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THIS WEBINAR IS BEING TRANSCRIBED AND SUMMARIZED.
MAXIE JOHNSON. COUNCIL MEMBERS CHAD WEST. ZARIN D GRACEY.
JESSE MORENO. GAY DONNELL WILLIS. LAURA CADENA.
ADAM BAZALDUA. LORIE BLAIR. PAULA BLACKMON. KATHY STEWART.
WILLIAM ROTH. CARA MENDELSOHN. PAUL. E. RIDLEY.
ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. WE HAVE A QUORUM. TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026 TIME IS 9:30 A.M..
[Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance Special Presentations Open Microphone Speakers]
AND I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER.K HAMILTON. WHERE IS BROTHER HAMILTON? HE'S ALREADY HERE. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR INVOCATION AND THEN OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. BROTHER HAMILTON, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS DAY.
AND NOW, LORD, SINCE WE KNOW YOU HOLD THIS CITY IN YOUR HAND, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD BLESS THIS CITY, BLESS OUR MAYOR, OUR CITY COUNCIL, AND THE DECISIONS THAT THEY MAKE.
DEAR FATHER, BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS CHAMBER AND WE'LL BE CAREFUL TO GIVE YOU THE PRAISE.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE.
TEXAS. ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU MAY BE SEATED. ALL RIGHT.
TODAY IS A KIND OF A BITTERSWEET DAY FOR ME. I, I GET TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE WHO I CONSIDER A FRIEND AND A GREAT PUBLIC SERVANT. BUT WISH I WASN'T DOING THIS TODAY.
I WISH HE WAS GOING TO BE IN THIS ROLE HE'S IN CURRENTLY FOR, FOR FOREVER.
MAYOR JOHNSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
GOOD TO BE WITH YOU ALL THIS MORNING. HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING? GOOD, GOOD.
WELL, I AM VERY PROUD TO PRESENT $250,000 FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE BACHMAN AREA TRANSPORTATION PLAN. BACHMAN LAKE IS AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR FAMILIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT BUSY STREETS CAN BE VERY DIFFICULT AND MAKE IT CHALLENGING TO SAFELY ACCESS.
AND SO THIS INVESTMENT WILL SUPPORT IMPROVEMENTS AROUND LEMON AVENUE AND SHORECREST DRIVE ALONG SHORECREST TO HARRY HINES BOULEVARD, MAKING THE AREA SAFER AND BETTER CONNECTED. AND THIS IS REALLY MORE THAN ABOUT ROADS.
AND I WANT TO THANK THE CITY OF DALLAS AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR IDENTIFYING THIS AS OUR PRIORITY AND WORKING WITH US TO MOVE IT FORWARD, BECAUSE WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I DO WANT TO TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE TO SAY THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT.
ERIC, I DON'T KNOW IF ERIC KNOWS THIS ABOUT ME. WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE WE WERE IN THE STATE, SERVED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE TOGETHER. BUT MY MOM'S OLDEST SISTER FOR YEARS LIVED IN DALLAS. AND SOME OF MY FONDEST MEMORIES.
WE GO TO HER APARTMENT. SHE LIVED ON NORTHWEST HIGHWAY AT THE IN THE SHERWOOD FOREST DEPARTMENT, AND WE WOULD ALL COME FROM FORT WORTH AND GO TO HER APARTMENT.
AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN BACK THEN IN THE LATE 1970S TO BE THERE.
AND SO I'M HAPPY TO BRING THIS INVESTMENT BACK.
AND AND ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY THAT AS A FORT WORTH GUY AND HAVING SERVED IN CONGRESS FOR SEVEN TERMS, I WANT TO THANK THE CITY OF DALLAS FOR EMBRACING ME AND WORKING WITH MY OFFICE SO CLOSELY.
I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT I SPLIT MY.
THE EARMARKS UP EVENLY BETWEEN DALLAS AND TARRANT COUNTY, AND I'M VERY PROUD TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT OUT OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN THE NORTH TEXAS DELEGATION, I WAS THE NUMBER ONE REQUESTER FOR CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
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SO I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT AS A FORT WORTH PERSON.MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. COUNCIL. THANK YOU. OF COURSE.
THANK YOU. NOW DON'T GO. DON'T GO VERY FAR. I WANT YOU TO.
I WANT YOU TO STAY THERE FOR JUST A MINUTE, BECAUSE I WANT TO JUST SAY ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, WE APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE. YOU'VE DONE A LOT.
I SAID WHAT I SAID BEFORE ABOUT MISSING YOU. YOU HAVE REALLY DELIVERED FOR DALLAS, AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE POINTED OUT THAT IT'S NOT EASY TO REPRESENT DALLAS AND FORT WORTH AS A CONGRESSPERSON.
SO I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOU.
AND AND IN THAT VEIN, I WANT TO READ INTO THE RECORD A SPECIAL PROCLAMATION, A SPECIAL RECOGNITION FROM OUR OFFICE, AND THEN HAVE A PHOTO WITH YOU AS WELL. SO I WANT TO READ THIS TO YOU WHILE YOU CAN GIVE YOU YOUR FLOWERS WHILE YOU'RE HERE, SIR. SO WHEREAS THE CITY OF DALLAS RECOGNIZES CONGRESSMAN MARC VEASEY FOR OVER 13 YEARS OF SERVICE TO TEXAS'S 33RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, HAVING FIRST BEEN ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN 2012.
HE HAS SECURED CRITICAL FEDERAL INVESTMENTS FOR CITY PRIORITY PROJECTS THAT HAVE STRENGTHENED INFRASTRUCTURE, ENHANCED PUBLIC SAFETY, EXPANDED ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR DALLAS RESIDENTS.
AND WHEREAS, CONGRESSMAN VEASEY HELPED SECURE OVER $350 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE DALLAS FLOODWAY AND DALLAS FLOODWAY EXTENSION PROJECTS, MAKING LASTING INVESTMENTS IN FLOOD PROTECTION INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND WHEREAS, AS A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE, CONGRESSMAN CHAMPIONED THE CITY OF DALLAS PRIORITIES BY PROTECTING MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY OVER PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY AND SECURING THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.
AND WHEREAS CONGRESSMAN VEASEY HAS ADVANCED A SAFER AND MORE CONNECTED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM BY SECURING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO DART PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE, REGIONAL TRAILS, NEIGHBORHOOD MOBILITY PROJECTS AND ENHANCEMENTS AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AND DALLAS FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
AND WHEREAS CONGRESSMAN VEASEY HAS STRENGTHENED DALLAS NEIGHBORHOODS BY SECURING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PARKS AND RECREATION CENTERS, INCLUDING, MOST RECENTLY, MOST RECENTLY, $2 MILLION FOR THE FIVE MILE CREEK GREENBELT IN SOUTHERN DALLAS.
HE HAS ALSO SUPPORTED HALPERIN PARK AND ADVOCATED FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF HENSLEY FIELD.
AND WHEREAS CONGRESSMAN BEASLEY'S LEGACY IS ONE OF DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVICE, BIPARTISAN LEADERSHIP AND AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF HIS CONSTITUENTS, HE LEAVES DALLAS WITH STRONGER INFRASTRUCTURE, SAFER COMMUNITIES, AND GREATER OPPORTUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ERIC L JOHNSON, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, DO HEREBY EXTEND A SPECIAL RECOGNITION ON THIS AUGUST 19TH, 2026 TO CONGRESSMAN MARC VEASEY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CONGRESSMAN, FOR EVERYTHING.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO COME DOWN AND TAKE A PHOTO.
BUT I BELIEVE WE ALSO HAVE ONE MORE PRESENTATION FOR THE CONGRESSMAN.
AND I WILL ALLOW AT THIS POINT ANY ANY MEMBERS WHO WANT TO SAY ANYTHING WHILE WE'RE DOING THIS TO, TO SAY ANYTHING OR ADDRESS THE CONGRESSMAN, BUT WE WANT YOU TO COME ON INSIDE THE RAILING, AND I'M GOING TO MEET YOU DOWN THERE.
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OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER CONGRESSMEN OUT THERE LISTENING? IF YOU WANT TO GIVE US $350 MILLION, YOU TOO CAN HAVE A STREET TOPPER. [LAUGHTER] ALL RIGHT, WELL, NOW I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY MANAGER FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT THIS MORNING TO RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING RESPONSE OF OUR DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES FIELD OPERATIONS TEAM.AS SOON AS THE TEAM LEARNED WHAT HAPPENED, THEY WENT TO WORK.
THEY WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE RESIDENT, DEPLOYED HUMANE TRAPPING EQUIPMENT, STAYED IN CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION, AND COORDINATED THEIR RESPONSE TO HELP PROTECT THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHEN THIS HAPPENED.
MANY OF US WERE SPENDING TIME WITH OUR FAMILIES FOR THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND.
BUT THESE EMPLOYEES WERE SERVING OUR RESIDENTS.
THEY SHOWED UP WHEN A RESIDENT NEEDED US, NEEDED US.
THEY HANDLED A DIFFICULT SITUATION WITH CARE AND PROFESSIONALISM.
AND THEIR WORK DID NOT GO UNNOTICED. THE RESIDENT LATER SHARED HER APPRECIATION FOR THE TEAM'S EFFICIENCY, TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION AND GENUINE CONCERN, AND COUNCIL MEMBER MENDELSOHN SUMMED IT UP PERFECTLY WHEN SHE SHARED A MESSAGE WITH ME, SAYING, THIS IS WHAT EXCELLENCE IN CITY SERVICES LOOKS LIKE.
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. SO TODAY WE WANT TO THANK THESE CITY OF DALLAS STAFF MEMBERS FOR THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE. THANK YOU ALL FOR ANSWERING THE CALL. THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF OUR RESIDENT AND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD DURING THE TIME OF NEED.
THIS IS TRULY WHAT SERVICE FIRST ACTION LOOKS LIKE.
AND IT'S ANOTHER REMINDER THAT SOME OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF PUBLIC SERVICE HAPPEN EVERY DAY, BECAUSE CITY EMPLOYEES SIMPLY SEE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND GET IT DONE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. MR. MAYOR, WE'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN HAVE THEM COME DOWN AND HAVE A PHOTO WITH THE COUNCIL. OF COURSE. COME ON DOWN INSIDE THE RAILING AND ARRANGE YOURSELVES HERE, AND WE'LL DO JUST THAT.
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ALL RIGHT. THAT'S THAT'S THAT'S MEMBERS YOU GO AHEAD AND TAKE YOUR SEATS AGAIN, BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE MORE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BIRTHDAY BOY AND AND CONSISTENTLY RANKED THE BEST DRESSED COUNCIL MEMBER BY GQ MAGAZINE.OUR DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM MAXIE JOHNSON. THE FLOOR IS YOURS FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
I LOVE OUR MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. IT IS MY HONOR TO RECOGNIZE A VISIONARY WHOSE LIFE'S WORK HAS ENRICHED DALLAS CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, ELEVATED BLACK ARTISTS AND STRENGTHENED THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES.
MR. CURTIS KING, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS, HAS BUILT ONE OF THE NATION'S LEADING CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS DEDICATED TO PRESERVING AND CELEBRATING THE ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN DIASPORA.
UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, GENERATION OF ARTISTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN, PERFORM AND THRIVE. A SIGNATURE ACHIEVEMENT OF OF HIS WORK IS THE ANNUAL RIVERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL, ONE OF THE LARGEST JAZZ FESTIVALS IN THE SOUTHWEST.
THIS EVENT DRAWS WORLD CLASS TALENT AND THOUSANDS OF VISITORS TO DALLAS, GENERATING SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS. THESE FUNDS, RAISED THROUGH THE FESTIVAL AND RELATED PROGRAMING, DIRECTLY SUPPORT ARTS, EDUCATION, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND YEAR ROUND CULTURAL PROGRAMING THAT KEEPS THE ARTS ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
MR. KING, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. GOOD MORNING. NOW, WE IN THE ARTS TODAY.
SO WE'RE GOING TO SPEAK TODAY. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING.
WE HAVE OUR BOARD CHAIR, MR. BOB THOMAS. SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF MEMBERS.
CAN YOU ALL PLEASE STAND WHILE I DO THIS RIGHT QUICK? THIS IS JUST A FEW OF THEM NOW. LAST YEAR WE HAD 250,000 PEOPLE THAT CAME TO THE BLACK ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS PROGRAMS. MR. MAYOR, DEPUTY MAYOR, PRO TEM, MAYOR, PRO TEM, CITY MANAGER, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE RIVERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL.
WE PARTNERED WITH OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE CONVENTION CENTER AND EVENT SERVICES.
VISIT DALLAS CHARLES SCHWAB, DALLAS MAVERICKS, NBC FIVE, TELEMUNDO 39, METRO NEWS DALLAS EXAMINER.
ELI NEWS, THE WEEKLY. WHEN I CAME TO THIS CHAMBER FOR MISSISSIPPI, A LITTLE BLACK KID FROM COLDWATER, MISSISSIPPI IN THE DEEP SOUTH AND I CAME TO DALLAS WORKING ON A PHD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS, GRADUATED FROM TCU, WHICH THEY DOING A BIG FEATURE ON ME FOR OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY IN THE NEXT ISSUE.
ROBERT FOLSOM WAS MAYOR. GEORGE SCHRADER WAS CITY MANAGER.
I STOOD IN THIS CHAMBER COMING FROM THE SOUTH AND HAVE WORKED WITH EVERY MAYOR SINCE BOB FOLSOM IN 1982, WHEN ANNETTE STRAUSS WAS HERE, SHE GAVE THE FIRST PARTY FOR US.
IT WAS AT 5100 PARK LANE. ESTHER ROLLE, DEBBIE ALLEN, ROY CAMPANELLA, JUNIOR.
OLIVIA COLE. ALL OF THEM CAME TO DALLAS WHEN WE WERE HAVING DIFFICULTIES TRYING TO GET FUNDING.
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ESTHER WAS WORKING ON THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE COMMITTEE THAT WAS APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER.SHE STOPPED IN DALLAS AND SPOKE TO THE COUNCIL.
WHEN I CAME TO DALLAS, IT WASN'T MUCH IN THE ARTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE, FOR DIVERSE CULTURE.
SO I LAUNCHED OUT ON THIS VENTURE AND HAPPENED TO HAVE INHERITED FOUR BOXES OF MATERIALS FROM AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT WERE SALVAGED OUT OF A NEW YORK DUMPSTER.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW LANGSTON HUGHES, HE'S A GREAT, GREAT WRITER. SO I END UP GETTING THOSE FOUR BOXES, CAME TO DALLAS AND WORKED WITH ANDY STRAUSS. AND THEN I CAME TO THE COUNCIL.
AND AT THAT POINT, MR. EVANS WAS ON THE COUNCIL, THE MAYOR OF THE COUNCIL, AND WE ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD ASSIST US IN RAISING MONEY. HE WROTE A LETTER AND CALLED. IT WAS A LETTER.
IT WAS WROTE A LETTER, AND IT WAS CALLED BREAKFAST WITH MAYOR JACK EVANS.
OVER 200, 200, 200 OFFICIALS FROM CORPORATIONS CAME AND WE HAD THE FUNDRAISER AT THE ANATOLE AND RAISE $250,000 FOR THAT FOR OUR INSTITUTION.
I AM SO PROUD TO BE A MISSISSIPPIAN, BUT MORE PROUD TO BE LIVING IN DALLAS.
AND 50 YEARS LATER, HERE WE ARE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS DURING A AYE JAZZ FESTIVAL WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST ARTISTS THAT YOU CAN EVER THINK OF, AND ONE IS SITTING RIGHT HERE IN YOUR PRESENCE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR IN A MOMENT.
OPENING NIGHT IS GLADYS KNIGHT. SO WOULD YOU COME DOWN? I HAVE SOMETHING FOR EACH OF YOU. NOW, I'M NOT SURE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS, BUT I WANT YOU ALL TO COME TO THE JAZZ FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT, BECAUSE WE HAVE A SECOND LINE PARTY. WE GOT A FIREWORKS SHOW, AND SO I HAVE TWO VIP TICKETS FOR YOU TO COME AND DANCE WITH THE MAYOR, CITY MANAGER, AND EVERYBODY ELSE.
AND IT'S THE SECOND LINE. SO CAN WE BRING THE TICKETS DOWN, PLEASE? BRING THE TICKETS UP, AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO COME IN THE PACKET ALSO, WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME TICKETS THAT YOU CAN GIVE TO SOME OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
WE DID A $50 SPECIAL, AND WE SENT INFORMATION TO YOU TO SEND TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS FOR A $50 TICKET.
YOU CAN'T SEE ALL OF THIS FOR THREE DAYS FOR 50 BUCKS.
AGAIN, MR. MAYOR, MADAM CITY MANAGER, ALL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE ARTS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
YES, YOU HAVE A PERSON WHO'S STANDING STANDING HERE.
WHEN COVID HAPPENED, WE ALMOST WENT COMPLETELY DOWN.
GOD BLESS YVONNE. YVONNE, YOU. GOD BLESS ALL THE GREATS.
SO, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, I BEG YOU, WHEN Y'ALL START CUTTING, DON'T CUT US TOO DEEP.
NOW, YOU KNOW. DON'T MAKE US BLEED AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR FOR WORKING WITH US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING. CAN YOU IMAGINE YOUR LIFE NOT HAVING THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT IN THIS CITY? I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SO Y'ALL COMING? I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF Y'ALL GOING TO GIVE ME, CAN I HAVE A A VOTE ON THAT THAT Y'ALL COME TO OPENING NIGHT? IS THIS POSTED? AND EVERYBODY SAID YES. SO I'LL SEE YOU ON THE NIGHT.
SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, CAN WE GIVE THIS YOUR NAME IS ON THE ENVELOPE.
YEAH, WE WANT TO GIVE THIS TO YOU AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU, PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW YOU'RE COMING.
AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF YOU.
IF YOU DON'T COME ANY OTHER NIGHT, YOU GOTTA COME OPENING NIGHT.
I'M GOING TO ALSO BUY YOU A DRINK. WE HAVE A SPECIAL 50 YEAR DRINK.
GIVE IT UP FOR MAXIE JOHNSON. OKAY, NOW WE DO BETTER THAN THAT.
THIS IS IN THE ARTS, SO GIVE IT UP FOR MAXIE JOHNSON.
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PLAY THAT KEYBOARD.EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM EXCELLENT JOB. BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT. MR. KING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. ALL OF YOU IN THE AUDIENCE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP THE, THE CELEBRATION GOING.
WE'RE GOING TO NOW HAVE A, A DUET OF PERFORMING.
JUST THE TWO OF US WILL BE PAUL RIDLEY AND BILL ROTH.
PAUL RIDLEY, BILL ROTH. GO AHEAD. THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
ARE THEY DANCING? JUST THE TWO OF US. OKAY. ALRIGHT.
NOT VERY WELL, NOT NOT THAT WELL. [LAUGHTER] AND MAYBE WE NEED A CITY COUNCIL TALENT SHOW.
YEAH, I THINK, I THINK SO IT IS. OKAY, THAT MIGHT BE EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED.
MINE WOULD BE COMEDY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, I LIKE THAT, I LIKE THAT.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM SECRETARY. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU NOW FOR MAYOR SPEAKERS.
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YEAH. OH, YES. ARE YOU GOING TO PERFORM CITY MANAGER? SHE CAN SING. SHE CAN. YOU CAN PLAY THE GUITAR? SORT OF. MAXIE CAN PLAY, CAN BLOW THE HORN. DEFINITELY CAN.AND CHAIR MENDELSOHN CAN DO THE COMEDY TO OPEN IT ALL UP.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S A IT'S A PRETTY DECENT SHOW.
ALL RIGHT. MADAM SECRETARY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR.
GOOD MORNING. THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW HEAR ITS FIRST FIVE REGISTERED SPEAKERS.
ANY SPEAKER MAKING PERSONAL, IMPERTINENT, PROFANE, OR SLANDEROUS REMARKS, OR WHO BECOMES BOISTEROUS WHILE ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE ROOM. FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN PERSON FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS, YOU WILL BE. YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE SESSION.
INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
PLEASE STOP FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS. I WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
ALSO, SPEAKERS, PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT DURING YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REFER TO A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BY NAME AND TO ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO MAYOR JOHNSON. ONLY YOUR FIRST SPEAKER, SYDNEY WALKER.
GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MAYOR. CITY MANAGER, SYDNEY WALKER.
DISTRICT SEVEN. THE DALLAS MARKET HAS ROUGHLY ABOUT 177 LEGACY AND OPERATIONAL DATA CENTERS, WITH APPROXIMATELY 13 TO 47 OF THEM ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR BEING PLANNED.
THEY'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. WE HAVE OUR ENTIRE LIVES IN THESE DEVICES.
WE DO EVERYTHING ONLINE, AND OUR ACTIVITY IS DRIVING THE NEED FOR MORE DATA CENTERS.
WHAT FORWARD DALLAS DIDN'T ADDRESS IS WHERE DO WE PUT THESE DATA CENTERS? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M ASKING YOU GUYS TO DO, IS TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY BUILD THESE CURRENTLY BY.
SO I'M ASKING YOU GUYS TO MAKE SURE THE DATA CENTERS HAVE THEIR OWN POWER SOURCE.
THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO MAKE THEM GOOD PARTNERS AND GOOD NEIGHBORS INSIDE OF THE CITY.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'M ASKING YOU GUYS NOT TO ALLOW THEM TO TAX ABATE THEMSELVES INTO OBLIVION WHERE THEY'RE NOT PAYING ANY PROPERTY TAX. SEEING THAT WE'RE HAVING GREAT CHALLENGES WITH THE BUDGET, WE'RE ASKING FOR BOND ELECTIONS TO COVER EXPENSES.
AND WE DIDN'T PUT THE POBS ON THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. SO I PROPOSE TO MAKE OUR DATA CENTERS, GOOD CITIZENS OF THE CITY OF DALLAS AND GOOD PARTNERS, THAT THEIR PROPERTY TAXES GO STRAIGHT INTO THE PENSION FOR FIRE POLICE AND THE NON CIVILIAN CIVILIAN PENSION.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU STEPHANIE.
SO LET ME BE VERY INTENTIONAL WITH MY WORD CHOICE TODAY.
CRUEL. I WONDER HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SET FOOT RECENTLY INSIDE AN ICE DETENTION CENTER, VISITED SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT, AND WATCHED THE GAP BETWEEN HER WRIST AND THE ELASTIC SLEEVE OF HER HOODIE EXPAND EVERY TIME YOU SEE HER BECAUSE SHE'S LOST SO MUCH WEIGHT DUE TO MALNUTRITION.
THE HARDEST PART OF THE VISIT IS WHEN IT ENDS, NOT JUST SAYING GOODBYE TO THE PERSON YOU'RE THERE TO SEE, BUT HEARING THE GUTTURAL CRIES OF THE GROWN MAN IN THE NEXT WINDOW BEING TOLD BY THE GUARD HIS ONE HOUR TIME IS UP.
HE HAS TO LEAVE HIS WIFE THERE. I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE YOU'VE NEVER WITNESSED THIS AGONY FIRSTHAND,
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AND THAT'S WHY YOU LOOK AWAY WHEN OUR NEIGHBORS LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR, NOT KNOWING WHETHER THE HUG THEY GIVE THEIR CHILD WHEN DROPPING THEM OFF AT SCHOOL WILL BE THE LAST. IT'S THE ONLY EXPLANATION I CAN IMAGINE FOR HOW YOU'RE ABLE TO EVEN CONSIDER SELLING CITY HALL, OUR PUBLICLY OWNED SEAT OF GOVERNMENT AND LAND, TO SOMEONE LIKE MIRIAM ADELSON, THE LARGEST FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTOR TO THE PRESIDENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS HAVOC. WHAT IS A CASINO OR AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT TO FAMILIES AFRAID TO GO TO WORK OR DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS BECAUSE RACIAL PROFILING BY ICE IS COMPLETELY UNCHECKED? HOW ELSE COULD YOU ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET FOR THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION AFTER THEIR PARTY GUTTED WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, STRIPPED AWAY ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY, ENDANGERED WOMEN'S LIVES, ROLLING BACK DECADES OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. MAYOR JOHNSON CALLING THIS CIRCUS A TREMENDOUS HONOR AND HONOR.THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST SHAMEFUL THINGS TO HAPPEN IN DALLAS.
WHAT DALLAS NEEDS IS LEADERS WITH A BACKBONE TO HOLD THIS ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS UNFETTERED, INHUMANE POLICIES AND PROTECT THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED YOU TO SERVE.
PUT CONSTITUENTS BEFORE CAPITAL GAIN. EVERYTHING IS NUMBERS TO Y'ALL AND NOT THE ONES THAT MATTER.
I'M NOT INTERESTED IN BALLOONED REPAIR ESTIMATES OR THE $40 MILLION COST.
YOU WANT US TO BEAR TO MOVE 911 OPERATIONS OUT OF THE SAFEST PLACE THEY COULD BE, JUST SO YOU CAN HAND OVER OUR BUILDING FOR DESTRUCTION TO PROFITEERS WITH INSIDIOUS MOTIVES, WE, THE PEOPLE, DESERVE TO KNOW WHAT WAS THE PRICE TO SELL OUR CITY'S SOUL.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MIRIAM SHARMA.
GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MIRIAM SHARMA AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY.
I'M A MOTHER, A REGISTERED NURSE, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE.
NEXT WEEK, AUGUST 24TH THROUGH 28TH IS THE SECOND ANNUAL NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SMART WEEK, WHICH EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF SECURE GUN STORAGE TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY.
OUR LEADERS SET THE TONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND I WANT TO COMMEND DALLAS POLICE CHIEF COMEAUX FOR HIS ELOQUENT PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF SECURE GUN STORAGE.
THESE ARE PREVENTABLE TRAGEDIES. I BELIEVE IT WILL TAKE ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER TO PREVENT THEM.
I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN ME AND THE REST OF THE LOCAL DALLAS VOLUNTEER TEAM AND BE SMART FOR KIDS.
AND NOW, IF WE CAN PLAY THE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT, PLEASE.
HI, I'M DANIEL COMEAUX, CHIEF OF POLICE HERE IN DALLAS, TEXAS.
CHILDREN ARE CURIOUS, AND BOREDOM OR ISOLATION CAN POSE AN ADDITIONAL RISK TO OUR CHILDREN'S SAFETY.
IF THERE IS A GUN IN THE HOME OR OUR VEHICLES.
ONE THING WE CAN ALL DO IS MAKE SURE OUR FIREARMS ARE STORED SECURELY.
SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDED A TWO YEAR OLD BOY, UNINTENTIONALLY SHOOTING AND KILLING HIMSELF IN A HOME AND A 13 YEAR OLD BOY UNINTENTIONALLY SHOOTING AND KILLING HIS 14 YEAR OLD BROTHER WHILE PLAYING WITH A RIFLE.
SECURING YOUR FIREARM MEANS UNLOADING IT AND LOCKING IT UP, NOT HIDING IT IN A CLOSET OR PUTTING IT IN A NIGHTSTAND, BUT LOCKING IT UP, SECURING IT IN A SAFE OR LOCK BOX, OR BY USING A LOCKING DEVICE LIKE A CABLE LOCK.
ALSO, BE SURE TO ASK OTHERS IF THEIR GUNS ARE SECURED WHEN YOUR CHILDREN GO TO THEIR HOME.
THE RISK OF SUICIDE IS ALSO SOMETHING TO CONSIDER WHEN THERE IS A GUN PRESENT IN THE HOME.
WE KNOW THAT THE RISK OF SUICIDE IS AT LEAST THREE TIMES HIGHER FOR TEENS LIVING IN HOMES WITH FIREARMS. MY COLLEAGUES AND I HAVE WITNESSED TOO MANY PREVENTABLE TRAGEDIES.
PLEASE HELP US KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURING YOUR FIREARMS. PLEASE CONTACT US AT THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, YOLANDA WILLIAMS.
[00:40:07]
FIRST OF ALL, LET ME WATCH THE TIME. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND DALLAS 911.AND I LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY. WHEN YOU POLICE, FIRE PARAMEDICS GO TO A CRIME SCENE.
POLICE, FIRE. DON'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, OH, THEY'RE DOING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SAVE THEIR LIFE. SO I USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE.
THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO RISKED THEIR LIFE. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY YOU SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY, MAYBE I NEED TO GIVE BACK MY PRESTIGE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE AND MY MASTER'S DEGREE.
PUBLIC SAFETY DALLAS 911 FALLS UP UNDER ONE. SO, MR. MAYOR, LET ME LOOK AT YOU. I'M SURPRISED THAT D7 IS NOT HERE AND D 12 TO GO ON FACEBOOK.
THESE ARE THE TWO WHO SPREAD ALL THIS MISINFORMATION INFORMATION.
AND I LOVE TRUTH WITHOUT APOLOGY BECAUSE I LOVE GETTING THE TRUTH OUT.
BUST THE BOND, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW COULD YOU BE THE CHAIR OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND GO OUT AND TRY TO BUST THE BOND BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT 911 TO BE MOVED FROM CITY HALL BECAUSE YOU THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SELL THE BUILDING? I THINK THAT'S MISFORTUNATE. AND MR. MAYOR, AFTER NOVEMBER ELECTION, I HOPE YOU GET A NEW CHAIR, BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY AND THEN GO OUT.
AND THEN WHO IS THE INTERIM? DO WE HAVE A NEW CITY ATTORNEY? BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE WATCHING BECAUSE SOME OF THESE MEETINGS, THERE'S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ETHICS.
YOU CANNOT GO OUT IN YOUR MEETINGS AND TALK ABOUT BUST THE BOND WHILE YOU'RE USING CITY DOLLARS, CITY STAFF AND ALL THAT. SO JUST KNOW THAT THEY MAY NOT LOOK LIKE ME BECAUSE WE HAVE A DIVERSE GROUP THAT SUPPORT DALLAS YOU SEE, WE SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY IN DALLAS 911 AND THEY WILL BE IN YOUR MEETINGS.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO TELL THEM TO BUST THE BUN AND THEN YOU'RE USING CITY RESOURCES, Y'ALL KNOW I'M GOING TO FILE AN ETHICS COMPLAINT, THEN IT'S ELECTION SEASON.
I'M GONNA SEND IT TO MR. ABBOTT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE DON'T MIND SUING THE CITY.
SO IF YOU WANT TO WASTE US SOME MORE TAXPAYER DOLLAR, AND I WANT TO SAY THIS TO YOU'D ONE, I COMMEND YOU'D ONE, YOU ARE THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR D ONE WHEN I SAW IT ON FACEBOOK.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS IN YOUR RESIDENCE? YOU ARE THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR D ONE. THAT'S MY REPRESENTATIVE FOR D5.
SO IF YOUR CONSTITUENTS SAY YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT, WHY IS D12 ALL OVER THE PLACE? LASTLY, I'M GLAD I LEFT A LEGACY WHEN I SERVED ON THE PARK BOARD.
THE LEGACY IS GOING TO BE THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO COULDN'T GET EIGHT VOTES, THE COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WAS IN EVERYONE'S BUSINESS, AND I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO SPREAD THE TRUTH, SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE NEED 911. THANK YOU. AND I'M GOING TO BE BACK EVERY MONTH.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ETHEL JACKSON.
GOOD MORNING. YOU SEE, I'M FROM THE COUNTRY. I REALIZED I'LL NEVER BE JACKSON.
I LIVE AT 2851 TOLUCA DALLAS, TEXAS 75224. I LIVE IN DISTRICT FOUR, THE SAME HIGH. MR. MAYOR, FOR 54 YEARS. DEBBIE PRO TEM MAXIE JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN BUILDING BACK DISTRICT FOUR. MR. MAYOR, CITY MANAGER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THIS CITIZEN OF DALLAS.
GOOD MORNING TO THE REST OF THE COUNCIL THIS MORNING.
IF I CAN LEVEL UP WITH YOU THIS MORNING, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.
CITY MANAGER TOLBERT, YOU HAVE A HAND. YOU HAVE BEEN HANDED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BALANCING THE NEEDS OF NEARLY 1.3 MILLION RESIDENTS, RESIDENT AGAINST THE PHYSICAL REALITY FACING THE CITY.
AND LEADERSHIP MEANS MAKING DIFFERENT DECISIONS WHEN THEY ARE SUFFERING.
NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO BE GIVEN TO EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING.
BUT THERE IS ANOTHER REALITY THAT WE CANNOT IGNORE.
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION. DALLAS MAY BE ONE CITY ON THE MAP.
[00:45:04]
FOR A GENERATION IT HAD OPERATED LIKE TWO CITY.THE DISPARITY BETWEEN NORTH DALLAS AND THE SOUTHERN DALLAS.
PLEASE PAY ATTENTION. IN THE MIDST OF CHALLENGING.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE. UNDER HER DIRECTION, DALLAS HAS CONTINUED TO PRIORITIZE IMPROVING 911 OPERATING. ENSURING FAST RESPONSE. OUR CITY MANAGER UNDERSTAND.
WHEN A RESIDENT CALLED 911 THEY ARE NOT CALLING A DEPARTMENT.
THEY ARE CALLING FOR HELP, FOR URGENCY AND FOR TRUST THAT THE SYSTEM WILL RESPOND.
AND SHE HAS WORKED TO ENSURE THAT TRUST IS NOT BROKEN.
AND FOR THAT, SHE DESERVED THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD.
MISS MAYOR. I'M SORRY, MISS CITY MANAGER, YOU ARE TRULY A CLASS ACT TO FOLLOW.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK. THANK YOU.
THIS CONCLUDES YOUR FIRST FIVE REGISTERED SPEAKERS.
MR. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. WE CAN MOVE ON TO OUR VOTING AGENDA, THEN.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. BEFORE WE MOVE TO VOTING AGENDA, YOU DO HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL.
IS IT TOO LATE? NO, IT'S NOT TOO LATE FOR. BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE? MOVE TO HAVE THE REMAINING DALLAS SPEAKERS SPEAK.
ANY OBJECTION? NO OBJECTION. HEARING NONE SO ORDERED.
SO, MADAM SECRETARY, BEFORE WE GO ON TO OUR VOTING AGENDA, LET'S HEAR THE REMAINING DALLAS SPEAKERS.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. YOUR NEXT SPEAKER, OLA ALLEN.
THANK YOU. THAT'S A JOB. GOOD MORNING. I IT'S SUCH A PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE MY COMMENTS IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR MAYOR.
OUR CITY MANAGER AND OUR COUNCIL. I AM OLA ALLEN.
I RESIDE AT 4111 SUMMIT RIDGE DRIVE, DALLAS, TEXAS, AND I AM IN DISTRICT FOUR.
I SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY AND I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THAT WE WANT TO UPSET PUBLIC SAFETY.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU ARE SPENDING MIDNIGHT OIL ON A BUILDING INSTEAD OF OUR CITIZENS.
WE HAVE CITIZENS THAT NEED HOME REPAIR, SIDEWALKS AND JUST CARE.
THERE IS A REASON FOR OUR SENIORS TODAY. THEY ARE LEFT HOPING AND WISHING THAT THINGS COULD BE BETTER. WE HAVE GOT TO DO BETTER. WE HAVE GOT TO REALIZE THAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS SO IMPORTANT IN THE CITY OF DALLAS. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE ARE LEAVING UNDONE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW.
WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, THEN YOU DO NOTHING.
SO WE ARE ASKING THE. WE ARE ASKING FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY TO.
TO BE A LITTLE MORE VISIBLE AND TO DO THE THINGS WE NEED TO DEFINE PUBLIC SAFETY AND WE ARE NOT.
WE. WE HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT WE ARE NOT USING PUBLIC SAFETY.
I WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT OUR CITIZENS COME FIRST OVER THE BUILDING.
YOU ALL MUST REALIZE THAT. I MUST SAY THAT I AM SO PLEASED WITH OUR NEW POLICE CHIEF DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. AND OUR CITY MANAGER. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TO CLIP HER WINGS AND LET HER FLY.
[00:50:06]
TIME WITH YOURSELF AND REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT PUBLIC SAFETY IS, AND REALIZE WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY MEANS.WE HAVE SENIORS THAT ARE 80, 90, AND 100 YEARS OLD.
THEY HAVE SPENT THEIR TIME HERE, AND I THINK THAT THEY SHOULDN'T SPEND OUR TIME WONDERING, HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT DAY? WHY? I CAN'T TAKE MY MY WHEELCHAIR. I DON'T HAVE A SIDEWALK, SO I HAVE TO USE STREETS.
SO I'M ASKING YOU GUYS TO CONSIDER. PLEASE CONSIDER PUBLIC SAFETY.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND YOU DO ENJOY YOUR DAY.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THE TOPIC OF MY BRIEF SPEECH TODAY IS CALLED TOP TEN MAYOR.
WHEN I TRAVEL ALL THROUGH THE UNITED STATES AND I AND THEY ASKED ME, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? AND I SAY TEXAS. AND AUTOMATICALLY PEOPLE SAY DALLAS.
DALLAS IS THE LANDMARK CITY OF THIS GREAT STATE.
THEY DON'T SAY HOUSTON, THEY DON'T SAY SAN ANTONIO, THEY SAY DALLAS.
DALLAS HAS BEEN NUMBER NINE SINCE 2002. IF I MAY HUMBLY MAYOR, IF I MAY SUGGEST TO YOU AND COUNCIL SOME IDEAS OF HOW WE CAN STAY IN THE TOP TEN AND HOW WE MAY MOVE FORWARD. IN MY RESEARCH, I LOOKED AT SOME ARTICLES IN DALLAS MORNING NEWS, SAW SOME MORE COUNCIL MEETINGS, THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE ANGRY ABOUT REUNION TOWER.
THEY WERE ANGRY ABOUT THE BALL. THEY DIDN'T WANT THE BALL.
AND I SAID TO MYSELF, WHAT WOULD DALLAS BE WITHOUT THAT, WITHOUT THAT BALL? WHEN YOU COME 35, 45 AND 30, YOU SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL LANDMARK OF THE CITY.
WHEN YOU GOOGLE THE CITY OF DALLAS, YOU SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL REUNION TOWER.
THERE WERE CITIZENS THAT WERE UPSET ABOUT THE W HOTEL.
THEY WERE UPSET ABOUT THE AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER.
THEY WERE UPSET ABOUT FORWARD MOVEMENT IN DOWNTOWN.
SO I SAY TO YOU THIS I LOVE MATH. MATH IS MY FAVORITE SUBJECT.
I LOVE IT, I LOVE ARITHMETIC. THAT IS THE FIRST DISCIPLINE YOU LEARN IN SCHOOL.
ARITHMETIC TEACHES US DEDUCTIVE REASONING SKILLS.
IT TEACHES US TO REASON IN TERMS OF A CITY HALL.
WHEN I LOOK AT THIS BUILDING, WHEN I LOOK AT MOVING DOWNTOWN FORT MAYOR, I LOOK AT IT AND I SAY TO MYSELF, WHY WOULDN'T THEY SELL THIS BUILDING? IT MAKES MATHEMATICAL SENSE.
TAKE THOSE DOLLARS AND PUT THAT TOWARDS THE DEFICIT.
IT MAKES MATHEMATICAL SENSE. WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS BILL AND SELL THIS BUILDING THAT'S DECAYING AND MOVING TO A NEW BUILDING THAT DOES NOT NEED AS MUCH CONSTRUCTION, THAT MAKES MATHEMATICAL SENSE TO ME. IT MAKES MATHEMATICAL SENSE TO ME THAT YOU'RE BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL CONVENTION CENTER, RIGHT? HAVE A SUITOR FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR COME AND BUY THIS BUILDING, ADD IT TO THE MASTER PLAN TO KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, AND BRING THAT REVENUE INTO THE CITY OF DALLAS.
I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, WHAT IF THAT MAYOR AND COUNCIL THAT LISTENED TO THE NEGATIVE DISSENT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT BALL? WHAT IF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL DECIDED WE'RE NOT GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OMNI HOTEL? THE BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE THAT YOU SEE AT NIGHT. MAYOR SAILED THIS BUILDING AND YOU STAY IN THE TOP TEN.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JAMES DONEGAN. JAMES DONEGAN IS NOT ONLINE. IT'S NOT IN THE AUDIENCE. NOT PRESENT.
STEVEN GAINES. STEVEN GAINES IS NOT PRESENT. VERONICA ARREDONDO VIRTUAL. YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. WE CAN HEAR YOU AND SEE YOU.
I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY, MR. ARREDONDO. I'M. I'M SORRY.
YOU'RE NOT A DALLAS RESIDENT. I GOT CARRIED AWAY.
YOU'LL SPEAK AT THE END OF THE MEETING? MY APOLOGIES.
THE MOTION WAS FOR DALLAS SPEAKERS. THAT'S CORRECT.
RIGHT. THAT WAS MY. YES, THAT'S CORRECT, MR. MAYOR.
SO, MR. MAYOR, THERE ARE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS.
OKAY. I JUST DO WHAT I'M TOLD AROUND HERE. NO, I GOT CARRIED AWAY, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO YOUR VOTING AGENDA.
MR.. MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, BEFORE WE MOVE TO YOUR VOTING AGENDA, YOU DO HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS ONE, TWO AND THREE. DOLORES. PHILLIPS. PHILLIPS. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.
[00:55:04]
I WAS REMINDED TO STAY ON TOPIC. IT HAS TO BE ITEMS ONE, 2 OR 3 OR END THREE.AND I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE INCOMING BOARD AND COMMISSION MEMBERS.
IT'S NOT ABOUT I INHERITED THIS. I CAN DISREGARD IT, OR I CAN OVERLOOK IT AND HOLD IT OFF UNTIL I'M THE NEXT PERSON FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT'S COMING IN. YOU HAVE A TOUGH JOB AHEAD OF YOU AND WE'RE SO BEYOND 1500, MARILLA, FOR CITY HALL. I'M GOING TO STAY ON TOPIC FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE COMING IN.
YOU HAVE A DIFFICULT TASK AHEAD OF YOU. SO BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY, MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY PREPARED TO HANDLE SUCH. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING HERE SINCE 2012, ALL OF MY SPEAKING IN 2012 HAVE BEEN ERASED. THERE WAS A YOUNG LADY WHO SPOKE ABOUT DATA CENTERS.
AND I NEED THE INCOMING BOARD MEMBERS TO REMEMBER IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY ARE REMINDED THAT YOU'RE COMING IN TO THE CITY OF DALLAS WITH A LOT OF BAGGAGE. AND I NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF THE BAGGAGE AND I'M GOING TO STAY ON TOPIC.
COURTLAND. DESHAWN JEFFERSON, THEY HAVE NO RECORDS.
SO WHEN THE PEOPLE OF YOUR DISTRICT, THESE BOARD MEMBERS COME IN AND ASK YOU QUESTIONS OF SOMETHING FROM 15, 20 YEARS AGO, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A NINE MONTH OLD FROM 2006, NOVEMBER 28TH, 2006, WHEN HE WAS HIT BY DPD IN THE BACK SEAT WITH HIS MOM AND HER BOYFRIEND.
NO RECORDS HAVE EVER BEEN RELEASED FROM 2006 UNTIL PRESENT.
NO RECORDS. STAY WITH ME. THERE'S A BABY BY THE NAME OF ZYLAN JOSEPH NYE PHILLIPS.
AND IT'S ALL COMING OUT. AND REMEMBER, BOARD MEMBERS.
THAT'S COMING IN. F-92-11850. DALLAS COUNTY FAMILY COURT TWO 55TH. REMEMBER PR-23-03429-2.
THAT'S PROBATE COURT NUMBER TWO. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
I'LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO YOUR FIRST VOTING ITEM.
[VOTING AGENDA]
AGENDA. ITEM ONE IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 5TH.LOOKING FOR A MOTION? I HEARD A MOTION TO APPROVE.
WAS THERE A SECOND TO. OKAY, GREAT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING? NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT AND THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.
GRANT K SCHMIDT IS BEING NOMINATED BY MAYOR PRO TEM RESENDEZ.
MR. SCHMIDT MEETS THE POSSESS A JURIS DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING SPECIAL QUALIFICATION TO THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR COMMUNITY CENTER BOARD. KEENE IS BEING NOMINATED BY COUNCILMEMBER RIDLEY.
YOUR NOMINEES BEING PRESENTED FROM THE CITY MANAGER FOR APPOINTMENT.
ALL ARE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION TECHNICAL PANEL.
RITA BEVIN MISS BEVIN MEETS THE AIR QUALITY SPECIAL QUALIFICATION.
THESE ARE YOUR NOMINEES, MISTER MAYOR. SECOND, A MOTION FOR APPROVAL.
AND A SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NOMINEES. YOU'RE
[01:00:02]
APPROVED. NEXT ITEM.YEAH, WE CAN SKIP THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AGENDA ITEM THREE WILL BE HELD UNTIL LATER IN THE MEETING. MR. MAYOR, YOUR BRIEFINGS CONTINUE. WE CAN TAKE UP THE ITEM NOW.
I'M TOLD THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO NEED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. ITEM THREE. IS THAT OKAY? ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET'S LAY IT OUT THERE, THEN.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AGENDA ITEM THREE IS ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION APPOINTING BLANK AS INTERIM CITY AUDITOR, EFFECTIVE ON AUGUST 19TH, 2026, TO SERVE UNTIL THE CITY COUNCIL SELECTS AND APPOINTS THE CITY AUDITOR NOT TO EXCEED BLANK DOLLARS.
THIS IS YOUR ITEM, MR. MAYOR. IS THERE A MOTION? YES. MAYOR WAS RECOGNIZED FOR A MOTION. THANK YOU.
I MOVED TO APPOINT RORY GALTER AS INTERIM CITY AUDITOR WITH AN ANNUAL BASE SALARY OF $180,000, EFFECTIVE ON AUGUST 19TH, 2026, UNTIL THE CITY COUNCIL SELECTS AND APPOINTS THE CITY AUDITOR.
SECOND. ALL RIGHT. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? CHAIRMAN WEST? YES. YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WHO WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, FIRST WITH MONMOUTH SPARKS, TO APPOINT HER AS INTERIM AUDITOR AND SUGGEST THAT SHE GET APPOINTED TO COUNCIL AS INTERIM AUDITOR. SHE HAS SINCE TAKEN JOB AS THE HEAD AUDITOR AT DART.
SO SHE WAS SWEPT AWAY FROM US OVER THERE. AND I THINK THEY'LL BENEFIT FROM HER EXPERIENCE.
RORY WAS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY MAMATHA TO TAKE HER PLACE IN THIS HOPEFULLY BRIEF TWO OR 2 TO 3 MONTH PERIOD THAT WE HAVE WHILE WE FINALIZE HIRING OF THE FINAL AUDITOR FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
THAT PROCESS IS UNDERWAY. WE HAVE TO. BY CHARTER APPOINT BY NOVEMBER 27TH, 2026, BUT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HOPEFULLY GETTING IT DONE AS EARLY AS OCTOBER, MAYBE SEPTEMBER. SO JUST I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUPPORT MR. GALTER IN STEPPING IN AS OUR INTERIM CITY AUDITOR AS WE BEGIN OUR AUDIT PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE WANT TO SPEAK ON FOR AGAINST ITEM NUMBER THREE? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT, MR. MAYOR. YOUR BRIEFINGS CONTINUE.
[BRIEFINGS]
ALL RIGHT, MADAM CITY MANAGER. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THIS MORNING, YOUR FIRST BRIEFING WILL FOCUS ON OUR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFIT STRATEGY FOR PLAN YEAR 2027.HEALTH CARE COST IS ONE OF THE MOST PRESSING FISCAL CHALLENGES FACING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NATIONWIDE, AND DALLAS IS NO EXCEPTION. HEALTH PLANS NATIONALLY ARE PROJECTING THE STEEPEST COST INCREASES IN NEARLY TWO DECADES, DRIVEN BY DOUBLE DIGIT MEDICAL TREND INFLATION, SURGING PRESCRIPTION EXPENSES AND SEVERE CLAIMS. OUR CURRENT BENEFITS MODEL HAS REACHED A POINT OF STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE.
IN SHORT, OUR COST GROWTH IS OUTPACING OUR CITY REVENUE GROWTH.
STANDING STILL IS NOT AN OPTION. INACTION WILL FORCE AN UNSUSTAINABLE PREMIUM SPIKE ON OUR ENTIRE WORKFORCE AND EXPOSE THE CITY BUDGET TO MILLIONS IN UNBUDGETED RISK. SO TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO SHARE WITH YOU THE STRATEGY THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO CREATE A DELIBERATE BALANCE OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, EQUITABLE ACCESS, AND DISCIPLINED COST CONTROL. WE ARE PROPOSING THE FOLLOWING TARGETED CHANGES OPTIMIZING NETWORK EFFICIENCY PROTECTING THE EQUITY TIERS. MANAGING HIGH COST TRENDS.
COLLECTIVELY, THESE ACTIONS WILL ALLOW FOR US TO STABILIZE OUR BASELINE, GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMMEDIATE SAVINGS, AND MITIGATE IMMEDIATE BUDGET RISK. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT AS WE GO INTO 2027, WE DO SEE THIS AS A TRANSITION YEAR FOR OUR BENEFITS PROGRAM. WHILE THE MEASURES THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET CURVE, SOME OF THE GROWTH, THEY DO NOT ELIMINATE THE MULTIYEAR MACRO PRESSURES THAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN HEALTH CARE.
THE INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET GIVES US A FOUNDATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO EVALUATE LONG TERM STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS. AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR HR TEAM UNDER OUR DIRECTOR, NINA ARIAS. I SEE WE ALSO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM HOLMES MURPHY, OUR BENEFITS ADMINISTRATOR,
[01:05:06]
TO WALK YOU THROUGH TODAY'S PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH.THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THIS PROPOSED STRATEGY, AS THE CITY MANAGER WAS MENTIONING BALANCES, EMPLOYEE AFFORDABILITY, ACCESS TO QUALITY CARE AND LONG TERM FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CITY.
JOINING ME TODAY ARE TOMMY MOLIS, HR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
SHERYL MAYO, WELLNESS AND ENGAGEMENT ADMINISTRATOR, AND STANTON KEN, WHO IS OUR BENEFITS MANAGER.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE PRESENTATION TODAY INCLUDES BOTH OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL SLIDES OF THE 2027 PLANS.
FIRST, WE'LL START WITH A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE CITY'S BENEFIT PLANS TO PROVIDE CONTEXT.
AND THEN WE'LL DIVE INTO THE FINANCIAL COST DRIVERS BEHIND THIS YEAR'S PROPOSAL.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE FIVE PROPOSED 2027 PLAN CHANGES, THE IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE PAYROLL CONTRIBUTIONS AND FUTURE MULTI-YEAR INITIATIVES, AND IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. WE CURRENTLY SUPPORT MORE THAN 24,000 ENROLLED EMPLOYEES AND DEPENDENTS ACROSS OUR SELF-INSURED MEDICAL AND PHARMACY PLANS.
WE MANAGE CITY BENEFITS THROUGH WORKDAY. WORKDAY SERVES AS OUR CENTRAL INTEGRATION PLATFORM, CONNECTING SEAMLESSLY WITH ALL OF OUR VENDOR PARTNERS AND PROCESSING NEAR NEARLY 60,000 ANNUAL TRANSACTIONS WITH STRONG ACCURACY AND COMPLIANCE. SEPARATELY, AND THROUGH TARGET PROCUREMENT INITIATIVES, WE NEGOTIATED OVER 9 MILLION IN SAVINGS FOR THE 2526 PLAN YEAR. THIS BENEFIT FRAMEWORKS ARE DEVELOPED IN CLOSE COLLABORATION WITH OUR INDEPENDENT BENEFITS CONSULTANT, HOLMES MURPHY AND ASSOCIATES. WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SEAN KILDENE FROM HOLMES MURPHY TO WALK US THROUGH COST DRIVERS AND THE CURRENT FUNDING MODEL.
THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. I AM GOING TO START WITH LOOKING AT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS COST AS IT RELATES TO MEDICAL AND PHARMACY EXPENSES AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND DEFINITELY IN THE DFW METROPLEX, WE ARE SEEING RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
THE THINGS DRIVING THAT INCREASE ARE PRIMARILY LARGE COST PAYMENTS FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IN PARTICULAR, WE'VE SEEN 120 MEMBERS IN THE CURRENT PLAN YEAR, WITH INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS EXCEEDING $100,000. SO THAT'S ONE CLAIMANT. WE HAVE 120 OF THOSE MEMBERS WITHIN THE CITY OF DALLAS PLAN, WITH $100,000 IN SPEND. THAT REPRESENTS $25 MILLION OF SPEND IN THE CURRENT PLAN YEAR.
DRIVERS OF THAT HIGH COST CLAIMANT SPEND IS A HIGH PREVALENCE OF CANCERS.
VARIOUS TYPES OF CANCERS WITHIN THE POPULATION, ALSO DRIVING THE CITY OF DALLAS.
COSTS INCREASE, AS WE ARE SEEING FOR 2027, ARE YOUR PHARMACY EXPENSES.
PHARMACY EXPENSES FOR 2025 WERE $54 MILLION. THAT IS AN INCREASE OF $14 MILLION FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
AND THE CONTRIBUTORS FOR THOSE RISING PHARMACY COSTS, OF COURSE, ARE GLP ONE MEDICATIONS.
AND THOSE GLP ONE MEDICATIONS ARE BEING UTILIZED FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DIABETICS AND ALSO FOR PLAN MEMBERS WHO ARE ON A WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY WITHOUT SOME SORT OF CORRECTIVE ACTION FOR 2027 AND FORWARD.
THE NEXT SLIDE TAKES US TO SOME OF OUR COST MITIGATION.
[01:10:04]
OUR PROPOSED COST MITIGATION, WHICH ARE REALLY CHANGES FOR THIS UPCOMING PLAN YEAR.THE FIVE KEY CHANGES TO HELP US BALANCE AFFORDABILITY FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS INVOLVE.
THOSE FIVE KEY CHANGES. THANK YOU. THOSE FIVE KEY CHANGES.
THE FIRST CHANGE IS REALLY REGARDING THE ELIMINATION OF THE COPE OF ONE OF YOUR CO-PAY PLANS.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR IN THE FACT THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS TODAY OPERATES TWO COPAY PLANS.
ONE COPAY PLAN IS ON A BROAD BASED PPO NETWORK, AND THE OTHER COPAY PLAN IS ON A BLUE.
THE MATCH BETWEEN THOSE TWO NETWORKS IS 94% ACROSS ALL PROVIDERS.
SO IN THE FIRST CHANGE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING ELIMINATING THE COPAY PLAN ATTACHED TO THE PPO NETWORK.
WHAT WE FOUND IN REVIEWING BOTH THE MEDICAL AND PHARMACY COSTS IS THAT THAT THE PLAN ON THE PPO NETWORK IS LESS EFFICIENT, AND IT'S LESS EFFECTIVE WITH MANAGING COSTS FOR THE CITY.
THE OTHER CHANGE THAT WE WOULD MAKE IN RELATION TO THE MEDICAL PLAN WOULD BE ALSO BECAUSE THE WAY THAT BLUE ESSENTIALS PLAN IS PERFORMING, THE NETWORK IS PERFORMING REALLY, REALLY WELL AND VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH MANAGING COSTS.
THE HSA PLAN OR THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN THAT'S IN PLACE WOULD ALSO TRANSITION.
SO BOTH PLANS WOULD SIT ON THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD BLUE ESSENTIALS HIGH PERFORMING NETWORK.
THE SECOND CHANGE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT INVOLVES CHANGING PLAN, DEDUCTIBLES AND CO-PAYS.
WE ESTIMATE THE SAVINGS FOR THAT PARTICULAR PLAN TO BE JUST OVER $1 MILLION.
AND THE SAVINGS I DID NOT NOTE THE SAVINGS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE CO-PAY PLAN IS ROUGHLY $10 MILLION, SO $9.9 MILLION. THERE WILL BE A CHANGE TO THE SALARY BANDS FOR EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.
THE CHANGE IN SALARY BANDS WAS REALLY MEANT TO HELP US FROM A HEALTH EQUITY STANDPOINT.
YOU EARN LESS. YOU PAY LESS FOR YOUR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY.
THE FOURTH CHANGE NOTED HERE IS RELATIVE TO GLP ONE MEDICATIONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS.
THE PROPOSAL INCLUDES REMOVING THOSE FROM THE CURRENT FORMULARY.
CITY OF DALLAS MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO GLP ONE MEDICATIONS DIRECT TO CONSUMER, AND A MEMBER OF THE CITY OF DALLAS PLAN CAN ACTUALLY BUY GLP ONE MEDICATIONS FOR WEIGHT LOSS AT A LESSER RATE TO THEMSELVES THAN WHAT THE CITY PAYS, SO THE PLAN PAYS A HIGHER AMOUNT, WHEREAS A MEMBER COULD IN THE OPEN MARKET BY DIRECT TO CONSUMER AT A LOWER PRICE POINT.
THE FINAL CHANGE NOTED ON THIS SLIDE RELATES TO THE WELLNESS INCENTIVE MOVING FORWARD FOR 2027.
WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR EVERY MEMBER TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, AND AS PART OF OUR CHANGE, AS WE ARE PROVIDING MEMBERS WITH A WELLNESS INCENTIVE, THEY ARE EARNING AN INCENTIVE PAID BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
WE WANT A PORTION OF THAT INCENTIVE TO BE EARNED BY THOSE MEMBERS WHO ARE ACCESSING A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN AND COMPLETING THEIR ANNUAL WELLNESS EXAMS AND LABS ASSOCIATED. YOU STILL EARN THE INCENTIVE.
WE WOULD JUST LIKE YOU TO SEE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
THE FIRST CHANGE MEMBERS WILL NOTICE IS THAT INSTEAD OF HAVING THREE MEDICAL PLANS IN 2027, WE WILL HAVE TWO. MEMBERS WILL RETAIN ACCESS TO A COPAY PLAN.
CO-PAY PLANS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HELPS A MEMBER UNDERSTAND WHAT I NEED TO PAY OUT OF POCKET.
WHEN I GO TO SEE A DOCTOR, THE COPAY PLAN WILL THE REMAINING COPAY PLAN WILL BE ON THE BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK, AND THEN MEMBERS WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO HAVE A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN WITH A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT ATTACHED WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CITY.
FROM A COST SHARING PERSPECTIVE, EMPLOYEES WHO TRANSITIONED FROM THE COPAY PLAN, THE PPO COPAY PLAN THAT'S BEING ELIMINATED. BOTH OF THE PLANS OFFERED IN 2027 WILL RESULT IN LESSER OUT OF POCKET PREMIUM FOR MEMBERS.
THE SALARY TIERS, WHICH I NOTED PREVIOUSLY, THOSE SALARY TIERS AGAIN WILL BE UPDATED.
[01:15:02]
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MEMBERS WITH SERVICES TO PREVENTIVE CARE AT NO COST.SO IF I AM DIABETIC OR IF I HAVE FATTY LIVER DISEASE OR ANY OTHER MEDICAL CONDITION THAT REQUIRES A GLP ONE, THAT THAT MEDICATION WILL BE APPROVED UNDER THE PLAN.
THE HR TEAM WILL BE WORKING TO EDUCATE ALL EMPLOYEES ON THE CHANGES FOR 2027.
THERE IS A 94.52% MATCH BETWEEN THE BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK AND THE COPAY PPO NETWORK, AND THAT 94.5% LOOKS AT ALL PROVIDERS RIGHT ACROSS BOTH NETWORKS.
THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. IT HELPS US IDENTIFY RISKS EARLIER.
IT HELPS EMPLOYEES WHEN THEY HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A HEALTH PROVIDER.
THE BLUE ESSENTIALS PPO PLAN IS SPECIFICALLY FOR RESIDENTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
YOU. IF YOU HAVE A MEMBER THAT LIVES OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS AND WE'VE IDENTIFIED 62 THAT HAPPEN TO BE RETIREES, THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE AN OPEN ACCESS TO PROVIDERS, SO THEY WILL HAVE NO DISRUPTION.
AND, AND ANY EMPLOYEE THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF CARE TODAY.
THE CITY OF DALLAS WILL BE UTILIZING THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD BENEFIT VALUE ADVISOR EMPLOYEES COMMONLY KNOW THIS AS THEIR BVA, SO THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS A BVA WITH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, AND THEY WILL HELP THOSE MEMBERS WHERE THERE IS DISRUPTION.
AND AGAIN, THAT DISRUPTION IS 1% POTENTIALLY.
IF I LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, IT IDENTIFIES THE NEW SALARY BANDS.
SO THE CURRENT SALARY BAND TODAY BREAKS THAT EMPLOYEES EARNING UNDER $47,000 FOR 2027.
WE WILL TRANSITION THAT BREAK TO EMPLOYEES EARNING LESS THAN $50,000.
AND THEN THE SECOND TIER IS THOSE EARNING BETWEEN 50,000 AND 75.
SO IF I AM AN EMPLOYEE WHO HAS EMPLOYEE ONLY COVERAGE.
THE MAJORITY OF YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE SITTING IN THAT EMPLOYEE ONLY THRESHOLD.
IF I EARN UNDER $50,000. THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS THAT TODAY MY CURRENT MONTHLY PREMIUM IS $33.08 FOR 2027. FOR EMPLOYEES EARNING LESS THAN $50,000, THAT THE CHANGE IS TO 3804.
SO THAT'S A $4.96 CHANGE ON A PER MONTH BASIS.
THE OTHER EXAMPLES ON THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATE FOR YOU.
SO THERE'LL BE SOME VARIANCE THERE. THE NEXT SLIDE IS LOOKING AT THE HSA PLAN WHICH IS YOUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN. ILLUSTRATIVELY. IT FUNCTIONS THE SAME. THE SALARY TIERS ARE ARE IDENTICAL.
AND WHAT A MEMBER PAYS WILL BE RELATIVE FROM THE PLAN PLAN DESIGN AND THEIR COVERAGE TIER.
SLIDE 11 BRINGS BOTH THE PCP PLAN AND THE HSA PLAN TO A COMPARATIVE OF THE CURRENT PPO
[01:20:06]
PLAN. SO THAT SECOND COLUMN REPRESENTS THE ELIMINATED PPO PLAN RATES FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY EMPLOYEE CHILD AND EMPLOYEE FAMILY. AND NEXT TO THAT, YOU WILL SEE THE NEW RATES FOR THE PCP PLAN AND THE HSA PLAN.AND THEN THE NEW LOWEST COST OPTION FOR EMPLOYEES.
SO IN EACH OF THOSE COVERAGE TIERS, EMPLOYEE ONLY, EMPLOYEE, CHILD AND FAMILY, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE LOWEST COST OPTION IS ACTUALLY THE 2027 PLAN. AND AS A REMINDER, THAT IS ALSO A COPAY PLAN WITH THE 94% MATCH OVER THE NETWORK, REGARDLESS OF THE PLAN ELECTION THAT A MEMBER MAKES FOR 2027.
IF I AM CURRENTLY IN THE COPAY PPO PLAN TODAY, I WILL PAY LESS FOR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IN 2027.
IF I TRANSITION TO THE NEXT SLIDE, MAINTAINING THE COPAY PLAN, THERE'S A COST, RIGHT? THERE'S A COST TO THE CITY. AND WE'VE KIND OF TAGLINE THIS AS THE COST OF STANDING STILL AND WHY WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT IS FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE TO CONTINUE TO OFFER THE PPO PLAN. AND THE ISSUE WITH THAT PPO COPAY PLAN IS EFFICIENCY, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT THE EXACT SAME PLAN OFFERED UNDER THE BLUE ESSENTIALS IS A LESSER EXPENSE TO YOU, AND IT'S A LESSER EXPENSE TO YOUR MEMBERS SHOULD THE CITY DECIDE TO MAINTAIN THE CHOICE PPO COPAY PLAN.
OUR EVALUATION RESULTED IN THE NET INCREASE TO EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.
THE COST TO THE CITY TO MAINTAIN THE PPO PLAN IS AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION.
THIS NUMBER. THESE NUMBERS ARE REALLY NOT OUR CEILING.
WE WOULD ALSO BE CONSTANTLY MONITORING THAT PPO PLAN FOR ACCESS TO CONFIRM THAT WE'RE NOT OVERRUNNING OR SHORT FALLING WITHIN THE BUDGET. IF YOU COUPLE THOSE THINGS WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE NATION, BUT SPECIFICALLY HERE IN THE DFW METROPLEX IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. TEXAS HAS THE FIFTH HIGHEST MEDICAL AND PHARMACY EXPENSES IN THE NATION.
THE DALLAS FORT WORTH METROPLEX HAS THE HIGHEST MEDICAL COSTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO IT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ACROSS NOT ONLY PUBLIC ENTITIES, BUT COMMERCIAL EMPLOYERS ARE ALSO DEALING WITH THE RISING COST OF MEDICAL AND PHARMACY EXPENSES. THE NEXT SLIDE LOOKS AT IT SPECIFICALLY LOOKS AT TWO OF THE KEY CHANGES AND ONE, TWO OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE RADAR AND WE BRING ATTENTION TO IT.
THOSE PROGRAMS WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS AVAILABLE THROUGH PRESCRIPTION.
WHAT WE ARE CHANGING IS THE ACCESS TO THE GLP ONE MEDICATION FOR WEIGHT LOSS.
THE SECOND THING THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE CATAPULT, BIOMETRIC SCREENING AS A, AS A ACTIVITY FOR THE CITY'S WELLNESS PROGRAM.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO AWARD MEMBERS THE WELLNESS CREDIT WHEN THEY COMPLETE THE INCENTIVE.
WE ARE SIMPLY STEERING THOSE MEMBERS TO A DOCTOR.
WE WANT THEM TO HAVE MORE THAN A FINGER PRICK AND KNOW WHAT THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE LEVELS ARE, OR TO KNOW WHAT THEIR CHOLESTEROL LEVELS ARE.
WE WANT THEM TO SIT WITH A PHYSICIAN, HAVE THE TEST DONE IN A PHYSICIAN'S OFFICE SO THE PHYSICIAN CAN HELP THEM WITH ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION OR REMEDIATION NEEDED FOR THOSE HEALTH CONDITIONS. THE NEXT SLIDE LOOKS AT WE'VE CALLED IT THE SHORTFALL SLIDE. SO THIS SLIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE REVENUES THAT WE'RE BRINGING IN AND OUR EXPECTED EXPENSES WITH THE PLAN DESIGN CHANGES THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED.
[01:25:04]
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE FOR THE CURRENT 2526 FISCAL YEAR, THAT DIFFERENCE, THAT SHORTFALL TO THE CITY BUDGET IS $21 MILLION. AND FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN $16 MILLION IF CORRECTIVE ACTION HAVE NOT BEEN TAKEN.WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR THESE SHORTFALLS, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT THE SHORTFALLS LOOK LIKE IN THE EVENT THAT WE DID NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THE PLAN OR CORRECTIVE ACTION WITHIN THE BUDGET.
IF I TRANSITION TO THE NEXT SLIDE. THIS SLIDE REALLY LOOKS AT THE THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MANAGING THE TRANSITION EFFECTIVELY. THE FIRST THING, AND REALLY THE BIGGEST CHANGE THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MANAGING IS THE TRANSITION TO BLUE ESSENTIALS FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO IS MIGRATING OR LOOKING AT THAT BLUE ESSENTIALS PLAN WILL BE COMMUNICATING THE NETWORK.
WE WILL BE HELPING MEMBERS WITH DECISION SUPPORT SO THEY KNOW WHAT PLAN TO SELECT.
IF MEMBERS ARE GOING TO EXPERIENCE A HIGHER MAYBE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE FOR THOSE MEMBERS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO MAY TRANSITION TO THE HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN, WE WILL BE PROVIDING EDUCATION TO HELP THOSE MEMBERS UNDERSTAND HOW A HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN WORKS, WHAT THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS ARE OF CONTRIBUTING TO A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT TO HELP THEM MANAGE THEIR PERSONAL EXPENSES.
FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON A WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION THAT IS A GLP ONE, WE WILL BE REDIRECTING THEM TO DIRECT TO CONSUMER PROGRAMS TO HELP THEM WITH UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY CAN ACCESS THOSE MEDICATIONS.
AND THEN THE NEXT NOTE IS REALLY A SAVINGS REALIZATION.
WE NEED TO CONFIRM THAT MEMBERS ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE CLINICAL PROGRAMS THAT YOU PLAN TO MAKE AVAILABLE, AND THEN FORWARD LOOKING. WE NEED TO EVALUATE THE MARKET TO DETERMINE HOW WE BETTER DELIVER HEALTH CARE TO THE CITY OF DALLAS EMPLOYEES, SO THAT WE CAN HELP YOU MANAGE AND MITIGATE YOUR EXPENSES GOING FORWARD.
SO AT THIS POINT, I'LL TRANSITION IT BACK TO NINA TO TALK US THROUGH THE TRANSITION PERIOD.
STARTING WITH COUNCIL APPROVAL, ONCE THE BUDGET IS APPROVED WITH THE THE WORK INCLUDED REGARDING THE BUDGET, WE WILL MOVE INTO EMPLOYEE EDUCATION, MAKING SURE THAT EVERY EMPLOYEE UNDERSTANDS WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE, AND THEY ARE ABLE TO CHOOSE THE BEST POSSIBLE PLAN BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED.
ALSO WE'LL DO DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, WE'LL HAVE OUR OPEN ENROLLMENT.
AND THEN THROUGHOUT 27, WE'LL MONITOR, ADJUST AND EXPLORE FUTURE OPTIONS MAKING SURE TO TRACK OUR CLAIMS CLOSELY AS WE DO AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT ENROLLMENT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME, WE WILL KNOW WHICH EMPLOYEES HAVE CHOSEN TO GO TO ONE PLAN OR ANOTHER. RIGHT NOW THAT IS PROJECTED, BUT THEN WE'LL HAVE THE REAL NUMBERS AND THEN WE'LL EXPLORE NEW OPTIONS.
OUR PLAN IS TO LOOK AT DIRECT PRIMARY CARE AS ONE OF THE MODELS THAT WILL BE EXPLORED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EXAMINE EVERY TREND AND EVERY TYPE OF INSURANCE CURRENTLY IN THE MARKET TO SELECT THE VERY BEST POSSIBLE OPTION FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.
WE WILL DO THAT IN COLLABORATION WITH EMPLOYEES AND PLANNING TO ENSURE THAT WE GATHER FEEDBACK AND LISTEN TO PREFERENCES EMPLOYEES MAY HAVE REGARDING THE DIFFERENT PLANS AVAILABLE.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS SLIDE TALKS ABOUT THE FUTURE INITIATIVES. WE'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL. IT TALKS ABOUT WHAT DIRECT PRIMARY CARE IS.
[01:30:03]
I WILL NOT FOCUS MUCH ON IT. BASICALLY THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION.IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DIRECT PRIMARY CARE, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT TO YOU.
WE SEE THAT THERE IS GROWING ADOPTION, A MORE MID-SIZED TEXAS EMPLOYERS AS A SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFIT.
AND WE ARE SEEING SOME PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS ENTERING THIS SPACE AND REPORTING GOOD RESULTS.
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES IS THAT IT'S VERY POPULAR AND VERY COST EFFECTIVE FOR EMPLOYEES MANAGING CHRONIC CONDITIONS LIKE DIABETES OR HYPERTENSION, THYROID ANXIETY. AND IT WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MAYOR, THE MAJOR HEALTH SYSTEMS LIKE BAYLOR AND AND OTHER HOSPITALS IN THE REGION.
UT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS IS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DIRECT PRIMARY CARE. IT OFFERS FASTER ACCESS, LOWER COSTS, BETTER CHRONIC CARE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR EVERY IDEA, EVERY THOUGHT, EVERY OPTION THAT MAY BE IN THE MARKET AND WELCOME INPUT FROM YOU ALL AND EVERY EMPLOYEE AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO HERE ARE OUR NEXT STEPS. FIRST WE NEED TO APPROVE THE PLAN CHANGES.
SO ADOPT THE 27 MEDICAL PHARMACY AND WELLNESS CHANGES AND THE CONTRIBUTION SCHEDULE.
THEN WE WILL START ON OUR MARKET EVALUATION. AS I MENTIONED IN GAY EMPLOYEES IN THAT PROCESS.
AND THEN REFINE A MULTI-YEAR FUNDING PLAN AND BRING IT BACK TO YOU.
NEXT SLIDE. SO THERE ARE SOME REFERENCE MATERIALS AS WELL THAT PROVIDE MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE PLAN. WITH THAT, WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NINA. AND I'M GOING TO GO TO CHAIRMAN MORENO FIRST FOR FIVE MINUTES.
WE'RE ON BRIEF ITEM A FOR THE PUBLIC. THANK YOU MAYOR.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION. AS WE RIGHTFULLY HAVE MANY CONCERNED EMPLOYEES ON HOW THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, MANY QUESTIONS ON, WELL, THEY HAVE TO FIND A NEW DOCTOR.
WILL THEY HAVE TO STAY IN THE SERVICE AREA? AND SO I'M GLAD TO REPEATEDLY HEAR THE EDUCATION PIECE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS AND ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. AS FAR AS FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE, IS A DECISION WOULD NEED TO BE MADE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR BUDGET TO, IN ORDER TO HAVE NOT NOT HAVE A IMPACT ON THE BUDGET.
IS THAT RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
SO CAN WE START OFF WITH FOLKS THAT CURRENTLY HAVE A PRIMARY DOCTOR OUTSIDE THE CITY OF DALLAS? I KNOW EACH CASE WILL BE DIFFERENT, BUT OVERALL, DO WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WILL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE TO CHANGE DOCTORS IF THEY'RE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS? ONLY IF SO, LET'S GO BACK TO THE FACT THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT YOUR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE SEEING PROVIDERS TODAY. SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE TOTAL NETWORK, BUT ALSO YOUR THE PROVIDERS BEING SERVICED BY CITY OF DALLAS.
MEMBERS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, WE ARE TALKING OF 1%.
SO FOR THAT 1% OR LESS THAN THOSE ARE NOT ALL PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS.
THOSE COULD EITHER BE SPECIALTY PROVIDERS OR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROVIDERS.
THOSE MEMBERS WILL START TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATION AND THEN THEY WILL BE DIRECTED TO THEIR BVA.
SO WE WILL SUPPORT WITH REDIRECTION. OKAY. AND THEN THESE IMPACTS AFFECT BOTH CIVILIAN AND IN UNIFORM EMPLOYEES. THIS IS A THE PROGRAM INCLUDES UNIFORMED AND CIVILIAN.
[01:35:02]
OKAY. AND FOR THOSE FAMILIES THAT HAVE TWO WORKING INDIVIDUALS THAT AREN'T WORKING FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, MAYBE SOMEONE WORKS FOR THE CITY AND THEIR SPOUSE WORKS FOR A NON, A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION OUTSIDE.SO WE OFFER DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS AND AS LONG AS A MEMBER PRESENTS WHAT THE PLAN IS LIKE, WE REALLY WE DON'T HAVE A WAY OF KNOWING LIKE WHAT THE SPOUSE'S PLAN IS.
BUT IF THEY CALL IN AND THEY REACH OUT TO THE BENEFIT SERVICE CENTER AND THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE ON AN 80% PLAN SOMEPLACE ELSE, WE WILL HELP AS BEST WE CAN. WHAT WE CAN ADVISE ON ARE THE PLANS THAT YOU OFFER.
THIS IS HOW THE CITY OF DALLAS PLANS WORK AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO SUPPORT MEMBERS.
BUT OUR EXPERTISE IS ON THE BENEFIT PLANS THAT YOU OFFER.
OKAY. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GO EXPANDING AND GO BEYOND THAT.
ALSO, ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE POSSIBLY SELF-INSURED IN FINDING THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE THAT MIGHT BE MORE BENEFICIAL FOR THEIR FAMILIES? I THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO, TO LOOK AT.
WE HELP COACH THEM THROUGH THAT. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO PROHIBIT ANY EMPLOYEE THAT MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT SOMETHING ON THE MARKET THAT THEY BELIEVE MIGHT BE A BETTER SUIT FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES, SO WE DON'T PENALIZE THEM FOR DOING THAT.
THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. AND FOR THAT 1% OF EMPLOYEES THAT MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE PROVIDERS.
HOW MUCH TIME DO THEY HAVE TO DO THAT? TRANSITION INTO FIND A NEW PROVIDER? WE WOULD LIKE TO TO DO IT DURING THE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD.
IN A PERFECT WORLD, AS SOMEONE IS ELECTING COVERAGE, THEY CAN NOTIFY THE CITY.
LIKE I SELECT PROVIDER B, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CAPTURE THAT INFORMATION.
IF A IF A MEMBER DOES NOT DESIGNATE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, WE WILL ASSIGN A.
WE. BLUE CROSS WILL ASSIGN A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
IF THEY DETERMINE. WE'VE IDENTIFIED A DIFFERENT PROVIDER, WE'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE DIFFERENT.
THEY SIMPLY CALL BLUE CROSS AND THEN THAT PROVIDER, THAT PROVIDER DESIGNATION CAN BE CHANGED.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. CHAIRMAN GRACEY RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. EXACTLY. LET ME COME BACK TO YOU.
ARE YOU GOOD? NO. I'M GOOD. I'M. I'M JUST TRYING TO GATHER.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I'LL START WITH. WHY? HOW WHY ARE WE HERE? WE'RE HERE TO ADDRESS CITY MANAGER A BUDGET DEFICIT.
CORRECT? IT'S TWOFOLD. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING AND COMMUNICATING FOR OVER A YEAR NOW ABOUT THE NEEDS TO LOOK AT OUR HEALTH CARE PROGRAM. AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, OF CHANGES THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE MARKET.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN WATCHING, WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THE BENEFITS FUND.
WHEN WE CAME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE TRYING TO KEEP EMPLOYEE PREMIUMS FLAT IT BECAUSE WE KNEW EVEN WITH THE INCREASES THAT WE WERE SEEING, HOW DIFFICULT THAT WOULD BE IF WE WERE PUSHING ALL THOSE COSTS OVER TO OUR EMPLOYEES.
AND SO THIS HAS REALLY BEEN A BALANCING ACT. AND SO WHEN WE GOT INTO THE MONTH OF MARCH, IF YOU WILL RECALL, WE SHARED WITH THE COUNCIL THAT EVEN IN THE CURRENT YEAR'S BUDGET THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT A DEFICIT AND WE KNEW THAT SOME OF THAT WAS BEING DRIVEN BY THE COST INCREASES THAT WE'RE SEEING ON OUR HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM.
SO THIS IS A DELIBERATE, INTENTIONAL EFFORT TO SLOW DOWN THE PAIN AND GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY AS WE LOOK AT OUR BUDGET AND AS WE LOOK AT THE GO FORWARD AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING SOUND DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT IS GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE COST INCREASES, I'VE SEEN THE COMMENTS I'VE BEEN OUT, WHICH IS WHY I DON'T HAVE A VOICE THIS MORNING.
I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME OUT SPEAKING TO OUR EMPLOYEES ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT DECISIONS LIKE THIS ARE.
WE SPENT AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF TIME OVER THE SUMMER TRYING TO FIND EVERY WAY POSSIBLE TO STAY WITH THE THREE PLANS, BUT KNOWING THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE PASSING ANYWHERE BETWEEN 40% TO 45% INCREASES TO EMPLOYEES,
[01:40:04]
AND THE ADDITIONAL COST THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO ABSORB IN OUR BUDGET GOING INTO THAT WITH A $50 MILLION DEFICIT IS EXTREMELY IMPOSSIBLE.AND SO TODAY, WE'RE HERE TO SHARE THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET AND HOW WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO STABILIZE OUR HEALTH CARE PROGRAM AND TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK TO THE MARKET IN 2027 AND LOOK AT WHAT THE NEW BEST PRACTICES ARE.
THAT INDUSTRY IS CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING. MANY PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS GO OUT EVERY SINGLE YEAR, AND SOME ARE CHANGING PLANS EVERY YEAR TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE OPTION.
AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TAKE THESE MEASURES.
IT'S NOT TO STOP, BUT IT'S TO CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO WORK WITH OUR EMPLOYEES TO ENSURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE AND THE CRITICAL NATURE OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW. SO WE'RE HERE JUST TO UPDATE THE COUNCIL.
WE KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY RECEIVED EMAIL COMMUNICATION.
YOU'VE SEEN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, BUT WE WANTED TO BRING YOU THE FACTS TODAY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS, AND WE'RE DOING IT IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE COST INCREASES.
DON'T PUT OUR EMPLOYEES IN A MUCH MORE DISADVANTAGED POSITION WITH THEIR HEALTH CARE.
OKAY. THANK YOU. WHEN I, I TRIED TO COMPARE, I KNOW WE HAVE WE LISTED WHAT THE, THE CURRENT PROGRAM IS IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER ENTITIES. BUT WHAT DOES I WANT? I'D BE CURIOUS WHAT DOES HOW DOES THE, THE PROPOSED PLAN LINE UP WITH OTHER ENTITIES? BECAUSE WHEN I DID JUST A ROUGH ESTIMATE, IT LOOKS LIKE EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO BE PAYING MORE IN JUST ABOUT ALL OF THOSE CATEGORIES, FROM A PREMIUM TO A DEDUCTIBLES. AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS SEEM LIKE IT'S ALL GOING TO GO UP FROM A COMPARISON PERSPECTIVE.
SO HOW DOES THIS REALLY COMPARE? I KNOW WE SAID THIS IS WHAT SEEMS WHERE THE INDUSTRY IS GOING, I GUESS, BUT HOW DOES THIS PLAN COMPARE TO THOSE OTHER CITIES WHEN YOU LINE THOSE SAME PROGRAMS UP? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M ASKING? I'LL START.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE INCREASES THAT WE'VE SHOWN, I THINK WE HAD A $5 INCREASE IN EMPLOYEE ONLY.
I THINK THE MAX IS LIKE 5 OR 6 BUCKS, DEPENDING ON IF IT'S THE HSA OR IF IT'S THE IF IT'S THE PCP.
SO THOSE NUMBERS, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, WOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 40 TO 45% HIGHER.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT AS WE'VE LOOKED AT KEEPING THE PPO PLAN, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE MARKET IS THAT THOSE PLANS ARE BECOMING OBSOLETE, AND MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ALREADY MOVED AWAY FROM TRUE PPO PLANS.
AND THAT WAS PART OF THE EVALUATION AND THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA THAT WE SAW OVER THE SUMMER.
BUT I'LL LET OUR TEAM EXPLORE AND TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THAT FURTHER.
OKAY. MR. ALLEN, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE MIC SO I CAN TALK LESS.
IF I LOOK ACROSS BOTH COMMERCIAL PLANS NATIONALLY AND EVEN IN THE DFW METROPLEX, YOUR BENEFIT PLANS ARE MORE THAN COMPARABLE, RIGHT? IT'S DIFFICULT WHEN YOU START TO COMPARE LIKE THIS.
THIS EMPLOYER HAS THIS DEDUCTIBLE OR THIS CO-PAY.
WHAT WE LOOK AT IS OVERALL RICHNESS. SO WE LOOK AT VALUE OF THE PLAN.
SO HOW MUCH OF EVERY DOLLAR ARE YOU COVERING.
AND YOU ARE WELL WITHIN THE NORMS. WHAT I WILL SAY IS BECAUSE YOU ARE POSITIONED IN THE DFW METROPLEX, YOU ARE HAVING TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT FOLKS THAT SIT OUTSIDE OF DFW ARE NOT HAVING TO MAKE.
RIGHT? BECAUSE YOUR AREA IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING NATIONALLY OR WITHIN THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH METROPLEX, MORE PEOPLE ARE MOVING HERE, RIGHT? MORE PEOPLE CREATE A GREATER NEED FOR PROVIDERS, RIGHT? SO WHAT YOU ARE DOING FROM A PLAN DESIGN PERSPECTIVE IS A MUST IN ORDER TO REMAIN FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE.
WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH THE NETWORK CHANGE IS THE MOST FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE DECISION THE CITY CAN MAKE TODAY, BECAUSE OUR EVALUATION HAS SAID YOU ARE BUYING COVERAGE TODAY AT A GREATER EXPENSE THAN YOU HAVE TO, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN BUY BETTER WITHIN THE BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK.
[01:45:03]
WE REPRESENT A NUMBER OF PUBLIC ENTITIES, AND ALL OF THEM ARE HAVING TO MAKE TOUGHER DECISIONS.YOU SOMEWHERE IN THE PRESENTATION, I THINK YOU ALL LISTED SOME SOME COST MITIGATION TOOLS THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED, AND I. ONE WHEN DID YOU RECOMMEND THOSE AND HAVE THEY.
WE'RE RESPONDING TO IT, BUT IT'S COSTING EMPLOYEES EITHER, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO TRANSITION JUST THEIR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THAT IS OR EVEN, YOU KNOW, THROUGH PREMIUMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT IF SOME OF THESE COST MITIGATION OPTIONS THAT YOU RECOMMENDED HAVE NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED, THAT'S CONCERNING FOR ME BECAUSE I'M THINKING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE FIRST.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE INCLUDED IN OUR PROPOSED BUDGET GOING FORWARD, WHAT WE PLANNED BASED ON THE TRENDS THAT WE WERE SEEING AT THAT TIME WHEN WE PUT TOGETHER THE BUDGET LAST YEAR, WE BELIEVE THAT THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTIONS WOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND $153 MILLION TO HELP STABILIZE.
BUT GOING INTO PROJECTIONS THAT WE NOW HAVE, THAT CONTRIBUTION IS GOING FROM 153 UP TO 170 MILLION.
THAT IS JUST THE CITY'S PORTION. THAT IS NOT PASSING ANYTHING.
THAT IS JUST FOR US, THE CITY, TO STABILIZE WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.
AND SO IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE BLINDLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A PLAN HERE.
YOU DON'T DISRUPT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR AND NOT HAVE THE OPTIONS.
BUT WHAT WE SAW THAT EVEN WITH THE STOPGAPS, THE USAGE INCREASED, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE SAYING GOING FORWARD, THE STOPGAP THAT WE PUT IN PLACE DID NOT WORK.
BUT WHEN YOU START SEEING SOME OF THE CLAIMS THAT I KNOW WE'VE COMMUNICATED THIS MORNING WHERE YOU HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH CLAIMS OVER 100,000, AND THAT'S HAPPENING IN REAL TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR.
IT'S HARD TO CHANGE THE PLAN. WE HAVE A PLAN THAT TAKES US THROUGH A YEAR.
THE NEW PLANS START IN JANUARY. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MEASURES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW, WHICH WILL BE IMPLEMENTED JANUARY 1ST, WHICH STARTS THE NEW PLAN YEAR.
SO WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLAN YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
THESE CHANGES GO INTO EFFECT IN THE NEW PLAN YEAR.
WHEN WERE THOSE RECOMMENDED, THOUGH? THROUGH THIS PAST SUMMER.
SO LET ME KIND OF STEP BACK JUST A LITTLE BIT.
JACK ARLAN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SO AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, FISCAL YEAR 26, YOU HAVE SEEN THE CITY MANAGER HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE SOME EXPENSE REDUCTION STRATEGIES MID-YEAR, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN OVER BUDGET IN SOME AREAS.
IF WE GO BACK TO THE BUDGET ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTS THAT WE GIVE TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE THAT WE SEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL BACK TO THE SPRING, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT WE WERE FORECASTING TO BE OVER BUDGET IN THE CURRENT YEAR, AND ONE OF THE COST DRIVERS WAS EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS.
AND IF WE LOOK BACK TO THE APRIL 1ST BUDGET BRIEFING, AS WE LOOKED FORWARD TO THE 27 BUDGET, TO THE MAY BRIEFING, TO THE JUNE BRIEFING TO LAST WEEK, THE AUGUST RECOMMENDED BUDGET, WE CONTINUALLY POINT OUT THAT EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS IS ONE OF OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT COST DRIVERS IN THE CURRENT YEAR.
THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION IS $146 MILLION. YOU CAN FIND THAT ON PAGE 471 OF LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.
BUT IF YOU LOOK IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET PAGE FOR 95, YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS BUDGET THAT WE RECOMMENDED TO YOU LAST WEEK INCLUDES $175.4 MILLION FOR OUR CONTRIBUTION. SO FROM THE CURRENT YEAR, 146 TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THE CITY CONTRIBUTION IS GOING TO ONE.
75. SO FROM 146 TO 1. 75 NEARLY $30 MILLION INCREASE.
[01:50:01]
AND THAT IS EVEN INCLUDING HAVING TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS THAT CHANGE THE PLAN YEAR.EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST OF 27 FOR PLAN YEAR 27.
SO WE HAD TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS TO RESTRUCTURE THE PLAN, INCLUDING ELIMINATION OF ONE OF THE THREE, TO JUST HAVE TWO AND ELIMINATE THE PPO, AS WELL AS INCREASE THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTIONS BY NEARLY $30 MILLION.
AND WE CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS. WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING THAT'S MORE SUSTAINABLE.
SO MISS TOLBERT ASKED US, AND AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS PUTTING THE BUDGET TOGETHER AND KNOWING THAT WE HAD A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE WE RECOMMENDED A BUDGET TO YOU LAST WEEK, SHE SAID, OKAY, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A STOP GAP YEAR.
WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. AND THE RECOMMENDATION THEREFORE WAS TO ELIMINATE PPO, MAKE SOME CHANGES, INCREASE OUR CONTRIBUTION TO $175 MILLION. BUT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BUDGET IS APPROVED, WE NEED TO START WORKING ON THE NEXT YEARS BECAUSE WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE'RE DOING BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS. IT IS NOT STRUCTURALLY SOUND FOR US TO KEEP GOING IN THIS DIRECTION.
THIS WAS A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT DECISION TO MAKE.
KIM'S PROBABLY TIRED OF ME TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT I'VE BEEN PUSHING HER SINCE MARCH.
I WE GOT TO MAKE A DECISION ON EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS.
IT WAS ONE OF THE LAST DECISIONS SHE MADE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, JACK, YOU GOT TO FIND A DIFFERENT WAY.
YOU GOT TO FIND A DIFFERENT WAY. I HAVE NO OTHER WAY.
WE NEED $30 MILLION. PLUS, WE NEED TO REDUCE THE BENEFIT.
AND I RESPECT EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID AND ALL THE WORK DONE.
AND I DON'T WANT MY LINE OF QUESTIONING TO BE MIS CONSTRUED ABOUT THAT.
BUT WHAT I AM TRYING TO MAKE SURE IS THAT, AND I THINK I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER WHEN WE DISCOVERED THIS GAP, HAVE WE DONE EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO WITHIN THE PERIOD OR BEFORE THE PERIOD OR OUTSIDE OF THE PERIOD TO PREVENT THIS OR RELIEVE SOME OF THE BURDEN THAT IT'S GOING TO CAUSE ON THE EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING AT. AND IN SOME OF THESE CASES, I THINK I'VE READ SOMEWHERE WHAT WAS IT WHERE DID IT GO? INDEPENDENT CLAIMS AUDITING, YOU KNOW, TO, TO VERIFY.
DO WE HAVE AN INDEPENDENT CLAIMS AUDITOR IN PLACE? I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. YES. SO WITHIN THE BLUE CROSS WILL YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS FIRST? YES. SO IF YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY ASKING, ARE WE AUDITING CLAIMS THAT IS HAPPENING TODAY WITHIN YOUR BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ARRANGEMENT? BLUE CROSS HAS A THIRD PARTY, SO THEY ARE NOT AUDITING THEMSELVES.
THAT WOULDN'T BE GOOD. SO BLUE CROSS HAS A THIRD PARTY PROVIDER THAT LOOKS AT YOUR CLAIMS ON A PRE AND POST PAYMENT BASIS UNDER NORMAL PRACTICES. IS THAT IS THAT NORMAL OR WOULD AN ENTITY HAVE THEIR OWN KIND OF SEPARATE ONE? SO THE ANSWER IS YES AND NO. IT IS NORMAL IN TODAY'S WORLD, RIGHT TO FOR THAT PROCESS TO HAPPEN.
WHAT WE ARE DOING IS TAKING IT A STEP DEFICIT THOUGH.
THAT'S THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE. WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE IN WHEN WE'RE IN THIS BUDGETING DEFICIT, I THINK, YOU KNOW, YES, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD HAS THEIR THIRD PARTY PIECE THERE.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS I'M JUST WONDERING, WE HAVE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO VERIFYING, I THINK THE, THE, THESE ARE THE, OUR PRESCRIPTION COSTS AND THINGS LIKE THIS.
SUCH. RIGHT? CORRECT. AND YOU MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE.
YES, SIR. YOU ARE CORRECT. AND HERE'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. SO WITHIN THE PRIOR CONTRACT THAT YOU WERE IN WITH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD, THAT AUDITING THAT WHAT WE CALL IS PAYMENT INTEGRITY.
THAT PAYMENT INTEGRITY PROCESS WAS HAPPENING INSIDE THE BLUE CROSS PLAN.
WE JUST COMPLETED MARKETING SELECTED BLUE CROSS AGAIN, BUT WITHIN THE NEW CONTRACT THAT WE WROTE WITH BLUE CROSS, YOU NOW HAVE INDEPENDENT AUDIT RIGHTS. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NINA MENTIONED IN OUR NEXT STEP IS WE ARE DOING A MARKET EVALUATION TO FIND THE RIGHT INDEPENDENT PARTNER TO HELP SUPPORT PAYMENT INTEGRITY AND AUDITING.
WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT CONTRACTUALLY, YOU COULD COMPLETE THE PROCESS AND THE PRIOR CONTRACT THAT YOU HAD WITH YOUR MEDICAL THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR, WHICH IS BLUE CROSS. YOU DID NOT HAVE THOSE RIGHTS.
THE CITY NOW HAS THOSE RIGHTS. SO THE NEXT STEP FOR US IS NOT JUST TO SELECT A VENDOR, WE NEED TO GO THROUGH YOUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS AND IDENTIFY THE RIGHT PROVIDER PARTNER FOR YOU. AND THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT ON AN INDEPENDENT BASIS FOR THE CITY.
SO YOU ARE 100% CORRECT AND WE ARE IN PROCESS ON THAT.
I'D LIKE TO ADD, I'M GOING TO TRY TO SEE IF I CAN GET THIS OUT AND.
COUNCIL MEMBER GRACEY, I KNOW YOU PROBABLY HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, AND WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR GETTING READY FOR YOUR NEXT ONE, I DO WANT TO SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS. THIS HAS NOT BEEN AN OVERNIGHT DECISION, AND WE DIDN'T START JUST LOOKING AT WHAT THE STOPGAP MEASURES NEEDED TO BE THIS SUMMER. ALONG THE WAY, WE WERE SEEING THE TRENDS.
[01:55:08]
TWO YEARS AGO, WE TALKED ABOUT THE ELIMINATION OF THE PPO PLAN BECAUSE WE SAW WHAT THE NUMBERS WERE DOING AND IT WAS ABSENT OF THE CONTROL MEASURES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW.SO WE INCREASED THE COST AS IT RELATES TO THE EMPLOYEES.
AND THE MIGRATION STILL DID NOT HAPPEN. SO I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR, THIS HAS NOT BEEN AN OVERNIGHT.
IT'S BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. WE KNOW THAT 60% OF OUR EMPLOYEES SIT IN THE PPO, INCLUDING MYSELF AND PROBABLY THE MAJORITY OF OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM AND MR. IRELAND. BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND FACING A VERY DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT, DIFFICULT BUDGET. AND THAT IS OUR NEW NORMAL.
AND SO IF WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THIS IN A WAY THAT WE MINIMIZE AS BEST POSSIBLE THE DISRUPTION AS WELL AS THE INCREASED COST TO THE CITY AS WELL AS TO OUR EMPLOYEES. THEN WE'RE NOT MAKING RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS, AND I'M NOT GIVING YOU A RESPONSIBLE BUDGET.
SO IT IS A VERY PAINFUL PROCESS. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT CLOSE TO 94% OF THE CURRENT DOCTORS, SPECIALISTS THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE SEEING ACTUALLY SIT IN THE PCP THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSITIONING TO THAT 1%. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME VERY SPECIAL CASE BY CASE DECISIONS AND CONVERSATIONS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE, AND WE'RE PREPARED TO DO THAT. BUT MOVING FORWARD AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THE MARKET AND MAKE RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS, IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO SUSTAIN THE BEST POSSIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.
THE VERY EMPLOYEES THAT ARE SITTING IN THE PPO COPAY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NUMBERS INCREASING OUT OF POCKET FOR THEM TO THE TUNE OF 40 TO 45%, MUCH GREATER THAN THE NUMBERS THAT YOU JUST SAW ON THE PAGE.
SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH IT. WE'RE ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT WHEN WE'RE FACING DEFICITS OF $50 MILLION, THESE ARE NOT EASY DECISIONS.
AND WE CALL IT A BRIDGE HERE, BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING BACK A PROGRAM OR PROGRAMS THAT ARE TRULY MOVING TOWARDS THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE SEE IN THE INDUSTRY TODAY.
FAIR ENOUGH. AND AGAIN, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID.
AND AGAIN, WE HAVE TO DO IT. THIS IS A TOUGH BUDGET SEASON AND THOSE THINGS.
BUT AGAIN, I'M GOING BACK TO WHAT COULD WE HAVE BEEN DOING? WHAT SHOULD WE HAVE BEEN DOING EVEN BEFORE THIS? IF THIS WAS NOT AN OVERNIGHT DECISION, THEN SOME OF THESE COST MITIGATIONS AND SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THOSE THINGS PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT BEFORE IF WE SAW THIS COMING. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING AT. I'M JUST AGAIN, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO. WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS AND THEY HAVE TO BE TOUGH DECISIONS. BUT AT WHOSE EXPENSE AND WHO'S GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO IT? I HAVE SOME MORE QUESTIONS. I'LL BE BACK. AND IF I MAY MISS TOLBERT MENTIONED THAT FOR THE PCP PLAN OR PCP, PCP TO BRING THAT PLAN BACK IN ADDITION TO THE EMPLOYEE COST CONTRIBUTIONS GOING UP TO 40 TO 45%, THAT IS WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE CITY PUTS IN ANOTHER $10 MILLION.
AND SO WE'VE ALREADY PUT IN $30 MILLION OF INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
THIS IS ANOTHER 10 MILLION PLUS INCREASE. THE COST FOR THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS BY 40 TO 45%.
WE DIDN'T SEE THAT. THAT WAS A PATH THAT COULD BE RECOMMENDED.
AND THANK YOU. AND WE'LL ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS AFTER ALL.
WERE YOU DONE FOR THIS ROUND? JIM GRACEY OKAY.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT, CAN YOU SPECIFY IF THE DECISION TO REMOVE THE PPO IS FINAL, OR IS THERE STILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT THAT DECISION? IS THAT A STAFF DECISION? IS THAT A COUNCIL DECISION? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT LIES. THANK YOU.
THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ON THE DAY THAT THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED, THE PLAN FOR 2027.
[02:00:03]
SO IT IS A COUNCIL DECISION. IF YOU'RE GOING TO TELL US TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE BUDGET.THEN WE NEED TO WORK THROUGH THAT. SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SAY YOU WANT TO BRING THE OTHER PLAN BACK, THAT'S A $10 MILLION INCREASE. INCREASE THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.
AND THE CITY ASSUMED THE RISK THAT THE $10 MILLION INCREASE WAS SUFFICIENT.
SO IF WE DON'T GET THE MIGRATION, IF YOU DON'T GET THE RIGHT MIX OF PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLANS, THEN IT MAY NOT BE JUST $10 MILLION. AND NEXT YEAR, MID-YEAR, WE COULD SAY WE MISSED THAT IN OUR ESTIMATION.
AND IT'S REALLY MORE. LONG ANSWER. IT'S COUNCIL'S DECISION.
SO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HIP POCKET A PPO PLAN THAT WE COULD REINSTATE IF WE WANTED TO.
WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITH HOLMES MURPHY TO BRING THAT BACK.
AND WE HAVE ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT OPTIONS ON HOW THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
AND WITH THE HMO OPTION, YOU ALSO HAVE THE RISK BECAUSE WE'RE SELF-FUNDED, THAT CLAIMS COULD EXCEED THE PREMIUMS, CORRECT? ABSOLUTELY. AND SO IN THE MODELING OBVIOUSLY WHEN YOU HAVE MORE PLANS YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE INDIVIDUALS ARE GOING TO END UP.
THAT'S, THAT'S A RISK THAT THE CITY ASSUMES. BUT ALL ALONG, LIKE THIS YEAR, WE CAN'T GO BACK AND CHARGE THE EMPLOYEES MORE TO MAKE UP THIS YEAR'S DIFFERENCE BECAUSE WE'RE SELF-INSURED AND WE TAKE THAT RISK AND WE WOULD BE NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
THAT'S NOT IN THE PRESENTATION, I DON'T BELIEVE, IS IT? I DON'T THINK THAT'S IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT I BELIEVE THAT WAS IT SEEMS LIKE A VERY IMPORTANT BIT OF INFORMATION.
AND WE'RE SHARING IT. ACTUALLY, THE THING. WELL, IT WAS IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION.
THE THING THAT IS REPEATED IS THAT ONLY THIS 1% IS SOMEHOW AFFECTED.
THAT WOULD BE 140 EMPLOYEES IF IT WAS ONLY 140 IMPACTED.
I PROMISE YOU WE WOULD NOT BE HEARING AN OUTCRY FROM EVERYBODY.
SO I THINK THE DIFFERENCE OF THE 1% OR WHATEVER THAT REFERENCE WAS, WAS REGARDING PHYSICIANS THAT ARE IN BOTH PLANS AND HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE DOCTORS. I'M IN THE PPO PLAN. MY DOCTOR IS ALSO IN THE HMO PLAN, SO I DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE DOCTORS.
I DO HAVE TO CHANGE PLANS BECAUSE I'M PART OF THE 60% IN THE PPO, BUT MY DOCTOR IS IN BOTH PLANS, SO I DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE DOCTORS. SO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE HAD SO FAR IN THE COMMENTS, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DIRECTED ABOUT EMPLOYEES.
HOW IS THIS IMPACTING RETIREES? THE PROPOSED PLAN DESIGNS ARE THE SAME FOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE PRE. 65. YOU OFFER THE EXACT SAME BENEFITS TO PRE 65 RETIREES AS YOU DO ACTIVE EMPLOYEES.
BUT WHAT ABOUT EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE LEFT THE DALLAS AREA? THEY REPRESENT. AT SOME POINT DURING. AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THE SLIDES, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 62, I BELIEVE, RETIREES THAT SIT OUTSIDE THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO THOSE 62 RETIREES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, THOSE WOULD BE THE MEMBERS THAT WE WOULD.
WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE LOCATED, AND WHEN THEY ENROLL IN COVERAGE, THEY JUST WILL NOT SEE THE RESTRICTION OR THEY WON'T SEE THAT BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK. DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO AN OPEN NETWORK.
AND WHAT ABOUT IF AN EMPLOYEE HAS A COLLEGE STUDENT OUT OF STATE? THE SAME APPLIES. SO IF MY DEPENDENT CHILD IS OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, I NOTIFY BLUE CROSS AND BLUE CROSS OPENS IT UP FOR THAT MEMBER TO HAVE ACCESS. NINA, YOU MENTIONED LISTENING TO EMPLOYEES THROUGH THIS YEAR AND GETTING FEEDBACK.
WAS THAT DONE BEFORE THIS PROCESS HAPPENED? WERE THERE MEETINGS WITH EMPLOYEES ABOUT DROPPING THE PPO OR ARE THEY JUST NOW HAPPENING? I'M SORRY. I WANTED TO JUST START WITH AND I'LL LET NINA COMPLETE THE ANSWER.
WE ACTUALLY STARTED MEETING WITH EMPLOYEES OVER TWO YEARS AGO ABOUT THE TRANSITION FROM THE PPO, AND THAT WAS THROUGH THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCESS.
THAT WAS THROUGH EDUCATION SESSIONS THAT WE HAD WITH EMPLOYEES AND IN FOCUS GROUPS.
SO THAT'S BEEN A TWO YEAR PROCESS. YES. AND WE WE GET CONSTANT ONGOING FEEDBACK FROM EMPLOYEES.
[02:05:02]
WE ALSO DO A BENEFIT SURVEY. RECENTLY WE MET WITH WE, WE DID NOT CONSULT WITH THEM PLAN DESIGN, BUT WE ASKED THEM, WHAT ARE THE PAIN POINTS? WHAT ARE THE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED? ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES IN PARTICULAR WE'VE HEARD RECENTLY IS THAT THE COST OF OUR INSURANCE IS TOO HIGH, AND EVEN COMPETITORS OR COMPETITORS WHO ARE GIVEN TO US, LIKE, FOR INSTANCE, DALLAS COLLEGE.AND WHEN WE LOOK AT DALLAS COLLEGE PLANS, BECAUSE WE WANT TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS A PLAN OR A LEVER, ANYTHING, ANY SILVER BULLET THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT, WE WILL.
SO WE EXAMINE DALLAS COLLEGE'S PLAN AND THEY DON'T OFFER A PPO.
WE LOOK AT MOST OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ACTUALLY IN THE REGION, THEY DON'T HAVE PPO.
SO IT WAS NOT A DIRECT QUESTION TO EMPLOYEES.
SO FOR US TO RECOMMEND A 40 PLUS INCREASE WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE ALREADY CONCERNED ABOUT THE COST OF THEIR INSURANCE WAS NOT AN OPTION. IT WAS NOT THE MOST RECOMMENDED APPROACH.
WELL, CITY MANAGER, I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT FOR EVERY EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE THAT HAS SPOKEN TO ME, NONE OF THEM KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. SO IF YOU'VE HAD MEETINGS AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAFF, I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT BEEN EFFECTIVE. BENEFIT COSTS ARE GOING UP FOR EVERY CORPORATION.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S A SURPRISE TO ANYBODY, BUT I WILL JUST SAY THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HAVING A ROBUST BENEFIT PACKAGE, WHICH I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES THAT I THINK WE HAVE FRANKLY TOO ROBUST OF A BENEFIT PACKAGE IN CERTAIN AREAS.
MY PRIORITY IS ACTUALLY KEEPING THE HEALTH PLAN STRONG.
AND DEFINITELY I THINK WE HAVE AN OVERLY GENEROUS, GENEROUS TIME OFF PROGRAM.
I THINK WE ARE GIVING SO MANY DAYS OFF TO EMPLOYEES.
COULD THERE BE THIS PPO REINSTATED WITH A HIGHER PREMIUM THAN THE HMO OPTION SO THAT IT DEFERS SOME OF THE COST FROM THE CITY? YES. I'M GOING TO ASK MISS MURPHY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT A PPO COULD BE MODELED WHERE THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION INCREASE TO THE CITY.
DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD COST THE EMPLOYEES.
BUT YES, I THINK IT COULD BE MODELED. AND BEFORE YOU ANSWER THAT, I ALSO WANT TO SAY ON SLIDE 33 OF THE DECK IN THE APPENDIX IS THE NUMBERS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN EACH OF THE PLANS, AND 53.1% ARE IN THE PPO.
IT IS IN THE DECK. GO AHEAD. ONE THING THAT ONE COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE IN REFERENCE TO THE CHANGE IN GENERAL, I AGREE IT IS. IT'S DIFFICULT ON THE SURFACE LEVEL.
I THINK THAT'S OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM HERE. IT IS A MISCONCEPTION THAT YOU ARE TAKING.
IT'S RECEIVED AS A TAKEAWAY BECAUSE THE COPAY, THE PPO COPAY PLAN IS GOING AWAY.
NO, NO, I DON'T THEY DON'T NEED EDUCATION. THEY WANT A BETTER PLAN.
AND THEY PERCEIVE A BETTER PLAN TO BE A PPO, NOT THE HMO.
AND AND THAT'S WHY 60% OF THE EMPLOYEES BELONG TO IT.
I THINK 60% OF YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE IN THAT IN THE PPO PLAN BECAUSE THEY ARE MISINFORMED AND THEY DO NOT REALIZE THAT THEY ARE ENROLLED IN A PLAN. AND THE CITY PAYS MORE TO SEE THAT. DOCTOR, IF YOU AND I ARE ON THE EXACT SAME, IF WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROVIDER TODAY AND YOU ARE ON THE PPO PLAN AND I AM ON THE BLUE PLAN, THE CITY OF DALLAS PAYS MORE FOR MY VISIT IF WE HAVE THE EXACT SAME SERVICE DONE, BUT IF I'M ON THE PPO PLAN, I CAN THEN GO TO A SPECIALIST WITHOUT GETTING THAT REFERRAL FROM THE HMO.
YOU'RE 100% CORRECT. OKAY. SO SO THAT'S CORRECT.
THERE IS A LOT MORE FREEDOM. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS YOU SAID THAT ARE KIND OF NANNY STATE THAT THE PROVIDER HAS TO DO THIS AND YOU HAVE TO SIT WITH YOUR PROVIDER WHILE THEY GIVE YOU YOUR NUMBERS FOR, WELL, NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS OR WANTS THAT.
AND IT IS NOT OUR PLACE TO TELL THEM HOW THEY HAVE TO ACCESS HEALTH CARE.
DO YOU THINK IT IS THE GOAL OF THE CITY TO ACTUALLY DRIVE EMPLOYEES OFF OF OUR PLAN AND ONTO THEIR SPOUSE'S PLAN, OR INTO THE MARKETPLACE? MR. MAYOR, IF I COULD SPEAK AND THEN I'LL GIVE THE STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE.
[02:10:02]
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE PPO, ABOUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE CITY.SHE HAS A QUESTION. YES. RIGHT NOW. SO MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER HER QUESTION.
WHAT WE WANT OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A GOOD QUALITY HEALTH CARE PLAN.
THAT IS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE COULD SUSTAIN AS A COST FOR THE CITY.
SO I'M WEIGHING BOTH. I'M WEIGHING WHAT THE BENEFIT FOR THE EMPLOYEE, THE COST TO THE TAXPAYER.
SO, WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CHARGE TO THE TAXPAYER BESIDES HEALTH CARE.
AND THIS IS PART OF STAFFING. IS THERE A CONSIDERATION OF GIVING THAT EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION TO THE EMPLOYEE SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE A CHOICE OTHER THAN THE CITY. NO, THERE'S NOT BEEN ANY CONVERSATION.
IF I UNDERSTOOD THE QUESTION CORRECTLY, ARE YOU SAYING FOR US TO JUST GIVE THE EMPLOYEE A SUBSIDY AND LET THEM GO WHEREVER THEY CHOOSE TO GO? NO, THAT HAS NOT BEEN PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
WELL, AS AN EMPLOYEE ONLY OPTION, IT MAY HELP SOME EMPLOYEES CHOOSE TO GO WITH THEIR SPOUSE, AND IT MAY MAKE IT MORE COST EFFECTIVE FOR THEM, AND THEN THEY CAN GET THE BENEFIT THEY ACTUALLY WANT.
HAS THE CITY CONSIDERED MOVING AWAY FROM A SELF-FUNDED PLAN? THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONVERSATION QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT THAT.
AND SO, YES, THE CITY COULD GO TO ANOTHER PLAN AND THEY WOULD CHARGE US TO ASSUME THE RISK.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE ASSUMING THE RISK. AND I THINK WE'RE ABLE TO CONTROL OUR COSTS BETTER BY US ASSUMING THE RISK IS NOT CONTROLLED OUR COSTS. WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S THIS GAP.
YES, MA'AM. AND SO EVERY SINGLE YEAR, IF I'M A PRIVATE PROVIDER AND YOU'RE GOING TO BUY INSURANCE FROM ME, I AM GOING TO ASSURE THAT I HAVE NO RISK FROM YOU.
WE'RE HAVING TO INCREASE COST THIS YEAR TO DO IT, BUT IF YOU WANT TO PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO ENSURE THEY NEVER HAVE ANY LOSSES, IT WILL COST YOU MORE. DOES THE CITY STILL HAVE A BENEFIT RESERVE? THE WE DO. AS PART OF THE FMPC. THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR US TO SET ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF OUR FUND BALANCE FOR OUR BENEFITS RESERVE. IS THAT THE SALARY AND BENEFIT FOR WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE, OR IS THIS SEPARATE FOR BENEFITS? IT'S SEPARATE. IT'S PART OF THE I BELIEVE IT'S CRITERIA NUMBER 2 OR 3 THAT REQUIRES US TO HAVE A CERTAIN SET ASIDE FOR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS.
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE RESERVE ACCOUNT BALANCES? I DO. WELL, IN TOTAL IT'S $300 MILLION. I WOULD HAVE TO I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK.
YEAH, IT'S A COMPONENT OF THAT. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK IT UP.
GREAT. WHEN YOU DID THE RFP FOR THE BENEFIT PLANS, WAS IT CONSIDERED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE SELF-FUNDED FOR ANY OF THOSE? DID IT INCLUDE THAT AS AN OPTION? NOW, THE MARKETING WAS COMPLETED FOR SELF-FUNDED ANALYSIS.
FOR A GROUP OF YOUR SIZE, A FULLY INSURED PLAN OPTION WOULD BE YOU DON'T HAVE FULLY INSURED PLANS THAT ARE THE SIZE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS, BECAUSE THE COST TO INSURE JACK WAS SPOT ON, THE COST FOR YOU TO PASS THAT RISK TO A PROVIDER WOULD EXCEED WHAT YOU ARE SPENDING TODAY IN A SELF-FUNDED EXPENSE BECAUSE YOU ARE BASICALLY HANDING OFF THAT LIABILITY.
AND WE'RE OFFERING A WHOLE LOT LESS THAN THAT NOW.
YOU ARE CORRECT. AND WHAT I WILL SAY TO YOU ALL IS THE THE PRICE FOR CHOICE IS, IS HIGHER COST.
WHEN YOU ALLOW A MEMBER YOURSELF OR ANY OF US, FREEDOM OF CHOICE COMES WITH WITH AN EXPENSE.
THERE'S A PRICE TAG ATTACHED TO IT. SO IF THE CITY.
IF THE CITY OF DALLAS IS IN THE POSITION OF. WE WANT TO PAY MORE TO ALLOW CHOICE, THAT'S WHAT KEEPING THAT PPO PLAN IN PLACE MEANS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT LIMITING PROVIDERS BY THE CHANGE TO BLUE ACCESS.
YOU ARE SAYING WE ARE WILLING TO PAY MORE TO OFFER FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
NOT IF WE INCREASE PREMIUM THOUGH. IF YES, YOU CAN.
[02:15:07]
IF THEY PAY FOR THE CHOICE AND THE CITY DOESN'T PAY FOR THE CHOICE IS HERE, AND HE CAN SPEAK TO THAT AND HE WILL DO THE ACTUARIAL ANALYSIS FOR YOU.MY ESTIMATE IS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO CHARGE PEOPLE 50 TO 60% MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE PAYING TODAY.
IF YOU THE CITY DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE COST.
PAY FOR THAT PLAN SO WE COULD PUT THE PLAN IN PLACE.
WE COULD OFFER IT. IT WOULD. I WOULD PRESUME IT WOULD BE UNAFFORDABLE TO MEMBERS, AND THEY WOULD BE FRUSTRATED WITH A 60% PREMIUM INCREASE TO ONLY BE PROVIDED CHOICE TO GO TO A DOCTOR THAT SITS INSIDE THE BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK TODAY.
HOW MUCH OF THE COST CONSIDERATION TOOK INTO ACCOUNT EMPLOYEE TURNOVER BASED ON HEALTH CARE CHOICES? EMPLOYEE TURNOVER BASED ON HEALTH CARE CHOICES IS MINIMUM CURRENTLY.
RIGHT. BUT WE'RE JUST NOW TAKING AWAY THE PLAN.
SO WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION? HOW MUCH WAS THIS CONSIDERED IN EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AS A FACTOR? AND THAT'S IT WAS CONSIDERED THIS ROUND FOR YOU AND HOW MUCH THAT WAS OR WASN'T GIVEN THOUGH.
I'LL I'LL TRY TO GET IT FOR YOU. CAN YOU ANSWER THAT LAST QUESTION? BUT THAT IS YOUR LAST QUESTION FOR MINIMAL CONSIDERATION.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THIS BLACKMON FOR FIVE WAS A CONSIDERATION, BUT IT IS ALWAYS A CONSIDERATION WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT TURNOVER AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION. EVERYTHING IS A CONSIDERATION. SO IS THE COST TO THE EMPLOYEE, WHICH ALSO CAN BE A, YOU KNOW, MORE OF AN EFFECT ON TURNOVER THAN THE ACTUAL PLANS OFFER.
ALL RIGHT, MISS BLACKMON, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU.
OKAY. SO JUST FOR CLARITY, A PPO IS TECHNICALLY WHAT? PPO IS PREFERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATION. OKAY.
AN HMO IS WHAT HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATION MANAGED CARE, MANAGED CARE.
AND THEN A PCP IS WHAT PCP IS PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN BECAUSE IS HMO AND PCP INTERCHANGEABLE IN THIS SCENARIO? BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE I'M GETTING CONFUSED, BECAUSE I SEE IT BEING SAID ONE WAY AND THEN IT BECOMES ANOTHER WAY.
AND I'M LIKE, OKAY, WHICH ONE ARE WE? YOU'RE CORRECT, BECAUSE WE'RE MIXING TERMINOLOGY.
SO. OKAY. AND I'LL TRY TO CLARIFY IT. SO PLAN TYPE IT WOULD BE THE ACRONYMS YOU MENTIONED, LIKE THE HMO OR PPO. SO HMO IS ANY TYPE OF MANAGED CARE.
AND AN HMO YOU DO NOT HAVE OUT OF NETWORK ACCESS.
SO THE PCP IS A HYBRID OF THE HMO AND WAS LIKE THE OVERARCHING.
YES, THAT'S A GREAT WAY FOR. YOU COULD LOOK AT IT AS A HYBRID BECAUSE THE NETWORKS THEMSELVES OVERLAP, RIGHT? THEY OVERLAP. BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE PCP PLAN, AS THE CITY HAS IT TODAY, YOU ARE ATTACHING MEMBERS TO A PROVIDER AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO GO OUT OF NETWORK. SO YOU'RE MANAGING YOU'RE MANAGING THE NETWORK, BUT THE PCP CAN GO OUT OF NETWORK.
THE PPO PLAN CAN GO OUT OF IN A IN A STANDARD PPO PLAN, YOU COULD GO OUT OF NETWORK.
OKAY. BUT IN THE PCP, YOU WOULD STILL HAVE TO STAY WITHIN THE NETWORK.
I DON'T WANT TO SAY IT, BUT I MEAN, IT'S LIKE, YOU CAN IT'S NOT A NEGOTIATED PRICE, IT'S NOT NEGOTIATED TERMS. AND SO THOSE COSTS COULD BE A LITTLE NOT WITH NOT WITHIN THE CATEGORIES THAT THE HMO IS OR THE PCP IS WILLING TO.
YOU ARE CORRECT. IT'S UNMANAGED CARE. WE'RE NOT DIRECTED SO AND SO THAT.
SO TO PAY FOR THAT, THERE IS A COST. AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO GO UP FOR 40 TO 60%.
WELL, IT'S THE UNMANAGED CARE THAT'S DRIVING YOUR COSTS.
A SIMPLE THAT'S WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. SO LET ME LET ME TRY TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE.
IF I HAVE A CHILD AND MY CHILD WAKES UP WITH A RASH, A RASH ON THE HAND, IF I'M IN THE PPO PLAN, I MIGHT MAKE THE DECISION TO SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, SEAN HAS A RASH, SO I'M GOING TO CALL THE DERMATOLOGIST THAT MY NEIGHBOR USES.
I'M GOING TO GO TAKE MY CHILD DIRECTLY TO A DERMATOLOGIST.
WELL, THEN A PCP MANAGED PLAN CHILD WAKES UP WITH A RASH.
[02:20:03]
THEY CALL THE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN THAT THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO.THE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN SAYS, COME SEE ME.
YOU KNOW, I CAN GIVE YOU A LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND THEN I WILL REFER YOU OUT.
IF YOU NEED TO SEE A DERMATOLOGIST. THAT IS A DIFFERENCE IN MANAGING COSTS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS, THERE'S NO IT'S KNOWN TO BE A GATEKEEPER, BUT IT'S A BAD TERMINOLOGY.
THEY'LL GO, YOU GOT TO WAIT THREE DAYS. AND I'M LIKE, I MAY NOT EVEN HAVE A HAND BY THREE DAYS BECAUSE THE RASH IS CONSUMED IT. I MEAN, THAT'S A BAD SCENARIO. BUT DO YOU SEE? BUT DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? SO THAT IS THE I THINK WHAT PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH IS THAT THERE'S THIS PERCEPTION THAT THEY'LL NEVER GET INTO A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, NOR COULD THEY PROBABLY FIND ONE IN THEIR ZIP CODE.
HOWEVER, IF I GO TO A SPECIALIST, I COULD PROBABLY GET IN IN 24 HOURS.
YEAH. WELL, I THINK THE FIRST THING IS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOUR ACCESS IS REALLY THE SAME, RIGHT? THE STEP THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN PLACE IS TO SAY, WE'RE NOT PREVENTING YOU FROM GOING TO THAT DERMATOLOGIST.
WE JUST WANT TO ENSURE THAT IF YOU WERE THERE, YOU NEED TO BE.
RIGHT. SO THAT'S HELPING TO MANAGE THE COST A REFERRAL IS NOT AS COMPLICATED AS FOLKS BELIEVE, RIGHT? IT IS NOT ABOUT SEEING TWO DOCTORS INSTEAD OF ONE TO GET TO WHERE I NEED TO BE.
IT COULD BE AS IF YOU HAVE AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
IT COULD BE A PHONE CALL ME CALLING IN TO MY PHYSICIAN TELLING THE NURSE, HEY, HERE'S MY SITUATION.
AND THE NURSE SAYS, OKAY, WE THINK YOU NEED TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE DERMATOLOGIST.
HERE'S THE REFERRAL. IT DOES NOT ALWAYS ADD AN ADDITIONAL STEP, BUT THAT IS THE MISEDUCATION AND WHERE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING IT'S BEING TAKEN AWAY. YOU STILL HAVE THE LIBERTY TO DO THOSE THINGS.
BUT IF THE CITY WANTS TO MANAGE COST, THIS IS A GREAT WAY.
AND IT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
THAT IS PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE THEN WE CATCH THE MANY CANCERS THAT I SEE IN YOUR CLAIMS. WE CATCH THOSE AT STAGE THREE OR STAGE FOUR INSTEAD OF STAGE 1 OR 2, WHICH WE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT IF THEY WERE ENGAGED WITH A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN RECEIVING THEIR ANNUAL WELL EXAMS. AND PREVENTIVE CARE IS STILL COVERED, 100% COVERED.
AND DO THEY HAVE TO BE IN-NETWORK OR A AYE? THEY STILL NEED TO BE IN THE NETWORK.
OKAY, SO IN-NETWORK BUT COVERED 100% CORRECT AND EMERGENCY CARE IS INCLUDED TOO.
DON'T LET YOUR HAND FALL OFF WITH YOU. SAY THAT AGAIN. EMERGENCY CARE IS INCLUDED TOO.
SO EMERGENCY. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMERGENCY AND URGENT? SO URGENT CARE IS WHEN YOU GO INTO ONE OF THOSE FREESTANDING, THEY LOOK LIKE EMERGENCY CENTERS.
IF IT IS EMERGENT CARE, IT'S STILL COVERED UNDER THE PLAN IN OR OUT OF NETWORK.
WE'RE NOT LIKE, HEY, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF CARDIAC ARREST.
I NEED TO FIND AN IN-NETWORK HOSPITAL. IF YOU ARE IN CARDIAC ARREST, CALL 911.
IT'S AN EMERGENCY. GOT IT. OKAY, SO TO UNDERSTAND THE DRIVERS, THE COST DRIVERS.
I'M KIND OF CONFUSED ON THE NUMBER FOUR WITH THE.
OKAY, SO THERE'S THE PHARMACY NUMBER, WHICH IS COMING IN AT 54 MILLION FOR THE YEAR, CORRECT.
ON SLIDE FOUR. LET ME GET THERE. YES. SO THAT'S THE WHOLE PHARMACY BILL FOR 2025.
YOU SPENT $54 MILLION. OKAY. AND THEN IT GOES INTO THE 8.8 IS GLP'S.
BUT THEN THERE'S LIKE STILL 46 MILLION LEFT OVER WHAT? AND IT WAS 40. SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE SAYING GLP'S ARE INCREASING BECAUSE IT'S ONLY I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S INCREASING THIS. IT'S WHAT'S MAKING IT OUT OF WHACK IT IS ONE OF THE FACTORS.
IT IS ONE MEDICATION THAT IS AN ELECTIVE MEDICATION THAT IS COSTING US $10 MILLION.
AND SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT THAT IS OUR ONLY PHARMACY EXPENSE.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE ALL THE OTHER PHARMACY EXPENSES THAT MAKE UP THE $54 MILLION.
BUT WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TRYING TO CONTROL THE COST RELATED TO THE GOP ONES.
WE DIDN'T SEE IT BRING IT DOWN. WE, IN FACT, SAW THE GOP USAGE AND COST GO UP.
[02:25:07]
I'M NOT SURE. AND I'LL LET SHAWN TALK ABOUT WHETHER THERE'S A CORRELATION AT THIS POINT.YOU KNOW, AND I MEAN, THERE'S STUDIES HAPPENING. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, IS THERE AN OFFSET WHERE YOU MAY HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE HERE? DID YOU SEE A DECREASE SOMEPLACE ELSE? THAT WAS THE ASSUMPTION WHEN GLP ONE WAS PUT IN PLACE FOR WEIGHT LOSS.
OBESITY IS A CHRONIC CONDITION. AND SO TREATING THAT CO-MORBIDITY SHOULD LOWER COSTS.
THE REMAINING 21% WAS AN INCREASE IN MEDICAL COSTS, AND IT'S UNCLEAR WHAT'S DRIVING THAT.
BUT IT IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. THERE'S SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH DATA.
THOSE DRUGS HAVE ONLY BEEN ON THE MARKET FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS. SO $100, AND I THINK SOMEBODY MADE THE COMMENT THAT THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO GET IT AT A CHEAPER COST. THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT THE THE COST FOR THE MEDICINE.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE APPLICATOR. IS THAT CORRECT? THE, THE, THE EPIPEN THAT THEY USE THE THE MAJORITY.
YES. THE MAJORITY OF THE GLP ONE COST IS DUE TO THE PEN.
SO THE OTHER DRUGS THAT ARE ON THE MARKET ARE LARGELY COMING FROM COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES.
OKAY. BUT OKAY. SO THEN 9 MILLION IS TO GLP ONES.
DID WE FIND WHAT WAS THE NEXT CLASSIFICATION OF HIGH COST? WELL, THE THE NEXT HIGH COST DRUG ARE YOUR AUTOIMMUNE DRUGS.
SO YOUR STELARA, YOUR HUMIRA, THOSE SORT OF DRUGS.
WHAT IS DRIVING THIS BIG INCREASE, ASIDE FROM THE GLP ONE, IS JUST TREND AND TREND IN THE MEDICAL MARKET IN THE NATION IS ABOUT, WELL, THIS YEAR IT'S 11%. IT'S GOING UP TO 11.5 NEXT YEAR.
AND SO THAT INFLATION OUTPACES ANYTHING ELSE IN THE US RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT'S DRIVING THAT INCREASE. IT'S INTERESTING. THESE ARE ALL THAT ARE I SEE ON ADVERTISING.
THESE ARE ALL THE DRUGS THAT ARE I GUESS MAKING ANYWAY.
OKAY. SO THEN 27 MEMBERS ARE AT 5 MILLION, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT LIKE 200 MILLION, $200,000.
EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THAT CLAIM PROCESS WORKS. AND ARE THESE LIKE, YOU KNOW, CATASTROPHIC STAGE FOUR CANCER? LIKE I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BECAUSE I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT IS WHAT ARE WE BUYING WITH THAT? YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE HIGH COST CLAIMANTS OVER THE HIGH COST CLAIMS. YES.
THE DRIVERS OF THAT ARE CANCER, CARDIAC DISEASE AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE.
OKAY. AND THOSE ARE THE CANCERS ARE OVERWHELMINGLY THE LION'S SHARE OF THIS COST.
THE, THOSE, THOSE COSTS ARE MUCH MORE HIGHLY SCRUTINIZED.
THEY ARE NOT AUTO ADJUDICATED THROUGH THE CARRIER.
AND THEY LOOK AT ELIGIBILITY OF THE MEMBER. THEY LOOK AT ELIGIBILITY OF THE CLAIMS. THEY'LL OF COURSE TAKE OUT CLAIMS THAT ARE INELIGIBLE, ETC..
AND SO THOSE CLAIMS TEND TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO PAY BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE HIGHLY SCRUTINIZED, BUT THEY ARE WITHIN THE WITHIN THE SYSTEM. AND SO IF WE WANTED TO KEEP THE PPO ANY DELTA COST IN, THAT COULD BE PASSED ON TO THE EMPLOYEE INSTEAD OF THE CITY COVERING IT.
AND THAT WAY YOU CAN STILL STAY ON THE PPO, BUT IT'S GOING TO COST YOU.
RIGHT. I THINK JUST OFF THE CUFF DOWN THERE. WE SAID, IF THE CITY DOESN'T ABSORB THE $10 MILLION AND PASSES THAT ON TO THE EMPLOYEE, IT'S MORE LIKE 60% INCREASE IN THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.
THAT HAS NOT BEEN MODELED. AND WE WOULD WANT HOMES MURPHY, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO DON'T WALK AWAY THINKING, OH, WE JUST NEED TO INCREASE THAT BY 60%.
GOT IT. BECAUSE I'M IN IT AND I'M LEAVING. IF I'M LEAVING THE PLAN FOR THAT MUCH, AND EVERYONE WILL MAKE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS ABOUT IT, AND THAT'S HOW IT SHOULD BE, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL DECISIONS.
AND SO I THINK WE'VE GIVEN THEM A COUPLE OF GOOD OPTIONS TO DO THAT WITH.
[02:30:02]
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU YOUR COMMS NEED TO BE BETTER. I'M JUST SAYING, I WAS I WAS SO CONFUSED ON READING THIS, AND I'M HOPING THERE'S GOING TO BE A ROBUST CONVERSATION BECAUSE I WAS, I WAS TOTALLY CONFUSED.SO THIS ACTUALLY, THIS BRIEFING HELPED A LOT IN ASKING SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
SO I'M JUST SAYING I WAS LOOKING I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT THE END USER, WHAT IT MEANT FOR ME.
AND I NEED TO GO LOOK AND SEE WHAT PROVIDERS ARE THERE.
BUT IT'S GOT TO BE A REALLY ROBUST. AND I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD WAIT UNTIL OPEN ENROLLMENT.
I DO WANT TO CLARIFY ONE THING. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT 60% OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE IN THAT PLAN.
ACCORDING TO PAGE 33, THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGE IS 53.1%.
DID YOU SAY 53, 53.1 BASED ON 50/50? YES. OKAY.
THANK YOU. MR. ROTH. YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
I'M SORRY TO BE SO IGNORANT ON THIS, BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THIS PLAN WORKS.
AND I REALLY MAYBE EVERYBODY ELSE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCED WITH IT AND AND HAS THE INFORMATION.
JACK, WOULD YOU MIND GIVING ME AN EXPLANATION? YOU'RE SAYING THIS IS A SELF-FUNDED PLAN? HOW MUCH IS THE COST THAT THE CITY IS PAYING FOR THIS? IS IT $175 MILLION? YES, SIR. SO THE VERY BASICS OF IT ARE THAT THE CITY IN FISCAL YEAR 27, ACCORDING TO THE BUDGET THAT WAS RECOMMENDED LAST WEEK, WOULD BE PAYING ABOUT $175.4 MILLION.
EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES WOULD SELECT THE PLAN THAT BETWEEN THE OPTIONS AND THEY WOULD PAY BASED UPON WHATEVER TIER THEY'RE IN. SO WE HAVE A TIERED SYSTEM.
LOWER SALARIED EMPLOYEES PAY LESS THAN HIGHER SALARIED EMPLOYEES.
SO YOU HAVE THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION, THE EMPLOYEE RETIREE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR A TOTAL REVENUE, AND THE REVENUES PAY FOR THE EXPENSES, ALL OF THE EXPENSES THAT GO ABOVE WHAT OUR REVENUE IS.
THE CITY ASSUMES THE RISK FOR THAT, AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT FOR THE CITY TO PAY IT.
AT THAT POINT, WE CANNOT GO BACK TO THE EMPLOYEE WHO PARTICIPATED IN GOOD FAITH AND SAY, OH, YOU NEED TO PAY MORE NOW. SO ANY OF THAT RISK IS TAKEN ON BY THE CITY AS PART OF THE SELF-INSURED PLAN.
DOES THE WHEN DOES THE 175 MILLION INCLUDE THE PHARMACY COSTS? YES, SIR. THE ONE $75.4 MILLION THAT THE CITY CONTRIBUTES TO IS FOR MEDICAL AND PHARMACY EXPENSES.
AND WE'VE GOT 25,000 PEOPLE ROUGHLY ON THIS PLAN.
THAT'S A 24 POINT CHANGE. OKAY. 175 MILLION DIVIDED BY 25,000 IS ABOUT $600 A MONTH.
THAT'S WHAT OUR COST IS FOR A PREMIUM FOR EACH EMPLOYEE, ROUGHLY.
IS THAT CORRECT? SOME SOMEWHAT. SO WE HAVE 12,842 MEMBERS IN THE PLAN. THERE ARE MORE LIVES INSURED THAN THAT BECAUSE 25 PEOPLE THAT ARE COVERED UNDER THE PLAN.
IS THAT CORRECT? DOWN THERE. IT'S ON PAGE 3 OR 4.
THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID. IT'S ON PAGE TWO. 32000 PEOPLE ARE IN THE PLAN, RIGHT? YES, SIR. AND THAT DOES INCLUDE DEPENDENTS. THANK YOU.
OKAY. THE THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD, IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES.
IS THAT DATE OCTOBER 5TH OR OCTOBER 16TH? IS THAT A A A IS THERE A SIGNIFICANCE ON THAT DATE FOR SOME REASON? DOES IT HAVE TO BE THAT SOON? WE DO NEED A TIME.
ONCE EVERYONE SELECTS THEIR PLANS, WE NEED TO DO SOME AUDITS.
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN PROCESSES THAT NEED TO BE TAKING PLACE BEFORE THE YEAR STARTS.
IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE PLANS NEED TO BE IN THE SYSTEM, WE NEED TO DO SOME AUDITS, ETC..
SO TYPICALLY WE HAVE DONE IT IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER.
WE COULD PUSH IT BACK A LITTLE BIT, BUT NOT MUCH.
I WOULD SAY MORE OF YOUR CONSTRAINT IS THE BUDGET.
WHATEVER PLAN IS APPROVED, WHATEVER BENEFITS PLAN IS APPROVED IS TIED TO THE BUDGET.
SO ONCE THE BUDGET IS APPROVED, THE PLAN WILL BE APPROVED AS WELL.
SO WHAT I'M WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS OUR EMPLOYEES HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE A DECISION TO GO LOOK, INVESTIGATE STUFF, FIGURE FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WANT TO DO.
AND I'LL TELL YOU, I'M NOT EVEN ON THIS PLAN, BUT I'M BEING CHARGED FOR IT.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT I TWO WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR HEALTH CARE IS GOING TO BE.
IT SEEMS LIKE AN AWFUL BIG LIFT. AND SO IF WE CAN PUSH IT OUT, I PUSH IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
[02:35:02]
I WOULD SUGGEST IT MIGHT BE AT LEAST A SENSITIVITY TO THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE HAVING TO CHANGE.I DON'T KNOW WHO IS ADVISING US ON THIS, WHO GIVES US, WHO TELLS US HOW WE SHOULD BE MANAGING THIS AND WHO AND HOW WE NEGOTIATE WITH BLUE CROSS AND, AND WHAT KIND OF WHO'S, WHO'S GETTING THE BIDS AND WHO'S LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES IN THE FUTURE.
AND WHAT I'M REALLY TRYING TO FIND OUT WHO IS THE COMPANY THAT WE HAVE THAT'S HELPING US WITH THIS.
THANK YOU. AND SO HOLMES MURPHY, WHO WE HAVE REPRESENTED AT THE END OF OH, YOU ALL ARE WITH HOLMES MURPHY, THIS END OF THE TABLE CITY STAFF. WE CONTRACTED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS TO SELECT HOLMES MURPHY AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE IN HELPING US WITH DESIGN CHANGES FOR OUR HEALTH BENEFITS, WHO NEGOTIATES THE PHARMACY COSTS AND THE DOCTOR'S COSTS? BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NEGOTIATES. I'M SORRY.
CAN YOU INVESTIGATE WITH UNITED OR WITH SOMEBODY ELSE TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET A BETTER DEAL WITH CERTAIN PROVIDERS? YES, WE COMPLETE A FULL EVALUATION. THAT EVALUATION WAS ACTUALLY COMPLETED THIS PAST YEAR WITH THE OPEN MARKET FOR.
ON THE MEDICAL SIDE, WE LOOKED. WE REPRICED EVERY SINGLE CLAIM FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS EMPLOYEES ACROSS THE FOUR MAJOR CARRIERS, AND WE SELECTED BLUE CROSS AS HAVING THE BETTER DISCOUNT PRICING FOR YOU ALL.
AND THEN WE SELECTED PRIME FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
AND AND THOSE WERE BROUGHT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. I APOLOGIZE, THOSE WERE BROUGHT TO CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. THAT BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD WOULD BE OUR PROVIDER AS OPPOSED TO UNITED OR ONE OF THE OTHER.
SO IT WAS AFTER THE AFTER THEIR THEIR VETTING AND AFTER THEIR BIDDING.
YES, SIR. AND SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING IN THE FUTURE IS LOOKING AT ALTERNATE BIDS AND LOOKING AT OTHER IDEAS AND LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE FOUR MAJOR PROVIDERS THAT WERE JUST MENTIONED AND LOOKING AT OTHER TYPES OF MODELS THAT MAY YIELD US WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESULTS GOING FORWARD.
SO MAYBE DOING A, LIKE YOU SAY, A PRIVATE PAY, MAYBE GOING TO A PUBLIC DEAL, WORKING OUT, MAYBE YOUR OWN, OUR OWN CAPTIVE COMPANY IS TML DO THEY, IS THERE ANY CO-OPS WITH OTHER CITIES OR OTHER JOINT DEALS? IS THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS YOU WOULD BE LOOKING AT.
YES, SIR. YES, SIR. AND AND I ALSO WANTED TO SAY TO YOUR PREVIOUS QUESTION THAT, YES, THE OPEN ENROLLMENT IS GOING TO BE TWO WEEKS FROM THE 5TH TO THE 16TH OF OCTOBER. HOWEVER, WE'LL START THE INFO SESSIONS ON AUGUST 31ST, SO THERE WILL BE A WHOLE ENTIRE MONTH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FULL MONTH. AND IF NEEDED, WE CAN EXTEND OPEN ENROLLMENT AS WELL.
YES. THANK YOU. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT. AND I'M HEARING MY COLLEAGUES AND I'M ACTUALLY KIND OF REMEMBER WHAT THAT I SAID SOME OF THE SAME THINGS THAT COUNCILMAN ROTH SAID THAT I'M PAYING FOR INSURANCE THAT I REALLY DON'T USE.
BUT HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, OUR POLICE OFFICERS, AND OUR FIREFIGHTERS WITH THEIR FAMILIES? BECAUSE THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE EVERY DAY.
AND WE, WE SEE THE WORK THAT, THAT THEY'RE DOING IN OUR CITY AND OUR COMMUNITIES.
SO HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THEM? SO THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE TO ALL THE CITY EMPLOYEES, WHETHER THEY ARE A UNIFORM EMPLOYEE OR A NON UNIFORM EMPLOYEE.
SO THEY GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS OF EVALUATING THE DIFFERENT PLANS THE CITY HAS DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT AND SELECTING WHAT PLAN THEY WILL BE ON FOR THE YEAR. SOME OF THEM MAY CHOOSE TO BE ON A PLAN OF THEIR SPOUSE.
IF THEIR SPOUSE IS GOT A DIFFERENT INSURANCE THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM.
HAVE WE GIVEN I'M FROM THE, THE SCHOOL THAT YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET.
[02:40:06]
HAVE WE GIVEN THEM THE OPTION TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE WANT, THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT, THEN YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.OR ARE WE SAYING THIS IS JUST WHAT WE'RE GOING.
DESPITE OF. WELL, FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, WE EVALUATE WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND WORK WITH OUR CONSULTANTS TO IDENTIFY WHAT WE THINK THE BEST RECOMMENDATION IS FOR PLAN OFFERINGS.
AND THEN ONCE THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVES THE BUDGET AND WE KNOW HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THOSE, THAT'S WHEN WE MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES TO GO THROUGH OPEN ENROLLMENT.
WE DO NOT OPEN IT UP TO THEM, GO PICK ANYTHING THEY WANT.
SO AS WE'RE TALKING TO OUR EMPLOYEES OR, AND OR YOU GUYS TALKING TO THE EMPLOYEES AND OF COURSE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, THE PRESENTATION, WHAT OTHER OPTION HAVE WE GIVEN THEM WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE CITY MANAGER WANTS TO ANSWER THIS, AND I KNOW THAT YOUR VOICE IS KIND OF WEAK, SO I'M TRYING TO DIRECT IT TO THEM OUT OF RESPECT THE PO AND THE BUDGET AND ETCETERA, HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST, WHAT WOULD THAT LEAD TO? HAVE WE HAD THAT THOROUGH CONVERSATION AND SAID, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE.
THIS IS THE PLAN AND THIS IS WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE BE IF WE DECIDE TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM JOHNSON.
THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INCLUDES OUR RECOMMENDATION, WHICH IS TO LESSEN THE IMPACT ON OUR EMPLOYEES FOR THOSE SUBSTANTIAL COST INCREASES AND ALSO BRING DOWN THE AMOUNT.
WELL, WE'RE ALREADY INCREASING, BUT FURTHER REDUCE THE IMPACT ON THE CITY.
AS I STATED EARLIER, THESE ARE NOT EASY DECISIONS AND I KNOW NO ONE WANTS CHANGE, BUT WE ARE APPROACHING THIS THROUGH A LENS OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO AVOID THOSE TYPES OF COST INCREASES TO OUR STAFF.
WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO MODEL, AS MR. IRELAND HAS MENTIONED, WHAT THOSE COST INCREASES WOULD BE, AND THEN HAVE THAT BROUGHT AND PROVIDE TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
BUT AS OUR HR DIRECTOR STATED, AND I HEAR THIS OFTEN WHEN I'M OUT MEETING WITH THE EMPLOYEES, WE'RE NOT GETTING MORE THAN 3% RAISES EVERY YEAR AND THE COST OF INSURANCE CONTINUES.
PLEASE DON'T CONTINUE TO RAISE THE COST. SO FOR ME TO NOW PROVIDE AN OPTION THAT SHOWS COST GOING UP BY 60% OR MORE IS KIND OF COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO THAT. HOWEVER, WE WILL PROVIDE IT. WE WILL SHARE IT AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
AND IF THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS THAT TO BE THE DIRECTION THAT WE HEAD, WE'RE LISTENING.
WE ARE BRINGING TO YOU OUR PROPOSAL AND WHAT'S BEEN BAKED INTO THE BUDGET AS OF NOW.
THANK YOU. AND I KNOW THIS, AS YOU STATED, A TOUGH DECISION, BUT WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE, BECAUSE I'M MY COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE ARE ASKING ME. SO I WANT TO ASK THE QUESTIONS AND JUST PUT IT ON RECORD SO THEY CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. I KNOW WE'RE IN A TOUGH SEASON, SO WE'RE HAVING TO MAKE SOME THINGS. AND I TELL PEOPLE, NO ONE ACCEPTS CHANGE. WE HAVE BUT A BABY. BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MORE DISCUSSIONS AND TO SEE WHERE WE GO FROM THERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MAYOR. MR. BAZALDUA, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. MAYOR. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND THANK YOU TO OUR CITY MANAGER. I CAN'T TELL.
IS IT OKAY? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
OKAY. IT'S INTERESTING. I'M USUALLY NOT VERY SOFT SPOKEN.
SO I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR CITY MANAGER.
THANK YOU FOR YOU KNOW, GIVING US A BALANCED BUDGET.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT I WILL SAY I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO SCRUTINIZE IN A, IN A DIFFERENT WAY, BUT IT SEEMS SOMEWHAT HARD TO WITH, WITH THE DETAILS.
SO I WILL SAY THAT THIS BRIEFING HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL ESPECIALLY FOR I THINK I'M KIND OF LIKE THE AVERAGE PERSON THAT THIS IS ALL SOMEWHAT LIKE OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE WHEN WE REALLY GET INTO THESE DETAILS. SO IT IS HELPFUL TO UNPACK THAT.
I HAVE A QUESTION ON SOME CLARITY THOUGH ON LIKE ON SLIDE FOUR WITH.
THE 5.5 MILLION IN HIGH COST CLAIMS FOR THE 27 MEMBERS THAT WAS PUT OUT.
I UNDERSTAND SOME OF LIKE THE DIALOG THAT'S HAPPENED IN THAT LIKE SPEAKING OF THOSE HIGH CLAIMS,
[02:45:05]
BUT DOES LIMITING THE. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT LIMITING THE PLAN OPTIONS WILL ELIMINATE THIS AS BEING A POTENTIAL.SO THE HIGH COST CLAIMANTS, WE YOUR HIGH COST CLAIMANTS DON'T GO AWAY.
SO DIRECTING THEM TO HIGH PERFORMING, EFFICIENT PROVIDERS TO HELP REDUCE THE EXPENSE SO HIGH COST CLAIMANTS WILL NEVER GO AWAY. WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT ERADICATING CANCER WITHIN THE POPULATION.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE'VE GOT SOMEONE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, A STAGE THREE LUNG CANCER, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE WE'RE PUTTING THEM THROUGH. THEY ARE SEEING THE MOST EFFICIENT PROVIDER.
WE WANT TO FIND THAT CANCER EARLIER SO THAT WE AREN'T SPENDING MORE.
RIGHT. AND THE WAY THAT YOU REDUCE THE BURDEN OR THE POTENTIAL EXPOSURE IS THROUGH MANAGING CARE.
WHAT YOU ALL PAY, LIKE THE DOLLARS OUT THE DOOR OR DIRECT RESULT OF TWO THINGS THE PRICE.
THE WAY YOU CONTROL YOUR COST IS THE EXERCISE THAT YOU WENT THROUGH LAST YEAR WAS IN THE MARKETING AND EVALUATING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE BUYING AT THE BEST PRICE. SO BLUE CROSS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PRICE THAT YOU PAY.
NOW, WHAT WE ARE SAYING IS THAT WE ALSO HAVE TO CONTROL WHAT CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES AS WE CAN FROM A USE PERSPECTIVE, HOW MUCH ARE WE USING THE CARE? WHERE ARE WE USING THE CARE? SO WHERE ARE WE ACCESSING THOSE THINGS? BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IF WE GET PRICE RIGHT OR AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, IF WE MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE USING THE MOST EFFICIENT PROVIDERS AND THEY ARE ACCESSING CARE APPROPRIATELY.
ULTIMATELY WHAT YOU ALL SPEND IS REDUCED. SO THE END RESULT SHOULD BE LESS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. SO WE'LL STILL SEE LARGE HIGH COST CLAIMANTS.
THOSE WON'T GO AWAY. WE JUST WANT TO HAVE A LESSER BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH THAT HIGH COST CLAIM.
OKAY. WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE 53 POINT SOMETHING PERCENT THAT ARE ON PPO'S.
I'M ON HMO. YEAH, I'M NOT AS EXCITED AS YOU ARE ABOUT IT, TO BE HONEST, BUT I AM UNTIL I'M TOLD THAT I HAVE TO GO SEE MY PCP BEFORE I CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE. BUT NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.
THAT'S WHAT WORKED FOR OUR FAMILY. THAT'S WHAT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, WAS MOST FINANCIALLY FEASIBLE.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE OTHER PERCENT OF EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ON THE PLAN LIKE ME, WHAT THESE CHANGES DO TO THEM? I'M SORRY, ARE YOU ASKING HOW WE WILL EXPLAIN? YEAH, NO, I'M ASKING JUST IF YOU CAN JUST PUT IN LAYMAN'S TERMS WHAT CHANGES WOULD COME TO SOMEONE WHO IS CURRENTLY ALREADY ON HMO? THERE'S NO CHANGE IF I. THAT'S THAT'S TRUE FROM A PLAN DESIGN PERSPECTIVE OR HOW I ACCESS THE PLAN.
IF I AM TODAY A BLUE ESSENTIALS PLAN MEMBER THAT IT'S NOT CHANGING FOR ME.
SO IT'S IT'S STATUS QUO. MY PREMIUM WILL CHANGE.
AND DEPENDING ON MY SALARY TIER, THAT THAT MAY CHANGE.
BUT THE WAY I ACCESS CARE TODAY DOES NOT CHANGE.
OKAY. I DO WANT TO TALK SPECIFICALLY. I WAS AGAIN, THIS WAS WHAT MY FAMILY DECIDED WAS MOST FEASIBLE FOR US. BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET AN EXAMPLE THAT YOU GAVE I HAD A SIMILAR EXAMPLE AND I'M CURIOUS DOES THIS LIMIT PEOPLE WHAT HAPPENS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE AN EMERGENCY OR OR SOMETHING COMES UP WHEN THEY'RE OUT OF TOWN? I BROKE A BONE WHEN I WAS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO GET ANY OF MY SERVICES.
AND BECAUSE I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T SEE A SPECIALIST DOWN THERE AND I DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE IN A NETWORK DOWN THERE. SO THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE I CAN GIVE YOU FROM A REAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE. AND I'M CURIOUS IF HOW THIS WOULD LIMIT AND WHAT WHAT THIS WOULD DO TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE.
EMERGENT CARE SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT TO ACCESS.
[02:50:07]
IF YOU FIND OUTSIDE OF THAT INITIAL TREATMENT, YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY ACCESSING A PROVIDER.WELL, THAT'S WHEN WE WOULD WANT YOU TO ENGAGE THE BVA.
WE WANT YOU TO MAKE A PHONE CALL BECAUSE THE INTENT IS NOT TO DETER OR DELAY CARE BY ANY MEANS.
IF YOU REACH OUT TO THE BLUE CROSS BVA, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY GET DIRECTION TO A TREATING PROVIDER, AND IF YOU DO NOT, THOSE ARE THE TIMES THAT YOU ESCALATE IT INTERNALLY TO THE CITY'S TEAM BECAUSE THEY WILL REACH OUT TO HOLMES, MURPHY AND WE WILL REACH OUT TO BLUE CROSS ON ANY MEMBERS BEHALF.
BUT THAT IS ALSO WHY WE HAVE THE BENEFIT VALUE ADVISOR.
I WANT TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE ACRONYMS. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A BVA IN PLACE.
IT'S TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND ON. I MEAN THE MISS IS ON US.
RIGHT. BECAUSE THE CITY'S HAS A AN ENGAGEMENT TEAM, AND THAT ENGAGEMENT TEAM CAN BE ABOUT THE WAY OF NOTIFYING MEMBERS AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE KNOW WHO TO CALL.
LIKE YOU SIMPLY JUST NEED TO REACH OUT TO A BVA.
IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO SOLVE. I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY LOCATING A PROVIDER.
WELL, I WISH I HAD TALKED TO YOU BEFORE THAT INSTANCE BECAUSE IT WAS.
IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING AND I WAS CONCERNED WITH WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE IF I WAS EVEN FURTHER THAN FROM BEING, YOU KNOW, JUST DOWN IN AUSTIN. BUT THAT WAS A CONCERN THAT I HAD.
IF A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE MOVING TO A PLAN AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL HAVE THAT COVERED ON SLIDE 11, YOU GAVE THE EXAMPLES ON THE PCP AND HSA PLAN COSTS FOR THAT, THE LOWEST SALARY BAND. DO YOU HAVE EXAMPLES OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ON.
I'M, I'M SO SORRY. COULD YOU REPEAT THAT? THE INCOME THE SALARY, IT'S THE SALARY BANDS.
IT'S, IT'S ONLY IDENTIFIED ON THE LOWEST LEVEL.
FOR BOTH OF THOSE PLANS, WHAT IS THE COST LOOK LIKE FOR THE HIGHER BANDS? HIGHER INCOME BANDS. I BELIEVE IN YOUR REFERENCE TOOLS.
WE'VE GOT. 35. I HAVE A DIFFERENT PACKAGE FROM YOU, BUT IN YOUR REFERENCE MATERIALS, THERE IS AN ADDENDUM SLIDE THAT SHOWS YOU ACTUAL RATES FOR EACH SALARY BAND.
OKAY. SO WITHIN THE PACKET AND WE'VE LABELED THEM VERY CLEARLY.
SO YOU'LL SEE HSA RATES AND THEN PCP RATES. SHOULD BE IN THE ADDENDUM.
AND THEY'RE ON THE SLIDE HERE. OKAY. IT'S ON THE SCREEN.
SO FOR SOMEONE ON THE PCP PLAN THAT THE HIGHEST BAND IN THE MEMBERS WHO WOULD PAY THE MOST IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO EARNS OVER $75,000 ANNUALLY. AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU WHAT THAT TOTAL PREMIUM IS.
IT SAYS THE TOTAL PREMIUM IS THE ESTIMATED EXPENSE LIKE FOR THE CITY, THE TOTAL COST.
AND THEN WE BREAK OUT WITH THE CITY PORTION OF THAT EXPENSE IS AND THEN THE EMPLOYEE'S PORTION.
OKAY. AND REGARDING THE GLP ONE DECISION, SO YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE HIGHEST COST ON THE DRUG IS THE APPLICATORS.
IS THERE NOT A PILL FORM IN THE MAJORITY OF THEM AT THIS POINT? WHERE'S THE NEGOTIATION ON THAT FRONT? AND WHY IS IT JUST KIND OF THROWING ALL OPTIONS OFF THE TABLE? THERE, THERE IS NOW A PILL FORM AVAILABLE. THE PILL FORM IS SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER THAN THE INJECTABLE.
THE EXPECTATION IS WITH THE PILL FORM BEING AVAILABLE, IT WILL INCREASE UTILIZATION.
THAT BARRIER WILL BE ELIMINATED WITH THE PILL.
WELL, I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY IS REALLY ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE MORE HEALTHY.
[02:55:03]
MORE, A HEALTHIER AND MORE PROSPEROUS EMPLOYEE POOL IS WHAT WE COULD SEE WITH THESE TYPES OF OFFERINGS.SO I'D LOVE TO SEE US GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE COULD OFFER IT.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MISS CADENA, YOU RECOGNIZE FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR WORK ON PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE CITY THE INSURANCE WAS NOT THE GREATEST.
I CAME FROM CHILDREN'S HEALTH WHO HAD A GREAT INSURANCE PLAN.
I THINK THAT OUR CITY MANAGER WAS A PART OF THE TEAM THAT BROUGHT THAT TO OUR EMPLOYEES AND HAD SOME INCENTIVES IN PLACE ALSO FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO BE HEALTHY AS WELL. AND SO THIS IS A DIFFICULT, IT'S A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION BECAUSE I THINK WE SEE THAT IS IT 60% OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE USING THE PPO PLAN. IS THAT WHAT IS THAT CORRECT? I STAND CORRECTED, I SAID 60% AND THE CFO HAS CLARIFIED THE 53%.
SO THAT'S OUR NEW NUMBER. IT'S 53, NOT 60. OKAY.
53. I WAS LOOKING ON PAGE 30 AND 31 AT SOME OF THE COMPARISONS AND NOTICE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS ABLE TO REDUCE THEIR COST AND WAS JUST WONDERING, YOU KNOW, DID WE REACH OUT TO THEM AND THEN ALSO WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF WE REACHED OUT TO DALLAS, DALLAS COUNTY AS WELL, BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF OUR EMPLOYEES GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO AND WOULD WONDER IF MAYBE THEY WERE COMPARABLE.
OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE ACTUALLY HAD SEVERAL EMPLOYEES WHETHER THEY HAVE A SPOUSE OR SOMEONE WORKING FOR A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION TO GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES, I THINK THE HR DIRECTOR MENTIONED DALLAS COLLEGE AS ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE TRULY WANTED TO GO AND LOOK AT BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT THEY'VE MADE IN THEIR IN THEIR PROGRAM. AND WHAT WE NOTICED IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY SHIFTED AWAY FROM THE PPO.
AND THAT WAS WHY IT WAS SHOWING A MUCH MORE, I WOULD SAY A MUCH LOWER COST PER EMPLOYEE IS BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY MADE THAT THAT SHIFT. I DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE OTHER ONES THAT WE LOOKED AT, BUT I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME COMPARATIVE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH YOU EVEN MORE DIRECTLY ABOUT SOME OF THE OPTIONS.
I KNOW THAT WE LOOK AT A LOT OF THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AS A BENCHMARK.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT THE TRENDS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND WHERE PPO MORE TRADITIONAL PPO PLANS ARE BECOMING MORE OBSOLETE BECAUSE OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE RISING COSTS, BUT I'LL LET THE TEAM TALK ABOUT ANY OTHER COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS THAT WE'VE DONE.
OKAY. YES. IN ADDITION TO THE CITIES LISTED, WE WILL ADD YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
WE LOOKED AT THE ERS SYSTEM WHICH COVERS EVERY EMPLOYEE IN THE STATE AND COVERS MOST HIGHER ED AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PROGRAM THAT HAS OVER HALF A MILLION LIVES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PPO IN REGARDING AUSTIN IN PARTICULAR WILL REACH OUT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR WE BENCHMARK BENEFITS EVERY YEAR.
AND LAST TIME WE SPOKE WITH AUSTIN, THEIR CONTRIBUTION IS LARGER, SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER. AND GIVEN THE CURRENT SITUATION, I THINK EACH ONE OF THE CITIES LISTED IS RECONSIDERING FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING NOW, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE FUTURE.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT MOVING AWAY FROM PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF.
I WOULD SAY PREDICTABILITY IS IS VERY. ANYONE CAN GET UP IN THE MORNING, THINK, OKAY.
MY CHEST HURTS AND THEY CAN GO TO A CARDIOLOGIST OR 50.
AND THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO IDENTIFY IF SOMEONE WILL DO THAT.
AND SOME PEOPLE DO. SO THAT CAUSED THAT IS UNMANAGED, THAT IS NOT GUIDED COMES BACK TO EVERYONE AND TO THAT POINT, AND SEAN MAY BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT POINT BETTER THAN US.
WE HAVE BEEN HAVING PEOPLE IN THE OTHER TWO PLANS SUBSIDIZING THOSE OF US THAT ARE IN THE PPO, BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT WANTING TO PROVIDE SUCH AN INCREASE THAT REALLY REFLECTIVE TO WHAT THAT PLAN IS COSTING.
[03:00:06]
AGAIN, CHOICE HAS A COST. AND, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY IS A SITUATION WHEREIN.BUT I'LL LET JOHN SPEAK MORE TO THAT SUBSIDY.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO HAVE THE ACTUARY TALK ABOUT THE SUBSIDY OF THE PLAN.
SO, BEN, WHO YOU TALK ABOUT THAT THE COPAY PLAN, THE PPO PLAN COSTS ROUGHLY TWICE AS MUCH IN CLAIMS COST AS THE PCP PLAN AND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THE HSA PLAN.
THE HSA PLAN IS MUCH LESS THAN EITHER OF THE OTHER TWO.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS PARTIALLY DUE TO THE LACK OF MANAGED CARE.
IT IS ALSO DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE MAJORITY OF YOUR HIGH CLAIMANTS ARE ENROLLED IN THAT PLAN, WHICH OF COURSE ELEVATES THAT AVERAGE. AND SO BY ELIMINATING THAT PLAN, WE'RE GOING TO ASSUME ABOUT AN 8% REDUCTION IN OVERALL CLAIMS COST MOVING TO THAT MANAGED NETWORK. THE MOVEMENT OF THE LARGE CLAIMANTS INTO THAT PLAN WILL EFFECTIVELY RAISE THE COST.
SO IT WILL NO LONGER BE WHAT IT CURRENTLY IS, BUT IT WILL FALL SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THE TWO.
BUT YES, CURRENTLY THE OTHER TWO PLANS ARE SUBSIDIZING THE COST OF THAT PPO PLAN.
WHAT HAPPENS? ARE WE ABLE TO CALL THE BVA IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET IN INSTEAD OF GOING TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM OR I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? YES YOU CAN.
YOU SHOULD BE USING THE BBA ANYTIME YOU HAVE A CONFLICT OR AN ISSUE.
SO IF YOU NEED TO BE SEEN AND IT'S URGENT CARE, IF YOU CALL THE BBA, THEY'RE GOING TO SAY GO TO THE EMERGENCY, LIKE GO TO THE ER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE SAYING YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH SEEING YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
IF THE ONLY OPTION IS TO GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM, NOT TO GO TO ANOTHER PHYSICIAN.
NO, THAT'S NOT THE ONLY OPTION. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE WHAT SERVICE IT IS.
IF YOU ARE UNWELL OR YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, WE STILL WANT YOU TO CALL YOUR PCP FOR THAT, BUT IF YOUR PCP CANNOT GET YOU IN AND YOU NEED TO BE SEEING THE PCP WILL DIRECT YOU, OR YOU SHOULD GO TO EMERGENCY TO URGENT CARE, AND THE PCP WILL GIVE THAT DIRECTION. THEY WILL SAY GO STRAIGHT TO EAT TO ER URGENT CARE.
YOU SEE, MY OTHER QUESTION IS. SO I HAVE HAD TO REACH OUT TO THE BVA.
I THINK I'VE BEEN VERY OPEN ABOUT ME HAVING UVEITIS AND I THINK THERE WAS A, WHEN THERE WAS A ISSUE WITH THE CONTRACT, THE CLOSEST SPECIALIST WAS LIKE 25 MILES AWAY.
ALL OF THEM ARE. BUT I THINK ABOUT MY OWN SITUATION WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR PHYSICIAN MAY BE TOO FAR FOR YOU TO GET GOOD CARE, I KNOW FOR ME TO GO TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT ON A WEDNESDAY, AND I THINK FOR SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS, YOU HAVE TO BE HERE AT COUNCIL OR IF WE HAVE A COMMITTEE MEETING, RIGHT.
SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET INTO YOUR PHYSICIAN TO GET THAT CARE THAT YOU NEED.
AND SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT IF, IF THE BVA IS THE BEST WAY TO GO, IF WE MOVE INTO THIS PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH OUR EMPLOYEES, THAT THEY HAVE THAT OPTION BECAUSE OUR EMPLOYEES WORK REALLY HARD THEY WORK LONG HOURS.
AND IT WAS DIFFICULT SOMETIMES. SO I THINK COMMUNICATING WITH OUR EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO MOVE INTO THESE PLANS, THE RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
YES, MA'AM. UNDERSTOOD. WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE ENGAGEMENT TEAM TO MAKE SURE.
THIS IS A RESOURCE. HERE'S HOW YOU ACCESS IT.
I THINK THERE WAS SOME COMMUNICATION THAT WENT OUT, BUT I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROTH IN THAT WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE THE CHOICE BETWEEN THESE TWO PLANS.
IF THIS IS THE WAY WE DECIDE TO GO YOU KNOW, I, I HESITATE ABOUT TAKING AWAY BENEFITS FROM EMPLOYEES BECAUSE I KNOW HOW HARD THEY WORK. AND IT DOES GIVE ME PAUSE.
I AGREE WITH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A WAY TO FIND FOR THEM TO HAVE ALL OF THESE BENEFITS, THAT WOULD BE MY DESIRE. RIGHT? BUT I DO REALIZE WE HAVE SOME BIG DECISIONS TO MAKE IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET AS WELL?
[03:05:05]
SO THE MORE COMMUNICATION WE CAN HAVE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES AND WITH OUR RETIREES, THE BETTER.THANK YOU, MR. GRACEY. THANK YOU. I'LL PICK UP WHERE COUNCILWOMAN LEFT OFF.
AND I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY IT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE THIS IS A BIG WHILE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SWITCHING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY LOSING THEIR DOCTORS BY SWITCHING FROM PPO TO WHATEVER.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT TYPE OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE IN TERMS OF, WELL, WHO IS YOUR CURRENT DOCTOR? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THE BBA WILL DO IS HELP THEM GO THROUGH THAT PART.
YES. SO THE BBA CAN ASSIST WITH THAT IF YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THAT YOUR PROVIDER IS NOT A NETWORK, YOU CAN CALL THE VA. THE VA WILL HELP YOU. SOMETIMES EMPLOYEES WILL GIVE THEIR ZIP CODE FOR WORK OR THEIR ZIP CODE FOR HOME.
SO WHAT I'M ASKING IS I'M NOT ON ANY OF THEM.
BUT IF I WERE AND I HAD A DOCTOR WHO THE BVA HELPED ME SAY, YES, ZARIN, YOUR DOCTOR IS OVER HERE.
YES. AND YOU CAN ALSO LOCATE THAT INFORMATION THROUGH THE WEBSITE.
IT IS. AND WE'LL HAVE THAT TYPE OF DIRECTION IN THE EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION.
BECAUSE REALLY WHAT WE WANT IS FOR EMPLOYEES TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE, LOOK AT THE NETWORK AND LOOK AT ALL THE PROVIDERS AVAILABLE BECAUSE IT MAY BE A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT BEING IN THE NETWORK.
IT COULD BE YOUR CHILD, YOUR CHILD MAYBE HAS A SPECIALIST.
WE WANT THEM TO LOOK AT THE PROVIDER DIRECTORY, BUT THAT IS A RESOURCE THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE, OR YOU CAN CALL IN AND GET SUPPORT. AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER AND HELP ME IF I'M WRONG ON THIS, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN THE PPO PLAN, THAT THERE'S 246 OF THEM, THAT THEIR DOCTOR IS NOT IN THE OTHER PLAN, THAT THEIR DOCTOR IS NOT IN THE HSA OR PCP PLAN.
SO, YES, IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE 246, YOU WOULD HAVE TO FIND A NEW PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
BUT OUT OF 6823, LESS THAN 250 HAVE THAT MISMATCH AT THIS POINT.
AND THAT'S STILL A TRANSITION. SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARITY.
I DO APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE, ONE, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT. THE OTHER, I GUESS, THEME OF ALL OF MY COMMENTS ARE, ARE MAKING SURE WE'RE HOLDING THE CONSULTANTS ACCOUNTABLE TO, AND WE'RE NOT JUST, I KNOW WE PAY THEM TO DO THAT JOB, BUT WHO'S MONITORING THEM TO MAKE SURE.
AND I'M GOING TO ASK THIS QUESTION FROM A COMPENSATION PERSPECTIVE.
WHAT IS THAT COMPENSATION STRUCTURE FOR HOLMES MURPHY.
AND DO THEY HAVE A A DIRECT OR INDIRECT COMPENSATION WITH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD.
HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT. THE HOLMES. HOLMES IS NOT.
WE ARE A CARRIER AGNOSTIC. OUR. WE ARE PAID BY THE CITY OF DALLAS AND WE HAVE.
NO, NO, THERE'S NO COMPENSATION BETWEEN HOLMES, MURPHY AND BLUE CROSS OR ANY OTHER PROVIDER.
WE WORK FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
CLEAR. AND I ASK THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME STRUCTURES WHERE THAT EXIST.
CORRECT? YOU ARE CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. SO AND WE TRY TO AVOID THOSE AS AN ORGANIZATION.
THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. AND THEN THE LAST PIECE IS I THINK I ALREADY SAID JUST THE INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND WHO MANAGES THE CONTRACT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE MAKING SOME OF THESE DECISIONS, AND I MENTIONED SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE COULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING.
IN TERMS OF LIKE THE, THE, THE AUDIT PIECE, THOSE LITTLE THINGS COULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE.
AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WHILE THIS WAS NOT AN OVERNIGHT DECISION, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I BELIEVE THAT WERE MISSED PERHAPS IN THE NEGOTIATION OF THE CONTRACT. ONE OF THEM WAS BEING THE SOMEBODY REFERRED TO IT WHERE YOU IN ORDER TO GO TO A SPECIALIST, IT HAS TO COME THROUGH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD REFERRAL OR THAT NETWORK OF REFERRALS.
YOU PAY BLUE CROSS, BLUE SHIELD OR THE REASON WHY YOU PARTNER WITH BLUE CROSS OR ANY OTHER PROVIDER IS FOR ACCESS TO THEIR NETWORK TO GET YOU NEGOTIATED SAVINGS, RIGHT? SO IF YOUR QUESTION IS SO BECAUSE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS SINCE I HAVE TO GET A
[03:10:03]
REFERRAL THROUGH USING THE EXAMPLE I THINK YOU GAVE ABOUT HAVING TO GO TO A SPECIALIST THAT HAS TO BE REFERRED UNDER THIS EXISTING CONTRACT.IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE IT? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO ASK IT, BUT YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING.
THE SAVINGS, THE WAY IT'S STRUCTURED NOW DOESN'T GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO.
I'LL JUST STOP BECAUSE I, I THINK LET US SEE IF WE CAN TRY TO HELP WITH THAT.
MR. ROTH. OH. I'M SORRY. CAN WE, MR. ROTH? THANK YOU.
DO YOU WANT TO HELP MR. GRACEY ANSWER HIS QUESTION? I'LL CIRCLE BACK WITH HIM. SO GO AHEAD. I'LL TALK TO THE ON THE $175 MILLION THAT IT COSTS US.
IS THAT A NET NUMBER, JACK? YEAH. WE WILL. THE 175 THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION. NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE OVERALL COST THAT WE'RE RUNNING OUR COST FOR TO RUN THE PROGRAM.
IS THAT DOES THAT INCLUDE THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS OR IS THAT NET OF THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION.
WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT MR.. SOMEONE WAS TALKING TO HIM AT THE TIME.
THE 175 THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION.
THAT IS NOT THE AMOUNT THAT THE EMPLOYEES ARE PUTTING IN AS WELL.
RIGHT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT WHAT IS THE YOU WANT TO GET THE OVERALL TOTAL.
I WANT THE EMPLOYEE PORTION. HOW MUCH ARE THEY PAYING.
SO THE BREAKDOWN MR. IRELAND OF THE TOTAL. YES, MA'AM.
SO THE NUMBER I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU IS NOT AN EXACT APPLES TO APPLES, BUT I GET IT.
$67 MILLION IS THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION. BUT THERE'S PARTS OF THAT THAT IS FOR THINGS THAT THE CITY THAT ARE ELECTIVE THAT THE CITY DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN. SO YOUR VISION COVERAGE, YOUR DENTAL COVERAGE, THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THAT EMPLOYEES PAY 100% FOR.
AND SO THAT'LL TAKE US. I DON'T HAVE THAT. BUT WE CAN GET YOU THAT.
OKAY. WHERE I'M GOING IS I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH THE EMPLOYEES ARE REALLY PAYING EXTRA.
AND, AND THEN AND WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE IF WE HAD TO CHARGE THEM EXTRA FOR, FOR STUFF.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT AND AGAIN, IF IT'S 65, IF IT'S 65 MILLION BUCKS, THAT INCLUDES THE OTHER STUFF, I GET IT. BUT THAT I THINK THAT'S A CRITICAL NUMBER FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE EXTRA AMOUNT IS.
IT IS A CRITICAL NUMBER, AND WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING IT.
RIGHT. AND I APPRECIATE YOU ASKING THE QUESTION AND I WILL GET THAT TO THE BODY.
I WANT TO ALSO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER GRACEY FOR, FOR BRINGING UP THE AUDIT ISSUE AND THE SUPERVISION ISSUE AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CLAIM ISSUE. I, IT SEEMS TO ME THERE'S THREE THERE'S THREE PARTS HERE THAT WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT AND ALL OF THEM ARE, ARE INTERTWINED. THE AUDIT AND THE MANAGEMENT IS A HUGE PART OF SELF-INSURING AND MANAGING THIS PROCESS, THE NEGOTIATION OF THE PRICES WITH THE PHYSICIANS AND THE DOCTORS AND THE PHARMACIES, THAT'S A BIG DEAL HERE.
AND I, AND I THINK THAT HELPS INFORM US TO MAKE A DECISION.
I'M NOT BEING CRITICAL. WE GOT A BUDGET. WE GOT TO BALANCE A BUDGET.
WE'VE GOT TO BE COST EFFECTIVE. I GET IT. BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STARTING THAT WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT FACTS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMING UP WITH THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS. IT ALSO SEEMS TO ME, AND I WOULD LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION OFFLINE.
IT SEEMS LIKE, ABOUT OUR MEDIAN SALARY IN THE CITY IS ABOUT $75,000.
SO I'M, I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHAT THE, THE, THE BURDEN IS GOING TO BE ON THE LOWER END VERSUS THE HIGHER END. AND THAT'S AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT COULD BE EVALUATED AND MAYBE IDENTIFYING SUPPLEMENTS OR, OR MAYBE SOME OTHER ABILITY TO HELP THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE THAT MIGHT HAVE A HARDER TIME PAYING AN INCREASE IN THEIR PARTICULAR CONTRIBUTION. I DON'T LIKE DEALING IN PERCENTAGES BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY ANY SENSE TO ME.
WHEN YOU SAY 40%, 50%, 60%, IF A PERSON'S PAYING 100 AND THEY'RE GOING TO PAY 150.
THAT'S WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW. IF THEY'RE GOING TO PAY 600, THEY'RE PAYING 800 OR 900.
THANK YOU. MAYOR PRO TEM RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
[03:15:03]
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO START BY THANKING STAFF FOR THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS.I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT AN EASY DISCUSSION, AND I RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS AND SOME DIFFICULT CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE CONTINUE PROVIDING QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR THE CITY'S EMPLOYEES.
AND SO WITH THAT, IS IT POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE US WITH A SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON SHOWING WHAT EMPLOYEES PAY TODAY VERSUS WHAT THEY WOULD PAY UNDER THE PROPOSAL, INCLUDING PREMIUMS, DEDUCTIBLES, AND OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUMS FOR EACH PLAN AND AT EACH PROPOSED SALARY TIER.
I HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN OUT TALKING TO EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE CHANGES.
WE DO HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT CHARTS. WE HAVE CHARTS THAT SHOW THE CURRENT RATES FOR 26 PROPOSED RATES FOR 27 BASED ON THE THREE PLANS VERSUS THE TWO PLANS. WE'RE ALSO DOING A SIDE BY SIDE THAT SHOWS THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT DOCTORS THAT ARE IN NETWORK, OUT OF NETWORK. AND SO WE UNDERSTAND AND I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE EDUCATION PIECE, BECAUSE THE COPAY PLAN IS A PLAN THAT IN 2018, WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE CITY THAT I PUSHED AND WORKED FOR US TO BRING TO THE CITY, WE HAD NOT HAD A COPAY PPO PLAN PRIOR TO 2018.
SO THAT BECAME A CHANGE AS WELL. AND SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, CLARITY IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING A COMPLETE SIDE BY SIDE AND GIVING EMPLOYEES AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK QUESTIONS AND GET THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE NOT STARTING IN SEPTEMBER.
BUT IN ADDITION TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHARE WITH EMPLOYEES, WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE THAT TO YOU AS WELL, BECAUSE I DO KNOW YOU'RE GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS. SO THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AND THE QUESTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MR. MAYOR. OKAY.
WE'RE ROUND TWO FOR CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN. YOU RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY I'M NOT ON THE PLAN, HAVE NEVER BEEN ON THE PLAN.
LET ME ASK YOU, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN NETWORK FOR OUR AREA, FOR THE DALLAS AREA? JUST A SECOND. I NEED TO LOOK TO SEE IF WE HAVE THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS IN THIS DECK.
THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO YOU WITH, BUT WE HAVE THE NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND THE NUMBER OF SPECIALISTS BY NETWORK. SO THE CITY GENERALLY WILL FOLLOW UP WITH A MEMO WITH THIS KIND OF INFORMATION.
SO THAT'S ONE ITEM I'D LIKE TO KNOW OF THOSE THAT ARE IN NETWORK.
HOW MANY OF THEM ARE DOS VERSUS MDS? I'D ALSO LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE NO WAITING LIST FOR A NEW PATIENT. AND I'LL JUST SAY THAT ON THE PLAN I'M ON, THERE ARE ZERO PCP'S THAT HAVE NO WAITING LIST. WE WILL DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE EXACT NUMBER OF PHYSICIANS.
I KNOW WE WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A WAITING LIST PER PROVIDER, BUT WE CAN TELL YOU THE EXACT NUMBER OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS AND SPECIALISTS WITHIN THE NETWORK. WE WILL NOT KNOW THAT PROVIDERS.
COULDN'T THIS BE A GROUP ACTUALLY CALL AND TRY TO SET AN APPOINTMENT AND SEE IF THERE'S A WAITING LIST TO TELL US THIS ANSWER, BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED WITH WHAT YOU FIND OUT. MY NEXT QUESTION IS THIS.
YOU SAID SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT MIND BLOWING THAT IF YOU COULDN'T GET IN TO SEE YOUR PCP, YOU SHOULD JUST GO TO THE E.R.. AND WHEN YOU'RE SITTING HERE AND TALKING ABOUT COST CONTAINMENT, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. THAT'S NOT WHAT I DID NOT SAY.
YOU SHOULD GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IF YOU CANNOT SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
[03:20:09]
EPISODE, IF YOU ARE TRYING TO SCHEDULE A ROUTINE APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN, WELL, THERE'S A BIG DELTA BETWEEN THOSE TWO THINGS.CORRECT. YOU'RE VERY SICK, BUT YOU'RE NOT REALLY READY FOR AN EMERGENCY ROOM.
THEN WHAT? IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR PROVIDER, THEN YOU CAN CALL IN TO THE BVA.
I AM NOT SUGGESTING AN EMERGENCY ROOM VISIT IF YOUR PCP CAN'T SEE YOU.
SO WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE BBA IS AND MAYBE TELL US HOW MANY EMPLOYEES WORK THERE? YEP. SO YOUR BENEFIT VALUE ADVISOR, THINK ABOUT THEM AS AN ADVOCATE FOR YOU OR FOR THE MEMBERS.
SO IN HELPING TO NAVIGATE THE YOUR BENEFIT PLANS, DIRECTING ACCESS TO CARE, HELPING YOU FIND A PROVIDER, HELPING YOU WITH RESOLUTION. THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD BE USING.
WHAT IS THE COST FOR THAT SERVICE? THE CITY OF DALLAS COST FOR THE SERVICE.
I BELIEVE YOU PAY A P E PM AND I'M. LET ME REFERENCE.
I DON'T HAVE IT. JUST A SECOND. WE'LL HAVE TO.
WE'LL GIVE YOU THE EXACT NUMBER. BUT IT IS A PRIMARY.
IT'S A PER EMPLOYEE PER MONTH NUMBER THAT'S PAID AS A PART OF YOUR FEE.
AND WHAT HOURS ARE THEY OPEN? THE BBA, I THINK THE STANDARD HOURS FOR THEM ARE 8 TO 5.
BUT LET ME VERIFY BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU INCORRECT INFORMATION, BUT WE'LL VERIFY THAT.
NIKKI CAN. YOU CAN ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER. THOSE WILL BE THINGS WE CAN FOLLOW UP, IF THAT'S OKAY.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY FINE. YEAH. AND MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THING OR IT'S OPEN EVERY DAY, 8 TO 5.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T JUST GET SICK DURING THE WORK DAY.
WE WILL I'LL CONFIRM THAT IN THE FOLLOW UP IN THE FOLLOW UP NOTE TO YOU, AND IT MAY BE IN THE FAQ.
I'M, I'M NOT FOR CERTAIN, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THE VA HOURS OF OPERATION ARE THERE.
SO WILL YOU CONFIRM THAT A PCP'S PRIMARY ROLE IS TO ACTUALLY BE THE GATEKEEPER, AND THAT THEY CAN LOSE STATUS AS A PROVIDER IN THEIR PLAN IF THEY GIVE TOO MANY REFERRALS TO SPECIALISTS? I WILL CONFIRM THE PCP'S ROLE, WHICH IS TO DIRECT CARE.
I LITERALLY WAS A BENEFITS MANAGER FOR UNITED INSURANCE COMPANIES.
AND SO THIS IDEA OF FURTHERING EARLY CARE BY GOING THROUGH A MANAGED CARE PROCESS AS OPPOSED TO A SELF-DIRECTED CARE PROCESS, DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE SEVERAL MONTHS OUT AND HAVE A SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER THAT YOU ALREADY KNEW FROM YOUR COUGH, FROM YOUR OWN MAYBE SMOKING HISTORY THAT YOU COULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY GONE TO SEEK HELP.
AND THIS IS WHERE HMOS CAN SOMETIMES FAIL. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT A GOOD OPTION FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT IT'S MOSTLY A GOOD OPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY VERY HEALTHY.
AND SO I HAVE A NUMBER OF CONCERNS ABOUT THIS.
MANY PEOPLE GO AND GET AN ANNUAL MOLE CHECK, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE OLDER.
AGAIN, YOU'D HAVE TO SEE A PCP WHO'D BE LIKE, YEAH, BUT I CAN JUST CHECK IT FOR YOU.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES WITH HAVING JUST AN HMO PLAN AS OPPOSED TO A PPO PLAN.
THANK YOU, MISS KENNEDY. RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BLUE CHOICE NETWORK AND THE BLUE ESSENTIALS NETWORK? BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A CHANGE THAT I JUST CAUGHT.
SO. THE BLUE CHOICE NETWORK IS THE PPO. IT'S THE BROAD BASED PPO NETWORK.
BLUE ESSENTIALS IS A DIFFERENT NETWORK. SO THAT IS THE NETWORK ASSOCIATED WITH THE PCP PLAN.
OKAY. IS THERE ANY INFORMATION THAT MAYBE WE COULD GET JUST SO THAT WE CAN CLARIFY OR I GUESS, HAVE SOME COMPARISON ON THAT? YES. OKAY. AND THEN WHAT'S THE ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL COST? IF WE KEPT THE HSA ON THE BLUE CHOICE. WE WOULD HAVE TO COMPLETE THAT ANALYSIS, WHICH I KNOW WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT.
LET ME SEE IF IT'S IN YOUR PACKET. SECOND.
[03:25:12]
WE'LL RESPOND TO THAT ONE IN WRITING. I WANT TO VERIFY THE NUMBER HERE.OKAY. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YEAH. IF WE COULD JUST HAVE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BLUE CHOICE AND BLUE ESSENTIALS, AND THEN ALSO THE COST. FOR.
SO THE VALUE. THE ACTUAL VALUE OF THE DIFFERENCE.
IF WE LEFT THE HDHP PLAN ON THE PPO NETWORK IS $3 MILLION, 3.7 $3.6 MILLION.
OKAY. AND THAT'S THE RESULT OF A CLAIMS EXPERIENCE SAVINGS.
OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. CHAIR MORENO, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
THANK YOU MAYOR. SO WE LIKE TO, I THINK, FEEL AND THINK THAT OUR STAFF IS OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSETS AT OUR CITY. HOW DOES HAVE WE LOOKED AT ANY STUDIES ON HOW THIS WHAT THIS DOES FOR RECRUITMENT RETENTION.
WE TALK ABOUT INCENTIVES TO KEEP PEOPLE HAPPY.
HAPPY TEAM MEMBERS. WHAT DO WE THINK THIS WILL DO, IF ANYTHING? ANY CHANGES? DO WE SEE LESS PEOPLE BEING ENTICED TO BEING A CITY EMPLOYEE? DO WE SEE ANY PEOPLE POTENTIALLY LEAVING THE CITY? IF WE ADOPT THIS NEW CHANGE. YES. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER.
I AS PART OF ANY CHANGE IN BENEFITS, YOU ARE GOING TO SEE A DISRUPTION.
WE DON'T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY, OBVIOUSLY. EMPLOYEES DO NOT LIKE CHANGE.
NO ONE DOES. IT'S EVEN EVEN WHEN WE HAVE MADE CHANGES TO IMPROVE BENEFITS AND THE CITY MANAGER WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE FIRST ADDED THE HSA, THAT WAS NOT, YOU KNOW, A PLAN THAT WAS IN THE CITY, WHICH IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME PEOPLE.
THERE WAS A REACTION. SO ANY TIME THAT YOU MAKE A CHANGE, THERE WILL BE A REACTION.
WHAT WE TRY TO COMPARE IS WHAT WE OFFER AS COMPARED TO OTHER EMPLOYERS.
EVERY INDIVIDUAL, OF COURSE IS GOING TO HAVE A DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS CHANGE.
SOME PEOPLE MAY REQUIRE A LOT OF HELP TO FEEL COMFORTABLE, AND MAYBE SOME WILL JUST MOVE IN QUICKLY, OTHERS MAY NOT. THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE THAT WILL SAY, IF I DON'T HAVE PLAN X, I CANNOT WORK FOR THE CITY.
THAT THAT DEFINITELY ARE ALL SCENARIOS THAT WE HAVE CONTEMPLATED AND ALL POTENTIAL SCENARIOS.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN SAY WHEN SOMEONE COMES IN, WHEN WE RECRUIT SOMEONE, WE CAN TELL THEM, HERE ARE ALL THE BENEFITS WE OFFER. THIS IS THE TYPE OF BENEFITS WE USE.
YOU. YOU MAY HAVE EMPLOYERS WITH THREE PLANS, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY PPO PLANS.
YOU MAY HAVE A BROAD NETWORK, NARROW NETWORK, AND AN HSA.
SO IT'S THERE'S NOT A PARTICULAR FORMULA TO WHAT IS GOOD OTHER THAN LOOKING AT AVERAGES.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE DONE. WE LOOKED AT WHAT CITY OF FORT WORTH IS OFFERING, WHAT CITY OF HOUSTON IS OFFERING COMPARABLE CITIES AND CITIES HERE IN OUR AREA AS WELL. SMALLER CITIES THAT WE COMPETE WITH, THE MAJORITY ARE NOT OFFERING A PPO.
THE WHOLE STATE OF TEXAS IS NOT OFFERING A PPO.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S HARDER TO CONTROL COST WHEN SOMEONE HAS BASICALLY FREE RANGE TO GO TO ANY SPECIALIST, HAVE ANY TESTING DONE AT ANY TIME. IN OTHER TIMES WHEN BUDGET IS NOT SUCH A CONCERN, WE WOULD NOT TOUCH IT. ACTUALLY, THAT'S THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO DEPART FROM BECAUSE WE WANT TO OFFER A ROBUST, YOU KNOW, OFFERING FOR EMPLOYEES, BUT IT IS BECAUSE OF THE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS.
IT'S BECAUSE OF THE RISING COST. IT'S BECAUSE OF HAVING TO PASS ON INCREASES OF 40% TO EMPLOYEES THAT THIS RECOMMENDATION IS BEFORE YOU AND COUNCIL MEMBER. I'D ADD TO THAT, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES REACT TO ALL OF THOSE CHANGES DIFFERENTLY.
[03:30:05]
SO EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE HAD TO IMPLEMENT SOME FURLOUGHS.I HEARD EMPLOYEES COMPLAIN IF THE CITY IS GOING TO START DOING FURLOUGHS, I'M GOING TO LEAVE.
YOU'RE ONLY GIVEN A 2% MERIT INSTEAD OF YOUR AVERAGE 3% THAT WE'VE DONE.
I'M GOING TO LEAVE. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, AND WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST TO PROVIDE A GOOD BENEFITS PACKAGE, APPROPRIATE PAY AND PROTECT, YOU KNOW, THE SERVICES AND THE BUDGET OF THE CITY.
NINA AND JACK, THAT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL. THANK YOU.
IF WE WERE TO STAY ON THE EXISTING PLAN, I THINK WE WERE PROJECTING 27 MILLION.
WHAT WAS THE INCREASE IF WE STAYED ON ON THE PLAN WITHOUT THE ADDITIONAL 10 MILLION THAT WAS PUT INTO THE BUDGET? SO I THINK WHAT MR. IRELAND DESCRIBED IS THAT WHAT WE HAD PLANNED GOING INTO THE SECOND YEAR OF THE BUDGET, WE HAD A CERTAIN NUMBER THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE AT.
BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTOOD THAT COUNCIL CHALLENGED US TO LOOK AT WAYS TO CREATE LONGER TERM SUSTAINABILITY. IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST THE NOW. AND I THINK THAT'S THE PART THAT'S KIND OF GETTING MISSED IN THE CONVERSATION.
WHAT WE'VE RECOMMENDED IS NOT BECAUSE WE WANT TO IMPACT EMPLOYEES IN A NEGATIVE WAY.
IT'S ABOUT HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A HEALTHY PLAN AND A PLAN THAT'S GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE WITH THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS INCLUDED TO HELP OUR EMPLOYEES BE WELL. AND I THINK I'VE HEARD SEVERAL COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT, WE WANT THE BEST POSSIBLE TOTAL WELLNESS FOR OUR STAFF, AND WE DO. SO THE WAY WE'VE APPROACHED THE BUDGET, WE SHARE IT WITH YOU AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP LAST WEEK, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE DID TO CLOSE THE $50 MILLION GAP, MAKING THESE RECOMMENDED CHANGES WAS INCLUDED IN SOME OF THE SAVINGS THAT WE SHOWED.
SO IF THIS COUNCIL WANTS TO DIRECT ME TO INCLUDE A PPO PLAN BACK INTO THE BUDGET, WITH THE CITY CONTRIBUTING, I NEED TO FIND 10 MILLION MORE DOLLARS.
IF THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS US TO OFFER IT AND ALL THE COSTS GET PASSED ON TO THE EMPLOYEES, THAT'S WHAT THE HEALTH BENEFITS ADMINISTRATOR HAS SAID THAT THEY WOULD MODEL.
AND THOSE COSTS COULD VERY WELL GROW TO ABOUT 60%, WHICH WOULD BE PASSED DIRECTLY ON TO EMPLOYEES.
BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD A LOT, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THE GUIDANCE IS TO PUT IT BACK, WOULD A CITY CONTRIBUTION, THEN I CAN TELL YOU THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO GO AND FIND IN THIS BUDGET.
IF IT'S TO PUT IT BACK AND LET THE TOTAL EXPENSES BE BORNE BY THE BY, THE EMPLOYEES WHO WOULD THEN BE IMPACTED WILL NEED TO COME BACK AND TELL YOU WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE. RIGHT. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT, CITY MANAGER.
THE MONEY HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE EITHER DIGGING IN AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION FROM THE BUDGET THAT YOU'VE ALREADY PUT IN OR FROM OUR VERY OWN EMPLOYEES. AND SO IF WE CAN GET THAT NUMBER OF WHAT IT WOULD COST THE EMPLOYEE IF THAT WAS TO BE PASSED ON TO THEM, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NUMBER IN THE, IN THE DECISION THAT WE ULTIMATELY MAKE.
BUT AGAIN, UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET AND IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION, WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS TO THAT BUDGET THAT'S ALREADY WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO BALANCE.
BUT TO BE FAIR, I THINK LET'S GET THOSE NUMBERS OF WHAT IT WOULD COST THE EMPLOYEE IF THEY WERE DOING, IF THAT COST WAS BEING PUT ON THEM. AND I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE LOW.
AND THAT'S THE OTHER REALITY OF OUR TIMES ARE TOUGH.
OUR FAMILY IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO ABSORB THOSE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FOR HEALTH CARE.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE DIFFICULT DECISIONS BECAUSE THEY DO IMPACT PEOPLE.
THEY IMPACT THE VERY STAFF THAT HELP DRIVE THIS CITY.
AND SO IT'S NOT AN EASY DECISION. SO THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER FOR BRINGING THIS TO US.
[03:35:05]
AND ULTIMATELY ONCE WE GET ALL THE NUMBERS, WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION.THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND JUST AS A REMINDER ON THAT, IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION IN ADDITION TO THE 29 MILLION THAT WE'VE ALREADY INCREASED WITH 73% OF OUR BUDGET BEING PERSONNEL COST, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO INCLUDE SOME REDUCTIONS IN POSITIONS AND PROBABLY SOME LAYOFFS. SO FOR US TO FIND ANOTHER $10 MILLION TO PUT TOWARDS BENEFITS, WE WILL PROBABLY REDUCE OUR WORKFORCE MORE THAN WE'VE ALREADY PROPOSED.
CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU.
MY CONCERN IS THAT THE PLAN COSTS ARE BEING CONSIDERED AS A SILO ITEM.
THE ONLY ONE I CAN THINK OF ACTUALLY, IS POLICE OFFICER.
AND WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT IT TAKES 18 MONTHS TO TRAIN THEM, AND IT COSTS US $275,000.
LOSING JUST 36 POLICE OFFICERS NEGATES THIS COST.
THAT'S $10 MILLION RIGHT THERE. AND SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT EVEN REPLACING THOSE OFFICERS, WE'VE PUT THEM THROUGH 18 MONTHS OF TRAINING, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THAT WALKED OUT THE DOOR. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SAME NUMBER IS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, BUT I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF TURNOVER HERE.
AND WHAT I HEAR ARE THINGS LIKE FURLOUGHS AND INSTABILITY AND SORT OF A CHAOS FACTOR.
BUT PAY AND BENEFITS ARE RIGHT UP THERE. I'VE NOT HEARD A SINGLE PERSON SAY THEY OBJECT TO WORKING AT CITY HALL, THOUGH. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME. DID I MISS ANYONE WHO'S REMOTE? OKAY, SO THIS IS A GOOD TIME FOR US TO I THINK, TAKE A BREAK AND THEN COME BACK FOR A BRIEFING.
YES. TODAY WE'RE CELEBRATING OUR DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM BIRTHDAY.
SO WE HAVE A CAKE FOR HIM. I'M NOT SURE IF MY STAFF'S OUT HERE, BUT CAN WE ALL JOIN AND SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY? YES. OR CITY MANAGER, WILL YOU PLEASE LEAD US IN SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY? OH, NO YOU'RE NOT. I'M SORRY. YEAH, IT'S IT'S ON.
IT'S ON. MR. ROTH AND MR. RIDLEY, THE DUET. MR. ROTH AND RIDLEY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.
ALL RIGHT, WE'LL BE BACK AT. WE'LL SAY, CALL AT 2:00.
ALL RIGHT. I'M TOLD WE HAVE A QUORUM AND THE FEED IS BACK UP, SO WE ARE GOING TO RECONVENE.
IT'S 2:20 P.M., MADAM SECRETARY AND MADAM CITY MANAGER.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR A BRIEFING. B THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I'LL GO AHEAD AND HAVE THE TEAM TO COME OUT.
YOUR NEXT BRIEFING FOR TODAY IS AN OVERVIEW OF OVERTIME TRENDS, BUDGET IMPACTS, STAFFING AND RESPONSE TIME PERFORMANCE FOR BOTH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE FOCUS IS REALLY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING FOR 2526 PROJECTIONS AND THE WAY WE'RE GOING INTO 2627 AND THE OPERATIONAL TARGETS THAT COME ALONG WITH IT. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DISCUSSING THIS WITH YOU TODAY.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS, AND WE HOPE THAT TODAY'S PRESENTATION WILL ALLOW FOR US TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS FUTURE OPERATIONAL NEEDS, REMAIN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND MONITOR POLICE AND FIRE OVERTIME.
AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY TEAM TO BEGIN THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. I'M ASSISTANT CHIEF RICHARD FOLEY.
TO MY RIGHT IS SABRINA JOHNSTON. SHE'S ONE OF OUR PAYROLL GURUS.
ROBERT URIBE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS CHIEF COMO CHIEF.
HISTORICALLY WHAT OUR OVERTIME HAS BEEN OUR BUDGETED DOLLARS VERSUS OURS, OUR OVERTIME CATEGORIES, NEXT FISCAL YEAR'S BUDGET, UNIFORM HIRING, SOME OF OUR EFFICIENCIES, PATROL RESPONSE TIMES AND SOME VIOLENT CRIME.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. OUR OVERTIME IS BUDGETED AT $47 MILLION.
[03:40:03]
OUR JULY PROJECTION EXCEEDS THAT BUDGET BY 2.7 MILLION, OR 5.7%.THE OVERAGE REFLECTS TWO STRUCTURED FACTORS. THE FISCAL YEAR 26 OVERTIME BUDGET WAS REDUCED BY 10 MILLION FROM THE PRIOR YEAR, AND THE HOURLY RATES FOR OVERTIME HAS INCREASED APPROXIMATELY 2% DUE TO COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENTS OVER THE LAST YEAR.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE COLUMN ON THE LEFT IS WHAT OUR EXPENSES HAVE BEEN SINCE FISCAL YEAR 22 UNTIL CURRENTLY. AS YOU'LL SEE, OUR HOURS, THE OVERTIME HOURS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVE WENT DOWN LAST YEAR BY 9.2%, FROM 644,000 TO 584 HOURS. THE EXPENSE IN FISCAL YEAR 25 WAS 52 MILLION.
ON THE RIGHT ON THAT RIGHT COLUMN OVER THERE, THAT'S SOME OF OUR REIMBURSEMENT REIMBURSEMENT SOURCES. THAT DOES NOT COUNT AGAINST THE OVERTIME IN THE SENSE THAT WE GET REIMBURSED FROM DIFFERENT AGENCIES OR DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
AND SO IT'S REIMBURSEMENT OR REVENUE SOURCES, SUCH AS SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS IN THE STATE FAIR.
AND THAT GRAND TOTAL WILL BE 6.5 MILLION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
OUR 2026 YEAR TO DATE OVERTIME HOURS ARE DOWN 5%, WHICH IS ABOUT 23,809 HOURS.
BUT OUR EFFICIENCY GAINS HAVE BEEN ABOUT THE SAME.
ALSO THE FISCAL YEAR 26, THE BUDGET WAS REDUCED BY 18%.
AND LIKE I SAID, I'VE SAID MULTIPLE TIMES NOW, I GUESS IS OUR OVERTIME COST HAS BEEN HAS WENT UP 4% DUE TO OUR 2% FOR THE OVERTIME SIDE AND 4% FOR OUR NORMAL PAY. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THE 4.2 MILLION IS THE 42 MILLION. I'M SORRY, IS THE NOT REIMBURSABLE OVERTIME.
AND THE 7.8 IS THE POTENTIAL REIMBURSABLE OVERTIME.
THOSE TWO BUDGET YEARS BECAUSE OF PAYROLL INCREASES.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, OVERTIME HOURS HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY 31%.
NOW INCREASED PAY RATES, TRAINING, DIGNITARY ESCORT PROTECTION, PROTEST AND CALL CALL ANSWERING BACKFILL WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN DRIVERS OF OUR OVERTIME EXPENSES. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE GRAPH FROM FISCAL YEAR 24 TO 28, WE ARE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN OUR OVERTIME SPENDING.
OUR CATEGORIES OF OVERTIME. NEXT SLIDE. I'M SORRY.
OUR PLANNED OPERATIONS. AND THESE ARE ACTIVITIES THAT OCCUR ON A REGULAR BASIS AS PART OF OUR OPERATIONS, SUCH AS TRAINING AND ADMIN PATROL. DIRECT INITIATIVE, DIVISIONAL SPECIAL PROGRAMS, FIELD TRAINING, ETC. THAT'S ABOUT 30%. NOW IT'S CALLED PLANNED OPERATIONS.
SOME OF THESE ARE NOT PLANNED. THEY'RE PLANNED THAT WE DON'T KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO OCCUR TODAY.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO PLAN THAT OUT. WE ALSO HAVE REIMBURSABLES, WHICH IS OUR STATE FAIR AVIATION GRANTS, OUR TASK FORCES, AND THAT'S 20%, 27% OF HOURS OF OUR OVERTIME HOURS.
MOST OF THAT'S REIMBURSABLE. SO IT'S NOT HURTING OUR OVERTIME RATE.
AND THEN THERE'S THIS EXTRAORDINARY AD HOC EVENTS THAT'S PROTEST WEATHER OR ONE TIME EVENTS.
AND WE'RE THE FUNDING SOURCES ARE GOING TO COME FROM.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SINCE 2021, THE OVERTIME RATE HAS INCREASED FROM 6990.
AND THEN BY 20 FISCAL YEAR 2728, IT WILL BE 9049.
THE BUDGET AND THE HOURS HAVE WENT DOWN, BUT THE OVERTIME RATE HAS WENT UP.
[03:45:05]
NEXT SLIDE. THE FISCAL YEAR 2627 BUDGET OF 42.6 MILLION FUNDS, ABOUT 485,000 HOURS OF OVERTIME AT A RATE OF 8785, WE EXPECT TO USE ABOUT TO USE ABOUT 585 HOURS THIS YEAR.THAT WILL BE REDUCED, REIMBURSED OVERTIME FOR GRANTS.
AND OUR SPECIAL EVENTS ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 91,800 HOURS.
AND IT'S BILLED TO OTHER AGENCIES AND IT'S NOT BEING REDUCED.
SO OVERALL, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ABOUT A 20% CUT ON NON-REIMBURSED OVERTIME.
NEXT SLIDE. OUR SWORN STRENGTH IS RISING EVERY YEAR RIGHT NOW.
FROM RIGHT. EXCUSE ME. THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR WAS 33,481.
AND DURING TWO 3651 THIS YEAR AND DURING FISCAL YEAR, THAT'S DURING FISCAL YEAR 2627 AND WHICH WILL START REDUCING OUR NEED TO BACKFILL WITH OVERTIME, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO SEE REDUCTIONS IN THAT EVERY OFFICER THAT WE HIRE REDUCES CALL ANSWERING OVERTIME THAT IS NEEDED FOR THE CITY.
DOWN BELOW IS THE CHART, WHAT OUR PROJECTED ATTRITION WILL BE AND WHAT OUR HIRING GOALS WILL BE.
OUR 2026 PROJECTION CURRENTLY IS WE'RE GOING TO HIRE 390.
WE'RE ESTIMATING ATTRITION TO BE 190. WHICH WILL LEAVE US AT 303,481 AND, AND SO ON.
NOW THE ATTRITION COULD ALWAYS CHANGE A LITTLE BIT AND THE HIRING COULD CHANGE A LITTLE BIT.
BUT BECAUSE WE'RE BASING IT ON PREVIOUS YEARS.
NEXT SLIDE. SOME OF THE EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE DISCOVERED OVER THE LAST YEAR, I SAY, DISCOVERED THAT WE'VE THAT WE'VE IMPROVED OVER THE LAST YEAR IS WE'RE USING MUCH MORE OF OUR ONLINE REPORTING SYSTEM.
WE'RE DOING A LOT OF, A LOT OF OUR CALL ANSWERING BY PHONE.
AND WE'RE WORKING ON VIDEO CONFERENCE REPORTING.
THAT IS GOING TO SAVE US 75,000 PATROL HOURS ANNUALLY.
WE'VE ALSO CIVILIANIZED 21 JOBS THROUGHOUT OUR BUREAU INVESTIGATIVE BUREAUS.
THESE ARE INVESTIGATIVE SUPPORT SPECIALISTS. THEY CAN'T DO THE FULL JOB OF A DETECTIVE, BUT THEY CAN DO OTHER ASPECTS TO FREE UP THE DETECTIVE TO DO THAT THEY COULDN'T DO BEFORE. SO THAT WILL CUT DOWN ON OFFICERS HAVING TO TRANSFER TO THE BUREAU.
WE'RE ALSO MODERNIZING HOW WE HAVE WE BEEN DOING OUR PATROL REPORTING.
FOR YEARS. IT WAS SELF-REPORTED ON WHAT OFFICERS DID EVERY DAY.
NOW IT'S COMPUTER GENERATED. IT'S ALL COMING FROM, FROM DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES THAT WE HAVE WHICH GIVES OUR SUPERVISORS A MUCH EASIER SNAPSHOT TO SEE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY PURPOSES ON WHAT OUR OFFICERS ARE ACTUALLY DOING AND NOT NOT BEING SELF-REPORTED.
AND IT, IT'S, IT'S MORE REAL TIME THAN IT WAS BEFORE.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ADDITIONAL RESPONSE TIME EFFICIENCIES.
IF WE CAN DO IT THROUGH DOORS OR THROUGH PHONE CALLS.
THAT'S THE HANDLE, THE CALL FOR OUR CITIZEN RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT. WE DO THAT.
WE'VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED A DRONE AS A FIRST RESPONDER THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE PUSHED FOR OUR PATROL ELEMENTS TO FOCUS PRIMARILY ON OUR VIOLENT CRIME PRIORITY CALLS, WHICH IS TYPICALLY OUR PRIORITY ONES AND TWOS.
BUT WE'VE, WE'VE GIVEN OUR SUPERVISORS A LITTLE BIT MORE TOOLS, SOME MORE TOOLS WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ALL DAY AT THE COMPUTER TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEIR OFFICERS ARE DOING BECAUSE WE STILL NEED THEM IN THE FIELD. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW WE HAVE A VERY LONG WAY TO GO IN OUR RESPONSE TIMES.
WE'RE DOWN TO 8.62 MINUTES FROM 11 MINUTES THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
PRIORITY THREES ARE 110 MINUTES, DOWN FROM 267 MINUTES, WHICH IS 58%.
IMPROVEMENT AND PRIORITY FOURS ARE FROM 100 TO 126 MINUTES TO TWO FROM FROM 294 MINUTES, WHICH IS A 57% IMPROVEMENT, AND THAT IS CITY WIDE. SOME DIVISIONS ARE ALL DIVISIONS ARE GOING TO BE IN THAT IN THAT SAME REALM, SOME ARE A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN OTHERS. AND DEPENDING ON CALL LOAD AND STAFFING. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
ON MAY 30TH OR MAY 20TH, WE IMPLEMENTED THE DRONE AS A FIRST RESPONDER PROGRAM.
CURRENTLY IT'S SEVEN OFFICERS AND ONE SERGEANT.
THEY WORK CURRENTLY TEN IN THE MORNING TILL 8 P.M.
[03:50:03]
SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WITH THEIR DAYS OFF. SO THEY'RE NOT ALL SEVEN THERE ON ANY GIVEN DAY.BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN THEY'VE ANSWERED 2500 CALLS.
AND THAT'S AFTER FIGURING OUT SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, LOGISTICAL BUGS AFTER WE FIRST IMPLEMENTED IT.
70% OF THE TIME THAT THEY ANSWER A CALL, THEY'RE THE FIRST ONES ON THE SCENE AND 30 TO 35% OF THE CALLS THAT THEY RESPOND TO, THEY'RE ABLE TO CLEAR WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO SEND AN OFFICER TO THE SCENE.
AT 9%. OUR PROPERTY CRIME IS A -7%. WITH OVERALL CRIME RATE REDUCTION OF 7.65%.
LET'S GET FIRE OUT THE INFORMATION OUT FIRST AND THEN WE'LL DO WE'LL TAKE THEM BOTH.
ALL RIGHT. HI. I'M DOCTOR THORNTON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FOR DFR.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE PRESENTATION.
WHILE THAT IS ABOVE THE ADOPTED OVERTIME BUDGET, THERE ARE TWO IMPORTANT PIECES OF CONTEXT.
AND THEN SECOND, THIS SNAPSHOT IS PRESENTED AS ON A GROSS BASIS AT A SPECIFIC POINT IN TIME AND DOES NOT INCLUDE THE OVERTIME REIMBURSEMENTS WE EXPECT FROM DEPLOYMENTS AND FIFA THIS YEAR. SO HISTORICALLY DEPLOYMENTS AVERAGE APPROXIMATELY ABOUT 1.6 MILLION IN REIMBURSEMENTS.
AND THIS YEAR WE ANTICIPATE ANOTHER 1.3 MILLION ASSOCIATED WITH FIFA.
NEXT SLIDE. ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT FIRE OVERTIME IS ITS COMPENSATION.
A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF OUR PROJECTED OVERTIME IS ASSOCIATED WITH FLSA REQUIREMENTS.
THAT MEANS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OVERTIME IS A STRUCTURAL TO FIREFIGHTER WORK SCHEDULE, RATHER THAN SIMPLY DISCRETIONARY OVERTIME THAT CAN BE ELIMINATED OPERATIONALLY.
THE REMAINING PERCENT ENCOMPASSES OTHER OPERATIONAL DRIVERS LIKE MINIMUM STAFFING, LEAVE EVENTS, SPECIALTY PROGRAMS, AND OTHER STAFFING REQUIREMENTS.
NEXT SLIDE. AND YOU SEE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME COMPOSITION IN FISCAL YEAR 26.
SO AS WE TALK ABOUT REDUCING OVERTIME, IT'S IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE STRUCTURAL COMPONENT OF OVERTIME AND THE AREAS WHERE MANAGEMENT CAN MORE DIRECTLY INFLUENCE UTILIZATION. NEXT SLIDE. THE F.R. IS CURRENTLY AT APPROXIMATELY 98.5% OF BUDGETED UNIFORMED HEADCOUNT, WHICH IS A VERY STRONG STAFFING POSITION.
BUT FOR A 24 HOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE OPERATION, TOTAL HEADCOUNT AND PERSONNEL AVAILABLE FOR DEPLOYMENT ON A PARTICULAR SHIFT ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAVE EMPLOYEES IN TRAINING, EMPLOYEES ON VARIOUS FORMS OF LEAVE VACANCIES AND OTHER OPERATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS.
NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT TREND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT DFR.
OVER TIME, UTILIZATION HAS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY.
OUR FORECAST OVERTIME HOURS ARE APPROXIMATELY 33% LOWER THAN FISCAL YEAR 25, 51% LOWER THAN FISCAL YEAR 24 AND 58% LOWER THAN FISCAL YEAR 23. SO WHILE WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE OVERTIME COST PRESSURE, THE UNDERLYING UTILIZATION TREND IS MOVING VERY CLEARLY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE ARE USING SUBSTANTIALLY FEWER OVERTIME HOURS THAN WE WERE JUST TWO AND THREE YEARS AGO.
NEXT SLIDE. SO HEADCOUNT ALONE DOESN'T DETERMINE OVERTIME FOR DFR.
WE HAVE A MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENT OF 464 POSITIONS.
EVERY SHIFT. THOSE POSITIONS HAS TO BE FILLED REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SOMEONE IS OUT SICK, INJURED, ON PARENTAL LEAVE AND TRAINING, OR JUST OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE.
SO HIRING ABSOLUTELY HELPS. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT REFLECTED IN THE DECLINING OVERTIME TREND.
[03:55:01]
BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A STRUCTURAL LEVEL OF OVERTIME NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN DEPLOYMENT.NEXT SLIDE. SO LEAVE AVAILABILITY IS ANOTHER MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE EQUATION.
SICK LEAVE REPRESENTS A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF OUR UNSCHEDULED LEAVE MIX.
SO WHEN A POSITION BECOMES VACANT ON A SHIFT, THE DFR STILL HAS TO MAINTAIN MINIMUM STAFFING.
IF THAT POSITION CANNOT BE FILLED WITH REGULAR SCHEDULED PERSONNEL.
OVERTIME BECOMES THE MECHANISM THAT ALLOWS US TO MAINTAIN THAT COVERAGE.
NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT OVERTIME HISTORICALLY AND WHERE WE'RE GOING, OUR STRATEGY IS TO CONTINUE REDUCING THE AREAS OF OVERTIME THAT WE CAN INFLUENCE WHILE RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT NECESSARY TO OPERATE THE DEPARTMENT.
AND REDUCTIONS WE'VE ALREADY ACHIEVED IN OVERTIME HOURS DEMONSTRATE THAT THOSE EFFORTS ARE WORKING.
NEXT SLIDE. SO I DO WANT TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION ON THIS SLIDE.
DFR PROVIDES TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND ENTITIES.
THEY SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED AS STRICTLY OVERTIME REIMBURSEMENT OR OVERTIME.
REIMBURSEMENTS ARE SEPARATE AND PRIMARILY ASSOCIATED WITH DEPLOYMENTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS.
SO AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, DEPLOYMENTS HISTORICALLY AVERAGE APPROXIMATELY 1.6 MILLION.
AND THIS YEAR WE ANTICIPATE AN ADDITIONAL 1.3 MILLION ASSOCIATED WITH FIFA.
SO THOSE AMOUNTS ARE NOT REFLECTED AS OFFSETS IN THE OVERTIME SNAPSHOT WE SHOWED EARLIER.
SO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. NEXT SLIDE.
YOU CAN SKIP ONE MORE SLIDE. ALL RIGHT. SO ULTIMATELY EVERYTHING WE'VE DISCUSSED STAFFING LEAVE MINIMUM STAFFING AND OVERTIME CONNECTS BACK TO ONE THING, WHICH IS OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE OVERTIME ISN'T SIMPLY A FINANCIAL ISSUE FOR DFR IT'S ONE OF THE TOOLS WE USE TO ENSURE WE HAVE SUFFICIENT PERSONNEL DEPLOYED TO MAINTAIN EMERGENCY RESPONSE CAPACITY. NEXT SLIDE. SO OVERTIME IS NOT OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE.
OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE IS MAINTAINING OPERATIONAL READINESS AT ALL TIMES.
SO WE'VE REDUCED OVERTIME UTILIZATION SUBSTANTIALLY.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, 33% FROM LAST YEAR, 51% FROM FISCAL YEAR 24 AND 58% FROM FISCAL YEAR 23, WHILE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN STRONG RESPONSE PERFORMANCE.
SO AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE FLSA REQUIREMENTS, MINIMUM STAFFING LEAVE VACANCIES, DEPLOYMENTS, AND OTHER OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS. SO OUR STRATEGY GOING FORWARD IS TO CONTINUE REDUCING DISCRETIONARY AND AVOIDABLE OVERTIME WHILE ENSURING THAT THOSE REDUCTIONS DO NOT COMPROMISE MINIMUM STAFFING OR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. AND I THINK THAT IS IT.
ALL RIGHT. I SEE MR. BAZALDUA IS READY, SO I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE YOU FOR FIVE MINUTES.
FOR THE PUBLIC. WE ARE ON ITEM B OF TODAY'S BRIEFING AGENDA.
HE ACTUALLY ASKED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
ASSISTANT CHIEF VILLARREAL. SO I'M OVER OUR INTELLIGENCE GROUP.
SO AS FAR AS THE REIMBURSEMENT GOES, WE DO NOT YET KNOW WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE SECRET SERVICE, TO DETERMINE IF THERE WILL BE REIMBURSEMENT ON THAT SIDE FROM DC COMING.
WE DO HAVE AN MOU IN PLACE WITH THE US CAPITOL POLICE.
SO ANY REGULAR TIME AND OVERTIME THAT WE CONDUCT DIGNITARY OPERATIONS WITH THAT SPECIFIC ENTITY.
WE DO GET REIMBURSED FOR THOSE COSTS. WITH THE MOU.
WHY WOULD THERE BE AN UNKNOWN ON WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD BE REIMBURSED? I GUESS I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING. YOU'RE SAYING SOMETHING SO THAT THE RNC IS A SEPARATE ENTITY.
THE RNC IS A SEPARATE ENTITY. SO THE CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD BETWEEN RNC SECRET SERVICE IS THERE'S POTENTIAL FOR REIMBURSEMENT MONEY THAT'S GOING TO BE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE TO REIMBURSE US FOR COSTS RELATED TO SECURING THE EVENT SITES.
SO WE HAVEN'T FINALIZED THAT THAT IS ACTUALLY OCCURRING YET.
[04:00:01]
SO I CAN'T CAN'T TELL YOU ANY MORE THAN I'VE BEEN TOLD SO FAR ON THAT END.AND WITHOUT THE CERTAINTY, HOW DO WE BUDGET ACCORDINGLY? WELL, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT TO SECURE THE EVENT REGARDLESS IF WE'RE GETTING REIMBURSED OR NOT, RIGHT? NO MATTER IF IT WAS THE DNC OR THE RNC OR WHATEVER OTHER EVENT LARGE EVENT WAS COMING.
LIKE WE'VE HAD MANY EVENTS IN THIS CITY IN YEARS PAST.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE EITHER GOING TO STAFF IT WITH OVERTIME OFFICERS OR OFFICERS THAT ARE ON DUTY, DEPENDING ON IF WE CAN DETERMINE IF WE'RE GETTING REIMBURSEMENT COSTS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR THAT. THANK YOU. WELL, THIS PRESENTATION ISN'T SURPRISING. I THINK THAT OVER TIME, SPECIFICALLY IN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT, IT'S TREATED AS A STRUCTURALLY UNTOUCHABLE LINE ITEM WHILE EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT ABSORBS CUTS. AND THE CITY HAS LAID OFF OVER 100 EMPLOYEES.
WE'RE LOOKING AT AN AVERAGE OF AYE PER OFFICER.
COST TO THE CITY OF OVER $12,000. THAT'S AN AVERAGE.
THAT'S NOT OVERTIME. THAT'S NOT USING RESOURCES EFFICIENTLY.
THAT'S PADDING INCOMES. LET'S CALL IT WHAT IT IS.
OVERTIME RATE IS OUTPACING OUR REDUCTIONS. AVERAGE OVERTIME RATE RISES FROM 6990 IN 20 TO 21 TO A PROJECTED $90.49 IN 27 AND 28. IT'S A 29.5% INCREASE, WHILE OURS ARE CLAIMED TO ONLY FALL 31% OVER THREE YEARS. AGAIN, THERE'S NO CONTROLS.
THERE'S NO ACCOUNTABILITY. SELF CONTRADICTING LOGIC.
HEADCOUNT VERSUS OT. YOUR SLIDE 11 ASSERTS THAT EVERY OFFICER ADDED REDUCES THE HOURS THAT WE BACKFILL PROJECTING SWORN STRENGTH FROM 3122 TO 3800 BY 2028. BUT DFW'S OWN.
SLIDE 22 IN THE SAME DECK THAT YOU ALL GAVE A PRESENTATION ON CONTRADICTS THAT LOGIC COMPLETELY.
HOW DO WE KNOW TO NOT EXPECT EXACTLY WHAT TO SEE? WHAT WE SEE ON SLIDE 22 WITH THE SAME LOGIC THAT YOU ALL ARE PRESENTING.
THERE WE GO. SO WE HAVE RECENTLY STARTED TRULY LOCKING DOWN, NARROWING A LOT OF LOCATIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT WHERE WE CAN WORK ON EFFICIENCIES. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE STARTED WORKING ON HERE.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT TWO OF THEM IN PARTICULAR.
ONE WAS THE POLICE ACADEMY DID AN OVERVIEW OF THE POLICE ACADEMY.
SO WE'VE MADE A CHANGE IN THIS NEW CLASS THAT'S COMING IN CLASS 414.
AND THAT'S GOING TO GIVE US A LARGE SAVINGS OF OVERTIME.
BECAUSE NOW WHEREAS IN YEARS PAST THE STAFF WAS COMING IN FOR A FULL DAY OF OVERTIME.
SO NOW THAT'S BEING ELIMINATED. ANOTHER THING THAT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED AS WE'RE LOOKING FOR MORE EFFICIENCIES AND HOW TO SAVE OVERTIME, WAS OUR HOMICIDE UNIT WAS NOT THEY WEREN'T SCHEDULED TO WORK WEEKENDS AND OR NIGHTS.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE MAKING AN ADJUSTMENT ON, ON STAFFING.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A LARGE OVERTIME SAVINGS ALSO.
SO AS WE CONTINUE TO GO OVER DIFFERENT EFFICIENCIES THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT.
I DO BELIEVE WE WILL CONTINUE TO SAVE OVERTIME, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE A BIG ADJUSTMENT IN OVERTIME.
AND THIS IS PART OF THE YEAR TWO PLAN LOOKING INTO THE OVERTIME.
AND HERE RECENTLY WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THESE RULES.
AND WE HAVE SEEN A BIG REDUCTION HERE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
MADAM CITY MANAGER, WE'VE HEARD THE SAME THING YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.
THIS IS THE THIRD CHIEF. WE'VE HEARD THE SAME THING, SAME SONG AND DANCE, DIFFERENT DAY.
JUST AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE OVER 100 EMPLOYEES, PHYSICAL BODIES WHO HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME EXPECTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. I'LL GO AHEAD AND JUST ADDRESS YOUR
[04:05:06]
YOUR COMMENTS. AND I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OVERTIME.AND SO IT WASN'T ABOUT THE THE THINKING OR THE NOT WILLINGNESS.
AND SO THE ACCOUNTABILITY STARTS WITH NOT ONLY THE WILL, BUT THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO DO IT.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE DIFFERENTLY. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OVERALL WAYS.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE HADN'T TALKED ABOUT LEVERAGING IT IN A WAY THAT IT REALLY CAN ALLOW FOR US TO LOOK AT MORE EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. AND SO WHEN I SEE THE NUMBERS OF WHAT WE DID JUST IN ONE MONTH ALONE WITH DRONES AS FIRST RESPONDER, AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CHIEF HAS CHAMPIONED, WE SAW THAT WE WERE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF MANPOWER HOURS THAT WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO SEND, BECAUSE WE HAD THE DRONES ABLE TO HELP US CLEAR MANY OF THOSE CALLS.
SO IT'S NOT ABOUT WAITING TO PUT THOSE THINGS IN MOTION A YEAR FROM NOW.
IT'S ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ADDRESSING IN THE IMMEDIACY.
AND SO WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT EVEN IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS PLANNED ORIGINALLY FOR 2027, WE'VE ALREADY BROUGHT THAT NUMBER FROM, I THINK IT WAS PLANNED AT 47 MILLION DOWN TO 42 MILLION.
AND WHAT'S NOW IN MY PROPOSED BUDGET FOR CITY COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION.
AND SO I BELIEVE, AND I'M CONFIDENT SAYING THAT WE HAVE SOME SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO USE TO BEGIN NOW AND WHAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO GOING FORWARD.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I RAISED.
AND I SAID, AND HE WILL TELL YOU THAT I SAID, WE WILL NOT GO ANOTHER YEAR WITH THIS BEING ONE OF THE ONLY DEPARTMENTS WHERE I STILL HAVE A MANUAL TIME KEEPING SYSTEM, AND HE'S ASSURED ME THAT HE'S HURT ME AND THAT HE'S GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS ADDRESSED AND IS ADDRESSED EFFECTIVELY AND WITH A TIME FRAME THAT I CAN COME BACK TO THIS COUNCIL AND SAY THAT THAT'S IN PLACE.
RESPECTFULLY, MADAM CITY MANAGER, THIS IS SOME OF THE SAME SOLUTION THAT I HEARD AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR AND ACTUALLY WAS GIVEN THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT BECAUSE WE HAD A NEW CHIEF AND WAS GIVEN ASSURANCE THAT THESE WOULD BE NOT JUST TALKS AND ACTION.
AND RIGHT NOW, I'M LOOKING AT A PROJECTED OVERTIME BUDGET THAT'S GOING TO GO OVER BUDGET.
FROM WHAT YOU GAVE, THAT IS A LACK OF CONTROLS.
AND THAT DOES START FROM THE TOP. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO EXPECT ANYTHING FROM EVERY OTHER DEPARTMENT, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD EXPECT THE SAME FROM OUR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT A SACRED COW. YOU SAID THAT IN YOUR VIDEO.
THAT'S EMBARRASSING. EMBARRASSING. I HOPE Y'ALL ARE EMBARRASSED AT THAT.
THAT'S NOT A STAT TO BE PROUD OF. THE LARGEST CATEGORY IS THE LEAST EXPLAINED.
I'M SORRY. IT SEEMS TO BE KIND OF PAR FOR THE COURSE AT LATE.
RELIEF MINIMUM STAFFING. IT'S 42% OF YOUR FY 26 HOURS.
THE SINGLE BIGGEST DRIVER WITH NO DETAIL IN THE DECK ON APPROVAL CONTROLS.
WE'VE KNOWN THAT Y'ALL WERE DOING HAND CONTROLS IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ON OVERTIME NOW FOR ABOUT 4 TO 5 YEARS, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN A CONVERSATION EVERY BUDGET SEASON.
NO INTENT ON MAKING ANY CHANGES. THERE'S JUST NO CONTROLS.
[04:10:06]
AND FOR ADDRESSING MORE THAN 40% OF YOUR OVERTIME BUDGET? ON THE LATE RELIEF, I'LL START WITH THAT ONE.COUNCIL MEMBER. I'M NOT SURE WHAT PEOPLE KNOW.
IT'S NOT KNOWN UNTIL UNTIL IT HAPPENS. WHAT WE HAVE FOUND ON CERTAIN INCIDENCES THAT WE NEEDED MORE CONTROL OVER IS WITH, SAY, HOSPITAL ASSIGNMENTS AND BEING STUCK AT A HOSPITAL ASSIGNMENT WITH A PRISONER WHERE THE OFFICER WOULD BE THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS THE ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE.
ALL OUR SUPERVISORS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED THAT IF WE HAVE THAT AT SHIFT CHANGE TO FIND OUT WHERE THE STATUS IS AT, WHERE THE HOSPITAL WEIGHT IS SO THEY CAN SEND SOMEBODY TO RELIEVE THEM TO SEND THE OFFICER TO THE JAIL TO DO THE FACTUAL PROSECUTION THAT THEY HAVE TO.
WE COULD THEY HAVE TO DO THAT. THAT'S ONE THAT'S ONE CONTROL ON LATE RELIEF.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S ALL OF OUR LATE RELIEF, BUT THAT THAT IS A BIG PART OF LATE. RELIEF IS ARREST, WHERE THEY HAVE TO GO TO JAIL OR IN HOSPITAL.
AND WE'VE TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST TO HAVE OFFICERS RELIEVE AN OFFICER WITH THAT PRISONER.
A LOT OF TIMES THE REPORT HAS TO BE DONE IN. THE RELIEF OFFICER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT OCCURRED.
SO IT'S IT'S NOT FACTUAL. SO WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY'RE AT IN THE PROCESS, IF IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO RELIEVE THEM AT THAT POINT IN TIME.
THE MINIMUM STAFFING IN OUR UNITS, SOME OF THAT IS HAS BEEN STAFFING OVER THE YEARS.
WE CAN'T CONTROL SOMETIMES WE CAN'T CONTROL SICK TIME. I MEAN, THERE'S POLICIES FOR SICK TIME, BUT IF SOMEONE'S SICK, THEY'RE SICK. WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS DEPENDING ON WHICH UNIT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THERE'S SOME UNITS WE CAN WORK WITHOUT, AND THERE'S SOME UNITS WE CANNOT WORK WITHOUT. I HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE TO HAVE SO MANY SUPERVISORS IN THE FIELD AT ANY GIVEN TIME TO BE FUNCTIONAL. AND IF, IF SOMEBODY CALLS OFF, SOMEBODY'S GOING TO HAVE TO WORK THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF OVERSIGHT OUT THERE.
SO A SUPERVISOR WILL HAVE TO FILL IN. AND THAT'S WHERE THE MINIMUM STAFFING AND THAT'S FROM A PATROL SIDE. SAME FOR SOME OF THE INVESTIGATIVE UNITS DEPENDING ON THE INVESTIGATIVE UNIT AND WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT GIVEN DAY. MOST OF THAT WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO CONTROL IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S NOT PLANNED.
WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL IT OCCURS. AS FAR AS THE MANUAL REPORTING WE DO, SOME OF OUR, THE OFFICERS IN THE BUREAUS THAT ARE AT A DESK, THEY TYPICALLY USE A COMPUTER SYSTEM TO ENTER THEIR OVERTIME.
THE OFFICERS IN THE FIELD WHO DO NOT ENTER THEIR OWN PAYROLL, THAT'S WHERE THE MANUAL TIME ENTRIES COME FROM, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO GET AWAY FROM. BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE FIELD, THEY DON'T, THEY COME IN, A SUPERVISOR APPROVES WHATEVER THEIR OVERTIME CARD WAS.
THAT'S WHY THEY HANDWRITE IT AND THEY ALL COME IN AT DIFFERENT TIMES. IS IT THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY? NO, SIR, I'M NOT GOING TO SIT THERE AND TELL YOU IT IS BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. BUT WITH THE PATROL OFFICERS, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE OUR PATROL OFFICERS IN THE FIELD AT ANY TIME AND TRY TO GET THEM OFF A COMPUTER IN THE STATION DOING ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS.
BUT THE LATE RELIEF IS A BIG PIECE, ESPECIALLY ON THE PATROL SIDE BECAUSE IT CHANGES EVERY DAY.
SOME DAYS IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT, SOME DAYS IT'S NOT. IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHERE THE WHERE THE CALL TOOK THEM. IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH PEER CITIES IT SEEMS THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE REALLY BEEN ABLE TO GET THEIR HANDS AROUND CONTROLS ON EVEN LATE RELIEF SPECIFICALLY.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. CHAIRMAN GRACEY, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. AND I WOULD BE REMISS. I'M GOING TO START WITH FIRE FIRST, JUST BECAUSE THE INCIDENT WE HAD IN MY DISTRICT AND WE TALKED ABOUT RESPONSE TIME AND WE HAD A HUGE FIRE OVER THERE. AND I JUST WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK AGAIN THE FIREFIGHTERS FOR THEIR RESPONSE.
THE WIND WAS BLOWING TOWARDS THE WAREHOUSES, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PUT THAT OUT. SO AGAIN, PUBLICLY, THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE, SIMON.
I TALKED ABOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND REALLY HOW THEY MANAGE THEIR OPERATING ACCOUNTS, THE 3000 THOSE, THOSE ARE THE THINGS WHERE I'M SAYING, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THIS OVER TIME, I THINK I FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT YOU ALL ARE WORKING CONSISTENTLY TOWARDS REDUCING THE OVERTIME CHALLENGES AND FIRE.
[04:15:01]
AND WHEN I WENT THROUGH AND LOOKED, I THINK FIRE YOU ALL ARE PROJECTED TO BE OVER BUDGET BY ABOUT $2 MILLION, WHICH IS NOT A LOT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF YOUR OVERALL BUDGET.AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. I THINK I WENT THROUGH AND HIGHLIGHTED A FEW OF THEM.
OF COURSE, NOW I CAN'T FIND THEM, BUT I THINK IT WAS SOFTWARE.
YOU WERE OVER BUDGET. THIS IS FIRE SOFTWARE. YOU'RE OVER BUDGET 3000 PRINTING OVER BUDGET 16,000.
THE MEDICAL LAB. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT IS. THAT'S ABOUT 1.9 MILLION.
THEY'RE JUST ALL THESE DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS. AND THAT'S WHERE I WANT TO CHALLENGE BOTH TO KIND OF MANAGE THOSE PIECES, BECAUSE THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I THINK WE DO HAVE CONTROL OVER. THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR CONTRACTS THAT WE'RE MANAGING AND HOW WE'RE EVEN USING THOSE CONTRACTS.
SO MORE OF A STATEMENT IS TO, TO JUST MANAGE THE, THE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE PRINTING SERVICES THAT WE HAVE, THE SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO AT LEAST JUST CONTRIBUTE TO TRYING TO HELP THE OVERALL CITY'S BUDGET.
THANK YOU. CHAIRWOMAN STEWART, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MAYOR JOHNSON. LET'S KIND OF START FROM THE BEGINNING ON OVERTIME.
AND IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS, HOW OFFICERS SIGN UP FOR IT.
I'VE WORKED IN AND AROUND DPD OFFICERS FOR YEARS AND I'VE HEARD A MAJOR OF A DIVISION SAY, I'LL PUT SOME MORE OVERTIME SLOTS IN THE LATE NIGHT HOURS.
IS THAT HOW IT STILL WORKS? I ALSO HAVE A, A PARK, FOR EXAMPLE, AND I HAVE A PIT DIRECTOR WHO'S WORKING ON GETTING SOME ADDITIONAL SHIFTS IN THAT PARK. AND I THINK THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME SLOTS THAT THEY COULD GO IN AND SIGN UP FOR.
SO JUST KIND OF DESCRIBE FOR ME, I UNDERSTAND THE OVERTIME WHEN THERE'S BEEN AN ACCIDENT OR SOMEBODY TAKING SOMEONE TO THE HOSPITAL, I GET THAT THAT'S THAT'S LOGICAL AND UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT I THINK IT'S USED IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND IT'S PROBABLY WITH THIS MAY HAVE DEVELOPED BECAUSE WE WERE SHORT STAFFED, RIGHT? AND SO IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO WORK LATE NIGHTS OR WHATEVER, THEN YOU WOULD PUT THESE, THESE OVERTIME SLOTS IN THERE AND PEOPLE COULD POTENTIALLY SIGN UP FOR THEM.
IF YOU COULD JUST KIND OF WALK ME THROUGH THAT. THANK YOU.
COUNCIL MEMBER. SO WE HAVE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF OVERTIME.
THE CALL ANSWERING OVER PATROL INITIATIVE. SOME, SOME OF IT IS PATROL INITIATIVES.
SOME OF IT WILL BE CALL ANSWERING ANSWERING. YES, MA'AM.
AND THAT'S TYPICALLY WHEN THEY OFFER THE OVERTIME IF THEY HAVE ANY TO OFFER.
BECAUSE WE WANT TO KEEP OUR RESPONSE TIMES GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AND IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT SO RIGHT NOW FOR LET'S SEE, WHERE'S THAT PATROL DIRECT INITIATIVES THIS YEAR, WE'VE SPENT 1.1 MILLION. LAST YEAR WE SPENT 2.1 1 MILLION.
WE'RE STILL NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE TO ANSWER OUR CALLS IN A, IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME WHERE WE WANT TO GET AND WE WANT, WE WANT, WE'VE MADE A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS. WE WANT TO GET BETTER WITH IT. SOME OF THE OTHER STUFF IS THE DIVISIONAL SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN EVERY DIVISION IN THE CITY HAS SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THAT SPECIFIC DIVISION.
SO I'LL USE OUR SOUTHWEST PATROL DIVISION. THEY HAVE THE RON KIRK BRIDGE OR THE TRINITY GROVES, WHICH WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS OVER THE YEARS.
WE HAVE TO PUT AN OFFICER THERE AT CERTAIN TIMES.
IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A LOT, BUT IT'S STILL THAT SPECIFIC TO THAT DIVISION.
SO WE PUT MORE OFFICERS IN THAT GENERAL AREA BECAUSE OF THE OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE THERE.
AND THAT CAN VARY FROM DIVISION TO DIVISION DEPENDING ON HOW THAT WORKS.
THE CALLING EVERY, I BELIEVE IT'S USUALLY MONDAYS, SUNDAY OR MONDAY.
[04:20:05]
OVERTIME SHIFT. SO YOU CAN'T JUST GO SIT AND RIDE THE CALL, RIDE THE RIDE THE CLOCK ALL NIGHT.THEY HAVE TO BRING IN ACTIVITY NUMBERS NOT AND IT'S NOT LIKE TICKETS OR NOTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S CALL ANSWERING. DID YOU ANSWER CALLS? NOW SOME CALLS ARE FIVE MINUTES LONG.
SOME CALLS ARE FIVE HOURS LONG DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF CALL THEY GET CAUGHT UP ON.
SO WE HAVE EVERYTHING HAS TO BE REASONABLE IN THAT SENSE THAT JUST BECAUSE AN OFFICER BROUGHT IN A ONE ONE CALL DURING CALL ANSWERING DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN ON A NIGHTMARE OF A CALL AND IT TOOK THEM ALL OUT.
THAT'S FOR OUR SUPERVISORS TO DIG INTO. ON THE FLIP SIDE OF IT, IF THEY ONLY BROUGHT IN ONE CALL AND THERE WAS, IT DOESN'T JUSTIFY THE TIME THAT THEY SPENT ON SAID CALL.
THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO WORK OVERTIME FOR THE CALL ANSWERING OVERTIME.
SO WE MAKE SURE WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUR BANG FOR OUR BUCK ON THAT. OKAY.
THAT'S HELPFUL. I THINK THAT'S A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS AND THAT THERE ARE SOME SAFETY MEASURES IN THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, THEY'RE NOT JUST TAKING THE FOUR HOUR SHIFT AND, YOU KNOW, DRIVING AROUND THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY ANSWERING CALLS AND AND, AND THE SUPERVISOR CAN MONITOR THAT AND WE'LL MONITOR THAT.
CORRECT. YES, MA'AM. AND THEN IT ALSO IS LOGICAL TO ME THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE AREAS LIKE MINE FOREST AND AUDELIA OR TRINITY GROVES OR DEEP ELLUM OR THEY'RE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE NEED, RIGHT? AND CERTAIN SEASONS SHOPPING, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT IS LOGICAL TO ME THAT WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY ALWAYS HAVE SOME FORM OF OVERTIME TO FILL AND COVER THOSE SPOTS, ALTHOUGH HOPEFULLY THAT WILL EVEN MAYBE SOME OF THAT COULD COME DOWN WITH TIME BASED ON STAFFING.
BUT YOU ARE SEEING A YOU BELIEVE WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE ANSWERING CALLS, YOU SAID LAST YEAR WE SPENT 2.1 MILLION ON THAT AND IT HAD COME DOWN ALMOST IN HALF TO A MILLION.
I THINK WHAT WE'RE ALL HOPING FOR IS SOME BIGGER CHANGES OR JUST SEEING THAT VERY STEADY DECLINE BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE, THE, THE NOT THE, THE WRITTEN, HANDWRITTEN, YOU KNOW, SIGNING IN AND OUT, BUT THAT'S BEING MONITORED A LITTLE MORE CAREFULLY.
SO I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS CAN BE A HOT TOPIC.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE DE-ESCALATION SKILLS THAT THEY HAVE.
AND JUST CREATING A SENSE OF SAFETY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ARE FEELING VULNERABLE.
AND MAYBE WE'VE LOOKED AT IT AND I'VE JUST MISSED IT.
BUT IF WE COULD LOOK AT MAYBE HOW THE OVERTIME HOURS ARE DECREASING OVER TIME EVERY OTHER MONTH, GIVE US AN IDEA HOW HOW THAT PROGRESS IS MATURING.
IT WOULD BE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MISS BLAIR, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I WANT TO START WITH POLICE, AND I'M GOING TO THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, FOR WHAT YOU'VE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WITH IN MY DISTRICT AND WHAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY DOING IN ORDER TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
THE COLLABORATION IS WONDERFUL. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR OVERTIME WITH CHANGING THE WAY YOU DO THINGS, CHANGING THE WAY YOU YOU PUT POLICE OUT ON THE FIELD.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER AREAS THAT YOU KNOW OF THAT YOU CAN FLEX HOURS TO BE MORE? COST EFFICIENT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO OVERTIME THAN WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN? YEAH. THERE'S SEVERAL OTHERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. WE'RE EVEN LOOKING AT THE WAY WE RECRUIT OFFICERS RIGHT NOW AND THE WAY WE DO PANELS.
[04:25:03]
WE'RE, WE'RE DOING IT MORE DURING WORK HOURS RATHER THAN OVERTIME.THERE'S A LOT OF THEM THAT WE HAVE ON THE TABLE NOW, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SLICE AWAY.
I WILL TELL YOU, I KNOW THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER AS WE'VE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OVERTIME, AND SHE'S DEFINITELY HOLDING MY FEET TO THE FIRE.
AND QUITE HONESTLY, WHEN WE WERE TALKING, SHE GAVE ME NUMBERS THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO COME DOWN TO, AND I TOLD HER THAT I'M EXTREMELY CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GOING TO MEET THOSE NUMBERS.
THAT'S HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE I HAVE THAT NEXT YEAR IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, BASED OFF OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR NOW AND THE SAVINGS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. ONE OTHER QUESTION, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE THE HOURS, AND I NOTICED THAT THE HOURS HAVE CONTINUOUSLY DECREASED, BUT THE AND THE RATE OF PAY HAS CONTINUALLY INCREASED.
CAN YOU ALSO SHARE WHETHER OR NOT THE NUMBER OF NEW HIRES THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH, AND THE NUMBER OF INCREASE IN NUMBERS OF OFFICERS WE HAVE. HAS THAT ALSO CREATED TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE NEAR OVERTIME HOURS LOOK DIFFERENTLY THAN ONE WOULD THINK THEY SHOULD LOOK. YES, MA'AM, I BELIEVE IT DOES.
WE'RE STARTING TO START. WE'VE HAD THE HIRING.
A DECENT HIRING PUSH NOW FOR APPROXIMATELY A YEAR WHERE WE'RE REALLY BRINGING THEM IN.
WHERE DID I LOSE THE MOST OFFICERS OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS SINCE THE LAST ACADEMY GRADUATED? WHERE AM I? MY RESPONSE TIME IS THE WORST AND I'M ASSIGNING THEM THERE RIGHT NOW.
WITH THAT SAID, SOMETIMES IF I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FIELD TRAINERS, I MIGHT HAVE TO SEND THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THEN TURN AROUND AND SEND THEM SOMEWHERE BACK TO WHERE MY PROBLEM AREA IS GOING TO BE. WE'RE DOING THAT WITH ONE CLASS THAT'S ON THE STREET CURRENTLY.
RIGHT NOW THEY'LL BE GOING TO A DIFFERENT PATROL DIVISION WHEN THEY FINISH TRAINING. BUT I THINK THE MORE OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE GOING TO START SEEING REDUCTIONS. NOW THERE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR FTO, THAT'S OUR FIELD TRAINING OFFICERS THAT WILL INCREASE THE MORE RECRUITS THAT WE HAVE ON THE STREET, BECAUSE THEY'LL BE DROPPING MORE OVERTIME FOR THAT.
A GENERAL NIGHT IN PATROL IS OFFICERS CAN COME IN ON AN EVENING SHIFT OR A NIGHT SHIFT.
THAT'S SIX OF MY OFFICERS RIGHT THERE. THEY DIDN'T COME IN EXPECTING THAT THAT WASN'T PLANNED.
AND THEY'VE DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST THREE PAY PERIODS.
FOR MYSELF PERSONALLY, MINIMUM STAFFING AND UNIT ON IT MEANS IF WE'RE HURTING IN PATROL, IF THEY NEED TO KEEP SOMEBODY OVER, THEY HAVE TO CALL THEIR DIVISION COMMANDER FOR THE APPROVAL TO GET IT, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S JUSTIFIED.
IT'S NOT SOME IT'S NOT IT'S A NEED, NOT A WANT.
AND IT SEEMS TO WORKED OUT. WE'VE CUT DOWN SOME OF OUR TRAINING OVERTIME FOR EVEN OUR IN-SERVICE OFFICERS, SO WE CAN HAVE THEM ON THE STREETS. IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME MANAGEMENT ON OUR SERGEANTS PARTS TO FIGURE OUT WHEN TO SEND THEM TO ACADEMY AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
IS IT A POSSIBILITY OF CITY MANAGER TO HAVE A LOOK AT WHAT THE OVERTIME HOURS LOOK LIKE AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AS OPPOSED TO JUST SEEING THE NUMBERS AT THE END OF THE YEAR THAT WE DID NOT MEET, OR WE EXCEEDED OUR NUMBERS SO THAT WE CAN BETTER.
WELL, EVERYONE CAN BETTER SEE WHERE WE ARE. DO YOU? DO YOU FOLLOW WHAT I'M ASKING YOU? YES, MA'AM.
I HAVE NO PROBLEMS MAKING SURE THAT IF THERE'S A QUARTERLY WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING CONSISTENT ABOUT HOW WE'RE SHOWING THOSE NUMBERS, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'VE NOT BEEN LOOKING AT IT AS A ONE YEAR TYPE OF THING SINCE THE CHIEF ARRIVED.
WE TALK ABOUT IT MONTHLY. WE'VE SEEN WHAT SOME OF THE NUMBERS HAVE DONE OVER THESE LAST FEW MONTHS.
[04:30:06]
WE CAN DO IT. I KNOW THAT WE'RE REPORTING ON RESPONSE TIMES AS WELL ON AN ONGOING BASIS, AND SO I WOULDN'T OPPOSE TO IT AT ALL.WE ARE TRULY TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS EFFICIENT AND GIVING THE CHIEF THE ABILITY OPERATIONALLY TO GO AND MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. WE KNOW IT'S NOT GOING TO BE OVERNIGHT AS SOME OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS ARE BEING MADE AND WHY WE'RE STILL HIRING IN SOME OF THE CRITICAL UNITS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. I WANT TO ASK A QUESTION OR SO OR IN FIRE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY IT'S HARDER TO CAP AND CONTROL THE OVERTIME WITH FIRE? ESPECIALLY WHEN I LOOK AT PAGE 23.
YOU, YOU THERE IS A SICK LEAVE OF 45%. IF WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A 45%, APPROXIMATELY 45% OF THE TOTAL UNSCHEDULED LEAVE OF HOURS IS FOR SICK LEAVE.
HOW WE CAN BETTER BALANCE OUR OUR OVERTIME WITH THE SICK LEAVE.
SO DO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE LIKE OFFICERS OR I SHOULD SAY STAFF THAT IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE SICK IN ONE AREA THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOMEONE TO BACKFILL THEM INSTEAD OF DOING OVERTIME.
YEAH WE DO. I'LL EXPLAIN IT. SO. THE, THE UNSCHEDULED LEAVE DOES GET US, BUT SO WHEN WE WENT TO BUDGET, WE, WE ASKED FOR 63 FTES TO TO BRING DOWN THE OVERTIME. SO WE USED. SO WE HAVE A MANDATORY MINIMUM STAFFING EACH DAY OF 464. THAT'S FOUR ON EVERY ENGINE, FOUR ON EVERY TRUCK, TWO ON EVERY AMBULANCE.
AND WE DON'T COMPROMISE THAT, LIKE FOR SAFETY.
IF ENOUGH PEOPLE AREN'T SIGNED UP, WE MANDATORY MAKE THEM WORK.
WE DON'T EVER COMPROMISE IT BECAUSE IT'S UNSAFE.
SO SOME POSITIONS. FOR EVERY ENGINE, WE WOULD HIRE FIVE FIREFIGHTERS TO STAFF BEFORE TO ADDRESS EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID.
SO FOR US TO STAFF 464, WE NEED 600 AROUND 600 TO.
HAVE MUCH LESS OVERTIME. SO THAT WAS A GOAL. AND IT'S A MANDATORY MINIMUM STAFFING.
SO THE ONLY WAY WE REALLY CONTROL IT IS BY HAVING ENOUGH STAFF TO COVER THEM DAYS.
RIGHT. AND BUT HERE'S WHERE WE WERE OFF A LITTLE BIT, ADMITTEDLY.
SO THE THE 1.25 POSITIONS THAT WE USED TO STAFF FOR EACH POSITION TO COVER THEIR LEAVE BECAUSE OVER THE YEARS EXTRA THESE MEMBERS HAVE GOT EXTRA DAYS, RIGHT.
SO THAT 1.25 POSITION IS NOW LIKE 1.28 PER POSITION BECAUSE OF HAVING THAT MANY MORE DAYS FOR EXAMPLE, THE MATERNITY LEAVE, PARENTAL LEAVE.
SORRY, I THINK IT USED TO BE CALLED THAT, BUT THE PARENTAL LEAVE US SAID WE DIDN'T KNOW.
BUT WE HAVE A MANDATORY STAFFING FOR 24 HOURS.
SO WHEN THAT'S PUT IN, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE BABIES AND SEVEN, SEVEN, SEVEN EVERY DAY. SEVEN PEOPLE ARE OFF EVERY DAY FOR THE YEAR.
THAT'S THAT'S 9 OR 10,000 A DAY DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE TO FILL 300,000 A MONTH FOR THAT LEAVE THAT'S GIVEN. SO ANY DAY LIKE THAT, THAT'S THE EFFECT IT HAS ON US.
SO THEN WHEN WE SEE THAT, THEN, OH, THAT THAT 1.28 PER POSITION MAY AND 1.29. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. SO IT ANY TIME THERE'S A NEW DAY.
[04:35:02]
WE NEED MORE PEOPLE. SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU NEED MORE REGULAR PEOPLE NOW RIGHT, SO THAT WHEN YOU DO HAVE THESE OCCURRENCES, YOU CAN STAFF THEM WITHOUT HAVING OVERTIME TO DO SO.THAT'S CORRECT. AND WE DID IT. AND SO SO WE'RE PUTTING THEM THE 63.
NOW WE HAD TO PUT THEM THROUGH THE ACADEMY. BUT ONCE THEY WERE THROUGH 63 PEOPLE WORK ABOUT IN OUR SCHEDULE ABOUT 176,000 HOURS A YEAR. WE'VE CUT IT BY THAT MUCH. SO IT'S IT WORKS.
I MEAN, IT TAKES TIME WITH A 13 MONTH ACADEMY, BUT IT WORKS.
SO WE HAVE TO REEVALUATE HOW MANY PER POSITION DO WE NEED.
AND WE'RE ON TOP OF IT. WE WATCH IT, BUT SOME THINGS ARE OUT OF OUR CONTROL LIKE THAT LEAVE AND WE HAVE TO ADJUST AND WE'RE ON TOP OF IT AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
OKAY. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS BLACKMON, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. SO LOOKING AT THE TWO COMPARISONS ON DPD, YOUR NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN, BUT THE HOURLY RATE IS CONTINUING TO TREND UPWARD. CAN YOU GIVE ME WHAT THE FORMULA IS FOR COMPUTING THAT HOURLY RATE.
AND IS IT BASED ON OUR CONFIRMED CONTRACT. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S NEGOTIABLE.
ALL OF THAT AROUND THAT HOUR OR IS IT A FEDERAL LAW? THE CITY OF DALLAS OVERTIME RATE FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TIME AND A HALF. OKAY.
SO IT'S STRICTLY IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A MEET AND CONFER.
IT'S JUST WHAT OUR STRICT POLICY IS. IT'S WHATEVER THE EMPLOYEES HOURLY RATE, HOURLY RATE.
WHO HELPED Y'ALL WITH YOUR REPORTING? AND I'M SAYING THAT WITH LOVE BECAUSE IT'S REALLY GOOD.
I MEAN, HOW YOU WENT DEEP IN AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT? WHY SOMEBODY WAS GONE AND WHAT, LIKE YOU, YOU KIND OF CAME UP WITH THE OF THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED.
AND YOU'VE EXPLAINED IT IS CAUSING A VACANCY FOR THAT DAY.
IS THERE SOMEBODY INTERNALLY THAT HELPED YOU ORGANIZE THIS? BECAUSE I MAY SUGGEST THAT THEY GO AND HELP DPD WITH.
YEAH. WE'RE SORRY, DID YOU ARE YOU FINISHED? NO.
GO AHEAD. BECAUSE WE. YEAH, WE HAVE A TEAM UPSTAIRS.
WE'VE GOT DOCTOR Z ME WE WE ALL WE'RE ALL. YEAH.
I LOOK AT IT EVERY DAY. I LOOK AT IT EVERY DAY I'M INVOLVED.
AND WE LOOK AT EVERY LEAVE I GET A REPORT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF WHAT.
LEAVE. HOW MANY HOW MANY OVERTIME EVERY DAY. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S UP.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S DOWN. I KNOW, I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
I GUESS IT'S ON 23. I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT YOUR KEY HIGHLIGHTS, YOUR IMPACT AND YOUR KEY TAKEAWAY.
AND THEN SO MOVING OVER TO D P, D WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CONTROLS, DO YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN PLACE AND ARE YOU GOING TO WORK THAT? I MEAN, DO YOU GET A REPORT WEEKLY? DO YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW AT ONE POINT THERE WAS LIKE THE FREQUENT FLIER, LIKE THIS PERSON IS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TAKING OVER TIME.
I MEAN, DO YOU GO INTO THIS REALLY NITTY GRITTY OF UNDERSTANDING WHY PEOPLE ARE, ARE GOING THAT ROUTE AND HOW TO AND LIKE YOU SAID, WITH THE WITH THE ACADEMY, YOU KNOW, IT WAS AN OFF, IT WAS TOTALLY OUT OF WHACK, WHICH WAS THEN CAUSING IT TO IMBALANCE.
AND SO ARE YOU DOING THAT MORE? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE RECENTLY STARTED, AND I'M GOING TO GET CHIEF FORD TO CLOSE THIS OUT FOR ME SO HE CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF ALSO WHAT'S HAPPENING. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING EXECUTIVE BRIEF OUTS NOW ON OVERTIME, WHERE MY TWO STARS ARE COMING TO ME AND HAVING THEIR BRIEF EXACTLY WHERE THE OVERTIME WAS SPENT, HOW MANY HOURS WERE SPENT ON. AND I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY WORKING BECAUSE IT'S PUTTING MORE EYES ON IT AND IT'S IN.
I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE TWO STARS. WE'RE TALKING TO ONE STARS, TO THE MAJORS, ALL THE WAY DOWN. SO IT'S MAKING US MORE EFFICIENT. SO THAT THAT'S REALLY GOOD. AND ANOTHER THING THAT I'M GOING TO DO IN THE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T KNOW THIS YET.
SO I'LL BE, I'LL BE KIND OF LETTING IF I DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT, I WON'T SAY IT.
BUT WHAT I'LL TELL YOU, I'M GOING TO MAKE A CHANGE HERE IN OCTOBER, THAT'S GOING TO BE MORE EFFICIENT FOR, FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND OVERSIGHT OVER OVERTIME.
[04:40:02]
AND HE KNOWS WHAT THE PLAN IS, AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE, AND I.AND THAT'S WHY I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT WITH THE EXTRA GUIDELINES THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE, THIS NUMBER IS GOING TO COME DOWN VERY CONFIDENT OF THAT.
AND SO FIRE, I GUESS BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT, Y'ALL AREN'T MANUAL LIKE DPD IS, RIGHT? ARE Y'ALL? HOW DO YOU TIME IN AND TIME OUT? WE SO EVERYBODY'S EVERYBODY'S PUT IN TELLER STAFF RIGHT? SO YOU IT CAN'T BE SHORT. IT CAN'T BE MORE. IT'S SPOT ON.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE THE COMPUTERS ON THE APPARATUS AND THEY PUT THEIR NAME IN AND ALL THAT. OKAY. SO A RECORD THAT THEY'RE ON THE APPARATUS, RIGHT.
OKAY. SO BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT THIS COULD, I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF ASTONISHING THAT WE STILL USE PAPER.
THE SYSTEM THEY WENT TO WHEN THEY WENT TO IT, HOW THEY WENT TO IT, AND THE TRANSITION.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOULD, SHOULD HAVE IN PLACE BY OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR.
OH, THAT'S IN SIX WEEKS. YES. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR SOME TIME NOW.
YEAH. AND THEN ON, AND THE INTERESTING THING IS ON SLIDE 11, AND MR. BAZALDUA TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ON IT VERSUS SLIDE 22.
IT'S OTHER DRIVERS. AND SO IS IT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS? I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN LIKE THE WHY ISN'T THAT RECONCILED? SO I THINK A LOT OF IT, WHEN IT COMES TO MANPOWER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT I WAS CHALLENGED WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT RESPONSE TIMES WENT DOWN. THAT WAS THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT I WAS TOLD WHEN I GOT HERE.
MAKE SURE RESPONSE TIMES WENT DOWN, TAKE CARE OF RECRUITING AND RETENTION.
THAT WAS THE TOP THREE PRIORITIES THAT I WAS GIVEN.
AND RESPONSE TIMES THIS YEAR, EVEN THOUGH WE WANT THEM TO BE BETTER PRIORITY ONES WENT DOWN 29%.
BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE GOALS WERE MET.
AND THEN IN YEAR TWO, WE CAN LOOK AT SOME MORE EFFICIENCIES TO TRY TO SAVE MORE MONEY.
AND I THINK BY GOING DOWN 29, 30, 58 AND 57%, WE ACCOMPLISH THAT.
WELL, WE GOT 330 THAT CAME THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR.
AND THEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT RETENTION. LAST YEAR WE WE WENT AT 176 FOR RETENTION, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE LOWEST NUMBERS RECENTLY FOR DPD. AND THIS YEAR WE'RE ON TRACK TO REACH THE NUMBER, WHICH HAS BEEN CONSISTENT OF 190.
I'M I'M EXTREMELY CONFIDENT. AND WHEN YOU SAY OVER TIME IS IT GOING TO BE ARE WE GOING TO GET A QUARTERLY UPDATE OR WHAT ARE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY? HOW WOULD WE KNOW IF THESE ARE WORKING? WE DEFINITELY WILL ENSURE THAT THE RESPONSE TIMES DATA, WHICH I KNOW IS ALREADY PROVIDED AS PART OF A PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE UPDATE, WE CAN ALSO DO QUARTERLY UPDATES AS WELL AS ON THE OVERTIME.
SO I THINK FULL TRANSPARENCY, IT'S GOING TO ALLOW FOR US TO CONTINUE TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY, WHICH WE ARE, AND ALSO BE ABLE TO GIVE GOOD DATA TO SHOW HOW WELL IT'S WORKING WITH SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT THE CHIEF IS PUTTING IN PLACE.
YEAH, TALKING ABOUT OVERTIME GIVES ME HIVES BECAUSE IT GOES BACK TO 2021.
I THINK WHEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS AND, AND IT'S JUST THAT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT A GOOD WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS IF YOU'RE PAYING A LOT MORE AND OVER TIME EVERY YEAR AND IT'S GOING UP.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE GOTTEN THAT FROM DPD.
[04:45:03]
I THINK ON THIS, MAYBE IT WAS JUST KIND OF TALKED ABOUT, BUT ON THE SLIDE, I MEAN, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS.AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
THANK YOU. MR. ROTH, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BLACKMON ASKED ABOUT THE HOW THE CALCULATION WAS FOR THE POLICE.
HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU ALL COME UP WITH YOUR NUMBER IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? AND WHAT IS THE AVERAGE OVERTIME AMOUNT? IS IT THE $45 OR IS IT, OH, YOU'RE ASKING THE THE RATE.
YEAH. THE RATE. WHAT'S YOUR HOURLY OVERTIME. SO ROUGHLY OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
FOR SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, RIGHT? WE HAVE A THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT WERE ON THE 24 HOURS, THAT'S A 2808 SCHEDULE.
AND THEIR OVERTIME RATE, IF YOU TOOK AN AVERAGE OF THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT IS 55 AN HOUR.
NOW, IF YOU'RE IN A STAFF POSITION, THEY WORK A 2080 SCHEDULE FOR THE SAME SALARY.
SO THEIR OVERTIME WOULD BE MORE LIKE 65. OKAY.
SO THE $45 THAT WAS THERE, THAT'S YOUR AT YOUR REGULAR RATE.
AND THEN THE, THE AMOUNT ABOVE THAT 55 OR 65 WOULD BE THE OVERTIME.
NOW I'D SAY, I MEAN, AND AGAIN, I'M JUST GIVING THAT GIVE OR TAKE.
BUT I WOULD SAY AN ACCURATE FIGURE WOULD BE STRAIGHT TIME.
37 OVERTIME. 55 OKAY. I WAS JUST, I JUST WONDERED HOW YOU CALCULATE I CHIEF ON THE DRIVERS OF OF JUST ACTIVITY. GENERALLY THE FACT THAT YOU ALL ARE NOW TAKING OVER THE THE PATROL ON THE TOLLWAY AND, AND SOME OF THE OTHER STREETS NOW AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE OVER THAT ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY IS, IS THAT GOING TO BE BASICALLY A WASH DOLLARS WISE FROM WHAT WE WERE PAYING THE COUNTY TO TAKE OVER? OR IF I THINK ISN'T THAT WHO HE WAS, WHO WAS DOING THAT BEFORE OR THE STATE, OR IS THERE GOING TO BE A POTENTIAL THAT WE MAY NEED TO THAT THAT MAY IMPACT OUR, OUR EXTRA ACTIVITY LEVEL BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS THAT YOU ALL HAVE NOW.
SO IF IN FACT THAT DEAL GOES THROUGH, IT'S STILL IN THE AIR.
IT'S NOT 100% YET, BUT IF WE TAKE OVER THE TOLLWAY, THEN THOSE FUNDS WILL COME TO DALLAS.
AND WE WERE PAYING THEM 1.2 MILLION TO DO ALL OF THE ACCIDENTS IN DALLAS THAT THEY WERE HANDLING.
WE BELIEVE FROM THE RESEARCH WE'VE DONE, IT'S ALSO GOING TO HELP PATROL WITH RESPONSE TIMES, BECAUSE NOW WE WON'T BE TYING UP OUR PATROL UNITS DURING ACCIDENTS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SPECIALIZED UNITS ONLY HANDLING ACCIDENTS.
NOW, ON SOME OF THE VERY SLIPPERY DAYS IN DALLAS, WHEN THERE MIGHT BE MORE CRASHES THAN NORMAL, PATROL MIGHT HAVE TO HELP OUT IN THOSE INSTANCE, BUT WE THINK WE HAVE A PLAN TO.
WHERE THE. TRAFFIC UNIT WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE MOST OF THOSE TO A MILLION.
AND THAT'S THE THAT'S THE MAIN SORT OF DIRECT COST TO, TO US.
YES. AND THEN WHEN THOSE TRAFFIC UNITS ARE NOT WORKING ACCIDENTS, THEN THEY'LL BE ALSO MONITORING THE, THE FREEWAY AND THE ROADWAYS FOR THOSE WHO ARE VIOLATING TRAFFIC OFFENSES AND WRITING MORE TICKETS.
OKAY. THANK YOU. CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. MAYOR. I'D JUST LIKE TO REMIND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES AND THE PUBLIC THAT THERE'S A PUBLIC DASHBOARD THAT HAS SO MUCH OF THE INFORMATION YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TODAY, AND WE COVER IT EVERY SINGLE MONTH IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING.
THE NUMBER OF HOURS AND THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS FOR OVERTIME FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE.
THE MONTHLY AMOUNT AS WELL AS THE CUMULATIVE.
AND IT ISN'T JUST ON THE AGENDA. WE ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT IT EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY MONTH.
[04:50:01]
SO IT'S KIND OF SHOCKING TO ME THAT Y'ALL DIDN'T KNOW.I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT THAT. I WILL SAY WHAT WAS SO INTERESTING TO ME CHIEF, IS YOU'VE TWICE TALKED ABOUT NEEDING TO GUARD PRISONERS AT THE HOSPITAL. YOU ALL MIGHT RECALL WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT JAIL CONTRACT THAT I KEPT GOING BACK TO THAT BECAUSE IT IS LITERALLY TAKING OFFICERS OUT VERY OFTEN. THEY HAVE TO HAVE OVERTIME, AND ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS CHANGE OUR CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY.
WE SHOULDN'T BE IN CHARGE OF THAT AND WE HAVE NO SAY.
AND WHEN THEY DON'T PUT HIM IN A PRIVATE ROOM, WE'RE DOING IT.
WE'RE ON THE HOOK. SO GUESS WHAT? THEY KEEP HIM OUT OF THE PRIVATE ROOMS. AND THAT IS ACTUAL MANPOWER. DAY IN, DAY OUT.
TWO GUARDS PER PRISONER. SO, I MEAN, I HOPE THAT SOME OF THESE ISSUES ARE LIKE COMING BACK TO YOU.
I HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TAKE THAN WHAT YOU'VE HEARD BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SAY REALLY GOOD JOB, DPD. YOU'VE LOWERED VERY MUCH. WELL, YOU'VE LOWERED YOUR OVERTIME, YOU'VE LOWERED THE HOURS.
AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE OVER BUDGET IS BECAUSE WE BUDGETED WRONG.
WE TOOK AWAY $10 MILLION, AS YOU TOLD US, YOU'RE UNDERSTAFFED.
SO I THINK YOU'VE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB. AND WE ALL KNEW WE WERE COMING TO THIS PLACE.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER SAID, HEY, PLEASE COME TO MY EVENT.
HOW MANY OF YOUR DIVISIONS ARE ACTUALLY WORKING SOLELY ON OVERTIME, LIKE THE RACING SPEEDING TASK FORCE? ISN'T THAT ALL OVERTIME? THE AUGMENTEES OVER THE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT.
SO THERE'S. SEVEN I BELIEVE, SEVEN OFFICERS. BUT WHEN WE AUGMENT WITH COVERTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
YES, MA'AM. IT IS OVERTIME. BUT WASN'T THAT IN RESPONSE TO THE COUNCIL ASKING YOU TO DO THAT? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE IN SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS.
ON PAGE SEVEN, YOU GO THROUGH SOME OF THE REASONS WHY YOU HAVE OVERTIME PAY RATES.
HAVING PUSHED THAT BUDGET. WELL, YOU ARE GETTING PAID MORE TRAINING.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TRAINING AS AN OVERTIME ISSUE? SOME OF OUR SOME OF OUR TRAINING WAS, AS CHIEF COMEAUX SAID EARLIER, WE HAD RECRUITS ON EIGHT HOUR SHIFTS AND WE HAD OUR STAFF ON TEN HOUR SHIFTS.
SO THE RECRUITS STILL HAD TO BE TRAINED ON THAT FIFTH DAY.
THE STATE'S GOING TO MANDATE THAT WE HAVE TO GET DONE. AND WHEN THE STATE COMES IN AND SAYS, WELL, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIS CLASS, WE HAVE 1 OR 2 CHOICES.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR A LAST MINUTE PHONE CALL.
SO THAT THAT'S WHERE OUR TRAINING BUDGET WHY IT BALLOONED DIGNITARY PROTECTION.
I'M ASSUMING YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER HOW MANY DIGNITARIES COME HERE.
PROTESTS. YOU DON'T GET TO SELECT HOW MANY PROTESTS WE HAVE.
CORRECT. NO, MA'AM. AND WHAT THAT STAFFING LEVEL NEEDS TO BE BASED ON PROJECTED ATTENDANCE? NO, MA'AM. WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK.
OKAY. YOU CERTAINLY DON'T CONTROL THE WEATHER AND ONE TIME EVENTS.
I THINK ACTUALLY THE COUNCIL IS SOMETIMES THE ONE SCHEDULING THOSE.
SO AGAIN, I SAY THANK YOU FOR MAKING DO AS AN UNDERSTAFFED DEPARTMENT.
I WILL FLIP TO PAGE 11 WHERE IT SAYS SWORN STRENGTH RISES FROM 3481.
WHAT'S THAT NUMBER? SO WE WERE TOLD AT THE OCTOBER MEETING JUST LAST WEEK, I BELIEVE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, I'M SORRY, THE AUGUST PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING THAT WE HAD 3370 OFFICERS AS OF THAT DAY. YEAH. SO THAT'S ON THAT LINE IS THE PROJECTION NUMBER BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE HAVE ONE MORE ACADEMY CLASS THAT'S GOING TO BE STARTING BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND THAT'S WHAT THAT NUMBER IS INCLUDING. SO WHAT WE WERE TOLD LAST WEEK WAS 3370.
[04:55:01]
YOU'RE SAYING 3481. YOU'RE GOING TO HIRE 111 OFFICERS IN SIX WEEKS.NO, WE WILL NOT. OH, THE CLASS THAT JUST STARTED, WE HAD A WE HAD A CLASS.
WE HAD A CLASS JUST STARTED LAST WEEK, I BELIEVE. YEAH.
LESS THAN SEVEN DAYS AGO WE HAD A CLASS STARTED.
SO IF YOU TAKE THOSE TWO CLASSES, THEN THE ANSWER IS YES.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO DO LIKE LAST YEAR AND START A CLASS ON THE LAST DAY OF THE FISCAL YEAR, ONE WEEK BEFORE THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. OKAY.
ALRIGHTY. AND THEN YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET TO 3651 WITHIN ONE FISCAL YEAR.
BY NEXT YEAR? YES, I DO BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE WE'RE THAT WOULD BE US HIRING 360 MORE IF I'M DOING THE MATH CORRECTLY RIGHT NOW. WELL, IT'S ALSO MAKING AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT ATTRITION, WHICH AGAIN, LAST WEEK WE WERE AT 180 WITH AN EXPECTED 190.
YEAH, SIX WEEKS TO GO. SO I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY BE OVER DON'T YOU.
IT'S ALL A PROJECTION. IT IS DEFINITELY A PROJECTION.
SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO TO RESPONSE TIMES. WE DEFINITELY NEED IMPROVEMENT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S CHANGED. WHEN I LOOK AT 2019 YOU'RE ONLY A COUPLE OF SECONDS OVER.
BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT PRIORITY TWO, YOU'RE 45 MINUTES MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS IN 2019.
PRIORITY THREE. 40 MINUTES. PRIORITY FOR 30 MINUTES OVER WHEN I WAS HERE IN 2019.
SO WE GOT A LONG WAY TO GO. AND I THINK THAT IS A STAFFING ISSUE.
THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN WEST. YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU MAYOR. I APPRECIATE IT. APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION FROM MY COLLEAGUES AND THE PRESENTATION.
JUST A COUPLE FOLLOW UPS AND THEN I'LL GET INTO MY QUESTIONS.
ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAD ASKED ABOUT THE RNC BUDGET AND THAT IS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED TO COME TO FINANCE FOR A MEMO BRIEFING ON MONDAY. SO THAT WILL IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, WE WILL HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT ALL THE BUDGETARY ITEMS, INCLUDING DPD, BUT OTHER TOPICS AS WELL. GENERALLY I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE HAVE MADE SOME GAINS IN OVERTIME. I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A CONVERSATION WE DO HAVE EVERY YEAR DURING BUDGET SEASON.
I'VE SEEN DPD ESPECIALLY EMBRACE A LOT OF TECHNOLOGIES WITH, WITH DRONES AND AND OTHER AI.
AND YOU'RE DOING AMAZING THINGS THERE. IT'S, IT'S BLOWS MY MIND THAT WE'RE STILL HANDWRITING OUR, OUR TIME CARDS FOR OVERTIME. SO I REALLY DO HOPE THAT CHIEF, THAT WE GET THAT DONE.
AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE MAKING THAT A PRIORITY.
ALL RIGHT. QUESTIONS. LET ME PULL THIS UP. SO I'LL START WITH DPD AND THEN I'LL GO TO DFR.
SPEAKING OF DRONES ON SLIDE 15. CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT A DRONE RESPONSE LOOKS LIKE? LIKE, WHAT KINDS OF SITUATIONS CAN A DRONE ACTUALLY RESOLVE? I'M VERY I THINK MY RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO BE VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THIS WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT THIS.
SO AND HOW DOES THE DRONE END UP FREEING UP OFFICERS? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. COUNCIL MEMBER CHIEF VILLARREAL AGAIN. SO I'M OVER OUR DRONE UNIT, DRONE FIRST RESPONDER UNIT, WHICH OPERATES OUT OF OUR FUSION CENTER.
SO THE DRONE SYSTEM SKYDIO THAT WE HAVE IS INTEGRATED WITH OUR CAD SYSTEM.
SO OUR PILOTS ARE SITTING AT A WORKSTATION UP IN FUSION.
THEY'RE MONITORING THE CALLS THAT COME IN IN REAL TIME.
YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN A KIND OF A PILOT PROJECT FOR THE FIRST MONTH.
WE OPERATED SINCE MAY 20TH. AND LIKE CHIEF FOY SAID, WE'VE RESPONDED TO OVER 2500 CALLS SINCE THAT TIME FRAME, BUT THEY CAN RESPOND TO ANY PRIORITY CALL THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM.
THEY'VE HAD SOME SUCCESS AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING OUT ON THE SCENE FIRST, LIKE WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY SAID THERE, 70% OF THE TIME, THEY'RE THE FIRST ELEMENT ON SCENE.
SO THERE'S NINE DRONES ACROSS THE CITY RIGHT NOW. WE HOPE TO GET COVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY AND UP THE AMOUNT OF DRONES AND PILOTS, SO THEY CAN BE THERE WITHIN TWO MINUTES. THEY'VE GOT EYES ON THE SCENE FOR A 911 CALL BEFORE ANY OFFICER, LONG BEFORE ANY OFFICERS GET OUT THERE, THEY CAN RELAY CRITICAL INFORMATION TO THE OFFICERS. THEY CAN ACTUALLY SEND A DOWNLINK OR A READY LINK TO THE OFFICERS THAT ARE RESPONDING SO THEY CAN ON VIEW LIVE WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE CALL LOCATION.
[05:00:03]
AND 35% OF THE TIME THEY'RE ABLE TO CLEAR SOME OF THESE CALLS.GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. IF WE GET A SUSPICIOUS PERSON CALL AND THEY GET ON SCENE WITHIN TWO MINUTES, AND THEY'VE OBVIOUSLY GOT EYES ON FROM THE SKY FROM SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET ABOVE THE LOCATION.
AND THEY CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS REPORTED TO A 911 CALL? THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON AT THE SCENE. WELL, THERE'S NO NEED TO, YOU KNOW, SEND A GROUND UNIT TO THAT LOCATION AS ONE EXAMPLE.
PATROL OFFICERS WERE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THIS INDIVIDUAL.
SO THERE'S MANY EFFICIENCIES WHEN IT COMES TO DRONES.
YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, IN MY OPINION.
IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT FORCE. FORCE MULTIPLIER FOR US IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
ALL RIGHT. GOING ON TO SLIDE SIX. SO IT APPEARS THAT OUR ARE REIMBURSEMENTS HAVE INCREASED IN RECENT YEARS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS YOU'RE PROJECTING THEM TO STAY FLAT.
WHY DON'T WE EXPECT OUR REIMBURSEMENTS TO INCREASE? SORRY. OUR REIMBURSEMENTS POTENTIALLY COULD INCREASE INCREASE.
BUT THE REIMBURSEMENT STUFF A LOT. SOME OF IT IS NOT CONSISTENT EVERY YEAR WITH OUR OURS.
OKAY. AND I NOTICED THAT THE SLIDE, IT HAS EIGHT, 8.1 MILLION.
OF OUR 42.6 MILLION IS OVERTIME IS REIMBURSED, WHICH AMOUNTS TO 19%.
BUT THEN ON SLIDE EIGHT, IT SAYS THAT 27% OF OVERTIME HOURS ARE REIMBURSABLE.
DO YOU? WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? CAN YOU. OUR HOURS AND PAY RATES ARE THE HOURS.
THE REIMBURSEMENT IS HOURS. THE. THE PERCENTAGE OF THE MONEY IS THE PAY RATE OR THE MONEY ITSELF.
OKAY. IT'S THE TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. THEN I GET IT.
AND THEN CATEGORIES OF REIMBURSABLES. LIKE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BREAKDOWNS I SEE HERE ON SLIDE EIGHT? YOU'VE GOT STATE FAIR AVIATION GRANTS AND TASK FORCES.
ARE THERE OTHER CATEGORIES THAT ARE NOT LISTED ON THAT BULLET OR IS THAT PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM? GO AHEAD. SABRINA JOHNSON SORRY. SABRINA JOHNSON I'M THE OPERATIONS RESEARCH ANALYST FOR DPD. AND WITHIN THOSE GRANTS AND TASK FORCES, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST ONE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 30, 40. ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ONES.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE COUNTS AS A REIMBURSEMENT.
IS THERE A PLACE WHERE THOSE ARE ALL POSTED AT ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT REIMBURSABLE ENTITIES? OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I AM NOT SURE, BUT I CAN CHECK ON THAT.
IT SHOULD BE LISTED SOMEWHERE. IT'D BE GREAT IF YOU COULD SEND THAT OUT TO US TOO.
I THINK AS A FOLLOW UP TO THIS BRIEFING. ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE ALSO, WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE, THERE'S ONE THERE ARE TASK FORCE AND GRANTS THAT BECAUSE OF THE TIME FRAME THAT WE HAVE TO APPLY FOR THEM AND EVERYTHING, WE DON'T KNOW, WE MAY GET APPROVED FOR THOSE, AND THEN THOSE WILL BE IN NEXT YEAR'S OR THE YEAR AFTER.
I GET IT, AND I DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION IN WHATEVER YOU SEND.
I JUST WANT TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE BREAKDOWN THAN WHAT'S ON THIS SLIDE.
LET'S SEE. THE DIGNITARY QUESTIONS COME UP A COUPLE OF TIMES.
WHAT LEVEL OF DIGNITARY REQUIRES DPD PROTECTION.
IS THIS LIKE FIFA VISITORS OR WHAT, HOW IF THE PUBLIC WANTS TO KNOW.
ALL RIGHT, WHO GETS, WHO GETS AN OFFICER PROTECTION, WHO DOESN'T? HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THAT TO THEM? AND DO WE GET REIMBURSED MOST OF THE TIME FOR THAT ON THE DIGNITARY SIDE, WHICH MY GROUP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR. SO OBVIOUSLY LEADERS OF CONGRESS HAVE, YOU KNOW, PROTECTIVE DETAIL.
SO ANYBODY THAT COMES DOWN FROM D.C. THAT'S LIKE HAS CAPITAL, CAPITAL, POLICE PROTECTION YOU KNOW, THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, THE HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER THOSE ARE PROTECTED BY THE CAPITOL POLICE.
[05:05:03]
USUALLY WHEN THEY'RE IN TOWN, WE HAVE OUR DIGNITARY PROTECTION GUYS THAT FROM INTELLIGENCE DIVISION THAT DO THEIR DIGNITARY ESCORTS.DURING FIFA TO YOUR QUESTION, WE WERE REIMBURSED FOR DIGNITARIES, PARTICULARLY THE FIFA PRESIDENT AND FIFA SECRETARY GENERAL WERE SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THOSE COSTS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE PROTECTEES FROM THE CAPITOL POLICE, WE HAVE AN MOU WITH THEM.
OKAY. I FEEL LIKE YOU'VE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION BEFORE.
THAT'S THE HOPE I WOULD THINK. DO YOU DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT HAPPENING? YES. I'LL END IT WITH THAT. THANK YOU. CHAIRWOMAN WILLIS.
YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU MAYOR.
SO I, I DO COMMEND YOU IN BRINGING THESE HOURS DOWN, BOTH DFR AND DPD THAT IS THAT'S BEEN THE GOAL.
AND I'M I'M PLEASED TO SEE THIS. NOW, IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, YOU KNOW, SALARIES HAVE INCREASED 70%.
SO AS YOU BRING OVERTIME DOWN, YOU'VE STILL GOT TO CONTEND WITH THAT HIGHER SALARY NUMBER.
YOU KNOW, DASHBOARDS ARE GREAT. THEY'RE A SNAPSHOT OF SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED.
SO, CHIEF, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE CALLED OUT WITH REGARD TO SOME OF THE EXAMPLES ON POLICIES OR PRACTICES THAT AUTOMATICALLY GENERATE OVERTIME THAT CAN BE ALTERED.
I MEAN, WE KNOW THERE ARE SOME FACTORS LIKE THE, THE PROTESTS OR WEATHER, ETC., THAT WE, YOU KNOW, CAN'T NECESSARILY PREDICT. WE CAN PROBABLY ANALYZE AND LOOK AT SOME ROLLING NUMBERS, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING ABOUT A REAL THOROUGH EXAMINATION OF THAT? DO YOU HAVE AN INTERNAL TASK FORCE? I THINK SOMEONE BROUGHT UP PEER CITIES.
HOW ARE YOU GOING ABOUT REALLY MINING ALL OF THESE PRACTICES FOR PLACES THAT OVER TIME, COULD FURTHER OR BE FURTHER REDUCED? IF I HAD TO SUM IT UP IN ONE WORD, I WOULD SAY EMPOWERMENT.
SO YOU'VE JUST KIND OF GOT A ONE OFF SYSTEM RIGHT NOW.
AND AS THEY BRING IDEAS TO YOU, YOU'RE PUTTING IT TOGETHER AND ENACTING THAT.
YES. AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE THREE STARS OR TWO STARS AND THE ONE STARS, WE'RE NOW BRIEFING OUT.
AND WHEN WE'RE BRIEFING OUT, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE JUST TO PUT MORE EYES ON EVERYTHING.
AND WE'RE DOING IT AS A TEAM. AND WHEN WE'RE DOING IT AS A TEAM, EVERYONE'S GETTING TO HEAR IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN DIFFERENT DIFFERENT SECTIONS. AND I THINK THAT'S OVERALL HELPING US TREMENDOUSLY.
AND CHIEF, IF YOU WANT TO OUR PEER CITIES, OUR PEER CITIES, PART OF THAT, I TALKED TO CHIEFS ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND MOST OF THE CHIEFS THAT I TALKED TO ARE MAJOR CITY CHIEFS.
AND THEY'RE EXPERIENCING SOME OF THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WE ARE, EVEN SOME OF THEM TO A HIGHER LEVEL, AND THEY'RE CUTTING A LOT OF THE FUNCTIONS FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
LIKE A LOT OF THE MAJOR CITY CHIEFS ARE REALLY GONE AWAY FROM THE COMMUNITY AFFAIR SECTION, SO THEY CAN ADD OFFICERS TO THE STREET. AND THAT'S ONE SECTION THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT NUMEROUS TIMES THAT I DON'T WANT TO CUT, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IT'S A DIRECT LINK REALLY TO THE THE COUNCIL.
AND THEY CAN HANDLE THINGS THAT THAT COMES UP IN ONE OFFS.
AND BEING IN THE COMMUNITY IN THAT IN THAT WAY REALLY HELPS US AS A DEPARTMENT.
OKAY. NOW I'LL SHIFT TO PAGE 12. I TOO, WAS DISMAYED TO SEE THE WORD MANUAL STILL IN THIS.
[05:10:09]
AND SO HE CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE A MANUAL TIMEKEEPING SYSTEM FOR THIS DEPARTMENT.I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOFTWARES THAT I AM REMEMBERING OVER THE YEARS THAT WE WANTED TO INCLUDE FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. I THINK WE'VE HAD A COUPLE THAT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE CHIEF CLEARLY KNOWS THAT THIS IS NOT AN OPTION.
IN FACT, I THINK HE'S TIRED OF ME TALKING ABOUT IT.
BUT I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT QUITE EXTENSIVELY IN THE PAST.
SO, YOU KNOW, NO MATTER WHAT CARD IS BEING PASSED AROUND FOR APPROVAL OR SUPERVISOR SUPERVISOR APPROVAL, IT ALL SOMEHOW MAKES IT INTO WORKDAY. AND SO THAT IS A VERY TRACKABLE CAPABILITY THAT THE CITY HAS.
AND THE CITY CAN TELL IF OVERTIME IS POPPING.
SO YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PATHWAYS HERE.
WE'VE GOT THE POLICY, THE PRACTICE SIDE OF THIS, WHERE IT CAN BE BROUGHT DOWN THAT WAY.
BUT THEN THE OTHER SIDE OF IT IS TRACKING THIS, LOOKING FOR THE ANOMALIES.
AND THE CITY ALSO HAS AN INVESTIGATIVE ARM THAT CAN LOOK INTO THIS.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BEHOOVE ALL INVOLVED TO BE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT IS STANDING OUT IN THAT WAY STOPS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE YOU'RE, THERE'S A LEVEL OF SCRUTINY THAT WOULD COME WITH THAT.
AND YOU KNOW, IF IT'S NOT LEGITIMATE, WHICH THERE ARE CERTAINLY CASES IN WHICH IT IS THAT, THAT IS, THAT'S VERY DISCOVERABLE. AND AND THEN THE CITY CAN TAKE ACTION.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MISS CADENA, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
AS WE MENTIONED, WE HAD A BIG PROBLEM IN MY DISTRICT AND THAT'S BEEN ABLE TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE WE HAD POLICE OFFICERS THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, WERE SENT THERE. SO THERE IS A NEED FOR POLICE OVERTIME OR OVERTIME OF EMPLOYEES AT, YOU KNOW, FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. I DID HAVE A QUESTION JUST HAVING BEEN AN EMPLOYEE FOR THE CITY, I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE UNIFORM SIDE, BUT ARE THERE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF OVERTIME? LIKE DO SOME OFFICERS RECEIVE PTO VERSUS OVERTIME PAY OR WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT STRUCTURE LOOK LIKE? THE ONLY TWO OPTIONS THAT ANY OFFICER HAS IS TO DROP EITHER OVERTIME OR COMPENSATION TIME, WHICH IS CALCULATED BASICALLY THE SAME WAY. AND THE DECISION ON HOW THEY DO IT, UNLESS IT'S TIED TO A GRANT, IS UP TO THEM. IF IT'S TIED TO A GRANT, IT HAS TO BE MONEY OR NOT.
NO COMPENSATION TIME. SO THE CHOICE IS UP TO THE OFFICER.
SO DO WE CAP HOURS OF EMPLOYEES? YES, MA'AM. 16 HOURS IN A DAY AND THEN 80 OR 84 IN A WEEK. I'D HAVE 88, 84. AND IS THERE A RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF OVERTIME HOURS? I'M SORRY MA'AM. LIKE FOR THE NATIONAL POLICE INSTITUTE, IS THERE A RECOMMENDED HOUR OF OVERTIME FOR OFFICERS? I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS OR NOT TO THAT TO THAT ORGANIZATION.
I KNOW WE KEPT OURS OFF AT 16 HOURS A FEW YEARS AGO AFTER SOME INCIDENTS IN DALLAS THAT OCCURRED EVERY OTHER OR EVERY PAYROLL FRIDAY FOR THE POLICE FOR FOR UNIFORMED. WE GET REPORTS FROM HER. IT TELLS US WHO'S WORKED OVER 16 AND OVER 18 HOURS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME TEN HOUR SHIFTS THAT SCREW UP WITH THAT A LITTLE BIT. IF THEY WORKED OVER 16 HOURS, THEN WE REQUIRE AN EXPLANATION ON WHAT WHAT OCCURRED THAT WE COULDN'T FIX.
A LOT OF TIMES IF YOU'RE THE GOOD WITNESS ON SOMETHING, YOU CAN'T LEAVE.
I MEAN, WE'RE ALWAYS DOING IT AFTER THE FACT, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER? SO THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. AND THAT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED OVER THE LAST I DON'T KNOW, YEAR AND A HALF OR SO. AND IT ALSO TELLS US IT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP A COUPLE OF TIMES BY DIFFERENT MEMBERS YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING ON AUDITS? SO WE GET ABOUT 15 REPORTS FROM HER AND IT SHOWS WHERE SOME OF OUR HOLES ARE AT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S CLERICAL THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING'S BEEN ENTERED WRONG.
IT'S ENTERED ON THE WRONG DAY. SO IT MIGHT BE, BUT IT ALSO TELLS US WHERE OUR ACTIVITY CODES ARE,
[05:15:05]
WHICH, WHERE WE'RE USING THE MOST ACTIVITY. IT GIVES US A KIND OF A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT TO LOOK, BUT IT'S ALWAYS AFTER THE FACT. SO WE CAN'T ADJUST AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW UNTIL THE REPORT COMES UNTIL WE CAN GET IT AND ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT.BUT IT'S NOT WEEKS LATER. IT'S FOR THE LAST PAY PERIOD.
SO I GET THEM ON FRIDAYS. I HAVE TO GO BRIEF CHIEF COME ON TUESDAYS.
SO THEY HAVE TO HAVE A RESPONSE TO ME THAT PASSES THE COMMON SENSE TEST BY MONDAY CLOSE OF BUSINESS.
YEAH. WELL, AND HOPEFULLY WITH OUR RECRUITING, WE'RE ABLE TO GET MORE POLICE OFFICERS SO THAT IF THERE'S AREAS WHERE MAYBE YOU'RE USING A LOT OF OVERTIME, MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP WITH YOUR STAFFING LEVELS IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL.
YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. CHAIRMAN MORENO, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU. MAYOR. QUESTION. WHEN IT COMES TO BOOKING AND THE THE PROPERTY ROOM.
I KNOW BOTH OF THOSE HAVE LIMITATIONS IN SPACING.
DO WE FIND THAT BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS IN THE PROPERTY ROOM, WHERE THERE'S CAN ONLY BE 1 OR 2 OFFICERS KIND OF DOING WORK ON INTAKE? DOES THAT CREATE A CHALLENGE? AND IS THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE EXPANSIONS THERE THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR MULTIPLE OFFICERS TO DO CHECK IN OF EVIDENCE, BUT ALSO AT OUR JAIL? I KNOW THAT WE RECENTLY ADDED A FEW MORE COMPUTERS TO MAKE IT EASIER SO MULTIPLE OFFICERS CAN DO INTAKE.
TO ADDRESS THE PROPERTY ROOM FIRST. A NEW BUILDING OBVIOUSLY WOULD MAKE THINGS EASIER.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRULY ONE OF OUR STAFFING SLOWDOWNS, BUT IT CAN BE.
A CONSISTENT TIME DRAIN OF OUR OFFICERS IS AT THE JAIL.
IT'S NOT THEIR SPACING THAT'S THE PROBLEM. IT'S THE NUMBER OF STAFF THAT THEY HAVE.
SEEING OUR PRISONERS UNTIL THEY ARE BOOKED IN AND ARRAIGNED BY THE JUDGE.
THEY BELONG TO US. SO ONCE THEY GO TO AND THEY HAVE TO BE SEEN BY POLICY OR THE COUNTY'S POLICY, THEY HAVE TO BE SEEN BY A NURSE. BUT THEY HIRE SO MANY NURSES, THEY CONTRACT SO MANY NURSES FROM PARKLAND.
AND IF THEY MIGHT HAVE STAFF WITH FOUR NURSES, WHICH MIGHT BE FINE, MIGHT BE FINE, EXCEPT SOMETHING HAPPENS ON ONE OF THE OTHER TIERS AND THEY HAVE TO GO ADDRESS THAT WHICH, WHICH TAKES AWAY FROM OUR, OUR SIDE OF IT.
AND OUR OFFICERS CAN'T LEAVE OR CAN'T MOVE UNTIL THAT PRISONER IS PROCESSED ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
THAT IS ONE OF HANDS DOWN, ONE OF THE BIGGEST SLOWDOWNS.
AND IT'S NOT A SPACE THING OR AT LEAST ON DPD SIDE.
IT'S, IT'S MORE OF A PROCESS SIDE FROM THE COUNTY SIDE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
OKAY. THANK YOU CHIEF. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME AT MY TOWN HALL EARLIER THIS MONTH.
I KNOW THAT THIS DISCUSSION CAME UP. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I ADDRESSED MY CONCERN WITH WITH OVERTIME THERE, WE GOT TO KEEP IT WITHIN ARM'S REACH AND REALLY REDUCE THOSE HOURS.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTING THE TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
I KNOW THAT I THINK PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE AROUND THIS HORSESHOE WANTS TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS DOWN.
I KNOW THAT THE HELP OF TECHNOLOGY HELPS AS WELL.
BUT AS I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER STEWART SAID, TECHNOLOGY ALONE CANNOT REPLACE AN OFFICER.
SO WE STILL NEED BOTH OFFICERS AND TECHNOLOGY.
AND SO CITY MANAGER, I KNOW THAT YOU THAT YOU HEAR COUNCIL EVERY THIS CONVERSATION ALMOST EVERY BUDGET TIME AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REDUCING THAT TIME.
BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT MYSELF AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE CALLING ON YOU TO, TO SHOW UP.
THANK YOU, MAYOR. CHAIRWOMAN MENDELSOHN, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
[05:20:08]
THERE'S A DISCUSSION ABOUT SOFTWARE AND, AND MAKING THIS ELECTRONIC FOR STAFFING, BUT I'M JUST GOING TO SAY YOUR NEW SOFTWARE IS MS..AND PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE NEW SOFTWARE. YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK OUT IN WORKDAY.
AND WHEN WE PURCHASE WORKDAY FOR MANY, MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
THE QUESTION WAS ASKED SPECIFICALLY, WILL THIS WORK FOR DPD? AND THE ANSWER WAS YES. SO HOPEFULLY WE AREN'T GOING TO SEE ANY KIND OF CONTRACT FOR THAT.
MA'AM, MA'AM, WE USE WORKDAY IS OUR PAYROLL SYSTEM.
THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT USES WORKDAY. IT'S HOW WE RECORD OUR OVERTIME BEFORE IT GETS INTO WORKDAY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO AUTOMATE. OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE FIGURED THAT OUT.
YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. FOR DFR SLIDES 18 AND 19.
YOU'RE REALLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FLSA, WHICH IS A FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT, WHICH IS OVER TIME AND MANY OF US KNOW 40 HOURS AND THEN YOU GET OVERTIME, BUT THERE'S ACTUALLY A DIFFERENT CLAUSE FOR FIREFIGHTERS.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF COMPLICATED. AND I JUST WANT TO CALL IT OUT BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE SHOWING ON SLIDE 18, THAT 43.5% OF OVERTIME IS BECAUSE OF THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT.
IT SAYS IN A 28 DAY PERIOD, YOU CAN ONLY WORK 212 HOURS, BUT WE SCHEDULE OUR FIREFIGHTERS FOR 216.
CORRECT? YEAH. THAT'S CORRECT. SO EVERY FIREFIGHTER EVERY MONTH IS GETTING FOUR HOURS OF OVERTIME IF THEY JUST WORK THEIR NORMAL SCHEDULE, NOT IF THEY PICK UP A SHIFT FROM SOMEBODY BECAUSE THEY'RE OUT SICK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AUTOMATICALLY YOU HAVE TO HAVE OVERTIME BASED ON THE WAY YOU STAFF.
SO THERE SO IN IN THE REGULAR WORLD, YOU WORK 40 HOURS FOR YOUR SALARY AND ANYTHING OVER THAT'S OVERTIME. WELL, DUE TO THE NATURE OF A FIREFIGHTER'S SCHEDULE NATIONWIDE, THE LAW HAD CHANGED FOR THEM.
SO FOR THE SAME SALARY THEY WORK 54 HOURS A WEEK, BUT THEY'RE ONLY EXEMPT FOR 53. BUT THE NATURE OF THE SCHEDULE DICTATES 54.
SO THAT'S YEAH, THAT'S TWO HOURS OF PAY CHECK 3000 A YEAR FOR FIREFIGHTER PROBABLY ON AVERAGE. THEY THAT'S IT'S IT IS RECORDED AS OVER TIME, BUT IT'S NOT AN OPTION.
YOU'RE FULLY STAFFED NOW. YOU MIGHT EVEN BE SLIGHTLY OVERSTAFFED.
AND SO I LOOK AT THIS AND I SAY, THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST YOU CAN DO FOR OVERTIME.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S TRUE? DO YOU THINK THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT WHEN YOU'RE FULLY STAFFED AND YOU HAVE ALMOST HALF OF THE OVERTIME IS ACTUALLY JUST REQUIRED SCHEDULING? I MEAN, I WOULDN'T WE'RE DOING GOOD, BUT WHEN THERE'S ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
BUT WE I SUPPOSE CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, WE RUN A TIGHT SHIP.
WE KNOW HOW MANY IS COMING IN THAT DAY. IT'S NOT PERFECT DUE TO HOW WE GET REPORTS WE COULD MAKE, WE COULD IMPROVE IT A BIT, BUT WE'RE CLOSE.
AND FOR US TO REALLY NEUTRALIZE IT, IT'S GOING TO COST A LOT MORE MONEY BECAUSE WE'LL BE, WELL, OVERSTAFFED. AND THE ANSWER, LIKE WE SAID ABOUT OVERSTAFFED, WE'RE NOT.
WE'RE UNDER THE FTES. NOW, IF YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT WHAT'S IN THE FIELD, YOU COULD SAY WE'RE A BIT OVER, BUT I DON'T SEE IT THAT WAY BECAUSE IF THERE'S OVERTIME, HOW CAN WE BE OVER? SO THAT MADE ME LOOK AT THE STAFFING AND HOW MANY WE NEED, BECAUSE THE PROJECTION, OUR PROJECTION WAS A LITTLE BIT OFF. AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE MORE IN THE FIELD AND THERE'S STILL SOME OVERTIME, JUST TELLS ME THAT OUR STAFFING LEVEL WOULD NEED TO BE A BIT HIGHER TO BE OPTIMAL. WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT MINIMUM STAFFING, IS THAT BY THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT, IS THAT A CALCULATION OF THAT? IS THAT A CALCULATION BY APPARATUS IS A CALCULATION BY STATION.
HOW ARE. YOU DETERMINE THAT THE WHOLE THE WHOLE CITY WHICH HAS THE 58 ENGINES, 23 TRUCKS, LIKE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM STAFFED. IF AN APPARATUS GOES OUT, WE PUT AN APPARATUS IN.
[05:25:03]
WE DON'T WANT ANY LESS APPARATUS. AND THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE, THINGS HAPPEN, BUT WE'LL PUT THEM ON A SQUAD BECAUSE ANY VARIANCE, WE HAVE A GOOD STAFFING MODEL AND ANY VARIANCE FROM THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A CONSEQUENCE, AS YOU KNOW, ON RESPONSE TIME. AND SO WE DON'T WE DON'T COMPROMISE IT.WE DO WHATEVER WE CAN PUT THEM ON WHATEVER APPARATUS WE CAN TO NOT REDUCE THAT RESPONSE.
AND THAT RESPONSE CONSISTS OF THAT AMOUNT OF APPARATUS THAT HAS THE EXACT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE ON THAT IS SUPPOSED TO, WHICH AMOUNTS TO 464 PEOPLE A DAY, AND THAT'S THREE DAYS.
IF WE BUY MORE APPARATUS, DO WE NEED MORE OFFICERS? IF WE OPEN MORE STATIONS, DO WE NEED MORE OFFICERS? WHAT IS THE TRIGGER FOR MORE OFFICERS? I MEAN, IF WE HAD AN EXTRA STATION, NOT A REPLACEMENT, THEN AN EXTRA STATION, A MULTI-COMPANY STATION TO FILL, THAT WOULD REQUIRE US TO GET 36 MORE OFFICERS.
OKAY. I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD THINK ABOUT THAT AS A SIGNIFICANT COST.
AND EVERY TIME WE OPEN A STATION, WHAT THAT MEANS? SORRY, MISS MENDELSOHN, FOR THE SAME PRICE, WE CAN PUT IN TEN SINGLE FUNCTIONS.
JUST TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.
5% OF YOUR RUNS, RIGHT? YES. WAVE OF THE FUTURE INSTEAD OF A NEW AND ADDITIONAL.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE THE MED ONES TO 1010 FOR THE PRICE OF A STATION LIKE STAFFING WISE.
AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THEM ABSORBING MAYBE 70, 80 CALLS A SHIFT AS OPPOSED TO 14. YOUR DISPATCH OFFICERS ARE ON A REGULAR FIREFIGHTER SCHEDULE.
COULDN'T THEY GO TO A REGULAR SHIFT AND NOT HAVE OVERTIME? A REGULAR SHIFT WOULD NOT. IT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY TAKE AWAY OVERTIME BECAUSE TO REDUCE OVERTIME, TO HAVE NO OVERTIME, YOU'VE GOT TO BE WAY OVER STAFFED, WHICH IS GOING TO COST TOO MUCH.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO THE NEW CARD. WELL, WE TALK TO THEM AND THEY'RE REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HOW WE OPERATE BECAUSE OUR DISPATCHERS STAY AND EVERYWHERE ELSE IS A REVOLVING DOOR.
AND SO THEY LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE AND YEAH, MAYBE THEY COULD WORK EIGHT HOURS A DAY.
BUT PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF THE FACT THAT. ANSWERING THEM CALLS, WHICH IS REALLY STRESSFUL DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY IS HARDER ON THE STRESS THAN DOING THE 124 HOUR SHIFT.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT SO DOES, BUT I DON'T RUN DPD.
OKAY. MANY FIRE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY DO A SHIFT SCHEDULE INSTEAD OF A FIRE SCHEDULE.
THIS COULD BE A PLACE TO CUT. AND THAT'S THAT'S WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT.
AND THEY THEY DO THEIR LITTLE MANDATORY YEAR AND A HALF AND THEY LEAVE.
I'M JUST I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT NECESSARILY DOES IT.
WELL, IN THIS CASE, WE'RE PAYING PEOPLE TO SLEEP. MR. BAZALDUA RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU MAYOR.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF OPTIMISM. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.
AND IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING THAT WE GIVE YOU GUYS EVERY SINGLE FALL.
I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING CHANGE. AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE ELSE AROUND HERE CAN SAY THEY HAVE EITHER, SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT EVERYONE'S FORGOTTEN ABOUT, BUT Y'ALL TOLD US THE SAME THING TO EXPECT EVERY YEAR.
I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAYBE SEE SOME ACTION THIS YEAR.
REGARDING THE STRAINED BUDGET THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION I THINK THAT IT IS IT IS CRITICAL FOR YOU ALL TO TAKE THIS TASK AT HEART TO, TO REALIZE THAT YOU ALL ARE BEING GIVEN A BLANK CHECK.
THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF ACCOUNTABILITY OF ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT IN THIS ENTIRE CITY.
[05:30:04]
TO THAT, I'M CURIOUS MORE ABOUT THE DIGNITARY DETAIL SPECIFICALLY.WHAT DOES THOSE OFFICERS DO? WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN THEY ARE NOT ASSIGNED TO DETAIL? EXCUSE ME. SO THE DIGNITARY PROTECTION SQUAD IS PART OF OUR INTELLIGENCE DIVISION.
SO THEY'RE DETECTIVES. SO THAT'S NOT THEIR ONLY JOB.
AND THOSE WERE 1% OF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, RIGHT? WE SAID WE SAID PROTESTS. YEAH. I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER.
YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT. CORRECT ON THAT. I MEAN, IT'S FOR BEING 1%.
WE'VE HEARD THE WORD PROTEST COME UP A LOT TODAY.
I THINK IT'S IT'S KIND OF A MISNOMER, BUT I, I WOULD SAY THAT I'M CURIOUS ON THEY ARE DETECTIVES.
THEY DO OTHER WORK OUTSIDE OF DETAIL. WHAT ABOUT THE DETAIL HERE THAT'S ASSIGNED TO THE MAYOR OR THE CITY MANAGER? ARE YOU ASKING WHAT THEY DO OR WHAT ARE YOU ASKING OUTSIDE OF? I MEAN, WE HAVE SIX OF THEM RIGHT NOW HERE IN THE CHAMBERS WITH AN EMPTY CHAMBERS AND A FULLY STAFFED SECURITY DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE CITY. AND MEANWHILE, I'VE WATCHED DETAIL EXPENSES MORE THAN DOUBLE OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
I MEAN, THE MAYOR HAS ALWAYS HAD A PROTECTIVE DETAIL, SIR.
I MEAN, IT'S BEEN DOUBLED. OKAY. BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE IN AN ON DUTY CAPACITY RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE NOT IN AN OVERTIME CAPACITY. RIGHT NOW, THE MAYOR'S ALWAYS HAD A PROTECTIVE DETAIL.
I DIDN'T ASK IF A MAYOR NEEDS A DETAIL. THAT WASN'T EVEN A PART OF MY QUESTION.
SPECIFICALLY WITH OVERTIME. LET'S TALK ABOUT OVERTIME. YOU SAY THAT THEY'RE IN REGULAR CAPACITY. THE REPORT THAT I'VE GOTTEN FROM MARTIN AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOWS THAT RIGHT NOW, THE LAST YEAR THAT HE'S BEEN ABLE TO GIVE ME REPORTING, WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE THAN ALMOST $400,000 IN OVERTIME ALONE JUST FOR THE DETAIL.
PRETTY SURE THE PREVIOUS MAYOR WAS SAFE, TOO.
CAN YOU DISPUTE THAT? I WASN'T HERE AS A POLICE CHIEF.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANY ONE OF US HAVE HEARD OF ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE FORMER MAYOR. SO THE POINT THAT I'M MAKING IS THAT THESE PHILOSOPHICAL ANSWERS DON'T ANSWER MY QUESTION. IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EFFICIENCY EXERCISES AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, I WOULD LOVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE REASON FOR AN INCREASE IN CERTAIN RESOURCES SOURCE ALLOCATIONS.
MEANWHILE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO SEE THE INCREASE IN OVERTIME OR THE RESPONSE TIMES GOING THE OTHER DIRECTION FOR PRIORITY TWO, ETC. LIKE I'M WONDERING HOLISTICALLY WHEN WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AN AUDIT OF THE RESOURCES AND HOW WE ALLOCATE AND USE THEM, AND WHY WE'RE AFRAID TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS.
WELL, OUR RESPONSE TIMES ON PRIORITY TWO ARE DOWN 30% RIGHT NOW.
SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND WITH THE MAYOR'S DETAIL, WHEN I CAME IN AS THE CHIEF, I'VE LEFT THE MAYOR'S DETAIL EXACTLY HOW IT WAS BEFORE, AND THE MAYOR HAS BEEN SAFE BEFORE THEN, AND HE'S SAFE NOW.
IT'S NOT THE SAME. I CAN GIVE THE NUMBERS. THAT'S YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU FOR THIS ROUND. YOU HAVE ANOTHER CHAIRWOMAN STEWART.
YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU, MAYOR JOHNSON.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY I SEE IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY THAN MY COLLEAGUE.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO HOLD ON TO THOSE NUMBERS, BUT THEY WON'T STAY THE SAME WITHOUT PERSISTENT.
CONSISTENT FOCUS, BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE TEAM WE HAVE RIGHT NOW WILL CONTINUE THAT FOCUS.
SO ALL OF US ARE GOING TO MONITOR THIS AND PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.
BUT I HAVE ALL THE CONFIDENCE IN THE WORLD THAT THESE NUMBERS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.
AND I THINK I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR JOHNSON. MR. BAZALDUA RECOGNIZED FOR. WELL, HOLD ON ONE SECOND.
WE HAVE THE DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM FOR FIVE MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. YOU SAID PRIORITY TWO IS DOWN BY 30%.
G WHAT WAS IT AT PRIOR TO THAT? SO THE YEAR BEFORE WE WERE AT 94
[05:35:03]
MINUTES, 35 SECONDS. AND THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 66 MINUTES.AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME SOME COMMUNITIES, POSSIBLY PARTICULARLY THIS, BEFORE THAT STILL SAYS THAT THEY CALL THE POLICE AND THEY DON'T SHOW UP IN A TIMELY MANNER. BUT I'VE SEEN, I'VE SEEN YOUR RESPONSE TIME.
BETTER IS NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE. AND I'VE HEARD YOU SAY THAT SEVERAL TIMES.
MY COLLEAGUE SAYS MADE A STATEMENT. I'M GONNA PUT IT IN MY WORDS.
THAT'S IF YOUR JOB IS NOT AS IMPORTANT. AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
AND THE WORK THAT YOU DO IS TREMENDOUSLY NEEDED IN OUR CITY, ESPECIALLY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
I CAN'T THINK OF THE EXACT WORDS, BUT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I GRASPED FROM THAT COMMENT. AND SO AS, AS NO, YOU DIDN'T SAY IT WASN'T IMPORTANT, BUT THAT'S WHAT I GRASPED FROM THAT COMMENT.
BUT AS, AS OUR, MY OTHER COLLEAGUE SAID CHAIR STEWART I DO BELIEVE THAT IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS.
I DO BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THAT ARE BEING POINTED OUT RIGHT NOW IS IMPORTANT.
BUT I ALSO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I'VE SEEN WHERE WE WERE IN DISTRICT FOUR, AND I CAN JUST ONLY SPEAK FROM MY PARTICULAR DISTRICT. I'VE SEEN WHERE WE WERE SEEING IN DISTRICT FOUR, AND I'M SEEING THINGS CHANGE ON A, ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. SOME THINGS MAY NOT BE DRAMATICALLY, BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CHOPPING IT UP WHAT WE CALL BLOCK BY BLOCK.
AND YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR YOUR OPENNESS AND YOUR TRANSPARENCY WHEN WE SPEAK.
AND I ALSO APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY. ANYTIME I CALL YOU. SO I KNOW MY COMMUNITY HAS A LOT OF RESPONSE OR QUESTIONS CONCERNING SOME OF THE RESPONSES THEY'RE GETTING TODAY. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING ANOTHER COMMUNITY MEETING IN DISTRICT FOUR. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. MISS BLAIR. YOU RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
I THINK I JUST HAVE MAYBE ONE QUESTION. YOU GUYS ARE INCREASING THE USE OF YOUR DRONES FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. SO LET ME ASK THE QUESTION THIS WAY.
WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO DPD, WHEN YOU USE THE DRONES, THERE'S NOT.
AND SOMETIMES YOU FIND THERE'S NECESSARILY NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A POLICE CAR TO HAVE TO GO OUT.
CORRECT. CORRECT. SO OUR RESIDENTS DON'T NECESSARILY SEE A CAR AND THEY DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THE DRONE. BUT YOU PROVIDED THE SERVICE, CORRECT? YES, MA'AM. AND YOU DO IT IN A FASTER WAY BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
A CAR DOES NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO ROLL TO THAT THAT LOCATION.
CORRECT? CORRECT. AND IT ALLOWS THAT CAR TO GO TO ANOTHER CALL MUCH FASTER.
SO WHY WOULD WE NOT NEED MORE DRONES FOR BOTH POLICE AND FIRE? BECAUSE THE SAME OCCURS WITH FIRE. YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO SEND A FIRE TRUCK AND HOW MANY TRUCKS AND HOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED.
IF YOU SEND OUT A DRONE FIRST AND YOU KNOW, THE SEVERITY OF THE FIRE.
CORRECT. WE WANT TO DEFINITELY GET MORE DRONES SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO HELP FIRE BE BETTER TOO.
THANK YOU. MR. BAZALDUA, YOU RECOGNIZED FOR ONE MINUTE.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, AND IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE CONVERSATION FROM COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON THAT YOU MENTIONED BEING PROUD OF BRINGING DOWN 30%. I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANY PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT THERE'S ONLY ONE CATEGORY OF CALLS TO 911.
WHO'S GETTING A RESPONSE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S A BASIC SERVICE THAT IS EXPECTED FROM THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE.
THEY WANT COPS TO ANSWER WHEN THEY CALL. THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
YOU HAVE TO LITERALLY BE DYING OR IN A DIRE SITUATION TO SEE Y'ALL SHOW UP TO A CALL.
AND I DON'T HAVE THE SAME CONFIDENCE THAT MY COLLEAGUE JUST EXPRESSED.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. WELL, I'VE MADE IT EXTREMELY CLEAR THAT IT'S NOT WHERE I WANT IT TO BE, AND I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE OFFICERS OUT THERE THAT ARE SERVING YOU AND THE ENTIRE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO WITH ME BEING EXCITED ABOUT BEING. SIR, I DID NOT CUT YOU OFF.
I UNDERSTAND YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE. BUT YOU'RE CUTTING ME OFF.
I UNDERSTAND THIS IS MY TIME. GUYS, WE DON'T WE DON'T. WE DON'T DO THIS.
THE EXCHANGE THING. YOU HAVE ONE SECOND. OKAY.
DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TEM, YOU'RE RECOGNIZED FOR THREE MINUTES.
[05:40:03]
THANK YOU. WELL, I DO UNDERSTAND WHERE MY COLLEAGUE IS COMING FROM.THEY'RE NOT NOT GOING TO DENY THAT WE'VE HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
HOWEVER, IF WE'RE GOING TO BE HONEST WE HAVE TO SEE THAT THE DATA IS SHOWING THAT IT'S COMING DOWN.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD, THAT WE'VE HEARD YOU SAY PUBLICLY THAT I'VE HEARD YOU SAY IN A DISTRICT BOARD MEETING THAT THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE, BUT THIS IS WHERE YOU'RE GOING, AND THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE WORKING TOWARD.
NOW, MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD YOU. SO I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THAT.
THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT BECAUSE EVERY TIME THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT US IMPROVING BY 30%.
I'VE MADE IT EXTREMELY CLEAR THAT IT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE.
IT'S NOT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE, BUT WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE.
SO I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE OFFICERS FOR GETTING IT DOWN 30%, BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET.
AND THOSE ARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT MY COMMUNITY HAS HAD AS WELL.
AND YOU, YOU HAVE MADE A STRONG COMMITMENT THAT YOU WILL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
AND YOU, YOU NOT ONE TIME HAVE SAID THAT THE COMMUNITY IS NOT BEING HONEST.
YOU'VE NOT ONE TIME SAID THAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING THE TRUTH. YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THE SITUATION AND YOU'RE WORKING ON IT. AND SO I WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR AS WE'RE GOING FORWARD AND TRYING TO GET THINGS DONE, THAT THAT YOU'RE WORKING TO MAKE THIS THING RIGHT.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M SUPPORTING. I'M SUPPORTING BECAUSE I SEE THE NUMBERS COMING DOWN.
I SEE YOUR TRANSPARENCY AND I SEE YOU COMING TO THE COMMUNITY ANYTIME WE CALL YOU, SHOW UP.
SO I WANT TO APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS WITH THE 911 CALL, YOU HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT YOU'RE GOING TO WORK CONTINUOUSLY TO GET THOSE NUMBERS DOWN AND YOU MEET WITH ANY OF OUR COMMUNITY. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IS THAT CORRECT AS WELL? IT IS I.
ANYTIME YOU CALL, I'M COMING AND YOU DO CALL AT ALL HOURS.
AND I ALWAYS ANSWER, AND I DO MY VERY BEST TO RETURN THE CALLS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
NOW, YOU DIDN'T TELL HER ABOUT I CALL JUST SAYING.
I'M JUST SAYING I DON'T THINK YOU. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU DON'T SLEEP, BUT YOU DON'T.
YOU DON'T CARE WHAT TIME YOU CALL. BUT I DO MY BEST TO CALL BACK IMMEDIATELY.
THAT'S BECAUSE THIS FOLK CALLING ME ALL THE TIME TONIGHT. SO.
BUT I APPRECIATE YOU. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT'S ON RECORD. THANK YOU CHIEF. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, BUT I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE A COUPLE OF THINGS.
I THINK THE FIRST THING IS, IS THAT WE DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENTS THAT ARE BEING COMMUNICATED, EVERYTHING FROM LOOKING AT OUR STAFFING MODELS WITHIN DFR TO LOOKING AT RESPONSE TIMES TO THE ACCOUNTABILITY ACROSS BOTH DEPARTMENTS.
AND WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE'RE BEING FULLY TRANSPARENT WITH WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THE LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE IN BOTH CHIEF BALL AND IN CHIEF COMEAU.
AND AS WE WORK THROUGH A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE KNOW HAVE BEEN LONG TERM ISSUES, WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT MANY OF THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE WILL NOT RESOLVE OVERNIGHT, BUT WE'RE WILLING TO CONTINUE THE WORK.
THEY'RE COMMITTED, THEY'RE DEDICATED, AND I HAVE NO PROBLEMS BELIEVING THAT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON OPERATIONALLY ARE GOING TO BE DONE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE DONE AT THE SPEED OF BUSINESS.
I CANNOT TELL YOU ALL THE THINGS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE PAST, BUT WE DO UNDERSTAND.
WE UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER BAZALDUA.
WE UNDERSTAND THE SENTIMENT FROM COUNCILWOMAN AND THE CHAIR OF PUBLIC SAFETY, COUNCILWOMAN MENDELSOHN, ABOUT LOOKING AT OUR FIRE STAFFING STRUCTURE, AND WE DO UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO STOP AND THANK COUNCIL FOR MAKING THIS ALSO A PRIORITY, BUT ALSO GIVING US YOUR FEEDBACK, TELLING US THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT US TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE UPON.
WE RECEIVE IT AND WE'RE BETTER WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE.
SO MADAM CITY MANAGER, THAT IS THAT IT FOR YOUR BRIEFINGS FOR TODAY? YOUR PANEL. YOU ALL. YES, SIR. THAT'S IT FOR US TO GO NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, MADAM CITY SECRETARY, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. YOU DO HAVE A FEW OPEN MICROPHONE SPEAKERS.
[05:45:05]
WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE ROOM. FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN PERSON FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS, YOU WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE SESSION. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK FOR THOSE IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.YOU WILL NOTICE THE TIME ON THE MONITOR AT THE PODIUM.
YOUR TIME IS UP. PLEASE STOP FOR THOSE IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.
FOR THOSE VIRTUAL SPEAKERS, I WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
ALSO, SPEAKERS, PLEASE BE MINDFUL THAT DURING YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS, YOU ARE NOT TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BY NAME AND TO ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS TO MAYOR JOHNSON. ONLY FIRST SPEAKER VERONICA ARREDONDO.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU AND SEE YOU.
THAT TRANSLATES TO YOU ARE BELOVED MAYOR JOHNSON.
MY NAME IS VERONICA I LIVE IN COCKRELL HILL, TEXAS.
ON FRIDAY, JULY 31ST, MY HOME CAUGHT ON FIRE AND ALTHOUGH THERE WERE 11 FIREFIGHTERS THAT COULDN'T SAVE MY LITTLE SISTER, THAT WASN'T WHAT TRULY HURT. IT WAS HOW THE SIXTH FURTHEST DALLAS FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME TO THE RESCUE.
INSTEAD OF THE COPPER HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT, LESS THAN HALF A BLOCK DOWN THE STREET.
AND I CELEBRATED MY 33RD BIRTHDAY ON MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD.
AND MY CHOCTAW CULTURE WE PRAY TO THE SUN, WHICH IS PRONOUNCED THE SUN IS OUR CREATOR WHO BRINGS LIGHT. WE PRAY AS THE SUN RISES AND AS THE SUN SETS.
UNCONDITIONALLY WHILE PHYSICALLY BEING ULTIMATE PEST LIKE A WATER BUG.
AND SO NOW, INSTEAD OF BEING FEARFUL OF THEM, I ACCEPT THEIR CREATION ON EARTH.
AND WE RELATE IN THAT WE BOTH DON'T HAVE A SHELTER OF OUR OWN YET.
I WANT A BEAUTIFUL EARTH WITH CREATOR IN PEACE AND EVEN MORE WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
OUR LIFE IS SACRED. WATER IS LIFE THROUGH SONG WE PRAY.
THROUGH DANCE WE THINK OF OUR LOVED ONES. I PRAY FOR PEACE AND HARMONY.
I LEAVE YOU WITH MY CHOCTAW CHOCTAW LANGUAGE, WELL. THANK YOU. EMILY HONG, IS NOT PRESENT.
VERDE TAYLOR IS NOT PRESENT. THERE ARE NO FURTHER SPEAKERS.
MR. MAYOR, THIS CONCLUDES YOUR OPEN MICROPHONE SPEAKERS AS WELL.
AND I WILL CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.