* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Meeting of the Houston Forensic Science Center: Board of Directors on August 14, 2023] [00:00:19] I WILL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER NOW. IT IS 9:00 AM UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO, LET'S SEE. JUST AS A NOTE FOR FOLKS TODAY, WE HAVE FIVE VOICE VOTES THAT WE'LL BE DOING THROUGHOUT THIS MEETING. UH, MOVING TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO IS OUR ROLL CALL AND CONFIRMATION OF PRESENCE OF OUR QUORUM. MS. HAM, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL. PRESENT VICE CHAIR GOODWIN. PRESENT. DIRECTOR VASQUEZ. PRESENT. DIRECTOR HILDER. DIRECTOR COHEN. HERE. DIRECTOR MOORE. DIRECTOR HUFF HERE. AND DIRECTOR CALABRESE. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A QUORUM AND WE WILL CONTINUE WITH AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. WE NOW OPEN THE FLOOR TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND INVITE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND ADDRESS THE BOARD. WE ASK ALL SPEAKERS TO SIGN IN AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM SO WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND THAT ALL COMMENTS ARE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES. YOU MAY SPEAK ON ANY MATTER CONCERNING THE BOARD AND HFSC AT THIS TIME. DO WE HAVE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD? OKAY. SEEING NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN OUR AUDIENCE TODAY WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR COMMENT, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. OKAY. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR IS THE READING OF OUR DRAFT MINUTES FROM MAY 12TH, 2023. BOARD MEETING. I'D LIKE TO CONSIDER IF THERE ARE ANY PROPOSED CORRECTIONS AND THEN WE WILL HAVE AN APPROVAL, WHICH WILL BE A VOICE VOTE. UH, MEMBERS TODAY WE WILL CONSIDER THE MEETING MINUTES FROM MAY 12TH, 2023 BOARD MEETING. I TRUST THAT EVERYONE HAS HAD TIME TO REVIEW THE DOCUMENT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES? OKAY. HEARING NO CO HEARING, NONE, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND, UH, VOTE ON TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? DIRECTOR COHEN MAKES THE MOTION. SECOND. SECOND. DIRECTOR GOODWIN SECONDED. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. A. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. THE MEETING MINUTES ARE APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. OKAY. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS THE REPORT, THE CHAIR'S REPORT, UH, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A MONTHLY UPDATE OF ACTIVITIES AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, FOR THE FIRST, UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE ONLY HAVE TWO REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, UM, SEPTEMBER, AND IN NOVEMBER. OUR NEXT, OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER THE EIGHTH. I KNOW THAT MEETING FALLS ON THE WEEK OF LABOR DAY WHEN MANY PEOPLE MAY BE TRAVELING, SO I WANT TO BE SURE TO CALL ATTENTION TO THAT DATE. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CALENDARS TODAY AND TO GET WITH OUR BOARD SECRETARY, MS. HAM, AND LET HER KNOW YOUR AVAILABILITY. IF WE CANNOT GUARANTEE A QUORUM ON THAT DATE, SEPTEMBER THE EIGHTH, THEN WE'LL NEED TO LOOK AT SEPTEMBER THE 15TH, WHICHEVER DATE IS BEST FOR THE BOARD AND OUR STAFF WILL BE THE DATE THAT WE SELECT. HOWEVER, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE UNTIL OUR TWO VACANT BOARD SEATS ARE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, WE WILL NEED ALL CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS TO MAKE YOUR BEST EFFORTS TO ATTEND. THE SEPTEMBER MEETING IS ALSO WHEN WE HEAR DR. STOUT'S PRESENTATION ON THE CORPORATE GOALS FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, AS WELL AS A REVIEW OF THE COMPANY'S PERFORMANCE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. SO AGAIN, PLEASE LET MS. HAM KNOW YOUR AVAILABILITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE FOLLOWING MEETING, THE FOLLOWING MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER THE 17TH. THE THIRD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH DUE TO VETERAN'S DAY, HFSC WILL BE CLOSED ON OUR STANDING MEETING DAY, THE SECOND FRIDAY, AND OBSERVANCE OF THE HOLIDAY. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT DURING THE NOVEMBER MEETING, WE NOW CONDUCT DR. STOUT'S PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND VOTE ON A LIST OF INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE GOALS. THE BOARDS WANTS TO SEE EXECUTED DURING THE 2023 TO 24 FISCAL YEAR. IN PREPARATION FOR THOSE MEETINGS, IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE PRESENTED ABOUT HSCS PERFORMANCE DURING THE 2223 EVALUATION YEAR, PLEASE SEND THAT INFORMATION TO ME. I WILL PASS IT ALONG TO DR. STOUT FOR INCLUSION IN HIS SEPTEMBER REPORT. AS ALWAYS, WE CERTAINLY WANT THE ENTIRE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THESE MEETINGS AND PROVIDE INPUT. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEETING SCHEDULE OR AT THIS TIME? ANY COMMENTS? OKAY, GREAT. UH, LASTLY, SUB ITEM A FOR MY REPORT IS AN UPDATE ON THE DNA OUTSOURCING CONTRACT WITH SIGNATURE SCIENCE THAT THE BOARD APPROVED DURING THE JANUARY MEETING [00:05:01] THIS YEAR. THE AGREEMENT WAS INITIALLY FUNDED FOR A LITTLE OVER 1.1 MILLION BY THE FY 22, UH, BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE, DNA CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT AND BACKLOG REDUCTION FEDERAL GRANT. IF YOU RECALL, THE PROJECT INITIALLY INCLUDE A TESTING OF APPROXIMATELY 1000 UNTESTED SEXUAL ASSAULT AND NON-SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES OVER A FIVE TO SIX MONTH PERIOD. IN RECENT MONTHS, FUNDING OF THAT SPECIFIC PROJECT WAS INCREASED TO A LITTLE OVER 1.6 MILLION AT ONE, UH, $1,606,404. AND BECAUSE OF APPROVAL, THE AMENDED BUDGET WAS A TIME-SENSITIVE MATTER. I APPROVE THAT CHANGE AS THE BOARD HAD AUTHORIZED ME TO DO IN THESE UNIQUE SITUATIONS. AS ALWAYS, I'M MAKING THE BOARD AWARE OF THIS AMENDMENT AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, FOLLOWING THE APPROVAL, WHICH IS OUR MEETING TODAY, AND WITH THIS AMENDMENT, WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE SHIPPING CASEWORK TO SIGNATURE SCIENCE STARTING IN JUNE. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AMENDMENT? OKAY, WITH THAT FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO, UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS TO CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF A FIVE-YEAR DELIVERABLES BASED ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, APPLICATION MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CORPORATION INQUISITIVE LLC, WITH THE TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE OF $407,400 MEMBERS AT OUR NE. OUR NEXT ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF THE FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT WITH ACQUISITIVE, FORMERLY CATAPULT, LLC TO PURCHASE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, MAINTENANCE AND SUPPORT. IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE SUMMARY SHEET FOR THIS ITEM, YOU WILL NOTE THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THIS VENDOR FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, DR. PRECIOUS REARDEN AND HER TEAM ARE SEEKING TO CONTINUE THIS WORKING RELATIONSHIP BEYOND THE CURRENT TERM. DR. STOUT, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD SERV, UH, ABOUT THESE SERVICES? SURE. UM, SO WE STARTED WORKING WITH CATAPULT, WHO PROBABLY ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. UM, WE ORIGINALLY WENT TO THEM WITH, UH, REMAKING OUR EXTRANET SITE WAS WHERE WE STARTED. AND SUBSEQUENT TO THAT, WE NOW HAVE THEM MANAGING, UM, THE REQUEST PORTAL, WHICH IS WHERE ALL THOSE REQUESTS COME IN FROM END USERS, UH, THE EXTRANET, UM, OUR E-DISCOVERY SITE, AND WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE E-DISCOVERY SITE THAT WE NEED TO WORK AT. THEY WOULD BE QUITE CENTRAL TO US IN THE RESULT FROM SB 9 91, WHICH CREATES THE STATEWIDE DISCOVERY PORTAL THAT WILL HAVE WORK TO DO TO INTERFACE WITH THAT. UH, AND THEY HAVE BEEN INTEGRAL IN BASICALLY IT SERVICES BEYOND THE EXPERTISE THAT WE'VE GOT IN OUR IT UNIT. UM, PRECIOUS, I THINK ALL CONVERSATIONS I HAVE WITH HER, SHE WANTS TO CLONE THEM BECAUSE SHE'S JUST GIDDY, ECSTATIC WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE. AND I'LL SAY THEY HAVE BEEN EXTRAORDINARY TO WORK WITH OVER THE YEARS. THEY'VE BEEN, WE, WE HAVE WORKED WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT, UH, VENDORS OVER THE YEARS, UH, WITH VARIOUS VERSIONS OF E-DISCOVERY AND EXTRANET SITES AND HANDS DOWN CATAPULT NOW ACQUISITIVE HAS BEEN JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY VENDOR TO US. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT 'EM THAT YOU HAVE. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. STOUT? YEP. YEP. YES. SHE'LL BE FINE. RIGHT THERE. HAVE A SEAT. . ALRIGHT. OKAY. UM, IF THERE ARE NO ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND PROCEED WITH THE VOTE. UH, WE WILL NOW HAVE AVO VOICE VOTE ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX. BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AND DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CORPORATION INQUISITIVE LLC FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE OF $407,400? SO MOVE. OKAY. DIRECTOR HUFF MADE THE MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. DIRECTOR GOODWIN MAY THE SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. THE MOTION CARRIES. DR. STOUT, YOU MAY PROCEED WITH SIGNING THE AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD. TERRIFIC. THANK YOU. OKAY. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS OUR PRESENTATION FROM MR. LEACH, OUR TREASURER AND CFO REGARDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 YEAR END REVIEW AND THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET REALLOCATION AND THE FISCAL YEAR 2024 AMENDED, UH, BUDGET. UM, LET'S SEE, MEMBERS, OUR NEXT ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET, REALLOCATION AND POSSIBLE RELATED ACTION. [00:10:01] MR. LEACH, I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA GO OVER THREE THINGS. UH, FIRST WE'RE GONNA GO OVER A REVIEW OF THE YEAR END NUMBERS. OUR YEAR END ENDS JUNE, SO IT RUNS JULY ONE THROUGH JUNE 30. OR DO THAT PRETTY QUICKLY. UH, IT WILL BE EASY BECAUSE IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE YEAR BEFORE, WHICH LOOKS JUST LIKE THE YEAR BEFORE, UH, WE'VE KIND OF STABILIZED, WHICH IS A GOOD THING. AND THEN I'M GOING TO ASK YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL FOR A REALLOCATION OF LAST YEAR'S BUDGET. IN TOTAL, THE NUMBERS ARE THE SAME. JUST HAVE TO MOVE THEM AROUND BECAUSE BY RULE, BY LINE ITEM, I HAVE TO BE IN LINE. SO, UM, MY PLAN DOESN'T GO EXACTLY AS EXPECTED AS IT NEVER DOES, RIGHT? BUT IT'S CLOSE. SO I'LL ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL ON THAT. AND THEN FINALLY, THE, UH, APPROVAL THAT YOU GUYS, UH, GAVE, I BELIEVE BACK IN MARCH OR FEBRUARY MEETING FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, UH, THAT HAS CHANGED BASED UPON WHAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE THE CITY ACTUALLY APPROVED. SO I'LL ASK YOU FOR APPROVAL FOR THAT. OKAY. SO FIRST, IF, IF YOU'LL LOOK AT THE FIRST, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE BLUE LINES OR THE BARS TO THE LEFT ARE FISCAL YEAR 23. THE ORANGE ARE THE ONES TO THE RIGHT ARE FISCAL YEAR 22. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT EVERY ONE OF THOSE IS VERY CLOSE. UH, WE, WE HAVE THE MONEY THAT WE RECEIVED OUTSIDE OF GRANTS AND ARPA MONEY IS BASICALLY THE SAME. THE MONEY WE RECEIVED IN THOSE TWO YEARS FROM THE CITY WERE THE SAME. AND WHERE WE SPENT THE MONEY, HOW MUCH WE SPENT IS ALMOST IDENTICAL. SO UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO GO INTO THE DETAILS OF, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN 2% CHANGES, UM, I'LL MOVE ON. I, I THINK IS BEST. UH, THE CHART SHOWS YOU WHERE WE SPEND OUR MONEY OVER A LITTLE BIT. OVER 70% OF THAT IS SPENT ON PEOPLE THAT THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET THAT WE HAVE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO. AND THAT'S WHAT MAKES US GO IS OUR PEOPLE. SO 72% OF THE EXPENDITURES GO TO PEOPLE COST. AND THEN THE NEXT BIGGEST ONE IS CALLED SERVICES. AND THE LARGEST LINE ITEMS THAT MAKE UP THAT 22% ARE OUTSOURCING. MOST OF THAT MONEY COMES FROM GRANTS. FIO O GRANT. WERE EXCESS OF A MILLION DOLLARS. WE RECEIVED A LOT OF CARES MONEY FOR OUTSOURCING. IT IS A LARGE EXPENSE. AND THEN THE RENT ON THE BUILDING. SO THAT MAKES UP MOST OF THAT 22% AND THEN THE 3%, UH, A SMALLER PIECE, BUT MOST OF THAT ARE THE SUPPLIES THAT IT COSTS TO DO THE TESTING AND RUN THE LAB. SO THAT'S WHERE ALMOST ALL OF OUR MONEY IS SPENT. WE SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY ON CAPITAL, WHICH EVENTUALLY IS GONNA CATCH UP TO US, RIGHT? YOU, YOU CAN ONLY CHEAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SYSTEM, SO LONG MACHINES EVENTUALLY BREAK AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT WE HAVE RESORTED TO LEASING MACHINES NOW INSTEAD OF BUYING THEM TYPICAL MACHINE COSTS IN EXCESS OF HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. SO WE TYPICALLY LEASE THAT ON FIVE YEARS. SO WE'RE MAKING LEASE PAYMENTS, AND WE STARTED THAT A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO BE ABLE TO AT LEAST HAVE MACHINERY THAT WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO PAY THE CASH FOR. WE DO STILL PAY CASH FOR CARS. UM, IF YOU CAN FIND ONE, UH, JUST WITH THE ECONOMY, UH, FOR THE TRUCKS, FOR CSU. SO ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? OKAY. AND THEN LOOKING AT THE SAME NUMBERS, BUT DIVIDING IT INTO, UH, WHICH AREA, WHICH DISCIPLINE DO WE SPEND THE MONEY? WE HAVE SEVEN, UH, DISCIPLINES. F BIO, MULTIMEDIA, FIREARM, CSU, AND, AND THE SUCH THAT ACCOUNTS FOR 63% OF THE SPENDING. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE LARGEST ONE IS BIOLOGY, UH, THAT, THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE MONEY GOES. AND, AND YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS THERE AS FAR AS WHERE THE QU UH, THE MONEY IS SPENT. UH, AND THEN YOU SEE, UH, CSEM 4%, IT 8%. UH, SO THAT, THAT JUST SHOWS YOU A DIFFERENT LOOK AT WHERE THE MONEY'S GOING. THE ONE THAT'S CALLED SUPPORT SERVICES, THAT'S A BIG NUMBER, 20%. BUT THAT MAKES UP ALL YOUR, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS, HR, FINANCE, UH, THE EXECUTIVE LEGAL, RIGHT? ALL, ALL OF THOSE COSTS THAT ANY ORGANIZATION INCURS TO MAKE THE ORGANIZATION RUN. SO THAT, THAT'S A HIGH LEVEL, BUT, UH, I, I THINK A, UM, AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF REVIEW OF WHERE WE SPEND THE MONEY. IF AT ANY TIME ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR WANTS TO DIVE DEEPER INTO ANY NUMBER, UH, THE INFORMATION'S AVAILABLE. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE REVIEW OF FISCAL YEAR 23? [00:15:02] OKAY, I WILL MOVE TO MY REQUEST THEN FOR A VOTE ON A REALLOCATION OF THE BUDGET. THIS IS, THIS IS THE SAME WAY I'VE PRESENTED THIS THE LAST FEW YEARS. IN THE FIRST COLUMN, YOU SEE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET. THAT'S THE STANDING BUDGET THAT THE BOARD HAS APPROVED. YOU SEE IT BY LINE ITEM, A DETAILED LINE ITEM OF OUR PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT. AND THEN THE NEXT YOU'LL SEE A TOTAL OF $1.5 MILLION OF GRANT MONEY. SO WHEN WE, WHEN WE SPEND THE GRANT MONEY, WE JUST BUDGET IT IN TOTAL. AND THEN WHEN WE ACTUALLY SPEND IT, I PLUG IT INTO THE LINE ITEM THAT WE ACTUALLY SPENT THE MONEY. SO THAT CHANGES THE NUMBERS. AND THEN WE ALSO RECEIVE 1.4 MILLION. WE SPENT 1.4 MILLION OF ARPA MONEY THIS YEAR. AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE NEXT FEW PAGES WHERE THAT WAS SPENT. AND THEN YOU HAVE A COLUMN THERE THAT SAYS BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS. THAT NETS TO ZERO, WHICH IS IMPORTANT. I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANY CHANGES IN TOTAL IN THE BUDGET, BUT FOR ME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T OVERSPEND AN APPROVED BUDGET ON ANY LINE ITEM, I HAVE TO DO SOME PLUSES AND MINUSES, JUST MOVING FURNITURE FROM ONE DRAWER TO ANOTHER DRAWER. OKAY? SO THE, THE NEXT SEVERAL PAGES, THE NEXT UH, FOUR PAGES SHOW ALL THE PLUSES AND THE MINUSES. WHAT'S IMPORTANT, AT LEAST IN MY MIND, IS THE LAST PAGE THAT BOX, THAT RED BOX ON THE BOTTOM, THAT'S THE SUM OF ALL THE CHANGES, WHICH IS ZERO. SO WHAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE NETS TO ZERO, I'M JUST ASKING FOR APPROVAL TO MOVE THINGS AROUND. SO I STAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH, ON ANY SPECIFIC LINE ITEM. WE HAVEN'T OVERSPENT WHAT YOU AS A BOARD HAVE APPROVED. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY. UH, UNLESS THERE ARE QUESTIONS, THEN I'LL ASK FOR THE BOARD'S APPROVAL. OKAY. HEARING NO QUESTIONS, WE WILL, UM, GO AHEAD NOW AND HAVE A VOICE VOTE. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET REALLOCATIONS. OKAY. UH, MOTION WAS MADE BY A DIRECTOR, GOODWIN. SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. SECOND, DR. UH, DIRECTOR VASQUEZ, I MADE YOU A DOCTOR. I , CAN I BE ONE? ANY, UH, ANY, UH, UM, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. RIGHT. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. THERE YOU GO MR. LEACH. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, SO A LITTLE BIT MORE DISCUSSION MAYBE ON THIS ONE. WHEN WE, UH, PRESENTED THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, WHICH WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, UH, WE HAD SEVERAL, UM, ADDITIONS THAT, UH, DR. STOUT HAD PRESENTED TO YOU AS TO WHY WE NEED TO DO THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? AND THAT, THAT THAT TOTALED, UH, $3 MILLION AND YOU APPROVED, YOU KNOW, THE BASELINE WHERE WE ARE NOW PLUS $3 MILLION FOR DOING OTHER THINGS, UH, THAT DID NOT GET APPROVED BY THE CITY. WHAT THEY DID APPROVE WAS AN INCREASE, WHICH I'M VERY THANKFUL. I'M THANKFUL FOR WHAT THEY GIVE US, RIGHT? PLUS THE 600,000, UM, FOR F BIO OUTSOURCING. OKAY? SO THAT'S WHAT WAS APPROVED. SO LET ME SHOW YOU HOW THIS CHART WORKS SO YOU CAN SEE IT. I JUST GIVE YOU FISCAL 21 AND FISCAL 22 FOR A REFERENCE. SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, WHAT WE HAD APPROVED IN MONEY. AND THEN I GIVE YOU FISCAL YEAR 23. AT THE TIME IT WAS A FORECAST. NOW THEY'RE FINAL NUMBERS OR CLOSE TO FINAL. SO YOU CAN SEE THE HISTORY. AND THEN THE NEXT COLUMN, FISCAL YEAR 24, BUDGET 600 K, THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE, RIGHT? BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THE FISCAL YEAR 24 THAT YOU IN THE LAST MEETING APPROVED THAT HAD A $3 MILLION INCREASE. SO THAT MONEY ISN'T THERE. BUT I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU ORIGINALLY APPROVED AND WHAT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN, RIGHT? SO, WE'LL, I'LL, I'LL DISCUSS THAT A LITTLE BIT AND THEN YOU CAN, THAT'S THE COLUMN THAT SAYS CHANGES IN FY 24 BUDGET. SO THERE'S, SO IF YOU GO FROM A $3 MILLION INCREASE, WHICH YOU ORIGINALLY APPROVED TO A $600,000 INCREASE, WHICH I'M HOPEFUL THAT YOU WILL APPROVE, THAT'S A NEGATIVE 2.4 MILLION. THAT'S THE CHANGE BETWEEN WHAT YOU HAD ORIGINALLY APPROVED, RIGHT? SO YOU CAN SEE THAT COLUMN SHOWS YOU, HEY, WHAT, WHAT CHANGE VERSUS WHAT I APPROVED LAST TIME TO WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ME TO APPROVE THIS TIME. THAT'S THE SECOND TO LAST COLUMN. AND THEN THE LAST COLUMN AS IF THE $3 MILLION NEVER HAPPENED 'CAUSE IT DIDN'T GET APPROVED BY THE CITY. WHAT CHANGED BETWEEN THIS YEAR AND WHAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE. SO THAT'S THE WAY YOU READ THIS. OKAY? SO [00:20:01] THE THINGS THAT ARE OFF THE TABLE THAT YOU ORIGINALLY APPROVED, WE HAD ORIGINALLY ASKED TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE CSU DEPARTMENT. THERE WAS $650,000 IN AN INCREASE OF SIX PEOPLE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. OKAY? TOXICOLOGY, WE WERE GOING TO GROW THAT DEPARTMENT BY THREE PEOPLE. $400,000, NOT GONNA HAPPEN. UH, FIXED ASSETS, $700,000, THREE PEOPLE AND EQUIPMENT, THE 3D MICROSCOPE AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. NOT GONNA HAPPEN UNLESS WE FIND ANOTHER WAY THROUGH GRANTS AND OTHER MEANS TO DO THAT. OKAY? QUALITY DEPARTMENT WANTED TO INCREASE THE QUALITY BY A HEAD COUNT AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DO. 145, NOT GONNA HAPPEN. UH, SEIZED DRUGS. WE WERE GOING TO LEASE A MACHINE. IT'S A $500,000 MACHINE, COULDN'T AFFORD, UH, TO BUY IT. WE WERE GONNA LEASE IT, UH, 50,000 A YEAR, MAYBE $350,000 MACHINE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. NEEDED TO MAKE I UPGRADES TO OUR IT, RIGHT? IT GETS OUTDATED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 381,000, THAT'S GONNA BE A PUSH. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT ON THAT. AND THEN FIO WE ARE GETTING 600,000 TO OUTSOURCE, BUT WE'RE ALSO WANTING TO BUMP THAT UP BY ONE PERSON. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. SO IN MY MIND, THE, THE IMPORTANT THINGS ARE EVERYTHING'S THE SAME, RIGHT? FROM THIS YEAR PLUS 600,000 FOR F BIO. WE AS MANAGEMENT WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOCATE THOSE RESOURCES WITH YOUR GUIDANCE THE BEST THAT WE CAN TO GET AS MUCH WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. BUT, YOU KNOW, BACKLOGS ARE GROWING, THERE'S NEWS ABOUT IT. WE ASK FOR RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO TACKLE THAT STUFF. YOU HIRE SOMEBODY, THEY DON'T START WORKING IN SIX MONTHS, SOMETIMES NOT EVEN A YEAR. SOMETIMES IT TAKES TWO TO THREE YEARS TO GET 'EM TO BE ABLE TO ATTACK THE BACKLOG. SO WHEN WE ASK FOR PEOPLE AND THEY SAY, NO, YOU KNOW, IT ROLLS DOWNHILL AND WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. SO JUST FOR INFORMATION, AND I'LL JUST OPEN IT UP TO THAT AND THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND ASK YOU, UH, FOR APPROVAL, ANY DISCUSSION THAT DR. STOUT WANTS TO THROW IN THERE OR THE BOARD. ANY DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS? DR. STOUT, ANYTHING FROM YOU? I THINK DAVID COVERED IT. I MEAN IT'S, IT'S THE PEOPLE IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OUTTA THAT. AND THE PEOPLE IS OUR SINGLE BIGGEST COST. THE PEOPLE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN'T PUT ON GRANTS. THAT'S GONNA BE THE ONGOING CHALLENGE FOR US, BUT IS WHAT IT IS. AND THE GRANTS ARE LIMITED TOO. THE GRANTS ARE LIMITED. SO LIKE FOR FIO O, RIGHT? AND THEN WHAT ELSE ARE WE ABLE TO GET? GRANTS? WHAT OTHER SECTIONS DO WE GET? GRANTS? WELL, FIREARMS MAYBE NOW, RIGHT? WELL, SO, SO WE HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH THE CITY AND I THINK, I THINK WE MAY BE SUCCESSFUL THERE TO DISPLACE THE EQUIPMENT IN FIREARMS INTO ARPA FUNDING. BECAUSE UNDER ARPA THERE IS A SPECIFIC, UM, ALLOWANCE IN THAT LEGISLATION FOR GUN VIOLENCE ISSUES. SO CLEARLY ANYTHING WE'RE DOING IN VIOLENT, IN FIREARMS GOES TO GUN VIOLENCE. UM, WE HAVE APPLIED FOR COVERDALE FUNDING. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE APPLIED FOR COVERDALE FUNDING TO TRY AND ACQUIRE THE INSTRUMENTATION THAT WE NEED IN SEIZE DRUGS. WE WILL SEE IN ABOUT OCTOBER IF THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL. UM, THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE TO US IS LARGELY IN FORENSIC BIOLOGY. UM, BUT THAT'S THE BRIDGE THAT WE NEEDED BECAUSE REMEMBER WE SAW 78% INCREASE IN THE COST OF COMMERCIAL SERVICES THIS LAST YEAR. THAT HAS EATEN THROUGH OUR FEDERAL MONEY FAR FASTER THAN WE WERE PLANNING. AND THAT WAS THE BRIDGE THERE SO THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PAUSE ON OUTSOURCING FBO. UM, BUT THE DIFFICULTY ON GRANTS IS, AND EVEN THE ARPA FUNDING, THE ARPA FUNDING NEEDS TO BE OBLIGED BY NEXT FISCAL YEAR, RIGHT? END OF, YEAH. END OF, END OF, YEAH. IT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR TRAINING PEOPLE, BUT THE TRAINING ARC FOR ANALYSTS IS TWO TO FOUR YEARS. SO WE STILL HAVE A CHALLENGE AND CLEARLY WE CAN'T FUND THOSE PEOPLE ONGOING ON GRANT MONEY. AND ARPA IS FOR STUFF, RIGHT? NOT PEOPLE. YEAH. SO NO, CLEARLY, I MEAN, WE, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T HIRE ANYONE WITH ARPO. BUT WE DO STUFF. WE, WELL, WE DO HIRE AND WE'VE GOT SOME PEOPLE THAT WE ARE HIRING, BUT IT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED AROUND, THEY ARE GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS. OKAY? WHEN THE GRANT MONEY ENDS, THERE IS NO EXPECTATION THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEM. BUT WE DO HAVE SOME MONEY THERE, [00:25:01] PARTICULARLY TO ADDRESS THE DOCUMENTATION CHALLENGES AND THE SUBPOENA CHALLENGES. SO THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE COMING TO US FROM THE COURT AND PROSECUTION END, OKAY, WE'VE GOT SOME MONEY TO TRY AND DEAL WITH THAT. 'CAUSE REMEMBER PROBABLY THE, THE, THE BIGGER CHALLENGE THAT HAS OCCURRED FOR US IN THIS LAST YEAR IS THE COURTS STARTED BACK UP, THE PROSECUTORS STARTED BACK UP, AND NOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE AS OVERWHELMED AND UNDERWATER AS EVERYBODY ELSE, WHICH MEANS YOU'VE GOT PROSECUTORS THAT PICK UP THEIR FILE A WEEK BEFORE THEIR TRIAL AND THEN THEY CALL US UP SAYING, HEY, WE NEED, IT'S LIKE, WELL, THAT'S GREAT. I WISH YOU'D ASKED ABOUT THAT THREE YEARS AGO WHEN YOU GOT THAT CASE JACKET. NOT LAST WEEK FOR HERE AND THIS WEEK. UM, BUT THAT'S THE CHALLENGE THAT WE'VE GOT. ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUES ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? SO THE SOURCES OF MONEY THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT MIGHT POSSIBLY COME THROUGH MM-HMM . IN TERMS OF THE CLOVERDALE AND THINGS, HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE INTO THEN BEING ABLE TO USE THOSE FUNDS FOR AN ADDITIONAL PERSON OR TWO OR THREE OR IN, IN, SO, SO WE DO HIRE AND KEEP SOME PEOPLE IN FORENSIC BIOLOGY ON WHAT'S CALLED THE CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT BACKLOG REDUCTION GRANT PROGRAM. THAT'S UNDER THE DEBBIE SMITH ACT. THAT'S ALL IN DNA, THAT IS A WHAT'S CALLED FORMULA GRANT. SO IT'S A BLOCK GRANT TO THE STATE THAT'S THEN DISTRIBUTED. AND, AND TEXAS USES A FORMULA BASED ON, UH, PART ONE UCR CODED CRIME. SO VIOLENT CRIMES, AND OTHER THAN TEXAS DPS, WE ARE THE LARGEST SOURCE OF VIOLENT CRIME IN THE STATE, WHICH MEANS, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE SECOND ONLY TO DPS FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE GET OUT OF THAT. MM-HMM . IT'S VERY PREDICTABLE. AND SO WE HAVE PERSONNEL THAT WE HIRE ON GRANT. IT'S COMMUNICATED TO THEM THAT YOU ARE A GRANT FUNDED POSITION. SHOULD WE EVER RUN OUT OF GRANT MONEY? SORRY. BUT IT'S VERY PREDICTABLE. SO IT'S EASY FOR US TO KEEP PEOPLE ON THAT GRANT YEAR OVER YEAR, OVER YEAR, UM, UNDER ARPA. WE, BECAUSE OF THIS INCREASE, I MEAN, WE WE'RE, AND THE INCREASE IS BIG. I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS SOME BEFORE. WE WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT AT LEAST TWICE THE MAN HOURS IN TESTIMONY. WE'VE GOT THOUSANDS OF SUBPOENAS COMING THROUGH. THE DOCUMENTATION DEMANDS HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ROOF. THAT HAS BEEN EASY TO JUSTIFY AS A CONSEQUENCE OF COVID AND THEREFORE JUSTIFIED UNDER ARPA FUNDING. AND WHEREAS THE, THE, THE CITY AND AND I, I GET WHERE THE CITY'S AT, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE VERY HESITANT TO HIRE PEOPLE ON ARPA MONEY BECAUSE OF IT'S CLOSED ENDED THERE, THERE'S ONLY ONLY LASTS FOR SO LONG. BUT BECAUSE WE NEED THE PEOPLE HELP, AND IT'S A SHORT TRAINING ARC THERE TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THESE DOCUMENTATION CHALLENGES WE'VE HIRED, WE ARE HIRING SOME PEOPLE ON ARPA FUNDS AS WELL AS WE'VE GOT MONEY THERE TO WORK AT SOME OF THE AUTOMATION AROUND THIS. SO YOU CAN THINK OF THE PEOPLE ARE KIND OF A BRIDGE WHILE WE WORK ON SOME OF THE AUTOMATION OF THE DOCUMENTATION STUFF. BUT THOSE ARE REALLY THE TWO PLACES. COVERDALE IS ADVANTAGEOUS TO US BECAUSE IT IS ALMOST THE ONLY FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN DNA. SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE APPLIED THERE FOR THE EQUIPMENT IN THESE DRUGS. SO IF YOU GET THOSE EQUIPMENT COSTS, THEN YOU COULD USE THAT MONEY FOR HIRING OTHER PEOPLE. WELL, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE EQUIP IF, IF YOU GET IT RIGHT. WELL, SO I'M JUST ASKING WHAT, HOW THAT WOULD CONVERT TO HOW MANY EXTRA PEOPLE COULD YOU HIRE? THE DIFFICULTY FOR US PERSPECTIVE ON THIS IN THE, THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WE HAD, WE, WE, WE HAVE TO GET THAT EQUIPMENT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING EATEN ALIVE BY THE COMPLEX PILLS. AND YOU SEE ALL OF THE THINGS ABOUT FENTANYL. SO WE HAVE TO GET THAT EQUIPMENT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. UM, WE HAD APPLIED FOR IT UNDERCOVER DALE AND BUILT IT INTO THE BUDGET BECAUSE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, WE NEED THAT EQUIPMENT. UM, CITY CHOSE NOT TO FUND THAT IN THE BUDGET. SO NOW OUR CHANCE FOR THAT EQUIPMENT IS COVERDALE. LET'S HOPE WE GET IT. UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S, IT'S THERE, THERE IS NOTHING THAT IT WILL DISPLACE THAT WE COULD USE ELSEWHERE. NOW KEEP IN MIND, WITH ALL OF THIS EQUIPMENT THERE IS PROCURING THE EQUIPMENT, RECEIVING THE EQUIPMENT, THEN THE REALLY HARD PART OF IT IS VALIDATING AND IMPLEMENTING ALL OF THIS EQUIPMENT. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOME FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO THE WAY WE DO WORK IN BOTH SEIZE DRUGS AND FIREARMS. AND WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IN FIREARMS, THIS MUCH, MUCH WIDER [00:30:01] DISCUSSION NATIONWIDE, OKAY? IT'S A BAR FIGHT NATIONWIDE ABOUT THE ADMISSIBILITY OF FIREARMS EVIDENCE. THESE SCOPES ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THAT. BUT IT IS A FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING FIREARMS EXAMINATIONS THAT IS GOING TO BE A STEEP LEARNING CURVE FOR OUR PEOPLE. AND, AND EVEN STEEPER LEARNING CURVE FOR INVESTIGATORS, PROSECUTORS, AND THE COURT. THE EXAMPLE I GIVE IS THIS, IS THIS, THIS IS PROBABLY A BIGGER CHANGE THAN PROBABILISTIC GENOTYPING WAS TO DNA. WE'VE BEEN USING STR MIX AND PROBABILISTIC GENOTYPING NOW FOR NEARLY FIVE YEARS, AND THE COURT SYSTEM AND THE LAWYERS ARE STILL A LONG WAY OFF OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT THOSE RESULTS ARE TELLING THEM. SO THIS, THE, THESE SCOPES ARE WHAT WE HAVE TO GET TO, BUT DON'T HAVE ANY PRETENSE THAT THIS IS A SHORT THING THAT'S GOING TO SOLVE CAPACITY ISSUES TOMORROW. THIS IS ESSENTIAL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE STILL ADMISSIBLE OVER THE COMING YEARS. BUT THIS IS GONNA TAKE YEARS TO GET THIS IN PLACE. I AM HOPING WE GET THERE BEFORE THERE'S A DALBERT HEARING IN TEXAS, LIKE IN ILLINOIS THAT EXCLUDES FIREARMS EVIDENCE FROM ADMISSIBILITY. AS I HAVE TRIED TO EXPRESS THIS TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE. WE HAVE 2000 HOMICIDES PENDING TRIAL IN HARRIS COUNTY. IMAGINE TRYING TO PROSECUTE THOSE 2000 HOMICIDES. ALMOST ALL OF THEM ARE WITH A GUN WITHOUT ANY FIREARMS EVIDENCE. THAT'S A PRETTY SOBERING REALITY. AND THE SCOPES ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP US WITH BEING MORE ACCURATE IN OR ARE HAVING. IT IS. SO, SO ULTIMATELY WHAT THESE SCOPES DO IS THEY GIVE, YOU CAN THINK OF 'EM, UM, THEY GIVE A THREE DIMENSIONAL RENDERING OF THE SURFACE OF A CARTRIDGE OR A BULLET. SO IN THE EARLIEST STAGES, WHAT THIS IS GONNA DO IS GIVE US FAR BETTER DOCUMENTATION OF HOW AN EXAMINER IS LOOKING AT THE EVIDENCE IN A MORE TRADITIONAL EXAM. WE HAVE AN R AND D GRANT RIGHT NOW WITH CSAFE AND SOME OTHER UNIVERSITIES LOOKING AT WHERE THIS IS HEADED, WHICH IS A MORE PROBABILISTIC ANALYSIS OF THAT DA THAT DATA IN TERMS OF TRYING TO GIVE A PROBABILITY OF HOW LIKELY THAT REFERENCE IS TO BE THE, A MATCH TO THE EVIDENCE. SO IT'S VERY SIMILAR KIND OF MATHEMATICALLY THINKING ABOUT IT TO WHAT WE DO IN DNA. THAT'S A LONG WAY OUT THERE. AND PART OF THE RESEARCH GRANT THAT WE HAVE IS WORKING WITH THESE UNIVERSITIES ABOUT THOSE PROBABILISTIC ALGORITHMS AND HOW IT WORKS WITH THOSE DATA, WITH, WITH THOSE DATA. UM, SO THAT KIND OF PROBABILISTIC ANALYSIS IS PROBABLY STILL THREE TO FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, BUT SIMPLY HAVING THE DOCUMENTATION WILL HELP EVEN IMMINENTLY. AND WE DON'T HAVE NEARLY ENOUGH TIME HERE THIS MORNING TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE, UM, NUANCE OF THE CRITICISMS OF FIREARMS EXAMINATION. BUT THERE IS, THERE IS A, IS A VERY REAL CHALLENGE AROUND THE COUNTRY. THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE DAUBERT HEARINGS. THE, THE, THE TWO THAT ARE PROBABLY THE, WHAT STICK OUT THE MOST IS THE ONE THAT WAS IN ILLINOIS AND A RECENT ONE IN MARYLAND. THE ONE IN ILLINOIS FLAT EXCLUDED THE ADMISSION OF FIREARMS EVIDENCE IN ILLINOIS. THE ONE IN MARYLAND, UH, LIMITED WHAT THE FIREARMS EXAMINER IS ABLE TO TESTIFY TO, AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY CAN BASICALLY SAY THAT AN ITEM OF EVIDENCE IS RELATED TO A PARTICULAR WEAPON. UM, THERE IS A DAUBERT HEARING THAT IS SHAPING UP IN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN, IN WASHINGTON DC THAT REGARDLESS HOW THAT ONE COMES OUT, THAT ONE'S GONNA MAKE WAVES NATIONWIDE. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT DAUBERT HEARING WILL BE, BUT, UM, THERE IS A GROUP AND I'VE, I'VE PRESENTED WITH THEM, I'VE TALKED WITH ALL OF THEM. THERE IS A GROUP OF VERY CREDIBLE SCIENTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS CRITICISM NATIONWIDE. UM, I I THEY AREN'T WRONG IN SOME OF THEIR CRITICISMS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO, I THINK A LITTLE OVER OVERLY SIMPLISTIC. AND I THINK THERE IS A SERIOUS RISK THAT WE ALL FACE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OUT OF THIS. SO YEAH, I'M, I'M, I'M WORRIED ABOUT FIREARMS THESE DAYS. OKAY, SO FINGERS CROSSED ON COVERDALE. YES. AND THAT'S AN ANNUAL GRANT THAT WE CAN CONTINUE. THAT IS AN ANNUAL GRANT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME. SO REMEMBER THIS IS WHY WE MADE THE CHANGES TO THE FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS, WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT BECAUSE WE HAD LANGUAGE IN OUR FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS THAT PRECLUDED US FROM BEING ABLE TO APPLY FOR COVERDALE. SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE BEEN [00:35:01] ABLE TO APPLY AND QUALIFY FOR IT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. THEN I WOULD ASK FOR THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF THE FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET AS PRESENTED. ALL RIGHT, WHICH IS 600,000 MORE THAN PRIOR YEAR. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET AS PRESENTED BY MR. LEACH? OKAY. DIRECTOR COHEN MADE THE MOTION. SECOND. SECOND. DIRECTOR VASQUEZ SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY, GREAT. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY, NOW WE'RE PROCEEDING TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS ADJOURNMENT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? OKAY. I WAS HOPING SOMEBODY WOULD SAY SOMETHING, OTHERWISE WE COULD JUST STAY HERE, RIGHT? . OKAY. DIRECTOR GOODWIN MADE THE MOTION. SECOND. SECOND. DIRECTOR VASQUEZ. ALL RIGHT. UM, I ASSUME EVERYONE IS GONNA BE IN FAVOR, . ALL IN FAVOR, ? UH, ANYONE OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE MEETING IS ADJOURN AT 9 36 AND SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.