[CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:06]
          THE EVENING MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL. TODAY'S DATE IS TUESDAY, JULY 29TH, 2025. 
          TODAY'S INVOCATION WILL BE GIVEN BY PASTOR OSCAR EVANS, EMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS. IF EVERYONE WOULD PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES AND IF YOU SO CHOOSE, PLEASE STAND AND REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PASTOR. LET US BOW. GOD OUR FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY AND FOR THIS GREAT AUGUST BODY THAT GATHERED HERE TO MAKE DECISIONS CONCERNING OUR OUR FUTURES. WE ASK THAT THEIR HEARTS WOULD BE SET UPON YOUR AGENDA THIS NIGHT, OH HEAVENLY FATHER, AND THAT YOU GUIDE THEIR THOUGHTS AS THEY SIT AND DISCUSS THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE. WE ALSO ASK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO LOOK UPON ALL THE ALL THE PERSONNEL THAT WORKS ON OUR DAY TO DAY AND THOSE PERSONS, OH GOD, WHO MAKE OUR CITY WHAT IT IS. AND WE PRAY THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THAT THERE, THAT OUR CITY WOULD BE BETTER IN THIS GREAT CITY, WOULD BE BETTER BECAUSE OF THE THOUGHTS AND THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE HERE IN THIS MEETING, WE ASK GOD THAT THE WORDS OF OUR MOUTH AND THE MEDITATIONS OF OUR HEARTS, THAT THEY WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE IN YOUR SIGHT, BECAUSE YOU ARE OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER. IN YOUR SON JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE. 
          MAY I HAVE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MAYOR WEST, PRESENT. MAYOR PRO TEM TURNER, PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER. HILLIARD. COUNCILMEMBER. WILLIAMS. COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          SHERWOOD AND COUNCIL MEMBER. CRENSHAW. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. TODAY WE HAVE ONE PROCLAMATION, 
          [PROCLAMATIONS]
AND WE HAVE THREE PRESENTATIONS. AND FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING JULY 30TH, 2025 IS WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. IN ACCEPTING WILL BE MISS LISA BOWLER, FOUNDER OF EMBRACING FREEDOM AND ANYBODY THAT YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BRING THEM UP. AND IF YOU WOULD COME AROUND AND SHAKE EVERYBODY'S HAND. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU. LET ME SEE. IS TREY. YES. CAN WE GET A PICTURE REAL QUICK? WE NORMALLY DO IT AT THE BEGINNING. GOOD JOB. OVER HERE. HANG ON. HAVE EVERYBODY IN. ALL RIGHT, I'LL LOOK RIGHT HERE. AND ONE, TWO AND THREE. WE GOT IT. THANK YOU. 
          DID YOU NEED ONE? THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. CITY MEMBERS. MY NAME IS LISA BOWLER, AND I'M THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF EMBRACING FREEDOM. I WANT TO BEGIN BY SINCERELY THANKING THE CITY OF BEAUMONT FOR RECOGNIZING JULY 30TH, 2025, AS WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. THIS PROCLAMATION IS DEEPLY MEANINGFUL NOT ONLY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT FOR THE COUNTLESS YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING BY ALIGNING WITH THE UNITED STATES GLOBAL OBSERVANCE, BEAUMONT IS SENDING A STRONG MESSAGE TO AND COMPASSIONATE MESSAGE THAT WE STAND WITH OUR SURVIVORS, THAT WE SEE THEM, AND THAT WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING A PART OF THE SOLUTION IN 2024, EMBRACING FREEDOM SERVED 81 SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING. OUR MISSION IS TO SERVE YOUTH WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING. WE DO THIS THROUGH PREVENTION, EDUCATION, DIRECT ADVOCACY, AND 24 OVER SEVEN CRISIS SUPPORT. IN 
          [00:05:09]
2024 ALONE, OUR TEAM CONDUCTED OVER 765 CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES, EACH REPRESENTING A YOUNG LIFE FACING UNCERTAINTY AND DESERVING OF HOPE AND SUPPORT. THIS PROCLAMATION NOT ONLY RAISES AWARENESS, IT ENFORCES OUR CITY'S COMMITMENT TO PROTECT AND TO PROTECT THE VULNERABLE. IT DEMONSTRATES THAT BEAUMONT REFUSES TO LOOK AWAY AND IS WILLING TO LEAD THE FIGHT IN IN CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS MEANS VERY MUCH TO US. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU, ALL THE YOU AND THE ORGANIZATION DO HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I KNOW THE GOVERNOR RECOGNIZES Y'ALL AND Y'ALL DO TRAVEL ACROSS THE STATE. SO WE'RE SO PLEASED TO HAVE YOU AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO GETTING THIS OFF THE GROUND. AND NOW YOU'VE GOT A SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATION THAT'S MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU COUNCIL. NEXT 
          [PRESENTATIONS]
WE HAVE THE CITY OF BEAUMONT COMMUNICATION UPDATE. WELL GOOD EVENING COUNCIL AND EVERYONE. 
          YOU GET THE B TEAM TONIGHT WITH ME OVER HERE SO Y'ALL CAN PRAY FOR TRACY. SHE'S BEEN FEELING A LITTLE ILL THE LAST FEW DAYS, BUT WE GOT A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING UP. FIRST OFF, WE HAVE FOR BISD. STUDENTS ARE GETTING READY TO HEAD BACK TO CLASS AND THE FIRST DAY IS GOING TO BE ON AUGUST 13TH, AND THERE ARE STILL SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO PICK UP FREE SCHOOL SUPPLIES. ON AUGUST 2ND, YOU CAN STOP BY ODOM ACADEMY STARTING AT 9 A.M. OR AT MAGNOLIA PARK STARTING AT EIGHT, WHILE SUPPLIES LAST OVER THERE. AND ON AUGUST 9TH. ALSO, WE WILL HAVE SUPPLIES HANDED OUT AT THE STERLING PRUITT ACTIVITY CENTER AT 8:00 IN THE MORNING OR AT LONGSHOREMEN'S HALL AT 3:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. AND YOU CAN CHECK OUT BESIDES FACEBOOK PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF. AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE GRAPHIC TO ALL THOSE LITTLE GRAPHICS YOU SEE. THOSE ARE ALSO ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE. YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION WITH THAT. AND IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR FREE BREAKFAST, YOU CAN ALSO GO TO BEAUMONT ISD AND GET MORE INFO FOR THAT THERE. OUR NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR BEAUMONT ANIMAL CARE IN JUST A FEW DAYS ON JULY 31ST, WE HAVE NATIONAL MUTT DAY AND BEAUMONT ANIMAL CARE IS GOING TO BE CELEBRATING THIS WITH AN ADOPTION EVENT. ADOPTION FEES WILL BE $20, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR ALL ANIMALS AT THE SHELTER. AND IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE YOUR SPAYING OR NEUTERING, MICROCHIPPING, FIRST SET OF VACCINES, FREE FLEA PREVENTION, AND YOUR DE-WORMER. AND WE DO WANT TO MENTION THAT AS OF LAST FRIDAY TO THE SHELTER WAS URGENTLY OVER CAPACITY, WITH 122 ANIMALS IN NEED OF ADOPTION. SO PLEASE GO BUY OVER THERE AND PICK UP YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND. ALSO COMING UP LATER THIS WEEK. YOU CAN ENJOY JAZZ AT THE LAKE WITH HEADLINER SAXOPHONIST DEAN JAMES. THIS WILL BE COMING UP ON THURSDAY EVENING, AND IT'S GOING TO RUN FROM 530 TO 730 AT THE DOWNTOWN EVENT CENTER. AGAIN, THIS IS A FREE EVENT. IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AND YOU CAN COME OUT AND ENJOY GREAT LIVE JAZZ AND THE CONCESSIONS. THEY'LL HAVE TO ALSO COMING UP SOON. ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE OUR LAST FREE SUMMER MOVIE IN THE PARK. THIS IS GOING TO BE AT CENTRAL PARK AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE PLAYING THE MOVIE. IF YOU CAN, FEEL FREE TO BRING YOUR BLANKET OR YOUR LAWN CHAIRS AND EVEN SOME SNACKS, AND YOU CAN ENJOY THIS MOVIE UNDER THE STARS AND IT WILL START AT DUSK. ONE MORE THING TOO. YOU CAN STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE EVENTS HAPPENING AROUND BEAUMONT BY DOWNLOADING OUR FREE BEAUMONT EVENTS APP, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MISS, YOU KNOW, A CHANCE TO MISS OUT ON ALL THE ENTERTAINMENT WE HAVE TO. AND WE HAVE ONE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT. ALSO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, HURRICANE SEASON IS HERE AND WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET PREPARED BEFORE THE STORM ENTERS THE GULF, TOO. AND ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WE WANT YOU TO HAVE READY IS A GO BAG. AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO OVER HERE. OUR OWN CITY COUNCILMAN, CHRIS DARIO'S, FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO, ALONG WITH OTHER STATE LEADERS WHO JOINED THE TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE. AND YOU CAN GET THE MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO PUT IN THIS GO BAG AND WHAT WE'LL DO THAT'LL ACTUALLY BE ONCE THE VIDEO IS DONE PLAYING. THAT'LL BE ALL OF OUR ANNOUNCEMENTS WE HAVE FOR THIS WEEK. SO YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND ROLL THAT. THANK YOU, MR. MCGEE. 
          GOOD JOB. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS PREPARED AND HAVE ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED 
          [00:10:04]
READY TO GO IN A BAG SUCH AS YOUR ELECTRONICS. DON'T FORGET YOUR CHARGING CORDS AND PUT IT IN THE BAG. DON'T FORGET YOUR PILLOW AND YOUR BLANKET. OFTENTIMES DURING HURRICANES, THE DRIVES ARE LONG. YOU'RE NOT SURE WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO STOP. AND SO IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOUR PILLOW WITH YOUR BLANKET. WE CAN'T GET LOUDER. MAKE SURE YOU PACK SOME TOYS AND SOME ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR KIDS TO DO, AND MAKE SURE YOU PUT THAT IN THE BAG. THIS IS A PERSONAL ESTATE KIT. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE. THEY ALWAYS COME IN HANDY. I'M SURE COUNCILMAN DARIO WOULD LIKE US TO DO THAT, SO GO AHEAD. 
          THIS HURRICANE SEASON, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS PREPARED, HAVE ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED READY TO GO IN A BAG SUCH AS YOUR ELECTRONICS. DON'T FORGET YOUR CHARGING. MAY NOT BE YOUR DAY, COUNCILMAN DARIO. THAT'S RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'LL PROCEED. WE'VE GOT A WE'VE GOT A TECHNOLOGY HAPPENS. NO WORRIES. NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THE 2025 BOND FACILITATION UPDATE AND RECOMMENDATION. AND MR. JUNE ELLIS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, IS GOING TO PLEASE COME UP AND INTRODUCE MR. BARTON. PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. YEAH I DIDN'T DIDN'T REALIZE THAT BUT GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL AND MAYOR. THE CITY ACTUALLY OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF TO THREE YEARS, THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON ITS ANNUAL COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLAN, THE ANNUAL CIP. AND IN THAT CIP, OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF TO THREE YEARS, WE HAVE ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD HAVE A BOND ELECTION OF MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WOULD GO BEFORE THE VOTERS. EACH TIME WE PRODUCE THAT DOCUMENT, WE BROUGHT IT TO CITY COUNCIL, AND FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED THE CIP. SO THE BOND ELECTION THAT'S PROPOSED AND THE PROCESS THAT THE CITY HAS GONE THROUGH IS NOT SOMETHING NEW. IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED WHEN THE CITY PUT TOGETHER ITS STRATEGIC PLAN BACK IN 2023. SO MAYBE TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. 
          SO A LOT OF THE PROJECTS ARE IN THE CITY STRATEGIC PLAN. MANY OF THE PROJECTS ARE IN THE CITY'S COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLAN THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. 
          SO WE BEGAN THE PROCESS MAYBE 7 OR 8 MONTHS AGO, WHERE WE ISSUED AN RFP TO HIRE A BOND FACILITATION CONSULTANT. CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THAT CONSULTANT, AND WE BEGAN THE PROCESS OF GOING DOWN THIS ROAD TO HAVE A BOND ELECTION AND TO IDENTIFY THOSE PROJECTS. CITY COUNCIL APPOINTED 17 BOARD MEMBERS TO BE PART OF THE BOND BEAUMONT BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND MOST OF THOSE MEMBERS ATTENDED THOSE MEETINGS AND PUT TOGETHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A POSSIBLE BOND ELECTION. SO AT TODAY'S MEETING, WE WILL HAVE THE BOND FACILITATION CONSULTANT, MR. JEFF BARTON, WITH GAP STRATEGIES PRESENT TO CITY COUNCIL. THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE PROCESS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BEAUMONT BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE. SO I ASKED MR. BARTON TO COME UP. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AGAIN. AS ADVERTISED, I'M JEFF BARTON WITH GAP STRATEGIES. MY BUSINESS PARTNER KARA BUFFINGTON IS ALSO HERE AND WILL COME FORWARD TO KICK ME IN THE ANKLES IF I MISSTATE ANYTHING ALONG THE WAY. AS YOU HEARD, WE WERE SELECTED BY A PUBLIC PROCESS TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF BEAUMONT AND TO FACILITATE A GROUP OF A GROUP OF YOUR CITIZENS. I WANT TO SAY THAT IT WAS A GREAT GROUP. WE HAD SOME CHANGES. SOME OF YOU HERE STARTED OFF ON THE COMMITTEE. IN FACT, IT WAS IT WAS A GREAT GROUP OF FOLKS AND YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEM. 
          THEY THEY DID WELL WITH THEIR ATTENDANCE, MR. MAYOR. REALLY, ONE MEMBER WAS ONLY TO ABLE TO 
          [00:15:07]
ATTEND ONE MEETING, BUT THE REST, THE OTHER 16 REALLY WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN IN A VERY ROBUST WAY. SO WE FELT VERY GOOD ABOUT THAT. OUR TEAM CONSISTED OF MYSELF AND MISS BUFFINGTON, AND WE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL HELP THAT SOME OF YOU MET ALONG THE WAY BACK IN THE OFFICE TO HELP FILL IN. NEXT. TINA, JUST A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT US. AS YOU SEE, WE'VE GOT A STRONG STAFF THAT INCLUDES A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN PUBLIC, GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC FINANCE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND DONE A LOT OF FACILITATION WORK IN URBAN PLANNING WORK ALL OVER THE STATE OF TEXAS. CARA AND I REALLY LED THE EFFORT. WE'RE THE PRIMARY PRINCIPALS IN GAP STRATEGIES, AND WE STARTED OFF. LET ME CUT TO THE CHASE AND SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET TO A VERY STRONG AND IN FACT, UNANIMOUS RECOMMENDATION FROM YOUR COMMITTEE, FROM THOSE WHO WERE PRESENT AT THE LAST MEETING, THAT YOU DO MOVE FORWARD WITH A BOND PACKAGE WITH SOME SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU HAD A STRONG COMMITTEE, AND EVEN BETTER NEWS IS THAT THEY CAME TO A VERY STRONG CONSENSUS AROUND WHAT SHOULD BE REPRESENTED, OR AT LEAST RECOMMENDED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION, SO WE STARTED BY INTRODUCING YOUR CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS TO WHAT WE CALL BONDS 101, AND WALK THEM THROUGH WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE A BOND ELECTION. IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE THERE AND YOU KNOW IT'S WORTH WE REMINDED THEM AND MAYBE WORTH REMINDING YOU ALL. IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE WHILE SINCE BEAUMONT HAD ITS LAST GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND. MICHAEL JACKSON WAS DOING THE MOONWALK AND OUR VICE PRESIDENT, JD VANCE, HAD NOT BEEN BORN YET. IN 1983, WHEN YOU HAD YOUR LAST G.O. BOND, WHICH WAS A $60 MILLION BOND RELATED TO DRAINAGE. NEXT, TINA. SO WE WALKED YOUR COMMITTEE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA THAT BONDS ARE REALLY JUST A FINANCIAL TOOL FOR CITIES TO ISSUE LONG TERM, LOW INTEREST DEBT, AND YOU CAN GET LOW INTEREST BECAUSE CITIES ARE SUCH A RELIABLE PLACE FOR INVESTORS TO LOAN MONEY. AND IT'S A TAX FREE INSTRUMENT FOR THE INVESTORS THAT GIVES YOU LONG RANGE, LOW INTEREST DEBT THAT CAN BE REPAID, OFTEN OVER 20 YEARS. NEXT, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ADVANTAGES TO THAT. IT CAN SPREAD THE COST OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OVER A LONGER LIFE. THE COST IS SHARED NOT ONLY WITH CURRENT TAXPAYERS, BUT WITH FUTURE TAXPAYERS WHO ARE GOING TO BE MOVING INTO THE CITY WITH FUTURE BUSINESSES, MAYBE EVEN PEOPLE WHO WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THESE BONDS BRING. SO IT EASES THE IMPACT ON THE CITY'S CURRENT BUDGET, SPREADS OUT THOSE EFFECTS JUST THE WAY THAT MANY PEOPLE BUY A HOME, RATHER THAN PAYING FOR IT IN CASH, THEY BUY IT OVER TIME TO GET THE BENEFITS OF IT NOW. NOW, GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS DO REQUIRE VOTER APPROVAL. IF THE COUNCIL DECIDES TO MOVE FORWARD. TINA, THERE ARE A FEW TYPES OF BONDS. WE WALK THE CITIZENS THROUGH THAT NEXT TINA. AND THE KINDS OF RULES AND LIMITATIONS ON EACH BOND. SO WE GAVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY, TINA, ON ALL OF THAT. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING HERE ABOUT A GEO BOND OR GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND. SO YOUR CITIZENS, I THINK, REALLY KIND OF CAME UP TO SPEED ON THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY, ON SOME OF THE HISTORY OF BONDS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO CALL A BOND ELECTION. AND THEN WE HAD A LENGTHY PROCESS OVER A SERIES OF MONTHS HERE WITH HOURS AND HOURS THAT YOUR FELLOW CITIZENS GAVE TO THE CITY FOR THIS. AND THE IDEA REALLY WAS INITIALLY TO ASSESS REALLY THE NEEDS AND WISHES OF DEPARTMENT HEADS, THE KINDS OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE CITY OVER TIME, LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL FINANCIAL AND TAX IMPACTS, ENGAGE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT THROUGH LISTING, PRIORITIZE THOSE PROJECTS, AND MAKE THIS REPORT BACK TO CITY. TINA. WE MADE IT CLEAR, AND YOUR STAFF MADE IT CLEAR TO CITIZENS THAT THIS WOULD BE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL. THE FINAL WORD IS, OF COURSE, UP TO THE CITY COUNCIL ABOUT WHETHER TO CALL A BOND PACKAGE. AND WE GOT SUPPORT NOT ONLY FROM YOUR STAFF, BUT FROM YOUR OUTSIDE FINANCIAL ADVISERS AND LEGAL COUNSEL, BOND COUNSEL, AS WELL AS YOUR VERY CAPABLE IN-HOUSE COUNSEL HERE ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE BOND PROJECT TO MAKE SURE 
          [00:20:05]
THAT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE CLEAR. WE ALSO TOLD YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT THERE WAS NO LIMIT THEY COULD RECOMMEND, NO BOND PACKAGE. THEY COULD RECOMMEND SMALL BOND PACKAGE, A BIG BOND PACKAGE. IT WAS REALLY UP TO THEM. WE JUST HELPED FACILITATE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS, THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEY THOUGHT WERE THE MOST URGENT NEEDS FOR THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. THIS WAS REALLY BASED ON SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED WORKING WITH MANY CITIES OVER MANY YEARS. YOU CAN SEE THE GRAY IN MY BEARD THESE DAYS CALLED COMMUNITY BASED CONSENT. THAT GAP STRATEGIES DEVELOPED BASED ON SOME WORK BY DOCTOR WILLIAM URY AT THE HARVARD SCHOOL OF LAWS NEGOTIATION THAT REALLY EMPHASIZED TRYING TO BUILD CONSENSUS BUT LETTING PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY GETS A CHANCE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES WHETHER THEY AGREE OR DISAGREE, BUT REALLY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME, AS WE DID WITH THE COMMITTEE, TALKING ABOUT YOU MAY NOT GET YOUR IDEAL, BUT ARE YOU GETTING SOMETHING THAT YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT IN THE END, AND THAT YOU THINK IS GOOD FOR THE BROADER COMMUNITY? IS IT SOMETHING YOU CAN LIVE WITH, AND DOES IT RECONCILE OPPOSING INTERESTS? SO, AS I SAID, THE DISCUSSION WAS REALLY OPEN TO ALL SIDES. WE LOOKED FOR CONSENSUS WHERE POSSIBLE AND INFORMED CONSENT, AND THEN ALSO TOOK VOTES ALONG THE WAY, BOTH, YOU KNOW, BY HAND AND BY ROLL CALL AND BY SOME TECHNOLOGY THAT WE USE JUST TO FACILITATE DISCUSSION AND MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE LOUD VOICE DOMINATES, THAT EVERYBODY GETS GETS THEIR SAY. THOUGH PRELIMINARY WORK BEGAN WITH YOUR STAFF BEFORE THIS, THE COMMITTEE ITSELF BEGAN MEETING IN APRIL AND CONCLUDED ITS WORK LAST WEEK AT THE JULY 22ND SIXTH MEETING. ALONG THE WAY, THERE WAS ALSO AN OPEN HOUSE, REALLY SUBSTANTIAL COMMUNITY SURVEY, AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THOSE IN A MOMENT. 
          TINA. SO A FEW THINGS THAT WE'LL BE REFERRING TO, SOME TOOLS AND TRENDS THAT, AGAIN, ARE WORTH MENTIONING FOR YOU AND THOSE WHO MAY BE WATCHING TODAY. WE STARTED WITH THE PLANS THAT YOU HEARD YOUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER ALLUDE TO THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE AS A CITY OVER YEARS TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLAN. STRATEGIC PLANS DEVELOPED BY THE COUNCIL, THE PARKS PLAN THAT YOU COMMITTED, YOU COMPLETED JUST EARLIER THIS YEAR. THAT ITSELF HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT AND PUBLIC PROCESS AND MANY OTHER PLANS ACROSS THE CITY. WE BEGAN WE REALLY PUT THOSE INTO A KIND OF A FUNNEL, YOU MIGHT SAY, WITH A LOT OF WORK BY YOUR STAFF TO LOOK AT WHAT MIGHT BE MOST RELEVANT FOR THE COMMITTEE AND WALK THE COMMITTEE THROUGH THOSE ISSUES IMMEDIATELY. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE THAT SOME ISSUES WE IDENTIFIED AS ABLE TO BE FUNDED ELSEWHERE, EITHER THROUGH GRANTS, FOR INSTANCE, OR MAYBE THEY'RE ALREADY FUNDED IN YOUR ANNUAL BUDGET OR THROUGH KOS OR SOME OTHER MECHANISM. OTHER PROJECTS JUST DIDN'T REACH THE LEVEL FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF URGENCY TO BE IN THIS BOND. WE DEVELOP THREE TIERS. TIER ONE WAS YES, IT NEEDS TO GO IN THIS BOND. TIER TWO WAS MAYBE. AND THAT DISCUSSION CARRIED ON THROUGH THE PROCESS AND SOMETIMES INTO THE OPEN HOUSE. AND TIER THREE WAS NO, NOT IN THIS BOND. IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT A WORTHY PROJECT. IT JUST MEANS THAT CITIZENS ON YOUR COMMITTEE DID NOT THINK IT NEEDED TO BE PAID FOR IN THIS BOND RIGHT NOW, SO WE STARTED OFF WITH MORE THAN $1.35 BILLION IN PROJECTS THAT COULD BE DONE IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. TRUE PUBLIC INVESTMENT THAT IS NEEDED AND YOUR CITIZENS REALLY, OVER THESE MONTHS PRIORITIZED THAT DOWN TO JUST OVER 200 MILLION. THE NUMBER THAT YOU'RE WE'RE GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT TODAY. 
          WE HAD A NUMBER OF SPREADSHEETS. CITIZENS HAD HOMEWORK THEY FILLED OUT SURVEYS. YOUR BEAUMONT BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE FILLED OUT SURVEYS IN BETWEEN THE MEETINGS. THE MEETINGS OFTEN RAN 2 TO 3 HOURS, HOUR AND A HALF TO THREE HOURS. SO THEY WERE VERY DILIGENT. AND WE HAD SPREADSHEETS THAT WE UPDATED FOR EACH MEETING THAT PEOPLE WORKED WITH. LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS. 
          THIS IS WHAT WE USE MENTIMETER SO THAT THE CITIZENS COULD VOTE ON THEIR PHONES. IN THE MEETINGS, WE'D HAVE DISCUSSION, THEN PEOPLE WOULD VOTE THAT WAY. PEOPLE WHO MAYBE A LITTLE SHY OR A LITTLE MORE QUIET COULD HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD RIGHT UP FRONT. IT MOVED DISCUSSION ALONG AT TIMES, AND THE COMMITTEE RELIED HEAVILY ON EVEN BROADER PUBLIC INPUT. THOUGH THIS WAS A 
          [00:25:07]
WIDE RANGING COMMITTEE FROM EVERY WARD IN THE CITY, ALL PEOPLE WHO LIVED AND WORK IN THE CITY. WE CONDUCTED A SURVEY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS THAT WAS COMMUNITY WIDE AND WERE ABLE TO GET REALLY STRONG RESPONSE. 2968 BEAUMONT CITIZENS PARTICIPATED IN THIS SURVEY. I WANT TO STOP FOR JUST A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. IT WAS AN ONLINE SURVEY. WE RUN SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY AND ALSO DO IN-PERSON REVIEWS TO MAKE SURE THAT ROBOTS AND THAT SORT OF THING AREN'T PARTICIPATING THE SURVEYS, WE HAVE WAYS TO LOOK AT THAT. THEY ARE NOT FOOLPROOF, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY DARN GOOD. AND WE DID NOT SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF THAT. WE ALSO TRY AND SCREEN OUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY OR THE REGION, AND FROM WHAT WE COULD TELL, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, BEAUMONT RESIDENTS RESPONDING TO THIS, A GOOD, STRONG RESPONSE. AS I SAID, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE COMPARISON, IN ANOTHER SURVEY DONE RECENTLY BY THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, YOU HAD 585 PARTICIPANTS OVER ABOUT THREE MONTHS. THIS WAS DONE IN ABOUT A MONTH, 2900 PARTICIPANTS. SO THE CITIZENS WERE REALLY ANXIOUS TO GIVE THEIR INPUT ON THIS ISSUE. AND WE REACHED OUT USING TARGETED ADS USING CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND CHURCHES. YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS HELPED PASS THE WORD. SOME OF YOU, I AM SURE, DID. LATER ON, AS WE MOVED FORWARD, YOUR CITIZEN COMMITTEE USED THEIR OWN SOCIAL NETWORKS TO PASS THAT WORD AND YOUR YOUR GREAT PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT HERE ALSO PROMOTED THIS. SO THAT TEAM WORK TOGETHER REALLY GOT US A VERY STRONG RESPONSE. IT WAS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH AND ACTUALLY I BELIEVE IT'S 131 OTHER LANGUAGES. IT CAN BE TRANSLATED TO ELECTRONICALLY. SO PEOPLE HAD A WIDE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE. AND IT WAS HANDICAPPED FRIENDLY. ALSO. TINA. AND WHAT WE FOUND IN THAT EARLY SURVEY, REMEMBER, THIS IS REALLY BEFORE THE BOND COMMITTEE HAD STARTED ITS WORK OR JUST AS IT STARTED ITS WORK. AND. WE GAVE PEOPLE A NUMBER OF OPTIONS AND SOME OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS AS WELL. AND WHAT WE HEARD FROM FOLKS, THAT WAS THAT INFRASTRUCTURE WAS REALLY A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. PEOPLE COULD COULD NAME REALLY THEIR FIRST PRIORITY HERE IN INFRASTRUCTURE WAS NUMBER ONE. AND THEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY OF BEAUMONT WAS THE SECOND PRIORITY. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE PRIORITIES THAT STEPPED DOWN FROM THERE. TINA, WE ALSO ASKED WHETHER YOU'RE CURRENTLY INCLINED TO SUPPORT THE BONDS. 
          AND WHILE A LARGE MAJORITY SAID YES, THEY WERE CONSIDERATE, THERE WAS ALSO SOME SOME, SOME HESITANCY. FRANKLY, PEOPLE WHO SAYING THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DIDN'T RAISE TAXES OR THAT THEY MIGHT, BUT THEY WERE UNSURE DEPENDING ON WHAT WAS IN THE SPECIFIC PROJECT, SO THAT THERE WAS REALLY A BARE MINIMUM SAYING, YES, LET'S GO FORWARD. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S HEAR WHAT THE PROCESS BRINGS US NEXT. TINA. AND WE ASKED HOW MUCH YOU'D BE WILLING TO PAY PER MONTH. AND YOU HERE AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT WAS KIND OF ALL OVER THE BOARD, BUT THERE WAS A, A MAJORITY OF FOLKS THAT SAID, YES, THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY MONEY TO SEE BONDS MOVE FORWARD IN BEAUMONT, EVEN IF THAT IMPACTS THEIR TAXES. TEAM. 51% SAYING THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY $10 A MONTH OR MORE, AND THEN ANOTHER 1,314% SAYING THEY WOULD PAY $5 OR MORE NEXT. SO AS THE WEEKS WENT BY AND YOUR COMMITTEE DEVELOPED SOME TENTATIVE PRIORITIES, THEN WE WENT BACK TO THE COMMUNITY WITH AN OPEN HOUSE. SO THE SURVEY WAS IN THE SPRING. THE OPEN HOUSE WAS IN THE SUMMER AFTER THE COMMITTEE HAD DONE A LOT OF WORK AND DEVELOPED SOME INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS. AND AGAIN, WE GOT VERY STRONG CITIZEN PARTICIPATION. ALMOST 2700 CITIZENS PARTICIPATED. MOST OF THEM WERE IN ONLINE OPEN HOUSE, WHERE PEOPLE WERE GUIDED THROUGH A SERIES OF BOARDS AND INFORMATION PRESENTATIONS AND THEN ASKED QUESTIONS, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE OPEN ENDED COMMENTS AS WELL. THAT WAS OPEN STARTING JULY 4TH, AND WE GOT A LOT OF PARTICIPATION RIGHT FROM THE GET GO AT YOUR JULY 4TH 
          [00:30:04]
PRESENTATION, AND IT WAS OPEN TILL CELEBRATIONS, I SHOULD SAY, AND IT WAS OPEN UNTIL JULY 14TH. 
          NEXT, TINA. WE ALSO HAD A LIVE IN HOUSE ON SATURDAY THE 12TH FROM 10 TO 1 WITH ABOUT 76 CITIZEN ATTENDEES. AND THEN A LOT OF YOUR STAFF AND SOME OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND SOME OF YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE THERE AS WELL. THESE WERE COME AND GO PRESENTATIONS, BOTH ONLINE AND IN PERSON. YOU COULD SPEND AS LONG AS YOU WANTED TO READING INFORMATION. THERE WERE REFERENCES BACK IN QR CODES SO PEOPLE COULD GO LEARN MORE AND MORE IF THEY IF THEY CHOSE TO. 
          THEY WERE SELF-PACED, THEY WERE INTERACTIVE. BUT TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AT THE END, YOU HAD TO SHOW THAT YOU HAD BEEN THROUGH SOME OF THE DATA. NEXT. THIS REALLY THE DATA THAT WE PRESENTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY SHOWED THE CURRENT STATE OF CITY FINANCE TRENDS FOR GROWTH. 
          AGAIN, WHAT BONDS ARE SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT HAD BEEN PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE ITSELF ON WHAT TAX IMPLICATIONS MIGHT BE, AND THEN VERY SPECIFIC POTENTIAL PROJECTS NEXT. AND THIS WAS REALLY WE WANTED TO LEARN WHAT CITIZENS THOUGHT IN GENERAL, BUT ALSO ABOUT A FEW SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WERE IN THAT MAYBE CATEGORY THAT I TALKED ABOUT BEFORE WHERE WHERE THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS UNSURE THEMSELVES AND WANTED MORE SPECIFIC CITIZEN FEEDBACK, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT GOLF COURSE RENOVATIONS. NEXT, ABOUT THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS AND FINALLY ABOUT WHETHER CITIZENS FELT THE BOND COMMITTEE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK NEXT. TINA. SO WE GOT SOME GOOD FEEDBACK AGAIN FROM FOLKS HERE, THE GOLF COURSE, A MAJORITY OF YOUR CITIZENS SAID, YEAH, WE DON'T THINK THE GOLF COURSE RISES TO THE LEVEL OF BEING ON ON THIS BOND. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO BE OPEN TO FUTURE ALTERNATIVES, BUT NOT ON THIS BOND WAS A WAS A PRETTY CLEAR STATEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY, AT LEAST THOSE PARTICIPATING IN THE SURVEY. AND THEN WE ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS, BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF DEBATE ABOUT THAT ON THE COMMITTEE. AND I THINK THE COMMITTEE UNIVERSALLY FELT LIKE BEAUMONT NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING TO SUPPORT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT HAD TAKEN A PRELIMINARY VOTE THAT WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TO ASSESS THAT, STUDY IT MORE, UNDERSTAND THE FINANCES BEHIND THAT, COME UP WITH A CLEAR PLAN AND ADDRESS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MORE, BUT NOT QUITE SURE. SO LET'S SEE WHAT THE CITIZENS HAVE TO SAY. WE TRIED TO LAY THAT OUT WITH REALLY FOUR ALTERNATIVES THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE. THE FIRST SAYS WE SHOULD DO A FACILITY ASSESSMENT NOW. AND ONCE WE DETERMINE BETTER PRICING IN THE LONG TERM NEEDS, BUILD A POLICE HEADQUARTERS EITHER OUT OF BOND FUNDS OR A SEPARATE PUBLIC SAFETY FUND. AND A PLURALITY OF FOLKS CHOSE THAT AGAIN. NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC, NOT JUST THE BOND COMMITTEE. WE HAD ABOUT 31% SAY THEY WEREN'T FOR FUNDING THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS AT ALL, AND WE HAD 27% SAID, GO AHEAD AND PUT IT IN THIS BOND, EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A FINAL PLAN YET AND WE DON'T HAVE GOOD BUDGET NUMBERS YET, THE NEEDS ARE SO URGENT THAT WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD. THAT WAS ABOUT 27%, AND THEN ABOUT 6% SAID THEY NEEDED MORE INFORMATION. NEXT, TINA. FINALLY OR NOT FINALLY. BUT WE ALSO ASKED, DO YOU FEEL THE BBAC IS HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? 54% SAID YES, 46% SAID NO. I WANT TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT SLIDE, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY CLEAR THAT PEOPLE WHO SAID YES AND NO HAD THEIR OWN IDEAS OF WHAT THAT MEANT, YOU KNOW, SO WE TO KIND OF TEASE THAT OUT MORE, WE SAID, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY FOR THESE PROJECTS? IN OUR EXPERIENCE WORKING AROUND THE STATE, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY, YEAH, I'M FOR A PROJECT. IT'S ANOTHER. WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE, WILL THEY REALLY SPEND THEIR HARD EARNED DOLLARS ON PROJECTS? SO WE ALWAYS LIKE TO INCLUDE THAT QUESTION. AND HERE YOU SEE SUPPORT ACTUALLY GOES UP. WE HAD 60% SAY THAT THEY WERE WILLING TO SPEND $10 OR MORE. A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION SAYING THEY WERE WILLING TO SPEND A LOT MORE. SO THAT IS I WANT TO CALL OUT TO YOU THAT THAT IS THAT IS HIGHER THAN BEFORE WE STARTED THE PROCESS. SO AS PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY CAME TO SEE THE PROCESS AND WHAT WAS GOING ON, YOU MIGHT INTERPRET THAT THEY GOT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH IT. AS PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY SAW THE SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS TALKING ABOUT, SUPPORT FOR A POSSIBLE BOND ACTUALLY WENT UP. SO FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, ALWAYS A GOOD SIGN. IF YOU HAVE A CITIZEN COMMITTEE OUT THERE TRYING TO REPRESENT THE PUBLIC, IF CONFIDENCE IN THAT PROCESS AND IN THE OUTCOMES GROW. ADDITION, YOU SAW 54% SAID, YEAH, WE THINK THE COMMITTEE HAD ONLY 54% SAID, 
          [00:35:08]
WE THINK THE COMMITTEE IS HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT 60% SAID WE'RE WILLING TO PAY MONEY FOR WHAT THE COMMITTEE IS DOING. AND I THINK THAT CAN BE EXPLAINED IN A COUPLE OF WAYS. 
          BUT BUT PRIMARILY, THERE WERE SOME OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS. DO YOU WANT TO DO THE GOLF COURSE? DO YOU WANT TO DO THE POLICE STATION? AND PEOPLE WERE ALL OVER THE MAP ON THAT. SOME OF THEM SAID, NO, WE DON'T WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS. SO THEY WERE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL ABOUT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AS A PACKAGE, THEY SEEM TO BE MORE BROADLY SUPPORTIVE. AND I THINK A FAIR INFERENCE IS, AT LEAST AMONG THE RESPONDENTS, THAT AS THIS GETS NARROWED DOWN, IF THIS WERE TO BE NARROWED DOWN IN RESPONSE TO THEIR COMMENTS, THAT SUPPORT MIGHT GO EVEN HIGHER. NEXT, WE ALSO HAD OPEN ENDED COMMENTS. AND SO THIS IS INTENDED JUST TO GIVE YOU A REFLECTION OF THOSE COMMENTS. WE'LL BE GLAD TO FORWARD ALL OF THE COMMENTS TO YOU AS YOU LIKE. 
          KARA, I FORGET, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS ABOUT 90 PEOPLE TOOK THE TIME TO GIVE OPEN ENDED COMMENTS. NO MORE THAN THAT. ABOUT 180, NOT 80. OKAY, GOOD. SO INFRASTRUCTURE. WE REALLY GOT A LOT OF COMMENTS, BOTH IN PERSON AT THE LIVE OPEN HOUSE AND ONLINE OF PEOPLE SAYING THEY WANTED TO SEE EVEN MORE EMPHASIS ON INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF THIS, BUT ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS RECOMMENDED HERE BY THE COMMITTEE AND THAT THE COMMITTEE WAS TALKING ABOUT BEFORE THE OPEN HOUSE, IS NOT THE ONLY EFFORT THAT BEAUMONT IS MAKING TOWARD INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S PART OF A NETWORK OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE WORKED ON. 
          THERE ARE ROAD PROJECTS IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD AND EVERY WARD THAT GET PAID FOR OUT OF THE REGULAR BUDGET OR OUT OF CHAOS, AND THERE ARE $68 MILLION OF DRAINAGE PROJECTS THAT WERE BEING PLANNED OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AS PART OF YOUR COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLAN. STILL, HAVING EXPLAINED SOME OF THAT TO RESIDENTS, WHAT WE HEARD PRETTY LOUD AND CLEAR WAS, HEY, WE WANT EVEN MORE EMPHASIS IN THIS BOND ON INFRASTRUCTURE, ON POLICE HEADQUARTERS. WE HAD WE GOT A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE AGREEING THAT THEY WANT TO SEE SUPPORT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN BEAUMONT. WE ALSO HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAYING THEY AGREE THAT UPGRADES ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS FLOODING OR HEALTH RISKS, BUT QUITE A FEW COMMENTS SAYING WE'RE JUST NOT READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH SPENDING THE POLICE SPENDING ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THIS TIME, UNTIL YOU CAN GIVE US A PLAN AND SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT MONEY, DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENTS. LOTS OF FOLKS SAW VALUE. WHAT WE REALLY HEARD FROM PEOPLE WAS, CAN IT REALLY WORK IN BEAUMONT? THAT WAS THE BIG QUESTION THAT WE GOT FROM COMMENTS. AND THEN ON THE GOLF COURSE, AS I NOTED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, SOME VERY PASSIONATE SUPPORTERS OF THE GOLF COURSE, BUT A BUT A MAJORITY OF FOLKS SAYING, HEY, LIKE IT, BUT IT, IT COSTS TOO MUCH, SERVES TOO FEW TO, TO BE INCLUDED AS THE TOP PRIORITY TO MAKE THIS BOND CUT OFF. THAT LEADS ME TO THE REPORT HERE AND THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE BOND COMMITTEE. THE BOND COMMITTEE CAME BACK AFTER THIS OPEN HOUSE, AND FIRST OF ALL, MADE SOME CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO PUBLIC SENTIMENT. I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT THE BOND COMMITTEE WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN LISTENING TO WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY AND MADE SIGNIFICANT CONCRETE CHANGES AND AMENDMENTS TO THEIR PLAN BASED ON WHAT THEY HEARD FROM CITIZENS. YOU CAN SEE THAT PARTICULARLY IN DRAINAGE, ALSO IN POLICE. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT, YES, THE CITY SHOULD CONSIDER PLACING A GENERAL BOND PACKAGE BEFORE VOTERS IN THE NOVEMBER 2020 BALLOT. AGAIN, THE COMMITTEE UNDERSTANDS, I THINK, THAT THAT THIS IS YOUR FINAL DECISION, BUT YOU ASK THEM FOR RECOMMENDATION AND THE RECOMMENDATION IS, YES, A BOND PACKAGE IS WARRANTED. NEXT, THAT THE COMMITTEE IDENTIFIED FOUR DISTINCT AREAS THAT MERIT THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT AND RECOMMENDED THAT THOSE BE PRESENTED TO VOTERS AS FOUR INDEPENDENT PROPOSITIONS THAT VOTERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PASS OR TURN DOWN EACH OF THOSE 
          [00:40:05]
PROPOSITIONS. WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THOSE IN A FEW MINUTES. AND THE FINAL RECOMMENDATION IS FOR ABOUT $210 MILLION IN PROJECTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS THE MOST URGENT PRIORITIES ACROSS THE CITY. OUT OF THAT, MORE THAN 1.35 BILLION THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE BEGINNING. 
          SO THE FOUR PROPOSITIONS, YOU ALL MAY CHOOSE TO GROUP THEM DIFFERENTLY. BUT THE COMMITTEE HAD A GOOD BIT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS, AND THIS WAS THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, AT LEAST AS A STARTING PLACE. INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD INCLUDE DRAINAGE ROADS AND SIDEWALKS. AND THEY'RE RECOMMENDING $94.6 MILLION IN PROJECTS. THIS LINES UP PRETTY WELL WITH THE PUBLIC SENTIMENT THAT YOU HEARD BOTH IN THE COMMUNITY SURVEY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND IN THE OPEN HOUSE, WHERE CITIZENS OF THEIR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY WAS INFRASTRUCTURE. WELL, IT'S THE LARGEST PART OF THE PROPOSED BOND PACKAGE, 94.6 MILLION. AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE A SIDEWALK INITIATIVE BOTH TO CREATE A MASTER PLAN FOR SIDEWALKS AND TO KICK OFF THAT PLAN WITH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT AND SIDEWALKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IT INCLUDES A MAJOR EXTENSION OF DOWLEN ROAD, WHICH BOTH PROVIDES MOBILITY AND TRAFFIC RELIEF, BUT ALSO WOULD BE INTENDED TO PROVIDE SPUR SOME ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CREATE TAX BASE IN THE CITY. A POINT PARKWAY NORTH EXTENSION OF 0.6 MILES TO CONNECT TO STATE HIGHWAY 105. AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS. THESE WEREN'T INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL BOND BECAUSE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT YOUR YOUR BROADER EFFORTS, AND THAT THOSE MIGHT BE PAID FOR ELSEWHERE. BUT AFTER HERE, AFTER A LOT OF DISCUSSION AMONG THEMSELVES, FIRST OF ALL, AND SOME QUESTIONS AMONG THEMSELVES, WHETHER THAT SHOULD BE A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN HEARING FROM THE OPEN HOUSE THAT CITIZENS THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE HIGHER PRIORITY. WORKING WITH YOUR COMMITTEE, WE ASKED YOUR STAFF TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT SOME POTENTIAL PROJECTS. THEY IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL, TIMELY, AND WE PRESENTED THOSE BACK TO THE COMMITTEE. AND THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS $28 MILLION IN DRAINAGE PROJECTS. I'LL PAUSE JUST FOR A MOMENT TO MENTION SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND AND TO REITERATE WITH YOU ALL, EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE BEEN EXPOSED TO IT. PROJECTS THAT ARE IF YOU DECIDE TO PUT THESE PROJECTS ON A GENERAL BOND PROPOSAL FOR THE VOTERS TO PASS OR OR AT LEAST PASS JUDGMENT ON ANY SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT FAIL, CANNOT BE FUNDED THROUGH DEBT, THROUGH SOME OTHER DEBT INSTRUMENT BY THE CITY FOR THREE YEARS. SO YOU COULD NOT USE A CEO TO FUND THOSE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW THAT YOUR STAFF LOOKED AT CAREFULLY AND THAT THE COMMITTEE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT, IS TRYING TO GET PROJECTS THAT WOULD MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE, BUT THAT ALSO WOULD BE SPECIFIC ENOUGH AND LIMITED ENOUGH THAT YOU COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH OTHER DRAINAGE PROJECTS IF THEY DID NOT PASS. NEXT SLIDE. FACILITIES AND PUBLIC SAFETY $19.5 MILLION. AND THAT INCLUDES ANIMAL CARE SERVICES AND ADOPTION CENTER. IT INCLUDES FIRE STATION NUMBER FOUR, REPLACING THAT FIRE STATION. THIS FACILITIES ASSESSMENT TO LOOK AT FACILITIES ACROSS THE BOARD IN BEAUMONT, THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS BEING A MAIN FOCUS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT ALL OF YOUR BUILDING NEEDS HERE IN BEAUMONT AND TRYING TO DECIDE, WELL, WHAT IS HIGHEST PRIORITY, WHERE CAN SPACE BE COMBINED OR REPURPOSED? WHERE DO YOU NEED NEW BUILDINGS? WHERE CAN YOU GET BY WITH JUST IMPROVEMENTS? LOOKING 20 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE AT PROGRAMING, HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO YOU EXPECT TO HAVE? WHAT KIND OF NEEDS WILL THOSE BE? SO IT CAN BE A VERY USEFUL STUDY. WE'VE PARTICIPATED. WE DON'T DO THOSE, SO I'M NOT TRYING TO SELL THEM, BUT WE'VE PARTICIPATED IN THOSE IN A LOT OF OTHER CITIES. THEY CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF REALLY GOOD INFORMATION, HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT IN THE COMMITTEE. AND I THINK THE COMMITTEE CAME TO FEEL THAT WAS IMPORTANT. THEN DOWNTOWN CAMERAS, WOULD THEY BE DOWNTOWN OR SOMEWHERE IN THE CITY TO INCREASE SECURITY AS YOU MAKE OTHER INVESTMENTS IN DOWNTOWN? AND THEN FINALLY POLICE MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS? THIS WAS A NEW ITEM THAT CAME OUT OF THE OPEN HOUSE LEADING UP TO THE OPEN HOUSE. THE COMMITTEE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT, WELL, THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS, BUT DOES THAT REALLY GET US NEW PEOPLE ON THE STREET? THE CHIEF 
          [00:45:01]
HAD EXPLAINED THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD HELP MORALE AND THEY HAD SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS. THE COMMITTEE ULTIMATELY DECIDED THEY WEREN'T READY TO RECOMMEND THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS UNTIL AFTER THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT WAS DONE. TO GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF LONG TERM NEED, A BETTER IDEA OF COSTS, AND TO PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE. BUT THEY ALSO THOUGHT THERE NEEDED TO BE SOME MONEY IMMEDIATELY TO HELP THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OVERCOME SOME OF ITS CHALLENGES RELATED TO FLOODING RELATED TO ANTIQUATED BUILDINGS AND HVAC SYSTEMS. SO THEY THEY INCLUDED ABOUT $3.4 MILLION THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY YOUR DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, KENNY SMITH. THAT WOULD THAT COULD GO TOWARDS MAKING IMMEDIATE IMPACT IN THE IN THE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S SEVERAL BUILDINGS. PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION. $46.9 MILLION. SO THIS INCLUDED PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT REPLACING AGING EQUIPMENT AND NEW EQUIPMENT ACROSS NINE CITY PARK LOCATIONS, RENOVATION OF PARK AND RESTROOM FACILITIES ACROSS YOUR SYSTEM. IT INCLUDES MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS AT TURTLE PARK AND UPGRADES. THAT'S THE LARGEST SINGLE TICKET ITEM ON HERE. YOUR PARK STUDY THIS SPRING IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF IMPROVEMENTS TO MADE TO TURTLE PARK. WE HAD PEOPLE LIKE THE FOLKS AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS WHO CAME FORWARD WITH OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I THINK THE CITY IS GOING TO FIND WAYS TO INCORPORATE THE RIVERFRONT PARK EXTENSION THAT I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WAS PUT INTO PARKS, TRAILS AND RECS PROJECTS AND THEN AN ATHLETIC COMPLEX, NUMBER FOUR, CONVERTING AND MAKING GENERAL ENHANCEMENT IMPROVEMENTS TO FIELDS THERE THAT WOULD CREATE OPPORTUNITY TO HOST EVENTS YEAR ROUND AND PERHAPS GENERATE SOME, SOME INCOME AND SOME TOURISM HERE IN THE CITY, AS WELL AS PROVIDING FACILITIES FOR LOCAL YOUTH. NEXT, TINA. THEN FINALLY DOWNTOWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT JUST UNDER $50 MILLION. AGAIN, YOU RECALL THAT FROM THE INITIAL CITIZEN SURVEY THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CREATING A RETURN ON INVESTMENT WAS A PRIORITY NUMBER TWO FOR CITIZENS. AND IT IN FACT COMES IN AS THE SECOND HIGHEST TOTAL IN THE BOND PROPOSITION. THAT'S THE CREATION OF A SPORTS FACILITY DESIGNED TO BE A REGIONAL FACILITY THAT WOULD BRING PEOPLE INTO BEAUMONT FOR A VARIETY OF SPORTING EVENTS AND TOURNAMENTS. SO THAT IS THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN A NUTSHELL FROM YOUR CITIZEN COMMITTEE. I JUST WANT TO SAY AGAIN THAT YOUR YOUR STAFF GAVE UP A LOT OF NIGHTS AND EXTRA TIME TO BE THERE AT THESE MEETINGS AND WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET US INFORMATION WHEN WE ASKED FOR IT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT YOUR CITIZENS COMMITTEE DID AN ADMIRABLE JOB, AND I THINK REALLY FELT A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP IN THE PROCESS. WE WERE WE WERE PROUD TO BE A PART OF IT. AND I'M MR. MAYOR, I'M GLAD TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. WELL, AND I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THAT WHOLE PROCESS AND OUR WHOLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR ALL THE TIME THEY INVESTED. AND I GOT TO BE AT TWO OF THEM. I GOT TO WATCH THEM LATER. BUT IT WAS IT WAS WELL DONE. AND EVERYBODY PARTICIPATED A LOT. AND CERTAINLY I THINK GOT EDUCATED THROUGH THE PROCESS. SO I REALLY COMMEND YOU. IT WAS AN EDUCATION FOR ME AS WELL AS I WENT THROUGH IT. ANY COMMENTS? A COMMENT? ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN TURNER, JEFF, WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE? CAN YOU KIND OF EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, BREAKING THINGS DOWN, ITEMIZED VERSUS, YOU KNOW, GROUPING? AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE PROPOSED PROPOSITIONS AS THEY'RE KIND OF PROPOSED TODAY? SURE. COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW, STATE LAW PROHIBITS YOU FROM JUST HAVING A SINGLE PROPOSITION, RIGHT? SO THAT YOU AND THE IDEA USED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. BUT THE IDEA IS YOU DON'T WANT A CITY TO PUT THE DOGS THAT NOBODY WANTS IN WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME SPECIAL PROJECT JUST TO PASS EVERYTHING. SO YOU, YOU HAVE TO GROUP LIKE MINDED ISSUES TOGETHER. AND YOU COULD HAVE CONDENSED THIS TO JUST MAYBE TWO PROPOSITIONS PERHAPS. THERE WAS SOME INITIAL DISCUSSION ON THE COMMITTEE. THE VERY FIRST OR SECOND MEETING ABOUT, WELL, MAYBE WE WOULD WANT TO PRESENT, YOU KNOW, 30 PROPOSITIONS. I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU MAY BE ALLUDING TO. 
          SOME CITIZENS WONDER THAT, WELL, WHY DON'T YOU GIVE US A CHANCE TO VOTE ON EVERYTHING? FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, THAT'S JUST NOT VERY USEFUL. MOST PEOPLE DON'T WALK INTO A BOOTH 
          [00:50:05]
ABLE TO UNDERSTAND 30 OR 40 PROPOSITIONS. THERE'S REAL VOTER FATIGUE. IT'S VERY HARD TO EXPLAIN TO CITIZENS WHAT'S GOING ON IF YOU'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH THAT MANY PROPOSITIONS. IN ADDITION, YOU WANT A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY AS A CITY SO THAT IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL ROAD PROJECTS, FOR INSTANCE, AND ONE OF THEM COMES IN UNDER BUDGET AND ONE OF THEM COMES IN SLIGHTLY OVER BUDGET, YOU CAN MOVE THAT MONEY BETWEEN PROPOSITIONS. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE THIS POINT, THAT THE CITY CAN'T JUST TAKE BOND MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, GO BUILD A TAJ MAHAL FOR YOURSELVES HERE AT CITY HALL. YOU CAN ONLY SPEND THE MONEY ON WHAT'S BEEN CALLED OUT IN THE BONDS, BUT IT IS USEFUL IN THAT WITHIN PROPOSITIONS, TO HAVE A LITTLE FLEXIBILITY TO MOVE BETWEEN PROJECTS OR TO DO SOMETHING RELATED TO IT IF YOU NEED TO. 
          AND. COMBINED WITH THAT, THAT KIND OF SENSE OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO VOTERS AND THE FACT THAT SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS ARE RELIANT UPON OTHER PROJECTS WITHIN THAT SAME PROPOSITION. IF YOU'RE WORKING ON DRAINAGE OR IF YOU'RE WORKING ON FACILITIES, YOU KNOW, IT'S NICE TO HAVE THAT FACILITY STUDY GET DONE. IT'S NICE TO HAVE THAT DRAINAGE THAT MAY COMPLEMENT OTHER PIECES OF DRAINAGE. I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. YEAH IT DOES. AND MY FOLLOW UP IS I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND IN THIS PROCESS. RIGHT NOW, INFRASTRUCTURE IS A TOP PRIORITY AND WE HEAR IT THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. BUT UNDERSTAND IF SOME OF THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT PASSED AND YOU SAID IT, BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IT. IF THINGS ARE NOT PASSED FOR THREE YEARS, IF I WASN'T, IF I DIDN'T MISS HER, MISS HEAR WHAT YOU SAID FOR THREE YEARS. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THOSE PROJECTS, NOT EVEN THROUGH ANOTHER FUND OF REVENUE. 
          LIKE A CO BOND. YOU CANNOT CALL AN EMERGENCY BOND A CO BOND OR SOMETIMES THEY'RE USED FOR ROUTINE ITEMS. BUT THOSE SORTS OF BONDS THAT GO AROUND VOTER THAT THAT CAN BE ISSUED WITHOUT VOTER APPROVAL AND YOU CANNOT CALL ANOTHER BOND ELECTION ON THE SAME PROJECT FOR THREE YEARS. AND MY LAST QUESTION IS, FIRST OF ALL, I APPRECIATE THE TRANSPARENCY AND THE PROCESS. 
          YOU KNOW, CITY MANAGER STAFF HAS STARTED BACK ALMOST IN 2021. WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT VISION WITH PRIOR ADMINISTRATION, BUT IT KIND OF EVOLVED INTO THIS. AND EVEN WITH THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS BECAUSE IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE BETTER WHAT'S ALREADY EXISTING. SO JUST TO BE ABLE TO COME ON BOARD AND TO KIND OF SEE WHAT WAS ALREADY FORMULATED AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE IT BETTER, THAT'S IMPORTANT. BUT YOU ALSO STATED THAT IT'S STILL A POSSIBILITY THAT IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL LISTENING TO CITIZENS, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH TIME. BUT IF THINGS WANT TO BE EDITED, IT'S STILL A POSSIBILITY. THAT'S RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER. YOU HAVE, I BELIEVE, UNTIL AUGUST 18TH TO CALL A FINAL VOTE. YOU HAVE TO CALL THE VOTE EARLY ENOUGH TO GET IT ON THE BALLOT AND GET THE BALLOTS PRINTED. AND THAT DEADLINE IS AUGUST 18TH. UNTIL THEN, IT'S UP TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE A FINAL DETERMINATION. YOU NOW HAVE THE RECOMMENDATION FROM YOUR CITIZEN ADVISORY BOARD, BUT AS YOU SAY, THE FINAL DECISION IS YOURS AND NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE. 
          YOU'RE ABLE TO TWEAK THESE RECOMMENDATIONS IF YOU CHOOSE TO. THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER SHERWOOD, I JUST WANTED TO FURTHER TALK ABOUT THE PHASES. WE'RE NOT AT A PLACE. IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT THE PHASES. SO WHERE WE ARE NOW, THERE'S ANOTHER PHASE. AND WE ULTIMATELY GET TO HAVE SOME INPUT. AND THERE'S STILL TIME FOR CITIZEN INPUT BEFORE WE GO TO THE BALLOT. I JUST KIND OF IF YOU COULD BREAK DOWN THE PHASES A LITTLE BIT MORE, COUNCILMEMBER, I'D BE GLAD TO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, JUST TO JUST TO KIND OF PUT A BOW ON IT AND PULL ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. THIS STARTED WITH YOUR STAFF, AS YOU SAID, COUNCILMEMBER, GOING BACK YEARS, PUTTING TOGETHER PROJECTS. MANY OF THOSE PROJECTS WERE BASED ON CITIZEN INPUT. THE PARKS PLAN IS JUST A RECENT EXAMPLE. THEN YOU ALL CHOSE US TO GO OUT AND TALK MORE TO THE PUBLIC. SO WE WENT THROUGH THE SURVEY. WITH WHAT I BELIEVE IS RECORD PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. AND THEN THE CITIZEN DRIVEN ADVISORY BOARD, THE OPEN HOUSE, TO CHECK THEIR WORK. THEY REVISED IT BASED ON THAT. AND WE BRING YOU THIS RECOMMENDATION. BUT THERE IS STILL TIME, AS YOU NOTE, COUNCIL MEMBER, FOR CITIZENS TO WEIGH IN AND LET YOU ALL KNOW THIS FINAL PRODUCT. AND FOR YOU ALL TO ACCEPT IT AS IS, OR TO TWEAK IT AND TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT 
          [00:55:04]
FOR THIS NOVEMBER. IN ADDITION, IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT YOUR COMMITTEE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A FUTURE BOND. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE SOME PROJECTS THAT THE COMMITTEE REALLY THOUGHT WORTHWHILE THAT JUST NEEDED TO RIPEN A LITTLE BIT, OR MAYBE NEEDED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. I THINK, IN FACT, I TOLD THE COMMITTEE THAT I WOULD BRING THIS UP WITH YOU. THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE POLICE HEADQUARTERS NOW OR LATER. I THINK FROM THE COMMITTEE'S PERSPECTIVE, IT WAS YES, WE THINK THERE PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE SOME ADDITIONAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IN POLICE. IT JUST MIGHT BE ON A FUTURE BOND THAT WAS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO THERE IS NOT ONLY TIME TO GIVE INPUT NOW ON THIS FALL'S BOND PROPOSITION, BUT TO INFLUENCE THE PROCESS IN OTHER WAYS. LOOKING AT MAYBE HOW WHAT YOU FUND OUT OF YOUR REGULAR BUDGET OR IN SOME FUTURE BOND OR FUTURE INVESTMENT STRATEGY. I HOPE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER DID THAT ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS? COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW, THEN COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JEFF, YOU AND YOUR TEAM DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND ALL OF ABOUT TWO OF THE MEETINGS, AND I WAS VERY IMPRESSED, VERY PROFESSIONAL, AND I THINK Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB OF TRYING TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. I WISH THE SURVEY WOULD HAVE HAD HIGHER NUMBERS, AS I'M SURE YOU ALL DO, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS AND YOU'RE IN THE VERY LAST MEETING. I BELIEVE THAT YOU MADE SOME SUGGESTIONS TO THE COMMITTEE THAT THERE COULD BE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES ON ON WHAT WOULD GO ON THE BALLOT, AND I THINK YOU ALSO KIND OF TWEAKED THE WORDS A LITTLE BIT TO KIND OF MAKE VOTERS MAYBE BUY INTO SOMETHING AND BE MORE PALPABLE FOR VOTERS IF IT WAS CALLED SOMETHING DIFFERENT. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THE ITEMS THAT YOU'VE PROPOSED IS, OR THE COMMITTEES PROPOSED IS A DOWNTOWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, WHICH IS THIS SPORTS COMPLEX. RIGHT. AND YOU WOULD AGREE WITH ME THAT IF SOME MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL HAD A HARD TIME TRYING TO CONVINCE VOTERS OR WANT VOTERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO CREATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY JUST BUILDING A FACILITY. BUT IN REALITY, THAT COULD BE AN INVESTMENT IN OUR LOCAL YOUTH AND A BUILDING THAT YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN FOR LOCAL YOUTH, THAT IT WOULD BE JUST AS APPROPRIATE TO PUT THAT UNDER FACILITIES AND PUBLIC SAFETY. AND GOOD POINT, COUNCILMEMBER. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP. THE COMMITTEE DID RECOMMEND THESE FOUR PROPOSITIONS, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT. 
          AND I THINK THE COMMITTEE WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, AND I THINK THE COMMITTEE FELT ALSO THAT THOSE SOME OF THOSE LINES ARE POROUS. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS SOME OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, PARK, SOME PARK PROGRAMS COULD BE CALLED A FACILITY. THE SPORTS COMPLEX IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT BECAUSE IT IS A SPORTS COMPLEX. SO DO YOU CALL IT REALLY A PARKS AND REC FACILITY? DO YOU CALL IT ON THE BALLOT A SPORTS COMPLEX WILL IT'S REALLY INTENDED TO DRAW SOME REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO THAT'S HOW IT'S LABELED. BUT I THINK THE COMMITTEE FULLY RECOGNIZED THAT THOSE ARE SUBTLE QUESTIONS THAT MAYBE THE COUNCIL MIGHT WANT TO WRESTLE WITH THEMSELVES. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE GLAD TO HELP WITH THAT. BUT ALL OF THOSE PROPOSITIONS ARE REALLY AN A WAY TO ORGANIZE THIS SO THAT LIKE MINDED THINGS CAN BE GROUPED TOGETHER. YOU'VE GOT QUITE A BIT OF FLEXIBILITY THERE, AND I THINK YOU'RE YOUR ATTORNEY, AND YOUR BOND COUNSEL CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT. WE'RE GLAD TO AS WELL. AND IN CITIES WHERE YOU'VE SEEN THESE BOND PROPOSALS BE SUCCESSFUL IN PAST, I THINK YOU ALL ACTUALLY HAVE A GREAT TRACK RECORD. CORRECT. WE HAVE A GOOD TRACK RECORD. WE DO IN FACT. AND YOU'VE SEEN IT WITH JUST THE THREE PROPOSALS, RIGHT. 
          PARKS AND REC FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'VE WORKED ON A WIDE VARIETY OF PROJECTS. AND SO PEOPLE GROUP THESE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I THINK THERE WAS THERE WAS SOME CONCERN BACK AND FORTH, AS YOU SAW THAT NIGHT WITH THE COMMITTEE, LIKE, WELL, YOU COULD EASILY PUT THE SPORTS COMPLEX, ASSUMING THAT YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH IT. YOU COULD EASILY PUT THE SPORTS COMPLEX UNDER, YOU KNOW, THEORETICALLY UNDER FACILITIES OR UNDER PARKS. THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE IN THE COMMITTEE THAT FELT LIKE, WELL, WE DON'T WANT TO SEEM LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO HIDE THE BALL, THAT THIS IS THIS DOWNTOWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE, BECAUSE IT WAS TALKED ABOUT THAT WAY ORIGINALLY. SO I THINK. YOU, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, YES, YOU WE'VE SEEN WE'VE SEEN KIND OF ALL PERMUTATIONS OF THIS WHERE PEOPLE HAVE, YOU KNOW, 2 OR 3 PROPOSITIONS THAT ARE MORE 
          [01:00:05]
INCLUSIVE, 4 OR 5. WE DON'T SEE PEOPLE GO ABOVE THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU GET ABOVE 4 OR 5, YOU GET YOU GET VOTER FATIGUE AND JUST CITIZEN FATIGUE, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE DIFFERENT ISSUES. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU SIR. COUNCILMEMBER WILLIAMS YEAH, I'M GOING TO I WANT TO I GUESS IT'S A KIND OF A TWO PART QUESTION, BUT I'M GOING TO READ FROM ONE OF THE SLIDES WHERE IT SAYS STUDY TO EVALUATE ALL CITY BUILDINGS, INCLUDING POLICE DEPARTMENTS, SEVEN LOCATIONS TO IDENTIFY LONG TERM NEEDS. AND THEN AT THE TOP, WHERE IT SAYS REPLACE THE CURRENT UNDERSIZED AND OUTDATED ANIMAL CARE CENTER. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, LIKE, WHAT DID YOU ALL DETERMINE THAT? LIKE, WOULD THE ANIMAL CARE CENTER THAT THAT WAS HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS OUTDATED AND UNDERSIZED? AND WE NEED A NEW ONE. AND I'M NOT I MEAN, I'M NOT LOBBYING FOR IT, BUT I'M JUST SURE IN TERMS OF THE POLICE STATION, I'M GOING, WELL, IT'S OUTDATED, UNDERSIZED. SO I'M GOING. WHAT LED TO DETERMINE THIS HERE AND THIS HERE? WHAT LED TO THAT STUDY BEING DONE? I GUESS? ABSOLUTELY. LET ME LET ME START KIND OF EARLY IN THE PROCESS AND KIND OF AND WALK YOU THROUGH HOW THAT LANGUAGE DEVELOPED AND HOW THOSE DECISIONS DEVELOPED. SO AS I SAID, WE WENT THROUGH YOUR YOUR DIFFERENT STUDIES AND YOUR COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLAN THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE REALLY BY YOUR STAFF, SOME THAT'S BEEN VOTED ON PRIOR COUNCILS HAS BEEN PRIORITIZED IN THAT WAY. WE TOOK ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS AND PRESENTED THEM TO THE COMMITTEE. 
          NOW SOME OF THOSE WE PEELED OFF BECAUSE THEY COULD BE FUNDED OTHER WAYS. A LOT OF PROJECTS IN YOUR IN YOUR WATER UTILITY, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN BE FUNDED THROUGH USER FEES, JUST AS ONE EXAMPLE. 
          AND THEN THAT LEFT US STILL A PRETTY BIG GROUP OF 4 TO $500 MILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS TO CONSIDER. THEN WE ASKED YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS TO COME MAKE PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED AS TOP PRIORITIES. SO IN EACH OF THOSE CASES, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT HEADS CAME TO SPEAK TO THE POLICE STATION. YOU'RE AT YOUR FACILITIES HAD SPOKE TO BOTH THE ANIMAL CONTROL AND TO THE POLICE STATION. IN ADDITION, THE CHIEF AND THE ASSISTANT CHIEF SPOKE TO THE POLICE STATION. OUT OF THAT, WE DEVELOPED SOME CONSENSUS AROUND THE COMMITTEE ABOUT KINDS OF WORDING OR KINDS OF ISSUES THAT THEY WANTED TO EXPLORE, WHICH THEY WERE READY TO MOVE FORWARD ON. AND ANIMAL CONTROL, FRANKLY, PRETTY QUICKLY AFTER THOSE PRESENTATIONS, ANIMAL CONTROL MOVED INTO THE YES CATEGORY AND THE POLICE STATION STAYED IN THE MAYBE CATEGORY WITH, I THINK, LOTS OF RECOGNITION THAT THERE WERE PROBLEMS THERE, BUT NOT CONSENSUS ON WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE OR HOW QUICKLY THAT BROUGHT UP THIS DISCUSSION OF FACILITIES ASSESSMENT THAT I THINK YOUR DEPARTMENT HAD HAD BEEN INTERESTED IN FOR QUITE SOME TIME, THAT MAYBE YOUR CITY ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDED THAT WE'VE SEEN BE SUCCESSFUL ELSEWHERE. SO, FRANKLY, WE RECOMMENDED THAT MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE THROWN INTO THE MIX TO HELP GET A HANDLE ON POTENTIAL BUDGET. ONE OF THE ISSUES WITH THE POLICE STATION WAS THAT EARLY ON THE TALK WAS THAT MAYBE $50 MILLION WOULD COVER THE NEEDS THERE, BUT NOBODY HAD FIRM NUMBERS THAT CAME FROM A CONSULTANT AND ONE CONSULTANT INFORMALLY AT THE NEXT MEETING THAT GREW TO 70 OR 80, THEN TO MAYBE THAT WOULD BE 100 TO 110 TO REALLY GET TO WHAT THE POLICE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS OVER THE LONG TERM. AND I THINK YOU HAD SOME COMMITTEE MEMBERS SAY, WELL, WITHOUT THOSE NUMBERS BEING NAILED DOWN, WE AGREE THAT THAT THE POLICE STATION IS OUTDATED AND NEEDS IMPROVEMENTS, BUT MAYBE WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE AND THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CRIME VICTIM ROOMS, POLICE OFFICER SIZING OVER THE NEXT FIVE, TEN, 15 YEARS WHERE IT'S GOING TO BE LOCATIONS, REAL ESTATE PRICING BEFORE PUTTING THAT ON TO VOTERS. NOW THE ALTERNATIVE IS, WELL, YOU JUST SET A NUMBER AND BUILD TO THAT NUMBER, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT THOSE GOOD NUMBERS. BUT MOST OF THE OTHER ITEMS IN THE PACKAGE HAD TIGHTER NUMBERS THEN, BECAUSE THE COMMITTEE REALLY STRUGGLED WITH THIS ISSUE, THEY ASKED US TO PUT THAT ON THE OPEN HOUSE QUESTIONS AND REALLY JUST STATE, FRANKLY TO PEOPLE THAT, HEY, THE COMMITTEE IS STILL STRUGGLING WITH THIS ISSUE, DOESN'T HAVE A FINAL RECOMMENDATION. WHERE DO YOU COME IN ON IT? WE TRIED TO GIVE QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT, AS WELL AS SOME PHOTOGRAPHS ABOUT THE CONDITIONS OF THE CURRENT POLICE STATION, THE FACT THAT IT WAS BUILT WHEN THE DEPARTMENT WAS MUCH SMALLER, AND SO THAT THERE'S A SERIOUS 
          [01:05:01]
PROBLEM WITH OFFICE SPACE, SOME PROBLEMS WITH SUPPLIES AND RECORD STORAGE. AND THEN PUT THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE PUBLIC. I HOPE THAT GETS TO YOUR QUESTION. BUT I MEAN, LOGISTICALLY, A STUDY TO EVALUATE ALL CITY BUILDINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN A USEFUL TOOL PRIOR TO YOUR FACILITATION STUDY, I GUESS. I MEAN, I JUST FEELS LIKE WE'RE BACKWARDS WITH IT, LIKE, PARDON ME, THE, THE, THE FACILITATION STUDY AND THE MAYBE, MAYBE BEFORE THE CONVENING OF THE COMMITTEE, I GUESS. WELL, I THINK YOU SHOULD YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT, I THINK AS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY. YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU, YOU HAVE A LOT OF REALLY STRONG NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS IN SOME CASES, IN SOME CASES BY OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS ON MANY OF THESE ISSUES. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THEM YET ON THE POLICE STATION. YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS DONE SOME GOOD WORK TALKING TO CONSULTANTS TO GET AN IDEA. AND I'M NOT I MEAN, IT SAID ALL CITY FACILITIES. I MEAN, I'M NOT SPECIFIC TO THE POLICE STATION ON THAT. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT WAS LISTED IN THERE, BUT IT SAID A STUDY FOR ALL CITY FACILITIES. YES, SIR. I THINK THAT WAS THAT'S THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COMMITTEE AND I MY APOLOGIES. I FEEL LIKE I'M BEING DENSE, BUT I'M, I'M NOT QUITE FOLLOWING YOUR QUESTION, IS IT, WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN USEFUL BEFOREHAND? WELL, SURE I THINK SURE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN USEFUL. CERTAINLY NOT NECESSARY. I THINK WE, WE SEE THAT DONE ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF WAYS IN DIFFERENT CITIES. I THINK AS YOU BEGIN TO PLAN LONG TERM, YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT YOU KNOW YOU NEED. 
          SOME PROJECTS ARE WELL PENCILED, OTHERS AREN'T. AND SO THE IDEA HERE IS, HEY, WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES. WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW THE COST OF. WE HAVE OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE DON'T KNOW THE COST OF. AND BEFORE WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEM, NOT JUST COST, BUT AS YOU I THINK MENTIONED, NEED, YOU KNOW, LET LET'S LET'S GET A FULLER ASSESSMENT DONE. AND SO I GUESS IN THAT SENSE YOU COULD SAY YOU COULD WAIT ON THE ANIMAL CARE FACILITY OR A FIRE STATION NUMBER FOUR. BUT I THINK THE COMMITTEE FELT LIKE THEY HAD ENOUGH INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE TWO PROJECTS TO FEEL COMFORTABLE MOVING FORWARD. I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. THANK YOU. AND WE'VE GOT ANOTHER QUESTION. I KNOW, BUT I WANTED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT AUGUST 5TH, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING AT 130 BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST TUESDAY, BUT WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING AUGUST 12TH, WHICH IS THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY, WHICH WOULD NORMALLY HAPPEN FOR THIS TO REVIEW THE BOND ADVISORY AND MAKE A MAKE A RECOMMENDATION OR PASS A RESOLUTION AT THAT POINT. SO JUST TO BE JUST TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT COUNCIL MEMBER DO YOU. YEAH. JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. I WANT TO JUST BE SPECIFIC FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE WATCHING. SO THE ONLY THING THAT'S GOING TO BE ON THE BALLOT ARE THE FOUR PROPOSITIONS, NOT EACH INDIVIDUAL PROJECT. THAT'S CORRECT. COUNCIL MEMBER. NOW TO GO BACK TO MR. CRENSHAW'S COMMENTS, YOU COULD CHOOSE TO CHANGE THAT OR FOR IT TO ONLY BE THREE PROPOSITIONS. BUT HOWEVER MANY PROPOSITIONS YOU CHOOSE, THAT'S WHAT WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. AND WE WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND AGAINST PUTTING EVERY INDIVIDUAL ITEM ON THE BALLOT. AND I THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT, BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN THAT BE SUCCESSFUL IN OTHER CITIES. IT CONFUSES PEOPLE, IT CREATES KIND OF AN INFORMATION CRISIS AS PEOPLE TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHICH PROPOSITIONS, WHICH SOME PROPOSITIONS ARE INTERRELATED. SO I THINK YOU 3 OR 4 PROPOSITIONS, WHATEVER IT IS, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WILL BE VOTING FOR. SO THEY'LL HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER AS A WHOLE, THEY CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THOSE PROPOSITIONS, AND THEY'LL BE LISTED LIKE THEY WERE IN YOUR PRESENTATION, LIKE IT'LL BE PARKS AND TRAILS. COUNCILMAN, BEFORE YOU ASK YOUR NEXT QUESTION. SO THE BOND ADVISORY COMMITTEE GAVE A RECOMMENDATION SIMILAR TO THE CHARTER COMMITTEE ON THE AUGUST 12TH MEETING. COUNCIL WILL DECIDE HOW THOSE ITEMS ARE LISTED AND CATEGORIZED AND HOW YOU WOULD LIKE THEM PACKAGED ON THE BALLOT. SO THAT'S NOT REALLY FOR THE COMMITTEE TO THEY PROVIDED THEIR RECOMMENDATION. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THEY LOOK LIKE AND HOW THEY BE PRESENTED ON THE BALLOT. BUT ULTIMATELY, COUNCIL MAKES THE FINAL DECISION ON HOW THE ITEMS ARE PRESENTED AND PACKAGED ON THE BALLOT UP INTO AN INCLUDING LANGUAGE FOR THE BALLOT. SO THAT'S NOT REALLY FOR THE COMMITTEE TO DO. THAT'S JUST THEIR RECOMMENDATION. AND I'M JUST GOING TO REFERENCE THE CHARTER, SINCE THAT'S THE LAST KIND OF ELECTION THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, WHERE THE COUNCIL HAD TO KIND OF DECIDE ON BALLOT LANGUAGE AND PROPOSITION. SO YOU CAN DECIDE TO, AS COUNCILMAN CRENSHAW SAID, KIND OF MERGE SOME OF THOSE ITEMS OR REFIGURE THE LANGUAGE. BUT IT'S ULTIMATELY YOUR DECISION ON HOW A BOND ITEM IS PACKAGED. OKAY. AND ONE OTHER QUESTION, KIND OF 
          [01:10:06]
REFERRING TO WHAT COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS WAS STATING. OUR FACILITIES MAINTENANCE FACILITIES MANAGER WAS HIS DEPARTMENT ABLE TO HELP AS FAR AS DECIDING WHAT FACILITIES WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT REPAIRING OR WHAT WAS MOST MOST NEEDED REPAIRING. YES, SIR. HE DID SOME GREAT WORK IN GIVING US INFORMATION TO USE, AND ALSO PRESENTED DIRECTLY TO THE COMMITTEE WITH INFORMATION, BUDGETS, PHOTOGRAPHS OF DIFFERENT FACILITIES. AND I BELIEVE I KNOW HE'S IN THE AUDIENCE AND I HATE TO SPEAK FOR HIM SO HE CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK THE CITY HAD ALSO IDENTIFIED SOME PRELIMINARY PRIORITIES. SO HE GAVE THEM AN OVERVIEW OF ALL THE FACILITIES AND POTENTIAL NEEDS, AND ALSO OF WHAT MIGHT BE SOME PRIORITIES AND THE, THE COMMITTEE TOOK IT FROM THERE. I'LL JUST WRAP UP JUST TO SPEAK. SO HE'S NOT SPEAKING FOR ME. SO YES, WE HAVE MADE THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND I'M EVEN SPEAKING ON THE FACILITIES CONDITION ASSESSMENT FACILITIES MASTER PLAN. YES. IT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE HAVE, YOU KNOW, BEEN CREATED BEFOREHAND, BUT IT WASN'T. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A FACILITY MASTER PLAN, FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT TOOL IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR FACILITIES ARE, WHAT OUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT ARE GOING IN THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED ANIMAL SHELTER. WE BUILD NEW ANIMAL SHELTER. WHAT ABOUT THE OLD BUILDING? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THAT? YOU KNOW, SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT GET ASSESSED DOING FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT. WE BUILD A NEW FACILITY. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE OLD ONE? YOU KNOW, ARE WE GOING TO SELL IT? IS IT GOING TO BECOME ANOTHER FACILITY? ARE WE GOING TO USE IT FOR ANOTHER PURPOSE. SO DO A CONDITION ASSESSMENT. WE GET INFORMATION ON WHAT THESE FACILITIES CAN BE USED FOR. IS IT GOING TO BECOME A MUSEUM OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO IT'S DEFINITELY A NECESSARY TOOL. AND ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE MADE TO GAP WAS SOMETHING THAT WE CAME UP WITH. OBVIOUSLY, SOME OF THESE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN IN THE CIP FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, LIKE THE ANIMAL SHELTER POLICE HEADQUARTERS IS FUTURE YEARS OUT. SO THESE FACILITIES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED PREVIOUSLY ALREADY FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR BUILDING IN THE FUTURE. SO FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT WILL JUST ASSIST IN TRYING TO UNDERSTAND OUR BUILDINGS AND REALLY PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE. AND THEN SOME OF THE SOME OF THE PRESENT NEEDS. OKAY. THANK YOU. 
          AND I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. THIS MIGHT BE FOR YOU. CITY ATTORNEY, AFTER THE AFTER AUGUST THE 18TH, CAN ANYTHING BE CHANGED? NO. OKAY. SO THAT IS A SOLID FIRM DEADLINE TO GET THINGS ON THE BALLOT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THAT'S THE LAST DAY, WHICH IS WHY WE OPTED TO DO AUGUST 12TH. SO THERE WAS SOME SOME MODIFICATIONS. WE HAD THAT CUSHION. THAT IS THE LAST DAY. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. COUNCILMEMBER, IF I COULD, JUST TO GO BACK TO YOUR QUESTION THAT MISS REED ANSWERED SO WELL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FINAL BALLOT LANGUAGE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE CITY, I THINK, DOES PLAN TO PUT OUT ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION, THAT IN TALKING TO YOUR CITY STAFF, THAT IF YOU GO FORWARD. THERE WILL BE THERE COULD BE IF YOU CHOOSE TO PUT OUT LOTS OF INFORMATION, NOT TRYING TO SWAY THE PUBLIC, BUT JUST TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE AND WHAT IT MEANS. IF THEY VOTE YES OR NO, WHAT THE TAX RATE MIGHT BE. ALONG THE WAY. AND I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, THE I THINK IT WAS ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT I JUMPED OVER IT QUICKLY. YOU HAD A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THAT 10 TO $15 RANGE OF TAX IMPACT ON THE AVERAGE PRICED PROPERTY IN BEAUMONT, WHICH IS ABOUT $150,000. SO THE CAVEAT IS, IF YOUR OWN PERSONAL PROPERTY IS LESS, YOU WOULD PAY LESS. IF IT'S MORE, YOU WOULD PAY MORE. BUSINESSES PAY IT AS WELL AS HOMEOWNERS. AND THE COMMITTEE'S WORK COMES IN AT JUST OVER $11, $11 AND 20 SOMETHING CENTS, ROUGHLY, ACCORDING TO YOUR OUTSIDE FINANCIAL ADVISOR. SO KIND OF ON THE LOW END OF THAT TARGET RANGE THAT VOTERS SAID THEY FELT COMFORTABLE WITH. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I'VE GOT COUNCIL MEMBER HILLIARD NEXT. YEAH. WELL, FIRST OFF I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE STAFF AND THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT TOOK PART IN DOING THIS. GIVEN THEIR TIME. A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE JOBS AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS GOING ON. SO I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO, TO GIVE THEM KUDOS FOR, FOR TAKING THE TIME AND SPEAKING FOR, I BELIEVE THE PEOPLE OF BEAUMONT WERE WELL REPRESENTED. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE ON HERE IS THE $550,000 FOR BUILDING ASSESSMENT. WE HAVE A GREAT GROUP, KENNETH AND HIS GROUP AND FACILITIES. THEY KNOW OUR BUILDINGS. THEY KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS WHY NOT RELY ON ON OUR STAFF. AND WE HAVE A GREAT STAFF. AND IN DOING THE TYPE OF FACILITY ASSESSMENT AND TO SPEAK ON THE ANIMAL CENTER, IF YOU'VE NEVER TAKEN A TOUR OF IT, I WOULD YOU WOULD REALIZE 
          [01:15:01]
HOW BADLY THAT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED. AND, AND THE CONDITION THAT THAT THEY'RE THEY'RE MAKING WORK. AND SO I JUST NOT REALLY ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT I AND I BELIEVE I SPEAK FOR THE COUNCIL THAT THAT WE THANK THESE MEN AND WOMEN FOR TAKING THE TIME AND REPRESENTING BEAUMONT AND LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR FUTURE. SO THEY REALLY WERE GREAT TO WORK WITH. COUNCILMEMBER. THEY DID THEIR HOMEWORK. THEY CAME PREPARED. THEY WORKED HARD. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEM. AND I'LL JUST OFFER I KNOW IT WASN'T A QUESTION. I WILL SAY JUST JUST OUR EXPERIENCE AND YOU, YOU CAN DO IT ANY WAY YOU WISH. AND YOU KNOW, YOUR LOCAL OR NOT. BUT THOSE FACILITIES ASSESSMENTS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH IN OTHER CITIES HAVE HAVE BEEN WORTH WHAT YOU PAY FOR THEM. YOU YOU MIGHT GET THAT CHEAPER. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY WHEN YOU SAY, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO DO A STUDY, ANOTHER STUDY FOR A LOT OF MONEY. BUT REALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS I THINK YOU HAVE DOZENS AND DOZENS OF CITY PROPERTIES. SO TRYING TO ASSESS THOSE DIFFERENT PROPERTIES AND NOT JUST LOOK AT HOW THEY MEET, HOW THEY ARE USED NOW, BUT HOW THEY CAN BE USED IN THE FUTURE AND THEN PUT HARD COSTS TO WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN AND WHAT THE SAVINGS MIGHT MEAN. SO YOU'RE BRINGING IN, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION EXPERTS, MAYBE ARCHITECTS, WHO GIVE YOU SOME KINDS OF SKETCHES. ALL I WANT TO POINT OUT, BECAUSE THIS CAME UP IN THE COMMITTEE, SO I WANT TO TRY AND REPRESENT THEIR WORK. IS THAT. THAT SOUNDS AT FIRST GLANCE TO, TO SOME FOLKS IS LIKE KIND OF A CRAZY NUMBER, BUT IT GETS SPREAD OUT ACROSS MANY, MANY DIFFERENT BUILDINGS AND IT HAS OFTEN SAVED CITIES MONEY. OKAY, I JUST KNOW THAT KENNETH AND HIS STAFF ARE THE ONES THAT ARE KEEPING ALL THESE BUILDINGS GOING. THEY DO A GREAT JOB. THEY DO A PHENOMENAL JOB WITH WHAT THEY HAVE TO WORK WITH AND THEY KNOW WHAT WE NEED. AND SO THAT WOULD BE MY JUST IT'S JUST MY THOUGHT BECAUSE I HAD A CHANCE TO MEET WITH HIM AND SEE THE AMAZING WORK THAT THEY DO AND, AND WHAT THEY DO TO KEEP THESE BUILDINGS GOING. AND SO. YES, SIR. AND COUNCILMAN MEMBER TURNER, YOU HAD ONE MORE THING. YEAH, JUST, MADAM ATTORNEY, CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC ONCE IT'S ON THE BALLOT, HOW COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF ADVOCATE. WE'RE KIND OF IN THAT LANE OF ONLY WE CAN EXPLAIN. LEFT TO. SO STATE LAW PROHIBITS THE USE OF CITY RESOURCES FROM ADVOCATING FOR OR AGAINST A PROPOSITION ON THE BALLOT. SO STAFF AND ANY EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY, AND I WOULD CAUTION ELECTED OFFICIALS AS WELL, NOT TO ADVOCATE AS AS BEEN MENTIONED, MR. BARTON SAID. YOU CAN EDUCATE, AND THERE'S A VERY THIN LINE BETWEEN PROVIDING EXPLANATION AND ADVOCATION, BUT IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR ANYONE CONNECTED TO THE CITY TO USE CITY RESOURCES TO ADVOCATE FOR A PROPOSITION. CAN I, COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW? AND THAT MEANS USING CITY RESOURCES TO ADVOCATE. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY CAN GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE OFF CITY PROPERTY, WITHOUT CITY RESOURCES SAYING WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT CERTAIN BOND PROPOSALS. CORRECT. WHO ARE YOU REFERRING TO, EXACTLY? COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO COUNCIL IS FREE TO DO AS THEY PLEASE. 
          OBVIOUSLY. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. AND COUNCIL MEMBER I LISTEN YOUR ATTORNEY IS THE EXPERT HERE BUT JUST I HAVE SEEN COUNCIL MEMBERS SOMETIMES WHEN THEY PHRASE IT ARTFULLY TO SAY, WELL, THE REASON I VOTED TO PUT THIS ON THE BOND PACKAGE WAS BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. AND THAT THAT HELPS EXPLAIN YOUR POSITION WITHOUT NECESSARILY ADVOCATING A VOTE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. I THINK COUNCIL, I HAVE SEEN COUNCIL IS FREE TO DO THAT, BUT IT GETS THIS GRAY LINE. AS MR. REED HAS SAID, WITH PENALTY IS PERSONAL. SO COUNCIL IS ALWAYS FREE TO USE THEIR BEST JUDGMENT TO DO WHAT THEY FEEL IS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST. SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, CONSIDERED TO BE CITY RESOURCES. 
          YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN UP FOR DEBATE AND DISCUSSION. SO. A RESOURCE, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST GENERAL STAFF ASSURES A CITY RESOURCE JUST BECAUSE WE'RE AVAILABLE TO HAVE DIFFERENT INFORMATION. MOLLY'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WHEN SHE'S OUT IN PUBLIC. MR. WILLIAMS WILL ALWAYS BE THE CITY ATTORNEY CITY MANAGER. SO WE HAVE INFORMATION THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES NOT. ONE WOULD ARGUE THAT COUNCIL ALSO SHARES THAT SAME PRIVILEGE AND THAT THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOES NOT. BUT IT'S OPEN FOR INTERPRETATION. SO AND I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT WE'RE A SELF-GOVERNING BODY, SO WE WILL 
          [01:20:06]
BE GOVERNING OURSELVES ACCORDINGLY. AND OR I GUESS WE'LL CHECK EACH OTHER. ALL RIGHT. YES. I JUST ADD I'D LIKE TO ADD JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACILITIES ASSESSMENT. YOU KNOW, WE STARTED THIS PROCESS. I THINK THE NUMBER WAS 1.35 BILLION. AND SO THAT INCLUDED A LOT OF OTHER CITY FACILITIES. IT WASN'T JUST THE ONE THAT'S THIS 210 MILLION WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 1.35 BILLION. SO THAT'S TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL CITY FACILITIES. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE STARTED OUT OUR NEW CITY HALL WAS ON THAT PROPOSITION, YOU KNOW, AND ALL THESE OTHER LIBRARIES. SO IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT ALL OF OUR FACILITIES AND FIGURE OUT THE BEST USE FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, IF YOU BUILD A NEW POLICE STATION, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OLD BUILDING? WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THAT. WE COULD USE THAT FOR SOMETHING ELSE WE COULD USE FOR CITY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. WHO KNOWS? BUT IT GIVES YOU A GOOD SNAPSHOT OF EVERYTHING, AND IT PLANS WELL INTO THE FUTURE BECAUSE YOU CAN BUILD A NEW BUILDING. AND THEN TWO YEARS IT'S FULL AGAIN. SO YOU WANT TO PLAN FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO LAST FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS. AND THAT ASSESSMENT GIVES YOU A BIG PICTURE. LOOK DOWN THE ROAD. LOOK AT THAT. YOU KNOW, CAN THEY DO GREAT WORK. 
          BUT THEY'VE GOT TO KNOW WHAT TO DO SOMETIMES AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO. BUT SO THAT GIVES A GOOD LOOK AT A BIG PICTURE OF THE CITY AND ALL THE FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE PARKS AND ETCETERA. THANK YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER. MR. BARTON, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS BUFFINGTON. Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB. AND DID YOU HAVE. WELL, MAYOR, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, AS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LONG RANGE SOMETHING I REGRET THAT I SHOULD HAVE EMPHASIZED EARLIER IS THAT THESE NUMBERS DO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT INFLATION. SO AS YOU GET ASKED QUESTIONS BY YOUR CONSTITUENTS, THAT'S SOMETHING WE OFTEN HEAR YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS FIGURED INFLATION. WE ADDED SOME EXTRA MONEY IN THERE FOR INFLATION AND FOR CONTINGENCY. SO I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME WORK DONE BY YOUR STAFF, BY US, BY YOUR COMMITTEE, TO TRY AND LOOK FORWARD INTO COST, NOT JUST WHAT THEY ARE TODAY, BUT WHAT THEY MIGHT BE IN YEAR TWO OR YEAR THREE AS THESE PROJECTS GET BUILT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. VERY THOROUGH. APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. YES, SIR. AND NOW WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY TEXDOT. AND WE HAVE MR. MARTIN GONZALEZ WHO IS THE DISTRICT ENGINEER FOR TEXDOT, WHICH IS OVER THIS ENTIRE AREA. AND I SEE YOU BROUGHT A GOOD BIT OF THE STAFF WITH YOU TOO. SO APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. APPRECIATE THE UPDATE. THANK YOU MAYOR. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO FOLLOW THAT. ALL THOSE GRAPHS AND CHARTS, I DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT. SO BUT AS YOU CAN SEE FROM OUR BRIGHT COLORED SHIRTS, I BROUGHT MY WHOLE ENTOURAGE WITH ME HERE. SO I DON'T TRAVEL LIGHT WHENEVER I TRAVEL. I'M JUST KIDDING. BUT IT'S A LOT OF MY STAFF, MY KEY STAFF MEMBERS THAT WANTED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME AND INTRODUCE MYSELF. SINCE THERE'S A LOT OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHO TO CONTACT ON, ON SOME OF OUR PARTICULAR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY. SO I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO THIS EVENING TO, TO SHOW SOME OF THE INFORMATION OF WHAT TEXDOT BEAUMONT DISTRICT IS AND. OH, NOT YET. SORRY. YEAH, YEAH. NO. THAT'S OKAY. I'M SORRY I USED MY HAND. I KNOW HE WAS SIGNALING. I'LL JUST SAY NEXT SLIDE. BUT BUT YES, I AS YOU MENTIONED, MAYOR, I'M MARTIN GONZALEZ. I, I HAVE THE HONOR OF SERVING AS THE DISTRICT ENGINEER FOR THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. I'VE BEEN WITH TXDOT FOR 24 YEARS, AND I'VE HAD THE HONOR OF BEING HERE IN, IN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO I'VE SERVED IN A FEW CAPACITIES AS THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE, THEN DEPUTY DISTRICT ENGINEER, AND THEN I WAS SELECTED TO BE THE DISTRICT ENGINEER. THE ROLE THAT I'VE HAD NOW FOR ABOUT GOING ON FOUR YEARS. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. LIKE WITH ANY PRESENTATION THAT WE DO HERE AT TXDOT, WE THINK SAFETY IS VERY IMPORTANT. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SEE THE SAFETY SHIRTS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROMOTE SAFETY EVERYWHERE WE GO. WHILE TEX-DOT IS SHIFTING OUR FOCUS AS FAR AS OUR CAMPAIGNS, WE YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN SOME OF OUR DRIVE LIKE A TEXANS CAMPAIGN. I STILL WANTED TO HAVE THIS SLIDE UP TO HELP US END THE STREAK BECAUSE SINCE NOVEMBER 7TH, 2000, IT WAS THE LAST DEATHLESS DAY ON TEXAS HIGHWAYS. SO ON AVERAGE, WE HAVE ABOUT TEN FATALITIES A DAY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. IT'S A BIG STATE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT BUT WE HAVE YET TO HAVE A SINGLE DAY WITHOUT A FATALITY ON OUR ROADWAY. SO WE NEED EVERYBODY TO HELP US WITH THAT. THERE'S THE 
          [01:25:05]
FOUR TOP CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT WE HAVE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE DRIVING, DISTRACTED. THEY'RE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE. THEY'RE NOT WEARING A SEATBELT AND THEY'RE SPEEDING. SO WE NEED EVERYBODY'S HELP TO EDUCATE FOLKS TO CONTINUE SENDING THE MESSAGE SO THAT WE CAN HOPEFULLY GET TO, TO HOPEFULLY A DEATHLESS DAY ON OUR HIGHWAYS AND THEN ALSO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF FATALITIES THAT WE HAVE ON OUR SYSTEM. SO THANK YOU. NEXT SLIDE OKAY. SO OUR MISSION AT TXDOT IS CONNECTING YOU WITH TEXAS. THERE'S YOU KNOW THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH HERE IN THE STATE ARE TREMENDOUS. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE TO THE STATE. THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH STATEWIDE AND NOT ONLY STATEWIDE, BUT HERE WE ARE. WE'RE BLESSED TO HAVE SO MUCH GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, JUST NOT JUST HERE IN THE BEAUMONT AREA, BUT WE'RE SEEING THAT IN THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT MAKE UP THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT, OUR VALUES PEOPLE, THE DEPARTMENT'S MOST IMPORTANT CUSTOMER ASSET AND RESOURCE. YOU KNOW, WE RELY ON NOT ONLY OUR INTERACTIONS WITH THE PUBLIC, BUT ALSO OUR OWN STAFF. YOU KNOW, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE CAN'T DO THINGS WITHOUT THE PEOPLE, RIGHT? ACCOUNTABILITY. WE ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS AND PROMOTE OPEN COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY AT ALL TIMES. TRUST. WE STRIVE TO EARN AND MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE THROUGH RELIABLE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING AND HONESTY. WE CONDUCT OURSELVES WITH THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF INTEGRITY, RESPECT AND TRUTHFULNESS. THAT'S OUR VALUES. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. WE HAVE EIGHT COUNTIES AS I MENTIONED BEFORE. SO OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE JEFFERSON COUNTY CHAMBERS, LIBERTY, HARDIN, ORANGE, TYLER, JASPER AND NEWTON. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF STATISTICS FOR THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. YOU KNOW AGAIN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS WE HAVE 254 COUNTIES. RIGHT? A LOT OF RESIDENTS. WE HAVE AN ORGANIZATION OF OVER 13,000 EMPLOYEES AND EACH WE HAVE 25 DISTRICTS. AND THOSE 25 DISTRICTS RANGE IN SIZE ANYWHERE FROM SIX COUNTIES TO 14 COUNTIES, DEPENDING ON THE ON THE AMOUNT OF VEHICLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. LANE MILES. HERE OF INTEREST, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU THE LANE MILES THAT WE HAVE IN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. WE HAVE 6004 LANE MILES AND WE HAVE A POPULATION OF OVER 600,000 PEOPLE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. HERE IS A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. AS I MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, I AM I SERVE AS THE DISTRICT ENGINEER AND I WILL BE INTRODUCING SOME OF MY STAFF. WELL, ALL OF MY STAFF THAT'S HERE WITH ME HERE SHORTLY. BUT AS THE DISTRICT ENGINEER, I HAVE, MY DEPUTY DISTRICT ENGINEER, ANA MIJARES IS WITH ME NOW. SADLY, ANA IS GOING TO BE RETIRING AT THE END OF AUGUST AFTER 27 YEARS WITH TXDOT. 
          RIGHT? I GOT IT RIGHT 27 YEARS. SO, SO VERY SAD TO SEE HER GO. BUT BUT THEN ALSO WE HAVE SARAH DUPREE SERVES AS OUR MANAGEMENT ANALYST. AND SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW SARAH, SHE USED TO BE OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER AND NOW SERVES AS A MANAGEMENT ANALYST IN THAT ROLE, PRIMARILY HANDLING A LOT OF OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT WITH ALL OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. 
          OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER IS TANYA AVILA. SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE SHE'S IN TRAINING IN AUSTIN. SO BUT BUT SHE DOES A LOT OF GOOD WORK FOR US. OBVIOUSLY YOU GET TO SEE A LOT OF THE, THE, THE UPDATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT SHE DOES ON OUR PROJECTS. SO AS YOU GO DOWN, YOU CAN SEE OUR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. OUR DIRECTOR IS LISA COLLINS, AND SHE OVERSEES DESIGN, PLANNING AND THE BRIDGE AREA CONSTRUCTION. OUR DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION IS KENNETH WIEMERS. NOW I'LL GO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH HERE SHORTLY AS TO WHAT EACH OF THEM OVERSEE. OUR DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS IS FAR HONG KONG, AND OUR DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE IS KEITH HORNE. NOW DRILLING DOWN, OBVIOUSLY YOU SEE THAT WE HAVE THREE AREA ENGINEERS. I HAVE THREE AREA OFFICES IN THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. BUT OF INTEREST TO YOU ALL, OF COURSE, IS THE BEAUMONT AREA OFFICE, WHICH BEAUMONT AREA OFFICE? OUR AREA ENGINEER IS DAVE COLLINS, AND UNDER DAVE HE HAS FOUR MAINTENANCE SECTIONS. SO HE SERVES THREE COUNTIES, WHICH AGAIN I'LL SHARE MORE LATER. BUT HE HAS FOUR MAINTENANCE SECTIONS WOODVILLE, KOONTZ, PORT ARTHUR AND OF COURSE BEAUMONT MAINTENANCE, WHICH THAT IS FRED MILLER WHO IS SEATED BACK THERE AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ON EACH OF US. DISTRICT ENGINEER ME, MARTIN GONZALEZ I OVERSEE ALL DISTRICT FUNCTIONS. EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS DISTRICT, CONSTRUCTION, 
          [01:30:01]
MAINTENANCE, OPERATIONS, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, EVERYTHING FALLS UNDER ME. FOR THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT THAT MAKE UP OUR DISTRICT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE. SO IF YOU WOULD DON'T MIND STANDING. THANK YOU. SO MY DEPUTY DISTRICT ENGINEER ANA MIJARES, SHE OVERSEES ALL THE DISTRICT FUNCTIONS. IN THE ABSENCE OF ME NOT BEING IN THE IN THE CITY OR IN THE STATE, SHE MAKES SURE THAT ALL OF THE ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES ARE ARE TAKEN CARE OF. SHE HANDLES OUR SAFETY PROGRAM AND SHE JUST DOES REALLY A LOT OF GOOD STUFF. JUST DEFINITELY GOING TO MISS A LOT OF THE WORK THAT SHE DOES FOR US. SO THANK YOU ANA. NEXT. SO OUR DIRECTOR TPD LISA COLLINS. SO THIS IS JUST A SMALL PICTURE OF WHAT SHE DOES. SHE DOES ALL KINDS OF THINGS. LISA, IN HER ROLE AS DIRECTOR, TPD IS PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR HER AND HER STAFF. THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY PRODUCE THE PLANS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GO TO LEADING TO CONSTRUCTION. THEY THEY SHE OVERSEES ALL THE RIGHT OF WAY THE UTILITY RELOCATIONS, ALL THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO GOES THROUGH LISA AND HER OFFICE AND HER STAFF. SO LISA DOES A LOT OF THE HEAVY LIFTING FOR OUR DISTRICT. VERY PROUD OF LISA AND THE WORK THAT SHE HAS DONE IN THE A LITTLE BIT OVER TWO YEARS, RIGHT. TWO AND A HALF YEARS IN THIS ROLE. SHE'S DOING AN AMAZING JOB. SO THANK YOU LISA. NEXT, OUR DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS FARHAN KHAN. SO FARHAN IS OVER SIGNS STRIPING, ILLUMINATION SIGNALS, SAFETY PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IN THE AREA. WE HAVE WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE CIP, THE HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH THAT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO JUST IMPROVE ON OUR OUR SAFETY OF THE ROADWAYS. RIGHT. SO WHEN YOU SEE SOME OF THESE CHEVRONS THAT HAVE LEDS ON THEM, OR SOME OF THE STOP SIGNS THAT HAVE THE LED LIGHTS ON THEM, THINGS LIKE THAT, FARHAN AND HIS STAFF, THEY THEY LOOK AT THESE THINGS TO TRY TO HELP IMPROVE OUR SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT MAKE UP THE DISTRICT. THANK YOU FOR. OH, OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. SO, DIRECTOR CONSTRUCTION, KENNETH WIEMERS KENNETH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WITHIN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT. WHILE WE HAVE AREA ENGINEERS AND AREA ENGINEERS OVERSEE THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS, KENNETH OVERSEES THE. AS THEY START HAVING ANY KIND OF COMPLICATIONS, ANY ANY CHALLENGES WITH SOME OF THESE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AND WE HAVE SOME. WELL, WE KNOW WE NEVER HAVE ISSUES WITH CONTRACTORS, RIGHT? EVERYBODY HAS GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH CONTRACTORS. BUT IN THE EVENT THAT WE HAVE SOME SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT, KENNETH TAKES CARE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS, HELPS US WITH WITH MAKING SURE THAT HE'S INTERPRETING ALL THE OUR SPECIFICATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONTRACTS STAY WITHIN WHAT IS INTENDED. AS WE SET ON OUR ON OUR LETTINGS. SO KENNETH AND HIS STAFF ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ON TIME AND ON BUDGET METRICS, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR MATERIAL TESTING IS DONE ON ALL OF OUR PROJECTS AS WELL. SO THANK YOU, KENNETH, I WAS GOING TO SAY I ALREADY SAW FARHAN, SO WE'RE GOOD. SO DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE KEITH HORNE. SO KEITH, HE IS ONE OF OUR LONGEST TENURED EMPLOYEES, 33 YEARS, 30 4CI SHORTED HIM ONE. SO 33 YEARS WITH THE DEPARTMENT HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN MAINTENANCE. VERY VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT KEITH DOES FOR US AND OUR DISTRICT. ONE OF THE ROLES FOR KEITH IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PAVEMENT CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT MAKE UP THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT ARE IN GOOD CONDITION, WHICH I KNOW WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING THROUGH I-10 AND 69, IT DOES NOT FEEL LIKE IT IS. I SEE YOU, COUNCILMAN TURNER, BUT BUT THE THING IS, IS OBVIOUSLY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT'S I CAN'T CAN'T BLAME KEITH ON THAT ONE. BUT BUT WE ARE VERY PROUD OF OUR OVERALL PAVEMENT SCORES FOR THE FOR THE DISTRICT, FOR THE EIGHT COUNTIES THAT MAKE UP THE DISTRICT, WE ARE EVALUATED ON, ON OUR PERFORMANCE OVERALL. AND EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS WE'VE WE'VE HAD AN INCREASE IN OUR SCORES PROGRESSIVELY. SO KEITH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE MAINTENANCE SECTIONS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY STAY WITHIN THEIR BUDGETS, MAKING SURE THAT WE SPEND THE MONEY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE SPENT ON MAINTENANCE PROJECTS. AS WE GET SOME OF THESE REPORTS OF, YOU KNOW, POTHOLES OR SOME FAILURES THAT WE HAVE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS WITH OUR MAINTENANCE FORCES. KEITH COORDINATES ALL THAT WITH WITH OUR MAINTENANCE SECTIONS AND OUR SPECIAL JOBS CREW, AND HE MAKES SURE THAT WE HAVE THE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS AND TAKE CARE OF THEM. AND HE ALSO OVERSEES OUR 
          [01:35:06]
OUR EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS, AS WE SEE AND WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE THROUGH THROUGH SOME INCLEMENT WEATHER EVENTS, WE HAD, FOR EXAMPLE, LOST THE ROAD ON FM 787 RIGHT WHEN WE HAD THE TRINITY RIVER ROSE. SO KEITH WAS RESPONSIBLE AND INSTRUMENTAL ALONG WITH, WITH LISA, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A SET OF PLANS PUT TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN GET A CONTRACTOR OUT THERE AND PUT THAT BRIDGE BACK IN PLACE. SO THANK YOU, KEITH. SO UP NEXT I HAVE OUR BEAUMONT AREA ENGINEER, DAVE COLLINS. SO DAVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LIKE I MENTIONED, THREE COUNTIES TYLER, HARDIN AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES. AND DAVE OVERSEES ALL THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE MAINTENANCE IN THOSE THREE COUNTIES WITHIN WITHIN HIS PURVIEW. IF YOU NOTICE, DAVE HAS 26 ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AT ABOUT $1.4 BILLION, AND HE HAS 2226 LANE MILES WITHIN THE THREE COUNTIES THAT HE OVERSEES. SO DAVE IS VERY BUSY. I AM VERY AMAZED THAT DAVE DOES NOT HAVE MORE GRAY HAIRS BECAUSE HE'S ALWAYS ON THE PHONE. HE'S ALWAYS PUTTING OUT FIRES. SO BUT DAVE, HE IS YOUR LOCAL POINT OF CONTACT WITH OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THINGS LIKE THAT, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS IN GENERAL, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO DAVE AND HE'LL BE ABLE TO EITHER HELP YOU OR DIRECT YOU TO LIKE PUT YOU IN CONTACT WITH HIS STAFF. AND YOU CAN SEE HIS CELL PHONE NUMBER RIGHT THERE. 409 7907031. SO PLEASE HAVE THAT. 
          HE'S GOT HE'S GOT BUSINESS CARDS WITH HIM TOO. SO WE'LL MAKE SURE WE SHARE THAT WITH YOU NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OKAY. SO OUR MAINTENANCE SECTION AS I MENTIONED EARLIER WE HAVE NINE MAINTENANCE SECTIONS RIGHT. WE HAVE TWO TWO MAINTENANCE SECTIONS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
          THE BEAUMONT MAINTENANCE OFFICE IS FRED MILLER IS OUR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR. AND I AM GOING TO ALSO DIRECT YOU TO HIS NUMBER. 409201 1785 RIGHT. SO FRED AND HIS STAFF, THEY HAVE ALL THE LIKE IF WE HAVE ISSUES WITH POTHOLES, IF WE HAVE ISSUES WITH, WITH SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME PROBLEMS WITH OUR PAVEMENT WHERE IT'S A MAINTENANCE CONCERN RIGHT WITHIN OUR SYSTEM, ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE REACH OUT TO FRED OR DAVE AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MOBILIZE SOME FOLKS SO THAT WE CAN ASSESS WHAT THE WHAT THE SITUATION IS. AND IT'S LIKE I TELL ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, WE RELY A LOT ON ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC. YOU KNOW, I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES YOU ALL GET PHONE CALLS. AND I WISH THAT THE PEOPLE DIDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO CALL YOU ALL, BUT THEY CALL AND YOU'RE LIKE THIS TEXT THAT IT'S NOT OUR ROAD, YOU KNOW? SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DIRECT THEM TO US, GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS. 
          BUT FRED AND HIS STAFF ARE READY TO GO AND HELP WITH A LOT OF THESE MAINTENANCE ISSUES. AND THANK YOU FRED. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO NOW I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A FEW UPDATES ON SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR AREA. THE I-10, US 69 INTERCHANGE. SO THIS PROJECT IS WIDENING AS YOU SEE CARDINAL AND EASTEX, THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE PROJECTS. WE'RE WIDENING FROM FOUR LANES TO SIX LANES. WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A LOT OF FRONTAGE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME SIDEWALK ADDITIONS IN SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT. WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SOME CONNECTORS. THERE'S A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE BEING DONE FOR THIS PROJECT. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE OBVIOUSLY WITH WITH THE GROWTH THAT WE HAVE IN THIS AREA. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY GOOD PROJECT ONCE WE'RE COMPLETED. RIGHT. BUT BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH IN THIS AREA. SO THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT OF CHALLENGES LIKE WHAT WE REFER TO AS GROWING PAINS. RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THE CARDINAL DRIVE PROJECT, IT WAS A $311 MILLION PROJECT WHEN IT LED IS ESTIMATED TO COMPLETE IN 2030. AND THEN OUR EASTEX PROJECT WHICH IS THE NORTHERN PIECE ESSENTIALLY, IF YOU TAKE FROM THE HOLLYWOOD OVERPASS NORTH, THAT'S THE EASTEX PROJECT. SO THAT'S ABOUT $534 MILLION. AND IT'S ALSO ESTIMATED CURRENTLY TO COMPLETE IN 2030. THERE ARE SOME, SOME CHALLENGES THAT WE ARE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY FACING ON, ON BOTH OUR PROJECTS. BUT BUT WE ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO GET THOSE THINGS RESOLVED. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH Y'ALL, THE EAST TEXAS STATICS. AS YOU CAN SEE UP HERE, WE, WE WORKED WITH WITH THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. WE 
          [01:40:07]
PARTNERED WITH YOU ALL. BLESS YOU. WE PARTNERED WITH YOU ALL ON ON MAKING SURE THAT WE REACHED OUT. WE HAD DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT WE REACHED OUT TO WELL, TO THE CITY AND, AND THE CITY PUT TOGETHER A SURVEY TO GO OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND ALLOW THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SELECT WHICH OPTION THEY PREFERRED. SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT THE OPINION OF THE PUBLIC ON THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC WAS HEARD, THAT THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE HEARD ON ON SOME OF WHAT WHAT COMES ON THE RETAINING WALLS, WHAT WHAT THE BEAUTIFICATION WAS GOING TO BE. NOW, OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S THAT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT HAD NOT BEEN DONE IN, IN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT PRIOR TO ME BECOMING THE DISTRICT ENGINEER OR A PREVIOUS FOLKS WITHIN MY STAFF. BUT BUT THIS IS THE OPTION THAT THE PREFERRED OPTION THAT THE CITIZENS THAT VOTED SELECTED FOR THE EAST TEX LOCATION. SO WHEN WE ARE DONE WITH THIS PROJECT, YOU WILL SEE WHAT YOU SEE UP THERE ON OUR RETAINING WALLS. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND ALSO ALONG THOSE LINES TOO, WHILE WE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HONOR THE MEMORY OF, OF MAURY MEYERS. AND WHEN WE ARE DONE WITH THIS PROJECT, I-10 IS ACTUALLY GOING TO GO OVER WHAT IS EXTINCTION LIKE, WHAT LAUREL WAS AND ALL THAT. SO WE WANTED TO KEEP THE SAME TYPE OF ESTHETIC ELEMENTS. SO WE WILL HAVE A PLAQUE THAT, AS YOU SEE UP THERE THAT SAYS IN HONOR OF MAURY MEYERS, IT WILL HAVE SIMILAR ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES LIKE THE BRIDGE THAT WAS THERE BEFORE WE REMOVED IT. AND ALSO THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME SOME LUMINAIRES THAT ARE GOING TO BE SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS EXISTING BEFORE. BECAUSE AGAIN, WE UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HONOR THAT. SO NEXT SLIDE OKAY. 
          SO THE I-10 WIDENINGS FROM HAMPSHIRE ROAD TO 365, THAT WAS A PROJECT THAT WAS $108 MILLION AND IT'S ESTIMATED TO COMPLETE IN EARLY 2027. SO THAT ONE, LET ME MAKE SURE THAT I GOT MY INFORMATION RIGHT. WE ARE STILL CONTINUING TO DO THE CONCRETE PAVEMENT OPERATIONS AT HAMPSHIRE ROAD. WE ARE DOING CEMENT TREATED BASE AND CONCRETE PAVEMENT FOR THE EASTBOUND LANES WEST OF 365, REPLACING CONCRETE AT THE EASTBOUND FRONTAGE ROADS AROUND 365 AND WE ARE CONSTRUCTING THE TEMPORARY DETOUR PAVEMENT FROM JUST EAST OF 365, WE'RE FILLING THE EXISTING WESTBOUND ROADWAY, AND THE FM 365 BRIDGE IS SCHEDULED TO COME DOWN IN MARCH OF 2026. 
          FOR THE FM THREE, 65 TO WALDEN ROAD WAS $136 MILLION PROJECT. THAT THAT LED IN JULY OF 18. 
          WE'RE ESTIMATED TO COMPLETE THAT ONE IN EARLY 2026, AND ON THAT ONE, THE CONTRACTOR IS FINISHING A LOT OF THE DRESS UP WORK, STRIPING SIGNAGE AT THE ON RAMP AT SMITH ROAD AND THE CONTRACTOR. WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, THEY WILL HAVE FINISHED THE PHASE CONSTRUCTION AT KIGALI AND IS PLACING THE STONE RIPRAP AT THE CHANNEL'S CORNERS. THE CONTRACTORS ALSO FINISHING THE SOIL, NAIL WALLS AND RIPRAP. AND THE MAN CAMPS HAD THE CONTRACTOR HAS ON THE SCHEDULE TO SET BEAMS BY NEXT MONTH AT BOYD, AND THEY ARE ALSO PLACING A BOND BREAKER, INSTALLING CONCRETE PAVING STEEL AT THE WEST OF THE PROJECT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS RIGHT HERE IS OUR CONTACT INFORMATION. IF YOU SEE THERE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, THE TEX-DOT BEAUMONT DISTRICT, THAT THE 4989273 11 IS OUR OFFICE NUMBER. SO OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, TONYA AVILA, YOU CAN SEE HER INFORMATION RIGHT THERE, HER OFFICE NUMBER AND HER CELL PHONE NUMBER. AND THEN ALSO, AS YOU NOTICE THERE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WE HAVE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES. SO WE HAVE FACEBOOK. WE HAVE X INSTAGRAM AND NEXTDOOR. SO THAT IS WHERE WE DO A LOT OF OUR POSTING OF SOME SOME UPCOMING CLOSURES. WE NOTIFY FOLKS OF, OF SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING OUT THERE. WE ALSO SHARE A LOT OF THE SAFETY EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE DO IN THE AREA. SO, YOU KNOW, TONYA HAS BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY GETS THAT INFORMATION, AND SHE'S ALSO GOING TO BE WORKING WITH Y'ALL STAFF TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE COMMUNICATING WELL AHEAD OF TIME FOR, FOR FUTURE CITY PLANNED EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO 
          [01:45:01]
THAT WE CAN HELP COORDINATE SOME OF OUR OUR CLOSURES OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO HELP FOLKS NAVIGATE TO AND FROM THOSE EVENTS. SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND LASTLY, THIS RIGHT HERE. 
          ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO ANYBODY FROM THE AUDIENCE THAT WANTS TO GO AHEAD AND PUT YOUR GET YOUR PHONES OUT THERE. LOOK AT THAT QR CODE. THAT'S OUR CONTACT INFORMATION. SO ALL THE PHONE NUMBERS THAT I'VE SHARED WITH YOU BEFORE, THAT'S RIGHT THERE IN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AND THEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WHAT YOU SEE IS OUR DRIVE TEXAS.ORG SITE. THAT IS WHERE WE PUT ANY OF OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, ANY DELAYS. IF WE HAVE CRASHES AND WE HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN THE ROADS TEMPORARILY OR WHAT HAVE YOU DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER EVENTS, THOSE THAT IS UPDATED, THOSE ARE REAL TIME UPDATES THAT WE PROVIDE FOR THE PUBLIC SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE TRAVELING DECISIONS AS THEY BEFORE THEY LEAVE THEIR HOUSE. SO NEXT SLIDE OR I THINK IS THAT MY LAST SLIDE? OKAY. SO WITH THAT I WILL OPEN IT TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYBODY MAY HAVE OF ME AND ALSO OR MY STAFF. THAT'S THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT THEM, BECAUSE THEY'RE BETTER SUITED TO ANSWER SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. BUT ADDITIONALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THAT WE'RE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO, TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE MAYOR THE MAYOR KNOWS I TEXT HIM ALL THE TIME. WE TALK QUITE OFTEN. SO REALLY APPRECIATE THE RELATIONSHIP THAT THAT WE HAVE, THE COMMUNICATION I THINK IS OUTSTANDING. AND I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO, TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THAT SAME TYPE OF COMMUNICATION WITH MY STAFF SO THAT BECAUSE WE ARE HERE AND, AND WE'RE WE'RE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AS TO ANY OF OUR PROGRAMS OR HOW DO WE HOW DO WE ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES? MY STAFF IS FULLY PREPARED AND MYSELF TO COME AND VISIT WITH YOU ALL AND, AND JUST PROVIDE THE INFORMATION NECESSARY SO THAT WE CAN HELP EQUIP EVERYBODY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE PUBLIC MAY HAVE. SO WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO DO THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY. AND SO ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBERS. COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW. MR. GONZALEZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I I'M GLAD WE WENT TO LUNCH. AND KUDOS TO THE MAYOR FOR FACILITATING THAT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, BECAUSE I THINK WE WOULD BE HERE TILL MIDNIGHT IF I HAD MY GRIEVANCES TO AIR WITH YOU THAT I WAS ABLE TO DO THE OTHER DAY AT LUNCH. SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS, BECAUSE I'VE SAVED EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM FROM HAVING TO HEAR THAT. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT HALF OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT I GET DAILY SINCE I BECOME A COUNCIL MEMBER IN MAY ARE ABOUT TEX-DOT. 
          SO I APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE TODAY AND BEING HERE TODAY. WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO TANYA OR YOUR COMMUNICATIONS INDIVIDUAL, I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. OKAY. IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN HIGHER HIGHWAY PROJECTS WOULD START IN TEXAS, THERE'D BE A SIGN THAT WOULD SAY IT COST THIS MUCH. AND THE CONTRACTOR IS SO AND SO, BUT YOU DON'T SEE THOSE ANYMORE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THOSE SIGNS WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS OF WHO PEOPLE SHOULD CONTACT, WHEN THEY HAVE CONCERNS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THOSE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. JUST SOMETHING TO THROW OUT THERE. THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT AND QUESTION THAT I GET FROM CONSTITUENTS IS, WHY DO Y'ALL START SO MANY PROJECTS WITHOUT FINISHING THE ONES THAT ARE CURRENTLY GOING ON? SO WHY ARE WE STARTING ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTS IN BEAUMONT WHEN Y'ALL HAVEN'T FINISHED FM 365 AND WALDEN ROAD AND GOING OUT TO. HAMPSHIRE ROAD? YOU SAY THOSE ARE GOING TO BE DONE IN 2627. SO I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY ADD A YEAR OR TWO ON TO THAT ESTIMATE. WHY DO WE START ALL THESE PROJECTS AND TEAR UP ALL THE ROADS AND THEN EXTEND THIS OUT? SO I THINK THAT Y'ALL SHOULD DO A BETTER JOB OF PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION ON YOUR WEBSITES. WHY WE HAD TO TEAR DOWN MAURY MEYERS BRIDGE AND INCONVENIENCE PEOPLE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. ASSUMING THIS PROJECT IS ON TIME, AND WHY WE HAD TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW. AND WE COULDN'T HAVE WAITED TO HAVE DONE THAT WHEN WE WERE ACTUALLY READY TO EXPAND THE HIGHWAY. AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, I APPRECIATE THE CONCERN ON ESTHETICS. NO ONE THAT I'VE EVER TALKED TO ON TEX-DOT THAT HAS CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT YOU GUYS CARE ABOUT THE ESTHETICS. THEY WANT HIGHWAY PROJECTS TO BE DONE SOONER THAN 10 TO 15 YEARS. I DO KNOW THAT YOU'VE ONLY HAD THIS POSITION FOR FIVE YEARS, SO I DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU'VE MADE AND IMPLEMENTED A LOT OF POLICY CHANGES AND TRIED TO GET PROJECTS DONE, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT IT DURING LUNCH. THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN DONE FIVE YEARS AGO OUT ON CARDINAL DRIVE THAT ARE STILL GOING ON TODAY, AND IT'S 
          [01:50:02]
LIKE THAT PROJECT IS STILL GOING ON AND THAT CONTRACTOR STILL HASN'T COMPLETED IT. BUT WE'VE STARTED PROJECTS NOW HERE IN BEAUMONT AND TORN UP HALF THE ROADS IN OUR TOWN FOR A PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO TAKE FIVE YEARS. SO I THINK THAT YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT ON COMMUNICATION. AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE YOUR STAFF PUT MORE EFFORT TOWARDS ADDRESSING PEOPLE'S CONCERNS AND GIVING BETTER EXPLANATION TO THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE I CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER. AND, TINA, CAN WE PLEASE PUT UP THE PICTURE THAT I SENT YOU HERE? IS YESTERDAY A COMPLAINT THAT I GOT YESTERDAY FROM SOMEONE BEING VERY CONCERNED ABOUT Y'ALL TEARING UP THE ROAD AND LEAVING LARGE PIECES OF CONCRETE ALL OVER THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY THAT COULD BECOME PROJECTILES DURING A STORM. AND HERE WE ARE IN THE HEIGHT OF HURRICANE SEASON. OKAY, WITH ALL THIS GOING ON, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN EVACUATION ROUTE. WE HAVE CRAZY WEATHER GOING ON ALL OVER TEXAS AND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW, AND YOUR CONTRACTOR HAS GONE AND LEFT THE ENTIRE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY LITTERED WITH GIANT CONCRETE BOULDERS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR WEEKS. AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST THINGS THAT WHEN YOU START OFF YOUR PRESENTATION SAYING YOUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN IS SAFETY. IT LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED. AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM COMMITTED TO HELPING YOU GUYS WITH BETTER COMMUNICATION AND GETTING BETTER INFORMATION OUT THERE. THAT'S WHY THIS WEEK I DID THE ZIPPER MERGE ON MY SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP YOU GUYS EDUCATE EVERYONE ON ZIPPER MERGES, BUT YOUR DEPARTMENT REALLY HAS GOT TO DO A BETTER JOB IN BEAUMONT OF HELPING THIS COUNCIL AND HELPING THIS COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING AND WHY YOU'RE DOING IT. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE DARK AND IT'S VERY CONFUSING AND IT'S EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. SO. SO IF I MAY ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MADE. SO I'M GOING TO LET LISA MAYBE SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO WHY WE DO THE FUNDING. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SURE. IF YOU WANT TO TOUCH ON WHY WE LET SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THE WAY THAT WE DO, AND THEN I'LL SPEAK TO THE, THE DURATION AND, AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SHARING IN THE PICTURE. SO, LISA, IF YOU DON'T MIND SHARING WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO. ABSOLUTELY. SO I CAN UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION THAT YOU HAVE, COUNCILMAN CRENSHAW. AND A LOT OF TIMES IT SEEMS LIKE DECISIONS ARE MADE IN A VACUUM. 
          AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE. WHAT I WANT TO ASSURE YOU OF IS THAT WE HAVE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AT NEARLY EVERY PHASE OF EVERY PROJECT THAT WE DO. SOME OF IT IS DONE DIRECTLY BY THE DISTRICT AT OUR LEVEL. SOME OF IT IS DONE STATEWIDE. WHEN WE HAVE FUNDING PROGRAMS THAT COME THROUGH, SUCH AS OUR UTP AND OUR TIP AND STIP THAT ARE APPROVED ON A EVERY FOUR YEAR BASIS AND THEN REVISED AS WE GO. BUT FUNDING COMES WHEN IT COMES, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE FACT THAT YOU MUST STRIKE WHEN THE IRON IS HOT. IT EBBS AND FLOWS, FEDERAL FUNDING AND STATE FUNDING. AND SO WE HAVE PROJECTS ON THE BOOKS THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD GETTING FUNDING FOR DECADES. AND WHEN IT FINALLY DOES COME IN, WE HAVE TO ACT ON THAT OR WE RISK LOSING THAT FUND. SO WE DO THE PROJECTS AS WE CAN AFFORD TO DO THEM. WE HAVE A PLAN. THAT MASTER PLAN COMES OUT AND IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC REVIEW. EVERY TIME THAT WE HAVE A NEW PLAN TO PRESENT, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY MAKING CHANGES TO THE PROJECT PAGES THAT WE HAVE ON NEXTGOV. SO IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP FOR UPDATES, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE UPDATED INFORMATION. SOME OF THOSE ARE FOR ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND OTHERS ARE FOR ONES THAT ARE STILL PLANNED. OKAY, SO MY PICTURE IS UP NOW. WHY WOULD Y'ALL ALLOW YOUR CONTRACTOR TO LEAVE CONCRETE PROJECTILES ALL DOWN THE ROAD LIKE THAT FOR A STORM TO COME THROUGH AND START THROWING THOSE ALL OVER VEHICLES AND ALL OVER THE AREA AROUND THERE? WHY WOULD THAT NOT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE COLLECTED AND PUT IN A DUMP TRUCK AND HAULED OFF AT THE SAME TIME THAT IT'S BEING DESTROYED? I. EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT. THANK YOU LISA. SO I MEAN, DON'T YOU ALL AGREE THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD, DOES IT? IT DOES NOT. IT'S PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. SO AS YOU SEE HERE, IT'S THE BROKEN CONCRETE IS BETWEEN BARRIER. THERE'S NO TRAFFIC GOING IN THAT AREA. WELL I GET THAT. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP THAT FROM. SO YOU KNOW THERE'S NO CARS. THE YOU KNOW THE I DON'T BELIEVE THE THREE IN WITHIN THOSE BARRIERS. COUNCILMAN CRYSTAL. SO LET ME EXPLAIN THE JUST LET THEM KNOW WHY WE'RE DOING OKAY. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS IS GOING TO BE PHASE ONE. STEP THREE. THEY REMOVED THE THEY BROKE BACK THE CENTER BARRIER OKAY. THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT RIGHT NOW. IT'S ALSO GOING TO UPPER AO THAT. THAT CURB IS. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO BREAKING UP THE BARRIER FROM 11TH STREET GOING UP TO AROUND SEVENTH STREET IN 
          [01:55:02]
THAT CENTER AREA. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WHEN THAT CONCRETE IS REMOVED, TRAFFIC WILL BE MOVED INTO THAT AREA. SO I-10 WESTBOUND OR EASTBOUND, EXCUSE ME, LANES WILL BE MOVED INTO THAT AREA AND THEN WE'LL START REMOVING THE RETAINING WALL. WHY NOT HAVE YOUR CONTRACTOR PICK UP THE CONCRETE WHEN THEY TURN IT INTO THAT, THEY ARE WORKING ON IT. SO WE DO HAVE AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW. THERE IS A FRENCH DRAIN SYSTEM RIGHT THERE ON THE FARTHER END. I GUESS YOU GO DOWN TO THE SOUTH. WE ARE LOOKING AT THE REDESIGN OF THAT FRENCH DRAIN FOR THE HYDRAULICS OF THE ROADWAY. SO WE GOT WITH THE CONTRACTOR CONSULT THAT DID THE PLANS, AND WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TO GET IT FIXED. ONCE WE GET THAT DONE, THAT IS GOING TO BE REMOVED. RESTRIPED AND PHASE CONSTRUCTION OF PHASE ONE. STEP THREE. SO THE FRENCH DRAIN IS PREVENTING YOU FROM PICKING UP THOSE. SO IT'S PART OF THE STILL THE CONSTRUCTION. OKAY. SO WHY NOT HAVE YOUR CONTRACTOR WITH A DUMP TRUCK PICK UP THE CONCRETE AFTER IT CHOPS IT UP INTO THOSE PIECES. WE CAN GET THE CONTRACTOR TO DO THAT. THAT'S UP THERE PHASING. RIGHT NOW THEY ARE WORKING ON SOME OF THE FRONTAGE ROADS AROUND THAT OLD ACURA DEALERSHIP, AND SOME DRILL SHAFTS AND INSTALLING STILL INSTALLING THE DRAINAGE AROUND THE EASTBOUND FRONTAGE ROADS. WHEN IS THAT GOING TO BE PICKED UP? AND I'M ASKING THESE QUESTIONS SO I CAN LET THIS PERSON KNOW WHO SENT ME THIS PICTURE. RIGHT. SO IN LIKE A MONTH, TWO MONTHS. WELL, SO LIKE ANY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU CAN'T JUST PICK UP EVERYTHING AS SOON AS YOU AS SOON AS DEMOLISH ANYBODY THAT'S ENDURED ANY KIND OF CONSTRUCTION, EVEN WITHIN YOUR HOME. I'M, I'M FAIRLY CERTAIN THEY DON'T CLEAN EVERYTHING UP AS EVERY CONCLUSION OF EVERY DAY WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN THEY'RE DOING THEIR CONSTRUCTION, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE GOING TO STILL BREAK SOME MORE THINGS UP WHILE THEY'RE RESOLVING THAT, THAT I KNOW, BUT MY, MY, MY HOME CONSTRUCTION IS NOT OUT ON A HIGHWAY LIKE THIS WITH LARGE BOULDERS OF CONCRETE THAT CAN. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT ONCE THEY GET EVERYTHING LIKE LIKE BUDGETS ARE WHAT WE TALK ABOUT BUDGETS. 
          RIGHT. AND YOU MENTIONED WITH HURRICANE SEASON AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IF WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT, WE'RE HOPING THAT PEOPLE FIRST WOULD EVACUATE WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE STORM. AND PART OF OUR ROLES AT TXDOT IS ONCE, ONCE A STORM COMES THROUGH, WE'RE ABLE TO ASSESS THE DAMAGES, CLEAN EVERYTHING UP BEFORE WE ALLOW THE TRAFFIC TO COME, MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA. 
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
          AND CHRISTMAS I LET ME GET WITH YOU AFTER THAT I WANT TO GIVE YOU I DON'T WANT TO SAY EXACT DATE UNTIL I TALKED WITH THE CONTRACTOR. THE OVERALL PLAN IS TO MOVE OVER TO THE NEXT PHASE, LIKE DAVE SAID. LIKE DAVE MENTIONED IS ONCE THEY GET SOME OF THOSE ALIGNMENT ISSUES ADDRESSED, THEN THE PLAN IS TO MOVE THAT BARRIER OVER SO THAT WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT PHASE. AND THAT'S PART OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS. AND YOU TALKED ABOUT HURRICANE, TOO. YOU KNOW, IT IS OUR PLAN TO ALWAYS KEEP TWO LANES SOUTH, NOT 6 TO 9 AT ALL TIMES THROUGH CONSTRUCTION. AND I TEND ALSO TWO LANES GOING TO LOUISIANA. SO NO MATTER WHAT DURING THE CONSTRUCTION, WE ARE GOING TO KEEP THAT THROUGH HURRICANE SEASON. AND WHEN WE GET TOWARD THAT PHASE ONE, STEP THREE, IT WILL BE DONE AND WE CAN TALK LATER IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT EXACT DATES. YES, SIR. SO WHAT WHAT DAVE WILL DEFINITELY DO IS ADDRESS THIS WITH THE CONTRACTOR AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU A BETTER TIMELINE OF WHEN THIS. WE ANTICIPATE THAT. YES. CORRECT. 
          AND AGAIN, I WASN'T INTENDING OF THIS TO BE SOME GOTCHA MOMENT. I JUST WANT YOU TO SEE THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS THAT I GET DAILY ABOUT TEX-DOT THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER. AND JUST THERE'S JUST A LOT OF FRUSTRATED FOLKS OUT THERE. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU ALL AGAIN. THE WHOLE POINT IS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE TO FEEL THAT NECESSARY BURDEN. REFER THOSE QUESTIONS TO DAVE, TO FRED, TO OUR STAFF, SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE THINGS. AND I SHARE YOUR NAME AND PHONE NUMBERS ALL THE TIME. SO I'LL CONTINUE TO. AND WHEN I TALK TO THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS EARLIER TOO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WELCOME TO CALL ME ANYTIME. AND IF YOU HAVE ANYONE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, HAS QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME. MY FRIENDS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SAY, MR. COLLINS, YOU DO AN EXCELLENT JOB AT COMMUNICATION. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT. BUT OVERALL, I THINK YOUR DEPARTMENT HAS SIGNIFICANT ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. THANK YOU, THANK 
          [02:00:04]
YOU, THANK YOU. SO I WILL SAY ONE THING WITH REGARDS TO THE OVERALL COMMUNICATION, AS YOU MENTIONED, AND LISA SHARED THIS BEFORE, WE HAVE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR PROJECTS AND IN IN A LOT OF OUR PROJECTS, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING JUST OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS IS WE HAVE SECONDARY PUBLIC MEETINGS. WE GIVE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYBODY TO COME AND VISIT AND SEE WHAT PROJECTS WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING IN THE AREA. SO WE NOT ONLY INFORM THE PUBLIC AND INVITE EVERYBODY ELSE TO ATTEND, BUT WE ALSO UPDATE OUR PROJECT PAGES SO EVERYBODY KNOWS BECAUSE THE INFORMATION IS OUT THERE. OBVIOUSLY, IF SOME PEOPLE DO NOT ATTEND SOME OF THESE PUBLIC MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN YOU CAN BRING A HORSE TO WATER, RIGHT? BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE THEM DRINK. SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, WE'RE WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING WITH COMMUNICATION AND ACTUALLY GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND IN SOME CASES. SO IN, IN IN TANYA'S DEFENSE, I WILL SAY SHE HAS BEEN DOING A VERY GOOD JOB OF PUTTING THOSE NOTICES OUT THERE. AND WE HAVE MY STAFF HAS DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AS FAR AS BEFORE. THE PROJECTS LED. NOW, AS I MENTIONED, LOOK, I DON'T MAKE EXCUSES FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS AT TXDOT BECAUSE I AM THE HEAD OF THIS DISTRICT. BUT PROBLEMS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN INHERITED, WE ARE FIXING. AND IS IT PERFECT? NO. IS ANYBODY PERFECT? NO. BUT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WORKING TO DO THINGS BETTER. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND WE WILL KEEP WORKING TO IMPROVE THINGS IN THIS DISTRICT. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER TURNER AND COUNCIL MEMBER SHERWOOD, FIRST AND FOREMOST, SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING BECAUSE IT'S JUST LIKE ME GOING TO A TOWN HALL WHERE I KNOW CITIZENS ARE KIND OF UPSET WITH ME AND BEING ABLE TO STAND AND JUST TAKE IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED AS BEING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. YOU GOT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IF YOU WANT TO BE IN THAT POSITION. SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING. I UNDERSTAND IT'S WE'RE EXPERIENCING SOME DEVELOPMENT WE NEVER, EVER SEEN IN A VERY LONG TIME IN BEAUMONT, BUT. WELL, I KIND OF GET LIKE BEAT UP IN SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND OTHER PLACES IS PEOPLE SIMPLY DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DIFFERENT ENTITIES. I GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, WASHINGTON BOULEVARD, WHEN YOU ENTER ONTO THE FREEWAY, ONTO THE RAMP, IT'S A PRETTY ROUGH ENTRANCE. I ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT KIND OF DIGEST TO AVOID IT ALMOST EVERY TIME. EVEN ON I-10, YOU EXIT OVER THERE BY THE PAPPADEAUX AREA. IT'S PRETTY ROUGH OVER THERE. LIKE LITERALLY ONCE YOU GET OFF, YOU KIND OF KNOW KIND OF WHAT TO DUCK AND DODGE. BUT THAT WAS ONE OF MY MAIN THINGS, THE FEEDER ROADS. AND I UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS ARE REDOING THEM, BUT MAYBE JUST FILLING IN SOME OF THOSE SPOTS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCING. I WOULD SAY TURBULENCE. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S A NICE WAY TO PUT IT. BUT SO YES, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ACTUALLY VISITED WHILE WE, WHILE WE HAD LUNCH LAST WEEK. AND YOU KNOW GOOD CONVERSATIONS. AGAIN THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE ARE OBVIOUSLY BOUND THROUGH DIFFERENT CONTRACTS. RIGHT. AND LIKE ANYBODY KNOWS AS I'M SURE YOU ARE ALL AWARE, WHEN YOU LET A CONTRACT FOR X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, ANY ADDITIONAL WORK OBVIOUSLY IS WHERE A LOT OF CONTRACTORS COME BACK WITH A CHANGE ORDER AND YOU PAY A PREMIUM PRICE FOR THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. SO WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THE BEAUMONT DISTRICT IS WHERE SOME OF THESE ITEMS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. WE ARE ADDRESSING THAT WITH OUR MAINTENANCE FORCES. SO FRED AND HIS STAFF, THEY WENT OUT THERE AND THEY FILLED A LOT OF THESE POTHOLES. RIGHT. BUT THOSE ARE TEMPORARY FIXES. SO AFTER WE AFTER WE HAD LUNCH, DAVE AND I WENT AND DROVE. AND THEN AFTER THAT I CALLED KEITH, MY DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE, AND WE WENT AND DROVE AND ONCE ONCE I GOT HIM OFF THE BACK SEAT BECAUSE HE JUMPED BACK THERE BECAUSE OF THE RUBBER. I'M JUST KIDDING. IT WASN'T THAT BAD. BUT BUT ONCE WE IT'S NOT THAT BAD. BUT BUT ONCE WE ASSESSED THE SITUATION, KEITH CAME UP WITH WITH A PLAN FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS. AND SO I ASKED KEITH TO STEP UP HERE BECAUSE HE HE CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE OF WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO DO THERE. YEAH. SO WE'RE SO WE PLAN TO START MONDAY WITH OUR SPECIAL JOBS CREWS AND OUR CREW AND FRED'S CREW AND MAKING THE REPAIRS ON SEVERAL LOCATIONS WHERE THE ASPHALT PAVEMENT HAS FAILED. WE'RE GOING TO REPAIR THOSE WHERE THE CONCRETE PAVEMENT HAS FAILED. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT OUT AND PUT ASPHALT IN AND COMPACT IT REAL WELL SO THAT IT LASTS UNTIL THE CONTRACTOR CAN GET THERE. SO THAT WILL START. OUR PLAN RIGHT NOW IS TO START THAT MONDAY. 
          WE'RE MILLING THAT. RIGHT. RIGHT. WE'LL MILL THAT OUT. YEAH. YOU MIGHT WANT. YEAH. AND WE'LL AND WE'LL MILL SOME AREAS ESPECIALLY LIKE ON RAMPS TO GET A SMOOTHER RIDE. AND THEN WE 
          [02:05:04]
COME AFTER SEPTEMBER 1ST WHEN I GET A NEW POT OF MONEY FOR A NEW BUDGET. WE PLAN TO DO SOME OVERLAYS TO MAKE THAT MUCH SMOOTHER. OKAY. THANK YOU. BECAUSE ME AND MY WIFE ARGUE ALL THE TIME ABOUT WHY I'M REPLACING THAT RIM, BECAUSE SHE GOT TO SLOW DOWN. BUT MY NEXT THING IS WE HAVE A CAR DEALERSHIP AND WE KIND OF BROUGHT THIS UP. WE CONSISTENTLY HAVE FLOODING OVER THERE IN FRONT OF THE CAR DEALERSHIP. WHAT IS THE NAME OF IT? SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME. 
          CLASSIC. IS IT ANY KIND OF WAY WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB? I KNOW IT LOOKED LIKE IT'S ALREADY BEEN LAID, BUT WHAT I MEAN BY KIND OF WORKING TOGETHER. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE. BUT WORKING TOGETHER, MAYBE GETTING WITH THE CITY TO KIND OF DO SOME DRAINAGE OR PARTNERING WITH Y'ALL ON DOING SOME DRAINAGE PRIOR TO US LAYING THAT NEW ROAD, BECAUSE THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS COME BACK AND ASK FOR PERMISSION TO TEAR IT UP TO KIND OF ADDRESS DRAINAGE ISSUES, BECAUSE THAT'S A PRETTY SERIOUS FLOOD AREA. EVERY TIME WE GET A HEAVY RAIN, IT'S ALMOST THOSE RESIDENTS ARE KIND OF FORCED TO GO ANOTHER OPTION. SO THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK MAYBE IF WE CAN GET TOGETHER, I KNOW THINGS ARE ALREADY HAPPENING, BUT THAT'S A KIND OF CONSISTENT THING I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR ALMOST FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS WHEN YOU GUYS FIRST START COMING AND I'M THANKFUL Y'ALL ARE COMING, BUT I'VE KIND OF BEEN CONSISTENT ON THAT. AND ANOTHER THING IS WE'RE HAVING SOME ISSUES UNDER OUR UNDERPASSES WITH HOMELESS AND CAMPING. I'VE SEEN IN OTHER CITIES WHERE THEY HAVE THE NO CAMPING SIGNS UNDERNEATH THE FREEWAY. SO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN ACTUALLY ADDRESS IT AND PEOPLE CAN SEE IT. I KIND OF WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF WE CAN, IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THAT'S ANOTHER THING. WE HAVE THOSE GUYS THAT ARE HOMELESS, THAT ARE KIND OF NAVIGATING IN BETWEEN CARS AND ALMOST, YOU KNOW, HAVING ACCIDENTS OR GETTING HIT. SO MAYBE I KNOW THAT'S NOT A SOLELY ON YOU GUYS, BUT MAYBE JUST THE SIGNS WHERE IT'LL KIND OF GIVE A VISUAL AS WELL AS OUR POLICE OFFICERS TO GET OUT THERE AND ACTUALLY ADDRESS THAT. SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WE ACTUALLY MET WITH YOUR, YOUR COUNCIL BEFORE A LONG TIME AGO WITH REGARDS TO THE, THE SIGNS AND THE HOMELESS CHALLENGES WITH A LOT OF YOUR STAFF. AND WE HAVE WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF BEAUMONT WHEN WE ARE INFORMED OF ANY SITUATIONS WHERE WE NEED TO REMOVE HOMELESS PEOPLE FROM UNDER OUR SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, FOR SAFETY REASONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, WE WILL ASSIST WITH THE CLEANUP EFFORTS, OBVIOUSLY. RIGHT. THERE WAS THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATION WITH REGARDS TO LEGALITY, PRESENT CHARGES, ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE WAY MORE INVOLVED THAN THAN JUST A SIMPLE CLEAN OUT. AS FAR AS THE SIGNS, WE DO HAVE THE INFORMATION NECESSARY. SO WHOEVER FROM YOUR STAFF THAT WANTS TO REACH OUT TO MY STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THOSE PROPER SIGNS, BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE A STANDARD MESSAGING. THE OBVIOUSLY, IF THERE IS A CITY ORDINANCE THAT THAT THAT PROHIBITS HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE THOSE THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN THEN WORK WITH YOU ALL FOR THE SIGNAGE TO BE ABLE TO BE DONE. BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE. AND TO ADDRESS YOUR YOUR CONCERN WITH THE DRAINAGE AT THE CLASSIC DEALERSHIP. SO OBVIOUSLY, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS PROJECT WAS UNDERWAY A LONG TIME AGO. RIGHT? SO IF THERE WERE DRAINAGE CONCERNS YEARS AGO, THOSE ARE SOME SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELD BY CITY STAFF WITH TEXTILE STAFF DURING THE DESIGN PROCESS. RIGHT. I AM NOT SAYING THAT THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN CAN'T BE DONE, THAT NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE NOW. HOWEVER, WE ARE ONLY RESTRICTED TO CERTAIN LIMITS WITHIN OUR RIGHT OF WAY, RIGHT? ANYTHING BEYOND THAT, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO. BUT BUT IF THE CITY WANTS TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DRAINAGE AT THAT LOCATION, I AM SURE THAT REACHING OUT TO MY STAFF, TO DAVE COLLINS, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, AS TO WHAT IS IT THAT Y'ALL ARE PLANNING ON DOING OR WOULD LIKE TO DO, WE CAN DEFINITELY HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. BUT BUT AGAIN, I CANNOT SAY THIS ENOUGH THAT THESE PROJECTS DON'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. THEY TAKE YEARS 3,030% REVIEWS 60% REVIEW, 90% REVIEWS. THE CITIES GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW OUR PLANS TO SIT IN A LOT OF OUR OUR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT MEETINGS. SO WHEN STAFF, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC WORKS OR WHOEVER, UTILITIES, WHOEVER IT IS THAT THAT ATTENDS THESE THINGS, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW. 
          AND AGAIN, WE DON'T WE DON'T JUST DESIGN THINGS IN A VACUUM. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M I'M CLEAR ON THAT. YEAH. AND JUST MY LAST THING JUST YOU KNOW, I KIND OF AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN CRENSHAW, WITH CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTABILITY. I THINK IF THE CITY AND THE CITIZENS KNEW WHO THESE CONTRACTORS WERE, WHO WERE KIND OF LEAVING OUR CITY IN THE 
          [02:10:04]
CONDITION THAT THEY'RE LEAVING IT IN, IF THEY DO THE WORK, WE WOULD DO A BETTER JOB ASSISTING Y'ALL WITH HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. BECAUSE WE TRAVELED TO DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, THE INTERSECTIONS AND EVERYTHING DON'T LOOK AS BAD. SO IF WE CAN KNOW HOW TO REACH OUT TO SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS, JUST EXPRESS OUR CONCERN, WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE WILLING TO SUPPORT YOU GUYS BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND IT'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, AND THERE ARE SIGNS AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR PROJECTS THAT SHOW WHO IS THE CONTRACTOR THAT IS OVER THAT, AND IT HAS USUALLY A PHONE NUMBER AND A P.O. BOX THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY WRITE TO. SO BUT WE CAN MAKE SURE KENNETH AND DAVE, THAT THOSE SIGNS ARE OUT THERE, AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE VERIFY THAT. BUT BUT AT THE SAME TIME TOO, OBVIOUSLY WE YOU KNOW, WE ARE WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. YOU KNOW, IF YOU REACH OUT TO DAVE STAFF. YES, SIR. YOU'VE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO ME. SO I APPRECIATE IT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SHERWOOD, THERE'S SOME MERGE ISSUES ON I-10, RIGHT? LANES THAT ARE MERGING. AND CARS DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE MERGING. 
          AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN OR I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STRIPING. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S WHAT. BUT ON I-10 THERE'S A LOT OF LANES THAT ARE NOT LANES OR THEY'RE BECOMING ONE LANE. 
          AND THERE'S AN ISSUE I'VE I'VE, I'VE ALMOST BEEN HIT ABOUT TEN TIMES LIKE I DON'T KNOW. SO JUST SOMETHING TO BRING UP. YES, MA'AM. THERE'S A LOT OF LANES THAT ARE MERGING ON I-10, PARTICULARLY NEAR WALDEN AND WASHINGTON. WHEN YOU'RE GETTING UP, THAT LANE MERGES JUST BEFORE YOU GET TO FIND. AND THEN THERE'S SOME MERGING ON I-10 NEAR 11TH STREET, WHERE IT'S STUPID WITH THE 18 WHEELERS AND WHATEVER. IT'S A DISASTER OF EPIC PROPORTIONS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. SO YES, THANK YOU. AND SO SOME OF THAT TO ADDRESS THE NORTHBOUND 69 TO I-10. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE VISITED ABOUT ALSO LAST WEEK. THERE, THERE IS WHAT WE REFER TO AS LIKE GHOST STRIPING, RIGHT? WHEN WE START DOING SOME OF THE PHASE CHANGES, YOU KNOW, DOING THAT ON CONCRETE PAVEMENT, IT LEAVES STILL A RESIDUE OF THE PREVIOUS STRIPE THAT WAS THERE. 
          SO IT DOES CAUSE SOME CONFUSION. AND, AND WE, WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT ON THE WESTBOUND LOCATION AS WELL AS OBVIOUSLY WE SEE THAT THAT'S GOING ON IN THE NORTHBOUND EASTBOUND LOCATION AS WELL. BUT SO IN THE WESTBOUND LOCATION, AS YOU LEAVE HERE FROM DOWNTOWN AND YOU START GOING OVER TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF YOU HEAD TO LUMBERTON OR YOU START GETTING SOUTH, WE DID SKID ABRASION AT THAT, WHICH IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU GO IN THERE AND YOU, YOU ESSENTIALLY GRIND THE CONCRETE TO REMOVE ALL THAT STRIPING, IF YOU WILL. RIGHT. WHICH I'M VERY PROUD OF, THE WAY THAT THAT LOOKS. I THINK THESE GUYS DID A GREAT JOB OF MAKING SURE THAT THAT WE GOT THAT TAKEN CARE OF. WE PLAN ON DOING THE SAME THING IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AS WELL. AT AT HALF $1 MILLION PER OCCURRENCE THAT WE DO THAT WE DELAYED DOING THE SKID ABRASION ON THE NORTHBOUND SIDE UNTIL THEY FINISH ADDRESSING THAT, THAT ISSUE THAT WE HAVE WITH THAT DRAIN THAT THAT DAVE WAS REFERRING TO RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S $500,000 IF WE DO IT NOW, AND THEN ONCE WE SHIFT THAT PHASE, WE'RE GOING TO DO ANOTHER $500,000 A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER. SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE'VE BEEN DELAYING THAT. HOWEVER, DAVE AND HIS STAFF, THEY MADE SURE THAT THEY RESTRIPED THAT WE NEED TO ADD SOME ADDITIONAL WE WERE GOING TO DO SOME BLACK STRIPING THAT WAS GOING TO GO WITH THE WHITE STRIPE THAT THEY JUST RECENTLY DID TO HELP GUIDE FOLKS THROUGH THERE. AND I AGREE WITH YOU. ALSO, WE TAKE A LOOK AT ANY OF OUR MERGE SIGNS, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT THAT ARE THAT ARE NOT GIVEN THE CORRECT MESSAGE. WE WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY ADDRESSING THOSE THINGS. SO I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE VERIFY THOSE THINGS SO THAT WE ARE INFORMING THE PUBLIC WITH PLENTY OF NOTICE. RIGHT. SO CORRECT. NO THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE'LL YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL WE'LL ADDRESS THAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WELL THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE IT. APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S LATE NIGHT WITH US TOO. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE FOR THOSE THAT ARE HERE FOR THE PROCLAMATION AND THE PRESENTATION AND YOU'D LIKE TO LEAVE, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO SO. AND CERTAINLY THANK YOU FOR COMING. WE WILL HAVE EXECUTIVE SESSION LATER IN THIS MEETING TO CONSIDER MATTERS RELATED TO CONTEMPLATING OR PENDING LITIGATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 551.071 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE. CALEB, CENTER, AND BEAUMONT PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 399 INTERVENERS VERSUS CITY OF BEAUMONT CHRISTOPHER S BOONE, 
          [02:15:05]
KENNETH. WILLIAMS, ROY WEST, EARL WHITE, TAYLOR NEAL, MIKE. GOETZ, AUDWIN SAMUEL, CHARLES DARIO, ALBERT TURNER, AND RANDY SHAW. CALLS NUMBER BE 210244. AND NOW IS THE TIME FOR ANY 
          [PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA/CONSENT]
CITIZEN WHO WISHES TO SPEAK. YOU MAY MAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA OR THE REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS ONE THROUGH SEVEN, OR ANY OTHER TOPIC. CITIZENS WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM NUMBER EIGHT WILL BE GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING. THE CITY CLERK WILL CALL YOUR NAME WHEN IT'S YOUR TIME TO SPEAK. WHEN YOU APPROACH THE PODIUM, PLEASE SAY YOUR ADDRESS, CITY AND STATE. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS. THE GREEN LIGHT WILL COME ON WHEN YOU APPROACH THE PODIUM, AND THE RED LIGHT WILL COME ON WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT MYSELF OR COUNCIL CANNOT RESPOND WHENEVER YOU'RE MAKING THESE COMMENTS, BUT SOMEONE FROM OUR OFFICE WILL CONTACT YOU AND THE PHARAOH. RICHARDS, 5275 PARKVIEW DRIVE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY CITIZENS OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS. THE STEPS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD. I AM NOT HER, BUT I AM THE GHOST FROM I-10 AT SMITH ROAD THAT GOT RAN DOWN BY RAN INTO A CONCRETE BARRIER BY 18 WHEELER IN A 350 Z. THANK YOU LASHAWN, I'M GLAD YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PICK ME UP. SO WARFARE IS BECOMING A GHOST TOWN THAT ONLY EXISTS ON THE MAP TO SOME OF YOU, THE ONLY TIME MOST OF YOU KNOW US IS WHEN WE WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A BALL. WE HAVE BUILDINGS THAT ARE BOARDED UP WITH MOLD THAT LOOKS LIKE BLACK COTTAGE CHEESE. WE HAVE HOMESTEADS LEANING ON TOOTHPICKS, POTHOLES THE SIZE OF THE GRAND CANYON. AND MISTER FRED MILLER LEFT. WE GOT DARK ROADS WITH TREES THAT'S BEEN HANGING LIKE THEY WERE PLANTED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN BY ADAM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN IN GENESIS. 
          AS TAXPAYERS, WE DEMAND THE REBIRTH AND WE WANT SOME EQUAL DEVELOPMENT. I HEARD Y'ALL TALK ABOUT 100 MILLION HERE, 100 MILLION THERE. TWO, TWO, TWO. I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT WAR, FOR WE EXIST. WE PAY TAXES TOO. I DIDN'T HEAR ONE THING SAID ABOUT WARD FOUR. THANK YOU FOR THE UPCOMING VETERANS COMPOUND. IT'S SUCH AN HONOR TO COMMEND THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE AND KEEP THEM HERE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO HOUSTON FOR CARE. THANK YOU FOR THE ONE SIDEWALK COUNCILMAN THAT'S BEEN BUILT ON FANNETT ROAD. WE ONLY ASKED IN 2016. LIMITED BUS ROUTES, LIMITED OPERATIONAL HOURS, INCREASED ROAD RAGE LIKE FORMULA ONE PEOPLE RUNNING LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, FLOODED ROADS LIKE SWIMMING POOLS WITH SEWER AND RATS ON FLOATING BANANA BOATS. THAT'S WHAT OUR STREETS LOOK LIKE IN WAR FOUR. WE HAVE WATER THAT WE DRINK THAT CAUSES US CANCER FROM ITS EXPOSED PIPES THAT WERE BUILT IN GLADYS CITY IN 1901. SO, AS YOU KNOW, THE STEPS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD. YEP. I'M HOTTER THAN A DECK OF FIRE OFFICER. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY YOUR NAME. YOU MADE MY DISABLED 75 YEAR OLD MOTHER CRY. WE GOT A PROBLEM. YOU OVERRAN THAT MERGING YIELD SIGN ON 11TH STREET. EMAIL FOUR OF YOU. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU NEVER APOLOGIZE ABOUT HER INSULIN. YOU NEVER APOLOGIZE THAT YOU ALMOST T-BONED US. YOU NEVER. YOU NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WERE ALREADY ESTABLISHED ON THE MAIN ROAD. TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODES. YOU ADMITTED THAT YOU WERE NOT ON THE SERVICE CALL. 
          YOUR SIREN WAS NOT ON, YOUR LIGHTS WERE NOT ON, AND YOU NEVER IDENTIFIED YOURSELF AS A POLICEMAN UNTIL YOU HAD A CONFERENCE. ONCE I REQUESTED A SERGEANT. WELL, $300 DOWN. THANK YOU, MA'AM. GOD BLESS Y'ALL. LET ME GO. I NEED A TRACTOR FOR THAT CROSSOVER TO GET. ANDY. AND I THINK IT'S GERALD'S. 22, 75 ENFIELD LANE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. I'M SORRY. HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME? GERALD. GERALD. THANK YOU. MAYOR, COUNCIL. CITY STAFF. MY NAME IS ANDY GERALD. I LIVE AT 275 ENFIELD LANE. I'D LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE UPCOMING BOND ELECTION. I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE DILIGENT EFFORTS OF THE BOND COMMITTEE IN DEVELOPING THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL, AND I COMMEND THE COUNCIL ON FACILITATING A TRANSPARENT PROCESS. AS A RESIDENT OF THE CITY FOR 17 YEARS, BEGINNING WITH MY TIME AS A STUDENT AT LAMAR AND NOW AS A 
          [02:20:05]
HUSBAND AND FATHER OF THREE CHILDREN, I'M DEEPLY INVESTED IN THE CITY'S WELL-BEING, AS I KNOW EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT TWO POTENTIAL BOND PROJECTS THE POINTE PARKWAY AND DOWLEN ROAD. EXTENSIONS. BEAUMONT CURRENTLY MAINTAINS AN EXTENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING 667 MILES OF STREETS, OVER 840 MILES OF DRAINAGE DITCHES, AND MORE THAN 400 MILES OF STORM SEWER LINES. WHILE I COMMEND THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ON THEIR ONGOING EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THE REALITY IS THAT BEAUMONT SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT PATTERN HAS RESULTED IN AN UNSUSTAINABLE BURDEN ON OUR CITY'S MAINTENANCE COSTS. 
          WE'VE COLLECTIVELY INHERITED A CITY THAT WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO MAINTAIN. THIS IS NOT A REFLECTION OF THE COUNCIL'S OR THE CITY MANAGER'S LEADERSHIP. THIS IS SOMETHING WE INHERITED. 
          NONETHELESS, IT IS OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND ENSURE THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS OF BEAUMONT RESIDENTS DO NOT FACE THESE SAME CHALLENGES. THE PRUDENT DECISION IS TO STOP CONSTRUCTING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CANNOT BE ADEQUATELY MAINTAINED AND REDIRECT OUR EFFORTS TOWARDS AREAS WITH EXISTING ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE, NAMELY DOWNTOWN, THE PLUMBING, STREETS, SIDEWALKS, TREES AND DRAINAGE SYSTEMS ALREADY IN PLACE DOWNTOWN REMAIN UNDERUTILIZED IN FAVOR OF SPRAWL ON THE CITY'S EDGES. THE FIRM URBAN THREE OFFERS ECONOMIC ANALYZES TO HELP COMMUNITIES SEE WHAT TRULY BUILDS VALUE. THEIR ANALYSIS OF LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, A CITY COMPARABLE TO BEAUMONT IN MANY ASPECTS, REVEALED THAT DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE WAS THE SOLE PROFITABLE SEGMENT OF THEIR ENTIRE CITY, WHILE THE OUTSKIRTS RESULTED IN A NET LOSS IN TERMS OF TAX REVENUE GENERATED TO MAINTAIN THEIR CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS PATTERN IS PREVALENT IN MOST AMERICAN CITIES, INCLUDING BEAUMONT. THE COUNCIL'S INTENTION TO REVITALIZE OUR DOWNTOWN IS COMMENDABLE AND NEEDED, BUT IT IS NAIVE TO THINK THAT WE CAN INVEST OVER $61 MILLION IN TWO ROAD EXTENSIONS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN, AND THAT NOT HAVE A NET NEGATIVE EFFECT ON BEAUMONT AS A WHOLE. THESE TWO ROAD EXTENSIONS, THOUGH WELL INTENTIONED, WILL ONLY SERVE TO HAMPER OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN CRUCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THEREFORE, I STRONGLY URGE THIS COUNCIL TO REMOVE THE POINTE PARKWAY AND DILLON ROAD EXTENSIONS FROM NOVEMBER'S BALLOT. I WOULD WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING MY ASSERTIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, SIR DAVID PEAT, 63, 55 CHIN LANE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. HERE WE GO. GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL DAVID PEAT, 6355 LANE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT I HAVE, I'VE LISTENED PRETTY EXTENSIVELY TO THE COUNCIL IS MICROPHONE ON. YES. OKAY. TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND I'VE, I'VE HEARD THE DEBATES AND SOME OF YOU GOING AND SPEAKING TO THE ENGINEERS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. BUT THE ONE THING IS, IS THAT YOU AS A CITY COUNCIL, ARE TASKED WITH A CERTAIN DUTY, AND ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BOND AND ALL THESE THINGS HERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT TO INCLUDE, WHAT NOT TO INCLUDE. YOU ARE EXCLUSIVELY BOUND TO THE TO THE CITY CITY ORDINANCE OF WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A COUNCIL. YOU CANNOT DO YOUR OWN THING, MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS AND ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE. WHO RUNS THE CITY? THAT MAN RIGHT THERE. THE CITY MANAGER RUNS THE CITY. YOU AS A COUNCIL ARE COMBINED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE THINGS THAT THAT GO ON IN THIS CITY ARE BEING AFFECTED, THAT YOU DO A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL DUTIES TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL CITIZENS, ALL CITIZENS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR, ALL CITIZENS ARE ADDRESSED, NOT JUST WHO YOU WANT TO OR WHO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO PUT THERE. AND WHEN YOU PUT TOGETHER A COMMITTEE, THAT COMMITTEE HAS NO AUTHORITY TO DO ANYTHING. RECOMMENDATIONS IS MUNDANE BECAUSE THERE IS NO POWER THAT THEY HAVE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THIS CITY. YOU GUYS DO. SO WHEN YOU PUT TOGETHER THIS COMMITTEE, THIS COMMITTEE IS ONLY GIVEN A RECOMMENDATION TO YOU. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LISTEN TO THEM. BUT IF YOU LISTEN TO THEM AND YOU TAKE ONE PART OF THE CITY AND MAKE THAT YOUR GOAL, OR YOU TAKE ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY AND MAKE THAT YOUR GOAL, THEN YOU'RE SHOWING FAVORITISM TO ONE PART OVER ANOTHER. AND YOU YOU ARE YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO DO THAT. SO I WILL HIGHLY SUGGEST TO SOME OF YOU WHO ARE NEW TO THE COUNCIL, MAKE SURE YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE, AND LET ME READ SOMETHING HERE TO YOU HERE JUST A LITTLE BIT RIGHT HERE. IT SAYS SINCE 
          [02:25:05]
BEAUMONT CHARTER WAS ADOPTED IN 1947, THE CITY HAS OPERATED AS A COUNCIL MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT. THIS MEANS THAT AN ELECTED GROUP OF COUNCIL COUNCILMEN COLLECTIVE, CALLED THE CITY COUNCIL, WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENACTING LOCAL LEGISLATION, ADOPTING BUDGETS, DETERMINING POLICIES, AND APPOINTING THE CITY MANAGER AND OTHER OFFICIALS SUCH AS CITY CLERKS, CITY MAGISTRATE, AND CITY AND CITY ATTORNEYS. SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, YOU GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE DOING IT WITHIN POLICY AND WITH ORDINANCE OF THIS CITY. ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THAT, YOU'RE DOING YOUR OWN OWN LITTLE PETITION THAT'S OUT OF ORDER, AND YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF YOUR OATH. AND IF YOU'RE IN VIOLATION OF YOUR OATH, THEN YOU'RE SUBJECT TO BE REMOVED. THANK YOU SIR. ALBERT ALBERT HARRISON, 1240 ASHLEY BEAUMONT, TEXAS. MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY STAFF AND OTHER CONCERNED CITIZENS THAT ARE PRESENT. BEFORE I GET INTO THE SUBJECT MATTER IN WHICH I WISH TO ADDRESS YOU ALL, I HAVE ANOTHER COMMENT TO MAKE PERTAINING TO THE BOND ISSUES. I'VE ONLY ATTENDED TWO BOND MEETINGS, BUT I NEVER, NEVER HEARD NOR SEEN ANYTHING THAT ADDRESSES DOING ANYTHING FOR THE HOMELESS. YOU TALK ABOUT FIRE STATION, POLICE HEADQUARTERS, BUT NOTHING FOR THE HOMELESS, SO THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED. 
          NOW, THE REASON I'M HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE I'M VERY, VERY UPSET TO THE MERE FACT THAT. SOMETIMES I'M ABLE TO PAY MY WATER BILL ON TIME BECAUSE MY CHECK HIT THE BANK TO WHERE I CAN PAY IT ACCORDING TO THE DUE DATE. NOW, LAST MONTH. THE DUE DATE WAS JUNE 26TH. MY CHECK HIT THE BANK. JUNE 27TH. I CAME PAID IT. NOW I'M CHARGED THIS MONTH WITH A $10 LATE CHARGE. ONE DAY LATE. 
          LET'S USE SOME COMMON SENSE, PLEASE. NOW, I WOULDN'T BE ADDRESSING THE ISSUE IN A MANNER. I'M ADDRESSING IT. IF I WAS THE ONLY ONE AFFECTED BY IT. BUT THERE ARE OTHER SENIOR CITIZENS, OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT RECEIVED THEIR CHECKS ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH. JUST SO HAPPENS THAT MY BANK PUTS MY CHECK INTO MY ACCOUNT APPROXIMATELY 2 OR 3 DAYS BEFORE. NOW, THE VA SAYS THE FIRST, THE FIRST WHEN I RECEIVE IT, BUT THE BANK SAYS, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT TO YOU AHEAD OF TIME. SO I'M ABLE TO PAY IT. NOW, I WILL SAY THAT I ATTEMPTED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE A DIFFERENT WAY, MEANING THAT TRY TO PUT MONEY BACK IN THE EVENT THAT I CAN'T PAY IT ON TIME. THINGS HAPPEN, OTHER THINGS HAPPEN. THE MONEY HAD TO BE SPENT, SO I COULDN'T PAY IT ON TIME. SO I'M ASKING PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE. AND ALSO I ASKED FOR THE POLICY IN WHICH THIS IS ESTABLISHED. I FILL OUT AN INFORMATION REQUEST WITH THE CITY SECRETARY. THE RESPONSE WAS THAT'S NO POLICY. SO I NEED SOME CLARIFICATION AS TO HOW THIS $10 CHARGE IS BEING ASSESSED TO ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. EDDIE ALLEN, 9695 GROSS, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. GOOD EVENING, CITY MANAGER. MR. WILLIAMS, THE MAYOR, COUNCIL ADMINISTRATORS. 
          MY NAME IS EDDIE ALLEN. 99695. GROSS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED. I'M STANDING HERE BECAUSE I LISTENED TO THE PRESENTATION FOR EVACUATION. WE HAVE TV, TELEPHONE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, ALL OF THOSE MEDIA CARRIERS A LOT IN THE SKY, A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON. STORMS ARE NOT ALWAYS HIGH WINDS, AS IT WAS SAID IN THE PRESENTATION. WE HAVE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL 
          [02:30:04]
AND A LOT OF IT INCLUDES FLOOD, ELECTRICAL, CHEMICAL, WIND, EXPLOSIONS, MAYBE EVEN SABOTAGE IN THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN RIGHT NOW. SO THERE'S BEEN CHEMICAL LEAKS HERE IN BEAUMONT, SPILLS CAUSED, MAYBE BOIL WATER NOTICES THAT MAYBE WE DIDN'T GET. SO I HAVE STATED MORE THAN ONE TIME THAT SIREN NOTIFICATIONS IS PARAMOUNT THAT WE REALLY NEED IT. AND I FEEL LIKE WHEN WE HEAR THESE PRESENTATIONS, IT'S ALWAYS ON THE CON SIDE. AND I'M A PRO ACTIVIST ON IT, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME PROFESSIONAL TO COME UP HERE AND ADVISE US WHAT SIRENS ACTUALLY DO FOR A CITY, WHAT SIRENS ACTUALLY DO TO SAVE LIVES, AND AUDITABLE SOUND WHERE EVERYBODY CAN HEAR IT. POLICE SIRENS. WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF SIRENS. FIRE. WE HAVE SIRENS. WE HAVE NOISE FROM THE RAILROAD. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND AS I'VE BEEN STANDING UP HERE FOR 2 OR 3 YEARS TALKING ABOUT SIRENS. YES, YOU CAN HEAR SIRENS IF YOU'RE INSIDE AND IN THE PRESENTATION. 
          I FELT A LITTLE PERTURBED BECAUSE IT WAS SAID THAT IF YOU'RE IN THE INSIDE, YOU CAN'T HEAR OUTSIDE SIRENS. YES, YOU CAN THERE. THERE'S NO NEED FOR 29. IN THAT PRESENTATION THAT I GAVE TO THE CITY, IT ALSO INCLUDED JEFFERSON COUNTY AS WELL AS THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. SO THOSE TWO NEED TO BE SEPARATED. IT DOES NOT COST $1 MILLION. I HAVE RIGHT HERE WHERE I CONTACTED A SIREN COMPANY, AND IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN $35,000. THAT IS EXHAUSTED AS OF DECEMBER 22ND. SO I'M APPEALING TO CITY MANAGER AND TO THE COUNCIL. LET'S LOOK INTO IT. JUST LIKE IT'S BEEN SAID UP HERE, THE WEATHER IS REALLY DIFFERENT FOR US. WE'VE GOT HEAT DOMES UP. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. YOU KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM. HAVE A GOOD DAY. GOOD NIGHT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. AND WITH THAT, WE'RE CLOSING PUBLIC COMMENTS. THANK YOU FOR 
          [CONSENT AGENDA]
THOSE WHO SPOKE. AND AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REMOVE ITEM G AND HAVE A SEPARATE MOTION ON THAT. SO THIS IS FOR ALL ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA MINUS ITEM G. MAY I HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND MOTION TO APPROVE SECOND. YEAH. COUNCILMAN. OH MOTION. ALL RIGHT. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, COUNCILMAN? DARIA? YEAH. YES, GENTLEMAN. I KNOW HOW MUCH THE SETTLEMENT IS GOING TO BE ON ITEM D. NO, SIR. ADAM. 
          ADAM D. ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA MINUS ITEM G, WOULD YOU PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? 
          [G. Council to consider a resolution authorizing membership in the TEX-21.]
THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, WOULD YOU READ ITEM G, PLEASE? THANK YOU. MAYOR. 
          COUNCIL TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING MEMBERSHIP IN THE TEXAS 21 ASSOCIATION. AND IT DOESN'T COME WITH A RECOMMENDATION. BUT WITH THIS GROUP AS A MEMBER, EITHER CITY MANAGER OR THE OR THE MAYOR CAN BECOME A MEMBER OF A GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, AND THE CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDS THE MAYOR BECOME THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOU IF YOU APPROVE IT. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION AND A MOTION AND A SECOND ON ITEM G AS READ? TO APPROVE THE MOTION, WE NEED TO INCLUDE THAT THE MAYOR BE APPOINTED AS A CITY REPRESENTATIVE. ALL RIGHT. AS READ. THEN WITH THE ADDITION, I MOVED TO APPROVE THAT WE APPOINT MAYOR ROYCE TO SERVE IN THE SC SIX 621. SECOND. COULD IT JUST BE THE MAYOR? AND THAT'S FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE RESOLUTION, JUST MAYOR, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. THE MAYOR WEST DECIDES NOT TO CONTINUE. ALL RIGHT. 
          THERE HAS BEEN A MOTION AND A SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF 
          [02:35:08]
APPROVING G AS READ SIGNIFY BY SAYING I ANY OPPOSED THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, 
          [REGULAR AGENDA]
MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER ONE? I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION BEFORE WE GO INTO THE REGULAR AGENDA. LET'S GO WITH ONE AND THEN WE'LL. OKAY, I GOT YOU. OKAY. ITEM NUMBER ONE. 
          COUNCIL, CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO AWARD A CONTRACT TO STRUCTURE GUARD, LLC OF AUSTIN, TEXAS, FOR CATTAIL MARSH, WETLANDS, OUTFALL PILING REHABILITATION PROJECT. 
          AND IT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE? MOVE TO APPROVE. THERE IS A SECOND. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER ONE, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. AT THIS POINT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE ITEM NUMBER TWO. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT. BUT AT FIRST I WOULD GO AHEAD AND LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING AND DISCUSS. EIGHT SINCE WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HERE AND I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL LAST, AND I'D HATE TO HAVE THESE PEOPLE WAIT AROUND FOR ANOTHER HOUR OR AN HOUR AND A HALF WHILE WE DO THAT. SO, MR. CITY MANAGER, COULD YOU PLEASE TAKE 
          [PUBLIC HEARING]
US INTO THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR ITEM NUMBER EIGHT? COUNCIL TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE COMMENTS CONCERNING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS OF ARTICLE SIX GAMING SITES AND GAMING MACHINES FROM THE CITY OF BEAUMONT'S CODE OF ORDINANCES. ALL RIGHT. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS OPEN. DO WE HAVE. YES, SIR. WE HAVE TWO. I THINK IT'S MUHAMMAD NAIM, 2640 RIGBY DRIVE, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. GOOD EVENING. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. MY NAME IS MUHAMMAD NAIM. I RESPECTFULLY RESPECT THAT. CONSIDER THE PURPOSE ORDINANCE BANNING GAMING SIDE WITH OUR CITY. THIS BAN WOULD PLACE SIGNIFICANT BURDEN ON OUR BUSINESS, POTENTIALLY FORCING SOME USE. SOME OF US, AND SHUT DOWN ENTIRELY. NEIGHBORING CITY CONTINUE TO ALLOW THESE MACHINES AND IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO SINGLE OUT OUR CITY WITH THE COUNTY FOR SUCH AS RESTRICTION. WE URGE YOU TO ALLOW EXISTING BUSINESS TO CONTINUE OPERATING WHILE AWAITING GUIDANCE OR NEW LEGISLATION FROM THE STATE LEVEL. WE ARE THE LAW ABIDING BUSINESS OWNER WHO PAY TAX, EMPLOY LOCAL RESIDENTS AND CONTRIBUTE. MEANINGFULLY TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. WE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THIS ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. THANK CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR. THANK YOU. A DEAL. SAMAR 3501 MAGNOLIA STREET, BEAUMONT, TEXAS. RESPECT TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, HONORABLE MAYOR AND THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY AND REGARDING THE PROPOSED BAN ON THE AMUSEMENT MACHINES IN THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE LED TO THIS PROPOSAL, THIS PROPOSAL, AND I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF OUR COMMUNITY. HOWEVER, I RESPECTFULLY ASK THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER BROADER LEGAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS BEFORE MOVING FORWARD. THIS ORDINANCE SEEMS TO RELY ON THE FORT WORTH VERSUS RILEY CASE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CASE DOES NOT GIVE CITIES THE AUTHORITY TO ENACT A BLANKET BAN. THE DECISION FROM THE FORT WORTH COURTS COURT OF APPEALS IS NOT BINDING IN OUR REGION, AND THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO NOT REVIEW IT IS NOT A RULING ON THE MERITS. NO NEW STATE LAW HAS BEEN PASSED AS A RESULT. UNDER THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION, CITY ORDINANCES CANNOT CONFLICT WITH STATE LAW. MANY OF US HERE IN THE AUDIENCE SUPPORTING RIGHT NOW OPERATE WITH VALID LICENSES AND PERMITS ISSUED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          THE STATE NOT ONLY AUTHORIZES THESE MACHINES, BUT ALSO COLLECTS FEES AND ISSUES DECALS FOR THEM, UNLESS THOSE LICENSES ARE REVOKED BY THE STATE. I RESPECTFULLY SUBMIT THAT THE CITY SHOULD NOT REMOVE TO SHOULD NOT INVALIDATE THEM. THIS SITUATION IS SIMILAR TO HOW THE STATE REGULATES ALCOHOL OR TOBACCO. A CITY CANNOT SIMPLY BAN THOSE SALES WHEN A STATE 
          [02:40:01]
LICENSE IS IN PLACE. DOING SO WOULD SET A DIFFICULT PRECEDENT AND CREATE LEGAL UNCERTAINTY. IF THIS ORDINANCE IS PASSED, IT COULD RESULT IN LONG AND COSTLY LEGAL CHALLENGES INVOLVING DOZENS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES. THESE CASES COULD LAST YEARS AND BURDEN THE CITY AND ITS TAXPAYERS WITH SIGNIFICANT LEGAL FEES, SOMETHING I BELIEVE WE WOULD ALL PREFER TO AVOID. 
          BEYOND THE LEGAL ASPECT, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT WOULD BE SEVERE. MANY SMALL BUSINESSES RELY ON THESE MACHINES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME. LOSING THEIR REVENUE. COULD FORCE CLOSURES, ELIMINATE JOBS, REDUCE SALES TAX INCOME AND TAKE AWAY OVER HALF $1 MILLION IN ANNUAL CITY FEES? WE ARE NOT OUTSIDERS. WE ARE LICENSED, TAXPAYING MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY. MOST OF OUR BUSINESSES OPERATE JUST A FEW MACHINES AS A SMALL PART OF OUR SERVICES. EVEN THE POLICE CHIEF HAS PUBLICLY STATED THAT THESE LOCATIONS CERTAINLY CANNOT BE CONNECTED TO MAJOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. WITH THAT IN MIND, I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO TABLE THIS ORDINANCE. LET'S ALLOW THE CURRENT LAW TO STAND WHILE AWAITING CLEAR DIRECTION FROM THE STATE. THIS APPROACH WOULD AVOID UNNECESSARY HARDSHIP WHILE HONORING THE PROCESS AND FOLLOWING STATE LEVEL REGULATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SIR. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE'S NO OTHER COMMENTS, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CLOSED. MR. CITY MANAGER, MAY WE HAVE 
          [REGULAR AGENDA]
THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, PLEASE? THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL, CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE SIX OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT. CODE OF ORDINANCES TO PROHIBIT GAMING SITES AND GAMING MACHINES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS. AND THERE IS NO RECOMMENDATION. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR ITEM NUMBER EIGHT? IT'S. I'M SORRY. SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BAN. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER EIGHT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? WE'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF DISCUSSION. SO AT THIS POINT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING I, I ANY OPPOSED. THE MOTION IS CARRIED AT THIS POINT. WE'RE 
          [EXECUTIVE SESSION]
GOING TO RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE WILL RETURN PLEASE. MAYOR WEST, PRESENT MAYOR PRO TEM TURNER, COUNCIL MEMBER. DORIA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. HILLIARD HERE. 
          COUNCILMEMBER. WILLIAMS, COUNCIL MEMBER. SHERWOOD AND COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW. THANK YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER. MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER TWO, PLEASE? THANK YOU. MAYOR. 
          COUNCIL TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING SETTLEMENT OF THE LAWSUITS FILED. CALEB FENTER AND BEAUMONT PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 399 INTERVENORS VERSUS CITY OF BEAUMONT. CHRISTOPHER S BOONE, KENNETH WILLIAMS, ROY WEST, EARL. WHITE, TAYLOR. NEILD, MIKE. GOETZ, AUDWIN. SAMUEL CHARLES. STEREO, ALBERT TURNER, AND RANDY SHAW. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER TWO? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. WE APPROVE. THERE IS A SECOND COUNCIL MEMBER. WILLIAMS. THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER TWO. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER TWO, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER THREE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER APPROVING THE RESOLUTION FOR A THREE YEAR AGREEMENT WITH BCBS, WHICH IS BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD PRIME FOR PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER SERVICES FOR CITY EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES. AND IT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER THREE? SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER THREE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER THREE, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR? COUNCIL, CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS, WITH AN OPTION FOR TWO ADDITIONAL YEARS, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST, 2026, FOR THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATION OF THE CITY'S SELF-FUNDED PREFERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATION, PPO MEDICAL AND DENTAL PLANS. THAT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF 
          [02:45:05]
APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER FOUR? MOVE TO APPROVE. SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION IN A SECOND, THAT'S COUNCILMAN HILLIARD ON THE SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION QUESTION, COUNCILMAN DARIO. SO, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY ON THESE DEALS HERE, DOES THIS AFFECT RETIREES AS WELL? THAT'LL BE A QUESTION FOR YOUR BENEFITS COORDINATOR. I THINK YOU SHOULD COME TO THE MIC. YEAH. SO. YEAH WE NEED THE MIC ON. OH THERE IT IS. SO IT'S ON. GOOD EVENING. YES IT DOES. IT WILL AFFECT THE RETIREE PREMIUMS. REMEMBER THAT THE RETIREES PAY A PERCENTAGE OF THE COBRA RATES. WHEN COBRA RATES GO UP EVERY YEAR, SO DOES THE RETIREE MEDICAL PREMIUM. OH I KNOW THAT PERSONALLY. THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING, BECAUSE I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE TO RECUSE MYSELF FROM THIS VOTE. I'M ON I'M ON THIS INSURANCE. 
          ALL RIGHT. GET THAT MUCH MONEY DOING THAT. NOTHING. ALL RIGHT. WE SO WE HAVE. COUNCIL MEMBER DARIO RECRUIT RECUSING HIMSELF. IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PLEASE? COUNCIL, CONSIDER RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CONTRACT WITH WOOLPERT INC OF DAYTON, OHIO, FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES TRAFFIC STUDY, HIGHWAY 105 AND MAJOR DRIVE. AND IT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE MOVED? SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? COUNCILMAN TURNER, THEN COUNCILMAN CRENSHAW AND COUNCILMAN HILLIER, I KIND OF JUMPED OUT AT ME, YOU KNOW, FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT RFD ROAD AND 105. 
          I NOTICED IT SAYS ENHANCING TRAFFIC FOR SAFETY NEAR RFD ROAD 105. CAN YOU KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? CERTAINLY THE CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE 105 AS THEY RELATE TO RFD ROAD AND ALSO TO MAJOR DRIVE HAVE BEEN PART OF MY ATTENTION SINCE I JOINED PUBLIC WORKS. WE HAVE FOUND CORRESPONDENCE ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2021 WITH TXDOT, WHEN THEY PERFORMED THEIR STUDY OF THAT INTERSECTION AT RFD ROAD. CITY PERFORMED A SEPARATE STUDY IN 2022, AND THERE'S FURTHER COMPLICATIONS BY TEX DOT'S CORRIDOR STUDY OF MAJOR DRIVE. THAT CORRIDOR STUDY WAS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF FM 364 NOTED SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES OF THE INTERSECTION WITH HIGHWAY 105, AND IT. THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAD FAR REACHING IMPLICATIONS FROM THAT INTERSECTION GOING EAST AND WEST, NORTH AND SOUTH, BUT NO RECOMMENDATIONS. THE GENERALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS THAT IT HAD WERE VERY HIGH, HIGH LEVEL, EXPENSIVE. AND SO I KNOW ALL OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE CONTACTED FREQUENTLY ABOUT THIS INTERSECTION AND THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE TURNS, ESPECIALLY AT RFD ROAD. SO WHAT WE DID IS ISSUED A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR ENGINEERS TO STUDY 105 FROM THE FIRE STATION. THAT'S ON 105 ALL THE WAY WEST TO KEITH ROAD, AND THEN ON THE SOUTH SIDE FROM ON MAJOR DRIVE FROM THE ELEMBA CANAL TO ABOUT GRIFFIN ROAD. SO ENCOMPASS THIS WHOLE AREA. IT HAS SEEN A LOT OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES, WE HAVE NEW SUBDIVISIONS COMING IN ON RFD ROAD. AND ALSO WE ANTICIPATE THE POSSIBILITY OF POINT PARKWAY NORTH BEING CONSTRUCTED. AND THAT WOULD ALSO INTERSECT HIGHWAY 105 ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CANAL BRIDGE FROM RFD ROAD. SO RATHER THAN THROWING A BUNCH OF SIGNALS BACK TO BACK TO BACK, 
          [02:50:06]
WE WANT TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW, HAVE THIS ENGINEERING FIRM EVALUATED. WE HAD FOUR SUBMITTALS. TWO OF THEM SCORED EXTREMELY WELL. WOOLPERT DID SCORE THE HIGHEST. THEY COME WITH GREAT REFERENCES AND EVEN CAME TO US WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ALREADY. SO WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN. SO AS GROWTH CONTINUES IN THIS AREA, WE HAVE A PLAN FOR WHATEVER IT NEEDS TO BE, WHETHER WE HAVE TO DO NEW SIGNALS. DO WE HAVE TO DO RAISED MEDIANS, OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO THE INTERSECTION OF MAJOR DRIVE AT 105, JUST A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THAT ENTIRE AREA. THAT WAY WE WHEN WE NEGOTIATE WITH TXDOT FOR THE SIGNALS, BECAUSE WE MUST REMEMBER HIGHWAY 105 AND FM 364 ARE TXDOT ROADS. SO AS WE ENTER INTO THAT DISCUSSION, WE HAVE AN ENGINEERING STUDY TO SUPPORT OUR POSITION. SO BASICALLY BUT IT'S NO GUARANTEE BASED UPON THE RESULTS OF TXDOT. IT'S GOING TO KIND OF APPROVE IT OR WORK WITH US OR WORK WITH US TO GET THAT ACCOMPLISHED. IF THE STUDY COMES OUT IN A POSITIVE THAT WE NEED THIS, NO GUARANTEES AT THIS TIME, BUT WE WANT TO POSITION OURSELVES AS STRONGLY AS WE CAN BRING THEM BACK IN FRONT OF COURT. YEAH, COME BACK TO FRONT COURT. CARL, DID I CALL YOUR NAME SECOND? I THINK I DID, COUNCILMAN, JUST VERY BRIEFLY, TO ECHO WHAT MOLLY JUST SAID, THIS IS A CONSTANT SOURCE OF CONCERNS. I'VE DRIVEN THAT STRETCH AND GOTTEN IN THE LINE TO MAKE THE TURN THERE ACROSS 105 ON RFD. CERTAIN TIMES OF DAY, IT BACKS UP 1015 CARS. AND THEN THERE WAS A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION SHOCKER ON, YOU KNOW, GOING TO LUMBERTON AND YOU COULDN'T TAKE THE HIGHWAY RIGHT THERE BECAUSE OF ALL THE CONSTRUCTION. AND RFD KIND OF BECAME A MUCH, MUCH MORE TRAVELED ROUTE IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO. AND SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU, STAFF, FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE STUDY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN HILLIARD SAID HIS QUESTION HAD BEEN ANSWERED. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER FIVE. PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, WILL YOU GIVE US THE READING OF ITEM SIX? COUNCIL, CONSIDER RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE. CHANGE ORDER NUMBER ONE TO THE CONTRACT WITH CTEX CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION OF BEAUMONT FOR THE PINE STREET. SOUTH BASIN SLUDGE DRAIN REHABILITATION PROJECT. 
          AND I THINK THERE'S A SET OF SEWER PLANT. SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT SURFACE. WELL, THE OPPOSITE SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT I APOLOGIZE. AND IT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER SIX. MOVE TO APPROVE. IS THERE A SECOND. SECOND THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM NUMBER SIX. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER SIX, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. 
          AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. MR. CITY MANAGER, MAY WE HAVE THE READING OF ITEM NUMBER SEVEN? COUNCIL, TO CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE DENYING TEXAS GAS SERVICE COMPANY PROPOSED RATES. AND IT COMES WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL OF THE ORDINANCE. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER SEVEN SO MOVED TO DENY. SECOND, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND. 
          COUNCILMAN HILLIARD SECONDED. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN? COUNCILMAN? YES, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. JUST SO I'M CLEAR, WHAT WHAT AREA OF TOWN DOES TEXAS GAS SERVICE COMPANY SERVICE, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT. IS IT ALL OF BEAUMONT? OKAY. SO LIKE, I HAVE CENTERPOINT AND IS THIS ANOTHER OPTION? NO. SO IT'S ALMOST A PART OF IT BECAUSE MOST OF US HAVE CENTERPOINT TO. BUT IT'S THROUGH THE UTILITIES REP. SO IT WILL AFFECT SOME TEXAS GAS SERVICE COMPANIES. AND I THINK IT'S IT COULD THEY COULD BE OPERATING UNDER A PSEUDONYM NAME. BUT IF THEY SUPPLY GAS TO THE OTHER ENTITIES IT WILL AFFECT YOU AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN, JUST FOR CLARITY, I GUESS THEY THEY MADE A MOTION TO DENY THIS ORDINANCE. 
          WHEN SHOULDN'T WE BE APPROVING THE ORDINANCE? TO DENY? YES, I GUESS WHAT I THOUGHT, BUT BUT 
          [02:55:05]
IT'S COMPLETELY UP TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, SO LET'S GET CLARITY ON THAT. SO WE'RE APPROVING THIS DENY I MAKE THE MAKE I AMEND MY ORIGINAL MOTION TO APPROVE THE DENIAL AND I WILL SECOND IT AGAIN. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW THAT WE HAVE CLARITY ON THAT, IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION. THANK YOU FOR THAT CATCH. COUNCILMAN DARIO, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION IS CARRIED. WITH THIS, WE'RE MOVING 
          [COUNCIL COMMENTS]
TO COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS. AND I'LL REMIND YOU THAT WE'LL BE BACK IN 12 HOURS AND FIVE MINUTES FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS TOMORROW. SO WITH THAT, I WILL BEGIN WITH COUNCILMAN DORIA. NO COMMENT. COUNCILMAN HILLIARD, I ONLY HAVE ONE THING. MOLLY, WHERE ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE AT? ON THE QUIET ZONES? WE ARE FINISHING UP THE DRAWINGS. I BELIEVE WE WERE SCHEDULED TO TURN THEM IN LATE LAST WEEK. WE STILL DON'T HAVE CONFIRMATION ON THE MINUTES OF THE DIAGNOSTIC MEETINGS. 2 TO 6 WEEKS. WE'RE STILL IN THAT WINDOW, SO WE'RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR THE FINAL WORD ON THAT. BUT WE'RE PROCEEDING WITH PREPARING THE PLANS BASED ON OUR UNDERSTANDING. AND THEN IF THEY COME BACK WITH ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, WE'LL JUST MAKE THE REVISIONS AGAIN. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN TURNER. NO, I JUST JUST WANTED TO KIND OF SAY THANK YOU TO STAFF, JUST JUST WORKING WITH US TO KIND OF ACCOMPLISH THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH. AND I JUST WANT TO JUST REMIND THE BODY OF COUNCIL WITH THIS BOND IS NOT OFFICIALLY DONE. WE HAVE THE OPTION TO, AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, MAKE SUGGESTIONS OR THINGS THAT WE MAY FEEL LIKE MAY BE MORE FEASIBLE. SO I JUST ENCOURAGE US TO BE VERY ACTIVE IN PARTICIPATING WHEN WE MEET ON THE BOND, BECAUSE IT'S LITERALLY GOING TO WE ONLY HAVE TWO MORE OPTIONS BEFORE WE HAVE TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION. SO JUST REALLY WANT YOU GUYS TO BE OPEN AND OPTIMISTIC TO THAT BECAUSE THE TIME IS APPROACHING QUICK, SWIFTLY AND FOR CLARITY, THE AUGUST 5TH MEETING, WE'RE NOT DISCUSSING IT. THE AUGUST 12TH MEETING. WE ARE. AND WITH THAT, WE WON'T HAVE ANOTHER MEETING IF WE GET CLEAR DIRECTION ON THE 12TH. SO IT'LL JUST BE THAT ONE MEETING. IF WE GET RESOLUTION CORRECT ON THE 12TH, YOU'LL BE CONSIDERING SETTING UP THE PROPOSALS. PROJECTS ALSO CALLING AN ELECTION, RIGHT. SO YOU WILL ALSO BE AN AGENDA ITEM TO CONSIDER THAT IF YOU DECIDE TO DO SO. AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A AFTER THE 12TH. IF YOU DON'T DECIDE SOMETHING, WE WILL HAVE SOME TIME IN THERE TO CALL A SPECIAL ELECTION IF NEEDED BETWEEN THE 12TH AND THE 18TH. SPECIAL. SPECIAL MEETING. WHAT DID I SAY? CHRIS? OH, SPECIAL MEETING. THANK YOU SIR. YOU'RE WELCOME SIR. YEAH. MY SECOND COMMENT AND ALSO ON AUGUST 12TH, IF A PROJECT WANTS TO BE MOVED FROM ONE PARTICULAR AREA TO ANOTHER PARTICULAR AREA, IF THAT POSSIBLE, THAT WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AS WELL OR OPTIONS AS FAR AS PLACEMENT OF A PROJECT, AS MR. BARTON SAID, YOU CAN DO AS YOU CHOOSE, AS A COUNCIL, AS A BOARD, YOU CAN STRUCTURE THIS ANY WAY YOU WANT TO AS YOU SEE FIT, AS A COUNCIL, YOU HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. CAN I ASK A CLARIFICATION? IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A BOND WORKSHOP? WOULD ANYTHING PREVENT US FROM DOING THAT? NO, WE DON'T VOTE ON THE BOND. I GUESS WE WOULDN'T VOTE THERE, BUT WE COULD OPENLY DISCUSS LIKE WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND A PATH FORWARD. THAT WAY THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE CLARIFICATION MOVING INTO THE 12TH. WHEN WE DO VOTE, IF WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE INPUT AND DO ALL THAT, YOU COULD DO THAT AT THE 12TH. THERE'S NOTHING THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM DISCUSSING A POSTED ITEM OPENLY. DID SOMEONE TELL ME THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE ON THE FIFTH? YEAH, WE GOT TWO COUNCIL PEOPLE, OKAY, SO WE WON'T. THAT'S WHY I WAS PROPOSING A WORKSHOP THAT WOULD BE SEPARATE FROM A COUNCIL MEETING. THAT COULD BE ANY TIME BETWEEN NOW AND THE 12TH. THAT WOULD FIT EVERYONE'S SCHEDULE. I THINK THE PROBLEM WOULD BE NEXT WEEK. WE'VE GOT TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS OUT, SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET IT LATER THIS WEEK. AND WE'RE MOVING INTO TUESDAY OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO WE WOULD HAVE A WORKSHOP ON THE MONDAY BEFORE OUR COUNCIL MEETING ON TUESDAY. PERFECT. CAN WE DO THAT? IF THE COUNCIL WISHES. SO WE'LL WORK ON SCHEDULING ONE. 
          I'M JUST THINKING THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE WITH A LOT TO DISCUSS. AND WELL, THAT 12TH MEETING, THIS WILL BE IT. IT'S A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING THAT WILL JUST BE ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES. YES. 
          THE ONLY ISSUE ITEM. SO I THANK COUNCIL MEMBER CRENSHAW SAYING HE WANTS SOME DISCUSSION BEFORE 
          [03:00:06]
HE HAS TO VOTE THAT DAY. MAYBE PRIOR MEETING. I WOULD AND I AGREE WITH THE DISCUSSION. I'M JUST THINKING ONE DAY OR THAT DAY WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET BE ABLE TO GET A WHOLE LOT OF ADDITIONAL. BUT IF THERE'S A CONSENSUS FOR A WORKSHOP THE DAY BEFORE ON MONDAY, WELL, I'M OKAY WITH IT BECAUSE WE'RE PUSHING UP ON THAT TIMELINE PRETTY QUICKLY. YEAH, I'LL HAVE TO MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE. WHAT'S THAT DATE BEFORE THAT'S THE 11TH? OH, THE 11TH BEFORE THE. I'M. I WON'T I MAY I'LL IF I CAN GET A FLIGHT BACK THE DAY BEFORE I'M GOING TO BE GONE. BUT IF NOT, COUNCILMAN, THE MAYOR PRO TEM COULD LEAD THAT. AND I MAY BE ABLE TO GET A FLIGHT TODAY BEFORE. WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON THAT DAY. SO, MAYOR, JUST. MAYOR REMINDED ME THAT WE HAVE A HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING HERE IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS THAT'S BEEN SCHEDULED FOR THREE 3330 ON THE 11TH WORKSHOP. LIKE AT ONE, WE COULD COULD WE JUST POLL THE COUNCIL ON WHEN YOU'RE AVAILABLE AND TRY TO GET SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL CAN BE THERE? YEAH. NOBODY. Y'ALL ARE BOTH OUT. MAYBE NOT EVEN THAT DAY. OKAY, OKAY. KATHY WILL BE CONTACTING YOU WITH YOUR AVAILABILITY. OKAY. WE'LL GET IT. WE'LL GET IT FROM THAT WAY TO MAKE SURE. AND I CAN WORK ON MOVING MY FLIGHT A DAY EARLY, SO. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS. NO COMMENT. COUNCIL MEMBER SHERWOOD, I'D LIKE TO THANK STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE ON THE BOND AND ALL THE THINGS, BECAUSE ALL THINGS BOND HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT. WELL, CHALLENGING OPPORTUNITIES. NEVERTHELESS, I WORK WITH YOUTH THAT HAVE BEEN TRAFFICKED AND TRAFFICKING IS A HUGE, TERRIBLE, TRAUMATIC, LONG LASTING EFFECT. 
          SO I AM PRAYING FOR ALL THE VICTIMS THAT HAVE BEEN TRAFFICKED, AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. AND AS FAR AS YOUTH TRAFFICKING IS, IS, IS CONCERNED, THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. AUGUST 13TH IS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. I'M PRAYING FOR ALL THE TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND STAFF BECAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL ARE GOING TO NEED IT. GOD BLESS YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR OTHER BODY PARTS. HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE HURRICANE READY. AND REMEMBER, INSURANCE IS MONEY WHEN IT MATTERS MOST. REMEMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE CHECKING YOUR POLICIES AND THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS READY AND PREPARED. IT WAS A LOVELY DAY IN BEAUMONT TODAY, AND I'M HAPPY TO BE WORKING ON BEHALF OF YOU. THANK YOU ALL. 
          THANK YOU. COUNCIL WOMAN. SHERWOOD. COUNCILMAN CRENSHAW. HARD TO FOLLOW THAT UP, BUT I MY BIGGEST CONCERN WAS THE REQUEST FOR THE WORKSHOP. SO I DO APPRECIATE MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS BEING WILLING TO ENTERTAIN THAT. AND I. I WITH THAT SAID, THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE READY TO GO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. NO COMMENT. SORRY I'M BETWEEN Y'ALL AND DINNER, BUT I DID WANT TO POINT OUT WITH TEX DOT'S REFRESHED SPIRIT OF COOPERATION, WE THEY HAVE ASKED US TO ATTEND A MEETING TOMORROW, LATE TOMORROW AFTERNOON. MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT IS GOING TO HAVE INTRODUCTIONS AMONGST CITY AND KEY TEX DOT STAFF, AS WELL AS DISCUSSING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT HE ALLUDED TO ON THE I-10 PROJECT. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MOVEMENT ON THAT. YOU'LL SEE THAT ON THE NEXT COUNCIL AGENDA. SO I HOPE THAT WE HAVE A SHORT AND SWEET AND PRODUCTIVE MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NO COMMENT. MR. CITY MANAGER. 
          JUST A REMINDER, AT 9 A.M. TOMORROW MORNING, WE'LL BE HAVING A BUDGET WORKSHOP. WE ANTICIPATED GOING FROM 9:09 A.M. TO 1 P.M. ALL RIGHT. AND COUNCILMAN DARIO ALWAYS HAS THE LAST SAY SO. THAT MEETING WITH TEXDOT TOMORROW, IT'S NOT A POSTED MEETING, SO WE CAN'T HAVE FOUR PEOPLE THERE, CORRECT? CORRECT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. AND WITH THAT, TOMORROW IS OUR POLO DAY. CITY POLO DAY FOR COUNCIL. IF YOU HAVE THAT AVAILABLE. SO THAT IT WOULD BE A BIT MORE CASUAL SINCE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BUDGET HEARING. AND
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.