ATTORNEYS. WE HAVE A QUORUM. WE HAVE A QUORUM. 
          [00:00:05]
GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO THE APRIL WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY COMMITTEE. 
          THIS MORNING IS APRIL 14TH, 2025. FIRST OF ALL,
WE WILL START THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY IN THIS COMMITTEE. 
          I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM MARCH 4TH,
2025. 
          WORK. SO MOVED. SECOND HAS BEEN MOVED IN SECOND. 
          AS WE CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS IN THE VEIN OF PUSHING FOR WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY, IT'S ALWAYS IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE THAT MOTION TO TAKE A VOTE NOW. 
          THANK YOU. I'M SO ANXIOUS TO GET TO THE BUSINESS. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU. 
          CHAIR RIDLEY, AS USUAL. NOW, GETTING TO THE BUSINESS. 
          VERY EXCITING. AND SO IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE DEEPEN OUR COLLABORATION WITH OTHER CITY
DEPARTMENTS, WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY AND OUR ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS AND PARTNERS. 
          SO WE CONTINUE TO FOSTER THESE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS,
AND WE HAVE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO ENHANCE OUR SERVICES, PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES. AS A RESULT, WE CONTINUE TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL VIBRANCY
THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL OF THE RESIDENTS OF DALLAS. THIS APPROACH ALIGNS WITH THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO LEVERAGING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIPS TO ENCOURAGE NEIGHBORHOOD GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY. SO TODAY,
WE REAFFIRM OUR DEDICATION TO ALL DALLAS RESIDENTS, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THOSE FACING THE GREATEST CHALLENGES. 
          OUR MISSION IS TO CONTINUE BRIDGING GAPS AND FOSTERING GROWTH THAT BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY
ACROSS THE CITY OF DALLAS. 
          THIS COMMITMENT ALIGNS WITH THE CITY'S RACIAL EQUITY PLAN,
WHICH AIMS TO ADDRESS RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES THROUGHOUT, I MEAN,
THROUGH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS AND MEASURABLE GOALS. 
          SO WE ARE GRATEFUL TODAY FOR YOUR PRESENTATION THAT WE WILL HAVE FROM STAFF THE
PARTICIPATION, OF COURSE, ALWAYS OF STAFF. THE EYES AND EARS,
OF COURSE, FROM THE FROM OUR AUDIENCE IS NOT HERE WITH US, BUT FROM PROBABLY FROM HOME OR IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD AS WE CONTINUE TO CONNECT WITH CITY
DEPARTMENTS AND EXPLORE THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS TO DO THE FOLLOWING. 
          FOSTER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BY EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES AND EQUIPPING OUR WORKFORCE FOR
SUCCESS. 
          NEXT, MEET THE VARYING EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF BOTH STUDENTS AND ADULTS,
INCLUDING ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL CITY SERVICES AND RESOURCES. 
          WE EQUIP RESIDENTS WITH THE INFORMATION WHICH IS VERY KEY. 
          ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES NECESSARY TO FLOURISH IN OUR VIBRANT CITY WHICH FOCUSES ON
EDUCATION. 
          SO THIS MORNING, WITH OUR TODAY'S AGENDA, WE HAVE OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE. 
          AND I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE SURE I MAKE SURE PUBLIC KNOWS WHO'S HERE AT THE END OF
THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ALSO OF OUR DALLAS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PARTNERS,
WHO WILL BE WITH US. 
          AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS,
TO, OF COURSE, TO WEIGH IN ON THE MEMOS FROM THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND EMPOWERMENT. 
          SO HERE WITH US TODAY VIRTUALLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I ACKNOWLEDGE YOU VIRTUALLY,
BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WE DON'T FORGET THAT YOU'RE THERE. 
          AND IF YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE US A SIGN WHEN YOU'RE READY TO RAISE IT TO WEIGH IN,
DO THAT. 
          SO WE HAVE CHAIRMAN RIDLEY, PAUL RIDLEY AND DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM ADAM BAZALDUA WITH US
VIRTUALLY. 
          I BELIEVE THOSE ONLY TWO I SEE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD. 
          AND THEN THIS MORNING, WE HAVE CHAIRWOMAN GAYE WILLIS,
CHAIRMAN JAIME RESENDEZ AND CHAIR JANIE SCHULTZ. 
          SO WE'RE ALL HERE IN THE CHAMBERS. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID MISS ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
PADILLA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE FIRST PANELIST? I GUESS WE WOULD SAY, WHO WILL PRESENT TO US THIS MORNING FROM THEIR TOPIC? GOOD MORNING, CHAIR ARNOLD. AND GOOD MORNING,
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, LIZ, CITY OPERATOR WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. AND WE WILL TAKE THINGS PER CHAIR A LITTLE BIT OUT OF ORDER. 
          WE'RE GOING TO HEAR THE SECOND ITEM FIRST, AND IT IS AN UPDATE FROM THE CORE PORTFOLIO LED
BY MR. DONZELL GIBSON ON CLOSING DISPARITIES AS IT REGARDS DEPARTMENT PROGRESS MEASURES. 
          I'M ASKING THE TEAM FROM THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO PLEASE TAKE THEIR SEATS ALONGSIDE OUR
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION, MR. HAI TRAN. 
          [00:05:22]
JUST AS A REFRESHER, WE HAVE BROUGHT ON NEARLY EVERY ONE OF OUR PORTFOLIOS TO THE
COMMITTEE TO UPDATE YOU, AS WE SAID WE WOULD WHEN WE PRESENTED AND YOU ADOPTED THE RACIAL EQUITY PLAN. 
          WE ARE PRESENTING ON THE DEPARTMENT PROGRESS MEASURES FOR THE MOST PART,
BUT THERE ARE SOME OTHER LARGER GOALS EMBEDDED IN THIS PRESENTATION. 
          SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMENTS AND OR CONCERNS QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE
DEPARTMENT. 
          PROGRESS MEASURES FROM THE CORE TEAM. NOW PASSING IT OFF TO MR. TRAN. THANK YOU, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. GOOD MORNING. 
          CHAIR. COMMITTEE MEMBERS, HY TRAN, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND
INCLUSION. 
          TODAY, WE ARE BRIEFING TO YOU FROM THE CORE PORTFOLIO. 
          THE DEPARTMENT PROGRESS MEASURES OUR PROGRESS UP TO DATE TO THE END OF 2024. 
          AND THEN GIVING YOU A LOOK AHEAD INTO THE WORK OF THIS YEAR AND BEYOND. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS IS THE OVERVIEW OF TODAY'S AGENDA. 
          AND WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          THIS SLIDE WE HAVE A BRIEF TO YOU BEFORE. SO WE'RE GOING TO SKIP THIS TO GIVE MORE TIME
FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO UPDATE YOU. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO FROM THE CORE PORTFOLIO,
THESE ARE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WILL UPDATE YOU ON THEIR PROGRESS TODAY. 
          ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU WILL ALSO SEE THE UPCOMING DEPARTMENTS,
AS WELL AS ANY DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BRIEFED YOU BEFORE. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FROM THE TOTAL OF 214 DEPARTMENT PROGRESS MEASURES,
YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE THAT 24 BELONG TO THE CORE PORTFOLIO. AND THE TEAM HAVE BEEN HARD AT WORK AND COMPLETED TEN OUT OF
24 UP UNTIL THE END OF 2024. 
          AND THEN THE REMAINING IS OUR LOOK AHEAD INTO THE FUTURE. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON TO THE TEAM OF FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE
MANAGEMENT. 
          GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. CHAIR, COMMITTEE. BRIAN THOMPSON,
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT OUR PROGRESS IN AND BETTER SERVING
THE NEEDS OF OUR HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED AND IMPACTED NEIGHBORHOODS AND GROUP. 
          AND FOR MY DEPARTMENT, I WILL SPECIFICALLY TALK ABOUT OUR PROGRESS RELATED TO EQUITY
INDICATORS FIVE AND 52, WHICH RELATE TO UNEMPLOYMENT AND CHRONIC DISEASE. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT,
PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS BUILDING SERVICES IN COLLABORATION WITH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY INCLUSION,
DEVELOPED A MEASURABLE GOALS FOR IMPROVING THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY WITHIN PUBLIC FACING FACILITIES IN THESE IMPACTED NEIGHBORHOODS SPECIFICALLY
RELATED TO CHRONIC DISEASE. 
          AND SPECIFICALLY UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS SUCH AS ASTHMA AND COPD. 
          IN ADDITION TO IDENTIFYING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS RETURNING TO OUR
COMMUNICATION OR OUR COMMUNITIES FROM INCARCERATION, OR THOSE WITH NON INCARCERATION ISSUES THAT HAVE PRESENTED CHALLENGES TO
REENTERING THE WORKFORCE. 
          AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE PRESENTED BEFORE YOU,
THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS WERE REALLY PERFORMED IN A TWO PRONGED APPROACH. 
          ONE, WE IDENTIFIED FACILITIES THAT WE COULD REPLACE OR UPGRADE OUR HVAC AND AIR QUALITY,
OR OUR AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, OR IN BUILDINGS WHERE WE WEREN'T PLANNING FOR A REPLACEMENT OF HVAC SYSTEMS BECAUSE OF
THEIR CONDITION. 
          WE LOOKED AT OPPORTUNITIES TO UPGRADE THE AIR FILTRATION THE STANDARD AIR FILTRATION
SYSTEM RIGHT NOW IN MOST RESIDENTIAL AND NON COMMERCIAL FACILITIES, WHICH WE REFER TO AS A MINIMUM EFFICIENCY REPORTED VALUE IS AN
EIGHT. 
          AND THOSE AIR FILTERS FILTER OUT LARGER PARTICLES FROM OUR INDOOR AIR. 
          OUR GOAL WAS TO ADVANCE OUR FILTRATION IN OUR PUBLIC FACING FACILITIES AS HIGH AS WE COULD
GET THEM, WITH EXISTING SYSTEMS MOVING TO AT LEAST A MINIMUM OF A MERV 11 RATING. 
          AND JUST FOR CONTEXT, WHEN YOU GET INTO A HOSPITAL SETTING WITH HEPA FILTRATION,
THEY ARE ANYWHERE FROM A 13 TO A 17. 
          [00:10:05]
SO BY MOVING TO A MERV 11 RATING IN OUR PUBLIC FACING FACILITIES,
WE ARE DOING REALLY AS GOOD AS WE CAN DO OUTSIDE OF A HOSPITAL SETTING. 
          OUR GOAL WITH THE FIRST MEASURE WAS TO REPLACE AT LEAST 30 UNITS ACROSS FACILITIES LOCATED
WITHIN OUR IMPACTED NEIGHBORHOODS, THROUGH, AGAIN, THE REPLACEMENT OF SYSTEMS OR FILTERS. 
          THE SECOND MEASURE, WHICH STILL RELATES TO THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY PERSPECTIVE,
ALLOWED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO INSTALL STANDALONE AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS IN THOSE FACILITIES THAT WERE EITHER NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REPLACEMENT BASED ON THE AGE OR
CONDITION OF THE EQUIPMENT, OR FROM A FEASIBILITY PERSPECTIVE. THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAD INSTALLED IN THOSE LOCATIONS
COULD NOT ACCEPT A HIGHER RATED AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM. 
          THAT GOAL WAS 15 UNITS THROUGHOUT FISCAL YEAR 23 AND 24 COMBINED. 
          I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT AS OF SEPTEMBER OF 2024,
WE NOT ONLY COMPLETED BOTH OF OUR EQUITY INDICATOR GOALS, WE EXCEEDED THOSE BY INSTALLING ADVANCED AIR FILTRATION IN 35 OF THE 33 REQUIRED
FACILITIES AND THE STANDALONE AIR PURIFICATION, WHICH, BY THE WAY, ARE HEPA RATED STANDALONE FILTRATION SYSTEMS. WE INSTALLED IN 21 OF 15 REQUIRED FACILITIES FOR A TOTAL OF 135 UNITS. 
          FROM A FINANCIAL INVESTMENT PERSPECTIVE, THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY WORK ALONE. 
          WE HAVE A VALUE OF A LITTLE OVER $1.2 MILLION,
JUST RELATED TO OUR EQUITY PERFORMANCE MEASURE. 
          IF WE LOOK AT THE CITYWIDE PERFORMANCE WE. BECAUSE WE EXPANDED OUR AIR INDOOR AIR QUALITY
PROGRAM ACROSS MULTIPLE CITY FACILITIES 106, TO BE EXACT, WITH THE INSTALLATION OF 321 STANDALONE AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS,
WE'RE NOW APPROACHING A FINANCIAL INVESTMENT OF JUST A LITTLE OVER $2 MILLION. BOTH OF THOSE GOALS ARE COMPLETE. 
          THE ONE GOAL IN OUR EQUITY PROGRAM THAT IS NOT YET COMPLETE IS THE IDENTIFICATION OF
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE RETURNING BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES. WE HAD A GOAL TO HIRE AT LEAST TEN ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS THROUGH THE
CITY'S FRESH START PROGRAM BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 26, SO WE STILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME TO COMPLETE THAT. 
          AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY WE'VE ALREADY HIRED SEVEN OF TEN WITH A 71% RETENTION RATE,
WHICH FOR US IS REALLY GOOD IN FACILITIES BECAUSE WE HAVE A HARD ENOUGH TIME RETAINING EMPLOYEES AS IT IS. SO TO HAVE A 71% RETENTION RATE IS WONDERFUL FOR US. 
          AND I EXPECT THAT BY 2026 WE'LL HAVE MET OR EXCEEDED THE GOAL OF TEN. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THIS SLIDE I WON'T SPEND ANY TIME ON. 
          IT'S JUST A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION SHOWING THE PROGRESS AND OUTCOMES OF OUR EQUITY
PERFORMANCE AS RELATED TO OUR GOALS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND MOVING FORWARD BEYOND OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT,
WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR ALL OF OUR FACILITIES FOR IMPROVED INDOOR AIR QUALITY. 
          AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T DEVELOPED ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE RELATED MEASURES,
OUR STANDARD MOVING FORWARD IS WHEN WE GO IN AND REHABILITATE OR REPLACE ANY HVAC SYSTEMS. IT AUTOMATICALLY INCORPORATES ADVANCED AIR FILTRATION SUCH AS UV LIGHT
FILTRATION. 
          OR, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE MERV 11 OR HIGHER RATED AIR FILTRATION SYSTEMS SO THAT
WE CAN CONTINUE ASSURING THAT ALL OF OUR USERS OF OUR FACILITIES ARE BREATHING THE CLEANEST AIR POSSIBLE, AND WE'LL DO WHAT WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT MOVING INTO
THE FUTURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS VINCENT OLSON. 
          I'M THE DIRECTOR FOR EQUIPMENT AND FLEET MANAGEMENT. 
          THIS MORNING WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME OF OUR EQUITY MEASURES AND SOME OF THE
UNDERTAKINGS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH TO IMPROVE OUR FOOTPRINT IN THIS ARENA. 
          THIS VERY FIRST SLIDE HERE, THIS VERY FIRST PICTURE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE. 
          YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF OUR YOUNGER STAFF. THEY'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON SOME OF THE MOST
ADVANCED ENGINES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SANITATION FLEET. 
          THESE ARE INTERNAL CLASSES THAT WE DEVELOP WHERE WE BRING OUR STAFF INSIDE,
TEACH THEM OURSELVES, DISASSEMBLE VEHICLES THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO DISASSEMBLE,
THAT WHETHER WE HARVEST THEM ON A SALVAGE OR WHATEVER, WHEREVER WE GET THEM FROM. AND THIS GIVES THESE YOUNGER STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE SOME
OF THIS IN THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE RIGHT HERE, 
          [00:15:05]
THEY'RE DOING UPPER ENGINE VALVE TRAIN ADJUSTMENTS. 
          THEY DO ABOUT EVERY ABOUT EVERY 1000 HOURS ON THESE ENGINES. 
          SO THIS WAS A FIRST TIME CLASS FOR US. WE DID IT ABOUT SIX EIGHT MONTHS AGO. 
          WE CALLED IT OUR PM 2.0. AND THIS IS A CLASS THAT WE TEACH SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR. 
          THIS OUR GROUP GETS ABOUT 20 TO 30 DIFFERENT CLASSES. 
          ANYTHING FROM DISCUSSING THE EVS, THE NEW MODERN TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE'RE SEEING. 
          FORD WAS JUST HERE LAST WEEK TEACHING PARTIAL OR PLUG IN HEVS. 
          SO IT'S REALLY A BROAD SCOPE OF TRAINING THAT OUR STUDENTS GET AND OUR STAFF GET. 
          THE NEXT SLIDE OR THE NEXT, NOT THE NEXT SLIDE,
BUT THE NEXT PICTURE THERE IS MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE. 
          ONCE WE PROVIDE THE TRAINING WE THEN GO AHEAD AND MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE AND THEN GO BACK
AND SEE IF THERE'S GAPS THAT WE NEED TO FILL IN ON. 
          YOU KNOW, WE ROUTINELY GO BACK AND WE LOOK AT ELECTRICAL TRAINING,
HOW STAFF HANDLES IT, HOW THEY DO IT, HOW THEY USE IT, AND GET FEEDBACK FROM THEM ON THE QUALITY OF THE COURSE AND HOW WE CAN DO
BETTER IN THAT REGARD. 
          AND THEN THE LAST IS WE TAKE THE, THE TECHNOLOGY AND EVERYTHING THAT WE PUT FORWARD AND WE
WE LOOK AT IT, WE MEASURE IT. AND THIS PICTURE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE,
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A DISPLAY OF VEHICLES OR CLUSTERS OF VEHICLES THAT WE SEE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE ON THE FLEET SIDE,
WE'RE KEEPING THE FLEET AVAILABLE AROUND THE CITY AS A WHOLE. 
          THE DIFFERENT COLORS REPRESENT DIFFERENT KINDS OF VEHICLES. 
          HOW ARE WE KEEPING SQUAD CARS AVAILABLE, DUMP TRUCKS AVAILABLE,
SEDANS, PICKUP TRUCKS. 
          SO THAT'S THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY,
WHICH IS KIND OF THE FINAL PRODUCT. 
          THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. PROMOTING MORE NO GREATER THAN 15%. 
          THANK YOU. 15% VARIANCE BETWEEN OUR SERVICE CENTERS AND PM COMPLIANCE. 
          WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THIS IS IT TIES INTO OUR METRICS THAT WE REPORT TO THE CITY MANAGER'S
OFFICE THAT TALKS ABOUT PM COMPLIANCE. 
          SO THE VARIANCE IS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE ACROSS THE
BOARD TO ALL FIVE SERVICE CENTERS. 
          SO EVERY SECTION OF THE SECTION OF THE CITY CAN BE SERVICED. 
          TO DO THAT WE SAY HEY I WANT NO MORE THAN A 15% VARIANCE FROM THE BEST PERFORMING SHOP TO
THE LOWEST PERFORMING SHOP. 
          AND WHEN WE SEE THESE VARIANCES, WE ADDRESS THESE. 
          WHAT DOES IT TAKE? WHAT ARE WE MISSING? WHAT ARE WE LACKING? HOW DO WE GET OUR SERVICE LEVELS UP? AND IN A MINUTE YOU'LL SEE A GRAPH OF THE LONG TERM
PERFORMANCE IN THAT AREA. 
          AS FAR AS ADVISORY BOARDS, SOME OF OUR SERVICE MANAGERS ARE ALREADY SERVING IN ALL THE
LOCAL COLLEGES, ALL THE TECHNICAL TRADE SCHOOLS. I SERVE IN THE APWA COMMITTEES. 
          WE HAVE STAFF RIGHT NOW THAT'S OUT AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 
          SO SEARCHING, PROMOTING THE CITY WITHIN THESE GROUPS AND TRYING TO RECRUIT STAFF IS IT'S
ALMOST SECOND NATURE TO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO WHEN WE'RE OUT AND ABOUT CREDIBLE,
CREDIBLE VENDOR SUPPLY LIST USING HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESSES. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PRACTICE. 
          WE HAVE A VERY SEASONED PROCUREMENT TEAM GETTING THOSE BUSINESSES TO BE PART OF OUR WEB,
AND OUR NETWORK OF PROVIDERS, IT'S ALREADY WOVEN INTO OUR BEST PRACTICES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO ON A ROUTINE
BASIS. 
          IT'S WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR CONTRACTS, THEY'RE LARGELY IT'S A VAST NUMBER OF VENDORS,
PRIMARY VENDORS, SECONDARY VENDORS, TERTIARY VENDORS. AND WE CAN MOVE THROUGH THESE VENDORS AND HAVE A
SENSITIVITY TOWARDS OUR UNDERSERVED, UNDERSERVED BUSINESSES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. I'M GOING TO LET KIM MARTIN,
WHO'S KIND OF THE HEART AND SOUL OF OUR RECRUITMENT PROGRAM SET UP HERE AND SPEAK ABOUT THIS. HELLO. 
          MY NAME IS KIMBERLY MARTIN. I WEAR MANY HATS AT EFM,
BUT MY PRIMARY ROLE IS THAT OF RECRUITER. 
          I ATTEND JOB FAIRS TO RECRUIT MECHANICS. I SOURCE CANDIDATES AND CONDUCT INTERVIEWS FOR
PERMANENT AND TEMP TO PERM PERSONNEL. SEE, EFM, I'M SORRY EFM PRESENTLY HAS THREE FEMALE TECHNICIANS AND ONE TEMP TO PERM EMPLOYEE THAT IS CURRENTLY ONBOARDING WITH THE
CITY OF DALLAS. 
          THAT DOES ONLY COMPRISE 3% OF OUR WORKFORCE,
BUT WE ARE TRYING TO UP THAT NUMBER. 
          WE'RE WORKING TO DO. I'M WORKING TO DO OUR PART TO CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES AND BREAK DOWN
THE BARRIERS. 
          [00:20:07]
THE FIRST SLIDE IS HER NAME IS DEANNA CARRIZALES. 
          SHE IS A 14 YEAR CITY OF DALLAS EMPLOYEE AT OUR CENTRAL SERVICE CENTER. 
          SHE IS NOT ONLY OUR FEMALE TECHNICIAN, BUT SHE IS ALSO OUR ONLY HEARING IMPAIRED
TECHNICIAN. 
          THE SECOND SLIDE IS WE RECRUITED TECHNICIANS DIRECTLY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
THAT ARE IN HIGH SCHOOLS THAT HAD P-TECH PROGRAMS,
AND WE STILL HAVE THE TWO TECHNICIANS THAT WE HAVE RECRUITED STILL WORKING FOR US TODAY. 
          AND THAT IS JUST A FLIER THAT WE HAD FOR EACH YEAR. 
          THE TOP SLIDE ON THE RIGHT IS CAREERS ON WHEELS. 
          AND THAT WAS A STEMMONS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO IT SHOWS,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TEACHING THEM YOUNG TO GET INTO THE TRADES PROFESSIONS. AND THE BOTTOM IS A JOB FAIR THAT WE WERE AT RECENTLY FOR SOUTH GARLAND HIGH SCHOOL, THE P-TECH CAREER FAIR. EXCUSE ME. 
          BEFORE YOU LEAVE, WOULD YOU PLEASE LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT P-TECH MEANS? IT MEANS PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGIES. I'M SORRY. 
          SAY THAT AGAIN. PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGIES. ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE FORGET THE PUBLIC IS LISTENING
AND THEY DON'T KNOW ALL THOSE ACRONYMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. 
          AND FOR CONTEXT ON THAT NATIONWIDE, WE'VE GOT ABOUT 344,000 DIESEL BUS TECHNICIANS. 
          THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SAYS WE'RE GOING TO SEE ABOUT A 300,000 PERSONNEL SHORTAGE. 
          SO IT'S A REALLY IN DEMAND INDUSTRY. SO AND NATIONWIDE,
I THINK IT'S ABOUT 2.8% OF THE POPULATION IS FEMALE IN THIS TRADE. AND SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO GET BEYOND THAT,
YOU KNOW WE'RE CERTAINLY GOING TO SUPPORT. 
          SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION WE MENTIONED THE VARIANCE THAT WE GET FROM SERVICE CENTER TO SERVICE CENTER NOT EXCEEDING 15%. 
          THIS IS REALLY JUST A LONG TERM GRAPH OF ALMOST YEAR TO DATE HOW WE GET CLOSE TO THE 15%. 
          WE KIND OF ADJUST. WE GET BACK DOWN. IT'S JUST A LONG TERM GRAPH. 
          IT'S A METRIC THAT WE MEASURE CONSTANTLY AND REPORT EVERY WEEK WITHIN OUR MANAGER STAFF
MEETING, SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF IT AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          AND LONG TERM GOALS. THE ASSET AVAILABILITY IS REALLY SO THAT WE CAN GET STREETS HANDLED
AND PATROL DONE AND EVERYTHING ELSE ACROSS THE BOARD. THE CITY DOES A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          YOU CAN LOOK AT THE SPAN OF OUR EQUIPMENT AND SAY,
HOLY COW, YOU GUYS COVER A LOT OF GROUND KEEPING THESE ASSETS READY THROUGHOUT THE CITY SO THAT ALL THE CITY CAN BE SERVED IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH AND CONTINUE
TO REPORT ON AND CONTINUE TO MONITOR SO THAT WE CAN KEEP ALL OUR DEPARTMENTS ROLLING AND PM COMPLIANCE, TAKING CARE OF THE ASSETS THAT THE CITY ALLOWS US TO BUY,
TO DO THESE WORK, TO DO THIS WORK. SO IT'S A PRIORITY FOR US. AND WE'LL KEEP REPORTING ON IT AS LONG AS IT
TAKES. 
          THAT'S IT FOR US. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          GOOD MORNING. I'M TANISHA DORSEY, THE INTERIM CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER IN THE DEPARTMENT
OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES. 
          WHILE IT'S MAY NOT BE ONE OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE MOST PUBLIC FACING THE SERVICES THAT
WE PROVIDE IS DEFINITELY IMPACTFUL TO GOVERNMENT SATISFACTION, WHICH IS EQUITY INDICATOR 39. NOW OUR IMPACT IS REALLY IN HOW SERVICES ARE DELIVERED,
WHETHER THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE, WHETHER THEY ARE DIGITAL AND ONLINE,
AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE RELIABLE WHEN AVAILABLE. 
          ONE OF THE KEY ROLES FOR ITS IS ENSURING THAT OUR IT SYSTEMS AND OUR DATA IS ACCESSIBLE
AND ABLE TO DEPARTMENTS TO ACTUALLY MAKE DATA DRIVEN, INFORMED DECISIONS. THESE DECISIONS REALLY ALLOW THE SERVICES TO BE TARGETED TO THE
COMMUNITIES AS THEY NEED THEM. 
          OUR TEAM REALLY SUPPORTS TECHNOLOGY. THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THOSE APPLICATIONS,
THOSE DATABASES AND THE DATA PLATFORMS THAT ARE THERE AND THOSE DATA PLATFORMS PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND SHARING OF PUBLIC INFORMATION. 
          [00:25:06]
AS THE CITY EXPLORES NEW INNOVATIONS LIKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 
          WE ARE COMMITTED TO CLOSELY MONITORING HOW THAT AI DATA IS USED. 
          WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE DATA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE ADDRESS AND CORRECT BIASES IN DATA WHEN WE FIND IT, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ETHICAL AI PRACTICES. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OKAY. IT'S GUIDED BY TWO KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT REFLECT OUR
COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND EFFICIENCY AND ACCESSIBILITY. 
          THE FIRST DEPARTMENT PROGRESS MEASURE IS RELATED TO OUR CITY'S FINANCIAL SYSTEM UPGRADE
THAT WAS COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2024. 
          THE IMPACT THERE IS THAT THE SYSTEM HAS ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY THAT MAKES THE INVOICING
AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PROCESS MUCH MORE VISIBLE. THIS WILL HELP WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS AND OUR VENDORS BEING ABLE TO BETTER
TRACK WHERE THEIR PAYMENTS ARE. 
          SO IN THE CASES WHERE WE HAVE VENDORS WHO ARE MANAGING THEIR CASH FLOW,
THEY CAN MORE CLOSELY SEE WHERE YOU KNOW WHEN THEIR PAYMENTS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO THEM. THIS ALSO STRENGTHENS THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE BUSINESSES FOR MORE
TRANSPARENCY AND BETTER FLOW OF INFORMATION AND DATA. 
          THERE ARE A FEW OTHER FEATURES THAT WE ARE IMPLEMENTING IN OUR SYSTEM THAT SHOULD ALSO
HELP WITH THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE SYSTEM AND STREAMLINE THAT. OUR SECOND MEASURE IS RELATED TO THE CITY'S WEB PAGES. 
          THIS IS THE AMERICANS DISABILITY. I'M SORRY,
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OR ADA COMPLIANCE. 
          THESE GUIDELINES ARE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE ACCESSIBILITY FOR EVERYONE,
INCLUDING THOSE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          IT ADDRESSES FEATURES LIKE NAVIGATION. HOW DO YOU MOVE AROUND ON THE SCREEN? HOW THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE PAGE WHICH IS READABILITY,
WHICH COULD BE COLOR CONTRASTING. 
          MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S TEXT AVAILABLE FOR THOSE IMAGES THAT ARE NOT EASILY READ. 
          BUT BY ADHERING TO THOSE STANDARDS, THE CITY ENSURES THAT ITS SERVICES,
ITS RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. 
          THIS INITIATIVE, THIS INITIATIVE ALSO RAISES AWARENESS AND ENCOURAGES BROADER
PARTICIPATION IN CITY EVENTS, AND IT FOSTERS INCLUSIVITY ACROSS THE CITY. FOR THE INFORMATION THAT WE SHARE ON OUR WEB
PAGES. 
          TO DATE, WE'VE UPDATED ABOUT 60% OF THOSE PAGES TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE FULLY ADA
COMPLIANT. 
          OKAY. OKAY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. MOVING FORWARD IT'S HAS PROUDLY PARTNERED WITH DALLAS ISDP TECH SINCE 2018. 
          ACTUALLY, ITS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND WE WERE THE FIRST EVER INDUSTRY
PARTNER OF THE YEAR. 
          I PROUDLY SAY THAT BECAUSE THAT SHOWS OUR LEVEL OF COMMITMENT. 
          WE'RE WORKING WITH DALLAS ISD AND JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOL. 
          OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE PARTICIPATED IN A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES,
ALL RELATED TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT. 
          WE'VE HOSTED SEVERAL INTERNS FROM DALLAS ISD,
AND WE ALSO HOST INTERNS FROM THE UT SYSTEM AND DALLAS COLLEGE. 
          WITH THESE EFFORTS REALLY HELP US IDENTIFY A CAREER PATH FOR THOSE STUDENTS. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IS BROADENING OUR ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS
WITH YOUNGER STUDENTS. 
          WE ARE HOPING TO REACH OUT TO THE K-12 GETTING SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS THAT WERE IN THE
FEEDER PATH FOR JAMES MADISON, INTRODUCING THEM TO TECHNOLOGY EARLIER SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF
WHAT TECHNOLOGY MEANS, AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR THEM IN CITY
GOVERNMENT. 
          HOPING TO SPARK THEIR CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND POSSIBLY INTERESTING THEM TO COME TO WORK
FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS. 
          THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. GOOD MORNING. I'M JUANITA ORTIZ, DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF PROCUREMENT SERVICES. 
          AND THIS THESE PICTURES HERE RELAY TO YOU OUR OFFICE'S COMMITMENT TO CONDUCTING TARGETED
OUTREACH IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          THE OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ALLOW US TO ATTEND OUTREACH EVENTS AND
RESOURCE FAIRS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, WHERE WE CONNECT WITH POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS. AND WE PROMOTE CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE
CITY OF DALLAS. 
          THIS WORK, THROUGH THIS WORK, WE'RE NOT ONLY INCREASING ACCESS,
BUT WE'RE ALSO HELPING BUILD CAPACITY IN HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED OR UNDERREPRESENTED 
          [00:30:02]
COMMUNITIES, WHICH DIRECTLY ALIGNS TO EQUITY INDICATOR NUMBER TWO. 
          BUSINESS OWNERSHIP. NEXT SLIDE. OUR FIRST INITIATIVE HERE ENSURES THAT SMALLER FIRMS HAVE
A REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY TO BID ON CITY CONTRACTS BY BREAKING DOWN OUR LARGER CONTRACTS INTO
SMALLER CONTRACTS. 
          SO RIGHT NOW, WE PUBLISH A QUARTERLY PROCUREMENT PLAN,
WHICH ALLOWS THE SUBCONTRACTORS IN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE FOR BIDS AT A LARGER SCALE, YOU KNOW, THREE MONTHS OUT OF WHEN THEY NORMALLY WOULD RECEIVE A
NOTICE. 
          WE ALSO LOOK AT ASSIGNING AWARDS BY GROUP. SO EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT HAVE A LARGE
LANDSCAPING CONTRACT, WE WILL AWARD BASED ON THE GROUP. SO IT MIGHT BE DISTRICTS OR FACILITIES ET CETERA. 
          AND THEN ALSO AWARDING PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY CONTRACTS SO THAT WE GIVE MORE
OPPORTUNITIES TO INDIVIDUALS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR CONTRACTS. 
          SECONDLY, WE'VE INCREASED EDUCATIONAL TRAINING IN EQUITY PRIORITY AREAS. 
          AND THIS WE DO THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH SOME OF OUR CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND OUR OTHER
BUSINESS. 
          BUSINESS. WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY? BUSINESS PARTNERS. 
          EACH OF THESE TRAININGS IS DESIGNED TO HELP THE VENDORS UNDERSTAND OUR PROCUREMENT
PROCESS, AS WELL AS HELP THEM BUILD THEIR CAPACITY. AND OUR FINAL INDICATOR ON THIS PAGE IS
TRACKING, SUBCONTRACTING, TRANSITION FROM SUBCONTRACTORS TO PRIME. 
          SO THIS MEASURE DOESN'T ONLY TALK TO US ABOUT PARTNERSHIP,
BUT ALSO ADVANCEMENT IN WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE PROGRAM WITH THE DALLAS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM IS WHERE WE WILL TRACK THIS MEASURE. SPECIFICALLY,
IT'S ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS OF THE PROGRAM THAT WE SET FOR THE PARTICIPANTS. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, SEVERAL OF OUR GOALS WERE ESTABLISHED THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS
CENTER AND WHICH HAS NOW TRANSITIONED TO BUSINESS ENTERPRISE HUB IN OUR OFFICE AS OF AUGUST 2024. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS FIRST MEASURE HERE ENHANCES TRANSPARENCY FOR OUR MWBE PUBLISHING OUR PARTICIPATION RATES. 
          WE PUBLISH A MEMO EVERY COUNCIL AGENDA DATE WITH THE PARTICIPATION FOR EACH OF THE ITEMS,
WHETHER THEY MET THE GOAL OR EXCEEDED THE GOAL, OR DID NOT MEET THE GOAL, BUT DID COMPLETE THEIR BEST OF GOOD FAITH EFFORT. 
          AND OUR SECOND MEASURE HERE IS THE MENTOR PROTEGE PROGRAM,
WHICH INVOLVED MATCHING 21 SUBCONTRACTING FIRMS WITH PRIME CONTRACTORS. SO IT HELPS THEM BUILD THAT MENTORSHIP RELATIONSHIP AND PROVIDE THEM THE
TRAINING AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THAT, THAT PROVIDES THEM. THIS ONE ON ONE RELATIONSHIP IS DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN THE LONG TERM
CAPACITY OF MWBE'S AND HOPEFULLY HAVE THEM BECOME PRIMES EVENTUALLY THROUGH THE PROCESS. 
          IN OUR NEXT SLIDE. OUR KEY ONE OF OUR KEY INITIATIVES IS THE DALLAS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM,
WHICH WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU IN MAY TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRESS OF THE PROGRAM AND WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS
WE HAVE SEEN FROM IT SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2023. 
          AND THEN ALSO TALK ABOUT AN AWARD FOR A FUTURE PROGRAM. 
          AND SO THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, WE HAD 26 BUSINESS GRADUATES FROM THE GREATER DALLAS
HISPANIC CHAMBERS DAPP PROGRAM IN 2024. 
          THAT BROUGHT THAT WAS A TOTAL OF TWO COHORTS. 
          SO WE REALLY HAD 52 SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM IN AND THEY PROVIDE BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING ACCESS, TRAINING, HOW TO OBTAIN CAPITAL. 
          THEY DO YOU KNOW, A PITCH TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY,
OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY CAN GET FEEDBACK ON THEIR PLAN, THEIR BUSINESS PLAN AND THEIR INITIATIVES. SO WE WILL BE COMING BACK TO YOU WITH THAT. 
          AND THEN FINALLY, AS I MENTIONED THE SMALL BUSINESS CENTER WAS TRANSITIONED TO THE
BUSINESS ENTERPRISE HUB IN OUR OFFICE. 
          AND SO WE WILL BE LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE COMPLIANCE WITH THE MWB PROGRAM AND
ALSO BUILDING THOSE CAPACITY WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. 
          GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS JARED DAVIS, AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING AS THE CIVIL
SERVICE BOARD SECRETARY AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR. 
          GOOD MORNING, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M HERE TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS IT RELATES TO OUR EQUITY
INDICATORS IN RELATION TO CIVIL SERVICE. 
          BUT I WANT TO START FROM KIND OF SETTING THE,
THE, THE, THE GROUND FLOOR TO SAY HOW WE APPROACH AND HOW WE ARE APPROACHING THIS WORK IN 
          [00:35:07]
THESE UPDATES IS UNDERSTANDING IT FROM CIVIL SERVICE OPERATES OFF OF THE PRINCIPLES OF
MERIT AND FITNESS. 
          AND SO WHAT WE WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT IS WHAT IN EMPLOYMENT IF WE'RE SEEKING TO ADDRESS
UNEMPLOYMENT, WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS? WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE AT THE CITY OF DALLAS? AND THEN UNDERSTANDING WHAT STEPS INTERNALLY WE NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO ADVANCE AND
REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING OUR OPERATIONAL GOALS AND OTHERWISE. 
          AND THE REASON I START THERE AND SAY THAT IS BECAUSE EVEN AS WE LOOK AT OTHER INSTANCES,
FOR EXAMPLE, OUR TALENT ACQUISITION AUDIT, OUR GRIEVANCE AND APPEAL AUDIT,
WHERE WE'RE IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE THOSE BARRIERS AND WHAT ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT WE'RE TAKING THOSE AND FOLDING THOSE BACK INTO THE CONTINUOUS LOOP OF
MAKING THINGS BETTER IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE WE CAN HIRE MORE QUICKLY, MAKING SURE WE CAN GET THE MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ARE. 
          AND THEY JUST MAY NOT BE PACKAGED HERE IN THIS SENSE THIS MORNING. 
          WE SUPPORT MANY DIFFERENT EFFORTS ACROSS THE CITY,
THE DALLAS POLICE PROMOTIONAL PROCESS. 
          WE SUPPORT THE COUNTY. AND IN TERMS OF THEIR OUTREACH AND HIRING EVENTS,
PARTNERING WITH EMMITT J CONRAD AND THEIR CAREER DAY AND MANY OTHER THINGS ACROSS THE CITY. SO NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN WE WERE GOING INTO THIS WORK,
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WERE THE TOP FIVE UNEMPLOYMENT, PROMOTIONAL BARRIERS,
EMPLOYMENT AND PROMOTIONAL BARRIERS IN BOTH CIVILIAN POSITIONS AND IN OUR SWORN POSITIONS? AND SO WHAT WE'RE HOPEFUL FOR, WE'VE NOT MADE AS MUCH PROGRESS AS WE'VE HOPED
TO IN THIS AREA IN TERMS OF PACKAGING THEM WITH WHAT ARE THE CONCRETE FIVE? BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WE'VE
IDENTIFIED AS THOSE TOP FIVE. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, WE LEARNED IN THE TALENT ACQUISITION AUDIT THAT WE WERE WE HAD A 30 DAY
CANDIDATE FREEZE RULE FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN IT WAS JUST A 30 DAY CANDIDATE FREEZE RULE WHEN A PERSON APPLIES AND THEN THEY REAPPLY. 
          WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THAT PROBLEM, FIX THAT PROBLEM AND MOVE FORWARD AND HOPE TO BE
ABLE TO SHOW YOU DATA ABOUT HOW THAT WAS A BONA FIDE BARRIER TO EMPLOYMENT WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS. WE LEARNED THROUGH OUR TALENT ACQUISITION AUDIT THAT WE WERE SOMETIMES
REQUIRING CANDIDATES TO OVER PRODUCE DOCUMENTATION. 
          YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WANTED TO BE A MEMBER OF DFR,
YOU WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE OUR DEPARTMENT WITH A PAPER TRANSCRIPT THAT WOULD BE AT A COST FROM THAT INSTITUTION, AND THEN YOU'D HAVE TO PROVIDE THAT. TRANSCRIPT AGAIN. SO WE'VE NOW
BEEN ABLE TO TAKE THOSE BOTTLENECKS OUT OF THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF TRYING TO EXPAND AND ELIMINATE THOSE BARRIERS. JUST BY WAY OF SOME EXAMPLES THAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON FOR A
PERIOD OF TIME THAT THAT DON'T NECESSARILY TOUCH WHAT WORKDAY AND ANY OF THAT DATA CAN TELL US. AND THEN WE UNDERSTAND THAT, AND THIS IS THE WORK THAT REMAINS TO BE DONE. 
          ON THE NEXT SLIDE IS THAT FROM A RECRUITMENT EXCHANGE,
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO BRING DEPARTMENTS FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS AND ASSISTANT DIRECTORS TOGETHER TO SHARE WHAT OUR BEST
PRACTICES IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH CERTAIN P-TECH INSTITUTIONS OR WORKING WITH CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING THINGS IN MANY DIFFERENT
STOVEPIPES, IF YOU WILL. AND SO WHAT I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO DO IS BRING US TOGETHER AND SAY,
AS WE LOOK AT THOSE TOP TEN CRITICAL POSITIONS ACROSS THE CITY, BE IT FROM OUR SWORN SAFETY TO OUR PERMITTING OFFICE OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE,
WHAT HAVE WE FOUND TO BE OUR BEST PRACTICES. 
          SO WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING EFFORT. AND NOT ONLY THAT,
THAT WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE LEVERAGING THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. 
          SO WITH THAT NEXT SLIDE. AND SO THE FURTHER THIS WORK WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GATHER THIS DATA. WE'RE CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH THE KEY DEPARTMENTS. AND
THEN TRULY ESTABLISH OUR RECRUITMENT EXCHANGE SO WE CAN SHARE THOSE BEST PRACTICES AND BE ABLE TO CIRCLE BACK WITH YOU TO, TO SHARE WITH YOU THOSE MATERIAL UPDATES. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE THERE QUESTIONS FROM THE VIRTUAL WORLD? NO QUESTIONS FROM THE VIRTUAL WORLD HERE ON THE HORSESHOE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAD QUESTIONS AS MUCH AS I JUST WANTED TO CALL OUT
TO THE CITY OF DALLAS AND EMPLOYERS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS REGARDING THE FRESH START PROGRAM,
THE REENTRY PROGRAM. 
          AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE CALLED OUT, MR. THOMPSON,
WITH REGARD TO, YOU KNOW, HOW THESE EMPLOYEES ARE WORKING 
          [00:40:05]
OUT. I ACTUALLY I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION, BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT CATEGORIES WHERE IT'S
HARD TO RETAIN EMPLOYEES, AND YET YOU HAVE THREE OF THE FIVE REMAINING EMPLOYEES THAT ARE GOING TO REACH THIRD YEAR
ANNIVERSARY. 
          AND SO IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT MAYBE A DISTINCTION OR SOMETHING
THAT WE WOULD WANT THE EMPLOYERS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS TO HEAR TO JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT. SURE. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. 
          FROM AN OVERALL EMPLOYMENT PERSPECTIVE AND THE RETENTION OF EMPLOYEES IN THE TRADES. 
          I THINK IT'S NO SECRET THAT WE COMPETE HEAVILY AGAINST THE PRIVATE SECTOR. 
          YOU KNOW, WHILE WE ARE FORTUNATE TO GET GOOD EMPLOYEES IN OUR TRADES AND RETAIN THEM,
EMPLOYEES KNOWING THAT COMPETITION EXISTS WITH THE OUTSIDE MARKET, I THINK THE FRESH START PROGRAM GIVES US A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND A
DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY. 
          YOU'RE LOOKING AT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE OVERLOOKED ON A REGULAR BASIS BECAUSE OF THEIR
HISTORY. 
          NOW, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW YOU LOOK AT STATISTICS ON RECIDIVISM. 
          AND THEY AREN'T THEY AREN'T PRETTY NUMBERS. WHY ARE WE NOT ALLOWING OURSELVES TO TAKE AN
OBJECTIVE LOOK AT PEOPLE WHO DID SOMETHING WRONG AND WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE? I'M NOT PERFECT. 
          I DON'T THINK ANYONE IN THIS ROOM IS PERFECT. 
          YOU KNOW, MY PAST ISN'T PERFECT, BUT WE MAKE CHOICES IN OUR LIFE,
AND I THINK SOME OF THESE EMPLOYEES MAKE CHOICES, AND WE NEED TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO SHOW THAT THEIR CHOICES ARE VALID AND WILL BENEFIT
NOT ONLY THEM, BUT THEIR COMMUNITY AND US AS AN EMPLOYER WHEN WE KNOW WE'RE COMPETING AGAINST OTHERS. 
          WELL, LET ME ASK IF THIS IS A GROUP THAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED FOR EXACTLY EVERYTHING YOU
JUST DETAILED, DO YOU FIND IN MORE CIRCUMSTANCES THAN NOT, THERE MIGHT BE MORE OF A DEDICATION TO THE
EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING THIS OPPORTUNITY? ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT DEDICATION AND LOYALTY,
YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT'S NOT A TERM WE LIKE TO USE A WHOLE LOT WHEN IT COMES TO WORK. 
          BUT I THINK THERE IS A, A DRIVEN LOYALTY TO SOMEONE THAT GIVES THEM AN OPPORTUNITY. 
          THAT'S ANOTHER GOOD POINT TO RAISE AROUND THIS. AND THEN MR. OLSON, I JUST REALLY APPRECIATED YOUR COMMAND OF THE MARKETPLACE STATISTICS AND THE
DEMAND, THE FUTURE DEMAND THAT WAS GOING TO BE COMING AND HOW WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS. 
          I MEAN, THIS IS THE SOMETIMES IN A GOVERNMENT ENTITY,
YOU DON'T GET CREDITED WITH HAVING KIND OF THAT CORPORATE MINDSET. 
          AND WHAT I WAS HEARING FROM YOU REFLECTED, I THINK,
THAT CORPORATE WAY OF THINKING WITH REGARD TO UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE MARKETPLACE IS GOING, ETC.. AND SO AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE,
THE INFORMATION. 
          AND JUST FINALLY, I WANTED TO SAY I APPRECIATE,
MR. DAVIS, THE VETTING AND GOING THROUGH AND DEFINING OBSTACLES AND FINDING HURDLES THAT ARE
KEEPING THE CITY FROM OPERATING OPTIMALLY IN HIRING AND RETAINING. ET CETERA. AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WERE A FEW BLINDING GLIMPSES OF THE
OBVIOUS GOING ON IN THERE THAT YOU JUST HAD TO GO IN AND REMOVE THOSE TO MAKE THE FLOW BETTER. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. CHAIRWOMAN. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION. 
          I THINK FOR ALL OF THIS. AND I'VE SAID IT AND WE PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AT THIS AGAIN
BECAUSE OF OUR FORMAT WITH THE DATES. 
          IT SKEWS THE REALITY OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE CONTINUING. 
          SO THINGS ARE MARKED AS COMPLETED, WHEN IN FACT THEY HAVE NOW BEEN BAKED INTO THE SYSTEM
AND THEY WILL BE ONGOING FOREVER. 
          AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT THIS FORMAT,
BECAUSE OTHERWISE, IF WE KEEP THE CURRENT FORMAT THAT WE HAVE, IF ALL GOES TO PLAN, WE'LL BE DONE WITH OUR RACIAL EQUITY PLAN,
WHICH WE SHOULD NEVER BE DONE WITH. 
          AND SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT A LIVING ORGANIC DOCUMENT. 
          THAT SAID, I DO WANT TO KNOW. AND AGAIN, THESE PRESENTATIONS WERE TERRIFIC. 
          I THINK SOME INDICATORS WERE MEANT NOT TO EVER BE COMPLETE,
EVEN THOUGH WE MAY. 
          SO RATHER MAYBE THAN THE WORD, IT'S LIKE IT'S LIKE THE SAME FRUSTRATION MY CONSTITUENTS
HAVE WHEN THEY SEE WITH 311 WHERE IT'S MARKED AS COMPLETED, WHEN IN FACT IT'S WE HEARD YOU AND WE'RE WORKING ON IT. 
          AND SO THAT'S ONE. THE OTHER IS ON FLEET. HOW ARE YOU TRAINING FOR SUCCESSION FOR THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE SERVING ON THE ADVISORY BOARDS. THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION,
AND I DIDN'T DO A GOOD JOB OF EXPLAINING SOME OF THE SUCCESS THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH OUR NEXT GENERATIONS. YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD A THERE'S A DESIGNATION CALLED CERTIFIED PUBLIC
FLEET PROFESSIONAL THROUGH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION. 
          TWO YEARS AGO, THERE WAS 100 OF US NATIONWIDE. 
          WE JUST HAD ANOTHER EMPLOYEE, JIMMY SOLIS, PASSED HIS CERTIFIED AND THAT'S A BIG
ACCOMPLISHMENT. 
          THAT'S A FOUR HOUR EXAM, AND IT'S PRETTY GRUELING AND RIGOROUS. 
          [00:45:03]
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF, YOU KNOW,
THAT INTERNALLY, PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED WHEN IT COMES TO REPLACING AN ASSET IN A TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS OUR DIRECTION,
YOU KNOW TO, SO WE DO HAVE MULTIPLE LAYERS OF MANAGERS THAT ARE IN THE AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION THAT ARE IN THE NAFA PROGRAMS. AND SO THAT SUCCESSION PLANNING IS DOING A BETTER JOB THAN I THAN I BROUGHT FORWARD HERE
AND THE TECHNICIAN TRAINING. 
          WE HAVE A CAREER PATH FOR OUR TECHNICIANS, OUR YOUNGEST TECHNICIANS ALL THE WAY THROUGH
THE TOP. 
          AND SO IT GIVES THEM THESE TARGETS. AND IF WE ACHIEVE THESE CERTAIN THINGS AND THEN WE
PROVIDE THE TRAINING FOR THEM AND REALLY THE DOORS THERE, IT'S UNLOCKED. IT'S EVEN CRACKED OPEN. WE JUST HAVE TO KIND OF ENCOURAGE THEM TO TAKE
THESE THINGS. 
          THAT'S GREAT. AND I HOPE THAT AS FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS,
WHEN YOU HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL BOARDS AND ADVISORY BOARDS TO THE SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW OF VARIOUS LEVELS. I HOPE THAT THAT BOARD TRAINING PIECE OF IT. 
          HOW ARE YOU A GOOD BOARD MEMBER? BECAUSE YOU WORK AT THE CITY OF DALLAS,
AND WE TAUGHT YOU HOW TO BE A GOOD BOARD MEMBER. 
          THAT'S WHAT I'M ADDING THAT MAYBE HASN'T BEEN TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF OUR STAFF TRAINING, BECAUSE WHAT WE WANT IS ANYONE WHO WORKS AT THE CITY TO BE HIGHLY DESIRED AS MEMBERS OF
OUTSIDE ADVISORY BOARDS AND COUNCILS BECAUSE OF HOW WE KNOW HOW TO ACT WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER VIEWPOINTS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF
DALLAS. 
          I ALSO WANT TO THINK THAT I ALSO WANT TO ADD THAT PERHAPS IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO BEGIN
TO MEASURE NOT JUST OUR SUCCESS WITH RECRUITMENT, WHICH IS FANTASTIC, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU,
BUT ON RETENTION. 
          EXACTLY. AND HOW WELL WE'RE DOING. BECAUSE WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU ALL,
THEY'VE BEEN HERE 14 YEARS, THEY'VE BEEN HERE 30 YEARS, WHATEVER IT IS. I MEAN,
THAT'S VERY UNUSUAL. 
          AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF UNCERTAINTY,
TO ENTER INTO A PLACE OF WORK THAT WANTS ME TO WORK HERE FOR THE REST OF MY CAREER, IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE A HUGE ATTRACTION FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW. 
          THEY'VE GOT A PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT FOR THE REST OF THEIR WORKING LIFE. 
          AND THAT SPEAKS TO MY LAST COMMENT, IF I MAY,
MADAM CHAIR, WHICH IS I ALSO THINK THAT ESPECIALLY NOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IN LEAVING THE CITY AND SEEING THE BENEFITS PACKAGE THAT WE OFFER AT THE CITY OF
DALLAS IS BAR NONE. 
          AND THAT IS A HUGE RECRUITMENT TOOL. AGAIN, IN THESE DAYS OF UNCERTAINTY,
PARTICULARLY WITH HEALTH CARE, BUT ALSO THE ALL THE OTHER, THE MYRIAD BENEFITS THAT WE OFFER IN WORKING AT THE CITY. 
          SO EVEN THOUGH WE MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COMPETE,
PERHAPS IN THE CASH IN SALARY WE KICKTAIL ON BENEFITS, AND AS LONG AS OUR COUNCIL CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE LIFE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE,
NOT JUST THE WORK THAT THEY DO THEN THE WE WILL HAVE A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION BY ADDING THAT TO OUR TO OUR SALES
PITCH WITH EVERYONE. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT ESPECIALLY FOR THESE CORE DEPARTMENTS. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS,
MADAM CHAIR, BUT I DO REALLY QUICKLY WANT TO ECHO THE COMMENTS THAT MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILWOMAN WILLIS STATED ABOUT THE FRESH START
PROGRAM. 
          I THINK WE ALL NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE. 
          OUTSIDE OF THAT, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALL OF THE WORK
THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING AS IT RELATES TO THIS TOPIC. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. AND I WILL WRAP UP. 
          I KNOW WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END OF WHAT WE WOULD TRADITIONALLY CALL THE YEAR. 
          JUST A FEW COMMENTS. I THINK, NUMBER ONE, WHAT I KEEP HEARING AND YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB
THIS MORNING AND THERE'S A WEALTH OF INFORMATION AND IT'S VERY INSPIRING JUST TO HEAR ABOUT THE
TRAINING PROGRAMS AND THE AND THE EFFORTS TO FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, ENHANCING ONE'S LIFE AND GIVING THEM ANOTHER CHANCE. 
          WHAT I WILL SAY, CITY MANAGER, IS THAT WE STILL HAVE TO,
I BELIEVE WE STILL HAVE TO TAKE THAT MESSAGE BACK AND WE MUST WORK ON OUR MARKETING, BECAUSE YOU ARE DESCRIBING A WHOLE WEALTH, A TREASURE TROVE OF INFORMATION,
AND THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO KNOW THAT THEIR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING UTILIZED WISELY. YOU HAVE TRAINING, YOU HAVE INVESTMENT,
YOU HAVE A CUTTING EDGE THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WITH THE TECHNOLOGY YOU HAVE THE PROGRAMS
ESPECIALLY THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON. 
          AND I'LL BE REAL QUICK ON THAT WITH YOUR MWBE THAT FOLKS ARE STILL IN THE CLOUD ABOUT IN
TERMS OF JUST WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? 
          [00:50:08]
AND THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. 
          AS CHAIRWOMAN SCHULTZ SAID, EVEN IN FUTURE COUNCILS,
THAT WE DON'T ALLOW THAT LOOPHOLE TO EXIST SO THAT FOLKS GET OUT OF BEING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT BECAUSE OF POLITICAL PRESSURES. WE NEED TO HOLD THROUGH YOUR POLICY THEIR FEET
TO THE FIRE, SO THAT WE DO FEEL LIKE WE HAVE THE FAIR SHAKE THERE. 
          LET ME JUST ASK YOU ON THE AI, COULD YOU TELL ME AGAIN ABOUT THE AI? WHAT WAS YOUR STATEMENT AROUND AI? WE CALL IT AISHA,
JUST SO THAT YOU'LL KNOW. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME. MY STATEMENT RELATED TO AI. 
          I CAN'T HEAR YOU. OKAY. SORRY. MY STATEMENT RELATED TO AI WAS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE
IMPLEMENT AI TOOLS, THAT WE KEEP A LENS TO MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S NOT BIAS IN THE INFORMATION AND THE DATA. 
          SO AS DECISIONS ARE MADE WITH THE DATA THAT COMES FROM THE AI,
WE'RE LOOKING AT IT SO THAT IT'S AS MUCH BIAS FREE AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT WE ARE REALLY MAKING SURE THAT THE USE OF AI IS USED IN THE RIGHT PLACES AND
SPACES. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO AS IT RELATES TO YOUR FLEET, I KNOW THAT'S MR. DENZEL'S FAVORITE CATEGORY. AND WE TALK ABOUT THE FLEET AND THE FLEET IN THE INTEGRATION
OF AI. 
          I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT IS NOT A PERFECT SYSTEM AND THAT
THERE'S AREAS FOR FLAWS. 
          BUT WHEN WE BEGIN TO ASK QUESTIONS AND THE PUBLIC ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT FACIAL RECOGNITION,
AND SO THAT OTHER DATA THAT YOU'RE GETTING, HOW ARE YOU ALL GOING THROUGH TO YOU'RE GETTING CONTINUED EDUCATION OR HOW ARE YOU DEALING
WITH THAT TO PREPARE FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE COLLABORATION WITH THAT TOOL? YEAH. SO WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR DATA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE UNIT TO. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO TALK UP JUST A LITTLE BIT. WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR DATA INTELLIGENCE I'M
SORRY, DATA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE GROUP. 
          THEY'VE PARTNERED WITH US IN ITS WE HAVE DATA GOVERNANCE POLICIES. 
          RELATED ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD DATA. HOW DO YOU USE YOUR DATA? WE HAVE SPECIFIC AI GOVERNANCE POLICIES. SO WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT DIFFERENT TOOLS WE'RE
GOING TO USE, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING FACIAL RECOGNITION, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING AUTOMATION IN FLEET OR
EVEN IN OUR HR TOOLS, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT. SO IT ALONG WITH DBI IS MANAGING THAT ENTIRE
PROCESS. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO I DID WANT TO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THAT AI IS NOT PERFECT. 
          CORRECT. AND I KNOW THAT AND I'M KIND OF ADDICTED TO IT SO I USE IT. 
          BUT I ALSO CHALLENGE IT BECAUSE SOMETIMES I PUT IN INFORMATION AND IT DOESN'T GIVE ME
ACCURACY AS I THINK IT SHOULD. 
          SO I HAVE TO KEEP PUSHING IT. SO WE NEED TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT. 
          BUT I THINK IN ORDER FOR US TO BE CUTTING EDGE AS A CITY,
WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH CONTINUING EDUCATION AND BEST PRACTICES AND ALL THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE SURE WE ARE COMPETITIVE. THE OTHER THING,
AS A CITY MANAGER, I WANTED TO JUST KIND OF SPEAK ON AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS. I THINK I HEARD WAS IT MR. JARED DAVIS WITH THE REDUCTION, YOU DESCRIBED A PROCESS WHERE YOU HAD TO KIND OF REPEAT
AND REPEAT. 
          YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YEAH. I THINK COUNCILWOMAN SCHULTZ SAID IT IN A WAY
THAT I WAS TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, OUR IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES EXIST IN MANY DIFFERENT BUCKETS. 
          RIGHT? AND SO SOMETIMES WE'RE DOING PROCESS IMPROVEMENT ON THE BACKS OF AN AUDIT. 
          AND SO WE FOUND AND THAT'S WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE MANY INSTANCES IN WHICH WE WERE
ASKING, YOU KNOW, IF A PERSON MESSED UP THEIR APPLICATION BY SOME ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR,
WE WOULD BLOCK THEM FOR 30 DAYS. 
          AND IT WAS JUST A ARBITRARY CANDIDATE FREEZE RULE THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW,
THAT YOU EXPERIENCED IT UNTIL YOU EXPERIENCED IT. 
          AND SO OVERCOMING EVEN SMALL THINGS LIKE THAT TO,
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, BEING MORE PROGRESSIVE IN TALKING ABOUT HOW DO WE REIMAGINE PROVIDING PARAMEDIC SUPPORT THROUGH THE ROLE OF A SINGLE FUNCTION PARAMEDIC. SO ALL OF THESE
DIFFERENT EXERCISES. 
          BUT YES, THAT WAS PARTICULARLY AN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN THAT WE FOUND AND WE WERE ABLE TO
QUICKLY ELIMINATE. 
          ALL RIGHT. AND SO SINCE WE'RE ON WORKFORCE EQUITY AND INCLUSION,
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER ALONG THE LINES OF PAPERWORK, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT BECAUSE THERE IS AN ABILITY THROUGH
THIS PROCESS TO EXCLUDE INDIVIDUALS FROM A PROCESS. AND ONE OF THE EXAMPLES, AND THIS IS PROBABLY APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO BRING UP. 
          BUT WHEN YOU WE'RE PUTTING OUT PROGRAMS AND WE'RE PUTTING OUT APPLICATIONS OF 70 PAGES
LONG, AND YOU'RE EXPECTING PEOPLE TO GET ALL OF THOSE 70,
THAT IN ITSELF INTIMIDATES SOME FOLKS. 
          SO WE PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AT THAT IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING IN TERMS OF THAT
REVISIT THERE. 
          [00:55:03]
BUT I THINK JUST IN CLOSING HERE, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. 
          I WILL VISIT WITH CITY MANAGER. I THINK WE HAVE,
DO WE HAVE ONE MORE MEETING COMING UP IN MAY OR IS THIS IT? YES WE DO. WE HAVE ONE MORE MEETING. BUT IN CLOSING,
I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT I'M HEARING TODAY. 
          WE JUST HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF LETTING FOLKS KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A JEWEL OF A PROGRAM. 
          THAT IS A JEWEL. IT'S A DIAMOND. ANYTIME YOU CAN EDUCATE AND ELEVATE,
YOU WILL CAPTURE PEOPLE. 
          AND IT'S IN ANOTHER, WE'LL TALK ABOUT AGEISM,
TOO, BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS DON'T FEEL LIKE BECAUSE THEY ARE A CERTAIN AGE AROUND HERE, THEY CANNOT BE RELEVANT. AND I HEAR THAT SOMETIMES AND PEOPLE DON'T MAYBE
DON'T REALLY REALIZE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, BUT IT DOES AFFECT. SO IN CLOSING, I'VE HEARD THIS STATEMENT BEFORE AND YOU HAVE TOO
PEOPLE WILL MAYBE NOT REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAY, BUT HOW YOU TREAT THEM. I BELIEVE THEY WILL REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW THEY TREAT THEM. 
          SO HOW THEY ARE TREATED. SO IN CLOSING, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. 
          I WILL TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE, IF YOU DON'T MIND. 
          ALONG WITH EDUCATION, I WANT TO BRING OUT DOCTOR JARED DAVIS HERE. 
          MAINLY BECAUSE I MADE HIM A DOCTOR. HE WAS A FORMER STUDENT AT YVONNE A EWELL TOWNVIEW
MAGNET CENTER. 
          SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT EDUCATION AND BRIDGING THE GAP WITH DISD AND OTHER SCHOOLS,
I THINK YOU CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT OPPORTUNITIES AND BRING ABOUT STRONG TALENT THAT HELPS US TO STAY WELL, STAY AND GROW BECAUSE WE WANT TO GROW. 
          DALLAS. SO I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE WE TOOK A POINT OF PRIVILEGE TO RECOGNIZE THAT HE'S
HERE, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER STUDENTS THROUGH DISD THAT ARE HERE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU'RE
OFFERING THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, CITY MANAGER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER,
AND WE ARE PREPARED FOR OUR NEXT PRESENTATION. WE APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS AND ALL THE INSIGHTS, AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP. AND WE ARE FOLLOWING UP. 
          SO WE CONTINUE TO SEE THIS AS AN ITERATIVE PROCESS,
EVEN IN CHANGING LANDSCAPES AROUND PRIORITIES, ETC., AT MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. 
          WE REMAIN STEADFAST IN OUR COMMITMENT TO DATA DRIVEN AND ENSURING THAT ALL OF OUR
COMMUNITIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE. 
          SO WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND THANK YOU TO THE CORE TEAM FOR COMING. 
          AND I DO SHARE THE PRIDE OF A DALLAS ISD GRADUATE. 
          HAVE A GREAT DAY. I THINK WE HAVE OUR NEXT PRESENTATION,
MADAM CHAIR, AND WE CAN CALL UP DOCTOR WONG. 
          SO AS DOCTOR WONG COMES DOWN IT'S FOOD INSECURITY IN DALLAS COUNTY. 
          CURRENT STATUS AND EFFORTS. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ALL HERE THIS MORNING. 
          AND I DON'T HAVE BOTH THE OTHER PRESENTATION PRESENTERS NAME,
BUT I THINK YOU ALL WILL HANDLE THAT. 
          AND THIS, OF COURSE, IS ALWAYS A HOT AND A FRUITFUL TOPIC. 
          THANK YOU. THEY'RE GOING TO PRESENT DOCTOR PHILIP WONG FROM THE DALLAS COUNTY HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES, IS GOING TO DELIVER AN INSIGHTFUL PRESENTATION ON THE CURRENT STATE OF FOOD INSECURITY
WITHIN OUR COUNTY, DALLAS COUNTY, SPECIFICALLY SHEDDING A LIGHT ON THE CHALLENGES FACED BY OUR COMMUNITIES
AND INFORMING OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THIS CRITICAL ISSUES. 
          AND WE HAVE A FEW OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE HERE THAT PARTNER UP ON THIS AREA OF WORK
WITH DOCTOR WONG AND HIS TEAM, READY TO BE RESPONSIVE TO QUESTIONS AS TO WHAT THE CITY IS DOING IN ALIGNMENT. 
          THANK YOU, DOCTOR WONG. SURE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. 
          AND I'M JOINED HERE WITH WALDO AMIN, WHO'S OVERSEES OUR CHRONIC DISEASE DIVISION. 
          SO HE CAN PROBABLY ANSWER A LOT MORE OF THE SPECIFICS BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF
COLLABORATIONS, REALLY, THAT WE ARE DOING WITH YOU THAT WE APPRECIATE THAT SUPPORT. 
          LET'S SEE. DO YOU JUST ADVANCE IT OR. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          SO JUST, YOU KNOW, BACKGROUND ON DCHHS IN DALLAS COUNTY. 
          AND OUR MISSION, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH. 
          AND I'LL TRY TO SKIP THROUGH SOME OF THE SLIDES BECAUSE IT'S A PRETTY LONG PRESENTATION.
BUT YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, STOP ME AND STOP US IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR YOU WANT MORE DETAILS ON
NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND THE NEXT SLIDE IS SORT OF MORE THE DEFINITIONS OF FOOD INSECURITY,
FOOD ACCESS, UNHEALTHY POOR DIETS, FOOD DESERTS AND FOOD ENVIRONMENTAL INDEX. NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND JUST, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE. 
          FOOD INSECURITY IS A SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH ASSOCIATED WITH POOR HEALTH OUTCOMES AND
IN PARTICULAR ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC AND ACUTE HEALTH PROBLEMS LIKE CORONARY HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, OBESITY AND CANCER. 
          AND SO THERE IS SORT OF THAT CYCLE OF FOOD INSECURITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO CHRONIC
DISEASES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND SO AGAIN, SOME OF THE CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY. 
          THEY ARE MOSTLY RELATED TO SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. 
          [01:00:02]
AND THAT'S WHY ONE THING THAT WITH DCHHS WE'RE A HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY. 
          SO WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF THE OTHER HUMAN SERVICES SOCIAL SERVICES PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE VERY
INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO USE TO HELP SUPPORT HEALTH AND IMPROVE HEALTH. 
          AND INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, FOR US, WE HAVE OUR OWN DALLAS COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY PIECE,
AS WELL AS SOME WELFARE ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WEATHERIZATION AND THINGS. BUT THOSE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS,
AGAIN, LOW INCOME OR UNEMPLOYMENT, LACK OF ACCESS AND LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND THIS JUST REALLY SHOWS THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM NATIONALLY. 
          YOU KNOW, 47 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES,
FOOD INSECURE. 
          14 MILLION CHILDREN. AND THEN GREATER THAN 50 MILLION PEOPLE TURNED TO FOOD PROGRAMS IN
THE YEAR 2023. 
          AND 100% OF US COUNTIES HAVE FOOD INSECURITY AS A PROBLEM. 
          NEXT SLIDE. HERE ARE SOME OF THE TRENDS. THE HOUSEHOLDS WITH CHILDREN IN ALL HOUSEHOLDS. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE SINCE COVID THEN SOME BOUNCE BACK OF THIS FOOD INSECURITY PROBLEM BOTH IN
HOUSEHOLDS AND CHILDREN AND ALL HOUSEHOLDS. 
          AND THAT'S THE NATIONAL DATA. NEXT SLIDE. AND SO THIS SHOWS SOME OF THE PERCENTAGE OF US
HOUSEHOLDS THAT REPORT EACH OF THESE DIFFERENT INDICATORS OF FOOD INSECURITY BY THEIR FOOD SECURITY STATUS. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE LIKE THOSE WITH VERY LOW FOOD SECURITY,
YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH ALMOST ALL OF THEM WORRIED THAT THEIR FOOD WOULD RUN OUT OR THAT FOOD THEY BOUGHT DID NOT LAST, COULDN'T AFFORD A BALANCED MEAL. 
          AND AGAIN, THOSE ASSOCIATIONS WITH THAT FOOD AND FOOD SECURITY INDICATORS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE HOUSEHOLDS THAT HAD FOOD INSECURITY AT LEAST ONCE
DURING A FIVE YEAR PERIOD, YOU CAN SEE OVER 50% 51%. IT WAS A ONE YEAR PERIOD WHERE THEY OF FOOD INSECURITY. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBER OF YEARS. 
          SO MOST OF THEM WERE JUST WITHIN WITH ONE YEAR. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN THIS SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION FOR COMPARING UNITED
STATES TEXAS AND DALLAS COUNTY. AND SO, TEXAS AND DALLAS COUNTY ARE WORSE COMPARED TO THE OVERALL
UNITED STATES. 
          AND FOR CHILDHOOD CHILD FOOD INSECURITY RATES WERE ACTUALLY WORSE THAN THE STATE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. THESE NEXT TWO SLIDES SORT OF SHOW SOME OF THOSE TRENDS. 
          COMPARING THE US, TEXAS AND DALLAS COUNTY. AGAIN,
YOU CAN SEE ACTUALLY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, THEN I THINK TEXAS HAS BEEN WORSE OFF THIS ON THESE TRENDS YOU CAN. 
          NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE THAT EVEN A LITTLE MORE EASILY. 
          THAT DARK BLUE LINE REPRESENTS TEXAS. THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THAT TRENDS SO SLIGHTLY WORSE
THAN US. 
          BUT TEXAS AND DALLAS COUNTY ARE BOTH WORSE THAN THE UNITED STATES ON THESE. 
          AND AGAIN, SORT OF THAT GOING BACK UP ON THESE TRENDS SINCE THE COVID PERIOD. 
          NEXT SLIDE. THIS SHOWS SOME DATA ON SORT OF FOOD ENVIRONMENT INDEX,
INDEX OF FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A HEALTHY FOOD ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS AND FOOD INSECURITY. 
          AND ACTUALLY ON THIS OVERALL FOR DALLAS COUNTY,
WE'RE BETTER THAN TEXAS, A LITTLE WORSE THAN THE UNITED STATES. 
          BUT SOME OF THAT THEN REFLECTS DISPARITIES ALSO. 
          SO WE MAY OVERALL BE DOING OVER OKAY ON SOME OF THESE FACTORS. 
          BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF THE DISPARITIES WHICH WE'LL SEE IN SOME OF THE NEXT SLIDES. 
          SO NEXT SLIDE. AND AGAIN THESE ARE BROKEN DOWN BY CHILD FOOD INSECURITY VERSUS OVERALL. 
          AND SO THE CHILD INSECURITY IS HIGHER THAN OUR OVERALL. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE TRENDS. AND AGAIN GOING UP 21 2022. 
          NEXT SLIDE. HERE'S A RACIAL AND ETHNIC COMPARISON. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THE FOOD INSECURITY RATE AMONG BLACK INDIVIDUALS IS HIGHEST. 
          AND THE NEXT HIGHEST IS HISPANICS AND THEN LOWEST AMONG WHITE NON-HISPANIC PERSONS. 
          AND THIS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT IT'S FROM 2019 TO 2022. 
          BUT YOU CAN SEE IT'S GETTING WORSE IN TERMS OF SOME OF THAT DISPARITY AND IN PARTICULAR
FOR BLACK INDIVIDUALS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND AGAIN, SOME OF THAT RACIAL BREAKDOWN. 
          THIS IS FROM OUR ACTUAL COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY THAT WE DID IN 2022,
WHERE THE RESPONDENTS REPORTING THEY DID NOT HAVE 
          [01:05:04]
ACCESS TO FOOD BY RACE. AND AGAIN, BLACK INDIVIDUALS HAD THE HIGHEST REPORTING THAT THEY
DID NOT HAVE THAT ACCESS TO FOOD. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THE OTHER RACIAL ETHNIC GROUPS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. NOW IMPACT OF INCOME ON FOOD INSECURITY. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THE VAST MAJORITY ARE BELOW 185% FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL. 
          BUT ONE THING YOU CAN SEE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IS THAT AN INCREASING PERCENTAGE THAT ARE
FOOD INSECURE, EVEN IN THOSE WITH INCOMES OVER 185% FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL? NEXT SLIDE. NOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND FOOD DESERTS IN DALLAS
COUNTY, THOSE ARE ILLUSTRATED IN THOSE CHARTS. AND NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALSO FOOD INSECURITY COMPARED TO SOME OF THE CHRONIC DISEASE BURDEN
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE SAME AREAS ARE THE HIGHER BURDEN AREAS, BOTH REFLECTING SOME OF THOSE SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES AND THINGS THAT ARE
CONSISTENT AND IMPACT BOTH FOOD INSECURITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE BURDEN. NEXT SLIDE. AND SO SOME OF THE SPECIFIC HEALTHY PEOPLE 2030 OBJECTIVES
THAT ARE RELATED TO THIS. 
          THERE'S REDUCING HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY AND HUNGER,
ELIMINATING VERY LOW FOOD SECURITY IN CHILDREN, INCREASING FRUIT CONSUMPTION BY PEOPLE AGED TWO YEARS AND OVER,
AND INCREASING VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION BY PEOPLE AGED TWO YEARS AND OLDER. 
          NEXT SLIDE. AND SO SOME OF THE EFFORTS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON,
AND AGAIN, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU ALL TO REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY AND MEET OBJECTIVES OF THESE HEALTHY PEOPLE, 2030. NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO THE STRATEGIC APPROACH CAN BE DIVIDED INTO ACCESS PRODUCTION AND EDUCATION AND
TRAINING. 
          AND SO IN IN TERMS OF ACCESS, YOU KNOW, INITIATIVES AIMED AT INCREASING FOOD ACCESS IN
HIGH RISK ZIP CODES. 
          IMPROVING NUTRITION WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES BY INTRODUCING DIRECT SUPPLY OF FRESH
PRODUCE. 
          THESE PROGRAMS ENSURE RESIDENTS CAN ACCESS NUTRIENT RICH FOODS,
POSITIVELY IMPACTING OVERALL HEALTH. 
          SO WE'VE GOT SOME FOOD ACCESS PROJECTS I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IN THE SUBSEQUENT
SLIDES. 
          LIKE FARMERS MARKETS, FARM STANDS, FOSTER THAT,
FOSTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL FARMERS AND PRODUCERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY FOR PRODUCTION SUPPORTING URBAN AGRICULTURE. YOU KNOW,
WIDE RANGE OF INITIATIVES, RESOURCES AIMED AT FOSTERING SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION IN URBAN AREAS. WE DO FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING PROGRAMS,
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND VOLUNTEERISM TO PROMOTE THE VIABILITY AND SUCCESS OF THESE GARDENS AND ENABLING PARTICIPANTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS,
IMPROVE FOOD ACCESS, AND CREATE MORE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN ENVIRONMENTS FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEALTHY DIETARY PRACTICES, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO EDUCATE PEOPLE TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF AND MAKE THE HEALTHY CHOICES. 
          MAINTAINING GOOD HEALTH, PREVENTING CHRONIC DISEASES,
EDUCATING ON HEALTHY FOOD RECIPES, PREPARATION METHODS YOU KNOW, HOW TO INCORPORATE NOVEL FOODS INTO THEIR BETTER FOOD CHOICES ADVOCATING FOR ACCESSIBLE
AND HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, SO MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO,
TO FIND THESE NUTRIENT DENSE, RICH FOODS AND MAKE HEALTHIER CHOICES. 
          AND AGAIN, ALSO TRAINING IN URBAN AGRICULTURE TO HELP THE FARMERS AND GROWERS HAVE THE
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY TO CULTIVATE MANAGEMENT, SUSTAIN AND ENHANCE THEIR GARDEN YIELD AND OTHER THINGS,
AND ALSO EDUCATION ON BASIC SOIL PRACTICES, SOIL PREPARATION, CROP ROTATION. AND I WILL MENTION THAT WALDO HAS BECOME A MASTER
GARDENER THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS AND IS VERY ENGAGED IN SOME OF THE TRAININGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. NEXT SLIDE. 
          SO AGAIN THE TYPE OF PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE ON THESE STRATEGIES FOR AVAILABILITY
SPECIFICALLY THE COMMUNITY GARDEN GRANT PROGRAM URBAN MINI ORCHARDS PROJECT, FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM. 
          OUR URBAN AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT PILOT PROGRAM IS ONE THAT'S FUNDED BY YOU
ALL. 
          AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP AND EVERYTHING
YOU'RE DOING WITH THAT FOR ACCESS. 
          WE'VE GOT THE FARMER'S MARKET PROJECT, WELLNESS ON WHEELS,
MOBILE MARKET, SNAP ENROLLMENT AND PROMOTION. 
          AND THEN FOR AWARENESS, WE HAVE THE EDIBLE GARDEN TRAINING AND MASTER GARDENER
SPONSORSHIP. 
          ANOTHER PROGRAM WORKING WITH YOU ALL THE GROWERS EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM AND NUTRITION EDUCATION. 
          SO JUST NEXT SLIDE GOING THROUGH A LITTLE MORE DETAILS ON EACH OF THOSE. 
          OUR COMMUNITY GARDEN GRANT. WE PROVIDE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO ESTABLISH IN
NEW GARDENS AND SOME OF OUR TARGET ZIP CODES CONNECTING COMMUNITY GARDENS TO LOCAL 
          [01:10:03]
RESOURCES, SUCH AS MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEERS. 
          TO DATE, IN FOUR ROUNDS, WE'VE MADE AVAILABLE MORE THAN $150,000. 
          WE ALSO HELPED ONE LOCAL GARDEN BECAME A USDA DESIGNATED PEOPLE'S GARDEN. 
          RECEIVING $75,000 IN FUNDING THROUGH DCHHS. WE HAVE MORE THAN 38 EXISTING AND NEW
COMMUNITY GARDENS SUPPORTED TO DATE. 
          AND ACCORDINGLY, PRODUCTION AT EACH OF THESE INCREASED GARDENS INCREASED FROM 30% TO 100%. 
          MORE THAN 34 GARDENS WERE PROVIDED ACCESS TO MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER RESOURCES. 
          AND THIS IS THROUGH OUR COLLABORATION WITH TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE. 
          I MEAN, REALLY VERY SUCCESSFUL AND EXCITING PROGRAM THAT WE ARE PLEASED WITH. 
          NEXT SLIDE. OUR URBAN MINI ORCHARDS PROJECT COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH THE GROW GARDEN
GROW, A LOCAL NONPROFIT AND AIMS TO IDENTIFY SUITABLE SITES FOR ESTABLISHING MINI ORCHARDS BY
PLANTING FRUIT TREES AND BUSHES THAT THRIVE IN NORTH TEXAS. 
          CLIMATE. TO DATE, THE PROJECT'S ESTABLISHED MINI ORCHARDS AT 18 SITES HAS PLANTED MORE
THAN 139 VARIOUS FRUIT TREES AND MORE THAN 34 BLACKBERRY BRAMBLES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. THE FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM,
ESTABLISHED USING A USDA GRANT, AIMS TO ESTABLISH OR IMPROVE SCHOOL GARDENS LOCATED IN LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES. PROJECT ALSO AIMS TO HELP EACH SCHOOL INCORPORATE GARDENING AND
NUTRITION EDUCATION INTO THEIR LESSON PLANS. 
          AND SO IT'S A GREAT, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY GET THE KIDS EARLY ON EXCITED ABOUT
THIS, HAVING THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES AND LEARNING ABOUT THESE HEALTHY FOODS THAT THEY'RE GROWING. 
          THE PROGRAM STARTED IN JULY 2024, AND SO FAR HAS IDENTIFIED FIVE SCHOOLS FOR
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM, AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE SCHOOLS LISTED THERE. NEXT SLIDE. 
          AGAIN, THIS IS THIS PROGRAM IN PARTICULAR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU ALL. 
          THE UAF COLLABORATIVE PROJECT TO SUPPORT URBAN AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE,
THEREBY IMPROVING LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION CAPACITY. 
          PROJECTS MADE AVAILABLE $99,600 FIRST ROUND,
WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ROUND IN 2025, AND THE SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS HAS BEEN COMPLETED ACCORDINGLY,
14 LOCAL GROWERS AND URBAN AGRICULTURE OPERATORS ARE GOING TO BE RECEIVING FUNDINGS FOR THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. NEXT SLIDE IS OUR FARMER'S MARKET PROJECT. 
          PROGRAM AIMS TO ESTABLISH FARMERS MARKETS AND FARM STANDS AND UNDERSERVED AREAS OF THE
COUNTY TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, HEALTHY FOOD. THROUGH A USDA GRANT, WE WERE ABLE TO ESTABLISH THE FOUR OAK CLIFF FARMERS
MARKET IS ACTUALLY AT 907 EAST LEDBETTER ROAD DRIVE. 
          AND AS OF 2024, A GRAND TOTAL OF 4780 CUSTOMERS ATTENDED THE MARKET,
AN AVERAGE OF 154 CUSTOMERS PER MARKET OVER THE 31 MARKET DAYS OFFERED. 
          A TOTAL OF 22 VENDORS PARTICIPATED. AND IN ADDITION WE PARTNER WITH PARKLAND OUR PARTNER
PARKLAND PROVIDED OVER 1100 FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS, INCLUDING GLUCOSE, BLOOD PRESSURE, BREAST HEALTH AND STI SCREENINGS,
AS WELL AS REFERRALS FOR FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. YOU CAN SEE PICTURED OVER ON THE RIGHT,
OUR NEW WELLNESS ON WHEELS VAN. 
          IT AIMS TO ESTABLISH A MOBILE MARKET OFFERING FRESH PRODUCE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES TO
UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. 
          ALSO SUPPORTS LOCAL GARDENERS AND GROWERS BY SOURCING THE PRODUCE LOCALLY,
AND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH AT LEAST FIVE LOCAL GROWERS SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN OCTOBER 2024. 
          THE MOBILE MARKET HAS OFFERED A VARIETY OF LOCALLY SOURCED,
SEASONAL PRODUCE ITEMS THROUGH THE PROGRAM, MAKING AVAILABLE OVER 500 POUNDS OF PRODUCE TO 93 DALLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS. NEXT SLIDE IS OUR SNAP ENROLLMENT AND PROMOTION. 
          WE PROVIDE SNAP ELIGIBILITY CHECKUP AND ENROLLMENT SERVICES. 
          AND IN ADDITION, WE'RE PLANNING TO IMPLEMENT THE DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS PROGRAM THROUGH OUR
WELLNESS ON WHEELS PROGRAM AND ALSO COORDINATING AGAIN WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER PROGRAMS THROUGH ITS WELFARE DIVISION, ENROLLING, ON AVERAGE,
ABOUT 400 ELIGIBLE RESIDENTS TO THE SNAP PROGRAM ANNUALLY. 
          AND WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH OTHER PARTNERS. I KNOW THERE'S SORT OF A DALLAS WIDE,
AREA WIDE INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE SNAP ENROLLMENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. EDIBLE GARDEN TRAINING PROGRAM THIS COLLABORATION WITH TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE
DALLAS COUNTY EXTENSION OFFER AIM TO EDUCATE RESIDENTS OF DALLAS COUNTY IN ESSENTIALS OF URBAN GARDENING. TOPICS COVERED THROUGH A SERIES OF CLASSES AND HANDS ON TRAINING INCLUDE
SOIL AND IRRIGATION, VEGGIE 101, FRUITS 101 IPM AND HARVESTING AND MARKETING. 
          AND SINCE THE PROGRAM STARTED IN 2022, DCHHS HAS TRAINED MORE THAN 100 RESIDENTS. 
          IN ADDITION, IN COLLABORATION WITH AGRILIFE,
PROVIDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO FIVE RESIDENTS FROM UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO BECOME MASTER GARDENERS. NEXT THE GW PROGRAM AGAIN, THIS IS THE ONE IN COLLABORATION WITH YOU ALL. 
          THAT TO BOLSTER THE URBAN AGRICULTURE WORKFORCE IN THE DALLAS AREA BY PROVIDING HANDS ON
TRAINING IN VARIOUS ASPECTS, 
          [01:15:01]
INCLUDING EFFICIENT GARDENING TECHNIQUES, FOOD SAFETY PROTOCOLS,
AGRIBUSINESS MODELS, CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AND UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER FOOD MARKETS. THE PROGRAM GRANT THAT WE GET FROM YOU,
ALL 49,800 WAS PROVIDED AND HAS CURRENTLY COMPLETED FIVE LOCAL URBAN AGRICULTURE OPERATION SITES TO SERVE AS AN INTERNSHIP LOCATION FOR AT LEAST 12 RESIDENTS
TO RECEIVE A 12 WEEK HANDS ON TRAINING. 
          NEXT FOOD SLIDE. FOOD AND NUTRITION EDUCATION. 
          WE'VE IMPLEMENTED MORE THAN 11 EVIDENCE BASED SNAP-ED PROGRAMS,
INCLUDING EAT SMART, LIVE STRONG. 
          JUST SAY YES TO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. COOKING MATTERS AT HOME. 
          COOKING MATTERS AT THE STORE. HEALTHY FOR LIFE. 
          HEART SMARTS TEN TIPS FOR ADULTS. COORDINATED APPROACHES TO CHILD HEALTH. 
          GO FOR HEALTH. DO WELL. BE WELL WITH DIABETES. 
          DO WELL. BE WELL WITH HYPERTENSION. COOKING WELL WITH DIABETES. 
          AND OUR FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM PROVIDED MORE THAN 474 NUTRITION CLASSES SINCE 2021. 
          MORE THAN 9400 RESIDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THESE CLASSES,
AND TO DATE, THE DIVISION HAS DISTRIBUTED 4307 SIMPLY DELICIOUS, HEALTHY AND AFFORDABLE RECIPE COOKBOOKS. AND ALSO CONDUCTED MORE THAN 100 COOKING
DEMONSTRATIONS IN 2024 AND 2025. 
          OKAY. NEXT SLIDE. AND SO AGAIN, JUST YOU CAN SEE OVERALL THE SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE THINGS
WAS TALKING ABOUT THE EFFORTS AND THE IMPACTS. I'VE WENT THROUGH SOME OF THE EFFORTS,
BUT SOME OF THE IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, 41 GARDENS ASSISTED WITH OVER $150,000 IN FUNDING, PROVIDED 18 MINI ORCHARDS, 139 FRUIT TREES, 34 BLACKBERRY BRAMBLES,
FIVE SCHOOL GARDENS TO BE ESTABLISHED OR IMPROVED, 14 GARDENS, GROWERS AND GARDENS WILL IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THE GRANTS. 
          ONE FARMERS MARKET ONE MOBILE MARKET ESTABLISHED,
MORE THAN 400 SNAP ENROLLMENTS. 
          DOUBLE UP FOOD BUCKS PROGRAM TO BE ESTABLISHED,
474 NUTRITION CLASSES CONDUCTED, 9400 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, OVER 100 COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS, MENU REVISIONS FOR FOUR EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS,
MANY MODIFICATION TOOLKITS DEVELOPED 18 DISTRIBUTED 4370 HEALTH RECIPE BOOKS DISTRIBUTED IN GREATER THAN 100 RESIDENTS. 
          TRAINING GARDENS. QUESTIONS ON PERMITS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. EXCUSE ME, MADAM CHAIR WE'RE CHECKING THE MIC TO SEE IF THERE'S A LIVE MIC. 
          PARDON THE INTERRUPTION. OH, OKAY. JUST GOING THE LAST,
YOU KNOW AGAIN, FIVE MASTER GARDENERS TRAINED. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY JUST THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. 
          I MEAN, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT AGAIN,
WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU ALL. THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT ISSUES. 
          AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU ON THIS IMPORTANT ASPECT. 
          CHAIR SCHULTZ HAS A QUESTION. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS. IT'S GREAT TO HEAR EVERYTHING THAT THE COUNTY IS DOING AND
SOME OF THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CITY. 
          I BELIEVE THAT WHAT I WANT TO SEE IS. AND HAVE YOU BE AWARE OF IS THE COUNTY HAS BEEN DEEPLY INVOLVED IN A LARGER PLAN BECAUSE WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT THERE'S A FOOD. 
          FOOD SECURITY, RIGHT, IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST ABOUT THIS. 
          IT'S ALSO ABOUT A WHOLE FOOD PLAN FOR THE REGION,
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT IT'S REALLY AS MUCH ABOUT DISTRIBUTION, RIGHT, OF FOOD AS IT IS ABOUT PRODUCTION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY. I AM WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH DOCTOR WHITNEY STRAUSS,
SARAH COTTON NELSON, EVERY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY IN THE AREA, AS WELL AS MANY PRIVATE SECTORS,
THE CITY OF DALLAS, OUR PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY TO CREATE A LARGER FOOD PLAN THAT WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THIS IN
THE COUNTY, HAS BEEN A HUGE PART OF THAT, AND WE THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          SO THIS DATA WILL BE VERY HELPFUL AND USEFUL IN THAT. 
          I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT TWO THING. AND WHEN I'M GONE,
MY COLLEAGUES, I HAVE ABOUT FOUR COLLEAGUES READY TO CONTINUE WITH THIS WORK ON FOOD SECURITY AND THE FOOD PLAN FOR THE REGION. SO YOU'LL BE DEFINITELY HEARING FROM THEM ON
THAT. 
          I'M CURIOUS ON YOUR FOOD DESERT, IS THERE AN AREA DEFINITION? IS IT WITHIN FIVE MILES? LIKE WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF IT. 
          SO THAT YOU KNOW, WHEN SOMETHING'S A DESERT AND WHEN SOMETHING IS NOT? THERE IS A STANDARD DEFINITION I DON'T KNOW. DO YOU KNOW THE SPECIFICS ON THAT? YEAH, YEAH. IT'S WITHIN ONE MONTH, DEPENDING ON THE THERE ARE DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS,
BUT WHAT WE, WE LOOK INTO IS IF IT'S IF YOU CAN FIND ACCESS WITHIN ONE MILE,
ONE MILE WALKING DISTANCE THEN WE CONSIDER THAT FOOD DESERT. 
          BUT IF YOU HAVE, FOR INSTANCE, A VEHICLE THAT COULD BE EXTENDED TO TEN MILES AND TEN
MILES, 
          [01:20:06]
3 OR 3, YOU SAID THREE MILES EXTENDED. YEAH. IF YOU HAVE COULD YOU SPEAK INTO THE VEHICLE? IS IT THREE? EXCUSE ME. COULD YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC? NO. YOU CAN. YOU CAN EXTEND UP TO THANK YOU. 10 OR 3? I NEED TO CHECK. OKAY. IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FOR US TO KNOW BECAUSE WE USE THAT TERM A
LOT. 
          BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS. 
          JESSICA, YOU HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS. 
          THAT WOULD BE GREAT. SHE HAS AN ANSWER. THANK YOU. 
          YES. JESSICA. DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND EMPOWERMENT. 
          THE FOOD DESERT TERMINOLOGY IS GENERALLY DEFINED BY USDA. 
          AS WAS NOTED, UP TO TEN MILES OF ACCESS WHEN IT COMES TO A RURAL COMMUNITY. 
          BUT IN URBAN COMMUNITIES, THEY'RE TYPICALLY LOOKING AT WITHIN ONE MILE OF ACCESS. 
          SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE CONCENTRATION OF LOW INCOME RESIDENTS THAT ARE WITHIN A SPECIFIC
ZIP CENSUS TRACT. 
          AND THEN THE ACCESS THAT THEY HAVE TO FOOD RETAIL,
TRADITIONAL FOOD RETAIL WITHIN ABOUT A MILE. 
          CORRECT. AND I THINK THAT MEANS NOT JUST THAT MEANS FRESH FOOD AND VEGETABLES,
NOT JUST SOMETHING. 
          AND SO ONE OF THE AREAS I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THE FOOD PLAN IS HOW DO WE INCREASE THE
QUALITY OF FOOD AT THE LOCAL? I'LL CALL THEM BODEGAS RATHER THAN THE GIANT GROCERY STORES RIGHT THAT ARE THERE. 
          MY NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE STAFFING OF ALL THESE GARDENS THAT YOU ALL ARE SUPPORTING. 
          HOW ARE THEY MAINTAINED? WHO'S MAKING SURE THAT THOSE HAPPEN? BECAUSE I KNOW WITH COMMUNITY GARDENS, THERE'S WE'VE KNOWN WE'VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS
THAT WE CAN ESTABLISH COMMUNITY GARDENS ALL OVER TOWN. 
          BUT UNLESS THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING TO BE THE GARDENER YEAR AFTER YEAR,
THEN THEY DON'T MAINTAIN. 
          AND SO WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDENS THAT YOU ALL I KNOW WE HAVE THE CITY
GRANTS. 
          I GET THAT PART. I'M ASKING YOU ALL. YOU'VE GOT 41 GARDENS,
ASSISTED THE MOBILE MARKETS, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          HOW ARE THOSE MAINTAINED AND HOW ARE WE BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GARDENERS TO DO
THOSE? THANK YOU. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN DALLAS COUNTY,
NORTH TEXAS IN GENERAL BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER GARDENING IS VERY DIFFICULT AND YOU ARE SELDOM. YOU DON'T HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTED FROM THE BEGINNING
ALL THE WAY TO, YOU KNOW, FOR YEARS. SO WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS FIRST WE TRAIN PEOPLE SO THAT THEY
BECOME EFFICIENT GARDENERS. 
          THAT MEANS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME DOING,
YOU KNOW, UNNECESSARY THINGS OR NOT DOING THE RIGHT THING. 
          SO THAT IS ONE COMPONENT, THE OTHER COMPONENT,
THOSE GARDENS THAT WE ARE HELPING WITH THE GRANT, WE ALSO LINK THEM WITH THE DALLAS COUNTY AGRILIFE EXTENSION OFFICE SO THAT THEY WILL GET
SUPPORT, VOLUNTEER ACCESS. SO ALL THEY WOULD NEED TO DO IS TO PREPARE THEIR WORK DAY AND PLAN. 
          AND ON THIS DAY, WE PLAN TO DO THIS THESE DAYS AND WE NEED VOLUNTEERS. 
          SO THAT WAS NOT THERE BEFORE WE STARTED THIS PROJECT,
THIS GRANT PROJECT. 
          THAT'S FANTASTIC. HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK INTERFACING WITH OUR OUTSTANDING URBAN
AGRICULTURE PLAN THAT HAS BEEN ADOPTED BY OUR CITY COUNCIL AND IS WE HAVE ONE STAFF PERSON, I THINK. IS THAT RIGHT,
MR. WHITE? I THINK WE HAVE ONE PERSON WORKING ON THIS FULL TIME. 
          SO WHAT'S OUR INTERFACE WITH THE COUNTY ON THAT? LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US. 
          WE HAVE A FANTASTIC PARTNER IN THE ENVIRONMENT,
QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT. 
          I HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY WORKING WITH MISS REBECCA SILVERS. 
          WE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATING DIFFERENT ISSUES AND DIFFERENT KIND OF APPROACHES. 
          HOW CAN WE SYNERGIZE OUR EFFORTS, BOTH NON-FINANCIAL,
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT THAT WE CAN PROVIDE FOR CITY OF DALLAS GROWERS AND URBAN AGRICULTURAL OPERATOR. 
          SO WE SEE A LOT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS IN THE FUTURE. 
          WE ALREADY HAVE THESE TWO PROJECTS, AND ALSO THE CITY OF DALLAS IS ALLOWING US TO USE
THREE OF THE RECREATION CENTERS TO PARK OUR WELLNESS AND WILL MOBILE MARKET. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF AREAS THAT WE CAN PARTNER IN HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE AS
WELL. 
          WE SEE A LOT OF SYNERGY. ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD. 
          YOU MENTIONED THE FOOD PLAN. WE ARE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING,
AS YOU MAY KNOW, IN THE FOOD PLAN. 
          AND I THINK ULTIMATELY THAT IS THE SOLUTION. WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE AND KIND
OF SEE IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE WE CAN CREATE A MAXIMUM IMPACT. AND ALSO IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT PRODUCTION,
IT'S ABOUT INCREASING INCOME, ABOUT HAVING BETTER ACCESS, 
          [01:25:03]
AFFORDABILITY. SO IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THAT,
WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT PLAN HOPEFULLY WORKED OUT IN THE COMING YEARS. 
          I'M GLAD YOU SAID THAT, BECAUSE IT'S CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT THAT
THAT WE CAN BE WORKING ON. 
          AND I KNOW OUR, OUR URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN IS WORKING AS WELL WITH OUR SMALL FARMERS TO
GROW UP THOSE INCOME OPPORTUNITIES. 
          AND BRINGING IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD ALL TOGETHER SO THAT EVERYBODY WHO'S INVOLVED IN THIS
ISSUE IS ALL WORKING TOGETHER. 
          SO I WANT TO JUST REALLY THANK YOU AND KEEP REMINDING EVERYONE THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT
PRODUCTION. 
          IT'S ABOUT DISTRIBUTION. THANK YOU. CHAIR SCHULTZ. 
          VICE CHAIR SCHULTZ AND CHAIR ARNOLD, MAY I ASK PAUL WHITE TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ON THE JUST THE
COLLABORATION AND HOW THIS SUPPORTS OUR CECAP AS WELL? I'M NOT SURE IF YOUR BUTTONS PUSHED MR. WHITE. 
          YEAH. THERE WE GO. OKAY. YES. IT'S DALLAS COUNTY I MENTIONED WE COLLABORATE WITH DALLAS
COUNTY QUITE A BIT. 
          WE DO HAVE WE HAVE ONE MAIN PERSON THAT'S OUR URBAN AG,
BUT WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER AS WELL. 
          SO WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE. WE HAVE ONE WHICH IS REBECCA. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE YARITZA AS WELL THAT HELPS OUT WITH THE URBAN AG. 
          AND THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THAT. IT LINES UP WITH THE CAP IN THE SENSE THAT. 
          SO WE HAVE THE URBAN AG PLAN AND WE HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE CECAP. 
          AND THOSE TWO WORK IN TANDEM TO BUILD A MORE EQUITABLE,
SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM. 
          AND THROUGH THESE PLANS WE'RE INVESTING IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS WITH THE COUNTY. 
          WE HAVE THE URBAN AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT PROGRAM THAT THEY SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER
TODAY. 
          AND WITH THAT INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT PROGRAM,
IT SUPPORTS THINGS LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN AND DESIGNS UTILITY CONNECTIONS, AS WELL AS CONTRACTING LABOR INSTALLATIONS AS WELL,
AND FOR THINGS LIKE GREENHOUSES TOO. 
          WE ALSO HAVE THE PROGRAM WITH THE COUNTY WITH THE GROWERS EDUCATION WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
PILOT PROGRAM. 
          SO WE TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER. AND THAT PROGRAM IS $49,000. 
          PROGRAM. AND IT'S FUNDED THROUGH OUR CAP BUDGET OF 500,000. 
          SO WE'RE TRYING TO STRETCH OUR CAP BUDGET AS BEST AS WE CAN IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE URBAN
AG PROGRAMS. AND WE ALSO HAVE A ANNUAL APPROPRIATION OF $100,000 FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. DOCTOR WONG, I NEED WE NEED TO KNOW WHO YOUR OTHER PRESENTER IS,
AND WE NEED HIM TO MOVE UP CLOSE TO THE MIC AS HE SPEAKS. 
          THANK YOU. YES. HE'S MR. WELDU AMINA, WHO IS OVER OUR DIVISION OF CHRONIC DISEASE
PREVENTION. 
          YOU WANT TO TRY THAT ONE MORE TIME, THE LAST NAME? OH, WELDO AMINASHOAU AND HE'S OVERSEES OUR DIVISION OF CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION. 
          THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE HORSESHOE? OKAY. CHAIR WEST, I'M CHAIR WEST, GAY WILLIS. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BRINGING ATTENTION TO THIS. 
          AS I LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION, IT LOOKS LIKE,
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME GREAT INITIATIVES AROUND GROWING FOOD IN THE NAME OF HAVING HEALTHIER FOOD, ETC.. BUT THE HEADLINE TO ME IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT DALLAS IS
UNDERPERFORMING, DALLAS COUNTY IS UNDERPERFORMING AGAINST THE US AND AGAINST TEXAS IN OVERALL FOOD
INSECURITY RATES, OR IT'S ABOUT THE SAME. BUT THEN ON IN CHILD FOOD INSECURITY RATES,
I MEAN, IF THAT DOESN'T JUST SINK IN WITH EVERYBODY, LET ME GO TO SLIDE FOUR, WHICH WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW TO MAKE DALLAS AND I MEAN,
WE'RE THINKING OF THE CITY, YOU'RE THINKING OF THE COUNTY, HOW TO MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE FOR THE FUTURE. 
          AND I SEE A SLIDE THAT TALKS ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY BEING A SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH. 
          OKAY. WE CAN THINK ABOUT TODAY. FOOD INSECURITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC AND ACUTE
HEALTH PROBLEMS AND HEALTHCARE NEEDS IN CHILDREN. 
          THAT'S TOMORROW. THAT'S TALKING ABOUT THE DALLAS OF TOMORROW. 
          AND SO I APPLAUD ALL OF THE GROWING HEALTHY FOOD AND TEACHING PEOPLE ABOUT HEALTHY RECIPES
AND THAT SORT OF THING. 
          THE NUMBERS LOOK SMALL. I MEAN, THIS IS DAUNTING. 
          AND SO WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT IS, ONE, THE SNAP ENROLLMENT NUMBERS,
WHICH YOU SAID WAS 400. 
          AND IS THAT THE ENTIRETY FOR THE COUNTY, THE SNAP ENROLLMENT? OH, YEAH. WHAT'S THAT? IT'S THE COUNTY. IT'S FOR THE COUNTY. 
          [01:30:03]
PLEASE PULL THAT FORWARD SO WE CAN HEAR YOU. IT'S FOR THE COUNTY. 
          FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY. 400 PEOPLE. YES. THAT'S WHAT WE DID. 
          WE DID THROUGH THAT PROGRAM. THAT IS ONLY THROUGH OUR THROUGH OUR PROGRAM,
THROUGH OUR EFFORTS. 
          THERE'S A LOT MORE GOING ON. YEAH. OKAY. AND I KNOW,
AGAIN, THERE'S MORE OF AN INITIATIVE WITH I MEAN, SORT OF PUBLIC, PRIVATE INITIATIVE. I KNOW THE MAYOR IS INVOLVED TO TRY TO INCREASE SNAP
ENROLLMENT IN PARTICULAR. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE OF THOSE AND, AGAIN, TRYING TO LOOK AT IT MORE COMPREHENSIVELY AND
TIE IT TO OUR OTHER SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS. WE WERE ACTUALLY JUST TALKING ABOUT OVER THE WEEKEND WAS JUST AT OUR INITIATIVE FOR
HOUSING AND FINANCIAL EDUCATION TO GET PEOPLE MORE HOMEOWNERSHIP, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. AND WE'RE GOING TO SPECIFICALLY ALL OF OUR SOCIAL
SERVICE SORT OF CLIENTS THAT ARE ENROLLED DO SOME SPECIFIC OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS TO LOOK AT ELIGIBILITY AND TRY TO GET MORE ENROLLMENT
IN SNAP AND SOME OF THE OTHER SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS. BUT WE TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. THESE ARE SOME OF THE SPECIFIC
PROGRAMS FOR NUTRITION, BUT IT IS MORE THAT UNDERLYING SOCIO ECONOMIC DISPARITY. 
          AND SO WE WANT TO ADDRESS HOUSING, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION,
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 
          ALL THOSE THINGS ARE WHAT ARE GOING TO REALLY YOU KNOW,
AFFECT THE LONGER TERM IMPACT ON THIS. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IDEALLY IT WOULD BE FRESH FOOD AND ALL OF THAT. 
          BUT MY QUESTION IS, I MEAN, WE GOT TO START FEEDING KIDS NOW. 
          SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT EVEN HAVING, YOU KNOW,
OTHER PROGRAMS OR LET ME HEAR THIS OR SHARE WITH YOU THROUGH THE EYES OF A RESIDENT BECAUSE I WANT TO SHARE WITH THEM HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS,
BUT THEY'RE GOING TO FEEL HELPLESS. 
          WHAT CAN I DO? IS IT BEST TO GIVE TO FOOD BANKS? IS IT BEST YOU KNOW, MONEY OR DONATIONS? I MEAN,
OR, YOU KNOW, LEND YOUR EXPERTISE AS A GARDENER TO HELP WITH A COMMUNITY GARDEN? IF I COULD GIVE SOMEONE A SHORT LIST AND SAY,
YOU KNOW WHAT, THESE ARE CRAZY NUMBERS. 
          AND WE WANT TO BE BETTER THAN THIS FOR OUR TODAY AND TOMORROW. 
          WHAT CAN I DO? WELL, AND OTHERS CAN CHIME IN. 
          AGAIN, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LARGE IT'S A BIG PROBLEM. 
          THIS IS OUR INITIATIVES ARE ACTUALLY RELATIVELY NEW. 
          BEFORE I CAME HERE IN 2019, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANY CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION OR SOME OF
THESE INITIATIVES. 
          AND THEN WITH COVID, IT'S BEEN DISRUPTIVE. SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET MORE RESOURCES
THROUGH THINGS USDA, OTHER FEDERAL SOURCES AND ARE GROWING THAT BUT IT'S IT DOES TAKE SORT OF A PARTNERSHIP
COLLABORATION AND ADDRESSING SOME OF THE OTHER YOU KNOW, UNDERLYING SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES. 
          BUT SPECIFICALLY, NOW AGAIN, I MEAN, AND THIS IS ONE THING I WOULD SAY,
GIVEN THE CURRENT CLIMATE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, REALLY ADVOCATE AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE AREN'T FURTHER CUTS IN THESE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE
DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW. 
          I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S A REAL YOU KNOW, CONCERN THAT WE ARE FACING. 
          AND EVERYONE WHO'S CONCERNED ABOUT THIS SHOULD BE MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S CLEAR
UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE THREATS TO SOME OF THE EXISTING RESOURCES THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ALSO. BUT WE ARE TRYING TO GET MORE, YOU KNOW,
RESOURCES FOR THESE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE VARIOUS PARTNERS,
THE FOOD BANKS. WE WORK WITH NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK. 
          WHAT'S THE OTHER ONE? I MEAN, JUST A LOT OF COLLABORATIONS. 
          SURE. SO IT LOOKS LIKE MISS GALLESHAW CAME UP TO HELP ME WITH THAT CHARGE TO GIVE TO OUR
RESIDENTS. 
          YEAH, I AGAIN JESSICA GALLESHAW, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND EMPOWERMENT. 
          I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO REITERATE THAT THERE ARE SOME EXISTING PROGRAMS OUT THERE. 
          I KNOW THE COUNTY HAS BEEN WORKING HARD, AS DOCTOR HUANG MENTIONED,
A LOT OF THIS FOCUS ON THE CHRONIC DISEASE IN THIS PREVENTION HAS BEEN REALLY NEW, AND IT'S BEEN REALLY HEARTENING TO SEE THE LEVEL OF FOCUS THAT THEY'VE COMMITTED IN THE
LAST FEW YEARS TO REALLY REACH OUR COMMUNITY. 
          BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD FOOD INSECURITY SPECIFICALLY,
OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO BRING UP THE WICK PROGRAM. 
          WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SCALE, WE'RE SERVING 78,000 RESIDENTS A MONTH THROUGH THE WICK
PROGRAM. 
          OF COURSE, ONE ISSUE WITH WIC WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN PROGRAM IS THAT IT REACHES
PREGNANT AND NURSING MOTHERS, INFANTS AND THEN CHILDREN UP TO AGE FIVE, WHEN CHILDREN,
OF COURSE, OF SCHOOL AGE. 
          THERE'S SOME OTHER RESOURCES THAT ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. 
          SUMMER MEALS PROGRAMS ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. 
          THE NUTRITION PROGRAMS THAT DALLAS ISD HAS IMPLEMENTED,
THEY HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF KIND OF UNIVERSAL ELIGIBILITY OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER AND REDUCE BARRIERS. SO EVERY CHILD ENROLLED IN THEIR SCHOOL CAN GET ACCESS TO
THE FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH EVERY DAY. 
          BUT OF COURSE, THERE'S BREAKS FROM SCHOOL, THERE'S WEEKENDS IN THOSE CONTEXTS. 
          THERE COMES THINGS LIKE THE CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM,
WHICH SOMETIMES WE CALL THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. 
          OUR LIBRARIES, FOR EXAMPLE, PARTNER SITES FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. 
          [01:35:02]
WE HAVE OTHER SITES THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY. SO THERE'S A LOT OF,
OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE THAT CAN REACH CHILDREN. 
          BUT AS DOCTOR HUANG MENTIONED THERE ARE STILL SOME GAPS. 
          AND I THINK THAT POTENTIALLY LOSING FUNDING OR SUPPORT FOR A LOT OF THOSE PROGRAMS IS
GOING TO MAKE THIS ISSUE SO, SO MUCH WORSE. SO THAT'S WHAT WE DO GOVERNMENTALLY. 
          AND MAYBE I'M GETTING OUT OF MY LANE, BUT I TALK TO PEOPLE ALL DAY LONG WHO WOULD HEAR
THIS. 
          AND IF THEY'RE ABLE TO WOULD WANT TO PLUG IN AND HELP. 
          SO DO WE JUST CONNECT THEM TO NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK OR,
YOU KNOW, DIRECT THEM TO NONPROFITS WHO CAN, YOU KNOW, TAKE THIS DOWN TO JUST THIS MICRO? WHAT CAN I DO? I CAN ADD THINGS TO MY GROCERY BASKET, AND I CAN TAKE IT TO SOMEPLACE WHERE THEY CAN
DISTRIBUTE IT AND GET IT INTO THE MOUTHS OF CHILDREN. 
          AND SOMETIMES WHEN KIDS BRING A BACKPACK HOME WITH FOOD,
THE FAMILY HAS IT SO THEY MAY STILL NOT GET ALL THAT THEY NEED. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT, WE CAN GET OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT LANE AND SHARE
IT. 
          OTHERWISE I'LL JUST, YOU KNOW, CHECK WITH OUR NONPROFITS. 
          WELL, I THINK THAT CONTRIBUTING FOOD IS ALWAYS HELPFUL FOR OUR FOOD BANKS,
BUT I THINK THAT THE FOOD BANKS WOULD PROBABLY TELL YOU THAT CASH DONATIONS CAN GO FURTHER BECAUSE THEY HAVE PURCHASING OPPORTUNITIES AT SCALE THAT WE AS INDIVIDUALS DON'T
NECESSARILY HAVE. 
          BUT I KNOW THAT BOTH THE NORTH TEXAS FOOD BANK AND YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY FOOD BANK,
A LOT OF CHURCHES, YOU KNOW, HAVE FOOD BANKS OR FOOD PANTRIES I'VE EVEN KNOWN OF SCHOOLS THAT HAVE FOOD
PANTRIES ON SITE AS WELL. 
          SO, I MEAN, SPEAKING OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT CONTEXT,
THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE FOOD OR CASH DONATIONS TO FOOD BANKS AND FOOD PANTRIES. WELL, MAYBE WE CAN GET AISHA TO PULL A LIST OF I TO PULL A LIST OF ALL THOSE
FOOD PANTRIES THROUGH FAITH BASED AND OTHER MEANS, TO SHARE THAT WITH OUR RESIDENTS WHO ARE ABLE AND WILLING TO HELP. 
          SO THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, I WOULD SAY AT THIS DATE AND TIME TO REALLY THE MOST BIGGEST
PICTURE THING ADVOCATE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FEDERAL SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BE ABLE TO BE IN STRUCTURE THAT CAN SUPPORT US AND THAT THE FUNDING CONTINUES
BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF CRAZY STUFF GOING ON IN TERMS OF FUNDING FEDERAL FUNDING COMING DOWN FOR THESE PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT SUPPORTS
THESE. AND THAT'S A PHONE CALL OR A LETTER OR AN EMAIL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO THAT IS SOMETHING I COULD TELL A RESIDENT WOULD BE VERY MEANINGFUL. THANK YOU,
MADAM CHAIR. CAN I JUST JUMP IN FOR JUST ON THIS ONE THING? I THINK IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL AS AN OUTCOME OF THIS PRESENTATION FOR US TO HAVE A
PIECE THAT WE CAN PUT INTO OUR NEWSLETTERS THAT HAS THE THREE ACTIONS THAT ANY LOCAL RESIDENT CAN DO. 
          MAYBE IF IT HAS A STATISTIC SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT,
PARTICULARLY PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTSIDE OF FOOD INSECURITY AREAS WHO MAY NOT EVEN REALIZE THIS IMPORTANT PROBLEM. ADVOCATE, DONATE AND VOLUNTEER,
AND THEN MAYBE SOME OF THE KEY LINKS TO WHERE WE CAN SEND THEM IF THEY WANT TO DO ANY OR ALL OF THOSE THREE THINGS. 
          AND IF IT'S SENT OUT AS A GRAPHIC TO US THAT WE CAN INCLUDE IN OUR NEWSLETTERS AND IN
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THE COUNTY PERHAPS COULD DO THE SAME WITH THEIR COMMUNICATIONS,
WE COULD REALLY INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF THIS CHALLENGE. 
          SO I WANT TO THANK THE CHAIR AND I WANT TO THANK CHAIR WILLIS ALSO FOR REALLY BRINGING IT
FORWARD FROM A COMMUNICATIONS PERSPECTIVE. 
          THANK YOU. WE'D BE PLEASED TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT RESOURCE. 
          THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THIS IS SUCH THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TOPICS
THAT IS JUST I HAVE NO WORDS. I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION. 
          I THINK IT'S GREAT, AS MENTIONED HERE, TO YOU HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES,
A NUMBER OF RESOURCES THAT ARE TAPPING INTO THIS NEW TERM THAT FOLKS CALLED FOOD INSECURITY IN SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS,
THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANY FOOD OPTIONS. 
          I WANT TO JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT ON,
AND THEN WE'LL FOLLOW UP TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO NEXT MONTH TO KIND OF TIGHTEN UP A CHALLENGE. IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS, AND PERHAPS YOU ALL KNOW THIS,
WOMEN WILL FORGO A MEAL WHEN THEIR BELOVED CHILD INVITES SOMEONE OVER TO STAY A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND STAY
FOR SUPPER. 
          AND THERE WERE ONLY SHE ONLY HAD ENOUGH FOR FIVE PEOPLE. 
          AND THERE WAS THE CHILDREN HERSELF. AND SO, WOMEN. 
          THIS SCENE IS REPEATED THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY AND PROBABLY THROUGHOUT THIS CITY,
BECAUSE THEY MAKE A CHOICE TO FEED THE CHILD AS OPPOSED TO THEMSELVES. 
          AND I THINK, NO, NO, NO, NO FAMILY SHOULD HAVE TO DO THAT. 
          I KNOW ABOUT IT. I GREW UP IN IT AND SO NO ONE CAN TELL ME ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT WHEN YOU HAVE JUST ENOUGH, WOMEN TEND TO PUT THEMSELVES ON THE BACK BURNER SO THE
CHILDREN CAN EAT. 
          AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BEING HEALTHY AND NUTRITION,
YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE FACTS AND WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW IN TERMS OF DATA THAT 
          [01:40:03]
YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN US DATA BY ZIP CODES IN PARTICULAR FOR YEARS. 
          FOR SOME REASON, WE DON'T SEEM TO RESPOND NOW QUICKLY. 
          I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND I HAVE TO SAY THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE THIS IS THE
CONVERSATION I HAVE IN DISTRICT FOUR AND THE SOUTHERN SECTOR. 
          CONSTITUENTS WILL COME TO US AND SAY, COME TO ME AND SAY,
WELL, LISTEN, WE WANT A GROCERY STORE. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE CAN JUST FORCE THE GROCERY STORE TO COME,
AND IT BECOMES A PROBLEM FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A THIS IS ABOUT CAPITALISM, MARKETS, AND WE CAN'T DO IT. 
          I'VE TALKED TO HEB. I'VE TALKED TO A NUMBER OF STORES. 
          THEY DECIDE WHERE THEY WANT TO COME, BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT COMES BACK TO AND THIS IS NOT
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. 
          SOME OF THE OTHERS, WELL, THERE'S TOO MUCH CRIME THERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. SO WE CAN'T
BRING A QUALITY STORE THERE WITH QUALITY FOOD. 
          YOU ALL STEAL TOO MUCH. AND SO WE LIVE WITH THAT BLACK MARK. 
          PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY AND THEY NEED TO BE FED. WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE COUNTY. WHEN WE GO THROUGH THAT THOSE PROGRAMS FOR HEALTH CARE ARE
WE PAID THE FRONT? WE PAY AT THE BACK, BUT WE PAY FOR IT. SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I PUT THAT ON THE RECORD
TODAY. 
          THAT IS A CONSTANT CONVERSATION THAT I HAVE. WHY CAN'T WE GET A GROCERY STORE,
A QUALITY GROCERY STORE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SO THAT WE CAN HAVE BROCCOLI SO THAT WE CAN HAVE PEAS, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE FRESH BEANS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE FRESH MEAT. 
          THAT'S NOT MYSTERY MEAT. HOW, HOW WHAT IS IT THAT CITY CAN DO? SO WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ARE TODAY, BUT ALONG THE LINES ALSO OF FEEDING FAMILIES. 
          MISS JESSICA, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL REALIZE THIS,
BUT WE ALSO END UP WITH THE DOLLAR STORES BECAUSE THEY HAVE THOSE. 
          SOME OF THEM HAVE THOSE SNAP BENEFITS. AND SO COULD YOU JUST KIND OF TELL US HOW DOES THAT
WORK? I KNOW FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS OF THE MONTH THAT STORE IS GOING TO MAKE MONEY,
OKAY BECAUSE OF THE BENEFITS. 
          ARE YOU SNAP? HOW DOES SNAP REALLY WORK WHEN THEY GO TO STORES LIKE DOLLAR GENERAL? WELL, SO THE FAMILIES OF COURSE HAVE TO REGISTER THROUGH THE STATE. 
          THERE'S ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEMS AND OTHER WAYS. 
          AND ONCE THEY'RE ELIGIBLE, THEY GET ACCESS TO BENEFITS. 
          IT'S AN ESTABLISHED AMOUNT THAT DEPENDS ON KIND OF WHERE THEY LAND IN THE INCOME RATING,
AND THEN HOW MANY FAMILY MEMBERS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE, AND A WHOLE VARIETY OF THINGS IN THAT REGARD. 
          THAT GRANTS THEM ACCESS TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT. AND OF COURSE,
I THINK WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS THAT THOSE ARE TYPICALLY RELOADED INTO THEIR PAYMENT CARDS EARLY IN THE MONTH. SO A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL SEE PEOPLE VERY BUSY USING THEIR CARDS
KIND OF EARLY IN THE MONTH. 
          AND THEN TOWARDS THE END WHEN THEY START TO RUN LOW,
THEY'RE KIND OF HAVING TO FOREGO. 
          ALL RIGHT. SO STORES THAT I DO KNOW OF LIKE DOLLAR GENERAL,
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE THE MEATS, THE LUNCH MEATS, THE JUICE AND THOSE THINGS I GUESS THE CHILDREN WILL DEFINITELY BENEFIT
FROM. 
          NOW WE ARE SEEING A PROLIFERATION OF THOSE STORES,
AND THEN COMMUNITY MEMBERS BEGIN TO PUSH BACK. 
          BUT FOR SOME SENSE OF SOME FRESH WE CAN THEY GO THERE. 
          I KNOW THAT THERE IS A MOVEMENT NOW WITH DOLLAR GENERAL AND SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS TO
INTRODUCE THE DG MART. 
          SO NOW THEY CAN BEGIN TO ADD THE FRESH VEGETABLES,
BUT THAT BEGINS TO ASK THE QUESTION, CITY MANAGER, WHAT CAN THE CITY DO TO INCENTIVIZE THOSE STORES? IF WE CAN'T GET SOME OF THE BIG BOX STORES TO COME? SO I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE WE KIND OF PENCIL THAT IN SO WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. 
          MAYBE INCENTIVIZING WOULD BE OF HELP. I DO KNOW ALSO JUST IN COMMENTING ON THE CITY SIDE,
BECAUSE WE THIS IS A SERIOUS CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR COMMUNITIES. 
          I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE AND I WAS JUST REALLY INTRODUCING IT TO PROGRAMS AND WE GET TIRED,
I THINK, OF JUST EATING OFF OF A TRUCK AND BEING A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT CITY MANAGER. 
          AND I'M GLAD THAT ANGUS SANDERS HAD TO FEED OAK CLIFF AND PLUS MONTGOMERY WITH THE OAK
CLIFF VEGGIE PROJECT. 
          AND I KNOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE OF THE NEWS. 
          PLUS WAS A STUDENT ALSO AT YVONNE A EWELL TOWNVIEW MAGNET OUT HERE NOW DOING HIS THING. 
          AND THEN ANDREA SANDERS, WHO KEEPS PUSHING AND COMING TO THE CITY AND COMING TO US FOR
RESOLUTIONS. 
          AND DOC, I DON'T HAVE WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY IN PLACE THAT WILL MAKE STORES COME TO A
REGION. 
          AM I RIGHT ABOUT THAT? YES. I MEAN, AND I'LL JUST SAY,
YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY AND I WAS INVOLVED WITH THIS AND WHEN WE SORT OF SIMILAR DISCUSSIONS IN AUSTIN WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO GET THE AND IT BOTTOM LINE IS THAT,
YOU KNOW, IT BOILED DOWN TO THE NUMBER OF ROOFTOPS THAT WERE IN THE AREA AND MAKING IT FINANCIALLY
VIABLE. 
          AND IT'S DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, LOOKING FOR THOSE MODELS THAT WORK TO GET THAT
ACCESS. 
          [01:45:02]
BUT THEN ALSO IT'S, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, AS I SAID,
IT'S THIS UNDERLYING SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS. 
          BUT THE OTHER THING IS SOMETIMES WE PUT THESE PLACES AND THEY HAVE THE HEALTHY OPTIONS,
AND WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CHOOSE THEM, BECAUSE I'VE SEEN IT WHERE THEY PUT IN SOMETHING,
AND THEN THE PEOPLE STILL CHOOSE UNHEALTHY CHOICES THAT ARE IN THE PLACE. 
          SO IT'S A IT'S A COMPLEX PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO BE
ADDRESSED. 
          YEAH, RIGHT. BUT WHAT I WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD,
BECAUSE I REFER TO YOUR DATA QUITE A BIT. 
          YOU HAVE GIVEN US THE ZIP CODES WITH THE HIGHEST AT RISK ZIP CODES IN THIS CITY. 
          AND WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW BECAUSE YOU HAVE GIVEN IT TO US. 
          BUT FOR SOME REASON, ON OUR SIDE. CITY MANAGER,
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, WE ARE NOT RESPONDING IN SAME IN LIKE KIND. 
          WHEN WE JUST HAD THE EPISODE WITH TOM THUMB THAT WALKED OFF OR WHATEVER HAPPENED,
THAT DEAL FELL APART. 
          PEOPLE WERE DEVASTATED BECAUSE THEY HAD NO ANSWERS AS TO WHY THEY DIDN'T COME,
AND THEY WERE GETTING EXCITED BECAUSE YOU HAD FRESH THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO SELECT AND NOT HAVE SOMEONE PICK TO DELIVER TO YOUR HOME. 
          YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN BROCCOLI, YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN CABBAGE,
YOU COULD SELECT YOUR OWN FRUITS, YOUR SO THAT'S I'M ON THE RECORD TODAY BECAUSE OF THE COMMUNITY OUTCRY. 
          THEY'RE ASKING ME FOR AN ACTION PLAN. I HAVE NO ANSWERS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE IS NO
POLICY IN PLACE TO FORCE A GROCER TO ANY NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO THAT IS THE PAIN THAT WE GO THROUGH. 
          AND I GO THROUGH IT BECAUSE I HAVE NO ANSWERS. 
          BUT THEY BELIEVE WE HAVE THAT POWER. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP PUSHING. 
          OF COURSE, YOUR DATA COUNCIL MEMBERS KEEP LOOKING AT THE DATA,
BUT WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE DATA TO BE RESPONSIVE, BECAUSE THIS IS A TON OF INFORMATION, A TON OF INFORMATION AND RESOURCES. 
          BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT INSECURITY, SOME FOLKS SAY THAT'S A BIG WORD. 
          MY CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY. WE CAN'T GET VEGETABLES. 
          WE CAN'T GET FRESHNESS, WE CAN'T GET THAT. SO IT'S NOT REALLY FOR YOU TO FOR ME TO THROW
ON YOU THIS MORNING, BUT BECAUSE I DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN,
THIS IS A REAL LIFE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE DAY IN AND DAY OUT ABOUT THE LACK OF CHOICES, AND WE OUGHT TO BE WITH THE SAME INTENSITY ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. 
          AS WE GO AFTER PARKS WITHIN EVERY TEN MINUTES OF EVERY HOUSE,
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FEED FOLK FRESH. 
          SO I APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE THIS MORNING IN THIS PRESENTATION. 
          AND, DOCTOR HUANG, YOUR DATA HELPED ME SO MUCH. 
          AND IT SPOKE VOLUMES TO WHERE WE ARE AS A, AS A CITY AND A COUNTY. 
          AND I'M GOING TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO KEEP PUSHING IT OUT. 
          BUT PERHAPS WE YOU COULD ALSO SUGGEST AND WE CAN TALK LATER WHAT YOU MIGHT,
WE MIGHT DO TO GET THE CITY TO, TO, TO BE ABLE TO OR COUNTY OR FEDERAL TO HELP US. 
          AND WE ARE IN A CRISIS BECAUSE ONCE THAT GOVERNMENT MONEY STOPS COMING DOWN,
THAT IS A CHALLENGE. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME. I'M KIND OF GOING ON,
BUT IT I NEED YOU ALL TO KNOW TODAY IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, ESPECIALLY WHERE I REPRESENT, AND WE HAVE THE DATA,
WE HAVE THE NUMBERS. 
          PEOPLE ARE HUNGRY, THEY DESIRE FRESH SELECTIONS. 
          AND IT'S ON US, I THINK, TO RESPOND. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO
WHO ARE HERE? IT'S JUST PAINFUL TO HAVE PEOPLE COME TO YOU AND LOOK. 
          NO HOPE OF EVER BEING ABLE TO BE TREATED FAIRLY AGAIN IN TERMS OF THOSE OPTIONS. 
          SO I'M GOING TO STOP RIGHT THERE. CHAIRMAN RIDLEY,
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YOU'RE IN THE VIRTUAL SPACE. NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. 
          ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? SO IF NOT THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF
YOU. 
          ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, WE'RE READY TO GO TO THE NEXT ITEM. 
          THANK YOU. WE THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE THANK YOU,
DOCTOR HUANG AND THE COUNTY FOR BEING HERE TO SHARE THE DATA. 
          WE WILL FOLLOW UP. WE ARE TAKING NOTES AND APPRECIATE YOUR INSIGHTS AND ADVOCACY. 
          CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, WE NOW HAVE TWO,
TWO MEMOS FROM THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND EMPOWERMENT ASKING JESSICA TO SUMMARIZE THEM FOR YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS,
WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THE RESPONSES. 
          THANK YOU. JESSICA GALLESHAW. I HAVE TWO MEMOS. 
          I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY DIRECTOR GALLESHAW. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE EXCUSED. 
          DOCTOR HUANG. I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE VERY BUSY TODAY. AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE
TODAY. YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO STAY, THOUGH. SORRY. 
          YES. SO WE HAVE TWO MEMOS. THE FIRST MEMO IS AN UPDATE THAT WE ARE BRINGING ON THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD CARE PROGRAMS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS. 
          AT THE HIGH LEVEL, WE HAVE FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE PROGRAMING THROUGH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANTS. 
          AND TYPICALLY WE HAVE ADMINISTERED THAT THROUGH A SUBSIDY PROGRAM AS WELL AS THROUGH
CONTRACTS FOR WHAT IS KNOWN AS SPECIAL NEEDS THROUGH THOSE CDBG 
          [01:50:03]
DEFINITIONS. IN THIS CASE, IT'S CHILDREN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND CHILDREN THAT ARE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE HIV OR AIDS IMPACTED. 
          SO THOSE ARE OUR TWO CATEGORIES. THROUGH THAT CORE PROGRAM. 
          WE ARE CURRENTLY ADMINISTERING PROGRAMING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 64 FAMILIES AT THE MOMENT,
83 TOTAL CHILDREN THROUGH THE SUBSIDY PROGRAM. AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL,
I BELIEVE, NEARLY 50 FAMILIES WITH THE OTHER PROGRAM AT THIS MOMENT. 
          AND WE'RE DOING THIS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 12 LICENSED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS. 
          AND THOSE PROVIDERS ARE SELECTED GENERALLY BY THE FAMILY MEMBERS. 
          THEY WILL COME FORWARD WITH A CHILD CARE PROVIDER. 
          THEY WILL GO THROUGH THE ELIGIBILITY PROCESS. 
          AND, OF COURSE, WE ALSO HAVE TO CONFIRM THAT THE PROVIDER IS LICENSED AND ABLE TO OPERATE. 
          AND THEN THEY HAVE TO BE WILLING TO ENTER A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY TO BECOME A VENDOR SO
THAT WE CAN PAY FOR THE SUBSIDY PROGRAMS. THE SUBSIDIES THAT WE PAY ARE APPROXIMATELY 75% OF WHAT THE COST WOULD BE FOR THE FAMILIES
ON A ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO THOSE PROVIDERS, AND IT'S PAID DIRECTLY TO THE PROVIDERS, THUS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCING THE COST OF CHILD
CARE FOR THOSE FAMILIES. 
          THE OTHER PROGRAM IS A SPECIAL CATEGORY THAT WAS CREATED FOR FY 25 BY OUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION. 
          THIS YEAR'S FIVE YEAR PLAN INCLUDED FUNDING CATEGORY UNDER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANTS, PUBLIC SERVICE FOR DRIVERS OF POVERTY PROGRAM. 
          THAT DRIVERS OF POVERTY PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS A VARIETY OF ISSUES THAT
CONTRIBUTE TO, AND HAVE BEEN FOUND TO DRIVE THE HIGHER RATES OF POVERTY IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND FOR 2025, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION,
THE DRIVERS OF POVERTY PROGRAM FUNDING IS ALSO DIRECTED TOWARDS SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND CHILDCARE. SO IN ORDER TO CREATE A PROGRAM THAT ALIGNED WITH OUR CATEGORIES,
WE ARE TARGETING RESIDENTS WHO ARE LOW TO MODERATE ASSISTANCE AND WHO ARE ALIGNED WITH TWO OF THE NINE DRIVERS OF POVERTY. 
          AND THOSE INCLUDE HIGH POVERTY RATES FOR SINGLE FEMALE HEADED HOUSEHOLDS,
AND SO THOSE HOUSEHOLDS ARE ELIGIBLE TO POTENTIALLY RECEIVE ASSISTANCE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. AND THEN RESIDENTS WHO ARE LIVING IN COMMUNITIES OF CONCENTRATED POVERTY ARE ABLE
TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE TO THOSE PROGRAMS. THEY COULD ALSO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE OTHER PROGRAM. BUT THIS PROGRAM IS MORE
TARGETED AROUND THE DRIVERS OF POVERTY. WITH THAT PROGRAM DESIGN, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY STARTING TO ENROLL THE CLIENTS FOR THIS COMPONENT
THIS MONTH OF APRIL. 
          SO WE DON'T HAVE CORE METRICS JUST YET, BUT WE WILL BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 
          SO THAT IS A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR CHILD CARE PROGRAMING THROUGH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANTS. 
          THANK YOU. ANY COMMENTS AROUND THE HORSESHOE? WELL, THANK YOU FOR WE ALWAYS SAY THANK YOU FOR OF COURSE,
THE INFORMATION. 
          AND I'LL JUST WRAP UP BY SAYING ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER,
THE CHALLENGE OF CONTINUING TO GET INFORMATION OUT IS VERY IMPORTANT. 
          I KNOW YOU DO HAVE A DATABASE THAT, YOU KNOW,
AND THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING, I GUESS WITH OUTREACH AND WHAT HAVE YOU IN THE PUBLIC. BUT WE, AN INFORMED PEOPLE IS A HAPPY PEOPLE. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO STAY COMMITTED TO IS INFORMING AND BRINGING IN MORE
INDIVIDUALS AS WE CAN TO THESE PROGRAMS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND THEY BENEFIT FROM IT. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, IF THERE'S NO COMMENT FROM YOU,
SISTER CITY MANAGER, YOUR TEAM, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. AND WE ARE ADJOURNING. 
          SORRY, I HAVE ANOTHER MEMO. YOU DO HAVE ANOTHER ONE. AND YOU KNOW WHAT I GUESS I'M TRYING
TO WRAP UP. 
          WE HAVE A FEW MINUTES AND CHAIRMAN RIDLEY DIDN'T CATCH ME ON THAT ONE,
SO SORRY. 
          YES, I DO HAVE ONE MORE MEMO RELATED TO OUR WIC PROGRAM. 
          THIS IS AN UPCOMING ITEM, I BELIEVE IN APRIL 23RD COUNCIL MEETING. 
          THIS IS FOR A RENEWAL OF OUR LAKE JUNE CLINIC. 
          IT IS A THIRD LARGEST CLINIC THAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CLIENTS THAT ARE
SERVED. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR PARTICIPATION HAS BEEN VERY HIGH AT THIS CLINIC. 
          OVER 9000 CLIENTS ARE SERVED IN THIS CLINIC MONTHLY. 
          THE LAKE JUNE CLINIC IS LOCATED OBVIOUSLY ON LAKE JUNE ROAD IN THE PLEASANT GROVE AREA,
DISTRICT FIVE. 
          AND WE SERVE RESIDENTS FROM THE SOUTHEAST KIND OF DALLAS COMMUNITY. 
          BUT OF COURSE, ANYBODY, ACTUALLY ANY TEXAS RESIDENT COULD ACTUALLY RECEIVE SERVICES THERE. 
          THE WAY THAT WORKS THE CLINIC IS VERY UNIQUE BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR KIND OF
SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS THAT ALSO TAKE PLACE AT THAT CLINIC. 
          WE HAVE THE SNAP-ED PROGRAMS. WE HAVE OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE'VE HAD PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE POP UP FARMERS MARKETS. 
          I BELIEVE THAT STARTED EITHER THE FIRST OF THIS MONTH OR THE 1ST OF MARCH. 
          BUT WE HAVE POP UP FARMERS MARKETS THAT COME WHERE THEY CAN USE THEIR BENEFITS TO ACCESS
FRESH PRODUCE THERE ON SITE. 
          AND DURING THE SUMMER, WE'LL RECEIVE EXTRA FUNDING TO SERVE AS A SUMMER MEALS SITE,
WHICH WE DO AT SOME OF OUR CORE CLINICS SO THAT WE CAN GET OUR RESIDENTS KIND OF ENGAGED 
          [01:55:09]
IN THE SUMMER MEALS PROGRAM AND THEN HELP THEM LOCATE THE NEAREST SUMMER MEAL SITE TO
THEIR HOME SO THAT THEY CAN START TO GO CONSISTENTLY. 
          WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD OF THIS CLINIC. IT'S I MEAN,
WE'RE PROUD OF ALL OUR CLINICS, BUT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS CLINIC. AND WE'LL BE RENEWING FOR A TERM OF FIVE YEARS. WE'VE BEEN IN THIS CLINIC SINCE,
I THINK, 2008. 
          WE'VE BEEN IN THIS SITE AND WE WANT TO REMAIN AND WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THAT CONSISTENCY FOR
OUR CLIENTS. 
          SO THIS IS AN UPCOMING AGENDA ITEM, AND I HOPE THAT WE HAVE YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS ITEM ON
THE APRIL 23RD COUNCIL AGENDA. 
          ALL RIGHT. I HAVE BOTH OF THOSE DOCUMENTS IN MY HANDS. 
          SO FORGIVE ME FOR RUSHING. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE,
CITY MANAGER PERIERA, THEN THE. 
          OTHER THAN THE FORECAST MAN, THAT'S ALL THERE IS TODAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO
VERY MUCH. IT IS 10:56, AND THE MEETING OF THE WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND EQUITY COMMITTEE STANDS ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.