* 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.
          [Service Delivery Committee on February 26, 2025.]
          [00:00:14]
          JULIAN RAMIREZ, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR AT LARGE POSITION ONE HERE IN THE CITY. 
          UM, I AM VICE CHAIR OF THE SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE. 
          OUR CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON, IS UNDER THE WEATHER, AND SO I'M PINCH, PINCH HITTING FOR HER THIS AFTERNOON. 
          AND SO IT IS TWO O'CLOCK AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. 
          WE ARE JOINED, UH, THIS AFTERNOON BY COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN AT LARGE POSITION FIVE AND, UM,  STAFF FROM SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS STARTING WITH, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER FRED FLICKINGER, DISTRICT E DISTRICT C COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE. 
          OF COURSE, WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, TARSHA JACKSON'S OFFICE COUNCIL, ME MEMBER, UM, UH, MARIO CASTILLO'S OFFICE AND MY OWN OFFICE. 
          AND ARE WE MISS, HAVE I LEFT ANYONE OUT? OKAY, I'M HERE. 
          I'M SORRY, UH, MARTINEZ AND ALSO STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ'S OFFICE. 
          SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. 
          UM, JUST FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD IN HYBRID MODE, WHICH MEANS WE ARE IN PERSON, BUT WE ARE ALSO VIRTUAL. 
          AND, UM, AS PRESIDING OFFICER OF THIS COMMITTEE AT THIS TIME, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, WHICH IS APPLICABLE TO GOVERNMENTAL BODIES THAT EXTENDED TO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES. 
          ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY. 
          AND LET ME CHECK ONLINE HERE WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, LETITIA PLUMMER'S OFFICE PRESENT ONLINE AS WELL. 
          LET ME ALSO NOTE, WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY, UH, TWO ADDITIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, AMY PECK FROM DISTRICT A IS HERE, AS WELL AS ANNE HUFFMAN FROM COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICT G AND STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER'S OFFICE AS WELL. 
          SO, WELCOME EVERYONE. 
          WE HAVE, UM, LENGTHY AGENDA AND WE WILL GO AHEAD AND START INTO THAT. 
          WE'LL FIRST HEAR A PRESENTATION ON THE CITY'S 3 1 1 SYSTEM AND WE WILL HEAR FROM DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHARLES W. JACKSON OF ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          HOW ARE YOU? GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. 
          I NEED TURN THIS ON. 
          DO WE HAVE THAT MIC TURNED ON? I MIGHT NEED TO STAND. 
          YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SIT THAT, THAT IS THAT. 
          GOOD. 
          WE'LL MAKE THAT WORK. 
          THERE YOU GO. 
          HELLO? YEAH. 
          MM-HMM. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, I DON'T MIND STANDING YOUR PREFERENCE. 
          I CAN THE SCREEN BETTER, RIGHT? DOESN'T, DOESN'T BOTHER ME AT ALL. 
          YEAH. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          ARE Y'ALL OKAY WITH THAT? IF I STAND, FINE WITH ME IF I START WALKING AROUND THE ROOM, IS THAT OKAY? WE WON'T BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU, BUT  OKAY. 
          UH, THANK EVERYONE FOR, FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TODAY. 
          MY NAME IS CHARLES W. JACKSON. 
          I'M THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON 3 1 1. 
          HEY KARI, HOW ARE YOU DOING? SHE'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE 3 1 1 AGENTS. 
          SHE STARTED WITH US, UH, WHEN SHE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, RIGHT? WORKED HER WAY THROUGH COLLEGE. 
          UH, AND SHE'S SINCE MOVED ON TO BIGGER, UH, AND BETTER THINGS. 
          SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OF IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE. 
          UH, I WAS GOING TO, TO ASK, I ACTUALLY CALLED MY BUDDY JARED MEERS AT BARK TO SEE IF WE GET SOME PUPPIES AND KITTENS AND, UH, HE SAID, THAT'S MY THING. 
          AND WE DO THAT, RIGHT? SO I SHOWED UP EMPTY HANDED AND I'M, I'M SORRY FOR THAT. 
          ALRIGHT, UH, NEXT SLIDE. 
          WE'RE GONNA JUMP RIGHT INTO IT. 
          SO I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING HOUSTON 3 1 1 DOES NOT CLOSE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          EVERY, ANY OPPORTUNITY I GET TO GET IN FRONT OF ANYBODY, I TELL THEM HOUSTON 3 1 1 DOES NOT CLOSE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. 
          YOU'RE SAYING, CHARLES, WAIT A MINUTE. 
          MY CONSTITUENTS TOLD ME THAT HOUSTON 3 1 1 CLOSED THEIR SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          AND IN THE WORDS OF SHAGGY, IT WASN'T ME, RIGHT? WHAT ABOUT THIS PUBLIC WORKS? IT WASN'T ME. 
          WHAT ABOUT THE SOLID WASTE? IT WASN'T ME, RIGHT? WHAT WE DO IS WE CREATE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          PEOPLE CONTACT US, THEY CAN, THEY CAN SELF-SERVE, CREATE SERVICE REQUESTS, AND THOSE ELECTRONICALLY FIND THEIR WAYS TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE DON'T EVEN CONTROL WHEN THOSE SERVICE REQUESTS GET SENT. 
          THAT HAPPENS AUTOMATICALLY. 
          AND THEN THOSE DEPARTMENTS MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE GONNA WORK. 
          THOSE SERVICE REQUESTS AND A HUMAN BEING SOMEWHERE, NOT THE SYSTEM, NOT 3 1 1 CLOSES THAT SERVICE REQUEST. 
          SO A DETERMINATION IS MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT AND I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME AND I HEAR IT IN THE NEWS AND PEOPLE CALL ME PROBABLY AT LEAST ONCE A A DAY. 
          I HAVE A, A CONVERSATION WITH A CONSTITUENTS, SAYS, CHARLES, YOU CLOSED MY SERVICE REQUEST. 
          [00:05:01]
IT WASN'T ME, BUT I AM HAPPY TO FIND OUT WHO DID AND WHY. 
          'CAUSE AT 3 1 1, THAT'S WHAT WE DO. 
          ANYTIME A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK OF 3 1 1 AS THE COMPLAINT CENTER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          NO, NO, WE'RE THE SOLUTION CENTER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, YOU CAN CALL 3 1 1 AND WE'LL SOLVE IT, RIGHT? I ASK MY TEAM, WHO ARE YOU GONNA CALL? IT'S NOT THE GHOSTBUSTERS, IT'S HOUSTON 3 1 1. 
          NOW, INTERESTING. 
          INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, PEOPLE ASSOCIATE SERVICE REQUESTS WITH 3 1 1, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, ONLY ONE THIRD OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS RESULT IN A SERVICE REQUEST, OR, OR, I'M SORRY, ONE THIRD OF OUR CALLS RESULTS IN A SERVICE REQUEST. 
          TWO THIRDS IS INFORMATIONAL CALLS ONLY. 
          SO WE HANDLED OVER, OH, ABOUT 1.1 MILLION PHONE CALLS AND HAD ABOUT 488,000 SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          AND FY 24, AND I'M GONNA REITERATE IT PROBABLY ONE OR TWO MORE TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION, AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO FORGIVE ME, BUT OF THE 488,000 SERVICE REQUESTS THAT WE CREATED IN FY 24, 3 1, 1 CLOSED, NONE OF THEM ZERO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. 
          ALRIGHT, NEXT SLIDE. 
          I I DON'T WANNA REITERATE IT AGAIN 'CAUSE I JUST SAID IT, RIGHT? UH, BUT HOUSTON THREE ONE HAS 74 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. 
          UH, OF THOSE 74, WE HAVE 60 FT THAT ARE AGENT POSITIONS. 
          THAT'S 59 FULL-TIME, THREE PART-TIME POSITIONS. 
          WE HAVE TWO, UH, LOCATIONS. 
          PRIMARY LOCATION IS 28 0 5 MCKINNEY, WHICH IS IN EAST DOWNTOWN. 
          IT'S A PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING. 
          AND THE OTHER ONE'S RIGHT HERE IN THIS BUILDING IN THE BASEMENT. 
          SO IF YOU'RE EVER TALKING TO A CONSTITUENT AND THEY SAY, HEY, I GOT A PROBLEM WITH 3 1 1, I GOT A QUESTION ABOUT MY SER SERVICE REQUEST, I WANNA TALK TO SOMEONE IN PERSON. 
          YOU CAN SEND 'EM RIGHT DOWNSTAIRS TO THE 3 1 1 LOCATION AND WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO MEET WITH THEM IN PERSON. 
          WE CREATE ABOUT 400,000 SERVICE REQUESTS EVERY YEAR. 
          AND 3 1 1 IS A MOBILE WORKFORCE. 
          AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHY THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. 
          ANYWHERE THAT THERE'S POWER IN AN INTERNET CONNECTION, A 3 1 1 AGENT CAN TAKE, TAKE A 3 1 1 CALL. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO HOW DO I REACH THREE ONE ONE? WELL, YOU CAN CALL THIS THREE ONE ONE WAS BORN OUT OF NINE ONE ONE. 
          THE THE REASON THAT THAT 3 1 1 CAME TO BE WAS 'CAUSE PEOPLE WERE CALLING 9 1 1 AND SAYING, HEY, MY POTHOLE ISN'T FIXED AND THAT'S AN EMERGENCY FOR ME. 
          RIGHT? WELL, THAT'S NOT AN EMERGENCY. 
          9 1 1 IS POLICE FIRE AND EMS, EVERYTHING ELSE IS THREE ONE ONE. 
          SO YOU CAN CALL US. 
          72% OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS WERE VIA PHONE AND FY 24. 
          YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEB PORTAL, OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL, YOU CAN CHECK YOUR CASE STATUS. 
          YOU HAVE THE SAME KNOWLEDGE ARTICLES THAT OUR 3 1 1 AGENTS USE. 
          YOU CAN ALSO GET YOUR CASE STATUS UPDATE RIGHT THERE ON OUR WEB PORTAL. 
          15% OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS WERE CREATED THROUGH THE WEB PORTAL IN FY 24. 
          I WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GO TO THEIR APPLE OR GOOGLE STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE 3 1 1 APP. 
          EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE IT. 
          ENCOURAGE YOUR STAFF. 
          ENCOURAGE EMPLOYEES, TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS IF YOU EVER HAVE A PROBLEM AND YOU WANT SOMEONE TO SOLVE IT, DOWNLOAD THE 3 1 1 APP AND SUBMIT IT YOURSELF. 
          YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT IN A QUEUE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TO TALK TO SOMEONE. 
          YOU CAN TAKE PICTURES. 
          THERE'S A COOL MAP WHERE YOU CAN SAY, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHERE I AM. 
          IT'LL TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE AND YOU CAN CLICK IT AND GO TO THE CLOSEST ADDRESS. 
          ABOUT 5% OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS AND EMAIL PEOPLE STILL LOVE TO SEND US EMAILS. 
          THAT'S GREAT. 
          UH, AND THEN WE HAD 2%, UH, WERE IN PERSON. 
          UH, PEOPLE STILL LIKE TO WRITE US LETTERS FROM TIME TO TIME. 
          AND, UH, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, A FAX, I DON'T KNOW WHO STILL FAXES, BUT WE GET 'EM EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. 
          IT'S FUNNY ABOUT THAT IS WE DON'T EVEN PUBLICIZE A FAX NUMBER. 
          UH, BUT OUR AGENTS ARE AVAILABLE 24 7. 
          I'M GONNA ADD ONE CAVEAT TO THAT. 
          AND THAT IS, IF, IF YOU WANT TO CALL ON MONDAY, DON'T, FOR WHATEVER REASON, EVERYONE WANTS TO CALL US ON MONDAY. 
          AND I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IS PEOPLE THINK, WELL, IT'S A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY, WE'RE OPEN, IT'S SATURDAY AT 2:00 AM WE'RE OPEN CALL AND ASK REPORT THAT POTHOLE ON A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY. 
          BUT THEY GO FIRST THING MONDAY MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE START OUR DIETS, RIGHT? THAT'S WHEN EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, STARTS FOR YOU IS MONDAY MORNING, I'M GONNA CALL 3 1 1, WILL YOU AND 5,000 OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THAT SAME IDEA. 
          SO DON'T CALL US ON MONDAYS IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO. 
          MONDAYS IS OUR OUR HIGHEST AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, THE HOUSTON THREE ONE MOBILE APP. 
          THERE'S A LONG HISTORY WITH THE MOBILE APP. 
          I WON'T GO INTO ALL OF IT, RIGHT? BUT WHAT I AM EXCITED TO SAY IS THAT SINCE IT'S, UH, WE RELAUNCHED THE C CLICK FIX VERSION OF THE NEW AND IMPROVED HOUSTON 3 1 1 MOBILE APP IN FEBRUARY OF 2023, SINCE THAT TIME WE'VE HAD 38,000 DOWNLOADS. 
          WE'VE HAD 57,690 SERVICE REQUEST CREATED THROUGH THAT MOBILE APP. 
          YOU SAY, CHARLES, WHY, WHY DID WE HAVE TO BRING THAT APP BACK? IF MANY OF YOU WILL REMEMBER WHO WERE HERE WHEN WE HAD THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE CCL FIX APP, THERE WERE PROBLEMS. CONSTITUENTS WOULD GET THIS ERRONEOUS SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER AND THEY WOULD CALL 3 1 1. 
          THEY SAY, WHAT'S YOUR SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER? AND YOU GIVE IT TO 'EM. 
          AND THAT DOESN'T ASSO THAT NUMBER DIDN'T ASSOCIATE TO ANYTHING. 
          THE ONLY INFORMATION YOU COULD GET THROUGH THE APP WAS THE CASE WAS CREATED AND THE CASE WAS CLOSED. 
          AND PEOPLE SAID, IT'S JUST NOT A USEFUL TOOL. 
          WE TRIED TO MAKE 
          [00:10:01]
A CHANGE. 
          THAT CHANGE WAS A MISTAKE, RIGHT? SO THEN WE WENT BACK TO SEE CLICK FIX AND SAID, HEY, HOW DO WE MAKE THIS WORK FOR OUR CUSTOMERS? WE LISTENED TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE LISTENED TO OUR CUSTOMERS, YOUR CONSTITUENTS, AND THEY SAID, THESE ARE THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR, CHARLES. 
          SO WHAT I'M HAPPY TO TELL YOU IS TODAY WHEN YOU SUBMIT A REQUEST THROUGH THE THE HOUSTON 3 1 1 MOBILE APP, YOU'LL GET A, A CITY OF HOUSTON SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR ACTUAL CASE. 
          EVERY NOTE THAT IS TIED TO THAT CASE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT IN THE APP. 
          YOU'LL GET THAT CLOSURE INFORMATION WITH THE REASON WHY YOUR CASE WAS CLOSED IN THE APP. 
          SO IF YOU JUST WANNA BE A 100% APP USER, YOU CAN DO THAT TODAY. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT WE DID WAS WE BROUGHT BACK THE OTHER CASE TYPE PEOPLE SAID, CHARLES, LISTEN, YOU HAVE 200 SOMETHING DIFFERENT CASE TYPES. 
          I DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ILLEGAL DUMPING A HEAVY TRASH VIOLATION. 
          I I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE TO USE ON THE, ON THE MOBILE APP. 
          YOU CAN JUST SELECT OTHER, GIVE US ALL THE INFORMATION YOU CAN ABOUT THAT CASE AND WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOU. 
          RIGHT? SO I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP. 
          UH, TODAY, WHAT HAS BEEN THE, THE PUBLIC RESPONSE TO THIS? THEY LOVE IT EVERYWHERE I GO NOW THEY SAY, CHARLES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GETTING RID OF THAT THING THAT YOU DID BEFORE AND FOR MAKING THIS APP WORK FOR US. 
          AND WE'RE HAPPY TO BRING, UH, A PRODUCT TO MARKET THAT WORKS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO TOP 10, UH, FY 24 SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          YOU SEE A LIST OF THEM RIGHT UP HERE IN A SECOND. 
          I'M GONNA SHOW YOU BY DISTRICT, UH, WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE. 
          BUT I WANNA WALK THROUGH JUST VERY BRIEFLY HOW A, A SERVICE REQUEST GOES FROM, UH, A CUSTOMER'S MIND INTO A CLOSED SERVICE REQUEST WORKED BY THE CITY. 
          SO THE CUSTOMER HAS A PROBLEM AND THEY CALL 3 1 1. 
          THE THREE ONE ONE AGENT THEN HAS TO ASCERTAIN, IS THIS AN INFORMATION CALL OR IS THIS A SERVICE REQUEST? IF IT'S AN INFORMATION CALL, THE, THE AGENT IS ABLE TO, TO SEARCH IN OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE, GET THAT INFORMATION, WHATEVER IT IS, AT, AT 3 1 1, WE, WE TRY NOT TO SAY NO EVER. 
          RIGHT? IF YOU NEED, JUST NEED, IF YOU WANNA KNOW THE NUMBER TO YOUR LOCAL PIZZA PLACE, WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO GOOGLE IT FOR YOU, RIGHT? WE'LL LOOK IT UP FOR YOU. 
          WE, WE TRY NOT TO SAY NO TO ANYTHING. 
          WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION. 
          IF, IF WE ASCERTAIN THAT, HEY, THIS IS A SERVICE REQUEST. 
          WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL SCRIPT FLOW. 
          OUR SYSTEM ACTUALLY HAS THE AGENT ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO THE CUSTOMER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET TO THE CORRECT SERVICE REQUEST TYPE. 
          WHENEVER WE GET TO THE CORRECT SERVICE REQUEST TYPE, WE FILL THAT INFORMATION OUT AND AS SOON AS WE HIT SAVE THAT SERVICE REQUEST AUTOMATICALLY AND ELECTRONICALLY GOES TO THE BACKEND SYSTEM OR WHEREVER IT NEEDS TO GO. 
          SO THE DEPARTMENT CAN WORK IT. 
          WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER WHEN IT DOES OR WHEN IT DOESN'T. 
          IF YOU CREATE A, A SERVICE REQUEST THROUGH ANY LINE OF COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE APP, THROUGH THE PORTAL, IF YOU CALL US, IT GETS TREATED EXACTLY THE SAME. 
          THERE IS NO, THERE'S NO ONE WAY TO GET SOMETHING DONE FASTER. 
          EVERY SERVICE REQUEST GETS, GETS HANDLED THE EXACT SAME WAY. 
          WHENEVER A SERVICE REQUEST IS CREATED, IF THE CUSTOMER GIVES US AN EMAIL, THEY'LL GET AN EMAIL THAT SAYS, HEY, YOUR CASE WAS CREATED. 
          HERE'S ALL YOUR CASE CREATION INFORMATION. 
          LATER ON IN OUR ENHANCEMENTS, I'M GONNA TELL YOU HOW WE ADDED THE DEPARTMENT NAME TO THAT EMAIL CREATION. 
          SO THAT OR THAT CASE CREATION EMAIL SO THAT THE CUSTOMER KNOWS WHICH DEPARTMENT IS HANDLING THEIR EMAIL OR HANDLING THEIR THEIR CASE. 
          WHEN THE DEPARTMENT WORKS THAT CASE AND CLOSES IT, THAT INFORMATION COMES BACK THROUGH THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM THAT E AND THE, AND THE CUSTOMER GETS AN EMAIL THAT SAYS, HEY, YOUR CASE IS CLOSED AND HERE'S WHY. 
          ALRIGHT, NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO HERE'S THE TOP 10 SERVICE REQUESTS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT. 
          UH, YOU CAN SEE I, I'VE BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON THREE ONE SINCE JULY OF 2019, SO IT'LL BE SIX YEARS THIS SUMMER. 
          AND EVERY YEAR, UH, COUNCIL DISTRICT C HAS BEEN AT THE TOP OF THIS LIST. 
          UH, THEY, THEY FILE MORE, UH, SERVICE REQUESTS, UH, THAN ANYONE ELSE. 
          I KNOW THAT, UH, UH, D IS IS HOT ON THEIR HEELS, RIGHT? UH, SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, RIGHT? THE MORE SERVICE REQUESTS, UH, THE MORE EMPLOYMENT, RIGHT? PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY, THEY NEED US. 
          UH, I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION THAT YOU EVER NEED. 
          SO IF YOU SAY, HEY CHARLES, WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 SERVICE REQUEST TYPES IN MY DISTRICT? SPECIFICALLY, HAPPY TO SEND IT, CHARLES, I, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT A VERY SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD AND A ZIP CODE, UH, ANY OF THAT STUFF. 
          AND I WANNA KNOW HOW MANY ILLEGAL DUMPING CASES ARE, OR HOW MANY MISSED TRASH CASES OR ANY OF THE ANYTHING. 
          WE'RE HAPPY TO PULL THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU, RIGHT? WE HAVE ALL OF THAT DATA. 
          UH, THAT DATA IS VERY USEFUL WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANNA DO IN YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO SOME KEY FY 24 AND FY 25 STATS. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE IN FY 24, WE HANDLED ALMOST 1.1 MILLION CALLS. 
          THAT'S RIGHT UNDER 3000 CALLS, UH, A DAY. 
          AND THAT'S A PRETTY AVERAGE DAY FOR US, EXCEPT FOR MONDAYS. 
          MONDAY'S A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. 
          SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS ARE A LITTLE BIT LOWER. 
          OUR AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER WAS 145 SECONDS. 
          EVERY YEAR WE, WE SHOOT FOR 120 SECONDS OR BETTER. 
          UH, SO IN FY 24, WE MISSED THE MARK. 
          UH, WE'VE BEEN AS LOW AS 69 SECONDS AVERAGE HANDLING TIME, WE TRY TO KEEP RIGHT AROUND THREE MINUTES. 
          SO EVERY CALL I, I WORK IN THE, IN THE BUSINESS OF SECONDS. 
          SO EVERY SECOND THAT WE ADD TO A CALL, I HAVE TO ADD 1.1 MILLION SECONDS, UH, TO MY ANNUAL 
          [00:15:01]
WORKLOAD. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I DO EVERYTHING IN SECONDS. 
          AND THEN WE ANSWERED 85% OF OUR CALLS, UH, AND WE, WE SHOOT FOR 85% OR HIGHER. 
          85% IS THE BOTTOM. 
          YOU CAN SEE AN FY 25. 
          WE'RE ACTUALLY BEHIND THE MARK A. LITTLE BIT. 
          WE'VE HANDLED MORE, MORE CALLS THAN WE TYPICALLY WOULD IN A SIX MONTH PERIOD. 
          UH, BUT OUR, OUR AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER IS 198 SECONDS, WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN 120 SECONDS. 
          AND WE'VE ONLY ANSWERED 83% OF OUR CALLS. 
          AND YOU SAY, CHARLES, WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHY? AND I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU ON THE NEXT SLIDE, AND I'M GONNA BLAME EVERYTHING ON HURRICANE BARREL. 
          HURRICANE BARREL HAPPENED RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE IN THOSE, IN THOSE SIGNIFICANT, IN THOSE STATS THERE, YOU'LL SEE, UH, THAT WE WERE HANDLING 4,400 CALLS A DAY, WHICH IS 1400 CALLS MORE THAN WE NORMALLY HANDLE. 
          WE, WE TYPICALLY CREATE ABOUT 1100 SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          UH, WE WERE CREATING A, A A ALMOST DOUBLE THAT AMOUNT IN THAT TIMEFRAME. 
          UH, AND SO WHAT, WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HERE ON THIS SLIDE IS NOT SO MUCH THE STATISTICS, BUT ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE AGENTS WHO MAKE THIS HAPPEN DURING EMERGENCY EVENTS. 
          POLICE FIRE, EMS AND OUR COUNTERPARTS AT 9 1 1 DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT THAT THEY GET. 
          THEY DO AN AMAZING JOB, BUT ALL TOO OFTEN THE AGENTS AT 3 1 1 GET FORGOTTEN. 
          THE AGENTS AT 3 1 1 PROVIDE INCREDIBLE SERVICES, NEEDED SERVICES, URGENT SERVICES TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN A REALLY BAD SITUATION THIS PAST FREEZE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE SNOW THAT WE HAD, WHICH WAS, MY KIDS LOVED IT. 
          MY, MY DAUGHTER ASKED ME IF I COULD MAKE IT SNOW AGAIN. 
          AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT THAT SHE MADE IT, THOUGHT I MADE IT SNOW AT ALL. 
          DURING THAT, THAT WEATHER EVENT, WE DISPATCHED 750 Z TRIPS. 
          EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE RIDES WAS A LIFESAVING RIDE. 
          THAT WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS IN THE COLD THAT WE DELIVERED TO A WARM PLACE. 
          3 1 1 AGENTS HANDLED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CALLS DURING HURRICANES. 
          AND YUKARI CAN TELL YOU, AGENTS WITH NO POWER WILL SIT IN THEIR CARS AND, AND CHARGE THEIR LAPTOPS AND USE HOTSPOTS TO TAKE CALLS BECAUSE THERE'S NO POWER ANYWHERE IN THE CITY. 
          THAT'S HOW DEDICATED 3 1 1 AGENTS ARE DURING THESE EVENTS. 
          AND SO I PROMISE YOU, WHILE YOU MIGHT NOT NEED POLICE FIRE EMS, WHEN THE WATER PIPE HAS BUSTED IN YOUR HOUSE AND YOU NEED SOMEONE OUT THERE URGENTLY TO SHUT YOUR WATER OFF, 3 1 1 BECOMES PRETTY URGENT REALLY FAST. 
          AND SO WE DO A LOT OF GREAT WORK DURING WEATHER EVENTS AND LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MY AGENTS AS OFTEN AS I CAN WHENEVER WE GO THROUGH THESE EVENTS. 
          NEXT, NEXT SLIDE, OUR LANGUAGE SUPPORT. 
          THIS IS NEAR, NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. 
          MY WIFE IS AN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER. 
          UH, SO WE TALK ABOUT LANGUAGE SUPPORT A LOT AT HOME. 
          YOU SAY, CHARLES, NOT ALL OF MY CONSTITUENTS SPEAK ENGLISH. 
          WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT THEM? GOOD NEWS IS, IF YOU CALL 3 1 1, WE USE, UH, LANGUAGE LINE, RIGHT? THEY, THEY HAVE TWO, THEY OFFER, UH, INTERPRETATION FOR 240 LANGUAGES. 
          UH, AND, AND THEY AND, UH, HAVE 35,000, UH, UH, INTERPRETERS AVAILABLE. 
          SPANISH IS ALMOST ALWAYS OUR NUMBER ONE LANGUAGE LINE THAT WE USE. 
          IT'S USUALLY ABOUT 90%, UH, FOLLOWED BY VIETNAMESE, MANDARIN AND ARABIC. 
          AND THAT, THAT REMAINING PERCENTAGE, AND THEN LESS THAN 1% ARE OTHER LANGUAGES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO HERE'S THE QUESTION THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW, CHARLES, IS, IS THE PROCESS REALLY WORKING RIGHT? 'CAUSE YOU HEAR A LOT OF COMPLAINTS, DON'T YOU? I HEAR A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. 
          PEOPLE CALL ME AND THEY SAY, CHARLES, MY CASE WAS CLOSED AND THE WORK WASN'T DONE. 
          WHY DIDN'T 3 1 1 COME FIX THE POTHOLE? BECAUSE 3 0 1 DOESN'T FIX POTHOLES, RIGHT? BUT I'M HAPPY TO FIND OUT WHY. 
          WHAT I DO, I I I, I LIVE IN A, IN A BUSINESS THAT'S ALL NUMBERS, IT'S ALL STATISTICS. 
          AND SO I LIKE TO, I LIKE TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE AND MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THE, THE SCOPE AND THE SIZE OF THE PROBLEM. 
          AND SO IN, IN FY 24, WE CREATED 10,111 ESCALATED SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          AN ESCALATED SERVICE REQUEST IS WHAT WE CREATE WHEN A CUSTOMER CALLS US AND SAYS, SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH MY SERVICE REQUEST. 
          I'M UNHAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME, OR THE WORK WAS DONE, OR THE WORK WASN'T DONE AND THE CASE WAS CLOSED ANYWAY, THAT'S 10,111 OPPORTUNITIES TO DO BETTER IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          BUT WHAT I DO IS I SAY, WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. 
          THAT'S LESS THAN 3% OF ALL SERVICE REQUESTS, AND THAT'S LESS THAN 1% OF ALL PHONE CALLS. 
          SO WHAT I CAN SAY WITH CONFIDENCE IS THAT 97% OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS DIDN'T REQUIRE AN ESCALATED SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          AND LESS THAN 1% OF OUR CALLS REQUIRED, ONE, WHICH MEANS 99% DIDN'T REQUIRE. 
          SO IF YOU ASK ME, IF YOU ASK ME TO QUANTIFY IT FOR YOU, IS THE PROCESS WORKING? I WOULD SAY A RESOUNDING YES. 
          IS THERE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT? ALSO, A RESOUNDING YES, THE CITY CAN DO BETTER, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, BUT YOU CAN HAVE COMPLETE FAITH AND TRUST THAT WHEN YOU CALL 3 1 1, YOU HAVE A ALMOST 97% CHANCE OF THAT CASE GETTING RESOLVED WITHOUT HAVING TO CALL US BACK FOR AN ESCALATED SERVICE REQUEST. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO SOME RECENT ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE COME UP WITH, UH, WE, I I TOLD YOU EARLIER ABOUT THE CASE CREATION EMAIL. 
          [00:20:01]
WE WANT TO TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO EXPLAIN TO OUR CUSTOMERS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THEIR CASE. 
          WE, I DON'T WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO BE BATMAN. 
          I DON'T WANT THEM TO HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT, SEARCH FOR CLUES. 
          I WANNA GIVE 'EM ALL THE INFORMATION UP FRONT. 
          AND SO WHAT WE STARTED DOING, UH, IS WE INTEGRATED WITH OUR SYSTEM AND WE SAID, HEY, WHENEVER WE CREATE THE SERVICE REQUEST TYPES FOR THOSE DEPARTMENTS, THE SYSTEM'S GONNA TELL OUR CUSTOMER, THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S GONNA BE WORKING THAT CASE. 
          SO NOW THEY HAVE THAT INFORMATION SO THAT THEY KNOW, HEY, SOLID WASTE IS WORKING, THIS PUBLIC WORKS IS WORKING THIS DEPARTMENT AND NEIGHBORHOODS IS ON IT. 
          SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT 3 1 1, I DON'T HAVE ANY INSPECTORS. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY DRIVERS, I DON'T FEEL ANY POTHOLES. 
          I DON'T CHASE ANY DOGS. 
          BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHO DOES, WE'RE WORKING ON A PARENT CHILD PROJECT. 
          MANY OF YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THIS, WITH THIS PROJECT IN, IN, IN COORDINATE WHEN WE'RE COORDINATING WITH HITS. 
          AND THE PARENT CHILD PROJECT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL PARENTS OR REAL CHILDREN. 
          UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE BUILDING A FOUNDATION WHERE, UH, A A CUSTOMER GETS A SERVICE REQUEST. 
          AND WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW IS THERE'S A ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          AND IF WE RECLASSIFY IT, WE LOSE THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CASES. 
          SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS NOW THE CUSTOMER SAYS, UHOH, MY ORIGINAL CASE IS NOW CLOSED, AND I GOT THIS NEW CASE. 
          AND THEN WHAT IF WE RECLASSIFY THAT ONE? THAT ONE'S CLOSED. 
          NOW I GOT THIS NEW CASE. 
          AND SO NOW, NOW THE CUSTOMER'S CHASING AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHICH CASES IT WORKED AND WHICH ONES AREN'T, AND HOW MANY DO I HAVE? AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THIS PROJECT? WHAT IT DOES IS IT GIVES THE CUSTOMER ONE SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER. 
          LET'S SAY YOU CALL IN A POTHOLE, AND POTHOLES ARE ALMOST NEVER POTHOLES. 
          POTHOLES ARE ALWAYS BIGGER PROBLEMS. AND SO PUBLIC WORKS GOES OUT THERE AND THEY GO, UH, OH, THIS ISN'T A POTHOLE, THIS IS STREET REPAIR. 
          SO THEY RECLASSIFY THAT CASE. 
          GUESS WHAT? THAT CUSTOMER STILL HAS THAT ONE CASE NUMBER. 
          AND THEY JUST GET ALERTED THAT, HEY, YOUR CASE WAS RECLASSIFIED AND IT'S NOW A STREET REPAIR. 
          AND HERE'S THE UPDATED SLA. 
          SO WE'RE MANAGING OUR CUSTOMER'S EXPECTATIONS. 
          THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS IN TIME WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE 3 1 1 GO IS YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO CLOSE A PARENT CASE UNLESS ALL THE CHILDREN CASES ARE CLOSED FIRST. 
          SO A CASE CAN'T BE CLOSED IF OTHER CASES ARE BEING WORKED AGAINST IT. 
          AND THEN ULTIMATELY WE'LL GET TO A POINT WHERE THE CITY MARKS A SERVICE REQUEST COMPLETE, AND THEN WE GIVE THE CUSTOMER AMOUNT OF TIME TO GO OUT AND INSPECT IT, AND THEY WOULD CLOSE THEIR OWN SERVICE REQUEST, OR THEY'D BE ABLE TO HIT A BUTTON THAT SAYS, I'M STILL UNHAPPY. 
          YOU NEED TO COME TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT IT. 
          AND I THINK THE PARENT CHILD PROJECT LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR A FUTURE 3 1 1 THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD THIS, MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T, YOU'RE IN IT FOR THE FIRST TIME. 
          BUT ON JANUARY 8TH, THE 3 1 1 CONTACT CENTER AND THE CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES, WHICH IS NOW CALLED UTILITY BILLING, BILLING, THEIR CONTACT CENTERS, WE MERGED. 
          AND YOU ASK YOURSELF, CHARLES, WHY WOULD YOU MERGE THESE TWO CONTACT CENTERS BESIDES THE FACT THAT, TO ME, IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE FOR PEOPLE WHO IN, IN SIMILAR FUNCTIONS IN THE CITY, WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THEIR MISSIONS HAPPEN. 
          A 3 1 1, WE FACE HIGH TURNOVER. 
          YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ME SAY EMPLOYEE RETENTION OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. 
          BECAUSE IF YOU ASK ME, CHARLES, WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER ONE ISSUE AT 3 1 1? IT'S, IT'S EMPLOYEE RETENTION. 
          WE, WE, WE HIRE REALLY GREAT PEOPLE AT 3 1 1, AND MY PREDECESSOR SAID IT BEST, HE SAID, CHARLES, A WELL-TRAINED 3 1 1 AGENT IS WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD. 
          AND HE WAS A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE BECAUSE OTHER DEPARTMENTS COME AND THEY STEAL THOSE EMPLOYEES FROM A YUKARI. 
          AND, AND WE, WE TRAIN THEM BECAUSE IT'S LIKE GI JOE SAID, KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE. 
          WELL, A 3 1 1 AGENT KNOWS WHO TO CALL. 
          THEY KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE. 
          AND IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THAT'S VERY, VERY VALUABLE. 
          AND SO OUR EMPLOYEES, A LOT OF TIMES USE 3 1 1 AS A LAUNCHING PAD TO TO, TO FUTURE GROWTH IN THEIR CAREERS, WHICH I LOVE. 
          I I, I LOVE TO SEE 'EM GROW. 
          I HATE TO SEE 'EM GO BECAUSE IT TAKES US ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO GET A 3 1 1 AGENT, A PERSON OFF THE STREETS, TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO TAKE A CALL CONFIDENTLY ON THEIR OWN. 
          SO I SAID, WHAT DO WE DO HERE? WHAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR US TO TAKE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY USED TO HANDLING CUSTOMERS AND PHONE CALLS AND A CONTACT CENTER, AND WE'RE IN THE SAME BUILDING JUST RIGHT ACROSS THE HALL FROM EACH OTHER. 
          AND FOR US TO SAY, LET'S COMBINE THESE TWO FUNCTIONS AND LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW WE HELP EACH OTHER. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH 3 1 1 AND CAS. 
          AND IN THE FUTURE, OUR CUSTOMERS, INSTEAD OF CALLING THE 10 DIGIT NUMBER TO TALK TO WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY'RE GONNA CALL 3 1 1 AND PUT THEMSELVES IN THAT QUEUE. 
          AND THAT'S COMING SOON. 
          WE HAD FUNDING LIMITATIONS. 
          3 1 1 IS A GENERAL FUND, UH, DIVISION. 
          AND ANYONE WHO'S IN THE GENERAL FUND KNOWS THAT YOU HAVE TO BEG BORROWING FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT YOU, THAT YOU GET. 
          UM, AND THAT REALLY KIND OF HAMSTRINGS US ON ALL THE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE WANT TO DO AT 3 1 1. 
          AND SO MOVING 3 1 1 INTO AN ENTERPRISE FUND, UH, GIVES US ACCESS TO MORE, UH, RESOURCES FOR TECHNOLOGY. 
          THE 3 1 1 OF THE FUTURE THAT I SEE IS 3 1 1 IS A PLACE WHERE A CUSTOMER CAN GET ANY SERVICE THEY NEED IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON BY CALLING ONE NUMBER OR, OR ONE EMAIL, OR ONE CUSTOMER PORTAL. 
          [00:25:01]
SO I DON'T WANNA SAY, CALL US IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO. 
          WHAT I, WHAT I DON'T LIKE IS WHEN YOU SAY, HEY, CUSTOMER, YOU CAN CALL THREE ONE FOR MOST THINGS, BUT THEN YOU GOTTA CALL OVER HERE FOR SOME OTHER THINGS. 
          THEN YOU GOTTA CALL OVER HERE FOR SOME OTHER THINGS, RIGHT? AND THESE HOURS ARE DIFFERENT THAN THESE HOURS. 
          AND THESE PLACES ARE DIFFERENT THAN THOSE PLACES, AND THEY'RE DIFFERENT SERVICE LEVELS AND ALL OF THAT. 
          THE 3 1 1 OF THE FUTURE IS A PLACE WHERE A CUSTOMER CAN CALL 3 1 1 AT ANY TIME AND GET THE SERVICE THAT THEY NEED AND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED BY CALLING ONE NUMBER OR GOING TO ONE PLACE. 
          AND THEN AS WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, 3 1 1 IS VITAL DURING THESE WEATHER EVENTS, DURING THESE EMERGENCIES, AND IT'S HARD ON 3 1 1 AGENTS, IT WEARS THEM OUT. 
          THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. 
          I SEE IT IN THEIR FACES, I HEAR IT. 
          THEY GET EMOTIONAL. 
          AND WE HAVE A SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE BECAUSE I MEAN, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU'VE WORKED, UH, UH, LISA LAZANO WAS A BRAND NEW EMPLOYEE. 
          THE DAY THAT THAT BARREL HIT, SHE HAD JUST GOT UP TO THE FLOOR AND SHE GOT THERE AT 6:00 AM THAT MORNING UNTIL THE TWENTY EIGHT OH FIVE MCKINNEY CALL CENTER. 
          AND FOR, FOR ABOUT TWO OR THREE HOURS, THERE WERE ONLY SIX. 
          SHE WAS ONE OF SIX PEOPLE ON THE, ON THE CALL. 
          AND DURING HER FIRST WEEK ON THE FLOOR, SHE ANSWERED 235 CALLS IN A DAY. 
          AND SO I, I NEED SUPPORT, I NEED OTHER PEOPLE TO BE AVAILABLE. 
          AND SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'RE GONNA CROSS TRAIN PEOPLE SO THAT THOSE CAS, THOSE, THOSE WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE EMPLOYEES AND THOSE 3 1 1 AGENTS, THEY'RE GONNA LEARN EACH OTHER'S BUSINESS. 
          THEY'RE GONNA KNOW HOW TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER SO THAT WHEN THOSE QUEUES GET HIGH, WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN, WE CAN PUT THOSE PEOPLE IN PLACES WE NEED 'EM MOST. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          THE BENEFIT FOR THE CUSTOMERS. 
          WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A SINGLE POINT OF, OF CONTACT, INCREASED EFFICIENCY BY SHARING THOSE, THOSE KNOWLEDGE BASES AND BETTER SERVICE DURING EMERGENCIES. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          OUR BENEFITS TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, THAT, THAT FUNDING OPTION, THAT GIVES US $14.6 MILLION. 
          UH, AND, AND IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY. 
          WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ENHANCEMENTS, UH, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. 
          AND AGAIN, EMPLOYEE RETENTION. 
          I HEAR IT ALL TOO OFTEN. 
          UH, EMPLOYEES COME TO ME AND THEY SAY, CHARLES, I'M BURNED OUT. 
          NOW I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, LISTEN, INSTEAD OF TAKING 3 1 1 CALLS, WHAT IF YOU TAKE WATER CUT? WHAT WOULD I, WHAT IF I TEACH YOU SOMETHING NEW? UH, AND I'LL LET YOU LEARN WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE CALLS, RIGHT? AND I'LL, AND TRUST ME, I'VE LOST A LOT OF EMPLOYEES, THE WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND THEY'VE LOST PLENTY OF EMPLOYEES TO ME. 
          AND NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. 
          WE GET TO RETAIN THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO NEW TECHNOLOGY ON THE HORIZON. 
          I GET A LITTLE EXCITED ABOUT THIS. 
          UH, WE HAVE AN AI CHAT BOT, CITI BOT THAT, THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT PROBABLY FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. 
          UH, I THINK IT'S A GREAT TOOL. 
          IT'S OFFERED IN 70 LANGUAGES, WHICH IS COOL. 
          THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          YOU CAN GO TO THE 3 1 1 WEBPAGE WHENEVER WE GET THIS TOOL. 
          AND IN ANY LANGUAGE THAT YOU WANT TO USE, IT'S ABLE TO PULL AND RETRIEVE INFORMATION IN THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR CHOICE. 
          RIGHT NOW, 3 1 1 DOESN'T HAVE A ROBUST IVR SYSTEM. 
          WHEN YOU CALL US, IT'S A MENU TREE. 
          YOU JUST PUT YOURSELF INTO A QUEUE. 
          UH, IN THE FUTURE, WHAT I'D LIKE TO HAVE IS AN IVR WITH AN AI COMPONENT TO IT. 
          SO IT'LL ASK YOU, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON? YOU SAY, HEY, I HAVE A POTHOLE. 
          HEY, WHERE'S THE ADDRESS OF THE POTHOLE? THIS IS THE ADDRESS. 
          HERE'S YOUR SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER. 
          YOU NEVER EVEN HAVE TO TALK TO A HUMAN BEING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO. 
          YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION TO TALK TO A HUMAN BEING IF YOU WANT TO. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER PORTAL RIGHT NOW. 
          IF YOU GO TO THAT AGENT THAT WE USE IN OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL, IT'S NOT GREAT. 
          I'M THE FIRST ONE TO TELL YOU THAT. 
          CAN YOU SUBMIT A SERVICE REQUEST? YES. 
          DID 15% OF OUR SERVICE REQUESTS GET REPORTED TO THAT PORTAL? YES. 
          IF WE IMPROVED IT, COULD I INCREASE THAT BY A LARGE PERCENTAGE? I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT IS AN OVERWHELMING YES. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING TO DO THAT. 
          UH, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE PARENT CHILD, UH, UH, CASE. 
          AND THEN WHAT I TELL MY TEAM IS WE'RE ALWAYS INNOVATING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND, AND A, A COMPANY OF THE FUTURE ALWAYS HAS THEIR EYES ON THE HORIZON. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AT 3 1 1. 
          ANYONE WHO COMES TO ME AND SAYS, CHARLES, I, I TALKED TO OTHER 3 1 1, UH, DEPARTMENTS, DIVISIONS, AND OTHER CITIES, AND I SEE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS? AND I WANNA BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF WHAT? IN, IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          ALRIGHT, SO HERE'S, HERE'S THE REAL HOUSTON, THE THE REAL HEROES OF HOUSTON. 
          AND, AND THESE ARE MY 3 1 1 AGENTS. 
          AND, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I, I HAVE THE HONOR OF WORKING WITH SOME OF THE FINEST PEOPLE THAT I'VE EVER WORKED WITH. 
          I, I ENLISTED IN THE AIR FORCE SIX MONTHS BEFORE NINE 11. 
          I SERVED SIX YEARS ACTIVE DUTY DURING A TIME OF WAR. 
          AND WHEN I, WHEN I PUT ON THAT UNIFORM EVERY DAY, I DID IT WITH PRIDE AND HAD US AIR FORCE OVER MY HEART. 
          AND WHEN I TOOK THAT UNIFORM OFF ON MARCH 13TH, 2007, FOR THE LAST TIME, I THOUGHT I'D NEVER FIND A PLACE OR A MISSION OR A PURPOSE SIMILAR TO THAT. 
          AND I CAN TELL YOU WITH CONFIDENCE THAT WORKING AT HOUSTON 3 1 1, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. 
          AND IT MAKES ME PROUD TO TELL PEOPLE I WORK FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THAT I RUN THE HOUSTON 3 1 1 DIVISION AND I GET TO TALK ABOUT THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR ME. 
          AND WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU, DEPUTY DIRECTOR. 
          WE DO HAVE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE. 
          WE WILL START WITH VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND FIRST, 
          [00:30:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM. 
          I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, UM, CONTACT 3 1 1, IT'S KIND OF SOMETIMES THE ONLY, UM, INTERACTION THAT THEY HAVE WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AT ALL. 
          SO, UM, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GETTING A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THEY ARE. 
          SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR CHANGING THE APP AS WELL. 
          IT'S SO MUCH BETTER NOW. 
          WE WERE SO FRUSTRATED WITH IT BEFORE, BUT IT'S, IT'S GREAT NOW. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WHEN I MADE THE COMMENT, WE LISTENED TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, I WAS, I WAS TALKING ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER PENN, ALL OF OUR NOTES OF ISSUES. 
          YES. 
          UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          UM, AND I KNOW OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE VERY HAPPY WITH THE UPDATES AS WELL. 
          UM, FOR A WHILE THERE THEY WERE VERY FRUSTRATED TOO, BUT THEY'RE HAPPY NOW. 
          SO, UM, WHICH, UM, CALLS, ARE WE STILL TRANSFERRING TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS? I KNOW THAT AT LEAST WE USED, I'M NOT SURE IF WE STILL DO, UM, ANY BARK OR ANIMAL ENFORCEMENT CALLS, WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE CALLED THROUGH AND ONE, THEY WOULD GET TRANSFERRED TO THAT DEPARTMENT. 
          I KNOW DON HAD THEIR INTAKE, UM, CALLERS AS WELL. 
          ARE WE CONSOLIDATING ALL OF THAT OR ARE THOSE STILL SEPARATE? UH, WE'RE, IT'S STILL SEPARATE. 
          UH, I, I THINK THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO CONSOLIDATE ALL OF THAT. 
          AND I THINK THAT THE CONSOLIDATION WITH, WITH WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE YES. 
          WAS THE FIRST STEP IN THAT PROCESS. 
          IT'S THE TWO LARGEST CONTACT CENTERS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          IF WE CAN MERGE THOSE TWO, WE CAN MERGE ANY, ANY CONTACT CENTER. 
          BUT WE STILL TRANSFER CALLS TO DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          I'LL TELL YOU THIS, IF A CUSTOMER CALLS US AND THEY SAY, I DON'T WANNA TALK TO YOU 3 1 1 AGENT, I WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE IN THAT DEPARTMENT, WE'RE GONNA TRANSFER THAT CALL. 
          YES. 
          UH, WE, WE HANDLED 89,000, A LITTLE OVER 89,000 BARK CALLS IN FY 24. 
          WE USUALLY DO ABOUT 90,000 CALLS FOR THEM. 
          BUT AGAIN, IF THEY WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE AT BARK, SOMETIMES THEY WANNA TALK TO THE DIRECTOR OF BARK, JARED MEERS, WHO DIDN'T LET ME HAVE ANY DOGS OR CATS TODAY. 
          UH, THAT, THAT WE WILL TRANSFER THAT CALL. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WE, WE DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION TO THEM. 
          ARE THERE ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS BESIDES THOSE TWO THAT ARE JUST KIND OF AUTOMATICALLY WHERE WE TRANSFER PEOPLE? UM, HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS, I THINK, FIVE SEPARATE, UM, CONTACT CENTERS. 
          DON'T QUOTE ME ON THAT. 
          I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. 
          UM, AND THEY, THEY OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY OF US, SO WE WOULD TRANSFER TO THEM AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND DO THE 3 0 1 OPERATORS HAVE ACCESS TO INFOR? SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE CALLING THEM ASKING FOR AN UPDATE ON THEIR CASE, CAN THEY GIVE THEM UPDATES IN THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH THAT? SOME AGENTS, SO, UH, WE HAVE READ ONLY ACCESS TO INFOR FOR MOST OF OUR LEADS AND SUPERVISORS. 
          UH, MOST OF OUR, OUR FRONTLINE AGENTS WOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO INFOR, SO THEY WOULD HAVE TO TRANSFER THAT CALL INTERNALLY TO, TO SEE. 
          BUT YES, WE CAN LOOK IN INFOR AND A READ ONLY STATUS AND GET INFORMATION TO CUSTOMERS. 
          OKAY. 
          IS THERE A PLAN TO MAYBE GET MORE OF THE OPERATORS TO HAVE THAT READ-ONLY ACCESS SO THEY CAN WE CAN ABSOLUTELY CAN DO THAT, YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, AND THEN, UM, CAN YOU GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILS ABOUT HOW 3 0 1 WOULD WORK AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND? THAT SOUNDED VERY INTERESTING. 
           UH, WELL, YES. 
          SO, AND I'M NOT A FINANCE EXPERT IN ANY WAY AND THIS IS BRAND NEW TO ME, SO I'M STILL LEARNING EVERYTHING. 
          UM, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WATER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND UTILITY BILLING WAS ALREADY UNDER CUS. 
          AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE JUST ABSORBED HOUSTON 3 1 1 INTO THAT ENTERPRISE FUND. 
          AND IN FY 26, I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA BE ONE. 
          UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOING A CHARGE BACK TO, UH, THE, THE CUS, THE ENTERPRISE FUND FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR IT'LL BE ONE BUDGET. 
          IT'LL BE THAT 14.8 UH, MILLION DOLLARS. 
          AND THAT'S ALL I KNOW. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT, IT WOULD COME FROM THAT. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          GOT IT. 
          OKAY. 
          SOUNDS GOOD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PECK WILL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, VICE MAYOR PRAM HAD MY QUESTION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, WAS WAS A $6.8 MILLION, UH, GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE. 
          SO NOW WE'RE TAKING 3 1 1 AND WE'RE GONNA PAY WITH PAY FOR IT WITH THE CS, WE'RE GOING TO PAY FOR IT WITH THE ENTERPRISE FUND. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WATER PROBLEMS, WATER, MAINE, I MEAN, YOU COULD MAKE THAT ARGUMENT. 
          I'M, I'M HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE WITH THE REST OF THE GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT RELATED REQUESTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT TAKING FROM THE CUS FOR, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT FUND I'M SURE TR I'M SURE, UM, FINANCE HAS RUN THIS THROUGH. 
          UM, I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SAVE IN THE GENERAL FUND, SO I'M NOT DISPUTING THAT. 
          I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BASICALLY, UM, TAKING ON ABOUT $7 MILLION FROM THE CUS THAT WE DIDN'T USE TO TAKE FROM THE CUS. 
          SO, UH, I'D LIKE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THAT AND PERHAPS HOW, UM, A JUSTIFICATION FOR ONE AND, UM, FOR ANOTHER, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT'S NOT GETTING FUNDED, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU ADD MONEY FROM SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE NOT USED TO PAYING FOR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING ELSE ISN'T GETTING FUNDED. 
          I KNOW THE CUS IS HUGE. 
          I'M, I'M THRILLED TO 
          [00:35:01]
BE SAVING MONEY FROM THE GENERAL FUND. 
          UM, BUT WOULD LIKE A LITTLE MORE CLARIFICATION ON THAT. 
          I'M LOOKING AT YOUR, YOUR, THERE WAS HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN THE EY REPORT. 
          I DON'T THINK YOU WERE A SELECTED DEPARTMENT THAT THEY REALLY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO, BUT LOOKING AT YOUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT YOU HAD IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, YOU HAVE AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, TO ANSWER THE CALL THAT'S ABOUT TWO MINUTES A HUNDRED AND OR THAT THAT'S YOUR TARGET. 
          UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE AROUND THERE, YOU MET YOU THE WORD ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, TWO MINUTES AND 10 SECONDS LAST YEAR. 
          THAT'S AN OUTPUT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE LEARNING HOW TO LOOK AT THESE AND NOT REALLY, I MEAN, I GUESS IT IS AN OUTCOME. 
          YOU'RE GETTING YOUR PHONE ANSWERED AVERAGE HANDLE TIME, YOU KNOW, THAT'S LIKE BY THE TIME YOU EXPLAIN YOUR MESSAGE AND, AND YOU KNOW, THE PERSON UNDERSTANDS IT AND THE CORRECT CALL TAKER AND CAN, CAN, IS THAT JUST MEAN, LIKE THAT'S WHEN THEY GET IT TO THE RIGHT DEPARTMENT OR TELL 'EM, YOU KNOW, THEY UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM FULLY, THEY GET ALL THE INFORMATION AND THAT THAT'S CORRECT. 
          SO OKAY. 
          THE AVERAGE, AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER IS FROM THE, THE SECOND THAT A CUSTOMER PUTS THEMSELVES IN A QUEUE TO THE TIME THAT WE PICK IT UP. 
          AND SO THE AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER IS HOW, HOW OFTEN ON AVERAGE ARE WE DOING THAT? MM-HMM . 
          UH, THE AVERAGE HANDLE TIME IS THE SECOND THAT THE, THE AGENT PICKS UP THAT PHONE AND STARTS TALKING TO A CUSTOMER TO THE TIME THAT THEY END THAT CALL. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND WE, WE TRY TO STAY AT, AT RIGHT AROUND THREE MINUTES. 
          AND, AND YOU, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT, UM, YOU, YOU TRACK WHERE THEY ARE IN THE SYSTEM. 
          SO YOU TRACK WHEN THEY ARE CLO CLOSED, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT'S A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE OR A, OR, YOU KNOW, NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED CLOSED 'CAUSE WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. 
          YOU KNOW, UH, YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO FIGURE ALL THAT OUT, BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF PERFORMANCE MEASURE, UM, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, THE OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH 3 1 1 CALLS. 
          I THINK YOU HAD SOME OF THOSE STATS IN YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT YOU KNOW, OF, OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE, MAYBE THE COMPLAINT WHEN IS RIGHT. 
          HOW MANY PEOPLE COME BACK AND SAY, HEY, THIS WASN'T DONE RIGHT, THIS, THIS, THIS WAS NEVER CLOSED. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          SO I'D BE INTERESTED IN SEEING A PERFORMANCE MEASURE LIKE THAT. 
          AND YOU HAVE ONE THAT'S, UM, CALLS ANSWERED, LIKE MEASURES THE PERCENTAGE OF CALLS ANSWERED BEFORE A CUSTOMER HANGS UP . 
          YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT. 
          I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I GUESS THAT'S USEFUL. 
          I MEAN 85%, SOME PEOPLE JUST 15% JUST LIKE DON'T WANNA WAIT ANYMORE. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          OR DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THE, DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THE THING. 
          I DON'T KNOW. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW INSTRUCTIVE THAT THAT IS. 
          YEAH, IT COMES, REMEMBER SOMETIMES IT'S A STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE A DAYS WHERE WE HAVE A TEN SECOND AVERAGE SPEED OF ANSWER AND ONLY ANSWER 92% OF THE CALLS. 
          AND SO YOU ANSWER, WELL WHAT WERE THOSE OTHER 8% DOING THAT THEY COULDN'T WAIT 10 SECONDS, UH, TO, TO GET ON THE PHONE. 
          SO WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHY THE CUSTOMER ABANDONS THE CALL. 
          YEAH. 
          I DO LIKE, WELL THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF A LESS IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE MEASURE. 
          IT IS IN MY BOOK. 
          I, I WOULD JUST LOOK AT THOSE. 
          I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE. 
          WE'RE GONNA BE REALLY, UM, FOCUSED ON PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND OUTCOMES AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. 
          AND I THINK AT 3 1 1, ALL ANYBODY DOES IS ONE THING, THEY JUST WANT THEIR PROBLEM SOLVED. 
          SO TO WHATEVER EXTENT WE CAN TRACK, YOU KNOW, PROBLEM SOLVED, YOU KNOW? SURE. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S, THAT ALSO FALLS ON THE DEPARTMENTS AND THAT'S THEIR MORE, THEIR PERFORMANCE MEASURE. 
          BUT, UM, SOMEHOW HOW THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED IN THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 
          AND FINALLY, JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND FOR YOUR PASSION. 
          OH, THANK YOU. 
          AND FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES AND, AND FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR JOB. 
          IT'S GREAT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          TO SEE SOMEBODY WITH ENTHUSIASM ABOUT 3 1 1 , I, I LOVE IT. 
          I'M A LOT OF FUN AT PARTIES LIKE, UH, WHO DOESN'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT, GETS SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO HANG OUT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          LET'S GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          UM, JUST A SUGGESTION, ONE THING THAT, UM, MY OFFICE HEARS OFTENTIMES IS THAT THE ONLINE WEB PORTAL ONLY HAS 150 CHARACTER LIMIT. 
          THAT'S CORRECT. 
          AND SO, UM, WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE EXPRESS THAT THEY WISH THE, THE CHARACTERS WE, THEY COULD DO MORE CHARACTERS TO BETTER EXPLAIN THE ISSUE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEES. 
          SO. 
          GOT IT. 
          YEAH. 
          JUST TO COMMENT. 
          I I AGREE. 
          IT'S FRUSTRATING. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          PERFECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER, WE HAVE SOME STAFF WHO HAVE QUESTIONS. 
          WE'LL START WITH, UM, UH, RUSSELL FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S OFFICE. 
          HI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          YOU MENTIONED CITY BOT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, IS THAT, UH, IS THAT A TOOL THAT'S CURRENTLY AVAILABLE? 'CAUSE I THINK THAT THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT IT. 
          NO, NO, IT'S NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT, BUT I, I'D LIKE TO BRING IT HERE. 
          YES. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WE, WE REALLY ENCOURAGE THREE ONE ONES IN DISTRICT H AND SO IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT I WOULD WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALSO TALKING ABOUT. 
          SO I HAD NOT HEARD ABOUT IT YET. 
          UM, I PROMISE YOU, AS SOON AS IT'S UP I'LL BE BRAGGING ABOUT IT. 
          I CAN TELL. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEAN, DEFINITELY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO OFTEN TALKS ABOUT THE NEED FOR MORE TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO HELP WITH EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          SO WE WOULD DEFINITELY LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT WHENEVER IT IS AVAILABLE. 
          YOU GOT IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE HAVE MARY FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JACKSON'S OFFICE. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, I'M, I'M ALMOST WONDERING WHAT KIND OF PROMOTION ARE YOU DOING TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP? 
          [00:40:01]
UH, WELL, WE HAVE PRETTY LIMITED PROMOTION RIGHT NOW. 
          UH, WE HAVE, UH, WE DO A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          WE TRY TO PUSH IT OUT THAT WAY. 
          UH, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MARKETING DOLLARS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, BUT WE TRY TO GO TO AS MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS AS POSSIBLE. 
          UH, WE DO HAVE A, A MASCOT AGENT 3 1 1, AND WE TRY, TRY TO GET HIM OUT THERE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE AND GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT DOWNLOADING, UH, THE APP. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT IS WORD OF MOUTH. 
          SOME OF IT'S SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD A, A HARD MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR THE APP BECAUSE MAYBE, UH, UH, WATER BILLS WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO GET, IT'S A GREAT IDEA. 
          WATER BILLS, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I THINK MY TEAM IS STUFFING SOME OF THOSE WATER BILLS. 
          WE CAN YEAH. 
          SLIP IT IN THERE. 
          YEAH, SLIP IT IN. 
          AND ALSO IF YOU HAVE ANY, ANY POSTCARDS OR ANYTHING, WE CAN ALSO, WE GO TO A LOT OF, UH, EVENTS. 
          WE CAN ALSO HELP YOU GET THE WORD OUT. 
          UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF LIKE, WHICH DISTRICTS ARE DOWNLOADING THE APP, WHICH HAVE, ARE DOWNLOADING IT? YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          LIKE WHO HAS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD THE, THE DISTRICT C HAD THE MOST, UH, COMPLAINTS THERE. 
          I, I'LL LOOK AND SEE IF WE CAN BREAK IT DOWN. 
          I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE DATA IN THAT WAY. 
          IT JUST TELLS US, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THE APPLE STORE AND THE GOOGLE STORE GIVE US THIS INFORMATION AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY CAN BREAK IT DOWN GEOGRAPHICALLY, BUT IF I CAN, I ABSOLUTELY WILL. 
          I'D LOVE TO PUT EVERYONE IN COMPETITION OF WHO DOWNLOADS THE APP THE MOST. 
          AND OF COURSE, WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU DON'T CLOSE ANY CASES, BUT PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY THROUGH OH ONE, CLOSE TO MY CASE THEY DID. 
          YEAH. 
          DO YOU OFFER ANY, UM, TRAINING OR GUIDANCE TO THE DEPARTMENTS ON HOW TO HANDLE A CASE OH, AND HOW TO CLOSE A CASE? OH YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          YEAH. 
          IN FACT, UH, I ENCOURAGE, WE, WE, WE REACH OUT TO DEPARTMENTS IF WE SEE A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND WE OFFER THAT TRAINING. 
          OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T WORK FOR ME. 
          AND I'VE HAD TO EXPLAIN TO, TO CONSTITUENTS THAT I DON'T, PUBLIC WORKS DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. 
          SOLID WASTE DOESN'T WORK FOR ME. 
          I'M NOT THE DIRECTOR OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS. 
          UH, BUT WE ENCOURAGE AND WE, WE PROVIDE TRAINING REGULARLY TO, TO ANY DEPARTMENT THAT ASKS FOR IT OR EVEN IF WE REACH OUT. 
          AND MOST DEPARTMENTS ARE RECEPTIVE TO IT. 
          BUT I THINK A LOT OF THE ISSUE IS JUST INTERNALLY WITH THOSE DEPARTMENTS AND HOW THEY HANDLE THOSE SERVICE REQUESTS AND HOW THEY HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT. 
          AND LASTLY, THERE'S SOME CASES THAT ARE CLOSED THAT DO NOT HAVE A NAME. 
          LIKE THEY, IT DOESN'T SAY WHO CLOSED THE CASE. 
          HE HAS LIKE A CODE AND WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND YOU SAID THAT THERE'S A, LIKE SOME SORT OF SYSTEM GLITCH OR SOMETHING? YEAH, THAT'S CORRECT. 
          UM, IF, IF WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS OR CERTAIN AREAS THAT DO NOT, WILL NOT APPEAR WITH THE NAME, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN WORK, DO LIKE A WORKAROUND WHERE THEY HAVE TO PUT THEIR NAME IN THE NOTES OR SOMEHOW OTHER WAY, SO THAT WAY WE KNOW, UH, WHEN WE SEE A CASE IS CLOSED BUT HASN'T REALLY RESOLVED, WE KNOW WHO TO REACH OUT TO. 
          I, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE TO DIRECT THAT TO THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. 
          I DON'T HAVE AUTHORITY OVER, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AP TWO DASH 23 AND AP TWO DASH 23 IS THE STANDARD FOR HOW THE CITY IS SUPPOSED TO HANDLE SERVICE REQUESTS. 
          YOU COULD AMEND AP TWO DASH 23 AND SAY, HEY, YOU HAVE TO PUT, IF, IF YOUR NAME ISN'T IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE CLOSURE, THEN WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO PUT THAT NAME IN THERE. 
          BUT I, I DON'T HAVE A WAY TO, TO, TO FORCE, UH, DEPARTMENTS TO DO ANYTHING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE'VE BEEN JOINED ONLINE BY STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE. 
          PERDITA ASKS, AND I'LL READ THE QUESTION. 
          HAS THERE BEEN ANY CONSIDERATION TO CHANGE THE VERBIAGE CASE CLOSED TO REDUCE CONFUSION ON THE PART OF SOME CONSTITUENTS? UH, YES. 
          AND, AND, AND IF THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE, THE, THE SYSTEM. 
          ANYTIME YOU HAVE HUMANS INTERACTING WITH THE SYSTEM, THE SYSTEM DEFAULTS TO SERVICE COMPLETED. 
          AND SO A LOT OF TIMES WHEN THEY CLOSE THE CASE, THEY JUST LEAVE IT AS SERVICE COMPLETED. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER OPTIONS, UH, THAT DEPARTMENTS CAN USE. 
          IT GOES BACK TO THE, THE, THE TRAINING QUESTION OF MAKING SURE THAT THEY KNOW, UH, THAT THEY CAN, THEY HAVE OTHER OPTIONS THAN SERVICE COMPLETED. 
          BUT I THINK WE ARE LIMITED TO WHAT MICROSOFT DYNAMICS PROVIDES IN THOSE INSTANCES, AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO NECESSARILY CHANGE THOSE NOMENCLATURE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO YOU COULDN'T EASILY GO TO SOMETHING LIKE REFERRED TO PUBLIC WORKS? I'D HAVE TO LOOK AND SEE, BUT I KNOW I'VE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE. 
          WE'VE LOOKED AT IT BEFORE AND THERE WAS A LIMITATION, UH, ON THE SOFTWARE, BUT I'LL GET YOU A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN, THE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN ALWAYS SAYS 3 1 1, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AS WELL. 
          UM, COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, WHAT, UM, YOU GUYS DO TO PREPARE AGENTS BEFORE A STORM? DO THEY TAKE HOME PATCH? DO YOU TRY TO MOVE THEM ELSEWHERE? HOW DOES THAT WORK? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. 
          WE HAVE A CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLAN, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE EVENT. 
          UM, OUR MOST EXTREME EVENT IS IF WE HAVE A HIGH WIND EVENT THAT'S GONNA KNOCK OUT A LOT OF POWER. 
          UH, THERE'S ACTUALLY THREE LOCATIONS THAT, THAT WE MAY SEND AGENTS. 
          WE ACTUALLY SET UP A, AN ALTERNATE, UM, UM, CONTACT CENTER IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          WE'LL ACTUALLY, WE'LL ACTUALLY BUS AGENTS TO SAN ANTONIO PUT 'EM IN A HOTEL. 
          AND WE'LL, WE WILL HAVE THEM WORK FROM THERE BECAUSE AGAIN, A 3 1 1 AGENT CAN ANSWER A CALL ANYWHERE. 
          THERE'S POWER AND INTERNET. 
          [00:45:01]
SAN ANTONIO RARELY GETS HIT BY HURRICANES. 
          UH, SO WE'LL, WE'LL SEND SOME AGENTS THERE. 
          WE, WE MAY PUT AGENTS IN THE HECK, UM, BECAUSE WE ALWAYS KNOW THAT THE HECK IS GONNA HAVE POWER AND INTERNET. 
          UH, AND THEN AT 2 0 5 MCKINNEY, IT IS A SHELTER IN PLACE LOCATION. 
          UH, IT HAS A GENERATOR, IT HAS, IT HAS A, A, A GIANT WATER TANK. 
          WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO STAY THERE AS WELL. 
          WE HAVE COTS AVAILABLE DOWNSTAIRS IN THE WAREHOUSE. 
          UH, WE WOULD PURCHASE MRES AND HAVE EVERYONE, YOU KNOW, READY TO GO IF WE HAD TO SHELTER IN PLACE FOR A WHILE. 
          AND THAT'S THE MOST EXTREME TYPICALLY BECAUSE WE ARE A MOBILE FORCE. 
          IF, IF WE THOUGHT THAT, HEY, IT'S GONNA BE A FREEZE, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE A WINTER STORM URI WHERE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF TEXAS IS OUT OF POWER, UH, WE MAY JUST HAVE AGENTS WORK FROM HOME, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE, WE DON'T PUT ALL OF OUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET. 
          THAT MEANS THAT, THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF EVERYONE BEING OUT OF POWER AND NO ONE BEING ABLE TO TAKE CALLS VERY LOW. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO, UM, ONE QUESTION ARISES. 
          SO YOU, YOU'VE GOT CALL TAKERS AVAILABLE TWENTY FOUR SEVEN, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. 
          WOULD THERE BE ANY COST SAVINGS THAT MIGHT BE ACHIEVED BY SORT OF, UM, GOING TO SOME SORT OF RECORDING VOICE PROMPT SYSTEM DURING THOSE CALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHEN THE VOLUME'S GOTTA BE PRETTY LOW? UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          I'D HAVE TO LOOK INTO IT, BUT I THINK THAT THERE COULD BE, UH, I USE THIS RULE AND IT'S, IT'S NOT EXACT, BUT, UH, I USE THE EIGHT AND EIGHT RULE, WHICH IS, UH, BETWEEN 8:00 AM AND 8:00 PM WE HANDLE ABOUT 88% OF OUR CALLS. 
          UM, AND SO AFTER 8:00 PM UNTIL ABOUT 7:00 AM THE NEXT MORNING, UH, THAT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT 12% OF ALL CALLS OVERNIGHT. 
          WE TYPICALLY HAVE TWO AGENTS, UH, WHO ARE AVAILABLE TO TAKE CALLS. 
          THEY ALSO RESPOND TO EMAILS AND DO OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS. 
          BUT WE COULD LOOK AND SEE, AND I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, IF WE HAD THAT ROBUST IVR SYSTEM THAT PEOPLE COULD CALL INTO AND REPORT PROBLEMS, THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEONE. 
          I, I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT WOULD BE A, A RESOUNDING YES. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE, WE'VE ENJOYED YOUR, OH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SORRY. 
          STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER OFFICE HAS A QUESTION. 
          HEY, YARI. 
          HELLO. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. 
          IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO HAVE YOU AND YOUR AMAZING PRESENTATIONS. 
          UM, I FIRST WANNA ECHO ON WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, UM, ASKED EARLIER IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN CHANGE THE WORDING ON THE CLOSED REPORTS, LIKE REFER TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENT OR INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING CLOSED. 
          I KNOW EVEN YESTERDAY WE HAD A LOT OF CONSTITUENTS COME AND SPEAK DURING PUBLIC SESSION AND STATED HOW UPSET THEY WERE WHENEVER THEY RECEIVED A CLOSED, UM, NOTIFICATION. 
          UM, ALSO, I WANNA GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT FOR THE MASCOT. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHOSE GREAT IDEA IT WAS, BUT THAT WAS AMAZING. 
          UM, IT'S, I'LL TAKE FULL CREDIT FOR IT. 
          , WE ACTUALLY HAD, ACTUALLY, IT WAS, IT WAS BILLY RUDOLPH'S IDEA. 
          HE'S HERE RIGHT NOW, SO IF HE WANTS TO TAKE CARE OF IT, WE ACTUALLY, UM, HAD THE MASCOT JOIN US LAST WEEK AT ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS. 
          AND, UM, YEAH, LIKE ALL THE STUDENTS, THE PARENTS WERE VERY ENGAGED. 
          UM, MOST OF IT, UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT 3 1 1 WAS. 
          SO WHENEVER THEY SEEN THE MASCOT, THEY'RE LIKE, OH, IT'S 3 1 1. 
          AND IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND SUCH A GREAT IDEA. 
          JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I, I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING ABOUT THE MASCOT IS, IS WHENEVER WE, WE TALKED ABOUT GETTING A MASCOT, UH, WE, WE SAID WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS, EVERYONE REMEMBERS DARE WHEN YOU WERE A KID, YOU WENT THROUGH DARE, RIGHT? MM-HMM . 
          AND WHAT, I HAVE THREE KIDS, ALL OF 'EM GO TO SCHOOL WHEN THEY COME HOME WITH INFORMATION, I READ WHATEVER THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE IN THEIR BACKPACKS. 
          I LISTEN TO WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          WE WANT TO GET KIDS EXCITED ABOUT HOUSTON 3 1 1 BECAUSE THEY'RE THE NEXT GENERATION OF 3 1 1 USERS. 
          IT'S HARD TO EDUCATE ADULTS AND TO KEEP THEIR ATTENTION, BUT WHEN YOU BRING A REALLY COOL ROBOT LOOKING SUPERHERO OUT THERE AND YOU START TALKING ABOUT HOW FUN IT IS TO CALL 3 1 1 AND GET ALL YOUR WATER LEAKS FIXED, RIGHT? THEY GET EXCITED. 
          THEY GO HOME AND TELL MOM AND DAD, AND WE'RE EDUCATING BOTH KIDS AND PARENTS AT THE SAME TIME. 
          FOR SURE. 
          SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY TOWN HALL MEETINGS, MAKE SURE TO GET THE MASCOT . 
          YEAH, HE'S GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          MY PLEASURE. 
          SO, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT, UM, GETTING KIDS EXCITED, UM, YOU, THERE IS A PROGRAM THROUGH HISD THROUGH THEIR, UH, HIGH SCHOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREERS OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, WHERE, UH, THERE'S SOME TRAINING FOR, UH, CALL TAKERS. 
          IS THERE NOT, OR ARE YOU AWARE OF THAT, OR? I'M NOT AWARE OF THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          OR MAYBE, MAYBE IT RELATES TO NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS. 
          WELL, WELL WOULD BE, I TELL YOU, I WILL TELL YOU WE HAD A PROGRAM, RIGHT? AND YARI CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT. 
          BUT, UH, WE DID PARTNER WITH A SCHOOL, UH, WHERE JUNIORS AND SENIORS WHO WERE INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM, AND WE WOULD, WE WOULD HIRE THEM TO WORK AT, AT 3 1 1. 
          AND, UH, YARI WAS, WAS A PRODUCT OF THAT PROGRAM. 
          AND, UH, SHE WORKED THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND THEN THROUGH COLLEGE AND THEN, UH, LEFT US FOR SOMETHING BETTER, I GUESS. 
          BUT SHE CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT. 
          SO IT'S, UM, SO IT'S A PROGRAM WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. 
          THEY HAVE A CO CO-OP PROGRAM. 
          SO YOU GET TRAINED, UM, DURING YOUR JUNIOR YEAR, AND THEN IF YOU PASS ALL THE REQUIRED, UH, STATE TEST, THEN YOU'LL BE ABLE TO WORK FULL-TIME DURING, WELL, I'M SORRY, PART-TIME DURING YOUR SENIOR YEAR AND FULL-TIME AFTER YOU GRADUATE. 
          UM, I AM GONNA SAY THEY'RE NOT VERY HECK, UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT VERY FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR SCHEDULE. 
          SO I CHOSE 3 1 1. 
          UM, THEY WERE GREAT WITH MY COLLEGE SCHEDULE. 
          SO, UH, BUT YES, IT IS A PROGRAM THAT'S STILL ACTIVE IN 
          [00:50:01]
THAT SCHOOL. 
          THE IC THAT'S AWESOME. 
          WE NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, UH, EXCELLENT PRESENTATION. 
          AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GO TO OUR NEXT THANK YOU ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH THE CITY'S CLEAN CITY PROGRAM. 
          WE'RE GONNA REVIEW WHAT HAPPENED IN 2024. 
          WE HAVE THREE PRESENTERS ON THE AGENDA. 
          I'D ASKED ALL THREE OF YOU TO COME FORWARD. 
          WE HAVE SARAH TYLER, THE REPORTS COMMITTEE, CHAIR, AND COMMISSIONER FOR DISTRICT AT LARGE OR AT LARGE TWO, EXCUSE ME, JASON SMITH, THE EVENTS COMMITTEE, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT G REPRESENTATIVE, AND, AND THOMAS BOEM, BONE CLOSE CO. 
          CLOSE ENOUGH, CEO GINA, INCORPORATED IN THE HOUSTON, HOUSTON, UH, CLEAN CITY COMMISSIONER. 
          SO IF Y'ALL WOULD COME FORWARD, AND I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT UP TO THE THREE OF YOU, HOW YOU WANNA DO THIS PRESENTATION, WHETHER YOU WANNA DO IT ALL TOGETHER. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU, YOU ALL CAN TRADE OFF. 
          JUST REMEMBER TO SPEAK OF THE MICROPHONE, WHICH IS GONNA HAVE THE RED LIGHT ON IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, AND THANK YOU TO ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE STAFF AS WELL. 
          GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. 
          UM, AND, AND THAT WAS CORRECT. 
          WE ARE HERE TO GIVE OUR ANNUAL REPORT FROM LAST YEAR, UH, AND ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING NEXT YEAR, NEXT YEAR AS WELL. 
          AND, AND KIND OF LAYER IN A COUPLE OTHER POINTS THAT WE'D LIKE TO MAKE. 
          UM, UH, FIRST OFF, I APOLOGIZE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY SHAGGY REFERENCES. 
          I THINK YOU LEFT THE CITY, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR LEFT, NOR DO WE HAVE ANY MASCOTS EITHER, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK ON THAT. 
          UM, I'M HERE AS, AS YOU MENTIONED, WITH TWO OF MY OTHER, UM, COMMISSIONERS AND, AND, AND WE'RE HERE TO BRIEF OUT WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR AND HOW WE'RE WRAPPING THIS INTO WHAT THE ORDINANCE SUGGESTS THAT WE DO. 
          UH, FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR YOUR REFERENCE, THE ORDINANCE, UH, ONLY ASKED US TO DO REALLY ONE THING. 
          AND THAT'S FIRST TO, UH, PROVIDE A QUARTERLY REPORT TO YOU ALL IN, IN THAT, THAT, THAT QUARTERLY REPORT IS PART OF AND SUMMARIZE IS PART OF OUR CLEAN CITY PROGRAM. 
          WELL, WE REALLY, UH, UNTIL LAST YEAR, DIDN'T HAVE, UH, ANY REPORTS. 
          UH, AND NOW WE DO, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A CLEAN CITY PROGRAM EITHER. 
          SO, BUT NOW WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT WE'LL USE THE REPORTS THAT WE'VE CREATED OVER THE LAST YEAR AND ONCE TO COME IN THE FUTURE, UH, AS OUR REPORT. 
          SO YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, AND THAT'S WHAT THAT THIS SLIDE ESSENTIALLY SUGGESTS, IS THAT THERE'S REALLY TWO COMPONENTS OF WHAT WE'RE CALLING OUR, UH, CLEAN CITY PROGRAM. 
          ONE IS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE, THE REPORTS THAT WE'RE PROVIDING, UH, WHICH ARE REALLY, UH, A VIGNETTE OF, UH, OF, OF A TOPIC SPECIFIC TO A WASTE STREAM AND SOME CHALLENGES THAT THE CITY AND THE, UH, CITIZENS ARE FACED WITH IN KEEPING OUR CITY CLEAN. 
          AND THEN THE PORTION, THE TOP PART OF THAT SLIDE IS THE EVENTS THAT WE'RE PROMOTING AND SUPPORTING IN CONJUNCTION WITH MANY OF YOU IN, IN, IN, UH, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, UH, IN OUR, IN, IN OUR SOCIETY. 
          SO AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS THAT OUR CLEAN CITY PROGRAM WOULD BE THE REPORTS AND ALSO A PRIORITIZED LIST. 
          AND YOU'LL HEAR STAR TALK ABOUT THIS IN A MINUTE, A PRIORITIZED LIST OF, UM, OF THE, THE OUTPUTS OF THOSE REPORTS, AND THEN SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, IN THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE. 
          UH, AND THEN AT THE END OF THIS, UH, PRESENTATION, UH, THOMAS IS GONNA PROVIDE, UH, A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAD WITH A DELEGATION FROM DENMARK. 
          SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, AND I'LL SPEAK TO, UH, SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD LAST YEAR. 
          AND YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF THESE ARE GONNA BE RECYCLED IN, IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. 
          UM, FIRST, UH, IS KIND OF THE ONE-OFF, UH, THE BILATERAL, UM, UH, EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD. 
          OH, I DIDN'T INTRODUCE OUR CHAIRMAN BACK THERE TOO. 
          OUR, UH, OUR, UH, OUR, OUR CHAIRMAN, UH, ALAN STEIN STEINBERG NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION BY THE WAY. 
          HE'S BACK THERE FROM MORAL SUPPORT ETHIC. 
          UM, SO, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH A SLIDE THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, OUR, OUR, OUR PINNACLE EVENT IS OUR MAYOR'S PROUD PARTNERSHIP, UH, LUNCHEON IN CONJUNCTION WITH KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL. 
          UM, AND WE HAD A GREAT, UM, UH, UM, ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR, RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN ATTENDANCE BY OVER 150 PEOPLE. 
          LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT. 
          THAT WAS THE 49TH ANNUAL PROUD PARTNERSHIP LUNCHEON. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, AGAIN, THESE ARE SOME BILATERAL AND GREAT, UH, EVENTS THAT WE HELD WITH A FEW ORGANIZATIONS. 
          UH, CERTAINLY WITH SOLID WASTE. 
          WE DID A-H-I-S-D RECYCLING DAY, REALLY A GOOD TURNOUT WITH, UH, A COUPLE SCHOOLS WITH HISD. 
          UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, SOME, UH, INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTED SOME INDIVIDUAL, UM, UH, CLEANUPS, UH, FOR COCA-COLA. 
          WE HAD ALMOST 200 VOLUNTEERS FOR THAT. 
          ONE. 
          NATIONAL PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION, CYCLICS, AND THEN PLASTIC, UH, UH, INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION. 
          AND THEN KIND OF THAT LAST BULLET POINT IN THE MIDDLE SECTION UNDER PARTNERSHIP EVENTS REALLY FOCUSES ON THE, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE SHARE, A VERY, VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE SHARE WITH KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL. 
          UH, IN THAT WE ARE THE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE APPOINTED BY YOU ALL IN THE CITY. 
          AND, AND THEN THE KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL IS MORE OF OUR FORWARD, FORWARD-LEANING, UM, NONPROFIT THAT CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE CAN'T DO AND LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING IN THAT ORGANIZATION 
          [00:55:01]
MUCH MORE, UM, UH, OR, UH, UH, MUCH MORE, UH, OPERATIONALIZED IN THE FUTURE. 
          AND THEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE TOOL BANK, UH, AND VOLUNTEER HOUSTON AS WELL. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, I MEAN, THESE ARE STILL KIND OF ONE-OFF, UM, UH, EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 
          UH, WE, WE, WE WERE HAVING A, UH, OUR QUARTERLY MEETINGS, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REPORT THAT WE'RE WRITING OR IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE REPORT THAT WE WERE WRITING. 
          UH, SO WE'VE HAD VISITS TO COMPUS CYCLE, NATURE'S WAY, WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, AND SMI AS WELL. 
          GOING TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS TWO OF THE MAJOR CAMPAIGNS THAT WE HAVE, UM, EV EVERY YEAR. 
          AND WE'VE, THESE HAVE ONLY GOTTEN BIGGER AND BETTER, AND WE HAVE A, A, SOME GOALS TO GET THEM EVEN LARGER IN THE FUTURE. 
          THE TWO ARE IN THE SPRINGTIME, UH, ARE APRIL CLEANUPS, WHICH ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WHOLE LOT OF EVENTS IN APRIL, AND THAT'S EARTH DAY KEEP, UH, AMERICA, SORRY, KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL DAY, KEEP, KEEP, KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL DAY AS WELL AS THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP, AND MA MANY, MANY OTHERS. 
          UH, A GOOD TIME FOR THE COMMUNITY TO, TO BE OUT IN, UH, HELPING TO CLEAN UP OUR CITY. 
          UH, JUST JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT WE ARE REALLY JUST COORDINATING A LOT OF THESE EVENTS, AND ALL THE HARD WORK AND EFFORT IS PUT OUT BY THE CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES THAT ACTUALLY SUPPORT THESE CLEANUPS. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE APRIL CLEANUP, WE'VE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL FALL SWEEP CLEANUP. 
          UH, AND THAT IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH A NUMBER OF EVENTS, TOO MANY OF THOSE THAT ARE LISTED, LISTED THERE BELOW, INCLUDING WORLD CLEANUP DAY, PLANT A TREE IN AMERICA, RECYCLE STAY. 
          UM, I'M GONNA SHIFT OVER TO SARAH, BUT THIS NEXT SLIDE KIND OF, UH, RE REITERATES, UH, WHAT WE PLAN TO DO IN 2025. 
          SARAH CAN SPEAK MORE TO THAT, BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED TO WORK ON THE ONE FOR THIS QUARTER. 
          UH, AND THAT IS THAT WE WANT TO DO KIND OF A, A HOLISTIC LOOK AT HOW CLEANUPS ARE COORDINATED IN, IN OUR, IN OUR CITY, UH, AND REALLY UTILIZE A LOT OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE THERE TO INCLUDE. 
          LIKE 3 1 1 AS A REPORT COMES IN, EITHER FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT WANTS TO DO A CLEANUP OR AN ORGANIZA OR AN, OR MAYBE A, A A, UM, UH, CITIZEN THAT IDENTIFIES AN AREA THAT NEEDS A CLEANUP AND HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD DATA SO WE CAN TARGET THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO WANT TO DO CLEANUPS WITH THOSE AREAS THAT REALLY DO NEED THEM. 
          IN ADDITION, WORKING CERTAINLY EVEN CLOSER WITH SOLID WASTE, WORKING WITH, UM, UH, VOLUN, UH, HOUSTON VOLUN, VOL, HOUSTON VOLUNTEERS, UM, AS WELL AS A TOOL BANK AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS TOO. 
          RIGHT NOW, THERE'S JUST A, A DISPARATE AMOUNT OF, UM, UH, OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE INVOLVED. 
          AND FROM A CITIZEN'S STANDPOINT, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHERE TO GO TO REALLY FIND ALL THE RESOURCES. 
          SO IF WE CAN DO A REPORT AND RECOMMEND HOW THE SYSTEM SHOULD WORK MOST EFFECTIVELY, I THINK THAT WOULD REALLY GO A LONG WAY MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO SARAH BEFORE I DO ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO IS, IS BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME REALLY DEDICATED, UH, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ON THE COMMISSION, UM, OF, OF THE 40 THAT ARE, UH, UH, AUTHORIZED THROUGH THE ORDINANCE. 
          I WOULD SAY THOUGH, THAT ABOUT 20 OF THEM ARE VERY ACTIVE AND, AND ACTIVE, AND WE, WE, WE LOOK FOR, WE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR, THEIR SUPPORT. 
          THERE ARE 20 THOUGH THAT, UM, EITHER THEIR EMAILS DON'T EVEN, UH, WORK ANYMORE AND, OR THEY'RE NOT ACTIVE FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHICH IS CERTAINLY UNDERSTANDABLE. 
          UM, WE REALLY WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH A CITY TO TRY TO GET THOSE REPLACED, AND WE REALLY LOOK FOR THAT, UH, THAT, THAT HELP AND ALLOWING YOU ALL TO, UH, NOMINATE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ACTIVE IN THE, IN THE COMMISSION, AND WE CAN EVEN DO MORE IN THE FUTURE. 
          GREAT. 
          SARAH? YEAH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THIS SLIDE WAS TO, UM, SHOW HOW THE TWO DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE HOUSTON CLEAN CITY PROGRAM ARE WORKING TOGETHER, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK BEING LED BY THE EVENTS COMMITTEE BEING LED BY JASON AND THE REPORTS FUNCTION, WHICH IS THE ADVISORY FUNCTION, WHICH BEING, WHICH IS BEING LED BY THE REPORTS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS BEING LED BY MYSELF. 
          UM, I WAS JUST GIVING YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INSIGHT INTO THE REPORTS THAT YOU COULD EXPECT COMING UP IN 2025, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN MAKING AN EFFORT TO COME AND PRESENT THE RESULTS OF EVERY REPORT HERE AT THIS FORUM AS IT COMES OUT. 
          UH, SO LIKE, LIKE JASON SAID, COMMUNITY CLEANUPS IS ONE. 
          AFTER THAT WE HOPE TO BE, UM, MOVING TO CARDBOARD, AND WE HAVE YET TO LAND WHERE OUR THIRD, UH, REPORT IS GOING TO, WHAT IT'LL HAVE AS A TOPIC. 
          BUT YOU CAN EXPECT THAT OUR Q4 REPORT WILL BE ANOTHER YEAR END LOOK BACK IN THE FORMAT THAT I'M ABOUT TO PRESENT NOW. 
          SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE THOUGHT THAT FORMAT COULD BE MOST USEFULLY SHOWN AS. 
          UM, IF YOU LOOK BACK, IF YOU WOULD IMAGINE THOSE BULLET POINTS FROM THE LAST SLIDE AS THE REPORTS THAT ARE ALREADY WRITTEN, WE'VE WRITTEN ONE ON CONTAINER GLASS, ON SCRAP TIRES, ON POST-CONSUMER POLYPROPYLENE, ON YARD WASTE, 
          [01:00:01]
AND ON E-WASTE. 
          EACH ONE OF THESE REPORTS HAD SOME SORT OF OPPORTUNITY OR MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WAYS THAT WE COULD DO A LITTLE BETTER IDENTIFIED. 
          UM, AND IN ALL, IF YOU TOOK ALL OF 'EM OVER THOSE FIVE REPORTS, UH, THERE WERE 24 OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THESE REPORTS. 
          AND SO WHAT WE DID, UM, TO MAKE THIS REPORT IS WE WENT THROUGH EACH ONE OF THOSE AND WE ASSIGNED IT A RANKING ACCORDING TO COMPLEXITY, AND A RANKING ACCORDING TO COST. 
          AND WE PUT, UH, WE ASSIGN COLORS ASSIGNED WITH, UM, DIFFERENT COMPLEXITY AND, AND DIFFERENT COSTS. 
          AND SO ANY PLAN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN DO SOME OF IT, YOU CAN DO ALL OF IT, YOU CAN DO NONE OF IT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF OPTIONS AND IT DEPENDS KIND OF ON THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THE EXECUTION OF THAT PLAN. 
          AND IF WE LOOK BACK AT 2024, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A, IT WAS A BUDGET OR TIME CONSTRAINED WORLD. 
          THERE WAS NO POSSIBLE WAY THAT WE WERE GONNA GET EVERYTHING DONE. 
          AND SO THE COLOR SCHEME THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE WHERE IT IS, YOU KNOW, RED, GREEN, RED, GREEN AND YELLOW, UH, KIND OF RECOGNIZES THIS, THAT WE COULD GET DONE SOME OF THAT WE WOULD'VE BEEN EXPECTING TO GET DONE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE LESS COMPLICATED AND LESS COSTLY, BUT SOME, SOMETHING THAT LOOKED KIND OF COMPLICATED OR COSTLY PROBABLY WASN'T A GOOD FIT FOR 2024. 
          SO WHAT I'VE DONE ON THE NEXT THREE SLIDES IS I'VE LISTED ALL 24 OF THE OPPORTUNITIES ACCORDING TO WHICH COLOR EVENTUALLY GOT ASSIGNED. 
          SO KEEPING IN MIND THAT OUR, OUR, OUR JOB HERE, WE'RE TRYING TO SUMMARIZE THE STATUS OF THE PROGRAM. 
          SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WE WOULD'VE CALLED GREEN. 
          AND THIS IS THE ONLY ONE WHERE I'M ACTUALLY GONNA HOPE THAT YOU READ THROUGH EACH OPPORTUNITY LISTED ON THIS SLIDE. 
          AND SO WE HAD, YOU KNOW, UH, WE, WE HAD A REALLY BIG WIN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE CHANGED THE ORDINANCE, UH, TO REMOVE SOME BARRIERS TO THE YARD WASTE PROGRAM, WHERE WE ALLOWED MORE FLEXIBILITY IN HOW THINGS COULD BE DROPPED OFF FOR PICKUP. 
          THAT'S A BIG DEAL, AND IT SHOULD BE AROUND NOW WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GETTING MORE MATERIAL COLLECTED THROUGH THE YARD WASTE PROGRAM THAN WE WERE BEFORE, BECAUSE IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE FOR THINGS TO FILTER THROUGH, AND WE'RE JUST COMING UP ON THE TIME WHEN WE COULD PROBABLY START TO SEE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD CALL THE IMPACT OF THIS CHANGE. 
          UM, THAT BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, BECAUSE THAT WAS A CHANGE THAT HAPPENED, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA LEAD A LITTLE BIT MORE PUSH TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO CITIZENS WHERE THEY CAN USE IT. 
          PROBABLY NOT EVERYBODY IN HOUSTON WILL KNOW THAT THIS CHANGE HAS HAPPENED. 
          AND SINCE THIS IS A VERY BIG WASTE STREAM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS ADVOCACY THAT YOU ALL CAN DO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, AND, AND PRIORITIZE WASTE MANAGEMENT MESSAGES THAT ARE GOING OUT, UH, WE'RE ASKING THAT YOU KIND OF STAY FOCUSED ON THIS MESSAGE THAT THE YARD WASTE AND THE TREE WASTE PROGRAMS ARE SEPARATE AND THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE WAYS THAT YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR YARD WASTE OUT FOR CITY PICKUP. 
          THAT IT, AND, AND THAT THAT IS A WEEKLY THING. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S ANOTHER, UH, ANOTHER THING THAT WE ACHIEVED, WHICH WAS TO CONTINUE TO KEEP GLASS IN OUR RECYCLING PROGRAM. 
          THAT'S PART OF THE, THE ONE REPORT THAT WE HAVEN'T PRESENTED IN THIS FORUM, WHICH I'LL ADDRESS LATER. 
          AND THEN THERE'S ONE AREA THAT HAD FLAGGED UP, UM, THAT WAS ON A, A 2024 IMPLEMENT WISHLIST, BUT HELP MAY BE ON THE WAY FOR THIS ONE. 
          AND THAT WAS IN RELATION TO SCRAP TIRES. 
          SOMETHING THAT CAME UP AS BEING PROBABLY HIGH IMPACT AND, AND PROBABLY RELATIVELY EASY TO IMPLEMENT, WAS TO NORMALIZE THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SCRAP TIRES RELATIVE TO THE CITY PROGRAM AND THE STATE PROGRAM. 
          SO THE STATE PROGRAM, YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, THE PAPERWORK REQUIRES, UH, INFORMATION ABOUT SCRAP TIRE SHIPMENT GENERATOR, THE SCRAP TIRE SHIPMENT TRANSPORTER, AND THEN A SIGNATURE FOR WHERE THOSE SCRAP TIRES END UP THE CITY PROGRAM REQUIRES INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCRAP TIRE SHIPMENT GENERATOR AND THE SCRAP TIRE SHIPMENT TRANSFORMER. 
          BUT NO DOCUMENTATION ABOUT WHERE THOSE SCRAP TIRES END UP. 
          SO THERE'S AN EXISTING STATE FORM THAT WE COULD USE, UM, THAT THE LARGER OPERATIONS IN HOUSTON WILL ALREADY BE USING ANYWAY, WHICH, UH, COULD HELP US DO A BETTER JOB UNDERSTANDING WHERE THERE'S A GAP HAPPENING BETWEEN TRANSPORT AND DROP OFF AT AN APPROPRIATE FACILITY. 
          SO THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE 
          [01:05:01]
IS SOME NEAR TERM ACTION ON THAT. 
          UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN HAS RECENTLY EXPRESSED INTEREST IN LOOKING INTO THIS FURTHER. 
          AND SO, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW IF KATE WANTS TO MAKE A A COMMENT ON THAT, BUT HOPEFULLY IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BUBBLE TO THE TOP, UM, AND, AND GET A ADDRESS NEAR TERM. 
          SO IF WE TURN THAT ONE GREEN, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY SUCCESSFUL 2024. 
          UM, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, UM, THAT WOULD'VE FALLEN UNDER THAT YELLOW COLOR, WHICH WOULD BE THERE IS, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF COMPLICATION, OR THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF COST. 
          AND ONE OF THE REASONS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD IDEAS ON THAT, BUT IT, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE COMMISSION TO ACTUALLY BUILD A PATH TO IMPLEMENTATION, UH, FOR THESE THINGS. 
          WE'RE A COMMISSION OF VOLUNTEERS, UH, AND OUR ROLE IS ADVISORY. 
          AND SO IF THERE IS A DESIRE TO POSITION THE COMMISSION IN A WAY WHERE WE'RE INVOLVED IN BUILDING THAT PATH TO IMPLEMENTATION FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT EITHER SOME DECISIONS NEED TO BE MADE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GONNA BE COST EFFECTIVE AND SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN, OR SOME, UH, COORDINATION WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THEM. 
          UH, WE'RE, WE HAVE, UH, PUT REQUESTED A FOCAL POINT, UH, BE IDENTIFIED FOR, FOR THIS KIND OF WORK. 
          UM, AND THAT FOCAL POINT'S JOB WOULD BE TO, TO BUILD A PATH TO IMPLEMENTATION FOR SOME OF THESE THINGS. 
          AND, AND, OR, OR EVEN IF IMPLEMENTATION DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, BUILD A WAY TO BUILD THESE THINGS OUTTA THE PLAN. 
          SO EITHER GET 'EM TO EXECUTION OR, YOU KNOW, LOCK 'EM IN A LOCKBOX, WE'RE NOT GONNA LOOK AT 'EM AGAIN. 
          UM, THAT'S REALLY WHAT WOULD GET THESE KIND OF ASSESS OPPORTUNITIES OFF OF HOLD. 
          'CAUSE, UH, WITHOUT FURTHER ACTION, THEY'RE PROBABLY GONNA SHOW UP AS ON HOLD NEXT YEAR. 
          SO I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO WHAT EACH ONE IS. 
          YOU'RE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF LOOKING THROUGH THESE SLIDES ON YOUR OWN, BUT, BUT THE ONES THAT ARE SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLICATED ARE, ARE ONES WHERE WE COULD REALLY USE THE HELP OF A DEDICATED IDENTIFIED FOCAL POINT. 
          UM, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT FLAGGED UP AS ONES THAT WOULD BE LIKELY TO DEFER IN A COST OR RESOURCE CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT. 
          IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THESE WERE BAD, UM, AND IN SOME CASES IT, IT JUST MEANS THAT THERE, THEY WOULD BE LESS IMPACTFUL, UH, THAN SOME OF THE OTHERS IF IMPLEMENTED. 
          AND SOME OF THEM, UH, NEEDED SOMETHING TO HAPPEN FIRST BEFORE IT MADE SENSE TO IMPLEMENT AN IDEA LIKE THAT. 
          SO I'M, I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THESE, UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YES, WE'RE KEEPING TRACK OF 'EM. 
          YES, WE'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP TRACK OF 'EM. 
          THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE ONES THAT WE WOULD SEE AS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY UNLESS THE OBJECTIVE IS TO GET ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING DONE THAT YOU CAN THINK OF DOING. 
          SO, SO THAT'S WHERE WE STAND, UH, FOR, FOR 2024. 
          IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS REALLY OUR REPORT ON CONTAINER GLASS. 
          THE MOST RECENT REPORT, WHICH IS THE ONLY ONE WHERE WE DIDN'T GIVE AN IN-PERSON REPORT, UM, OF, OF THESE RESULTS. 
          AND ALL OF OUR REPORTS ARE, ARE EMAILED AS SOON AS THEY'RE FINALIZED, UH, TO EVERYONE HERE. 
          AND THEY'RE ALSO PUBLISHED ON THE KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE. 
          SO THEY'RE ALWAYS AVAILABLE. 
          UM, BUT LET ME SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS FROM, UH, OUR CONTAINER GLASS REPORT. 
          IT'S ONLY THIS SLIDE, JUST ONE SLIDE. 
          UM, SO WHAT WE DID IS WE BROKE DOWN, YOU KNOW, CON CONTAINER GLASS IS ANYTHING THAT HOLDS SOMETHING, RIGHT? IT'S NOT AUTO GLASS, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, DECORATIVE GLASS. 
          IT'S NOT WINDOW GLASS, IT'S NOT MIRRORS, IT'S JUST JUST CONTAINERS BECAUSE THEY'RE CHEMICALLY THE SAME. 
          UM, AND IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE THEY ARE GOING AND WHERE THEY CAN GO IN HOUSTON, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE. 
          THEY'RE EITHER GONNA GO TO THE LANDFILL, THEY'RE GONNA GO TO A MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY, OR HOUSTON IS VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A DEDICATED GLASS RECYCLING FACILITY THAT HANDLES ONLY GLASS. 
          THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 50 OF THEM AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND ONE OF THEM IS HERE, UH, WITHIN CITY LIMITS. 
          SO IF WE LOOK AT THE PLUSES AND MINUSES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH DESTINATION, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A LANDFILL AND YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT CONTAINER GLASS, WELL, OKAY, THE PLUSES THAT IT'S NOT MUCH OF A PROBLEM IN THE, IN A LANDFILL, IT'S A CHEMICALLY STABLE THING. 
          IT'S, IT'S NOT GONNA, GLASS ISN'T GONNA LEACH ALL IT. 
          THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS THAT IT TAKES UP SPACE. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT, NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW, BUT IT DOESN'T REALLY, YOU 
          [01:10:01]
KNOW, IN TERMS OF COMPARED TO OTHER THINGS THAT YOU CAN PUT IN, IN THE LANDFILL, IT'S PRETTY BENIGN. 
          UM, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS TO GLASS WHEN IT GOES TO A MOST MATERIALS RECYCLING FACILITY, UM, THE PLUS IS THAT NOT ALL MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITIES ARE CAPABLE OF HANDLING GLASS, BUT OUR FACILITIES HERE IN HOUSTON GENERALLY ARE, THE DOWNSIDE IS THAT WHEN GLASS GOES TO A MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY, THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST COSTLY OPTION FOR, UM, HOW TO HANDLE GLASS. 
          AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE GLASS IS HEAVY. 
          AND SO EVEN IF ONLY 3% OF YOUR CONTAINERS THAT YOU PUT IN RECYCLING OUR GLASS, THAT'S GONNA BE A MUCH HIGHER FRACTION OF WEIGHT. 
          AND WE ARE PAYING FOR TONNAGE SORTED, NOT NUMBER OF ITEMS SORTED. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, GLASS IS KIND OF A, IT'S A COSTLY OPTION, BUT THIS, AS, AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THIS COMMISSION STRONGLY SUPPORTS CONTINUING TO USE THIS BECAUSE CITIZENS EXPECT IT, THEY LIKE IT, THEY'RE HAPPY ABOUT IT, WE KNOW HOW TO DO IT, AND OUR FACILITIES CAN HANDLE IT. 
          UM, THE ONLY THING TO KEEP IN MIND ABOUT THIS PATHWAY FOR GLASS IS ONLY ABOUT 60% OF IT ENDS UP GETTING RECYCLED, AND THE REST END UP ENDS UP IN THE DISCARD. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THE THIRD OPTION THAT WE HAVE HERE IN HOUSTON, THE SOURCE SEPARATED RECYCLING, THAT IS CHEAPER BECAUSE THERE IS LESS PRE-PROCESSING REQUIRED. 
          THE ONLY THING THAT'S SUPPOSED TO GO TO THIS FACILITY IS GLASS, NOT ANYTHING ELSE. 
          THEY CAN HANDLE A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA STUFF LIKE LABELS OR, YOU KNOW, WIRES OR LIKE, WHATEVER THOSE THINGS ARE THAT ARE ON TOP OF WINE BOTTLES AND, YOU KNOW, SO THEY CAN HANDLE THAT STUFF, BUT THEY'RE REALLY DESIGNED TO BE GLASS ONLY. 
          UM, WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THEY CANNOT ACCEPT THE GLASS THAT COMES OUT OF A MATERIALS RECYCLING FACILITY. 
          THEY HAVE TO GET IT DIRECTLY FROM THE PRODUCER. 
          SO THAT'S A GREAT OPTION TO HAVE HERE IN HOUSTON. 
          AND IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FLOW GLASS DIRECTLY TO, UM, A FACILITY DESIGNED TO HANDLE SPECIFICALLY GLASS, UM, WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT PATHWAY, UH, BECAUSE THAT THAT IS, THAT'S A GREAT OUTCOME. 
          SO THAT, THAT LITTLE, THE TOP PART OF THE SLIDE PRETTY MUCH WRAPS UP WHAT WAS IN OUR TWO PAGE REPORT. 
          YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WOULD'VE SHOWED UP ON OPPORTUNITIES IN THAT REPORT BELOW. 
          UM, THE FIRST ONE DOESN'T, DOESN'T REQUIRE ANY ACTION AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THERE AREN'T VERY MANY, UH, SOURCE SEPARATED CONTAINER GLASS, UH, PROGRAMS. BUT IF THEY SHOW UP, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GREAT THING. 
          UM, THE SECOND ONE, UH, IS A, IS A WORK IN PROCESS. 
          UM, THE PLACE WHERE THE CITY SOURCE SEPARATES OUT GLASS IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD DEPOSIT DEPOSITORIES. 
          SO IT WOULD BE GOOD IF THE GLASS THAT IS ALREADY SOURCE SEPARATED, STAYS SOURCE SEPARATED AND, AND GOES TO A FACILITY WHERE IT IS DESIGNED TO GO. 
          UM, AND THE LAST, UH, SUGGESTION WE'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON, WHICH IS THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO ACCEPT CONTAINER GLASS. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE BONES OF THE CONTAINER GLASS REPORT. 
          AND AGAIN, THAT'S, THAT'S AVAILABLE ANYTIME, UH, ANYONE WANTS TO LOOK AT THAT. 
          SO, UM, THIS COVERS WHAT WE, UH, OUR, OUR REVIEW, UH, OF OUR OUR 2024 UM, PROGRAM. 
          AND THE NEXT TWO SLIDES ARE SOMETHING THAT WE ADDED ON, UH, THAT HAPPENED IN 2025, SO IT WASN'T TECHNICALLY PART OF THE 2024 REVIEW. 
          UM, BUT IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND POSITIVE. 
          AND SO, UM, GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND WE WILL, WE WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT SPEAKER AND MOVE THAT FOR YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YES, AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, AROSE A VERY SHORT NOTICE ACTUALLY. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE HERE HAD THE TIME TO REALLY REACT TO IT, BUT IT WAS A DANISH MINISTER WHO WANTED TO COME VISIT HOUSTON. 
          UH, AND IT'S STILL A LOT OF DANISH BUSINESSES HERE IN HOUSTON, SO THAT'S WHY HE WAS TRYING TO, TO COME HERE. 
          AND HE WAS ALSO TRYING TO REACH OUT TO COMPANIES THAT WAS USING DANISH TECHNOLOGY. 
          MY COMPANY IS ONE OF THEM, AND WE, UH, IMPORTED SOME DANISH TECHNOLOGY TO RECYCLE TIRES. 
          UM, THE INTERESTING PART IS THAT HOUSTON WILL HAVE A PROBLEM, AS YOU'RE PROBABLY ALL AWARE OF WITHIN THE NEXT 10 YEARS ON LANDFILL SPACE, BASICALLY. 
          AND DENMARK HAS ACTUALLY, UH, INNOVATED ON THE TECHNOLOGY TO TURN WASTE INTO ENERGY. 
          UM, AND 
          [01:15:01]
THAT WAS WHY WE WERE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT IT. 
          SO I ACTUALLY HOSTED, UH, OUT AT, AT THE COMPANY HERE IN IN HOUSTON, UH, AN EVENT WITH THE DANISH AMBASSADOR AND THE MINISTER AND, UH, UH, AB JOINED AS WELL. 
          AND ALAN AND, UH, THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN DOING AN MOU, AND WE REALIZED THAT WAS VERY SHORT NOTICE. 
          WE, WE, I WOULD REALLY ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO LOOK AT THIS, UH, BECAUSE IT IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT THAT COULD BE VERY INTERESTING, UH, AND EXCHANGE IDEAS. 
          UH, I HAD TO INFORM THE MINISTER THAT HOUSTON, HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME FIRST, BUT, BUT WHEN HE HEARD MORE ABOUT IT, IT'S ACTUALLY VERY INTERESTING THAT HOUSTON IS ONE OF THE CITIES THAT HAS A LOT OF VERY GOOD WAYS TO RECYCLE WASTE COMPUTERS CLASS AS WE JUST HEARD ABOUT PAPER, UH, AND SO ON, ANTI TIRES. 
          UH, ACTUALLY HOUSTON IS THE NUMBER ONE CITY IN THE WORLD WITH THE HIGHEST CAPACITY OF RECYCLING TIRES. 
          AND NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT, BUT IT ACTUALLY, WE, WE ARE TWO PROVIDERS IN HOUSTON WHO CAN DO THAT. 
          UH, SO, SO IT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE SUDDENLY IT BECOMES INTERESTING FOR DENMARK TO ALSO HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO IN HOUSTON. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE WAY, UH, YOU KNOW, EXCHANGE. 
          UM, SO THAT MAU UH, WE, WE, WE SIGNED WITH HOUSTON A BEAUTIFUL, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO TIME TO ACTUALLY ENGAGE ANYBODY IN THE CITY. 
          BUT I, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE, UM, THE CITY TO LOOK AT IT AND MAYBE ENGAGE IN AN MOU WITH, UH, THE DANISH MINISTER, THE CONSULATE HERE IN HOUSTON, UM, TO WORK MORE. 
          AND THEY'RE WILLING TO ACTUALLY ALSO DO SOME, SOME VISITS, UH, BOTH HERE AND IN DENMARK TO SEE THE TECHNOLOGY AND THEN TALK MORE ABOUT IT AND EXCHANGE SOME IDEAS. 
          UM, SO I THINK THE NEXT SLIDE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. 
          THERE'S A COUPLE OF PICTURES. 
          UM, THE, THE AMBASSADOR WAS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, BUT HE WAS CALLED TO A VERY URGENT NATO MEETING IN DENMARK OR IN NEW IN EUROPE, WHICH YOU PROBABLY ALL HEARD ABOUT. 
          UH, SO THE VICE AMBASSADOR CAME, UH, BUT THE MINISTER WAS STILL HERE. 
          UH, AND ALAN JOINED AS WELL FOR A LITTLE, UH, CEREMONY. 
          UM, BUT OF COURSE, UH, WE WOULD REALLY, REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, THINK, WE REALLY THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR THE CITY TO, UH, SIGN AN MOU WITH, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE CITY WITH DENMARK TO ACTUALLY HEAR MORE ABOUT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. 
          DENMARK ONLY SENDS 3% OF THEIR WASTE TO LANDFILLS. 
          THE REST IS EITHER RECYCLED OR USED FOR CREATING ENERGY. 
          SO THAT, I THINK THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE HOUSTON COULD GET TO. 
          AND ACTUALLY, BY THE WAY, HOUSTON COULD BE ONE OF THE CUTTING EDGE CITIES IN US DOING THIS. 
          SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PART OF IT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GREAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, WE, WE, UH, LEAVE, UH, THAT, THAT SUSPENDS OUR, UH, OUR PRESENTATION AND CERTAINLY OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. 
          SORRY, THANK ALL THREE OF YOU. 
          WE HAVE A COUPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE. 
          WE'LL START WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCO. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND THANKS JASON AND SARAH, EVERYBODY. 
          YOU, YOU GUYS WERE GREAT. 
          AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME AND KIND OF MAKING THIS A MORE, YOU KNOW, LEGIT, UH, PURPOSEFUL, MEANINGFUL COMMISSION. 
          IT, IT MEANS A LOT. 
          I KNOW YOU'RE JUST KIND OF LOOKING HERE IN THE WILDERNESS, LIKE WHO'S GONNA TAKE SOME OF THESE THINGS ON? I THINK THAT THAT'S ON US, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT ASSESS COLUMN, I THINK WE CAN JUST LOOK AT THAT AND START WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. 
          I'M HAPPY TO, TO TAKE A COUPLE OF THESE ON. 
          I'M SURE YOU HAVE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH INTEREST IN SOME OF THESE, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU NEED, I GUESS, IS A CHAMPION FOR EACH OF THESE TO KIND OF KICK IT DOWN THE ROAD. 
          SO I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S A FORMAL WAY TO, TO FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS AND LIKE EVERYBODY'S JUST GONNA LIKE FOLD IT AWAY. 
          I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN PUSH FOR THAT. 
          WE CAN, AND I'M CERTAINLY WILLING TO PUSH FOR, FOR SOME OF THOSE ASSESSMENTS TO BE DONE. 
          AND I KNOW SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES, I'LL TALK TO THEM TOO, OR I KNOW ALL OF US HERE WILL, SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOUR, YOUR, YOUR, UM, EFFORTS ARE NOT IN VAIN BECAUSE, UM, YOU'RE PUTTING A LOT OF WORK INTO THIS AND THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON THE, UM, ON THE GLASS THING. 
          SO, SO WHEN WE TAKE GLASS ONLY IN OUR RECYCLING, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD DEPOSIT DEPOSITORIES, WHERE DOES IT GO? IT GOES INTO THE MIXED, IT JUST GOES TO THE MURPH. 
          YEAH, IT GOES TO OUR, OUR THING. 
          WE DON'T HAVE A, ANY KIND OF SEPARATE, THIS IS JUST LIKE A SUGGESTION. 
          YOU SHOULD HAVE A SEPARATE GLASS THING AND TAKE WELL, IT'S, IT'S COLLECTED SEPARATELY AND THEN MIXED. 
          YEAH. 
          WHICH, WHICH SEEM TO, YEAH, I MEAN, I GET THE PEOPLE AT THEIR HOUSE, THEY CAN JUST THROW IN THE GLASS AND THE GREEN BIN, THAT'S GREAT. 
          BUT, BUT IF THE CITY'S ALREADY COLLECTING IT SEPARATELY, I DO THINK THAT THERE'S MERIT, ESPECIALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT ONLY 60% OF THAT GLASS IS EVEN BEING RECYCLED ANYWAY. 
          IF IT GOES TO THE MURF, UH, YES, IT CURRENTLY GOES TO THE MURF AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S INTEREST IN, UH, IN THE SOLID WASTE GROUP IN LOOKING AT THIS FURTHER. 
          UH, UM, SO, BUT THE DETAILS WERE OKAY BEING, WELL, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO, TO TALK MORE TO SOLID 
          [01:20:01]
WASTE ABOUT THAT. 
          'CAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. 
          I I HAVEN'T REALLY TALKED FOCUSED ON CONTAINER GLASS, BUT, AND, AND SIR, YOU'RE, UM, I JUST WAS GOOGLING YOUR COMPANY AND VERY COOL WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          OH, MUCH WITH TIRES AND, UM, THE VERY FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M A BIG COMPOSTER. 
          UM, AND I THINK COMPOSTING IS A BIG DEAL AND THE ORGANIC FOOD WASTE DIVERSION IS A BIG DEAL. 
          AND, AND TO SEE THAT, THAT THERE'S A COUNTRY ONLY PUTTING 3% OF THEIR STUFF IN THE LANDFILL. 
          I MEAN, LANDFILLS ARE FRIGHTENING PLACES. 
          THEY'RE BIG, HUGE MOUNTAINS WITH SEAGULLS AND  TRUCKS JUST GOING UP AND UP AND UP, YOU KNOW, ALL DAY EVERY DAY TILL THE END OF TIME IF WE DON'T KIND OF REVERSE SOME OF THAT. 
          SO, UM, I'M HAPPY TO TALK TO OUR OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ABOUT THIS. 
          MOU CAN PROBABLY GET, UM, GET THE, SOME NAMES FROM YOU, BUT THAT, THAT'S EXCITING. 
          AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, SHE'S IN THE PICTURE AND EVERYTHING, I'M SURE SHE'S ALL OVER THAT SITUATION TOO. 
          BUT, UM, YEAH, THE LANDFILL SITUATION'S A, A, A BIG DEAL AND, UM, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING TO, TO MAKE THIS PLACE A LITTLE BIT CLEANER AND GREENER. 
          THANKS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. 
          I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU GUYS BECAUSE YOU REALLY ARE ONE OF THOSE COMMISSIONS THAT IS WORKING AND ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE COMING UP WITH REAL SOLUTIONS AND, UM, AND THEN YOU PRESENT IT TO US, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE COMMISSIONS, WE DON'T GET, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE REGULAR REPORTS. 
          SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          I KNOW THIS PROBABLY TOOK A LOT OF TIME. 
          UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE JUST KIND OF NOTICED, NOT JUST IN MY DISTRICT AND DISTRICT G, BUT ALL OVER THE CITY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ALREADY SOME KIND OF PROGRAM FOR THIS, BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE SEE SO MANY SHOPPING CARTS AND OUR DITCHES, UM, ON THE SIDES OF OUR STREETS, AND YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE SOME INCENTIVE FOR THESE STORES TO GET THEIR SHOPPING CARTS BACK SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BUY NEW SHOPPING CARTS. 
          IS THERE ANY KIND OF PROGRAM OUT THERE THAT WORKS WITH RETAILERS OR STORES, UM, TO HELP GET THE SHOPPING CARTS OUT OF OUR DITCHES AND BACK TO WHERE THEY BELONG? SO, NO. 
          NO, BUT THERE IS A, TO BE DETERMINED ON THE, UH, LIST, SO MAYBE THAT WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY. 
          UH, ALAN'S GOT SOMETHING. 
          ALAN, DO YOU MIND IF I ADDRESS? SURE. 
          COME ON. 
          SO THERE IS ONE WAY, UH, THAT YOU CAN ADDRESS IT ALREADY. 
          SO ALDI, UH, GROCERY STORE DOES IT, IT'S LIKE THE QUARTER RETURN SYSTEM. 
          OSHA HYPERMARKET USED TO DO IT BACK IN THE NINETIES HERE IN HOUSTON'S A REALLY SIMPLE SYSTEM TO PUT INTO PLACE SO FAR. 
          YOU KNOW, VERY FEW PEOPLE DO IT, BUT THAT COULD BE PART OF THE REPORT IS HOW, HOW DO WE INCENTIVIZE, UM, COMPANIES TO KEEP THE, UH, THE CARTS ON THEIR PROPERTY AND, AND ALSO HOW DO YOU COLLECT THE ONES THAT ARE OUT THERE AS WELL. 
          BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK FURTHER INTO. 
          YEAH, SO I THINK THAT'S THE PROBLEM. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU COULD, A LOT OF THESE SHOPPING CARTS AREN'T ANYWHERE NEAR THEIR, YOU KNOW, THE STORES THAT, THAT THEY ORIGINATED FROM. 
          AND SO I KNOW TRANSPORTING THEM, THEY'RE BULKY, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          UM, SO THERE MIGHT BE SOME DIFFICULTY, BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN OUR CITY. 
          JUST TO GET THE SHOPPING CART JUST OUT OF OUR DITCHES. 
          THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS. 
          AND UH, I'LL TURN THAT BACK TO YOU. 
          WHILE THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING A VENUE FOR US TO PROVIDE THE REPORTS TOO AND BEING OPEN TO LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVEN'T, WHAT WHAT WE'VE UNCOVERED. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. 
          SO I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. 
          UM, SO THE, THE TIRE FACILITY, WHERE, WHERE DO YOU ACQUIRE THE TIRES THAT YOU RECYCLE? SO MOST OF THE TIRES ARE COLLECTED WITH THE, LIKE MAIN TIRE STORES, UH, THAT CHANGE TIRES. 
          BUT OF COURSE THERE'S ALSO SOME SMALLER ONES THAT HAS AN AGREEMENT. 
          BUT AS WE UNCOVERED ON THE, THE REPORT IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THE SMALL THERE SHOPS ON THE SIDE OF THE STREET THAT MIGHT EVEN BE SELLING SECONDHAND TIRES, WHICH IS GREAT. 
          UH, WE DON'T HAVE A RECORD WHERE THEY TAKE THE TIRES AND IT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT WITHIN THE CITY THAT THE FORM WAS, UH, THE SAME AS THE STATE'S FORM BECAUSE THERE IS A TRACKING ON THAT STATE FORM. 
          WHERE DO YOU ACTUALLY HAND OVER THE TIRES, NOT JUST TRANSPORTING THEM. 
          SO, SO, UH, THERE IS A SYSTEM AND WE, WE, WE HAVE COLLECTORS LIBERTY TIRES, WHO'S THE, OUR COMPETITOR, BUT ALSO THE COLLECTOR, UH, HERE IN THE CITY. 
          AND ALL STATE OF HOUSTON, UH, STATE OF TEXAS ACTUALLY DELIVERS TIRES TO US AS WELL. 
          SO, SO THEY COLLECT, BUT ALL THESE SMALL STORES. 
          AND WHAT ABOUT, UH, OUR JUNKYARDS? A LOT OF CARS END UP IN JUNK YARDS WITH, WITH TIRES YEAH. 
          STILL ON THEM. 
          YEAH. 
          IS ANYTHING DONE TO GET THOSE TIRES OFF THE VEHICLES TO THE, TO FACILITIES LIKE YOURS? THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. 
          UH, THE ANSWER IS REALLY NO. 
          BUT, UH, THERE IS A LOT THAT ACTUALLY TAKES OFF THOSE TIRES AND THEN RECYCLE MOST OF THE CAR. 
          BUT A 
          [01:25:01]
LOT OF THE JUNK YARDS STILL, THE CAR STILL THERE, STILL STILL HAVE TIRES ON 'EM AND WE COULD EASILY RECYCLE THEM IF WE GOT OUR HANDS ON 'EM. 
          I MEAN, AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE ACTUALLY, IN OUR PLANT, WE, WE COULD, WE COULD DO, YOU KNOW, 11 MILLION TIRES A YEAR. 
          WE ONLY DO ABOUT EIGHT RIGHT NOW, SO WE STILL HAVE CAPACITY, UH, AND WE KNOW THE TIRES OUT THERE, WE JUST DON'T GET OUR HANDS ON 'EM. 
          HOUSTON HAS A PROBLEM WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THAT STUFF THAT IS DUMPED OR TIRES. 
          DO YOU, IS THERE A MECHANISM FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME INDUSTRIOUS PRIVATE CITIZEN WHO WANTED TO HELP OUT AND COLLECT SOME OF THOSE TIRES AND DROP THEM OFF AT YOUR FACILITY? COULD THEY DO THAT OR NOT? YEAH, I AM, WE DO, WE DO HAVE A, A GATE FEE, BUT WE, WE'VE ACTUALLY WAIVED THAT A COUPLE TIMES IF THERE'S A, AN EFFORT A WEEKEND WHERE SOMEBODY WANTS TO CLEAN UP SOMEWHERE. 
          UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO WAYS OF ACTUALLY HANDED IT ALL TO A WASTE SITE AND WE, WE TAKE THE CONTAINERS FROM THOSE WASTE SITES, UH, UM, ALMOST WEEKLY. 
          SO, SO THERE'S DEFINITELY PLACES I DO THINK THERE COULD BE A BETTER COMMUNICATION AND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO'S COLLECTING TIRES AND WE HAVE ALL SEEN, YOU KNOW, THE THREATS LAYING ON THE HIGHWAY. 
          UH, WE WOULD LOVE TO GET OUR HANDS ON THAT. 
          THAT'S REALLY GOOD. 
          RUBBER, WE RECYCLE AND SELL THE RUBBER. 
          SO, SO THERE, THERE'S DEFINITELY A WILL TAKE THEM. 
          IT'S, IT, I THINK IT'S MORE A WAY OF, OF MAKING SURE THAT WE TRACK THAT AND WE, WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE A WAY OF, OF, OF KNOWING WHERE THAT'S COMING FROM. 
          THE PROBLEM IS IF YOU START DOING THAT TOO MUCH, SOME OF THE SMALL SHOPS WILL SUDDENLY DUMP THE TIRES KNOWING THAT THEY'RE GONNA GET PICKED UP AND THEN THEY ARE GONNA GO TO US ANYWAYS AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT SO THAT IT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A TRADE OFF. 
          RIGHT. 
          THAT'S WHY WE WOULD REALLY LIKE THE CITY TO ALSO TRACK WHERE THEY DO, WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH THEIR TIRES, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE END, YOU KNOW, PLACE THAT THEY DUMP THEIR TIRES. 
          IT SHOULD REALLY BE AT A RECYCLING SITE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND LAST QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU WITH REGARD TO THE CLEAN CITY COMMISSION. 
          SO I'M LOOKING AT THE GRANICUS WEBSITE, WHICH SAYS THE, UH, COMMISSION CAN HAVE UP TO 40 MEMBERS IF I READ THAT RIGHT. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. 
          HOW MANY, HOW MANY ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION DO WE HAVE NOW? BETWEEN 15 TO 20 THAT MAKE ONE TO TWO MEETINGS A YEAR OUT OF THE FOUR QUARTERLY MEETINGS. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, UM, SO THERE'S OPPORTUNITY PROBABLY FOR SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SUBMIT NOMINEES. 
          I KNOW ONE THAT WE'VE SUBMITTED IS WAITING TO BE ACTIVATED, BUT, UH, VERY MUCH SO. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UH, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT, BEFORE YOU GO, WE HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS FROM A COUPLE STAFF MEMBERS. 
          SO, UH, MARY FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE. 
          YES. 
          YOU SAID TIRES AND IT REALLY PERKED UP MY EARS BECAUSE WE COLLECT TIRES EVERY WEEK. 
          WE HAVE TWO HOT, UH, HOT TEAMS AND THEY COLLECT TIRES AND THEY, DID THEY TAKE 'EM TO THE DEPOSITORIES? IS THAT ONE PLACE WHERE YOU COLLECT TIRES? YES. 
          OKAY, SO WE'RE GOOD. 
          THAT'S HOW I WANTED TO MAKE SURE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THEY GO TO US FOR IT. 
          PERFECT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN WHAT, HOW CAN I, I WOULD LOVE TO GO WITH YOU TO SEE THE PROCESS OF THAT, OF WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TIRES. 
          UM, AND 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S THE BANE OF OUR EXISTENCE, RIGHT? WE CANNOT, EVERY MONDAY OUR HOT TEAMS ARE JUST SPEND ALL DAY COLLECTING TIRES AND WE NEVER RUN OUT OF TIRES TO COLLECT. 
          OH. 
          UM, SO IT WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE THOUGH THE PROCESS OF WHAT HAPPENS. 
          I WOULD LOVE, I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE A TOUR. 
          I JUST DID IT. 
          UH, AND, AND, AND CONTACT ME. 
          UH, I CAN LEAVE MY CARD AND, UH, WHERE YOU WANNA BRING HOW MANY, I CAN SHOW YOU HOW IT, IT'S DONE. 
          AND THEN IT IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THE TIE IS MADE OUT OF, OF TEXTILE STEEL AND RUBBER, AND WE SPLIT THOSE THREE THINGS UP AND ACTUALLY SELL THEM SEPARATELY AS NEW YOU SAY VIRGIN MATERIAL. 
          THAT'S AWESOME. 
          I LOVE THAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU MARY. 
          WE'LL GO TO RUSSELL FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S OFFICE. 
          MARY TOOK MY VENDOR, UH, OR AT LEAST I'M GONNA, UH, JUST SAY WHAT SHE SAID. 
          MY, MY BOSS WOULD BE LOSING HIS MIND IF I DIDN'T BRING THIS UP BECAUSE WE, WE ALSO STRUGGLE VERY MUCH SO, UH, IN DISTRICT AGE. 
          SO NORTH SIDE EAST END, UH, INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS WITH TIRES. 
          UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, UM, DENVER HARBOR, I THINK WE WILL CALL OUR OFFICES AND, AND POINT OUT 2030 TIRES THAT WERE DUMPED OVER THE WEEKEND. 
          AND SO I WANT TO JUST PIGGYBACK WHAT SHE SAID. 
          HOW DO WE GET CONNECTED? HOW DO WE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT EXACT SAME THING. 
          WHAT DOES THE PROCESS LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE FOR US, IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS, THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY, CONSTANTLY BE DEALING WITH AND, AND SO WE DON'T HAVE A HOT TEAM, BUT, UH, WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW TO GET CONNECTED TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          I ACTUALLY LIVE VERY CLOSE IN THAT AREA AND, AND, AND, AND WHEN I DRIVE BY, I, IT REALLY HURTS ME BECAUSE IT'S RAW MATERIAL THAT I COULD USE. 
          SO, SO I MEAN, I, IT'S NOT LIKE WE DON'T WANT TO, WE REALLY WANT TO. 
          IT'S, IT'S REALLY TO GET 'EM TO A PLACE WHERE THEY'RE COLLECTED AND THEN TAKEN TO US 
          [01:30:01]
AND IT'S TRACKED. 
          AND AS I SAID, SOMETIMES IF IT GETS TOO EASY, YOU DUMP 'EM AND YOU SEE TWO DAYS LATER THEY'RE GONE. 
          WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA DO NEXT TIME? YOU, YOU NEED TO GET RID OF A TIRE. 
          IF A SMALL SHOP, WE REALLY NEED TO TRACK THE SHOP AND, AND WE ALSO NEED TO HAVE A PLACE WHERE, WHERE THE, THE CITIZENS CAN DROP OFF THEIR PRIVATE TIRES AND WE DO, UH, BUT IT'S MAINLY NOT, PROBABLY NOT COMMUNICATED ENOUGH BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE A WAY OF, OF GOING TO THE DEPOSITORY AND, AND JUST LEAVE THEM THERE AND IT WILL END UP MM-HMM . 
          IN OUR PLANT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          YEAH, I MEAN, DEFINITELY PUBLIC AWARENESS. 
          IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, WE DO STRUGGLE WITH BECAUSE AS, AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU, YOU PICK THEM UP AND THEN NEXT WEEK THERE'LL BE MORE, MORE THERE. 
          AND SO THERE DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE SOME OF THAT EDUCATION, BUT IN THE INTERIM, UNTIL, UNTIL THEN, WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A RESOURCE TO GET THESE TO A PLACE THAT IS SAFE AND UTILIZABLE. 
          YEP. 
          THANK YOU RUSSELL. 
          WE HAVE NO OTHER, UM, FOLKS IN THE QUEUE. 
          SO WE WILL THANK ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          AND HOPEFULLY THIS WILL SPUR MORE ACTION ON, ON OUR PARTS AND THE COMMUNITIES PARTS TO HELP MAKE THE CITY MORE BEAUTIFUL AND, UH, UH, INCREASE OUR RECYCLING EFFORTS. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL. 
          THANK YOU AGAIN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU BET. 
          WE WILL MOVE NOW TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF OUR MEETING. 
          WE HAVE ONE, UH, PERSON WHO IS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. 
          BRITTANY FLOWERS IS BRITTANY FLOWERS HERE. 
          WOULD YOU COME FORWARD PLEASE? AND IF YOU COULD SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE THAT'S LIGHTED THERE. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, BRITTANY FLOWERS. 
          I'M THE CEO AND PRESIDENT OF BAYOU PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION. 
          AND, UH, WE ARE AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1966 TO, UH, PRESERVE OUR WATERWAYS AND PROTECT OUR VALUES. 
          AND SO I'M HERE, UM, TO PROVIDE NOT ONLY SUPPORT FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT WE JUST RECEIVED, BUT TO SHARE SOME, UM, BACKGROUND ON, ON WHAT WE DO TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS BROUGHT UP IN THEIR PRESENTATION. 
          SO, UH, JUST THIS PAST SATURDAY THROUGH A GRANT AND A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GREATER NORTHSIDE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, WE REMOVED ROUGHLY 60 TIRES FROM, UM, GREENS BAYOU. 
          AND THOSE TIRES ARE NOT ONLY AN EYESORE ON THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY'RE A HEALTH CONCERN. 
          UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, THEY'RE VIRGIN MATERIAL. 
          THEY'RE, UH, THREE PARTS TO, TO EVERY TIRE. 
          UM, AND ONCE THOSE BREAK DOWN IN OUR WATERWAYS, THEY CONTAMINATE AND POLLUTE AND CREATE, UM, JUST AN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE, UH, DOWNSTREAM FROM THOSE WATERWAYS. 
          UM, ABOUT A DECADE AGO, THE HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL PRODUCED A REPORT SAYING THAT THERE WERE ROUGHLY 200,000 ILLEGALLY DUMPED TIRES IN OUR WATERWAYS. 
          NOT, NOT JUST, UM, ACCOUNTING FOR WHAT, WHAT WE SEE ON OUR FREEWAYS AND OUR STREETS, BUT SPECIFICALLY IN OUR WATERWAYS LEADING TO BACTERIA CONTAMINATION AS WELL AS HEALTH CONCERNS AS A NONPROFIT. 
          UM, WE WORK WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE CITIZENS WHO ARE CONCERNED WITH THIS MATTER, WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME ON WEEKENDS AND DURING THE WEEK, UM, TO TRY TO COLLECT THESE TIRES AND TRY TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE AMOUNT OF DUMPING THAT IS GOING ON. 
          UNFORTUNATELY, THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES AND THEY'RE NOT CONNECTED TO THE RESOURCES TO PAY THE COST FOR THOSE FEES TO RECYCLE THE TIRES. 
          IT IS NOT, UH, IT'S COST PROHIBITIVE TO COLLECT TIRES AND PROPERLY RECYCLE THEM, WHICH IS ANOTHER REASON, UH, THAT YOU SEE SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING FROM SMALL TRANSPORTERS. 
          AND SO NOT ONLY DO WE SUPPORT, UM, THE AMENDMENT TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT THE PAPERWORK IS PROCESSED, BUT I'M ALSO HERE TO, UM, SUGGEST OR TO REQUEST SOME PATHWAY TO SUPPORT THE PLANS THAT COME FROM COMMISSIONS THAT, UH, A PATHWAY TO SUPPORT THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT WAS HEAVILY INVESTED IN ROUGHLY FIVE YEARS AGO BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AS WELL AS THE RESILIENCY PLAN FROM, UH, THE CITY OF HARRIS COUNTY. 
          SO I SAY ALL THOSE PLANS, RIGHT TO SAY THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PLANS, A NUMBER OF PATHWAYS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, BUT THERE'S VERY LITTLE, UM, RESOURCES FOR AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS TO, TO HELP IN THAT PROCESS. 
          UM, I WORK WITH A PARTNER WHO HAS A STORAGE FACILITY WITH ROUGHLY 2,500 TIRES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE FEES. 
          SO ANYWAY, I SHARE THAT TO SAY THAT, UM, THERE, THERE ARE GROUPS HERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO, TO HELP AND SUPPORT THE, THE CITY IN CLEANING UP OUR WATERWAYS AND OUR STREETS. 
          BUT, UM, A PATHWAY, A CLEAR PATHWAY FOR IMPLEMENTATION IS LIMITED. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          [01:35:03]
IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HERE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN SPEAKING. 
          SO I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, UH, THIS IS YOUR COMMITTEE AND YOU CAN HELP SET THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE MEETINGS. 
          IF THERE IS A CITY SERVICE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE EXPLAINED, PLEASE CONTACT COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON'S OFFICE. 
          YOU CAN CALL OR TEXT AT (832) 393-3009 OR EMAIL AT DISTRICT B@HOUSTONTX.GOV. 
          NOW, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, I WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT THE NEXT SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26TH AT 2:00 PM. 
          ALSO, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING INFORMATION ON THE SERVICE DELIVERY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, PLEASE CONTACT THE DISTRICT B OFFICE AT DISTRICT B@HOUSTONTX.GOV. 
          THE TIME IS NOW THREE THIRTY SIX AND WE WILL CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          HAVE A GREAT DAY.
* 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.