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[Call to Order]
WE HAVE A QUORUM.TODAY'S TUESDAY, THE AUGUST 12TH, 20, 25 TIMES 9:24 AM AND I NOW CALL THIS MEETING OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER.
UH, TODAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE OUR INVOCATION FOR, OH, IS HE MAKING HIS, IS THAT, IS THAT ZIN? IS THAT, I CAN'T.
OKAY, SO OUR INVOCATION SPEAKER THIS MORNING IS OUR COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBERS, AARON GRACIE FROM DISTRICT THREE.
HE'S ALSO AN EXECUTIVE PASTOR AT CONCORD CHURCH, AND I'M GONNA TURN OVER HIM FOR THE INVOCATION AND THEN OUR PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE.
GRACIOUS AND ALMIGHTY, GOD, WE COME BEFORE YOU THIS MORNING AS STEWARDS OF THIS GREAT CITY OF DALLAS GATHER TO DELIBERATE ON MATTERS THAT WILL IMPACT THE LIVES OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS.
WE ASK FOR YOUR WISDOM TO GUIDE OUR DISCUSSIONS AND YOUR DISCERNMENT TO ILLUMINATE OUR DECISIONS.
GRANT US CLARITY OF MIND AS WE EXAMINE THE NUMBERS AND PRIORITIES BEFORE US.
HELP US TO SEE BEYOND MERE FIGURES ON A PAGE TO THE REAL PEOPLE.
THESE DECISIONS WILL AFFECT FAMILIES SEEKING SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS, CHILDREN NEEDING QUALITY EDUCATION, SENIOR SENIORS REQUIRING ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND BUSINESSES STRIVING TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COMMUNITY'S PROSPERITY.
WE PRAY FOR UNITY AMONG COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY STAFF, AND ALL PARTICIPANTS IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP WHERE THERE ARE DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS.
LET US FIND COMMON GROUND IN OUR SHARED COMMITMENT TO SERVING DALLAS.
WELL GIVE US PATIENCE IN OUR DELIBERATIONS, RESPECT AND OUR DISAGREEMENTS.
ENCOURAGE TO MAKE DIFFICULT CHOICES THAT, UH, RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE REQUIRES.
LORD, WE ASK THAT YOU HELP US AS, UH, HELP US TO BE FAITHFUL STEWARDS OF TAXPAYERS TRUST AND RESOURCES.
MAY WE ALLOCATE FUNDS WITH BOTH FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPASSION.
COMPASSIONATE CONSIDERATION FOR THOSE IN MOST NEED.
GUIDE US TO INVEST WISELY IN OUR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SERVICES THAT ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL RESIDENTS.
BLESS OUR CITY'S EMPLOYEES WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY DAILY AND HELP US MAKE DECISIONS THAT SUPPORT THEIR IMPORTANT WORK.
AS WE WORK THROUGH COMPLEX BUDGET MATTERS TODAY.
REMIND US THAT WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE SOMETHING GREATER THAN OURSELVES.
MAYBE OUR EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING DALLAS MAY OUR EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING DALLAS A CITY WHERE ALL PEOPLE CAN THRIVE, WHERE JUSTICE AND MERCY MEET, AND WHERE OPPORTUNITY FLOURISHES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
WE ASK ALL OF THIS IN YOUR HOLY NAME, SEEKING YOUR BLESSING ON OUR WORK IN OUR BELOVED CITY.
IF EVERYONE WOULD PLEASE RISE, WHO'S ABLE TO, UM, JOIN US FOR OUR PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE UNITED STATES FLAG FIRST AND THEN THE STATE OF TEXAS FLAG.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE TEXAS, ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
THANK YOU, YOU VERY MUCH EVERYONE.
NO ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT TODAY.
[A. 25-2302A City Manager's Recommended Biennial Budget for FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27]
TO, UH, GO RIGHT TO, UH, OUR BRIEFINGS FOR TODAY.SO I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO OUR VERY CAPABLE CITY MANAGER.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, MR. MAYOR AND TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, TODAY WE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CITY'S OPERATED IN CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026.
AND THIS BUDGET FOCUSES ON HOW WE AS A CITY CAN INVEST IN PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE.
COMMUNITY INPUT AND RESIDENT PRIORITIES SERVE AS THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
WE HEARD THE RESIDENTS SAY THAT MAINTENANCE OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, STREET IMPROVEMENTS, POLICE SERVICES AND SOCIAL SERVICES ARE TOP PRIORITIES.
BUT OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT DEVELOPING A BUDGET MEANS THAT WE MUST BALANCE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES AND THE NEEDS FOR SERVICES BEING FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.
THIS BUDGET, THIS BUDGET INCLUDES A PROPERTY TAX RATE REDUCTION OF A HALF OF 1 CENT PER $100 VALUATION INCLUDES REALIGNING OUR SERVICES.
MUCH OF THAT WORK THAT WE STARTED LAST YEAR INCLUDES HOW WE CONTINUE TO OPTIMIZE SERVICE DELIVERY.
OUR STAFFING MODELS ACROSS ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS OVERALL INCREASE IN EFFICIENCIES WHILE MAINTAINING OUR COMMITMENT TO SERVICE FIRST.
NOW, THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY BEGINNING OUR TRANSITION FROM AN INCREMENTAL APPROACH TO A PRIORITY BASE BUDGETING APPROACH.
WE ARE IN THE FOUNDATIONAL WORK TO BEGIN THAT TRANSITION GOING FORWARD.
WE'VE LEARNED A LOT OVER THESE LAST FEW MONTHS AND WE KNOW THAT EVERY PERSON IN THIS ORGANIZATION WILL CONTINUE TO WORK HARD TO ENSURE THAT THIS TRANSIT, THIS TRANSITION, AND HOW WE APPROACH OUR BUDGET IS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND PROVIDES THE RIGHT RESULTS FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
BOTH LAST SUMMER AND THIS YEAR, WE HAVE CONTINUED OUR EFFORTS TO BUILD ON THE MOMENTUM THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED
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TO PUT DALLAS AT THE TOP OF THE LEADERBOARD.AT THIS TIME, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO TURN OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION OVER TO OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL, UM, OFFICER JACK IRELAND AND TO JEANETTE WEEDING THE DIRECTOR OF OUR BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
BEFORE YOU, UH, JUMP IN AND, AND JEANETTE, I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE THING BEFORE WE GET INTO THE BUSINESS OF THE DAY.
I WAS REMISS NOT TO SAY IT, BUT I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF OUR EDUCATORS IN THE CITY AND ALL THE STUDENTS AND ALL THE SUPPORT STAFF AND ALL THE ADMINISTRATORS AT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS, DISD, AND ALL THE OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS FOR WHOM TODAY IS THEIR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL, UM, ACKNOWLEDGES JUST HOW IMPORTANT WE DO.
UM, THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY IS IN THE HANDS OF THESE PEOPLE.
I MEAN THE, THESE HUMAN BEINGS ARE OUR, OUR BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE IN THIS CITY.
AND SO OUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING GOES OUT TO ALL OF THOSE, THOSE PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, IN CHARGE OF OUR KIDS AND WE WISH THEM A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL, UM, SCHOOL YEAR.
SO THANKS FOR LETTING ME, UM, SAY THAT.
AND WITH THAT, JACK AND JEANETTE, TAKE IT AWAY.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL THIS MORNING.
WE WILL PRESENT TO YOU THE FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET THAT FOCUSES ON INVESTING IN PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE.
AGAIN, I AM JACK ARLAND AND I HAVE THE HONOR OF SERVING AS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
I'M JOINED WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM FROM BUDGET MANAGEMENT SERVICES, JEANETTE WHEATON I HAVE, AND GAIL AND SUZANNE ZEMAN.
SO ON PAGE TWO, SLIDE TWO OF THE PRESENTATION, WE JUST HAVE AN OUTLINE OF WHAT WE WILL COVER THIS MORNING.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET BY FOUNDATIONAL STRUCTURE.
WE WILL DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER INTO OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUES AND EXPENSE DRIVERS.
UH, WE HAVE A FEW SLIDES ABOUT, UH, OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM AND DEBT SERVICE.
WE WILL GO THROUGH OUR SEVEN ENTERPRISE FUNDS, UH, REMIND YOU OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THEN FINISH WITH A TIMELINE, UH, FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS AND THEN FOLLOWED UP BY ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS THAT, UH, WE HAVE, UH, FROM THE, THE BODY ON PAGE THREE.
JUST STARTING WITH THE BUDGET OVERVIEW.
THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 IS PROPOSED AT $5.2 BILLION.
AND FOR FISCAL YEAR 27, WE'VE INCLUDED $5.39 BILLION.
WE WILL NOT SPEND MUCH TIME TALKING ABOUT FISCAL YEAR 27, THAT IS THE SECOND YEAR OF THE BIENNIAL, BUT WE HAVE INCLUDED IT AS WE HAVE PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT.
WE WILL SPEND OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT THE 5.2 BILLION, UH, FISCAL YEAR 20 SEC 26 PROPOSED BUDGET THAT IS ALL FUNDS, UH, FOR OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET.
THIS IS AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $230 MILLION FROM THE CURRENT YEAR TOTAL BUDGET.
WE WILL SPEND A LOT OF OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT GENERAL FUND.
THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE CONVERSATION GOES.
THE GENERAL FUND FOR NEXT YEAR IS $1.97 BILLION.
THAT IS 61.6 MILLION OR 3.2 MILLION MORE THAN THE CURRENT YEAR BUDGET.
NOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND, POLICE AND FIRE CONSUMES THE MAJORITY OF THE INVESTMENT, UH, POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS INCREASED BY $63 MILLION.
AND SO IF THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND BUDGET WENT UP BY UNDER 62 MILLION AND POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS INCREASED BY 63 MILLION, THAT MEANS THAT THE OTHER GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS HAD AN OVERALL NET DECREASE OF $1.5 MILLION.
VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW THIS TIME A YEAR AGO WHEN WE PRESENTED YOU A BUDGET THAT IT GREW BY $65 MILLION AND AT THAT TIME, POLICE AND FIRE GREW BY 78.
SO AGAIN, FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS ARE GROWING FASTER THAN THE TOTAL GENERAL FUND, THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PROPOSED BUDGET.
ALSO AS MS. UH, TOLBERT MENTIONED, UH, HAS A RECOMMENDATION TO REDUCE OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR THE 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR FOR 0.50 CENTS.
THAT LOWERS OUR TAX RATE FROM 70.47 CENTS TO 69.97 CENTS PER $100 OF EVALUATION ON SLIDE FOUR.
UH, THIS, THIS BUDGET REALLY IS FOCUSED ON THE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
WE LOOKED AT THE COMMUNITY SURVEY A LOT OVER THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL MONTHS AS WE PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER.
AND AS A REMINDER, MAINTENANCE OF STREET INFRASTRUCTURE AND POLICE SERVICE WERE IDENTIFIED AS THOSE TOP TWO PRIORITIES BY OUR RESIDENTS.
UH, THAT WAS BRIEFED TO YOU IN JUNE BEFORE YOUR JULY RECESS.
UH, AND THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AND THE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES IS VERY IMPORTANT AS WE HAVE KICKED OFF THIS FIRST YEAR OF PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING.
AS MS. TOLBERT MENTIONED, WE ARE TRANSITIONING FROM OUR INCREMENTAL APPROACH TO BUDGETING TO A PRIORITY BASED APPROACH THIS YEAR.
UH, WE LOOKED AT THE BUDGET FROM THE
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STANDPOINT OF SEVEN FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS, 26 DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS OR OFFICES PARTICIPATED, AND WE LOOKED AT 291 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE REVIEWED AND MADE DECISIONS ABOUT THE FUNDING LEVEL FOR FISCAL YEAR 27.I WILL MENTION THIS THAT WE'VE ALREADY, UH, STARTED THE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE CONTINUE TO GROW AND DEVELOP THE, UM, UH, PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK TO DO, AND SO WE APPRECIATE YOU ALLOWING US THIS INAUGURAL YEAR AS WE BEGIN THE PROGRAM AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO GET BETTER AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO FUTURE YEARS.
ON PAGE FIVE, JUST AS AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET, WE HAVE A CHART THAT SHOWS THE BUDGET IN TOTAL, AGAIN, TOTALING $5.2 BILLION FOR THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
IT IS SEPARATED BETWEEN THE OPERATING BUDGET ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE AND THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOUR OPERATING BUDGET IS THE PART OF THE BUDGET WHERE WE PAY FOR THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CITY.
AGAIN, THAT INCLUDES OUR GENERAL FUND.
THAT INCLUDES THE OPERATING FUND FOR OUR SEVEN ENTERPRISES.
IT INCLUDES THE DEBT PAYMENT FOR OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND PROGRAMS, AND IT INCLUDES ANY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE MAY RECEIVE FOR OPERATIONS FROM FEDERAL, STATE, OR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE IS WHERE WE'RE MAKING OUR INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE, BOTH OUR GENERAL OBLIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL AS OUR ENTERPRISE INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS DALLAS WATER UTILITY STORM DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT ARE AVIATION.
OUR EXAMPLES IN TOTAL, AGAIN, $5.2 BILLION.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, SLIDE SIX, YOU'LL SEE THAT SAME INFORMATION DETAILED OUT WITH WHOLE NUMBERS RATHER IN A CHART FORM.
UH, AND AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE AT THE BOTTOM THE ADOPTED BUDGET IN THE, UH, COLUMN IN THE MIDDLE THERE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, ADOPTED BUDGET, 4.97 BILLION, UH, TWO COLUMNS OVER THE PROPOSED BUDGET, $5.2 BILLION FOR NEXT YEAR.
THAT'S A 230 OR FOUR POINT 230 MILLION OR 4.6% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
SLIDE SEVEN, HOW DO WE PAY FOR THIS? WELL, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT REVENUES THAT COME INTO THE CITY THAT PAY FOR THE DIFFERENT SERVICES, THE DIFFERENT EXPENSES THAT WE BUDGET FOR.
MOST OF THOSE REVENUES ARE RESTRICTED.
UH, THEY, UH, AS DEFINED WAYS THAT WE CAN USE THOSE REVENUES.
OUR GENERAL FUND, HOWEVER, IS OUR MORE, UM, THE FUND THAT WE HAVE MORE FLEXIBILITY WITH ON HOW WE, UH, SPEND THOSE FUNDS.
UH, WE SPEND THOSE FUNDS AGAIN FOR POLICE, FIRE PARKS, UH, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES SUPPORTED BY PROPERTY TAX, SALES TAX, FRANCHISE FEES, CHARGES FOR SERVICES, FINES, AND OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS INTEREST EARNINGS AND TRANSFERS.
AGAIN, OUR YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH WAS 61.6 MILLION.
AND FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO KEEP UP WITH PROPOSITION, YOU, YOU TAKE 50% OF THAT, THAT'S ONLY $30.8 MILLION OF YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH THAT IS APPLICABLE TO THE PROPOSITION YOU.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY THINK THAT IT'S THE $200 MILLION, NO, IT'S THE GENERAL FUND THAT'S NOT RESTRICTED, AND IT'S HALF OF THAT.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT $30.8 MILLION.
OTHER FUNDS AND SOURCES LISTED ON THE PAGE ARE RESTRICTED IN THEIR USE ENTERPRISE FUND REVENUES, THOSE ARE REVENUES THAT ARE DERIVED FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARGES FOR THE SERVICE THAT'S BEING PROVIDED, WHETHER THAT'S WATER AND SEWER OR WHETHER THAT'S SANITATION SERVICES.
THOSE FEES, THOSE CHARGES ARE COMMITTED TO RESTRICTED TO USE FOR THOSE ENTERPRISE FOR DELIVERING THOSE SERVICES.
THEY CANNOT BE DIVERTED DEBT SERVICE REVENUE.
IT DOES COME FROM PROPERTY TAX, BUT WHEN YOU SET THE TAX RATE, YOU SET A GENERAL FUND, UH, TAX RATE AND YOU SET A DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE.
THE PORTION OF THE TAX RATE THAT'S DEDICATED TO DEBT SERVICE HAS TO BE USED TO PAY DEBT.
YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT AFTER YOU SET THE TAX RATE.
AND THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WOULD BE THINGS FROM GRANTS TRUST, UH, AND THOSE USUALLY COME WITH RESTRICTED USES.
SO AGAIN, THIS SLIDE IS JUST INTENDED TO GIVE YOU A VERY, VERY HIGH LEVEL THOUGHT OF WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM THAT SUPPORTS THE BUDGET.
SOME OF THESE WILL GO INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL AND, UH, COMING PAGES ON SLIDE NINE, JUST AS A A PICTURE HERE OF WE WERE, UH, GUIDED BY OUR PRINCIPLES OF CONNECT, COLLABORATE, AND COMMUNICATE AND OUR FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS.
NOW, YOU WILL SEE PARTS OF THE BUDGET, UH, TOTALED BY FOUNDATIONAL PILLAR, BUT AGAIN, WE WERE LOOKING AT PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
291 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, SAME THING ON SLIDE 10.
WE HAVE SHOWN YOU THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ROLL UP INTO THE FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS.
UM, WE DID SPEND TIME LOOKING AT EACH DEPARTMENT, BUT WE DUG INTO PROGRAMS DIFFERENT THAN IN PRIOR YEARS.
THE LEVEL THAT WE DUG INTO WAS DIFFERENT IN THIS YEAR'S APPROACH THAN IN PRIOR YEARS.
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ON SLIDE 11, YOU'LL SEE AGAIN THE TOTAL BUDGET, NOT JUST OPERATING FUNDS, BUT ALL FUNDS, CAPITAL FUNDS, DEBT SERVICE FUNDS OPERATING, INCLUDING ENTERPRISE, THE TOTAL BUDGET OF $5.2 BILLION.AND HOW THAT IS SPREAD OUT IF YOU TOTAL IT UP BY THE DIFFERENT FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS, YOU'LL SEE IN THIS CASE THAT'S, UH, SUSTAINABLE IS WHERE, UH, MORE FUNDS ARE DEDICATED.
THAT'S THERE'S AN INVESTMENT OF 42% OF THE TOTAL BECAUSE IN SUSTAINABLE, THAT'S WHERE, UH, AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK BACK AT PAGE 10, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER UTILITIES, THE DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION ARE INCLUDED THERE.
AND THEN OUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS WOULD SHOW UP IN SUSTAINABLE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL FUNDS, THAT'S WHY SUSTAINABLE WILL BE A LARGER, UH, SHARE OF THE TOTAL BUDGET.
ON SLIDE 12, YOU CAN SEE THIS DEPICTED WITH, UH, BAR CHARTS COMPARING THE CURRENT YEAR, UH, THE PROPOSED YEAR AND FISCAL YEAR 27 PLANNED.
YOU CAN SEE AGAIN THAT, UH, SUSTAINABLE IS 42% AND AGAIN, JUST MENTIONED WHAT THAT INCLUDES.
AND THEN 27%, THIS IS MADE UP MAINLY OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO INCLUDES OTHER AREAS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE SAFE CULTURE OF THE CITY, SUCH AS COURTS, THE JAIL CONTRACT AND OTHERS.
SO I WANNA MOVE IN, UH, REAL QUICKLY AND GO THROUGH EACH OF THE FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET.
SO STARTING WITH SAFE ON PAGE 14, UH, A, A COMMITMENT THAT WE MADE THIS YEAR, UH, WAS TO KEEP DALLAS SAFE BY HIRING MORE POLICE OFFICERS.
UM, WE ARE HIRING 350 POLICE RECRUITS IN THIS COMING YEAR AND INCREASING THAT TO 400 IN FISCAL YEAR 27.
WE EXPECT TO END FISCAL YEAR 26 WITH 3,424 SWORN OFFICERS.
ALSO IN THIS BUDGET, WE, UH, HAVE CONTINUED OUR COMMITMENT TO PAY, PAY, BEING A MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT.
THERE'S A CURRENT AGREEMENT THAT EXPIRES AT THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
UH, CHIEF ARTIS AND TEAM FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ARE MEETING WITH THE ASSOCIATIONS AND CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS FOR A NEW AGREEMENT WITHOUT A NEW AGREEMENT FOR BUDGET PURPOSES, WE DID CONTINUE THE PHILOSOPHY THAT'S INCLUDED IN MEET AND CONFER, WHICH IS A MARKET BASED PAY APPROACH AS WELL AS STEP PAY INCREASES.
UH, IF WE USED THE, UH, ONLY THE, UM, THE PAY THAT WAS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE MEET AND CONFER SURVEY, LOOKING AT OUR 17 PEER CITIES, WE WOULD'VE INCREASED POLICE OFFICER PAY FROM A LITTLE OVER 75,000 TO NEARLY $79,000 A YEAR.
HOWEVER, WE WANTED TO GO BEYOND THAT FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS BUDGET AND BE A REGIONAL LEADER.
SO WE HAVE PROPOSED TO INCREASE STARTING SALARY TO $81,232.
THAT'S A 7.7% SALARY INCREASE FOR THE STARTING POLICE OFFICER.
AND WHEN YOU TAKE THAT AND YOU ADD THAT TO EDUCATION PAY, BILINGUAL PAY AND ASSIGNMENT PAY, DALLAS WILL RANK IN THE TOP THREE WITHIN THE REGION.
WE WERE LED BY ALAN AND FRISCO, BUT WHEN YOU TAKE STARTING PAY PLUS OTHER NON PENSION BENEFITS, WHICH INCLUDES EDUCATION, PAY, BILINGUAL PAY, AND ASSIGNMENT PLAY PAY, THAT BRINGS US UP FROM A LOWER POSITION REGIONALLY TO THIRD REGIONALLY, AGAIN, BASED ON A STUDY THAT WAS DONE EARLIER IN THE YEAR, A POINT IN TIME, IF THEY HAVE CHANGED THEIR PAY SINCE WE DID THE SURVEY, I CAN'T KEEP UP WITH A NUMBER THAT'S STILL MOVING.
SO THERE'S A POINT IN TIME STUDY INCLUDED ON OUR SAFE HIGHLIGHTS IS OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM.
AGAIN, I'M GONNA JUST REFERENCE PROPOSITION U.
THIS WAS THE PRIORITY OF PROPOSITION U WAS MAKING SURE THAT WE MEET OUR COMMITMENT TO THE DALLAS POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM AND THIS BODY APPROVED A FUNDING PLAN SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2024.
WE ARE NOW STARTING AND BUDGETING FOR THE SECOND YEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT, AND THAT WILL INCLUDE AN INCREASE OF $20.6 MILLION FOR A TOTAL CONTRIBUTION THIS COMING YEAR OF $225.7 MILLION.
NOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY ASKED ME, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO IF WE WERE CONTINUING 34.5%, WHICH WAS WHAT IT WAS UNDER THE OLD STATE LAW, AND WE'RE CON WE WILL BE CONTRIBUTING OVER $22 MILLION MORE THAN WE WOULD HAVE IF THIS BODY DID NOT APPROVE A PLAN.
SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT PLAN IN PLACE AND THAT WE FUND THE PLAN AND WE STEP UP TO THE ACTUARIAL DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION, AND WE ARE ON THE PATH TO DO THAT.
INCLUDED AS OTHER HIGHLIGHTS WITHIN SAFE ARE REALIGNING THE MARSHALL'S OFFICE AND THEN OUR EFFORT THAT WE IS, THAT IS ALREADY UNDERGOING, UH, AND WILL CONTINUE COORDINATING WITH THE FIFA HOST COMMITTEE FOR THE NINE MATCHES THAT WILL BE HELD IN THE METROPLEX
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AS PART OF THE 26 WORLD CUP.I FEEL LIKE I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON SAFE I'LL, I'LL TRY TO SPEED IT UP ON THE OTHERS
UH, THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL SEE MORE OF OUR INVESTMENTS IN PEOPLE, UH, INCLUDED IN THIS, UH, BUDGET.
WE ARE CONSOLIDATING FOUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, WHERE WE'RE REALLY CONSOLIDATING OUR HUMAN SERVICES AND OUR NEIGHBOR NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAMS AND CREATING THIS ALL IN ONE CENTER AND CONTINUUM OF EMPOWERMENT.
UH, SO THIS INVESTMENT, UH, IS SAVING US ABOUT $6 MILLION A YEAR THROUGH THE CONSOLIDATIONS THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED.
PART OF THIS WILL ALSO INCLUDE DEVELOPING THE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, UH, TO IMPLEMENT REGARDING EVICTION ASSISTANCE, DIVERSION, OUR HOME AFTER SHELTER, AND OTHER STRATEGIES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE EITHER HOMELESS OR AT RISK OF EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
WE ALSO, IN THIS NEW DEPARTMENT, ARE LAUNCHING A HOUSING PATHWAYS FRAMEWORK, WHICH REALLY IS ABOUT INTERCONNECTING STRATEGIES TO MAKE HOUSING ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE, WHICH IS REALLY THE FOUNDATION FOR STABILITY, OPPORTUNITY, AND EMPOWERMENT FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
UH, IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR, ACTUALLY BEFORE THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR ENDS, UH, TOMORROW ON THE AGENDA, YOU HAVE AN ITEM BEFORE YOU, UH, TO INCREASE $4 MILLION FOR FAIR PARK TO, FOR THE PARK DEPARTMENT TO BRING BACK THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF FAIR PARK WITHIN, UH, THE PARK DEPARTMENT.
SO THERE'S A $4 MILLION ITEM ON YOUR AGENDA TOMORROW, BUT THEN CONTINUING THAT IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE NEARLY A $19 MILLION INVESTMENT, $10 MILLION FROM REVENUE GENERATED THROUGH THE PARK DEPARTMENT AND ABOUT 8 MILLION OR SO DOLLARS, UH, FROM, UH, THE GENERAL FUND.
ALSO, IN THIS NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE CONTINUING OUR ADVANCEMENT OF OUR CCAP, UH, THE ACTION PLAN ACROSS DEPARTMENTS AND IN COLLABORATION WITH PARTNERS, INCLUDING OUR WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM, OUR ZERO WASTE PROGRAM, OUR FLEET ELECTRIFICATION, AND OTHER STRATEGIES DESIGNED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE THE CA GOALS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
MOVING ON THROUGH GROWING ON SLIDE 18, UH, IN SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, OF COURSE, ARE OUR CONTINUED APPROACH TO TRANSFORMING THE DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER DISTRICT.
THIS IS SUCH A, UH, A CHANGING, UM, UH, DYNAMIC PROJECT FOR THE ENTIRE CITY, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
WE ALSO HAVE SEEN SOME REALIGNMENTS OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING HOUSING DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, AS A FULL, UH, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT HUB.
UH, AS I MENTIONED ON A PREVIOUS SLIDE, UH, CONSOLIDATING HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, THERE WERE SOME PIECES WITHIN THE EXISTING HOUSING DEPARTMENT THAT WILL TRANSITION INTO THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, FOR OTHER DEVELOPMENT TYPES OF DEALS THAT ARE DONE WITHIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THIS BUDGET CONTINUES OUR INVESTMENT IN OUR PRIVATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FUND WITH ABOUT SIX AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
OUR TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICTS, WHICH HAS GROWN TO ABOUT $134 MILLION FOR THE YEAR.
AND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUND OF ABOUT $6 MILLION, WHICH ARE ALL DIFFERENT TOOLS USED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR TARGETED, UH, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY.
UH, IN THIS NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE UPDATING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN THAT WAS LAST UPDATED IN 1988, AND THEN WE'RE EXPANDING OUR CAPACITY, UH, TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS LAND USE THROUGH AUTHORIZED HEARINGS BY ADDITIONAL REPURPOSED STAFF IN THAT OFFICE.
MOVING ON LIVABLE ON SLIDE 20.
SO WE ARE INCREASING FUNDING WITHIN DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE SUPPORTIVE CARE AND RESPONSE TO, UH, SITUATIONS OF ANIMAL CRUELTY.
ABOUT $1.5 MILLION IS BEING INVESTED, INVESTED TO SUPPORT THOSE ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATIONS.
WE WILL BE LAUNCHING AN AI POWERED CAMERA SYSTEM, WHICH IS GOING TO IMPROVE PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT.
THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CODE COMPLIANCE AND SANITATION.
DALLAS WILL BE THE LARGEST MUNICIPALITY IN THE COUNTRY AND THE FIRST WITHIN TEXAS THAT IS UNDERTAKING THIS NEW INITIATIVE WITH AI POWERED CAMERAS.
WE WILL HAVE 100 CAMERAS, TWO, UH, MOUNTED TO 50 SANITATION TRUCKS THAT WILL REALLY HELP BOTH SANITATION AND CODE COMPLIANCE, IDENTIFY PROACTIVE SITUATIONS, UH, THAT THEY CAN THEN ADDRESS.
WE WILL BE STRENGTHENING OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT BY EXPANDING THE NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT STRIKE TEAM.
THIS IS, UH, BASICALLY DOUBLING THE SIZE OF THAT TEAM WITH AN INVESTMENT OF $250,000 TO REALLY ALLOW US TO FOCUS ON THOSE ENTERTAINMENT ZONES THAT ARE HIGH PRIORITY, UH, IN THOSE LATE NIGHT DISTRICTS.
WE ALSO WILL CONTINUE OUR SANITATION ROUTE SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE.
UH, ABOUT 10% OF OUR OVERALL CUSTOMERS ARE IMPACTED BY THIS.
[00:25:01]
90% OF THE OVERALL SANITATION CUSTOMERS SEE NO CHANGE THROUGH THIS, UH, TRANSITION.UH, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR AS MORE COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION IS PUT OUT REGARDING THIS EFFORT.
ALSO, WE'LL CONTINUE OUR INVESTMENT IN COMMUNITY SPAY NEUTER SERVICES, MICROCHIPPING AND VACCINATIONS WITHIN DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES.
MOVING ON TO SUSTAINABLE, THIS IS AN AREA THAT, UH, AGAIN, OVERALL WITH THE CITY'S BUDGET HAS A VERY LARGE, UH, INVESTMENT AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
THAT PRIORITY NUMBER ONE FROM THE RESIDENT SURVEY WAS INVESTMENT IN THE STREET MAINTENANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE'RE INVESTING $162 MILLION FROM VARIOUS FUNDING SOURCES, GENERAL FUND BONDS, ARPA REDEVELOPMENT FUNDS FOR STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND MAINTENANCE.
THIS WILL BRING OUR LANE MILES OF INVESTMENT UP TO 750.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE OUR VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN AND LEVERAGE ABOUT $1.5 MILLION OF LOCAL FUNDS AND RECEIVE ABOUT $9 MILLION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN COMPLETED CHORUS DOOR STUDIES.
THIS WILL INCLUDE PROJECTS SUCH AS FERGUSON ROAD LAKE, JUNE ROAD, AND ST.
WE'LL ALSO IN THIS, UH, NEXT YEAR BE IMPLEMENTING THE PHASE ONE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED BIKE PLAN.
Y'ALL ADOPTED THAT PLAN EARLIER THIS YEAR.
WE'RE INVESTING $3.3 MILLION FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF BIKE LANE MILES, AND WE'VE ADDED $300,000 FOR MAINTENANCE OF BIKE LANE.
WE WILL CONTINUE OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2024 BOND PROGRAM.
AS A REMINDER, RESIDENTS APPROVED A $1.25 BILLION BOND PROGRAM.
UH, WE ISSUED OUR FIRST TRANCHE OF BONDS THIS PAST YEAR, UH, IN NOVEMBER, AND WE'LL BE ISSUING OUR SECOND TRANCHE OF $250 MILLION THIS FALL.
UH, AFTER THE BUDGET IS APPROVED, WE'LL ALSO CONTINUE PROJECTS, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS WITHIN DALLAS WATER UTILITY, SUCH AS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELM FORK WATER AND CENTRAL WASTEWATER, UH, TREATMENT PLANT AND PROJECTS.
AND THEN ALSO WITHIN, UH, DALLAS LOVEFIELD AIRPORT CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THE LOVEFIELD EXPANSION AIRPORT PROGRAM, INCLUDING THE TERMINAL AREA IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL ENHANCE THE OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
MOVING ON TO FISCALLY SOUND, OUR NEXT TO LAST PILLAR IN FISCALLY SOUND, UH, I ALREADY MENTIONED THIS, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE LESSENING, UH, THE PROPERTY OWNER TAX BILL BY REDUCING THE PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR THE 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR WITH A REDUCTION OF A HALF A CENT FROM 70.47 TO 69.97 CENTS PER $100 OF VALUATION.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED IN JUNE, THE INCREASE IN THE OVER 65 OR DISABLED EXEMPTION UP TO $175,000, AND IT'S THE SEVENTH YEAR.
NOW, EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON'S PROPERTY TAX BILL WILL DEPEND ON WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY.
UH, SOME CASES IT WILL BE THAT THE GROWTH IN YOUR VALUE MAY RESULT IN EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A TAX RATE REDUCTION, THAT YOU STILL HAVE A HIGHER TAX BILL.
SOME CASES I AM AWARE OF, PROPERTY OWNERS ACTUALLY SAW A DECREASE IN THEIR VALUE.
SO IT WILL DEPEND ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL SITUATION ON WHAT YOUR TAX BILL WILL BE.
UH, CONTINUING AND FISCALLY SOUND, WE ARE RECOGNIZING OUR EMPLOYEES THROUGH, UH, CONTINUATION OF THE ANNUAL MERIT PROGRAM.
IT'S FUNDED AT 3% OF, UH, THE PAY.
WE ARE INCREASING THE CITY MINIMUM WAGE FROM 1925 TO $21 AND 50 CENTS PER HOUR.
THIS WILL MAKE US A LEADER IN THE DFW REGION, UH, BEING TOP FOR ALL MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN THE REGION.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO IMPLEMENTING A NEW TASK PAY PROGRAM FOR THOSE MISSION CRITICAL AND HARD TO FILL HOURLY POSITIONS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO WORK HARD TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPETITIVENESS.
UH, FOR THOSE TYPES OF POSITIONS, WE ARE IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE OF THAT PROGRAM AND THAT WILL BE ROLLED OUT LATER IN THE YEAR, UH, ASSUMING THE PASSAGE OF THE BUDGET.
ALSO, WITHIN THIS BUDGET, YOU WILL SEE THE OPTIMIZATION OF DEPARTMENTAL STAFFING.
WE HAVE REPURPOSED 272 POSITIONS.
282 WERE DELETED WITH 272 OF THOSE BEING REPURPOSED PRIMARILY WITHIN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE ADDITIONAL HIRING OF OFFICERS WITHIN DALLAS FIRE RESCUE AND WITHIN THE PARK DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO ARE LAUNCHING IN THIS NEW YEAR TALENT CENTRAL, WHICH IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN HUMAN RESOURCES AND CIVIL SERVICE, UH, TO SERVE AS REALLY A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY, UH, FOR OUR TALENT ACQUISITION TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR OUR RESIDENTS, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE COMING TO THE CITY SEEKING EMPLOYMENT, WHETHER IT'S A UNIFORM POSITION, A CIVIL SERVICE POSITION, OR A NON-CIVIL SERVICE POSITION, THERE'LL BE ONE CENTRALIZED RECRUITMENT
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HUB.WE ALSO ARE IMPLEMENTING, UH, PROACTIVE COST MITIGATION STRATEGIES IN OUR EMPLOYEE RETIREE HEALTH BENEFIT, UH, PRIMARILY THROUGH OUR SOLICITATION AND THE APPROVAL OF NEW CONTRACT PRICING AND MAIL ORDER ENHANCE ENHANCEMENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE NEW CONTRACT, UH, SAVINGS OF ABOUT $12 MILLION FOR THE YEAR.
IN THE LAST OF THE, UH, PILLARS, UH, THE IN THE FOUNDATIONAL STRUCTURE IS CORE, UH, ON SLIDE 26, UM, WE'RE CONTINUING THE WORK THAT BEGAN THIS YEAR WHEN WE CONSOLIDATED COMMUNICATIONS MARKETING AND OUTREACH WITH 3 1 1, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO ELEVATE THE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION, ENSURING COLLABORATION ACROSS DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS OUTSOURCING OUR MARKETING EFFORTS.
IN THIS NEXT YEAR, WE WILL BE, UH, IMPLEMENTING A $2 MILLION PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM WITHIN BUILDING SERVICES TO REALLY FOCUS ON EXTENDING THE USEFUL LIFE OF SYSTEMS AND REDUCE THOSE EMERGENCY REPAIRS.
BACK IN JUNE, WE TOLD YOU THAT WE WERE PLANNING TO, UH, PUT $1 MILLION TOWARD THIS EFFORT.
WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THAT TO $2 MILLION IN THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET.
YOU'LL ALSO SEE IN THIS NEXT YEAR, UH, BEGINNING EFFORTS FOR A STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK, UH, INVESTING IN OUR REAL ESTATE MASTER PLAN AND FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENTS.
TWO THINGS THAT ARE REALLY NEEDED TO PUT US ON A BETTER PATH FOR OUR REAL ESTATE ASSETS AND OUR EXISTING CITY FACILITIES.
WE SAW A, UH, SAVINGS OF ABOUT $1 MILLION THROUGH SOME, UH, EFFICIENCY EFFORTS WITHIN PROCUREMENT SERVICES, INCLUDING, UH, AI PROCUREMENT TECHNOLOGY AND DATA ANALYTIC TOOLS THAT'S REALLY HELPING THAT DEPARTMENT TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONTINUE EFFORTS THAT HAVE BEGUN THIS YEAR AS THEY ARE RE-IMAGINING THEIR SERVICES.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, UH, IN INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON CYBERSECURITY TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SYSTEMS ARE SAFE AND PROTECTED, UH, FROM ANY TYPE OF VIOLATION THAT MIGHT, UH, BE INTRODUCED THERE.
AND SO WITH THAT, I HAVE GONE THROUGH AT A HIGH LEVEL THE, UH, EACH OF THE PILLARS, AND I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO JEANETTE WHEEN WHO WILL REALLY DIVE IN MORE INTO THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE AND EXPENSE DRIVERS.
GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU, MR. IRELAND.
AS MENTIONED, MY NAME IS JEANETTE WHEEN I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING AS THE DIRECTOR OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES, AND I WILL COVER THE REVENUE AND EXPENSES IN THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, UH, THE GENERAL FUND, UH, IS THE PART OF THE BUDGET THAT GETS THE MOST ATTENTION.
UH, THE TOTAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 IS 1.97 BILLION.
AS MENTIONED, THIS IS A 3.2%, UH, INCREASE COMPARED TO THE FISCAL YEAR 25 ADOPTED BUDGET THAT WAS APPROVED BY YOU ALL LAST SUMMER.
AND HOWEVER, IT IS ALSO, UH, 11.7 MILLION LESS THAN THE PLANNED BUDGET THAT WAS PRESENTED TO YOU LAST SUMMER.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE NUMBER 29, UH, THIS, THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE SHOWS A PIE CHART OF GENERAL FUND REVENUE.
PROPERTY TAX, AS WE'VE MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, MAKES UP 57% OF TOTAL REVENUE IN THE GENERAL FUND.
THIS IS OUR LARGEST, UH, REVENUE SOURCE.
FRANCHISE FEES ACCOUNT FOR 7%, AND THEN ALL OTHER REVENUES, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, INTEREST EARNINGS, INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUE ACCOUNT FOR 12% OF THE TOTAL REVENUE PIE.
ON SLIDE 30, WE ARE SHOWING MORE DETAIL RELATED TO REVENUES.
UH, THIS SLIDE INCLUDES FISCAL YEAR 24 ACTUALS ADDED ALONG WITH OUR CURRENT AMENDED BUDGET.
THE FORECAST FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26, AND THE PLAN BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 27.
WE HAVE UPDATED OUR REVENUE FORECAST FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 TO REFLECT, DECLINES BOTH IN PROPERTY TAX AND SALES TAX.
THE PROPERTY TAX, UH, DECLINE IS MENTIONED IN MAY AND JUNE.
UH, BRIEFING IS REALLY DUE TO LITIGATION.
WE HAVE MADE ADJUSTMENTS, UM, IN THE COLLECTION RATE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AS WELL AS THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PLAN NUMBER TO ACCOUNT FOR OUR CURRENT LITIGATION EXPERIENCE.
SALES TAX, AS YOU KNOW, IS A VERY VOLATILE REVENUE SOURCE, AND PER OUR CONTRACT ECONOMISTS, IT IS CURRENTLY IMPACTED BY CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY RELATED TO TARIFFS AND A SLOWING LABOR FORCE MARKET.
UM, PLEASE NOTE, UH, THAT THIS CHART AND THE PREVIOUS CHART ON, UH, THE PREVIOUS LIE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ANTICIPATED GROWTH DUE TO FIFA.
WE HAVE CAPTURED THAT GROWTH IN A SEPARATE FUND, UH, TO BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR FIFA RELATED EXPENSES.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 31, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, PROPERTY TAXES OR WE'LL TALK ABOUT PROPERTY TAXES, UM, IT IS A CALCULATION OF VALUE.
[00:35:01]
UH, THE VALUE THAT IS SET BY THE APPRAISAL DISTRICTS, THE EXEMPTIONS ALLOWED BY THE STATE AND APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, AND THE TAX RATE THAT IS SET BY CITY COUNCIL.UH, THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR PROPERTY TAX, THAT INCLUDES BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AS AND AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, THE DEBT SERVICE FUND TOTALS 1.55 BILLION.
UM, AND PROPERTY TAXES, AS YOU KNOW, UM, IS SPLIT.
AND SO THE, UH, AMOUNT THAT'S ALLOCATED TO THE GENERAL FUND IS USED FOR DAY-TO-DAY, UH, EXPENSES.
THE AMOUNT THAT'S SET ASIDE FOR DEBT SERVICE CAN ONLY BE USED FOR DEBT SERVICE.
ON SLIDE 32, UM, WE'RE SHOWING OR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VALUES, UM, UH, WE RECEIVED OUR CERTIFIED VALUES FROM THE FOUR APPRAISAL DISTRICTS BY JULY 25TH.
OUR CURRENT VALUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 IS 226.5 BILLION.
UH, 1.9% OF THE INCREASE IS DUE TO NEW CONSTRUCTION, WHICH IS ABOUT 4 BILLION OF THE TOTAL, AND THE REAPPRAISAL ACCOUNTS FOR 3.4% OF THE TOTAL.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 33, UH, WE ARE SHOWING, UH, THE HISTORY OF PROPERTY VALUE GOING BACK TO 1983 AND OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
UM, OR I'LL START WITH THE, UH, FIVE YEAR, THE FIVE YEAR GROWTH RATE IS 9%, UH, 10 YEAR GROWTH RATE AVERAGE IS ABOUT 8.5%, AND A 30 YEAR AVERAGE IS 5.8%.
SO WE'RE TRENDING A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN THE, UH, 30 YEAR AVERAGE.
ON THIS SLIDE, ON SLIDE 34, WE'RE PROVIDING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PROPERTY VALUES.
UH, THIS CHART, UH, REFLECTS THE ASSESS VALUE GROWTH SINCE NINE OUR FISCAL YEAR 19.
THIS SHOWS YOU THE REAPPRAISAL VALUE AND NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND ON THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE PERCENT OF NEW CONSTRUCTION, UM, AS IT RELATES TO REAPPRAISAL VALUE.
UH, YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR GROWTH, UM, IN THE CURRENT YEAR OF 5.3%, UM, IT IS ONE OF THE LOWEST GROWTH RATE INCREASES, UM, IN THE LAST, UH, SINCE FISCAL YEAR 19.
UH, THE LOWER THE LOWEST RATE, UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR, UH, PRESENTATION, 4.6% IN FISCAL YEAR 22.
SO AGAIN, OUR YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH WAS 5.3%.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 35, UH, WE PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE ALLOWED BY STATE LAW.
AND THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE SHOWS THE EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL.
SO, AS YOU KNOW, EXEMPTIONS REDUCE THE VALUE THAT YOU PAY TAXES ON.
SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR HOME IS VALUED AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND AND YOU HAVE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF TAXES THAT YOU PAY BY 20,000.
THE CITY ALLOWS A 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
THIS IS THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT ALLOWED BY STATE LAW.
UH, WITH THIS EXEMPTION, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE EXEMPT 18.1 BILLION IN VALUE, AND WE FOREGO 126.4 MILLION IN REVENUE.
OUR OVER 65 DISABLED EXEMPTION, UH, WAS INCREASED ON JUNE 11TH.
UH, AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, THIS IS A SEVENTH TIME.
THIS EXEMPTION HAS BEEN INCREASED SINCE 2017.
UM, THERE'S 9.8 BILLION IN VALUE THAT WE DO NOT TAX FOR THIS EXEMPTION.
AND OUR, UH, PROJECTED REVENUE FOR GONE IS 68.2 MILLION.
THE LAST ITEM ON THIS PAGE, UH, REFLECTS THE CHILDCARE FACILITIES EXEMPTION THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL LAST YEAR, AND THIS PROVIDES A HUNDRED PERCENT EXEMPTION TO THE VALUE OF PROPERTY USED FOR A CHILDCARE FACILITY.
AND THERE'S APPROXIMATELY 5.3 MILLION IN VALUE WITHIN THIS EXEMPTION.
ON SLIDE 36, YOU SEE THE HISTORY OF ALL EXEMPTIONS, UH, INCLUDING TOTAL EXEMPT PROPERTY DATING BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 2008, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW THE EX, THE EXEMPTIONS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME.
UH, THE TOTAL VALUE A PROPERTY THAT IS EXEMPT FROM TAXATION IS 62.6 BILLION, AND THIS RESULTS IN 438 MILLION OF REVENUE FOREGONE ON SLIDE 37.
UM, SO I'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, PROPERTY VALUE AND I'VE TALKED ABOUT EXEMPTIONS.
THE LAST PART OF THE CALCULATION IS A TAX RATE.
SO I'LL START HERE ON SLIDE 37.
UM, AS MENTIONED, THE TAX RATE IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE GENERAL FUND AND THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.
UH, 72.5% OF THE TOTAL GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND.
AGAIN, THAT SUPPORTS THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS OF THE CITY.
UH, AS MENTIONED, WE ARE PROPOSING A HALF CENT, UH, UH, REDUCTION IN THE SALES TAX, WHICH RESULTS IN RE RESULTS IN 5.5 MILLION
[00:40:02]
AT REVENUE FOREGONE FOR THE GENERAL FUND, AND 5.5 MILLION IN REVENUE FOREGONE FOR THE DEBT SERVICE FUND.UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEBT SERVICE REDUCTION STILL ALLOWS US TO SUPPORT OUR PLANNED DEBT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
THIS INCLUDES A POTENTIAL PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS, UM, IF THE FUTURE, UM, YEAR MARKET CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE, AS WELL AS A FUTURE BOND PROGRAM.
ON SLIDE 38, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE PROPOSED, UH, REDUCTION, UH, AND HISTORICAL REDUCTIONS HERE.
SO, UM, THE PROPOSED REDUC, UH, PROPOSED REDUCTION IN THE TAX RATE REDUCES THE TAX RATE FOR THE 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR.
IT'S A TOTAL REDUCTION OF 9.73 CENTS, OR 12.2%.
THE WAY THE CHART IS PRESENTED, UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE REVENUE FOREGONE COLUMN, IT'S SHOWING YOU THE REVENUE FOREGONE IN THE YEAR IN WHICH THE REDUCTION WAS APPROVED.
UH, THE SECOND BULLET ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE IS SPEAKING TO SORT OF THE TOTAL REVENUE FOR GONE.
SO IF YOU TAKE THE CURRENT VALUE OF 226.5 BILLION, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL TAX REDUCTION OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF REVENUE FOR GONE, UM, IN THE CURRENT YEAR IS 200 AND, UH, 15.3 MILLION.
SO WE'RE JUST SHOWING YOU THAT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, THE IMPACT OF THE PROPERTY TAX REDUCTIONS ON SLIDE 39, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE INCREASES AND DECREASES IN THE TAX RATE.
AGAIN, ON THE FAR RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR GRAPH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE LAST 10 YEARS WHERE WE'VE HAD DECREASES.
ON SLIDE 40, UH, WE ARE SHOWING TWO PROPERTY TAX BILLS.
UM, AS MENTIONED, UM, EVERY HOMEOWNER'S TAX BILL WILL BE DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THEIR PROPERTY VALUE AND THE EXEMPTIONS THAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR.
I'LL START WITH THE TABLE ON THE LEFT.
UM, SO THIS TABLE COMPARES THE TAX RATE CHANGE AND THE CHANGE IN THE MEDIAN VALUE.
UM, AND SO THE FISCAL YEAR 25 MEDIAN VALUE IS 381,545.
THE FISCAL YEAR 26 MEDIAN VALUE IS $382,050, AND THAT'S AN INCREASE OF 0.12%.
SO BOTH TABLES REFLECT THE 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, AND YOU CAN SEE, UM, IN THE TABLE ON THE LEFT THAT THE RESULTING DECREASE, UM, IS A DECREASE IN THE TAX BILL OF ABOUT $13.
SO THAT'S COMPARING PRIOR YEAR AND PROPOSED YEAR MEDIAN VALUE.
THE TABLE ON THE RIGHT COMPARES THE MEDIAN VALUE, UH, OR ASSUMES THE SAME MEDIAN VALUE IN BOTH YEARS.
UM, AND SO IT COMPARES THE, UH, 300 AND, UH, 82, UH THOUSAND.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THEN IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, UM, THERE'S A, UH, POTENTIAL SAVINGS OF ABOUT 16 OR $15.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A, JUST A SIMPLE COMPARISON OF MEDIUM VALUE.
EVERY HOMEOWNER'S TAX BILL WILL BE DIFFERENT, UH, DEPENDING ON, UM, THE CHANGE IN YOUR TOTAL VALUE.
UH, SO THIS SLIDE REFLECTS, UH, STATE LAW REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPERTY TAXES.
UH, WE, WE WORK WITH THE DALLAS COUNTY TAX OFFICE TO CALCULATE OUR TAX RATES.
UM, THE CALCULATED VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE IS 70.327, UH, 4 CENTS, AND THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE IS 69.31, UH, NINE 6 CENTS.
THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED TAX RATE IS 69.97 CENTS, WHICH IS ACTUALLY LOWER THAN THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, BUT HIGHER THAN THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.
A FEW THINGS TO POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE, ADOPTING THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE WILL GENERATE AN ADDITIONAL 7.8 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND PROPERTY TAX REVENUE AND THE PROPO, BECAUSE THE PROPOSED RATE OR THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS HIGHER THAN THE PROPOSED TAX RATE, UH, ADOPTING THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, UH, WILL, WOULD, WILL RESULT IN A DECREASED PROPERTY TAX REVENUE OF ABOUT 30.5 MILLION.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE NUMBER 42, UM, STATE LAW DOES REQUIRE ACTION ON AUGUST 27TH.
AND SO CITY CITY COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER AN AGENDA ITEM THAT WILL SET THE TAX CEILING FOR PROPERTY TAX.
AND SO THIS WILL BE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT, UM, TO BE CONSIDERED ON SEPTEMBER 17TH.
AND SO ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY, UH, COUNSEL WILL, UH, TAKE A RECORD, RECORD VOTE, AND
[00:45:01]
SCHEDULE A PUBLIC HEARING.UH, THE NOTICE FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO BE PUBLISHED TO THE NEWSPAPER BY SEPTEMBER 7TH, AND THEN THE PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, WHICH IS THE SAME DAY AS THE, UM, UH, BUDGET ADOPTION.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 43 AND TO SALES TAX, UM, SALES TAX IS THE SECOND LARGEST SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE GENERAL FUND.
UH, THE SALES TAX RATE IN DALLAS IS 8.25%, AND AS YOU KNOW, IT IS CAPPED BY STATE LAW.
6.25% GOES TO THE STATE, 1% GOES TO DART, AND THEN 1% IS RETAINED BY THE CITY.
UH, AS I'VE MENTIONED, SALES TAX IS OUR MOST VOLATILE REVENUE SOURCE.
IT IS VERY SENSITIVE TO THE CHANGES IN THE ECONOMY.
IT'S SENSITIVE TO CONSUMER BEHAVIOR.
UM, IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS STABLE THAN, UH, PROPERTY TAX.
UH, THE BUYING YOUR BUDGET, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 27 REFLECTS AN AVERAGE GROWTH OF FOUR POINT, UH, 1%.
ON SLIDE 44, YOU SEE THE LONG-TERM HISTORY OF SALES TAX, VERY SIMILAR TO THE, UH, ASSESSED VALUE GROWTH WE SHOWED PREVIOUSLY.
THE FIVE YEAR GROWTH TREND IS 8.2%.
UH, THE 10 YEAR GROWTH TREND IS 5.4%, AND THE 30 YEAR GROWTH TREND IS 3.9%.
THE FIVE YEAR AND 10 YEAR GROWTH TREND, UM, REFLECTS SORT OF THOSE TEMPORARY SPIKES THAT WE EXPERIENCED IN FISCAL YEAR 21 AND 22.
AND YOU'LL SEE BASED ON OUR, UM, PROJECTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 26, 27, UH, WE'RE LEANING MORE TOWARDS THE 30 YEAR TREND.
ON SLIDE 45, YOU SEE THE HISTORICAL AND PROJECTED PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN SALES TAX.
AND SO AGAIN, YOU SEE THOSE DOWNTRENDS THAT WE EXPERIENCED IN 2002, 2003.
YOU CAN SEE THE 2009 PROLONGED RECESSION THAT CAUSED A LARGER DIP IN OUR SALES TAX COLLECTIONS.
AND THEN YOU ALSO SEE THE SPIKES IN FISCAL YEAR 21 AND 22 THAT I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED.
ON SLIDE 45, UH, WE HAVE A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA.
THOSE ARE OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT, I'M SORRY, SLIDE 46.
ON SLIDE 46, WE HAVE, UM, A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE CRITERIA NUMBER 12.
OUR FMPC REFLECTS OUR FINANCIAL POLICIES.
THIS PARTICULAR CRITERIA REQUIRES THAT WE REVIEW FEES AT LEAST ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS.
ON SLIDE 46 OR 47, YOU CAN SEE THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE REVIEWED THIS YEAR, CODE COMPLIANCE, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WE ARE ADJUSTING FEES THAT WILL RESULT IN 1.7 MILLION IN INCREASED REVENUE AND FISCAL YEAR 26, UH, THE PROPOSED FEES WERE INCLUDED IN THE JUNE BRIEFING, AND THEY ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE REVENUE SECTION OF THE BUDGET DOCUMENT.
UM, ON SLIDE NUMBER 48, WE, UH, WE REVIEWED ALSO PRIVATE PROPERTY IMPOUND, UH, FEE.
UM, WE WERE PROPOSING AN INCREASE IN THIS PARTICULAR FEE, AND WE ARE STILL, UH, CURRENTLY IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY, UH, ATTORNEY'S OFFICE REGARDING, UH, IMPLEMENTATION.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 50, UH, WE'LL START TO TALK ABOUT, UH, GENERAL FUND EXPENSE DRIVERS.
SO AGAIN, THE GENERAL FUND, UH, IS A BALANCED BUDGET, AND SO OUR PROPOSED EXPENSES TOTAL 1.97 BILLION INCREASE OF 61.6 MILLION OR 3.2%.
UM, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE, AS WE MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, UM, THE, THE, UH, TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR POLICE AND FIRE INCREASED 63.1 MILLION AND ALL OTHER GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS DECREASED BY 1.5 MILLION.
ON SLIDE 51, WE START WITH THE EXPENSE DRIVERS, AND I'LL START WITH THE MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED.
UH, THE BUDGET REFLECTS THE RESULTS OF THE, UH, MARCH MARKET SURVEY, AND SO THAT SURVEY COMPARES, UH, THE AVERAGE PAY TO 17 PEER CITIES.
THE RESULTS, UM, OF THAT SURVEY, UH, UH, RESULT IN AN ENTRY LEVEL, UH, SALARY INCREASE OF 4.8%, 7% FOR ALL OTHERS.
UH, IN ADDITION TO THE MEET AND CON CONFIRM MARKET SURVEY, WE ARE ALSO ENHANCING THE ENTRY LEVEL STARTING PAY, UH, FOR, UH, OUR, UM, POLICE AND FIRE RECRUITS TO 81,232.
AND AS MENTIONED, THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 7.7%.
THE TOTAL BUDGET INCLUDES 42.7 MILLION FOR THIS INCREASE.
UH, ADDITIONAL EXPENSE DRIVERS ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE INCLUDE, UM,
[00:50:01]
UH, THE INCREASE IN STAFFING.UH, WE DISCUSSED THIS IN JUNE A HUNDRED, UH, ADDITIONAL OFFICERS IN FISCAL YEAR 25, AND THEN, UM, INCREASED HIRING IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27 ABOVE OUR TARGETS.
UH, THE LAST ITEM ON THIS PAGE, UH, INCLUDES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR DALLAS FIRE RESCUE.
WE ARE EXPANDING, ADDING TO SINGLE FUN, UH, FUNCTION PARAMEDIC UNITS IN FISCAL YEAR 26.
ON SLIDE 52, ADDITIONAL POLICE AND FIRE EXPENSE DRIVERS INCLUDE, UM, OUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE DALLAS, UH, POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM.
AS MR. IRELAND MENTIONED, UH, WE ARE INCREASING OUR CONTRIBUTION IN FISCAL YEAR 26 BY 20.6 MILLION.
UH, WE HAVE INCLUDED, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT, UH, OUR NEW CAD AND RMS SYSTEM.
THE TOTAL COST OF THIS SYSTEM IS 22.6 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS.
THE COST ON THIS SLIDE REFLECTS OUR, UH, SUPPORT HOURS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS BACK FILLING OF STAFF AND DPD.
AND THEN THE LAST ITEM ON THIS PAGE REFLECTS AN INCREASE IN STAFFING FOR THE HIGH RISK INSPECTION INSPECTION TEAM IN, IN DFR.
THE GOAL OF THIS TEAM IS TO, UH, INCREASE, UH, ANNUAL INSPECTIONS UP TO 90%.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 53, OUR NON-POLICE AND FIRE EXPENSE DRIVERS AS MENTIONED, INCLUDE OUR CONTRIBUTION, UM, TO TIF.
AND SO, UH, THAT INCREASE IS 3.5 MILLION.
UH, SIMILAR TO THE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE POLICE AND FIRE PENSION SYSTEM, WE ARE MAKING INCREASED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT FUND AND THE AMOUNT OF 5.2 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND.
UH, AS MENTIONED, WE ARE EXPANDING OUR PREVENTION PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM AND FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT.
WE ARE INCREASING, UH, THE TRANSFER TO THE STREET AND ALLEY FUND, UM, FROM THE GENERAL FUND BY 8 MILLION.
UH, WE HAVE INCLUDED ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UH, FOR STREET LIGHTING.
UM, AND AS MENTIONED, WE HAVE ALSO, UH, INCREASED THE CONTRIBUTION AMOUNT THAT WE, UH, WILL CONTRIBUTE TO FAIR PARK ABOVE WHAT WAS BUDGETED BY 2.5 MILLION.
AND THEN THE LAST ITEM ON THIS PLA PAGE IS JUST, UH, ADVANCED IMPLE IMPLEMENTATION OF AI 4 3 1 1 MODERNIZATION.
AND SO THIS IS ONE OF A FEW AI INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE IN THE FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET.
SLIDE 54 UH, REFLECTS OUR, UH, NON-UNIFORM, OUR CIVILIAN COMPENSATION.
UH, THE FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING FOR AN AVERAGE MERIT OF 3%.
UM, IT ALSO INCLUDES, UM, MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE, UH, FROM 1925 PER HOUR TO 2150 PER HOUR.
AND AS MENTIONED, WE ARE IMPLEMENTING A NEW TASK PAY PROGRAM FOR OUR CRITICAL, UH, AND HARD TO FILL HOURLY POSITIONS.
UM, AS WE'VE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, UM, THE CITY RELIES ON EMPLOYEES TO DELIVER THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE TOTAL COST, UH, FOR PERSONNEL.
UM, UH, THE TOTAL COST FOR PERSONNEL, UH, SERVICES ABOUT 73% OF THE GENERAL FUND.
THIS INCLUDES PAY OVER TIME, OUR HEALTH BENEFITS, LIFE INSURANCE, WORKERS' COMP.
UM, THE OTHER THING WE WANNA POINT OUT ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE NOT ADDED ANY NEW POSITIONS IN THE BUDGET.
IF YOU RECALL, LAST YEAR, WE STARTED THE REALIGNMENT STRATEGY AND WE CONTINUE THAT THIS YEAR WHERE WE REPURPOSED POSITIONS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AS MENTIONED, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED EFFICIENCIES DURING THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
UH, THE PLAN STAFFING OPTIMIZATION IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT ROUGHLY A HUNDRED, UH, POSITIONS, AND THIS IS OUR EFFORT TO ALIGN OUR WORKFORCE LEVELS WITH OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS.
UH, THE FULL LIST OF POSITION CHANGES BY DEPARTMENT IS AVAILABLE IN THE APPENDIX OF THIS BRIEFING STARTING ON SLIDE 91.
IN JUNE, WE SHARED WITH YOU A GENERAL FUND FORECAST THAT FORECAST HAD A SHORTFALL OF 36.5 MILLION, AND THIS WAS A COMBINATION OF REDUCED REVENUE COMPARED TO THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PLAN BUDGET THAT WE PREPARED LAST SUMMER AND ALSO INCLUDED EXPENSE DRIVERS ABOVE OUR FISCAL YEAR 26 PLANNED ASSUMPTIONS.
THIS SLIDE IS REALLY JUST A HIGH, VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE CHANGES, NOT ALL THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED TO, TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, UH, STEPS WERE TAKEN TO REDUCE, UH, UNIFORM OVERTIME.
UH, THIS 12 MILLION WAS IN ADDITION TO THE PLAN REDUCTION IN OVERTIME THAT WAS PRESENTED LAST SUMMER.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE CONSOLIDATION OF DEPARTMENTS, UH, GENERATING SAVINGS
[00:55:01]
OF 6.2 MILLION, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE, UH, ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCIES ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS DELIVERED THE LARGEST INVESTMENT.THIS INCLUDED, UH, A REVIEW OF CONTRACT UTILIZATION, UH, REFINING STAFFING MODELS TO MATCH SERVICE DEMAND, UM, OPTIMIZATION OF SERVICE DELIVERY, ELIMINATING REDUNDANCIES.
YOU SAW THAT IN A CONSOLIDATION OF DEPARTMENTS.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY.
AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE AI, UM, IN SEVERAL PLACES, UH, AS PART OF OUR IMPLEMENTATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
AND OF COURSE, USING, UM, ORGAN OPERATIONAL METRICS, UM, WITHIN EACH DEPARTMENT TO TRACK PERFORMANCE.
AND SO THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE MEASURES THAT WE, UM, UM, UM, IMPLEMENTED OVER THE SUMMER TO DEVELOP A BALANCED BUDGET.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 56, UM, THIS IS A SIMPLE PIE CHART OF GENERAL FUND EXPENSES FOR EACH FOUNDATIONAL PILLAR.
UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST.
SAFE COMPA SAFE COMMANDS THE HIGHEST PERCENT OF EXPENSES IN THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT'S AT 65%.
UM, THIS YEAR WE'VE, UM, ALLOCATED OR SHOWN WE'RE SHOWING YOU THE PERCENT THAT'S ALLOCATED TO POLICE AND FIRE WITHIN THE SAFE, UM, PIE CHART SEPARATELY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT 62% OF SAFE, UM, IS COMPRISED OF POLICE AND FIRE.
UH, AND SO, UH, THAT REMAINING 3%, UM, MAKES UP THE REMAINING DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE IN THE SAFE PORTFOLIO.
AND REALLY WHAT THIS IS TELLING YOU IS THAT OUR COMMITMENT, UM, IT UNDERSCORES OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFE AND PROTECTING RESIDENTS BEYOND SAFE.
WE, UH, INVEST IN QUALITY OF LIFE PRIORITIES SUCH AS VIBRANT AT 11%.
THIS INCLUDES PARK AND RECREATION LIBRARY.
UH, YOU CAN SEE SUSTAINABLE AT 8%.
AND THEN WITH OUR OPERATIONAL OR SUPPORT CATEGORIES SUCH AS CORE AND FACILITY, UH, FISCALLY SOUND, UH, THOSE ARE LISTED HERE AT FOUR AND 3%.
SLIDE 57 REFLECTS THE YEAR OVER YEAR CHANGE IN EACH FOUNDATIONAL PILLAR.
AND THIS IS COMPARING FISCAL YEAR 25, 26, AND 27.
THIS CHART IS EXACTLY LIKE THE CHART ON SLIDE 12.
HOWEVER, HERE ON SLIDE 57, WE ARE SHOWING THE GENERAL FUND ONLY.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT SAFE IS OUR HIGHEST INVESTMENT, UH, IN THE GENERAL FUND.
ON SLIDE 59, WE ARE SHOWING THE PIE CHART AGAIN, UM, BUT THIS IS WITH REVENUE OVERLAY ON TOP.
AND SO WITH THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE SAFE, UH, POLICE AND FIRE REQUIRES A HUNDRED PERCENT OF PROPERTY TAXES AND 17.4% OF THE SALES TAX RE SALES TAX REVENUE IN THE GENERAL FUND.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE REMAINING COMPONENTS, UH, OF THE PIE CHART, UH, WITH THE EXPENSES AND THE REVENUE.
AND SO NEXT I WILL TURN IT OVER TO IVAN GULL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO WALK YOU THROUGH CAPITAL DEBT AND, UH, ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. WHEDON.
AGAIN, IVAN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, UH, THE FOLLOWING SECTION FOCUSES ON OUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS AND DEBT SERVICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
THESE INVESTMENTS ARE CRITICAL FOR MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING CITY INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE RESPONSIBLY MANAGING OUR FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.
WE'LL LOOK AT THE PROJECTS FUNDED IN THE NEXT SLIDES, THE SOURCES OF THAT FUNDING AND OUR APPROACH TO BALANCING LONG-TERM NEEDS WITH AFFORDABILITY FOR TAXPAYERS.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, WANTED TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THE DETAILS OF THAT.
UH, $514.8 MILLION IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS SUPPORTED THROUGH BOTH DEBT ISSUANCE AND PAY AS YOUGO FUNDING.
THIS REFLECTS THE CONTINUATION OF THE 2024 BOND PROGRAM APPROVED BY VOTERS BACK IN MAY, 2024.
UH, PROJECTS SPAN ACROSS STREETS AND ALLEYS, FLOOD PROTECTION PARK AND RECREATION FACILITIES AND CITY OWNED BUILDINGS, ENSURING AGAIN THAT WE ADDRESS BOTH IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND THE LONG-TERM PRIORITIES FOR THE CITY.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IN FFY 26, WE PLAN TO, AS PART OF OUR, UH, DEBT SERVICE FUND, UH, PLAN TO ISSUE $250 MILLION IN GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, $34.5 MILLION IN EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION NOTES TO REPLACE SANITATION, STORMWATER FLEET, AS WELL AS FIRE APPARATUS.
BASICALLY, FIRE TRUCKS, LADDER TRUCKS, UH, AND $52.9 MILLION IN MASTER LEASE FUNDS FOR ESSENTIAL PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES, INCLUDING AMBULANCES AND POLICE, UH, SQUAD CARS.
THESE INVESTMENTS ENSURE DEPARTMENTS HAVE THE TOOLS AND THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED TO DELIVER CRITICAL SERVICES EFFECTIVELY.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, PROPERTY TAX REVENUES ARE USED TO PAY FOR DEBT SERVICE, AS MENTIONED BY MS. WHEAT AND MR. IRELAND TO PAY DEBT SERVICE ON THE $1.93 BILLION IN OUR OUTSTANDING GO DEBT.
[01:00:01]
FY 26 DEBT SERVICE BUDGET TOTALS $491 MILLION, WHICH AGAIN INCLUDES 435 MILLION FOR EXISTING DEBT PAYMENTS AND ALLOCATIONS FOR NEW DEBT ASSUMPTIONS, MASTER LEASE AGREEMENTS, AND TIFF INCREMENT PAYMENTS.THIS APPROACH ENSURES THAT WE MEET THE OBLIGATIONS WHILE MAINTAINING CAPACITY FOR FUTURE NEEDS.
NOW TURNING OUR, TURNING OVER OUR ATTENTION TO ENTERPRISE FUNDS ON SLIDE 65, UH, AGAIN, ENTERPRISE FUNDS ARE SELF-SUPPORTED OPERATIONS THAT DO NOT USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS LIKE AVIATION.
THERE ARE SEVEN DEPARTMENTS, UH, AVIATION, UH, CONVENTION AND EVENT SERVICES, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES, STORM WATER DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT, UH, SANITATION AND MUNICIPAL RADIO.
UH, EACH IS FUNDED PRIMARILY THROUGH CUSTOMER CHARGES RATHER THAN PROPERTY TAXES.
AND EACH PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN SUPPORTING OUR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICE DELIVERY.
ENTERPRISE BUDGETS ARE BUILT TO MAINTAIN SERVICE LEVELS AND FUND CRITICAL MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL NEEDS WHILE KEEPING FEES AS PREDICTABLE AS POSSIBLE.
UH, AND AS A REMINDER, INTERNAL SERVICE COSTS, LIKE IT BENEFITS AND FLEET ARE EMBEDDED, UH, WITHIN THE OPERATING BUDGETS TO REFLECT THE FULL COST OF EACH OF THOSE SERVICES THAT ARE DELIVERED.
UH, ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, SLIDE 66.
AVIATION'S FY 26 OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $209 MILLION WITH ABOUT $7 MILLION FOR CAPITAL.
UH, LOVE FIELD HAS EXCEEDED PRE PANDEMIC, UH, IN EMPLOYS BY ROUGHLY 6% AT THIS TIME.
AND AIRLINES ARE NOW DEPLOYING LARGER AIRCRAFT.
UH, INVESTMENTS ARE FOR AVIATION IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
UH, FOCUS ON FLEET AND EQUIPMENT IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND STAFFING TO SUSTAIN THAT, UH, SAFE, EFFICIENT OPERATIONS FOR LOVE FIELD.
THE EXTENDED AGREEMENT WITH SOUTHWEST THROUGH 2042 FUNDS THE LOVE FIELD EXPANSION PROGRAM, ENHANCING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, CONVENTION AND EVENT SERVICES, IT INCLUDES AN FY 26 OPERATING BUDGET OF ABOUT $132 MILLION AND ABOUT $8 MILLION FOR CAPITAL.
THIS FUNDS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FOR THE K BAILEY HUTCHINSON, UH, CONVENTION CENTER AND ADVANCES THE MASTER PLAN.
KEY ITEMS INCLUDE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS, PLUS, UH, CAPITAL TRANSFERS FOR RENOVATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE KEEPING DALLAS COMPETITIVE FOR MAJOR CONVENTIONS AND EVENTS.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTS OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $52.5 MILLION WITH REVENUES FORECAST MORE CONSERVATIVELY, UH, GIVEN BROADER ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
WE'RE RIGHT-SIZING OPERATIONS BY PAUSING SOME CONTRIBUTIONS, PRIORITIZING LEASE RENEWALS AND SECURITY, AND TRANSITIONING, UH, THE PLANNING AND ZONING SERVICE.
THAT WAS, UH, PREVIOUSLY IN THE GENERAL FUND INTO THE ENTERPRISE FUND PORTION OF, OF THE DEPARTMENT.
AND THIS HAS A NET ZERO, UH, BUDGET EFFECT AIMED AT A MORE EFFICIENT COMMUNITY CENTERED SERVICE DELIVERY.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, WATER UTILITY IS FY 26.
OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $881 MILLION WITH $367 MILLION, UH, BUDGETED FOR CAPITAL.
UH, A PLAN TO REVENUE ADJUSTMENT MOVES A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL BILL FROM ROUGHLY $72 TO $77 PER MONTH, SUPPORTING STAFF, UH, MAINTENANCE AND MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT KEEP WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS RELIABLE, UH, REGULATORY COMPLIANT, AND ABLE TO MEET THAT DEMAND AND GROWTH.
ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, UH, THIS SHOWCASES THE COST OF WATER AND WASTEWATER RESIDENTIAL BILLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE METROPLEX.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE CITY OF DALLAS IS WELL BELOW, UM, ALL DFW CITIES THAT YOU CAN SEE BEFORE YOU, UH, EVEN WITH THE PROPOSED INCREASE.
UH, THE CITY OF DALLAS IS BELOW, UM, 24 CITIES IN THE DFW METROPLEX ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, STORM WATER DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT.
UM, THE OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $90.6 MILLION WITH ABOUT $78.1 MILLION FOR CAPITAL.
A FEE ADJUSTMENT MOVES A TYPICAL MONTHLY BILL FROM ABOUT $10 AND 16 CENTS A MONTH TO $10 AND 72 CENTS A MONTH.
SO FUNDING FOR THIS FEE INCREASE WILL BE, WILL SUPPORT THE 10 YEAR CAPITAL PLAN, UH, VARIOUS EQUIPMENT NEEDS FOR STORM WATER, AND A MIX OF TRADITIONAL AND NATURE-BASED FLOOD RISK STRATEGIES TO PROTECT STREETS AND HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, TOGETHER, WATER AND SDM, THEY INVEST IN LONG-TERM CAPACITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE.
UH, PROJECTS PRIORITIZE RISK, CONDITION, AND SERVICE IMPACT.
SO LIMITED DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE GO FIRST TO THE MOST URGENT NEEDS AND HIGHEST CUSTOMER BENEFIT HERE.
UH, CAPITAL DOLLARS WILL CONTINUE, AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, TO REPLACE AGING MAINS, UH, HARDENING PLANTS AND PUMP STATIONS, UH, AND ADDRESS KEY WASTEWATER INTERCEPTORS.
UH, THE FOCUS IS RESILIENCE AND, AND ALSO REDUCING THOSE BREAKS, IMPROVING WATER QUALITY AND MANAGING LONG-TERM LIFECYCLE COSTS ON THE SYSTEM THAT RESIDENTS RELY ON EVERY DAY.
I THINK I WROTE THAT ONE DOWN THIS NEXT SLIDE, TALKING ABOUT SANITATION SERVICES.
THE FY 26 OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $165 MILLION WITH $17 MILLION
[01:05:01]
FOR CAPITAL.THE RESIDENTIAL FEE CHANGE FOR THIS, UH, PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR IS UNDER 1% INCREASE, WHILE THE LANDFILL GATE RATE ADJUSTS ABOUT 3% TO COVER OPERATING COSTS.
UH, FUNDING ADDRESSES PERSONNEL, BULKY TRASH CONTRACTS AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE, AS WELL AS THE ONGOING TRANSITION OF, UH, SELECT, UH, LOCATIONS TO CURBSIDE, UH, COLLECTION FOR SAFER, MORE RELIABLE COLLECTION.
THE GRAPHS THAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE SLIDE SHOWS THE, UH, INCREASES TAKEN TO MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS.
WHILE THE GRAPH ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE SHOWS THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN RELATION TO OTHER SIMILAR SIZED CITIES AND OTHER CITIES IN THE METROPLEX, UH, PAIRING OPERATIONAL CHA CHANGES WITH TARGETED PUBLIC EDUCATION, UH, ESPECIALLY WHERE THE TRANSITIONS ARE SET TO OCCUR.
RESIDENTS WILL KNOW THE WHY BEHIND THE SHIFT AND WHAT TO EXPECT ON SERVICE DAYS STAYS.
THIS NEXT SLIDE ON SLIDE 75 SHOWS THE PROJECTED MONTHLY RESIDENTIAL BILLS ACROSS WATER, WASTEWATER, STORM WATER, AND SANITATION THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 30.
THAT'S A FIVE YEAR PROJECTION IN FRONT OF YOU THAT, AND WE'RE REFLECTING KNOWN RATE PATHS, UM, BUT FINAL AMOUNTS WILL FACTOR IN INTERNAL SERVICE COSTS LIKE IT, BENEFITS AND FLEET, AS THOSE ARE SET EACH YEAR.
UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THIS FIVE YEAR PROJECTION, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT THE AVERAGE INCREASE TO RESIDENTS WILL HOVER AROUND 2.9%, UH, AS A WHOLE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIVE YEAR PROJECTION, UH, AS WE LOOK FOR FURTHER EFFICIENCIES TO AVOID LARGE SINGLE YEAR INCREASES.
MOVING ON TO WRR, UH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OF THE, UH, ENTERPRISE FUND DEPARTMENTS, UM, WR R'S OPERATING BUDGET IS ABOUT $470,000 AND DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AS A REMINDER TRANSFER TO KERA IN 2023, THE CITY RETAINS ONE FT ONE POSITION AND TOWER LEASE COSTS, WHICH KERA, UH, FULLY REIMBURSEMENTS UNDER THE, UH, THE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT.
UH, FUNDING HERE COVERS A LIMITED OBLIGATION AND KEEPS THE PARTNERSHIP RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
ON SLIDE 78, A BRIEF LOOK AT INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES.
OUR, UH, ENTERPRISE BACKBONE FOR DATA, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO, ITS TOTALS ABOUT $187 MILLION ACROSS THOSE THREE FUNDS IN THE PROPOSED, UH, FISCAL YEAR, AND PLANNED AT ROUGHLY $201 MILLION IN THE, IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE BIANNUAL BUDGET.
UH, THE THREE CORE PILLARS ARE NUMBER ONE, DATA SERVICES, AGAIN, TO KEEP OUR ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS SECURE AND RELIABLE.
UH, NUMBER TWO, NINE ONE ONE, TECHNOLOGY FOR CALL HANDLING AND DISPATCH.
AND NUMBER THREE, RADIO FOR MISSION CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS.
UH, THESE INVESTMENTS FOR THE PROPOSED AND THE PLAN BUDGET, MODERNIZE INFRASTRUCTURE AND STRENGTH IN THE CYBERSECURITY TO REDUCE RISK AND DOWNTIME CITYWIDE.
UH, BUT WITH THAT, I TURN THE PRESENTATION BACK TO MS. WHEDON TO DISCUSS THE CITY'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES.
THANK YOU, MR. WELL, UH, STARTING ON SLIDE 80, UH, WE FOCUS ON OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS, UH, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF OUR PROCESS, LISTENING TO RESIDENTS, UM, CITY COUNCIL HOSTED BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS THIS PAST SPRING, AND WE HAVE UPCOMING SESSIONS LATER THIS WEEK.
IN ADDITION TO OUR TOWN HALL SESSIONS, WE HOLD THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS, UH, MARCH 26TH, UH, MAY 28TH, AND WE HAVE AN UPCOMING PUBLIC HEARING ON AUGUST 27TH.
THE PUBLIC HEARING, UH, NOTICE FOR THE AUGUST 27TH, UH, HEARING WAS POSTED IN A NEWSPAPER THIS PAST SATURDAY ON AUGUST 9TH.
ALSO, FOR THE LAST, UH, 20 YEARS, WE'VE CONDUCTED A STATISTICALLY VALID SURVEY, THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, UH, THE RESULTS WERE, UH, SHARED WITH YOU ALL BACK IN JUNE AND, UH, NEW THIS YEAR.
WE ALSO MADE THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR ALL RESIDENTS.
AND SO THAT WAS THE NONS, STATISTICALLY VALID VERSION, AND THAT QR CODE WAS SHARED AND MADE AVAILABLE AT OUR REC CENTERS AND OUR LIBRARIES.
ON SLIDE, UH, 81, UH, THE COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT WAS ADMINISTERED, UH, BY, UH, ETC, IT IS A RANDOM SURVEY, AND AS I MENTIONED, UH, WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING IT SINCE, UH, 2005.
THE SURVEY IS REALLY DESIGNED TO ASSESS RESIDENT PERCEPTIONS OF DALLAS AND THEN IDENTIFY PRIORITIES FOR CITY SERVICES.
AND AS MENTIONED, WE RELIED HEAVILY ON THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AS WE CRAFTED THE BUDGET, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
ON SLIDE 82, UH, WE PROVIDE THE TOP THREE RESULTS, UH, BY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT, SIMILAR TO PRIOR YEARS.
FOR THE VERY, UH, MORE RECENT FUTURE MAINTENANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND POLICE SERVICES, THEY HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, TOP PRIORITIES.
UM, THIS YEAR YOU SEE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES, UM, AS THE, UM, ROUNDING OUT THE THIRD SPOT, UM, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
[01:10:01]
SURVEY.UH, ON SLIDE 83, UH, THIS IS A REFLECTION OF SORT OF A, UM, THE, UH, IMPORTANCE AND SATISFACTION ASSESSMENT MATRIX, AND THAT'S BASED ON THE COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS.
UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT, UH, PART OF THIS PARTICULAR, UH, GRAPH, YOU CAN SEE THE LOWER RIGHT, RIGHT QUADRANT REFLECTS OUR HIGH IMPORTANCE AND LOWER SATISFACTION.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT RESIDENTS CARE ABOUT.
THEY CARE ABOUT THESE SERVICES, AND, UM, BUT THEY RECEIVE THE, UM, UH, HIGHEST IMPORTANCE, BUT THE LOWEST SATISFACTION.
AND TYPICALLY, THESE ARE THE SERVICES THAT WE WOULD PRIORITIZE FOR IMPROVEMENT IN SERVICES.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT REFLECTED IN OUR BUDGET.
WE HAVE FOCUSED ON, UH, POLICE SERVICES.
WE HAVE FOCUSED ON, UH, UH, STREET INFRASTRUCTURE.
MOVING ON TO SLIDE 84, UH, THIS PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS AND THE RESULTS FOR EACH CATEGORY.
YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, PRIORITY, UH, MEETINGS WERE HELD WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS BY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS, UM, FROM THOSE MEETINGS.
UH, AS MENTIONED, WE HOUSE SPRING LISTENING SESSIONS IN MARCH.
UM, TOP PRIORITY FROM THOSE MEETINGS, INFRASTRUCTURE, SIDEWALK, STREETS AND ALLEYS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS.
UM, TOP TWO PRIORITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE, MAINTENANCE, POLICE SERVICES, AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
ROUNDING OUT, UH, THE TOP, TOP FIVE, UH, ON SLIDE 85, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENT FEEDBACK.
UH, WE HAVE OUR BUDGET TELL HALL MEETINGS STARTING ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 14TH, UH, RESIDENTS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED BUDGET.
THERE ARE 27 SESSIONS PLANNED.
UH, 11 OF THOSE SESSIONS ARE VIRTUAL.
THERE ARE TWO JOINT MEETINGS, AND THEN WE HAVE A TELEPHONE TOWN HALL MEETING, UH, THIS COMING SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH, STARTING AT 10:00 AM ON SLIDE 86.
UH, THE 700 PLUS PAGE BUDGET DOCUMENT IS POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, YOU CAN ACCESS THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MAIN PAGE ON DALLAS CITY HALL.COM.
UM, WE ALSO POST OTHER BUDGET RELATED, UH, BUDGET DEVELOPMENT RELATED MATERIALS ON THIS PAGE.
AND YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THE, UH, TOWN HALL SCHEDULE FROM OUR FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY PAGE.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER JACK IRELAND TO WRAP UP TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
SO ON SLIDE 88, JUST A QUICK LOOK AT THE BUDGET TIMELINE AND FOR WHAT'S REMAINING, UH, YOU SEE THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE WHERE THE ARROW IS TODAY, AUGUST THE 12TH, THE PRESENTATION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S RECOMMENDED BUDGET, AS MS. WHEDON MENTIONED.
UH, THURSDAY THE 14TH, WE BEGIN TWO WEEKS OF YOUR, UH, COUNCIL HOSTED BUDGET.
WE HAVE A WORKSHOP, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS, UM, AMENDMENTS, UH, TYPICALLY ON SEPTEMBER THE THIRD.
UH, AT THAT TIME, WE'LL ALSO DO THE FIRST READING.
THE BUDGET HAS TO BE APPROVED, APPROVED IN TWO READINGS ON SEPTEMBER 3RD WILL BE FIRST READING, WE HAVE TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPER.
AND THEN ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, WE WOULD BE ADOPTING THE TAX RATE AND APPROVING THE BUDGET ON FINAL READING.
UH, THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINS ON OCTOBER 1ST AND, AND NOVEMBER, WE ARE GOING TO BEGIN OUR EFFORTS TO, TO MOVE PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING FORWARD INTO OUR NEXT LEVEL.
UH, WE REALIZED, AND WE'VE LEARNED A LOT AND REALIZED THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO, AND SO WE'RE STARTING THAT PROCESS EARLIER.
SO A LOT OF INFORMATION WE'VE SHARED, BUT $5.2 BILLION TOTAL BUDGET, UH, INVESTING IN PRIORITY PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE, IT TAKES A LOT TO COVER IT.
UH, SO WITH THAT, MAYOR, UH, WE'RE COMPLETING OUR REMARKS AND WE WILL TAKE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
THANK YOU JACK AND TEAM FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS WEEK'S BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO HEARING FROM OUR RESIDENTS.
UH, WITH THAT, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR OUR FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, I DON'T SEE, ARE THESE WORKING? THEY'RE WORKING.
SEEING NO QUESTIONS GOING ONCE.
SEE, NOBODY WANTS TO GO FIRST.
THAT'S THE, WELL, THE TRUTH IS I HAVE A MILLION QUESTIONS AND COULDN'T POSSIBLY ASK 'EM ALL IN THE TIME ALLOTTED, BUT, UM, WE JUST GOT THESE BOOKS FRIDAY NIGHT.
I HAVEN'T FINISHED GOING THROUGH EVERYTHING.
I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE, NOT EITHER, UNLESS
[01:15:01]
THEY SPENT ALL OF THE WEEKEND AND THEN SOME.UM, BUT I FIRST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I THINK YOU ALWAYS DO AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AND TRY TO EXPLAIN IT AT A LEVEL THAT PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND IT.
THE OVERARCHING CRITICISM I'M GONNA HAVE IS THAT WE WERE TOLD WE WERE GONNA HAVE A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUDGET.
WE WERE GONNA HAVE A PRIORITY BASED BUDGET, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS IS.
WE WERE TOLD WE WEREN'T GONNA JUST HAVE A DEPARTMENT BUDGET WITH SOME EFFICIENCIES.
NOW, ON PAGE 1 0 9, YOU START WITH A SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAMS. THIS IS SOMETHING I'VE ASKED FOR YEAR AFTER YEAR, SO I APPRECIATE THAT THERE IS SOME LIST OF PROGRAMS, BUT THIS IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO ALL THE PROGRAMS IN THE CITY.
AND I'LL JUST TAKE DPD BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT I SUPPORT DPD, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE BOXING PROGRAM, THE DRONES PROGRAM, THE UNIDOS.
YOU JUST HAVE YOUTH AND FAMILY.
I'M SORRY, YOU JUST HAVE, I MEAN, IT'S NOT EVEN REALLY IN HERE.
AND SO THIS IS KIND OF A LIST OF LIKE UNITS.
IT'S NOT PROGRAMS. AND A PRIORITY BASED BUDGET DOESN'T SAY, HERE'S WHAT THE BUDGET IS, AND THEN HERE'S PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR.
IT ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH AND IT RATES THEM, RIGHT? I MEAN, I'M GONNA READ TO YOU THE MEMO.
YOU, FIRST OF ALL, YOU ASKED US TO APPROVE SOFTWARE TO DO PRIORITY BUDGETING BACK IN MARCH, AND WE APPROVED IT.
SO THE PROGRAM INVENTORY IS INCOMPLETE.
AND THIS IS WHAT YOU TOLD US IN THE MEMO.
PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING HELPS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MANAGE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS BY ALIGNING RESOURCES BASED ON PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES INSTEAD OF TRADITIONAL BUDGETING BY DEPARTMENT.
THIS APPROACH ALLOWS LEADERS TO MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS, REALLOCATE FUNDS AND SUPPORT ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS, EVEN IN CHALLENGING FISCAL ENVIRONMENTS.
THE FIRST STEP OF PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING IS PROGRAM INVENTORY.
SELECT CITY DEPARTMENTS HAVE COMPLETED THIS FIRST STEP AND ALIGNED RELATED ACTIVITIES INTO A COMPLETE PROGRAM INVENTORY.
SO I THINK THIS PROGRAM INVENTORY IS INCOMPLETE, IN MY OPINION.
UM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU COULD HAVE A PRIORITY BUDGET WITHOUT THAT COMPLETE INVENTORY.
THE NEXT PART IS IT'S NOT SCORED FOR PRIORITY.
THE COST FOR THE PROGRAM HASN'T BEEN IDENTIFIED AND IT'S NOT BEEN EVALUATED FOR IMPACT.
THESE ARE ALL PART OF PRIORITY BUDGETING, WHICH I WAS VERY EXCITED TO HAVE.
I THINK I SAID THAT MULTIPLE TIMES IN OUR EARLIER DISCUSSIONS.
SO I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW THIS IS BEING CALLED THAT.
UM, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED OR SCALED BACK OR ADDED BASED ON PRIORITY BUDGETING? AND IS THERE SCORING THAT JUST ISN'T IN HERE THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN? THAT'S DONE.
UM, AND AS YOU'LL RECALL RECENTLY, YOU ASKED ME, UH, A ABOUT DISAPPOINTMENTS, ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THAT WAS ONE OF MY DISAPPOINTMENTS THIS YEAR, IS THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GO FURTHER WITH IT.
THAT I RECOGNIZED THAT AS WE WENT THROUGH AND DID OUR INVENTORY OF PROGRAMS, THAT I REALIZED THERE'S ANOTHER LAYER OF PROGRAMS THAT WE NEED TO IDENTIFY.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CITY COUNCIL BEING WILLING TO WORK WITH US AS WE'RE TAKING ON SOMETHING NEW.
AND WE DID IDENTIFY 291 DISTINCT PROGRAMS AND BROKE DOWN THE BUDGET THAT WAY.
AND MS. TOLBERT DID ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT, IF NOT ALL, 291, MOST OF THOSE, UH, UM, IN THE INVENTORY AS WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO WE DID REVIEW AT A A PROGRAM LEVEL.
I BELIEVE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THAT WE WILL FURTHER DEFINE AND BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE WORK THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEGUN.
AND I, I HOPE THAT Y'ALL WILL BE PATIENT AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO MAKE THIS A BETTER PROCESS FOR YOU.
AND I, I THINK IT WILL BE A BETTER PROCESS AND, UM, OUTCOME FOR THE RESIDENTS.
UH, BUT STARTING IT AFTER JANUARY AND, UH, TAKING ON A MULTIFACETED ORGANIZATION THAT HAS A $5.2 BILLION BUDGET REALLY JUST WAS LIMITED IN WHAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR.
AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I FAILED YOU ON THAT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE'VE MADE A LOT OF
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PROGRESS AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THAT.THERE IS POSTED ONLINE NOW A, UH, THE PROGRAMS BY PILLAR IN A PRIORITY ORDER.
UH, WE DID NOT GET THAT DONE TO INCLUDE IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, BUT IT SHOULD BE ONLINE, I BELIEVE NOW THAT INCLUDES EACH PILLAR, UH, RANKED FROM ONE TO HOWEVER MANY PROGRAMS WITH ARE WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR PILLAR.
AND SO WITH THAT, MS. TOLBERT, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO ADD TO OR NOT, BUT THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE QUESTION ON COUNCIL MEMBER MIDDLESTON AND THE FEEDBACK.
UM, I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS APPROACH.
I THINK WE WERE VERY AMBITIOUS IN HOW WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE TRUE PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING.
UM, UM, JUST THIS CHANGE, IT'S A COMPLETE CHANGE IN HOW WE'VE EVER DONE OUR BUDGETING BEFORE.
AND AS OUR CFO MENTIONED, AS WE GOT HALFWAY THROUGH IT, WE REALIZED THAT WE WERE GONNA HAVE TO GO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, BUT TIME DID NOT ALLOW.
SO IF YOU WILL NOTICE ON THE TIMELINE THAT THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER REVIEWED IT SHOWS THAT WE'VE GOTTA START A LOT SOONER BETWEEN JANUARY AND JUNE IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GO INTO THE DEEP, I WOULD SAY, UM, BUCKETS THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO PEEL BACK MORE LAYERS AND LAYERS AND LAYERS AT THE DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL, AND THEN BE ABLE TO ORGANIZE A BUDGET IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE CAN TRULY SHOW THE SCORING.
WE CAN SHOW THE PERFORMANCE METRICS AS WELL AS HOW THOSE OVERALL SERVICES AND PROGRAMS DELIVER IMPACT TO THIS COMMUNITY.
SO WE DO LOOK FORWARD, IF YOU'LL SEE ON THE TIMELINE THAT RIGHT AFTER THIS BUDGET IS ADOPTED, WE WOULD BEGIN THAT WORK IN NOVEMBER, WHICH GIVES US A LOT MORE TIME TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT COMPLETE CHANGE ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.
BUT WE DO APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
THANK YOU FOR THE, UM, THE FEEDBACK AND WE'RE NOT DONE.
WELL, HAD YOU, HAD, YOU SAID THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE A TWO YEAR PROCESS, I STILL WOULD'VE SUPPORTED IT, AND I SUPPORT YOU CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT.
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT AS A, UM, MANAGER, YOU CONSIDER TYING YOUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, DEPARTMENT HEADS, SUPERVISORS, NO PAY INCREASE UNTIL THEY COME UP WITH ALL OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND ALL OF THE COSTS AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
THAT SHOULD BE THE ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND FRANKLY, YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY SHOULD BE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM.
THE NEXT ITEM THAT, UM, GIVES ME PAUSE IS THE PAY INCREASE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, I WOULD LOVE US TO BE ABLE TO SAY WE'RE PAYING TOP, WE HAVE THE NUMBER ONE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE SHOULD BE PAYING THEM THE NUMBER ONE AMOUNT THE RESIDENTS SAID IN THE TOP FIVE.
I COULD AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU FURTHER RESEARCH IN THESE NUMBERS, WE'RE NOT IN THE TOP FIVE.
AND SO, JACK, YOU TALKED ABOUT A MOVING TARGET.
WELL, YOU DIDN'T GET FINAL, FINAL NUMBERS FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT TO THE END OF JULY, BUT THE SALARY SURVEY WAS GIVEN TO YOU IN MARCH, WHICH MEANS THEY LIKELY PULLED THINGS FROM THE FIRST OF THE YEAR.
EVERY DEPARTMENT'S HAD AN INCREASE SINCE THEN, AND WE SHOULD SET A DATE, EVEN IF THAT DATE IS MAY 1ST, JUNE 1ST JULY 1ST.
THIS IS NOT A BIG WIN TO ADOPT AT THIS LEVEL.
IT'S STILL, I I CAN COUNT 20 CITIES THAT LAST NIGHT I FOUND ARE ALREADY PAYING MORE THAN US THAT ARE IN THIS AREA.
IS YOUR TIME FOR THIS ROUND? AND MAY I ADD TO THAT, SIR? YEAH, PLEASE.
AND THEN I THINK CITY MANAGER WANTS TO RESPOND TO THAT TOO, AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON.
AND I, I JUST WANTED TO TO MENTION THAT MEET AND CONFER DOES IDENTIFY A TIME IN THE YEAR THAT THE SURVEY IS DONE, UM, AND WHICH IS IN THE FEBRUARY MARCH TIMEFRAME.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHEN WE, WE DID THAT.
UM, AS FAR AS COMPARING, UM, IT, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT.
I WILL TELL YOU BECAUSE I'VE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE WEBSITES AS WELL, AND I SEE WHAT OTHERS LIST AS THEIR STARTING PAY.
AND IF YOU TRY TO COMPARE THAT TO OUR STARTING PAY, WE, WE ARE NOT IN THE TOP FIVE ON STARTING PAY.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT STARTING PAY AND NON PENSION BENEFITS, INCLUDING EDUCATION PAY, BILINGUAL PAY, AND ASSIGNMENT PAY, WE DO RISE UP WITHIN THE REGION.
AND AT LEAST BASED ON THE SURVEY AND THE TIME IT WAS DONE, THAT PULLS US TO THIRD PLACE.
WE DO PROVIDE, WE WOULD BE NUMBER ONE ON JUST THOSE EDUCATION PAY, BILINGUAL PAY AND ASSIGNMENT PAY.
AND THAT DOES PULL US UP WHEN YOU LOOK AT COMPENSATION.
AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AGAIN, COUNCILMAN MIDDLESTON FOR YOUR FEEDBACK.
UH, IT DEFINITELY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE OVERALL PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR MY TEAM.
THIS WAS NOT A NEW BUDGETING APPROACH THAT WAS DICTATED OR DIRECTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
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ON MY PART TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BEGAN TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR TEAM IS FOCUSED, THEY'RE ENERGIZED, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT STEPS OF PARTY BASED BUDGETING, AND WE WELCOME CITY COUNCIL FEEDBACK ALONG THE WAY.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. RIDLEY.
YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES WE'RE ON BRIEFING ITEM A FOR THE PUBLIC.
I TOO NOTICE THAT OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR LOOKED VERY SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR'S BUDGET AND PREVIOUS YEAR'S BUDGET, PERHAPS NOT IN NUMBERS, BUT IN FORMAT, AND WAS EXPECTING A MORE REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THE PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING.
I WOULD JUST REQUEST, SINCE THIS NOW APPEARS TO BE A TWO YEAR PROCESS, THAT THE CITY MANAGER KEEP THE COUNCIL INFORMED ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF THAT EFFORT SO THAT WE CAN MANAGE OUR EXPECTATIONS AND THOSE OF OUR CONSTITUENTS.
ON SLIDE 16, UM, UNDER THE VIBRANT PORTFOLIO, JACK, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE, UH, CONSOLIDATION OF HOUSING, UH, TO CREATE THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT DEPARTMENT.
AND I'M JUST CURIOUS, SINCE THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT USED TO BE PART OF HOUSING ARE TRANSFERRED NOW TO, UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, PORTION OF THE BUDGET, WHAT IS GOING TO BE LEFT IN THE HOUSING FUNCTIONS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST IN THE HOUSING, UM, BUDGET, UH, OR, UH, PROGRAMS, UH, THAT WILL CARRY OVER TO THIS NEW DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT? GOOD MORNING, ROBIN BENTLEY WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
THIS DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE UNDER A CM LIST, CITY O BUT SHE'S OUT SICK TODAY, SO I'LL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER SINCE THIS IS HOUSING SPECIFIC.
ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WAS SPLIT OFF THE PIECES OF THE DEPARTMENT THAT DEALT WITH INDIVIDUALS AND NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THEY'LL MOVE INTO THIS NEW DEPARTMENT.
SO DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, HOME REPAIR, FAIR HOUSING, ALL OF THE, UM, POLICY ISSUES AROUND PLACEMENT OF HOUSING.
THE HFC AND PFC WILL STAY WITH THIS DEPARTMENT.
THE PLACES WHERE WE DEAL DIRECTLY WITH DEVELOPERS, SO INCENTIVE APPLICATIONS, UNDERWRITING, THOSE WILL MOVE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
RIGHT NOW, OUR DEVELOPERS HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHICH DEPARTMENT TO APPLY TO.
SOMETIMES HOUSING DEALS COME THROUGH ECO DEV, SOMETIMES THROUGH HOUSING, TWO APPLICATIONS, MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES, TWO DIFFERENT UNDERWRITING PROCESSES.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO CONSOLIDATE THAT DOWN.
IF A DEVELOPER NEEDS HELP FROM THE CITY, FROM A SMALL BUSINESS ALL THE WAY UP TO A BIG DEVELOPER, THEY ALWAYS COME TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND IF YOU'RE AN INDIVIDUAL OR A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT NEEDS ASSISTANCE, YOU WOULD GO TO THIS NEW DEPARTMENT.
ON PAGE 18 OF THE PRESENTATION, THERE IS, UNDER THE GROWING PORTFOLIO, UH, THE LAST BULLET TALKS ABOUT EXPANDING CAPACITY TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS LAND USE THROUGH AUTHORIZED HEARINGS AND UPDATE THE DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING PROPOSED TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS LAND USE THROUGH AUTHORIZED HEARINGS? THIS IS AN AREA SURE.
THAT I'VE BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN IN THE LAST YEAR, AS TO HOW WE CAN IMPROVE AND ACCELERATE THE AUTHORIZED HEARING PROGRAM, IF AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE REPURPOSING STAFF IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
UM, IS, IS THAT HOW WE'RE GOING TO ACCELERATE THE PROGRAM OR ARE THERE GOING TO BE SOME POLICY CHANGES AS PART OF THIS BUDGET DOCUMENT? SO WE ARE LOOKING AT POLICY CHANGES, BUT THE BUDGET PIECE OF THIS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS WE'RE ADDING ONE SENIOR PLANNER REPURPOSED FROM ANOTHER FUNCTION OF IN THE CITY INTO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO HELP CLEAR THE BACKLOG OF AUTHORIZED HEARINGS.
UM, UNDER THE LIVABLE PORTFOLIO ON SLIDE 20, UH, YOU TALK ABOUT LAUNCHING AN AI POWERED CAMERA SYSTEM TO IMPROVE PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.
AND I'M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THE OBJECTIVE OF THAT AI POWERED CAMERA SYSTEM IS.
IS IT TO REDUCE THE LABOR COST IN THE CODE DEPARTMENT, OR IS IT TO JUST IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF CODE IMPROVEMENT? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
KIN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER OVER LIVABLE PORTFOLIO, AND I HAVE DIRECTOR CHRIS CHRISTIAN WITH ME, AND HE'LL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER RIDLEY, CHRIS CHRISTIAN DEPARTMENT OF, UH, DIRECTOR OF DEPARTMENT OF CODE COMPLIANCE.
THE CAMERA SYSTEMS WILL INCREASE OUR EFFICIENCY.
THEY ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY OVER 120 CODE VIOLATIONS,
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PREMISE VIOLATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.WE DID A FOUR DAY PILOT WITH THESE CAMERAS IN WHICH THE SYSTEM IDENTIFIED OVER 3000 VIOLATIONS.
AND AS A PART OF THOSE VIOLATIONS OF DEMO, UH, UH, UH, FOUND ON PREMISES, THEY ALSO WERE ABLE TO DO, UH, PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY VIOLATION DETECTIONS AS WELL.
AND SO THERE WOULD BE USES ABLE TO BE, UH, BENEFITS FOR OUR PUBLIC WORKS CLEAN SWEEP PROGRAM, ALSO FOR OUR SANITATION PROGRAM AS IT RELATES TO BULK TRASH IDENTIFICATION, ILLEGAL DUMPING, GRAFFITI, UH, LITTER VIOLATIONS, SUBSTANDARD STRUCTURES.
AND SO THE CAMERAS WILL NOT CREATE CASES FOR OUR TEAM.
SO THERE'S STILL A HUMAN IN THE LOOP COMPONENT.
IT DOES NOT MERGE WITH OUR SALESFORCE SYSTEM.
THE DATA WILL BE PROVIDED TO US.
A HUMAN COULD REVIEW THE CASES THAT THE AI DETECTS WITHIN 10 TO 15 SECONDS.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF IS THE PROPERTY, UH, PHOTOGRAPH LEGIBLE? ARE THE VIOLATIONS THAT THE CAMERAS IDENTIFIED, ARE THEY ACTUALLY CODE VIOLATIONS? THAT'S JUST A CHECK.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF MOVING THOSE CASES INTO OUR SYSTEM AND CREATING CODE CASES IN SALESFORCE.
UH, THE CAMERAS ALSO, UH, RATE THE VIOLATIONS WITH A BLIGHT SCORE.
AND SO YOU GET A BLIGHT SCORE OF 4 3, 2 OR ONE.
AND SO OBVIOUSLY WITH THE CAMERAS PROACTIVELY IDENTIFYING VIOLATIONS CITYWIDE, UM, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO THEN REVIEW THE REPORTS, LOOK AT THOSE BLIGHT SCORES, AND TARGET OUR DEPLOYMENTS ON BLIGHT SCORE FOURS OR BLIGHT SCORE THREES, FOR EXAMPLE, AND MAYBE, UM, USE EDUCATIONAL NOTICES FOR BLIGHT SCORE TWO OR BLIGHT SCORE ONE.
UM, OUR GOAL IS TO SEND OUT EDUCATIONAL NOTICES ANYWAY FOR ALL THE IDENTIFIED CODE VIOLATIONS.
SAY THE CAMERAS IDENTIFIED 10,000 VIOLATIONS IN A MONTH.
OUR VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE RATE NOW IN CODE COMPLIANCE IS ABOUT 80%.
AND SO UPON A A, A RESIDENT RECEIVING A NOTICE OF VIOLATION, 80% OF THE TIME, THOSE VIOLATIONS ARE RECTIFIED BEFORE WE HAVE TO CONDUCT ANY ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO WITH THESE CAMERAS IDENTIFYING 10,000 VIOLATIONS A MONTH, WE SEND OUT 10,000 EDUCATIONAL NOTICES.
WE ANTICIPATE ABOUT 8,000 OF THOSE VIOLATIONS BEING RESOLVED BEFORE ANY ADDITIONAL CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY HAS TO TAKE PLACE.
UH, WE, WE THINK THAT WILL BE INCREASINGLY BENEFICIAL FOR THE CITY, NOT JUST FOR CODE COMPLIANCE, BUT FOR SANITATION, POTENTIALLY TO OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, POTENTIALLY TO OFFICE OF TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS AS WELL.
SO THE ADOPTION OF THIS AI PROGRAM AND THE CAMERAS MOUNTED ON THE SANITATION TRUCKS, DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT REDUCING YOUR FTE REQUIREMENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT? OR ALTERNATIVELY, IT SOUNDS LIKE SINCE SO MANY MORE POTENTIAL VIOLATIONS ARE GOING TO SURFACE, THAT YOU MAY EVEN REQUIRE ADDITIONAL LABOR TO MANUALLY GO THROUGH ALL OF THOSE CAMERA, UH, REPORTS.
THAT'S A FANTASTIC FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER RIDLEY, AT THIS TIME, WE DO NOT FEEL LIKE THE CAMERA SYSTEM WILL CAUSE US TO NEED TO INCREASE OUR, OUR RESOURCES NOR DECREASE OUR RESOURCES.
WE THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO REPURPOSE AND REIMAGINE OUR SERVICE DELIVERY IN SOME ASPECTS AS IT RELATES TO HOW WE REVIEW THE CAMERA DATA, HOW WE STRATEGICALLY DEPLOY OUR RESOURCES FROM WHAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE DATA, UM, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE IN THE COMING YEARS.
THERE COULD BE A POTENTIAL THAT SO MUCH EFFICIENCY IS CREATED AND SO MANY THINGS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED PROACTIVELY.
WE MAY BE ABLE TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF OUR, OUR STAFF.
SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A PROSPECT OF SORT OF CUTTING OUT THE MANUAL REVIEW PROCESS ONCE THE SYSTEM OF AI DRIVEN CAMERA, UM, UM, INVESTIGATIONS IS ESTABLISHED, THAT YOU COULD THEN HAVE THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY GENERATE NOTICES OF VIOLATION.
SO THAT IS A POTENTIAL IN THE FUTURE.
BUT I, I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT THERE IS STILL A HUMAN IN THE LOOP COMPONENT TO THE REVIEW PROCESS.
AND SO WHILE THE CAMERAS ARE, ARE ACCURATE OVER 95% OF THE TIME, I THINK RIGHT NOW, UH, WE STILL WANT A HUMAN CODE OFFICER TO REVIEW THE PHOTOGRAPHS, REVIEW THE IMAGES OF WHAT THE CAMERA DETECTS, ENSURE THAT THOSE VIOLATIONS ARE INDEED CODE VIOLATIONS, AND THAT THE ADDRESS AND THE PROPERTY METRICS ALL LINE UP WITH GIS LATITUDE, LONG LONGITUDE AS IT'S SUPPOSED TO.
THEY'RE ALSO DATED IN TIMESTAMPS.
SO WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, SEE THE CHANGE OF COMMUNITIES AND PROPERTIES OVER TIME.
UH, THE SYSTEM UPDATES EVERY 24 HOURS.
AND SO AT, AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE AT, UH, THE APPROPRIATE COMMITTEE MEETING, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY INTERESTING TO SEE, UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE, UH, CODE VIOLATIONS IDENTIFIED BY THIS AI SYSTEM ARE ESTABLISHED TO BE TRUE CODE VIOLATIONS BY THE HUMAN ELEMENT, AND THEN SENT NOTICES TO ESTABLISH HOW EFFICIENT AND COST EFFECTIVE THE SYSTEM IS.
ABSOLUTELY WOULD BE HAPPY TO BRING THAT TO QUALITY
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OF LIFE OR ANY OTHER COMMITTEE TO SHARE.AND IF I MAY ADD, UM, YOU'VE, YOU'VE ASKED ABOUT EFFICIENCIES EARLIER, RIGHT? SO BY PROACTIVELY IDENTIFYING, UH, SOME OF THESE CASES, IT WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PHONE CALLS OF SERVICE REQUESTS THAT WE RECEIVE BECAUSE NOW WE ARE PROACTIVELY ADDRESSING THAT.
SO THAT IN THE LONG RUN WILL, WILL GENERATE SOME ADDITIONAL EFFICIENCIES WITHIN OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.
UM, ON SLIDE 30, ITEM FOUR IS UNDER THE GENERAL FUND REVENUE TABLE CHARGES FOR SERVICES AS A SOURCE OF REVENUE DROPPING ABOUT A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS.
AND I'M CURIOUS, WHY IS THAT DROPPING WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS COST RECOVERIES TO UPDATE THEM AND I WOULD THINK INCREASE THE COST RECOVERY, WHY IS THE TOTAL DROPPING? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
IF YOU'RE REFERRING TO COMPARING THE FISCAL YEAR AMENDED BUDGET OR THE FORECAST TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.
SO CHARGES FOR SERVICES INCLUDES, UH, MORE THAN JUST THE REVENUES THAT WE WERE REVIEWED AS PART OF THE FEE STUDY.
SO IT COULD BE A COMBINATION OF A ONE-TIME INCREASE IN FISCAL YEAR 25, UM, BUT THE 1.7 MILLION THAT'S IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THE FEE STUDY INCREASE, THAT'S JUST ONE, A SMALL COMPONENT OF MANY, UH, FEES THAT WE CHARGE ACROSS THE CITY.
SO WE CAN PROVIDE SORT OF THE DETAIL TO YOU OF THE INCREASES AND DECREASES, BUT IT'S ACROSS MANY CITY DEPARTMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY PROJECTIONS AS TO HOW MUCH THAT FEE REVENUE AS A RESULT OF THOSE FEE STUDIES WILL INCREASE? SO THE FEE STUDY INCREASE REVENUE IS 1.7 MILLION, AND IT'S ACROSS PRIMARILY TWO DEPARTMENTS, CO COMPLIANCE AND DALLAS, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ON PAGE 2 59 OF THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, THE FACILITY IS IN REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT MAJOR BUDGET ITEMS. THERE'S THE LAST ITEM OF REDUCING MAINTENANCE SERVICE TO DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART AS PART OF THE OAC MASTER PLAN, $254,392.
I UNDERSTAND FROM THE CITY MANAGER THAT THAT WILL BE COMPENSATED IN FULL BY TRANSFERRING MONEY FROM THE INCREASED HOT TAX REVENUES TO MAKE UP FOR THAT REDUCTION IN THE GENERAL FUND.
CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT YOUR TIME'S EXPIRED? CAN I, CAN I ANSWER THAT, MR. MAYOR? YEAH, YOU CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WHITLEY, AND YES, UM, THE INFORMATION IS CORRECT.
WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, SOME OF THE TRANSITIONS THAT WE'VE MADE AND LOOKING AT THE ADDITIONAL HOT FUNDING FOR THE, UM, THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM.
AND SO THE FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE, BUT THE CHARGEBACK WILL ACTUALLY BE AGAINST THOSE HOT DOLLARS VERSUS THE GENERAL FUND.
THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER, DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TIMM, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES ON THE BRIEFING ITEM.
UM, WHEN BUDGET DIRECTOR WHEDON TALKED ABOUT SALES TAX, UM, AND, AND HOW IT'S INFLUENCED BY CHANGES IN THE ECONOMY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, IT MADE ME WONDER HOW OUR NEIGHBORS ARE DOING.
HAVE WE LOOKED AT THAT? ARE THEY EXPERIENCING GROWTH IN THIS AREA? ARE ADJACENT CITIES? SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT FOR OUR COMPARISON PEER, UH, CITIES, OUR 2025 YEAR TO DATE RESULTS OR THE MAIN COMPARISON, UM, AUSTIN'S, UH, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.
I MEAN, WHERE SOMEONE CAN GET IN A CAR DRIVE ACROSS OUR CITY LINE AND GO GENERATE SALES TAX IN AN ADJACENT COMMUNITY.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO DRILL INTO ALL THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO MY QUESTION IS TO THE CITY MANAGER, CITY MANAGER, DO WE HAVE A PLAN FOR GROWING OUR SALES TAX? I AM SO VERY SORRY.
I THINK I HEARD THE, THE END OF THE QUESTION ABOUT A PLAN FOR GROWING OUR SALES TAX MM-HMM
UM, WE DEFINITELY ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THIS CAME UP ACTUALLY YESTERDAY DURING OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR, WITH OUR, UM, TEAM ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO LOOK AT, UM, SALES TAX IN GENERAL.
WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A, UH, THAT'S A RATE THAT'S ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE AND NOT NECESSARILY BY THE CITY.
HOWEVER, WE DO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO TALK ABOUT WAYS TO ENCOURAGE OUR RESIDENTS TO BUY IN DALLAS, UH, SHOP IN DALLAS.
UM, AND I THINK THE MORE WE CAN GET OUT FRONT OF A LOT OF THAT MESSAGING, UH, AROUND SOME OF THOSE CITYWIDE CAMPAIGNS THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY FOCUSED ON, UH, WE CAN GET THERE AS FAR AS LAYING OUT A
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STRATEGY TODAY, WE DON'T HAVE ONE IN FRONT OF US, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO GET MORE OF OUR RESIDENTS TO SHOP IN OUR CITY.I MEAN, SINCE WE'RE PACING BEHIND HERE, I MEAN, WE HAD A PROJECTION AND WE'RE BEHIND ON IT.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT TROUBLES ME.
AND GIVEN THAT, I MEAN, IF WE'RE BLEEDING TO NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES, I MEAN, DON'T LIKE POTHOLES SHOP DALLAS ONCE YOUR LIBRARY OPEN MORE HOURS, ONCE YOUR PARKS MODE SHOP DALLAS.
SO I THINK THERE'S A COMPELLING WAY TO TIE WHAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTS ARE DOING BACK TO HOW IT CAN ALSO HELP THEM AND HAVE A, AN ADDITIONAL BENEFIT ON THE BUDGET WORKSHOP.
WHAT IS THAT AGENDA GONNA LOOK LIKE? HOW, HOW FAR ARE WE DIGGING INTO, UH, SOME OF THESE CHANGES AS IT RELATES TO SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT COUNCIL WOULD LIKE FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH? WHEN YOU SAY SOME OF THE INITIATIVES? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M ANSWERING THE QUESTION CORRECTLY.
WELL, YOU'VE GOT SOME, UH, A COUPLE OF KIND OF DRASTIC REALIGNMENTS HERE.
AND ONE GIVES ME GRAVE CONCERNS.
AND SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST WANNA KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF WHAT THE MOTIVATION WAS, HOW YOU SEE IT WORKING, IF IT'S STREAMLINING CAPABILITIES AND MAKING SENSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO GET INTO IT ALL TODAY.
IF THERE'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER PLACE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, WE CAN GO AS DEEP AS COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO GO.
WE DO KNOW THAT BECAUSE THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN PRIORITIES THAT INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, LIKE TO SPEND MORE TIME ON.
IF THERE'S DETAILS AROUND ANY PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE BUDGET THAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE MORE ONE-ON-ONE, WE CAN DO THAT.
IF THERE ARE BRIEFINGS THAT WE BELIEVE WOULD BE MORE DIRECTLY, UM, I WOULD SAY BENEFICIAL FOR THE FULL CITY COUNCIL, PLEASE SHARE THAT AND WE WILL RESPOND ACCORDINGLY.
UM, AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY, I DO SEE REPRESENTATION OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT POPPED FOR ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS, BUT I'LL TELL YOU ON HOMELESSNESS THAT HAD THE PERCEPTION RATING THAT 65%, NUMBER ONE, I'M JUST NOT FEELING LIKE IT IS REPRESENTED AS IT SHOULD BE HERE.
YOU KNOW, PULLING UP TO THE MAYOR'S BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR, IT WAS GREAT.
FAIR PARK MUSIC'S GOING TWO TEENS ASLEEP IN THE PARKING LOT IN PARKING SPACES WITH T-SHIRTS OVER THEIR FACES, A BACKPACK BESIDE THEM.
AND, UH, SO I GET INTO THE, THE ENDLESS ALGORITHM OF TRYING TO GET HELP FOR THEM, AND IT WAS JUST IMMENSELY FRUSTRATING.
AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE TIME WE, WE HAVE TO, TO DEAL WITH IT.
AND THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST PERCEPTION.
I MEAN, WE KNOW WE HAVE ISSUES THAT POP UP ON THIS SURVEY AND WE KNOW WE'VE GOT PROGRAMS FOR THEM, AND WE COME IN AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS MISSING IS EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
THEY NEED TO KNOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THESE.
BUT ON THIS ONE, IT'S NOT PERCEPTION.
YOU CAN GO TO ANY INTERSECTION, ANY UNDERPASS, AND IT'S THERE.
AND SO I JUST WANNA BE SURE IT'S REPRESENTED AND I JUST, SOME OF THE STRUCTURE THAT I'M HEARING ABOUT USING SOME ARPA FUNDS, UM, WHICH, YOU KNOW, DON'T COME BACK TO US, ARE WE SPENDING THOSE THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY ON THIS ISSUE? THAT IS ALSO OF SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE TO US, NOT JUST FROM A PERCEPTION, BUT HUMANITY WISE.
UM, BUT I'LL SWITCH GEARS OVER TO A POSITIVE ON AI.
I LOVE THE THINKING AROUND, WE DON'T NEED TO PUT THIS ON CODE VEHICLES, WHICH VEHICLES ARE GOING ALL OVER THE CITY ALL THE TIME.
SO I LOVE THAT SOMEBODY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT WOULD BE A MORE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO PUT THIS.
UM, HOWEVER I AM CONCERNED IN TYING THAT BACK TO THE EDUCATION COMPONENT FOR CODE, WHICH I THINK IS BEING REDUCED BY A COUPLE OF FOLKS, BECAUSE TO DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN'S POINT, 80% OF THESE RESOLVE THEMSELVES AND PEOPLE COMPLY.
SO INSTEAD OF WAITING TO THAT POINT WHERE SOMEONE'S ACTUALLY VIOLATING IT AND A PERSON OR A CAMERA HAVE TO PICK UP ON IT, OR SOMEONE HAS TO MAKE A PHONE CALL AND REPORT THEIR NEIGHBOR, HOW DO WE GET A AHEAD OF IT BY EDUCATING THE POPULATION? SO I'LL WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT SINCE WE'RE REDUCING THAT OUTREACH STAFF.
UM, THEN, UH, WHILE WE'RE ON CODE, UH, I'VE, I'VE OFTEN SAID TO THE CITY MANAGER, I THINK TO OUR, OUR, UH, MR. CHRISTIAN ABOUT THIS IS A 24 7 CITY AND WE NEED 24 7 RESPONSE.
I KNOW THE NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT STRIKE TEAM IS GETTING DIALED UP AND IT STILL TALKS ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS AND WE'VE GOT SHORT TERM RENTALS CREATING MAYHEM AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'VE GOT PARTY HOUSES, UH, WE'VE GOT EVENT CENTERS.
AND I MEAN, YOU AND I KNOW 'CAUSE WE ARE IN COMMUNICATION AT MIDNIGHT ON A SATURDAY ABOUT THIS.
AND SO, UM, I WOULD WANNA SEE THAT EXPANDED FROM ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT TO WHERE IT IS UNTIL WE GET AHEAD OF THIS.
IT IS A, A, A NEIGHBORHOOD DEPLOYMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIS, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, UH, THIS, WE ARE WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, OUR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM.
THERE'S WORK GOING INTO A, A FUTURE COMMITTEE BRIEF ON EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS WHERE WE OUTLINE SOME STRATEGIES AND SOME PLANS THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS MOVING FORWARD.
I THINK IT'S A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH TO ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES.
WE, WE SPOKE A LITTLE BIT THE OTHER DAY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NEEDING ASSISTANCE WITH THE CRIMINAL COMPONENT OF THE CITATIONS AND FOR IDENTIFICATION IN NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER HOURS AT NIGHT.
[01:45:01]
OFFICERS TO TRY TO GO AT THAT ALONE.AND SO WE NEED SOME SUPPORT AND SOME COLLABORATION.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY TO LOOK AT OUR NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT TEAM AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT, UM, A, A HABITUAL NUISANCE POTENTIAL DESIGNATION FOR THESE PROPERTY TYPES, BUT ULTIMATELY ADDRESSING IT WITH LAND USE AND THE ILLEGAL LAND USE COMPONENT, GETTING THE LANGUAGE THAT WE NEED IN OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE TO ASSIST US IN THAT ENFORCEMENT.
AND ALONG THAT LINE, I WOULD ALSO SAY UNDER PLANNING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT SUNDAY CONSTRUCTION GOING ON.
WE'VE GOT NOISE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAPPENING AT EARLY EARLY MORNING.
WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE SANITATION DOING PICKUPS AT 4:30 AM SO THIS IS WHERE I'M GETTING INTO THE RESPONSE THAT NEEDS TO GO OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS AND IT NEEDS TO TREAT, UH, OUR RESIDENTS LIVES LIKE THE 24 7 THAT THEY ARE.
SO THAT'S NOT THE ONLY, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T ALL FALL UNDER YOU, BUT I'M ASKING THE CITY MANAGER, I MEAN, WHETHER IT'S SUNDAY CONSTRUCTION OR NOISE AT FOUR 30 IN THE MORNING, WE JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN THAT MOMENT VERSUS WAITING.
MS. BLACKMAN, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES ON ITEM A.
UM, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.
AND, UM, I'VE BEEN AROUND THIS PLACE FOR A LONG TIME, SO I DO APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE.
I KNOW THIS IS YOUR ZERO, AS I TELL KIM, THIS IS YOUR ZERO IN THIS NEW PROCESS.
SO CAN YOU KIND, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS? LIKE, IS THERE, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT, THEY'RE SAYING THIS IS THE SAME WAY.
I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK IT'S THE SAME WAY.
I MEAN, I WENT THROUGH WITH ALL YOUR MAJOR BUDGET ITEMS AND THERE'S A LOT OF ANALYSIS AND CUTS THAT ARE HAPPENING WHEN YOU DIG DEEP IN, SO I'M LIKE, WHAT DID, WHAT IS, WHAT WAS DIFFERENT AND WHAT WASN'T? SO I'LL START AND THEN ALLOW JEANETTE OR KIM ALSO TO CHIME IN ON THIS.
UM, SO AS I'VE MENTIONED A COUPLE OF TIMES, UM, WE DID THE PROGRAM INVENTORY, WE HAD DEPARTMENTS DO THAT, AND 291 DIFFERENT DISTINCT PROGRAMS WERE IDENTIFIED.
WHAT I LEARN, I KNOW THERE'S MORE THAN THAT.
I KNOW THAT WE NEED TO BE MORE GRANULAR IN BREAKING THE PROGRAMS DOWN.
UH, WE WOULD HAVE MEETINGS WITH KIM TO GO THROUGH MS. TOLBERT TO GO THROUGH THINGS AND SHE WOULD ASK WHAT, WHAT ALL'S INCLUDED IN THAT TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS MORE THINGS THAT WE NEEDED TO BREAK DOWN.
SO WE NEED TO GET TO A MORE GRANULAR LEVEL ON THAT.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS REALLY BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. UH, I THINK A CHALLENGE IS GOING TO BE, UM, ARE WE REALLY READY TO ELIMINATE THE LOWER PRIORITY PROGRAMS? AND EVERYTHING WE DO HAS SOME GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS AND SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO.
AND SO IT'S GOING TO TAKE US REALLY GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO DO THAT AND, UM, THAT EVERYONE WILL SUPPORT MS. TOLBERT WITH THOSE DECISIONS WHEN THEY COME.
AND SO THIS YEAR WE, WE DID FOCUS A WHOLE LOT ON HOW DO WE TRY TO MAKE EACH PROGRAM THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS EFFICIENT AS WE CAN, CAN WE ELIMINATE DUPLICATION WHERE WE SEE PROGRAMS THAT ARE DUPLICATIVE? UH, CAN WE WE OPTIMIZE STAFF IN A DIFFERENT WAY? CAN WE REPURPOSE STAFF IN A DIFFERENT WAY? SO WE LOOKED AT THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND TO THE QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT, UH, THE PROGRAMS AND THE ELIMINATING PROGRAMS THAT THAT'S, AT SOME POINT THAT MAY HAVE TO COME DEPENDING UPON WHAT HAPPENS WITH OUR REVENUE CONSTRAINTS.
THE STATE IS PROPOSED TO CONSTRAIN OUR REVENUE GROWTH EVEN MORE, UH, SALES TAX.
IT'S NOT JUST A DALLAS SITUATION.
IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER CITIES, UH, THEY ARE HAVING DECLINING SALES TAX GROWTH AS WELL.
AS MS. WHEDON POINTED OUT, OUR GROWTH THIS YEAR WAS LOWER THAN IT HAS BEEN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
AND EVEN IF YOU DIG INTO THAT A LITTLE MORE, UH, IN THE PART OF DALLAS THAT IS IN COLLIN COUNTY, IT ONLY GREW 1.8%.
THE PART OF DALLAS THAT IS IN DENTON COUNTY GREW LESS THAN 1%.
SO OUR NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY, UH, IS SEEING LESS GROWTH INTERESTING THAN THE PART OF THE CITY THAT'S IN DALLAS COUNTY.
AND SO I, I THINK THINGS ARE SLOWING DOWN.
I THINK THE ECONOMY IS, IS SLOWING AND COSTS AREN'T GOING DOWN AND NEEDS AND THE COSTS ARE GOING UP, NEEDS AND DEMANDS ARE GOING UP.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE WORK IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO I I I THINK IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US TO, TO REALLY MAKE THE DECISION, ARE WE GOING TO FOCUS,
[01:50:01]
UH, ON CERTAIN PRIORITIES AND HAVE TO LEAVE SOME, SOME THINGS BEHIND.YES, MR. MAYOR, CAN I JUMP IN? THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND, AND MR. IRELAND IS DEFINITELY, UM, UM, GIVING YOU THE SOUL OF HOW THIS WHOLE PROCESS, UM, UM, MOVED FORWARD.
LET ME START WITH, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FROM A LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AS YOUR NEW CITY MANAGER WAS THAT WE DEFINITELY HAVE TO WORK ON THE MINDSET SHIFT.
AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS A LOT OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, HOW ARE WE STARTING WITH, WE'VE GOT A SHIFT, EVEN THE WAY WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE GET TO THE BUDGETING TABLE.
WE'VE USED WORDS IN THE PAST THAT I CALL BAD WORDS BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT EFFICIENCY SOMETIMES ALSO MIGHT LEAD TO THE WAYS THAT WE HAVE TO OPTIMIZE EVEN LOOKING AT OUR STAFFING MODELS AND THOSE STAFFING LEVELS.
AND SO WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT KIND OF WHERE THE MINDSET IS RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND I THINK WHAT I'VE LEARNED, NOT JUST OVER THIS BUDGET PROCESS, BUT IN THIS LAST YEAR, THAT CHANGE IS PERMANENT.
AND SO WE'VE GOTTA CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THOSE THINGS THAT WE KNOW SOMETIMES ARE UNCOMFORTABLE.
UM, SOMETIMES WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WORDS LIKE RIGHT SIZING AND WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN TO AN ORGANIZATION OF OUR SIZE.
AND SO THIS TEAM, UH, LED BY MR. IRELAND AND BY AND BY MS. WHEATON, WE REALLY STARTED AT GROUND ZERO.
AND WE, OUR HOPE WAS IS THAT WE COULD MOVE FORWARD A LOT FASTER.
I THINK WHAT WE LEARNED IS THAT WE GOTTA SLOW IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT IF WE'RE TRULY GOING TO GET TO, UM, LOOKING AT THE TRUE PROGRAMS AND NOT HAVING THOSE BIG LUMP BUCKETS THAT I THINK WE'VE JUST BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO.
SO IT IS A CHANGE, UM, MANAGEMENT PIECE THAT I THINK WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD IN, WHICH IS WHY WE, WE HAVE TO START A LOT SOONER.
AND, UM, AGAIN, IT WAS BACK TO US BEING REAL AMBITIOUS, BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT CLEARLY WE'VE GOTTA SLOW OURSELVES DOWN, FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW WE'RE STILL NOT SEEING IN EVEN THE DETAILS AROUND THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH COUNCIL TO DO IT, BUT THE MINDSET CHANGE I THINK IS HAPPENING.
I THINK YOU SEE THE SHIFT, EVEN THIS TEAM, UM, AND, AND THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE HEADED.
BUT I, THAT QUESTION IS GOOD BECAUSE IT REALLY DOES HELP US REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW WE'VE GOTTA CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE'RE GOING.
AND SO WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT THIS IS KIND OF THE LOW HANGING FRUIT MAYBE, AND THAT THIS NEXT YEAR IS WHEN THIS PRIORITY BASED BUDGETING REALLY GETS TO THE MEAT OF SOME OF THIS STUFF.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU CAME TO ME AND SAID, WE ARE ELIMINATING THESE, UH, DATABASES THAT WE'VE BEEN USING, I WAS EMBARRASSED TO THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THOSE ELIMINATIONS OF DATABASES AND IT'S TAKEN ME YEAR SIX TO GET 'EM DONE.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE WERE THE EASY ONES TO DO.
THE NEXT ONE IS THE MINDSET AND MOVING INTO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION.
SO I ALWAYS GET BASELINE INFORMATION.
YEAR ZERO TAKES SOME LEARNS AND SOME, SOME, YOU KNOW, HITS AND WINS AND MOVE ON.
BUT I THINK YOU ALWAYS NEED TO KEEP BUILDING ON THIS.
SO I'VE BEEN CHALLENGING THE TEAM TO DO SO BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ELIMINATIONS, YOU ARE ELIMINATING A LOT OF STUFF.
SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THE MARSHALS GOING INTO COURTS, HOW THAT, THAT'S A BIG ONE.
AND SO I DUNNO IF YOU'RE GONNA GET THAT INTO THAT MORE GRANULAR IN THE NEXT PHASE, BUT SOME OF THESE OF UNDERSTANDING COMBINING ALL THESE DEPARTMENTS MAY BE A GOOD, I DON'T KNOW WHEN YOU WANNA GET INTO THAT.
WE CAN DEFINITELY, UH, GO INTO MORE DETAIL, BUT SOME OF THAT, AGAIN, IN THE PAST, SOME OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS WERE ALREADY TOGETHER AND WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN CREATE, UH, THE SYNERGY THAT WE KNOW EXISTS BETWEEN WHAT THE, UM, MARSHALL'S OFFICE IS ACTUALLY DELIVERING THE SUPPORT THAT THEY PROVIDE TO COURTS.
AND SO AGAIN, IT'S WORKING WITH THE TEAM, LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS THAT WE DEFINITELY BELIEVE FROM A CONSOLIDATION STANDPOINT, WE'LL ACTUALLY GET US TO STRONGER IMPACT.
AND IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST SEPARATING THE DEPARTMENTS TO SEPARATE THEM, BUT WE DEFINITELY CAN TALK MORE DIRECTLY ABOUT NOT ONLY THAT ONE, BUT THE OTHER ONE WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY, UH, TAKING FORWARD, UH, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND BRINGING THOSE ALL IN UNDER ONE ROOF FOR THE NEW OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
BUT WE DEFINITELY CAN GO AS DEEP AS COUNCIL WOULD LIKE.
UM, ALSO TOO, ON PAGE 72, CAN WE REMIND THE PUBLIC THE BREAKDOWN OF THEIR TAX BILL? IT'S NOT ON THE, IT'S NOT ON THIS.
WE USUALLY HAVE IT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT 31% OF THEIR TAX BILL IS THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, THE TAX BILL THAT RESIDENTS, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS RECEIVE
[01:55:01]
IS NOT JUST FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT IT'S FROM THE OTHER TAXING JURISDICTIONS AS WELL.SO, UH, YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, SETS A TAX RATE.
UH, DALLAS COLLEGE SETS A TAX RATE.
PARKLAND HOSPITAL SETS A TAX RATE, YOUR COUNTY SETS A TAX RATE.
UH, THE CITY OF DALLAS, UH, REPRESENTS 31.3% OF THE OVERALL TAX RATE.
AND SO YOUR TAX BILL IS REFLECTIVE OF THOSE OTHER TAXING JURISDICTIONS AS WELL.
AND SO CHANGING THE TAX RATE BY HALF A PENNY WOULD SAVE A 300 300, THE AVERAGE HOME $20, UH, IT WAS $12.
BUT WE'RE FOREGOING TO 11 MILLION HALF OF IT.
IT'S SPLIT EQUALLY, RIGHT? YES, YES MA'AM.
UH, I GUESS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE TOPIC, THE, UH, LIBRARY
IT'S NOT IN THIS BUDGET, BELIEVE ME.
UH, MY NEXT QUESTION'S GONNA BE WHEN DO WE GET AMENDMENTS IN BECAUSE, UH, I, I'VE LITERALLY GONE AND TRIED TO FIND MONEY, BUT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A STRATEGY OF LOOKING AT THIS IN A, A, UM, REGIONAL APPROACH, THAT WAY WE LOOK AT IT FROM A CITY PERSPECTIVE.
IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO ELABORATE ON THAT MORE? I, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OUR NEW LIBRARY DIRECTOR TO, TO COME TO THE FRONT AND HELP WITH, UH, YOUR LIBRARY QUESTION.
MORNING, MANA SHORE LIBRARY DIRECTOR.
UM, SO SKILLMAN SOUTHWESTERN'S ON THE YES MA'AM.
IN THE DOCKET, UH, NOT TO BE OPEN THIS YEAR, UH, BUT THERE IS DISCUSSION TO LOOK AT A REGIONAL APPROACH IN THE NEXT YEAR.
COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? SURE.
YOU KNOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT A CITY THE SIZE OF DALLAS IS THAT OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, WE HAVE REALLY, UH, RELIED ON THE BOND CYCLE TO BUILD LARGE STANDALONE BUILDINGS.
THE WAY THAT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THIS COUNTRY IS GOING IS REALLY MORE SMALL, NIMBLE LIBRARIES THAT EXIST WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
AND SO BY HAVING 30 LOCATIONS, WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE NOW, IT'S QUITE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN.
THEY'RE EXPENSIVE, THEY REQUIRE A LOT OF STAFF.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WHAT THE CITY HAS DONE OVER THE YEARS IS TO REDUCE AND EXPAND HOURS, THE, TO THE TUNE OF EIGHT TIMES OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS.
THIS IS CONFUSING FOR THE PUBLIC.
IT'S, UH, HARD TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
AND SO WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IS A REGIONAL MODEL, WHICH WOULD CONSOLIDATE LOCATIONS INTO A STRATEGICALLY PLACED LIBRARY THAT IS OPEN EXTENDED HOURS, NAMELY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, MULTIPLE, UH, ADDITIONAL HOURS A DAY WITH ENHANCED PROGRAMS SERVICES, AND MORE MEANINGFUL INTERACTIONS.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT IN FIND EFFICIENCIES, WE WOULD CLOSE UP TO FOUR LOCATIONS AND DEPLOY SOME STAFF TO THE REGIONAL LIBRARIES IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THAT EXPANSION.
AND SO WHEN YOU CLOSE THOSE BRANCHES, HOW WILL THE SERVICES STILL BE MAINTAINED? LIKE, WILL YOU THEN DELIVER BOOKS TO THEIR HOUSE OR DO THEY GET DELIVERED TO A REC CENTER, OR WOULD THEY JUST BE GONE COMPLETELY? THEY WOULD BE AND THEY WOULD HAVE, THEY WOULD NOT BE.
I, I, UM, WITH SOME CAVEATS, THE, THE BUILDINGS WOULD NO LONGER FUNCTION AS LIBRARIES, BUT I THINK THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT OTHER WAYS THAT WE COULD DELIVER SERVICE.
IE POP-UP LIBRARIES, BOOK VENDING MACHINES, WE COULD CO-LOCATE AND RETAIL LOCATIONS.
I WOULD OFFER BOOKMARKS IN THE NORTH PARK CENTER AS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A SMALL, NIMBLE RETAIL LOCATION THAT IS BOOMING, THAT IS ONE OF OUR BUSIEST LOCATIONS THAT HASN'T BEEN REPLICATED.
SO THOSE PARTICULAR LIBRARIES WOULD GO AWAY TO ENHANCE THE REGIONALS, BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO A DECADE, WE COULD TALK ABOUT INCREASED SERVICES IN A MUCH SMALLER FOOTPRINT IN THESE MORE NIMBLE WAYS.
SO MAYBE EVEN USING OUR REC CENTERS AS A, AS AN OPPORTUNITY.
YOU'RE STILL GETTING A, THE SAME SERVICES, BUT IT'S IN A DIFFERENT BRICK AND MORTAR.
IT COULD BE IN A PRIVATE SECTOR, IT COULD BE IN A ONE OF OURS.
IT COULD BE JUST AS A STANDALONE VENDING MACHINE, LIKE YOU SAID.
ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS SAY IS THAT A LIBRARY CAN CONTRACT OR EXPAND BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF SPACE IT'S GIVEN.
I, I RAN A LIBRARY THAT WAS 450 SQUARE FEET, WHICH IS QUITE SMALL, AND IT WAS A FULL SERVICE
[02:00:01]
LIBRARY.IF I, IF I MAY COUNCILWOMAN BLACKMAN AND THANK YOU SO MUCH ABOUT THE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE WHAT WE TRULY WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO, AS OUR DIRECTOR TALKS ABOUT IT, IS USE THIS NEXT YEAR TO REALLY FLUSH OUT WHAT WE ALSO WOULD WANT COUNCIL TO PROVIDE AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, GIVE US FEEDBACK.
WE'VE GOTTA DO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WE DIDN'T WANNA RUSH INTO THIS, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE PUT IT IN AS SOMETHING WE WOULD WANNA LOOK AT FOR 2027, BUT THE WORK NEEDS TO START SOON.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH YOU, WE WANNA WORK WITH OUR ENTIRE, UM, LIBRARY SYSTEM.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS MM-HMM
UM, I, I OFTEN TELL THE STORY ABOUT, I THINK MANY OF US GOT OUR STARTS, UM, IN THE WORLD GOING TO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SO IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING AGAINST, IT'S ABOUT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO REIMAGINE THE DELIVERY FROM A DIGITAL STANDPOINT AND HOW DO WE EXPAND THOSE SERVICES, UH, IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
SO WE DEFINITELY WANNA ENGAGE WITH COUNCIL FURTHER.
WE DON'T HAVE THE WHOLE, SO IF ANYBODY ASKS ME WHAT NAMES OF THE BRANCHES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE DON'T HAVE THAT YET.
WE WANNA GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE, AND THEN COME BACK AND HAVE A MORE DETAILED CONVERSATION WITH THIS BODY.
UM, CAN WE TALK ABOUT FTES? SORRY,
UM, IT'S LOOKING LIKE WE'RE AT, YOU KNOW, THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE
I THINK IN THE VERY BACK OF THE PRESENTATION, WE KIND OF DETAILED TO SHOW YOU WHERE THE CHANGES ARE HAPPENING WITH OUR, UM, OUR POSITIONS AND HOW WE'RE MANAGING THAT.
A UM, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WAS PRESENTED IN THIS BUDGET IS THAT HOW EVEN POSITIONS THAT WE POSITIONS, AND I DIDN'T SAY PEOPLE POSITIONS, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO, UM, REDEPLOY SOME OF THOSE POSITION NUMBERS IN AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO EXPAND CAPACITY FROM A STAFFING STANDPOINT.
BUT I'LL LET JEANETTE OR JACK GO INTO, UH, THANK YOU AROUND THAT OCTOBER.
UM, IT'S ACTUALLY SLIDE 97 IN THE APPENDIX.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TOTAL ADOPTED POSITION COUNT WAS 15,000, UH, 600 OR SIX 16.
AND WE ARE REPURPOSING, UH, WE'RE DELETING 282 AND THEN REPURPOSING 2 77 AND THE MAJORITY OF THE REPURPOSED POSITIONS ARE GOING TO, UH, DPD TO SUPPORT THEIR HIRING EFFORTS.
SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, IS HOW MUCH HAVE WE GROWN CAN YOU GIVE ME THE, THE INFORMA IN THE LAST 10 YEARS AS FAR AS STAFF, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO YOU.
BECAUSE I MEAN, UM, IF WE'RE TRYING TO WORK BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENTLY, I MEAN, UM, BODIES AND THEY'RE EXPENSIVE.
RIGHT? AND, UM, I, I KNOW THAT WE WERE AT 12,000 MAYBE AT ONE POINT.
I MEAN, AND SO I GUESS I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, IS THE 15, WHAT IS THE SWEET SPOT IN THE STAFFING? AND I KNOW THAT Y'ALL ARE ELIMINATING THIS, THAT'S NOT BEING UTILIZED, BUT IS THERE ALSO OPPORTUNITY FOR SLIMMING DOWN MORE? AND I'M PROBABLY GONNA BE, PEOPLE AREN'T GONNA BE, UH, AGREEING WITH THAT, BUT IF WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE EFFICIENT IN USING, UH, YOU KNOW, MODERN TECHNOLOGY, THAT IS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IS THEY'RE GONNA NEED TO BE TRAINED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.
SO, UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE BODIES IS REALLY ALL THAT WE REALLY HAVE IN, IN THE CITY.
AND, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE KIND OF THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE ON THAT, AND I'LL GIVE MY 20 MINUTES, SECONDS BACK.
MR. ROTH, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES ITEM A THANK YOU.
UM, COUPLE, UH, JUST CLARIFICATION POINTS ON THE BOND, UH, UH, TOTAL DEBT SERV, THE TOTAL BOND THAT, UH, AND DEBT SERVICE COSTS THAT WE HAVE.
UM, IT, WHICH SHOWS THAT WE'VE GOT ABOUT A $500 MILLION PAYMENT EVERY YEAR IN DEBT SERVICE AND IN PRINCIPLE AND, AND INTEREST.
BUT IT SAYS THAT THE, THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE DEBT OBLIGATIONS IS ONLY ABOUT 2 BILLION.
UH, IT SEEMS LIKE, IS THERE, SEEMS LIKE THAT'S A LOT OF DEBT SERVICE FOR, FOR THAT, UH, AMOUNT OF DEBT.
IS IS, IS THAT NUMBER CORRECT? THE, UM, THE OUTSTANDING DEBT, UH, LISTED IS THE PRINCIPAL ONLY DEBT, UH, AS OF THAT DATE, SEPTEMBER THE 30TH.
AND THE PAYMENTS THAT WE MAKE, THE ANNUAL DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS INCLUDE BOTH PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST, WHEREAS THE OUTSTANDING DEBT WAS JUST THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT.
SO, UH, I'M STILL A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED.
HOW MUCH DO WE, HOW MUCH DEBT DO WE HAVE? IS IT $2 BILLION OR IS IT $5 BILLION OR IS IT $8 BILLION? YES, SIR.
SO THE TOTAL, UH, GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH IS $2.5 BILLION.
THAT IS PRINCIPLE ONLY IF YOU, IF YOU TALK IT, TALK ABOUT IT IN THE CONTEXT
[02:05:01]
OF PRINCIPLE PLUS INTEREST, THE INTEREST IS ANOTHER 1.1 FOR A TOTAL OF 3.6 PRINCIPLE AND INTEREST.AND THAT IS THE GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT THAT IS NOT INCLUDING THE DEBT OF THE DALLAS WATER UTILITY, OUR AVIATION OR, OR THE OTHER FUNDS, GENERAL OBLIGATION DEBT, UH, PROPERTY TAX SUPPORTED DEBT IS WHAT I'M REFERENCING.
AND, AND THE REASON I'M QUESTIONING, I'M APOLOGIZE FOR, FOR NOT MAKING MY, WHEN I QUESTION CLEAR, IT SEEMS LIKE 500, UH, $500 MILLION IN, IN A DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT, WHICH INCLUDES PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST ON A DEBT OF $2 BILLION.
THAT CONSTANT SEEMS AWFULLY HIGH.
THAT'S A 20% CONSTANT, 25% CONSTANT.
SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE INTEREST, HOW LONG IS THE OBLIGATION, WHAT'S THE AMORTIZATION? SEEMS LIKE WE'RE PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR $2 BILLION WORTH OF DEBT, OR IS THERE A HIGHER DEBT LIMIT THAT REALLY WOULD JUSTIFY THAT $500 MILLION PAYMENT? AND JUST FOR A CLARIFICATION.
AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO GO THROUGH THE AMORTIZATION SCHEDULES WITH YOU AND SHOW YOU THE PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST WE CAN OFFLINE ON THAT.
UM, MY SECOND QUESTION IS, DOES THIS BUDGET INCLUDE, AND I THINK IT DOES, BUT I'M, I'M NOT CLEAR, DOES THIS INCLUDE THE EXTRA PENSION PAYMENT PENSION PLAN, UH, CONTRIBUTION PAYMENTS THAT WERE, THAT WE'RE MAKING TO CATCH UP THAT 225 OR $275 MILLION? Y YES, SIR.
UH, THAT THE, THE BUDGET INCLUDES THE FUNDING NECESSARY TO MEET THE OBLI, THE FUNDING PLAN THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED LAST SEPTEMBER.
UH, BY DOING THAT, WE ARE INCREASING OUR CONTRIBUTIONS.
WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING, UH, OVER A $20 MILLION INCREASE CONTRIBUTION VERSUS WHAT WE WOULD'VE DONE HAD WE NOT HAD THIS PLAN.
SO, AND THAT COMMITMENT IS FOR, IS IT THREE YEARS OR FIVE YEARS? SO, UH, IT'S FOR 30 YEARS, TO BE HONEST.
WELL, I MEAN, THE, THE EXTRA PAYMENT IS WHAT I SAYING, THE, THE, THE STEPPING UP, UH, IS OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
SO THE CURRENT YEAR IS YEAR ONE OF THAT.
THIS BUDGET REPRESENTS TIER YEAR TWO OF THAT.
AND THEN WE HAVE THREE ADDITIONAL YEARS OF STEPPING UP TO THE POINT WHERE WE ARE THEN GOING TO IMPLEMENT THE FULL ACTUARIAL DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION RATE.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE TRYING TO CATCH UP.
WE'RE TRYING TO FILL THE BUCKET SO THAT WE'LL HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDS DOWN THE ROAD TO, TO BE ABLE TO SATISFY THE PENSION OBLIGATION DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, UH, I'M, UH, THE, UH, I'M A LITTLE BIT, UH, CONCERNED GENERALLY ABOUT, UM, SORT OF THE POLICY, UH, ISSUES THAT ARE BEING SORT OF EMBEDDED IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, UH, WHICH ARE, I THINK, UH, INVOLVING SOME OF THE ATTITUDES TOWARDS OUR PAYMENTS OF, OF STAFF AND, AND SOME OF OUR PAYMENTS FOR EXPENSES IN PARTICULAR.
UM, CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE ISSUES HERE REGARDING THE TRANSFER OF THE P AND Z PLANNING AND ZONING DEAL INTO THE ENTERPRISE GROUP.
WE'VE GOT, UH, DISCUSSIONS IN HERE ABOUT TALKING ABOUT LAND PLANNING, CHANGING SOME OF THE AUTHORIZED HEARING PROCESS.
WE'VE GOT THE SANITATION BUDGET, WHICH IS MY, MY PERSONAL, UH,
AND THIS ISSUE IS REALLY CONCERNING ME, NOT, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING FOR MONEY, BUT I THINK WE'RE REALLY, UH, TAKING AWAY OUR CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND SOME OF THEIR SERVICES.
AND, UM, SOME OF THE, THESE CHANGES ARE GOING TO BE BAKED INTO A BUDGETING SYSTEM, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE ON US AS COUNCIL PEOPLE TO HAVE, TO MAKE DECISIONS ON WHAT, UH, SERVICES, ENTITLEMENTS RIGHTS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE DEFENDING OUR RESIDENTS FOR.
AND I WOULD REALLY, UH, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE DON'T, UH, LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE REPRESENTING OUR CITIZENRY AND THAT WE ARE DON'T WANT TO TAKE THINGS AWAY FROM THEM, AND THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE'RE PROTECTING THE BASIC SERVICES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE.
UM, I KNOW IT'S TOUGH TO, TO MANAGE MONEY WHEN YOU'VE GOT, UH, DIFFICULTY COLLECTING MONEY, BUT, UH, WE'VE GOTTA BE VERY CONSCIOUS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, WHICH IS PROVIDING SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS.
UM, IN PARTICULAR, UH, ANOTHER ISSUE I'M SORT OF CONCERNED ABOUT, AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THESE NUMBERS AND I'M ASKING A QUESTION, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE OUR TECHNOLOGY BUDGET IS HUGE.
UH, AND THAT'S A BIG NUMBER, 200 MILLION OR WHATEVER IT IS.
UH, I'M A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED, UH, ABOUT HOW DO WE EVALUATE AS A BODY, WHETHER THAT'S A LEGITIMATE, UH, SORT OF COST FOR THIS KIND OF A BUSINESS THAT WE HAVE.
[02:10:01]
IS A $200 MILLION TECHNOLOGY BUDGET, UH, SORT OF TYPICAL IN THIS SIZE OF A BUSINESS? AND, AND WHAT I'M SAYING IN A DIFFERENT WAY IS HOW DO WE COMPARE TO OTHER SORT OF SIMILAR SIZE, UH, POPULATIONS? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE MAY BE OTHER, UH, LIKE SIZE OR EVEN LARGER CITIES, UH, THAT MAY BE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE COST EFFICIENT IN, IN THEIR, UH, USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND IN THEIR EXPENDITURES OF TECHNOLOGY.UH, CERTAINLY I'M SENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT WE WANT TO SAVE MONEY, WE WANT TO BE EFFICIENT.
UH, BUT I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'VE GOT SOME GUIDANCE AS TO WHETHER WE'RE SPENDING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY.
UM, WE'LL GET YOU SOME BENCHMARKS ON THAT.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE THINGS, THESE ARE SORT OF THINGS TO BE THINKING ABOUT, NOT NECESSARILY TO HAVE AN ANSWER THIS, THIS PARTICULAR SECOND.
THAT, THAT IS YOUR TIME FOR THIS ROUND.
I COULDN'T, I DON'T SEE THE TIMER, SO I APOLOGIZE.
YEAH, I'M TOLD THAT YOU WERE OUTTA TIME FOR THIS ROUND.
SO, UM, MS. STEWART, I BELIEVE, YES, MS. STEWART, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES ITEM A THANK YOU, MARY JOHNSON.
ALRIGHT, UM, LET'S GO BACK TO THE WORD PROGRAMS. UM,
UM, BUT I AM TRYING TO GET MY HEAD AROUND AND JUST UNDERSTAND WHAT IS A PROGRAM.
AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, I THINK OF A REC CENTER AND I GO, IS THE REC CENTER THE PROGRAM, OR IS IT THE PROGRAMS THAT HAPPEN IN THE REC CENTER THAT ARE THE PROGRAMS? AND MAYBE THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL UNCOVERED AS YOU WERE BEGINNING YOUR, UH, PROCESS HERE THAT, UM, IT'S MAYBE A LITTLE MORE NUANCED, MAYBE A LITTLE MORE DETAILED.
AND, AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS WHERE, HOW, WHEN WE ARE DEFINING OR CHOOSING THE 291, HOW DID WE DEFINE A PROGRAM? WAS IT STAFF WERE ATTACHED TO IT, DOLLARS WERE ATTACHED TO IT? HOW, HOW DID YOU ALL THINK ABOUT THAT? SO, A PROGRAM IS DEFINITELY NOT THE FACILITY.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, THAT WE WERE NOT CREATING PROGRAMS FOR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT REC CENTERS OR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT LIBRARIES.
UM, IT'S REALLY, UH, A COLLECTION OF ACTIVITIES OF A SIMILAR FUNCTION.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S HOW WE SETTLED ON THE DEFINITION OF PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, UH, THAT, UM, YOU CAN EITHER BE VERY GRANULAR IN TERMS OF A PROGRAM OR YOU CAN BE VERY BROAD.
AND SO I THINK YOU'LL FIND THAT IN OUR PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE NOW POSTED ONLINE, YOU HAVE SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE VERY BROAD AND THEN SOME THAT ARE VERY GRANULAR.
WE DO, UH, RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK SOME OF THE PROGRAMS DOWN INTO MORE GRANULAR, UM, FUNCTIONS.
AND SO, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY NOT THE LOCATION.
UM, BUT I SEE A RECREATION CENTER AS A FUNCTION, NOT AS A LOCATION, RIGHT? CORRECT.
I SEE IT AS BRINGING A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PROGRAMMING, REALLY, SO, RIGHT.
BUT WITHIN THE RECREATION CENTER ITSELF, YOU DO HAVE PROGRAMS. YES.
UM, AND, AND SO WHERE WE'RE MOVING IS PROBABLY TO A POINT WHERE WE WILL HAVE MORE THAN THE 291.
IS THAT JUST ONE? MOST DEFINITELY.
AND AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF DEFINING OUR PROGRAMS, I THINK THAT OUR INITIAL ANALYSIS, UH, RESULTED IN MORE PROGRAMS. UM, I THINK THAT, UM, AS WE MOVED THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, IT WAS JUST A LEARNING CURVE OF TRYING NOT TO COLLAPSE EVERYTHING BACK INTO A LARGE PROGRAM, BUT LEAVE THEM SORT OF SEPARATED BECAUSE THEY ARE TRULY UNIQUE TASKS THAT ARE SEPARATE AND UNIQUE FROM EACH OTHER.
SO I THINK WE'VE LEARNED A LOT IN TERMS OF THE DEFINITION OF A PROGRAM AND THEN MAINTAINING SORT OF THAT DEFINITION THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS LIST, YOU THINK THIS'LL WE'LL BEGIN TO GET A SENSE OF HOW YOU ALL WERE IDENTIFIED, EACH OF THEM, OR OVERALL HOW YOU IDENTIFIED THEM? CORRECT.
I THINK YOU'LL, YOU'LL, BASED ON THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE HAVING HERE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO NOTICE THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE PROBABLY TOO BROAD AND THEN THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE TOO, UH, GRANULAR.
AND SO TO THAT POINT IN THE, UM, THE REGIONAL LIBRARY THOUGHT PROCESS, UM, I HAD VERY SIMILAR CONCERNS TO COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMAN.
AND, UM, IN PARTICULAR, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT LIBRARIES, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE READING, THE CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, THE CAPACITY FOR BOOKS OR ACCESS TO BOOKS AND ALL OF THAT.
BUT WHAT I SEE IN MY DISTRICT IS THERE IS A LOT OF PROGRAMMING GOING
[02:15:01]
ON WITHIN OUR LIBRARIES.WE HAVE GED CLASSES, WE HAVE, UH, CLASSES FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, PREGNANT MOMS. WE HAVE FINANCIAL LITERACY CLASSES.
SO THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN A LIBRARY, RIGHT.
AND I DON'T MEAN TO SAY JUST BOOKS, LIKE THAT'S NOT MUCH.
BUT, UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, AT FOREST NA DELIA, WE'LL HAVE A COMMUNITY CENTER AND WE'RE TO HAVE A LIBRARY PRESENCE.
AND I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT AT FIRST, BUT THEN I STARTED THINKING, NO, WHAT WE REALLY NEED, THERE ARE THE GED CLASSES ARE, WE NEED THAT PROGRAMMING.
AND THAT'S MY HOPE IS THAT THE LIBRARY SYSTEM WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT EVEN, WE'LL HAVE A CLASSROOM SPACE, BUT THERE WON'T, IT WON'T BE A LIBRARY, RIGHT.
IT'LL JUST BE SPACE THAT WE'RE MAKING AVAILABLE FOR THAT PROGRAMMING.
SO I THINK IT'S AN ESSENTIAL FUNCTION OF OUR LIBRARIES.
I THINK THEY'VE EXPANDED THEIR FUNCTION OVER THE YEARS FROM WHEN I WAS A KID AND GOING TO THE LIBRARY.
UM, AND I THINK, BUT I THINK IT'S A GOOD THING.
IT'S BEEN VERY, UM, GOOD FOR HELPING STABILIZE COMMUNITIES AND, AND, UM, JUST GIVE, UM, OUR RESIDENTS ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT THEY WOULDN'T OTHERWISE HAVE GOTTEN.
YOU, DID YOU GUYS WANNA RESPOND TO THAT? I'M SORRY.
AND I THINK IN SOME CITIES THAT, UM, THAT I'VE ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF TALKING TO OTHER CITY MANAGERS.
UM, SOME OF THOSE CENTERS ARE TURNING INTO MORE COMMUNITY READING CENTERS WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO, UM, TO CREATE IMPACT.
WHETHER IT'S THROUGH SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY TO GO CHECK OUT A BOOK.
SO I THINK WHAT YOU HEAR FROM US IS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THE TIME IS NOW TO WHERE WE HAVE TO REFRESH THE MODEL.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S SUSTAINABLE.
AND I THINK DOING THAT WITH THE FEEDBACK THAT WE KNOW THAT WE WILL DEFINITELY GET FROM THE COUNCIL, UH, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY, WE CAN COME BACK WITH, UH, SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I THINK TRULY, UM, MOVES THE CITY FORWARD.
NOT TAKING, UM, ANYTHING OUT OF CONTEXT, BUT REALLY LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE OF THAT EXPANDED MODEL THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TO WHERE THESE SERVICES ARE REAL SERVICES, UH, THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING A NEED.
I'VE SEEN OTHER CITIES GO TO COMPLETE DIGITAL SYSTEMS, AND THAT COULD BE, THAT COULD WORK IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY AND NOT IN OTHERS, BUT WE DEFINITELY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ENGAGING AND THAT WE TAKE THOSE POINTS INTO CONSIDERATION.
BUT YOU'RE SPOT ON WITH THE WAY WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO RETHINK THE WHOLE LIBRARY SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
AND JUST MY LAST COMMENT IS TO SECOND, UM, DEPUTY MAYOR PROTON'S CONCERNED ABOUT EXPANDING THE STRIKE TEAM TO ENTERTAINMENT.
WE ALSO NEED, WE HAVE PARTY HOUSES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
IT'S GOT TO BE EXPANDED TO THAT AS WELL.
AGAIN, THAT'S BACK TO US LISTENING.
WE KNOW THAT THE COUNCIL, UM, YOU GUYS ARE YOUR, YOUR SOLDIERS ON THE GROUND, AND YOU'RE OFTEN SENDING US THE INFORMATION WHERE, UH, THESE ISSUES ARE HAPPENING.
UM, THAT TEAM HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPANDING THE CAPACITY.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE INTO THAT AREA TO BE ABLE TO HELP US BEGIN TO ADDRESS IT, DO A LOT OF THE PROACTIVE THINGS.
WE ALSO HAVE A TEAM THAT DOES NIGHTTIME KIND OF IN OUR TEAM AT WORK, EVEN AT THE CONVENTION CENTER.
HOW DO WE BRING THOSE TEAMS TOGETHER TO WHERE THEY'RE REALLY WORKING IN CONSORTIUM? SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
MS. BLAIR, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES ON ITEM A.
UM, MY FIRST QUESTION IS GOING TO BE IN REGARDS TO THAT STRIKE TEAM FOR CODE, UM, IS MR. IS, IS DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN STILL HERE? WE'LL GET HIM OUT HERE IF YOU HAVE A DIRECT CODE OF QUESTION.
I WE'LL HAVE OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER COME.
OH, I CAN GO TO SOMETHING ELSE.
WE'LL GO RIGHT, WE'LL JUMP IN AND THEN MR. CHRISTIAN WILL, WE WILL JOIN US.
THANK YOU FOR HOLDING MY TIME WHILE HE COMES
I, I, I RECOGNIZE THAT PROCESS.
IT'S, IT'S A WONDERFUL PROCESS.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION WHETHER THE INTER THE, THE TEAM, THE, THE FEET THAT ARE ON THE GROUND, ARE THEY WORKING FROM A OVERTIME PERSPECTIVE? ARE THEY WORKING FROM THEIR STANDARD SALARY? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
COUNCIL MEMBER BLAIR, UM, THAT IS A STANDARD SCHEDULE THAT WE HAVE IN CO COMPLIANCE FOR THAT OVERNIGHT WORK.
IT DOES, HOWEVER, HAVE A 6.5 DIFFERENTIAL FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
SO, UH, AND HOW, AT TO DATE, HOW MANY FTES DO YOU HAVE ON THAT, ON THAT PROGRAM? CURRENTLY WE HAVE FOUR MEMBERS OF THAT TEAM, UH, A SUPERVISOR AND THREE OFFICERS.
AND SO THE EXPANSION OF FIVE ADDITIONAL OFFICERS
[02:20:01]
WOULD BRING THE TOTAL COUNT TO, TO NINE TEAM MEMBERS.SO DO YOU, AND I, I RECOGNIZE THE NEED IN A LOT OF INSTANCES THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A POLICE PRESENCE WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE OPERATING OVER AT THE NIGHTTIME.
DO, IS THERE A PLAN FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE TO BLEND THAT TEAM TOGETHER SO THAT YOU DO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN SUPPORT YOU IN THE OVERNIGHT PERSPECTIVE? UH, THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
UM, I THINK IN A DISTRICT MEETING IN YOUR OFFICE, JUST NOT TOO LONG AGO, WE SPOKE WITH THE POLICE THERE AND THEY GAVE US SOME STRATEGIES THAT WE COULD UTILIZE IN YOUR DISTRICT.
UM, WOULD IT BE IN A TWO OR, UH, IMMEDIATE KIND OF TURNAROUND TO REACH OUT TO THE LIEUTENANT OF THE POLICE STATION OR THE MAJOR AND THEY COULD SCHEDULE A PATROL OFFICER TO GO WITH US, UM, IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD TIME TO PLAN OVER A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS, THEN TO WORK THROUGH THE NPOS.
AND SO OUR STRATEGY HAS BEEN TO, UH, UTILIZE THAT GUIDANCE AND, AND SEE WHERE WE GET WITH THAT.
AND SHOULD THERE BE A NEED TO REEVALUATE THE TEAM IN THE FUTURE, THEN WE'D BE HAPPY TO COLLABORATE ON THAT AS WELL.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I FOUND WAS, UM, WAS IN QUESTION WHETHER YOU NEED SOMEONE FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT OR SOMEONE OF THAT NATURE TO DO A LAND USE INTERPRETATION.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES I FIND THAT, UH, ONE DEPARTMENT INTERPRETS THE, THE CODE DIFFERENTLY THAN ANOTHER.
AND SO FROM AN ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, OUR CURRENT DEFINITION OF COM COMMERCIAL AMUSEMENT INSIDE, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE THAT WE USE, UH, FOR KIND OF THE PARTY OR EVENT TYPE USE, UH, ENFORCEMENT, IT DOESN'T QUITE GET US THERE WHERE WE WANT TO BE FROM AN ENFORCEMENT STANDPOINT, FROM AN ENFORCEMENT STANDPOINT.
WE WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR IN HOW WE'RE ABLE TO EDUCATE OUR RESIDENTS, OUR, OUR BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, ON WHAT THE RULES ARE AND, AND, AND WHAT THE, UM, WHAT THE PROBLEMS AND THE CONCERNING AREAS ARE OF THE USE FOR US BEFORE MOVING INTO AN ENFORCEMENT ARE PUNITIVE ACTION LIKE CITATIONS ARE ESCALATED ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO WHAT WE HOPE IS TO WORK WITH OUR PLANNING TEAM TO GIVE US A CLEARLY DEFINED EVENT USE CODE OR A, UH, FARTHER EXPANDED COMMERCIAL AMUSEMENT DEFINITION THAT'S EASIER ENFORCEABLE BY OUR TEAM.
UM, NEXT, I WOULD LIKE, THANK YOU FOR VERY MUCH FOR THAT TIME, THAT INFORMATION.
I, I WOULD LIKE TO GO INTO THE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION AND, UM, LET ME, LET ME SAY THIS BEFORE I START ASKING ANSWER, ASKING MY QUESTIONS.
I APPRECIATE THE, THAT WE ARE REDUCING OUR PROPERTY TAX, BUT MY QUESTION IS, ARE WE DOING TOO MUCH THE PROP WHEN WE LOOK, WHEN I LOOK AT THE PAGE 35 OF THE, WHAT I CALL THE CONDENSED VERSION OF THE BOOK, UM, WE ARE AT THE, WE ARE AT THE 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION RATE, WHICH HAS GIVEN, WHICH IS MAKING US FOREGO 126.4 MILLION IN, IN, IN REVENUE.
UM, AND THEN WHEN I LOOK AT THE, UM, OVER 65, NO, NO, DON'T GET ME, YOU KNOW, I, I REPRESENT SOME OF THIS.
UM, WE ARE NOT, I'M NOT SAYING WE NEED TO ELIMINATE, BUT I, MY QUESTION IS BETWEEN THE TWO, WE ARE HAVING ALMOST A $200 MILLION, UH, WITH THIS WHOLE PA WITH THIS WHOLE PAGE.
WE ARE HAVING A $200 MILLION REDUCTION OR FOREGOES OF PROPERTY TAX.
I KNOW FROM WHEN, WHEN I GOT MY PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION, I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY MUCH IN PROPERTY TAX, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY, UM, A GOOD THING WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO, TO BALANCING A BUDGET WHEN WE HAVE A BUDGET DEFICIT.
SO CAN WE, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW WE DO THESE REDUCTIONS, WHETHER IT BE PROPERTY TAX OR ANYTHING ELSE WHEN WE HAVE SUCH A, A DEEP BUDGET SHORTFALL FILE? UM, I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF BALANCING, UM, THE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND, UM, BALANCING THE BUDGET.
YOU REFERENCED THE 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THE MAXIMUM, AND THAT'S THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT ALLOWED BY THE STATE.
THAT EXEMPTION HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE APRIL OF 2088.
SO IT'S BEEN IN PLACE FOR A VERY LONG TIME IN
[02:25:01]
TERMS OF THE OVER 65 EXEMPTION.UM, WE MORE RECENTLY, STARTING IN 2017 STARTED INCREASING THAT EXEMPTION, BUT THAT WAS BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM BOTH RESIDENTS AND THE BODY.
AND SO, UM, THE EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE LISTED ON SLIDE 35, THEY REFLECT, UM, CITY COUNCIL'S, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE HAVE FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT SPEAK TO THE OVER 65 EXEMPTION.
AND SO WE ARE SORT OF RESPONDING TO THE WILL OF RESIDENTS AND THE WILL OF THE BODY.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION, IT'S A COMBINATION OF RESPONDING TO RESIDENTS, THE WILL OF THE BODY, AS WELL AS SB TWO.
UM, FOR MANY OF YOU THAT KNOW, SENATE BILL TWO WAS PASSED IN 2019, IT CAPS OUR GROWTH AT 3.5%.
UM, MANY OF THE REDUCTIONS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN A RESULT OF SB TWO.
SO IT IS A BALANCING ACT, BUT IT'S BALANCING THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVE FROM YOU ALL, UM, POLICIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED BY THE BODY, AND THEN FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVE FROM RESIDENTS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, UM, THROUGH FEEDBACK AT TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
AND SO, UM, IT'S A BALANCING ACT.
WELL, I KNOW THAT WE, BECAUSE OUR PROPERTY VALUES HAVE BEEN GO, HAVE BEEN GOING UP YEAR OVER YEAR, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S JUST STARTED BOOMING OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT WE ARE GETTING THE INCREASE IN PR AND PRO AND PROPERTY TAX BECAUSE OF THAT INCREASE.
BUT WE ARE ALSO THEN TURNING AROUND AND MAKING A DE DECREASE IN THE WAY WE GIVE THE EXEMPTIONS.
AND WHEN I LOOK ON PAGE 36, I SEE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A STUDY INCREASE, UM, WHERE YOU, YOU, YOU GO A COUPLE OF A COUPLE OF THESE, A COUPLE OF MILLION BILLION DOLLARS, UH, IN, IN INCREASE, BUT THEN IT JUMPS IN 2023 FROM 50, UH, 0.6 TO 56.4, WHICH IS ALMOST A SIX.
UH, WAS THAT MILLION, A MILLION OR BILLION DOLLAR INCREASE? AND, AND THEN AGAIN, IT DR IT JUMPS ANOTHER 6 BILLION AND FROM 20 OR TO 25, AND THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE WE'RE LOOKING AT BEING STA NO KIND OF STAGNANT IN 2026.
IS THERE, IS THERE A WAY TO GO AHEAD AND GET TO THE END OF THAT? THAT'S MY BATTLE QUESTION.
IS THERE A WAY TO, TO BALANCE THE INCREASE FROM THE, THE, THE DECREASE IN, IN PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS? SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTION.
AND I THINK THAT MS. WHEDON PRETTY MUCH GAVE YOU THIS BROADER, UM, UM, ANSWER BECAUSE IT'S REALLY THAT THERE ARE, THERE ARE A COMBINATION OF FACTORS THAT, UM, WE'RE TAKING IN, WE'RE TAKING IN POLICY DIRECTION OF THE COUNCIL, WE'RE TAKING IN, UH, MANDATES, UM, FROM OUR STATE GOVERNMENT.
WE'RE ALSO LISTENING TO THE RESIDENTS.
AND I SAID, SO WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT THAT BALANCING PIECE, UH, THIS BODY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, GOING FORWARD, IF THERE IS THE WILL TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, UM, THAT MAY NOT BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT YOU'VE SEEN YEAR OVER YEAR, UM, WHICH IS WHY THIS BODY ALSO CAN, UM, YOU ARE THE DETERMINANT OF WHAT THAT PROPERTY TAX, UM, UM, FROM A REDUCTION WHAT IT CAN BE.
SO WE WELCOME THAT CONVERSATION, BUT THESE ARE REALLY IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR RESIDENTS AND WHAT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO JUST EVEN THE REDUCTION THAT EVEN WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED.
SO I THINK OVERALL, THESE ARE, THESE ARE POLICY TYPES OF DECISIONS, UM, THAT CAN BE DISCUSSED OVER AND BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO LEAD TO DO, TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW.
SO WE DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENT THAT YOU'RE ADDRESSING.
WE ALSO SEE THAT FOREGONE REVENUE, UM, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
BUT THOSE ARE ALSO BENEFITS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
ALSO, THE ONE THAT I THINK WAS APPROVED, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS 2022 OR 2023, OR IF IT'S A DAYCARE FACILITY, THEY RECEIVE A HUNDRED PERCENT EXEMPTION.
AND I THINK AGAIN, THAT WAS A DECISION AND WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THOSE DECISIONS.
THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE IN THE ACTUAL BUDGET.
SO THAT, THAT REALLY IS THE ANSWER.
BUT COUNCIL CAN ALWAYS TELL US IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT DOES NOT VIOLATE OR PUT US OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW.
I BELIEVE WE ARE TO OUR MAYOR PRO TEM FOR FIVE MINUTES ON ITEM EIGHT.
UM, I WANT TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ABOUT
[02:30:01]
HOW WE ARE FORECASTING, GROWING OUR SALES TAX REVENUE AND OUR NEW CONSTRUCTION, WHETHER THAT'S BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR, UM, TAX RATE OR WHETHER WE'RE FORCED TO BY SB TWO.AND SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS, IS THIS BUDGET UNDER THE CURRENT, UH, PROPERTY TAX CAP? AND ARE WE FOLLOWING ANYTHING AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WOULD REDUCE THE CAP, UH, THROUGH SPECIAL SESSION? SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
THIS BUDGET IS UNDER THE PROPERTY TAX CAP.
AND SO THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO CITY COUNCIL TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE BY HALF CENT, UM, IS NOT REQUIRED BY SB TWO.
UM, I BELIEVE ON SLIDE, UM, 40 OR 41, WE ARE SHOWING THE STATE REQUIREMENTS.
SO THE CURRENT TAX RATE IS 70.47 CENTS.
THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, WHICH IS THE CAF, IS 70.33 CENTS.
AND SO THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET IS 69.97 CENTS.
AND SO THEN AS WE'RE, UH, FORECASTING I I GUESS YEAR 27, 28, ARE WE PLUGGING IN THOSE NUMBERS OF, OF UH, 2.0 AS A CAP? NO.
SO FOR FUTURE GROWTH, WE ASSUME, UH, THE 3.5% CAP.
AND THEN WE ALSO ASSUME, UM, MODEST INCREASE FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, SO ABOUT 3.5 BILLION.
AND, AND SO FOR THAT CITY MANAGER, UM, HOW CAN WE BE OF AN ASSET TO HELP SHAPE HOW WE'RE GROWING OUR CITY FOR NEW REVENUE COMING IN? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, AND I JUST WANNA GO BACK JUST QUICKLY FOR JUST A SECOND.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK, I KNOW I GOT THE REQUEST AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO IT'S FROM, BUT IF WE WERE TO ALSO LOOK AT THIS BUDGET, UM, UNDER WHAT'S IN THE, THE WORKS NOW REGARDING ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX CAPPING, UM, WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO WITH THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
SO WE'RE GONNA COME BACK AND SHOW YOU THAT ANALYSIS BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE BODY.
UM, I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHEN, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SALES TAX, 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT GROWING SALES TAX, I THINK WE HAVE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY, UM, BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND HOW VOLATILE THAT TAX IS.
IT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PROJECT BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW.
UM, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY NOT A DEFINITE SOURCE WITH A DEFINITE NUMBER EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO MOVE.
UM, AS WE THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM THE STREAMLINING THAT WE'VE DONE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DO BUSINESS IN OUR CITY.
I THINK LAST YEAR WE CAME RIGHT INTO THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND WAYS THAT WE HAD TO CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR CONSTRUCTION, OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND ALL OF THOSE PROCESSES, BRINGING THEM INTO MORE OF A BUSINESS FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT TO WHERE PEOPLE WANNA DO BUSINESS WITH US AND THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE HASSLES THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT, PEOPLE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT IT AND THAT WE'VE SEEN.
SO I THINK WE'RE TURN, WE'VE TURNED THE CORNER.
WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO MORE TO SHOW THAT WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
AND THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORDS THAT WE'VE USED, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OPTIMIZING THE WAY WE DO OUR STAFFING, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT LOOKING AT NATURAL EFFICIENCIES, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WAYS TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE TO HELP US BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND DOING IT IN A WAY THAT WE TRULY BRING THE GROWTH.
IT'S THE TARGETED GROWTH THAT WE KNOW WE HAVE TO HAVE ACROSS THE CITY, AND WE'RE DOING IT IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY.
AND SO AS WE CONTINUE TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, 'CAUSE I THINK WHAT I'M HEARING FROM COUNCIL, YOU WANNA UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THOSE DIRECT PROGRAMS AND THE WAYS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING BUSINESS FRIENDLY, BUT ALSO THAT WE'RE BEING FISCALLY SOUND.
THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WANNA CONTINUE TO HAVE AND ACTUALLY GET YOUR INPUT TOO IN WAYS THAT AS WE TALK ABOUT GROWING OUR SALES TAX DOLLARS BY DALLAS BUY IN DALLAS, THERE ARE THINGS THAT I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HOW WE HOPE TO DO THOSE HAVING, UM, THAT OUTSIDE TRUE MARKETING EXPERTISE GUIDING US THROUGH THOSE TYPES OF CAMPAIGNS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FEEDBACK.
AND IN ADDITION THAT WHAT I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS SEEING THAT THERE IS A DECLINE IN, OR THAT WE DIDN'T MEET OUR FORECASTED SALES TAX LOOKING AT, WE'RE DOING WITH CONSTRUCTION AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAVE PROJECTS ALONG COMMERCE STREET THAT ARE GONNA BE THREE YEARS IN THE MAKINGS AND THE IMPACT THAT THAT'S DOING DIRECTLY BACK TO, UM, THE SALES TAX.
UM, I WANNA TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY A LITTLE BIT.
JACK, I THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT THE, THE UH, POINT IN TIME STUDY, WAS THAT DONE IN, IN FEBRUARY? IT WAS DONE IN MARCH.
AND SO WHO IS THAT? HOW DO WE DO THAT STUDY? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT TO SEE WHAT SALARIES ARE?
[02:35:01]
SO, UM, THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, WE HAVE A CONSULTANT THAT WE WORK WITH THAT DOES THE, THE PEER SURVEY.UH, IN MARCH, ACCORDING TO OUR MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT, THERE'S 17 PEER CITIES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THAT.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE ENTRY LEVEL PAY AND THE TOP OF THE RANGE FOR THE POLICE OFFICER.
SO THE ENTRY AND THE TOP OF THAT FIRST, UH, RANK AND, UH, MEET AND CONFER, UH, COMBINED, DOES AN AVERAGE OF OUR PEER CITIES AND ALSO INCLUDES A COMBINATION OF POLICE AND FIRE.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT.
AND THEN THIS YEAR WE TOOK IT A STEP FURTHER AND WE DID A SURVEY OF THE, UH, CITIES WITH POPULATION GREATER THAN 50,000 THAT ARE IN THE FIVE COUNTY REGION, LOOKING AT STARTING POLICE OFFICER PAY, AS WELL AS ANY NON PENSION BENEFITS SUCH AS ASSIGNMENT PAY, EDUCATION PAY, AND BILINGUAL PAY.
AND THAT WAS USED FOR THAT PART OF THE STUDY.
AND THEN, SO THIS IS FOR NEW OFFICERS.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS TO OFFICERS THAT JUST GOT HIRED THIS YEAR OR TWO YEARS AGO AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE, UH, NOT BEING SHORTSIGHTED.
YEAH, ANYTIME THAT, UH, THE PAY IS INCREASED, IF IT JUMPS OVER SOMEONE, EVERYONE'S BROUGHT UP TO THE NEW PAY, NO ONE IS LEFT AT A LOWER PAY.
UM, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THE, UH, SENTIMENT OF, UH, APPRECIATION FOR AI WITH, UM, UH, WITH CODE.
UM, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE NIGHTTIME ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, OBVIOUSLY THAT THAT'S CRITICAL FOR WHETHER IT'S IN NIGHTTIME LIFE OR IN SHORT TERM RENTALS, UM, IS THERE ANY CLARITY OR ADDITIONAL TOOLS THAT CODE NEEDS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR, THEIR JOB? AND I KNOW WE HAVE A NEW NIGHTTIME MANAGER IN, IN CODE WORKING ON THOSE, BUT WHERE ARE WE WITH, UM, ENSURING THAT CODE KNOWS, UH, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AS FAR AS DANCE HALL PERMITS, AS FAR AS CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCIES THAT ARE, UH, CLUBS VERSUS RESTAURANTS? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
PRO TEM CODE COMPLIANCE IS EQUIPPED WITH THE TOOLS THAT WE NEED FROM AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE.
OUR OFFICERS ARE TRAINED TO DO THE CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY RESEARCH, THE SUP, THE DANCE HALL LICENSE PERMITS TO CHECK OUR, UM, FOR DALLAS SYSTEM TO ENSURE THAT THE THINGS THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT SHOULD HAVE, THEY DO HAVE.
AND IF THEY DON'T, THEN WE'RE ISSUING A NOTICE OF VIOLATION AND WE'RE ESCALATING THAT ENFORCEMENT PROCESS THROUGH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AS WE HAD IN TIMES PAST.
WHERE WE RUN INTO CHALLENGES IS IN THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, AND WE TRY TO, UH, GO A CIVIL ROUTE WITH THE NOISE CITATIONS.
UH, IT'S NOT ALLOWED BY TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE TO ISSUE THE NOISE CITATIONS AS A CIVIL CITATION, UH, WITH A PRESUMPTION TO THE PROPERTY OWNER.
AND SO WHAT CREATES CHALLENGES FOR US THERE IS THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE PERSON CREATING THE NOISE VIOLATION OR, OR HOSTING THE PARTY.
THAT WOULD MEAN CODE OFFICERS WOULD NEED TO GO TO THE DOOR, KNOCK ON THE DOOR, RING THE DOORBELL, IDENTIFY THE PERSON WHO'S HOSTING THE PARTY, THROWING THE PARTY, OR CREATING THE NOISE, AND THEN IDENTIFY THAT PERSON AND ISSUE THEM A CRIMINAL CITATION.
UH, THAT'S WELL BEYOND THE SCOPE OF SOMETHING THAT A CO COMPLIANCE OFFICER CAN DO BY THEMSELF AND IS QUITE PRACTICALLY, UH, RESO RESERVED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT AND MOST MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, NEXT ONE IS UNDER, UH, I BELIEVE LIVABLE THE, UM, 10 MILLION FOR, UM, HOMELESS.
UM, UH, IT'S UNDER WHAT, SORRY, UNDER VIBRANCY IS THE 10 MILLION FOR TO HOUSE OUR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN SHELTER.
AND SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND, IS THIS CONTINUING DOING WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING, OR IS THIS DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING THIS NEW HOUSING PATHWAY FRAMEWORK AND THE HOME AFTER SHELTER INITIATIVE FOCUSES ON REALLY REHOUSING FROM SHELTERS, RIGHT? WE'VE, WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT INITIATIVES, STREET TO HOME, AS YOU KNOW, WE WERE REACHING TO FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING ON OUR STREETS.
THIS INITIATIVE IS FOCUSING ON INFLOW OUTFLOW.
SO BASICALLY WE ARE REHOUSING FROM SHELTERS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CREATING THAT CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE IN AND SET 'EM ON THE PATH OF HOUSING.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THE, OBVIOUSLY WE KNOW THAT PROPERTY VALUES ARE
[02:40:01]
INCREASING.WE, WE HAVE A, A MODEST, UH, DECREASE IN THE CAP THAT'S GOING UP.
BUT SOMETHING THAT I SEE CONTINUING TO GO UP IN IS FEES.
AND SO IS THERE, UH, A SLIDE IN HERE THAT SHOWS US HOW FEES HAVE INCREASED OVER, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR? SO, UM, THE CHARGES FOR SERVICES SLIDE IN THE REVENUE SECTION THAT CAPTURES, UM, MOST OF OUR FEE INCREASES.
SO THAT IS ON SLIDE, SORRY, 30.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, OUR ACTUALS FOR CHARGES FOR SERVICES IN FISCAL YEAR 24, UM, 109.9 MILLION.
UM, OUR FORECAST FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 IS 115.9, AND THEN WE'RE BUDGETING 114.5.
SO CHARGES FOR SERVICES CAPTURES PRIMARILY OUR FEES.
AND, AND SO IF I CAN ADD TO THAT, THOSE ARE THE FEES THAT ARE CHARGED WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO DIRECT US TO SLIDE 75 AND 75 IS, UH, A MONTHLY UTILITY BILL PROJECTION RELATED TO OUR WATER AND WASTEWATER FEE, OUR STORMWATER FEE, SANITATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP FEE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE CURRENT FEES TOTAL, 125.21, UH, SORRY, $125 AND 21 CENTS, UH, GOING UP TO $131 AND 1 CENTS.
UM, SO THIS MIGHT BE WHAT YOU'RE REFERENCING? YES.
NOW THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THAT WE HAD, UH, A PROPERTY TAX, UH, REDUCTION.
THIS IS JUST THE UTILITY FEES.
AND, AND THESE ARE NOT IN THE REVENUES JEANETTE MENTIONED, 'CAUSE THOSE ARE GENERAL FUND AND THESE ARE ENTERPRISE.
MR. GRACIE, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES ON ITEM A.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, JUST REAL QUICK, AND I, I'M NOT GOING TO BE TOO REDUNDANT, BUT I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP ON, ON A COUPLE OF THINGS.
IT WAS THE, THE 291 PROGRAMS, WE ALSO GETTING A LIST OF THAT, BUT ALSO HOW THOSE PROGRAMS ARE FUNDED.
UH, AND THEN FOR, UH, THE POSITIONS, JUST HOW THOSE 270 OR SO POSITIONS WERE IDENTIFIED AND, AND AS THEY WERE, UM, UM, MY COMPUTER'S RESETTING, SO I CAN'T REMEMBER THE TERM, BUT AS THEY WERE REPURPOSED AND, UM, PERFORMANCE METRICS, WHAT, HOW WILL WE MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE OF, OF, OF THESE ADJUSTMENTS? AND I KNOW WE HAVE THE, THE KPIS THAT ARE IN THE, WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS AND THINGS, BUT WITH THESE MOVES, JUST HOW ARE WE BEING ABLE TO MANAGE THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE RIGHT MOVES AND, AND IT'S DELIVERING WHAT WE ANTICIPATED FROM A PRIORITY BASIS, FROM A, UH, SERVICE BASIS, FROM A COMMUNITY, UH, RESPONSE BASIS, BUT ALSO FROM A PROGRAMMATIC PERSPECTIVE, ENSURING THAT, UH, CERTAIN PROGRAMS THAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS DON'T GET LOST IN ALL OF THIS SHUFFLE.
AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE'RE LOOKING TO TRY TO CONSOLIDATE PROGRAMS AND THINGS, BUT MAKING SURE WE DON'T LOSE CERTAIN PROGRAMS IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS.
SO, BEING CLEAR, HAVING CLARITY ON HOW THEY'RE FUNDED, UH, AND, AND THEN THE POSITIONS A ASSOCIATED WITH THEM AND, AND HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS.
AND THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, GRACIE, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THAT WE'VE POINTED OUT IS THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN POSITIONS THAT WE DEFINITELY NEEDED TO MOVE INTO AREAS THAT ARE TRULY PRIORITY.
UM, POLICE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BEING ONE, BECAUSE WE HAVE NEW POSITIONS THAT WE ARE HIRING FOR, BUT WE ALSO REPURPOSED POSITIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, UM, WHERE THEY IDENTIFIED POSITIONS THAT HAD NOT BEEN FILLED AND HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO RE-LOOK AT THOSE POSITIONS TO MOVE THEM EVEN WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE POSITIONS THAT WERE IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY TO, UH, TO TAKE BACK OVER OPERATIONS OF FAIR PARK.
SO WE'LL DEFINITELY GIVE YOU THAT LIST TO WHERE YOU SEE WHERE THE REPURPOSING HAPPENED, AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW THOSE POSITIONS ARE STILL IN ALIGNMENT WITH SOME OF THE SERVICE DELIVERY, UM, PERFORMANCE OVERALL CONCERNS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS.
AND SO WE'LL GIVE YOU THE BREAKDOWN TO WHERE YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED ACROSS ALL THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, BUT PRIMARILY THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS ARE WHERE YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE POSITIONS THAT WE HAD TO REPURPOSE.
AND I GUESS MAYBE THE OTHER LAYER IS WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
SOME OF THEM ALSO ARE GOING TO BE POSITIONS THAT WERE VACANT THAT NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO THOSE AREAS TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE CAPACITY, UH, NEEDS AND, AND ADDITIONAL POSITIONS.
WAS THAT IT, MR. GRACIE? OKAY.
UH, I THINK WE'RE ON THE ROUND TWOS NOW FOR EVERYONE LAST SEE IN THE QUEUE.
SO, UM, CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES ON BRIEFING ITEM.
MAY, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'M SORRY, MR. MR. RESENDEZ? YES, SIR.
[02:45:01]
RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.UH, I JUST WANNA BEGIN, UH, BY POINTING OUT WHAT I THINK IS COMICAL.
AND A LITTLE BIT OF IRONY IS THAT WE BEGAN A, UH, DISCUSSION ABOUT EFFICIENCY 24 MINUTES LATE, AND NOTHING SAYS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, LIKE PAYING EVERYONE TO SIT AND WAIT.
UM, ANOTHER THING I WANTED TO TO POINT OUT IS THAT IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE HAVE THESE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS, IT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO AIR OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GRIEVANCES AND THEIR THOUGHTS, AND WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, RIGHTFULLY SO.
UH, BUT I, I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY THE NEW MEMBERS, THAT THESE, THESE DISCUSSIONS ARE ONGOING AND THEY'RE YEAR ROUND.
UM, WHEN WE GET TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET, IT'S A LOT OF IT'S BASED OBVIOUSLY ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAVE WITH STAFF AND IN PARTICULAR OUR CITY MANAGER.
SO I WANNA JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UM, GIVE IT A TRY, SPEAK, SPEAK TO STAFF WITH RESPECT, UH, TREAT THEM LIKE HUMAN BEINGS AND, AND, AND, AND YOU MIGHT NOT BE SURPRISED THAT YOU'LL SEE YOUR PRIORITIES IN, IN THE BUDGET.
AND SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, UH, I WANNA THANK STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IN PREPARING THIS PROPOSED BUDGET.
UH, Y'ALL'S EFFORTS REFLECT A, A THOUGHTFUL AND AND STRATEGIC APPROACH TO DELIVERING ON, ON THE PRIORITIES OF OUR, UM, THAT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY CARES MOST ABOUT POLICE STREETS AND PEOPLE.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, OUR INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN AI VISION ZERO AND BIKE LANE INFRASTRUCTURE REFLECT THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO INNOVATION, SAFETY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM, FROM OUR RESIDENTS, OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS AND STAKEHOLDERS AT OUR BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO ENSURE THAT THE FINAL BUDGET NOT ONLY REFLECTS THESE SHARED PRIORITIES, BUT DOES SO IN A WAY THAT IS EQUITABLE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF, OF THOSE WE SERVE.
NOW WE ARE, I BELIEVE, TO ROUND TWO AND WE'LL GO TO CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSSOHN FOR THREE MINUTES.
DID I MISS IT? HAVE WE RECEIVED THE NO NEW REVENUE BUDGET? I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE THAT PREPARED.
UM, DEFINITELY WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
WE CAN SEND THAT OUT, UM, TO YOU ON THIS FRIDAY, SO WE DO HAVE THAT PREPARED FOR YOU.
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO GET THAT SOONER THAN FRIDAY? I'LL SEND IT TO YOU TODAY.
UM, MY NEXT THING IS I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR NOT GOING TO THE CAP OF 3.5%.
I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY BOLD THING FOR A CITY MANAGER TO DO, AND SO I DO WANNA GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR THAT.
UM, AS BEEN POINTED OUT, UM, SB NINE FOR THE SPECIAL SESSION WOULD PROPOSE A 2.5% CAP.
NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING WILL PASS AT ALL, UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND AND, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE AT LEAST WORKING IN THAT DIRECTION.
AS YOU HAVE POINTED OUT ABOUT REVENUE FOREGONE, I THINK YOU SHOULD ADD ANOTHER ITEM, WHICH IS OUR DART SALES TAX, BECAUSE WE ARE GIVING UP $474 MILLION A YEAR FOR TRANSIT.
AND I THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE NOTED.
UM, THE NEXT ITEM IS THERE ISN'T MUCH ATTENTION AND THERE NEVER IS ABOUT THE FUTURE BUDGET, MEANING FISCAL YEAR 27, WHICH IS PROPOSED THERE.
BUT COME NEXT YEAR WHAT'LL HAPPEN IS THERE'LL BE THE SAME ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE HAVE A BUDGET SHORTFALL.
WE ARE NOT GONNA MEET WHAT WAS PROPOSED IN FOR THIS WITH THE CURRENT CONDITIONS.
AND WE HAVE A BIG HOLE AND THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF DRAMA IN HEADLINES, AND THEN MIRACULOUSLY WE'RE GONNA GET THERE.
AND SO I WOULD SAY TO YOU, WE KNOW THAT, UM, GOING UP TO THOSE CAPS AND MAKING THOSE, UM, YOU'RE NOW PROPOSING 5.39 BILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 27.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT NUMBER SHOULD BE SHAVED DOWN AND IT PROBABLY SHOULD BE SHAVED DOWN TO A 2.5% REVENUE CAP.
UM, JUST GIVEN ALL THINGS, THERE WAS A STATEMENT MADE ABOUT, UM, A LOWERING GROWTH RATE IN COLLIN AND DENTON COUNTIES.
WE ARE JUST BUILT OUT, WE ARE FEELING FINANCIAL IMPACTS FROM THE SILVER LINE IN REDUCED, UH, PROPERTY APPRECIATION FOR ALL OF THOSE HOMES, OF WHICH THERE ARE SIX AT GRADE CROSSINGS AND LOTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE ALONG THIS RAIL LINE, THEY ARE MUCH LESS DESIRABLE.
BUT WHEN I LOOK BACK, FISCAL YEAR 23, WHAT WE SAW IN THE INCREASE IN REVENUE FROM PROPERTY TAX WAS OVER 132 MILLION FISCAL YEAR 24 DOWN TO 107 MILLION FISCAL YEAR 25, 106 MILLION, BUT FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 DOWN TO JUST 65 MILLION.
[02:50:01]
EVERY SINGLE YEAR WE'VE HAD A REDUCTION IN THE INCREASE IN REVENUE FROM PROPERTY TAXES, EVEN THOUGH APPRAISALS HAVE SKYROCKETED OVER THIS TIME.UM, SO I HAVE A NUMBER OF OTHER QUESTIONS.
HOW MIGHT WE PUBLICLY THAT'S GET ANSWERS FOR THEM, YOUR TIME FOR THIS ROUND, AND I NEED TO GO BACK TO, UH, MR. BAZEL, DO IT FOR, UM, FIVE MINUTES FOR FIRST ROUND.
BUT COULD THAT QUESTION BE ANSWERED? YEAH, IT CAN GO.
SO, UM, THAT IS FOR THIS ROUND.
YOU HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE, BUT WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU AFTER THAT.
SO GO AHEAD AND NO, GO AHEAD AND ANSWER HER QUESTION.
ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED, WHETHER WE RECEIVED THEM, UH, VERBALLY IN, EXCUSE ME, IN A MEETING LIKE THIS, OR WHETHER WE RECEIVE THEM, UH, SENT TO US IN WRITING, WE WILL, UH, RESPOND IN WRITING TO THE FULL COUNCIL.
WE WILL PUT THOSE ON THE WEBSITE WITH THE FRIDAY MEMOS SO THAT THEY ARE PUBLIC IN THAT REGARD.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU AND WE DO WELCOME ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WERE NOT PRESENTED TODAY.
IF THERE ARE, UM, MEETINGS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ON ANY INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF THE BUDGET THAT CONCERN OR THAT YOU WANNA OFFER ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK, WE WELCOME THAT AS WELL.
BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, AND THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION AND THANK Y'ALL FOR Y'ALL'S HARD WORK.
I, I WANTED TO JUST, UM, HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'M, I AM VERY, UH, PROUD OF, UH, THE BUDGET, UM, PRIORITIZING, UM, CITY MANAGER.
I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS A DEFINITELY A, A A DIFFICULT YEAR.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT YOU HAVE MET THIS MOMENT, UM, AND PRESENTED US WITH A BUDGET THAT, UH, WAS NOT EASY TO ACCOMPLISH.
AND I THINK THAT IT, IT REALLY, UM, DOES ADDRESS THE PRIORITIES THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS LAID OUT, UM, IN, IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL AND BALANCED WAY.
UM, I AM, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, SEEING US ENHANCE OUR DIVERSION PROGRAMS AND PROVIDING MORE RESOURCES TO THOSE WHO ARE IN MOST NEED.
UM, I KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD A GREAT DEAL FROM, UH, DISTRICT SEVEN RESIDENTS, UH, AND THE, UM, ANIMAL, UM, ACTIVIST COMMUNITY.
AND SO SEEING THAT WE'VE PRIORITIZED PUTTING MORE MONEY IN, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES FOR CRUELTY SPECIFICALLY IS, UH, IS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M VERY PLEASED AT.
UM, KNOWING THAT WE LOST THE FIGHT AND, UH, DURING THE BOND IN INCREASING OUR, UH, CONTRIBUTION AND INVESTMENT TO, UH, STREETS AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
SEEING YOU BEEF THAT UP, UH, FROM WHAT WE WERE TOLD NEEDS TO BE, UM, UH, ALLOCATED TO MAINTAIN ZERO DEGRADATION IS, UM, IS EXACTLY, UH, WHAT I WANTED TO SEE BE PRIORITIZED, UH, INCREASING OUR, UM, OUR LANE MILES OF OUR BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR MANY YEARS.
AND SO TO SEE THAT CONTINUE TO GO UP IN THAT WAY, AND THEN LOOKING, YOU KNOW, AT HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO ADDRESS, UM, SALARIES AND PAY WITH OUR POLICE AND FIRE THROUGH MEET AND CONFER, UM, WHILE STILL HOLDING THE DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNTABLE, I WANT TO GIVE YOU KUDOS.
'CAUSE SOMETHING THAT YOU DID THAT YOUR PREDECESSOR NEVER DID WAS CHALLENGED THE USE OF OVERTIME.
AND IT'S BEEN COMPLETELY MISMANAGED AND ABUSED WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THERE'S BEEN NO DEPARTMENTS OF OUR CITY WHO HAVE BEEN GIVEN A BLANK CHECK WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE FINALLY REIGNED IN A ROGUE DEPARTMENT, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, OUR OVERTIME, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE MAINTAINED OUR COMMITMENT TO INVEST IN FAIR PARK, UH, AS A CITYWIDE ASSET.
AND, UH, DESPITE, UH, CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT, UH, A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT HAVE, UM, HA HAVE LEFT US, UH, TO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD ON, ON WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS OPERATING, MOVING FORWARD.
WE CAN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT BEFORE THERE WAS EVER A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT IN PLACE, THAT WE HAD, UH, UH, CLOSE TO A BILLION, UH, A HALF OF A BILLION DOLLARS IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ALREADY, UH, IDENTIFIED.
SO, UM, PROACTIVELY ADDRESSING THAT IS SOMETHING I'M VERY PROUD OF AND, AND WANT TO THANK YOU FOR PRIORITIZING, UM, FROM SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT I'VE HEARD.
I, I WILL SAY THAT I THINK THAT THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS, AS SKILLED AS IT WAS TO LEAVE SOME MONEY ON THE TABLE, IF YOU WILL.
UM, I, I, I BEG THE QUESTION, UM, ON WHETHER THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE.
UH, SAVING THIS HALF A PENNY IS GREAT FOR US TO TELL OUR RESIDENTS THAT WE'VE SAVED HALF A PENNY, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, WE HAVEN'T SAVED ANY MONEY, UM, UH, FOR OUR RESIDENTS.
AND I'D LIKE TO SEE, UH, HOW THESE CONVERSATIONS GO
[02:55:01]
AND HOW THAT MONEY COULD BE BETTER USED TO THE PRIORITIES, UH, THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE, UH, PUT FORTH.AND A PRIORITY OF MINE IS, UH, OUR LIBRARIES.
AND SO I WANT TO, UH, UM, PUBLICLY GIVE COMMITMENT TO MY COLLEAGUE, MS. BLACKMAN, THAT, UH, I, I WILL BE SUPPORTIVE OF HELPING, UM, TO, TO FILL THAT VOID.
BUT OVERALL, I WANNA THANK OUR, UM, UH, BUDGET TEAM, JACK, UH, ALL OF YOUR TEAM, JEANETTE.
Y'ALL ARE, UH, REALLY INCREDIBLE.
THANK Y'ALL FOR THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.
THIS WAS, UH, A BUDGET SEASON THAT I WAS REALLY DREADING GETTING INTO.
AND, UM, TO START IT, I THINK THAT WE'RE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE THAN I THOUGHT WE COULD HAVE BEEN.
AND THAT'S, UH, BECAUSE OF Y'ALL'S, UM, DUE DILIGENCE AND, UH, Y'ALL'S COMMITMENT TO MAKE, MAKING SURE THAT THIS COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES REFLECTED IN OUR BUDGET.
UH, DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TEM, UH, GAY DARNELL.
SO JUST TO, TO KIND OF JUMP BACK IN ON, ON THAT AS FAR AS, UH, OUR, OUR TAX RATE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DIRECTED US TO THE SLIDE ABOUT FEES, YOU KNOW, DW ET CETERA.
BUT THE REALITY IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE FEES AND, AND RATES THAT ARE INCREASING ON OUR RESIDENTS THROUGH OTHER UTILITIES AND JUST GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE NOW.
AND SO, UH, AS I LOOK AT OUR TAX RATE, UH, I KNOW LAST YEAR A LOT MORE WAS DELIVERED, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE THE INCOME RATE DOESN'T INCREASE AT THE RATE.
THESE, THESE, OUR, OUR FEES AND OTHER SERVICES ARE INCREASING.
SO THAT REALLY PUTS RESIDENTS IN A BIND.
SO I KNOW THAT WE HAD EXPLORED A COUPLE YEARS AGO, AND I JUST, I DO NOT KNOW IF GPFM EXPLORED IT OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT ON EFFICIENCY STUDIES TO SEE IF THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE, IN ADDITION TO ALL THE WORK AND THE SCRUBBING THAT'S BEEN DONE BY, UH, STAFF, IS THERE, HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING DONE? I MEAN, I LOOK AT DEPARTMENTS WITH REALLY BIG BUDGETS.
I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT DPD AND AND AND DFR ARE KIND OF LOOKING AT THEIR SELF-CONTAINED KIND OF OWN SELF-EXAMINATION ON PRACTICES, BUT I LOOK AT THE PARK DEPARTMENT, THAT'S $120 MILLION, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ADDING PEOPLE.
UM, ARE, ARE, IS IT RUNNING THE BEST WAY THAT IT COULD TO BE EFFICIENT, WHERE AT SOME POINT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DELIVER A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW WE'RE STUDYING.
I MEAN, WHETHER THAT'S CITY MANAGER OR YOU JACK ON, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE OPERATIONALLY SOUND IN SOME OF THESE, UM, DEPARTMENTS WHERE THEY'VE GOT A, A BIG PRICE TAG.
UH, DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TEM, WE DEFINITELY WELCOME, UM, THE COMMENTS BECAUSE I THINK IT TRULY SHOWS THAT AS AN ORGANIZATION OF OUR SIZE, WE'VE GOTTA CONTINUE TO LOOK AT WHAT THE BEST PRACTICES ARE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO ADDRESS, ARE WE DELIVERING ON THOSE PRIORITIES WITH REAL IMPACT? AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WHEN WE STARTED LAST YEAR'S BUDGET DISCUSSION, LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE HAD TO COMPLETELY REIMAGINE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT MODELS ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.
I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY FOR THE PARTS DEPARTMENT, BUT WHAT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT I'VE HAD, UH, CONVERSATIONS DIRECTLY WITH, UM, DIRECTOR JENKINS ABOUT THE WHOLE BUSINESS ELEMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE PULLED INTO, UM, THAT DEPARTMENT LOOKING AT THEIR CURRENT REVENUE GENERATING MODELS MM-HMM
AND SO I DO BELIEVE THAT BASED ON WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE CITY COUNCIL OR WITH THIS LAST YEAR, THAT THE VERY COMMENTS THAT YOU'RE MAKING ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE GOTTA DO BETTER.
I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONGOING EFFICIENCIES AND DWU, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL THE OPERATIONAL, UM, EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IN SANITATION.
I THINK IT HAS TO BE ACROSS THE BOARD, AND I THINK AS WE WORK THROUGH IT, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE FEE STUDIES THAT I THINK WE DO EVERY OTHER YEAR, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UM, UH, MR. IRELAND, BUT I THINK WE DEFINITELY ARE EVEN LOOKING AT THAT, EVEN IN THE IT WORLD.
I HEARD A FEW MINUTES AGO SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE ITS' DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET.
WE'RE GONNA BE ELEVATING THAT WORK AND LOOKING AT WHAT TYPES OF SYSTEMS DO WE NEED.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE IN THE CYBER WORLD.
A LOT OF THAT HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS AND WE'VE HAD TO ALLOCATE MORE RESOURCES BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMETHING THAT IF WE DON'T PUT IN THOSE PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS, THEN WE CAN'T PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR SYSTEMS OVERALL.
SO I THINK EFFICIENCIES, ALTHOUGH WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY CALLING OUT EFFICIENCY STUDIES THAT WE'RE FUNDING THROUGH THE BUDGET, IT'S HAPPENING AT THE DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL.
AND IN THOSE AREAS WHERE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE, I WOULD SAY, GREATER RISK, WE DEFINITELY WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THAT ACCORDING TO BEST PRACTICES CURRENTLY IN THE INDUSTRY.
BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
AND I MEAN, THAT WAS ONE EXAMPLE OF A DEPARTMENT, BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THAT HAS A BIG PRICE TAG, BUT, UM, IT'S JUST SOMETIMES WE CAN LOOK AT IT INTERNALLY, BUT WE NEED THE FORCED EXAMINATION THAT HAS BROUGHT THE OBJECTIVITY, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THAT, THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS EXIST.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT SOME OF THE ONE OFF REVENUE OR OR FUNDING SOURCES, UH, IT CONCERNS ME TOO.
[03:00:01]
I'M WONDERING, WE TALK ABOUT OUR REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO.I KNOW WE'RE MAKING PRO SLOW PROGRESS, BUT I THINK IT'S TIME TO REALIZE SOME THINGS.
AND I'M SEEING SOME OF THE ONE OFF EXPENSES THAT I WISH COULD BE OFFSET WITH, UH, A REAL ESTATE SALE SO THAT WE COULD HANDLE IT THAT WAY AND STILL LOOK AT THE TAX RATE AND WHAT KIND OF IMPACT WE COULD MAKE THERE.
AND WE'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR FROM THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT MAKING THAT A PRIORITY, WHICH IS WHY IN THIS BUDGET, THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT I'M REAL PROUD THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
NUMBER ONE, WE BRIEFED THE CITY COUNCIL IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR ABOUT THE NEED FOR A FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT.
WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT INVENTORY, THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY GO AND INVEST IN.
NOW REGARDING OUR FACILITIES, THAT'S NUMBER ONE.
BUT WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT A REAL ESTATE MASTER PLAN.
BOTH OF THOSE PIECES ARE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET AND THAT WAY WE'RE NOT DOING IT IN A HODGEPODGE FASHION, BUT WE REALLY HAVE THE COMPLETE BODY OF WORK, AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW WE MOVE THAT WORK FORWARD.
BUT BOTH OF THOSE ARE IN THE BUDGET, AND WE DO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S GONNA HELP US DELIVER EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO NOT ONLY MONETIZE, BUT WE'VE GOT LEASES, UM, OF SPACES ACROSS THE CITY.
DO WE NEED THAT MUCH? WELL, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT.
SO HAVING THAT MASTER PLAN AS WELL AS THAT FACILITIES CONDITION ASSESSMENT, I BELIEVE WILL BE GREAT TOOLS THAT WE CAN COME BACK TO THIS BODY AND WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE SOME BETTER INFORMED DECISIONS AND ALL FOR THE BETTER INFORMED DECISIONS.
BUT BEING ABLE TO DIVEST OURSELVES IN THE NEAR TERM TO HELP GIVE SOME RELIEF, UM, I, I, I JUST, I WANNA BE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT LOSING SIGHT OF THAT AND, AND DON'T LET THAT GO ON ANY FARTHER THAN IT SHOULD.
I'M GONNA GET JUST REAL QUICK INTO SOMETHING REGARDING, YOU KNOW, BUILDING.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION AND WHERE WE ARE ON PERMITTING, WHICH THANKFULLY IS NOT THE HEADLINE IT ONCE WAS.
HOWEVER, I'M WONDERING WHAT CAN BE POINTED TO THAT WILL RESOLVE INCONSISTENT, CONFLICTING DECISIONS, DIRECTING OR RULINGS.
I MEAN, IS THIS, UH, TECHNOLOGY OR PERSONNEL? YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN HELP REDUCE THE EIGHT MONTH PLATING PROCESS IN THE FACE OF SB EIGHT 40? UH, DO WE HAVE A MECHANISM THAT'S GONNA HELP US FAST TRACK OR EXPEDITE AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT THROUGH PERMITTING? I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF HELPING US HELP OURSELVES, HELPING THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, GET ON WITH THE BUSINESS OF, OF BUILDING.
UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PROAM? MM-HMM
UM, YOU HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN THERE AND, UH, I THINK, I'M TRYING TO, THE FIRST PART, UM, WE'VE BEEN CLOSELY MONITORING THE CONDITION OF, UM, BASICALLY THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
AND THE FIRST HALF THE YEAR WE DO SEE A LOT OF SLOWING DOWN.
UM, BUT, UH, EVERYTHING WE SEE THE TREND IS LOOK LIKE WE ARE IMPROVING THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR, HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND OUR DEPARTMENT IS PREPARED TO HANDLE THAT.
IT SHOULD BE A SMALL INCREASE.
UM, I ALSO, IF I'M MISS ANYTHING, PLEASE REMIND ME ALSO, UM, SB EIGHT 40.
UM, UH, YOU, YOU JUST HAVE THAT, UH, MEMO FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
INTERPRETATION OF STAFF HAS BEEN MONITORING, UH, THAT BILL.
AND IN ADDITION TO A FEW, QUITE OTHER BILL THAT IMPACT OUR DEPARTMENT WORKING ON THAT, WE'RE WORKING ON WORKING WITH CITY ATTORNEY OFFICE, HOW TO APPLY, FOR EXAMPLE, SENATOR BILL EIGHT 40 TO THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO IMPACT ON OUR PERMITTING SITE.
MAY REDUCE THE WORKLOAD FOR OUR ZONING TEAM THOUGH, BECAUSE THEY DON'T NEED GO THROUGH THE REZONING.
SO WE ARE REALLOCATE OUR RESOURCES TO, UM, TO THE PLACE WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE NEED.
UM, I STILL THINK WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF REVIEW.
I KNOW THE NEW PERMITTING COMMERCIAL PERMIT, IT TAKES ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS.
UM, BUT WE ARE, UM, USING THIS YEAR A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE THE, UH, EFFICIENCY.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UM, A ADDITIONAL, UH, I THINK, UH, ONE THING I'M REALLY, REALLY PROUD IS CHANGES THE CULTURE TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE IMPROVEMENT, REDUCE THE PERMIT, UH, REVIEW TIME.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT SB EIGHT 40 DOES WITH REGARD TO OPENING UP THE DOORS FOR MULTIFAMILY, BUT IT HAS STRIPPED US OF THE, UM, ABILITY TO INCENTIVIZE AFFORDABLE.
AND THAT'S WHY WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO HELP EXPEDITE THAT MIGHT GIVE A DEVELOPER INCENTIVE IN OTHER PROJECTS TO GET MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BACK INTO OUR STOCK, IS WHAT I'M, I'M GETTING AT.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT TO MAKE SURE IT'S EASIER TO BUILD IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO HELP INCENTIVIZE OUR DEVELOPER WORKING ON THE DEVELOP, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MAYBE SCHEDULE SEPARATE MEETING.
[03:05:01]
HAVE ADDITIONAL IDEA, I WOULD LIKE TO LISTEN TO ALL OF YOU.HOW WE CAN IMPROVE COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH.
UM, JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS ON, UH, IN THE PAST, UH, SEVERAL MEETINGS, WE'VE BEEN APPROVING A LOT OF CONSULTING FEES.
UH, WHERE, WHERE ARE THE CONSULTING FEES SORT OF LOCATED IN THE, IN THE DETAIL? IS IT, IS, IS THAT LINE ITEMS 30 70 AND, AND 30 72? IS THAT SORT OF WHERE ALL THE CONSULTING FEE AND PROFESSIONAL FEES ARE? IT, IT, THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE STARTED A FEW YEARS AGO, IF YOU GO TO THE BUDGET DOCUMENT, WHERE IT'S LOCATED ONLINE, IF YOU SCROLL DOWN, THERE ARE EXCEL FILES FOR THE GENERAL FUND, ENTERPRISE FUNDS AND INTERNAL SERVICE FUNDS.
WE DETAIL COMMENTS OF WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THOSE EXPENSE OBJECTS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE CONTRACT DETAIL, UH, ONLINE BECAUSE I MEAN THAT, THAT REPRESENTS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE'RE SPENDING.
I MEAN, IT'S SORT OF MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT, WHAT WE'RE REALLY DOING WITH THOSE MONTHS OF MONEY.
UH, THE SECOND THING IS, IS, UM, TO, THIS IS NOT A REFERENDUM OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT OUR, OUR BUDGET IS REALLY RELIANT TREMENDOUSLY ON PROPERTY TAXES.
AND, UM, I'M, I'M A LITTLE BIT, UH, CURIOUS BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW, HAVE THE NUMBERS AS TO WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE HFCS AND THE PFCS, UH, TAX, UH, EXEMPTION AND TAX ABATEMENT PROGRAMS ARE HAVING ON US.
AND I WOULD CAUTION THIS GROUP THAT WHEN WE'RE EVALUATING, UH, ANY KIND OF PROGRAM THAT WOULD, UH, EXEMPT OR, OR, UH, OR, UH, OR, UH, YOU KNOW, DISAPPEAR
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE PRESERVE THAT, UH, POSSIBILITY.
THE SECOND THING IS, IN A, IN A, IN A POPULATION OF EMPLOYEES OF 15,000 PEOPLE, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT A HUNDRED PEOPLE IS ALL THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO, UM, REVIEW.
AND THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S NOT, UH, AN EFFICIENT, UH, YOU KNOW, REVIEW OF, OF OUR GENERAL EMPLOYEES.
THAT BEING SAID, I THINK ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES NEED TO BE PAID PROPERLY.
THEY NEED TO BE PAID, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, AT THE, AT THE TOP OF THE LEVELS THAT WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT.
AND I'M CONCERNED, AND I'D LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION ON WHAT THE EFFECT ON THE MEDICAL, UM, UH, BENEFITS, UH, CHANGE THAT WITH WHAT THAT'LL HAVE ON OUR EMPLOYEES.
ARE THEY GONNA BE LOSING ANY BENEFITS? AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, I'D LIKE TO, TO HOPE THAT THAT WOULD BE NOT THE CASE.
SO REGARDING OUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, UH, THERE'S NOT A REDUCTION IN, UH, IN OUR PROGRAMS OR OUR SERVICE.
THERE IS A, UH, INCREASE IN PREMIUMS, I BELIEVE, UM, DEPENDING UPON THE PLAN.
UH, SO THERE IS A PREMIUM INCREASE, BUT NOT A REDUCTION IN THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE IS.
SO IT'S GONNA COST THE EMPLOYEES A LITTLE BIT MORE TO YES.
AND, AND WE, UH, WE DID, UH, GO BACK OUT, UH, WITH THE SOLICITATION AND, AND GET NEW CONTRACTS FOR OUR BENEFITS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE ABOUT $12 MILLION OF SAVINGS THROUGH THAT EFFORT.
UH, SO WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO KEEP CONTROL THOSE COSTS, BUT WE DO SHARE THE COST WITH THE, UH, INDIVIDUALS, THE, THE EMPLOYEES AND THE RETIREES THAT ARE ON THE PLANS.
UH, MY LAST POINT, SO RELATIVE TO REAL ESTATE AND OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, SITUATIONS, I, I'D LIKE TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THERE'S ADEQUATE FUNDS IN RESERVE FUNDS, UH, FOR, UM, PREVENTATIVE AND FUTURE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS FOR REAL ESTATE IN OUR FACILITIES.
I KNOW THAT YOU DID INCREASE ONE OF THOSE LINE ITEMS FROM A MILLION TO 2 MILLION.
I, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO, UH, SORT OF GET SOME COMFORT THAT THAT IS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT AND IF, IF ANY OF OUR RESERVE POLICIES HAVE TO BE IMPROVED, UH, I THINK THAT'S A PRIORITY, ESPECIALLY IN VIEW OF, OF THE NEED TO, UH, MANAGE OUR, OUR FUTURE FUNDS, UH, JUDICIOUSLY.
MAYOR, MAY I BE RECOGNIZED FOR A MOTION? UM, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE AN ACTION ITEM.
I STILL BELIEVE I CAN MAKE A MOTION THOUGH THE MOTIONS TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ALLOW A THIRD TERM, UH, IN ASKING QUESTIONS TO GO FROM ONE MINUTE TO THREE MINUTES.
UH, BEFORE WE DO THAT, I'M GONNA GO TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON FOR FIVE MINUTES.
UH, I WAS LOOKING AT SLIDE 1 0 2, OFFICE OF EQUITY INCLUSION,
UH, WHERE, WHERE WOULD THEY BE PLACED? WHAT OFFICE WOULD THEY BE PLACED IN?
[03:10:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE QUESTION AND I'LL START.UM, IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, WHAT WE'VE LAID OUT A COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON, IS A CONSOLIDATION OF FOUR DIFFERENT AREAS TO CREATE A NEW OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT THAT'S TAKING THE CURRENT OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION, THE PIECES OF THAT OFFICE THAT CONTINUE THE WORK AROUND VETERANS AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES.
OUR WORK AROUND FAIR HOUSING WOULD BE INCORPORATED IN THAT DEPARTMENT.
WE WOULD ALSO BE TAKING THE CURRENT HOUSING, UM, DEPARTMENT IN ITS CURRENT FORM.
AND THE PIECES THAT WOULD BE REMAINING, UH, WOULD GO INTO, UM, THAT OFFICE AS WELL.
SO IT'S REALLY TAKING THOSE COMPONENTS AND THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE, EXCUSE ME, AND BRINGING THOSE ALL TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF.
WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SERVE PEOPLE, THOSE DEPARTMENTS TOUCH PEOPLE DIRECTLY EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THIS CONSOLIDATION.
IT WOULD ALLOW FOR US TO CONTINUE WITH THIS WHOLE HOUSING PATHWAY THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
AND JUST FOR POINT OF REFERENCE, YEARS AGO, THOSE PIECES WERE ACTUALLY TOGETHER.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY ABOUT BRINGING THOSE, UH, THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS BACK TOGETHER TO WORK IN TANDEM IN A MORE COLLABORATIVE WAY TO DELIVER GREATER IMPACT TO THIS COMMUNITY.
SO IT'LL BE UNDER, IT'S A CREATING A NEW DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
AND THAT'S TAKING THOSE FOUR DISTINCT DEPARTMENTS NOW AND BRINGING THOSE ALL TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF.
AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO ALSO LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK, UH, UTILIZING THE EXPERTISE WITHIN THOSE AREAS TO FORM THIS CONSOLIDATED DEPARTMENT.
SO MORE FROM IT WOULD CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THINGS FROM AN EAD EQUITABLE LENS.
OUR FOCUS THAT AS WE SHARED WITH THE CITY COUNCIL LAST WEEK, IS HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO DELIVER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE BRINGING THEM UP, PULLING THEM OUT OF POVERTY AND SETTING THEM INTO MORE OF A THRIVING, UM, UM, JUST AN OVERALL THRIVING ATMOSPHERE ACROSS ALL PARTS OF THE CITY.
UH, 'CAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT THE, THE HOMELESS, UH, COMMUNITY, AN UNHOUSED COMMUNITY, AND THOSE THAT'S IN OUR SHELTER HOMES.
DO WE HAVE ENOUGH SHELTER BEDS? UH, AND IF SO, DOES THIS BUDGET, UH, DOES, DOES THIS BUDGET FIND ANY? IF SO, HOW CAN WE, UH, MOVE THE CURRENT BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SHELTER BEDS FOR OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY? THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE QUESTION.
I THINK IT CAME UP EARLIER ABOUT THE WAYS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE OVERALL HOMELESS ECOSYSTEM AND WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED IN THIS BUDGET, WHICH IS SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE'VE SEEN THROUGH SOME OF THE OTHER DOLLARS AND THE WAY WE'VE ALLOCATED IS THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON HOW DO WE CREATE MORE OF AN OUTFLOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE MOVING OUT OF SHELTERS, WE KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, THAT ARE IN OUR SHELTERS OR PEOPLE THAT GO TO WORK EVERY DAY AND THEY STILL HAVE NO PLACE TO CALL HOME.
HOW DO WE MOVE INDIVIDUALS AND NOW GET THEM PLACED INTO HOUSING, PROVIDE THE ONGOING SERVICES THAT THEY NEED, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, FREE UP SPACE IN OUR CURRENT SHELTERS TO WHERE WE CAN GET PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL LIVING ON THE STREET TO HAVE PLACES, UH, TO ACTUALLY STAY AT NIGHT.
SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS AS AN OVERALL, UH, INFUSION OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE ENTIRE HOMELESS ECOSYSTEM.
SO WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR CURRENT SHELTER THAT SUPPORTS OUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN, WHICH IS FAMILY GATEWAY, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BRIDGE, WHICH IS, UM, OUR ONLY TRUE ADULT, UM, SHELTER HERE IN THE CITY THAT IS OWNED BY THE CITY AS WELL AS AUSTIN BRIDGE AND MANY OTHERS THAT ARE PART OF HELPING US STRENGTHEN THIS ECOSYSTEM.
SO THIS IS REALLY ABOUT AN INFUSION OF AN INVESTMENT TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM IN MOVING PEOPLE OUT.
SO RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE A PARTICULAR DOLLAR AMOUNT OR ARE WE STILL CURRENTLY THAT AMOUNT IN THE LINE ITEM FOR THE BUDGET THAT'S BEFORE YOU IS A, IS ROUGHLY $10 MILLION.
BUT NOW LET ME JUST MAKE, MAKE CLEAR THAT IS ONLY FOR THAT COMP, THAT PIECE.
WE ALSO HAVE FUNDING IN OUR BUDGET AROUND THE ONGOING EFFORTS AROUND DIVERSION BECAUSE WE'VE ALSO HEARD, AND WE HAVE CURRENT CONTRACTS THAT ARE IN PLACE AROUND HOW WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON DIVERSION STRATEGIES.
WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED FUNDING TO SUPPORT ONGOING HOMELESS PREVENTION, WHICH OFTENTIMES WE HEAR ABOUT EVEN LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF NEW PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY FELL INTO HOMELESSNESS.
SO WITH ALL THIS WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON ONE SIDE OF IT, THEN WE HAVE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE FALLING INTO HOMELESSNESS.
SO WE REALLY, AGAIN, ARE TRYING TO IMPACT OVERALL THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM SO THE BUDGET CAN MAKE, UH, DEAL WITH THE IMPACT.
DO WE KNOW HOW MANY, UH, DOES THE DATA SHOW HOW MANY PEOPLE FALL INTO HOMELESS IS PER YEAR? I'M GONNA GO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD AND I DO SEE OUR CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE HOMELESS SOLUTIONS TO CORRECT ME.
BUT I BELIEVE LAST YEAR ALONE THAT NEARLY 8,000 NEW PEOPLE BETWEEN DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY FELL INTO HOMELESSNESS.
BUT I'LL LET CHRISTINE CROSSLEY, UM, CORRECT ME, I SOMETIMES I HAVE A REALLY GOOD MEMORY, BUT I MAY BE DRAWING A BLANK ON THAT ONE.
YOU HAVE A REALLY GOOD MEMORY.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT, OH, IT'S 8,000 AND CHANGE.
CITY MANAGER, UH, COUNCILMAN BROOKE
YES, JACK, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR, UM,
[03:15:01]
THIS BUDGET AND ALSO, UM, CITY MANAGER TOLBERT, UM, Y'ALL PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS.UM, AS A STAFFER, I WANNA SAY THAT I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
'CAUSE I KNOW WHEN I REFERRED, UM, CONSTITUENTS OVER TO SOME OF THESE RESOURCES, SOMETIMES IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY NEEDED TO GO.
AND SO AS I WAS READING THROUGH THIS, THIS DEFINITELY MAKES SENSE AND I HOPE THAT IT IS GONNA MAKE IT EASIER FOR SOME OF OUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, AND THOSE THAT CARE ABOUT THEM TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS SOME OF THOSE SERVICES.
UM, AND I WAS ALSO GLAD TO SEE JUST CONTINUED FUNDING, UH, FOR EVICTION ASSISTANCE.
UM, ALSO I WORKED ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN WITH COUNCIL MEMBER NAR VICE WAS HERE, SO ALSO A COMMITMENT TO THAT TO CONTINUE.
AND THEN ALSO WITH OUR ARTS COMMUNITY AS WELL, I KNOW THAT THE FUNDING IS CONTINUING AT THE SAME LEVEL, SO THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.
UM, AND THEN ALSO THE HOME REPAIR PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR, UM, MY WEST DALLAS RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT SIX.
UM, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION THOUGH.
UM, I KNOW WE TALK A LOT ABOUT OUR OFFICERS, UM, AND UH, RECRUITING, BUT I KNOW AN IMPORTANT PIECE ALSO IS RE RETAINING OUR CURRENT, OUR OFFICERS AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE CONTINUING, BUT WILL THERE BE A PAY INCREASE FOR THEM OR WHAT OTHER, UM, RESOURCES TO HELP TO CONTINUE TO RETAIN OUR OFFICERS? SO WE ARE CONSI CONTINUING OUR SICK LEAVE, UH, BUYBACK PROGRAM.
AND SO THAT IS A RETENTION METHOD THAT WE INITIATED IN THE CURRENT YEAR.
WE FOUND THAT, UM, IT HAS ACTUALLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF SICK DAYS THAT, UM, INDIVIDUALS CALL IN.
WE DO HAVE OUR RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE AS WELL.
SO THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET.
SO WE ARE CONTINUING THOSE PROGRAMS THAT HELP WITH RECRUITMENT.
I'D LIKE TO JUST ADD ANOTHER PIECE TO THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK YOU WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE CURRENT OFFICERS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE MARKET PAY FOR OUR DEPARTMENT OVERALL, THOSE EXISTING OFFICERS ALSO BENEFIT FROM THAT MARKET PAY INCREASE.
I KNOW WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE NEW RECRUITS AND THAT STARTING SALARY, BUT THERE'S ALSO BUILT INTO THIS BUDGET AN OVERALL MARKET RATE INCREASE ALSO FOR THE EXISTING OFFICERS.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
BUT THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
UM, MY NEXT QUESTION IS, I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE DELAYING PURCHASING OF VEHICLES.
IS THAT CORRECT? ON PAGE 68, IT SAYS PAUSE THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM AND CERTIFICATION FEES.
I'M JUST WONDERING WHERE ARE WE ON THE EV STUFF, OUR EV REPLACEMENT STUFF? I'M GONNA HAVE DUNVILLE.
UM, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, DUNVILLE GIBSON, RIC VINCENT COMING, UM, FORWARD.
WE ARE DEFINITELY CONTINUING WITH OUR, UM, ELECTRIFICATION OF VEHICLES THROUGH OUR WHOLE CCAP COMPLIANCE.
BUT I'LL LET THEM SHARE MORE DIRECTLY ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE AND THEN BEFORE THEY ANSWER THE REFERENCE ON PAGE 68 AND IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENT IS ACTUALLY REFERRING TO ONE DEPARTMENT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO THAT WAS PART OF THEIR EFFICIENCY STRATEGY.
UM, NEXT THING I WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
UH, I JUST WONDERING WHERE WE WERE ON THAT.
UM, SO THE NEXT THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT PROPERTY TAX RATE, BUT I THINK WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE VALUES AND THAT'S PART OF THE EQUATION.
UM, AND IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE 33, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN I MOVED HERE IT WAS, I MEAN, YOU, YOU CAN SEE HOW JUST THE DATA SHOWS THAT IT'S JUST TRENDING UPWARD AT SOME POINTS, IT'S BEYOND THE NORM.
SO I, I THINK WE NEED TO ASK THE LEGISLATURE, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS IS UNDER THEIR PURVIEW ON HOW DO WE WRANGLE THE APPRAISAL PART OF THIS EQUATION.
IT'S NOT JUST ON THE TAX RATE.
'CAUSE YOU CAN SEE IT COMING DOWN, BUT YET THESE, THE, THE VALUES, I THINK IT STARTED, UM, FROM WHAT I'M SEEING, LIKE IN 2015, IT JUST LITERALLY JUMPED CRAZY.
AND, UM, AND AT THE, AT THE, AT THE, AND, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT THERE SHOULDN'T BE AN INCREASE IN VALUE IN YOUR PROPERTY, IT JUST NEEDS TO NOT BE SO DRASTIC.
AND SO I DO THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ASK FOR HELP ON THAT.
AND SO THIS BODY MAY NEED TO GO TO THE LEGISLATURE AND SAY, LET'S, LET'S LOOK AT THE VALUES.
'CAUSE I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME DATA HERE THAT SHOWS THAT THE, I MEAN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIVE YEAR GROWTH IS 10, BUT THE IN THE, AND THEN THE 10 YEAR GROWTH IS 8.5, BUT THE 30 YEAR GROWTH IS 5.8.
SO YOU, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT STARTED TAKING OFF 10 YEARS AGO.
SO THAT, THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS AND UH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE'LL PEOPLE WRANGLE US ABOUT THIS, BUT I THINK THEY NEED TO
[03:20:01]
LOOK AT IT.AND I DON'T SEE ANYONE IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD FOR A ROUND TWO, UH, BEFORE WE GO TO ROUND THREE.
UH, TYPICALLY IT IS ONE MINUTE, HOWEVER, UH, WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO INCREASE THAT TO THREE MINUTES.
AND SO WITH THE, AN IMPORTANT TOPIC IN DISCUSSION LIKE THIS, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE OUR THIRD ROUND TO THREE MINUTES, CITY SECRETARY.
UM, AND WE WILL, UH, BEGIN WITH, UH, DEPUTY MAYOR PROTO.
UM, NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO, UH, YOU ALL, UH, SAY THE, THE BEST FOR LAST
UM, I APPRECIATE THE ADDITION OF FIRE PREVENTION OFFICERS AND ALSO OUR HIGH RISE FACILITY INSPECTION.
UM, BECAUSE SOMETIMES TO GET AHEAD OF EXPENSES, UM, YOU'RE ALSO GETTING AHEAD OF TRAGEDY.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING I REALLY WAS IMPRESSED TO SEE ADDED IN.
BUT MY QUESTIONS ARE AROUND A FEW OF THE TOOLS WE'VE GOT.
LIKE WE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT POPPED UP ON THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AND IT PROBABLY WOULD'VE BEEN FOURTH IN MANY OTHER DISTRICTS.
BUT I LOOK AT SPEED FEEDBACK MACHINES AS A TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TOOL.
AND I DUNNO THAT I SAW THOSE REPRESENTED.
ARE WE LOOKING TO INCREASE SPEED FEEDBACK, UM, MACHINES OR ALSO CAMERAS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE AVAILABLE? BECAUSE THESE ARE DETERRENTS, YOU KNOW, AND THEY CERTAINLY MAKE THE NEIGHBORS FEEL BETTER, BUT I THEY HAVE BEEN SHOWN AT LEAST IN DISTRICT 13 TO DETER ACTIVITY CRIME ACTIVITY.
UH, MARTIN RIOJAS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT OVER THE FINANCIAL BUREAU IN THIS BUDGET, WE ARE INVESTING IN A CAMERA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH IS GONNA BE IMPROVING OUR CAMERA SYSTEM.
IT'S A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND CAMERAS.
UH, WE HAVE CAMERAS TODAY, BUT THEY ARE NOT AS HIGH RESOLUTION AS THE, THE PROPOSAL AS THIS INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO MAKE.
AND, UM, THE CAMERA SYSTEM HAS INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE THAT'LL ALLOW US TO SEE IN REAL TIME ACTIVITY, SUCH AS IT CAN, THE CAMERA SYSTEM CAN DETECT WRONG WAY DRIVERS, IT CAN DETECT CROWDS GATHERING THAT MAY BE AN A CONCERN.
AND SO THIS CAMERA SYSTEM IS GOING TO ALERT US AND GIVE US REAL TIME INFORMATION.
AND IT'S, IT'S AN, AN IMPROVE IMPROVEMENT OVER OUR CURRENT SYSTEM TODAY.
SO IT'S NOT JUST FLOCK, IT'S ALSO THESE OTHER MECHANISMS LIKE IN A PARKING LOT OR A PARK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THIS, AND WE ARE ALSO CONTINUING TO INVEST IN FLOCK CAMERAS AND TO CONTINUE THAT FUNDING AS WELL AS THESE CCTV CAMERAS THAT I JUST MADE REFERENCE TO.
AND THEN SPEED FEEDBACK MACHINES TO SLOW FOLKS DOWN.
UM, I, LET ME, UH, ASK, UH, I HAVE TO CONFER WITH SOMEBODY THAT, THAT I KNOW IN TECHNOLOGY TO SEE IF WE INVEST IN THAT AND THAT COULD COME TO US SO THAT WE KNOW.
BUT I MEAN, WHEN WE LOOK AT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, THAT DOESN'T JUST LIVE WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
SO ANOTHER ISSUE IS WE HAD PILOTED SHOT SPOTTER OR THE FIREFLY, AND I THINK THERE WAS JUST ONE, BUT WHERE IS THAT IN THIS, RIGHT.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO CON, UH, THAT PROGRAM, THE, THE SHOT DETECTION SYSTEM IS STILL IN OUR BUDGET AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO FUND THAT.
AND WE ARE, WE HAVE BEEN TESTING IT AND USING IT, AND I THINK RECENTLY WE FOUND, WE ACTUALLY DID FIND AND MADE AN ARREST AS A RESULT OF THAT SYSTEM THAT WAS JUST RECENT.
AND SO THAT IS, THAT IS CONTINUING TO, TO BE IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR TOOL TOOLBOX.
AND THEN ON ON EMPLOYEES AND STAFFING UP, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT RETIREE ACTIVATION THROUGH A THIRD PARTY.
IS THAT PART OF WHAT I'VE, I'M READING IN HERE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR NUMBERS INCREASING, IS THERE A RETIREE ACTIVATION COMPONENT? I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THE BRINGING BACK RETIRED OFFICERS, BUT HAVING THEM WORK OH, THROUGH A THIRD PARTY BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO MESS UP THEIR PENSION, RIGHT? YES.
OH, LET ME, LET ME ANSWER THAT.
MARTIN, UH, DOMINIQUE ART IS CHIEF OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE'RE ALL WORKING THROUGH, UM, TWO, TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS EXACTLY.
ONE WITH THE MARSHA'S OFFICE THAT HAS A POSSIBILITY OF, UH, HIRING BACK RETIRED DPD OFFICERS IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY AND ALSO THROUGH, UH, THE CONTRACT THROUGH, UH, HR THAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT THAT WOULD NOT BE IN THE CAPACITY OF AN OFFICER.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE TWO PATHWAYS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO POSSIBLY DO WHAT YOU JUST ASK.
I MEAN, I THINK WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT, IT'S AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE.
THEY'RE TRAINED, THEY KNOW IT IN AND OUT.
THEY CAN MENTOR OTHER OFFICERS.
AND SO I JUST WANNA BE SURE THAT THAT'S STILL MOVING FORWARD.
AND THEN, UM, ON PAGE 13, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE SLIDES BECAUSE WE ARE SHOWING SOMEONE WHO IS EITHER A 3 1 1 OR 9 1 1 OPERATOR.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU KNOW, LOVE YOU, BUT IT'S ALWAYS THE UNIFORMS. AND SO I LOVE SEEING THIS.
AND THAT SAID, UH, MR. URIBE, UM, I I I NOTICED THAT WE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS FILLING SOME POSITIONS, AND IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, THESE ARE HIGH STRESS POSITIONS.
SO DO WE NEED, IS IT, UM, SALARIES? ARE WE LOOKING AT OUR SALARIES FOR THIS, THIS ROLE, THIS ROLE? ALSO IN TALKING WITH THESE OPERATORS, SOMETIMES THEY JUST WANT COUNSELING AT THE END OF
[03:25:01]
A SHIFT BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SO DIFFICULT.OR DO WE NEED TO GIVE THEM A DIFFERENT VACATION STRUCTURE TO JUST KEEP THEM AND SUPPORT THEM MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH WISE? WHERE ARE WE ON THAT? UH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
VE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE 9 1 1 BUREAU.
UH, SO ULTIMATELY WE'VE DONE SOME GREAT WORK WITH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH HR, WHERE WE ESTABLISHED A CAREER LADDER FOR THE STAFF.
UH, SO WE'VE ADDED, UH, THAT COMPONENT.
UH, OUR, UH, WELLNESS TEAM IS WORKING REALLY WELL WITH OUR, UH, STAFF, UM, REGULARLY ON, ON THE CRISIS SITUATIONS THAT THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH, UH, ON A DAY IN, DAY OUT BASIS.
SO ULTIMATELY WE'VE TAKEN A, A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT, AT THE STAFFING MODELS, AT THE, AT THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE PROVIDING FOR ALL OUR GROUPS.
UM, AND ULTIMATELY THERE'S ALWAYS MORE WORK TO DO, BUT RIGHT NOW WE'VE MADE SOME REALLY GOOD STEPS.
WELL, THAT'S OUR CRITICAL INTERFACE WITH THE PUBLIC, AND I WANNA BE SURE WE'RE FILLING THOSE ROLES AND THAT WE CAN RETAIN PEOPLE KNOWING THAT IT'S SO DIFFICULT.
AND I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS, UM, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, I JUST WANNA SHINE SOME LIGHT ON THOSE FOLKS.
UM, FINALLY, I WILL SAY THAT IN LOOKING AT THE FEE REVIEWS UNDER IMPOUNDED VEHICLES, AND I HOPE WE STUDY THIS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE THROUGH QUALITY OF LIFE OR, UM, ALONG THAT LINE, BUT YOU KNOW, THE FOLKS THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THE, UM, THIS ARE SO OFTEN JUST SOCIOECONOMICALLY, UH, STRESSED ALREADY, AND I DON'T LIKE TO PUT THAT ON THE BACKS OF OUR MOST COMPROMISED RESIDENTS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN RACK UP 75 TO A HUNDRED DOLLARS BEFORE THEY'RE EVEN NOTIFIED OF WHERE THEIR VEHICLE IS.
SO I JUST, I WANNA KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AND EXAMINING TIME, WHETHER THAT IS WHERE WE NEED TO FIND MONEY, AND I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR MONEY, BUT FOR WHATEVER ROUND THIS IS, I WORRY ABOUT THAT ONE.
I'M TOLD WE'RE DOING THREE MINUTES AND, BUT THIS IS THE LAST ROUND OF, OKAY, SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE DONE FOR TODAY KIND OF THING.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.
SO IS IT OKAY IF I GO TO CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSON NOW? IS THAT RIGHT? IT'S VERY OKAY.
AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES NOW, BUT YOU'RE ALSO YOUR LAST ROUND.
I KNOW IT'S, I BELIEVE ONE YEAR WE DID ACTUALLY EXTEND THE TIME.
UM, I THINK THESE ARE MY FINAL QUESTIONS THAT I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GET IN.
WE'RE SPENDING $5 MILLION ON TRAVEL DUES MEMBERSHIPS ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.
HAS THERE BEEN CONSIDERATION OF REDUCING THAT, SAY 25% AS WE'VE LOOKED AT EFFICIENCIES? UM, WE HAVE LOOKED AT TRAVEL MEMBERSHIP, UH, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, THOSE ARE REALLY, UH, TOUGH BECAUSE WE WANT TO ATTRACT THE, THE, THE, THE BRIGHTEST.
UM, WE WANT TO IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE UP TO DATE IN TERMS OF HOW WE ADMINISTER SERVICES.
SO IT'S A BALANCE BETWEEN MAKING SURE THAT WE OFFER THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF, OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND, UM, LOOK FOR EFFICIENCIES.
BUT YES, WE, WE HAVE LOOKED AT THAT ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.
THIS IS A PLACE TO BE ABLE TO CUT WITHOUT IMPACTING SERVICES TO RESIDENTS.
NUMBER TWO, UH, $6 MILLION THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON CELL PHONES ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.
IS THERE A POLICY ON HOW WE PAY FOR THAT? WHO GETS ONE A MAXIMUM AMOUNT REPLACEMENTS? YES, THERE IS.
WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE THAT ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THE MOBILE USE FOR OUR TEAM.
UM, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS LIKE HAVING DIRECT ACCESS TO NOT ONLY, UH, MYSELF, OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, BUT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE MANAGER LEVEL WITHIN DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO THE EXPECTATION IS, IS THAT THOSE STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE OFTEN ON THE FRONTLINE ANSWERING QUESTIONS DIRECTLY WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE, WE ENSURE IN OUR BUDGET THAT THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO USE THEIR PRIVATE DEVICES.
SO WE DEFINITELY HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE THAT SHARES, UM, DETAILS AROUND DISTRIBUTION, HOW THOSE CELL PHONES ARE TO BE USED AND GOVERNED.
UM, BUT THAT IS IN, UM, THE CITY MANAGER'S PERVIEW.
SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT $6 MILLION IS FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS AND UP? I'M SAYING THAT THAT COVERS ALL OF THE POSITIONS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR MOBILE USE AND BEING ABLE TO USE THOSE MOBILE PHONES ALSO OUT TO RESPOND TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION.
SO THAT IS NOT JUST FOR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS OR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, THAT'S FOR THE ENTIRE, UM, ORGANIZATION ACROSS SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER IT'S OUR FIRST RESPONDERS THAT HAVE MOBILE DEVICES, WHETHER IT'S MANAGERS IN THE DEPARTMENTS, WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTIVE THAT GOVERNS THAT.
SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY TO ME, $32 MILLION FOR OVERTIME FOR CIVILIAN.
IS THERE, UM, SOME SORT OF CAP OR A PHILOSOPHY THAT'S WRITTEN ABOUT ALLOWING SUCH
[03:30:01]
OVERTIME? I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE CAP, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IT IS GOVERNED BY APPROVAL, UM, UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND, WHETHER IT'S AT THE SUPERVISOR LEVEL, AND WE'RE OFTEN TALKING ABOUT POSITIONS, WHETHER IT'S, UM, THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT DURING WEATHER, INCLEMENT WEATHER EVENTS, THESE ARE GONNA BE OUR DRIVERS THAT ARE OUT ON THE STREET AND THEY'RE WORKING LONGER THAN NORMAL SHIFTS, WHETHER THEY'RE APPLYING SAND APPLICATION TO KEEP OUR STREETS SAFE.THESE ARE THE ACTUAL DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE DOING MORE OF THAT FRONTLINE WORK ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
AND SO OFTENTIMES, DEPENDING ON THOSE WEATHER RELATED EVENTS, WE MIGHT HAVE TO SPEND MORE, WHETHER IT'S ALSO THE STAFFING THAT WE USE, UH, IN OPERATION OF THE INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER.
SO IT'S A, IT'S AN OVERALL NUMBER AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY DICTATED BY ONE PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT.
UM, UH, I THINK ON PAGE 24 IT SAYS THAT YOU ARE MOVING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PROPOSITION G AND H FROM THE BOND OFFICE TO ECO DEV.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ROBIN BENTLEY'S GONNA COME AND ADDRESS THAT ONE FOR YOU, COUNCILWOMAN.
IF YOU CAN ADD IN THAT THE ECO DEV BUDGET DIDN'T INCREASE WITH THAT CHANGE.
THERE'S NO STAFF MOVING TO ECO DEV.
WHAT IS MOVING OVER ARE THE LEFTOVER 2017 HOUSING BONDS AND THE 2024 HOUSING BONDS, AND THEN THE FUNDS THAT ARE GENERATED THROUGH, UH, HELP ME, JACK, WITH THE NAME OF THE PROGRAM, THE ZONING DENSITY PROGRAM, WHEN PEOPLE PAY INTO THE FUND, I'M BLANKING ON THE NAME, THAT FUND WILL ALSO MOVE TO ECO DEV AND IT'LL JUST BE ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX TO HELP FUND PROJECTS.
AND SO NO NEW STAFF WAS ADDED, JUST, UM, REALLOCATION OF THE PROGRAMS. SO IS THAT HOW YOU DIDN'T CHANGE THE ECO DEV BUDGET BECAUSE PART OF THE ADMIN FEE FOR THE BOND WILL PAY FOR IT? NO, WE DON'T CHARGE ANY ADMIN TO THE BONDS.
IT'S THE SAME STAFF THAT ARE DOING PROJECTS NOW, WILL CONTINUE DOING PROJECTS.
THEY'LL JUST HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP FUND THE PROJECTS.
SO IS THERE A CONSIDERATION OF MOVING OTHER BOND PROPOSITIONS INTO DEPARTMENTS AND ELIMINATING THAT OFFICE THAT IS NOT ON THE TABLE AT THIS TIME? COUNCILWOMAN, I THINK WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM US TODAY IS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING THE, THE WORK TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL ORGANIZATION.
AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT, AND I CAN SEND THIS BACK IN A MEMORANDUM SINCE LAST YEAR ALONE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT WAS IN PLACE PRIOR TO 2024 AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT'S IN PLACE TODAY, I THINK YOU WOULD VISIBLY SEE THE CHANGES THAT WE HAVE MADE AND HOW WE'VE LOOKED AT DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURES, OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO LOOK AT OVERLAP, DUPLICATION AND HOW WE'RE BRINGING THOSE DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE THAT WORK GOING FORWARD.
BUT I THINK THE CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART THAT I THINK WAS PRESENTED TODAY IN YOUR BUDGET PRES PRESENTATION CLEARLY SHOWS YOU THE DIRECTION THAT WE HAVE, THE PATH THAT WE HAVE BEEN ON AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
ARE THE BOND OFFICE STAFF PAID FOR OUT OF THE BOND? YES, MA'AM.
SO IT IS PAID AS AN ADMIN FEE? CORRECT.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE PAID AS A, UM, PROGRAM DELIVERY COST FOR PROJECTS THAT THEY WORK ON.
UH, THE BOND OFFICE IS SET UP AS AN INTERNAL SERVICE FUND AND THEY CHARGE THE PROJECT FOR THE PROGRAM DELIVERY COST.
UM, I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT OFFLOADING OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE INTO FEES.
SO LAST YEAR WE ADDED A $3 FEE, ENVIRONMENTAL FEE TO THE WATER BILL.
RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE ESTIMATE IS ABOUT A $5 INCREASE TO WATER.
UM, AND THEN YOU'RE MOVING FROM YOUR DW I'M SORRY, FROM DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES TO SANITATION, THE PICKUP OF THE DEAD ANIMALS.
UM, SO AGAIN, YOU'RE TAKING A GENERAL FUND ITEM AND MOVING IT TO A FEE.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT ON THE FEES, IT'S ACTUALLY BURDENING OUR RESIDENTS MORE THAN COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL'S NOT PAYING A WATER BILL, UM, UH, FOR INDIVIDUAL USERS, THEY'RE DOING ONE BILL.
THEY'RE ALSO, UM, UH, SO ANYHOW, I, I THINK THERE'S A VERY DIFFICULT CONVERSATION TO BE HAD ABOUT CONTINUING TO ADD FEES ON INSTEAD OF JUST BEING MORE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PROPERTY TAX RATE.
AND I RECOGNIZE THAT WE WOULD LIKE THAT RATE TO BE LOWER, BUT WE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE LOWER WITHOUT OVERBURDENING PEOPLE WITH FEES.
I WAS VERY SHOCKED TO SEE THE SANITATION RATES FOR HOUSTON AT ZERO.
IT'S ACTUALLY PAID OUT OF THEIR GENERAL FUND NO FEE.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SANITATION FEES ACROSS NORTH, UH, ACROSS TEXAS, DALLAS IS NUMBER TWO.
AUSTIN OF COURSE IS NUMBER ONE $58 AND 40 CENTS A MONTH, BUT THERE'S NO OTHER CITY ANYWHERE NEAR US THAT PAYS THIS MUCH FOR SANITATION,
[03:35:01]
AND THEN WE'RE ADDING MORE TO IT.SO I THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM THERE.
AND THEN THE LAST COMMENT I'M GONNA MAKE IS THAT THERE'S NO NEED TO ADDRESS THE VALUATION ISSUE.
WE ALWAYS CAN MITIGATE FOR OVERVALUATION BY REDUCING OUR TAX RATE.
UM, I, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THE STATEMENT ABOUT THE DEAD ANIMAL PICKUP.
UM, SO EVEN WHEN THE SERVICE WAS ACTUALLY IN DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES, IT WAS REIMBURSED BY SANITATION.
SO THERE IS NO, UM, MOVEMENT OF EXPENSES BETWEEN THE GENERAL FUND AND SANITATION.
IT, IT WAS ALWAYS A SANITATION EXPENSE.
MR. ROTH, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR THREE MINUTES.
IF ON THE, UM, UH, UM, I, I SAW IT, BUT I CAN'T FIND IT.
UH, WHERE, WHERE IS THE, UH, THE PLANNED, UH, DEVELOPMENT OF THE, THE POLICE FACILITIES FOR THE TRAINING FACILITIES AND STUFF? WHERE'S, WHERE ARE THOSE FUNDS ALLOCATED? IT SHOULD BE IN THE BUN PROGRAM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
AND WHEN WE IDENTIFY, ARE THEY IN YES, SIR.
IN THE BUN PROGRAM? SO IN THE BUN PROGRAM OFFICE, WE'LL BE MANAGING THAT PROJECT.
AND SO, SO THAT, IS THAT PART OF THAT 250 MILLION THAT'S COMING OUT OUT OF THE 1.2? YES, SIR.
WE'VE MADE THE, UM, THE DESIGN WORK AND GETTING TO THE GROUNDBREAKING, UM, ONE OF OUR TOP BUN PROGRAM PROJECTS.
SO THEY WILL BE MANAGING THAT OUT OF THE BUN OFFICE.
UH, I WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL FOR DOING, DOING THAT.
I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT THAT, THAT WE HONOR AND, AND, AND SUPPORT THE POLICE IN THE FIRE AND THE, ALL OF OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS IN, IN THAT RESPECT.
AND I, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR MAKING THAT A BIG PRIORITY IN THIS BUDGET.
UM, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT BETTER THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX ALLOCATION, THE, UH, THE 13% WE GET SEVEN OF IT, I BELIEVE.
UH, HOW DOES, WHAT, WHAT IMPACT IS THAT TAX GONNA HAVE WITH THE FACT THAT THE CONVENTION CENTER'S GONNA BE SORT OF UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND, AND ALSO A PORTION OF THAT I BELIEVE IS ALLOCATED TOWARDS DEBT SERVICE POTENTIALLY FOR FUTURE, UM, CONSTRUCTION, ISN'T IT? YES, SIR.
IT IS ONE OF THE REVENUES THAT IS, UH, IT'S A, AN ENTERPRISE REVENUE, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
IT'S ONE OF THE ENTERPRISE REVENUES THAT IS PLEDGED FOR DEBT.
UH, I BELIEVE MS. FLEMING IS IN THE, IN THE BACK AND I'M GONNA ASK HER TO COME OUT AND SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE ACTUAL UH HUH.
MS. FLEMING WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER MORE ABOUT THE ACTUAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX.
SO WE DO COLLECT, UM, 13% AS LOCAL TAX.
AS YOU KNOW, IN UM, 2022 WE HAD A REFERENDUM AND ADDED A 2% FOR BRIMER.
THAT 2% IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER MASTER PLAN.
80% GOES TO THAT 20% GOES TO FAIR PARK RENOVATIONS ON THE 13%.
WE GET THE LARGER ALLOCATION THE STATE GETS.
THE OTHER PART OF THAT, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE ALSO HAVE AS PART OF THE CONVENTION CENTER PROJECT PROJECT FINANCING ZONE.
SO WE DO COLLECT THE INCREMENT BACK FROM THE STATE FOR A THREE MILE RADIUS AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER.
THAT INCLUDES 83 HOTELS AND I BELIEVE 143 CORRELATED BUSINESSES.
SO THOSE ARE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE LEASES WITH THOSE HOTELS.
AND SO THAT'S PERFORMING, UM, VERY WELL AT PRESENT.
IS THERE AN ANTICIPATION OF, OF WHAT'S GOING ON GENERALLY, UH, ACCEPTING FIFA, WHICH IS SORT OF AN UNUSUAL SITUATION.
UM, ARE YOU ALL SORT OF, I HOPE YOU'RE, YOU'RE SORT OF MANAGING YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF, OF FUTURE, OF REVENUES AND STUFF BASED ON THE THREE YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, TIMEFRAME IT'S GONNA TAKE TO BUILD THIS NEW THING AND GET THE, GET THE PIPELINE FILLED BACK UP THAT YES SIR.
WE HAVE, WE'VE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, WE DO, UM, A MONTH OVER A MONTH EVALUATION OF HOT AND THEN AN ANNUAL FORECAST FOR THREE AND THEN FIVE YEARS.
WE DO THAT THROUGH TOURISM ECONOMICS, WHICH IS THE ECONOMIST THAT WORKS WITH AND FOR VISIT DALLAS AND THROUGH OUR VISIT DALLAS CONTRACT, THEY HAVE SO FAR BEEN SPOT ON ON ALL OF THEIR PROJECTIONS.
WE DO A CROSSCHECK, UM, WITH THAT THROUGH HYUNDAI PARTNERS WHO ACTUALLY DOES JUST THE CONVENTION CENTER INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT COMPETITIVE CITIES.
THEY CONCENTRATE ON OUR COMPETITIVE SET AND HOW WE PERFORM THERE.
[03:40:01]
NUMBERS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IN EVERYTHING THAT WE PROVIDE TO COUNCIL WE'RE CONSERVATIVE SO THAT WE NEVER FALL SHORT OF WHAT THOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE.UM, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE OTHER ENTERPRISE, UH, REVENUES THAT WE MIGHT HAVE, UH, IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY OR, OR LET ME SAY IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY? UM, UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE'VE EXPLORED THE OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE, UH, THE REVENUES OUT OF OUR, OUR LOVE FIELD OR AVIATION, UM, ENTERPRISES, WHICH, WHICH MIGHT BE A, A, AN ABILITY TO, UH, HELP OUR BUDGETING PROCESS.
SO AS I MENTIONED EARLY ON, UH, THE ENTERPRISE, UH, REVENUES ARE RESTRICTED IN HOW THEY CAN BE USED.
AND SO THERE'S UH, DEFINITELY SOME PARAMETERS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITHIN.
UM, WE DO CHARGE ALL OF THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS FOR THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THAT IS PART OF THE GENERAL FUND.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE BUDGET OFFICE COST OR THE CONTROLLERS, HUMAN RESOURCES, THOSE COSTS THAT WE CAN CHARGE OFF TO THE ENTERPRISE FUND, WE DO, BUT IT IS JUST RECOVERY OF THEIR SHARE OF THE COST.
SO WE GO THROUGH AN ANALYSIS EACH EACH YEAR ABOUT THAT.
UM, THE DALLAS WATER UTILITY ALSO IS ABLE TO PAY A PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES, A PILOT, IF YOU WILL.
AND PART OF THAT COMES TO THE GENERAL FUND AND PART OF THAT GOES TO THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FUND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO WHERE WE CAN, WE DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO ASK ANY MORE QUESTIONS OF, UH, OF THE CITY MANAGER OR HER STAFF? I DON'T SEE ANYONE REMOTELY.
SO MADAM CITY MANAGER, IT'S BACK TO YOU.
I'D JUST LIKE TO CLOSE AND THANK THE COUNCIL FOR YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK TODAY.
WE DEFINITELY, UM, WANT TO ENSURE THAT AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET TOWN HALL DISCUSSIONS, UM, THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THE INFORMATION THAT YOU, UM, NEED IN YOUR COMMUNICATIONS WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO ENCOURAGE COUNCIL MEMBERS IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT WERE NOT ASKED TODAY TO PLEASE SEND THOSE QUESTIONS TO US.
WE WILL BE PREPARING AN OVERVIEW OF THE QUESTIONS WITH THE RESPONSES, SENDING THOSE BACK OUT TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL, AND ALSO AS MR. IRELAND, UM, MENTIONED BEING ABLE TO PUT THAT INFORMATION AS WELL ON OUR WEBSITE.
AND HOPEFULLY YOU WILL ALSO DISTRIBUTE IT OUT IN YOUR NEWSLETTERS AND THE THE OTHER WAYS THAT YOU COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE FEEDBACK.
I WANNA PUBLICLY THANK OUR BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES TEAM LED BY JEANETTE WHEDON AND WITH THE OVERSIGHT OF JACK ARLAND, OUR CFO FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE IN GETTING US TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY 25 26.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR DAY.