* 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. [Houston Forensic Science Center: Board of Directors Meeting on July 28, 2025.] [00:00:20] GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR BEING SO FLEXIBLE ABOUT CHANGING THE MEETING DATES AND ALL. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT YOUR CARS ARE WHERE YOU LEFT THEM, , AND I INCLUDE MYSELF IN THAT. I'D LIKE TO CALL A MEETING TO ORDER. AND I'M S SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE? YES, MADAM CHAIR. I'LL BEGIN THE ROLL CALL NOW. CHAIR, WOMAN COHEN. HERE. VICE CHAIR BAIRD. HERE. DIRECTOR QUEZ. HERE. DIRECTOR HILDER. DIRECTOR SILVERMAN. HERE. DIRECTOR CORRALES. DIRECTOR. YOU HERE. DIRECTOR MOJA. HERE. DIRECTOR HUFF HERE. AND DIRECTOR OCH HERE. AND THAT CONCLUDES THE ROLL CALL. MADAM CHAIR. YOU MAY CONTINUE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A QUORUM. YES, MA'AM. WITH THAT, LET'S PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM THREE. AND I ONLY HAVE, UM, ONE UPDATE FOR THE, UH, FOR THE BOARD THIS MONTH. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT LAST MONTH, DIRECTORS HUFF AND SILVERMAN TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO TOUR HF SCS VEHICLE EXAMINATION BUILDING. I'M PLEASED YOU WERE ABLE TO GO AND I HOPE THAT OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WILL FIND TIME TO DO THE SAME OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. DIRECTORS HUFFMAN AND SILVERMAN. ANY THOUGHTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE BOARD AT THIS TIME? SEEMS LIKE FROM THE LAST, SEEMS LIKE FROM THE LAST TIME I SAW THE FACILITY SEVERAL YEARS AGO THAT IT'S, UH, IMPROVED. GOOD. GREATLY. YEAH, I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED. YEAH, WE'VE, WE'VE MADE A LITTLE PROGRESS. , WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE THERE? IT WAS PROBABLY EIGHT YEARS AGO. OH, WELL GOOD . YEP. OKAY. SO I'D NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE AND I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND I JUST FOUND IT FASCINATING WHAT WAS GOING ON THE SITUATION. AND ALSO IT WAS VERY CLEAN, VERY TIDY. THAT REALLY STRUCK ME THE SAME THING. YEAH. YEAH. BUT ANYWAY, I'D RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYBODY. WELL, THANK YOU BOTH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR TAKING TIME TO SHOW MORE OF THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT THEY DO. WITH THAT, I WILL CONCLUDE THE CHAIR'S REPORT AND PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM FOUR. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND INVITE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND ADDRESS THE BOARD. WE WILL ASK ALL SPEAKERS TO SIGN IN AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM AND WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND THAT ALL COMMENTS BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES. YOU MAY SPEAK ON ANY MATTER CONCERNING THE BOARD AND HFSC AT THIS TIME, DO WE HAVE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT? DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT. OKAY. SEEING NO MEMBERS TO OF THE PUBLIC IN OUR AUDIENCE TODAY WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR COMMENT, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. NOW WE'LL CONSIDER MEETING MINUTES FROM MAY 9TH, 2025 BOARD MEETING. DOES ANYONE HAVE CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED? ANYBODY? OKAY. AT THIS TIME WE'LL CONDUCT A VOICE. VOTE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. SO MOVED. THANK YOU. SECOND FROM OH, THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT. PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME FOR THE VOICE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. I'LL OPPOSED SAY NAY. THE MOTION CARRIES AND PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. AND NOW WE'LL PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM SIX, DR. DOUBT. GOOD MORNING Y'ALL FOR OUR SPECIAL SESSION. THAT IS BUDGET AND I PROMISE I WILL BE QUICK . ALRIGHT, SO, UH, THE MAIN THING THAT WE'VE GOT FOR ORIGIN TODAY IS TO CONSIDER A REVISION TO OUR BUDGET TO MATCH UP WITH WHAT THE CITY PASSED IN THEIR BUDGET AT THE END OF LAST FISCAL YEAR. WE ARE NOW IN THE NEW FISCAL YEAR. JUST A QUICK UPDATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT ON THE BIG BACKLOGS. STILL LOOKING AT THESE OVER 30 DAYS, YOU'LL SEE IN THERE FOR DNA YOU CAN SEE THE REAL CLEAR MARK OF HULK KAIGEN THING. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS, THE GREEN LINE AND THE ORANGE LINE, WE EXPECTED THIS TO BE THE CASE BECAUSE WE [00:05:01] HAD TO PAUSE TESTING WITH SIGNATURE SCIENCE WHILE WE SORTED OUT WHAT TO DO WITH THE MANUFACTURING ERROR. NOW THAT WE ARE BACK TESTING, YOU CAN SEE THE GREEN LINE, WHICH ARE THE OVER 90 DAYS ARE STARTING TO COME BACK DOWN ALREADY. SO WE'RE A FEW MONTHS OUT, BUT WE, WE'LL, WE'LL GET BACK TO WHERE WE WERE. UM, IT'S JUST THAT BULGE IN THE SYSTEM AND IT'S ABOUT EXACTLY THE TIME THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT WHEN WE WOULD BE GETTING SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS BACK FROM SIGNATURE SCIENCE FIREARMS. THIS IS THE PROBLEM THAT WE'VE KNOWN FOR YEARS, STILL SLOWLY CREEPING UP AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE START OF HOW WE CREATE ENOUGH CAPACITY IN FIREARMS THIS FISCAL YEAR TO START ADDRESSING THAT. UM, BUT IT IS AND WILL REMAIN THE PAIN POINT IN THE SYSTEM FOR QUITE SOME TIME. SEIZE DRUGS. WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE IMPACTS OF, WE'VE GOT THREE NEW ANALYSTS THAT HAVE BEEN SIGNED OFF AND YOU CAN SEE THAT LINE IS NOW STEADILY STARTING TO GO DOWN, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE EXPECTED. WE'VE GOT THREE MORE IN THE PIPELINE. SO THIS IS WHY IN ALL OF THE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS, WE REALLY HAVEN'T ADDED THESE DRUGS BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE THESE PEOPLE IN THE PIPELINE AND THIS IS WHAT WE EXPECT TO SEE HAPPENING. SO, SO FAR IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE NUMBERS AND WHERE THEY'RE GONNA HEAD. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PART? ALRIGHT, SO JUST TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORIES A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT BACK IN FEBRUARY FOR OUR BUDGET, THAT WE'VE GOT THE BIG RISKS TO MANAGE FIREARMS, WHICH HAS CLEARLY BEEN A CHALLENGE NOW FOR FIVE OR SIX YEARS. UM, THERE'S SOME PLANNING FOR TOXICOLOGY AND THE POTENTIAL THAT WE MAY SEE TOXICOLOGY CASES INCREASE. THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT RESOURCES TO SUPPORT OUR ANALYSTS IN R AND D, WHICH RUNS OUR LIMBS SYSTEM AND DEALS WITH A LOT OF OUR, UM, DOCUMENTATION MANAGEMENT, LEGAL AND ALA'S TEAM AND HOW TO, HOW THEY SUPPORT ALL OF OUR ANALYSTS, UH, CLIENT SERVICES, IT FACILITIES, HR, ALL OF THOSE THINGS TO SUPPORT THOSE ANALYSTS. WE KNOW THERE ARE AGING PIECES OF IT EQUIPMENT THAT ARE STARTING TO BECOME SECURITY RISKS BECAUSE THEY'RE AT THE END OF LIFE. THESE ARE THINGS LIKE FIREWALLS AND SWITCHES AND THEN THE CAPACITY IN CSU, WHICH WE KNOW IS WILDLY UNDER SCALED FOR WHAT'S NECESSARY IN THE CITY, BUT YOU KNOW'S WHAT IT IS. SO WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING TODAY IS, I WILL SAY A FIRST STEP. THE CITY'S FINAL FY 26 BUDGET HAS 33.92 MILLION IN IT FOR HFSC. THAT'S WHAT WAS PASSED IN THERE. THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE THE FINAL BUDGET NUMBER FOR HFSC. UM, THE PLAN IS TO DO, I LOVE THIS ACRONYM, A PBJ, UM, A POST BUDGET JUSTIFICATION, BUT SOMEBODY WAS HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME WHEN THEY CAME UP WITH THAT ACRONYM, UH, PROCESS TO COME TO A 34.88 FINAL BUDGET FOR US. BUT THAT'S STILL IN THE PROCESS. SO TO KEEP THE ACCOUNTING CLEAN FOR DAVID AND SO THAT WE ARE IN THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING OURSELVES OUT OVER OUR SKIS AND OVERSPENDING SOMETHING AND ARE AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE WITH BUDGETS, WE WILL CONSIDER A 33.92 BUDGET TO MA MATCH WHAT THE CITY PASSED. AND THEN PROBABLY AT THE SEPTEMBER MEETING, WE WILL CONSIDER A 34.88 MILLION BUDGET. UM, THAT WILL BE THAT FINAL BUDGET NUMBER. SO THAT'S WHY. YES MA'AM. WHAT WAS OUR ORIGINAL REQUEST? OUR ORIGINAL, OH GEEZ. DAVID, WHAT? REMIND WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL REQUEST? 38. YEAH, 38. SO YES, ALL VERSIONS OF IT ARE LESS THAN, BUT WHICH KIND OF COMES UP TO ACTUALLY MY LAST SLIDE. OUR YEAR END CASH BALANCE WAS LARGER THAN WE ANTICIPATED. SO THAT HELPS MAKE UP SOME OF THAT GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING TO BE AT AND WHERE WE ENDED UP. UH, SO WITH THE FUNDS THAT THAT ADDS AND AT THAT 34.88, WE'LL WE'LL, WE'LL DO PRETTY OKAY. UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS FIREARMS ADDITIONS NOW SAID THIS MANY, MANY TIMES. THAT MEANS WE CAN ADD THREE ADDITIONAL FIREARMS EXAMINERS. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THREE ADDITIONAL FIREARMS EXAMINERS WILL BE IN PRODUCTION BY THE END OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THEY ARE TWO YEARS OUT WHEN WE START, ONCE WE HIRE 'EM, IT IS A VERY SOLID TWO YEAR ARC TO TRAIN 'EM. WE ARE TRYING TO TARGET ULTIMATELY 12 SIGNED OFF EXAMINERS. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE FIVE. WE'VE GOT FIVE THAT ARE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF TRAINING RIGHT NOW. UM, SO WITH THE ADDITIONAL THREE THAT'LL PUT US [00:10:01] ABOUT ON TARGET, BUT THE NEAREST OF THOSE ACTUALLY BEING SIGNED OFF AND PRODUCTIVE ARE STILL SIX, NINE MONTHS OUT ARE THE NEAREST OF THEM. AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN IN TRAINING FOR QUITE A WHILE. UH, WE WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE MOST ALL OF THOSE SUPPORT PERSONNEL ADDITIONS. UH, AND I THINK WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE ABLE TO HANDLE, UH, REPLACING SOME OF THE IT EQUIPMENT INSIDE OF THAT 34.88. SO WE, WE MANAGE MOST OF THE MAJOR RISKS THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT. WE ARE GONNA TAKE A PASS ON CSU. THIS IS KIND OF EXPECTED AND TOXICOLOGY GROWTH. WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE DO THAT. AND WHAT I WILL SAY THERE IS WE'VE GOT THE QTOF IN THE PROCESS OF DELIVERING AND WE HAVE A NEW TECHNICAL LEAD IN TOXICOLOGY. SO I THINK IT, WE'VE GOT A PERIOD HERE TO LOOK AND SEE HOW THAT ALL SHAKES OUT. 'CAUSE THAT MAY MODIFY ULTIMATELY WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN TOXICOLOGY. SO WHILE IT'S NOT GREAT, SURE, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO 38. I THINK IT WILL WORK. ALL RIGHT. AND IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IT IT'S, IT, IT DOES. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND TALKING ABOUT? YOU MENTIONED, UH, AN ACRONYM I DIDN'T TPO OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND. OH, Q TO, YEAH, THAT IS THE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY TANDEM, MASS SPECTROMETRY WITH TIME OF FLIGHT ACCURATE MASS. OH, OF COURSE I KNEW THAT. THANK YOU. . WE, WE HAVE TWO OF THOSE INSTRUMENTS. ONE OF THEM IS STILL IN ITS CRATE SITTING ON, UH, THE 18TH FLOOR FOR SEIZE DRUGS. UM, THAT ONE WAS PURCHASED UNDER COVERDALE FUNDING AND WE GOT THAT IN PLACE BECAUSE TESTING AND SEIZE DRUGS HAS BECOME MUCH MORE COMPLEX. THE QTOF GIVES US AN ABILITY TO, IT, IT SOUNDS BAD, BUT IT'S MUCH LESS SELECTIVE. IT, IT IS A MUCH BROADER DETECTOR THAT CAN DETECT MANY, MANY MORE DRUGS. UM, AND BECAUSE WE SEE MANY, MANY MORE DRUGS IN PILLS IN PARTICULAR, UM, SO THAT'S ONE OF THE INSTRUMENTS. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE WILL BE IN TOXICOLOGY BECAUSE AGAIN, WE SEE MANY, MANY MORE DRUGS THAT ARE USED PARTICULARLY IN DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS. UM, AND IT GIVES US BETTER ABILITY TO DETECT THOSE. NOW WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON IS WITH THE VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, WE'VE GOT SOME ELECTRICAL CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE ON THE 18TH FLOOR. WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO SCHEDULE THOSE BECAUSE WE'VE GOTTA SHIFT STUFF AROUND, ADD A NEW PANEL ON THE GENERATOR. UM, SO ONCE WE GET THAT DONE, THEN WE'LL START GETTING THE INSTRUMENTS INSTALLED. AS I WAS JUST JOKING WITH ANNA EARLIER, I REMEMBER BEING A SCIENTIST. NOW I THINK MOST OF WHAT I DO IS PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, HVAC AND FINANCE . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. LAST THING I HAVE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A LEGISLATIVE UPDATE. UM, PROBABLY THE MOST NOTABLE THING IS THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 1620. THAT IS THE TEXAS FOR FORENSIC ANALYST APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. AND IT'S A PILOT SCALE OF THAT THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED, TAKES EFFECT SEPTEMBER 1ST TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THAT IS THE FIRST PROGRAM LIKE THIS ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET. UM, IT'S PRETTY REMARKABLE. IT HAS ABOUT A FIVE ROUND, $5 MILLION FISCAL NOTE ATTACHED TO IT. SO THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME REAL MONEY FROM THE STATE FOR LABORATORIES. WE ARE TARGETING TO HAVE 18 NEW APPRENTICES IN THE STATE. UM, RIGHT NOW TALKING WITH, UH, T-D-C-A-A AND TP OR THE TEXAS, LET'S SEE, THAT'S TEXAS DISTRICT AND, UM, COUNTY, UH, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S ASSOCIATION. BASICALLY THE PROSECUTORS IN THE STATE AND TEXAS POLICE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, UH, AND TEXAS SHERIFFS OR TEXAS SHERIFFS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY SEE AS PAIN POINTS WITHIN THE LABORATORIES. TALK WITH THE LABORATORIES ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE AS THE PAIN POINTS, UH, SO THAT WE CAN BEST TARGET WHERE THOSE APPRENTICES SHOULD GO. THERE IS ALSO MONEY WITHIN SB 1620 FOR THE BIG UNIVERSITY PROGRAM, SAM, WELL, ACTUALLY ANY TEXAS UNIVERSITY PROGRAM, BUT TO HAVE THE UNIVERSITY'S HELP WITH THIS, UH, THIS IS ALL MANAGED THROUGH OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION AND TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION MANAGES THE WHOLE PROGRAM. SO WE'VE GOT AN EFFORT BETWEEN TFSC AND TAC LAB TO ESTABLISH WHAT ARE GOING TO BE THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES FOR LABORATORIES TO PARTICIPATE AND FOR APPRENTICES TO APPLY AND QUALIFY FOR THIS. UM, SO THERE'LL BE AN APPLICATION PROCESS, UH, BUT THAT'S, WE STARTED ALL OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS AT THE TFSC MEETING ON FRIDAY. SO THIS IS, THIS IS A PRETTY EXCITING THING. I'VE TALKED WITH ACTUALLY ABOUT A HALF DOZEN OTHER STATES ALREADY THAT ARE INTERESTED IN [00:15:01] WHAT HAS HAPPENED WITH THIS. 'CAUSE EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY IS STRUGGLING WITH RECRUITING, RETENTION, TRAINING OF FORENSIC PERSONNEL. AND THIS IS KIND OF A NEW WAY OF GOING AT IT. UM, SB 1660, BOTH SB 1620 AND 1660 WERE CARRIED BY, UM, SENATOR JOAN HUFFMAN, UM, WHICH SHE WAS EXTRAORDINARILY SUPPORTIVE. GOT A GIVE A LOT OF THANKS THERE. UH, I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT HER AND HER STAFF, BUT 1660 RELATES TO THE RETENTION AND PRESERVATION OF TOXICOLOGY EVIDENCE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO TOXICOLOGY OFFENSES, DUIS. THIS GOES TO THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ANCIENT BLOOD TUBES HOLDING THE FLOOR DOWN IN JUST HARRIS COUNTY ALONE. THEY ARE NO LONGER OF ANY SCIENTIFIC RELEVANCE, BUT THEY'RE COSTING ALL OF US MONEY TRYING TO STORE THEM. AND IT'S GOTTEN JAMMED UP BEHIND SOME KIND OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IN LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE FOR THE DISPOSITION OF THOSE. UM, SO THAT WAS PASSED AND I THINK SHOULD HELP. IT'S LIKE A LOT OF LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE THOUGH. THE, THE OLD ADAGE THAT YOU START OUT WITH A PROMISE OF A STEAK DINNER AND BY THE TIME YOU GET DONE, YOU GET SOMETHING CLOSER TO A COUPLE OF SARDINES ON A CRACKER. UM, IT DIDN'T GET QUITE AS FAR AS WE WOULD'VE LIKED, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S STILL BETTER THAN THE CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WE'RE AT. SO I THINK THAT SHOULD HELP AGENCIES BE ABLE TO MANAGE THOSE PILES OF BLOOD TUBES BETTER. AND THEN THC HAVE I MENTIONED I HATE THC UH, SB THREE AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MEDIA AROUND THIS THAT WAS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE AND THEN VETOED BY GOVERNOR ABBOTT, UM, IN HIS VETO PROCLAMATION AND ADDING IT TO THE SPECIAL SESSION, HE GAVE QUITE A FEW, UH, EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT PUSHED IT CLOSER TO SOMETHING THAT LOOKS MORE LIKE A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK THAN THE BAN OF THC THAT SB THREE WAS. SO SPECIAL SESSION BEGAN JULY 21ST. SB FIVE IS THE PRIMARY BILL THAT HAS TO DO WITH THC THAT WAS FILED IN THE SENATE. UH, SENATOR PERRY WAS THE ONE CARRYING IT IN THE SENATE. UM, IT HAD A HEARING ON JULY 22ND. IT WAS VOTED OUT OF SENATE, UH, STATE AFFAIRS ON THE 22ND FAVORABLY. UH, I THINK IT IS SCHEDULED FOR A SENATE VOTE TODAY OR TOMORROW. UM, I EXPECT IT'LL PASS THE SENATE SB FIVE IS VERY CLOSE TO SB THREE THAT WAS VETOED. IT HAS ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCES IN IT FOR EXEMPTIONS FOR SOME AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS LIKE HEMP SEED, A THING CALLED HEMP HERD AND HEMP FIBER. UH, BUT OTHERWISE IT IS BASICALLY IDENTICAL TO SB THREE. I SPENT HOURS IN THE SPEAKER OF HOUSES OFFICE AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE ON FRIDAY TALKING THROUGH ALL THINGS THC WITH THEM. LOTS AND LOTS OF REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS, BUT I HONESTLY HAVE NO CLUE HOW THIS IS GONNA SHAKE OUT AND WHAT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE THERE. UM, FOR THE FORENSIC LABORATORIES, WHAT WE HAVE TRIED TO HELP EXPLAIN IS WHERE WE END UP HAVING TO QUANTITATE DETERMINE A VALUE TO THE NUMBER OF HOW MUCH DELTA NINE OR ANY OF THE OTHER CANNABINOIDS ARE THERE. THAT'S WHERE IT STARTS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE FOR US. IF WE CAN DO IT, WHAT WE CALL QUALITATIVELY JUST UP OR DOWN, IS IT THERE IS MUCH EASIER FOR US TO DO. WE'RE NEVER GOING BACK TO THE DAYS THAT WE USED TO HAVE OF MARIJUANA THAT WERE CYSTO LITHIC HAIRS AND, UH, DUKE AND WAL LEVINE SCORED A COUPLE CHEMICALS ON IT TURNS PURPLE. IF IT'S GOT CANNABINOIDS. WE'RE NOT GOING BACK TO THAT. SO IT'S GONNA BE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WHAT WE USED TO DO, BUT AT LEAST IF IT'S QUALITATIVE, IT'S EASIER. YES MA'AM. WHAT'S THE REASON FOR NOT GOING BACK TO THAT? WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM? BECAUSE THE FEDERAL FARM ACT CREATED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, THE DEFINITION OF HEMP SEPARATE FROM MARIJUANA. YOU CAN'T DIFFERENTIATE HEMP FROM MARIJUANA THAT WAY BECAUSE BOTH HEMP AND MARIJUANA ARE CANNABIS SATIVA L THEY ARE THE SAME PLANT, SO THEY HAVE THE SAME MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. THEY'RE GONNA DO THE SAME THING IN A DUKE AND W TURN PURPLE. UM, SO I, I REALLY CAN'T SAY WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. I I THINK THEY HAVE AT LEAST UNDERSTOOD THAT IF FORENSIC LABORATORIES HAVE TO QUANTITATE, THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE RESOURCES 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA GET MORE EXPENSIVE AND THIS WHOLE THING DOESN'T WORK WITHOUT ENFORCEMENT WORKING. BUT BEYOND THAT, NO [00:20:01] CLUE. BUT IT COULD HAVE SOME SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR US DEPENDING ON WHAT PASSES, IF ANYTHING PASSES. AND IF NOTHING PASSES, THAT HAS IMPLICATIONS TOO, BECAUSE IF NOTHING PASSES, THAT LEAVES US WITH THE GRAY STICKY MESS THAT WE'VE GOT RIGHT NOW. SO THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT. ANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ATTEMPT TO ANSWER? ALL RIGHT, THANKS Y'ALL. THANK OH, OKAY. SINCE DR. SP UH, STOUT JUST SPOKE ABOUT THE 26TH BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 26, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT ONE FIRST. OKAY. SO ALL THOSE THINGS THAT HE TALKED ABOUT, BUT LET'S, UH, PUT SOME NUMBERS TO IT. I'LL ASK YOU TO VOTE TO APPROVE THE NEW BUDGET. WE'VE GOT A STANDING BUDGET, BUT, UH, IT WAS TOO BIG, SO I NEED TO GET A NEW ONE APPROVED. SO WE WILL LOOK AT THE APPROVED BUDGET, WE'LL LOOK AT THE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE, THE BUDGET THAT YOU GUYS APPROVED THE LAST TIME WE MET TOGETHER. UH, WE'LL LOOK AT THE NEW BUDGET, WHICH I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE. AND THEN THE CHANGES BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, WHICH DR. STOUT TALKED ABOUT AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL. SO HERE, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS CHART, WHAT YOU SEE IS, YOU SEE THE FIRST SET OF NUMBERS IS THE CURRENTLY, UH, THE, THE BUDGET THAT YOU APPROVED LAST TIME. IT'S THE STANDING APPROVED BUDGET. YOU SEE ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS THAT WE SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH THIS YEAR. UH, AND THEN NEXT TO THAT YOU'LL SEE THE BUDGET THAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE THE CHANGE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM. UH, THE STANDING BUDGET IS 38 MILLION. THE NEW ONE THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE IS ALMOST 34, 33 9. THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE ANOTHER 900,000 THAT SHOULD BE COMING. BUT, UH, DON'T WANT TO GET THAT APPROVED UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HAVE IT. UH, AND, AND THE CHANGE IN THAT. SO THE BUDGET THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE IS A 6% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR. NOT AS MUCH AS WE'D ASKED FOR PREVIOUSLY, BUT STILL IN TODAY'S WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN, THAT'S STILL A MEANINGFUL NUMBER FOR US. THE THINGS THAT WERE SPECIFICALLY APPROVED IS THE 425,000 FOR THE LEASE, BECAUSE IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WE WEREN'T IN A FULL YEAR LEASE ON THE PROPERTY ROOM. NOW WE'RE GONNA BE IN A FULL YEAR LEASE. SO WE NEED MORE MONEY TO PAY FOR THAT. UH, I'LL SKIP THE ITEM THAT I CALLED SHORTFALL FOR NOW. AND THEN THEY ALSO SPECIFICALLY APPROVED WHAT WE HAD REQUESTED TO DO FOR FIREARMS. THAT BEING OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY SPECIFICALLY APPROVED THE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE AND THE TRAINING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. THAT'S THE 492. NOW, WHEN I TO EXPLAIN THE SHORTFALL, THAT IS WHEN WE STARTED OFF THE YEAR, WE STARTED OFF WITH A LITTLE OVER $2 MILLION. SO AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE ALWAYS TRY TO PLAN TO GET AS CLOSE TO ZERO AS WE CAN. IT DOESN'T DO US ANY GOOD OR THE CITIZENS ANYTHING FOR US TO HOLD ON TO MONEY. YOU WANT TO APPLY THE FUNDS THAT WE'RE GIVEN TO DO THE WORK THAT THEY NEED DONE. RIGHT? UM, HOPEFULLY WE NEVER ACTUALLY GET TO ZERO BECAUSE I'LL PASS OUT, BUT WE, WE TRY TO GET CLOSE. OKAY? UM, SO WHEN I DO THE ORIGINAL BUDGET, I'M FORECASTING ESTIMATING, RIGHT? UH, FIVE MONTHS OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. SO THAT'S, THAT'S A PRETTY BIG NOT GUESS, BUT ESTIMATE. SO NOW I'M PROBABLY 98, 90 9% SURE WHERE WE FINISHED THE YEAR. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE FINISHED THE YEAR IN CASH. SO I WAS ORIGINALLY ESTIMATING THAT WE WOULD GET DOWN TO A LITTLE UNDER A MILLION DOLLARS IN CASH. UH, WE ENDED UP WITH A LITTLE OVER 2 MILLION IN CASH. SO THAT MOVES INTO THE CURRENT YEAR. THE REASON THAT HAPPENED IS A LOT OF THE OUTSOURCING THAT F BIO HAD DONE, ACTUALLY A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF OUTSOURCING DIDN'T GET DONE IN THE YEAR. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY THAT BECAUSE IT WASN'T DONE YET. AND THEN ALSO WITH ALL THE THINGS GOING ON WITH THE PROPERTY ROOM AND STUFF LIKE THAT, WE HAD MONEY THAT WE WERE GOING TO SPEND THIS YEAR IN THE TRANSITION ONE TIME CHARGES. THAT'S MOVING TO FISCAL YEAR 26. SO THOSE CHANGES, UH, RESULT IN A, IN A MOVEMENT OF HOW MUCH MONEY WE NEEDED. SO, UH, FROM A BOARD MEMBER STANDPOINT, WHAT I BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT IS EVERYTHING THAT WE SAID THAT WE WANTED TO DO, AS DR. STOUT MENTIONED WITH A BUDGET THAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE, WE STILL BELIEVE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THAT EXCEPT CSU. THAT WAS A LITTLE OVER A MILLION DOLLARS. WE'VE GOT A PUNT [00:25:01] ON THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA GET PUSHED. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, UH, WITH THE WAY WE ACTUALLY FINISHED THE YEAR AND, UH, THE ESTIMATES THAT HAVE COME IN AND, AND MY BEST ESTIMATE ON WHERE WE'LL BE, WE'RE STILL GOING TO TAKE A, A LEGITIMATE SHOT AT GETTING ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS DONE. OKAY? BIG PICTURE NOW FOR APPROVAL, WHAT I HAVE TO DO IS I HAVE TO GET LINE ITEM APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD. SO I, SO RIGHT HERE IS THE SUMMARY OF THE YELLOW LINE IS WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE. UH, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE ACTUALLY FINISH THE YEAR. IT STILL SAYS FORECAST BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE SOME MORE CHANGES THAT COME IN, BUT IT'S PRETTY CLOSE TO BEING FINALIZED. YOU SEE WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE HERE IN A MINUTE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BUDGET AT, AT A HIGHER LEVEL, WHICH, YOU KNOW, ALL PAYROLL, ALL SUPPLIES, RIGHT? AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THE CHANGE AND THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CHANGE. OKAY? SO JUST BECAUSE THAT'S HIGH LEVEL BEFORE I SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL LINE ITEM, YOU KNOW, THE 200 LINE ITEMS, ANY QUESTIONS ON, ON WHAT, WHAT HAS CHANGED AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE ASKED FOR YOUR APPROVAL? OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO TO GET IT IN THE RECORD, WHAT I'M ASKING YOU TO VOTE ON IS THESE NEXT, UH, FOUR OR FIVE SLIDES, WHICH IS THE DETAIL OF THE SUMMARY THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU. IT'S A COLUMN THAT SAYS FY 26 BUDGET. IT INCLUDES THE AMOUNT THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE CITY FOR US, AND THEN EVERY LINE ITEM, WHICH IS HOW WE HAVE TO HAVE APPROVAL BY LINE ITEM. SO WE'RE NOT, WE DON'T OVERSPEND ANY SPECIFIC LINE ITEM. YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION, I CAN GO THROUGH IT, IT UH, I MEAN IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT THIS IS THE ACTUAL BUDGET THAT WILL GO ON THE RECORD THAT I WILL THEN MEASURE AGAINST ON A LINE ITEM FOR FISCAL YEAR 26. SO AT THAT, I'LL ANSWER QUESTIONS OR ASK FOR, UM, YOU TO APPROVE THE NEW FISCAL YEAR 26 BUDGET. NO QUESTIONS. OH, SORRY. UM, I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED FISCAL YEAR. SORRY, I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REVISED FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET. MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. MEMBERS PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME. AT THIS POINT WE'LL HAVE A VOICE VOTE. OKAY, WE'LL DO IT AS A GROUP. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED, NAY. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, LET ME UH, MOVE NOW TO THE, UH, ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FISCAL YEAR 25. SO WE'RE GOING BACKWARDS. SO AS I JUST STATED, WE, I NEED TO HAVE, UH, ON RECORD A LINE ITEM, UH, WHERE WE DO NOT OVERSPEND ANY SINGLE LINE ITEM IN OUR, UM, P AND L, OUR PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT. SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHEN WE PUT THE BUDGET TOGETHER AND I PRESENT IT TO YOU 12 MONTHS PASSES, UM, I'M A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH IN SOME LINE ITEMS. I'M NOT ENOUGH IN OTHERS. SO THIS, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS NET CHANGE IS ZERO. OKAY? I'M JUST MOVING THINGS AROUND AND ALSO THE MAIN THINGS THAT MOVE AROUND, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, IS WHEN WE PREPARE THE INITIAL BUDGET, WE PUT IN 1,000,006 FOR GRANT. SO YOU HAVE REVENUE OF 1,000,006. THAT'S ABOUT WHAT WE GET IN GRANTS TYPICALLY. AND THEN DOWN AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE P AND L, THERE'S AN EXPENSE FOR 1,000,006 AS A YEAR GOES BY, WE SPEND THAT IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SO WHAT I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HERE IS MOVING FROM THE BIG BUCKET INTO THE INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM. SO EACH INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM WORKS. SAME THING HAPPENED WITH ARPA MONEY. WE HAD 1,000,003 OF ARPA MONEY HAD A BIG BUCKET DOWN AT THE BOTTOM. WE ACTUALLY SPEND THE MONEY, I'VE GOTTA MOVE THAT MONEY WHERE IT WAS ACTUALLY SPENT. OKAY? ANY QUESTIONS ON CONCEPTUALLY WHAT WE DO? AND WE'LL DO THIS EVERY YEAR. ALRIGHT, THIS IS JUST WHAT HAPPENS. OKAY? SO AGAIN, THIS IS JUST A REALLOCATION, NOTHING'S CHANGED IN TOTAL. AGAIN, I SHOW IN THIS AND GET IT ON THE RECORD. IT'S INDI EVERY INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM ON THE P AND L. THE FIRST COLUMN IS WHAT IS THE STANDING FISCAL YEAR 25 APPROVED BUDGET BY THE BOARD. AND THEN I SHOW YOU WHERE THE ACTUAL MONEY FOR THE GRANT WAS SPENT. WE GOT 1,000,653 IN GRANT MONEY. VERY HELPFUL. UM, WE RECEIVED ALMOST 1,000,004 IN ARPA MONEY. AND THEN YOU SEE ALL THE LINE ITEMS WHERE THE ARPA MONEY WAS SPENT DURING THE YEAR. AND THEN THE ADJUSTMENTS ARE JUST WHERE I NEEDED TO MOVE MONEY FROM ONE POCKET TO THE OTHER POCKET TO MAKE EACH INDIVIDUAL LINE WORK OUT. AND THEN THE LAST COLUMN IS WHAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE SO I CAN GET IT ON RECORD FOR THE FISCAL, FOR THE BOARD APPROVED FISCAL YEAR 25 BUDGET. AND THEN AGAIN, YOU SEE [00:30:01] EACH ACCOUNT ON THE P AND L AND WHEN THE ACTUAL FINAL NUMBERS ROLL THROUGH, I SHOULD BE FINE AND THAT I HAVEN'T ON ANY INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM OVERSPENT ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? OKAY. THEN I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST, UH, I'LL NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REALLOCATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET. MOTION. SECOND. OKAY, I'LL HAVE A VOICE VOTE AT THIS TIME. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? PASSES. MADAM CHAIRMAN, MAY I JUST MAKE ONE COMMENT? SURE. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR TAKING A VERY COMPLEX FINANCIAL STATEMENT AND MAKING IT SO I CAN UNDERSTAND IT. THIS IS NOT MY EXPERTISE AND YOU HAVE DONE IT IN SUCH A WAY BOTH WITH YOUR SLIDES, BUT VERBALLY ALSO. AND I JUST AM GRATEFUL FOR YOU DOING THAT. SO I KNOW WHAT I'M VOTING FOR AND THAT I TRULY UNDERSTAND IT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU GUYS. OKAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? THANK YOU. THAT WAS A VERY APPROPRIATE THING TO SAY. I THINK WE ALL AGREE. THANK YOU MR. LEACH, FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND KEEPING THE CORPORATION'S FINANCES IN GOOD ORDER. WE'RE NOW GOING TO PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM EIGHT. CALL FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? UN SECOND. CAN I GET YOUR MIC? SORRY. SECOND. THANK YOU. UNMUTE YOUR MICS. OOPS. ALL IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNING, SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED SAY NAY. MOTION CARRIES. PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. AND BEFORE I ANNOUNCE THAT WE'RE ADJOURNED, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING FLEXIBLE AND CHANGING SCHEDULES SO THAT WE COULD MEET TODAY AND PARTICULARLY TO STAFF. IT MEANS THE GREAT YOU TO GET IT DONE. WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE. THANK YOU MR. LEACH. UM, HAVE THE REST OF A GOOD SUMMER ADJOURNED. * 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.