* 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.
           
          [00:00:18]
25 BUDGET PRESENTATION. 
          WELCOME TO RANDY MKI AND SAMIR SLANKY. 
          WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU ARE HERE, AND WE WILL GET RIGHT TO IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MADAM CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE ARE, UH, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO BE WITH YOU TODAY TO PRESENT THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          AGAIN, MY NAME'S RANDY MACAI, SERVE AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR THE DEPARTMENT JOINED BY CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SAMIR SOLANKI. 
          WE'RE ALSO JOINED HERE IN CHAMBERS BY MANY MEMBERS OF OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM. 
          UH, AS YOU'LL SEE IN A MOMENT, AND AS SOME OF YOU HAVE COME TO KNOW, THE VAST QUANTITY OF WORK WE PRODUCE, UH, REQUIRES AN ARMY OF PEOPLE TO HELP LEAD THAT, AND SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SUPPORT TODAY. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          UH, I BRING THE ORG CHART UP FIRST. 
          UM, JUST AS A LITTLE BIT OF A REMINDER, AND AS MANY OF YOU WELL KNOW, PUBLIC WORKS IS CURRENTLY A DEPARTMENT IN TRANSITION. 
          AND SO AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, THERE IS A BIT OF A TRANSITION IN OUR LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION AND THOSE FUNCTIONS, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE WAY IT'S BROKEN OUT HERE, UM, BUT REGARDLESS OF HOW WE HAVE ORGANIZED OURSELVES TODAY. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO OUR PURPOSE. 
          THIS, THIS IS FOR YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          UM, TOGETHER WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE, AND WE DO THAT BY EMBODYING OUR CORE VALUES OF RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, INTEGRITY, TEAMWORK, AND COMMUNICATION. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THE WORK OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS DIVIDED AMONGST OUR SERVICE LINES, AND THOSE SERVICE LINES, AS I MENTIONED, DO VARIOUS THINGS IN, IN DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES, ALTHOUGH MANY OF IT CROSSES OVER FROM TIME TO TIME. 
          THAT INCLUDES OUR CAPITAL PROJECT, SERVICE LINE, CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES, THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER, UH, HOUSTON, WATER AND TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS. 
          ALTHOUGH OUR PROPOSED BUDGET TODAY IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO COVER EACH OF THOSE SERVICE LINES, WE BRING THIS UP BECAUSE EACH OF THEM ALSO, UM, HAVE MULTIPLE FUNDS AND COST CENTERS AS PART OF THE BUDGETARY PROCESS. 
          UH, REGARDLESS OF HOW WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES TO GET THE WORK DONE, WE'RE COMMITTED TO DOING SO. 
          AND SO AS WE TURN TO IT, SAMIR WILL NOW PRESENT TO YOU OUR PROPOSED BUDGET MOVING FORWARD. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS. 
          MY NAME IS SAMIR SLANKY. 
          I'M THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          BEFORE WE GET STARTED, UH, JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE HELPED US PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER. 
          UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON OF THE CITYWIDE $6.7 BILLION BUDGET. 
          HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS 3.3, RIGHT AT ABOUT HALF OF THE ENTIRE CITY BUDGET. 
          SO WE WILL BEGIN BY GOING OVER HPW FROM AN OUTCOME-BASED, UH, BUDGET PERSPECTIVE. 
          OUTCOME-BASED BUDGETING IDENTIFIES PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND ALIGNS FUNDING WITH OUTCOMES. 
          WE DO HAVE A LOT OF MATERIAL TO COVER WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, SO I WILL BE MINDFUL OF THE TIME CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESENTATION OR FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET SHAREPOINT SIDE. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          SO, HERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF THE INITIATIVES THAT THE H-P-W-O-B-B PROGRAM ADDRESSES, AS WELL AS THE INITIATIVES WE ARE CURRENTLY ALIGNED WITH ON THE BOTTOM LEFT, SUCH AS TREAT REHABILITATION POTHOLE INITIATIVE, STORMWATER ACTION TEAM CONSENT DECREE, BUILD HOUSTON FORWARD, AND PROMOTE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. 
          ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS A BREAKDOWN OF OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET PERCENTAGE BY PRIORITY. 
          THE OTHER CATEGORY INCLUDES DEBT SERVICE AND FERENCE TRANSFERS FOR THE DIFFERENT FUNDS WITHIN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS THAT SUPPORT THE INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AND HERE YOU'LL FIND THE EXPENDITURES BROKEN OUT BY EACH OF THE H-P-W-O-B-B PROGRAMS. UH, WE WILL COVER THIS IN MORE DETAIL IN THE NEXT SLIDES. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THE NEXT FEW FEW SLIDES GO OVER OUR PROGRAMS AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          WE HAVE SEVERAL SLIDES, WHICH I WILL GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE DETAILS WITHIN EACH OF OUR FUNDS. 
          FOR HPW, THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICES FUNDS ARE INTERNAL ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS ESSENTIAL FOR RUNNING THE DEPARTMENT SUCH AS IT FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT, REAL ESTATE SERVICES AND FACILITY MANAGEMENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          LAST YEAR, THE SYSTEM PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED OVER 182 BILLION GALLONS OF SAFE DRINKING WATER. 
          THE FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL $25 MILLION IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE REPAIR OF WATER MAIN BREAKS. 
          [00:05:02]
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS A MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          LAST YEAR, THE SYSTEM TREATED OVER 88 BILLION GALLONS OF WASTEWATER. 
          THE FISCAL 25 BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING TO PERFORM CONSENT DECREE RELATED ACTIVITIES TO MEET OUR ANNUAL GOALS AS REQUIRED UNDER THE EPA MANDATES. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS ALL METERING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATIONS RELATED TO WATER BILLS. 
          THIS PROGRAM CURRENTLY HANDLES BILLING AND COLLECTION FOR APPROXIMATELY 488,000 WATER AND WASTEWATER ACCOUNTS. 
          WE'RE WORKING TO IDENTIFY, IDENTIFY MEANINGFUL DATA POINTS TO REPORT GOING FORWARD, AS WELL AS GOING THROUGH SOME ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES THAT RANDY HAS MENTIONED. 
          AS I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT AS PART OF THE WATER BILL RELIEF PROGRAM, HPW HAS COMMITTED TO REPLACE 125,000 REMOTE READ DEVICES THROUGH THIS YEAR. 
          AS OF MAY 3RD, OUR CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES HAVE REPLACED 19,700 REMOTE READ DEVICES. 
          WE ARE CONFIDENT ABOUT REPLACING THE REMAINING FAULTY DEVICES BEFORE THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS THE BUILT HOUSTON FORWARD PROGRAM AND MAINTENANCE OF THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          LAST YEAR, HPW REPAIRED OVER 64,000 POTHOLES. 
          WE BEGAN THE FUNDING FOR THE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM THAT WAS APPROVED IN EARLY FISCAL 24, AND ARE INCLUDING A SIGNIFICANT BUDGET INCREASE IN FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUNDS DELIVERY OF CIP PROJECTS. 
          THE TOTAL CIP FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS 6.9 BILLION. 
          $2.1 BILLION IS FOR STREET AND DRAINAGE, AND 4.8 BILLION IS FOR WATER AND SEWER. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          I GOTTA MAKE YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME. 
          SURE. 
          THAT WAS QUICK. 
          THE TOTAL CIP FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS 6.9 BILLION FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          $2.1 BILLION OF THAT IS FOR STREET AND DRAINAGE, AND 4.8 BILLION IS FOR WATER AND SEWER. 
          OKAY. 
          HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER'S PROGRAMS CONSIST OF TWO MAJOR SECTIONS, THE COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN REVIEW AND COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL AND RIGHT OF WAY INSPECTIONS. 
          HBC IS IN THE PROCESS OF REVISING THEIR MEASURES, WHICH IS WHY YOU WILL SEE MEASURES AND TARGETS FOR PREVIOUS YEARS AND NEW MEASURES IN FISCAL 25 HPC IS ALSO INCLUDING A COST OF SERVICES FEE STUDY IN THEIR FISCAL 25 BUDGET. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AND HERE'S THE OTHER BREAKOUT. 
          PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SLIDE CONTAINS A NEW PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR FISCAL 25. 
          HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS BELIEVES THAT THESE PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE MEASURES PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT'S MORE RELEVANT AND MORE USEFUL. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          AND THIS PROGRAM FUNDS THE BUILDING INSPECTION SECTION OF THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER. 
          LAST YEAR, OVER 747,000 INSPECTIONS WERE CONDUCTED BY THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER. 
          AND AS FAR AS THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, IT'S THE SAME THING. 
          LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THIS SLIDE CONTAINS A NEW PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR HU UH, FISCAL 25. 
          AGAIN, HBW BELIEVES THAT THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, UH, PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT'S MORE RELEVANT AND MORE USEFUL. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          HOUSTON TRANSFER. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS A MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP OF THE HOUSTON TRANSFER CENTER THAT PROVIDES COORDINATED INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO THE REGION. 
          THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM BETWEEN THE CITY, HARRIS COUNTY METRO, AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. 
          NOW HERE'S A FUN FACT. 
          THE TRANS STAR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTER IS DESIGNED BY THE SAME ENGINEER THAT DESIGNED THE ORIGINAL NASA MISSION CONTROL ROOM. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          THIS PROGRAM FUNDS THE MAYOR'S MOPD, UH, WHICH SERVES AS A PRIMARY ADVOCATE FOR NEEDS AND RIGHTS OF RESIDENTS AND VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES. 
          THE MOPD PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES FUNDING FOR THE A DA TRANSITION PLAN. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          DEBT SERVICE AND INTER FRONT TRANSFERS. 
          THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES A PAYMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED DEBT TRANSFERS TO CIP TO FUND PROJECTS, AND INCLUDES INTER FRONT TRANSFERS. 
          I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE D-D-S-R-F, THE DEDICATED DRAINED STREET RENEWAL FUNDS ARE NOT ISSUING ANY NEW DEBT, ONLY PAYING OFF OLD INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED DEBT FROM PREVIOUS 
          [00:10:01]
YEARS. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          NOW HERE'S A SUMMARY OF OUR REVENUES BY PROGRAM. 
          JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW. 
          NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. 
          SO NOW WE'LL MOVE ON FROM OBB AND GO INTO DETAILS OF EACH OF THE FUNDS WITHIN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS CONSISTS OF SEVERAL FUNDS, AND THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES THE CHANGES IN REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES FROM FISCAL 24 FOR EACH OF THESE FUNDS. 
          I'M NOT GOING TO CALL OUT EACH OF THE NUMBERS AS WE WILL COVER ALL OF THIS IN DETAIL IN THE UPCOMING SLIDES. 
          PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT VARIANCES ARE FROM THE FY 24 CURRENT BUDGET. 
          NOW, JUST ALSO ANOTHER, UH, UH, POINTING OUT SOMETHING HERE THAT THESE, THIS SLIDE IS ACTUALLY SHOWING THESE DOLLAR FIGURES IN THE MILLIONS. 
          AS WE MOVE ON, WE'LL BE TALKING IN THE THOUSANDS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          WE'LL BEGIN BY DISCUSSING THE GENERAL FUND PORTION OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND THIS IS A FURTHER BREAKDOWN OF THE EXPENDITURE SECTION OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          THE GENERAL FIRM'S LARGEST EXPENSE CONSISTS OF RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, WHICH INCLUDE ELECTRICITY SERVICE, CHARGEBACKS FOR FUELS, IT ACCOUNTS, ET CETERA. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          AND THIS IS A QUICK PORTION OF THE REVENUE ASPECT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          MOVING ON TO PROJECT COST RECOVERY FUND. 
          THIS FUND HOUSES PERSONNEL WHO WORK ON CIP PROJECTS AS PROJECT MANAGERS, ENGINEERS, AND OTHER TECHNICAL ROLES THAT WORK ON THE CIP. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE PROJECT COST RECOVERY FUND SUPPORTS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. 
          INCLUDED IN HERE ARE PERSONNEL AND OTHER O AND M COSTS. 
          REVENUES AND EXPENSES ARE INCREASING FROM 60 MILLION UP TO 64 AND A HALF MILLION FOR A FOUR AND A HALF MILLION INCREASE. 
          OF THE FOUR AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE, 3.6 MILLION IS DUE TO INCREASE IN PERSONNEL INCLUDING SIX 16 SUPPLEMENTAL POSITIONS, POSITIONS, RECLASSIFICATIONS AND PAY ADJUSTMENTS. 
          THE REMAINING INCREASES ARE A RESTRICTED ACCOUNT AND IN CAPITAL EXPENSE FOR HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE EQUIPMENT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          BUILDING INSPECTION FUND. 
          UM, NOW WE CAN MOVE ON TO BUILDING INSPECTION, WHICH IS ALSO THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER. 
          PERMITTING CENTER HANDLES THE CITY'S PLAN REVIEWS, BUILDING INSPECTIONS, CODE ENFORCEMENT, FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT, AND THE CITY'S CHIEF ENGINEER. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE BUILDING INSPECTION REVENUE FUND REVENUES ARE INCREASING FROM 98.3 MILLION TO 1 0 2 0.8 FOR A FOUR AND A HALF MILLION INCREASE DUE TO INCREASE IN PERMITTING AND CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. 
          AND ALSO THE INCREASE IN THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX REVENUE INCREASE OF 2.66%. 
          EXPENDITURES ARE INCREASING FROM 108.3 MILLION TO 112 MILLION, MAINLY DUE TO INCREASE IN PERSONAL COSTS, INDIRECT COSTS TO HOUSTON, PUBLIC WORKS MANAGEMENT, CONSULTING, OTHER RENTAL FEES AND CAPITAL VEHICLE COSTS. 
          I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE EXPENDITURES ARE HIGHER THAN THE REVENUES, WHICH MEANS THIS FUND IS UTILIZING FUND BALANCE TO MEET EXPENDITURES CURRENTLY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          MOVING ON TO TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE, UH, WHICH CONTAINS FUNDS 23 0 2 23 10, 23 11 AND 2312. 
          UH, THE FUNDS 23, 10, 11, AND 12 COMPRISE THE BUILD HOUSTON FORWARD PROGRAM. 
          THESE FUNDS WERE PREVIOUSLY HELD IN 2310, AND WERE SPLIT INTO THE THREE FUNDS BACK IN FY 25 TO PROVIDE GREATER TRANSPARENCY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE PRIMARY CHANGES RELATED TO THE FOLLOWING FUNDS. 
          THE STORMWATER FUND 2302 REVENUES MAINLY TRANSFERRED FROM THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM TO COVER OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. 
          IT IS INCREASING BY 35 AND A HALF MILLION DUE TO INCREASE IN OUM EXPENDITURE, MAINLY FROM THE DITCH RE-ESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM. 
          THE DRAINAGE CHARGE FUND 2310 REVENUES ARE DECREASING BY 1.7 MILLION DUE TO PROJECTIONS BASED ON REVENUE TRENDS. 
          INTEREST EARNED IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE BY 3.8 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 25. 
          THE AD VALOREM TAX FUND, 2311 REVENUES ARE INCREASING BY 12.4 MILLION, MAINLY DUE TO ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUES PROJECTED TO, UH, TRANSFER IN FROM THE GENERAL FUND. 
          WE HAVE AN ESTABLISHED DEBT SERVICE SCHEDULE FOR DEBT INCURRED BEFORE THE BUILD HOUSTON FOUR PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED. 
          THEN THE METRO ETAL FUND, 2312 REVENUES ARE INCREASING BY 9.3 MILLION, MAINLY DUE TO A 9 MILLION 
          [00:15:01]
INCREASE IN ANTICIPATED REVENUES FROM METRO AND A 228,000 INCREASE IN ANTICIPATED STREET MILLING SALES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, THE STORMWATER FUND IS INCREASING DUE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM, THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUNDS GROUP IS INCREASING BY 50.2 MILLION DUE TO 41.3 MILLION INCREASE, PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY ADDITIONAL TRANSFERS TO CIP FOR STREET AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, 9.9 MILLION INCREASE IN SERVICES AND CHARGES, AND $732,000 INCREASE IN PERSONNEL. 
          THERE IS A 2.4 MILLION DECREASE IN CAPITAL EQUIPMENT. 
          THE INCREASE ADVIL ROOM TAX REVENUE AND 2311 WILL BE MAINLY GOING TOWARDS STREET REHABILITATION PROGRAM CONTRACTS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          MOVING ON TO HOUSTON TRANS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE REVENUES ARE INCREASING FOR HOUSTON TRANSFER DUE TO HIGHER CONTRIBUTION FROM METRO AND HARRIS COUNTY EXPENDITURES ARE SLIGHTLY INCREASING FOR TRANS TAR FACILITY MAINTENANCE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, NOW WE GET TO MOVE ON TO THE LARGEST PORTION, WHICH IS THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, THE LARGEST FRONT GROUP WITHIN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE, UH, FUND 8,300 IS BUDGETED TO INCREASE MAINLY DUE TO THE WATER AND SEWER COST OF SERVICE STUDY OF 149.7 MILLION. 
          THE FISCAL YEAR 25 RATE INCREASE WAS 9% FROM THE COST OF SER UH, UH, SERVICE STUDY, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL VIA ORDINANCE 2021 DASH FIVE 15. 
          THE INCREASE ALSO INCLUDES A 6.1 MILLION INCREASE DUE TO HIGHER INTEREST REVENUE AND 4.7 MILLION HIGHER OTHER NON-OPERATING REVENUE, MAINLY DUE TO HIGHER FACILITY RENTAL FEES. 
          FUND 83 0 1 IS BUDGETED TO DECREASE BY 5 MILLION DUE TO LOWER SYSTEM DEBT. 
          SERVICE PAYMENTS IN FISCAL 25 FUND 83 0 5 IS INCREASING BY 8.1 MILLION DUE TO AN ACCOUNTING CHANGE WHERE WE'LL RECEIVE THE WATER AUTHORITIES PORTION OF THE LOOSE, UH, BAYOU DEBT IN 83 0 5 INSTEAD OF A SEPARATE FUND. 
          IT'S JUST MORE OF AN ACCOUNTING CHANGE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE EXPENDITURE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE FUND 8,300 IS BUDGETED TO INCREASE BY 67.9 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDES A 76.9 MILLION INCREASE IN O AND M COSTS, MAINLY DUE TO INFLATIONARY INCREASES, ADDITIONAL PLAN MAINTENANCE OF DRINKING WATER AND WASTEWATER FACILITIES, AND AN ADDITIONAL $25 MILLION TO COVER WATER MAIN REPAIRS. 
          THIS ALSO INCLUDES A DECREASE OF 9 MILLION IN DEBT SERVICE TRANSFERS FUND 83 0 1 IS BUDGETED TO DECREASE BY 5 MILLION DUE TO LOWER ANTICIPATED SYSTEM DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS FUND 83 0 5 IS BUDGETED TO INCREASE BY 158 MILLION, MAINLY DUE TO A 98.1 MILLION INCREASE IN PEGO 34.5 MILLION, INCREASE IN TRANSFER TO STROLL WATER TO SUPPORT THE DITCH REHABILITATION PROGRAM, AS WELL AS 9.7 MILLION HIGHER DEBT SERVICE COSTS. 
          NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. 
          AND HERE YOU GET KIND OF AN OVERVIEW, UH, OF THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM OPERATING FERN TO SEE THE NET EFFECT. 
          AND IF YOU NOTE FOR THE PROPOSED, UH, UH, FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET, WE ARE STILL, WE'LL BE UTILIZING A PART OF THAT SINCE WE'RE IN THE NEGATIVE. 
          UH, THE, THE FUND BALANCE FROM THE UTILITY TO OPERATE, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS IN THE UTILITY. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. 
          WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. 
          WOW, SAMIR. 
          $3.3 BILLION IN 20 MINUTES. 
          , THAT WAS, UH, PRETTY INCREDIBLE. 
          UM, I DON'T, NOBODY'S IN THE QUEUE YET, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND START, UM, SLIDE. 
          YOU CAN GO FIRST. 
          IT SAYS, OKAY, WELL, I'M GOING. 
          OKAY, NOW THERE'S SLIDE 14. 
          UM, I I, I'VE ASKED THIS OF A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS ON THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
          UM, I I NOTICE A COUPLE THINGS ON HERE. 
          YOU HAVE NA ON ALL THE FYFY 25 TARGETS. 
          I HOPE THAT YOU'RE REVISING THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO TELL US MORE THAN JUST THE NUMBER THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. 
          UM, WHAT WE NEED FOR THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS PLAN REVIEW. 
          THIS IS PERMITTING. 
          WHAT WE NEED IS WE NEED TO KNOW THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, LIKE HOW, HOW MANY PLANS, HOW MANY RESUBMITTAL, HOW MANY, HOW MANY DAYS IT'S TAKING. 
          I MEAN, WE NEED THE INFORMATION THAT, THAT PEOPLE CAN USE, THAT WE CAN SEE THAT WE'RE GETTING BETTER OR WORSE OR WHATEVER. 
          SO IF ONE OF YOU WANTS TO TALK ABOUT, I, I'M ASSUMING THERE'S NAS BECAUSE Y'ALL ARE GONNA REDO THIS AND MAKE IT MORE MEANINGFUL, A ABSOLUTELY CHAIR AND, AND, UH, YOUR COMMENT IS WELL TAKEN. 
          IN 
          [00:20:01]
FACT, UM, THE FOLLOWING SLIDE, SLIDE 15 KIND OF SHOWS WHAT THE, WHAT THE INITIAL SHIFT IN THINKING WAS INTO MORE APPROPRIATE PERFORMANCE METRICS. 
          BUT, UM, WE'RE AT THIS STAGE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IF I'D HAD MORE TIME BEFORE I ASSUMED SOME ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES, YOU WOULD'VE HAD SOME BETTER, BETTER METRICS THERE. 
          YEAH, I UNDERSTOOD. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          AS LONG AS IT'S BEING WORKED ON. 
          I THINK WHAT, WHAT ALSO PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS KIND OF WHERE, WHERE THE ISSUES ARE. 
          YOU KNOW, BREAK IT DOWN BY DISCIPLINE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, HOW LONG DOES IT STAY IN EACH AREA? AND I KNOW IT'S, IT VARIES FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT, BUT AN AVERAGE, I MEAN, YOU KIND OF DO THAT ON THE, ON THE DASHBOARD ON THE WEBSITE. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO, UM, BUT I THINK IN THE, IN THE BUDGET, IT'D BE GOOD TO HAVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT REALLY RELATE TO, UM, TIME AT, AT THE PERMITTING DEPARTMENT. 
          I KNOW SOME STRIDES HAVE BEEN MADE. 
          UM, SLIDE 16. 
          YEAH, SAME THING HERE. 
          IT'S JUST INSPECTIONS COMPLETED IN INSPECT. 
          IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE JUST WORKING ON ALL THAT. 
          UM, ON THE D-D-S-R-F SLIDES, AND I DON'T, I THINK IT'S SLIDE 32 AND 33. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THIS, THESE ARE THE REVENUES. 
          SO WE ARE TAKING ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION FROM THE CUS FOR STORMWATER. 
          RIGHT. 
          IS THAT CURRENTLY THE, UM, RIGHT AT ABOUT 80 ISH MILLION, ROUGHLY? WELL, I MEAN, IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IT LOOKS LIKE A HUNDRED. 
          IT'S, IT'S CLOSE TO IT, YES. 
          OKAY. 
          A HUNDRED MILLION IN. 
          UM, AND THAT'S PRIMARILY THAT INCREASE DUE TO DITCH, THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING THE DITCH PROGRAM. 
          CORRECT. 
          35 MILLION IS THE DITCH ESTABLISHMENT? YES. 
          GOT IT. 
          AND THEN THE DRAINAGE CHARGE, WE'RE BRINGING IN ABOUT $121 MILLION. 
          YES. 
          UM, THE D THE A VALOREM, UM, I NOTICED LIKE IN THE, IN THE DATA, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LINE ITEMS THAT THE, THE TRANSFER TO CAPITAL PROJECTS FROM THE AD VALOREM IS 120 MILLION. 
          WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE, THE 1 36? IS IT JUST HOW IT DOESN'T MATTER? I MEAN, THAT'S JUST KIND OF A MINOR THING, BUT IN THE LINE ITEM TRANSFER TO CAPITAL PROJECTS LOOK LIKE IT WAS 120 MILLION. 
          THIS IS 136 MILLION. 
          LET ME GO BACK AND LOOK THAT WE CAN FIGURE THAT OUT. 
          AND THEN THERE WASN'T, I REMEMBER WE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE METRO MONEY, UM, LAST YEAR. 
          CAN YOU KIND OF TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, WITH THE METRO, UM, D-D-S-R-F MONEY, WHATEVER HAPPENED WITH THAT DISCUSSION? REMIND ME WHAT THE QUESTION WAS PREVIOUSLY. 
          I CAN'T RECALL ABOUT, REMEMBER, UM, WE TALKED, PRESENTED AT BA, IT WAS PRESENTED AT BFA ABOUT LOOKING AT THE AMOUNTS FROM, FROM METRO THAT WERE COMING INTO THE D-D-S-R-F. 
          SURE. 
          AND WHETHER SOME ADJUSTMENTS WERE GONNA BE MADE. 
          AND SO WITH THIS PRESENTATION, I DID MENTION THAT THERE WERE SOME INCREASED FUNDING THAT IS COMING IN FROM METRO. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING TO COME INTO THE DDSR PROGRAM. 
          BUT I BELIEVE I DID MENTION ON THE REVENUE SLIDE, SPECIFICALLY ON THE METRO ET HEALTH FUND FOR 2312, THAT ARE INCREASING BY 9.3 MILLION BECAUSE THE ANTICIPATED REVENUES FROM METRO ARE INCREASING BY 9 MILLION. 
          SO, OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          I MUST MISSED THAT. 
          YEAH, THAT'S OKAY. 
          AND, UM, ON THE WATER BILL ADJUSTMENTS THAT ARE, ARE TAKING PLACE, WHICH THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          I MEAN, THE CALLS, AT LEAST TO OUR OFFICE, HAVE REALLY LESSENED, UM, SINCE THE SET AMOUNT HAS BEEN DONE, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A A GONNA BE A PRICE TAG ON WHERE WE'RE KIND OF WRONG, UM, IN THE, IN THE CUSTOMER'S FAVOR. 
          AND WE'RE NOT GONNA GO, WE'RE NOT GONNA GO CLAW THAT MONEY BACK. 
          UM, BUT THERE IS GONNA BE SOME SORT OF LOSS ASSOCIATED, UM, HAS, HAS SOME, HAVE SOME OF THOSE COSTS BEEN ESTIMATED Y YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S A CHALLENGE TO ESTIMATE SOMETHING. 
          I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT CAVEATS THAT KIND OF ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 
          YOU LOOK AT THE WEATHER, WHAT'S, UH, CONSUMER USAGE AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          UM, WE DID DO THE BEST ESTIMATE THAT WE POTENTIALLY DID BASED ON OUR PROJECT PROJECT PROJECTIONS. 
          AND I WILL SAY THAT IT IS, UH, AN IMMATERIAL AMOUNT. 
          WE'RE ROUGHLY ESTIMATED ABOUT $34 MILLION IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, UH, REVENUE HIT DIRECTLY TO THE UTILITY. 
          34 MILLION. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, AND IF I MAY ADD REALLY QUICK, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH DIFFERENT RATING AGENCIES AND, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE HAD THESE SAME QUESTIONS AND THEY LOOK AT THIS AS A POSITIVE THING BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TO RENEW THAT CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AND PUTTING THEM, THIS IS MORE OF AN INVESTMENT BACK INTO THE UTILITY AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S BEEN PUT OFF FOR SO LONG. 
          SO IT'S A GOOD THING. 
          YEAH. 
          IT'S DEFINITELY DOING SOME GOOD, WELL, ACTUALLY, I HAD A GUY AT A BREAKFAST WHERE I SPOKE TODAY SAY THAT HE KNOWS HE'S NOT PAYING ENOUGH. 
          AND , I WAS LIKE, GOD, HE WAS, HE WAS LIKE OFFERING TO ME. 
          I'M LIKE, NOBODY SAYS THAT. 
          JUST, YOU KNOW, GO AWAY. 
          AND IF, AND IF I CAN ADD, IF I CAN ADD, YOU KNOW, SAMIR USED THE WORD I MATERIAL, I WANT TO, I WANT TO NOTE THAT WORD WAS USED IN THE FINANCIAL CONTEXT, RIGHT? NO, I GET, WE RECOGNIZE 34 MILLION MILLION. 
          IT IS STILL A LOT OF MONEY. 
          UM, BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THE OVERALL SIZE OF THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, IT, IT IS IMMATERIAL. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          AND RANDY, PLEASE PRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME. 
          I KNOW I'M DOING IT WRONG. 
          MACKAY. 
          MACKAY. 
          LIKE A, LIKE A BIG MAC. 
          OKAY. 
          [00:25:01]
MACI. 
          WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE THOSE MISTAKES ANYMORE. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UM, THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE PUBLIC PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. 
          WE HAVE A BUNCH OF Y'ALL IN THE AUDIENCE, BUT THAT'S JUST LIKE A TINY PERCENTAGE, RIGHT? I THINK OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS THE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY. 
          UH, IT'S THE LARGEST ACCREDITED SINGLE MUNICIPALITY. 
          I'M GONNA PUT IT THAT WAY. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, LOS ANGELES COUNTY BEATS US AND THAT'S LIKE 11 CITIES. 
          BUT THEY DO LESS WORK THAN WE DO. 
          IT'S, IT'S PRETTY DAMN BIG. 
          UM, THE, AND I DID WANNA SAY AT THE OUTSET, RANDY, YOU DIRECTOR SMITH, EVERYONE HAS BEEN DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. 
          I DID WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ALSO JUST PUBLICLY, 'CAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY THANK AND RECOGNIZE, UM, CAROL HADDOCK FOR HER SERVICE TO THE CITY AS WELL. 
          UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OTHER CITIES AND COMPARING THEM, I THINK YOU JUST MENTIONED LA COUNTY, HOW DO WE COMPARE BUDGETARILY? WE HAVE 650 SQUARE MILES WORTH OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE TO COVER. 
          SO WHILE THIS NUMBER SOUNDS, UH, TO THE AVERAGE PERSON, VERY BIG, HOW DO WE COMPARE IN TERMS OF THE INVESTMENTS WE ARE MAKING IN THIS DEPARTMENT FROM AN INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS PERSPECTIVE? YEAH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          I, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND SAMIR MAY HAVE SOME DATA ON THIS TOO. 
          I, I'LL SAY THIS. 
          UM, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF A COUPLE OF TIMES A YEAR GATHERING TOGETHER WITH, UH, DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVES OF ALL OF THE LARGEST CITY PUBLIC WORK DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          AND IN FACT, I'LL BE GATHERING WITH SOME OF THOSE FOLKS IN DC NEXT MONTH. 
          AND WE OFTEN KIND OF SHARE THESE DATA POINTS WITH EACH OTHER. 
          PART OF OUR, THE INTRODUCTIONS, THE ROUND TABLE IS ALWAYS, WHO ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU FROM? HOW BIG'S YOUR DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF FTES? AND WHAT'S YOUR BUDGET? UM, WE, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE DO, IT'S HARD TO COMPARE IT BECAUSE MOST PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS ACTUALLY, UH, PROVIDE FAR FEWER SERVICES AND, AND DIFFERENT SERVICES. 
          MANY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS. 
          IT CONSISTS OF SOME TRANSPORTATION OF SOME FLEET AND SOLID WASTE. 
          FOR INSTANCE, UTILITY SYSTEMS ARE OFTEN A COMPLETELY SEPARATE ENTITY ALTOGETHER, WHERE WE HAVE THE ENTIRE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, ALL OF THE UTILITY, WE MANAGE THE CAPITAL PROJECTS YOU ADD IN, UM, PERMIT EVERYTHING FROM PERMITTING. 
          WE HAVE A MUCH LARGER OPERATION, WHICH IS WHY BY FTES WE TEND TO BE THE HIGHEST UP THERE. 
          BUT OUR BUDGET IS KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR SOME OF THOSE. 
          UM, LIKE I SAID, LA COUNTY HAS MORE FTES, BUT THEIR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY FOCUSES ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON TRANSPORTATION, AND YET THEIR BUDGET IS LARGER THAN OURS, BUT THE LAND SIZE THEY'RE MANAGING IS LESS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND AGAIN, I JUST TO PUT IN PERSPECTIVE, EVERYTHING Y'ALL HAVE TO DO, AND WHETHER IT WAS THE DROUGHT, OUR DROUGHTS THAT WE HAVE THAT YOU ARE ON, ARE, ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE FREEZES, EVEN WITH STORMS, UH, YOU ARE INVOLVED IN ALL OF THAT. 
          SO, AGAIN, MY APPRECIATION THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING WHAT YOU CAN WITH THE BUDGET, BUT WE STILL NEED MORE DOLLARS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS. 
          UM, HOW MANY, UH, PERMITTING OR CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTORS IN THE FIELD DO WE HAVE ON ANY GIVEN DAY? HMM. 
          AND IF YOU NEED TO GET BACK TO ME, I'LL, I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU ON THAT. 
          THERE'S A COUPLE NUMBERS FLOATING IN MY HEAD, BUT I DON'T WANNA BE INACCURATE. 
          OKAY. 
          I, YEAH, I'D APPRECIATE KNOWING THAT CHAIR. 
          AND YOU CAN PUT ME BACK IN QUEUE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO SAY, I THOUGHT YOUR PLAN ON GETTING THE WATER BILLING BACK UP TO SPEED WAS FANTASTIC. 
          I MEAN, THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE GOING TO THE ROOT CAUSE RATHER THAN HAVING METER READERS GO OUT AND SPINNING THEIR WHEELS WAS, WAS AN EXCELLENT IDEA. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          ON SLIDE 10, YOU MENTIONED THE GREATER NORTHEAST SERVICE AREA AND SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FOR THAT. 
          CAN YOU TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THAT'S FOR? ON THE, UH, SLIDE 10 ON WASTEWATER WASTEWATER OPERATIONS? YES. 
          LEMME LOOK. 
          INCLUDES FUNDING TO SUPPORT G AND ES OH, ISHA. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. 
          THAT, THAT'S A COLLECTION OF WASTEWATER, UM, PLANTS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS TAKEN ON FROM A DIFFERENT OPERATOR. 
          UH, WE BELIEVE THAT FROM AN OPERATIONS PERSPECTIVE, WE WOULD DO A LOT BETTER JOB THAN WHAT THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTOR HAD DONE. 
          AND SO WE'RE INCLUDING THAT WITHIN OUR BUDGET. 
          RATHER THAN PAYING THEM, WE'RE TAKING IT ON OURSELVES. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THAT'S THE PLANT IN KINGWOOD THAT WAS CORRECT. 
          DISCHARGING? THAT'S CORRECT. 
          BEN'S BRANCH. 
          YEP. 
          OKAY. 
          IS THERE ANY OTHER ITEMS FROM HARVEY THAT ARE STILL GOING ON IN THAT AREA? UM, HARVEY MITIGATION CONTINUES TO TAKE PLACE. 
          UM, THERE'S A, A A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO COVER. 
          UM, DAVID, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING TO THIS? NO, , BUT IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO, TO LOOK AT AND TO ASSESS AND WORKING WITH FEMA. 
          UM, UM, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM FEMA, UH, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, BUT WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS AND IDENTIFY AND TRY TO GET AS MUCH FUNDING AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. 
          BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN OBLIGATED MUCH YET. 
          IF I CAN ADD, YOU KNOW, AN INTERESTING THING IS, AS A CITY, WE DID A REMARKABLE JOB 
          [00:30:01]
BRINGING THE WATER UTILITY BACK FROM HARVEY IN, IN WHAT TOOK PLACE, UH, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, THAT WAS TO OUR DETRIMENT, UH, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFICULT TIME TRYING TO RECOVER FUNDS AS A RESULT OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT BACK WORKING. 
          BUT IF YOU'VE LISTENED TO US TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR FACILITIES AT ANY GIVEN POINT, I WAS JUST OUT AT OUR EAST WATER PURIFICATION PLANT THIS MORNING. 
          IN FACT, THE MAYOR MENTIONED THIS AT TAG. 
          IT'S LITERALLY BEING HELD TOGETHER WITH LIKE BAILING WIRE AND DUCT TAPE. 
          UM, THAT'S NOT TOO FAR OF AN EXAGGERATION OF WHAT WE HAVE. 
          AND SOME OF THAT'S THE RESULT OF HOW WE WERE ABLE TO BRING THINGS BACK FROM HARVEY. 
          WE NEED SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN OUR EQUIPMENT IN THESE PLANTS. 
          IF THERE'S PROBABLY ANYTHING THAT ACTUALLY KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT, IT'S THE, IT'S THE WATER UTILITY. 
          AND KNOWING HOW HARD HIT IT'S BEEN, ESPECIALLY IN THE GREATER NORTHEAST AREA, UM, IT TOOK A REAL BEATING BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH MORE FLOODING THERE IS COMING RIGHT OFF OF THE SAN JACINTO, UM, PERMITTED. 
          I GET BEAT UP ON THAT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. 
          AND IT COMES FROM THE STRANGEST PLACES CONVERSATIONS THAT I NEVER WOULD'VE GUESSED. 
          MY BROTHER-IN-LAW WAS OVER AT THE HOUSE THE OTHER DAY, AND THEY, HE WORKS FOR A COMMERCIAL ROOFER AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT A CHURCH. 
          THEY WERE REDOING THE ROOF. 
          THEY SUBMIT THEIR, THEIR PLANS FOR THE, FOR THE PERMIT. 
          AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST TO REDO A ROOF, NOT A NEW BUILDING OR ANYTHING. 
          AND HE'S TELLING ME IT'S SIX MONTHS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THAT BACK. 
          OBVIOUSLY THEY HAD TO DO THE REPAIRS BEFORE THEY GOT THE BACK. 
          YEAH. 
          IS, DO WE DO ANYTHING TO ASK THE PEOPLE WHO ARE USING THE PERMITTING SERVICE, WHAT THE OBSTACLES ARE, WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE TO TRY AND GET FEEDBACK FROM THEM SO WE CAN BETTER YOU? AND I, I APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTION A LOT. 
          PERMITTING HAS BEEN ONE OF THOSE THINGS AS MUCH AS YOU GET BEAT UP, I UNDERSTAND, UH, REALLY WELL, WHAT THAT MEANS. 
          UM, AS WE'VE TRIED TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES THERE. 
          UM, THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER IS A SERVICE LINE WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS IS A UNIQUE ENTITY BECAUSE WHILE WE HAVE THE MANAGEMENT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BUILDING ITSELF, THERE ARE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS THAT MAKE UP THE FUNCTIONS THAT COME OUT OF IT. 
          SO OUR ABILITY TO, UH, ISSUE PERMITS IS NOT ENTIRELY DEPENDENT, SOLELY ON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF OUR TRANSFORMATION PROCESS RIGHT NOW, THOUGH, ESTABLISHING BETTER RELATIONSHIPS WITH DEPARTMENTS, ESTABLISHING CLEARER KPIS SO THAT WE CAN TRACK PERFORMANCE AND UNDERSTAND HOW TO MEASURE OURSELVES AGAINST THOSE SO THAT WE CAN HOLD NOT JUST OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE, BUT SO THE PUBLIC CAN CLEARLY DO THE SAME SORT OF THING. 
          UH, I'VE GOT SOME DATA I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPLEMENT WITH YOU LATER ON WHAT WE'VE LEARNED SO FAR IN JUST THESE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. 
          BUT WE KNOW WE CAN DO A LOT BETTER. 
          AND THE GOOD NEWS IS WE ARE DOING A LOT BETTER OF LATE, UM, LEADERSHIP CHANGES THERE HAVE EVOKED CHANGES IN THOUGHT PROCESS AND ALLOW US TO NOW APPROACH SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT A DEVELOPER OR ANY GIVEN CUSTOMER BRINGS TO US WITH NEW EYES AND NEW PERSPECTIVES ON HOW WE CAN BE A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM INSTEAD OF AN OBSTACLE TO THEM ACCOMPLISHING THE THING THAT THEY'RE APPLYING FOR. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          IF WE TURN TO SLIDE NINE, IT SHOWS THE PERCENTAGE OF WATER MAIN BREAKS REPAIRED WITHIN 10 DAYS. 
          AND, UM, THE ESTIMATE FOR HOW MANY THAT WERE COMPLETED IN THE LAST FISCAL YEAR WAS 80%. 
          AND THE TARGET FOR FY 25 IS NOW 95%. 
          SO HOW ARE WE BETTER PREPARED TO HIT THE WATER MAIN REPAIRS TARGET? UM, YOU KNOW, BETTER THAN WE DID LAST YEAR. 
          THE, THE BIG THING FOR THIS YEAR IS THE PROCUREMENT OF THE RIGHT VENDORS. 
          YOU KNOW, THE ISSUE WE RAN INTO LAST YEAR, WE HAD THESE EPOS COME THROUGH, UH, THAT FRANKLY LACKED THE LEVEL OF CONTROL WE NEED IN THE VETTING AND INSURANCE OF WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE JOB. 
          WAS, WAS PROBLEMATIC. 
          MY OBJECTIVE WOULD BE THAT WE DON'T ASK FOR EPOS FOR WATER MAIN REPAIRS ON THE WHOLE, SOMETIMES YOU'LL NEED THAT IF YOU HAVE A LEGITIMATE EMERGENCY SITUATION. 
          FOR INSTANCE, WHAT WE EXPERIENCED IN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, THAT'S AN ONGOING REPAIR THAT LITERALLY HAS BECOME AN EMERGENCY AS WE KIND AND EFFECTUATE IT. 
          BUT WHEN WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF BREAKS ACROSS THE CITY DUE TO THE CLIMATE OR WHATEVER ISSUE WE'RE FACING, WE NEED TO BE PREPARED IN ADVANCE. 
          SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE PROCURED THE RIGHT FOLKS IN ADVANCE TO SET THOSE EXPECTATIONS MOVING FORWARD THAT WE CAN GET THERE, WE CAN RESPOND IN A TIMELY FASHION, RESOLVE THE BREAK. 
          AND THEN IMPORTANTLY, I KNOW THIS IS, THIS HAS BEEN A, A, A, A PAIN POINT FOR EACH OF YOUR OFFICES, RESTORE THE SITES FASTER AFTER THE FACT AS WELL. 
          NOW WE DON'T WANNA DO THAT THE VERY NEXT DAY BECAUSE SOMETIMES THINGS BREAK RIGHT AWAY. 
          SO WE, THERE, THERE'S A PERIOD, BUT WE CAN DO A LOT BETTER. 
          WE INTEND TO DO BETTER. 
          SO THAT 25 MILLION THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR, ADDITIONALLY THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE REGULARLY PROCURED VENDORS. 
          WE'RE LOOKING FOR FOUR OF THEM THAT CAN BE ON A PERMANENT BASIS THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR. 
          [00:35:01]
AND SO LAST YEAR, UM, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE WAS 40 MILLION IN EMERGENCY, UM, IN EMERGENCY MONEY. 
          SO DO YOU THINK THE 25 MILLION WILL BE SUFFICIENT? I DO. 
          UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY 60 MILLION. 
          UM, AND, AND THE REASON IT WAS 60 MILLION WAS A LOT OF IT WAS, AS WE'VE LEARNED, ASKED UNDER THE WRONG PRETENSES. 
          AND SO, UH, AS, AS OUR NEW LEADERSHIP IN HOUSTON, WATER HAS HAD A TIME TO EFFECTIVELY LOOK AT WHAT THE PROGRAM NEEDS AND WHAT OUR RESPONSES NEED TO BE IN RELATION TO THAT. 
          WE FEEL THAT 25 MILLION SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THIS YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN STAY AHEAD AT THE SAME TIME. 
          UM, WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT VACANCIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT ALTOGETHER. 
          UH, CURRENTLY THE DEPARTMENT HAS MORE THAN 700 OPEN FTE VACANCIES. 
          SO DESPITE BEING THE LARGEST, UH, SINGLE MUNICIPAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY, WE ARE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAFFED FROM WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO BE. 
          ALMOST HALF OF THOSE VACANCIES ARE IN HOUSTON WATER ITSELF, IF WE'RE ABLE TO DO, UH, FILL THE POSITIONS THAT WE NEED AND DEPLOY THE CREWS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE AVAILABLE WITH THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE, IT SHOULD BE VERY MANAGEABLE FOR US TO RESPOND IN A TIMELY FASHION TO ENSURE THAT THE SYSTEM IS SAFE AND SECURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          UH, LET ME JUST SAY TO YOU GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. 
          HE'S, UH, THE PUBLIC WORKS TO ALL OF THE STAFF AND ALL, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE BIG CHALLENGES AHEAD OF YOU. 
          UM, BUT I REALLY DO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. 
          BUT I LIKE TO JUST ASK, I MADE NOTES HERE. 
          YOU'RE GONNA REPLACE 125,000 SENSORS, CORRECT? CORRECT. 
          IF I MISSED IT, WHAT WAS THE COST OF THAT IS ESTIMATED LEAVE THE, THE TOTAL COST OF, OF THIS EFFORT FOR THE WATER BILLING EFFORT, NOT ONLY JUST INCLUDING THE 125,000, BUT THE LABOR AND ALL OF THAT IS ABOUT 35 MILLION. 
          ABOUT 35 MILLION. 
          RIGHT. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          WHICH, WHICH WE KNOW, UM, WHICH WILL HELP TO ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING FROM SO MANY COMPLAINTS FROM THE CITIZENS LEGITIMATELY. 
          BUT IT, IT, IT, IT GETS THE PROBLEM DONE. 
          AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A, A WINDOW, UM, THAT THE MAYOR, I THINK HAS ASKED OF YOU GUYS TO DO AND WHAT, WHAT IN THE TIMEFRAME FOR ORDERING AND GETTING THEM IN AND WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT? SO, WE'RE ALREADY IN PROGRESS. 
          THE, THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED ON APRIL 1ST. 
          SO FROM APRIL 1ST UNTIL TODAY. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, ALMOST 20,000 HAVE BEEN REPLACED ALREADY. 
          OH, GOOD. 
          SO, SO, SO WE FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT BEING ABLE TO GET THIS DONE BY THE END OF THE YEAR, WHICH IS WHAT OUR MANDATE IS. 
          IN FACT, WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO GET THAT DONE IN ADVANCE. 
          WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE BUFFER TIME. 
          'CAUSE WITH HURRICANE SEASON COMING WITH INCLEMENT WEATHER, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAPPY TO BE TRACKING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. 
          UH, BEING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE IS ACTUALLY BY DESIGN. 
          AND THAT'S GOOD THING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE GET THAT SO MUCH. 
          AND SO WE WANT TO PASS THE WORD ON TO THE CONSTITUENTS TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT PUBLIC WORK IS DOING AND LET THEM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF EASE OFF AND UNDERSTAND THE, THE FRAMEWORK OF WHAT YOU GOT CHALLENGED BEFORE YOU AND TO ALL OF THE PUBLIC WORKERS. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND IF I MAY ADD COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, THERE'S ALSO A WEBSITE WITH A LOT MORE DETAIL AS IT RELATES TO THE WATER BILL RELIEF EFFORT. 
          IT'S, UH, IMPROVE WATER BILLS.ORG AND, UH, YOU CAN, UH, CERTAINLY USE THAT, UH, LINK AND SEND IT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO GET MORE INFORMATION ON IT AS WELL. 
          GREAT. 
          GREAT. 
          'CAUSE I'M LOOKING FORWARD. 
          WE HAVE OUR FIRST, UH, AT LARGE TOWN HALL MEETING ON THE 20TH. 
          AND THERE YOU GO. 
          WE'VE GOT SOME PUBLIC WORKS PEOPLE COMING. 
          I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE. 
          UM, I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE A VERY TOUGH JOB, BUT I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU AND, AND THE FOLKS IN PUBLIC WORKS DO. 
          SO, REGARDING PERMITTING, I KNOW THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN LOOKING AT IMPROVING THE PERMITTING PROCESS. 
          CAN YOU TELL US WHERE WE ARE IN THAT AND WHEN WE CAN EXPECT AN UPDATE? YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING THAT I LEARNED, UM, JUST WEEKS AGO, IN FACT, AS I TOOK ON SOME OF THESE ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES WAS FOUR YEARS AGO WE CONDUCTED A SIGNIFICANT STUDY FROM AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT, UH, ALVAR MARSAL, WHO GAVE US A LOT OF INCREDIBLE RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          UM, AND I FOUND OUT THAT WE IMPLEMENTED A TOTAL OF ZERO OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS FOUR YEARS AGO. 
          UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE FEEDBACK WE GET FROM OUTSIDE EXPERTS WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THINGS AND LOOK AT 'EM FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, AND THEN TO START TO APPLY THOSE BEST PRACTICES IN THAT ARENA. 
          SO WE'RE, WE ARE ACTUALLY RECOMMISSIONING, ALVAR AND MARCEL TO REFRESH WHAT THEY HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY. 
          WE DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO DO A FULL BORE, UH, REASSESSMENT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING . 
          UM, BUT THEY CAN FIND OUT HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED FROM THEIR INITIAL TIME AND THEN TELL US WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT. 
          UM, 
          [00:40:01]
WE CAN GET A LOT BETTER. 
          NOW. 
          I CAN SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE THIS YEAR IS WE'VE DECREASED THE TIME IT TAKES FROM APPLICATION TO A PERMIT RELEASE BY MANY DAYS. 
          UM, THAT VARIES BY EACH OF THE DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES. 
          OF COURSE, THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERMITS THAT GOES, SO, SO THAT VARIES. 
          BUT, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SOME INCREASES ALREADY JUST BY DOING THE SMALL THINGS, THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, IMPROVING OUR RELATIONSHIP, FOR INSTANCE, WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WHO PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE PLAN REVIEW PROCESS. 
          OUR COMMUNICATION EFFORTS INTERNALLY YIELD GREAT RESULTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          AND NOW WE WANNA RELY ON THE OUTSIDE EXPERTS TO COME AND TELL US FROM AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE HOW THEY CAN SEE US IMPROVING ALONG THE WAY AS WELL. 
          WELL, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MAKE USE OF WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PAID FOR IN THE WAY OF THESE, UH, STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE. 
          I'D BE HAPPY TO PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH FOLKS IN, IN INDUSTRY WHO WOULD HAVE SOME THOUGHTS AS WELL. 
          ANYTIME, RANDY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BUT SPECIFICALLY, UH, CAN YOU TELL US, ARE WE DOING ANYTHING TO SPEED UP THE TIME THAT, THAT IT TAKES TO GET, UH, FOLKS PAID? UH, FOLKS PAID IN TERMS OF AFTER, UH, HELP ME NO MORE PRO PROJECT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. 
          YEAH. 
          OR VENDORS GETTING THEM PAID. 
          YEAH. 
          UH, I'LL TELL YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, THIS IS PROBABLY, AND MY TEAM WILL TELL YOU BEHIND ME, NEAR THE TOP OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN REPEATING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS. 
          WE MUST CLOSE PROJECTS OUT FASTER. 
          WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT THE FOLKS THAT HAVE DONE WORK FOR US GET PAID FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE IN A TIMELY FASHION. 
          OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT ENSURES THAT THEY CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PROJECT FOR US. 
          I MEAN, IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO DO THAT. 
          THAT'S PART OF WHY WE'RE IN THIS PROCESS OF TRANSITION FROM DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW. 
          WE'RE TAKING A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT HOW WE ORGANIZE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES FROM THE ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE TO THE CONSTRUCTION PERSPECTIVE, TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. 
          AND BY FINDING THE EFFICIENCIES, BY WORKING SMARTER AND NOT HARDER, WE INTEND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH ACROSS THE BOARD ARE ALSO REAPING THE SAME BENEFITS WE DO. 
          OKAY. 
          GO BACK IN THE QUEUE PLEASE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UM, AND I, I APPRECIATE THE LAST, UH, QUESTION, COMMENT THAT COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ MADE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTEN CALLS FROM SOME OF THE CONTRACTORS THAT TAKE OVER, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY ABOUT THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THEM TO GET PAID. 
          AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T, THEY CAN'T JUST CARRY THAT, THAT CASH FLOW, UM, IN ORDER TO GET THEIR NEXT JOB. 
          SO, UH, I WOULD LIKE, YOU KNOW, ANY UPDATES ON HOW Y'ALL MOVING ALONG WITH THAT, ALONG WITH THE PERMITTING CENTER. 
          I THINK, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT A LOT OF US GET, ARE GETTING SEVERAL CALLS. 
          UM, SO THE UPDATES THAT YOU'RE GONNA SHARE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER FLAKE INJURY, WE CAN SHARE THAT AS WELL. 
          UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE, UM, ESPECIALLY IN ZERO, WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION. 
          BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN KIND OF IN ALIGNMENT WITH, UH, WITH CHAIRWOMAN, YOU KNOW, THE NAS FOR FY 25, THERE'S SOME NAS PRIOR TO, UH, AND I KIND OF WANT TO GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF, UH, WHERE IT SAYS DAILY INSPECTIONS PER INSPECTOR, UH, FOR 25, YOU HAVE A TARGET OF 15, BUT THERE'S AN NA PRIOR TO, SO ARE, ARE Y'ALL GAUGING IT CORRECTLY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SAY, WE WILL HIT THAT TARGET? YEAH, AND I'LL, AND I DON'T LOVE, OH, AND I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION SO GOOD, UM, FROM PREVIOUS, BUT, UM, I, I'M LOOKING AT THE BUDGET 13, YEAH, 12, 13. 
          I DON'T LOVE THE WAY WE'D ORGANIZED THIS, UM, 41. 
          THIS, THIS WAS INTENDED TO SHOW YOU, THESE WERE PREVIOUS METRICS THAT WE MEASURED. 
          IN FACT, THEY, THESE I THINK WERE THE SAME ONES THAT WERE PRESENTED IN LAST YEAR'S RIGHT. 
          BUDGET PROPOSAL AND THE FOLLOWING SLIDE WHERE NOW EVERYTHING DOESN'T HAVE METRICS FROM BEFORE SAYS, THIS IS WHAT WE WANNA DO MOVING FORWARD. 
          WE ARE GOING TO SUPPLEMENT THIS WITH OUR HISTORICAL INFORMATION. 
          UM, THIS WAS AN ISSUE RAISED UP JUST IN THE LAST WEEK, AND DUE TO THE TIME CONSTRAINTS ON SUBMITTING THE, THE PRESENTATION, WE DIDN'T HAVE IT. 
          BUT WE ARE GONNA SUPPLEMENT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION FOR ALL OF YOU AND PROVIDE GREATER DETAILS AS WELL. 
          AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, FOR MY COLLEAGUES, IT'S ACTUALLY FROM, FROM THE BUDGET BOOK. 
          SO, UM, AND THEN, UM, BUDGET. 
          I WANTED TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MANY, UH, FTS YOU HAVE FOR HABITABILITY. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN SEEING MORE AND MORE OF, OF COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES THAT, THAT REALLY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          UH, AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LEGAL, LEGAL PROCESS AS WELL. 
          BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN CHASING DOWN AT LEAST THREE PROPERTIES IN DISTRICT. 
          I, UH, ONE OF 'EM IS ACTUALLY NOT TOO FAR FROM THE, UM, GREYHOUND, UH, BUS STATION THAT'S NOW AT IN THE MAGNOLIA PARK AREA. 
          UH, WE WERE TRYING TO GET IT FENCED UP, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO MOVE THAT PROCESS ALONG A BIT MORE. 
          UM, SO MORE OR LESS, HOW MANY FTES DO YOU HAVE, RUDY? AND IF YOU CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT PROCESS AS WELL. 
          I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER ON THE QUOTE. 
          YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          RADI 
          [00:45:01]
MORENO, HEAD OF PERMITTING. 
          SO, UH, I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU. 
          I CAN GET THAT EXACT NUMBER TO YOU. 
          I THINK WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS THE INVESTIGATIONS TEAM. 
          'CAUSE I THINK, UH, I WAS IN, I HAD HAD MY TEAM LOOK INTO THAT ISSUE THAT YOU HAD BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION. 
          AND, UM, AND THAT'S RELATED TO INVESTIGATIONS. 
          IT IS WITH INHABITABILITY, BUT HABITABILITY, THE HABITABILITY SECTION OF THAT GROUP IS, UH, DOES MULTIFAMILY INSPECTIONS. 
          WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES OR OTHER, IT COULD JUST BE AN INVESTIGATION. 
          SO I CAN GET YOU THAT NUMBER THOUGH. 
          SO HOW CLOSELY DO Y'ALL WORK WITH LIKE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, ON THOSE ISSUES SPECIFICALLY? WE WORK, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. 
          UM, THERE IS KIND OF A, A, A HANDOFF AT SOME POINT, AND WE OFTEN RUN INTO THAT CHALLENGE AS TO JURISDICTION WHO, WHOSE JURISDICTION IS THIS. 
          AND THAT'S ONE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO FURTHER GAIN. 
          OKAY. 
          AS FAR AS MAKING SURE WE UNDERSTAND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR A BIT MORE IMPORTANTLY, PARTNERING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS IT. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, UM, I JUST WANNA ACKNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT PERMITTING AND, UH, AVAREZ AND MARCEL. 
          UM, WE HAVE ALL THOSE REPORTS. 
          BELIEVE ME, WE'VE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD. 
          I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIS BUTLER IN THE, IN THE CROWD WHO WAS THE HEAD OF PERMITTING AND IS NOW, THANKFULLY, I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT HE IS AT PUBLIC WORKS. 
          HE KNEW OF ALL THE ISSUES AT PUBLIC WORKS. 
          HE WAS NOT ALWAYS GIVEN THE RESOURCES OR DIRECTION TO MAKE THE CHANGES. 
          AND I DON'T WANT IT TO SEEM LIKE WE JUST NOW REALIZE THERE WERE PROBLEMS. WE HAVE KNOWN THERE WERE PROBLEMS. WE HAD MONTHLY PERMANENT ADVISORY BOARD MEETINGS WITH PEOPLE FROM INDUSTRY, WITH PEOPLE THAT WE REALLY WORKED ON THESE ISSUES. 
          WE MADE SOME CHANGES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, BUT I, I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THINGS WEREN'T DONE. 
          THERE WERE A LOT OF HANDS TIED AND, UH, I'M GLAD THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS REALLY EAGER TO MAKE SOME CHANGES. 
          UH, WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE ALVAREZ AND MARSAL, UM, UH, THINGS. 
          WE BROUGHT IT UP, WE DID BUDGET AMENDMENTS ABOUT IT. 
          I MEAN, THIS, THIS WAS A, THIS IS A, UH, I JUST WANNA BE VERY CLEAR THAT THIS HAS BEEN ON THE RADAR OF THE STAFF AT PERMITTING AND, AND THE COUNCIL. 
          AND, UM, I JUST, I JUST FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT, UM, THE, THE EFFORTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST BY THE DEPARTMENT. 
          AND I'M, I'M GLAD TO SEE A FOCUS BY THE ADMINISTRATION. 
          I THINK WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME MORE HEADWAY THIS TIME. 
          AND, UH, I'LL GO TO, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UM, AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE CONVERSATION AROUND BOTH PERMITTING, ENFORCEMENT INSPECTORS, RIGHT? HAVING PETE, ALL OF THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. 
          SO WHEN Y'ALL HAVE THOSE NUMBERS, AGAIN, PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH US. 
          UM, AS IT RELATES TO PAUSES AND PROJECTS, I KNOW THAT CURRENTLY, UM, THE ADMINISTRATION, LIKE ANY ADMINISTRATION THAT COMES IN, HAS THE RIGHT TO SAY, HEY, WE WANNA LEARN ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON. 
          THAT'S NORMAL. 
          UM, BUT THERE'S, I BELIEVE, A SPECIFIC DIRECTIVE OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION OR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT ARE PAUSED THAT RELATE TO ANY CHANGES TO, UM, USAGE OF CURRENT LANES VIA VEHICULAR LANES. 
          DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE? ONE, DO WE HAVE A LIST OF WHAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE? TWO, HAVE ANY BEEN UNPAUSED AND THREE, WHAT IS THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH PAUSING PROJECTS? SO WE, WE ALREADY HAVE A CHALLENGE WITH THE BUDGET, RIGHT? WE ALREADY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE ENOUGH FOR DRAINAGE FOR STREETS, FOR SIDEWALKS. 
          SO WHAT ARE, WHAT IS THE COST AFFILIATED WITH PAUSING PROJECTS? SO WE DO HAVE A LIST, UM, THE PROCESS FOR THE ONES THAT ARE ON THE LIST TO BE RELEASED. 
          UM, THE EASY ONES ARE ONES THAT IF, UH, IF A PROJECT DOES NOT INVOLVE A REDUCTION IN LANES OR A REDUCTION IN LA AND WIDTH, UM, THOSE, THOSE, THAT'S THE LOW HANGING FRUIT. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, THE MAYOR'S BEEN PRETTY CLEAR ON HIS DIRECTION WHERE WE GO IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION. 
          UM, HE'S VERY KEEN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LOSING GENERAL MOBILITY LANES FOR, UH, RECREATIONAL PURPOSES. 
          AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE REVIEW IS ABOUT. 
          UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE STUDIES, THE APPROPRIATE COUNTS IN HAND, UM, AS WE REVIEW THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE MOBILITY RIGHT IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA IS GONNA BE. 
          SO, SO SOMETHING REQUIRES, AGAIN, THERE'S MULTIPLE FACTORS THAT GO INTO THIS, BUT IF SOMETHING, FOR EXAMPLE, REQUIRES A NEW STUDY TO BE DONE, SO THE ADMINISTRATION IS ORDERED A NEW STUDY, IS THERE A COST AFFILIATED WITH ORDERING A NEW STUDY? YEAH, CERTAINLY ANYTIME WE ENGAGE OUTSIDE VENDORS, THERE'S GONNA BE A COST. 
          THERE'S A COST WHEN WE ENGAGE INTERNAL PEOPLE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO ASSIGN RESOURCES TO IT. 
          UM, I COULDN'T GIVE YOU A NUMBER HERE JUST BASED GENERICALLY, BUT IF WE, LET'S SAY, HAD DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE 
          [00:50:01]
BUDGET, UH, COULD WE SUBMIT THOSE? I ASKED THIS OF FINANCE AS WELL. 
          COULD WE SUBMIT THOSE TO YOU TO GET A COST BACK AS TO WHAT THE CURRENT COST OF IT IS AND WHAT THE, UM, PROJECTED COST MAY BE? LOOK INTO IT. 
          YEAH. 
          I, YEAH, WE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK INTO ANY OF THAT. 
          OF COURSE. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AS IT RELATES TO INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, AGAIN, THE NAME OF THE GAME IS FLOOD MITIGATION. 
          YEAH. 
          STREET SIDEWALKS, YOU NAME IT. 
          THAT'S Y'ALL'S REALM. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE A, I I DON'T KNOW IF THE RIGHT WORD IS ANALYSIS CHAIR, BUT HOW MANY, HOW SUCCESSFUL ARE WE IN DRAWING DOWN GRANT DOLLARS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INFLUX OF FEDERAL DOLLARS FROM, UM, ARPA IRA? ALL OF THE ABOVE DO ARE HOW ARE WE TRACKING HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE? ONE, IN APPLYING FOR THOSE GRANTS MM-HMM . 
          MAKING SURE WE HAVE APPLIED FOR GRANTS AND SUCCESSFULLY DRAWING THOSE DOLLARS DOWN. 
          YEAH, I'D LOVE TO. 
          IN FACT, I'LL INVITE DAVID TO COME JOIN US UP HERE. 
          SEE, HE WAS ALREADY READY. 
          I KNEW I SHOULDN'T GO TOO FAR. 
          . 
          ANYWAY, THANK YOU. 
          HEY, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          APPRECIATE IT. 
          AND WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY ACROSS, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS WITH OUR PEERS THAT INFLUENCE INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL, BUT HEAVILY WITH THE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM TO MAKE SURE WE ARE SUCCESSFULLY PURSUING OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER THAT'S WITH REGIONAL PROJECTS LIKE HGSC PROCESS, STUFF THAT'S ONGOING NOW. 
          UM, OR IF IT'S IIJA BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW STUFF, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO AGGRESSIVELY WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO, TO DO THAT. 
          UM, SAMIR ASKED ME YESTERDAY JUST TO GET SOME BASIC FACTS FOR YOU GUYS, JUST IN CASE YOU'VE ASKED WAY TO GO. 
          UM, VERY GOOD. 
          RIGHT? HE WAS RUNNING THE MONEY. 
          UM, I'LL NOTE WE HAVE CURRENTLY IN OUR PORTFOLIO OF ACTIVE GRANTS ABOUT $683 MILLION COMMITTED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED STUFF. 
          UM, FOR NON INFRASTRUCTURE, $144 MILLION OF GRANTS. 
          MOST OF THAT OVER HALF OF THAT IS FOR THE HOME ELEVATION PROGRAM. 
          YEP. 
          UM, AND THEN THERE IS A QUESTION ABOUT HARVEY RECOVERY. 
          WE'VE GOT ABOUT RIGHT NOW OUR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR HARVEY LOOKS LIKE JUST UNDER $140 MILLION OF PROJECT WORKSHEET VALUE. 
          DOES THAT HELP? IT? IT DOES. 
          AND AGAIN, JUST AS WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, OUTCOME-BASED BUDGETING, RIGHT. 
          BEING ABLE TO TRACK ALL OF THAT AND CHAIR, DO I NEED TO GO BACK IN QUEUE? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          BACK IN QUEUE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER GOT A QUESTION ON, ON THE MOWING, AND THIS JUST CAME UP AS I WAS GOING HOME THE OTHER DAY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION, MOST ARE MEDIUMS IN KINGWOOD AND THEN PUBLIC WORKS DOES THE SECTION, I GUESS BETWEEN THE STREET AND THE SIDEWALK ANYWAY, THAT WE CAN HAVE ONE GROUP DO THE ENTIRE PIECE RATHER THAN BOTH OF YOU, I WOULD ASSUME TRAVEL TIME AND THAT TYPE OF THING IS LEADS INTO TO WHAT YOU'RE ABLE TO DO SINCE THEY'RE ALREADY THERE. 
          CAN THEY JUST DO BOTH NOW? I UNDERSTAND THERE MAY BE SOME SITUATIONS WHERE THE EQUIPMENT DOESN'T WORK AND ISN'T THE SAME, BUT WHEN IT IS, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE PARKS DO EVERYTHING FOR. 
          NO. 
          UM, I, I THINK YOUR POINT'S WELL TAKEN AND THESE ARE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE, UM, I KNOW IS THE, UH, UM, CITYWIDE EFFICIENCY STUDY, UH, IS TO BE UNDERTAKEN. 
          THAT WAS, THAT WAS BEEN MENTIONED VERY RECENTLY. 
          I THINK THESE ARE SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD IS WHERE WE HAVE SOME OF THIS DUPLICATION OF EFFORT OR OVERLAP, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY AN OVERLAP. 
          LIKE WE'RE IN THE SAME PLACE DOING THE SAME THING BUT NOT AT THE SAME PLACE. 
          UH, YOUR POINT IS VERY WELL TAKEN. 
          IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT IT. 
          NOW, SOME OF THE REASONS WHY THAT IS, IS BECAUSE OF THE WAY ASSETS ARE DIVIDED UP. 
          SO IF THE ESPLANADE ACTUALLY BELONGS TO PARKS AND IT'S THEIR ASSET FOR CONTROL, THEN THEY'RE ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE. 
          AND BECAUSE OF THE FUNDING SOURCES, SOMETIMES THAT GETS REALLY INTERESTING. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT SHOULD BE, UH, ANYTHING THAT WOULD STOP US FROM HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS THOUGH ABOUT HOW WE CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT, AGAIN, SMARTER, NOT HARDER, UM, WHETHER THAT LOOKS LIKE AGREEMENTS WE ENTER INTO WITH EACH OTHER TO SEE WHO CAN TAKE ON DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES. 
          WE ALREADY DO THAT WITH OTHER AGENCY PARTNERS. 
          FOR INSTANCE, THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT. 
          THERE ARE VARIOUS PARCELS WHERE THEY MAINTAIN THAT IT BELONGS TO US AND WE MAINTAIN IT. 
          IT BELONGS TO THEM BECAUSE IT MAKES MORE SENSE BASED ON EACH OTHER'S RESPECTIVE LEVEL OF EXPERTISE IN TAKING CARE OF IT. 
          SO I'D LOVE TO LOOK AT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCILMAN MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. 
          UH, RANDY, REGARDING, UH, DEVELOPMENT CONSTRUCTION ON SINGLE LOTS, AND I'M THINKING RESIDENTIAL RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY THE LARGER ONES, WE'VE HEARD COMPLAINTS ABOUT EXPENSIVE DRAINAGE PROJECTS BEING REQUIRED IN, IN THESE INSTANCES. 
          IS THERE ANY, UH, CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW BEING GIVEN TO POSSIBLY SOMETHING LIKE A FEE IN LIEU OF WHERE THE FUNDS COULD BE TAKEN AND SPENT IN A LITTLE MORE REGIONALLY, UH, REGIONAL UH, FASHION INSTEAD OF REQUIRING THESE EXPENSIVE, UH, DRAINAGE PROJECTS ON LOTS? UH, WE'RE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE'RE NOT EXPLORING A FEE IN LIE. 
          I WILL SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR IS SOME CHANGES IN THE IDM MADE IT A LITTLE CONFUSING FOR FOLKS ON WHAT THE 
          [00:55:01]
DETENTION REQUIREMENTS WERE IN A GIVEN SPOT. 
          UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY REEVALUATING WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE TO BE MORE IN LINE WITH THE COUNTY SO THAT IT BECOMES EASIER FOR PEOPLE REGIONALLY TO BE ABLE TO, TO DEVELOP AND DO BUSINESS. 
          UM, I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT OTHER WAYS WE CAN DO IT. 
          IN THE PAST, SOME OF THOSE OPTIONS HAVE BEEN ON THE TABLE. 
          UH, AT A CERTAIN POINT WE KNOW THOUGH THAT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT DEGREE AND AMOUNT OF DETENTION TO MITIGATE THE FLOODING. 
          UM, DOLLARS IN ARE GREAT, BUT IF IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY SOLVE A PROBLEM IN A PARTICULAR AREA, THAT COULD CAUSE OTHER PROBLEMS AS WELL. 
          IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING WORTH CONSIDERING, HOWEVER. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          IF I COULD ASK YOU ABOUT SOME OF YOUR SLIDES, I'M LOOKING AT SLIDE NUMBER NINE RIGHT NOW. 
          DRINKING WATER OPERATIONS AND YOUR FIRST MEASURE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, PERCENTAGE OF WATER MAIN BREAKS REPAIRED WITHIN 10 DAYS. 
          UM, ESTIMATE FOR FY 24 80%. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, HUFFMAN AND I WERE JUST VISITING ABOUT THIS AND THAT SOUNDS AWFULLY HIGH. 
          I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO ANY DATA OF COURSE, BUT JUST SORT OF ANECDOTALLY, UM, THAT SOUNDS SOUNDS AWFULLY HIGH. 
          CAN, CAN YOU JUST, WHEN IT SAYS REPAIRED WITHIN 10 DAYS, DOES THAT MEAN LIKE COMPLETELY COMPLETED WITHIN 10 DAYS OR, OR WHAT I I'M GONNA BE VERY FAIR IN THIS ONE COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          I, I'M NOT CONVINCED OF WHAT WAS PUT INTO THAT METRIC. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, AGAIN, IN ASSUMING SOME OF THESE RESPONSIBILITIES A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE THINGS AND NECESSITY TO SUBMIT IT HERE. 
          UH, I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVISE THAT NUMBER AND SUPPLEMENT IT TO YOU LATER. 
          WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, CANDOR. 
          I, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          LOOKING AT SLIDE NUMBER 10, UM, UNDER SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS. THE SECOND BULLET POINT INCLUDES, UH, CONSENT DECREE ACTIVITIES. 
          UH, WITHOUT FURTHER DETAIL IS, IS THERE ANY WAY WE COULD GET SORT OF A, UH, SOME SORT OF SCHEDULE SHOWING, UH, WHAT SPECIFIC PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FUNDED AND WHEN THEY'VE BEEN FUNDED, UH, THROUGH THE, THE, THE TIME PERIOD WE'VE BEEN UNDER THAT CONSENT DECREE? YEAH, WE CAN ABSOLUTELY PROVIDE THAT. 
          AND IN FACT, I WOULD, I WOULD OFFER UP, I KNOW IT'S NOT NECESSARILY FOR THIS, UH, SETTING HERE, BUT IN ANOTHER COMMITTEE, IT IS WELL PAST TIME THAT WE PROVIDE A CONSENT DECREE UPDATE TO COUNCIL. 
          UH, WE ARE READY TO DO THAT AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO DO IT IN, IN WHICHEVER COMMITTEE IS MOST APPROPRIATE, AND WE CAN GO INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, I HAVE A QUESTION. 
          IN THE BUILDING INSPECTION FUND, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE, UM, MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, UM, FEE. 
          WHAT, WHAT IS THAT FOR? LIKE WENT FROM 68,000 TO 1.6 MILLION. 
          WHAT, WHAT'S THAT FOR? UH, IT, IT'S NOT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT, BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT TWO COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          ONE IS HAVING OLIVER AND MARCEL COME BACK OKAY. 
          TO DO A REFRESH. 
          AND THE OTHER THING, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A COST OF SERVICE STUDY FOR HPC FOR BUILDING INSPECTION. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THAT'S THE EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS, SCOTT. 
          SO I REMEMBER TRYING TO GET 75,000. 
          REMEMBER CHRIS, I TRIED TO GET 75,000 FOR A CONSULTANT AND COULDN'T EVEN GET THAT. 
          WE PASSED THE BUDGET AMENDMENT, BUT I COULDN'T GET IT DONE. 
          SO, UM, OKAY. 
          ALSO, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT LENGTH OF TIME, UM, UH, PAYMENTS AND STUFF. 
          ALSO LENGTH OF TIME, UM, FROM PROJECT SELECTION TO CONTRACT AWARD, UM, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ALSO FROM, UM, CONTRACT AWARD OR BID WINNING TO THE ACTUAL CONTRACT STARTING FOR CONTRACTORS. 
          UH, WHAT EFFORTS ARE BEING MADE TO SHORTEN? I HAVE SEEN SOME, UM, SHORTENING OF THOSE TIMEFRAMES, BUT ARE THERE STILL, UM, MEM UH, EFFORTS BEING MADE TO SHORTEN THOSE TIMEFRAMES AND GET YEAH. 
          ABS ABSOLUTELY. 
          MADAM CHAIR, UH, AT THE EXPENSE OF SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, THIS IS AGAIN, RIGHT DIRECTLY ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO A LOT BETTER. 
          I'LL ALSO SAY AT, UH, AT THE TAG LUNCHEON TODAY, THE MAYOR MENTIONED THIS VERY THING AS WELL IN TALKING ABOUT, AGAIN, NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THAT PROCESS IS OWNED BY US BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA RELY ON OTHERS. 
          THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES INTERNALLY FOR US TO INCREASE OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO GET CONTRACTS DONE FASTER, TO MAKE THEM MORE STREAMLINED, TO PERHAPS OFFER BETTER FORMS AND TEMPLATES SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME NEGOTIATING INDIVIDUAL TERMS ALONG THE WAY. 
          UM, BUT IN TERMS OF OUR ORGANIZATIONAL OPERATIONS MOVING FORWARD, THAT SHOULD DRAMATICALLY DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES FOR US TO GET PROJECTS GOING. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, GETTING, AND YOU WERE SOME SUSPECT ABOUT GETTING THE WATER REPAIRS DONE. 
          UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ISSUES WITH GETTING THE SITE RESTORED. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, SOMETIMES THE WATER LEAK GETS FIXED, BUT THE SITE TAKES A REALLY LONG TIME TO RESTORE. 
          SO JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          COUNCIL, BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THIS AT THE OUTSET, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS IN HERE. 
          SO JUST A VERY BASIC QUESTION FOR, UH, THE PUBLIC'S BENEFIT. 
          WHAT PERCENTAGE, IF ANY, HAS, UH, PUBLIC WORKS' BUDGET BEEN REDUCED? SO UNDER THE BUDGET REDUCTION, I KNOW THE GENERAL FUNDS WERE 
          [01:00:01]
ASKED TO REDUCE ABOUT 5%. 
          UH, WE WERE NOT ASKED TO DO THAT SINCE WE'RE AN ENTERPRISE FUND AND MAJORITY OF OUR SERVICE ARE BASED ON USER FEES. 
          UM, SO WE WERE NOT ASKED TO DO THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CUTS MADE? UM, I KNOW IT'S A BIG QUESTION. 
          I KNOW IT'S A BIG QUESTION. 
          AND LET ME TAKE THIS A A STEP BACK HERE. 
          THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS WITHIN HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE BIGGEST PORTION OF WHICH IS THE WATER AND WASTEWATER UTILITY. 
          UM, AND IF WE TALK, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE CONSENT DECREE, THE EAST PLANT, ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE, WHEN WE CONSIDER OR, OR TALK ABOUT CUTS, THEN WE HAVE TO ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT SERVICES ARE WE GOING TO CUT. 
          THESE ARE ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED ON A DAILY BASIS FROM OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE TO DELIVERING THE LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO DELIVER, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE YEAR. 
          SO I WOULD ASK, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CUTS, WE HAVE TO CONSIDER IF WE'RE LOOKING AT CUTS, DO WE TAKE BACK OR TAKE A STEP BACK ON THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE? THAT'S WHY THE WAY WE'RE APPROACHING IT IS THAT THESE ARE THE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS THAT WE HAVE. 
          UH, WE WENT BACK IN 2021 AND LOOKED AT INCREASING OUR, OUR RATES FOR THE WATER UTILITY FOR THE SOLE REASON, SO WE CAN ADDRESS A LOT OF THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, RIGHT. 
          THAT THE UTILITY'S EXPERIENCING. 
          SO WE DON'T LOOK AT IT IN TERMS OF CUTS, BUT WE LOOK AT HOW CAN WE IMPROVE SERVICES AND ADDRESS A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN PLAGUING THE UTILITY AND HOUSTON PUBLIC WORK FOR SO MANY DECADES. 
          AND, AND IF I CAN ADD ON TO IT, UM, VERY DIRECTLY, THE INTENTION WAS NOT TO CUT ANY SERVICES WHATSOEVER. 
          UH, THERE WERE HOWEVER, UM, EFFICIENCIES TO BE HAD, AS I MENTIONED, OVER 700 VACANCIES IN THE DEPARTMENT. 
          MANY OF THOSE VACANCIES HAVE BEEN OPEN FOR YEARS AT THIS POINT. 
          SO WHEN THE TEAM CAME TO US FOR THEIR INITIAL BUDGET PROPOSALS IN EACH OF THE SERVICE LINES, IT WOULD INCLUDE SUPPLEMENTAL POSITIONS. 
          AND MY INCLINATION WAS NOT TO CONTINUE TO ADD SUPPLEMENTAL POSITIONS TO INFLATE THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT WE HAVE. 
          LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE ARE WAYS FOR US TO, AGAIN, SMARTER, NOT HARDER. 
          PERHAPS IF IT'S BEEN VACANT FOR TWO YEARS, WE DON'T ACTUALLY NEED THAT POSITION, BUT WE NEED THIS OTHER POSITION INSTEAD, SINCE I HAVE THE VACANCY, LET'S, UH, REPURPOSE THAT FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE MORE EFFECTIVE. 
          SO IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE, UM, IN, IN SOME TERMS, YOU COULD POTENTIALLY CALL THAT A CUT WHERE WE SAID, HEY, WE'RE NOT ADDING SUPPLEMENTAL POSITIONS, OR WE CUT OUT ONES THAT WE ALREADY HAD. 
          THE REALITY IS, IS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND WE'RE TRYING TO REIMAGINE THE WAY WE DELIVER THESE SERVICES AT A HIGHER LEVEL WITHOUT DECREASING THE SERVICE THAT WE OFFER. 
          IN FACT, BY INCREASING IT INSTEAD. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND I'M NOT NECESSARILY ADVOCATING FOR CUTS. 
          MY POINT IS WE NEED MORE, MORE FOR DRAINAGE FOR, YOU KNOW, WE NEED MORE FOR PUBLIC WORKS. 
          UM, IF YOU GO TO PAGE SEVEN, SLIDE SEVEN, EXCUSE ME, REALLY QUICKLY, UM, UNDER MOPD, SLIDE SEVEN. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          UH, THE ONE LINE IN RED MO FOR MOPD, UM, IS THAT A BUDGETARY CUT THAT I'M SEEING IT, IT'S, IT'S, GO AHEAD. 
          YEAH, IT'S NOT A BUDGETARY CUT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY KNEW THIS AND IT JUST COMPLETELY DROPPED OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. 
          BETSY, DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THAT WAS? SO ESSENTIALLY IT IS JUST LESS MONEY THAT'S NEEDED FOR THE, UM, UH, FOR THE, UH, A DA, UH, PLAN. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE'RE NOT REDUCING, LIKE MOPD HAS ITS OWN, IT'S A LESSER A DA AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS FULLY FUNDED. 
          THERE'S SUCH A BACKLOG THERE. 
          AND THEN IF YOU GO, I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED 'CAUSE IF YOU GO TO PAGE 19 ON THE SAME SUBJECT SIDE 19, I'M SORRY, LANE MILES UNDER PERFORMANCE, THERE'S A LOT OF NAS, UM, FOR OPDS PROGRAM, AND THEN YOU JUMP TO 26,000. 
          SO IF YOU ALL COULD HELP ME IN REC RECONCILING THAT, UM, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE RIGHT NOW, BUT SURE. 
          GETTING THAT INFORMATION GET SURE. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, AND THEN APPARENTLY I NEED TO GO BACK IN QUEUE COUNT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          OKAY, RANDY, BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER 12, SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS. THE FIRST BULLET POINT TALKS ABOUT THE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM, AND I KNOW WE HAVE FOLKS FROM NAC HERE WHO'D BE VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW HOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE GONNA SPEND. 
          ARE YOU PROPOSED TO SPEND IN THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, UH, FOR DITCH REESTABLISHMENT COMPARED TO WHAT WE SPENT LAST YEAR? AND, AND IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEAR CYCLE. 
          UM, SO FOR THE $35 MILLION PROGRAM, IT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, THERE'S GONNA BE A PERIOD THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY RAMP UP. 
          WE HAVE TO PURCHASE THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE NEED. 
          WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. 
          UM, SO IT IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE THE EXACT NUMBER OF THE DOLLARS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SPENDING BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO, UH, UH, START THIS, UH, EFFORT. 
          AND AT SOME POINT, ONCE WE HAVE THE VEHICLES, ONCE WE HAVE THE PEOPLE, ALL 
          [01:05:01]
THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO THE PROGRAM, THAT WE CAN START SPENDING MONEY ON THOSE THINGS. 
          SO, UM, WE CAN TRY TO GO BACK AND SORT OF GIVE YOU A PROJECTION OR AN ESTIMATE ON THIS PROCESS AND KIND OF GIVE YOU A, AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THAT POTENTIALLY COULD LOOK LIKE. 
          BUT JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE WILL BE A PERIOD OF RAMP UP BEFORE IT'S GONNA BE IN, UH, FULL FORCE. 
          SO YOU DON'T HAVE A NUMBER FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, IS THAT WHAT I'M HEARING? WE HAVE A, AGAIN, IT, IT GOES BACK TO RAMPING UP THIS PROGRAM. 
          WE HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS BUDGETARY ITEM WAS INCLUDED AS PART OF THIS BUDGET. 
          WE CAN'T MAKE DECISIONS ON FUNDING THAT WE DON'T 35, 35 MINUTES, 35, IS THAT WHAT IT'S SAYING? OKAY. 
          THE 35 MILLION IF ONCE IT'S PASSED AND WE CAN START PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING ALL THESE THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE ITEMS ARE COMPLETED. 
          BUT AGAIN, THERE'S GONNA BE THAT RAMP UP PERIOD. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IS, DID I HEAR 35 MILLION? MILLION 35? THE APPROPRIATION IS 35 IS WHAT WE'RE ASKING ON THAT. 
          HOW MUCH GETS SPENT IS GONNA BE DEPENDENT ON OUR ABILITY TO GET PEOPLE IN FILL POSITIONS CORRECT. 
          RECEIVE THE EQUIPMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          AND, AND DO WE THINK THAT'S GONNA RAMP UP OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OR, CERTAINLY. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND IN FACT, I MEAN, WE STARTED THIS LAST YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, SO THE PROGRAM IS ALIVE. 
          IT'S GOING, IT'S WELL, UM, IN FACT, THIS, THIS IS ANOTHER ONE. 
          UH, RECENTLY, UM, PRESENTATION WAS MADE TO COMMITTEE THE SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE ON WHERE WE STAND WITH IT. 
          UM, PART OF THE RAMP UP WAS REALLY THE, THE PROGRAM WAS TAKING WHAT WE WERE DOING OVER A 10 TO 12 YEAR PERIOD AND SHRINKING IT INTO A FIVE YEAR PERIOD. 
          AND WITH 2,500 MILES OF ROADSIDE DITCHES ACROSS THE CITY, THE VERY FIRST THING YOU'VE GOTTA DO IS FIGURE OUT, WELL, WHERE DO I NEED TO SPEND THAT ATTENTION? SO IT WAS THE INSPECTION AND THE ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITION OF EACH OF THOSE DITCHES TO KNOW WHERE TO DEPLOY RESOURCES AND HOW QUICKLY TO DO SO. 
          UM, SO THE PROGRAM IS IN THAT PHASE OF CONTINUING THE, UM, UM, ASSESSMENT OF THE CONDITIONS. 
          AND AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE ALREADY REESTABLISHING MANY DITCHES AS WE GO ALONG THE WAY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          LOOKING FURTHER DOWN ON SLIDE NUMBER 12, YOU HAVE A MEASURE FOR LANE MILES OF ASPHALT SURFACE OVERLAID. 
          AND YOUR ESTIMATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 IS 1 25. 
          YOUR TARGET FOR FISCAL YEAR, UH, 25 IS 1 25 AS WELL. 
          CAN YOU GIVE US SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT? UH, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, HOW MANY MILES WERE WE OVERLAYING 10 YEARS AGO, FOR INSTANCE, OR EVEN FIVE YEARS AGO? I DON'T KNOW THAT, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD GO BACK 10 YEARS. 
          WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THIS SPECIFIC ITEM IS RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS MAYOR STREET REHABILITATION INITIATIVE, UH, OR MSRI, UM, WHERE THERE WAS 125 LANE MILE TARGET FOR EVERY YEAR. 
          AGAIN, THIS GOES TO THE DISCUSSION ON SOME OF THESE METRICS. 
          I FEEL LIKE WE CAN DO A LOT BETTER BECAUSE THERE'S MORE INFORMATION WE CAN PROVIDE. 
          UM, I DO HAVE A DASHBOARD THAT WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOUR OFFICE. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT CAN SHOW YOU AT LEAST OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS THE PERFORMANCE OF THAT PROGRAM AND WHAT WE'VE DONE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BACK IN THE QUEUE. 
          UM, DEE FROM MAYOR PROAM, CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE. 
          THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          AND UNSU SINCERE THANKS TO THE, UM, ENTIRE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TEAM. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR, ALL THAT YOU DO AND FOR YOUR RESPONSIVENESS. 
          UM, AND ACTION. 
          UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN TOUCHED ON THIS. 
          I DO HAVE A QUESTION WITH REGARD TO THE, UH, SIDEWALK SAFETY PROGRAM, SPECIFICALLY UNDER THE MAYOR'S, UM, OFFICE, UH, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          I KNOW THAT THERE IS A BACKLOG. 
          UM, WHERE DO WE STAND WITH THAT? UM, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING RESIDENTS SUBMIT APPLICATIONS, UM, FOR SIDEWALKS AND ALSO FOR A DA RAMPS. 
          UM, BUT THE RESPONSE BACK IS THERE'S, THERE'S BACKLOG. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW, IS THERE A CONTRACT AVAILABLE? UM, IF YOU CAN ELABORATE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I, I'M GONNA TURN TO OUR FOLKS FROM TDO TO JOANNA. 
          WE HAVE THE INFORMATION AND WE CAN, WE CAN SUPPLEMENT THAT TO YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, I'M ALMOST DONE. 
          I PROMISE. 
          UM, GOING BACK TO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DASHBOARDS, IS THERE AN EFFORT, AND I, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY. 
          ENGAGED HOUSTON IS A TERRIFIC INTERFACE, BUT IT ONLY HAS SPECIFIC TYPES OF PROJECTS. 
          YEAH. 
          RIGHT. 
          IT DOESN'T HAVE EVERYTHING THAT MAY BE GOING ON, UM, THAT WE KNOW OF THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS DOING. 
          ARE THERE ANY EFFORTS, OR WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO BRING EVEN MORE DATA INTO THAT FOLD SO THAT WE HAVE A, A, AN ACTUAL ONE STOP SHOP WHEN IT COMES TO ONE, WHAT COUNCIL OFFICES CAN PULL UP, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE PUBLIC CAN PULL UP? YEAH. 
          THIS IS, THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING ON MY WISHLIST. 
          I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WE HAVE FOLKS IN THE ADMINISTRATION, STEVE AND DAVID ESPECIALLY, WHO IS VERY KEEN ON ENSURING THAT WE CREATE, UM, TRANSPARENT INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO CONSUME HERE ON THAT. 
          UM, I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO VISIT WITH YOU AND TALK 
          [01:10:01]
ABOUT THINGS THAT WOULD BE RELEVANT TO PUT ON SUCH A DASHBOARD, BUT IT IS ON A WISHLIST. 
          TERRIFIC. 
          UM, ANY WAY WE CAN BE SUPPORTIVE, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE, UH, I ASKED THIS OF FINANCE EARLIER, BUT, UH, GIVEN THE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS AND SPECIFICALLY WITHIN PUBLIC WORKS ITSELF, OVERSHADOWING US RIGHT NOW IS, UH, DRAINAGE RELATED LITIGATION MM-HMM . 
          AND A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS POTENTIAL PRICE TAG. 
          HAVE THERE BEEN CONVERSATIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF WHAT HAPPENS? IDEALLY, WE GET TO A SETTLEMENT, BUT IF THE SUPREME COURT RULES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT A HUNDRED, THAT THERE'S A BILL AT THE END OF THIS THING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, UM, HOW ARE WE GOING TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT? AND DOES THAT FALL TO PUBLIC WORKS? AND WHAT, HOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DEAL WITH THAT? UH, WE HAVE NOT STARTED TO ENGAGE THOSE CONVERSATIONS YET, SO I, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN HOW IS THE DRAINAGE, THE CITYWIDE DRAINAGE STUDY COMING ALONG? WE'RE ACTUALLY AT THE TAIL END OF THE DRAINAGE STUDY, AND WE'LL BE PROVIDING MORE INFORMATION SOON. 
          WE'RE WORKING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION ON THAT AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          UH, DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATED TIMELINE? UM, HOPING BY THE END OF JUNE. 
          HEY, SO MID HURRICANE SEASON, WE WILL, WE'LL GET TO, TO LOOK AT THIS THING, . 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          UM, I JUST, AGAIN, WANNA SAY THANK YOU. 
          THERE'S WAY TOO MANY DIVISIONS AND DEPARTMENTS TO THANK, BUT EVERY TIME OUR OFFICE HAS COME TO, AND OUR OFFICE HAS THE MOST, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, 3 1 1, UH, REQUESTS, UH, ONE OF ANY OFFICE, BUT ALSO OF ANY DISTRICT. 
          SO I RECOGNIZE THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE WITH OUR OFFICE, BUT WHETHER IT'S GRO, VAL AND HER TEAM IN CDSF, UM, THE, THE SIDE PROJECTS, RANDY, WE HAVE WORKED TOGETHER ON, UM, THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE, BUT YOU ALL HAVE DONE EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO CATER TO EACH DISTRICT'S NEEDS, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO GO AND NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AROUND. 
          SO WHATEVER WE CAN BE DOING, ONE FROM AN EFFICIENCY PERSPECTIVE, BUT, UM, WE HAVE TO FIND THE DOLLARS TO GET, TO GET MORE GOING. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          UM, AND I THINK IT WAS TOUCHED ON A BIT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GET A, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONSENT DECREE MM-HMM . 
          WHERE ARE WE ON, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THOSE PROJECTS. 
          RIGHT NOW WE'RE, WELL, WE'RE WELL UNDERWAY. 
          WE'RE IN YEAR FOUR. 
          WHERE'S GREG? YES, YES. 
          WE'RE IN YEAR FOUR. 
          UM, I THINK, I THINK THAT, UM, AS WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT A FULL UPDATE, IT WILL BE IMPRESSIVE TO YOU TO SEE HOW FAR WE'VE COME IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 
          I, I, I REALLY DO. 
          THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES AHEAD. 
          UM, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE, UM, NOT LAST TIME, BUT THE TIME BEFORE. 
          I THINK THE COST OF WHAT'S COMING FORWARD FOR US, UM, EVERY YEAR THIS CONSENT DECREE GETS MORE EXPENSIVE. 
          AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THERE WERE THINGS WE WERE GONNA DO REGARDLESS OF THERE HAVING BEEN A CONSENT DECREE, THE CONSENT DECREE ADDED ADDITIONAL THINGS WITH SOME DEADLINES TO IT. 
          WE KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL MORE BEYOND THAT, THAT HAS TO BE DONE AS WE CAN CONTINUE TO DISCOVER WHAT EXISTS. 
          BUT OUR WATER SYSTEM IS PROBABLY THE MOST PRECIOUS THING THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY. 
          AND SO THE ATTENTION TO IT IS AT THE ABSOLUTE FOREFRONT OF OUR THOUGHTS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, AND, AND I ASK BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAN GIVE, UH, AN UPDATE TO THE, TO THE RESIDENTS. 
          RIGHT. 
          UH, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE AGAIN. 
          YEAH. 
          CORRECT. 
          AND SO AS WE ASK 'EM FOR, YOU KNOW, THEIR CONTRIBUTION AND, YOU KNOW, TO, TO PAY, PAY TOWARDS IT, DEFINITELY WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAN REPORT OUT TO THEM HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          AND SOMETHING TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT AS ALONG AS WHAT THE CHAIRWOMAN, UH, MENTIONED AS FAR AS PERFORMANCE MEASURES, MEASURES, UH, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE RFQ PROCESS, I'D LIKE TO GET SOME INFORMATION ON THAT AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          MAKING SURE FROM BEGINNING TO END, UM, HOW WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING BETTER AS WELL. 
          YEAH, I'LL BE HAPPY TO DO THAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. 
          THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. 
          UM, RANDY, IF YOU, JUST A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS ON SLIDE 12. 
          SO THERE'S ANOTHER MEASURE NUMBER OF CONCRETE PANEL REPLACEMENTS IN FY 24. 
          THE ESTIMATE IS SIX 50. 
          UH, SAME TARGET FOR NEXT YEAR IN FY 23, IT WAS 440. 
          SO, SO THE CONCRETE PANELS, IS THERE LIKE A UNIFORM LENGTH, IF YOU WILL, OF THESE? OR DO THEY VARY IN SIZE? JOHANNA WILL COME AND TALK. 
          JOHANNA IS, UH, SERVING AS OUR INTERIM DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR TDO. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBER. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          UH, YES, IT VARIES. 
          THE CONCRETE PANELS, UM, SERVICE AND STATISTICS THAT YOU SEE ARE A COMBINATION OF WHAT IS ON DEMAND REQUEST BY THE COMMUNITY, ALONG WITH RESULTS FROM OUR PROACTIVE ASSESSMENTS 
          [01:15:01]
THAT WE DO CITYWIDE. 
          SO WE DO HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, THE PAVEMENT, UH, CONDITION INDEX THAT WE USE AS A RATING OR INDICATOR OF THE CONDITION OF THE PAVEMENT. 
          AND THAT TRIGGERS SOME OF THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE HERE. 
          SO IT VARIES. 
          UH, THE GOAL THAT IS SHOWN HERE REMAINS THE SAME. 
          HOWEVER, AGAIN, BASED ON THESE TWO FACTORS, DEMAND DRIVEN AND ALSO PROACTIVE ASSESSMENTS, IT MIGHT INCREASE. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S LIKELY WE'LL GO THAT WAY. 
          I, IS THERE ANOTHER MEASURE MAYBE WE CAN CREATE TO TELL US THE LENGTH OF THESE CONCRETE PANELS SO WE CAN MEASURE THAT FROM YEAR TO YEAR? WE COULD PROVIDE ABSOLUTELY THAT DATA AND, AND, AND LET YOU KNOW, WE CAN SUMMARIZE ALL OF THAT FOR YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          IF I CAN ASK YOU NOW ABOUT SLIDE 23. 
          SO, UM, DO WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO TRACK, UH, PROJECTS, SO, SO THAT WE CAN SEARCH ONLINE TO SEE WHICH ONES HAVE BEEN FUNDED OUT OF, UH, WHICH FUNDING SOURCE? I, I, I BELIEVE, UH, WE WERE, AT SOME POINT WE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ON CREATING SOME SORT OF A DASHBOARD THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO DO THAT. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, WE HAD SOME ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES RECENTLY, AND SO THAT IS PART OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING AGAIN. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN GO BACK AND LOOK INTO AND PRO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN UPDATE ON THAT AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          AND SLIDE 26, SALE OF CAPITAL ASSETS LAND STREETS. 
          UM, SO FY 24 ESTIMATE, UH, 3.15 MILLION PROJECTED NEXT YEAR, 2.5 MILLION IF, IF I'VE GOT MY, UH, MATH RIGHT HERE. 
          UM, IS, IS THAT SORT OF JUST A, AS AN ON AN AD AS NEEDED BASIS AS, UM, REQUESTS COME TO THE CITY? OR IS THERE SOME PLAN WHERE WE HAVE TO SELL A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF LAND EVERY YEAR? HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? IT, IT'S, IT'S BASED ON AN AS, AS NEEDED BASIS AND WHAT MAKES SENSE, UH, WHEN WE HAVE PROPERTIES THAT HAVE SAT DORMANT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, THEY EFFECTIVELY BECOME SURPLUS. 
          SOMETHING THAT PERHAPS WE HAD PURCHASED AT ONE POINT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, BUT NOW WE'RE NOT GONNA GO DOWN THAT PATH. 
          UM, IF SOMEONE COMES IN AND MAKES A REQUEST FOR THAT PURCHASE, WE CAN KIND OF EFFECTUATE THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, BUT THERE'S NOT A TARGETED APPROACH WHERE WE'RE SAYING, WELL, WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA SELL TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OF PROPERTY THIS YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S ALL I HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, LAST ONE. 
          SO, SORRY. 
          BUT FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST BUDGET HEARING OF THIS CYCLE OF A NEW ADMINISTRATION IN SOME DIVISIONS FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS, THERE, THERE'S BEEN A POLICY OF WORST FIRST, RIGHT? UM, DISTRICT C FOR EXAMPLE, AND EVEN, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE STREETS AND COUNCILOR MARTINEZ'S DISTRICT ARE THE OLDEST IN THE CITY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, DISTRICT C HAS SOME OF THE OLDEST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY OVER A HUNDRED YEARS. 
          HOW ARE WE, ARE WE A HOW ARE WE ASSESSING BECAUSE WE CAN'T GET TO EVERYTHING? HAS THERE BEEN ANY POLICY SHIFT IN HOW WE ASSESS WHAT WE'RE GETTING TO AND HOW WE DETERMINE THAT? I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS MOVING FORWARD. 
          UM, I RECALL A DISCUSSION AROUND THE HORSESHOE ABOUT THIS TIME LAST YEAR AS A BRAND NEW PERSON TO THE CITY. 
          AND I STILL TO THIS DAY DON'T KNOW WHAT WORST FIRST MEANS. 
          I THINK LIKE MANY OF YOU, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE, RIGHT? WE'RE ALL LIKE, THE ROADS ARE BAD. 
          YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW THAT. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEAN, UH, WHAT'S WORST? ALL OF IT. 
          UM, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS THOUGH, COUNCIL MEMBER TO UNDERSTAND WHERE TO PLACE THOSE PRIORITIES. 
          AND I THINK THAT THAT DISCUSSION HAS TO BE IN STRONG COLLABORATION WITH EACH OF YOU BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOUR DISTRICTS FRANKLY BETTER THAN WE DO, EVEN IF WE THINK WE KNOW IT REALLY WELL, BECAUSE YOU'RE HEARING FROM THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE. 
          UH, AND THAT CANNOT GO UNDERSOLD UNDER RECOGNIZED. 
          WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LISTENING TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE MOST DIRECTLY IMPACTED. 
          UM, OUR PERSPECTIVE, PERHAPS FROM AN ENGINEERING SIDE, MAY DEFINE WORST IN ONE WAY, BUT THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ACTUAL IMPACTS TO QUALITY OF LIFE, FOR INSTANCE. 
          AND SO, UM, I'D WELCOME THAT CONVERSATION MOVING FORWARD. 
          I KNOW WE WILL BE HAVING IT INTERNALLY, BUT I WOULD HOPE TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE EACH OF YOU AS PART OF THAT PROCESS AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT PUBLIC WORKS DOES, AND THANKS FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          WE WILL BRING UP THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS AND WE WILL START WITH SABA BLANDING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          HEY, LAST, LAST ONE, SUPER PUNCTUAL TODAY. 
          [01:20:01]
UM, UH, THERE'S SO MUCH WORK NEEDED TO MAINTAIN HOUSTON'S AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          UM, AND THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT BEING PREPARED TO DO REPAIRS, UM, LIKE WITH VENDORS, AND I KNOW DRAINAGE AND FLOOD MITIGATION HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED. 
          I WAS CURIOUS WHAT OTHER EFFORTS AND PLANS BY PUBLIC WORKS, UH, THERE ARE TO HARDEN THE CITY'S INFRASTRUCTURE AGAINST CLIMATE DISASTERS. 
          GOT A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THAT THAT WE CAN GET TO YOU. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S IT, . 
          NEXT WE WILL HEAR FROM BECKY SELL. 
          HI, BECKY. 
          GOOD TO SEE YOU. 
          UM, ALL RIGHT, I HAVE, I HAVE A, A LONG LIST OF QUESTIONS. 
          UM, SO, UM, MY NAME'S BECKY. 
          I'M PART OF THE NACI DON'T HAVE MY YELLOW SHIRT TODAY. 
          UM, AND ALSO PART OF WEST STREET RECOVERY. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          THE FIRST QUESTION I WANNA ASK IS ABOUT THE LDP AMENDMENT THAT Y'ALL HAVE HEARD US, UM, TALKING ABOUT. 
          SO, UM, LAST YEAR, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON PUT FORTH AN AMENDMENT TO INCREASE LDP PROJECTS BY 20 MILLION AND IT WAS APPROVED. 
          UM, HOWEVER, WE'VE HAD A LONG GAME OVER THE LAST YEAR OF TRYING TO SEE WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO AND WAS IT EVER ACTUALLY MOVED. 
          WE'VE HAD SOME UPDATES SINCE WE LAST TALKED TO Y'ALL. 
          UM, WE MET WITH THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE AND CHRIS HOLLINS, UH, WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE US DOCUMENTATION THAT $20 MILLION WAS INDEED TRANSFERRED FROM THE GENERAL FUND OVER TO, UH, THE CONTRIBUTED CAPITAL PROJECT FUND IN FISCAL YEAR 2024. 
          UM, HOWEVER, AND WE ALSO HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM PUBLIC WORKS, UM, LEMME COME BACK TO THAT. 
          SO, BUT WE DON'T ACTUALLY SEE EVIDENCE OF THAT TRANSFER, UM, IN THE BUDGET FROM LAST YEAR OR THE PROPOSED BUDGET OF THIS YEAR. 
          UM, SORRY, EV WE DON'T SEE, WE SEE THE MONEY LEFT THE GENERAL FUND AND WENT INTO PUBLIC WORKS, BUT WE DON'T SEE WHERE IT WAS ALLOCATED. 
          SO WE DON'T SEE ANY PROOF THAT IT ACTUALLY IS BEING PUT TOWARDS LDP PROJECTS. 
          UM, SO THE, THE QUESTION I HAVE, UM, IS, UH, WAS WHERE IS THAT MONEY? IS IT, UM, ONLY ALLOWED TO BE SPENT ON LDP PROJECTS AND WHERE CAN WE SEE THAT IN THE BUDGET? ANDREW, YOU CAN ASK JOANNA CLARK. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE HAVE, UM, YOU GUYS HAVE COME TO THIS AND I, I THINK WE HAVE FURNISHED AN EMAIL THAT WAS PROVIDED TO US FROM PUBLIC WORKS, BUT I'LL JUST READ FROM SOME OF THAT, THAT WILL HOPEFULLY ADDRESS SOME OF THIS. 
          UM, THE $20 MILLION APPROVED TO COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND. 
          THE REASON WHY IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN THE L-D-P-C-I-P LINE YET FINANCE COURT IS COORDINATING WITH PUBLIC WORKS ON RESPECTIVE ON THE RESPECTIVE TRANSFER COMMITMENT TO TRANSFER $20 MILLION WAS OUTSIDE OF CIP ADOPTION. 
          SO IT IS NOT SHOWN IN THE, IN THE CIP BOOK, TO THE EXTENT ANY OF THIS $20 MILLION IS NOT APPROPRIATED BY COUNCIL AND FY 24, IT WOULD SHOW UP IN NEXT YEAR'S CIP BOOK AS FUND 45 15 UNDER THE ROADSIDE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM. 
          CIP PAGE FUNDS WERE TRANSFERRED IN OCTOBER AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR APPROPRIATION FIRST. 
          APPROPRIATION FOR CONTRACT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL ON DECEMBER 20TH. 
          AGENDA REMAINING CONTRACTS ARE UNDER PROCUREMENT. 
          THAT'S A LOT OF WORDS. 
          I'M NOT SURE I EVEN FOLLOWED EXACTLY WHAT THAT WAS A SAYING. 
          BUT, UM, WE HAVE THAT CIP MEETINGS ON JUNE 13TH, UM, SPECIAL CALLED BFA. 
          I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE A LOGICAL PLACE TO, THAT WE CAN KIND OF DELVE INTO THAT MORE, BUT I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THIS EMAIL. 
          THERE'S SOME MORE DETAIL ON IT. 
          I'VE SEEN THAT EMAIL. 
          SO THE QUESTION IS THEN IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WE DON'T SEE THAT 20 MILLION INCREASE IN THE FUND THAT GOES IN. 
          SO WE DON'T SEE THE CIP RIGHT BY PROJECT, BUT THERE SHOULD BE A 20 MILLION INCREASE IN THAT FUND IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET THAT WAS JUST RELEASED. 
          AND WE DON'T SEE THAT INCREASE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO WE PUBLIC WORK IS LISTENING AND WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL RE-ASK IT THAT WAY. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, ONE MOMENT. 
          OKAY. 
          THE OTHER QUESTION IS, WHAT YOU JUST READ SAYS THAT IT WENT TO ROADSIDE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT THAT IS NOT LDP. 
          AND SO IF, IF, IF WE THINK THAT THAT'S NOT TRUE, WE'VE ACTUALLY LIKE GOTTEN NU SINCE THEN THAT WE THINK MAYBE THERE IS MONEY FOR LDP AND THERE ALSO WAS MONEY FOR ROADSIDE DITCH TREE ESTABLISHMENT. 
          WE WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR CONTINUED INCREASE IN LDP THIS YEAR. 
          RIGHT? SO WE NEED TO KNOW, DID THAT MONEY GO TO LDP? IF SO, WHY WAS IT NOT SPENT YET? IS IT BECAUSE THERE'S A LONGER, UH, LIKE A 18TH MONTH CYCLE? YOU KNOW, LIKE BY THE TIME YOU GET THE MONEY AND PLANNING THE PROJECTS RIGHT. 
          [01:25:01]
A LONGER LEAD TIME ON. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO IN THAT CASE, WE'LL WE WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR MORE MONEY AGAIN THIS YEAR SO WE CAN CONTINUE THAT CYCLE GOING FORWARD. 
          GOT IT. 
          IF IT WENT TO ROADSIDE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT AND NOT LDP, WE HAVE A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM THAN WE NEED SUPPORT FROM ALL OF COUNCIL BASICALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT 20 MILLION THAT WAS PROMISED FOR LDP LAST YEAR ACTUALLY APPEARS THIS YEAR. 
          JUST SO EVERYONE KNOW, LDP AND DID TREE ESTABLISHMENT SERVE VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS AND WE NEED BOTH OF THEM, AND WE'RE INFORMED BOTH WHAT HAPPENS, UH, UNDERSTOOD. 
          AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS STRAIGHTENED OUT. 
          OKAY. 
          EXCELLENT. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          MY NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM. 
          SO, UM, LAST YEAR WE ARE GIVEN A, UM, RANGE FOR THE, SO THERE'S A FIVE YEAR PLAN AVAILABLE FOR DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM, RIGHT? AND THERE'S, UH, WE'VE BEEN GETTING UPDATES FROM JANNA AND HER DEPARTMENT ON THIS, ON THE STATUS OF BASICALLY FOLLOWING THAT TIMELINE. 
          UH, IT'S GOING PRETTY WELL. 
          WE THINK THE ONLY AREA THAT'S SERIOUSLY BEHIND IS THE, UM, TRANSPARENCY, BASICALLY PUBLISHING THE RESULT OF INSPECTION OF DITCHES. 
          WE ARE TOLD THAT THAT INFORMATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, AND THEN IN FEBRUARY IT'S STILL NOT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. 
          AND THAT INFORMATION'S SUPER IMPORTANT, RIGHT? TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BEING NEXT TO A DITCH MATCHES PUBLIC WORKS ASSESSMENT. 
          UM, SO THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY MAJOR DELIVERABLE THAT'S REALLY BEHIND THE INSPECTIONS ARE ON TRACK AND THE, UH, PILOT PROJECTS WERE DONE. 
          THE QUESTION WE HAVE ABOUT THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS LAST YEAR WE WERE TOLD TO STAY ON TRACK, THEY NEED BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MILLION THIS YEAR. 
          THIS YEAR THERE'S 35 MILLION. 
          SO OUR QUESTION IS, IF WE'RE BEHIND ALREADY, WHY DID THEY ASK FOR, WHY IS IT AT 35? SO BASICALLY THE LOWEST END OF THAT. 
          AND ALSO WE ALL KNOW THAT COSTS HAVE GONE UP FOR EVERYTHING. 
          SO THE QUESTION IS, UM, WHY IS IT AT THE LOW END? UM, AND BASICALLY, WILL THAT INITIAL SCHEDULE STILL BE HELD ON TRACK? AND WHEN WILL THE TRANSPARENCY REALLY IMPORTANT TRANSPARENCY FEATURE BE AVAILABLE? OKAY. 
          WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND WE WILL GET THOSE ANSWERS FOR YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR ASKING. 
          UM, OKAY, MY NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE OUTCOME BASED BUDGETING. 
          SO THE THEORY OF OUTCOME BASED BUDGETING AT, IS THAT THE, AM I USING THE RIGHT TERM? IS  IS GREAT. 
          UM, SORRY, I'M TRYING TO PULL UP THE SLIDES. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THAT THEORY IS GREAT, BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE OUTCOMES, BASICALLY, LIKE STATED IN THE STREET AND DRAINAGE, UM, OPERATIONS, THEY, UH, DON'T MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT DITCH REESTABLISHMENT AND THEY DON'T MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT, UM, UH, MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL DRAINAGE PROJECTS AND OTHER, UM, STORMWATER REHAB PROJECTS. 
          SO THE QUESTION KIND OF MULTIFACETED, BUT HOW ARE THOSE OUTCOMES DECIDED UPON AND WHY ARE THOSE OUTCOMES NOT THERE? YEAH, AND I THINK I HEARD THE, UM, MR. MACHI TALK ABOUT THE NEED FOR REALLY EXAMINING THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
          WE CERTAINLY WANNA KNOW THAT THE ROADSIDE DITCH, UH, PROGRAM IS WORKING ON TRACK. 
          SO ALL THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, HE JUST, YOU KNOW, ASSUMED THIS POSITION. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME TO REALLY EVALUATE THOSE, UM, PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
          BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          AND WE'RE ALL, UM, AS A COUNCIL LOOKING AT THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S TRULY, IF WE'RE DOING OUTCOME-BASED BUDGETING, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AND, AND REDO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE NOT ACCOMPLISHING. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT. 
          OKAY, THANKS. 
          UM, OKAY, THE NEXT THING IS I'D LIKE TO ADD ON, I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN, UM, CAYMAN, UH, TALKED ABOUT THE NEED FOR, UH, UPDATING ENGAGE HOUSTON. 
          SO STREET AND DRAINAGE REHAB PROJECTS ARE ON ENGAGE HOUSTON, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT THEY AREN'T UP TO DATE. 
          UM, AND THAT'S BASICALLY THE ONLY ACCESS BESIDES ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT THAT WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT PLANS ARE IN PLACE AND WHAT IS HAPPENING. 
          AND SO IT'S BEEN STATED BASICALLY SINCE WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK EVERY YEAR, THAT THAT'S A PRIORITY AND IT HAS SLIGHTLY IMPROVED. 
          UM, AND SO BASICALLY THE QUESTION IS HOW IS IT GOING TO ACTUALLY IMPROVE THIS YEAR? WE WILL GET YOU SPECIFIC ANSWERS ON THAT. 
          WE ALL WANNA SEE A BETTER, A BETTER WEBSITE, A BETTER WAY TO TRACK THOSE PROJECTS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING, BECKY. 
          WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          WE'VE GOTTA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SPEAKER. 
          FELIX KEMPNER. 
          KAUR. 
          KAUR. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, I'M GONNA SEED MY TIME TO, UH, BECKY. 
          SO . 
          THAT'S FINE. 
          . 
          I, SHE WAS ON A ROLL . 
          UM, ALL RIGHT. 
          [01:30:01]
NEXT THING IS TO ADD ONTO THE QUESTION ABOUT WORST FIRST AND THE DEFINITION OF THAT. 
          LIKE, UM, KIND OF SAME THING WITH TRANSPARENCY. 
          SINCE WE'VE GOTTEN HERE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT EQUITY AND WORST FIRST, AND HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY, UH, DECIDE WHAT WOR WORST FIRST IS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY WAY OF MEASURING THINGS, UM, ANY, ANY AGREED UPON STRUCTURE. 
          AND SO BASICALLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT PLANS FOR A MASTER DRAINAGE PLAN AND A MORE LIKE, UH, BASICALLY REVIEW OF THE CIP. 
          WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANY PAPERWORK, ANY, ANY, ANYTHING BASICALLY ON THE, THAT IS PROGRESSING. 
          UM, AND, AND ARE, UH, BESIDES, UH, KIND OF BRIEF STATEMENTS ABOUT WORK THAT'S HAPPENING WITH CONSULTANTS, WHICH IS SUPER ALARMING. 
          UM, JUST HOW GETTING, DOING THREE YEARS OF WORK WITH CONSULTANTS BEFORE PULLING COMMUNITY IN A, IN, IN ANY WAY NEVER LEADS TO SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE. 
          SO THE, THE QUESTION IS BASICALLY, AND DEMAND IS WE REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS PLAN. 
          THE CITY, THE CITY NEEDS THIS. 
          UM, THERE'S ALSO THE ONE WATER PLAN, WHICH WE CAN TALK A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT, THAT'S, UH, BEING LED AND FUNDED BY, UM, BASICALLY ONE OF THE MOST PROBLEMATIC EVIL CORPORATIONS THAT'S BEHIND POISONING PEOPLE OF DRINKING WATER. 
          SO, UH, SAME THING THERE. 
          LIKE, WE WANNA BE PART OF IT, WE'RE READY TO BE PART OF IT. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE, HOW DO WE BE PART OF IT? SO ON THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN, I DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION HERE ON THAT. 
          UM, FROM THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS, UM, THEY'VE COMPLETED THE MODEL DATA FOR THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN. 
          THEY'RE NOW ASSEMBLING THE DATA AND WORKING ON A METHODOLOGY TO PRIORITIZE THE INFORMATION. 
          WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON A WEBPAGE TO HOST THE INFORMATION. 
          AND, UM, HE'S, WE'RE GONNA GET THE, THE, THE METHODOLOGY FOR THAT SHARED. 
          SO THERE IS GONNA BE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, THAT MEANS THEY, THEY'RE FINALIZING THE, AS YOU HEARD BY THE END OF JUNE, BUT WHAT'S THE DATA, I GUESS? LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT ARE THEY MEASURING? WHAT THEY LOOKING AT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA LEARN. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA LEARN, WHAT THE DATA IS, WHAT THE METHODOLOGY IS, THAT'S GONNA SHOW THE PRIORITIZATION, THAT'S GONNA SHOW THE, THE, THAT'S THE MASTER DRAINAGE PLAN. 
          SO OKAY. 
          HOPEFULLY THAT GIVES US A GOOD, UM, GUIDE FOR WHERE WE NEED TO GO, UH, WHERE TO, HOW TO PRIORITIZE THE DRAINAGE PROJECTS IN THE CITY. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT'S A GREAT UPDATE AND WE HOPE TO SEE THAT REALLY SOON. 
          JUST A NOTE ON THAT AND ALL OTHER PLANS, THE CRITERIA AND PLAN IN COLLECTING THE DATA AND WHAT'S BEING MEASURED REALLY, REALLY MATTERS. 
          IT'D BE GREAT TO CONSULT COMMUNITY BEFORE YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE CONTRACTS. 
          OH, GOOD POINT. 
          GOOD POINT. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, NEXT QUESTION. 
          UM, OKAY, CONSENT, UH, SWITCHING TO TALK ABOUT SEWAGE AND WASTEWATER. 
          UM, THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. 
          A CONSENT DECREE UPDATE IS AVAILABLE. 
          THE PUBLIC IS ALSO REALLY, REALLY, REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT. 
          IT'D BE GREAT JUST TO HAVE THAT AVAILABLE ONLINE. 
          UM, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR AN UPDATE, SO IF IT IS AVAILABLE, HOW DO WE GET THAT RIGHT AWAY? I THINK, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BRING IT TO COMMITTEE SOON. 
          UM, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. 
          SO THERE'LL BE OKAY. 
          OF COURSE, THE, A PRESENTATION ONLINE AS WELL AS THE ABILITY TO COME. 
          LET'S. 
          OKAY, GREAT. 
          AND THEN, UM, JUST SOME MORE CLARIFICATION ON THE QUESTION ABOUT, UH, BUDGET CUTS. 
          AND, UM, IT SOUNDED LIKE, UM, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR , I BELIEVE, UH, SAID THAT, UH, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IS AN AREA THAT, UH, IS STRUGGLING. 
          I, UH, OR LIKE, BASICALLY HAS A BIGGER NEED. 
          SO SOME MORE QUESTIONS THERE ABOUT WHAT IS THE GAP AND, UM, HOW IT'S BEING FILLED AND HOW THAT PLAYS INTO THE DEMANDS OF THE CONSENT DECREE. 
          WE CAN ASK ABOUT THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THE, UH, I THINK MY FINAL QUESTION IS, OH, OKAY. 
          SECOND TO LAST QUESTION IS, UM, UH, UH, PUBLIC WORKS DID SOME PILOT DRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE STREET AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS IN FISCAL YEAR 2023. 
          UM, AND THE IDEA OF THOSE WAS TO SET THE FOUNDATION TO DO MORE PROJECTS GOING FORWARD. 
          UH, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO FIND ANY EVIDENCE THAT MORE PROJECTS WERE DONE IN THE LAST YEAR. 
          IT'S A REALLY BIG INTEREST OF OURS, UM, ESPECIALLY AS WE THINK ABOUT, UH, INCREASED RAINFALL, UM, OF HOW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE GONNA CONTINUE GOING FORWARD AND BE INTEGRATED INTO THESE OTHER PIECES. 
          SO, UM, BASICALLY JUST BRINGING THAT TO ATTENTION AND SEEING IF WE CAN YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          INFORMATION. 
          I'VE SEEN SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WERE DONE AND, AND I MYSELF WANNA AM GOING ASK 'EM BIG PROPONENT OF GREEN STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, SO, GREAT. 
          UM, WE HAD A BIG DISCUSSION ABOUT IT YES. 
          YESTERDAY AT COUNCIL. 
          OKAY. 
          AND MY FINAL QUESTION, COMMENT IS, UM, ABOUT THE, UM, ADVIL A VALOREM D-D-S-R-F FUND. 
          SO, UM, TWO QUESTIONS THERE. 
          ONE IS DIFFICULT TO SEE FROM THE DOCUMENTS PROVIDED. 
          SO THE WAY THAT FUND IS CREATED IS A PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY TAXES GOES TO DRAINAGE RATE AND THEN A PORTION GOES TO PAY DEBT. 
          UM, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT EXACT VALUE BASICALLY IN 2025 THAT IS GOING 
          [01:35:01]
TO PAY IN DEBT. 
          UM, THAT'D BE, YEAH. 
          SO THAT'S A QUESTION. 
          CAN WE GET THAT EXACT VALUE? AND THEN THE REMAINDER OF THAT MONEY GOES INTO FUNDING NEW PROJECTS. 
          UM, SO YEAH, ONE QUESTION, CAN WE GET THAT NUMBER ON DEBT AND THEN WE CAN ASK FOR THAT NUMBER? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          WHAT THE DEBT SERVICE WAS, AND THEN I KNOW IT WAS 120 MILLION AND IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE TRANSFERRING TO CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          HIS, HIS SLIDE SAID 1 36, SO IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THAT AREA THAT'S TRANSFERRING FROM A VALOREM TO, TO CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          SO SOME OTHER, YEAH, SOME OTHER AMOUNT WENT TO DEBT AND WE CAN, WE CAN GET THAT EXACTLY. 
          AND THEN THE, UM, I'M SURE Y'ALL, UH, HOPEFULLY REMEMBER ALSO THE CONVERSATION WE HAD OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS ON THE AVALOR. 
          UM, UH, BASICALLY THAT NOT ENOUGH MONEY IS GOING INTO DRAINAGE. 
          UM, SO THE CITY RECENTLY LOST A LAWSUIT WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT A FULL 11.80 CENTS HAD TO GO INTO DRAINAGE. 
          IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THE CITY WILL BE APPEALING THAT RULING, UM, JUST STRONGLY IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T YET, ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE RULING. 
          UM, SO THERE'S BASICALLY, THIS CAME UP AT THE MAYOR'S PRESS CONFERENCE, UM, WHEN HE RELEASED THE BUDGET AND HE INDICATED THAT THERE WAS SOME NEGOTIATION GOING ON WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, WITH THE PLAINTIFFS AND LAWYERS THAT ARE DEALING WITH THIS AND, AND MAYBE THERE'S A POTENTIAL SETTLEMENT TO BE HAD IN THIS CASE. 
          OKAY. 
          I GUESS IF WE CAN GET MORE INFORMATION ON THAT AS SOON AS IT'S AVAILABLE. 
          AND JUST A REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IS, BOY, I WANNA KNOW TOO. 
          OKAY. 
          THERE'S LIKE, WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS NOT AN EQUIVALENT. 
          THERE'S AN EQUIVALENT OR THERE'S THE FULL 11.80 CENTS. 
          UNDERSTOOD. 
          THE RULING OF THE COURT WAS THE FULL 11.80 CENTS, RIGHT? WE KNOW IT'S A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. 
          WE THINK IT'S REALLY BAD. 
          SO IN THIS YEAR, BASICALLY IN THE MONEY IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, IN THAT BUDGET, IT'S A CONTINUATION OF A NON-COVALENT AND NOT FULL 11.80 CENTS DESPITE THE RULING, RIGHT? SO THAT BASICALLY SETS UP THE CITY TO HAVE A SERIOUS ISSUE IN A FEW YEARS THAT IT'S EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THE CITY'S GONNA FULLY WIN THE APPEAL. 
          IT IS A VERY POSSIBLE OUTCOME. 
          THE CITY APPEALS OR DOES NEGOTIATIONS WHERE AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT IS DECIDED ON THAT STILL IS A GAP OF OVER 20 MILLION EVERY YEAR. 
          WE THINK IT'S REALLY IRRESPONSIBLE, BASICALLY FISCAL DECISION OF THE CITY TO CONTINUE TO DIG INTO THAT HOLE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BECKY, YOUR HONOR. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR COMING TODAY. 
          UM, I'M NOT OFFICIALLY ADJOURNING 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A COURTROOM, BUT I'M JUST GONNA SAY GOODBYE TO EVERYBODY, , HAVE A GREAT DAY AND THANKS TO EVERYONE. 
          SEE YOU MONDAY. 
          MONDAY FOR MORE BUDGET WORKSHOP FUN. 
          AND TONIGHT THE THE BUDGET TOWN HALL. 
          COME ON TO THE SOUTHWEST MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. 
          LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET SOME MORE.
* 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.