[A. Call to Order]
[00:00:07]
BEING PRESENT. IT'S PRESENTLY 6 P.M. IN THE DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION MONTHLY BOARD MEETING WILL COME TO ORDER ON THIS THURSDAY, MAY 14TH, 2026. AGAIN, IT'S 6 P.M. JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING AND HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD A GREAT DAY.
WHY DON'T WE START OFF WITH ROLL CALL? START WITH YOU, AKILAH WALLACE. PRESENT.
MICHAEL BALDWIN. PRESENT. JAMES PRUITT. PRESENT. MARK JONES. PRESENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
EXCUSE ME. AT THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INVOCATION FROM ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS.
WOULD YOU PLEASE. DEAR GOD, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE THIS EVENING. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACE AND YOUR MERCY. THANK YOU FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS COMMUNITY. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD KEEP YOUR HANDS AROUND US. GO WITH US AS WE MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT'S BEST FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND YOUR SON. JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DIRECTOR JONES, FOR THAT WONDERFUL PRAYER WE SO NEEDED ON A DAILY BASIS, AND WE
[C. Consent Agenda]
APPRECIATE IT. AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE INTO ADDRESSING CONSENT AGENDA. I TRUST, AND HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW CONSENT AGENDA. THE DDC WILL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AT THIS TIME. ANY CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS WILL FALL UNDER CONSIDERING ACTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 9TH, 2026 REGULAR BOARD MEETING AND CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR MARCH 2026. ANY OBSERVATIONS THERE? I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE. CONSENT AGENDA, AS WELL AS THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FROM MARCH 2026. SECOND MOTION BY DIRECTOR JONES AND SECOND BY DIRECTOR WALLACE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY I, I ANY NAYS, AYES[D.1. Welcome and introduction of the new Economic Development Director]
HAVE IT. IT'S SO APPROVED. NEXT WE GO TO OUR NEW BUSINESS ITEMS. BUT BEFORE WE GO THERE, I'M GOING TO DEVIATE JUST A TAD BIT BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE BECAUSE A PART OF THE WILL FALL UNDER THE NEW BUSINESS ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS OUR FIRST BOARD MEETING, AND WE'RE AS OF MAY 1ST, OUR NEW DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND IT HAS BEEN A JOY, I CAN SAY PERSONALLY, FOR THESE FIRST TWO WEEKS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, HAVING HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET UP WITH OUR NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND HIS NAME IS MR. GUS GARCIA, AND GUS, WE ARE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU.I JUST WANT TO WELCOME YOU. AND WE KNOW THAT DURING THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF REVIEWING WITH YOU, INTERVIEWING WITH YOU, YOU EXEMPLIFIED THE CHARACTER AND SPIRIT OF WHAT OUR CITY THRIVES TO ACHIEVE AND LOOKS FORWARD TO, AS WELL AS THIS BOARD AS A WHOLE IS WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE? AND THE MAYOR AND I JUST WANTED TO PERSONALLY, ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARD, WELCOME YOU THIS EVENING. I KNOW THAT YOU'VE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET INDIVIDUALLY WITH BOARD MEMBERS, AND WE JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS TEAM. AT THE SAME TIME, BEFORE WE GIVE YOU THE MIC ON THAT. OUR OUR MANAGER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS STARTED AS OF MAY THE 11TH THIS WEEK, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF SITTING AND VISITING WITH HIM AS WELL, BOTH HE AND GUS AND JOSH MEJIA, IF YOU WILL. I'M SORRY JOSH IS ON BOARD WITH US. WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING JOSH. SO THE TEAM IMMEDIATELY. I CAN TELL YOU FROM A MEETING I SAT IN WITH HIM A COUPLE DAYS AGO, HAS HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AND
[00:05:06]
THEY HAVE BEGUN TO LAY FRAMEWORK. AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE ALL ARE ALREADY.INSTEAD OF PAPERS, WE'RE USING THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT THEY'VE BEEN SO ADAMANT ABOUT GETTING IN PLACE EVEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. SO I'M ECSTATIC, AS THEY WOULD SAY, ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY. SO, JOSH, GUS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET ME LET YOU HAVE SOME WORDS IF YOU LIKE.
SURE. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU CHAIR, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND TURN THE MIC ON. SURE. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT, MR. JONES. YOU KNOW, MR. CHAIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THE SENTIMENT IS SHARED ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND MY TEAM. SUPER EXCITED TO HAVE MELBA BACK AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. YOU KNOW, I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH. AND I THINK THAT THE INTERVIEW PANEL, AND I ESPECIALLY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR CITY MANAGER FOR HAVING THE FAITH AND CONFIDENCE TO HIRE ME FOR THIS POSITION AS WELL AS THE BOARD. SO I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION THAT.
SO THANK YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER. REALLY APPRECIATE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE BOARD, THE WARM WELCOME THAT I RECEIVED IN IN FOR IT TO BE IN THE TOWN THAT I LIVE IN AND RESIDE HAS BEEN JUST AMAZING. DEFINITELY GOING TO MISS THE FOLKS WHERE I CAME FROM. AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I LEFT, I WAS. YOU ALWAYS GET CONCERNED IF YOU'RE MAKING A GOOD DECISION, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU'RE LEAVING SOMETHING GOOD. AND I CAN SAY THAT GETTING HERE AND SPENDING THE TIME LAST 14 DAYS WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND WITH THE TEAM. AND OF COURSE, MR. MEJIA HAS JUST BEEN AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR ME AND I AM SUPER EXCITED. LOTS OF ENERGY. I WILL SAY THAT THE TABLE HAS BEEN SET BY THE CITY MANAGER, MY PREDECESSOR, THE TEAM, AND I ALMOST FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE THERE'S JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT I'M SEEING AND THAT I'M GOING TO GET TO SINK MY TEETH INTO, AND THAT I KNOW JOSH FEELS THE SAME WAY. AND AS A TEAM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO BE HOPEFULLY WITH WITH THE POLITICAL WILL AND EVERYBODY'S PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY MANAGER, WE'RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SO SUPER EXCITED. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WARM WELCOME AND TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. THANK YOU. WELCOME. OKAY. YOU KNOW, I GUESS I HAVE A WAY OF DOING THINGS. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ASK US TO JUST GIVE THEM A WARM ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR BEING A BOARD. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO AS WE MARCH FORWARD HERE. YOU KNOW WHAT? OKAY. I WOULD BE REMISS AGAIN. JOSH, LET ME NOT REMOVE THE OPPORTUNITY. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOME WORDS WITH THE POLICE? THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, AND THE REST OF THE BOARD AND FOR ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY, THE TEAM AS WELL AND THE THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE FOR THE ABSOLUTE WARMEST WELCOME THAT THE CITY COULD PROVIDE FOR. I WOULD JUST SECOND, YOU KNOW WHAT OUR DIRECTOR, MR. GARCIA, HAS MENTIONED, AND WE'RE JUST VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH EVERYBODY TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME GOOD WORK DONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
[D.2. Receive Finance Status Report for March 2026]
SIR. WE APPRECIATE THAT. SO AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE FINANCE STATUS REPORT FOR MARCH 2026 FROM ANDY PENTON, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS EVENING? GOOD. THANK YOU. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, BOARD CHAIRMAN, CITY MANAGER. I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE TO PRESENT YOUR MARCH 2026 FINANCIALS. OUR BUDGET FOR REVENUE IS $3,006,250, WHILE OUR YEAR TO DATE REVENUE IS $1,368,958. THAT REPRESENTS 45.5% OF OUR BUDGET, COMPARED TO LAST YEAR'S 39.9%. YOU'LL SEE THAT OUR SALES TAX IS AT 41.44% THIS YEAR, COMPARED TO 35.5% THIS TIME LAST YEAR. OUR INTEREST REVENUE IS ON TRACK 88.1% THIS YEAR AND 88.5% LAST YEAR. WE DO LADDER OUR CDS, SO WE HAVE SOME CDS THAT ARE SLATED TO MATURE STILL AT THAT 4% RATE, OUR BUDGETED EXPENDITURES ARE $4,304,001.WHILE OUR YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES ARE $370,085. OUR YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES
[00:10:02]
REPRESENT 8.6% OF OUR BUDGETED REVENUE EXPENDITURES. SO WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR. WE EXPECT TO BE HALFWAY THROUGH OUR BUDGET, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME SAVINGS DUE TO SOME VACANCIES IN THE SALARIES AND ALSO OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES. LAST YEAR, OUR EXPENDITURE THIS TIME OF YEAR REPRESENTED 24% OF OUR BUDGET. I'VE ALSO INCLUDED YOUR BALANCE SHEET. OUR ASSETS REPRESENT $13,239,230.30. LIABILITIES $1,079,895.77. OUR FUND BALANCE IS CURRENTLY $12,159,334.53. HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. HAVE A GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU.
[D.3. Introduction and overview of the Retreat-to-Action Tracker]
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. SO IF YOU'LL JUST GO BACK ONE PAGE AND EXACTLY WHERE YOU WERE AT A MINUTE AGO. THANK YOU. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE IDENTIFIED FOR THE BOARD WAS DURING THE JANUARY 9TH BOARD RETREAT WITH THE COUNCIL WAS THERE WAS A NUMBER OF ACTION ITEMS THAT WE IDENTIFIED. WE WENT BACK AND WE KIND OF DUG A LITTLE BIT INTO WHAT WERE THE PAIN POINTS? WHAT WERE THE KPIS METRICS? WHAT WERE THE THINGS THAT WE FELT WE COULD IDENTIFY DURING THAT RETREAT? YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH OUR TEAM WASN'T HERE WHEN THAT TOOK PLACE, AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING A COMPLETE, YOU KNOW, ONBOARDING FOR ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS. WE STILL WANTED TO KIND OF IDENTIFY SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE FELT WERE, YOU KNOW, EXPRESSED. THEY WERE PAIN POINTS FOR THE BOARD AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE CREATED A DASHBOARD, AND THIS DASHBOARD IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE BOARD AT ALL TIMES, AND IT'LL BE CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED. SO WE'LL BE WE'LL BE SENDING OUT A LINK EVERY MONTH. AND IT'LL BE BASICALLY A. WORKFLOW TYPE OF SYSTEM WHERE YOU'LL GET REMINDED AND YOU'LL GET IDENTIFIED OR PINGED IF ANY NEW ITEMS THAT COME UP OR IF YOU'VE EXPRESSED ADDITIONAL INTEREST. AND SO THE FRONT OF THE DASHBOARD KIND OF TALKS ABOUT JUST WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT'S ABOUT. IF YOU SCROLL DOWN SOME OF THE KEY THEMES FROM THAT JANUARY RETREAT, THEN THE MONTHLY BOARD REPORT, WORKFLOW, THINGS THAT YOU'VE ASKED FOR THAT YOU WANT TO SEE. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REPORTING CADENCE, THE STANDARD METRICS FRAMEWORKS. NOW THIS IS AGAIN, THIS IS FOR A FIRST KIND OF PASS TO LOOK AT THIS. I HAVE SOME HANDOUTS FOR THE BOARD. I'LL SEND THIS OUT TO EVERYONE.THIS IS FOR YOU TO TAKE HOME AND, AND LOOK AT AND TO WRITE NOTES AND JUST KIND OF IF I CAN GIVE ONE TO MAGID AS WELL, ONE THAT YOU HAVE IT. OKAY, SO THAT YOU CAN IDENTIFY, LOOK AT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THERE THAT YOU WANT TO ADD. THIS IS A DRAFT FORM. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT PAGE. NO, THE RETREAT. SO YOU CLICK ON THE RETREAT ACTION ITEMS AND WHAT YOU'LL FIND HERE. THIS IS A SOFTWARE PROGRAM, SORT OF A CSR SOFTWARE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN USING INTERNALLY FOR SOME TIME. THE CITY OF DESOTO ADOPTED THIS. IT'S A SINGLE SIGN ON DASHBOARD. THIS PARTICULAR PAGE LIVES ON THAT CSR, THAT NOTE TAKING SOFTWARE, AND YOU'LL HAVE ACCESS TO IT. NOW, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO EDIT IT AND ADD ANYTHING TO IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INFORMATION WE'RE PROVIDING TO YOU IS COMING FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, OUR OFFICE. BUT YOU CAN SEE HERE WE'VE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 21 ACTION ITEMS ON THIS DASHBOARD THAT WERE ALL GLEANED AND EXTRAPOLATED FROM THOSE DISCUSSIONS DURING THE BOARD RETREAT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND I WANT TO POINT YOU TO ONE IN PARTICULAR. JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. IF YOU LOOK, IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE LET'S SEE YOU GO DOWN TO THE ADOPT SCENARIO BASED PLANNING FRAMEWORK, WHERE THE ARROWS AT. BUT WHAT YOU CAN SEE BEFORE YOU CLICK ON THERE, IF YOU LOOK DOWN TO THE RIGHT OF THAT, YOU'LL SEE WHAT THE ITEM IS, WHERE SHE HAS THE CURSORS, WHERE YOU CAN OPEN IT. THAT WILL TAKE US TO ANOTHER PAGE THAT YOU'LL HAVE ACCESS TO. AND
[00:15:01]
THEN YOU'LL SEE THE MONTHLY BOARD UPDATE. THAT'S GOING TO BE THE FREQUENCY THAT YOU'LL GET THESE UPDATES, WHO THE OWNER IS, BECAUSE WE WANTED THERE TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THESE TASKS AS WELL. YOU CAN SEE IF YOU LOOK UP AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN, YOU SEE FILES AND MEDIA. SO IF THERE'S A FILE THAT'S IN THERE, YOU'LL SEE IT DISPLAYED THERE AS WELL. IN THAT CATEGORY, YOU'LL SEE THE OWNER, AS I MENTIONED, YOU'LL SEE THE PRIORITY, WHETHER IT'S A MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL, INACTIVE OR LOW. YOU'LL ALSO IDENTIFY THE PROGRESS. WHERE ARE WE ON THESE RETREAT TO ACTION ITEMS THAT YOU'VE ASKED FOR OR THAT YOU IDENTIFIED? WHAT IS THIS THEME BEHIND IT? IS IT ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS? AND THEN YOU'LL SEE SORT OF A SUMMARY. THAT'S AN AI SUMMARY THAT BASICALLY GRABS ALL THE NOTES THAT WE'RE MAKING REAL TIME FOR YOU. ANYTIME YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT. AND WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE ACTUAL INFORMATION LOOKS FOR, LOOKS AT. SO IF YOU'LL GO BACK TO THE DESCRIPTION. SO WE'LL GO BACK TO THAT PARTICULAR ONE WHERE IT SAYS ADOPT SCENARIO BASED PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR MAJOR PROJECT EVALUATION. SO WE'LL CLICK ON THAT. AND THEN YOU'LL EXPAND THAT A LITTLE BIT PLEASE. THERE YOU GO. SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS BASICALLY ALL THE INFORMATION THAT'S WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR ACTION ITEM. AND YOU'LL SEE WHEN IT WAS CREATED, THE DUE DATE, WHEN IT WAS LAST EDITED. SO YOU CAN KIND OF LOOK AND SEE, HAS THERE BEEN ANY ACTIVITY. RIGHT? SO ANYTIME WE EDIT SOMETHING OR WE ADD SOMETHING, THAT DATE WILL CHANGE WHAT THE LAST UPDATE WAS. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO SEE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU HAD WAS YOU WANTED A FRAMEWORK FOR SCENARIO BASED PLANNING THAT WAS USED BY SOME OF OUR PEERS WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE DFW MARKET. AND TWO OF THE PEER CITIES YOU IDENTIFIED WERE FRISCO AND MCKINNEY, AND WHAT WAS THEIR PRACTICE? SO WE LOOKED AT THOSE AND WHAT THEY DID, AND WE KIND OF SAID, LET'S ADOPT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITHIN OUR SCENARIO BASED PLANNING. THIS ISN'T A FINISHED PRODUCT. THIS IS VERY MUCH IN DRAFT FORM. REMEMBER, WE'VE JUST BEEN HERE A FEW DAYS, BUT WE'LL BE WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR YOUR INPUT ON SOME OF THIS. SO IF YOU GO DOWN, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT SCENARIO BASED PLANNING WOULD BE. SO IF YOU GO UP TO THE. SO YOU'LL SEE FIRST OFF IS GOING TO BE WHAT IS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN? AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT WITH TIP STRATEGIES THAT'S GOING TO BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR POLICY.THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CITY MANAGER MATT GODFREY HAS ASKED US TO TAKE A LOOK AT WITH HIM TO IDENTIFY. BUT THEN WE ALSO WORK WITH THE BOARD AND OF COURSE, THE COUNCIL. AND THEN WHAT ARE OUR TARGETED INDUSTRIES AS AN EXAMPLE, IS IT MEETING THOSE? IS DOES IT HAVE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ALIGNMENT? ORGANIZATIONAL ENGAGEMENT IS SOMETHING THAT THE BOARD CAME UP WITH AND THE COUNCIL AND THEN OF COURSE, THE IMPACT STUDY, ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY.
WE LOOK AT THE PARAMETERS. IS IT AN ROI ON IT? THE JOB CREATED THE AD VALOREM TAX, SALES TAX WAGES, THE BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX. WE LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY SOCIAL IMPACT ENVIRONMENT. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW IT GOES. AND WE WENT AHEAD AND PUT KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE DURING ONE OF THESE SCENARIO BASED PLANNING. IF YOU GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT, YOU CAN SEE A REPORT THAT WE JUST KIND OF GENERATED THAT WILL HAVE AN IDEA OF THE RECOMMENDATION, WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE, ALMOST LIKE AN INTERNAL STAFF REPORT, BUT THIS WOULD COME INTERNALLY, LIKE, WHAT ARE WE EVALUATING AND WHAT ARE THOSE SCORES? NOW AGAIN, THIS IS A JOINT EFFORT THAT WILL BE WE'LL BE ASKING FOR YOUR INPUT. WHAT DO WE WANT TO ADD IN THERE? WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY? DOES IT ALIGN WITH POLICY AND THE CITY MANAGER'S, YOU KNOW, GOALS AND, AND KPIS. AND SO THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU AN EXAMPLE. AND THEN IF YOU LOOK DOWN BELOW, YOU CAN SEE I JUST HAD A LITTLE NOTE TO JOSH, JOSH, CAN YOU SEE THIS? SO WE'LL BE COMMUNICATING BACK AND FORTH. MELBA, IF YOU PLEASE, GO BACK TO THE, TO THE HOME SCREEN. SO TO THE MAIN HOME SCREEN. NO, SORRY. THE, THE THERE YOU GO.
THE RETREAT TO ACTION. THERE YOU GO. SO IF YOU GO DOWN, I WANT TO SHOW YOU ANOTHER ONE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SEE ON HERE IS YOU SEE A LITTLE PIE CHART TO THE LEFT. THERE'S ONE RIGHT THERE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS ASKED BY THE COUNCIL AND THE BOARD WAS DRAFT A GOVERNANCE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES CHARTER WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY, WITH OUR ATTORNEY WITH WITH CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADGE AND I TALKED ABOUT WAS KIND OF TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. SO IF YOU CLICK ON THAT SAME THING, YOU CAN GO IN THERE AND YOU CAN EXPAND THAT AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. NOW YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THIS REAL TIME FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE ACTION ITEMS. IF YOU GO DOWN, DOWN TO THE BOTTOM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE PUT TOGETHER AS KIND OF A, I DON'T WANT TO SAY A TEMPLATE, BUT JUST AN IDEATION OF WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, HOW WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, WHAT THE ROLES ARE, WHAT THE CORE PRINCIPLES ARE. AND YOU WANTED THIS TO LAST. SO YOU'LL PROBABLY START SEEING SOME TIPS, STRATEGY INFORMATION IN THERE. AND THEN THIS WILL LIVE ON FOR CONTINUITY PURPOSES AND GOVERNANCE PURPOSES, SO THAT BOARD MEMBERS, CITY COUNCIL WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THIS AND UNDERSTAND, OKAY, WHAT IS MY ROLE? WHAT IS IT WE DO? THIS IS DRAFT FORMAT. THIS IS NOT OBVIOUSLY A FINAL COMPLETION. AND YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THIS INFORMATION ON THE 30, 60, 90 DAY AND EVEN THE 12 MONTH PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. SO IF YOU'LL GO OUT, PLEASE. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU START LOOKING ON THESE 20 ACTION ITEMS, RETREAT TO ACTION
[00:20:05]
ITEMS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ASKED FOR WAS MORE ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATION WITH CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND THE BOARD, AS WELL AS OUR OFFICE AND STAFF. SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME OF THAT IN A MINUTE. I'M GOING TO ASK JOSH TO TO ALSO PRESENT SOME STUFF, AND HE'S GOING TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THIS INFORMATION AND HOW IT WORKS AND HOW WE COLLABORATE, NOT JUST WITH CITY MANAGER, BUT OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY. SO, JOSH, IF YOU DON'T MIND TAKING THE MIC AND EXPLAINING SOME OF THIS, MR. CHAIRMAN, BEFORE I PROCEED WITH WITH THE TOPIC AT HAND, I DID WANT TO NOTE THAT OUR CITY MANAGER, MR. MAGID, WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUGGESTION TO MOVE EXECUTIVE SESSION AFTER WE TOUCH ON THIS SUBJECT TO BE CONSIDERED JUST FOR TIMING PURPOSES. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. DULY NOTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. SO AS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GUS GARCIA, WAS MENTIONING, WHAT WE WENT AHEAD AND DEVELOPED IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME IS REALLY BUILDING UPON THE FOUNDATION THAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS HAD HAD INVESTED TIME AND EFFORT ON PRIOR TO OUR ARRIVAL. SO SOLELY, GARCIA WAS TASKED AT THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP THIS PLATFORM AND BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE EXACTLY HOW THE THE DDC OPERATED. AND SO WHAT YOU WOULD SEE SOON TO COME, AS WELL AS A DASHBOARD THAT WILL ESSENTIALLY PROVIDE A CLEAR VIEW TO OUR BOARD MEMBERS, AS WELL AS CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OF EXACTLY EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING AT HAND. SO SINCE GUS'S ARRIVAL, WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY COLLECTED EVERY SINGLE CONTEXT FROM THE NOTES THAT HE HE GOES AHEAD AND KEEPS, AS WELL AS THE NOTES THAT I WENT AHEAD AND PRODUCED AS WELL AS MELBA AND THIS SOFTWARE THAT WE USE NOW ESSENTIALLY COMPILES EVERYTHING, ORGANIZES EVERYTHING, AND PRODUCES THESE REALLY GREAT VISUAL REPORTS TO GIVE YOU GUYS A VERY TRANSPARENT VIEW OF EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE HAVE SOME ACTIVE DDC PROJECTS THAT WE'VE CATEGORIZED AS OUR INDUSTRY EXPERTS WOULD, AS PROSPECTS LEAD ACTIVE PROJECTS AND ACTIVE PROJECTS COMPLETED. AND BASED OFF EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE COLLECTING, WITH EVERY SINGLE MEETING THAT WE HIT, WE'RE ABLE TO DERIVE THESE KPIS THAT WERE REFERENCED IN OUR LAST BOARD RETREAT. SO THESE ARE REAL NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COLLECT FROM THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. SO THIS WILL TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT IS IN OUR PIPELINE IN TERMS OF CAPITAL EXPENDITURE. SORRY, CAPITAL EXPENSES, IN TERMS OF THE INVESTMENT THAT THESE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO CREATE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHAT ARE THE JOBS THAT ARE GOING TO BE CREATED, RETAINED, HOW MANY ACTIVE PROJECTS WE HAVE IN OUR PIPELINE, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITS THAT WE'VE DONE FOR OUR BRE, OUR BUSINESS RETENTION, EXPANSION EFFORTS, HOW MANY ENTREPRENEURS WE'RE SUPPORTING THROUGH OUR ENTREPRENEURSHIP LED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO BE A VERY INTERESTING SUBJECT FOR US TO TOUCH, BUT WE WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND CREATE THAT KPI, AND THEN YOU'LL SEE A VERY DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF EXACTLY WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES AND MEETINGS WE'RE CONDUCTING AS A TEAM. SO THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS. IT'S ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF TRANSPARENCY AND IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE WE ARE BEING EFFECTIVE WITH THE TIME THAT WE HAVE AT HAND. SO WHEN WHEN YOU AS A USER ARE VISITING THIS WEBSITE, YOU CAN ESSENTIALLY CLICK ON ONE OF THESE PROJECT PANELS. AND AS SOON AS YOU CLICK ON IT, YOU WILL SEE AN EXPANDED VIEW WITH DETAILS PERTAINING TO THAT PROJECT. SO YOU WILL SEE THE INVESTMENT AMOUNT. YOU'LL SEE A QUICK SUMMARY. IF THIS IS A FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT PROJECT, WHICH PROJECT PGA RELATED TO THORNTREE IS EXACTLY THAT A FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT PROJECT. YOU WILL KNOW WHAT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN IT COMES FROM, AND YOU WILL SEE EXACTLY THE NOTES THAT ARE BEING TAKEN FROM ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE PROJECT, EVERY INTERACTION THAT WE'RE HAVING. SO YOU'LL SEE HOW PROJECTS PROGRESS IN THE PIPELINE AND WITH TIME WITH MORE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE ENTERING INTO THIS, YOU WILL SEE EVEN MORE DETAILED REPORTS COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE AS WELL. SO AGAIN, IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND INCORPORATING THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE IN OUR PRACTICE, WE FEEL THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY FOR EVERYBODY TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE FOR NO QUESTIONS, TO NOT BE ANSWERED, AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE THE MOST COLLABORATIVE APPROACH WHEN ENGAGING OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE ALSO INVESTED AND INTERESTED IN LEARNING WHAT THE DDC DOES FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE REGION. AND GUS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THIS. YEAH. GO TO THE BOTTOM. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NOTES. JOSH. SO WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT THE VERY BOTTOM. YEAH, ONE OF THE THINGS AT THE VERY BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE THERE THAT YOU HAVE THE CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN PINGED ON THIS AS WELL AS OUR, OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR. AND SO ONE OF THE,[00:25:02]
ONE OF THE PAIN POINTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND DDC WAS YOU WANTED US TO START WORKING TOGETHER. AND SO THE CITY MANAGER HAS ASKED JOSH AND SOLELY TO START ENGAGING WITH THE REST OF THE DIRECTORS SO THAT WE CAN ALL KIND OF WORK TOGETHER AND IDENTIFY WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON SO THAT WE'RE NOT MISSING ANYTHING. SO AS WE PUT NOTES AND AS WE NEED SOMETHING DONE, OR WE CAN ALSO TRACK IT AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE BRINGING YOU TO LET YOU KNOW THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENED. AND THEN THEY'LL GET AN EMAIL AND THEY'LL GET NOTIFIED, AND THEN THEY'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS. CITY MANAGER GODFREY HAS ASKED JOSH, AND AGAIN, SOLELY TO START LOOKING AT DOING, SETTING UP SOME TRAINING FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE INTERFACE AS WELL. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PAIN POINTS THAT CAME OUT OF THE RETREAT. SO IF YOU GO BACK TO THE TRACKER, YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING THAT PROGRESS TAKE PLACE AS WELL, SO THAT WE'RE ALL COMMUNICATING AND WORKING WITH THE CITY AS AN ORGANIZATION. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. ANY OBSERVATIONS QUESTIONS? THANK[D.5. Confirm date and framework for the June joint Council-DDC budget session]
YOU VERY MUCH. DIRECTOR AKILAH WALLACE, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. I'VE BEEN ASKING ABOUT DASHBOARDS AND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE WAY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TRACK AND REPORT OUT ON THE AMAZING WORK THAT IS HAPPENING HERE WITHIN THE DDC. AS FOR OUR INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE, BUT ALSO IN THE WAY OF WHICH LIKE HOW IT SUPPORTS ANY RELEVANT PUBLIC FACING INFORMATION. SO BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN, TECHNOLOGY IS KEY FOR THOSE PURPOSES AS WELL AS ACCOUNTABILITY. AND ULTIMATELY IT ALLOWS US TO BE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE STRONG ADVOCATES FOR WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT WE CAN SPEAK ABOUT PUBLICLY. SO THE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE WE ARE AND INFORMED AND EXCITED AND ENERGIZED ABOUT WHAT'S MOVING, THE BETTER THAT WE CAN BE STRONG ADVOCATES PUBLICLY IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO INCREASING OUR ABILITY TO BE TO MAKE SOUND DECISIONS THAT WHEN MATERIALS DO COME TO US, IT DOESN'T FEEL AS THOUGH LIKE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE CONTEXT BEHIND IT. SO BEING ABLE TO ACCESS IT ON OUR OWN AND OUTSIDE OF, YOU KNOW, THE MEETINGS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT'S LEGAL AND ETCETERA, ETCETERA, THIS IS VERY HELPFUL.SO THANK YOU. YEAH. NO, ABSOLUTELY. AND I THINK ONE THING, ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO MENTION ON HERE THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IF YOU'LL, YOU SEE THE PROJECTS, BUT YOU CAN MOVE THEM. IT'S A KANBAN BOARD AND YOU CAN MOVE THEM FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT, JUST LIKE FROM AN ACTIVE PROJECT TO AN INACTIVE PROJECT. SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO SEE. WHERE IS THIS PROJECT IN THE PIPELINE? ARE WE WORKING ON IT? AND THE OTHER IS THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IS A PROJECT MAP. SO YOU'RE ABLE TO SEE WHERE ARE THE PROJECTS HAPPENING. SO NOW WE HAVE KIND OF A A HEAT MAP. SO YOU CAN CLICK ON ONE OF THOSE ITEMS. AND THEN IT TAKES YOU DIRECTLY TO WHAT THE PROJECT IS. AND THEN YOU CAN LOOK AT IT. SO THAT'S ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, FEATURE THAT WE'VE ADDED. AND THIS ISN'T, IT DOESN'T COME WITH THIS. THIS IS ALL, YOU KNOW, CURATED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE BOARD. AND WHEN I SAY THAT IT'S A COLLABORATIVE DESIGN, WE REALLY WANT YOUR INPUT AND LET US KNOW WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU SO THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT IT INTO THIS, INTO THIS DASHBOARD FOR YOU. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE LOOK FORWARD TO ENGAGING WITH YOU, AS WELL AS THE CITY MANAGER AND THE REST OF THE REST OF THE COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU, JOSH, I APPRECIATE THAT. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. WELL, THE THING I LIKE ABOUT THIS IS IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THE SAME THINGS. WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT.
IT'S VERY CLEAR WE'RE ALL ABLE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. WE ALL GET TO SAY THE SAME THING. AND THAT LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'S DISINGENUOUS BECAUSE WE ALL ARE.
WE DON'T HAVE TO INTERPRET IT. IT'S INTERPRETED FOR US AND WE'RE ABLE TO TO SPEAK TO OUR COMMUNITY, TELLING THEM THE LANGUAGE, GIVING THEM WHAT'S GOING ON, THOSE THINGS THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IN AN ACTIVE MODE OR WHATEVER THEY ARE. BUT IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO BE VERY CONSISTENT. SO THANK YOU. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE THIS. EXCELLENT.
ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S IT. I'D LIKE TO JUST COMMENT ON, IF I MAY, REAL QUICK. FIRST AND FOREMOST, TO DIRECTOR WALLACE'S POINT. GO AHEAD TO DIRECTOR WALLACE'S POINT. SHE DID BRING UP A WHILE AGO ABOUT A WORKING DASHBOARD. AND WHILE WE'VE HAD A WORKING DASHBOARD, WE HAVE A TRUE WORKING DASHBOARD ACCOUNT. WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE TO WORK TO BUILD ON. IT IS A GREAT BUSINESS TOOL. SO LET ME COMMEND YOU GUYS OUT THE GATE.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE SCENARIO BASED PLANNING AND METRICS BASED PLANNING, THIS ACTUALLY LAYS THE FRAMEWORK TO BE ABLE TO INTELLIGENTLY APPROACH THAT AND TO MAKE DECISIONS TO SAY, WE DON'T NEED TO GO A CERTAIN DIRECTION. AND ONE OF THE
[00:30:03]
THINGS THAT I DID COME UP WITH WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE MAP, MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT THIS, JUST AN INPUT WHERE, WHERE THE ICONS ARE ON THE MAP. MAYBE WE CAN LOOK AT DEMOGRAPHICS FOR THAT IMMEDIATE AREA. IN OUR PLANNING EFFORT TO START THINKING ABOUT THAT, JUST AS AN ADDITIVE. BUT THIS IS COMPREHENSIVE AND IT DOES CREATE THE ALIGNMENT THAT WE NEED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ASSESSING WHAT WE DID IN THE RETREAT TO BRING THIS FORWARD, BECAUSE THAT'S THE CONTINUITY OF DEVELOPMENT. SO SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANYTHING ELSE REGARDING THIS SUBJECT MATTER? OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. WE'RE GOING TO DEVIATE[E. Executive Session]
JUST A LITTLE BIT AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT THE ACTION PLAN. HOWEVER, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION SESSION RIGHT NOW. SO WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS IT'S 6:32 P.M. AND WHAT WE LIKE TO DO IS CLOSE OUR PUBLIC SESSION AND GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE CONVENING INTO IT PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION FIVE, 51.087, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DELIBERATION. WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT REGARDING COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION THAT THE BOARD HAS RECEIVED FROM A BUSINESS PROSPECT THAT THE BOARD SEEKS TO HAVE TO HAVE, LOCATE, STAY OR EXPAND IN OR NEAR THE TERRITORY OF THE BOARD WITH WHICH THE BOARD IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS AND OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE TO THAT BUSINESS PROJECT. TO WIT, DISCUSSIONS OF THE POTENTIAL INCENTIVES. PROJECT PGA DISCUSSIONS OF POTENTIAL INCENTIVES PROJECT SO, SO HARD, AND WE'LL TAKE ANY NECESSARY ACTION AND OR RESULTS OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, AND THEN WE WILL RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION. SO AT THIS TIME AT 63433, WE W OKAY. THE TIME PRESENT IS 6:52 P.M. AND WE'RE NOW GOING TO RECONVENE. WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE OUT EXECUTIVE SESSION AND RECONVENE WITH OUR INTO REGULAR SESSION. AT, AGAIN, 6:52 P.M.AT THIS TIME, THERE'S NO ACTION TO BE TAKEN AS A RESULT OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO WE'LL PROCEED FORWARD. AND SINCE WE DEVIATED FROM OUR AGENDA AND WENT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE WITH THE DISCUSSING THE THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE 6 TO
[D.4. Discuss the development plan of the 6-12 month Economic Development Action Plan (full plan target: June or July)]
12 MONTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTION PLAN. WE HAVE AGAIN, FOLLOWING UP AND FOLLOWING THROUGH FROM OUR INITIAL RETREAT WITH TIP STRATEGIES, WE DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE OUR FOLLOW UP RETREAT MEETING. WE. AS AN END RESULT OF ONBOARDING WITH OUR NEW DIRECTOR AND AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, ECONOMIC MANAGER, IF YOU WILL. WE'RE GOING TO PUSH BACK TO A MEETING ON JULY THE 10TH. THAT'S OUR SCHEDULED FOLLOW UP MEETING NOW.SO AS AN END RESULT, WE JUST KIND OF THOUGHT WE'D JUST TABLE FOR RIGHT NOW THE 6 TO 12 MONTH ACTION PLAN. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT AS WE ALIGN FOR SUCCESS WITH SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WILL BE ADDRESSING DURING THAT PROCESS. AND GUS AND JOSH KIND OF TOUCHED ON IT. GOVERNANCE COMMITMENTS, DATA AND TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT PRIORITIES. WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THOSE AREAS AND THEN ACTION STEPS FROM AN INVESTMENT PROPERTY STANDPOINT, JUST TO TARGET HIGH LEVEL AND NOT GETTING INTO THE WEEDS. BUT WE LOOKED AT AND WE WILL BE LOOKING AT PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE ARC, WORKING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE CITY AND COUNCIL. WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THE I-35 CORRIDOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS AND HOW WE INITIATE A SMALL AREA PLAN THERE AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, AND OUR HAMPTON ROAD REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND LIFE SCIENCES INNOVATION HUB.
SO YOU'LL HAVE MORE. WE'LL HAVE MORE FORTHCOMING WITH THAT. BUT CERTAINLY, AS WE EMBARK UPON OUR JULY 10TH FOLLOW UP RETREAT, WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME EXCITING TIMES FOCUSING ON
[00:35:07]
THAT INITIATIVE. SO THAT SAID, ANY QUESTIONS TO THAT? OKAY. SO NOW WE'RE LOOKING TO CONFIRM THE DATE AND FRAMEWORK FOR THE JUNE JOINT COUNCIL DDC BUDGET SESSION. I THINK I'M GOING TO SAY, WITHOUT HAVING OUR LIAISON IN PLACE NOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO TABLE THAT FOR NOW. WE WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING OUR LIAISON IDENTIFIED FROM THE COUNCIL. SO WE'LL JUST TABLE THAT AND PICK THAT UP AT A LATER DATE. MARCHING FORWARD. WE'VE ALREADY ADDRESSED THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, AND AS AN END RESULT OF NEXT HAVING LIAISON PROVIDE UPDATES AND[F. Board and Liaison Announcements/Updates]
THAT NOT BEING AVAILABLE TO US AT THIS TIME. I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP FOR ANY BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING LOCAL CIVIC OR CHARITABLE EVENTS OR FUNDRAISER AWARDS, OR EXPRESSIONS OF THANKS AND CONGRATULATIONS OR CONDOLENCES. I WILL START BY SAYING I CANNOT SAY HOW EXCITED AND PLEASED NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT I KNOW THE BOARD'S SENTIMENTS AS WELL. WE ARE TO HAVE MELBA BACK IN THE HOUSE WITH US AND. AND WHAT YOU DID WHEN YOU LEFT YOUR HAND OFF TO SOLI WAS SO PHENOMENAL, AND YOU AND SOLI COLLABORATING TO KEEP US AFLOAT. WE JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND THANK SOLI. I KNOW SHE'S NOT HERE AND WE JUST. WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL MORE THAN YOU KNOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S IT. EXCUSE ME. ANYONE ELSE HERE? THANK YOU. DIRECTOR, I JUST WANT TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE MR. JAMES PRUITT, WHO I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF PARTNERING WITH THE CHICK FIL A, THAT HE OWNS THE CHICK FIL A AND HOSTING A LEADER ACADEMY AT DESOTO HIGH SCHOOL. IT'S BEEN A ABOUT A SEVEN, EIGHT MONTH PROGRAM WHERE WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A GROUP OF ABOUT 20 SOMETHING HIGH SCHOOLERS, ALL GRADES AT DESOTO, WHICH IS UNDER THE CHICK FIL A BRAND. THEY SPONSORED IT, AND THE STUDENTS HAVE MET MONTHLY AND PARTICIPATING IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, BUT PROGRAMING AND CURRICULUM. BUT AS WELL AS THEY'RE THEY'VE COME TOGETHER AND THEY'VE MADE A DECISION AROUND AN IMPACT PROJECT, WHICH THEY'LL BE CARRYING OUT NEXT WEEK. THE STUDENTS HAD AN IDEA TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW THEY ARE SHOWING UP AND BEING ADVOCATES FOR ENSURING THAT WE'RE RETAINING STUDENTS FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THEM BEING EXCITED AND ENERGIZED ABOUT COMING OVER TO DESOTO HIGH SCHOOL. SO NEXT WEEK, THE STUDENTS WILL BE HOSTING A WONDERFUL EVENT AT THREE OF THE ALL THREE MIDDLE SCHOOLS. AND WHICH THEY'LL JUST BE REALLY, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING ABOUT ALL THE THE BENEFITS TO ENSURING THAT THEY ARE ENROLLED AND THAT THEY'RE COMING OVER TO DESOTO HIGH SCHOOL. AND SO I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK CHICK, CHICK FIL A AND DESOTO, WHICH WERE, YOU KNOW, JUST GRATEFUL AS A BUSINESS AS A WHOLE AND HOW YOU SERVE THE CITY OF DESOTO. BUT ULTIMATELY, LIKE YOU CAME, YOU'RE CONTRIBUTING ECONOMICALLY, BUT ALSO THE WAY THAT YOU WERE INTENTIONAL ABOUT PARTNERING WITH OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, OUR FUTURE FOR THE CITY OF DESOTO. AND SO I WANTED TO JUST SAY THANK YOU. AS THE SCHOOL YEAR PREPARES TO WRAP UP AND WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE AND GRADUATE FROM THE PROGRAM AND JUST JUST RECOGNIZE YOU. SO THANK YOU. I'M SURE THE STUDENTS, THEY HAVE APPRECIATED. I MEAN, OF COURSE, THE, THE, THE LUNCH THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED BY CHICK FIL A, BUT ULTIMATELY, THE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH THE CURRICULUM THAT HAS BEEN FACILITATED BY A HOST OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, DESOTO ISD TRUSTEES, BOARD TRUSTEES HAVE PARTICIPATED. AND LEADING THOSE SESSIONS AS WELL AS MYSELF. AND SO JUST THANK YOU. AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, HOPE THAT THIS IS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE FOR OTHER BUSINESSES HERE IN THE CITY IN THE WAYS THAT THEY LOOK AT HOW THEY CAN BE COLLABORATING AND SHOWING UP WITH THEIR, THEIR TALENT, THEIR RESOURCES, AND BEYOND JUST THEIR PRESENCE AND MAKING SURE THAT THE FUTURE OF THE CITY IS BRIGHT. SO THANK YOU. DIRECTOR.WE'RE JUST BLESSED TO BE PART OF THIS GREAT CITY AND DO OUR PART TO, TO GIVE BACK. BUT
[00:40:04]
SHALONDA DID ALL THE ALL THE REAL WORK ON THAT. SO APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR SPEARHEADING THAT AND LOOK FORWARD TO DOING IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR, MAKING IT BIGGER AND BETTER. SO. TRULY, IT TAKES A VILLAGE, RIGHT? IT DOES. THERE YOU GO. ANY OTHER SENTIMENTS? I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW IMPRESSED I AM WITH THE ARC. I'VE BEEN REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE ARC TAKING OUT A MEMBERSHIP, MY FAMILY AND I, AND IT'S PHENOMENAL TO HAVE SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE FACILITY IN THE CITY OF DESOTO. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A VERY GOOD JOB OF NOT JUST MARKETING IT TO THE CITY OF DESOTO CITIZENS, BUT I THINK THAT WE SHOULD PUSH IT OUT A LITTLE FARTHER AND LET SOME OF THESE OTHER MARKETS KNOW ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON AT THE ARC. MY EXACT SENTIMENTS I VISITED AND A FEW DAYS AGO SINCE THE OPENING, AND I GOT A CALL YESTERDAY TELLING ME TO COME PICK UP MY CAR, SO I'M READY NOW, DEPENDING ON WHAT TIME YOU GO THERE, IF YOU GO EARLY IN THE MORNING LIKE YOU GO, I WON'T SEE YOU THERE, BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT IS AN EXTREMELY NICE FACILITY AND I ALMOST I HAVE TO TELL YOU, ONE THING WE DO NEED TO DO IS GET A SIGN OUT ON PARKERVILLE ROAD SO THAT PEOPLE WILL KIND OF KNOW WHEN TO TURN IN. SO. BUT GREAT, I COSIGN THAT I'M A LITTLE CAUTIOUS ABOUT GETTING THE WORD OUT TOO MUCH. I DON'T WANT THE GYM TO GET TOO CROWDED BECAUSE I'M UP THERE ALMOST EVERY MORNING TO MYSELF. SO IT'S A DOG, BUT IT IS AN AMAZING FACILITY. WELL, I WAS TOLD THAT THE BEST TIME TO GO IS AROUND 11:00. OKAY, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD. SO YOU RETIREES, THAT'S MY WORK. OKAY. THAT'S IT. NO ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ANYTHING. THEREFORE, THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT MEETING. AGAIN, WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS TOTAL SENTIMENTS AROUND HAVING OUR NEW LEADERSHIP IN PLACE. AND WE'RE EXCITED AND WE'RE NOTHING BUT PARTNERS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO AS A BOARD, AS A CITY. AND EVERYONE WANTS TO RALLY AROUND THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING AT DESOTO AND IN DESOTO. AND SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING. IT IS PRESENTLY 7:02 P.M. AND THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. THIS MEETING IS THEREFORE* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.