[Economic Development on September 5, 2023.]
[00:00:02]
IT IS NOW 1:10.I CALL THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TO ORDER.
FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA, GETTING A MOTION ON THE MINUTES.
ANY OPPOSED? ANY CHANGES? SO OKAY, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT ITEM.
FIRST ITEM WANT TO GO TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MONTHLY TECHNOLOGY AND METRICS REVIEW.
STEWART, SHE'S PROBABLY THE ONLY NEWBIE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
AND PAUL. BUT PAUL, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND PAUL, YOU'VE SEEN THIS.
YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THIS METRIC MORE THAN ONE TIME.
I THINK WE HAVE SEEN THIS PRESENTATION MORE THAN ONE TIME AND MORE THAN ONE DIFFERENT COMMITTEE.
AND GPFM YOU SAW EVERY, YOU KNOW, ONCE A MONTH.
THAT'S OUR TASK TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
AND I DON'T WANT TO SPEND A WHOLE YEAR TRYING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.
I KNOW WE HAVE PROBABLY MORE THAN 1500 DIFFERENT PDS OUT THERE.
I KNOW ONE ISSUE THAT WE GOT TO RESOLVE IS FORWARD DALLAS.
YOU'LL BE LOOKING AT THIS METRIC THAT MY CHAIRMAN WEST PRESENT TO ME.
YOU KNOW, ALL THESE DIFFERENT AVENUES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WE SHOW AND TELL NOW.
SO WHAT I WANT US TO DO TODAY IS SAY, HOW CAN WE FIX THE PROBLEM? WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR US TO FIX THE PERMIT PROBLEM? YOU KNOW, IS IT PERSONNEL, IS THERE MORE MONEY OR MORE STAFF OR ARE WE NOT WE'RE NOT COMMUNICATING THE RIGHT WAY.
SO I WANT TO SPEND THIS 35, 45 MINUTES TO SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO IF COLLEAGUES, Y'ALL GOT SUGGESTIONS, Y'ALL SMART AND VERY INTELLIGENT, YOU SAY, THIS IS WHAT I THINK.
WE CAN GET THIS DONE, THE FIX THE PERMITS.
BUT I KNOW WHEN SOMEBODY WALK IN THE OFFICE AND SAID, I NEED THIS PERMIT, IT DEPENDS.
MIGHT BE A COMPLICATED PERMIT.
SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS FIRST I'M GOING TO GO AROUND THE HORSESHOE SHOOT HERE WITH A COLLEAGUES.
I WANT TO START WITH ALLEN BAZALDUA SINCE YOU ARE VIRTUAL ALLEN CHAIRMAN BAZALDUA DOING THAT, WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT STAFF ARE WE AS A BODY IS NOT DOING THE RESIDENTS, THE BUILDING, THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO CITY HALL TO GET A PERMIT. WHAT IS YOUR COMPLAINTS AND WHAT DO YOU HEAR AND WHAT DO YOUR SUGGESTION THAT WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB IN PERMITS? CHAIRMAN BASS. ARE YOU ON? IS HE? YOU'RE FROZEN.
OKAY. I'LL GO TO CHAIRMAN WEST.
CHAIRMAN WEST. YOU HEAR THE QUESTION? I DID. CHAIRMAN. THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAKE THIS A PRIORITY AND FOR USING THE GRAPHIC.
YOU KNOW, IT'S MY LEAST FAVORITE GRAPHIC IN THE CITY.
SO I THINK WE ARE STILL FROM BEING A PERSON WHO'S BEEN THROUGH IT MYSELF, I STILL THINK WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO, BUT I DO FEEL I KNOW STAFF'S BEEN TRYING HARD AND I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE MADE HUGE WAVES, ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID.
I'LL JUST SAY AS A GOAL, AT LEAST FOR ME, WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US AS WHEN I ASK A PERSON WHO'S COMING THROUGH DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, I WOULD LIKE THEM TO TELL ME, YOU KNOW, WHAT I LOVE ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS THAT THEY START FROM.
NO, I WON'T ACCEPT YOUR PERMIT.
I'D LOVE TO HAVE THAT ATTITUDE OF WE WANT TO GET THIS THROUGH.
WE VALUE THE JOBS YOU'RE GOING TO BRING TO OUR CITY.
AND THAT'S THAT'S JUST A PIE IN THE SKY GOAL.
THAT'S THAT'S HARD TO GET TO IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE.
AND I'M GOING TO ASK YOU A MORE SPECIFIC QUESTION NOW WITH HB 14 PASSAGE.
[00:05:05]
LET'S SAY I'M A PERSON WHO APPROVES A PERMIT, RIGHT? I'M A PERMIT REVIEWER.AND CHAIRMAN ATKINS TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE LAST BRIEFING WE HAD ABOUT WHEN YOU GET TO 45 DAYS, IT'S GOT TO BE APPROVED OR DENIED IN ORDER TO AVOID THIS THIRD PARTY COMING IN.
RIGHT. WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
THIS GOES BACK TO MY THE YES QUESTION.
IF WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS A YES, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS I'M GOING TO WORK WITH YOU THEN IDEALLY THAT PERMIT REVIEWER WOULD KEEP WORKING WITH THE APPLICANT AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE MISSING THIS DOCUMENT, I'M GOING TO GET THIS IN.
NOW THEY CAN GO OUT AND HIRE THE THIRD PARTY AND THEY MIGHT DO IT.
I DON'T WANT THIS COUNTING AGAINST ME FOR MY REVIEW.
I FEEL LIKE THIS THIS NEW LAW IS GOING TO THERE'S A RISK.
WE COULD SEE A LOT MORE DENIALS FROM PEOPLE TRYING TO HIRE AND STAFF.
IS THAT A RISK YOU GUYS HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT? AND GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS SAM ISKANDER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
YES, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE LOOKED INTO.
I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU, FIRST OF ALL, THAT OVER THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE REDUCED OUR REVIEW TIMES TREMENDOUSLY. OUR GOALS FOR REVIEWING RESIDENTIAL PERMITS IS TEN DAYS, AND COMMERCIAL PERMITS IS 15 DAYS.
AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE ARE MEETING THOSE GOALS AND EXCEEDING THEM AS WELL.
SO FROM A 45 DAY STANDPOINT, WE'RE I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE AT THIS TIME.
BUT TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, WE WE EVERY REVIEWER HAS A CHECKLIST THAT THEY GO THROUGH AND MAKE SURE THAT THE CRITERIA IS BEING MET.
WE'RE REVIEWING FOR MINIMUM CODE COMPLIANCE AND LIFE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.
AND IF THEY DO NOT COMPLY WITH ANY OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS, WE WILL PROVIDE A COMMENT TO SAY YOUR PERMIT IS IN DENIAL STATUS UNTIL YOU ADDRESS THESE CODE REQUIREMENTS OR THESE CONCERNS.
SO WE'RE NOT TELLING THE APPLICANT YOUR PERMIT IS DENIED.
WE'RE JUST TELLING THEM IN ITS DENIAL STATUS UNTIL YOU ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
DID THAT ANSWER THE QUESTION? I THINK SO.
I THINK IT'LL JUST BE SOMETHING WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW AND HERE.
SO IT'LL BE A CONCERN I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE UNTIL I SEE IT IN ACTION.
ALL RIGHT. TWO MORE QUICK QUESTIONS AND THEN A REQUEST.
WHO IS MANAGING THE MOVE FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT OVER TO STEMMONS IN THE NEW BUILDING? AND WHERE ARE WE AT WITH THAT? WE ARE WORKING WITH BUILDING SERVICES.
WE MEET WITH THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
THEY HAVE TOLD US AS OF LAST FRIDAY THAT OUR MOVE IN DATE WILL BE THE END OF OCTOBER.
THAT'S WHAT BUILDING SERVICES IS TELLING US.
YES. OKAY. WHO'S THE IF I HAD ONE PERSON THAT'S THE CZAR OF THE MOVE, WHO IS THAT PERSON? IF. IF RAIN.
THANK YOU. AND THEN THIS IS THE THE CHART.
THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. I DID NOT CREATE THIS.
THIS IS CREATED FOR COMMERCIAL PERMIT SEEKERS.
THERE IS ONE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT SMALLER FOR RESIDENTIAL PERMIT SEEKERS.
I'D LOVE TO CHALLENGE STAFF AND THIS MIGHT BE A GBFM THING.
CAN I CHIME IN THERE? MAGIC, WE COME FORWARD.
AND I WANTED YOU TO EXPLAIN TO CHAIRMAN AND US THAT THIS PROCESS IS COMPLICATED.
IT'S MANY DIFFERENT PROCESSES THAT ARE IN PLACE AND MANY DIFFERENT STEPS THAT WE HAVE TO DO.
SO WERE YOU TRYING TO DO IT VERY BRIEFLY, MANAGE IT?
[00:10:03]
SOMEONE SHOULD EXPLAIN TO MR. WEST SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET THIS AS FAST AS YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A WHOLE LOT OF CHANGES.WE'VE GOT HR, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF CHANGES AND WE NEED TO KNOW.
NO. SO THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF SUBS FORWARD THAT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF SUBS.
GO INTO THIS. PLEASE EXPLAIN IT.
THANK YOU. HONORABLE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
GOOD AFTERNOON. MAJID ALGAFARI, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CONVENTION COUNCIL MEMBER WEST, YOU'RE RIGHT.
TO THE NAKED EYE, IT SEEMS LIKE A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL REITERATION OF A BUILDING AND IT GOES FROM A VERY SIMPLE BUILDING PERMIT OR A SIMPLE, LET'S SAY, A HOUSE IN A 50 BY 100 LOT IN A IN STRAIGHT ZONING ALL THE WAY TO A VERY COMPLEX COMMERCIAL FACILITY THAT WOULD REQUIRE PLANNING AND ZONING, THAT WOULD REQUIRE PLANNING, BUILDING SERVICES, FIRE REVIEWS, WATER, WASTEWATER AND OTHER THINGS.
DRAINAGE IS ANOTHER COMPLEX ISSUE.
SO ALL OF THOSE ARE PART OF WHAT'S BEEN KIND OF ALL INCLUSIVE CHART THAT IT WOULD SHOW.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
THERE'S SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE USED THE SUBDIVISION MANUAL AS WELL AS ZONING MANUALS TO TO TO REALLY SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON.
BUT I'M GOING TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE REAL PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO VERY COMPLEX PROJECTS.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A REQUIREMENT, THEN YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP.
NO DIFFERENT THAN THAN PROCESSES THAT BRANCH OUT.
SO CAN WE SIMPLIFY IT? ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN SIMPLIFY THE CHART OF IT.
TO SAY THAT WE CAN CUT PROCESSES, THEN I WOULD BE LYING TO YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO THE QUESTION WAS WHAT? WHAT ISSUES I'M SEEING AND YES, WE'VE IMPROVED DRASTICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO RESIDENTIAL.
AND THEN WE'VE HEARD THAT COMMERCIAL NOT DOING AS WELL.
AND WHAT I THINK IS A LOT OF THE ISSUES IS THAT THIS THIS IS VERY COMPLICATED.
AND SO IT'S VERY HARD FOR ANYBODY TO UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A FIRST TIME, SECOND TIME, MAYBE EVEN IF A 10TH TIME PERSON COMING TO THE CITY OF DALLAS AND THEY GET THIS, IT'S IT'S IT'S GIVE UP TIME BECAUSE IT'S LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO.
AND IT'S JUST LIKE ASKING A RESIDENT IN THE CITY WHEN THEY'RE FRUSTRATED WITH GETTING A POTHOLE FIXED AND THEY TRY TO CALL CITY HALL AND THEY NAVIGATE EVERYWHERE AND GET PUSHED FROM THIS DEPARTMENT TO THAT DEPARTMENT UPSIDE AND DOWN INSIDE AND OUT.
BUT THAT'S NOT EVERYBODY HAS THAT ABILITY.
SO ONE OF MY THINGS THAT I'VE ASKED FOR AND WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S POSSIBLE IS WHY DON'T WE HAVE LIAISONS FROM EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS YOU JUST MENTIONED, MR. AL-JAAFARI, THAT CAN WORK ALONG THAT WORK IN THE DEPARTMENT AND BUT OUR LIAISONS TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
SO YOU'RE NOT HAVING A STRUGGLE FOR SOME OF THOSE MORE COMPLICATED THINGS.
MAYBE THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT ARE THEY IN THE SAME BUILDING? ARE THEY ARE THEY WHERE THE PERMIT PERSON THAT'S IN CHARGE OF THE PERMIT IS ABLE TO JUST WALK TO AN OFFICE NEXT DOOR ACROSS THE HALL, A DIFFERENT LEVEL IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT PERSON MORE QUICKLY OR THOSE PERSONS, THOSE TEAMS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS ALL WORKS, LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU NEED, BUT TO ME, SOME OF THESE COMPLICATED ISSUES, I UNDERSTAND TAKING TIME, BUT NOT EVERY ISSUE IS OVERLY COMPLICATED. I JUST LITERALLY HAD A RESIDENT WHO WAS TRYING TO BUILD A FENCE, REPLACE A FENCE AND AND THEY HAD TO REACH OUT TO ME BECAUSE WE HAVE MADE IT SO DIFFICULT THAT THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO BUILD REPLACE A SIMPLE FENCE.
BUT HOW DO WE UNCOMPLICATE THAT? SO I'M GOING TO STOP THERE BECAUSE THAT WAS A LOT.
[00:15:01]
I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO MY NEXT ITEM THAT I THINK COULD HELP.I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION, AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT THE CHART ITSELF IS A PIECE OF PAPER, AND THERE'S SEVERAL WAYS THAT STAFF HELPS THE THE APPLICANT.
WE HAVE A WELCOMING DESK AT [INAUDIBLE].
I WOULD LOVE FOR SAM TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
WE HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS OF OF OF HELPING APPLICANTS, INCLUDING THE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE THEMSELVES, TO GO OUT THERE AND BASICALLY WALK APPLICANTS THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.
I THINK I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO DO THAT.
YOU KNOW, THE THE DYNAMIC AS AS CHAIR ATKINS MENTIONED, IS WHEN YOU HAVE 150 PD'S AND THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CITY THE CITY IS COMPLEX.
SO YOU JUST WHERE YOU'RE AT, YOU JUST SAID THAT WE'RE A COMPLICATED CITY AND NOBODY ELSE IS.
HOW DO WE UNCOMPLICATE IS IT ALL THE PD'S? IS THAT IS THAT THE PROBLEM? AND I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
SO WE STARTED AS SAM SAID, WE STARTED WITH WITH A BACKLOG OF 900 AND SOME PERMITS.
ONE IS TO STABILIZE, WHICH WE'VE DONE THAT.
NOW WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE SYSTEM AND THE PROCESSES, AND THAT'S THE NEXT STEP THAT SAM AND HIS TEAM ARE WORKING ON, INCLUDING INCLUDING MAKING SURE THE STREAMLINE IS IS INTEGRATED BETTER.
AND HOW LONG IS THAT THAT GOING TO TAKE? BECAUSE WE'RE NOW ON YEAR THREE AND WE WERE TOLD THREE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS.
WHEN YOU TOOK OVER, YOU SAID A MUCH DIFFERENT NUMBER AND WE'RE WAY BEYOND THAT.
SO AND WE'VE WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED, GIVEN MORE MONEY, GIVEN MORE THIRD PARTIES, GIVING YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED, AND IT'S STILL NOT THERE.
SO WHAT IS THE REAL ANSWER? YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE. BUT NUMBER TWO IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT MORE CAN WE DO BECAUSE WE OFFER IDEAS.
AND IS IT YOU KNOW, I GUESS I'M JUST GETTING TO THE SIMPLE.
THE SIMPLE ANSWER. YOU. GAVE ME WAS WE ARE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THE REST OF THE CITIES.
SO WHAT IS THE COMPLICATION? BECAUSE I KEEP HEARING THAT WE HAVE 150 PDS.
BUT HOW DO WE UNCOMPLICATE THINGS? THERE HAS TO BE A MUCH SIMPLER SOLUTION THAN US GOING THREE YEARS NOW, ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND, AND WE'RE NOT SEEING A TON OF IMPROVEMENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RESIDENTIAL.
I KNOW MR. ATKINS AND I, WE HAD APPROACHED YOU AND OTHERS AND WE TALKED ABOUT A CONCIERGE SERVICE THAT'S JUST FOR THE BUILDERS THAT WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY WITH IN THE CITY.
AND THERE ARE SOME BUILDERS THAT WE KNOW THEY NEVER BREAK THE RULES.
THEY DO EVERYTHING EXACTLY BY THE BOOK.
AND WHY CAN'T WE HAVE SOME KIND OF A STREAMLINED FAST SYSTEM FOR THEM WHERE THEY CAN GET THEIR PERMITS VERY QUICKLY VERSUS SOMEBODY WHO'S BRAND NEW? I CAN UNDERSTAND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THEY FOLLOW ALL THE PROCESSES AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS.
SO I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS CONCIERGE SERVICE AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE IT.
SO WHERE ARE WE ON THAT? SO WE WE DO HAVE AND LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY I'M NOT USING OUR COMPLEX CITY AS AN EXCUSE FOR US TO NOT PERFORM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. AND I UNDERSTAND I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE NOT PERFORMING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.
I THINK THAT OUR STAFF IS DOING AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN.
WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT WE'RE TOO COMPLICATED.
HOW DO WE UNCOMPLICATE THAT? BECAUSE THAT'S CAUSING THE PERMITTING TO SLOW DOWN AND THAT'S CAUSING US NOT TO BUILD FAST ENOUGH.
AND THAT'S THE BIG ISSUE HERE, IS HOW DO WE UNCOMPLICATE THINGS OUR OUR PERMITTING FOLKS EMPOWERED TO GET PAST SMALL, MAYBE EVEN MEDIUM, MEDIUM SIZED ISSUES WITHIN PERMITTING SO THAT THEY CAN JUST MOVE IT ALONG VERSUS HAVING TO SIT THERE AND GET 80 DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO APPROVE THEIR ONE TINY PIECE OF OF THE PERMIT.
ABSOLUTELY. THEY ARE EMPOWERED.
I KNOW SAM IS LOOKING AT ME AND I'LL GIVE HIM THE CHANCE.
I WE DO HAVE TO TEAMS. WE HAVE CONCIERGE SERVICE.
SO DO WE NEED MORE TEAMS? DO WE HAVE FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS THAT WE'VE JUST CREATED THAT?
[00:20:02]
SO WE HAVE ACTUALLY A TEAM THAT IS BUILT UP TO DEAL WITH ALL OF THE SCHOOL PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE.WE CREATED A SECOND TEAM ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AGO AND THAT WE DO HAVE AGAIN, THE WELCOMING TEAM THAT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, TAKES PEOPLE FROM THE FRONT DOOR AND HELPS THEM WITH THAT, THAT WE JUST CREATED THAT.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE IN THAT AND SOME OF US HAVE ALSO TALKED ABOUT AND BROUGHT BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION AND OTHERS THAT IN PERMITTING, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE COULD HELP INCENTIVIZE OUR PERMITTING OFFICIALS THAT IF THEY ARE ABLE TO GET X AMOUNT OF PERMITS THROUGH CORRECTLY, ACCURATELY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN AUDIT ON THOSE THAT MAYBE QUARTERLY, HALF YEARLY, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT A BONUS IS GIVEN. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS DONE IN SOME OTHER CITIES THAT COULD HELP FOLKS GET ALONG.
BUT THE THING IS EMPOWERING OUR PEOPLE.
I THINK THAT WE HAVE BRILLIANT PEOPLE DOWN IN THE PERMITTING OFFICE.
I THINK THAT THEY'RE JUST HITTING ROADBLOCKS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ROADBLOCKS ARE.
I DON'T DO THESE. I DON'T DO Y'ALL'S JOBS.
AND SO I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S NOT EASY, THAT IT'S AN EASY JOB.
AND WHEN YOU HEAR THOSE CERTAIN ISSUES, RIGHT, FLOOD CONTROL AND, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE SIGHTLINES ARE CORRECT AND IT'S ENGINEERING AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO IT. SO I DON'T WANT TO SOUND LIKE I'M POLLYANNA, LIKE, OH, YOU KNOW, WE JUST GOT TO DO THIS ONE LITTLE THING AND WE'RE GOING TO FIX IT ALL.
I I'VE EXPERIENCED IT FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIX IT ALL QUICKLY.
SO I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO GET I DON'T REALLY WANT TO HEAR I WANT TO HEAR WHAT THE SOLUTIONS ARE, WHERE WE'RE AT, HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE, BECAUSE THIS THIS THIS ISSUE IS OLD AND IT'S TIRED NOW.
AND I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? DO WE NEED TO IMPLODE THE WHOLE BUILDING AND START ALL OVER? WHAT IS THE THE EASIEST SOLUTION TO UNCOMPLICATE THE CITY OF DALLAS? OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION AND I MAY HAVE A RESPONSE FOR YOU.
SO WE HAVE OVER THE PAST YEAR, IN ADDITION TO HIRING POSITIONS, WE'VE STRATEGICALLY PLACED PROJECT COORDINATORS IN EACH OF THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS THAT NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE HELP.
AND THESE PROJECT COORDINATORS ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS, THE PROCEDURES.
SO EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS NOW SHOULD HAVE A PROJECT COORDINATOR, AN EXPERT IN THOSE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS, AND WE'RE RELYING ON THEM AND CUSTOMERS ARE RELYING ON THEM AND THEY'RE PROVIDING THAT ASSISTANCE TO THE CUSTOMERS.
OKAY. I LIKE I LIKE THOSE ANSWERS AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN SEE SOME FASTER IMPROVEMENT THERE.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE SOLUTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING.
I KNOW I KNOW YOU ALL ARE WORKING HARD AND EVERYBODY IN THAT OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING HARD.
I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO FEEL THEY'RE BEING DUMPED ON BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
BECAUSE I SAW IT WITH RESIDENTIAL.
NOW WE GOT TO GET IT WITH COMMERCIAL TO GET THAT CAUGHT UP.
SO JUST TELL US WHAT WE NEED TO GIVE YOU ALL.
WE'VE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING YOU'VE ASKED FOR WHEN YOU WHEN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU NEED.
SO WE'RE IN BUDGET RIGHT NOW, SO THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BE DOING IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. CHAIRMAN STEWART.
YOU HAVE A QUESTION? NO, NOT AT THIS TIME.
I HAVE TWO ISSUES. FIRST OF ALL, THE EXISTENCE OF OVER 1100 PDS HAS OFTEN BEEN USED AS A REASON WHY ISSUING PERMITS TAKES A LONG TIME, AND I'D LIKE TO PUSH BACK ON THAT NOTION.
IS IT AN ISSUE THAT YOU CANNOT READILY OBTAIN ACCESS TO A PARTICULAR PD OR IS IT.
I MEAN, THERE ARE LIMITED NUMBER OF THINGS IN THE PD REGULATIONS THAT PERMITTING NEEDS TO BE CONCERNED WITH, THINGS LIKE SETBACKS, HEIGHT LIMITATIONS, FAR COVERAGE. AND THEY'RE NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
THEY'RE THE SAME AS IN REGULAR ZONING DISTRICTS.
AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHY THAT IS SUCH A BIG COMPLICATING, DELAYING FACTOR.
[00:25:03]
I GUESS THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE FACING IS AN APPLICANT SHOULD NOT SUBMIT FOR PERMIT PRIOR TO HAVING ZONING IN PLACE. AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS MANY APPLICANTS STILL DO SUBMIT TO US.AND WHEN THE APPLICATION COMES IN.
WELL, A BIG CHUNK OF THAT TIME WAS WORKING THROUGH PWD TO GET THEIR ZONING IN PLACE.
AND THEN WHEN THEY FINALLY GET THEIR ZONING IN PLACE, THEN WE START WORKING.
NUMBER TWO IS, YES, THERE ARE SOME VERY COMPLICATED PDS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO INTERPRET.
AND WE A LOT OF TIMES HAVE TO WORK WITH PWD AND ALSO WORK WITH CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN EXACTLY? HOW DO WE INTERPRET THIS AND HOW DO WE APPLY IT CORRECTLY ON PROJECTS.
WAITING FOR INFORMATION STATUS.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN USING THE WORD DENIED.
OBVIOUSLY WE WERE CONCERNED THAT BY DENYING A PERMIT, SOMEBODY WOULD FEEL THAT OR AN APPLICANT WOULD FEEL LIKE THEIR PROJECT JUST CAN'T HAPPEN AND FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DEVELOP.
AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE THAT IMPRESSION.
WELL, YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS IS THAT YOUR STATISTICS LOOK BAD AND YOU'VE GOT THESE LONG TERM PERIODS THAT REFLECT POORLY ON YOUR DEPARTMENT SIMPLY WHERE IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.
YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.
WELL, THEN PERHAPS YOU NEED TO REEXAMINE THAT PRACTICE AND PUT THEM IN EITHER A DENIED CATEGORY OR SOME KIND OF A SUSPENDED CATEGORY WHILE THEY'RE BEING REVIEWED FOR ZONING.
BUT YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN'T ACT ON THEM.
YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. AND ACTUALLY, HOUSE BILL 14 IS REQUIRING THAT.
SO AS OF SEPTEMBER 1ST, WHEN WE DENY A PERMIT, WE HAVE TO PUT IT IN DENIAL STATUS.
WELL, MAYBE THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF THAT PROBLEM.
BUT I JUST I THINK THAT THE NUMBER OF PDS THAT ARE SO COMPLICATED THAT YOU HAVE TO SEEK THE CITY ATTORNEY'S INTERPRETATION AS GOT TO BE PRETTY SMALL.
AND I'M NOT MINIMIZING YOUR PROBLEM, BUT I TAKE IT IT'S NOT AN ACCESS PROBLEM.
YOU CAN PULL UP THE PD REGULATIONS ON THEIR COMPUTERS.
IS THAT THE CASE? THAT'S THE CASE. NO, WE HAVE NO ISSUES WITH PULLING UP THE PDS.
THAT'S CORRECT. THAT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND THE SECOND ISSUE I HAVE IS ONE THAT I'VE ALREADY TALKED TO MAJID ABOUT, WHICH IS THE COORDINATION OF YOUR EFFORTS WITH CONSERVATION AND HISTORIC DISTRICTS WHERE A PROPOSAL HAS TO GO THROUGH APPROVAL FIRST OF A CONSERVATION OR HISTORIC DISTRICT BEFORE IT HITS YOU.
AND I KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING FOR BUILDING ISSUES, CONSTRUCTION ISSUES, DESIGN ISSUES.
AND EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE TO APPROVE IT FIRST, THERE MAY BE THINGS IN THE DESIGN DRAWINGS THAT CONTRAVENE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CONSERVATION DISTRICT, AND YOUR PEOPLE ARE NOT WELL VERSED IN THAT.
TO PICK UP ON THAT, I'VE HAD A CASE LIKE THIS VERY RECENTLY, AND IT SEEMS THAT WE NEED BETTER COORDINATION BETWEEN THE TWO DEPARTMENTS SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE SITUATIONS ARISE THAT THAT EITHER DELAY YOUR APPROVAL OF THE PERMIT OR YOU ISSUE THE PERMIT.
AND IT'S NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONSERVATION DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS.
AND I'VE ALSO TALKED TO MR. BROWN ABOUT THAT, AND I WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO ADDRESS THAT SITUATION BECAUSE IT LEADS TO REAL FRUSTRATION BY YOUR
[00:30:03]
PATRONS WHO APPLY TO YOU FOR A PERMIT.AND THE BUILDER SAYS, WELL, BUT YOU APPROVED IT.
THAT JUST LEADS TO FRUSTRATION ALL AROUND.
I AGREE 100%. THANK YOU FOR THAT AND WE'LL LOOK INTO IT.
COUNCILWOMAN ANA, JUST A QUESTION.
FOLLOWING UP ON A COUPLE OF THE COMMENTS, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO CREATE SOMEWHAT OF A REPORT CARD BY DISTRICT THAT WOULD PUSH OUT THOSE APPLICANTS ON A COMMERCIAL AND THE COMMERCIAL CATEGORY AND RESIDENTIAL CATEGORY WHO HAVE FAILED TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES? TO MAKE IT JUST SIMPLE.
WE CAN. WE CAN TRY TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER.
ALL RIGHT. AND SO AS TO SPEAK TO JUST A STATEMENT MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER RIDLEY.
AND I'M COMFORTABLE WITH US HAVING SOMEWHAT OF A REPORT CARD WHEN YOU AT LEAST PUT SOME COMMENTS IN SO THEY WILL UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE DENIED, BECAUSE WHERE WE ARE NOW, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS THIS WHOLE STORYLINE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PROBLEMS WITH PERMITTING.
AND EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THOSE AND WE HAVE THOSE AS A BIG CITY AND I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE IT, BUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS BE ABLE TO COVER YOURSELF IN TERMS OF JUST BEING HONEST AND UPFRONT ABOUT WHO'S NOT DOING WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
JUST AS YOUR DIRECTOR HAS AN IDEA OF WHO IS NOT PERFORMING THEIR DUTIES.
SO YOU NEED TO DO, AS I WOULD SAY, YOU NEED TO TELL IT, AND THAT WAY YOU GET THE MONKEY OFF YOUR BACK AND THAT WAY WE'RE NOT CONTINUING TO JUST KEEP BEATING THIS DRUM OVER AND OVER. AND ALSO I CONTINUE TO STAND BEHIND US SUPPORTING YOU AND YOU BEING TRANSPARENT, BECAUSE FROM THIS SEAT, I'M NOT ADVOCATING PRIVATIZATION.
I KNOW THERE ARE SOME WHO WANT TO, BUT AS I TALKED TO SOME OF MY GROUPS AND AS WE TALK ABOUT LABOR JOBS, WE'RE NOT I'M NOT FROM THIS SEAT TRYING TO ADVOCATE PRIVATIZATION, WHICH TO ME IS MORE CUMBERSOME BECAUSE THEN YOU GO INTO, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTS AND ALL THOSE OUTREACH AND THEN YOU STILL HAVE THE CONCERN OF JUST WHAT THE TRUE AGENDA OF THAT PARTICULAR COMPANY IS.
SO I WANT TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU.
BUT INFORMATION, TRANSPARENCY, ACCURACY IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME SO THAT I CAN HAVE LEGS TO STAND ON AS WE'RE AROUND THIS HORSESHOE, WHETHER I'M WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT TIED DOWN TO A DISTRICT FOR IN TERMS OF ELECTION.
SO IF YOU CAN DO THAT, YOU CAN DO THAT FOR ME.
NOW. WE WILL REACH OUT TO YOU AND GET THAT INFORMATION.
SO, CHAIRMAN, THAT'S THE EXTENT OF QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE FOR THIS PARTICULAR ROUND.
IF I MAY CLARIFY, MR. CHAIR, FOR DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM ARNOLD, I THINK WHAT WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF DOING IS GIVING YOU IN EACH DISTRICT THE REITERATION OF HOW MANY PLAN REVIEWS WE'VE WE'VE HAD FOR A SPECIFIC PERMIT AND THE DENIAL STATUS.
WE WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL IF THERE ARE BAD ACTORS OR ACTRESSES BECAUSE THAT WOULD GIVE US AN INDICATION OF HOW MANY REVIEWS WE WENT THROUGH.
WE WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL THAT THEY'VE NOT DONE A GOOD JOB OR THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB.
SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ON THE EXPECTATION.
YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO GIVE A REPORT ON THE REVIEWER.
IT WILL BE THE REPORT ON THE SPECIFIC PERMITS, HOW MANY REITERATION OF REVIEWS THAT HAVE HAPPENED FOR A SPECIFIC PERMIT AND IF THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED OR DENIED.
YOU'RE SUBMITTING PAPERWORK FOR A ZONING APP.
AND BUT RESTATE YOUR YOUR EARLIER COMMENT.
SO THEN WHAT DO YOU TELL THAT PERSON? WE TELL THEM YOU NEED TO GO WORK WITH POD.
GET YOUR ZONING WORKED OUT, GET IT IN PLACE, AND THEN COME BACK TO US.
[00:35:03]
ARE THEY GETTING IT IN WRITING? YES. WE GIVE THEM COMMENTS.YOU CAN'T TELL ME HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'VE TOLD THIS, THAT STATEMENT.
MR. MAN. THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE YOU TOLD RIGHT HERE WHAT YOU JUST STATED? THAT YOU CANNOT.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL ME HOW MANY, HOW MANY APPLICANTS OR IF I'M USING THE WRONG TERMINOLOGY, HELP ME.
BUT HOW MANY APPLICANTS HAVE FAILED TO UNDERSTAND, I GUESS, IN THEIR APPLICATION THAT THEY CAN'T MOVE ON TO STEP B BECAUSE THEY HAVE THEY HAVEN'T DEALT WITH A YET THAT WE CAN TRACK.
ALL RIGHT. SO IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO BREAK.
I'M TRYING TO MAKE IT VERY SIMPLE.
SO WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL CALLS ME, I CAN SAY, LOOK, THIS IS ON THE LIST WE'VE GENERATED HERE AND HERE YOU HAVE FAILED AND YOU CONTINUE TO NOT DO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING YOU TO DO.
AND THEN THAT HELPS ME SUPPORT YOU.
BUT THEY HAVE TO HAVE THEY MUST HAVE SOME FEEDBACK IN ORDER.
YOU KNOW, NO ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT AND DREAM OF WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY.
AND THEN SOMEONE LEAVES THE CITY AND THEN SOMEONE SAYS, OH, WELL, THEY LEFT.
SO IT WAS JUST SITTING THERE BECAUSE WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HIRE.
SO ALL I'M TRYING TO GET IS INFORMATION.
DOES THAT MAKE IT KIND OF SIMPLE? WE'RE JUST ON AN ELEMENTARY LEVEL HERE FOR THE VERY BASIC TRANSACTION OF I'VE SUBMITTED MY PAPERWORK.
THIS IS THE STEP I WISH TO TAKE HERE.
THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUSH THEM OUT.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DISAGGREGATE THAT DATA SO THAT I CAN GET A MATRIX.
MADAM CHAIR, I'M GOING TO HELP YOU OUT A LITTLE BIT.
UH, MAGIC. THIS MORNING WHEN WE MET AND COLLEAGUES, I THINK REALLY MADE COUNCILMAN REALLY MADE A GOOD CHAIRMAN, REALLY MADE A GOOD POINT.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN KEEPING THAT TRACK OF THAT.
SOMEONE WHO COME IN THERE THAT SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOUR APPLICATION SHOULD BE DENIED.
BUT AS CUSTOM SERVICE, WE TRY TO HELP THE PERSON INSTEAD OF THEM JUST SAID, NO, IT'S NOT CORRECTLY.
YOU CANNOT SUBMIT EVERYTHING DENIED.
GO BACK AND COME BACK WITH US.
AND SO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING AS OF TODAY, Y'ALL CORRECT ME, SEPTEMBER 1ST SAYS HOUSE BILL 14, WE ARE GOING TO SAY IT DENIED. YOU NEED TO COME BACK WITH ALL YOUR INFORMATION.
WE HAVE NOT BEEN TRACKING THAT.
SO STAFF CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, Y'ALL HAVE NOT LOGGED THAT IN.
NOW WE'RE ALL GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY, WE ARE A GOOD CITY.
WE ARE TRYING TO HELP EVERYBODY IN THERE, BUT WE HAVE NOT BEEN KEEPING THE DOCUMENTATION.
IS THAT A FAIR QUESTION? ANSWER? THAT'S CORRECT. WHAT I WOULD SAY THIS TO THE MEMBERS HERE, AS COUNCIL MEMBER WEST STATED, THE ACRONYM THAT HE UTILIZED IS WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO BEGIN PRACTICING.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
AND THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, THE PURPOSE OF THIS MEETING TODAY IS STAFF, JUST TELL THE APPLICANT YOU'RE MISSING SOMETHING.
IT'S SIMPLE TO THAT. AND SO I KNOW WE'RE TRYING TO BE CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT WE STILL GOT TO START SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CULTURE CHANGE AROUND HERE THAT SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE DID IT IN THE PAST.
HOUSE BILL 14 SAID THIS WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WE SHOULD HAVE DID IT BEFORE HOUSE BILL 14 EVEN CAME ABOUT, AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING IT.
COUNCILWOMAN ARNOLD CHAIRMAN WEST.
AND NOW I BELIEVE THEY'RE GOING TO CLEAN IT UP STARTING AS OF SEPTEMBER 1ST.
THAT MEANS THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED THEN THAT THEY CAN SPEAK FOR ITSELF.
I DON'T WORK IN THAT DEPARTMENT. THIS IS COVER YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND HONORABLE CHAIR.
I WANT TO MENTION TO COUNCIL MEMBER NARVAEZ THIS POINT.
I THINK THAT WHERE WE HAVE THE BREAKDOWN BETWEEN PLANNING AND ZONING AND AND SUBDIVISION, I LIKE THE IDEA OF CREATING A CATEGORY OF BEING SUSPENDED UNTIL THE PLANNING AND ZONING IS COMPLETED AND THAT ONE, THE APPLICANT DOESN'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND PAY
[00:40:03]
AGAIN FOR FOR THE FEES, BUT ALSO IT DOESN'T KICK THEM OUT OF THE SYSTEM, IF YOU WILL, AND HAVE THEM RESTART AGAIN.SO WE'LL WE'LL WE'LL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT TOPIC CATEGORY SO WE CAN HELP STREAMLINE IT BETTER.
BUT I ALSO FEEL LIKE THAT WHAT WE GOT TO DO NOW IS THAT YOU'RE HEARING WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
I STILL WANT TO SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS FORWARD DALLAS IF WE DON'T GET FAR WITH DALLAS PASS SOON, IS THAT A NEGATIVE TO GET PERMITS OUT? IS THAT A HOLD BACK? I WANT TO MAKE SURE ON RECORD IS FAR WITH DALLAS IS NOT PASSED SOON.
IS THAT GOING TO HINDER YOU OR GETTING PERMITS BECAUSE OF FORWARD DALLAS.
GETTING HUNDRED DIFFERENT. I'M JUST ASKING.
I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO HINDER ISSUING PERMITS.
I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING AT THE PACE THAT WE'RE AT.
OKAY. ARE YOU ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING? I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THIS.
THE DIRECTION WE GOT TODAY WILL WILL GREATLY HELP US, WILL MEMORIALIZE ALL OF THAT.
BUT UNDERSTANDING ALSO THAT THAT FORWARD DALLAS IS REALLY CRITICAL FOR US TO STREAMLINE PLANNING AND ZONING AS WELL AS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN A MUCH MORE SUCCINCT MANNER.
OKAY. AND THE OTHER CAUTION IS, NUMBER ONE, PERSONNEL.
I DON'T KNOW. HR IS HERE TODAY OR NOT, BUT.
I THINK CHAIRMAN BLACKMON ASKED A QUESTION.
I BELIEVE I THINK CHAIRMAN WEST MIGHT ASK A QUESTION AND SAID, HEY, ARE WE SHORT AND WE ARE SHORT? WHAT DO YOU NEED? AND AND THIS IS THE BUDGET PERIOD RIGHT HERE.
AND AND WHILE WE SHORT AND WE WE DO HAVE THIS KEY PERSONNEL KEY PERSON THAT IF YOU HAD A WISH YOUR BIGGEST WISH YOU EVER HAD TODAY YOU SAID WE CAN HELP THE THE THE DEPARTMENT THE 100 FOLDS.
IF I HAD TWO EMPLOYEES THAT I GOT TO HIRE THAT REALLY HELPED YOUR DEPARTMENT, WHAT TWO EMPLOYEES WOULD YOU SAY I GOT TO HIRE RIGHT NOW WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? AND WHY I THINK I THINK HR HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN SUPPORTING US HIRING EMPLOYEES, THAT THE CHALLENGE IS THE TYPE OF WORK THAT THAT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, ENGINEERS AND PLANNERS HAVE TO IS WHEN WE HIRE, THERE'S A TRAINING PERIOD THAT THEY THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES TIME FOR THEM TO LEARN THE INTRICACIES OF OF OF WHAT WE DO.
AND I THINK THAT'S THAT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE.
THE CITY MANAGER GAVE US DIRECTION TO LOOK AT ENGINEERS AND PLANNERS SALARIES, AND I DID DO THAT.
AND WE'RE WORKING ACTUALLY ON IMPLEMENTING THOSE THOSE SALARY CHANGES.
SO THAT'S I DON'T THINK IT'S THE ISSUE OF THE SALARIES RIGHT NOW.
THE ISSUE IS TRAINING, TRAINING PEOPLE AND KEEPING THEM IN IN THEIR POSITIONS.
SO THEY CAN YOU KNOW, THEY CAN BE 100% PRODUCTIVE.
MAGGIO ASK THAT QUESTION ONE MORE TIME IN SOMEWHAT LAYMAN TERM.
IF YOU HAD TO HIRE SOMEBODY TODAY.
1 OR 2 PEOPLE WHO WILL YOU HIRE TODAY WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN YOUR DEPARTMENT.
SIMPLE. WHO WILL YOU HIRE TODAY WOULD MAKE A BIG TRANSITION IN YOUR DEPARTMENT REGARDLESS.
YOU KNOW WHO IS OUT THERE? WHO WILL YOU HIRE TODAY? YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A CITY MAN.
IF YOU HAD WE HAD HIRED AN ENGINEER, A PLANNER, WHO WOULD YOU HIRE? BECAUSE THERE IS A DISCONNECT SOMEWHERE IN THAT DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU SAID HR AND I UNDERSTAND WE GOT TO HIRE PEOPLE.
WE CAN'T FIND PEOPLE, BUT THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT IS PULLING YOU DOWN.
SO WE HERE AS POLICY MAKERS, YOUR ADMINISTRATION, WE NEED TO KNOW THAT.
I AIN'T TRYING TO SAY, OKAY, I KNOW WE GOT A BUDGET CUT HERE.
I DON'T WANT TO HIRE THAT PERSON.
[00:45:01]
WELL, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER MIGHT GET MAD.YOU END UP SHOOTING OVER THERE.
THERE IS PERSONNEL, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO DO THE JOB.
IF WE DON'T KNOW, WE STILL WON'T HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM NEXT YEAR.
IF I COULD HIRE SOMEBODY, IT WOULD BE SOMEONE WITH EXPERIENCE.
THAT'S WHAT WILL REALLY HELP US.
THAT WILL HELP THE DEPARTMENT.
AND I'LL USE ENGINEERING AS AN EXAMPLE.
IN ENGINEERING, WE HAVE MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ENGINEERS THAT YOU CAN HIRE.
ENGINEER ASSISTANT ONE TO ENGINEER ONE, TWO, AND THEN SENIOR ENGINEER.
SO THERE'S FIVE DIFFERENT LEVELS.
SO I'VE GOT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME TRAINING ALL OF THESE FRESH KIDS OUT OF COLLEGE AND TEACH THEM ENGINEERING AND TEACH THEM HOW TO DO THE JOB. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I NEED EXPERIENCE.
WE NEED ENGINEERS, EXPERIENCE ENGINEERS.
AND SO, MR. CITY MANAGER, WE NEED ENGINEERS AND CHAIRMAN NARVAEZ.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'M DEFINITELY.
THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO COST MORE.
EXPERIENCE MEANS WE'RE GOING TO PAY, AND I'M WILLING TO PAY.
I THINK OUR TAXPAYERS ARE WILLING TO PAY.
SO WHATEVER THE SCALE IS, I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT ENGINEERS MAKE.
THAT'S I DON'T DO WHAT YOU GUYS DO IN HIRING.
THAT'S WHAT WE THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS ARE TASKED WITH IS FIGURING OUT WHAT THE ISSUE IS.
AS A FORMER PERSON WHO USED TO MANAGE BIG DEPARTMENT STORES AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, IT'S LIKE I WOULD ALWAYS HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CHANGED, WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT'S GOING ON. AND THEN ALSO BEING ABLE TO KNOW MY PEOPLE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE IN PLACE THE RIGHT FIT FOR ACTUALLY MANAGING FOLKS, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS WITH EXPERIENCE IS GOING TO BE A GREAT MANAGER.
AND NOT EVERYBODY WHO'S A GREAT MANAGER HAS ALL THE GREAT EXPERIENCE.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE YOU GET LUCKY AND YOU GET THAT UNICORN OF A STAFF MEMBER, RIGHT? BUT THAT'S THE OTHER THING IS TO LOOK AT IS ALSO IS LET'S GET THE RIGHT FOLKS IN THERE.
WHATEVER IT COSTS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY IT.
THE PANDEMIC CHANGED OUR ENTIRE WORLD AND PEOPLE HAVE JUST A MUCH DIFFERENT WAY.
THEY WANT TO WORK, THINGS THEY WANT TO DO.
IF WE HAVE TO DO FLEX TIME, FLEX SCHEDULES, WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE HAVE TO DO, BE OPEN TO IT.
IF YOU CAN, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN FOR YOU GUYS.
I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY ELSE, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE, IS TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.
AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, EVERYTHING YOU'VE TOLD US THAT YOU ALL HAVE NEEDED BEFORE WE'VE DONE IT.
AND SO IF THIS IS THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE.
I MEAN, I'M SURE THERE'S MORE, BUT THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE THING.
THEN LET'S GET THERE AND LET'S GET THOSE SCALES CHANGED.
WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO, IF WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. CHAIRMAN ARNOLD? YES, SIR. ONE ONE OTHER COMMENT, BECAUSE THIS IS BUDGET SEASON AND MY MIND IS WORKING ON SOME THINGS.
HOW DO YOU ALL TRACK THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL PERMITS THAT THAT THE CITATIONS FOR ILLEGAL NOT ILLEGAL NON PERMITTED THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE STARTING A PROJECT WITHOUT A PERMIT IS THAT COME BACK TO YOU OR IS THAT ON THE CODE.
[00:50:01]
I BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE CODE, YES.ALL RIGHT. SO SO THIS IS CONFUSING FOR FOR FOR ME BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A IF YOU'RE ISSUING A CITATION FOR SOMEONE WHO IS OPERATING WITHOUT A PERMIT, DOES THAT GO BACK TO YOUR OFFICE? I MEAN, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE DON'T YOU COVER PERMITTING FOR RESIDENTIAL AS WELL AS COMMERCIAL? SO IF I IF A CODE OFFICER COMES TO SITE AND YOU ARE RENOVATING A BUILDING, A HOME WITHOUT A PERMIT, IS THAT SOMETHING THEY SHOULD HAVE GONE TO YOUR OFFICE TO OBTAIN? SO WE PARTNER WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT.
REALLY? BUT WHO ISSUES THE PAPERWORK FOR THE PERMIT? CODE ENFORCEMENT. CODE ENFORCEMENT ISSUES.
HEY, YOU NEED TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT.
GO TALK TO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
IS THAT YOUR OFFICE? YES. ALL RIGHT.
THE CITATION IS FAILURE TO COME TO YOUR OFFICE TO OBTAIN A PERMIT.
IS THAT CORRECT? NO. WHAT HAPPENS IS CODE COMPLIANCE ISSUES THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION, AND THEY WORK WITH THE VIOLATOR TO GO REMEDY THE SITUATION. WHEN THEY GO REMEDY THE SITUATION, THEY ALERT US TO THIS ISSUE.
SO AND THEY PUT US IN TOUCH WITH THE VIOLATOR TO MAKE SURE THAT HE OR SHE CORRECTS THE THE WHATEVER THAT BUILDING ISSUE IS. LET ME BRING THIS ALL THE WAY DOWN BACK TO LAYMAN'S TERM, BECAUSE I'M GETTING THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT BUILDERS WHO ARE OPERATING WITHOUT A PERMIT PERMIT, IF THEY'RE BUILDING A HOUSE WITHOUT A PERMIT.
THE THAT BUILDER OR CONTRACTOR SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH YOUR OFFICE.
CORRECT. AND YOU'RE TELLING US THAT CODE? YOUR PARTNER WITH COLD.
COLD IS YOUR EYES AND EARS IN THE FIELD TO IDENTIFY THOSE WHO HAVE VIOLATED THE POLICY.
SO WHEN COLD ISSUES THAT CITATION.
THAT INDIVIDUAL NOW UNDERSTANDS THEY SHOULD COME BACK TO YOUR OFFICE.
SO YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU YOU DON'T KEEP UP WITH THE FOLKS WHO ARE COMING IN BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN CITED? CORRECT. YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT CODE HAS ALL THAT INFORMATION? THAT'S CORRECT. SO TO ME, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT YOU SEE HOW THIS IS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING BECAUSE IN ORDER FOR ME TO HANDLE UP ON SOME OF MY BUSINESS, I NEED TO HAVE A REAL GOOD PICTURE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE FUNDS WHEN THAT WHEN THAT TICKET IS PAID? WHERE DOES THAT MONEY GO TO CODE OR TO PERMITTING A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO DOES IT GO TO YOUR OFFICE OR DOES IT GO TO CODE? WHOSE LINE ITEM GETS THOSE RECEIPTS? THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION IS ISSUED BY CODE COMPLIANCE.
WHATEVER FEES WITH THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION GOES TO CODE AND IT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND.
WHEN THE VIOLATOR IS TRYING TO REMEDY THE SITUATION, HE OR SHE COMES IN FOR BUILDING PERMITS.
THEN THEY WOULD PAY THAT TO THE ENTERPRISE FUND, WHICH IS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO THAT FUND WOULD HELP YOU IN THE HIRING.
IS IT POSSIBLE? I'M JUST TRYING TO FOLLOW THE MONEY.
WHAT IS THAT MONEY? CAN THAT MONEY BE USED TO SUPPORT HIRING OR SUPPORT OTHER? ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING THAT IS THE ENTERPRISE FUND DOES IS SUPPORTING THE WHOLE OPERATION OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN ANY PERIPHERIES.
IT'S NOT JUST DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
RIGHT. SO YOU'RE TELLING ME TODAY AS WE SIT HERE, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTACT CODE ENFORCEMENT TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN GENERATED FOR THIS YEAR FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN CITED FOR NON PERMITS, BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL.
I WISH SOMEONE FROM CODE IS HERE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT ANSWER TO IT.
COUNCILMAN I KNOW WE RAN OUT OF TIME.
BUT THIS IS EXCUSE, EXCUSE ME.
EXCUSE ME, PLEASE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CODE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO BE GERMANE BECAUSE OF THE POLICY.
BUT DEVELOPMENT. SO THIS IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND.
AND CODE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENTERPRISE FUND.
ENTERPRISE FUND IS GENERATING MONEY IN THERE.
[00:55:03]
SO THAT'S WHAT WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO.IF YOU GIVE MORE MONEY FOR CODE FOR FIRE, IT'S STILL PART OF THE ENTERPRISE FUND.
SO I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
ALL RIGHT, CHAIR, LET ME JUST SAY THIS.
AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.
BUT I HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE MONEY.
AND SO NOW YOU'VE TOLD ME HOW IT'S DIVIDED AND PERHAPS THAT IS A PROBLEM THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
SO ALL I'M TRYING TO GET TO CHAIR AND THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE LISTENING IS THAT MY PUBLIC HAS BEEN CALLING ON ON A REGULAR ABOUT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OPERATING IN DISTRICT FOUR WITHOUT A PERMIT.
AND SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I CAN HELP YOU AND THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING.
CHAIR HOW WE CAN BETTER HELP THIS PARTICULAR OFFICE.
BUT SO NOW I UNDERSTAND IT'S SPLIT, SO I CAN SPEAK ON THE ENTERPRISE CHAIR AND OTHER DETAILS.
BUT FOR ME RIGHT NOW, IN THE MINDSET OF ADVOCATING AND WORKING ON THE BUDGET AND EVEN LOOKING AT SOME OF THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET INFORMATION THAT I THINK I NEED IN THIS POSITION AS I ADVOCATE FOR YOU AS WELL AS THE CITY AS WELL AS DISTRICT FOUR.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. AND I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS GET THE DIRECTOR, MR. AFRA GAFFER, GET WITH YOU PERTAINING TO THE BUDGET OF CODE AND HOW THAT FUNDING IS DONE WITH JACK ISLAND, BECAUSE THAT'S A BUDGET QUESTION WHERE SHE RELATED TO EXCUSE ME AND WE'RE RELATED TO.
SO THEREFORE WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR PUBLIC WILL UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AND PROCEDURE.
AND I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, NUMBER ONE, THE PEOPLE WHO IS OPERATING WITHOUT A PERMIT, HOW DO THAT WORK? I DO UNDERSTAND THAT AND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY, FOLLOW THE MONEY.
IF THOSE PEOPLE ARE OPERATING WITHOUT A PERMIT, THAT MONEY COULD HELP THE BUDGET.
YES, I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT ISSUE.
BUT RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO GET PERMITS, HOW DO WE MAKE THIS BETTER? THAT'S WHAT THIS AGENDA IS ABOUT.
HOW DO WE GET PERMITS? HOW DO WE MAKE IT BETTER? AND THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE AGENDA WAS HOW DO WE MAKE AND WE WANT YOUR INPUT, HOW CAN WE MAKE YOUR DEPARTMENT BETTER AND CODE, THAT'S ANOTHER JOINT MEETING WE NEED TO BRING FORWARD. SO I TRY TO MAKE SURE WE STAY ON THE SAME TRACK.
I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
BUT BUT, BUT, BUT THE TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
BUT WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE TO THE NEXT AGENDA.
GO AHEAD. CHAIR, YOU DID ASK IF THEY COULD HIRE TODAY, WHO WOULD THEY HIRE? AND SO THAT'S WHY MY MIND IS WORKING ON FUNDING AND MONIES BECAUSE IF YOU NEED EXPERIENCE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BRING THEM IN HERE FOR $15 AN HOUR.
BUT AGAIN, IF THEY WANT TO HIRE, THEY ARE A ENTERPRISE FUND.
THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO HIRE ANYBODY WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION.
THEY ARE AN ENTERPRISE FUND. THEY ARE THE ENTERPRISE.
IS THAT CORRECT? DO THEY HAVE PERMISSION TO HIRE ANYBODY? THE THE ACTUAL ALLOTTED FTES, THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE CAN HIRE.
AND RIGHT NOW, YOU PROBABLY GOT TO MAKE, WHAT, 50 SOME VACANCIES THERE? WE DO HAVE 56 VACANCIES.
56 VACANCIES. SO I GOT 56 VACANCIES.
SO THEREFORE, THEY GOT MONEY OVER THERE, HIRE SOMEBODY.
SO WITH THAT, I'M THANK YOU VERY MUCH BUT AND THEY GET ON RECRUITER I MEAN YOU WANT I'M GOING TO SAY IN THERE MAYBE Y'ALL NEED TO GET YOUR OWN RECRUITER THAT CAN HELP YOU ALL AND NOT JUST WAIT ON HR BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT ALL WORKS.
I JUST KNOW THAT WE DID SIR, DO WHAT WE DID.
OKAY, WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TWO MORE TO HELP YOU, BECAUSE 56 POSITIONS.
SO I'M JUST SAYING WHATEVER YOU NEED, DO IT BECAUSE 56 POSITIONS, THAT'S A LOT TO FILL.
SO THAT'S PROBABLY ANOTHER ISSUE THAT IS CAUSING SOME BACKUP AND DELAYS.
SO THANK YOU. AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNCILWOMAN KING.
THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND THOSE QUESTIONS AND EVERYTHING.
BUT NUMBER ONE, I DON'T BELIEVE IS THAT A PROBLEM IN MONEY? I THINK THIS IS A PROBLEM IN WHO WE NEED TO HIRE AND GET EXPERIENCE THERE.
AND SO I BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT CONVERSATION, BUT I HOPE WE CAN KIND OF PUT THIS IN WRITING MAGIC WITH SOME KIND OF RESPONSE WHERE WE GOT AND HOW DO WE SAY, HEY, HERE IS THIS IS THERE IS A BUDGET ISSUE, THEN, HEY, LET'S PUT IT IN THERE AND SAY, HEY, WE GOT BUDGET AMENDMENT TOMORROW.
[01:00:01]
SO I WILL BE THE FIRST ONE TO SAY, HEY, THERE'S SOME MORE MONEY.NEED TO BE RECRUITED TO HIRE SOMEONE.
LET'S GET IT DONE. BUT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO GET THIS OFF OUR PLATE.
THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON. COMMITTEE MEMBERS ROBIN BENTLEY, DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I'VE GOT MY THREE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS HERE WITH ME, HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COME UP.
WE WANTED TO KICK OFF THE YEAR'S WORK WITH JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT.
A LOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE AND KNOW US VERY WELL OR HAVE WORKED WITH US IN DIFFERENT ROLES, SO HOPEFULLY NONE OF THIS IS BRAND NEW INFO, BUT JUST AN UPDATE ON HOW OUR DEPARTMENT IS ORGANIZED AND THE KINDS OF WORK THAT WE DO.
WE'LL RUN THROUGH THE FIVE TEAMS THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS BROKEN INTO.
QUICK UPDATE ON THE ECO POLICY AND THE INCENTIVE POLICY.
A QUICK OVERVIEW OF EACH INCENTIVE TOOL.
ALL RIGHT. SO THE ORGANIZATION.
IS BROKEN OUT BETWEEN MY THREE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS WHO I THINK ALL OF YOU HAVE MET.
BUT IF NOT, KEVIN SPATH IS OVER EVERYTHING TO DO WITH REAL ESTATE.
SO IF IT'S A REAL ESTATE DEAL, A HOUSING DEAL, ANYTHING RELATED TO TIFFS, THEN KEVIN'S TEAM, THE CATALYTIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, WOULD OVERSEE ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF PROJECTS. AND THEN HEATHER LEPESKA HERE ON MY LEFT.
HER TEAM IS OVER TWO DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.
ALL OF THOSE SORTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT PROGRAMS ARE MANAGED BY HEATHER'S TEAM.
AND THEN FINALLY, MARIA SMITH HERE ON MY FAR LEFT IS OVER EVERYTHING TO DO WITH BUDGET FINANCE, COMPLIANCE AND THE PID PROGRAMS. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR STAFF, WE'RE SMALL BUT MIGHTY, 40 POSITIONS, ABOUT 35 FTES AND BROKEN OUT ROUGHLY BETWEEN THOSE THREE TEAMS AND THEN FIVE TEAM MEMBERS WHO WORK ON ALL OF OUR KIND OF ADMINISTRATIVE WORK.
AND WE'LL GO THROUGH EACH ONE IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.
WE'RE ALWAYS RIGHT AROUND $4 MILLION.
I THINK WE'VE ACTUALLY GONE DOWN THE LAST TWO YEARS IN BUDGET BECAUSE OF VARIOUS POSITION MOVES.
YOU'LL SEE THAT THE BULLETS BELOW THAT $4 MILLION ADD UP TO MORE THAN FOUR.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE DO GET ABOUT $2 MILLION IN REIMBURSEMENTS.
SO SOME OF OUR STAFF IS PAID FOR BY THE PROGRAMS THAT WE MANAGE, THE TIFF PROGRAM, THE PID PROGRAM.
WE GET FEES FROM THE PACE PROGRAM, THE NEW MARKET TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
AND SO WE'RE PAYING A LOT OF OUR OWN WAY THROUGH THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE MANAGING.
THAT'S THE POT OF MONEY WITH WHICH WE CAN MAKE ALL OF OUR LOANS AND GRANTS RIGHT OFF THE TOP.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, IT'S NOT AN UNENCUMBERED 8 MILLION EACH YEAR BECAUSE IN THIS FISCAL YEAR WE WILL BE PAYING FOR OBLIGATIONS APPROVED BY PREVIOUS CITY COUNCILS IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS BECAUSE WE DON'T PAY UNTIL THE PROJECT IS DONE, UNTIL THE JOBS ARE CREATED, UNTIL THE DEVELOPMENT IS BUILT.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY BOND FUNDS FROM 2017, PROP I, WHICH YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH.
NEXT SLIDE. SO JUST A QUICK SNAPSHOT OF THE IMPACT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO.
AND SO LAST YEAR, COUNCIL APPROVED ALMOST $200 MILLION IN INCENTIVES, AND THAT $200 MILLION LEVERAGED ABOUT $1.4 BILLION IN PRIVATE CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND CREATED OR RETAIN MORE THAN 8000 JOBS.
SO IT IS A HEALTHY RETURN ON WHAT WE ARE AWARDING.
[01:05:01]
WE'RE ALWAYS GETTING MORE BACK.SO THE FIRST OF OUR FIVE TEAMS ARE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM.
BUT IT'S ALSO A LOT OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. OUR DEPARTMENT PUTS FORWARD ABOUT 100 OR MORE COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS EVERY YEAR, AND SOME OF THOSE COME IN BIG BUNCHES WITH THE ANNUAL REPORTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
ALL OF THE PIT APPROVALS FOR THE SERVICE PLANS, THOSE ARE OUR BIG BATCHES OF ITEMS, BUT ALSO EVERY DEAL THAT COMES THROUGH AND THEY'RE FAIRLY COMPLICATED ITEMS AND SO THAT TEAM SUPPORTS ALL OF THOSE.
WE ALSO GET MORE THAN OUR FAIR SHARE OF OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS.
TYPICALLY, WHEN A DEAL IS ANNOUNCED IN THE NEWSPAPER, WE GET A FLOOD OF REQUESTS FROM THAT.
SO FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE AVERAGED 68 OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS A YEAR.
SO KEVIN'S TEAM, THE CATALYTIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, FOCUSES ON EVERYTHING TO DO WITH REAL ESTATE.
THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN UNLESS THE CITY WERE THERE TO SUPPORT IN SOME WAY.
AND THEY'RE ALSO WORKING ON THOSE LARGE CATALYTIC REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THOSE DEALS, THEY ALSO MANAGE OUR 18 TIFF DISTRICTS.
AND ACTUALLY WE'LL RUN THROUGH THESE REALLY QUICKLY.
SO GATEWAY OAK CLIFF WAS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT.
WE PROBABLY DO AS MUCH HOUSING AS THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T FIT UNDER THE SPECIFIC HUD FUNDING GUIDELINES PROBABLY COMES TO OUR DEPARTMENT FOR FUNDING. SO WE DO A HUGE AMOUNT OF HOUSING.
THE TOM THUMB DEAL FROM LAST YEAR, ANOTHER REAL ESTATE DEAL.
THAT WAS THIS YEAR. THANK YOU, KEVIN.
GOSH, IT FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO.
WE ENDED THAT ONE. NEXT SLIDE I THINK IS UP NEXT.
YES. SO THIS IS THE TYPE OF PROJECT THAT'S COMING OUT OF THIS TEAM.
MARLOW BRIDGE LABS AT PEGASUS PARK.
BUT IT WAS REAL ESTATE FOCUSED.
THE INCENTIVES WERE TIED TO THEIR REAL ESTATE.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF PROJECTS COMING OUT OF KEVIN'S TEAM.
NEXT SLIDE. SO MOVING ON TO OUR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM, THIS TEAM ARE DETECTIVES, SO WE GET ABOUT 350 INQUIRIES A YEAR FROM SITE SELECTORS, FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, FROM COMPANIES DIRECTLY FROM THE REGIONAL CHAMBER, FROM YOU NAME IT.
PEOPLE WHO ARE CONTACTING US, USUALLY WITH NO COMPANY NAME PROVIDED OR WITH A CODE NAME PROVIDED.
SO WE USUALLY DON'T KNOW WHO WE'RE WORKING FOR, AND THEY'RE COMING WITH QUESTIONS.
THEY WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CITY'S TAX RATES.
THEY WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SITES ARE AVAILABLE.
BUT USUALLY IT'S JUST MORE BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT DOING BUSINESS IN DALLAS, THE TYPE OF LABOR FORCE THAT'S HERE, UNIVERSITY TRAINING PROGRAMS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT THEY MIGHT NEED ON BACKGROUND TO PITCH TO THEIR CLIENT THE IDEA OF MOVING TO DALLAS.
AND SO WE RESPOND, LIKE I SAID, TO MORE THAN 350 OF THOSE INQUIRIES EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND THEN THERE ARE THE DEALS WE BRING TO COUNSEL.
SO ANY DEAL THAT INVOLVES JOBS WOULD BE COMING THROUGH THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM.
THIS TEAM ALSO REPRESENTS THE CITY AT INDUSTRY EVENTS.
WE'RE MONITORING ALL ALONG THE WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD BUILD HIRING THE PEOPLE THEY SAID THEY WOULD HIRE, PAYING THE WAGES THEY SAID THEY WOULD PAY.
AND SO OUR OUR RELATIONSHIP LASTS FOR SOMETIMES DECADES AFTER THE COUNCIL APPROVAL.
AND THEN FINALLY, THIS TEAM IS OUR MARKETING ARM.
LIKE I SAID, UNTIL THE EDC IS UP AND RUNNING, THEY'RE THE ONES RUNNING OUR WEBSITE, WRITING OUR PRESS RELEASES AND DOING EVERYTHING TO SORT OF PROMOTE THE GOOD WORK HAPPENING HERE AT CITY HALL.
THEY ALSO DO THE DISTRICT FACT SHEETS THAT HOPEFULLY ALL OF YOU ARE AWARE OF.
THERE'S ONE FOR EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT WITH JUST A LITTLE DEMOGRAPHIC SNAPSHOT.
IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND IT, LET US KNOW.
WE'LL SEND IT TO YOU. NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER RELEASED A DATABASE A FEW MONTHS AGO.
IT'S EVERY JOBS DEAL IN NORTH TEXAS SINCE 2010.
[01:10:08]
AND YOU CAN SEE DALLAS IS RIGHT UP THERE, NUMBER ONE.AND SECOND PLACE IS NOT CLOSE.
SO SINCE 2010, 42,000 JOBS HAVE PICKED DALLAS, THE CITY OF DALLAS, AS THEIR HOME.
AND THEN A BIG GAP DOWN TO OUR SECOND PLACE COMPETITOR.
SO JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT NARRATIVE.
DALLAS IS DOING REALLY WELL ON THE DEV FRONT.
NEXT SLIDE. SO SOME RECENT DEALS YOU'VE SEEN COME OUT OF THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM, OBVIOUSLY GOLDMAN SACHS AND THE NORTH END DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WAS A HUGE ATTRACTION DEAL. NEIMAN MARCUS, WHEN THEY CALLED US AND SAID THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING FOR THE SUBURBS, THAT WAS A DEAL THAT THIS TEAM HANDLED TO KEEP THOSE JOBS HERE IN DALLAS, WHERE THEY'VE BEEN MORE THAN 100 YEARS.
NEXT SLIDE. ALSO REPORTING TO HEATHER IS A TEAM CALLED TARGETED AREA DEVELOPMENT.
AND THIS TEAM IS WORKING ON A LOT OF THE NEW TOOLS THAT YOU ALL APPROVED IN JANUARY.
ONE OF THOSE NEW TOOLS WAS THE 373 PROGRAM LOANS AND GRANTS FOR PROFIT DEVELOPERS.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THAT WE'VE RECEIVED.
THIS TEAM ALSO OVERSEES THE NEW MARKET TAX CREDIT PROGRAM.
SO I THINK WE'RE ON OUR FIFTH ALLOCATION OF ALMOST HALF $1 BILLION OF TAX CREDITS THAT HAVE COME TO.
AM I RIGHT ON THAT NUMBER? THANK YOU, HEATHER, THAT HAVE COME TO DALLAS.
SO A POWERFUL TOOL, THE ONLY CITY IN TEXAS WHO HAS THAT TOOL.
LIKE I SAID, SOME OF OUR NEW TOOLS, THE PRE DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND, WHICH IS FOR MWB AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPERS, ALL OF OUR TARGETED AREA SORTS OF PROGRAMS. AND THIS TEAM IS ALSO MANAGING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW POLICY AND THE INCENTIVE POLICY.
SO SOME DEALS YOU'VE SEEN COME TO COUNCIL RECENTLY FROM THIS GROUP, THE DAYCARE PROJECT AT REDBIRD THAT CAME TO COUNCIL LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO CAME FROM THIS TEAM, THE BEHIND EVERY DOOR COMMUNITY CENTER REDEVELOPMENT AND THE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM DISTRICT CAME FROM THIS TEAM.
SO THE LAST TEAM THIS IS MARIA'S TEAM.
SO THIS IS EVERYONE ON FINANCE COMPLIANCE AND THE PIDS AND THE PIDS MAY SEEM AN ODD THING TO LOOP IN WITH FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE, BUT IF YOU'LL RECALL, THE PIDS ARE ALL PRIVATELY MANAGED. THE FUNDING COMES INTO THE CITY AND WE HAND IT RIGHT OVER TO THE PIDS.
AND SO OUR ROLE IS REALLY ADMINISTERING FUNDING.
WE'RE NOT MANAGING THE PIDS THEMSELVES.
COUNCIL MEMBER STEWART KNOWS WELL.
THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN MANAGERS, THEIR OWN STAFF AND RUN THEIR OWN PROGRAMS. AND SO A COUPLE OF THINGS OF NOTE HERE.
THE COMPLIANCE TEAM, UP UNTIL ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT MONITORED ALL OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPLIANCE FOR ALL DEALS ACROSS THE CITY, INCLUDING THOSE THAT ORIGINATED IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
BUT A FEW YEARS AGO, THAT FUNCTION MOVED BACK TO OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND SO A COUPLE OF RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
YOU MAY REMEMBER THE PROJECT FINANCING ZONE COUNCIL APPROVED LAST YEAR.
THIS IS BASICALLY A FIRST COUSIN OF A TIFF.
IT'S TO SUPPORT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
BUT INSTEAD OF THE CITY DRAWING A GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARY.
AND OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS, IT'S ABOUT $2 MILLION.
AND SO MARIA'S TEAM, SINCE THIS IS SO MUCH LIKE A TIFF, WE'VE AGREED TO FUND THAT FUNCTION.
SO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL OVERSEE THAT.
[01:15:04]
A COUPLE OF OTHER RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD SOME MORE CLEAR GUIDANCE ON HOW TO ADDRESS CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND OTHER SORTS OF ETHICS ISSUES THAT THE COUNCIL WAS ADDRESSING HERE AT CITY HALL.
AND THEN FINALLY, LIKE I MENTIONED, THE COMPLIANCE WORK HAS MOVED BACK IN.
SO THAT'S ALL THE STAFF UPDATES.
I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY UPDATE YOU ON THE POLICY.
YOU'LL REMEMBER BACK IN JANUARY YOU APPROVED A POLICY.
WE'RE WORKING ON A DASHBOARD TO TRACK THE TEN YEAR PROGRESS OF THAT POLICY.
IT'S NOT JUST THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHO HAS WORK TO DO UNDER THAT POLICY.
IT'S LOTS OF DEPARTMENTS AT CITY HALL.
AND SO THE WONDERFUL MARLOWE, WHO USED TO WORK FOR MAJADELE GODFREY HAS BEEN HIRED BY OUR OFFICE AND ONE OF HER MAIN FUNCTIONS WILL BE MANAGING ALL OF THE HERDING OF CATS, OF GETTING PEOPLE'S REPORTING.
SO THE PUBLIC IS VERY CLEAR ON WHERE WE STAND ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY.
EVERYTHING'S BEEN TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
ALL THE DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO FEEL FREE TO REFER PEOPLE OVER.
AND THEN I WANTED TO POINT TO THE INCENTIVE INQUIRY TOOL, WHICH IS SORT OF A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE KIND OF QUIZ ON OUR WEBSITE WHERE DEVELOPERS CAN GO IN, ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR PROJECT AND IT WILL GUIDE THEM TO THE CORRECT PROGRAM AND APPLICATIONS.
ALL RIGHT. I THINK THAT WAS THE LAST. OKAY, GOOD.
SO YOU'VE GOT IT FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.
BUT WE WON'T GO OVER THOSE TODAY, AND I'LL JUST PAUSE AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, ROBIN, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND COLLEAGUES, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
MR. ATKINS HAD TO STEP AWAY, SO I STEPPED IN AS HE REQUESTED.
MR. WEST, DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU FOR THE OVERVIEW.
THE BOOK OF REAL ESTATE FOR THE CITY.
IS THAT WITHIN YOUR DEPARTMENT OR IS THAT ANOTHER DEPARTMENT? THAT'S THE REAL ESTATE DIVISION OF PUBLIC WORKS.
WHO IS IT THAT CREATES A STRATEGY FOR OUR USE OF THOSE ASSETS ACROSS THE CITY? YEAH. SO EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE CITY'S PORTFOLIO IS THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
FROM TIME TO TIME, A PROJECT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT LIKE 9500.
BRUTON BECAME AVAILABLE AND OUR DEPARTMENT WILL GUIDE IT THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
DO YOU THINK IT MAKES SENSE THAT IT FALLS WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS WHEN OUR PRIORITIES THAT WE'VE SET AS A CITY ARE NOT UNDER PUBLIC WORKS, INCLUDING HOUSING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, GREEN SPACE? YEAH, THE FAIR QUESTION.
I WILL DEFER TO CITY MANAGEMENT TO ANSWER THAT ONE.
SURE. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT RHETORICAL.
IS THERE ONE PERSON AND THIS I DON'T KNOW, IT'S NOT RHETORICAL.
IS THERE A CZAR, A REAL ESTATE CZAR IN THE CITY WHO CONTROLS WHO HAS THAT BOOK AND CAN LAY THAT BOOK DOWN AND SAY, HERE'S OUR 8000 CITY PROPERTIES? YES. THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE IS ASHLEY EUBANKS.
OKAY. DO WE KNOW HOW MANY PROPERTIES ARE IN THE CITY'S BOOK OF REAL ESTATE? THERE'S AN ACTIVE GIS LAYER THAT MAPS THEM ALL.
AND THEN IT'S A LOT OF PROPERTIES THAT WE SORT OF PASSIVELY OWN, LIKE STRUCK OFF TAX FORECLOSURES.
[01:20:02]
DEPARTMENT REMINDING THEM OF THE OF THE CITY OWNED PROPERTIES UNDER THEIR STEWARDSHIP AND ASKING THEM TO REEVALUATE WHETHER THEY STILL NEED THEM AND IF THEY HAVE ANY PLANS TO PUT THEM INTO THE SURPLUS PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, PATH TO GET THEM SOLD.IS THERE A THE SURPLUS PROPERTY IS WHERE IT GOES TO SELL THE REAL ESTATE.
THAT'S OKAY. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
IS THERE WOULD IT MAKE SENSE IF WE UTILIZED OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THAT WE STARTED UP TO FACILITATE SOME OF THE REAL ESTATE THAT WE HAVE FOR BETTER ECONOMIC USE? COULD BE, YES, DEFINITELY.
IT'S ONE OF THE PROPOSED USES OUTLINED IN THE FORMATION DOCUMENTS.
IF IT REQUIRED ANY FUNDING, ALL OF THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE ADDED TO THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT.
BUT YES, CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK AT.
ONCE THEY HAVE STAFF AND CAPACITY, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO LIST THE THE SPECIFIC PROPERTIES OR COULD IT BE JUST GENERALLY AMENDED SO IT COULD ANY PROPERTIES COULD GO TO THEM? OR IS THAT A LEGAL QUESTION? PROBABLY A LEGAL QUESTION.
THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT SAYS WE'LL COME BACK AND DO IT.
NOW IT COULD BE WE GIVE THEM A WHOLE PORTFOLIO OF PROPERTIES OR SOMETHING BROADER THAN JUST ONE PROPERTY AT A TIME, BUT I WOULD THINK WE'D NEED TO IDENTIFY AT LEAST A CATEGORY OF PROPERTIES THAT WE WANT THEM TO MANAGE AND WHAT WE WANT THEM TO DO, BECAUSE THE EDC CAN ONLY DO WHAT THE COUNCIL DELEGATES FOR IT TO DO ON THE CITY'S BEHALF.
WELL, I KNOW WE HAVE A VICE CHAIRMAN ON HERE.
I'VE JUST ASK THAT WE GET AN UPDATE ON THE EDC AT SOME POINT AND THEIR PROGRESS ON STANDING THAT UP.
AND THE LAST QUESTION, IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE EDC.
HOW DOES THEIR WORK INTERSECT WITH YOUR TARGETED AREA DEVELOPMENT TEAM? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE COULD BE SOME CROSSOVER THERE MAYBE, OR IF NOT, YOU CAN CORRECT ME PLEASE.
YEAH, THE EDC EXPLICITLY CANNOT MANAGE INCENTIVES.
BUT THE EDC, I MET WITH THEM THIS MORNING TO WORK ON THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE CEO THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO HIRE AND ALL OF THEIR SORT OF FORMATION, DOCUMENTS, HIRING DOCUMENTS, ALL SORT OF TIE BACK TO THE IDEA THAT THEIR FOCUS IS ON DISTRESSED AREAS OF THE CITY.
SO THAT WILL BE PART OF THEIR WORK.
BUT AT THIS POINT, LIKE I SAID, IT'S MARKETING PRIVATE REAL ESTATE.
IF THEY ACQUIRE ANY, WE ONLY GAVE THEM $7 MILLION.
SO THEY'RE STARTING KIND OF SLOWLY WITH BASIC HIRING.
THEY'VE HIRED AN ATTORNEY, THEY'RE HIRING A CONSULTING FIRM TO ENGAGE THEIR CEO.
AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SELF SUSTAIN AND SELF FUND IN THE YEARS GOING FORWARD.
AND REAL ESTATE MAY PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THAT.
AND MR. GODFREY, IF YOU DON'T MIND MAKING SURE THAT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR THAT WE HAVE THAT EDC UPDATE, AS MR. WEST REQUESTED, JUST I'M JUST WORK IT OUT WITH CHAIRMAN ATKINS SO THAT HE GETS IT ON THE RIGHT MONTH FOR THE AGENDA.
THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM.
I JUST HEARD I'M WRITING NOTES AND LISTENING.
DID I HEAR ON 16 SOME REFERENCE TO A DAYCARE IN REDBIRD? YES, I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO.
IT WAS IN JUNE. GOSH, MY TIMES ARE OFF.
HERE IT IS, THE VERY FIRST BOX HERE.
SO I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR WHEN I SPEAK TO HER AGAIN, THIS IS NOT THE SAME PROJECT.
YES, YOU'RE EXACT. THERE WAS AN OLD PROPOSAL FOR SOMETHING TIED TO DALLAS ISD.
THIS IS NOT THAT. SO THIS IS NOT TIED TO DISD.
BUT YOU WILL BE COMPETING WITH DISD.
IS THAT FAIR? THIS IS YOUNG CHILDREN..
ZERO TWO 0 TO 4 ZERO TO SCHOOL AGE ZERO TO PRE K FOUR OR PRE K FIVE.
[01:25:02]
WOULD YOU DOUBLE CHECK BECAUSE I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR WHEN I HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.SHE AND I WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER.
BUT IF YOU'RE SAYING PRE K, THEN I BELIEVE YOU MIGHT BE COMPETING WITH DALLAS.
OKAY. IT'S A FULL TIME CHILD CARE FACILITY.
IT'S HER SECOND LOCATION, BUT WE WILL VERIFY THE TOP EDGE OF THAT.
PLEASE DO BECAUSE I'LL HAVE THE CONVERSATION WITH HER PROBABLY EARLY, LATE WEDNESDAY AS WE DO AS I PREPARE EVERY WEEK, BECAUSE I ALSO SHARE INFORMATION VIA A LOCAL RADIO STATION WHEN I GIVE A CITY UPDATE.
SO WE NORMALLY WE'RE ON THAT STATION TOGETHER.
WE'LL GET YOU THAT. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR FOR THAT RECORD.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I WAS ASKED THIS QUESTION AND I'M ASK YOU TODAY AS IT RELATES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AS WE STRUGGLE FOR HIGH LEVEL DEVELOPMENTS.
I NEED FOR YOU ALL TO GIVE ME THE LIST OF, I GUESS, THE NAME OF THE COMPANIES OR THE BROKERS OR THE AGENCIES THAT YOU'RE REACHING OUT TO ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.
STAY. THIS GREAT CITY IS GREAT.
BUT THEY ASKED ME ABOUT INTERNATIONAL BECAUSE I MEAN NATIONAL BECAUSE THEIR POSITION WAS THAT THERE WERE THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER CONTRACTORS OUT HERE, DEVELOPERS WHO COME FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THIS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHO COULD PROBABLY DO THE JOB.
AND SO IF WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS WHAT WE HAVE IN DISTRICT FOUR, SINCE WE CANNOT SEEM TO GET ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COME TO PUT IN A HEALTHY GROCERY STORE IN THE IN THE HEART OF SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT I REPRESENT WHO WANT FRESH FOOD AND AND AND A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE.
THE THE QUESTION WAS, COULD WE HOW ARE YOU ALL REACHING OUT? SO COULD YOU ALL GET THAT TO ME? WHO ARE YOU REACHING OUT TO? AND PERHAPS THAT WILL HELP ME TO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY WE CONTINUE TO BE BEHIND IN IN THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OF WHICH I REPRESENT.
YEAH. SO COULD YOU GIVE US THE LIST? AND THEN THIS PERSON AND I'M TALKING TO IS GOING TO HELP ME LOOK AT THE LIST TO SEE IF WE CAN STRENGTHEN OUR MARKET OUTREACH.
THANK YOU. AND THEN ON REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, I'LL ALSO SAY ANYTIME THE CITY HAS A SITE THAT WE PUT UP FOR DEVELOPMENT, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT TO PULL TOGETHER A LIST OF NATIONAL DEVELOPERS.
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GETTING A PUSHBACK WHEN IT COMES TO ECO AND HOUSING.
AND THEN THEN I TURN AROUND AND CAN'T GET A CATCH.
SO IF I HAVE A LIST OF NAMES, THEN WE CAN PULL IT AND THEN MY PARTNERS AND MY COMMUNITY LEADERS, WE CAN LOOK AT THE LIST AND WE CAN BEGIN TO WORK ALONG WITH YOU TO DO WHAT I CALL THE ECO CHEF, THE ECO HUSTLE TO GET EQUITY AND A BALANCE IN THE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES OF WHICH I REPRESENT IN PARTICULAR.
WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK WITH ANYONE TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF THE CITY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS? NOPE. VERY GOOD. MR. BAZALDUA, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, MR. CHAIR, I JUST. I'LL KEEP IT BRIEF, I WANT TO SAY.
AND THANK YOU TO KEVIN AND ROBIN AND YOUR TEAM.
I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE Y'ALL'S COMMITMENT AND HOW MUCH I'VE ALREADY SEEN COME TO FRUITION IN FOUR YEARS AND HOW MUCH I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A COUPLE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE IN THIS SLIDE AND HOPEFULLY SOME MORE.
WE'RE ON A ROLL WITH GETTING GROCERY STORES TOGETHER AND I'D LIKE FOR US TO CONTINUE THAT MOMENTUM.
BUT I KNOW Y'ALL OFTEN HEAR ABOUT THE TIMES THAT WE ARE NOT SATISFIED, JUST AS AS MOST STAFF DOES. AND I WANT YOU TO TO TAKE A WHOLE HEARTED THANK YOU FROM ME BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED WITH WORKING WITH Y'ALL AND THE RESULTS THAT Y'ALL HAVE DELIVERED FOR OUR CITY SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK Y'ALL.
THANK Y'ALL FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YES, MR. ATKINS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
[01:30:03]
THANK ROBIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.BAD ECHO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU. WE JUST CAN'T SEE YOU.
YOU CAN'T SEE ME. WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO IT'S LOOKING TO SEE IF THEY CAN.
THEY SAID IT'S ON YOUR END, MR. ATKINS. OKAY.
OKAY. PLEASE, CAN YOU SEE? CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? YOU CAN NOW.
I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH, ROBIN, UH, HEATHER.
UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR WORK THAT Y'ALL DOING.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
AND AND JUST TO CLOSE OUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THIS.
WE I DEFINITELY SEE THE COMMITMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN GIVEN A LITTLE BIT MORE FREE REIN ON WHAT TO DO AND A LITTLE BIT NEW DIRECTION AND I'M SEEING YOU ALL GO AFTER PROJECTS IS A LOT MORE EXCITING THAN US SITTING AROUND WAITING FOR PROJECTS TO COME TOWARDS US.
SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT, HUGE CHANGE THAT'S COME ABOUT IN THE DEPARTMENT.
AND AND LIKE MR. BAZALDUA, I DEFINITELY LIKED AND ENJOYED THE HIGHLIGHTS OF PEGASUS PARK AS WELL AS H.
MART, WHICH I JUST SPOKE WITH THE CEO OF H MART AT OUR KICKOFF LAUNCH THE OTHER DAY.
AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET EVERYTHING DONE AND OPEN IN THE NEXT 12 TO 14 MONTHS.
SO THAT'S PRETTY, YOU KNOW, BIG AND FAST FOR AN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE TO HAPPEN SO QUICKLY.
SO HUGE, HUGE WIN THERE FOR US.
AND THEN DEFINITELY WHEN IT COMES TO GROCERY STORES, WEST DALLAS IS NOT IMMUNE.
MY APOLOGIES. IF IF ANYBODY ONLINE MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON MUTE.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS, IF WHEN IT COMES TO GROCERY STORES, I THINK ONE OF THE BIG WINS IS YOU SAW IT IN DISTRICT SEVEN AND MR. BAZALDUA DISTRICT WAS NOT JUST GOING TO THE SAME OLD NAME BRANDS THAT WE KNOW OF AND ARE USED TO, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE OTHER BRANDS THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT SO USED TO THAT I THINK I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS EL RANCHO GROCERY STORE.
AND SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT THAT HELPS.
BUT SOME OF THESE MAY BE INTERNATIONAL GROCERY STORES OR SMALLER MEDIUM SIZED GROCERY STORES THAT WE'RE NOT USED TO IS THE WAY TO GO, ESPECIALLY AS PEOPLE ARE GETTING MORE HOME DELIVERY AND LEARNING TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I USED TO BE A VERY ANTI HOME DELIVERY GROCERY PERSON AND IT JUST TOOK ME YEARS BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND NOW I'M LIKE, OH MY GOSH, I CAN'T QUIT USING THE ONLINE GROCERY DELIVERY.
AND I'M WHAT, SEVEN YEARS BEHIND? SO AS MORE PEOPLE GET CAUGHT UP ON THOSE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, YOU'LL SEE OTHER THINGS.
BUT THEN WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THE REST, ALSO COLLEAGUES THAT ARE NEW, IT'S LIKE EVEN IN THE SIX YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE, WE NOW ARE ABLE TO SET MINIMUM WAGES AND MAKE SURE THAT OUR ECONOMIC INCENTIVES ARE TO THE VALUES OF THE CITY.
THEY'RE NOT HAVING AN ISSUE WITH IT.
AND THEN A FEW DAYS LATER, THEY CHANGED IT FOR THE ENTIRE NATION, FOR THEIR COMPANY, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS LIKE IF DALLAS IS DOING THIS AND PUSHING US, THIS WILL NOT BE THE END OF THIS. SO THEY BIT THE BULLET AND IT'S WORKED FOR THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE ABLE TO AT A NATIONAL LEVEL.
SO SEEING THE NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED OVER THE LAST SINCE 2010 IS HUGE.
CONGRATULATIONS. AND LET'S KEEP STAYING AT THAT NUMBER ONE SPOT, BECAUSE YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THAT ONE PROJECT.
IT'S ABOUT HOW IT'S GOING TO HELP THAT ENTIRE AREA.
AND MY LAST QUESTION, OR MY ONLY QUESTION REALLY IS ABOUT TIFF, IS HOW DO WE START UTILIZING TIFF INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR DEVELOPERS TO COME THAT WE JUST LIKE YOU'RE DOING ON OTHER THINGS, GET THE DEVELOPERS TO COME.
[01:35:01]
BUT AND OR CAN WE START TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THE INFRASTRUCTURE EARLY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT'S PAYING FOR ANYWAY.THAT COULD POSSIBLY HELP SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR AN AREA BECAUSE SOMETIMES THESE MEDIUM OR SMALLER DEVELOPERS, THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE DOLLARS TO PUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN AND THEN WAIT HOWEVER MANY YEARS IN ORDER TO GET PAID BACK FOR THROUGH THE TIFF.
AND I THINK WE'RE TACKLING IT IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
NUMBER ONE, THE COUNCIL APPROVED A NEW INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUND.
SO THAT WAS OUR PROPOSAL TO TAKE EXPIRING TIFF DISTRICTS AND UTILIZING THE WINDFALL, THE NEW TAXABLE VALUE CREATED DURING THE TERM OF THE TIFF DISTRICTS TO GO AND SPEND IT IN AREAS THAT NEED INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE SECOND PART OF MY ANSWER WOULD BE YES.
WE FULLY AGREE THAT WE TRY TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS IN TIFF DISTRICTS WHEN POSSIBLE, THAT IT'S A CHICKEN AND EGG PROBLEM, BECAUSE WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT YOU DON'T HAVE TAX INCREMENT REVENUES TO SPEND ON INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE NEED THE MONEY RIGHT NOW TO PAY THAT CONTRACTOR TO DO THAT SIDEWALK.
AND IN SOME TIFF DISTRICTS WHERE THE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT HAS NOT BEEN SO ROBUST, THEN WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THEN AS WE START TO SEE INCREMENT ACCRUE TO THE TIFF DISTRICT, THEN WE ARE VERY PARTICULAR ABOUT TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE WITH INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT ALSO TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT PRIVATE INVESTMENT.
SO THAT'S HOW I WOULD ANSWER THAT.
EXCELLENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO ALSO SAY IT'S MY TEAM.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE NICE WORDS, BUT THERE'S 39 EXCELLENT PEOPLE THAT WORK IN MY DEPARTMENT AND I SAY ALL THE TIME AND I'M BIASED, BUT I THINK IT'S THE BEST DEPARTMENT IN CITY HALL AND THEY'RE FABULOUS.
SO ALL THE THANKS GOES TO THEM.
SO YOU ALL HEARD IT FROM YOUR BOSS.
THE PARKING MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT THAT WAS APPROVED WAY BACK WHEN SPECIFIES THAT IF THE CITY DECIDES TO START CHARGING FOR PARKING IN OUR 300 FREE PARKING SPACES AT THE FARMERS MARKET, THAT THE COMMITTEE APPROVES THAT DECISION.
JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW UP FRONT, THIS IS NOT GOING TO GO TO COUNCIL.
YOU'LL MAKE A DECISION HERE TODAY.
BRIAN BERGERSON AND THE TEAM ARE HERE FROM THE FARMERS MARKET.
BUT IF I MAY VERY QUICKLY, KEVIN, THE CITY OWNS 300 PARKING SPOTS.
THEY WERE MEANT TO BE FREE, EASY, HIGH TURNOVER, PARKING FOR THE RETAIL AND THE RESTAURANTS.
WHAT THEY'VE TURNED INTO IS PEOPLE PARKING IN THEM LONG TERM WHO LIVE THERE, WHO WORK DOWNTOWN.
AND SO THE PROPOSAL IS TO STILL MAKE THE SPOTS FREE FOR THE FIRST TWO HOURS.
DORSEY CLARK, WHO MANAGES THE FARMERS MARKET TIFF TRANSPORTATION IS HERE WHO'VE WORKED ON THIS.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO GIVE MR. WEST THE FLOOR TO ASK QUESTIONS.
QUICK QUESTION ON WHY DID WHY WAS IT DECIDED FOR THE TWO HOURS OF FREE PARKING AND THEN STARTING TO CHARGE AFTER THAT? LIKE GENERALLY, I MEAN, WHY NOT THREE HOURS? WHY NOT ONE AND A HALF? LIKE, WHERE DID WE COME UP WITH THAT MAGIC NUMBER? THIS IS PROBABLY A QUESTION BEST ANSWERED BY THE MANAGER, THE PRIVATE MANAGER.
BUT THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME FOR A SHORT TERM VISITOR, I'M TOLD, IS 1.3 HOURS.
HOW WHERE DO WE GET THE DATA? HE HAS A HE GETS THE DATA FROM PLACER AI, WHICH TRACKS THE CELL PHONE DATA AND THEY USE GEOFENCING OR THEY KNOW ANYWAY, THERE'S A WHOLE THING ABOUT THE DATA THAT HE SUBSCRIBES TO.
I JUST I WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT WASN'T JUST SOME RANDOM NUMBER CHOSEN OUT OF NOWHERE.
MR. RIDLEY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
SORRY. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR NOW.
[01:40:03]
WHERE WOULD THE REVENUES FROM THIS METERED PARKING GO? I'LL CALL UP TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, BUT EFFECTIVELY IT'S GOING TO GO INTO THE SAME FUND IN WHICH THEY DEPOSIT ALL OF THEIR OTHER PARKING RELATED REVENUES. SO GO INTO THE TIFF FUND.OH, OKAY. SO IT GOES TO THE CITY, NOT THE THIS.
THIS IS SCOTT WALTON, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
NO, NO. ALL THE REVENUES FROM.
WELL, LET ME THE MANAGER GETS THERE'S A REVENUE SHARING FORMULA THAT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT THE CITY'S I THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS, WHERE'S THE CITY SHARE OF REVENUE GO? AND THAT SHARE GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND.
OKAY. SO OTHER THAN THE CITY'S SHARE, THE DEVELOPER GETS TO UTILIZE THAT.
THE MANAGER OF THE GARAGE, HE MANAGES IT ON OUR BEHALF.
OH, THAT'S HOW WE PAY THE MANAGER TO MANAGE IT.
AND TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE'RE PROPOSING.
AND IT'S UP TO A CERTAIN DOLLAR, SOME PERCENTAGE SPLIT.
THERE'S A CHART OF HOW IT'S SPLIT OUT.
SO THE MANAGER REMAINS THE SAME.
IT'LL BE THE SAME MANAGER THAT'S MANAGED THE PARKING STRUCTURE FOR YEARS.
AND ARE THEY INDEPENDENT OF THE DEVELOPER OR WHO? WHO'S THE MANAGER? THE MANAGER IS THE SAME AS THE MASTER DEVELOPER.
OKAY, SO IT IS THE DEVELOPER AND THEY'RE BENEFITING FROM THIS REVENUE FLOW OR WILL IF WE APPROVE IT? YEAH, I MEAN, MOST OF IT'S GOING TO BE REINVESTED BACK INTO WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY SPENDING ON SECURITY AND LIGHTING AND TRASH PICKUP.
BUT CURRENTLY THEY'RE HAVING TO PAY FOR THE COST OF MANAGING THE PROPERTY OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKET.
AND IF THIS WORKS AS INTENDED, THERE SHOULD NOT BE MUCH REVENUE BECAUSE IT WOULD ENCOURAGE THE CONSTANT TURNOVER OF THOSE SPACES, WHICH WOULD BE FREE PARKING FOR THE FIRST TWO HOURS. IT'S JUST MEANT TO DETER PEOPLE, THE RESIDENTS OF THE APARTMENTS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS DOWNTOWN, OTHERS FROM COMING IN AND TAKING THE SPOTS.
SO WHAT WILL THE COST BE TO CONVERT THE FACILITY TO A PAYING BASIS? THAT'S ON SLIDE TEN.
AND WHO PAYS THAT COST? THAT GETS THE MANAGER PAYS FOR THAT COST UP FRONT AND THEN GETS PAID BACK THROUGH THE REVENUE SHARE.
OKAY. SO THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE TO FRONT THAT MONEY.
NO, BUT THE CITY SHARE OF THE REVENUES GO TOWARDS PAYING THAT BACK FIRST.
SO IT'LL BE NINE MONTHS OF PAYBACK BEFORE WE START TO HAVE A NET ACCRUAL OF CITY.
OKAY. I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS? MR. BAZALDUA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
OH, I'LL GET YOU NEXT, MISS ARNOLD.
MR. ARNOLD. SO THE DECISION HAS TO BE MADE TODAY.
THAT IS THERE. IS THERE TIME TO TO DELAY IT, TO ALLOW FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE DISTRICT TO WORK THROUGH SOME CONCERNS? SURE.
ABSOLUTELY. NO, I DON'T THINK THERE'S PARTICULAR URGENCY ON THIS.
THE PROPOSAL WAS BROUGHT TO US A FEW MONTHS AGO.
SAME REGARD. ARE WE ABLE TO? AMEND THE TIME PERIOD THAT WAS BROUGHT ON OR ASK FOR SOME ADDITIONAL DATA.
I UNDERSTAND THE CELL PHONE DATA, BUT THERE'S ALSO THE PARKING METERS.
AND IN THE IN THE MAIN PARKING LOT THAT I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY GET SOME.
PRETTY ACCURATE DATA THAT IS FOR SPECIFICALLY THE RETAIL THAT THIS IS MEANT TO BE A FREE WINDOW FOR.
YOU DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO THERE IN ONE SWOOP? I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE MORE THAN TWO HOURS, AND THAT'S USUALLY THE CASE WHEN MY FAMILY GOES OUT THERE.
[01:45:06]
IN BEING A RESOURCE FOR.I UNDERSTAND THE GOAL AND I AM SUPPORTIVE OF IT.
SO WITH THAT, MR. CHAIR, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO DELAY THIS ACTION TO BE TAKEN UNTIL THE NEXT ECO DEV COMMITTEE MEETING TO ALLOW FOR COUNCIL MEMBER MORENO TO WORK THESE ISSUES OUT WITH STAFF. THANK YOU.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE DELAY TILL THE NEXT MEETING AND DISCUSSION ON THE DELAY? ALL RIGHT. HEARING NO DISCUSSION, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF DELAYING THIS TO THE NEXT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
THE AYES HAVE IT. THIS ITEM IS DELAYED UNTIL THE NEXT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING.
ROBIN, IF YOU'LL BE SURE TO GET WITH ME, AS WELL AS MR. MORENO AND MR. RIDLEY FOR SURE.
BUT DEFINITELY ME AND MR. MORENO SO THAT WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS AND AND THEN OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT HAD QUESTIONS.
COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE ABOUT THREE MINUTES LEFT AND WE HAVE BRIEFING MEMOS FOR ITEMS D, E AND F.
IT WAS GOING TO BECOME A HOTEL, NO LONGER IS GOING TO BECOME A HOTEL.
IT IS THE NUMBER ONE AREA WITHOUT ANY AFFORDABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING.
THE DEVELOPER IS PLANNING TO DO 50%, 55 0% AFFORDABILITY AT 30, 60 AND 80% OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME, AS WELL AS 50% AT FAIR MARKET, WHICH WOULD BE A HUGE VICTORY FOR THIS AREA, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE NEW HOUSING COMING IN.
AND TYPICALLY ON TIFF, THIS TIFF FUNDING, IT REQUIRES 20% AFFORDABILITY AT 80% OF AMI.
SO THIS IS DEFINITELY WAY MORE.
AND THEN IT ALSO ONLY REQUIRES 15 YEARS.
THIS ONE WILL BE 45 YEARS OF GUARANTEED AFFORDABILITY.
SO JUST WANTED TO GIVE MY DEFINITE SUPPORT FOR THIS ITEM.
WE DEFINITELY NEED THIS HOUSING IN THAT AREA.
AND ALL HONESTY, AS MUCH AS I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO SEE THE OLD CABANA HOTEL COME BACK, HOUSING IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO US, ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE DESIGN DISTRICT AS NEW HOUSING IS BEING BUILT UP EVERYWHERE.
UM, IF THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON D, WHICH IS THE ROSEMONT SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROJECT, I DON'T KNOW IF, MR. WEST YOU WANTED TO SAY ANYTHING AND NOBODY ELSE DOES.
AND THEN E IS THE QUARTERLY UPDATE.
ANYTHING THERE? LOOKS LIKE NONE WITH THAT.
AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS IS NOW ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.