[00:00:01]
RIGHT.[A. REGULAR SESSION]
THE, UH, CIVIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HEREBY, UH, CALLING TO MEETING AT 6 0 6 0 3.AS SUCH, UH,
UM, SO AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HAVE, UH, ATION FROM OUR DISTINGUISHED LEADER AND REVEREND OVER HERE.
YOU HEAR ME? BUT LORD, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR COVERING OUR CITY, OUR COMMUNITY, OUR FAMILY, AND OUR FRIENDS.
AND LORD, THANK YOU FOR RAISING ME BACK.
LORD, BLESS OUR MEETING TONIGHT.
THAT OPEN OUR MINDS AND OUR HEARTS THAT WE'RE PRODUCTIVE.
WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AS WE REPRESENT YOU.
TRUSTED US TO REPRESENT OUR CITY, AND WE TRUST YOU.
AND WE, ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION FOR SPEAKING.
AND SO GOOD TO SEE YOU LOOKING GREAT TOO, BY THE WAY.
UM, I'D LIKE TO, UH, UH, CITE THE ITEMS OF DISCUSSION.
UM, FIRST WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE FINANCE STATUS REPORT, UH, UH, AS OF FEBRUARY OF MARCH, 2024 BY TRACY CORMIER, UH, AND DEPUTY ASSEMBLY MANAGER AS WELL.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE CITY COUNCIL LIAISON UPDATE, UH, OR WE MAY OR NOT, YOU KNOW, UH, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DISCUSSION REGARDING CREATION OF A NEW CIVIL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN AND RECAP OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BIOLIFE SCIENCE OUTBOUND RECRUITING TRIP.
[B.1. Finance Status Report as of February and March 2024. Tracy Cormier, Interim Deputy City Manager.]
UH, PROCEED MR. TRACY.UH, IF YOU CAN TURN, WE CAN START ON PAGE SEVEN OF YOUR PACKET, AND THAT STARTS WITH THE FEBRUARY REPORT.
UM, DEFINITELY REVENUE IS TRENDING, HAS EXPECTED, UM, FOR THE, UH, PERIOD THROUGH FEBRUARY.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT SALES TAX, UH, WE'RE DEFINITELY UP, UH, TRENDING UP, UH, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.
UM, INTEREST OF COURSE, WE HAD A COUPLE CDS COME DUE, UM, IN THIS PERIOD.
SO WE, WE KNOW WE'RE GONNA BE UP COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, BUT OVERALL WE HAD 41%.
AND THAT IS GOOD COMPARED TO OUR BUDGET YEAR.
AND, AND ALSO REMEMBER TOO, WITH SALES TAX, WE ARE ALWAYS, UH, TWO MONTHS BEHIND AND RECEIVING.
UM, NO, UM, NOTHING, UM, OUT OF ORDINARY, UM, EXPENDITURES ARE TO BE EXPECTED.
UM, LIKE I SAY, OUR BIGGEST ITEMS ARE, UM, THE BUSINESS GRANT AND THEN THE TRANSFER TO DEBT SERVICE.
THAT 1 MILLION THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN THIS YEAR.
OF COURSE, THAT'S PART OF THE HAMPTON ROAD, UH, PROJECT.
IS THAT THE, NO, THE, UM, QUAD CENTER.
CAN I ASK SOME QUESTIONS THEN? YEAH, PLEASE.
I KNOW I'M PROBABLY ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS TWICE, MAYBE ONE THAN TWICE.
BUT WHEN I'M LOOKING AT THE FINANCIALS, UH, THE ACTUAL YEAR DATE VERSUS, OKAY, I'M LOOKING AT THAT VERSUS LAST YEAR.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE PY ACTUAL YEAR DATE? YES.
BUT THIS WHY TO THE BUDGET VARIANCE.
WHY DO WE HAVE THAT COLUMN? 'CAUSE THAT'S SAYING, HEY, THAT'S FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR.
WELL, WHAT, WHAT THE ACTUAL YEAR TO DATE, THE BUDGET IS BASICALLY SAYING YOU COLLECTED 30% OF THAT, OF YOUR BUDGETED LINE ITEMS TO THIS POINT.
AND THEN THE OTHER ONE TO THE RIGHT WHERE IT SAYS PRIOR YEAR, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, YOU COLLECTED 23% OF YOUR BUDGET.
SO YOU EXPLAINED THAT COLUMN THEN.
IS THAT FROM LAST, FROM LAST FEBRUARY COMPARED TO THIS FEBRUARY, YES.
SO JUST A QUESTION, WHY DON'T WE HAVE, IF, IF WE'RE GONNA BE, IF, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NARRATIVE THERE, WHY DON'T WE HAVE THAT ACTUAL TO SHOW THAT IT'S FOUR A 4% INCREASE AND THAT'S THE BOARD'S CALL AND DIRECTOR'S CALL ABOUT HOW
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YOU WANT TO REPORT.I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTOOD THE QUESTION.
SO THE NARRATIVE SAYS THERE WAS A 4%, UH, INCREASE IN THE SALES TAX REVENUE.
AND SO MY QUESTION WAS, IS THAT YEAR TO DATE COMPARED YEAR OVER YEAR, OR THAT JUST FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.
AND SO HE'S SAYING IT'S, IT'S SAME PERIOD, SO IT'S FEBRUARY OVER FEBRUARY.
SO TO THAT POINT, I CIRCLED THE SAME THING THAT I LOOKED AT EARLIER.
AND, UM, I LOOKED AT THE, UH, 1000786TH.
AND SO IT'S REALLY, IT, IT IS ALMOST SOMEWHAT DECEIVING WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT IT, BUT IT IS, IT'S A TREND.
AND SO I THINK MAYBE TO EVEN CALL IT OUT TO SAY TO YOUR POINT COMMISSION, SO THAT IT, IT'S SPELLED OUT WITH CLARITY HERE.
THAT'S I, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AND YOU GO ACROSS AND YOU SEE THE, UH, UH, PRIOR YEAR, AND THEN YOU SEE, UH, PRIOR YEAR BUDGET AND YEAH.
AND I UNDERSTAND IT IS KIND OF CONFUSING.
AND ACTUALLY THE, WE COULD PROBABLY TAKE THAT LAST COLUMN OUT AND JUST LEAVE A DOLLAR AMOUNT.
I, I FIND THE, THE FINAL COLUMN TO BE GOOD, TO BE MORE USEFUL BECAUSE I KNOW WHERE I WAS LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME VERSUS THIS YEAR.
AND THAT'S THE ONE THAT TELLS ME THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE AHEAD.
THE NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY ON THE REVENUE SIDE, ARE ALL ALWAYS SEEM BAFFLING.
'CAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS TWO MONTHS BEHIND.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT IT DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT IS UNDERSTANDING ANY SORT OF CYCLICALITY TO OUR SALES TAX.
BUT SO JUST, IT, IT, IT IS, IT'S HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO REPRESENT THAT WELL.
IF WE DON'T WANNA PUT ANOTHER COLUMN, IF YOU SAY THAT IT'S UP ABOUT 4%, COULD YOU PUT THAT, WHAT THAT AMOUNT IS? YEAH.
SO THE TRENDS AREN'T VERY GOOD.
SO WHAT KIND OF SALES TAXES ARE OF WHAT'S, WHAT'S DRIVING THE INCREASE? UM, I WOULD HAVE TO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH FOR THAT.
WE LOST COALS, BUT EVERYONE ELSE HAS INCREASED AS FAR AS WHAT INDUSTRY, I COULDN'T TELL YOU THAT WITHOUT DOING SOME RESEARCH.
I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT'S, AND THEN IS IT GONNA REVERSE LATER ON, LIKE WILL IT SLOW DOWN IF YOU STILL HIT YOUR NUMBER? BUT IF, IF WE, IF, IF THERE IS A SIX, IF THERE IS SIX, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE LATER ON? JUST THAT IN THE YEAR OR IN, IN YEARS OUT? NO, THE YEAR.
I TEND, I TEND TO TRY SORT OF TRACK ON IT.
I LOOK AT IT AS THAT AT THAT YEAR TO DATE PIECE.
AND I KNOW HAVING WATCHED IT NOW FOR THREE YEARS, THAT OUR SALES TAX WILL FALL OFF COME, COME THE MID, THE MID THE MID MONTHS.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA SEE, USUALLY MARCH AND APRIL TEND TO TREND DOWN.
AND THEN WE START TO TREND BACK UP.
SUMMERTIME HAS A, HAS A PEAK TO IT.
AND THEN IT STARTS TO CLIMB FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
BUT EVEN YEAR OVER YEAR, WE STILL SHOULD BE UP.
AND THAT'S REALLY THE, THAT THE 4% HE'S TALKING ABOUT IS, IS REALLY THAT FEBRUARY OR FEBRUARY.
BUT I'M, I'M ANTICIPATING THAT IT WILL PROBABLY BE TOTAL, UH, INCREASE THIS YEAR OVER LAST YEAR, ACCEPTING OUT COALS, TAKE COALS OUT OF THE EQUATION, SOMETHING CLOSER TO ABOUT 13% OVER THE YEAR.
DOES THAT MATCH WITH ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING? YEAH.
ALSO REMEMBER, TOO IS BUDGET WISE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE VERY CONSERVATIVE WHEN IT COMES TO SALES TAX.
SO I DON'T THINK WE WOULD HAVE ANY ISSUE OF MEETING BUDGET.
'CAUSE WE, WE VERY CONCERNED, BUT I MEAN, BUT THAT'S A GOOD STORY.
IT'S A GOOD NARRATIVE IF WE'RE THAT FAR AHEAD, YEAR OVER YEAR, THAT'S, THOSE ARE ACTUAL NUMBERS.
AND LIKE I SAID, I, I ANTICIPATE THAT.
WE'LL, AND, AND THE OTHER PIECE, AND I, WHEN I GOT HERE, I DID SOME LOOKING BACK TO SEE HOW COVID HAD AFFECTED US.
AND EVEN IN THE SALES TAX CHANGES AND EVEN, AND WE WENT EVEN BACK FOR THE, THAT AND ALL.
AND I DID, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED LOOKING AT THESE, THE SALES TAX HAS NEVER BEEN, HAS NEVER HAD A NEGATIVE GROWTH IN DESOTO SINCE 2000.
AND I THINK WE WENT BACK AS FAR AS 2006.
EVEN DURING COVID WE INCREASED.
WE WERE STILL INCREASING THOUGH.
I THINK OUR COVID INCREASE WAS ABOUT THREE OR 4%.
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UM, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I TRACKED THIS AT ONE POINT AND I JUST SORT OF STOPPED.BUT IT WAS GOOD TO KNOW WHAT'S DRIVING IT THOUGH.
EXCEPT THAT, THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT RESEARCH TO DO BECAUSE OF THE WAY WE GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE STATE.
WELL I HOW YOU'RE NOT EVEN BROKEN DOWN BY INDUSTRY.
I MEAN, WE CAN'T EVEN INDUSTRY GROUPINGS.
WE COULDN'T EVEN TELL YOU THE NAME OF THE BUSINESS OR ANYTHING.
WE COULD ONLY TELL YOU MY INDUSTRY.
SO WE CAN NARROW IT DOWN TO SOME OF THE, THE MORE, 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A STANDARDIZED SET OF INDUSTRY GROUPINGS THAT THEY USE.
SO AS COMPARABLE CITY TO CITY, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE AS CLOSE AS WE COULD GET.
UM, AND THAT IT'S PROBABLY WORTHWHILE TO KNOW IF IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY GET TO WITH RELATIVE EASE.
LIKE IS IT, YOU KNOW, IS IT RETAIL SALES, THOSE SALES, IS THAT INCREASING OR IS IT FROM THE WAREHOUSE? OR IS IT THAT THE INDUSTRY YEAH.
THAT THAT'S HOW THEY BREAK IT DOWN.
AND, AND IT WILL BE, AND IT WILL BE PRIMARILY DRIVEN, I MEAN, IT'S RETAIL SALES TAX.
SO WITHIN RETAIL, YOU'RE GOING TO GET THINGS LIKE GROCERS.
YOU'RE GONNA GET THINGS LIKE, UM, GENERAL, GENERAL GOODS.
YOU'RE GONNA GET SOME OF THAT BREAKDOWN IN THERE.
UM, I THINK THERE, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER 'CAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I'VE LOOKED AT THAT SORT OF GENERAL BREAKDOWN.
UM, I, I JUST, I DON'T REMEMBER, BUT MAY, MAYBE JUST A LISTING OF, OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT AS IT'S REPORTED WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, AND THEN LIKE I SAID, TO THE EXTENT, I DON'T KNOW HOW EASY IT IS TO RUN A REPORT AGAINST IT, BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, REQUEST IT THROUGH A THIRD, THIRD PARTY THAT ASSIST US IN DRAWING THAT INFORMATION.
WE DON'T, CITIES, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS DIRECTLY.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH A THIRD PARTY.
I ALWAYS GOT IT, BUT I MEAN, I CAN GET IT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, AS FAR, I CAN'T TELL YOU IF I CAN HAVE THAT BY THE NEXT MEETING, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY GET THE INFORMATION.
WELL, YOU KNOW, IF WE SET IT TWO MONTHS FROM NOW, IT NOT THIS MEETING, OR MAYBE NOT JUNE, BUT JULY, YEAH.
WE WOULD HAVE THE SIX MONTH REVENUE POINT IN BY THEN.
WE WOULD HAVE THE REVENUE THROUGH APRIL.
SO APRIL, MAY, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER, JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH.
I, WE'LL GET THE REPORT IN JUNE, THEN WE'LL HAVE THROUGH APRIL, MAY THROUGH MAY.
BECAUSE IDEALLY IT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT WAS AT THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE YEAR.
I CAN REQUEST IT, JUST REQUEST, YOU KNOW, THE SIX MONTHS IN THE FISCAL YEAR.
AND AT LEAST GIVE US AN INTERESTING LOOK AT THE, AT THE TREND.
I WOULD THINK THERE'S A TOOL YOU WANT TO HAVE.
AND FRANKLY SPEAKING IT, UM, I THINK WE'RE ALL ON BOARD WITH THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT REALLY LAYS A FOUNDATION TO, AS YOU START THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE, WHERE, WHERE ARE THOSE AREAS THAT MAKE SENSE OR NOT TO, UH, ASCERTAIN DO WE GO FORWARD? DO WE START LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT, UH, ANALYSIS OF WHAT WE NEED NEEDING TO DO? SO THAT'S REALLY GOOD.
I JUST, WHEN I SAW THE 1.7, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW, IT, IT MAKES YOU TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, YOU KNOW? UH, SO THANK YOU.
UM, THE 1.7 IS DECEPTIVELY LARGE.
I MEAN THE SAME, UM, WE REVENUE IS, IS TRENDING UP AS EXPECTED, UM, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN WITH, UM, SALES TAX AND INTEREST REVENUE? NO.
UM, ANYTHING BIG AS FAR AS EXPENDITURES JUST TO NORMAL, I WOULD SAY, UH, MARCH, UM, THIS IS THE LAST MONTH THAT WE WILL BE RECEIVING MM-HMM.
AND THEN ALSO TOO, WE WOULD, WE WOULDN'T, WE WON'T HAVE THAT EXP EXPENSE EXPENDITURE.
I KNOW THERE'S A SETTLE UP SETTLEMENT UP AND I'M NOT FOR SURE WHERE WE AT ON THAT, MATT, BUT, UM, THAT THE NUMBERS THAT I MOST RECENTLY GOT ARE DISTURBING TO SAY THE LEAST.
I MEAN, I WOULD, I WOULD ECHO THAT.
I MEAN THE SEPARATION OF THE E NUMBER, THOSE NUMBERS.
SO THE, THE WAY THAT THAT'S BEEN STRUCTURED WITH THE, THE GROW DESOTO MARKETPLACE, UM, WE'RE THE MASTER LESSOR.
AND, AND SO WE MAKE A, A BASE RATES A BASE RENT PAYMENT EVERY MONTH.
AND UP UNTIL THREE MONTHS AGO, WE WERE ALWAYS BILLED A FLAT RATE FOR OUR TRIPLE NETS IN ADDITION TO THAT.
SO OUR PAYMENTS ARE $12,000 EVERY MONTH HAVE BEEN SINCE I GOT HERE UNTIL LAST FALL.
WE SAT DOWN AND STARTED TO TRUE THIS UP 'CAUSE WE KNEW WE WERE COMING TO THE END OF THIS CONTRACT.
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I SAID, YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE REALLY NEVER BILLED THAT APPROPRIATELY.THOSE NUMBERS ARE REALLY BIGGER THAN WE KNOW THEN, YOU KNOW.
AND SO WE JUST DO A TRUE UP AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
HOW BIG IS A TRUE UP $22,000? BUY THAT BY 12.
IT'S STILL A COUPLE THOUSAND BUCKS A MONTH.
SO WE'RE GONNA START HAVING YOU PAY US 15 SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH SO THAT IT IS A, A CLOSER, UH, MATCH.
NOT THAT I REALLY CARE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
THE PIECE THAT NEVER SEEMS TO JIVE IS LITERALLY SINCE THE BEGINNING WHEN I GOT HERE, WE'VE ALWAYS HEARD FROM MONEY THAT THIS PLACE IS A HUNDRED PERCENT FULL PERCENT QUESTION.
HE SAID THAT IT'S ALWAYS, AND, AND IT, AND IT'S BILLING OUT AT, AT FULL, FULL RENT.
WELL, IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN THE REVENUES OUGHT MATCH THE EXPENSES.
SO OUT OF POCKET SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING FROM US.
THAT JUST SIMPLY DOESN'T PLAY OUT.
AND TO THE TUNE NOW OF OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, ABOUT 60, $68,000.
WHERE IS THE, WHERE'S, WHERE'S, WHERE'S THE CONTRACT? WE NEED SEE A CONTRACT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? WE NEED TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS.
'CAUSE HE SAYS IT SAYS TRUE ENOUGH AND THAT WE NEED TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS.
IT'S, IT IS SILENT IN TERMS OF HOW THE ACCOUNTING IS TO TAKE PLACE.
IT SAYS WHAT THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTIES ARE, BUT IN TERMS OF THE ACCOUNTING SIDE OF THAT, IT, IT IS, WHETHER IT'S REPORTED ON A MONTHLY BASIS OR NOT, IT WAS SILENCED TO THAT.
AND HOW THE, THE CASH FLOWS CAME, IT WAS ALSO SILENCED TO THAT.
SO HISTORICALLY THAT HAD BEEN DONE ON MORE OR LESS A QUARTERLY BASIS THAT THEY WOULD REMIT, UM, EXCESS REVENUES INTO, INTO US.
UH, AND THEN WE JUST CONTINUE TO PAY THE BASE, THE BASE RENT PLUS THE, THE, UM,
THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE TRANSPARENCY.
YEAH, NO, IT DOESN'T FEEL VERY TRANSPARENT EITHER.
AND TRACY AND I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THIS.
'CAUSE IT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN DONE LITERALLY SINCE THE BEGINNING.
AT, AT THE POINT WE KNEW WE WERE GETTING OUT THAT IT WAS PROBABLY NOT WORTH THE, IT'S NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE TO TRY TO YEAH.
WE KNEW WE WERE GONNA HAVE TO TRUE IT UP AT THE END BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE WERE.
AND SO OUR INTENTION AT THIS POINT IS WE'VE NOW REACHED THE END OF THAT, THAT CONTRACT.
UM, WE'VE NOW GOTTEN A, A, A, A LESS THAN DETAILED REPORT THROUGH THAT BRIDGE TO PROVIDE NOW THE DETAIL OF ALL THOSE TRIPLE NETS AND ALL, ALL OF THE REVENUES I'VE GOT, I'VE GOTTEN ALL THE, UH, EXPENSES WE'VE PAID.
WHAT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN FROM THEM IS A LIST OF THE REVENUES SO THAT I KNOW THAT THOSE REVENUES CAME, THEY WERE APPROPRIATELY DEPOSITED.
AND THEN WE CAN OFFSET ONE AGAINST THE OTHER.
AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO A MORE DETAILED REVIEW OF WHAT THOSE LOOK LIKE.
SO THAT, THAT LAST UH, LEVELING UP IS BASED ON THAT DOCUMENT.
SO THAT'S, THAT, THAT IS EXACTLY TRUE.
IT SAYS, BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S NOT HARD.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT, IT'S NOT A HARD CONCEPT THAT WE'RE MAKING THESE PAYMENTS AND IF IF IT'S NOT RENTED, IT COMES OUT OF OUR POCKET.
IF IT'S RENTED, THEN IT COMES OUT OF THE, THE RENTS AND THE, THE TRIPLE NETS THAT THEY'RE COLLECTING ON.
'CAUSE THEY HAVE GROSS LEASES DOWN THERE.
THEY DON'T HAVE TRIPLE NET LEASES.
IF YOU'RE RENT, IF YOU'RE RENTING IT AT AN APPROPRIATE RATE, IT'S COVER AND BOTH.
SO THE TWO WASH, IF EVEN THOUGH THEY AREN'T GONNA WASH ON A MONTHLY BASIS ON THE, ON THE, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT'S THE IDEA BEHIND THIS QUARTERLY REMISSION OF, OF REVENUES.
WOULD THAT, THAT'S WHY THEY DID IT.
AND IT IS, NONE OF IT'S ILL-INTENTIONED.
I DON'T THINK IT'S MEANT TO BE SECRETIVE OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ANY SLIGHT OF HAND HERE.
IT IS JUST WHAT DOESN'T LINE UP IS THIS THE NARRATIVE OF THAT.
WE'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT, IF WE'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT LEASED, OCCUPIED ALL THE TIME AND YOU'RE LEASING IT AT AN APPROPRIATE RATE TO COVER BOTH THE BASE AND THE TRIPLE NETS, THEN IT SHOULD BE ZEROED OUT EVERY YEAR.
AND THAT JUST, APPARENTLY THAT'S NOT WHERE WE'RE AT.
SO WE'LL GET YOU CAN'T SELL ME AND CHARGE ME.
WHAT'S THAT? YOU CAN'T SELL ME.
YOU CAN'T SELL ME AND CHARGE ME.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WHEN ARE WE EXPECTING HIS, UM, WHEN ARE WE EXPECTING, I'M ANTICIPATING BEING THAT WRAPPED UP THIS COMING MONTH.
UM, NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN SORT OF THEIR ACCOUNTING
[00:20:01]
OF IT, IT, IT'S THE FIRST TIME I HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT WAS LAST WEEK.AND SO WE'VE BEEN PULLING A BUNCH OF REPORTS INTERNALLY.
I SAID, BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T LINE UP THAT WE'VE GOT THIS $60,000, 67,000, $68,000 DIFFERENCE AND $7,000 IN THE BANK.
SO LET ME ASK ABOUT THE, IS THERE A NEW AGREEMENT OR ARE WE, HAVE WE MADE NO MODIFICATIONS? WE'RE DONE.
WHAT I'M SAYING, BUT I KNOW THE NEW PROGRAM, WE ENDED MARCH 31ST.
AND SO GOING FORWARD WE HAVE SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT WITH THEM.
SO WE HAVE A FACADE GRANT, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT.
AND IN THEORY, WE HAVE A FACADE GRANT.
WHAT WE HAVEN'T DONE IS EXECUTE THAT YET.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL PROGRAM OF WORK.
SO SET THAT ASIDE FOR A MINUTE.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF COLLECTING THE RENTS.
AND THEN WE'LL TRUE THOSE UP OVER THE, OVER THE PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS, FIVE YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS THAT WE WERE UNDER CONTRACT TOGETHER TO DO THAT.
THOSE TRUE UP AND WILL AND THAT'LL BE DONE.
THAT WE'RE NOT COLLECTING RENTS.
WE'VE TRANSFERRED ALL OF THE SUBLEASES OVER TO, TO HIM.
SO HE IS THE SOLE, THE SOLE LESSOR.
NOW, UM, AND THE LEASES ALL REPORT, OR ALL HIS, HIS ISSUES, WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT ANYMORE IN TERMS OF WRITING CHECKS OR COLLECTING RENTS.
AND PLEASE HELP ME AGAIN, REMEMBER WHAT OUR, HOW MUCH IS OUR FACADE GRANT.
SO OUR FACADE GRANT, UM, THE AMOUNT THAT WE WERE AUTHORIZED BY YOU ALL, AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY COUNSEL TO ENTER INTO AN AMOUNT, UH, UP TO, I THINK IT WAS $246,000.
IF I'M NOT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I'M WORKING FROM MEMORY LESS THAN TWO 50.
AND, AND THERE WAS A, AN ASSOCIATED SCOPE OF WORK.
AND WE HAD NO MORE THAN EXECUTED IT.
AND, AND BONNIE BEGAN, YOU KNOW, WELL, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THE SCOPE OF WORK IS.
'CAUSE PRICES ARE CHANGING AND IT'S TAKEN LITERALLY SINCE THEN TO GET A PROGRAM OF WORK.
UM, AND SO IT'S A SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED PROGRAM OF WORK SUCH THAT I NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND THAT.
IF, IF, IF WE STAY IN IT, THEN WE NEED TO CHANGE THE AMOUNT, THE AMOUNT WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS AND WE'LL DO IT ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS IF, IF WE, THAT'S, IF WE DECIDE TO STAY IN IT AT ALL.
BUT THE, THE, THE BASIS FOR THAT HAS CHANGED SO SUBSTANTIALLY THAT I WANNA REVIEW IT.
I WANNA UNDERSTAND WHAT HE, WHAT HE THINKS HE'S GOING TOWARDS.
AND I'D LIKE TO BRING IT BACK TO Y'ALL NEXT MONTH SO THAT WE LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, IS THAT REALLY WHAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE BUYING? MM-HMM.
WE, WE WERE SOLD ON WEDNESDAY.
AND WE WERE CLEAR ON HOW WE SAW IT AS, AS WE RECOMMENDED THAT THE COUNCIL THAT'S RIGHT.
AND I THINK HE'S DONE THAT WITH THE INTENT THAT WE JUST REDUCED THE, THE REIMBURSEMENT.
EXCEPT IF YOU'VE CHANGED IT SO SUBSTANTIALLY THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE PARTICIPATED AT ALL BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH, THEN I THINK THAT CHANGES THE NEXUS FOR A SIDE GRANT ALTOGETHER, WHICH MEANS THAT HE'S, THE INTENT WAS NEVER JUST TO GIVE HIM HALF OR 40%, IF YOU WILL, OF WHATEVER HE ENDED UP SPENDING.
AND IF THAT WAS $10, THEN WE'D GIVE YOU 40, YOU KNOW, OR FOUR.
IF IT'S 10 MILLION, WE'D GIVE YOU 4 MILLION.
THAT, THAT, THAT'S NOT QUITE THE INTENT.
AND THIS BOARD KNOWS THAT, UM, THAT THE CHAMBER PULLED OUT.
SO THE CHAMBER IS NO LONGER NO, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
SO, NO, THE BOARD DOESN'T KNOW THAT.
OH, I'M SORRY THAT THAT WAS, THAT WAS NEWS AS OF THE OTHER MORNING RIGHT NOW PLUS, YEAH.
UM, WELL, I MEAN, THERE'S, I MEAN, IS, CAN ANY MORE CONTEXT TO THAT? THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
UM, WE'LL BRING THAT ALL BACK TO YOU NEXT MONTH TO RE TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND CONSIDER.
'CAUSE THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THERE.
I, YOU KNOW, PART OF, LET US BRING THAT BACK TO YOU AND, AND WE CAN WALK THROUGH THAT PIECE BY PIECE.
'CAUSE WE SHOULD HAVE A LOT MORE CLARITY TO IT BY THEN.
ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE IT WAS A HEALTHY DISCUSSION.
[00:25:01]
TO TAKE A TURN NOW.WE WENT FROM, UH, UH, TRACY'S FINANCIAL STATUS REPORT TO ALL OF THAT.
SO ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR TRACY AT THIS TIME? OKAY.
UH, MR. CORER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE UPDATE.
UH, UH, COUNCILMAN UH, BYRD, SIR, THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR PRESENCE AND, UH, THROWING UP THIS MESS,
I'VE GIVEN YOU SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
SO, UH, IF WE COULD HAVE A, AN UPDATE FROM YOUR OFFICE, PLEASE.
[B.2. City Council Liaison update regarding City events, meetings, etc. by Councilmember Andre' Byrd.]
SECOND, UH, THANK YOU, UH, MR. PRESIDENT AND, UH, BOARD.UM, I WAS AT THE UT UH, TA FOR A GRADUATION AND JUST KIND OF COMING BACK.
IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, CRAZY, CRAZY.
BUT, UH, UH, NONETHELESS, I'M HERE.
I'M GONNA LET YOU GUYS IN ON A SECRET.
AND IT IS A PERSON,
WE CAN'T DISCLOSE ANY OF THAT INFORMATION, BUT I DID WANT TO TEASE YOU WITH THAT.
I JUST HAVE, I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT ALL THE WAY COMING HERE CLOSE IN NEGOTIATION.
UH, UH, UH, HOPEFULLY WE WILL, UH, ENTER INTO I THINK AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON, ON MONDAY.
AND, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, AFTER THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS.
BUT WE ARE, WE ARE, WE'RE VERY, UH, VERY CLOSE.
THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED TO ALL THREE VERY WELL.
UH, ALL THREE WAS, WERE VERY QUALIFIED.
AND SO, UM, UM, UH, WHATEVER THE CHOICE MIGHT BE, I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET A GOOD CITY MANAGER OUT OF, OUT OF THE PROCESS.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND, UM, IF YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, YOU KNOW THAT, UM, LAST NIGHT, NO, TUESDAY NIGHT, WE VOTED TO PUT THE CHARACTER CODE, UH, ON HOLD UNTIL WE HIRED THAT PERSON.
UH, AND, AND THERE WAS, THERE WAS AN UPROAR FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE ALL KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVING THE AGENDA FORWARD ON HAMPTON ROAD, BUT, UH, THERE IS A WAY THAT WE HAVE TO DO WITH IT.
AND SO, UH, THE COUNCIL VOTED, I BELIEVE IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY, TO, UM, TO PLACE IT, UH, KIND OF PUT IT ON ICE UNTIL WE GET THAT, UH, THAT, THAT KEY PLAYER BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN, UM, THAT WE HAVE NOTIFIED EVERYONE PROPERLY.
I THINK WE HAVE, I THINK THAT WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH THIS NOW, MR. CALL TO CALL AND, UM, PNZ, I THINK THAT WE'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH IT.
HOWEVER, UH, IT IS A HUGE PROJECT.
WE ARE VERY AWARE OF, OF THE MESSAGE THAT IT SENDS TO, UH, POSSIBLE, UH, DEVELOPERS, YOU KNOW, UH, BUT, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UM, UH, CLEAN UP THE TABLE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I'D RATHER HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE TABLE WITH MY, WITH MY NEIGHBOR THAN TO CLEAN UP THE TABLE WITH MY WIFE.
AND IF THE CITIZENS ARE NOT READY FOR IT, IF THEY'RE NOT AT A POINT WHERE WE'RE READY, THEN WE, WE NEED TO KIND SLOW THE BALL DOWN.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS, UM, THAT, AND THEN THIRDLY, I GOT A NOTICE TODAY THAT, UM, THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE COMING THROUGH PNZ THAT, UM, I'M PERSONALLY, UM, EXCITED ABOUT.
UM, ONE OF THE, MY AREA IS, UH, PLACE FOUR, WHICH GOES UP NEAR METHODIST HOSPITAL.
AND, AND THAT IS A, UM, IN THE CENSUS TRACK, IT HAS CREATED THIS CENSUS TRACK WHERE, WHERE IT CAN MEET FOR, UM, UH, TAX, WHAT IS IT? TAX INCREMENTS.
BECAUSE WE, WE KIND PUT ALL OF THE 55 AND OVER IN THAT AREA.
BECAUSE, UH, WHEN YOU AGE, YOU AGE WELL, RIGHT?
AND IT CREATED AN OPPORTUNITY ZONE.
UH, UNBEKNOWN, PROBABLY UNBEKNOWN TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA PUT LIKE THINGS TOGETHER.
AND SO YOU EITHER CREATE, YOU CREATE SOMETIMES THINGS THAT YOU DON'T WISH TO CREATE.
UM, BUT WE, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A HIGH, UM, HIGH INCOME AREA IN GENERAL.
AND I GOT A NOTICE TODAY, AND I'LL JUST SHARE WITH YOU, THAT, UH, THERE'S A PROJECT COMING THROUGH PNZ THAT IS FOR MARKET, THAT IS FOR MARKET RATE APARTMENTS IN THAT AREA THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THEY, THEY TRIED SOME,
[00:30:01]
UM, MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO TO BRING THIS PROJECT TO US, BUT THEY WERE, THEY WERE LOOKING TO, TO, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ALL THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW, BUT NOW THEY HAVE A FULL SUPPORT OF METHODIST HOSPITAL.THEY'RE NOT ASKING FOR ANY INCENTIVES FROM THE CITY.
AND, UM, THEY BELIEVE THAT MARKET AREA, RENT, UH, UH, UH, MARKET, WHAT IS THE WORD? MARKET RATE, MARKET, MARKET RATE, APARTMENTS, GRANITE, STAINLESS STEEL, APPLIANCES, FOUNTAINS, ALL THAT STUFF CAN GO ON THEIR PROPERTY.
SO, UH, JUST TO KIND OF LET YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT'S I KNOW THAT IS HAPPENING NOW.
SO THOSE THREE THINGS, CITY MANAGER, UM, THE CHARACTER CODE, I HAVE THE ROAD.
I WANNA GO BACK TO THAT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, MATT AND I HAVE DISCUSSED IS THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF I'S TO DOT AND A LOT OF T'S TO CROSS AND THE CARRIAGE CODE TO DO NOTHING, LEAVE US EXPOSED LIKE IT DID WITH THAT, UH, WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE, WE, WE CAN'T CONTROL PALETTE.
SO IT, IT LEAVES US, UH, IT, IT LEAVES US EXPOSED, UH, TO, SO I, I THINK THAT THE COUNCIL IS AT A POINT WHERE WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING, BUT MAYBE WE'RE GOING TO EAT THE ELEPHANT INSTEAD OF HAVING A WHOLE BUFFET.
MAYBE WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE A TEMPUS BAR WITH, WITH THE ELEPHANT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO EAT.
UM, I, I DON'T THINK THERE THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S MAJOR.
UM, THAT IS, UM, THAT'S MAJOR.
UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IN BUDGETS.
WE'RE STARTING, TRACY'S GOING, WE'RE STARTING THE BUDGET.
UH, YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT, UH, SB TWO, WHICH, UM, WHICH IS, UH, UH, SENATE BILL TWO, WHICH LIMITS, UM, THE AMOUNT OF, OF MONEY THAT A CITY CAN RAISE.
THEY HAVE REALLY HANDICAPPED US, UH, IN, IN THAT REGARD.
AND SO, UM, UM, IF IT TURNS OUT FROM SOME OF THE SEMINARS THAT WE'VE HAD AT COUNCIL THAT, UH, MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR THIS DAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN SENATE BILL TO HAPPEN AND MAYBE ALL OF THE PLANNING THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE IN PLACE DID NOT NECESSARILY HAPPEN.
SO, UH, IT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR US.
WE ARE NOT BEHIND THE GUN YET.
BUT, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE REDUCED, I BELIEVE, TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, THE PROPERTY TAX RATE, LET ME SPEAK CORRECTLY.
WE'VE REDUCED THE PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR 13 YEARS IN A ROW, EVEN THOUGH THE PROPERTY TAX BILL HAVE GONE UP BECAUSE OF THE APPRAISED VALUES.
SO, UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE WITH IT.
UH, MR. PRESIDENT, I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS? THERE'S A COUPLE.
ONE IS, UH, I'M OPEN TO ONE QUESTION.
SO FIRST LET ME SAY THE ALL IT HAS TO DO WITH THE AGENDA.
SO WE'RE TURNING INTO THE BLUE ZONE AREA.
YOU KNOW ABOUT BLUE ZONE PEOPLE, THE BLUE LIGHT, NO, THE ZONE THERE.
PEOPLE LIVE SO LONG BECAUSE OF LIFESTYLE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE BECAUSE THE WHOLE LIFESTYLE, IT, IT'S OVER A HUNDRED KIND OF DEAL.
THAT A BIG, I HAD TO TAKE THAT SINCE SHE HERE TO 55.
AND BUT TO THAT POINT, THAT AREA, UM, IS THAT THE JUST SOUTH OF, UM, METHODIST THERE? YES.
NO REAL ACTUAL WHERE THE BEHAVIORAL HOSPITALS, WHERE THE BEHAVIORAL HALL, WHERE ALL OF THE SENIOR CITIZEN, UH, UH, COMPLEX APARTMENTS ARE.
ALL, ALL OF THAT IS IN THAT AREA.
NOT NECESSARILY A COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR.
IT, IT, IT JUST NORTH OF THE BIOTECH PIECE THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
NOT REALLY THAT ALL THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD.
SO IT IS, IT IS, IT IS SETS BACK BEHIND THE 55 PLUS AND THE BEHAVIORAL HOSPITAL.
THERE IS AN OPEN SPACE THAT 55 PLUS SITS HERE.
THE BEHAVIORAL HOSPITAL SITS HERE, AND THERE'S AN OPEN SPACE BACK THERE THAT ACTUALLY BACKS UP TO, IF, IF WESTMORELAND WENT THROUGH, IT WOULD BACK UP TO WESTMORELAND.
SO IT'S SET BACK FROM BOLT AND BOOM.
BUT IF IT IS, IT'S, IT WILL NOT BE, UH, ADJACENT, UM, TO ANY NO RESIDENTIAL.
AND, AND, AND, AND IT WAS, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, ONE OR TWO CITIZENS CAME THAT, THAT DIDN'T EVEN LIVE IN THE AREA.
AND, UH, AND, AND, AND WHEN THEY FIRST CAME IN, IT WAS VOTED DOWN BECAUSE OF THE MISNOMER.
BUT FOR WHAT WE HAVE PLANNED, THE BIO TECH LAB AND ALL OF THAT, YOU HAVE TO CREATE THE PRODUCT.
[00:35:01]
RIGHT.YOU HAVE TO CREATE THE PRODUCT.
AND THAT IS, THERE'S NO HOMES AROUND IT.
THE, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE LIVE SOUTH OF DANIELDALE, THE HOMES THAT THERE OR SOUTH OF DANIELDALE.
AND THERE, THERE ARE, I WOULDN'T SAY FULL SUPPORT, BUT I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ONE NEGATIVE COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS GOING THERE.
YOU, YOU GO UP BOLTON BOOM TO YOU, GET YOU KERN WOOD KE KERN.
YOU TAKE A RIGHT ON KERN, WHEN YOU GO TO THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, YOU HAVE TO TURN AGAIN AND IT'S RIGHT THERE.
UH, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, THE PREVIOUS, UM, PRESIDENT OF, OF METHODIST, FRAN, UH, AND, AND, UH, THAT WHOLE ESTABLISHMENT HAVE WRITTEN LETTERS OF SU OF SUPPORT.
SO THEY NEED SOMEPLACE WHERE THEIR DOCTORS AND NURSES AND MOST METHODIST TO LIVE.
AND, AND, AND IT, IT CREATES DENSITY FOR US.
AND IT BRINGS, UH, IT BRINGS HIGH RENT, RIGHT? IT BRINGS THOSE THINGS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE RETAIL THAT WE FRAME WILL HAPPEN ON, ON THAT, ON THE CORNER, RIGHT? YES.
OF WESTMORELAND AND UH, AND AND DANIEL DALE.
SORRY, WHO'S THE DEVELOPER? WELL, I CAN'T REMEMBER.
WELL, TWO, TWO THINGS IN THERE.
THINGS IN THERE, IF WE'RE NEGOTIATING THAT THEY GET, THEY WANNA BUY THE LAND, LET'S MAKE SURE WE NEGOTIATE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, BEING THEM GETTING IN AND OUT.
THERE'S A JAM THAT'S CONSTRUCTION.
IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE THAT DEVELOPMENT COME IN THERE.
IT'S GONNA CREATE A HAVOC IF WE DON'T TALK ABOUT EXPANDING THIS, THE ROADS ON BOTH SIDES, DALE, UH, WESTLAND, WESTMORELAND JUST, IT NEEDS TO GO TO FOUR LANES ALL THE WAY AROUND FOR IT NOT TO BE A TIME BOMB.
I WAS GONNA SAY, THOSE AREN'T NECESSARILY TIED TO THE DEVELOPERS.
WE CAN'T BURDEN THE DEVELOPER COSTS WITHIN, UNDER THE DISPROPORTIONAL COST.
IT'S THE REASON WE HAVE IMPACT FEES THAT ARE IN THEORY, WHAT I NORMALLY TIED.
WHAT I MEAN IS IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, WE GOTTA HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE GET THE COUNTY INVOLVED IN EXPANDING THE AREA.
AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
THEY'RE ALREADY IN DESIGN PROCESS.
THEY'RE ALREADY IN DESIGN PROCESS TO MAKE FOR SALE.
LET ME PIGGYBACK ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THERE BECAUSE I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING.
IT'S ONE THING TO SAY WE'RE ALREADY DESIGN AND RIGHTFULLY SO, BECAUSE THIS WASN'T ON THE TABLE AT THAT TIME.
SO SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND BACK UP TO GET AHEAD TO OR RETHINK HOW DO YOU MODIFY IT TO EXPAND, TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THAT'S THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT A TRAFFIC STUDY WAS DONE.
AND THE, THE, THE AMOUNT FOR, I COULD SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THIS DEVELOPMENT, NOT WHAT WE HAVE IN THE CULTURE, BUT THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL SPILL ONTO BOLTON BOOM, BOLTON BOOM.
AND A, ACCORDING TO THE TRAFFIC STUDIES THAT THE DEVELOPER PROVIDED, IT WILL NOT CREATE.
AND, AND, AND, AND I'LL TELL YOU BECAUSE WHEN THEY GET ON ON THAT CURRENT, IS IT CURRENTLY CURWOOD, WHEN THEY GET ON CURWOOD, THEY WILL PROBABLY BE TRAVELING NORTH TO, TO WHEATLAND AND I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW MANY UNITS THERE ARE.
WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS YOU JUST SAID YOU GOT YOU BRINGING SENIORS AND YOU ALREADY GOT SENIORS.
I DIDN'T SAY I'M BRINGING SENIORS.
WELL, THEY THERE AND I BROUGHT 'EM.
I ACTUALLY DEVELOPED THOSE DEVELOPMENTS ON, SO I KNOW THE 55 IS BETTER.
IT IS, IS THERE, AND IF YOU EVER GOT IDEA THE ONE, I THINK THAT THE DEVELOPMENT IS GREAT.
I'M TELLING YOU WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
'CAUSE TRYING TO GET DOWN BOLT AND BOOM AT NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND THOSE SENIORS GOING TO THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT, NOT ONLY THAT, I'VE SEEN CARS IN THE DITCH BECAUSE IT'S TOO LAZY.
50 THAT YOU BETTER NOT HAVE YOUR BEHIND OUT THERE.
ONE THINGS THOUGH THAT MAY HELP TO ALLAY THAT.
SO THE COUNCILMAN'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
PART OF THAT PROCESS IS THAT A TRAFFIC STUDY WILL BE REQUIRED.
AND, AND THEY'LL BRING THAT FORWARD.
UM, LIKELY THE CONSIDERATION IS NOT ONLY THE WIDTH OF THE ROAD, BUT SIGNALIZATION OCCURRING WOOD, WHICH DOES NOT EXIST TODAY.
THAT'S HOW THE TURN, THAT'S HOW THE, THE, THE TURN SYSTEMS WILL END UP BEING IN EN ENABLED.
DANIEL DALE HAS, HAS ALREADY BEEN PLANNED FOR WIDENING SIGNIFICANTLY.
THE, THE OVERALL TRAFFIC IMPACT THERE WILL BE NIL.
THE IMPACT ON BOLTON BOONE HAS POTENTIAL TO BE SUBSTANTIAL.
BUT BOLTON BOONE HAS TO, AND, AND IT'S IN OUR FUTURE TRAFFIC PLANS, IS TO WIDEN BOLT BOON ALREADY.
WE LIKELY WILL REVISIT THAT WITH THE BIOLIFE SCIENCE CORRIDOR AS WELL.
BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE PLANNING ON THAT DEVELOPING ON THAT 80
[00:40:01]
ACRES WILL PALE THIS, THIS WHOLE PROJECT.IN TERMS OF TRAFFIC COUNT, WELL, HALF OF BOTH PHONE IS NOT SOLD.
AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH, WITH, UH, OUR, OUR COMMISSIONER AROUND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND, AND THEIR PARTICIPATION.
SO I THINK WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE WELL POSITIONED THOUGH MAY MAYBE NOT IN THE IMMEDIACY BECAUSE RIGHT.
WE CAN'T, WE, AS MUCH AS WE TRY WITH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS AT THE CITY, WE DON'T, WE DON'T ALWAYS BE, WE AREN'T ALWAYS VERY GOOD AT FORESEEING WHEN A DEVELOPER COMES IN AND SAYS, I WANT TO BUILD 300 UNITS OF APARTMENTS.
SO WE CAN'T RESPOND AS QUICKLY MAYBE AS WE MIGHT OTHERWISE LIKE TO.
BUT I THINK GIVEN OUR PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT UP THERE WE'RE WE WILL BE AHEAD OF DEVELOPMENT MAJORATIVELY WITH BOTH WATER AND SEWER AS WELL AS ROADWAY.
UM, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE DOING ENOUGH THERE THAT WE'RE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT HOW TO PUT THOSE PIECES IN PLACE.
AGAIN, THEY, THEY, THEY'LL NEVER HAPPEN FAST ENOUGH.
BUT WE WOULD'VE HAD TO HAVE STARTED 'EM 18 MONTHS AGO AND WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PROJECTS THEN.
HECK, WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BIOLIFE SCIENCE CORRIDOR THEN, BUT WE'RE ALREADY HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
IT WAS ONE OF THE VERY EARLY DISCUSSIONS THAT WE WENT DOWN AND VISITED WITH OUR, OUR FRIEND DOWNTOWN TO, TO SEE HOW HOW DALLAS MIGHT PLAY.
WE VISITED WITH THE DEVELOPERS ON THOSE, ON THOSE ROADS TO WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING, UM, THE APPROPRIATE PIECES IN PLACE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND EVEN AS FAR OUT AS, AS FIRE PROTECTION MM-HMM.
UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE GOT ALL THE RIGHT PIECES.
AND I DO RESPECT TO, TO THE COUNCIL THIS HAMPTON REAL QUARTER, AND WE'RE WAITING FOR A CITY MANAGER.
LET'S NOT ALLOW A FEW PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND TO DETER OUR FUTURE NOW.
AND LET, LET, AND, AND I, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
HOWEVER, WHEN YOU, UM, THERE WAS, UH, HOW CAN I SAY THIS IS PRUDENT FOR US TO, TO, TO PUSH IT BACK UNTIL THAT GUY GET HERE, TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTICES GO OUT PROPERLY.
THAT, THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE ON TOP OF THE TABLE AND, AND, UH, 100% BY THE BOOK IS, IS PRUDENT.
SO LET'S MAKE SURE THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, P AND Z AND THE COUNCIL HAVE A MEETING TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE CITY MANAGER UP TO SPEED SO THAT HE DOESN'T COME IN AS HE OR SHE DOESN'T COME IN AT A DEFICIT AND IS ILL PREPARED TO CARRY THE BALL FOR US BECAUSE A NEW PERSON IS COMING IN BEHIND.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE ALL THE I'S ARE DOTTED AND ALL THE T'S ARE CROSSED.
SO PNZ, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE COUNCIL NEED TO GET THEM UP TO SPEED AND A JOINT TO EXPLAIN THAT PERSON, THIS IS WHAT WE PROPOSE, THIS IS WHY WE PROPOSE IT.
WE TAKE ALL THE EMOTIONS OUT OF IT AND DEAL WITH MERELY THE FACTS.
IF WE CAN DO THAT, YOU ARE RIGHT ON POINT.
SO HOW TIMELY, BECAUSE THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS THE STATUS UPDATE ON A FEW MONTHS AGO.
WE MET A COUPLE MONTHS AGO WITH CITY COUNCIL AND TALKED ABOUT THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT GOING FORWARD WITH OUR MEETINGS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
I KNOW THAT WE GOT TO PRESENT AT THE, UH, AT THE RETREAT, BUT IS THERE A STATUS ON WHERE WE ARE WITH, UH, GOING FORWARD WITH THOSE MEETINGS? OKAY.
I DON'T THINK THAT ANY OF THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, ADDRESSED ANY FURTHER THAN THAT MEETING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
BECAUSE AGAIN, OUR FOCUS HAVE BEEN, AND, AND THIS IS OUR, WHAT WHAT WE AGREED TO IS VERY IMPORTANT TO WHAT, UM, UH, DIRECTOR JONES, DUDE, DIRECTOR, DUDE, GIMME THE WHAT DIRECTOR DUDE SAID.
AND, AND, AND WHAT YOU SAID IS, IS NOT, BUT AGAIN, UH, STRATEGICALLY, WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH AN INTERIM CITY MANAGER WHOSE JOB WAS JUST TO, UH, KEEP THE SHIP AFLOAT.
RIGHT? AND SO THOSE TYPES OF MEETINGS, WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PUSH OUR AGENDA FORWARD NOR ANYBODY ELSE'S AGENDA.
OUR PRIMARY AGENDA BECOMES HIRING THAT PERSON AND THEN THAT PERSON'S PRIMARY AGENDA WILL BE CARRY THE BALL.
WELL, WE GET CAUGHT UP, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE, WE, WE JUST GOT AN UPDATE LAST NIGHT, OUR TUESDAY NIGHT THAT THE $42 MILLION PROJECT IS MOVING FORWARD.
SO THERE ARE SOME BOOTS ON THE GROUND ALREADY.
THAT'S THE, UH, AQUATIC CENTER.
SO THAT, THAT DEAL IS MOVING FORWARD.
SO THIS CITY MANAGER'S GONNA HAVE, HIS PLATE IS GONNA BE FULL.
BETTER YOU GOT HIS, HIS HIS OR HER PLATE.
[00:45:06]
RIGHT? ALL THE TIME.I SAW A CAR YESTERDAY SAID, UH, MISS PRONOUNS, SHE SOMETIMES HE, SO I'M NOT SURE THEY, THEY, THEY REPHRASE.
WE GONNA HAVE A TIME GETTING UP TO SPEED TO THAT POINT, TO THOSE POINTS.
I THINK THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN.
IT'S NOT, IT HAS NOT BEEN WORKED.
WELL, I WELL I STEPPED IN AND I WASN'T EVEN TRYING TO, I WAS COME THERE.
WE GOT THREE HIGH LEVEL STUFF.
WE HAVE, IT WAS BOUND TO, IT WAS BOUND.
WE, THE TORNADO WAS GONNA BE OUTSIDE.
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY, MY BOTTLE PUT A LITTLE EXTRA BLACK IN THERE.
AS WE MOVE THE AGENDA ALONG, I JUST WANNA SAY ONE LAST THING.
I I'M ASKING YOU AND THE COUNCIL, 'CAUSE I'VE, I'VE BEEN IN SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS ABOUT HAMPTON ROAD AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS.
I'M JUST ASKING, AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT ALL THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND BE THOUGHTFUL AND DELIBERATE ABOUT WHAT, WHAT DECISIONS GONNA BE MADE BECAUSE WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD.
BUT JUST THINK ABOUT THE PROS AND THE CONS OF WHATEVER DECISION THAT YOU MAKE AND THAT EVERYONE IS LIKE REALLY FOCUSING AND PUTTING TIME AND UNDERSTANDING ON THIS.
AND, AND, AND I HEARD THAT, AND I THINK THAT US RECONVENING, UH, IS, IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY WITH THIS.
HOW DOES IT LOOK TO THOSE WHO ARE DEVELOPING, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES IT LOOK TO, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WE KNOW HOW IT, BUT THE, THE CITIZENS ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW IT LOOKED FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, SO, SO TO THAT POINT, I, I TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY AGREE.
AND MAYBE THE MESSAGING NEED TO BE THE THREE ENTITIES COMING TOGETHER AGAIN AND SAY, GUYS, THIS IS WHERE WE ARE.
SO I'M, I'M PUTTING IT IN MY NOTES.
I, THE MEETING TUESDAY NIGHT WAS, WAS SPOT ON, FRANKLY SPEAKING.
I TAKE IT THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL, UH, QUESTIONS FOR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BIRD.
[B.3. Discussion regarding creation of a new DeSoto Development Corporation 5-year strategic plan.]
OUR NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS DISCUSSION REGARDING THE CREATION OF NEW DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, OUR FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.SO WORTHY CONVERSATION, AND THANK YOU, SIR.
AM I KEEPING TO RETURN? THANK YOU.
DID YOU GET ONE ATTORNEY? I DID.
UM, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER BACK TO OUR FALL RETREAT, UM, WE, WE KNEW WE WERE LIVING OUT THE LAST YEAR OF OUR, OF OUR, UH, PREVIOUS STRATEGIC PLAN.
OUR BOARD PLAN, UH, FOR THIS YEAR ESSENTIALLY TOOK THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND MOVED, MOVED FORWARD AS WE ALL, AS WE HAVE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND THOSE VARIOUS GOALS.
BUT WE ALSO IDENTIFIED THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE NEEDED TO DO DURING THIS YEAR WAS TO, UM, ENGAGE AND CREATE A NEW FIVE YEAR PLAN, UH, THAT ALIGNED WITH THE COUNCILS, THE CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN THAT CONSIDERED, UM, THE, THE RENEWED EFFORTS AROUND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT HAVE HAPPENED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
AS WE'VE NARROWED OUR FOCUS, STUDIED THE INDUSTRY, STUDIED THE PRODUCT, AND IDENTIFIED WHERE THE, THE FUTURE, UH, LAYS IN TERMS OF, OF, AS WE LOOK AT WHAT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES LOOK LIKE, AND THEN, UH, TO CODIFY THAT INTO A NEW FIVE YEAR PLAN.
UM, TALKED TO A NUMBER OF FOLKS, UM, INCLUDING THE FOLKS THAT, THAT HELPED US OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WITH OUR, OUR RETREAT SESSIONS.
UM, ULTIMATELY SELECTED THE NEXT MOVE GROUP TO ASSIST US WITH THIS PLANNING EFFORT.
NEXT MOVE IS NO STRANGER TO OUR INDUSTRY.
THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE ARE LED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE BEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS IN MY SHOES AND OTHERS, UM, WHO CAME TOGETHER, UH, ABOUT ALMOST 15, 18 YEARS AGO NOW.
UM, TO WORK TOGETHER AND, AND ASSIST
[00:50:01]
MUNICIPALITIES, UH, ENERGY COMPANIES, UM, COUNTIES, UM, WITH THEIR PLANNING EFFORTS AS WELL AS SITE SELECTION EFFORTS.YOU'LL SEE SOME INFORMATION IN THIS, IN THIS PACKET AROUND, UH, THE, THE THREE PRINCIPALS, UM, WHO WILL BE LEADING THAT EFFORT, UM, IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THEIR STAFF.
BUT THE WAY THAT THIS WILL, THIS WILL TAKE PLACE, WILL KICK OFF HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MONTH.
AND WHAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO IS TO, IS TO STEP BACK, TO STEP FORWARD.
UM, WE THINK WE'VE DONE A WHOLE LOT OF WORK AROUND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS, AROUND THE WORKFORCE ANALYSIS, AROUND OUR SITE ANALYSIS, THE SITE AVAILABILITIES, THE, THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF THOSE.
REMEMBER WE HAD A ECOM DO SOME STUDY WORK FOR US.
WE'VE DONE SOME INTERNAL WORK, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE INDUSTRIAL PARK.
UM, AND, AND SO WE, BUT IN, IN AN EFFORT OF, OF SORT OF GETTING THAT EITHER AFFIRMED OR CLARIFIED, WE'VE ASKED THEM TO CONDUCT A NUMBER OF, OF ANALYSIS AND INDUSTRY CLUSTER ANALYSIS AND INDUSTRIAL SITE, UH, UH, FATAL FLAW ANALYSIS.
ESSENTIALLY, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT COULD IT SUPPORT, UM, OUR LABOR ADVANTAGES? WHERE ARE WE PARTICULARLY WELL SITUATED? UM, IF WE WANT TO CHASE THESE INDUSTRIES, ARE THERE GAPS IN OUR LABOR? AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE START TO CLOSE THOSE? THAT'S THE WORKFORCE TRAINING ANALYSIS.
SO THESE ALL START TO ALIGN AS YOU CAN KIND OF START TO SEE 'EM FITTING THERE.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE TARGET SECTOR IDENTIFICATION.
UM, TAKING THOSE INDUSTRY CLUSTERS AND IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE WE BEST SUITED TO DO, UM, BUT ALSO WHAT'S THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE? I MEAN, IT WOULD BE VERY EASY TO CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR 20 YEARS, AND THAT'S LOOKING AT TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, WE CAN KEEP DOING THAT UNTIL THE WORLD OF LEVEL, BUT IT DOESN'T, DOESN'T PRODUCE THE SAME INVESTMENT, UH, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS.
IT DOESN'T PROVIDE FUTURE FOCUSED JOBS.
IT DOESN'T INCREASE OUR OVERALL, UH, LABOR, UH, STATISTICS.
THAT'S, THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'VE TASKED US WITH.
WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE TASKED US WITH DOING.
IT'S THE REASON THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND, AND ENGAGED THEM AROUND FUTURE FOCUSED INDUSTRIES.
IT'S THE REASON WE'VE ENGAGED, UM, OUR DEVELOPMENT AND PARTNERS TO THINK DIFFERENTLY.
UM, LAST YEAR THERE WERE A NUMBER OF, OF OPPORTUNITIES AS WE BROUGHT BIG BUILDINGS OUT OF THE GROUND THAT HAD STARTED BEFORE I GOT HERE.
THANK YOU, UM, HAD BEEN APPROVED BEFORE I GOT HERE.
UM, WE WERE TRYING TO SLOW OUR, THOSE, THOSE OWNERS DOWN TO LOOK AT MANUFACTURING ENTITIES.
UM, THEY WERE FILLING THIS AS QUICK AS THEY COULD WITH, WITH LOGISTICS ENTITIES.
THE ONE KEY WE DID HAVE WAS WHEN THEY MADE THE PHONE RING AND SAID, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO FOR US? THE ANSWER WAS, IT DOESN'T ALIGN WITH OUR STRATEGIC FUTURE.
WE'RE NOT TELLING YOU WE AREN'T, YOU AREN'T WELCOME.
WE JUST AREN'T GONNA SUPPORT IT FINANCIALLY.
UNLESS IT'S CHANGING SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST ADDING A FEW JOBS, UM, AT LOWER PAY RATES.
UM, WE'RE NOT GONNA SUPPORT YOU FINANCIALLY.
WE CAN'T STOP YOU, BUT WE AREN'T GONNA DO THAT.
THAT ADDS SOME LIMITED SUCCESS.
I MEAN, REALLY, THOSE BOXES ARE FULL.
SO
UM, AND THOSE INDUSTRIES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN MANY CASES, UM, ESPECIALLY AROUND MANUFACTURING, UM, AND, AND HIGHER TECH, ARE ABLE TO BACKFILL OUR SECOND GEN AND OUR THIRD GEN SPACE.
THAT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE BOXES THAT ARE BEING BUILT IN LANCASTER.
IT DOESN'T, THEY AREN'T 42 FOOT CLEAR.
UM, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME CHARACTERISTICS.
THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME PARKED AREAS.
UM, WE LOOK LIKE A 30-YEAR-OLD, 40-YEAR-OLD INDUSTRIAL PARK.
AND WHAT, WHAT FITS THERE, UM, ISN'T WHAT'S FITTING FOR LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION TODAY.
DOUBT THAT JUST DRIVES THROUGH LANCASTER.
UM, BUT WHAT DOES FIT THERE IS THINGS LIKE BUILDING IN A BUILDING, BUILDING A LAB SPACE INSIDE OF A A, A SECONDARY OR THIRD OR THIRD GENERATION SPACE, WHILE EXPENSIVE IS QUITE DOABLE.
AND IN FACT, IT FITS BETTER IN A 28 FOOT CLEAR THAN IT WOULD IN A 42 FOOT CLEAR, BECAUSE THEN YOU'VE GOT A LARGE MEZZANINE THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.
AND ESPECIALLY IN A CLEAN ROOM ENVIRONMENT, THAT'S NOT ALWAYS NECESSARILY A GOOD IDEA.
MANUFACTURING, WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, AT, AT THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT THESE, THESE SPACES AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW CAN WE USE THOSE FOR LAYING OUT MANUFACTURING LINES? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE BETTER UTILIZE THOSE? MAY ENTAIL SOME, SOME, UH, REFIT IN TERMS OF UTILITIES, BUT AGAIN, RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE TO, TO BUILDING A NEW BUILDING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF LAND.
ALL THAT TO SAY, WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO SOME OF THIS INDUSTRY ANALYSIS TO AFFIRM WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW OR TO RESHAPE OUR FUTURE WITH SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
[00:55:01]
THEM TO DO THAT WORK THROUGH MAY AND JUNE, PRESENT THOSE FINDINGS TOWARDS THE END OF JUNE.UM, AND THEN AS THEY BRING THOSE FINDINGS FORWARD, WE WANT TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE PRO WITH THE PROCESS OF OUTREACH.
UM, AND, AND THIS, THIS OUTREACH REALLY WILL ENGAGE AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL, AT THIS BOARD LEVEL, AND AT THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION LEVEL.
UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S REALLY MUCH MORE OF A, OF AN INDUSTRY FOCUSED KIND OF ENVIRONMENT RATHER THAN, ONCE AGAIN, GOING BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC IN THE BROADEST SENSE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND SOLICITING INPUT.
UM, OUR FEAR IS, REMEMBER WE'VE DONE THIS NOW THREE TIMES THIS YEAR ALONE, UH, BETWEEN HAMPTON ROAD AND THE COMP PLAN AND, AND THE PRIOR WORK WE DID ON, ON THE BELTLINE, UH, STUDIES THAT THERE'S THIS, THERE'S A, THERE'S A LEVEL OF FATIGUE THAT YOU'RE ASKING ME THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
UM, WE DIDN'T THINK WE WERE GONNA GET MUCH DATA DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE FEELING THAT, BOY, THERE'S ALREADY TOO MUCH INDUSTRIAL.
IT'S NOT AS IF WE'RE GONNA TEAR THE INDUSTRIAL PART DOWN, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE EXPANDING.
UM, IT'S THE REASON WE'VE TAKEN THAT, THAT 35 CORRIDOR OUT OF THE CON CONSIDERATION AROUND THAT WOULD THE EASIEST PIECE TO DEVELOP THERE WOULD BE, WOULD BE LIGHT INDUSTRIAL.
AND WE'VE SAID, WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA DO THAT.
AND THE COMP PLAN SUPPORTS THAT CHANGE AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING THERE.
SO WE DO REALLY FEEL LIKE, ESPECIALLY PLANNING ZONING THIS BOARD AND AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL, GETTING INPUT, SHARING THAT INFORMATION AND THOSE FINDINGS AND GETTING INPUT THAT SUPPORTS ARE WE IN THE RIGHT PLACE? ARE, ARE WE SHAPING THE, THE FUTURE CORRECTLY, WILL NOT ONLY HELP THIS STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT ALSO SERVE TO INFORM MUCH IN THE WAY THAT YOU'RE HOPING YOU DO WITH YOUR JOINT MEETINGS.
SO THAT WE'RE ALL AT LEAST WORKING FROM THE SAME SET OF INFORMATION, THE SAME SET OF DATA, AND THE SAME GOALS IN MIND.
HOPEFULLY THAT'LL HELP US AS WE RESHAPE OUR, OUR CITY STRATEGIC PLAN.
IT'LL CERTAINLY HELP WITH OURS.
UM, WE HOPE THAT IT'LL HELP WITH A LEVEL OF, OF THINKING AROUND THAT.
OUR PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE VERY LIMITED IN WHAT THEY CAN CONSIDER WHEN THEY'RE CONSIDERING A PARTICULAR PROJECT.
THE LAW TELLS 'EM WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE TO CONSIDER, BUT THE LAW DOESN'T TELL 'EM THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE A, A CLOSED MIND TOWARDS WHERE THE COMMUNITY'S GOING AND WHAT'S SUPPORTIVE OF THE FUTURE AS THEY MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT WILL HELP, UM, AND, AND MAYBE DO SOME, SOME, UH, LEVEL SETTING FOR ALL THOSE, THOSE VARIOUS PARTIES THAT ARE INVOLVED.
UM, AND BASED ON THAT OUTREACH AND, AND THEIR FINDINGS, UM, TO THEN DRAFT, UH, A, A PLAN AND BRING THAT FORWARD TO US, UH, RIGHT AFTER THE 4TH OF JULY, THAT WEEK OF THE 10TH THROUGH THE 19TH, BRING THAT TO US.
ALLOW US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
UM, MAKE ANY REVISIONS THAT WE HAVE TO.
AND THEN, UM, ONCE THOSE ARE DONE, BRING THEM BACK AND DISTRIBUTE THEM TO YOU, UH, APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS, 10 DAYS BEFORE OUR BOARD MEETING IN AUGUST.
UM, SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND WE'RE GONNA ASK THE FOLKS FROM NEXT, FROM NEXT MOVE TO JOIN US AT THAT AUGUST MEETING, PRESENT THAT AND TALK THROUGH ANY QUESTIONS WE MIGHT HAVE, MAKE ANY CHANGES THAT WE HAVE TO, UM, MAKE ANY OF THOSE REVISIONS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN INPUT FROM.
UM, AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO YOU AT OUR FALL, FALL RETREAT.
THEN WITH THOSE REVISIONS INCLUDED FOR ADOPTION, UM, I PROVIDED SOME INFORMATION ABOUT EACH OF THE, THE, THE FOLKS AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THEY'RE WORKING WITH, NOT ONLY IN TEXAS, BUT REALLY AROUND THE NATION.
UM, OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, THEY'VE WORKED IN 49 OF 50 STATES.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'VE WORKED IN ALASKA OR HAWAII.
THEY'VE WORKED IN 47 OF 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES, BUT I CAN'T SPEAK TO HAWAII OR, OR ALASKA.
THEY MAY HAVE DONE THOSE TOO, BUT I WANTED YOU TO GET A, A FEEL FOR THEM AND, AND THE, THE FOLKS WHO WILL BE HELPING US, THE KINDS OF WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS BREAD AND BUTTER FOR THEM.
UM, THEY'RE EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH US.
UM, THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A, AN UNDERSTANDING OF TEXAS.
THEY COME FROM LOUISIANA, ALTHOUGH, UH, TWO OF THEIR FOLKS HAVE, HAVE SERVED COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS AS WELL.
UM, JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE, UH, AND THAT ALL THAT'S KIND OF GOING ON IN, UH, FOLLOWING YOUR DIRECTION TO GET THIS IN, IN PLACE BEFORE YEAR END.
SO WE WILL, WE WILL ENTER INTO THE 24 25 YEAR, UH, WITH A NEW, A NEW FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO THEY ALREADY ON THE CONTRACT? YES.
AND WORKING, ACTUALLY, THEY ACTUALLY ACTUALLY BEGUN SOME OF THEIR ANALYSIS.
I HOW BIG, BIG IS THE TEAM? OKAY.
I THINK TOTAL NEXT MOVE IS, UH, I ONLY REALLY KNOW THE, THE PRINCIPALS.
I KNOW THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF ASSOCIATES.
UM, BUT I'M TRYING TO THINK OF THOSE THAT I'VE MET, AND I, I'M NOT SURE I COULD TELL YOU THE ANSWER TO THAT.
AND HOW DIVERSE AS A TEAM? UM, FAIRLY DIVERSE.
UM, BOTH, BOTH RACIALLY AND, AND, AND GENDER?
[01:00:01]
I'M NOT SURE THEY HAVE ANY THEYS, BUT I KNOW THEY HAD HES AND FEES, UM, THAT, UM, SO I MEAN, I THINK WE WERE CERTAINLY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, THAT THEY WOULD, UH, THEY WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WORKING IN OUR COMMUNITY.YEAH, NO, MY ONLY, AS I WAS LOOKING UP ALL THESE AREAS, I MEAN, THESE ARE ALL KIND OF RURAL, SMALL AREAS, AND I'M, YOU KNOW, JUST INTERESTED IN THEIR, UM, EXPERIENCE WITH COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS THAT ARE LIKE DEEPLY CLOSE TO LARGE METROPLEX, UM, MAJORITY, UM, MINORITY, UH, MAJORITY, MAJORITY OF BLACK OR BROWN COMMUNITIES.
AND YEAH, I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AND HOW THAT, YOU KNOW, SHOWS UP IN THEIR, THEIR WORK PROCESS.
YOU, AND YOU REALLY HAVE A SMALL SAMPLING HERE OF, OF, OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.
THESE ARE THE ONES THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THIS YEAR.
BUT YOU FLIP TO THE NEXT PAGE AND YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THERE.
URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ONE OF THOSE.
PRESIDENT VALLEY TEMPLE, EDC, UM, YOU KNOW, GALVESTON, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, I, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH EITHER LARGE METROS OR, OR THE RURAL, THE RURAL COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
IT'S VERY DIFFERENT PRODUCT WHEN YOU GET TO A RURAL COMMUNITY.
UM, I THINK, I THINK IT'S A LOT HARDER TO VISION FOR A COMMUNITY LIKE THAT THAN IT IS FOR ONE LIKE OURS.
UM, I, I'LL BE THE FIRST TO SAY, THEY WERE, THEY WERE, THEY WERE INTERESTED IN DOING A MUCH LARGER OUTREACH AND UNDERSTANDING A WHOLE, WHOLE LOT BROADER SET, YOU KNOW, SORT OF AFFIRMATIONS, IF YOU WILL.
WE JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THAT WAS WELL SERVED EITHER BY TIME OR MONEY.
GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF OUTREACH THAT'S BEEN DONE, UM, WE THINK WE HAVE A PRETTY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE INFORMATION WE GARNERED FROM OUR COMMUNITY DURING THE COMMUNITY, DURING THE, THE COMP PLAN, UM, AROUND SOME OF THE, THE SHORTFALLS OR THE DESIRES OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, THAT INFORMATION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
UH, I, I THINK, I THINK WE'RE ON SOLID GROUND TO BE ABLE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD AND, AND GET THIS DONE.
SO, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF.
FIRST, LET ME JUST COMMEND THE BOARD.
I JUST LISTENED TO WHAT THE QUESTIONS YOU GUYS ARE ASKING OR THE TEAM IS ASKING.
I, I'M SITTING HERE THINKING THAT YOU'RE ASKING IT, SO IT MAKES ALL OF THE SENSE, WELL, THAT'S THE COHESIVENESS.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED THIS BOARD.
I WANNA ENCOURAGE US TO KEEP THAT AFLOAT.
AT THE SAME TIME, I'D LIKE TO ASK FROM A NEXT MOVE GROUP STANDPOINT, HOW DO WE GO ABOUT SELECTING THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES TO COME IN TO DO THE WORK? IE I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO TUESDAYS, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT CHARACTER CODE AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
GETTING TO A POINT AFTER SO MUCH TIME BEING SPENT AND THEN REALIZING THAT WE NEED TO REGROUP CERTAIN THINGS FOR VARIOUS REASONS, OBVIOUSLY, BUT IN SELECTING GROUPS, ENSURING, I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE NOT THE RIGHT GROUP, BUT IT'S JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE DILIGENTLY GETTING THE RIGHT ENTITY.
WHAT WAS OUR APPROACH WITH NEXT GROUP NEXT MOVE, IF YOU WILL.
WELL, I THINK WE TALKED TO, OH, ANTOINE, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A, I I KNOW FOR ME THAT WE SAT DOWN AND SAID, WHO ARE, WHO ARE GROUPS THAT ARE, THAT DO THIS WORK FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS IDENTIFIED? THERE WERE HALF A DOZEN THAT I KNOW WE'VE TALKED TO.
I'M TRYING TO THINK IF THERE WERE ANY, ANY OTHERS.
UM, SOME WERE JUST NOT AVAILABLE, UH, TO DO THAT WORK.
UM, THEY TEND TO BE SMALLER FIRMS. IT IS NOT THAT YOU CAN'T GO AND GET A LARGE FIRM TO DO THIS.
WE COULD HAVE ASKED NEW MARK KNIGHT OR JLL, EITHER ONE OF THEM.
THEY DO STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS.
THEY'RE LARGE, THEY'RE COMPLEX.
THEY'RE $150,000 AND A YEAR LONG PROCESS.
THAT WASN'T THAT, WE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS A GOOD, A GOOD USE OF OUR MONEY.
WE DIDN'T, WE ALSO DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS GONNA GIVE US A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER INFORMATION.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S A VERY, IT'S A VERY CUT AND DRIED APPROACH.
AND IN FACT, LAST YEAR AT OUR MID, AT OUR, OUR MIDTERM, UH, OUR MIDYEAR, UH, RETREAT WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS, I VISITED WITH LONGTIME FRIENDS IN THIS INDUSTRY WHO DO THAT WORK, WHO WORK FOR ONE OF THOSE VERY LARGE FIRMS. AND, AND CONFIRMED, I ASKED IF THEY'D BE INTERESTED AND ASKED WHAT THE PRICE WOULD BE ASKED, WHAT THE APPROACH WOULD BE.
AND, AND IT WAS VERY AFFIRMING OF EXACTLY THE APPROACH, THE APPROACH THAT WE WOULD GET, DESPITE THE FACT THEY'VE DONE VERY SIMILAR WORK FOR OTHERS, OTHER COMMUNITIES.
I'LL LEAVE OFF THE TABLE FOR NOW.
UM, BUT IT, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE APPROACH WE WERE GONNA GET WAS NOT GOING TO BE WHAT WE NEEDED TO HELP US A BE MORE FOCUSED.
IT WOULD GIVE US A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION WE ALREADY KNEW.
IT'S NOT HARD TO FIGURE OUT THAT WE'RE A TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS CORRIDOR.
IT'S NOT HARD TO FIGURE OUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WELL SITUATED TO DO.
THAT'S WHAT OUR WORKFORCE LOOKS LIKE.
[01:05:01]
ARE WE WILLING TO DO TO CHANGE THAT? RIGHT? AND THAT TAKES A DIFFERENT MINDSET THAN THE PARTNER, JUNIOR PARTNER, SENIOR ASSOCIATE, ASSOCIATE, UH, ANALYST APPROACH THAT IS COOKIE CUTTERED ACROSS THE NATION FOR LARGER AREAS THAT PRODUCES THOSE REPORTS.AND THAT'S WHAT WE CHOSE TO LEAVE OFF THE TABLE AND TO LOOK AT SOME OF THESE SMALLER GROUPS.
WE WEREN'T COMFORTABLE GOING DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE 1, 2, 3 PARTNER KINDS OF FOLKS.
THEY TEND TO BE VERY ACADEMIA DRIVEN.
UM, THEY CAN PRODUCE A FINE PRODUCT, BUT IT, I, I WASN'T VERY COMFORTABLE WITH.
THEY COST AS MUCH AS THEY, AS WHAT WE WERE PAYING.
AND I DIDN'T THINK GIVE US, GAVE US THE DEPTH OR THE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE ACROSS MULTIPLE PLACES.
UM, TEXAS HAS A UNIQUE, UH, ABILITY TO THINK IT'S REALLY, REALLY DIFFERENT.
AND HOW MUCH DOES THIS, IS THIS COSTING WITH THESE GUYS? UH, HELP ME, ANTOINE, 38,000, IS THAT RIGHT? SAY LESS THAN 40.
I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE, I'M SORRY.
YEAH, THE ANALYSIS PIECE IS, IS 21,000.
AND I THINK THE, THE, THE STRATEGIC PLANNING, THE OUTREACH AND STRATEGIC PLANNING DRAFT IS ANOTHER 17 OR 18.
CAN WE SEE AN EXAMPLE OF A COMMUNITY OUR SIZE THAT THEY'VE DONE WORK FOR? SURE.
JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE INCIDENT.
NO, WE CAN, WE CAN ABSOLUTELY PROVIDE THOSE SOUNDS.
ANTI TYPE, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR, COMPARABLE TO DESOTO.
I JUST WONDER, WELL DEFINE COMPARABLE.
ARE YOU DEFINING IT BY RACE? YOU KNOW, MINORITY LED SIZE? ARE YOU DEFINING IT BY SIZE? SIZE? ARE YOU DEFINING IT BY METROPLEX ORIENTED? YEAH.
WELL, I WOULD, NOT TO CUT YOU OFF AGAIN, BOY, YOU'RE SPOT ON.
I, I'M, I'M THINKING THAT YOU'RE ASKING IT.
WILL YOU TALK ABOUT THAT RESONATES WITH DESOTO? MM-HMM.
SO IT'S, IT IS GOTTA BE, WHERE IS IT THAT WE WANT TO GO AS, UM, AS A COMMUNITY? I MEAN, WHERE ARE WE RIGHT NOW? BECAUSE WE JUST SITTING YOU HERE.
SOME WANTED TO REMAIN AS IT IS.
SO I THINK THOSE TYPE OF CONVERSATIONS, NOT TO SAY THAT YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE THAT, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TOO.
IT'S NOT JUST, UH, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, OF, UH, POPULATION.
IT'S, IT IS JUST, IT'S WHERE DOES THE CITY REALLY WANT TO GO? AND IS THIS THE RIGHT ENTITY? DULY NOTED.
PROBABLY IS, I, I WOULD THINK IS THIS THE RIGHT ENTITY TO ALIGN WITH MEETING THAT OBJECTIVE? I THINK IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR.
UH, FURTHERMORE, WHAT I WOULD ASK IS THAT, UH, THE BOARD IS NEVER SECOND GUESSING.
STAFF DOES A, A UNANIMOUS JOB IN ALL THE STAFF DOES.
I WOULD ASK THAT FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS GOING FORWARD, THAT THE BOARD AT LEAST GETS TO KNOW, HERE ARE THE PLAYERS.
SO WE CAN AT LEAST GIVE YOU SOME EXTRA FEEDBACK TO GET SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS TO MM-HMM.
I'VE JUST HAD THAT GOING FORWARD.
UM, IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS, 38,000 UNDER $40,000 FROM MY KNOWLEDGE BASE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND THAT EVERY DAY.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S, BUT I THINK IT'S REASONABLE, GIVEN THE SCOPE THAT WE'VE ASKED THEM TO PERFORM ON, IS GOOD.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S CHEAP, BUT I DON'T, NOR DO I THINK IT'S OVERLY BURDENSOME.
UM, IT'S COMMENSURATE WITH WHAT WE'RE, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING THEM, CORRECT.
I MEAN THAT WE, WE COULD HAVE EASILY SPENT MORE MONEY.
I JUST DON'T THINK WE WOULD'VE GOTTEN ANY DIFFERENT, AND MAYBE EVEN NOT THE SAME CLARITY, UH, AS WE, AS WE WILL, UM, WITH OUR FRIENDS FROM NEXT WEEK.
SO TO BE COMMITTED, IF I MAY SAY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AMONG US ALL IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE VERY COGNIZANT OF BY CHANCE WAS TIP STRATEGIES.
WERE THEY CONSIDERED, WERE THEY TOO PRICEY? I DID TALK TO TIP MM-HMM.
THEY WOULD'VE BEEN THREE TIMES TO DELIVER WHAT WE'RE DELIVERING.
THAT TIP IS ONE THAT I KNOW WELL.
UM, I DID IT FOR THE STATE, ACTUALLY.
THEY, UM, THEY DO GOOD WORK THOUGH.
[01:10:01]
JUST REALLY, THEY'RE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE.ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR MATT ON THIS SUBJECT MATTER? GREAT, GREAT WORK.
UM, I GUESS I SAY ALL OF THAT TO KNOW THAT WE'LL MAKE SOME INTRODUCTORY LETTERS AND, AND, AND, SO, BUT KNOW YOUR PHONE'S GONNA RING WITH FOLKS SAYING, I'M WITH NEXT MOVE,
AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, AND PICK YOUR BREAK.
UM, SO IS THIS JUST FOR MY NOTES? THIS IS JUST ON THE TABLE, WHICH WE DISCUSSED.
THIS IS NOT NO, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
I I, I, I JUST, I DID NOT, I DID, I DID NOT WALK AWAY WITH THAT.
SO THIS IS SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED.
IT DIDN'T SOUND LIKE WE WERE THERE, BUT, WELL, THERE WAS A, WELL, UNDOUBTEDLY A DECISION WAS MADE TO GO FORWARD WITH THEM AT A CERTAIN POINT.
WE, WE, WE TALKED, WE, WE ENGAGED THEM TO DO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
JUST SO WHEN I GO BACK TO COUNSEL MM-HMM.
THE STAFF CHOSE THEM AFTER INTERVIEWING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FIRMS, CHOSE THEM TO DO THE WORK.
HENCE THE REASON WHY I SAID, GOING FORWARD, LET'S BE CERTAIN THAT THOSE TYPES OF DECISIONS ARE ALIGNED WITH THE BOARD BEING ABLE TO GIVE SOME FEEDBACK.
IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN THOSE TYPES OF DECISIONS, WE CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.
THAT, THAT'S, WE, VICTORIA AND I HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS FREQUENTLY ABOUT WHAT'S PROGRAM AND WHAT'S, AND, AND WHAT ISN'T.
UM, BECAUSE YOU, YOU'VE AUTHORIZED US TO GO FORWARD WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT AS PART OF OUR WORK PLAN.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE.
UM, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY, IF THERE ARE SPACES WHERE WE WANT TO DO THAT, ESPECIALLY AS WE IDENTIFY OUR ANNUAL WORK PLAN.
WE CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING, THAT'S FOR SURE.
AS WE MARCH FORWARD HERE, UH, NEXT ON AGENDA, WE HAVE A
[B.4. Recap of the Northern California Bio Life Science outbound recruiting trip.]
RECAP OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BIO BIOLIFE SCIENCE OUTBOUND RECRUITING TRIP.THIS SHOULD BE VERY EXCITING, VERY SHORT
I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M COUNT ON THAT.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER PAGES, 37TH, 38 SLIDES, THEY'RE PRETTY EASY TO, THEY'RE PRETTY, THEY'RE PRETTY EASY TO BRIEF THROUGH.
AND REMEMBER THAT 24 OF THOSE SLIDES ARE REALLY FOR INFORMATION.
ANTOINE, YOU WANNA GO OVER THIS? IT'S ANTOINE'S.
UM, WE'RE GONNA JUST RECAP OUR BIO TRIP.
UH, SO AT THE END OF MARCH, I BELIEVE MARCH, EXACT DATE, IT WAS THE END OF THE MONTH, MARCH 25TH THROUGH THE 28TH.
UH, WE WENT OUT TO, UH, SAN DIEGO, OR SORRY, SAN FRANCISCO AREA, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, TARGET OUR BIOTECH LIFE SCIENCE COMPANIES, ONE OF OUR TARGET INDUSTRIES THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, UH, A LITTLE OVER A YEAR NOW.
UM, WANTED TO START WITH THE, UH, INVERTED TRIANGLE THAT YOU HAVE THERE.
LOOKING AT THE ANATOMY OF AN OUTBOUND RECRUITING MISSION, UH, PART OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
ONE OF THE KEY PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS RECRUITMENT.
UM, SOMETIMES WE DO IT WITHIN THE STATE, SOMETIMES WE DO IT OUTSIDE THE STATE.
SOMETIMES WE DO IT OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY.
UH, THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CALIFORNIA REGION PARTICULARLY GOING AFTER, YOU KNOW, THESE BIOTECH LIFE SCIENCE COMPANIES.
UM, AND REALLY FOCUSING ON THOSE COMPANIES THAT ARE IN GROWTH MODE.
SO NOT NECESSARILY THE BIG, UH, MCKESSONS AT THE CARDINAL HEALTH OF THE WORLD, BUT THOSE, YOU KNOW, STARTUP COMPANIES THAT ARE OUT THERE IN SAN FRANCISCO, UH, MAYBE IN THEIR EARLY SERIES FUNDING, SEEING GROWTH MODE, AND REALLY THOSE THAT HAD TEXAS ON THEIR RADAR.
UM, AS I'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, DOING THESE RECRUITMENT TRIPS WITH THE STATE, WITH THE, UH, ERC, WITH DESOTO, AS YOU GUYS CAN PROBABLY EXPECT, TEXAS IS EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
UH, DALLAS AREA IS EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IS WHAT'S GOING ON IN DESOTO, SPECIFICALLY WITH, YOU KNOW, BIOTECH SCIENCES.
UH, SO IN WORKING WITH THE FIRM RESEARCH, FDI, AGAIN, THEY CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE OUTREACH PROGRAM, TARGETING THAT AREA, LOOKING AT THEIR REGION, WHAT ARE THE COMPANIES DOING? EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH, UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, READING THROUGH THE NEWS, READING THROUGH INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES, READING THROUGH, UH, SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR THINGS OF, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES THAT ARE GROWING.
SO ESSENTIALLY THEY DID THE OUTREACH FOR US, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED THOSE 10 TO 12 COMPANIES.
[01:15:01]
ABOUT SCHEDULING THE, THE, THE MEETINGS THAT WE HAD OUT THERE.AGAIN, WE'RE OUT THERE FOUR DAYS, SO OUR GOAL WAS TO MEET WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
UM, IN TOTAL, WE HAD ABOUT 10 MEETINGS THAT WE'LL REVIEW HERE AT TOWARD THE END.
UH, BUT FOLLOWING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SCHEDULING, THE MEETING, WE WENT OUT THERE ON THE TRIP.
AARON BOMO WITH BOW NORTH TEXAS.
ONE OF THE COLLEAGUES, UH, WITH DR.
MCKAYLA HERNDON, DALLAS COLLEGE.
SO REALLY HAVING A DREAM TEAM, IF YOU WILL, GOING OUT THERE TO CALIFORNIA, UH, PREACHING AND PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF DESOTO, UH, SPEC, SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE ECOSYSTEM THAT'S BURGEONING HERE WITH LIFE SCIENCES HERE IN DFW.
SO, UH, THE OUTBOUND MISSION, AGAIN, HAVING THOSE MEETINGS, THERE'S A GREAT AMOUNT OF, YOU KNOW, FOLLOW UP THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN RIGHT NOW.
ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF THOSE, UM, UH, COMPANIES TODAY THAT HAVE EXPRESSED SOME INTEREST IN DESOTO.
THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF THE FRAMEWORK OF, YOU KNOW, WHY WE'RE DOING THESE RECRUITMENT TRIPS, WHY IT'S, I IMPORTANT, AGAIN, FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE AT HOME, HEALTHCARE IS OUR NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY IN DESOTO.
IT'S NOT LOGISTICS, IT'S NOT TRANSPORTATION, AND IT'S HEALTHCARE.
HOW CAN WE LEAN IN MORE INTO THAT? HOW CAN WE, YOU KNOW, GO FIND BETTER JOBS, HIGHER PAYING JOBS FOR THE FOLKS HERE IN DESOTO? UM, HOW CAN WE, YOU KNOW, FIND A COMMUNITY WHERE, YOU KNOW, MINORITIES ARE LIVING LONGER? 'CAUSE OF THE HEALTHCARE, UH, THAT WE HAVE HERE.
I KIND OF JOKE WITH THE TEAM AND SAY, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO TARGET HERE WITH THIS BIOTECH CAMPUS IS A MIX BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, WAKANDA AND IRONMAN, RIGHT? BLACK PANTHER AND IRONMAN.
THE TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTHCARE THAT WE'RE GOING AFTER.
I LAUGH, BUT IN REALITY, THAT STUFF IS ALREADY HAPPENING.
THAT'S, AND THAT STUFF CAN HAPPEN HERE IN DESOTO, TEXAS.
THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST, A LOT OF, UH, DESIRE TO BE HERE, UH, IN DESOTO.
SO WE'LL GO TO THAT NEXT PAGE, UNLESS THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS.
SO, HAVE YOU SHARED THIS WITH THE CITY COUNCIL? NOPE.
WE SHARED, I THINK, THE WINTER RETREAT OF THE BIOTECH LIFE SCIENCES.
UH, BUT THERE WEREN'T ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AT THAT TIME.
UH, THE SECOND PAGE, TALKING ABOUT THE MISSION PARTNERS, AGAIN, THE PART OF THE DREAM TEAM, UH, THE RESEARCH, FBI, THEY WERE KIND OF, UH, UH, MISSION CONTROL OR AN EXTRA BASIC CANDIDATE, UH, I THINK MONTREAL EXACTLY.
BUT THEY WERE THE ONES DOING THE OUTREACH, MAKING CALLS, SENDING OUT EMAILS TO THESE COMPANIES.
AARON BENOMO WITH BIO NORTH TEXAS, THE LEADING ORGANIZATION OF KIND OF BIOTECH LIFE SCIENCES HERE IN NORTH TEXAS.
UH, BASICALLY HE'S THEIR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LIAISON TO HAVE HIM GO ALONG WITH US ON THE TRIP AS WELL.
UH, DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER, AGAIN, JUST THE BIO LIFE SCIENCE AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THERE.
LA I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH KIND OF THOSE EFFORTS THERE.
AMMA GEAR PRICE HAD HIM THERE.
UH, THE DESIGN PARTNERS WITH LPA REALLY, UH, UH, SHOWCASING THE MAP VISUALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE SITE WANTS TO BE AND KIND OF THE, THE SURROUNDING ASSETS.
THEN OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS, AGAIN, CALLING OUT FIVE NORTH TEXAS.
SO AGAIN, VERY MUCH SO A DREAM TEAM THAT WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED OUT THERE IN CALIFORNIA.
UM, AND WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT PAGE, AND WE'LL ACTUALLY GO INTO THE TRIP, UH, THE GEOGRAPHY THAT WE WERE MOVING AND GROOVING INTO.
SO, AGAIN, WE GOT, I'D LIKE TO INTERRUPT, PLEASE A SECOND.
I DO WANT A SHOUT OUT TO KELLY.
UM, WHILE SHE WASN'T ABLE TO JOIN US ON THIS TRIP, UM, SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US SHAPE THE TYPES OF COMPANIES, THE SIZE OF COMPANIES, UM, HELPING US TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE CONTACTS ASSISTING US WITH, WITH RESEARCH, FTI TARGETING THEM.
I, I HOPE THAT YOU'LL PASS THAT ALONG TO, I WILL, TO DALE AND TO KEVIN.
UM, BECAUSE THEY, THEY, WE, WE KNEW WE WERE VERY WELL SUPPORTED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, TO GO OUT AND SELL DE SOTO, IT WOULD BE PURE FALLING TO GO OUT AND TALK ABOUT DALLAS ABSOLUTELY WORKS.
EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE DALLAS IS.
AND THEN, SO WE'RE ABLE TO START WITH THAT FOUNDATION AND TO HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER, AND TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT FOUNDATION AND ABOUT ALL THAT THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS REGION.
AND THEN TO NARROW IT DOWN TO, TO DESOTO, IT MADE A WORLD OF SENSE.
AND YOU'LL SEE, EVEN AS WE GET INTO THIS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SLIDE DECK WE JUST SHARED WITH YOU, UM, THAT'S HOW, THAT'S HOW WE BUILT THIS STORY, UH, WAS SO THAT WE STARTED BIG AND, AND NARROWED IT DOWN.
JUST FLYING INTO SAN, UH, SAN FRANCISCO MONDAY MORNING.
UH, I THINK THE FIRST MEETING WE HAD WAS 1:00 PM THAT AFTERNOON, SO WON'T GO INTO DETAIL OF OUR EQUITY SPECIFIC MEETING, BUT AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT, UH, INCUBATOR TYPE STARTUPS WITH FOUR PEOPLE ALL THE WAY TO COMPANIES WHO ARE ESTABLISHED AND HAVE 200 PEOPLE LOOKING TO GROW SUBSTANTIALLY HERE IN TEXAS.
SO, TALK ABOUT MANUFACTURING, FIVE, MANUFACTURING OPPORTUNITIES, R AND D COMPONENTS, FOLKS WHO ARE FOCUSED ON THE MENTAL WELLNESS OF FOLKS.
UH, I THINK THERE'S SOMEBODY LOOKING AT ALZHEIMER'S THERE.
UM, A-C-D-M-O WOULD BE A BIO MANUFACTURING THAT SUPPORTS MULTIPLE COMPANIES AND BEING ABLE TO BRING THAT HERE.
UH, THE SPACE THAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING AT WAS ANYWHERE FROM A COWORKING SPACE ALL THE WAY TO 30 ACRES.
UM, SO AGAIN, THE, THE TYPE OF CONVERSATION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO
[01:20:01]
HAVE WAS VERY DIVERSE.BUT AGAIN, ALL SURROUNDING BIOTECH, LIFE SCIENCES, GETTING THEM MOVED TO TEXAS OR DALLAS SPECIFICALLY, BECAUSE, I MEAN, SOME OF Y'ALL ARE FROM CALIFORNIA, Y'ALL UNDERSTAND KIND OF THE CLIMATE OUT THERE AS FAR AS BUSINESS.
UH, IT'S NOT REALLY CONDUCIVE TO THIS TYPE OF INDUSTRY.
UH, NOT REALLY CONDUCIVE TO MANUFACTURING.
SO WHEN WE'RE HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND TALKING ABOUT NO STATE INCOME TAX, TALKING ABOUT THE COST OF LIVING ALL GREAT, YOU KNOW, TALKING POINTS THAT FOLKS ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS.
UH, SO AGAIN, WITH THESE 10 VISITS THAT WE HAD IN FOUR DAYS, UM, WELL, THREE DAYS, HONESTLY, BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THOSE DAYS IS MORE SO TRAVEL 516 MILES OF WE MOVING AND GROOVING, UH, HOPPED IN THE RENTAL CAR.
A LOT OF COFFEE, A LOT OF RED BULL.
UH, BUT YEAH, THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST HIGHLIGHTS KIND OF THE GEOGRAPHY.
AND, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE CALLIE LOCALS OF MATT IN THE CAR, DR.
GP IN THE CAR, IT MADE ME DRIVE
THAT'S A LOT COVER RELATE TO THIS, EXCEPT FOR THE SACRAMENTO PART, BUT WALNUT, WALNUT CREEK ON BACK IS LIKE UP IN SANTA ROSAS.
YEAH, THOSE, I MEAN, THAT'S GOOD TIMES GOOD.
BUT IT WAS GOOD WHILE WAS THERE TALKING, TALKING WITH COMPANIES, ALSO TALKING WITH DEVELOPERS WHO ARE OUT THERE TO SEE IF THEY WANT TO ENTER THE DALLAS MARKET AS WELL.
SO, UH, TALKING TO A COUPLE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS OUT THERE AND DO SOME VERY EXCITING PROJECTS.
THEY'RE PRACTICE LEADER FOR, FOR THIS INDUSTRY IS IN SAN FRANCISCO.
THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE A DESIGN TEAM HERE.
I HAVE A FRIEND THAT IS, UH, THAT'S ACTUALLY QUITE GOOD.
THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE STARTED.
UM, AND THEY WERE THE ONES WHO INTRODUCED US THEN TO THE FOLKS OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO.
SO WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT ONE THERE.
JUST TALK NEXT STEPS, UNLESS THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER.
SO NEXT STEPS AGAIN, GREAT, GREAT TO GO ON THESE RECRUITMENT TRIPS.
IT'S GREAT TO MEET PEOPLE, BUT THERE'S FOLLOW UP CHOIR AND FOLLOW UP IS DIFFERENT FOR ALL OF THESE FOLKS.
UH, SOME FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR MOVEMENT WITHIN THREE MONTHS.
SOME FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR MOVEMENT IN THREE YEARS.
UM, SO KIND OF THE, THE DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE GROWTH LOOKS LIKE FOR THEM.
CONNECTING WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, REGIONAL PARTNERS AT THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER, TALKING WITH OUR STATE FOLKS DOWN THERE IN AUSTIN, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE INCENTIVES BUILT AS WELL THAT WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PUT INTO THE EQUATION.
SO, UH, BEING ABLE TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THOSE PARTNERS ALREADY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE MEETING WITH THEM IN, IN, OUT THERE IN CALI, BUT WE'RE SAYING, HEY, WE'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH YOU IN TWO WEEKS, FOLLOWING UP WITH YOU IN A MONTH.
ALSO, WE'LL BE OUT AT BIO RIGHT THERE IN SAN DIEGO AT THE BEGINNING OF JUNE.
UH, MANY OF THESE COMPANIES EXPRESSED THAT THEY'LL BE ATTENDING THAT.
SO THERE'LL BE ANOTHER FOLLOW UP FOR US TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS.
SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, INSIGHTS WITH OUR STATE AND REGIONAL PARTNERS AS MENTIONED.
AND THEN WE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MATH HAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR SOME TIME.
I'VE BEEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS BY FAR THE BEST RECRUITMENT TRIP.
UM, EASILY AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY COMPANIES, IDENTIFY INTERESTED COMPANIES, AND THEN BE ABLE TO COME BACK WITH BASICALLY 10 OUT OF 10 SAYING, YES, THERE'S SOME INTEREST IN, IN DESOTO SPECIFIC, NOT JUST TEXAS, NOT JUST DALLAS, DESOTO, TEXAS.
SO THE VALUE PROPOSITION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE WITH THEM IS EXTREMELY STRONG.
THE NETWORK THAT WE HAVE EXTREMELY STRONG.
UH, WE WEREN'T, WE WEREN'T JUST GOING OUT THERE TO JUST, YOU KNOW, OPEN UP OUR WALLETS AND INCENTIVES YOU SAYING, HEY, THIS IS THE COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE, THIS IS THE, UH, UH, THE EDUCATION LEVEL THAT WE SEE.
THIS IS THE RESEARCH THAT'S BEING DONE.
THIS IS THE ACCESS TO VCS AND OTHER FAMILY OFFICES THAT YOU GUYS CAN TAKE PART IN.
SO, UH, PLENTY, PLENTY OF OF FEEDBACK.
LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF FOLLOW UP BETWEEN NOW AND BIO.
UM, THIS WHOLE SITE PLAN THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT HERE IN A SECOND OF THAT, BIOTECH CAMPUS IS BEING REFINED.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF ENERGY AND INTEREST IN DESOTO, TEXAS FOR BIOTECH AND LIFE SCIENCES.
AS YOU GUYS MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THE EPICENTER FOR THAT IN DALLAS IS PEGASUS PARK.
SO WITH, THAT'S JUST BEING 15 MILES SOUTH OF THAT HUGE VALUE PROPOSITION.
UH, ANOTHER CITY THAT'S DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS PLANO.
UH, THEY'RE, UH, RETROFITTING THE OLD EDS CAMPUS UP THERE, BUT THAT'S A RETROFIT GOING ON.
THIS IS A GREENFIELD NEW DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY.
SO THE CREATIVITY IS MUCH HIGHER HERE, UM, FROM THE DEVELOPERS, FROM THE COMPANIES, FROM THE FINANCE FOLKS WHO'RE LOOKING TO KIND OF STRUCTURE THESE DEALS.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA TAKE MY, UH, TAKE A BREATH AND LET MATT
ONE OF THE THINGS, THIS IS, WE TALKING ABOUT BIO, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, I SAID, COMMITTEE DALLAS-FORT WORTH HAS THE LARGEST DEMENTIA STUDY THAN ANYWHERE IN THE US YES, YES.
THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ASSEMBLE MORE BLACK PEOPLE THAN A DEMENTIA STUDY IN THE DALLAS FOR STUDY THAN ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
THEN IT'S BEEN DONE BY NORTH TEXAS IN FORT WORTH.
AND, AND I THINK TO THAT POINT TOO, UM, THE DIVERSITY THAT WE SEE IN DESOTO
[01:25:01]
IS AN EXTREMELY STRONG SELLING POINT TO ALL THESE FOLKS IN CALIFORNIA THAT, THAT THAT IS WHERE THEY COME FROM, RIGHT? LIKE, IF YOU'RE WHITE, HISPANIC, ASIAN, BLACK, UH, NUMBER OF BLACK FOLKS THAT WE MET WITH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I LIKE WHAT YOU GUYS, I DID 70% BLACK IN DESOTO AND IN DALLAS, IN TEXAS.LIKE, IT'S, IT IS RARE THAT PEOPLE ARE FINDING THAT.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TALK HIGHLY OF YOURSELF, DETO, THAT, THAT, THAT IS IT, BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO THAT, THEY'RE FLOCKING TO THAT AND SAYING, HEY, I'M GONNA BRING MY FAMILY.
ONE OF THE FOLKS SAY, I'M GONNA BRING MY FAMILY WITH ME.
UH, THAT'S WRAPPING UP THEIR PHD.
UM, THEIR FRIEND, LIKE, IT, IT IS A GREAT VALUE PROPOSITION THAT WE'RE SELLING.
I THINK WHEN GP WAS HERE LAST TIME, I THINK ONE OF THE DATA POINTS THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO UNCOVER IS THAT IF YOU'RE LIVING IN DESOTO WITH THIS BIOTECH CAMPUS THAT WE'RE DEVELOPING, YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO LIVE FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS LONGER AS A MINORITY.
THE BLUE ZONE, BLUE ZONE, RIGHT.
THE INCOME, IT DOESN'T NOT HURT IT, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, IT'S THE DIVERSITY ISN'T, ISN'T JUST INTERESTING TO THE CALIFORNIA COMPANIES.
IT'S INTERESTING TO THIS INDUSTRY.
I MEAN, IT'S THE REASON THAT, THAT THE ARPA H ONE OF THREE CAMPUSES, THE FINANCE CAMPUS WAS WHERE ARPA H WAS ESTABLISHED IN, IN, UH, IN BOSTON, CAMBRIDGE.
THAT'S WHERE ALL THE FINANCING IS FOR, FOR THIS INDUSTRY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, OF SOME IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE POLICY PIECE WAS PUT IN WASHINGTON.
BUT THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PIECE WAS IN DALLAS.
AND NOT TEXAS, DALLAS, RIGHT? YEAH.
WE, WE PARTNERED WITH ALL OF THOSE CITIES, BUT THE CHOICE WAS MADE FOR DALLAS BECAUSE OF THE DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE IN THIS AREA.
AND AS, AS MEDICINE IN GENERAL LOOKS TO BE MORE, UM, DIVERSE IN ITS APPROACH TO, UH, DELIVERY, TO TESTING, TO, TO SOLUTIONS.
UM, IT IT, IT CAN'T JUST BE THIS PATIENT POPULATION THAT WE'VE ALWAYS USED FOR THE LAST A HUNDRED YEARS, TO YOUR POINT.
WELL, THAT'S WHY THEY, THAT'S WHY THEY, A LOT OF THE STUDIES DON'T, UM, THE TRIALS DON'T INCLUDE PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE ME.
AND SO THEY WANT PROXIMITY TO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES FOR THIS VERY REASON.
THAT'S, AND THAT'S WHY DESOTO IS SO WELL POSITIONED FOR THIS INDUSTRY.
UM, I JUST SOUTHERN DALLAS TOO.
BUT WHEN I SAY I'M TALKING ABOUT GEO, WHEN LOOK AT THE MAP, THE GEOGRAPHIC REGION THAT'S SOUTH, WHICH IS HEAVILY MORE DIVERSE THAN NORTH, IS WHERE THEY HAVE INTEREST AND A CERTAIN INCOME LEVEL TOO.
BUT NOT TYPICALLY FOR PATIENT POPULATIONS.
BUT FOR THESE TRIALS, THEY, THEY'RE, THEY, THEY NEED TO GET DEMOGRAPHICS YES.
OF, OF PEOPLE THAT ARE DIVERSE.
AND THAT IS WHERE THEY ARE LACKING IN THIS, IN THIS STUDY, THE VENTURE STUDY, DR. BRYAN WROTE $175 MILLION GRANT THAT THEY FUNDED.
THEY'RE ABOUT TO WRITE, HE'S ABOUT TO WRITE A HALF A BILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR VETERANS.
AND HE WANTS A LARGE DELEGATION OF THOSE VETERANS TO BE BLACK AND BROWN.
AND SO HE'S USING THIS WHOLE TOOL OF HOW WE'VE ASSEMBLED THIS, THIS BOARD, I SAID ADVISORY BOARD.
AND BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SO MUCH SUCCESS, I'M TALKING ABOUT TO THE POINT, THERE'S SO MUCH SUCCESS IN THE
'CAUSE OF ALL THE SUCCESSES HE'S HAD, THAT DOES NOT SURPRISE ME.
AND THE DIFFERENT FROM 30 TO 40, 40 TO 50 50, 60, 60 70, 70 80, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN.
WELL, AND YOU START TO LOOK AT THE, AT THE, THE SHEER NUMBERS OF RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES, WHAT THERE'S EIGHT R ONE UNIVERSITIES, UH, IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA, OUR, OUR LOCATION RELATIVE TO THIS EPICENTER THAT, THAT PEGASUS PARK REPRESENTS.
YOU'VE BEEN DOWN THERE WITH US.
SO WE WALKED OUT, COUNCILMAN GRABS ME AND HE GOES, CONSIDER MY MIND OFFICIALLY BLUNT
YOU CAN'T WALK INTO THAT PLACE AND NOT COME AWAY WITH THAT FEELING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, THIS WAS A ORGANIZATION WHO CREATED AN INCUBATOR FOR THESE SMALLER COMPANIES THAT ARE BEING, THE RESEARCH IS HAPPENING, TYPICALLY ABOUT 80% OF IT AT UT SOUTHWEST.
THEY'RE COMING OUT OF UT SOUTHWEST.
THEY NEED A PLACE TO CONTINUE THEIR, THEIR, UM, THEIR RESEARCH AND PROOF OF CONCEPT.
AND THEY ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE 20 COMPANIES IN FIVE YEARS BASED ON THEIR FOOTPRINT OF RENT A BENCH, UH, SPACES.
IT'S NOVATION A WHOLE BUNCH OF COMMONALITY IN TERMS OF EQUIPMENT AND TESTING.
[01:30:01]
TAKE 'EM FIVE YEARS TO GET 20.THEY DID IT IN TWO, AND NOW THEY DON'T HAVE PLACES FOR 'EM TO GO.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR PRINCIPAL QUESTION TO THIS WAS, HEY, WHAT'S THE MISSING PIECE IN THE ECOSYSTEM? PLANO SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA TAKE OVER EDS AND WE'RE GONNA SPEND $4 BILLION AND WE'RE GONNA CONTROL THE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA TAKE IT OVER.
WE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE ECOSYSTEM LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE SPREAD ABOUT AND THAT'S GONNA HAVE LOTS OF FEEDERS TO IT.
AND, AND THE ANSWER WE OVERWHELMINGLY GOT, AND THEN WE WENT TO CALIFORNIA AND CONFIRMED IT WAS THIS GROWTH SPACE, THIS MID THIS EMERGING COMPANY AND MID GROWTH COMPANIES.
I MEAN, MANY OF THE ONES WE TALKED TO WHO ARE WORKING IN THESE INCUBATOR SPACES, THEY SAID, YOU, YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU GOTTA BE ABLE TO CLOSE YOUR DOOR AND LOCK IT.
YOU GOTTA, IF YOU NO LONGER WANNA SHARE THAT SPACE, YOU'VE GOT PROPRIETARY EQUIPMENT.
YOU'VE GOT PROPRIETARY INSTRUMENTS AND IDEAS AND YOUR, AND YOUR STUDIES AND ALL OF WHICH ARE, ARE, CAN BE TAMPERED WITH.
WE WENT OUT THERE WITH A, A THEORY, A THESIS, IF YOU WILL, OF WHAT WE, WHAT THIS LOOKED LIKE.
THIS TRIP HELPED TO PROVE IT UP.
AND ANTOINE SAYS IT, I'LL CONFIRM IT.
I'VE BEEN ON LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OUTBOUND BUSINESS TRIPS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
I HAVE NEVER COME BACK WITH A 10 FOR 10 SCORE.
NEVER, NEVER HAVE I HIT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE COMPANIES.
AND TWO OF 'EM NOW ARE FOLLOWING US BACK.
ONE'S WE'RE MEETING WITH THEM AT BIO AND THEN THEY'RE FOLLOWING BACK WITH US TO MEET WITH THE FOLKS AT THE STATE AND THE FOLKS AT THE REGION.
UM, AND ONE OF 'EM WE'RE TALKING TO NOW, UM, ABOUT TAKING UP RESIDENCE HERE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS WHILE WE DEVELOP OUR SPACE AND THEN MOVING THERE.
UM, AND THAT MAY HAPPEN AS SOON AS THE END OF THE YEAR.
SO THESE, THESE ARE THE TALKS THAT WE'RE HAVING AS A RESULT OF THIS.
AND THERE ARE TWO OR THREE OTHERS WHO ARE AT THAT SAME STAGE.
AND THEN THERE'S THREE OR FOUR COMPANIES THAT WE DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO VISIT WITH IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PIECE WHO ARE GONNA BE MEETING US AT BIOS.
SO BY THE TIME WE'RE DONE WITH THIS OUTBOUND TRIP, IT'LL BE SOMEWHERE ABOUT 15 OR 16 COMPANIES WHO WE WERE ABLE TO, TO SHARE THIS WITH AND BRING THEM, UH, SOME INFORMATION AROUND A REALLY GREAT AND GROWING REGION WITH ALL THE ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT THAT YOU GUYS ARE HAVING IN THE PAD.
IT, IT ENCOMPASS ON A VERY IMPORTANT THAT AS YOU WORK WITH COUNCIL, THAT HE'S ABLE TO EXPRESS AND SHARE IT TO THE COUNCIL IN THE WAY IN WHICH THEY CAN ARTICULATE AND CAN FEEL THE ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT.
SO YOU GUYS ARE BUBBLING, YOU'RE EXCITED THE ENGINE RUNNING, THE GUYS THAT, BUT HE HAS TO SELL IT TO THEM.
HE HAS TO BE ABLE TO, TO GET OUT BOARD, SEE, WITHOUT THEM HAVING GOAL.
CAN I SAY THIS? YOU MUST BE MISS CLEO TONIGHT.
'CAUSE I WAS SITTING HERE THINKING, WHAT YOU DUNNO, MISS CLEO CALL ME DOWN.
I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING.
BUT, BUT, UM, FROM ORDINANCES AND STUFF, WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE POSITIONING, KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH HAMPTON ROADMAP, WHAT DO WE NEED? I KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE AREA, BUT AS PEOPLE COME TO THAT AREA, IF COUNCIL DON'T KNOW THE BIG PLAN.
THAT'S PART, PART OF THIS WAS TO SHARE THAT WITH THIS BOARD.
AND THEN THE NEXT PIECE OF THAT IS TO SHARE WITH COUNCIL.
AND KIND OF GET US, GET OUR MIND SET ON WHAT WE NEED TO PROTECT.
IT'S JUST LIKE EVERYBODY KNOW THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT THE FRONT DOOR 35.
SO IT'S HARD TO GET ANYTHING MOVING ON 30 BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT'S OUR GROWTH AREA BECAUSE YOU GUYS TAUGHT US THAT.
AND SO AS WE LOOK AT THIS BIO, UH, BIO LIFE AND BIOTECH, I AM IGNORANT TO IT ALL.
AND I WAS MIND BLOWN, AND I'M STILL MIND BLOWN, BUT A, A A SOMEONE TODAY CALLED ME.
THEY, THEY GOT OFFERED A $200,000 JOB TODAY WITH UT SOUTHWEST TO DO BIOTECH TO DO THIS.
IT'S, IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE, BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEING IN DESOTO, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF SKEPTICISM.
I MEAN, THIS ISN'T OUR HISTORY.
THIS ISN'T THAT WE DON'T LOOK LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE SEEN.
WE TRULY BELIEVE THIS AND OTHERS WILL HELP US TO GET EXACTLY WHERE WE BELONG.
UM, THAT'S, IT'S THE REASON THAT WE JUST, WE CAN'T LET OURSELVES GET TRAPPED INTO WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.
AND DOING WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS DONE.
BECAUSE YOU GET WHAT YOU ALWAYS SAY.
AND EVERYBODY'S HAPPY AND NOBODY GETS UPSET.
[01:35:01]
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRUE FUTURE BEING A CITY OF THE FUTURE.THAT IS THIS, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I MEAN, A 10 OUT OF 10, THAT'S IT.
IS, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT IS ON YOU HEAR KEVIN? NO, SERIOUSLY.
AND AND NOT ONLY THAT, IT WAS ALL IN A SINGLE INDUSTRY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS OUT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAST YEAR WITH THE TEAM TEXAS FOLKS IN VERY MUCH THE SAME ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S, EVERYBODY SAYS, WHAT, WHAT'S THE PITCH? AND I SAID, MY NAME'S MATT.
YOU WANNA MOVE TO TEXAS? RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, AND THEN YOU SHOW 'EM THE TAX FACTS.
BUT, BUT THIS WAS RAZOR RAZOR FOCUSED, LASER FOCUSED.
UM, OUR, OUR, OUR FOLKS THAT, THAT ASSISTED WITH, THAT CAST THAT NET, VERY LARGE HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES TO GET DOWN TO THESE 10 THAT WE WERE GONNA COME AND VISIT WITH, UM, THEY'RE VETTING THEM WITH US.
WE SPENT A TON OF TIME SETTING THIS THING UP, UM, AND MAKING IT COME TOGETHER.
AND THE FACT THAT GP HAPPENED TO BE IN THE REGION, YOU KNOW, OVER THE SAME FEW DAYS, HE REARRANGED THE FRONT END OF HIS TRIP SO HE COULD SPEND TWO DAYS WITH US EACH.
SO, SO WITH ALL
WE HAVE TO SHARE THIS WITH COUNCIL, NOT JUST SHARE IT.
YOU GOTTA SHRINK IT DOWN AND SIMPLIFY IT.
WE CAN'T, BIOTECH CAN IS A BUZZWORD.
IT'S NEW, IT'S ENERGETIC, IT'S ALL THE MAP.
WE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO SHRINK IT DOWN AND MAKE IT A, B, C.
I THINK WE GOT SOME GREAT FOLKS.
WELL, I THINK YOUR, YOUR PRESENTA, I MEAN, WHAT I SEE ON YOUR SLIDE DECK YEAH.
I MEAN, IT IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE SHARING WITH THESE, UM, EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER SOME CASES.
UM, WE HAD WHAT WE NEEDED TO, TO GET IT IN THE DOOR AND WE LEFT THIS, THIS WAS A LEAVE BEHIND.
BUT AS YOU READ THROUGH THIS, THIS IS VERY TARGETED TO DFW AND TO DESOTO.
I MEAN, IT'S WHAT WE'VE ASKED OUR PARTNERS AT LPA LARGE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING FIRM WHO THEY'RE REAL, THEY'RE REALLY, THE PRINCIPAL OFFICES ARE IN NORTH COUNTY SAN DIEGO, AND I KNOW 'EM FROM THE COAST.
AND SO WHEN WE STARTED AGAIN, WE STARTED TALKING TO FIRMS. YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE HAVE A PRETTY DECENT IDEA WHO WE'RE HEADING FOR AND WHAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH.
AND, AND SO WE, WE ENGAGED THE BEST OF THE BEST.
WE MAKE SURE THAT WHAT DOLLARS WE'RE SPENDING, WE'RE GETTING MORE THAN OUR FAIR SHARE OF RETURN OUT OF AN LPA DELIVER, DO THIS, THEY'LL DELIVER.
AGAIN, THEY'RE DOING THE PHASE TWO OF THIS FOR US, FOR OUR BIO, FOR THE, OUR BIO CONFERENCE.
THAT WILL TAKE, UM, AS YOU, AS YOU FLIP THROUGH THIS, UM, IT TALKS ABOUT DFW, IT TALKS ABOUT THE SITE THAT WE HAVE.
IT TALKS ABOUT THE WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY.
I LOVE, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SLIDES, THE WORKFORCE VERSUS JOBS.
AND IT TELLS THE STORY, WHICH WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE TIME, THAT THE TALENT IS HERE.
THE TALENT IS NOT COMING HERE.
AND IT SHOWS YOU THE NUMBER OF WORKFORCE, UH, TOTAL LIFE SCIENCE WORKFORCE LOCATED 15 MINUTES DRIVE TIME FROM DESOTO.
AND THE NUMBER OF, VERSUS THE NUMBER OF JOBS.
TO ME, THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THIS.
LIKE, THIS IS A TALKING POINT, RIGHT? SURE.
THIS HAS TO BE A TALKING POINT.
IF, IF YOU LOOK BACK, UH, INTO THE, I'M NOT SURE THE PAGES ARE, THIS IS PAGE 31 RIGHT THERE ON THE, IT'S THE ONE WITH PINK.
IT SHOWS YOU WHERE, WHERE ALL THE DFW LIFE SCIENCE JOBS ARE.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
A WHOLE BUNCH OF 'EM ARE NORTH OF 30.
WELL, IT'S NOT A SURPRISED TO ANYBODY.
AND THEN YOU LOOK, THE NEXT PAGE TELLS YOU WHERE THE PEOPLE WHO FILL THOSE JOBS ARE.
WELL, GUESS WHAT? THEY'RE NOT ALL NORTH OF 30.
THERE'S A BUNCH OF THEM SOUTH OF 30.
TRULY, IT WAS THE AHA MOMENTS.
IT WAS THE AHA MOMENT FOR OUR FRIENDS AT DALLAS COLLEGE.
IT WAS THE AHA MOMENT FOR OUR FRIENDS AT PEGASUS.
BECAUSE WHAT YOU REALLY FIGURE OUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN INTO THE NUMBERS IS THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OUR AREA, SOUTH OF 20 FOR EVERY JOB THAT EXISTS HERE.
WHAT THAT TELLS AN EMPLOYER IS, I'M NOT GONNA HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING I PEOPLE.
I NEED NEED, I NEED TO PUT MY PLACE HERE.
I'M GONNA PUT MY PLACE HERE SO THAT PEOPLE WANT TO COME HERE.
WE LEARN THIS AT THE UT SOUTHWEST, UH, CLINIC THAT WE ASSISTED WITH THE JOB FAIR LAST YEAR, TWO YEARS AGO.
I GUESS IT'S BEEN NOW, HASN'T IT? THAT'S WHY TIME FLIES WHEN WE'RE HAVING FUN.
AND THAT THEY WERE LOOKING TO HIRE 700 PEOPLE FOR THAT CLINIC.
2,500 PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO THE JOB FAIR.
[01:40:01]
CAME FROM OUR COMMUNITY.AND SO THIS IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE, UM, THAT HELPS YOU GO, GO BACK A COUPLE MORE PAGES.
YOU SEE HOW WE'RE POSITIONING THIS, AND YOU START TO SEE JUST HOW CLOSE THE RESOURCES ARE.
UM, YOU SEE THAT 90 ACRE PARCEL, UM, YOU SEE WHERE METHODIST IS, YOU SEE WHERE DALLAS COLLEGE IS WITH THEIR NEW TRAINING CENTER AT REDBURN.
UM, YOU SEE WHERE UT SOUTHWEST MEDICAL CENTER IS IN PARKLAND, AND YOU SEE WHERE BIOLABS AND PEGASUS PARK, THE, THIS, THIS, THIS LOCALE CANNOT BE UNDERSOLD.
ARE ARE YOU STILL THINKING OF CAMPUS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS 90 AC ACRE PARCEL? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AGAIN, NOT KNOWING, NOT BEING IN THE INDUSTRY? SURE.
I THINK OF, I I, WE WENT ON TOUR.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT A BUNCH OF BUILDINGS LIKE THAT? OR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT A CAMPUS? AT ONE POINT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A CAMPUS FLIP PAGES BACK.
I'M SORRY, I'M GETTING NO, NO, YOU'RE RIGHT ON TARGET.
NO DOUBT THAT WE, WE ANTICIPATE A FACILITY LIKE THAT, MAYBE TWO.
UM, WE SAW SOME EXAMPLES OF THOSE OUT IN CALIFORNIA AND, AND ACTUALLY DEVELOPED SOME INTEREST TO SOME FOLKS WHO SAID, WE NEED TO TALK MORE WITH, WE MIGHT MOVE ONE OF, THEY'VE DONE 11 OR 14, I DON'T REMEMBER NOW.
11, I THINK CAMPUSES OF THOSE FACILITIES AROUND THE UNITED STATES, MOSTLY IN CALIFORNIA.
AND WE'RE OPENING UP AN OPPORTUNITY FOR 'EM TO LOOK AT THAT, DOING THAT HERE IN CALIFORNIA.
YOU KNOW WHAT? WE'RE PAYING $12 A FOOT FOR IN DIRT.
SO THE RIGHT, THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE CALCULUS CHANGES, BUT THAT'LL BE THE CENTERPIECE OF IT.
BUT AROUND THAT WILL BE HOUSING, IT'LL BE RETAIL, IT'LL BE OFFICE SPACE.
THE IDEA IS TO DEVELOP A COMMUNITY.
UM, IT'S A LIVE AND WORK AND PLAY COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S A REALLY KIND OF CLICHE KIND OF TALK UP UNTIL YOU TALK TO FOLKS.
AND WE GET HALFWAY THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION AND THEY GO, OH, SO YOU REALLY MEAN A LIVE WORK PLAY COMMUNITY WHERE I COULD LIKE RIDE MY BIKE? YES.
AND YOU COULD TAKE A SCOOTER AND GO TO YOUR PRODUCTION FACILITY IN OUR INDUSTRIAL PARK.
AND IT IS, THAT'S A HUGE PIECE OF THE, THE, THE PROPOSITION IS THAT LESS THAN HALF A MILE AWAY, YOU COULD HAVE YOUR PRODUCTION FACILITIES OR A CONTRACT MANUFACTURING FACILITY WHO DOES IT FOR YOU.
YOU CAN BE CHECKING UP ON IT THREE TIMES A DAY IF YOU WANT TO.
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE WORKAHOLIC FOLKS.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT TO HAVE YARDS.
THEY WANNA LIVE IN REALLY NICE APARTMENT BUILDINGS, AND THEY'RE SECURE AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
THEY GO, THEY RUN HOME AT LUNCH AND WALK THEIR DOG AND THEY COME BACK TO THE OFFICE AND WORK UNTIL 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
THAT'S HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK.
THEY EAT AND BREATHE THIS STUFF.
UM, THAT IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CREATING.
SO IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME, IF I MAY SAY LET'S, UM, UM, LET'S, LET'S SAY'S, SAFE TO SAY, WHEN I SAT DOWN A COUPLE DAYS AGO AND I LOOKED AT THIS, I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT, AND YOU AND I TALKED AND, UH, BUT TO OUR DISCUSSION HERE, UH, PRECEDING THIS, RIGHT NOW, WE GOTTA NARROW IT DOWN BECAUSE JUST THINK ABOUT THE DIAL, THE NARRATIVE THAT YOU'VE JUST PROVIDED.
HOW DO YOU TAKE AND SHARE THAT SO THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN BYRD, UH, FEELS VERY COMFORTABLE IN DELIVERING, HELPING TO DELIVER THAT MESSAGE.
UH, WITH, I'LL LET MATT GO FIRST.
UH, NO, I, I, GO AHEAD, ANGELA.
I MEAN, THE IDEA OF, OF A JOINT MEETING IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THE REASON WHY WE WANT TO DO THIS, BECAUSE WE DO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING, SEND AN EMAIL.
SO IT IS A MATTER IN THAT JOINT MEETING SET UP, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA FIND A CITY MANAGER THAT UNDERSTANDS THIS CITY COUNCIL WON'T UNDERSTAND IT.
P AND Z ISN'T GONNA UNDERSTAND IT.
MCKAYLA ON OUR BOARD FOR A REASON.
SO TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT STORY, LET'S SET UP THE AUDIENCE AND WE CAN SHARE THAT WE HAVE THE, THE V NORTH TEXAS OF THE WORLD.
WE HAVE THE DRCS OF THE WORLD TO EDUCATE.
BECAUSE EVEN AS WE TALK ABOUT ANTON ROAD EDUCATION PROCESS, THIS IS THE EDUCATION PROCESS AS WELL.
BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE A JOINT MEETING, I THINK TO JUST PUT PEOPLE OUT TO WITH TALKING POINTS, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT GONNA SELL THE STORY.
I DON'T, I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T HAVE A JOINT MEETING.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT, UH, AS OUR LIAISON AND LIKE AS HE JUST SHARED, I'M NOT THE, THE EXPERT WITH THIS.
[01:45:01]
LEVEL WITH HIM AND HIS SUPPORT WITH US AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS.THAT'S, I THINK I WOULD, I WOULD QUESTION TOO, BECAUSE WE DID DELIVER THIS AT THE WINTER RETREAT AND THERE WEREN'T ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL, WE DELIVERED IT AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
SO I'M GONNA, I WAS JUST TO SAY, I DON'T THINK SOME HIDE ROOM THERE, BECAUSE I, I WOULDN'T TAKE THAT AS AN INDICATION OF
I THINK THE WAY IT WAS, THE, WHAT WAS PRESENTED WAS NOT THIS NO.
AND WE, IT WAS VERY HIGH LEVEL.
SO I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
LOVE THAT ANTOINE AND MATT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM THE MEAT AND THE BONES OF THIS.
AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE QUESTIONS TO ASK TO FORMULATE.
AND I, AND I THINK TO YOUR POINT, BIO LIFE SCIENCE AND BIOTECH IS, IS SOMETIMES VERY FOREIGN, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT'S BEING INTRODUCED.
SO I THINK I WOULDN'T TAKE THAT AS, OKAY, I'M INTERESTED.
PLEASE DON'T, AND I'M
SO NOW WE'VE BROUGHT THAT FORWARD.
THAT'S, WE WOULD LOVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND IF YOU THINK BACK TO WHEN WE PRESENTED LAST FALL, THERE ARE FOUR MAJOR AREAS THAT WE THINK OF AS THE VISION.
YOU SAID IT FROM THE DIOCESE THE OTHER NIGHT.
WHEN YOU CAST OUT VISION, WHEN YOU CAST VISION, YOU CREATE OPPORTUNITIES.
IF I LATCHED ONTO ANYTHING TUESDAY NIGHT, IT WAS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO CREATE THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND THIS IS ONE OF FOUR.
AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE HAMPTON ROADS, A LONG WAYS TOWARDS THAT ALREADY.
BUT IT'S, IT, IT HAS THE SAME COMPONENTS, THE SAME ABILITY TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE.
IT, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN THE CORRIDOR ON 35.
THAT'S WHEN THAT ONE IS IN ITS INFANCY COMPARED TO THIS.
AND EVEN MORE THAN THAT IS THE WHOLE SPORTS MEDICINE COMPLEX.
SO ALL OF THOSE WILL EACH GET THEIR OWN IN TURN AND IN TIME.
THIS ONE'S THE FURTHEST LONGEST IT HAD TO BE.
IT IS MOVING SO QUICKLY THAT IF WE DON'T MOVE, WE MISS THE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO YOU GOTTA PAINT THE PICTURE.
WHY NOT THIS SORT OF, WELL, I THINK, BUT I THINK YOU SAID SOMETHING AND THE PRESIDENT SAID SOMETHING.
NOW THAT WE HAVE LAND IN MIND, WHAT WE DO IS PROTECT THE VISION.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HE WHO OWNS THE LAND, OWNS THE VISION, YOU KNOW, AND SO MAYBE IT'S, IT MIGHT BE TIME TO START TALKING TO THE CITY, PURCHASE THE LAND TO CONTROL.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF PIVOTS THAT NEED TO MAKE.
BUT, UM, TO, UH, MY COLLEAGUE'S POINT, UH, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT IT, WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
THAT'S WHY I WENT ON THE TOUR.
AFTER THE TOUR, I UNDERSTOOD BETTER.
NOW YOU 10 OUT 10, I'M, MY NUMBERS GOT 10 OUTTA 10 JUST BLOWS ME AWAY.
BUT AGAIN, UH, THERE MIGHT BE SOME ON COUNCIL THAT'S FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT I DOUBT IF ANYBODY ON COUNCIL CAN FULLY EMBRACE IT.
NOR DO WE HAVE AN AREA IN MIND.
BUT COUNCIL, WE, WE, HAMPTON ROAD IS EASIER FOR US.
'CAUSE WE DRIVE TO HAMPTON ROAD AND ALL, OH, I CAN SEE A PARK HERE.
I COULD, UM, THE AUDITORIUM'S EASY.
'CAUSE WE COULD DRIVE OVER THERE AND SEE THE VACANT LAND AND GO, I CAN SEE THAT THERE.
IF YOU, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT BIOTECH, UH, BIO LABS IN THE PAST, THERE WAS NEVER ANY MENTION OF THIS IS A POSSIBILITY AND THIS, AND SO TO THAT POINT, I THINK THAT IS A GREAT IDEA.
I THINK THAT YOU HAVE A SYNERGY TO GET IT DONE.
AND I THINK THAT COUNCIL WILL EMBRACE, FOR ME, THIS IS A, THIS IS AN EASY WIN.
IT IS MUCH EASIER THAN ANYTHING ELSE WE HAVE.
SO, SO FULL CIRCLE HERE, AGAIN, THE NARRATIVE THAT YOU'RE GIVING IS THE REAL SELLING POINT.
I MEAN, I MEAN, NOT TAKING AWAY FROM WHAT WE SAYING, WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT THERE'S SO MUCH FACT IN THAT MM-HMM.
OH, IS THAT RIGHT? WHAT I RECALL? MM-HMM.
AND IF THAT'S WHAT WE BRING, IF, IF, IF OUR DEMOGRAPHICS OF OUR COMMUNITY
[01:50:01]
ALLOW US TO TAUNT THAT, TO TELL THAT AND CAPITALIZE ON IT, WE SHOULD BE TELLING IT.AND YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT IT, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY.
I MEAN, COMPANIES TODAY ARE JUST HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS AND, BUT WE GOT IT HERE.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK, AND I TALK ABOUT THIS A LOT, SO WHEN I READ THIS, THE THING THAT COMES TO MIND FOR ME, AND YOU CAN USE THIS TAGLINE, I WON'T YOU TO CHARGE IT FOR US.
DE SOTO, RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS.
SO LET ME COMMEND YOU GUYS ON.
SO IT, I HOPE THAT WE GET THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS WITH BOTH THE COUNCIL AND THE, THE PLANNING AND ZONING, BECAUSE THERE IS SOME WORK TO BE DONE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE LAST THING WE HEARD FROM OUR CO, FROM OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONSULTANTS, I WAS THERE THE NIGHT WHERE THEY PRESENTED IT AND YOU ALL ADOPTED IT.
THE, THE LAST THING THAT SOMEBODY, AND I DON'T REMEMBER WHO ASKED THE QUESTION, THEY SAID TO OUR CONSULTANT, WHAT'S NEXT? AND THE ANSWER WAS, YOU HAVE TO REWRITE YOUR ZONING CODE.
UM, WE, WE THINK WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING SURE THAT THOSE AREAS ARE READY FOR THE COUNCIL COUNCILMEN TO BE ABLE TO CREATE AND PROTECT, IF YOU WILL, THOSE.
AND WE HAVE TO BE VERY DILIGENT AND DELIBERATE AND CAREFUL ABOUT IT.
BECAUSE YES, IF WE SQUANDER THAT WE MISS THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND, AND THERE'S, THERE'S FOUR VERY LARGE AREAS THAT NEED TO BE THOUGHT CAREFULLY THROUGH.
SO WE WOULD WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION, BUT WE'D LIKE TO SET THAT UP SO THAT ALL OF THOSE THAT ARE, ARE THERE, BECAUSE THAT SHARED VISION THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT NOW FOR SIX MONTHS IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU TALK ABOUT.
LET'S PROGRESS FORWARD PLEASE.
ON, UH, AGAIN, EVERYONE, WE JUST, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST DO, LET'S APPLAUD YOU GUYS FOR THIS
HENCE THE REASON WHY YOU'RE GETTING PROCLAMATIONS AND THINGS THAT I NEED TO WRITE
[C. CONSENT AGENDA]
TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.UH, Y'ALL STEPPED INTO TOO EYES
UH, IF WE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA, UM, CONSIDER APPROVING THE MARCH 14TH, 2024 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES AND CONSIDER APPROVING FEBRUARY AND MARCH FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
UM, CAN I GET A MOTION ON THAT? YES.
I MOVE TO CONSIDER, I'M APPROVING THE MARCH FOUR, FOUR REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES AND CONSIDER APPROVING THE FEBRUARY, MARCH, UH, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
UH, MADAM CLEAR HAS BEEN, UH, MOVED, DUTY MOVED.
AND SECOND, UH, UH, TO APPROVE THE, UH, CONSENTED AGENDA.
THAT ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
IT HAS BEEN, UH, UH, MOTION AND APPROVED SECOND AND APPROVED, UH, VOTING, UH, HAS APPROVED AND THE, UH, CONSIDERED A IS APPROVED.
[D. BRIEFING BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - Matt Carlson]
BRIEFING BY MATT CARLSON ON THE, UH, UH, UPDATED MEETINGS, ATTENDED ADDITIONAL SITE VISITS AND GENERAL OPERAT OFFICE OPERATIONS.UM, YOU HAVE THIS, AND I DON'T NEED TO REGURGITATE EVERY PIECE OF IT.
UM, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT IN OUR DEPARTMENTAL GOALS.
ONE OF THOSE WAS TO OBTAIN COMMITMENTS FOR A MINIMUM OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE TURS THAT WAS ENACTED LAST FALL.
UM, UP UNTIL TUESDAY NIGHT, WE'VE SORT OF ASSUMED THAT THAT WAS SLAM DUNK, AND THAT'S THE REASON THERE WAS A GREEN BUTTON NEXT TO IT, PUSHING BACK THE CHARACTER CODE.
UNLESS WE MOVE THAT FORWARD, I MEAN, FRANKLY, EVEN IF WE MOVE IT FORWARD WITH EXPEDITIOUSLY, I THINK IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO MEET THAT GOAL.
UM, THERE'S, THERE'S THREE OR FOUR VARYING, YOU KNOW, MAJOR PROJECTS.
UM, I'VE, I'VE REPEATEDLY HEARD PEOPLE SAY THERE'S NOBODY BANGING ON THE DOOR.
THEY'RE JUST NOT PEOPLE WE CAN TALK
[01:55:01]
ABOUT.THOSE PROJECTS AREN'T AT A PLACE WHERE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THEM.
UM, AND, AND THEY WOULD'VE EASILY MET THAT TIMES FIVE.
PUSHING THAT BACK HAS AN IMPACT.
AND IT, AND SO I JUST WANT TO US TO BE AWARE.
SO WHEN WE CHANGE THAT TO, TO YELLOW OR RED, NOBODY GOES, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED? AND, AND, AND IT MAKES SENSE.
I MEAN, THE ONLY WAY THE TUR IS, IS USEFUL.
THE TURS DOESN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL WE START DEVELOPING.
AND WHEN IT DEVELOPS, IT SPINS THE DOLLARS OFF TO REINVEST IN THE CORRIDOR.
THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE PLAN TO PAY FOR MUCH OF THAT REDEVELOPMENT THAT'S IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WAS WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT.
SO WHEN WE DON'T DO THAT, IT DOESN'T CREATE THE FUNDS AND IT LEAVES US WITH A GAP GOING FORWARD.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND, AND I, I'M, I'M CERTAIN THAT WE CAN, THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS TO GET THERE.
LOTS OF WAYS TO THINK THROUGH THAT.
UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NEW CITY MANAGER.
UM, I'M THRILLED TO HEAR THAT, THAT THEY WILL BE COMING SOON.
AND I, AND I'M EXTREMELY FOCUSED ON THE LAST ONE HERE THAT IS RED AND HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE.
THIS IDEA OF IMPROVING A, TO MOVE TOWARDS A FRICTIONLESS DEVELOPMENT EFFORT, A DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT.
YOU KNOW, WE HEAR IT ALL THE TIME.
WE ARE ANYTHING BUT FRICTIONLESS.
AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT OUR NEW CITY MANAGER, WHOEVER THEY MAY BE, WILL, WILL BE ABLE TO HELP US MOVE THAT FORWARD AND IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THREE YEARS.
UM, AND I KNOW WE CAN MAKE THAT PROGRESS.
UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
UM, I'LL TAKE YOU OVER TO THE NEXT PAGE.
UM, AND YOU CAN LOOK AT ANY OF THOSE THAT YOU WANT TO.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MANY OF 'EM ALREADY.
UM, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT JUST A COUPLE, AND THAT'S, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT OUR BIO OUTBOUND TRIP, BUT REMEMBER THAT'S NOT THE ONLY THING THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
ANTOINE AND I ARE, YOU KNOW, HAD TO LAUGH THE OTHER DAY WHEN OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER SAID, WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE INSTEAD OF WHEN YOU'RE NOT.
IT WOULD BE A LOT LESS WRITING.
UM, ANTOINE WAS UP IN CHICAGO FOR MRO, WHICH IS MAINTENANCE REPAIR ORGANIZATIONS FOR AVIATION.
THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE INDUSTRIES THAT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT HERE.
UM, WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT YET, BUT I WANT TO, UM, WE'RE BEING VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR FRIENDS AT DALLAS COLLEGE.
UM, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A HANGAR.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A CLASSROOM.
WE ARE STANDING UP AN AVIATION PROGRAM IN SOUTHERN DALLAS WITH THE HELP OF THE CITY, WITH THE HELP OF DALLAS COLLEGE.
AND IT'S, IT IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT LITERALLY SINCE I GOT HERE.
THAT EXECUTIVE AIRPORT IS GROSSLY UNDERUTILIZED.
AND DON VALE OVER THERE IS A BELIEVER.
AND, AND GLORIA SMITH AT DALLAS COLLEGE IS A BELIEVER.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN AVIATION PROGRAM HERE FOR OUR KIDS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THAT TO BEGIN TO, TO TAP INTO.
UM, SO WE'RE DRIVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS DOWN TO THE SCHOOL LEVEL.
UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SHARING THOSE WITH OUR COUNCIL AND OUR, AND OUR DEVELOPMENT BOARDS SO THAT Y'ALL CAN BE TALKING ABOUT IT.
'CAUSE I'M SURE THAT Y'ALL HAVE FINGERS.
I'M GLAD TO HEAR WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HAVING SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, AMERICAN AIRLINES, THOSE HERE IN OUR REGION, AND THE AVAILABILITY OF AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE REDBIRD EXECUTIVE AIRPORT TO BE, I MEAN, IT JUST MAKES PERFECT SENSE.
AND, AND BY THE WAY, SOUTHWEST AND AMERICAN AIRLINES ARE PART OF THIS PROGRAM.
THAT'S WHY WE CAME AT PEOPLE WHO, AT THE END OF THEIR LIVES DECIDE THE FUTURE OF OUR LIFE.
OUTBOUND, OUTBOUND ATTRACTIONS.
ICS, HE'S COMING UP IN A COUPLE WEEKS.
THE COUNCILMAN'S GOING WITH HIM.
ONE AND I, IF ANY, IF LAST YEAR IS ANY INDICATOR OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE ALL GONNA COME BACK EXHAUSTED.
WE'LL BE OUT IN WASHINGTON DC LOOKING AT FEDERAL AT AT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT.
UM, AND THAT JUST TAKES US THROUGH, THROUGH THROUGH AUGUST.
SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER.
IT GETS BUSY IN SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER.
UM, ONE THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF TOO.
AND, AND MELVA, I'D LIKE YOU TO, TO JUMP IN AND RHONDA TO, TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO IN TWO MINUTES.
UM, THE LADIES TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES TO ENGAGE IN A PROGRAM THAT TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, COUNCIL, WHICH ARE STATEWIDE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION DOES EVERY OTHER YEAR.
AND THAT'S TO BRING TOGETHER WOMEN IN THIS PROFESSION.
UM, AND I ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO.
THEY PICKED UP THAT MANTLE AND RAN WITH IT.
WOULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT
[02:00:01]
ABOUT IT? YES.SO RHONDA AND I ATTENDED THE TEDC 2024 TEXAS WOMEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ON APRIL 23RD AND 24TH.
UH, THE TITLE OF IT WAS SHE'S UNSTOPPABLE.
SO THE CONFERENCE FOCUSED ON US AS WOMEN LOOKING OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER, UM, HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE THIS BY IMPACTING CHANGE THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
SO THE IDEA OF HAVING A CORE GROUP OF WOMEN WHO WILL HAVE YOUR BACK REGARDLESS OF YOUR JOURNEY OF THE JOURNEY WAS THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT SPOKE VERY PROFOUND AND VERY LOUD TO ME.
UH, THE CONFERENCE WAS ACTUALLY ATTENDED BY 150 WOMEN, UH, WITH BACKGROUNDS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS, CITY ADMINISTRATORS, OFFICERS, BLESS SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF COURSE FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
NOW WE HAD A DOCTOR THERE BY THE NAME OF DEBBIE SILVER.
SHE IS, I THOUGHT YOU CALLED HER DEBBIE DOWNER.
THAT'S IS, UM, THE FOUNDER OF WHAT'S CALLED POST BETRAYAL TRANSFORMATION INSTITUTE.
AND SO WHEN SHE WAS THERE, SHE HAD US TO GATHER OUR INNER EMOTIONS.
Y'ALL, BY THE END OF THAT, I HAD TO GO GET A DRINK.
IT WAS, YEAH, THAT INNER EMOTIONAL SELF, IT WAS PRETTY TOUGH.
BUT SHE WAS, SHE WAS STILL VERY, UM, INFORMATIVE.
SHE ACTUALLY HAS A PODCAST THAT SHE DOES.
I'LL SEND OUT SOME INFORMATION ON THAT.
SO, BUT THE TEXAS WOMEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ACTUALLY STARTED IN 2014.
SO IT'S EVERY OTHER YEAR CONFERENCE.
THE DATA SHOWED, WE HAD SOME INTERESTING POINTS THAT THEY, UH, PROVIDED.
UH, THE DATA SHOWED THAT IN 2017 THERE WERE 3 MILLION WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES AND 1.25 MILLION WERE TEXAS OWNED.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY COOL.
WE ALSO LEARNED THAT MIAMI HOLDS THE NUMBER ONE SPOT FOR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.
CAN YOU GUESS WHO HOLDS THE NUMBER TWO SPOT? WE DO.
WE DO DALLAS FORT WORTH AND THE ARLINGTON AREA.
THAT'S HOW THEY PRESENTED IT TO US.
SO WE CAME AWAY WITH, BECAUSE WE WORK, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WE DO IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I KNOW THAT MY JOB IS MEANINGFUL, THAT I MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE CITY THAT I LIVE IN.
AND I KNOW THAT MY JOB IS LONG LASTING BECAUSE IT DEFINITELY LEAVES AN INDELIBLE IMPACT.
AND AGAIN, WE THANK MATT AND WE THANK ANTOINE FOR SUPPORTING US IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AS WOMEN HERE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR OFFER FOR GIVING US THAT OPPORTUNITY.
NO, I, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING SHE SAID.
I GAVE IT UP TO, YOU KNOW WHAT'S INTERESTING, LAST WEEK WAS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN BEING ABLE TO GET CREDIT WITHOUT MEN.
IT'S ONLY BEEN 50 YEARS IN THAT CREDIT, BUT A WOMAN COULD GET CREDIT WITHOUT A MAN.
OH, WELL, I'VE MADE UP FOR LOST TIME.
YOU'RE DOING ONE 8-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN, IN THIS AWFUL, I I'VE BEEN AROUND THIS, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
AND I REMEMBER WHEN I WENT TO THESE CONFERENCES AND THERE WERE VERY, VERY FEW WOMEN.
THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO RACIAL RACIAL DIVERSITY.
AND I LOOKED AT THE CLASS THAT ANTOINE JUST CAME BACK AT OU, EDI, THE DEEP PREMIER TRAINING GROUND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS IN THIS NATION.
AND I LOOKED AT THE GRADUATING CLASS, MORE THAN 50% OF IT WAS WOMEN.
THERE WAS WELL REPRESENTED ACROSS EVERY RACIAL DIVERSITY THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE, BLACK AND BROWN ASIAN.
IT IT WAS JUST SO EXCITING AND SO FULFILLING FOR ME TO THINK AS, YOU KNOW, MY CAREER COMES TO AN END SOMEWHERE IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE.
I LOOK AND I THINK IN MY TIME IN THIS INDUSTRY, THAT CHANGED.
[02:05:01]
IT REALLY IS.WELL, IT HAS TO REPRESENT THE MAKEUP OF WHAT OUR, WHAT WE LOOK LIKE.
UM, LAST ITEM ON THAT PAGE, FALL RETREAT DATES.
AND I'M GONNA JUST LEAVE IT WITH, IF Y'ALL COULD LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS AND GET US SOME IDEAS.
YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR I THINK WE DID A DAY AND A HALF.
UM, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT THAT MUCH AGAIN.
I, I KNOW IT'S ASKING A LOT OF YOU.
I APPRECIATE THE FACT IT'S ASKING A LOT OF YOU.
UM, BUT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT A STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT A BUDGET.
UM, WE HAVE SOME REQUIRED BOARD TRAINING THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH.
I PROMISE ALICIA'S NOT GONNA COME THROUGH AND, AND THREATEN YOU.
AND I PROMISE THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA LET VICTORIA DO THE TRAINING AGAIN.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE PETE COME AND DO IT SO NOBODY FEELS THREATENED.
UM,
SO I WOULD LIKE TO DO EITHER A FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AND THEN ALL DAY SATURDAY OR AN ALL DAY FRIDAY AND A HALF A DAY ON SATURDAY.
UM, IF YOU COULD LOOK AND SEE WHAT MIGHT WORK AT THE END OF AUGUST OR IN THROUGH SEPTEMBER, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE WE START THE NEW YEAR.
UM, AND JUST SEND US SOME DATES.
MELBA, SEND 'EM ON TO MELBA, MELBA WILL START TO PUT IT TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S ANY COMMONALITIES AT ALL.
AND THEN WE CAN REVISIT THIS IN JUNE WHEN WE PUT OUR HEADS BACK TOGETHER.
IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S AGREEABLE.
LET'S TAKE THAT APPROACH AND KEEP, UH, MARCHING FORWARD.
UM, CHICK-FIL-A OPENS IN EIGHT DAYS.
ALRIGHT, UM, TRY I OPEN SUNDAY.
THE COUNCIL, THE COUNCILMAN HELPED US UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH, WITH HAMPTON ROAD.
UM, THE OTHER PIECE THAT, THAT I'D LIKE Y'ALL TO START THINKING ABOUT ON YOUR CALENDAR, REMEMBER THIS LAST YEAR WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, SOME, SOME PORTION OF THIS GROUP DESIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF THE TEXAS STATE SALES TAX SEMINARS.
UM, SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE SAID THAT THE, THE NOVEMBER 8TH IN AUSTIN WOULD BE, UM, ONE THAT WOULD WORK FOR YOU IF THE REST OF YOU COULD MAYBE KIND OF LOOK AROUND THAT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, IT'S AN EXPENSE THAT YOU PASS ALONG TO THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, IT'D BE KIND OF FUN AS A, AS A TEAM.
UM, WE DON'T OFTEN GET TO DO THINGS TOGETHER LIKE THAT.
UM, SO MAYBE RESPOND AGAIN TO MELBA ABOUT THAT DATE AS WELL.
IF NOVEMBER 8TH IS ONE YOU CAN PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR AND PLAN ON BEING DOWN THERE, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE, THE CONFERENCE.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, UH, I DON'T THINK THERE'S REALLY ANYTHING THERE OTHER THAN I DO WANT TO CORRECT CONGRATULATE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES.
UH, YOU KNOW, HE IS, HE JUST FINISHED HIS SECOND YEAR OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, I KNOW WHAT A COMMITMENT THAT IS.
IT'S AN ENTIRE WEEK EACH YEAR THAT YOU SPEND.
AND I MEAN, IT IS SUN UP TILL SUNDOWN AND THEN SOME, UM, IT'S, IT'S INTENSE.
UH, IT'S A THREE YEAR PROGRAM AND IN EACH OF THOSE COHORT COHORTS, YOU DEVELOP LIFELONG RELATIONSHIPS, BUT YOU'RE GAINING KNOWLEDGE FROM PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN DOING THIS IN EVERY STATE.
AND, AND AGAIN, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK TEXAS IS SPECIAL FOR THAT REASON.
I THINK TEXAS IS VERY SPECIAL, BUT IT ISN'T LIKE WE REALLY DO IT ANY DIFFERENT.
AND IN FACT, THERE'S A LOT WE CAN LEARN FROM OTHER STATES THAT WOULD ENACT HERE, UM, THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE.
AND A LOT OF TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS HAVE NOT.
UM, SO I REALLY APPLAUD HIM INVESTING IN HIMSELF AND THAT TIME AND THAT ENERGY.
HE WILL FINISH THAT PROGRAM UP NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND WE WILL CELEBRATE YOUR GRADUATION FROM IT.
THAT, UH, JUST ONE ANNOUNCEMENT.
UH, THE SOTA WORKS JOB FAIR COMING UP ON WEDNESDAY, UH, MAY 22ND OVER AT DC THREE.
UH, AGAIN, ANOTHER, ANOTHER YEAR.
WE'RE SPONSORING THAT WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN CHISHOLM AND DC THREE OVER THERE.
UM, AND, AND WHEN WE SAY SPONSOR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROVIDING SOME FINANCIAL, UH, SPONSORSHIP FOR THAT.
AND THEN WE WORK CLOSELY WITH TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, MAKING SURE THAT OUR, OUR EMPLOYERS ARE PLUGGED INTO THAT AND AWARE SO THAT THEY CAN BE A PARTICIPANT IN THAT AS WELL.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF, OF, THAT'S THE PORTION OF IT THAT WE DO.
I DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM ALL THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE REALLY DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING IN THAT.
UM, AND THEY DO A GREAT JOB, BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE WE, WE DO A POOR JOB OF BRAGGING.
THE COUNCIL
SO WHEN THEM CITIZENS SAY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL DOING? SAID WE JUST GOT 600 PEOPLE HIRED AT AN EVENT THAT WAS CO-SPONSORED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JUST
[02:10:01]
LAST WEEK.BECAUSE PEOPLE ALWAYS, WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE ANY MEETING, THEY DON'T THINK THAT WE ARE DOING ANYTHING.
AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ABLE TO SELL OUR STORY AND IT BRAG A LITTLE BIT.
WE, WE DEFINITELY GOT THAT PLAN.
TAKEDA, UH, AND OUR SOCIALS, THE CMO REPORT WATER BILL, UM, AND RHONDA'S DONE A GOOD JOB KIND OF WITH OUR MARKETING SOCIAL MEDIA CALENDAR.
SO ANYBODY ON LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK FOLLOW US, CONNECT US.
WE, YOU KNOW, SHARE THOSE STORIES, SHARE THOSE WINS, AND WE ALL GET THROUGH TRASH CANS.
RIGHT? IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA, MARK.
GREAT POINT ABOUT COMMUNICATION.
AND THAT SAID, LET ME MOVE US ALONG HERE.
LET ME, LET ME YOU MOVE US ALONG.
[E. BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS]
ANNOUNCEMENTS.SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A SWEET MOVE.
OKAY, BECAUSE I, I'VE GOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE.
AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T.
THIS, AT THIS PART WE TALK ABOUT, UH, CONGRATULATIONS AND CONDOLENCES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GIVE A TRUE CONGRATULATIONS TO.
WE HAVE A NEWLYWED AT OUR TEAM.
LADIES, IF WE WANT TO GIVE THEM ANY NUGGETS OF GO FORWARD, LIKE HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY WIFE AND ALL OF THAT.
WE WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU, JUDY.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO YOU GOT SAY YES DEAR
DAVID, MY DAD OFTEN SAID THAT WAS THE SECRET TO 57 YEARS OF MARRIAGE FOR MY MOM.
YES DEAR, I LOVE YOU AND I WANNA THANK MY GOOD FRIEND AND HE HAPPENS TO BE THE COUNCILMAN, BUT HE IS MY GOOD FRIEND AND HE IS THE ONE WHO MARRIED LINDSAY AND I WOW.
IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME, THE WORLD TO HER TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH MY FRIEND AND, AND HAVE HIM PUT HIS HANDS ON US, JOIN US TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE THAT GOD WAS AT THE CENTER OF THAT WAS SO, SO MEANINGFUL TO THANK YOU.
YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT MEETING, TURNKEY OPPORTUNITY.
WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GO AND SERVE ON THE BOARD, GET EVERYTHING, UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION.
LET ME JUST SAY THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, LET ME THANK THE BOARD FOR A VERY MEANINGFUL MEETING TONIGHT.
I KNOW WE NEED TO NARROW IT DOWN AND WE'LL GET THERE, BUT LET'S JUST KEEP ON KEEPING ON.
THEREFORE, NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 8:18 PM THANK YOU GUYS.
I WAS LOOKING, I WAS LIKE, OH, WE'RE LOOKING TO DO THAT.