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I SEEM TO BE THE ACTING CHAIR OF THE MEETING.
LET'S CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
UM, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS, IF I AM NOT INCORRECT, IS THE, UH, DO WE ADOPT THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING? SO, DO I HAVE A MOTION ON THAT? I HAVE A CORRECTION, I THINK.
UH, RIGHT AT THE TOP IT SAYS THE LAST MEETING WAS MARCH 11TH.
I MEAN, THE LAST MEETING WE HAD WAS IN JUNE.
ISN'T THAT RIGHT? YES, IT WAS.
WHY DOESN'T IT SAY JUNE? THERE? IT SHOULD SAY JUNE.
YEAH, THAT'S ERROR ON OUR PART.
I ACTUALLY HAVE A COPY OF THAT.
IS IT OVER THERE? MAKE MOTIONS ON THAT.
UM, THE SECOND THING WE NEED TO DO IS CHANGE THAT TO JUNE 11TH.
EDIT IS ALSO PROBABLY A REQUEST IS, UM, SORT OF JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, BALVIN IS SORT OF LIKE THE NICKNAME THAT'S LIKE THE FIRST NICKNAME, LIKE FIRST NAME BASIS.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO LIST MY NAME, COULD WE DO EITHER JUST BALVIN OR EVEN JUST MY FULL NAME, NAT NAME, UH, PARENTHESES, UH, CLOSING PARENT FAM, SO THAT, UH, IT REFLECTS A MORE ACCURATE, UM, REPORTING THROUGHOUT THE MINUTES.
UH, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH HOW YOU WANT IT DISPLAYED AND WE'LL GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF FOR YOU.
ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE MINUTES? VERY WELL.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS AMENDED? MOTION? MOTION IS MADE.
SORRY, WHO SECONDED FIRST? LIZ.
AND THEN LAUREN ALSO, SHE THIRDED.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO ADDRESS THE BOARD AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC? NO.
THEN WE MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE.
ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
CODE COMPLIANCE, CIVIL ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM.
THIS THING ON TO REBO, THE SCREEN IS NOT ON.
HOW DO WE TURN IT ONCE I POP MY USB IN HERE? DO WE? I'M SORRY.
LET'S AFTER, UH, WE HAVE MOVEMENT UP HERE.
HAS, THAT ONE WILL COME ON IN A SECOND.
OZ, DID WE NEED TO DO ROLL CALL BEFORE? NO, SIR.
I AM DIRECTOR OF CODE COMPLIANCE HERE IN THE GREAT CITY OF GARLAND.
AND APPRECIATE THE BOARD HAVING US HAVING OUR DEPARTMENT HERE.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT CIVIL CITATIONS.
UM, GREAT NEW PROGRAM THAT WE ARE EXCITED TO FINALLY ROLL OUT.
AND SO WE'LL DELVE INTO SOME OF THE INS AND OUTS OF THE PROGRAM AND THEN INCLUDE SOME ELEMENTS OF, OF, IT'S KIND OF TIED INTO THE PROGRAM, UH, GARLAND CARES AND VOLUNTEER GARLAND.
SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, HOW IT WILL AFFECT HOW WE ENFORCE AND BRING BETTER SERVICE, AND ULTIMATELY HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED AND CONTACT US.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE WILL GO RIGHT INTO IT.
ALRIGHT, SO AGAIN, WE'LL DISCUSS THE CIVIL CITATION PROGRAM.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, AGAIN, WE JUST, WE ARE NOW NINE DAYS INTO THE PROCESS.
UH, WE BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 1ST AFTER A LONG 90 DAY PERIOD OF EDUCATION.
AND EVEN PRIOR TO THAT, JUST IMPLEMENTING, UH, GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF GETTING THIS APPROVED THROUGH COUNCIL.
AND SO, NO, WE'RE EXCITED TO GET IT, TO GET IT ROLLED OUT.
IT'S GONNA MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT, MORE EFFECTIVE.
UH, COUPLED WITH THAT, WE ARE ALSO IMPLEMENTING A NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEM, A CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, THROUGH SALESFORCE.
UH, SO OUR PREVIOUS SYSTEM WHERE WE DOCUMENTED, INVESTIGATED, AND FOLLOWED UP ON COMPLAINTS.
UH, IT WAS ABOUT 12 YEARS OLD.
AND IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, THINGS THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED 12 YEARS AGO ARE NOW PRETTY MUCH OBSOLETE.
AND SO THE RUNNING JOKE WHEN I, UH, WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE
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AND WE WERE TRANSITIONING, WAS THAT THAT SYSTEM IS BEING HELD UP WITH, UH, BUBBLE GUM AND DUCT TAPE, RIGHT? IF ANYTHING WENT WRONG, EVERYTHING WOULD PRETTY MUCH SELF-DESTRUCT.SO WE'RE HAPPY TO GET THAT, UH, SALESFORCE, UH, CUSTOMER, UM, CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING.
UH, IT'S NOW OPERATING PRETTY WELL FOR US.
UH, WE'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT OUR DISMISSAL PROCESS.
SO AS WE ROLL INTO A MORE EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE, AND FASTER, UM, ENFORCEMENT PROCESS, WE WANNA COUPLE THAT WITH EMPATHY AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE AVENUES FOR RESIDENTS TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE AND NOT BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED.
UH, AND THEN FINALLY, GARLAND CARES AND VOLUNTEER GARLAND IS A, A SISTER PROGRAM THAT WE PARTNER WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, AND WE'RE LOOKING OUT FOR THE FOLKS THAT CAN'T REALLY TAKE CARE OF ISSUES ON THEIR OWN.
SO IT'S REALLY A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM.
WE'RE EXCITED, WE'RE PROUD OF IT.
THE TEAM HAS WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO, UH, GET US TO THIS POINT, AND I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF THE TEAM AND MORE, UM, HAPPY ABOUT THE SUPPORT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THE CITY.
UH, SO WHY THE CIVIL CITATION PROGRAM MATTERS.
UH, AS MENTIONED, OUR OLD MODEL RELIED HEAVILY ON CRIMINAL COURTS.
AND WITH THAT PROCESS, IT WOULD TAKE, ON AVERAGE, ABOUT AN HOUR TO ISSUE A CITATION, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
AND SO, CONTRAST THAT WITH OUR CIVIL CITATION PROCESS, COUPLED WITH OUR NEW TECHNOLOGY WHERE WE CAN ISSUE A CITATION WITHIN ONE MINUTE.
SO, 60 TO ONE IS HOW QUICKLY WE CAN REALLY MOVE THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD AND QUICKLY GET RESULTS.
UH, BECAUSE THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS COMPLIANCE, RIGHT? IF, IF WE DON'T COLLECT $1 OUT OF WHAT WE DO, THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS COMPLIANCE.
AND, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'RE, OUR GOAL IS TO PROTECT THE AESTHETICS AND THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE CITY OF GARLAND.
AND SO WHEN THE AESTHETICS ARE GOOD, WHEN THE HEALTH AND IT CORRELATES TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY, UM, IT INCREASES PROPERTY VALUES, IT INCREASES PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP, AND IT ENCOURAGES INVESTMENT, WHETHER THAT'S SOMEONE LOOKING TO RELOCATE TO COME LIVE OR TO COME INVEST IN, BUILD A SHOPPING CENTER OR PUT AN HEB, UM, IN GARLAND, RIGHT? IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW, UH, THE CITY IS PERCEIVED WHEN PEOPLE ARRIVE TO GARLAND.
AND SO THAT'S OUR, OUR MAIN FOCUS.
OUR NORTH STAR IS PROTECTING THE AESTHETICS AND THE HEALTH AND SAFETY.
UH, ANOTHER GOOD POINT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, IT'S GONNA INCREASE RESIDENT CLARITY.
UM, SO WHEN WE SEND OUT OUR NOTICES, IT'LL HAVE PICTURES OF THE VIOLATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR WHAT WE ARE ENFORCING.
YOU'LL HAVE PICTURES, YOU'LL HAVE THE ORDINANCE SECTION, AND YOU'LL HAVE THE TIME TO COMPLY OR THE TIME TO APPEAR BEFORE THE HEARING OFFICER.
ALL RIGHT, SO RECAPPING, WE HAVE, AGAIN, GOING THROUGH A 90 DAY EDUCATIONAL PERIOD.
AND IT WAS INTENSIVE AND, AND THOROUGH.
UM, WE ISSUED ABOUT 6,600 EDUCATIONAL FLYERS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, AND VIETNAMESE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO WE HAND DELIVERED THOSE, PUT THOSE ON OUR RESIDENCES DOORS THROUGHOUT THESE THREE MONTHS.
WE WERE, FELT LIKE WE WERE FAMOUS.
WE HAD A FRONT PAGE, UH, PICTURE ON THE GARLAND CITY PRESS.
UH, WE PUT IN UTILITY INSERTS TO ALL RESIDENTS.
EVERYONE WHO RECEIVED A UTILITY BILL FROM THE CITY OF GARLAND RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING, UH, CIVIL CITATION PROGRAM.
SO IT WAS REALLY, UH, EXTENSIVE.
WE DIDN'T WANT ANYONE TO BE SURPRISED ON SEPTEMBER 1ST THAT WE WERE GOING TO A NEW ENFORCEMENT MODEL.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS, THESE ARE NOT NEW ORDINANCES THAT WE'RE ENFORCING.
IT IS JUST A NEW WAY TO ENFORCE IT.
SO THERE'S NOTHING REALLY NEW ON THE BOOKS, JUST A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT PROCESS.
UM, SO AS OF LAST WEEK, SEPTEMBER ONE, HAPPY TO SAY THAT THE CIVIL CITATION, THE CIVIL ENFORCEMENT, UH, OFFICIALLY BEGAN, AND OUR TEAM HAS BEEN OUT THERE, UM, CONSISTENTLY JUST, JUST READY TO PUT IN THE EFFORTS.
UM, AND THEN ONGOING, WE'VE ALSO, COUPLED WITH THE PROGRAM, WE'VE, WE'RE ADVERTISING OUR GARLAND CARES PROCESS AND JUST MAKING HELP, EASY AND ACCESSIBLE.
UH, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT WE ARE HERE TO ASSIST AS WELL, FOR THOSE THAT, FOR FINANCIAL REASONS, FOR MEDICAL
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REASONS, OR SOME TYPE OF DISABILITY, UH, WE'RE HERE TO HELP THEM COME INTO COMPLIANCE IF THEY CAN'T, UH, DO IT ON THEIR OWN.UH, SO IN A NUTSHELL, HOW OUR PROGRAM WORKS, UM, OUR INSPECTORS GO OUT PROACTIVELY.
UM, YOU CAN ALSO, WE ALSO RECEIVE VARIOUS COMPLAINTS, BUT WE'RE NOT WAITING.
WE ARE ABOUT 75% PROACTIVE, 25% REACTIVE.
SO THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR CASES ARE CASES THAT OUR INSPECTORS ARE PROACTIVELY BEATING THE BUSHES AND LOCATING VIOLATIONS.
SO WE DON'T WANNA JUST WAIT ON THE VIOLATION TO COME TO US.
WE'RE, WE'RE OUT THERE PROACTIVE.
UM, SO RESIDENTS CAN REPORT IT FROM THERE.
WE WILL GO OUT AND INSPECT AND DOCUMENT THE VIOLATION, UH, TO MAKE SURE IT IS A VIOLATION.
WE ISSUE A NOTICE OF VIOLATION, OR WE ISSUE A, A CIVIL CITATION, DEPENDING ON THE VIOLATION, THAT NOTICE WILL HAVE A CLEAR TIME TO CORRECT OR TIME TO APPEAR.
AND STEP FIVE IS THE CITATION OR THE HEARING.
UH, SO ONE OTHER SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CRIMINAL AND THE CIVIL IS THAT, UH, THE CRIMINAL PROCESS, YOU GO IN FRONT OF A JUDGE, RIGHT? SO IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE.
UH, YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A BENCH WARRANT ISSUED IF YOU DON'T APPEAR.
SO THE, THE, THE PENALTIES ARE A LOT STIFFER IN CRIMINAL COURT.
SO WITH THE CIVIL CITATION IS LESS EXPENSIVE AND LESS OF A POTENTIAL, UH, CRIMINAL ACTION AGAINST THE VIOLATOR.
UM, SO IN THIS CASE, IT'S A HEARING OFFICER.
SO IT'S A QUASI-JUDICIAL, UH, PROCESS, BUT IT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE COURTS PROCESS, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT A PERMANENT RECORD, IT'S JUST A CIVIL VIOLATION THAT STAYS WITH THAT PROPERTY.
ALRIGHT, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE COMPLAINT PORTAL.
HOW DO YOU, IF SOMEONE SEES AN ISSUE, IF YOU GOT, IF, IF YOU ALL SEE A PROPERTY THAT JUST DOESN'T LOOK, DOESN'T LOOK GOOD, IT HAS HIGH GRASS UP TO THREE FEET TALL, AND THE PAINT IS CHIPPING AND IT'S FALLING APART, UM, YOU CAN REPORT THAT TO US.
UH, SO ALONG WITH THE SALESFORCE PORTAL, OUR NEW CUSTOMER, UM, CUSTOMER FACING PORTAL IS MORE INTERACTIVE.
I'M NOT SURE IF ANYBODY HERE HAS USED EIST IN THE PAST.
WE HAD A PRESENTATION ON, YEAH.
SO THIS PORTAL WE HAVE, IT STILL TIES INTO EIST, UM, BUT THE, ONE OF THE KEY DIFFERENCES IS THAT IT'S MORE INTERACTIVE.
SO EIST TO MY UNDERSTANDING, IS MORE OF A ONE WAY YOU REPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY CONVENIENT.
IT GOES TO THE CORRECT DEPARTMENT.
UH, WITH OUR NEW SYSTEM, UH, POWERED BY SALESFORCE, IT ALLOWS FOR INTERACTION.
SO ONCE WE RECEIVE THE COMPLAINT, WE'LL, OUR INSPECTORS WILL GO OUT, UH, THEY'LL ISSUE A NOTICE OF VIOLATION, SOME TYPE OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION, AND IT WILL CORRESPOND BACK TO THE, UM, TO THE COMPLAINANT.
AND SO YOU'LL KNOW WHEN WE'VE GONE OUT, UH, YOU'LL KNOW WHEN IT IS IN COMPLIANCE.
SO, BECAUSE CODE CAN TAKE A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, RIGHT? IF THERE'S A VIOLATION, UM, DUE PROCESS MAY REQUIRE US TO GIVE THEM 30 OR 60 DAYS FOR CERTAIN VIOLATIONS.
AND IF YOU'RE THE NEIGHBOR THAT'S LIVING RIGHT NEXT TO IT, YOUR PERCEPTION, YOUR UNDERSTANDING AS, AS MINE WOULD PROBABLY BE RIGHT, THAT NOTHING IS BEING DONE.
I PUT IN A COMPLAINT AND HERE IT IS ONE WEEK, TWO WEEKS, THREE WEEKS, FOUR WEEKS LATER, AND IT'S STILL THERE.
AND SO THIS AT LEAST WILL GIVE, EVEN THOUGH THE VIOLATION MAY STILL BE THERE, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT CODE COMPLIANCE HAS RECEIVED IT.
WE HAVE ISSUED A, SOME TYPE OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION, AND WE ARE WORKING ON IT.
IT'S NOT BEING, NOT BEING IGNORED, NOT BEING NEGLECTED.
SO THAT'S WHAT I REALLY LOVE ABOUT THIS NEW SYSTEM, IS THAT IT IS MORE INTERACTIVE.
IS IT A DIFFERENT APP? 'CAUSE I GET THAT WHEN I REPORT SOMETHING TO CODE ASSIST THROUGH E OR CODE COMPLIANCE THROUGH SY, I GET AN EMAIL TELLING ME THIS WAS DONE OR THAT WAS DONE.
HAVE YOU USED IT RECENTLY? YEAH, SINCE WE, SINCE WE SWITCHED OVER.
NOT, NOT SINCE SEPTEMBER 1ST, BUT CERTAINLY WITHIN THE LAST, LAST MONTH OR TWO.
SO THAT'S, SO YOU'VE BEEN USING THE NEW SYSTEM.
SO WE, THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN ONGOING, UH, SINCE WE WENT TO SALESFORCE BACK IN LATE FEBRUARY.
SO DO WE START, DO WE START BY GOING TO EIST AND THEN CODE COMPLIANCE? OR CAN WE GO STRAIGHT TO CODE COMPLIANCE? I MEAN, IS THERE? YES.
SO IF YOU'RE USING THE E ASSIST APPLICATION, IT WILL DIRECT YOU TO A, IF YOU HAVE A CODE COMPLAINT, IT WILL DIRECT YOU TO CODE.
OKAY? UH, IF YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE, YOU CAN GO DIRECTLY TO THE PORTAL,
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UM, DIRECTLY FROM THE WEBSITE.THE FIRST THING ON THE GARLAND E ASSIST PROGRAM IS CODE COMPLAINTS.
OKAY? WE GET THE MOST COMPLAINTS GUYS.
WE GET, WE GET 75% OF, OF THE COMPLAINTS PROBABLY COME TO CODE.
SO, YEAH, SO IT IS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE NUMBER ONE ON THE, WE GOT TOP, WE GOT TOP BILLING ON THAT.
THAT'S ONLY, ONLY MAKES SENSE.
BUT NO, WE'RE HAPPY TO GET THOSE CONCERNS BECAUSE THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES.
SO, UH, IT HELPS TO HAVE EYES AND EARS, YOU KNOW, TO HELP US SEE WHAT, WHAT, WHAT YOU ALL SEE.
UM, AND WE, ALTHOUGH WE DO TAKE CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS THROUGH EMAIL AND THROUGH, UM, OUR OFFICE STAFF, WE ARE ENCOURAGING, WE'RE STRONGLY ENCOURAGING, UH, RESIDENTS TO USE THE E ASSIST PORTAL OR THE SALESFORCE PORTAL.
UH, BECAUSE WHAT IT DOES, IT ALLOWS US TO TRACK COMPLAINTS SO THAT DATA IS, IS VALUABLE.
IF WE SEE THAT THERE'S A CONCENTRATION OF VIOLATIONS IN THIS CERTAIN SECTOR, WE CAN PINPOINT THAT ON A, ON A MAP AND WE CAN REALLY SEE IF, OKAY, MAYBE WE NEED TO SHIFT OUR RESOURCES DOWN TO THIS AREA OR UP HERE.
SO IT REALLY HELPS AND IT ALSO GIVES FOLKS A WAY TO, UH, RECEIVE THAT COMMUNICATION, THAT TWO WAY COMMUNICATION.
SO, ALRIGHT, SO DISMISSAL PROCESS.
AS I, AS I MENTIONED, WE WANNA MAKE IT USER FRIENDLY.
SO WITH THE NEW CIVIL CITATION PROGRAM, THE FIRST CITATION ACTS AS A SEMI WARNING, RIGHT? SO OUR HEARINGS ARE SET ROUGHLY ONE MONTH FROM THE TIME THAT THE CITATION IS ISSUED.
AND SO, AND THIS IS GONNA BE KIND OF COMPLICATED, SO I'LL, I'LL TRY TO MAKE IT, I'LL TRY TO SAY IT VERY SIMPLY.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT IS CLEAR TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, SO WITHIN THAT TIME BEFORE THE HEARING IS ADJUDICATED, BEFORE WE HAVE THE HEARING, AND IF IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME, IF YOU COME INTO COMPLIANCE PRIOR TO THAT HEARING DATE OR EVEN ON THE DAY OF, AND YOU CAN SHOW PROOF, THEN THAT IS AUTOMATICALLY DISMISSED.
THAT IS AUTOMATICALLY DISMISSED, RIGHT? YOU HAVE ONE TIME FOR EACH VIOLATION.
SO IT COULD BE TALL GRASS THIS MONTH, AND IT COULD BE TRASH AND DEBRIS THE NEXT MONTH, BUT YOU GET ONE PER YEAR.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE IT REALLY, REALLY USER FRIENDLY BECAUSE ALL WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS COMPLIANCE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DON'T COLLECT $1, WE WILL BE HAPPY.
SO WE MAKE IT VERY, UM, VERY USER-FRIENDLY TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE AND TO AVOID THAT INITIAL FINE.
SO ONE TIME PER YEAR PER VIOLATION IS WHAT WE GET HERE.
I'M SURE THERE'S A STORY BEHIND THAT.
I CAN'T, I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR IT.
UM, SO YEAH, SO WE'LL VERIFY THAT THE PROPERTY IS IN COMPLIANCE.
WE'LL WORK WITH THE HEARING OFFICER TO GET THAT, THAT VIOLATION DISMISSED AND THE FINE WAIVED.
NOW IF YOU COME BACK AGAIN FOR THE SAME VIOLATION WITHIN THAT 12 MONTH PERIOD, AND IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY AND THE FINES DO ESCALATE PER OCCURRENCE, BUT YOU GET THAT ONE FREEBIE.
ALRIGHT, SO ON TO SOME FUN STUFF.
UM, REALLY PROUD OF WHAT WE'VE, WE'VE DONE, UH, THE TEAM YEARS AGO, UH, ESTABLISHED COLD CARES.
AND IT WAS JUST A WAY, UM, TO GIVE BACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT YOU CAN'T, UM, AND LEMME GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OZ HERE.
I UNDERSTAND OZZY WAS VERY, UH, INSTRUMENTAL IN DEVELOPING COLD CARES MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
UM, AND SO IT WAS, IT WAS WITH THE RECOGNITION THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT JUST WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPLY NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU ISSUE A CITATION.
UM, IF THEY'RE NOT FINANCIALLY OR PHYSICALLY ABLE TO DO SO, THEN THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPLY, RIGHT? AND WE'RE JUST GONNA, A CITATION WILL JUST MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE AND WORSE.
AND SO IT WAS A, A LABOR OF LOVE THAT WAS STARTED, UM, PRIMARILY WITH CODE COMPLIANCE.
AND NOW WE ARE EXPANDING THAT AND WE ARE PARTNERING WITH NEIGHBORHOOD FATALITY, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, UM, JUST TO PROVIDE SOME HELP FOR THOSE THAT ARE PHYSICALLY OR FINANCIALLY CHALLENGED.
AND SO WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH VOLUNTEER GARLAND AS WELL.
AND SO VOLUNTEER GARLAND IS A CITY UNIT, A CITY TEAM THAT OPERATES UNDER PARKS AND RECREATION, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO.
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UH, IT IS STRICTLY A VOLUNTEER COORDINATION TEAM.AND SO THEY GATHER, UH, THEY MATCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEERISM WITH THOSE THAT WANT TO VOLUNTEER.
AND SO IT COULD BE A CLEANUP IN DUCK CREEK, IT COULD BE A PRIVATE PROPERTY, A SENIOR CITIZEN THAT NEEDS, YOU KNOW, PAINTING OF THEIR HOME OR THE YARD OF THEIR LAWN, UH, TAKEN CARE OF.
AND THEY'LL MATCH THAT OPPORTUNITY WITH PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT SPEAKS TO THEM, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN GO TO THAT SITE AND YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING THAT REALLY SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO TO GET INVOLVED AND REALLY HELP THE RESIDENTS OF GARLAND.
JOSE, JOSE SUE DIAZ IS, UH, IS THE MANAGER DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF PULLING THOSE RESOURCES TOGETHER AND THEY'RE DOING SOME AMAZING WORK.
ALRIGHT? AND SO JUST AS WE KIND OF BRING IT TO A CLOSE, UH, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE WOULD ASK FOR ANYONE LISTENING TO THIS PRESENTATION AND HOW CAN YOU, UM, HELP CODE COMPLIANCE AND, AND BY WAY OF HELPING CODE COMPLIANCE, WE'RE REALLY HELPING THE CITY OF GARLAND BECAUSE WE ARE IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY.
WE ARE INCREASING THE AESTHETIC APPEAL FOR THE CITY.
AND SO WE, WE VIEW WHAT WE DO AS VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PRIDE IN THE CITY OF GARLAND, RIGHT? SO WE ASK THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BOTHER US BY REPORTING.
WE GET PEOPLE SOMETIMES THAT WILL APOLOGIZE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, HEY BRIAN, I'M SORRY I HOP I JUST REPORTED FIVE DIFFERENT INCIDENTS.
PLEASE DON'T, DON'T APOLOGIZE, RIGHT? THIS, THIS IS THE JOB THAT WE ARE HERE TO DO.
SO YOU ARE, UM, YEAH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT A BURDEN TO US BY REPORTING WHAT YOU SEE BECAUSE YOU'RE STEPPING OUT, YOU'RE GOING TO, OUR INSPECTOR MAY BE ON THAT STREET ONCE, ONCE A WEEK OR ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS, BUT YOU'RE DRIVING UP AND DOWN EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO YOU WILL SEE IT BEFORE, MORE THAN LIKELY BEFORE WE SEE IT.
SO PLEASE REPORT, REPORT 'EM EARLY.
UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO GET THOSE, UH, THOSE CONCERNS.
UM, AND THEN CONNECT NEIGHBORS TO HELP.
IF YOU ARE AWARE, UH, MANY, MANY OF OUR CODE CARES, OUR GARLAND CARES RECIPIENTS.
NINE TIMES OUTTA 10, THEY COME AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING A VIOLATION BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S BEHIND THAT DOOR.
WE DON'T KNOW THEIR SITUATION.
WHEN WE COME TO ISSUE A VIOLATION, WE DON'T KNOW UNTIL WE GET THAT COMPLAINT OR GET THAT CALL AND SAY, HEY, I'M NOT ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE OF X, Y, AND Z MM-HMM
AND SO IF WE COULD CIRCUMVENT THAT IN SOME CASES, IF, IF NEIGHBORS KNOW OF A RESIDENT THAT'S HAVING SOME FINANCIAL OR, UM, SOME OTHER TYPE OF HARDSHIP, UM, THERE'S WAYS THAT THEY CAN CONNECT THEM DIRECTLY TO US AND THEIR PROGRAMS FROM CODE AND FROM NEIGHBORHOOD VITALITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THAT WE CAN ASSIST, UH, WITH PROPERTY MAINTENANCE.
AND EVEN IN SOME CASES EVEN MORE THAN THAT, WE CAN, THERE ARE PROGRAMS WHERE THESE ARE MORE LIMITED, BUT THERE'S ROOF REPLACEMENT, THERE'S HVAC REPAIR AND WHEELCHAIR RAMPS.
SO THERE, THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE, AND WE CAN HELP.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT GARLAND CARES DOES, IS CONNECT THOSE RESOURCES WITH PEOPLE THAT THAT NEED THEM.
UM, AND SO WE WANNA BUILD THAT VOLUNTEER CAPACITY.
IF, IF YOU ALL KNOW OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON THEIR HANDS AND, YOU KNOW, JUST WANT TO GET OUT AND EVERY, EVERY BIT HELPS AN HOUR HERE, TWO HOURS HERE, IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT ONLY TAKES, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK, SO IT ONLY TAKES A FEW HOURS HERE AND THERE AND IT CAN REALLY MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE CITY.
SO WE ENCOURAGE THAT, THAT VOLUNTEERISM.
AND HERE ON OUR LAST SLIDE, THESE ARE THREE VERY IMPORTANT CODES.
UH, THE FIRST ONE IS HOW YOU CAN REPORT A VIOLATION, SCAN THE QR CODE, OR GO TO EIST OR GO TO THE WEBSITE.
UM, THE SECOND ONE IN THE, IN THE MIDDLE IS TO REQUEST ASSISTANCE FROM GARLAND CARES.
AND THAT COULD BE FOR A TOOL LOAN PROGRAM, WHICH I DIDN'T COVER.
WHERE FOR SOME IT MAY JUST BE THAT THEIR LAWNMOWERS DOWN AND THEY COULDN'T, THEY DIDN'T HAVE 200 BUCKS TO GET IT FIXED.
RIGHT? SO WE WILL, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE TWO AND A HALF, UH, TWO TRAILERS, BUT WE HAVE WEED EATERS, UH, LAWN MOWERS, YARD TOOLS, AND ANYTHING YOU CAN EAT, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT GIVING OUT CHAINSAWS, RIGHT? FOR, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS WE'RE NOT DOING THAT.
BUT MINOR REPAIR AND LANDSCAPE AND LAWN CARE, WE CAN ACTUALLY COME BRING THOSE TO PEOPLE.
THEY CAN COME TO US OR WE CAN ACTUALLY EVEN COME TO THEM IN SOME CASES.
SO WE WANT TO PROVIDE EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE BEFORE WE GO INTO ENFORCEMENT, YOU KNOW, EDUCATION BEFORE CITATION.
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THEN LASTLY, VOLUNTEER.THIS IS THE QR CODE FOR VOLUNTEER GARLAND.
UH, THE WEBSITE IS VERY USER-FRIENDLY.
UM, IT HAS A LIST OF UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU CAN REGISTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL, YOU CAN REGISTER AS A TEAM, AND IT WILL COMMUNICATE WITH YOU IF YOU SAY, I WANT TO DO THESE TYPES OF VOLUNTEER PROJECTS.
UH, IT CAN NOTIFY YOU WHEN THOSE PROJECTS BECOME AVAILABLE.
SO IF IT MAKES, IF IT MEETS YOUR, YOUR NEED AND YOUR TIME, THEN IT'S REALLY, REALLY QUICK AND EASY TO REGISTER AND GET STARTED TO HELP THE RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF GARLAND.
WHERE ARE THESE QR CODES BESIDES RIGHT HERE ON THE, I MEAN, ARE THEY ON THE WEBSITE? UH, YES, THEY ARE ON THE WEBSITE.
UM, WELL THESE, THE QR CODES THEMSELVES MAY NOT BE ON THE WEBSITE, BUT, UM, THE VOLUNTEER GARLAND PAGE WILL HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AND THE CODE COMPLIANCE PAGE WILL HAVE THIS INFORMATION.
SO FOR THE FIRST TWO CODE COMPLIANCE, UH, IF YOU GO TO CODE COMPLIANCE FROM THE WEBSITE, IT WILL DIRECT YOU TO, UH, REPORTING A VIOLATION AND ALSO TO THE GARLAND CARES PROGRAM.
SO THOSE TWO ARE AVAILABLE DIRECTLY THROUGH CODE COMPLIANCE.
THE THIRD ONE IS THROUGH VOLUNTEER GARLAND.
MY SECOND QUESTION IS, UM, ON GLENBROOK, WE RIDE BIKES DOWN THERE AND, UH, THERE ARE PLACES WHERE, UH, THE BIKE LANE IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GRASS OR SOMETHING.
IS THAT CODE OR IS THAT STREETS OR, IT SOUNDS, IT WOULD DEPEND THE YEAH, THE BIKE LANE ON GLENBROOK RESPONSIBILITY STREETS, WELL, I CALLED SOMEBODY MM-HMM
WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND GET IT TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT DEPARTMENT.
AND IT, AND IT MAY, IF IT'S ADJACENT, LET'S SAY IF THERE'S A, UM, IF THERE'S A RESIDENCE OR A PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY THAT'S NEXT TO IT, THEN THAT PROPERTY OWNER, YEAH.
NINE TIMES OUTTA 10, THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ENCROACHMENT ONTO THAT SIDEWALK.
YEAH, THERE'S, IT'S DIFFERENT.
IT IS LIKE RIGHT UNDER THE RAILROAD TRACK.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHO OWNS THAT? I'LL, I'LL HAPPY, HAPPY TO LOOK INTO IT.
IF YOU WANT TO EMAIL ME THAT INFORMATION, WE'LL, WE'LL RESEARCH IT AND THANK YOU.
IF IT'S NOT US, WE'LL GET IT TO THE RIGHT DEPARTMENT.
THESE QR CODES WILL BE IN THE GARLAND GAZETTE, UH, AS SOON AS OZ SENDS THE
SO, UM, MY BUSINESS IS KIND OF IN A REALLY INDUSTRIAL PART OF GARLAND OFF OF JUPITER AND FOREST.
AND WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, OUR, OUR CODE COMPLIANCE OFFICER HAD, HAD BEEN TOLD, HAD BEEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YEARS MM-HMM
ARE WE ROTATING OFFICERS NOW? UH, AT SOME POINT I THOUGHT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE GONNA START DOING IS KIND OF MOVING 'EM FROM DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES BECAUSE IT WAS KIND OF APPARENT THAT HAD BECOME, YOU KNOW, UH, CUS HE HAD MAYBE BECOME MM-HMM
ACCUSTOMED TO WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT AS VIGILANT.
AND SINCE WE WERE COMING IN WITH FRESH EYES, IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, WELL WHY DOES THIS BUSINESS HAVE DEAD VEHICLES IN THE BACK? AND, YOU KNOW SURE.
BROKEN DOWN TRUCKS PARKED OUTSIDE THE CURB AND ALL THAT.
SO THAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND THERE'S DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES MM-HMM
RIGHT? SO ON ONE HAND THERE'S A BENEFIT TO HAVING SOMEONE BE FAMILIAR WITH THEIR AREA AND KNOW EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY MM-HMM
UM, SO THERE'S SOME BENEFIT TO THAT.
AND THERE'S ALSO A BENEFIT TO HAVING NEW, FRESH, FRESH MM-HMM
AND THERE'S ALSO A LEARNING CURVE WHEN YOU TRANSITION.
IT'S, IT CAN BE, IT CAN BE A LITTLE BIT OF A, OF A TASK.
UH, SO WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE, WE HAVE NOT NECESSARILY FOR THAT PARTICULAR PURPOSE, BUT WE HAVE ADJUSTED OUR PATROL ZONE.
SO MORE THAN LIKELY THE INSPECTOR THAT WAS INSPECTING DURING THAT TIME IS LIKELY SOMEONE DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE'VE JUST SHIFTED THROUGHOUT, UM, THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION HOW WE'RE ENFORCING.
BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A PRODUCT OF SOMEONE NECESSARILY BEING THERE TOO LONG.
IT COULD BE OKAY, BUT IF THERE ARE VIOLATIONS THAT WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING MM-HMM
REGARDLESS OF WHO'S THERE, I'M GONNA MAKE SURE THEY ADDRESS THAT VIOLATION.
SO I DON'T WANNA NECESSARILY SAY I'M GONNA SWITCH SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SEEING SOMETHING.
IT COULD BE A TRAINING ISSUE MM-HMM
AND WE'LL GO OUT AND WE'LL FIND OUT WHAT ARE
[00:30:01]
WE MISSING HERE AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, OPERATING OVER HERE DIFFERENTLY THAN WE'RE OPERATING IN THIS AREA.SO THAT CAN BE CORRECTED WITH AN ESCALATION TO THE MANAGERS OR TO MYSELF.
AND IF WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO CATCH IT.
ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT, BRIAN.
YOU HAVE A BUSINESS CARD BY CHANCE? I DO.
WE'LL WE'LL PASS IT ON IN THE, UH, EMAIL TO THE STAFF.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE UH, AN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD BYLAWS UPDATE.
IF YOU GUYS WOULD, UH, IF YOU GUYS WOULD LOOK AT, UH, THE BYLAWS IN SECTION FOUR, UH, IF YOU GUYS RECALL, WE, WE, WE DID THESE BYLAWS BACK IN THE SPRING.
UH, ONE THING WE DIDN'T CHANGE THAT WE NEED TO, IF YOU LOOK AT SECTION ONE, IT SAYS THAT THE, UH, THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS CHAIRPERSON, VICE CHAIRPERSON SHOULD HAPPEN IN THE REGULAR OCTOBER MEETING.
WE'RE NOT MEETING IN OCTOBER ANYMORE, SO WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT.
UM, I'M GONNA PROPOSE IF WE CHANGE THAT TO DECEMBER, TOWARD DECEMBER MEETING.
SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, I WOULD NEED ONE OF YOU GUYS TO MAKE A MOTION TO CHANGE THE ANNUAL ELECTIONS FROM OCTOBER TO DECEMBER.
THEN I WOULD NEED A SECOND AND THEN YOU GUYS WOULD, WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON IT.
I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE CHANGE OUR ANNUAL ELECTION FROM OCTOBER TO DECEMBER.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? UH, I WILL SECOND THAT.
WE'LL MAKE THAT CHANGE AND GET YOU GUYS SOME UPDATED BYLAWS.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN AGENDA ITEM OR NOT, BUT UM, IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WE HAVE UH, A BUTTERFLY GARDEN AND UH, KEEP GARLAND BEAUTIFUL.
WAS ACTIVE AND UM, YOU KNOW, SPRUCING IT UP AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
ANYWAY, I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO ASK FOR VOLUNTEERS OR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO GET THE NEIGHBORS TO COME.
AND THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT REBA IS NOT THERE ANYMORE TO TELL US WHAT A WEED IS AND WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.
SO ANYWAY, I HAVE, UH, IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE STARTED A REGULAR SATURDAY, I THINK IT'S LIKE EVERY OTHER SATURDAY.
AND ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS JUST PRINTED OUT THIS SKINNY LITTLE STRIP OF PAPER AND WENT AND PUT IT ON EVERYBODY'S DOOR AND THEY SHOWED UP WITH COFFEE AND DONUTS AND EVERYBODY JUST KIND OF BROUGHT THEIR OLDER KIDS AND WHATEVER.
AND WE MET OVER THERE AND USUALLY IT'S NOT IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER.
UM, BUT WE DO THAT A COUPLE TIMES A MONTH AND THAT'S HOW THEY LET US KNOW IS THIS LITTLE SLIVER IF YOU DON'T HAVE LIKE A FACEBOOK PAGE OR SOMETHING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND EVERYBODY JUST SHOWS UP WITH THEIR GARDENING GLOVES AND IF WE NEED TO BRING SOMETHING ELSE, THEY LET US KNOW.
AND KATHY, UM, KEEP GARDEN BEAUTIFUL.
UH, THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO MAINTAIN YEAH.
UM, SO THEY WOULD DEFINITELY APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IF YOU WANTED TO, TO HELP THEM OUT WITH THAT, BUT, WELL I USUALLY DO.
I THINK THEY NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS.
THAT'S PROBABLY WHY IT HASN'T BEEN DONE.
BUT, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU REACH OUT TO THEM AND, AND SEE IF THEY HAVE ANY, ANY MORE VOLUNTEERS OR MAYBE YOU VOLUNTEER YOURSELF OR GET SOME FRIENDS TO HELP THEM OUT.
WE HAVE 800 HOMES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE USUALLY JUST DO PAMPHLETS FOR THE BLOCK PARTY AND WE HAVE A BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY.
SO YOU KNOW, IT TAKES AN ARMY TO
WELL DO YOU HAVE A MIDDLE OR A HIGH SCHOOL ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? WE HAVE A MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THEY NEED AND THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY KIDS WILL DESPERATELY NEED COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS.
SO WILL THE HIGH SCHOOL, AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, THOSE KIDS WILL WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT AND WHEN IT COMES TIME TO THE NEW APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEXT YEAR, THEY'RE GONNA PANIC.
SO IF YOU GET 'EM IN FEBRUARY
SO YOU'RE ON THE RADAR OF THE SPONSOR.
AND THEN UM, THEY'LL BE LIKE, WELL THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND YOU'LL GET A WHOLE BUNCH OF YOUNG KIDS AND IF YOU REALLY WANT THEM TO COME CHIPS, CANDY,
CHIPS, THEY WILL DO ANYTHING FOR CHIPS AND CANDY.
[00:35:02]
I JUST NEED AN EXPERT NOW, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER OPTION FOR AN EXPERT IS GOOD OLD FASHIONED GOOGLE LENS.AND THEN GOOGLE LENDS IT AND IT'LL TELL YOU IF IT'S A WEED.
I, I HAD SOMETHING IN MY BACKYARD THAT MY HUSBAND INSISTED WAS A WEED AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER AND IT WAS GOOGLE THAT KEPT THAT THING FROM DYING.
I USUALLY TAKE A PICTURE AND SEND IT TO REBA AND ASK HER
OH I CAN PROBABLY TRY TO EXPLAIN HOW THAT WHOLE PROCESS WORKS.
TRY TO GET SOMEONE HERE IF THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS WANT.
ALL YOU WOULD NEED IS A SECOND.
ANY OTHER, UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? THIS WILL BE AFTER THE FACT 'CAUSE WE'RE VOTING IN NOVEMBER AND WE DON'T MEET AGAIN BEFORE THEN.
BUT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO BILL CRUZ ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THIS TAX, UH, SITUATION ON THE GARLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE HALF A PENNY AND IT, I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND.
OKAY, WHAT DIFFERENCE, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE? YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND IT TURNED OUT THAT THAT'S QUITE A DIFFERENCE.
IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FIREFIGHTER SHOWING UP WHO'S WORKED 62 HOURS THAT WEEK, OR A FIREFIGHTER SHOWING UP WHO'S WORKING MORE LIKE 40 TO 45.
AND I THOUGHT, WOW, THAT'S OF COURSE WE PUT IT OUT THERE WITH THE GARLAND GAZETTE AND SOME OTHER THINGS.
BUT I'VE SEEN PEOPLE COMMENTING ON THE GARLAND WEBSITE THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE FIREFIGHTERS, HOW MANY WE HAVE, HOW THEY FUNCTION.
AND I LEARNED IN A 15 MINUTE INTERVIEW I LEARNED VOLUMES ABOUT HOW OUR FIREFIGHTERS OPERATE AND THE FACT THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY MORE THAN THEY HAVE IS KIND OF, UH, KIND OF TERRIFYING.
SO IF THAT WAS SOMETHING HE WAS GREAT.
BILL CRUZ, IF THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU GUYS WERE INTERESTED IN, UM, I ACTUALLY HAD WROTE DOWN IN MY NOTES FROM THE LAST MEETING THAT UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY TALKED ABOUT LIKE ANYTHING EMERGENCY RESPONSE RELATED AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, FIRE DEPARTMENT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT THAT IS THE EMERGENT, YOU KNOW YEAH.
FOR ANYTHING THAT'S NOT CRIMINAL.
SO YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT THEIR PROGRAMS. THAT'D BE WONDERFUL.
SHE, LAUREN NEEDS A SECOND ON THAT.
I FIRST IT
WE'LL GET SOMEONE FROM GARLAND FIRE TO COME SPEAK TO THE GROUP NEXT TIME ABOUT THE PROGRAMS. YOU KNOW, ANYBODY ELSE, UM, ON THE GARLAND PRESS BRIEFS OR CITY THAT THEY PUT OUT ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON, EVENING? THERE WAS SOMETHING A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT HAD LIKE THREE COLOR PAGES THAT YOU COULD PRINT OUT THAT EXPLAINED WHAT GARLAND'S DONE AND ALL THAT TAX STUFF AND THE EXACT NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS WE HAVE AND HOW MANY MORE IT, IT LISTED ALL OF THAT.
YEAH, WE CAN, WE LIKE BILL MENTIONED, IT'S GONNA BE AFTER THE FACT 'CAUSE THE ELECTION'S IN NOVEMBER, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY SEND THAT INFORMATION TO THE ENTIRE GROUP THAT WE GUYS CAN HAVE IT.
UM, AS ONE OF THE, ONE OF Y'ALL'S MISSIONS IS TO KIND OF GET THAT INFORMATION OUT THERE TO YOUR CIRCLES.
SO WE'LL GET THAT INFORMATION TO YOU GUYS AND YOU GUYS CAN SHARE THAT.
BUT I THINK I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND WE CAN GET THAT BACK OUT.
COULD YOU DO A BLURB THAT'S SOCIAL MEDIA READY? BECAUSE I READ THE CITY PRESS, BUT I'M A NERD, SO OF COURSE I READ IT
I KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE, THEY JUST USE IT FOR, YOU KNOW, PACKAGING MATERIAL.
BUT YOU PUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA NOW WE'RE TALKING.
SO I HAVE, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO BLAST IT ALL OVER MINE JUST LIKE A, JUST, YOU KNOW, HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS, CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION 'CAUSE AT LEAST THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THEN PEOPLE CAN GET MORE INFORMATION.
WE CAN GET, WE CAN GET KIND OF A, A BULLET POINT LIST FOR YOU.
AND WE'LL SEND THAT TO ALL YOU GUYS.
THAT SENSE, BY THE WAY, I THINK, UM, OUR BIGGEST MISSION HERE BEYOND THE MEETING IS DISSEMINATING THE INFORMATION THAT WE GET HERE.
UM, I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE DO HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD FACEBOOK PAGE.
WE HAVE A, I THINK THERE'S 11, 1200 HOUSES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT WE HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE AND SO I SEE PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME AND I MIGHT KNOW THE ANSWER BECAUSE OF WORK WE'VE DONE HERE.
AND SO I'LL SHARE THAT AND THE OH, OH, WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
UM, AND EVEN THE EIST STUFF, I DIDN'T, WASN'T THAT FAMILIAR WITH IT UNTIL OUR LAST MEETING WHEN THEY CAME AND TALKED TO US.
AND I'VE OF COURSE PUT IT IN THE GAZETTE BUT THEN ALSO PUT THAT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
AND I'VE HAD SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE, OH WOW, WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW HOW THAT WORKED.
[00:40:02]
WHATEVER NEIGHBORHOOD YOU LIVE IN.HOWEVER, HOWEVER INFORMATION IS DISSEMINATED THERE.
IF THEY HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE OR A NEXT DOOR OR A WHATEVER IT IS.
UM, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE THE INFORMATION WE GET HERE AND PUT IT THERE SO THAT WE'RE E ASSIST WORKS REALLY FAST.
THERE WAS A WATER LEAK BY MY HOUSE THAT I DROVE BY FOR PROBABLY FOUR DAYS BEFORE THERE WAS A STOPLIGHT.
I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M JUST GONNA DO AN E ASSIST.
THEY WERE OUT THERE THAT NIGHT FIXING IT.
I WAS LIKE, IT'S NOT THAT SERIOUS.
BUT, UM, THEY WERE OUT THERE THAT NIGHT FIXING IT.
SO WHOEVER IS, AND THIS WAS THE OLD ESIS THAT MADE YOU MAD
UM, AND THEN I ALSO REPORTED, UM, AFTER ONE OF THE BIG FLOODS CAME THROUGH, UM, THE DAM BY DUCK CREEK WHERE IT GOES DOWN TO THE LOW WATER BRIDGE CROSSING, IT WAS ALL BACKED UP.
THEY WERE OUT THERE CLEANING THAT UP WITHIN A DAY OR TWO.
SO THE SYSTEMS WORK AND IT REALLY WORKS.
SO IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM AND YOU PUT IT IN
BUT, UM, MINOR REPAIRS AND ACTUALLY NO, THEY HAD TO RIP UP THE WATER.
IT WAS A BIG REPAIR, BUT THEY TOOK CARE OF IT GREAT.
SO US DISSEMINATING THAT INFORMATION IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
THE CITY OF GARLAND'S TRYING TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, BUT WE ALL HAVE TO DO IT 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND PEOPLE, IT'S EASY TO COMPLAIN.
PEOPLE LOVE TO COMPLAIN, BUT THEN IT'S LIKE, WELL HERE'S THE SOLUTION.
OH, THERE'S A, OH WELL, AND COMING FROM THE CITY, IT'S, OH, THEY'RE JUST TOEING THE PARTY LINE.
THEY'RE JUST DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
BUT FROM NORMAL PEOPLE IT'S LIKE, NO, NO, NO.
AND IT WORKS THEN I I, THEY DON'T PAY ME.
SO I, IF THEY DIDN'T WORK, DON'T WORRY, I'D LET YOU KNOW.
SO THERE'S MY, MY, UH, CHALLENGE TO EACH OF YOU.
IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY DOING THIS, THE INFORMATION WE GET HERE, IF IT ONLY STAYS WITH US THAT DIDN'T DO A LOT OF GOOD, LET'S ALL SHARE IT WITH OUR COMMUNITIES.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE? ANY OTHER, UM, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? ALRIGHT, WELL IF THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS THEN WE CAN ADJOURN THE MEETING.