* 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] THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FY 2025, PROPOSED BUDGET PRESENTATION. I DO WANNA WELCOME A FEW, UM, MORE PEOPLE WHO'VE JOINED, UM, STAFF FROM COUNCIL. STEPHANIE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TIFFANY THOMAS'S OFFICE. WE HAVE WHO ELSE? BRADLEY. COREY FROM DISTRICT D, COREY FROM DISTRICT E, AND BRADLEY FROM DISTRICT G. WELCOME AND MARY FROM DISTRICT B. HAPPY TO HAVE EVERYBODY HERE. UH, WE HAVE CHRIS NEWPORT AND VALERIE BERRY, AND WE'RE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AND YOU MAY PROCEED. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. IT IS, UM, IT IS NICE TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU IN THESE, UM, CIRCUMSTANCES SEEING YOU IN THIS CHAMBER, UM, DIFFERENT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING EACH OTHER IN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AND DISCUSS THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR FY 25. I'D LIKE TO START WITH A FEW OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SLIDES. AND FIRSTLY, I'D LIKE TO START WITH A THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIP THAT YOU'VE EXHIBITED, ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED IN MEANINGFUL WAYS TO HOUSTON'S RESPONSE, AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL THROUGH THE, THE RECOVERY AND THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH US, UM, IS, IS DIFFERENT FROM MY PAST EXPERIENCE AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. UM, ONE OF THE POINTS OF EMPHASIS THAT, THAT HAS BEEN MAYOR WHITMEYER, BUT OF MINE AND OF THE TEAM THAT WE ARE ASSEMBLING IS TO DEEPEN THE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITH CITY COUNCIL AND YOUR STAFFS. AND I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A FEW INSTANCES OF HOW THAT IS COMING TOGETHER IN A VERY MEANINGFUL WAY FOR HOUSTONIANS. SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH US AS WE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THAT. IF I MIGHT ASK THE, UM, THE GOOD PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO STAND SO THAT I MIGHT RECOGNIZE THEM BRIEFLY. YO, IT'S, IT'S, THANK YOU. IT IS, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WORK WITH THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE HERE AND THOSE THAT THEY REPRESENT BEHIND THEM. UM, IT IS, IS AN HONOR TO SERVE WITH ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, A FEW QUICK UPDATES, AND I'M GOING TO, UH, INVITE A LITTLE BIT MORE SUPPORT, UH, AND INTRODUCE SOME OTHER FOLKS BEFORE WE GET INTO THE MEAT OF THE PRESENTATION. BUT, UM, BRIEFLY, I WANTED TO PROVIDE A FEW UPDATES, UM, REAL TIME ON, UH, WHAT WE UNDERSTAND WITH RESPECT TO RECOVERY. TODAY, THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION WILL BE ANNOUNCING THEIR INITIAL EFFORTS TO PUT BUSINESS RECOVERY CENTERS ON THE GROUND, UM, POTENTIALLY AS WE SPEAK, ACTUALLY, UH, THEY WILL HAVE TWO BUSINESS RECOVERY CENTERS BESIDES MOBILE TEAMS. THAT'LL BE AVAILABLE. ONE WITHIN CITY LIMITS, IDEALLY. DOWNTOWN IS THE, IS THE TARGET AND ONE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE COUNTY. FEMA MAINTAINS THEIR TWO MOBILE UNITS, AND THEY ARE ACTIVELY ASSESSING THE FOUR PROPOSED SITES FOR DISASTER RECOVERY CENTERS. I'LL BE GETTING A STATUS UPDATE ON WHAT HAS BEEN APPROVED. UM, AFTER THIS MEETING, UH, WE HAD A, WE CONTINUE OUR PARTNERSHIP, UM, WITH HARRIS COUNTY AND THE STATE. UH, STEVE AND DAVID AND, AND OTHERS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION HAD A MEETING WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY PROPER, THE COUNTY ENGINEER AND REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF, UM, OF THE PRECINCTS FOCUSED ON DEBRIS REMOVAL AND HOW WE MIGHT WORK TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE THROUGH FORMAL AGREEMENT AND INFORMAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, JUST TO MAXIMIZE THE IMPACT THAT WE CAN HAVE AND, UM, GET PEOPLE BACK TO NORMAL ON THE STREETS AND GET THE DEBRIS OFF OF THE CURVES. OKAY. UM, I'M GONNA ASK FOR SOME HELP THAT'S GONNA COME IN FROM THE BACK. UH, A FEW OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AT THE CITY, BUT ONE OF THE MOST MEANINGFUL, UM, EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD BEFORE RETURNING TO CITY HALL WAS IN THE WORK THAT WE DID TOGETHER AT BARK, UM, REMAINS A A SOFT SPOT FOR ME AND, UH, A POINT OF, UM, POINT OF PRIDE FOR THE DIFFERENCE THAT WE'VE MADE IN THAT ANIMAL SHELTER. AND WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE WORK YET TO DO THERE TO ENSURE THAT THE MOST ANIMALS POSSIBLE, UH, FIND A FOREVER HOME IN THE STREETS. STAY SAFE. SO COULD THE FOLKS FROM, UH, BEHIND COME ON OUT SO WE CAN INTRODUCE TWO, UH, TWO FRIENDS HERE. SO I'VE GOT JARED MES, THE DIRECTOR OF BARK, UH, COREY KENNEDY. [00:05:02] UM, CHRIS AND AND ASIA FROM BARK ARE HERE WITH MAX, WHERE'S MAX? MAX IS WITH JARED. AND, UH, AND THIS IS CINDY. SO MAX AND CINDY, UH, BARK RECEIVED A CALL A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO ABOUT, UM, A STRAY ANIMAL IN DISTRICT B, AND IN THE COURSE OF PICKING UP THAT STRAY ANIMAL, FOUND MAX CINDY AND ANOTHER SIBLING WHO'S SINCE BEEN ADOPTED. UM, BUT THESE MAX AND CINDY MAX'S ANIMAL ID IS A 1 9 4 2 6 5 9, AND CINDY'S ANIMAL ID IS A 1 9 4 2 6 5 5. THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION, MAYBE NOT FOR LONG. UM, I BUDGET WORKSHOPS. JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT MORE FUN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S, LET'S ENJOY SOME, UH, SOME OF THE POSITIVE BENEFIT AFTER THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS THAT, THAT OUR FOR FURRY FRIENDS GIVE TO US. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WITH THAT SAID, WE CAN, WE CAN GET DOWN TO BUSINESS AND I'M NOT SORRY ABOUT IF THEY CAUSE A DISTRACTION. OKAY. COULD WE GO TO SLIDE THREE PLEASE? . ALRIGHT. ADDRESSING THE, THE STRATEGIC GUIDANCE, UH, THAT WE'VE ADOPTED IN THE, IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE, THE OFFICE HAS PREPARED ITS BUDGET WITH A CONSOLIDATION OF FOUR PROGRAM AREAS ALIGNED WITH THE MAYOR'S PRIORITIES. EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT COMPRISES MOST OF OUR EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS ALIGNED TO THE MAYOR'S PRIORITY OF GOVERNMENT. THAT WORKS. THE TOURISM PROMOTION FUND, WHICH INCLUDES SPECIAL EVENTS, CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND TRADE, AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ALSO ALIGNS WITH GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS. HOUSTON CABLE TELEVISION, HTV IS ALIGNED WITH QUALITY OF LIFE, HELPING TO ENSURE THAT THE INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS IN AND AROUND HOUSTON ARE DISSEMINATED AND SHARED IN A MANNER THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPS, IMPLEMENTS AND MANAGES CITYWIDE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AIMED AT ATTRACTING AND EXPANDING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN HOUSTON. SEVERAL ECONOMIC TOOLS IN PLACE TO ACHIEVE THIS INITIATIVE INCLUDE THE TAX INCREMENT, REINVESTMENT ZONES, TAX ABATEMENTS, THE DIGITAL KIOSK PROGRAM, AND OTHER PROGRAMS. THIS ALIGNS WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITY, WHILE DEBT SERVICE AND TRANSFERS IS NOT A PROGRAM. IT'S LISTED HERE FOR COMPLETENESS TO CAPTURE THE EXPENDITURES OF THE INTERFUND TRANSFERS TO SPECIAL EVENTS IN CABLE T TV. AS YOU CAN SEE, GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS REPRESENTS OUR LARGEST PRIORITY, MAKING UP 84% TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. PROPOSED 38.5 MILLION EXPENDITURE, UH, EXPENDITURE ALLOCATION IN THIS BUDGET. WE CAN GO TO SLIDE FOUR. UM, I INTENDED TO MAKE THIS, THIS COMMENT AT THE, AT THE BEGINNING, UM, BUT THIS BUDGET REPRESENTS A, A MOMENT IN TIME EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE REPRESENTING TO YOU AS COUNSEL REGARDING, UH, THE RESOURCES THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WILL NEED TO ACHIEVE THE PERFORMANCE LEVELS THAT ARE OUTLINED LATER IN THIS BUDGET. WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO UPDATE THE, THE CURRENT PLAN THAT'S REPRESENTED HERE. THE MAYOR BELIEVES THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS, CERTAINLY WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS REMAINING RELATIVELY LEVEL, UM, AND THE POSITIONS ALLOCATED ARE WHAT IS NEEDED TO DELIVER THE PERFORMANCE AND THE SERVICES THAT WE, THAT WE MANAGE, COORDINATE, AND DELIVER OURSELVES WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. THE MAYOR'S EXPECTATION IS THAT WE WILL COME IN UNDER BUDGET FROM WHAT'S REPRESENTED HERE, AND THAT THE PRODUCTIVITY, THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES INDICATED HERE, FIRST OF ALL, WILL IMPROVE FROM, UH, THE, THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE WILL EXCEED WHAT IS DEPICTED HERE, AND THEY MAY CHANGE AS OUR ASSESSMENTS ARE REMAIN ONGOING AS THEY DO IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS. WITH THAT SAID, SLIDE FOUR EXPENDITURES BY PROGRAM SUMMARIZE, SUMMARIZES THE EXPENDITURES ACROSS ALL OF THE PROGRAMS FOR FY 23 ACTUALS, FY 24 BUDGET AND ESTIMATE, AND THE FY 25 PROPOSED. AS YOU'LL NOTICE, THE VARIANCES FOR EACH PROGRAM FROM THE FY 24 BUDGET ARE REFLECTED. CABLE TELEVISION DIVISION PROJECTS AN EXPENDITURE DECREASE FROM FY 24 BUDGET, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE PROJECTED DECREASES IN PLAN CAPITAL PROJECTS AND THE PAYMENT TO HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE, WHICH OPERATES OUR PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL. THIS DECREASE YOU ALL HAVE, HAVE OBSERVED ELSEWHERE. YOU KNOW, THAT THE CITY'S FRANCHISE, UH, REVENUES AND PAYMENTS ARE GENERALLY DECLINING ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES. THAT'S CERTAINLY TRUE AS IT RELATES TO, UM, TO OUR PEG FUNDING OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT REVENUES. SO THERE IS AN ACCOMPANYING DECREASE, UM, FOR THE EXPENDITURES, BOTH THE HTV AND THE EXPENDITURES FOR HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE. [00:10:01] I'LL JUST SAY THAT, THAT WE WERE GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, TO EXECUTE A, AN INTERVENTION EARLIER IN THIS CALENDAR YEAR TO PRESERVE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OF HTV AND HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCES FUNDING LEVELS WITHOUT IMPACTING THE GENERAL FUND. UM, THE $1.7 MILLION INCREASE IN THE TOURISM PROMOTION FUND IS DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE CITY'S PAYMENTS TO ITS ARTS PARTNER, HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE. THE PROJECTED INCREASE IS A RESULT OF THE INCREASE IN HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS, AND THE INCREASE IN RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS AND THE OUTLOOK FOR HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES IS QUITE POSITIVE. AND WE EXPECT THE RECOVERY FROM COVID TO CONTINUE TO GROW. UM, SO WE EXPECT TO HAVE LATER IN THE YEAR MORE GOOD NEWS AS A, AS WE SEE RECEIPTS, HOT RECEIPTS COME IN, AND THOSE ACCOMPANY TRANSFERS OVER TO OUR PARTNERS AT HAA NEXT SLIDE. REVENUES BY PROGRAM SUMMARIZES OF COURSE, THE REVENUES FOR THE FOUR PROGRAM FUNDS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS PROJECTING AN INCREASE OF 307,000 IN DIGITAL KIOSK REVENUE AS A RESULT OF THE NUMBER OF KIOSK UNITS INCREASING FROM 75 TO 125. AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THE, A PORTION OF THOSE PROCEEDS FROM THE INCREMENTAL DIGITAL KIOSK REVENUE WILL BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE OVER TO MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS OF, OF HERITAGE PLAZA, UH, WHICH HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR A SUPPLEMENT, UH, TO, TO SUSTAIN THOSE OPERATIONS AND AUGMENT WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO, TO RAISE PRIVATELY. WHILE A $63,000 DECREASE IN EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT, UM, IS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE AT 99%, I'D LIKE TO EXPLAIN THE $64,000 REVENUE IN FY 24 IS DUE TO THE COLLECTION OF CANDIDATE FEES FOR CITY OF HOUSTON'S ELECTION IN NOVEMBER OF 2023. AND OF COURSE, THERE ARE NO PLANNED ELECTIONS IN FY 25, SO YOU SHOULD EXPECT THAT DECREASE TO OCCUR. AND FOR OUR TOURISM PROMOTION PROGRAM, WE'RE ESTIMATING AN APPROXIMATE $2 MILLION INCREASE IN REVENUE FROM THE FY 24 ESTIMATE, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE PROJECTED INCREASE IN HOT REVENUES BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY HOUSTON. FIRST, AS I MENTIONED, UH, ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, THERE'S ALSO AN INCREASE IN THE TRANSFER FROM THE GENERAL FUND FOR SPECIAL EVENTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THEIR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS. MOVING ON TO CABLE TV, THESE NEXT SLIDES WE'LL GET INTO, UM, THE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. THE CABLE TELEVISION PROGRAM EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATES TO THE PUBLIC RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES AROUND HOUSTON. NONE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR WEEKLY COUNCIL MEETINGS. THE PROGRAM IS PRIMARILY FUNDED FROM, UH, PEG FUNDS FROM CABLE PROVIDERS. THE FY 25 BUDGET IS 5.2 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDES EXPENDITURES AND CAPITAL PROJECTS. THE, THE CABLE TELEVISION FUND IS UNIQUE, ONE OF THE MORE UNIQUE FUNDS IN THAT IT, IT CAPTURES EXPENDITURES FOR BOTH OPERATING BUDGET AS WELL AS CAPITAL PROGRAMS. UM, WE TYPICALLY SEE THOSE, OF COURSE, IN, IN THE CIP, BUT, UH, HTV. THE CABLE TV FUND DOES INCLUDE CAPITAL PLANNED CAPITAL EXPENDITURES. THERE ARE 14.7 FTES IN THIS PROGRAM. UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES LOWER IN THE SLIDE RELATED TO, TO CABLE TV. SLIDE SEVEN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUDGETS 5.9 FTES FOR FY 25, AND THE PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THE CITY'S STRENGTHS TO PROMOTE EXISTING BUSINESSES AND RETAIN JOBS TO FACILITATE THE BUSINESS EXPANSION, RECRUIT NEW BUSINESS TO THE CITY. BUSINESS RECRUITMENT IS VERY COMPETITIVE, AND AS SUCH, THE CITY PARTNERS WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HARRIS COUNTY, GHP BEHE, AND A MULTITUDE OF OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE COMPANIES UTILIZE THE APPROPRIATE INCENTIVES TO HELP GROW THEIR BUSINESS. IN HOUSTON. THIS PROGRAM IS PROJECTED TO BRING IN GENERAL FUND REVENUES OF APPROXIMATELY 29.8 MILLION IN FY 25 WITH AN EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF LESS THAN 1.1 MILLION. SO WE ENJOY QUITE A BIT OF LEVERAGE OUT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. AND WITH THE NEW LEADERSHIP OF, UH, THAT GWEN IS BRINGING, YOU CAN EXPECT ADDITIONAL CHANGES AND ENHANCEMENTS THAT ARE SEEKING TO OPTIMIZE THE SYNERGIES THAT WE CAN GET FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS, UH, SUCH AS HOUSING AND SLIDE EIGHT EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT. UH, THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES MANY OF THE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE STATUTORILY REQUIRED, UM, BOTH ADMINISTRATIVE AND EXECUTIVE WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS THE FUNCTIONS THAT WE PERFORM TO HELP COORDINATE, MANAGE, FACILITATE, AND, UH, AND OTHERWISE DRIVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AS WELL AS, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS. UM, ULTIMATELY OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO SERVE THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTONS THE BEST THAT WE CAN EVERY SINGLE DAY. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES THE MAYOR'S EXECUTIVE OFFICE, CONSTITUENT [00:15:01] SERVICES, THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, COUNCIL RELATIONS, THE AGENDA OFFICE, INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS, VETERANS AFFAIRS, OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS, AND BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, ALL, ALL REPRESENTED WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM IS BUDGETED FOR 29.6 FTES WITH AN EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF 5.49 MILLION ON SLIDE NINE TOURISM PROMOTION. THIS INCLUDES SPECIAL EVENTS, TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS. THE PROGRAM'S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PRODUCE AND PERMIT EVENTS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, SUCH AS CITYWIDE AND NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVALS, PARADES, GALAS AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, AND TO IDENTIFY SYNERGIES BETWEEN HOUSTON-BASED COMPANIES AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS FOR GROWTH TO COORDINATE TRADE MISSIONS ABROAD. ULTIMATELY TO DRIVE GROWTH AND FACILITATE INBOUND TRADE MISSIONS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO HOUSTON TO DRIVE GROWTH AND TO DEVELOP POLICIES, OVERSEE CONTRACTS FOR GRANTS AND CULTURAL SERVICES, AND TO FACILITATE CIVIC ART, TEMPORARY ART DONATIONS TO THE CITY'S ART COLLECTION, COMMUNITY MORALS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS. THIS PROGRAM AREAS IS BUDGETED FOR 25.7 FTES WITH AN EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF 24.3 MILLION. ON SLIDE 10, WHERE THE, WHERE ARE MAX AND CINDY IN THE BACK, WE PUT 'EM TO SLEEP. SLIDE 10, DEBT SERVICE AND INTER FUND TRANSFERS. UM, THIS IS NOT TO MAYOR'S OFFICE PROGRAM IN THE SAME MANNER. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE AREA REFLECTS THE INTER FUND TRANSFERS WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. SPECIFICALLY THE TRANSFERS REFLECTED IN THIS 2.4 MILLION EXPENDITURE BUDGET INCLUDE 2.1 MILLION TO THE TOURISM PROMOTION FUND FOR SPECIAL EVENTS FROM THE GENERAL FUND AND 300,000 TO HTV FROM HOT FUNDS. NEXT SLIDE. SLIDE 11 IS A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET PERSONNEL VERSUS NON-PERSONNEL EXPEND EXPENSES OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE THREE FUNDS. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE GENERAL FUND IS 64% PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES. APPROXIMATELY 24% OF THE GENERAL FUND IS FOR THE TRANSFER TO SPECIAL EVENTS. THE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS COMPRISE 8% OF THIS BUDGET, LEAVING ONLY 4% OF THE BUDGET FOR SERVICES AND SUPPLIES. UH, A NUMBER OF WHICH WE UTILIZE EVERY WEEK FOR OUR COUNCIL MEETINGS AND OUR, OUR COMMITTEE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. THE HTV SPECIAL REVENUE FUND IS 28% PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES. ABOUT 23% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET IS FOR THE CONTRACTUAL PAYMENT TO HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE, THE CITY'S PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL PARTNER. THE REMAINING 49% INCLUDES 2.5 MILLION FOR THE PLAN CAPITAL PROJECTS AND EQUIPMENT RELATED EXPENSES SUCH AS STUDIO CAMERAS AND THE UPGRADE AND REPLACEMENT OF AUDIO NETWORKS. AGAIN, THIS FUNDING IS PRIMARILY DERIVED FROM, UH, FROM PEG FUNDING. LASTLY, THE TOURISM PROMOTION SPECIAL REVENUE FUND IS 13% PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES AND 87% NON-PERSONNEL. ALTHOUGH OUR PERSONNEL CHARGE CHARGES SEEM MINOR IN COMPARISON TO OUR OTHER EXPENDITURES, 82% OF THE BUDGET IS PROJECTED FOR PAYMENT TO, UM, THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE. OUR ARTS PARTNER PER OUR CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT, SUPPLIES, SERVICES, AND RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS ARE THEREFORE ONLY ABOUT 4% OF THE BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRE FUND. AND THE TRANSFER TO HTV MAKES UP THE REMAINING 1% EXPENDITURES BY FUND. AGAIN, THE STACKED BAR IS A ANOTHER GRA VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT'S BEEN DEPICTED. UM, YOU CAN SEE THE GENERAL FUND IS REMAINING RELATIVELY CONSISTENT WITH PRIOR YEARS WHILE TOURISM AND PROMOTION IS SHOWING AN INCREASE IN THE CITY'S NET RECEIPT OF THE INCREASING HOT REVENUE. HTV IS INCREASING FROM THE FY 24 ESTIMATE AS A RESULT OF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS MENTIONED A FEW SLIDES AGO. SLIDE 13 DEPICTS THE VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF OUR REVENUES BY FUND. THE GENERAL FUNDS INCREASE IS PRIMARILY A RESULT OF THE PROJECTED NUMBER OF DIGITAL KIOSKS THAT WILL BE DEPLOYED INTO SERVICE THAT I DESCRIBED EARLIER. THAT INCREASE IS NETTED AGAINST THE DECREASE IN CITY ELECTION FEES THAT I ALSO MENTIONED EARLIER. TOURISM, TOURISM AND PROMOTIONS REVENUE IS INCREASING DUE TO THE CITY'S NET RECEIPTS OF HOT AND HTV IS SHOWING A DECLINE AS A RESULT OF THE LOWER, UH, PROJECTED PEG REVENUE THAT WE EXPECT IN FY 25. THE NEXT SLIDE, FY 25 REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS PROVIDES, UH, A NUMBER OF THE NARRATIVES THAT, UH, THAT WE JUST JUST ADDRESSED. SO THE REMAINDER OF THE PRESENTATION COUNCIL MEMBER MEMBERS IS APPENDIX CONTENT, UH, THAT I WON'T REVIEW WITH YOU NOW AT THE TABLE, BUT BE HAPPY TO, UM, TO [00:20:01] ANSWER AND RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE UPON YOUR REVIEW OF THE APPENDIX CONTENT OR ANYTHING THAT WE'VE REVIEWED IN THE MAIN BODY OF THE PRESENTATION, UH, THUS FAR. UM, SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU, CHRIS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN. UH, CHRIS, FIRST WANNA START OFF BY SAYING THANK YOU TO YOU, THE TEAM FOR EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON THE LAST FEW DAYS. UH, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN VERY, UH, HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT DIRECT, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSIVENESS AS WELL. UM, SO FIRST JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU, UM, AS Y'ALL MOVE OUT WITH THOSE MOBILE UNITS, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH Y'ALL JUST TO MAKE SURE WE FIND THOSE HARD TO REACH PLACES AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. UM, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HTVA BIT AND MEDIA SOURCE SPECIFICALLY. UM, SO THEY MOVED INTO DISTRICT EYE OFF OF NAVIGATION AND, AND AS WHAT, WHAT I'VE BEEN YOU, AS YOU MENTIONED, RIGHT? THERE'S LOWER FEES. UM, THE EQUIPMENT THERE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS LIKE TOP EXCELLENT, TOP SHELF, RIGHT? RIGHT. UM, ARE, ARE THERE WAYS WHERE, WHETHER THROUGH THE HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE OR MAYBE THROUGH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF INVITING FOLKS TO UTILIZE THAT SPACE AS A EXTRA REVENUE SOURCE? ABSOLUTELY. AND, UH, MR. IRVING HAS, HAS DEVELOPED A PLAN TO DRIVE AWARENESS OF THE, NOT ONLY THE EXCELLENT FACILITIES, WHICH ARE, AS YOU SAID, TOPNOTCH, BUT ALSO THE EXCELLENT TALENT THAT EXISTS TO OPERATE THOSE AND ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY, UM, NONPROFIT PARTNERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE FACILITIES THAT THEY OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE A AVAIL AVAILABLE TO THEM. BUT ALSO, UH, CORPORATE PARTNERS, UH, ENSURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A RESOURCE. AND HE IS, UM, HE HAS BUILT A PLAN THAT HE HAS ALREADY INITIATED AND WILL CONTINUE TO MATURE THAT A BIT THROUGH FY 25 TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CAPACITY THAT'S THERE, BUT ALSO INCREASE THE RETURN, UM, THAT THE CITY CAN REALIZE FROM IT. THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. I'VE, I'VE HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO GO OUT TO VISIT THE SITE, BUT, UM, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, MY OFFICE CAN DO TO HELP AND, YOU KNOW, BE A SOUNDING BOARD FOR, OR, UM, FOR HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT. I KNOW THAT THERE'S, HAD SOMEBODY COME INTO MY OFFICE SAYING THAT THEY WANTED TO UTILIZE IT TO HELP FILM MM-HMM . AND SO HOWEVER WE CAN CONTINUE TO, UH, SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS, WE'D LIKE TO FOR SURE. UM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, OTHER REVENUE SOURCES, AND WE KNOW THE MAYOR'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW DO WE BRING IN REVENUE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UH, PROMOTING FOLKS ON OUR EQUIPMENT, RIGHT? UH, IT, IT, WHAT IS THAT LOOKING LIKE, UM, SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE EMS SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT OR HOW, HOW FAR ARE WE WITH, WITH BRINGING IN REVENUE IN THAT, IN THAT SENSE FOR NON MAYOR'S OFFICE QUESTION. RIGHT. NON MAYOR'S OFFICE QUESTION, RIGHT? I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY. YEAH. YEAH. UM, SO I THINK YOU, YOU CAN EXPECT US TO START REACHING OUT TO YOUR OFFICES TO DESCRIBE THE ANALYSIS THAT WE'VE PERFORMED. WE ARE, WE ARE NEARLY COMPLETE WITH AN ASSESSMENT THAT, UM, HOW HOUSTON FUNDS THE VARIOUS SERVICES THAT IT HAS AVAILABLE TO US COMPARED TO EVERY OTHER LARGE CITY, UH, IN THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS IT RELATES TO SOLID WASTE SERVICES. UM, SO WE WILL COME, UH, AND PRESENT THAT INFORMATION TO EACH OF YOUR OFFICES SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'VE LOOKED AT, GET YOUR FEEDBACK ON INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD FIND HELPFUL, UH, TO INCLUDE, TO HELP US ALL COLLECTIVELY DETERMINE WHAT THE BEST PATH FORWARD, UH, FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING OF THAT PROGRAM. SO THAT ULTIMATELY WE, END OF THE DAY, THE, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL SHARES THE SAME GOAL, WHICH IS TO HAVE THE MOST RELIABLE SET OF SOLID WASTE SERVICES, UM, THAT WE CAN, AND OF COURSE, THE OTHER FOUNDATIONAL SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES. UM, SO WE WILL BE COMING FORWARD WITH SOME, I THINK, I THINK DIRECTOR, I THINK HE WAS ASKING MORE ABOUT LIKE ADVERTISEMENT ON ADVERTISING, RIGHT? RIGHT. BUT RIGHT ON SOLID WASTE. YOU COULD AGREE. I'M, I'M GOOD WITH SOLID WAYS. READ, REDIRECT ME EARLIER Y'ALL. UM, THAT, THAT, THAT REMAINS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US. I BELIEVE ONE OF THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS IN SUSAN CHRISTIAN HAS SPENT SOME TIME THINKING ABOUT THIS IN THE PAST, THAT I KNOW WE NEED TO HAVE A, UM, A SPONSORSHIP POLICY AND AN ADVERTISING POLICY IN PLACE THAT CITY COUNCIL COULD ADOPT AND SUPPORT, UM, TO CLEAR THE WAY FOR THOSE TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES. AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH, WORTH LOOKING IN INTO. THERE ARE TRADE OFFS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, THAT WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO. RIGHT. BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT'S ON THE TABLE. OKAY. AND PUT ME IN BACK IN THE QUEUE OR, OKAY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER ISS OUT, HE'S IN, BUT GO AHEAD. [00:25:01] UM, JUST A, A FEW MORE. UH, YOU SPOKE ABOUT THE HOT CONTRACT. I KNOW IT'S COMING UP SOON. UH, YOU DON'T SEE ANY CHANGES TO THAT ON HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE? YES. I THINK WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU ON, ON WHAT WE EXPECT THAT TO LOOK LIKE. OKAY. COUPLE MORE. UM, SUMMER JOBS WAS IN THERE AS WELL. UM, HAD, UH, JULIA DEPE COME IN FROM WORK WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, UH, THEY HAD FUNDING, UM, ARE WE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT SO THAT WAY, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO INCREASE EITHER JOBS, UH, SUMMER JOBS FOR YOUTH, OR I WANNA SAY THEY MIGHT EVEN HAVE YEAR ROUND AS WELL. YEAH. UM, AND LEMME JUST ASK THIS LAST ONE. UH, UM, AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ATTRACTING EVENTS. UH, AND I KNOW IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD UP SOME OF THESE TYPES OF EVENTS LIKE SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST OR ACL. UM, WHAT ARE THE PLANS TO START WORKING AT AT TRYING TO IDENTIFY, UH, SOME OF THOSE, THOSE TYPES OF, I KNOW WE HAD SUMMER, UH, PRESS EVENT OR SPSF OR SOME OF YEAH. UM, FREE PRESS. UM, FREE PRESS SUMMERFEST. YEAH. WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE PLANS TO START MOVING FORWARD TO TRY TO, AND, YOU KNOW, STABILIZE, YOU KNOW, OR SOME, SOME, SOME OF THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO ATTRACT FOLKS TO HOUSTON AS WELL? WELL, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL Y'ALL THAT HOUSTON, TEXAS IS THE BASE BEST PLACE TO HOST AN EVENT IN, IN THE UNITED STATES. AND WE SHOULD HAVE, UM, WE SHOULD HAVE THE MOST EVENTS POSSIBLE THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND, AND, UM, HELPS HOT REVENUE, OF COURSE, AND ALLOWS US TO SHOWCASE. WE'VE SEEN, UM, UM, EVENTS LIKE SOUTHERN SMOKE COME UP TO THE FOR THAT'S, THAT'S INTERESTING, BUT I DON'T, SUSAN, IS IT WORTH EXPOUNDING ON ANY OTHER RECRUITMENT ACTIVITY? I KNOW THAT SUSAN'S TEAM DOES AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB OF SEEKING SPONSORSHIP FOR THE FOUNDATIONAL EVENTS THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZED FOR AND CELEBRATE TOGETHER, LIKE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. UM, WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU ON PLANS IF, IF YOU DON'T MIND, TO RECRUIT AND IDENTIFY OTHERS, AND THAT THOSE ACTIVITIES WOULD GO BEYOND, UH, WHAT'S EXECUTED IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE PARTNERS OVER AT HOUSTON FIRST, AS WELL AS OTHER NON-GOVERNMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES. BUT I, HELLO. I THINK THAT ONE LITTLE SOUNDBITE TO THAT, AND I WON'T TAKE LONG, CHRIS, IS INVESTMENT. WHAT YOU'VE SEEN AUSTIN DO IS INVEST TO AND, AND PLAN ON THE YIELD. YOU HAVE TO INVEST IN ORDER TO BRING THESE GREAT EVENTS TO A CITY, UH, FOR FREE PRESS. WE BUILT THAT PRE FREE PRESS SUMMER FEST. YOU'LL REMEMBER OMAR WAS THE PRODUCER OF THAT, BUT WE WERE RIGHT ALONG SIDE HIM ALMOST THE LEVEL OF A CO-PRODUCER. WE GAVE HIM A LOT OF LEEWAY, BUT WE WERE RIGHT THERE TO SUPPORT HIM. WE SPENT MONEY ON THAT EVENT. WE SPENT TIME ON THAT EVENT. BUT IT'S INVESTMENT. SO HOT FUNDS, YOU KNOW, OR, UH, A VERY COMMITTED, UH, BOARD THAT WILL RAISE FUNDS, BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE BOTH. THANK YOU. SUSAN. SUSAN, WHILE YOU'RE THERE, CAN I REAL QUICK ASK ABOUT, REMIND ME WHAT THE PERCENTAGES OF THE HOT TAX DEAL THAT, THAT CIVIC EVENTS GETS? NOTHING. UH, NOTHING. WE, WE WERE BACK IN THE PARKER ADMINISTRATION OKAY. RECEIVING ANNUAL, UH, HOT FUNDS, UH, OF A, I'LL SAY IT WAS ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, BUT WE ONLY GOT THAT FOR THREE YEARS, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. AND, UH, THAT WAS A HUGE IN INFLUX THAT REALLY HELPED US EXPAND EVENTS AND WORK ON PARTNERS EVENTS. IT'S NOT EVERYTHING WE PRODUCE. IT'S, YOU KNOW, HELPING OTHERS THAT ARE, UH, THAT HAVE GREAT IDEAS. SO YOU NO LONGER GET NO ANY OF THAT? NOT CONSISTENTLY, ALTHOUGH, UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED, UH, SEVERAL, UH, DONATIONS, OR I'M SORRY, SEVERAL, UH, EVENTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUND FUNDED, SOME THAT WE PRODUCED AND OTHERS THAT WE DIDN'T, BUT WE DID IT ON BEHALF OF THE FORMER ADMINISTRATION. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE THIS, UH, WITHIN THE LAST SIX MONTHS TO RECEIVE 150,000 TO HELP SUPPORT, UM, FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. YOU KNOW, WE TOOK A BIG HIT WITH COVID, LIKE ALL, ALL EVENTS DO, UH, BUT I, I THINK AN, SO ANYWAY, WE'VE RECEIVED A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE, NOTHING CONSISTENTLY, UH, SINCE THE PARKER ATION, IT'S NOT, IT IS NO LONGER STRUCTURED MM-HMM . UH, AS, AS IT WAS PREVIOUSLY. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT. OKAY. UM, IT DOES, WE, WE HAVE, AS YOU SAID, BEEN ABLE TO TRANSFER SOME FUNDS OVER FOR FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, FOR INSTANCE, AND, AND A KEY, CHRIS SAID A VERY KEY WORD TOO. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE LEADERSHIP IN HOUSTON FIRST, UM, THEY ARE SO PRO, UH, [00:30:01] UH, PROMOTING HOUSTON, BUT ALSO INVESTMENT. AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE STRUCTURING EVERYTHING IN THE CITY, FRANKLY, EVEN IN HARRIS COUNTY TO, UM, I THINK HAVE A, A HOLISTIC PLAN. WELL, ANYWAY, AND I SHOULD SAY THANK YOU, SUSAN. I, I SHOULD SAY THAT I THINK I CAN HEAR MICHAEL HECKMAN SHOUTING AT ME RIGHT NOW IF I DIDN'T, UH, BY WAY OF RESPONDING TO THIS HIGHLIGHT THAT COMIC PALOOZAS THIS WEEKEND, WHICH IS AN EXAMPLE OF, OF AN EVENT THAT WE DID INVEST IN AND BRING HERE AND IS PRODUCING TREMENDOUS RETURNS AND VALUE FOR THE CITY. BEFORE YOU LEAVE SUSAN, I CAN JUST, UM, SO ONE, ONE IDEA THAT IN THE EXPERTS BUILDING, THERE'S, IT'S ORGANICALLY BEING, UH, FILLED, UH, BY TECH, UH, DIFFERENT KINDS OF, UH, OF OTHER, UM, UH, EVEN VCS ARE GOING IN THERE AS WELL. UM, AN IDEA THAT WAS BROUGHT UP IS THAT WEEK AFTER SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST TO TAG ALONG WITH SOME OF THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE AND MAYBE HOUSTON HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR, UH, THE WEEK AFTER, YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY IN TEXAS AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET SOME OF THAT SUPPORT. UM, THERE'S AN EVENT THAT, UH, IS, MAY HAPPENING SOMETIME MID-JUNE. I'M INVITING, I'M INVITING HOUSTON, UH, HOUSTON FIRST FOLKS IN CENTRAL HOUSTON AS WELL. UH, BUT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY FROM YOUR OFFICE THERE JUST TO KIND OF SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL. HAPPY TO ATTEND. UM, THE OTHER THING IS, DON'T FORGET THAT HOUSTON HAS SO MANY, UH, CREATIVE MUSICIANS, WRITERS, COMPOSITIONS, AND EVERY DAY, EVERY DAY, HOUSTON PERFORMING ARTISTS ARE FLYING OUT OF THE CITY TO GO ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHICH IS A GREAT THING. LET'S TAP IN ON THAT. BUT IT, IT'S INVESTMENT. GREAT DISCUSSION. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, AND, UH, THANK YOU, SUSAN. THANK YOU. I DON'T, DON'T NEED YOU, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU DO ON EVERYTHING, ALL OF OUR EVENTS. THANK YOU. YEAH. , UH, CHRIS, YOU KNOW, I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THE MAYOR AND HIS LEADERSHIP ON DURING THESE WEATHER EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, INCLUDING THIS ONE. AND FOR THE HARD WORK THAT ALL OF YOU GUYS PUT IN, UH, IT NOTICED BY ALL OF US HERE AT CITY COUNCIL, WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I KNOW SOME OF US HAVE DONE SOME, DONE SOME THINGS THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN 100% WITH THE PROGRAM, BUT, UH, YOU GUYS HAVE SUPPORTED IT. AND, UH, THAT MEANS A LOT TO ALL OF US. WE APPRECIATE IT. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, LET ME ADD TO THAT, UH, I'M GRATEFUL TO, UH, THE MAYOR FOR HIS, UH, RELATIONSHIP THAT HE HAS WITH COUNCIL IN LETTING US DO OUR JOBS AND REPRESENT OUR CONSTITUENTS IN A WAY THAT I DON'T THINK HAS BEEN SEEN HERE FOR A WHILE. UM, EVEN WHEN WE DISAGREE, UM, HE, HE LETS US, UH, UH, REPRESENT OUR CONSTITUENTS AND CAN'T ASK FOR MORE THAN THAT. SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT. I DO HAVE, UH, A MORE SPECIFIC, UH, QUESTION ON, UM, HTVI GUESS IT IS. UM, AND, AND MAYBE I MISSED THIS, I MISSED THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT, UM, IT'S BEEN SUGGESTED TO US THAT WE, UH, SHOULD WORK TOWARD, UM, HAVING HDV TRANSLATED INTO, UH, DIFFERENT LANGUAGE LANGUAGES SO THAT FOLKS AT HOME AGREED WATCHING CAN, UM, UH, WHO CAN'T SPEAK ENGLISH OR DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AS THEIR, AS THEIR BEST LANGUAGE CAN FOLLOW ALONG. SO, UH, ANY PLANS FOR THAT? UH, WE AGREE WITH THE OBJECTIVE. I THINK I'D LIKE TO COME BACK TO YOU WITH THE SPECIFIC PLANS, BUT WE KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THERE ARE THE TRADITIONAL TRANSLATION SERVICES THAT THE CITY HAS UTILIZED PRE AND OTHER ENTITIES HAVE UTILIZED PREVIOUSLY. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO, UM, OTHER OPTIONS PRESENTED BY SOME NEW, UH, TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE COMING, COMING TO THE FORE, WHICH IS MAKING THE RELIABILITY THE NEAR TIME OR NEAR REAL TIME, UM, AVAILABILITY OF THE TRANSLATION THROUGH THINGS LIKE AI AND SO FORTH. SO WE'RE EXAMINING ALL OF THOSE, BUT WE SHARE THAT, UM, SHARE THAT GOAL. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU GUYS HAVE DONE OVER THE LAST MONTH. UM, STEVEN, DAVID AND I WERE BACK BEHIND CHAMBERS HERE A LITTLE MORE THAN A WEEK AGO TALKING ABOUT HOW THERE'D BEEN A NUMBER OF CURVE BALLS. CERTAINLY WASN'T EXPECTING TWO DAYS LATER TO GET THE STORM YOU GUYS DID. SO, AND Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER, THANK YOU. AND CERTAINLY I ECHO EVERYONE'S SENTIMENTS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB, AND IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO GET TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AND GET TO KNOW YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE ANSWERED CHRIS, UM, SPECIFIC TO, YOU KNOW, UH, THE SPECIAL EVENTS AND AS WELL AS THE OFFICE OF VETERAN AFFAIRS, UM, IS THERE ANYONE THAT'S [00:35:01] FOCUSED, YOU TALKED ABOUT SPONSORSHIPS A LITTLE BIT, BUT IS THERE ANYONE THAT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON PITCHING CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS, PARTNERSHIPS WITH THESE DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH VALUE? I KNOW SUSAN, WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER OVER THE YEARS ON A FEW THINGS, AND IT, IT'S JUST A, THERE'S A MARKET THERE, I THINK, BUT ABSOLUTELY AGREE. AND SUSAN AND HER TEAM ARE THE MOST FOCUSED OF, UM, OF LIKELY ANY ACTIVITY IN THE CITY ON, ON THAT FUNCTION ITSELF. UM, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT MAKE THAT MORE EFFECTIVE. UM, HOW WE CAN LOOK ACROSS THE CITY AND HELP OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS AND FOUNDATION PARTNERS UNDERSTAND AREAS OF HIGHEST NEED BEYOND THOSE, UH, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUSAN IN PARTICULAR SPECIALIZES IN, IN THE LARGE CITYWIDE CELEBRATIONS. SO ABSOLUTELY, IT'S AN, UM, IT'S AN UNTAPPED, UH, AREA FOR US. THANK YOU. UM, CHRIS, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE HOMELESS INITIATIVES OFFICE NOW? WILL MOST OF THOSE FUNCTIONS TRANSFER OVER TO MIKE NICHOLS? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. THAT, THAT IS 100% CORRECT. OKAY. WE'RE DRAWING A STRONGER FORMAL AND INFORMAL, UM, CONNECTION WITH THE, THE HOMELESS CYCLE, GIVEN THE MAYOR BELIEVES THERE'S, IT'S A CONTINUUM OF, UH, THE HOUSING SUPPORT THAT WE PROVIDE AND HOMELESSNESS. SO PUTTING IT TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF, AND ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH MIKE'S BACKGROUND AND EXPERTISE. GOT IT. THAT'S WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT. UNDERSTOOD. UM, AS MUCH AS I HAVE COMPLETE DISDAIN FOR THE DIGITAL KIOSKS AND THE ALCOHOL AND CHICKEN TENDERS THEY'RE PROMOTING, UH, I DID HEAR YOU SAY THAT THERE, UH, IS, UM, THAT THE $261,000 THAT WILL COME FROM THE INCREASE IN KIOSKS WILL GO TO THE HERITAGE, THE, THE SAM HOUSTON PARK AND THE HERITAGE SOCIETY. WE'LL, WE'LL REALIZE SOME, SOME BENEFIT, UH, TO AN AREA OF NEED FROM, FROM THOSE DEPLOYMENTS. YES, MA'AM. OKAY, GOT IT. AND I COVERED THE HU OH, THE DISASTER. UM, ARE WE INTO THE RAINY DAY FUND? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT MONEY? DO WE START OFF WITH OUR BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND? YES, MA'AM. AND THEN GET REIMBURSED AS IT COMES FROM FEMA AND WHATNOT? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. AND, AND MELISSA IS, AND ARIF AND, UH, THE REST OF OUR FINANCE LEADS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE PULLING THAT PLAN TOGETHER. NOW. WE REVIEWED IT, UM, INITIAL REVIEW OF, OF THAT PLAN EARLIER THIS WEEK. WE'RE REFINING IT AS, UM, WE'VE SUBMITTED OUR, UM, OUR, OUR COST ESTIMATES FOR CATEGORIES A AND B. THIS IS, AS IT RELATES TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, FEMA, PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, CATEGORIES A AND B HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO FEMA THROUGH TEEM, TEEM AND FEMA ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO VALIDATE THOSE COST ESTIMATES. BUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT, THE THE PLAN AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW IS TO UTILIZE THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND FOR THE INITIAL EXPENDITURES, UM, AND THEN TO SEEK REIMBURSEMENT, UM, AS, AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, 12 TO TO 24 MONTHS SURE. THROUGH THE RECOVERY. OKAY. GOT IT. AND ON A LIGHTER NOTE, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS FOOD COST. Y'ALL BUDGETED $1,700 LAST YEAR AND SPENT 21,000. YES. IT'S BACK DOWN TO BUDGETED 1700. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT Y'ALL ARE EATING OVER THERE. UM, , I'M JUST TEASING. THAT WAS ONLY A, THAT, THAT WAS ONLY A PART OF YOUR YEAR. SO, UH, NOT TO WORRY. I'LL, I'LL, ON A LIGHTHEARTED NOTE, UH, LET ME JUST OFFER THAT WHEN WE, UM, WHEN WE CAME INTO OFFICE, WE FOUND A, A NUMBER OF VERY DELIGHTFUL SNACKS AND DRINKS THAT WERE AVAILABLE THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY, I MEAN, I'M ONE TO TALK, I'VE PROVIDED SNACKS OVER HERE TOO, SO, WELL, UM, WE, THEY PREVIOUSLY BEEN PAID FOR OUT OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE BUDGET. UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I'M TAKING FOR CARE OF NOW, UM, FOR THE TEAM. SO, UH, WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD HIT OUR BUDGET NUMBER OH, AND CEREMONIAL DOCUMENTS. UM, WHAT CHANGES HAVE, HAVE BEEN MADE IN THAT OFFICE OR WHAT'S, SO WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT FUNCTION, UM, CANDIDLY, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REQUESTS THAT WERE COMING THROUGH THE CEREMONIAL DOCUMENTS OFFICE. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE, UM, WELL, WE ARE SEEKING TO, TO SIZE THE AMOUNT OF WORK AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A CEREMONIAL, UH, DOCUMENT, A PROCLAMATION OR OTHER TO THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, KNOWING THAT WE ALSO HAVE THAT, THAT FUNCTION IS EXECUTED OUT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE. THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE HAS OTHER IMPORTANT WORK THAT IT NEEDS TO DO. SO WE'RE RIGHT SIZING AND DEVELOPING A NEW POLICY FOR CEREMONIAL DOCUMENTS THAT LINES YOU ON WHERE WE HAVE I'M, THAT, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. I THINK THAT'S GREAT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER JUST WANTED TO, UM, MENTION, YOU KNOW, OVER THE PAST WEEK WITH THE, UH, [00:40:01] WITH THE, UH, STORM AND ALL, UM, I CERTAINLY SEE THE VALUE AND HAVE, UH, EXPERIENCED IN A BIG WAY THE VALUE OF ESTABLISHING A VOLUNTEER CORPS. AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN TALKING TO YOU ALL AND THE TEAM ON HOW WE COULD HELP ASSIST WITH THAT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING THE OVERTIME IT SAVES, YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY. WHEN YOU NEED PEOPLE TO MAKE PHONE CALLS, WHETHER IT'S THE, UM, SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM THAT NEEDS ASSIST, BUT THERE'S SUCH VALUE. AND HOUSTON BY NATURE IS A GIVING CITY NO QUESTION. PEOPLE WANNA VOLUNTEER. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU ASK THEM, THEY SHOW UP, AND I THINK THERE'S SUCH, THERE'S A, A, A GREAT GAP THERE THAT I, I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY INVEST IN AS WELL. AND IT'S A MINOR INVESTMENT, SO ABSOLUTELY AGREE. OKAY. GREAT JOB, CHRIS NEWPORT. WE'RE SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE. AND THANKS TO EVERYBODY. I, I KIND OF, WE'D SPENT A LOT OF TIME UP HERE THANKING PEOPLE, BUT I MEAN, I'VE GOTTA ADD MY THANKS TO EVERYTHING YOU GUYS HAVE DONE OVER THE PAST, UM, WEEK. IT'S BEEN AMAZING. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YI DO WANNA MAKE SURE AND WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND ALSO, UM, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, AMY PECK, WHO HAVE BEEN WITH US. OH, WE DO HAVE SOME PUBLIC SPEAKERS. DO WE DON'T, OH, WE DON'T HAVE SOME PUBLIC SPEAKERS, DO WE? DEEDEE SAID WE DEAD, MAN. OH, I, I TRUST DEEDEE . NO, I WAS JUST ASKING IF THERE ARE ANY. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS. UNFORTUNATELY NOT. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A FEW MINUTES BREAK BEFORE FIRE, BUT UM, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND SET UP CHIEF PENA FOR A FIRE UP HERE. I'M SO NERVOUS. * 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.