* 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] OUR STARTING THE MAY 23RD, 2024 BUDGET WORKSHOPS TODAY WITH THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY, AND I AM HAPPY TO WELCOME DIRECTOR LENCIA HORDE AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PATSY JACKSON TO PROVIDE THE OBOS, UH, PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET. YOU MAY BEGIN, AND I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME STAFF FROM MY VICE CHAIR, UH, MARIO CASTILLO RUSSELL'S HERE AND COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ IS HERE, AND HOPEFULLY MORE WILL BE JOINING, BUT GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF. IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU THE OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES. PROPOSED FY 2025 BUDGET. I'M JOINED TODAY, OF COURSE BY PATSY JACKSON, BUT I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THE OBO TEAM MEMBERS HERE TODAY. NORMAN MEADOWS, THE CHIEF OF STAFF, JAY MONTE HUEY, OUR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION MANAGER, AND BRANDON JONES, OUR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION MANAGER, AND OUR COUNCIL LIAISON, OBO REMAINS COMMITTED TO ENSURING ECONOMIC INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. WE ARE THE CERTIFYING AGENCY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT ALSO THE 10 SURROUNDING COUNTIES, AND WE MONITOR CITY CONTRACTS FOR M-W-S-D-B-E COMPLIANCE. WE PROVIDE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. OUR OFFICE OPERATES WITH THE 42 FTES, AND OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY 25 IS 5.5 MILLION THIS YEAR. OUR OFFICE HAS ADDED OVER 321 NEW FIRMS TO HOUSTON CERTIFIED FIRMS DIRECTORY, BRINGING OUR TOTAL CERTIFIED FIRMS TO 5,605. OUR OFFICE HAS STEPPED UP TO ALMOST FULL STAFFING CAPACITY, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US, ALONG WITH OUR STAFF AUGMENTATION TEAMS TO MONITOR 1,870 PRIME CONTRACTS, NOT INCLUDING THE MONITORING OF PREVAILING WAGE FOR OUR SUBCONTRACTORS. WE HAVE COMPLETED TIMELY REVIEW OF OVER 530 PRE-BID AND PRE-AWARD PARTICIPATION PLANS AND PROVIDED OVER 30 TRAININGS TO OUR INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS. THE OFFICE HAS PROVIDED BUSINESS SUPPORT AND REFERRALS TO OVER 2,700 CUSTOMERS AT THE CLOSE OF THE THIRD QUARTER. SLIDE THREE PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE. YES, THIS ONE, OUR STRATEGIC GUIDANCE ALIGNMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, 90.6% OF OUR PROGRAMS AT OBO FALL INTO THE GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS CATEGORY. THEY ARE ADMINISTRATION SERVICES PROGRAMS, CERTIFICATION AND DESIGNATIONS PROGRAMS, CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT SERVICES PROGRAM AND DEBT SERVICES, AND INTERNAL. IN TURN IT FUND TRANSFERS ONLY 9.4% OF OBOS PROGRAMS FALL INTO THE INFRASTRUCTURE CATEGORY, AND THOSE INCLUDE THE BUSINESS SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE. THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS OUR CURRENT BUDGET FOR FY 24 AS COMPARED TO OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY 25 SHOWING AN INCREASE OF 128,000. THE OVERALL BUDGET DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FY 24 AND 25 IS AN INCREASE OF 1.96%. THE REVIEW OF OUR EXPENDITURES BY PROGRAM, THE BULK OF WHICH OUR SPENDING OCCURS IN ADMINISTRATION SERVICE, OUR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE AND CERTIFICATION AND DESIGNATION DIVISIONS. THE INCREASE IN ADMINISTRATION SERVICES IS ATTRIBUTED TO AN INCREASE IN OUR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, OUR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS AND PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FILLING OF ONE POSITION. THESE EXPENDITURES ACCOUNT FOR AN INCREASE OF 11.34%. THERE'S ALSO A 12.4% INCREASE IN OUR EXPENDITURES FOR DEBT SERVICE AND ENTERPRISE TRANSFERS, WHICH ALIGNS WITH AN ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN CONTRACTING BY OUR INTERNAL DEPARTMENTAL STAKEHOLDERS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. REVENUES BY PROGRAM. THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS OUR CURRENT BUDGET FOR FY 24 AS COMPARED TO THE PROPOSED FY 25, SHOWING A 6.16 AND INCREASE OF 397,000. OBO IS NOT CURRENTLY IN A REVENUE GENERATING DEPARTMENT, BUT THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION DOES COLLECT PENALTIES RELATED TO UNDERPAYMENTS. ALSO, OUR PAYER PLAY PROGRAM COLLECTS FUNDS FOR THE CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY FUND. WE ANTICIPATE A SLIGHT INCREASE OF 6.21% IN THE COLLECTION OF UNDERPAYMENT PENALTIES AS WELL AS OUR CONTRACTOR [00:05:01] RESPONSIBILITY FUND. NEXT SLIDE. WE WILL NOW REVIEW OUR PROGRAM SPECIFIC BUDGET ALONG WITH OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES. THIS SLIDE IS, UM, IN REGARD TO OUR ADMINISTRATION SERVICES PROGRAMS PROGRAM. ONE IS OUR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES PROGRAMS, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF THE OBOS EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM, WHICH INCLUDES THE DIRECTOR, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, OUR CITYWIDE TITLE SIX COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR, AND A ONE PERSON ANALYTICS AND REPORTING TEAM. OUR PROPOSED BUDGET IS 2.5 MILLION IN THIS AREA. THIS 2.5 MILLION INCLUDES FUNDING AN INCREASE IN EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS, PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS, AND AN INCREASE IN OUR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS. ALSO INCLUDED IS FUNDING FOR OUR B TWO G NOW PLATFORM, WHICH IS SUPPORTS OUR CERTIFICATION EFFORTS AND OUR COMPLIANCE MONITORING. OUR FIRST THREE PERFORMANCE MEASURES RELATED TO THE CITYWIDE GOALS THAT TARGET THE M-W-S-B-E CONTRACT COMPLIANCE REMAIN THE SAME FOR THE THIRD QUARTER AND FY 24 AND FY 25. THE TARGETS ARE 11% FOR OUR GOODS AND SERVICES CATEGORY, 24% FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AT 34% FOR CONSTRUCTION. MEASURE FOUR RELATES TO TITLE SIX, THE FY 24 TARGET FOR CITY DEPARTMENTS COMPLYING WITH OUR TITLE SIX WAS 100%. IN THIRD QUARTER, WE MEASURED AT 100% AND WE WILL REMAIN AT 100% IN THE TARGET AS OUR TARGET FOR FY 25. OUR BUDGET EXPENDITURES TARGET FOR FY 24 WAS 98%. AT THE CLOSE OF THE THIRD QUARTER, WE HAD REACHED 78%, AND IN FY 25 WE'RE ANTICIPATING EXPENDITURES OF 98% AS WELL. IN REGARDS TO REVENUE, WE ANTICIPATE COLLECTING ALL PREVAILING WAGE PENALTIES AND FUND CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY ACCOUNTS, WHICH REFLECTED IN A 100% TARGET FOR FY 25. NEXT SLIDE, PROGRAM TWO IS OUR BUSINESS SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WITH A BUDGET OF 499,000, WHICH PROVIDES BUSINESS SUPPORT REGARDLESS OF CERTIFICATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS TO OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. THIS PROGRAM ALSO RAISES AWARENESS OF OBO SERVICES AND THE CITY'S CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES. WHILE THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THIS PROGRAM IS 499,000 FOR FY 25, THE PROGRAM RELIES ON EXTERNAL FUNDING TO, TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER OUR FULL PROGRAMMING, SUCH AS FUNDING FROM OUR PARTNERS AT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES FUND AND THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURE ONE INCLUDES THE INTRODUCTION OF A CUSTOMER SERVICE SURVEY IN FY 25 WITH A TARGET OF 100% SATISFACTION BY PARTICIPANTS IN OUR CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS. OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURE TWO IS MEASURING THE NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES ASSISTED BY THE DEPARTMENT. OUR TARGET FOR FY 24 WAS ONE 3000. UM, AT THE END OF QUARTER THREE, WE REACHED 2,781 AND OUR TARGET FOR FY 25 WILL REMAIN 3000 CUSTOMERS TO BE ASSISTED. NEXT SLIDE WITH A BUDGET OF APPROXIMATELY 1.1 MILLION. PROGRAM THREE IS OUR CERTIFICATION AND DESIGNATIONS PROGRAM, WHICH ADMINISTERS SIX LOCAL CERTIFICATIONS, TWO FEDERAL CERTIFICATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. IN ADDITION, WE FACILITATE THE HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS CERTIFICATION ON BEHALF OF THE STATE OF TEXAS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL LGBT CHAMBER. OUR DIRECTORY ALSO INCLUDES CERTIFIED LGBT BUSINESS ENTERPRISES. THIS PROGRAM ALSO PROCESSES APPLICATIONS FOR THE CITY'S LOCAL PROCUREMENT PREFERENCE TO HIRE HOUSTON FIRST DUE TO THE HIGH DEMAND FOR CERTIFICATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE GENERAL FUND, THIS PROGRAM IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, WHICH FUNDS ADDED TWO STAFF MEMBERS TO HANDLE FEDERAL CERTIFICATIONS. THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS 1.1 MILLION, AND THAT INCLUDES FUNDING FOR EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS AND PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS. OUR MAIN PERFORMANCE MEASURE IS THE NUMBER OF DAYS TO PROCESS CERTIFICATION APPLICATIONS FOR THE M-W-S-D-B-E FIRMS. THE NUMBER OF DAYS MEASURED BEGINS UPON THE ACCEPTANCE OF A COMPLETED APPLICATION IN FY 24, OUR TARGET MEASURE WAS 120 DAYS, AND BY THIRD QUARTER FY 24, WE WERE AT 156 DAYS TO PROCESS THESE APPLICATIONS AND FY 24 STAFFING VACANCIES AND MULTIPLE MEDICAL LEAVES CONTRIBUTED TO OUR BACKLOG. IN THESE [00:10:01] CERTIFICATIONS WITH THE HIRING OF NEW STAFF, WE WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE TO REACH OUR GOAL OF 120 DAYS OF PROCESSING IN FY 25. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM PROGRAM FOUR, WITH A BUDGET OF 1.5 MILLION IS OUR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAM, WHICH MONITORS ALL CITY CONTRACTS APART FROM HOUSING AND AIRPORT TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE M-W-S-B-E PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND ENFORCED LOCAL AND FEDERAL LABOR LAWS, INCLUDING PREVAILING WAGE COMPLIANCES, AND PROMPT PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS ON CITY CONTRACTS. PERFORMANCE MEASURES REFLECTED HERE FOCUS ON ENSURING MAXIMUM COMPLIANCE BY CONTRACTORS WITH M-W-S-D-B-E GOALS AND OR THE LABOR STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS. ONE PERFORMANCE MEASURE IS THE PERCENTAGE OF CLOSED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, MEETING OR EXCEEDING THE AWARDED CONTRACT GOAL OR PROVIDING THE REQUISITE GOOD FAITH EFFORTS. OUR TARGET FOR FY 24 WAS 100%, AND IN THE THIRD QUARTER WE REACHED 90%. OUR TARGET FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR WILL REMAIN 100% AT AS, AS IT IS OUR OBJECTIVE FOR ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS TO MEET OR EXCEED THE AWARDED CONTRACT GOAL. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO OUR PRIMES AND SUBCONTRACTOR COMMUNITIES. THE LAST PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR THIS DIVISION INCLUDES A PERCENTAGE OF NEW AND EXISTING CONTRACTS IN WHICH THE VENDOR CHOOSES THE PLAY OPTION TO PROVIDE HEALTH BENEFITS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES. FY 24, OUR TARGET WAS 100%. IN THE THIRD QUARTER, WE REACHED 75%, WHICH MEANS OF ALL OF OUR CONTRACTORS, 75% ELECT TO PLAY AND PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE TO THEIR EMPLOYEES, WHICH IS THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM, WHILE THE REMAINING 25% ELECTED TO PAY AND THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY FUND. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. PROGRAM FIVE WITH A BUDGET OF 207,000 IS OUR DEPARTMENT SERVICES, WHICH ASSISTS DEPARTMENTS PRE-BID AND PRE-AWARD WITH SETTING CONTRACT SPECIFIC M-W-S-D-B GOALS AND WORK WITH THE CONTRACTING COMMUNITY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THOSE GOALS. ONE OF THE MEASURES OF THIS PROGRAM IS HOW MANY GOOD FAITH EFFORTS REVIEWS THE PROGRAM STAFF HAVE TO PERFORM, MEANING FUEL REVIEWS MEANS MORE CONTRACTORS HAVE SUBMITTED PLANS THAT MEET THE GOALS PRIOR TO THE COUNCIL AWARD. NEXT SLIDE, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. THAT IS PROGRAM SIX WITH A PROPOSED BUDGET OF 125,000. THEY FACILITATE INITIATIVES SUCH AS OUR JOB FAIRS TO SUPPORT EMPLOYMENT EFFORTS OF OUR PRIME CONTRACTORS AND OUR CERTIFIED FIRMS. THE PERFORMANCE MEASURE FOR THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES MEASURING THE NUMBER OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS THE NUMBER THAT ATTEND AND RECEIVE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. NEXT SLIDE. THIS SLIDE IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO OUR PAY OR PLAY PROGRAM CONTRACTORS. TWO THAT ELECT TO PAY PROVIDE $1 PER EMPLOYEE PER HOUR FOR WORK ON CITY OF HOUSTON CONTRACTS. THIS SUPPORT OUR HEALTH AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAMS FOR OUR CITIZENS. THERE IS NO PERFORMANCE MEASURE AS THIS IS A TRANSFER BETWEEN THE CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY FUND TO HPDS CRISIS CALL DIVERSION PROGRAM, HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S CLIENT ACCESS PROGRAM, AND THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT'S EMERGENCY TELEHEALTH AND NAVIGATION PROGRAM. ETHAN, THE BUDGET HERE IS INCREASED TO 744,000 BECAUSE IN FY 24 WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE CRISIS CALL DIVERSION PROGRAM, BUT WE'VE ADDED THAT BACK IN NEXT SLIDE. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE PATSY JACKSON GUIDE YOU THROUGH OUR EXPENDITURES AND OUR REVENUES SIDE 13 IS OUR PERSONNEL VERSUS NONE PERSONNEL SLIDE. THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE EXPENDITURES FOR OUR PERSONNEL VERSUS NONE PERSONNEL. MAJORITY OF OBOS BUDGET EXPENDITURES CONCENTRATED IN THE AREA OF PERSONNEL. THE GENERAL FUND PERSONNEL ACCOUNTS WAS 75% OF OUR BUDGET TOTALED A LITTLE OVER $4.2 MILLION AND NONE. PERSONNEL INCLUDING RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, SUPPLIES AND SERVICES, AS WELL AS OUR MONITORING PLATFORM, B TWO G AND STAFF AUGMENTATION FOR THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION IS AT 1.3 MILLION. THE SPECIAL FUND 24 24 IS RELATED TO THE DEBT SERVICE AND END. THE FUND TRANSFERS TWO FTES ACCOUNT FOR 16% OF THE FUND AND THE REMAINING 84% OF THE IN THE FUND TRANSFERS IS TO THE CLIENT ACCESS PROGRAM, THE CRISIS CALLED DIVERSION PROGRAM, AND THE ETHAN [00:15:01] PROGRAM, ALONG WITH SUPPLIES, RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS AS WELL AS APPLICABLE MODULES AND THE B TWO G PLATFORM. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SLIDE 14 IS THE EXPENDITURE BY FUND. IT SHOWS A PROPOSED $45,000 INCREASE IN GENERAL FUND AND 83,000 INCREASE IN SPECIAL REVENUE FUND. SLIDE 15 IS THE FUND BY REVENUE, WHICH IS OUR NEXT SLIDE, AND THE PROPOSED FY 25 BUDGET. WE ANTICIPATE AN INCREASE IN REVENUE IN BOTH THE GENERAL AND SPECIAL FUNDS. THE GENERAL FUND INCREASES FROM 995,000 FY 24 TO 1 MILLION IN FY 25, AND THE SPECIAL FUND INCREASES FROM 1.1 MILLION IN FY 24 TO AN ESTIMATED BUDGET OF 1.2 MILLION IN FY 25 PROPOSED BUDGET. I WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON THE NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, THE REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS. WE HAVE TWO SIGNIFICANT REVENUE CHANGES. THERE'S A 6.93% INCREASE IN THE GENERAL FUND. THIS IS ATTRIBUTED TO NINE FTE SUPPORTED BY FUNDS FROM HPW. WE ESTIMATE AN INCREASE IN PREVAILING WAGE PENALTIES AS WELL. THIS CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION MONITORS CONSTRUCTION PRIME AND SUBCONTRACTOR PAYMENTS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES. ALL FIRMS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THE PREVAILING WAGE RATES WHEN IT'S REPORTED OR FOUND THROUGH OUR MONITORING PROCESS THAT EMPLOYEES WERE NOT PAID TO PREVAILING WAGE. THE CONTRACT IS ALERTED TO THE RESTITUTION TO BE PAID TO THE EMPLOYEE OR EMPLOYEES, AND THE CONTRACT IS ASSESSED A $60 DAY PENALTY AS REQUIRED BY TEXAS STATE LAW. THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COLLECTION OF THE PENALTIES FROM THE NON-COMPLIANT CONTRACTORS AND WE ANTICIPATE AN INCREASE IN THAT COLLECTION. THE OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS A 5.5% INCREASE IN SPECIAL FUND H-P-W-H-A-S AND HCD ANTICIPATE ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS IN FY 25, WHICH WILL INCREASE THE CONTRACT RESPONSIBILITY FUND REVENUE BASED ON THE CURRENT PAID TREND. AT THIS POINT IN THE OB O'S PRESENTATION, I'LL HAND IT BACK TO OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR. UM, I DO WANT TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON OUR FY 25 BUDGET REDUCTIONS, WHICH YOU CAN REVIEW IN THE APPENDIX ON PAGE 26, THE FY 25 REDUCTION TO THE BUDGET TOTAL $222,776. THIS INCLUDES THE ELIMINATION OF TWO POSITIONS AND GENERAL LEDGER EXPENSE REDUCTIONS IN OUR SUPPLIES, TRAVEL RELATED TRAINING, ADVERTISING, ADVERTISING AND MISCELLANEOUS SUPPLIES TOTALING 16,000 7 41 AND THE REDUCTION IN STAFF TOTALING 222,776. I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT HE INCLUDED APPENDIX HAS INFORMATION ON OUR DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION CHART. YOU CAN ALSO FIND THERE ARE FY 24 STAFF DEMOGRAPHICS AS WELL AS OUR FY 24 ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND AT THIS POINT I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GREAT PRESENTATION. I I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON PAGE EIGHT, ON THE SLIDE EIGHT. I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE 120 DAY MEASURING THE DAYS. WE, WE RAN INTO SOME, UM, INSTANCES OVER THE PAST YEAR WHERE PEOPLE WERE WAITING TO GET THEIR RECERTIFICATION LIKE TO, TO RE-UP, BUT IT, AND, AND YOU GUYS STILL CONSIDER THEM A CERTIFIED FIRM, BUT ON SOME KIND OF WEBSITE BACK, YOU KNOW, CHANNEL WEBSITE, IT DOESN'T, IT SHOWS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE IT, SO, SO PRIMES WON'T RECOGNIZE THAT THEY HAVE THEIR CERTIFICATION. HAS THAT BEEN REMEDIED? I REMEMBER TALKING TO THE FORMER DIRECTOR ABOUT IT. WE WILL BE, UM, REMOVING THE ACCESS TO THAT VIEW. OKAY. UM, SO THAT PEOPLE AREN'T CONFUSED. YOU'RE CORRECT. YOU CAN SEE THE DATE THAT IT EXPIRES, BUT WE DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE DIRECTOR. OKAY. BECAUSE, BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE GETTING KIND OF PENALIZED BECAUSE IT WAS JUST TAKING A WHILE, BUT I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE GETTING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN THERE ON THE, ON THE CERTIFICATION. ON, ON SLIDE NINE, EXPLAIN TO ME ON THE, THE FIRST PERFORMANCE MEASURE, THE PERCENTAGE OF CLOSED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS MEETING LABOR STANDARDS REQUIREMENT, AND, AND WE'RE, WE'RE AT 38%, BUT WE, WE WANNA GET, I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE? UM, THAT AREA IS WHERE, UM, A LOT OF OUR CONTRACTORS ARE NON-COMPLIANT WITH THEIR DOCUMENTS IS, UM, THE EEO DOCUMENTS THAT WE REQUIRE. UM, EEO REPORTS THAT WE REQUIRE. UM, WE HAVE A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME, UM, RETRIEVING THOSE AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, WORKING WITH SPD TO SECURE THOSE FILES DIRECTLY IN-HOUSE AND NOT HAVE TO PULL THOSE FROM THE CONTRACTOR. THAT HAS BEEN LABOR INTENSIVE FOR US AS WELL. OKAY. 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF STAFF. [00:20:01] RIGHT. AND YOU'RE CUTTING TWO STAFF IT LOOKS LIKE. YES, MA'AM. FROM PAGE 26. SO, SO, I MEAN, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN UNDERSTAFFED, SO THAT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE. H WHAT DIVISION WAS THE, WERE THE TWO? UM, THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION AND OUR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE DIVISION. ONE FROM EACH. OKAY. I WANNA BE SURE AND RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE JOINED US. WE HAVE YASMIN PEREZ WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE. WE HAVE CHRISTINA WITH JOAQUIN MARTINEZ'S OFFICE. I SEE MY FRIEND DEEDEE RIGHT HERE WITH, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS HAS JOINED US. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER HAS JOINED US. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER HAS JOINED US. AND VERONICA WITH COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER HAS JOINED US. I THINK I GOT EVERYBODY, I HOPE. UM, OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. UM, IF WE COULD GO TO SLIDE NUMBER SEVEN. ONE OF THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES IS NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN ASPIRING ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTED, AND, UH, GOOD MORNING, MARY FOR HELLO. I'M WELL, HOW ARE YOU? YES. OH, YES, MARY, PLEASE. MUTE. OKAY. FY 25. I'M SORRY, FY 25, UH, IS THE TARGET. AND FOR FY 24 IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, SO FAR WE HAVE ASSISTED ALMOST 2,800. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT SORT OF ASSISTANCE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THERE? YES. THE, UM, OBO SOLUTIONS CENTER IS, UM, WALK-IN AND PHONE CALLS AND VIRTUAL, UM, CUSTOMERS CAN COME IN AND ASK ABOUT PERMITTING. THEY CAN ASK ABOUT OUR CLASSES. UM, THEY CAN GET ASSISTANCE WITH OUR, UM, LEGAL COUNSEL, WHICH WE HAVE A GROUP OF ATTORNEYS, A COLLABORATION THAT PROVIDES LEGAL COUNSEL, UM, TO THE SMALL BUSINESSES. THEY RECEIVE THOSE REFERRALS. SO THEY'RE THE INITIAL TOUCH POINT FROM A MAJORITY OF THE CUSTOMERS THAT COME INTO THE BUSINESS. THEY'RE LIKE THE GATEWAY. UM, THEY DIRECT THEM TO CERTIFICATION, UM, INFORM THEM ON WORKSHOPS, UM, AND ALSO PROVIDE SOME EDUCATION. IS THERE ANY SORT OF FOLLOW UP THAT MEASURES, FOR INSTANCE, WHETHER THEY ACTUALLY STARTED A BUSINESS OR EXPANDED OR GOT HELP WITH THE ISSUE THEY CAME IN WITH? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE JUST IMPLEMENTED, UM, AND, AND BOUGHT THE QUALTRICS PLATFORM. SO WE WILL BE MEASURING A PERSON'S WALK THROUGHOUT, UM, THEIR, UM, WALK WITH OBO. AND SO FROM THE TIME THAT A PERSON COMES IN, IF THEY'RE REFERRED TO CERTIFICATION, DO THEY ACTUALLY BECOME CERTIFIED? UH, WE'LL FOLLOW THEM THROUGH TO DO THEY BECOME A CONTRACTOR. AND SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT STARTING THIS YEAR. OKAY. AND SO THAT'S GOING ONLINE THIS YEAR, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, WE JUST STARTED IT. OKAY, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT. OKAY, IF WE COULD GO TO SLIDE 11. SO THIS DEALS WITH THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. IN YOUR PERFORMANCE MEASURE HERE, ONE OF THEM AT LEAST IS NUMBER OF ATTENDEES AT THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EVENTS FOR FY 24 THUS FAR. UH, 608 ATTENDEES TARGET FOR FY 25, 1000. AND AGAIN ON THIS ONE, IS THERE ANY SORT OF FOLLOW UP TO TRY AND DETERMINE QUALITATIVELY WERE THEY HELPED BY THE SERVICES PROVIDED? UM, ONSITE, WE, WE DO FOLLOW UP WITH HOW MANY PERSONS ARE ACTUALLY PLACED INTO EMPLOYMENT. WE DO RECEIVE THAT REPORT. UM, WE ALSO RECEIVE A REPORT ON HOW MANY PERSONS, UM, ENGAGE IN THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, BUT DIRECTLY FOLLOWING EACH WORKSHOP IS WHEN WE RECEIVE THAT REPORT, WE HAVE YET TO PUT IN PLACE A CUSTOMER SERVICE SATISFACTION, BUT THAT WILL BE A PART OF WHAT WE'LL IMPLEMENT WITH THE OVERALL CUSTOMER SERVICE SATISFACTION ON THE OTHER PAGE. THANK YOU. I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER ON THE PREVAILING WAGE, ARE WE REQUIRED BY FEDERAL OR STATE LAW TO REQUIRE PEOPLE DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY TO PAY FOR PREVAILING WAGE? WE ARE THROUGH, IF THERE'S CONSTRUCTION, DAVIS BACON APPLIES TO THAT. AND THEN, I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS THAT AGAIN? IF WE ARE DOING CONSTRUCTION, UM, DAVIS BACON DOES APPLY AS A FEDERAL RULE. WE ALSO HAVE THE PREVAILING WAGES THAT WE USE THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR. OKAY. AND DOES DAVIS BACON APPLY TO ALL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OR ONLY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT HAVE GOT FEDERAL DOLLARS TIED TO IT? FEDERAL DOLLARS. OKAY. SO IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS PAYING FOR ITSELF, WE'RE NOT REQUIRED, WE PROVIDE THE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, UH, PREVAILING WAGES AND THAT COULD BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE, [00:25:01] ON THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PAGE FOR EACH AREA. OKAY. BUT, BUT IF IT'S FUNDED COMPLETELY BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO REQUIRE THE PERSON OR THE COMPANY? OH YES. IF IT'S, THERE'S, IF THERE'S, UM, FEDERAL DOLLARS, WE DO THE DAVIS BACON. IF THEY'RE NOT FEDERAL DOLLARS, THEN WE DO THE PREVAILING WAGES THAT WE HAVE SET, WHICH IS COMPARABLE. OKAY. BUT ARE WE REQUIRED? YES. OKAY. AND THAT'S BY STATE LAW? THAT'S BY FEDERAL LAW FOR THE FEDERAL CONTRACTS? YOU'RE CORRECT. YOUR STATEMENT AT FIRST IS CORRECT THE FEDERAL CONTRACTS, BUT WE ALSO SET A PREVAILING WAGE EVERY YEAR FOR THE CITY CONTRACTS AS WELL AS WELL. OKAY, UNDERSTOOD. BUT ARE WE REQUIRED BY LAW TO DO THE CITY PREVAILING WAGE? NO. OR NO? WE SET THAT VIA THE CODE. OKAY, THANK YOU. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. OKAY. A FEW MORE QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T MIND. SO WE HAVE HEARD FROM INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, THEY WOULD LIKE TO COMPLY WITH THE GUIDELINES, MWE PARTICIPATION, FOR INSTANCE, YET IN, IN SOME INSTANCES THERE AREN'T ENOUGH CERTIFIED VENDORS TO ALLOW THEM TO TO COMPLY FULLY. UH, WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE? UH, WE DO HAVE SOME INDUSTRIES WHERE THERE IS A SHORTFALL, UM, BUT BASED ON OUR DIRECTORY, THERE ARE MANY CERTIFIED FIRMS AVAILABLE. IT DEPENDS ON THE INDUSTRY, BUT THE, UM, GOAL FOR MEETING THE GOAL OR THE REQUIREMENT FOR MEETING THE GOAL IS THE GOOD FAITH EFFORTS. AND SO IF A FIRM FINDS THEMSELF IN THAT SITUATION, THEY SHOULD WORK WITH OUR COMPLIANCE OFFICERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING US DOCUMENTATION THAT THEY'VE MADE EVERY AGGRESSIVE EFFORT TO WORK WITH THE CERTIFIED FIRMS IN OUR DIRECTORY. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME SPECIALIZED AREAS WHERE WE MAY HAVE A FEW FIRMS. WE'RE ALSO, UM, TARGETING DBE CLINICS OUTSIDE IN THE COMMUNITIES TO GET MORE OF OUR DBE CERTIFIED FIRMS. UM, AND WE'RE PROVIDING WORKSHOPS FOR, UH, CERTIFICATION TO BRING IN MORE CERTIFIED FIRMS IN THE AREAS WHERE WE'VE SEEN SOME DEFICIENCIES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. OKAY. I APPRECIATE THAT. YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, I THINK THERE WAS, THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT A DISPARITY STUDY THAT HAD BEEN DONE TWICE. AND UM, I WANT TO KNOW, WERE THE RESULTS OF THAT DISPARITY STUDY EVER RELEASED? NO, THEY WERE NOT. WHY IS THAT? UM, ACTUALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE PREVIOUS DISPARITY STUDY BEFORE MY TIME, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE DEFERRED TO LEAK TO LEGAL ON THAT BECAUSE WE ARE ACTUALLY IN LITIGATION NOW WITH THAT LAWSUIT. UM, THE CHALLENGE TO OUR PROGRAM. AND SO, UM, I WOULD DEFER TO LEGAL AND ASK THAT YOU ASK THEM THOSE QUESTIONS. UM, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WELL, WE DON'T GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, SO EVERYTHING HAS TO BE ASKED IN PUBLIC OR, UM, I GUESS NOT IN PUBLIC, BUT BUT ON, IN A ONE-ON-ONE BASIS. SO YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT STUDY WAS COMPLETED, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, THAT A DRAFT, IT WAS NOT COMPLETED. IT WAS NEVER ACCEPTED. IT WAS NEVER ACCEPTED, NO. MM-HMM . OKAY. AND WHO, WHO IN LEGAL SHOULD I SPEAK TO? UM, SPEAK TO ARTURO. ARTURO, YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, ALRIGHT, I'LL GO BACK IN THE QUEUE AT THIS POINT. SURE. TO YOUR POINT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, THAT THE 2016 DISPARITY STUDY, WHICH COST THE CITY $942,000, WE NEVER SAW THE RESULTS OF THAT. WE RECENTLY IN 2023 APPROVED A $768,000 NEW DISPARITY STUDY. AND, AND CAN YOU GIVE US THE UPDATE ON WHAT THE TIMELINE IS FOR THAT? YES. UM, THAT DISPARITY STUDY HAS JUST BEEN COMPLETED AS OF THE 30TH OF APRIL. UM, WE'RE NOW PREPARING IT FOR THE ADMINISTRATION'S REVIEW. IT SHOULD BE COMING TO COUNCIL IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. AND ALSO, UM, ON THE, THE LACK OF CAPACITY IN SOME OF THE AREAS, WHAT WE, WHAT WE DON'T WANT IS, IS KIND OF A PASS THROUGH WHERE WE JUST, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY JUST SAYS, OKAY, I'M GONNA PUT YOU DOWN ON THIS CONTRACT, BUT YOU DON'T REALLY DO ANYTHING. WE JUST NEED YOU TO GET IT. THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE, THAT'S NOT REALLY FULFILLING THE SPIRIT OF THIS PROGRAM. SO, SO WHAT I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR AND WHAT I NEED TO ASK PUBLIC WORKS WHERE WE ARE IS, IS MORE SMALL CONTRACTOR ROTATION PROGRAMS TO BUILD UP CAPACITY IN CERTAIN AREAS. UM, BUT I CAN ASK MORE ABOUT THAT LATER. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ [00:30:01] AND ALSO PAUL IS ONLINE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD'S OFFICE AND DISTRICT C STAFF FROM DISTRICT C IS, OH, ARI'S HERE FROM DISTRICT C. OKAY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN. AND I WAS RUSHING TO GET HERE, I WAS RUNNING LATE, BUT, UM, I HAD, I'VE HAD A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, TWO THINGS SPECIFICALLY. UM, WHEN, ONE THING I'VE RECENTLY FOUND OUT IS THAT, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS THE CERTIFY, UH, I GUESS AGENT FOR THE REGION. SO WE HAVE METRO PORT, EVERYBODY COMES TO US. UM, AND HAVE WE EVER, SO WE, HAVE WE EVER HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, CHARGING SOME TYPE OF FEE TO THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IF WE CAN, UM, AND IF WE HAVE HAD THE CONVERSATIONS, WHY HAVEN'T WE MOVED, UH, FORWARD ON SOMETHING OF THAT SORT? THERE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN CONVERSATIONS, I BELIEVE, PREVIOUSLY WITH THE COUNTY IN THAT REGARD. UM, AND THEY WERE AMENABLE. UM, WE ARE, UM, STARTING TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AGAIN. THE OTHER SISTER AGENCIES WE WOULD ALSO NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. BUT YOU ARE CORRECT THAT THE MAJORITY OF OUR CERTIFIED FIRMS, UM, ARE UTILIZED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONTRACTS AS WELL. HISD INCLUDED HCC, ALL OF THE AREAS AND THE 10 COUNTIES THAT SURROUND US TAKE THAT AS WELL. 'CAUSE I'VE HAD ONE SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE WAS WAITING TO BE CERTIFIED, BUT BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T CERTIFIED IN TIMELY PRO UH, MANNER, THEN THEY LOST THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY BID FOR SOMETHING THAT TAKES THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH THE WHOLE GABIT OF WHOEVER NEEDS OUR CERTIFICATIONS THAT WE START, YOU KNOW, LETTING 'EM KNOW IF YOU, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCESS. UM, THE, THE OTHER ONE, UM, WHAT, WHAT IS, AND, AND I WASN'T HERE FOR AN ENTIRE PRESENTATION, BUT AS FAR AS OUTREACH, WHAT DOES THAT NUMBER LOOK LIKE FOR STAFFING? UM, THE OBO SOLUTION CENTER WHERE WE SERVE OVER 2000, UH, CUSTOMERS, WE ALSO PROVIDE OUTREACH THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. UM, ATTENDING, WELL, WE SPONSOR THE JOB FAIRS, SO THAT'S SOME OUTREACH IN OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA. UM, OUR CERTIFYING, UH, CERTIFICATION AND DESIGNATIONS PROGRAM ALSO PROVIDES OUTREACH TO CERTIFIED FIRMS. UM, SOME OF THAT IS MAILING. WE HAVE A NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT, UH, WEEKLY. IT'S AN E-BLAST THAT GOES TO 28,000 FIRMS ALL THROUGHOUT THE REGION. UM, ON EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE, INCLUDING OUR WORKSHOPS, OUR CLASSES, UPCOMING CITY OF HOUSTON CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS OTHER CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE REGION. SO, AND I ASKED THIS AND, AND I APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, DIRECTOR, AND THANK YOU FOR STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE AS WELL. UM, AND I ASKED BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PARTNERS, RIGHT? UH, WE HAVE CHAMBERS, UH, RIO, THEY ALL ARE DOING SOME OF THE SIMILAR WORK AS FAR AS GETTING THAT INFORMATION TO, UH, CONTRACTORS. HAVE Y'ALL THOUGHT OF LOOKING AT A, UH, AN AGREEMENT TO WHERE IT, IT RELIEVES, YOU KNOW, OBO FROM HAVING TO DO AS MUCH OF THAT KIND OF OUTREACH THAT WAY? IT HELPS WITH THE STAFFING BACK IN THE OFFICE MORE SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE HISPANIC CHAMBER, THE, YOU KNOW, THE HOUSTON CHAMBER, IF THEY'RE ALL DOING THE SAME THING, UM, AND, AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATION ON, YOU KNOW, DUPLICATE SERVICES, RIGHT? HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, GET AWAY FROM DOING SOME OF THAT? UM, YEAH. AND, AND SO FOR ME IS, UH, WORKING OUT SOME KIND OF AGREEMENT WITH, WITH DIFFERENT CHAMBERS. UM, ALL THE CHAMBERS OF COURSE, I THINK, AND HAVING THEM DO A LOT OF THAT LEGWORK THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING FOR OBO. WE ACTUALLY HAVE MEMBERSHIPS, UM, WITH MOST OF THE CHAMBERS. UM, WE PARTICIPATE IN OUTREACH WITH THEM. UM, WE SPONSOR SOME OF THEIR EVENTS SO THAT OUR, OUR NAMES WE, WE PAY FOR THOSE MEMBERSHIPS. . YEAH, SO IT'S PART OF OUR ADVERTISING THAT WAS A LITTLE CUT. UM, BUT WE ACTUALLY PROMOTE OUR SERVICES WITH ALL THE CHAMBERS WE GO. WE ATTEND THEIR MEETINGS, UM, WE PROVIDE SOME WORKSHOPS AT TIMES WE, WE SPEAK AT THOSE, UM, PRESENTATIONS THAT THEY HAVE. UM, SO WE DO HAVE MEMBERSHIP THERE AND SOME VISIBILITY. BUT I GUESS IF I CAN JUST FOLLOW UP ON THAT, UH, REALLY WHAT I'M ASKING IS, UM, INSTEAD OF BEING OUT THERE SPECIFICALLY AT THOSE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE GREAT RELATIONS WITH THESE CHAMBERS AS YOU MENTIONED, RIGHT? UH, COULD THEY BE DOING THAT WORK AS FAR AS THE WORKSHOPS? AND THEY'RE ALREADY, A LOT OF 'EM DO THESE WORKSHOPS ALREADY. UM, AND THAT WOULD HELP RELIEVE SOME OF THE, THE, THE PERSONNEL THAT ARE BEING SENT OUT. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE ONE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, THAT PERSON COLLABORATES WITH ENTITIES TO PROVIDE THESE WORKSHOPS. SO THIS IS A VERY LEAN STAFF. WE DON'T HAVE FIVE PEOPLE DOING WORKSHOPS. SHE ACTUALLY WORKS WITH, UM, SCORE HOUSTON, HCC, UM, THE PROGRAM AT, UH, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. AND SO WE ALSO EMPLOYED PILLARS OF SUCCESS TO COME IN. SO WE PAY FOR THAT PROGRAM TO COME IN THROUGH THE AIRPORT SYSTEMS FUNDING. AND SO WE DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF STAFF DOING OUTREACH. IT'S ONE PERSON WHO COORDINATES [00:35:01] WITH OTHER EFFORTS. AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN WITH THAT ENTITY. THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARITY. AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING, LIKE HOW MANY FOLKS, HOW MANY FTES DO YOU HAVE DOING OUTREACH? YES, JUST ONE. OKAY, THANK YOU. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE ONES THAT WAS REDUCED, RIGHT? THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. UM, THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS WAS ACTUALLY, UM, A POSITION AND MANAGEMENT ANALYST THREE, WHICH WAS FOR, UM, RESEARCH, UM, ANALYTICS. AND ALSO WE WOULD LIKE TO WRITE SOME GRANTS. WE NEED MORE FUNDING. AND SO THAT WAS WHAT THAT POSITION WAS FOR IN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS. OKAY. AND COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, I ASK ABOUT THAT. CHARGING THE OTHER ENTITIES EVERY YEAR AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO START CHARGING THE OTHER ENTITIES MIGHT SEE A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THAT EFFECT. UM, COUNCILS MEMBER FLICKINGER, OBVIOUSLY THE CITY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WITH THESE TYPE OF PROGRAMS. UM, IS THERE AN ORGANIZATION THAT CERTIFIES THESE COMPANIES FOR MWBE THAT WOULD BE KIND OF A BLANKET CERTIFICATION FOR THE CITY, THE COUNTY, THE STATE, WHATEVER PRIVATE BUSINESSES WE'RE LOOKING FOR THIS AS WELL. SO THERE ARE PRIVATE ENTITIES SUCH AS H-M-S-D-C, SO THE CERTIFICATIONS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. AND SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS A CERTIFYING AGENCY FOR THE REGION THROUGH TDOT. AND SO THAT IS WHY WE ARE ABLE TO DO THE FEDERAL CERTIFICATIONS AS WELL AS THE LOCAL CERTIFICATIONS, WHICH IS MADE UP BY THE CITY. SO WE HAVE TXDOT DIVIDES THE STATE UP AND THE SIX REGIONS. WE COVER THIS REGION FOR THE SOUTHEAST AREA OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND SO OUR CERTIFICATION IS A MORE PUBLIC BASED CERTIFICATION WHERE ENTITIES WHO RECEIVE THIS CERTIFICATION CAN WORK WITH THE PUBLIC AGENCIES. YOU CAN ALSO BECOME CERTIFIED WITH WBEA, H-M-S-D-C, UM, THOSE CERTIFYING AGENCIES DO MORE OF A CERTIFICATION THAT YOU PAY FOR TO WORK WITH OTHER CORPORATE ENTITIES. AND SO WHEN YOU'RE CERTIFIED WITH THOSE ENTITIES, THAT CERTIFICATION WORKS FOR HEB, UH, I GUESS CHEVRON SHELL, SOME OF THE PRIVATE CORPORATIONS. DO WE ACCEPT CERTIFICATIONS? UH, THOSE CERTIFICATIONS? NO. YOU HAVE TO BE A CITY OF HOUSTON CERTIFIED ENTITY TO WORK ON PUBLIC PROJECTS. OKAY. ARE ARE THOSE CERTIFICATIONS PRETTY SIMILAR TO OURS? NO, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE HAVE OURS. UM, IT'S BY THE CODE. THEY HAVE MORE OF A, I WOULD SAY A MORE LENIENT CERTIFICATION THAN OURS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE STRINGENT BECAUSE WE ALIGN WITH THE FEDERAL RE REGULATIONS. OKAY. BUT OUR CERTIFICATION IS GOOD FOR TDO? YES, IT IS. SO IF YOU'RE A CONTRACTOR ROAD CONSTRUCTION, YOU'RE CERTIFIED WITH US, THAT WORKS FOR TDO AS WELL? YES. OKAY. UM, THE DIVERSITY STUDY, HAS THE VENDOR BEEN PAID FOR THAT? WHICH VENDOR? UH, THIS YEAR, THE VENDOR THAT COMPLETED THE STUDY, THE PREVIOUS VENDOR I THINK WAS PAID FOR. THAT WAS BEFORE ME, BUT I BELIEVE THEY WERE PAID FOR THAT. SO AS FAR AS THE VENDOR'S CONCERNED AND AS FAR AS ACCOUNTS PAYABLE IS CONCERNED, THAT STUDY WAS COMPLETED, RIGHT? UM, NO. I ASSUME WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR COMPLETE WORK. I DON'T THINK WE PAID THE, I DON'T KNOW. I WASN'T HERE SO I'M NOT SURE WE PAID THE TOTAL AMOUNT. I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. I'M SORRY. YOU SAID THERE WAS LITIGATION? YES. ARE WE BEING SUED BY MULTIPLE PARTIES OR ONE PARTY? WE ARE CURRENTLY, UM, IN LITIGATION WITH ONE PARTY. AND WHAT IS THAT PARTY ALLEGING? UM, I REALLY CAN'T SPEAK TO IT. UM, YOU WOULD HAVE TO THEN SPEAK TO ARTURO ABOUT OKAY. SO YOU CAN'T TELL US WHAT THEY'RE SUING US FOR? UM, I WOULD DEFER TO THE ATTORNEYS. OKAY, THANK YOU. BESIDES TXDOT, WHAT OTHER ENTITIES USE OUR CERTIFICATION? UH, HISD? YES. HISD, THE PORT OF HOUSTON, METRO HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY, UM, FORT BEND, ISD, ALL THE ISDS IN THE AREA. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, LIBERTY COUNTY, BRAZORIA COUNTY, GALVESTON COUNTY CHAMBERS. I THINK THAT'S IT. THEY'RE LIKE 10. SO. SO HERE WE GO. WE, WE HIRE THE STAFF TO DO THIS CERTIFICATION. YEAH. SO THERE WE'RE GONNA GET YOU SOME MONEY. , PLEASE. FROM THESE ENTITIES. YOU MA OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. YEAH. THANK YOU. ONE MORE TIME. SO, UH, OBO DOES JOB FAIRS, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. HOW MANY JOB FAIRS DID YOU, DID YOU DO OVER THE PAST YEAR? APPROXIMATELY? UH, PAST YEAR WE HAD FOUR JOB FAIRS ALONG. WE COLLABORATE WITH TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, UM, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. UM, AND WE PARTNER WITH THEM ALONG WITH, UH, SCORES, SOME OF OUR OTHER COLLABORATORS. AND WE HAVE FOUR IN THE PAST YEAR. UM, THIS YEAR WE ARE PLANNING TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT THAT LOOKS SO THAT WE ARE TARGETING OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS FOR OUR PRIME AND SUBCONTRACTORS. OKAY. AND WHAT'S THAT GONNA LOOK LIKE? UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT WORKING WITH THE, WE WORK WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT PREVIOUSLY. UM, THESE ARE USUALLY HELD AT OUR HEALTH CENTERS OR OUR MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS. UM, WE INVITE AND, AND WORK WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AS WELL TO INVITE THEIR CLIENTS. UM, THEY PROMOTE [00:40:01] IT, THEY BRING IN THE EMPLOYERS WE SUPPORT BY PROVIDING THE FACILITY AND WE ALSO GET SUPPORTIVE SERVICE, LIKE PERSONS HIRING, UM, DOING EXPUNGEMENTS, UH, WE ACTUALLY DO HAIRCUTS AND THAT TYPE OF THING ON SITE. OKAY. SO LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR, WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOUR, YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL JOB FAIR WAS THIS PAST YEAR. CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW MANY EMPLOYERS WERE THERE? HOW MANY FOLKS WERE, WERE, WERE THERE TO FIND JOBS, ET CETERA? BRANDON? HELLO EVERYBODY. UH, HI THERE. IT WAS TURNAROUND HOUSTON. WE HAD THAT LAST YEAR. I WOULD SAY IT WAS ATTENDED MAYBE BY OVER 500 PEOPLE. OKAY. 500 FOLKS SEEKING JOBS. AND HOW MANY EMPLOYERS? UH, I THINK IT WAS AT LEAST 40. 40? MM-HMM . AND HOW MANY FOLKS WERE EMPLOYED THROUGH THAT JOB FAIR? I BELIEVE WE DID A STUDY AND I THINK IT WAS ABOUT MAYBE, I THINK WE FOLLOWED UP WITH 23, 25, I BELIEVE OF THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO 25 OUT OF ABOUT 400? CORRECT. OKAY. HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN IMPROVE ON THAT NUMBER? UM, I WOULD SAY IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO REALLY MARKETING EFFORTS. UH, GETTING THE WORD OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE. UH, IF WE CAN INCREASE SOME OF OUR MARKETING BUDGET SO THEREFORE WE COULD BUY LIKE FACEBOOK ADS AND MAYBE RADIO ADS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. UM, REALLY IT'S GONNA COME DOWN TO GETTING THE WORD OUT FROM THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL. IF WE COULD YOU SHARE SOME OF OUR MATERIAL WITH YOU ALL SO YOU CAN PUSH IT OUT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND GET THE WORD OUT THAT WAY? MM-HMM . UM, WELL IT SOUNDS LIKE THOSE WERE, WERE PRETTY, PRETTY GOOD NUMBERS. UM, IS IT A SITUATION WHERE YOU THINK THE FOLKS WHO ARE COMING DOWN ARE NOT EXACTLY WHAT THE EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING FOR? OR COULD WE GET DIFFERENT EMPLOYERS TO COME TAILORED MORE TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE ACTUALLY COMING TO LOOK FOR JOBS? YEAH, I THINK IT'S A MIX BECAUSE SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO THE JOB FAIRS ARE ONE NEW TO THE JOB MARKET. SOME OF THEM HAVE PREVIOUS RECORDS. AND SO I REALLY THINK WHEN THEY COME DOWN TO THE JOB FAIR, IT'S ALMOST LIKE, OH, WHO DO I TALK TO? WHERE DO I START? AND SO WE PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE RESOURCES FOR THEM, BUT IT'S REALLY JUST A HODGEPODGE OF PEOPLE THAT COME TO THE JOB FAIRS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. CA STAT FROM, UM, YUKARI WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE. HELLO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER'S, SO SORRY SHE'S NOT HERE, SHE'S STILL OUT ON THE FIELD ASSISTING WITH RECOVERY, BUT SHE WANTED ME TO THANK YOU AND EVERYTHING YOUR TEAM DOES. UM, ALSO SHE WANTED US TO THANK YOU ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WORK TO INCLUDE THE LGBT BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN OUR CITY'S FIRM DIRECTORY. UM, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING AND THE PARTNERSHIP? SO THE PARTNERSHIP IS WORKING OUT GREAT. UM, RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF FIRMS. I THINK WE HAVE 55, UM, LGBT FIRMS FROM THE CHAMBER. UM, IT'S A PRETTY SMOOTH PROCESS. ONCE THEY, A PERSON APPLIES TO US, THEY JUST PRESENT THE L-G-B-T-Q CHAMBERS, UM, CERTIFICATION AND WE'RE ABLE TO ADD THEM TO THE DIRECTORY. SO THAT ONE IS LESS, UM, LABOR INTENSIVE. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD WORK YOU DO FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND FOR SO MANY CONTRACTORS OUT THERE. AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANY MORE, UH, PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE AND WE DON'T HAVE A, UM, ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS. SO I THINK YOU'RE FREE . THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK. OKAY, YOU GUYS WILL, WE'LL PAUSE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES UNTIL COUNCIL AT 10 OH. CITY COUNCIL VENITA IN THE, IN THE HOUSE. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA REALLY GRILL VENITA, AREN'T WE GUYS? WE'RE READY. * 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.