D. Consider Approval of SponsorshipforUTRGV Athletics for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. E. Presentation on the Façade and Lot Improvement Program (FLIP).

[D. Consider Approval of SponsorshipforUTRGV Athletics for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. E. Presentation on the Façade and Lot Improvement Program (FLIP).]

ROLL. I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO YOU ON THIS ONE TO SOMEONE ABSTAIN. PLEASE. CONSIDER APPROVAL SPONSORSHIP FOR EACH CHARGE OF THE ATHLETICS. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 2023 24, WE CAN OPEN IT UP FOR JUST DISCUSSION. IF I COULD JUST SUMMARIZE THE INFORMATION IN THE PACKET. THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE OF THE ATHLETIC SPONSORSHIP IS WELL OVER $26,000 WERE BEING ASKED FOR $25,000. THAT'S $25,000 INCLUDES $3500 FOR A FIELD. UM LED TABLE SIGNAGE FOR THE EIGHTH FRAME BANNERS THAT ARE USED DURING THE TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS. THE SOCCER SCOREBOARD SIGNAGE FOR $10,000 CONCORD SIGNAGE AT THE BASEBALL STADIUM. AND ALSO THE BASEBALL SCORE.

SCOREBOARD HAS OUR LOGO ON IT. PLUS WE GET SOME HOME PLATE CLUB TICKETS. AS WELL AS A WEBSITE HAS SOME BANNERS THAT THEY CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE US ON THOSE AS WELL. SO SOME OTHER INFORMATION THAT THEY CONTINUE TO ALSO DO THE PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CHECK PRESENTATIONS THAT THAT TYPE OF THING, SO THERE'S CERTAINLY HELPING US MARKET EDINBURGH. AND $25,000 GOES A LONG WAYS TOWARDS SUPPORT OF THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM. UM SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF A QUICK SUMMER QUESTION TODAY, AND MAYBE I KNOW WE HAD MADE IT LAST TIME. I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE WHERE IT ENDED UP. HEART PART OF THE DISCUSSION HAS BEEN FROM A BORDER PERSPECTIVE IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET TICKETS TO THESE EVENTS. SO THAT WE CAN THEN PROMOTE TO BUSINESS OWNERS. TAKE THEM WITH US AND IS THERE ROOM THERE FOR US TO HAVE TO MAKE IT PART OF THE 25,000 SO FOR THE. THE ON CAMPUS EVENTS. WE GET 200 VOUCHERS, WHICH CAN BE TRADED IN FOR TICKETS, SO IT'S JUST KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF EVENTS WE WANT TO GO TO. AND THEN, ASIDE FROM THAT , WE ALSO GET THE BASEBALL TICKETS AS WELL. I WOULD LIKE PROBABLY TO MAKE IT MORE AND MORE DESCRIPTIVE TERMS OF VERY SPECIFIC. SO WE KNOW WHAT WE CAN OFFER. UH, THE PROBLEM WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST IS THAT WE'RE ASKING WE GOT 20 TICKETS A DAY OF RIGHT , SO THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO ENTERTAIN SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. OR WHAT HAVE YOU, UH, IF WE HAVE A SCHEDULE, AND WE HAVE A COMMITMENT, SAFER BASKETBALL, BASEBALL OR ANY EVENT UP FRONT WITHIN OUR SCOPE OF THE GIVING.

I THINK IT WOULD HELP. YEAH JONES IS HERE. BUT YOU KNOW, WE CAN COORDINATE THAT WITH SETH.

YEAH AND JUST A BIG BACKYARD LIKE THAT. HE HAD THE IDEA SO WE CAN UM WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT OUR GAMES. HOW WE GET THE WORD OUT ONE OF THE WAYS TO GET THE WORD OUT HIS INVITE. PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED, WE CAN ENTERTAIN. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND SHOW THEM I PERSONALLY I CAN TELL YOU THE FIRST TIME I WENT TO THE DOCTOR STADIUM. I WAS LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW, AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE TAKEN PEOPLE THERE TO SHOW IT TO THEM. AND SAME THING WITH THE GAMES. UM, LIKE ANYTIME WE PLAY THE BIG BIG SCHOOLS RIGHT SET LIKE THERE'S A FEW FEW GOOD GOOD GAMES LINED UP. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE ABC BE ABLE TO ATTEND AND ALSO INVITE SOME OF OUR BUSINESS OWNERS. VERY WELL. IT'S A GREAT CONGESTION. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS SO WE JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION IN REGARD TO THE RENOVATIONS OF THE FIELDS. SO WE ARE UNDERGOING ITS PUBLICLY ABOUT 1995 MILLION CONSTRUCTION. ABOUT 90 MILLION OF THOSE HERE NUMBER WHICH IS WONDERFUL. SO YOU LOOK ACROSS OUR 16TH SPORTS. EVERYBODY'S EITHER GETTING A NEW LOCKER ROOM. BASEBALL IS GONNA LOOK BRAND NEW. WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE. THE FIELD, ALICE HAS BEEN GUTTED, REDONE. UM AND THEN THE FOOTBALL FACILITY THAT'S COMING HERE PRETTY SOON. AWESOME. THANK YOU FOR THAT. APPRECIATE IT FOR

[00:20:05]

WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE AN ITEM D.

I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. EMOTION OF PROVING. I WOULD FORGET. IF I COULD JUST MAKE A COMMENT ON THE FINANCIALS. SEND THAT YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THAT $20,000 OVER EACH ON THAT LINE ITEM. THAT WAS APPRAISALS FOR PROJECTS SWAP AND BECAUSE IT'S PROJECT IS STILL IN PROCESS. I CAN'T DEVOTE WHAT THAT WAS, BUT YOU'LL RECALL PROJECT SWAP. NO. AND SOME OF THAT MONEY IS COMING BACK BECAUSE IT WAS A REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE CITY ITSELF. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. SO THE NEXT TWO ITEMS ON THE E N F PRESENTATION ON THE

[F. Consider Approval of the Façade and Lot Improvement Program (FLIP).]

FACADE IN LAW IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A WHILE. THE FLIP PROGRAM AND THE APPROVAL OF THAT AH, I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT UP TO YOU GUYS TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO MOVE THAT INTO EXECUTIVE. I LOOKED OVER IT AND I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I ADDRESS WITH ADELE ABOUT IT. BUT I THOUGHT MAYBE WE COULD DISCUSS IT AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK IN LATER.

IMPROVE IT IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH THAT. YEP. MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE. ITEM. F TWO EXECUTIVE YOU KNOW? GET A 2ND 2ND THEN ALL IN FAVOR. SAY AYE, ALREADY YOUR RIGHT HAND. FOR THOSE, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK WITH THAT. THE ITEM G IS CONSIDERED APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR 2324.

SO, UM. ITEM SEVEN IN YOUR ITEM. SEVEN. CORRECT LOOKING FORWARD MYSELF. UM IN OUR LAST MEETING WE HAD APPROVED THREE FAIRLY MAJOR PROJECTS THAT ABC IS UNDERTAKING THAT WE'RE NOT IN THE ADOPTED BUDGET. ONE OF THEM WAS A MILLION DOLLARS A GALLON OF WATER POWER. WATER TANK THAT WAS WERE PARTICIPATING, PARTICIPATING WITH THE CITY AT $2.1 MILLION. THE OTHER ONE WAS THE ACTUAL CHURCH BASEBALL FIELDS THAT PARKS AND REC PROJECT OF $2 MILLION AND THEY LOST A ROAD SEWER LINE EXTENSION PROJECT FOR $1.75 MILLION. SO OUR BUDGET BASICALLY IS TRANSFERRING FROM RESERVES THAT AMOUNT. AND THAT IS ON YOUR PACKET. $5.85 MILLION. SO IT.

BUMPS UP OUR REVENUES TWO MINUTES REALLY TRANSFER MORE THAN AN ACTUAL REVENUE, BUT IT BUMPS ARE REVENUES UP TO 19,000,006 65 6 86, AND THAT'S OUR EXPENDITURES AS WELL, BECAUSE WE'RE ISSUING THAT THOSE MONEYS BACK OUT TO THE CITY SO THAT THEY CAN CONDUCTORS THREE PROJECTS IN FAIRLY SHORT ORDER. SO THE WATER TOWER PROJECT WE'RE ALREADY ABOUT READY THAT CHECK.

AND I WAS READY. IS THAT WHY SHE'S HERE? SHE'S READY. SHE'S READY TO START CONSTRUCTING THEIR WATER TOWER. YEAH, WELL, IF YOU COULD, UM ON THE ASTROTURF. I HEARD THAT THE TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL HEADED PRESENTATION. ON SOMETHING SIMILAR. UM WE ALREADY SAY THAT OKAY. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST TIME. I WAS LIKE, OH, YEAH. SABRINA ACTUALLY CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WHAT'S TOURISM IS A BIG DEAL IN A LOT OF COMMUNITIES AND THIS IS STEP ONE GOING TOWARDS THAT I HAD TO FIGHT FOR IT TO REALLY FIGHT. FIGHT FOR IT. I'M LIKE, HEY, EVEN THE STATE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT. BACK TO YOU. YOU'RE A MAN WITH A LOT OF YEAH. WE'RE GOING TO BRING UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO CAN WE GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS THAT WILL TRANSFER THE $5,850,000 OVER TO OUR GENERAL? BUDGET. TO BE USED FOR THOSE THREE ITEMS. COMMOTION IMPROVE IS PRESENTED. SECOND IN FAVOR. SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. MOTION APPROVED. NEXT ITEM

[G. Consider Approval of Budget Amendments for Fiscal Year 2023-2024. H. Review of Marketing Activities for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.]

IS ON THE MARKETING REVIEW OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES FOR 2324. THAT WOULD BE ITEM EIGHT. YEAH.

[H. Review of Marketing Activities for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.]

SO IN YOUR PACKET, YOU DO HAVE A VERY DETAILED INFORMATION IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE ADVERTISING THAT'S GOING ON. BUT THIS IS JUST PART OF THE OVERALL MARKETING. PACKAGE THAT WE'RE DOING. WE HAVE SET ASIDE $420,000 FROM WORKING IN ADVERTISING SERVICES THIS FISCAL YEAR. WE'VE GOT TRAVEL TRAINING AND MEETING DOLLARS OF $90,000 IN OUR BUDGET. WE HAVE CONFERENCES OF $120,000 IN OUR BUDGET, AND WE HAVE RESEARCH STUDIES AND OTHER CONTRACTS FOR $360,000, WHICH TOTALED UP TO $990,000. THAT IS REALLY ALL RELATED TO MARKETING OUR

[00:25:05]

COMMUNITY. UM THE ADVERTISING. UM PORTION IS A SMOKER PERCENTAGE OF THAT ENTIRE BUDGET. UM ALL IN ALL OF WHAT WE'RE SPENDING ON ADVERTISING AND DIRECT ADS, WHETHER THEY'RE DIGITAL OR PRINT OR BOTH. IS 162,160. UM, STATE STATUTE REQUIRES THAT ANY VENDOR THAT IS RECEIVING ADVERTISING DOLLARS IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,000 OR MORE HAD BOARD APPROVAL, AND THUS THAT'S WHY SOME OF THESE ARE INDIVIDUALLY LISTED. UM SO WE CAN GO THROUGH THEM OR IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER THEM. SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE POSED TO ADELE, UM, BEFORE THE MEETING WAS BECAUSE I WAS ASKING ABOUT SOME OF THE LOCAL ONLINE PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS THE GUARDIAN AND THE BORDER BUSINESS AND OTHERS LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I WAS SAYING, ARE WE I NOTICED A LOT OF THESE ARE TAILORED TOWARDS THE MEXICO WHICH WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE DOING ANY OF THOSE. I THINK RGB VISION WAS ALSO IN HERE. UH AND HE EXPLAINED THAT THAT'S BECAUSE WE ALREADY DO THOSE IN THERE UNDER THE 10,000 MARK, SO THOSE ARE NOT INCLUDED IN HERE. UM SO I THINK THE NEW THESE NEW ONES ARE HAVING TO DO WITH SOME TV WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM I GUESS NEXT STAR, WHICH HAS, UM TV. NEXT START DOES A LOT OF DIGITAL AS WELL AS TELEVISION. SO WERE THEY HAVE TWO CHANNELS, AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA BE SOME SOME TELEVISION COMMERCIALS THAT THEY WILL PRODUCE FOR US. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT THEY DO A LOT OF GEO FENCING FOR US, SO WHEN WE'RE GOING TO VISIT EITHER TO TRADE SHOWS OR MISSION TRIPS OR OTHER ACTIVITIES WITH DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTRY WE CAN ACTUALLY DO GEO FENCING, SO WE'RE KIND OF BOMBARDING THAT TRADE SHOW WITH OUR ADS DIGITAL AND SO WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY HITTING ON THOSE ADS WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM AND GET A LOT MORE MARKET INTELLIGENCE THAT WAY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, IF WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE RECRUITING, WE'RE TRYING TO TARGET SPECIFIC COMPANIES. AH WHEN IN THEIR HEADQUARTERS IS LET'S JUST SAY DALLAS, TEXAS. IT'S PRETTY EASY FOR US TO GEO FENCE AROUND THAT THAT OFFICE BUILDING AND ACTUALLY JUST KEEP REMINDING THEM AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND. DOCUMENTS THAT WERE HERE AND EDINBURGH CAN BE AND ON THEIR PHONES IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. AND SO THAT'S WHAT NEXT UP BRINGS TO US IS THEY CAN GIVE US SOME OF THAT VERY ACCURATE TARGETING, UM, THAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IN TERMS OF OUR OVERALL INDUSTRY EFFORTS AND IN TERMS OF ATTRACTION, AND SO IT'S ALSO ALSO LOCAL, UM, IMAGE IF YOU WILL. THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION LOCALLY IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT WE THINK IT IS, UM I WAS SURPRISED JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS AT THE REAL ESTATE FORUM THAT THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY PARTNERSHIP MENTIONED AND THERE WAS SOMEBODY FROM THE MCALLEN BOARD OF REALTORS THAT WOULD MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION. AND THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT EDINBURGH WAS AN EMERGING HOTSPOTS. IN THE VALLEY. WE CAN'T WELL OVER $300 MILLION WORTH OF CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY THIS YEAR, AND THAT EXCEEDS LAST YEAR'S, WHICH WAS ALMOST ABOUT $300 MILLION ALREADY. UM AND SO THAT'S TWO YEARS IN A ROW $600 MILLION, AND THAT'S NOT AN ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT'S A VERY ACCURATE ENVIRONMENT. HARDLY ANYBODY THAT'S MATCHING THOSE NUMBERS. WE ARE THIRD HIGHEST IN THE SALES TAX COLLECTIONS. IN THE REAL GRAND VALLEY. NOBODY IS EVEN CLOSE TO US OTHER THAN BROWNSVILLE AND MCALLEN. THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE BIGGER. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF PERCEPTION IF WE GET PERCEPTIONS THAT PEOPLE SAY OH, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH HAPPENING IN EDINBURGH. THEY'RE NOT READING IT RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE RIGHT INFORMATION. AND SO THAT'S WHY I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE NOT ONLY GO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BUT KEEP SOME MONEY LOCALS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE NOT ONLY PERCEIVED BUT UNDERSTAND THAT THE ACTUAL REALITY OF WHAT'S GOING ON YEAH. I MEAN, IF YOU DON'T TELL PEOPLE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS STICK AND I GET THAT WHAT I WANT TO KNOW TOO, THOUGH, IS HOW DO WE MEASURE THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT HERE? HOW DO WE ASK PEOPLE TO COME TO US? HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT US? OR WHAT DO WE KEEP ANY RECORDS OF THAT? I MEAN, I JUST WANT TO KNOW. HOW DO WE MEASURE THAT? THE MONEY IS WE'RE PUTTING INTO THIS ADVERTISEMENT IS ACTUALLY HAVING AN IMPACT. WELL, SOME OF THAT WE CAN MEASURE SOME OF IT. YOU CAN. UM WE CAN MEASURE HOW MUCH IN TERMS OF WEBSITE TRAFFIC OR GETTING, WE CAN MEASURE HOW MUCH PARTICULAR ADVERTISERS REFERRING BACK TO US, SO THOSE ARE OUR INFORMATION THAT WE CAN GATHER. SOME OF IT IS NOT MEASURABLE IN TERMS OF JUST THE PERCEPTIONS AND THE ACTUAL AWARENESS FROM FROM FOLKS. BUT A LOT OF IT IS WORD OF MOUTH AS WELL. AND SO

[00:30:02]

THE MORE THAT WE ARE ON FRONT OF PEOPLE, THE MORE TOP OF MIND THAT WE HAVE, THE MORE LIKELY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND. WHAT GOOD OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE. CORRECT ONE THING. THAT'S THAT'S COMPANIES AND CITIES AND ENTITIES ARE DOING MORE AND MORE OF FROM A MARKETING PERSPECTIVE FOR BRANDING IS IT IS CALLED USER GENERATED CONTEXT. CONTENT.

IN TERMS OF WHERE THE USER OF THE VISITORS ABLE TO GO IN THERE AND TELL THEIR STORY. I DON'T SEE ANY OF THAT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. WHERE IT'S NOT NECESSARILY US TELLING THE STORY . IT'S SOMEBODY WHO VISITED SOMEBODY WHO LIVES HERE. SOMEONE WHO HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND ALLOWING THEM TO TELL THE STORY OF EDINBURGH. AND I DON'T SEE ANY OF THAT. PLATFORM AND ITS NEW STUFF. USER GENERATED CONTENT IS SOMETHING THAT THAT'S DELIVERING, AND IT'S MORE FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA SPACE. UM CAN WE LOOK INTO THAT AS SURE? WHAT WE HAVE TODAY DOESN'T ALLOW THAT. FOR I VISITED EDINBURGH AND I HAVE SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND I'M ABLE AFTER ALL, FROM A RESIDENT PERSPECTIVE , AND THEN A TOURIST PERSPECTIVE AND EVEN THE CLIMATE OF BUSINESS. CAME AND MET WITH US AND WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND ALLOWING THEM TO TELL A STORY. YEAH THE TESTIMONIALS AND I HAD ASKED FOR ADELE ABOUT, UM SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO RAMP THAT UP AND SO WE DO REMEMBER, WE DO HAVE THE CITY'S COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT THAT IS ASSISTING US WITH THAT, AND SO I THINK THEY'RE VERY GOOD AT DOING SHORT VIDEOS AND STUFF. MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME TESTIMONIALS FROM BUSINESS OWNERS. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE EDINBURGH TO LOCATE HERE? OR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN EDINBURGH? WHY HAVE YOU STAYED ALL THESE YEARS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE TO SHOW? UM THAT YOU KNOW, AND REALLY JUST AGAIN TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF PEOPLE'S MIND WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WHERE THEY WANT TO LOCATE, AND OUR BUDGET ALLOWS FOR MORE THAN WHAT THIS IS INDICATING. SO UM, THIS IS ONLY A PORTION OF OUR BUDGET. OBVIOUSLY WE DIDN'T COMPLETELY CALCULATE HOW MUCH WE'RE GOING TO SPEND IN TOTAL BECAUSE WE WANT TO HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY. IN THE PAST, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE TESTIMONIALS 100 WEBSITE, BUT THEY'RE AGED AND SO WE HAVE TO UPDATE THEM, AND I THINK THOSE ARE WONDERFUL IDEAS AND WE'LL TAKE THOSE INTO HEART AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THEM. MY COMMENT IS ONLY ON WHAT VERONICA SAYS. I THINK WE NEED TO QUANTIFY. THE EYES AND THE EXPOSURE WE GET LIKE THIS MAGAZINE, THE SHOPPING I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE VIOLENCE.

TAKE A PICTURE IN THE FRONT. VERY BEAUTIFUL. AND THEN WHEN I WENT TO THE CALENDAR, JUST A COUPLE OF PAGES AWAY. IT'S NOT EVEN ON THEIR CALENDAR. THE 21ST, THE ONLY ADVERTISED SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT THERE. THAT'S WHEN THE VIOLENCE WAS THERE, AND IT'S ACTUALLY AN AD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SO MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE, LIKE SCOTTY MCCREARY. WE HAD TO BUILD ALL OF THIS MONTH AND I MEAN, I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS, BUT I DON'T SEE. THANK YOU. THERE'S A LOT OF EVENTS RIGHT? I WOULD FIGURE IT BE SMALLER, WHERE THEY JUST KIND OF GIVE PEOPLE MORE.

THE OPTIONS OF WHAT'S GOING ON. YEAH I KNOW THAT. LIKE MAGAZINES LIKE THIS. A LOT OF TIMES, YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM YOUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT THEN THEY CAN PLACE THEM INTO THEIR AND TO THEIR LIST. I KNOW LIKE SOCIAL LIFE IS THE SAME THING. YOU KNOW, THEY STARTED LOOKING FOR WHAT EVENTS ARE COMING UP. BUT THEN IF PEOPLE CONTACT THEM AND SAVIN EVENT ON THIS DATE AND MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE IT, SO I THINK WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR STAFF IS SENDING THE LIST OF ALL THE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT WE KNOW OF. NO, THEY SEND THEM TO US. SO THEY SAY, HEY, YOU'RE INVITED TO COME TO THIS SENATE TO THOSE MEDIA PUBLICATIONS AS WELL SO THEY CAN INCLUDE HIM.

THEY'RE COUNTING EVENTS LIKE THIS. THE OUR FESTIVALS, ARE THEY? THEY'RE LAID OUT FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. SO WE HAVE A YEARLY LIST ALREADY. UM AND SO I SEE. THE AD HERE IS NBC FUNDED BUT WHERE WE WERE PROMOTING THE PEOPLE IN TOWN, RIGHT? SO UM, WE PROMOTE A LOT OF THE CITY EVENTS. FIESTA EDINBURGH, FOR EXAMPLE, IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WE PROMOTE. IN THAT PARTICULAR PUBLICATION BECAUSE THAT GOES OUT TO A LOT OF THE MEXICAN TOUR CROSSING IT. OVER TO SHOP. AND TO TRY TO GET FILM AND VISIT THE AREA. SO UM, WE CAN WORK WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DESIGNED THE ADS TO INCLUDE A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION AND SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO WITH THE TOURNAMENT'S COMING INTO TOWN. WE'RE TRYING TO ORGANIZE THE TOURNAMENT WITH A FLYER OF HOST HOTELS. IN THE CITY AND HOST RESTAURANTS. UM LIKE SOMEONE WANTED TO COME LOOSE THE VIOLENCE ANY SORT OF INFORMATION ON HOTELS OR STAYS OR IF YOU WANT TO INCORPORATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BECAUSE IT'S ONE THING TO THEM TO COME TO THE EVENT, BUT WE WANT HIM TO STAY, E. DYING. FOR GAS. EVERYTHING. HERE IN TOWN, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW HE WOULD AGREE. WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE ORGANIZER OF THE EVENTS THAT MAYBE THEY HAVE,

[00:35:02]

LIKE A CURE CODE THAT THEY CAN YOU CAN SCAN AND IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE LIST. YEAH. I DON'T SEE THAT HERE. ANYTHING TO SO WHOEVER IS PUTTING ON A PARTICULAR EVENT? MAYBE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT QR CODE CHAMBERS ACTUALLY WORKING ON THAT THROUGH THEIR EXPLORE EDINBURGH WEBSITE. WHERE THEY CAN HOPEFULLY GETTING HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS INVOLVED IN CERTAIN EVENTS. AND THAT WAY WE CAN DIRECT THEM RIGHT AWAY IN TOWN, AND WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONCE IN EDINBURGH ADVERTISING THAT IN THE SHOPPING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY AND THE CHAMBER I THINK, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTE AS WELL FROM TIME TO TIME. ACTUALLY I KNOW RONNIE DOES A GOOD JOB OF A NEWSLETTER THAT GOES OUT ALL THE TIME FROM THE CHAMBER, AND THEY DO PUT OUT LIKE UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE WEEK. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE WAYS TO GET TO SOME OF THE ONES BUT THEY'RE GOOD. AND, UH, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS JUST IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TIME WHERE SOMETIMES THAT THAT'S OUT. AND YOU GO. WELL. WHERE IS IT AT THINK, FOR INSTANCE, THE BEER FEST THAT WAS RECENTLY HAD AT FIRST IT DIDN'T EVEN SHOW YOU MADE IT SEEM LIKE IT WAS GONNA BE AT THE DRAFT HOUSE. BUT THEN IT WAS AT THE FOOD PARK, RIGHT? AND I KNOW PEOPLE WERE ASKING.

WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS IT? IS IT YOU KNOW, SO I THINK WE TAKE FOR GRANTED LOT OF TIMES THAT WE KNOW WHERE IT'S AT. BUT THE PUBLIC WOULDN'T KNOW WHERE IT'S AT. ALTHOUGH THAT HAD A REALLY NICE TURNOUT. UM, AND THE LATER THE EVENING MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP, SO THAT WAS GOOD. ASIDE FROM THE ADVERTISING, WHICH IS ITEMS I J. K, L AND M. UM AND IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN OVER ITEM AND WHICH IS, UM RETAIL STRATEGIES. AND RETAIL STRATEGIES IS ASHLEY. UM. THE COMPANY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST THAT SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE MET AND MIGHT HAVE RECALLED THAT ICSC. UM THEY HELP COMMUNITIES AND NOT JUST MARKETING BUT ALSO IN, UM SAID ENOUGH MEETINGS DURING ICSC AND DURING RETAIL LIFE, UH, THEY HELP US WITH DEMOGRAPHICS AND OTHER MARKET INFORMATION AS WELL. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, UM THEY HAVE A THREE YEAR PROGRAM IF YOU WILL, WHERE THEY WANT TO WORK WITH COMMUNITIES, AND THEY ASKED IF WE WANTED SOME ASSISTANCE, AND SO ON, PRESENTED THE PROPOSAL IN YOUR PACKET. UM AND HERE ONE IS $45,000. OUR BUXTON DEMOGRAPHIC PACKAGE THAT WE WERE PAYING FOR IN THE PAST WAS $35,000 FOR $10,000 MORE YOU GET BASICALLY THE SAME INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE GOT WITH BUCKS, THEN. BUT YOU GET A WHOLE TEAM OF PEOPLE. PROMOTING THE COMMUNITY, SETTING UP MEETINGS AND ALSO HELPING US WITH THE MARKETING OF THE COMMUNITY AND SETTING UP THE MARKETING MATERIALS. THE COLLATERAL IF YOU WILL. AND SO I'M RECOMMENDING APPROVAL ON THAT ONE AS WELL. SO WAS THIS THE ONE THAT ALSO WAS GOING TO GO INTO MEXICO? THIS ONE WE MEET WITH IT SAID THAT THEY THEIR DATA WOULD NOT ONLY INCLUDE THE AREA BUT ALSO AROUND THE GOING INTO MEXICO. WAS IT STRATEGIES I THOUGHT SO USED TO THESE THE CELLPHONE DATA, SO IT DOES. IT DOESN'T KNOW. INTERNATIONAL LINES. I REMEMBER THEM. THAT WAS ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE LIKE THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO REACH INTO MEXICO. CASH LUIGI, WE DO. I JUST SAW THEM SOMEWHERE WHERE WE AT LAST AND I SAID, OH, YEAH, TML WE USE YOU GUYS AND I WAS LIKE, WELL, NO, WE DON'T USE THEM YET. QUESTION.

THEY WERE A T M L T M L CORRECT. YEAH I THOUGHT THEY WERE. THEY WERE PRETTY IMPRESSIVE. EXAMPLE.

EXCELLENT WORK IN REAL LIFE. OKAY? UM. SO THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS THEY COME DOWN AND THEY GET TO KNOW THE MARKET EVEN BETTER THAN WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW. AND THEN THEY START RUNNING. UM MARKET REPORTS IF YOU WILL, AND WE HELPED THEM, THE STAFF HELPS DIRECT THEM IN TERMS OF WHAT WE THINK, ARE THE MAJOR PROPERTIES WHERE WE CAN FOCUS OUR EFFORTS ON SO OBVIOUSLY THE SHOPS AND AT RIO GRANDE ARE REAL GRAND VALLEY WAS ONE OF THEM. UM AND THEN PROBABLY SOME OF THE OTHER ONES WOULD INCLUDE OUR CORRIDORS LIKE TRENTON AND UNIVERSITY. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT SO I'M TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE NEW FOR EXTRA CONSIDER. UH BECAUSE WHAT WOULD YOU JUST DESCRIBE THIS WORD? ANY REAL ESTATE COMPANY CAN GIVE US FOR FREE. WELL THEY DON'T GIVE IT FOR FREE, BUT THEY GIVE IT FOR COMMISSION. BUT SO BASICALLY, THESE GUYS ARE PUTTING TOGETHER THE MARKETING PACKETS AND SO THAT SAVES US TIME. ASIDE FROM THAT THERE ARE ALSO GOING TO THE DIFFERENT ICSC SHOWS RETAIL LIVE SHOWS AND THEY'RE ALSO THEY HAVE

[00:40:06]

A TEAM OF BROKERS AS WELL. AND SO THEIR NATIONAL REACHES BETTER THAN MOST OF US IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING ON THINGS AND THEN THEIR MARKET KNOWLEDGE, THEIR MARKET INTELLIGENCE IS PROBABLY BETTER THAN MOST OF US BECAUSE THEY'RE THEY'RE SEEING IT FROM FROM A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE THAN WE ARE. AH! SO ARE THEY? ARE THEY THE BEST ONES DON'T KNOW. WE'D HAVE TO TRY THEM, UM YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED OTHER THINGS BEFORE. I'VE TALKED TO REFERENCES IN TERMS OF WHO'S USING THEM. I TALKED TO A FEW PEOPLE HAVE USED THEM IN THE PAST. UM WELL, ONE OF THEM WAS WAS DALLAS ELSE I THINK IS USING THEM BUT LIMITED AMOUNT. UM AGAIN. THEY'RE THEY'RE TRYING TO JUST PUT TOGETHER PACKAGES FOR COMMUNITIES. AND SO SOME COMMUNITIES ARE BETTER SUITED FOR RETAIL THAN OTHERS. IN 435,000. WHAT'S THE GAME? NOT ASKING FOR 435,000 WERE ASKING FOR 45,005. WHAT'S THE HIGH WATERMARK, BUT THERE'S ONE OF THEM DELIVER. WE'RE GOING TO DELIVER. AT LEAST 30 LEADS TO US. THEY'RE GOING TO BE SETTING UP MEETINGS. THOSE ARE IN THE DELIVERABLES. UM WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING THE BUT THESE WOULD BE 30. NEW LEADS, NOT DUNCAN DONUTS THAT WE KNOW IT'S COMING. UH, KIDDO. AND LEADER. NEW UNTAPPED. THIS WOULD BE THINGS THAT WE DON'T DON'T HAVE CORRECT. IT IS, IF THEY CAN DO WHAT WE CAN DO THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FOR US.

VERY DIFFERENT FROM LIKE BUCKS AND WE USED BEFORE. BOXING IS JUST A DEMOGRAPHIC PACKAGE. IT'S A SOFTWARE PLATFORM WHERE WE CAN PULL OUT THE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT OURSELVES AND THEN USE THAT DATA TO PROMOTE OURSELVES. BUT WE HAVE TO CREATE THE MARKETING PIECE. HOW MUCH DO WE PAY FOR BUXTON? 35,000 OKAY, SO THIS ONE GOES BEYOND BOXING BECAUSE THEY IDENTIFIED BUT THEN THEY ALSO CREATE THE MARKETING MATERIALS. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME? THEY CREATE THE MARKETING MATERIALS AS WELL AND THEY HELP US PUT ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. HE SAID. THEY SAID AT THE MEETINGS THAT ICSC AS WELL. CORRECT. AND SO YOU'RE ASKING FOR ONE YEAR TO SEE TO SEE YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BOUND TO A THREE YEAR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, OKAY? SO WE SAY IT. 30 LEADS, UH IS THAT A NUMBER THAT SET BASED ON THE CONTRACT? THAT'S A MINIMUM MINIMUM, OKAY? YEAH OBVIOUSLY THEY WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS THEY CAN BE, BECAUSE IT LEADS TO MORE BUSINESS FOR THEM AS WELL. IT'S NOT JUST FOR US. SO UM THEY'RE LOOKING AT US AND SAYING, OKAY, WE THINK WE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL HERE. IF THEY'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL, THEN THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS. WHAT IS THE DELIVERY OF ELITE LOOK? WHAT'S THAT DEFINITION OF THEM? UM THAT WOULD BE SOMEBODY THAT IS ACTUALLY LOOKING AT OUR MARKET AND HOPEFULLY DECIDES TO STAY IN OUR MARKET. ARE WE? THE BUXTON THAT I KNOW WE'VE USED IN THE PAST. ARE WE RIGHT NOW? UNDER THE CONTRACT WITH THEM? WE'RE NOT OKAY. BUT EXPIRED EXPIRED. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT UNDER CONTRACT WITH ANYBODY, OKAY? SO REALLY, THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL 10,000 OVER WHAT WE HAD NORMALLY BEEN PAYING TO GET THOSE LATE, CORRECT. OKAY SO THE MOTION OR THE GOAL TODAY, THOUGH, WAS TO GET APPROVAL FOR THE DIFFERENT UM ITEMS THAT ARE MARKED UNDER J. OKAY? L M AND N. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT THE DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS AS WELL AS RETAIL STRATEGIES. CORRECT. AND WE HANDED OUT A, UM THIS. NUMBER A HANDOUT THAT HAD A LISTING OF ALL THE COMPANIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND SOME THAT WERE NOT ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDER THE $10,000. YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY HOW MUCH IS BEING SPENT ON ADVERTISING. THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD IS SO THEY WOULD SEND A TEAM DOWN HERE TO WORK ON IT HERE. I REMEMBER THAT, UM ON A WOOD CONTRACT WE AWARDED AND I WAS AGAINST IT. YEAH, THE WEBSITE AND ONCE WE AWARDED IT, ALL HE DID WAS SUB IT OUT TO LOCAL GUYS. THE FRACTION OF THE COST. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT STRATEGY DOES NOT HAPPEN.

WELL, THEY HAVE A DALLAS OFFICE AND THE GENTLEMAN THAT WOULD BE COMING DOWN FROM THE DALLAS OFFICE, AND YOU'VE MET HIM A FEW TIMES. CHRIS BONTRAGER. WHEN THEY CREATE NEWS AT THE MARKETING MATERIALS. WHAT DOES THAT CONSIST OF? WILL THAT BE DIGITAL? AND ALSO SOMETHING, UM, IMPRINT OR IS IT JUST PRINT BUT MOST OF MOST OF WHAT WE DO NOW IS DIGITAL. MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE SENDING INFORMATION OUT TO YOU AS PDF FILES AND THAT TYPE OF THING. WE COULD ALSO

[00:45:05]

CREATE LANDING PAGES ON OUR WEBSITE. TO HOST THAT THAT MATERIAL SO WE OWN THE MATERIAL IN THE SENSE THAT WE CAN USE IT LOCALLY. WE CAN USE IT. ANY CONFERENCE. WE GO TO CREATING IT FOR US. IS THERE ANY SORT OF OUT CLAUSE IN CASE WE SEE NOTHING'S HAPPENING IN THE FIRST THREE OR SIX MONTHS? WELL I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ANYTIME YOU WANT TRACTION ON MARKETING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S GOING TO TAKE YOU A 12 MONTH PERIOD. NO ONE'S GOING TO PERFORM. IN THREE MONTHS. UM, YOU'RE ASKING FOR BLESS YOU. I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ANYTHING OR WE JUST STUCK TO THE YEAR IF THEY IF THEY DEFAULT BY NOT DOING DELIVERABLES. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH, IN TERMS OF HAVE A YEAR TO PROVE TO PRODUCE, 30 LEADS OR IS THERE WELL, THAT'S THAT'S ONE OF THEIR DELIVERABLES WITHIN THAT TIME WITHIN A YEAR. YEAH. I WOULD I WOULD LIKE FOR THE 30 LEAKS. TO BE YELLOW WILD, TRUE LETTER OF INTENT. AND I JUST YOU KNOW WE CAN. WE CAN OWNING INTO A LETTER OF INTENT THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE THAT'S A LEAD. NOT JUST TABLES AT THIS COFFEE SHOP, MAYBE THINKING THAT CAN BE THE FINALS ELITE TO SOMEONE THINKING. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO GET MORE DIRECTIONAL. OKAY? AND FIND THE LEAVE A LITTLE BETTER.

JUST BELIEVE IT CAN BE ANYTHING HEAD IS KIND OF LIKE IT'S PRETTY HARD TO THAT'S ALREADY. YEAH, THAT'S THE LAST STEP PROSPECTS. AND THEN THERE'S LEADS RIGHT AND SO PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS PROJECTS WITH THEY START WITH THE LEADER WITH THE LEADS. YEAH. WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE LEAD TO TURN INTO A PROSPECT. MHM. HONESTLY I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT, BUT THAT'S FROM DEPRESSION. IT IS. I THINK WE JUST WORK SPENDING MONEY ON IT. I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THEIR DELIVERABLE. AND THIS IS SIMILAR TO LAUGH. SOMEONE BEING IN DALLAS. NO, IT'S. IT'S DIFFERENT THAN BUXTON BECAUSE THE BUXTON WASN'T ACTUALLY WORKING ON PROMOTING US. THIS GROUP IS GOING TO BE PROMOTING US AS WELL AS HELPING US CREATE THOSE MARKETING POLICES THAT WE CAN USE FOR OTHER THINGS AS WELL. IT DOESN'T PREVENT US FROM CONTINUING TO DO OUR OWN EFFORTS. AND WE WILL IDENTIFY THOSE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE ALREADY CONTACTED AND SAY SORRY, YOU CAN'T INCLUDE THESE AS PART OF YOUR DEAL BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON THESE AND SO WE'LL GO OVER THAT LIST WITH THEM AND SAY THESE ARE NOT PART OF THE DEAL. AND REMEMBER, BUXTON WAS AT A TIME WHEN WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE STAFF. I MEAN, WE HAD I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU WERE ON BOARD YET, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TO TAKE THOSE LEADS AND THEN TAKE THEM FURTHER. UM SO THIS IS ABOUT ONE THAT CREATES THE LEADS. TO THE SETUP. THE MEETINGS THROUGH THEY PROMOTE THROUGH THEY PROMOTE AND FOR THEY GIVE YOU THE MARKETING MATERIALS UNDERSTOOD, RIGHT? SO I THINK THE PROOF WILL BE IN THAT SCENE WHAT THEY PRODUCE, BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, SABRINA SAID IT DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. UM WELL, LET'S SEE WHAT THEY PRODUCE IN A YEAR'S TIME. WE AT THAT POINT WE EITHER DECIDE WE WANT TO RENEW HER. WE DON'T WANT TO RENEW. BECAUSE I THINK THAT SOME OF THE LOCAL ONES I MEAN, THEY'RE GREAT TO WRITE STORIES AND STUFF, AND THAT'S PART OF THE GETTING IN YOUR FACE RIGHT AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN EDINBURGH AND GETTING THE STORIES WRITTEN AND ALL THAT. AND YOU SEE THAT THROUGH OUR LOCAL DIGITAL PAPERS AND OTHERS. UM, BUT THOSE ARE NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE GOOD IN TERMS OF PEOPLE SEEING ACTIVITY, BUT IN TERMS OF ACTUAL LEADS, I THINK THAT THAT COMES DOWN TO RETAIL STRATEGIES AND THEN WHICH ALL GENERATE AND LEADS THROUGH CONFERENCES AND OTHERS. YEAH. WELL I'VE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS BEFORE I USED TO DO RETAIL SHOPPING CENTERS. UH, IN MY TIME WHEN I WAS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WE DID OVER 2 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF RETAIL CENTER, SO I KNOW SOME OF THOSE FOLKS STILL IN THE INDUSTRY AND WE CAN REACH OUT TO THOSE AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AS WELL. UM BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE ON JUST ONE PERSON. THIS IS A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO DO THIS KIND OF STUFF FOR EVERY DAY. THIS IS WHAT THEY DO IS RETAIL. AND SO THAT'S A SMALL COMPONENT OF THE ENTIRE PACKAGE. UH IT'S PART OF THE RODEO LIFE AS PART OF ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES IN OUR PROGRAM OF WORK, BUT OUR MAIN ONE IS, AS YOU CAN TELL FROM MOST OF THE ADVERTISING IS STILL INDUSTRIAL.

IT'S STILL THE BASIC JOBS AND WE WANTED TO GET THOSE BECAUSE IF WE GET THOSE JOBS, HIGH PAYING JOBS, AND IT MAKES IT EASIER TO BRING IN THE RETAIL AS WELL. YEAH MORE BODIES. YOU HAVE, THE MORE THEY'RE GOING TO NEED SERVICES AND BUT SOON THE STATE 35,000 SO IT WAS JUST $10,000

[00:50:02]

MORE AND WE'RE NOT UNDER CONTRACT, BUT NO, THAT'S CORRECT. SO IT ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE I J K, L M AND N OF OUR AGENDA. MOTION OF FRUIT. SECOND ALL IN FAVOR. SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. THANK YOU APPROVED. AND NOW WE ARE ON ITEM SIX EXECUTIVE SESSION. CAN I ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO EXIT OPEN SESSION AND GO INTO EXECUTIVE? THANK YOU ALL IN FAVOR. SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OKAY. IT IS CURRENTLY 623 AND WE ARE GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

[01:01:48]

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. IT'S A 533. WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING OF THE

[01:01:54]

EDINBURGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO ORDER UM, WOULD YOU PLEASE MR GARCIA, TAKE ROLES. ONLY GONZALEZ PRESENT. SOLD TO SEND THIS THERE YOU ARE, SIR. PRESIDENT. INDIA'S HERE.

SABRINA WALKER AT LANDIS, PRESIDENT. ERIN RIVERO. AND ROLAND IS NOT GOING TO BE HERE TODAY. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. SO QUORUM IS PRESENT. UM LET'S DO OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IF YOU JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE TO THE AMERICAN FLAG. FORMATION. HOPE EVERYONE'S ENJOYING THIS GREAT WEATHER WE'RE HAVING OUTSIDE. LET'S SEE HOW MANY DAYS IT LAST US. SURE IT'S NICE, THOUGH.

CERTIFICATION OF PUBLIC NOTICE. I THINK IT'S BEEN ON FILE THE REQUISITE NUMBER OF DAYS. THAT RIGHT, MR ASHTON YES, MA'AM. UM, WE WERE POSTING THIS ON OCTOBER 27TH BEFORE FIVE O'CLOCK. OKAY GREAT. THANK YOU, AND DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST. OMAR. YES MA'AM UNDER STATE LAW AND COMPLEMENT INTEREST EXISTS IF THEY BOARD MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS, THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN AN AGENDA ITEM. IF THERE IS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, THE BOARD MEMBER CAN'T VOTE OR PARTICIPATE ON THE ITEM. ARE THERE ANY COMPLEX TO DISCLOSE I'M NOT SURE THAT IT'S A CONFLICT, BUT THERE IS ONE ITEM ON THE AGENDA. TODAY IT AFFECTS THE TRG V. THAT'S MY EMPLOYER. SO FOR THE PURPOSE OF AGAINST JUST BEING CAREFUL. I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN FROM VOTING ON THAT ONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT PUBLIC COMMENTS JACK UNIQUE PUBLIC COMMENTS. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS. OKAY. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE BOARD MEETING HELD IN SEPTEMBER. 26 2023 HELPED EVERYBODY'S HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE MINUTES. AND IF SO, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND MOTION SECOND ALL IN FAVOR. SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. MOTION APPROVED. PRESENTATION OF YEAR TO DATE FINANCIAL REPORT INDEED, SEPTEMBER 30TH 2023, AND YOU DO HAVE THAT AS WELL IN YOUR PACKET. MR GARCIA. UM. THE FIRST PAGE, ACTUALLY SPEAKING, THEY ARE NUMBERED BY THE WAY YOUR PACKAGE USING MY NOTES THAT I TOOK FROM SO I DON'T HAVE THE TABS. BUT YES, GO RIGHT AHEAD.

16 IS THE BALANCE SHEET AND THE BALANCE SHEET SHOWS CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS OF 13,000,007 72 COURT 52. SALES TAX RECEIVABLE OF 8 64 7 71. NET RECEIVABLES OF $3.7 MILLION SANTANA. NET RECEIVABLES OF 10.4. RESTRICTED CASH. AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AS SLIGHTLY OVER $3 MILLION AND THEN THE INVESTMENTS OF 16.651. GIVEN US A TOTAL ASSETS OF 48,000,005 26 8 79.

[01:05:05]

OUR LIABILITIES, CURRENT LIABILITIES OR 313 421. FUND BALANCE THEIR TOTAL FUND BALANCE. UNRESTRICTED IS 11,300,011. 111. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME RESTRICTED FUNDS ALSO BALANCE OUT THE 4 48,000,005 26 8 79. ON THE SECOND PAGE. AFTER THAT, YOU HAVE MONTHLY BUDGET ACTIVITY REPORT. THIS IS THROUGH THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR FOR SEPTEMBER. 30TH 2023 UM. OF NOTE IS THAT WE WERE PRETTY MUCH IN LINE WITH MOST OF THE GOALS. OUR GENERAL SALES AND USE TAX. WAS THAT 96% OF THE BUDGET. SO IT WAS SLIGHTLY UNDER EVERYTHING ELSE WAS PRETTY MUCH IN LINE. WE DIDN'T TRANSFER WHOLE LOT INTO THE GENERAL FUND YET. THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE FINAL PERIOD OF RECONCILIATION, WHICH WE'RE TRYING TO FINISH UP WITH OUR ACCOUNTING, SO IT'S STILL AN INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENT. UM MOST OF OUR EXPENDITURES OR TOTALLY ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES WERE AT 88% OF OUR BUDGET. OUR PROGRAMS WERE 39% OF OUR BUDGET. UM ARE PROPERTIES WE REALLY DIDN'T SPEND MUCH ON THE PROPERTIES. WE HAD SET ASIDE SOME MONEY FOR PROPERTY ACQUISITION, WHICH WE DID NOT EXPAND, AND IT'S CARRYING OVER UNTIL NEXT YEAR. WE'VE GOT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENTS THAT WERE NOT AND WE'VE ALREADY GONE OVER THIS AND DURING THE BUDGETING PROCESS THAT WE'RE NOT EXPENDED. UM WE WERE DEAD ON ON THE DEBT SERVICE AND THEREFORE WHEN YOU LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING, UM INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SHOW THAT WE'RE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. FOR ANY QUESTIONS. I'D BE GLAD TO TRY TO ANSWER THEM. ONE OF THE OVER JUST ON THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WITH UM ON THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. MOST OF THAT IF I'M CORRECT WAS ON THE AUDIT. HE ALSO TOOK A LITTLE BIT LONGER AND INVEST. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA CHARGED TO US ON THE AUDITING. THE EXTRA SORRY THAT'S THAT'S A THAT'S A WRONG ATLANTA ITEM THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES UNDER EXPENDITURE, THE VERY LAST ONE ON DIRT. WE BUDGETED 50, BUT WE SPENT 70. AND HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT ONE OUT IS THAT IS THAT TRAVEL OR NO? NO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IS LEGAL SERVICES. IT INCLUDES ENGINEERING FEES, WHICH WE RARELY HAVE. ANOTHER OTHER FEES RELATED TO THAT THAT WE CAN GET THAT ANSWER TO YOU IN JUST A BIT. DO YOU WANT TO GO OVER ANY OF THE OTHER DOCUMENTS OR DO YOU WANT US TO MAKE A MOTION? THE ONLY OTHER SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION IS THE CASH BALANCES IS AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH IS ON PAGE 19 OF YOUR PACKAGE. AGAIN IT SHOWS THEIR UNRESTRICTED CASH AND A LITTLE OVER 11 POINTS. $2 MILLION. AND THEN THE REST OF THEM ARE REALLY RESTRICTED CASH. OF, UM $21.9 MILLION. SO WE'VE HAD. ON CASH. WE'VE GOT 33,000,033 $0.2 MILLION VERY GOOD. OKAY SO CAN WE GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FINANCIALS AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH 2023 MOTION. 2ND 2ND ALL IN FAVOR.

SAY AYE TO RAISE YOUR RUG HAND. OKAY OUR NEXT ITEM IS ON THE PRESENTATION OF SOUTH TEXAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. I SAW THE HEARINGS. RECALL WE SPONSORED THE FILM FESTIVAL AT UM $10,000, AND I THINK IT WAS GOING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE TIME. YES, I WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT. REPORT THE NINTH ANNUAL SOUTH TEXAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WITH A RECORD BREAKING YEAR. AND WE CAN HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT WITHOUT YOUR GENEROUS DONATION. 40 EVENTS STARTED THE WEEKEND PRIOR WITH OUR 48 HOURS WASTE WITH OVER 17 TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN MAKING A SHORT FILM IN 48 HOURS, MAKING THIS THE UNOFFICIAL START OF OUR FESTIVAL AND STUDYING THE EXCITEMENT WITH THE LOCAL FILMMAKERS. THIS YEAR. WE HAVE 206 SUBMISSIONS REPRESENTING 19 COUNTRIES WITH A REPORTED FILMMAKERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY AS WELL AS CANADA AND MEXICO, JOINING US HERE IN EDINBURGH. THIS YEAR, WE HAD 2600 ATTENDEES BREAKING OUR PAST RECORD OF 1200/60 FILMS, SCREENING SEVERAL PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND WORKSHOPS THAT WERE ALL WELL ATTENDED DURING THE FOUR DAYS. STUDENT DATE. BUILD UP WITH YOU FILLED UP THE

[01:10:04]

EDINBURGH MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM WITH STUDENTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY, MAKING IT THE BEST ATTENDANCE STUDENT DAY WITH OVER 400 STUDENTS ATTENDING THAT DAY. WE'RE ALSO VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU. TRG HAD A STRONG PRESENCE THIS YEAR. IT'S A FILM FESTIVAL, WITH JEFF REWARDS SUPPORT AND THE PARTICIPATION OF PROFESSOR FOR WRENCH MOUNTAIN. BONNIE WE HAD 22 FILMS THAT HAD A CONNECTION TO U T I T V. WHETHER THEY WERE STUDENTS, CURRENT STUDENTS OR ALUMNI, WHICH IS WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS WOULD BE KEY TO ALL OF OUR FESTIVALS AND IN PARTICULAR, THIS ONE, SO WE WERE SO HAPPY TO SEE THE PARTICIPATION THIS YEAR. WE HAD NEVER SEEN THESE NUMBERS AND WE WERE SO HAPPY, ESPECIALLY THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PARTICIPANTS WHETHER IT WAS IN THE PITCH CATEGORY WHERE THEY WERE PITCHING. THE SCREEN PLACE FOR IT WAS ACTUALLY SUBMITTING THE FILMS. ON THE DAY OF THE WATER MONEY. IT WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS STILL BEING MOTHER MUST AT THE LAST MINUTE. THE IMPACT WAS SO GREAT THAT WE HAD SEVERAL ATTENDEES WHO SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO BE PART OF OUR PLANNING COMMITTEE, AND THEN WE HAVE THREE NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS SO EXCITED BECAUSE IT WILL BE HELPING US PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR.

AS I MENTIONED BEFORE STX CFF WAS BORN OUT OF A JOINT PROJECT WITH THE D. C AND IT WAS AND ITS STORY A DIFFERENT PERSON WILL NOT LIKE OUR LITTLE MORE VIOLENT THAN JUST HAD OVER 10,000 PEOPLE , BUT IT'S A FESTIVAL THAT IS COMING INTO ITS OWN, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR. WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT WE CAN BRING TO THE TABLE FOR OUR 10TH ANNUAL AND WE WANT TO REITERATE OUR GRATITUDE FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE FESTIVAL. AND FOR ALL WE, UH AND FOR ALL WE DO TO CELEBRATE THE RIGHT AND THE IMPACT THAT THEY HAVE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THAT'S A GREAT NUMBER. 2600 ATTENDEES. DO YOU KNOW OF THOSE ATTENDEES? APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY MIGHT HAVE BEEN FROM OUT OF TOWN? OR HOW MANY STAYED HERE IN HOTELS AND THINGS ABOUT NATURE THAT BECAUSE THEY WERE THEY WERE VISITORS. YES THE 60 FILMS THAT WERE SCREENED 46 OF THEM WERE THEY TRAVELED INTO TOWN. FOR THE FILM FESTIVAL. SO 46 TEAM. SOME OF THEM HAD A TEAM OF ONE OF THEM HAD, WHICH IS A 30. THERE'S A TEAM OF 30 FROM SAN ANTONIO THAT CAME DOWN. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY STAYED OR NOT. BUT EACH FILM THROUGH IN A VARIETY OF ATTENDING THEIR OWN. AND WHEN WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE IS THAT THE, UM THE HOTELS THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE, THEY FELL OUT THAT THE HOTELS WERE MAKING FIELD. THERE WAS A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING IN THE CITY OF EDINBURGH, AND THAT WEEKEND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE HOTELS, YOU KNOW THEY SAW THE IMPACT OF ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY THE FILM FESTIVAL AS WELL. SO WE DO HAVE A LITTLE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO IF WE COULD SHOW IT TO YOU. TODAY WE'RE HOSTING THE NINTH ANNUAL SOKRATIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HAD WORKSHOPS, SCREENINGS, CELEBRITY PANELS.

WE'VE ALSO HAD A STUDENT DAY, WHICH IS WHERE WE INVITE ALL THE STUDENTS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE PEOPLE COMING IN FROM CHICAGO, GERMANY, MEXICO. DIFFERENT PLACES THROUGHOUT EDINBURGH IS A FILM FRIENDLY CITIES ENCOURAGING ALL FILMMAKERS COME TO THE CITY AND FILM BUT ALSO TO DO YOU USE THAT TALENT AND THAT CREATIVITY AND CONTINUE TO CREATE FILMS HERE IN THE VALLEY? THERE'S SO MUCH TALENT WE CONSIDER HERE AFTER YEARS OR SO.

THERE'S A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT? IT'S NICE. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS FOR LETTING MADAM PRESIDENT LOOKING BACK. I WAS HAD PRESENTED THE EVENT. GREAT EVENT. GREAT RESPONSE. GREAT TURNOUT. SO MANY SO MANY. TALENTED PEOPLE. THE MAYOR WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE THE EVENT SO THAT THE HONORABLE OF READING WELCOME FROM THE CITY, SO I HAVE A LITTLE TIDBIT HERE. HOTELS FILLED WITH OVER 50 FILMMAKERS. AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WOULD HAVE TRAVELED FROM ALL OVER THE CORNER OF THE UNITED STATES, MEXICO AND CANADA TO BE EQUIPPED WITH US TODAY. IN CLOSING THE MUSEUM JUST TRYING TO GET SOME OF THE POINTERS. THERE WAS OVER 20 FILMS SHOWCASED AT THIS FESTIVAL THAT HAVE STRONG TIES TO U. T. R G V. THIS WAS THE NINTH ANNUAL REPRESENTED 19 COUNTRIES WITH OVER 65 FEATURES FEATURED FILMS. I'M SAYING ALL THAT AND HIGHLIGHTING THE NINTH, DANIEL BECAUSE NEXT YEAR IS THE 10TH VALUE. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO IT BIGGER. AND BETTER. AND IT WILL BE AT OUR NEW ACE BUILDING. WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT TALENT WE'RE GOING TO BRING INTO INTO TOWN SO CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY THAT MADE IT HAPPEN. GREAT GREAT EVENT, AND WE'RE ALREADY PLANNING FOR THE 10TH ANNUAL TO

[01:15:01]

MAKE IT ONLY BIGGER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. OH JUST HAVE A MEMBERS OF OUR BORDER. BUDDY WAS LIKE INTO THE COMET. THE SOCIETY SYSTEM. LET'S HEAR. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT WORK YOU DO AND TO INTRODUCE THEM AND RECOGNIZE THEIR SUPPORT . WE HAVE SUSAN UH, SMITH PROGRAMMING CHAIR. CHRISTINE POLANSKI'S HE JUST JOINED OUR COMMITTEE. SHE WOULD BE IN CHARGE OF THE GALA. HAVE JAIMEE LATINAS SHOES THAT SHARE THE FILM FESTIVAL AND DR FRANCOIS GIOVANNI. HE'S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FOR EUROPE. TERRIFIC.

THANK YOU. YOU APPRECIATE IT. YOUR WORK. THANKS. THANK YOU. SPEAKING OF INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS, I KNOW I HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW I'LL BE SITTING IN WITH LATI ON WHERE MEETING WITH AN ITALIAN DELEGATION THAT'S IN TOWN. REALLY EXCITING STUFF THEY WANNA FOR SETTING UP A STUDY ABROAD FOR STUDENTS AND ITALY. AND I KNOW THEY WANT TO PARTNER ON A LOT OF THINGS SO THANK YOU LET OTHER THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT. IT'S GONNA BE EXCITING, WONDERFUL. ON THE CITY SIDE. OKAY FOR THE NEXT ITEM ROLL. I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO YOU ON THIS ONE SINCE I'M GONNA ABSTAIN. THE STATE OF THINGS. CONSIDER APPROVAL SPONSORSHIP FOR YOU. CHARGE THE ATHLETICS. FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020 2023 24, WE CAN OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION. IF I COULD JUST SUMMARIZE THE INFORMATION IN THE PACKAGE. THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE ATHLETIC SPONSORSHIP IS WELL OVER $26,000 WERE BEING ASKED FOR $25,000. AH THAT $25,000 INCLUDES $3500 FOR A FIELD. UM LED TABLE SIGNAGE FOR THE EIGHTH CARRYING BANNERS THAT ARE USED DURING THE TRACK AND FIELD EVENTS. THE SOCCER SCOREBOARD SIGNAGE FOR $10,000 CONCOURSE FINANCE AT THE BASEBALL STADIUM.

UM AND ALSO THE BASEBALL SCORE. SCOREBOARD HAS OUR LOGO ON IT. PLUS WE GET SOME HOME PLATE CLUB TICKETS. AS WELL AS, UH, WEBSITE HAS SOME BANNERS THAT THEY CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE US ON THOSE AS WELL. SO SOME OTHER INFORMATION THAT THEY CONTINUE TO ALSO THE PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CHECK PRESENTATIONS THAT THAT TYPE OF THING, SO THERE'S CERTAINLY HELPING US MARKET EDINBURGH. AND $25,000 GOES A LONG WAY TOWARDS SUPPORT OF THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM.

UM SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF A QUICK SUMMER. I HAVE A QUESTION AND MAYBE I KNOW WE HAD MADE IT LAST TIME. I DON'T KNOW. WHERE WERE YOU WHERE IT ENDED UP. PART PART OF THE DISCUSSION HAS BEEN FROM ABOARD. AH PERSPECTIVE IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET TICKETS TO THESE EVENTS. SO THAT WE CAN THEN PROMOTE TO BUSINESS OWNERS. RIGHT AND IS THERE ROOM THERE FOR US TO HAVE TO MAKE IT PART OF THE $25,000 SO FOR THE ON CAMPUS EVENTS. WE GET 200 VOUCHERS, WHICH CAN BE TRADED IN FOR TICKETS, SO IT'S JUST KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT TYPE OF EVENTS WE WANT TO GO TO. AND THEN, UH, ASIDE FROM THAT WE ALSO GET THE BASEBALL TICKETS AS WELL. I WOULD LIKE PROBABLY TO MAKE IT MORE MORE DESCRIPTIVE TERMS OF VERY SPECIFIC. SO WE KNOW WHAT WE CAN THE PROBLEM WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST IS THAT WE WERE ASKED HEY, WE GOT 20 TICKETS A DAY OF SO THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO ENTERTAIN SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. OR WHAT HAVE YOU, UH, WE HAVE A SCHEDULE AND WE HAVE A COMMITMENT SAFER BASKETBALL, BASEBALL OR ANY OF THAT UP FRONT. WITHIN OUR SCOPE OF THE GIVING. I THINK IT WOULD HELP. YEAH JONES IS HERE. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN COORDINATE THAT WITH SETH. YEAH AND JUST TO PIGGYBACK RIDE LIKE THAT HE HAD THE IDEA SO WE CAN UM WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT OUR GAMES. HOW WE GET THE WORD OUT. WELL, ONE OF THE WAYS TO GET THE WORD OUT HIS INVITE. PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED, WE CAN ENTERTAIN. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND SHOW THEM I PERSONALLY I CAN TELL YOU THE FIRST TIME I DID THE DAUGHTER STADIUM. I WAS LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW, AND I'D LIKE TO HAVE TAKEN PEOPLE THERE TO SHOW IT TO THEM.

AND SAME THING WITH THE GAMES. UM, LIKE ANYTIME WE PLAY THE BIG BIG SCHOOLS RIGHT SET LIKE THERE'S A FEW FEW GOOD GOOD GAMES LINED UP. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE BBC BE ABLE TO ATTEND IT.

ALSO INVITE SOME OF OUR BUSINESS OWNERS. VERY WELL. DEGREE TO JUST. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS SO WE JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION IN REGARD TO THE RENOVATIONS OF THE FIELDS. SO WE ARE UNDERGOING ITS

[01:20:07]

PUBLICLY ABOUT 1995 MILLION. CONSTRUCTION. ABOUT 90 MILLION OF THOSE HERE IN EDINBURGH, WHICH IS WONDERFUL. SO YOU LOOK ACROSS OUR 16TH SPORTS. EVERYBODY'S EITHER GETTING A NEW LOCKER ROOM. BASEBALL IS GONNA LOOK BRAND NEW WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE. THE FIELD. ALICE HAS BEEN GUTTED, REDONE. AND THEN THE FOOTBALL FACILITY THAT'S COMING HERE PRETTY SOON. AWESOME. THANK YOU FOR THAT. APPRECIATE IT FOR WHAT YOU GUYS DO FOR US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE LINE ITEM. D I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. THE MOTION TO APPROVE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. EMOTION APPROVED. I ALWAYS FEEL IT. IF I COULD JUST MAKE A COMMENT.

MHM.

YEAH.

AND NOW ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE WELCOME YOUR CITY OF EDINBURGH MAYOR RAMIRO GARCIA JR.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU KNOW. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO I'M GONNA THINK WE LEFT SOME PEOPLE OUT. SO BEFORE WE CONTINUE, UM I THINK ARE FAR MAYOR. DR NANCY, ARE YOU HERE? DR NANCE, CAN YOU PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED? ALSO? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, SIR. WE ALSO HAVE THE ANDREA CALDERON, THE MAYOR, CONSULATE OF EL SALVADOR. LET'S GIVE HER A HAND, PLEASE FOR BEING HERE. HMM. AND I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR TRUSTEES FROM THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL DISTRICT. I SEE MR MICHAEL IDEAS THIS YEAR. WOULD YOU PLEASE ANSWER BE RECOGNIZED? HAVE MR LOUIS ALLOMERE. BETTY GARCIA. AND IF WE LEAVE SOMEBODY OUT, JUST BLAME ME. OKAY THERE'S MISS LETTY FLORES. OKAY, THERE SHE IS. PLEASE STAND WITH ME. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. ALL RIGHT. WELL, GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AND FRIENDS OF OUR GREAT CITY OF EDINBURGH. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING TODAY AS YOUR MAYOR AND ON BEHALF OF OUR COUNSEL, IT IS MY HONOR TO BE HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT AND SHARE WITH YOU. THE STATE OF OUR CITY. WE CHANGE IT UP A BIT TONIGHT, AS YOU CAN SEE BY MAKING THIS HAPPEN IN THE EVENING. WE JUST WANTED MORE OF OUR EDINBURGH COMMUNITY TO COME AND JOIN US AFTER ALL OUR CITIZENS ARE TAXPAYERS ARE THE ONES THAT DESERVE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE CITY STANDS AND I

[01:25:05]

CAN TELL YOU WITH FULL CONFIDENCE THAT EDINBURGH IS RESILIENT, EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE AND STRONG. I WANT TO START THIS EVENING BY THANKING MY WIFE, MARIA WAS ALWAYS BEEN SUPPORTING ME AND ALLOW ME THE TIME TO PERFORM THE DUTIES OF MAYOR. PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.

MY KIDS. GIULIANA AND RAMIRO. YEAH PLEASE STAND THERE. VERY SHY. BUT I'M GONNA HAVE THEM STANDING BE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH AND LOVE YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THAT YOU PROVIDE ME ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE MY MOTHER. ANITA WHO IS HERE WITH US TONIGHT. SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN BY MY SIDE, ENCOURAGING ME AND ALL THAT. I DO, SO I WANT TO GIVE HER A HAND AS WELL. I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE LEADERS THAT ARE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT. ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, FELLOW MAYORS, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS THEY LEGISLATORS, COUNTY OFFICIALS. I SEE SOME MEMBERS OF OUR ADVISORY BOARDS HERE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OTHER CITY COUNCILOR CITY COMMISSIONERS. I THINK I SAW JJ SOME OTHER OUR MAYOR, PRO TEM MCALISKEY HERE STAND UP TO BE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, SIR. UM WE HAVE OTHER SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES, HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATORS AND INTERNATIONAL DIGNITARIES. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. ALL THESE LEADERS DO A TREMENDOUS JOB FOR OUR REGION, AND I LIKE FOR THEM TO ALL STAND UP FOR YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL TO BE RECOGNIZED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE STAND ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT ARE HERE THIS EVENING. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU GET RECOGNIZED BECAUSE FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THEM.

THANK YOU. AS MARCY MENTIONED. TODAY'S THEME IS EMPOWERING TODAY AND ENVISIONING TOMORROW AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN EDINBURGH. YOU KNOW EDINBURGH'S ABOUT EXCELLENCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EMPOWERMENT, ENHANCEMENT, ENTERTAINMENT AND ENVISIONING THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, EDINBURGH HAS SOMETHING OFFERED EVERYONE WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR COMMUNITY, NOT JUST THE HARDWORKING AND DEVOTED CITY OF EDINBURGH EMPLOYEES WHO DAY IN AND DAY OUT. WORKED TIRELESSLY. TO SERVE THE RESIDENTS OF OUR GREAT COMMUNITY , BUT ALSO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS AND ALL THE RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO EVERY DAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN EDINBURGH. YOU KNOW, THE LAST YEAR, OUR CITY, OUR COUNTY, OUR STATE AND OUR NATION HAS FACED MANY CHALLENGES AT EVERY LEVEL FROM ECONOMIC TO POLITICAL TO AN UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL PANDEMIC, WHOSE IMPACTS ARE STILL BEING FELT TODAY. HOWEVER ONE CONSTANT HAS REMAINED THE GOALS OF THE CITY OF EDINBURGH THAT HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED CONTINUE TO MOVE OUR COMMUNITY IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION , THE BENEFIT ALL OUR RESIDENTS. YOU HEARD IT FROM OUR EDINBURGH 2040 COMMITTEE WHERE BUILDING TOMORROW'S FUTURE TODAY. WE HAVE TO YOUR GOALS THAT HAVE GUIDED DECISIONS TO REMAIN FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE TO SPUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT WOULD PROVIDE AN UNSURPASSED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL WHO LIVE IN EDINBURGH. WE HAVE REMAINED FOCUSED ON OUR GOALS MET OUR CHALLENGES HEAD ON AND THE STATE OF OUR CITY IS STRONG. OUR LATEST POPULATION SHOWS THAT WE HAVE 102,004 83. AND YES, I COUNTED TO THE PERSON WHO WOULD YOU KNOW HAS DOUBLED JUST IN THE LAST 20 YEARS WHEN WE JUST HAD 50,000 PEOPLE. AND YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD SAY THAT BASED ON THAT ASTRONOMICAL GROWTH THAT WERE EXPECTED TO BE AT ABOUT 128,000 BY 20, 3100 AND 50,000 BY 2040. SO IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT AMONG ALL US CITIES WITHIN 100,000 OR MORE RESIDENTS, EDINBURGH IS THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN ALL OF SOUTH TEXAS, THE FIFTH FASTEST IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE 12 FASTEST GROWING CITY IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. WE'RE GROWING AND ENVISIONING AND EVEN BETTER FUTURE. YOU KNOW, IN EDINBURGH ETHICS TAKES CENTER STAGE AND WE'RE ALL ABOUT INCLUSIVENESS, ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. TRANSPARENCY IS IMPORTANT TO THIS LEADERSHIP. AND WE INCLUDED WE NOW IN EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEETING. WE HAVE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE, AND WE ALSO HAVE APPROVED NET CODE OF ETHICS ORDINANCE. AND IN THE SPIRIT OF TRANSPARENCY. IN OUR WEBSITE, YOU COULD FIND A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT THAT SPORT THIS DASHBOARD WILL SHOW ALL OUR PROJECTS LISTED. AND YOU CAN GET ALL THE INFORMATION YOU LIKE TO HAVE FROM THE BUDGET TO THE START DATE AND EVEN TO AN END DATE. WE EVEN HAVE ALL OUR CHECK REGISTERS ONLINE SO YOU CAN KNOW WHO ARE WRITING CHECKS TO EVERY WEEK. WE WANT YOU TO KNOW WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING AND

[01:30:06]

HOW YOUR CITY GOVERNMENT IS WORKING FOR YOU. YOU KNOW, IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, 22. WE LAUNCHED EDINBURGH 2040 THAT SAYS, BUT MENTIONED THIS IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN STRATEGIC PLANNING INITIATIVE. THROUGH A SERIES OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS AS WELL AS THE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY THAT WAS CONDUCTED BY U T R G V. WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH MORE THAN 2000 RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP A LONG RANGE VISION FOR OUR CITY. AS A RESULT, WE KNOW HAVE ABOUT 100 RESIDENTS SERVING ON EIGHT DIFFERENT 2040 COMMITTEES. THAT ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT MATTER. MOST OUR CITIZENS YOU SPOKE AND WE LISTENED. TODAY WHEN YOU WALK OUT YOU'LL GET A PAMPHLET HIGHLIGHTING ALL THE 2040 COMMITTEES. AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU IF NOT EVEN NOT SERVING ON A COMMITTEE. PLEASE SIGN UP FOR ONE GET INFORMED AND GET INVOLVED. YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF 2020 22, THE CITY OF EDINBURGH HAD A 5% OVERALL REDUCTION IN CRIME COMPARED TO 2021. I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR OUTSTANDING OFFICERS. ABOUT EDINBURGH POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SUPPORT STAFF. FOR ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK. THAT THEY MAKE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AS OUR CITY CONTINUES TO GROW. WE ALSO ADDED 16 MORE OFFICERS TO THE FORCE.

ALSO WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO KEEP US SAFE ARE THE FIRST RESPONDERS OF THE EDINBURGH FIRE DEPARTMENT. THANKFULLY. THANK YOU. THANKFULLY WITH FIRE CHIEF SEAN SNYDER AT THE HELM, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE BEST TRAINED AND BEST EQUIPPED DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS CHIEF SNYDER. THANK YOU. CHIEF SNYDER IS NOT ABLE TO BE WITH US IN PERSON HERE TODAY, BUT I KNOW HE'S WATCHING ONLINE AND I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND FOR HIS MANY YEARS THAT HE IS DEDICATED TO OUR CITY. YOU KNOW, OUR POLICE AND FIRE ARE SECOND TO NONE. AND, AS MAYOR PRO TEM DAVID WHITE TELLS US PUBLIC SAFETY AND ENGAGING IN OUR COMMUNITY WILL ALWAYS BE A PRIORITY IN EDINBURGH. EXACTLY MARY GARZA AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BEING HERE AT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ENGAGED WITH OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 28 YEARS. OUR GOAL IS TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY ON ALL LEVELS , BUT IT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC. STATE POLICE DEPARTMENT WORKS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY ON A DAILY BASIS, WHETHER IT'S BY INSTALLING CAR SEATS FOR NEW PARENTS ARE OFFERING FAMILY FRIENDLY COMMUNITY NIGHTS LIKE MOVIE WITH A COP THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING A TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR COMMUNITY IS INSTILLED IN EVERY OFFICER IN 2022, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CREATED THE EDINBURGH CLERGY AND POLICE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS FAITH BASED LEADERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. TO RESPOND TO HELP POLICE OFFICERS DURING A CRISIS SO THAT THEY CAN BETTER SERVE OUR RESIDENTS. THEY ALSO CONTINUE TO BUILD A BIGGER AND BETTER NATIONALLY NIGHT OUT CELEBRATION A NIGHT THAT OUR OFFICERS KNOW IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT. BUT THE PEOPLE THAT THEY PROTECT INSERT IN ADDITION TO THAT EDWARD PD LAUNCHED CITIZENS CONNECT A COMMUNITY BASED SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS USERS TO CREATE CUSTOMIZED ALERTS SPECIFIC TO THEIR AREAS. THAT MAP GIVES A COMMUNITY ACCESS TO NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT POLICE ACTIVITY IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE CITY IN REAL TIME, NOT TO BE OUTDONE, THE EDINBURGH FIRE DEPARTMENT WORKS HARD TO EDUCATE OUR RESIDENTS ABOUT FIRE SAFETY. ARE FIREFIGHTERS WENT TO OVER 30 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS LAST YEAR TO HOST FIRE PREVENTION SHOW THAT NOT ONLY BENEFITED THE CHILDREN OF IT LINDBERGH. BUT THEIR FAMILIES AS WELL. THEY REGULARLY INSTALLED SMOKE DETECTORS AND HOMES, FREE OF CHARGE AND HOST FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES. LIKE THE FIRE STOMPER FESTIVAL IN DECEMBER, THE EDINBURGH FIRE DEPARTMENT TEAM WELCOMED RESIDENTS WHO FIRE STATION NUMBER ONE PERFORMANCES, FIRE DEMONSTRATIONS AND SMOKE. SIMULATIONS WERE USED TO EDUCATE THOSE THAT ATTENDED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BENEFITS ARE POLICE OFFICERS. AND OUR FIREFIGHTERS WHILE THEY'RE ON THE JOB, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HELPS TO BUILD A SAFER EDINBURGH. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM WHITE. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUTSTANDING EDINBURGH POLICE OFFICERS AND FIREFIGHTERS FOR ALL THAT THEY DO. NOW LET'S TAKE A MINUTE TO FOCUS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YOU KNOW, OUR ECONOMIC FORECAST LOOKS BRIGHTER EVERY DAY. IT'S ALMOST HARD TO GRASP HOW MANY PROJECTS ARE UNDERWAY IN OUR CITY, AND THE GROWTH IN 2022 WAS JUST PHENOMENAL. I CAN TELL YOU BECAUSE THE NUMBERS DO NOT LIE. WE HAD A TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT OF OVER 264 MILLION DIRECT INVESTMENT IN OUR CITY, WHICH RESULTED IN A TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OVER $730 MILLION. EVEN BETTER. ALL OF THESE PROJECTS CREATED 2018 NEW JOBS IN OUR CITY. ALSO IN 2022. WE ISSUED MORE THAN 9000 BUILDING PERMITS THAT RESULTED IN $301 MILLION IN CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AND TO EXPEDITE THAT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. YOU CAN NOW

[01:35:05]

GET ALL THOSE PERMITS ONLINE AS WE CREATED A BUILDING SAFETY AND DEVELOPMENT PORTAL. YOU DON'T CONSTRUCTION IS CLEARLY BOOMING IN OUR CITY AND IN 2022. WE HAD OVER 60 NEW SUBDIVISIONS WITH OVER 2500 LOTS. WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY TO SURPASSING THOSE NUMBERS THIS YEAR OF 2023. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 7979 SUBDIVISIONS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING DEVELOPED THAT ARE GOING TO ADD WERE 4000 LOTS IN OUR CITY. AND IT COVERS ABOUT 1000 ACRES BEING DEVELOPED RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY. BE LIKE TO KNOW WHERE THESE PROJECTS ARE BEING DEVELOPED THE ORDER CITY WE HAVE A G I S PORTAL IN OUR CITY OF EDINBURGH .COM. WEBSITE THAT PROVIDES YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUBDIVISIONS. UH THOSE THAT ARE UNDER REVIEW. THOSE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. AND HIS COUNCIL MEMBER DAN DIAZ EXPLAINS EDINBURGH WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE OF THE VALLEY. THAT'S RIGHT. MAYOR GARZA EDINBURGH IS ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. EDINBURGH IS THE FIFTH FASTEST GROWING LARGE CITY IN THE STATE, AND WE GROW ABOUT AN AVERAGE OF SEVEN PEOPLE PER DAY. AND OUR PRIORITY HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO PROVIDE LONGTIME RESIDENTS AND NEWCOMERS ALIKE WHERE THE COMMUNITY THAT IS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE AND MEET THEIR NEEDS. WE REGULARLY WELCOME NEW BUSINESSES TO OUR CITY THAT ALLOW FOR A VARIETY OF SERVICES THAT INCLUDE RETAIL AND DINING SPOTS, COMMERCIAL SPACES AND INDUSTRIAL SITES AND MORE WITH THE TRANSACTIONS. WE BEGAN AT THE NORTH INDUSTRIAL PARK LAST YEAR, WE EXPECT TO HAVE ALMOST $27 MILLION IN INVESTMENT , THE CREATION OF APPROXIMATELY 560 NEW JOBS. AND OVER 300,000 SQUARE FEET IN NEW INDUSTRIAL SPACE BUILT IN 2023 FOR A TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF OVER $147 MILLION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN EDINBURGH IS BOOMING, AND WE ANTICIPATE OUR GROWTH TO FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN AS PRODUCED AND LOGISTICS COMPANIES CHOOSE EDINBURGH AS THE SITE OF THEIR GROWING BUSINESSES. WE ARE ALSO HOME TO THE SOUTH TEXAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AND WE ADVOCATE FOR ITS CONTINUED EXPANSION. AND COLLABORATION WITH ENTITIES LIKE THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF RESOURCES TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT SEEK OUT OUR FACILITY ON A DAILY BASIS. IN ADDITION, WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING TO IMPROVE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH BONDS AND THROUGH THE PROPER USE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SALES TAX REVENUES AND TRUSTED TO US THAT HAVE LED TO STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ACROSS THE CITY. AS WE AIM TO BETTER THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR AREA. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS KEY FOR US IN 2023. WE WILL LEAD TO SO MUCH MORE. NO I MEAN HERE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. DIAZ PLEASE JOIN ME IN GIVING A HAND FOR THE EDINBURGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WHO WORK HARD FOR OUR CITY AND ALSO ALL THE INVESTORS AND BUSINESSES THAT HAVE CHOSEN EDINBURGH TO INVEST IN. THANK YOU. AND AS WE ALL KNOW, EDINBURGH IS ALSO THE MEDICAL MECCA OF THE VALUE. WE ARE HOME TO NOT ONE BUT TWO WORLD CLASS HEALTH SYSTEMS THAT ADVANCED MEDICINE AND INCREASE ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, BOTH THE HR HEALTH AND SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEM HAVE EARNED A REPUTATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN PROVIDING QUALITY HEALTHCARE. TO OUR VALLEY RESIDENTS. SOUTH TEXAS HEALTH SYSTEMS. NEW FIVE STORY PATIENT TOWER OFFICIALLY OPENED ITS DOORS IN OUR CITY LAST YEAR. THIS NEW TOWER REPRESENTS A $100 MILLION INVESTMENT IN OUR CITY.

A NEW EIGHT LEVEL FREESTANDING DRISCOLL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ALSO BEING BUILT HERE IN EDINBURGH ON THE CAMPUS HERE OF THE HR HEALTH. THIS IS A $110 MILLION BOOST THROUGH OUR ECONOMY. LET'S GIVE A HAND TO THESE PHENOMENAL HEALTH SYSTEMS THAT HAVE INVESTED HERE IN OUR CITY. YOU KNOW, THE BUZZ GENERATED BY THIS RAPID GROWTH IS EXCITING, BUT IT ALSO COMES WITH CHALLENGES. WE HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE. THAT IS THE KEY TO OUR GROWTH, BETTER ROADS, IMPROVED DRAINAGE AND TOP NOTCH PUBLIC SERVICE. SERVICE EXCUSE ME ARE THE ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS FOR ECONOMY. INFRASTRUCTURE ENABLES TRADE POWERS BUSINESS CONNEX WORKERS TO THEIR JOBS AND CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDINBURGH. TO KEEP UP WITH OUR CITY'S GROWTH. WE ARE CURRENTLY INVESTING $98 MILLION AND IMPROVEMENTS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY . THAT'S A COMBINATION OF STREET IMPROVEMENTS ARE CONTROL UPGRADES, PUBLIC FACILITIES AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS. LET ME GO BACK TO OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE. YOU SPOKE, WE LISTENED AND WE TOOK ACTION. IN THE 2040 SURVEYED THE THANK YOU. THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN THAT WAS BROUGHT TO US IN THOSE SURVEYS WAS OUR STREETS. AND WE LISTEN TO THE TUNE OF $20 MILLION JUNIOR STREET, ALBERTO STREET AS WELL AND LOW SUBDIVISIONS WHERE TOP PARTY FOR A RESIDENCE. THOSE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AS PART OF THE OVERALL IMPROVEMENTS WE ARE

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MAKING. THERE WAS $3 MILLION THAT WE SET ASIDE FOR OUR STREET. RESIDENTIAL STREET IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. WE LOOKED AT REQUESTS FROM RESIDENTS SOLICITED FEEDBACK AND IDENTIFIED STREETS THAT NEEDED REPAIRS ARE CREWS HAVE ALREADY REPAID OVER 30 OF THEM, AND BIG IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE TO BUSINESS TO ANYONE. THANKS TO TECH START THAT OVERLAY CLOSET BOULEVARD FROM INTERSTATE 69 NORTH INTERSTATE 69 SOUTH AND THAT WAS AT A COST OF 4.6 MILLION. THAT WAS ANOTHER GIANT PLUS FOR OUR CITIZENS. THERE'S ONE PERSON WHO HAS BEEN AT THE HELM FOR ALL OF THESE PROJECTS, AND THAT IS OUR CITY MANAGER MARIA ELENA MIRO. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND SO YOU CAN BE RECOGNIZED AT THIS TIME? YOU DESERVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

CITY MANAGER RUNS THE DAY TO DAY NOT NOT THE MAYOR, SO THEY'RE IN CHARGE. SO YOU KNOW DRAINAGE WAS ANOTHER CONCERN FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS. AND AGAIN. WE LISTEN AND LAUNCHED DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS. OF PROJECTS TOTALING OVER $29 MILLION, WHICH IS IN ADDITION TO THE 20 MILLION WERE INVEST IN THE STREETS. IN OUR CREWS RE PROFILED MILES OF DRAINAGE DITCHES ME NEITHER HAVE INCREASED CAPACITY IN THEM AND MADE THEM MORE MAINTENANCE FRIENDLY, SO OUR EMPLOYEES CANNOT KEEP THEM. THEY ALSO VACUUMED CLEANED OVER 750 STORM INLETS IN PREPARATION FOR SEVERE WEATHER. YOU ASKED FOR HELP AND WE LISTEN. COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNNY GARCIA EXPLAINS ALL THESE ENHANCEMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE ARE TRULY THE BACKBONE OF A HEALTHY ECONOMY. EDINBURGH IS ALL ABOUT ENHANCEMENT PRIORITY LIES IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR CITY BY REPAIRING ROADWAYS AND MAINTAIN THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE. LIKE DRAINAGE AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. RESIDENTS AND COMMUTERS ARE IMPACTED BY THESE THINGS ON A DAILY BASIS, AND OUR PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TAKES THE LEAD ON ALL THOSE PROJECTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF CITY INITIATIVES IN 2022 ALONE, OUR CITY CREWS REHABILITATED OVER 25 MILES WORTH OF ROADS IN EDINBURGH, THREE BOND THAT ALLOWS US TO PROVIDE A SAFE AND MOBILE COMMUNITY TRICK CONSTITUENTS. WE ACTIVELY ASK ARISEN TO BE OUR EYES AND EARS AND AS IF YOU TELL US WHEN IT ROADWAY OR PORTION OF THE CITY REQUIREMENTS REGULARLY PROMOTING OUR CITY CALL CENTER 311. THOSE REPORTS ARE THEN USED TO CREATE A RUNNING LIST OF PROJECTS THAT WILL BE GIVEN THE PROPER ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR STREET REPAVING PRESERVATIONS, CRAIG CEILINGS, POTHOLE, PATCHING AND STREET SWEEPING OUR REGULAR FUNCTIONS FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. IN ADDITION, THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS LIKE PHASE TWO FOR THE JUNIOR DETENTION POND LAST YEAR IMPACTS OVER 700 HOMES IN THE AREA OF MONMOUTH AND SPRAGUE AND ALLOW US TO BETTER PREPARE FOR FLOODING EVENTS AND REDUCE THEIR IMPACT ON EDINBURGH FAMILIES. WE'RE ALSO AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE R G V STORMWATER TASK FORCE COMPOSED OF 32 LOCAL ENTITIES TO STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE BOARD STAFF MAINTAINS 450 MILES OF CITY STREETS. 100 SIGNAL INTERSECTIONS 20 MILES OF OPEN DITCHES AND HAS MADE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS TO OVER 44 PRESIDENTIAL AND ARTERIAL STREETS. THROUGH GRANT AWARDS ARE CREWS HAVE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO INSTALL 61 SOLAR LIGHTS AND SIX OF DIVISIONS, EXPANDING THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AS A CITY CONTINUES TO GROW. OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO IMPROVE AND ADD TO WHERE CITY PROVIDES, AND WE KNOW THAT MAINTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE ALLOWED VISITORS AND LONGTIME RESIDENTS ALIKE TO ASSESS EVERYTHING EDINBURGH CAN PROVIDE WHEN THEY GO OUT TO EAT, STUDY AND SHARP THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MEMBER OF GARCIA. PLEASE JOIN ME IN APPLAUDING ALL OUR PUBLIC WORKS CREWS FOR THE AMAZING JOB THAT THEY DO. DAY IN AND DAY OUT. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW , THERE'S ALSO A PUSH TO REINVIGORATE OUR DOWNTOWN EDINBURGH ECONOMY WHILE IMPROVING OUR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE PARTNERSHIP AND ONGOING SUPPORT. OF THE EDINBURGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WHO HAVE COMMITTED $9 MILLION IN FUNDING TO REVITALIZE OUR DOWNTOWN AREA. THERE ARE THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES HAPPEN IN OUR CITY CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY ON OUR FUTURE EDINBURGH ARTS CULTURE AND EVENT CENTER THAT WE CALL THE EDINBURGH GATES BUILDING THIS 36,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY WILL SERVE AS A DOWNTOWN VENUE TO HOST LOCAL CONFERENCES. CULTURAL ART EXHIBITS, LIVE PERFORMANCES AND COMMUNITY EVENTS. THE INTENT OF THIS $14 MILLION PROJECT IS TO FEATURE LOCAL ARTISTS, BOTH FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENTS AND TO ATTRACT MORE VISITORS TO THE CITY BY CREATING A DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT AREA DEVOTED TO THE ARTS. THIS BUILDING IS BEING CONSTRUCTED IN OUR DOWNTOWN BLOCK. WE CALL PROMENADE PARK ALONG THE CITY'S MCINTYRE PROMENADE. IT FEATURES AN OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER AND ALSO HAS AN INTERACTIVE WATER GARDEN AND OTHER GREEN SPACE AMENITIES.

PROMINENT PARK WILL BE THE CENTERPIECE OF EDINBURGH, HOSTING LARGE FESTIVALS AND EVENTS AND PROVIDING AN URBAN OASIS RIVALING THOSE OF MUCH LARGER CITIES. JUST LAST WEEK, WE HAD A GROUP OF FRONTERA THERE. AND WE'RE THANK YOU WERE ALL ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS HERE IN

[01:45:03]

OUR CITY AND THIS WE'VE JOINED FORCES WITH OUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND WE RECENTLY BROKE GROUND ON DESERT VILLA PARK, WHICH WILL FEATURE A WALKING TRAIL, A BASKETBALL COURT, TWO SOCCER FIELDS AND SHADED STRUCTURES. IT WILL EVEN HAVE A SPLASH PAD, WATER DUMPING BUCKET AND MULTIPLE WATER FEATURES FOR THE KIDDOS, SO I WANT TO THANK THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL BOARD FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTNER WITH THEM. AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN. THANK YOU. WE ALSO OPEN. THE FIRST ALL INCLUSIVE PARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDINBURGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND VANGUARD ACADEMY SCHOOL. BANGLA ACADEMY, BEETHOVEN CITY PARK WILL CATER TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES BY INCLUDING ALL INCLUSIVE EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS THAT WE GO SWING, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE WHEELCHAIRS, A FIRST IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS. I WANT TO THANK MAN GUARD FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP AND E. D. C FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN. WITH THE CONTINUOUS GROWTH OF OUR PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS AND ADDITIONAL FACILITY WAS NEEDED. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THE TOOL CONSUELO PHARAOH ROBLEDO RECREATION CENTER IS NEARLY COMPLETE. THIS 27,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING WILL HAVE THREE FULL SIZE GEMS AND WE'RE INCORPORATING A WALKING TRAIL ANY DOT PARK AS WELL. NOT ONLY WOULD THIS FACILITY BE USED FOR KIDS, BUT ALSO FOR ADULT AND ELDERLY PROGRAMS THAT WILL BE HELD AT THIS NEW FACILITY AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPANDING HIKING BIKE TRAILS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY AS WELL. IN 2022. WE OPENED THE CHAPIN ROAD HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. IT'S A ONE MILE LOOP WITH SOLAR LIGHTS AND BENCHES THAT DOUBLES AS A DETENTION POND AND FLOOD MITIGATION SYSTEM. WE ALSO OPEN THAT DO LITTLE NATURE TRAIL IN THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF OUR CITY. THIS TRAIL IS APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES LONG AND IS POPULAR WITH HIKERS AND CYCLISTS. IT'S ANOTHER GREAT TRAIL IN OUR CITY THAT ALSO SERVES AS A SITE OF THE ANNUAL DIRTY DUATHLON. THE WISCONSIN TRAIL. EXCUSE ME, WAS ALSO OPENED LAST YEAR, IT WAS BUILT BETWEEN JACKSON AND SUGAR ROAD APPROXIMATELY HALF A LOT MILE LONG AND IT CONNECTS OR EXISTING JACKSON TRAIL THAT RUNS ALONG SHAPE IN ALL THE WAY TO WISCONSIN AND IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND THANKS TO A JOINT EFFORT WITH OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, THE CITY OF MCALLEN. WE ARE PLANNING TO CONNECT THIS RAIL TO THE SECOND STREET TRIAL IN MAGELLAN IN PHASE TWO. THANK YOU CITY MCALLEN FOR THAT PARTNERSHIP. FAMILIES CAN GO OUT TO ALL THESE TRAILS HAVE FUN, AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, STAY ACTIVE. THIS ACCESS TO FAMILY AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES SIMPLY TAKES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR CITY TO ANOTHER LEVEL, AND NOW FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS IN OUR CITY. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER JASON DE LEON MAYER, GARZA, EDINBURGH AND ENTERTAINMENT GO HAND IN HAND. EDINBURGH TAKES PRIDE IN FOSTERING LOCAL TALENT AND AIMS TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM IN OUR COMMUNITY IN OCTOBER OF 2022, WE ARE DESIGNATED BY THE TEXAS MUSIC OFFICE AS THE MUSIC FRIENDLY COMMUNITY AND WE TAKE PRIDE IN HIGHLIGHTING THE MUSICIANS THAT INSPIRE US ON A DAILY BASIS. BY WELCOMING THEIR PERFORMANCES AT A VARIETY OF CITY EVENTS, THE CITY OF EDINBURGH, BETTER KNOWN AS THE CITY OF FESTIVALS, IS HOME TO VENUES THAT MAKE IT EASY AND FUN FOR RESIDENTS TO ENJOY A SHOW WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THE EDINBURGH AMPHITHEATER JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM EDINBURGH CITY HALL ON MCINTYRE HAS BEEN THE SITE OF AMAZING ACTS LIKE BOBBY AND ROBERTO PULIDO. SOLID OH, DEANDRA AND MORE ALL FREE OF CHARGE. WE HOST THE UFO FESTIVAL ANNUALLY POPULAR FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THERE'S LOTS MORE AND MORE, AND THEY APPEAL TO LONGTIME RESIDENTS AND VISITORS ALIKE. IN ADDITION, EDINBURGH WELCOME SOME OF THE BEST SPORTS TEAMS TO THE PARK, AS WELL AS TOP ARTISTS AND BANDS TO THE BIRD DOGGING ARENA. OUR PARTNERSHIP, BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY AND GIVES EVERYONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY THEM IN THEIR BACKYARD. ALONG THE SAME LINES, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY WILL KICK OFF A LONG ANTICIPATED FOOTBALL SEASON IN 2025. AND IT GIVES EDINBURGH COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS THE CHANCE TO ROOT FOR LOCAL TEAM THAT THEY'VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOUR YEARS. THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBILITY AND STAYING ACTIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT LOST ON THE CITY OF EDINBURGH. OUR EMPHASIS ON ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND WE WORK TO PROVIDE PARKS AND GREEN SPACES THAT RESIDENTS CAN ENJOY FOR YEARS TO COME. THE EDINBURGH MINISTER BEFORE HOUSE REDEVELOPMENT AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THIS AVALA PARK ARE JUST TWO OF MANY PROJECTS THAT COME TO MIND THAT WOULD BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY AND WE'LL ALL THOSE THINGS HAVE ALREADY MADE EDINBURGH SO SPECIAL. WE CANNOT FORGET THE TALENT BEHIND THE LENS. THE SOUTH TEXAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REGULARLY ATTRACTS THE WORK OF VISIONARY FILMMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL ARTS. THE CITY OF EDINBURGH WILL HOST ITS NINTH ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL IN 2023, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE ALL THE AMAZING SUBMISSIONS TRIPLE IN EDINBURGH WILL BE THE HEART OF THE ENTERTAINMENT AND THE REAL GRAND VALLEY AND WE WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, DE LEON. PLEASE JOIN ME

[01:50:01]

IN APPLAUDING ALL OUR CULTURAL ARTS STAFF. OUR CREWS IN OUR LIBRARY STAFF FOR ALL THAT THEY DO AND PUTTING TOGETHER THESE AMAZING EVENTS. LET'S GIVE HIM A HAND, PLEASE. YOU KNOW, WE ARE KNOWN AS THE CITY OF FESTIVALS, AS WAS STATED, AND THAT'S FOR A REASON. THIS LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 32,000 PEOPLE VISIT OUR EVENTS. THINK ABOUT THAT. THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING TO OUR CITY TO TAKE PART IN THESE FESTIVALS, AND WE ARE SO PROUD OF THAT. WHEN I SAY THE STATE OF OUR CITY IS STRONG, WE MEAN IT. AND AGAIN, YOU SPOKE, AND WE LISTENED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1996. WE LOWERED THE PROPERTY TAX RATE. WE WENT. THANK YOU. WE WENT FROM 68 CENTS TO 64 CENTS. WE'RE HELPING OUR CITIZENS WHERE IT MATTERS MOST IN THEIR POCKETBOOK. AND I'M ALSO HAPPY TO REPORT THAT OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DIPPED TO 5.1% IN 2022, WHICH IS DOWN FROM 6.4% OF PRIOR YEAR. YOU KNOW. LAST YEAR EDINBURGH GENERATED 34.8. EXCUSE ME 34.6 MILLION IN SALES TAX ACTIVITY. THAT'S A HIGHS IN OUR CITY'S HISTORY. OUR TOTAL ANNUAL SALES TAX COLLECTION WAS UP 13% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WE HAVE AN ANNUAL REPORT THAT AS YOU WALK OUT, YOU CAN SEE AND TAKE TONIGHT AND YOU WILL SEE ALL THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN OUR CITY AS WELL. AND WITH THAT IN MIND, I'D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW. DID YOU KNOW FACTS ABOUT OUR THREE TIME ALL AMERICAN CITY? DID YOU KNOW THAT WERE HOME TO CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS PEDRO FREDY GONZALES.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE COST OF LIVING IN EDINBURGH IS 21% BELOW THE US AVERAGE? DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE HOME TO THE ONLY MEDICAL SCHOOL SOUTH OF SAN ANTONIO? DID YOU KNOW THAT EDINBURGH WAS NAMED AS THE NUMBER ONE SMALL CITY FOR SOCCER BY WALLET HUB. DID YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE THE ONLY CITY IN TEXAS AND ONE OF ONLY NINE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY THAT WAS SELECTED BY THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ONE NATION ONE PROJECT, WHICH IS A NATIONAL ARTS AND WELLNESS INITIATIVE. DID YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE ONE OF THE ONLY CITIES TO ENTER INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH US ARMY INTERVIEW VETERANS FOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN OUR CITY. THIS PARTNERSHIP RE SUCCESS PROGRAM IS A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MAKE SURE AMERICA'S SOLDIERS ARE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW IN EDINBURGH FOR JOB OPENINGS AFTER THEY LEAVE THE ARMY.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

Oct 30, 2023 EEDC Meeting

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