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[00:00:01]

I'D LIKE TO CALL

[Charter Review Commission]

THIS, UH, MEETING TO ORDER.

UH, THIS IS THE MEETING OF THE CITY OF DALLAS CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.

IT IS 6:00 PM ON SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023.

WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT, AND THIS MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER.

AND AS YOU ALL KNOW FROM VISITING EARLIER, MY NAME IS ALAN VAUGHT, CHAIRMAN OF THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.

IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS THE CHAIRMAN, AND I WANT TO PERSONALLY WELCOME EACH OF YOU AND, AND TELL YOU.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA DO SOME GOOD THINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION IS A ONCE IN A DECADE OPPORTUNITY, AND IT'S COMPELLED BY CITY CHARTER TO CONSIDER ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE GOVERNING CHARTER OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.

UH, I MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN AGENDA COMING INTO THIS.

I, I'M KIND OF AN OPEN SLATE WHEN IT COMES TO THIS.

I, I REALLY KINDA ONLY HAVE ONE REALLY KEY THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, AND THAT'S FOR US TO ALWAYS TRY TO START ON TIME AND END ON TIME, BECAUSE I THINK THAT REALLY HELPS THE PROCESS AND RESPECTFUL OF PEOPLE'S TIME, NOT JUST THE COMMISSION MEMBERS, BUT THE CITY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE GONNA BE PUTTING IN A LOT OF EXTRA TIME OVER THESE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED IN YOUR PACKET, UH, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU.

AND ALSO A FEW WEEKS BACK, A DRAFT CALENDAR FROM CARRIE ROGERS OFFICE.

SHE'S THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

UH, WE'LL DISCUSS THAT LATER IN TODAY'S MEETING, UNLESS THERE ARE ANY OBJECTIONS.

OUR FIRST OFFICIAL BUSINESS MEETING WILL BE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12TH AT 6:30 PM BACK HERE AT CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

UH, I'M TOLD DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED AT 6:00 PM UH, FOR THE COMMISSION MEMBERS.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN OUR OCTOBER MEETING IS, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU ALL THINK THE CALENDAR SHOULD LOOK, HOW FREQUENTLY WE SHOULD MEET, WHERE WE SHOULD MEET, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, TO, TO MAKE THIS PROCESS AS GOOD AS WE CAN.

UH, BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE THAT FIRST MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 12TH, UNLESS THERE'S ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT.

UH, AND WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MEET, UM, I, I THINK IT'LL BE A GOOD IDEA, BUT AGAIN, I WANNA HEAR FROM Y'ALL TO MEET, UH, A COUPLE OF TIMES EACH MONTH UP THROUGH DECEMBER, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF HAVE AN IDEA ON WHICH WAY WE'RE GOING, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, GET TO IT IN JANUARY, LARRY.

SO, TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME ORIENTATION, UH, UH, PRESENTATIONS, UH, TO HELP US GET GOING.

AND SO WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, UH, CARRIE ROGERS, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN KERRY ROGERS, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

WELCOME TO THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU.

UM, THIS FIRST BRIEFING TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE OVERVIEW ABOUT HOW CITY STAFF IS GONNA BE SUPPORTING THE COMMISSION'S WORK OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

UM, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST OR ASK OF YOU IS, AS WE GET THROUGH THIS BRIEFING, YOU MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BE ANSWERED IN SUBSEQUENT PRESENTATIONS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

UM, BUT THIS WILL BE FOCUSED MOSTLY ON HOUSEKEEPING AND HOW WE'RE GONNA BE SUPPORTING YOU ALL, UM, IN YOUR WORK ON THE CHARTER REVIEW.

UM, SAM, CAN YOU DO THE NEXT SLIDE? UM, SO THESE ARE THE ITEMS WE'RE GONNA COVER, UM, OUR TEAM, OF COURSE, ADMINISTRATIVE WORK, PROPOSED PLANNING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND OUTREACH TIMELINE, AND NEXT STEPS.

UM, I FIRST WANNA INTRODUCE THE CHARTER REVIEW SUPPORT TEAM.

SO, AS THE CHAIRMAN MENTIONED, THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS WILL SERVE AS THE PRIMARY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

SO I'M THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

I HAVE, SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE IS JAKE ANDERSON, WHO'S OUR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER.

UM, SO YOU'LL BE SEEING HEARING A LOT FROM HIM.

UH, LAURA MORRISON AND ANNA HOLMES ARE THE CITY ATTORNEYS WHO WILL BE, UM, REPRESENTING THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ON THIS PARTICULAR WORK.

AND I DO WANNA NOTE THAT ANNA ACTUALLY WORKED ON THE 2014 CHARTER REVIEW.

AND SO IT'S, UM, GREAT TO HAVE THAT RESOURCE WITH ANNA, UH, BILLY RAY JOHNSON, WHO IS THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

ULTIMATELY, WHATEVER THE COMMISSION ADOPTS AND WHAT COMES THROUGH, THE COUNCIL WILL END UP ON THE BALLOT AND ELECTIONS FALL WITHIN THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

SO SHE'S A MEMBER OF THE TEAM.

AND THEN LASTLY, OF COURSE, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE TO ENSURE WE HAVE A ROBUST OUTREACH TO PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDERS.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, SO HERE'S JUST A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF, UM, HOW OUR WORK IS GONNA BE BROKEN UP IN TERMS OF THE SUPPORT THAT THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS WILL BE PROVIDING.

YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE DOING THE MEETING LOGISTICS.

WE RESERVE THE ROOM THAT YOU'RE SITTING IN RIGHT NOW, THE STAFF PUT TOGETHER THE BINDERS THAT ARE IN FRONT OF YOU.

UM, YOUR PARKING DECALS

[00:05:01]

ID BADGES, THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES, MORE SPECIFIC TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.

WE WILL ALSO BE THE THROUGH POINT WHERE WE'LL BE RECEIVING AMENDMENTS, SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS THAT COME IN THROUGH THE EMAIL THAT WE HAD CREATED.

YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE CHARTER REVIEW@DALLAS.GOV.

UM, SO OUR STAFF AND WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WILL BE REVIEWING THOSE AMENDMENTS AS THEY COME IN.

AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE CHAIRMAN WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT PROCESS OF RECEIVING AND VETTING AMENDMENTS.

UM, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WILL PROVIDE, UM, CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF PAR PARLIAMENTARY SUPPORT IN TERMS OF RUNNING THE MEETING, LEGAL REVIEW OF THE AMENDMENTS, DO THEY PASS LEGAL MUSTER, UM, AND THEN ALSO LEGAL COUNSEL RELATING TO THE CHARTER REVIEW ITSELF.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE MET WITH, UH, CHAIRMAN VAUGHT A FEW WEEKS BACK TO BEGIN PREPARING FOR YOUR, UM, APPOINTMENT AND ARRIVAL TODAY AT THIS FIRST ORIENTATION.

AND I'VE HAD SOME PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT THE PLANNING PROCESS MAY LOOK LIKE.

HOW ARE THE AGENDAS SET? UM, HOW WILL THE COMMISSION MEMBERS AND OTHERS BE ENGAGED TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS? AND SO, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO WITH ANY OTHER COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION HERE, WE'LL WORK WITH THE CHAIRMAN ON SETTING THE AGENDA.

THE CHAIRMAN I KNOW HAS, UM, EXPRESSED GREAT INCLUSION AND WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE FEELS THAT THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR THE AGENDA, FOR DISCUSSION, OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

UM, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF AND STAKEHOLDERS WILL EACH RECEIVE A CALL, UM, TO SUBMIT SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS.

THIS HAS PROBABLY BEEN THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION THAT I'VE BEEN ASKED, WHETHER IT'S FROM, UM, PEOPLE INSIDE CITY HALL OR OUTSIDE CITY HALL.

WHAT IS GONNA BE MY OPPORTUNITY TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS? AND I COMPARE IT SIMILAR TO OUR LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, THAT WE'LL DO A CALL FOR SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, FROM OUR SENIOR STAFF AND OTHERS WITHIN THE BUILDING.

AND THEN ALSO TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

ANYONE AT ANY TIME CAN SUBMIT AN AMENDMENT, UM, IF THEY SO CHOOSE.

I THINK THERE'S BEEN A DISCUSSION AGAIN ABOUT HOW THE COMMISSION MEMBERS THEMSELVES WILL SUBMIT AMENDMENTS AND HAVE THOSE VETTED THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO SAY NOW THAT A PUBLIC MEMBER COULDN'T SUBMIT SOMETHING TO CHARTER REVIEW@DALLAS.GOV, UM, AND HAVE THAT, UM, VETTED AND REVIEWED.

UM, THERE WILL BE, UM, A PROCESS THAT WILL BE DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CHAIR AND THE COMMISSION ABOUT HOW THOSE AMENDMENTS WILL BE REVIEWED AND AFFIRMED.

UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, WE'LL BE PARTNERING WITH OUR, UM, I T S OFFICE AND THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE ON, UM, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH, WHICH LEADS ME TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, WE ARE PLANNING AT A FUTURE AGENDA DATE, UM, HAVING A PRESENTATION FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE ON THE BILINGUAL, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH STRATEGY, AND REFLECTING ON WHAT, UM, WAS DONE DURING THE 2014 PROCESS.

AND THEN, UM, AS THE WORLD HAS EVOLVED SINCE 2014, IN TERMS OF VIRTUAL CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESS AND SO ON, WE WILL BE PUTTING TOGETHER A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN THAT IS BILINGUAL, UM, THAT INCLUDES ACCESS AND MATERIALS THAT ARE A D A COMPLIANT.

UM, THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY AT THESE MEETINGS.

WE WILL HAVE TRANSLATION SERVICES OFFERED AT ALL OF OUR PUBLIC MEETINGS.

THE WEBEX LINK THAT IS, UM, THAT PEOPLE ARE WATCHING ONLINE THROUGH NOW, HAS A MULTI-LANGUAGE ACCESS CAPABILITY AS WELL.

AND JUST WITH ANY OF OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS, PERSONS PLANNING TO ATTEND IN PERSON CAN LET US KNOW IF THERE'S A SPECIAL ACCESSIBILITY OR ACCOMMODATION THAT THEY NEED, AND WE'LL, UH, MAKE PLANS FOR THEM TO ACCOMMODATE THEM.

UM, ALL MEETINGS, INCLUDING OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE AS THIS ONE IS RIGHT NOW AND WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR RESIDENT VIEWING LATER.

NEXT SLIDE, SAM.

THANK YOU.

THESE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES, UM, COVER HIGH LEVEL LEGAL DEADLINES, AND AS ALWAYS, I WILL WELCOME THE CITY ATTORNEYS TO GRADE MY PAPER.

UM, BUT JUST SO YOU HAVE A SCHEDULE IN FRONT OF YOU OF WHAT ARE THOSE DEADLINES THAT YOU AS A COMMISSION HAVE TO HIT IN ORDER TO GET YOUR FINAL REPORT IN TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL TO THEN TAKE ACTION AND IF SO, NECESSARY TO CALL AN ELECTION FOR THESE CHARTER REVIEW AMENDMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE PUBLIC IN NOVEMBER OF 2024.

NEXT SLIDE, WHICH I THINK SHOULD BE THE BUDGET.

UM, HERE'S OUR BUDGET, PLAIN AND SIMPLE, JUST, UH, FOR TRANSPARENCY'S SAKE, WE HAVE ALLOCATED IN THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS BUDGET $25,000, AND THAT WILL BE FOR PRINT MATERIAL SUPPORTING YOUR BEING HERE.

AS THE CHAIRMAN MENTIONED, THE MEETINGS RIGHT NOW ARE SCHEDULED TO BE AT SIX 30, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THERE

[00:10:01]

ARE, UM, UH, FOOD AND NUTRITION FOR YOU AT SIX O'CLOCK SINCE YOU'LL BE GIVING UP YOUR EVENING HOURS A COUPLE OF TIMES, TIMES A MONTH, AND YOUR SERVICE TO THE COMMISSION.

UM, AND SO THAT IS, UH, WHAT WILL BE COVERED IN OUR BUDGET.

THE NEXT STEPS ARE TO RECEIVE COMMISSION FEEDBACK, AND AS THE CHAIRMAN NOTED RIGHT NOW, THE NEXT OFFICIAL BUSINESS SCHEDULED MEETING IS PLANNED FOR OCTOBER 12TH AT SIX 30.

AGAIN, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO EAT, PLEASE ARRIVE AT SIX.

UM, AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH TO STAKEHOLDERS AS WE RECEIVE FEEDBACK AND, UM, ACTION FROM THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION.

SO WITH THAT, I'M PLEASED TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, CHAIRMAN OR MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

HI, KERRY.

HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, THANK YOU.

UH, CLARIFICATION ON ONE THING, ON PROPOSED PLANNING, SLIDE FIVE, C R C MEMBERS MAY REQUEST ITEMS BE ADDED, THE AGENDA BY THE CHAIR.

UM, FROM AN AMENDMENT STANDPOINT, WE HOLD OFF ON ANYTHING THAT WE WOULD WANNA PROPOSE AMENDMENT WISE UNTIL SIGNIFICANTLY LATER IN THE, IN THE CALENDAR, CORRECT.

OR IF WE WANT TO PROPOSE AMENDMENTS TO BE DISCUSSED ON AN AGENDA NEXT MONTH, CAN WE SUBMIT THAT? I MIGHT DEFER TO THE CHAIR.

I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING OF HOW THOSE AMENDMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED AND REVIEWED FROM THE MEMBERS TO THE CHAIR.

DO YOU WANNA WEIGH IN OR INVITE THE ATTORNEYS? UH, SURE.

I, WITH THE, I GUESS THE FIRST PART OF IT, I'M OPEN TO, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANNA START TALKING ABOUT SUBSTANTIVE THINGS NEXT MEETING ON OCTOBER 12TH.

I'M THINK THAT'S GREAT.

TOTALLY OPEN TO IT.

AS FAR AS SUBMITTING PROPOSED, UH, AMENDMENTS, WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING LIKE, LIKE AN EMAIL OR WEBSITE WHERE PEOPLE COULD SUBMIT 'EM.

I, I'M JUST AFRAID IF I GET THEM, I, MAYBE I DON'T, YOU KNOW, GET THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO BE WHEN THEY NEED TO BE.

I DON'T WANNA MISS ANYTHING, SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE A CENTRAL LOCATION WE GO THROUGH, UH, THROUGH THE CITY FOR THOSE TO BE SUBMITTED SO I DON'T DROP THE BALL ON SOMETHING.

THE ONLY CLARIFICATION I'D ASK ON THAT IS WHERE THAT TO BE THE CASE THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY SUBMIT AMENDMENTS EVEN AT THE NEXT MEETING, THOUGH I WILL SAY I HAVE NO INTENTION ON DOING THAT.

UM, MY QUESTION THEN IS, IS THERE A TIMELINE FOR THOSE TO BE SUBMITTED? BECAUSE I WOULD ASSUME FROM A PUBLIC, UH, AGENDA STANDPOINT, THAT'S GOTTA BE POSTED, I WOULD IMAGINE 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE, TO THE AGENDA BEING DEBATED.

UM, YES.

IF YOU LOOK AT SLIDE SEVEN, AND THIS IS A PROPOSED TIMELINE, UM, FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COMMISSION, WHAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT INTERNALLY AND, AND LOOKING AT WHAT WORKED AND DIDN'T WORK DURING THE 2014 PROCESS WAS HAVING, YOU KNOW, DOING THE CALL FOR SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS FROM THE UNIVERSE THAT'S OUT THERE, INCLUSIVE OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS, AND HAVING THOSE AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED BY DECEMBER.

WE PICKED DECEMBER 15TH.

UM, SO HAVING THOSE AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS, YOU COULD CALL ME AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY TAKE IT DOWN HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE, UM, TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS.

BUT THOSE WOULD COME TO US BY DECEMBER 15TH.

AND THEN LOOKING AT WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY DID IN 2014, AND, AND ANNA AND LAURA CAN PULL ME BACK IF THEY WANT.

THIS MIGHT BE IN THEIR BRIEFING.

UM, BUT WHAT THEY DID IN 2014 WAS THEY SET A DEADLINE TO RECEIVE AMENDMENTS, AND THEN THOSE WERE PARSED OUT BY POLICY, TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL.

AND SO THEN IN THE MEETINGS THAT THEY BEGAN IN JANUARY, THEY SAID, JANUARY, WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP POLICY AMENDMENTS.

FEBRUARY, WE'RE GONNA TAKE UP TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

AND SO THAT WAY THE COMMISSION MEMBERS, THE PUBLIC COULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY.

YOU KNOW, I DON'T CARE ABOUT TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS, SO I'M NOT GONNA ATTEND THE FEBRUARY MEETINGS OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

UM, AND SO THE SHORT VERSION IS WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS WHOEVER SUBMITS AMENDMENTS THAT THOSE COME IN BY DECEMBER 15TH, AND THEN THEY BEGIN TO BE REVIEWED IN EARNEST, IF YOU WILL, AND, AND PARSED OUT BY COMMITTEE, UH, COMMISSION AGENDA BEGINNING IN THE JANUARY MEETINGS.

BUT CERTAINLY THE CHAIR AND THE COMMISSION CAN CHOOSE TO BRING THAT FORWARD SOONER IF YOU START RECEIVING THEM NOW, YOU COULD CERTAINLY BEGIN TAKING UP AMENDMENTS AS YOU CHOOSE.

OKAY.

THAT'S, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL.

I JUST HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION, AND THAT QUESTION IS AROUND, I, I REVIEWED THE WEBSITE, THE PUBLIC FACING WEBSITE AT THE MOMENT.

I ALSO THEN REVIEWED THE CHARTER ITSELF AND TOOK A LOOK AT AMENDMENTS FROM THE 2014 MM-HMM.

COMMISSION.

BUT WHAT I CAN'T TELL IS WHAT DID THE CHARTER LOOK LIKE PRIOR TO THE AMENDMENTS BY THE 2014 COMMISSION? AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE MAY BE A WAY TO GET THAT AT SOME POINT, JUST TO REVIEW WHAT WOULD'VE CHANGED 10 YEARS AGO.

I JUST COULDN'T FIND IT ON THE WEBSITE.

MAYBE I MISSED THAT.

SO AT SOME POINT IT MAY BE I, I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT, BUT UM, I MAY BE THE ONLY ONE.

YES, SIR.

WE CAN, WE CAN GET THAT.

UM, THE ATTORNEYS ARE NODDING YES.

OKAY.

THAT CONCLUDES MY

[00:15:01]

QUESTIONS, MR. CHAIR.

THANK YOU, SIR.

THANK YOU.

UH, MEMBERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, UH, FROM MR. ROGERS, MR. CHAIR? YES.

SO IS THERE A PARTICULAR FORMAT OR FORMS FOR SUBMITTING THE AMENDMENTS THAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO USE? YES, WE ARE GONNA PREPARE, UM, A TEMPLATE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID WITH REDISTRICTING LAST YEAR, SO YOU KNOW, WHAT INFORMATION WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

UM, BUT YES, WE WILL HAVE THAT PREPARED AND HAD DISCUSSED THAT RECENTLY.

WE'LL PROVIDE THAT TO THE COMMISSION.

AND IS THERE SOMEBODY TO HELP AID PEOPLE THAT HAVE A PARTICULAR AMENDMENT THAT THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO WORD IT? UM, SO THAT, I MEAN, IS HOW, WHERE DO WE POINT PEOPLE TO FOR THAT? OR, OR IS THAT OUR JOB TO HELP NAVIGATE SOME OF THOSE TRANSLATIONS? I'M LOOKING AT THE ATTORNEYS AND I I THINK THAT, UM, THAT THEY WOULD BE THERE TO OFFER COUNSEL AND DIRECTION AGAIN, I THINK OF WHAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS AND HELPING MAKE SURE THAT IT'S GERMANE AND WITHIN BOUNDS AND, UM, WOULD BE CONSISTENT.

SO, YEAH.

OKAY.

SO I THINK THE ATTORNEYS, BUT THEY CAN NOD THEIR HEAD AT ME IF, IF THAT'S INCORRECT.

I SEE THEM NODDING.

AND SO, BUT WOULD THAT MEAN THEN THAT IF SOMEONE COMES TO US AND SAYS, HEY, I WANT TO CHANGE X, THEN WE SAY, OKAY, NOW TALK TO LAURA OR WHOEVER TO PUT THAT IN THE RIGHT FORMAT.

YES, SIR.

I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.

I WHAT I WOULD ANTICIPATE IF SOMEONE CAME TO YOU THAT YOU WOULD SAY, GET WITH CARRIE OR HER OFFICE AND SHE'LL SET SOMETHING UP AND WE WILL GET WITH THE C UM, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND COORDINATE THAT JUST SO WE HAVE THAT THROUGHPUT, WHICH IS WHY WE CREATED THE CHARTER REVIEW EMAIL THAT WE ALL HAVE ACCESS TO SO WE CAN ALL SEE IT, UM, AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

MR. MADANO, DID YOU, DID YOU HAVE A NO, I WAS JUST, I WAS JUST ASKING IF THERE WAS GONNA BE, 'CAUSE I KNOW ALL OF US ARE VOLUNTEERS AND WE HAVE BUSY LIVES.

IF THERE'S GONNA BE A, UM, VIRTUAL OPTION IF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING ALL THE MEETINGS.

YES, SIR.

THERE IS A VIRTUAL OPTION.

IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE WEBEX PLATFORM, UM, THAT WE USE FOR OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS, THAT'S ALSO AVAILABLE FOR THESE MEETINGS AS WELL.

YES, SIR.

UH, HOW WILL THE EMAIL THAT COMES INTO CHARTER REVIEW@DALLAS.GOV BE DISSEMINATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS? WILL IT BE FORWARDED TO ALL 15 MEMBERS? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

UM, WHAT I WOULD ENVISION IS THAT WE WOULD BEGIN TO AGGREGATE THOSE AMENDMENTS AND HAVE THEM VETTED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BEFORE, UM, BEFORE WE WOULD FORWARD THEM IN SOME CAPACITY TO THE COMMISSION MEMBERS.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE SUBMITTED AN AMENDMENT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, BANISHED THE CITY OF DALLAS, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANNA SPEND TOO MUCH ENERGY ON THAT.

UM, BUT I WOULD IMAGINE IT WOULD GO THROUGH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S, PRO CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THEN WE WOULD PROVIDE THAT, UM, IN BULK, DEPENDING UPON HOW VOLUMINOUS IT IS, THE AMENDMENTS THAT WE RECEIVE PROVIDE THAT TO THE COMMISSION MEMBERS.

BUT I THINK TOO, AND THE CHAIRMAN CAN CORRECT ME, THAT, THAT IT SPEAKS TO ALSO HOW YOU'RE GONNA BE TAKING UP THE AMENDMENTS AS A COMMISSION.

ARE YOU GOING TO START TAKING THEM UP IN JANUARY OR ARE YOU GONNA BEGIN TAKING THEM UP AT NEXT MONTH'S MEETING? UM, I THINK THOSE ARE THE STILL OUTSTANDING ITEMS THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH PROCESS WISE, UM, MEMBERS.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, MS. ROGERS? UM, HEARING NONE.

THANK YOU.

THAT WAS GREAT.

ALRIGHT, THE NEXT BRIEFING ITEM, UH, I BELIEVE IS WE'RE GONNA HAVE BARON ALLIES, UH, CHIEF INTEGRITY OFFICER WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

THERE WE GO.

GOOD EVENING.

OKAY.

I AM BARON ELIASON.

I'M THE CHIEF IN, UH, INTEGRITY OFFICER.

I REPORT TO BART BEAVERS, WHO IS OUR INSPECTOR GENERAL.

BART IS SITTING RIGHT THERE, AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU WITH ALL THINGS ETHICS.

SO I HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA APPLY TO YOU AS YOU EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY WITH THE CHARTER.

SO LET'S GET STARTED.

UH, FIRST THING IS THE RESOLUTION THAT ESTABLISHED YOU HAS SAID THAT YOU'RE NOT, UH, UH, IF YOU LOOK OFF ON THE SLIDE HERE, YOU'RE NOT A BOARD AS DEFINED BY CHAPTER EIGHT OF THE DALLAS CITY CODE, BUT YOU ARE CONSIDERED CITY OFFICIALS FOR CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CODE.

SO I'VE GOT THE CODE

[00:20:01]

OF ETHICS RIGHT HERE.

IT'S GOT 11 ARTICLES IN IT, AND THERE'S ALL KINDS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST PROVISIONS.

BUT THESE THAT ARE LISTED IN THIS POWERPOINT ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT APPLY TO YOU FOR THE PURPOSES OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE.

WE'RE GONNA WALK THROUGH THOSE, UH, ONE BY ONE.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO, DEFINITIONS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE LEGAL WORLD, UH, THE BRICK AND MORTAR FOR LAWYERS OF WORDS.

SO IN 12 A, THERE ARE A LOT OF DEFINITIONS.

AND WHAT I'VE DONE FOR YOU HERE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE IS I'VE PROVIDED THOSE DEFINITIONS.

SO WHEN YOU NEED THEM, THEY'LL BE THERE FOR YOU.

BUT YOU CAN ALSO FIND THEM IN 12 A I'M NOT GONNA READ 'EM TO YOU TONIGHT, BUT LET'S JUST SEE.

BENEFIT BUSINESS ENTITY.

NEXT SLIDE.

CONFIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION, PERSONAL BENEFIT, NEXT SLIDE.

AND RELATIVE.

THOSE ARE SOME DEFINITIONS THAT YOU WANT TO BE FAMILIAR WITH WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THE CODE OF ETHICS.

OKAY, NEXT SLIDE.

STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR 12 A FOUR.

I DON'T THINK YOU WOULD BE HERE IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TO DO THIS.

THIS IS ALL ABOUT CIVILITY.

THIS IS ABOUT TREATING PEOPLE WITH RESPECT, WHETHER IT'S ONE ANOTHER.

IT'S ABOUT FOLLOWING, UH, ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, OBSERVING DECORUM FOR MEETINGS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

YOU TAKE NO ACTION THAT COULD PERSONALLY BENEFIT YOU, UH, AS AN OFFICIAL CITY OFFICIAL OR EMPLOYEE.

AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

AND THESE ARE THE PARTS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH WHAT I WAS INITIALLY TALKING ABOUT, JUST BEING COURTEOUS WITH ONE ANOTHER.

UH, AND I JUST CAN'T EMPHASIZE THAT ENOUGH AS A CITIZEN OF, UH, DALLAS AS WELL.

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT AND SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WATCHING, UH, YOU AND ALL OF US THAT SERVE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND JUST LOOKING FOR SOME CIVILITY.

THAT'S WHY 12 A FOUR IS THERE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

OTHER PERSONS, THIS IS IN SECTION 12 A SEVEN.

SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS YOU CAN'T USE SOMEBODY ELSE TO VIOLATE THE CODE.

SO YOU CAN USE YOUR IMAGINATION AND ANY WAY THAT ANYBODY COULD FIGURE OUT TO TALK THEM INTO IT OR TO DO IT FOR THEM IN SOME WAY, IT'S JUST ALL OFF THE TABLE.

SIMPLE AS THAT.

YOU CAN'T USE SOMEBODY ELSE TO VIOLATE THE CODE FOR YOU.

NEXT SLIDE.

PERSONAL BENEFIT TO OTHERS.

THIS IS IN SECTION 12, A 13.

AND THIS IS WHERE THOSE DEFINITIONS COME INTO PLAY.

'CAUSE THERE'S A SPECIAL DEFINITION FOR PERSONAL BENEFIT IN THERE.

AND LET ME READ THIS TO YOU STRAIGHT OFF THE SLIDE.

YOU MUST NOT TAKE OR REFRAIN FROM TAKING OFFICIAL ACTION THAT YOU KNOW IS GONNA RESULT IN A PERSONAL BENEFIT TO A RELATIVE OR A PERSON WHOM YOU HAVE A FINANCIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH.

AND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS, UH, THEY CAN'T RECEIVE A BENEFIT OF ANY KIND, UH, KNOWING THAT BECAUSE THAT PERSON RECEIVED IT, YOU ARE GOING TO ACT IN YOUR OFFICIAL POSITION IN A CERTAIN WAY.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY, NEXT SLIDE.

PERSONAL BENEFIT TO OTHERS HAS SOME EXCEPTIONS, AND THEY'RE LISTED THERE FOR YOU.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT DO NOT APPLY WHEN YOU'RE CONSIDERING 12 A 13, AND I LEAVE THEM THERE FOR YOU TO READ, BUT IT'S THINGS LIKE SALARIES, CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS, ET CETERA.

NEXT SLIDE.

THIS IS NEW.

THIS IS NEWLY ADDED TO THE CODE, SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST IN BUSINESS ENTITY.

IT'S 12 A 13.1.

AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS IF YOU HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST IN AN ENTITY, A BUSINESS ENTITY, OR IN PROPERTY, AND I'LL SHOW YOU THE DEFINITIONS FOR THAT IN A MINUTE.

UH, YOU HAVE TO ABSTAIN OR RECUSE YOURSELF FROM PARTICIPATION IN THAT MATTER, AND YOU HAVE TO DO IT IF IT'S A BUSINESS ENTITY.

AND YOU LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE THERE, IF THE ACTION WILL HAVE A SPECIAL ECONOMIC BENEFIT ON THE BUSINESS ENTITY, THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS GONNA GET.

SO IF YOU'RE MAKING A DECISION ABOUT SOMETHING AND YOU OWN THE BUSINESS, AND IT'S GONNA HAVE A SPECIAL BENEFIT TO WHAT YOU OWN, YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT IF IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL ENTITY, WHICH WE'LL GET TO IN A MINUTE.

SAME THING WITH REAL PROPERTY.

THE LANGUAGE IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT IT'S IF IT'S REASONABLY FORESEEABLE.

SO IF YOU OWN SOME PROPERTY AND IT'S REASONABLY FORESEEABLE, THEN AN ACTION YOU'RE TAKING ON THE MATTER IS GONNA HAVE A SPECIFIC ECONOMIC EFFECT ON THE VALUE OF THAT PROPERTY THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE EFFECT ON THE PUBLIC THAN YOU NEED TO BACK OUT OF THAT.

AND THE WORD FOR THAT WILL BE RECUSAL.

THE NEXT SLIDE IS GONNA TALK ABOUT WHAT THOSE, UM, SUBSTANTIAL BUSINESS ENTITIES LOOK LIKE WHEN IT'S A BUSINESS VERSUS WHEN IT'S PROPERTY.

AND YOU'LL SEE THERE, THERE'S SOME, UH, BRIGHT LINE RULES OF IF YOU OWN 10% OR MORE OF THE VOTING STOCK OR SHARES, OR EITHER YOU OWN 10% OR MORE, OR 15,000 OF FAIR MARKET VALUE, OR THE REVENUE THAT YOU GET EXCEEDS 10% OF YOUR, UH, GROSS INCOME FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

[00:25:01]

IF YOU HAVE ANY BUSINESS ENTITIES IN A PORTFOLIO AND THEY MEET THOSE CRITERIA, THEN YOU HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL BUSINESS ENTITY.

SAME THING FOR PROPERTY.

UH, THE BRIGHT LINE THERE IS A FAIR MARKET VALUE OF $2,500 OR MORE.

SO IF YOU HAVE THAT, YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL.

SO WHAT IS RECUSAL? RECUSAL IS SIMPLY RAISING YOUR HAND AND SAYING, I'VE GOT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST AND I NEED TO NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS BECAUSE IT'S A CONFLICT AND IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR BOTH OF THOSE REASONS.

SO HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT.

FROM THE TIME THAT YOU RECOGNIZE THAT YOU'VE GOT A CONFLICT, YOU RAISE YOUR HAND, YOU RAISE YOUR HAND BY GETTING A FORM FROM THE CITY SECRETARY, AND YOU FILL IT OUT AND YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE CONFLICT IS AND YOU FILE IT.

IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

AND THEN YOU DON'T PARTICIPATE, DISCUSS, OR VOTE ON THAT MATTER ANYMORE.

NEXT SLIDE.

WE'RE GETTING TO THE END CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.

YOU FIND EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT IN 12 A 17.

YOU HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, UH, AND A LOT OF IT, IF NOT ALL OF IT WILL BE PUBLIC, BUT WHEN YOU GET ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT IS NOT PUBLIC, YOU CAN'T DISCLOSE IT, IT'S CONFIDENTIAL.

UH, SO FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU GO INTO A CLOSED MEETING, YOU CAN'T COME OUT AND TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CLOSED MEETING, THAT KIND OF THING.

YOU CAN'T USE THE ACCESS THAT YOU HAVE TO INFORMATION FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE OFFICIAL DUTIES THAT YOU HAVE.

SO YOU, YOU MAY HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET SOME INFORMATION THAT MIGHT BENEFIT YOU IN SOME PERSONAL WAY, BUT YOU CAN'T, CAN'T USE THAT ACCESS FOR THAT.

UH, SO THAT'S BASICALLY ON CONFIDENTIALITY.

NEXT SLIDE.

WHAT IF YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? OKAY, SO HERE ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS.

YOU THINK THERE MIGHT BE A CONFLICT, UM, BUT YOU'RE NOT SURE.

HOW ARE YOU GONNA HANDLE THAT? WELL REFER TO THIS RESOURCE FIRST.

THAT'S A STARTER.

GIVE YOU AN ORIENTATION TO THE CODE OF ETHICS.

WE ALSO HAVE A, A PLAIN LANGUAGE GUIDE, BUT REALLY WHAT YOU NEED IS THIS POWERPOINT BECAUSE IT'S SHOWING YOU THE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT DO APPLY.

SO YOU READ OVER THOSE AND THEN ASK FOR AN ADVISORY OPINION.

THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I GET TO DO FOR THE CITY.

AND HERE'S, HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.

IF THERE'S SOME FUTURE ISSUE, SOME FUTURE CONFLICT THAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT, UH, THERE'S, UH, AN EMAIL ADDRESS.

I'VE GOT IT ON THERE.

YOU WRITE ME AN EMAIL, YOU TELL ME ALL THE FACTS THAT I NEED TO KNOW, AND I'LL WRITE YOU A LEGAL OPINION.

THEN YOU CAN TAKE THAT, UH, LEGAL OPINION TO THE BANK.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF IT DOES TURN OUT TO BE A VIOLATION, THAT'S ON ME.

IT'S NOT ON YOU.

SO AN ADVISORY OPINION IS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR YOU.

IT'S FREE.

SO I JUST OFFER IT UP TO YOU.

THE, UH, EMAIL ADDRESS YOU'LL NEED IS RIGHT THERE.

SO LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THE ADVICE AND YOU TOLD US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW, YOU'LL BE GOOD.

NEXT SLIDE.

OKAY, THAT'S IT FOR MY PRESENTATION.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MEMBERS? ANY QUESTIONS? YES.

WHEN DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES, ARE WE, UM, SUPPOSED TO USE THE.GOV EMAIL THAT WE'RE GONNA GET? OR CAN WE USE OUR PERSONAL EMAIL? OR DOES IT MATTER IN ORDER? SAY, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SAY, UH, AN ADVISORY OPINION? YOU WANT ONE OF THOSE OR NO? ANY, ANYTHING REGARDING THIS COMMISSION? I'M PRETTY SURE FOR PURPOSES OF PUBLIC INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO USE THE.GOV.

BUT I'M GONNA DEFER TO LAURA.

I WILL, I CAN TELL YOU THIS WHILE SHE'S GETTING HER MICROPHONE ON.

IF YOU MIX UP WHAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, HERE BETWEEN DALLAS.GOV AND YOUR OWN PERSONAL EMAIL AND THERE IS A PUBLIC INFORMATION ACCESS REQUEST, SOMEBODY'S GONNA GET TO BE DIGGING THROUGH YOUR PERSONAL STUFF.

AND SO THIS IS MY WORK COMPUTER.

I DON'T MIX IT.

SO MY PERSONAL ADVICE IS DON'T DO THAT.

LAUREN.

YEAH, IT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.

THAT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE ADDRESSED IN OUR VERY NEXT PRESENTATION ON PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO BRADY, UM, HE'LL BE, HE'LL BE TALKING A LOT ABOUT THAT.

OKAY, GOOD QUESTION.

ALL RIGHT, I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS.

I THINK IT'S GREAT.

I'M GONNA PASS IT ALONG.

UH, IT WAS A GUY WORKED FOR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

HE SAID, YOU JUST GOTTA KEEP IT FROM THE MUS BETWEEN THE MUSTARD AND THE MAYONNAISE.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT? YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? THE YELLOW LINE AND THE WHITE LINE ON THE ROAD.

JUST KEEP IT BETWEEN THE MUSTARD AND THE MAYONNAISE AND YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE FINE.

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

THANK YOU.

YEAH.

AND, AND MEMBERS ON THAT, THAT QUESTION, THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD QUESTION ON THE EMAIL, I, YOU KNOW, FORTUNATELY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE CITY PROVIDED EMAIL ADDRESSES, AND I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO USE 'EM FOR EVERYTHING RELATED TO, UH, THIS COMMISSION INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU, YOU DON'T WANT YOUR, UH, PERSONAL EMAIL OR YOUR GMAIL OR YOUR WORK EMAIL ALL OF A SUDDEN BECOME AN OPEN, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT TO OPEN RECORDS AND OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS.

[00:30:01]

SO PLEASE DO THAT.

SAVE YOURSELF SOME, SOME PAIN.

UM, ALRIGHT, SO NEXT UP ON THE AGENDA, WE HAVE, UH, BRADY FLANNERY, A ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY, UH, WHO'S GONNA TALK TO US ABOUT THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT.

HELLO? HELLO.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

GOOD EVENING.

UM, OKAY, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? EVERYTHING'S GOOD.

OKAY.

SO JUST AS BARON ALLUDED TO, I'M GONNA BE DISCUSSING THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT.

SO, UM, TO BEGIN, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THIS.

THIS IS CURRENTLY BEING BROADCAST.

IT'S GONNA BE RECORDED.

YOU CAN WATCH IT AT A LATER TIME, LATER DATE.

YOU'RE ALL GETTING GOVERNMENT EMAILS.

SO IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT, EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO IS PUBLIC.

EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO IS TO BE SEEN BY THE PUBLIC.

'CAUSE THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.

SO WE'RE TRANSPARENT.

SO, UM, THIS IS WHAT IS PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO THE WAY I LIKE TO DESCRIBE IT IS IT'S ANYTHING THAT YOU TOUCH.

UM, AND SO IF YOU'RE TAKING NOTES, YOU'RE CREATING INFORMATION.

IF YOU SEND AN EMAIL ON ABOUT CITY BUSINESS, ABOUT ANYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE, UM, COMMISSION, YOU'RE CREATING PUBLIC INFORMATION.

NOW, ALLUDING TO A QUESTION WE HAD EARLIER, WHAT IF YOU SEND IT FROM YOUR GMAIL? WELL, IF YOU'RE DISCUSSING CITY BUSINESS, YOU'RE STILL CREATING PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO, UM, I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT OF THAT AS WE GO ON.

BUT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I JUST SAID.

IT'S ANY MATTER OVER WHICH A GOVERNMENTAL BODY HAS AUTHORITY, ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES, OR ADVISORY DUTIES.

SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

APPLICABILITY OF THE P I A.

SO THAT'S WHAT I HANDLE WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS.

SO WHEN SOMEONE SAYS, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ALL EMAILS SENT BY THIS INDIVIDUAL FOR THESE DATES, THEY SUBMIT THAT TO US AND WE RELEASE THAT INFORMATION.

AND IF THERE'S A REASON TO WITHHOLD, WE MAY ARGUE THAT, BUT IN THIS CASE, IN THIS SCENARIO, EVERYTHING YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING IS GONNA BE PUBLIC.

IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

SO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU'RE USING YOUR GOVERNMENT EMAIL, AS YOU'RE USING THE EMAIL THAT'S PROVIDED TO YOU.

ONLY DISCUSS THINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO COME OUT, UM, IN A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, THIS, UM, IS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS AND HOW WE, WHAT WE EXPECT WHEN WE RECEIVE THEM.

AND I HAVE BEEN INFORMED, I BELIEVE YOU DO HAVE A COPY OF THIS PRESENTATION IN YOUR, UM, BINDER.

SO YOU CAN REFER TO THIS LATER, UM, IF YOU WANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

AND YOU WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO DO A TRAINING WITH THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, AND IT WILL GIVE YOU A MUCH MORE IN DEPTH, UM, EXPLANATION OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION NEXT.

SO I'M JUST HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IT APPLIES TO YOU.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, ALREADY TOUCHED ON THIS, PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE SUBJECT TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT IF YOU'RE DISCUSSING OFFICIAL BUSINESS.

SO, UM, THERE'S A, AN EXAMPLE OF AN ELECTED OFFICER OR APPOINTED OFFICER FORWARDING THEIR EMAIL, SO THEIR PERSONAL EMAIL, SO THEY CAN READ THEM LATER WHEN THEY GET HOME, OR THEY WANT TO HAVE THEM ALL IN ONE EMAIL, UM, INBOX.

WELL, THAT'S STILL PUBLIC INFORMATION ON YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS.

SO KEEP THINGS ON, LIKE BARHAM SAID EARLIER.

KEEP THINGS ON YOUR GOVERNMENT EMAIL.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, HOW DOES THAT APPLY TO CELL PHONES? WELL, IF SAME AS PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESSES, IF YOU'RE DISCUSSING PER, UH, CITY BUSINESS ON YOUR CELL PHONES, IF YOU'RE TEXTING ANOTHER, UH, MEMBER, THAT IS A PUBLIC INFO, THAT IS A DOCUMENT THAT IS, UM, CONSIDERED TO BE PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO SPIRIT, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT THE SPIRIT OF THIS, IS TO KEEP THINGS IN YOUR EMAIL AND REALIZE THAT THEY ARE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS.

UM, AND LATER WE'LL BE DISCUSSING, UM, QUORUM AND QUORUM ISSUES AND HOW THAT CAN CREATE ISSUES WITH YOUR EMAIL AS WELL.

SO, UM, WE'LL TOUCH ON THAT IN A BIT.

BUT, UM, FORWARDING EMAILS, THAT SORT OF THING, KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

CALENDARS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS APPLIES, UM, BUT IF YOU DO HAVE, LIKE WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, A CALENDAR WHERE YOU BLOCK SCHEDULE, YOU SAY, I WILL BE AT THIS MEETING AT THIS TIME.

DON'T PUT THAT YOU HAVE YOUR MOM'S DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT OR SOMETHING IN THERE BECAUSE THAT'S SUBJECT TO PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST.

UM, SO IF THAT APPLIES IN THIS SITUATION, KEEP THAT IN MIND.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, YOU HAVE A COPY OF THIS AND YOU'LL BE DOING A PRESENT, UH, WATCHING THE PRESENTATION ONLINE SO YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EXCEPTIONS TO RELEASE, BUT THAT MOST LIKELY WON'T APPLY IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

NEXT SLIDE.

UH, THESE

[00:35:01]

ARE SOME EXEMPTIONS, UH, EXCEPTIONS TO RELEASE.

UM, SAME AS WHAT I PREVIOUSLY SAID APPLIES THESE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, SOME INFORMATION IS SUPER PUBLIC AND THAT WOULD BE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE CREATING, THE WHAT YOU'RE EMAILING, THAT SORT OF THING WOULD BE SUPER PUBLIC.

UM, AGENDAS THE RECORDING OF THIS SUPER PUBLIC INFORMATION.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THIS IS THE OVERVIEW OF THE OPEN RECORDS PROCESS.

YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW THIS, THIS IS JUST AN EXPLANATION OF HOW IT WORKS.

UM, AND THIS IS ALSO IN YOUR TRAINING THAT YOU'LL BE DOING, AND YOU HAVE THIS SLIDE IN YOUR BINDER.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, SAME APPLIES TO THIS ONE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT, PROVIDING, DISTRIBUTING OR MISUSING CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION UP TO A SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AND OR A THOUSAND DOLLARS FINE.

SO DON'T DELETE EMAILS.

UM, IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING'S CONFIDENTIAL THAT YOU'RE RECEIVING, DON'T, UM, PROVIDE THAT TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT OR SHOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT.

UM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE LAST ONE, DESTROYING, REMOVING OR ALTERING GOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION.

SO YOU CREATING GOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION, YOU'RE CREATING PUBLIC INFORMATION.

SO IF YOU DELETE IT COULD BE SOME REPERCUSSIONS WITH THAT.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THIS IS OUR FINAL SLIDE FROM MY PRESENTATION.

AND, UM, THIS IS ABOUT YOUR INFORMATION, SO YOUR HOME ADDRESS, YOUR HOME TELEPHONE, SO ON AND SO FORTH.

BECAUSE YOU ARE APPOINTED OFFICIALS, THAT INFORMATION IS PRESUMED TO BE PUBLIC.

HOWEVER, YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO ELECT TO KEEP THAT, THAT, THAT INFORMATION CONFIDENTIAL.

AND I BELIEVE, UM, YOU WILL BE, UH, ABLE TO ELECT THAT, UM, SOON, IF NOT ALREADY, PROBABLY TONIGHT.

UM, AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? MEMBERS ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T HEAR ANY.

THANK YOU, UH, FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

THAT WAS REALLY GOOD.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OKAY, NEXT UP WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, LAURA MORRISON, ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY, TALK TO US ABOUT THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

GOOD EVENING.

UM, AS THE CHAIR SAID, I'M LAURA MORRISON AND I'VE GOT ANNA HOLMES WITH ME HERE.

AND WE'RE BOTH GONNA GO OVER THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

I KNOW THAT A NUMBER OF YOU PROBABLY KNOW THIS ACT IN AND OUT, SO WE'RE NOT GONNA SPEND A WHOLE LOT OF TIME.

BUT I JUST ALSO WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE SINCE ANNA AND I ARE GONNA BE YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE LONG RUN FOR THIS WHOLE JOURNEY.

UM, JUST A MINUTE TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES.

UM, I'VE, I WORK IN THE GENERAL COUNSEL DIVISION OF THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

I'M THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE MUNICIPAL REGULATORY SECTION, AND I'VE BEEN WITH THE OFFICE FOR ALMOST 15 YEARS.

IT'LL BE 15 YEARS, UM, AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

UM, SO I'VE DONE, UM, A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECTS, BIG AND SMALL, UM, A LOT OF ZONING CODE AMENDMENTS.

I'VE WORKED WITH MANY OF OUR CITY'S BOARD AND COMMISSIONS, UM, THE CITY PLAN COMMISSION, THE ETHICS ADVISORY COMMISSION, THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD, THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, LANDMARK COMMISSION, SO MANY OF THEM.

UM, SO I'M, OH, AND LAST YEAR I DID REDISTRICTING, SO I WAS LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.

SO THAT WAS ALSO QUITE THE JOURNEY.

UM, AND I'LL HAVE ANNA, JUST BEFORE WE GET STARTED ON OUR PRESENTATION, INTRODUCE HERSELF.

MY NAME IS ANNA LAMBERTY HOLMES, AND I'M WITH THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS WELL.

I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY SINCE 2006.

I'M SERVING MOST OF THAT TIME ACTUALLY IN THE GOVERNMENT, UM, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS OFFICE THAT CARRIES IN NOW.

AND I JOINED THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN 2017, TOOK A BRIEF STINT IN MUNICIPAL REGULATORY WHERE LAURA WORKS AND ALSO, UM, WAS GENERAL COUNSEL TO SEVERAL OF THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

AND NOW I'M WORKING IN THE GOVERNMENT SERVICES AREA, WHICH IS CONTRACTS.

SO IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU.

SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND DIVE INTO TOMA, WHICH IS THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

UM, SO THE STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT OUR BOARD AND COMMISSION MEMBERS DO A COUPLE OF TRAININGS, UM, AS BRADY JUST DISCUSSED.

UH, FIRST IS THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT TRAINING, AND THERE'S A LINK FOR YOU HERE IN THE SLIDESHOW.

AND THEN YOU'LL ALSO WANNA DO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT TRAINING, AND WE HAVE A LINK THERE AS WELL.

SO YOU'LL PROBABLY WANNA GET THAT DONE, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT, UM, PROBABLY 30 TO 60 DAYS JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.

AND THEN I THINK AT THE END OF THE TRAINING, YOU GET A CERTIFICATE THAT THEN GOES TO THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

IF ANYONE HAS ANY TROUBLE, UH, COMPLETING THOSE TRAININGS, PLEASE REACH OUT.

I'M GONNA BE PASSING OUT MY BUSINESS CARD.

[00:40:01]

UM, MY BUSINESS CARD DOESN'T HAVE MY CELL PHONE NUMBER ON THE FRONT, BUT I'VE WRITTEN IT ON THE BACK, UH, FOR EVERYONE.

SO, SO YEAH, DON'T HESITATE.

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH THOSE TRAININGS, JUST, UH, GIMME A CALL.

UH, SO THE GENERAL RULE IS THAT EVERY REGULAR SPECIAL, UM, REGULAR OR SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OR SESSION OF A GOVERNMENTAL BODY, UH, MUST BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

UM, THIS IS A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT, UM, FOR ANYTHING THAT DOES NOT MEET A VERY SPECIFIC EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE.

UM, UM, THE DEFINITION OF MEETING IN THE ACT IS EXTREMELY BROAD.

UM, SO IT'S JUST WHEN A QUORUM OF A BODY GETS TOGETHER, WHERE PUBLIC BUSINESS OF THAT GOVERNMENTAL BODY, UM, IS DELIBERATING OR DISCUSSING.

UM, AND SO DELIBERATE AND DISCUSS, UM, IS ALSO VERY BROAD.

AND THAT'S JUST A VERBAL EXCHANGE.

THAT INCLUDES RECEIVING INFORMATION, GIVING INFORMATION, ASKING QUESTIONS, RECEIVING QUESTIONS FROM A THIRD PARTY.

AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE STAFF OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UM, OR DEBATE AMONG THE BODY ON GOVERNMENT, UH, ON GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.

UM, SO LIKE I SAID, A MEETING IS A DELIBERATION OR DISCUSSION.

UM, IT'S A VERBAL EXCHANGE, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES WRITTEN MATERIALS INCLUDING EMAIL, UM, AND ALSO A QUORUM NEED NOT BE ESTABLISHED IN REAL TIME.

AND I'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH EMAIL, UM, AND REPLYING TO ALL BECAUSE IF YOU REPLY TO ALL, AND THERE'S A QUORUM OF THE BODY IN THAT EMAIL, YOU COULD START A DELIBERATION OF THE QUORUM, WHICH AS DEFINED IN THE ACT.

THEN NOW YOU HAVE A MEETING THAT HASN'T BEEN POSTED AS REQUIRED, UH, BY THE ACT.

UM, SO WHEN I SAID, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A QUORUM IN REAL TIME, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

AND, UM, IT'S A WALKING QUORUM AND A WALKING QUORUM.

UM, TO, I GUESS KEEP IT SIMPLE IS IF MAYBE A COUPLE OF YOU ARE DISCUSSING A TOPIC THAT WOULD COME BEFORE THIS BODY, AND THEN ONE OF YOU GOES AND TALKS TO SOMEONE ELSE, AND ONE OF YOU GOES AND TALKS TO SOMEONE ELSE AND THEN SOMEONE ELSE, AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, UM, MORE THAN HALF OF YOU HAVE TAKEN PART IN THAT DISCUSSION.

UH, YOU DON'T ALL HAVE TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM.

YOU DON'T ALL HAVE TO BE DISCUSSING IT AT THE SAME TIME.

UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS BY WALKING WHERE A FEW OF YOU AT A TIME KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE SAME TOPIC.

AND NOW YOU'VE BASICALLY HAD A DISCUSSION IN A NONPOSTED MEETING.

SO JUST BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WALKING QUORUMS AGAIN.

GIVE ME A CALL IF YOU HAVE, UM, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

A WALKING QUORUM COULD INCLUDE, UM, SECRET DELIBERATIONS.

A WALKING QUORUM COULD ALSO BE CONDUCTED VIA EMAIL, UM, VOTING OVER THE TELEPHONE AND DELIBERATING THROUGH A SERIES OF CLOSED MEETINGS OF MEMBERS OF LESS THAN A QUORUM, BUT THEN EQUAL A QUORUM.

SO I'LL PASS IT OFF TO ANNA.

NOW.

SHE'S GONNA TALK ABOUT TOMAS, UH, NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.

THE NOTICE REQUIREMENTS OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

I'M ARE PROBABLY GONNA BE FAMILIAR TO MANY OF YOU.

THE MOST IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT, AND THE ONE THAT WE ADHERE TO IS THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE POSTED 72 HOURS PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING.

SO AS CARRIE SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER, THE MATERIALS WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE.

THAT WILL ALWAYS BE, IF THEY'RE PREPARED IN ADVANCE OF A MEETING, THAT WILL ALWAYS BE POSTED 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO GIVE YOU NOTICE, BUT ALSO TO GIVE THE PUBLIC NOTICE.

AND, UM, IMPORTANTLY, THE LAST LINE IS THE STANDARD THAT THE NOTICE MUST BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO GIVE, TO INFORM THE PUBLIC OF THE SUBJECT MATTER TO BE ADDRESSED DURING THE MEETING.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR, OUR AGENDA CAN'T JUST SAY MEETING TO DISCUSS THE CHARTER, IT NEEDS TO BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DISCUSSING, PARTICULARLY AS YOU ALL DELVE INTO SORT OF ISSUE SPECIFIC AMENDMENTS, WE'LL BE GROUPING THEM IN A WAY THAT A PERSON THAT MIGHT HAVE AN INTEREST IN A PARTICULAR TOPIC WOULD KNOW THAT THAT'S THE MEETING THAT THEY WANNA TUNE INTO OR PERHAPS EVEN REGISTER TO SPEAK ON THOSE ITEMS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BOTH IMPORTANT TO THE CITY FOR TRANSPARENCY AND FOR INCLUSION, BUT ALSO REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

DURING COVID, I THINK WE ALL GOT PRETTY GOOD AT VIDEO CONFERENCING OR NOT SO GOOD, AS THE CASE MAY BE.

I JUST LEARNED TO SHARE MY SCREEN.

I'M QUITE PLEASED ABOUT THAT.

AT ANY RATE, UM, VIDEO CONFERENCE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR US AS, UM, DURING ALL OF OUR PUBLIC MEETINGS.

AND SO AS CARRIE MENTIONED, AGAIN, WE HAVE A WEBEX.

IT'S GOT

[00:45:01]

LANGUAGE CAPACITY.

IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO COME TO CITY HALL.

AND, UM, THE, BUT THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS IF YOU'RE GOING TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, YOU NEED TO HAVE BOTH AN AUDIO AND A VISUAL FEED.

IT'S REQUIRED THAT YOU BE VISUALLY SEEN BY THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY AND BY THE PUBLIC WHO'S WATCHING ONLINE.

AND IF YOU LOSE EITHER THAT AUDIO OR THAT VISUAL FEED, THEN YOU ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ABSENT FROM THE MEETING.

AND THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN WITH THIS GROUP, BUT WITH SOME OF OUR SMALLER PANELS AND BOARDS, IF YOU LOSE THAT ONE GUY WHO'S IN HIS CAR AND HE LOSES THE VIDEO FEED, YOU MAY HAVE LOST YOUR QUORUM AND YOU HAVE TO STOP AND GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO GET BACK ON IN ORDER TO HAVE A QUORUM TO CONTINUE THE DELIBERATIONS.

SO IT'S THE SAME FOR THE PUBLIC.

SO IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA WANNA PARTICIPATE THROUGH A VIDEO CONFERENCE, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND TOO, THAT IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE AND SPEAK AT THE MEETING, THAT THEY ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE SEEN AS WELL AS HEARD.

UM, I WILL ADD, JUST TO JUMP IN, SORRY ANNA.

UM, YOU KNOW, ANNA MENTIONED IF YOU LOSE YOUR VIDEO OR YOUR AUDIO FEED, THEN YOU'RE COUNTED AS ABSENT DURING THAT TIME.

UH, THAT'S NOT TO SAY YOU CAN'T MUTE YOURSELF.

UH, PLEASE DO THAT IF YOU'RE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.

UM, YEAH, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT MUTE BUTTON.

UM, AND THEN JUST UNMUTE YOURSELF WHEN YOU, WHEN, WHEN IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO TALK.

YES.

UM, ADDITIONALLY THERE TOMA GOES THROUGH SOME MORE SPECIFIC RULES THAT, UM, THAT REALLY WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR AS YOUR PARLIAMENTARIANS TO HELP ENSURE THAT OUR, OUR COMMISSION FOLLOWS THEM.

SO YOU CAN'T ADJOURN AND CONVENE AGAIN IN THE SAME DAY.

YOU CAN TAKE A RECESS OF YOUR MEETING, BUT YOU CAN'T ADJOURN A SECOND MEETING IN THE SAME DAY.

THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY ALWAYS VOTES IN PUBLIC.

AND WE'LL GET INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT WHEN WE GO INTO THE CLOSED SESSION DISCUSSION, BUT ALL OF YOUR VOTE VOTES WILL BE MADE IN PUBLIC.

IT WILL BE MADE ON THE RECORD.

IF THERE'S AN ITEM THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS AND IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA FOR THAT MEETING, YOU CAN REQUEST THAT IT BE INCLUDED IN THE NEXT MEETING'S AGENDA, BUT IT WON'T BE ELIGIBLE FOR DISCUSSION IF IT'S NOT PROPERLY POSTED.

SO IT WOULD JUST, THE REQUEST COULD BE MADE, NO DELIBERATION WOULD BE TAKEN AT THAT TIME.

WE'D PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR A FUTURE MEETING.

AND THEN LASTLY, THE LAST BULLET ABOUT RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS OR ENGAGING WITH OPEN MIC SPEAKERS REALLY GETS TO A BROADER ISSUE, WHICH IS THAT OPEN, UM, SPEAKERS ARE ALLOWED TO SPEAK.

PUB, PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UM, ARE ALLOWED TO SPEAK.

AND IT IS BEFORE OR DURING THE CONSIDERATION OF THE ITEM.

UM, RECENTLY, I THINK IT WAS 2019, THE LEGISLATURE MADE THAT CHANGE BECAUSE THEY FOUND THAT IN SOME INSTANCES, BODY GOVERNING BODIES WERE TAKING VOTES, AND THEN THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS CAME AFTERWARDS.

AND SO THE VOTE HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN ON THE ITEM THAT THEY REALLY WANTED TO WEIGH IN ON.

SO YOU'LL NOTE THAT ONCE YOU ALL START TO DISCUSS AMENDMENTS, AND WE HAVE SPECIFIC SUBJECTS ON OUR AGENDA, THAT THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS.

SOME, MANY TIMES THEY'LL BE SPEAKING ABOUT A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM.

SOMETIMES, LIKE AT CITY COUNCIL, WE JUST HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONE TO COME AND SPEAK ABOUT ANYTHING THAT'S ON THEIR MIND.

AND AGAIN, THAT'S THEIR TIME.

THAT'S NOT TIME FOR THE COMMISSION TO ENGAGE WITH THAT SPEAKER.

IT'S TIME FOR THAT SPEAKER TO PRESENT THEIR ITEM.

AND IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL WANNA TAKE OUT FOR A DELIBERATION AT A FUTURE MEETING, THEN YOU WOULD REQUEST THAT TO BE PUT IN ON THE AGENDA, BUT NOT DELIBERATE OR ENGAGE WITH THAT SPEAKER.

AND I THINK THAT'S PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IF YOU ALL DECIDE THAT YOU WANNA HAVE A TOWN HALL KIND OF FORUM WHERE YOU'RE JUST RECEIVING INFORMATION FROM FOLKS TO REMEMBER, AGAIN, THAT THAT'S THEIR THREE MINUTES OR WHATEVER LIMITATION YOU WANNA PUT ON THAT YOU CAN ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION, BUT YOU WOULD NOT BE ENGAGING WITH THEM.

YOU WOULD SIMPLY BE RECEIVING THAT INFORMATION FROM THOSE SPEAKERS.

UM, CLOSED SESSION, I'M SORRY, NEXT SLIDE, SAMANTHA.

CLOSED SESSION OR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

I DON'T SEE THAT AS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE USING WITH THIS COMMISSION AS WE REALLY WANT ALL OF THIS DELIBERATION AND DISCUSSION TO BE IN THE PUBLIC FORUM.

BUT SHOULD WE NEED A CLOSED SESSION ON SOMETHING, IT WOULD HAVE TO FIT INTO ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT.

SO YOU NEED TO DELIBERATE WITH YOUR ATTORNEY, OR IF YOU WERE CONSIDERING SOME KIND OF REAL ESTATE DEAL, WHICH THIS BODY OBVIOUSLY ISN'T GONNA DO, THERE ARE LIMITED EXCEPTIONS TO, TO THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND ACTUALLY THEY'RE PRINTED ON THE BACK OF THE AGENDA.

SO IF YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT ALL OF THEM, THEY'RE AVAILABLE TO YOU.

AND OF COURSE, THE MEETING IS CONVENED IN OPEN SEC SESSION.

YOU GO INTO CLOSED SESSION AND ANNOUNCE IT, YOU COME BACK OUT AND ANY VOTE THAT YOU TAKE ON THAT MATTER IS TAKEN IN THE OPEN FORUM.

SO THERE'S NO VOTING DURING A CLOSED SESSION.

AGAIN, WITH THE CLOSED SESSION, THE PARTICIPANTS ARE VERY LIMITED.

IT'S THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY, YOUR ATTORNEY, IF YOU NEED TO CON UH, TO DELIBERATE WITH THE ATTORNEY OR RECEIVE INFORMATION.

AND THEN THERE MAY BE A SUBJECT MATTER

[00:50:01]

EXPERT THAT WOULD JOIN THE GROUP IN A CLOSED SESSION, BUT IT, BUT WE ARE VERY SPECIFICALLY LIMITED TO JUST THE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE THERE BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT IS TO KEEP THAT INFORMATION WITH JUST THE GOVERNING BODY.

UM, LASTLY, THERE'S RECORD KEEPING.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS THAT, UM, THAT THIS WILL ALL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE MINUTES WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE.

THERE'S A VIDEOTAPE THAT PEOPLE CAN WATCH AT THEIR LEISURE.

WE'RE OB WE'RE BEING RECORDED RIGHT NOW.

AND THAT IS PART OF OUR REQUIREMENTS THROUGH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THOSE DOCUMENTS IN A WAY THAT, THAT, UM, MAKES SENSE TO SOMEONE IF THEY WANNA LOOK AT THEM AFTER THE FACT.

SO THEY WILL ALWAYS RECORD WHO'S AT THE MEETING, THEY WILL RECORD WHAT THINGS WERE DISCUSSED, AND, UM, AND DEFINITELY RECORD ANY KIND OF VOTE OR DETERMINATION OR DECISION THAT YOU ALL MAKE AS PART OF THAT MEETING.

THANK YOU.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

UH, THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE, THE PRESENTATION.

UH, JUST A A QUICK POINT, UM, AS WE GO TO TOWN HALLS OR AS WE SPEAK WITH THE PUBLIC, I THINK IT'S, IT CAN ALWAYS BE FRUSTRATING TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHEN THEY MAKE A STATEMENT AND WHEN THEY MAKE A PLEA OR WHEN THEY GIVE A COMMENT, UM, TO NOT GET A RESPONSE FROM THE BODY.

SO I, I WOULD ASK YOU OR, OR THE CHAIR, WHEN WE DO TOWN HALLS, WHEN WE DO GET QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, LET'S MAKE THE POINT THAT BECAUSE OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO RESPOND AT THIS TIME.

BUT WE CAN DO, DO THAT IN A, A FUTURE MEETING AND RESPOND IN SOME WAY JUST TO ENSURE THAT, THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WE'RE LISTENING, BUT WE CAN'T RESPOND BECAUSE OF CERTAIN RULES.

RIGHT.

THAT'S A GOOD POINT.

THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE WOULD PROBABLY ADD TO THE CHAIR'S SCRIPT AS HE OPENS THE MEETING TO PUT THE PUBLIC ON NOTICE THAT IT'S A LISTENING SESSION FOR, UH, FOR THE MEMBERS TO HEAR FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

UM, BUT DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, THE BODY CAN'T DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS ANYTHING THAT THE PUBLIC IS BRINGING TO YOU THAT DAY.

BUT BASED ON WHAT THEY HEAR, UM, AT THAT LISTENING SESSION, YOU CAN TAKE THEIR IDEAS AND PUT IT ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION.

YEAH.

UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN.

UM, UH, AND GOOD PRESENTATION, BUT I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED.

WHO CAN WE TALK TO? CAN WE TALK TO EACH OTHER? UH, CAN WE TALK TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBER? THAT'S WHAT I WANT.

UH, HOW, HOW DOES, HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO THERE'S NO, UM, RESTRICTION IN THE CHARTER, UM, THAT PROHIBITS YOU FROM SPEAKING WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER THE WAY THAT THERE WAS FOR THE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION.

UM, CHAPTER 12 A DOES, UM, HAVE A PROVISION IN THERE THAT SAYS YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER SHOULDN'T, UM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, STRONG ARM YOU AND DEV VOTING A CERTAIN WAY.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT YOU TO BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL AND, AND, AND, AND FULFILL YOUR ROLE HERE.

UM, AS COMMISSIONERS, UM, YOU CAN TALK TO EACH OTHER.

JUST BE VERY CAREFUL THAT IF YOU DO, IT'S MAYBE ONLY 2, 1, 2 OR THREE PEOPLE.

DON'T TALK TO MAYBE THREE PEOPLE OVER HERE AND THEN FOUR PEOPLE OVER HERE.

YOU'RE GETTING CL CLOSE TO A QUORUM ISSUE.

UM, BUT YES, YOU CAN CERTAINLY TALK TO EACH OTHER, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE THAT MOST DISCUSSION, UM, DOES HAPPEN DURING, UM, THE PUBLIC MEETING SO THAT THE, THE PUBLIC CAN LISTEN IN.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS THE CORRECT TIME TO, TO POSE THIS QUESTION, BUT I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON SOMETHING MIGUEL ASKED EARLIER, AND IT'S MORE ABOUT, UM, THE PROCESS FOR THE MEETINGS AND DURING THE MEETINGS.

UM, I I, I WANNA BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR MEETINGS WILL ENTAIL.

OUR FIR ESPECIALLY OUR FIRST FEW MEETINGS WHEN WE'RE JUST KIND OF GETTING OUR LEGS UNDER US.

WILL WE BE GOING THROUGH THE CHARTER AND ACTIVELY DISCUSSING DIFFERENT PROVISIONS, OR WILL THERE ALREADY BE PROPOSALS BEFORE US, UM, SUGGESTIONS BEFORE US, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE SPECIFIC CHARTER? OR SHOULD WE BRING OUR OWN, UH, NEXT WEEK? SHOULD WE PLAN TO BRING OUR, OUR OWN SUGGESTIONS DONE? YEAH, THAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, I GUESS AFTER WE'RE DONE WITH ROBERT RULES COMING UP.

AND, AND, UH, MS. ROGERS IS GONNA VISIT WITH US, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA VISIT WITH, UH, WITH ALL OF YOU ABOUT HOW, 'CAUSE THE QUESTION WAS GREAT EARLIER ON, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE SUBMIT, YOU KNOW, PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW COLLECTIVELY WE THINK THAT SHOULD BE DONE.

UH, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A FEW IDEAS ON, ON THINGS THAT MIGHT WORK, MIGHT NOT WORK, UH, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, HERE IN A FEW MINUTES.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, WHEN IT COME DOWN TO THE

[00:55:01]

OPEN RECORDS, UH, THE INFORMATION I'M ASKING, LIKE THAT LADY OVER THERE ASKED, UH, WHEN YOU TALK TO YOUR CITY COUNCIL THAT APPOINTED YOU, ARE YOU JUST LIMITED TO TALKING TO THEM OR CAN YOU TALK TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT MIGHT ENGAGE IN THE CONVERSATION WITH YOU ABOUT SOMETHING ON THE COMMISSION? UM, THE CHARTER DOES NOT HAVE A PROHIBITION AGAINST YOU SPEAKING WITH ANY COUNCIL MEMBER.

IT DOESN'T HAVE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIMIT, UM, COMMENTS TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO NOMINATED YOU.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

THIS IS JUST LOGISTICS, BUT WHEN WE DO THE, THE TRAININGS FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, WHO IN THE CITY, UH, SECRETARY'S OFFICE DO WE SEND THAT TO? UM, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION FOR, I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AND WHEN YOU LOG IN, IT'LL SEND IT TO BILLY WRIGHT IN THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

RIGHT? YEAH.

WE JUST GOT CONFIRMATION, UH, FROM SOME EXPERTS BACK HERE THAT THAT'LL HAPPEN.

ONCE YOU DO IT, IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY GET SENT WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO.

UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY, DID, WERE Y'ALL GONNA DO ROBERT'S RULES? BUR VANDENBERG IS GONNA DO ROBERT'S RULES.

OKAY.

OH WOW.

HE'S GOT A LOT OF BOOKS.

OKAY.

SO AM I SHARING? YEAH, I'M TRYING TO GET IN AND SHARE RIGHT NOW.

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME BECAUSE I WANNA RUN MY OWN POWERPOINT.

OH, SORRY.

.

REALLY? I AM, I'M BERT VANDENBERG.

I'M IN THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

UM, I AM THE INTERIM CHIEF OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL DIVISION.

UM, I'M JUST AS HAPPY JUST BEING AN ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY, AND I AM ACTUALLY STALLING FOR TIME WHILE THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE HANDS OUT YOUR, UM, YOUR PUBLIC ACCESS INFORMATION AND SOME OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR OPEN GOVERNMENT TRAINING.

AND HOPEFULLY I CAN SHARE MY POWERPOINT ANY SECOND NOW IT'S NOT LETTING ME .

ALL RIGHT.

I THINK I'M GONNA HAVE TO HAVE YOU DO IT.

NOT UNLESS, 'CAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO WAIT FOR THIS.

THAT BEING SAID, I'M GONNA BE JUST AS SURPRISED BY AS Y'ALL WILL BE BY THE SCREEN SINCE I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME.

SO, PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS NO WAY I'M GONNA TEACH YOU GUYS PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE IN 20 SLIDES IN FIVE MINUTES, UM, AT SEVEN O'CLOCK ON A ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

I DO WANT TO TELL YOU THAT PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE, I DO IT A LOT.

I'VE WORKED WITH ALMOST ALL THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN THE CITY.

UM, I HAVE BOOKS LIKE ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, NEWLY REVISED IN BRIEF.

I HAVE ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER SIMPLIFIED AND APPLIED, UH, AT A GLANCE IDIOTS GUIDE AND FOR DUMMIES.

THERE IS NO SHAME IN MY GAME WHEN I HAVE THESE, IT'S HOW I UNDERSTAND IT.

BUT IF YOU WANNA KNOW ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, THE ONE YOU ACTUALLY NEED IS ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER.

THIS IS THE 12TH EDITION.