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GOOD MORNING, WE HAVE A QUORUM.
TODAY IS TUESDAY, AUGUST 8TH, 2023.
THE TIME'S 9:54 AM AND I, I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE DALLAS STATE COUNCIL TO ORDER.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR INVOCATION THIS MORNING,
[Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance]
GIVEN BY CHAPLAIN RAYFORD BUTLER.HE WORKS WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HE'S A GOOD MAN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO YOU NOW.
UH, FIRST I, FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO SAY IS GOOD MORNING TO EVERYBODY, AND YOU ALL KNOW HOW CHIEF GARCIA SAY GOOD MORNING TWICE.
SO WE EVERYONE TO SAY GOOD MORNING AND THANK GOD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, FATHER IN JESUS' NAMES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME INTO YOUR BUSINESS TODAY, UH, BY BRINGING US INTO LIFE.
AND WE COME NOW TO ONLY DO THY WILL, THOUGH LORD, LET THY WILL BE DONE.
UH, HELP US TO DO THAT, WHICH IS RIGHT.
HELP US TO KNOW WHAT WISDOM IS AND PRACTICE WISDOM.
EVERY DECISION THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE.
LET OUR EFFORTS BE DRIVEN BY YOUR GRACE AND MERCY, AND WE FOREVER.
THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS FLAG, UNITED STATES FLAG.
FIRST, IF YOU PLEASE RISE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
DO HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS MORNING, SO WE'LL MOVE RIGHT ON
[Open Microphone Speakers]
TO OUR OPEN MICROPHONE SPEAKERS, MADAM SECRETARY.THANK YOU MR. MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING.
YOU HAVE FIVE REGISTERED SPEAKERS FOR THIS WORKSHOP.
I'LL RECITE THE SPEAKER GUIDELINES.
SPEAKERS MUST OBSERVE THE SAME RULES OF PROPRIETY DECORUM AND GOOD CONDUCT APPLICABLE TO MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, ANY SPEAKER MAKING PERSONAL AND PERTINENT PROFANE OR SLANDEROUS REMARKS OR WHO BECOMES BOISTEROUS.
WHILE ADDRESSING CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE ROOM.
INDIVIDUALS BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
YOU'LL NOTICE THE TIME, YOUR TIME ON THE MONITOR AT THE PODIUM.
WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP, PLEASE STOP.
ALSO, SPEAKERS DURING YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REFER TO A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BY NAME.
ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO MAYOR JOHNSON, ONLY YOUR FIRST SPEAKER.
MY NAME IS MOLLY ROOK AND I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED THAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET APPEARS TO MAKE DEEP CUTS, A $66.6 MILLION REDUCTION TO FUNDING FOR THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY NEEDS.
AT PAGE NINE OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATION TODAY, SEE THE SECOND BAR GRAPH THERE SHOWING A REDUCTION FOR ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY FROM $628 MILLION TO $561.4 MILLION AND ALMOST 11% DI DECREASE IN ALL OPERATING CAPITAL FUNDS AND ADDITIONAL SOURCES.
I SERVED ON THE STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DALLAS SIERRA CLUB IN 3 3 50 DALLAS, HELPING TO DEVELOP THE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THE CCAP WITH PARTICIPATION OF BUSINESSES, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC INPUT TO HELP ENSURE ALL VOICES WERE HEARD.
WE CAN'T AFFORD TO FALL SHORT WITH SO MUCH AT STAKE, INCLUDING PEOPLE'S LIVES, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE MOST VULNERABLE.
AND WITH THE CLIMATE CRISIS ACCELERATING, WE CAN'T SLOW DOWN WITH OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ACTIONS.
SO THE BUDGET, UH, MUST FOR THE BUDGET TO IMPLEMENT THE CCAP, UH, THE FUNDS MUST NOT BE REDUCED AND CERTAINLY NOT A 18.2% REDUCTION IN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
GENERAL FUND EXPENSES, AND YOU CAN SEE THIS ON PAGE 96 OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATION.
THIS IS A DEEPER CUT THAN ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS SHOWN ON PAGES 94 THROUGH 97, EXCEPT FOR THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION FOR WHICH ALL THE EXPENSES WERE COMPLETELY CUT TO ACHIEVE THE CRITICAL AND CCAP GOALS WITH NO LESS THAN A 43% REDUCTION IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BY 2030.
AND WITH A 100% REDUCTION BY 2050, WE NEED MORE FUNDING FOR THE CCAP, NOT LESS.
UM, SO I HOPE THAT SOMEONE CAN EXPLAIN WHY O E Q S FUNDS ARE REDUCED SO MUCH WHILE OTHER DEPARTMENTS GOT INCREASES.
UH, ARE THERE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY REDUCTIONS IN ALL DEPARTMENTS FOR
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WHICH, WHICH HAVE ROLES IN C A P EFFORTS? UH, ARE THERE REDUCTIONS IN FUNDS AND GRANTS, INCLUDING FROM ARPA, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, AND OTHER SOURCES? DALLAS COULD MISS OUT ON LARGE FUNDING OP OPPORTUNITIES CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND JOBS BILL, AS WELL AS THE INFL INFLATION REDUCTION ACT FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, SOLAR ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND MORE, IF MONEY IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY BUDGETS TO PAY SOME PERCENTAGE SHARE OF THE COSTS, THERE ARE ALSO TIME SENSITIVE FUNDS, FUNDS FROM THE E P A FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND FROM T C E Q.UH, SO JUST, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE FUNDS ARE REALLY THERE SOMEWHERE.
IF THEY'RE NOT, THEY NEED TO BE THERE.
THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT FOR US TO MISS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS AND HOW WE GET THE FUNDING WE NEED.
THE DALLAS LA CA CITY COUNCIL PASSED THE DALLAS CLIMATE PLAN WITH THE INTENT OF REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES.
WE WILL NOT ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVE OF CLEAN AIR WITH A, WITH A REDUCTION FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABLE ABILITY BUDGET FROM THE 628 MILLION TO 561000000.4 MILLION.
I WILL REPEAT FROM MOLLY, A 66.6 MILLION REDUCTION OR ALMOST 11% DECREASE IN A WHOLE OPERATING CAPITAL FUNDS AND ADDITIONAL SOURCES.
IN ADDITION, THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IS TO HAVE AN 18.2% REDUCTION IN OUR, THEIR GENERAL FUND EXPENSES, WHICH IS EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT EXCEPT FOR THE COMPLETE DELETION OF ALL THE EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
IT'S SO CHARMING WITH MILLIONS OF VISITORS VISITING THAT CITY AND THEY PRESERVE THEIR, THEIR BUILDINGS.
IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE GO THERE.
HOWEVER, THIS CITY IS PROPOSING TO DELETE EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
THIS IS ILLOGICAL AND NOT GOOD FOR THE CITY.
IN ADDITION, THE PROPOSED BUDGET CUT CCAP OPERATING BUDGET, WHICH IS OF GREAT CONCERN BECAUSE DALLAS NEVER HAS HAD CLEAN AIR.
AND THIS PLAN IS TO ACHIEVE IT FULLY FUNDING C A MEANS SUCCESS IN ACHIEVING CLEAN AIR FOR EVERYONE.
MY FIRST ASTHMA TAG CAME IN EARLY 2000 WHEN WE HAD OUR FIRST RED ALERT DAY.
I LIVED ON MEDICINE FOR MANY YEARS, AND I AM FORTUNATE THAT I'M ABLE TO HAVE GOTTEN THE MEDICATION.
THERE ARE MANY WHO DO NOT, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN.
THE LUNG ASSOCIATION'S 2022 REPORT FURTHER STATES THAT THE LEVELS OF OZONE AND PRACTICAL POLLUTION SEEN IN THE AREA CAN HARM THE HEALTH OF ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, BUT PARTICULARLY AT RISK ARE CHILDREN, OLDER ADULTS, PREGNANT PEOPLE, AND THOSE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BOTH OZONE AND PARTICLE POLLUTION, WHICH REALLY PARTICLE POLLUTION IS UNTO THEIR PLAN, CAN CAUSE PREMATURE DEATH AND OTHER SERIOUS HEALTH EFFECTS SUCH AS ASTHMA ATTACKS, CARDIOVASCULAR DAMAGE, AND DEVELOPMENTAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HARM AS WELL.
PARTICLE POLLUTION CAN ALSO CAUSE LUNG CANCER REPORTS.
I'M PARTICULARLY AWARE OF THIS SITUATION 'CAUSE MY OWN SON WAS DIAGNOSED BY M THAT'S YOUR ANDERSON'S AS HAVING LUNG.
MY NAME IS DAVID ELLISON AND I'M PRESIDENT OF THE DALLAS POLICE RETIRED OFFICERS ASSOCIATION.
I RETIRED FROM THE DEPARTMENT IN 2010 AS A DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICE AFTER SERVING THE CITY FOR OVER 38 YEARS.
I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU TO PLEASE ADDRESS THE FUNDING SHORTAGE OF THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM.
THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 5,000 RETIREES AND THEIR BENEFICIARIES WHO ARE DEPENDENT UPON THIS PLAN UNLESS THEY WORKED ELSEWHERE.
IN ADDITION TO WORKING FOR THE CITY, THEY DO NOT QUALIFY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY.
IN 2017, IN AN EFFORT AT PENSION REFORM, THE CITY AND THE PENSION SYSTEM AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE
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MADE SEVERAL CHANGES TO OUR PLAN.ONE OF THOSE WAS TO CHANGE OUR 4% ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT, WHICH WAS CHANGED TO AN AD HOC COLA THAT CAN ONLY BE PAID ONCE THE PLAN REACHES 70% FUNDING.
ACCORDING TO OUR ACTUARY, WE WILL NOT REACH THAT MILESTONE FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS IN 2022.
IN 2023, SOCIAL SECURITY AWARDED RETIREES A 5.9 AND 8.7% RESPECTIVELY, THOSE SAME YEARS.
THE CITY'S EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT FUND AWARDED THEIR RETIREES 5% COAL EACH YEAR.
BUT POLICE AND FIRE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS SINCE 2016.
OUR PENSIONS ARE QUICKLY ERODING AWAY.
I DO NOT SEE ANYTHING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET EARMARKED FOR THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM.
THE PLAN'S FUNDING LEVEL IS CURRENTLY AROUND 40%, AND IT'S ESTIMATED IT'LL TAKE APPROXIMATELY $3 BILLION TO FULLY FUND.
AND THAT IS WHY THAT I ASK THAT WE NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH ANY TYPE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND UNTIL WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO FIX THE PENSION SYSTEM.
THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION IS ALREADY WORKING WITH THE TEXAS PENSION REVIEW BOARD ON SELECTING AN INDEPENDENT ACTUARY TO PERFORM AN AUDIT OF THE PLAN.
ONCE FINISHED, THAT AUDIT WILL BE SHARED WITH THE CITY AND THE LEGISLATURE ALONG WITH ANY PLANS FOR IMPROVING THE FUNDING.
THE END GOAL WILL BE TO HAVE THE PLAN 100% FUNDED WITHIN 25 YEARS.
KEEP IN MIND, OUR ACTUARY HAS ALREADY SAID IT'LL TAKE US 50 JUST TO GET TO 70 YEARS, 70%.
IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE NOW TO GET AHEAD OF THIS SITUATION, IT COULD BECOME A PUBLIC, UH, NEWS.
IT IT COULD BECOME A VERY PUBLIC, AS THE NEWS MEDIA AND RESIDENTS START ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY WE DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING, IF ALL OF OUR BONDING AND TAXING CAPABILITY IS DESIGNATED TO OTHER PROJECTS BEFORE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE PENSION, WE COULD SEE IT FAIL.
AND THIS COULD BE A NATIONAL NEWS STORY THAT WOULD HAVE DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL.
IT COULD HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON THE CITY'S BOND RATING.
IT COULD CAUSE NEW BUSINESSES TO LOOK ELSEWHERE AND WOULD CERTAINLY CAUSE POLICE AND FIRE CANDIDATES TO GO ELSEWHERE FOR EMPLOYMENT.
I KNOW THERE ARE LOTS OF IDEAS TO MAKE OUR GREAT CITY EVEN MORE GRAND, BUT UNLESS WE CAN PROVIDE SAFETY AND SECURITY, WILL THERE BE ANYONE WILLING TO COME? PLEASE, BEFORE WE SPEND ALL OF OUR AVAILABLE, YOUR REVENUE, CAN WE FIX THE PENSION SYSTEM? THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING COUNCIL AND WELCOME TO OUR NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE HAVE MEMBERS IN THE DALLAS AREA AND TOGETHER OUR ORGANIZATION, ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS LIKE SIERRA CLUB, THREE FIFTY.ORG, CLIMATE REALITY, ET CETERA, GOT THE C A P PASS SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
TOGETHER ALL OUR ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENT MORE THAN 10,000 DALLAS RESIDENTS.
I AM HERE TODAY AS WELL TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BUDGET REGARDING IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY.
AGAIN, DURING THIS PRESENTATION TODAY, I WANNA CALL, CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO PAGE NINE AND PAGE 96.
ON PAGE 90 ON PAGE NINE, YOU'LL SEE A 66.6 REDUCTION IN ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS ALL FUNDING.
ON PAGE NINE, UH, 96 RATHER, YOU'RE GONNA SEE 11% DECREASE.
EXCUSE ME, AN 18.2% DECREASE IN THE FUNDING FOR O E Q S, THOUGH WHEN I SKIMMED THE BUDGET IN THE MORE DETAILED 780 PLUS PAGE BUDGET, THANK GOODNESS WE DIDN'T CUT THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY.
ARE WE EXPECTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES TO DO MORE TO GET US TO OUR CCAP GOALS WITH LESS MONEY? THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE FROM THE E P A FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROJECTS.
THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW THAT ARE GONNA GO AWAY FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR EV VEHICLES AND EV INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PUBLIC FACING EV INFRASTRUCTURE.
I HEAR THE FIRE CHIEF MIGHT LIKE A PILOT FIRE TRUCK THAT'S ELECTRIC.
THERE IS SO MUCH FUNDING THAT'S NOT EVEN APPLIED FOR THAT WE COULD GET FROM COG IN LIGHT OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE.
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ONCE THAT FUNDING GOES AWAY, IT'S GONE.THERE'S LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS LEFT TO MEET OUR FIRST CCAP GOAL, WHICH IS A 43% REDUCTION BY 2030.
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO TAKE, TO MISS AND NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE TO FUNDS AVAILABLE TO US.
WE NEED MORE FUNDING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL HELP SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, AND WE ALSO NEED IT TO MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS.
I THINK EVERYONE IS SEEING WHAT THIS SUMMER HAS BEEN LIKE WITH WILDFIRES AND FLOODS WORLDWIDE.
LET'S DO MORE, MORE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S YOUR TIME AND NOT LESS.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BUDGET'S, EXPLANATION ON WHY THESE CUTS WERE MADE.
I'M A RETIRED POLICE OFFICER IN DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
LONG TIME AGO I LEFT, WENT TO WORK IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY OF OWNED MY OWN BROKER DEALER.
SO THESE, AND I, AND I SERVED 12 YEARS ON THE, ON OUR PENSION FUND, 10 AS ITS CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO ALL THIS PROBLEMS THAT CAME UP, UH, ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE SHORT ABOUT 600 PLUS OFFICERS IN DALLAS.
AND I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY, UH, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT'S A TREMENDOUS NUMBER.
AND IT LOST BECAUSE THE PENSION GOT, IT LITERALLY GOT ATTACKED AND CAUSED A RUN ON THE BANK.
AND THAT, THAT BEING OVER WITH OUR PENSION SHOULD BE BACKED UP.
I THINK WITH PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS, THEY'RE AVAILABLE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
I HELPED PASS THE LAW YEARS AGO SO THAT WE COULD DO THAT IF IT EVER BECAME NECESSARY.
AND IF WE USE ALL OUR BOND ABILITY THAT THE CITY HAS AND IT'S USED UP, THEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO TO APPLY THAT.
AND THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT AWAY IN TWO, IN TWO YEARS FROM NOW, 2025.
IF YOU FIND OUT WHEN YOU CHECK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION OF PENSION FUND, IT'S COMING.
IT WASN'T FIXED AT THE LEGISLATURE IN 19 OR IN 2018.
THAT WAS JUST A STOP GAP, SORT OF A BRIDGE AND IT'S GONNA BE COMING DUE.
SO WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT.
AND THE REASON WE NEED THE PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS, IT'S ONLY FAIR AS PENSION OBLIGATION.
BONDS HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THE OTHER PENSION SYSTEM IN THE CITY, AND THEY HAVE NOT FOR OURS.
AND WE HAVE A COLA THE POLICE AND FIRE DO, AND IT WAS A 4% COLA.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WHOLE LOT EXCEPT THE STORY WAS, WAS A OUTRIGHT LIE.
IT WAS A, IT'S A SIMPLE IN INTEREST RATE.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GET A RAISE EVERY YEAR AFTER THAT.
NOT, NOT A COMPOUNDING LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY IS COMPOUNDING.
I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE OTHER PENSION SYSTEM, WHETHER IT IS OR NOT, BUT THEY JUST HAD A LAST YEAR AND THEY'VE BEEN HELPED WITH PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS, WHICH WE NEED TO BE USED TO HELP OUT THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM.
AND THE MY NEXT POINT IS I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHEN WE CAN EXPECT THAT THE PENSION ISSUES WILL BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED OR YOU'RE GONNA LOSE A LOT MORE OFFICERS IN THE FIREMAN RIGHT NOW.
THIS CONCLUDES YOUR OPEN MICROPHONE SPEAKERS FOR THIS MEETING.
UM, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO OUR BRIEFING AGENDA, MR. CITY MANAGER, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A TWO MINUTE RECESS SO WE DON'T LOSE OUR, OUR TENUOUS QUORUM.
FOR EVERYONE WHO NEEDS TO GO TO THE RESTROOM OR ANYTHING ELSE, NOW'S THE TIME BECAUSE ONCE WE GET STARTED WITH THE STATE MANAGER'S PRESENTATION, WE CAN'T LOSE ANYONE.
OKAY? YOU UNDERSTAND? WE REALLY CAN'T LOSE ANYONE OR THE MEETING STOPS.
OKAY, WE'RE BACK FROM OUR RECESS.
I'M TOLD WE HAVE OUR QUORUM REESTABLISHED AND UH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR.
[A. 23-1848 Budget Workshop: City Manager’s Recommended Biennial Budget for FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25]
CITY MANAGER NOW.MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE PRESENT.
I AM PLEASED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO SHARE WITH YOU MY RECOMMENDATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 24
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AND FISCAL YEAR 25 BIENNIAL BUDGET.AS YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET SERVES AS A POLICY DOCUMENT, A FINANCIAL PLAN AND OPERATIONAL GUIDE.
IN SUM, A BUDGET ALLOWS US TO EXPRESS OUR PRIORITIES WITH HOW WE ALLOCATE THE PUBLIC'S RESOURCES THAT ARE ENTRUSTED TO US.
THIS MORNING, WE WILL DISCUSS MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO ADDRESS THE PRIORITIES THAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE RESIDENTS, YOU AND OUR OTHER ELECTED LEADERSHIP.
THE BIENNIAL BUDGET IS BALANCED FOR EACH OF THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET TOTALS $4.63 BILLION, INCLUDING THE GENERAL FUND ENTERPRISE FUNDS AND CAPITAL FUNDS.
THE GENERAL FUND PORTION OF THE BUDGET IS $1.8 BILLION, AND I'M RECOMMENDING A TAX RATE REDUCTION OF 0.65 CENTS PER 100 IN VALUATION.
WITH THIS BUDGET, WE CONTINUE TO PUT SERVICE FIRST TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH EMPATHY, ETHICS, EXCELLENCE, AND EQUITY, AND ADDED IN FISCAL YEAR 23 ENGAGEMENT, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR WILL WALK US THROUGH THE BUDGET PROPOSAL TODAY.
I WILL NOW TURN THINGS OVER TO JACK IRELAND, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER TO BEGIN THE PRESENTATION.
JACK, IS YOUR MIC? I CAN'T HEAR YOU, JACK.
UH, AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU MR. BRUNICK.
AND AS HE MENTIONED, MY NAME IS JACK IRELAND, SERVING AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY.
UH, TODAY WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT THE MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 AND FISCAL YEAR 25.
I'M JOINED WITH, UH, JEANETTE WHEDON, DIRECTOR IN BUDGET MANAGEMENT SERVICES, AS WELL AS IVAN GULL AND CECILIA CHU FROM, UH, BUDGET MANAGEMENT SERVICES AS WELL.
ON SLIDE TWO, WE JUST PROVIDED AN OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION.
THERE'S 91 SLIDES THAT WE'LL TRY TO GO THROUGH FAIRLY QUICKLY BECAUSE OF THE LENGTH.
I'LL GO THROUGH THE FIRST HALF AND THEN, UH, JEANETTE WILL COVER THE SECOND HALF OF THE PRESENTATION.
I DO WANNA POINT OUT THE PICTURE THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE, UH, BRIEFING AS WELL AS WHAT IS ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE BUDGET BOOK.
WE HAD A COMPETITION OF CITY EMPLOYEES AND, UH, THAT WAS SELECTED DON RAINS JR.
FROM PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGNS.
UH, PHOTO OF THE TRINITY FLOODPLAIN, UH, WAS THE PICTURE THAT WE SELECTED TO INCLUDE, UH, IN JUST AN EFFORT TO ENGAGE WITH EMPLOYEES IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
SO GOING INTO THE BUDGET ON SLIDE THREE, JUST AS A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, THE FISCAL YEAR 24 PROPOSED BUDGET IS BALANCED AND TOTALS $4.6 BILLION.
THE FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET IS A PLANNED BUDGET THAT YOU WILL NOT ADOPT THIS YEAR, BUT YOU WILL ADOPT NEXT YEAR.
IT IS ALSO BALANCED AT $4.57 BILLION.
WE WILL SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND THIS YEAR.
THE GENERAL FUND IS PROPOSED TO BE $1.8 BILLION, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF $137.8 MILLION OR 8.1% MORE THAN THE BUDGET THAT YOU ADOPTED LAST SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN FINALLY ON SLIDE THREE, UH, AS MR. BROAD MENTIONED, A RECOMMENDATION TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE IS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET OF 0.65 CENTS, MAKING THIS THE EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR FOR REDUCTION IF ADOPTED.
ON SLIDE FOUR, UH, JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET, UH, $4.6 BILLION TOTAL.
AND HERE WE'VE BROKEN IT DOWN BETWEEN THE OPERATING BUDGETS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE AND THE CAPITAL BUDGET ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE.
THE CAPITAL BUDGET IS, UH, THE PART OF THE BUDGET THAT WE FUND OUR LONG-TERM CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
AND THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE OPERATING BUDGET, WHERE WE FUND OUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, INCLUDING THE GENERAL FUND, THE SEVEN ENTERPRISE FUNDS, GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT, AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
SO THIS IS JUST ONE WAY TO LOOK AT IT.
I HAVE NOTED AT THE BOTTOM THAT WE HAVE $268 MILLION OF INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS THAT ARE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS.
AND WHEN IT COMES TIME TO APPROVE THE BUDGET, YOU'LL APPROVE THE BUDGET AS WELL AS THE TRANSFER OF THOSE INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS.
SO WE JUST WANTED TO SHOW THAT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY THIS YEAR, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO ALLEVIATE SOME CONFUSION.
ON SLIDE FIVE, UH, AGAIN, THE BUDGET OVERVIEW.
YOU SEE THE COMPARISON OF FISCAL YEAR 20 THREE'S ADOPTED BUDGET, THE AMENDED BUDGET, BECAUSE IN MAY
[00:25:01]
OF THIS YEAR, UH, WE CAME FORWARD TO COUNCIL AND ASKED FOR AMENDMENTS.SO YOU SEE THAT IN THE, UH, SECOND SET OF NUMBERS.
THEN THE 24 PROPOSED, THE 25 PLANNED.
UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND, AGAIN, GOING FROM $1.71 BILLION UP TO $1.84 BILLION, THAT'S $137 MILLION INCREASE OR 8%.
THE TOTAL BUDGET, ALL FUNDS IS UP 2.7%, BUT THAT IS THE NET OF INCREASES AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PURPOSE.
CAPITAL BUDGET HAS A DECREASE YEAR OVER YEAR, AND THAT IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE IN FISCAL YEAR 23, IT WAS THE LAST YEAR OF OUR APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM, WE DO NOT HAVE ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE NEXT BOND PROGRAM UNTIL THAT PASSES, UH, THROUGH AN ELECTION.
SO THERE IS A DIP HERE UNTIL, UH, WE ADD APPROPRIATIONS FROM AN UPCOMING BOND PROGRAM.
UH, SO JUST THE TOTAL HERE, AGAIN, $4.6 BILLION, UH, FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM TO PAY FOR ALL OF THOSE EXPENSES? WELL, IT COMES FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES.
THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES COME FROM PROPERTY TAX, SALES TAX, FRANCHISE CHARGES FOR SERVICES, FINES, AND OTHER SOURCES.
ENTERPRISE FUNDS OPERATE AS A BUSINESS AND THEIR REVENUE COMES FROM CHARGING THEIR CUSTOMERS FOR THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE, SUCH AS WATER AND SANITATION AS EXAMPLES.
DEBT SERVICE REVENUES ALSO COME FROM PROPERTY TAX, WHICH IS WHERE WE PAY FOR OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND.
AND THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TYPICALLY ARE GRANTS TRUST AND OTHER RESTRICTED, UH, REVENUE SOURCES THAT WE RECEIVE, UH, TO HELP SUPPLEMENT, UH, OUR, UH, OPERATING DOLLARS.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE SEVEN, AND ON TO SLIDE EIGHT.
UH, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET BY STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA, EXCUSE ME.
ON SLIDE EIGHT, YOU'LL SEE FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET, AGAIN, TOTALING $4.6 BILLION, THE PLAN BUDGET, FOUR POINT, UH, FIVE $7 BILLION.
AND YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH IS ALLOCATED TO EACH OF THE, UH, STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS.
BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
ON SLIDE NINE, WE TAKE THE BUDGET AND WE ALIGN THE DIFFERENT SERVICES AND DEPARTMENTS TO ONE OF THE EIGHT STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AS AN EXAMPLE, WE ARE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT POLICE AND FIRE, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POLICE, FIRE COURTS, MARSHALS, UH, LOOSE STAT JAIL, UH, SOME SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, JUDICIARY, THOSE THINGS ALL MAKE UP THE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA, UH, IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY.
THIS IS MORE THAN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
AND SO I'LL MENTION THIS, UH, PARTLY IN RESPONSE TO WHAT SOME OF THE SPEAKERS SAID.
THAT INCLUDES SOME OTHER THINGS IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS BEYOND JUST ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
AND THERE'S A CAPITAL COMPONENT IN ALL OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS.
UH, SO IF WATER OR SEWER HAS AN ACTIVITY OR AN EXPENSE THAT'S RELATED TO ENVIRONMENT OR SUSTAINABILITY, IT WILL BE CAPTURED IN THAT STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA.
UM, AND SO A LOT OF WHAT YOU SEE WHEN THERE'S DECREASES FROM CURRENT YEAR TO NEXT YEAR, IT IS RELATED TO DECREASES IN THE CAPITAL PROGRAM BECAUSE OUR CAPITAL BUDGET WENT DOWN YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND ALSO OUR ALLOCATION OF DEBT SERVICE, YOU WILL SEE SOME REDUCTIONS THERE.
SO IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE THREE BARS ON THE FAR LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BLUE BAR BEING THE CURRENT YEAR, ORANGE IS THE PROPOSED YEAR, AND THE GRAY IS FISCAL YEAR 25 PLANNED.
SO IN ECO, YOU'LL SEE AN INCREASE OF 11.6% AND AN ENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABILITY FROM CURRENT YEAR TO NEXT YEAR, THERE'S A DECREASE OF 10.6%.
THAT IS PRIMARILY A DECREASE IN THE WATER AND SEWER CAPITAL.
UH, PLAN FOR THIS NEXT YEAR, THERE IS A DECREASE IN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, WHICH IS IN THE GENERAL FUND, BUT THAT IS BECAUSE THE CURRENT YEAR HAS $1.5 MILLION OF ONETIME COST FOR A BROWNFIELD PROGRAM THAT IS NOT REPEATED NEXT YEAR.
SO WE DON'T, UH, KEEP ONETIME COST IN YEAR AFTER YEAR.
UH, AND WE LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS CASE FOR IS THERE FEDERAL FUNDING AVAILABLE TO CONTINUE A BROWNFIELD PROGRAM? AND SO WE BACK THAT OUT.
WE PUT IN SOME MONEY CURRENT YEAR, BUT BACKED IT OUT FOR NEXT YEAR.
THAT IS THE DECREASE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
BUT AGAIN, THAT STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA, PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY THE WATER AND SEWER CAPITAL PROGRAM, G P F M HAS A DECREASE OF ABOUT 12% HOUSING AND HOMELESS SOLUTIONS YEAR OVER YEAR, ABOUT A 7% INCREASE.
PUBLIC SAFETY, 3% INCREASE, QUALITY OF LIFE HAS A 2% DECREASE.
[00:30:01]
7% INCREASE.AND THEN WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY ABOUT A 1% INCREASE.
AGAIN, COMPARING THE CURRENT YEAR TO, UH, THE PROPOSED YEAR.
SKIPPING ON TO SLIDE 11, JUST WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS IN EACH OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS.
AND AGAIN, I'M TALKING ALL FUNDS, SO THERE MAY BE SOME GENERAL FUND, THERE MAY BE SOME OTHER FUNDS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THESE HIGHLIGHTS AS WE WALK THROUGH THE NEXT EIGHT SLIDES.
SO IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE ARE LAUNCHING A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO HELP US ADVANCE COMMUNITY ORIENTED REAL ESTATE PROJECT PROJECTS.
UH, WE REALLOCATED RESOURCES FROM PLANNING AND FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THIS WAS NOT NEW DOLLARS, BUT A REALLOCATION FROM EXISTING RESOURCES, $1 MILLION, UH, FOR NINE POSITIONS IN THIS OFFICE.
UH, ALSO IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE'VE ADDED $400,000 FOR CONTRACT SERVICES TO AUGMENT STAFF IN PLANNING AND ZONING.
UH, THE, THE INTENT IS TO ADDRESS THE BACKLOG THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING IN ZONING AND GET THAT TIMELINE DOWN FROM EIGHT TO NINE MONTHS DOWN TO THREE OR FOUR MONTHS.
AND SO WE'VE, UH, PUT IN ADDITIONAL $400,000 FOR CONTRACTS TO HELP AUGMENT STAFF FUNDING.
UH, IN THIS NEXT YEAR, WE'LL CONTINUE OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE K BAILEY HUTCHINSON CONVENTION CENTER MASTER PLAN.
AS YOU KNOW, THIS WILL BE FUNDED THROUGH THE, UH, BRIMER FUNDS THAT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE, THE FIRST TRANCHE OF THE BONDS.
WE WILL ISSUE PROBABLY IN THE NEXT 60 DAYS, UH, TO START THAT PROJECT.
WE ALSO, UH, ARE INCREASING OUR FUNDING THAT GOES INTO PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, UH, BY $500,000.
WE'RE INCREASING IT FROM WHAT WE CURRENTLY PUT IN AT EIGHT AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS UP TO $9 MILLION.
AND THIS IS JUST A TOOL THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THEY USE FOR THE CHAPTER THREE 80, UH, LOANS AND GRANTS FOR THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND, AS WELL AS SOME NEW, UH, USAGES THAT WILL BE, UH, AVAILABLE TO THEM IN THIS NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE OUR, UH, PARTICIPATION IN OUR INVESTMENTS IN THE 18 TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICTS AND NEW THIS YEAR.
THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED THAT AS A, UH, TIF DISTRICT EXPIRES THAT WE TAKE THAT GENERAL FUND PORTION OF THE INCREMENT, AND WE SET THAT ASIDE FOR UP TO 10 YEARS TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN TARGETED AREAS.
SO I BELIEVE WE HAD TWO, UH, TIFS THAT WILL BE EXPIRING.
AND SO THERE'S $6 MILLION OF WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN INCREMENT IN THE PRIOR YEAR THAT NOW WE'RE SETTING IT ASIDE, UH, TO USE FOR THIS INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUND.
AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER TOOL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN TARGET AREAS.
SO MOVING ON TO ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY, AS I MENTIONED, WE CONTINUE OUR ADVANCEMENT OF THE C C A, UH, PLAN.
UH, WE'RE GOING INTO THE FOURTH YEAR OF THAT PLAN AND, UH, INTEND TO MAKE, UH, CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS IN THAT AREA.
WE'RE INVESTING A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO ESTABLISH THE URBAN AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, PROGRAM.
AND WE ALSO ARE HIGHLIGHTED HERE, UH, A NEW FUNDING MECHANISM, UH, IN SANITATION WHERE WE'RE DEVELOPING A, UH, A COMPOSTING SITE AT MCCOMAS BLUFF LANDFILL.
AND SO SANITATION WILL BE WORKING ON A FEASIBILITY STUDY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THAT SITE, UH, WITH AN INVESTMENT THERE.
MOVING ON TO GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.
ON SLIDE 15, UH, AGAIN, PROPERTY TAX, UH, TAX RATE REDUCTION IS, UH, RECOMMENDED AT A REDUCTION OF 0.65 CENTS, AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED IN JUNE, AN INCREASE IN THE, UH, OVER 65 AND DISABLED EXEMPTION.
SO THAT IS, UH, PART OF THE SENIOR OR OVER 65, UH, DISABLED, UH, OWNER'S VALUE THAT DOESN'T GET TAXED.
THAT'S WHAT THE EXEMPTION DOES.
IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF VALUE THAT GETS TAXED.
SO WE'RE INCREASING THAT FROM 115,000 TO 139,000.
OF COURSE, WE WILL CONTINUE, UH, TO ADDRESS COMPENSATION FOR OUR, UH, NON-UNIFORM EMPLOYEES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE WORKED ON OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS IS TO INCREASE THAT, UH, LIVING WAGE, THAT MINIMUM WAGE THAT WE PAY TO OUR EMPLOYEES.
UH, BACK IN 2017, IT WAS LESS THAN $11.
WE'RE NOW PROPOSING UP TO $18 AND 50 CENTS AS THE MINIMUM.
THIS KEEPS US JUST ABOVE THE M I T LIVING WAGE, WHICH IS NOW $18 AND 24 CENTS.
WE WILL BE AT $18 AND 50 CENTS.
WE WILL ALSO HAVE OUR ANNUAL MERIT PROGRAM AVERAGE 3%.
WE WILL BE ADJUSTING SOME OF OUR SALARY SCHEDULES TO ADDRESS COMPRESSION.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT HARD TO FIELD POSITIONS AND DO SURVEYS FOR THOSE POSITIONS AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN THOSE HARD TO FILL POSITIONS.
NOT MENTIONED IN G P F M, BUT ALSO THE MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT FOR OUR UNIFORM EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE THEIR, UH, PAY ADJUSTMENTS
[00:35:01]
AS WELL.ALSO IN, UH, G P F M, UH, THE ADDITION OF FIVE STAFF IN OUR PROCUREMENT OFFICE TOTAL OF $340,000 TO IMPROVE THAT PROCESS AND REALLY MOVE THOSE PROCUREMENTS AND SOLICITATIONS THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UH, MORE TIMELY IN I T S, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR INVESTMENTS, UH, IN STAFFING RESOURCES AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS, AS WELL AS THOSE, UH, SOLUTIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO PROTECT, UH, OUR IT ENVIRONMENT.
UH, THE LAST BULLET ON THIS PAGE FOR OUR COMMUNICATION OUTREACH AND MARKETING, WE ARE ADDING ABOUT $481,000 TO ADDRESS, UH, CRISIS COMMUNICATION, MEDIA TRAINING AND LANGUAGE ACCESS.
MOVING TO THE FOURTH OF OUR STRATEGIC AREAS, HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS.
UH, WE'RE CONTINUING OUR PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AND OUR PARTNER HOUSING FORWARD AS WE ARE RESETTING THE GOAL, UH, TO HOUSE 6,000 INDIVIDUALS BY 25.
UH, WE'RE ALSO INCREASING THE FUNDING THAT'S SET ASIDE FOR INCLEMENT, UH, WEATHER, UH, FACILITIES, UH, BY 250,000 FOR NOW, A TOTAL OF $1.25 MILLION.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ADDING TO AND EXPANDING A PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED THIS YEAR FOR MINOR HOME REPAIR FOR SENIORS.
THIS YEAR WE HAD A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, BELIEVE THAT PROGRAM KICKED OFF IN FEBRUARY, WHERE WE WANT TO INCREASE THE FUNDING TO 1.7 AND EXPAND IT BEYOND JUST MINOR HOME REPAIR, TO ALSO INCLUDE SOME MAJOR REHAB TYPES OF PROJECTS FOR OUR SENIOR RESIDENTS.
NEXT STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA IS PUBLIC SAFETY.
AS I MENTIONED IN G P F M, UM, FOR MEET AND CONFER, WE HAVE PUT IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA, THE FUNDING THAT'S NECESSARY TO FULFILL OUR OBLIGATION UNDER MEET AND CONFER.
MEET AND CONFER, OF COURSE, DOES TWO THINGS.
IT CONTINUES THE STEP PAY INCREASES ON AN EMPLOYEE'S ANNIVERSARY DATE, AS WELL AS MAKES ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PAY SCHEDULES BASED ON A MARKET STUDY THAT'S DONE EACH YEAR.
THAT MARKET STUDY, UH, OUR SURVEY SHOWED A 5.01% INCREASE WAS NEEDED IN OUR, UH, SCHEDULES.
AND SO THAT WILL GO INTO EFFECT.
WE PUT NEARLY $19 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 24, AN ADDITIONAL NEARLY 30 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 25 FOR A TOTAL OF JUST OVER $48 MILLION OVER THE TWO YEAR PERIOD TO MEET THOSE OBLIGATIONS FOR PAY FOR POLICE AND FIRE UNIFORM EMPLOYEES.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND RESOURCES IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE INTENT IS TO HIRE 290, UH, POLICE OFFICERS TO CONTINUE, UH, OUR NEW RETENTION INCENTIVE PROGRAM, AND WE ARE INCREASING OVERTIME FUNDING BY ABOUT $14 MILLION.
ADDITIONALLY, IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE UH, PLAN IS TO ADD 100 FIREFIGHTERS.
UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF OVERTIME, Y'ALL HAVE SEEN IT THIS YEAR.
THE REASON WE HAVE OVERTIME IS BECAUSE WE CAN'T MEET OUR MINIMUM STAFFING LEVEL, WE NEED MORE OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO MEET THE MINIMUM STAFFING LEVEL THAT'S REQUIRED ON A DAILY BASIS.
THE PROBLEM IS WE HAVE TO FUND TWO THINGS AT ONCE TO GET US THERE.
WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FUND OVERTIME TO FILL THE SEATS, AND THEN WE NEED TO GET NEW RECRUITS INTO PLACE, GET THEM THROUGH THE TRAINING, GET THEM INTO THE STATIONS BEFORE WE CAN START REDUCING THE OVERTIME.
SO THIS YEAR IS A KIND OF A DOUBLE HIT.
IT IS FUNDING THE OVERTIME TO MEET THE MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENTS, AND IT'S FUNDING THE NEW POSITIONS TO BUILD UP THE STAFFING LEVEL.
WE ALSO PLAN TO, UH, STRENGTHEN OUR PARK SECURITY WITH INCREASES IN OUR PARK RANGERS BY FOUR AND BY ADDING SEVEN ADDITIONAL MARSHALS AS WELL AS ADDING, UH, EQUIPMENT SUCH AS CAMERAS, LIGHTING AND BLUE LIGHT PHONES TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $700,000 IN OUR PARKS.
AND THEN TECHNOLOGY FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE'VE ADDED $6.4 MILLION FOR BODY-WORN CAMERAS, TASERS, CAMERAS ON MAJOR ROADWAYS, AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS, DASH, UH, CAMERAS, UH, AND THE LIKE FOR EQUIPMENT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR JOB.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE $6 MILLION FOR SQUAD CAR REPLACEMENT.
SO A LOT OF, UH, THINGS GO INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BESIDES JUST THE PERSONNEL.
SLIDE 21, QUALITY OF LIFE, ARTS AND CULTURE, UH, STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREA.
UH, IN THE CURRENT YEAR, WE STARTED EXPANDING THE HOURS IN OUR LIBRARIES.
AND FISCAL YEAR 24 WOULD BE PHASE TWO OF THAT, ADDING HOURS IN THE 15 REMAINING LIBRARIES SO THAT ALL LIBRARIES ARE OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK.
AND SO I LOOKED BACK AT, UH, FISCAL YEAR 22.
BEFORE WE STARTED THIS TWO PHASE APPROACH, WE WERE AT 1050 HOURS A WEEK.
ONCE WE GET THROUGH PHASE TWO, WE WILL BE AT 1,655 HOURS A WEEK, AN INCREASE OF 58% IN THE HOURS PER WEEK THAT ARE PROVIDED THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.
[00:40:01]
HAVE FUNDING TO CREATE THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION PROGRAM THAT YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THE JULY RECESS.WE'VE ADDED NINE POSITIONS AND $1.4 MILLION.
WE CONTINUE OUR INVESTMENTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'VE GOT FUNDING SET ASIDE FOR, UH, FENCING, UH, FOR OPEN AND VACANT STRUCTURES, AND THEN ADDITIONAL $250,000 FOR DEMOLITION OF UNSAFE STRUCTURES.
WE'RE ADDING $250,000 IN DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES TO CONTINUE THE SPAY NEUTER, UH, PROGRAM AND EXPAND THAT.
THIS REALLY REPLACES GRANT FUNDING THAT WE'VE HAD.
SO WE DO NEED THE FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT SERVICE.
AND THEN LASTLY ON THIS PAGE IS, UH, ABOUT, UH, TWO AND A HALF TO $3 MILLION IN PARK AND RECREATION FOR, UH, THE O AND M COST RELATED TO NEW PARKS AND TRAILS AND FACILITIES IN THE PARK SYSTEM, AS WELL AS, UH, SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO UPKEEP THE PARKS AND TRAILS IN TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
ON SLIDE 23, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 24, WE WILL BE INVESTING $150 MILLION IN THE PROJECTS THAT PUBLIC WORKS DELIVERS, SUCH AS OUR LANE MILES, OUR SIDEWALK, SIDEWALK PROJECTS, BRIDGE MAINTENANCE, AND, AND THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
THIS IS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE $90 MILLION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM DART THAT WILL ALSO BE USED IN AREAS SUCH AS TRAFFIC SIGNALS, TRAFFIC MARKINGS, A D A, RAMPS, SIDEWALKS, ET CETERA.
ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE ADDITIONAL BOND FUNDS FUNDS AT THIS POINT, BY HAVING THE DART FUNDS IN THIS INVESTMENT, WE ARE CONTINUING TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE SECOND BULLET ON THIS PAGE, UH, $2 MILLION, UH, FOR A SIDEWALK COST SHARE PROGRAM.
THERE IS A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS, UH, RESIDENTS TO PAY FOR HALF OF THE SIDEWALK REPAIRS AND THE CITY WILL PAY FOR HALF, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE NOT ABLE TO PAY THEIR HALF.
AND SO WE'RE PUTTING $2 MILLION IN THE BUDGET AS A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE, UH, TO RESIDENTS TO MEET THEIR 50% SHARE OF THOSE SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, WE'RE CONTINUING THE INTEGRATED PIPELINE PROJECT THAT, UH, DALLAS WATER UTILITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON TO BRING LIKE, LIKE PALESTINE TO DALLAS, UH, TO, TO EXPAND OUR WATER, UH, COMING INTO THE CITY, UH, WE WILL INVEST $35 MILLION IN STORM WATER AND DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.
AND THEN LASTLY ON THIS PAGE, UH, INVESTING $9.5 MILLION IN CITY FACILITY MAINTENANCE NEEDS.
SO WE HAVE MAJOR MAINTENANCE PROJECTS.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE, THE NORMAL, UH, O AND M OF A FACILITY.
THIS WOULD BE TO ADDRESS ROOFS OR H V A C SYSTEMS OR, OR MAJOR MAINTENANCE TYPES OF PROJECTS.
SO NINE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
AND IT WASN'T THAT MANY YEARS AGO THAT WE WERE ONLY INVESTING ABOUT $5 MILLION A YEAR, AND SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF BEING ABLE TO INCREASE THAT.
ALTHOUGH IT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH, UH, WE ARE HAPPY THAT WE'VE GOTTEN IT UP.
UH, THE LAST OF THE STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS ON SLIDE 25 IS WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY.
UH, WE'RE EXPANDING THE, UH, GREEN JOB SKILLS PROGRAM THAT IS OFFERED THROUGH O E Q S, UH, AN ADDITIONAL A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO EXPAND THAT PROGRAM FROM JUST A WEATHERIZATION TRAINING PROGRAM TO ALSO INCLUDE SOLAR, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY EFFICIENT TYPES OF, OF TRAINING.
THE SECOND BULLET ON THE PAGE, WE'VE SET ASIDE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, FOR A FAIR HOUSING EQUITY PLAN, WHICH IS REQUIRED BY THE, UH, FAIR HOUSING ACT.
SO WE'LL BE UNDERTAKING THAT IN THE NEW YEAR.
WE'VE ALSO SET $120,000 ASIDE FOR OUR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CONSULTANT TO HELP US FURTHER OUR A D A TRANSITION PLAN.
UH, AND THE LAST TWO BULLETS ON THE PAGE ARE RELATED TO SENIOR SERVICES.
UH, WE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM THAT COMMISSION, AND WE'VE ADDED, UH, AN AGE FRIENDLY OFFICER TO SERVE AS THE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT TO SUPPORT, UH, AWARENESS AND CURRENT PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE.
SO THAT'S ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND THEN THE LAST BULLET, $250,000 FOR A SENIOR SERVICES STRATEGIC PLAN TO REALLY HELP US PLAN FOR THE FUTURE FOR THAT COMMUNITY.
SO I'M GONNA MOVE INTO GENERAL FUND REVENUE IF I CAN.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 27, THIS IS THE GRAPH THAT I, YOU SAW SEVERAL PAGES AGO.
IT'S JUST HERE TO SHOW THAT THE, UH, PURPLE CIRCLE IS AROUND THE GENERAL FUND.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA START TALKING ABOUT OVER THE, THE NEXT SEVERAL PAGES.
THE $1.84 BILLION GENERAL FUND.
SO SLIDE 28 SHOWS, UH, A SIMPLE PIE CHART OF THE REVENUE.
UH, PROPERTY TAX MAKES UP 57% OF THE REVENUE INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
SELLS TAX ACCOUNTS FOR 25% OF THE REVENUE FRANCHISE FEES ACCOUNT FOR 7%, AND ALL OF THE OTHER REVENUES CHARGES FOR SERVICES.
INTEREST EARNINGS, UH, INTERGOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNT FOR 11% OF THE REVENUES ON SLIDE 29.
[00:45:01]
UH, A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE REVENUES, GIVING THE FISCAL YEAR 22 ACTUALS.UH, 23 BUDGET AND FORECAST, AND THEN 24 AND 25.
AS YOU SEE THERE, PROPERTY TAX GOING UP FROM THE CURRENT YEAR OF $961 MILLION BUDGETED TO 1,000,000,054.
THAT'S AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $93 MILLION YEAR OVER YEAR SALES TAX WE HAVE GOING UP FROM 417 MILLION TO 451 MILLION, THAT'S AN INCREASE OF $34 MILLION.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO LARGEST REVENUES, AND THEY'RE THE TWO LARGEST INCREASES THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE PAGE.
ANOTHER NOTEWORTHY INCREASES IN OUR INTEREST EARNINGS.
UH, OUR, OUR EARNINGS WERE DOWN TO JUST ALMOST NOTHING.
WE'VE MOST RECENTLY HAD, UH, OVER 3.3% EARNINGS ON SOME OF OUR INVESTMENTS.
SO YOU WILL SEE THAT REFLECTED IN OUR INTEREST EARNINGS UPTICK AS A REVENUE, UH, SOURCE HERE ON SLIDE 30, UH, GOING INTO PROPERTY TAX, AGAIN, THE SINGLE LARGEST REVENUE SOURCE FOR THE GENERAL FUND, 57%.
THAT'S BROKEN DOWN INTO WHAT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND, A BILLION AND ABOUT 400 MILLION THAT GOES TO DEBT SERVICE.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PROPERTY TAX, IT'S ALWAYS A CALCULATION OF VALUE, EXEMPTIONS AND TAX RATE.
SO ON SLIDE 31, JUST TALKING ABOUT VALUE FOR A SECOND, UH, WE DID GET OUR CERTIFIED VALUES FROM THE FOUR APPRAISAL DISTRICTS ON JULY 25TH.
VALUES ARE NOW $198.3 BILLION IN THE CITY.
THAT'S AN 18.8% INCREASE, OR 10, 10% INCREASE THAT'S MADE UP OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WAS 3.7 BILLION OF THAT.
AND REAPPRAISAL IS $194 BILLION.
SLIDE 32 SHOWS THE HISTORY OF, UH, PROPERTY VALUES GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO, UH, 1983.
SO OVER THE 40 YEARS, WE HAVE ONLY HAD, UH, VALUE HIGHER THAN WHAT WE HAVE THIS YEAR.
TWICE IN FISCAL YEAR 86 IN FISCAL YEAR.
UH, 23 WE'RE HIGHER THAN THE 10.5 THAT WE HAVE FOR, FOR THIS NEW YEAR.
UH, BUT OUR LONG-TERM AVERAGE IS ONLY 5%.
SO WE, UH, THIS YEAR WAS AN ANOMALY TO, TO SOME EXTENT.
UH, AVERAGE 5% THIS YEAR WAS 10.5.
ON SLIDE 33, UH, MORE INFORMATION ON PROPERTY VALUES.
AGAIN, THE VALUES ON THE FAR LEFT IS BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN REAPPRAISAL AND NEW CONSTRUCTION.
OUR NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, THIS YEAR IS GENERATING ABOUT $28 MILLION OF OUR REVENUE GROWTH.
I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT 93 MILLION, I BELIEVE.
AND, UH, ALMOST, UH, 28 OF IT IS COMING FROM, UH, NEW CONSTRUCTION.
UH, GOING INTO SLIDE 34, TALKING ABOUT EXEMPTIONS, AGAIN, EXEMPTIONS REDUCE THE VALUE THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON.
SO IF YOUR HOME IS VALUED AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, YOU HAVE A 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY TAXES ON, UH, BY $20,000.
SO WE HAVE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION OF 20%, THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED BY STATE LAW, WE EXEMPT FROM TAXING $16 BILLION OF VALUE.
IF WE TAXED IT, IT WOULD BE WORTH $117 MILLION IN REVENUE.
OUR OVER 65 AND DISABLED EXEMPTION THAT YOU INCREASED ON JUNE 14TH, THERE'S EIGHT AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS OF VALUE THAT WE DO NOT TAX.
IF WE DID TAX IT, IT WOULD BE WORTH ABOUT $63 MILLION IN REVENUE.
ON SLIDE 35, HISTORY OF OUR EXEMPTIONS, UH, BACK TO 2008.
AND YOU CAN SEE HOW THE EXEMPTIONS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
UH, HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THE OVER 65, UH, AND SO FORTH ARE SHOWN ON THAT PAGE.
SO THE SECOND PART OF PROPERTY TAX, UH, WELL THIRD VALUE EXEMPTIONS AND NOW TAX RATE.
ON SLIDE 36, UH, THE TAX RATE IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE GENERAL FUND AND THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.
ABOUT 72% OF OUR RATE IS, GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND.
AGAIN, WE'RE PROPOSING A REDUCTION OF 0.65 CENTS.
THAT EQUALS ABOUT $13 MILLION OF REVENUE.
WE'VE ADDED A TABLE THERE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THAT SHOWS THE VALUE OF DIFFERENT INCREMENTS OF THE TAX RATE.
THE VALUE OF 1 CENT IS NOW 19.5, AND YOU MAY THINK THAT'S NOT THE NUMBER THAT YOU REMEMBER.
THAT'S BECAUSE WHEN THE VALUE GOES UP, THE 1 CENT CHANGES.
SO, UH, JULY 25TH, THAT NUMBER, UH, CHANGES A LITTLE BIT.
UH, SLIDE 37, UH, BREAKDOWN OF OUR TAX RATE BETWEEN GENERAL FUND AND DEBT SERVICE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE EIGHT YEARS OF CONSECUTIVE REDUCTION.
AND IF WE DID NOT LOWER OUR TAX RATE BY THAT 5.77 CENTS, WE WOULD BE GENERATING ANOTHER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OR SO IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
[00:50:01]
UH, ON SLIDE 38, UH, MORE HISTORY ON, UH, JUST SHOWING THE INCREASES OF THE TAX RATE OR THE DECREASES.AND AGAIN, ON THE FAR RIGHT YOU'LL SEE THE EIGHT YEARS WHERE WE'VE HAD DECREASES.
LAST YEAR, OR FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, WE HAD A 2.75, UH, CENT REDUCTION.
THIS PROPOSED YEAR IS 0.65 PROPERTY TAX BILL.
SO, UH, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO A RESIDENT? UH, WELL, ASSUMING THE TYPICAL VALUE BEING THE MEDIAN AT $334,000, NOW THAT'S UP ABOUT 4% FROM THIS CURRENT YEAR.
THE CURRENT YEAR MEDIAN VALUE IS 320,000.
SO WE'RE UP TO $334,000 FOR THE MEDIAN VALUE.
ASSUMING YOU HAVE THE OVER SIX, I'M SORRY, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION OF 20%, THEN WHAT WOULD THE 23 RATE VERSUS THE 24 RATE DO TO YOUR TAX BILL? IT WOULD DECREASE IT FROM, UH, $1,997 AND 1 CENT DOWN BY $17 AND 40 CENTS.
IF YOU ALSO HAVE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, SO AGAIN, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION WENT UP, SO YOU PAY TAX ON LESS VALUE.
UH, AND THEN THE REDUCTION IN THE, THE TAX RATE, YOU WOULD HAVE ABOUT $186 AND 59 CENTS, UH, SAVINGS.
OF COURSE, YOUR TAX BILL DEPENDS ON THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME.
EVERYBODY'S HOME IS VALUED DIFFERENTLY, SO EVERYBODY'S TAX BILL IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT.
UH, REGARDING STATE LAW, UH, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO, UH, NOTIFY THE PUBLIC OF.
UH, WE WORK WITH DALLAS COUNTY TAX OFFICE ON THE CALCULATION OF SOME RATES.
SO OUR CURRENT RATE, 74.58 CENTS.
THE PROPOSED RATE 73.93, AGAIN, THE 0.65 REDUCTION.
DALLAS COUNTY, UH, CALCULATED TWO RATES FOR US.
THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE IS 68.13 CENTS.
UH, IT USED TO BE CALLED THE EFFECTIVE RATE.
IT'S THE RATE THAT, UH, WOULD GENERATE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE ON PROPERTY TAXED IN THE OLD YEAR AS PROPERTY TAXED IN THE NEW YEAR.
SO IF WE WANTED TO LOWER THE TAX RATE DOWN TO THAT, WE WOULD REDUCE IT BY ANOTHER 6 CENTS.
WE WOULD NEED TO CUT $113 MILLION OF REVENUE.
WE WOULD NEED TO CUT 113 MILLION OF EXPENSES.
THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE ALLOWS FOR CERTAIN GROWTH.
UH, THAT, UH, CALCULATED RATE BY DALLAS COUNTY IS 74.82 CENTS.
WE'RE UNDER THAT, WE'RE UNDER THAT BY 0.89 CENTS.
UH, IF WE WANTED TO GO UP TO THAT RATE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ADD $17 MILLION OF REVENUE AND 17 MILLION OF EXPENSES.
UH, THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, UH, USED TO, YOU HAD TO HAVE A PETITION AND VOTERS COULD PETITION FOR AN ELECTION.
IF WE GO UP TO THAT RATE, THERE'S AN AUTOMATIC ELECTION.
SO, UH, WE HAVE A NOTE AT THE BOTTOM ABOUT UNUSED INCREMENT, AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN JUST A COUPLE OF SLIDES.
SO I'LL, I'LL RETURN TO THAT ON SLIDE 41.
STILL FURTHER ON STATE LAW REQUIREMENTS, UH, BECAUSE OUR PROPOSED RATE EXCEEDS THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, WE ARE REQUIRED TO PUBLISH A NOTICE IN THE NEWSPAPER, HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING, AND THEN ADOPT THE TAX RATE.
THESE ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.
UH, THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS WOULD BE NEEDED ON AUGUST THE 23RD.
WE WOULD NEED A VOTE ON A SPECIFIC TAX RATE.
YOU CAN LOWER THE RATE AFTER AUGUST 23RD, BUT YOU CAN'T RAISE THE RATE AFTER AUGUST THE 23RD.
WHATEVER YOU SPECIFY ON THAT DATE IS YOUR CEILING.
WE'LL NEED A, A RECORD VOTE ON THAT DAY.
WE'LL SCHEDULE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT DAY.
WE WILL THEN RUN A NOTICE IN THE NEWSPAPER ON SEPTEMBER THE NINTH.
WE'LL HAVE OUR PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN ADOPT THE TAX RATE ON SEPTEMBER THE 20TH.
ON SLIDE 42, UNUSED INCREMENT.
SO THE TEXAS PROPERTY TAX REFORM AND TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2019 SETS THE CAP ON PROPERTY TAX GROWTH FOR THE GENERAL FUND BY 3.5%, PLUS NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND YOU'RE THINKING WE'VE GROWN MORE THAN THAT.
WE HAVE BECAUSE THERE'S ANOTHER, UH, PART OF THAT LEGISLATION THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BANK FOR THREE YEARS WHAT'S REFERRED TO AS THE UNUSED INCREMENT.
THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS AND THE RATE THAT WE ADOPT.
SO BACK IN FISCAL YEAR 21, THE CALCULATED VOTER APPROVAL RATE WAS 88.72.
SO YOU HAD AN UNUSED INCREMENT OF 11.09 CENTS.
YOU CAN USE THAT FOR UP TO THREE YEARS, AND THEN IT GOES AWAY.
SO WE COULD USE IT IN 22, 23, AND 24.
AND THE REASON THAT OCCURRED IS BECAUSE IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, FISCAL YEAR 21, WE WERE PUTTING THAT BUDGET TOGETHER IN THE SUMMER OF 20.
THE APPRAISAL DISTRICTS WERE HAVING TROUBLE, UH, APPRAISING ALL THE PROPERTIES.
THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLE CERTIFYING THEIR ROLE.
AND SO WHAT WAS SUBMITTED AT THE TIME THAT WAS REQUIRED FOR THE COUNTY TO DO THE CALCULATIONS, UH, D A
[00:55:01]
HAD A MUCH LOWER NUMBER 'CAUSE THEY WEREN'T FINISHED WITH THEIR WORK.THE LOWER NUMBER RESULTED IN A MUCH HIGHER VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE.
AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE HAD THE INCREMENT.
SO WE HAVE USED, ON PAGE 43, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN COLUMN FISCAL YEAR 21, WE HAD 11.09 CENTS OF UNUSED INCREMENT.
WE USED TWO POINT 11 CENT, 2.11 CENT IN 22.
WE USED 4.45 CENT OF IT IN 23.
AND WE'RE PROPOSING TO USE 3.65 CENT OF IT IN 24, EVEN USING THE 3.6 JACK, I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO PAUSE WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW.
I WAS GONNA TRY TO GET THROUGH PROPERTY TAX TO SALES TAX TO TAKE A SHORT RECESS SO WE DON'T LOSE QUORUM FOR FIVE MINUTES.
WE'LL TAKE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS RIGHT NOW.
JACK, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU, BUT YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
SO WE WERE ON SLIDE 43 AND, UM, SHOWING THAT IN FISCAL YEAR 21, WE, WE HAD THE UNUSED INCREMENT.
AS A RESULT OF THE WAY THE CALCULATION OCCURRED THAT YEAR, WE'VE USED 2.11 CENTS.
IN 22, WE USED ANOTHER 4.45 CENTS IN 23 USING 3.65 CENTS THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR, IT'S EITHER USE IT OR LOSE IT BECAUSE IT ONLY LASTS FOR THREE YEARS.
SO THAT HAS ENABLED US TO, UM, TO, TO HAVE THE TAX RATE THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED.
SO THERE'LL PROBABLY BE QUESTIONS ON UNUSED INCREMENT AND WE'LL GET BACK THERE I GUESS.
SALES TAX BEING THE SECOND, UH, LARGEST REVENUE FOR THE GENERAL FUND, OF COURSE, IT'S 8.25%.
UH, 6.25 GOES TO THE STATE, 1% COMES TO THE CITY, 1% GOES TO DART.
UM, THE STATE, STATE LAW IDENTIFIES WHAT'S TAXABLE GOODS AND SERVICES.
UM, SALES TAXES ARE MOST VOLATILE REVENUE.
WE DO SEE THAT THE TREND IS CHANGING, IT'S SLOWING, IT'S STILL GROWING, BUT WE EXPECT THAT IT WILL SLOW AND RETURN TO MORE OF THE HISTORICAL NORMAL, UH, FOR, UH, FOR THE CITY.
SO FISCAL YEAR 24 AND 25, WE DON'T EXPECT THE HIGH RATE OF GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
UH, WE EXPECT TO BE ABOUT 5% GROWTH OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
ON SLIDE 45, YOU SEE THE LONG-TERM HISTORY OF OUR SALES TAX.
ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT SALES TAX AND HOW IT IS A PERCENT CHANGE YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND SO YOU SEE HERE IN 21 AND 22, WHERE WE HAD 14% GROWTH AND 15% GROWTH.
WE EXPECT THAT WE WILL RETURN TO MORE OF OUR NORMAL.
OUR LONG-TERM AVERAGE IS 4.1% GROWTH.
WE EXPECT THAT WE'RE GONNA RETURN CLOSER TO 4.1, WE THINK 4.4 FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 AND FIVE, UH, PERCENT FOR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 25, UH, FEE REVIEW.
ON SLIDE 47, WE HAVE A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA NUMBER 12 THAT REQUIRES THAT WE LOOK AT FEES.
THIS IS OUR CHARGES FOR SERVICES REVENUE.
UH, WE LOOK AT THAT, WE USE A CONSULTANT.
UH, THIS YEAR ON SLIDE 48, YOU'LL SEE THE, UH, FIVE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE LOOKED AT, ANIMAL SERVICES CODE, FIRE, POLICE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.
IN TOTAL, WE ARE ADJUSTING FEES, UH, THAT WOULD RESULT IN ADDITIONAL THREE AND A HALF, UH, MILLION DOLLARS OF INCREASED REVENUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 24.
THE APPENDIX OF THE, THE POWERPOINT, THE BRIEFING HAS ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL FEES.
SO JEANETTE, WE'RE TURNING IT TO MS. WHEDON.
GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU MR. IRELAND.
UM, MY NAME IS JEANETTE WHEDON.
I SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
UM, I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WALKING THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSES, ENTERPRISE FUNDS, OUR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS FUND, UM, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, AND THEN OF COURSE THE REMAINING STEPS IN THE BUDGET TIMELINE.
UM, THE NEXT FEW SLIDES STARTING ON SLIDE NUMBER 50, HIGHLIGHT THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSE DRIVERS.
UH, THE GENERAL FUND PROPOSED BUDGET AND AS MR. ILAN MENTIONED, IS 1.8 BILLION OR 8.1% MORE THAN THE FISCAL YEAR 23 ADOPTED.
UH, THE BIGGEST EXPENSE DRIVERS, UM, IN THE GENERAL FUND, UM, INCLUDE AS MENTIONED, OUR MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT.
UM, THAT IS OUR, UH, OUTLINE MARKET-BASED PAY PHILOSOPHY.
UM, AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, UM, OUR RECOMMENDATION INCLUDES AN INCREASE OF 5.01%.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE INCLUDED IN THE, UH, PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, POLICE AND FIRE OVERTIME AT 36.4 MILLION.
AND THEN ADDITIONAL STAFFING FOR, UH, DALLAS FIRE RESCUE AT 10.1.
MOVING ON TO UM, SLIDE NUMBER 51, WE SHOW ADDITIONAL, UM, EXPENSE DRIVERS HERE.
UH, D P D TECHNOLOGY TOTALS FOUR POINT, UH, 9 MILLION,
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PRIMARILY DUE TO BODY-WORN CAMERAS AND TASERS.OTHER D P D ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDE ADDITIONAL NON-UNIFORM POSITIONS TO SUPPORT, UM, UNIFORM OVER TIME.
YOU ALSO SEE LISTED ON HERE PARK SECURITY IN RESPONSE TO, UM, CONCERNS RAISED, UH, RECENTLY REGARDING OUR PARK, PARK AND TRAILS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AS MENTIONED, UM, EXPANDED LIBRARY HOURS AT 3.1 MILLION.
OUR TIF INFRASTRUCTURE FUND THAT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN JANUARY AT 6 MILLION.
AND THEN I T S INVESTMENTS OF 9.2 MILLION AND THEN INCREASES IN OUR HEALTH BENEFITS AT 14.6 MILLION.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 52, WE SHOW THE REMAINING EXPENSE DRIVERS.
UM, THE INCREASE, UM, IN RISK MANAGEMENT IS PRIMARILY DUE TO OUR INSURANCE, UH, PROGRAMS AT 4.2 MILLION AND THEN FUEL AND FLEET EXPENSES AT 2 MILLION.
UM, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, UM, WE DO INCLUDE COMPENSATION INCREASES FOR OUR NON-UNIFORM EMPLOYEES.
THAT INCLUDES THAT PLANNED, UM, AVERAGE MERIT OF 3%.
THERE'S THE INCREASE IN THE MINIMUM WAGE UP TO 1850 PER HOUR.
AND AS PART OF OUR COMPENSATION RECOMMENDATION, ONCE YOU MOVE THE MINIMUM WAGE UP, UM, WE DO PLAN TO ADDRESS COMPRESSION BETWEEN THE GRADES.
SO THAT'S INCLUDED IN THAT FUNDING AS WELL.
UH, JUST A REMINDER ON SLIDE NUMBER 53, UM, THE CITY RELIES ON EMPLOYEES TO DELIVER THE SERVICES THAT THAT WE OFFER.
AND SO IN THE GENERAL FUND, I ALWAYS LIKE TO, UH, REMIND, UM, THE COMMUNITY THAT, UM, APPROXIMATELY 70% OF GENERAL FUND EXPENSES ARE RELATED TO PERSONAL SERVICES COSTS.
THAT INCLUDES OUR PAY OVERTIME, HEALTH BENEFITS, PENSION LIFE INSURANCE, AS WELL AS WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE NUMBER 54, UH, THE PIE CHART BREAKS DOWN THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSES BY STRATEGIC PRIORITY.
AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY UM, INCLUDES MORE THAN JUST POLICE AND FIRE.
AND SO ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT REFLECTS 61% OF GENERAL FUND FUNDING.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE NUMBER 55, WE SHOW EXPENSES ALIGNED TO OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS.
SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE CURRENT YEAR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 23, THE PROPOSED AMOUNT FOR FISCAL YEAR 24, AND THEN OUR PLANNED YEAR FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.
AND SO, AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE THAT THE, UM, BIGGEST EXPENSE DRIVER, UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND IS PUBLIC SAFETY.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 56, WE SHOW THE EXPENSE PIE CHART AGAIN, UM, WITH THE REVENUE OVERLAY ON TOP.
AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY REQUIRES A HUNDRED PERCENT OF PROPERTY TAXES AND 17% OF OUR SALES TAX REVENUE, UM, IN ORDER TO FUND THOSE EXPENSES.
MOVING ON TO, UH, GENERAL PURPOSE CAPITAL AND OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT SERVICE FUND.
YOU CAN SEE THE PURPLE CIRCLES ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE.
I'LL START WITH OUR GENERAL PURPOSE CAPITAL.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 56, OR SORRY, 59.
UH, THE CAPITAL BUDGET TOTALS 366.8 MILLION.
UM, IT INCLUDES PROJECTS THAT ARE PRIMARILY SUPPORTED THROUGH BOTH OUR DEBT ISSUANCE AND PAY AS YOU GO FINANCING.
SO THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE STREET AND ALLEY FUNDING, FLOOD PROTECTION, AND CITY FACILITIES.
UM, AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE 2024 BOND PROGRAM ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 24 PROPOSED BUDGET.
IF THE BOND PROGRAM IS APPROVED BY THE VOTERS, UM, WE WILL AMEND THE BUDGET SO THAT STAFF CAN IMMEDIATELY BEGIN WORK ON THOSE PROJECTS.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 60, WE SHOW THE DEBT SERVICE FUND AT 420.7 MILLION, AND THIS INCLUDES PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON EXISTING DEBT OF 342.9 MILLION.
UM, WE ARE ALSO ASSUMING THAT WE WILL ISSUE THE REMAINING BONDS FOR THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM THIS FALL.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UM, CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION PAY, UM, UH, ISSUANCE PLAN FOR STREET, UH, AND ALLIE WORK, UH, MASTER LEASE EQUIPMENT NOTES, AS WELL AS TIFF INCREMENT PAYMENTS.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 63, WE START, UH, OR 61, WE START THE DISCUSSION RELATED TO OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
AND SO I'LL START WITH, UH, AVIATION ON SLIDE NUMBER 63.
UH, THE TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET FOR AVIATION IS 184.8 MILLION.
THIS REFLECTS A 13% INCREASE, OR 24 POINT OR 24 MILLION COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 23.
THE INCREASE IN EXPENSES REFLECTS THE RETURN TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 24, UH, AVIATION PROJECTS IN EMPLOYMENTS OF 10.2 MILLION.
THE BUDGET WILL FUND FLEET EQUIPMENT, UH, FURNITURE REPLACEMENT, UM, AT LOVE FIELD IT INFRASTRUCTURE,
[01:05:01]
STREET SCAPE ENHANCEMENTS ALONG LEMON AVENUE, AS WELL AS CONTRACT INCREASES IN ADDITIONAL STAFF.MOVING ON TO CONVENTION AND EVENT SERVICES.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 64, THE UH, PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET IS 137.1 MILLION.
THE CAPITAL BUDGET, AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, IS 88.3 MILLION.
MAJOR INVESTMENTS INCLUDE, UM, EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION, UH, BENEFITS, AND THEN AS WELL AS THE CAPITAL TRANSFER FOR, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 65, UM, WE ARE SHOWING, UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THE FISCAL YEAR, UH, 24 EXPENSE BUDGET, UH, OF 54 MILLION EXCEEDS REVENUE BY 8.4 MILLION.
UM, AS WE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS CURRENTLY, UM, WORKING WITH THE VENDOR TO COMPLETE A FEE STUDY.
PROPOSED FEE CHANGES ARE ANTICIPATED, UH, IN LATE SEPTEMBER, EARLY OCTOBER, AND THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET IS CONTINGENT ON CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL OF THE FEES.
UH, THE PRELIMINARY REVENUE PROJECTIONS NEEDED TO BALANCE OR SUSTAIN THE FUND OF THE LONG TERM REFLECT A 24.1% INCREASE OR 8 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE.
UM, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, UM, IS SCHEDULED TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR STAKEHOLDERS THIS MONTH REGARDING FEE CHANGES.
AND SO, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT EXPENSE DRIVERS ARE LISTED HERE ON SLIDE NUMBER 65 AS WELL, VERY SIMILAR TO, UH, UH, THE OTHER FUNDS.
MOVING ON TO, UM, SLIDE NUMBER 66.
UH, THE PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES, UH, RATE INCREASES FOR WATER, STORM, WATER AND SANITATION SERVICES.
THE COST DRIVERS FOR WATER UTILITIES, UM, WATER AND WASTEWATER LISTED HERE ON SLIDE NUMBER 66, SIMILAR TO THE GENERAL FUND, MAJOR COST DRIVERS INCLUDE PERSONNEL COST.
UM, DALLAS WATER WATER UTILITIES.
PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES A ONE POINT, UH, 6% FEE INCREASE, UM, INCREASING FROM $70 AND 19 CENTS PER MONTH, UM, TO $71 AND 33 UH, CENTS PER MONTH FOR A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 67, UH, STORM DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT PLANS A 5%, UM, FEE INCREASE FROM $9 AND 22 CENTS PER MONTH TO, UH, $9 AND 68 CENTS PER MONTH FOR A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 68, UM, WE ARE SHOWING THE CAPITAL FORECAST FOR BOTH, UH, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES AND STORM DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT.
UH, THE TOTAL CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 IS 354 MILLION.
UH, MOVING ON TO SANITATION ON SLIDE NUMBER 69, SANITATION PLANS A 6.1% FEE INCREASE, UM, INCREASING FROM $35 AND 81 CENTS PER MONTH TO $37 AND 98 CENTS PER MONTH.
FOR A TYPICAL UH, CUSTOMER, THE GATE RATE AT MCCOMBS LANDFILL WILL INCREASE AS WELL BY 3% FROM $37 AND 67 CENTS PER TON TO $38 AND 80 CENTS PER TON.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 70, UM, WE ARE SHOWING THE AVERAGE MONTHLY BILL FOR A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER.
UM, YOU WILL SEE THAT FISCAL YEAR 24, UH, TYPICAL CUSTOMER WILL SEE A COMBINED FEE INCREASE, UM, OF $3 AND 77 CENTS PER MONTH, OR 3.3%.
AND THEN OUR LAST ENTERPRISE FUND ON SLIDE NUMBER 71, UH, W R R MUNICIPAL RADIO, UH, THE TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET IS 636,000.
IF YOU RECALL, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE TRANS TRANSITION OF DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS TO K E R A.
SO, UH, THE EXPENSE REFLECTS, UH, ONE, UH, F T E AND THEN, UH, TOWER RENTS.
THAT WILL BE REIMBURSED BY K E R A.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE, UH, 72, UH, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS.
TWO OF OUR INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS, UH, THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS FUND.
UM, THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET IS 205.9 MILLION.
THIS REFLECTS AN INCREASE OF 16.4 MILLION OR 9% COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 23.
IF YOU RECALL, FOR THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN USING FUND BALANCE TO ABSORB COST INCREASES AND AVOID PREMIUM PREMIUM INCREASES FOR BOTH THE CITY AS WELL AS THE EMPLOYEES.
UH, THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET REFLECTS AN INCREASE IN THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION.
UM, IT'S INCREASING FROM 109 MILLION TO 134.8 MILLION.
UM, IT, WE ALSO ENSU ASSUME AN AVERAGE INCREASE FOR ACTIVE EMPLOYEES OF ABOUT 5%.
UH, THE, UH, MAJOR EXPENSE DRIVERS, UM, IN THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS FUND IS INCREASED ENROLLMENT AS WELL AS INCREASED UTILIZATION.
[01:10:01]
UM, STAFF FROM HR AND OUR BENEFITS TEAM, UM, WILL BE HERE NEXT WEEK ON THE 16TH.UM, TO BRIEF, UH, YOU ALL IN DETAIL REGARDING THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS FUND, UH, MOVING ON TO SLIDE NUMBER 75, UH, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES.
UM, THE COMBINED BUDGET FOR THE THREE FUNDS, STATE OF SERVICES 9 1 1 AND RADIO TOTALS 163.5 MILLION.
UM, MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 24 INCLUDES EXPANDING OUR SALESFORCE, UH, PLATFORM, UM, OUR IT SERVER TICKETING SYSTEM, AS WELL AS INCREASING OUR, UM, NETWORK BANDWIDTH.
UM, YOU SEE THOSE LISTED ON, UM, SLIDE NUMBER 76.
THE FISCAL YEAR 25 PLAN BUDGET IS 182.3 MILLION, AND THAT INCLUDES, UM, INVESTMENTS IN OUR HUMAN, UH, RESOURCES CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, OUR COURT CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AS WELL AS OUR ENTERPRISE WORK ORDER SYSTEM.
ON SLIDE NUMBER, UH, 78 THROUGH 79, UH, WE LIST SECURITY INVESTMENTS FOR IT AS INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, WE'VE WE'RE SHOWING OUR, UM, COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF OUR PROCESS.
UM, CITY COUNCIL HOSTED, UH, BUDGET TOWN HALL HALL MEETINGS WERE HELD THIS PAST SPRING.
WE HAVE OUR UPCOMING SESSIONS THIS WEEK.
UM, IN ADDITION TO OUR ENGAGEMENT AT TOWN HALL SESSIONS, WE ALSO HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS.
SO WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, COMING UP ON AUGUST THE 23RD.
UM, OTHER ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN, UM, WE CONDUCTED OUR, FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, WE'VE CONDUCTED A STATISTICALLY VALID SURVEY, UH, THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AND THE RESULTS WERE PRESENTED THIS PAST JUNE.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE A BUDGET PRIORITY SURVEY, WHICH IS NOT STATISTICALLY VALID.
UM, THAT SURVEY WAS AVAILABLE THROUGH JULY 30TH.
AND, UM, IT'S REFLECTIVE OF OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 82, WE ARE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED IN OUR BUDGET.
UM, WE RECEIVED 709 ONLINE RESPONSES AND 110 PAPER SURVEYS.
AND THIS MAP, UH, INDICATES THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES THAT WE RECEIVE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO PROVIDED THEIR ZIP CODE.
ON SLIDE NUMBER, UH, 83, WE TALK ABOUT THE, UH, RESULTS OF THE SURVEY.
SO THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 10 QUESTIONS, UM, AND FOUR ARE OPTIONAL, INCLUDING THE ZIP CODE.
QUESTION NUMBER TWO, UM, SHOWN HERE ON SLIDE 83, ASK RESIDENTS TO IDENTIFY THREE SERVICES THAT THEY WOULD INCREASE FUNDING IN, UM, FIRE AND UH, MAINTAINING.
UH, STREET, UH, STREETS AND SIDEWALKS ARE LISTED AS THE, OR, I'M SORRY, POLICE AND, UM, MAINTAINING STREETS AND SIDEWALKS ARE LISTED AS THE TOP TWO SERVICES.
AND THEN THE THIRD SERVICE, UM, RESPONDING TO HOMELESS IS LISTED AS, UM, OUR, UH, THE TOP THIRD, UH, SERVICE ON SLIDE NUMBER 84.
UH, ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS WE ASK, UM, RESIDENTS TO IDENTIFY THREE SERVICES THAT THEY WOULD DECREASE FUNDING IN.
UM, HERE YOU'LL SEE, UM, ARTS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS, ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LISTED AS THE TOP THREE.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 85, UM, WE SHOW A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF QUESTION NUMBER SIX.
QUESTION NUMBER SIX, ASK RESIDENTS TO RANK THE CITY'S EIGHT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT AT THE TOP, LEAST IMPORTANT AT THE BOTTOM.
UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, SURVEY RESPONDERS SELECTED PUBLIC SER UH, SAFETY AS THE TOP PRIORITY ON SLIDE NUMBER 86.
WE PROVIDE A SUMMARY OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THIS PAST YEAR, AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCIL VISION ALIGNMENT SESSION.
AND YOU CAN SEE JUST FROM THE S SUMMARY OF, UH, THE VARIOUS, UM, OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, PUBLIC SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE RANK AS THE TOP PRIORITIES.
ON SLIDE NUMBER 87, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS CONTINUE.
UH, THIS THURSDAY, UM, THERE ARE 33 TOWN HALL MEETINGS SCHEDULED FROM AUGUST 10TH THROUGH THE 24TH.
UM, WE HAVE A LINK AVAILABLE ON OUR FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY WEBSITE.
UM, AND SO, UH, ENCOURAGE, UH, THE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT AND ENGAGE WITH US AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK RELATED TO THE CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED BUDGET.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON OUR FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY SITE, UM, ON THE UPCOMING BUDGET PAGE.
UM, THERE WE ARE SHOWING THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET VIDEO MAJOR INVESTMENTS, UM, OUR BUDGET AND BRIEF AND OUR BUDGET 1 0 1 VIDEOS.
I THINK THE BUDGET 1 0 1 VIDEOS ARE A GREAT SOURCE FOR THOSE THAT ARE
[01:15:01]
NEW TO, UH, THE BUDGET PROCESS.UM, WITHIN THE BRIEFING, UM, I'M SORRY, ON THE BUDGET TIMELINE IS LISTED HERE ON SLIDE NUMBER 90.
AND SO, UH, WE HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK.
AS I MENTIONED, WE WILL TALK ABOUT, UM, OUR EMPLOYEE, UH, UH, HEALTH BENEFITS FUND.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP ON AUGUST THE 30TH.
UM, WE WILL ADOPT THE BUDGET ON FIRST READING ON SEPTEMBER THE SIXTH.
AND THEN WE HAVE FINAL BUDGET ADOPTION SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER THE 30TH.
UM, THE BRIEFING INCLUDES AN APPENDIX AS MENTIONED.
UM, WE HAVE THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSE BY DEPARTMENT DETAIL, AS WELL AS OUR FEE STUDY DETAIL BY DEPARTMENT.
UM, SLIDE NUMBER 90 CONCLUDES OUR PREPARED REMARKS, AND WE ARE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A NEW SYSTEM, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SEATING ARRANGEMENT TODAY.
I HAVE THE CITY SECRETARY SITTING NEXT TO ME TO HELP ME NAVIGATE THIS, THIS NEW SYSTEM.
SO, UM, AT THIS TIME, WELL START WITH WHOEVER WANTS TO JUMP IN FIRST.
YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES, SIR.
I THINK I FIGURED OUT THE NEW SYSTEM.
A LOT OF 'EM HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.
I WANT TO THANK FIRST OF ALL STAFF FOR GREAT PRESENTATION AND, UH, VERY DETAILED AND FOR GETTING THE BUDGET BINDER OVER.
AND, UH, IT'S, IT'S, I THINK WE'RE, UH, WE'RE AT A GREAT PLACE OVERALL.
I'M WANT TO START OFF WITH, I'M GONNA JUST SEND THIS TO THE CITY MANAGER 'CAUSE THIS IS A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL QUESTION.
UM, WHAT RESOURCES ARE WE AS A CITY DEVOTING TO SHORT-TERM RENTALS, STARTING UP THE NEW PROGRAM AND MANAGING IT? UM, GIVEN THE LIMITED REVENUE RESOURCES WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FACILITATE THE PROGRAM.
AND I'LL HAVE JACK AND JEANETTE HELP ME.
UH, IF, UH, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE, THE BROADER NATURE OF IT, I BELIEVE, UH, WE INDICATED THERE'S APPROXIMATELY $1.4 MILLION, UH, THIS YEAR, UH, PROPOSED, UH, IN 24 FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT TO ADD, UH, I BELIEVE NINE STAFF MEMBERS TO SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM.
ADDITIONALLY, UH, THERE'S EXISTING RESOURCES, UH, BEING EXPENDED IN OUR OFFICE OF THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT MAINLY THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE TO REALLY MONITOR OUR HOT TAX COLLECTIONS.
UH, AND THEY'LL BE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY, JACK, IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, AND I DON'T KNOW THE EXPENSE OF EXISTING RESOURCES, BUT I KNOW DO KNOW THE 1.4 MILLION IS NEW AND ADDITIONAL THAT CORRECT TC, UH, THE 1.4 MILLION IS NEW AND THE NINE POSITIONS WOULD BE NEW.
UH, THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE HAS A RESPONSIBILITY FOR, UH, COLLECTION OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, UH, ALL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, WHETHER IT'S SHORT TERM RENTAL OR NOT.
AND SO THAT IS JUST PART OF THE WORK THAT THEY DO UNDER THAT COLLECTION.
UH, THIS CURRENT YEAR, OF COURSE, WE USE, UH, UH, DATA ANALYTICS TO DO A LOT OF WORK, BUT THAT WAS ONE-TIME WORK FOR A PROJECT OF ANALYSIS AND ALL AND NOT WOULD NOT BE ONGOING WORK.
UM, THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES I COULD THINK OF.
TC, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S OTHERS.
UH, JEANETTE FOR SHORT-TERM RENTAL.
NOW I, IS THERE A WAY WE CAN SORT OF CAPTURE THE PROJECTED TOTAL COST OF, OF THAT WITHIN BEFORE THE BUDGET HAS PASSED? YES, SIR.
WE CAN GET YOU, UH, I CAN TEASE OUT WHAT THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, UH, SPENDS JUST ON SHORT TERM RENTAL.
THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, ALL RIGHT, ON THE FUTURE BUDGET SHORTFALLS.
SO PAGE 86 OF THE BINDER INDICATES THAT STARTING IN, AND YOU BRIEF THIS AS WELL, STARTING ON 2025, UM, OUR OUTGOING EXPENSES ARE GONNA EXCEED OUR REVENUE.
UM, SO FIRST OF ALL, LIKE WHY SHOULDN'T WE START MAKING BUDGET CUTS NOW IN ANTICIPATION? YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE'RE INCREASING OUR BUDGET.
UM, WHY, WHY SHOULDN'T WE START THAT PROCESS OF MAKING THE CUTS? NOW IN ANTICIPATION OF THAT, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT OUR FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, AND THIS QUESTION COMES UP EACH YEAR.
UM, PART OF THE WORK THAT WE DO, PART OF THE BENEFITS OF HAVING A BIANNUAL BUDGET, IT ALLOWS YOU TO, UM, MAKE DECISIONS IN THE CURRENT YEAR THAT YOU CAN SUSTAIN IN THE SECOND YEAR.
AND PART OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IN THE THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR, UH, WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
AND SO, UM, OUR GOAL IS TO ALWAYS DELIVER A, UH, BALANCED BUDGET TO
[01:20:01]
CITY COUNCIL.AND SO WHEN WE GO THROUGH BUDGET DEVELOPMENT FOR NEXT YEAR, WE LOOK AT OUR REVENUES AGAIN, WE, WE LOOK AT EXPENSES AND WE ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
AND SO THIS IS A CHART THAT'S SHARED WITH OUR, UM, UH, UH, RATING AGENCIES.
WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND, UM, ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE MAKE RELATED TO HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO IT'S A PLANNING TOOL, BUT WE DO ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
WELL, I, I, JUST TO USE AN ANALOGY, IF, IF I'M GOING TO TRAIN FOR A MARATHON, I DON'T JUST START RUNNING 18 MILES IN THE, YOU KNOW, IN THE FIRST MONTH OR TWO, I BUILD UP TO IT.
AND SO THIS IS THE INVERSE OF THAT, RIGHT? YOU, YOU, YOU BUILD DOWN, SO YOU START MAKING CUTS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE HUGE HIT, UM, IN 25.
UH, SO I JUST DON'T, I GUESS I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT ANSWER.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SPEND MORE EVERY YEAR AND THEN WE'RE JUST GONNA CUT IT EVEN MORE INSTEAD OF STARTING TO SCALE DOWN.
I MEAN, THE CITY COUNCIL OBVIOUSLY HAS THE OPTION OF REDUCING THE EXPENSES NOW.
UH, WE PUT FORTH THE, UH, RECOMMENDATION OF WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF SERVICES.
UM, AND, AND SO IT'S, IT'S A POLICY DECISION ON, ON WHAT YOU WANT TO FUND.
UH, BUT THE TWO YEAR BUDGET AND THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO LOOK INTO THE FUTURE.
SO YOU'RE AWARE OF WHAT'S THERE.
AND, AND THE CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT THE, THE INCREMENT WAS PARTLY FOR THAT PURPOSE TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE HAD THREE YEARS OF INCREMENT AVAILABLE THAT GOES AWAY.
SO YOU WILL NOT HAVE THAT ONGOING SURPLUS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE LAST THREE YEARS.
SO GOING FORWARD, IF, IF THE COUNCIL WANTED TO START MAKING REDUCTIONS NOW, RATHER THAN WAITING TILL THE FUTURE WHEN WE GET TO A POINT WHERE WE GET CLOSER TO IT, THAT THAT'S A POLICY IN TTC.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO EXPAND ON, SORRY TO SURE.
I MEAN, I, YOUR POINT IS WELL TAKEN COUNCIL MEMBER, AND I THINK TO JEANETTE AND JACK'S POINT, THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST, IF YOU LOOK BACK ON EVERY FIVE YEAR FORECAST, IT WILL SHOW AND DEPICT THAT THERE WOULD BE AN EROSION OF FUND BALANCE, UH, JUST BASICALLY ON THE NATURE OF, UH, PURE ARITHMETIC.
HOWEVER, EVERY YEAR THAT WE GET TO AND OR CLOSER TO THAT, WE MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS.
WE DETERMINE WHAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO EXPAND.
I THINK OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BEYOND THE FEDERAL FUNDING, WE FOCUS A LOT OF OUR INTENTION ON ONE TIME FUNDING, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATED TO THE ONE-TIME NATURE OF THE EVENTS, WHETHER PURCHASING EQUIPMENT AND OR DOING THINGS THAT EITHER THROUGH PILOTS THAT WE CAN CUT OFF IN ANY GIVEN YEAR.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE'VE PREPARED IT, IT IS BALANCED.
IT IS SHOWING A MUCH LOWER, UH, INCREASE, UH, THAN THIS YEAR.
UH, AND I WOULD SAY, AS I SHARED WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS INDIVIDUALLY, I THINK WE CAN EXPECT THAT OUR YEAR OVER YEAR REVENUE GROWTH IS GOING TO BE ABOUT HALF OF WHAT IT IS TODAY.
UH, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY END UP MEANING THAT OUR EXPENDITURES, WHICH WE CAN PROBABLY FORECAST ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE AT THE 50 TO $60 MILLION LEVEL OF JUST NATURAL INCREASES OF PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO GET PAID EVERY TWO WEEKS MM-HMM.
IT WOULD JUST MEAN THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT LARGE INCREASES AND OR GETTING OUT OF CERTAIN BUSINESSES AND PROGRAMS ALTOGETHER TO REALLY ENSURE THAT IF YOU WANT TO DO NEW THINGS, WE'VE GOTTA SUPPLANT THOSE WITH THE TRADITIONAL THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AS WELL AS LOOKING AT HOW WE DON'T ADD NEW POSITIONS, BUT LOOK AT UNUSED POSITIONS TO FILL CERTAIN NEEDS AND EMERGING ISSUES.
BUT QUITE HONESTLY, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE AND THE REQUEST FROM OUR CONSTITUENCIES OR YOUR CONSTITUENCIES IS NOT GOING DOWN.
THERE'S GONNA CONTINUALLY BE A NEED.
AND THIS YEAR'S BUDGET ADDRESSES SOME OF THOSE NEEDS, NOT AT THE LEVELS THAT WE WOULD HOPE, UH, BUT AT A LEVEL THAT WE BELIEVE AT LEAST MAINTAINS OUR SERVICES AND ALLOWS WHERE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST TO DO SOME NEW THINGS AND STILL BE ABLE TO LIVE THROUGH THOSE THINGS NEXT YEAR.
SO AGAIN, UH, SHORT OF US MAKING REDUCTIONS TODAY, UH, AND NOT KNOWING THE TRUE FUTURE, WE ARE RECOMMENDING THE BUDGET THAT REALLY ADDRESSES COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES AND THE LEVELS OF SERVICE, UH, THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND THAT THEY EXPECT AT LEAST THE CURRENT LEVELS TODAY.
UH, NO, AND I, I AGREE WITH STAFF WITH YOU WITH WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, MY CONSTITUENTS, THEY WANT IT ALL RIGHT? IT JUST LIKE EVERYBODY
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DOES.THEY WANT GOOD LIBRARIES AND CULTURAL FACILITIES AND THEIR ROADS TO BE FIXED AND THEIR SIDEWALKS TO BE CONNECTED.
UM, AND THEY ALSO DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE TO SEE THEIR TAX BILL GO UP.
SO HAVE WE AS A CITY LOOKED AT WAYS TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE WITHOUT IT FALLING ON THE INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS THAT, UM, ARE, ARE CARRYING THE BURDEN FOR US RIGHT NOW, AND I'M LEADING TOWARDS ALLOWING FOR MORE DENSITY.
HAVE WE DONE THAT ONE? THINK WE HAVE, I THINK COUNCIL HAS SET OUT A POLICY AND A QUEST FOR US TO INCREASE OUR LEVEL OF DENSITY THROUGH, UH, MANY OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE DONE.
ONE, A FOCUS ON MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING, UH, THROUGH OUR P F C, UH, AND THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS, I THINK WE'RE ALLOWED AND SUPPORTED.
I THINK WE'VE MOVED FORWARD WITH THAT.
I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU HAVE SEEN A INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF PROJECTS AND NUMBER, UH, AND UNITS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS BECAUSE OF THE NEW TOOL THAT COUNCIL GRANTED US.
I DO BELIEVE THERE'S STILL PROBABLY ROOM TO GROW THERE, BUT IT REALLY HELPS US FOCUS ON, I THINK, THE CENTRAL THING THAT THE COUNCIL'S FOCUSED ON ON THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
AND THAT IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, NEW TAX BASE, AND CREATING, UH, OPPORTUNITIES WHERE, YOU KNOW, LAND IS NOT NOW BEING UTILIZED TO FIND A WAY TO GET TO UTILIZE THAT.
WHETHER THAT'S WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DART, WHETHER THAT'S LOOKING AT OUR OWN PROPERTIES, WHETHER THAT'S HOW WE DISPOSE OF, AND OR, UH, BRING TO A COMMUNITY BENEFIT OR VACANT LOTS THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK THAT WILL NOT, UH, STOP, I THINK A NEW VENTURE, I WON'T CALL IT NEW, BUT ONE THAT WE HOPE WE CAN HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES WITH IS EXPANDING OUR INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL PRESENCE TO FIND A WAY TO MONETIZE, UH, AND LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE NOW SISTER CITY RELATED, BUT REALLY TRYING TO TURN THE ECONOMIC, UH, VALVE ON FOR SOME OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO AGAIN, I THINK NEW GROWTH, UH, I THINK US CONTINUING TO USE TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCE, UH, EFFICIENCIES FOR US TO CONTINUE EVERY YEAR TO LOOK AT OUR DEPARTMENTS, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER, SMARTER AND OR THINGS THAT WE NEED TO STOP DOING AND BRINGING THOSE TO COUNCIL'S ATTENTION.
BUT NEW GROWTH, AND AS I SAY, OUR INVESTMENTS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF OUR CITY, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THE VACANT LAND THERE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST TO CHANGE THE MINDSET OF INVESTMENT IN OUR SOUTHERN PART OF OUR CITY IS GOING TO HELP TAKE US TOWARDS THE FUTURE AND HELP REALLY ADD VALUE, UH, PARTICULARLY, UH, PROPERTY VALUE THAT WILL ULTIMATELY RELATE IN NEW ABILITIES TO TAX NEW PEOPLE.
NOW THEY'LL BE EXISTING PEOPLE ONCE THEY GET ONLINE, BUT WE'VE GOTTA CONTINUE TO DO THAT YEAR OVER YEAR.
WELL, AND UH, I HEARD YOU MENTION TWICE ABOUT ACTIVATION OF LAND NOT BEING UTILIZED BOTH THE CITY'S LAND.
AND I'M ASSUMING, UH, YOU'RE SAYING LIKE GOOD POLICIES FOR OTHER LAND THAT'S SITTING VACANT.
UM, IS IT, WOULD, WOULD YOU AGREE THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PARKING LOTS THAT ARE UNDERUTILIZED IN THE CITY OF DALLAS? I WOULD AGREE.
THERE ARE QUITE A LOT OF SURFACE LOTS OUT IN THE CITY.
UH, AND I THINK THE MODEL THAT HAS BEEN USED HAS BEEN WHAT WE'VE TRADITIONALLY DONE, BUT WE'RE HOPING, UH, PARTICULARLY, UH, IN SOME CASES THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNIT AS WELL AS ECO DEV AND OTHERS, THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS PROACTIVELY WITH PEOPLE TO, I GIVE THEM IDEAS AND PROSPECTS ON HOW THEY MIGHT ENHANCE THE VALUE OF THEIR PROPERTY AND BENEFIT OUR OVERALL GROWTH IN THIS CITY.
AND IS IT GENERALLY TRUE THAT, UM, A, A BUILDING OR SOME TYPE OF IMPROVEMENT ON A PARKING LOT IS GENERALLY MORE VALUABLE THAN A SURFACE PARKING LOT FOR TAX REVENUE PURPOSES? YOU KNOW, I'M JUST A CITY MANAGER, SO YOU'RE GETTING ME INTO THE ECONOMICS OF A SMART BUSINESS PERSON, BUT I WOULD ASSUME THAT THERE IS SOME ADDED BENEFIT, UH, THAN JUST HAVING A SURFACE PARKING LOT.
AND THAT'S, I GUESS, EASY MONEY, BUT I THINK YOU CAN ULTIMATELY, IF YOU TAKE SOME RISK, UH, EXPAND ON YOUR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
WELL, NO, AND I THINK THAT'S, YOU'VE MADE THE CASE THAT WE, WE NEED PARKING REFORM IN THE CITY AND, AND THE PLAN COMMISSION HOPEFULLY IS GONNA GET THAT TO US.
UH, UH, THIS QUESTION'S FOR TRANSPORTATION.
GOOD MORNING, CAPTAIN CARLY, DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
UM, QUESTION REGARDING VISION ZERO.
WHAT SPECIFIC PROVISIONS IN THIS BUDGET ARE FURTHERING OUR GOALS OF VISION ZERO? SO, UM, IN THE VISION ZERO, WE HAVE TAKEN A, UM, A, UM, A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH.
ONE IS THE, TO HANDLE THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS THROUGH
[01:30:01]
WHAT IS AVAILABLE IN THE, UH, GENERAL FUND BUDGET AND THE LARGER NEEDS THAT ARE, THAT REQUIRE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS ARE, UH, DEFERRED TO THE, UH, EITHER PARTNERSHIPS AND OR, UM, THE, UH, BOND PROGRAM.SO, UH, THE FUNDS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN THE CURRENT BUDGET, I THINK IT'S ABOUT 1.6 MILLION ARE, UH, TO HANDLE THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND THE ONES THAT WE CAN CALL 'EM, UH, THE QUICK WINS.
CAN YOU, IS IT, AND IF YOU CAN'T DO IT HERE, MAYBE BY MEMO'S, FINE, BUT OUR GOAL IS BY 2030 TO REDUCE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES TO ZERO, RIGHT? IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND TO ALSO REDUCE VEHICULAR UM, ACCIDENTS AS WELL.
UM, SEVERE INJURIES? SEVERE INJURIES, CORRECT.
UM, I GUESS I WANT YOU TO BE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT HOW THE MONEY WE'RE ALLOCATING IN THE 1.6 IS GONNA GET US TOWARDS THOSE GOALS, BUT IF YOU WANNA DO THAT IN MEMO THAT'S OKAY.
WE CAN, WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.
CAN, ARE YOU ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THE $2 MILLION FOR THE SIDEWALK UM, PROGRAM OR IS THAT PUBLIC WORKS? UH, THAT'S PUBLIC WORKS.
COULD I GET SOMEONE UP HERE FROM THAT? GOOD MORNING.
UM, ALI
SO WE ARE ADDING $2 MILLION IN NOW FOR GRANT PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE FOR NEIGHBORHOODS THAT CAN'T, LIKE THEY CAN'T COME UP WITH THE, THE 50 50, RIGHT? YES SIR.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO FACILITATE THAT PROGRAM AND DETERMINE WHO'S GONNA GET THE GRANTS? WELL, UM, WE HAVE IT ON OUR G'S WEBSITE.
THEY QUALIFY, UH, QUALIFY CENSUS TRACK, AND THIS IS EQUITY FINE.
SO THEY SHOULD BE, UM, IN THE ELIGIBLE, UH, AREA.
THIS IS BASED ON THE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE, UH, 'CAUSE THIS IS THE COST SHARE PROGRAM, THE ONE THAT SITS AND ARE APPLYING FOR THE SIDEWALK TO BE REPLACED.
UM, AND THIS IS HOW, UH, WE'RE GONNA IDENTIFY THAT.
SO IT'S FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE ESSENTIALLY? YES, SIR.
AND IS THERE STILL MONEY AVAILABLE FOR THE 50 50 MATCH AS WELL? AND HOW MUCH IS THAT? IF SO, WE ARE ACTUALLY ADDING MORE MONEY TO OUR, UM, THIS, UH, COST SHARE PROGRAM AS A PART OF THE 2 20 24 BOND PROGRAM.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, SPECIFIC FUNDING FOR COST SHARE PROGRAM AT THIS MOMENT.
SO THIS BUDGET DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY MONEY FOR THE 50 50.
I KNOW THAT'S REALLY POPULAR IN MY DISTRICT.
TYPICALLY THE 50 50, UM, WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE BOND PROGRAM, UM, PREVIOUSLY REALLY? OKAY.
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING WE COULD ADD TO THIS BUDGET IF WE CHOSE TO DO SO THROUGH AN AMENDMENT OR THE CITY MANAGER CHOSE TO.
MY SCREEN GOES TO SLEEP, UM, DURING Y'ALL'S FIVE MINUTES OF BRILLIANCE.
SO, UM, JANIE SCHULTZ, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES? YEAH, I SAID SO DOES THE AUDIENCE, MR. MAYOR.
UM, UH, VERY QUICKLY ON, COULD YOU EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE, PLEASE, BETWEEN SLIDES NINE AND 55 IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION? YES MA'AM.
UH, SLIDE NINE IN THE PRESENTATION IS, UH, STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS WITH ALL FUNDING SOURCES.
SO IT HAS ALL OF YOUR OPERATING BUDGETS, YOUR CAPITAL BUDGET, AND YOUR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
SLIDE 55 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, GENERAL FUND ONLY.
SO IF I WANNA DO THE TOTAL DOLLARS, IT'S SLIDE NINE.
UM, DO WE CHARGE A HUNDRED PERCENT RECOVERY OF ENTERPRISE FUNDS? IS WATER, UH, WASTEWATER, UH, STORM WATER SANITATION? YES.
UH, WE ARE BRINGING FORWARD HOPEFULLY LATER THIS MONTH OR NEXT THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FEE STUDY FOR THAT CONVERSATION.
BUT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAS BEEN SPENDING DOWN FUND BALANCE, THEREFORE SPENDING MORE THAN THEIR REVENUE.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE FEE STUDY WE WILL WANT TO WORK THROUGH WITH CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE COULD COMFORTABLY TELL THE PUBLIC THAT YOUR WATER BILL ACTUALLY COSTS THE CITY YOUR NO OTHER TAX MONEY OR ANYTHING ELSE IS GOING INTO YOUR WATER BILL.
UM, COULD YOU ALSO SHARE PLEASE THE, UM, JUST CLARIFY, IT'S, IS IT 28% IS THE, IS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL THAT GOES TO THE CITY?
[01:35:04]
SORRY, WE WANT TO GET IT CORRECT? YES SIR.SO WHEN PEOPLE COMMENT ABOUT HOW HIGH THEIR TAX BILL IS, THE CITY'S ONLY COLLECTING 28.6% OF THAT I JUST CORRECT.
UM, OKAY, SO COUNCIL MEMBER, I WANNA ASK IVIN A QUESTION.
DOES THAT INCLUDE THE REDUCTION IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT? OH, THAT'S CORRECT.
WE NEED TO, UH, CORRECT THAT PAGE 62 TO ACCOUNT FOR THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND, UM, AND, UM, HAVE INCREASE.
SO BECAUSE OF CHANGE IN STATE LAW RELATED TO THE SCHOOL FINANCING, UH, THERE'S GONNA BE REDUCTION IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT TAXES AND THIS IS PRE REDUCTION AND SO IT WILL CHANGE AND WE, WE CAN MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AND SHARE THAT.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'LL BE VERY HELPFUL FOR THE BUDGET TOWN HALLS.
PEOPLE OFTEN THINK THAT THEIR TA PROPERTY TAX BILL IS ENTIRELY GOING TO THE CITY.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL STILL BE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE EVEN AFTER WE MAKE THAT REDUCTION.
I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND ALL THAT.
UM, ON GOING BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER WEST'S POINT ON PAGE 86, ABOUT THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST, WHAT I'M WONDERING MR. CITY MANAGER IS NOT IN TERMS OF MAKING CUTS NOW, BUT I LOOK AT THAT LAST LINE, THE DAYS OF RESERVE AND IT'S, SHOULD WE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE BIT ALARMING WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT ON THE RESERVE.
AND SO WHAT I'M WONDERING IS, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY BUDGETING FOR IT, ARE WE PLANNING FOR IT AT THE DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL FOR THOSE INEVITABLE, UH, REDUCTIONS IN REDUCTIONS IN INCREASES AND AT THE SAME TIME, UH, DO WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT IT THE DAYS OF RESERVE WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, URGENCY? I'LL DEFER TO JACK 'CAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE HE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING
UH, WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATION WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT, UM, GOING FORWARD THAT THERE THINGS WILL BE TIGHTER.
THERE WILL NOT BE THE OPPORTUNITY MAYBE TO DO AS MANY OF THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE, UH, THOSE TYPES OF DECISIONS AS WE GO.
THAT WOULD BE MY ONLY POINT, IS THAT WE'VE HAD THAT COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEPARTMENTS IN, IN ADVANCE OF THAT.
AND WHAT ABOUT, WHAT ABOUT THE FIVE YEAR THAT, SORRY, THAT DAYS OF RESERVE? SO, UM, THE, THE REDUCTION IN THE DAYS OF RESERVE IS JUST A, IS A MATHEMATICAL CALCULATION, RIGHT? AND SO IF WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, IF WE DIDN'T FIX ANYTHING, IF WE CONTINUED TO SPEND AT THE RATE THAT WE'VE, UH, INCLUDED AND HAVE THE CONSERVATIVE REVENUE THAT WE'VE ASSUMED, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO EAT INTO RESERVES.
THAT THAT WILL NOT BE THE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WILL EVER BE THE CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION.
DON'T WE HAVE A CERTAIN CERTAIN, DO WE, DOES COUNCIL HAVE A POLICY OF THE NUMBER OF DAYS RESERVE OR REQUIRED IN OUR BUDGET? WE DO.
WE HAVE AN F M P C CRITERIA THAT IS FIF 50 TO 70 DAYS.
JUST, UH, VERY QUICKLY, MADAM SECRETARY, UM, I'D LIKE TO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY TIME IS ON THIS.
IT STILL SHOWS COUNCIL MEMBER WEST 2 53.
OH, IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME ON THIS.
ON, UM, PAGE 113 OF THE BUDGET, YOU'VE GOT THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD, UH, IF WE COULD GET EITHER A MEMO OR AN UPDATE BEFORE IT'S TIME TO ADOPT IT, WHERE WE LOOK AT THE, UH, 2023 SO I CAN COMPARE COMPARE.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT ON THE 365 REPORT ON THE WEBSITE.
NOW I HAVE THREE SPECIFIC BUDGET QUESTIONS.
UH, FIRST OF ALL IS THE PROGRAM THAT WE ADOPTED AS A COUNCIL LAST SPRING, UH, KEEP DALLAS.
IS THAT IN THE BUDGET ANYWHERE? I DIDN'T FIND IT.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S FOR CODE 'CAUSE I KNOW IT WAS ADOPTED THROUGH, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL, BUT I THINK IT'S A CODE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT'S AN ANTI LITTER CAMPAIGN.
CHRIS CHRISTIAN, CODE DIRECTOR.
COUNCIL MEMBER SCHULTZ, WE HAVE 55,000 CURRENTLY IN OUR BUDGET FOR KEEP DALLAS.
AND HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST TO ACTUALLY FULLY IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM, WHICH WOULD, UH, REALLY ACTIVATE OUR ENGAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEER LEVELS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH PARKS ON THAT.
SO IN ADDITION TO THE 55,000 IN OUR KEEP DALLAS BEAUTIFUL FUNDING, WE HAVE ANOTHER 400 K IN OUR BUDGET FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING AND BLIGHT REMOVAL THROUGH OUR IP O I P S S FUNDING
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AND ALSO ANOTHER 150,000 IN, UM, OUR COMMUNITY TRASH OFF PROGRAM.SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT KEEP DALLAS BEAUTIFUL IS FULLY FUNDED.
SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO MOVE SOME FUNDING FROM OTHER PROGRAMMING TO, TO HELP SUPPORT THE KEEP DALLAS BEAUTIFUL INITIATIVE IF NECESSARY.
AND THEN, UM, ON THE, I GUESS THIS IS FOR, UH, O E Q S.
CAN YOU SHARE, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE COMPOSTING INITIATIVE.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, I'M AN ARDENT ENVIRONMENTALIST.
I WANNA SUPPORT EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WE WANNA GET DONE.
BUT WITH, IF OUR RECYCLING ADOPTION IS ONLY AT 20%, WHAT WOULD BE THE R O I ON THE COMPOSTING PROGRAM? AND SO AS OPPOSED TO O E Q IF SANITATION IS AVAILABLE.
YEAH, LIKE WHERE ARE WE GONNA BE USING THIS NEW SOUL CLIFF GILLESPIE, DIRECTOR OF SANITATION.
THANK YOU, MA'AM FOR THE QUESTION.
I MOVED
UM, SO CURRENTLY, UH, THROUGH OUR RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING PROGRAM, APPROXIMATELY 20% OF ALL THE RESIDENTIAL WASTE THAT'S GENERATED ENDS UP IN THE RECYCLING.
SO IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT DISTINCTION FROM SAYING A 20% ADOPTION RATE RATE WITH RECYCLING.
SO OVERALL, THE LONG TERM RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR DEVELOPING A COMPOSTING PROGRAM IS RELATED TO PRESERVING THE LIFE OF THE LANDFILL AS WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP THOSE APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS OF VEGETATIVE WASTE, UM, OUT OF THE LANDFILL EVERY YEAR AND OVER THE LONG TERM, UM, WE'RE ALSO REDUCING OUR GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS, UH, FROM THE LANDFILL SITE.
THERE'S OTHER, UM, BENEFITS ALONG THE WAY, BUT THOSE ARE THE TWO MAJOR THINGS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH OUR CCAP GOALS.
AND DO YOU, UM, WOULD YOU SHARE, WHERE WOULD IT BE THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? WHERE ARE WE PLANNING TO USE THAT NEW SOIL? SO INITIALLY, UM, A A A DEVELOPED COMPOSTING SITE WILL BE JUST FOR SELF HALL FROM COMMERCIAL ENTITIES AND RESIDENTS.
WE DON'T, WE WON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO COLLECT THAT WITH SANITATION INITIALLY.
SO IT'LL BE A SMALLER PROGRAM.
WE'LL WORK WITH PARKS OR OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE MATERIAL.
WE CAN USE THAT AT THE LANDFILL.
AND OVER TIME A MARKET WILL DEVELOP, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SELL THAT PRODUCT.
I THINK IT'S A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER WITH THE URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN.
'CAUSE THEY CAN, IT CAN BE A CLOSED LOOP IN SOME WAYS FOR THAT.
AND THEN THE, UM, LAST THING IS, AND AGAIN, THIS INFORMATION IS SOMETHING THAT COULD COME BY MEMO, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE COULD GET A NUMBER SOMEWHERE FROM OUR BUDGET OF HOW MUCH WE SPEND ON SUPPORTING VEHICULAR TRAFFIC VERSUS PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE.
SO I, IT'S JUST A BUDGET REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SOMEWHERE FROM SOMEBODY.
BUT IF WE CAN GET IT BEFORE WE ADOPT THE BUDGET, I THINK IT'LL BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO HAVE.
UM, AND THEN MY LAST NOTE IS YOUR SLIDE, YOUR, UH, THE, THE HIGH LEVEL SLIDE STARTING WITH SLIDE NINE, JACK FROM, OR MR. IRELAND, SORRY, UH, I THINK WILL BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL IN OUR BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
SO IF IT'S POSSIBLE MAYBE TO SHARE SOME OF THOSE NOTES THAT YOU SHARED VERBALLY WITH US SO THAT WE CAN HAVE 'EM AT OUR FINGERTIPS FOR OUR, UH, DURING THE BUDGET TOWN HALLS AND AFTERWARDS.
MR. RIDLEY, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES? THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.
FIRST I'D LIKE TO COMPLIMENT THE CITY MANAGER FOR INCREASING FUNDING FOR OUR LIBRARIES TO ENABLE SIX DAY A WEEK OPERATION.
I THINK THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE'RE ALL HAPPY ABOUT.
UH, ALSO FOR INCREASING THE FUNDING FOR THE SENIOR HOME REPAIR PROGRAM.
I THINK THAT'S A VERY WORTHWHILE PROGRAM.
IT HELPS TO PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
IT HELPS TO ALLOW SENIORS TO AGE IN PLACE AND AVOID GENTRIFICATION OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS BY MAINTAINING THE HOUSING STOCK IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR INCREASING THAT ALLOCATION.
NOW WITH REGARD TO THE FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS, WE'VE SEEN ON PAGE NINE THAT THE TOTAL FUNDING FROM ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY PRIORITY AREA DECLINES FROM LAST, UH, THE CURRENT YEAR OF 628 MILLION TO 561 MILLION.
YOU EXPLAINED THAT DECREASE WAS DUE TO WATER AND SEWER PROGRAMS BEING COMPLETED.
UH, CAPITAL PROGRAMS THAT IS IN THE COMPLETION OF A BROWNFIELDS GRANT.
NOW ON, UH, PAGE 55, WE SEE THAT THE
[01:45:01]
GENERAL FUND EXPENSE ALLOCATION FOR THE SAME CATEGORY ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY DECLINES FROM 15.9 THIS YEAR TO 13.1.AND MY QUESTION IS, UM, WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THAT REDUCTION IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY GENERAL FUND ALLOCATION AND WILL THAT REDUCE THE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ACHIEVEMENT OF CCAP GOALS? THANK YOU.
AND SO PAGE 55 BEING GENERAL FUND ONLY.
THE BROWNFIELD PROGRAM IS THE EXPLANATION FOR THE GENERAL FUND ONLY.
IT WAS $1.5 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND, ONE TIME ONLY.
IT IS TAKEN OUT OF FISCAL YEAR, UH, 24.
SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT ALL FUNDS, I TALK ABOUT GENERAL FUND BROWNFIELD AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER FUNDS INCLUDING WATER AND SEWER.
SO PAGE 55 IS, UH, GENERAL FUND BROWNFIELD IS THE REASON FOR THE REDUCTION.
AND THE, THE REASON FOR THE REDUCTION IN THE BROWNFIELDS IS THAT THAT PROGRAM HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
THE PROGRAM WAS INTENDED TO BE A ONE-TIME FUNDING, UH, TO GET STARTED.
AND THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR FEDERAL GRANTS, UH, FOR BROWNFIELD PROGRAMS. AND SO WE WILL BE PURSUING THOSE, UH, AS OPPOSED TO USING LOCAL DOLLARS, GENERAL FUND DOLLARS FOR THAT TYPE OF PROGRAM.
CAR, IF I, IF I MAY, CARLOS EVANS, THE DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, THE $1.5 MILLION IS BEING MOVED FROM GENERAL FUND FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO A MULTI-YEAR FUND.
SO WE STILL ARE GONNA BE USING THE $1.5 MILLION IN ADDITION TO THE $1.5 MILLION IN E P A GRANT FUNDING.
SO WE HAVE A TOTAL OF $3 MILLION WE'LL BE USING TO, UH, IMPLEMENT THAT PROGRAM.
SO THE PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE? CORRECT.
AND WHILE I HAVE YOU, MR. EVANS, I WAS GOING TO GO NEXT TO PAGE 96, WHICH SHOWS THE GENERAL FUND EXPENSES BY DEPARTMENT, WHEREAS 55 WAS ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY.
AND I NOTICED THAT YOUR ALLOCATION IS DECLINING FROM, UH, 6.95 MILLION TO SIX, I'M SORRY, 5.6 MILLION AND 18% DECLINE.
DOES THAT REFLECT THIS BROWNFIELD'S REALLOCATION? CORRECT.
OR IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT, UH, REPRESENTS THAT DECLINE? NO, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE REPRESENTATION.
THE, THE DECLINE IS DUE TO THE GENERAL, UH, GENERAL FUND, $1.5 MILLION GOING TO A MULTI-YEAR FUND.
UH, SALARIES ARE INCREASING, OTHER INVESTMENTS ARE INCREASING.
IT'S JUST THE, THE HUGE REDUCTION IN GENERAL FUND DOLLARS IS BEING SHOWN IN THAT DOLLAR FIGURE.
SO YOU'RE NOT CUTTING ANY STAFF POSITIONS.
WE STILL HAVE 106, UH, POSITIONS.
AND YOU'RE NOT CUTTING ANY FUNDING FOR C C A, CORRECT? CORRECT.
JACK, THE, UH, PAGE 19 REFLECTS THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL RIGHT SIZE ITS STAFFING MODEL BY ADDING A HUNDRED FIREFIGHTERS AND INCREASE OVERTIME FUNDING.
AND I HAVE TO ASK IF YOU'RE GOING TO ADD A HUNDRED FIREFIGHTERS, WHY ISN'T OVERTIME FUNDING DECLINING AS WE REPLACE THAT NEED FOR OVERTIME WITH FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES? DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT TAKES TO GET THROUGH TRAINING, IT TAKES, I BELIEVE 18 MONTHS TO GET THROUGH, UH, FIRE ACADEMY TRAINING.
SO WE HIRE THE OFFICER, UH, THE RECRUIT, THEY GO THROUGH THE TRAINING, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO HELP US MEET OUR MINIMUM DAILY STAFFING REQUIREMENT.
SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE OVERTIME TO MEET OUR MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENT UNTIL WE GET THEM TRAINED, THE, THE, THE NEW EMPLOYEES TRAINED AND IN THE FIRE STATION.
AND HOW LONG DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT TRAINING PROCESS WILL TAKE? UH, I'M CHIEF ARTIS.
DOMINIQUE ARTIS, FIRE CHIEF CITY OF DALLAS, DALLAS FIRE RESCUE.
IT TAKES ABOUT 13 AND A HALF MONTHS FOR US TO SEND A BRAND NEW RECRUIT THROUGH TRAINING.
UH, THOSE ARE RECRUITS THAT HAVE NO FIREFIGHTING TRAINING.
THEY GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH FROM FIREFIGHTING AND THE E M T TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL.
SO DO YOU ANTICIPATE THIS BEING A CONTINUING ISSUE IN FUTURE BUDGET YEARS? OR ONCE WE GET THE NEW FIREFIGHTERS ON BOARD, CAN WE REDUCE THE OVERTIME BUDGET? OUR PLAN IS TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AS WE GET THESE FIREFIGHTERS ON BOARD, UH, LOOK AT OUR ATTRITION RATES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT MATCHES WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE FIELD, TO, UH, HOPEFULLY BRING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN WITHIN A RANGE THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH, UM, BY HAVING THIS ALLOCATION ALSO EVENS
[01:50:01]
US OUT TO BE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF THOSE FLUCTUATIONS KIND OF GO AWAY.AND, UH, DO YOU ANTICIPATE REALISTICALLY BEING ABLE TO RECRUIT A HUNDRED NET NEW FIREFIGHTERS IN THIS FISCAL YEAR? YES, SIR.
WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AS WE SPEAK.
WE INCREASED OUR CLASSES FROM 50 TO 60 AS WELL AS WE HAVE A, A NEW LATERAL HIRE PROGRAM THAT CUTS DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF MONTHS THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH TRAINING WITH OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT REALLY BEEFING THAT PLAN UP TO ALSO HELP US GET MORE FOLKS IN.
GREAT, THANK YOU CHIEF ARDIS? YES.
UH, WE HAVE SEEN A GREAT INFLUX IN THE LAST TWO OR THREE FISCAL YEARS OF FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH ARPA, THROUGH THE INFRASTRUCTURE ACT AND OTHER FEDERAL ACTS.
AND I'M CURIOUS, WHAT IMPACT WILL THE, UH, LACK OF THAT FUNDING CONTINUING HAVE ON THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET THIS YEAR? AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ADDRESS THAT? MOST OF THE INVESTMENTS THROUGH THE, UH, ARPA FUNDS WERE, WERE KNOWN TO BE ONE TIME IF THEY WERE THINGS THAT NEEDED TO BE ONGOING.
WE HAD BUILT THAT INTO OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN TO BRING THOSE COSTS BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE USE SOME OF THE ARPA FUNDS TO PURCHASE SQUAD CARS.
AND SO WE HAVE FACTORED THAT INTO THE FUTURE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, KNOWING WHEN THE ARPA DOLLARS GO AWAY, WE CONTINUE TO NEED SQUAD CARS.
AND WE BROUGHT THAT BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
BUT OTHER TYPES OF PROGRAMS WERE ONE TIME IN NATURE, WE GOT THE INVESTMENT, WE, WE SPENT IT, IT, IT'S, IT GOES AWAY.
AND, AND WE WILL JUST CONTINUE THE PROGRAM OR WE WILL MAKE A DECISION THAT IT'S A PROGRAM THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE ALLEY CLEANUP PROGRAM THAT WE DID WITH SOME OF THE, OUR FUNDS, THAT WAS A PRETTY GOOD PROGRAM.
UH, THERE WAS A DESIRE TO PUT SOME DOLLARS INTO THE GENERAL FUND RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO THOSE HAVE BEEN ADDED IN TO THE, TO THE RECOMMENDATION FOR NEXT YEAR.
ANY OTHER EXAMPLES OF PROGRAMS ORIGINALLY FUNDED BY ARPA OR OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING MECHANISMS THAT HAVE BEEN DECIDED WERE MERITORIOUS FOR FUNDING ON A CONTINUING BASIS UNDER THE GENERAL FUND? THOUGHTS? NO, I, I THINK AN EXAMPLE OF NOT NECESSARILY A PROGRAM THAT WE'VE DECIDED TO MOVE IN, BUT TO MR. IRELAND'S POINT, UM, WE, WE HAVE BEEN SHIFTING, UH, DOLLARS, UM, BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND THAT WE USE ARPA FOR, FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, STREET AND ALLEY MAINTENANCE.
UM, WE SHOW USING ARPA FUNDS IN 24.
YOU SEE THAT COMING BACK INTO THE BUDGET IN 25, UH, UH, FI OR POLICE, UH, OVERTIME, WE'RE USING ARPA FUNDING FOR THAT AND WE'RE SHIFTING THOSE COSTS BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUNDS.
SO WE HAVE BEEN MAKING, UH, DECISIONS RELATED TO BUDGET DEVELOPMENT, UM, TO MOVE COSTS THAT ARE ONGOING BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND TO MR. IRELAND'S POINT.
BUT THE, THE ALLEY CLEANUP IS THE ONLY ONE I CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
JACK, CAN YOU IDENTIFY WHAT FUNDS IN THE GENERAL FUND ARE BEING USED, IF ANY, FOR ADDITIONAL SOLARIZATION AND WEATHERIZATION OF CITY BUILDINGS? SO WE DO HAVE IN OUR CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION FUND, UM, APPROXIMATELY 500,000 FOR, UM, SOLAR, UM, ON CITY FACILITIES.
SO THAT IS AN INVESTMENT THAT IS IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET.
I'M SORRY, FOR WHAT KIND OF BUILDINGS? UH, CITY FACILITIES.
AND WHAT ABOUT WEATHERIZATION? THERE IS WEATHERIZATION IN, UM, OUR BASE BUDGET.
AND SO I'M HOPING THAT, UM, I CAN PHONE A FRIEND.
BRIAN THOMPSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF BILLING SERVICES.
SO IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2324, WE HAVE 539,000 FOR WEATHERIZATION PLANNED.
AND, UM, JACK, WHAT ABOUT FUNDING FOR, UH, BOTH, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO REPLACE EXISTING CITY VEHICLES AND FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO FUEL THEM? THANK YOU.
AND I KNOW, UH, MR. GIBSON'S HERE AND SO I'M GONNA LET HIM ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UM, HERE IT COMES TO MY RIGHT, GOOD MORNING.
ZEL GIBSON, DIRECTOR OF EQUIPMENT AND FLEET MANAGEMENT.
CAN YOU RESTATE YOUR QUESTION PLEASE? YES.
UH, WHAT FUNDS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET FOR ADDITIONAL
[01:55:01]
EV UH, VEHICLE REPLACEMENTS FOR FOSSIL FUEL VEHICLES AND FOR EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.SO WE HAVE $18 MILLION THAT ARE SET ASIDE FOR GENERAL PURPOSE FLEET.
KEEP IN MIND THAT ALSO INCLUDES, UH, MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES.
SO WE ACTUALLY DIVVY THAT MONEY UP BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS AND WE SPLIT THAT OUT DEPENDING ON THE GREATEST NEEDS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT.
SO WHEN YOU ASK SPECIFICALLY HOW MUCH OF THAT 18 MILLION, AT LEAST IN GENERAL PURPOSE DOLLARS WILL BE USED FOR EV? THAT'S A QUESTION I CAN'T ANSWER JUST YET, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL PEELING THAT ONION.
WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT WITH DEPARTMENTS WHEN WE MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ALSO POINT OUT TO YOU IS VERY, VERY STRATEGIC IN THIS PROCESS IS THAT WE'RE ALSO DOING A CLEANUP OF THE LIGHT DUTY FLEET.
OUR 2018 STUDY THAT WAS DONE SUGGESTED THAT WE HAD TOO MANY LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES, RIGHT.
AND SUGGESTED THAT THAT SURPLUS NEEDED TO GO IN THIS VALIDATION PROCESS THAT WE'RE DOING WITH EV, NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING AT DOING CONVERSIONS, RIGHT, WHICH WE'VE DONE 96 THUS FAR, AND WE'VE DONE 14 THAT ARE PENDING.
THAT WAS EXPLAINED IN A MEMO THAT WE SENT OUT LAST NIGHT.
SO THAT'S RIGHT AT 110 THAT WE'VE ORDERED AND BEEN IN THE PROCESS SINCE AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, RIGHT AT THE CLOSE OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY.
BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE LAST THING THAT WE WANT TO DO, AND THE REASON WHY WE'RE VERY, BEING VERY NIMBLE AND VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THIS, IS WE DON'T WANNA REPLACE A UNDERUTILIZED FOSSIL FUEL VEHICLE WITH A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, UH, EV UH, THAT REQUIRES ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE'RE IN THAT PROCESS NOW, UH, TO, TO GIVE YOU A ROUGH ORDER OF ESTIMATE OF WHAT I EXPECT OUT OF THAT $18 MILLION, WE PROBABLY WOULD ABOUT 50, 60 VEHICLES.
THAT'S BEEN OUR SPEND, UH, FROM 22 AND THEN THIS CURRENT YEAR BUDGET.
SO I EXPECT ANOTHER 50 OR 60, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO COME IN THAT PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S AN ESTIMATE ON MY PART.
I SIT DOWN AND WE ACTUALLY GO OVER EACH PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WITH DEPARTMENTS TO WARRANT THE NEED FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND THEN ALSO TALK ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT OF THEIR GOALS IN THEIR DEPARTMENT AND WHAT VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT AND RIGHTSIZING OF THAT EQUIPMENT THAT THAT'S REQUIRED.
AND SO SOMETIMES AS WE TALK ABOUT EV IT'S A PART OF THE CONVERSATION IN THE MIX OF THE LIGHT DUTY VEHICLE THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE REPLACING.
SO THE 50 EVS THAT YOU ANTICIPATE, UH, BEING PURCHASED IN 2024, DOES THAT INCLUDE THE 28 THAT ARE GOING TO BE FUNDED BY THE T C E Q, UH, UH, GRANT THAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW? NO, SIR, IT DOES NOT.
THOSE, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY REBATES THAT WE'RE GETTING BASED ON THE 96 EVS WE'VE ALREADY PURCHASED.
SO WE ARE THAT, THAT GRANT APPLICATION, UH, THAT WE SUBMITTED THERE ALLOWED FOR PURCHASES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN UNDERWAY.
SO A LOT OF THAT IS GOING TO HELP US REDUCE THE DEBT SERVICE RELATIVE TO VEHICLES THAT WE'VE ALREADY PURCHASED.
SO, YOU KNOW, EVS RIGHT NOW, THEY COST A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN YOUR CONVENTIONAL VEHICLES.
AND THEN WHEN WE GOT DONE WITH OUR EV STUDY, UH, IN REAL RECOMMENDED THAT WE DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE NOT TO FUND THIS STUFF FROM OUR EXISTING FUNDS, THAT THERE WERE GONNA BE LOTS OF FEDERAL DOLLARS AND STATE DOLLARS AND OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO US.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO MARRY THOSE PROCESSES TOGETHER.
WE'RE TRYING TO CUT THE FAT WHERE WE POSSIBLY CAN AND VEHICLES THAT WE DON'T NEED.
I KIND OF COINED NOV LAST YEAR 'CAUSE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AS FLEET DIRECTOR FOR US NOT TO HAVE UNDERUTILIZED VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT SITTING AROUND.
ESPECIALLY NOT TO CONVERT IT TO, UH, ELECTRIFICATION.
SO THAT PROCESS ALONG WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WORKING WITH ENCORE, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE MEMO THAT DR.
PEREZ SENT OUT LAST NIGHT, BUT THERE'S A 47 WEEK LEAD TIME ON TRANSFORMERS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING ABLE TO PUT DC FAST CHARGERS IN.
IT'S A 16 WEEK LEAD TIME TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS PUTTING, UH, EV INFRASTRUCTURE IN FOR THE AC CHARGING THE OVERNIGHT, UH, TRICKLE CHARGING LEVEL TWO CHARGING THAT MOST OF YOU HAVE AT YOUR HOME OR OTHERWISE.
SO, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A MULTIFACETED PROCESS AND I, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES.
ONE, TO ORDER WHAT WE DON'T NEED.
TWO, HAVE TOO MANY VEHICLES THAT ARE ALREADY IN OUR POSSESSION BEFORE WE HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR VICE VERSA, PUT OUT LOTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE BEFORE WE HAVE VEHICLES.
WE'RE STILL SEEING LONG LEAD TIMES IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES COMING IN.
WE ORDERED, UH, 24 FORD F ONE 50 LIGHTNINGS IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, GOT A CALL FROM FORD THAT WE MIGHT NOT SEE THOSE UNTIL MID TO LATE 24.
SO THAT THERE'S JUST SOME, SOME CHALLENGES RELATIVE TO WHEN THESE THINGS COME IN AND WE'RE WORKING AS BEST WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THE TIMING OF WHAT WE'RE
[02:00:01]
PURCHASING AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT ARE ALIGNED.AND ARE YOU PURSUING OPPORTUNITIES FROM FEDERAL AND STATE SOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDING FOR EVS AND INFRASTRUCTURE? ABSOLUTELY.
THE, THE GRANT THAT YOU GONNA BE CONSIDERING, UH, TOMORROW THAT'S A REBATE, IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE OF RESOURCES THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
NOW, I WILL TELL YOU, THERE'S, THERE'S TONS OF GRANT OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE, BUT THERE ARE NOT ALL OF THEM ALIGN IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CITY.
SOMETIMES THERE'S REQUIREMENTS AND THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DON'T FIT IN IN OUR BEST INTEREST AT THIS TIME.
AND SO SOMETIMES WE ACTUALLY BYPASS THOSE GRANTS.
UH, MANY OF THE ONES THAT SHOULD GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WE WOULD BYPASS BECAUSE WE'RE VIEWED DIFFERENTLY IN THE EYES OF A LOT OF THE GRANTING AGENCIES RELATIVE TO PUBLIC FACING EV CHARGING.
SO WHEN YOU SEE A LOT OF THESE GRANTS, THEY'RE OPEN FOR ENTITIES LIKE OURSELVES THAT MIGHT BE PRESENTING PUBLIC EV, PUBLIC FACING, EV CHARGING.
UH, WHEN WE SUBMIT A GRANTS, WE EITHER ARE NOT ALLOWED TO APPLY AT ALL OR OUR APPLICATION FALLS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STACK BECAUSE WE DON'T GET AS MANY POINTS AS SOMEBODY THAT'S GONNA BE PRODUCING, UH, UH, PUBLIC FACING EV.
THANK YOU MR. MAYOR LL ATKINS, YOU READY US FOR FIVE MINUTES? THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.
UH, QUESTION, UH, NUMBER ONE, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, THE BUDGET UPDATE.
UH, I WANTED TO LOOK INTO BUDGET.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT FORWARD DOLLARS, UH, DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE WITH ZONING IN, IN THE SUBDIVISION.
IS THERE A LINE ITEM IN THERE, UM, THAT SPECIFIED IN FORWARD DALLAS? HOW WE GONNA FINANCE THAT? HI, JULIA RYAN, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN.
WE DO HAVE, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF FORWARD DALLAS THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, THERE IS A A MILLION DOLLARS THAT WERE, THAT WAS ALLOCATED, UH, FOR F Y 24, AND THERE ARE PLANNED FUNDS A MILLION DOLLARS FOR F Y 25.
UH, AND SO THE DEVELOPMENT CODE IS A PART OF FORWARD DALLAS AND IMPLEMENTATION.
UH, ONCE WE ESTABLISH A FUTURE LAND USE MAP AND VISION, BEING ABLE TO GO IN AND IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS THAT DO REQUIRE REZONING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE PROPER ZONING CODES THAT GO WITH IT, UH, IS REQUIRED.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES.
WE DO NEED THOSE FUNDS, UH, AVAILABLE FOR, UM, NOTIFICATIONS.
WE DO NEED TO NOTIFY PEOPLE IF WE'RE DOING ZONING CHANGES, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR PROPERTY.
AND SO THERE WILL BE A LOT OF NOTIFICATIONS THAT GO OUT, UH, LIKELY TO MOST PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE CITY.
WELL QUESTION, AND I KNOW IT'S A MILLION DOLLARS, BUT IS THAT ADEQUATE ENOUGH AMOUNT OF MONEY TO MOVE THIS FORWARD? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AT THIS POINT, UM, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE ESTIMATING.
THE FIRST PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT CODE AND WE, UH, EXECUTED A CONTRACT JUST ABOUT A MONTH AGO, IS TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE EXISTING CODE.
AND WHEN WE BEGIN WORKING THROUGH THE DIAGNOSTIC AND, AND WHAT PARTS NEED TO BE UPDATED AND WHICH PARTS ARE OKAY, THEN WE'LL HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE, THE, THE SCOPE OF THAT DEVELOPMENT CODE IS GOING TO BE, WHETHER IT'S A SMALL SCOPE OR A LARGE SCOPE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE REALLY DIDN'T, UH, GO VERY AGGRESSIVE AT THE BEGINNING WITH THE, WITH THE $2 MILLION FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT CODE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING, UH, A, A A, A REALLY STRATEGIC LOOK AT, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO OVER BUDGET, UH, FOR THAT PROJECT.
SO WE WANTED TO KEEP IT, UH, LEAN AND SMALL SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT SCOPE IS FIRST.
UH, JACK, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT UNCERTAIN AIRING IN OUR TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, IS THERE A, A BUDGET, A DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR, TO FUND UNC AREA IN THIS BUDGET? SO I'M GONNA ASK, UH, ROBERT, UH, IF YOU COULD HELP WITH THAT QUESTION.
ROBERT BETAS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S FUNDS BUDGETED IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.
UM, SO I'M, I'M ASSUMING THROUGH OUR, UH, RACIAL EQUITY PLAN THAT THERE IS, I, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A NUMBER EXACTLY RIGHT NOW.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE FROM THE TEAM CAN, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THAT.
UH, WITH THAT, UM, I, I GUESS JACK, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS BUDGET, AND THIS MIGHT BE A TWO PART CAUTION, IF YOU GO BACK THREE YEARS AGO, UH, COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT IS IN THIS BUDGET
[02:05:01]
THAT FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS WE HAD, BUT BEFORE THEN, WE NEVER WAS A, A ITEM IN THE BUDGET.SO, COUNCIL MEMBER, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, UH, FROM THINGS SUCH AS THE HEART PROGRAM.
UH, THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, PROGRAMS WITHIN CODE COMPLIANCE THAT WE'VE ADDED, UM, HELP ME OUT, UH, THE PRO TEAMS, UH, IN CODE COMPLIANCE.
THERE'S BEEN INCREASES IN OUR, UM, SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM.
WE'VE ADDED HOURS AND LOCATIONS, SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, UM, ADDITIONAL STAFFING AND POLICE AND FIRE.
UM, THIS SINGLE ROLE PARAMEDIC PROGRAM WE DIDN'T HAVE PREVIOUSLY IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, SEVERAL OF THE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS ARE NEW.
UM, THE, UM, ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP MONEY IS NEW THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN THE BUDGET, UH, THREE YEARS AGO.
UH, RESTORATION OF LIBRARY HOURS, UM, 15 LOCATIONS IN THE CURRENT YEAR, THE REMAINING, UH, 15 LOCATIONS, UM, IN FISCAL YEAR 24, IT'S BEEN QUITE A BIT.
THAT'S A WHOLE LOT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER? HOW DID IT IMPACT THE BUDGET, ROUGHLY? SO I DON'T HAVE A NUMBER, BUT WE CAN, CAN PULL SOMETHING TOGETHER TO GIVE THE SENSE OF WHAT THE GROWTH HAS BEEN OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE THAT AND GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE'VE ADDED IN.
UH, A LOT OF THE COST OBVIOUSLY ARE PERSONNEL RELATED, WHETHER IT'S THE MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT OR INCREASED COST RELATED TO EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS OR CIVILIAN PAY.
UM, THAT, THAT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST DRIVERS, OBVIOUSLY, OF THE BUDGET BECAUSE IT TAKES PEOPLE TO DELIVER SERVICES.
UH, 70% OF, UH, THE COST IS IN PERSONNEL.
SO THAT'S WHAT HAS DRIVEN SO MUCH OF IT.
WE CAN LOOK AT PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND GIVE YOU LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF THAT, BUT, UH, I CAN GIVE YOU A THREE YEAR KIND OF, UH, SUM UP OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND SO WE GO BACK THREE YEAR AND FAST FORWARD, UH, SET LAST YEAR.
WHAT IS IN THIS BUDGET THAT IT WAS NOT THERE THREE YEARS AGO? WHAT IS NEW? I'M, CAN YOU RESTATE THE QUESTION? WHAT IS NEW IN THIS BUDGET THAT WE DID NOT HAVE LAST YEAR? SO A A LOT OF THE, UH, PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING ADDED IN FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 ARE THE COSTS THAT WERE INCLUDED AS GENERAL FUND DRIVERS.
AND SO I'M GONNA FLIP BACK AND ASK, UH, THAT WE TURN TO PAGE AGE 50.
SO, UH, AS WE SAID PREVIOUSLY, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS GOING UP $137 MILLION.
AND THAT IS MADE UP OF, YOU KNOW, MEET AND CONFER IS $19 MILLION, UH, POLICE AND FIRE OVERTIME, $36 MILLION ADDITIONAL, UH, UNIFORM PERSONNEL, $10 MILLION.
THE NEXT PAGE, 5 MILLION FOR TECHNOLOGY, UH, 4 MILLION FOR OTHER, UH, POLICE ENHANCEMENTS, 4 MILLION FOR PARK SECURITY.
AND IF YOU GO THROUGH THESE THREE SLIDES, YOU CAN ACCOUNT FOR N NEARLY THE ENTIRE $138 MILLION INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
UH, IN, IN THESE THREE SLIDES.
YOU, YOU CAN ACCOUNT FOR ALL OF IT.
AND, AND MOST OF THAT IS RELATED TO ONGOING COST, NOT NECESSARILY, UH, BRAND NEW PROGRAMS, BUT MEET AND CONFER AND OVERTIME THAT IS, THAT IS PAYMENT FOR EXISTING, UH, POLICE AND FIRE PERSONNEL.
NOW WE ARE ADDING, UH, THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS.
UM, WHEN YOU COMPARE, UM, OUR RESOURCES, OUR REVENUE TO OTHER CITIES, YOU KNOW, UM, IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND I KNOW WE LOOK AT OUR SALE TAX AND OUR PROPERTY TAX, IS THERE ANY OTHER REVENUE SOURCES THAT WE CAN GO TOWARDS THE LEGISLATOR TO PUT IN OUR REVENUE STREAM THAT OTHER CITIES DO HAVE THAT WE HAVE NOT LOOKED INTO, ARE TOO LATE TO LOOK AT OUR LEGISLATOR TO GET THOSE OTHER REVENUE STREAM? SO ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL SEE IN AUSTIN AND SAN ANTONIO, I BELIEVE, ARE, UH, REVENUES THAT COME INTO THEIR GENERAL FUND FROM UTILITIES THAT THEY OWN AND OPERATE.
AND SO, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S TOO LATE FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS TO BE
[02:10:01]
OUR OWN RETAIL ELECTRIC PROVIDER AND PROVIDE RETAIL SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY.UH, I BELIEVE THAT WOULD'VE ENDED IN 2000 WHEN, UM, THE, THERE WAS LEGISLATION ABOUT THE ELECTRIC, UH, DEREGULATION.
UH, BUT, UH, SOME CITIES, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, AUSTIN, UH, GARLAND, DENTON, LUBBOCK, THERE'S QUITE A FEW THAT DO HAVE CITY OWNED ELECTRIC UTILITIES.
AND SOME OF THOSE MAKE TRANSFERS FROM THOSE UTILITIES INTO THEIR GENERAL FUND.
WE DO NOT HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND, AND SO THAT, THAT ACCOUNTS FOR, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I LOOKED AT THIS, BUT AT ONE POINT FOR SAN ANTONIO, I WANT TO THINK THAT THEIR REVENUE FROM THEIR UTILITY WAS NEARLY AS MUCH AS THEIR PROPERTY TAX.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
UM, IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WAS LOOKING HERE, THAT, THAT WE COULD DO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE JUST GOT TWO REVENUE FRAMES, SALE TAX AND PROPERTY TAX.
SO I KNOW WHEN YOU LOOK AT JUST YOUR TWO SOURCES, THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THINKING OUTTA THE BOX, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER SOURCES COULD WE DO? SO WE PLAN IS HAVE ANYTHING, ANYTHING CROSSED YOUR MIND THAT WE, WE, WE CAN LOOK AT OTHER REVENUE STREAM.
SO THERE, THERE'S REALLY NOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS WILL COME BACK FOR YOUR GENERAL GOVERNMENT.
WHAT THAT, THAT WOULD BE, UH, TAXES IS, IS THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO BE PAID FOR.
AND TAMMY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE TAXES VERSUS FEES, UH, AT THIS POINT, BUT, UH, SO, UH, WE CAN'T HAVE, UH, AN ILLEGAL TAX ON THINGS.
SO, UH, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS, SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT, THEN UH, PROPERTY TAXES IS GOING TO BE THE WAY THAT IT IS TYPICALLY PAID FOR PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX.
UH, WE DO HAVE A POLICY TO LOOK AT OUR FEES, OUR CHARGES FOR SERVICE.
WE LOOK AT THOSE, BUT THEN COUNSEL, UH, MAKES A DECISION.
DO WE WANT TO, UH, CHARGE A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR A SERVICE OR DO WE WANNA SUBSIDIZE THAT, UH, FOR THOSE PARTICULAR USERS? AND SO THAT, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE WHERE WE'RE CHARGING A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR ALL OF OUR FEES, BUT WE DON'T CURRENTLY DO THAT.
AND SPEAKING OF FEES, UM, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE INCREASED FEES FOR BUILDING PERMIT? THAT WAS IN 2015, ALMOST, ALMOST EIGHT YEARS AGO.
IS THERE ANY REASON WHY WE HAVE NOT INCREASED FEES FOR BUILDING PERMIT SINCE EIGHT YEARS? I CAN'T REALLY ANSWER WHY WE HAVEN'T IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, BUT I KNOW IT'S BEING LOOKED AT NOW, AND IT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE BRING TO COUNCIL, UH, HOPEFULLY BEFORE THIS BUDGET IS ADOPTED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF INCREASES ON DEVELOPMENT FEES, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
UH, AND WHEN YOU SPEAK OF INFRASTRUCTURE, WHEN YOU SAID SIDEWALK, UM, AND WE DO HAVE MONEY COMING FROM DART, ROUGHLY ABOUT $90 MILLION.
HAD WE DID A, A COMPARISON, UH, WITH THIS BUDGET, HOW WOULD THAT $90 MILLION OFF OFFSET SOME OTHER THIS BUDGET THAT IS NOT CALCULATED IN THIS BUDGET? SO ROBERT, DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE, UH, SO PART OF THE $90 MILLION, ONE OF THE BIG SPENDS ON THAT IS $50 MILLION FOR, UM, A D A IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THAT ARE NEAR, UM, DARK BUS LINES, I BELIEVE, AND AND STATIONS.
UH, MAYOR PROTON ATKINS, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE USING THAT TO AUGMENT OUR, OUR A D A RAMPED, UH, PROGRAM.
WE'RE USING IT TO AUGMENT OUR TRAFFIC SIGNAL, UH, RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
UH, WE'RE USING ABOUT 10 MILLION FOR SIDEWALKS.
UM, SO IF, IF, IF ANYTHING, THOSE FUNDS ARE REALLY AUGMENTING OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS. SO DO WE HAVE, WHEN WE SAID AUGMENT THE A D A, UH, THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL THERE, IF YOU GOT $50 MILLION THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE IN A BUDGET AND YOU'RE GETTING $50 MILLION SOMEWHERE ELSE, SO THE 50 MILLION, YOU ALREADY HAD A BUDGET, WHERE IS THAT MONEY GOING TO? SO WE WERE, WE WERE FUNDING OUR A D A RENT PROGRAM OUT OF THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM.
I BELIEVE WE HAD SOMEWHERE AROUND 15 OR SO MILLION DOLLARS.
UH, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WERE USING TO FUND OUR A D A RENT PROGRAM FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
SO THIS $50 MILLION WILL CONTINUE THAT PROGRAM.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE TO DELIVER THAT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, UH, TO MEET THE TIMELINE.
SO, UH, I MEAN, AGAIN, THAT'S KIND OF AUGMENTING OUR EXISTING PROGRAM.
IF, IF, IF YOU IN A BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETING AND TRYING TO EXPLAIN THIS TO LAYMAN, TURN THAT YOU HAVE $50 MILLION THAT YOU GOT WORK, YOU NEED TO GET DONE, THAT BUDGET TO GET DONE, AND YOU GET $50 MILLION NEW MONEY THAT
[02:15:01]
YOU'RE GONNA FIX, AND THIS $50 MILLION THAT YOU ALREADY IN THE BUDGET, THAT MONEY WOULD GO TO ANOTHER LINE ITEM SOMEWHERE ELSE.SO WHERE WOULD THAT $50 MILLION GO TO? SO I THINK, UNFORTUNATELY ON THAT, WE DID NOT HAVE $50 MILLION IN THE, UH, CURRENT BUDGET FOR A D A RAMPS.
AND SO WE RECEIVED THE, THE DART MONEY AND THE DECISION WAS MADE TO, UH, TO REALLY TACKLE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD THE FUNDING TO, TO ADDRESS.
AND SO THE SAME THING WITH SOME OF OUR SIDEWALKS.
WE HAVE SUCH A, A LARGE NEED FOR OUR SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WHEN WE GET ONE TIME FUNDING IN, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO TRY TO TACKLE SOME OF THOSE ISSUES.
AND SO WE DID THAT WITH THE, THE ARPA FUNDS THAT WE GOT, KNOWING THAT IT WAS ONETIME.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE NEEDS IN THAT WE CAN PUT SOME OF THIS ONETIME MONEY TOWARD? SAME THING WITH THE ADA, A RAMPS.
AND IT REALLY FILLS THE GAP WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON THE NEXT BOND PROGRAM TO COME AROUND.
AND IT'S, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE OUTSTANDING NEEDS.
AND SO, SO THEREFORE, THE DART MONEY IS NOT ALLOCATED IN THIS BUDGET.
IT, IT WILL, IT, IT IS ALLOCATED AS AN ADDITIONAL RESOURCE.
UH, SO IT ADDS IN TO THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, UM, TO AUGMENT, LIKE ROBERT IS SAYING, TO AUGMENT EITHER OUR GENERAL FUND OR AUGMENT OUR BOND PROGRAM OR AUGMENT THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS $90 MILLION.
I I, I GOT A TOWN HALL MEETING ON THURSDAY.
UM, I, I HOPE YOU CAN GIVE ME JUST SOME BULLETS, YOU KNOW, HEY, THIS IS OUR BUDGET, A D A TRACTOR LIGHT, AND HERE'S THE MONEY THAT IS COMING FROM DART.
YOU KNOW, HOW IS THAT GONNA OFFSET THE BUDGET BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THE DART MONEY IN THIS BUDGET.
AND YOU SAID A DART MONEY IS IN THIS BUDGET, BUT IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET.
YOU, THE, THE DART MONEY IS IN THE BUDGET.
IF YOU LOOK UNDER ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN BOTH PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION, YOU SEE THE ALLOCATION, UM, THERE'S SOME FUNDING ALLOCATED IN CAPITAL AS WELL.
I, I THINK TO, TO JACK'S POINT, UM, THE DART MONEY ISN'T A SUBSTITUTE FOR EXISTING RESOURCES.
SO THE DART MONEY IS ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UM, TO HELP US ADDRESS SOME LONGSTANDING NEEDS.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR $10 MILLION THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO A PARTICULAR PROJECT, AND NOW YOU HAVE DART MONEY AND THAT YOU CAN TAKE THIS 10 MILLION AND DO SOMETHING ELSE WITH IT, THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
LIKE, LIKE THE, THE MONEY WE GOT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE OFFER FUND, IT'S NOT A COMPARISON TO THAT AT ONE TIME.
SO THE DART MONEY IS ONE TIME MONEY.
PEREZ POINT, UM, THE FUNDING THAT'S ALLOCATED IS JUST AN ADDITIONAL RESOURCE TO ADDRESS, UH, A LONG START STANDING NEED THAT WAS NOT OTHERWISE BUDGETED.
SO IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT BUDGETING FOR TWO THINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, TWO RESOURCES FOR ONE THING.
ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA LOOK AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYBODY, UM, ELSE, BECAUSE IF THERE ISN'T, WE WANT TO TAKE A, UH, A PAUSE AFTER THIS FIRST ROUND, THIS FIVE MINUTE ROUND.
SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PAUSE AFTER THIS FIVE MINUTE ROUND, UM, AND GO INTO, UM, TO A LUNCH BREAK.
SO, UH, AND BEFORE WE DID THAT, MS. MS. MENDELSON, DID YOU WANT TO GO FOR FIVE MINUTES? BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA, WE NEED TO GET OUR FIRST ROUND.
WELL, I'D BE HAPPY TO DO IT AFTER LUNCH.
IF YOU, IF YOU CAN'T, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I WAS PRESERVING MY RIGHT.
OH YEAH, WE'RE, YEAH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT SHUTTING IT DOWN.
BUT WE WILL TAKE A LUNCH BREAK HERE.
BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I WANNA TURN IT OVER TO THE CITY MANAGER FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THEN WE WILL, UM, UH, RECESS FOR AN HOUR FOR LUNCH.
AND WHILE WE GO GRAB, UH, A SPECIAL PERSON TODAY, I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT, UH, TO PUBLICLY CELEBRATE THE RETIREMENT OF SOMEONE, UH, WHO HAS DEDICATED AN INCREDIBLE 43 YEARS TO THIS CITY AND THIS CITY COUNCIL, COLLECTIVELY TODAY MARKS AMY TAYLOR'S LAST DAY.
AND THIS PLACE WILL NOT BE THE SAME WITHOUT HER 43 YEARS AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT.
SHE'S BEEN THE BACKBONE OF THE MAYOR CITY COUNCIL OPERATIONS.
HER ATTENTION TO DETAIL ORGANIZATION SKILLS AND ABILITY TO KEEP EVERYTHING RUNNING SMOOTHLY HAVE BEEN TRULY REMARKABLE.
HEY, VERNON, THAT VERNON, IT'S NOT JUST HER PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS THAT WILL BE MISSED, BUT ALSO THE WARM PRESENCE SHE BROUGHT TO THE OFFICE EVERY DAY.
[02:20:01]
PATIENCE, AND WILLINGNESS TO LEND A HELPING HAND HAVE MADE HER A TRUE THAT'S NOT ME, JIM, AND AN UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTER AMY.THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, YOU'VE ADAPTED TO THE COUNTLESS TECHNOLOGY CHANGES THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT AND SHOWING ADAPTABILITY AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO EMBRACE CHANGE, YOUR ABILITY TO CREATE A POSITIVE AND COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT IS A TESTAMENT TO YOUR OUTSTANDING CHARACTER.
WHILE WE'LL MISS YOUR DAILY PRESENCE, WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOU.
I KNOW I AM FOR YOU TO EMBARK ON THESE NEW ADVENTURES AND ENJOY THE FRUITS OF ALL OF YOUR MANY YEARS OF LABOR.
AND AS WE CLOSE THIS CHAPTER, I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THAT YOUR LEGACY WILL LIVE WITHIN THE WALLS OF CITY HALL, AND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE IMMEASURABLE.
SO PLEASE JOIN US IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR MS. AMY TAYLOR.
MS. TAYLOR, DID YOU WANT, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING IN THAT MICROPHONE RIGHT THERE? I DID.
AND CAN WE DO A SPEECH? CAN WE DO A PICTURE WHEN Y'ALL DONE, DON'T TELL ANYONE.
THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD HAVE DID.
I'VE JUST BEEN TRULY BLESSED TO, UM, HAVE WORKED HERE FOR SO LONG, PUT TWO OR THREE KIDS THROUGH COLLEGE THAT HELPED A LOT
AND SO, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
SO AMY, CAN, CAN WE GET A PICTURE WITH YOU AND THIS COUNCIL BEFORE YOU GO? YOU GUYS SERIOUS? Y'ALL STARTING SOMETHING RIGHT NOW? Y'ALL STARTING.
EVERYBODY, EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT RETIRE GONNA WANT THIS SPECIAL TREATMENT, I FEEL SPECIAL.
NO, I THINK I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE COUNCIL WHEN I SAY WE, WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE.
UM, YOU, YOU'VE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB, OBVIOUSLY, AND YOU, YOU'VE SERVED YOUR CITY WELL AND YOU'VE SERVED, UH, ALL OF US AND JUST WE'RE SO GRATEFUL.
SO IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, WE, WE KNOW YOU'RE NOT AN ATTENTION SEEKING PERSON, UM, YOU'RE A HUMBLE PERSON, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOU, UM, WITH THE COUNCIL AND JUST, UH, SOMETHING FOR US TO REMEMBER YOU BUYING FOR YOU TO REMEMBER US BY TOO.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, ARE WE GOING BE IN THE FRONT? YOU DID NOT TELL ME YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE.
WE HAVE A QUORUM AND WE ARE NOW BACK FROM OUR RECESS, THE TIME'S 1:42 PM AND, UH, WE WILL PICK UP WITH, UM, KARA MENDELSON, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
WELL, UM, I GUESS I'M GONNA START OFF WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAN MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TAKEN, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT I AM, UM, DISAPPOINTED WITH THE PROPOSED TAX RATE, THAT IT'S NOT MORE SIGNIFICANT AS A DECREASE.
AND EVERY YEAR THAT I'VE SERVED, WE HAVE HAD LARGE INCREASES IN OUR TAX REVENUE, BUT ESPECIALLY COMING FROM OUR EXISTING PROPERTY TAX TAXPAYERS, RAPID GROWTH OF THE CITY BUDGET IS PROBLEMATIC AND IS OUTPACING THE GROWTH OF OUR RESIDENTS INCOME ALTOGETHER.
WE'VE INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES, 371 MILLION FROM EXISTING PROPERTY TAXPAYERS IN THE FOUR YEARS THAT I'VE SERVED ON THIS COUNCIL, EVEN WITH THE MASSIVE FUNDING COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR COVID RELIEF AND NOW A PROPOSAL FOR ANOTHER 127 MILLION INCREASE ON THE EXISTING PROPERTY TAX PAYERS.
SO ON TOP OF THAT, WE'VE ALSO HAD GIANT INCREASES IN OUR SALES TAX REVENUE, 243 MILLION INCREASE IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
THAT'S A 40% INCREASE IN THE FOUR YEARS.
WE'VE ALSO ADDED NEW PROPERTY TO THE CITY, INCREASING REVENUE, ANOTHER 106 MILLION IN THE FOUR YEARS I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE.
SO IT'S DISAPPOINTING THAT WITH ALL THE INCREASES WE'VE HAD, WHICH I JUST CALLED OUT $720 MILLION IN FOUR YEARS, THAT THIS BUDGET IS PROPOSING ANOTHER 127 MILLION INCREASE ON THE EXISTING PROPERTY TAX OWNERS, WHICH IS ABOUT AN 8% INCREASE.
SO I SHARE THE SENTIMENT OF THE RESPONDENTS TO THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, WHO OVERWHELMINGLY QUESTION THE VALUE THAT THEY'RE GETTING FOR THEIR TAX DOLLAR.
AND SO, OTHER THAN THE COMMENTS I JUST MADE, UM, I JUST WANNA ASK QUESTIONS FOR THE REST OF THE TIME.
[02:25:01]
I'M SURE I'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL REMARKS ABOUT THE BUDGET ITSELF AT ANOTHER TIME.SO STARTING WITH, WHAT IS THE TOTAL DEBT FOR THE CITY, INCLUDING BONDS OWED BY THE CITY? LAST YEAR WAS ONE 1,956,485,416.
SO GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT OUTSTANDING, UM, INCLUDING EQUIPMENT NOTES AND CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATIONS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2023, PROJECTED AS 3.2 BILLION.
I'M SORRY, CAN YOU SAY IT AGAIN? 3.2 BILLION AND THIS PAST YEAR, IT'S OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, IT'S 1.9 BILLION.
AND YOU'RE SAYING IT'S GONNA GO TO 3.2 BILLION, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.
WHAT NUMBER ARE YOU LOOKING AT? I'M SORRY.
I'M LOOKING AT, UM, THE FIRST PAGE OF OUR ANNUAL BUDGET.
IT SAYS RIGHT HERE UNDERNEATH THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS AND OTHER DEBT OBLIGATIONS OWED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS, AS OF 9 30 22 IS 1.9 BILLION.
SO THAT NUMBER IS AS OF A YEAR AGO.
AND IT'S OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL ONLY THE NUMBER THAT I GAVE YOU INCLUDES PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST, AND IT'S AS OF PROJECTED SEPTEMBER 30TH.
SO, UM, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER WEST FOR TALKING, UM, RIGHT OFF THE BAT ABOUT THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST AND CONCERNS ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND CITY MANAGER, YOU MADE SOME COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THAT, TALKING ABOUT HOW THE PROJECTIONS ARE ALWAYS CHANGED.
BUT IF YOU ACTUALLY COMPARE THE HISTORY OF OUR FIVE YEAR PROJECTIONS GOING BACK YEARS, WHAT YOU WOULD FIND IS THAT WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD MUCH MORE REVENUE, MUCH MORE, UM, IN RESERVES THAN WE DO.
SO I GUESS, LET ME START WITH THIS, UM, ON PAGE 81 OF THE BUDGET BOOK, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE EXPECTING A 3.5% CAP FOR THE GROWTH OF REVENUE FROM THE EXISTING PROPERTY, BUT WHY DID YOU ASSUME NO NEW CONSTRUCTION GROWTH IN THIS MODEL? THE, UH, FORECAST ON PAGE 86 OF THE BUDGET DOCUMENT IS A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO OUR FORECAST.
SO IF YOU LOOK EVEN ON FRANCHISE FEES, WE'RE SHOWING, UM, YEAR OVER YEAR THE SAME AMOUNT, UM, FOR PROJECTED REVENUE.
UM, IT IS A FIVE YEAR FORECAST.
IT'S THE MOST CONSERVATIVE APPROACH.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE SHOWING IT THIS WAY.
WELL, IF WE ACTUALLY HAD NO NEW GROWTH, WE WOULDN'T NEED A DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
SO WE COULD CUT THAT ENTIRE THING OUT.
AND EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 25 MILLION OF NEW PROPERTY.
SO TO HAVE CONSERVATIVELY SAID 20 MILLION, I WOULD UNDERSTAND, BUT TO SAY ZERO IS AN ASSUMPTION I'M EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH.
YOU'RE ALSO, UM, MAKING AN ASSUMPTION OF 4.4 GROWTH OF SALES TAX.
AND GIVEN THAT WE HAD THE 15% THIS YEAR, I'M WONDERING HOW YOU CAN RECONCILE SUCH A DRAMATIC CHANGE, UH, IN SPEAKING WITH OUR CONTRACT ECONOMISTS.
UM, THE YEAR OVER YEAR SALES TAX, UM, GROWTH THAT WE REALIZED IN FISCAL YEAR 21 AND 22 WAS UNPRECEDENTED.
I THINK MR. IRELAND MENTIONED DURING HIS PRESENTATION THAT OUR HISTORICAL GROWTH OVER THE LAST 20, 25 YEARS HAS BEEN AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT FOUR TO 5%.
SO WHILE COMING OUT OF THE RECESSION, THERE WAS HIGH, UM, UH, INFLATION PENT UP DEMAND.
UH, THE CITY OF DALLAS WASN'T THE ONLY CITY THAT REALIZED AN INCREASE IN SALES TAX.
BUT MOVING FORWARD, WE ARE NOT ASSUMING THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE TO SEE 10, 12, 14% GROWTH YEAR OVER YEAR.
BUT YOU STARTED AT 10 AND YOU'RE FORECASTING 4.4.
SO AGAIN, THE GROWTH THAT WE REALIZED IN 21 AND 22 WAS UNPRECEDENTED.
IF YOU LOOK AT OUR HISTORICAL GROWTH OVER THE LAST 20, 30 YEARS, WE'VE AVERAGED ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF TO 5% GROWTH.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE, UM, NOT PRUDENT FOR US TO ASSUME THAT WE WOULD CONTINUE 14% GROWTH YEAR OVER YEAR FOR THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR YEARS.
WELL, I THINK WE CAN BOTH AGREE THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE PRUDENT, BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK THAT 4.4 IS, UM, A GOOD NUMBER.
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL NUMBER THAT THE ECONOMISTS RECOMMENDED TO YOU? THE NUMBER THAT'S PROJECTED THE ECONOMIST PROJECTED THAT NEXT YEAR WILL
[02:30:01]
HAVE A 4.4% INCREASE IN SALES TAX.THE PROJECTION OF 451 OR 451 MILLION IS THE, THE NUMBER FROM THE CONTRACT ECONOMIST, THE NUMBER IN 22 AND 23 AND 21.
WE USED THE NUMBER FROM THE CONTRACT ECONOMIST AND WE EXCEEDED OUR SALES TAX REVENUE THIS YEAR BY APPROXIMATELY 25 MILLION.
IS THAT CORRECT? 4 32 AND 4 0 7 YEAR OVER YEAR? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
SO ON PAGE 83, I'M WONDERING IF SOMEONE COULD READ THAT MIDDLE PARAGRAPH OUT LOUD.
'CAUSE I WANNA ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
STARTING WHICH SENTENCE? UM, EVEN WITH JANUARY THREE, OH, NOT OF THE SLIDES, I'M SORRY.
EVEN WITH THE MODEST GROWTH IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE AND ASSUME RECOVERY OF SALES TAX REVENUES OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, THE CITY IS FACING A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IN YEARS THREE THROUGH FIVE DUE IN PART TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMPLOYEE COSTS.
THE CITY MUST MAKE TRADE-OFFS AND MAKE RESPONSIBLE BUDGET DECISION IN FUTURE YEARS TO MAINTAIN SERVICES.
CAN YOU, YOU EXPLAIN WHAT A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IS? A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT MEANS THAT YOUR ONGOING REVENUES OR EXPENSES EXCEED YOUR ONGOING REVENUES.
AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE BUDGET DECISIONS IN FUTURE YEARS TO MAINTAIN SERVICES? WHAT DOES THAT SENTENCE MEAN? SO IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE A BIANNUAL BUDGET.
AND SO EACH YEAR WE GO THROUGH BUDGET DEVELOPMENT, WE LOOK AT, UM, DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE IN THE FIRST YEAR, HOW THEY IMPACT THE SECOND YEAR.
UM, CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS THE FIRST YEAR OF A BIANNUAL BUDGET.
UM, WE COME BACK DURING BUDGET DEVELOPMENT.
UM, WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, OUR DEPARTMENTS ABOUT NEEDS.
WE HAVE, UH, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR REVENUES, AND THE CITY MANAGER PRESENTS A BALANCED BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL LIKE HE HAS DONE SINCE HE HAS BEEN HERE.
SO WHY WOULD WE WAIT TO FUTURE YEARS TO DO WHAT WE KNOW IS COMING? SO I THINK I EXPLAINED THIS A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
UM, THE PRIOR FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, UM, WE'VE ALWAYS, UH, REALIZED A, UH, A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IN THE OUT YEARS.
AND EVERY YEAR WE GO THROUGH BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND WE PRESENT A, A BALANCED BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL.
UH, I THINK THE FO FORECAST IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK BACK OR LOOK AND THINK ABOUT DECISIONS AND, UM, DECISION POINTS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO, AGAIN, WE GO THROUGH BUDGET DEVELOPMENT EVERY YEAR.
UM, WE HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT REVENUES, ABOUT EXPENSES, AND THE CITY MANAGER PRESENTS A BALANCED BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL.
SO IN THE FOUR YEARS I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, WE'VE ADDED ABOUT 400 NEW FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
UM, WHY ARE YOU ASSUMING A CONSTANT LEVEL OF, UH, NON-SWORN EMPLOYEES IN THE FORECAST? ARE YOU LOOKING AT WHICH LINE? I'M SORRY.
UM, WELL, YOU COULD JUST ANSWER THE, THE SECOND PART IS, YOU KNOW, WHY, WHY ARE YOU ASSUMING A LEVEL NUMBER OF STAFF OVER THE FIVE YEARS? SO WE'VE NOT, WE'VE NOT, IT'S, IT'S ON PAGE 84 THAT IT SAYS THAT.
SO WE'VE NOT ASSUMED NEW PROGRAMS. AND SO WE'VE MAINTAINED THE, THE STAFFING LEVEL CONSTANT FOR OUR NON-UNIFORM EMPLOYEES.
IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS OR ADDITIONAL NEEDS, THEN, UH, EACH YEAR WE WOULD, UH, REEVALUATE THAT.
WHAT EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO AUTOMATE POSITIONS? SO WE HAVE, UH, IMPLEMENTED DIFFERENT, UH, SYSTEMS THAT, UH, DO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES.
UM, ONE OF THE EXAMPLES WOULD BE IN THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT, THE R F I D SYSTEM, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, TO, TO LOOK AT THE STAFFING.
UH, I'M NOT SURE OF ANY THAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY REDUCED STAFFING AS A RESULT OF, UM, SO, AND WHAT EFFORTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY THAT HAVE RESULTED IN A REDUCTION IN WORKFORCE? SO MOST OF OUR EFFICIENCY EFFORTS ARE TO IMPROVE THE SERVICE DELIVERY OR THE TIME IN WHICH WE DELIVER THE SERVICE, NOT NECESSARILY DESIGNED TO, TO CUT STAFFING.
IN THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST, IS IT CORRECT YOU'RE ASSUMING A PENSION CONTRIBUTION? THAT'S THE SAME FORMULA WE
[02:35:01]
CURRENTLY HAVE IN PLACE.AND IF SO, GIVEN THAT OUR CONTRIBUTION LEVEL HAS LEFT BOTH PLANS SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERFUNDED, WOULD IT BE WISE TO INCREASE THAT ASSUMPTION? AND THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE YOUR LAST QUESTION FOR THIS ROUND.
SO THE PENSION FORECAST ASSUMES THE MINIMUM CITY CONTRIBUTION, AND THEN IT ALSO INCLUDES THE CALCULATED AMOUNT ABOVE THE MINIMUM.
AGAIN, UM, THE FORECAST IS DESIGNED TO GIVE US A, UH, A LOOK AT CURRENT TRENDS.
SO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE THINK WE WILL BE IN FIVE YEARS.
SO IT DOES NOT ASSUME, UH, ANY, UH, FUTURE CHANGES OR REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO PENSION PROGRAMS, THE PUBLIC SAFETY PENSION PROGRAM OR THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT FUND.
CAN I FOLLOW UP THAT ANSWER? NO.
UM, GABE DARNELL WILLIS, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK ON THIS.
I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT FROM YOUR STAFF, I MEAN FROM COUNCIL INPUT AND CERTAINLY FROM THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND I, I WANNA CALL OUT SOME GOOD THINGS THAT I SAW IN HERE.
I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK OF PETER KLEIN AND THE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSION AND THAT THAT FUNDING MEMO WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY, THIS REALLY IMPORTANT GROUP AROUND, UM, RESPONDING TO THAT, THAT DEMOGRAPHIC, THE ASSESSMENT, THE AGE-FRIENDLY OFFICER, THE SENIOR HOUSING REPAIRS.
UM, I THINK FOR TOO LONG WE HAVEN'T PAID ATTENTION TO THIS REALLY VITAL PART OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT'S HELPED BUILD OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THAT SERIOUSLY.
UM, SOME OTHER GOOD THINGS ARE, I THINK, THE WAY THAT WE ARE FUNDING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR DALLAS FIRE, UM, AND, UH, D P D, AND, UM, TAKING THAT SERIOUSLY AND RESPONDING TO OUR PUBLIC'S REQUEST, UM, AND HOW THEY'VE MADE IT A PRIORITY.
ALSO, PLANNING AN URBAN DESIGN, LITERALLY HELPING US, UH, CRAFT AND BUILD A SMART CITY.
UM, I'M GLAD TO SEE SUPPORT THERE CODE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT'S SO PUBLIC FACING TO HELP PEOPLE IN THEIR MOST, SOME OF THEIR MOST DIRE MOMENTS.
UM, AND THEN ON, UH, AROUND HOMELESSNESS, UH, MORE DECOMMISSIONING OF ENCAMPMENTS TO REALLY HELP GET AT THAT COMMUNITY ISSUE.
UM, SO I ALSO WANNA LOOK AT OUR, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE GENERATING REVENUES.
I SHARE CONCERNS THAT WERE EXPRESSED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSON AROUND JUST REALLY MANAGING HOW WE GROW AND HOW WE'RE SPENDING, BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD SOME AMAZING YEARS WITH REGARD TO OUR SALES TAX REVENUE.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE GOTTA BE CAREFUL AND WE'VE GOTTA LISTEN TO WHAT OUR PUBLIC WANTS AND EXPECTS FROM US.
UM, ON THE FEE STUDY, UH, THE COST RECOVERY, AND FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE OF THIS, BUT JACK, DOES THAT PRETTY MUCH LIVE WITH YOU? ALL THE FEE STUDIES ARE CONDUCTED, THEN YOU WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENTS TO MANAGE WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE SHOULD BE? Y Y YES MA'AM.
WE MANAGE THE CONTRACT, UH, WITH THE CONSULTANT TO DO THE FEE STUDY.
THE CONSULTANT WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT STAFF BECAUSE WHAT GOES INTO THE FEE STUDY IS, UH, A TIME STUDY, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DELIVER A SERVICE MM-HMM.
AND THEN WE WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO COME UP WITH THEIR RECOMMENDATION THAT WE SHARE WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND THEN COUNCIL.
I WAS PLEASED TO SCAN THAT LIST AND SEE SO MANY 90 PLUS A HUNDRED PERCENT COST RECOVERY.
SO THAT IS A MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
BUT PHILOSOPHICALLY, I STILL THINK THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT, UM, HOW WE ADDRESS GENERATING SOME REVENUE IN SOME AREAS WHERE MAYBE WE HAVEN'T, UM, BEEN AS, I DON'T KNOW, ON TOP OF PURSUING SOME THINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAUGHT MY EYE IS NON-RESIDENT AMBULANCE FEES.
AND, UM, I THINK OUR PHILOSOPHY HAS NOT BEEN TO REALLY AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE THIS.
UM, WHAT I MEAN ARE, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT THE POTENTIAL COULD BE IF WE WERE TO COLLECT MORE AGGRESSIVELY? AND I MEAN, BY ACTUALLY JUST MAKING MORE OF AN ATTEMPT,
DOMINIQUE TI DALLAS FIRE RESCUE FIRE CHIEF, UH, WE USE A THIRD PARTY BILLING COMPANY TO GO OUT AND TRY TO GET, UH, AS MUCH AS MONEY FROM THOSE TYPE OF SERVICES THAT WE DO, NOT ONLY TO OUR CITIZENS, BUT ALSO TO OUR NON-CITIZENS.
SO, BUT MAYBE THIS, WE DON'T NEED TO GET INTO ALL THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF IT HERE, MA'AM, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT PURSUIT IS JUST SORT OF PASSIVE.
WELL, OF, OF COURSE, WE ALLOW THEM TO GO OUT AND TRY TO GET WHATEVER THE BILL IS THAT THE PERSON UTILIZED WHILE THEY WERE UTILIZING THE SERVICES FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IS, IS TO TRY NOT TO MAKE FOLKS FEEL LIKE THEY CAN'T CALL 9 1 1 FOR SERVICES IF THEY NEED IT.
[02:40:01]
SO WE HAVE THEM TO GO OUT AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT AS THE SERVICES ARE RENDERED, THEY BILL THE PERSON FOR THOSE PARTICULAR SERVICES AND THEN TRY TO COLLECT ON OUR BEHALF.I'D JUST LIKE TO HAVE A HANDLE ON HOW MUCH WE MAY MIGHT BE LEAVING ON THE TABLE AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE HAD THIS PHILOSOPHY, RIGHT? AND I JUST WANNA BE SURE, IS THIS THE RIGHT PHILOSOPHY? YES.
I MEAN, IT SOUNDS VERY COMPASSIONATE.
SO I JUST WANNA BE SURE WE'RE MANAGING THIS IN A BUSINESS-LIKE MANNER.
I, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN SOME OTHER CATEGORIES WHERE THE COST RECOVERY IS VERY LOW, SO I WOULD ASK, WITHOUT GETTING INTO ALL THE THINGS LIKE DANGEROUS DOGS, UM, HOW WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE COST RECOVERY PERCENTAGES THAT ARE SUPER, SUPER LOW.
UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DANGEROUS DOGS WE HAVE IN THIS CITY, BUT 3% COST RECOVERY.
IF YOU'VE GOT THIS SITUATION, I THINK YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO HELP YOUR CITY, UM, MANAGE THIS BETTER.
SO I JUST WANT A NEW SWEEP OF THAT, IF WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE.
UM, AND THEN I THINK JUST OVERALL, WHETHER IT'S JUST ON THE NON-RESIDENT AMBULANCE COLLECTION OR WHATEVER, HOW WE ARE COLLECTING FEES, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE TIED INTO PARK AND REC ON THEIRS, OR IF THEY'RE MORE AUTONOMOUS ON THEIR FEES THAT THEY'RE COLLECTING.
UM, PARK AND RECREATION IS PART OF OUR, UM, FEE STUDY LOOK.
AND SO, UM, THE LAST TIME WE LOOKED AT PARK AND RECREATION FEES, I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO.
SO THEY MAY BE, UH, DUE FOR, UH, A LOOK.
WELL, I MEAN, I HATE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THAT LOOK, BUT I KNOW IT TAKES TIME TO DO A FEE STUDY.
BUT COULD WE EXAMINE THE DATA THAT WE HAVE? BECAUSE I'M SEEING THINGS LIKE ALMOST 400,000 SWIPES A YEAR, BUT WE HAVE EXTREMELY LOW MEMBERSHIP FEES, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE MEANS TESTED.
SO WE, WE DON'T LOOK AT THOSE FEES.
WE LOOK MORE AT ROOM RESERVATION, UM, AND, UM, RESERVATION OF, UH, UH, PARK SPACES, UH, DIFFERENT PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES, NOT THE RECREATION FEES.
SO AS WE MOVE TOWARD KNOWING THAT OUR SALES TAX NUMBER WILL, WILL BE LOWER, UM, AND KNOWING SOME OF THE FUNDS THAT HAVE FLOWED INTO THE CITY ARE NOT GOING TO BE THERE ANYMORE.
I JUST, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE AREAS WHERE MAYBE WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE PASSIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, COMPASSIONATE, BUT MAYBE NOT, UM, AS CITY FRIENDLY AS WE SHOULD BE ON, ON HOW WE CAN GENERATE SOME OF THIS REVENUE.
BECAUSE I THINK GOING FORWARD, IF WE SET THAT TONE, THAT'S JUST GONNA HELP US IN THE FUTURE AS, AS THOSE MEANS GENERATE MORE REVENUE.
UM, SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES I THINK ON, UM, I GUESS ONE BIG CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FACT THAT 12 OF 14 OF OUR DISTRICTS RANKED INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT, UM, AND FUNDING THAT, NUMBER ONE, UH, THAT THAT NUMBER IS BEING HELD FLAT.
I MEAN, I'VE SAID BEFORE, I THINK THIS IS OUR BASIC COVENANT WITH OUR TAXPAYERS, AND THAT IS PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE STREETS THAT THEY DRIVE ON AND THE ALLEYS THAT THEY DRIVE ON.
SO I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHY THIS NUMBER IS BEING HELD FLAT AND WHAT I'M HEARING IS ABOUT A BOND COMING UP, WHICH WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT'S GONNA NET OUT.
AND WHAT, I MEAN, WE STILL HAVEN'T EVEN CONSIDERED PENSION
UM, BUT I'M REALLY CONCERNED, AND WE KEEP REFERENCING DART MONEY TOO.
HAVE WE RECEIVED ANY OF THAT DART MONEY WE HAVE, UH, WE'VE UM, HAD A FEW PROJECTS I BELIEVE THAT HAVE BEEN IMPROVED IN PART AND WE'RE RECEIVING THE INITIAL ALLOCATIONS.
AND SO HOW MUCH WOULD THAT BE? I CAN'T ALLOW ANY MORE FOLLOW UPS AFTER THIS ONE 'CAUSE I'VE LOST TRACK OF TIME, BUT I'M TOLD YOU'RE OUT OF IT, BUT OKAY.
BUT GET NO AN ANSWER THAT QUESTION, BUT I'LL HAVE TO GET YOU THE NUMBER.
I DON'T RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
BUT, UH, UNLESS ROBERT DOES, UH, ROBERT BETOS ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIS, UH, WE ARE EXPECTING A FIRST, UH, JUST OVER $2 MILLION TO COME IN BY, UH, SEPTEMBER 3RD.
UH, WE'VE ALSO EXECUTED, UH, $3 MILLION, UH, FOR THE, UH, STREETCAR CAPITAL ENHANCEMENTS.
UH, AND AS I UNDERSTAND TOO, DART IS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE N C T COG TO MOVE OUT ON THE $10 MILLION TRANSFER FOR THE, UH, 15.4 MILLION FOR THE FIVE MILE CREEK.
SO WE, WE'VE ALREADY, UH, EXECUTED OR EXPECTING, UM, WHAT, 15, WHAT? 10.
SO 15.42 17, UM, ROUGHLY $20 MILLION THAT, THAT WE'VE STARTED MOVING OUT ON TO DATE.
I'LL, I'LL PICK BACK UP ON THIS.
UM, ZAIN, GRACIE, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
UH, WHERE DO I START? JUST GOING BACK TO THE QUESTION THAT CHAD KIND OF STARTED ABOUT THE, THE UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
I WANNA TRY TO ASK THE QUESTION A DIFFERENT WAY.
[02:45:01]
THE BUDGET IS STRUCTURED NOW, THIS PROPOSED BUDGET, DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE? DO YOU ALL FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT IT ACCOUNTS FOR WHAT WE KNOW IS TO COME OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? SO AS WE'VE MENTIONED, UM, SOME OF OUR REVENUE ESTIMATES IN THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST ARE CONSERVATIVE.SO WE HAVE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR NEW GROWTH, AS WAS POINTED OUT, RIGHT.
IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, UH, FOR PROPERTY TAX THAT WILL GENERATE ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT IS NOT ON THE PAGE.
UH, YES, THERE ARE POTENTIAL OTHER EXPENSES.
THERE'S ALSO BEEN REFERENCE TO THE POLICE AND FIRE PENSION, UH, OR THE CIVILIAN PENSION AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THOSE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED WITHIN MUCH BEFORE THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
WITHIN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS, WE WILL NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
THAT'S NOT FACTORED IN, BUT THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST IS INTENDED TO, TO LAY OUT SOME ASSUMPTIONS AND GIVE US A LOOK AT WHERE WE MAY BE HEADED, KNOWING THAT THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT WILL BE ADDED IN AS WE GO AND AS WE KNOW MORE INFORMATION.
BUT AT LEAST IT GETS THE CONVERSATION STARTED.
SO MOVING ON TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE, UM, PURCHASE EQUIPMENT TO MAINTAIN PARKS AND ALL OF THAT.
DOES THAT INCLUDE, SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE IT WITH THE TRAILS AND I KNOW DORA'S DOING, BEEN DOING A LOT.
DOES THAT INCLUDE EQUIPMENT TO KIND OF HELP MAINTAIN KIND OF THE OFF-ROAD BIKING TRAILS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS WELL? OR IS IT JUST GENERAL LAWN EQUIPMENT? WE CAN GET A LIST TO YOU.
UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM IS TO ADVANCE THE CATALYTIC PROJECTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT IS IS THAT NEW OR IS IS THAT NEW NUMBER ONE AND THEN TWO, UH, IF IT'S NOT NEW, WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING OR WHAT DO THEY PLAN TO DO? SOMEBODY FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I CAN TAKE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO THE FUNCTION AND THE ROLE AND EXPECTATION IS NEW.
UH, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, UH, WE RE REALLOCATED FOUR POSITIONS AND PLACED THEM WITHIN ECO DEV.
UH, AND THEN BEGIN TO FUNCTION AS ACROSS, I GUESS, DEPARTMENTAL EFFORT WITH DUTIES ASSIGNED THAT CROSS THE GAMUT OF MULTIPLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED PROGRAMS FROM TIF TO JUST REGULAR ECO TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UH, THERE WAS A CONCERN ON MY PART THAT IT WAS WATERING DOWN THE SPECIFIC INTENTION OF WHAT THOSE POSITIONS WERE TO DO.
AND THAT WAS TO GO OUT AND HUNT AND GATHER AND ACTUALLY, AS I CALL IT, SELL THE DREAM AND DO WORK THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN TRANSACTIONAL.
AND OR WHEN PEOPLE BRING US PROJECTS, WE THEN REVIEW THEM FOR FINANCING, SEE IF THEY QUALIFY FOR ANY OF OUR INCENTIVES.
UH, BUT IN FACT WE ALWAYS END UP ASKING THE QUESTION WHEN WE GET AROUND THE HORSESHOE, DID YOU SHOW THEM THIS? ARE YOU DOING THIS WITH THEM? AND WE WOULD OFTEN SAY, NO, THAT WAS NOT OF INTEREST TO THEM.
SO THIS PARTICULAR TEAM WILL BE WORKING SPECIFICALLY, UH, IN AREAS, UH, AND ON PROJECTS THAT NEED, UH, A CITY PUSH AND A PULL AT THE SAME TIME TO BEGIN TO WORK WITH SMALLER DEVELOPERS AND EVEN LARGER DEVELOPMENTS ON DEVELOPERS ON KEY CATALYTIC PROJECTS WITHIN VARIOUS DISTRICTS TO TRY TO BRING THEM TO LIFE.
WHETHER IT'S DEAD MALLS, MOTHBALLED AND CONTINUALLY CONCERNING AREAS OF INTEREST THAT JUST DON'T SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST AND FIGURE OUT HOW THEY PULL TOGETHER THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS PUBLIC SECTOR TO BEGIN TO WORK ON THOSE PROJECTS TO CHANGE AREAS, UH, FROM THE GROUND UP.
AND SO THIS PARTICULAR UNIT, UH, IS BEING CREATED AS A FOCAL POINT AND A TEAM OF NINE TO DO THAT WORK THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UH, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASPECTS, UH, WHERE WE GOT SOME OF THE POSITIONS CAME FROM PLANNING AND THEY HAVE NOW MOVED TOWARDS THEIR PLANNING, UH, STAFF, SO TO SPEAK, TO DO NOT ONLY THE PLANNING EFFORTS BUT ALSO THE ENGAGEMENT THAT COMES WITH THOSE SPECIFIC PLANNING EFFORTS.
AND SO THERE WAS A SMALL TEAM THERE THAT IS MOVING TO, UH, AT LEAST THE POSITIONS MOVING TO THIS UNIT TO CREATE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS TO DO, AGAIN THAT FROM THE BOTTOM UP WORK, UH, TO LOOK AT OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEY'LL BE A PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT TEAMS THAT CONSIST OF THOSE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, THE TRANSPORTATION AREA AS WELL AS HOUSING AND A PART OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
AND ALL THE TEAM THAT I THINK MAG IS RESPONSIBLE FOR, THEY'LL BE SITTING AT THE TABLE THERE TO TALK THROUGH, UH, HOW THEY'LL ONE, BE WORKING IN THEIR OWN STEAD, BUT ALSO SERVE AS A CONCIERGE OF SORT FOR THOSE PROBLEMATIC PROJECTS THAT I THINK THE DEPARTMENTS MAY
[02:50:01]
NOT HAVE TIME TO SPEND WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS.THEY'D BE SPENDING THAT QUALITY TIME AND THEN TURNING THEM BACK OVER TO THE REQUISITE AREAS TO ACTUALLY FULFILL, UH, THE REST OF THE PROJECT, LIKE ECO DEV WHEN THEY NEED TO PAPER THINGS UP.
SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE, THE ASPECTS OF WHAT THAT UNIT WILL BE DOING.
IT'S NOT NEW, IT'S JUST A FOCUS OF WHERE WE WANT TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
UH, AND THEN ON, I THINK IT WAS SLIDE NINE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTALIST, THE SUSTAINABILITY PIECE, AND I KNOW YOU KEEP MENTIONING THIS, I KNOW THIS IS REDUNDANT, BUT THE ONE QUESTION I DON'T THINK WAS ASKED, AND I THINK IT WAS THE, MY COMPUTER'S LOCKED, BUT THE, THERE IT IS.
WHAT CAUSED THAT JUMP IN 2025? I THINK THAT IS, WHAT IS THAT RIGHT? FOR SUSTAINABILITY? AND IN 2025, THAT GRAY BAR YEAH, IT JUMPS, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NOISE.
IT'S ALMOST MAYBE 13 MILLION OR SO DO WE NOW? NO, THANK YOU.
YEAH, IT WENT FROM 5 61 TO 691.
WHAT IS THAT? OR WHAT ARE WE ANTICIPATING? SO THE INCREASE AGAIN IS DUE TO CAPITAL, SO GOT IT.
FISCAL YEAR, UM, 24 IN THAT CATEGORY, IT'S UM, 41.8 MILLION AND IT JUMPS UP TO 149.3 MILLION.
AND THEN FINALLY, JUST FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, UM, ON THAT, AGAIN, THE NEED FOR, FOR OFFICERS AND, AND, AND, AND FIREFIGHTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH, UH, FROM THERE, I GUESS ONE OF THE THINGS I'M REALLY LOOKING FOR FROM A PUBLIC PERS PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE IS REALLY TWO THINGS THAT I'M LISTENING FOR AND LOOKING FOR IN THIS BUDGET.
AND IT'S ONE, IT'S JUST ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNITY, UH, RELATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT.
SO FROM AN ACCOUNTABILITY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S REALLY LOOKING FOR THOSE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES.
I KNOW MOST OF IT IS, AND I WAS JUST TALKING TO CHIEF ARTISTS ABOUT A LOT OF THIS IS, IT'S YOUR GLOVES, IT'S YOUR UNIFORMS, AND IT'S THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT US UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWING THAT THIS NEED IS GONNA BE, THIS INCREASE IS PRIMARILY DUE TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
WHAT I GUESS I WANT TO SEE OR HEAR IS STRATEGIES TO MAKE THINGS MORE OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY, EFFICIENTLY THAT WILL ALSO HELP, UH, REDUCE SOME, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTE.
JUST, JUST CONTRIBUTE TO THIS AS WELL.
AND HEARING, AND NOT SAYING THAT THEY'RE NOT, BUT BEING ABLE TO SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME EFFORTS BEING MADE TO ACTUALLY OFFSET WHAT WE KNOW IS COMING, UH, FROM AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY, I THINK WE, WE MENTIONED SOME OF THESE NON-UNIFORM, UH, UH, UH, FOLKS, UH, THAT ARE, THAT ARE GONNA BE HIRED.
WHAT ARE THOSE ROLES AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANSWERED RIGHT NOW, BUT JUST, THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS I'M GONNA BE LOOKING TO, UH, COME BACK AND HAVE SOME ANSWERS FOR, UH, DOWN THE ROAD.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S THE ACCOUNTABILITY FROM AN OPERATION PERSPECTIVE AND THEN A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND RELATIONS.
HOW DOES THIS BUDGET HELP IMPACT AND INCREASE SOME OF THOSE THINGS? SO, UH, BOTH OF THE CHIEFS ARE BEHIND YOU.
IF EITHER ONE OF THEM WANT TO HELP ANSWER THAT OR WE CAN GET BACK TO YOU IN WRITING EITHER WAY.
CHIEF ORTI, AGAIN, DALLAS STAR RESCUE.
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING IN WAYS TO STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING EFFICIENT WITH THE DOLLARS THAT ARE GIVEN TO US BY THE CITY TO NOT ONLY PROVIDE SERVICES, BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO AS A FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, WE LOOK, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT NUMBER ONE, HOW DO WE LOOK AT POSSIBLY CHANGING SOME OF THE WAY THAT WE DISPATCH SOME OF OUR APPARATUSES? NUM NUMBER ONE, UH, ARE WE SENDING TOO MANY, UH, TOO MUCH EQUIPMENT ON CERTAIN THINGS? YEP.
IS IT A BETTER WAY TO DO BUSINESS ON CERTAIN THINGS? AND SO WE LOOK AT THOSE EFFICIENCIES EVERY SIX MONTHS.
UM, WE'RE WORKING ON A STUDY RIGHT NOW TO LOOK AT WAYS TO BETTER PROVIDE SERVICES AND, AND CERTAIN RUNS, UH, ON A PART OF TOWN THAT ALLOW US TO NOT SEND, UH, A FIRE ENGINE OUT, FOR INSTANCE MM-HMM.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE EFFICIENCIES TO HELP US TO BE BETTER ABLE TO SERVE THE CITIZENS AS WELL AS BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH THE DOLLARS WE'RE GIVING.
UH, ONE OF THE, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A MYRIAD OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BE EFFICIENT AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT.
OBVIOUSLY WITH OUR STAFFING ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LOOK AS, BE AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.
UH, WHEN WE LOOK AS AN EXAMPLE, THE ONLINE REPORTING THAT HAS HELPED US BE MORE EFFICIENT, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO GET HELP ON SOME OF OUR HIGHWAYS SO THAT WE CAN REDUCE THE TIME OFFICER SPEND THERE.
UH, WE'VE DONE SOME PROGRAMS WITH REGARDS TO HOW VEHICLES GET TOWED FROM SCENES AFTER ACCIDENT SO OFFICERS CAN GET BACK ON TRACK.
UH, WE'RE USING RIGHT CARE AS WELL THAT IS ENABLING, UH, OUR OFFICERS TO NOT HAVE TO RESPOND NECESSARILY TO MENTAL ISSUES OF MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT WE RESPOND, UH, COOPERATIVELY WITH FIRE AND
[02:55:01]
CLINICIANS WITH ONE OFFICER THAT'S HELPED OUR EFFICIENCIES.ALSO, THE REDISTRICTING OF THE POLICE STATIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS A PROJECT TO HELP HOPEFULLY REDUCE, UH, RESPONSE TIMES IS SOMETHING THAT'S IN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, YOUR NEXT PIECE THAT'S BUILT IN OUR ULTIMATE PLAN, RIGHT? THAT, THAT IS BUILT IN OUR MISSION.
SO EVERY DIME THAT THIS POLICE DEPARTMENT GETS, WHETHER IT'S OUR COMMUNITY AFFAIRS DIVISION GOING OUT TO EVERY DISTRICT AND WHAT WE'RE DOING, PARTICULARLY IN OUR, IN OUR GRIDS AND IN OUR VIOLENT CRIME AREAS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO IMPACT AS MUCH, MOST WE ARE THERE, OUR MANTRA IS OUR COMMUNITY CAN'T JUST SEE US IN A MOMENT OF CRISIS.
SO WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME THERE.
UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR PART OF OUR CRIME PLAN, OUR PLACE NETWORK INVESTIGATIONS, LOOKING AT A HOLISTIC APPROACH, A PROBLEM IN, IN, IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY HAD INSTANCE OF VIOLENCE AND HAVING A COLLECTIVE APPROACH, NOT JUST ARRESTING OUR WAY OUT OF THE PROBLEM, BUT DOING IT COLLABORATIVELY FROM A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN HELPFUL.
AND THEN FINALLY, OUR FOCUS DETERRENCE PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED WITH OUR CRIME PLAN, WHICH IS REALLY REACHING OUT TO INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE IN A LIFE OF CRIME AND OFFERING THEM A CHOICE, GIVING THEM TWO MESSAGES.
NUMBER ONE, WE'RE NOT GONNA TOLERATE VIOLENCE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT NUMBER TWO, IF YOU WANT HELP, IF YOU NEED MENTAL HEALTH, IF YOU NEED RESOURCES, IF YOU NEED JOB TRAINING, IF YOU NEED FINANCIAL HELP, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE SET UP A HOLISTIC, UH, UH, SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT IF THEY REACH OUT THEY CAN GET THAT HELP, UH, IN ADDITION TO A LOT OF OTHER, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT.
BUT THOSE, SOME OF THEM ARE, ARE MARQUEE THINGS THAT EVERY DIME THAT WE GET IN OUR BUDGET GOES TOWARDS ALL THOSE GOALS.
AND I THINK THAT'S IT FOR NOW.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS NOT ASKED A QUESTION OR MADE ANY COMMENTS THEY MIGHT HAVE BEFORE WE GO TO THREE MINUTES? UM, SECOND ROUND LOOKS LIKE, UH, YEAH, LOOKS LIKE WE'RE READY FOR A SECOND ROUND.
SO MR. WEST RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
UH, FEW POINTS AND REQUESTS AND THEN A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
UH, I'M GONNA START OFF ON, UH, UH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN WILLIS HAD BROUGHT UP THE FEES AND I WANT TO PICK UP ON SOME OF THAT.
UM, SO STARTING JUST FOR THE PUBLIC, STARTING ON PAGE 100 OF THE, UH, POWERPOINT, UH, ACTUALLY LIKE 99, UH, THE FEES ARE DISCUSSED IN OUR CURRENT FEES AND THE PROPOSED INCREASES.
AND, UM, THERE'S A FEW POINTS I HAD TO MAKE HERE ON SLIDE 1 0 8.
I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE NOT INCREASING THE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO FULL COST RECOVERY FOR FOSTER HOMES, UH, WITH FIVE CHILDREN OR FEWER.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME IN AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, RAISE THAT ONE UP.
UM, SECONDLY, I DON'T NEED YOU TO ANSWER THIS, BUT IN A MEMO I WOULD APPRECIATE FOLLOW UP ON FEE ITEMS 85, 86 AND 89.
THOSE ARE THE MOBILE FOOD PREPARATION VEHICLES.
THAT'S A NEW FEE, OUTDOOR ASSEMBLY FOR EVENTS.
THAT'S A NEW FEE AND SPECIAL EVENT, TRADE SHOW REIMBURSEMENT FEES.
I JUST WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE.
I DON'T WANNA WASTE EVERYONE'S TIME HERE.
WE CAN JUST READ, READ IT AND I'LL ADDRESS IT IF I HAVE CONCERNS LATER.
AND THEN I WANT TO CONFIRM, UH, MR. ISLAND THAT THESE ARE ALL THE FEES THAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING RAISING.
WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS EVERY YEAR ON FOOD CARTS, COFFEE CARTS, AND THESE LITTLE VENDORS.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE RAISING THEIR FEES THIS YEAR.
UH, REQUEST FOR CITY MANAGER OR, UH, FOR CODE I GUESS IS, I'M HEARING CONCERNS ABOUT EVERYONE LOVES THE HISTORIC TRAINED CODE OFFICER IN MY DISTRICT BECAUSE THIS PERSON GETS IT AND MY, UH, MY HISTORIC DISTRICTS.
BUT THEY'RE SAYING THAT WE NEED MORE 'CAUSE THE RESPONSE TIME'S NOT AS, AS FAST AS THEY WOULD LIKE.
I DON'T, I HAVEN'T FOLLOWED UP ON THAT.
I'M JUST ASKING IF WE CAN MAYBE HAVE A BRIEFING ON THAT IN THE FUTURE.
UM, ANOTHER REQUEST FOR THE CITY MANAGER.
UM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THE 50 50 SIDEWALK PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BEEN FUNDED IN THE PAST, IS OUT OF MONEY.
IT'S GONNA BE IN THE NEXT BOND 2024.
AND IF THAT PASSES IS GREAT, BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE US, UH, STAFF COME UP WITH A PROPOSED GAP FILLER FOR THAT.
AND IF WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR THAT IN AMENDMENT, GREAT.
I'D RATHER NOT, BUT IF WE HAVE TO, THAT'S FINE.
AND THEN AS A FOLLOW UP FOR CIVIL SERVICE, THIS CAN BE IN THE MEMO, WHY ARE WE INCREASING THE CIVIL SERVICES BUDGET AND FTES, I'D LIKE THAT IN A MEMO, UH, WITH JUST ALL THE OTHER BUDGET QUESTIONS.
AND THEN LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHY, UH, THE IG WENT OVER BUDGET, UH, $130,000 AND UM, WHAT KINDS OF, UH, WORKFLOW ARE WE GONNA SEE FROM THE IG IN THE NEXT YEAR? THANK
[03:00:01]
YOU.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE QUESTION.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS A FORECAST, UM, BUT WE'RE NOT QUITE TO THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT I BELIEVE IT MAY BE, AND I'D HAVE TO JUST DOUBLE CHECK, IS WE PROPOSE A BUDGET FOR A POSITION AND IF WE CAN'T FILL IT, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO PAY A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, FOR THE POSITION.
UM, SO THAT WHAT I SUSPECT IT IS, BUT I WILL DOUBLE CHECK ON THAT.
YOU, YOU HAD A FEW SECONDS LEFT IF YOU WANTED TO USE THEM FOR WELL ACTUALLY I CREATED A NEW QUESTION.
UM, SO YOU HAVE THE ABILITY IN THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO ADJUST THE SALARY ON POSITIONS THAT YOU DON'T FILL.
'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM, LIKE IN PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, WE HAVE A RANGE THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO, SO WE BUDGET FOR A PARTICULAR AMOUNT, BUT THERE IS A RANGE IN THE SALARIES.
TYPICALLY WE TRY TO STAY AT THE LOWER END, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO BE.
UM, WELL WE HAVE PROPOSED IN THIS BUDGET FOR CERTAIN SEGMENT TO BE MORE TOWARDS THE MID RANGE AND SO YES, WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY.
DON WILLIS, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR THREE MINUTES.
SO JUST TO FOLLOW BACK UP ON INFRASTRUCTURE, I MEAN, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT SCIENTIFIC DATA ON WHAT OUR RESIDENTS PRIORITIES ARE.
WE'VE GOT UNSCIENTIFIC DATA, WE'VE GOT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, UH, MANAGEMENT PROGRAM THAT TALKS ABOUT A DECLINE IN LANE MILES OVER WITH THE SAME OVERALL FUNDING FOR A 10 YEAR BASIS.
AND SO AGAIN, I'M TALKING PHILOSOPHICALLY WITH MY COLLEAGUES HERE ABOUT WE ALL HAVE STREETS AND ALLEYS IN OUR DISTRICTS AND SOME OF US HAVE THIS, UM, THIS ISSUE OF THE POOR CONDITION, UH, A LOT MORE URGENTLY THAN OTHERS.
UH, THIS IS PART OF THE GIVE AND TAKE IN THIS PROCESS, BUT I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT HOLDING THAT NUMBER FLAT.
I'M BEING TOLD IT'LL, IT'LL STILL GET US THE SAME LANE MILES WHILE I'M ALSO HEARING ABOUT INFLATION AND LABOR ISSUES.
AND SO I'M JUST NOT RECONCILING THIS.
AND I, UM, I'VE HAD SOME PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT COULD WE INCREASE CAPACITY, UM, EVEN BY 10 OR $15 MILLION ON THIS TO START GETTING AHEAD OF THIS MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUE THAT WE HAVE, THAT OUR RESIDENTS, 12 OUT OF 14 DISTRICTS ARE TELLING US ARE THEIR TOP PRIORITY.
UM, CITY MANAGER, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS
THOUGHT I, I THOUGHT HE MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
OH, I WAS, WE COULDN'T TELL IF THERE WAS A QUESTION THAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE DONE.
I'D ANSWER THAT QUE I'D ANSWER.
SO COUNCILWOMAN, UH, AS I THINK STATED BY THE BUDGET TEAM, AND I THINK MYSELF AND I THINK EVEN SOME WHO WERE LOOKING AT OUR FINANCIAL FORECAST AND OUR COST, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT, THAT WE NEED TO FUND AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAT WE OBVIOUSLY CAN'T DO WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE ALL TYPES OF NEEDS.
AND I FOUND IT, IT INTERESTING I THINK WHEN THERE WAS A DISCUSSION AROUND HOW WE CAN AUTOMATE TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
AND I'VE BEEN A BIG PROPONENT, PARTICULARLY AS WE TALK ABOUT ALLEYS AROUND AUTOMATION, WHILE THEY DON'T REPLACE PEOPLE, BUT THIS NOTION THAT WE NEED TO GO TO FULL AUTOMATION AND FRONT STREET PICKUP WITH AN AUTOMATED TRUCK THAT WOULD REDUCE THE STAFF FROM THREE ON A TRUCK DOWN TO ONE AND USE AUTOMATION TO DO THAT VERSUS POTENTIALLY POURING $650 MILLION INTO SERVICE ALLEYS, UH, TO, UH, PICK UP GARBAGE.
BUT THAT IS A POLICY DECISION THAT PROBABLY WON'T BE POPULAR BUT MAY DRIVE LONG-TERM EFFICIENCIES, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR SANITATION RATES THAT I THINK THE COUNCIL MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER.
HOWEVER, UH, WAITING ON THE BOND PROGRAM TO YOUR POINT, UH, TO DO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AROUND HERE IS OFTEN, UH, A DELAY IN DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE WE STILL CAN'T GET AT THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.
BUT TO FUND AT THE LEVELS I THINK NECESSARY, UH, FOR ALLEYS.
AND A LOT OF THINGS I THINK WILL RESULT IN INCREASED COSTS, WHICH AGAIN HAS BEEN THE VERY CONCERN I THINK AS I'VE HEARD AROUND THIS DAIS AROUND, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT.
AND SO I THINK THE REALITY OF THE CONVERSATION IS THERE'S A LOT MORE NEED THAN THERE IS REVENUE.
UH, AND WE ARE SHARING WITH YOU, UH, WITH BRIGHT LIGHTS THAT THE FUTURE WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT.
BUT AS I THINK JACK AND JEANETTE HAVE INDICATED,
[03:05:01]
PARTICULARLY AS WE FOCUSED ON THE FINANCIAL FORECAST, UH, THE BUDGET IS REQUIRED TO BE BALANCED EVERY YEAR WE DO THAT.UH, THE TWO YEAR ANNUAL CYCLE THAT WE GO THROUGH TO UNDERSTAND THE FORECASTING PART OF THE TWO YEARS I THINK HAS ADDED SOME BENEFIT.
YOU NO LONGER HAVE PEOPLE SHOWING UP, WORRYING ABOUT, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION, CULTURAL ARTS, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER THINGS BEING REDUCED IN THE GIVEN YEAR, BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY PLANNED FOR BEING ABLE TO SUSTAIN THOSE SERVICES.
AND SO I WOULD HOPE THERE'S AN APPRECIATION FOR THE LACK OF THE HAIR ON FIRE MOMENTS WE USED TO HAVE, UH, PRECEDING 2017.
UH, BUT WE FOUND A WAY, UH, TO NOT ONLY DEAL SINCE MY ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN HERE, UH, WITH THE PINTEREST PENSION CRISIS AND FUND AN ADDITIONAL $50 MILLION IN COST TO SUPPORT A COLLAPSING PENSION, RESOLVE, UH, THE PAY REFERENDUM LAWSUIT, UH, AND FIND A WAY TO MANAGE THROUGH, UH, DOING THOSE THINGS AS WELL AS, AGAIN, UH, DEAL WITH ALL THE OTHER COSTS THAT WE'VE HAD TO OCCUR.
'CAUSE MY TEAM, UH, AND MY DIRECTORS ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO BUDGET AND HOW TO PLAN AND HOW TO LIVE WITHIN THEIR MEANS.
AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
I WILL SAY IT'S A COUNCIL'S JOB, AND I APPRECIATE THE ATTENTION TO THE DETAIL ON OUR EXPENSES, UH, AS WELL AS OUR REVENUES.
AND WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ASK THE QUESTION EVERY DAY, EVERY MEETING, UH, IN EVERY BUDGET CYCLE.
HOW CAN WE BE BETTER? HOW CAN WE BE MORE EFFICIENT? AND DO WE REALLY NEED TO DO THIS? OR CAN IT WAIT? AND SO AGAIN, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE OF THINGS, AGAIN, WE CAN ONLY FUND WHAT WE CAN FUND.
AND, UH, WITH THE LION'S SHARE OF THIS COUNCIL'S ATTENTION, RIGHTFULLY SO PLACED IN PUBLIC SAFETY, THEY ARE NOW $1 BILLION OF A BUDGET.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INCREASES OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE PREDOMINANT AMOUNT OF THOSE INCREASES HAVE COME FROM PUBLIC SAFETY, AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS BUDGET, UH, AT THE TUNE OF 25 TO $30 MILLION EVERY SINGLE YEAR, IF NOT MORE.
AND SO, AGAIN, I THINK THE DAYS OF ASSUMING THAT YOU CAN GET BY AND DO EVERYTHING INCLUSIVE OF, OF PUBLIC SAFETY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO START TAKING A TOUGH LOOK AT SERVICES AND NIP AND TUCKING AND SAVING $2 MILLION HERE IN $1 MILLION HERE AND RAISING FEES TO AN EXTENT THAT WE ARE WANTING TO COME BACK AND ADDRESS THOSE BECAUSE WE'RE, I GUESS, PUTTING PEOPLE OUT OF BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESSES.
I THINK THERE, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK AROUND THIS DIET OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.
COUNCIL MEMBER WEST JUST TALKED ABOUT THE CART FEE INCREASES FOR SOME OF OUR SMALL VENDORS, AND THOSE ARE 25 AND $30.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S A SENSITIVITY, ALL THOSE THINGS, BUT THIS JOB IS NOT EASY ON OUR SIDE OR YOURS, AND WE JUST GOTTA LEVEL UP WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND EXPRESS TO THEM AND SHARE THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING.
AND I THINK, WELL, AND I UNDERSTAND, AND I, I HEARD YOU HERE, RIGHT? AND I, LET ME GO BACK AND SAY THE FOOD CARTS, FOSTER HOMES, I WOULD EXPECT, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF COMPASSION IN, IN SOME OF THOSE CATEGORIES.
NOT TRYING TO PUT ANYBODY OUTTA BUSINESS HERE FAR FROM IT.
BUT, UM, YOU SAID THIS BUDGET IS A REFLECTION OF OUR PRIORITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, POLICE SERVICES IS SOMETHING THAT OUR RESIDENTS SCIENTIFICALLY TOLD US THAT THEY WANTED AS WELL.
SO THIS IS INTERCHANGEABLE, ONE AND TWO, AND SO WE'RE GIVING ATTENTION TO ONE, BUT WE'RE REALLY NOT GIVING THAT LEVEL OF, UH, ATTENTION THAT WOULD SUGGEST THAT THIS IS A STRATEGIC PRIORITY.
AND SO, UH, WE CAN CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION.
I WOULD INVITE OTHER COLLEAGUES TO EXAMINE THEIR PAVEMENT MARK, UH, MANAGEMENT INDEX AND THEIR ALLEYS, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS THE DAY-TO-DAY FRUSTRATION THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE.
AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A CHORUS AROUND THIS, THIS DISCUSSION, AND TAKE A HARD LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER CATEGORIES THAT DON'T SHOW UP ON THESE PRIORITY LISTS.
SO, UM, THAT'S AN EASIER STORY TO TELL, IS THAT WE ARE GOING WITH WHAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE TELLING US IS IMPORTANT TO THEM.
UM, AND ALONG THAT LINE, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE EXPENSE REDUCTION LIST, WHICH, UH, ON THE NO NEW REVENUE MEMO THAT WENT OUT YESTERDAY, UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT LIST IS
AND SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT AREN'T LISTED HERE THAT AREN'T STRATEGIC PRIORITIES ACCORDING TO OUR TAXPAYERS AND OUR RESIDENTS AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY AND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, MANY OTHER CATEGORIES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM AND REALLY LOOK HARDER AT SOME OF THESE OTHER PLACES WHERE YOU MIGHT SUGGEST IF WE WERE TO MAKE A CUT WHERE THAT WOULD BE SO WE COULD ADD MONEY TO INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO WE COULD, UM, THAT'S YOUR TIME.
AND SO, COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I THINK MY TEAM IS TAKING COPIOUS NOTES.
UH, I, I WILL POINT OUT THAT THE LIST YOU HAVE THAT IS THE NO NEW REVENUE LIST IS THE LIST THAT
[03:10:01]
WE WOULD REDUCE FROM.AND ODDLY THAT 90% OF THE ITEMS ON THAT LIST ARE THINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE ADDING THIS YEAR.
SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, DO WE NOT WANT TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ADDING TO THE BUDGET THIS YEAR? AND IN WHAT ORDER WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT? SO THOSE ARE NOT, UH, THINGS THAT I THINK WE WOULD TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT.
THOSE ARE ACTUALLY THINGS THAT ARE PUSHED INTO THIS BUDGET THAT WE CAN MAKE A DECISION ON TODAY.
UH, IF IN FACT YOU WANT IT TO NOT DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS, THOSE ARE WHY WE PROVIDED THAT LIST.
BUT THERE IS NO SECRET LIST OF THINGS THAT WE DID NOT WANT TO BE FORTHCOMING ON.
THE REALITY IS EVERY PARTICULAR REDUCTION THAT WE GET FROM DEPARTMENTS, 90% SHORT OF A PAPERCLIP HERE AND OR A STAPLE THERE INVOLVES REDUCING STAFF.
AND THE RESULT OF THAT IS THEN THE SERVICE LEVEL, PARTICULARLY FROM THE INTERNAL SERVICE SIDE OF IT, WHICH HAS BEEN WHERE I THINK THE CITY HAS HISTORICALLY, UH, LOOKED AT TO REDUCE COSTS IN THE NON FRONT FACING THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
A DESIRE FOR COUNCIL TO ACTUALLY INCREASE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE AND STAFFING IN THOSE AREAS, TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT FOR THE OPERATING DEPARTMENTS THAT ACTUALLY NEED THE DELIVERY OF SERVICE, THAT REACH PEOPLE.
WHETHER THAT'S HR, PURCHASING, UH, OUR FINANCE AREAS AND OR ACCOUNTABILITY AREAS THAT KEEP US OUT OF TROUBLE WITH OUR AUDITS.
SO AGAIN, I THINK THERE ARE NO EASY CHOICES.
THAT LIST WAS NOT EASY TO PUT TOGETHER.
AND THE EXAMPLE I WILL GIVE IS, QUITE HONESTLY, AS I'VE SHARED WITH A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS BUDGET, AND MY TEAM WILL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO VOUCH FOR THAT, I PROBABLY APPROVED ANOTHER $150 MILLION OF THINGS THAT WE REALLY, REALLY NEEDED TO DO.
THAT CAME FROM IDEAS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THIS COUNCIL THAT I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE US ACTUALLY THINKING ABOUT DOING.
AND MY BUDGET TEAM HERE, UH, WHO OFTEN PULL ME BACK ACTUALLY TOLD ME I HAD TO CUT 150 MILLION OF THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO APPROVE JUST TO SETTLE ON THE 130 THAT WAS ULTIMATELY APPROVED.
SO AGAIN, THERE ARE NO EASY SOLUTIONS.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO AND EVERYONE WANTS TO DO, INCLUDING ME, THAT WE JUST CAN'T AFFORD TO DO.
AND WE GOTTA KEEP AT LEAST A BASIC LEVEL OF SERVICE.
AND I THINK THAT WILL BE THE FUTURE.
AND SO, AGAIN, YOUR QUESTIONS ARE VERY NOTEWORTHY, AND I THINK WE CAN PROVIDE THAT LIST.
AND IF YOU WANT RECOMMENDATIONS OFF THE LIST, UH, I THINK YOU CAN SPEND SOME TIME WITH MY TEAM, BUT THAT IS THE LIST.
THERE IS NO NEW LIST TO GENERATE, UH, THAT I WOULD THINK WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER.
WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO ANY DECIDING TODAY DESPITE WHAT YOU SAID.
SO TOO BAD, I'M SORRY, NOT, NOT GONNA HAPPEN TODAY.
UM, MS. MENDELSOHN, MENDELSON, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
I HAVE FIVE ITEMS I'M HOPING THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE TO US, UM, AT SOME LATER DATE.
UM, FIRST IF YOU COULD PROVIDE A LIST OF ARPA AND THE RETURN OF SALES TAX FROM DART ITEMS THAT ARE FUNDED THAT HAVE A CONTINUING COST FROM EITHER OF THOSE CA CATEGORIES.
THE NEXT ONE IS A LIST OF HOW MANY FTES OR POSITIONS ARE IN THE BUDGET THAT ARE UNFILLED BY DEPARTMENT, AND HOW MANY HAVE, UM, BEEN UNFILLED FOR SIX MONTHS OR MORE, OR ONE YEAR OR MORE, AND THE EXPENSE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT OR EXPECTED EXPENSE.
UM, YOU MENTIONED IN THE JUNE BRIEFING THAT YOU, UM, REMOVE I BELIEVE 30% OF THAT COST.
WAS THAT THE NUMBER YOU SAID THAT YOU DON'T BUDGET IN FOR I FOR UNFILLED POSITIONS? SO, UM, I, I THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO WHEN WE ADD NEW POSITIONS.
SO WHEN WE ADD NEW POSITIONS, UM, WE FUND 75% IN THE FIRST YEAR, AND THEN THE FULL YEAR COST AND THE SECOND YEAR, BECAUSE WE KNOW IT TAKES TIME FOR DEPARTMENTS TO FILL A POSITION.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU MAY BE REFERRING TO.
AND ARE YOU DISCOUNTING A COST FOR, UM, UH, F T E THAT'S COMPLETELY NOT FILLED? CORRECT.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN F T E AND POSITIONS.
SO, UM, THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, PLEASE.
THE NEXT ONE IS TO PLEASE REDO THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST FOR US WITH A SCENARIO THAT INCLUDES NEW CONSTRUCTION GROWTH AT 25 MILLION EACH YEAR, AND SALES TASKS GROWTH OF 7% IN YEAR ONE, 6% IN YEAR TWO, AND 5% IN FUTURE YEARS, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL PENSION CONTRIBUTION OF 125 MILLION ANNUALLY.
THE NEXT ONE, UM, WHICH IS BASED ON PAGE 64, YOU SPREAD OUT SOME SCENARIOS FOR THE TAX INCREASE THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.
AND I'M ASKING IF YOU COULD RUN THAT THROUGH THE FORMAT WE'VE USED AT G P F M WHERE WE SHOW THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT HOME PRICES, UM, FROM 150,000 TO A MILLION, AND THEN WE SHOW IT WITH AND WITHOUT HOMESTEAD, AND THEN WE SHOW IT WITH AND WITHOUT THE SENIOR AND DISABLED EXEMPTION.
AND IF YOU COULD SHOW THAT WITH FISCAL YEARS 43, UH, 23 AND 24 FOR COMPARISON, THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE, UM, BASED ON AVIATION ON
[03:15:01]
PAGE 75 AND 3,355, IF YOU COULD, UM, SEPARATE THOSE OUT FOR EXECUTIVE AIRPORT LOVE FIELD AND THE VE AIRPORT.AND THEN FOR QUESTIONS, YOU'RE OUT OF TIME, BUT GO AHEAD INTO YOUR THIRD FINAL ROUND.
'CAUSE YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON RIGHT NOW I SEE SIGN, UH, WHO WANTS TO SPEAK.
SO YOU HAVE ANOTHER MINUTE, AND THAT'LL BE YOUR THIRD ROUND.
ON PAGE 75 FOR THE HOT TAX, IS THE ARTS AND CULTURE, IS THAT HOT TAX INCLUDED OR IS THAT OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL FUND? AND WHAT'S THE EXPECTED AMOUNT? SO THE, THIS, THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES LISTED ON, WAIT, YOU'RE USING UP MY TIME ONE MINUTE.
SO THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES LISTED ON PAGE 75 IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE GENERAL FUND.
IT INCLUDES, UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER VISIT DALLAS, AND THE CONTRIBUTION TO ARTS AND CULTURE.
I'M SORRY, THAT WASN'T WHAT MY QUESTION WAS THOUGH.
SO MY QUESTION WAS THE GENERAL FUND AMOUNT FOR ARTS AND CULTURE, DOES THAT INCLUDE HOT TAX OR IS THAT SEPARATE? SO THE GENERAL FUND, UM, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AND HOW MUCH IS IT? SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR ARTS AND CULTURE IN THE GENERAL FUND SECTION OF THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, THAT REFLECTS THE GENERAL FUND PORTION OF ARTS AND CULTURE WITH THE REIMBURSEMENT COMING IN FROM HOT.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT DEPARTMENT ON THAT PAGE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE REIMBURSEMENT AS WELL AS THE GENERAL FUND CONTRIBUTION.
AND I NEED TO, UM, HAVE CLARITY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FEE STUDY.
WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT FOR INCLUSION IN THIS FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, CORRECT? Y YES MA'AM.
WE WANT TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE 24 BUDGET.
I'M NOT SURE THAT IT'LL BE HERE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 20TH, UH, BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL.
IF NOT, IT'LL BE IN OCTOBER THAT WE WOULD NEED APPROVAL.
WOULDN'T THAT AFFECT OUR BUDGET? THERE'S MULTIPLE TIMES YOU SAY IN THE BOOK THAT IT'S DEPENDENT ON THAT.
AND SO, UH, WE CAN, UH, APPROVE THE BUDGET AT A LESSER AMOUNT AND THEN COME BACK AND ADD THE, UH, REVENUE LATER AND INCREASE THE AMOUNT OR, UH, WE CAN, UH, DO IT AND REDUCE IT LATER IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO APPROVE THE FEE INCREASE.
SO IT'S SOMETHING WE'LL NEED TO HAVE MORE OF A CONVERSATION ABOUT.
ON PAGE 2 98, THERE'S A RESERVE FOR CONTINGENCIES IN THE GENERAL FUND OF 1 MILLION.
WE ALREADY HAVE A CONTINGENCY FUND.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? GO AHEAD.
SO WE, WE HAVE A NON-DEPARTMENTAL, A SMALL CONTINGENCY FOR THINGS THAT COME UP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UH, THAT ARE NOT SPECIFICALLY BUDGETED.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S WHAT THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ON PAGE 2 97.
UH, MY QUESTION IS, WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? AND I'M, I'M ASKING 'CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE MOVING MONEY FROM DEBT SERVICE TO GENERAL FUND.
IS THAT WHAT'S HAPPENING? YOU'LL HAVE TO HELP ME OUT WHERE
BUDGET ITEMS IN THE MIDDLE OF 2 97.
NO, THE, THE, THE MAJOR BUDGET ITEM ON THE TOP OF THAT PAGE IS ACTUALLY RELATED TO TAX INCREMENT FINANCING.
AND SO WE'RE SHOWING THE GENERAL FUND COST, UM, AS A MAJOR BUDGET ITEM.
BUT WE'RE JUST SHOWING YOU THAT THERE'S TWO COMPONENTS TO THE TIFF PAYMENT.
THERE'S THE GENERAL FUND PIECE, AND THERE'S THE DEBT SERVICE PIECE, AND WE'RE SHOWING YOU WHAT THE DEBT SERVICE COST IS, BUT THE ACTUAL DEBT SERVICE PIECE IS ACTUALLY CAPTURED IN THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.
SO IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE, IT'S, IT'S DETAILED IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, IN THE DEBT SERVICE SECTION.
ON PAGE 99 FOR SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS, IT'S A TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS INCREASE.
UH, WE HAVE A REDUCING POPULATION IN DALLAS.
AND SO I'M WONDERING WHY ARE WE GIVING THEM A BIG RAISE OR ARE WE ADDING A LOT MORE OF THEM? HOW DID, HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? HOW DO WE GET A NEW CROSSING GUARD? THAT'S YOUR LAST QUESTION FOR TODAY.
AND, AND THE INCREASE IN THE BUDGET FOR SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD IS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE CONTRACT.
I BELIEVE THAT WAS APPROVED THE LAST MEETING IN JUNE.
I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
I BELIEVE AT THE LAST MEETING IN JUNE, Y'ALL IN, UH, APPROVED THE SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD INCREASE.
AND SO THE FUNDING WAS PUT HERE TO ENSURE WE CAN PAY FOR THE CONTRACT.
[03:20:02]
BUT THAT WASN'T WHAT, SO MY QUESTION IS HOW DOES IT COME TO BE NOBODY, BUT THEY DIDN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION.WELL, HE CAN TRY AGAIN, BUT I MEAN, GO, I'LL PROVIDE A WRITTEN RESPONSE.
I THINK, UH, MS. SHAW, JANIE, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES, I BELIEVE.
I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION.
UM, ON THE EXPENSE DETAIL ON PAGE 2 98 OF THE BUDGET, YOU HAVE MEMBERSHIP DUES.
CAN WE GET A LIST OF THOSE DUES AND THE, AND MAKE THEIR EXPENSES PLEASE.
SO NOW ATKINS, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.
UH, ON PAGE 23, UH, I KNOW I HAVE A TOWN HALL MEETING GOING ON THURSDAY, AND MY CONCERN IS, NUMBER ONE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LANE MILES OR SIDEWALKS OR ALLEYS, I KNOW WE DO NOT, UH, SPEAK BY DISTRICTS, BUT HOW ARE YOU DEFERRING PRIORITIZE HOW YOU GONNA DO THE LANE MILES DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, SIR? UH, WE DO HAVE A CONSULTANT WHO'S RUNNING THE PAVING MODEL FOR US.
UH, WE, UH, PROVIDE THE INFORMATION TO THEM.
WE COLLECT THE DATA PRIOR, PRIOR TO THAT, UH, STEP.
AND ONCE WE COLLECT THE DATA, UH, DETERMINE THE P C I, WE GIVE IT TO THE CONSULTANT.
THEY RUN THE MODEL AS A PART OF THE MODEL.
THEY GIVE US THE RESULT, WHICH IS THE LIST OF ALL THE PROJECTS THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, TREATED BASED ON THE, UM, DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT THEY HAVE IN THE MODEL.
SO WILL WE HAVE THE INFORMATION TO SHARE TO THE PUBLIC ON THURSDAY? UH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND ALSO THERE ARE SOME PART OF IT IS ON THE WEBSITE.
SO THE L PUBLIC PUBLIC WORKS WEBSITE, UH, THE MANUAL CALLED THE STREET TREATMENT MANUAL.
PART OF THE DECISION THREE IS ON THAT MANUAL.
I ALSO, UH, JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, UH, WE ARE STILL DEVELOPING THE F Y 24 FINAL LIST, BUT A GOOD STARTING POINT WOULD BE THE FIVE-YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THE FIVE-YEAR I M P, UH, IT, IT HAS A FORECAST FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO IF YOU WANNA START WITH THAT AS A FINAL LIST.
UH, WE TYPICALLY DON'T POST THE, THE FINAL LIST UNTIL NOVEMBER SOMETIME.
UM, BUT TO START THE DISCUSSION AND HAVE THE DISCUSSION, YOU CAN SEE, UH, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, FOR FFY 24 IN THE FIVE YEAR I M P.
AND THAT'S GONNA HAVE, IT'S GONNA HAVE THE STREETS, THE SIDEWALKS, THE ALLEYS, AND THE BRIDGES AS WELL.
BUT, UH, THE FINAL PROGRAM PUBLIC WORKS WILL BE, UH, DEVELOPING OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS BASED UPON THE FINAL ALLOCATIONS THAT COME OUT OF OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS.
AND THAT LIST IS TYPICALLY POSTED EACH NOVEMBER.
AND SO IN THE BUDGET WE BREAK DOWN THE STREETS.
THE ADD SIDEWALK IS THAT ONE GROUP TOGETHER? THEY INDIVIDUAL, THEY'RE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS BY, UH, BY DISTRICT, SIR.
SO, UH, IN, IN THE STREET LISTING OR IN THE LISTINGS WITHIN THE I M P, UH, IT HAS IT BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
IT HAS IT BY PROGRAM TYPE, UH, AND HAS IT BY, UH, DISTRICT PROGRAM TYPE AND, AND, UH, THE STREET AND LIMITS.
UH, SO THAT'S GONNA BE FOR THE STREETS, FOR THE SIDEWALKS, FOR THE ALLEYS AND THE BRIDGES.
AND ALSO AN INVEST OF THE $2 MILLION SIDEWALK COST SHARING PROGRAM.
UH, HOW IS THAT GOING TO BE DIVID UP? SO I, I THINK THAT ALI TOUCHED ON IT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT, UH, QUALIFIED CENSUS TRACKS TO BEGIN WITH.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE DO HAVE A LIST OF OUTSTANDING REQUESTS, SO WE'LL HAVE TO EVALUATE WHAT WE HAVE AND WHO'S REQUESTED IT AND WHO'S PENDING.
SO, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL DEVELOP THAT OVER THE NEXT, UH, FEW WEEKS, SIR.
SO, SO WE HAD $2 MILLION FOR ALL THE SIDEWALK COST SHARING PROGRAM.
SO, UH, WHEN YOU SAID $2 MILLION, THE HIGH IS THAT $2 MILLION GONNA DISPENSE.
SO THEREFORE, IF IN THE PAST YOU WERE 50 50, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENT HAD TO PAY 50, 50%, THEN WE HAD TO PAY 50%.
SO NOW THE HIGHER THAT $2 MILLION A SHARING IS, ANY OTHER MONEY GOING INTO THAT 2 MILLION IS JUST STRICTLY 2 MILLION CITYWIDE.
THAT'S, THAT'S 2 MILLION CITYWIDE.
AND AGAIN, WE, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE DETAILS ON HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PUT THAT MONEY OUT THERE, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE DO HAVE, UH, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, AS A FIRST REVIEW, WE'LL PROBABLY LOOK AT THE REQUESTS THAT ARE PENDING WITHIN, UH, THE QUALIFIED CENSUS TRACKS.
UM, AGAIN, JUST WE, WE HAVE TO DEVELOP HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHEN WE HAD THE NEW, UM, THE INFRASTRUCTURE
[03:25:01]
PROJECT, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO NORTH AND THE SOUTH, BUT AS A CITY AS A WHOLE, UM, AND WE TRYING TO RAISE THE, THE PROPER VALUES IS, IS THERE A WAY THAT IN THIS BUDGET, THAT IT SHOWED THAT WE NEED TO PUT BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE IN CERTAIN AREAS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE AREA, IN ORDER TO IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT TO COME INTO THE AREA BECAUSE THERE'S A LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE.SO IN THIS BUDGET, HAVE Y'ALL CONSIDERED LOOKING AT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SAYING, HEY, THERE'S NO STREETS HERE, THERE'S NO SIDEWALKS HERE, OR THERE'S NO SEWAGE HERE, BUT WE NEED TO PUT THIS HERE IN ORDER FOR DEVELOPMENT CON TRY TO BE PROACTIVE JUST WAITING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE THE DEVELOPER NOT GONNA COME.
IS THERE LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE? IS THAT, BAKE THIS BUDGET? SO, AT, AT A HIGH LEVEL, SIR, I'LL TELL YOU, UM, AS FAR AS, UH, THE PLAN INVESTMENTS THROUGH THE RACIAL, UH, EQUITY PLAN IS SOMEWHERE AROUND $18.6 MILLION FOR FY 24.
UM, AS FAR AS LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN, UH, INCENTIVIZE OR, OR HELP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT OUR, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKS AT, UH, LOOKS AT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
ANYTIME THAT WE HAVE A, A HOUSING OPPORTUNITY, UH, THAT COMES IN, UH, WE, WE TRY TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN HELP WITH THAT AS WELL THROUGH OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS. UH, A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL COORDINATE ON, ON INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, OR WE'LL COLLABORATE ON INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, IF WE HAVE A PLANNED, UH, UH, CAPITAL PROJECT IN THE AREA THAT IS ADJACENT TO, UH, A DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UM, UH, AGAIN, UH, OTHER THAN THE PLANNED ITEMS, THE 18.6 MILLION THAT ARE REFERENCED AS PART AS THE RACIAL EQUITY PLAN, UH, THE, UM, THE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES COME ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, SIR.
AND LAST QUESTION, WHEN YOU TALKING ABOUT RACE, RACE EQUITY, IS THAT BAKED IN EVERY DEPARTMENT? YES, SIR, IT IS.
KATHY STEWART, YOU ARE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
UH, FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE A PUBLIC SAFETY QUESTION.
IF PERHAPS I COULD HAVE CHIEF CHRISIA, GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING WILLING TO TALK TO US ABOUT NUMBERS OF, UH, POLICE OFFICERS.
WE WANT TO HIRE 290 NEW OFFICERS IN THIS BUDGET.
THIS FISCAL YEAR WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HIRE 250.
HOW MANY DID WE ACTUALLY HIRE? HOW MANY DID WE LOSE? DO WE HAVE A, A NET LOSS NUMBER THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF? UH, YEAH, WE DO.
MY NAME IS MARTIN RIO HOSTAS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
IS IT EASIER IF YOU SIT DOWN AT THAT CHAIR AT THE END? IS THAT, DOES THAT MICROPHONE WORK? IT YOUR SENSE? YOU'RE TRYING TO FLIP THROUGH A BINDER? LET'S CUT THE GUY.
UH, MARTIN RIO HOUSE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, I'M LOOKING FOR NOTES ON HOW MANY WE'VE HIRED TO DATE.
UM, WE'RE, WE'RE FORECASTED TO HIRE, UM, 180 5.
PLANNED FOR TWO 50, BUT WE GOT 1, 180 5.
AND I HATE TO ASK THIS QUESTION, BUT HOW MANY HAVE WE LOST OR HAVE RETIRED OR, SO BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE ABOUT 200 A TRIP.
SO AGAIN, UM, WHAT'S OUR PLAN TO GET TO TWO 90 OR TO GET CLOSER TO TWO 90 OR CLOSER TO, TO TWO 50 FOR THIS THIS NEXT YEAR? WELL, LET ME JUST START OFF.
UH, OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE UNDERTAKEN WITH OUR RECRUITING UNIT IS TO REALLY MAXIMIZE THEIR EFFORTS AND THE OUTREACH THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO TO RECRUIT MORE INDIVIDUALS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'VE SAID VERY MUCH SO THROUGHOUT THIS LAST YEAR, THE RECRUITING ISSUE THAT WE'RE IN A NATIONAL POLICING CRISIS.
THIS IS NOT JUST A DALLAS ISSUE.
UH, THERE'S NOT A MAJOR CITY PARTNER THAT I COLLEAGUE THAT I HAVE THAT IS NOT GOING THROUGH THE SAME ISSUES.
AND SO, UM, FROM A RECRUITING PERSPECTIVE, UH, ALL DEPARTMENTS ARE TRYING TREMENDOUSLY HARD TO MARKET.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE POOL OF A, A POOL OF APPLICANTS.
WE HAVE VERY HIGH STANDARDS HERE ON THE D P D, WHETHER IT BE COLLEGE OR OTHER THINGS THAT SOME OTHER DEPARTMENTS DON'T HAVE.
AND WE'RE NOT, WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR STANDARD.
AND SO WE OPERATE IN THAT, IN THAT SPACE.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MARKET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, PROUD OF OUR RECRUITING UNIT AT THE EFFORTS THAT THEY'RE UNDERTAKING.
AS A POLICE CHIEF, THOUGH, AS A DEPARTMENT, I, MY, MY GOAL IS OVERALL STAFFING
[03:30:01]
LEVELS, BECAUSE I'VE OFTEN SAID I CAN HAVE A CLASS OF 50 RECRUITS GRADUATE THE ACADEMY, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO RECOGNIZE THEIR EFFICIENCIES FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF UNTIL THEY'RE DONE WITH TRAINING AND THEY'RE SOLO BEAT OFFICERS.AND SO TO ME, THE GOAL IS STAFFING, UH, AND RETENTION.
IT'S, IT'S RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
UH, I'LL SAY, OBVIOUSLY THANKFUL, UH, TO COUNCIL TO ALLOW US TO HAVE, UH, THE 70 INDIVIDUALS, UH, IN THE INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO STAY TWO YEARS, PAST 28 YEARS.
BECAUSE AS WE'VE SEEN IN THE DATA, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A, IN THE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THAT WE, THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT IT, WE'VE ACTUALLY, WHERE WE USED TO BE AT 50%, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MARTIN, BUT WE USED TO BE AT 50% IN RETIREMENTS AROUND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, IT'S ACTUALLY REDUCED TO 35%.
AND SO GOING IN AND TALKING TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND REALLY DOING A SURVEY TO FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE LEFT THE DEPARTMENT THIS YEAR, IF NOT FOR THE INCENTIVE PROGRAM, THEN GIVES, GIVES US WHAT OUR OVERALL STAFFING LEVEL IS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL.
AND IT'S A COMBINATION OF RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.
AND WE ALL HAD, THE THREE OF US HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING AT ONE OF THE GRADUATIONS RECENTLY.
IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THAT GROUP.
UM, SO WE KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON IT, WE JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND THOSE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
UM, DO HIRING BONUSES WORK JUST AS A THOUGHT, A HIRING BONUS HAS BEEN USED BY SOME CITIES? UH, UH, I'LL SAY THIS.
I'M, I'M OBVIOUSLY, SINCE YOU'RE ASKING ME THE QUESTION, I I, I'M SOMEWHAT PHILOSOPHICALLY OPPOSED TO HIRING BONUSES.
UH, BY THE VIRTUE OF THIS, THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SACRIFICED FOR THIS CITY SACRIFICE THE APART FOR THIS DEPARTMENT MM-HMM.
WHEN YOU HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHERE A CITY SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST CALL IT WHAT IT IS, GETS DESPERATE TO START GIVING OUT, UH, SALARY BONUSES.
I COULD HAVE LEFT THE DEPARTMENT, BUT I DIDN'T.
AND THAT'S A HUMAN REALITY THAT EXISTS, THAT I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF, UH, IF, IF, IF THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I THINK IN FURTHER DISCUSSIONS THAT WE CAN DISCUSS ABOUT HAVING PROLONGED BONUSES WITH REGARDS TO GETTING SOME AMOUNT AT ONE POINT AND THEN MOVING FORWARD.
UH, BUT I REALLY ALWAYS WANT TO STAY ON LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION MM-HMM.
AND I'VE SEEN SOME CITIES WITH $15,000 BONUSES, AND I REALLY SIT THERE AND GO, I'M COMING INTO MY 32ND YEAR OF BEING A POLICE OFFICER.
AND I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THAT IF I WAS A POLICE OFFICER FOR FIVE, SEVEN YEARS IN A CITY WHERE WE HAD SOME RECRUITMENT OR RETENTION ISSUES, AND I SAW NEW RECRUITS GETTING $15,000 BONUSES, THAT WOULD AFFECT MY MORALE.
AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR BEING, UH, AN ADVOCATE FOR THE, FOR THEIR MORALE.
I THINK THAT'S IT FOR MY PUBLIC SAFETY QUESTIONS.
NEXT QUESTION, UM, SANITATION, IF I, YEAH.
UM, WE HAVE A REPLACEMENT OF 45 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT IN SANITATION FLEET.
HOW MANY PIECES OF EQUIPMENT ARE THERE AND WHAT IS THE AVERAGE LIFESPAN? SURE.
UH, CLIFF GILLESPIE, DIRECTOR OF SANITATION, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 215, UH, GARBAGE TRUCKS, WHICH PICK UP GARBAGE AND RECYCLING.
UH, WE'RE PLANNING TO ADD APPROXIMATELY 50, 45 TO 50 UNITS.
WE'RE NOT REPLACING UNITS, WE'RE TRYING TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF UNITS IN THE FLEET.
UM, SO THAT AS WE EXPERIENCE MAINTENANCE CHALLENGES OR OTHER, UM, ISSUES THAT COME UP WITH THE TRUCKS, WE HAVE THAT BENCH STRENGTH TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN FINISH THE JOB EVERY DAY.
UM, AND HOW MANY PIECES OF EQUIPMENT ARE ACTUALLY TRUCKS? UM, SO I'M SORRY.
I'M, I'M PROBABLY DIDN'T COMPLETELY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.
UH, SO IT'S, UH, APPROXIMATELY 215 GARBAGE TRUCKS.
THERE'S, UH, AROUND ANOTHER, UH, 100 TRUCKS THAT HANDLE BRUSH AND BULKY ITEMS. UM, AND THEN THERE'S A NUMBER OF SPECIALTY UNITS IN TOTAL WITH ALL OF THAT.
AND OUR LIGHT DUTY EQUIPMENT WE'RE APPROXIMATELY 400 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT.
LAST QUESTION IS PUBLIC WORKS FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
ALI, YOU READY? WE'RE, UM, LOOKING AT PAGE ONE 40 OF THE BUDGET, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN GONNA LOOK AT? OKAY.
[03:35:01]
THE, THE PART UNDER PUBLIC WORKS, LAST PART OF THAT CHART, IT SAYS, PLANNED LANE MILES IMPROVED, 787 OF THE 11,770 MILES.WE WERE FORECASTED, I THINK, TO GET 100% OF THOSE, OF THAT 787 IMPROVED, WE REACHED, WE GOT 45.5%.
CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND THAT DISCREPANCY? ABSOLUTELY.
LIO DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, UH, WELL, WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION MEMO THAT WE SEND OUT EVERY MONTH AND WE UPDATE OUR
UH, BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE MORE THAN, I WOULD SAY, PROBABLY, UM, MAYBE 70% COMPLETED, UH, OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WE HAVE.
UM, THIS IS THE PRO, THIS IS THE, I GUESS THE MEASURE THAT WE HAVE AS A PART OF, UM, THE DALLAS 365, UH, THE PERFORMANCE MEASURE THAT WE HAVE, THAT WE ARE ALWAYS REPORTING.
UH, WE HAD TO ACTUALLY REDUCE THE LA MODELS FOR 22 BECAUSE, UH, WE HAVE A NEW CONTRACT.
WE REDUCED THE LA MODEL FROM 787 TO SEVEN 20, UH, BECAUSE THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS WENT UP AND WE HAD A NEW CONTRACT.
SO WE REFLECTED THAT, UH, REDUCTION ON THE TRANSPORTATION MEMO THAT WE HAD.
I BELIEVE IT WAS, UM, IN JANUARY OR A APRIL, UM, 2023.
AND THAT'S WHAT IT WAS, UH, BASICALLY.
UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES.
I HAVE A NUMBER OF, OF, OF CATEGORIES THAT I WANT TO, UH, ADDRESS, BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO ALL OF THAT IN THIS SETTING.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL KNOW WE WE'RE GONNA REACH OUT TO YOU ALL FOR THAT.
BUT, UH, THANKING THE CITY MANAGER AND STAFF FOR PUTTING TOGETHER, UH, THIS GREAT DISSERTATION ON THE, UH, PROPOSAL FOR YOUR BUDGET.
BUT I DID WANNA START OUT WITH HOUSING.
I'M LOOKING AT SEVERAL PAGES, BUT OVERALL HOUSING, HOME REPAIR, NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION, IT SEEMS TO BE INCREASING IN TERMS OF, OF PRIORITY AND ADVOCACY IN TERMS OF, OF EMERGENCY.
SO I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO US ABOUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS MONEY WORK AND REACH OUT TO MORE CONSTITUENTS AND HOW DO WE OVERCOME THE INABILITY TO GET QUALITY CONTRACTORS SO THAT WORK CAN BE DONE.
SO IS THERE SOMEONE FROM HERE TO TALK, BECAUSE I'VE, THE PAGE, I, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT PAGE FOR YOUR CATEGORY, BUT BASICALLY YOU UNDERSTAND WITH THE HIPAA AND THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO ROLL OUT, WHAT WE'RE GETTING PRIMARILY IS THAT SENIORS ARE SAYING IT'S NOT, EITHER THERE'RE NOT GETTING THE INFORMATION OR THEY, THEY'RE ON A LIST FOR EVERY IN A DAY AND WE ARE NOT GETTING THEM GETTING TO THEM.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THIS BUDGET CAN, CAN WORK.
UH, DAVID NGER, DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND, AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION.
SO LET, LET ME POINT OUT A COUPLE FACTORS.
UH, NUMBER ONE, OUR HO WE HAVE EIGHT HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS. UM, THEY'RE FUNDED WITH DIFFERENT SOURCES THAT HAVE, UH, DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS A GENERAL FUNDED SENIOR REPAIR PROGRAM.
IT'S AN ENHANCEMENT TO THE FUNDS THAT WERE ALLOCATED.
LAST YEAR, THEY WERE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS LA ALLOCATED IN 2023.
AND I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME NOW, BUT WHAT IS IT? 1.5? 1.7.
UM, THAT'S PROPOSED TO BE ALLOCATED FOR, UM, FY 24.
UM, THE WAY IN WHICH WE, WE, UM, INFORM THE PUBLIC OF THE FUNDS IS, IT VARIES.
WE ARE, WE ARE ON THE STUDIO, UM, UH, INFORMING THE PUBLIC THROUGH, UM, THROUGH VIDEOS.
I THINK IT'S CHANNEL 95 AND 96.
WE HAVE OUTREACH STAFF WHO ARE KNOCKING ON DOORS WHO ARE IN THE COMMUNITY.
BUT THE REALITY OF IT IS, IF WE DID NONE OF THAT, WE WOULD STILL HAVE OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE LINING UP AT OUR DOOR BECAUSE THE NEED IS, IS THAT GREAT? THE DEMAND IS THAT HIGH FOR HOUSING.
WHERE SOME OF THE CONFUSION COMES IN IS WHEN SOMEONE SUBMITS AN APPLICATION FOR ONE OF OUR HOME REPAIR PROGRAMS AND, UH, THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T, UM, RECEIVE
[03:40:01]
SERVICE.WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO FOLKS IS THAT WE ACTIVELY WORK THROUGH THE, UM, APPLICATIONS RECEIVED ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS.
AND AS THE MONEY RUNS OUT, WE HAVE TO CUT IT OFF THERE.
WE WILL SEND OUT LETTERS AND ASK THEM TO APPLY AGAIN NEXT YEAR.
IT'S CRITICAL THAT THEY APPLY EACH YEAR BECAUSE THE INCOME INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE TYPICALLY SUBMITTING HAS A DATE STAMP ON IT.
IT'S ONLY GOOD FOR SIX MONTHS.
SO I CAN'T USE LAST YEAR'S APPLICATION TO QUALIFY YOU FOR THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM.
UM, THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF IT.
I MEAN, I CAN GO INTO A NUMBER OF DETAILS ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THE CONTRACTORS, THE CONTRACTORS, WHAT SPECIFICALLY, HOW ARE YOU GETTING QUALIFIED? HOW DO YOU VET THESE CONTRACTORS SO THEY CAN GET OUT AND GET THE WORK DONE? I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT'S KINDA SLOW.
IS IT BECAUSE OF THE POOL? THE RESOURCES? WE DON'T HAVE GREAT, GOOD, GOOD, UH, RESOURCES TO TAP INTO? NO, WHAT, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT, UM, CONTRACTORS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND AND THEY CAN PICK AND CHOOSE WHO THEY WANNA WORK FOR.
THEY CAN PICK AND CHOOSE WHETHER THEY WANNA WORK FOR A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OR IF THEY WANNA WORK IN, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
WE ARE ACTIVELY RECRUITING CONTRACTORS ON A ROLLING BASIS.
AND I WANNA SAY WE HAVE ABOUT 15 CONTRACTORS THAT ARE CURRENTLY CERTIFIED, UM, TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR, UM, PROGRAMS. WE INVITE THEM TO COME OUT AND BID ON JOBS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AND UM, BRING THEM INTO THE FOLD.
SO WHAT I WANT TO DO, WE'LL GET BACK WITH YOU 'CAUSE I WANT TO TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT ON AN AVERAGE, WHAT WE ARE PAYING THESE CONTRACTORS, UH, AND HOW THEIR FINANCIALS LOOK WHEN THEY GO OUT TO THESE JOBS.
AND SO THAT, UH, WE CAN ESTABLISH SOME ACCOUNTABILITY AND DEFINITELY DEFEND, UH, THESE ALLOCATIONS.
NEXT IS ON PAGE 2 0 4, MY CONSUMER HEALTH.
LOOKING AT THE PLAN BUDGET, I NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING UNDER THIS CATEGORY.
CHRIS CHRISTIAN, DIRECTOR OF CO COMPLIANCE, MAYOR PRO TEM.
DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
BUT TELL US WHAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH WITH THE CONSUMER HEALTH
'CAUSE YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE MONEY.
I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
'CAUSE WE'RE GETTING SOME REPORTS WHERE WE ARE GETTING INSPECTIONS AND YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
BUT WE HAVE SOME VENDORS, SOME, SOME OPERATORS WITH FOOD THAT HAS BEEN, IS OUTDATED WHEN WE GO IN AND CHECK ON THESE, UH, THESE INSPECTIONS.
AND, AND IT'S A REAL CONCERN TO ME BECAUSE IT'S MORE THAN ONE IN TWO OR TWO IN OUR DISTRICT FOR SURE.
SO OUR CONSUMER HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UH, INSPECTS 6,000 FIXED FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS A YEAR.
ON TOP OF THAT, RESPOND TO 900 GENERAL FOOD COMPLAINTS AT RESTAURANTS AND ALSO 30,000 MOSQUITO CONTROL ACTIVITIES A YEAR ANNUALLY.
SO THAT'S THE MOSQUITO CONTROL DUMPS THE TRAPS, AND THEN THE TESTING PROCEDURES TO, TO TEST FOR WEST NW.
SO WHEN THEY GO IN FOR, FOR THE CONVENIENCE STORES, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT GOODS LIKE BABY FOOD, WE'VE SEEN SOME BABY FOOD THAT'S OUTDATED, SOME FORMULA, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
HOW ARE, DO WE NEED MORE OPER UH, INSPECTORS OR WHAT, OR OR DO WE NEED MORE REPORTS? THESE ARE ACTUALLY SANITARIANS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HEALTH INSPECTORS AND SO WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME ATTRITION AND SOME TURNOVER AND CONSUMER HEALTH.
WE HAVE BEEN DOWN AT ABOUT HALF OUR STAFF FOR HALF OF THE YEAR, BUT WE DO HAVE A THIRD PARTY CONTRACT THAT WE UTILIZE AS WELL TO HELP US WITH THE INSPECTIONS OF.
ALRIGHT, SO CAN YOU GET WITH US ON THAT? SO, BECAUSE THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE AS WE GET OUT AND MORE INTO THE, TO THE FIELD WITH, WITH THESE INSPECTIONS.
SO WE, I DIDN'T NEED TO PUT THAT ON YOUR LIST.
ALRIGHT, NEXT ITEM HAD TO DO WITH THE LOBBYIST.
UH, I'M TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LOBBYIST? WHO CAN SPEAK TO THAT? IT'S 2 99.
CARRIE ROGERS, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT HOW DO WE MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR LOBBYIST.
ITEM 30 35 LOBBYISTS, UH, PROJECTION IS 400.
[03:45:01]
FOR UPCOMING 20 24, 25? YES MA'AM.UM, I THINK ON ITS FACE YOU CAN TRACK THE BILLS THAT WE PASS, UM, THAT GET PASSED THAT, THAT ARE REFLECTED IN OUR LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.
I THINK A LOT OF WHAT IS NOT, UM, KNOWN OR SEEN WHEN WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR, UM, LEGISLATIVE ADVOCATES IS, UM, THOSE SOFT SKILLS, THOSE THINGS THAT YOU PREVENT FROM HAPPENING BECAUSE YOU HAVE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING, WORKING THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE.
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS I THINK THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO TRACK.
SO COULD YOU PROVIDE US WITH THAT? WE'LL HAVE STAFF CONTACT YOU 'CAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO THE LOBBYISTS ARE AND THEN HAVE THE COM THE, UH, INFORMATION, UH, ON THE ACCOUNTABILITY SIDE, WHAT HAVE WE PRESENTED IN TERMS OF CONCERNS AND WHAT HAVE THEY HAVE AFFECTED? THANK YOU.
UM, WE DID, UH, PRESENT OUR SCORECARD OF SORTS TO THE LEGISLATIVE AD HOC COMMITTEE IN JUNE.
UM, AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT IN AN UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE AD HOC COMMITTEE MEETING NEXT WEEK.
AND I REALLY WANTED TO KNOW IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'VE DONE AND IF THEY'RE ACTUALLY WORTH THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY BECAUSE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REROUTE IT.
CAN I HAVE MY RECLAIMING MY TIME? THAT WAS MAYOR GOT ME OFF A LITTLE BIT.
UH, LET ME TAKE THESE OFF IN, IN PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS, BUT NUMBER ONE, I, NUMBER ONE, UH, SINCE ATTORNEY PALOMINO YOU MENTIONED THIS, I WANT TO SEE MORE ADVOCACY, UH, MORE SUPPORT FOR OUR COMMUNITY PROSECUTORS.
SO I'LL BE LOOKING FOR MONEY FOR OUR COMMUNITY PROSECUTORS BECAUSE WE ARE RUNNING INTO A CHALLENGE WITH ALL OF THESE SLUM LORDS IN THESE APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT ARE KILLING US IN TERMS OF QUALITY OF LIFE.
UH, ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, HOLD ON.
THERE'S ONE, WE'VE GOT THE HOTEL, I MEAN WE'VE GOT THE, THE, UM, MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT THE LOBBYISTS, THE CODE DEMOLITIONS, THAT'S LAST.
AND THEN OF COURSE TECHNOLOGY.
IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN OFFSET SOME OF OUR BUDGETS, I MEAN TO SUPPORT OUR BUDGET WITH DEMOLITIONS, WITH GRANTS AND FUNDING? THAT'S PROBABLY A CARRIE ROGERS QUESTION, BUT WE NEED MORE ASSISTANCE THERE BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THIS IS ENOUGH MONEY.
CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? I WAS TALKING TO DR.
HOW CAN WE GET MORE MONEY FOR DEMOLITIONS? HOW DO WE GET MORE MONEY FOR DEMOLITIONS? UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS, AND I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION AND QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY ABOUT PURSUING ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO FILL GAPS, UM, IN OUR BUDGET.
AND UNDERSTANDING THE LEAN TIMES AHEAD, I THINK IS THE TERM THAT I'VE HEARD.
WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS AT BOTH THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVEL TO ACCESS GRANTS, UM, SOCIAL PROGRAMS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND WORKING OF COURSE IN CONCERT WITH OUR BUDGET OFFICE.
SO I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE A MORE ROBUST EFFORT COMING SOON TO ACCESS THOSE FUNDS.
ALRIGHT, JUST QUICKLY, IN 2015 WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED, WE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL GUARD AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET THAT PROGRAM FUNDED AND MAYBE THE LOBBYISTS CAN DO THAT, BUT THAT WAS REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING RID OF SOME OF THOSE DRUG HOUSES AND OTHER DILAPIDATED, BLIGHTED AREAS.
SO I, THAT'S WHY I PASSED IT OFF TO YOU.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, MAYOR.
AND WE'LL BE GETTING BACK WITH YOU ALL ON SOME OF THESE AREAS THAT WE BROUGHT UP THAT I COULDN'T HAVE, DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO DO.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK TOO.
DARNELL, WILLIS, YOU RECOGNIZ FOR ONE MINUTE.
SO JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON EXPENSE REDUCTIONS, UM, ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR OVERALL DEPARTMENTS ARE REPRESENTED HERE.
SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE FURTHER EXAMINATION AND SOME OTHER OPTIONS THAT COULD BE PRESENTED, UH, ON THIS, ON THIS LIST.
UM, WHAT A GREAT HEADLINE FROM THE CHIEF ON THE 15% REDUCTION IN HOW MANY ARE TAKING RETIREMENT, UM, OUT OF OUR D P D POLICE FORCE.
SO I THINK 60% ARE QUALIFIED TO RETIRE, UH, THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR OR MAYBE AT ANY GIVEN TIME, I'M NOT SURE.
AND SO I'D LOVE FOR US TO EXAMINE AGAIN, THAT RETENTION INCENTIVE, UH, TO UNDERSTAND GIVEN THAT WE'RE IN THIS STAFFING ISSUE, THAT IF WE CAN WORK ON RETENTION FOR A WHILE AS WE BUILD UP OUR RECRUITS AND THOSE CLASSES MOVE THROUGH, I THINK MAYBE WE NEED TO WORK ON MORE THAN 28 PER YEAR.
MAYBE WE NEED TO HAVE KIND OF A BELL CURVE WHERE WE OFFER THAT INCENTIVE FOR A WHILE AND THEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GONNA RATCHET IT BACK DOWN HOPING THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN NEW RECRUITS.
SO I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT EXAMINED AGAIN.
AND THEN FINALLY, THAT WENT REALLY FAST.
I THINK YOU'RE ALREADY OUT OF TIME, IS THAT RIGHT? IS THAT RIGHT? YES.
OH, IT'S ABOUT YOUR TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS DEAR.
I'M JUST TRYING TO BE FAIR TODAY.
AND STICK TO THE NEW SY I MEAN, WE GOT THIS WEIRD NEW SYSTEM.
I CAN'T SEE THE TIME ANYWHERE.
UM, MR. WEST, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE AND IT GOES FAST,
[03:50:01]
SO GO FOR IT,UM, FIRST, UH, TWO, TWO MAIN QUESTIONS.
WHEN ARE BUDGET AMENDMENTS DUE? NO, WASN'T IN HERE.
SO SLIDE 90 HAS OF THE SCHEDULE BUT NOT THE DATE.
AND, UM, THIS IS MY FIFTH BUDGET, WHICH IS STRANGE BEING ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS NOW, UM, NORMALLY A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL SEE COUNCIL MEMBERS, MYSELF INCLUDED, WHEN WE'VE, WE'VE ASKED FOR BUDGET CUTS, WE REALLOCATE THE FUNDS, YOU GOTTA PUT 'EM SOMEWHERE, RIGHT? AND WE EITHER DO IT TOWARDS A TAX RATE REDUCTION, WHICH I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS IN MAYORS ARE SUPPORTING THIS TIME AND, AND, AND I CERTAINLY DO, UM, IF WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN, UM, OR WE SEE STREET REPAIRS IT GOING TOWARDS STREET REPAIRS.
AND I WANTED TO ASK PUBLIC WORKS IF A COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, ALLOCATES FUNDS TOWARDS STREET REPAIRS, WHAT'S THE CAPACITY OF THE DEPARTMENT TO EXECUTE THAT IN THE NEXT BUDGET? YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I WOULD HATE TO GIVE YOU THE FUNDS AND THEN YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO USE THEM, BUT I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE CAPACITY IS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE, THE AMOUNT OF BUDGET, ADDITIONAL BUDGET THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE BECAUSE WE ARE, UM, AT CAPACITY RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THIS YEAR WE, WE WERE ALSO PLANNING FOR BOND PROGRAM.
UM, SO WE UTILIZE OUR CONSULTANT TO RUN THE MODEL FOR THE BOND PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH THE LIST IN ORDER TO CHANGE THE LIST THAT WE ALREADY HAVE FOR THE I M P THAT, UM, THIS IS FOR THE NEXT CONTRACT THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOR MAINTENANCE AND WE'RE GOING TO ADVERTISE IT IN AUGUST.
SO IF, UH, THAT I GUESS EQUATION CHANGES, THEN WE HAVE TO RE ADVERTISE OR, UH, POSTPONE THE ADVERTISEMENT AND LATER ON WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, A LATER DATE FOR THE CONTRACT TO BE AWARDED AND WE ARE GONNA HAVE A SHORTER TIME TO DELIVER.
UM, I WOULD SAY MAYBE UP TO MAYBE, UM, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO UM SAY, BUT MAYBE FOUR OR $5 MILLION.
UM, WE CAN STRETCH IT, BUT, UH, MORE THAN THAT PROBABLY WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DELIVER THIS YEAR.
WHAT WOULD WE NEED TO DO TO INCREASE YOUR CAPACITY TO EXECUTE MORE BEYOND THAT, IF THAT WAS THE CHOICE WE MADE? WELL, AGAIN, IF, UH, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE TIMING, UM, AT THIS POINT, RIGHT? UM, AS I MENTIONED DUE TO THE BOND PROGRAM THIS YEAR, OUR TIMING FOR THE NEXT CONTRACT, IT'S VERY LIMITED.
UM, DEFINITELY NEXT YEAR WILL BE A BETTER YEAR, UM, TO, UM, LOOK INTO THAT.
BUT, UH, AGAIN, IF WE RECEIVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING, WE'RE TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO DELIVER IT.
BUT UNDER CURRENT CAPACITY, FOUR TO 5 MILLION THAT, THIS IS MY GUESS AT THIS POINT.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO GET IN A FINAL QUESTION OR A COMMENT OR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION BEFORE WE UH, UH, YOU HAVE A POINT OF INFORMATION OR A QUESTION? I DO.
GABE, DONNA WILL, AS WE WERE TALKING AMONGST HERSELF.
YEAH, SHE, SHE, HER LIGHT WAS ON, ON MY SYSTEM, SO GO AHEAD.
UM, I WAS GONNA MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES.
WE HAVE SO FEW COLLEAGUES AROUND TODAY THAT MAYBE IF WE HAD ANOTHER THREE MINUTE ROUND THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECONDED.
SO, UH, GOES, THERE'S NO DISCUSSION ON THAT, RIGHT? TAMMY PALAMINO JUST A VOTE ON SUSPENDING THE RULES.
ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT.
SO WE'LL SUSPEND THE RULES AND EXTEND THE ROUND FOR HOW, HOW MUCH YOU GUYS WANNA DO THIS FOR? I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANNA ANOTHER THREE MINUTES? ANYBODY NEEDS THREE MORE MINUTES? CAN HAVE THREE MORE MINUTES THEN.
ANY OBJECTION TO THREE MINUTES? HEARING NONE SO ORDERED.
GA DONNE WILLIS, YOU COGNIZE FOR THREE MINUTES.
UM, I DID WANNA FOLLOW ON AND EVEN THOUGH COUNCIL HAS NOT BEEN BRIEFED ON THIS YET, UM, THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS DID, UH, OFFER SOME RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WE HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS AND EXPLORE.
BUT TRANSITIONAL HOUSING OR A TEMPORARY HOUSING MECHANISM WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS RECOMMENDED.
AND GIVEN THAT OUR PARK BUDGET IS, UM, WE'VE BEEN ASKED FOR A $3.9 MILLION INCREASE FOR SECURITY, WHICH I THINK WE ALL KNOW, UH, SOME OF THAT IS AROUND ENCAMPMENTS AND, AND WORKING WITH THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION.
UM, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE US MOVE AS QUICKLY AS WE COULD TO HAVING THAT DISCUSSION SO THAT IF THERE IS A BUDGET IMPLICATION THAT THE CITY COULD TAKE PART IN OR BRING OTHER PARTNERS IN TO HELP US WITH SOME SORT OF TEMPORARY MECHANISM TO GIVE PEOPLE A PLACE TO LAND VERSUS A PARK OR AN UNDERPASS OR A DRAINAGE DITCH.
UM, AS WE MOVE TOWARD THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF GETTING THEM INTO HOUSING, UH, I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT DISCUSSION TAKE PLACE SO THAT WE
[03:55:01]
CAN CONSIDER HOW WE MIGHT LOOK AT OUR BUDGET ALLOCATIONS.IT WAS ANOTHER THING THAT WOULD'VE RISEN FARTHER TO THE TOP IN OUR, OUR CITIZEN SURVEY.
I THINK WE ASKED IT IN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS AND THE AGGREGATE WOULD'VE MADE IT A A TOP CONCERN.
UM, AND SO THAT'S JUST WHAT I WANTED TO REGISTER TODAY BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOMELESSNESS.
I KNOW IT'S A BIG CONCERN AND I DIDN'T WANT, UH, THE REST OF THIS DAY TO GO BY WITHOUT BRINGING THAT, UH, UH, TO THE FOREFRONT.
THANK YOU KAREN MENDELSON, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR THREE MINUTES.
UM, SO I WANNA GO BACK TO, UM, OUR TAX RATE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T WORK JUST IN A VACUUM.
AND WHAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY TALKED ABOUT AT THIS ENTIRE SESSION IS THAT WE HAVE A INCREASE IN OUR DRINKING WATER.
WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN OUR STORM WATER AND SANITATION, AND THAT'S ON TOP OF AN ENCORE RATE INCREASE LAST YEAR.
AND THE UPCOMING AT RATE INCREASE, THAT'LL START NINE ONE.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON AN IMPACT FOR OUR RESIDENTS EVERY MONTH BECOMES REALLY SIGNIFICANT WHEN YOU START LAYING ALL THESE, UM, ADDITIONAL FEES AND TAXES ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
MANY OF US ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR HOMESTEADS, BUT THERE'S A LOT MORE THAN JUST HOMESTEADS.
SO PEOPLE WHO OWN RENTAL PROPERTY, CERTAINLY OUR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY, WHICH I BELIEVE WITH THE NEW CALCULATION IS GONNA BE 52% OF OUR TAX BASE.
AND WE ALREADY, LIKE OTHER BIG CITIES ARE FACING A BIG VACANCY DOWNTOWN AND YOU START PUTTING AN INCREASED TAX, WHICH IS WHAT THIS RATE REDUCTION IS ON OUR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS.
I, I THINK THAT THIS IS A VERY BAD TIME TO DO THAT.
UM, THE SUMMARY OF SERVICES ON PAGE 97, UM, BY THE 28 DEPARTMENTS OF THE 28 23 HAVE A BUDGET THAT WENT UP.
FOUR HAVE A BUDGET THAT WENT DOWN AND ONES ESSENTIALLY HAD NO CHANGE.
SO ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD AN INCREASED BUDGET.
I KNOW THE CITY MANAGER TALKED ABOUT TRANSFERS FROM UTILITIES FOR OTHER CITIES.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, JACK, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO US IN, UM, THE MEMOS THAT YOU DO TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS, HOW MANY TRANSFERS IN DO WE GET FROM D W U, THE AIRPORT SANITATION DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WHERE THEY'RE PAYING FOR SHARED COSTS LIKE HUMAN RESOURCES, IT AND OTHER INTERNAL SERVICE DEPARTMENTS? YES MA'AM.
WE CAN PROVIDE THAT INDIRECT COST REVENUE, THANK YOU SO MUCH, BECAUSE THAT REALLY DOES HELP OUR CITY BY HAVING THESE ASSETS THAT ARE HELPING, UM, OFFLOAD SOME OF THOSE COSTS, UH, COST SHARINGS.
UM, SO I'M GONNA LEAVE IT AT THAT.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO, TO FINISH UP GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE FOR, UH, ANYONE WHO MIGHT WANT TO GET IN HERE WITH A QUESTION, COMMENT, OR REQUEST FOR INFORMATION.
SEEING NONE TIMES THREE 3:18 PM AND UH, THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED.