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BEFORE BEING PRESENT,[A. REGULAR SESSION]
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE SO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.HERE'S MY CALL TO ORDER AT 6:05 PM ON, I'M SORRY, YOU RIGHT, UH, ON THE, UH, ON THE 11TH OF, UH, JANUARY 23, 4.
UH, WE DO ALSO HAVE A QUORUM OF THE DESOTO CITY COUNCIL, AND WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER AT 6:05 PM MELBA, YOU'RE TAKING NOTES FOR ALICIA, CORRECT? YES.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PERT PARKER.
COUNCIL MEMBER NICOLE RAPHAEL.
COUNCIL MEMBER DYNA MARKS HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER CRYSTAL CHISHOLM HERE.
AND WE'LL ASK MELVA TO DO A ROLL CALL FOR THE DC, PLEASE.
SETTLE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
ROLL CALL PRESIDENT MICHAEL BALDWIN HERE, VICE PRESIDENT LATASHA HERBROOK.
SECRETARY TREASURER FELICIA PEARSON.
ERIC PRICE, DIRECTOR OF KEILA WALLACE.
UM, AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INVOCATION FROM DIRECTOR JONES.
SIR LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME THAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND TOGETHER THIS EVENING.
WE ASK FOR THE GUIDANCE AND THE DIRECTION TO LEAD OUR GREAT CITY.
USE US IN A WAY YOU NEVER USED US BEFORE.
GOD, US IN A WAY YOU'VE NEVER GOT US BEFORE.
UM, FIRST LET ME, UH, LET ME APOLOGIZE FOR OUR DELAY, IF YOU WILL.
UM, BUT I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, UM, FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, FOR BEING HERE FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND GRANTING US THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, UNDER OUR, UH, REGULAR AGENDA.
I'M GOING TO, UH, ASK TO TAKE THE
[B.3. Alignment and Forward Planning Discussion - Joint meeting of the DeSoto City Council and DeSoto Development Corporation Board of Directors]
LIBERTY OF JUMPING DOWN, UH, TO THE ITEM NUMBER THREE IN OUR NEW BUSINESS OF ALIGNMENT.AND FOUR, PLANNING, DISCUSSION, UH, JOINT MEETING OF THE DESOTO CITY COUNCIL AND DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND AS SUCH, YOU KNOW, I, UM, I'M REALLY, REALLY HONORED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ALL JOIN.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS THE FIRST SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD.
AND IT'S VERY EXCITING BECAUSE IT'S SO ENCOURAGING ABOUT THE COMMONALITY THAT WE HAD THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE FOR OUR CITY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN HONESTLY SAY IS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THAT MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE US REGULARLY COLLABORATE WITH DEVELOPMENT DECISION MAKERS TO MOVE FORWARD, FOCUS, UH, FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, IF YOU WILL.
AND SO WE WANTED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR, UH, THE CONSIDERATION OF JOINING TONIGHT AND WE HAVE BEEN ASKING TO BE, AND WHY.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT, BECAUSE WE THINK WE HAVE A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT THAT IS STANDING BEFORE US THAT'S, UH, SO BENEFICIAL FOR OUR CITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU.
UM, THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY WINS THAT WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE AS A CITY, FRANKLY SPEAKING.
UM, AND I'LL JUST SAY THAT THOSE WINS COME FROM THE CONTINUITY AND COLLABORATION OF, OF US, UH, BEING SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT, UH, THE COUNCIL WANTS US TO, TO ACHIEVE, TO SERVE UP, IF YOU WILL, AND WORK, UH, UH, IN A COHESIVE MANNER.
THE WINS, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE.
SO FROM A RETAIL STANDPOINT, MOST RECENTLY WE GOT A, OUR FITNESS CENTER AT, UH, HAMPTON ROAD AND, UH, NOT HAMPTON, AT, UM, COCKER HILL AND BELTLINE, UH, YOU GOT DUTCH BROTHERS COFFEE, YOU GOT CHICK-FIL-A YOU GOT STARBUCKS.
THAT'S UNDER, UM, DEVELOPMENT RIGHT NOW.
YOU GOT, UM, TEXAS HEALTH RESOURCES.
UM, YOU GOT THE HOSPITALITY AREA OF LATA, HAWTHORNE HOTEL INTERSTATE BATTERIES, UH, UH, UH, ON TRACK.
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WIRE, UH, UH, DO EXPANSION TO 2 65, UH, UH, THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.YOU GOT WORKFORCE, YOU GOT ESPORT, JUST TO NAME A FEW.
IF WE ARE TO BE COMMENDED, AND WE SHOULD FEEL VERY, VERY HONORED AND EXCITED ABOUT THOSE WINS.
BUT THERE'S A, HOWEVER, AND I LOOK AT HOWEVER, BEING, UH, A BIG WORD BECAUSE HOWEVER, DESPITE THOSE WINS, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT WE HAVE SOME GAPS.
AND WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE GO FORWARD IN OUR COLLABORATIVE NATURE.
AND I WANNA SET THE TONE THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT BIG EYES AND LITTLE U THIS IS NOT ABOUT POINTING FINGERS, BECAUSE WHEN I WAS TAUGHT, IF YOU POINT A FINGER, THEY'RE THREE POINTING BACK AT YOU.
SO THIS IS NOT ABOUT, BUT THIS IS ABOUT A CITY THAT'S, UH, MANIFESTING AN OPPORTUNITY THAT'S BIGGER THAN WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, THAT WE'RE HITTING SOMEWHERE, AND WE CAN PUT THAT INTO PLAY.
BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE CLOSE SOME OF THE GAPS.
SO TO THAT POINT, I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, THAT THOSE GAPS EXIST BETWEEN, UH, RESPECTFULLY, UH, THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT, CORPORATION PLANNING AND ZONING.
NOW, THAT'S NOT A NEGATIVE, IT'S JUST A REALITY OF WHAT WE'RE FACED WITH AND HOW DO WE START IDENTIFYING OUR WAYS TO COLLAPSE, UH, ANY GAPS THAT WE MAY HAVE OR BRIDGE THE GAPS TO VIEW OF.
THAT SAID, UM, THERE WAS A CONVERSATION THAT WAS, UH, HELD AN EXPECTATION, A VISION THAT, UH, OUR MAYOR, MAYOR PROCTOR HAS, THAT SHE'S SHARED WITH BOTH, UH, UH, DIRECTOR JONES AND MYSELF, THAT, UM, RAISES THE BAR FOR ALL OF US.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO COLLECTIVELY RAISE THE BAR.
AND RAISING THAT BAR IS AN EXPECTATION TO CREATE THAT BRIDGE THROUGH A QUARTERLY MEETING.
AND THAT QUARTERLY MEETING COULD BE QUARTERLY, IT COULD BE, UH, BIMONTHLY, BUT, BUT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT QUARTERLY.
AND WHY IS THAT SIGNIFICANT? IT'S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US TO ALL GO ON THE SAME PLAYING FIELD AS WE CONTINUE OUR NEXT PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT SO THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT, UH, THE DDC, UH, IS ASKING AND, AND, AND THAT WE'RE WANTING TO IDENTIFY SOME EXPECTATIONS THAT WE THINK MAKES SENSE FOR ALL OF US.
AND THAT'S ONE OF SHARED VISION.
WHAT'S OUR SHARED VISION? UM, WHAT IS IT? UM, HOW DO WE GET THERE? HOW DO WE BETTER COLLABORATE? AND WHAT ARE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS, WHICH ARE TWO-WAY STREET BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL AND DDC BOARD AND THE UNIFIED VISION OF TARGETS AND OUR APPROACH? BECAUSE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE, YOU CAN WRITE THE GREATEST NOVEL OR THE GREATEST BOOK, IF YOU WILL, BUT IF YOU DON'T MARKET IT PROPERLY, IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T MOVE.
SO HOW DO WE TAKE AND IDENTIFY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE, UH, AS A CITY? UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A MUTUAL ALIGNMENT, CONNECTING OUR SPECTRUM BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, SOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, CITY STAFF, AND ULTIMATELY OUR COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
YOU GUYS HAVE EMPOWERED US TO BE, BE ON THIS BOARD TO HELP BE SUPPORTIVE, TO HELP BE AN EXTRA SET OF EARS, EYES, AND, AND, UH, AND, AND MINDSETS TO BROADEN OUR CITY TO HELP BROADEN WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
AND I GO BACK TO MY BEGINNING WHERE I SAID THAT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE US UH, REGULARLY COLLABORATE WITH DEVELOPMENT DECISION MAKERS TO MOVE FORWARD, FOCUS DEVELOPMENTS AND, AND, AND PROJECTS, IF YOU WILL.
SO THAT SAID, SOME OF THE SHORT TERM OPPORTUNITIES WE'RE GONNA WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
WHAT IS THE INPUT? UH, WHAT'S OUR ROUTING PROCESS? HOW DO WE START ROUTING SO THAT WE, THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF US IN THE ROOM UNDER THE SOUND OF OUR VOICE AND DIFFERENT OPINIONS AND DIFFERENT OBSERVATIONS, WHATEVER.
SO WE WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU GUYS.
'CAUSE THIS GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THIS IS REALLY, REALLY ALL ABOUT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING TO TALK ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE, UH, OCCURRED THUS FAR, UH, AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN GOING FORWARD FROM OUR VIEWPOINT COLLECTIVELY.
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TO KIND OF OPEN THIS UP.AND, UM, MATT, I KNOW THAT, UH, YOU AND THE TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, DILIGENTLY ON A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT, UH, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH, UM, AS IT RELATES TO WORKING IT COLLABORATIVELY.
I WANNA SAY OUR LIAISON COUNCIL MEMBER BIRD HAS BEEN IN OUR MEETINGS AND WE'VE SHARED, UH, FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT WE WANT THIS TO HAPPEN.
SO LET ME THANK YOU ALL AGAIN AND DIDN'T WANT TO BE SO EXHAUSTIVE, BUT WANTED YOU TO GET A FULL FLAVOR OF WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
SO, AND WE WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE BETTER ASSIST IN LEVELING WHAT YOU GUYS ARE FACED WITH AS A COUNCIL.
I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU LIVE IN A CITY THAT PEOPLE ONLY COME TO YOUR MEETINGS WHEN, WHEN, WHEN IT'S ON FIRE.
AND WE THINK THAT WE HAVE SO MANY GOOD THINGS THAT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY OF MINNESOTA.
SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS, AND SOMETIMES SO MANY GOOD THINGS THAT THEY SAY THEY WANTED, THAT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY'RE GETTING.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BE CLEAR IN THE WAY IN WHICH WE LET THEM KNOW THAT WE ARE, YOU ALL ARE LISTENING.
YOU ALL ARE LISTENING VERY MUCH SO, YOU ALL ARE VERY, VERY BRIGHT, VERY, VERY BRIGHT AND INTELLIGENT BOARD AND COUNCIL.
AND I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT PEOPLE REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
AND I THINK THAT WE CAN HELP BRIDGE, OR WE'D LIKE TO BRIDGE THE CONVERSATION TO HELP YOU ALL FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT AND FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT TO REALLY GIVE YOU COVER AS IT RELATES TO BUSINESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT OUR, THIS REAL ALIGNMENT IS ABOUT HOW WE BETTER ASSIST YOU ALL AND HOW WE BETTER COMMUNICATE THE VERY THINGS THAT YOU GUYS ARE VOTING ON THAT FROM A FIVE YEAR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE'RE GOING FORWARD, WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE ALIGNMENTS, THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS ALL ABOUT, REALLY.
AND, AND TO THAT POINT, UM, ALL OF US THAT ARE SITTING HERE, WE WANT TO CREATE A LEGACY COLLABORATIVE LEGACY.
A LEGACY IS NOT ABOUT US IN THIS ROOM, IT'S ABOUT OUR KIDS KIDS.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE CITY GOING FORWARD.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH OUR, OUR ISD AND PEOPLE WANTING TO MIGRATE HERE.
AND THE DEVELOPMENT FROM THE STANDPOINT OF SOCIOECONOMIC GROWTH AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
THAT'S THE LEGACY THAT WE THINK COLLABORATING ON THIS, UH, WOULD ALLOW US TO ACHIEVE.
WERE YOU FINISHED? WERE YOU YES, MA'AM.
IS THERE ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBER THAT FROM THE DDC THAT WOULD LIKE TO SHARE INSIGHT? OKAY.
SO I'M JUST TAKING NOTES, UM, AND LISTENING.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, WE HAVE HAD SOME PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS, AND I'VE EVEN MENTIONED IT, I BELIEVE, TO A FEW OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, SPECIFICALLY OUR LIAISONS, UM, TO BOTH THE P AND Z AND TO THE DDC CONVERSATION.
AND I BELIEVE FROM A, FROM A BROADER STANDPOINT, I THINK SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU POSED TO US REALLY DESERVE MORE TIME THAN WE HAVE TONIGHT, I'M SURE TO BE ABLE TO ELABORATE ON.
BUT IF I, I BELIEVE I CAN SIMPLIFY IT, UM, IN TERMS OF ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION AS FAR AS WHAT THE SHARED VISION IS, AND I THINK SIMPLY PUT, THAT'S OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ALL AGREED UPON THE COMMUNITY HAS AGREED UPON, UM, IN TERMS OF THE VISION AND THE WAY THAT THEY WANNA SEE THEIR COMMUNITY LOOK AND MOVE AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AS, AS YOU MENTIONED, MR. BALDWIN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I MENTIONED AND, AND IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LOT, AND WE'VE, AND, YOU KNOW, FOR YEARS WE'VE UNDERSTOOD THE NEED FOR BETTER ALIGNMENT BETWEEN SPECIFICALLY THE COUNCIL AND THE PLANNING AND ZONING, CONSIDERING THE BODY OF WORK THAT ALL OF OUR BOARDS DO.
AND SO I DEFINITELY AM, AND I THINK THE COUNCIL STANDS WITH ME ON THAT IN TERMS OF ALIGNMENT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I PROPOSED TO KIND OF GET US STARTED, UM, IN THE TERMS OF GETTING A, WE DON'T WANT TO TRY TO DO, YOU KNOW, BIWEEKLY MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, BY JUMPING WAY OUT THERE.
BUT I THINK IF WE CAN, IF WE LOOK AT STARTING MAYBE WITH QUARTERLY MEETINGS OF THE CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR OF EACH OF THESE RESPECTIVE BOARDS, MAYOR, MAYOR PROTE, AS WELL AS THE LIAISONS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE LOOP OF WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THESE BOARDS TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, UM, I THINK ONE OF THOSE, THAT'S HOW WE CAN KIND OF EASE INTO CREATING, UM, MORE BROAD, MORE BROAD MEETINGS IN TERMS OF THE, THE RES, THE RESPECTIVE BODIES ALL COMING TOGETHER AT ONE TIME.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I PROPOSED TO ACTUALLY GET US STARTED.
ONE OF THE REASONS BEING IS TO ELIMINATE, INITIALLY HAVING QUORUM ISSUES, UM, GETTING ALL OF THESE BODIES.
'CAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF FOLKS YOU'RE HAVING TO ACCOUNT FOR INITIALLY.
AND SO HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THEN TAKING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO OUR RESPECTIVE BOARDS, I THINK CAN AT LEAST START TO SPARK THE CONVERSATIONS, UM, IN TERMS OF HOW WE
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CAN BETTER ALIGN.AND AS YOU MENTIONED, MR. JONES BEING ABLE TO, UM, SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER IN THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND LIKE YOU SAID, KIND OF CREATE AND START TELLING THE STORY, UM, TO, TO OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.
BECAUSE LIKE YOU MENTIONED, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AND I THINK THAT THE, THE, A GREAT MAJORITY OF THE COMMUNITY HAS NO IDEA ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE ACTUALLY COMING THEIR WAY.
AND SO I AGREE THAT THERE IS DEFINITELY A NEED FOR THAT.
HOWEVER, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL WITH CREATING MEETINGS TECHNICALLY THAT ARE NOT ALREADY HAPPENING.
SO AS YOU WERE TALKING, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL DOES BI-ANNUALLY, IS WE HAVE RETREATS.
SO WE HAVE ONE IN THE WINTER, WE ALSO HAVE ONE IN THE SUMMERTIME.
OUR WINTER RETREAT IS COMING UP ON JANUARY, IS THAT JANUARY 26TH.
AND WE'RE HAVING A ONE DAY RETREAT AS A PART OF EACH OF THESE RETREATS.
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF EVERY RETREAT.
SO WE GO OVER THAT EITHER WITH OUR CONSULTANT AND WITH STAFF TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE, WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED, CHECK THOSE THINGS OFF, AND THEN LOOKING AT WHAT WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE WITHIN THAT STRATEGIC PLAN.
I HONESTLY BELIEVE IT MAY BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE THE BOARD'S, PNZ AS WELL AS E THE DD, C, TO COME TO THAT RETREAT AND BE A PART OF THAT PARTICULAR PART OF THE SESSION SINCE WE'LL ALREADY BE DISCUSSING IT AND THERE WOULDN'T BE A NEED TO TRY TO CREATE ANOTHER MEETING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALREADY GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT.
SO WE'RE NOT HAVING TO DUPLICATE CONVERSATIONS.
AND I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE FOR CONSIDERATION TO YOU ALL SINCE THAT WAS KIND OF WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CREATING A SHARED VISION, HOW TO BE ABLE TO ENLIGHTEN YOU ALL BETTER ON WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHERE WE ARE WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
I WOULD INVITE YOU ALL AND COUNSEL, LIKE, IF, IF I'M OUT OF ORDER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THAT, IF THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
BUT I THINK IF THEY, YOU KNOW, AND IT IS A, IT IS A DAYTIME RETREAT, SO, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IN MIND SOME MAY HAVE TO WORK HOWEVER, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO POST IT THAT THERE MAY BE A QUO OF THESE BOARDS, BUT INVITE YOU ALL TO BE A PART OF THAT DISCUSSION SINCE IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING.
AND WE'LL HAVE OUR CONSULTANT THERE TO WALK US THROUGH THAT.
AND THEN AGAIN, THAT CAN KIND OF HELP YOU ALL GET IN THE LOOP OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT, UM, THAT I, UM, THAT I WAS KIND OF JUST THINKING HERE IN TERMS OF THAT.
BUT GOING BACK TO KIND OF HAVING THEIR QUARTERLY MEETING WITH THE CHAIRS OF THE BOARDS AND THE LIAISONS OF THE BOARD AND MYSELF AND MAYOR PRO TEM, UM, CREATING THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT, UM, AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE HAMPTON ROAD PROJECT.
I THINK WHERE WE ALL INTERSECT IS HAMPTON ROAD REDEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR BOARDS ARE WORKING ON IN TERMS OF WHAT'S REALLY DEEPLY EMBEDDED INTO ALL OUR BODIES OF WORK.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO DO IN TERMS OF A PROJECT OR A FIELD TRIP TO, AGAIN, HELP US ALL GET A BETTER, UM, JUST A BETTER FEEL FOR WHAT WE REALLY WANT AND, UM, HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY TO VOICE THEIR DESIRES, IS TO HAVE THAT GROUP THAT'S MEETING QUARTERLY, UM, START THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR KIND OF A VISION BUS TOUR, MEANING GOING OUT, GETTING ALL OF OUR BOARDS TOGETHER, HAVING STAKEHOLDERS, DEVELOPERS, UM, ELECTED OFFICIALS, OUR STATE REPS, ANYBODY THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH, UM, THE REDEVELOPMENT HAPPENING HERE IN THE CITY, AND TAKING A TOUR OF SOME PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL, TALKING WITH THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOLKS, SEEING HOW THEY WERE FUNDED, SEEING HOW THEY MADE THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, AND GETTING THOSE IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES FROM OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE ALREADY HAVE A PROVEN MODEL.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO COME TOGETHER, GET ON THE CHARTER BUS OR HOW WE WANNA DO IT, AND, YOU KNOW, GO TO SOME OF THESE CITIES THAT HAVE THAT AND HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN BRING BACK THAT MAY WORK FOR OUR PARTICULAR COMMUNITY.
AND SO THOSE WERE TWO THINGS THAT CAN KIND OF GIVE US MAYBE A, A JOINT PROJECT TO ACTUALLY WORK ON.
AND, AND AGAIN, KIND OF AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REALLY START CONNECTING SOME DOTS ON WHAT WE REALLY WANNA SEE AND CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE DISCUSSIONS TO HAPPEN.
AND SO THOSE ARE MY TWO THINGS.
UM, THANK YOU THERE YOU HAVE SO, AND APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK AND FULLY, FULLY ALIGN WITH ALL THAT YOU JUST SHARED.
I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK AT BENCHMARKING, TO YOUR POINT, AND, AND LOOKING AT THE BEST PRACTICES, UM, THEIR TIMELINES, EXCUSE ME, IN, IN TAKING A LOOK AT THOSE TYPE OF, OF, OF, UH, INITIATIVES, LET, LET ME SAY THAT, UH, LET ME RECOMMEND THAT WE THINK ABOUT THE PARALLEL PATHS BECAUSE AS WE'RE MA AS WE'RE MEETING DOING RETREATS SEMI-ANNUALLY, IF YOU WILL, AS WE'RE DOING RETREATS, WELL, THERE MAY BE, THERE ARE DECISIONS THAT FROM TIME TO TIME ARE NEEDING TO BE MADE.
AND AS THEY'RE NEEDING TO BE MADE, HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT THAT PARALLEL PATH THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING IN THOSE TWO? BECAUSE IT MAY BE OUTSIDE OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, IT MAY BE ALIGNED WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT THE TIMING.
AND SO, AND I'LL TAKE ONE FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THAT WE'RE REALLY KIND OF FACED WITH NOW, AND THAT'S LIKE OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW.
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WE'RE MAKING SOME DECISIONS AND IT, IT IS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC AND WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS.AND YET A PART OF IT DOESN'T HAVE LIKE SMART CITIES.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'D HAVE TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE ABOUT TO DROP SOMETHING OUT HERE THAT OUR SMART CITIES COMPONENT COULD HINDER SOME THINGS WE WANT TO DO COLLECTIVELY.
SO THOSE TYPE OF OBSERVATIONS, HOW, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE CREATE, AVOID THOSE TYPE OF THINGS? HOW DO WE CREATE A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL, UH, FOR THAT? AND I THINK, I THINK THAT DESERVES A LOT OF THOUGHT BECAUSE LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THERE'S GONNA BE TIMES IN BETWEEN THOSE ALREADY SCHEDULED MEETINGS THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, COMMENTS LIKE THAT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I ACTUALLY DID HAVE IT ON HERE, AND I WAS GONNA MENTION IT WITH MY PREVIOUS COMMENTS, BUT I JUST, SO YOU, YOU SPARKED THE THOUGHT.
UM, WE TALKED THE OTHER NIGHT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND THERE WILL, THERE WILL BE, UH, WHAT WILL BE AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ON TRACK AND ON PAR WITH THIS, WITH CARRYING OUT WHATEVER'S IN THAT STRATEGIC PLAN.
I WAS TOLD THAT THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WOULD BE COMPRISED OF OUR PLANNING AND ZONING, UM, BOARD.
I BELIEVE THAT OVERSEEING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS MORE THAN A NOTION, UH, WITH THE WORK THAT THEY ALREADY DO.
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE MEETINGS JUST AS OFTEN AS THE CITY COUNCIL DOES.
SO THEY HAVE QUITE A BIT OF THINGS ON THEIR PLATE.
AND I JUST BELIEVE IF WE COULD GET SOME OTHER SETS OF EYES, SO MAYBE IF WE COULD LOOK AT HOW THAT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SHOULD ACTUALLY BE COMPRISED, LIKE WHO SHOULD BE ON THAT BOARD OTHER THAN PLAN, I THINK PLANNING AND ZONING, I THINK I AGREE WITH THAT, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THERE MAY NEED TO BE SOME OTHER VOICES, UH, FROM SOME OF OUR OTHER BOARDS, LIKE YOU MENTIONED.
THOSE, AGAIN, DID, THESE ARE JUST GREAT OBSERVATIONS.
BUT IF, AGAIN, JUST KIND OF CREATING SOME OPPORTUNITIES WITH THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY MOVING FORWARD, SO WE'RE NOT HAVING TO REINVENT AND CREATE THIS GROUP AND CREATE THAT GROUP.
BUT SINCE WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT CREATING AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE AND HAVE TO HAVE ONE MM-HMM,
'CAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE AN ONGOING, ONGOING SCENARIO THAT WE'LL FACE FROM TIME TO TIME.
SO I THINK THAT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, ONCE THAT'S FORMED, EVERYTHING THAT IS RELATIVE TO IT, WE'LL RUN THROUGH THAT.
SO THAT'LL KIND OF MITIGATE SOME OF SOME OF THAT.
UM, A ANOTHER ONE, JUST, JUST A HIGHLIGHT IS LIKE A, A CHARACTER BASED CODE.
YOU KNOW, AS, AS I MOVE AROUND AND NOTICE AND, AND I'M QUITE SURE WE ALL DO, AS THERE'S DEVELOPMENT THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE ARE CODES, UM, THAT SHOULD BE ADHERED TO THAT KIND OF STABILIZE OUR IMPRESSION OF OUR CITY.
THAT ANYONE CAN'T JUST COME AND SAY, WELL, I'M GONNA BUILD THIS AND WE ACCEPT IT.
RIGHT? WE, WE START SETTING THE STANDARDS OF THIS HAS CHANGED BECAUSE AS WE DO THE HAMPTON ROAD PROJECT, THAT THAT GENERATES CHANGE THAT NEEDS TO PERMEATE.
AND I THINK THIS WHOLE, UM, UH, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE COULD, COULD, UH, APPEAL TO THAT.
UM, UH, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, AND TO YOUR POINT, UH, MADAM MAYOR, WE ARE NOT TRYING TO ASK FOR ANY ANSWERS TONIGHT.
WE'RE JUST WANTING TO JUST GIVE A HIGH LEVEL VIEW OF WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT IN THE CONVERSATIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING.
THIS IS WHAT I, WHEN BOBBLEHEAD IS, WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN MEETINGS AND START DOING THIS, WE ALL KNOW THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME FACE.
I'VE SEEN SO MANY BOBBLEHEADS TODAY.
AND, UM, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE REMISS AND NOT OPEN THIS UP TO OTHER THOUGHTS BECAUSE I ALWAYS SAY THAT IN THE MEETING, THERE ARE THOUGHTS AND THERE ARE MEETINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND SO PLEASE SHARE ANY THOUGHTS THAT YOU MAY, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE, BUT AT LEAST LET US NOTATE SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN ALL BE TALKING ABOUT GOING FORWARD.
I, I FIRST WANNA SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN.
UM, AND THE, THIS DDC HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME REALLY THOUGHTFULLY AND INTENTIONALLY THINKING ABOUT OUR ROLE IN MAKING, UM, DESOTO, UM, A A FANTASTIC PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND DO BUSINESS.
AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE, UM, RETREAT THAT YOU ALL ARE HAVING, I THINK THAT'S A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY.
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WHAT I'M HOPING IS BECAUSE MATT, WE'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME PUTTING TOGETHER A PLAN THAT I'M NOT SURE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE.AND SO I'M WONDERING DURING THAT STRATEGIC, DURING THAT RETREAT, COULD WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THAT PLAN WITH YOU ALL? 'CAUSE AS WE TALK ABOUT ALIGNMENT, ONE OF THE THINGS IS WE DON'T WANNA WORK IN SILOS.
WE WANNA BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE GOALS THAT WE'VE SET FORTH AS A DVC MM-HMM.
AND I THINK, UM, IT'D BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF THOSE THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT THAT STRATEGIC PLAN IS.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TIMING IS.
I KNOW THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL COVER WAY MORE THAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT, UM, IF WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT, I THINK THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC TO BRING WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED TO SHARE WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, AND I LISTENED TO THE MAYOR'S IDEAS AND I THIS IDEA OF MEETING AT, AT THE COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL RETREATS MAKES A WORLD OF SENSE.
YOU GUYS TAKE ON AN AWFUL LOT AT THAT RETREAT ALREADY.
UH, YOU KNOW, MY CONCERN OBVIOUSLY IS THAT YOU, YOU'VE
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT OVERBURDENING THAT.
BUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN, AND IF WE'RE FIXING TO, TO GO INTO A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, AND I KNOW THAT'S PRINT, THAT'S FRONT AND CENTER AS OUR, AS WE GO INTO OUR RETREAT HERE IN A COUPLE WEEKS, UM, TENDS TO OPERATE AT A VERY DIFFERENT LEVEL, I THINK THAN THAN THE DDC BOARD DOES.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW THE STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDES OUR EFFORTS FROM A STAFF STANDPOINT, IT, THE, THE TWO ARE VERY DISCONNECTED.
I MEAN, THERE, THERE'S JUST THE, THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS SO MUCH BROADER THAT IF YOU LOOK AT JUST THE NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT INVOLVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE'RE, WE'RE A VERY SMALL PORTION OF THAT.
UM, SO OUR TARGETS, OUR, OUR INDUSTRIES, OUR, UM, OPPORTUNITIES DON'T EVER RISE TO THE STRATEGIC PLANNING LEVEL.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE PIECE WHERE THEY DO GET DISCONNECTED.
BECAUSE AS WE ARE PROSECUTING THAT DAILY WORK, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, IF I LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT ARE ON OUR LIST THIS YEAR, OF THOSE 10 ITEMS YOU ALL WORKED TOGETHER AND IDENTIFIED, THERE ARE TWO OF THEM.
TWO OF THE 10 ARE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT NONE OF THEM AFFECT WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR DAILY LIVES.
IT DOESN'T AFFECT WHAT INDUSTRIES WE'RE TALKING TO.
IT DOESN'T TALK ABOUT THE PROGRAMS OF, OF WORK THAT WE'RE TAKING ON IT, IT DOESN'T TALK ABOUT THE MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
UM, AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T PROSECUTE THOSE PROJECTS WITHOUT THE JOINT, UH, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE COUNCIL, THE ZONE, THE, THE ZONING BOARD AND THE, AND THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A PLACE WHERE YOU GUYS HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE INTRODUCE IT.
'CAUSE I'M CERTAINLY SENSITIVE TO TRYING TO GET THOSE GROUP OF THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE ALTOGETHER AGAIN, YOU KNOW, EVEN FOUR TIMES A YEAR, 21 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM.
YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU GOT TWO THIRDS OF THOSE, THAT'D BE REALLY GREAT.
HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE FILTER THE STRATEGIC PLAN DOWN TO THE EFFORTS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY DRIVEN BY THE DEVELOPMENT DECISION MAKERS, PLANNING AND ZONING AND, AND, AND THE, UH, THE DDC IN PARTICULAR.
MADAM, I'M, AND I, I'M DOING A LOT OF TALKING COUNSEL, SO IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS, PLEASE.
CAN I SAY SOMETHING? UM, I BELIEVE THE LAST TIME THAT, UH, WHEN YOU GUYS REQUESTED A MEETING, IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE OUR SUMMER RETREAT.
WE DID GO BACK AND TALK TO THE CITY MANAGER THEN WE COULD NOT GET YOU ON THAT AGENDA.
BUT TO THAT POINT, I THINK THE RETREAT IS A GOOD TIME TO HAVE AT LEAST AN INTRODUCTION OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING JUST TO GET US, AND, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THE, THE MAYOR WAS ALLUDING TO.
UM, SO I, I GET, I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I THINK FOR, FOR START, I, I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG, BUT WE'VE NEVER HAD A MEETING OF THIS CALIBER, YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS A YEAR GREAT START.
AND MAYBE WE DON'T SOLVE, TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, MAYBE WE DON'T SOLVE ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS, BUT MAYBE AT THIS WINTER RETREAT, IF, IF THE AGENDA'S NOT ALREADY SET AGAIN, BECAUSE THAT, IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN I REPORTED BACK, I SAID IT WAS TOO LATE TO GET ON THE SUMMER RETREAT.
THAT, THAT MAY BE, AND WE TRIED TIRELESSLY TO GET A MEETING IN BETWEEN THAT AND THEN, AND WE FINALLY SETTLED ON TODAY'S, UH, DATE.
BUT I THINK THAT, UM, UH, ON THAT AGENDA, I THINK THAT WHAT
[00:30:01]
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A MORE, UM, UH, IS A MORE IN DEPTH DIVE INTO, BUT I I WHAT I HEAR THE, THE, UM, UM, I WANNA CALL YOU COMMISSIONER, BUT, UH, I'LL TAKE IT WHAT I HEAR THE, WHAT I HEAR THE, UH, DIRECTOR OF TRUSTEE ASKING FOR AN INTRODUCTION OF AN OVERALL, THIS IS WHAT WE PLAN ON DOING.AND, AND THAT MAYBE 30 MINUTES OR 15 MINUTES IN THAT.
WELL, 'CAUSE I AGREE WITH THE MAYOR.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO BOIL THE OCEAN RIGHT AT ONE TIME.
I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT HERE THAT, UH, UH, UH, DIRECTOR BALDWIN JUST WENT OVER.
BUT I DO THINK THAT STARTING THE CONVERSATION, UM, WILL HELP US KIND OF BUILD THAT ALIGNMENT.
AND TO THAT POINT, I THINK THAT WE, WE TALKED AT ONE TIME ABOUT THE PILLARS, THE STRATEGIC PILLARS.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND ONE OF OUR, AND SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE USED THAT TO BUILD YOUR PROGRAM, THIS WOULD BE KIND OF A RESPONSE TO THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE SET FOR, AND WE JUST WANT TO TELL YOU.
SO I, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, AND WE HAVE STARTED, UM, ALREADY OUTLINING OUR AGENDA, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT, UM, SET IN STONE JUST YET.
AND I, I DO BELIEVE, AND AGAIN, COUNSEL, PLEASE FEEL FREE IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T AGREE, UM, TO SHARE THAT.
BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE TIME.
IF IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S DOESN'T CURRENTLY LOOK LIKE IT CAN HAPPEN, I THINK WE NEED TO TRY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN TO BE ABLE TO ADD THAT TO OUR AGENDA, UM, TO GO AHEAD AND GET THE, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, JUST GET THESE CONVERSATIONS STARTED.
AND I THINK THAT THAT CAN EVEN BUILD A RAPPORT AMONGST THE GROUP.
UM, IN TERMS OF JUST CRE UM, BUILDING THEIR RELATIONSHIP.
Y'ALL KNOW, MY SLOGAN IS PROGRESS MOVES AT THE SPEED OF RELATIONSHIPS.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES WE TAKE FOR GRANTED, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR OUR OUR NEED TO FOSTER OUR RELATIONSHIPS MORE INTENTIONALLY.
SO I THINK, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN DEFINITELY TRY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND I CREATED SOME KIND OF ACTION ITEMS FOR US TO GO BACK.
WELL, I HAVE SOMETHING I WANTED TO ASK.
UH, JUST IN FACT, IF THEY CANNOT GET ONTO THE AGENDA FOR THE RETREAT, SINCE IT IS REALLY ONE DAY, UM, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON THERE.
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT IT CAN BE SHARED BEFOREHAND? A DOCUMENT? A DOCUMENT THAT THEY HAVE YEAH.
MEAN SHE SAID IT IS, THERE'S A DOCUMENT PRESENTATIONS.
AND IT MIGHT BE EVEN BETTER TO SHARE IT IN SO WE CAN COME PREPARED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
OPPORTUNITY TO COME PREPARED TO ASK US QUESTIONS.
SO I'M, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT IDEA TO BE ABLE TO SHARE IT BEFOREHAND.
NO, I, THERE'S NO REASON WE CAN'T DO THAT.
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SHE BEFOREHAND BUT STILL PUT YOU ON THE AGENDA? ARE YOU TALKING COUNCILWOMAN SHERRY BEFOREHAND AND NOT PUTTING THE AGENDA? WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING? SHE'S JUST SAYING DID NOT BE PUT ON THE AGENDA? WELL, BUT HERE'S THE THING.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS IS A MEETING, THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A NEED BACK IN THE SUMMER.
THE FACT THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IT REALLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE, THIS NEW RETREAT IS A LITTLE SURPRISING TO ME.
BUT IT'S JUST ME, YOU KNOW? 'CAUSE I THINK PLANNING, WHEN WE STARTED TALKING IN TERMS OF THE NEED TO ALIGN, THAT'LL NEED TO ALIGN DIDN'T HAPPEN IN JANUARY.
SO THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SOME, YOU KNOW, SO WITH THAT, I'M SAYING IF YOU SHARE THAT INFORMATION OUT, WE ALREADY HAVE IT.
AND WHEN YOU ARE PUT ONTO THE AGENDA, WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE COMING TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T.
I'M I'M, I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU, I'M A LITTLE BLINDSIDED 'CAUSE I'M, I'M NOT SURE WHY THEY HADN'T ALREADY BEEN PUT ON THE AGENDA, BUT THAT'S JUST ME.
IT'S NOT ABOUT LACK OF TRYING.
AND, AND, AND, AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER BUR JUST ALLUDED TO, WE, WE'VE TRIED.
SO WE JUST HAD TO SHARING OF THE INFORMATION THOUGH.
SO, SO LET ME, LET ME, I'M, LET ME KIND HELP IF I MAY.
RESPECTFULLY AS UH, UH, MADAM MAYOR SHARED AND I WAS SHARING THAT WHILE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE YOUR QUARTERING MEETINGS OR YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A RETREAT, THEY'RE GONNA BE THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE GONNA BE MORE EXPEDITIOUSLY CONCERNED.
AND THAT'S KIND OF TO THIS POINT, THE REASON WE'RE HERE NOW IS BECAUSE OF EXACTLY YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
WE'RE MONTHS AWAY, MONTHS AGO.
SO NOW WHAT DO WE GROW FROM HERE? RIGHT? IT IS PROBABLY, AND AND, AND I'M GOING TO TAKE YOUR PROGRESS MOVES AT THE SPEED OF RELATIONSHIPS.
WE JUST CREATED A, A SPEEDY RELATIONSHIP TONIGHT.
SO NOW WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? DID SHE SEND THAT? SHE ALWAYS, BUT WHAT REALLY CREATED THIS MOMENT IS THE COUNCIL ITSELF BY THE PEOPLE THEY ELECTED TO BE ON THE BOARDS.
YOU GUYS BROUGHT BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT, FORWARD THINKING INTELLECTUAL FOLK TO THE TABLE.
AND AS A CONSEQUENCE, WHAT YOU'RE GETTING OUT OF IT IS WANTING TO MEET, WANTING TO MOVE FORWARD, WANTING DIALOGUE.
[00:35:01]
NEVER DONE IT BEFORE IS JUST BECAUSE IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN PLACE, IN SOME CASES, AND I'M NOT SAYING FOR ALL RAFAEL'S PEOPLE, IEL, SHE, LIKE, I BEEN, I EVEN TALKING ABOUT DEFINITELY THANK, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN.UM, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR UH, EVEN HAVING A DESIRE TO WANNA MEET WITH US.
AND SO WHAT IT SAYS TO ME, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFORM OUR BOARDS IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAY OR A BETTER WAY IN HOW YOU CAN HAVE TWO-WAY CONVERSATIONS.
'CAUSE 'CAUSE THE OPPORTUNITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE, THE, UM, BOARD AND COMMISSIONS AD HOC COMMITTEE WAS THE DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVING A ANNUAL REPORT THAT COMES FORWARD TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
'CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE ELECTED.
YOU ALL ARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
YOU COMMUNITY MEMBERS NOW ON BOARD AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS, AND YOU HAVE IDEAS.
WE, WE COME IN AND WE TALK ABOUT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE BREAK IT DOWN INTO A BUSINESS PLAN, AND THEN THE BUSINESS PLAN IS INFORMED BY OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
SO YOU ARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS AN ORGANIZED BOARD WITH A PARTICULAR INTEREST.
AND SO THOSE REPORTS CAN MOVE FORWARD TO US BEYOND JUST YOU HAVING A MEETING OR JUST YOU HAVING MINUTES, BUT INTENTIONALLY SENDING THAT FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE.
SO ON ONE HAND YOU'LL HAVE THIS, THESE QUARTERLY MEETINGS, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR US TO UNDERSTAND ANY NEW CONCEPTS, IDEAS, OR ANYTHING ELSE, THOSE, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE OPEN DOOR TO SEND THOSE REPORTS FORWARD, RIGHT? UM, WHEN IT'S A PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, DIRECTION THING OR LIKE, YOU KNOW, STEERING THAT YOU SEE LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, WE CAN WE, YEAH, THAT, THAT, THAT DOOR IS OPEN, THEY'RE COMING.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT'S A DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LET YOU KNOW HOW THAT CAN BE.
NOW, I WILL TELL YOU IN THE PAST, AND I ONLY KNOW THIS FROM, YOU KNOW, SOME PREVIOUS HISTORIANS, THE DIFFERENT BOARDS OF COMMISSIONS WOULD DO JUST THAT OR BRING THEIR REPORTS TO THE YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW WHEN THINGS CHANGED, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO RESTART THAT AGAIN, SO THAT WE CAN HEAR AND UNDERSTAND AND INFORM WHAT WE DO WHEN WE COME, WHEN WE START TO TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN ON THAT ANNUAL BASIS.
AND SO, YES, THE TOP OF THE YEAR IS A GREAT TIME TO COME IN AND NOW TO DO THE THING THAT YOU ALL, WE ALL JUST AGREED TO, Y'ALL JUST AGREED TO DO.
BUT JUST KNOW THAT THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN THERE.
BUT AS IT RELATES TO, UM, UM, THE ONGOING, UM, COMMUNICATIONS, THE ONGOING MEETINGS, AND JUST THINGS LIKE THAT, AGAIN, THE SAME MEETING THAT'S HAPPENING TODAY, IT, IT HAS HAPPENED.
UM, WE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF LIFE HAS HAPPENED WITHIN OUR CITY.
WE DID HAVE A, A MEETING BETWEEN THE DDC, BETWEEN THE PNZ AND BETWEEN CITY COUNCIL WITHIN THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
UM, MANY OF YOU WEREN'T ON THE BOARD AT THAT TIME.
UM, BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, JUST KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE OUR SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, AND PARTICULARLY I, I AGREE WITH YOUR, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR LAYOUT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HAVING, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU KNOW, THE SMALLER GROUP COME AND THEN BRINGING IT TO THE BROADER GROUP AND ALL OF THAT AND OR EVEN BRINGING IT OUT TO THE BROADER GROUP.
BUT I JUST, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE ONLY THAT THE OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN THERE.
AND NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS IS, YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS.
SO IN, IN AUGUST WE WOULD TALK ABOUT SHIFTS AND WE WOULD TALK ABOUT NEW THINGS IN AUGUST.
SO WE'RE AT THE TOP OF THE YEAR.
THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO DO IT.
IT, SO MOVING FORWARD, THIS DOES NEED TO BE MEMORIALIZED IN A WAY THAT AS NEW PEOPLE COME ON, WE SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH OUR NEW PEOPLE COMING ON SO THAT YOU ALL KNOW, OR YOUR PREDECESSORS WILL KNOW HOW THE PROCESSES ARE AND THEN WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB IN SHARING THAT AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT OBSERVATION THAT YOU MADE BECAUSE WHAT THAT DEPICTS IS THAT I USE THE WORD GAP GAPS SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE THAT WHAT YOU SAY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE HAS NOT CONSUMMATED.
SO THANK YOU FOR REITERATING THAT.
AND WE SHOULD TAKE FULL, UH, CHARGED WITH THAT BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN THERE, IT HAS PICKED UP THE PIECES WHERE, WHERE THEY MAY HAVE FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE OR SOMETHING.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND, AND JUST AGAIN, I JUST LIKE TO SAY ON BEHALF OF THE DDC, THE, THE OUR, OUR BOARD, WE, YOU, WE ARE ASKING YOU TO TELL US WHAT YOU WANT US TO DO.
WE WANT TO BE THE SUPPORT MECHANISM.
SO TELL US WHAT, WHAT TO DO IF WE ARE GONNA FIGURE IT OUT.
BUT YOU'RE TELLING US AND YOU'RE TELLING US, GO WITH YOUR MINDS THE WORK, IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO.
THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR INVITING AND HAVING THIS, UM, I, I WILL ECHO EVERYTHING MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID.
I, I WOULD PREFER IF THEY ARE ON THE AGENDA AND I PREFER IF IT'S MEMORIALIZED
[00:40:01]
TO WHERE IT'S JUST UNDERSTOOD AT OUR RETREATS, WE MAKE TIME TO TALK TO DEC AND PLANNING DON TO IF THAT MATTERS.UM, BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
I ALSO TAKE FROM THIS MEETING, BECAUSE AS YOU POINTED OUT, WHILE, WHILE, WHILE WE, WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN ON THE BALLOT TO GET THESE SEATS, WE ALL, WE HAVE APPOINTED YOU AND WE HAVE LITERALLY TURNED OVER BOTH THE DDC AND THE PLANNING AND ZONING.
SO EVERYBODY THAT SITS IN THESE SEATS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED BY THIS, BY THIS COUNCIL.
WHAT I'M TAKING AWAY FROM THIS TOO IS WHILE WE CAN SHARE THE SAME VISION, IT NEEDS TO SHARED ON THE DAY AS TOO, WHEN IT'S TIME TO VOTE.
AND I THINK THAT IMPORTANT, THAT IMPORTANT PIECE TO THAT IS REMEMBERING THAT IF WE HOLD THE SAME VALUE WHEN PLANNING AND ZONING SAYS NO TO SOMETHING OR YES TO SOMETHING, THEN WE NEED TO HAVE THAT SAME ENERGY WHEN DDC SAYS YES TO SOMETHING.
UM, BECAUSE YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY BAILED IT OUT AND HEY, WE PUT YOU IN A SEAT.
SO IF WE ARE INCOMPETENT IN WHO WE'RE PUTTING IN A SEAT, THEN THAT'S ON US AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
UM, BUT IF WE HAVE BRIGHT, BRILLIANT PEOPLE, UM, REVIEWING THAT WITH OUR EDC, THEN THAT NEEDS TO HOLD TRUE WHEN IT'S TIME TO ALSO FOR THE COUNCIL TO REVIEW THAT.
AND I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE I KNOW, UM, MY COLLEAGUE DOWN ON THE OTHER END OFTEN REMINDS US, HEY, THE BOARD HAS REVIEWED THIS ALREADY.
AND I, I KNOW THAT THAT'S BECAUSE WE CAN GET, SO I THINK THAT JUST KEEPING THAT AT THE FOREFRONT TOO AS WE TALK ABOUT VISION, BECAUSE WE CAN HAVE ALL THE VISION IN THE WORLD AND HAVE CHAOS WHEN IT'S TIME TO VOTE.
AND THAT DOESN'T HELP US EITHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OBSERVATION.
CAN, CAN I ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH RESTRUCTURING OF THE, UH, EDC, THE, THE WAY WE HAVE WITH, UH, AND ALSO WITH MATT NOW REPORTING DIRECTLY TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LINE OF COMMUNICATION RIGHT THERE DIRECTLY TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT DO OCCUR WITHIN THAT IN BETWEEN TIME, YOU KNOW, HE AND I CAN CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT IT AND I CAN BRING TO COUNCIL AS WELL, MAKE THEM.
THERE'S ALWAYS, THERE'S THAT CONNECTION AS WELL.
AND THEN TOO, IF THERE SOMETHING THAT COMES UP, UP, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS DO SPECIAL CALL MEETINGS TO GET EVERYBODY TOGETHER TO TAKE CARE OF THAT OR WHATEVER.
THE OTHER THING THAT YOU MENTIONED WAS ABOUT, UM, THE DOCUMENTS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
UM, I THINK WHAT YOU SAID INITIALLY WAS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE GET THE WORD OUT BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO THAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
SO I'M THINKING WITH YOU GUYS WHEN YOU GIVE, UH, THE INFORMATION TO US, THEN FROM THE DAYS WE CAN ACTUALLY JOIN OUR LIAISON UPDATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
SO, UH, THAT PIPELINE IS THERE, SIR MAYOR PRO, TIM, DID YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS? I'M THANKFUL FOR THE MEETING.
I KNOW YOU ALL TRIED FOR A LOT A LONG TIME, SO I'M JUST OVER ELATED ANOTHER COLLABORATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT ONE TO, TO TRY TO USE A LOT OF TIME WONDERING WHY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE PAST.
WE'RE HERE RIGHT NOW AND I THINK THE BEST TIME TO START IS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.
SO, UM, REGARDLESS OF WHY IT HADN'T HAPPENED UNTIL NOW, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, IT'S THE TOP OF THE YEAR.
COUNCILMAN RAPHAEL MENTIONED THAT.
AND I THINK NOW IS THE BEST TIME THAN ANY TO GO AHEAD AND TURN OVER A NEW LEAF AND, UM, LOOK AT A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING, LIVING AND BEING, UM, AS A COLLECTIVE FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I'M GONNA TRY TO SUMMARIZE WHAT I THINK I HAVE HERE.
AND THEN, UM, MR. CAMERON, CAN I ASK ONE QUESTION? PRIOR TO YOU SPOKE ABOUT REPORTS, HOW OFTEN DO YOU GUYS DO REPORTS? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT REPORTS OR REPORTS? WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO THOSE? AND, UH, WHEN WE HAVE OUR MEETINGS, UH, MATT AND THE TEAM, UH, THEY HAVE THE REPORTS AND THE REPORTS ARE SHARED.
AM I CORRECT, SHARED WITH, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME REPORTS WE GET LATER ON IN OUR COUNCIL MEETING.
AND THEN WE DO A QUARTERLY, WE DO A QUARTERLY UPDATE TO THE COUNCIL.
UM, WE, WE HAVEN'T BEEN PROBABLY AS GOOD AT THAT, UM, UNDER, UNDER PRIOR ADMINISTRATION.
BUT AS A GENERAL, WE, WE, WE LIKE TO GET IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO IDENTIFY SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DIRECTIONS AND TRENDS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE REALITY OF IT IS WHAT WE DO MOVES MUCH QUICKER THAN HALF YEAR, THAN HALF YEARLY MEETINGS.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MOVES AT THE SPEED OF DEVELOPMENT AND, AND WE DON'T GET TO DICTATE WHAT THAT SPEED IS, WE GET TO REACT TO IT.
AND IT'S THE ONLY REAL CHOICE WE HAVE IS WHEN A, WHEN A PROJECT OR A PROGRAM PRESENTS ITSELF AND SPECIFICALLY PROJECT SPECIFIC OR DIRECTIONALLY EVEN, UM, HAVING, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT IS THIS THE APPROPRIATE DIRECTION? IS THIS THE DIRECTION? DOES IT ALIGN WITH WHERE WE'RE GOING? FRANKLY, IF IT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN, IF IT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THE THINGS YOU'VE TOLD US THAT ARE SORT OF BIG, BIG ITEMS, THEN TYPICALLY WE SET IT ASIDE.
[00:45:01]
LEVEL OF, OF DECISION MAKING, UM, THAN, THAN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.SO THAT'S THE ONLY, THAT'S THE ONLY CAUTION I HAVE.
'CAUSE IF I LOOK AT MY NOTES, WE TALKED ABOUT A QUARTERLY MEETING.
I, I APPLAUD THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY FREQUENT ENOUGH THAT IF SOMETHING, TO YOUR POINT, COUNCILMAN MARKS SAID SOMETHING CHANGES THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING.
BUT JUST IN TERMS OF DIRECTIONAL DISCUSSIONS AND THOUGHTS, UM, I THINK THAT THAT QUARTERLY CADENCE WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR US TO AT LEAST BEGIN WITH.
UM, ESPECIALLY IF TWO OF THOSE ARE COUNCIL RETREATS ALREADY.
THAT THERE IS A, THERE IS A PORTION OF THE COUNCIL RETREAT THAT'S DEDICATED TO, TO THE DDC AND I THINK THAT THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT.
'CAUSE A HUGE PIECE I THINK OF THAT DISCONNECT HAS BEEN IF IF WE'RE CHASING RABBITS AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE CHASING ELK, WE'RE BRINGING RABBITS TO THE TABLE.
AND, AND THE, THE PNZ IS SAYING, WAIT A MINUTE, IF WE ARE WANTING AN ELK, WELL THEN NONE OF US ARE ALIGNED IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE HUNTING AND WE'RE NOT, NONE OF US ARE GETTING SATISFIED ABOUT WHAT'S BEING ON THE TABLE, EVEN THOUGH WE THINK WE'RE SUCCESSFUL.
AND YOU'RE SAYING THE STRATEGIC PLAN SAYS GO HUNTING.
RIGHT? THE STRATEGIC PLAN TOLD US TO GO HUNTING.
IT DIDN'T TELL US TO, TO GO HUNT ELK OR RABBIT.
THAT'S I THINK THE LEVEL OF DISCONNECT.
WE'RE LOOKING TO FEEL MAKES SENSE.
I MEAN, I REMEMBER THE CONVERSATION I HAD WITH DR.
DR UH, GARRETT PRICE HERE WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING ABOUT HIM TAKING A PLACE ON THIS BOARD.
AND HE GOES, WELL, WHO NEEDS TO BE THE HEALTH SAR? AND I SAID, I DON'T, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THAT IS,
HE GOES, WE DON'T, BUT I NEED TO BE.
AND I SAID, THERE'S AN ENTIRE SECTION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
IT'S CALLED HEALTHY COMMUNITIES.
THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE ADDRESS DAY IN AND DAY OUT EVER.
WE DON'T, IT'S JUST NOT, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE CAN IMPACT.
AND YET WE HAVE A BOARD MEMBER WHO IS PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS AND DOES BELIEVE IF WE DO DEVELOPMENT RIGHT, WE ATTRACT THE KINDS OF COMPANIES WHO VALUE THOSE, THOSE VALUES.
AND, YOU KNOW, HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE ETHOS FOR DEVELOPMENT.
WELL, I CAN TELL YOU IN ALL OF MY YEARS, I HAVE NEVER SERVED A COMMUNITY WHO SET AN ETHOS FOR ITS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HADN'T HAPPENED.
I, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE, MAYBE YOU HAVE.
BUT THOSE ARE DISCUSSIONS I THINK, THAT ARE WORTHY FOR THIS COUNCIL TO HAVE.
AND WITH THIS, WITH THIS BOARD BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE HAVING LISTENED TO HIM, WE CAN IN FACT IMPACT THE KINDS OF, THE KINDS OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CREATE, IF YOU WILL, WHAT WE ARE HUNTING.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD BE HUNTING IN MINNESOTA.
THAT SIMPLY DOESN'T EXIST TODAY.
NOW IT MAY HAVE EXISTED IN THE PAST TO, TO COUNCILWOMAN RAFAEL'S POINT.
I'VE BEEN HERE TWO AND A HALF YEARS AND I CAN, I CAN TELL YOU THAT MEETING HAS NEVER HAPPENED IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
IT MAY HAVE HAPPENED FOUR YEARS AGO, BUT I CAN TELL YOU IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS I KNOW IT HAS.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY, AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU WERE WILLING TO PUT FORTH THE IDEA OF BRINGING THOSE THREE TOGETHER.
'CAUSE I THINK WE'LL ALL START TO ASK VERY DIFFERENT QUESTIONS IF WE MEET ON A REGULAR CADENCE.
UM, EVERYONE'S BEEN IN TROUBLE.
WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR ME AND LIKE THE BIG IDEAS AND S THAT MANY OF US ON THE BOARD HAVE, UM, IF YOU COULD DIRECT US TO WHETHER IT'S, IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN, MAYBE IT'S IN THE COMPREHENSIVE WHERE WE CAN LIKE GET A PURVIEW OF LIKE, WHAT IS THE, I WROTE DOWN LIKE WHAT IS THE PLAN THAT SPEAKS TO THE FUTURE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE CITY.
LIKE IS THERE SOMETHING THAT SAYS WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE CITY OF THE, SO TO HAVE A POPULATION SIZE OF X, Y, Z BY CERTAIN POINTS.
YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M LOOKING ON THE MARKETING.
I'M LIKE, WHAT IS THE, THE PLAN AROUND HOW WE TALK ABOUT THE CITY? UM, I'M LIKE, IS THAT IN ONE OF THE EXISTING PLANS? UM, SO THAT CAN START TO LOOK AT, 'CAUSE THAT CAN GIVE US LANGUAGE AS WELL.
UM, AS WE'RE, FOR ME, EVEN ALL I KNOW RIGHT NOW IS I'D JUST BE OUT HERE LIKE WORD OF LOVE OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE MAIN TAGLINE IS.
BUT BEYOND THAT, I'M LIKE, AND ARE WE TRYING TO BE THE CITY THAT'S KNOWN FOR THIS HUGE, YOU KNOW, HEALTH, UM, INDUSTRY OR, YOU KNOW, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES THAT, YOU KNOW, YOUNG PROFESSIONALS, YOU KNOW, AND FUTURE WHATEVERS, YOU KNOW, WANT TO BE HERE.
I'M LOOKING FOR WORDS, LANGUAGE, NARRATIVE, UM, TO SUPPORT THE THOUGHTS AND IDEAS IN THE WAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE BRINGING OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, TO THE BOARD AND US BEING ABLE TO SAY, WELL THAT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH WHERE THE CITY IS SAYING WE'RE TRYING TO GO.
BECAUSE, BECAUSE FOR ME, I BE LIKE, I FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES I'M LIKE,
[00:50:01]
UM, MAYBE WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAINTAIN WHAT WE'VE BEEN THE LAST 10, 20 YEARS.AND I'M LIKE, UNTIL I'VE SEEN OR HEARD OTHERWISE, THEN I REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO WORK OFF OF.
SO IF YOU COULD DIRECT US OR ME, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME TO WHICH PLAN EXISTS ALREADY THAT EXPLICITLY SAYS WHO ARE WE TRYING TO BE IN THE NEXT 10, 20 YEARS? NOT NECESSARILY THE DETAILS, BUT LIKE A GENERAL LIKE, 'CAUSE I CAN LOOK AT OTHERS SURROUNDING CITIES AND IT'S VERY CLEAR HOW THEY'RE POSITIONING THEMSELVES.
IT'S CLEAR IN THE LANGUAGE HOW THEY TALK ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITIES AND MORE SPEC MORE, MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS TALK ABOUT THEM.
SO FOR ME, I'M TRYING TO JOIN Y'ALL AND LIKE BEING ABLE TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR, LIKE THIS IS WHAT I'M SAYING ABOUT THE SUBTLE.
SO THEN I CAN ORGANIZE AND GET OTHER PEOPLE ON BOARD TO SAY, AND GET IN THAT SAME LANGUAGE.
AND THEN THAT HELPS ALL OF US, ALL OF YOU AND HELPING TO PUSH, UM, VARIOUS AGENDAS FORWARD, WHETHER THAT'S IN ARTS AND CULTURE OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
BUT IF THE ONLY WAY MS.
I'LL TELL YOU THE EPIPHANY MOMENT FOR ME WAS TALKING TO DR. GARRETT PRICE WHEN HE SAID, HOW DO WE MEASURE OUR SUCCESS AS IT RELATES TO OUR POPULATION? DO YOU MEASURE THAT? BECAUSE WHAT WE DO IN DESOTO, AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE LIVE LONGER.
I MEAN, I'M PRETTY SURE WHAT WE DO MEASURE, AND I KNOW DEFINITIVELY THAT ISN'T IT 'CAUSE WELL WHAT IF WE COULD, WHAT IF WE COULD GET TO THE POINT THAT WE ARE KNOWN ON A NATIONAL BASIS AS THIS IS A, THIS IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GROW UP AND YOU CAN GROW UP HEALTHIER AND YOU CAN LIVE LONGER AND YOU CAN AGE IN PLACE AND YOU CAN DO THAT WITH DIGNITY AND GRACE.
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT, THIS IS WHERE HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT IN ETHOS, HAVE TO GO AND LOOK WHAT THAT MEANT UP.
BUT
I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WHAT, RIGHT AND WRONG 'CAUSE I'VE NEVER HAD TO DO IT BEFORE.
BUT I GOTTA BELIEVE WE'VE GOT 21 PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WHO COULD STRAIGHTEN THAT OUT PRETTY QUICK AND WE'VE GOT SOMEBODY I KNOW WHO WOULD LEAD IT.
THAT'S ONE SMALL EXAMPLE OF IF YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WORK TOWARDS WHEN YOU ALL SAY GO, GO CREATE BETTER JOBS, OKAY? THAT, THAT'S IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
BUT THERE IS NO MORE DEFINITION TO YOUR, TO YOUR POINT, TO YOUR POINT, KEILA, THERE IS NO DEFINITION OF WHAT, WHAT A BETTER, WHAT IS A BETTER JOB? WHAT INDUSTRIES DO THOSE EXIST IN? DOES IT MATTER, RIGHT? IF, IF, IF A BETTER JOB IS JUST MORE MONEY? DOES IT MATTER? I THINK IT DOES.
BUT THAT LEAVES US TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AND DECIDE AND TO FIND FOR YOU THIS CITY, WHAT THOSE INDUSTRIES ARE.
NOW WE CAN DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF THAT.
I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY SKILLED AT WHAT WE DO.
BUT I'D SURE LIKE TO KNOW THAT WHEN WE SAY THAT BIOLIFE SCIENCE IS IMPORTANT, AND WE HAVE A MEMBER OF OUR BOARD WHO'S LEADING A BIOLIFE SCIENCE EDUCATION INITIATIVE FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF DALLAS, THAT WE'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT BEHIND CREATING BIOLIFE SCIENCES IN, IN DESOTO.
'CAUSE BOY, IF WE AREN'T, I KNOW YOUR BOARD'S NOT GONNA BE HAPPY,
WE'RE CHASING THE WRONG TARGET AND WE'RE HAVING THE WRONG CONVERSATIONS, MUCH LESS HOW DO WE TRADE THE LAND THAT MAKES THAT HAPPEN? AND THE COMPANIES THAT ARE TALKING TO US, THAT'S A LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY THAT DOES NOT EXIST TODAY IN DESOTO.
AND THAT I HOPE WE CAN DRIVE THROUGH THESE CONVERSATIONS.
'CAUSE I KNOW I CAN ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND I WANT TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS, BUT THAT OPPORTUNITY DOESN'T EXIST TODAY TO HAVE THAT KIND OF A DIALOGUE AMONGST YOUR CITY LEADERS.
SO IF I MAY SAY, UH, AND I KNOW THE HOUR, UH, GETS LATE, IF YOU WILL, I I TO TRY AND KIND OF CAP CAPITALIZE ON WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE A SAYING, WHAT YOU FOCUS ON BECOMES YOUR REALITY.
WE CAN'T, YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT ONE BITE AT A TIME.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SIT DOWN.
HENCE THE REASON WHY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE RETREAT, HERE'S THE REASON.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IS IT THAT, UM, IS AVAILABLE TO US? HOW DO WE CAPITALIZE ON, WE GOT TO WORK TO DO.
LET, LET'S, LET'S FORMALIZE WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
[00:55:01]
TOMORROW.AND I ALSO SAY THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING THAT YOU CAN OWN IS A CLOSED MIND.
AND SO WE'RE NOT CLOSED MINDED NOW WE'RE SITTING DOWN, NOT THAT WE'VE BEEN CLOSED MINDED, WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS, THIS OPEN-MINDED FORM AMONGST OURSELVES.
SO LET'S, LET'S KIND OF MADAM MAYOR, LET ME HAND THAT BACK TO YOU BECAUSE I KNOW AND WE REALLY WANT YOU TO KNOW, I DON'T WANNA CUT ANYBODY SHORT, BUT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPEN-MINDEDNESS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS IS REALLY ALL ABOUT.
BEING OPEN-MINDED FOR THOSE THAT ARE, ARE, UM, CONSTITUENTS ARE, ARE OUR FAMILY MEMBERS, OUR, UH, OUR NEIGHBORS.
WE WANT THE BETTERMENT FOR THEM.
SO LET CAN I ASK THAT WE APPLAUD THIS, THIS MOMENT.
THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR QUESTIONS.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED, UM, WE HAVE A GAME PLAN NOW, AND, UM, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD PLAN.
AND SO JUST TO KIND OF SUMMARIZE, UH, WHAT, WHAT YOU MENTIONED IN OUR WORK BACKWARDS FROM THE LAST COMMENT THAT WAS STATED IN TERMS OF THE INFORMATION AND, AND OR THE LACK THEREOF IN TERMS OF HOW INFORMATION IS SHARED AND WHAT SPEED IS SHARED AT.
I THINK WE NEED TO ALSO DO SOME WORK IN TERMS OF DETERMINING WHAT INFORMATION IS SHARED AT WHAT INTERVAL.
BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, WHEN YOU DO A QUARTERLY REPORT TO THE COUNCIL, A LOT OF THAT STUFF IS, IS, IS IS GONE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S NOT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GIVE FEEDBACK ON WHAT WE THINK ABOUT A PROJECT THAT IS COMING, RIGHT? SO WE NEED TO REALLY CLARIFY AND QUANTIFY WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION WILL BE SHARED AND WHEN AND WHO WILL IT BE SHARED BY, AND IN WHAT FORMAT, ET CETERA, WILL, WILL BE SHARING THAT INFORMATION.
AGAIN, WE ALREADY HAVE A QUARTERLY PRESENTATION, SO WE JUST NEED TO REALLY REDEFINE WHAT IS MATT GONNA SHARE WHEN HE GIVES HIS QUARTERLY PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL, BECAUSE IT CAN'T BE INFORMATION Y'ALL NEED FEEDBACK ON, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE A MUTE POINT AT THAT TIME, RIGHT? RIGHT.
SO YOU MAY BE UTILIZING SOME OF THESE NEW CONNECTION POINTS, UM, TO SHARE INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THINGS THAT YOU ALL NEED MORE IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK ON.
UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE FIT.
I'M KIND OF WORKING BACKWARDS.
UM, NUMBER FOUR IS WE NEED TO REALLY DO SOME WORK ON CREATING A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL FOR MORE IMMEDIATE, UM, FLOW OF, OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN, I WOULD SAY NOT JUST EVEN THESE, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THIS BOARD, BUT ALSO INCLUDE, AGAIN, LOOPING OUR P AND Z IN, BECAUSE AGAIN, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, AND I, AND, AND YOU KNOW, MATT, I I'M GONNA PUSH BACK A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT YOU SAID IN TERMS OF THAT, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ABSOLUTELY OVERLAYS ON EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE CAN FIND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND A TOUCH POINT WITHIN ANYTHING THAT WE DO, AS YOU EVEN GAVE THE EXAMPLE IN TERMS OF HEALTHCARE, ET CETERA.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO HAVE A BETTER, UM, SOME SORT OF A COMMUNICATION CHANNEL.
UM, AND WE KNOW THAT, THAT THERE ARE SOME LIMITATIONS ON WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF NOT HAVING WALKING QUORUMS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO AGAIN, IDENTIFYING AND DEFINING WHAT THAT COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO BE AND HOW IT NEEDS TO LOOK FOR THE BODIES FOR THESE PARTICULAR BODIES.
NUMBER THREE, UM, IS LOOKING AT, AND I SAID, I'M GONNA ASK YOU IF YOU COULD ASSIST, ASSIST WITH THIS TO MAKE SURE WE GET THIS DONE, BUT LOOKING AT DIVERSIFYING THAT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO INCLUDE DIFFERENT VOICES FROM THESE BOARDS.
SO THAT, AS THAT IS AN ONGOING THING, ALL OF OUR VOICES ARE INCLUDED IN THE OVERSIGHT OF THE COMP PLAN BECAUSE AGAIN, IT IMPACTS ALL OF OUR, ALL OF OUR, IT IMPACTS ALL OF US, UM, FROM A COMMUNITY STANDPOINT.
SO WE NEED TO SEE WHO IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, I WOULD SUPPOSE, AND THEN WITH OUR CONSULTING FIRM WHO ACTUALLY IS OVER THAT.
AND THEN LOOK AT A WAY TO BE ABLE TO JUST, UM, SUGGEST, UM, YOU KNOW, DIVERSIFICATION TO INCLUDE SOME OTHER VOICES IN THAT PARTICULAR.
THE SECOND THING IS SETTING UP THAT QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIR MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TIM, AND THEN THE LIAISONS TO, UM, BE ABLE TO START THE PROCESS OF EXPANDING THAT EVENTUALLY TO ALL OF THE, THE ENTIRE BODIES.
BUT KIND OF GIVING US A STARTING POINT, UM, AND TO LOOK AT POSSIBLY LOOKING AT CRAFTING A, A FIELD TRIP FOR THE GROUPS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT SOME BEST PRACTICES IN TERMS OF THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO GO BACK AND, AND LOOK AT WAYS WE CAN APPLY THEM TO OUR BIG PROJECTS SUCH AS HAMPTON ROAD REDEVELOPMENT AND SOME OTHERS THAT WE HAVE IN THE PIPELINE.
THE LAST THING IS, UH, AND MR. CAMERON, I ALSO REQUEST YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS AS WELL, UM, WITH THE BY WAY OF THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE, GETTING AN INVITATION OUT TO BOTH THE PLANNING AND ZONING AND THE, UM, DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO INVITE THEM TO OUR RETREAT.
AND THEN GIVING THEM AN INDICATION OF WHAT TIME WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING THE DISCUSSION, UM, ON OUR, ON OUR AGENDA IN TERMS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT A WAY TO, UM, EMBED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT BOARD TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PRESENT TO US AS WELL.
AND THEN ALLOW FOR DISCUSSION AROUND THEIR PARTICULAR WORK PLAN AND HOW WE CAN, HOW WE COINCIDES WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING SO THAT WE CAN, AGAIN, START THE PROCESS OF UNDERSTANDING BETTER, UM, HOW WE CAN BETTER WORK IN TANDEM WITH THE BOARDS.
[01:00:01]
AND THEN, UM, THERE WAS ONE LAST THING I WANTED TO ADD.I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'LL COME BACK TO ME, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT I HAVE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S EVERYTHING IN TERMS OF THINGS WE NEED TO KIND OF WALK AWAY WITH TONIGHT'S MEETING, UM, TO WORK ON AND GET BACK WITH EVERYBODY.
CIRCLE BACK, I WOULD IMAGINE NEXT WEEK AFTER THE HOLIDAY, FOR SURE.
WE CAN HEAR BACK ON A FEW OF THESE.
DE MAY, MAY I ASK, WHEN IS THE, UH, RETREAT? HAS IT BEEN SCHEDULED? JANUARY 26TH? JANUARY.
NO, WE'RE GONNA DO IT ONE DAY.
IS THERE A TIME SIGN? OUR AGENDA HASN'T BEEN SET YET, BUT WE'LL FINAL, WE'LL FINALIZE IT AND THEN WE'LL GET THAT INVITATION OUT.
TYPICALLY, THE TYPICAL WOULD BE A FULL DAY, THE, THE, THE AGENDA ITSELF BEFORE.
I, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE, LIKE A NINE, LIKE ABOUT A NINE TO FIVE, ALMOST EIGHT 30 GATHERING NINE O'CLOCK START TILL FIVE.
AS WE BRING THE SEGMENT TO NO CLOSE, ROUND THE ROOM ROUND ROBIN, ANYTHING PLEASE, UH, DR. BALL, MADAM MAYOR, IF MAYOR, WE HAVE A SUPPORTING CAST, IF WE COULD GET THEM TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SAY, WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS EVENING AS WELL.
WE HAVE WHAT? SUPPORTING SUPPORTING CAST.
UM, I'M SO EXCITED TO BE HERE TONIGHT.
THIS IS MY FIRST DDC MEETING AND, UM, I'M THE, UM, INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR IN OUR CITY FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
SO, AND, UM, I'M STANDING IN FOR TRACY CORMIER THIS EVENING, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND DELIVER YOUR FIRST THREE MONTHS OF FINANCIALS TO YOU IN JUST A SECOND HERE.
BUT, UM, I'M LAKITA IF ANYBODY NEEDS ANYTHING, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME.
YEAH, ANTOINE, LONG, GOOD EVENING.
UH, SERVE AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER HERE.
AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT YOU GUYS HAD THIS MEETING AS I GO AND TRAVEL AND TALK TO MY COLLEAGUES AND EDCS THROUGHOUT THE METROPLEX, THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THEY TALK ABOUT REGULARLY MEETING WITH THEIR FOLKS.
YOU KNOW, THAT COLLABORATION IS SO KEY.
SO TO, AGAIN, TO BE SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED HERE 10 YEARS AGO, KNOWING JOINT MEETINGS WEREN'T, WEREN'T A THING TO BE HERE.
NOW THAT WE ARE TRYING TO KICK THIS OFF, I'M GRATEFUL.
WE HAVE SOME GREAT PROJECTS THAT WE ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE WITH.
SO THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, UH, THAT THIS IS A REGULAR WITH YOU GUYS.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING, YOU WANNA TALK TO US ABOUT KPIS AT SOME POINT? KPIS, ABSOLUTELY.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR THOSE FOLKS WATCHING.
SOMEONE, OH, I'M JUST, I LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND I JUST WANTED TO COME TO A COMMUNITY MEETING COMMITTEE MEETING YOU WELCOME.
SO I CAN SEE HOW I CAN IMPLEMENT AND INVOLVE MYSELF IN MY COMMUNITY.
I'M A INTERN WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I'VE BEEN TO SEVERAL THE EDC BUILDING, UH, BOARD MEETINGS, AND, UH, I KNOW ALL THE PROJECTS WE HAVE.
WE'RE GOING IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE THEM, UM, COME TO FRUITION.
I KNOW IT TAKES COLLABORATION AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THIS HAPPENING TONIGHT.
DO, I'M VICTORIA THOMAS, I'M THE GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
I WORK WITH THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AS WELL.
I'M IN MARKETING AND OUTREACH.
I AM THE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FOR, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
AND IT'S ALWAYS MY PLEASURE TO, UH, ASSIST IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN FOR ALL OF YOU.
WE HAVE TO ADJOURN OUR MEETING.
SO, COUNSEL, I, YOU AURN ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
SO, SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED BY DR. MARKS AND SECOND BY MAYOR PRO TIMM HUGHES TO ADJOURN.
SIGNED THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
WE ARE NOW ADJOURNED AT 7:08 PM YOU ALL CAN ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR MEETING.
HOW YOU DOING? HOW Y'ALL DOING? SO LET'S, UH, PICK BACK UP IN OUR REGULAR ORDER FOR OUR NEW BUSINESS, IF YOU WILL.
[B.1. October, November and December 2023 Financial Status Reports - Tracy Cormier, Director of Budget/Finance]
GONNA HAVE, HOW ARE YOU DOING? OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, 2023.FINANCIAL STATUS REPORTS, UM, FROM, UM, FINANCE, FROM DIRECTOR, BUDGET FINANCE, AND I'M SORRY, LAQUITA IS GOING
[01:05:01]
TO SHARE WITH US, UH, THIS EVENING.UM, ALRIGHT, WELL, I, AGAIN, I'M SUTTON, I'M STANDING IN FOR TRACY PREMIER THIS EVENING AND LOOKS LIKE HE LEFT ME WITH THREE MONTHS OF FINANCIAL SIGNIFICANCE.
SO, UM, BEGINNING OF THE YEAR FINANCIAL'S, YOUR FIRST ONE IS YOUR OCTOBER, 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT.
THEY'RE IN YOUR BOOK BACKWARDS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN YOUR BOOK DECEMBER, NOVEMBER, OCTOBER.
SO IF YOU TURN TO, UH, TAB B, UH, THE FIRST SET IS IN THERE IS YOUR FINANCIAL REPORTS.
BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO TURN ALL THE WAY TO THE END OF THAT TO GET BACK TO THE, UH, REPORT THAT NIKITA IS REFERENCING.
SO IF WE ARE ALL THERE, UM, OUR OCTOBER REPORT, WE AT THROUGH THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, WE ARE JUST A LITTLE BIT OVER 8% INTO THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND, UM, IF YOU LOOK, TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, THE REVENUE FOR DDC, UM, THE BUDGET AMOUNT IS 3.7 MILLION.
AND IN OCTOBER, THERE'S JUST GENERALLY NOT A LOT OF ACTION REVENUE WISE BECAUSE, UM, THE MAIN REVENUE SOURCES ARE GONNA BE COMING FROM SALES TAX SCORES.
UM, AND, UH, FOR DDC AND DPDC.
SO, UM, THE SOURCES OF REVENUE THAT WE HAVE FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER ARE GONNA BE YOUR, UM, INTEREST REVENUE AND YOUR REVENUE FOR LEASING RENT.
UM, GIVING US A TOTAL OF $59,865 FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
THAT PUTS US AT ABOUT 1.6% INTO, UH, OUR BUDGET YEAR, WHICH COMPARES, UM, VERY COMFORTABLY TO, UH, WHERE WE WERE THIS TIME LAST YEAR AT 1.1%.
SO SOME REVENUE WISE, IT'S NOT A LOT OF ACTION GOING ON IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
BUT THE SALES TAX IS TWO MONTHS IN A, IN ARREARS IT IS.
IT'S GONNA SHOW ZERO FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS IN THIS FISCAL YEAR BECAUSE WE DID RECEIVE SALES TAX REVENUE, BUT IT HAS TO BE APPROVED BACK TO FISCAL YEAR 23.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE LOOKING ON REVENUE FOR EXPENDITURES.
UM, NOT A LOT OF TRACTION EITHER AS FAR AS, UM, SOME OF YOUR MAIN CATEGORIES, UH, SUCH AS BUSINESS GRANTS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THIS TIME OF YEAR WE WE'RE JUST KIND OF STARTING, STARTING OFF WITH OUR PROGRAMMING.
SO, UM, WHAT WE HAVE MAJORITY OF EXPENDITURE FOR OCTOBER IS GONNA BE MAINLY PERSONNEL.
UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING AT A YEAR TO DATE OF $53,074 COMPARED TO A BUDGETED 4.3 MILLION.
THAT PUTS US AT 1.2% ON OUR EXPENDITURES FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER COMPARED TO 1% THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
IF WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.
SO FOR OUR NOVEMBER REVENUE, AND AGAIN AT THIS POINT WE'RE 16.7% IN THE FISCAL YEAR INTO THE FISCAL YEAR, UH, FOR OUR BUDGETED REVENUE, OUR 3.7 MILLION COMPARED TO OUR COLLECTED YEAR TO DATE OF 170 3030, AND AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, WE BASICALLY JUST RECEIVED OUR INTEREST REVENUE AND OUR REVENUE FROM LEASE AND RENT.
UM, THAT PUTS US AT 4.6% INTO THE BUDGET YEAR COMPARED TO 2.2% LAST YEAR FOR OUR EXPENDITURES.
PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING OUT OF OUR BUDGETED 4.3 MILLION, WE SPENT $177,266.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES THAT ARE LISTED HERE, BUT THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR IS MOSTLY GONNA BE ATTRIBUTED TO PERSONNEL.
WE DO HAVE A FEW CONTRACTED SERVICES CHARGES AND MEMBERSHIPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, 4.1%, WHICH WE ARE, UM, WHICH IS VERY COMPARABLE TO LAST YEAR'S, 3.4% IT, MAY I ASK A QUESTION? SURE.
ON THE REVENUE FROM LEASE AND RENT, IS THAT FROM ROAD
I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT THAT IS.
REMEMBER WE'RE, WE ARE COMMITTED TO A SIX MONTH WIND DOWN PERIOD THAT ENDS IN MARCH, MARCH 31.
SO WE'RE STILL RECEIVING RENT AND YOU STILL HAVE EXPENSES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE, OF THE LEDGER.
SO THAT WILL BE THERE UNTIL MARCH.
AND THERE MAY EVEN BE A FOLLOW UP MONTH
[01:10:01]
INTO APRIL TO BALANCE SOME OF THOSE BOOKS.SO WE ARE VERY MUCH SO WINDING THAT DOWN, UM, AND ANTICIPATE THERE, THERE, THERE WILL BE VIRTUALLY NO ACTIVITY BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE MID-YEAR POINT.
IF WE WANNA MOVE INTO OUR DECEMBER, AND THAT SHOULD BE DECEMBER, 2023.
UM, OUR DECEMBER, 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT, TAKING A LOOK AT OUR REVENUE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, RECORDED OUR SALES TAX FOR THE YEAR.
SO, UM, THAT 60 DAY PERIOD HAS PASSED AT THIS POINT AND NOW WE CAN START BRINGING THOSE, UH, MONIES INTO THIS YEAR'S LEDGER.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT CURRENT MONTH ACTUALS OF 545,000 AND YEAR TO DATE 545,796 AS WELL.
OUR YEAR TO DATE, UM, BUDGET PERCENTAGE AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR IS 14.4%.
SO AT THIS POINT WE ARE 25% INTO THE YEAR.
IT MAY LOOK LIKE WE'RE TRACKING A LITTLE BIT BEHIND ON REVENUE, BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE OF THAT 60 DAY APPROVAL PROCESS.
SO WE'LL SEE THAT CATCH UP AS WELL.
AND FOR OUR EXPENDITURES, UH, OUR BUDGET, 4.3 MILLION 25% INTO THE BUDGET YEAR, WE HAVE SPENT 464,009, $929.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE VARIOUS SOURCES THAT ARE LISTED THERE.
LOOKS LIKE WE DID GET SOME BUSINESS GRANT, UM, REVENUE, UM, I'M SORRY, BUSINESS GRANT EXPENSE, I'M SORRY, UM, ON THAT SIDE FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.
SO, UH, THAT BUMPED US UP A LITTLE BIT.
10.7% IS WHERE WE'RE AT ON OUR EXPENDITURES COMPARED TO 7.5% LAST YEAR.
THE BUSINESS GRANT WAS THE PAYMENT OF THE, UH, FACADE GRANT IMPROVEMENT TO THE TOWNSEND SQUARE, UH, WORK THAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR.
THAT'S HOUR HALF OF THAT AGREEMENT.
THAT WAS PAID OUT IN DECEMBER.
SEE INSURANCE, THAT NUMBER JUMPED.
IT'S FOR THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE OR MORE PEOPLE.
WELL PROOF INSURANCE I'M SHOWING IT DIDN'T CHANGE MONTH TO MONTH THOUGH.
I'M SHOWING THE SAME CURRENT MONTH.
IF YOU LOOK AT 55, 54, 41 TO THE ACTUAL CURRENT YEAR TO DATE IN NOVEMBER AT, AT THE 3,314.
SO WHAT IS THE 8,000 VERSUS THIS NUMBER FROM LAST YEAR? OKAY.
SO IS IT THE SAME PERIOD? UM, COMPARING YES, IT'S THE SAME PERIOD.
SO SHE'S LOOKING AT THE 8,755 YEAR TO DATE THIS YEAR VERSUS THE 4,929.
DID WE HAVE A STAFF? DID WE HAVE, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN STAFFING CHANGES.
I'M NOT SURE IF WE WERE MAYBE UNDERSTAFFED THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
I DON'T BELIEVE SO AND I, NO, I THINK IT'S JUST AN OVERALL COST INCREASE THERE AS WELL.
WE MAY HAVE TO GET RID OF YOURSELF.
SOME GUYS KNOW
WHEN I LOOK AT, IF, IF I LOOK AT LAST YEAR, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, WE WERE 3,100 AND WE WENT TO 4,900.
IT WAS $1,800 A MONTH WAS THE GROUP INSURANCE THAT WE'RE NOW PAYING $3,300 A MONTH JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN'T YEAH.
INFLATION JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN'T THAT WHAT YOU CALL MADE, IF THEY MADE ANY PAYMENT OUT FOR ANYTHING.
THE PROFIT WORD IS EXTORTION, BUT RACKET SERIES, WE'LL CALL IT INFLATION.
BUT YEAH, EVERYTHING LOOKS, UH, PRETTY NORMAL TO ME.
SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
IF I CAN'T ANSWER THEM TONIGHT, I'D BE HAPPY TO GET BACK.
BIG DROP IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
WHAT WAS PROFESSIONAL, WHAT'S IN LINE ITEM? BIG DROP FROM MONTH TO MONTH OR FROM LAST YEAR? YEAR? YEAH, THAT'S AGAIN, THIS, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD LAST YEAR, THERE, THERE WERE SEVERAL LINE ITEMS THAT WERE SORT OF
[01:15:01]
BUCKETS, IF YOU WILL.I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO CALL 'EM.
AND EVEN WHAT WAS IN THE BUCKETS DIDN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS MAKE SENSE.
AND SO WE'VE STRAIGHTENED THAT OUT WHERE WE THINK, WE THINK THE BUCKETS ARE BETTER DEFINED.
BUT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WITHIN THOSE BUCKETS, HAVING REALIGNED THE COMPONENTS OF THE BUCKET, KEEPING TRACK OF THOSE.
MEL MEL'S WORKING VERY HARD WITH NIKITA TO MAKE SURE THAT AT THE MONTH IN OUR INDIVIDUAL BUCKET ACCOUNTING OR SUB BUCKET ACCOUNTING LINES UP TO THE BIG BUCKET NUMBER SO FAR TO DATE, WE'VE HAD A HARD TIME WITH THAT THIS YEAR.
MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ALL ALIGN UP.
THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE DIFFERENT.
WE MANAGED TO SORT OF WRITE THAT.
THE BIGGEST GAP THAT WE SEE IS, IS EXPENSES THAT ARE CHARGED TO CREDIT CARD WHEN THOSE ARE RECONCILED AND WHEN THEY HIT OUR BUDGET LINE ITEMS ARE WAY OUTTA WHACK WITH WHAT US TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF A MONTHLY AMOUNT.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE WRESTLING WITH HOW TO BETTER GIVE YOU INSIGHT AT A, AT A SUB BUCKET LEVEL,
I THINK BY NEXT MONTH WE'LL HAVE A LOT MORE ANSWERS.
'CAUSE PART OF WHAT PART OF THIS WAS JUST SORT OF GETTING THAT, THAT MECHANISM STRAIGHTENED OUT.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, UH, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO POINT IN TRYING TO DO IT MID-YEAR.
IT WAS JUST TOO HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF.
SO WE STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND WE'RE MELVIN'S MAINTAINING THAT ON A, ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
UM, AND SO I I THINK WE'LL HAVE, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO INFORM YOU BETTER IN THESE SUB.
ESSENTIALLY THERE WILL BE A SECOND SHEET TO YOUR, YOUR REPORT.
ONE THAT COMES FROM FINANCE AND ONE THAT COMES FROM INTERNALLY FROM US THAT HELPS US TO ACCOUNT FOR THOSE BETTER.
JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE BIT TRANSPARENCY.
SO SOME, SOME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A SPREADSHEET THAT IDENTIFIES BETTER CORRECT.
WHAT LINE ITEMS OR WHAT? THAT'S RIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, UNDER GRANTS AND SPONSORSHIPS YOU'LL SEE THINGS THAT WE KNOW ARE COMMITTED.
AND YOU'LL KNOW, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT'S UNCOMMITTED 'CAUSE WE CAN'T FORESEE THAT.
UM, SAME THING UNDER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE OTHER LARGE BUCKETS.
THE OTHER ONE, BUSINESS GRANTS, AGAIN, WHAT WE KNOW IS COMMITTED AND WHAT'S NOT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK SOME OF THAT BACK.
UM, LET THE OTHER LARGE LINE ITEM HELP ME MELVIN, UM, OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES,
AND WE'LL, SO ALL OF THOSE, WE CAN, WE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR.
WHAT WE AREN'T SURE NECESSARILY IS WHEN THOSE ACTUALLY HIT AND WHEN THEY, THEY LINE UP.
BUT THE LAST THING I WANNA DO IS GIVE YOU A SPREADSHEET THAT THOSE NUMBERS FROM FINANCE AND WHAT WE'RE TRACKING INTERNALLY DON'T FOOT UNLESS WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT, WHAT GOT RECORDED INTERNALLY, BUT HASN'T BEEN REPORTED YET IN FINANCE OR VICE VERSA.
BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA DO NOTHING BUT CREATE CONFUSION FOR ALL OF US.
GOING FORWARD, THERE'S, I GUESS I HAVE ONE QUESTION.
UM, AND THAT'S, THERE'S A TRANSFER TO DEBT SERVICE 3 0 5.
I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH PARTS AND REC AND THAT THEY HAVE AN OUT, THEY HAVE OUTSTANDING DEBT.
UM, THE, THE QUESTION THAT I'VE ASKED THAT I I I STILL THINK WE NEED AN ANSWER FROM FINANCE IS YOU HAVE TRANSFERRED A DEBT SERVICE OF A MILLION DOLLARS WHEN WE'RE ONLY ANTICIPATING $975,000 COMING FROM COMING FROM SALES TAX TO SUPPORT PARKS AND REC.
YOU KNOW, I THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I WILL GO AND DOUBLE CHECK THAT.
BUT HERE'S WHAT I FOUND WE'RE DONE.
ADMITTEDLY, IT'S $25,000 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.
NO OFFENSE TO MY COLLEAGUES IN PARTS AND REC, I'M NOT PICKING UP $25,000 IN DEBT PROPERTY.
NOW LET ME, UM, DON'T QUOTE ME, BUT I, I I BELIEVE THAT THAT 1 MILLION MAY HAVE BEEN BUDGETED IN ERROR BECAUSE I, I'M NOT SURE IF DPDC OR DDC STILL HAS OUTSTANDING DEBT.
SO, AND THAT, AND THUS THE, AND I, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE AMOUNT THAT THEY PAY IS A MILLION DOLLARS.
BUT WHEN WE REDUCED SALES TAXES MM-HMM.
AND I WANNA MAKE YOU WANT, YOU WANT A DIFFERENT STACK.
WELL, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT THEY'RE NOT OVERSPENDING THEIR BUDGET BECAUSE OUR, OUR CHARTER DOES NOT INCLUDE PICKING UP DEBTS FOR PARTS AND REC THAT ARE NOT ASSOCIATED
[01:20:01]
WITH, WITH, WITH PARKS AND REC OR, OR THE DESOTA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.SO WE NEED TO ALIGN THOSE AND REVENUES AND EXPENSES JUST NEED TO ALIGN.
THE OTHER PIECE THAT IF YOU COULD DO FOR US THIS NEXT MONTH, A YEAR AGO WE ADDRESSED AS A BOARD LADDERING INVESTMENTS.
I'M ASSUMING THAT THOSE ONLY PAY THEIR INTEREST ON MATURITY AND YET WE'RE SEEING REVENUES FROM INTEREST ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE ONLY, IF THEY'RE ONLY ROLLING OVER EVERY SIX MONTHS AND PAYING THAT INTEREST, WE'RE EITHER, IF WE'RE IMPUTING IT ON A MONTHLY BASIS, THAT'S FINE.
I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR THAT, THAT THE INVESTMENT DECISION THIS BOARD MADE IS IN FACT STILL A LADDERED SIX, 12 AND 18 MONTH ROLLING CDS AND THAT OUR REVENUES ARE EITHER REFLECTING THAT OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE? AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS 'CAUSE I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO IF WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT FOR THE NEXT REPORT OUT TO THE BOARD NEXT MONTH SURE WILL.
SAY WHATEVER IT IS THAT'S INTEREST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHATEVER IT IS WE'RE DOING.
IT'S, WELL IF YOU, I MEAN, TO THAT POINT, IF YOU LOOK AT ANY INTEREST DESIGN ITEM CITYWIDE, NO MATTER WHAT FUND IT IS AND WHAT IT IS, IT'S GONNA BE WAY UP BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT INTEREST RATES NOW THAT CLOSE TO 5% VERSUS LESS THAN 1% TWO YEARS AGO.
YOU KNOW, SO ALL OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE WAY UP.
NOW I DO KNOW THAT, UM, WE DO MATTER THE CDS AND THAT, UM, INTEREST IS CREDITED WHEN THE CITY MATURES.
BUT I WILL CHECK ON YOUR MONTHLY INTEREST YEAH.
UM, AND WE CAN TALK OFFLINE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF DEFINING HOW, HOW THAT IN INTEGRATES WITH THE CITY'S INVESTMENT PROFILE BECAUSE THE STATUTE DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR IN, FOR MELDING THOSE FUNDS.
THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS, IS ITS, IS ITS OWN CORPORATION WITH ITS OWN, WITH ITS OWN LINE ITEMS AND ITS OWN CASH ACCOUNTS.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT HOW WE'RE INVESTING THOSE IS NOT COMMINGLED.
BECAUSE IF, IF WE DON'T DO IT, THE AUDITOR CERTAINLY WILL
SO JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE GETTING IT.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT MAY JUST BE THAT WE'RE IMPUTING IT ONTO A MONTHLY BASIS.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS.
THE REVENUES FROM THE, FROM THE, THE LEASE FROM THE MARKET, IS THAT, IS IT A WASH IN TERMS OF EXPENSES AGAINST THOSE REVENUES? NOT EVEN CLOSE.
WE'RE IN THE HOLE OR WE COME OUT AHEAD? NO, WE COME OUT OF POCKET FOR IT.
WE HAVE EVERY MONTH FOR FIVE YEARS.
WHICH IS ANOTHER REASON WHY WE'RE TRANSITIONING.
NO, IT IS THE REASON WE'RE TRANSITIONING.
IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER ONE OF 'EM.
BECAUSE WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE SELF-SUSTAINING RIGHT.
BUT WHAT THE DECISION WE MADE AFTER THE LENGTHY REVIEW WITH PRIOR BOARD MEMBERS WAS A DECISION AND THEN THEN APPROVED BY COUNCIL TO, TO RETURN THAT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR RATHER THAN SUPPORTING IT FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
WE CAN TAKE THE SAVINGS FROM THAT AND THAT'S WHAT CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DOING, FOR US TO INVEST IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DECK.
SO THE IMPETUS FOR THE GROW DE SOTO MARKETPLACE WAS TO ASSIST SMALL BUSINESSES IN THEIR GROWTH.
IT WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BALANCE AND, AND THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES AND THEY WOULD GROW AND FLOURISH.
AND, AND TO SOME EXTENT THAT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
WHERE IT HAS NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IS ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE.
AND IT ALSO WASN'T AS SUCCESSFUL IN SERVING MANY BUSINESSES.
SO WE REEVALUATED THAT AND SAID WE WOULD RATHER MAKE THAT INVESTMENT FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND SUPPORT INTO AN ORGANIZATION THAT CAN PROVIDE THAT ON A UBIQUITOUS BASIS FOR ANY BUSINESS IN DESOTO AND PAY THAT MONEY AND ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY AND, AND STILL SERVE MORE BUSINESSES WITH BETTER SERVICES.
WE'RE HOPING THAT WE'LL THAT, THAT, THAT WILL BE READDRESSED ON THE 20TH OF FEBRUARY AT COUNCIL.
IT COMES BACK BEFORE COUNCIL ON 20TH OF FEBRUARY.
I'D LOVE TO HAVE SOME SUPPORT FROM OUR LEADERS.
UM, THAT, THAT, TO REMIND COUNSEL THAT YOU HAVE LOOKED AT THIS, YOU HAVE FED, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE VETTED THAT CONTRACT.
YOU HAVE VETTED THE ORGANIZATION WHO'S DELIVERING IT.
UM, AND THAT, THAT YOUR RECOMMENDATION REMAINS TO ENTER INTO THAT CONTRACT.
LET'S LIKE, LET'S LET THE DATE, THE DATE DOWN.
[01:25:01]
FEBRUARY 20TH SHE SENT.AND IF I COULD ADD A, YOU COULD ALSO SEND AN EMAIL JUST, YOU KNOW, REITERATING THAT THE, THE SUPPORT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
WHO SHOULD THAT EMAIL GO TO? IT SHOULD, IT SHOULD GO TO ALL OF THE COUNCIL.
IT SHOULD JUST GO TO ALL OF THE COUNCIL.
JUST SINCE WE'RE REVISITING THAT IN, IN LIGHT OF MEETING THREE MONTHS.
WELL, AND THREE MONTHS HAVE GONE BY.
I MEAN, IT'D BE REAL EASY NOT TO REMEMBER ALL THE DETAILS.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL IT UP AND PRESENT THE DETAILS OF THE
YOU KNOW, I I I WASN'T UNDER CO WITH WHAT MATT WAS SAYING, I WAS SAYING YOU IN ADDITION TO ALSO ALSO PUT IT IN WRITING.
THAT WAY THEY'LL HAVE IT BEFOREHAND AND THEY KNOW, UH, BECAUSE TONIGHT WAS A VERY GOOD MEETING AND WHAT COUNCILWOMAN CHIM SAID WAS VERY FOR SO GREAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR LAKITA BEFORE WE, NOT FOR ME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MUCH YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU'RE FAR MORE PLEASANT THAN TRACY
YOU SAID SHE JUST SHOOK YOUR HEAD.
[B.2. City Council Liason update regarding City events, meetings, etc. -- Councilmember Andre Byrd ]
WE HAVE CITY COUNCIL LIAISON UPDATE REGARDING CITY VETS MEETINGS, ET CETERA, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARE BIRD.JUST SOMETHING REALLY QUICKLY.
I WANNA THANK MATT AND THE MAYOR FOR HELPING PUTTING THIS MEETING TOGETHER.
WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A LONG TIME.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
UH, BUT WE CHOSE A DATE AND, UH, SO MATT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP TO THAT.
I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR FOR BEING ALWAYS OPEN AND A BIG SUPPORTER.
UM, AS YOU KNOW ALREADY THAT THE WINTER RETREAT IS HAPPENING ON THE 26TH.
UM, WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT, UH, KNOW IS THE EFFECT OF THE ICE SKATING RINK.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE NUMBERS TO COME BACK.
BUT FROM, FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS STANDPOINT AND EATING IMAGE, THAT WAS A HUGE MOVE FOR US.
UM, IT DID NOT, IT WILL PROBABLY LOSE MONEY AS THOSE THINGS TEND TO DO.
BUT WHAT YOU LOSE MAYBE, UH, FINANCIALLY YOU MAKE UP IN PUBLIC RELATIONS.
AND, UH, THE CITIZENS, I'VE NOT TALKED TO ONE CITIZEN THAT WAS NOT, UH, IMPRESSED AND HAPPY THAT THE CITY, UH, EMBARKED UPON THAT.
IT, IT, IT CREATED AN IMAGE THAT THEY SEE THEMSELVES.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE THE HIGHLANDS PARK OF THE SOUTH, SO THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UH, AND, AND SO, UM, AND THEN, UM, I THINK THAT'S, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL THAT WE HAVE.
WE, UM, UH, THE ICE SKATING RINK, THE WINTER RETREAT AND ELECTION, THERE ARE TWO, UM, SEATS THAT'S UP FOR, UM, UH, UM, ELECTION ONE IS, UH, MAYOR PRO TE LETITIA HUGHES.
AND ALSO, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, CHISHOLM, HER SEAT IS UP.
UM, AS YOU KNOW THAT, UH, EVERY YEAR WE ARE UP AT LEAST ONE, AT LEAST TWO SEATS ARE OUT, AND SOMETIMES THREE.
SO THE MAYOR'S ON THE CYCLE WITH, UH, WITH PLACE, UH, WITH DYNA MARK SEAT AND WITH, UM, LET'S SEE, DYNA MARK AND, AND RAFAEL.
SO SHE'S ON, SO NEXT YEAR IT'LL BE, UH, THE MAYOR.
HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY WILL STAY IN.
UH, BUT, BUT JUST SO THAT YOU'LL KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FACING.
WHAT IS THE, WHEN IS THE, THE, THE DATE ACTUALLY MAY 4TH.
WHAT, WHAT IS THE ELECTION DATE? I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE UH, BUT IS IT? MAY 4TH IS MAY 4TH.
BUT I KNOW THE DEADLINE TO, TO APPLY IF YOU'RE RUNNING FOR A LOCAL SEAT HERE.
I THINK IT'S FEBRUARY THE 17TH.
THAT'S THE DEADLINE TO, TO APPLY.
I THINK IT OPENS UP AROUND THE JANUARY THE 17TH.
PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT A MONTH TO THINK ABOUT IT.
BUT THE CUTOFF IS THAT FRIDAY.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MR. PRESIDENT.
AND, UM, AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO CONSENT
[C. CONSENT AGENDA]
AGENDA.UM, THANK YOU THAT, UH, EVERYONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AND, UH, AS SUCH, IF WE HIT THIS POINT, UH, CAN I GET A MOTION HAVING READ IT? UM, EVERYONE HAS READ THAT, UH, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.
I'LL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AND SECOND, UH, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THE, THE CONSENT AGENDA HAS BEEN APPROVED AND AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD
[D.1. Brief update of meetings attended, industrial site visits and general office operations. ]
TO A BRIEFING BY, UH, OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE[01:30:01]
OFFICER, MR. MATT CARLSON OF DDC.MR. PRESIDENT, I DON'T HAVE ANY BRIEFING FOR YOU THIS MONTH THAT DECEMBER IS, IS STILL SORT OF LINGERING OVER INTO THE START OF JANUARY.
I I WILL, I WILL SHARE WITH THE BOARD THAT, UH, JANUARY IS OFF TO A ROARING START, UM, IN, IN MORE WAYS THAN WE'VE EVEN BEGUN TO BELIEVE.
UH, I SAID TO ANTOINE THE OTHER DAY, I SAID, I, I, I, WE'VE LAID OUT A NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WE'VE TALKED WITH YOU ABOUT, AND THEY ARE ALL MOVING AT ABOUT TWICE THE SPEED WE EXPECTED.
UM, CLOSING DATES ARE COMING UP, UH, ACTIVITY LEVELS ARE ARE UP.
UM, THANK YOU DR. GARRETT PRICE FOR BEING INVOLVED IN, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS.
UM, I DIDN'T MEAN TO HOLD YOU OUT TO THE WHOLE COUNCIL.
UM, BUT IT, IT IS, I APPRECIATE THAT.
IT IS, IT IS, UM, IT IS ABSOLUTELY INSTRUMENTAL IN, IN THE DISCUSSIONS AND IS, AND IS PAYING HUGE DIVIDENDS.
WE HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE ON, ON, UH, WITH THAT, WITH THAT CONVERSATION.
IT'S NICE TO HAVE AN EXPERT AT THE TABLE,
WELL, I'M HAPPY TO CONTRIBUTE.
AND, AND THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I, I GUESS I'D LIKE TO SAY IS THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY FOR THE SUPPORT THAT WE GOT ON THE ESPORTS, UM, UH, PROGRAM LAST WEEK.
AKILA, I SAW YOUR, YOUR VIDEO.
IT IT IS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE PLAY AT OUR REPORTS TO COUNCIL BECAUSE I DO THINK IT, IT TRULY SPEAKS FROM A PARTICIPANT STANDPOINT FAR DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, THOSE OF US WHO WERE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE ON SORT OF THE SETTING IT UPSIDE.
YOU WERE ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT.
AND, AND EVERYBODY AT THIS TABLE HAS PLAYED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN, IN BRINGING THAT OFF, UM, TO SEE THE LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT IN THE KIDS AND THE COACH TOO.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO THE COACH, UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ASKED RHONDA TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN A CADENCE OF, OF SUPPORT, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ABOUT TOURNAMENTS THEY'RE GOING TO AND HOW THEY'RE DOING AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE STUDENTS AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE COACH.
UM, SO THAT WE DON'T, WE DON'T LOSE TRACK OF THE INVESTMENT WE MADE BECAUSE THE RETURN WON'T BE IN DOLLARS.
THE RETURN WILL BE IN THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING AND THE SMILES ON THOSE KIDS' FACES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT OPEN UP FOR THEM IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AND YEARS TO COME.
SO THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR PRESENCE THAT DAY WAS MUCH APPRECIATED.
MATT, I JUST WANNA SHARE THAT, UM, FROM, YOU KNOW, MY HOST AND JUST RESHARING, YOU KNOW, FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND, AND, UH, ISD I'M HAD PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO ME.
'CAUSE I MEAN, I THINK FOR THEM IT WAS LIKE, OH, STUFF IS HAPPENING, OR, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? PEOPLE, THEY KNOW DANNY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? THEY KNOW HIS PROGRAM.
UM, AND POSSIBILITIES FOR DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, OTHER BUSINESSES AND PROGRAMS TO POTENTIALLY WANT TO DO SOMETHING HERE IN THE CITY.
SO THERE WAS ANOTHER THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.
UM, WOMAN WHO HAS A AMAZING COMPANY WHO'S, UM, REALLY IS HELPING, UM, YOUNG PEOPLE GET, UM, SCHOLARSHIPS.
I WAS ABLE TO GET HER CONNECTED WITH THE PTSA BOARD.
UM, AND I'VE HAD A COUPLE OTHER PEOPLE CONTACT ME VIA LINKEDIN AND JUST KINDA LIKE, OKAY, SO WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE SETTLE? I ASKED SOMEONE TO TEXT ME LIKE, OH, I SAW THAT POST YOU DID, YOU KNOW, UM, LOVE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SO I, FOR ME, THAT'S GREAT.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONE, I MEAN, I'M A PARENT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, I SHARED LIKE I'M A RESIDENT, I'M A PARENT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS.
UM, BUT I, AGAIN, AS I'VE ALREADY SHARED, I'M ABOUT WHAT ARE WE SAYING ABOUT THE CITY? HOW'S IT BEING PUT OUT HERE? AND THAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING, UM, THIS, UH, THIS AREA AS, YOU KNOW, A PLACE OR POSSIBILITIES WHERE PEOPLE WANNA COME WORK WITH US, UM, AND BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
I MADE MY SON, YOU KNOW, COME AND, UM,
AND SO THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU, YOU KNOW, UM, FOR CONTINUING TO, TO PUSH, UM, AS A COLLECTIVE.
BUT THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
YOU GOTTA BE GOOD STORYTELLERS.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE A TREE FALLING IN THE WOODS.
IF YOU DON'T TELL THE STORY, PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING.
AND SO WE GOTTA CONSTANTLY BE, IT'S LIKE A DRUMBEAT.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALL THE TIME.
AND THERE'S ENOUGH HERE HAPPENING FOR US TO HAVE A REGULAR CADENCE OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND WE HAVE TO BE BETTER TELL AS THE STORY I WAS, I WAS SO APPRECIATIVE TO HEAR THE COUNCIL SAY, BRING THAT TO THE, WE NEED TO BE SAYING THAT FROM THE DAYS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT HERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR WELL TO THAT POINT, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER YESTERDAY THAT SAID THAT DUNCANVILLE DESOTO AND SOUTH OAK CLIFF'S GAME OUTPERFORMED 28 BOWL GAMES.
[01:35:01]
SCHOOL GAME.I PERFORMED 20 COLLEGIATE BALL GAMES.
THAT'S A BIG DEAL FOR THE REGION.
IT SURE IS PARADE ON SATURDAY.
IT'S GONNA BE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
[F.1. Board announcements are regarding local civic and charitable events, meetings, fundraisers, awards, expression of thanks, congratulations or condolences. ]
SO LET ME SAY ANY BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS POINT, WE'LL WRAP UP HERE.ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? SO I'D LIKE BEFORE YOU CLOSE, I'D LIKE, LIKE THE THING OF PRESIDENT FOR THE WAY IN WHICH HE PRESENTED.
HE WAS VERY THOROUGH ON POINT, STAYED ON TASK.
HE WAS VERY CLEAR, VERY PRECISE, AND THEY UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT AND WHAT WE MEAN.
THEY TOLD ME, THEY TOLD ME, I SPOKE AT THE ESPORTS.
I LEARNED TO, THEY TOLD ME TO BE SUCCINCT.
BE SINCERE, BE SHORT AND BE SEATED.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL BOARD YOURSELF.
THAT'S GIVE YOURSELF BEAUTIFUL.
I HAPPEN TO, UH, SEE ONE OF OUR FORMER BOARD MEMBERS EARLIER TODAY AT A MEETING AND THEY INQUIRED, HOW ARE THINGS GOING? HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING? AND I WAS SO PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT WE ARE COLLABORATING IN SUCH A MANNER THAT IT'S GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT WAS PERMEATED TONIGHT, EARLIER THIS EVENING.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL BECAUSE THE BACK AND FORTH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE PLANTING OLIVE, THE TREE TAKES YEARS FOR IT TO GROW, BUT IT PRODUCES, ONCE IT START PRODUCING, IT PRODUCES FOREVER.
SO WE JUST PLANTED AN OLIVE TREE TONIGHT, I THINK, AND I THINK EVERYONE THAT WAS HERE REALLY COULD APPRECIATE IT.
SOMETIMES WE WERE THINKING IT AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT.
AND, BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT THAT COMES ACROSS.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INPUT, THE INTELLECT, THE PROFESSIONALISM, AND MORE IMPORTANT YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS BECAUSE THERE ARE NO BIG GUYS IN LITTLE USE HERE AND THERE ARE NO MAGIC AUTHORS.
AND THE SECRET SAUCE IS IN THIS INGREDIENT HERE.
THANK YOU FOR THE LAST MEETING, MEETING IN LINE.
THE LAST MEETING WE HAVE HERE, THE MAYOR SHARED IT ON HER PLATFORM AND I SHARED IT AND IT HAS SINCE GOT OVER A THOUSAND VIEWS.
OUR LAST MEETING HERE, I SAW THAT THEY STILL WATCHING.
YEAH, THEY'RE WATCHING WHAT WE SAID.
I MISSED SOMEONE SATURDAY IN EVENT, AND I SAID, OH, I WANT TO DO THIS.
SAID, OH, I WAS WONDERING, OH, YOU WERE THE PERSON THAT WAS LIKE, OH, SHE'S NEW.
YOU'RE, MAKE ME MINDFUL OF WHAT I'M SAYING.
SO IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER, UH, COMMENTS OR OBSERVATIONS TO THIS POINT FOR THE MEETING TONIGHT, UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS FOR THE BOARD, UH, THIS MEETING AS UH, UH, 7 48 IS NOW ADJOURNED.
SO THIS IS, YEAH, THIS IS A, OH, SO.