[A. CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
MEETING. OKAY, LET'S TRY THAT AGAIN. SO DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS REGULAR MONTHLY BOARD MEETING. IT'S CALLED TO ORDER. TODAY, OCTOBER THE 22ND, 2026 AT 6:00 PM THURSDAY EVENING. AND WANT TO WELCOME EVERYONE THIS EVENING. HAPPY TO HAVE EVERYONE OUT AT THIS TIME.
WE'LL ASK FOR AN INVOCATION. MR. JONES, PLEASE, SIR. ABSOLUTELY. PLEASE BOW. WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TONIGHT. WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US THE GUIDANCE, THE DIRECTION, THE INSIGHT TO REPRESENT OUR CITY. GIVE US STRENGTH, GIVE US PEACE, AND COLLECTIVELY GIVE US WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE US TO DO. IN YOUR SON JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR JONES. WE APPRECIATE THAT. BEFORE WE GO FORWARD TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IS NOT WITH US THIS EVENING. WE DO HAVE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, MR. JOSH MEJIA, THAT'S GOING TO SPEARHEAD OUR EFFORTS THIS EVENING. WE'RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE JOSH, AND HE'S GOING TO TAKE US
[C. CONSENT AGENDA]
FORWARD. BUT AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT THE CONSENT AGENDA. AND HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA. AND I'M GOING TO ASK FOR ACTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING ON AUGUST 20TH, 2026 AND THE SPECIAL CALL BOARD MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2026, AND TO CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2026. CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE? I'M SORRY TO APPROVE. WHAT? THE CONSENT AGENDA. OKAY, OKAY. FOR THE MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING ON AUGUST THE 20TH, AS WELL AS THE SPECIAL MEETING THAT WE HAD ON SEPTEMBER THE 2ND, AND TO CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. OKAY, GREAT. COULD THAT BE SEPARATE? WE COULD ANSWER THE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.OKAY. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS THAT WERE IN THE PACKET. ALL OF THEM. HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING? I JUST REALIZED THE DDC OWNS PROPERTY, CORRECT? YES. WHERE IS THAT ON THE BALANCE SHEET? SO THE BALANCE SHEET DOES NOT HAVE LONG TERM ASSETS. WE HAVE BASICALLY OUR ASSETS THAT ARE CURRENT ASSETS FOR OUR ASSETS AND LIABILITIES ON THIS BALANCE SHEET. HOWEVER IN OUR YEAR END FINANCIALS WE DO PRESENT LONG TERM ASSETS MORE LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN A BUSINESS. BUT WE PRESENT THAT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS IN OUR ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT THAT'S ONLINE. OKAY. AND WHEN WILL THAT BE AVAILABLE TO. SO THE ONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 IS CURRENTLY ONLINE, AND THE ONE FOR 2026 WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER OUR AUDIT FINISHES. THAT'S USUALLY AROUND MARCH. OKAY. BUT WE DO HAVE THE PREVIOUS ONE AVAILABLE AND IT DOES SHOW OUR ASSETS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CHURCH THAT IS PRESENT ON OUR ASSETS ONLINE. OKAY. I DON'T FOLLOW THAT BECAUSE I'M THINKING IF JUST BY ACCOUNTING CASH AND THEN AND SOME SOMETHING GOES ELSEWHERE. SO IF I'M LOOKING AT THE ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCE, I GUESS I'M WONDERING, IS THIS A PARTIAL PICTURE OF OUR, OUR, OUR FINANCIAL. FINANCIAL PICTURE AS OF A CERTAIN DATE? SO AND I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO EXPLAIN THIS AND TELL ME IF I'M ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY. OKAY, SO WE HAVE TWO SETS OF FINANCIALS THAT WE PRESENT. ONE FOR THE GOVERNMENT FINANCIALS WHERE WE USE CURRENT RESOURCES TO PAY CURRENT EXPENSES. AND THAT'S WHERE WE PRESENT ON A YEAR BASIS. WE ALSO HAVE A SEPARATE FINANCES FOR OUR ENTERPRISE FUND FINANCIALS, WHICH IS LIKE YOUR WATER SEWER. THOSE THAT OPERATE MORE LIKE A TRADITIONAL BUSINESS. HOWEVER, AT YEAR END, WE TAKE OUR GOVERNMENT FINANCIALS AND WE CONVERT THOSE TO WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF YOU WERE A BUSINESS WHERE YOU WOULD HAVE THOSE LONG TERM ASSETS WHERE YOU'RE NOT JUST
[00:05:03]
FOCUSED ON YOUR CURRENT RESOURCES OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR ASSETS AND YOUR INVESTMENTS. SO THAT'S WHERE WE PRESENT IT FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR FINANCIAL REPORT AS IF IT WERE A BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR ASSETS? THOSE TYPE OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE. THAT'S WHY WE DO A CONVERSION ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE. HOWEVER, IF I WERE SPEAKING TO, LET'S SAY, A BOARD FOR WATER AND SEWER REVENUE, YOU WOULD SEE THOSE CAPITAL ASSETS. BUT FOR US, YOU KNOW, WE JUST FOCUS ON CURRENT RESOURCES FOR GOVERNMENTAL PURPOSES. THAT'S HOW OUR, YOU KNOW, REPORTING WORKS UNTIL YEAR END. AND WE MAKE THAT CONVERSION TO SAY, HEY, IF WE WERE A BUSINESS, HERE ARE OUR LONG TERM ASSETS BEYOND ONE YEAR OF LIFE. AND SO IF FOR SOME REASON WE NEEDED TO MAKE A DECISION AROUND SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THE BALANCE SHEET, LIKE CASH USED FOR LONG TERM ASSETS, OR LIKE, WOULD WE HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION? NOT AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, BUT AT ANY MOMENT. YEAH. AND I WOULD SAY RIGHT NOW, SO WE'RE STILL MAKING PURCHASES AND WE HAVE EXPENDITURES FOR OUR FISCAL YEAR 2026. BECAUSE ALTHOUGH OUR FISCAL YEAR ENDS IN SEPTEMBER, WE'RE STILL PAYING, YOU KNOW, INVOICES THAT RELATE TO THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR. WE'LL DO THAT THROUGH MID NOVEMBER. AND SO AFTER THAT, WE'LL CAPTURE ALL THOSE CAPITAL EXPENSES THAT WE LIST AS CAPITAL ASSETS. NOW WE COULD HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE, BUT WE'D LIKE TO PRESENT THAT AFTER IT'S BEEN FULLY AUDITED BY OUR OUTSIDE AUDITORS. AND THAT'S USUALLY IT'S NOT COMPLETE UNTIL MARCH. OKAY. I'M GOING TO LET THAT GO FOR RIGHT NOW. BUT THAT'S TROUBLING FOR ME. WHAT'S WHAT'S REALLY TROUBLING ABOUT IT? AT ANY MOMENT IN TIME, WE MAY NEED TO DO SOMETHING. I'D LIKE TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION I NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE A DECISION THAT THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELEVANT, BUT IF IT IS RELEVANT, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION AND NOT HAVE TO SAY, WELL, WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL, YOU KNOW, THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT. AND WE CAN LOOK INTO, YOU KNOW, A WAY TO PRESENT THAT TO YOU, PERHAPS BRINGING THE FY 25 FINANCIALS THAT SHOWS THE ASSETS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE ON RECORD WHILE WE'RE FINALIZING OUR 2026 NUMBERS. SO YOU CAN KIND OF GET THAT PICTURE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN LAND? WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN BUILDINGS? THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE CAN PRODUCE FOR YOU.AND THEN OF COURSE, THE FOLLOWING YEAR WE WOULD JUST ADD ON ANY ADDITIONAL PURCHASES, YOU KNOW, WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS FOR DEPRECIATION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. BUT WE CAN BRING YOU THE 2025 REPORT TO SHOW YOU WHERE WE ARE SO FAR ON THOSE LONG TERM ASSETS. BOARD MEMBER PEARSON, IS YOUR QUESTION MORE GEARED TOWARDS ARE WE SET UP IN A WAY WHERE WE CAN, AT ANY POINT OVER FISCAL YEAR, TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT OUR CURRENT ASSETS LOOK LIKE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MAKE FINANCIAL DECISIONS ON CERTAIN ITEMS, NOT JUST AS A BALANCE SHEET. OKAY.
SO, MISS PENTON, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT THAT COULD BE MODIFIED TO ACCOMMODATE WHAT THE BOARD MEMBERS ASKING FOR? I THINK WE CAN LOOK AT MAYBE PROVIDING A SEPARATE REPORT. AND THIS IS CUSTOM, YOU KNOW, WITH ANY CITY, WE WOULD NOT HAVE THOSE LONG TERM ASSETS, YOU KNOW, PRESENTED ON THE BALANCE SHEET WHEN WE PRESENT OUR REVENUE AND EXPENSES. BUT SINCE WE DO DO A CONVERSION AT YEAR END, WE CAN LOOK AT PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL REPORT THAT WOULD HAVE THOSE ASSETS LISTED TO GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, MORE OF A COMFORT LEVEL WITH WHAT THE DDC OWNS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY REVIEW. CAN WE SET A DEADLINE FOR FOR THIS TASK? OR IS THIS MORE OF A REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WORK? IS IT SOMETHING WE CAN EXPECT BY THE NEXT BOARD MEETING OR. IF YOU WOULD JUST GIVE ME SOME TIME TO REVIEW IT, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO COMMIT TO SOMETHING THAT OUR DIRECTOR HAS NOT AGREED TO. SO PLEASE AT LEAST ALLOW ME TO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING JUST TO KIND OF RESEARCH AND SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OPTIONS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT MAY MEET YOUR NEED? SO I'D SAY AT LEAST TO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING TO KIND OF RESEARCH WHAT OPTIONS WE HAVE TO PROVIDE. THANK YOU TANYA. AND ONE LAST THING. AND THERE MAY ALSO BE EXPENSES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXPENSES ARE CAPTURED BECAUSE WE WORK ANYTHING THAT GOES OUT CASH, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT YEAR OR THAT NEEDS TO BE ACCRUED. THE EXPENSE IS ABSOLUTELY CAPTURED. IT'S JUST REFLECTING THE ASSET ON THE BALANCE SHEET THAT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE YEAR WHEN WE RUN THAT CONVERSION PROCESS. BUT YOU WILL SEE THAT ASSET, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PURCHASE OF THE
[00:10:02]
THE CHURCH THAT WAS IN FY 25, AND THAT'S IN FY 2025 EXPENSE. SO YOU WILL SEE ANY ASSET THAT THAT IS PURCHASED IN OUR FINANCIAL REPORTS THAT YOU REVIEW HERE MONTHLY. RIGHT.WELL, I'M SPEAKING OF LIKE, SO WE WE OWN THAT PROPERTY. THERE MAY BE EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH MAINTAINING THAT PROPERTY. IS THAT CAPTURED IN THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS? NO, MA'AM. I DO NOT BELIEVE I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY EXPENSES COME THROUGH DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE CHURCH. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS ARE AWARE OF ANY FORTHCOMING, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY EXPENSES RELATED TO THE CHURCH. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. GREAT OBSERVATIONS, IF YOU WILL. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER FEEDBACK IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THAT. SO THAT SAID, LET ME GO BACK TO THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH THAT IN MIND, AS WELL AS A PATHWAY TO RESOLUTION ON THAT CONCERN. CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA, SUBJECT TO THE DISCUSSIONS WE'VE HAD THUS FAR? MOVE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER MEETINGS? A SECOND, SECOND. MOTION AND SECOND. EXCUSE ME TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL IN FAVOR? I I. CONSENT AGENDA PASSES. MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS. FIRST WE'RE GOING TO
[D.1. Receive Finance Status Reports for July, August, and September 2026.]
RECEIVE SONYA BENTON. YOU CAN COME BACK. YOU'RE GOING TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL STATUS REPORTS FOR JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2026. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. I'LL BEGIN WITH OUR JULY 2026 FINANCIALS. WE HAVE BUDGETED REVENUE OF $3,006,250. OUR YEAR TO DATE REVENUE IS $2,658,475. THAT REPRESENTS 88.4% OF OUR REVENUE, COMPARED TO 75.4% THIS TIME LAST YEAR.OUR SALES TAX IS TRACKING VERY WELL AT 80.9%, COMPARED TO 70.6% THIS TIME LAST YEAR. OUR BUDGETED EXPENDITURES ARE $4,304,001, AND OUR YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES ARE $3,508,032. THIS REPRESENTS 81.5% OF OUR BUDGET, COMPARED TO 50.6% THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
SO I'LL MOVE ON TO OUR BALANCE SHEET. HERE YOU HAVE OUR BALANCE SHEET AS OF JULY 31ST, 2026. THIS BALANCE SHEET IS A DIFFERENT FORMAT THAN OUR PREVIOUS MONTHS. IT DOES HAVE THE SAME DATA AND THE SAME NUMBERS AS THE BALANCE SHEET THAT WE PRESENTED PREVIOUSLY.
HOWEVER, WE DID ADJUST THE FORMAT TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE READER FRIENDLY. SO HERE YOU HAVE OUR ASSETS, WHICH TOTALED 11.5 MILLION WITH 11.4 MILLION OF THAT CASH AND INVESTMENTS.
WE HAVE OUR LIABILITIES THAT TOTALED 1.2 MILLION, AND OUR FUND BALANCE AT 10.3 MILLION.
HERE, YOU'LL SEE IN OUR LIABILITIES, WE DO HAVE 1.1 MILLION DUE TO PRIMARY GOVERNMENT. THIS AMOUNT WAS PRESENT IN OUR PREVIOUS BALANCE SHEET. IT SAID DUE TO GENERAL FUND 101, WHICH WAS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING, BUT IN OUR OPERATING BANK ACCOUNT, WE PAY ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PAYROLL EXPENSES THROUGH OUR OPERATING ACCOUNT. AND THEN WE CREATE A DUE TO WHERE THE DDC REIMBURSES THE GENERAL FUND FOR THOSE EXPENSES. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE JULY FINANCIAL REPORT? SO A QUICK CLARIFICATION ON THAT. AT 1.1 MILLION. YOU SAID THAT'S A ACCOUNT TO PAY SALARIES. ARE YOU SAYING. YES. PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE TRANSACTIONS ON OUR BANK ACCOUNT. THEY FLOW THROUGH OUR OPERATING ACCOUNT.
BUT THEY ARE DDC EXPENSES. SO THERE'S DUE TO DUE FROM BASICALLY WHERE THE DDC OWES THE GENERAL FUND FOR THOSE EXPENSES RELATED TO ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PAYROLL FOR DDC. SO THAT NUMBER STAYS STATIC THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. OR IT IT DOES CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WE'LL HAVE A LARGE TRANSFER COMING UP AS WE CLOSE OUT THIS YEAR. SO YOU'LL SEE THE BALANCE DROP SIGNIFICANTLY AND BECOME LESS, YOU KNOW, OVER THAT MONTH AS WE DO MORE FREQUENT
[00:15:01]
TRANSFERS. GOTCHA. OKAY. I'LL MOVE ON TO OUR AUGUST 2026 FINANCIALS. AGAIN, OUR BUDGETED REVENUE IS 3 MILLION. OUR YEAR TO DATE REVENUE IS $3,007,073, WHICH REPRESENTS 100%. WE'VE MET OUR REVENUE EXPECTATIONS COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. THIS TIME, 84.9%. AGAIN, OUR BUDGETED EXPENDITURES ARE 4.3 MILLION. AND YEAR TO DATE, WE'VE EXPENDED $3,572,599. THAT REPRESENTS 83.83% OF OUR BUDGET, COMPARED TO 50.6 LAST YEAR. SO BEING AT 100%, IF I MAY ASK, WHAT'S DRIVING THAT? SO LARGELY, OUR SALES TAX HAS PERFORMED BETTER THAN LAST YEAR, YEAR TO DATE. AND I SAY YEAR TO DATE, I KNOW I'M LOOKING AT AUGUST, BUT WE RECEIVED $2,543,686 IN SALES TAX COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR. WE RECEIVED $2,222,520. ALSO, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR INTEREST, WE STILL HAD CDS THAT WERE MATURING ABOVE 4%. SO OUR INTEREST REVENUE IS PERFORMING BETTER THAN LAST YEAR AS WELL. SO JUST ONE LAST QUESTION FOR ME. SO YOU LOOK AT SALES TAX REVENUES, THE WHAT CATEGORIES DO WE KNOW? WHAT CATEGORIES ARE REALLY DRIVING THAT? I DO NOT IF YOU CARE TO COMMENT. JOSH. YES. ON YOUR. CHAIRMAN, WE WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A A PLATFORM THAT MONITORS BY TAXPAYER IN THE CITY. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION IN THE CLOSED SETTING. GOT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NEXT, WE HAVE OUR BALANCE SHEET AS OF AUGUST 31ST, 2026, OUR TOTAL ASSETS ARE 11.8 MILLION. TOTAL LIABILITIES 1.2 MILLION.AND OUR FUND BALANCE IS 10.5 MILLION. AND I'LL POINT OUT OF OUR ASSETS, CASH AND INVESTMENTS REPRESENT 11.7 MILLION OF THAT. THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. I'LL MOVE ON TO OUR SEPTEMBER 2026 FINANCIALS. OUR YEAR TO DATE REVENUE IS $3,356,000, AND OUR THAT REPRESENTS 111.6% OF OUR BUDGETED REVENUE, COMPARED TO 95.3% LAST YEAR. AGAIN, OUR SALES TAX AND INTEREST IS PERFORMING VERY WELL. THE SALES TAX HERE IS THROUGH JULY. WE KNOW THAT SALES TAX IS 60 DAYS IN ARREARS. SO WE STILL HAVE AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER SALES TAX TO RECEIVE. WE HAVE RECEIVED OUR AUGUST SALES TAX. SO I CAN GIVE YOU THAT NUMBER. THAT NUMBER IS 287,868. BUT IT'S NOT REFLECTED AS OF THE DATE OF THIS REPORT. OUR EXPENDITURES AGAIN THAT BUDGET IS 4.3 MILLION. AND OUR YEAR TO DATE EXPENDITURES ARE 3.6 MILLION, WHICH REPRESENT 84.5% OF OUR BUDGET, COMPARED TO 56.5% LAST YEAR. AND OF COURSE, WE KNOW OUR LARGE DRIVER OF THAT IS THE LOAN PRINCIPAL PAYMENT FOR THE CNBC CHURCH. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SEPTEMBER REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES? YOU SAID THE LAST YEAR'S NUMBER.
DID YOU SAY THE REASON THAT WAS SO HIGH LAST YEAR, THE SALES TAX. OH, YES. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT. SO LAST YEAR SALES TAX WE RERUN THE NUMBERS. AND THAT'S THE FULL YEAR TO DATE FOR SEPTEMBER. SINCE THAT YEAR HAS FULLY CLOSED OUT. YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT REVENUE IS FOR THE FULL YEAR THROUGH SEPTEMBER. WHEREAS ON OUR REPORT AT THIS TIME, SINCE WE'RE 60 DAYS IN ARREARS, THIS SALES TAX REPRESENTS REVENUE ONLY THROUGH JULY. AND SO WE STILL HAVE TO ADD AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, WHICH COME IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER. SO AFTER WE RECEIVE THE NOVEMBER SALES TAX, WHICH IS FOR SEPTEMBER, COLLECTIONS WILL HAVE A BETTER APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON BECAUSE THE 3 MILLION THAT YOU SEE FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR IS THE FULL 12 MONTHS OF SALES TAX. AND THAT JUST THAT ONE MONTH NUMBER, I'M ASSUMING THAT'S JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS COMBINED, THAT 790,000 OF SALES TAXES AS FOR PRIOR YEAR. YES, SIR. THERE'S LIKE A COUPLE OF MONTHS. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? YES.
[00:20:14]
SORRY. JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IN THE WAY OF WHICH IT WON'T BE UNTIL NOVEMBER THAT THE THE FULL FISCAL YEAR OF REVENUE WILL BE REFLECTED ON THE FINANCIALS. I GUESS I'M DO WE GET A SUMMARY OF LIKE, WHAT THE THE FINAL FISCAL YEAR NUMBERS ARE? BECAUSE I KNOW OFTENTIMES WE JUST KEEP GOING AND GOING AND GOING, BUT THEN ARE WE GOING TO GO BACK AND SAY, WHAT IS THE ABSOLUTE SEPTEMBER. YOU KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO THAT I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S BEEN THE CASE IN THE PAST, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT FOR YOU. OKAY. YEAH. BECAUSE YOU JUST MADE ME THINK OF THE FACT THAT LIKE, WE NEVER STILL KNOW WHAT THE FISCAL YEAR ENDS WITH UNTIL LIKE MUCH LATER. SO. GOTCHA. THANK YOU. LIKE A TRUE UP OR RECONCILIATION. OKAY. YES.BECAUSE IT WON'T BE FINALIZED OR I GUESS, DO Y'ALL DO AUDITS? I MEAN, LIKE, YES, WE DO AUDITS, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT, LIKE I SAID, IT'S FINALIZED IN MARCH, BUT THE SALES TAX ACCRUAL IS VERY ROUTINE. IT'S JUST, I'M SORRY, OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER THAT WE ACCRUE BACK TO THE CORRECT YEAR.
SO THAT WON'T BE HARD TO PRODUCE FOR YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? SO, MISS PENTON, LET ME JUST COMMEND YOU ON THE NEW BALANCE SHEET FORMAT. I THINK IT IS, TO YOUR POINT, MORE COMPREHENSIVE, USER FRIENDLY, IF YOU WILL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR HEARING OUR NEED. WE APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. APPRECIATE YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. SO BEFORE WE
[D.2. General Update and Action Plan Presentation by TIP Strategies.]
MOVE FORWARD HERE NEXT, WE HAVE ON AGENDA, ACTUALLY GENERAL UPDATE AN ACTION PLAN FROM TIPS, STRATEGIES. AND WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY TO THAT BEFORE WE GO THERE. I FAIL TO AND I'M GOING TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. I FAIL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE A NEW. RESOURCE ASSET.JOINING US TONIGHT ARE LEGAL COUNSEL KELLY MCKEE. SHE'S TAG TEAMING FOR VICTORIA. SO I DIDN'T WANT TO BE REMISS THERE, YOU KNOW. SO BUT YOU KIND OF FIT IN. YOU FIT IN SO SO NICELY.
YOU JUST MADE IT ALL WORK. THERE YOU GO. SO SO THANK YOU. WELCOME. AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE GOT NEW BLOOD. BE NICE. I LOVE THAT. BE NICE. IT MUST BE NICE. SO WE ARE AT A POINT IN OUR MEETING THAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT. WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TWO INDIVIDUALS OVER THE LAST TEN MONTHS NOW, AND THEY HAVE BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO THE BOARD, TO THE COUNCIL, TO THE CITY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHERE WE'RE HEADING. AND SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IN OUR NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GENERAL UPDATE AND ACTION PLAN PRESENTATION BY TIP STRATEGIES AND TRACY MCDANIEL AND JOHN KARAS. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU JOIN US TONIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, PRESIDENT BALDWIN AND BOARD MEMBERS. GOOD EVENING. GREAT. GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. JOHN KERRY'S WITH TIP STRATEGIES. TRACY IS LEADING A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSION AS WE SPEAK. SO SHE'S UNABLE TO JOIN US THIS EVENING, BUT SENDS HER REGARDS SO I CAN GO AHEAD AND SHARE MY SCREEN HERE WITH OUR PRESENTATION, IF THAT'S OKAY. BUT JUST WANTED TO CHECK. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY.
YES. OKAY, GREAT. ALL RIGHT. SO YES, IT HAS BEEN TEN MONTHS SINCE WE HAD OUR INITIAL JOINT DDC BOARD AND COUNCIL SESSION BACK IN JANUARY. AND THEN WE HAD THE FOLLOW UP SIX MONTH SESSION IN JULY. SO THIS IS JUST A REMINDER OF A LOT OF THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE BETWEEN THE ALIGNMENT AMONG THE DDC AND THE CITY COUNCIL. SO WE ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW MUCH ALIGNMENT IS THERE ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10. SO BACK IN JANUARY, THIS SIMILAR QUESTION WAS LESS THAN HALF. IT WAS ABOUT A 3.7 ON A SCALE OF TEN. AND AFTER OUR JOINT SESSION IN JULY, IT WAS ALMOST EIGHT OUT OF TEN. SO A LOT OF ALIGNMENT. AND JUST AS A RECAP OF THAT
[00:25:08]
JULY SESSION, THAT STRATEGIC PROGRESS LAB THAT WE HAD, THERE WERE TWO GROUPS, BOTH EQUAL MIX OF DDC BOARD MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. YOU ALL REMEMBER THOSE DISCUSSIONS TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE TOP PRIORITIES, THE ACTIONS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS THAT THE DDC SHOULD WORK WITH THE COUNCIL TO MOVE FORWARD. AND SO THOSE TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS CAME UP WITH SOME VERY SIMILAR ITEMS. SO I'VE GROUPED THEM ALL HERE. THERE WERE FIVE CATEGORIES. ONE OF THEM WAS CATALYTIC PROJECTS, CATALYTIC DEALS. SO HAMPTON ROADS, WHAT ONE GROUP FOCUSED ON WARREN TREE WAS THE OTHER GROUP FOCUS ON BOTH GROUPS CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT, YES, WE NEED STANDING JOINT SESSIONS FOR THE DDC AND THE COUNCIL AND THE DASHBOARD THAT THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON IS SOMETHING THAT SUPPORTS THAT. THE IDENTITY MARKETING IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT CAME UP AND THEN THE LEADERSHIP ALIGNMENT. SO THE ONBOARDING OF NEW AND FUTURE COUNCIL MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS TO ALL THE DIFFERENT BOARDS, NOT JUST THE DDC, BUT PARKS ARTS, A LOT OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONS THAT THE CITY BRINGS IN WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP. AND THEN HOW YOU'RE PARTNERING WITH AND COLLABORATING WITH YOUR, YOUR NEIGHBORS AND THE GATEWAYS IN PARTICULAR WAS ONE, ONE OPPORTUNITY. BUT OTHER COLLABORATION WITH NEIGHBORING CITIES, THINGS LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO EACH ONE OF THESE ITEMS, AND I DID WANT TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEAM WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING TO MEET WITH, WITH GUS AND JOSH AND MELBA AND LAROSA TO TRACK PROGRESS. AND THEY'VE BEEN HARD AT WORK, AS YOU ALL KNOW, MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS ON EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS. SO I JUST WANTED TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THEM, NOT SPEND A TON OF TIME, BUT JUST AS A REMINDER. SO THE HAMPTON ROAD RFP, WE KNOW THERE'S BEEN PROGRESS THERE. THERE'S BEEN SOME NEW CONVERSATIONS AROUND IDENTIFYING WHO THAT DEVELOPMENT PARTNER SHOULD BE, BUT IT'S STILL VERY MUCH A PRIORITY GIVEN THE CITY'S LONG INVESTMENT IN PROPERTY AND INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING WORK IN THAT AREA. SO I'LL GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THESE PRETTY QUICKLY, JUST SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE ALLOW TIME FOR WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS AND ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. SO THE NEXT ONE, THORN TREE WAS ANOTHER CATALYTIC DEAL AND PRIORITY THAT WAS IDENTIFIED. SO MAKING SURE THAT THAT IS NOT JUST FINDING THE PATH FORWARD, BUT WHAT IS THE MESSAGING AROUND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS RAISED AS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION. AND THEN THE JOINT OPERATING CADENCE. SO HAVING THAT CALENDAR PUBLISHED FOR THE NEXT YEAR GOING FORWARD, AND BOTH MAYOR AND BOARD, DDC, BOARD PRESIDENT BEING ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT WITH WITH SUPPORT FROM THE DC STAFF. AND IT WAS INTERESTING. THIS WAS THE KIND OF ONE OF THOSE ITEMS THAT CAME UP INDEPENDENTLY IN BOTH GROUPS. SO IT DEFINITELY WAS A SHARED PRIORITY. AND THEN WE, WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE, THE IDENTITY OF THE COMMUNITY.AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE, THE MESSAGE FROM NOT JUST THE CITY AND THE CITY'S MARKETING DEPARTMENT, BUT THE DDC AND THE NEW ASSETS THAT HAVE COME ONLINE, LIKE THE, THE ARC THAT TELLS A STRONG MESSAGE OF THE, THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF WHERE, WHERE THE COMMUNITY IS HEADING.
SO PARKS, RECREATION, SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE WERE SOME OF THE THEMES THAT WERE BROUGHT UP AS. YEAH, WE NEED TO INCORPORATE THESE INTO THAT FUTURE IDENTITY AND THE MESSAGE.
AND IT DOES HELP HAVING THAT MESSAGE, THAT CONSISTENT THEME WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO POTENTIAL COMPANIES, EXISTING COMPANIES, DEVELOPERS, BUSINESS PROSPECTS, LARGE AND SMALL, THAT WANT TO INVEST IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY WANT TO SEE THAT THAT MESSAGE COMING CONSISTENTLY FROM CITY LEADERS, BOTH STAFF AND ELECTED LEADERS AND APPOINTED LEADERS. AND SO THE ALIGNMENT IS SOMETHING THAT THAT ALSO CAME UP. I KNOW THE SMALL GROUP THAT I WAS A PART OF, THERE WAS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW CAN WE BUILD ON THE THE COLLABORATION THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE COUNCIL AND DDC SESSIONS AND LOOK AT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND HAVE A CONSISTENT DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THOSE ROLES REQUIRE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LEVERAGING THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE. EACH ONE OF YOU HAS ENORMOUS PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND RESOURCES IN YOUR RESPECTIVE FIELDS, FROM FINANCE TO MEDICINE TO BUSINESS TO PUBLIC SECTOR. SO MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE CAPITALIZING AND LEVERAGING THE UNIQUE SKILLS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS THAT THE CITY IS APPOINTING TO
[00:30:07]
BOARDS, SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AS WELL, AND SETTING THOSE EXPECTATIONS. AND THEN THE LAST ONE HERE, I KNOW THAT THE GROUP THAT I WAS A PART OF, THIS, THIS WAS A BOLD IDEA, NOT JUST LOOKING WITHIN THE THE CITY OF DESOTO, BUT LOOKING AT HOW DO WE COLLABORATE TO THE NORTH WITH DALLAS TO THE SOUTH, WITH GLEN HEIGHTS BEYOND THE ARC AND IN EVERY DIRECTION, BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE SHARED ISSUES, TRANSPORTATION, WORKFORCE, THOSE TEND TO BE REGIONAL IN NATURE. AND I KNOW THAT THE TEAM HAS BEEN MEETING WITH SOME OF YOUR PEERS IN SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. SO THAT'S A LOT OF EXCITING PROGRESS THERE. AND WE JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY OF THE EACH OF THESE, AND THIS TRACKER IS REALLY MEANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT WHAT THE ACTION IS, WHO OWNS IT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE KEY MILESTONES, AS WELL AS THE TRADE OFFS? BY HAVING THE ACTION PLAN, YOU'RE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THERE MAY BE LESS FOCUS ON OTHER AREAS THAT ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES, AND THEN HAVING KIND OF A STATUS TRACKER OF, ARE THESE ON TRACK, OR IS THERE A RISK THAT THEY MAY NOT HAPPEN OR ARE THEY COMPLETE? SO IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH WITH JOSH AND THE TEAM, WE REALLY WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NEXT STEPS AND PRIORITIES FOR THE DDC? AND JUST TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THEM, THE LONG TERM FINANCIAL CAPACITY IS SOMETHING THAT CAME UP, ESPECIALLY AS SOME OF THESE LARGER PROJECTS CONTINUE OR MOVE FORWARD, BRAINTREE BEING ONE OF THOSE. SO MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S A JOINT DISCUSSION ABOUT THE POTENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND HOW THAT FITS IN WITH OTHER PRIORITIES. AND THEN THE QUESTION OF HOW DOES THE DDC SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES? THIS COULD BE A DDC FUNDING, OR IT COULD ALSO BE THE CITY ITSELF. THROUGH CHAPTER THREE, 80 FUNDS.I KNOW THERE'S A SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP GOING ON AT THE ARC, I GUESS THIS EVENING AS WE SPEAK.
SO THE QUESTION OF HOW CAN THE CITY AND THE DDC SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS? IT'S AN ONGOING QUESTION. SO IT'S REALLY JUST IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A FINAL DECISION TO BE MADE, BUT SOMETHING TO ALWAYS BE CONSIDERING. AND THEN THE THE POTENTIAL AROUND TOURISM IS SOMETHING ELSE, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS NEW WORLD CLASS FACILITY THAT'S BRINGING IN PEOPLE FROM THE OUTSIDE, IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING LOCAL RESIDENTS AND THE POTENTIAL REDEVELOPMENT OF NEW OR REDEVELOPED HOTEL SPACE IS SOMETHING ELSE. A LOT OF CITIES IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA AND ELSEWHERE HAVE A DEDICATED CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU TO REALLY DRIVE TOURISM AND VISITOR ATTRACTION. IN COLLABORATION WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. I KNOW THAT JOSH, AND YOUR EXPERIENCE IN ARLINGTON, THAT'S A COMMUNITY THAT DOES THAT VERY WELL AND STRATEGICALLY. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT NEAR TERM ACTIONS FOR THE BOARD. ANOTHER ITEM THAT CAME UP, AND I THINK THIS NEXT ITEM ON, ON YOUR AGENDA THIS EVENING ACTUALLY IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE CAPITALIZING ON THE EXPERTISE OF THE BOARD WITH A FEW KEY COMMITTEES. SO THE MARKETING QUESTION, THE FINANCE QUESTION, AND THEN WHAT WE'RE WE'RE CALLING A PROJECT OR A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT COMMITTEE. SO I'VE INCLUDED SOME POTENTIAL CHARTERS FOR EACH OF THESE ON THE NEXT FEW SLIDES THAT CERTAINLY WE CAN, WE CAN DISCUSS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL. BUT REALLY THE, THE QUESTION HERE IS HOW DO YOU BRING STRATEGIC THINKING AND SCENARIO BASED PLANNING INTO THE BOARD DECISIONS AND HAVING THOSE THREE COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OR SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP REALLY MAKE SURE YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE LONG TERM AND CONNECTING A LOT OF THESE BIG PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON TO THE BIG PICTURE OF. HOW DOES IT SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE? WE TALKED ABOUT THE REGIONAL POSITIONING, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE CITY ITSELF HAS HAD A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN PLANNING EFFORTS. THE TEN YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, THE COMMERCIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN OVERLAY. SO IT CAN BE ALL OF THESE THESE RELATED EFFORTS AND ALIGNING THEM IS SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. WE TALKED ABOUT THE HAMPTON ROAD RFP. SO CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO SELECT A DEVELOPER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IS CERTAINLY CRITICAL. AND THEN WE TALKED ALSO ABOUT THE THE MARKETING AND THE ALIGNMENT. SO
[00:35:02]
EACH OF THE THREE COMMITTEES, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO GO INTO DETAIL ON ON THESE. I'LL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD. JOSH. THANK YOU. JOHN. YES, I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE OUR CHAIRMAN THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF THESE CHARTERS, AS IT DOES TIE IN WITH ANOTHER ITEM IN OUR AGENDA. OKAY. WELL, FIRST LET ME SAY, JOHN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY, VERY COMPREHENSIVE. AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT PUTTING THIS PLAN INTO ACTION, FRANKLY SPEAKING, I GO BACK TO THE SIX MONTH ACCOUNTING TRACKER I THINK IS SO PARAMOUNT FOR US IN OUR EFFORTS TO GO FORWARD, BECAUSE IT GIVES US THE WHEREWITHAL TO STOP MID TERM, TAKE A LOOK AND SEE HOW WE'VE ADVANCED OR NOT AND OR HAS SOMETHING DERAILED.AND DO WE NEED TO GO BACK AND REVISIT OUR APPROACH TO IT? SO VERY, VERY NICE TOOL I THINK THAT WE CAN WORK WITH. IT ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON, AS WE TALK ABOUT TYING IT INTO THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN, IT HAS SYNERGIES, I THINK, AND I WOULD ASK THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS KIND OF CHIME IN TO THAT. BUT LET ME JUST SAY, THESE COMMITTEES ARE NOT COMMITTEES. THAT OR ASSIGNMENTS, IF YOU WILL, TO COMMITTEES ARE NOT DESIGNATED FOR US TO GO OUT AND MAKE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, BUT IT'S TO SERVE AS LIAISONS IN RESPECT OF ENSURING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE NOW SILOS. AND THIS ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE, TO CONTRIBUTE, TO BRING BACK INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS US TO STRATEGICALLY ALIGN WITH HOW WE GO FORWARD. THAT'S WHAT THE COMMITTEES REALLY ARE ALL ABOUT. THAT'S IT. AND JOSH, I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO YOU ONE SECOND. I DO WANT TO GO AHEAD AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THOSE COMMITTEES WILL INCLUDE, AGAIN, IT TIES TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM. IT WILL INCLUDE THE BUDGET. SO. FELICIA PEARSON OKAY, IT INCLUDES MARKETING. SO MARKETING, YOU'VE GOT MARK JONES AND AKILAH WALLACE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY ON THAT. ALSO, I DON'T WANT TO BE REMISS BECAUSE WE HAVE WE HAVE PLANNING AND MARK SERVES ON THE BOARD PLANNING. SO THAT'S A NATURAL TIE IN TO OUR BOARD. SO I WANT TO NOT BE REMISS THERE. AND THEN YOU HAVE STRATEGIC PLANNING. SO MR. JAMES PRUITT AND DOCTOR AMIR GARRETT PRICE OKAY, TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY ON THAT. PARKS AND RECREATION.
I AM SERVING AS THE COMMITTEE ON LIAISON WITH PARKS AND RECREATION. AND AND WILL INCORPORATE DOCTOR MICHAELA HERNDON INTO THAT AS WELL. NOW, EVEN THOUGH WE'VE GOT DUAL ROLES IN THIS, SOMETIMES THERE MAY BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING THAT WE MAY HAVE TO TOGGLE FROM THAT COMMITTEE TO ANOTHER. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
AGAIN, WE THINK THAT IT'S WHEN WE SIT HERE AND WE HAVE DISCUSSIONS, WE TALK ABOUT MARKETING AND WHAT HAVE YOU, HOW THOROUGH CAN WE BE IF WE'RE NOT A PART OF THE PROCESS? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE. JOSH, PLEASE. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN, AND THANK YOU, JOHN. AGAIN, I THINK IT WAS VERY, VERY WELL PUT IN TERMS OF THE INTENTION, THE INTENTIONALITY BEHIND SOME OF THESE COMMITTEES, AND ALSO THE FUTURE INTENTION OF CREATING SOME ADDITIONAL AD HOC COMMITTEES AS THE BOARD DEEMS FIT. I WILL TRY MY VERY BEST NOT TO BUTCHER WHAT WHAT OUR DIRECTOR WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SAID IN THIS MOMENT, BUT I THINK HIS TESTAMENT SPEAKS VOLUMES ON HIS DESIRE TO ESTABLISH COMPLETE ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO ADDRESSING SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, COLLECTIVELY IDENTIFIED. AND WE ALL HAVE RECEIVED CONSENSUS TO COLLECTIVELY MOVE FORWARD IN ADDRESSING SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES. AND SO THESE ARE THE THE FIRST THREE COMMITTEES I WOULD SAY, THAT ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GATHER SOME ADDITIONAL MOMENTUM AND FOR US TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. SO ON BEHALF OF OUR PRESIDENT, CEO GUS GARCIA, HE'S VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO TO WORKING ALONGSIDE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE COMMITTEES AND THEIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS. GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS OR OBSERVATIONS HERE AT THIS POINT? HOW DO YOU FORESEE THESE GROUPS? HOW WOULD YOU FORESEE THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES? I
[00:40:02]
THINK FORMING IS ONE. BUT HOW DO YOU SEE THEM OPERATIONALLY AND IS IT PROJECT BASED? IS THIS AN ONGOING EFFORT? LIKE HOW HOW DOES THIS WORK OPERATIONALLY? SO IT IS IT'S PROJECT BASED AND OR DEPENDING ON HOW ROBUST A PROGRAM MAY BE, LET'S TAKE MARKETING AS ONGOING.IT'S EVERLASTING. SO IT THAT COULD NOT JUST BE PROJECT BASED. IT HAS PROJECT BASED IN IT. IT HAS TO BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND. YOU DO THAT AND THEN WHAT BECOMES THE NEXT. SO IT KIND OF IT HAS A VARIATION DEPENDING ON WHAT THE NEED IS. LET'S TAKE FINANCE ONE. THERE ARE SOME SOME AREAS IN THE FINANCIAL MODELING THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. AND ONCE THAT'S ADDRESSED, THAT'S A PROJECT AND IT BEGINS TO MANIFEST IN HOW WE OPERATE GOING FORWARD. SO SO THERE MAY BE A BACK SEAT TAKEN THERE, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT TO BE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DRIVING WHAT THE BOARD WANTS. IT'S IT'S A COMMUNICATION GAP. CLOSURE IS WHAT IT IS. SO IT'S IT'S A SUPPORTIVE POSITION. YEAH. DID THAT HELP TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION TO ANY EXTENT? IT DOES. YEAH. I MEAN, THAT HELPS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. SO I GUESS THIS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT I GUESS IN MY MIND IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO EVOLVE. ABSOLUTELY. WE'VE NOT HAD IT.
YEAH. AND SO TO YOUR POINT OBSERVATION, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THIS IS DISCOVERY. THIS IS IT'S WELL NEEDED WITHOUT IT. WHERE ARE WE? YEAH, YEAH. HOW DO WE GO FORWARD? HOW DO WE GROW. YEAH. SO IT'S DISCOVERY. YOU KNOW, THE OBSERVATIONS. AND BY NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION DO I WANT US TO THINK THAT THIS IS ABOUT ANOTHER SERIES OF MEETINGS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DETERMINE HOW YOU FIT IN WITH THAT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. BUT WHAT YOU BRING BACK TO THE BOARD IS IT'S GOING TO BE. SO VALUABLE IN SO MANY WAYS THAT WE MAY NOT BE THINKING ABOUT. AND IT HELPS US TO HAVE A DIRECTIVE, IS WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO. SO PART OF IT COULD BE RESEARCH, INFORMATION GATHERING, THAT SORT OF THING. GOTCHA. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S DEEP IN THOUGHT. HE'S THINKING HARD.
OKAY. AND IF ANYONE HAS ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE BEING REQUESTED, THEN LET'S LET'S TALK ONE ON ONE, PLEASE. OKAY. BUT I REALLY BELIEVE IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THAT EVERY BOARD MEMBER THAT'S SITTING IN OUR PRESENCE AND THAT'S NOT HERE TODAY, HAS THE CAPABILITY OF SERVING ON ANY ONE OF THESE COMMITTEES. THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE. SO THE EFFORT WAS TAKEN TO DETERMINE WHAT BECOMES THE BEST USE OF THE TALENTS THAT WE HAVE. AND BY THE WAY, SIX MONTHS FROM NOW, WE MAY DETERMINE WE NEED TO SHIFT IT AROUND. THAT'S WHEN YOU BEGIN TO OPTIMIZE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND YOU GET DIFFERENT PARADIGMS TO APPLY.
YES, MA'AM. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, PRESIDENT BALDWIN. THIS IS SOMETHING YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE, AND I THINK I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL INFORM US WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO VOTE ON SOMETHING TO BE MORE INFORMED. I MEAN, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW THINGS THAT CAME UP LAST YEAR.
YOU AND AKILAH WORKED ON SOME THINGS THAT IT FILLED IN SOME HOLES. THAT RIGHT? I'M NOT IN A POSITION TO UNDERSTAND. YEAH, NO, I, I THINK WE SAW THE BENEFIT. AND SO SO NO, I'M, I'M HAPPY WE'RE DOING THIS. AND I LIKE THE THOUGHT OF IT BEING EVOLVING AND ITERATIVE, RIGHT TO WHERE WE WILL LEARN AS WE GO, WHICH IS THE BEST WAY TO DO IT. SO, SO NO, I'M, I'M HAPPY ABOUT THIS AS THE CHAIRMAN. OH, NO, LET ME JUST SAY, AND I'LL BRING THIS TO CLOSURE. PLEASE TAKE THE MINDSET THAT STORMS COME TO PASS. STORMS DON'T COME TO LAST INCH BY INCH. IT'S A CINCH.
IT'S HARD BY THE YARD. WE'RE GOING TO INCH THIS ALONG. OKAY. AND THAT SKILL SAILORS ARE NEVER DEVELOPED ON SMOOTH SEAS. SO WE'RE GOING TO LEARN OUR PATHWAYS HERE. BUT LET'S WORK COLLABORATIVELY. OKAY. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION THERE, JOHN. ANY OTHER CLOSING COMMENTS?
[00:45:04]
YEAH, THIS IS SO JUST IN CLOSING, I DID WANT TO THANK YOU ALL. IT'S WE'VE REALLY ENJOYED GETTING TO BE A PART OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DDC AND THE COMMUNITY MORE BROADLY. SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS. I THINK THIS THIS WRAPS UP OUR OUR CURRENT ENGAGEMENT. BUT WE WE ALSO DID WANT TO TO RAISE THE POSSIBILITY OF A LONGER TERM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY AND DOING A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT REALLY ALIGNS THE PRIORITIES AND PROJECTS AND AVAILABLE FUNDING OVER THE NEXT 3 TO 5 YEARS. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF BEST PRACTICE PEER COMMUNITIES AND COMPETITORS HAVE TYPICALLY LIKE A 3 TO 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. AND YEAH, I THINK EVERYTHING ELSE ON HERE YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT OR WE'VE COVERED. SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THAT'S REALLY IT.WE JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SUPPORT YOU IN ANY WAY WE CAN. THANK YOU JOHN, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU AND WITH TRACY AS WELL AS ALWAYS. SO, SO JOHN KIND OF CHIME IN AND SAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN, ON BEHALF OF, OF EVERYONE AND THE INSIGHTS, THAT INSIGHTS THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT OUR WAY, SOME THINGS WE'VE KNOWN, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TAKE THIRD PARTY VERIFICATION TO HIGHLIGHT IT BRIGHTER FOR YOU.
AND SO CERTAINLY YOU AND TRACY HAVE CONSUMMATED THAT FOR US. SO WE'RE VERY PLEASED. AND I HAVE TO SAY ONE THING. YOU SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE CLOSING THE DOOR FOR RIGHT NOW, WE JUST CAN'T LET YOU CLOSE THE DOOR RIGHT NOW. WE YOU MAY RECEIVE A CALL OR TWO FROM US TO SAY, TELL US THIS OR ARE WE GOING THAT DIRECTION? SO PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH TRACY AND YOU GUYS, PLEASE REMAIN OPEN ENDED FOR US HERE. I MEAN, IF I DIDN'T SAY THAT, YES. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT BALDWIN AND BOARD MEMBERS AND JOSH AND THE TEAM ARE. OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN TO YOU ALL. I WILL DEFINITELY SHARE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU JOHN. THANK YOU ALL. THAT ACTUALLY BRINGS US DOWN TO THE FOURTH AGENDA ITEM. THE THIRD, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT DISCUSS AND
[D.3. Discuss and establish Committee Assignments: Budget, Marketing, and Strategic Planning.]
ESTABLISH COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS. DO WE TAKE ACTION ON ESTABLISHING COMMITTEE OR IS IT JUST A DISCUSSION? I DON'T I DON'T THINK WE HAVE TO DO WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION ON IT. YOU CAN IF YOU'D LIKE. YOU CAN TAKE ACTION IF YOU CHOOSE TO, TO ESTABLISH THE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO GET A MOTION ON ESTABLISHING THE VARIOUS COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED THIS EVENING. AND AS AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD AS A BOARD, CAN I GET A MOTION TO. OH, GO AHEAD DISCUSSION PRE OR POST THE. IF I HAVE A QUESTION, IS IT PRE OR POST THE MOTION? I MEAN THE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE COMMITTEES. OKAY. I HAVE A QUESTION. GREAT. THANK YOU CHAIRMAN. BECAUSE ONE THE NAMING OF WHO WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEES WAS NOT NAMED HERE IN THE DOCUMENT. SO THIS IS NEW INFORMATION. I MEAN, NOT THAT I'M AGAINST IT, BUT ALSO I'M CURIOUS AS TO THESE COMMITTEES BECAUSE I DIDN'T MAYBE I MISSED IT. THE MAKEUP. SO IT IS ONLY MADE UP OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE DDC, OR WILL IT HAVE THE INCLUSION OF COMMITTEE? I MEAN, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO MAY BE RELEVANT TO THE AREAS OF INTEREST. THIS IS THIS IS THIS IS A BOARD INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE BEING INCLUSIVE IN WHEN WE SIT AND WE TALK ABOUT MARKETING, FOR EXAMPLE, OKAY, HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT MARKETING IF WE'RE NOT A PART OF THE, THE, THE SOLUTION, IF YOU WILL? OKAY. SO THAT'S WHAT IT IS. SO IT'S, WE CAN'T GOVERN WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE RESIDENTS OR THE COMMUNITY, BUT THE VARIOUS COMMITTEES THAT THE VARIOUS INITIATIVES THAT ARE IN PLAY TODAY, MARKETING AND. STRATEGIC PLANNING, I MEAN, THAT'S AN ALMOST AN INTERNAL THAT WE'RE DOING THAT ALIGNS WITH OUR SIX MONTH STRATEGY AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO IT IS RELATIVE TO THE BOARD MEMBERS DIRECT. OKAY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, LET'S TAKE MYSELF WORKING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION. THAT'S ME VISITING WITH THEM, WITH THEIR MEETINGS OCCASIONALLY AND SHARING WITH THEM WHAT WE'RE DOING SO THAT IT BECOMES A TWO WAY STREET COMMUNICATION[00:50:04]
PROCESS. THANK YOU. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I FULLY UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I USED TO ALSO THAT BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THERE CAN BE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BUT THEN THERE CAN BE COMMITTEES, AND COMMITTEES OFTEN CAN INCLUDE MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF THE BOARD. SO I JUST WANTED CLARIFICATION ON THAT. AND THEN TWO, MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE LATER, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE WE HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROCESS BY WHICH THE COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT TAKES PLACE GOING FORWARD. LIKE, WHAT IS THE, YOU KNOW, EXPECTATIONS OF WHO IS, I GUESS, APPOINTED, YOU KNOW, TWO COMMITTEES OF TERMS. I'M LIKE, IS THIS FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE IS IT IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE THE BOARD TERM AND THAT WE'RE SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE? SO JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE LANGUAGE AROUND THE ACTUAL STRUCTURE, THE, I GUESS, THE EVALUATION, ONBOARDING OF TERMS RESPONSIBILITY, BECAUSE THIS IS LIKE JUST KIND OF YOUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY, BUT NOT SO MUCH LIKE EVEN HOW THIS EVEN CAME ABOUT. I'M LIKE, WHAT IS THE TYPICAL PROCESS? IF WE CAN JUST HAVE DOCUMENTATION OF WHAT THE PROCESS IS FOR THIS COMMITTEE OR FOR THESE COMMITTEES, FROM A GOVERNANCE STANDPOINT, I'M JUST THINKING OF LIKE, WHAT ARE THE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTATION FOR THIS? SO I MET WITH WITH GUS A WHILE AGO IN THIS WHOLE THOUGHT PROCESS, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE, WE CHANGE OUR APPROACH TO THINGS AND NOT JUST SIT AND NOT HAVE MEANINGFUL DISCUSSIONS TO PUT OUR INPUT INTO THINGS. SO I'VE ASKED THE LEADERSHIP TEAM TO, TO, TO COME UP WITH WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, FRANKLY SPEAKING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF YOU WILL NOTE WHAT JOHN PRESENTED, HE HAD WHAT, FOR EXAMPLE, SAYS THE LIMITATIONS, THE COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS. IT DOES NOT AUTHORIZE EXPENDITURES, DIRECT STAFF OR INDEPENDENTLY APPROVED CONTRACTS OR CAMPAIGNS. SO THE INTENT THERE WAS TO TRY AND START THINKING ABOUT WHAT PARAMETERS WE REALLY DO HAVE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. SO IT'S NOT ABOUT. I WILL GIVE YOU A PRIME EXAMPLE, IF I MAY, CHAIRMAN. NO, I FULLY UNDERSTAND. OKAY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M SPEAKING ABOUT IS CLEAR AS TO JUST EVEN. I MEAN, I SEE THE DESCRIPTION. THAT'S FINE. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES VERY CLEAR. I UNDERSTAND THAT. HOWEVER, AS I THINK OF BEYOND THIS MOMENT, LIKE THIS IS THE CREATION OF SOMETHING NEW AND JUST THE DOCUMENTATION OF GOING FORWARD, WHAT THE PROCESS IS FOR, HOW A PERSON IS THEN SELECTED FOR SAID COMMITTEES, AND WHAT THE TERM EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR COMMITTEE, BECAUSE I'M CLEAR AS TO IT'S IN WRITING WHAT THE PROCESS IS FOR ME BECOMING A BOARD MEMBER, BUT NOT SO MUCH HOW YOU THEN NOW BECOME A COMMITTEE MEMBER. YEAH. AND IT'S BECOMING CLEAR TO ME DURING THE DISCUSSION THAT PERHAPS SOME DIRECTION FROM THIS TO THE CITY ATTORNEY IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO DRAFT THE CHARTERS FOR EACH OF THESE, TO CREATE AND DRAFT CHARTERS FOR EACH OF THESE COMMISSIONS WITH THE PARAMETERS THAT YOU SET OUT, I THINK, OKAY. THANK YOU. SO JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IS THE EXPECTATION THAT YOU ARE SERVING IN THE COMMITTEE CAPACITY FOR THE REMAINDER OF YOUR BOARD FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF YOUR BOARD TERM? NO, I THINK AND WE'LL VISIT IT. I'LL, I'LL MEET FURTHER WITH JOSH AND, AND AND GUS AND THE TEAM. THIS COMMITTEE ESTABLISHMENT IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID WHEN WE DID THE WHEN YOU AND DOCTOR G.P VISITED, SERVED ON A COMMITTEE, AN AD HOC COMMITTEE WITH THE. YEAH. SO AD HOC TYPICALLY HAVE I MEAN, IT'S SPECIFIC TO A TIME PERIOD. LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. IT'S FOR A CERTAIN IT'S PROJECT BASED A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. I'M JUST NOTING THAT THESE COMMITTEES. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ADDRESS IT. NOW I'M JUST ASKING THAT WE HAVE CLARIFICATION BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SAY LANGUAGE. THAT'S TILL TO TO WHAT END. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE JUST DOCUMENTING THAT AND THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT COULD BE BY WAY OF THE CHARTER FOR THE, FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SAID COMMITTEES. YEAH. THAT'S SOMETHING FOR YOU TO DISCUSS AND DECIDE AND THEN DIRECT THE CITY ATTORNEY TO PUT THAT TOGETHER IN A FORMAT IN THE CHARTER FOR EACH OF THOSE COMMITTEES. YEAH. WELL, WE'LL DISCUSS THAT MORE. I DON'T KNOW THAT. I DON'T WANT TO DEPRECIATE YOUR DISCUSSION, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT NECESSARILY NEEDS A CHARTER FOR TO BE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE MEMBER. I DON'T I'VE NOT SEEN THAT. BUT BUT WE'LL VISIT IT. OKAY. I'M THINKING I CERTAINLY
[00:55:09]
GET WHERE AKILA IS COMING FROM. AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON I WAS ASKING SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I WAS ASKING INITIALLY. AND SO WHAT I GATHER IS WE DON'T KNOW A LOT OF THESE ANSWERS RIGHT NOW. AND SO IT'D BE HARD TO PUT FORTH A CHARTER AT THE MOMENT. BUT I THINK THAT'S PART I THINK SHE RAISES A CHELA OR DIRECTOR. WALLACE RAISES GREAT POINTS HERE. AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE DISCOVERY PROCESS THAT WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF MOVING FORWARD. IS THAT A GOOD WAY TO CONCEPTUALIZE IT? THINK ABOUT IT. SO WHAT I DISCUSSED EARLIER, I SAID, YEAH, SO YOU GOT A START. AND RIGHT. I WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. BUT WE GOTTA. WE GOTTA START. AND THIS IS. IT'S WORK IN PROGRESS. SO NO ONE IS ASKING ANYONE TO DO ANYTHING ABOVE AND BEYOND SPENDING A TON OF TIME. BUT JUST LIKE FELICIA, I HAVE TO USE YOU AS AN EXAMPLE.YOU'VE EMBRACED FINANCE. I MEAN, YOU'VE EMBRACED IT. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT WE ALL YOU KNOW, E.F. HUTTON SPEAKING OVER HERE. WHAT DOES FELICIA SAY? EVEN THOUGH WE'RE LOOKING, IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING. WHEN WE SIT AND WE TALK ABOUT MARKETING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, OKAY, I'M JUST GOING TO USE EXAMPLES AROUND THE ROOM HERE. MARC REACHES OUT AND SAYS, WE GOT THIS BILLBOARD HERE. OKAY. WHY IS IT THAT WE'RE NOT DOING WE'RE WE'RE RESIDENTS. WE'RE BOARD MEMBERS. THAT'S ALL THIS REALLY IS. IT'S ABOUT BEING MORE AWARE, BEING COGNIZANT, BEING A PART OF. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MEDICAL.
THERE'S A REASON WHY DOCTOR G P YOU WERE SELECTED FOR THE STRATEGIC PLANNING. BECAUSE A PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS NOT JUST BUILDING RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS AND BRINGING REVENUE TAX REVENUE TO THE TABLE. WHAT'S OUR OUR BUILDING A HEALTHY COMMUNITY. YEAH. SO THAT'S SO I GET IT. MICHAELA. I MEAN, MICHAELA AGUILAR WILL DULY NOTED. BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO FEEL AS THOUGH THIS IS A WEIGHTED THING IMMEDIATELY. HOW MUCH TIME SHE GOT TO PUT INTO IT. HOW MUCH TENURE CONTRACTS YOU READY TO SIGN A CONTRACT? HOW MUCH TIME SHE GOT TO PUT INTO THE CONTRACT? SHE GOT THE LAWYER TALKING ABOUT DRAWING UP DOCUMENTS. WHAT? THE WORLD. WE'RE CREATING AN OUTLINE OF WHAT WE WANT TO SEE HAPPEN. MERELY USING HER. SHE'S THE PERSON WHO GOT US AT THE COTTON BOWL. NOW SHE DOESN'T KNOW. FORGOT ABOUT HOW THAT HAPPENED OR CAME ABOUT. I UNDERSTAND THE EXPERTISE, AND I GET IT. YEAH. NO, ABSOLUTELY.
I'M JUST AS IT GOES BACK TO AS WE TALKED ABOUT THESE SIX OR THE DIFFERENT FIVE AND, YOU KNOW, THE ONE AROUND LEADERSHIP ALIGNMENT AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE CONSISTENT PROCESSES FOR HOW BOARDS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER, HOW PEOPLE GET ON BOARDS. I JUST AM THINKING OF THE WAY THAT THAT SAME LEVEL OF EXPECTATION APPLIES TO THE CREATION AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMITTEES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS IS NEW, IT'S A NEW VENTURE. AND SO FOR ME, I'M JUST MINDFUL OF LIKE IN THE FUTURE, IF A PERSON GETS ON THE BOARD AND THEY FIND OUT THERE'S A COMMITTEE AND THEY FIND AND THERE ISN'T AN ESTABLISHED PROCESS THAT WHETHER IT'S, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE DDC BOARD CHAIR SELECTS WHO GETS APPOINTED TO SIT, YOU KNOW, VERSUS DO YOU RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A PROCESS FOR HOW YOU END UP? SO I'M JUST MAKING NOTE OF HAVING WRITTEN ESTABLISHED DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROCESS OF HOW THESE THINGS HAPPEN. AND I SAY THAT TO BE AN EXAMPLE FOR THIS BOARD, BUT ALSO IN A WAY IN WHICH, LIKE, THERE'S QUESTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND JUST IN GENERAL AND VARIOUS COMPONENTS, DIVISIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT AND HOW THINGS JUST APPEAR, DON'T APPEAR, HOW THEY HAPPEN, WHO MAKES DECISIONS ON WHAT'S WHAT'S MOVING. I JUST WANT TO CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR THAT. WE'RE ALWAYS A EXEMPLARY EXAMPLE OF LIKE HOW THINGS, PROTOCOLS AND HOW THEY SHOULD TAKE PLACE. SO I'M ALL, I'M ON BOARD. I'M MARKETING. YES, SIR.
DULY NOTED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAPPY TO KNOW YOUR BOARD. OKAY. SO ARE WE SAYING THEN THAT MISS MCKEE, ARE WE SAYING THAT WE NEED TO STILL GO AHEAD AND RATIFY? I MEAN, YEAH, WE DO. IF YOU'RE READY TO APPOINT MEMBERS, YOU CAN DO THAT. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. TO HER POINT, IF YOU'D LIKE TO LAY OUT SOME RULES, YOU CAN ADD THAT TO THE BYLAWS. YOU CAN DIRECT THE CITY
[01:00:05]
ATTORNEY TO DO THAT. YOU CAN GIVE THAT DIRECTION. THIS EVENING WHEN WE COME BACK WITH LANGUAGE, IT'S THAT'S YOUR DECISION TO MAKE. SO LET'S BE VERY COGNIZANT OF THE FACT WE GOT DIFFERENT SENTIMENTS HERE AT THIS POINT. WHY DON'T WE ASK LEGAL TO HELP US TO DRAFT WHAT MAKES SENSE TO. LET'S TAKE THAT APPROACH AND THEN WE CAN GO FOR IT. SO WE'LL TABLE ANY ACTION ON IT RIGHT NOW UNTIL OKAY. ANY FURTHER. YEAH, THAT'S JUST GOING TO CREATE SOME PRECEDENCE.THAT'S WHAT SHE'S SAYING. YOU PUT SOME TEETH INTO IT SO THAT WE HAVE A PLAN THAT OUR LIVES US. YES, EXACTLY. THAT'S THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING. EXACTLY. WE'RE GOOD. NO FURTHER THIS PROGRESS FORWARD. THANK. WE DON'T HAVE PARKS AND RECREATION. ARE YOU GOING TO DO
[D.4. Presentation on Placer Ai Parks & Recreation Board]
ANYTHING ON THAT PLACE OR ANY. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, WE'RE GOING TO BYPASS AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, THE PRESENTATION ON PLACER AI, PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT THAT'S A AN AREA THAT WE ARE PLACING A LOT OF FOCUS ON HOW WE TIE INTO THAT WORKING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND DECISION MAKING PROCESSES. SO MOVING ON, WE'VE GOT NUMBER FIVE ON THE AGENDA[D.5. Discuss and consider approval of a resolution approving an amendment to FY2027 DDC Operating Budget to provide $250,000.00 for Economic Development Department Office Suite Renovations.]
TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION, EXCUSE ME, APPROVING AN AMENDMENT TO FISCAL YEAR 2027 DDC OPERATING BUDGET TO PROVIDE $250,000 FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OFFICE SUITE RENOVATIONS. IF YOU WILL RECALL, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BOARD MEETINGS AGO, AND I'VE ASKED. STAFF TO. LET'S BRING THIS BACK TO THE FOREFRONT AND LET'S LOOK TO BRING CLOSURE TO THIS DISCUSSION ITEM. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. AND JUST JUST TO REPEAT, WHAT WHAT CHAIRMAN BALDWIN JUST MENTIONED RIGHT NOW, WE DID HAVE THIS CONVERSATION DISCUSSION, ONE OF THE PAST BOARD DIRECTORS, REGULAR MEETINGS, AND WE RECEIVED UNANIMOUS APPROVAL TO BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND START ENGAGING ON, ON GETTING THIS RENOVATION PROJECT INITIATED. OUR CHAIRMAN HAS ASKED THAT WE GO AHEAD AND JUST CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF RESOLUTION IN THIS BOARD MEETING TODAY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD IN APPROVING OUR BUDGET AMENDMENT. I KNOW THAT THERE'S A FIGURE HERE THAT SAYS PROVIDE 250,000. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OFFICER HAS ASKED THAT WE STRESS THAT THIS IS TO BE UP TO 250,000. THIS IS THE THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS INCORPORATED FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE YOU ARE ABLE TO RATIFY IF YOU ARE TO COMMIT TO A MOTION THAT THE LANGUAGE OR THE ACTION TO BE TAKEN SHOULD BE UP TO 250,000. I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY ANY QUESTIONS BOARD MAY HAVE. THOUGHT THE WORK WAS DONE. WE HADN'T EVEN GOT STARTED YET. A BUDGET AMENDMENTS FIRST. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING DONE SINCE THE. WAS IT TWO MONTHS AGO WHEN THIS FIRST CAME UP? ANYTHING DONE WITH ANYBODY ON ESTIMATES, CONTRACTORS. ANY MORE INFORMATION TO PROVIDE. THAT'S THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AS TO WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED SINCE THE LAST TIME WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, WE WERE DURING WE APPROVED THIS DURING A TIME WHEN WE WERE HAVING OUR ANNUAL BUDGET APPROVED. THE CITY HAS COME BACK TO US ASKING TO POSTPONE THE APPROVAL OF THIS ITEM IN OUR BUDGET PAST THE THE MONTH WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL WAS GOING TO GO AHEAD AND APPROVE THEIR GENERAL BUDGET. JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT WE WE KIND OF FALL UNDER THE SAME SCHEDULE AS THE CITY WHENEVER WE APPROVE OUR BUDGET, CITY COUNCIL HAS TO APPROVE OUR BUDGET. AND SO NOW WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE HAVE TO APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO OUR BUDGET AND GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO GO AND APPROVE. AND THEN FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET, YOU KNOW, SOME QUOTES AND BEGIN TO WORK ON REACHING OUT TO THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT CAN GO AHEAD AND GIVE US A PLAN AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS AS TO WHAT THIS BUDGET IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD. SO WE HAVE NOT SPENT ANYTHING BECAUSE WE CAN'T EXPEND UNTIL WE GET THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT APPROVED. AND THAT'S THAT'S THE UPDATE SINCE THE LAST TIME WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, THIS SETTING, AS[01:05:03]
I GUESS THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT UP IT WAS BROUGHT UP, I THINK I ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT QUOTES AND WHATNOT. IS THERE ANY REASON WHY WE CAN'T GET THAT UP FRONT? LIKE GET SOME INFORMATION ON BECAUSE GENERALLY IT'S FREE, GET SOME FOLKS IN TO GIVE US SOME GENERAL QUOTES ON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. I JUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A HARD TIME WITH THAT BLANK CHECK UP TO 250. YEAH. VERSUS LIKE, HEY, WE GOT THESE THREE CONTRACTORS IN ONE'S AT THIS AMOUNT, ONE'S AT THIS AMOUNT, ONE'S AT THIS AMOUNT. WE WANT TO HAVE APPROVED THIS TO EXPLORE THESE THREE OPTIONS. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YEAH. VERSUS JUST A BLANK CHECK, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I'D BE REMISS IF, IF I DO NOT EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AS TO WHAT THIS PROCESS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IF WE WERE TO HYPOTHETICALLY APPROVE SOMETHING TODAY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS ACTUALLY TIES INTO ONE OF THE HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIOS WHEN WE HAVE OUR FINANCE COMMITTEE CREATED. THIS IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS WE WOULD LIKE TO RUN THIS PROJECT THROUGH, TO BE ABLE TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF CONSENSUS, BE ABLE TO ADDRESS ANY CONCERNS AND FEEDBACK. THE APPROVAL HERE IS JUST TO HAVE A LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET. HOWEVER, THE WAY OUR PRESIDENT CEO WANTS TO GO AND PROCEED WITH THIS PROJECT IS FOR US TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU MENTIONED, START GATHERING SOME INFORMATION, PLAN THIS WHOLE THING OUT, RUN IT BY COMMITTEE, OR RUN IT THROUGH A SET NUMBER OF BOARD MEMBERS IF THAT'S WHAT WE DECIDE TO DO. AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO ASSEMBLE THESE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS. BUT WE DON'T WANT TO JUST SPEND AS SOON AS WE GET OUR APPROVAL. IF WE WERE TO GET AN APPROVAL TODAY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GO THROUGH A METHODICAL PROCESS, BE VERY TRANSPARENT. AND BEFORE WE DO, DECIDE ON SPENDING ON SOMETHING, BECAUSE WE DO ALSO HAVE TO GO THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE RIGHT ARCHITECT AND BE ABLE TO FIND THE RIGHT GENERAL CONTRACTOR. IN OTHER WORDS, WE DON'T WANT TO SPEND WITHOUT GETTING THAT CONSENSUS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY? OKAY, SO THERE'S ANOTHER THERE'S A SERIES OF OTHER, BUT WE'LL BE BACK AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT THE ACTUAL SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNTS, CORRECT? OKAY. YEAH. COOL. YEAH. SO ALONG THAT LINE, AND I AGREE WITH JAMES IN TERMS OF HAVING A LITTLE MORE DUE DILIGENCE INSTEAD OF A BLANK CHECK. BUT ALSO, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED LIKE, OKAY, WE WOULD RUN THIS THROUGH THE COMMITTEE AND LIKE FOR, I GUESS THIS WOULD FALL UNDER ME AND JAMES'S COMMITTEE, THE INVESTMENTS OR WHAT HAVE YOU STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS, CORRECT? CORRECT. SO IS THERE ANY PRECEDENCE OR, YOU KNOW, SEEING THAT THIS WAS AND I DON'T DISAGREE WITH REHABBING OUR SPACE, BUT SEEING THAT THIS WAS NOT AN ORIGINAL IDEA OR AN IDEA THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE BOARD, DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON BECAUSE I IMMEDIATELY I THINK WE NEED A SPACE TO WELCOME OUR VISITORS AND POTENTIAL BUSINESS.BUT JUST IN TERMS OF I WANT TO THROW IN LIKE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, YOU KNOW, SURE, WE CAN GO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AS A COMMITTEE, BUT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THIS SPACE BEFORE. I ALSO WOULD APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK FROM WHAT A SPACE LIKE THAT COULD BRING. DOES IT CULTIVATE DEALS AND REVENUE FLOW FOR THE CITY, OR IS IT JUST A BEAUTIFUL SPACE? RIGHT.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME OF THAT AS WELL. AND I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT, SURE, WE CAN GO GENERATE THAT AS A COMMITTEE, BUT ALSO THAT KIND OF FALLS UNDER, YOU KNOW, CEO, YOU GUYS KIND OF UMBRELLA AN AREA OF EXPERTISE. HAVING DONE THIS BEFORE. SO CHAIRMAN, IF I MAY, PLEASE. SO I THINK THAT'S A I THINK THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A, A PROJECT THAT IS NOT ONLY GOING TO BE GRATIFYING FOR THE TEAM, BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE A LEARNING PROCESS FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE HERE AS WELL. AGAIN, WE WE DON'T WANT JUST A BLANK CHECK TYPE OF PROCEDURE HERE. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THE WHYS AND THE HOUSE ALONG THE WAY IN TERMS OF WHAT THESE KPIS COULD LOOK LIKE AFTER MAKING THAT INVESTMENT, I THINK IT'S BEST PRACTICE FOR US TO ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT OTHER IDOS ARE DOING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS, FROM THE MOST EXTREME TO THE LEAST EXTREME. I CAN TELL YOU THIS RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS SET UP AT THE MOMENT, AND I'LL PARAPHRASE OR DIRECTLY QUOTE OUR OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CEO, IT'S NOT AS CONDUCIVE TO BE ABLE TO HOST PERHAPS ANOTHER CEO OF A COMPANY COMING IN. RIGHT. AND SO WE'RE AT THE MERCY OF AVAILABILITIES FOR WHATEVER CONFERENCE ROOMS AVAILABLE IN THE CITY OF, OF DE SOTO. OR WE OPT THROUGH OUR EXECUTIVE DISCRETION TO BE ABLE TO PERHAPS RENT A SPACE SOMEWHERE ELSE AND PAY FOR THOSE EXPENSES. SO AGAIN, THE, THE SPIRIT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE TOGETHER IS, ONE, BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS APPROVAL TO BEGIN THE PROCESS UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT. HOWEVER, I CAN TELL YOU THIS, THE FRUGALITY THAT OUR CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS WELL AS MYSELF, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T EVEN GET CLOSE TO THAT
[01:10:05]
NUMBER, BUT IT'S VERY HARD FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT THE FINAL PRODUCT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE UNTIL WE HAVE THIS INCLUSIVE CONVERSATION AMONGST EVERYBODY SO THAT EVERYBODY FEELS COMFORTABLE, EVERYBODY FEELS THAT THE THAT THE END PRODUCT IS A GREAT REPRESENTATION OF ALL THE CONCERNS AND OBJECTIVES WE MAY HAVE HERE AS A BODY. SO THANK YOU DOCTOR. GP. I 100% AGREE. I AGREE WITH DIRECTOR PRUITT, BUT ALSO KNOW TO THEY NEED ANOTHER SPACE. YEAH. AND I'D LIKE THEM TO MOVE ON THAT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. BUT IN TERMS OF THE LANGUAGE IN THIS. SO I WAS THINKING ABOUT UP TO OR NOT TO EXCEED, I JUST SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT MORE STRONGER, THE LEGALESE OF IT. OKAY. YEAH, I AGREE. YES. TO THAT POINT, I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING AT IT. AND WHEN WE ADD A LINE ITEM TO A BUDGET, WE WANT TO ADD A SPECIFIC LINE ITEM TO A BUDGET. WE WANT TO SAY $250,000. WE DON'T WANT TO SAY IN THE BUDGET, OKAY, OKAY, UP TO $250,000. AND SO I'M TRYING TO WORD IT TO GET WHAT YOU WANT. PUT THAT LIMITATION IN HERE, BUT ALSO KEEP THE LINE ITEM AS $250,000 IN THE BUDGET ITSELF, IF THAT MAKES SENSE, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ALL $250,000, BUT IT NEEDS TO APPEAR IN THE BUDGET AS $250,000. OKAY. CAN WE SAY UP TO 250,000 AND DO AN ADDENDUM FROM THE BOARD SAYING THAT WE DON'T EXPECT TO EXCEED. WELL, I'M GOING TO ADD WORDING TO THAT EFFECT IN THE MOTION ITSELF THAT THAT YOU'RE NOT AUTHORIZING THE SPENDING, YOUR AUTHORIZING THE SPENDING OF UP TO THE $250,000. BUT THE LINE ITEM ITSELF IN THE BUDGET IS GOING TO BE $250,000, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS THAT'S IN THAT RFP PROCESS? WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN? WOULD YOU LEAD US IN THAT RFP PROCESS? WELL, THAT'S A PROCESS THAT WE CAN COLLECTIVELY AGREE HOW WE WANT TO PROCEED WITH IT. I THINK ONCE WE LAUNCH AN RFP PROCESS, EVERY SINGLE BOARD MEMBER IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE SELECTION PROCESS AS WELL. OKAY. JUST LIKE YOU PHYSICALLY WANT, LIKE THE LAST ONE I WAS PART OF, I NEEDED A MEMBER PART OF IT. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S FAIR. WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT WAS DONE BEFORE AS WELL SO THAT WE CAN FOLLOW THE SAME TREND OR IMPROVE IT. SO, SO I'D LIKE TO JUST CHIME IN AND IF I MAY, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY SPEAKING, EVERY LAST ONE OF US, WHEN WE ENGAGE IN BUSINESS OR WE ENGAGE IN EFFORTS TO. TO CHANGE, IF YOU WILL, CHANGE THINGS THAT WE DO IN LIFE, PERSONALLY, PROFESSIONALLY, WE LOOK AT CHARACTER, WE LOOK AT CONDITIONS, WE LOOK AT. WHAT IS THE OFFICE SPACE LOOK LIKE? IS IT INVITING? DOES IT, DOES IT SPEAK TO QUALITY? DOES IT SPEAK TO SUCCESS? AND YOU MAKE CERTAIN DECISIONS? YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES BUSINESS DECISIONS ARE THEY'RE REALLY KIND OF EMOTIONAL WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. I MEAN, YOU GET THE BUSINESS SIDE, BUT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT. YOU'RE ASSESSING, IS IT WORTHY OF ME MAKING A CERTAIN INVESTMENT AND WHAT HAVE YOU? AND SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AS A BOARD, AND MOST CERTAINLY OVER THE LAST TEN MONTHS WITH TIP STRATEGIES AND WHAT HAVE YOU, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL. AND SO I THINK WE'VE GOT TO PUT THAT HAT AND RIDE THE CREST OF THAT WAVE TO ENSURE THAT OUR TEAM, THAT OUR STAFF, THAT OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM THAT'S REPRESENTING THIS BOARD AND REPRESENTING THIS CITY HAS A CERTAIN FEEL POSITIVENESS CAN DO. I THINK IT'S THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH WHAT WE HAVE. IF WE WANT TO STAY WITH WHAT WE ARE. IF I MAY SAY THAT. SO RESPECTFULLY, I'M GOING TO JUST ASK THAT THE BOARD WOULD TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK AT HOW WE MOVE THIS FORWARD SOONER THAN LATER, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME. AND AS I TALKED TO JOSH AND, AND GUS AND, AND THE TEAM, I TALK ABOUT WHAT HAVE WE HAD COME OUT OF THE GROUND? WHAT HAVE WE DEVELOPED? WE GOT TO TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO IT. AND NOW IS THE TIME. AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IN SUPPORT OF US TAKING THIS FORWARD SOONER THAN LATER. THANK YOU. WHAT DO WE NEED? ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOU? I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ELSE. A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION AS REVISED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY. I MOVE THAT WE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REPAIRS UP TO 250[01:15:08]
IN THE LINE. ITEM OF THE BUDGET. I SECOND THAT. OKAY. IT HAS BEEN MOTION AND APPROVED TO MOTION AND SECOND, TO APPROVE THE THE RENOVATION OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OFFICE SUITE. AT A BUDGET INCREASE OF $250,000. WITH THE CAVEAT OF BEING RFP AND APPROVED. ALL IN FAVOR, I. AYE. ANY NAYS. BUDGET APPROVED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BOARD.JOSH, YOU REMEMBER I GOT YOU OUT OF THAT CLOSET. OKAY. LITERALLY SPEAKING. OKAY. AT
[E. EXECUTIVE SESSION]
THIS TIME, THE BOARD IS GOING TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE OUT PUBLIC RIGHT AT THIS POINT AND IS PRESENTLY 7:16 P.M. AND WE WILL CONVENE* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.