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TO, UH, CALL THIS, UH, COUNCIL WORK, UH, BUDGET WORKSHOP TO ORDER.
AND LET'S GO GET A, GO AHEAD AND GET A CERTIFICATION OF A QUORUM.
MAYOR, TRAVIS MAGLIO, PRESENT COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNNY SIMPSON.
COUNCIL MEMBER SCOTT SCHRADER.
COUNCIL MEMBER BILL SCHICK HERE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER KEVIN EDMONDS HERE.
AND, UH, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS, SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND SKIP, UH, PAST THAT PART.
[ 3.A Presentation and discussion concerning the FY2025-2026 Budget for the City of Dickinson. ]
THREE, BUDGET WORKSHOP THREE, A PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE FISCAL YEAR 20 25, 20 26 BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF DICKINSON.UM, AND THEN I GUESS, COULD WE, UH, GET A, UH, RECAP OF WHERE WE FINISHED OFF OR WHERE WE'D LIKE TO START? YES, SIR.
UH, I BELIEVE LAST WORKSHOP, WE, WE STOPPED AT THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND.
THAT'S RIGHT WHERE WE STOPPED OFF.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE SHOULD BEGIN.
UH, YOU KNOW, MY GOAL WITH THIS FUND IS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW AND THAT THESE SALES TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT RESPONSIBLY.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS TO MY, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE 2019 OR 2020.
AND IT'S JUST ANOTHER ITEM THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T CREATE, BUT WE WILL RESOLVE.
UH, IT COMES DOWN TO HOW THE DEPARTMENT IS SET UP, DIVISION OF DUTIES, WORK ORDER SYSTEM ACCOUNTING PROCESSES, THE ALLOCATION AND USE OF THE STREET TAX, THE STREET MAINTENANCE.
SALES TAX HAS BEEN A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION FOR, I DON'T KNOW, YEARS NOW, BUT IT, IT IS PICKED UP HEAVILY OVER THE PAST, OVER THE PAST YEAR TO MY UNDERSTANDING.
I'VE HEARD IT FROM MANY PEOPLE.
MANY COUNCILMEN HAVE TOLD ME, HEY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN RESOLVE THIS OVER ONE BUDGET CYCLE, BUT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO SO.
THE, MY PREDECESSORS DID NOT UTILIZE THIS FUND APPROPRIATELY, AND I WILL CONCEDE THAT NOTION.
THERE ARE ITEMS, THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND HAS BEEN FUNDING THE ENTIRE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
YES, THERE ARE ITEMS OPERATIONS THAT SHOULD NOT BE FUNDED BY THE STREET MAINTENANCE, SALES TAX.
OBVIOUSLY, BY RESTRUCTURING THE DEPARTMENT, ALLOCATING OUR RESOURCES APPROPRIATELY, UTILIZING WORK ORDERS TO PROPERLY ACCOUNT FOR THE EXPENDITURES, I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF THE STREET MAINTENANCE, SALES TAX BEING SPENT ON UNAUTHORIZED EXPENDITURES.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MR. ANGELINO, MR. DOME, MRS. CLARK, MYSELF, ALL THE CITY STAFF, WE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, BEATING OUR HEAD OVER.
WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH COUNCILMAN, WITH THE MAYOR, WITH MANY RESIDENTS.
THE CONCEPT OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, TO ME, IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO OUR RIGHT OF WAY.
OUR CITY STREETS THE RIGHT OF WAY WITHIN THE CITY, CITY LIMITS THE CITY STREETS OF DICKINSON AROUND 60 LINEAR FEET.
THAT'S A, A GENERAL TERM, BUT IT, IT IS, GIVE OR TAKE AROUND 60 LINEAR FEET, A RIGHT OF WAY.
THE RIGHT OF WAY IS PUBLICLY OWNED LAND TYPICALLY ADJACENT TO THE ROADS.
IT'S RESERVED FOR THE TRANSPORTATION AND U UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE, THE, THE DRAINAGE, EVERYTHING THAT ENCOMPASSES THE RIGHT OF WAY.
YOUR UTILITY LINES, YOUR EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO IT.
THE STREETS ARE DESIGNED TO BE A PART OF THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
THE CONVEYANCE OF THE STORM WATER, WHEN WE FLOOD STREETS ARE DESIGNED TO PICK UP AND, AND, AND, AND TRANSFER WATER.
THE CULVERTS, THE MAINTENANCE OF THE DITCHES, EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THAT RIGHT OF WAY ENCOMPASSES THESE EXPENDITURES.
THE FUND IS CRITICAL, IS A CRITICAL RESOURCE FOR MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE APPLY, UH, LOGIC AND, AND SOME STRATEGIC FORESIGHT IN HOW WE APPLY IT AND HOW WE UTILIZE IT.
YOU KNOW, THE ELIGIBLE USES THAT MR. DO AND I, MR. MAGNO, WE HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, WORKING THROUGH OVER THESE WORKSHOPS AND OVER THE PAST SIX, SIX MONTHS OR SO.
AND, AND, AND, AND PLEASE, WE CAN ALL CHIME IN.
THE STREET REPAIRS, THE RESURFACING, RESURFACING, CONSTRUCTION WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS
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DIRECTLY TIED TO STREET INFRASTRUCTURE.THE LABOR EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, OVERHEAD COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE IN-HOUSE STREET MAINTENANCE AND DRAINAGE MOWING EFFORTS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, VERY SIMILAR TO CONTRACTOR COST.
IF WE WERE TO HIRE A CONTRACTOR, AS THE CITY I KNOW DID FOR MANY YEARS, THEY WOULD HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO RECONSTRUCT AND IMPROVE OUR STREETS WITH THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND.
YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE ELIGIBLE PROJECTS, INCLUDING THEIR OVERHEAD FOR THE, THE CONTRACTORS.
IT, IT, IT APPLIES VERY, IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO, TO IN-HOUSE MAINTENANCE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, THE DRAINAGE, THE STREETS.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO INELIGIBLE USES TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THIS FUND, THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND MAY NOT BE USED FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS OF CITY OWNED PROPERTIES OUTSIDE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
TO ME, I'LL ALWAYS GO BACK TO THE RIGHT OF WAY.
WHAT'S IN OR IN OR OUT OF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
CITY HALL, OUR PARKS, LANDSCAPING, NON-ST STREET RELATED DRAINAGE WORK.
ANY TYPE OF WORK THAT'S DONE ON THE BAYOU ARE TRIBUTARIES CANNOT BE SPENT BY THESE FUNDS.
THE SERVICE CENTER, WE HAVE A FLEET MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT THAT WORKS ON OUR, OUR VEHICLES, OUR EQUIPMENT, POLICE VEHICLES, EMS VEHICLES, THE COST FOR THE POLICE AND THE EMS. OBVIOUSLY, WE CAN'T ASSOCIATE THEM WITH THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND WORK PERFORMED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS UNLESS IT'S DIRECTLY TIED TO THE RIGHT OF WAY INFRASTRUCTURE.
AS I SAID, DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE BAYOU, THE TRIBUTARIES, THE OUTFALLS.
OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T EX WE CAN'T JUSTIFY THOSE EXPEN EXPENDITURES.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, TO ME IT GOES BACK TO, IT GOES BACK TO THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SOLVE, I DON'T BELIEVE WE CAN SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS OVERNIGHT, BUT WE CAN JUSTIFY A PERCENTAGE.
SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS WE'RE GOING THROUGH OUR WORK ORDER SYSTEMS. WE'RE BREAKING DOWN THE PERCENTAGE OF WHAT WE BELIEVE WE ARE SPENDING ON WITHIN OUR RIGHT OF WAY WITHOUT, WITH, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
WHAT'S, WHAT'S BEING SPENT ON, UH, MOWING COSTS THAT PUBLIC WORKS, UH, BY THE, THE SHELTER CITY HALL, EVERY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ALL OF OUR CITY OWNED PROPERTIES, OUR E-D-C-D-M-D OWNED PROPERTIES, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE ON THE OUTFALLS, ALL OF THOSE EXPENDITURES.
AND SARAH, IF I REMIND ME IF I BELIEVE IT'S WHAT'S AROUND 69.2% CORRECT, IS WHAT WE ARE CALCULATING.
AND WE ARE STILL GOING OVER THESE NUMBERS.
WE, WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW CAN WE CALCULATE WHAT WE CAN JUSTIFY IN THESE EXPENDITURES.
SO, OH, MY RECOMMENDATIONS BASICALLY ARE, YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN EDMONDS, MAYOR, WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
WELL, WE'RE TRULY NOT A PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
WE DON'T HAVE SEWERS, WE DON'T HAVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, WE DON'T HAVE LIFT STATIONS.
WE ARE STREETS DRAINAGE, CHANGING THE NAME TO STREETS AND MAINTENANCE MAKES MORE SENSE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
HAVING A TRUE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT, WHICH WOULD MOW CITY, CITY HALL, THE CITY OWNED PROPERTIES, E-D-C-D-M-D.
AND ONE DAY WE'LL HAVE TO ADD A PARKS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE PARKS THAT ARE GONNA BE TRANSFERRED OVER FROM THE COUNTY.
WE'LL HAVE TO ENCOMPASS FOR THOSE PARKS.
WE CAN'T PAY FOR THOSE PARKS OUT OF THE STREET, THE STREET MAINTENANCE, SALES TAX.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT AS WELL.
HAVING A TRUE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT, I BELIEVE IS A GOOD START TO SEPARATE THESE EXPENDITURES.
THE SERVICE CENTER, AS I SAID BEFORE, ALL PD EMS, NON RIGHT OF WAY, VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT WILL BE CHARGED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS.
AS WE DO NOW, THOUGH, WHEN THE PD COMES IN, THEY HAVE WORK DONE, WE HAVE WORK ORDERS FOR A VEHICLE, THE PD PAYS FOR THAT WORK.
SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALREADY BEING DONE.
YOU KNOW, KEEPING THE SALES MAINTENANCE FUND SEPARATE FROM THE GENERAL FUND IS THE GOAL.
THE EXP THE UNRELATED EXPENDITURES THAT FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, IT HAS BEEN PAYING FOR EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT.
SO THIS IS A WORK ORDER SYSTEM THAT, YOU KNOW, A TRUE WORK ORDER SYSTEM.
AND HE, MR. DIETZ HAS BEEN, UH, SHOWING ME WORK ORDER SYSTEMS AND, AND REPORTS FROM 20 15, 20 16.
[00:10:01]
HE'S EMAILED ME SOME THINGS AND THANK YOU MR. DIETZ.AND WE HAVE A WORK ORDER SYSTEM NOW THAT'S GOING TO NEED TO BE REVAMPED AND IT, IT WILL BE NEED TO, TO BE IN IMPROVED, BUT WILL ACCOUNT FOR THE UNRELATED EXPENSES.
IT'S A GOOD START TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE ENTIRE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WAS FUNDED BY THIS SALES TAX AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHICH I DON'T KNOW WHO STARTED IT.
I'M NOT GOING TO THROW BLAME AROUND, BUT IT'S HERE NOW AND WE HAVE TO CORRECT IT.
WE HAVE TO START TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE.
AND WE ARE, UH, OKAY, I'LL JUST TOSS IT BACK.
YEAH, LET'S OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION.
SO ONE THING THAT, UH, WHEN I, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT, UM, ONE OF THE REASONS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A STREET, THREE SEPARATE DEPARTMENT, STREET MAINTENANCE, UM, FACILITIES AND OUR, UH, FLEET SERVICES IS BECAUSE OUR STREET MAINTENANCE, EVERY DOLLAR THAT GOES INTO THAT IS TOWARDS ROADS.
SO THE BIG THING ALSO IS IT IS TRACKABLE.
UM, SOMETHING I'VE HEARD MULTIPLE CITIZENS SAY IS, WE WANNA KNOW HOW MANY ROADS WE'RE ACTUALLY REPAIRING, HOW MANY LINEAR FEET OF DITCHES WE'RE CLEARING X, Y, OR Z RIGHT NOW IT IS ALSO THE SAME THING IS, IS THAT STREET AND MAINTENANCE SALES TAX FUND, I DON'T KNOW WHO SOLD IT AS, IT'S ONLY TO PAY FOR STREET PRODUCTS, BUT IT ALSO PAYS FOR THE SALARIES DOING THE WORK ON THE ROADS.
IF WE HAVE ONLY THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN THE STREET AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT TAKING CARE OF ROADS, THEIR SALARIES SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THAT FUND.
HOWEVER, THE OTHER GUY SHOULD THAT, THAT IS, I DO AGREE.
SO, UM, I LIKE THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING.
UM, AND I DO AGREE THERE'S NO WAY TO JUST FIX THIS ALL WITH A, A SNAP OF A FINGERS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE TO THINK OF OUR WORKFORCE.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE FACILITIES STAY UP TO PAR.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE OUR ROADS STAY TRAVEL ABLE AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO I, I HAVE, SO WE'VE ALREADY GONE EXTENSIVELY THROUGH THIS MANY TIMES.
SO I I HAVE NO OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, BUT OPEN IT UP TO EVERYONE ELSE.
WOULD YOU PUT, UH, THINGS LIKE TRASH REMOVAL? I MEAN, THAT'S NO LONGER THE STREET FUND.
WOULD THAT BE IN FACILITIES OR WHERE, WHERE WOULD THAT END UP? SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DEBRIS REMOVAL FROM THE ROADS, REMOVE FROM STORMS, OR A TREE FALLS ACROSS THE ROAD FROM SOMEBODY'S HOUSE THAT WE HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND DO ANY, SO WHAT IN THE RESEARCH WE WERE ALSO DOING, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE RIGHT OF WAY, IT IS ALSO THE, THE PASSAGE.
SO ALLOWING FOR THE PASSAGE OF CARS.
SO IF YOU ARE HAVING TO DO DEBRIS REMOVAL, IT COULD STILL QUALIFY IN THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE MAKING IT TOWARD THAT ROAD IS NOW SERVICEABLE WITH THAT TREE ACROSS THE ROAD.
I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD DO THAT.
I'M SAYING THAT IT DOES QUALIFY PER THE LEGAL 'CAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DEFINITION IN STATE LAW OR THE CODE STATE CODE, IT DOES NOT STATE WHAT MAINTENANCE IS OR STREET MAINTENANCE IS.
THE ONLY THING IT SAYS IT CANNOT BE USED FOR IS TO CREATE NEW ROADS.
SO ROADS THAT DO NOT EXIST TODAY CANNOT EXIST.
UM, SO THE MAINTENANCE IS NOW, YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT USES.
AND THAT'S HOW I CAME UP WITH A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THESE CITIES HAVE USED.
UM, IS WE CAN USE THAT AS CASE LAW OF WE'RE LEGALLY ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
AND COUNCILMAN TO, YOU KNOW, TO EXPOUND ON THAT, THE TRASH PICKUP, IF IT'S COMING FROM IT TO ME, IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE IT'S COMING FROM.
THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT IS GONNA BE PICKING UP THE TRASH IF IT'S ON OUR CITY PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S HOW I BELIEVE WE CAN ACCOUNT FOR IT.
IF, IF OUR CREWS ARE PICKING IT UP OUT OF THE DITCH WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, THAT'S HOW WE CAN JUSTIFY IT.
THAT'S HOW THOSE WORK ORDERS WILL BE.
WE CAN ACCOUNT FOR IT THROUGH THE WORK ORDER SYSTEM AS TO WHERE THESE EXPENDITURES ARE BEING ACCOUNTED FOR.
SO I GUESS IT DEPENDS WHERE IT IS PICKED UP.
I, I GUESS I WAS MORE THINKING ABOUT THE STORM DEBRIS, STORM DEBRIS, DEBRIS REMOVAL THAT THE CITIZENS HAVE PILED IN THE DITCH, YOU KNOW, A AFTER A BARREL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WELL, I GUESS THAT WOULD, HOPEFULLY THAT WOULD BE COMING FROM THE DISASTER RELIEF FUND.
AND THEN WE WOULD ALSO HOPEFULLY DECLARE A, YOU KNOW, DECLARE A DISASTER.
SO WE'RE GETTING REFUNDED THAT MONEY AS WELL.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN THE LAST TIME.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE ON THE HOOK FOR A BUNCH OF MONEY.
BUT IN THE EVENT THAT, LIKE, LIKE YOU SAID, LIKE A TREE FALLS, LIKE THAT TREE THAT FELL DOWN ACROSS FIVE 17 A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND HIT THAT TRUCK, LIKE THAT'S A, THAT'S A LOT OF MAN HOURS THAT WOULD STILL COULD QUALIFY FOR STREET AND MAINTENANCE.
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BECAUSE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO DEVELOP THIS AND FIGURE THIS OUT.MR. SCHICK, I GUESS I WOULD ASK, I WOULD ENCOURAGE OR UH, YOU GUYS TO PROVIDE AN IDEA OF WHERE A TREE WOULD FALL, WHERE WE SHOULDN'T BE PICKING IT UP.
AND SO WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS IF IT'S ON A ROAD, IF IT'S FROM A RIGHT OF WAY TO ANOTHER RIGHT OF WAY, IT'S CLEARLY GONNA BE STREETS.
IF IT'S ON OUR FACILITIES, THEN IT WOULD BE OUR FACILITIES.
IF IT'S ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, WE PROBABLY HAVE NO BUSINESS PICKING IT UP UNLESS WE'RE UNDER AN EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND.
SO IF YOU CAN THINK OF A SCENARIO WHERE WE WOULD BE PICKING IT UP AND IT'S NOT IN ONE OF THOSE THREE THINGS, PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ME.
SO WE COULD, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GAME PLAN THIS, THIS STRUCTURE.
MOST OF 'EM, WE GET CALLED, MOST OF 'EM WE GET CALLED FOR, THEY FILL OFF SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY AND THEY'RE BLOCKING THE ROAD.
SO WE GO OUT THERE AND START, BUT WE CALL THE POLICE DISPATCHER, TELL 'EM, GET A HOLD OF PUBLIC WORKS.
TELL 'EM THEY GOT A TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.
SO THE, UH, THAT'S OUR STREETS GUYS THEN.
AND THAT WOULD BE FUNDED BY THE STREET MAINTENANCE SALES TAX FUND, IS THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT.
THAT'S WHERE MOST OF COME FROM BECAUSE YOUR RIGHT OF WAY IS FROM LIGHT POLE TO LIGHT POLE.
OR THOSE THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT WHEREVER THE, WHEREVER THE LIGHT POLE IS, EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THEM IS THE RIGHT OF WAY.
IF YOU'RE, I GUESS I'M, I'M CHALLENGING YOU GUYS TO PROVIDE ME AN, AN IDEA THAT I'VE FORGOTTEN SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE THIS OUT BEFORE IT HAPPENS.
IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO ME, I WASN'T PART OF THIS WHEN THEY DID IT, WHEN THEY HAD TO VOTE, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS IT WAS SOLD AS THEY WERE GONNA TAKE THAT MONEY FROM THE EDC AND THEY WERE GONNA USE IT FIXED STREETS.
SO IN MY EXPECTATION, I THINK THERE SHOULD BE, THERE SHOULD BE TWO THOU, $2 MILLION WORTH OF STREETS BEING FIXED.
NOW, IN ORDER TO FE FIX STREETS, YOU GOTTA FIX THE DRAINAGE SO THAT THEY GO TOGETHER.
BUT LIKE I TOLD THEO LAST YEAR, AND I TOLD MR. CAREY, AND MY EXPECTATION IS, AND YOU DIDN'T GET HERE OVERNIGHT, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET OUT OF IT OVERNIGHT.
AND SALARIES OUGHT TO BE COMING OUTTA SOMEWHERE ELSE OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
AND THEN THE STREET FUNDS SHOULD BE FIXING STREETS, PAYING FOR THE STREETS AND THE DRAINAGE.
$2 MILLION WORTH NOT FOR SALARIES.
AND THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY DID WHEN THEY WENT TO THE VOTER SAYS, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS MONEY AND PUT IT IN THE STREETS, NOT PAY SALARIES, NOT PAY OVERTIME.
AND MY AND MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE FIX $2 MILLION WORTH STREETS.
I I AGREE WITH YOU TO AN EXTENT.
FIND, SO IF WE CONTRACT THE STREET DEPARTMENT, YOU GOTTA FUND THEIR PAY OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.
AND WE'RE SUPPLEMENTING THAT GENERAL FUND BY $2 MILLION TO FIX, BUT WE'RE PAYING FOR LABOR IF WE CONTRACT A STREET TO BE, TO, TO BE PAVED.
WHY WOULDN'T WE CONTRACT LABOR OR PAY OVERHEAD COSTS IF YOU A CONTRACTOR TO BUILD THAT STREET THAT COMES OUTTA THAT $2 MILLION? 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT OUR PEOPLE.
SO THEN SHOULD WE JUST GET A, GET RID OF OUR STREET AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT AND CONTRACT ALL SERVICES OUT? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE IT TO WHERE THAT SALES TAX PAYS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ONLY WORKING ON STREETS AND DRAINAGE.
SO IF THEY ONLY DO THAT, IT SHOULD ABSOLUTELY PAY FOR THAT LABOR, WHICH IS THE SALARY.
SO I AGREE WITH YOU THOUGH, IT, WE SHOULD NOT BE PAYING FOR THE ENTIRE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT SALARIES.
NO DOUBT OUT OF THAT SALES TAX.
BUT IF WE CAN SEPARATE IT, I THINK THAT WE ABSOLUTELY COULD PAY FOR THE LABOR COST, WHICH IS THOSE DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS TO STREETS AND MAINTENANCE, RIGHT? MM-HMM
UM, HOWEVER, I THINK THE, THE WHOLE THING IS THIS IS ALSO SOLD THE WRONG WAY.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT A SALES TAX, LIKE THE STREET AND MAINTENANCE TAX, THIS IS A TAX TO HELP RELIEF OF PROPERTY TAXES.
IF WE, IF WE UNDERSTAND HOW SALES TAX WORKS, IT IS A, THE, THE, THE, THE REASON WHY LAKE CITY CAN DO THE THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO IS NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR PROPERTY TAXES.
IT'S 'CAUSE OF THEIR SALES TAX.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN INCREASE AS A COMPANY, AS A BUSINESS OF DICKINSON, THE CITY OF DICKINSON.
SO THIS HELPS ELIMINATE A LOT OF PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, IN THE PAST IT WAS MISMANAGED.
RIGHT? AND I WE'RE NOT DISCOUNTING THAT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT.
UM, THIS IS JUST WHAT THE ONLY SOLUTION WE CAN FIND TO GET IT WORKING THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
'CAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE STATE LAW.
I I, I DON'T WANT TO, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE A CITY ATTORNEY HERE AS WELL TO GUIDE US TO, TO GIVE, UH, SO WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, SO TO SPEAK, GO INTO THE DITCH WHEN IT COMES TO THE LAW.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, WHEN WE ARE SPENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS, WE'RE DOING IT LEGALLY.
AND, AND, AND MS YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN, I WOULD LOVE TO GET TO WHERE YOU'RE AT.
I JUST, RIGHT NOW I JUST DON'T SEE HOW I CAN GET THERE.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO DO IT THIS YEAR.
I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO DO IT THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR.
AND THE BUDGET, THE BUDGET CAN HANDLE IT.
BUT WE AS A COUNCIL NEED TO BE MOVING THAT
[00:20:01]
WAY MM-HMMRIGHT? THAT THE, THAT THIS, THIS MONEY THAT WE, THE PORTION THAT WE GET FROM THE EDC SALES TAX SHOULD BE GOING TO STREET REPAIR AND, AND REBUILD.
AND THE REST OF THAT COMES OUTTA GENERAL FUND.
IF THAT TREE FALLS ON SATURDAY MORNING AND I SHOW UP ON SCENE AND I TELL THE DISPATCHER, CALL THE STREET DEPARTMENT, COME GET A TREE OUT TO ME THAT'S OVERTIME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, UH, BUDGET, THAT'S AN OVERTIME JOB.
THAT'S NOT A, THAT'S NOT A STREET MAINTENANCE DEAL.
YOU'RE NOT REPAIRING THE ROAD, YOU'RE CLEANING UP TRASH.
AND EVERY TIME WE HAVE A STORM AND WE HAVE A RAIN, WE HAVE A TREE FALL ACROSS THE ROAD SOMEWHERE.
I MEAN, IT IS WHAT IT IS 'CAUSE SURE.
WE'RE A HEAVILY TREE CITY AND YES SIR, HALF OF 'EM ARE, AND THAT HAPPENS OFTEN.
I MEAN, I CAN CALLING OUT THE CREWS MANY TIMES OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS.
WHAT, WHAT I, WHAT WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, WHAT I THINK ALSO WOULD HELP, UM, IS IF, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL IN CHARGE OF STREET MAIN, WE NEED TO START TRACKING.
SO SIMILAR TO WHAT THE EDC IS STARTING TO DO IS SHOWING, YOU KNOW, THE VALUE THEY'RE BRINGING AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THEIR VALUE PROPOSITION BASICALLY MM-HMM
UM, WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE BETTER OF WHAT OUR STREET DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY DOING.
WE, THEY MIGHT BE DOING A LOT MORE THAN WHAT THE CITIZENS ACTUALLY KNOW OF WE'RE DOING.
I WOULD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE, UH, UM, THAT'S THAT WORK ORDER SYSTEM THAT I, THAT I KEEP REFERRING TO, TO EXACTLY.
SO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, THAT'S, AND EVEN MR DIET, WE WERE JUST SPEAKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE THE MEETING STARTED.
UH, TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT MAYBE WHERE THIS MIGHT NOT APPLY YES.
ON OUR, UM, HIGHWAY 3, 5 17, 12 66, IN MY OPINION, THOSE, THOSE STREETS WOULD NOT APPLY STATE TO THESE FUNDS BECAUSE THEY'RE STATE AND THE LAW SPECIFICALLY STATES MUNICIPAL STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
I, DO WE EVER SEND OUR CREWS OUT TO FIX STATE ROADS? WELL, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IF A TREE CLEAR, A TREE GOES DOWN, I MEAN AN OBSTRUCTION MEAN WE HAVE PULLED TREES OUT OF STATE STREETS.
WE'RE GONNA CLEAR THE OBSTRUCTION ON A STATE ROAD.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT STREET IS.
UM, SO I GUESS IT, SO I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.
SO IT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
BUT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I GUESS WHAT I NEED TO DO IS, IS, IS CAPTURE THAT DATA, FIND OUT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR TIME AT THE END OF A YEAR OR MAYBE HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR, DOUBLE IT AND GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
SO ANOTHER THING THAT'S GONNA COME, UM, I'M JUST GONNA TALK ABOUT IT AT COUNCIL, IS, UM, I'M TALKING TO TXDOT AND ONE THING THAT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED IS OUR SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH TDOT.
THERE IS ONE THAT, THE LAST ONE THAT WAS PUT IN WAS IN 1981.
AND THOSE ARE ACTUAL, THERE IS ACTUAL RULES OF WHAT WE ARE OBLIGATED TO DO.
SO EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT OUR ROAD, WE MIGHT BE OBLIGATED PER THAT AGREEMENT THAT IT IS ACTUALLY OUR ROAD FOR THE MAINTENANCE SIDE OF IT.
SO IF WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT FOR CERTAIN THINGS LIKE THE, LIKE, UM, CUTTING THE GRASS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT CHANGE THAT.
SO JUST MONDS, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
'CAUSE THAT MAKES ME, YOU KNOW, NOW I'M QUESTIONING SOME STUFF.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I CHALLENGED Y'ALL TO BROUGHT THOSE OPTIONS.
'CAUSE WE MAY FIND THAT IT MAKES SENSE AFTER LOOKING AT THAT AGREEMENT TO, TO NOT CLEAR THE ROAD, BUT INSTEAD MOVE THE, THE OBSTRUCTION TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, LEAVE IT IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AND ALLOW THEM TO COME PICK IT UP IF THAT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.
AND THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WHY WE NEED THAT AGREEMENT DONE, FINISHED, AND COMPLETED, IS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND OURS IS WHAT OURS IS.
LET ME DISAGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN TOWNSEND ON SOMETHING.
UH, IF YOU'RE MAINTAINING A ROAD OUT THERE, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE PEOPLE AND A SUPERVISOR TO DO THAT.
AND THOSE ARE SALARIES THAT WE HAVE TO PAY.
THAT'S PART OF THE MAINTENANCE.
I DON'T THINK, UH, IT, AND MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD YOU, BUT YOU WERE SAYING THAT NONE OF THE LABOR SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE ROAD MAINTENANCE.
YOU SHOULD HAVE A STREET, IN MY OPINION, THIS IS THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, IT WAS PASSED TO BUILD ROADS.
SO YOU SHOULD HAVE A STREET DEPARTMENT WITH A BUDGET AND HERE'S AN EXTRA $2 MILLION TO YOUR GENERAL FUND TO BUILD ROADS AND PROVE EXISTING AND REPAIR.
I DON'T, YOU SHOULD DON'T SAY BUILD REPAIR 'CAUSE WE CAN'T BUILD ROADS.
DIG IT UP, BUILD IT, REPAIR, WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO.
NO, I DON'T THINK THE, I DON'T THINK THEIR SALARIES SHOULD BE COMING OUTTA THAT.
NOW, IF YOU CONTRACT THAT OUT,
[00:25:01]
I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.BUT WE SHOULD BE, WE SHOULD HAVE A, IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A STREET DEPARTMENT, WE SHOULD HAVE A BUDGET FOR 'EM.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE A CITY BUDGET FOR STREETS, BUT THEY WERE GIVEN $2 MILLION EXTRA TO DO MORE STREETS TO REPAIR.
THAT'S THE WAY I UNDERSTAND THE LAW.
AND I'M NOT SAYING I'M RIGHT, BUT THAT'S WHAT I UNDERSTAND.
THEY SOLD TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC TWICE TO TAKE HALF OF THAT SALES TAX FROM THE EDC.
SO IF WE HIRE, I'M TOTALLY WRONG, BUT THAT'S THE WAY I, YEAH.
EXCUSE ME, COUNSEL, IF WE HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO, TO REPAIR THE ROAD, THEN I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE UPON THAT, HEY, THAT THAT CONTRACT AMOUNT CAN BE PAID THROUGH THE SALES MAINTENANCE FUND THERE ALL THE OVERHEAD COSTS THAT GO WITHIN IT, THE SALARIES, THE, UH, THEIR UTILITY BILLS, EVERYTHING WITHIN THAT CONTRACT FOR THAT CONTRACTOR, THEIR IN TIME, THE COST MATERIALS, IT WILL BE PAID AS OVERHEAD.
SO IF WE HANDLE THE REPAIRS IN-HOUSE, SHOULDN'T THE SAME LOGIC APPLY TO US? I MEAN, WE'RE JUST CONTRACTING IT IN-HOUSE.
THAT'S WHAT I, I MEAN THAT'S THE OTHER SIDE OF THE THOUGHT COUNSEL.
THAT'S WHERE WHY HIRE SOMEONE OUTSIDE RATHER THAN JUST HIRE IN-HOUSE AND PAY IT OUTTA THE SAME FUND.
SO THE OVERHEAD COST ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
AND, AND, AND IT COULD BE, AND TO ME IT'S LEGAL IF IT'S LEGAL OR NOT.
THAT'S WHERE I'M TRYING TO BREAK IT DOWN TO.
UH, A LOT OF THINGS ARE MAYBE LEGAL, BUT IT DON'T SMELL GOOD.
SO THE CORRECT, BUT EVERYBODY SAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THINGS ILLEGAL, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT DOING THINGS ILLEGAL.
THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE KEEP SAYING.
SO, SO THE, WHAT I HAVE, I HAVE WENT AND LOOKED AT, UM, AS MANY CITIES AS I POSSIBLY CAN THAT HAVE A STREET MAINTENANCE FUND, RIGHT.
THAT YOU CAN LOOK IT UP, IT'S ALL PUBLIC RECORD.
JUST GO ON, JUST TYPE IN A CITY AND LOOK IT UP.
THEY SOMETIMES HAVE IT, THEY SOMETIMES DON'T.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM FUNDS THEIR STREET DEPARTMENT WITH THIS SALES TAX.
IT'S NOT AN ADDITIONAL STREET FUND.
IT IS THE STREET FUND TAX SUB ABSOLUTELY.
JUST PAYS THEIR STREET AND DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT.
SO IT IS PAYING FOR NEW ROADS AND STUFF, BUT IT IS FUNDING THAT STREET AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THE IDEA WOULD BE IF WE HAD A PERFECT WORLD, OUR ENTIRE BUDGET WOULD BE RAN OFF OF SALES TAX.
IF, IF WE WERE IN A PERFECT WORLD, IF WE HAD ALL OF THIS REVENUE FLOWING IN, THAT WOULD BE A PERFECT WORLD.
AND SO WE'RE, THIS IS HELP SUPPLEMENTING OUR BUDGET.
BUT THAT THERE'S NO WAY TO SAY WE'RE GONNA BE CREATING STRIPPING ROADS DOWN ONLY AND BUILDING NEW ONES ON TOP RATHER THAN WE KNEW.
WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO REPAIRS, WE HAVE TO DO MAINTENANCE, WE HAVE TO RETRIP THINGS, WE HAVE TO PUT UP CERTAIN SIGNS THAT ALL COMES OUT OF THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND.
SO THAT, LIKE I SAID, THAT WAS JUST COME FROM OTHER CITIES THAT I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON.
I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE MATERIALS AND LABOR ON THE SAME INVOICE PAID BY THE SAME BODY.
I THINK THAT'S, IN MY OPINION, I THINK THAT'S WAY CLEANER.
I AGREE WITH MR. SHAKE ON THAT POINT.
SO, SO QUESTION, IS THERE ANY NUMBERS ON THE BUDGET SPECIFICALLY? I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE LEGALITY AND ALL THAT, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ON THE NUMBER SIDE THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON OR CHANGE? UM, SO THAT IS WHAT WE ARE, IS THERE ANYONE HAD ANY COMMENTS ADJUSTING NOW AND THAT'S WHERE WE WANTED TO GET Y'ALL'S INPUT FROM THIS WORKSHOP.
WE WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE ANOTHER WORKSHOP.
WE'LL HAVE AS MANY AS WE NEED.
UH, THAT NUMBER THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, A PERCENTAGE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO GATHER FROM THE WORK ORDERS, LIKE I MENTIONED AN, UH, 69.2, THAT WAS A, AN AVERAGE THAT WE BELIEVE, UH, WE CAN ACCOUNT TO THE STREET MAINTENANCE, SALES TAX FROM THE DEPARTMENT, FROM THE OVERALL, UH, DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT'S WHY I SAID THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT TO GET THE MOWING.
WE, WE ABSOLUTELY, IIII AGREE.
THE MOWING OF PRIVATE PRO, I MEAN, NOT PRIVATE PROPERTIES, BUT OUR PROPERTIES, DMD PROPERTIES, EDC PROPERTIES, THAT IS DONE, THAT'S PAID FOR BY THE STREET SALES MATE.
SO EVEN THE SERVICE CENTER WORK THAT'S BEING DONE ON PD AND EMS, THIS AND THAT.
SO BY, I THINK IT'S A GOOD START TO PUT US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I THOUGHT Y'ALL HAD A CONTRACT WITH THE EDC AND THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.
THEY GAVE Y'ALL MONEY TO MOW THEIR, TO MOW THEIR PROPERTIES.
WHAT'S THAT? THERE'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE AGREEMENT BETWEEN DMD AND THE CITY, AND I DO BELIEVE IT WAS AMENDED, BUT FOR THE DMD, IT'S ONLY FOUR PROPERTIES.
AND THEN I THINK THE EDC HAD ONE TO, TO MOW THEIR PROPERTIES.
I I THINK IT WAS A WE DO, I THINK THEY PROVIDED, THEY PROVIDED, THEY PROVIDED SOME EQUIPMENTS MOWERS.
NO, WE DO NEED TO ACCOUNT, WE ARE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE BUDGET, GO OFF OF THOSE PERCENTAGES AND, AND, AND NIM, MRS. CLARK, UH, MR. DOME, UH,
[00:30:01]
PLEASE CHIME IN.WE CAN EITHER TRANSFER FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO THE STREET MAINTENANCE TO ACCOUNT FOR IT, OR WE CAN JUST SEPARATE IT WITH THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT AND, AND, AND GO THAT ROUTE.
THAT'S WHY I WANT Y'ALL'S INPUT AS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT? BASICALLY? WELL, JUST LISTENING TO DISCUSSION, MOST OF THEM, MOST, UH, COUNCIL DOESN'T HAVE A PROBLEM PAYING FOR THEIR SALARIES AND STUFF OUT OF IT TO REPAIR THOSE ROADS AND EVERYTHING.
BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT, THEN WE NEED TO PRESENT IT THAT THE STREET, THE MONEY THAT WE GET IS TO PAY FOR THE SALARIES AND STUFF FOR THE STREET DEPARTMENT.
AND QUIT SAYING THAT WE'RE BUILDING 2 MILLION, FIXING $2 MILLION WORTH OF ROADS.
IT SHOULD BE HONEST WITH THAT.
WE'RE PAYING FOR THE WHOLE STREET DEPARTMENT OUT OF THAT, THEIR SALARIES AND WAGES AND, AND ALL THAT.
SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT 100% THEY'RE NOT GETTING $2 MILLION WORTH OF ROWS.
BUT WE GOT A $2 MILLION BUDGET TO DO THE ROWS AND PART OF IT, IT'S THE WAY WE PRESENT IT MAY BE WHY YOU'RE BEING TOLD YOU'RE SPENDING THE MONEY ILLEGALLY.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I WANT TO GET OUT IN FRONT OF ANY ISSUES OR, OR MISTAKES THAT WE HAVE MADE.
I WILL ADMIT IT AND WE WILL CORRECT IT.
THIS IS A MISTAKE OR THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE INHERITED THAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIX.
NOW, I WON'T TELL ANYBODY THAT WE'RE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA LIE TO ANYONE, MR. MAGNO, MYSELF, ANY OF OUR STAFF, WE'RE GONNA TELL YOU STRAIGHT UP WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT IS, AND, AND WE'RE GONNA CORRECT IT AND MOVE FORWARD.
NOW, COUNCILMAN SIMPSON, I'M SORRY.
DID YOU TRIED TO SPEAK EARLIER AND I THINK I, I MEAN, WE GOT STEPPED OVER.
UM, I WAS JUST GONNA BRING UP, AT ONE POINT THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT TRANSFERRED, UH, ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS INTO THE CITY STREET FUND, BUT THAT RESULTED IN HIRING CONTRACTORS TO REPAIR LIKE 14 STREETS AND A COUPLE THOUSAND YARDS OF, OR A COUPLE THOUSAND FEET OF DITCHES.
WE PUT THE MONEY IN AND IT BECAME CONTRACTOR FEES.
IT, IT WASN'T TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE KIND OF GOT THERE ALREADY IN THE CONVERSATION BEFORE I COULD SPEAK.
ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STREET MAINTENANCE OR ANY COMMENTS OR, UM, ANY, YEAH, I GOT ONE.
HOW DO WE AS A COUNCIL, LEGALLY APPROVE THIS BUDGET WHEN WE KNOW WE'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES WE'RE THAT THE VOTERS VOTED FOR? WE ARE.
I'M FOLLOW, WE'RE TRYING TO FOLLOW THE LAW, STATE LAW, RIGHT.
SO WHAT ARE, HOW ARE WE NOT IS THE QUESTION.
WELL, I MEAN, WE SAY WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT IT.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT TOTALLY CORRECTED.
A HUNDRED PERCENT, RIGHT? YEAH.
EVERYTHING IN THIS FUND RIGHT HERE COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH STREETS AND MAINTENANCE.
SO MR. DOME, CAN YOU CHIME IN WITH ALL OUR DISCUSSIONS? UH, UH, YES, CERTAINLY.
SO, UH, AS YOU KNOW, UH, MR CARE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TRYING TO BREAK OUT THE, UH, OPERATIONAL EXPENSES OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND DO OUR BEST TO, UH, SET ASIDE THOSE, UH, PERSONNEL, UH, YOU KNOW, EQUIPMENT COSTS, JUST OPERATIONAL COSTS, UH, OF THAT DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD BE UTILIZED SOLELY FOR STREET MAINTENANCE.
AND THAT'S WHERE THAT 69.2% CAME, UH, THAT THAT NUMBER CAME FROM.
SO THAT IS THE PERCENTAGE, YOU KNOW, OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, KIND OF TOTAL OPERATION BUDGET, THAT TO OUR, THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES WE CAN CALCULATE, UH, WOULD BE SPENT OR IS SPENT ON JUST STREET MAINTENANCE, UH, ACTIVITIES.
AND SO I, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH A BUDGET NOW WHERE, UH, THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND, UH, WOULD NOT BE USED OR WOULD NOT BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS MORE THAN 69.2% OF PUBLIC WORKS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE FEEL, UH, WE CAN JUSTIFY AS THIS IS WHAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT PORTION IS SPENT ON STREET MAINTENANCE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TO, TO THE KIND OF, TO THE POINT TO THE DISCUSSION OR DEBATE ABOUT, UH, WHETHER IT'S MONEY THAT'S BEING USED TO FIX STREETS.
UM, I MEAN, I WOULD KIND OF NOTE THAT THE, THE SALES TAX IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SALES TAX FOR STREET MAINTENANCE.
IT'S NOT A SALES TAX FOR STREET MATERIALS.
BECAUSE IF WE TAKE THE READ OF THE LAW AS, OH, THIS CAN NOT PAY FOR LABOR, THEN THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE SALES TAX SHOULD BE CALLED.
IT'S A SALES TAX FOR STREET REPAIR MATERIALS.
IT'S MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE WILL ALWAYS REQUIRE LABOR TO APPLY THE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT TO USE, TO APPLY THE MATERIALS TO AFFECT THE MAINTENANCE, TO AFFECT THE REPAIRS.
AND SO TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S BUILT IN, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT, UM, I WOULD ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, OPINED OR, OR POSTULATE THAT WE CAN ALSO ON TOP OF THE 69.2% OF PUBLIC
[00:35:01]
WORKS BUDGET, UH, USE THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND TO PAY FOR THAT.BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND THEN CERTAINLY THE STREET REPAIR COMPONENT OF IT CANNOT STAND ALONE WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE LIKE HR, LIKE FINANCE, LIKE LEGAL.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE EXPENSES THAT IF YOU WERE TO HIRE A CONTRACTOR, THAT CONTRACTOR AS PART OF THEIR OVERHEAD HAS TO PAY FOR THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEY ARE A BUSINESS.
SO THEY HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR SOME SORT OF HR PERSONNEL, FINANCE PERSONNEL TO, TO SEND OUT BILLS AND COLLECT BILLS AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UTILITIES, YOU KNOW, UH, OFFICES, ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF OVERHEAD EXPENSES THAT I WOULD EXPECT IF WE WERE TO GO OUT THAN INSTEAD OF DOING IT IN THE HOUSE, PAY MORE MONEY AND HIRE IT OUT, WE WOULD BE PAYING THOSE EXPENSES, THOSE OVERHEAD EXPENSES, UH, USING THAT STREET MAINTENANCE TAX FUND.
SO TO ME, IT WOULD ALSO BE FAIR TO ALLOCATE A PORTION, YOU KNOW, A PROTA PORTION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS, UTILIZATION OF THOSE DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS, UH, AND, AND, AND USE THE STREET MAINTENANCE TAX FUND TO PAY FOR THAT.
UH, I UNDERSTAND FROM, UH, MS. CLARK THAT, UH, I GUESS UTILIZING, I GUESS THE ANALYSIS WE'VE DONE FOR, FOR I GUESS EMS USAGE AND SUCH, THAT, UH, THE PERCENTAGE OF OVERHEAD THAT WE WOULD ATTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC WORKS AS A WHOLE WOULD BE 17.21%, YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD TAKE THE 17.21%, MULTIPLY THAT TIME, 69.2% TO COME UP WITH THE MULTIPLIER OR THE PRO RATA SHARE THAT THEN I WOULD USE AND MULTIPLY THAT USING THAT MULTIPLIER AND TAKE THAT NUMBER OF HR, OF FINANCE, OF LEGAL, OF, OF THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD ASSIST IN THE OPERATIONS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, FUNCTION.
AND, AND ALSO THAT WOULD BE A PERMISSIBLE, UH, USAGE OF THE SALES TAX FUND.
YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN, I DON'T, WE'RE NOT GONNA APPROVE THE BUDGET THIS EVENING, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S MY GOAL TO GET US TO A POINT TO WHERE OBVIOUSLY SOON THAT I CAN PROVIDE THE BUDGET THAT WE BELIEVE WE ARE FOLLOWING THE LAW, THE STATE LAW, UH, THE INTENDED USE THAT WAS SOLD TO OUR VOTERS, THAT WAS SOLD TO MY FAMILY AND ALL OF YOURS.
I CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR WHAT WAS SAID BACK THEN.
ALL I CAN DO NOW IS PICK UP WHAT I HAVE AND MOVE FORWARD AND MAKE SURE IT'S LEGAL AND THAT WE ARE PROVIDING SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND, AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS BE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH THOSE SERVICES.
UH, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE COUNCILMEN AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID, HEY, THIS IS A MESS THAT IT'S GONNA BE DIFFICULT TO CLEAN UP.
AND DEFINITELY, IT, IT IS, THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
AND, UH, I I, I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GET TO A POINT LIKE COUNCILMAN TOWNSEND HAS SAID MULTIPLE TIMES, WE CAN GET BACK TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE AND WHAT WAS SOLD.
BUT RIGHT NOW THERE'S NOT MANY OPTIONS WITHOUT CUTTING MANY SERVICES COMPLETELY OUT.
AND IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION YOU GIVE ME, THEN I'LL DO IT.
BUT I, I, I'LL, I'LL HAVE TO STAND UP AND SAY THAT THERE'S, WE SHOULD NOT, I BELIEVE THIS IS A PATH FORWARD.
WE ARE FOLLOWING THE LAW AND, AND, AND I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD, BUT WE WILL GO BACK.
WE WILL ADJUST THOSE NUMBERS AND, AND ACCOUNT MORE TO THE GENERAL FUND AS WE SHOULD AND WE'LL BRING IT BACK TO YOU.
WOULD THAT BE LIKE AN AN OVERHEAD FOR THE STREET DEPARTMENT IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AN ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD? 17% OF 69%.
SO 17.21% IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD SHARE OF THE ENTIRETY OF PUBLIC WORKS, RIGHT? BUT SINCE THE ENTIRETY OF PUBLIC WORKS IS NOT UTILIZED TO FIX STREETS, IT'S ONLY 69.2%, THEN WE TAKE THE 69.2%, MULTIPLY IT TIMES 17.21% TO GET THE OVERHEAD SHARE OF JUST THE STREET REPAIR FUNCTION.
AND DOES THAT ALSO PICK UP LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE? AND THAT'S ALREADY FACTORED ALL OF THAT IN THERE? YES.
THAT'S ALREADY FACTORED IN HERE.
AND THE SALARY AND BENEFITS AND STUFF.
AND AS A, JUST AS A, MAYBE A LAST COMMENT, WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THE LANGUAGE AS IT WAS SOLD TO THE VOTERS IS MANDATED BY THE TAX CODE TITLE THREE, SUBTITLE C IN CHAPTER 3 27? YEP.
[00:40:01]
YEAH, THE BALLOT LANGUAGE IS SPELLED OUT IN STATE LAW ENCLOSED QUOTE ON THE LANGUAGE.SO THERE'S NO VARIATION OF LANGUAGE THAT YOU CAN PROPOSE IT? NO.
I THINK THE, I THINK THE BIGGEST DEAL IS BEFORE THIS WAS, BEFORE THIS WAS ADDED, THE CITY HAD A, THE CITY HAD A PUBLIC, UH, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT THAT DID ROT REPAIR.
HOW THE GENERAL FUND, THIS WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO SUPPLEMENT THAT FUND, BUT THAT FUND DISAPPEARED AND NOW IT PAYS FOR EVERYTHING.
WE NEED TO GET BACK TO THAT FUND WHERE THIS SUPPLEMENTS THAT FUND.
AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THERE THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR EITHER,
SO WHAT'S THE, UH, NEXT SECTION THAT WE WANT TO GO TO? BECAUSE I THINK I HAVE A DIFFERENT LIKE, ORDER THAN THE REST OF THE COUNCIL.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, YOU TELL ME AND WE'LL INTO IT, JUMP INTO, UH, LET'S JUMP INTO THE COLA DISCUSSION.
UH, MR. MAGNO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAD THAT OFF? ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK IN THE SPIRIT OF WHAT MR. CAREY SAID WHEN HE SAID THAT WE ARE GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES AND WE'RE GONNA OWN THEM AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IT, UM, IT'S FAIR TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT WE PUSHED VERY HARD TO GIVE OUR EMPLOYEES IN THIS BUDGET A COLA.
WE WANTED TO SEE OUR EMPLOYEES GET A COLA.
AND WE'VE WORKED VERY HARD TO DO THAT.
WHEN WE SAT DOWN WITH THE, UM, DICKINSON POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION AND OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING NEGOTIATIONS, WE MADE IT VERY CLEAR IN OUR VERY FIRST MEETING THAT WE WANTED TO GIVE A COLA.
ACTUALLY WHAT WE SAID IS WE WANNA GIVE PAY RAISES, AND THAT'S WHERE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF MISCOMMUNICATION.
WE WANNA GIVE PAY RAISES TO THE, TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THEM.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THEY WERE COVERED BY THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT, AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS, THEY RECEIVED 25% PAY INCREASE.
THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES THROUGHOUT DICKINSON RECEIVED 5%.
NOT LAST YEAR, THE YEAR BEFORE THEY GOT 5%.
SO WITH THAT CONVERSATION, WE EXPLAINED THAT TO 'EM, THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR CONTRACT SPEAKING TO THE FACT THAT IF WE GIVE A COLA TO THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES, IT WOULD ALSO COVER THEM IN THEIR CONTRACT.
WHEN I READ THROUGH IT, I MISSED IT.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE WERE TOLD OF THAT BY THE CAPTAIN.
WE WAS SPEAKING UP HERE LAST MEETING, AND I IMMEDIATELY TOLD MR. CARE, THAT'S AN OVERSIGHT, AND I OWN THAT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT MULTIPLE TIMES AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING.
THE UNDERSTANDING WAS, HEY, Y'ALL SAID A PAY INCREASE, NOT A COLA, OR WE WOULD'VE CORRECTED YOU.
SO WE MET WITH THE NEGOTIATION TEAM YESTERDAY AND WE EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT.
WE ALSO EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT WE CAN'T, WE DID NOT BUDGET FOR IT, AND WE CAN'T AFFORD A 6% PAY RAISE TO INCLUDE THE POLICE OFFICERS.
SO WHAT WE DID IS WE MADE A SUGGESTION TO THEM IS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE, AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THREE CHANGES IN THAT CURRENT CONTRACT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO CREATE AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD MAKE THREE CHANGES.
NUMBER ONE, THE EFFECTIVE DATE WOULD BE PUSHED TO THE RIGHT SIX TO NINE MONTHS TO ALLOW US TIME TO NEGOTIATE A NEW CONTRACT.
THE SECOND CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT THEY WORK IN A PAY PERIOD, AND WE WILL CHANGE IT TO 80 AND GET IT REFLECTIVE OF THE WEST, THE, THE WAY THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES HERE WORK.
AND THEN, AND THEN THE THIRD CHANGE WOULD BE THEY WOULD FOREGO THE COLA.
THAT IS, THAT THEY SHOULD RECEIVE.
AND WE COULD, UH, CONTINUE ON WITH WHAT WE PRESENTED TO YOU GUYS AS A BUDGET WITH A 6% COLA INCREASE FOR THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES.
NOW, WHERE WE SIT RIGHT NOW IS WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THE REST OF THE BARGAINING UNIT, WHEN THEY GO BACK AND MEET TOMORROW NIGHT, IS GONNA ACCEPT THAT.
AND, AND, AND THEY SEEM TO THINK THAT THEY'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL, BUT THERE IS A CHANCE THAT 51% OF THEM CHOOSE NOT TO.
NOW, IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO, AND WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE, WE HAVE AN ARRAY OF OPTIONS.
AND I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS, UH, IS IS PASS IT OVER TO MR. CAREY WITH THE ARRAY OF OPTIONS.
BUT I WANTED TO BE THE FIR THE ONE TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT THAT WAS MY OVERSIGHT.
I READ THROUGH THE CONTRACT A FEW TIMES, I'VE NEGOTIATED TWO CONTRACTS, I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT AND I MISSED IT.
I APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT, BUT, UH, BUT WHATEVER HAPPENS HERE IS, THAT'S ON ME.
[00:45:02]
THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT BY MYSELF.YOU KNOW, I SHOULD HAVE SAW IT.
SO WHEN IT COMES TO THE OPTIONS, BASICALLY WE COULD DO A 6% COLA THAT WOULD IN THAT WOULD, WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH ALL MRS. CLARK, THAT'S AROUND WHAT, $360,000? CORRECT.
WE COULD GO BACK INTO THE PDS BUDGET, THE TOTAL FOR THE PDS, WHAT? 180,000? 180,000.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY WHERE OR WHAT WE SHOULD PULL.
UH, THERE'S 605,000 COMING FROM THE D AND D.
WE COULD, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD HAVE BEEN WANTING TO DO AND INTRODUCE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE, A MERIT BASED STRUCTURE THAT YOU CAN, FOR THE, FOR THE BEST EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN PAY FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE.
YOU CAN IN INTRODUCE THAT MERIT BASED, UH, INCREASE.
BECAUSE THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COLA.
A COLA IS BASICALLY YOU'RE ADJUSTING FOR INFLATION, COST OF A LIVING ADJUSTMENT, YOU'RE ADJUSTING FOR INFLATION.
A COLA IS BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE.
WE COULD DO A 2% COLA AND A 4% MERIT.
YOU COULD DO A 3% THREE, YOU COULD DO A, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, A RANGE OF OPTIONS THAT WE COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH.
I'VE TOLD MR. MAGNO AND I TOLD THE TEAM, I DO NOT LIKE THAT OPTION.
I DO NOT WANT TO SEEM LIKE I'M TRYING TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT TO GO AROUND THEM.
I'VE TOLD, I'VE TOLD Y'ALL, I'VE TOLD A FEW OF YOU THAT THE SAME, I DO NOT WANT THAT.
I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO A MERIT BASED INCREASES ONE DAY, BUT I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO DO THAT NOW.
OR WE CAN JUST CUT OUT THE RAISES COMPLETELY AND THEN NOBODY GETS RAISES.
BUT THAT'S NOT, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT WHERE WE WANT TO GO EITHER.
SO WE WE'RE DEALING WITH, YOU KNOW, A, A PREDICAMENT THAT WE, WE NEED TO RESOLVE.
LIKE MR. MAGDALENO SAID, WE BELIEVE WE HAD A GREAT DISCUSSION WITH THOSE GUYS.
I'VE TOLD THEM I RESPECT THEM.
I I KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER THE WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE, YOU'RE GONNA CALL THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, OUR EMS PERSONNEL IS GOING TO SHOW UP TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.
SO WE BETTER TAKE CARE OF THEM.
SO JUST TO, LET'S NOT, UH, LET'S NOT FREAK OUT JUST YET.
AND THEN, RIGHT, LIKE I HAVE A GENERAL, GENERAL QUESTION THOUGH.
COMPARED TO COMPAR, COMPARABLE SIZE CITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY WOULD ARE, OR ARE OUR GUYS PAID ON SCALE WITH SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES OF SIMILAR SIZE THAT LAST, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE 25% OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST THREE YEARS IN THAT LAST CONTRACT, THE ANSWER, THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
I'M SURE THERE'S SOME FOLKS THAT WOULD ARGUE IN CERTAIN, CERTAIN AREAS, BUT THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, IT IS VERY COMPARABLE.
AND MY CONCERN IS, UH, UM, PROVIDING THEM ANOTHER 6% ON TOP OF THE 25%.
AS MUCH AS I LOVE MY POLICE AND WANNA FIGHT FOR THAT, THAT'S 31% IN FOUR YEARS.
I'M NOT SURE HOW WE CAN JUSTIFY THAT IN THIS FISCAL, UH, TIME RIGHT NOW.
UM, I DO THINK THAT, THAT THE OTHER EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE GONE THREE YEARS AND ONLY GOTTEN 5% REALLY NEED A PAY RAISE.
AND I'M A HUGE FAN OF PERFORMANCE BASED PAY.
I WAS, UH, DISAPPOINTED WHEN I SAW THAT WE DON'T HAVE A MERIT BASED PAY SYSTEM HERE.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO ADOPT ONE.
I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT PUSHING IT AND HAVING IT DONE IN THE NEXT MONTH TO GET THIS THROUGH AND SHOVING IT DOWN THE THROATS OF, UH, OF OUR EMPLOYEES.
I'D LIKE TO TAKE MY TIME AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT CORRECTLY, BUT IT IS AN OPTION.
AND IF WE WERE AT A POINT WHERE Y'ALL SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT, MAKE IT WORK.
HERE'S HOW MUCH MONEY I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AND MAKE THE RAISES WORK, THEN I WOULD COME BACK WITH A MERIT BASED PAY AND SAY, LET'S DO A MERIT BASED PAY FOR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES MINUS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE COULD STILL MAKE THAT, WE COULD STILL MAKE THAT HAPPEN IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO.
BUT I DON'T LIKE THE OPTICS OF THAT AND I DON'T LIKE THE WAY THAT LOOKS.
I, I LIKE MOVING TOWARDS INCREASING TRAINING AND MOVING THE GOALPOST TOWARDS AM MERIT BASED PAY.
AND I THINK THAT FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, I THINK THAT IS THE DIRECTION WE SHOULD AT LEAST BE THINKING ABOUT.
HOW WE GET THERE IS A DIFFERENT STORY.
IF, IF I COULD ADD THAT WAS WHEN THE INITIAL CBA WAS THIS NOT INITIAL, THIS RECENT CBA WAS NEGOTIATED, THAT WAS HOW IT WAS SOLD, IS THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS GETTING PAID 25% LESS THAN COMPARABLE CITIES AND AROUND THE COUNTY.
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE GOT TO THOSE NUMBERS.
AND IT WASN'T A A, A FULL JUMP.
THEY WERE, THEY WANTED TO SCALED OVER THREE YEARS.
BUT OUR DISPATCHERS TELECOMMUNICATORS
[00:50:01]
ARE VERY UNDERPAID COMPARED TO SURROUNDING AGENCIES.WE ARE LOSING TELECOMMUNICATORS TO LAMAR.
LAMAR HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST PAID FOR THEIR DISPATCHERS.
WE HAVE GOT TO BRING UP OUR STAFF.
THEY, THEY, WE, WE HAVE TO COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, WHATEVER WE WANT TO CALL IT.
YOU KNOW, I'LL SAY THIS 'CAUSE THERE'S A WHOLE ROOM FULL OF EMPLOYEES OUT THERE SITTING OUT THERE IN THE AUDIENCE.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE GAVE EVERYBODY LAST YEAR A 4% PAY RAISE TO FIND OUT THEY DIDN'T GET IT.
THIS YEAR WE'RE GIVING YOU A 6% PAY RAISE, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT BY DECEMBER, MY PHONE BETTER BE RINGING.
SOMEBODY HITS BOBBING AND A BUNCH OF SMILES.
I THOUGHT YOU GOT A 4% RAISE LAST YEAR.
I TELL YOU WHAT, MR. TOWNSEND, YOU AND I HAD THAT DISCUSSION, UM, I THINK LAST WEEK AND I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT AS WELL.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY PAYCHECK DIDN'T, DIDN'T REFLECT THAT PAY RAISE THAT I DON'T YOU WERE REFERRING TO.
IF YOU DON'T SEE ONE BY DECEMBER, MY PHONE SHOULD BE RINGING.
I DON'T GIVE NAMES, I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO I, I GIVE THAT TO THE EMPLOYEES TONIGHT.
AND THERE'S A BUNCH OF Y'ALL OUT THERE.
SO YOU HEARD ME SAY IT THREE TIMES.
MY PHONE BETTER RING BY DECEMBER.
THE LAST COLA FOR CITY STAFF WAS OCTOBER OF 23.
CLARIFY, THERE WASN'T ONE THE YEAR BEFORE.
I, AND THERE WASN'T ONE LAST YEAR.
SO THEY RECEIVED 5% OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST THREE YEARS.
CAN, CAN YOU SAY WHEN THE LAST TIME YOU DID EMPLOY EVALUATIONS OR WHEN EACH DEPARTMENT HEAD WAS ABLE TO DO THEIR OWN EMPLOYEE EVALUATIONS PREVIOUSLY? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING OVER THE, OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, I BELIEVE MULT DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS HAVE DONE EVALUATIONS OVER THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS.
I KNOW I RECEIVED ONE EVALUATION IN FOUR YEARS TO MY UNDERSTANDING, IF I, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, I CAN'T, UH, MRS. CLARK, DO YOU REMEMBER EVALUATIONS YOU'VE RECEIVED? I'VE RECEIVED TWO AND I GAVE MY STAFF ONE IN THIS IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS.
I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THERE'S NO WAY, AND HECK I WOULD LIKE TO USE ANYTHING THAT WE USED IN THE PAST FOR THE MERIT BASE.
I WOULD LIKE TO START FROM THE GROUND UP.
I WILL ABSOLUTELY GIVE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU NEED TO HELP BUILD THAT.
YOU AND I HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
IT, WE NEED TO BE TRACKING OUR GOOD EMPLOYEES BECAUSE SOMETHING YOU AND I BOTH AGREE ON, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, MR. CAREY IS I AM TIRED OF GOING OUT AND LOOKING FOR NEW EMPLOYEES.
I WANT TO PROMOTE FROM WITHIN BECAUSE THAT'S HOW, UM, I KEEP THE CULTURE.
THAT'S HOW YOU KEEP, UH, PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY WANT TO BE HERE.
UM, SO I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THERE IS MOVEMENT UP IN THIS ORGANIZATION RATHER THAN THINKING WE'RE JUST GONNA ALWAYS GO OUT AND CONTRACT IT OUT.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE NEED A MERIT BASED SYSTEM FOR THAT TO ACTUALLY WORK.
UM, BUT THAT, THAT'S GONNA TAKE A YEAR TWO, THAT, THAT MIGHT TAKE TWO YEARS TO DEVELOP THE PROPER SOLUTION.
UM, SOMETHING LIKE I SAID, WE USE IN THE MILITARY QUITE OFTEN AND WE DID, WE'RE PRETTY EFFECTIVE WITH IT.
SO I HAVE NOT SEEN, SO I CAN'T, UH, SPEAK TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S EVALUATIONS, BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THAT THE EVALUATIONS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR SIDE, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WE SCRAP AND START FROM SCRATCH, UH, WITH, WITH SOME EDUCATION WITH SOME, SO THAT SOME UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OUR EMPLOYEES ARE BEING MEASURED ON SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IT FROM DAY ONE AND UH, AND WE, AND WE MOVE ON.
SO COULD I, I, I'D LIKE TO REC TO RECOMMEND THE ADVERSE, YOU NEED TO BUILD A NEW SYSTEM AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE AT AND GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO BUILD ON IN THE FUTURE.
SO FOR SURE THAT INFORMATION FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THEIR PROFESSION IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
AND IF, IF YOU'VE GOT A SYSTEM THAT IS NOT ALL YOU WANT IT TO BE, IT'S NOT THAT IT'S NOT VALUABLE AT ALL BECAUSE THE INFORMATION THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES RECEIVE IN THAT PROCESS IS ABSOLUTELY VALUABLE TO THEM.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT AN EVALUATION IN EACH DEPARTMENT BE CONDUCTED JUST SO THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES KNOW WHERE THEY STAND.
SO THE ONE THING THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT BECAUSE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC, UM, STRUCTURE OR A SPECIFIC, UH, SCALE, SOMETHING THAT IS ABSOLUTELY BEING ABLE TO PUT TANGIBLE NUMBERS ON YOU TO START TO BRING SUBJECTIVITY IN, THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR ANY ORGANIZATION IS IT HAS TO BE
[00:55:01]
OBJECTIVE.SO BY DOING A REVIEW, THAT'S FINE, BUT IF THERE'S NO STANDARD, HOW IS A REVIEW EVEN EXISTS? I THINK SO.
SO WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS, IS YOU NEED MONTHS TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW SOMEBODY AND GIVE AN EVALUATION.
WE HAVE A PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT THAT I PROMISE YOU HE'S TALKING TO HIS GUYS.
THESE GUYS ARE DOING IT RIGHT NOW.
THEY'RE JUST NOT DOING IT FORMALLY IS WHAT I'M GETTING AT.
SO, SO I JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY.
I THEY ARE SCALED, THEY'RE SCALED ONE TO FIVE AND THE REAL INFORMATION COMES FROM THE SUPERVISOR WHO'S DOING THE EVALUATION AND HAS A CONVERSATION WITH THE EMPLOYEE.
THAT'S WHERE THE REAL INFORMATION GETS TRANSFERRED.
I CONCUR WITH, WITH EVERYTHING YOU JUST SAID.
AND WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EVALUATIONS AND, AND, AND PUSHING THIS THROUGH OUR ORGANIZATION.
WE, UH, WE JUST NOT HAVE, HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET.
I THINK THE DISAGREEMENT, HONEST WITH YOU, THERE'S, I'M SORRY.
I THINK THE DISAGREEMENT THERE WAS THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND THAT THAT EVALUATION IS CONNECTED TO THEIR PAY, WHEREAS BEFORE IT WAS NOT.
SO, SO ONE WOULD ARGUE THAT, AND I HEARD THIS SAYING YEARS AGO, I'LL NEVER FORGET IT.
UH, I WATCHED AN EMPLOYEE TELL HIS SUPERVISOR, YOU CAN ROLL THAT THING UP AND POKE ME IN THE EYE WITH IT.
'CAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY IT'S GONNA HURT ME.
AND IT MADE ME LAUGH AND CHUCKLE.
AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT ACTUALLY BECAUSE HE IS PROTECTED BY CIVIL SERVICE AND YOU KNOW, A UNION AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO FIRE HIM UNLESS HE SCREWS UP REALLY, REALLY BAD.
THAT EVALUATION MEANS NOTHING TO HIM.
IN OUR SCENARIO, I WOULD ARGUE THAT I WANT MY EMPLOYEES TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT EVALUATION IS TIED TO A PERFORMANCE PAY BEFORE THEY STARTED BEING EVALUATED ON IT.
EITHER WAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, UH, I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO GET BACK TO THE OLD BUDGET, RIGHT? UM, THIS IS DEFINITELY A COUNCIL MEETING SITUATION OR UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT CON LET'S, WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT LATER.
SO WHAT ELSE WE GOT FOR THE BUDGET SPECIFICALLY? UM, THAT WE NEED TO GO OVER.
ANY ITEMS? I JUST DON'T WANNA RUN OUTTA TIME 'CAUSE WE ONLY HAVE WHAT, ANOTHER 30 MINUTES.
SO IS THERE ANYTHING, ANY SPECIFIC, UH, ITEM, I KNOW WE HAVE LIKE THE FEDERAL SEIZES FUNDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
DO WE NEED TO GO INTO THOSE? WHATEVER Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO GO INTO.
ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL HAVE, PLEASE? THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING.
I'M ASKING COUNSEL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE FUNDS WE LIKE.
SO FOR INSTANCE, THE FEDERAL SEIZES FUND 11, UM, THERE'S WHAT FOUR LINES ON IT? FIVE LINES ON IT.
THEN THERE'S ALSO THE STATE SEIZES FUND 13, LIBRARY TRUST.
AND THEN WE GOT A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND.
WHERE ARE THOSE LOCATED? JUST LIKE WHAT IS THAT? HOW DOES THAT IT'S GONNA BE TOWARDS THE BACK.
SO THEY DON'T CARRY A FUND BALANCE.
UM, SO THAT'S FOR, THAT'S FOR BOTH OF THEM.
ONE POINT OUT IS IN A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, THREE, UM, WE ARE BUDGETING TO PAY THE MATCH FOR HUGHES ROAD AND THAT'S $492,000.
THAT'S THE GLO PROJECT MATCH, CORRECT? CORRECT.
AND THAT'S ALREADY SET ASIDE, YOU SAID IN A DIFFERENT, IN THE FUND THREE.
THERE WAS ALSO A CHANGE IN OUR HOUSE BILL, UM, THAT JUST CAME INTO EFFECT MAY 28TH, I BELIEVE, WHEN WE HAVE TO COMBINE TWO OF THE COURT SECURITY FUNDS.
SO THAT IS GOING TO LOOK SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.
UM, NEXT FISCAL YEAR DOESN'T AFFECT ANY OF THE NUMBERS, BUT FUND FUND 34 AND FUND 33 NOW HAVE TO BE COMBINED INTO ONE FUND.
AGAIN, THE NUMBERS WILL NOT CHANGE, IT'S JUST ACCOUNTING WISE, UM, IT'LL LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
AND THEN THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT FUND, THAT IS, THAT'S MONEY COMING FROM D THAT'S COMING FROM DMD? CORRECT.
AND THEN THAT'S WHERE IT'S BEING TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLES THAT WERE PURCHASED.
THIS SHOW IN THE ORIGINAL BUDGET, IT SHOWED A TRANSFER FROM DMD IN REVENUE AND THEN THE VEHICLES WERE COMING OUT OF THE DEPARTMENTS.
I TRANSFERRED ALL FIVE VEHICLES TO VEHICLE REPLACEMENT FUND AS WELL AS THE MONEY FROM ME COMING FROM DMD.
SO INSTEAD OF YOUR FOUR $50,000 REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
IT'S ON, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT PAGE THAT IS.
PAGE 38 OF THIS ONE, WHICHEVER.
SO MS. CLARK, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION IN THE POLICE, THE CONTRACTUAL SERVICES $82,000.
WHAT, WHAT IS THAT FOR? AND WHICH FUND? THE, IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
[01:00:02]
UNDER CONTRACT SERVICES ON PAGE TWO, THERE'S BELOW THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AUDIT.I DON'T SEE IT IN THE WORKSHOP, BUT THAT COULD, COULD THAT BE OUR, UM, NUMBER, OUR REPORTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM? SEVEN? YEAH, LEMME SEE.
THERE'S THE CHIEF, CHIEF BEON.
WHY DON'T YOU STEP ON UP HERE, SIR.
THANK YOU
AND THE OTHER ONE IS OUR, UM, BODY CAMERA SYSTEM.
THAT SHOULD COME UP TO BE 80 SOMETHING.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION YOU HAD WAS, I DON'T REMEMBER THE OTHER QUESTION.
I DON'T REMEMBER YOUR SECOND QUESTION.
WELL, I, I MENTIONED THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AUDIT, BUT I, I THINK I KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
AND, AND ALSO, UH, WE HAVE TO GET OUR, UH, IT SHOULD BE ABOUT 1500, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IN THAT ONE IN ADDITION IN THE BREAKOUT 3,900, WHAT IS IT, 3,900? YEAH.
THERE'S A BREAKOUT IN THERE WHERE THERE'S LIKE 2,500 THAT GOES TO, UH, OUR, UH, AUDITOR FOR OUR RACIAL PROFILING REPORTS YOU ALL RECEIVE EVERY MARCH WE SEND IT OFF FOR ANALYSIS AND THAT'S ABOUT A $2,500 EXPENDITURE.
I MAY BE WRONG ON THAT NUMBER, BUT WE GOT THE MONEY LADY RIGHT THERE.
THEY CAN TELL ME THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT IT'S AROUND THERE.
AND WE SEND THAT OFF TO A, UM, A COMPANY UP IN THE DALLAS AREA THAT DOES AN ANALYSIS ON OUR NUMBERS.
'CAUSE WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO AN ANALYSIS BY STATE LAW.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, WE GOT SPECIAL REVENUE COURT SECURITY FUND.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE REST OF THEM? 'CAUSE I'M NOT, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL FUNDS.
UM, UNLESS SOMEONE HAS SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT TO PICK OUT THAT THEY SAW THAT SEEMS WEIRD.
IF NOT, MOST OF THEM CAN ONLY BE USED FOR CERTAIN THINGS ANYWAY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE RES THOSE ARE RESTRICTED FUNDS FOR THE MOST PART.
SO WE DON'T, THE LAW TAKES CARE OF THOSE.
UM, ANY OTHER OVERALL QUESTIONS FROM COUNSEL ABOUT THE UM, THE BUDGET? WE HAVE ANY? I THINK I HAVE ONE.
SO IN, UH, DEPARTMENT 35, I THINK END OF SECOND QUARTER IT SAYS, UM, YEAR TO DATE REALIZED WAS, UM, 27 7 35 22.
AND THEN LAST WEEK OR LAST MEETING YOU GAVE US THE THIRD QUARTER AND IT SHOWS HOTEL MOTEL TAX REALIZED WAS 27 6 81, WHICH IS LESS THAN WHAT WAS PROVIDED IN SECOND QUARTER.
I WILL LOOK AT THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU IN THE NEXT MEETING WHEN I PRESENT THE FINANCIALS, IF THAT'S OKAY.
AND THEN I THINK MY OTHER LAST QUESTIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND SUMMARY LOOKS LIKE WITH THE 6% COLA LOAN, WE HAVE EXPECTED REVENUES OF $19,174,745 AND THE EXPECTED EXPENDITURES IS 19,179,767 FOR A DEFICIT OF $5,022 AND 16TH CENTS.
SO ON THE SURFACE, I GUESS I WANT TO SAY IF THOSE NUMBERS ARE TRUE AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE DO HAVE A GENERAL FUND DEFICIT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO INCREASE, HOW DO WE DO THAT WITH A STARTING DEFICIT IN OUR BUDGET? I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN.
IN THE GENERAL FUND SUMMARY COMPARISON, WE HAVE MORE MONEY BEING EXPENDED THEN WE HAVE EXPECTED REVENUES BY $5,000, 5,000, $22 AND 16 CENTS.
SO WE SAY WE HAVE A GENERAL FUND DEFICIT THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE.
AND MY QUESTION WOULD BE IF WE PLAN TO INCREASE IT, HOW DO WE DO SO FOR STARTING OFF WITH THE BUDGET DEFICIT? SO WHAT HE IS ASKING IS, IS BASICALLY WE'RE WE HA WE DON'T, WE HAVE A BUDGET THAT HAS A $5,000 DEFICIT.
WE'RE WE'RE IN THE NEGATIVE BASED OFF OF THE PROJECTED REVENUE.
[01:05:01]
I'M IF I'M WRONG ABOUT ANY OF THIS.UM, AND THEN BASED OFF OF THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE, SO OKAY, SO YEAH, THERE'S, AND THAT'S, I SEE WHAT NUMBER YOU'RE LOOKING.
OKAY, I SEE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 'CAUSE YEAH, THE 5,000 2216 YEP.
HOW DO WE INCREASE IT? IT'S DOWN.
NO, WE HAVE TO, UH, WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK INTO THE BUDGET ANYWAY WITH THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADJUST THESE NUMBERS AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ACCOUNT THERE, THERE WILL BE CHANGES MADE.
SO THEN 69.2% TO ACCOUNT FOR WITH THE STREET MAINTENANCE FUND AND THEN THE GENERAL FUND.
THESE NUMBERS ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE REWORKED.
UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SET ANOTHER DATE OBVIOUSLY TO COME BACK AND MEET.
WE CAN GO BACK INTO THESE NUMBERS.
WELL, AND BECAUSE THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, THE PAGE ABOVE IT RIGHT? SHOWS A SURPLUS RIGHT.
SO WE JUST NEED TO, UM, UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT DEFICIT, WE JUST NEED TO GO THROUGH IT AND MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS PAGE PAGE.
AND PART OF THAT MAYA KING QUIZ, YOU UH, YOU ADDED 5,000 TO THE FUEL ON THE, UH, EMS FOR THE EMS. YES, SIR.
'CAUSE SHOULDN'T THAT ACTUALLY GO BE AT ZERO FOR THE WELL THESE CAME OUT, THIS, THIS CAME OUT OKAY BEFORE THAT LAST QUESTION.
SO THE GOOD THING IS, YEAH, THIS IS NOT A FINALIZED DOCUMENT.
WE'RE STILL, WE'LL STILL FIGURE SOMETHING.
WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT, RIGHT? UM, YES SIR.
IT WE'LL SAID IT BEST IS WE'RE NOT FIXING EVERYTHING TODAY.
HOWEVER, I DO AGREE WITH YOU THAT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT I CAN, WE CAN APPROVE A BUDGET WITH A DEFICIT IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE GONNA MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
NOW, IF THAT'S A DOLLAR POSITIVE, I'M, I'M HAPPY.
I WANT TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THAT.
UM, WHAT WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE IS WE'RE DOING IT RESPONSIBLY, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT, UM, WE'RE NOT IMPACTING OUR STAFF, WE'RE NOT IMPACTING OUR CITIZENS.
SO THAT BECAUSE OF THE, UH, ERRORS OF, UH, INDIVIDUALS, UM, THEY'RE BEING IMPACTED NEGATIVELY.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE THING NEEDS TO BE CLEARED UP A LITTLE BIT.
I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF HAS BEEN, A LOT OF STUFF HAS BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO THE LAST ADMINISTRATION, BUT SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS THAT WE DISCUSSED TONIGHT DIDN'T START WITH HIM.
UH, THEY STARTED WAY BEFORE BEFORE HIM.
THESE GO BACK TWO OR THREE ADMINISTRATIONS.
SO NO, I, SOME OF THEM, THAT'S WHAT I MEAN TOO.
SOME OF 'EM ARE HIS FAULT, BUT NOT ALL THESE PROBLEMS ARE HIS FAULT BECAUSE SOME OF THESE FUNDS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS.
AND HE WASN'T HERE FOR THEM YEARS.
CLEARED THE WATER ON EVERYBODY IN HERE OR WHOEVER'S LISTENING, SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS GO BACK.
I'VE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH THAT I KNOW BETTER.
NO, AND THIS, I WANNA MAKE SURE I'VE CLIP, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST, I'M TALKING ABOUT PAST JUST EVERYTHING IN THE PAST THAT HAS COME TO THIS AND WE'RE GONNA FIX IT.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD SO WE CAN, UH, OTHER THAN THAT, YOU, I GUESS, UH, IS EVERYONE GOOD WITH TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK BEFORE WE GO INTO, UH, THE REGULAR SESSION OR JUST GOT ONE QUESTION? OKAY, LET'S GO.
IF WE'RE GOING OUR TAX RATE, ARE WE GOING WITH THE, ARE WE PROPOSING THIS BUDGET ON THE SAME TAX RATE THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR? YES SIR.
OR THE, THE LOWER NUMBER? NO, IT'S 36 82.
SO IT'D BE A, YOU DON'T WANT TO CALL IT THAT, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A SLIGHT TAX INCREASE BECAUSE THE OTHER NUMBER WAS DOWN MAYBE A HALF A CENT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IT IS HIGHER THAN THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
IT IS HIGHER THAN THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE.
JUST LONG AS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SAY WE'RE NOT RAISING TAXES 'CAUSE IT'S THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
JUST CALL IT, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
ALRIGHT, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO CLEAR UP, WHICH, WHICH RATE WE WERE GOING WITH.
ALRIGHT, WELL THEN LET'S GO AHEAD AND MEETING ADJOURNED.