Sep 25, 2026 Special City Council

[I. CALL TO ORDER, CALL OF ROLL]

[00:00:06]

RIGHT. THE TIME IS 4 P.M. I'LL CALL THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING THE LAGO VISTA CITY

[II. EXECUTIVE SESSION (Part 1 of 2)]

ATTORNEY CLIENT ADVICE IS NECESSARY. I HAVE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS EXCEPT COUNSEL CHAVARRIA, WHO IS ON HER WAY. COUNCIL MEMBERS OR ANY OF THESE ITEMS THAT YOU EXPLICITLY WANT TO DISCUSS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. TIME IS 419. WE ARE COMING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE'VE

[III. ACTION ON EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS (Part 1 of 2)]

[Items VI.1 - VI.3]

A COPY OF THE CITY'S PROPOSED BUDGET MAY BE LOCATED IN THE CITY'S HOMEPAGE OF ITS WEBSITE AND TWO TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE MEDIAN VALUE HOMESTEAD PROPERTY, A COMPARISON OF THE CURRENT PROPERTY TAX BILL AND DOLLARS PERTAINING TO THE PROPERTY FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. FISCAL YEAR 2526. AN ESTIMATE OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS ADOPTED FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR 2627. AN ESTIMATE OF A BALANCED BUDGET AT THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL 2627 IS BELOW. ITEM TWO DISCUSSION. CONSIDERATION.

POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NUMBER 26-2223. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS RATIFYING THE INCREASE IN TOTAL PROPERTY TAX REVENUE REFLECTED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 2627 BUDGET, AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 1 OR 2.007 C OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE AND ITEM THREE DISCUSSION CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 26-09-17-02. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA, TEXAS, LEVYING AD VALOREM TAXES FOR USE IN SUPPORT OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST, 2026 AND TERMINATING SEPTEMBER 27TH, PROVIDING FOR APPORTIONING EACH LEVY FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES AND PROVIDING WITH TAXES SHALL BECOME DUE. AND WHEN SOME SHALL BECOME DELINQUENT, IF NOT PAID.

SO I'VE OPENED EACH OF THOSE ITEMS, BUT I'M GOING TO GO INTO SORT OF HOW WE GOT HERE. I GUESS, AS THOSE OF YOU WHO DO OR DO NOT KNOW, LAST THURSDAY, A BUDGET, TAX RATE AND BUDGET WERE REVIEWED AND APPROVED. MR. JUSTICE HALL HAS REQUESTED THAT WE COME BACK AND LOOK AT IT, THAT THERE ARE THREE OF US THAT VOTED AGAINST IT. HE WANTED TO SEE AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET.

WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS WHAT THOSE COULD BE HERE TODAY TO GET THIS GOING, THOUGH. FIRST, I'M GOING TO START WITH CITIZEN COMMENTS. SO I'M GOING TO START CALLING FOLKS UP HERE. YOU GET WE HAVE A TIMER FOR TONIGHT. WE'LL HAVE A TIMER. I'M GOING TO START WITH MICHAEL DESOUSA.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. SO SHANE, I DON'T THINK I CAN TALK AS FAST AS YOU CAN, BUT I'LL TRY.

MY NAME IS MIKE DESOUSA. I'M HERE TO DISCUSS THE FISCAL 27 GOLF COURSE BUDGET AND ASK YOU TO FUND THE INCREDIBLE FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US. I LIVE ON THE GOLF COURSE, SERVE ON THE GOLF COURSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND AM THANKFUL THAT LAGO OWNS A

[00:05:02]

THIS IGNORES THE FACTS ON THE GROUND AND IS NOT A COMMON SENSE DECISION FOR THE GOLF COURSE. WHY? BECAUSE IT PREVENTS TARGETED 27 INVESTMENTS THAT WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR EXPECTED GOLF COURSE PROFITABILITY IN 28. HERE ARE TWO RELEVANT FACTS THAT ARE BEING IGNORED WITH THIS BUDGET PROCESS. FIRST, 2027 IS GOING TO BE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD THAN 26 DUE TO THE COMPLETION OF THE IRRIGATION PROJECT THIS DECEMBER, THERE WILL BE A WHOLE NEW SET OF EXPENSE CHALLENGES WITH ADDITIONAL TURF MANAGEMENT AND GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE THAT COMES WITH THE GREENED UP GOLF COURSE. IN ADDITION TO THE RESOURCES REQUIRED TO SUPPORT ALL THE INCREASED TRAFFIC AND ROUNDS PLAYED. SO OUR SECOND, THE 26 BUDGET, I BELIEVE, IS AN INVALID BENCHMARK BECAUSE SIGNIFICANT 26 BUDGET REQUESTS WERE DEFERRED TO 27. SO NOW WE'RE ARBITRARILY REDUCING 27 BUDGET FROM AN ARTIFICIALLY LOW 26 LEVELS. THAT WILL PUT EXPECTED FISCAL YEAR 28 PROFITABILITY AT RISK. WE BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHT QUESTION FOR COUNCIL TO WEIGH IS WHETHER EACH ADDITIONAL BUDGET DOLLAR WILL PRODUCE A STRONGER NET RESULT THAN A CUT, THANKS TO THE IRRIGATION PROJECT, WE EXPECT MORE ROUNDS PLAYED, WHICH MEANS MUCH MORE REVENUE, MANY MORE FEES AND OTHER REVENUE STREAMS. HIGHER NET REVENUE WILL ELIMINATE THE COURSE'S RELIANCE ON CITY SUBSIDIES, PROTECT CUTS TO OTHER CITY SERVICES, AND LESSEN PRESSURE FOR FUTURE PROPERTY TAX INCREASES. WE ARE ASKING COUNCIL TO GIVE SUBSTANTIAL WEIGHT TO THE DOCUMENTED REQUEST OF AN EXPERIENCED GOLF COURSE MANAGER, RATHER THAN TO IMPOSE ARBITRARY, ACROSS THE BOARD CUTS DEVELOPED BY THOSE WITHOUT THAT EXPERTISE. WE RESPECTFULLY SUGGEST THAT YOU WEIGH YOUR GOLF COURSE BUDGET DECISIONS BASED ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO EXPECTED FY 28 PROFITABILITY. ADDITIONALLY, WE SUGGEST THAT YOU MEET WITH GREG SAUL ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO REVIEW HIS PROGRESS TOWARDS BUDGET, REVENUE METRICS, COURSE CONDITIONS, AND FUTURE NEEDS.

THIS WILL ENABLE MUCH BETTER DECISION MAKING FOR FUTURE BUDGET CYCLES. THANK YOU AND GODSPEED. THANK YOU. NEXT I HAVE MIKE ZEIDEL. MY NAME IS MIKE ZEIDEL. GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I'M HERE TO SPEAK TO THE GOLF COURSE AS WELL. AND THE THE GOLF COURSE IS UNIQUE AMONG CITY DEPARTMENTS. IT HAS A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT IT'S DOING. ONE IS BEING AN AFFLUENT DISPOSAL SITE, HOPEFULLY. AND ALSO PROVIDES RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CITIZENS AND VISITORS TO OUR FAIR CITY. AND IN RECENT YEARS. THE GOLF OPERATIONS HAVE.

GOTTEN INTO A DOWNWARD TREND WHERE THEY REDUCE THEIR RELIANCE ON THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT'S BEEN MOVING POSITIVELY FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING.

AND THAT'S IN LARGE RESPECT TO GREG SAUL AND HIS STAFF THAT HE'S I'M SURPRISED HE CAN OPERATE WITH AS LITTLE RESOURCES AS HE HAS, QUITE HONESTLY. SO WITH THESE PLANNED

[00:10:03]

STANDING IN THE GOLFING COMMUNITY. WHEN I MOVED HERE, IT WAS A GREAT TRACK. WE HAD TWO GREAT GOLF COURSES, QUITE HONESTLY, AND I THINK WE IF WE GET IT BACK, WE CAN NOT ONLY PROVIDE THE CITIZENS WITH. FOR A PLACE TO HAVE FUN AND RECREATION, DRAW MORE REVENUE INTO THE CITY FROM PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIVE HERE AND BE ABLE TO, MAYBE WE CAN ADEQUATELY HANDLE M DONE. SO. OH, THE LAST THING IS, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PAY A COUPLE HUNDRED BUCKS EXTRA IF IT IF IT HAD ENDED UP ON MY TAX BILL. SO GO FOR IT, YOU KNOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP I HAVE LARRY RUSSELL. MR. MAYOR COUNCIL. GOOD AFTERNOON. I GUESS MY MY TEXT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT TODAY. YOU MAY EXPECT GOLF FROM ME, BUT THAT'S NOT IT. I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WHY ARE WE HAVING THIS MEETING? YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A MEETING LAST WEEK. THE BUDGET WAS DISCUSSED.

IT WAS RATIFIED, THE TAX RATE WAS DISCUSSED AND RATIFIED. AND YET NOW WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER MEETING ON THE SAME TOPICS. TO ME, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S WASTEFUL OF STAFF RESOURCES, TAXPAYER MONEY AND ALL THAT TO HOLD THESE MEETINGS WHEN IN FACT IT'S DONE. THERE WERE THREE MAIN VOTES. ONE GAVE A JUSTIFICATION, MR. MAYOR, DID I HEARD NOTHING FROM THE OTHER TWO. I DID GO LISTEN TO THE MEETING. I HEARD NOTHING FROM THE OTHER TWO AS TO WHY THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE BUDGET, WHY THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE TAX RATE. NOW, IN ALL FAIRNESS, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION BEYOND THIS. I HAVE NOT BEEN FOLLOWING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS, AND SO THERE MAY HAVE BEEN THAT DISCUSSION THERE, BUT IT DIDN'T COME OUT IN THE MEETING THAT I WAS WATCHING, WHICH WAS THE MEETING ON THE TAX RATES. SO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I AND SO NOW THEN, THIS IS CONSIDERING YET ANOTHER BUDGET DISCUSSION. I HEARD A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT HOW RUSH THE PROCESS WAS AND HOW CRAMMED IT WAS. AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GO BACK AND TRY THAT AGAIN AND TRY TO DO IT ON EVEN A SHORTER TIME FRAME DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME WHATSOEVER. AND I THINK IT'S RATHER ABSURD TO TAKE THAT APPROACH. AND FRANKLY, I THINK IT WOULD BE A INSULT TO THE STAFF THAT SPENT ALL THAT TIME TO THE TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT SPENT A LOT OF TIME, AND NORMA'S HUSBAND, WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND BY ALL ACCOUNTS, A HERCULEAN EFFORT TO GET A BUDGET TOGETHER, A BALANCED BUDGET WITH THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, ALL THAT WAS APPROVED. AND NOW WE WANT TO DO IT AGAIN.

SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS PROCESS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS BEING DONE AGAIN. IT WAS DONE. MOVE ON. MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE. GO ON. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NEXT I HAVE MR. DAVID MONTGOMERY SCOTT AND HE HAS TIME DONATED FROM DENISE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR.

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. LAST TIME I SPOKE HERE, I PROMISED NOT TO DO THIS WITH ANY REGULARITY. I'M GOING TO STICK TO THAT PROMISE, I PROMISE. SOMETIMES I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SORT OF LOOK BACK A LITTLE BIT TO GET PERSPECTIVE OF MOVING FORWARD. AND SO I

[00:15:01]

OF THOSE SEVEN ITEMS THAT I'VE JUST INDICATED, $133,700. COMPARE THAT TO LAST FISCAL YEAR, THIS COUNCIL APPROVED BUDGETING TWO ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT FULLY BURDENED THEIR SALARY PLUS BENEFITS A LITTLE OVER $131,000. SOME EXPENDITURES TURN OUT TO BE INVESTMENTS. SOME OF THOSE INVESTMENTS ACTUALLY PAY DIVIDENDS, AS IS THE CASE HERE. BEYOND THOSE PROJECTS THAT I LISTED, THERE ARE ANOTHER NINE THAT ARE LISTED FOR WHICH QUOTES WERE NOT RECEIVED. SO THE COST I COULD NOT INDICATE, BUT ONE IMPORTANT ONE, BECAUSE THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT COST ASSOCIATED THAT WHEN THOSE TWO STAFF WERE BUDGETED, IT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY VEHICLES FOR THEM, DIDN'T INCLUDE TRAILERS FOR THEM, DIDN'T INCLUDE MOWERS FOR THEM. THE DEPARTMENT SCRAMBLED, FOUND THOSE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, RETROFITTED SOME EXISTING EQUIPMENT FOR REUSE. AGAIN, THEY DID THAT ONLY AT THE COST OF REPAIRS, MOSTLY PERFORMED BY STAFF INTERNALLY. SO AGAIN, EMPHASIZES THE FACT THAT SOME EXPENDITURES TURN OUT TO BE INVESTMENTS. AND SO SOME THINGS THAT WE THINK WE'RE SPENDING ON, WE REALLY ARE GETTING OUR MONEY PLUS BACK. THE OTHER THING IS DURING LAST YEAR'S FISCAL YEAR, THE BUDGET DISCUSSION, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL TALKED ABOUT WAS THE IDEA OF INCENTIVIZING STAFF'S ABILITY TO SAVE MONEY, GENERATE REVENUE, ETC. SO I'VE GIVEN YOU THREE EXAMPLES IN WHICH THAT OCCURRED IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. SO THE FIRST IS SUNSET PARK. THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SEPTIC LEACH FIELD BETWEEN THE TWO BASEBALL

[00:20:03]

CONTACTED PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTORS. RATHER THAN DOING THAT, ONE OF THE CITY'S OWN STAFF, CURTIS JEFFREY, OUT OF THE WASTEWATER WATER DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT THERE, INSTEAD PURSUED HIS CERTIFICATION IN IN SEPTIC AND SAVED THE CITY THAT $20,000. THAT SHOULD BE INCENTIVIZED. SECONDLY, A NUMBER OF THE PROJECTS THAT I IDENTIFIED ABOVE WERE PRIMARILY HANDLED BY MICHAEL GARRISON, WHO IS A MAINTENANCE STAFF MEMBER, REMEMBER EARNING $20 AN HOUR. HE SAVED IN TOTAL SOMETHING IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT $60,000 FOR HIS EFFORTS IRRIGATION, WELDING, ETC. ALL OF THOSE THINGS. THEN FINALLY, A LOWLY UTILITY BILLING CLERK LOOKED AT THE FACT THAT THE CITY HAD AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF DELINQUENT UTILITY ACCOUNTS, THE VALUE OF WHICH EXCEEDS $200,000, AND SO MADE THE SIMPLE PROPOSAL TO HAVE THOSE TURNED OVER TO COLLECTIONS IN PURSUIT OF THOSE FUNDS. ZERO COST TO THE CITY. THE CONTRACTOR WOULD SIMPLY RETAIN 30% OF WHATEVER IS RECOVERED. BOTTOM LINE FOR $22 AN HOUR EMPLOYEE. IF THEY RECOVERED A FRACTION OF THOSE, THEY'RE FULLY BURDENED RATE WOULD BE PAID FOR. AGAIN, AN EMPHASIS ON YOU ENCOURAGE SAVINGS. YOU ENCOURAGE INVESTMENT. YOU ENCOURAGE A WISE USE OF TIME AND EXPENDITURE OF MONEY. THE REALITY IS, IS IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY WITHIN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, I THINK YOU'LL SEE THAT. AND SO CONSIDER THAT AS YOU LOOK AT THE DETAILS OF THE BUDGET GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. PAUL ROBERTS. GOOD EVENING. I DIDN'T COME UP WITH A SCRIPT OR ANYTHING. AND JUST A FEW QUESTIONS, IF I MAY, AT THE I REMEMBER AT THE LAST THE BUDGET YOU GUYS APPROVED, THERE WAS A 50. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. I THINK THERE WAS A $50,000 LINE ITEM IN THERE TO DO A, TO PAY SOMEBODY TO COME UP WITH A PROPOSAL FOR DEVELOPING DAWN DRIVE. IS THAT ACCURATE? YES IT IS. OKAY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE MY RECOLLECTION IS CORRECT. OKAY. WITH THAT BEING THE CASE, I THINK THAT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA, I REALLY DO. I DON'T THINK YOU'RE EVER GOING TO SEE A MIXED USE DOMAIN COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON DAWN DRIVE. THAT'S NOT THE RETAIL CENTER OF LAGO VISTA. PEOPLE WANT TRAFFIC, FOOT TRAFFIC, ROAD TRAFFIC. THE PLACE FOR THAT IS OVER ON BRONCO LANE. KEEP THE $50,000 IN THE BUDGET, BUT DON'T PUT IT FOR THAT. THAT STUDY PUT LEAVE THE $50,000 IN THERE FOR THE EDC TO USE TO GO TRY AND TRY TO FIND MATCHING GRANT MONEY. LET THEM. OKAY. THANKS. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM. LAST YEAR, I GOT $10,000 ADDED TO THE BUDGET TO USE FOR MARKETING SO THAT WE COULD, AS A CITY, GO AND FIND A THIRD PARTY TO MAKE A MARKETING PROPOSAL TO COME AND MAKE A PROPOSAL. AND I THINK YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, HE SAID ON THE LOW END, $4,500 ON THE HIGH END, $10,000. AND HE WOULD SAY, THIS IS WHAT I COULD DO FOR YOU GUYS IF YOU WANTED TO HIRE ME. IF THAT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET, YOU'RE REVISITING IT TONIGHT, INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET. FIND THE MONEY SOMEWHERE WE NEED TO MARKET LAGO VISTA. WE ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE INDUSTRY IN LAGO VISTA. IN MY OPINION. WE ARE A SERVICE ECONOMY. THAT MEANS YOU'VE GOT TO BRING TOURISM TOURISTS IN. YOU HAVE TO GET THAT AD VALOREM TAX, THE SALES TAX, EVERYTHING. TOURIST. TOURISM. TOURISM. TOURISM, LAGO FEST. BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL.

SOMETHING. ANYWAY, LAST THING THE 15000. YOU KNOW, FOR SEVERAL YEARS MR. PRINCE AND I FOUGHT TO GET. I SHOULDN'T SAY WE FOUGHT. EVERYBODY WAS IN AGREEMENT TO GET $15,000 ITEM ADDED TO THE PARKS AND REC BUDGET TO DEVELOP POCKET PARKS. IS THAT IN THE BUDGET STILL THE $15,000, IS IT DID YOU REMOVE THE WORD POCKET FROM IT? BUT IT'S STILL IN THERE. SAME INTENT. NO. PLEASE CONSIDER THAT QUALITY OF LIFE AMENITIES. WE NEED THOSE IN LAGO VISTA. IT KEEPS PEOPLE HERE, OUR ECONOMIC ANCHORS LIKE OUR GOLF COURSE. IT KEEPS PEOPLE HERE. YOU DON'T WANT TRANSIENT HOME OWNERSHIP. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO STAY HERE, TO BECOME INVESTED HERE, TO LOVE THEIR CITY, TO NOT GO TO OTHER CITIES, TO ENJOY THEIR PARKS. WE NEED THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE AMENITIES HERE. PEOPLE STAY. THEY LOVE THE CITY. THEY GET INVOLVED. THEY INVEST. THEY START BUSINESSES. THANKS. THANK YOU. HINES. GOT TWO QUESTIONS. ONE IS IN THE BUDGET WHERE YOU HAVE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES EXPENSES. CAN THOSE BE USED FOR THIRD PARTY AND FOR STAFF

[00:25:07]

EVERY YEAR, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, WE HAVE INVESTED IN THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THIS VALUABLE ASSET. PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT REVENUE WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AS IMPROVEMENTS PROGRESS. I APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE CITY BUDGET. AS CITY REVENUE HAS DECREASED DUE TO DECLINING PROPERTY VALUES, I AM IN AGREEMENT TO INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAX RATE. OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND TAXES ON OUR PROPERTY HAVE DECREASED, CAUSING THE DECLINE IN REVENUE. THEREFORE, AN APPROXIMATE $100 PER HOME INCREASE IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY IN MY OPINION, TO KEEP UP WITH OUR GROWTH. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE GOLF COURSE IS A GREAT RESOURCE TO HELP WITH THE DECREASED REVENUE.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE GOLF COURSE EFFORTS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I HAVE CHRISTY BLYSTONE. HEY GUYS. THANK YOU. I'M CHRISTY BLYSTONE, PRESIDENT OF THE LAGO VISTA UNITED BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY AT THE UPPER FIELD GOES BACK MORE THAN 26 YEARS.

WE HAVE ASSIGNED WE'VE HAD A SIGNED AGREEMENT AS OF JANUARY 21ST OF 2000, AS COUNCIL CONSIDERS CHANGES TO THE PARKS AND REC BUDGET AND STAFFING, I WANT TO ASK THAT YOU PROTECT CONTINUITY FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS THAT USE THE CITY FIELDS. OUR MOST RECENT UPPER FIELD CONTRACT EXPIRED IN JANUARY 2025, AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LEAGUE'S PRESENT PREVIOUS LEADERSHIP HAD BEEN WORKING TO RENEW IT SINCE THEN. WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT, I CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE FORMER PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR. HE TOLD US THE AGREEMENT WOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE HE LEFT IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, BUT WE HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED IT. WE'VE CONTINUED MAINTAINING THE FIELDS AND THE SURROUNDING GROUNDS WHILE WE WAIT. A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WOULD HELP US PLAN FIELD USE, UPKEEP AND OUR SEASONS. I DID SPEAK WITH YOU, MAYOR SOM, THIS WEEK AND HE TOLD ME, OR YOU TOLD ME THAT WE ANTICIPATED FOLLOWING UP WITH CITY ATTORNEY AND PUTTING THE AGREEMENT ON THE OCTOBER 1ST 26 AGENDA. IF THE COUNCIL ACTION IS NEEDED. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE EFFORT TO AVOID RAISING COSTS FOR TAXPAYERS WHEN SO MANY FAMILIES ARE FEELING FINANCIAL PRESSURE. I ADMIRE THE GOAL OF HOLDING THE LINE. AS I UNDERSTAND ESD AND ISD ARE TRYING TO DO. REVIEWING EXPENSES AND CONSIDERING WHETHER COMBINING DEPARTMENTS OR CHANGING ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES WOULD BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND BUDGET ARE WORTHWHILE EFFORTS. I HOPE AND EXPECT THAT ANY CHANGES TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION WILL PRESERVE SUPPORT FOR YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH WHOEVER FILLS IT AND WHATEVER ROLE IT IS. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COUNCIL, THAT CONTRACT WILL BE ON THE OCTOBER 1ST AGENDA, AND I'VE ASKED THAT THE DRAFT BE SHARED WITH ALL OF YOU. ALL WE HAVE NEXT, CAL ROSS. MAYOR, COUNCIL, JUST A COUPLE QUICK THINGS. I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS GOING TO BE SO MUCH CONVERSATION ABOUT GOLF COURSES. SO JUST A QUICK NOTE ABOUT HIGHLAND LAKES GOLF COURSE. I LIVE ON ONE OF THE FIRE WAYS, NOT THE FAIRWAYS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO TO HOLD THAT OWNER RESPONSIBLE, BUT ALL IT WOULD TAKE IS ONE SPARK. MY OTHER QUESTION IS TWO WORDS CAPMETRO MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. I UNDERSTAND THE LAST TIME IT WAS TALKED ABOUT WAS IN 2025 WHEN I WHAT I COULD FIND ONLINE. YEAH. AND HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING SINCE ABOUT IT. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A HUGE GET OUT OF JAIL EARLY FEE. THAT SEEMS TO ME LIKE IF WE PAID A HIGH POWERED ATTORNEY SOME BIG DOLLARS TO GET US OUT OF THAT, IT'D BE A WIN WIN FOR EVERYBODY.

[00:30:06]

AND AS AS IT TURNED OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, THAT'S A THAT'S A BAD DEAL. CHANGING GEARS A LITTLE, I HAVE HEARD LAGO VISTA COUNCIL MEMBERS TALK ABOUT NOT APPROVING REQUESTS MADE BY CITY DEPARTMENT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS, UNLESS THAT EXPENSE WAS OFFSET SOMEHOW BY A SAVINGS. THERE ARE LINE ITEMS IN THE 2627 PROPOSED BUDGET, LIKE 35,000 FOR MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, ANOTHER 5000 FOR MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, $500 FOR MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES, 77,000 MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES. THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES AND SERVICES. AND FOR WHAT I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT WHAT THAT'S GOING TO COVER. BUT THESE ARE SMALL AMOUNTS IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS. YEAH, BUT THE TOTAL AT THE BOTTOM ISN'T A SMALL AMOUNT. IT'S A BIG NUMBER. AND ALL THESE ADD UP, BUT IT'S ONLY $96. OKAY. I WANT MY $96 TO SPEND THE WAY I WANT TO. NOT BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SEIZURE OR PROSECUTION. IF AT SOME POINT I CAN'T PAY MY PROPERTY TAXES. COUNCILOR OWEN STATED IN HER DISCUSSION BOARD, WHICH I SAW THIS TO. AND I WAS KIND OF LIKE. BUT THAT SHE'S IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING A POLICY PROHIBITING THE USE OF TAX DOLLARS TO BUY CLOTHES FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. I WENT, WHAT? WHAT'S THAT ABOUT? I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT AND WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS BUYING CLOTHES FOR COUNCIL. THERE GOES MY $96 USER FEES WERE ALSO BROUGHT UP. IF A SMALL PERCENTAGE PER PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION IS USING SOME AMENITY, WHY SHOULD THE MAJORITY BE FORCED TO FOOT THE BILL FOR A VERY FEW? I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF MORE GOVERNMENT TAXES FOR STUFF I DON'T USE. THAT SAID, I KNOW IT ISN'T ALL ABOUT ME. THIS IS A CITY OF A LOT OF PEOPLE, NOT ONE. WHAT IS BULK WATER FOR $60,000? THAT'S JUST KIND OF. I LIKE TO KNOW.

YES, UNFORESEEN, UNFORESEEN THINGS CAN HAPPEN. AND WHEN IT HAPPENS TO MY WIFE AND I, WE HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT HOW TO HANDLE THOSE THINGS. WITH THE MONEY WE HAVE. WE ARE ASKING YOU TO DO THE SAME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WHICH STAFF? AS ESPECIALLY AS OUR FORMER PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR SAID, STAFF HAS DONE SOME TREMENDOUS THINGS TO SAVE MONEY, AND THAT'S COMMENDABLE, ADMIRABLE, MUCH APPRECIATED AND MORE. THAT'S A THAT IS A GREAT CITY EMPLOYEE BASE TO HAVE ON YOUR SIDE. BUT SOMETIMES THE BEST INVESTMENT AT TIMES MIGHT BE TO SPEND SOME SAVINGS. AND I HEARD SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, WHICH IN TURN MIGHT INCREASE THE ATTRACTION OF LAGO VISTA TO A BUSINESS WHICH COMES INTO TOWN. BECAUSE WE'VE GOT BETTER ROADS, WE HAVE BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE, WHATEVER THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. AND THE AD VALOREM TAXES, THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT COMES IN BECAUSE OF THAT BUSINESS VERY WELL COULD OFFSET WHAT WAS SPENT IN THE SAVINGS AND PRODUCE A LOT MORE. PERHAPS IT'S AN INVESTMENT, LIKE I HEARD EARLIER TONIGHT. IF SOMETHING DOES HAVE TO WAIT THAT IS NOT DIRECTLY, DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF LAGO VISTA, LET IT RIDE UNTIL IT CAN BE TAKEN CARE OF. ONE EXAMPLE RUFFLED SOME FEATHERS HERE, BUT PICKLEBALL IS NOT A

[00:35:05]

OKAY, IT'S ALL BEEN SAID. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEMS HERE TONIGHT? I WOULD, YEAH. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MARLENE. I'M A CITIZEN OF LAGO VISTA. I'M HERE JUST BECAUSE I AM. I THINK DAVID FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION SAID EVERYTHING I KIND OF WANTED TO SAY. BUT I HOPE THAT WHATEVER DECISIONS YOU'RE MAKING THAT WE CONTINUE TO FUND APPROPRIATELY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. I ALSO STAND BY MANY CONSTITUENCIES NOT TO RAISE THE PROPERTY TAXES. I FEEL LIKE I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ENOUGH TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF HOW THOSE EXPENSES ARE BEING MADE. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE IN A TOUGH SITUATION. LAGO VISTA IS NOT THE ONLY CITY. IT'S ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS.

BUT I THINK THAT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THERE NEEDS TO BE, I THINK, ONE PERSON, LIKE A CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THAT PERSON MIGHT BE TO REALLY REVIEW THE BUDGET, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE TOO MANY CHEFS IN THE KITCHEN RUNNING THE BUDGET.

WITH THAT SAID, AGAIN, I THINK THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN LOOK TO DIVERSIFY OUR FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO. AND I THINK SOMEBODY SAID THIS, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S GOOD TO GO AND TO MAKE GOOD DEBT IN ORDER TO MAKE GOOD REVENUE BACK. AND I'M NOT SURE, AGAIN, HOW THOSE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE. THERE IS THAT LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FOR MYSELF AND LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM. I MEAN, AGAIN, REPRESENTATION. YOU KNOW, I WISH I HAD MORE OF MY CITIZENS FROM MY COMMUNITY HERE LISTENING TO THESE CONVERSATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT THIS IS BEING SENT ON TIME. AND I JUST DON'T SEE A LOT OF MY COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE TODAY WHO WOULD BE VERY IMPACTED IF YOU RAISED THE PROPERTY TAXES AGAIN. I LIVE IN CHOCTAW COVE.

THERE'S A LOT OF LOW WAGE WORKERS THERE. I HEARD SOMEBODY SAY, WHAT, 19, $20 AN HOUR FOR A MAINTENANCE PERSON WHO'S ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF SO MANY THINGS, INCLUDING OTHER ADDITIONAL WORK. YOU KNOW, IN A TIME WHERE COSTS ARE GOING UP, THIS WOULD BE SUCH A LARGE BURDEN FOR MANY FAMILIES AND MANY WORKING FAMILIES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO WITH THAT SAID, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM HERE TONIGHT? ANYONE ONLINE? ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE. OH, SORRY.

KAREN HAS ONE MORE. SO ONE MORE COMMENT THAT WAS EMAILED IN BY MARK DOUGLAS. HE WAS UNABLE TO APPEAR TONIGHT, BUT ASKED US TO BE READ IN. MARK IS ON THE PARKS AND REC ADVISORY COMMITTEE. HE'S ALSO BEEN ON THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION. SO GOOD AFTERNOON.

UNFORTUNATELY WILL NOT BE ATTEND TONIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING. MY NAME IS MARK DOUGLAS. I'M A MEMBER OF PERAK AND THE PARKS MASTER PLAN SUBCOMMITTEE. MY COMMENTS HERE ARE TO ADDRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT CITY OWNED PARKS IN LAGO VISTA. FOR THE CITY'S WEBSITE, WE ARE TO, QUOTE, ACT AS AN ADVISORY BOARD WITH RESPECT TO THE PARKLAND DEDICATION FUNDS, THE ACQUISITION OF NEW PARKLAND AND DEVELOPMENT OF PARK FACILITIES.

STUDY AND EVALUATE THE ALTERNATIVE POTENTIAL PARK SITES. DEVELOP AND RECOMMEND A COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN, END QUOTE. IN MY OPINION, ELIMINATING THE POSITION OF THE

[00:40:04]

THEY WEREN'T BEFORE AND IT'S DOUBTFUL THEY WILL BE AGAIN. CURRENTLY, AS MANY AS 1 IN 4 CITY RESIDENTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO PARKS, MOST NOTABLY TO SARAH AND THE HOLLOWS, AMONGST OTHERS. THIS NUMBER WILL INCREASE AS MORE AND MORE HOMES ARE BUILT OUTSIDE THE BORDERS. THE CITY NEEDS TO ADD MORE PARKS AND NOT REDUCE PARK INVESTMENTS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO CALCULATING LEU LEU PHE FEES IN LIEU OF FOR DEVELOPERS CUTTING TREES. THIS IS KNOWLEDGE THE CITY WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN HAD IT NOT BEEN BROUGHT FORTH BY A FORMER PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR. I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST GIVING SERIOUS PAUSE TO A BLANKET CUT ACROSS AQUATICS.

THE POOL IS ONE OF THE MOST USED PARKS AND REC AMENITIES, AND PEOPLE HAVE CLAMORED FOR MORE POOL HOURS, NOT FEWER. AN IN-HOUSE LIFEGUARD STAFF SOUNDS GOOD ON PAPER, BUT ON A HOT DAY IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER, IF A KID OR STUDENT GUARD CAN'T MAKE A SHIFT, WILL WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE RESERVES TO PLUG IN A REPLACEMENT IMMEDIATELY? THE POOL WILL HAVE TO BE SHUT DOWN UNTIL A REPLACEMENT IS FOUND. TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION IS THE RANGE OF 200 TO $500 PER LIFEGUARD NATIONWIDE. AGAIN, CONSIDER THIS CAREFULLY AS IT VERY POSSIBLY IS A FALSE ECONOMY. THREE LIFEGUARDS ARE REQUIRED ON DECK FOR EVERY OPEN POOL HOUR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO BRING IT BACK TO. I HAVE A HAND RAISED ONLINE, ACTUALLY. IF YOU RAISED YOUR HAND AND YOU'RE WISHING TO SPEAK, YOU JUST HAVE TO TURN YOUR CAMERA ON AND YOUR MIC. KARINA. YEAH, I SEE. KARINA. YOU'RE ONE OF THEM. IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK, IF YOU TURN YOUR CAMERA ON, YOUR MIC ON. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M NOT HEARING FROM KARINA. VIRGIL, DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK? COME. ALL RIGHT. WELL WITH THAT I'M GOING TO BRING IT BACK TO COUNCIL. I'M GOING TO DO THIS FOR DISCUSSION OR MOTIONS. IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A MOTION ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS, THEY HAVE TO BE INDIVIDUAL. AND I'M GOING TO DO ROLL CALL VOTES IF THERE ARE THOSE, AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, A COUNCILMAN, JESS HALL, THIS WAS YOUR REQUEST FOR A SPECIAL MEETING. SO I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU. WELL, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN WHY I REQUESTED THIS MEETING. WHAT I DID NOT KNOW WHEN I CAST THE VOTES AT THE LAST MEETING, AND WHAT I HOPE THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH AT THIS ONE. THE SIMPLE FACTS ARE THAT WE HAD ONLY ONE BUDGET PROPOSAL ON THE AGENDA FOR OUR SEPTEMBER 17TH MEETING. IT WAS A NO NEW REVENUE BUDGET BASED ON 2627 PROJECTED ACTUALS WITH UNAVOIDABLE EXPENSE INCREASES IN SUPPLIES, MATERIALS, REPAIRS AND OTHER AREAS, AND NEWLY IDENTIFIED AND UNFUNDED EXPENSES AND DECISION PACKAGES. PROPOSALS AT THE MEETING FOR AMENDMENTS, AS WAS PREVIOUSLY NOTED TO IT, A VOTE FOR THE BUDGET WAS CALLED FOR. KNOWING THAT STATE LAW REQUIRED WE PASS A BUDGET BY SEPTEMBER THE 30TH AND BELIEVING THAT WAS OUR LAST CHANCE TO DO THAT, I THOUGHT, WELL, THERE WAS NO OTHER RESPONSIBLE CHOICE BUT TO VOTE FOR IT TO PASS IT. THE REASON I MADE THE REQUEST FOR THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING IS THAT I WAS VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE BUDGET WE ADOPTED, BUT AGAIN THOUGHT WE HAD NO CHOICE AT THAT TIME. IT WAS A BUDGET THAT WAS NOT TRULY BALANCED WITH ATTACHED DECISION PACKAGES, INCLUDING EXPENSES APPROACHING $1 MILLION, SOME OF WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED. AND THE ONLY DECISION WAS WHERE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT WAS COMING FROM. AN EXAMPLE OF PREPARING THE HOLES IN OUR WATER STORAGE TANKS, WHICH WERE IN VIOLATION OF STATE LAW, EXPOSED THAT WATER TO ALL MANNER OF CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS BIRDS, ETC. THAT COULD GO DIRECTLY TO OUR FAUCETS. SO IT WAS A BUDGET THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE LEFT TO PREPARE WITH LITTLE TIME. LACK OF BUDGET REPORTS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, AND THE CITY MANAGER RESIGNING AND LEAVING WITHOUT HAVING SUBMITTED A PROPOSED BUDGET FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. MY THANKS TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS THAT MADE HER HERCULEAN EFFORT AND DID THE BEST JOB THEY COULD.

THE BUDGET AND DECISION PACKAGE WOULD REQUIRE FURTHER INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS AND

[00:45:02]

JUST A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH, WHERE AND POTENTIAL IMPACT ON SERVICES. TODAY WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO A CONSENSUS ON EXPENSE REDUCTIONS THAT REDUCE THE ADOPTED TAX RATE TO A NUMBER CLOSER TO THE 0.42 THAT WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO HAVE. THESE ARE THE SIMPLE FACTS AND THE COMPLEX DECISIONS THAT WE MUST MAKE TODAY. MR. BENEFIELD, ADMITTEDLY, I DIDN'T DO A LOT OF TALKING AT THE LAST BUDGET, SO YOU'LL HEAR MORE FROM ME TODAY. BUT I AM GOING TO KEEP MY COMMENTS AS SHORT AS I POSSIBLY CAN. AND AT THE CONCLUSION OF MY COMMENTS, HOPEFULLY WE'LL JUST GET THIS MEETING OVER WITH. FOR ME, THERE'S REALLY ONLY TWO THINGS THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TODAY THAT EITHER WE ADOPT THE 0.451988 BUDGET, OR THAT WE ADOPT THE 0.42 RATE BUDGET. ANYTHING IN BETWEEN JUST HASN'T BEEN SCRUTINIZED. YOU KNOW, OUR ABILITY TO GO. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS. AND OUR ABILITY TO GO LINE BY LINE TONIGHT AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO FALL IN THE MIDDLE. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. SO TO ME, IT'S ONE OR THE OTHER. WE EITHER DO WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN ADOPTED AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO JUST SAY, HEY, THANKS FOR COMING. OR WE ADOPT WHAT MAYOR SHANE SAM HAS PRESENTED AT THE .42, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SUPPORT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, GOING LINE BY LINE BY LINE. SO A COUPLE THINGS. IN SHANE'S BUDGET, THERE IS ABOUT 5000 $363 THAT HE HAS IDENTIFIED THAT HAS NOT BEEN ALLOCATED FULLY, FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS EXPRESSED DESIRES FOR LONG POOL HOURS, BETTER AQUATIC PROGRAMS, SUFFICIENT LIFEGUARDS FOR THE SWIMMING POOL, AND INCREASED LIFEGUARDS AT THE COMMUNITY. SO IT'S BEEN IT WILL BE PROPOSED IN MY MOTION THAT WE TAKE THAT 5000, $363 AND DIVIDE THAT MONEY INTO TWO DIFFERENT AQUATIC ACCOUNTS. ACCOUNT TEN 5356100 UNDER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WILL RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $29,563. THAT WILL TAKE THE INCREASE FROM THE CURRENT BUDGETED LINE ITEM OF 67,000 TO A TOTAL OF $96,563. THAT IS $1,653. OVER AND ABOVE THE ORIGINAL ASK.

THAT WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT THE LIFEGUARDS. THE EXPANDED POOL HOURS TO SARAH AQUATICS.

EVERYTHING YOU CAN ASK FOR. ADDITIONALLY, ACCOUNT NUMBER TEN 5354700 WILL HAVE AN ADDITIONAL $20,800 ADDED TO THE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS LINE ITEM BUDGET. TAKING THAT INCREASE FROM $9,200 TO THE FULL REQUESTED AMOUNT OF $30,000, THAT FULLY FUNDS IT 100%. TOGETHER WITH THESE TWO ADJUSTMENTS, THE $50,363 CLASSIFIED UNDER AQUATICS MAKES

[00:50:02]

[00:55:02]

AND IT'S SAD, BUT THE REALITY IS THE PARKS HAVE WORKED JUST FINE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS UNDER PUBLIC WORKS. AND WHETHER WE HAVE HIM TODAY OR NOT, THE PARKS ARE GOING TO GO FORWARD IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. AND I BELIEVE, JUST LIKE MR. MONTGOMERY STATED, THAT SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, LIKE CURTIS JEFFREY, WENT OUT AND GOT CERTIFIED TO DO ALL THESE AFFLUENT DISTRIBUTION AND REPAIRS AND SAVING US MONEY. I THINK WE CAN HIRE A MANAGER THAT CAN LEARN THE SAME BITS OF KNOWLEDGE THAT MR. MONTGOMERY KNEW, KNEW, AND BE ABLE TO SAVE THAT MONEY IN THE FUTURE. IF WE NEED A DIRECTOR IN THAT POSITION, WE CAN ADD IT. IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. WE CAN ALWAYS ADD IT. IT'S JUST WE'RE NOT GOING TO NEED IT THIS YEAR. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE PARKS. WE DON'T HAVE THE THE PROJECTS THAT ARE UP AND COMING. LAST.

ACTUALLY, IT'S NOT LAST SECOND TO LAST. IN 2025 AND 2026, COUNCIL GAVE A VERY SPECIFIC DIRECTIVE TO THE ENTIRE STAFF, AND ONLY ONE DEPARTMENT TRULY CAME THROUGH ON IT. AND WHETHER THE MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL REMEMBERED OR NOT. IT'S VERY SIMPLE, AND I'M GOING TO REMIND THEM TONIGHT. RIGHT. WE DIRECTED STAFF THAT THE BUDGETS THAT THEY PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL HAD TO BE BETWEEN 5 TO 10% LOWER THAN WHAT IT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE. AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS DAIS RAISED THEIR HAND AND SAID, I SUPPORT THAT. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT MAYOR SAM BROUGHT FORWARD. IT'S SOMETHING THAT OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE MEANINGFUL, AND WE ALL AGREE THAT THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND WHAT OCCURS IN PRINCIPLE IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO DO IN ACTION. RIGHT. AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE DEPARTMENT THAT ACTUALLY DID THAT. ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THAT WAS? WHO THAT WAS? THAT WAS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY BROUGHT FORWARD A MEANINGFUL 5% REDUCTION. THEY BECAME CREATIVE ON HOW THEY WERE GOING TO FUND THEIR OFFICERS. AND THEREFORE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET TONIGHT, NOTHING THAT WE'RE DOING TONIGHT AFFECTS THEM AT ALL BECAUSE THEY DID EXACTLY WHAT WE ASKED THEM TO DO, AND THEY DID IT MEANINGFULLY. ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. HOW CAN WE GIVE THEM THEIR INFLATED ASKS IF THEY DIDN'T EVEN FOLLOW THE BASIC NUMBER ONE QUESTION, WHICH IS PRESENT TO US A BUDGET WHICH IS 5 TO 10% LOWER THAN IF YOU HAVE TO GO OVER THAT, 5 TO 10% COME TO COUNCIL, TELL US WHAT THOSE ARE. WE'LL LISTEN TO THOSE. NOT TO SAY YOU CAN'T GO OVER THOSE, BUT LET'S SUBSTANTIATE IT. NOBODY DID THAT. SO THE ONLY THING THAT THE 0.42 DOES IS WE IDENTIFIED THE EXACT AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THAT DEPARTMENT SPENT LAST YEAR. SO IF THAT DEPARTMENT SPENT $1 MILLION, GUESS WHAT THEY GET THIS YEAR, $1 MILLION. AND IF THEY SPENT 500,000, THEY'RE GOING TO GET 500,000. SO WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS, HOW ARE THESE DEPARTMENTS GOING TO FUNCTION? YOU'RE STRIPPING ALL THEIR MONEY AWAY. THEY'RE GOING TO FUNCTION THE EXACT SAME WAY THEY DID LAST YEAR. IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN FOR EVEN. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST. SOMEBODY MENTIONED IT. IF SD, IF THE SD, IF THESE PEOPLE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO CUT NEARLY $1 MILLION OUT OF THEIR BUDGETS, THE CITY CAN DO. THERE'S NOT A PERSON IN THIS ROOM THAT DOESN'T KNOW SOMEBODY THAT'S UNEMPLOYED OR WHO HAS LOST THEIR JOBS, OR WHO IS OUT THERE WORKING HARD, AND I KNOW IT'S ONLY $100. I GET IT, IT'S ONLY $100, BUT IT'S $100. IT'S A DAY'S WORTH OF WAGES.

RIGHT. AND. SO I UNDERSTAND THE CITY IS NOT GOING TO BE FLUSHED WITH MONEY. I GET IT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO FUNCTION JUST FINE. SO, MAYOR, FOR ALL THESE REASONS, I MOVE TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NUMBER 26092501. WAIT A MINUTE. WE CAN'T HAVE A MOTION UNTIL WE FINISH OUR DISCUSSION. UNDER ROSENBERG'S RULE, I OPENED IT TO A MOTION. WE CAN DO THE MOTION WHILE A SECOND, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION. JUST LIKE THE FIRST DAY. THE FIRST MEETING WHEN I WAS MAYOR. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE DISCUSSION. ANYONE. MR. BENEFIELD IS JUST GOING TO JUMP INTO A MOTION. YES. WHEN WE GET AFTER IF THERE'S A SECOND AND WE'LL GET INTO THE DISCUSSION PORTION. SO, MAYOR, I MOVE TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NUMBER 260925-01. AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 26-09-17-01. ADOPTING THE AMENDED FISCAL YEAR 2627 BUDGET, AS DETAILED IN EXHIBIT A TITLED MAYOR SHANE SOM FISCAL YEAR 27 REVISED BUDGET OPTIONS WITH THE FOLLOWING DIRECTION ONE THE GENERAL FUND ACCOUNT TEN DASH R-1110 AD VALOREM TAXES SHALL BE REDUCED TO

[01:00:07]

EACH ADVANCE MUST BE DOCUMENTED BY FINANCE AND REPAID WITH THE CORRESPONDING FUNDS AS THEY ARE RECEIVED, AND THE UTILITY FUND SHALL PAY OR REIMBURSE THE GOLF FUND FOR ACTUAL DOCUMENTED EXPENSES THAT THE FINANCE DETERMINES ARE PROPERLY ATTRIBUTED TO AFFLUENT STORAGE, PUMPING, DISTRIBUTION, SYSTEM MAINTENANCE AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE MINUS ANY ORDINARY GOLF OPERATIONS. THAT IS MY MOTION. ALL RIGHT. I HAVE A MOTION FOR MR. BENEFIELD. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. I HAVE A SECOND FROM COUNCIL. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION? YES A LOT. OKAY, MR. PRINCE, SO SETTLE IN. I SINCE SINCE THE MOTION GOT THROWN OUT THERE BEFORE WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK. I'M GOING TO SHARE ALL MY THOUGHTS. THIS WILL TAKE A GOOD WHILE. SO FIRST I WANT TO SAY FROM A PROCESS PERSPECTIVE, I AM ASHAMED OF THIS COUNCIL. I REALLY AM ASHAMED OF THIS COUNCIL. MAYOR, YOUR PROPOSAL WHICH YOU HAVE SHARED HERE RECENTLY, YOU ACTUALLY SHARED AS YOU AS YOU'VE SAID PUBLICLY SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, YOU POSTED IT ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD. THE PARTICIPANTS ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD WERE YOU POSTING? I MADE COMMENTS AND RELATED TO YOUR COMMENTS AND OTHERS OF MY OWN. MISS OWEN COMMENTED, NO ONE ELSE ON COUNCIL COMMENTED ON THAT DISCUSSION BOARD WE HAD FOR MONTHS. WE HAD SESSIONS IN HERE AND IT STARTED ACTUALLY, I DON'T KNOW, FOUR MONTHS AGO PROBABLY WHERE WE HAD AGENDA ITEMS TO TALK ABOUT. THE BUDGET CITY MANAGER AT THE TIME DID NOT BRING ANY MATERIAL IN. AND SO I KNOW THAT WE HAD AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS IN COUNCIL WITH AN AGENDA ITEM TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET. THERE WAS NO CONTENT. AND ALL OF US, SHAME ON US, THE SEVEN OF US SITTING UP HERE FOR LETTING THAT HAPPEN DRAG ON FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. WE GOT NO START ON THE BUDGET FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. WHEN WE FINALLY DID GET STARTED ON THE BUDGET, AFTER THAT, CITY MANAGER LEFT, THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED ON IT WERE THE MAYOR, MISS OWEN AND MYSELF, ALONG WITH CITIZENS AND STAFF.

NO ONE ON CITY COUNCIL CONTRIBUTED TO THAT DISCUSSION. NUMEROUS TIMES I BROUGHT INTO COUNCIL UPDATES FROM THE FINANCE SUBCOMMITTEE AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL GAVE NO SUBSTANTIVE FEEDBACK. ZERO. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND. AND ONE THING THAT I CONSISTENTLY DID WAS I SAID, OKAY, WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE BUDGET WE'RE LOOKING AT IS ASSUMING NO NEW REVENUE.

AND BY THE WAY, I WANT TO CLARIFY NO NEW REVENUE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT RAISE YOUR TAXES OR DON'T RAISE YOUR TAXES. THIS IS ABOUT KEEP YOUR TAXES FLAT OR REDUCE THEM. RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. NO NEW REVENUE IS IS REALLY ABOUT KEEPING YOUR TAXES FLAT. AND BY THE WAY, I'LL TAKE A LITTLE DIVERSION ON THE OTHER ENTITIES THAT KEPT THEIR TAX RATES FLAT.

SO I SD KEPT THEIR TAX RATE FLAT. YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM ISD NUMEROUS TIMES IS THE STATE WON'T LET US REDUCE TAXES. WE HATE THE FACT THAT OUR TAXES ARE TAXES ARE SO HIGH BECAUSE A BIG PORTION OF OUR DOLLARS ARE ROBIN HOOD LAW LEAVING LAGO VISTA. AND SO I THINK THIS THIS IS A TIME WHERE ISD LEADERSHIP SAYS, THANK GOODNESS WE CAN ACTUALLY GET AWAY WITH KEEPING A FLAT TAX RATE, AND THE STATE WON'T FORCE US TO RAISE IT. AND OUR CITIZENS CAN GET THE BENEFIT OF THAT. SO IT'S MORE ABOUT KEEPING MORE MONEY IN LAGO VISTA. AND SO THE DISCUSSION ON ISD SIDE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THEY ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN MOTIVATED FOR A LONG TIME TO TRY TO KEEP MONEY HERE AND NOT RAISE THE TAX RATE SIMPLY TO SEND IT TO HOUSTON. AND SO ANYWAY, THAT'S THAT'S SET ASIDE. BUT OUR NO NEW REVENUE RATE, WHICH WE

[01:05:02]

SO THE FACT THAT THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS COUNCIL IS VOICING THAT WE SHOULD DO A 0.42 TAX RATE IS TERRIBLE. THAT IS TERRIBLE PROCEDURE. THAT'S TERRIBLE. MANAGEMENT STAFF WAS NEVER TOLD, GO DEVELOP A BUDGET TO MAKE 0.42. WHAT THEY WERE TOLD WAS DON'T EXCEED NO NEW REVENUE. AND THAT BUDGET WAS UPDATED FOR MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY TIMES TO REMOVE ITEMS TO GET BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE. SO PROCESS AND HISTORY IS JUST IT'S IT'S EMBARRASSING. I'M EMBARRASSED FOR FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED UP HERE THERE. I KNOW MAYOR IN SOME FACEBOOK POSTING, I SAW YOU, YOU YOU SAID THE QUESTION SHOULD BE, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO FUND THE CITY? AND I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH THAT. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO FUND THE CITY? WHAT ARE THE APPROPRIATE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO THAT OUR CITIZENS WANT US TO DO? AND WHAT DOES THAT COST? THAT'S A DIFFERENT QUESTION THAN WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO A FLAT TAX RATE OF 0.42? AND AND WHAT TONIGHT'S PROPOSAL AND THE THE MOTION IS NOT ABOUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO RUN THE CITY? WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO THE THINGS THAT OUR CITIZENS ARE ASKING US TO DO? IT'S ABOUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO A FLAT TAX RATE SO THAT WE CAN CLAIM A POLITICAL WIN? THAT'S WHAT WHAT IS HAPPENING TONIGHT. AND IT'S JUST IT'S TERRIBLE. SO A LITTLE MORE ON MINI HISTORY. SO LET'S GO BACK. WE'RE LOOKING AT FY 27 BUDGET IN FY 25. THE CITY CONSIDERABLY OVER BUDGETED FOR THE ACTUAL EXPENSE THAT CAME OUT. AND AND SO IN FY 25, THE THE, THE BOTTOM LINE AT THE END OF THE YEAR OF WHAT THE CITY ACTUALLY SPENT AND ACTUALLY BROUGHT IN IN REVENUE LOOKS LIKE THIS REVENUE WAS ABOUT RIGHT. IT WAS WITHIN $350,000 ON A 12 MILLION ISH BUDGET.

THAT'S PRETTY ACCURATE. SO REVENUE WAS ABOUT RIGHT. THE ACTUAL REVENUE AND THE BUDGETED REVENUE WAS ABOUT RIGHT. THE EXPENSES WERE DRAMATICALLY UNDERNEATH THE BUDGET. AND SO THE CITY ENDED UP WITH WITH SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF NET POSITIVE, $2.1 MILLION. AND, AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT UNDERSPENDING WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HEADCOUNT. AND I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HEADCOUNT AND OVER BUDGETING AND UNDER, YOU KNOW, INACCURACY ON HEADCOUNT BUDGETING FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. AND IT REALLY PEAKED IN TERMS OF BEING BAD IN FISCAL YEAR 25, THERE WAS ROUGHLY ABOUT 1.5, ALMOST 1.7 MILLION. IF YOU INCLUDE THE GOLF COURSE, WHICH ULTIMATELY GETS FUNDED BY THE THE GENERAL FUND, ABOUT 1.7 MILLION IN UNDERSPEND ON HEADCOUNT RELATIVE TO THE BUDGET. SO IT WAS ACROSS THE BOARD, ALL DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD A SHORTFALL IN HEADCOUNT. YOU CAN PICK YOUR PICK YOUR DEPARTMENT.

THERE WAS A HUGE UNDERSPEND ON ON HEADCOUNT. AND SO THAT WAS A PARTICULARLY BAD YEAR. THE CITY BUDGETED FOR A NUMBER, SPENT A LOT LESS THAN THAT. WE SET OUR TAX RATE AT THAT YEAR BASED ON THE BUDGET. WE COULD HAVE SET A TAX RATE LOWER THAN THAT TWO YEARS AGO. BUT YOU KNOW, SHAME ON SHAME ON CITY COUNCIL TWO YEARS AGO FOR APPROVING A BUDGET THAT WAS ACTUALLY MORE THAN, THAN THAN WAS REALLY NEEDED THE FOLLOWING YEAR. LAST YEAR, THINGS GOT SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER. AND INSTEAD OF BEING, YOU KNOW, 2.1 MILLION IN UNDERSPEND, IT'S MORE LIKE IT WAS MORE LIKE ABOUT LET ME FIND MY NUMBER HERE, 1.2 MILLION. SO ABOUT HALF OF THAT. AND SOME OF THAT WAS HEADCOUNT, SOME OF THE DIFFERENT PLACES. BUT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT WAS A CASE OF THE BUDGET WAS HERE, THE SPENDING WAS LOWER AND REVENUE WAS PRETTY ACCURATE AGAIN LAST YEAR, BY THE WAY. SO IT'S ALL ABOUT SPENDING. WHAT'S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? WHAT'S

[01:10:06]

BUT SOMEWHERE IN THAT BUDGET HISTORY SAYS WE'RE GOING TO UNDERSPEND. SO LET'S, LET'S FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, LET'S PICK A NUMBER AND SAY, WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO BET THIS NUMBER IS HOW BIG THE UNDERSPEND IS GOING TO BE. AND WE'LL SAY, YEAH, WE'LL APPROVE PROJECTS THAT ADD UP TO THAT NUMBER, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOCATE MONEY TO IT. WE'RE GOING TO TELL THE CITY MANAGER, GO FIND THAT MONEY, BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO UNDERSPEND SOMEWHERE. SO GO FIND THAT MONEY. AND SO WE DID. IN FACT, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS, THERE WAS JUST OVER $900,000. AND THIS IS ALL IN THE GENERAL FUND, $900,000 IN PROJECTS THAT WE ON COUNCIL SAID, YEP, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT. DO THEM. AND AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE, THE, THE POLICE NINE HOUR OVERTIME PROJECT. RIGHT. SO WE SAID, YEAH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO INCENTIVIZE THE STAFF. WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME HIRING HERE.

POLICE AND LAGO VISTA. WE. SO LET'S. THE POLICE THAT WE HAVE, LET'S LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN SOME MORE MONEY. BUT WE THINK YOU CAN JUST MAKE THAT HAPPEN, HE TOLD US. ACTUALLY, HE SAID, I THINK I CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN OUT OF MY BUDGET BECAUSE I'M HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME HIRING OFFICERS THAT I'M GOING TO HAVE DOLLARS AVAILABLE FOR IT. SO I WANT TO DO THIS PROGRAM IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT, BUT I DON'T NEED MORE MONEY. THAT'S ONE EXAMPLE. WE DID ANOTHER EXAMPLE AROUND THE THE IT SERVERS AND STORAGE WHERE WE SAID, OKAY, $150,000 FOR NEW SERVER AND STORAGE. YEAH, WE NEED THAT STUFF. BUT WE THINK THAT THIS IT BUDGET, WHICH IS SPREAD ALL OVER THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND $150,000 SOMEWHERE. SO YET DO IT, BUT JUST FIND THE MONEY ELSEWHERE. SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THIS YEAR, WE'VE ACTUALLY RECOGNIZED THE FACT THAT WE TEND TO UNDERSPEND. AND SO WE INTENTIONALLY REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS THAT WERE ALLOCATING TO SPEND, EVEN THOUGH THE PROJECTS ADD UP TO MORE THAN THAT NUMBER. SO THAT'S POINT NUMBER TWO, MAJOR OUTLINE NUMBER TWO ON MY PAPER HERE. NUMBER THREE, TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE STATE INTENTIONALLY MAKES ALL THIS TAXPAYER IMPACT STUFF CONFUSING TO MAKE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE THEY'RE SCREWING THEIR CITIZENS.

AND THE TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT JUST DRIVES ME CRAZY. SO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE TAXPAYER IMPACT STATEMENT, IT SAYS THE MEDIAN VALUED HOMESTEAD IS $303,463. AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR EXEMPTIONS. AND AT LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE, THAT MEANS THE CITIZEN THAT OWNED THAT MEDIAN HOME WOULD HAVE PAID $1,261.94 AT THE NEW NO NEW REVENUE RATE. THAT SAME VALUE, THEY WOULD PAY AN ADDITIONAL $96, WHICH EVERYBODY IS THROWN OUT. WELL, GUESS WHAT? IF YOU IF YOU OWN THAT MEDIAN VALUE HOME AND YOUR AND YOUR ASSESSED VALUE DIDN'T GO DOWN, SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT FIGHTING AT IT. THE AT THE ASSESSOR BECAUSE EVERYONE'S VALUE WENT DOWN THIS YEAR.

RIGHT? SO I DID A LITTLE MINI SURVEY. I SAID, OKAY, I'M GOING TO LOOK AT MINE. YOU KNOW, WHAT IS MY ASSESSED VALUE YEAR OVER YEAR AND, AND MY ASSESSED VALUE WENT DOWN A LOT THIS YEAR. 22%, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST. AND I THOUGHT, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF IT'S A WATERFRONT HOME.

WATERFRONT HOMES WERE LIKE REALLY SUPER INFLATED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. AND JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, LET ME LOOK AT ANOTHER WATERFRONT HOME BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO KNOW OF A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO ALSO HAS A WATERFRONT HOME. AND I LOOKED AT HIS HOME AND HIS CAME DOWN BY 17%. I SAID, WELL, OKAY, NOT EVERYBODY HAS A HIGHER VALUED WATERFRONT HOME. WHAT ABOUT SOMEBODY IN TESSERA? AND I RANDOMLY PICKED A HOME IN TESSERA AND IT WENT DOWN BY 11%.

AND I SAID, WELL, LET ME RANDOMLY PICK A, YOU KNOW, A MIDDLE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOME IN HIGHLAND LAKES. IT WENT DOWN BY 10%. SO FOUR RANDOMLY CHOSEN LOCATIONS ACROSS LAGO VISTA.

ALL OF THOSE HOMES WENT DOWN BY 10% OR MORE. THE TAX RATE CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR'S 0.42 TO THE NO. NEW REVENUE IS AN INCREASE OF 7.6%. SO EVEN AT THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE FOR THOSE FOUR HOMES, THEY'RE GOING TO SEE A REDUCTION IN THEIR TAXES FROM THE CITY OF LAGO VISTA. NOW, ADMITTEDLY, IF WE DO A 0.42 FLAT RATE, THEY'RE GOING TO SEE ANOTHER ADDITIONAL

[01:15:07]

NOW, HE COULD CERTAINLY SCREAM LOUDLY IF THE CITY SAYS, WE'RE GOING TO CHARGE MORE FOR GAS AT THE AIRPORT, OR HE MIGHT APPLAUD IT, I DON'T KNOW. WE COULD BET THAT THE AIRPORT WILL BE MANAGED IN A WAY TO MAKE MORE PROFIT MARGIN ON GAS, AND ONLY HAVE THE QUARTER TIME, PART TIME EMPLOYEE THAT WE HAVE AND BREAKS. EVEN SO, WE COULD SAY, YOU KNOW, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S JUST NOT ALLOCATE MONEY OR MAYBE ALLOCATE MONEY FROM THE RESERVES SO THAT WE CAN SHOW A BALANCED BUDGET OF THE 50,000 TO THE AIRPORT AND THEN CHALLENGE THE AIRPORT MANAGEMENT TO, TO DO BETTER THAN THAT, AND NOT NOT TO THE RESERVE. SAME THING ON THE GULF.

WE COULD SAY TO MR. SALT. AND BY THE WAY, I'LL A LITTLE ASIDE ON MR. SAUL, SINCE I'M GOING ON AND ON. ABOUT 6 OR 8 YEARS AGO WE HAD A GOLF COURSE MANAGER WHO SAID, I'M GOING TO REALLY BE A HERO AND REDUCE SPENDING ON THE GOLF COURSE AND NOT DO THE MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THE GOLF COURSE. WELL, THAT YEAR WE LOST LESS MONEY ON THE GOLF COURSE THAN WE HAD IN A LONG TIME. THE NEXT YEAR, NOBODY PLAYED GOLF AND WE LOST SO MUCH MONEY BECAUSE THE GOLF COURSE HAD JUST FALLEN INTO TERRIBLE DISREPAIR. MR. SAUL HAS TAKEN A MUCH MORE STRATEGIC, INTELLIGENT APPROACH OF INCREMENTALLY MAKING THE GOLF COURSE BETTER. AND SO I THINK THAT'S AN EXAMPLE ALONG WITH WITH WITH DAVID ON THE PARK SIDE, IF YOU GET SOMEBODY THAT'S A GOOD MANAGER AND KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING, IT'S WORTH THE MONEY THAT YOU PAY THEM. SO ANYWAY, I DO THINK THERE IS THAT POTENTIAL MOVING OF 220 000 OFF OF THE TAX BURDEN ONTO RESERVE, AND THEN HOPING THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO TRANSFER THE MONEY. IT'S BEEN SUGGESTED. OH YEAH, I'LL SAY SO HERE'S A SMALL ONE ON COUNCIL. SOME OF THE THINGS, MR. MAYOR, THAT YOU HAD PROPOSED, SOME OF THE TRAVEL EXPENSES, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY IS SPENT ON SENDING CITY COUNCIL TO T ML EVERY YEAR. I WENT TO T ML FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND FOUND IT, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT HELPFUL. BUT THEN I DECIDED THAT REALLY IT FELT LIKE THIS. THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS GOING TO T ML WERE JUST LEARNING THINGS THAT ENABLED THEM TO TRY TO ACT LIKE THEIR CITY MANAGER ASSISTANTS. AND, AND I THINK T ML IS REALLY GOOD FOR CITY MANAGERS, BUT IN MANY WAYS, I THINK T ML THIS COUNCIL AND RECENT PAST COUNCIL IS GOING TO T ML HAS ENDED UP JUST CAUSING TENSION BETWEEN THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER. SO I WOULD BE VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF CUTTING THE TRAVEL BUDGET AND AND NOT SEND CITY COUNCIL TO T ML. THERE'S AN I T EXPENSE IN CITY IN IN CITY COUNCIL THAT'S IN HERE, WHICH IS IS IN IN YOUR YOUR LIST MAYOR. BUT THAT WAS POINTED OUT BY STAFF THAT THAT IS IT'S NOT ABOUT THE LAPTOPS

[01:20:03]

THAT'S LIKE, IF YOU HAVE A CAR AND YOUR TRANSMISSION BREAKS, YOU RECOGNIZE YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THAT'S WHAT WE DID WITH OUR $12 MILLION STREET PROGRAM. IT WAS LIKE THE CITY WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN ON STREETS. WE NEED A BIG ONE TIME INFUSION OF A PROGRAM TO FIX A BUNCH OF STREETS. THE $50,000 THAT STREETS HAS IN MATERIAL IS TO FIX POTHOLES ON, YOU KNOW, A ONE OFF BASIS THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT. IT'S NOT FIXING THE WHOLE STREET, WHICH IS WHAT ABOUT THE BOND PRICE? IT'S SORT OF LIKE BECAUSE YOUR TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND YOU HAD TO REPLACE THAT ON THE CAR, DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE OIL? NO. YOU STILL HAVE TO CHANGE THE OIL. WE NEED TO CHANGE LIGHT. SO I THINK TAKING THESE, THESE SMALL AMOUNTS OUT OF THE STREET DEPARTMENT ON THE JUSTIFICATION THAT WE HAD A $12 MILLION BOND FOR A STREET PROGRAM. IT'S IT'S LIKE THAT IT'S IT'S IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. WE'VE GOT THESE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE DOING GOOD WORK. WE NEED THEM TO CONTINUE DOING GOOD WORK. I WILL ALSO SAY THAT REDUCING THE CITY MANAGER'S SALARY IS IN THE BUDGET. WHILE THAT MAY RESONATE WITH SOME CITIZENS, MAYOR, YOU AND I HAD THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE HIRED A VERY CAPABLE, VERY EXPERIENCED INTERIM CITY MANAGER THAT IS VERY EXPENSIVE. AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO BE PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH AROUND THE CITY MANAGER'S SALARY, WE'RE GOING TO GET WHAT WE PAY FOR. AND I'M TIRED OF CITY MANAGERS WHO ARE NOT UP TO THE JOB. SO I THINK THAT IS FOOLISH TO TAKE THAT MONEY OUT OF THE BUDGET. NOT HAVING A PARKS DIRECTOR. I WAS LIAISON TO THE PARKS AND REC COMMITTEE WHEN WHEN DAVID SHOWED UP, MR. MONTGOMERY SCOTT SHOWED UP AND STARTED GETTING THINGS DONE, AND THE PARKS AND REC COMMITTEE SAID, OH MY GOODNESS, WE HAVEN'T HAD SOMEBODY THAT GOT THINGS DONE IN PARKS AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. SO THE ASSERTION THAT MOVING PARKS UNDER A MANAGER, NOT A DIRECTOR AND PUTTING IT BACK IN PUBLIC WORKS USED TO WORK JUST FINE, IS COMPLETELY WRONG TO PEOPLE THAT PAY ATTENTION TO PARKS. IT'S BEEN BROKEN FOR YEARS. IT JUST GOT FIXED WHEN WE HIRED SOMEBODY THAT WAS INCREDIBLY CAPABLE AND PAID HIM A LOT MORE THAN YOU WOULD PAY WITH A CITY MANAGER. SO IF WE WANT TO GET BACK TO WHERE PEOPLE USING THE PARKS SAY, THIS IS TERRIBLE, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT BEING MAINTAINED, IT'S NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED WITH THIS PROPOSAL.

NEXT ONE, LEGAL SERVICES, I THINK YOU HAD $100,000 OUT IN LEGAL SERVICES. IF CITY COUNCIL WOULD STOP ASKING OUR ATTORNEY COMPLEX QUESTIONS AND FIGHTING BACK AND FORTH ON DETAILS, MAYBE, BUT THIS COUNCIL HAS NOT SHOWN THE ABILITY FOR SELF CONTROL TO NOT SPEND A LOT OF LEGAL SERVICES MONEY. SO I DON'T THINK IT'S REAL. YEAH, YOU CAN TAKE YOU CAN TAKE THE MONEY OUT. BUT I DON'T THINK THIS COUNCIL HAS THE SELF CONTROL TO NOT SPEND THAT MONEY.

SO THERE WE GO. I THINK THAT THE. WELL YES WE CAN SHOW BUDGET MR. HALL. YES, WE CAN SHOW A BUDGET AS, AS AS THE MAYOR HAS DONE THAT CUTS THINGS AND SAYS, YOU KNOW, I FOUND FAT HERE, HERE AND HERE AND HERE, AND IT GETS US DOWN TO 0.42. IF WE HADN'T ALREADY COME UP WITH A PLAN TO DO THINGS THAT USED THE MONEY, THAT WOULD BE THE SAVINGS SOMEWHERE. WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THE SAVINGS ARE GOING TO BE, BUT THERE WILL BE SAVINGS SOMEWHERE. BUT WE'VE ALREADY ALLOCATED THAT MONEY. AND SO YES, WE COULD GO TO 0.42. WE COULD REALLY REDUCE OUR CITIZENS TAXES QUITE A BIT ON THEIR PROPERTY TAX. BUT THE PAIN OF DOING IT, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT HAVE SAID, PLEASE DON'T SCREW UP THE GOLF COURSE. PLEASE DON'T SCREW UP. PARKS. AND I MY ASSERTION IS THIS BUDGET DOES EXACTLY THAT. I THINK IT'S IT'S IT'S MORE ABOUT THE POLITICAL PERCEPTION THAN THE REALITY. AND I HAVE SPENT MORE TIME ON

[01:25:03]

YOU KNOW, WE BASE THAT I'M SURE OUT OF SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS THAT WE WERE LOOKING TO CUT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THAT HAS BEEN COUNTED AGAIN, ON THOSE MAINTENANCE ALREADY IN THE BUDGET THAT THE MAYOR PUT TOGETHER. SO GOING BACK THROUGH ALL OF THE LITTLE DETAILS, AS LONG AS PEOPLE ARE OKAY WITH ERODING OUR BANK ACCOUNTS. AND BY THE WAY, WE ARE GOING DOWN, NOT UP AT A MINIMUM, STAYING THE SAME, I'M GOING TO SAY IN 24, WE HAD 70,916,000. IN 25 WE HAD 67,626. WE ARE ABOUT THERE IN 26 WITH NOT ALL THE MONTHS ACCOUNTED FOR. SO WE'RE ALREADY WE'RE NOT ADDING TO OUR PIGGY BANK TO HELP WITH THIS 100 MILLION. WE ARE ALREADY TAKING OUT OF IT. SO WITH THAT, I REALLY FEEL THAT WE ARE BEING VERY IRRESPONSIBLE. TO YOUR POINT, IF WE HAD KNOWN THAT WE WERE WORKING TOWARD A 0.42 EARLY ON, I WOULD HAVE FELT OKAY WITH THIS. I WOULD HAVE SAID, OKAY, LET'S GIVE THE CITIZENS SOME TIME TO TELL US WHAT THEY WANT TO CUT. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THE CITY MANAGER TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE RESTRUCTURE. BUT AGAIN, THAT IS NOT CLEAR TONIGHT. THAT IS NOT CLEAR TONIGHT BY ANY MEANS. I'M DISAPPOINTED. I AM UPSET BY THE WAY THIS STARTED BECAUSE WE INCURRED DEBT TO FIX OUR SYSTEM.

WE STARTED OFF BECAUSE WE TRIED TO SAVE THE TAXPAYER MONEY, SO IT COST A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY ON INTEREST RATE. THIS YEAR WE HAD $565,050 IN INTEREST FOR A ROLLOVER. CO BONDS. A PORTION OF THAT IS ADDITIONAL INTEREST THAT WE DIDN'T ORIGINALLY HAVE. AND SO THAT COMES DIRECTLY OFF OUR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS. THIS IS HELLO. YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A HAVE WHAT WAS IT, 10 MILLION OR WHATEVER IT WAS, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU GET $100,000 A YEAR PAYCHECK.

OH, I'M SORRY, 6000 OF IT BECAUSE HOUSING VALUATIONS HAVE GONE DOWN AND YOU'VE GOT ADDITIONAL INTEREST. GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT OUT OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET. GO AHEAD AND JUST FIGURE THAT OUT RIGHT NOW. THIS MINUTE. I'M DISAPPOINTED. I AM HIGHLY UPSET. AND I THINK

[01:30:10]

ADDITIONALLY, AS PEOPLE HAVE SAID, PEOPLE LOSING JOBS. I'M DOWN TO A ONE INCOME HOUSEHOLD.

YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, FIGHT THEIR TAXES? I'M ONE OF THEM. I ACTUALLY DID FIGHT MY TAXES THIS YEAR. BUT STILL, THIS INCREASE WOULD INCREASE MY TAXES ALMOST $190. SO KUDOS FOR YOUR 20 BUCKS, BUT IT'S GOING TO COST ME ALMOST 200. I SAW MULTIPLE WAYS TO CUT FAT, AND I WAS ASHAMED WHEN MAYOR SAHM'S PROPOSAL BASICALLY WENT UNCHECKED. WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION NUMEROUS TIMES. WE HAD I HAD SENT NUMEROUS EMAILS TO NICOLE AND ALSO TO CHARLES ABOUT THE BUDGET. AND YES, HE LEFT US HIGH AND DRY. HE LEFT ME UNANSWERED. THEN WE ELECTED THREE MEMBERS FROM COUNCIL THAT SAID, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF IT. WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP. IT'S SUMMER. I'M A MOTHER OF THREE GIRLS. ONE WENT OFF TO COLLEGE. I'VE GOT A 16 YEAR OLD THAT IS IN THE DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL, VERY ACTIVE, AND I'M A FULL TIME NURSE. SO NO, I DID NOT GET TO SPEND THE SUMMER FOCUSING ON THE BUDGET. I LIVED MY LIFE. I DID DEDICATE QUITE A BIT OF TIME AND RESOURCES TO CITY COUNCIL. LIKE I TOLD MY CONSTITUENTS I WOULD, BUT THEY ELECTED ME FOR A REASON. THEY ELECTED ME TO VOTE MY CONSCIENCE, AND I FELT THAT SINCE I HAD BEEN DISMISSED, YOU KNOW, AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, ESPECIALLY ON THE BSC'S REQUEST, TALKING ABOUT FIRE WAYS ON THE HIGHLAND GOLF COURSE, WE NEEDED TO CONDEMN SOME SOME OF THIS STUFF. WE NEED TO CLEAN IT UP.

NONE OF THAT WAS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, SO. YEAH, I WASN'T GOING TO SIT UP HERE AND ARGUE WITH YOU GUYS BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY DONE SO. I HAD VOICED MY OPINION NUMEROUS TIMES AND I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE GOING ANY FURTHER. I TOLD YOU GUYS I FELT LIKE WE SHOULD HOLD THE LINE, AND ANYTHING I WOULD HAVE SAID REALLY WOULD HAVE JUST, YOU KNOW, BEEN THROWN BACK AT ME POLITICALLY. SO SOMETIMES LESS IS BETTER. I JUST DECIDED TO VOTE MY CONSCIENCE AND SEE HOW HOW IT FELT. NOW, I DO FEEL THAT I DID A DISSERVICE TO MR. HALL BECAUSE HIM ON THE END, HE HAS TO BE THE FIRST VOTE AND THAT PUTS HIM IN A IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION. YOU HAD TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO APPROVE IT. SO I APPLAUD YOU FOR COMING BACK THE SECOND ROUND. I JUST HOPE THAT YOUR MOTIVES FOR COMING BACK FOR THIS AREN'T POLITICALLY MOTIVATED FOR ANYONE. AND I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU'RE DOING THIS FOR THE TAXPAYER. I BELIEVE THAT MAYOR SOLMS BUDGET IS AGGRESSIVE, BUT I BELIEVE WITH MY CALCULATIONS, I CALCULATED 541 DAYS OF RESERVES. YOU, MAYOR, COUNCILOR PRINCE, YOU SAID THAT IT'S MORE LIKE 11 MONTHS. I THOUGHT IT WAS 540 DAYS, WHICH IS ALMOST YOU KNOW, IT'S A LITTLE MORE THAN THAT. I BELIEVE THAT US HOLDING A 0.42 AND USING OUR RESERVES FOR EMERGENCIES OR SUBSIDIZING THE AIRPORT SHOULD WE NEED TO IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, IT'S COMPLETELY FEASIBLE. AND I THINK THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TRANSFERS AND ALLOCATIONS FROM UTILITIES IS A BRILLIANT IDEA.

I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A LONG TIME AGO. AND I BELIEVE YOU'VE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY. SO THAT'S HOW I'M GOING TO CONTINUE. I'M NOT GOING TO CONTINUE ANYMORE BECAUSE I'VE I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY FACTS OVER FEELINGS, BUT I'M GETTING A LITTLE BIT EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT BECAUSE IF YOU'RE GOING TO ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING, YOU BETTER BRING THE FACTS. OKAY, WELL, I GUESS IT'S MY TURN. SO I, COUNCILOR PRINCE IS

[01:35:11]

SO TO ME, THIS IS JUST A PLOY TO RAILROAD THROUGH SOMETHING, AS COUNCILOR PRINCE SAID, FOR POLITICAL GAIN TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HEY, I HELD THE LINE ON YOUR TAXES, I DON'T THINK IT FUNDS THE CITY AT THE LEVEL THAT WE SHOULD BE FUNDING THE CITY. SO PROCESS WISE, I'VE GOT A REAL ISSUE. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE VOTING ON ANY DECLINATION IN THE BUDGET, ANY DECLINE IN THE TAX RATE, TO BE HONEST, UNTIL WE HEAR FROM STAFF. SO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM OUR CITY MANAGER ON WHAT SOME OF THESE IMPLICATIONS ARE AND REPERCUSSIONS, BECAUSE I THINK THESE THINGS GET HIDDEN IN THE DISCUSSION. THE REAL IMPACT ON OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE CITY OR TO TAKE CARE OF OUR PROPERTIES AND ASSETS, SUCH AS OUR PARKS, THOSE GET HIDDEN IN THESE BUDGET LINES BECAUSE VERY FEW CITIZENS ARE GOING TO GO LINE BY LINE ON THIS AND THEN TALK TO STAFF AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE REPERCUSSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ARE. SO THAT'S JUST FOR THIS YEAR. OUR ABILITY TO HIRE IN GREAT NEW PEOPLE, WHICH WE KNOW WE NEED IN SOME KEY POSITIONS, OUR ABILITY TO RETAIN OUR GOOD PEOPLE, OUR ABILITY TO FUND THESE PROJECTS AND CONTINUE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE SO OVERDUE. WE'VE GOT CITIZENS WHO HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN TO ME ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE BASIC SERVICES. THEY DON'T TRUST US NOW TO KEEP THE THE TOILETS FLUSHING. WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH EVERY 2 TO 3 MONTHS, SO WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BE PULLING FROM RESERVES UNDER THIS BUDGET. THERE'S JUST NO ROOM FOR ANYTHING TO GO WRONG. AND NOW THEY'RE QUESTIONING HOW CAN WE DO THIS IF WE DO ADDITIONAL BUDGET CUTS. SO REAL CONCERNS WITH THE SUBSTANCE AND WITH THE PROCESS. AND I FEEL IT'S PREMATURE TO TRY TO RAM THROUGH A BUDGET IF WE HAVEN'T EVEN HAD A FULL VETTING OR ANALYSIS FROM STAFF. SO I'D ASK THAT WE HEAR FROM OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER. I KNOW THE STAFF HAS DONE SOME ANALYSIS, OBVIOUSLY RUSHED, SO NOT GIVEN PROPER TIME TO DO THIS, TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS THAT I THINK WE ALL SHOULD HEAR.

AND LASTLY, I'LL SAY, OBVIOUSLY I'M A PROPONENT OF PARKS FOR THE CITY. IT'S SOMETHING EVERY CITY SHOULD PROVIDE IS PARKS AND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES GOES WAY BEHIND THE CURVE ON THAT AND WAY OVERDUE. I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T THINK PARKS ARE THAT IMPORTANT, BUT THEY ARE, AND WE'VE SEEN IT CLEARLY. OUR CITIZENS WANT IT FROM OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. A NUMBER OF TOWN HALLS AND SURVEYS WERE DONE, AND PARKS AND NATURAL SPACE AND TRAILS ARE NUMBER ONE, TWO AND THREE. AND WHAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR. AND TO SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO DEMOTE, WE FINALLY GOT A PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR WHO IS BOTH RESOURCEFUL AND TRANSFORMATIVE.

AND AS COUNCILOR PRINCE SAID, HE GOT THINGS DONE. SO WE FINALLY CAN MAKE SOME HEADWAY ON THE PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAM THAT WE NEED TO BE OFFERING OUR CITIZENS AND BEGIN TO MAKE PROGRESS TO SUPPORT OUR YOUTH SPORTS LEAGUES. SO TO DEMOTE THAT POSITION NOW AND SAY, OH, IT'S A GLORIFIED PUBLIC WORKS POSITION, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS MOW THE FIELDS AND STUFF IS JUST RIDICULOUS. AND I OBJECT HEARTILY TO THAT. SO THAT'S KIND OF MY MAIN THRUST HERE. I THINK, AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE TO OUR FELLOW RESIDENTS HERE FOR THE PROCESS, FOR THE MESS. I THINK THIS MAKES US LOOK LIKE A CLOWN SHOW. I DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANT TO TRY TO GET A SLIGHTLY LOWER TAX RATE, GREAT. BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE JUST A FEW DAYS TO OPERATE IN AND DO AN ANALYSIS. I DISAGREE WITH A 0.42 TAX RATE. I THINK IT'S TOO DRACONIAN OF A CUT REPERCUSSIONS BOTH THIS FISCAL YEAR AND THEN LONG TERM. AS COUNCILOR OUR MAYOR PRO TEM OWEN HAS BROUGHT UP, YOU CAN'T JUST THINK OF THIS YEAR. THINK OF THE LONG TERM. IF WE START TAKING OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND TO FUND WHAT SHOULD BE NORMAL

[01:40:05]

THANK YOU. YEAH, I JUST TOLD THE CITY MANAGER THAT IT WAS MY INTENTION THAT THIS WOULD STAY AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL. I'LL ASK THE REST COUNCIL IF THEY WANT TO HAVE THAT INPUT, BUT I WAS GOING TO GIVE MY COMMENTS AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION, OR WE CAN SAY RIGHT NOW, THROUGH CONSENSUS, DO WE WANT THE CITY MANAGER TO GO THROUGH ANY OF THIS AND GIVE HIS COMMENTS? YES, ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO GIVE MY COMMENTS FIRST. SO ONE, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I DO APPRECIATE THE CITIZENS EMOTIONS. THEY COME HERE AND I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE COUNCIL'S EMOTIONS, THOUGH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. SO LET'S BE SERIOUS ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE. THIS ISN'T SOME POLITICAL MOVE. ONE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO WAS ON THE PRESIDING SIDE OF THIS VOTE ASKED FOR A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING. AS PART OF THAT REQUEST, HE ASKED FOR THE THREE OF US THAT VOTED AGAINST THIS TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROCESS OF PROVIDING AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET. SO I PROVIDED AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS DISRESPECTFUL AND THIS IS A POLITICAL MOVE. NONE OF THAT'S TRUE. YOU ASKED ME, OF THE THREE OF US TO GIVE YOU AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET, AND SO I GAVE YOU AN ALTERNATIVE BUDGET.

IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, WHICH I WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT EITHER. BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME DO IT, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT A BUDGET WOULD LOOK LIKE THAT I WAS GOING TO TRY TO PUT OUT THERE. AND SO, YES, IS IT AN EASY BUDGET? WOULD IT HAVE MADE ANY SENSE FOR US TO CALL A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING? IF I TOOK $20,000 OFF THE BUDGET AND SAID, HERE YOU GO. NO, I GAVE YOU WHAT I WOULD DO TO HOLD THE LINE AT THE BUDGET THAT I ORIGINALLY ALWAYS THOUGHT I WANTED, BUT I WAS TRYING TO BE A GOOD TEAM PLAYER. I UNDERSTOOD THAT THE VOTES WEREN'T THERE. IT WAS GOING TO BE NO NEW REVENUE RATE. I CONTINUED TO ASK QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. I WAS NEVER HAPPY WITH IT. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT SOMEHOW THIS, EVEN MY BUDGET WAS PORTRAYED, IS NOT ACCURATE EITHER. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE STREETS ONE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. THEY SPENT. WAS IT THEY ASKED FOR $150,000 LAST YEAR FOR STREET MATERIALS. THIS YEAR THEY ASKED FOR $200,000. THEY SPENT $41,000. I ONLY LOWERED OFF THAT $200,000 THAT THEY ASKED FOR. I TOOK 50,000 OFF. I STILL GAVE THEM 110,000 MORE THAN THEY ACTUALLY SPENT LAST YEAR. AND NONE OF THEM HAVE EVER COME UP HERE WITH A PLAN. YOU SAID POTHOLES. I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT. I DON'T KNOW THAT. BUT I DO KNOW THAT. LAGO VISTA GO LOOK AT THE CORNER OF LOMAN IN 1431. WHAT'S OUR CITY'S HISTORY OF FIXING POTHOLES? HOW DOES THAT INTERSECTION LOOK? THOSE POOR JOBS DONE ON THOSE POTHOLES EVENTUALLY TURNED INTO HAVING TO BE RESURFACED. SO YOU, YOU WE WENT OUT IN 2024 AND GOT $26 MILLION IN A BOND. YOU STILL HAVE $2.2 MILLION OF THAT UNENCUMBERED. ALLEGEDLY. IT WAS A CO BOND. WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE GOING TO SPEND THAT MONEY ON. WE HAVE TO GET THERE. WE GOT TO GET IT. NOW. WE GET IT. WE'RE SITTING HERE 2 OR 3 YEARS LATER, YOU STILL GOT $2.2 MILLION NOT SPENT. SO YES, I PROPOSED KEEP THIS PROJECT GOING. MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU'RE USING MONEY FOR STREETS, YOU'RE GOING TO USE THE BOND MONEY AND DO IT. SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE. THE MAJORITY OF THESE CUTS THAT I PUT IN THERE ARE OFF OF ACTUALS. SO I TOOK EXACTLY WHAT YOU SPENT LAST YEAR AND THERE WAS A GOOD POINT OUT HERE. YES, THERE COULD BE INCREASED COSTS, THERE COULD BE INFLATION, ETC. EXCEPT NO STAFF TOLD ME THAT. SO AGAIN, TO MR. BENFIELD'S POINT, I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR YEARS COME TO ME WITH A 5% REDUCTION. IF YOU NEED TO GO ABOVE IT, MAKE THAT ARGUMENT. THEY DON'T MAKE THAT ARGUMENT. I HAVE NEVER SEEN AND I'VE LIVED HERE SINCE 2020.

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED HERE MUCH LONGER THAN ME. BUT IN THAT TIME THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, I'VE REALLY NEVER SEEN CITY HALL BEEN PUT TO TASK AND SAID, YOU NEED TO DO YOU NEED TO TIGHTEN THE BELT, YOU NEED TO WORK AS HARD AS YOU CAN AND YOU NEED TO KEEP THIS MONEY DOWN. THEY EVERY YEAR THERE'S EXCUSES OF, OH, I'M GONNA HAVE TO CUT MY SERVICES. THE CITY IS GOING TO BE TERRIBLE. IT'S GOING TO EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BREAK DOWN. YOU'RE STILL GETTING 29.8 OR $29.9 MILLION ON THE BUDGET THAT I PROPOSED. AND THE BUDGET THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO PUT THROUGH IS 30.8. SO THERE WAS NOTHING IN MY PROPOSAL THAT CUTS INTO THE $100 MILLION FUTURE PROJECTS THAT WAS NEEDED. ACTUALLY, I ADDED SOMETHING THAT WASN'T ASKED FOR BY ANYBODY. AND AS ANOTHER WATER MAINTENANCE PERSON, TO GO WORK ON OUR WATER, BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FACING LAGO VISTA FOR YEARS TO COME. SO THIS BUDGET ACTUALLY WORKS ON SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY NEEDING TO DO. THERE WAS ANOTHER COMMENT HERE. I'M GOING TO PULL IT UP. I KIND OF LIED. I GUESS I SAID I WASN'T GETTING EMOTIONAL

[01:45:01]

I'M A PERSON THAT DOESN'T TRUST GOVERNMENT AND REALLY LIKE GOVERNMENT, BUT I WORK IN IT BECAUSE BETTER ME THAN OTHERS. BUT WHAT I'VE SEEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, WHAT I'VE SEEN AT CITIES, I'VE SEEN AT COUNTIES, IS EVERYBODY TELLS YOU THAT THIS IS WHAT IT COSTS TO DO IT. BUT WHEN YOU REALLY DIG INTO IT, YOU FIND OUT THAT THEY'RE JUST WASTING YOUR MONEY, THAT IT ISN'T ACTUALLY WHAT THEY NEEDED, THAT IF YOU REALLY WORKED HARD, YOU COULD FIND A WAY TO DO IT CHEAPER. AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE SEEN FOR THE ENTIRE THREE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON THIS COUNCIL.

THERE'S DEFINITELY STUFF IN THESE BUDGETS. SO MUCH SO THAT THE FORMER CITY MANAGER, HE FOUND PET PROJECTS ALL AROUND HERE. ALLEGEDLY. WE HAVE SUCH A TIGHT BUDGET, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO INTO RESERVES. YET HE'S ABLE TO BUY THESE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TVS. THESE AREN'T TWO, THREE, $400 TVS THAT YOU FOUND ON AMAZON. HE SPENT TWO GRAND ON EACH ONE OF THESE. THERE'S 3 OR 4 OF THEM OUT HERE. HE FOUND BRAND NEW FURNITURE, BRAND NEW DESKS. WE REPAINTED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE PUT NEW CARPET, WE PUT NEW FURNITURE THERE. YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU COULD HAVE GONE TO SURPLUS. BUT THE STATE OR TEXAS A AND M SAME DESK, BECAUSE I HAVE THE SAME DESK THAT MR. WEST BOUGHT IN THERE IN MY OFFICE AT HOME. I GOT IT FOR $20. HE BOUGHT IT FOR, I DON'T KNOW, IT WAS LIKE 5 TO 10 GRAND, I DON'T KNOW. BUT APPARENTLY HE DIDN'T FEEL THE BUDGET WAS THAT TIGHT. AND THE OTHER PROBLEM I HAVE IS WE DID TALK ABOUT THIS. WE WE REALLY DO BUDGET AT THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL. SO THESE LINE ITEMS, WHILE I'M TAKING MONEY OUT OF THESE LINE ITEMS, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO PUT IN THAT LINE ITEM, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT. LIKE OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO DO SWAG IT AND WE'RE GOING TO BROADCAST THESE. BUT BEFORE THIS YEAR, THAT EXPENSE WAS NEVER IN THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET. THEY PUT IT IN THIS YEAR BECAUSE THEY SPREAD OUT THIS $400,000 IT PROJECT, THIS CONTRACT THAT WE JUST FOUND ABOUT NOT TOO LONG AGO WAS ON AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. YOU COULD READ MORE ABOUT IT. I WON'T TELL THE DETAILS OF IT, BUT SOMETHING THAT NONE OF US UP HERE SAW BEFORE IT HAPPENED. IT'S NOW SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET. IF YOU'RE A CITIZEN, YOU'RE LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET. YOU HAVE NO IDEA THAT THERE'S A $400,000 IT CONTRACT IN THERE BECAUSE THEY DID LITTLE THINGS LIKE THIS. THEY BROKE IT UP AND THEY PUT IT IN EACH ONE. BUT FOR CITY COUNCIL, A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT DOESN'T BELONG IN OUR BUDGET, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS ALREADY PROVIDING THE CITIZENS. WE'RE GOING TO STREAM THESE VIDEOS. IT SHOULD BE AN ADMIN. IT SHOULD BE A NON-DEPARTMENTAL. IT SHOULD BE UNDER THE CITY SECRETARY. I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT PROBABLY SHOULD STAY UNDER IT. ALL THE IT COSTS SHOULD BE THERE. SO YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING ON IT. SO ALL I'M SAYING IS TO SIT HERE AND BE INDIGNANT AND SAY THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE HAVING A DRACONIAN BUDGET. IT'S NOT DRACONIAN BUDGET. THERE'S SO MUCH FLUFF IN THESE BUDGETS. YOU CAN TRIM DOWN. YOU CAN CUT DOWN. THIS CITY HALL HAS NEVER BEEN ASKED TO DO THAT. AND SO I THINK, YEAH, WHAT TURNED IS LAST THURSDAY, I SHOWED UP. I'VE BEEN MAKING MY ARGUMENTS. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT. I LOST THE VOTE FOUR THREE, AND I WENT HOME. I WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT IT. AND I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT, GOING INTO THE NEXT YEAR, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT I WANT TO CHANGE. AND WHAT I CAME OUT OF THAT WAS, IS WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIX THIS CITY MAKING TINY LITTLE TWEAKS HERE AND THERE. WE NEED WHOLESALE CHANGE. BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, I AM STILL VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED DOWN IN THE LEGISLATURE. I TALKED TO OTHER CITY MANAGERS, I TALKED TO OTHER MAYORS, AND NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM EVER COMES TO ME AND SAYS, SHANE, I REALLY LOVE HOW LAGO VISTA IS DOING X CAN WE REPLICATE IT? NOBODY. NOBODY WANTS TO REPLICATE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. WE HAVE TO CHANGE HOW WE DO THINGS. WE HAVE TO CHANGE HOW THIS PLACE IS ORGANIZED. WE HAVE TO PLAN. WE HAVE TO CHANGE HOW WE SPEND. WE HAVE TO CHANGE HOW. THIS COUNCIL DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE STAFF FEEL BAD. WE HAVE TO MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS TO MAKE THE CHANGES THAT WILL ACTUALLY PUT LAGO VISTA IN THE CORRECT PLACE. AND SO I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS PROCESS WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO COME AND ASK ME AS MY THREE OF OUR NO VOTES TO GIVE YOU A BUDGET, WELL, I JUST SHOWED YOU WHAT MY BUDGET IS. BUT TO BE UPSET ABOUT IT, I MEAN, THAT'S POLITICAL TO ME. I JUST GAVE YOU WHAT THE TRUTH IS. AND IF YOU WANT TO GO WITH THAT VOTE AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD. SO WHEN I CALL THE VOTE, I'M OBVIOUSLY THE ONLY VOTE I'M GOING TO VOTE FOR IS EITHER VOTE FOR THIS BUDGET THAT I PROPOSED AND FOR STAFF TO WORK ON IT AND MAKE IT WORK, OR WE'LL STICK BACK TO WHERE WE LOST. AND SO. MR. MR. HALL, YOU CALLED A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I WASN'T HAPPY ABOUT IT, BUT I APPRECIATE LIKE ALL THINGS THAT YOU DO, YOU, YOU HANDLED IT WITH CLASS. YOU'VE BEEN VERY RESPECTFUL ABOUT IT. SO I'M JUST GIVING YOU THE HEADS UP THAT THERE'S NO IN BETWEEN. FOR ME, IT'S THE 42 OR IT'S NONE. SO WE TAKE THIS VOTE AND HOWEVER IT ENDS, THAT ENDS THE NIGHT. SO WITH THAT, I AGREED TO ALLOW MR. TURNER TO SPEAK. PLEASE, COUNCILMAN, WOULD YOU PLEASE ASK THE. OKAY. WOULD YOU PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTION AGAIN? YES, SIR. SO. AND BY THE WAY, MR. MAYOR, YOU'RE SUBMITTING YOUR BUDGET. I COMMEND YOU FOR THAT BECAUSE YOU YOU WERE ASKED TO AND YOU DID. I THINK THE OBJECTION IS THAT WE'VE ALREADY GOT A MOTION ON THE TABLE TO PUT YOUR BUDGET THROUGH WITHOUT ADEQUATE REVIEW OF THE BUDGET OR STAFF REVIEW OF THE BUDGET, GETTING INPUT ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF IT, ETC. SO THAT'S THE OBJECTION, I THINK FOR MYSELF, I WON'T SPEAK FOR COUNCILOR PRINCE, BUT I THINK THAT'S MY MAIN CONCERN. MY QUESTION WAS, BEFORE WE CAN RESPONSIBLY VOTE ON ANYTHING, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS. AND STAFF HAD TO VERY QUICKLY PUT TOGETHER SOME INITIAL ANALYZES OF WHAT SOME OF THE RAMIFICATIONS WOULD BE OF THE BUDGET, AND THERE COULD BE SOME POSITIVES FROM IT, LIKE,

[01:50:01]

MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I THANK GOD RIGHT NOW FOR BEING AN INTERIM. I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO HEAR. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE YOU. AND LET'S SEE HOW THIS GOES. FIRST OF ALL, I RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF THIS BUDGET PROCESS AND PROBABLY SOME FRUSTRATION WITH PRIOR BUDGET PROCESSES. I APPRECIATE THAT. I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU ALL GOT INVOLVED. I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE DONE THIS TO COUNCIL, BUT I'M GOING TO DO THIS. I GOT MY BAG ON A ROLLER, SO. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN LAGO VISTA IS THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE ORGANIZATION THAT IMPACTS THE COMMUNITY. ALL OF US HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN IT. YOU ARE ASKING ME TO NOT NOT THIS REQUEST, BUT YOU ALL ARE ASKING ME TO HELP GET US IN A POSITION WHERE OTHER PEOPLE WANT TO DO WHAT WE DO HERE AND DO IT LIKE WE DO HERE, AND LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE THAT WE HAVE HERE TO UNRAVEL, IF YOU WILL. FROM MY CALCULATIONS, 10 TO 15 YEARS WORTH OF DYSFUNCTIONALITY, I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER VAN NESS, AND I COULD READ IT, BUT I CHOSE THAT I WOULD NOT IF THE COUNCIL TELLS ME TO, OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE MY BOSSES AND THAT IS WHAT I WILL DO. WE HAVE ASKED STAFF TO PROVIDE SOME ANALYSIS IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS WHO. THIS IS THEIR FIRST TIME EVER PARTICIPATING IN THE BUDGET PROCESS. WE HAVE NOT SUPPORTED THEM. ISAAC TURNER SAYING THIS WITH DEVELOPMENT, WITH TRAINING, AND WITH OTHER RESOURCES TO MAKE THEM SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE POSITIONS, THEN TO GET IN THIS TIGHT SITUATION WHERE THERE IS NOT ONLY THE FIDUCIARY CONCERNS, BUT ISAAC TURNER IS SAYING THIS. AND AGAIN, I GOT MY BAGS ON WHEELS, SO LET ME KNOW. PART OF THIS IS. IT'S DISJOINTED. I'M CHANGING MY WORDS. IT'S VERY DISJOINTED. IT IT'S SOMETHING FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. AND I AGREE WITH THE MAYOR ON THIS ASPECT. THIS IS SOMETHING THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO HAGGLE OUT. I HAVE BEEN BEGGING YOU TO HAVE A RETREAT, AND I KNOW YOUR SCHEDULES ARE BUSY AND YOU DEVOTE A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TO THIS CITY. BUT. I REALLY DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE ANSWERING THAT QUESTION DIRECTLY. ONE, BECAUSE STAFF HASN'T HAD TIME TO UTILIZE IT. AND THE STAFF, I'M NOT SURE HOW FAMILIAR THEY ARE WITH ANALYSIS. COUNCIL HAS BROUGHT FORTH A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT HAVE CONCERNS. THE VIDEO, THE MEETINGS COURTS HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE JUDGES AND CLERKS BEING ABLE TO BE TRAINED. YOU'RE CUTTING OFF. I'M SORRY. OH, LORD, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT. TO NOT FUND A CITY MANAGER AND EXPECT A GREAT CITY MANAGER. AND I'M I'M ACTUALLY VERY FISCALLY PRUDENT. YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TELL ABOUT MY COMMENTS. I'M PRUDENT. BUT THIS IS OUR PROFESSION, AS IS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTORS, AS IS PARKS DIRECTORS. YOU THINK YOU GOT A SHOCK WHEN YOU HAD TO PAY THE PARKS DIRECTOR MORE. WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE NEXT CITY MANAGER.

YOU COULD LOWBALL IT, BUT YOU'LL PAY FOR IT. AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE ISSUE. BUT THE OTHER PART OF THE ISSUE, QUITE CANDIDLY, IS THE GOVERNANCE PROCESS IN VISTA. I COULD GIVE YOU A BRIEF SYNOPSIS ON SOME OF THESE IF YOU WANT TO, BUT. THIS IS NOT A BRIEF ANALYSIS THAT I THINK YOU NEED. YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. I THINK WE'RE CLOSER TO A VOTE RIGHT NOW. I DON'T I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO. I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT I WOULD LOVE YOUR INPUT, BUT I THINK THAT IT DESERVES A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION WITH ALL OF US FIRST.

AND I THINK THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT, BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE STAFF HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW. SO WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, IT'S HARD TO GIVE A REPORT AS TO WHAT YOU NEED. AND WE HIRED YOU HERE TO HELP US IDENTIFY THAT. AND YES, RIGHT. THE SHIP. AND I'VE TOLD YOU, I'VE APOLOGIZED TO YOU ABOUT THE JOB THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO TO, TO HELP US GET THROUGH THIS. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY. AND WE WARNED YOU, YOU KNOW, I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ONES GOING, ARE YOU SURE? AND

[01:55:05]

SO HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH DEFINITIVE NUMBERS ON EACH OF THESE PARKS AND REC NUMBERS? THOSE WERE ALL, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY WERE FOR. THEY'RE JUST RANDOM INCREASES.

PEOPLE WERE SPECULATING WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DEFINITIVE INFORMATION.

THE CITY MANAGER JUST CAME IN TO HELP US. JUST TOLD YOU THAT A LOT OF THE STAFF WERE UNTRAINED, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE EVER DONE IT. SO WHY ARE WE RELYING SO HEAVILY ON THAT? I THINK AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE HARD CHOICES AND TELL THEM THAT THEY NEED TO STAY WITHIN THEIR BUDGET. AND AS FAR AS THE CITY MANAGER SALARY, I TOOK 25000 OFF OF IT. WE MADE UP THE 225000 NUMBER THAT DIDN'T COME FROM ANYWHERE.

WE DIDN'T DO AN ANALYSIS, WE DIDN'T LOOK AROUND. WE JUST THREW A DART AT THE WALL AND SAID 225. SO I PUT IT AT 200 BECAUSE WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME HARD CUTS. WE'VE ALREADY AGREED TO THIS INTERIM CITY MANAGER. WE'RE HOPING HE'S HERE FOR 6 TO 9 MONTHS. HE MAY BE RUNNING FOR THE HILLS AFTER THIS MEETING, BUT YOU'RE ALREADY IN THE HILLS, SO THERE'S NO REASON. BUT THIS IS STILL AN INCREASE OVER WHAT WE PAID THE LAST CITY MANAGER JUST POINTING OUT. SO I THINK WHAT I PROPOSED IS NO DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU GUYS JUST PASSED ON THURSDAY. I AT LEAST HAVE JUSTIFICATION BEHIND SOME OF MINE THAT I'M GOING OFF ACTUALS. THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STUFF THAT IS CONCERNING IN THE BUDGET THAT YOU DID APPROVE. I MEAN, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, THE WAY IT'S ALL STRUCTURED IS A MESS, RIGHT? WE HAVE SOMETHING IN THERE CALLED A DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SUPERVISOR. DEPOSITION DOESN'T ACTUALLY EXIST. WE DON'T HAVE A SUPERVISOR, BUT WE HAVE ONE OF OUR DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS. LINE ITEM IN THERE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S FOR.

WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT THAT'S CALLED A SECRETARY IN THERE. WE JUST HAVE WE CAME UP WITH ANOTHER RANDOM NUMBER IN THERE TOO FOR A BUILDING INSPECTOR. WE SAID 120,000 JUST MADE IT UP. WELL, I WENT ON TML TODAY, LOOKED AROUND AT ALL THE SALARIES BECAUSE YOU CAN GO ON TO MLS WEBSITE. THEY DO SOME OF THIS ANALYSIS FOR US. LOOKED AT ALL THE CITIES ACROSS THE STATE. THEY DON'T PAY 120 FOR THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THAT NUMBER. I SAW LAKEWAY OVER HERE PAYS 110, BCC PAYS 111. WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE SOME MORE ANALYSIS. SO ALL I'M POINTING OUT IS THE BUDGET LAST THURSDAY HAS THE SAME FLAWS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. AT LEAST THIS ONE TELLS OUR CITIZENS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HOLD THE LINE HERE. BUT. I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I'LL STOP WITH THAT. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE AND, MR. HALL, I DID HAVE ONE MORE OR A COUPLE MORE COMMENTS. ONE IS THAT I HAVE LEARNED A GREAT DEAL IN THIS DISCUSSION THAT I DIDN'T KNOW, AND THAT INCLUDES THAT THE THE BUDGET THAT WAS APPROVED AND THE DECISION PACKAGES THAT WE WERE REALLY AS AS WAS CLEARLY EXPRESSED, EXPECTING THAT THERE WERE BUDGET SAVINGS SOMEWHERE IN OUR BUDGET, WE HADN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY THOSE. AND SO THAT BUDGET WAS GOING TO BE CUT. SO IN FACT, IT WAS GOING TO BE CUT WITH A NUMBER OF THE AREAS THAT THE MAYOR IDENTIFIED IN HIS BUDGET AND WAS PROPOSING MY PROBLEM. AND I AND I EXPRESSED AT THE BEGINNING THAT I'M OPEN TO DISCUSSING LIGHT ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED FOR INCREASE OR DECREASE, AND COMING UP WITH A REVISED BUDGET. AT THIS MEETING. HOWEVER, IF IT'S AN ALL OR NOTHING KIND OF A SITUATION THAT THAT PLACES ME IN A IN A REALLY DIFFICULT POSITION, BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE THAT SOME OF THE MAJOR LINE ITEMS IN THE MAYOR'S BUDGET ARE ARE FEASIBLE. NOW, CAN WE TAKE THOSE OUT OF RESERVES? WELL, APPARENTLY SO. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN OPTION

[02:00:05]

HE IS GOING TO BE A HUGE LOSS AS HE RETIRES FROM THIS CITY COUNCIL. I PLACED A LOT OF TRUST IN HIS WORK ON THE BUDGET WE HAD DISCUSSED, AND I THOUGHT WE HAD AGREED ON TAKING THE NO NEW REVENUE APPROACH. AND SO ANY PROPOSED CUTS IN FROM THE 2016 ACTUAL 2026 ACTUAL IS ARE GOING TO BE REAL CUTS AND WILL BE NECESSARY. SO SO AGAIN, I'VE LEARNED A LOT. AND I, YOU KNOW, SOME MAY SAY, WELL, THIS MEETING WAS A WASTE OF TIME, BUT IT'S BEEN HELPFUL TO ME AT LEAST AND RECONSIDERING WHAT WE DISCUSSED. IT'S, IT'S A DISAPPOINTMENT THAT WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD WITH INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS. AND IN FACT, LEGALLY, I THINK WE CAN'T ADOPT A LOWER BUDGET RATE WITHOUT HAVING IDENTIFIED SPECIFICALLY LINE BY LINE WHAT THOSE ARE. SO IF THIS IS A KIND OF AN ALL OR NOTHING, THEN I GUESS WE'LL WE'LL HAVE TO VOTE ON IT THAT WAY. MR. HALL, I'LL JUST ASK YOU SAID THERE ARE CERTAIN LINE ITEMS IN MY PROPOSED BUDGET THAT YOU DIDN'T AGREE WITH. YOU WANT TO GO THROUGH THOSE OTHER FIVE OF THEM OR TEN OF THEM? ARE THERE TWO OF THEM? HOW FAR APART ARE WE? WELL, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANY POINT IN OUR TAKING TIME TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE STATED IT'S AN ALL OR NOTHING. WE ACCEPT YOUR BUDGET OR ARE NOT. AND SO THERE'S NO POINT IN MY GOING THROUGH THEM. MR. COUNCILOR BENEFIELD HAS HAS SUGGESTED SOME CHANGES WHICH I AGREE WITH. AND BUT AGAIN, IF IF THIS IS KIND OF AN ALL OR NOTHING WITH THE BUDGET AS AS YOU HAVE PROPOSED, THEN THEN THERE'S NO POINT IN DISCUSSING INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WHICH COULD BE DONE. I'LL JUST CLARIFY THE ALL OR NOTHING IS MOSTLY BECAUSE AS I LOOK AT THE VOTES HERE, I MEAN, I THINK THERE ARE THREE THAT ARE HARDCORE YESES ON STICKING WITH THE BUDGET THAT THEY WERE WITH. SO YOU'RE THE ONLY VOTE THAT I THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLY SWAYABLE. AND SO YEAH, IF I CAN'T CHANGE YOUR VOTE ON ANY ONE OF THESE LINE ITEMS, THEN TO ME, IT'S WHY WOULD I WASTE THE PUBLIC'S TIME FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS TO GET TO SOMEWHERE WHERE YOU STILL DON'T HAVE FOUR VOTES ON ANYTHING? SO WITH THAT, I'M WAS NOT TRYING TO HAVE A SUPER LONG MEETING TONIGHT. I WOULD JUST REMIND ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS, BEFORE YOU ASK FOR A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, YOU WERE ALWAYS ABLE TO GO ON THE DISCUSSION BOARD AND HAVE ALL THESE DISCUSSIONS THERE AS WELL, AND NOT PUT THE CITIZENS THROUGH ALL THIS. BUT, MR. BENEFIELD. YES, SIR. I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE QUESTION. PLEASE STATE THE QUESTION. I'D LIKE TO VOTE. OH. ALL RIGHT. I HAVE A CALL FOR A QUESTION. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND, ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY I. I THOUGHT IT TO BE A ROLL CALL CALLING THE QUESTION. THIS IS JUST JUST JUST JUST TO SAY STOP THE DEBATE. YEAH. SORRY. I BELIEVE THAT WAS FOR FOR ALL THOSE AGAINST SAY NAY. TO CALL THE QUESTION. YES, YES. SO WAS THAT A 6 TO 1? WAS WAS THERE AN A YOU RAISED YOUR HAND AT THE END. OKAY. IT WAS UNANIMOUS TO END IT. SO THE DEBATE IS OVER. SO WE ARE NOW BACK ON THE MOTION AND I'M GOING TO CALL ROLL CALL VOTE. I'M GONNA START WITH MR. PRINCE. I'M A NAY ON THE MOTION. I'M IN A I'M A YAY MAYOR PRO TEM. I'M IN A MISS CHAVARRIA.

I'M A YAY! MR. BENEFIELD YES. ALL RIGHT. IT'S 3 TO 3. MR. HALL, I'M ALL RIGHT. MOTION FAILS. WITH THAT. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ANY OF THESE ACTION ITEMS BEFORE WE GO

[02:05:03]

NO, WHICH WAS A .446795. BY GOING AHEAD AND TAKING INTO ACCOUNT YOUR LEGAL SERVICES.

LOOKING AT THE SALARY, ALTHOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO ON THE PARKS COME BACK TO THAT. OH, THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE 50,000 I THINK THAT WAS AT COUNSELOR BENEFIELD SAID. AND TO REMOVE THE COUNCIL BUDGET. BUT REMAINDER, OF COURSE, FOR SWAG. AND THAT BROUGHT US DOWN TO THE. FLAT 0.446795. AS A OPTION. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR CONSIDERATION ON THAT. OKAY. I TAKE WHAT YOU SAID WAS THE MOTION. YES. IS THERE A SECOND ON THAT MOTION? MR. PRINCE? WELL, I GUESS WE NEED A SECOND BEFORE WE CAN DISCUSS IT ALL, SO I WILL SECOND IT ALL BECAUSE I WANT TO DISCUSS IT. AND I THINK TO MR. HALL'S POINT EARLIER, THAT AND MAYBE THIS IS A COMPLETE MOTION, BECAUSE YOU DID IDENTIFY SPECIFIC LINE ITEMS THAT WOULD BE THE REDUCTIONS TO ALIGN WITH THAT REDUCED TAX RATE. AND SO I SECONDED IT. BUT IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND REPEATING THEM AGAIN. SORRY. LET ME GO AHEAD AND LINE ITEM. TEN 51881 20.

LEGAL SERVICES REDUCTION IN 100,000. THAT IS LEGAL. SO WE GOT TO BE NICE THIS YEAR GUYS.

I DID GO AHEAD AND AND ALTHOUGH I'M GOING TO SAY IDEALLY I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS, HOWEVER, I THINK BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE A. PARKS AND REC, WE DON'T HAVE DAVID ANYMORE. I'M WILLING TO FOR NOW AND THEN MAYBE LOOKING AT A BUDGET AMENDMENT, TAKING IT OUT OF RESERVES LATER IF WE FIND SOMEONE BUT TEN FIVE, 341540 PARKS DIRECTOR YEAH, YOU SAID 115 DOWN TO 69. THE OTHER IS BASICALLY CUTTING ALL THE COUNCIL ITEMS FOR TRAINING, ETC. I AGREE WITH YOU, MR. PRINCE, BUT KEEPING US FOR NOW THE TEN 5504825 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR SWAG IT. I BELIEVE THAT ENDS UP BEING 175. AND. I'D HAVE TO COUNT THAT AGAIN. HANG ON. MY THING IS NOT ADDING AS YOU CALCULATED, JUST WHEN YOU WRAP IT UP, IF YOU COULD ALSO SAY THE TAX RATE AGAIN THAT YOU WERE THAT THIS WOULD GET YOU TO. YES, I'M SORRY, THAT IS .446795. SO IT'S I THINK, MAYOR, YOU HAD SAID EVEN A PENNY AND I WAS TRYING TO GET TO A PENNY. JUST TO SAY WE ARE TRYING TO. EVERYONE UP HERE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PRUDENT. YES. OKAY.

[02:10:24]

OKAY. I'M GOOD. OKAY. MR. BENFIELD, TWO THINGS. I'LL BE A NO TO THIS, BUT I'M A NO FOR TWO REASONS. A, I SUPPORT THE 0.42. SECOND, I FIND THIS TO BE, AS KAREN VAN NESS HAS STATED, TO BE MORE TO BE A MUCH LESS VETTED PROCESS THAN THE OTHER BUDGETS THAT HAVE BEEN GONE THROUGH. I AM JUST NOT PREPARED ON A WHIM TO JUST START CHANGING LINE ITEMS JUST FOR WHATEVER, WHATEVER PURPOSE. SO EVEN IF I DID AGREE WITH IT, I THINK IT'S THE LEAST VETTED OF ALL THE OPTIONS. EVEN IF MAYOR SOM'S ONLY GOT VETTED FOR TWO MONTHS AND THE OTHER ONE GOT VETTED FOR THREE MONTHS, AND THIS ONE'S BEEN VETTED FOR 30S. SO FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, AND I ALSO FIND IT VERY INTERESTING THAT THE FOUR PEOPLE THAT VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE 0.45 WOULD EVEN REMOTELY CONSIDER A REDUCTION. I MEAN, IF IF A REDUCTION WAS IN YOUR DECK OF CARDS, THESE ARE THINGS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED LAST WEEK. I MEAN, YOU'RE LITERALLY VOTING AGAINST YOURSELVES, WHICH IS KIND OF A WEIRD LITTLE CONCEPT. SO I'M A NO. MR. HALL. WELL, IN TERMS OF MY VOTE, I, I AM HAPPY TO CONSIDER SPECIFIC PROPOSALS THAT WERE NOT MADE LAST WEEK THAT DO MAKE SENSE AND THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE AT THIS MEETING. AND THAT WOULD REDUCE OUR TAX RATE, EVEN IF IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO I YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I STATED AT THE VERY BEGINNING THAT I WAS OPEN TO GOING THROUGH AND ADDING THOSE. SECONDLY, THOUGH, I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT COUNCILOR BENNEFIELD HAD MENTIONED IN HIS IN HIS REMARKS, AS IS INCREASES THAT WE COULD DO WITHOUT WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH FINDING SAVINGS.

AND SO AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A SPECIFIC THAT I LOVE HEARING. AND, AND I WOULD SUPPORT, IF HE CHOOSES, IF HE WERE TO CHOOSE TO, TO MAKE THOSE THAT THAT A MOTION TO SUPPORT THOSE. SO. AND IF HE DOESN'T, THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO AGREE ON THOSE. OKAY. JUST TO CLARIFY FOR THE MAYOR, PRO TEM CITY MANAGER IS ASKING IN YOUR MOTION ABOUT THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR OR SORRY, THE PARKS DIRECTOR, YOU ARE NOT DOING WHAT I PUT IN MINE, WHICH WAS MOVING INTO PUBLIC WORKS, WHICH IS WHAT HE WOULD ASK IS IF FOR SOME REASON THIS WERE TO PASS, HE WANTS THE OPTION TO HOWEVER, HE WANTS TO MOVE THINGS AROUND. SO I'M JUST CLARIFYING. YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR IT TO BE MOVED.

YOU WERE JUST SIMPLY ACCEPTING THAT DECREASE IN SALARY WITHOUT ANY MOVEMENT. WHAT I WAS PUTTING FORWARD HERE WAS WHAT YOU HAD IN HERE IN YOUR BUDGET, MAYOR. SO THAT WOULD LEAVE THE DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF WHERE THE THE PERSON IS NOW AS PHILOSOPHICALLY, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A PARKS DEPARTMENT, BUT IF WE'RE TRYING TO. MOVE FORWARD AND AND SAVE A LITTLE BIT FOR ALL THE TAXPAYERS AND, AND THESE WERE ITEMS, BY THE WAY, THAT COUNCILOR ENFIELD COUNCIL. CHAVARRIA THAT Y'ALL WERE ALREADY APPROVING VIA THE THE MAYOR'S BUDGET. SO I JUST THOUGHT THAT THAT WOULD BE SOME IDENTIFIED PLACES THAT I DEFINITELY AGREED AND ALIGNED WITH THE MAYOR ON. SO THANK YOU, ISAAC, I BELIEVE. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR THE SPECIFICITY AND SOME OF THE DETAIL SAID MOVE PARKS BACK UNDER PUBLIC WORKS, AND I WOULD LIKE THE OPTION TO SAY WHERE PARKS GOES. OBVIOUSLY, IT'S AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART OR THAT SORT OF THING, AND THAT WOULD COME BACK TO COUNCIL AS A WHOLE. BUT IF YOU VOTE TO MOVE IT INTO PUBLIC WORKS, THEN THAT'S KIND OF THE LAW FOR ME. I WOULD OBJECT TO THAT. I CAN SEE IF

[02:15:03]

MINNIE. MAYOR PRO TEM, MISS CHAVARRIA. NAY. MR. BENFIELD. NAY. MR. HALL. I'M NOT CLEAR ON WHAT THE MOTION IS, BECAUSE THERE WAS A CHANGE OR IN IN THAT DISCUSSION. SO JUST I'D LIKE A MOTION TO BE RESTATED CLEARLY, SIR. MAYOR PRO TEM, DO YOU WANT TO RESTATE THE MOTION.

SO THE MOTION WAS TO TAKE. GO AHEAD FROM THE MAYOR'S BUDGET TO ACCEPT 175,500 OFF OF THE CURRENT BUDGET, IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE TO A FLAT MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS YEAR OVER YEAR OF 0.446795, THAT WOULD COME IN WITH LEGAL SERVICES. I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE IT AS IT IS BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET SOMEONE TO TO ASK IF I WOULD ACCEPT A DIFFERENCE. I REALLY DON'T MIND. IT WAS MORE ABOUT JUST REDUCING THIS YEAR THE SALARY, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY IN THAT POSITION FROM 115 TO 69, AND THEN TO ELIMINATE THE COUNCIL BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SWAGGERT. OKAY. MR. HALL OKAY. I WILL VOTE IN SUPPORT OF THAT TO REDUCE THE TAX RATE. OKAY. THE MOTION FAILS 2 TO 5. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S NO OTHER

[II. EXECUTIVE SESSION (Part 2 of 2)]