Council meeting 2026-07-06

Agenda · Packet · YouTube · 4:05:24 long

Unreviewed automatic captions. Names are often wrong. Speakers are not identified. Check the video before quoting.

0:00a little bit when people we can debate and not fall out and so there will be some challenges but just remember we're here to do what's best for everyone.

0:10Thank you.

0:12And with that we do Oh, we are in we'll go ahead with

0:19the council. Okay. Uh we're recognizing any visitors that are here that would like [clears throat] Thank you for being here. Do we have any public comments?

0:31No public comments. Uh the approval of the minutes.

0:35Um mayor, um on the minutes

0:44[snorts]

0:47from the last um meeting, we'll have questions.

0:58Mayor and council, I move that we uh approve the regular session from June 15, 2026. I second.

1:06Okay. Are there any question?

1:08Yes, ma'am. Um on the last minutes that uh the last meeting that we had, um I'm

1:14asking that um we review the um last meeting because I believe

1:22Mr. [name] made a motion to um

1:43call a question.

1:47And um as I rec I recall and and just looking back at the my review of my review there was no second and I believe

1:55on when you call up on the question there must be a second. So I would ask you to review that. Um it's stating that

2:04um that uh Mr. [name] made the motion. U he second it but uh we just need to review that and see if it's a second.

2:19[clears throat]

2:20I just appreciate if you have any questions like that to bring it to our attention ahead of time that we sent it out quite early in advance so we can

2:27make corrections or be prepared to bring additional information back to council. If we prepared the minutes

2:36wrong, we can address that. Um, at this point, you're talking about something that we don't have time to to go and look back. I mean, it's up to council

2:44right now to decide if if Mr. [name] knows that he made a second to the Well, we have the video. We have the uh recording.

2:53We don't have the time to review it now.

2:55We can review it and you can bring it back to us at a later date. But that will be a council decision.

2:59Okay. If you'd like me to call you at 1:00 a.m. in the morning, that's fine.

3:02I would do that. So, but but uh but that's but that means that if that's the case that Well, we'll look at the correction at a late day because you can

3:11make a correction at any time. Is that right? Yes, ma'am. Okay.

3:14Okay. So, what do we have on the floor now? Do we have a mo we have a motion and a second

3:22and ready for the vote? All in favor? [snorts] Motion carries.

3:32All oppose. Okay. Post. I'm sorry. Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

3:39Okay. So, that brings us to the um This is the fiscal year 2027 budget workshop.

3:51Good morning, mayor and council, department heads, everyone here. Um, this is the first budget workshop of the year for fiscal year 2027.

4:04Um, this process starts during the spring as new rates and new

4:13numbers come forth from from all of our contract services and things that go on.

4:19Um, they they usually send us notice um during the over the last few months of different rate increases or changes um

4:28to service. Um, so we slowly build that together. insurance numbers, workers

4:35comp um numbers and tax rates and uh FICA and taxes for employees and things of that nature.

4:46What I I have the initial draft uh we finished it up this weekend and I have a

4:53copy of it in front of y'all for y'all to add that. Um it's separated by revenues and expenditures. The first

5:00four sheets will be the city's revenues and the last 13 sheets I believe are the city's um expenditures broken down by

5:09department. And so we have tabs in your binders to separate revenues and expenditures as we move forward. Even

5:17today, if I'll I'll be making notes and changes, research um and as updates are made to that

5:24worksheet that's called the basically you have a proposed line item all the way to the closer to the right um before

5:32you get to um your um here. Let me just open it. So I'm talking by looking at

5:39it. Um, you have your actuals for 2024, actuals for 2025, what we budgeted last

5:46year. I don't have actual because we're still in the middle of that fiscal year.

5:50And then we have proposed for [snorts] 2027.

5:54We have a difference [clears throat] to show to show this uh this proposed numbers over current

6:03budgeted numbers. So if there's increases and decreases, you can track those. And then there's a three-year average. Um, and then I have a a note

6:13section. So, if you want to jot some notes down in there, you can. And so, as we go through this budget workshop and

6:20as well as subsequent weeks and we make updates, I'll prepare the updated versions and

6:28you can swap it out for what you currently have in your budget books.

6:34Um

6:37[snorts]

6:38there's no there's no one way to do this, one right way to do it. Um, it's just like when you build your budget and

6:45you set your tax rate, uh, by law, you're required, uh, when we get to this in in August, our goal is to

6:53have, uh, council's prepared, uh, budget that they're ready to vote on and a

7:01prepared and be prepared to vote on a tax rate in August. And so, um, they both are will be at the same meeting,

7:09but they come in separate votes. So, our goal is to build a budget that council agrees with to be able to adopt a tax rate that will fund that budget because

7:17if you vote for the budget but don't vote for the tax rate, then we don't have a budget, you know.

7:22So, they both go hand in hand. Um um then the same in the same manner I

7:31have numbers before you um this morning but we don't have any of these uh

7:40capital requests or requests to increase any uh um expenditures.

7:48So, you know, if as we talk about certain items, those numbers are not built into this budget. The the the items that are built into this budget

7:57are current um employee costs, current budgeted costs. We do have a few um notes in there. Then I and I made some

8:05notes as we go down. So, if a department um we were able to realize some savings in one item, electricity rates are going

8:13down or uh you know, gasoline costs or or things of that nature. If there's any savings, then you'll see where

8:22some of those were pulled out of those departments to be able to fund other departments. And then in sometimes it was moved within that department. Uh for

8:30instance, like street department. Um and I'll explain that in a minute. We move some cost from employee cost and we put that in maintenance repair to streets.

8:40So we increase that line item instead of pulling all of those savings out of that department.

8:45So, [clears throat] we'll go through that. But just for reference sake, the budget that you have in front of you is a draft budget. We still have some

8:53outstanding numbers that are not in yet in both revenues and expenditures. Some that we're still expecting and we're waiting on numbers prop, you know,

9:02proposed numbers for this next year. Um, but this is like the information as we have it. Now then we move forward into

9:10um what I would like to do at this time is go into our capital requests. These are the capital requests will be either

9:18increases um to um year-over-year [snorts] expenses and normally those are increase those

9:26increases are um labor costs. So if we're talking about any kind of a colo or anything that'll be year-over-year.

9:34So, we'll have to find the money in revenue this year to be able to support it this year, this coming year, and the following years.

9:43One-time expenses, one-time expenses to c like capital requests. Hey, I want to buy one vehicle or I want to buy a new

9:51pump. That's a one-time expense, not year-over-year. Then we will spend that we will as council approves it, we will

9:57spend that at uh cost out of either fund balance or revenues that we do have that we're able to realize. Um you know, hey,

10:06we'll approve that, but we're going to have to reduce this number over here to to pay for it. And it'll be a one-time capital request approval.

10:14Um, so I know that right now as we go into our capital requests, um, as I have it

10:22and you have it in your, um, revenue worksheets, the very first sheet up at the top, I have a running tally, um,

10:31on the revenue at the very very top on the right.

10:36As our draft budget has been put together, the initial draft budget, we have a revenue, we have a surplus basically of 71,000.

10:44Those can be applied towards any of these requests. Um, and we have, you know, utilities is right now is pretty

10:51flat. Um, I don't have a lot of revenues um to approve for any projects as it comes to uh our water and sewer. And

11:00that the water and sewer is the utility utility portion. Um the rest of every every other department falls under general our our general fund.

11:13Um the taxes that are built into this budget is um as of this year uh we've

11:21received u estimates from our uh appraisal district.

11:28The estimates are uh for our our values have increased by about 3 million. So 4

11:38uh 23 uh million valuation to a little over 425

11:47million valuation. So, in comparison to years prior, this is probably one of the flatter years when they adopted that

11:56initial increase in the 2020 era, a lot of those were pushed out over a 5-year increase. So, if they reappraised a

12:04house or something and, you know, 5 years ago, they weren't all able to be hit they weren't able to hit the books all that same year. So, they spread them

12:13over they had to they were required to spread them over five years. a lot of those reassessments have played out now and now we're back stabilized.

12:22Um we [clears throat] don't have a lot of revenue uh coming from, you know, new new property values. Um so that that

12:31that $77,000 difference that you see there, that's what's allowed by the state and that's the voter approval rate. So this is based on a voter

12:39[snorts] approval rate. Anything over this triggers um the opportunity for the public to put a petition together to

12:48push it back to the voter approval rate to bring it back down.

12:53Um and anything less than that is less than the voter approval rate. Um and this is based on estimates. So as the

13:00certified values come in, we will have the the the exact certified values built into that

13:09at this time. Depending on how council wishes to proceed, we're going to be a little flexible if council wants to talk about an item and and and things we can

13:18stop at any point during [snorts] this, but this is usually the best time where we talk about our capital requests. Um the needs for departments

13:27over and above this current year's uh budgeted um you know, revenues and expenditures that we have.

13:37Is that okay with y'all? Sure. Yes. Okay.

13:47You mind turning the air conditioner down?

13:52One of you. Are y'all a little Is it feels a little warm? Or maybe it's just me.

14:03We need some mini.

14:05No, I can't see anything. It could be though just what we're doing.

14:12Okay, so I do apologize. This TV is not coming.

14:16Uh when we turned it on this morning, it has lines all the way through it. Like the LEDs went out on us.

14:23I don't know. Yeah, maybe. I don't know.

14:28Um, so here's here's the needs um for our

14:35public works our public works department or how do y'all uh [name] or y'all want to who who wants to go first? I don't

14:44mind do y'all want to do that or volunte

14:57That's a good idea, too. [name] is on on the truck today.

15:03[laughter]

15:06My capital request is for $20,000 to purchase a new hose. This hose that I need to replace, I'm trying to get ahead

15:14of the game. Every year we get it tested annually and some of it some of the hose we got long pass is still good. So, but

15:22this last year in the host test, some of the stuff started, you know, passing the hose test. So I like to keep it, you

15:29know, where we got some reserve on our hose. So when we go

15:37fight a fire, when we get back, we got to wash a day and a half. So that little surplus

15:44to the side so we can put the dry clean back. And the price of the hoses has went up dramatically in the last 10

15:52years. Just like the 5 in that we we laid from the 5 in to the fire truck.

15:58Those used to be about $800 for 100 foot section. Now they're $1,500 section and

16:04we got 10 section on that way we can keep it rotated out.

16:14So my request is for $20. We purchased 10 sections of 50 foot

16:22sections of 10 section two and a half and then five section 5 in.

16:41And how many hoses did you say are you currently have?

16:44Right now we we got a all the trucks got keep a little surplus to the side. So when we go fire we got to come back

16:52clean all the dry air dry.

16:57So over the last couple years our hosting we'll have section two.

17:05So I'm just trying to keep that surplus

17:09[clears throat]

17:10clean.

17:13So you you say I'm just I'm just asking because I'm just from for my knowledge or for knowledge. Um so how many what's the surplus? What what you have surplus?

17:23You have some now.

17:25We have some now but that host our host coming up in August and we're seeing some of those die out also.

17:33Okay.

17:34So we're going to probably be short probably at least four or five sections of different sizes. So that's why I'm just trying to get ahead of the game.

17:43really got to have it now

17:51that um a lot of money you put a fire

17:59right only thing uh I mean I don't I don't have a problem with it or anything like that but only thing I'm just asking

18:07because I've been looking at all of the budgets from all of the departments And uh what I'm what I'm not seeing uh and

18:15this doesn't just say you know on your for you but what I'm not seeing I'm not seeing um

18:24um the u inventory. I don't see your expenses of

18:31itemized expenses of what you're actually spending the money on. So, but I'm at the point to where if you have

18:38this in your budget in your budget, I I don't have an issue with it, but I'm asking that um if y'all would supply the

18:47departments would supply me with, you know, your spending because that way I could go back and and see what your

18:55actual need is for your department. So, what you're spending your budgeted money on, um receipts, things such as that.

19:04That's in our new system. Okay.

19:08It's it's we've handed it to you. It's and it's in front of you now. We also have a budget with the line items. The

19:15problem is we buy something, right?

19:24You never know. We keep everything in tip top shape, but you never know when something's going to break or anything like that.

19:32This is where the biggest thing is I We need to catch back up before we get way behind.

19:37Yes, sir. I I mean I you get when you buy a little more bulk discount and if I say buy one section

19:44here, I buy one section there, then the freight sh like this, we should be good for next I

19:52think the last time we actually made a big purchase of about 8 to 10 years ago.

19:56Yeah. Okay. I'm just I'm just saying that I don't see uh just looking over all of the departments, I'm not seeing

20:04where we're having where we're getting itemized list of things that you're you're spending, you know, your monies

20:11on so we can see. So I I'll give it with [name] on that so we can see on that system. Yes, sir.

20:19Yes, sir. But I was just making you aware and making [name] aware why you're here.

20:24So, Chief, we um we have we have hoses right now on each truck to keep them in service. Correct.

20:34One truck must wait a couple days for that to dry. Yeah. Yeah.

20:40Understand that. Okay.

20:46So, so um count even counting our our newest truck, we have it in service as far as service.

20:55Uh stuff. Okay.

20:59We have enough of those right now. We're running good.

21:03That's what

21:11Yes. So, so that's what I that's that's what I was thinking um

21:19like moving forward for each you know for each truck to have that hose to you

21:24know be be backup be supply cuz and you know I know no just going out on a fire or anything or having you know the

21:33public run over the hose grass fires the the hose is getting burnt out or anything or us ourselves running over

21:40the hose. So, um, yeah, I do understand the need.

21:45And normally, you know, somebody Yeah.

21:50for that judge, you know, that's $1,500, I think,

22:02and you said, um, the the hose that were coming up for inspection, do you know the date exactly?

22:10around August, September usually sets up. Yeah.

22:18Just let us know. Okay.

22:27Great. Great.

22:35Yeah. I, as a matter of fact, I mean, I'm I'm at the point to where if if y'all have it in your y'all's budget, uh, at this time, it's not in our budget, right?

22:45All the capital requests that we're asking for today, y'all have. So, like a couple weeks ago when I gave you the

22:52activity reports, that shows what we've spent to date, each each month, each department, it shows a breakdown of all

22:59expenditures in that report we give. The one that I gave you today shows in y'all's revenues and expenditures. It

23:07shows his department and there's no line item for purchasing hose. So, if y'all were to approve it, then we would add it to his budget. That's why we're asking

23:15him for it today in a in the form of a capital request because it's not in the budget. We don't have money for like five hoses and we're asking for 20.

23:24There's there's not really money in the budget for purchasing new hose cuz that's hose will last 5 to 10 years. So

23:31it's not so it's not money in the in [clears throat] the in his budget. I mean the money in the city budget overall. I mean what I'm saying is that

23:39whatever you budgeted for if you have the funds in that in that budget if we had the extra 20,000 in there I would even be here.

23:47Okay. Okay.

23:48We're running such a tight budget. Yes sir.

23:50There's no room for I understand that to really allow Yes, sir. Well, that's where I'm at is that if if you you know if you had it in

23:58your budget to actually purchase right now you're asking.

24:01Yeah. Yeah. And right now I don't I I mean I'm just looking and reviewing everything that I see. I I really don't see um That's right.

24:10the monies in the budget right now there. I mean city budget. So that's that's where I'm I'm at. I'm okay

24:18with it. But uh if we have the monies to actually purchase that out of the city budget, I can see that moving forward.

24:26So, Chief, how many fires can you go to before you get caught in a band or get in a bind?

24:31If we get two structure fires, which we have, I'm be pretty limited on those

24:39short hose because like when we go fight a fire, there's two there's two lines that got to be dropped. That's that's

24:46400 ft of hose that we drop automatically. We got to firefight on you have a hose. So 400T just on a basic

24:56house fire about anywhere from the six section 5 on the ground to the truck. And just like

25:06that big fire, we have all our truck that we get back.

25:14We got Got to clean all. Yes, sir.

25:23Pretty much stretch. It's time to get some surplus.

25:27I say surplus. It's not like you being rotated. It's rotated off.

25:31No, no, I'm tracking. So, you get a couple structure fires, you could be in a bond or you get one like you had out there on the South Loop. You're in the same bond. So, let me ask you a

25:39question. You know, I understand where where they're, you know, the budget's tight. I mean, we're we're trying to pinch and I understand having a surplus,

25:46but I mean, my thing is is I mean, fires happen very quick. I applaud y'all. That's not something I'm not going to be a fireman.

25:56Thank you for doing what you do. But, I mean, you know, we got to have we got to have hoses. You got to have water to put on

26:03the fire. So, my question would be is if and I understand this is for a so surplus and and you know, 20,000 is a lot of money. If we if we if we cut them

26:12to five and five and then three on your five inch, would that keep you where you're at? Oh, yeah, for sure.

26:21We need to be moving forward, not backward. So, any like I said, I just put a I know that would put us in a good way. Half of that would be great.

26:31With that with that being said, chief, um is there um like a out of the supply and attack? Um is there one of those that you're more detrimental to?

26:42Uh probably we could probably get away with not but we definitely need Okay.

26:54more more so on the tin. Okay.

27:00So, you can you come back with us and estimate Yeah, we can cut that in half

27:08and the 5 in is the biggest we're good right now in

27:17of course. [clears throat] So, Chief, are any of your hoses defective?

27:21detected we get rid of anything safety

27:29come in the city [snorts] if the firefighter get injured or killed.

27:36So as soon as we take it out,

27:45so if we got you 52 and a half and 51 and 3/4, what what what how much money are we looking at? Do you know off top of your head?

27:568,900. 89. 8 to nine. Yes, sir.

28:04You say five. What you say, Mr. D? Um, five for under number one, five foot, the inch and three/4ers.

28:10Five of those and five of the two and and a half because I've seen enough movies I'm I'm sure uh them firemen want that water that them

28:19hoses to be on top of them when they're inside those structure fires. Yeah, absolutely.

28:29And you say what's what would be the cost? approximately.

28:38So you're I mean the conclusion is that basically that you could do what you needed to do if you had the two I mean

28:47five of those two put us in good shape after that next

29:01And that's how we get it to last 10 years.

29:06And then it's always better to get on a rotation schedule than try to replace everything at the same time. So right now we're projecting about 9 9,000 8 to 9.

29:16So you can bring So but you can get us the exact cost. Yeah.

29:23[snorts]

29:29Okay. Any more? Thank you so much. Thank you, Chief.

29:46All right. I guess we'll uh [name], you you said you want to go. Um

29:52let's see here. So, under public works, I'll I'll present.

29:58[name]'s also here. If y'all have questions, um I don't I have the the capital outlay in front of you. Um and I'll probably need to call on them

30:07during this process cuz that where you have to know the street.

30:11Yes, ma'am. I'm under streets

30:14[clears throat]

30:15and so the cost of trucks have continually gone up as the new new trucks have gone up.

30:23We have seen some better used to be that used trucks were almost exp as the same price as new trucks but in the last few

30:31years the used market has improved and we haven't done it in quite a while but you know I would I would recommend it

30:39but potentially as we replace uh vehicles buying new new trucks just I don't feel like it's affordable the

30:47warrant by the time the warranty is out you know that normally you would buy it because of the warranty and the additional benefits but paying double

30:55what a used truck costs. Even these single bed or single cab uh half ton trucks, they're over $50,000

31:03for the just a a plain work truck. And so, uh, we were looking at a couple of our

31:10trucks, um, and I have it. If you go to the street, um, street department, if you go there, one

31:19of our trucks that I'd like to replace, it had it's a 2002 with 201,000 miles,

31:28and I'd like to replace that with a uh a crew cab truck. Um there's currently a truck in the streets department that

31:35would would continue uh being able to service the parks department. Uh the street department really needs a four a

31:42four-door crew cab um to where we're not taking multiple trucks to the job site.

31:48We could get we could do better. U we do have an extended cab right now that we're running four and five guys deep inside inside one of the extended cabs.

31:57And so it's pretty tight. you know, we all have full grown men trying to fit in that extended cab. So, so

32:05we looked at the we, you know, we looked at the market and there's definitely some good vehicles out there in the 30 $35,000 range. We could reach out to Cut

32:14Shaw and several people and ask them as good tradeins come in for trucks that are just, you know, two or three, four

32:20years old with low mileage. I would think that that would do, you know, do really well.

32:27So, M. So, at this point, it looks like that we're purchasing the truck just to get back and forth to the job site.

32:36Yes. To work with uh put to pull equipment, pull trailers and to move our men because

32:44they I mean, we can't do jobs without getting our men to the job site.

32:48Well, so how many vehicles do we already have currently amongst all of we have vehicles across all departments, but this vehicle here

32:56that's currently being used um it's it's not running. We're putting a lot of maintenance and repair and expenses in it.

33:07So like that one.

33:09No, I just even in terms of transportation when you send one half there and then you bring the other half there and get the job You have a lot of

33:18downtime. I think if just from playing and just being on site, if you can get everybody there, you'll cut out a lot of down time because some of the time you

33:26drive by, you say, "What you doing?" They waiting for the rest of them, waiting for the other equipment. But you you almost need somebody to move so that

33:33you can get an instruction at one time and follow through.

33:36So, and I just know that, you know, if you making multiple trips just to get people in, he probably Oh, yeah.

33:44Yes, ma'am. I just have to say one of the vehicles that we're talking about uh shipping to another department is really

33:51not equipped for what we do for it's a half ton with a V6 engine and we as that

34:00truck

34:13that's why that truck sufficiently enough. Yeah.

34:16So [clears throat] along with that and if anybody have seen my street group lately, they all full grown men and it's

34:24hard. Well, I can't get people in the back seat because they can't fit in the back seat.

34:31So therefore, we have to take two bills to the job site. Sometimes one

34:39that the too light will be heavy enough that we can use it for other things like pull

34:47our little asphalt trailer have all our signs on it. So it's it's going to be a truck that's going to be equipped to do the job and it's going to

34:56cut one out of service that we want to use as much. It's not that's really not equipped to do the job.

35:03Yeah. With with that [clears throat] with that with that being said, but that's what um my question is so your so

35:12far as your inventory on vehicles, what is your so I don't have any of two vehicles. Two two trucks. Two vehicles.

35:19Okay. And none of them can I have one single cap and then I got a extended cap.

35:25Okay. Okay. And that none of them can actually hold the trailers or anything like that where it's not going to stand up to that much longer.

35:36Yeah.

35:37So, moving forward, we need we need we need to focus on work works. Crew cabs. I'm sorry. Crew cabs.

35:45My guys wants one truck.

35:50But if it wants two trucks to get there, of course, we're going to use two trucks. But in most cases, we can get out there in one truck. Now, we can't we have to carry two trucks.

36:01So, I'm just I'm just trying to weigh this because I don't want to do a screen trip cuz I'm trying. So, far as getting from point A to point B from and taking your crew to the job site.

36:13So, is it necessary? Is it definitely necessary that you need a crew cab truck

36:20that you're asking for to get cuz you how many employees you have? Four employees. Four employees.

36:26Everybody in that crew just about 240 days.

36:29So, but is there a problem with taking two trucks instead of one? How far is your What I'm asking is where do we have

36:37far as job sites? We our distance or locations for our job sites is right here in the city. So, we don't have a

36:45lot of distance to go to where we can't bring two trucks versus crew versus crew and uh utilities

36:54as well. Um we're looking at we're looking at um the uh transportation of that as well. So, you're looking at trailers. What is the longest trailer that we have?

37:04The longest? Yes, sir.

37:06Right now, we have a 20 foot low trailer that we have to pull. Sometimes we have to put a piece of equipment on it. Yes, sir.

37:13or the new steel wheel. Yes, sir. Something of that nature.

37:17Next next question is what is the tonnage or weight that we're usually carrying on on equipment?

37:25Any equipment? I cannot use the board. Understand?

37:28Any equip any kind of equipment is too much. Yes, sir.

37:34With the pool pot, the little small pot that we use. Yes, sir. Straighten up pretty good.

37:39Yes, sir. So, this is kind of it's kind of like I was saying before, you can make two trips, but you lose time.

37:46You lose time because when you do it, you're losing hourly weight. So, you're not only affecting what you're doing with the job, you're talking, they going to shoot

37:55the breeze to the other one come and then and then you really can't get together till you tell the crew how to move smoothly. But if you if you leave

38:04and everybody comes [clears throat] at the same time they get off they're given their designated job. You're cutting hours out of works force. I mean just

38:14everything still right here. If you make two trips you don't get lost.

38:18You're not going to do anything to everybody. So go ahead.

38:23If you if you if you can't pull the heavy stuff with the trailer, how are you getting it there now?

38:29Then either we'll borrow something from another department or we do have a 3/4 ton seal cap pick up sometime we have to

38:38use to do that but according to sometime the way scheduling happens I may have one person doing or two people doing

38:46something on the other side and the other two on the opposite side and before we finish that job we've got another call then they have to regroup

38:54again and then just so you're You're I mean you're having I mean you're having to put another department out of their truck while you're using it to do whatever you need every now and then.

39:04And so a 3/4 ton truck I mean it would get your crew there. I mean if you got a Ford a superduty there's nothing that

39:12you're not going to be able to haul. Are we ask are you I mean are you wanting a gas or diesel? I diesel.

39:19Prefer diesel but at this point I'm taking you take whatever. Okay. I'm just Hey, this is Santa Claus wish list. Tell me what you want. You know what I'm saying?

39:27It would be it would be a diesel truck. Okay.

39:29That way all the fleet would be one one type of of And I'm guessing

39:36And I'm guessing you use these to I mean not only streets but like you haul mowers and stuff too. Is that is that part of the same group?

39:42We haul more sometimes sometime we have to haul equipment to different shops and and that when that happens we'll use

39:50that trailer and load it up and haul it to where we need to haul it instead of having and then cost more money.

39:59Yeah.

40:01And so what are you hauling your goose neck?

40:03What are you hauling your uh your goose neck trailer? What are you pulling your goose? But it's in the water. Mhm.

40:10That's what they that's what they haul their their equipment every day. Okay.

40:14But if we get a haul equipment to the shop somewhere, then we'll we'll make [clears throat] a

40:22course and then we'll do a flip where we can something else.

40:30So, how many trucks do you have? I have two.

40:34And thank you for claring that clarifying that for me because that was going to be my next question about the the gooseeneck trailer cuz I figured like on that truck I figured Yeah.

40:42You're not going to have a gooseeneck on that and you're going to be bumper pulling everything and that's transmission tear right there.

40:49This is the one that we would be replacing. Yeah. Yeah.

40:52So, well, not just that though. We have two trucks and the one you're driving.

40:58So, could we not put a gooseeneck hitch in the back of the truck that you're driving? Is it a V6 as well? Already for. All right.

41:05So, we already have We have We're not asking for anything. So, we already have an item.

41:09We're not We're not asking for gooseneck trucks or or heavy duty trucks. We're asking for pre cab to replace this little half ton.

41:16We have We have And that's just to get you from point A to point B and the whole crew to go together. and you only have four people

41:23in the group and you can't take two vehicles just in case one have to leave and go to another point.

41:30Please understand, we're okay. We can bring four or five vehicles. That's not the question.

41:35The question is, we have a 2002 truck with 201,000 miles that we're trying to get out of our fleet that's

41:44continually broken down and it does not run and we really That's one in the parks department. By buying this in the

41:51streets department, we can bring one of those older trucks that we currently use in the streets department, give it to our parks department so they have a

41:58running vehicle. We're not asking in best case scenario, we would ask for a brand new truck for the parks department. We buy a brand new truck for

42:05them to pick up trash cans and and empty stuff and haul their mowers around. But we're trying to find the best. We're

42:12buying a used truck for the streets department so we can give one of their old used trucks to the parks department so we can continue running. And so we're

42:21not asking for 3/4 tons or diesels or gooseenecks and because we do have those equipment, you know, the trucks.

42:28We would like probably one more, but we're doing with what we have that we're asking for. So, how many vehicles does the parks department have?

42:36Two.

42:39So, they have two. So, we're going to give [clears throat] going to give them one of theirs.

42:44So, we can So, we can get rid of this one. 200,000. Yes, ma'am.

42:49So, we have two guys with two trucks and they work both the they work two parks, two separate parks and they work the downtown square.

42:59two guys with their vehicles picking up trash, emptying trash cans around the whole square, sweeping, blowing,

43:07picking up broken limbs, doing all the things that they do. They have two guys with two trucks. One of them is driving a 2002 with 200,000 mi

43:14plus. And that's what we're trying to get rid of.

43:17And that's the one that's had all the time.

43:22It's continually broken down. we're having to let him team up with somebody else, but we're not using our manpower correctly or giving them another truck

43:31with another company, another department that should be using their own truck, that kind of thing.

43:36Um, in reality, the parts.

43:46Yeah. So, you're recycling.

43:49Yeah. So, so the parts department only had two trucks as well.

43:59Um, are are y'all good?

44:03This is this is going to be a pretty lengthy meet um workshop if we're I wanted to present these needs and if there's I I guess we better just

44:12to regroup if there's additional requests or or information like this then I can research those and get them back to council you know.

44:23Okay.

44:23If you get those responses back to council otherwise we're going to be well past noon because we're Wasn't this going to be more or less like an introductory Yeah.

44:31Meeting introductory and basically some categoriza categorizing from council saying like council just talked about if y'all

44:40want to you know if we can get through the adjustments really quickly like with the fire department.

44:46Hey right now let's look at about half of that the hose that you requested.

44:50Okay. That's enough that that decision is to regroup close to being done other than just some last minute numbers. a council based on y'all's decision that 8,000 is 8600.

45:02We're not solving everything. So that kind of got that decision done.

45:06Moving forward with this some of these questions um like I'm presenting the needs to council right now after we're done.

45:14What y'all might consider a number one priority y'all might say, you know what, run that beater for that 200,000 mile truck another year because this one

45:24over, you know, supersedes that need. I'm trying to present the needs to you quickly so we can get through this

45:31meeting and then the ones the council says look let's look at one of those vehicles that you asked for and let's look this and this then I'll come back with some solid numbers and how it impacts the budget if that's okay.

45:42Yeah.

45:43Sounds like a reason I mean that way. So like there you would say y'all need a four that it needs to be replaced.

45:52And then then now we that's the that's the goal is to recycle that truck, get the oldest truck out of the system. Um as we come

46:00back, I'm not asking for a yes or no answer necessarily right now. If that's okay. That's fine.

46:06Okay, that's I think that's what I was that we trying to make it solid now.

46:12No, that's we're not find filling out all the details. So, um, the next truck, the oldest truck that we have in the in the in the fleet,

46:21um, is another 2002 Ford and it has 253,000 mi. This is the mechanic shops truck.

46:29Um, different and it's it luckily it's in the mechanic shop, so they're continue, but we're putting money in it,000 and

46:37um, that truck has really outspent its useful, right? I would think so.

46:40We have some transmission problems. We have problems with that truck. What I would like to do is purchase another um

46:47used truck, a single cab long bed truck for them that we can put one of the Tommy gates on and we can use that for

46:56the mechanic's truck. And so in the neighborhood of 30 $35,000, I did request for $35,000.

47:03These right here would not be needs that we would go out and purchase immediately. I would put plugs in with local dealerships as they get really

47:10good tradeins and we can really get a good price. then we'll be ready to move on it then. Um

47:17that's [snorts] so that's the truck for the uh mechanic shop.

47:22The next um well on these two inside right now I mean just right now me speaking

47:30[clears throat]

47:31I'm not uh just looking at the budget like I was needing a u in u itemized

47:39[snorts]

47:40uh expense for each department. I like that. You have that?

47:44No, I gave you an activity report.

47:45No, it's No, it's all in in all all in one. No, that's per department.

47:50Yeah, it's per department, but it does not give me an itemized expense report for what that department is spending. Yes, it does.

47:58Nor does it give me [snorts] what they're spending it on. Yes, sir. It does.

48:03So, the mechanic shop has how many trucks? One truck.

48:11Okay.

48:13Um, next is a padoot steel roller for the street department. One of uh the two

48:20the the next two items are probably the two biggest items that we run into the need for that we don't have here. I'll talked about this.

48:31Um, so this is a what a pad foot roller looks like. Um on the screen we have a smooth

48:40drum roller that is just like this but it does not compact the road base like a pad foot roller for proper road

48:47construction. We continue coming back to we really need this. This last few streets that we've done in road in road

48:54reconstruction. We've rented one of these units and um those run about $3,000 a year. I mean a a year a month.

49:05It was a 30. Was it 3500? I think 3 to 3500 depending on United or CAD or whoever we rent it from.

49:14Um at 3500 per month per year. What is that?

49:19No, per month. Per month. Um I would like to see if we could find um

49:26a good pad foot roller, a good used pad foot roller. The other one that we have is a 2016 model um smooth drum roller.

49:35been a really good piece of equipment.

49:37We would like to find one that as CAT CAD or United rotates out their rental fleet that we we buy up a good rental

49:45from them because they've been serviced pretty well. Um, this one here, I think the the cost benefit

49:55for this one here is less than the cost benefit for the next page, which is a rope broom. We really need a rope broom.

50:03Um, that one's $2,500 a month that we've we've now had to rent one for going on

50:10four months. That's about $10,000 for a a road.

50:15And so for street construction for us to be able to after we do our our reconstruction, we go in there and we have to broom it off between layers of

50:24as of the oil t coat, you know, and the chip rock and then sweep the the loose rock off before we put the other. We

50:32have to get a way to clean these streets up as we're doing the road construction.

50:36This one here um will really rack up a um a cost benefit that can be

50:44justified to go out and find a good used one. So, we're not renting this uh these uh a street room.

50:50A used one's $40,000 I found. So, for one of this size of like the one we're renting is right at 40,000. They're about 80,000 new.

51:00Um for they have some smaller ones and some were and as we get older with more hours on them they get a little bit cheaper.

51:10So it kind of depends on what kind of risk you want to take on. You know we have good mechanics but we don't want to

51:16buy one that has six you know to 10,000 hours on because a lot of the rentals will be at their end of their life when

51:24we buy them. So 30 to $40,000 we can find a pretty decent unit. So, how many months at the year are we renting these

51:33this year? I can rent it physically. I can rent every month because the way I work and need it. Yeah.

51:39And need it. Because you can do much more than just sweeping, cleaning the street, getting

51:46ready for for road work. If you get, let's say, you get somebody that loses a load of glass or whatever.

51:54If you had a group that you We were dealing with one in um

52:02one side of the road and then get a whole lot quicker. So it has utilization.

52:07I guess what I'm really asking is that I'm really asking is are we paying $2,000 for rentals every month? Yes.

52:16Which is sometimes about at least during road construction months. I would say easily eight months out of the year is a good estimate of

52:25what we as we're doing road construction. You know, I wouldn't say I say during the winter, early spring, maybe not. We can

52:33we can back off on the rent, but we're probably spending anywhere from 12 to $16,000 a year in in rental uh costs for this for this broom.

52:44Okay. So So we had a history of that of the cost for that. We started we were renting it this year yesterday.

52:50So So let me ask you a question. I didn't mean to interrupt you. Go ahead.

52:53So my question is is so the 40,000 that's outright. So if we and I know I know you I'm probably going to open a can of worms, but if we finance it

53:02through a company that we buy, it can't be more than $2,000 a month, right?

53:07Instead of paying $40,000 out, right? If that expenditure is already out there and if we can get it for $1,000 a month

53:14as a financed, we we buy and we finance it and we're paying $1,000 a month and we're already paying 2,000 for eight

53:22months. I mean, that money's already we've already allocated that, right? I mean, is that an option?

53:27Yeah, it is an option um to to lease it or finance most of those the companies that would finance it to you would be um

53:35for new units. I don't know how, you know, they might do some in-house financing with some higher interest rates, like a good used unit, but it

53:44would might be more than the 30 or $40,000 range for a good unit that they would finance over, say, four or five years.

53:52But is it an option is my question. It's definitely an option. Yes, sir.

53:56It's definitely an option. Um, the key the key to to to either either you want us to try to do the best

54:03quality work and in operations or we sell it and then hold us accountable for being done right.

54:13Understood.

54:14And these are the two pieces of equipment that we have here now are two pieces of equipment that is essential to

54:21us providing a quality street after we put which is probably around $6,200 a load

54:30for. So if we were to keep trying like in the past we were we were trying to

54:38get it in on the flat wheel because that's all we had. So then it's more labor intense because you have put in

54:44lifts like 3 lifts. So if you get out there and mix a street and start at 7 in

54:51the morning, my guys will be out there 7 when we can take that unit right there in about 2:00.

55:02Wow. In most cases they're done.

55:05So now we have guys something to 72.

55:13So we'd be saving manpower hours as well as overtime I was.

55:19Yeah. I think what we're just asking we're just trying to see how the money's already been spent and how we can spend

55:27it more effectively. In order to do that, we got to know these numbers that you're talking about and we want to see it on paper so we can make an evaluation.

55:36Yes, sir.

55:37Well, in the past this year, we we started to rent those because what we were doing was costing us more in

55:44manpower because we were out there for longer extents and then we was getting a less quality product when we got finished with it.

55:53And so in conversation with [name], he asked me, he said, "What do you need?

55:58[clears throat]

55:58I need those to be equivalent for us to put a street for us to to really put a street here and it be like

56:07and I I I want to see quality streets. I want to see um the work put in but um just weighing the option of like Mr.

56:18insurance and uh financing or leasing or if we actually have the the funds in the city budget to make this this type of a

56:27purchase. So, that's where I'm at with that. Also, um piggybacking on Mr.

56:32assignment is just looking at the um evaluation of of how we've been using on paper, how how we've been using it

56:40financially, how we've been um spending uh per use um renting I guess what what

56:51we've been spending on renting equipment like this or would we be better off leasing or like you said f inhouse

56:59financing or what would what would we'd be better off doing um opposed to what the city has uh in their in the budget

57:07because right now we really don't know what how much what kind of funds we're working with um on the city's behalf. We

57:16don't know what we're working with. Um what do you what do you need to know what you're working with? I'm not sure.

57:23We want to see how the money has been spent so far so we can see if we can make any kind of adjustments to it. that be more

57:31effective. So you're that's what we're asking the the the activity reports that you get that shows the year to date like at

57:40each month as that those monies are spent. This one right here the the worksheets that you have in front of you shows the last three years how those

57:47monies have been spent and then how it's currently budgeted this year against proposed next year. So we have four years right now on paper in front of

57:56you. These qu these questions that y'all are asking are things that we currently don't have. So, we have not bought

58:03bought a broom and we have not rented one until this year. We had a broom that broke down that council approved just

58:10for us to scrap, you know, or we we sold it on the auction. Okay. We and so we have no room left. So, this year we started renting one until we can purchase one.

58:19The padfoot roller, we've never used a padoot roller. We've used a smooth smooth drum roller that we currently have. It's just we're finding that the

58:28road the construction is not done as well as it needs to be without that pad foot roller. So this year we've actually rented a few months

58:37a padoot roller. Um but like I said the pad foot roller the cost benefit on that one is going to

58:44look more like a five to probably a fiveyear return on that benefit. This one right here two to three years depending on what we spend. And if we

58:52spend $30 to $40,000 within two or three years, we paid paid for it versus renting it. And so the cost benefit is a lot greater on this piece of equipment.

59:03If you don't, let's if if you purchase it, if you purchase it within three years by renting it, you'll be still renting.

59:14But if you purchase it and own it after that three years, it's yours.

59:18And you've had it for 12 and you have it for 12 months at that point. you got it for longevity wise, you probably got that piece of equipment for the next 10 or 15 years.

59:28And I see that and I I rather I rather purchase than [clears throat] than and lease or rent. But the thing we're and and I understand your point, but for

59:36from my perspective, we we're only seeing uh uh collaborated numbers. We're not seeing numbers itemized to tell us

59:46what each department has actually actual figures of what each department has. Um

59:52actual itemized figures of what each department is spending and what they're actually spending it on. So the thing of

1:00:00it is is to in order in order to know the financial aspect of it to get a better understanding of how we could

1:00:08better suit your needs in your department, we got to know how much money you're working with. I'm going say this.

1:00:16Okay. So that means I'm speak.

1:00:22So that means to me that the council is settled on getting less [snorts] quality

1:00:30So that means when in this course of this duration if we keep going the way we're going and let's say I have to go

1:00:37back to using the back wheel and let's say we we put a street in and within 6 months it's going to follow up

1:00:44then the council is going to come to me and say what happened to our street I'm trying to get ahead of that and say

1:00:52that's what I need in order to get you up the street.

1:00:55We've talked about streets on multiple

1:00:58[clears throat]

1:00:59time and the long we keep waiting still expecting us to do streets. Mhm.

1:01:06I mean, we still have jobs. Yes, sir.

1:01:08But in the course of doing that job, we going to spend more money because we with this down, we going to spend more money have to come back

1:01:17to those streets and have to service them at a quicker rotation than what we really need to. And I

1:01:26Yeah, but what we're asking for, we're trying to see how the money's been spent to see if we could do it differently to

1:01:34get a better outcome. That's what we're really asking.

1:01:37We're not saying we don't want this equipment. I mean, we just want to see how the money's been spent.

1:01:41In the meantime, why you trying to get that? We're still doing streets.

1:01:45That's my point. We're still doing streets.

1:01:48So, we're But this is the first time now when it comes to sheep rolling. This is the first year that we have started to met the sheep

1:01:56for and I really pressed upon telling us I got to have that in order for us to to do the best we can do

1:02:03because if not then the same people that sitting around here hold us accountable if I'm going to be held accountable I

1:02:10need the best I need the equipment that I need in order to do that well you know to say that to say that

1:02:19um with you getting the best equipment in order for us to get you the best equipment. We got to find the money or

1:02:25the funds to get you there. So once we [name] bring that to us and we look at the financial issue or aspect of your

1:02:33department and the monies that we actually have on hand and what we can do for each department, then we can make

1:02:40sure that you have that equipment that you need that we can actually purchase.

1:02:45But the thing of it is is right now we're going to have to keep continue uh either renting or leasing until we can

1:02:53get to that point to where we see where the monies or the funds going to come from in order to [clears throat] make that large of a purchase. Okay. Today

1:03:00we're back to where we are where we are today. Is that right? Is that right?

1:03:04We're still I mean the budget I mean you you can look back that's to itemize for the streets.

1:03:09So as I mentioned the [clears throat] council this is I'm not asking for approvals tonight.

1:03:14Okay, I'm asking y'all for for y'all to develop a consensus of the needs and weight them in priority. Which ones are we going to try to fund, which ones not?

1:03:23You keep on mentioning um that you don't have the numbers. You have an activity report that has it broken down to the month. I have the budget in front of

1:03:31you. The budget that I You have the Yes. No. It's But it's itemized on page two for the last for the last four years. Yes, ma'am.

1:03:39No, no, no, no. You have it all up. No, no, it's for each department and broken down by what it what it's spent on. Each

1:03:47department has this and this is this is these are the numbers that we're going to see what they're spending it on. You we have numbers.

1:03:55Do you want a check register? I I'm not We have that. You can look at a check register. All I'm having is what we're spending it on. You're saying you don't

1:04:03know what we're spending on. This is what we're spending it on. on maintenance and repair of trucks, on maintenance and repair of equipment, on

1:04:11the streets, on insurance, on electricity, on gas. Those are what we're spending. The gas where receipts and the telephones we don't have. That's what I'm saying.

1:04:20I can bring you boxes worth of receipts.

1:04:23You should have you should have at least when you're doing um I can give you a check register but right now I'm showing when you're budgeting for a department

1:04:32when you're budgeting for a department and you have itemized you have itemized list for each item right that you make a purchase for.

1:04:39It's right here.

1:04:42the numbers he has is based on categories and those that's that's as a whole

1:04:51that's as a whole but that's what I'm saying we don't it's like your budget you do food you write food do we write ice cream soda

1:05:01water delawa punch you just do a food and you give a damn and that's the that's the concept food we want to see what money but that's [laughter] It's right here.

1:05:12Whatever you do, it's there.

1:05:14If you But if so, if they buy pins, you don't want to see it under office supplies. You want to see pins bought. Is that what you're saying?

1:05:20Yeah. I want to see what what they're spending the Yeah. what they're actually like.

1:05:23Thank Thank you, Mr. [name], for informing us on uh what we need to make the streets better.

1:05:28In the supply in the in the supply list, you should have a supply list. You should have items that you purchase. And I see your point, but we had an auditor and this was before I got on council.

1:05:38The auditor come in and did this exact same thing and signed off on the budget and that everything was there and this council when you were on it approved that

1:05:46auditor's report. So I don't understand why we're hung up on that now.

1:05:50And this stuff is generally just like she said available. You ask me questions throughout the entire week. Three or four emails every day.

1:05:57Hey, I want to see this. I send those informations to you. If you want that, we have check registers. We have a

1:06:04come in all week long. I'm your your person to ask those type of questions and I will give those informations. If

1:06:12you want to see how like like I said, office supplies, do you want to see how much money is spent on pens versus paper versus ink?

1:06:20Those things just ask me those that even that information is available. But what I'm telling you here is broken apart and

1:06:27and categorized office supplies, gasoline, uh repairing vehicles, those are all

1:06:35broken apart and and categorized what we spent money on. And I have it right here on page two. So if for us to be able to move forward through this process is

1:06:43really critical that we get on the same page on how y'all want us to proceed.

1:06:49This is very dysfunctional. There's no way to get through a bunch of workshop if if we're talking about these the needs right now is what we're presenting. And I would like y'all to

1:06:58help us get through today by looking at the needs and helping us weight in in in [snorts] a category. Hey, let's look at those three items.

1:07:08Let's prioritize those and try to find funds. And I will be glad to sit with you and y'all can come and do my job.

1:07:13Look, sit down with me and say, you know what, they're probably buying too much paper or those decisions. I have to make those every day. Like, hey, where's

1:07:21those trash? Why are y'all buying that many trash bags? Well, we did those.

1:07:26That's my daily job. That's what I do on a daily basis. All right. So, I will gladly sit down with y'all.

1:07:32Can you come back up here real quick?

1:07:35First of all, and I understand your frustration, but on from me, and I'm and I don't want to speak for the rest of council, we understand what you're saying and your frustration. You want to

1:07:44put out the best absolute quality that you can cuz you don't want to have to do work and then be held accountable for that work not holding up.

1:07:52And I understand that. We appreciate the street crew cuz we this we see the work that y'all do and like Yes, sir.

1:07:58I mean, and we appreciate what y'all are doing. We're trying to we got some growing pains that we're trying to work through and and and and we appreciate you coming up here. Thank y'all. Thank

1:08:07your crew for what they do cuz I mean without y'all I mean I don't know where I mean we'd be back in bug horse and buggy day. So thank you and your

1:08:15department for what y'all do. We're going to look at your request and and we'll we'll try to make some decisions on on if this is what you need and we

1:08:23can afford it. We're going to try to get it for you.

1:08:25I'm the type of person either way. We going to give the best interest we can give. Yes.

1:08:30We going to do the best job we can do and we just going to keep pressing forward.

1:08:34Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you very much.

1:08:37I I just want to say something for for for [name] as well, but I had No, you you can sit down. I had I had to call a

1:08:44businessman this morning, not from here, from another town. But in the conversation then he brought it up and he said, "Hey, I see y'all doing a lot

1:08:53of work on the streets in Crockett." I said, "Yes, sir. More than we've ever done before." And he said, "It's really looking good." So kudos to you.

1:09:04for um for reference while we're talking about the street department on um on page two of y'all's revenue sheets on

1:09:13page two we have the actual expenses of 2024 2025 budgeted for 2026 and proposed

1:09:20for 2027 if you look down on the third line under contract services maintenance about center of the page um it says

1:09:28maintenance and repair streets this is what council has allocated each and every year for maintenance and repair on streets for the road construction that

1:09:35we do and even down to the pothole repair. Okay.

1:09:39So, so in 2024 we spent 254,000 on maintenance repair. On 2025 we spent 481,000.

1:09:50We're budgeted this year for 574.

1:09:53Next year's proposed budget and like I say this can change. This is the one that can change. This is what we're working through now. I currently have plugged in 650,000.

1:10:03Um that's that's almost a 60% increase from two years ago. Continuing to try what we've found is our street

1:10:11department has become is very cost materialshheavy.

1:10:18It's it's the the expense of doing street construction is very expensive.

1:10:22It doesn't require a lot of people out there with shovels, a few good pieces of equipment and lots of money for tar and rock and

1:10:30cement and gravel and asphalt and all those things. Those eat up the budget quickly. We want to continue on that

1:10:37trend spending money buying the materials. That's the that's the weakest link. I guess I should say if I gave

1:10:45[name] today if if council said let's hire him four more people, we would not get a lot more work done. Yeah, with more and more people we would do

1:10:53some probably some other stuff, you know, straightening up stop signs, replacing, you know, doing things like that and cutting tree limbs. But road

1:11:00construction, it's the money for the oil and the chip seal and the rock and and the tar and the asphalt. So, as much as

1:11:07council can prioritize going towards continuing to fund us with supplies, the material and equipment,

1:11:15um, that's the weakest link right now that we're asking council to, you know, continue focusing on. And I I want to say something to [name]. [name], I mean,

1:11:23I I understand I know that you you and your guys are doing top-notch work.

1:11:29Y'all are putting the best your best foot forward, but and and not I'm not trying to discredit

1:11:36y'all's work at all, but the thing of it is is just me just looking at at numbers. And I understand that it's like pulling teeth trying to get the

1:11:44equipment to work with, but it's also like us pulling teeth trying to find the monies to get you that equipment. So,

1:11:53it's not like I'm not trying to find the monies to get the equipment for the departments that need it, things like

1:12:00that. I'm not trying to fight against the council or anything uh anything like that. I'm just adamant and in and about

1:12:08what we're doing and I want to make sure that we're doing it correctly because what I'm looking at is that we're getting and I keep saying a lot of

1:12:16numbers thrown at us and but we're seeing the numbers but we're not seeing what what these numbers are actually used for what what we're doing with the

1:12:24and not just saying do with the monies but what it's used for. So going forward, I'm I've been asking for different um documents and things like

1:12:33that, you know, from [name]. Um I guess I'm almost getting there because if I don't ask the the right questions or for the right document, I may not get that.

1:12:45So I appreciate uh what all you do. And so

1:12:51until we can look into the um into the see where No. Okay, let's hold up at this point.

1:12:58Hold up. No, no, no.

1:13:00When we can look into the ma'am, wait a minute. I asked you to stop. That's one.

1:13:08No, ma'am. Let me tell you where you are. Had the opportunity.

1:13:10No, he did, but he didn't call names and he didn't talk about he asked. No, you're calling No, you're calling his

1:13:19name saying that he didn't do his job with you.

1:13:21I just No, I just said I was I said that's inappropriate. Okay. It's inapprop.

1:13:26No, that's not what you said. Go ahead with No, we're not going to get Go ahead. But anyway, I appreciate I appreciate you uh what you do. And uh

1:13:34like I said, I'm not fighting against the council or anything like that or the material or the or the um what you need to do your job, but what we just need to

1:13:43do is find the funds to try to see if we can uh help your department. Thank you.

1:13:50Okay. Uh at this point, we're almost at a stalemate of where we need to go next, but what we were

1:13:56supposed to do back on target and I was we're supposed to look at what's there, give an explanation of how we feel about

1:14:05it in terms of where we want and we need to decide whether it's something we want to do. We're not making final decision.

1:14:11We're not revering detailed budgets from last year in terms of where we are because we've already had opportunity to do that. But we want to say at this point, they're going to present it.

1:14:21We're going to digest it. We're going to decide and like you said, is it another means of finance we could use. Those are

1:14:28recommendations that we can move forward with and look into. But just the generic, let's let's get a list all of the detail list that you have. This is

1:14:37what we're working with. And if you want more detail, you can follow up with it in a different way. But right now, we're just bogging oursel down with our

1:14:44personal feelings, but we do want you to give the accountability for what's best for the district, but we're not trying.

1:14:51We're going to not, this is not the final decision. This is the first time.

1:14:54And right now, we are bogging down and we need to move forward with it. So, what needs to happen? You do have the numbers before you. If there are things

1:15:02that you don't understand on the numbers, that's something that you might need to arrange to get with to get a further explanation. You can give your

1:15:10explanation, but we're not personally identifying what everybody's doing is in their job role. We're doing what what

1:15:18we're doing with the finance. We're focusing on that. So, with that being said, we'll move to the next item where we are right now. The next two items I

1:15:26have in front of you, um, I've already handed them out and I asked, uh, I don't know, you may have put them already in

1:15:33your, um, in your binders. U, cuz I was asking for more information and cost.

1:15:40And so, I'm going to break these two down real quick. On our utility side, we have two more specific needs that are not currently being addressed in our operations budget.

1:15:51um in our in our overall operations and maintenance budget. We buy the chemicals. We we pay for the licenses.

1:16:00We we pay for all the permits and everything that it costs to run a a water system and a sewer system. There's two needs that we currently do not have

1:16:08addressed. Um this the two that we handed out, Mr. Um so we have a water

1:16:16and a one in the water department and one in the waste water department.

1:16:21our water tower that's over top of the state school on the south loop.

1:16:29We we have that um those towers we have them inspected. The inspection that just came back on the water tower on the east

1:16:36side is good. The inspection that came back on the south tower um is showing uh

1:16:43beginning to show paint flaking uh rust deposits and some a few small pinhole

1:16:50uh uh rust um in the uh in the uh riser

1:16:57TCQ. Once this gets to the point um more than likely next year because every year we submit all these inspections to TCQ,

1:17:04they give us a time frame to go in and address them. If this one is not addressed, this will be one that will be

1:17:13uh TCQ will give us an enforcement order or and a timeline to get it back repaired to where it passes inspection.

1:17:20They would shut this they would shut the station down.

1:17:24They can do all kinds of things. A lot of it is they'll either find they'll they'll they'll fine us. They'll give us, you know, penalties and fines

1:17:31[snorts]

1:17:32um with deadlines to repair um or um make us take that tower offline while it's repaired, you know, and and make it

1:17:40make sure that it gets repaired before it gets put online. Um we reached out to our engineers.

1:17:49When you talk about engineering, they're going to go back to um

1:17:56the core of what they can warranty and make sure that it's done the right way and specifications in paint, sand

1:18:05blasting, time, uh the the gauges and thicknesses, steel, and then they bid that out. They put specifications

1:18:13together and bid it out. Their estimate for that tower is um in the $600,000 range to sand blast and redo and reseal

1:18:22that tower and recode it and paint it and bring it back online.

1:18:26Um we talked to several local contractors. One is um one of the ones

1:18:33that's done work for us before. Um, as long as we stay under a $100,000 threshold, we don't have to engineer it.

1:18:40If it's a small repair and we're just fixing it back up like it's already designed, the tank is already there. We don't have to redesign everything. All

1:18:47we need is to clean that paint, sand blast it off, repaint it, give us a a warranty, you know, for the paint and

1:18:55the workmanship. If we stay under a h 100,000, we don't have to go through all the engineering and the specifications which

1:19:02really run up the costs. Um, a couple of the companies that's already

1:19:10looked at it has been anywhere from the 90s to 120,000.

1:19:14It's just kind of a given that I just not asked for 120. If I'm going to ask for 120, I'm going to have to ask for 600,000 because I have to have it engineered and then we have to go out

1:19:23for bid based on engineer specifications.

1:19:28Okay, we got a Here's some water.

1:19:30Can you grab [cough] Can you grab water?

1:19:32Okay, here's the water. Have you used it?

1:19:36Oh, you just We're bringing a water real quick.

1:19:40So, so I I would really like

1:19:46[cough]

1:19:48[laughter]

1:19:48What is happening there?

1:19:50It's tickling my throat just thinking about it.

1:19:55[snorts]

1:19:55Um, so that's one of the needs that in order for us to not go under any kind of uh

1:20:02TCQ enforcement order, we really need to, um, plan on spending some money on that water tower to get it sandlasted.

1:20:10And so, um, that's that's the one and I have that form in front of you. The other one, right? Right. Uhu.

1:20:16What's the one? So, what so what's the protocol for CCQ? So they give you you saying that they can look at it next

1:20:24year. So just looking at it saying that it needs repainting, sand blasting. What

1:20:30type of uh protocol is there like set to where they give you a warning to give you time to get it?

1:20:38Usually they'll usually usually they'll do something called a finding. they come out and present a finding and usually it comes with probably about if if we give

1:20:46them you know 30 days before that goes into violation notice you know it gives you a little bit of time and usually if

1:20:53it's something small hey you're missing you know a life vest at your wastewater plant we buy it to send them a receipt and it never hits you know it never gets

1:21:01recorded but then after that it goes into notice once the notices are sent usually they'll give us um 30 days 90

1:21:08days a timeline and if it we don't meet that, then we would go into enforcement order. It's like, hey, you have to fix this or you'll be fined so much a day and and so forth.

1:21:18So, so we have we have all that time.

1:21:20That's why I'm asking council now ahead of time cuz I know that it will be coming. It's that process in that tank that the coating and everything is going

1:21:29to need to be addressed before our our ne next inspection cuz we found it in our inspection. It's still it's

1:21:36serviceable, but it won't be serviceable long. As as we start [snorts] losing paint or rust starts, you know, growing,

1:21:44then we need to jump on that before before we have a lot more uh construction and and repairs.

1:21:51[name], when was the last time it was serviced? Uh in 2019.

1:21:55Okay. So, we don't have a a warranty on it or anything? No, sir. Okay. So, we did both of our tanks in 2019 and um we

1:22:03at that point we went in and spent uh 900 almost a million dollars for both of our tanks.

1:22:10Um essentially what our engineers are saying, we probably need to go back and do that same thing that we did back in 2019.

1:22:18I know that the exterior of it, yes, the paint is getting a little chalky. The logo still look fine. We're not losing anything. It's still structurally sound.

1:22:25We need to sand blast the interior, recode it because we're we're out of, you know, kind of any warranties, but we can do a quick fix on it now instead of

1:22:34waiting until it gets into a full rebuilt, you know, a re re uh rehabilitation on it. So once we do

1:22:42that, how long uh for us is a rehabilitation on that or re normally the warranties normally the

1:22:50warranties are a year to two years for materials and workmanship, you know.

1:22:55Um I I feel like I know the time before that tower had not been fully done for

1:23:0320 years when we did it in 2019. It had not been done for [clears throat] for 20 years.

1:23:09Right at it was right at 2000 when we had the last uh uh tank and that was remember that was the when the contractor and the the g one of the

1:23:18painters fell you know and it was you know so that's been what 25 26 years ago.

1:23:22Wow. And so it lasted 20 years that time and we got into really bad where TCQ was requiring us to do it then. here.

1:23:32They're not requiring us to do it yet, but we're out of warranty for it. And so, I think if we kept it and we did just a repair and I would I would bring

1:23:41back that company that did it last, reach out to them and and require them to put a little bit of put a little bit of

1:23:50pressure on them, ask them to to step up to the plate because we feel like six years is definitely a short lifespan for what we

1:23:57invested in it. Um the next one is the clarifier at our south wastewater uh treatment plant. Um the bull gear has

1:24:05failed on that one. These are old these are old units. These are 1970s uh clarifiers and that bull gear gave way.

1:24:13We have two clarifiers, but now we're doing double duty on one with no backup at the wastewater plant at the south plant. Um

1:24:21we just did a complete rehabilitation on our clarifier at the north plant that water development board is going to be paying money for. They're going to reimburse us for that, but that one cost

1:24:30us right at 350,000. This one's a little smaller.

1:24:34Um, so I'm requesting 320,000, but obviously all of that will have to be, you know, speced out and bid out. We'll

1:24:41have to get bids on all of that. But we're currently out of a clarifier [snorts] at the wastewater treatment plant. And I have that in front of you.

1:24:50The only last one that I'll talk about, I have some other ones. They're in your book. I know that we're not even going to get to those. I have to show them to

1:24:57you as a need, but um I can't also in good faith show you funding that will service those needs. So, we're going to leave those.

1:25:10The last one um is

1:25:18it's a budget appropriation cost of living adjustment for city employees.

1:25:25The city has 59 full-time and 15 part part-time employees.

1:25:30I spoke I spoke to y'all about this um during our one-on-one meetings. Um in 2022,

1:25:37we did a full assessment of cities all around East Texas and some of our private industry and we we were we had

1:25:47quite a few holes that we could not fill in public works. The police department had several holes that they could not fill. we were just not even getting people applying for the the positions

1:25:54that we had um open um and we were losing people at that time. Council did a significant salary adjustment across

1:26:03all city um departments and we did it really heavy on the entry level people getting entry level salaries up from 910

1:26:11$12 an hour. Um police department I think was $15 or $16 an hour. We did a big adjustment across departments,

1:26:20especially for entry level, and brought wages up to where we're more competitive. Since 2022, in 2024, we

1:26:28gave a 2% cola. So, since 2022 to current, we've only given 2%

1:26:35in comparison to inflation that has been 12 a.5%. So we've addressed we've addressed um

1:26:44but we still have probably you know a delta of at least 10% what people were making in 22 22 to what it translates

1:26:52today at the grocery store and with their bills and everything else. Um

1:26:58I have a a breakdown you know 372,000 would be across all city employees. Um

1:27:06this excludes um some of our upper tier employees um some of our department heads that excludes them but addresses everyone else beneath them.

1:27:18Um I think it's under GA under that tab under GA. Okay.

1:27:35Um, this right here, that's $372,000 cost would be across general, our general fund and our utility fund. So,

1:27:44we we could share those costs, you know, the department employees that are under our utility departments.

1:27:49Water and [snorts] sewer rates would cover those.

1:27:53um taxes and re and other sources of revenue would cover the 372,000 [snorts] that of the employees that are under the

1:28:01general administration, parks, streets, and and library and everyone else.

1:28:09Um like I said, we did talk about this um quite a bit and you have this information as we move forward in this

1:28:16budget process. Um, you know, my hopes is that we can come back with some options

1:28:23uh to council on how to fund Yeah.

1:28:26either that amount or any other amount,

1:28:28[snorts]

1:28:29you know, um that that we can um place in our budget.

1:28:34So, this figure here is with the uh 10 and a half%. Uh 10%. I Yes, I did. 10%. Okay.

1:28:45just as a it says five.

1:28:49So as a just a feel for do you think this is a hardship for what's going to be taken in or is it's going to require

1:28:57some I think within our current budget like I proposed it to you the the sheets that

1:29:05you have the worksheets that you have I do not have this factored in. We're going to have to come up with that revenue. Um, it's not currently projected.

1:29:14I don't have that revenue to say that's where that money will come from.

1:29:18Hang on a second. So, the 37 372,000 I do apologize there at the very bottom.

1:29:23I was doing numbers. I did numbers throughout the entire document. It does mention 10%. That one's 10%. Not 5%.

1:29:31Make sure I'm that's that's correct. 600,000 compared to 300,000.

1:29:38No. So 5% would be, you know, roughly half of that. Okay. I do apologize. Oh, you're good.

1:29:44Um, yeah, I was looking up here. So I I I mentioned 10% throughout the So I was running also numbers on

1:29:51five and two and one and everything. So, okay. Um, outside of that, um, I know the police

1:29:58department, they're still they have some specific requests that really need to be addressed. Um

1:30:06if we want to go through that one and then do a quick water break, short uh break or you want to I think we do the police.

1:30:13Okay, let me pull water and then you have your packets for the

1:30:21police department in front of y'all under tab.

1:30:29the police tab. All right.

1:30:41Council, I'm going to make mine a lot faster.

1:30:44I doubt it. I doubt it. [laughter] Oh, he's already talking. He's done homework.

1:30:49Expensive, but it won't take as long. So before I get into some of the capital request, I didn't realize that as part of this, but I want to talk about salary increases.

1:31:00Probably one of the biggest things u for budget for my department. Just being blunt and straight up with y'all. If we

1:31:08don't significantly address our pay, we're going to lose over half of our department. I think you're going to see a mass accident within the coming month

1:31:17if we don't address it simply because There's so many other opportunities out there

1:31:24start out $8,000 car like I told y'all they come and met

1:31:31with me. I understand we may not be able to to match Lin Huntsville, Houston, Dallas, but I think we have to find

1:31:39something for our city that keeps them around. They're local. They want to say they have family here, something that they can survive on.

1:31:48So I I do think that pay adjustment is very significant and important to to the

1:31:55police department. You lose uh if you lose 90 police officers, you're looking at losing more than half of your force,

1:32:04then I think we have to come back and discuss seriously what services we want to start cutting within the police department. Do

1:32:13we want to cut 24-hour code? Do we only respond to in progress calls. Um, how we

1:32:21want to fix that because [snorts] with a shortage like that, it's going to be pretty significant. I understand that that's not all going to

1:32:29happen at once. I [snorts] know it's going to come within weeks and months.

1:32:33Um, but I know that that I have nine for sure who have personally told me if we do not address it, we're going to start applying for other jobs. I can't blame

1:32:42them. Can't fault them. They have families to raise, they have young children.

1:32:46they have to do what they have to do to survive. So, um I wanted to touch on that since just talked about it. Um on

1:32:55our capital request, you'll see that I have three there. I've got rated top priority to lowest. We'll talk about patrol rifle equipment.

1:33:05We were [clears throat] lucky enough to obtain money from uh weapons that had been awarded to our department through

1:33:12the courts uh to uh turn those over to an authorized gun dealer who in turn gives us a credit for

1:33:20equipment. With that, we were able to purchase patrol rifles. Right around the $20,000 mark is what what we what we

1:33:30spent on that. And so we didn't have enough to finish out building the rifles. The optics, the lights, and the slings. Obviously, that's one of the

1:33:38most important parts of of your weapon are those three three items there. So, we're asking for $20, $25 to uh buy the

1:33:47optics, the lights, and the wings to add on those.

1:33:53Um the next I have patrol vehicles, but I met with some of y'all in our budget.

1:34:01We discussed possibility of leasing our fleet. I'm in the process of negotiating with a couple two different companies

1:34:09getting prices uh to to present that to y'all to see what that would look like if it would make more sense because the truth is we should be budgeting money in

1:34:18our budget every year for vehicles. Um what what happens to these vehicles unlike a lot of the other departments. I know their vehicles get get worked

1:34:26pretty hard but our cars are on the go 247. they hardly ever get a break. So, we try we try to space them out where

1:34:34they will get a break, but that [snorts] doesn't happen all the time. Uh right now, our current fleet um we have 11 we've got two with over 100,000 miles.

1:34:45We've got one, two, we've got two with over 75,000 miles. And then our Durango,

1:34:53which are our newest in our fleet, uh we're averaging between 28 and 41,000 on those. And those are our newest cars.

1:35:02So if we continue to skip a year, uh you're going to see that mileage keep racking up. Uh unfortunately,

1:35:11uh vehicles are an important part of our job. If we can't get to where the calls are at, then it's obviously [snorts] an issue. That's one reason I really like

1:35:20that lease program. I know it it's going to come with some probably it fair share of questions or issues like you know we we agree to a

1:35:29lease these vehicles and we agree to that amount of money every year. Um but we're also getting a lot of services

1:35:37that we're not getting. Whereas if we just budget for one car here, one car there, you'll see by the prices, uh the

1:35:45cost has increased for a Chevy Tahoe outfitted looking over $83,000.

1:35:51[snorts] And for a Dodge Rainbow, you're looking at over 76. And that doesn't include the incar video system. That

1:35:59doesn't include the radio that we have to put in it. And that doesn't include the radar. The radio and the radar we provide ourselves. We equipment in stock

1:36:08[segment omitted]

1:36:16have to keep them in good working fashion. So, let me I'm sorry. I know I probably missed it, but the lease vehicles, they

1:36:26come with nothing or do they come with something?

1:36:28The lease vehicles, what they do is it's a total package. They ground and they deliver them here. We're ready to put insurance on them.

1:36:38uh their their pricing and their program includes the fee for the vehicle and for all the associated equipment is wrapped

1:36:47up in that lease and spaced out. Uh different there'll be different terms three years, four years, 5 years and up

1:36:54to seven. They [snorts] don't recommend going over that three year because then you get out of your vehicle warranty. Um

1:37:01the lease companies that they monitor the mileage on these vehicles and when they hit their mark 30,000 25 30,000

1:37:10they pick a component and say chief I'm sending you a brand new unit we're coming to pick that one up and they're constantly cycling them out because what they're doing is they're taking on the

1:37:18backside selling them and recouping their money. So um that that's kind of in a nutshell what that program does.

1:37:26I'm waiting on the specifics. I've got two different companies that we're looking at. I know the city of Palestine uh their police department and public

1:37:33works department uh they lease all of their vehicles through enterprise. Um they really like the program

1:37:41but uh we're looking at enterprise and DNM leasing. So as we continue on in our budget preparation, I'll have those

1:37:49those numbers and that information for y'all coming up and as soon as I get I'll send out to y'all so you can start reviewing it. Our third capital request,

1:37:59uh, as y'all know, we we've had drones for a couple years. Uh, we got those on grants, um, or private funding.

1:38:07Actually, we're able to get three. Is anything else that equipment starts aging? Uh, we haven't found a source of

1:38:14of money for replacing these drones. So, uh, we went with one. The cost is

1:38:2113,567.88 that would start cycling in newer blood in our drone bleed so as those other

1:38:30ones start deteriorating we can maintain those services.

1:38:36That's all I have. Any questions?

1:38:40Um, thank you, Chief. I know, um, I don't know if it was a budgeted expense or not, but I know we talked about the,

1:38:47um, the laptops, the software, um, and and how that would be something that could probably take us out of service or

1:38:55whatnot. Um, could you kind of elaborate on that?

1:38:59So, several years ago when we first got computers in our cars, uh, the council then chose to purchase those computers

1:39:07outright instead of leasing them. We purchase them outright. We own them and we own all the issues that come with it.

1:39:14So, [clears throat] three, four, five years later, as they out, now these new ones have come in. These are no longer

1:39:23you can't update them. You can't do anything with them. Uh, so right now, six out of our 10 that we have are not

1:39:32CES compliant. So, we're fixing to have to remove them from the vehicle because we can't get them to a point of

1:39:39where their seat is compliant. So, um grand scheme of things, that's a huge issue, especially with the state. Right

1:39:47now, our able to write tickets. That's how we issue our citations is is through those computers. So, you are going to see a

1:39:56pretty significant about $11,000 increase in our annual fee line item because we went back

1:40:02[clears throat]

1:40:03six additional computers to go with the ones that were already leased so we can cycle those old out. That is an annual

1:40:10fee. With that lease, they cover everything. In three years, uh they'll send us all new computers. We'll send

1:40:18those back. They're constantly rotating that equipment out so we don't have a maintenance issue. So, I know it seems

1:40:25like a big number yearly, but when it comes to, you know, spending 20, 30, $40,000 and four years having to do it

1:40:32again, I think I think it works out in the long run. It's a lot easier to budget for knowing that that we've got that that

1:40:40So, you have you've you've budgeted for that for that expense that that is added into our present.

1:40:50I got two questions. one with the lease program. Like the other day I saw one of your officers jump in a car and he was having a problem cranking it with that

1:40:57Durango. I know there's been some fuel filter issues or fuel pump issues with them. If you're on the lease program and they're having those issues, they just we would you would make a phone call and they would fix those. Right.

1:41:07Right. So, uh each company has different programs uh like enterprise thing. We

1:41:14will handle minor maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotation, stuff like that. Uh but your your bigger expenses,

1:41:22your electrical system, fuel system, filter. They'll have specific dealerships that those vehicles will have to go to basically warranty work.

1:41:32Um, so the uh the second company, I haven't gotten all that information, but one of the nice things they offer is the ability to choose what vehicle you want.

1:41:43Originally, we got away from Taho because they were not as available, but now they are. So, likely that's

1:41:51something we're going to transition back to if we go with le program because we don't have those type issues. The Draco has been great but we've not fuel and

1:42:00some electrical issues in them just like what you're talking about. You may get that car.

1:42:07They hit that push button to start and it'll turn over about six times.

1:42:13They do it right after they hear it right up and it's hit or miss. It seems like it's mostly every time that I hear a cop car trying to start

1:42:21and it happened on one of them all day long, but that same vehicle tomorrow may not be an issue. When we have to multiple dealerships, we can't find the issue.

1:42:30Yeah.

1:42:31They won't find an issue until after the warranty has expired. Oh, wow. Like, oh, we found it and it's going to cost $7,000.

1:42:38Well, in that case, does the I mean, do we and I'm this is more of a question.

1:42:42Do we work on that ourselves or do we depending on what the issue is, do we?

1:42:47So, it depends. If it's something that's covered, we do have dealers, you know, we'll take it to the dealership. A lot of these things, we've been fairly uh adept at fixing them ourselves.

1:42:57Something like this, I think if it it might require a a letter from our attorney, these things are under

1:43:04warranty and they're emergency vehicles, life safety vehicles. They need to start. And they the thing is is they do start.

1:43:13It's just not right away. They start later.

1:43:17One of your officers had a had a a hot call and he come jogging out. I'm just kind of watching. He went [clears throat] in three times and then it fired up and

1:43:25then he, you know, he took off lights and sirens. I'm like, man, that's kind of that's like our brand new Chevrolet truck. We have less than 5,000 miles on

1:43:33it. My captain was going down the interstate the other day and it just cut off.

1:43:39rain cut off flashlight told him to shift it into neutral. Luckily, he had the snap to go ahead and do that and

1:43:47fired right back up. But those those are issues that you don't like.

1:43:52[snorts]

1:43:53But the Oh, I'm sorry. The other question I have is this is so this drone that you have, have y'all I know like

1:44:01ome of the some of the agencies down around Houston and I want to say Stafford maybe or League City, they have wired um drones. So like for like say the

1:44:10Fourth of July thing, it's going to be up for a while. I know batteries last 15 20 minutes. It's a wired drone. You plug it in, throw it up in the sky and it's

1:44:18got like a 600 foot tether and it just stays there floating. I mean is that something y'all's considered at all? And I know they're a little bit cheaper, but I mean I didn't know if that's something y'all consider.

1:44:27We have that capability. Oh, wow. The equipment that does that. Okay. The tether that ties in. Basically, it's

1:44:35hooked up to electricity. You can run it up for [clears throat] however long you want it up there just for over type

1:44:42situation. That's just something we never have purchased because we've been able to uh you know the battery packs just keep them up and we may bring it

1:44:51down for a little bit and back and forth like for Fourth of July. We spent uh most of the Fourth of July event in the

1:44:57air except for bring it down battery. So it hadn't been an issue for us. It's one of those pieces of equipment that we'd

1:45:05love to have and have the availability of just

1:45:10[snorts]

1:45:11So, is it better on is it better to be wireless or is it better to have a wire?

1:45:17Because if it's wireless, you can go all over the place.

1:45:20Well, every situation going to call for a different way to handle it. For instance, like Council [name] said for

1:45:29the Fourth of July event, that water situation would be perfect. put it up and covered everything that was going

1:45:35on. I have to move around. If we're on a search or rescue operation or looking for a suspect, obviously we don't want

1:45:43to be flying around. So, every situation uh could it be used? Absolutely.

1:45:48Especially for Fourth of July, Christmas and stuff like that.

1:45:54So, with that being said, so are there any other grants uh available for for extra? So, so grants for drones are

1:46:03nearly impossible to get uh even to the point you have to go to the state capital to testify for them. Uh all of

1:46:11our grants come from private donors. Um that's that's where we were able to get ours. Um the private donors have not

1:46:18come back with any additional funding at this point. So we probably 95% of the

1:46:25equipment that we've gotten drones, LPRs, a lot of the stuff that we get the guys,

1:46:32the weapons, the breaching tools, all that stuff. We've gotten that on grants or donations. We haven't come to the city to say, "Hey, we need this money."

1:46:40I think at some point we have to let some of our private donors breathe a little bit and say, "Hey, we're going to take on this responsibility." You know,

1:46:48we're going to, you know, I guess what I'm saying I don't want to wear out our welcome some of these private numbers. That's why I'm coming to y'all with it.

1:46:57Um Chief, if [clears throat] we um we if and when we get the information for like a leasing program, um first of all, would you be willing to go that route?

1:47:08Um, second of all, with the warranty and uh the um the maintenance and that would

1:47:15alleviate from the city and you guys that would uh decrease your maintenance budget. Correct. Um that would that

1:47:23could be you know relocated or reallotted under that's correct. I think that uh me personally um from an administrative

1:47:32standpoint I think the the police program is beneficial to a police department because it's a never ending ending

1:47:40battle. We've talked about this we talk about it every year out there just never has been a real

1:47:48good option on the table to do that. And so I think when you when you have these linked vehicles, they're taking on some

1:47:56of the maintenance of it. Um I think that that helps cut some of our vehicle maintenance

1:48:09budget mainly because two 100 plus mile vehicles. We have one transmission uh

1:48:18one had to have a new transmission and we had to have some work done the older Durangos that was not covered under

1:48:26warranty. So, our vehicle mainten

1:48:41and one more followup um with the um with with a program such said is that would the vehicles be equipped with

1:48:49everything that you need or would there still be like equipment costs that you would So, what I've been told by both

1:48:57companies is you tell us what vehicle you want.

1:49:00You provide us with the upfitting equipment, the equipment. Um they build all that into the prices. So when we get

1:49:08those prices and look at it, that yearly fee that we see, those are going to be vehicles that show up here ready to hit the road.

1:49:16Understood.

1:49:17That's from equipment cars to the computers. That's okay.

1:49:24Okay.

1:49:27I just want to say I know you um just to kind of reflect back real quick on uh I know you spoke uh briefly about uh races

1:49:35for uh the police department uh your department staff. I'm I'm going to tell you that I appreciate you advocating for

1:49:43your staff. You always do. Y'all always do uh every year. But um somehow we

1:49:51right now I don't I mean just looking at the numbers I can't see us doing um

1:49:59um you know raises right now for the staff. Not to say that in the future that we look at that. Uh but I will say

1:50:09that just looking from my standpoint and kind of figuring like the salaries of um

1:50:16everyone I uh and bringing it to the attention of the council feel like that

1:50:23uh at this point in time you need a raise. Um I appreciate everything that

1:50:30you do for the city. Um, I'm looking overall at all of the salaries and I see

1:50:39that um looking at you um and your administrator uh Miss [name] [name].

1:50:48Uh I think she's been here serving the city for 37 years. So kind of putting

1:50:54those numbers together and um I guess I just need to put it out there. Um

1:51:03the numbers that I'm looking at that we may need to consider or look at. Um I was looking at um

1:51:12on the salaries of the chief and when y'all get a chance if y'all would get the salaries of all of the

1:51:19[snorts]

1:51:19u the employees. Um I would like to uh ask that we consider um making a salary

1:51:27increase of um $4562 an hour.

1:51:34Well, [snorts] let me say this. I I appreciate everything you just said. Um, but as far as myself, I absolutely will

1:51:42stand here and refuse a pay raise if we don't address the men and women that work for me because the truth is um

1:51:49that's almost frustrating because they're the ones that uh that are out there um getting into the creeks in the

1:51:58water and pulling the dead bodies out, investigating the homicide,

1:52:02[clears throat]

1:52:04picking up unresponsive infant children, rushing them to the hospital. Um, if if I didn't have them working, um, I

1:52:14wouldn't be needed. So, I do appreciate you saying that, but I think we better focus on on the staff that make this

1:52:21city run because if you don't, and I mean what I'm saying, if you don't address the salaries of that staff as a

1:52:28whole, um, the city's going to find itself in a bad spot. And, um, I don't think we want to, uh, we really don't

1:52:37with that. Um, on Miss [name] [name], that woman deserves every penny we can give her. Um, she can run that facility

1:52:45when none of us are there and she could actually be the first unlicensed to run that. So, uh, yeah, I'm always open to

1:52:54give that that woman more money. She's I I think that something we have to do as administrators or a city as a whole, we

1:53:01have to those employees that um that have been here 25 30 35 years

1:53:10they're invaluable and I think we have to take care of those employees. So good.

1:53:18Again, I do I do appreciate those words, but um I would [clears throat] outright refuse any pay increase um

1:53:26respectfully um unless my men and women get a pay.

1:53:30But I I really like the emphasis that you put on the employees. We have some really good employees and that's so

1:53:38important to the city that they don't aggravate. Kids come up and talk to them and they have a relationship and I know how invaluable that is. If you pay

1:53:47attention to the men and women that work [snorts] over there right now and that's any city employee all of our employees are important but um

1:53:55this department we built up young officers I'm not interested in them and I think we need to pay attention to that because

1:54:03they're good with the community. The community knows them. The community is comfortable with them. I can promise [clears throat] you what happens when that next guy comes in. We don't know

1:54:11until we till we meet him and we start talking to him. Um, but I think I think the ones that we have now, they they

1:54:20truly want to be here and they truly like their job and they excel at it. So, you know, something I didn't mention, Texas Police Chief Association done a

1:54:28study, it cost the city on average from 100 to $200,000 per cadet.

1:54:36When you calculate what the academy costs, the time that we fail, the time that we send them back and forth in the

1:54:43vehicle, the They spend six months, four to six months in the academy and they spend six months on FTO. By the time you

1:54:51add all that together, you're investing over $100,000. And if we're not paying them right and keep them around here, we're just trying and it's a never ending cycle.

1:55:01And typically, we do a three-year contract. Right now, we only have two employees that are under contract. So, because they they've been here long

1:55:09enough, their contract has expired. So, I think that's something that we uh we really have to focus on. I mean, like

1:55:18I've told my staff, I think it's important enough that if it comes to a tax increase that this council is not willing to say, we're going to

1:55:26[clears throat] do this. I think we put it before the voters, but I think at some point um

1:55:33they expect us to provide services and that money has to come from somewhere when when they call they want us to be there, whether it be us or public works

1:55:42or whoever. Um, and like I said, if it gets to a point where we look at losing eight or nine offices, somebody's got got to take the fall for that.

1:55:52Somebody's got to be able to answer those tough questions of why don't we have a PD officer working tonight, you know, and I understand the position that

1:56:00put y'all in. So, obviously, I'm always open for discussion and and figuring out ways, but that's that's my opinion as your chief what uh what I need.

1:56:10Thank you. Thank you for consideration and the caring that you're showing to the officers as well as in your fleet.

1:56:16Chief, thank you.

1:56:18Yeah, I I mean I appreciate you and it's taken everything within you to to decline. I I understand because I noticed that you put your your staff

1:56:27your um uh staff before yourself. You always do that. I noticed that. I noticed that your staff also has good

1:56:36camaraderie with the community uh in general. But just looking at right now,

1:56:43looking at the budget, I can't I don't see and [clears throat] I know in the future, yes, I could I I could see that.

1:56:50But I can't see um taxing the um citizens, you know, uh increasing because we're already dealing with, you

1:56:58know, increased water rates, you know, things such as that. So, we're trying to uh juggle those issues as well. So, um,

1:57:08yeah, I could see if if the council is talking about, you know, raising taxes or whatever to, uh, give give, um,

1:57:16raises to the employees, I was I would suggest let the voters vote for it or or against it. That be their choice. But

1:57:24I'm not going to be for increasing taxes or anything like that. But just to say I appreciate you. Um, I do want the

1:57:33council to consider U since Chief find his. I would uh like the uh council to

1:57:40consider uh Miss [name] uh [name] uh uh with an increase of $29 an hour uh

1:57:49which will give um a salary of $60,320.

1:57:56So that's my request. Um I'm just looking at the salaries that

1:58:03we're already um getting. So, I'm just asking that you all look at them as well, uh, make your decision on how we

1:58:11we would move forward uh, with increase for Miss [name] [name] since um, Chief

1:58:18uh, declined his, but I'm still open uh, for chief as well. So even he even though he declined, I'm still open uh to

1:58:27present that to council so council can decide if they want to move forward with offering him uh that uh increase as well. So thank you.

1:58:37I just pulled up while he was talking.

1:58:39Uh police Palestine Police Department just posted they're doing a civil service in in August and they're

1:58:46starting pay um up to 73,692 a year. And so that's the that's what

1:58:53we're up against, you know, that's where our talent and that's they don't have to drive far, they can still live, you know, with that question.

1:59:02When I was talking to them in years past, everybody's going to do a salary study for agencies and

1:59:11cities our size. The truth is that's all fine and well, but that's not who we're losing. That's not your competition. Losing people to.

1:59:19So I understand that that we're looking [clears throat] at are way up here. Maybe we can't get there. I just think we have to find something. I know the based I've talked

1:59:28to every one of my officers and show that would keep them here. Um what less negotiating

1:59:36they felt like that was fair. They felt like they could raise the family on that. I think it will help.

1:59:43I was going to ask you as well. I know you pulled up the salaries for the uh the staff. What's the salary for the chief?

1:59:51I don't think we could discuss that unless he wants No, no, no, no, no. Oh, I don't know.

1:59:56Okay. So, that's I bet it's um No, we don't have to say I think their captain level I thought you talking about issues here, but yeah, I mean

2:00:05I have one of their captains was like 110 120,000 for a captain in Paling. So, so I'm sure it's

2:00:13okay. So, what I'm 150 plus, you know, in the neighborhood of 150.

2:00:17Yeah. So what I was looking at was that you know with with you saying that I'm looking at that our chief is extremely

2:00:26low on his salary even compared to other departments uh department heads. So he's

2:00:33he's he's counted too in those days are the years experience that have gotten them there too. I mean it's not just like a blanket

2:00:41this is what you start at. Some of them have quite a few years. So it's a reflection of not only their years, it's and their raises and their additional

2:00:49certification. So when you look at their salaries right at that point, you're not looking at a blank flat salary like that

2:00:57they start your base. Some of them have earned that and so it's not to be taken lightly that when we talk about raising

2:01:04their salary that they haven't earned those salaries and they on that part they do deserve and I know you've been with several departments and you've been

2:01:13here faithfully but we can't turn a bl you know you've been on that police department that many years personally

2:01:21and you've stayed with them it's a it should be reflected in your race and so we have been a So, we have been tight

2:01:29and I appreciate that you appreciate the people that work with you. Thank you.

2:01:34Yeah. The um Yeah. And I I see and like and I have your years of service here with us as

2:01:42well. And this is 21 years in and probably five months. So, I appreciate that. So, that's why I still want to put

2:01:49before the council to consider a raise for you on your behalf. Not that we're overlooking the staff. I just want to

2:01:57make that clear because it seems like that people are trying to point that I'm overlooking the staff. That's not true.

2:02:04So, it's uh I could see doing a raise in the in the near future, but at this point um dealing with our budget, I can see those two raises going forward.

2:02:17Thank you, Chief. We take a break. Take a quick break, sir. That's We're calling for a break.

2:02:25We don't think we know. We're going to take

2:02:34you

2:02:37[snorts]

2:03:02Oh, right there.

2:03:22I got you

2:03:59Amen.

2:04:25Amen.

2:04:44I don't know.

2:06:23[sighs]

2:06:29That's

2:06:54Especially

2:07:16this It is

2:07:45possible.

2:08:01Welcome to the church.

2:08:23Yes, ma'am. You know, I don't have a pen up here.

2:08:36You're doing okay.

2:08:39Doing okay. Always Yes, ma'am. We always been in harder places.

2:08:45It gets easier from there. So, you related to Tony? That's He's my brother-in-law.

2:08:52Oh, I'm sorry. Those two places.

2:09:06I had to borrow your pen from Are you on countdown? Where you going? I know you got something.

2:09:20So, it happened in San first week you're off, you're like, "Oh,

2:09:27man." In about two weeks, you said, "Oh, man. I just got all this time. I'm just doing something." By that month is up,

2:09:33you say, "Dang, how was I working so hard? I got all this to do." [laughter] And then after a while you said you can

2:09:41do because I couldn't believe I I was retired 14 years. I was doing stuff you know part time in between but how do you

2:09:49lose 14 years but that's how long I've been away from the school and I've done some part-time jobs but it's it's

2:09:56amazing how it's a lot of stuff to do. I still haven't cleaned the closets. I still haven't thrown all the children old stuff out. It's just a lot of stuff.

2:10:08But if you think it doesn't matter what you do, don't worry yourself because it be there tomorrow in the next.

2:10:25I would yeah put hers.

2:10:29I want to know why you don't share a budget.

2:10:32I gave all the refor She literally I can see them from here.

2:10:40I just can't I can't argue in a council meeting. She can't she shouldn't put me in that position, but I will not allow her to lie.

2:10:47Mis, but I'm not going to go back and forth. No, that's a good way to challenge it.

2:10:54Yeah, it is.

2:11:04I got some real bacon in here. A whole piece of bacon.

2:11:10Who did the sandwiches?

2:11:14Oh, that be tacos, huh? One of the tacos. Those are really good.

2:11:20That's what you That's what I wanted. I didn't know these all had bacon.

2:11:23Really good tasting sausage in there, too.

2:11:25I prefer the sauce in my but this I saw the egg. I said I don't want it.

2:11:34[clears throat]

2:11:40You know, it's really hard.

2:11:43You can only delight in putting people down.

2:11:50You have an opportunity to go to private and cleaning up what you but you want to do it publicly for the recognition.

2:12:01I was telling my girls yesterday, you know, they I was coming up on the square, they always walked out. Oh, that don't mean

2:12:08my you just ride up there. I said, but you do it out of courtesy.

2:12:13You ride out and let them see you and then they say okay. No, you just tell them move. I said, "No, no, that's not the way you handle people. I know y'all

2:12:20spawn right and everything." They said, "Well, you know, you're the mirror. You just walk up and take it." I said, "You know, that's not the way you do things."

2:12:28I didn't raise y'all very well, did but they they used the authority. I said, but you know authority is it's

2:12:35soft authority is much better than force authority. Sure.

2:12:39I said you walk up and let it be given to you.

2:12:42I never go up in the mirror. Oh, you're the mayor. Oh, tell they know me. They know. They got idea halfway through and the little kid was telling me I was

2:12:51paying for giving it a snow cone. He said, "You're the mayor." He said, "You know what? I'm putting this on my tab for you. I said, "You're so sweet."

2:12:59[laughter]

2:13:00I said, "That's so I" I said, "You don't have to. I got my money here." He said, "No, I want to do it for you." So that's amazing. And that's how you

2:13:09teach people how to have authority position. But if you have to tell everybody I'm a father chaos for yourself.

2:13:19Well, you know, we're getting a lot of young kids that like politics. That's really interesting to me.

2:13:27They don't want to be Superman.

2:13:31Superman. They want to be a president or something. They all want to be the mayor.

2:13:35Don't they do until you show them show them your salary? Huh?

2:13:41That little kid said Dr. [name], you must be rich. You're the mayor.

2:13:45Why do I get what he said? He told me that little kid told me. But he was he had the cutest

2:13:52quie my nieces. Uncle Chris, you must be rich.

2:14:01Now that you're rich, you're on you're on city council. You got all these cars. This is this and that.

2:14:08I say guess I I am rich, but I am not wealthy. God's good.

2:14:16Try to tell them the difference.

2:14:17Somebody get rich in a lot of ways, but I am clear. [clears throat] I said I am not clearing $46 a month here with the council. You'll get rich.

2:14:26I told you that's my You can't even get your hand right now. New car prices for what they give you.

2:14:32I mean I mean I can see go to the nail shop $7. They send you home.

2:14:41Somebody asked me that, and I don't know if they're serious or not, but anyway, they said, "Did your pay increase when you made Mayor Pro

2:14:49Tim?" I said, "Listen, first of all, I didn't make Mayor Pro Tim." I said, "That was by default."

2:14:57That was by default. And no, there was no entries,

2:15:06but there is a people to get paid real money, ma'am. They think you get paid real money,

2:15:13but then the cities they do, you know, baby, they don't care.

2:15:17[laughter]

2:15:20One time the other night, oh, a few weeks ago when Carol and I went out, this is love.

2:15:25Meies and got a ribeye steak. We split it. It was $71.

2:15:31One one one month work here won't pay for that.

2:15:34You can't take Yeah. No, you can't get a So that was our only time to go do that.

2:15:40I tell you what, food is out. What? We We ate out somewhere and it was $40.

2:15:48It was like a kind of buffet thing, but it's like $40. Oh, yeah.

2:15:55And it went up with what? Depending on what you got on the buffet. That's right.

2:16:06at that Chinese buffet that the guy went and told that guys in there. He said the sign says all you can eat buffet, not

2:16:13all day buffet. [laughter] He said you eat and go home.

2:16:18Don't like to get hungry. You know, you know, I used to have a friend they go when they were switching out the buffets like morning and evening, you know, at that point and get what you

2:16:26want off

2:16:30[cough]

2:16:37Like I said, that was a real piece of not used to that much. Remember that old cowboy show now?

2:16:44Rolling, [clears throat] rolling, rolling. Keep this dogy rolling. Let's keep this rolling. I just added mine.

2:16:5212:00.

2:16:56I saw that bacon. I was It's 11:22. Oh yeah. And then eat the bread. No, he he cooked that for me.

2:17:07I'm [clears throat] finish. All right. Mayor and council.

2:17:14So y'all's y'all are free until 5 5:00, right? No. No. Okay. No.

2:17:22How about noon? Yeah, that's just 30 minutes.

2:17:26Y'all feel I I mean y'all I'm I'm at y'all's I'm at y'all's uh pleasure. So

2:17:34[clears throat]

2:17:35what time let's blaze through. What time is it?

2:17:38It's 11:20. I said let's go through 11:20. 11:20.

2:17:42Let's do what we what what our intention was. Yeah. From here. Yeah. From this moment on.

2:17:48Okay. So, um from this moment on,

2:17:51[clears throat]

2:17:53we have the budget in front of you. I'm gonna touch on just a few highlights of the budget um of the of the things that you need to

2:18:00know as you're reviewing it and you want to make some notes, want to meet up with me later, um we'll do all of that. If you have

2:18:08questions right now, if I'm knowledgeable of the answer, I'll give it to you. If not, I'll tell you. I'm going to research it. I'll bring it back

2:18:14to you. But, um currently on the first pages of your of your budget, um you

2:18:20have your revenue sheets. as I spoke um have some notes here

2:18:28[clears throat]

2:18:29on property. One of the biggest things that I'm seeing um impact our budget this year is

2:18:36uh the state legislature gave a business personal property tax exemption uh this last uh session to businesses.

2:18:48um they increased the exemption from $2,500 per year to $125,000 per year. So, small businesses, uh

2:18:57restaurants, mechanic shops, you know, just uh any small business like that that was

2:19:04getting a $2,500 personal property tax exemption. It got increased to $125,000.

2:19:09So, a lot of the taxes that they were paying, they will be exempted from it.

2:19:14Um at least 125,000. And a lot where we're finding there's a lot of businesses that you know if say it's a lawnmowing business there zero turns in

2:19:22a truck and a trailer it's somewhere around there you know so their property their personal property tax their equipment and machinery and

2:19:29stuff like that went away that tax uh the property tax is being exempted a restaurant and things of that nature

2:19:36those property taxes are being exempted the thing with exemptions the [clears throat] thing with exemptions are not remove they they don't remove

2:19:44that tax they just shift it to somebody else. So, so businesses that were paying that tax and and working in it working

2:19:51it working the tax into their bottom line, you know, as they set up fee schedules and and sell a burger or mow a

2:19:59yard. [clears throat] That was all included. They're exempted and as a business owner, that's a really nice

2:20:06thing. However, it just moved it to the rest of the people paying the taxes. So,

2:20:13uh, the other businesses that have greater, um, property than 125,000, um, homeowners, fixed income, everybody else

2:20:22gets impacted by this load that business own business owners were exempted from.

2:20:28Um, that equates to 12 million. We have u 12 [cough] million. [clears throat] Um,

2:20:35here, let me pull it up just so I can reference it.

2:20:41Um [clears throat] so you have

2:20:50in um in 2025 we had 107,000 in business um u property tax exemptions. 107,000.

2:21:05That's how many people were they were exempted $107,000 worth across all business owners in the city of Crockett.

2:21:12There was that many exemptions provided in 2026.

2:21:16Um there's a total of 12 million uh 6 and

2:21:2412,796 uh,000 in exemptions. If you subtract

2:21:31last year's exemptions, you have an additional exemptions of 12,688 um that equates to current tax rates.

2:21:41Today's tax rate that equates to $86,000 of taxes that are shifted off of the business owners

2:21:50to the to property owners, homeowners, everybody else. I did get that yesterday.

2:21:57[clears throat]

2:21:57Yes, ma'am. I um I got all the paper and I have a copy here. I can And so this is just this is some information as we're developing this budget.

2:22:07Property owners and other people taking a loan are assuming this $86,000 in additional

2:22:14taxes. Um so so that's one one point that I wanted to um mention that as

2:22:21we're building this budget that's going to come back up as we're doing uh we're going to be doing something called an average average um property taxes. So

2:22:29based on average home values, this is what you currently pay as a homeowner.

2:22:34And if council decreases increases the taxes any, this is what it'll go up or down. Um, but we're going to have to factor in that $86,000 of of revenues

2:22:44[clears throat]

2:22:45already, but before council even does anything, you know, so we have to that goes into the calculation. The other

2:22:51thing is transfer of employees as promotions and license have occurred.

2:22:56we've seen is a over the last few years more and more of our people um as M [name] mentioned and we had talked about

2:23:04earlier the street department is very heavy um heavily centered on uh the cost

2:23:11of concrete of of cement of of asphalt and all those costs. That's where we needed to prioritize more of our focus

2:23:20on and less of manpower [clears throat] to do the work.

2:23:25Um especially as we get more and more quality work that is getting done. Our water department and streets department are very uh labor intensive.

2:23:36They will work all day long in a hole or at a leak. They'll be five, six guys digging, pumping, running equipment, putting pipes in the ground.

2:23:44They could work all day long for maybe a $1,000 piece of a of a pipe or or a valve to install a valve. And they it took that many people all day long.

2:23:54Whereas on the street department, it might take four guys all day long and they could be putting down $50,000 worth of asphalt, you know. So, as and uh the

2:24:03parks department is the same way uh with our TDC contract. Um we're very very fortunate um

2:24:11to have that TDC uh contract. However, we have employees that are in our parks department and our streets department that are helping out just to keep on the

2:24:19workload of the water department. So this budget reflects transfers of this the moving those employees from one

2:24:26department that they're not as needed in to departments that they're already, you know, they're already helping out and working in those departments. That way it's proper the the labor is properly

2:24:35loaded um and paid for. Not increasing, not hiring more people or firing more people. It's just moving them. So you'll

2:24:42see those reflections um in in the in the budget um in front of you.

2:24:48The other thing that this budget is going [clears throat] Um, under advisement of of our attorneys,

2:24:55uh, one thing that's come up is council, and I'll have, let me pull it up right here.

2:25:01council. Um, by resolution when the EDC was terminated and abolished, there was a distribution of assets plan and an

2:25:09interlocal agreement where the city would manage the make to make sure that the sales tax that comes in for the EDC will continue

2:25:18going until it's paid off all of its obligations. And there was these these are the these are the items right here that council approved.

2:25:26um the asset the that that all funds will go towards these items here uh notice to claimants. So we had two

2:25:34existing um uh lawsuits we had the USDA

2:25:41uh loan at that time there was initial in January 30th of 2025 so about a year

2:25:48and a half ago we owed 2.3 million u we are now down to 2.2 2 million um that is

2:25:55still owed on there. Um so legal costs uh the remaining obligations for the building renovation uh for the provalis

2:26:04contract that's been finalized. There's that we've we've we've uh completed all of the the the renovations required for

2:26:11that contract. Um bookkeeping services that would go away. EDC consultant um if you remember we had a consultant there

2:26:19for a little bit that went away. Um, and then we had a few contributions that council approved to prepare the EDC. Um,

2:26:28the uh roof that was out there, the Westbrook house, the the Mary Allen College Museum, it requires some things that need to be uh finalized, and we set

2:26:36some money aside for that. And we set aside $20,000 in other uh maintenance obligations of the of the of the properties.

2:26:47Since then, all of those things have been addressed, taken off the books, paid off. We now have a fund balance in

2:26:54the EDC of right a little over $600,000 um um outside of the current debt payments.

2:27:04What we approved in the resolution that was all all proceeds um into the EDC accounts would be would go to the

2:27:12towards that obligation. And right now the big you know the big obligation is the USDA note. We have roughly $600,000 in fund balance to to pay down that

2:27:20note. That will bring us down to around 1.5 1.6 million that we still owe.

2:27:27[snorts] We have an estimate of aboutund $88,000 in sales tax revenue that's brought in by that half cent sales tax.

2:27:38How how much did you say again?

2:27:40808. And that's in your budget in the proposed budget that I'm have before that 808 has to be made up

2:27:48and each year completely spent down where there you don't have rollover fund balances. We need to pay off that debt at that rate at the at the proposed rate

2:27:56that we're projecting now. It may go up or go down a little bit. If it goes up more than that amount, we'll have to go into debt payment. If it's less than

2:28:04that amount, we'll have to adjust it down and pay whatever did come in in sales tax. Um, so you'll see that you'll see that

2:28:13reflected in your budget. We have to at that rate it'll probably be this next fiscal year and a portion of the

2:28:20following fiscal year. I'm going to have to get legal advice on how to aortion fractional. So if we pay off half of it

2:28:28within a year or you know half of the proceeds of the EDC sales tax goes and that debt is paid off

2:28:35within that year. How do I factor in a tax rate? Because by the voters

2:28:42any sales tax that comes in the EDC sales tax that comes in will go towards property tax rate uh relief. So the

2:28:49entire amount is going just based on current estimates it's going to be over 20 cents

2:28:56reduction in property taxes or the property tax rate. So we currently get about $2.2 million in property

2:29:06uh property taxes over a third you know over a third of those taxes would be reduced in the

2:29:14following year. our tax our taxes our tax rates would go down by a third. We' we'd drop to somewhere in the 60% of the previous year.

2:29:24So, how that calculation has to work and how those funds are brought in, you know, we need legal advice on how to

2:29:31properly project those and make sure that that money is set aside in an account and goes specifically towards that. What did you say?

2:29:39I didn't say I was going to say something. Oh, okay.

2:29:42Okay. So um with with saying that I was looking over the CIC funds and USDA payments.

2:29:50Yes ma'am.

2:29:51So I was just looking and uh I highlighted where it says transfer from CIC

2:29:57uh where it says the D on the Are you looking at our audit? Yes.

2:30:04Yes. I audit. Okay. Okay. And it says uh transfer 2,234 uh00,000 $656.

2:30:15So with that being said, what was that transfer for?

2:30:19So when council passed this resolution to terminate and to transfer all so in

2:30:26those assets. So there's two there's two numbers. There's an a depreciation or a an asset number. So the properties that

2:30:34are owned, the city owns and then the debt that the EDC owns, the city now owns that debt. You know, we

2:30:41have to pay that debt off. Um it's our responsibility to manage that debt. We have an interlocal agreement that says that the city will oversee and make sure

2:30:50that that debt's paid off. And so um I will present this to you before the before this budget year is finalized and

2:30:57closed out. and it will be reflected in your in your audit as well when the audit comes in. All of those funds will

2:31:04have to be tracked and show that it go that it went towards paying the USDA note down and paying it down each year.

2:31:11Um, in that resolution, it says on the and and y'all have copies of this, but I'll give you another copy if you need it. But it says the foregoing amounts

2:31:20will be transferred to an escrow account to be dispersed as costs are incurred for the foregoing obligations um as that are related to the windup of the

2:31:29corporation. So I will have I will show that track it. here's how much money we received this month or this past, you

2:31:36know, year and this is the debt that we paid off for the USDA debt that we paid off and it'll be reflected in the

2:31:43budget. That way you can track the activities, the amount of money that's coming in and the amount of [snorts] money that's going out.

2:31:48So, so um so we do have an account for the CC, right? Yes. So why why are we having to transfer it?

2:31:57Because it has to be cuz by resolution it has to be transferred into an escrow account.

2:32:01Mhm. that those monies measures by resolution.

2:32:04So so all of those monies have to be captured shown as a transfer and then every dollar accounted for paying off the debt paid.

2:32:14So we actually really didn't have to transfer. We could have just left the monies in that account. You know, our legal advice, the legal advice from

2:32:23our attorneys was to make a transfer into an escrow account. Whether we had to or not, that was the legal advice

2:32:29that we went on. Um yeah, but it's but that wasn't presented

2:32:35[clears throat]

2:32:35with with the legal advice. I don't know if that was presented to us um you know because taking legal advice, we just went with what was advised.

2:32:44Yeah, that's what we have to do. That's what I would I wouldn't veer off from that.

2:32:48But if we didn't have to do it, what what kind of legal I don't know that we didn't have to. Our legal our attorney said that we should.

2:32:55So I don't know. I'm not an attorney. That's what I'm saying.

2:32:58According to them, that is the cleaner way to track the funds to make sure that we're not co-mingling funds. They

2:33:06have to be a set aside escrow account to make sure [snorts] that there's no comingling and additional you know tracking required. You can see in out

2:33:15and it should tally up. Um so um those were the items the the I guess

2:33:23the biggest items that as you go through this budget our f our revenue

2:33:32our revenue line item as you see you see the

2:33:37difference there over last year. Um

2:33:45the we're contin continuing to see a small decrease each year or sometimes

2:33:52even more than a small but a fractional decrease every year in franchise in

2:33:59franchise fees as we become more efficient.

2:34:03People go to LEDs and to solar panels whatever. So you have electrical franchises going down as people go to

2:34:09streaming devices, you have uh uh dish, you know, satellite services and and dish network and all the cable

2:34:17television franchise. All of those are steadily decreasing each and every year as we become as more technology comes

2:34:23out. The the way that this is set up, I'll have certified values to present to council as soon as I receive them.

2:34:32Otherwise, I'm just based on last year's numbers, and I'm showing a voter approval rate based on those numbers. If

2:34:38you go down to uh the sales tax, um what's that? The fifth line, the fifth

2:34:45line down, sixth line down, city sales tax, the city sales tax is healthy and it continues to see a slight increase

2:34:54year-over-year as we're going probably to more locally sourced stuff. We are we're more online purchases. Instead of

2:35:01driving to Lufkin or Woodlands or somewhere to buy those things, we're buying them online. Those are being uh now taxed locally, which is a really a good benefit. It keeps the city healthy.

2:35:12Other than that, um other than that, you see, yes, I would highly recommend if you're want to buy shoes or if you can find an online option, please buy it online.

2:35:22You're paying somebody's sales tax and why not pay ours instead of an out of town. That's cool.

2:35:27Um, Amazon Amazon I think is our third highest tax contributor in or actually I

2:35:35think our second highest contribution other than Walmart.

2:35:39So it does help to buy 100% with Amazon instead of going to the mall somewhere else.

2:35:44I don't like my wife but I never knew a lot of people using know it benefited us like that.

2:35:50Yes. And so those are the you see the revenues. Um, I'm continuing to work on

2:35:58the revenues for utilities, uh, water and sewer rates. Right now, I have last year's budgeted rates in there. We will

2:36:06continue closing in that number and and and making sure that we have an accurate number projected for next year. This

2:36:14does not include any this does not include any rate increases to the water or sewer. This budget does

2:36:22show and council's going to have to, you know, we'll we'll have to account for that. But we have a 3% CPI increase for

2:36:31garbage and we have a 2% increase for water for purchase water from the water district.

2:36:39We currently, this proposed budget shows the increase. We're eating those costs for the water rates. Oh, yes. For the

2:36:46water rates. We're not increasing water rates to pay for that. As we go through our capital requests or any colas or

2:36:55anything of that nature, we will have to probably look at that. Well, we will definitely have to look at that if that's what we're going to do. Great question.

2:37:02And but currently without any of these capital requests appropriated for in the draft budget,

2:37:10I'm not I'm not showing any rate increases in the draft budget as well.

2:37:15So, however, I'm showing it on the garbage side. The garbage side passing on, we have a 3% increase from our supplier,

2:37:22from our contractor, and we're showing in this draft budget a 3% increase to the uh resident. So,

2:37:30somewhere around 20 cents, I think 26 a month. So to re reiterate [clears throat] and get clarity. So you're saying that um increasing tax

2:37:39rates uh will not this this we will not have to increase tax rates dealing with the garbage and the water. But if we

2:37:48consider doing cola raises or any employee raises, we'll have to look at

2:37:56uh increasing taxes taxes or decreasing another expense. you know, if council says, "Hey, we're going to decrease this,

2:38:04okay, and and put that towards the cola, we either have to decrease current spending or increase a a rate to bring in

2:38:13additional revenue to pay for it." Um, this does in, like I said, this does include a garbage rate increase

2:38:21due to the rate increase from our contractor. Um but in our water and sewer um they hit us with a 2% increase. It

2:38:31currently does not show that being passed on to the cuts to the consumer but as we move forward with the pro with

2:38:38a with a budget council may decide to pass that on to the consumer and it but it currently doesn't. Um so

2:38:46that's the revenues. um expenses um

2:38:53we brought um from our comm I was initially my my salary line item was um

2:39:00when I was when I had stepped down to assistant uh city manager um my s my salary was being paid out of community services and development department as

2:39:09we u brought in a finance director we brought that salary back over to our general admin budget so the you have a

2:39:18decrease and then it increases back to um to cover for um personnel costs uh

2:39:25for myself um and for our finance director. Okay.

2:39:31Um I was looking at at that [snorts] um just looking over everything I saw where you also put in another department for an uh assistant city administrator.

2:39:44That was the previous budget. So that's why I'm saying that that is being transferred back over.

2:39:51Um, and it's so we're not we don't have an assistant city administrator position that we're budgeting for.

2:39:58Okay. What is it? You gave me

2:40:00[clears throat]

2:40:01you gave me Well, I have to go back.

2:40:04Right. You gave that to Yeah. Well, I mean, we'll look at it.

2:40:07Like I said, um if And you put it in another department like in the what do you call it?

2:40:14No, it it's not it's not in there. It's not in it. U so there's no budgeted expense for an assistant city administrator.

2:40:22Um going down to the street department, that's where the street department and parks I did transfer. So, some people

2:40:31that began working in the parks department that gained uh water licensing, we moved them to the parks uh to the water and sewer departments.

2:40:40People that we had hired to replace them in the water and sewer departments, we brought them into the parks department.

2:40:46There's a little bit of savings and personnel cost there. The street department is the biggest one. We had several people that [name] and I met and

2:40:53he he said, "[name], these guys are not these guys are working in our water and streets departments. I mean our water and sewer departments and especially

2:41:01like when uh water lines, sewer line breaks and calls on the weekends. Uh when somebody's on call for the sewer

2:41:10and the water department over the weekend if they were if they were budgeted out of the street department and they're eating up

2:41:19overtime, we appropriated money for overtime in the water and sewer, but not in the streets department. But if they're coming from a street department

2:41:27salary line item, they're also running up overtime in the street department.

2:41:30And so this right here corrects those personnels. So where you have a transfer out is being brought in into the water

2:41:39department. You know, those those costs are being uh better um appropriated.

2:41:46Um, as you see here on the street department, um,

2:41:52this is this current draft. As you saw up ahead on the revenues, it showed about a $71,000 additional surplus that could be appropriated.

2:42:05council can appropriate that money towards some of these capital requests or appropriate more of that money towards street department maintenance

2:42:14repair of streets to get more streets done. Um as it is it shows 7 a $75,000

2:42:21increase to our street department uh maintenance and repair. So as I mentioned earlier in 24 we spent 250,000

2:42:29we 2025 we spent 480,000 in the street department almost doubling our street department budget then we increase it to

2:42:36574,000 this year. [snorts] This shows it projected at 650,000 next year. So,

2:42:43continuing to move that money into the priority of street repairs, especially as council seems to me more

2:42:53uh aligned with moving just a little bit slower on the street department, not gaining so much ground and doing it

2:43:02cheaper. Doing more doing less chip seals and doing more asphalt, rebuilding, doing more concrete curve and gutter, slowing down enough to where

2:43:10that project is complete. we can walk away and that's a 20 year, you know, a 20-year streak, not a fiveyear when we need to return and do another chip sale.

2:43:20Um, but those cost a lot of money for us to suspend that.

2:43:24So, gentlemen, just quick question. So, so [clears throat] the the work sheet, the budget worksheet, so you were saying that this is the itemized

2:43:33No, ma'am, that's not the budget worksheet. That's the activity report that I was mentioning to earlier that shows year to date every month what we spend in each category for each department

2:43:41that you mentioned earlier. That's that sheet.

2:43:44Okay. But we don't that's not the worksheet.

2:43:47Okay. So, but okay. I guess that's why I was looking at because I I don't it doesn't specify or like I said that's what I was asking about receipts. It

2:43:54doesn't specify what we actually purchased and it just give us overall number. It doesn't like uh material and

2:44:02supplies. I mean, we don't know if we actually spent that on those.

2:44:05I can guarantee you we spent it. So, all it needs is you to ask and I will pull the check register, whatever you it is you want to see those those expenses.

2:44:15How do you keep up with that's what we have software that does that?

2:44:19But each and every each and every week or two weeks, we'll cut 80 something accounts payable checks. So there's no

2:44:28way to show you every check that we cut unless you come in and say, "Hey, I want to see, you know, this one." But it's But what I'm saying is it should on the It should be documented, right? Of course.

2:44:37When you make the purchase. Yes, ma'am.

2:44:38So that's what I'm asking. So can we get a print out of each?

2:44:42There's no way to give a a print out of that much information, that much information like monthly, you know, purchases monthly.

2:44:50If council wants to do that, I will be glad to do that, but we'll have to let council tell me if that's what they want.

2:44:55Okay. that month that information is always available to you though.

2:44:59Um well, I would like it monthly. I would I don't know about the rest of Well, because I mean if council if if council

2:45:07wants a monthly check register or however y'all want that broken down, we can do that.

2:45:11Okay. Cuz I mean um so hang on one second. Let me ask you a question. [clears throat] So you so

2:45:18like under materials and like it says oils, gas, and grease. You want a breakdown of every dollar. If we if we budgeted $10,000, you want to you want a

2:45:28breakdown of every 10,000 every every penny that they spent. You want to see a receipt for every every bit of that money.

2:45:34The state does and the state gets it. The state gets it. We can't get it.

2:45:38Well, I'm not saying that you can't, but we pay out.

2:45:41I mean, that's what I'm saying. I that's what I would like. I would like to get what the state get. if the state gets a breakdown because I mean just in [clears throat] general if you're

2:45:48working for the state they want to for every penny accounted for. So how do we know what we're working with?

2:45:56We have an auditor. Hang on. We have an auditor that reviews that and if there's any dis discrepancies they bring that before council.

2:46:03Okay. So that means that we don't look at what we're approving. We just rubber stamp it and just say whatever the

2:46:10auditors say. I mean because you're not audit you're not auditors.

2:46:14No, I'm not auditing but I I do have but what I'm saying is is that we do have responsibility of the finances of the

2:46:21city and [snorts] so to know what each department has uh or spends their money on helps us to determine how much money

2:46:30or how much how many funds they're going to need the next year. So we don't see just say I'm going to give you an

2:46:36example. Um, I saw posty stamps or whatever.

2:46:42Um, let's see. Give me an example.

2:46:47What's a [name]? What's our while she's looking? What's our ballpark budget for annually? Just give me how many million? 12 million. 12 million.

2:46:55Okay. Postage. Okay. Just like for instance, postage. Okay. You you do we spend $2,000 on postage in Absolutely.

2:47:04in a certain department. Yeah. Yeah.

2:47:05So that's what I'm asking if we can find where we can make leverage on some [clears throat] of the other areas where we can find monies uh to purchase what

2:47:15Mr. [name] needs for the roads. I mean let's let me inject one thing. Sure. You're the mayor. Number one, we're not

2:47:22micromanaging department. You hire a department head to do your department.

2:47:27If they decide they want to support postage is what they need because some days they have to spin out some things they're not. there. A department head

2:47:36ought to be able to designate where they want if they're spending it on something other than what they want. But it's not

2:47:43our job to say you can't buy postage. I mean that I mean for us to go into their budget and tell them where to spend it.

2:47:50It has to be a level of accountability with them. If they're spending it within their budget, if you wanted to have a conversation, that would be different.

2:47:59But to designate we need to take money here and put it there. We're micromanaging. That's why you have managers to do their Well, I mean, we hired that nice lady right there to do that for us.

2:48:09That's that's that's where I'm at.

2:48:10That's I mean, that's so we hired her to do that. So, I don't And I hired her.

2:48:15Her years of experience trump mine. I I can balance my checkbook, but her years of experience as a city man or a city finance director. I'm gonna trust

2:48:23what she says until I till till I can't be what I would like for I I don't I'm not gonna say I'm not trusting what she says or what what it says, but I would like

2:48:32to see it for myself. So, if she has a a print out of of the information of the of the how the item how the budgets is

2:48:40itemized, I would love to have a copy of it. But that's what I'm saying. But my thing of it is is this is that we have a bunch have numbers here and we don't

2:48:49have an idea of what what it's for. We don't we have numbers but we don't have exactly what the the departments are

2:48:58purchasing and if she has that someone like me if I want to look at it allow me to see it.

2:49:03But I mean you're talking 12 million budget that's going to take [name] or her an astronomical amount of time to pull all those receipts to make those

2:49:11available to you. Well, see the thing is a waste of our time.

2:49:14Well, we're weren't supposed to get monthly uh uh monthly uh reports anyway.

2:49:19So, I mean, so we don't get monthly reports on each department, but if we did, we could keep up with that.

2:49:24You do. You get an activity report showing how much is spent in each department in each budget.

2:49:30How much overall? No, but we're not getting it.

2:49:33You are itemized. You are getting it itemized. You have it right there in front of you. I'm looking at it from here.

2:49:39You can fill out the things. That's the worksheet. Yeah. No, that's that's not the exact. So, um I'm gonna move forward. Yes, sir. Go ahead.

2:49:47So, here's the thing. Like I said, if we do each and every payroll or you know, twice a twice a a month when we cut

2:49:55checks and everything, those are available. If you're like, "Hey, why are we spending 2,000?" I'll be glad to show you those receipts.

2:50:02For me to put that number in here, it's already been tried and true. I know that we're spending that much in postage and stamps and everything else in that

2:50:10department. If it's building in standards and we're sending out, we have to send out notices. We'll send out 60 certified envelopes to the to people

2:50:17within a 300 foot, you know, um in the water department, we send out 3500 uh 3,500 utility bills each month. All of

2:50:26those cost money, lots of money. So, all of those are tried and true. My job over the last several months has been to do exactly what you're saying. Well, if

2:50:34there's 2,000, are we really spending? I look and I say, are we spending 2,000?

2:50:38Yes, we are. So that needs to carry. Oh, hey, we're saving some money. We just upgraded to whatever and the costs are less over there. So that's why when you

2:50:47see every category of expense in every department, there's 380, I believe 380 expense line items. As you look, you'll

2:50:56see increases, decreases, flat. Hey, we're on target. It looks like we're going to stay the same next year. Or, hey, insurance has increased

2:51:03dramatically this last year. They did re-evaluate everything. We're going to go up on that next year. Those numbers are already reflected. If any of them

2:51:10look off off and you want to know the information, all of those, Miss [name], I I'm never I'm not deni I don't and I

2:51:19haven't and I never will deny you information that you get as a council member. If you want to sit down, you can we have banker boxes of receipts. You

2:51:28can look through them to your heart's content. We I I welcome you to do so, but to provide all of those into

2:51:36spreadsheets and create more work and materials and supplies for paper and bring those to you every week, month

2:51:43that I don't see it as being realistic or something that but if council says that, we will gladly do that as well.

2:51:50Now the thing the thing of it is is like I said it's is I mean we're getting numbers and we can't uh evaluate

2:51:56actually what that department can uh uh actually need what what the need is is that's what my job is as a city manager

2:52:05to know exactly what they need what they spent what we're trending to go over on what we need to adjust. That's why it's

2:52:12called a budget. It's not a hey you will never spend more than $10,000. We're projecting the next year something will

2:52:19cost 5,000 10,000 and so forth and it's my job to go through that and now I have you know we have people helping with

2:52:27reports hey listen we're going I want a daily review on those kind of things to where we have time to say money's going

2:52:35up going down this is where we need to make an adjustment and come to council for approvals if council gave me a budget I need to manage it and so that's what this is for

2:52:43for next year I've looked through this over the last several months And I've made these adjustments for y'all to look at.

2:52:50That was my job. Your job is to look at and if anything looks off, say, "Hey, can we meet later on? I'm wondering why we're spending that $2,000 in in

2:52:57stamps." Be glad to show you and I'll show you exactly where it's gone and why it's 2,000.

2:53:02Um, I really could, you know, cuz otherwise you don't need me. You don't need me.

2:53:08You don't need a finance director. Y'all can run this city yourself. Actually, actually, we we need you, you know, if you would, we need you if you know and

2:53:17you're aware of what we're spending in those departments to you.

2:53:22Um, like I said, we need an itemized list of what those uh departments, which is why why I show that to you.

2:53:28Yeah. So, we need So, you're you're basically just give I keep saying you're just giving We really need to move on. That's not even

2:53:36Yeah. You're trying to But I'm just telling you because I mean that's what I'm saying is that you're just giving us numbers and you're not giving us details about what expenses.

2:53:44But what kind of details do you need?

2:53:48What I mean it's we don't have he's just he's basically given us numbers.

2:53:56So I think but my question is this is my question my question this this this going to be my question is that okay since that uh [name] has um went through

2:54:04looked at everything why are we even having a workshop if he's bringing us uh and he's already looked at all the numbers and he's thinking that

2:54:12everything is approvable why are we having a workshop to approve that's what I'm saying so he wants to make a decision but you've already made

2:54:20the decision there's no decision made no decisions have been made This is a presentation.

2:54:26Mayor and council, I feel that we've gotten off topic and we need to realign.

2:54:30No, we are aligning. We on No, we need to realign. We need to realign on what our agenda is. Agenda is on the workshop.

2:54:36No, that is that's not our agenda right now. That's not our agenda right now.

2:54:42Speaking that wasn't what we agreed to to move forward to item.

2:54:49I wait let let me just at this point at this point we're going over topic and I think councilwoman has fully stated what

2:54:57her concerns are and at this point we're just going over an overview of what has been projected. This is an opportunity for everybody to reflect and from the

2:55:06projection and if it we're going to have another one. This is just the organizers tell everybody everything has been pulled from their department. It and

2:55:14this is a true representation because it goes through the audit and can verify that that's where the money is and where

2:55:21it was spent. The direct line by line items are not spelled out in this portion of it. and is he's uh a

2:55:30businessman has already offered that he he's given her what she's asked in terms of it. So what we're on to right now is

2:55:38moving to the to the format. What we're going to follow are the things in order.

2:55:43These are the things that in order is it something that you want to do and that's what we're working with. So I think it it's been clearly explained at this

2:55:52point and we do have before us the numbers and we're not doing the specific item by item, but we have the number

2:56:00section by section that they're evaluated in the as the auditor is going to go in and evaluate them.

2:56:08And I'm making myself available for each every one of y'all individually. If any of y'all want to see individually more

2:56:15in detail, obviously that information is fully available.

2:56:19We have it all on file and it and it can be shown. Um, so you saw the street department, the decrease of 115,000

2:56:27total. Um, on page three, you have the parks department with the parks department, a decrease of $5,900

2:56:35uh total in expenditures. Um, each one of these departments, anywhere that I can find some money to shave

2:56:42down, because there's some inevitably some things that have increased. So, a little bit of contingency here or a little bit of fluff. I've gone through

2:56:50and really looked at it to make sure that we can't take some money. And I and you'll see those every one of those subtractions, there are monies saved.

2:56:59Money's pulled out of those line items.

2:57:01And where we can't, we've added we've added those line items and it's reflected here. Um the police department,

2:57:09they have a total of $4,592 um decrease in their expenditures.

2:57:15However, you see over here to the side in comments, um there's a few things specific more some of it's on the

2:57:24capital request side. Um and we'll do the same thing when we get to the water and sewer on the capital request, but

2:57:32um there was some increases in lease equipment that was asked for um

2:57:40the um the computers, the software, the subscriptions.

2:57:45That's the number that it really needs to be at where you're seeing that $103,000 in annual fees and equipment for

2:57:52subscriptions and fees. Um the the new a new line item that we've um added this year that was a request with um police

2:58:00chief was department ammunition. Um so before it was taken out of his travel and training and materials and supplies

2:58:09budget. So if you have materials and supplies, you'll see, you know, in there there'll be some ammunition costs here.

2:58:15Due to the amount of cost and the increase on, you know, qualifying each and every quarter or however often y'all

2:58:23qualifying the amount of ammunition, he's asking for a specific line item on that. So you see that number. So I do need so you know that 70,000 that could

2:58:32easily be eaten up by some of those costs there. Um, and so, you know, I need some the things that I knew that are going up and down that we have

2:58:41really no say so over like electricity, gasoline, things of those natures. We move those new items.

2:58:48Those are things that needed a little bit of council input. Not tonight, not today, but it needs to be looked at. Um

2:58:56the fire department, the biggest increase there was um we were told this year that we needed to adjust uh we were

2:59:05paying for a part-time employee at 24 hours a week. We were told that we

2:59:12needed if it's anything over 20 average, you know, we needed to pay for

2:59:19uh retirement. Retirement needed to be contributions need to be made for that employee. You see that? And you also see

2:59:26this year, as you see in y'all's books, there's been a reassessment of all city values on um buildings and equipment

2:59:34stuff. They haven't So, if we told them that city hall is going to cost a million dollars, say in 2005 to, you

2:59:42know, when we went under TML, today it's going to be way more than a million dollars, right? So they go they

2:59:50went in and did a an assessment of all city facilities. So in insurance costs you'll see the rates didn't necessarily

2:59:57go up but the assessment values did the valuations to replace it in current day val uh in current day values. Um so that

3:00:07those two costs were the greatest contributor on the fire department and you see an an increase of 19,000. uh

3:00:14community and development services, you see um a decrease of 5,700 for year year-over-year budget. All of these

3:00:23departments I'm going through and trying to find places that we can shave, cut costs, and um to bring that number down

3:00:32because I'm trying to do it this year to where we don't have to go to a voter approval rate or if we do, I want those costs going to salaries salaries.

3:00:40I want those costs going to to the cost of living.

3:00:44Um the expenditures for sanitation department that's the cost that's a 3% increase in um customer cost over the

3:00:51contract. It's a it's a one 1 million42,000 uh budget for

3:01:00for the garbage um over last year's 1 million1,000.

3:01:06The library you see a decrease of 185,000.

3:01:11Um the mechanic shop you see an increase of 13 um of 1317.

3:01:17Um some of those were making some corrections to uh workers comp and um and salaries that was not a prop

3:01:25properly appropriated for last year but that doesn't increase that doesn't include any salary increases.

3:01:32the civic center.

3:01:35Um the biggest hit that we got there, we have a $13,000 overall budget increase for the civic center. Um and the big and

3:01:4316,000 of that is an increase to insurance. They really hit us hard on the valuation on the civic center. It

3:01:49was well undervalued according to the today's replacement costs and that

3:01:57they really pushed that number up. So that that went up our insurance went up for the civic center by 16,600.

3:02:04Um and so I've made some cuts elsewhere in the budget and brought it down to an overall cost of 13,000. Then you have

3:02:13the EDC obligations. You see that breakdown there that we're going to what I'm going to do for council before we

3:02:20finalize that line item. basically those the the three unmet obligations that we

3:02:26have not finalized yet plus the USDA note is written into this budget. What will happen though if we've like say

3:02:35legal expenses we've already spent some of those legal expenses um attorney expenses. So that $20,000 budget will decrease and that money will go towards the USDA debt.

3:02:47So the overall number is accounted for. Um, I'll get you a more itemized number of

3:02:54this is what we appro we appropriated 20,000. We spent 12,000. So, we're going to leave 8,000 in it for next year.

3:03:02Okay. And what's the project?

3:03:05uh legal expenses, the office roof repair, the uh sophet and uh trim repair

3:03:12for the Westbrook house, and I have $20,000 in maintenance that could go towards more than likely the Westbrook House or any of the property cleanups.

3:03:21There's some culverts that need to be installed. Some of those things we can try to address before the city starts spending its own money on the EDC

3:03:30properties, but all of those will be itemized and brought to council. council will have to approve any of those expenses.

3:03:35Now, my question, so that those are extra expenses that are coming out of the EDC's account as per the resolution that council and

3:03:44um Okay, I just want to remind the council that, you know, we we're only supposed to be paying the debt and not obligations, not the debt, the debt.

3:03:54These these line items that are put in here are because they're in that resolution that council and the law prescribed. I didn't put anything else else that else in there.

3:04:04So the water department budget um you have an overall decrease. I really

3:04:13I feel less confident about the water and sewer department budgets because some of the items that we normally keep

3:04:21in there for repair and water m or you know water line uh repairs or say replacing for instance an

3:04:30example we're over there doing road construction on Darius this past week we got a collapse around a manhole manhole

3:04:37started caving at the bottom until we started moving the dirt everything was okay. Now, we ran into the need for a a new manhole. We have to pull all that

3:04:45old that was not something that I I was expecting manhole on Darius things of those natures. We had two line items

3:04:52that would address water mane replacement and sewer line uh sewer line or sewer manhole repairs replacement that I

3:05:00really had to cut down those budget numbers in order to make this budget work and fit without a [clears throat]

3:05:08water rate increase because we're passing we're eating this water rate increase from the district without a water rate increase to the

3:05:15customers. So, we're taking it out of plan, you know, um contingent repairs to manholes or water line repairs or things of that nature.

3:05:24So, it's still a it's still a, you know, a balanced budget. It funds itself, but we do run risk that in

3:05:33the during the middle of the year, I may have to come back to you and say, "Hey, there's [clears throat] no money in the budget for this and it really needs to happen. So, we need to pull from fund

3:05:40balance." This budget prior to this allowed for, "Hey, we need a new manhole. put it out of that, pull it out of that line, had them go buy that manhole and get it installed.

3:05:49So, the $90,000 we budgeted for contingency, would that come out of It shouldn't um cuz that's water. This is water and sewer.

3:06:00Uh the 90 the 90,000 you're talking about is in the general fund contingencies. So, what are we using that for?

3:06:05Contingency. Whatever comes up during during the year as council says, "Hey, let's pay for that." Well, then that's where that money comes out of.

3:06:15So, for instance, right now charter the charter legal costs for the charter review that council approved, you know, that's

3:06:23coming out of contingency. Those items are as council approves come out of contingency.

3:06:28Okay. So, that's what I'm asking. So, with with those water issues because that that could come out. It shouldn't.

3:06:35It shouldn't because for the water and sewer, it should come out of its own fund. It should come out of water and

3:06:42sewer money, not tax, not property revenues.

3:06:46That you have a general fund and a utility fund. It's best to come out of the utility fund.

3:06:51Um, and we have basically, if you look down there in in um on page 11,

3:07:00about a third a quarter of the way down, it says water water main replacement projects. You know, last year

3:07:08we decreased it. that really for proactive we should that should be increased.

3:07:16You know, last year we had money in there for a $35,000 vehicle that would pay maybe for one of our used vehicles

3:07:24that I requested in our capital request, but I had to remove that line item and not fund it in our, you know, kind of like the police department. They were

3:07:32wanting to add where every year we buy a new vehicle. Yeah, that's you know that's what would be nice for the departments that are vehicle heavy,

3:07:40a lot of manpower. [snorts] It'd be good to have one of those included every year. This one does not include it on this on the the water department. The

3:07:48sewer department on the last uh page uh page 12, sewer main replacement projects. I I decreased that from

3:07:55100,000 to 45,000 for sewer main replacement [clears throat] projects. Um like I say, those are all projections. I don't know

3:08:03what I'll run, you know, we I don't know what we'll run into next year, but you have a little bit of money set aside to

3:08:10where when we do need that manhole because it collapsed and the roads shut down, we have the fund we pull it out of that.

3:08:17And so that contingency, so to speak, is decreased, you know, pretty significantly.

3:08:22Yes. So what I'm asking is because I've noticed that the um we've got 90 what?

3:08:28$90,000. So, so general fund contingency.

3:08:32Uh, so we still can use that as we need it as the city fit need.

3:08:38You can. Yes, ma'am. Especially more on the that should be more on the general fund. If the [snorts] fire department comes to you and says transmission blew

3:08:46out on our engine and trans, you know, big things they run into a they have a a wreck and maybe a vehicle's total. Big

3:08:53things that happen. we would pull that out of contingency um to pay for those items that are not budgeted for throughout the year.

3:09:00Okay. Because I just noticed that it just it increased and I was just wondering that we already have something. No, it didn't.

3:09:08Okay. Cuz I see in 2024 it was No, I'm talking about from last year. I

3:09:15don't know. Maybe may we may have decreased it um by a budget amendment that council approved to move it from contingency at that time.

3:09:26Um okay, that gives you a draft overview of this budget. I'm available. We can meet

3:09:33and drill into more specifics. Um the other items that I would like to

3:09:42council to give a little bit of direction on to where we know I don't want to spend the next couple of weeks working on

3:09:50this. And then council says, "Yeah, we're not even going to entertain that." What are some of the items that we talked about in capital request? Some of

3:09:58the items that council says we support you digging in, bringing back uh you know, quotes, bringing back

3:10:06options, options to fund because then I need to come back to council and say, "Okay, well, like you know, uh we have this much sitting in contingency. We're

3:10:15going to pull contingency numbers down and move it over to here. Um I presented y'all um a couple week a week last week,

3:10:22you know, a spreadsheet of our fund balances. If council says, "Listen, let's appropriate this year to meeting these capital requests,

3:10:31fire hose, um this, that, and the other. Let's appropriate this much money. Let's free up this much money out of fund balance

3:10:40to pay for these capital requests." you have the numbers of the fund balances.

3:10:45Um, those are those are saved for purposes like this.

3:10:51It's not it's not money that we want to readily spend. We need to keep strong fund balances to keep our credit ratings

3:10:58up and um for purposes of budgeting throughout the year um if big unforeseen things happen, we need to have fun

3:11:05healthy reserves. Um but it's there. um as well as the 70,000 that you see

3:11:13in um you know surplus revenues if we were to go up to the voter approval rate. Um

3:11:22if that's something that C council will consider. So some of the some of the things that I would like y'all can present them in forms of several motions

3:11:31if you want. One thing that I would like is are y'all for or overall against

3:11:38entertaining a voter approval rate and that and that amount of uh revenue coming from the voter approval rate. I'm

3:11:46not asking you to approve any uh rate increase tax rate increases.

3:11:50Are you forwarder guess? But do you want to fund some of these needs, especially like the operational needs, um the

3:11:57year-over-year expenses? Uh some of the ones that I think are fairly are I guess about as justifiable as any are some of

3:12:05the increases to the police department's expenses.

3:12:08Uh like they're budgeted expenses, not not the capital requests like you know the the vehicle or things of that nature, but their budget expenses. Um

3:12:17you see the different um departmental Every one of my departments, every one

3:12:24of the departments, they decreased this year. We had to really shrink in our overall expenses.

3:12:31One to stay on target with the amount of revenues that we have coming in

3:12:38and we're hoping, you know, we hope that we can find money for some raises, some kind of an adjustment. The big the big

3:12:47adjustment that we the big relief that we have coming in a

3:12:55couple years from the EDC property tax rate relief.

3:12:59That's when we'll really feel the impact to our property taxes and our our owners, the people that pay property taxes. Right now, it's a tough time to

3:13:08say we're going to decrease taxes or, you know, so I really want council to give me some some leeway.

3:13:17One, do y'all want me to, as I'm working and billing this budget, do you want me to continue considering the V, the voter approval rate, the three and a half

3:13:25percent increase to revenue? That doesn't necessarily mean a three and a half% increase to your uh taxes, your

3:13:32tax bill. Um, but I will have more of those numbers that I can bring back to y'all. Um,

3:13:41you know, I guess I wouldn't I wouldn't be disagreeing to it because um you you basically would leave it up to the voters.

3:13:50No. um that so if we want to go over that oh

3:13:57that's the amount um that council can do without having to uh trigger an election or call for a vote you know call for an

3:14:05election if if there was a significant amount like you know was presented today the cost of living adjustment council says you know

3:14:14what let's look at 5% or 10 whatever number y'all want those will trigger uh going over that V.

3:14:23Well, will the three and a half make a difference?

3:14:26I think the three and a half will fund all of our budgetary needs without risking.

3:14:35It will not fund capital requests and it will not fund a c a cola, a cost of living, the three and a half% that will address

3:14:43some of the needs um specifically for the police department, the ammunition,

3:14:49um the for the uh uh computers, the department issued cell phones, some of those items that have become a need,

3:14:58but it would give you the flexibility to go to step two to address those specific needs, right? By Yes. Yes, ma'am.

3:15:08You know, by re reallocating what's in your budget now and looking it around yourself, it would make it

3:15:16you know, we know I It is old. I mean, that's it. And but in spite of being

3:15:23old, it's growing. I I mean, just looking at the little holes that are popping, I know our streets and stuff are

3:15:31we're challenged. Every time a street is touched, some other big hole open, storm water, drain, everything.

3:15:38Just I live on Southport. Just looking at the changes and I hear them people hit that big hole every day and I feel sorry. I hope it didn't bust something

3:15:47else. I've seen little wheels fall off the cup. I got picked up by four hub cups in the last week. I mean, but that's all over. And so

3:15:56the broken hydrant in front of your house, it's been there.

3:15:58That would come out of like that water mane replacement line, you know, and so as we shave down of those, if somebody runs off the road and hits something

3:16:06unforeseen items, we're getting tighter and tighter.

3:16:10Yeah. It's it's it's it's really it's a it's and but I know not just mine, but it's just a high pop area. I just hear it every day how much so I know I'm not

3:16:19the only one hitting it so it's aesthetic but I was just saying in terms of what we could do to address because I

3:16:28every time you fill one hole in an older city and the streets are looking better but we know it's roads we've never I we

3:16:36we didn't even know they existed they back in the back and people because they said come look Dr. officially come ride me. I don't I said I'm give you a

3:16:44counselor person night. She invite me and I will and we'll ride. I [laughter] said, but so we are we have we do have

3:16:51some major needs, but I think if we could do a three and a half% I hate paying tax like everybody else, but I do

3:17:00know that at the end of the day, it's it's more equally spreaded that way because I'm finding out more and more

3:17:07people are getting property now. Uh they're buying property and so it's it's

3:17:14being spreaded more equally across. I mean you can just look at the what who's how much is being bought that we don't

3:17:21have every time a sale go somebody's buying it. So I think that is a good source of consideration.

3:17:29Um and then we juggle.

3:17:33So how comfortable do y'all feel about that? Is it are you comfortable enough that you want to entertain a motion that we discuss

3:17:42[snorts] it and we bring those numbers back?

3:17:45I want to, you know, I want to feel fairly strong that I have y'all support on that. I'm not wanting to talk about some

3:17:54and, you know, uh, build a budget around something that you come you come back and say, "Nope, we're not we're not talking that." Um, right. I'm just giving an an opinion.

3:18:07Y'all know I'm very opinionated. Uh, at this time I I don't I'm not I'm not interested in [clears throat] entertaining and looking at Yeah.

3:18:18looking at an increase on taxes for Okay.

3:18:28But you said Okay. Um, you said any not even I won't bring any kind of tax, right?

3:18:34Either the three did they see he said he could do so much before the vote of approval up to no higher than no higher than the voter approval rate.

3:18:42Well, until I actually just let me look at it again. Yes, ma'am.

3:18:45Let me review it again. Mr. Put everything else and come back.

3:18:50So, at this time right now I'm not I'm not uh in agreement with increasing or using

3:18:58approval. I understand. So what we're doing at at this time someone that feels strongly or

3:19:05in the direction or whatever we need to make a recommendation about how you want to go with this because if not we'll meet the next week and be at the same

3:19:13point next time be at the same um well well mayor and counel I would like I would like to make a motion that

3:19:20um that [name] does move forward with looking at the numbers and everything to bring it back to council so we could proceed on discussion.

3:19:32Second.

3:19:34Okay. We have a motion. It's been moved and second question. Um, and so this is just basically allowing him to go look at the numbers. Yes.

3:19:44And bring it back for discussion. Correct. Okay. So, we're not approving anything.

3:19:50Okay. Any other questions? We're ready for the vote. All in favor?

3:19:58Thank you council.

3:19:59Um the so the next few items y'all can do it in form of one one at a time time

3:20:06or all together. Um which items do y'all want me to try to um look at funding

3:20:14in the capital request? Um we have the fire department uh fire hose that we talked about.

3:20:23Yes.

3:20:24Um, we have in the police department kind of kind of how I took it, but I may be wrong, but patrol rifle be um equipment was probably the number one.

3:20:35Um, and that was at that was at I think it was 20 20 right around 20

3:20:4220,025 and then uh a ve vehicle.

3:20:54Um, like I said, these items would come from either fund balance or um that's still with the police.

3:21:01That's with the police department. Um and then we have the UBT the drone.

3:21:11Um I um I did um so how would I go about putting that into the capital request on the raises for Chief and Miss [name]?

3:21:22Well, it would actually be under Would you looking at that and bringing bring it back to us as well?

3:21:31I think we need to look at raises for the officer.

3:21:34I mean, it would be so it's a kind of mix.

3:21:36So, that would be a cola request, would it not?

3:21:39You know, be a tax increase.

3:21:41I think it'll be up to council to decide how y'all want to manage this discussion. That's y'all's decision to make. If if it's done in a form of a

3:21:49motion outside of these other directives, um you know, if it gets and y'all want it to bring those numbers back, then

3:21:57I'll do that. Um, if y'all want to do the capital request first and address those and then we can address cola.

3:22:05So, we need to do that today.

3:22:07I I want some directives of what y'all want me to entertain in the form of a motion.

3:22:14Yes, sir. I would like to know council's support in which direction to try to gain um

3:22:22numbers come back and if y'all say hey I want to look at at least this much in a cola or I want only a cola for the police department or only a cola for the

3:22:32police chief or you know or adjustment or whatever those the council is going to have to give me those directives but then I'll bring back the numbers of what it actually costs. Could I have chief?

3:22:41Could I have chief to step back up please? Chief, would you please?

3:22:46His recommendation would like Now, chief, I know your recommendation in your in your budget request was 25%.

3:22:53Um, is that in anywhat negotiable? Sure. Obviously, we'll always negotiate.

3:23:00Typically, what I do is, you know, when I get some insight from the council like I take that back. Yes.

3:23:19Yes. Negotiate.

3:23:23Um, so [name], could we negotiate numbers and see have you like run numbers and bring that back to council and see what

3:23:31those numbers are are acceptable if they are acceptable to what not. So,

3:23:40so how would Yes. Yes, sir.

3:23:42So, how is this this for all city employees? Yes.

3:23:46Minus minus the department heads that I mentioned in the request. Yes. Yes, sir. But including police and fire. Including police and Yes.

3:23:54Yes, sir. So, how would I how would I motion that?

3:23:58Would that would that just needed to be to entertain and bring back numbers on and you give me a window, you know? Okay.

3:24:06You give me a window. Like I said, I showed you numbers for a 10%.

3:24:10So, I would say that was just based on the 2022 numbers and inflation since then.

3:24:14If y'all want that amount, here's the total amounts of what it's going to hit each department. Here's how it's going to be spread out to utilities

3:24:21and water and okay, general fund, department cost, you know, so I can bring those numbers. Okay.

3:24:29So, so um so I would like to I would like to move to um for for a city

3:24:37administrator to run um run numbers and negotiation with the city for cola and

3:24:44bring those back to council pending approval.

3:24:49I question.

3:24:54So I'm just trying to get clarity that. So you're saying that um you're

3:25:01asking for him to go out bring numbers back to us so we can discuss Yes, ma'am. the coal raises. Yes, ma'am.

3:25:08Okay. Which will Okay. In in turn inform us on what we what direction we would like to go.

3:25:14Okay. Which will in turn Okay. Before we vote, I have a question.

3:25:19Chief, it's my understanding y'all don't have y'all don't do certificate pay right now.

3:25:24Y'all don't do certificate pay right now. We back in 22.

3:25:38We have not not put that back in place yet.

3:25:43Probably one of the only operating

3:25:51that proficiency.

3:25:54So, I I would ask that if we did along with the 10% cola that we we try to include that back cuz like you said, I don't know a law enforcement agency that

3:26:02and and if y'all don't know, they they got to have certifications per t.

3:26:06I did not I didn't I wouldn't even understand that why you wouldn't even be paid for your certifications.

3:26:10So, and it's and it's dependent on level you have basic and intermediate, advanced and masters. in there. We did

3:26:17not we did not add for basic. We started at intermediate. So [clears throat] intermediate, advanced and master. So

3:26:27three instead of four kind of all inclusive of that. So it wasn't just you know basics. They're usually the first

3:26:36first year officer just getting started that intermediate and up.

3:26:42So that could be in discussions after we get numbers and whatnot. Right. Correct.

3:26:47Yeah. If that's if that's how council feels they they want those numbers. Um public works, all of our water license,

3:26:54um wastewater license, none of those certifications, CDLs. We don't pay for those certifications currently.

3:27:00Um but are those certifications required? Yes, sir.

3:27:06Water and wastewater um are and they're paid out they're paid out of the pockets of the employees.

3:27:14Uh no, we There's no certification paid. There's no incentive paid. No mean like you paid for the course.

3:27:21That that's what I was getting at. So the courses are paid for but they don't get an extra bonus for taking the course. I understand.

3:27:28So it's not that that they have to b have a burden of it is uh but they would they have the knowledge.

3:27:36Well, let me ask this though. Are those once you get those certifications are they it's a oneanddone certification? No, it requires annual CE to maintain.

3:27:44So it's a couple it's like the fire and I mean the fire department same thing they have the m they have their mast's advanced

3:27:51intermediate uh certification levels and required CE it's pretty much all the so department parks department not as

3:27:59much but it's just the other I know I know the TCO like if you're if you're a basic if you're a basic and you don't get your intermediate license within four years all those classes that

3:28:07you have to take you have to take them again the next four years and so we're paying for classes over and over and what all they have to do is just get their certificate and be bumped up. Then they don't have to take them.

3:28:18So that's what I was I mean we're you have cops that have you know that have been cops but they're a basic they're repeating those same classes every year

3:28:26because TCO manage they mandate those classes.

3:28:29Sure. So that's why I was I mean like he said I I don't know of a law enforcement she doesn't get paid you know for certificate paid and I don't know I can't speak to the the wastewater and

3:28:38the firemen like I said I'm never running it's very similar you know the you have annual C that's required and it's required by law TCQ will write us up if

3:28:46we don't yeah so with that being said so do y'all so can y'all y'all uh certificate pay is that allowed in y'all's budget or y'all

3:28:55just not currently in our budget the budget that I presented to Mr. I built that in for a a request, so to speak.

3:29:02Okay. For a request, but it could be placed in y'all's budget. Yes. Yeah. You're asking could it be? Yeah. I'm asking.

3:29:10Yeah.

3:29:11Because that that's something that's going to reoccur every year. It's not just, you know, like a one time each year [clears throat]

3:29:18increase, right?

3:29:21So, it'll be not just increase to you and your budget, but it will be an increase to the overall city every year.

3:29:29for every officer. Yeah.

3:29:31I mean, even when you get your So, you still have to upgrade continuously.

3:29:37The upgraded is not that the city is not picking up the cost for it's almost like with any service offers training.

3:29:44You have to go to training.

3:29:46like council was saying, you know, at their basic level they're required to there's certain classes that they're

3:29:53required by the state to get until they get outside of that basic proficiency level, they have to continue to retake

3:30:01those classes. So, the idea is [clears throat] to push them through and push as much training um to to get them up to that that level.

3:30:11Now, with your proficiency level, that's that's a It calculates on how many hours of training you have plus your years of

3:30:18service. So you don't just get so many hours of training and automatically get bumped up to intermediate, advanced or

3:30:26masters. You also it also has to calculate years of service and so that

3:30:33you know the days of free training start to get slim. A lot of your training classes now average anywhere from $500

3:30:39to $1,000 per option. Um not to include your travel your hotel expenses

3:30:46hotel travel and I think our budget's 12,000 for 16 employees it gets pretty tight sometimes so

3:30:55they're all required to get at least 40 hours in so

3:31:03okay we have a motion and a second on the to bring back numbers on cost of living okay we have It's on the floor.

3:31:14Yes. Mhm. Motion and second. Oh, okay. All in favor?

3:31:23Oppose. Did you oppose?

3:31:28Did you oppose a vote? Would you say all voted?

3:31:32Are you for um bringing back numbers on the cost of living? Sure. Okay.

3:31:39Okay. Um, and so the last last item, uh, and if y'all want to, y'all can include,

3:31:47like I said, in the formal motion, but just to bring back to y'all's recollection, um, the fire department.

3:31:53Um, do y'all want me to try to find placement in the budget, fire department, um, police vehicle, patrol

3:32:01rifle? Um, me personally, I would like to recommend only a broom, not the I

3:32:09think for the projects that we do, we try to stack them as closest to possible and we just continue renting the padfoot

3:32:17roller. Um, but I feel like a broom is probably the biggest need throughout the entire year and

3:32:25probably the biggest return on that investment. Um, the broom is one. Um, and then I really need to find financing

3:32:33money options for our our water tower and our clarifier. Yeah.

3:32:40So, I would like council to guide me and you know, really the rest of them that are in your budget book,

3:32:48like I said, I presented them as a need, but I think financially there's just no way to swing each and every one of them. So if we have to

3:32:56categorize those, I would ask at least for support for against those items.

3:33:00I know the water tower is uh because we need they had to cut that one off last week because of price.

3:33:07It's still off. Um our east tower is off offline right now. We can't afford to let them deteriorate.

3:33:12Yeah. Well, I'll make a motion that um we allow you to do the research on the numbers on all of the items that you just just mentioned.

3:33:22Okay.

3:33:23I'll second that. I guess we moved and second any discussion. I I do have one thing, [name]. When you look at seeing what it will cost to finance a broom instead of buying it out.

3:33:31Yes, I will. Yeah. Yes.

3:33:32Because if we can, like you said, if we can get just to that 2-year when we get out of the underneath that EVC, then we can pay it off. But I think if we just see what it costs, see what it costs to finance one.

3:33:41Sure. [snorts] And see, I mean, it may not be worth it, but I'd like that if you don't mind.

3:33:45And for the water tower, I would like to see um like local versus I think like you said the business that we had to do it. Yeah.

3:33:53Um, I would like to see those comparisons.

3:33:56There's um I know when we did it last time, we brought in I want to say 15 there was 15 quotes on that one. So, I have a lot of vendors to pull from.

3:34:07And yeah. Okay. Ready for the vote? All in favor?

3:34:15Oppose. Okay. motion here.

3:34:22I'd like to make a a motion. I think just uh just reverting back. I would like to place a motion on the floor

3:34:29where the car is or not um to also have [name] to bring back numbers uh on behalf

3:34:35of police chief and um Miss [name] um pay increase.

3:34:44Uh just the police chief or both fire chief and police chief.

3:34:47The police chief right now I didn't look at the fire chief. Oh, I they're the same pay as the pay. They have both both of them have pay parity

3:34:56as you're making they're both doing the same pay. Yes, ma'am.

3:35:00Cuz see I I was working on that last night cuz I just got the salary for the fire department. So I would So I would

3:35:07look at Well, that's case I would look at the the fire chief um the police chief and Miss [name]

3:35:15[name]. You can bring that u that information back. Just the numbers.

3:35:28You had a motion.

3:35:31You said we have we have a motion, but we just need to Yeah, I said we have a motion on the floor. Nobody responded.

3:35:41Okay. So, for lack of a second, it dies. Okay. Thank you.

3:35:48Okay. Thank Thank you, council. I know is this is probably the the bigger chunk and we'll we'll uh

3:35:56fine-tune it and our next meeting uh will not be I hope near as lengthy, but it'll be just re visiting. We do have a couple two more.

3:36:08Sorry, we have two agenda items on there. What did I miss? Okay, I thought that was it. Number three and number four. Number three.

3:36:16Where are we now?

3:36:17Number three. I I put my paper up. I'm like them kids. I done closed my book.

3:36:21[laughter]

3:36:22I got I've been hearing my children all weekend. I have nothing left. Children and grandchildren love. We had too much fun. Which one were we on? Oh, okay.

3:36:32Going to number three now.

3:36:34Oh, item number three. Consider and approve participation in the Texas 21 program, including payment of membership

3:36:42dues and authorized travel expenses for designated delegates and appoint city of Crockett representative.

3:36:50Mayor and council, um this is a text 21 uh program. They are a collaborative of

3:36:57many government uh government um organizations.

3:37:02Um they have a board that they appoint every year uh to represent the effort.

3:37:09There's several efforts um several uh US uh interstate efforts that they're working on. One of them is US 287

3:37:19uh which uh we had um a senator this just a couple months ago draft the

3:37:28resolution trying to uh get some traction for an interstate um for US 287. That's where text 21

3:37:37comes in as most, you know, that's where that's what we're interested in is that that effort of the TE21 program, the US

3:37:45287 initiative. Um, their annual membership for a city of our size is um $2,500 a year.

3:37:55Uh that money um pays for the cost associated with um supporting efforts,

3:38:03putting uh putting studies together, reports, proposals,

3:38:10talking and lobbying senators and representatives, congressmen, uh movers and shakers in our primarily

3:38:18our federal government to try to get support for the 287 corridor uh project.

3:38:24Um there are cities um up and down the 287 corridor that are members of this. Um

3:38:33along with it they have at least twice a year they have conference they have meetings um where they have speakers

3:38:40come they invite some of these uh representatives from our state and federal government to get support on it

3:38:47to to get more knowledgeable and to to get some traction on it. um as well as they have uh monthly and quarterly uh

3:38:56Zoom meetings and updates on this project.

3:39:01Um so I I need counsel we did pay for it.

3:39:05Um council at this time we were going to um at least attend the meeting that they

3:39:12had last month and so we had to pay we paid for I I did pay for out of our travel and training budget. Um, I paid

3:39:22for one year's of dues um for the current years that we're in. And I guess

3:39:28primarily to gain um appreciation of whether it's a benefit, whether it's something that council should support or not um and attendance. Um,

3:39:38and so I just need I guess well it was brought it was brought to council in a form of a motion that we we discuss it

3:39:46and approve whether we continue membership and and so there's there's three items

3:39:53really in this next motion that I that I hope to get from this.

3:39:58Do we continue paying the $2,500 a year for the for uh participation in the Tech21 program? Um, do we include uh

3:40:08travel expenses for designated delegates? It's a little bit different to attend these other than like like travel and training like going to classes, gaining CE and stuff like that.

3:40:19It's more of a negotiate.

3:40:21It's more of a lobbying effort, representation effort, but on behalf of the city um to [clears throat] attend these meetings. It's not something

3:40:28that's necessarily required. It's more of a um do we believe this is what we should be spending our our money on? And then um also appoint representatives.

3:40:39They typically request for one primary and one or two alternates um representatives for the city. So

3:40:47can we discuss this before before there's a motion or not? Oh, we're not really supposed to. Okay.

3:40:53Um if a motion is made and second, then we can discuss.

3:40:58Okay. Oh, but it's I guess in in the in the motion that I'm asking, we can participate

3:41:07uh uh and pay the membership dues. Um do we travel on behalf of the city um to

3:41:15the to their u meetings? Last meeting was in Dallas, I believe, or was um sometimes it's in Bowmont, sometimes

3:41:23it's in Amar. It follows the 287 corridor. So, sometimes it's in Granberry.

3:41:29uh you know just different locations and then um uh appointment of representatives for the city

3:41:36just just to be clear they also offer online as well. Yes. Yes ma'am.

3:41:42I just that's what I mentioned they do the zoom meetings so you don't have to attend all the meetings and that's why I want three I want I mean attend all of the travel meetings.

3:41:51That's why I want those three points captured in in the form of a motion.

3:41:57What do we How do we You want Crockett to participate?

3:42:04Well, mayor and uh mayor and council, I would like to move that we appoint the

3:42:12designatees um for uh is it text 21? Is that what

3:42:19it's called? Yeah, text 20 for the text 21 [clears throat] program. I move that we um

3:42:26that we uh that we only that we attend the uh virtual trainings and only attend

3:42:33the travel trainings that are that we that are required or basically mandated

3:42:41um if if that and um I I motion that we um continue to pay the annual fee.

3:42:50Do you want to in that motion? Who do you want to uh who do you want to nominate as a representative?

3:42:56I thought we already nominated somebody as a representative. We didn't nominate Miss [name].

3:43:01No, this is the first time it's come to council.

3:43:05So in in in that motion as well, I would like to nominate um the mayor, Miss

3:43:12[name], and um Mr. during if he would accept gladly as alternates.

3:43:20Yes. Okay.

3:43:26Um that's the motion. That is the motion. Yes. Okay. All in favor? Not second. No. I mean, can I get a second?

3:43:34It's getting late.

3:43:35I'm trying to get out of here. I second it. Okay. It's been moved and second.

3:43:43Discussion discussion discussion [laughter] discussion. Yes. Yeah, we got discussion. Okay.

3:43:48The discussion [clears throat] uh you know when it comes to this where was it where was the idea conceived for

3:43:56uh an interstate actually the guy that spoke well I don't he spoke to me a long time.

3:44:04No no no I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about the original idea for an interstate. Well, I the one that was

3:44:12pushing it, well, she talked more with it than I did. Um, he was it wasn't it

3:44:19was a senator when they appealed to the senator that said that the transportation and route and the it was done as a traffic control thing. They

3:44:28said it would take the weight off of 21 and uh but it wasn't it wasn't on a it was on a

3:44:36working level that it was done that appealed to the senator that was pushing it based on with text dot about what would be the most efficient.

3:44:44So so text dot is involved.

3:44:47Yes. Yeah. They they were wanting to see the most efficient so that they would know where to build and expand.

3:44:53Okay. So, it's about an interstate and and this is nothing against anyone. I've I've just been muddling this over in my mind

3:45:02and and all of y'all are wonderful people and even if you'd have put me on it, but who of us knows about highways?

3:45:11I'm learning.

3:45:12I've been attending that's I've been okay. So that's what that's that's the benefit of the

3:45:20and and uh is it is it a need?

3:45:25Well, the highway 287 is coming this way. So what they're saying is how's it coming this way?

3:45:32Whether whether we're involved or not, if we're okay, whether we're involved or not, my understanding is they could

3:45:39divert it. I mean, I I'm not just because we weren't involved. They were trying to get a they're trying to get a straight route

3:45:46so they could travel from one end and and have so in order to do that they got to get the easements.

3:45:53It's kind of like they did they have some okay the last meeting the point I'm the point I'm trying to make [clears throat] if if it is

3:46:02dog in a fight. If it is a bonafide need, why are they sucking more money out of

3:46:10out of these little cities, uh, you know, if it's a bonafide need, why why are they imposing upon us, uh, and and try to get us involved?

3:46:21Probably you could say something and they may listen to you, but more than likely the engineers would take that with a grain of salt.

3:46:30But I think the way he was speaking, a lot of it is going to affect the smaller town. It's going to kind of circumvent them so that you they're going to be involved in a

3:46:39way that they are going to be kind of go around them and they won't be going through them because of the way that it is. But

3:46:48all right, but you can go is is it's killing Dyball. They're looking at it's killing Kan. Oh, is that where you're going? Okay. And it's going to kill some other towns.

3:46:56Okay. On 69. Not I'm not talking about 287.

3:47:00Talking about 69, the the new interstate over there.

3:47:06And and probably no matter what any of those people in that city did, they still were not going to come through there, they're going to they're

3:47:14going to circumvent circumvent.

3:47:17So I'm just saying we we'll probably spend this money and you may oppose this. We probably spend

3:47:25this money every year and in the scope of things uh uh it does amount to hill

3:47:32of beans. It's going to be done the way text do wants it done but you and it's going to go where it's going to go. Yeah.

3:47:39I'm just I understand and yeah and it is kind of but I do we we use 21 straight to I mean I [snorts] use it a lot so I I [clears throat] do understand.

3:47:48Well it's 287 I'm 287 and then it's and then it's going to touch somewhere there. I I mean he explained it but the

3:47:55key thing about this this is not a life and come if we get enough we can say enough.

3:48:01I mean we see that it's not going the way that we want it to go. I'm sorry.

3:48:06But the but the thing but uh the thing of it is is like the economic uh value that we're looking at at the like

3:48:13what I'm saying our little committee and that $2,500 is not going it's not going to egg it on or stop it.

3:48:20No. But you have other cities that that that comes together. They're at that meeting and they have in and have input.

3:48:27So I'm just wondering though, what input could we have?

3:48:31Okay. So what I what you know what we have what we'll have to do is we will have to let you speak with with David so you can get detailed information, Mr.

3:48:41David Dean. he can give you more detailed information that to all the questions that you're asking because I'm just now but no what I'm saying is could you Mr.

3:48:51Could you [clears throat] offer him Okay.

3:48:54Could you offer him any intelligence on it?

3:48:57Well, actually I actually I've asked him to come in and do a presentation. Actually, that's what I was requesting.

3:49:04I'm not That's fine and good, but but could you or anyone else offer him any information that he would receive on it?

3:49:13Yes, Mr. D. Mr. Davis. Well, okay.

3:49:16Here's Well, this is with us. Here's my two cents on it.

3:49:22Federal government being the federal government, if they want to put a highway in from Bowmont to Amarillo, it doesn't matter what Crockett says or they're going to put it in. It doesn't

3:49:29matter about our $2,500. My only concern and Mr. [name], I thank you for nominating me. And if that's what the council decides to do, I'll happily be a

3:49:36delegate. I'm I'm I'm opposed to it because we're sat right here and told that man that we couldn't give his people a raise because of our budget was

3:49:43so tight and we're going to spend $2,500 to this project and it's going to be 20 years before it comes through.

3:49:50Furthermore, we're going to have three delegates that are going to be sent to Dallas or Grapevine or Bulmont and that's [clears throat] gone. Yeah, I think it's alternate.

3:49:58Okay, just one. We'll say one for two or three days and any because I travel a lot in my job and you're talking about food and hotel and everything else.

3:50:05There's another probably close to $1,000 by the time you get back. And if you have to go cuz there's probably going to be mandatories going to go twice a year.

3:50:12There's 2,2500.

3:50:15We're in almost $5,000 that that man right there needs for his training budget for his police officers that is required by the state. Here's the thing.

3:50:23I want economic development for Crockett. I I think we need the business. I I really do. But I don't think at this point in time, we're at the infancy of this project that we need

3:50:31to be involved. I think we need to pass on it. I think we need to put our resources to something else and build Crockett up. Now, if it starts to get

3:50:40closer and the government says it's going to come through, then sure, we can jump on. But until then, our purse strings [snorts] are tight as it is. And to me, I think we could better spend

3:50:48that money somewhere else inside this community.

3:50:51Well, the situation with that is he just stated that that that those funds are coming out of our travel and training.

3:50:57So, if it's coming out of our travel and training, it doesn't have anything to do with the That's the same part. I mean, I mean, that's what I'm saying. It's we

3:51:04can move our money around it to to to $2,500 is going to make a difference. Yes, sir. To him, Absolutely.

3:51:12$500 for one year.

3:51:15Because I'm going to tell you right now, those classes that he sends his people to Well, I'm saying we can't give a Are you saying a raise?

3:51:20No, no, no, no. Let's just say if we take that $2500 out of our budget that we were going to spend and we give it to the chief, I know for a fact has classes for what? $25 now?

3:51:31$25. So $25 to $50. How many I don't I can't do the math in my head. How many classes can he send his officers to for that $25 to 25?

3:51:41He already had he but that's what I'm saying. He's already budgeted for his travel and training.

3:51:45Yeah, I know. But we need to increase his travel and training budget because every year TCO makes more classes mandatory. Okay.

3:51:51So if you bring that bring what if you bring that information forward and place it here so we can look at it and see. Okay. at this point.

3:51:59But as far as this this and you're right, Madame Mayor, and I apologize as far as this, Mr. [name]. I I appreciate the motion, but I'm against it. I am absolutely

3:52:07against it at this time in our budgetary life and our and our until we can get out some out from underneath some debt. I'm opposed to this right now.

3:52:15Okay. Well, thank you for the argument.

3:52:17I mean, the discussion discussion, but at this time, are there any more new? If not, I think we're ready for the vote.

3:52:26We've had a motion to second discussion and we're ready for the vote. All in favor? [snorts] Oppose.

3:52:36Okay. Motion carries.

3:52:39And new business.

3:52:42No, we got one more out of it. Madam, one more. I'm can't see. I'm trying to get out of here. I'm working on it.

3:52:49consider an approved public share parking agreement between the city of Crockett, Texas and Crockett Eye Clinic.

3:52:56Mayor and council, we talked about this a couple months ago. Um, initially we had talked to a couple contractors that had that were in the asphaltting

3:53:04business. We went out there and looked at with them and both of them will gladly take the project on. Um, but the

3:53:11we're putting it over top of a foundation of an old building.

3:53:14Yeah. And then it has a driveway and some other areas that will affect this asphalt. And none of them will guarantee

3:53:24this asphalt because it's going to be a cap over top of concrete. The the the best uh recommendation to to do it the

3:53:33right way and be done with it is to pull all that concrete out and and we would we would be doing that ourselves. Uh we we we bust the concrete up, pull it all

3:53:41out, and pour a concrete pad, and then we have a really nice parking lot for the long term. The the asphalt was going

3:53:49to cost us in the neighborhood of $10,000.

3:53:52Initially, if we were just going to do the asphalt, um by pulling all of that out and doing it concrete, I talked to it's actually the contractor that does

3:54:01our curb and gutter, and he looked at it and he said he would do it with materials and labor for 15 with all the concrete. Um I went back to

3:54:08Dr. from a call and he said that he would cuz we were looking at probably a half and half, you know, a shared cost.

3:54:16Um, and then at that point uh that's what he was willing to agree to. He said he would up his contribution uh to 10

3:54:25and our five and we could make this parking lot happen. Uh, a couple of the things that we'll do in house are like the stripe. We, you know, we'll stripe

3:54:33it in house and spray the handicap ramp on it or whatever. And then we have a couple rail more handrails to finish. So

3:54:40we'll do those in house. Um so this parking lot going to be concrete as well. Concrete.

3:54:46Yes sir. All from the high from the edge of golad to the concrete uh retaining wall the brick or the block retaining

3:54:54walls. Um this is an agreement that kind of getting back from we were literally talking somewhere where I like a 10-year

3:55:02timeline. He increased his contribution by another 5,000. he asked for. So, what we're presenting today to you that he

3:55:10agreed to was a 15-year term. So, it it's a it's an annual renewal with a 90-day clause. At any point if we

3:55:19decide, listen, we need to sell that land or we want to build something there.

3:55:23Um, we can all we do is reimburse him the money that he put towards the of city park because it's city property.

3:55:30So, he's made that investment into city property for the benefit of using the parking spaces for his customers. It's a first come, first serve. He's not

3:55:39designating my this one for the city and this one for it's first come, first serve. He will probably use the majority of it during the day for special events and stuff.

3:55:49The city will be using it or for like days when we have, you know, events at the library. Um

3:55:55and um there was one other point. You have the parking agreement in front of you. Um

3:56:04so it renews it renews annually. We will reimburse him if we try to um back out of this agreement in the first 15 years.

3:56:14And if we do, you know, we will just reimburse him to 10,000. Um and there's no exclusive rights to the parking lot.

3:56:21And that's all in this um in this draft uh agreement that y'all

3:56:28have here. I believe that mainly that that pretty much covers um the the nuts and bolts of the uh agreement.

3:56:35Um if a motion is made and there's an adjustment that y'all want to make to it, then that's fine. Let me know. Um but we he's willing to sign this one,

3:56:44but that you know, anything different than that I'll have to take back to him for I asked him to be here, but he's tied up with uh patients today and he can't be here.

3:56:53U [name], I make a motion that um we basically um accept the terms stated.

3:57:04No, no, no. Because um I make a motion that we get u detailed um

3:57:14uh construction cost of the design and design of the parking lot. Um black top,

3:57:22the material that we're going to use for the project, um the type of necessities we're improvements that we're going to

3:57:29need for that uh that project and an itemized budget cost overall and the long-term agreement.

3:57:39Um,

3:57:42[clears throat]

3:57:44we're we're losing. Um, where we'll probably be

3:57:52uh we're losing.

3:57:57Uh, okay. We're losing. But anyway, I just I I just want I just basically right now

3:58:05I'm looking at it until the the council really looks at this agreement. Uh I'm

3:58:11I'm I motion that um uh I move that we table this agreement to council has

3:58:20opportunity to discuss um uh because we need some

3:58:26teeth, some meat in in in this uh agreement.

3:58:32I move that we table the agreement for further discussion.

3:58:42We have a motion.

3:58:47Do we have We don't have a second. It dies for lack. Second. Okay. Second.

3:58:54Take it to a vote. All in favor? opposed.

3:59:03Okay, motion fails. Okay, we'll go ahead with the Madame Mayor, I make a motion we move forward with the contract as agreed on

3:59:12the caveat that this contract's been reviewed by our city attorney. It has a second motion.

3:59:17Okay, it's been moved and second. All in favor? Question. Oh, question. Sorry.

3:59:22Okay. Um, did the uh the attorney review any previous um agreements that were

3:59:29made before this agreement? Because what this agreement does, it cancels out all the previous agreements that were made.

3:59:37Also, not just saying that, um, do we have any council or

3:59:43or employees who, uh, have businesses in that area that would benefit um, from

3:59:50from this? Also, do we know you said drainage issues? How far are we going to

3:59:57deal with the drainage issues? Um Um, are you asking questions or Okay. Well, so I'm I mean, I'm basically at I mean, these are questions. Yeah.

4:00:06that I'm posing. So, I'm just kind of giving you what I looked at over overall. So, um also um well, go ahead

4:00:15and tell me if our previous attorney Okay.

4:00:17looked at where we're we're in the question and answer.

4:00:20Okay. But he said I mean that wasn't a question that you could ask him. He made the motion and he said that he his what was on it. Yes. But you he doesn't have to answer our previous attorney.

4:00:31No, you just make your statement. You're not as not okay. But this is if council's agreeable with me answering questions I can I mean

4:00:40but this is a question. So not just that though um he's been only paying $667

4:00:47$6667 a year for 15 years. So we would be no ma'am.

4:00:54Um that's what I figured up here. Unless I made a mistake please u correct me if I did. So, um, in answer to your

4:01:02question, no. Uh, there's been no agreements ever made. That's why I'm bringing this to council now. And it, this was approved by our attorney.

4:01:10Okay. So, who created the I know it was approved by attorney. Who created the uh the agreement?

4:01:17I drafted the agreement for the for the attorney um to review and approve.

4:01:24And um so where do we where do we start at on the uh construction? So how do we

4:01:31know the full cost of what the construction is going to be?

4:01:34Y'all would approve by budget. Y'all would approve up to $15,000. If I blow it, I'll can bring it back to you.

4:01:40So we need to put that in the budget as well. It is in the It is in this agreement. Budget of $15,000. Okay. Any other question?

4:01:47Well, we're getting $10,000 back from from the the entire Yes, sir. Yeah. $10,000 back. Yes.

4:01:5410,000 will be contributed by the eye clinic.

4:01:58So, it's only going to cost the city five. He's contributing 10 and then we share it. First come, first serve.

4:02:03Now, I'm guessing the contract person has already looked at drainage and all that stuff. That's why it's Yes, sir. That's why we're not altering anything. Correct.

4:02:10Those that's legal ease that we're not going once it's constructed, we're not going to require the eye clinic to come and blow out the gutters or things of that nature.

4:02:19No, I get it. really really wasn't used before.

4:02:22No, but it does make a good It does make a good U parking lot. It will.

4:02:28Well, it will, but but but then no one no one has a uh I mean, you know, executive claim on it. It's going to be

4:02:36open for anybody who wants to park there. [clears throat] First come, first serve. It's still it it'll be a parking lot that it never was.

4:02:43Yes, sir. So, I'm just looking at where it says what the city agrees to do. So basically the city uh agrees to design

4:02:51and construct. So we don't have a design. We don't have to what it looks like. It will be done.

4:02:57Okay. So that's what I'm saying. We're voting on agreed to it.

4:02:59I know. That's what I'm saying. We we I know he always present us items and they'll agree before they even get the detailed information. So what I'm saying

4:03:08is we don't have the design um to to construct the if we design if we design it. I haven't been approved a budget to go out and

4:03:16hire engineers. I'm going to be sketching it out with a contractor. I want concrete from this line to this line over here um on prop on city property and we will pour concrete.

4:03:27That's the design. So So that's what I'm asking. So when you Why wouldn't you bring that to us and let us review before you

4:03:35cuz we didn't tell him to. This is what we're trying to do. We're trying to get him a budget so he can go talk to a contractor.

4:03:41Well, if you put Can we can we call the question? There's a motion in the second.

4:03:44We would have somebody second it, please. would have um brought this item to be placed on the agenda today. I mean

4:03:52so okay we have to we have a call for we have a call for a motion I mean a vote

4:03:59we need a we have a new motion is a call for the previous question if there's a second for that I'll second it okay and then a vote for the previous

4:04:08question I'll vote for the previous question I'll help you out calling for a vote all in favor carries

4:04:17okay so the previous question is approve the parking agree agreement is.

4:04:23Okay. Back to the previous to approve the uh the parking. We've had a motion in a second already.

4:04:32Motion.

4:04:33We've had a motion in a second. We haven't voted. Question. All in favor? Motion carries.

4:04:41Okay. Thank you, council.

4:04:45I Yeah, [sighs] I second.

4:04:53looking at this stuff.

4:05:02Yes. as far as as far as the whole weekend,

4:05:12but as far as this goes, we have our approval,

4:05:21but he didn't even haven't given us any cost or anything like that. It doesn't.

4:05:24So that's their

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