[00:01:16] SO WHY DO WE OPEN UP THE MEETING AND THEN. [1. CALL TO ORDER, ESTABLISH QUORUM] ALL RIGHT. IT IS 501. I AM GOING TO CALL THIS SPECIAL JOINT MEETING TO ORDER WITH THE EDINBURG EDC. DO YOU SEE? [A. Pledge of Allegiance.] WE HAVE A QUORUM WITH ALL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID WHITE. I THINK HE'S ON HIS WAY. SO WE WILL GET STARTED WITH A PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. WE CAN PLEASE RISE AND RECITE THE PLEDGE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR [2. CERTIFICATION OF PUBLIC NOTICE] WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT. ITEM TWO IS CERTIFICATION OF PUBLIC NOTICE. [3. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST] YES, SIR. MAYOR. THE MEETING WAS POSTED IN ACCORDANCE TO TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT ON JULY 12TH, 2024 AT 6:15 P.M.. SIR. GREAT. AND THEN, ITEM THREE DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST. UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A COUNCIL MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN [4. PUBLIC COMMENTS] AN AGENDA ITEM, IF THERE IS A CONFLICT, THE MEMBER CAN'T PARTICIPATE OR VOTE ON THE ITEM. ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS TO DISCLOSE? NO, SIR. NO, SIR. THANK YOU. [5. EXECUTIVE SESSION] VERY WELL. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM FOUR. PUBLIC COMMENTS DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO CONVENE THE EXECUTIVE SO MOVED. SECOND. A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. IT IS 502. AND WE HAVE ITEMS A, B AND C. A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. B CONSULTATION WITH CITY ATTORNEY REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. C CONSULTATION WITH CITY ATTORNEY AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING PROJECT BORN AGAIN. CHRISTIANS IN MEDIA FOR THE CITY. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE THIS MORNING AS WE GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION ON MAJOR UPGRADES FOR OUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. AS YOU KNOW, WATER DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE ARE ALWAYS KEY ITEMS, ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO OUR CITIZENS. AND ALL OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE DOING REFLECT OUR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO [00:05:02] ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY OF EDINBURG. SO IT'S A GOOD DAY FOR US. I'D LIKE TO START THIS MORNING BY INTRODUCING SOME OF OUR EDINBURG CITY COUNCIL. THEY'VE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS PROJECT. PLEASE WELCOME OUR MAYOR, RAMIRO GARZA, JUNIOR. COUNCILMAN JASON DE LEON. OUR CITY MANAGER, MISS MAYRA AYALA. WE ALSO HAVE SOME PRETTY AMAZING PARTNERS WORKING WITH US ON THIS MAJOR UPGRADE. BIG THANKS TO THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD WHO PROVIDED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. ALWAYS IMPORTANT. OUR ENGINEER OF RECORD, MELDON AND HUNT. THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. OUR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS TESTING COMPANY, MILLENNIUM ENGINEERS GROUP. AND OUR CONTRACTOR OF RECORD JMJ CONSTRUCTORS. NOW LET US BEGIN OUR PROGRAM TODAY IN PRAYER. IF YOU CAN, PLEASE STAND FOR THAT. PLEASE WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER DE LEON TO LEAD US IN THE INVOCATION AND ALSO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PLEASE BOW YOUR HEADS. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE GATHER TODAY WITH THANKS AS WE START THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT TO IMPROVE, TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE HARD WORK OF THOSE WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO THIS EFFORT. AS WE UPGRADE OUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, WE ASK FOR YOUR BLESSING. PLEASE GUIDE EVERYONE INVOLVED IN BUILDING, FIXING AND UPGRADING OUR FACILITIES. KEEP THEM SAFE AND GIVE THEM WISDOM IN THEIR WORK. MAY THIS PROJECT MAKE OUR CITY FACILITIES MORE EFFICIENT, HELPING OUR COMMUNITY TO GROW AND THRIVE. WE TRUST IN YOUR GUIDANCE AND PROTECTION. LET THIS PROJECT SHOW OUR CITY'S COMMITMENT TO PROGRESS AND AND WELL-BEING FOR OUR RESIDENTS IN. [00:17:17] 533. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. [00:17:29] OR NOT PRESENT. PRESENT. PRESENT. NOT PRESENT. SABRINA. WALKER. HERNANDEZ. AARON. RONNIE. RIVERA. PRESENT. RICHARD GONZALES. PRESENT. WE HAVE QUORUM, SIR. CAN YOU JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE? I PLEDGE I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. MR. GARZA. CAN YOU CERTIFY THE NOTICE WAS POSTED? YES, SIR. THE NOTICE WAS POSTED ON MAY 31ST AT 5:00 IN THE AFTERNOON. PERFECT. MR. CHOI, A DISCLOSURE CONFLICT OF INTEREST. YES, SIR. UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A BOARD MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM. IF THERE IS A CONFLICT, THE BOARD MEMBER CAN'T PARTICIPATE OR VOTE ON THE ITEM. ARE THERE ANY CONFLICTS TO DISCLOSE? NO. NO. THANK YOU. GREAT. SAMANTHA, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. GREAT. WE'LL GET NOW INTO THE AGENDA ITEMS. FIRST AGENDA FIVE A CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE SPECIAL BOARD MEETING HELD ON APRIL 23RD, 2024. CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOTION APPROVED. SECOND. WE HAVE OUR FIRST. SECOND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES HAS BEEN APPROVED. OH. CAN WE HAVE A VOTE, PLEASE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY. MOTION APPROVED. SORRY ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE A PRESENTATION OF YEAR TO DATE FINANCIAL REPORT ENDING APRIL 30TH, 2024. THIS IS JUST A PRESENTATION. NO ACTION OR MOTION NEEDED FOR THIS ITEM. YES, SIR. AGAIN, THIS DOESN'T ACTUALLY BREAK DOWN THE MONTH OF APRIL. WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THAT LATER ON WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BUDGET AMENDMENTS. BUT YEAR TO DATE ON REVENUES, WE HAVE $4.8 MILLION THAT HAVE BEEN COLLECTED. 4.7 OF THAT IS MOSTLY FOR THE SALES TAX THAT'S GENERATED FOR THE EDC. OUR EXPENDITURES ON TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE THUS FAR IS 627 891. FOR TOTAL PROGRAMS, WE HAVE $343,022. FOR PROPERTIES, WE HAVE 230,719. [00:20:03] AND OUR INCENTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS AGREEMENTS ARE $7.3 MILLION. OUR BOND PAYMENTS THUS FAR ARE 1.5, ALMOST 1.6 MILLION. OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES THUS FAR IS $10.1 MILLION. AND A LOT OF THAT IS COMING OUT OF OUR CASH RESERVES, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN OUR BUDGET. ON THE BOND PROJECTS, WE HAVE EXPENDED 8,184,655, WHICH COMPLETES THE ACE CENTER AND THE MUNICIPAL WATER PARK PROPERTIES AS WELL, AND ALMOST ALL OF IT AS WELL. SO REALLY, THE ONLY PROJECTS THAT ARE OUTSTANDING RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE WORKFORCE RESOURCE CENTER AND THE PARKING GARAGE. SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR ON OUR EXPENDITURES AND OUR REVENUES. DO WE HAVE SOME SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION AND THE OTHER PAGE, WHICH IS PAGE THREE IN YOUR PACKET, WHICH SHOWS THAT WE HAD AN UNRESTRICTED FUND BALANCE, UNRESTRICTED CASH OF $6.4 MILLION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THE PERIOD. AND RIGHT NOW, WE'RE AT $13.7 MILLION IN RESTRICTED CASH FOR A TOTAL OF $20.1 MILLION. ON OUR SALES TAX, REVENUES WERE UP ABOUT 6% FOR THE YEAR, ABOUT $247,000. AND VERY TINY PAGE IN THE VERY LAST ACTUALLY SHOWS A COMPARISON BETWEEN SOME OF THE MAJOR CITIES IN HIDALGO AND CAMERON COUNTY, WHICH INCLUDE MCALLEN, BROWNSVILLE-HARLINGEN, EDINBURG AND WESLACO. AND YOU CAN TELL THAT FOR THE MOST PART WE HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW. EDINBURGH HAS CONTINUED TO, TO OUTPACE A LOT OF THE OTHER NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES IN TERMS OF SALES GROWTH. WE WERE AT ONE TIME THE FOURTH LEADING GENERATOR OF SALES TAX. WE ARE NOW ONLY BEHIND MCALLEN AND BROWNSVILLE IN TERMS OF GENERATION OF SALES TAX. SO PRETTY GOOD STATISTICS RIGHT NOW. THAT'S MY FINANCIAL REPORT. ANY QUESTIONS COMMENTS. NO ACTION NEEDED ON THIS ONE RIGHT? NO SIR. RATHER REMIND ME WHAT THE 521 912 WAS. I'M SURE YOU TOLD US, I JUST FORGOT. UNDER. UNDER THE CASH. UNRESTRICTED. UNDER THE SUMMATION. SUPPLEMENTARY. THAT'S THAT IS OPERATING INTEREST BEARING CASH THAT'S COMING IN. I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER. THAT'S FROM OUR OPERATING ACCOUNT. OKAY. YOU CAN YOU CAN GET BACK WITH ME ON IT. I JUST KNOW. WELL, WHEN WE GO THROUGH THE TO THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS, WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH A LOT MORE DETAIL IN SOME OF THIS. YES, IT'S IT'S UNRESTRICTED. IT HAS TO COME FROM BUDGET ITEMS. RIGHT. RIGHT. OR OPERATIONAL EXPENSES. CORRECT. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. ITEM FIVE C CONSIDER APPROVAL REQUEST FROM EDINBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO THE SPONSOR, TEXAS HIGH STAKES. I BELIEVE WE HAVE RONNIE LOTT HERE. RONNIE, YOU WANT TO STEP UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TEXAS? GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY. MY NAME IS RONNIE LOTT. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EDINBURGH CHAMBER AND THE EDINBURGH CVB. AS YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER IS VERY HOT OUTSIDE, SO THAT COULD ONLY MEAN ONE THING. SUMMER IS HERE AND SO IS THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND, WHICH IS TEXAS COOKHAM. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR 18TH YEAR. SO IT'S A BIG EVENT. AND AS WE KNOW, JUST IN THE RECENT YEARS AFTER COVID, WE HAVE MOVED THAT EVENT TO THE EBONY HILLS GOLF COURSE, WHICH HAS BEEN AN AMAZING VENUE FOR THIS EVENT, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A COMMUNITY TO GATHER. SO THIS YEAR'S EVENT IS TAKING PLACE JULY 6TH, SATURDAY. IT'S A ONE DAY EVENT OF COURSE, AT EBONY HILLS GOLF COURSE. THIS EVENT HAS GROWN FROM A 33 TEAM EVENT. IT'S INCREASED OVER 100. YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO COVID AND WE'RE STARTING TO FEEL THAT COME BACK INTO PLAY. SO LAST YEAR WE HAD A LITTLE OVER 80 TEAMS. WE HAD OUR HIGHEST ATTENDANCE LAST YEAR, OVER 10,000 PEOPLE. AND WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT GROW. AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, DUE TO THE PRESTIGE OF THE EVENT AND ACTUALLY THE VENUE ITSELF. SO FINDING IT IN THE HEART OF THE CITY WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING OUT AND ENJOYING THIS FREE EVENT BRINGING IN THEIR LAWN CHAIRS, THEIR, THEIR BLANKETS, FRISBEES, FOOTBALLS JUST TO ENJOY SOME FOOD, [00:25:03] COOK OFF VENDORS LIVE MUSIC. WE'VE SINCE GROWN THE EVENT TO PROVIDE A JUMP A FREEDOM JUMP. SO A PARACHUTING TEAM THAT COMES IN WITH OLD GLORY. AND ALSO WE'VE ADDED USA BOXING. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S BEEN A HUGE DRAW THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND OR THIS PAST YEAR. AND ONE OF THOSE REASONS IS BECAUSE OF THIS PARTICULAR EVENT THAT KIND OF STIRRED EVERYTHING UP. BUT WITH THAT SAID, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A, IT'S A QUALITY OF LIFE EVENT, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, AND IT CONTRIBUTES TO OUR ECONOMIC IMPACT WITHIN THE CITY FOR THAT WEEKEND. I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT THE EDC HAS BEEN BEHIND THIS, YOU KNOW, SINCE THE BEGINNING. AND WITHOUT THE PARTNERSHIP WITH EDC AND THE CITY. THIS EVENT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. I DID HAVE A LITTLE PRESENTATION, BUT THE USB ISN'T PICKING IT UP. HERE, IT'S PROBABLY A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN TO TEXAS. I DID WANT TO SHOW A VIDEO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL UP FROM YOUTUBE. JUST SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE PAST YEARS. SO GIVE ME ONE SECOND AND LET ME. NICE. VERY NICE. NICE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS A IT IS A BIG PRODUCTION. AND LET ME STOP THIS BEFORE IT STARTS AGAIN. AND YOUR SUPPORT IS HUGE FOR THIS EVENT. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE TO CONTINUE THE PARTNERSHIP. JUST TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS YEAR WE JUST ANNOUNCED, YOU KNOW, WE WE ARE HAVING, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE SAME ATTRACTIONS, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING A CAR SHOW. BUT WE TRY TO PRIDE OURSELVES ON BRINGING DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE JOSH ABBOTT BAND HERE. AND FOR ALL OUR SWIFTIE FRIENDS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TAYLOR SWIFT RED TRIBUTE BAND. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, A COOK OFF WITHOUT SOME, SOME TEJANO ISN'T POSSIBLE. SO WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY OUR GOOD FRIENDS DELTA BOYS AND SINCERO THAT WILL ALSO BE PLAYING. SO A LOT OF VARIETY OF MUSIC A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENING FOR THE FAMILY TO ENJOY AND NOT TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE CITY OF EDINBURG AND STAY HERE. CELEBRATE WITH US AND KEEP OUR OUR BEAUTIFUL MONEY HERE IN OUR CITY AND CONTRIBUTE. SO RONNIE, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS FOR ME. GO AHEAD. FOR CLARITY, TAYLOR SWIFT IS NOT GOING TO BE HERE, RIGHT? CORRECT. CLARITY. IT'S CALLED RED. JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE RED TRIBUTE BAND. YEAH. BUT, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO SAY THAT LAST YEAR'S EVENT I THOUGHT WENT VERY WELL WITH A VERY GOOD EVENT. WE HEARD A LOT OF POSITIVE COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY FROM PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED FROM OTHER PLACES, YOU KNOW, HARLINGEN, BROWNSVILLE AND OTHER TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM EDINBURG REALLY, YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE FROM EDINBURG REALLY ENJOYED THE EVENT. SO I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU AND YOUR STAFF. I THINK YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB FOR THE CITY, AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL DO YOUR ADVERTISING AND EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW YOU KIND OF, YOU KIND OF A DIAMOND IN THAT AREA WITH THE ADVERTISING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO. I APPRECIATE THAT. SO RONNIE. SO THE TAYLOR SWIFT BECAUSE MY TWO OLDEST DAUGHTERS ARE SWIFTIES. THE TAYLOR SWIFT. CAN YOU REMIND ME? JUST SAY THE NAME AGAIN SO I CAN WRITE IT DOWN. CALLED RED. RED. THE TRIBUTE BAND. CORRECT. BECAUSE THEY WILL CARE. AND SO I HAVE TO TELL THEM THAT. AND THEN YOU HAD MENTIONED ECONOMIC IMPACT. DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF, LIKE, THE HOTEL AND SALES TAX OVER THAT WEEKEND? YES WE DO. IT'S A LITTLE IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT TO TRACK BECAUSE IT IS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, YOU KNOW. SO A LOT OF THAT IS IT JUST DEPENDS ON, ON THE, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STAYING AT OUR, AT OUR, AT OUR HOTELS. RIGHT. SO IN THE PAST, IT USED TO BE ALMOST A 5050 SPLIT WHERE THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE TRAVELING OUTSIDE OF THE STATE. SO WE COULD PROVIDE ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES WHERE THESE COOKS ARE COMING FROM BECAUSE THEY'RE ACTUALLY ENTRIES. AS FAR AS TOURISM AFTER 2020 IT'S BARELY STARTING TO PICK UP. SO NOW IT'S, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 70% THAT ARE LOCAL FROM THE VALLEY [00:30:05] VERSUS, YOU KNOW, 30% THAT ARE COMING FROM THE DIFFERENT AREAS AND THAT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, INVESTMENT COSTS I COULD PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, A KPI REGARDING YOUR TOTAL OF SPONSORSHIP DOLLARS VERSUS, YOU KNOW IMPRESSIONS OR ATTENDANCE FROM THAT POINT OF VIEW. SO, NO, I WAS JUST WONDERING, LIKE, DID SALES TAX, YOU KNOW, LIKE INCREASE FROM ESPECIALLY THE, THE CONVENIENCE STORES THAT SURROUND EBONY GOLF COURSE? I'M NOT TOO SURE. I KNOW WE WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH BERT OGDEN ARENA. I THINK THERE WAS A MOBILE TRACE FOR THAT CAN CAN KIND OF TRACE FROM FIESTA WHEN WE HAD IT THERE. BUT AS FAR AS I THINK IT'S OUT OF THE RANGE WE CAN LOOK INTO TO MAYBE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE WITH EXTENDING THAT THROUGH WAS IT MARKETING COMPANY THAT YOU GUYS HAVE? I CAN'T REMEMBER. WELL, THERE'S SEVERAL THAT CAN DO THAT KIND OF ANALYSIS. BUT RIGHT NOW RETAIL STRATEGIES MAY BE ABLE TO DO THE THE THE CELL PHONE TRACKING. OKAY. AND SPECIFICALLY THE MONEY EDC GIVES. WHAT IS IT USED FOR SPECIFICALLY. SO A LOT OF IT IS DIRECT. RIGHT. DIRECT IMPACT, YOU KNOW MOSTLY WOULD BE FROM, FROM I MEAN, THE, THE MAJORITY OF IT, THE, THE EVENT ITSELF IS ALMOST $200,000. SO I CAN SAY THAT 17% OF THAT FROM THE SPONSORSHIPS THAT ARE DRIVEN IS FROM THE EDC. SO IT ALL KIND OF COMES IN, BUT WE GO ANYWHERE FROM MARKETING, FROM ENTERTAINMENT TO, TO PAY FOR THIS. SO IT CAN STRETCH FROM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S LOGISTICS, YOU KNOW, BUT WE CAN CONCENTRATE IT ON MARKETING OR ENTERTAINMENT ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THIS IS A TOURISM EVENT ALONG WITH OUR HOT FUNDS. GOT IT IN. THIS YEAR'S REQUEST IS 20,000 CORRECT? CORRECT, YES. SO IN THE PAST YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALWAYS HAD THIS TITLE PARTNERSHIP. IN THE PAST, WE'VE AGREED TO 15 WE'RE HOPING THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, DO THE 20 THIS YEAR. A LOT HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. SO WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE WE WOULD BE HAPPY WITH 15, BUT WE WOULD, WE WOULD HOPE TO BRING I THINK THAT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE DONE THE 15 AND I THINK I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE TO GO INTO THE 20 THIS YEAR SINCE I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING'S MORE EXPENSIVE NOW. AND AND WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH YOU GUYS. AND, YOU KNOW, I CAN TELL YOU, I DID SOME CALCULATIONS AND I CAN ALSO SHARE IT WITH THE STAFF, BUT REGARDING TO RETURN ON INVESTMENT SO THROUGH CALCULATIONS, WE ESTIMATED LIKE POTENTIAL VALUE FROM THE SPONSORSHIP. SO IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOOKED AT IT FROM IMPRESSIONS. RIGHT. SO THERE IS A VALUE OF AN IMPRESSION. AND SO WE HAD 518,000 IMPRESSIONS WITHIN SIX WEEKS OF THAT EVENT. AND SO THE AVERAGE THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE IS $0.01 PER IMPRESSION. SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT $5,180 JUST FROM THAT ADVERTISING PERSPECTIVE. AND THEN YOU GO FROM VALUE OF ATTENDEES. SO LET'S ASSUME THAT EACH ATTENDEE WOULD SPEND $5 RIGHT AT THIS EVENT, WHETHER IT'S SURROUNDING OR AT THE EVENT. YOU HAVE 10,000 ATTENDEES THAT'S, YOU KNOW, $50,000 IMPACT JUST FROM THAT ALONE. SO THAT VALUE TOTALS $55,180. AND SO WHEN YOU DO A NET PROFIT, THE TOTAL VALUE MINUS THE INVESTMENT, IN THIS CASE $15,000 FROM PREVIOUS YEARS WOULD EQUAL $40,180. SO THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FROM 15 FOR THAT WOULD BE 267% RETURN FROM THAT SPONSORSHIP. AND SO I HAVE THESE NUMBERS HERE. I CAN GIVE THAT TO THE STAFF. SO YOU GUYS CAN HAVE IN THE FUTURE OR TO MAKE THIS DECISION. PERFECT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY. CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SPONSORSHIP REQUEST AT $20,000 FOR THE EDINBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE? MOTION APPROVED. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. RONNIE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. RONNIE. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. ITEM FIVE D CONSIDER PRESENTATION AND REQUEST FOR MATCHING GRANT FOR AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM BY WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS AND RGV FOCUS. I THINK WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVE HERE. DANIEL IS HERE WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. AND DANIEL IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAM AGAIN, BECAUSE SOME OF YOU MAY NOT HAVE BEEN HERE THAT OTHER TIME THAT THEY WERE PRESENT. AND SO, DANIEL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. [00:35:02] IS THIS THE PROGRAM THAT MILLIE HERNANDEZ? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. MR. GARCIA GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS DANIEL URIBE. I'M WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION ON THE PROGRAM THAT I INTRODUCED TO YOU ALL THE LAST TIME. IN APRIL, I BELIEVE. AND SOME QUESTIONS WERE POSED REGARDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM. AND SO WHAT I DID IS I PUT TOGETHER A REPORT THAT I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE ACCESS TO ON YOUR PACKETS WITH JUST A BACKGROUND ON THE INITIATIVE AND STATING, OF COURSE, THAT THE INITIATIVE ORIGINATED LAST YEAR THROUGH A AWARD THAT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS OBTAINED, AND WE WERE ABLE TO FUND ABOUT 30 INTERNSHIP WITH IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UTRGV. AND AND SO THIS YEAR WE ARE TRYING TO OBTAIN FUNDING TO CONTINUE THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM. WE RECEIVE A GRANT FROM PART OF COSTA FOR $25,000. ANOTHER ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT OF $5,000 FROM RGV FOCUS. AND SO I'M HERE TODAY TO KINDLY REQUEST A POTENTIAL APPROVAL FOR AN INVESTMENT OF $20,000 FOR FROM EDINBURGH EDC TO COMPLETE THE FUNDING REQUIRED FOR THIS PROGRAM FOR THIS YEAR IN FALL 2024. THE REPORT CONTAINS EMPLOYER SUCCESS METRICS AND FEEDBACK. ON THE FIRST PAGE, YOU'LL SEE A COUPLE OF THEM REGARDING HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS WERE HOSTED BY HOW MANY EMPLOYERS? THE EMPLOYER SATISFACTION RATE IN THIS ONE, MOST OF THE INDICATORS, YOU CAN SEE THEM IN SOME VISUALIZATIONS ON THE SECOND PAGE, AND THAT IS INCLUDING PROGRAM. ORGANIZATION. COORDINATORS. KNOWLEDGE COORDINATORS. COMMUNICATION. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS. RECRUITMENT AND RESOURCES. AND I BELIEVE MOST OF THESE INDICATORS PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT IN TERMS OF WHAT THE EMPLOYERS. CONSIDER EXTREMELY SATISFIED OR SATISFIED IN MOST OF THE CASES. ON THE THIRD PAGE. WE HAVE A SECTION FOR PROGRAM OUTCOMES. AND THIS IS RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT. WE HAVE 44% OF EMPLOYERS WHO ANSWERED THE SURVEY HIRE INTERNS. BUT THAT ALSO MEANS 28. CLOSE TO 29% OF THEM HIRE THESE INTERNS, CONSIDERING ALL OF THOSE EMPLOYERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE INITIATIVE IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER ALSO THAT THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO AID STUDENTS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH A MEANINGFUL WORK EXPERIENCE. THAT IN ITSELF, IT'S IT'S A HUGE HELP FOR THEM. AND AND SO FORTUNATELY, WE ARE SEEING THAT 29% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN HIRED. NOW, THE REASONS FOR SOME OF THOSE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN HIRED, IT VARIES. IT COULD GO FROM JUST THE MERE FACT THAT THE EMPLOYER DID NOT HAVE AN OPEN POSITION TO CONTINUE WITH THEM. ANOTHER ONE, THE MOST MOST OF THESE EMPLOYERS OPEN THESE POSITIONS JUST FOR THE WORK EXPERIENCE. SO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH US TO ASSIST THE STUDENT AND OBTAIN THE WORK EXPERIENCE. ANOTHER ELEMENT TO CONSIDER AS WELL IS SOME OF THESE STUDENTS DECIDE TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION SO THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT AT THE MOMENT. SO IT DEPENDS ON CASE BY CASE BASIS. THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL HIRING FACTORS THERE AS WELL. ON PAGE FIVE, I BELIEVE THAT ARE RELATED TO THE THE RESOURCES THAT THE EMPLOYERS MAY HAVE AND JOB AVAILABILITY PERFORMANCE AND FEED DIVERSE NEEDS, INTERNSHIP AND LEARNING EXPERIENCE, AND STRATEGIC HIRING PROCESSES FROM THESE EMPLOYERS. CONTINUING THE REPORT, WE HAVE ALSO CERTAIN SUCCESS METRICS AND FEEDBACK. THIS IS NOW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. WE HAVE 86% OF THESE INTERNS PARTICIPATED IN THE SURVEY. AND AND SO WE HAVE SOME HIGHLIGHTS HERE AS WELL REGARDING THE UNDERSTANDING THE CAREER GOALS, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF STUDENTS REPORTED THAT THE INTERNSHIP PROVIDED THEM WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR CAREER GOALS. THIS INDICATES THE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND HELP HELPING STUDENTS CLARIFY THEIR PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS. AND WE HAVE SOME COMMENTS DIRECTLY FROM GATHERED FROM THE STUDENTS AS WELL IN TERMS OF EDUCATIONAL VALUE. IT IS CONSIDERED AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY. MOST OF THE STUDENTS RATED THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF THEIR INTERNSHIP AS AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY. RELEVANCE TO MAJOR CAREER GOALS, [00:40:03] OF COURSE. THEY FOUND THAT THIS PROGRAM WAS SPECIFICALLY ALIGNED TO WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF THE EXPERIENCE. THEY FOUND ALSO THAT THERE IS A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT. THE STUDENTS GENERALLY FELT OPENLY SUPPORTED BY THEIR DEPARTMENTS HIGHLIGHTING A POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING WORK ENVIRONMENT AS WELL. AND THERE'S A FEW OTHER INDICATORS AS WELL REGARDING JOB DESCRIPTION AND TECHNICAL SKILLS. MOST STUDENTS REPORTED THAT THEIR DUTIES CLOSELY MATCHED THE JOB DESCRIPTION, AND THEIR TECHNICAL SKILLS WERE ADEQUATELY APPLIED TO THE POSITION. RELATIONSHIP WITH SUPERVISOR. VISEU. THE MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS RATED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR SUPERVISOR AS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS, INDICATING STRONG MENTOR MENTEE DYNAMICS. AND OVERALL INTERNSHIP RATING. THE OVERALL INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE WAS RATED AS EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS BY MOST OF THE STUDENTS. THEN TOWARDS THE END OF THE REPORT, YOU'LL SEE AS WELL THE STUDENT FEEDBACK VISUALS. AND I BELIEVE THE LAST COUPLE OF PAGES IS ALSO ATTACHMENT A AND ATTACHMENT B, WHICH ARE SOME ADDITIONAL INFOGRAPHICS JUST TO HELP. LOOK AT THE, THE MAIN NUMBERS OF THE THE INTERNSHIP. WE HAVE 14 EMPLOYERS PARTICIPATING 30 INTERNS AND 21 EMPLOYED. OVERALL SATISFACTION IS 100% AND MOST OF THEM RECOMMEND THE PROGRAM AS WELL. IN THE LAST ONE. ATTACHMENT B YOU CAN SEE A BREAKDOWN OF EMPLOYERS THAT PARTICIPATED AND SOME OF THE FIELDS THAT THESE STUDENTS OBTAINED THEIR EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE AS WELL. I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, MA'AM. I'M JUST CURIOUS FOR THE TWO THAT WAS PLACED AT THE CITY OF EDINBURGH. DO YOU KNOW IF THEY WERE IN THE 21% THAT RETAINED EMPLOYMENT? I BELIEVE NO, MA'AM. NO. OKAY. AND HOW MANY HOURS? YEAH. CLARENCE CRUZ, IF YOU REMEMBER, WAS OUR INTERN. SO WE WERE ONE OF THOSE TWO. OKAY. GOT IT. THANK YOU. WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF OF HOW DO YOU. SO IF SOMEBODY'S STUDYING MANAGEMENT OR MARKETING OR IS IS THE THIS PROGRAM ALIGNED WITH SPECIFICALLY TARGETING THEM TO DO AN INTERNSHIP UNDER THAT FUNNEL OF WORK. YES. SO THERE'S THE PROCESS THAT WE DEVELOP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UTRGV. WE DEVELOP A JOB DESCRIPTION. WE WORK WITH THE EMPLOYER TO SEE WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS AND WHERE WE CAN FIND THESE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. WE TRY TO COVER ALL INDUSTRIES AND ALL TYPES OF EMPLOYERS FOR ALL MAJORS AS WELL. SO WE DEVELOPED THE JOB DESCRIPTION IN A WAY THAT IT FITS ALSO THE EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY THAT THEY'RE IN AND ALSO FITS THE NEEDS OF THE EMPLOYER. AND THEN BASED ON THAT, IT GETS POSTED ON YOUTUBE SYSTEM WHICH IS CALLED HANDSHAKE. AND THEN FROM THERE ON THERE'S LIKE A REGULAR HIRING EXPERIENCE. AND THE REASON WHY I ASK SOMETIMES WITH THESE PROGRAMS, MY CONCERN WOULD BE YOU HAVE EMPLOYERS WHO WHO TAKE ON INTERNSHIPS ONLY BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING FUNDED AND DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE. OR THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HIRING NOBODY, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING FUNDED THE LABOR, THEY PARTICIPATE. AND SO THERE'S A FALSE POSITIVE FOR THE THE STUDENT THAT THINKS THEY'RE GOING INTO EMPLOYER THAT MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. AND THAT'S MAYBE WHY IT'S 21% IS VERY LOW. RIGHT. AND SO THE, THE ALIGNMENT, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT OF SUCCESS TO WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING. AND BESIDES THE TWO IN EDINBURGH, CITY OF EDINBURGH, HOW MANY OTHERS WERE ACTUALLY IN THE CITY OF EDINBURGH THAT AN EMPLOYER IN EDINBURGH TOOK ADVANTAGE OF SUCH INTERNSHIP? I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT SPECIFIC BREAKDOWN FOR THE CITY. I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF EDC PARTICIPATED IN THAT WITH TWO INTERNS. BUT WE'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LOCATION OF THE OTHER EMPLOYERS. WE KNOW THAT MOST OF THEM ARE HERE IN HIDALGO COUNTY. BUT IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL CAUSE, OUR AGENDA IS TO HELP SUPPORT EDINBURG SMALL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN EDINBURG. CORRECT? YES. AND SO THAT'S OUR FOCUS. CORRECT. AND SO WHAT WE CAN DO ON THAT END AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DOLLARS ARE GOING TOWARDS THE CITY OF EDINBURGH. WE CAN ALIGN THOSE SPECIFIC DOLLARS TO PARTICIPANTS ONLY IN THE CITY OF EDINBURG AS [00:45:04] WELL. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE DONE WITH OTHER INITIATIVES, AND IT CAN BE DONE WITH THIS ONE AS WELL TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS ALIGNMENT ON THOSE PARTICULAR DOLLARS. IN TERMS OF THE ALIGNMENT OF THE SUCCESS OF THE INITIATIVE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS IS AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. THIS IS NOT IT'S NOT LOOKING AS A RESULT, NECESSARILY EMPLOYMENT. SO THIS IS FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE STILL IN COLLEGE. AND SO THEY MIGHT CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION. SO THE ALIGNMENT TOWARDS EMPLOYMENT MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARILY A DIRECT TARGET THERE BECAUSE OF THAT REASON. SURE. I JUST UNFORTUNATELY, I KNOW, I KNOW EMPLOYERS WHO JUST PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROGRAMS BECAUSE IT'S FREE LABOR. AND IT SHOULDN'T BE ABOUT THE FREE LABOR. IT SHOULD BE ABOUT WHAT? WHAT IS THE STUDENT LEARNING? AND IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN THAT OR TO TO TO TO GET HIRED BY THAT ORGANIZATION? IDEALLY THAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL PROCESS. YES. SO WHAT WE CAN DO AS WELL AND WE HAVE A SUITABILITY COMPONENT IN PARTNERSHIP, OF COURSE, WITH UTRGV, THEY DO HAVE MEETINGS AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE EMPLOYER TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS ALIGNMENT WITH THE WITH THE PROGRAM OVERALL. AND THEN THERE IS A NEED FOR THEM, NOT NECESSARILY JUST FOR EVEN ON THE FEEDBACK. ONLY 64 OF THE EMPLOYERS PROVIDED FEEDBACK THAT SEEMS LOW TO TO THE VALUE THEY'RE GETTING FROM A STUDENT AND THE COMPENSATION. AND SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN EMPLOYER IS GOING TO PARTICIPATE. THEY SHOULD KNOW, HEY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE US FEEDBACK AND GIVE THE STUDENT. THAT'S HOW THEY'RE GOING TO LEARN, RIGHT? RIGHT. THAT'S ENGAGEMENT. AND THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS. THAT SEEMS LOW. OKAY. SO WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN ALSO INTEGRATE THAT REQUIREMENT. LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE ONLY EXECUTED THIS PROGRAM ONE TIME, WHICH WAS LAST YEAR. AND THIS WILL BE THE SECOND TIME. AND WE CAN DEFINITELY INTEGRATE A COMPONENT THERE FOR FEEDBACK TO REQUIRE THAT FOR THE EMPLOYER BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY EXIT THE PROGRAM. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? HOW ARE THESE EMPLOYERS SELECTED? THERE IS A SYSTEM THAT THE UNIVERSITY HAS WITH ALL EMPLOYERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INTERNS. THEY SIGN UP TO THAT ONE. IT'S CALLED HANDSHAKE. AND WE ALSO ADVERTISE THE INITIATIVE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA ON WORKFORCE SOLUTION SIDE AND ON THE UNIVERSITY SIDE AS WELL. ANY QUESTIONS ANYBODY. AND YOUR REQUEST IS HOW MUCH, SIR. IT'S FOR 20,000, SIR. OKAY. AND RGV FOCUS IS PROVIDING 5000. RIGHT? CORRECT. YES. SO THAT IN ADDITION TO THAT, IN ADDITION TO THE 20. YEAH. BECAUSE THE WHOLE PROGRAM IS 25,000. SO SO. RIGHT. THE PROGRAM IS FOR $50,000. SO WE HAVE 25,000 THAT WORK FOR SOLUTIONS APPLY THROUGH A GRANT TO STAFF. AND THE OTHER 25,000 IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SECURE. RGV FOCUS HAS COME FORWARD WITH 5000. WHAT'S THE TERM OF THE TIME FRAME FOR THE INTERNSHIP? WE ARE TRYING TO START THAT INTERNSHIP THIS SUMMER AND THEN CLOSE IT AT THE END OF THE YEAR. SO. SO HOW MANY WEEKS WOULD THAT BE SPECIFICALLY? HOW MANY WEEKS DOES A STUDENT ENGAGE IN AN INTERNSHIP? IT IS FOR A TOTAL OF 160 HOURS, AND I BELIEVE IT'S NO MORE THAN 8 TO 10 WEEKS. SO 160 HOURS. SO IF THEY WORK FULL TIME, REALLY IN THREE WEEKS, THEY'RE IN AND OUT. IT'S NOT FULL TIME. IT DEPENDS. THEY HAVE TO WORK WITH THE EMPLOYER AND AGREE ON THE SCHEDULE. OF COURSE THEY ALSO HAVE TO ATTEND SCHOOL. SO IT DEPENDS ON HOW THEY CAN ORGANIZE THEIR SCHEDULES THERE. WE HAVE A RESTRICTION THERE THAT NO MORE THAN 19 HOURS PER WEEK. OKAY. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM? I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED. SECOND. SECOND. WE HAVE OUR FIRST. SECOND MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND WORK. APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS THERE A CALL FOR THE VOTE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? MOTION PASSES. WE HAVE UNANIMOUS CONSENT. OKAY. ITEM FIVE BE CONSIDER RATIFYING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S ACTION, APPROVING CHANGE ORDER NUMBER ONE, AND THE AMOUNT OF 15,300 FOR THE DEMOLITION OF WAREHOUSE ON CANAL STREET. IT'S OUR OUR PROPERTY ON CANAL STREET. MR. GARZA SENT US AN EMAIL CONVEYING AND AND WE WERE WITHIN THAT BUDGET OF THE INITIAL BUDGET. AND OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO GET IT READY FOR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH IT. [00:50:01] SO IT'S A REQUIREMENT. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? NO. NO. CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE AGAINST. MOTION PASSES. F WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO SKIP F AFTER. IS THAT CORRECT? MR.. I'D LIKE FOR US TO TAKE THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS AFTER WE TALK IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT SOME OF THE PROJECTS. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE PROJECTS FIRST AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON SOME OF THE BUDGET AMENDMENTS AS WELL. SO I'D PREFER THAT WE DO THAT. JUST GET INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FIRST. OKAY, PERFECT. CAN I GET A MOTION TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? MAKE A MOTION. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? MOTION PASSES. WE'RE ENTERING EXECUTIVE SESSION AT EXACTLY 6:06 P.M.. IT IS 721. CAN I GET A MOTION TO OPEN SESSION SO MOVED FOR A SECOND TIME. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OKAY. MOTION PASSES. WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO ITEM F THAT WE DID NOT ADDRESS DURING THE INITIAL OPEN SESSION. MR. CHAIR, LET ME MAKE SURE THAT THE RECORD REFLECTS THAT. YOU LOST ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS. OH, YES. RICHARD HAS LEFT RIGHT AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION, RIGHT AT WHEN WE STARTED EXECUTIVE SESSION. WHEN WE LEFT. YES. 721. SO ITEM F IS CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MID-YEAR BUDGET AMENDMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. IN YOUR PACKET, YOU HAVE A TWO PAGE DOCUMENT WHICH OUTLINES SOME OF THE REQUESTS FOR BUDGET AMENDMENTS. AND I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM LINE BY LINE, IF THAT IS OKAY WITH YOU ALL REVENUE ITEMS FIRST THE HALF CENT SALES TAX REVENUE OUR APPROVED BUDGET SHOWS US AT 9,725,676. WHAT I'M REQUESTING FOR THE AMENDMENT IS $9.5 MILLION, WHICH IS A DECREASE IN OUR REVENUES FROM OF 225,676 SIX ON THE CELL OF EDC PROPERTY. WE HAD PROJECTED IN OUR APPROVED BUDGET $2.19 MILLION, BASED ON THE TIMING OF THE DIFFERENT SALES OF PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. DECREASING OR ASKING FOR A DECREASE IN THAT LINE ITEM TO 1.787850, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF $402,150. I'M ASKING FOR AN INCREASE IN THE MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE OF 12,500, AND THEN A TRANSFER OF RESERVES OF $13,107,022. AND I'LL GO INTO WHERE THAT MONEY IS GOING TO OR WHERE THAT MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT. AND THEN TRANSFER IN TEXAS, OUR BOND ACTIVITY WE HAD PROJECTED $1.8 MILLION, WHICH WAS FOR THE WORKFORCE RESOURCE CENTER. INSTEAD, WE'RE MOVING $8 MILLION OF THAT REVENUES OVER INTO FROM THE BOND FUNDS INTO BASICALLY THE EXPENDITURES. SO WE'RE SPENDING THAT KIND OF MONEY BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY FINISHED ALMOST FINISHED WITH THE ACE BUILDING AND THEN DID FINISH THE WATER PARK AS WELL. SO THE CITY HAD NOT REQUESTED THOSE MONIES. THOSE MONIES ARE NOW BEING TRANSFERRED OVER ON THE PERSONNEL SIDE. I DON'T HAVE TO GO LINE BY LINE ON THEM, BUT I HAVE TWO POSITIONS THAT HAVE YET TO BE FILLED. AND AS SUCH WHEN I MADE THE INITIAL BUDGET THE RAMPING UP OF THE STAFF WAS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. BUT THESE TWO POSITIONS HAVE BEEN PUSHED BACK A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE OF [00:55:07] OFFICE CONSTRAINTS, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IN A BIT. AND SO THAT REFLECTS A BASICALLY ON EVERYTHING RELATED TO PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES IS SAVINGS OF 202,009 71. SO BECAUSE WE DID NOT HIRE EVERYBODY YET, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS. WE DO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS WHICH OFFSETS SOME OF THE SHORTFALL FROM THE PROJECTIONS ON THE SALES TAX REVENUE, BY THE WAY ON CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. WE HAD $96,000 BUDGETED. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SPEND ALL THAT. SO I'VE REDUCED THAT BUDGET TO $70,000, WHICH IS A SAVINGS OF 26,000. ON OUR OFFICE SPACE LEASE. WE HAD PROJECTED THAT WE WOULD BE IN OUR MORE PERMANENT LOCATIONS OFF OF OFF OF THE TRANSIT CENTER. HOWEVER, THAT HAS BEEN DELAYED. AND SO IN LIEU OF THAT, WE'RE NOT ONLY GOING TO RENEW OUR EXISTING SPACE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE OUR OFFICE SPACE BECAUSE WE'RE BRINGING ON TWO OTHER PEOPLE. SO THE INCREASE IS GOING TO BE AN ADDITIONAL THOUSAND $180 FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR ON SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENTS. BASICALLY ON THIS ONE, IF YOU LOOK AT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE LINE ITEMS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SAVINGS OF $171,000 TOTAL. BUT I'M CUTTING BACK ON SOME OF THESE THINGS FOR VARIOUS REASONS. THE TRAVEL AND TRAINING, SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE WE'RE DOING LESS TRAVEL AND LESS TRAINING ON CONFERENCES. WE DID HAVE SOME SAVINGS, AND WE HAD PROJECTED TO TRAVEL A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. SO WE'RE SAVING A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY ON SOME OF THAT. AND THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THE SIGNIFICANT ONES THAT 30 AND $40,000. THE CONTINUING EDUCATION. WE'RE AGAIN PULLING BACK ON SOME OF THAT BECAUSE WE'RE BUSY INSTEAD OF TRAINING, WE'RE DOING. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THAT'S REFLECTIVE OF, OF THE SAVINGS. SO IN TOTAL ON THAT LINE ITEM, WE'RE SAVING $171,000 DOLLARS. TOTAL ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES THAT WE'RE SAVING IS 388,791, GOING ON TO PROGRAMS. ON THE RESEARCH STUDIES AND OTHER CONTRACTS, WE HAD SET ASIDE $360,000. I'M PROJECTING THAT WE'LL SPEND ALMOST $300,000 OF THAT. SO THAT'S A $60,000 SAVINGS ON THE PURCHASING OF PROPERTIES. I STILL HAVE THAT NUMBER PRETTY HIGH AT $4.6 MILLION INSTEAD OF 4.7. THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE MONIES AVAILABLE FOR WHATEVER OPPORTUNITIES POP UP. AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THAT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE UTILITIES. IT'S A SMALL NUMBER. AND THEN ON THE OTHER PROJECTS WE HAVE $40,000 SET ASIDE FOR ENGINE FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR. I'M GOING TO SAY, BASED ON OUR DISCUSSIONS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WE NEED TO DO THAT ONE AT $49,000. SO THAT'S MY REQUEST TO CHANGE THAT FROM WHAT IS IN YOUR PACKET. AND THEN THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY PROJECT, THAT WAS MONEY THAT WAS EXPENDED FOR CITY PROJECT THAT WE ALL KNOW ABOUT $7.2 MILLION. THE AWASA ROAD LINE EXTENSION WAS $1.75 MILLION. THE TURF FIELDS WAS $2 MILLION. IN THE WATER STORAGE TANK WAS AT 21 OR $2.1 MILLION. SO IN TOTAL IN PROJECTS YOU KNOW, WE HAD WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE PROJECTED WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THEM WHEN WE WERE BUILDING THE BUDGET, BUT WE HADN'T PROJECTED THOSE. AND SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS WERE UNKNOWN. BUT NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASING OUR EXPENDITURES FOR PROJECTS FROM A PROJECTION OF 1,075,000 TO 14,147,022 ON OUR BOND PROJECTS. AS I SAID BEFORE, WE'VE ALREADY THE CITY ASKED US FOR THE $7 MILLION FOR THE ACE CENTER THAT WE HAD COMMITTED AND $1 MILLION FOR THE MUNICIPAL WATER PARKS THAT WE HAD COMMITTED TO. WHAT WE DON'T HAVE EXPANDED OUT IS THE WORKFORCE RESOURCE CENTER OR ANYTHING IN THE PARKING GARAGE AT THIS POINT. SO OUR TOTAL PROGRAMS AND EXPENDITURES NOT INCLUDING OUR DEBT SERVICE, IS AT $28.3 MILLION. THAT'S AN INCREASE IN OUR BUDGET OF $19 MILLION. IF YOU INCLUDE OUR TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS, WHICH INCLUDE THE DEBT SERVICE, WHICH DID NOT CHANGE, THOSE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY MUCH SET IN STONE, IS WE'RE AT DISBURSEMENTS OF THREE AND A HALF, $32.5 MILLION THIS FISCAL YEAR, AN INCREASE OF 18.691696. YOU ALL ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF THESE PROJECTS. [01:00:01] WE JUST HADN'T ACCOUNTED FOR THEM. NOW, A QUESTION THAT YOU ALL PROBABLY HAVE, AND I'M GOING TO ANSWER IT FOR YOU, IS, OKAY, WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY. WHAT DO WE HAVE AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR PROJECTED IN UNRESTRICTED CASH? THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE WHAT'S IN THE BOND FUNDS FOR THE WORKFORCE RESOURCE CENTER AND FOR THE PARKING GARAGE. AND THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE SET ASIDES FOR THE CONTINGENCIES FOR OUR DEBT SERVICE AND WHATNOT. AT THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE'LL HAVE ABOUT $2.2 MILLION IN UNRESTRICTED CASH. LET ME REPEAT THAT $2.2 MILLION. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, SAY, THE LAST TWO YEAR TREND TO TO TO THAT 2.2? WHERE DO WE FALL IN 2022? WHERE WERE WE IN 2023? JUST APPROXIMATELY. SO UNRESTRICTED CASH. UNRESTRICTED CASH. BEFORE BEFORE THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE HAD $18 MILLION IN UNRESTRICTED CASH. YES. AND THAT'S NOT INCLUDING BOND MONIES AND WHATNOT. IF YOU INCLUDE THE BOND MONIES, THEN YOU'RE TALKING, ANOTHER SIX. YEAH, BUT BUT NO, JUST LINE ITEMS THE WAY YOU HAVE IT. SO THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW AT 2.2. LAST YEAR WE FINISHED WITH 18 MILLION. AND THAT'S GONE. YOU RECALL THE PREVIOUS YEAR APPROXIMATELY I DO NOT BUT IT WAS IT WAS IT WAS PRETTY PRETTY MUCH OF THE SAME NUMBER. PRETTY MUCH THE SAME IN TERMS OF YEAH, WE HAD A LOT OF CASH. WE WERE VERY LIQUID. AT THIS POINT IT'S A DIFFERENT BALL GAME. SO WE'VE INVESTED IN A LOT OF PROJECTS. YEAH. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. YES, MA'AM. THE NORTH INDUSTRIAL PARK, WE WERE WORKING ON SIGNAGE FOR THAT, AND I MIGHT HAVE MISSED A MEETING. IS THAT REFLECTED IN HERE? I KNOW CARLOS WAS WORKING ON A PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE RIGHT. NO, IT IS NOT. WE DON'T HAVE FINAL NUMBERS ON THAT, BUT THAT TYPE OF SIGNAGE IS VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE. AND, RIGHT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT LATER ON. OKAY. BUT NO, WE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THOSE NUMBERS FINALIZED FROM FROM THE SIGN COMPANIES. OKAY. OUR INTENT WAS TO PUT A SIGN UP THERE SO THAT WE CAN ADVERTISE THE LOCATION AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE. RIGHT. THAT WAS IN THE $35,000 RANGE. NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TEN TIMES THAT AMOUNT. YEAH. OKAY. YEAH. SO I KNOW THE PARKING GARAGE IS IS ZERO HERE, BUT IT'S STILL BOND MONIES. THAT AND MY UNDERSTANDING THERE'S QUESTIONS WHETHER THAT EVEN GO FORWARD. AND IF IT DOESN'T THE $3 MILLION. CORRECT. WE HAD PUT $2 MILLION COMMITTED TOWARDS. SO DOES THAT COME BACK TO OUR GENERAL LAND FUND? NO. THAT IS STILL REALLY DESIGNATED AND RESTRICTED TO USES WITHIN THE BOND LANGUAGE. OKAY. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO TALK WITH OUR BOND COUNSEL ABOUT WHAT OTHER TYPE OF PROJECTS MAY BE PERMITTED. SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE ISSUES WITH THAT, THAT FUNDING OUR FUNDS ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE CITY'S FUNDS FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, IN THAT OUR BONDS WERE TAX ABLE, THE CITIES WERE TAX EXEMPT. SO WHEN THEIR TAXABLE BONDS, THEY'RE A LITTLE MORE LEEWAY. BUT I WOULD I WOULD DEFER OVER TO BOND COUNSEL. [01:05:41] SO I'M JUST GOING TO SAY THAT WE'RE JUST RETURNING FROM AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. YEAH, I'LL START OFF. ALL RIGHT. IT'S 604. AND FOR THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST, WE HAD A WE'RE HAVING A JOINT MEETING, [OPEN SESSION] CLOSED SESSION. SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR A MOTION TO RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION. COUNCIL. SO MOVED. MOVE. WE HAVE A MOTION. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. ALL OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. JUST WANT THE RECORD. REFLECT. THERE WAS NO ACTION TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. AND ON BEHALF OF THE EDC BOARD, I ALSO WOULD LIKE A MOTION TO ENTER BACK INTO OPEN SESSION. SO MOVED. SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE OR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. MOTION APPROVED. ON BEHALF OF THE EDC BOARD, I THINK WE HAD ONE ITEM. PROJECT CAVE. I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO PROCEED AS DIRECTED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. NOW, THE EDC BOARD. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION TO ADJOURN. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE OR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. THE EDC BOARD IS ADJOURNED. [6. ADJOURNMENT] ALL RIGHT. CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN? COUNCIL. SO MOVED. SECOND MOTION. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. ALL OPPOSED? SAME SIGN. IT IS 606, AND WE ARE NOW ADJOURNED FOR THE SPECIAL JOINT MEETING. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.