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ALL RIGHT, WE ARE WELL WELCOME.
[Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Affairs on September 28, 2023.]
TODAY IS SEPTEMBER 28TH.IT'S 10 24, AND WE'RE GONNA BEGIN THE MEETING OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.
OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF THE AUGUST 30TH MINUTES.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOVE APPROVAL.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND.
UM, ANY CHANGES? CORRECTIONS, HEARING NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
OUR FIRST BRIEFING ITEM, ITEM IS CONSIDERATION OF OUR STATE LOBBYIST CONTRACTS, AND WE HAVE CLIFFORD SPARKS HERE TO PRESENT.
THANK YOU, MS. CHAIRMAN AND, AND MEMBERS.
TODAY'S, UH, PRESENTATION IS JUST AS YOU STATED, AS A REVIEW OF THE STATE LOBBY CONTRACTS.
I KNOW THAT THE BUDGET ITEM WAS ALREADY APPROVED, SO WE'RE GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
SO, JUST TO SUMMARIZE, UM, THE, UH, THE PURPOSE OF THE LOBBY TEAM IS TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, WHICH THEY'VE BEEN DOING, UH, THIS CURRENT SETUP OF THE LOBBY TEAM OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS.
UM, THE REQUESTED INCREASE IS 139,000 OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, AND THE, UH, IT'S A FOUR MEMBER TEAM.
THREE MEMBERS, UH, WORK CLOSELY WITH ME.
THE OTHER ONE WORKS WITH, UH, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES.
UH, IT IS PROBABLY THE NEWEST PERSON TO THE TEAM, BUT IT'S BEEN VERY USEFUL.
AND WITH WATER BEING A MAJOR ISSUE, UM, ON THE AGENDA FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF SESSIONS, WE FEEL THAT THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA KICK UP IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO WE'RE REALLY GONNA BE WORKING, UH, WORKING HIM PRETTY HARD.
UH, THE REQUESTED INCREASE WITH MCDO, UH, FOURTH OUT OF THE FIVE MAJOR CITIES AS FAR AS LOBBYING BUDGETS, SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GOING CRAZY OVER THAT.
UM, SINCE 1995, THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE TEAM HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER $213 MILLION THAT THEY BROUGHT BACK TO THE CITY, WHICH ON AVERAGE IS ABOUT $7.6 MILLION EACH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH REALLY ISN'T BAD.
SOME OF THE FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE $20 MILLION FOR THE REGIONAL LAW TRAINING, UH, FACILITY, 16 MILLION FOR THE HEALTHY COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVES, 14 MILLION FOR THE BRIDGE, HOMELESS SHELTER, AND 10 MILLION FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAMMING, UH, WHICH INCLUDES HOMELESS HOUSING SERVICES AND HOMELESS YOUTH, AND GENERAL FUNDING FOR HOMELESS PROGRAMS. SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UH, THAT KIND OF GIVES A QUICK SUMMARY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, HERE TO ANSWER MEMBERS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS CON COULD YOU TELL US IF THERE'S BEEN ANY CHANGE OF TERMS TO THE CONTRACT? YES.
INSTEAD OF DOING SINGLE YEARS, WE'VE CHANGED IT, UH, TWO YEARS.
UM, THAT WAY WE COULD, UH, WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BRING IT TO YOU OVER AND OVER IN THE OFF YEARS.
SO, SO THAT'S BEEN THE ONLY CHANGE.
AND THANK YOU FOR INCORPORATING THAT FEEDBACK THAT WE PREVIOUSLY GAVE.
UM, ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR THIS QUESTIONS? NO.
LET'S MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS CONSIDERATION OF THE FEDERAL LOBBYIST CONTRACTS.
AND TO PRESENT IS CARRIE ROGERS, OUR DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
UH, CHAIRWOMAN LILLIAN MALDEN, OUR FEDERAL RELATIONS MANAGER, IS GONNA COME FORWARD AND, UM, PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THESE SLIDES.
LILLIAN MALDEN, SENIOR COORDINATOR, OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
UM, I WILL BE BRIEF AS I USUALLY DO, IF WE COULD GET THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, SO AS YOU KNOW, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS RETAIN LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT THROUGH THEIR HIRED CONSULTANTS.
UM, SO HERE IS THE INFORMATION ON RALPH GARIN AND DEBORAH WITH CAPITAL EDGE.
THEY'VE REPRESENTED THE CITY SINCE 1998.
CURRENTLY, UM, THEIR CONTRACT IS FOR $160,000 A YEAR, BUT, UM, THEY HAVE A PROPOSED INCREASE OF $8,000, BRINGING THAT TO ONE 68,000 A YEAR, UM, FOR A TWO YEAR CONTRACT.
UM, THEN THE LAST INCREASE WAS IN 2008.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, THORN RUN PARTNERS, L L C, PAUL SCHLESINGER, JIM DAVENPORT, GREG BURNS.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY SINCE 2000.
THEIR CURRENT CONTRACTS ARE ONE YEAR AND $74,000 A YEAR.
UM, AND WE'RE PROPOSING AN INCREASE, UH, TO $85,000 A YEAR, AGAIN, FOR THE TWO YEAR CONTRACT.
UM, AND THEIR LAST INCREASE WAS ALSO, MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN YOU SPEAK ME NOW? WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
AND YOUR CAMERA'S ON, SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING GREAT.
UM, SO, UH, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE, CARRIE CAN HELP AS WELL.
UM, BUT WE ARE, UM, ASKING FOR, FOR COMMITTEE ACTION AND DECISION TO HOPEFULLY ADVANCE TO CITY COUNCIL.
UM, AND THAT ACTION WILL BE ON OCTOBER 11TH.
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GREAT.UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FEDERAL LOBBYIST CONTRACTS? AND WAS THERE ANY CHANGE TO THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT? THERE WAS AN ADDITION MADE, UM, FOR EXPENSES, UM, TO KIND OF HAVE A, KIND OF A BLANKET APPROVAL OF THOSE UPFRONT.
UM, AND I FAILED TO DO THIS ON THE STATE LOBBYIST CONTRACT, SO I WANT TO GO BACK TO THIS QUESTION AS WELL, BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECOMMEND TO THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE THIS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION STATE? WELL, LET'S START WITH FEDERAL.
SO WE'LL GO BACK TO STATE, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE OR TO MOVE THE FEDERAL LOBBYIST CONTRACT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL WITH APPROVAL.
SO THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
SEE HOW FAST WE'RE RUNNING THROUGH THIS.
SO NOW, IF YOU DON'T MIND IF WE GO BACK TO A, AND CONSIDER THAT FOR THE STATE, IF THERE'S A MOTION TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
UH, MADAM CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO MOVE THE STATE LEGISLATIVE, I'M SORRY.
STATE LEGISLATIVE, UH, LOBBYIST CONTRACT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.
SO THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND TO MOVE THIS WITH OUR, UH, RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNSEL.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? NOPE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
UH, THAT'S AGAIN, UH, UNANIMOUS.
OKAY, WELL, WE ARE MOVING RIGHT THROUGH.
UM, ITEM NUMBER C IS CONSIDERATION OF A PROPOSED TIMELINE FOR ADOPTION OF STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.
AND AGAIN, HERE'S CARRIE ROGERS.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, IN OUR PRIOR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE BRIEFINGS A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT A SCHEDULE MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR CITY COUNCIL, FOR THE COMMITTEE AND CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER AND ADOPT THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES.
AND SO WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE YOU, IF YOU WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, SLIDE THREE, WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU IS, UM, A GENERAL TIMELINE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR FEEDBACK TODAY FROM THE, FROM THE COMMITTEE.
UM, CERTAINLY WE'RE HERE IN THE INTERIM, AND WE ALWAYS SAY THOSE, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE IN THE THICK OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
THE INTERIM IS WHERE A BULK OF THE WORK HAPPENS, UM, WHERE CLIFFORD AND THE TEAM ARE, UM, DOING OUTREACH WITH, UM, OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, CERTAINLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS WELL, THAT MEETS, UM, EVERY YEAR CONCURRENTLY.
UM, WE HAD OUR FIRST KICKOFF COMMITTEE MEETING IN AUGUST.
AND THEN WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SINCE THEN IS REQUESTING OF THE STANDING, UH, CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES TO TAKE UP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES BASED ON THOSE PARTICULAR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, NOT UNLIKE WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR.
UM, FOLLOWING CONSIDERATION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES, THEY WOULD THEN ADVANCE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS OF PRIORITIES TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE TO THEN REVIEW THOSE PRIORITIES AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL COUNCIL.
SO FOLLOWING THAT PARTICULAR TIMELINE, WHAT WE WOULD ANTICIPATE IS THE STANDING COMMITTEES WOULD TAKE UP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES THIS FALL, UM, AND BRING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE AD HOC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THEN LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES WOULD BE TAKEN UP BY COUNCIL IN JANUARY.
SO THAT'S, UM, THAT'S THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN OF, OF COURSE, CERTAINLY ONCE PRIORITIES ARE ADOPTED, THERE'S EXTENSIVE OUTREACH TO STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DELEGATION, UM, FOLLOWING THAT ADOPTION.
UM, AFTER THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE ADOPTED.
THE OUTREACH LAST YEAR, WE DID A LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON IN THE FALL JUST BEFORE THE SESSION STARTED, WHERE WE INVITED THE DELEGATION HERE INTO CITY HALL AND HAD THE LEGISLATIVE TEAM PRESENT OUR PRIORITIES.
UM, PRE-FILING WILL BEGIN, UH, FOR THE STATE SESSION IN NOVEMBER OF NEXT YEAR.
AND THEN WE'VE INCLUDED HERE, UM, THE USUAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GENERAL STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN TERMS OF THE OPENING OF THE SESSION, THE CLOSING OF BILL FILING AND SIGN E DIE, AND THEN SUBSEQUENT, UH, POST SESSION WORK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND OUTREACH TO DEPARTMENTS ON BILLS THAT, THAT IMPACT THEIR WORK ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
SO WITH THAT, ON SLIDE SIX, I AM PLEASED TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
CERTAINLY I OR, UH, CLIFFORD, OF COURSE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SO I'M JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND ADD THIS.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS WE'RE GONNA ASK THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS TO PLEASE ADD TO THEIR AGENDAS OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, ONCE OR ALL OF THEM, AS MANY AS THEY FEEL IS APPROPRIATE, SO THAT THEY CAN THEN ADVANCE TO US BY THE END OF THEIR DECEMBER MEETING, UM, WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE.
AND O G A AND, AND CLIFFORD AND CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE CAN HELP, UM, CONSOLIDATE ALL THAT INFORMATION.
AND THEN, UM, ALSO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT WE'VE MADE A REQUEST OF THE COMMUNICATIONS
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DEPARTMENT TO PUT TOGETHER SOME SORT OF GRAPHIC AND INFORMATION TO SHARE SO THAT WE CAN ENGAGE OUR ORGANIZATIONS, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND OUR INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INPUT.AND THAT IS ALREADY SET UP WITH AN EMAIL THROUGH O G A SO THAT WE CAN ALSO GET THAT.
UM, SO AGAIN, OPEN IT UP TO MEMBERS.
I THINK THERE'S, UH, A COUPLE PEOPLE ON THAT MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR INPUT, HAPPY TO HEAR THAT AS WELL.
UM, ON, ON THE PROPOSED TIMELINE, THE ONLY PAUSE THAT THERE MAY BE IS SOME OF THE COMMITTEES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS GOING IN THE, THERE WERE FORECASTS ALREADY BEEN SET, UM, FOR THOSE COMMITTEES.
SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THOSE COMMITTEES MAY NOT EVEN GET TO IT UNTIL JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DID IN THE PAST.
UM, SO JUST ASKING, UM, WHAT HAPPENS IF A COMMITTEE IS UNABLE TO, UM, GET, GET THAT DONE BY THE END OF NOVEMBER? UM, DO WE JUST LEAVE THEM OUT? WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT POINT? I'M, I'M JUST ASKING FOR REFERENCE IN CASE ANOTHER COMMITTEE CHAIR WHO'S NOT ON THIS COMMITTEE THAT WE, WE DIDN'T ASK THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS, UM, IF THIS WAS AN OKAY TIMELINE FOR THEM.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE THIS COMMITTEE IS SETTING A STANDARD FOR, OR A, UM, TIMELINE FOR OTHER COMMITTEES TO DO WORK.
SO I'M JUST ASKING THAT QUESTION.
YEAH, JUST SO, SO WE CAN, IN CASE ONE OF THEM ASKS ME LIKE, WHAT, WHAT TO DO.
IT'S PRETTY COMMON ACTUALLY FOR COMMITTEES TO SAY, IF YOU HAVE FEEDBACK, HERE'S A TIMELINE.
UM, EVERY COMMITTEE STILL HAS THREE FULL MEETINGS WHERE THEY COULD PUT IT IN.
SO EVEN IF SOMEBODY CAN'T PUT IT IN OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, THEY CAN CERTAINLY TAKE IT UP DECEMBER AND PERHAPS GIVE THEIR MEMBERS TWO, THREE MONTHS EVEN, UM, TO PREPARE THAT FOR THAT DECEMBER DISCUSSION.
SO I THINK THIS IS A PRETTY REASONABLE TIMEFRAME.
I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS WHAT EVERY OTHER COMMITTEE DOES WHEN SOMEBODY DOESN'T RESPOND, THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, SOMETHING HAPPENED IN, UM, UH, I THINK IT WAS, UM, QUALITY OF LIFE AND THEN PUBLIC SAFETY CIRCUMVENTED THAT COMMITTEE AND IT WAS ALLOWED AND IT WAS JUST, IT JUST CREATED A REALLY BAD SITUATION BETWEEN CHAIRS BECAUSE OF THAT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING IS I JUST DON'T WANT TO, UM, MAKE IT SOUND LIKE WE ARE SAYING YOU'VE GOT TO DO THIS AT THIS C CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME OR YOU'RE LEFT OUT.
UM, IS THIS MORE OF A RECOMMENDATION TO THOSE, UM, COMMITTEES OR IS THIS A MANDATE, I GUESS IS WHAT I'M ASKING? THERE'S A DIFFERENCE.
SO, SO IN THE PAST THEY'VE ALSO GIVEN A TIMELINE AND EVERYBODY HAS, UM, WORKED TO MAKE THAT ACHIEVABLE AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT WOULD HAPPEN AS WELL.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR MEETING IN JANUARY TO DISCUSS THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED.
NOPE, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ONLINE.
I JUST SAY I THINK I CAN APPRECIATE THE EFFORT AND THE PROCESS FOR TRYING TO ENSURE THAT WE GET ALL OF ISSUES OR CONCERNS FROM EACH COMMITTEE ENSURE THAT THEY ROLL UP TO THIS COMMITTEE SO THAT WE CAN DEVELOP A TIMELINE FOR OUR LOBBYISTS TO GO AND ACT ON THE CITY'S BEHALF.
IS THAT MY UNDERSTANDING OF YES.
SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, UM, SO LET'S SAY WE, UH, IN THE PAST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I, YOU KNOW, I'M UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLETE PROCESSES.
WE'VE ALWAYS JUST BEEN VERY, UM, A AMEN AMENABLE IN THIS COMMITTEE IN THE PAST TO, UM, DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO STREAMLINE THINGS, WHICH IS FINE.
UM, I THINK THAT HAVING SOME CONSISTENCY IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING, UM, IS LET'S SAY THINGS COME UP THAT THE COMMITTEES DIDN'T THINK ABOUT OR THE, THIS BODY DIDN'T THINK ABOUT.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, SOME LEGISLATOR DECIDES TO PULL A WILD HAIR OUT OF, OUT OF THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, LIKE, LET'S BAN DRAG QUEENS FROM BEING ABLE TO PERFORM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE LIKE, WE DIDN'T ADD THAT TO OUR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS CALENDAR OR SOME OTHER, UM, VERY ANTI DALLAS LEGISLATION.
UM, WILL WE BE ABLE TO GET TOGETHER? OR IS THAT JUST SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRUST OUR LOBBYISTS TO BE LIKE, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT THIS IS BAD FOR DALLAS AND THEY CAN TALK TO YOU? OR HOW, WHAT IS THAT PROCESS? 'CAUSE IN THE PAST IT WAS VERY EASY TO JUST GO TO THE CHAIR, UM, TO BE ABLE TO ASK THOSE TYPES OF QUESTIONS.
AND THE CHAIR TYPICALLY WAS ALWAYS VERY GOOD ON IF IT'S ABOUT DALLAS, UM, THAT WE'RE GONNA,
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YOU KNOW, YEAH, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AND WE DON'T HAVE TO ALL GATHER IN.'CAUSE SOME OF THESE ISSUES, WE DON'T HAVE 72 HOURS TO WAIT TO, TO RESPOND.
IT'S LIKE, NO, WE NEED THAT, YOU KNOW, QUICK THING.
SO I GUESS, UM, AND MAYBE I'M GOING A LITTLE TOO FAR 'CAUSE THAT'S BEYOND LEGISLATIVE, LIKE THE LEGISLATIVE POLICY THAT WE'RE SETTING.
UM, SO I'M JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION FROM MY, MY BRAIN.
UM, I WOULD JUST SAY I VIEW THIS AS A LIVING DOCUMENT AND IF THINGS COME UP, UM, BETWEEN NOW AND THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WE CAN CERTAINLY VISIT THEM AND I HOPE WE WILL.
AND, UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, ACCORDING TO OUR CHARTER THAT ONCE WE'RE IN SESSION THAT A LOT OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE BY THE LEGISLATIVE CHAIR AND THE MAYOR.
WELL THEN LET'S MOVE ON TO OUR BRIEFING MEMO ABOUT THE REGIONAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS.
CARRIE ROGERS, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS.
UM, IN YOUR PACKET OF MATERIALS IS AN OVERVIEW OF MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS IN WHICH THE CITY HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE PAST.
UM, I WILL NOTE TO YOU, UM, THIS ITEM IS EXPECTED TO COME TO CITY COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 11TH.
AND I WANTED TO NOTE A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS TO WHAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN AN UPDATED MEMO.
UH, FOR TRANSPARENCY PURPOSES.
UH, ONE OF OUR MEMBERSHIPS WAS NOT LISTED THERE, THE NORTH TEXAS COMMISSION, SO THAT WILL BE NOTED IN A REVISED MEMO TO YOU.
AND THEN ANOTHER ITEM HAD COME UP RECENTLY, UM, IN VISITING WITH CITY LEADERSHIP REGARDING OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF BLACK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, AND WE HAD VISITED WITH THEM BEFORE ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER AS AN ORGANIZATION SIMILAR TO N O, UM, THE NATIONAL NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
THEY DID NOT HAVE A MEMBERSHIP FOR AN ORGANIZATION.
THEY WERE INDIVIDUAL BASED MEMBERSHIPS.
AND SO WE HAD REQUESTED COULD WE JOIN AS A ORGANIZATION, AND SO THAT, THAT MEMBERSHIP STAYED WITH THE CITY AT THE CONCLUSION OF A COUNCIL MEMBER'S TERM.
AND SO WE'RE PROPOSING TO DO THAT ALSO, UM, WITH THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF, UH, BLACK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND MY GUESS IS THE, THE DOLLAR VALUE WILL BE SIMILAR, UM, TO WHAT WE HAVE WITH NALEO.
SO THOSE AMENDMENTS WILL BE, UH, IN THE REVISED MEMO AND, UH, BEFORE THE OCTOBER 11TH COUNCIL BRIEFING.
WITH THAT, I'M PLEASED TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, UM, TERRY, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UM, THAT BRINGS EQUITY TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AND, UM, HAVING THAT, UM, HAVING THE, THAT ASSOCIATION GET A MEMBERSHIP TYPE, UM, SET OF MEMBERSHIPS FROM US IS, IS EXCELLENT.
AND JUST SO THAT ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES ON, UM, NOT JUST THIS COMMITTEE, BUT ALL OF OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES AROUND THE ENTIRE HORSESHOE, EVERY SINGLE ONE IS A, IS A MEMBER OF NAL O NOW, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LATINO IN ORDER TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ORGANIZATION.
SO ANY OF THE BENEFITS THAT COME FROM THAT, UM, CITY MEMBERSHIP THAT INCLUDES ALL OF US, UM, PLEASE PARTAKE IN THEM.
LOTS OF GREAT EDUCATIONAL, UM, INSTITUTES AND POLICY.
UM, I HAPPEN TO BE ON THE NATIONAL BOARD NOW FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND WE JUST HOSTED THE NATIONAL POLICY INSTITUTE ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND MANAGEMENT HERE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, LAST WEEK.
AND, UM, THAT'S WHY I WAS IN AND OUT A LOT, UM, BETWEEN THE COUNCIL MEETING AND, AND, UM, THE BRIEFING AND, AND, AND THE OTHER DAY, UM, HAVING EVERYBODY TOGETHER.
AND THEN WE DID SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE IN THE PAST, WHICH WAS TO BRING TOGETHER ALL THE NORTH TEXAS LEGISLATORS, ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM SCHOOL BOARD ALL THE WAY UP TO THE JUDICIARY, UM, JUST FOR A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE.
UM, AND THAT WAS GIVEN BY A NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION.
SO WE DIDN'T BRING IN, UM, DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS.
WE BROUGHT IN A NON-PARTISAN ORGANIZATION TO JUST SHARE AND BE ABLE TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD DIALOGUE ON, UM, WHAT, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS CAN LOOK AT AND SEE MM-HMM.
AND, UM, IT WAS A, IT WAS AN EXCELLENT CONVERSATION AND REALLY A LOT OF EXCELLENT FEEDBACK.
SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT, UM, IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, SIGN UP AND GO OR, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE POLICY INSTITUTES ARE TYPICALLY NOT IN DALLAS.
UM, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, BUT, UM, WITH THAT MEMBERSHIP, IF YOU APPLY, UM, THEY ACTUALLY, UM, COVER YOUR, YOUR TRANSPORTATION COSTS AND YOUR HOUSING AND EVERYTHING.
SO FOR THAT MINIMAL AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, YOU ACTUALLY GET A HUGE BENEFIT FROM THE EDUCATION AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND SO I'D BE, UM, THE ONLY QUESTION IS WITH THE, WITH THE, WITH THIS NEW ONE, WOULD, DOES THAT ALSO INCLUDE MEMBERSHIP FOR THE WHOLE COUNCIL OR IS IT, UM, JUST, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO YES SIR.
OUR PROPOSAL IS THAT IT WOULD INCLUDE MEMBERSHIP FOR THE COUNCIL AND ITS ENTIRETY.
AND IN THE PAST WE HAVE SPONSOR AND PERHAPS MR. GRACIE, WHO I, UM, KNOW HAS AN AFFILIATION WITH THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, IN THE PAST WE'VE SPONSORED THEIR ANNUAL BANQUET MM-HMM.
AND SO WE'VE HAD A ROLE WITH THEM AND WE'VE DEMONSTRATED SUPPORT FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
BUT AGAIN, THEIR MEMBERSHIPS SIMILAR TO NLE O WE'RE BASED INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, SO YES, IT WOULD BE A MEMBERSHIP, UM, THAT WE
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WOULD HAVE FOR ALL 15 ELECTED MEMBERS AND THEN FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE, YES.SO IF WE HAVE ANY CITY STAFF LEADERSHIP THAT ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING, THEY CAN.
AND THE MORE EDUCATION WE CAN GET, THE MORE WE CAN WORK, UM, ACROSS DIFFERENT BODIES ACROSS THE STATE OR THE COUNTRY IS ALWAYS BETTER.
'CAUSE UM, WE'RE NOT PERFECT THAN NEITHER ARE OTHERS, BUT WHEN WE'RE SHARING THOSE BEST PRACTICES AND THOSE IDEAS WITH EACH OTHER, IT JUST MAKES FOR BETTER POLICY, UM, FOR US TO GET THINGS ACCOMPLISHED AND DONE.
AND THANK YOU MR. GRACIE FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION SO THAT WE COULD, UM, WELL I'M DEFINITELY SUPPORTING, HOPEFULLY THIS, THIS GROUP WILL AS WELL.
AND, AND AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR MAKING, UH, THIS HAPPEN AS WELL.
I THINK AS A, A FRESHMAN COUNCIL MEMBER AND I JUST MET, UH, ONE OF MY BUDDIES FROM AUSTRALIA, MET HIM LAST NIGHT FOR DINNER AND UH, HIS FRIEND IS A NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIAL TOO, AND THEY CALL HIM, UH, BACK CHAIRS I THINK, OR BACK SEATERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO I SAID, THAT'S MY NEW TERM.
BUT ANYWAY, BACK BENCHER, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS, A BACK BENCHER.
UM, BECAUSE AS A BACK BENCHER OR A FRESHMAN COMING IN, I THINK WE'RE ALL HUNGRY AND TRYING TO, UH, GET ACCESS AND, AND LEARN AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BASIL, DUA AND NAVAL HAS BOTH INTRODUCED ME TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT I AM EAGER TO LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING ENGAGED WITH IN THIS TOO AS ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS CHAIRMAN.
I ACTUALLY WOULD JUST LIKE CLARIFICATION ON, UM, WASN'T ABLE TO JUMP ON OR JUMP IN, UM, WHEN THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION GOING ON ABOUT THE PROCESS IN WHICH, UH, IF THERE WAS SOMETHING NOT ON THE, UM, THE, WE GO ABOUT GETTING IT ON.
I, I, I APPRECIATE HEARING, UH, CHAIRWOMAN, UM, DESCRIBE IT AS A, A WORKING DOCUMENT.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT THAT IS OF COURSE IMPORTANT, BUT I I WAS CURIOUS FOR JUST A, A CLARIFICATION ON, UM, WHEN IT WAS MENTIONED THAT IT WAS A PART OF THE CHARTER.
IS IT THE CHARTER THAT OUTLINES THE PROCESS OR IS IT OUR COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE? YOU ARE BREAKING UP JUST A MINUTE, BUT I THINK I GOT WHAT YOUR QUESTION IS.
LIKE LESS THAN 72 HOURS, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DURING SESSION FOR THE LESS THAN 72 HOURS? I, I BELIEVE IT'S A RESOLUTION.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT.
IT'S A RESOLUTION THAT THE COUNCIL BODY TAKES UP AS A WHOLE AND PASSES BEFORE EACH LEG LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
AND, UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE, WITHIN THE 72 HOURS, BUT THEN WE ALSO STILL HAVE OUR NORMAL, UH, PROCEDURES AS WELL, UM, WITH WORKING WITH THE CHAIR AND OR MEMBERS OF THE, UH, COMMITTEE TO, UM, UH, IF NECESSARY CALL SPECIAL MEETINGS AND UM, SEE ITEMS AS, UH, AS THEY COME UP.
IS THAT, IS THAT ACCURATE? YES, THAT'S ACCURATE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? WELL, I'M JUST GONNA SAY I THINK ANY ORGANIZATION WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS, UM, THAT ARE WORKING WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, I THINK IS GONNA BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY TO GET MORE INFORMATION OR TO HELP ADVANCE OUR ISSUES OR OUR REGION'S ISSUES.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR WANTING TO BE INVOLVED AND THAT'S AWESOME.
OKAY, WELL THAT IS THAT ITEM, UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS, LOTS OF THINGS LISTED ON HERE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE E THROUGH J? HEARING NONE, I THINK WE ARE DONE WITH THIS MEETING UNLESS ANYONE HAS ANOTHER ITEM.
UH, IT IS NOW 10 48 AND THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED.