* 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. [00:00:02] WE READY? ALL RIGHT. OKAY. WELCOME EVERYBODY. WELCOME TO THE, UH, SEPTEMBER 14TH EDITION OF THE LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. AND, UH, LET'S SEE. WE HAVE ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, FIRST WE HAVE, UH, CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 17TH MEETING. YEAH, I, UM, I'LL MOVE THAT. THE MINUTES BE APPROVED AS WRITTEN. OKAY. I GUESS, UH, I WILL SECOND THEM. SO THEY'RE APPROVED. SO, MOVING ON TO OUR SECOND ITEM, PUBLIC COMMENTS. DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC TODAY THERE. THE SPEAKERS. OKAY. THEY'RE ALWAYS WELCOME. BUT, UH, AND THEY WOULD HAVE THREE MINUTES IF THEY WERE HERE, BUT THEY'RE NOT. SO, ITEM THREE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. THREE A, CONSIDER THE ANNUAL INTER-GOVERNMENTAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AND ANNUAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS CALENDAR. AND WE HAVE THE WONDERFUL ARIEL HERE TO TALK TO US ABOUT THIS. YES, SIR. SO WE WORKED, UM, WITH, UH, WITH MIKE AND WE CAME UP WITH THE LIST THAT IS BEFORE YOU. UM, AND A ROUGH TIMELINE ABOUT WHEN WE COULD HAVE THEM COME THROUGH AND MEET WITH COUNSEL DURING A WORK SESSION. WE FIGURED WE WOULD KICK IT OFF WITH, UM, COMMISSIONER THERESA DANIEL IN OCTOBER, AND THEN MEET WITH ALL OF OUR STATE DELEGATION, UH, AFTER THAT, UM, BETWEEN OCTOBER AND DECEMBER, MEET WITH THEM INDIVIDUALLY, DISCUSS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, ET CETERA. AND THEN WORK, WORKING OUR WAY DOWN. WE WOULD HAVE THE NORTH TEXAS TOLLWAY AUTHORITY, TEXAS MUNICIPAL POWER AGENCY, DART TXDOT, UH, NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COG, OR THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL. UM, NORTH TEXAS MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT, ATMOS, GARLAND, ISD, DALLAS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DALLAS COLLEGE DISTRICT, AND POTENTIALLY PARKLAND HOSPITAL. YOU PERKED MY EARS UP WHEN YOU SAID ATMOS. WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO BE COMING? UM, WE HAVE THEM ON THE, THIS CALENDAR TO PRESENT JUNE 7TH OF NEXT YEAR. NEXT YEAR. OKAY. THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN INTRIGUED BY, UH, OR THEY, I, I GET A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ASKING ME ABOUT ATMOS SPECIFICALLY. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO BE DOING TO, UM, UH, FIX THE ALLEYS AND THE STREETS THAT THEY DESTROY AS THEY FIX THE PIPELINES. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT COULD BE EARLIER THAN OKAY. YEAH. WE CAN TALK ABOUT MAYBE MOVING THAT ONE UP A LITTLE BIT. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY GOOD GROUP OF, UH, ORGANIZATIONS. AND HAVE YOU COMMUNICATED WITH ALL OF THEM ALREADY? NO. THIS IS A DIRECTION, PRELIMINARY DIRECTION. YES. YES. PRELIMINARY DIRECTION. IF WE, IF YOU GUYS LIKE THIS DIRECTION, WE'LL START REACHING OUT. OKAY. I BELIEVE WE HAVE AT ADMINS SCHEDULED TO COME, I BELIEVE THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING OR MAYBE THE MEETING AFTER THAT. I'LL HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK. BUT THEY, THIS IS PROBABLY FOR THE NEXT CYCLE. OKAY. THEY HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED TO, TO COME TO TALK ABOUT IT, SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. PERFECT. THEY'VE GOT A, THEY'VE GOT A PROJECT GOING ON IN DOWNTOWN, OUT IN DISTRICT SIX, IS IT? CORRECT. AND THEY WANT TO COME TELL US EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO TO MAKE THE, I KNOW DOWNTOWN THEY, THEY, UH, ASKED US WHO OUR CONTRACTORS WERE, WHO ACTUALLY PUT THE STREETS AND THE IMPROVEMENTS IN. 'CAUSE THEY WANNA USE THE SAME CONTRACTOR TO MAKE SURE IT GETS PUT BACK LOOKING EXACTLY LIKE IT WAS FOR SOME OF THE OLDER AREAS. THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE. I MEAN, THESE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN GONE FOR A LONG TIME, BUT, UH, THEY'LL BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THEIR COMMITMENT TO DO THAT. COOL. THAT'S GREAT. THAT, THAT'LL BE PERFECT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WELL THAT'S, THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD LIST, SO THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER. JOE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? TRYING TO THINK OF SOMEBODY WHO'S NOT ON THE LIST. OOH, . I THINK WE, WE, MIKE AND KARMA WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS LIST WAS PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE. YEAH, IT LOOKS PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE TO ME, IS WHAT EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. SO, YEAH, I, THIS IS, IT'S THE RIGHT DIRECTION. LET'S KEEP GOING THAT WAY. ALEX COLLEGE ON THE LIST. DALLAS COLLEGE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. COLLEGE DISTRICT. THAT'S A GOOD ONE. OKAY. WANT TO ADD THEM TO THE LIST? IT'S ON THERE. OH, IS IT? OH, YOU'RE RIGHT. IT IS. IT'S RIGHT BEFORE PARKLAND HOSPITAL. OH, PERFECT. OKAY. THERE WE GO. Y'ALL ARE JUST THAT GOOD . I [00:05:01] LOVE IT. OKAY. WELL, UM, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO ADD, DO, DO YOU WANNA GIVE DIRECTION? WE GO FORWARD WITH IT? YEAH. THE, UH, I THINK THE PARTNER MASTER LIST, I THINK IS, UH, READY TO PRESENT TO THE FULL COUNCIL. YES, I AGREE. OKAY. LET'S DO THAT. TO CLARIFY, WE YOU WANT TO BRING THIS TO A WORK SESSION FOR APPROVAL, OR WOULD YOU LIKE US TO JUST MOVE FORWARD WITH STARTING WORKING ON MEETINGS? I, I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL, I MEAN, WE, UH, WE NEED TO AT LEAST AND DURING A WORK SESSION, HAVE THEM, UH, HAVE AWARENESS OF IT. THEY'LL BE EXCITED TO KNOW THAT THIS IS COMING, UH, WHETHER YOU'RE ALREADY MOVING FORWARD WITH IT, THAT I'M PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE WITH IT MOVING FORWARD. YEAH. THEY, THEY MAY THINK OF SOMEONE ELSE, BUT YEAH, I THINK LET'S GIVE 'EM A CHANCE IN WORK SESSION TO, TO TAKE A SUGGEST IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE. SO. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO. OKAY. I CAN TALK ABOUT THIS AS WELL WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND JUST DO IT ALL AT ONCE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WELL THEN WITH THAT WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE B, WHICH IS OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF THE 2027 STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. THERE'S A LOT THERE. YES, THERE IS A LOT OF AGENDA. I WILL SAY THAT THERE'S TWO PARTS TO IT. THERE'S THE AGENDA PART AND THEN THERE'S WHAT WE WILL PRINT FRONT AND BACK. AND IT WILL ESSENTIALLY BE A ONE PAGER THAT WE GIVE TO LEGISLATIVE OFFICES. SO THAT'S WHAT THE LAST TWO PAGES ARE. UM, THIS IS NOT TOO SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT FROM OUR AGENDA. LAST SESSION, UM, OF COURSE WE DID CHANGE WHO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE ON THE SECOND PAGE, ON THE THIRD PAGE, UM, SECOND POSITION FROM THE BOTTOM, IT SAYS THE CITY OPPOSES EXPANSION OF REVENUE TAX EXPENDITURE OR APPRAISAL CAPS, WHICH WOULD LIMIT THE CITY'S ABILITY TO RAISE SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO PAY FOR CRITICAL MUNICIPAL PUBLIC SERVICES. WE ADDED THE WORD EXPENDITURE. THAT'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE ON THIS PAGE FROM FROM THE LAST, UM, SESSION'S AGENDA. UM, MOVING ON TO THE, THE, THE NEXT PAGE, UNDER PROTECTING TAXPAYERS INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC UTILITIES AND ASSETS. WE WORKED WITH CRYSTAL AND HER TEAM AND WE KIND OF REWROTE THE, THE PFAS LANGUAGE. SO IT READS THE CITY OPPOSES LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ASSIGN THE BURDEN OF TREATMENT COSTS AND LIABILITY FOR PFAS OR PFOS IN WATER SUPPLY OR LANDFILL, UH, TO THE MUNICIPALITY AND SUPPORTS HOLDING MANUFACTURING ENTITIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PRODUCT WASTE. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE CHANGES ON THAT PAGE. AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM, UNDER KEEPING GARLAND COMPETITIVE, UM, THE LAST POSITION, THE CITY SUPPORTS LEGISLATION THAT PRESERVES AND EXPANDS FLEXIBLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS AVAILABLE TO MUNICIPALITIES TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT SUPPORT, REDEVELOPMENT, AND CREATE AND RETAIN JOBS. THAT IS, HAS BEEN ADDED AND THE SUPPORT AND POSITION FOR TYPE A TYPE B WAS REMOVED AND IT WAS KIND OF, UM, COMBINED INTO ONE STATEMENT. OKAY. ON THE NEXT PAGE, UM, THE TWO THAT WERE ADDED ARE AT THE TOP. THE CITY SUPPORTS LEGISLATION THAT PRESERVES AND EXPANDS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS, INCLUDING INCENTIVES, REDEVELOPMENT MECHANISMS, HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX AUTHORITY, AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT FLEXIBILITY NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE CITY'S ADOPTED STRATEGIC PLAN AND ADVANCED TARGETED REDEVELOPMENT WITHIN DESIGNATED ECONOMIC FOCUS AREAS. THIS WAS ADDED, UM, TO SUPPORT THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND, UM, THE ECONOMIC FOCUS AREAS THAT ARE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HELD TO THAT SAME STANDARD, UM, DURING SESSION. AND THEN THE ONE RIGHT BELOW IT, THE CITY OPPOSES LEGISLATION THAT WOULD LIMIT THE CITY'S AUTHORITY TO STRATEGICALLY DEPLOY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES, LAND USE TOOLS, HOT REVENUE OR PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN SUPPORT OF LOCALLY ADOPTED REDEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES. THOSE ARE THE TWO NEW ONES ON THAT PAGE. IS THAT TWO SIDES OF THE SAME CARD THEN? YES. THEY'RE BASICALLY TWO VERY, VERY SIMILAR POSITIONS. OKAY. VERY GOOD. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY, THAT'S ALL OF THE NEW CHANGES THAT WERE MADE FROM THE LAST VERSION FOR 2025. OKAY. AND THE, UH, THE LAST IS THE ONE PAGERS THAT YOU GIVE TO THE LEGISL MM-HMM . THAT'S ALL OF THE SAME THINGS, [00:10:01] JUST CONDENSED A LITTLE BIT MORE. GOTCHA. WITHOUT THE PRETTY PICTURES. HOW, UH, HOW OPEN HAS THE, UH, ARE LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVES BEEN SO FAR? UM, THEY'VE, WE HAVEN'T COMMUNICATED THIS PROGRAM TO THEM SINCE IT'S NOT BEEN APPROVED BY, BY COUNCIL. UM, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THEM, UM, KIND OF IN A REGULAR CADENCE. THEY, THEY'VE BEEN REALLY OPEN. UM, THEY'RE OPEN TO THE LUNCH AND LEARNS ABOUT THE MUNICIPAL BUDGET PROCESS. SO I THINK THAT SAYS A LOT AS WELL. SO ONCE A SESSION HAS STARTED AND THEY'RE ALL STAFFED UP, WE'LL START WORKING ON ON THOSE FOR THEM. OKAY. AWESOME. AND IS, IS PFAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE TRACTION ON THIS CYCLE THAT PEOPLE ARE, YOU DON'T HEAR ABOUT IT IN THE NEWS THESE DAYS? I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS IN THE, THE FRONT OF WATER AND WASTEWATER, SO, OH, IT'S A BIG DEAL BECAUSE IT'S A, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ANY EQUIPMENT TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH IT AND WE'D HAVE TO BUY INFRASTRUCTURE AND IT'D BE A, IT'D BE EXPENSIVE. IT'D BE VERY EXPENSIVE. I KNOW. YEP. YEP. WE DON'T WANT AN UNFUNDED MANDATE. FOR SURE. ALRIGHT. JOE, WHAT THOUGHTS DO YOU HAVE? NO, I, I, I LIKE IT. OF COURSE, I DIDN'T SEE LAST YEAR'S MAN MY FIRST YEAR ON THE COMMITTEE HERE, BUT, UH, YEAH, IT MAKES GOOD SENSE. WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE KINDA SPELLED IT OUT A LITTLE MORE FOR COUNCIL AND THEN WE'VE GOT A EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IF YOU WILL, THOSE LAST TWO PAGES. I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING TOO. SO, NO, I, I LIKE IT. NO WAY TO SQUEEZE THAT, THAT HAT ON THE, ON THE EXECUTIVE ON THAT SUMMARY. UH, OUR PICTURE OF THE, A PICTURE OF THE HAT. SOMEBODY CAME UP AND DID GOOD . YEAH, WE, WE WORKED ON THAT PICTURE IN THE BACKGROUND. JUST MAYBE A WATER BAR BEHIND THE HOLE, RIGHT? ? YES. YEAH. AND YOU CAUGHT IT WITH ALL THE LIGHTS ON AND EVERYTHING, SO THAT'S GOOD. IT'S A REALLY GOOD PICTURE. YEAH, IT IS. OH, NICE WORK. THIS LOOKS GOOD. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY DIRECTION TO THEN TAKE THIS TO COUNCIL WORK SESSION TO HAVE FULL INPUT? OKAY. YEAH, I THINK SO. JOE, WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT? YEAH. OKAY. AND YES, THAT WILL BE PERFECT. NOW WE HAVE OUR ITEM THREE C, WHICH IS OVERVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TASK FORCE. YES. THAT SOUNDS VERY IMPORTANT TO TASK FORCE. THIS IS THE GEORGETOWN MODEL, RIGHT? OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YES, THIS IS, AND I FEEL FORTUNATE TO TALK ABOUT THIS 'CAUSE I, UM, I MADE THE GEORGETOWN MODEL. SO, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MY HAD COME TO ME AND ASKED FOR AS WELL AS THE MAYOR. UM, SO I WANTED TO TAKE GEORGETOWN'S MODEL AND KIND OF GO OVER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND THEN HOW MAYBE WE COULD MAKE SOMETHING SIMILAR WORK IN GARLAND. UM, IN GEORGETOWN THERE ARE THREE PARTS. THERE'S AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OR SUBCOMMITTEE OF COUNCIL, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS COMMITTEE DOES. AND THEN THERE IS THE LEGISLATIVE AMBASSADORS. SO THEY HAVE A LINK ON THEIR WEBSITE AND ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN SIGN UP AND THEY'LL GET A NEWSLETTER DURING SESSION SO THEY CAN STAY INFORMED, BUT ALSO IT'LL HAVE CONTACT INFORMATION AND CALLS TO ACTION SO THAT THEY CAN CALL THEIR LEGISLATOR, UM, ON ISSUES THAT THE CITY FEELS ARE OF IMPORTANCE. AND THEN THERE'S THE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE, WHICH IS A COMMITTEE, A SUBCOMMITTEE THAT IS CREATED, UM, OF ALL RESIDENTS THROUGH AN APPLICATION PROCESS. AND THOSE RESIDENTS SERVE AND ARE HEARD, THEY HEAR FROM DIRECTORS FROM ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN GEORGETOWN, AND THEY HEAR OF THE STRUGGLES OF EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND WHY THE POLICY FOR THE STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IS WHAT IT IS. AND THEN THE TASK FORCE MEETS AND THEY DISCUSS SHOULD IT BE CHANGED, SHOULD IT NOT BE CHANGED. AND IT'S REALLY THE PUBLIC'S BUY-IN AND THE PUBLIC'S DEVELOPMENT OF THAT LEGISLATIVE AGENDA SO THAT WHEN YOU GO TO YOUR LEGISLATOR, YOU CAN SAY, THIS IS ACTUALLY BACKED BY, BY THE PUBLIC. THEY WORKED ON THIS AND THEY HELPED DRAFT IT, DRAFT IT. SO THAT'S THEIR MODEL. UM, MY PROPOSAL IS THAT WE START WITH THE LEGISLATIVE AMBASSADORS. SO WE HAVE THAT LINK ON OUR WEBSITE. THE COMMUNITY CAN SIGN UP, THEY CAN STAY INFORMED ON WHAT WE'RE DOING THROUGHOUT THE SESSION. UM, MAYBE THEY CAN GET INVOLVED AND THEN WE DO, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN, LOOK AT FOR THE NEXT SESSION, DOING A LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE, I THINK IT'S WAY IT'S [00:15:01] TOO LATE IN THE YEAR TO HAVE THAT AND TO STILL GET A STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA OUT. UM, BECAUSE THAT PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN SET UP YET. BUT THERE WOULD BE A, THERE'S A TIMELINE IN HERE AS WELL, UM, FOR THE NEXT SESSION TO RAMP THAT UP, THERE'LL BE, UH, UH, THERE'LL BE, UH, WILL THIS BE, UH, A LOT LIKE OUR TIFF UH, BOARDS THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING WHERE THEY, THEY GET TOGETHER, UH, YOU KNOW, QUARTERLY OR WHATEVER THAT, SO THIS WOULD, THIS COMMITTEE WOULD ONLY MEET DURING THE EVEN NUMBERED YEARS BEFORE SESSION. SO IT WOULD MEET IN 2028, LIKELY FROM MAY TO AUGUST, UM, EVERY TWO WEEKS, ONCE A MONTH, UM, WHICHEVER MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR US TO FIT IN ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WITHOUT BURDENING THEM TOO MUCH AND DOING INFORMATION OVERLOAD. UM, BUT THEY WOULD HEAR FROM THE DEPARTMENTS ON, UM, WHY THE POSITION IS THE WAY IT IS AND IF THEY NEED CHANGES, WHY THAT IS AND WHAT THAT STRUGGLE LOOKS LIKE. AND THEN THEY WOULD MAKE THOSE CHANGES THROUGHOUT THAT TIME. AND THEN WE WOULD PRESENT IT TO YOU GUYS, UM, AFTER IT WAS DECIDED ON BY THEM AND WE HAD STAFF INPUT, IT WOULD COME TO THIS COMMITTEE AND THEN WORK SESSION AND THEN FULL COUNCIL APPROVAL. SO THE IDEA BEING THAT THIS SORT OF ADD AN EXTRA LAYER OF TRANSPARENCY SO THAT PEOPLE WILL HAVE, THEY'LL FEEL LIKE YOU SAID IT HAS A BUY-IN FROM THE PUBLIC AND IT, IT CREATES A GROUP DURING SESSION THAT WE COULD COME TO AND SAY, HEY, THIS BILL IS A VERY BIG PROBLEM FOR US. HERE'S WHY. HERE'S THE IMPACT IT WOULD HAVE. HERE'S HOW WE WOULD HAVE TO IMPLEMENT IT OR RESPOND TO IT. AND THEY WOULD THEN IN THEORY, GO TO THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY TO GET THEM FIRED UP TO THEN CALL BECAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY UP TO SPEED, DON'T HAVE ALREADY A GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEY CAN OKAY. UNDERSTOOD. THE, THE WAY THAT I THINK THIS MODEL COULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE IS IF THERE ARE, IF THERE IS COMMUNITY BUY-IN, IF THERE IS, IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO YOU COULD THINK OF THAT WOULD WANT TO APPLY AND WOULD DO A VERY GOOD JOB VOLUNTEERING BECAUSE IT REALLY IS ONLY EFFECTIVE IF THEY WANT TO BE HERE AND THEY, THEY WANT TO MAKE GARLAND BETTER AND THEY WANNA PUSH IT FORWARD. OTHERWISE IT, IT COULD BE, UM, COULD BE A HINDRANCE. RIGHT. NO, I UNDERSTAND. YOU GOTTA FIND, GET THE RIGHT FIT OF A PERSON THAT'S CONSTRUCTIVE. YES. YEP. OKAY. SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS JOE? UM, I, I DID READ THROUGH THIS ONE BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM. SO WE'RE STANDING UP A PERMANENT COMMITTEE, MUCH LIKE OUR COMMUNITY MULTICULTURAL OR SENIOR CITIZENS ADVISORY. THIS IS A SIMILAR THING EXCEPT BECAUSE OUR BIENNIAL LEGISLATURE, THEY WOULD ONLY REALLY SERIOUSLY MEET IN THE EVEN NUMBERED YEARS. RIGHT? YEAH. AND SO, UM, IT TALKED ABOUT HOW WE WOULD, UH, APPOINT THEM AND I THINK OUR TYPICAL MODELS THAT WE HAVE ONE PER COUNCIL MEMBER AND ONE FOR THE MAYOR AND AN ODD NUMBER JUST FOR VOTING PURPOSES, I THINK IS THE WAY TO GO. THE NINE NINE MEMBER BOARD. LET'S SEE WHAT OTHER NOTES I HAD OPT IN EMAIL LIST. DO YOU, YOU, DID YOU HAVE OPT OUT? DO YOU THINK THAT'S A BAD IDEA? I'M KIDDING. ARIEL . THANK YOU. . WE TOO SOON. TOO SOON. STILL. STILL. AND THE OTHER THING I SAW, UM, SO, UH, YOU HAD YOU, UH, RECOMMENDED A, A COUPLE OF PLANS THAT WE MIGHT START WITH, WITH EMMA LIGHT VERSUS ESSENTIAL. YES. I THINK LIGHT WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE. UM, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE KIND OF NEW. WE'RE JUST GETTING OFF THE GROUND AND IT'S ONLY, IT'S, IT'S THE REALLY ALL WE NEED IF AFFORDABLE, SETTING UP THE GROUP THAT GETS THE NEWSLETTERS MM-HMM . AND THEN COULD WE UPGRADE TO ESSENTIALS LATER IF WE NEED MORE FEATURES? I ASSUME IF WE NEED MORE FEATURES OR CAPACITY OR OTHER DEPARTMENTS NEED ACCESS, WE COULD, BUT I, I REALLY THINK LIGHT'S PROBABLY ALL WE NEED. OKAY. BUT YES, THERE IS, YOU COULD SCALE IT UP IF, IF NEED BE. OKAY. 'CAUSE I WAS CURIOUS IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, IS THIS, SO IF WE COMMIT TO THE LIGHT PROGRAM, IS THAT A COMMITMENT FOR X AMOUNT OF TIME OR COULD WE SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE NEED TO GO TO ESSENTIALS AFTER SIX MONTHS? IT'S JUST A, IT'S LIKE A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION, SO I THINK IT'S A HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH. YEAH. FOR THE SUBSCRIPTION. YEAH. YOUR, YOUR LIST IS 99 A MONTH AND WE COULD STOP USING IT ALL TOGETHER. WE COULD DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. MM-HMM . WITH NO, WITH, BUT, BUT I'M SAY WE START ON THAT. SO WE SAY IT'S DOESN'T QUITE FIT THEN IT'S LIKE YOUTUBE TV, YOU CAN TURN IT OFF AFTER A MONTH IS RIGHT? IS THAT YES. HOW THAT'S CORRECT. THAT HOW IT WORKS. MM-HMM . STOP YOUR [00:20:01] SUBSCRIPTION. YES, THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. UM, AND THEN THE TERM ON THE COMMITTEE, UM, YOU SAID ONE YEAR IN RENEWABLE, DO YOU THINK BECAUSE THIS IS A BIENNIAL, WE SHOULD HAVE TWO YEAR TERMS FOR THESE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T MEET, THEY'RE STILL ON THE BOARD. YEAH. YEAH. I, YEAH, THEY WOULD STILL BE ON THE COMMITTEE EVEN IF WE'RE NOT MEETING IN THE ODD NUMBERED YEARS. I MEAN YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE WITH ME. WE COULD, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S, IT'S KNOWN THAT THERE, THERE WOULD BE TURNOVER FOR THE NEXT ONE. THEY'RE WELCOME TO REAPPLY, BUT I THINK TURNOVER IS ALSO HELPFUL. OKAY. WELL, AND, AND YEAH, BECAUSE I THINK A, A LOT OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS DO REAPPLY. THIS IS WHAT WE'VE SEEN. THEY WANT TO KEEP DOING IT. AND, UM, WHAT ELSE DID I HAVE? BECAUSE I DID READ THIS ONE WITH GREAT INTEREST HERE, UH, THE APPOINTMENTS OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SO, UM, YOU SAY EARLY 2028 IS THE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE. AND I'M THINKING ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR ELECTIONS ARE IN MAY AND TYPICALLY WE APPOINT PEOPLE TO COMMITTEES AFTER THE ELECTION. SO THE NEWLY ELECTED PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE WHOEVER THEY WANT. AND SO IS THERE, I DON'T KNOW, SOME WAY WE CAN MAKE THAT FIT OR IS THAT, THAT'D JUST BE WAY TOO LATE IN THE GAME ACCORDING TO YOUR, TO YOUR ORIENTATION AND OTHER THINGS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN AFTER APPOINTMENT. WE, WE COULD, WE WOULD JUST HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THAT APPLICATION TIMELINE AND THEN A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE START DATE. BECAUSE IDEALLY, IN ORDER TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR ALL OF THEM TO MEET WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AND GET ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO WITHOUT BEING OVERLOADED, WE WOULD NEED A COUPLE MONTHS THERE. AND WE DON'T WANNA PUSH IT OUT UNTIL, YOU KNOW, DECEMBER OR SOMETHING AND NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GET THE AGENDA TO EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL THAT NEEDS IT BEFORE A SESSION. OKAY. YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN, MR. CHAIRMAN? THE OH, ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, SOMEBODY THAT'S APPOINTING SOMEBODY IN EARLY 2028 AND WHO'S ROLLING OFF OF COUNCIL IN MAY, AND YOU COULD HAVE YOU, THEY COULD, UH, APPOINT FOR THE NEXT, UH, YOU WANT THEM IN PLACE FOR THE, UH, FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. YEAH, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU, YOU COULD APPOINT THEM WELL IN ADVANCE OF WHEN THEIR, THEIR TERM ACTUALLY, WHEN THEY'LL ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF ACTIVITY. YEAH. BUT I'M JUST, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, THERE'S A REASON THAT WE, YOU DON'T WANT IT TO, THAT OUR CURRENT BOARD'S TERMS START, START THE 1ST OF SEPTEMBER. YES. THAT GIVES NEWLY ELECTED PEOPLE MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST TO GET ANY NEW PEOPLE INTO THE, INTO THE RIGHT DEAL. BUT THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A DIFFERENT SITUATION HERE WHERE THERE'S THERE WOULD BE 'CAUSE OF THE ONBOARDING AND GETTING UP TO SPEED AND THAT WOULD BE, WOULD HAPPEN EVERY YEAR BECAUSE OF THE AGENDA CHANGES EVERY YEAR, RIGHT? RIGHT. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. SO WE MAY NEED TO LOOK AT WHEN WOULD, WHEN WE APPOINT TIMING OF IT, TIMING, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, TO ACCOMMODATE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO MIGHT WANNA SAY, WELL, I DON'T WANT MIKE TO BE MY REPRESENTATIVE. I WANT CHRIS, AND YOU KNOW, THE, THEY THEY MAKE SENSE OF THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I DO. SO, UM, SO I WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT AT LEAST FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY WE DO APPOINTMENTS NOW. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? DO YOU THINK YOU THINK WE CAN WORK WITH THAT OR, UM, BECAUSE IN YOUR EVERY TWO WEEK MEETINGS, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, YOU NEED, DO WE NEED TO WRAP IT BY SEPTEMBER 1ST TO GIVE YOU TIME TO DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO? I THINK WE WOULD HAVE BEFORE SESSION IN JANUARY. I THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE BY SEPTEMBER SO THAT WE COULD THEN BRING IT TO YOU AND THEN COUNT WORK SESSION AND THEN FULL COUNSEL IN TIME SO THAT WE CAN ALSO WORK WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS BEFORE THEIR DOCKETS GET FULL ON ALL OF THE BILLS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE CARRYING. OKAY. I WONDER IF, UH, PERHAPS LOOKING AT IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HOW WE HAVE, LIKE WHENEVER WE HAVE A BOND COMMITTEE THAT WE PUT TOGETHER TO STUDY WHETHER WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A, UM, YOU KNOW, A BOND, WE, WE TIME THAT BEFORE THAT PERIOD OF TIME. AND SO THIS IS ALMOST OF THAT SAME ILK YOU'RE BRINGING IN COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND IF THAT HAPPENS TO BE THE, THE YEAR WHERE THIS IS HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, THE TIMING OF IT, WE JUST FIGURE OUT WHEN THAT PROPER SEASON IS, RATHER THAN HAVING TO HAVE THIS PERPETUALLY FOR, I DUNNO, THIS, THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE YOU SAID, WE NEED TO PUT A LITTLE THOUGHT INTO IT THAT [00:25:01] WE CAN FIND A WAY TO YEAH, PERFECT. YEAH. YEAH, BECAUSE I, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO YOU TO HAVE TO RUSH JUST BECAUSE OF THIS, BUT I'M ALSO THINKING ABOUT THAT, THAT THERE WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS THIS YEAR AND THEY APPOINTED ALL BRAND, THEY CHANGED OUT EVERYBODY ON THEIR COMMITTEE, ON ALL THEIR COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS. AND SO I, I WOULD WANT THAT OPPORTUNITY AS A NEW COUNCIL PERSON, EVEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, NOT ONLY WITH THOSE, BUT WITH THIS ONE AND HOW COULD WE MAKE THAT FIT. I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT IT'S JUST A THOUGHT THAT OCCURRED TO ME WHEN I WAS READING THROUGH THIS. SO YES, ABSOLUTELY. I CAN, I CAN PUT SOME MORE THOUGHT INTO A SOLUTION FOR THAT AS WELL. OKAY. VERY GOOD. THAT'S ALL, UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE ON THIS ONE. AWESOME. ALRIGHT. AND, UM, I'M GOOD WITH THE, WITH THAT DIRECTION AS WELL, JUST PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO HOW WE DO THE SCHEDULING OF THE APPOINTMENTS AND BEYOND THAT, I THINK THAT IT'S A FANTASTIC ADDITION, UH, FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT WE'VE STATED. SO ARE WE WANTING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A LEGISLATIVE AMBASSADOR NEWSLETTER LENGTH THROUGHOUT FIRST SESSION AS WELL? UM, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY WE WOULD. OKAY. SO JUST BACK TO THE KIND OF GENERAL, WHERE, WHERE DID THIS COME FROM, THIS IDEA? UM, A LOT OF THE IDEAS BEHIND TASK FORCES LIKE THESE, I MEAN, SEVERAL CITIES ARE ADOPTING THIS MODEL BECAUSE IT'S AN ADDITIONAL TRANSFER, LIKE TRANSPARENCY LAYER WITH THE PUBLIC. UM, IT SHOWS YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT IT'S NOT JUST, UM, AN AGENDA THAT WAS CREATED BY THE CITY BECAUSE THE CITY WANTED TO. WE HAVE PUBLIC INPUT, WE HAVE PUBLIC BUY-IN. IT WAS CREATED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PUBLIC. IT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT, NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT WAS, OR A DECISION THAT WAS MADE IN A VACUUM. SO IT SHOWS PUBLIC BUY-IN WHEN WE GO DOWN TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SAY, WE HAVE TO SUPPORT THIS, OR WE'RE OPPOSING THIS, THIS IS WHY. NOT JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE IT OR WHATEVER. WE HAVE DIRECTION FROM OUR COMMUNITY TO DO SO. YEAH. OKAY. WELL THAT MAKES SENSE. AND SO THIS IS, HOW LONG HAS GEORGETOWN BEEN UP AND RUNNING ON THIS? UM, THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS NOW. SIX YEARS. AH, WELL THAT'S CYCLE. IT'LL BE THE SIXTH YEAR NOW TO KIND OF PROVE THE CONCEPT. UM, AND THEN SUGARLAND DID IT A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE THEM, SO THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE WELL VERSED IN, IN THAT. I THINK THEY WERE ONE OF THE MORE ORIGINAL MODELS. OKAY. OKAY. VERY GOOD. VERY INTERESTING. OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR. YEAH, I THINK IT'S A, IT'S, IT'LL BE A GOOD ADDITION FOR, FOR ALL THOSE REASONS THAT THE, THE, THE PUBLIC WANTS TO FEEL MORE INVOLVED IN THAT AND HAVE THAT EXTRA LAYER OF TRUST. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO IT, UH, MOVING FORWARD. HOWEVER, WE NEED TO DO THE SCHEDULING FOR THE, UH, FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS. BUT THIS IS GONNA BE A REALLY GOOD ADDITION. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. AND WE HAVE ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING, JOE? I DO NOT. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING AS WELL RIGHT NOW, SO. ALL RIGHT. WELL THEN, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER BUSINESS? I DON'T THINK THAT WE DO, SO NOT FOR ME. ITEM FIVE, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 4 28. THANKS A LOT. * 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.