL FROM A CITY MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE IS YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW NINE PEOPLE EXTRA, RIGHT? AND WE'RE GOING DOWN TO SEVEN EXTRA AT ONE TIME. 
          I SAID, UNLESS WHAT'S DRIVING THE OVERTIME IS THE TIREDNESS. 
          WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE OVERTIME, NOT LESS, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU ONLY HAVE SEVEN PEOPLE. 
          IF EIGHT PEOPLE CALL IN SICK OR OR CAN'T SHOW UP, THEN YOU HAVE OVERTIME, THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HAD OTHER LOTS. 
          AND I SAID, THAT'S A REAL RISK. 
          AND IF WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON IS THIS OVERTIME IS DRIVEN IN LARGE PART BY THE CONDITIONS AND THE NEED FOR REST, THEN THIS MAY ACTUALLY SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. 
          AND SO WHAT I SAID, THE THE COMPROMISE THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT IS THE ONE THAT WE SAID, WHICH IS WE'RE ADDING THE NINE NEW FIREFIGHTERS, THE NINE NEW FIREFIGHTERS WERE BEING PROPOSED IN THE YES BUDGET IN ANY EVENT, IN THE HOPES OF BRINGING THAT OVERTIME NUMBER FROM THE 3.54 MILLION DOWN CLOSER TO $2.5 MILLION. 
          AND SO THEY'RE ADDING THE FIREFIGHTERS. 
          AND THEN THE FIRE ASSOCIATION HAS SUGGESTED WE MOVE TO 24 72. 
          AND I GET THAT AGAIN, IF IT WAS FREE, WE WOULDN'T REALLY BE HERE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION OR IF WE HAD PILES OF MONEY LAYING AROUND SO THAT DOING THAT DIDN'T MEAN DOING LESS OF SOMETHING ELSE. 
          WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION. 
          BUT THE FIREFIGHTER SAID, WELL, WE'LL DO 18 DEBIT DAYS A YEAR AND WE CAN MAKE IT WORK. 
          AND I SAID, THE SKEPTICISM IS FROM THE FEWER NUMBER OF OFFICERS, THE FIREFIGHTERS AVAILABLE FOR THE OVERTIME. 
          AND SO WHAT I TALKED TO THE ASSOCIATION ABOUT IT AND I TALKED TO THE CHIEF ABOUT, AND, AND I, MY HATS OFF, WE'VE HAD VERY GOOD DISCUSSIONS AND SAID, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FIND A WAY TO MAKE THIS WORK FOR EVERYBODY. 
          HOW DO WE DO THAT? HOW DO WE FIND A WAY THAT THAT AS CITY MANAGEMENT, I CAN GO TO CITY COUNCIL AND SAY, YES, I CAN RECOMMEND THIS WITHOUT RISKING THE FINANCIAL WHEREWITHAL OF THE CITY. 
          BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT I HAVE, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS THAT ARE FINANCIALLY SOUND THAT WE CAN AFFORD THIS FOR THE NEXT DECADE, TWO DECADES, NOT JUST, WELL, WE CAN SPEND ONE TIME MONEY AND GET THIS DONE. 
          AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO THE FOLLOWING YEAR? I SAID, HOW DO WE MAKE IT FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE? AND FIRST WE DO AN OVERTIME GUARDRAIL AND I'LL COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT ALL OF THESE. 
          SECOND, THE ASSOCIATION MAKES A COMMITMENT. 
          WE'RE NOT GOING TO COME HERE NEXT YEAR AND SAY, WE NEED TO TAKE THIS DOWN MORE DEBIT DAYS. 
          WE NEED TO HAVE LESS DEBIT DAYS NOW AND THEN LESS DEBIT DAYS HERE AFTER. 
          THIS IS WHERE WE ARE UNTIL WE CAN DIG OUR WAY OUT OF OUR FINANCIAL PROBLEMS 
          [00:45:01]
WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN, TRY TO INCREASE OUR SALES TAX BASE AND OUR COMMERCIAL TAX BASE, WHICH IS PART OUR STRATEGIC PLAN SO THAT THERE'S MORE MONEY AVAILABLE. 
          THE THIRD THING THAT I ASKED THE ASSOCIATION, AS I SAID, IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS WORK AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME WE WOULD NEED A 28 DAY FLSA CYCLE. 
          SO THAT RIGHT NOW, THAT, THAT MEANS WHEN YOU START GETTING OVERTIME. 
          RIGHT NOW WE'RE ON A 21 DAY FLSA CYCLE. 
          WE NEED A 28 DAY FLSA CYCLE. 
          AND RIGHT NOW FIREFIGHTERS GET FOUR HOURS OF MANDATORY OVERTIME THAT WE WOULD NEED TO REMOVE FROM THE SCHEDULE TO HELP BRING THE OVERTIME DOWN. 
          AND SO THE FIRST, THE FIRST CAP, THE FIRST GUARD RAIL WAS AN OVERTIME GUARD. 
          LOOK, WE'RE BUDGETING 2.5 MILLION, WE'VE BEEN SPENDING THREE AND CHANGE THREE AND A HALF MILLION. 
          WE NEED A COMMITMENT THAT WE'LL TRY THIS, WE'LL DO THIS. 
          BUT IF WE GO OVER 2.5 MILLION BY MORE THAN 10% IN A YEAR, THEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE OLD SCHEDULE AND USE THOSE NINE FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE BEING ADDED TO REDUCE OVERTIME. 
          NOT THAT WE WOULD WANT TO, BUT IT'S WHAT WE CAN AFFORD AS A CITY. 
          WE HAVE TO DO WHAT THE CITY CAN AFFORD TO DO BECAUSE AGAIN, IF WE DO MORE OF SOMETHING, WE HAVE TO DO LESS OF SOMETHING ELSE. 
          AND THE CITY IS VERY LEAN AT THE MOMENT. 
          WHAT WOULD YOU LOOK TO LESS OF? AND SO I ASKED THE FIRE ASSOCIATION, I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NEED A COMMITMENT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IF OVER TIME BUS THAT 2.5 MILLION BY MORE THAN 10%, THE SCHEDULE REVERTS BACK AND WE USE THOSE NINE FIREFIGHTERS TO CUSHION THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THAT WE HAD IN THE PAST. 
          AND SO THE, THE SECOND THING THAT HAPPENS IS THE RANKS, THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN GO BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE. 
          SO WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF OFFICER, UH, FIREFIGHTERS AND LIEUTENANTS AND DRIVERS AND UH, CAPTAINS AS WE HAD BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. 
          AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A FINANCIAL GUARDRAIL FOR THE CITY SO THAT WE MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT UPSIDE DOWN IN THIS, IN THAT WE'RE PUTTING EXTRA NINE EXTRA FIREFIGHTERS IN. 
          THAT'S A COMMITMENT THAT THE CITY'S MAKING UNDER THE YES BUDGET. 
          WE'RE ADDING ADDITIONAL OVERTIME FROM THE 1.79 TO TWO AND A HALF. 
          THAT'S A COMMITMENT THE CITY'S MAKING THE COMMITMENT BACK FROM THE ASSOCIATION THAT THEY WERE ASKING IS TO SAY, HEY, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GET THERE? WE GET THERE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IF WE BREAK THE GUARDRAILS, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE IN A FINANCIALLY WORSE POSITION. 
          THE CITY, THE CITY'S NOT GONNA BE REQUIRED TO SIT DOWN AND FIGURE OUT, ALRIGHT, DO WE HAVE TO LAY EMPLOYEES OFF IN SOME OTHER DEPARTMENT? DO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE LESS SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS WHO COME TO EXPECT THE SERVICES THAT, THAT THEY'RE ENTITLED TO IN THIS CITY? AND THE ANSWER IS NO. 
          THE FIRST THING WE DO IF WE GO OVER IN THE OVERTIME IS WE PUT IT BACK THE WAY IT WAS, USE THE NINE FIREFIGHTERS, MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT BUSTING THE OVERTIME, UH, BUDGET SO THAT WE DON'T END UP WITH AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT THE CITY PAYS OUT, THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE BUDGETED. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW, WHICH FORTUNATELY WE'VE HAD ONE TIME MONEY OVER THE YEARS AND COULD DO THAT. 
          THERE WILL COME A TIME IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS AS A RESULT OF SENATE BILL TWO THAT THAT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE. 
          AND THEN THE ANSWER WOULD BE, OKAY, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR OVERTIME, THAT MEANS WE CAN'T STAFF THOSE POSITIONS. 
          WE CAN'T STAFF THOSE POSITIONS. 
          THAT MEANS THERE'S GONNA BE LONGER RESPONSE TIMES, UH, THAT WOULD BE DRIVEN BY THE FACT THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY FOR OVERTIME. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN SAY, WELL, WE'LL BORROW MONEY TO KEEP PEOPLE ON OVERTIME. 
          YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET AS A MUNICIPALITY. 
          AND SO THE GUARDRAIL WAS IN THAT FOR THAT, UH, FOR THAT REASON. 
          THE SECOND THING THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT IS, IS WE WANT A COMMITMENT FROM THE ASSOCIATION THAT YES, YOU, YOU RECOGNIZE YOUR CITY'S MAKING YOU COMPROMISE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO GET, GET YOU THERE AS CLOSE AS WE CAN AFFORD FOR A CITY THAT'S VERY MODEST. 
          IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE CITIES IN THE METROPLEX, AND WE'VE PHRASED THIS BEFORE, THIS CITY PER CAPITA TAXES HAS $90 MILLION LESS THAN THE AVERAGE IN THE METROPLEX. 
          THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. 
          IF WE HAD THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TAX BASE OF JUST THE AVERAGE CITIES IN THE METROPLEX, NOT QUITE ON TYPE TAX BASE, BUT JUST THE AVERAGE METROPLEX, UH, CITIES, WE WOULD HAVE 90 MILLION MORE DOLLARS IN OUR GENERAL FUND. 
          THIS WOULD NOT BE A HARD PROBLEM TO SOLVE IF WE HAD $90 MILLION IN OUR GENERAL FARM. 
          BUT WE DON'T. 
          AND WE DON'T. 
          AND THAT WAS WHAT, WHAT MAKES IT A HARD PROBLEM TO SOLVE. 
          AND SO THE COMMITMENT THAT WE ASKED BACK THAT MANAGEMENT WOULD ASK BACK FROM, YOU KNOW, CITY MANAGER ASK BACK FROM THE ASSOCIATION, IS THAT YOU COMMIT THAT UNTIL WE ARE ABLE TO GROW OUR REVENUES, UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO GROW OUR COMMERCIAL BASE AND OUR SALES TAX BASE, WHICH IS PART OF THE GOAL OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT THE ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES AND DOESN'T COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY, WE WANT MORE DAYS, MEANING WE HAVE TO CUT SOMETHING ELSE. 
          BECAUSE AGAIN, WHEN YOU WANT MORE OF SOMETHING AT A CITY THAT'S FINANCIALLY AT ITS LIMITS, THAT MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE LESS OF SOMETHING ELSE. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHY WE ASKED FOR THAT COMMITMENT IS SO THAT 
          [00:50:01]
THE, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE WHO HAVE COME TO HAVE A SERVICE LEVEL EXPECTATION THEY HAVE OF WHAT PARKS WE HAVE AND WHAT LIBRARIES WE HAVE AND THE CULTURAL ARTS WE HAVE AND THE STREETS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE AND ALL THE OTHER SERVICES THAT THIS CITY PROVIDES, IT'S RESIDENTS THAT THEY KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ASKING TO HAVE LESS OF THOSE. 
          SO WE GET MORE OF THIS AGAIN, I HOPE. 
          AND MY HOPE LAST NIGHT WE PASSED THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND MY HOPE IS THAT STRATEGIC PLAN IS SUCCESSFUL AND THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GROW OUR WAY OUT OF THESE PROBLEMS BY STRENGTHENING OUR, OUR ECONOMIC QUARTERS AND HAVE SALES TAX THAT'S REFLECTIVE OF THE TYPE OF SALES TAX YOU SEE AROUND THE METROPLEX. 
          AND SOMEDAY IF WE HAVE THE AVERAGE, UH, TAX BASE, THEY HAVE THE REST OF THE METROPLEX AND WE HAVE $90 MILLION, THIS BECOMES AN EASY PROBLEM TO SOLVE, AS I SAID. 
          BUT IT'S NOT TODAY AND IT WON'T BE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL THIS PLAN TAKES HOLD. 
          THE PLAN IS NOT GOING TO WORK OVERNIGHT. 
          AND WE'VE MENTIONED THAT ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION IN PRESENTING STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AND SO OUR HOPE IS THAT THAT YEARS FROM NOW WHEN THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS WORKING AND THE SALES TAX BASE IS UP, IF THE MONEY IS THERE, WE SIT DOWN AND SAY, OKAY, THE MONEY'S THERE. 
          HOW DO WE FURTHER HELP THIS PROBLEM? BUT THIS GOES A LONG WAY PROVIDED WE HAVE THAT GUARDRAIL. 
          WHAT THE FEAR IS, AND THE REASON WE ASK FOR THIS COMMITMENT IS THE FEAR IS WE GET A YEAR FROM NOW OR TWO YEARS FROM NOW, THEY SAY WE NEED SIX LESS DIVIDENDS AND THAT'S GONNA COST $5 MILLION. 
          WE DON'T HAVE $5 MILLION. 
          SO THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO TELL THE RESIDENTS WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING LESS OF SOMETHING BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE BUCKET OF MONEY THAT EVERYTHING COMES OUT. 
          SO I THINK IT'S A GREAT, UH, THE DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH THE ASSOCIATION. 
          I'M COMFORTABLE THAT IF THE ASSOCIATION MAKES THOSE COMMITMENTS THAT AS A FINANCIAL MATTER WE COULD RECOMMEND MANAGEMENT COULD RECOMMEND THIS TO THE COUNCIL TO SAY, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE WORKABLE. 
          IT SOLVES BOTH PROBLEMS. IT GIVES THE FIREFIGHTERS SOME OF THE RELIEF THEY'RE ASKING FOR, GIVES 'EM A SCHEDULE THAT THEY PREFER TO HAVE AND A SCHEDULE THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, UH, CREATING AN ACCOUNTABILITY GUARDRAIL THAT IS KNOWING THAT THAT OVERTIME BUDGET IS GOING TO BE A CAP AND UH, HAVE A 10% THRESHOLD AFTER WHICH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD GET NOTICE. 
          THIS HAS GOTTA REVERT SO WE CAN GET THE OVERTIME UNDER CONTROL. 
          AND I THINK THAT IT IS A, IN, IN A LOT OF WAYS, IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR THE CITY AND AND FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT IT WANTS TO TAKE CARE OF. 
          LET'S BE CLEAR. 
          AND IT'S TRUE FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM. 
          EVERYBODY WANTS WHAT'S BEST FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS. 
          IT'S A MATTER OF DO WE HAVE THE MONEY? COULD WE AFFORD TO DO IT? THIS PLAN OFFERS SOME LEVEL OF BELIEF AND DOESN'T BREAK THE BANK AND RESULTS IN, IN, UH, OUR HOPE IS A LOWER OVERTIME, UH, THRESHOLD SO THAT WE, OR THE, THE COMPROMISE THAT WE SUGGEST HERE WOULD, UH, SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE OVER AT AT THE SAME TIME. 
          AND SO FROM, FOR, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, UH, JUST TO RECAP, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT I WOULD ASK THE, THE ASSOCIATION TO AGREE THAT AND UNDERSTANDS AND COMMITS TO, WHICH IS ONE, THEY UNDERSTAND THE OVERTIME CAP. 
          TWO, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WE'RE NOT GONNA COME BACK AND ASK FOR MORE DEBIT DAYS UNTIL WE SEE REAL TAX BASE GROWTH. 
          NUMBER THREE, WE MOVE TO A FOUR WEEK FLSA SCHEDULE NUMBER FOUR AND THE STANDING FOUR HOURS OF MANDATORY OVERTIME. 
          AND ALL OF THIS IS CONTINGENT ON TWO THINGS. 
          ONE IS DO THE VOTERS SAY YES IF THE VOTERS SAY NO, WE'RE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SHORT BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY IN OUR DEBT SERVICE BUDGET, BUT NOT ENOUGH MONEY IN OUR OPERATING BUDGET. 
          I KNOW THE FIRE ASSOCIATION COMMITTED MY HATS OFF TO THEM. 
          THEY COMMITTED PREVIOUSLY THIS, THEY WOULD SUPPORT THE CITY AND SUPPORT THE YES VOTE. 
          AND THEY TOLD ME NO MATTER HOW WE DID IT, EVEN IF WE COULDN'T FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET THIS DONE, THEY MADE A COMMITMENT AND THAT THEY WOULD DO THAT, THAT THEY WOULD BE OUT THERE SUPPORTING THE YES VOTE. 
          I THINK THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT THERE'S EVEN MORE REASON TO DO IT NOW THAT A YES VOTE ALLOWS THIS TO HAPPEN. 
          IF THERE'S A NO VOTE, THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD DO THIS. 
          WE'RE WE'LL BE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SHORT IN OUR BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CUT. 
          AND SO THAT IS ONE CONTINGENCY. 
          THE OTHER CONTINGENCY IS WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE LEGISLATURE WILL BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE, BUT IF THE LEGISLATURE COMES IN THERE AND CUTS OUR ABILITY TO GENERATE REVENUE FROM OUR PROPERTY TAXES MORE THAN THEY HAVE ALREADY AND WE END UP MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SHORT, OR IF THE LEGISLATURE COMES IN AND SAYS, YOU CAN'T TRANSFER FUNDS BETWEEN FUND BALANCES AS WE DO TO MAKE OUR BUDGET WORK EVERY YEAR, THEN WE'LL BE SHORT. 
          WE WON'T HAVE MONEY. 
          WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE SEEING WHAT DO WE CUT? NOT WHAT CAN WE, WHAT ACCOMMODATIONS CAN WE MAKE? I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE FIRE ASSOCIATION CAN GO DOWN AND HAVE SOME IMPACT ON THE LEGISLATURE AND CONVINCE THE LEGISLATURE 
          [00:55:01]
THAT THE THE PUSH TO REDUCE REVENUES, UH, TO MUNICIPALITIES IS NOT HELPFUL TO FIREFIGHTERS OR HELPFUL TO THE RESIDENTS THAT WE SERVE BECAUSE OF THE COMMITMENT THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE THE TYPE OF SERVICE THAT THAT RESIDENTS WANT FROM THEIR FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND FROM THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND THE OTHER AMENITIES THAT WE OFFER AND THE OTHER SERVICES THAT WE OFFER. 
          SO I'M HOPEFUL THE FIRE ASSOCIATION CAN HAVE SOME IMPACT ON BOTH OF THOSE ISSUES, BOTH THE RATE SWAP ELECTION IN TERMS OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THAT, UH, ELECTION SO THAT THERE IS IN FACT THE YES VOTE. 
          AND SECONDLY, SO THAT THE LEGISLATURE DOESN'T DO WHAT WE HOPE THEY WON'T DO TO, UH, THE CITY IN, UH, THE LEGISLATURE AND REDUCE OUR REVENUES EVEN FURTHER. 
          AND SO MY HATS OFF TO THE ASSOCIATION. 
          I APPRECIATE THE LONG DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD AND THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT THIS. 
          AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS A SOLUTION THAT IS A WIN-WIN. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S THE WAY IT'S PERCEIVED. 
          IT, IT SOLVES A FINANCIAL PROBLEM THE CITY HAS WHILE ALSO TRYING TO HOW DO WE GET THROUGH YES IN A WAY THAT'S FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, WHICH WAS THE CHARGE OF THIS COMMITTEE. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHAT IT WOULD TAKE IF, IF THE ASSOCIATION AND THIS COMMITTEE GOES TO DO SOMETHING. 
          IF, IF I'M, IF I'M ASKED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND ASKED TO GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL, WHAT DOES MANAGEMENT SAY ABOUT THIS? THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR ME TO SAY I CAN RECOMMEND THIS BECAUSE IT'S FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE, WHICH WAS THE CHARGE OF THIS COMMISSION. 
          WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          UM, MR BETS, I WAS JUST GONNA ASK YOU, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT THAT 2.5 MILLION AND IF IT WENT OVER 10% YES, LIKE IN ONE YEAR. 
          SO JUST FOR MY UNDERSTANDING ARE, ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS JUST BEING TRIED FOR ONE YEAR OR AT THE END OF THE YEAR IT'S BEING REVIEWED OR HOW IS THAT WE'LL PUT THIS IN PLACE, BUT IF THE OVERTIME COMES IN AND, AND WE GET TO THE END OF THE YEAR, IT'S $2.4 MILLION THEN GOES ON THE NEXT YEAR CONTINUES ON, IF AT ANY TIME DURING THE YEAR THE OVERTIME GETS TO 2.5 PLUS 10%, WHICH IS, WHAT'S THAT 202,000,007 52.75, $2.75 MILLION IN OVERTIME, THEY GET THE NOTICE CHIEF, YOU HAVE 90 DAYS PUT THE SCHEDULE BACK AND PUT THOSE NINE FIREFIGHTERS INTO THE PLACE THAT WILL REDUCE THE OVERTIME BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD IT. 
          IT'S THE SAME AND, BUT IF THEY KEEP IT IN, IN LINE WITH THE 2,500,000 THAT WE'RE BUDGETING YEAR AFTER YEAR AND GOES FORWARD, WHY WOULD WE CHANGE IT BACK? WE'VE COMMITTED TO THAT LEVEL OF OVERTIME RECOGNIZING WE NEED A CERTAIN LEVEL OF OVERTIME IN THE DEPARTMENT. 
          WE, FOR ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WHERE THEY HAD MANDATORY MINIMUM COVERAGES, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME AMOUNT OF OVERTIME OR YOU HAVE TO OVERHIRE BY SO MUCH THAT THERE'S TIMES YOU HAVE PEOPLE SITTING AROUND, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S GONNA BE SOME OVERTIME. 
          OUR CONCERN IS THE OVERTIME CAN'T STAY AT THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. 
          WE CAN'T AFFORD IT AT THE CITY. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. 
          YES SIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES MA'AM. 
          SO IF THERE IS AN OVERTIME BUST, WOULD IT OR COULD IT BE RECONSIDERED IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR TO GO BACK TRY AGAIN TO TRY AGAIN? THAT'S DISCUSSION. 
          THAT WOULD BE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE BE A DISCUSSION WE'D HAVE TO HAVE. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, MY, MY INITIAL INCLINATION WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WOULD HAVE TO, AND AGAIN IT WOULD BE UP TO THE COUNCIL, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT I WOULD PUT IN MY BUDGET AS YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT, I RECOMMEND A BUDGET. 
          I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE BUDGETING OF THAT UNLESS THEY CAME TO ME AND SAID, HERE'S HOW WE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. 
          AND, AND, AND I DID SAY, AND I WANTED TO SAY THE CHIEF ASKED ABOUT THIS AND I KNOW THAT BILL ASKED ABOUT THIS, WHAT IF WE HAVE A DISASTER, A TORNADO, WHETHER IT GOES ON AND YOU HAVE A TWO, THREE WEEK RELIEF SCENE AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSES IT TO GO OVER. 
          WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. 
          WE CAN EXCLUDE THOSE. 
          WE CAN EXCLUDE, WE HAVE THE BLIZZARD ONCE EVERY FIVE YEARS AND HAVE TO HAVE DOUBLE AMBULANCE COVERAGE AND DOUBLE WHATEVER COVERAGE. 
          WE CAN EXCLUDE THOSE. 
          WE EXCLUDE THOSE AS PART OF OUR EMERGENCY PLANNING, BUDGETING AND WHAT WE DO EMERGENCY PLANNING WISE. 
          A LOT OF, A LOT OF TIMES SOME OF THIS MONEY'S RECOVERABLE, UH, FROM VARIOUS FEDERAL PROGRAMS. 'CAUSE WE'VE HAD AN EMERGENCY. 
          I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. 
          I'M TALKING ABOUT JUST THE RANK AND FILE AND THERE'S A STRONG INCENTIVE. 
          THE GOOD NEWS IS IF A FIREFIGHTER FEELS LIKE HE'S NOT FEELING WELL AND IS GONNA CALL HIM SICK. 
          HE CAN CALL ONE OF HIS BUDDIES AND SAY, WE DON'T WANNA BUST THE OVERTIME CAP. 
          WE WANT THIS FOR ALL OF US. 
          CAN YOU TRADE WITH ME AND I'LL COME BACK WHEN I'M BETTER? THERE'S SOME AMOUNT OF OVERTIME, AND I'VE HEARD ANECDOTALLY, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU CAN'T GET A DAY OFF BECAUSE THERE'S NO VACATION DAYS LEFT AHEAD, BUT AUNT MILDRED'S GETTING MARRIED FOR THE SEVENTH TIME AND YOU WANNA GO AFTER AUNT MILDRED'S WEDDING BECAUSE THE LAST SIX WERE A BLAST. 
          BUT THAT'S YOUR DAY TO WORK AND THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GETTING TO AUNT MILDRED'S, UH, WEDDING FOR THE SEVENTH TIME IS TO BANG IN SICK. 
          YOU HAVE A REAL INCENTIVE IF YOU WANT NOT TO BUST IT FOR YOU AND ALL YOUR FELLOWS 
          [01:00:01]
TO CALL FRED AND SAY, HEY FRED, CAN YOU SWITCH WITH ME? I CAN'T MISS AUNT MILDRED'S SEVENTH WEDDING. 
          IT'S TOO IMPORTANT TO WHAT I'M TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S SUCH A BLAST LAST TIME. 
          I DON'T WANNA MISS IT THIS TIME. 
          AND SO SOME OF THAT WILL GO ON AND, AND BILL AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS IS THERE'S A STRONG INCENTIVE ON THE FIREFIGHTERS TO ONE ANOTHER TO MAINTAIN OVERTIME LEVELS THAT DON'T BUST THIS SO THEY CAN HAVE A SCHEDULE THAT'S MORE ACCOMMODATING TO THEM. 
          THERE'S ALSO AN INCENTIVE, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT FROM THE CAPTAIN RANK. 
          SO IF YOU'RE A CAPTAIN, YOU'VE BEEN PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN BECAUSE THEY LIVED IN LIEUTENANT RANK AND ALL YOUR GUYS ARE USING OVERTIME IN A WAY THAT THEY SHOULDN'T, AND YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH OVERTIME AND WHEN TO SCHEDULE TRAINING AND EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU'RE LOOKING SAY, I'M GONNA SCHEDULE THIS IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T BUST THE CAP BECAUSE FROM THE TOP DOWN I RECOGNIZE I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO LIEUTENANT OR OR DRIVER IN SOME CASES. 
          AND SO YOU GET BOTH HORIZONTAL, UH, UH, PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN THE OVERTIME AND VERTICAL PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN THE OVERTIME. 
          AND SO IT'S A SYSTEM THAT'S ALMOST SELF-REINFORCING AND THAT'S WHY MY OPTIMISM, UH, EXISTS FOR IT. 
          THAT'S WHY I THINK IT WOULD WORK BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT OF THAT WILL GO ON AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S A WIN-WIN BECAUSE IT LETS THE CITY DO WHAT IT CAN'T AFFORD TO DO BECAUSE THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING TO COMMIT TO REDUCTIONS OF THE OVERTIME BUDGET BY POLICING THEMSELVES BOTH HORIZONTALLY AND . 
          WELL, YOU WOULD ACTUALLY MONITOR DURING THE YEAR THOUGH. 
          I MEAN EVERY MONTHLY IT WILL, I THINK THERE'LL BE A MONTHLY REPORT AND I THINK I'LL BE THE ONLY ONE MONITORING IT. 
          MERYL, I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT THE FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE MONITORING YOU AND CALLING ONE OF US, HEY, YOU GUYS ARE GETTING CLOSE. 
          YOU GOTTA STOP THIS. 
          YOU, YOU GOTTA TRAIN. 
          YOU'RE SICK, YOU TRAINED, YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, THE CAPTAINS WILL BE SAYING, HEY, WE'RE NOT DOING TRAINING LIKE THAT. 
          WE'RE GONNA DO IT THESE DAYS. 
          IF WE'RE GONNA DO IT IN A WAY THAT'S GONNA BE MOST BENEFICIAL. 
          SO I ASSUME THAT NOT ONLY IS THE CITY GONNA BE MONITORING IT, I SUSPECT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT MONITORING IT VERY CLOSELY, WHAT WOULD THAT IF THEY GET 2 MILLION FROM ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS, IF THEY ONLY GO TO 2 MILLION, DON'T GO TO TWO AND A HALF MILLION IF THEY GET IT DOWN TO 2 MILLION. 
          YOU KNOW, THE CHIEF SAID THAT, WHAT, WHAT IF WE GET AN, I SAID TO THE CHIEF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET DOWN TO 1.75 AND YOU WANNA COME BACK AND SAY, HEY, CAN I USE SOME OF THE EXTRA OF THAT TO GET MORE DEBIT LESS EDIT DAYS? YEAH, LET'S HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          LET'S SEE HOW IT WORKS, LET'S SEE HOW IT WORKS AND SEE CAN WE DO BETTER ON OVERTIME? AND THAT'S ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH CHIEF. 
          THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE PUT ON THE TABLE TODAY AND THAT THE BUT BUT YEAH. 
          COME BACK. 
          COME BACK. 
          IF YOU'RE SAYING, LOOK, MY GUYS HAVE GOT THIS OVERTIME ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A MILLION AND A HALF AND THEY WANT TO KNOW CAN WE, CAN WE HAVE DEBT DAYS? GET RID OF A FEW OF 'EM? I WOULD TRY IT, I THINK WOULD BE MY RESPONSE BECAUSE, BECAUSE THE GOAL AT THE END OF THE DAY IS TO FIND A SOLUTION THAT GIVES THE FIREFIGHTER SOME RELIEF FROM THIS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT THEY DO COMPARED TO 10 YEARS AGO. 
          YOU KNOW, DOUBLE AND TRIPLE THE WORK IN SOME CASES CALLED VOLUME WHILE AT THE SAME TIME BEING FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE FOR A CITY THAT'S VERY MODEST AND VERY MODEST BUDGETS. 
          YES MA'AM. 
          OKAY, SO 15 MINUTES FROM 10. 
          UM, SO SAY THIS GOES THROUGH, THEY'RE GIVING NINE ADDITIONAL, UH, PERSONNEL, RIGHT? NINE ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS WERE PROPOSED IN THE YES PROJECT, RIGHT? SO IF THEY HAD TO REVERT BACK TO THE CURRENT SCHEDULE, SO IT'S NINE FIRE, THEY KEEP THEIR NINE, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT JUST LET ANYONE GO ROUGHLY, UM, IN THEORY THAT WOULD KEEP THEM, THOSE NINE WOULD BE ABLE TO OFFSET THOSE NINE WOULD GIVE A BIGGER OVERTIME CUSHION TO TRY TO HELP REDUCE THE OVERTIME BUDGET. 
          AND THEN IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, WHAT DO WE DO THEN? IF YOU, IF THEY HAD DENIED AND THEY STILL USE AS MUCH OVERTIME, THAT'S WHEN I CALL THE CHIEF. 
          I MEANT THAT'S WHEN I CALL THE CHIEF AND I SAY, CHIEF, YOU NEED TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS BECAUSE THERE'S NO MORE MONEY FOR OVERTIME. 
          AND I WOULDN'T ANTICIPATE, I MEAN, SOMEBODY WILL HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU IF THEY HAVE, IF THEY REVERT BACK, HAVE NINE EXTRA FIREFIGHTERS AND STILL USE MORE OVER TIME. 
          SOMEBODY'S GONNA HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE . 
          BUT I MEAN, JUST REALISTICALLY, I DON'T SEE THAT, THAT, I DON'T SEE THAT AS A REALISTIC POSSIBILITY. 
          IT COULD HAPPEN, BUT I WOULD BE SHOCKED. 
          SOMETHING'S GOING ON. 
          VERY STRANGE IF THAT HAPPENS. 
          IT'S, IT'S  STRANGE THINGS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, SIR. 
          IS 3.91 MILLION OR WHATEVER WE HAD, IS THAT THE NORMAL, UH, IT'S BEEN THERE BEFORE AND ALLISON CAN SPEAK TO 3.54. 
          IT'S BEEN THERE ALLISON FOR SOME TIME. 
          SHE'S GOT THE NUMBERS. 
          OKAY. 
          WENT AHEAD AND PULLED UP THE SLIDE AND WE WENT OVER IN DECEMBER. 
          UM, SO 
          [01:05:01]
FOR FY 25 WE WERE AT 3.54, AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN BEFORE YOU FISCAL YEAR 24, WE WERE 2.78 OR 2.87 MILLION. 
          FISCAL YEAR 23, WE WERE AT ALMOST 3.1 MILLION. 
          FISCAL YEAR 22 WE WERE AT 2.7 MILLION. 
          AND THEN FISCAL YEAR 21, JUST GOING BACK FIVE YEARS, WE WERE AT 3.2 MILLION. 
          AND WHAT'S IT ON PACE? SO WE HAD UPS AND DOWNS. 
          WHAT'S IT ON PACE FOR THIS YEAR? UH, ANOTHER 3 MILLION YEAR. 
          3 MILLION. 
          WE HAD 40 IN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL THIS YEAR ON 25. 
          SO WE HAVE PEOPLE NOT HERE, WHICH IS OUT THE DOOR FOR US. 
          SO OBVIOUSLY HOW FAR OFF WE ARE, WE'VE STILL, WE'VE STILL BEEN VERY FAR OFF. 
          SURE. 
          WE'VE NEVER BEEN, BECAUSE REMEMBER, CAN I, THE AMOUNT THAT WE BUDGETED IS 1.79. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND, AND THAT'S A BIG BUST. 
          CAN I, CAN I JUST ASK, UM, I THINK BEFORE WE HEARD THAT THERE WAS A LIKE FOUR TO FIVE THAT WE GO TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL YEAR. 
          SO WHY ALL OF A SUDDEN DID WE SEND 40? BECAUSE WE WERE FALLING BEHIND, WE WERE LOSING 7, 8, 9, 10 PEOPLE IN RETIREMENTS AND LEAVING THE PROFESSION, THE PARAMEDICS, AND WE WERE ONLY REPLACING SIX AT A TIME. 
          SO THOSE CATS SIT OVER THERE AND THIS ONE BESIDE RIGHT, THE AMBULANCE ALL THE TIME BECAUSE ALL THE OTHERS ARE JUST EMTS WAITING TO GO TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL FOR THREE TO FIVE YEARS. 
          UM, SO WE MADE A COMMITMENT TO, TO ALL OF OUR PARAMEDICS WE'RE GOING TO CATCH UP AND IT'S GONNA REQUIRE THEM TO HELP OFFSET SOME OF THE OVERTIME. 
          WE, WE NOT JUST 40, WE HAD 52 IN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL AT THE SAME TIME FOR COMPLETE YOUR CASE. 
          I KNOW, BUT, BUT WE HAD 52 TO CATCH UP. 
          NOW WE'RE CAUGHT UP AND, AND THIS YEAR, RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY WE HAVE 20 PEOPLE IN SCHOOL FOR PARAMEDIC. 
          NEXT JANUARY WE WILL HAVE SEVEN. 
          UH, SO WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING THOSE NUMBERS FROM 24 PEOPLE PER CLASS. 
          THOSE GREAT BIG NUMBERS FOR BRINGING 'EM DOWN. 
          SO WE ANTICIPATE OUR OVERTIME GETTING BACK TO OUR NORMAL 3 MILLION. 
          AND THEN THE SCHEDULE IS SELF POLICING. 
          WE CAN GET THAT DOWN TO TWO AND A FIVE. 
          HOW MANY RETIREMENTS DO YOU HAVE IN 27? WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE, UH, ANTICIPATING SEVEN TO NINE. 
          CHIEF YOU WOULD AGREE WITH ME THAT, THAT, THAT UNDER THIS SCHEDULE, IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE AN INCENTIVE TO TRY AND NORMALIZE HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU SEND, EVEN IF IT MEANT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE TO RIDE THE AMBULANCE A LITTLE LONGER, JUST SO WE EQUALIZE AND NORMALIZE THAT OUT OVER YEAR. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE A, A BIG YEAR AND A SMALLER YEAR, THE FOLLOWING YEAR YOU MIGHT SAY, WELL, WE'RE GONNA WAIT A LITTLE BIT AND NORMALIZE THESE OUT SO WE DON'T BUST THE OVERTIME BUDGET. 
          AND YOUR GUYS WOULD PROBABLY BE WILLING TO DO THAT. 
          I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO MANAGE IT WELL ENOUGH THAT WE CAN KEEP UP WITH OUR PARAMEDIC REQUIREMENTS, EVEN IF IT NEEDS, WE CHANGE, WE DO THINGS AS FAR AS TRAINING. 
          OUR PARAMEDICS MAY COME DOWN TO THAT. 
          UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS OUT THERE. 
          THE BIGGEST THING IS THE, THE GRATITUDE TO ALLOW US TO HIT THAT TARGET AND CREATE A SCHEDULE THAT WORKS GIVES OUR FIREFIGHTERS A LITTLE BIT MORE RECOVERY TIME. 
          AND YOU KNOW, FOR ALLISON OF A DECADE, NEARLY A DECADE THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, WE BUSTED OUR OVERTIME MISERABLY EVERY YEAR. 
          FORTUNATELY THE ECONOMY WAS NOT HORRIBLE. 
          THERE WAS A LOT OF SALARY SAVINGS FROM THESE DEPOSIT DEPOSITIONS IN OTHER AREAS AND SHE COULD USE THAT MONEY TO OFFSET MY DEFICITS AND OVERTIME, OKAY, THOSE DOLLARS HAVE DRIED UP AND WE'RE SEEING THE SHORTFALL EVERY TIME. 
          SO YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 
          AND THAT GOES BACK TO, HAD A CONVERSATION TODAY, A CAPTAIN AND I WAS DOING AND LED AND DEVELOPED BY CAPTAIN BUTCH LANGAN BUTCH'S PHILOSOPHY AND EVERYTHING IS WHAT WE'RE DOING'S NOT WORKING, CHANGE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          SAME THING IN TRAINING PARAMEDICS. 
          WHAT WE WERE DOING WAS NOT WORKING SIX PER YEAR. 
          SOMEHOW DIDN'T MAP OUT TO THE 9, 10, 11 THAT WE WERE LOSING PER YEAR. 
          SO WE HAD TO CHANGE THE MATH AND WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 
          THE SCHEDULE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO ALLOW US TO GET TO A TWO AND A HALF MILLION. 
          THE CITY CAME UP, THREW REAL MONEY AT US, THREW SOME PEOPLE TO HELP. 
          WE'RE THROWING A SCHEDULE OUT THERE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR FOLKS AND WE'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP OUR PARAMEDICS AND TO MEET OUR OVERTIME EXPECTATIONS. 
          HAVE YOU ALL GONE TO THE ASSOCIATION WITH THESE FINANCIAL, THESE FOUR FINANCIAL PILLARS? I GUESS WE CAN CALL 'EM. 
          WE HAVE, WE HAVE  AND WE'RE PREPARED FOR BILL AND I BOTH TO STAND BEFORE THE FULL COUNCIL AND MAKE A COMMITMENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO GIVE 
          [01:10:01]
THIS OUR BEST SHOT AND WE UNDERSTAND THE GUARDRAILS THAT ARE IN PLACE AND IF WE FAIL, WE KNOW WE WILL WORKING. 
          I'M IN FAVOR OF THE SCHEDULE WITH THOSE GUARDRAILS IN PLACE. 
          QUESTION REAL QUICK. 
          YOU KEEP SAYING WE WANT TO GET BACK DOWN TO OUR CEILING THAT IS 2.5 MILLION. 
          WHAT IS THE REALITY OF CHUCK CAN ACTUALLY GET BELOW THAT WITH THE SCHEDULE? WE DON'T KNOW YET. 
          DO YOU POSSIBLY HAVE GUT FEELING THAT, HEY, I THINK THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY SAVE THAT IF WE'VE BEEN DOING, UM, 3.1 AS ESTIMATED FOR 26, 2 0.87 AND 24 3 0.1. 
          I SEE THAT WE'VE CONSTANTLY BEEN OVER THAT. 
          SO WE'RE MAKING A SCHEDULE CHANGE AND HOPING THAT ONCE THE PARAMEDIC SCHOOL IS ALL TAKEN CARE OF, WOULD IT NOT BE REALISTIC TO THINK THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET BELOW THAT CEILING COUNT? JUST 'CAUSE IT'S THERE? DON'T MEAN WE GOTTA USE IT. 
          WELL, AND YOU HAVE TO THINK THEORETICAL. 
          SOME OF IT'S JUST THEORETICAL, BUT SURE, WHEN WE HAVE MORE RECOVERY TIME, IT'S GONNA REDUCE THE NUMBER OF INJURED FIREFIGHTERS. 
          SO THEY'RE GONNA BE AT WORK, NOT OFF ON INJURY. 
          UH, IT IS GOING TO REDUCE AND, AND IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THOSE FIREFIGHTERS THAT, THAT ARE, ARE AT WORK. 
          AND THE CHANCES THAT THEY'RE GONNA WAKE UP THAT THEIR SHIFT MORNING AND GO JUST CANNOT DO IT TODAY, UH, THAT'S HOPEFULLY GONNA BE REDUCED BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD THREE DAYS TO RECOVER INSTEAD OF JUST TWO OR ONE BECAUSE THEY SUB UP OR THEY WORK THE SHIFT OVERTIME, WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          UM, SO YEAH, I I THINK THEORETICALLY WE COULD SEE A NUMBER BELOW THAT TWO AND A HALF MILLION BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE REDUCING INJURIES, WE'RE REDUCING ILLNESS, WE'RE REDUCING OUR CHANCES FOR CANCER, WE'RE REDUCING ANY NUMBER OF THINGS THAT KEEP FIREFIGHTERS FROM SHOWING UP FOR WORK, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THAT NINE EXTRA FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE SHOWING UP TO HELP COVER ONE, YOU KNOW, JUST UNDER ONE PER STATION IF YOU WANT TO AVERAGE IT OUT. 
          BUT I'M JUST SAYING, I MEAN THAT, THAT TAKES OUR CUSHION ON THE 24TH. 
          THE SCHEDULE THAT WE PROPOSED, IT TOOK, IT TOOK OUR CUSHION FROM FIVE TO NOW SEVEN, WHICH IS MUCH CLOSER TO WHAT WE HAVE NOW. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, SO, AND WITH THE COMMITMENT OF THE FIREFIGHTERS TO GO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA REALLY MONITOR, WE'RE GONNA SELF-POLICE THIS, UM, HERE'S THE CARROT ON THE STICK. 
          AND I, AND I TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, IF THEY START GETTING CLOSE, SOMEBODY'S GONNA RIP THAT CARROT OFF AND START USING THE STICK, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, TO MAKE SURE WE GET, MAKE SURE WE, WE GET TO KEEP THE SCHEDULE. 
          THERE'S AN INCENTIVE ACTUALLY USING IT ON EACH OTHER. 
          AND I AGREE THERE IS AN INCENTIVE TO DO THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, IF THIS, THE SCHEDULE THAT Y PUT TOGETHER LOOKS GREAT, THE COMPROMISE THAT THE CITY IS PROPOSING, I CAN GET BEHIND THAT. 
          BUT J MY WHOLE THING IS, IS, WELL I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS TOO, BUT BASED ON WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, WE WANT TO GET IT BACK DOWN TO THAT 2.5 CAP. 
          IT'S LIKE, I WANT, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU GET DOWN BELOW THAT 2.5 CAPS SO THAT WE CAN GIVE RELIEF SOMEWHERE ELSE. 
          YOU KNOW, LIKE THEY SAY, IF WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT FROM SOMEPLACE, WE GOTTA GIVE, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA GIVE IT AWAY. 
          OR IF YOU WANT THIS, THEN YOU GOTTA TAKE, SO I'M JUST THINKING THIS AND, AND ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS PER SHIFT. 
          UM, IDEALLY I WOULD HOPE THAT THAT WOULD GET BELOW AT 2.5. 
          I MEAN, YOU WEREN'T FAR OFF OF IT IN 24 AND IN 22. 
          UM, AND I SEE WITH THE ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE IN PARAMEDIC SCHOOL, AND I THINK THIS IS THE 20 THAT WE SENT, WHAT, JANUARY, FEBRUARY? THEY'RE ON THE BACK END OF IT NOW. 
          YES. 
          I SAID 20TH OF JANUARY. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THIS IS THE 20 THAT WE ALREADY KNEW ABOUT, UH, BEFORE. 
          OKAY, THAT'S COOL. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S COOL. 
          I JUST HOPE THAT WE CAN GIVE BELOW 2.5. 
          UM, MY OTHER QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE LOGIC BEHIND REDUCING LIEUTENANTS AND INCREASING CAPTAINS? THE, THE LOGIC BEHIND THAT IS WE'RE ADDING A FOURTH SHIFT, SO WE'VE GOTTA HAVE MORE CAPTAINS. 
          THE LIEUTENANTS CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE A WRITING POSITION WHEN THEY ARE WORKING. 
          I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY 90% OF THE LIEUTENANT'S TIME IS WORKING AS A CAPTAIN. 
          SO HE'S GETTING HIGH CAPACITY PAY AS A CAPTAIN FROM THE TIME THAT I GOT HERE LONG BEFORE THE TIME I GOT HERE, THEY HAD THESE SWING LIEUTENANTS AND WAS IT LIKE ONE FOR THE NORTH SIDE, ONE FOR THE SOUTH SIDE OR NO, NO, IT WAS THREE PER SHIFT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THERE'S THREE SWINGS PER SHIFT. 
          OKAY. 
          2, 4, 4 ON EIGHT SHIFT, FOUR ON EIGHT SHIFT 3%, FOUR ON EIGHT SHIFT. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, AND, AND THEY JUST, THEY SWING AROUND WHEREVER A CAPTAIN DISSOLVED, THERE'S HAZARDS IN THAT ONE. 
          I DON'T GET TO DEVELOP MY DRIVERS BECAUSE THERE'S A LIEUTENANT FILLING THE CAPTAIN SPOTS. 
          THE DRIVER NEVER GETS TO TRY ON THE JACKET OF THE CAPTAIN, IF YOU WILL. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS. 
          THEY DON'T KNOW HOW IT FITS UNTIL THEY TAKE A TEST 
          [01:15:01]
AND THEN THEY FIGURE OUT, MAN, THIS THING IS HORRIBLE. 
          I DON'T LIKE IT. 
          NOW THEY'RE STUCK WHERE THEY'RE AT. 
          SO A LIEUTENANT HAS PREVENTED THE DRIVER'S FROM, THEY HAVE TRIAL THAT JACKET, THE LIEUTENANT WORKS AS A CAPTAIN, THEY DON'T HAVE AN ASSIGNED SEAT. 
          GET RID OF THE LIEUTENANTS. 
          IT, IT IS, I DON'T THINK THAT I REALIZED THAT ALL LIEUTENANTS WERE ALL SWINGS. 
          THE ONLY LIEUTENANTS THAT ARE NOT WORKING THE FIRE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. 
          OKAY. 
          I THINK I'VE GOT 1, 2, 3 OF THOSE. 
          THERE'S, THERE'S THREE ON THE LIST HERE. 
          SO WE WE'RE ACTUALLY AN ODDITY IN THE FIRE SERVICE WORLD. 
          HAVING THOSE LIEUTENANTS WITHOUT A WRITING POSITION. 
          I SPENT A LOT OF TIME EXPLAINING TO OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, OR PATRIOTS IN VARIOUS PLACES THAT POSITION. 
          UM, BECAUSE, AND THEY EXIST BECAUSE WE, WE DID HAVE DOUBLE COMPANIES AND WHEN YOU HAD DOUBLE COMPANY HOUSE OR A TRUCK AND AN ENGINE, THE, THE CAPTAIN WOULD RIDE THE TRUCK OR THE ENGINE DEPENDING ON THE CULTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND THEN THE LIEUTENANT WOULD RIDE THE OTHER APPLICANT. 
          UM, AND, AND THEN WHEN THAT CAPTAIN WAS OFF, THE LIEUTENANT WOULD MOVE TO THE CAPTAIN'S POSITION AND THE DRIVER WOULD, WOULD RIDE UP INTO THAT POSITION. 
          AND, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHEN WE WENT TO THE 11 STATION CONCEPT AND WE PHASED OUT THOSE DOUBLE COMPANIES, WE KEPT THOSE LIEUTENANTS POSITIONS JUST AS THOSE FLOATERS, JUST AS THOSE SWING POSITIONS. 
          AND, AND IT, AND IT, IT HAS BEEN A, A VEIN 'CAUSE IT, WHAT WHAT IT DOES WITH, WITH 1 43, WE BY 1 43, THAT DRIVER CANNOT ACT UP INTO THE CAPTAIN'S POSITION BECAUSE HE CAN'T GO ABOVE A LIEUTENANT. 
          WELL, THERE'S ACTUALLY NO LIEUTENANT SPOT OUT THERE. 
          UH, THERE'S NOT A LIEUTENANT SEAT ANYWHERE OUT THERE. 
          SO THAT HAS PREVENTED THOSE DRIVERS FROM RIDING UP. 
          AND, AND THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES IN THE PAST THAT WE'VE HAD TO HIRE CAPTAINS OR OUR LIEUTENANT TO COME IN AND WORK OVERTIME, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE OVERSTAFFED, WE WERE OVER THAT MINIMUM STAFFING BECAUSE THE DRIVERS WEREN'T ABLE TO ACT UP, UP INTO THAT POSITION BECAUSE 1 43. 
          SO HAVING THAT MOVE OF ELIMINATING THE LIEUTENANT'S POSITION IS YET ANOTHER MEASURE TO ELIMINATE OVERTIME. 
          SO NOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO HIRE AN OFFICER, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE OVERSTAFFED, BECAUSE NOW WITHOUT THE DROP LIEUTENANT'S POSITION, THE DRIVER CAN LEGALLY MOVE AND WRITE UP IN THAT CAPITAL POSITION. 
          SO WHAT ARE WE, WHAT WOULD Y'ALL, WHAT ARE Y'ALL LOOKING TO DO WITH THE, SO IF YOU HAVE, I'M JUST GONNA DO THE MATH ASSEMBLY. 
          YOU'VE GOT FOUR SHIFTS, 11 STATIONS, THAT'S 44, RIGHT? YOU'RE LOOKING AT 56 CAPTAINS. 
          SO WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL 12 CAPTAINS GONNA BE DOING WHEN YOU HAVE TWO CAPTAINS AT EACH STATION OR EACH SHIFT FOR EACH STATION TALKING ABOUT THE DEBIT DAYS? SO IS THAT, IS THAT WHAT WE'RE COUNTING INTO ON THAT? I JUST, NO, GO AHEAD. 
          WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO, SO YOU INCREASE CURRENTLY 18, SO YOU GOT A TOTAL THAT 56 IS WHAT THE PROPOSED IS. 
          AND THAT'S ADDING THE D SHIFT. 
          ADDING THE D SHIFT. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE, WE'RE ELIMINATING LIEUTENANT'S POSITION. 
          THERE'S THREE BOARD STAFF THAT'LL MOVE TO CAPTAIN. 
          AND THEN WE ARE TAKING THE TAILBOARD POSITION THAT DRIVES BATTALION ONE TODAY WE ARE CREATING FIELD INCIDENT TEXTS OR COMMAND TEXTS THAT WOULD BE CAPTAINS FOR BOTH OF THE BCS. 
          UH, 'CAUSE IT, IT PROVIDES SOME CONTINUITY OF THAT POSITION, HIGHER RANKING, EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          SO THOSE ARE MOVING TO CAPTAINS AS WELL. 
          SO THERE'LL BE A CAPTAIN WITH THE BATTALION CHIEF. 
          THERE WILL BE CAPTAINS ON THE D SHIFT AND THERE WILL BE STAFF CAPTAINS. 
          THOSE ARE THE ADDITIONAL CAPTAIN POSITIONS THAT YOU'RE SEEING, BUT THEY'RE COMING FROM LIEUTENANTS. 
          YOU SAY STAFF CAPTAINS, ADMIN CAPTAIN. 
          WHAT'S THAT? IS THAT WHEN YOU SAY STAFF CAPTAINS? WHAT'S THE ONES IN ADMINISTRATION? OKAY. 
          I'M SEEING THERE WAS SIX ON THAT. 
          SO IT TAKES DOWN TO 50. 
          SO, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          I WAS JUST ABSOLUTELY TRYING TO GET THE, GET IN THE HEAD AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT LIEUTENANTS HAD NO RIDING POSITION, THAT THEY WERE ALL PRETTY MUCH FLOATERS. 
          THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE. 
          AND THEY SAVED A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, NOT A LOT, BUT A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY. 
          I LEAVE IT AS LIEUTENANT. 
          SO WHENEVER I HAD ALL THE CAPTAINS THERE, LIEUTENANT RODE THE BACK SEAT OF THE FIRE TRUCK WRECK, LIKE A TAILBOARD FIREFIGHTER WOULD RIDE, UH, MAKING LIEUTENANTS PAY, WHICH I'M NOT MUCH OF A TIGHT ONE, BUT THAT ONE JUST CRAWLED ALL OVER. 
          NO OFFENSE TO ANY LIEUTENANTS THAT MAY BE OVER THERE. 
          OKAY, COOL. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          I APPRECIATE THE EXPLANATION. 
          IN THE EVENT THAT WE GET A YES VOTE NOVEMBER, HOW SOON CAN YOU GET THOSE NINE ONLINE? UM, JULY, THE SHIFT SCHEDULE. 
          [01:20:01]
JUNE, JULY, WE'LL START FIRE ACADEMY, UH, MIDDLE TO THE END OF FEBRUARY, I BELIEVE IS WHAT WERE SET, UM, RESERVATIONS WE HAVE IN THE FIRE HEARING, WHICH WOULD PUT THEM COMING OUT PROBABLY JULY, WHICH IS AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. 
          AND THESE INITIAL SPECIAL SESSIONS HAVE BEEN CALLED IF GOVERNOR DIDN'T GO, IF GOVERNOR WANTED, UH, AND THEN WE WOULD LOOK AT PROBABLY EVEN HOLDING OFF TILL A JANUARY 1ST, 2028 START DATE FOR THE GOOSE SCHEDULE. 
          THAT WOULD ALLOW US TIME TO GET ALL OF THE PLAYERS PROMOTED IN POSITIONS, UH, GET ALL THE DETAILS OF WHO'S GOING TO BE IN WHAT ROUTE, BUT THE INTERNAL WORKINGS THAT WILL REQUIRE LEAVE TIME FIXED AND STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          WHAT IS OUR CURRENT ALLOCATION FOR OVERTIME? THIS, UH, 26, 27 FISCAL YEAR. 
          THE BUDGET? YEAH. 
          AT 1.7. 
          OKAY. 
          WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT. 
          I KNOW I'M 98%. 
          OKAY, SO I AM ON BOARD WITH THIS. 
          UM, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO ABOUT A FOURTH REFRIGERATOR? SO DON'T COME BACK, BACK REFRIGERATOR. 
          WE'RE GONNA BUY MORE REFRIGERATORS AND YOU'RE NOT GOING KNOW IT. 
          Y'ALL ARE GOOD PICKS OR I, I'VE GOT AN EVEN BETTER ANSWER FOR YOU FOR THAT BECAUSE WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION, UH, BECAUSE THAT DID COME UP IN A LOT OF OUR FLORIDA DEPARTMENTS HAVE MOVE TO THIS. 
          THEY GOT THE CITY COMMENCE TO GO DO THIS AND THEN THEY WERE BACK TO COUNCIL SAYING, WE NEED REMODELING. 
          WE NEED MORE REFRIGERATORS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE OUR CULTURE. 
          UH, IN THAT WE'RE GONNA SHARE. 
          YES. 
          OH, WE SHARE NOW. 
          HOLD ON. 
          I THINK THAT'S GONNA ADJUST OUR CULTURE TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, THAT THOSE THREE, THOSE REFRIGERATORS BECOME COMMUNITY. 
          WE RESPECT IF A SHIP HAS BOUGHT SOMETHING, WE MAY HAVE MAGIC MARKERS HANGING ON THE FRONT OF THEM SO YOU CAN MARK, YOU KNOW THAT THIS MEAT BELONGS IN ICE CREAM ALREADY, UH, COMMUNITY ANYWAY. 
          UH, BUT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS INTERNALLY, UH, AT THE STATION TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THIS SCHEDULE CHANGE. 
          IT'S A GREAT QUESTION THAT IT AS, AS BILL MENTIONED, IT'S BEEN PROBLEMATIC IN SOME OF THE AGENCIES OUT THERE. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT WORK AND IF IT NEEDS ARE, ARE NEW STATIONS THAT THREE PANTRIES WITH REFRIGERATORS IN THEM, AND THEN THERE'S A JOINT BRIDGE THAT SITS IN THE GENERAL AREA OF THE KITCHEN. 
          IF THAT BECOMES THE FOURTH BRIDGE, THAT BECOMES THE FOURTH BRIDGE. 
          BUT, UH, THE IDEAL WAY MANAGE THAT IS TO HAVE SHARED, UH, REFRIGERATORS. 
          I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA COME BACK IN JANUARY, BUT LIKE, HEY, BY THE WAY, IT'LL BE A BIT CHLOE. 
          WE WOULD EVEN CONSIDER THAT WE'RE GOING, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE BE 10. 
          THIS THING FLIES AND THE STRATEGIC PLANS YOU GOING FLY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          WE'RE ALL OVER. 
          RISE ABOVE. 
          YES. 
          AND I MAKE THAT, THAT A AWARD WINNING PACK THING. 
          UM, YOU ALREADY BEEN A WORK ORDER CHANGE FOR THE NEW SEVEN AND CENTRAL FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER. 
          NO, SIR. 
          UM, SO, AND AGAIN, I I AM ON BOARD WITH THIS. 
          UM, I DO WANT TO SAY A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. 
          YOU GUYS KNOW THAT I SUPPORT YOU A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          HOWEVER, A COUPLE OF LITTLE CURSE FOR YOU. 
          ARE YOU READY? UM, WHILE WE TALK ABOUT, UH, RECOVERY AND TAKING CARE OF OUR PEOPLE, ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS THAT YOU UTILIZE, UM, YOUR REHAB TEAM A LITTLE MORE. 
          THEY'RE THERE, THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS. 
          THEY HAVE, THEY GET DONATED FOOD AND DRINKS AND IF, IF I WERE OUT THERE BURNING MY WA OFF, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HAVE SOMEONE THERE LOVING ON ME, GIVING ME GATORADE, GIVING ME SOMETHING MORE THAN WATER, RIGHT? THEY ALWAYS HAVE PROTEIN PACKED SNACKS. 
          SO I, I THINK THAT IT'S A FREE, A FREE SERVICE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU GUYS. 
          LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT MORE EASILY ACCESSIBLE, IF THAT'S WHAT THE PARK WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. 
          UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE VOLUNTEERS, THEY WANT TO HELP, THEY WANT, THEY WANT YOU TO CALL THEM AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. 
          THEY WANT YOU TO CALL AND SAY, WELL, WE'VE GOT ONE HERE AND ONE HERE. 
          MELISSA'S LIKE, NO, WE DON'T TWO O'CLOCK. 
          BUT THEY, THEY WANT TO BE UTILIZED. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT WE ARE MISSING THE MARK BY NOT UTILIZING THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. 
          UM, ALSO IT WAS A LITTLE DISHEARTENING, UM, AFTER OUR LAST MEETING WHERE WE'RE LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE MONEY. 
          WE DON'T HAVE MONEY. 
          AND THEN TO HEAR, OH, 
          [01:25:01]
WELL FIRES DECIDED THEY'RE NOT MOWING THEIR YARDS ANYMORE, WHICH I'VE ALWAYS, I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT WAS WEIRD THAT YOU GUYS HAD TO DO ANYWAY, BUT I WAS LIKE, OH, THE TIMING TOO SOON GUYS, TOO SOON. 
          SO JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE. 
          UM, I APPRECIATE THE BENEFIT THAT, UM, THE CITY IS ALSO GETTING A RETURN FROM THAT. 
          UM, BUT MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT FIRE CLUB, UM, CAN ALSO WORK WITH YOU GUYS. 
          UM, WE ALL, WE ALL VOLUNT WE ALL VOLUNTEER TO ADOPT A STATION, RIGHT? AND SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF CITIZENS THAT WOULD BE OVER THE MOON TO GIVE BACK IN THE FORM OF COMING TOMORROW. 
          SO I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE. 
          IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. 
          UM, I LOVE YOU. 
          UH, THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME, I'LL SIT DOWN. 
          COME ON BACK. 
          CAN I SAY ONE THING TO IMPOSE? I DO WANT TO THANK THE, YOU KNOW, THE, MATT AND ALLISON WORKED VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NUMBERS WERE GONNA WORK ON THIS. 
          AND I THINK WE, THIS WAS A TEAM EFFORT AND YOU KNOW, SO THANKS TO THE TWO OF THEM, THANKS TO THE CHIEF FOR THE LONG DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD TRYING TO REACH THESE GUARD RAILS AND TO BUILD THIS TEAM FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND THEN BEING WILLING TO SIT DOWN AND FIND A WAY THAT WE COULD GET TO A WAY THAT WOULD BE A WIN-WIN FOR THE CITY. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD AFFORD AND, AND GET THIS DONE. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, THIS WAS A VERY BIG TEAM EFFORT AND MY HAT'S OFF TO THE PEOPLE TO GET THAT AND THAT'S, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT POINT. 
          COURSE. 
          VIRGINIA, IF THERE'S ANY MORE QUESTIONS FOR YOU, TAKE IT FROM THERE. 
          I'M AN OLD MAN AND I'VE BEEN UP SINCE SIX 30. 
          MORNING, SIX 30 IN THIS MORNING. 
          TIRED. 
          AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. 
          YES. 
          I THINK THAT IT TOOK ENOUGH OF THE, LIKE THROWING OUR HANDS UP IN THE EAR FOR, TO GET TO THE POINT OF THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW IN THE EVER LOVING LIFE HE CAME UP WITH THIS, BUT I'M THANKFUL THAT YOU DID THIS. 
          DREW A DIFFERENT CLOCK. 
          I SEE EXTRA. 
          IT'S TWO LITTLE BOXES. 
          YOU'RE A LITTLE GOOD JOB ON COMING UP WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX SOLUTION AND UM, MAKE SURE MIKE HELPS THAT THEY HAVE TO KEEP TRACK 50. 
          WE ARE READY COMMITTEE. 
          I GUESS OUR, OUR NEXT THING IS, IS THERE, ARE THERE MORE QUESTIONS? ANYTHING? I JUST WANNA MAKE A COMMENT. 
          I JUST WANNA CAPTAIN CRUZ AGAIN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND TYLER, CHIEF LEE AND THE ASSOCIATION, ALL THE FIREFIGHTERS FOR, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. 
          YOU ALWAYS, YOU ALWAYS FIND SOLUTIONS, YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR, YOUR TIME THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS. 
          UM, AND I'M VERY MUCH FOR THE SCHEDULE AND FOR WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WHEN WE ALSO STARTED THIS, WE WERE LOOKING AT SERVICE DELIVERY, MODEL MODIFICATION POSSIBILITIES AS WELL, WHICH LANDED DR. 
          TE AND HIS EXPERTISE ON THIS STAKEHOLDERS MEETING. 
          AND WHEN WE VEERED HARD RIGHT AWAY FROM THAT, HE HAS BLESSED US WITH HIS PRESENCE AND HIS WISDOM. 
          AND HE AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THIS STUFF OFFLINE AS WELL. 
          BUT DR. 
          TYS, THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE TIME. 
          THIS REQUIRED YOU TO BE HERE THROUGH THIS AS WELL. 
          THANKS. 
          THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK AND, UH, AND THE PATIENCE. 
          THIS HAS BEEN A LONG PROCESS, BUT, UH, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE COMMITTEE, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE'D CONSIDER RECOMMENDING TO THE CITY COUNCIL? MR. CHAIRMAN, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE TAKE THIS MODEL THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO US TODAY ALONG WITH GUARDRAILS SET FORTH BY THE CITY MANAGER AND PRESENT THIS SUB MODEL TO THE CITY COUNCIL. 
          SECOND. 
          OKAY. 
          WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A, A MOTION BY, UH, JASON FOR THE, UH, TO PRESENT THIS TO THE COUNCIL. 
          AND WE HAVE A SEC, MULTIPLE SECONDS, BUT I AM GOING TO, UH, TAKE MELISSA'S SECOND AND, UM, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE, DO WE HAVE, WE NEED A VOTE ON IT. 
          SO, ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          CONGRATULATIONS. 
          CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE. 
          CONGRATULATIONS GARLAND. 
          AND, UH, LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN. 
          YES. 
          LET'S GET A YES. 
          VOTE YES. 
          LET'S GET A YES. 
          VOTE YES. 
          THAT'S THE NEXT, THAT'S THE BATTLE. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS. 
          OH, THAT'S.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.