[I. INVOCATION, PLEDGE & ROLL CALL]
[II. WORKSHOP]
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AS WE HAVE NEGOTIATED FOR THE THREE YEAR CONTRACTS THAT WE DO HAVE WITH THEM. DOES THAT MAKE
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SENSE? YES. GO AHEAD. WE HAVE A HIGHLY MODEST INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES, AS WAS REVIEWED LAST WEEK UNDER THE TAXES DURING THAT WORKSHOP. THAT WILL BRING IN AN ADDITIONAL 1.7 MILLION TO THE PROPERTY TAXES FROM LAST YEAR. LYNN, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? THAT CAME FROM THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE. NO. THE INCREASE. OH, THE INCREASE COMES FROM THE BIGGEST INCREASE.I HAD MENTIONED LAST WEEK, 4.4% WAS FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY, 56% WAS FROM ORANGE COUNTY. AND IF YOU GUYS WOULD JUST PUT YOUR LIGHTS ON, I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU. I'M SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. I JUST WELL, I WAS ASKING SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT'S WHERE THE INCREASE CAME FROM? FROM PROPERTY. THAT IS CORRECT.
THAT'S JUST THESE ARE JUST PROPERTY TAXES. SO IT WASN'T FROM FEES OR FROM. NO, NO. OKAY.
THIS IS JUST ONLY PROPERTY TAXES THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO COLLECT. AND IT ALSO ADHERES TO THE STATE LIMITATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESSED UPON THE CITY AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER JONES HAS HIS LIGHT ON. YES, MAYOR. AS I SAID LAST TIME, WE WE NEED TO DO A
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PRESENTATION. IT'LL GO THROUGH THE WHOLE SPIEL AND WE'LL JUST JOT OUR NOTES. THAT'S OKAY. AND THEN WE ASK THE QUESTION WHEN SHE FINISHED DOING HER PRESENTATION. YEAH. THAT'S NORMALLY WHAT WE DO. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO STICK TO AND LET HER PRESENT. AND IF WE COULD WRITE OUR QUESTIONS DOWN, WE CAN COME BACK AND ANSWER THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER, COUNCILMAN JONES. EVERYTHING ELSE IS PRETTY STEADY, INCLUDING THE INDUSTRIAL PAYMENTS. AS YOU CAN SEE, EVEN WITH THE INDUSTRIAL PAYMENTS, THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY KIND OF SIGNIFICANT INCREASE AT ALL. I'LL BE HAPPY IF WE CAN MAKE 30 MILLION THIS YEAR. THAT WOULD BE NICE BECAUSE IT'S BEEN GOING DOWN FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.SALES TAXES IS STEADY. I DON'T SEE ANY STRONG BUMPS OR ANTICIPATING ANYTHING GOING STRONGER WITH THE ECONOMY. IT SEEMS TO HAVE SLOWED DOWN A BIT THIS PAST QUARTER. EVERYTHING ELSE, AS WELL AS OUR BUDGET BEING STATUS QUO, IT DOES APPEAR TO BE STATUS QUO, EVEN FOR OUTSIDE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CONTROL. AND THE REMAINDER OF GENERAL FUND REVENUE REFLECTS PROJECTED DECREASE DUE TO THE CASH AVAILABLE FOR INVESTMENTS. SO WHEN WE DID HAVE A LOT OF CASH FOR INVESTMENTS, WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIGHER INTEREST RATES. NOW THAT I'VE GOT LESS CASH, THE INTEREST RATES ARE DOWN. SO THAT HAS BEEN OVERSTATED FOR 26.
BUT WE'LL BE BACK IN LINE FOR 27 TO BE MUCH MORE REALISTIC. WE HAVE A DECREASED USE OF FUND BALANCE FOR BALANCING. AND I'M GOING TO GET TO THAT KIND OF CLOSE TO THE END AND EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT TO YOU ABOUT WHAT WE DO FOR THAT. THE NEXT PAGE SHOWS THE EXPENDITURES BY DEPARTMENTS, AND IT JUST SHOWS YOU FROM 2526 TO 2627. THE DIFFERENCES IN THE BUDGETS FROM THIS YEAR OR LAST YEAR, 26 YEAR TO THE 27 PROPOSED. WE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL REQUESTS THAT THE CITY MANAGER DEEMED NECESSARY IN PUBLIC WORKS. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY ALREADY REFLECTED IN THIS VERSION THAT YOU THAT I HAVE ON HERE IN THIS POWERPOINT. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE REALLY ARE STAYING WITHIN THAT STATUS QUO. INCLUDING THOSE SALARY INCREASES IN THERE. THAT JUST GIVES YOU KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF GENERAL FUND AND ITS DEPARTMENTS. AND THEN I'M ALSO GOING TO BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THE NON-DEPARTMENTAL, WHICH ALSO HAS TO DO WITH OUR FUND BALANCES. GIVE ME A IF YOU DON'T MIND, GIVE ME A SECOND HERE. SO MAYOR AND COUNCIL, IF YOU LOOK AT A 10.2% INCREASE IN PUBLIC WORKS. I'VE LISTENED TO THE COUNCIL AND COUNCIL HAS MADE A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON STREETS AND DRAINAGE. AND SO WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS ADDITIONAL CREWS FOR STREET PARKING AND ADDITIONAL CREWS IN THE IN THE DRAINAGE DEPARTMENT AND EQUIPMENT THAT WILL BE NEEDED. SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME MORE WORK DONE IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE INCREASE IN IN THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE, 6.4%. THAT'S JUST FOR EQUIPMENT FOR ELECTIONS. I MAY CONTINUE MY DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY SECRETARY, AND THAT MAY GO DOWN BECAUSE THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY OF WE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO SEE THAT IF THE COUNTY COULD TAKE OVER THE ELECTIONS FOR US, WE MAY NOT HAVE TO INVEST IN EQUIPMENT, IN NEW EQUIPMENT, AND IT WILL BE MUCH CHEAPER IF WE COULD ENGAGE THE COUNTY TO DO THAT. OKAY. SO WE ARE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION NOW SO THAT THAT NUMBER MIGHT CHANGE. BUT I UNDERSTAND I'VE GOTTEN THE MESSAGE FROM COUNCIL THAT COUNCIL WANTS TO SEE MORE WORK DONE IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY ON STREETS AND DRAINAGE. OKAY. GO AHEAD LYNN. I'M JUST SHOWING THE NON-DEPARTMENTAL EXPENDITURE. CALL THESE NON-DEPARTMENTAL BECAUSE THESE ARE NORMALLY TRANSFERS. I DO WANT YOU TO TAKE NOTE THAT IN THIS BUDGET. YOU DIDN'T SEE THE ONE BEFORE THIS ONE, WHICH WAS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. WE HAD TO WE HAD TO TO SUBSIDIZE WATER AND SEWER TO THE TUNE OF ALMOST $8 MILLION IN 24, 25 BUDGET. AND NOW THEY'RE NO LONGER IN HERE. AND I WANT YOU TO ALSO SEE I SEE COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TEM IS IS NOT HERE. THE TURTLES OBLIGATION HAS INCREASED ALMOST DOUBLED ACTUALLY FROM LAST YEAR. SO THE PROPOSED IS JUST A LITTLE BIT DOWN, NOT VERY
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SIGNIFICANT. AND THESE ARE JUST TRANSFERS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. OKAY.SO WE CALL THESE A NON-DEPARTMENTAL EXPENDITURES BECAUSE IT DOESN'T REALLY IS NOT ISOLATED TO ONE DEPARTMENT MAKING THOSE TRANSFERS. IT'S A GENERAL FUND TRANSFER. LYNN, DO YOU MIND TO EXPLAIN TO THE COUNCIL THAT THE WHY THE OBLIGATION HAVE INCREASED HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED. THE TOURIST OBLIGATION HAS INCREASED. IF YOU SEE THE BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCTION THAT GOES UP, WE'RE ABOUT TWO YEARS BEHIND. AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE HAD THOSE APARTMENTS IN THERE FOR OVER A YEAR, IT TAKES THIS YEAR TO CATCH THEM. IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, IT IS DOUBLED BECAUSE THE VALUE IN THE TOURS AREA, THAT VALUE HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SO THIS YEAR, IN 2627, YOU DON'T SEE IT REFLECTED IN THIS BUDGET, BECAUSE I JUST GOT THE NUMBERS YESTERDAY FROM THE COUNTY ASSESSOR, BUT THESE NUMBERS DOUBLED. WHAT WE ACTUALLY EVEN HAVE FOR THIS YEAR, WE GOT ABOUT 200 WE HADN'T SPENT IN ALMOST TWO YEARS. AND SO WE'VE BEEN BUILDING UP KIND OF OUR, OUR FUND BALANCE TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT 230,000. AND THEN WHEN I GOT MY ASSESSED VALUE FOR THE TOURS YESTERDAY, IT WAS OVER 230,000 THAT I'M GOING TO BE RECEIVING IN REVENUE. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE DOUBLED.
SO BY THE TIME I GET DONE AND KIND OF CLEAN THIS UP A LITTLE BIT, YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE A 400 AS A CONTINGENCY. AND I WILL EXPLAIN THE CONTINGENCY REALLY QUICK TO YOU. WE'RE NOT DOING SPECIAL FUNDS, BUT IF WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE WE WANT TO SPEND IT AND WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND APPROPRIATE AN AMOUNT, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT, APPROPRIATE IT. AND IF WE WANT TO MOVE LINE ITEMS AT THAT TIME, WE CAN DO THAT FROM THE CONTINGENCY. AND BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY APPROPRIATED THAT, THE CITY MANAGER AND THE TOURISM COMMISSION, THE TOURS COMMITTEE, CAN GO AHEAD AND DESIGNATE EXPENSES SPECIFIC LATER ON IF THEY CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING AT THIS TIME. SO THAT IS THE REASON I JUST USE THE ENTIRE ENTIRETY OF THE FUND BALANCE, AND I'LL BE REDOING THIS BUDGET FOR NEXT WEEK. OKAY. SO LET ME EXPLAIN TO THE ESPECIALLY SO FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, THE TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE IS AN AREA DESIGNATED AREA IN OUR DOWNTOWN AREA. AND THAT INCLUDES WHERE MOTIVA IS MOVING INTO ITS NEW BUILDING. THE NUMBERS THAT LYNN GOT DOES NOT REFLECT THE TAXES FOR THAT NEW BUILDING AS YET. WE DID AN ANALYSIS ABOUT 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO BEFORE FLOYD HAD PASSED, WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR FOR EDC. AND WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE JUST FOR THAT PARTICULAR AREA, WE SHOULD BE REALIZING ABOUT $7 MILLION INVESTMENT OR IN FOR TAXES FOR THOSE BUILDINGS. AND WHAT WE DO NOW THAT WE HAVE FORMED NOW, THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING ZONE HAS BEEN FORMED YEARS AGO. THAT MONEY GOES BACK INTO A FUND FOR REINVESTMENT IN THAT AREA. SO THE NEXT RECOMMENDATION THAT I WILL MAKE TO THE COMMITTEE IS TO DO A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT JUST FOCUSES ON THAT AREA, AND THEN WE CAN GO OUT FOR BOND MONEY, WHETHER IT'S 50 OR $100,000, THAT WE COULD CONTINUE TO REINVEST IN THE STREETS AND SIDEWALKS AND THE LIGHTING, YOU KNOW, AND ANYTHING THAT'S NEEDED IN THAT DOWNTOWN AREA. SO WE'LL SEE A MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT. I THINK THERE'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL FOR US TO WORK WITH THE EDC TO SEE HOW WE COULD, UNDER THE FOUR B PROJECT, TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET SOME OTHER INVESTMENTS, AND WE CAN WORK IN PARTNERSHIP TO DO SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR DOWNTOWN. SO WE'D LIKE TO REMIND THE COUNCIL THAT WE'VE GOT THE MOTIVA BUILDING DOWN HERE. IF IT GETS COMPLETED BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR, THAT WOULD AFFECT THE 28 VALUES. IF THEY GET IT DONE JANUARY 1ST, THAT'LL BE 29 VALUES. SO I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU THAT WE'RE ALWAYS A YEAR BEHIND. ONCE A FACILITY HAS GONE UP OR CONSTRUCTION HAS BEEN MADE. RIGHT HERE. WE'VE GOT CURRENTLY SEVEN ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL FOR
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THE GENERAL FUND. THE FIRST ONE IS A FINANCE SOFTWARE INTEGRATION ANALYST. THAT MONEY IS I'M PULLING FROM AND KEEPING THE BUDGET STATUS QUO, MINUS THE SALARIES PORTION OF IT, AND USING SAVINGS FROM OTHER LINE ITEMS TO FUND THIS POSITION. THAT HAS BEEN VERY WELL NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO HELP US BECOME MUCH MORE EFFICIENT IN MANY AREAS OF WHAT WE ARE DOING IN FINANCE. I BELIEVE THIS POSITION ALSO HELPED CAPITAL WRITE OUR CIP MANAGER, AND HAS ALSO ASSISTED A GREAT DEAL IN MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN GET OUR BILLS AND UTILITIES COMPLETED ON TIME. WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR INVOICES GET PAID ON A TIMELY BASIS, AND HE'S BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. THE OTHER ONE IS ALSO FOR A PURCHASING COORDINATOR. THAT IS AN ADDED POSITION IN THE PURCHASING DIVISION. NOW, LET ME SHARE THIS. COUNCILMAN FRANK SAID, IF CLIFF COMES ONE MORE TIME WITH A CUP AND SHAKE, AND I THINK CLIFF NEEDS HELP IN THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT, SO WE HAVE ADDED A NEW POSITION. SO THAT WE COULD SPEED UP THE WHOLE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THINGS TAKE A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH TIME TO GO THROUGH THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF PROCUREMENT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH PROFESSIONAL HELP AS WE CAN. WHEN WE SELECT THIS NEW CANDIDATE AS A COORDINATOR TO WORK WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, BECAUSE AS YOU WILL SEE IN THE NEW BUDGET, THERE WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE WILL BE UNDERTAKING, ESPECIALLY IN THE UTILITIES AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WHICH RELATES TO STREETS. AND WE HEARD THE COUNCIL YESTERDAY AS IT RELATES TO THE BUILDING OUT OF STREETS. AND WHY IS IT TAKING SO LONG? SO WE HAVE PUT IN A NEW POSITION OUT THERE AS COORDINATOR TO COORDINATE THE ACTIVITIES WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. SO THIS IS WHAT IT'S ABOUT. OKAY. THANKS. CITY MANAGER. THE NEXT POSITIONS ARE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. THERE ARE FOUR POSITIONS THERE THE SENIOR ZONING INSPECTOR, THE BUILDING INSPECTOR AND TWO KENNEL TECHNICIANS. THAT IS AN ADDITION. WE DO HAVE A BIGGER KENNEL WITH OUR ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER. AND THEN THE LAST ONE CURRENTLY IS THE MAINTENANCE WORKER FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THERE. THEY'VE BEEN USING A TEMP PERSON THIS TIME, AND THEY ARE REQUESTING THAT THIS PERSON BE PERMANENT. SO THAT'S MAYOR AND COUNCIL. AGAIN, LET'S GO BACK TO CODE ENFORCEMENT. WE HAVE HEARD COUNCIL, WITH THE ADDITION OF NEW POLICIES, WE HAVE THE THE BASIC STANDARDS ORDINANCE THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE THE PARKING.THE NEW ORDINANCE FOR PARKING. WE HAVE THE MULTI-FAMILY INSPECTION ORDINANCE. WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR PIECES OF NEW LEGISLATION THAT WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN. AND THOSE ARE ALL ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT. WE THINK THAT WE CAN RAISE ENOUGH REVENUE AS WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE MORE INSPECTIONS, IN TERMS OF ANNUAL AND BIANNUAL INSPECTIONS FOR APARTMENTS, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY LIVE UP TO THE STANDARDS THAT WE NEED FOR ALL OUR RESIDENTS UP HERE. WHEN YOU LOOK, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD CERTAIN CHALLENGES ON THE WEST SIDE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CONDITIONS OF THOSE APARTMENTS THERE. WE HAVE WORKED WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE NEW ORDINANCES IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE WHERE WE CAN CONDUCT THOSE INSPECTIONS ON AN ANNUAL OR BIANNUAL BASIS, WITH A FEE ATTACHED TO IT AS WELL, YOU KNOW, SO WE'LL NOT ONLY BE DOING THOSE INSPECTIONS THROUGH THE POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE CREATED OUT THERE, WE WILL BE DOING THOSE INSPECTIONS, AND WE'LL BE COLLECTING REVENUE FROM IT AS WELL. SO AT LEAST THAT WILL IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIVING, NOT ONLY FOR OUR RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN APARTMENTS, BUT ALSO THOSE WHO LIVE IN SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES. AND THEY WON'T BE SUBJECT TO LANDLORDS OR SLUMLORDS WHO CONTINUE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM, ESPECIALLY THOSE SLUMLORDS WHO DON'T LIVE IN PORT ARTHUR. WE WILL DEAL WITH THOSE WHO LIVE IN PORT ARTHUR, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO DO NOT LIVE HERE AS WELL. JUST WANT TO REMIND THE COUNCIL THAT
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WE DID ADOPT FINANCIAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS. WE DID NOT MEET THAT IN 24. WE DID NOT QUITE MEET THAT IN. 25, AND THAT WAS A RESULT OF THE SUBSIDIZING OF THE WATER AND SEWER. AND I'M ANTICIPATING THAT WE WILL BE MEETING THAT IN 26. AND IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO MEET IT IN 26, WE'RE GOING TO BE VERY, VERY CLOSE TO IT, AND WE'LL HOPEFULLY GET BACK TO WHERE WE WERE OR WHERE WE WHERE WE SHOULD BE AT THIS TIME. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE 60 DAYS OF OPERATING COSTS TO KEEP THAT JUST IN RESERVE AND JUST LEAVE IT ALONE IS 15,966,538. I WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT THE FUND BALANCE WAS IN FISCAL YEAR 25. IT WAS ONLY 3,000,006. THE ESTIMATED FUND BALANCE I SEE US REACHING BY THE END OF THIS YEAR ANTICIPATED IS 18 MILLION AS A FUND BALANCE. AND I DID WANT TO SHOW TO YOU WHAT THE CASH BALANCES WERE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR, THE AUDITED CASH BALANCE WAS 97,000. THIS YEAR, THE ESTIMATED CASH BALANCE IS 22 MILLION. SO IN OTHER WORDS, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE'RE IN A VERY GOOD PLACE RIGHT NOW. IF YOU LOOK AT THE AUDIT REPORT THAT YOU HAVE GOTTEN. IT'S A VERY GOOD AUDIT REPORT. WHAT'S THE TERM THAT'S BEEN USED AGAIN? UNMOORED. YOU GOT AN UNMODIFIED OPINION FOR YOUR AUDIT FOR LAST YEAR. THIS IS THE BEST AND THE HIGHEST THAT YOU COULD ANY MUNICIPALITY COULD EVER GET. YOU KNOW, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS IN THE AUDIT REPORT. WE HAD TO USE THE BALANCES IN THE AUDIT REPORT IN ORDER TO COME UP. TO START OFF FOR OUR NEW FINANCIAL YEAR. SO LET ME JUST SAY THIS. THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR IS IN A VERY HEALTHY PLACE. FINANCIALLY. WE ARE FINANCIALLY SOUND. WE MEET ALL THE STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR OUR FUND BALANCE AND WE EXCEED IT. WE NOT ONLY MEET IT, BUT WE EXCEED THE FUND BALANCE AS WELL.AND WE ARE GOING INTO THIS NEW FINANCIAL YEAR WITH FUND BALANCE THAT EXCEEDS WHAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE IS ASKED FOR. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP WITH TRANSPARENCY, IT IS ALL HERE IN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. TOTAL TRANSPARENCY WITH GOOD, MAGNIFICENT FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP. YOU CANNOT ASK THE CITIZENS OF PORT ARTHUR CANNOT ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN THIS. WE'VE GOT THE GOLD AND PLATINUM STANDARD THAT EVERY CITY, OTHER CITY SHOULD LOOK AT. THIS IS JUST A RECAP. WE ARE NEARLY BALANCED. WE NEED TO HAVE STILL SOME JUST A FEW DISCUSSIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND. BUT WE'RE VERY, VERY CLOSE AND VERY CLOSE IS IS VERY GOOD IN IN MY BOOK, I'M SURE THAT WE WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS BALANCED. EVEN THOUGH 26 WAS TIGHT, WE DO SEE US GOING IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION AS WE ENTERED THE 27 FISCAL YEAR. AS I MENTIONED, PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED OR WILL BE FINISHED THIS YEAR WILL BE CAPTURED IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR AND NOT THIS YEAR. I AM ENCOURAGED ABOUT ALL THE CAPITAL ACTIVITIES AND ABILITY TO HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO THEM WELL. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE CAPITAL ACTIVITIES, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO THE JOB, IT MAKES IT THAT MUCH HARDER FOR US TO IMPROVE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO AROUND HERE. AND I DO SEE A POSITIVE OUTCOME FOR FUTURE DEBT OBLIGATIONS. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, LET ME ADD TO THIS HERE. ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS THAT'S BEEN FUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH FEMA. AND MOST OF THOSE DEVELOPMENTS WE. PAPERS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REIMBURSES US WITH ALL THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING, AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL PAYMENT HAS BEEN SLOW TO COME IN, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN COMING IN. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH URA BECAUSE WE HAVE SECURED THE SERVICES OF URA TO WORK WITH US AND THE. WE HAVE SEEN THAT WE HAVE MORE MONEY IN WHICH AFFECTS OUR CASH FLOW TO SOME EXTENT, BUT WE ARE
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GUARANTEED THAT THAT MONEY IS GOING TO COME IN THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO IT'S A GOOD IT'S A GOOD CHALLENGE TO HAVE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT OWING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS OWING US. AND WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT THE MONEY IS GOING TO COME IN AT SOME TIME. IT'S COMING IN, IT'S TRICKLING IN, BUT IT'S COMING IN THAT, TO SOME EXTENT HAVE AFFECTED FOR THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR. THAT POSED A CHALLENGE FOR THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR FOR OUR CASH FLOW, HOWEVER, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN, TO PAY OUR BILLS AND OUR VARIOUS INVOICES, AND WE HAVE NOT MISSED A BEAT IN EVEN PAYING OUR DEBTS AS FAR AS THAT IS CONCERNED. SO WE ARE IN A GOOD POSITION FINANCIALLY WHERE IN TERMS OF ADDRESSING OUR FINANCIAL COMMITMENT THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE. THIS CONCLUDES MY PORTION OF THE PROPOSED DRAFT BUDGET GENERAL FUND. WE HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO BRING UP. I DID WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I DO HAVE IN THERE MARDI GRAS 270 375,000 IS DEDICATED TO THAT. WE JUST GOT THE FORENSIC AUDIT THAT HAS NOT BEEN BUDGETED.THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE SIX FIGURES. AND SO WE'LL NEED TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WILL GET THAT FIT INTO THE BUDGET WITH WHAT WE HAVE TO ALREADY CUT AT THIS TIME. SO I DID WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE FORENSIC AUDIT IS DEFINITELY LOOKING LIKE A SIX FIGURE AUDIT BASED ON THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS. AT THIS TIME, I HAD INFORMED THE CITY MANAGER OR MISS PERKINS HAD ALSO INFORMED THE A CM ABOUT THAT AS WELL. IT'S LOOKING VERY EXPENSIVE. WOW. BUT JUST LETTING YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD NOT PUT THAT IN THERE YET. AND WE WILL AWAIT THE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL AS WELL. OKAY, I HAVE A COUPLE OF LIGHTS ON LYNN.
THANK YOU. MAY NEED SOME RESPONSES. I HAVE COUNCILMEMBER GATEWOOD FIRST AND THEN COUNCILMEMBER FRANK AND THEN COUNCILMEMBER HARDY. THANK YOU. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE BUDGET. I TOLD YOU THIS EARLIER, BUT I WANTED TO REITERATE IT. THANK YOU FOR EVEN THOUGH YOU SAID THIS BUDGET WAS GOING TO LOOK UGLY, IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD. SO AND IT WAS EASY TO COMPREHEND. AND IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO SEE WHERE WE WHERE WE ALL HAVE OUR DEFICITS.
AND IT WASN'T AS MUCH AS I REALLY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, BUT THANK YOU FOR OUTLINING IT. I DID HAVE JUST A QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES. THE THIRD ZONE I KNOW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU SAID JUST THOSE TWO BUILDINGS ALONE WOULD BRING IN $7 MILLION. DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY? YES. WELL, NO, THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. AND WHEN WE ADD THE OLD FEDERAL BUILDING AS WELL AS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE FURNITURE STORE, RIGHT. WE SHOULD SEE.
OKAY. YEAH. I, WHEN I, WHEN I HEARD $7 MILLION, I HAD TO WRITE IT DOWN. I WAS LIKE, IS THAT IS THAT WHAT I SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR? BUT JUST TO KNOW THAT THERE'LL BE SOME INCREASES THERE. AND THEN YOU SAID IN RETURN THAT MONEY MADE FROM THE FROM THOSE TAXES WILL GO INTO REINVESTMENT WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. YES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO I JUST WANT TO THROW THIS OUT THERE WHILE WE'RE PLANNING FOR THAT MONEY. I THINK WE HAVE SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITY DOWNTOWN TO DO SOME GOOD THINGS, POSSIBLY MAYBE EVEN A FOOD TRUCK PARK. ONE DAY WE CAN INVEST IN AN AREA THAT OF SUCH. THOSE ARE REALLY, REALLY POPULAR IN HOUSTON.
BEAUMONT MISSED THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT. SO I THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE TO DO SOME REALLY INTERESTING THINGS WITH THAT REINVESTING DOWNTOWN. AND I THINK ALSO, TOO, THAT CAN KIND OF HELP US START TO MITIGATE THE FOOD DESERT ACTIVITY THAT WE HAVE IN THAT AREA, AS WELL, AS WELL AS SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES TOO, BECAUSE THEY, IN RETURN, GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO BENEFIT. I DID ALSO HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING, LYNN, AT THE END ABOUT THE MOTIVA BUILDING. IF IT COMES ONLINE TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR, AFFECTING THE THE BUDGET 2028. YEAH, FOR 2028. SO IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT IT IN A NEGATIVE WAY OR POSITIVE WAY? JUST WANT TO POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE WAY. OKAY. JUST WANTED TO BE SURE. AND THEN ALSO TO TWO MORE QUESTIONS. THE INSPECTORS. HOW MANY ADDITIONAL INSPECTORS ARE WE LOOKING TO ADD TO THAT DEPARTMENT? WE'RE REQUESTING TWO. ONE INSPECTOR IN PLANNING AND ZONING AND ONE IN BUILDING PERMITTING. AND THAT WOULD ADD TO A TOTAL OF HOW MANY INSPECTORS THAT WE HAVE THAT WOULD GIVE US WE WERE SPLIT UP AMONGST DIVISIONS.
OKAY. SO WE HAVE THREE INSPECTORS IN DEMOLITION THAT WOULD PROVIDE US WITH TWO INSPECTORS IN PLANNING AND ZONING, TWO INSPECTORS THAT WOULD DEAL WITH SHORT TERM RENTALS AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT. AND WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 7 TO 8 INSPECTORS IN CODE ENFORCEMENT. OKAY, PERFECT. AND I JUST WANTED TO
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HIGHLIGHT THAT BECAUSE AS AS OUR CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, I DON'T THINK WE ALL HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE THE POLICY PUT IN PLACE TO ENFORCE THOSE THINGS. WE JUST NEEDED THE MANPOWER, WHICH IS WHY THIS IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, ESPECIALLY FOR FOR ME ON THE WEST SIDE WITH DISTRICT ONE, WE HAVE APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT HAVE BEEN TREATING RESIDENTS LIKE CRAP FOR YEARS, AND WE HAVE NOT HAD A WAY TO EFFECTIVELY ENFORCE IT. AND I KNOW WE RECENTLY, BEFORE I GOT HERE, PASSED THAT LEGISLATION TO WHERE THEY WILL BE FINED $2,000 A DAY. BUT I THINK SOME MINIMUM HOUSING FOR THE MINIMUM HOUSING STANDARDS. HOWEVER, YOU GOT TO HAVE THE PERSON TO BE ABLE TO ENFORCE THAT. AND SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THE MAGNITUDE OF HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE IS TO GET OUR GET THE MANPOWER OUT THERE TO THE OPERATIONS TO MEET THE POLICY. THAT'S RIGHT. AND THEN ALSO TO I JUST HAD ONE LAST QUESTION, AND IT WAS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION. IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE EXPENDITURES BY DEPARTMENT, I SAW THERE WAS AN INCREASE THERE. IT WAS A 2.6 COMPARISON PERCENTAGE FOR THE CIVIC CENTER. JUST WANTED TO SEE IF WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO PLAN ON DOING SOME UPGRADING TO THAT FACILITY. I REALLY FEEL AS THOUGH THE CIVIC CENTER CAN BRING IN SOME REAL GOOD REVENUE. IF WE WERE TO HAVE A GREAT QUALITY BUILDING, I CAN SEE CONCERTS BEING HOSTED THERE AGAIN. I COULD SEE MUCH MORE. BUT THE CIVIC CENTER IN MY. IN MY OPINION, AND THIS IS STRICTLY MY OPINION, HAS NOT HAD ANY MAJOR UPGRADES TO ITS INFRASTRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY WISE OR ANYTHING. WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE COME IN AND THEY HAVE EVENTS, THEY HAVE TO BRING IN THEIR OWN SOUND IF THEY WANT BETTER SOUND. I MEAN, WE HAVE THE PROJECTORS THERE, BUT NO REAL INTENTIONAL PLANNING, I WOULD SAY HAS BEEN GOING INTO ADDING TO MAKING THAT BUILDING MORE TO RECEIVE MORE. WE GOT TO INVEST IN IT IF WE WANT TO SEE MORE REVENUE COME IN FROM IT. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD PLANNED. I SEE THERE'S A 22.6 PERCENTAGE CHANGE THERE FOR THE GENERATING 2.6%, BUT THEN, OKAY, IT'S NOT FOR CAPITAL UNDER THE CAPITAL PART OF IT. THAT'S FROM THE GENERAL FUND. UNDER THE CAPITAL FUND PART OF IT, WE HAVE A MAJOR INVESTMENT IN A GENERATOR THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE AVAILABLE THROUGH ENTERGY. YES. YEAH. THERE IS A SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR ENTERGY THAT WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN. AND I THINK PART OF IT, YES, PART OF IT, HAVE ALREADY COME TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL, BUT PART OF IT WILL BE FUNDED IN THE NEW BUDGET AS WELL. BUT THAT'S JUST FOR THE ENERGY PART OF IT. NOW, I HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH OUR DIRECTOR OUT THERE. WE HAVE ASKED HIM TO PROVIDE ME WITH A MASTER PLAN FOR UPGRADES. PERFECT. YEAH. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PARK IN THE PARKING IS HORRIBLE. I THINK WE NEED TO DO SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PARKING AS WELL AS TO THE BUILDING IN ITSELF. SO ADAM IS WORKING ON THAT. WE HAD THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO. WE HAD A DISCUSSION BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO, AS YOU RIGHTLY SAID, TO BRING OUR FACILITY UP TO PAR WITH OTHER FACILITIES OUT THERE. SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. YES, SURE. I'M SORRY. ALSO, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, MR. JESSE DEAN, AND DEVELOPING A FACILITIES MASTER PLAN. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THE FACILITIES WITHIN THE CITY. ITS CURRENT CONDITION, IF IMPROVEMENTS NEED TO BE MADE, OR IF WE NEED TO START DEVELOPING PLANS FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF A LOT OF THESE BUILDINGS DUE TO AGE AND DETERIORATION. SO THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. WE WERE PROVIDED WITH A PRELIMINARY SCOPE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY ALL OF OUR FACILITIES TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT MISSING ANYTHING. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL SHOULD SEE COMING ONLINE VERY SOON. PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I REALLY JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT YOU'RE DOING IT IN A MASTER PLAN WAY, BECAUSE THE MASTER PLAN GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE VERY, VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHICH BUILDINGS YOU TOUCH FIRST AND WHY AND HOW. AND IT GIVES GIVES COUNCIL AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHENEVER THAT DOES START COMING TO US, THE PURPOSE OF WHY WE'RE DOING THIS BUILDING FIRST INSTEAD OF THAT BUILDING TO BE INTENTIONAL WITH MOVING FORWARD. SO I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT MASTER PLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. WELCOME, COUNCILMEMBER FRANK. THANK YOU, MAYOR, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. VERY INSIGHTFUL. YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS SAY PEOPLE DON'T DO WHAT YOU EXPECT. THEY DO WHAT YOU EXPECT. BUT LYNN, I WANT TO SAY TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF, I CAN APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH AND I, I TRUST YOU, I TRUST YOU, I TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS, AND I TRUST YOUR WORK. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU, STAFF, FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE, AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF IT. JUST A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I WANT TO ASK AS WE'RE GOING FORWARD. AND I WAS MAKING SOME NOTES. THE FIRST QUESTION I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS THE INDUSTRIAL PAYMENTS. YOU WERE SAYING THAT THERE WAS NO STEADY, SIGNIFICANT INCREASE. OF COURSE WE GO. WE HAVE AN IDA AGREEMENT AND ALL OF THAT. BUT I THINK AS WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO AND[00:40:04]
GO INTO THOSE DELIBERATIONS, I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SOME KIND OF ADJUSTMENT AND THINK ABOUT TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE AS WE'RE WATCHING LNG AND OIL BOOM, WE OUGHT TO BE A PART OF THAT BOOM. AND SO WE OUGHT TO BE GETTING, YOU KNOW, WE OUGHT NOT BE HELD STEADY WHEN THEY'RE BOOMING. SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT AS WE'RE GOING FORWARD. AND SO I THINK THAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO DO THAT, DECREASE USE OF FUND BALANCE FOR BALANCING. OF COURSE, WE LOOK AT WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT AND YOU YOU TALKED YOU TALKED ABOUT YOU TALKED ABOUT THAT. I WAS LOOKING AT THE HUMAN RESOURCES PART OF YOUR PRESENTATION, WHERE WE WENT UP 6.5% IN HUMAN RESOURCES. THAT'S HOSPITALIZATION AND ALL OF THAT IS THAT THAT INCREASE, THAT 6.5%, COUNCILMAN. IT REPRESENTS ONE. THE INTRODUCTION. WELL, THE INTRODUCTION OF A COMPREHENSIVE OR ORGANIZATION WIDE TRAINING PLAN. THERE WAS A MASTER TRAINING ITEMS WE WANT TO DO. IT ALSO REPRESENTS THE ADDITION OF AN ENTIRE DIVISION.AS YOU RECALL, THE MANAGER ADDED THE COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING DIVISION. AND SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES UP THAT INCREASE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND THEN I SAW THE PUBLIC WORKS WENT UP BY 10%. DID WE HAVE WE ADDED THE PIPE BURSTING CREWS YET? NOT THAT THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY NEW PIPE BURSTING CREWS. RIGHT. NOTICE THAT WE HAVE INCLUDED ADDITIONAL CREWS FOR THE ROAD, FOR THE STREET FOR STREET PROGRAM. WELL, YES, STREETS, DRAINAGE STREETS AND DRAINAGE. OKAY. YES. ALRIGHT. YEAH. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TALKING AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, I MEAN, THOUGHT ABOUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT.
CALVIN'S COMING BEHIND YOU. PERSON CREWS ADDED IN THE BUDGET. WE BOUGHT ALL THE EQUIPMENT. WAS READY TO START POSTING. THAT'S FOR UTILITIES. THAT'S UTILITIES THING. OKAY.
WHEN WE GET TO THAT, IT'S NOT COVERED. IT WAS ALL PUT IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. WE'VE GOT ALL THE EQUIPMENT ORDERED, MOST OF IT'S DELIVERED, AND THEN WE'RE THEN WE'LL BE HIRING THE POSITIONS WE'VE STARTED WITH THE POSITIONS. OKAY. IT'S IT TOOK A LOT LONGER TO GET THIS EQUIPMENT THAN I EVER THOUGHT IT WOULD, BUT IT'S NOT ON A SHELF, NOT A PROBLEM. WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT THAT, GOT THAT WORKING WITH THOSE PIPE BURSTING CREWS. SO WE WILL HAVE A AN ADDITIONAL PIPE BURSTING CREW. IS THAT THE ANSWER TO THAT? OKAY, AWESOME.
GREAT. LET ME JUST ADD TO WITH THE WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. AS YOU KNOW, SUHAIL, WE BROUGHT ON SUHAIL WITH THE POSITION WHEN LES MCMAHON AND THE OTHERS WERE THERE. THAT'S RIGHT. SO THERE IS A LOT MORE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES RIGHT NOW AS WE CONTINUE TO ORGANIZE THEIR WORKLOADS AND AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON PROJECTS, CAPITAL PROJECTS IN THERE. SO YOU SEE DOCTOR HANEY PLAYING A KEY ROLE WITH BOTH DEPARTMENTS AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAXIMIZE OUR RESOURCES AS WE CONTINUE TO UNDERTAKE THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE UNDERTAKING AS WELL. WE HAVE ALSO BROUGHT IN A FEW MORE INSPECTORS OUT THERE, AND WHO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH US TO ENSURE THAT THE CONTRACTORS PROVIDE A MUCH BETTER QUALITY JOB AS WE CONTINUE TO LET PROJECTS OUT FOR CONTRACTS. AS I OUR STREET, OUR STREET PROGRAM. SO BY NEXT YEAR AROUND THAT TIME, YOU WILL SEE THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCTS THAT WE ARE GETTING. THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE AND THERE'S A MUCH BETTER REPORTING TAKING PLACE. AS COUNCILMAN FRANK NORMALLY SAYS, PEOPLE ALWAYS EXPECT YOU INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT OR YOU EXPECT, WHAT YOU INSPECT WHAT YOU EXPECT. SO WE'LL SEE A LOT OF THAT BEING DONE OUT THERE IN THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. SO AND THE THE PROFESSIONAL ABILITY HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY UPGRADED OUT THERE. AS I TOLD THEM, WE WILL FOCUS A LOT, ESPECIALLY ON THE STREETS PART OF IT. WE HAD A DISCUSSION YESTERDAY ABOUT CONCRETE STREETS. THERE WILL BE AN ENTIRE PROGRAM FOR CUTTING OF CONCRETE STREETS, AND WE WILL MOVE AWAY GRADUALLY FROM PATCHING OUR CONCRETE ASPHALT, YOU KNOW, AND WE WE ALLOCATE RESOURCES ENTIRELY TO JUST CUTTING AND, AND MAKING THE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS IN AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THOSE CONCRETE, JUST LIKE YOU SEE IN THE NEIGHBORING CITIES OUT THERE WHERE THEY DO A FABULOUS BROUGHT STAFF OUT THERE IN NEIGHBORING NETHERLANDS TO SHOW
[00:45:02]
THEM, LISTEN, THIS IS HOW IT NEEDS TO BE DONE. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO DOWN, JIMMY JOHNSON, IT'S LIKE YOU'RE ON A SPACECRAFT. YOU DON'T GET A GOOD RIDE OUT THERE. OKAY, SO FROM NEXT YEAR, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE CHANGES TAKING PLACE OUT THERE. THANK YOU.WELL, I GOT A FEW MORE QUESTIONS. OKAY. GO AHEAD, KEEP GOING. I APPRECIATE THE JOB, JESSE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'M. THANK YOU. MAYOR. YOU'RE SO KIND. I. I APPRECIATE THE JOB.
JESSE SEWELL, CALVIN AND DOCTOR HANEY DO. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN RESPONSIVE IN THAT AREA, SO I APPRECIATE THEM. WHEN WE GOT TO THE ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL, OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT NEEDS HELP. OUR OUR ATTORNEY DOES A GREAT JOB, BUT SHE'S UNDERSTAFFED. AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, SHE WANTS TO HIRE SOMEBODY TRYING TO HIRE PEOPLE, BUT SHE CAN'T ATTRACT INDIVIDUALS, FOR WHATEVER REASON, TO THE GREAT CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. PEOPLE AREN'T AREN'T BEATING DOWN OUR DOORS TO COME. SO MAYBE WE NEED TO GIVE INCREASE TO THE POSITION ATTORNEY OR WHATEVER TO ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE TO HELP IN THAT OFFICE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS. RIGHT? AND SHE HAS FELT UNDERSTAFFED AND WORKING HARD THERE. BUT WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO HELP THAT AS WELL, I DON'T KNOW. WE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY. WAS IT MONDAY WHEN WE HAD OUR MEETING? YEAH. WITH OUR ASSISTANT THAT SHE DIDN'T ASK ME TO DO THAT EITHER. OKAY. SHE DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO.
WE'RE TREATING HER RIGHT NOW. WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT SHE GET THE RESOURCES THAT SHE NEEDS.
AS SHE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, I. ONE EXAMPLE IS THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT. AS WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE LEGAL CHALLENGES THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FORTH FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER, WE HAVE BEEN PAYING FROM THE GENERAL FUND. THEY'VE GOT TO PAY. THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT HAS TO PAY RIGHT NOW. IT'S TIME THAT THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT PAY. SO ONE OF THE CHANGES THAT I'M MAKING IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE UTILITY, AS WE CONTINUE TO SECURE THE EXPERT ADVICE THAT WE NEED LEGALLY, THAT THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF IT. OKAY. AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET AS WELL, THE ONLY THING THAT I THE ONLY THING THAT I, I SEE GOING FORWARD IS DOWN THE LINE. I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE, THE, THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND THE WATER DEPARTMENT AND ALL THOSE THINGS. I'VE BEEN TO SOME CONFERENCES AND THEY WERE IN THE USE OF KIOSKS IN OUR, IN OUR DAILY OPERATION, ADDING THOSE INTO OUR DAY IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT, TAKING FEES BECAUSE THEY DON'T TAKE A FEE OF ONE OF OUR CITIZENS GETS IN A PROBLEM OR WHATEVER THEY HAVE TO GO AND STAY IN INCARCERATED OR WHATEVER, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T PAY THE FEES. AND I'VE TALKED TO THE CHIEF ABOUT IT. WE CAN PUT KIOSKS THERE AND PUT KIOSKS IN THE WATER DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD HELP US AS WELL. SO JUST FUTURISTICALLY LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET AND LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD. AND THEN I KNOW THAT WE'RE CLOSE. AND THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY IS, IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO ASK DEPARTMENT HEADS TO TRY TO WORK TOWARD A 10% DECREASE SO THAT YOU WON'T BE CLOSE. BUT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS TRIM A LITTLE FAT. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. OKAY. COUNCILMEMBER PENA YEAH, THANK YOU. MAYOR. WELL, FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE I THINK IT'S I THINK IT LOOKS BETTER THAN THAN THE LAST TIME WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS BEEN MY MY QUESTION IS, HOW MUCH OVERTIME DID WE SPEND LAST YEAR? AND WHICH OF THE DEPARTMENTS HAD THE MOST OVERTIME? WELL, THERE ARE TWO. JUST FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD, THERE ARE TWO DEPARTMENTS THAT CONTINUE TO PRODUCE A LOT OF OVERTIME, WHICH HAS. THERE HAVE BEEN A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ONE. AND THAT IS THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT IN OUR WASTEWATER DEPARTMENT, WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE WHO WORK AT NIGHTS AND ON WEEKENDS. YOU KNOW, WE HAD THAT OVERTIME HAS BEEN REDUCED ALMOST BY 40 TO 50%. IS DOCTOR HANEY HERE? DOCTOR. AND INFORM THE COUNCIL. I HAVE MADE CERTAIN STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO THE IN THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT AND IN HOW INDIVIDUALS ARE ASSIGNED TO WORK SHIFTS OUT THERE. I'VE ALSO MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE SUPERVISION PART OF IT, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE THAT ACCOUNTABILITY IS FIRST AND FOREMOST, I. THERE ARE WORK ORDERS. YOU JUST DON'T GO OUT
[00:50:02]
AND TELL ME THAT YOU WORKED OVER THE WEEKEND AND YOU WORK 15, 16 HOURS. NO, I NEED TO SEE A WORK ORDER. AND THAT WORK ORDER HAS TO BE CROSS CHECKED AT THE END OF THE WORKING WEEK TO MAKE SURE THAT IT TABULATES WHEN WAGES ARE BEING TABULATED. SO THERE HAS BEEN MUCH MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WATER UTILITY, AND THAT HAS DECREASED THE OVERTIME SIGNIFICANTLY. THE OTHER AREA THAT WE HAVE LITTLE OR NO. JUST YESTERDAY WE WERE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THERE IS AN INCREASE IN OVERTIME IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS WELL, BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT PEOPLE LEAVE TO GO ON TRAINING. SO OTHER PEOPLE HAVE TO FIT IN FOR THEM AS WELL. AND THAT WAS THE DISCUSSION LAST YEAR OF OF THE COUNCIL WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BUT THAT ONE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR US. YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT EXPANDING SERVICES AND BUILDING NEW FIRE STATIONS AS WELL. BUT, DOCTOR, IF YOU DON'T MIND. YES, SIR. MR. BURTON EXPLAINED IT VERY PROPERLY OF HOW WE ARE TRYING TO MANAGE THE OVERTIME. WE JUST GOT TO REMEMBER THAT THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT IS 365 DAYS A YEAR, 24 HOURS A DAY. THAT HAS TO OPERATE AND RESPOND TO CALLS THAT WE RECEIVE AFTER HOURS, THE WAY WE ARE TRYING TO MANAGE IT NOW IS THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THAT DIVISION. THE MANAGER OF THAT DIVISION WILL HAVE TO APPROVE ALL OVER TIME THAT IS WORKED, AND THE JUSTIFICATION HAS TO BE PROVIDED TO THE DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR THAT OVERTIME. AND THIS OVERTIME IS SEASONAL. SO LIKE ON THE WATER DISTRIBUTION SIDE WHERE WE MADE ALL THESE CHANGES, WE'RE EXPECTING THAT OVERTIME TO DROP BY $150,000. THIS YEAR, THE BUDGETED WAS AROUND 900,000.SO WE'RE GOING TO BE AT 750. ONE OF THE HIGH OVERTIME WE HAVE IS ALSO IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE BECAUSE OF ALL THE CALLS THAT WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO FOR THE BAD METERS THAT WE HAVE IN THE GROUND. BUT WITH THE METER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM WE HAVE GOING ON, WE ALREADY REPLACED 6000 OF THESE METERS. SO BY NEXT YEAR, THAT OVERTIME IS ALSO GOING TO DROP DRASTICALLY BECAUSE WE WILL NOT HAVE ALL THE WORK ORDERS WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH. SO BUT BUT PLEASE REMEMBER, WE DEAL WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY AND WE HAVE TO RESPOND. IF SOMEBODY CALLS AT 7 P.M. ON SUNDAY OR 2 A.M. ON SATURDAY AND THEY CANNOT FLUSH THEIR COMMODE, WE HAVE TO SEND PEOPLE OUT. SO OUR GOAL IS TO MANAGE THE OVERTIME, MAKE SURE IT'S JUSTIFIED, BUT IT WILL ALWAYS BE THERE FOR THE UTILITIES DEPARTMENT. SO UTILITIES. AND WHAT OTHER ONE DID YOU. STATE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING AS WELL WITH THE OVERTIME, WE ARE TRYING TO REPLACE NOT HAVING TECHNOLOGY TO REPLACE THE OVERTIME, ESPECIALLY IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PART OF IT. YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT NEW PROGRAMS THAT WE COULD HAVE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE WHERE THE CALLS COULD BE ROUTED OR REROUTED AS FAR AS THAT IS CONCERNED. AND WE THINK THAT WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN OVERTIME. WE ARE ADDING ONE MORE POSITION, BUT THAT'S ON THE THE THE ENTERPRISE FUND FOR UTILITIES COORDINATOR THAT WE HAVE HAD IN WORKING PART TIME, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE GOING TO ADD THAT ONE MORE POSITION TO THEM, AND WE THINK THERE WILL BE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR COORDINATION OF WORK. YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE OVERTIME IS CONCERNED. AND AS FAR AS RESPONDING, MAKING AN IMPROVED RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST OF CUSTOMERS AS WELL, BECAUSE THERE IS STILL THE, THE, THE CONCERNS OF OUR CUSTOMERS THAT LISTEN, I CALL AND I'VE GOT TO CALL THREE TIMES BEFORE I CAN GET A RESPONSE. YEAH. YOU KNOW. YEAH. AND THAT'S MY MAIN CONCERN JUST ABOUT MAKING THE CITY MORE EFFICIENT. AND, AND THAT'S A SOMETHING I WANTED TO BRING UP. AND YOU JUST MENTIONED IT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE OUTSOURCING OR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CALLS WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I ALSO HAD ANOTHER QUESTION. HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE? ARE WE BUDGETING FOR VACANT POSITIONS? VACANT POSITIONS ARE BUDGETED AS IF THEY ARE FILLED BECAUSE I HAVE TO GO AHEAD AND PLAN AS IF WE ARE STARTING WITH A FULL CADRE OF THE EMPLOYEES AND MAKE SURE THAT THE FUNDS ARE THERE AND AVAILABLE. OKAY, SO LAST YEAR, DID WE FILL ALL THOSE POSITIONS AS FAR AS WHAT WE BUDGETED? NO, NO, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO BE FUNDED. THOSE POSITIONS CONTINUE TO BE FUNDED. AND AS LYNN SAID, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE ATTEMPTS TO FILL THEM AS AS THEY BECOME NECESSARY. YES. AS WELL AS THAT, APART FROM THE VACANT POSITIONS, WE DO HAVE A
[00:55:08]
TEMP SERVICE THAT WE RUN AS WELL. AND THE REQUEST FOR WE HAVE A CONTRACT IN PLACE WITH AUGUST. GO AHEAD. WE DO HAVE TWO TEMPORARY AGENCIES WHICH PROVIDE US WITH EMPLOYEES. AND OF COURSE FOR THOSE THERE ARE NO BENEFITS ATTACHED. IT'S JUST THE SALARIES THAT WE PAY THOSE EMPLOYEES. WE ALSO WOULD REMIND COUNCIL THAT AS WE FILL POSITIONS, WE ALSO CREATE VACANCIES BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE POSITIONS THAT WE PROMOTED ARE MOVE NOW BECOME VACANT. OKAY.SO OKAY, SO ON THAT ONE, WE DO USE THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE FOR TEMPS WHEN WE CAN'T FILL THE POSITIONS. SO WE ARE USING THAT MONEY FOR TEMPS. AND ONE MORE THING ON THE OVERTIME WE'VE RAN THE NUMBERS IN TERMS OF HAVING THREE SHIFTS WITH THREE DIFFERENT CREWS OR TWO SHIFTS WITH TWO DIFFERENT CREWS, IT WILL COST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE, LIKE MORE THAN 70 TO 80% TO ACTUALLY ELIMINATE THE OVERTIME BY RUNNING MORE CREWS AND MORE PEOPLE. SO DOING THE WORK AND RESPONDING ON OVERTIME IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN ELIMINATING OVERTIME BY ADDING STAFF. YEAH.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE IN, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATING OVERTIME 100% BECAUSE I DO KNOW THAT IT'S MORE EFFICIENT. IT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. IT'S MORE EFFICIENT TO HAVE THESE JOBS AND PAY SOME OVERTIME THAN TO JUST FILL TEN MORE POSITIONS. YEAH. WITH THE BENEFITS AND ALL THAT. YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YEAH. I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE FEE SCHEDULE. YES. THANK YOU. WE SET BEFORE YOU THE FEE SCHEDULE. AND THIS IS PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT ALL OF THE FEES IN THE CITY. AND AS THE CITY MANAGER HAD MENTIONED, I HAVE ONE UP THERE, 38 PAGES OF THESE FEES. A LOT OF THINGS. ONCE AGAIN, TYPES OF FUNDS. JUST TO REITERATE, WITH THE PURPOSES OF EACH OF THOSE FUNDS, YOU HAVE THE DEFINITION OF OF FEES, KIND OF A LOOSE DEFINITION FOR THE SERVICES THAT WE DO FOR THE FEES. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT IMPACT FEES BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T BEEN CHARGING VERY MUCH. AND IT HAS BEEN SUCH A VERY LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE GONE OVER ALL FEES.
AND THIS GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND TYPES OF FEES. THAT WE HAVE. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVEN'T ENGAGED IN A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW, AND WE ARE PLANNING ON DOING THAT FOR THIS YEAR, WHICH IS THIS IS GOING TO REALLY BE OUR FIRST TIME PRESENTING TO YOU WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. AND THAT IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT AS WE LOOK AT THESE FEES AS WELL. AND THERE MAY BE SOME CHANGES ON THE REVENUE SIDE IN ANTICIPATION OF SOME OF THESE INCREASE IN FEES, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AT THIS POINT, I PROBABLY WILL DEFER TO MISS LANGFORD.
SHE HAS A LOT OF FEES AS WELL, AND SHE CAN TELL YOU THAT THE FEES DON'T COVER SOME OF THE COSTS. AND IT IT JUST DOES SWING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER. WE WANT TO BE FAIR, BUT WE ALSO DON'T WANT TO SUBSIDIZE THE THINGS THAT OTHER CITIZENS ARE NOT NEEDING TO PAY FOR THEMSELVES. AND YOU HAVE YOUR LIST OF ALL THE DIFFERENT FEE SCHEDULES. I CAN ONLY TALK ABOUT FINANCE, WHICH IS THE LAST ONE. WE HAVE NO INCREASE. ALL WE ALL WE CHARGE IS THE NSF, THE NON-SUFFICIENT FUNDS, OR BOUNCED CHECK FEES. AND THOSE ARE ACTUALLY PASSED THROUGH WHATEVER WE'RE CHARGED FOR THE BANK, WE JUST PASS THROUGH TO WHOEVER IT AFFECTS. SO THERE'S NOT AN INCREASE. WE'RE NOT MAKING MONEY OFF OF ANYTHING. AND THEN WE JUST STILL HAVE OUR 3% CREDIT CARD FEE AND FINANCE. SO WE'RE NOT ANTICIPATING REQUESTING AT ALL AN INCREASE IN FEES. WE'RE WE'RE STILL FINE WITH WHERE WE ARE IN OUR FINANCE FEES, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT ONES. SOME HAVE THE VERY FIRST ONE HAS THE PROPOSAL AND THEN THE OTHERS.
WE HAVEN'T REALLY LOOKED AT. AND THIS IS WHAT THIS WHOLE POINT IS, IS FOR YOU TO SEE THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE'RE CHARGING, WHERE WE'RE NOT CHARGING ENOUGH, OR IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF SERVICE THAT THERE IS. AND SO THIS IS JUST ALL OF IT IS JUST FEES FOR
[01:00:04]
YOUR REVIEW. BUT LET ME JUST SHARE WITH COUNCIL BEFORE WE BEFORE PAM STARTS WITH THE FEES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT. WHEN OUR NEW CITY ATTORNEY CAME ON BOARD, ONE OF THE PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT SHE DRAFTED FOR US WAS FOR IMPACT FEES, WHERE YOU DEAL WITH LARGE DEVELOPMENTS, SUBDIVISIONS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE WHERE WE HAVE NOT BEEN COLLECTED FROM THE DEVELOPER WHO IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, YOU KNOW, FROM THOSE DEVELOPMENTS. AND SO IN AREAS LIKE MONT-BELLEVUE AND BETONG, AND I ACTUALLY VISITED WITH THE CITY MANAGER IN MONT-BELLEVUE, THEY HAVE INTRODUCED IMPACT FEES WHERE THE DEVELOPER PAYS UP FRONT. HIS FAIR SHARE FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE CITY, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL WE HAVE IN PLACE IS THE DEVELOPER COMES IN THERE. HE HE PAYS FOR HIS STREETS, HIS WASTEWATER, AND THIS KIND OF. AND WE ACCEPT THE WE ACCEPT THE INFRASTRUCTURE. BUT NO, THERE ARE CERTAIN CALCULATIONS THAT CAN BE DONE WHERE THE DEVELOPER HAS TO PAY UP FRONT AN IMPACT FEE. AND THAT IMPACT FEE IS SHARED NOT ONLY WITH THE CITY, BUT IT'S SHARED WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL, BECAUSE THOSE DEVELOPER WERE, LET'S SAY THEY BRING IN SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES IN A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE, MAY CAUSE 3 OR $400,000. THESE KIDS HAVE TO GO TO THE BEST SCHOOLS AROUND HERE WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY. THEY SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE. SO WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN MECHANISMS AND CERTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT HAS TO PUT IN PLACE, I.E. CERTAIN BOARDS THAT HAS TO BE PUT IN PLACE IN ORDER THAT WE CAN DO THE ASSESSMENTS THAT'S NECESSARY TO CREATE THE IMPACT FEES AND TO RECEIVE THEM. SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE TO FIRST DO THE STUDY FOR THOSE IMPACT FEES AND TO PUT IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE I THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS IN ORDER TO DO THOSE ASSESSMENTS, THOSE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS HAVE TO BE EQUIPPED WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO HAS THE EXPERTISE, WHETHER THEY'RE ENGINEERS OR WHOEVER IT IS, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET OUR FAIR SHARE OF IT.THOSE IMPACT FEES IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE STATE BECAUSE THEY STATE LEGISLATION THAT TELLS YOU HOW THEY SHOULD OPERATE AT THE END OF THE DAY. SO WE'RE GOING WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING INTO THAT DIRECTION AS WELL AS FAR AS IMPACT FEES IS CONCERNED, AND THAT WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE. GO AHEAD. FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. OUR FEE SCHEDULE BEGINS ON PAGE EIGHT AND ENDS ON PAGE 15. WHAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED FOR THE COUNCIL TODAY, WHICH IS REALLY CONCENTRATING MORE SO ON PAGE EIGHT. AND THAT WOULD BE THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEES ASSOCIATED WITH PLANNING AND ZONING. AS OUR BUILDING PERMITTING FEES ARE NORMALLY ADOPTED AS WE GO THROUGH AND WE UPDATE THE CODE INTO WHAT BUILDING CODES WE WOULD BE UTILIZING, YOU KNOW, IN ADOPTING FOR THE CITY, WE DO MAKE THOSE FEES UPDATES AT THAT TIME AS WE GO THROUGH OR ORDINANCE REVIEWS, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT AS WELL AS THE ANIMAL DEPARTMENT. WE MAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AS THAT AT THAT TIME, BASED ON THE FEES BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE ORDINANCES, SPECIFICALLY FOR PLANNING AND ZONING, THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEES GO BACK PROBABLY LONGER THAN 1989 SINCE WE DID OUR LAST FEE, COMPREHENSIVE FEE UPDATE FOR MOST OF THE APPLICATIONS AND PROCESSES THAT WE DEAL WITH.
JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND, THE CURRENT PLANNING AND ZONING FEE SCHEDULE HAS REMAINED LARGELY UNCHANGED AGAIN SINCE 1989. DURING THAT TIME, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAS EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN APPLICATION COMPLEXITY, REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, PUBLIC NOTIFICATION OBLIGATIONS, STAFF COORDINATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPECTATIONS. MOST PLANNING AND ZONING APPLICATIONS REQUIRE REVIEW BY MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING PLANNING, BUILDING, INSPECTIONS, ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS, UTILITIES, FIRE PREVENTION, AND THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH MORE COMPLEX CASES, MANY APPLICATIONS ALSO REQUIRE
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DETAILED ZONING AND PROPERTY RESEARCH, PREPARATION OF STAFF REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, GIS MAPPING, PUBLIC HEARING NOTICES, NEWSPAPER PUBLICATIONS, CERTIFIED MAILINGS, THE PNC COMMISSION REVIEW, CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATIONS IN PREPARATIONS OF ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE CASES. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF COMPLETED A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF PLANNING AND ZONING FEE SCHEDULES FROM COMPARABLE TEXAS MUNICIPALITIES, INCLUDING THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, BAYTOWN, GALVESTON, DESOTO, MISSOURI CITY, PEARLAND LEAGUE CITY AND THERE ARE A FEW OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT WE LOOKED AT, SUCH AS NEDERLAND GROVES, PORT NECHES IN THE CITY OF ORANGE. THE REVIEW FOUND THAT THE PORT ARTHUR'S CURRENT $125 APPLICATION FEE THAT WE CHARGE FOR MOST CASES IS SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THAT OF COMPARABLE MUNICIPALITIES. SEVERAL COMPARABLE CITIES CHARGE BETWEEN 300 AND $500 FOR STANDARD ZONING APPLICATIONS. LARGER MUNICIPAL MUNICIPALITIES ROUTINELY CHARGE BETWEEN 1000 TO $3000 FOR ZONING AMENDMENTS AND SITE PLAN REVIEWS, AND CURRENT PORT ARTHUR FEE RECOVER ONLY A FRACTION OF TIME NECESSARY TO PROCESS THESE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS. I RAN A REPORT YESTERDAY, AND I JUST PULLED TWO ZONING CASES JUST AS A SAMPLE. THERE WAS A CASE THAT WAS BROUGHT TO COUNCIL IN 2025. WELL, ACTUALLY TWO CASES THAT I COMPARED IN 2025. ONE WAS A COMPREHENSIVE ZONING CHANGE WHERE WE WANTED TO ADD AUTO REPAIR SHOPS TO BE OPERATED IN LIGHT, COMMERCIAL, HEAVY COMMERCIAL AND AN INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS BECAUSE THAT WAS A CITY WIDE IMPACT FOR PUBLICATION ALONE. IT WAS OVER $1,200 THAT WAS SPENT TO WORK THAT ZONING CASE. THAT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR STAFF TIME. THAT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR LEGAL REVIEW. THAT DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER COSTS, ASSOCIATED PRINTING OF DOCUMENTS AND SO FORTH. THAT WAS JUST PUBLIC NOTIFICATION.THAT WAS TO GET THOSE NOTIFICATIONS OUT IN THE WATER BILL, AS WELL AS THE CERTIFIED LETTERS. I'M SORRY. PUT OUT THE NEWS PUBLICATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO DO ON A SMALLER LEVEL.
ANOTHER ZONING CASE WHERE THERE WERE ONLY SEVEN PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE 200 FOOT RADIUS FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NEWSPAPER, AS WELL AS CERTIFIED MAIL OUTS FOR SEVEN INDIVIDUALS. IT COST OVER $200. I BELIEVE IT WAS $240 ON AVERAGE, JUST FOR PUBLICATION AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT CASE. OUR ADMINISTRATIVE FEE IS $125. SO IT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE DON'T SCRATCH THE SURFACE. WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS NOT TO MAKE A PROFIT OFF OF THE FEE CHANGE, BUT SIMPLY JUST TO BREAK EVEN WITH THE AMOUNT OF WORK AND COST THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGING MOST OF THE CASES THAT COME THROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING. SO IF YOU REFER TO PAGE EIGHT, THE PROPOSED FEE WOULD BE THE SECTION THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN BLUE. AND AGAIN, WE DID DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AT LOOKING AT OTHER TEXAS MUNICIPALITIES, WHAT THEIR FEE STRUCTURE LOOKED LIKE. WE DEFINITELY DID A COMPARISON OF OUR LOCAL OUR SISTER CITIES TO SEE WHAT THEIR FEE STRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE. OF COURSE, WE HANDLE A FEW MORE CASES THAN SOME OF OUR LOCAL PARTNERS DO, BUT WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH COMPARABLE CITIES WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS. I SEE IT. BUT WE WILL ADOPT THOSE. BUT WE WILL ADOPT THOSE. AND I TOLD LYNN, FROM HERE ON, AS WE CONTINUE TO PREPARE THE BUDGET, WE WILL ADOPT A FEE SCHEDULE EVERY YEAR WITH THE NEW BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP UP WITH INFLATION AS WELL. SO NOT SOMETHING THAT'S DONE EVERY 30 YEARS. IT WOULDN'T BE DONE EVERY 30 YEARS. WE'LL DO IT EVERY YEAR. YEAH. OKAY. AND IT WILL REFLECT THE MARKET AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE ANOTHER DEPARTMENT WE'RE CONTINUING. YES. I THINK WE'RE DONE WITH THE FEE SCHEDULE FOR NOW. I SEE PROPOSED. HEALTH DEPARTMENT FEES. LIBRARY FEES. IS THAT ARE
[01:10:02]
THEY ALL GOING TO. OR THIS IS JUST FOR US TO REVIEW OR ARE THEY COMING FORTH LIKE THIS DEPARTMENT? NO, IT'S JUST FOR THE COUNCIL'S EDIFICATION. IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT YOU MAY SEE, WHETHER YOU WANT TO BRING IT UP TODAY OR NOT, I MEAN, WE WILL BE STILL OPEN FOR COMMENT ON IT UNTIL THE ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET. WE SEE PARKS AND RECREATION FEES. LIBRARY, CIVIC CENTER. SO YOU WANT US TO JUST REVIEW THESE FEES. OH GO AHEAD. THESE ARE ALL PROPOSED FEES FOR CHANGE. YEAH. COUNCIL. THESE ARE THE FEE STRUCTURE AS THEY EXIST OTHER THAN THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICE PROPOSAL. WE ARE ASKING DEPARTMENTS TO GO BACK AND REVIEW THEIR FEES. ONE OF THE REASONS WE DIDN'T BRING THEM ALL TO YOU TODAY IS BECAUSE SOME OF THESE FEES ARE ALSO ATTACHED TO VARIOUS RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES, SO ALL THOSE WOULD HAVE TO BE UPDATED AT THE SAME TIME. SO WE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THE COUNCIL HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE FEES AS WE HAVE, AND AS THE CITY MANAGER, MISS LANGFORD SAID. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT THEM COMPREHENSIVELY IN OVER TWO DECADES. OH YEAH. WE NEED TO GET IT DONE. YEAH, WE REALLY DO. WHEN IS IT GOING? YEAH. SO WHEN IT PROBABLY MY THING IS WHEN WE GET IT DONE AND NOT JUST FOR THEM TO REVIEW IT. IT NEEDS TO IF IT HADN'T BEEN DONE IN 30 YEARS, WE HAVEN'T CHANGED IT. WE NEED JUST TO THEM TO FOLLOW AND DO EXACTLY WHAT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAVE DONE, AND LOOK AT WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING AND CHARGING IN THOSE AREAS AND GET LET'S GET IT DONE RIGHT. OKAY. COUNCILMEMBER GATEWOOD, THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION BECAUSE I WANTED TO ALSO HAVE THIS FOR MY KNOWLEDGE AS WELL. WHEN WE SAY COMPARABLE CITIES, WHAT WOULD THOSE BE? BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE NOT COMPARED TO PEARLAND OR MANVILLE EITHER. SO WHAT WOULD THOSE COMPARABLE CITIES BE FOR US? IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE COMPARING. WITH PLANNING AND ZONING, BECAUSE WE DEAL WITH LAND USE. WE DO TRY TO LOOK AT CITIES THAT SHARE SIMILAR TOPOGRAPHY. OKAY. WE DO LOOK AT POPULATION. WE DO LOOK AT INCOME LEVELS. SO THERE'S VARIOUS DIFFERENT ASPECTS. WHEN WE WHEN WE DEVELOP OUR LIST OF COMPARABLE CITIES, WE PULL IN CITIES LIKE OF COURSE BEAUMONT BY IT BEING ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES, WE PULL IN CITIES SUCH AS BAYTOWN, JUST KIND OF DUE TO THEIR MAKEUP.AND IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. GALVESTON IS MORE CLOSELY RELATED IN TERMS OF POPULATION, AS WELL AS BEING A COASTAL CITY. SO IT'S VARIOUS DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE LOOK AT WHEN DEVELOPING OUR COMPARABLE LIST. BUT WITH PLANNING AND ZONING, WE NORMALLY FOCUS MORE SO ON THE LAND. THE LOCATION IN POPULATION. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I SEE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY, SO THAT WAS GOOD TO KNOW THAT. HOW TO COMPARE IT IS BASED UPON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT SPECIFICALLY AND JUST TO MAYOR MOSES POINT AS WELL. I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY BENEFICIAL, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE'RE UPDATING THIS AND IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED IN 30 YEARS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START WITH THE REASON WHY. AND I THINK THE WAY YOU OUTLINED IT HERE TODAY IS VERY CLEAR. IT'S VERY EVIDENT.
IT'S VERY SIMPLE AS TO WHY THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. AND SO I WOULD ASK THAT ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE GOING TO COME BEFORE COUNCIL START WITH THE REASON WHY AND GIVE US AN EXPLANATION AND AN UNDERSTANDING MORE SO THAN THE EXPLANATION AS TO WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHAT YOU ALL UTILIZE AS A RESOURCE TOOL TO HELP YOU DICTATE THAT THIS IS THE EXACT COST THAT NEEDS TO BE TRANSPARENCY. AS WE'VE MENTIONED, WE THROW THAT WORD OUT QUITE A FEW TIMES A DAY IS GOING TO BE THE KEY TO GETTING THIS DONE, BECAUSE MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO PAY THIS NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE PAYING IT AND WHAT THEY'RE PAYING. BUT IT'S GOOD THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS. UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S 30 YEARS LATER FROM NOW, BUT IT MAY BE GOOD FOR US AT THIS POINT IN TIME BECAUSE AS THINGS CONTINUE TO GROW, IT'S GOING TO GET HIGHER AND HIGHER. SO I APPRECIATE YOU FOR ENLIGHTENING US AND EDUCATING US ON HOW YOU DO IT. AND I APPRECIATE YOU FOR STARTING WITH WHY. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMEMBER FRANK. YEAH. JUST ONE QUESTION. IT'S NOT ABOUT FEES. IT WAS A QUESTION THAT I WANTED TO ASK. GOLF COURSE IMPROVEMENTS. I GO TO THE YMCA AND THEY WEAR ME OUT ABOUT THAT GOLF COURSE. I'M THEY THEY WEAR ME OUT AT THE TABLE ABOUT THE GOLF COURSE. BUT WE SEE THAT THERE IS AN INCREASE FROM 5 MILLION TO 16 MILLION. THAT WAS INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE DID FOR THE DEEPENING OF THE PONDS AND ALL OF THAT. RIGHT. THAT'S HOW WE GOT TO THE THE 16 MILLION 187 INCREASE, 191% INCREASE. SO THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT PUMPS. THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE
[01:15:08]
INVESTED. I THINK WE HAVE THERE'S $5.5 MILLION THAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED FOR DRAINAGE PUMPS. YES. AND THEN I BELIEVE THERE IS I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THE CAPITAL OF BUDGET IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT WE JUST PUT IT ON THE GOLF COURSE. THAT IS CORRECT. THERE'S IRRIGATION. THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM IS ALSO BEING PROPOSED FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. OKAY. NO, THAT IS SEPARATE. FOR THE NEW FISCAL YEAR, WE WENT TO THE EDC UNDER THE FOUR B PROGRAM AND WE GOT EDC HAS PLEDGED $2.3 MILLION TO IMPROVE THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM AT THE GOLF COURSE. SO WE HAVE THAT ADDED IN AS WELL. WE'RE JUST WORKING NOW WITH DOCTOR HANEY AND HOPEFULLY THE NEW VENDORS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT COMES ON STREAM IN THE NEW FINANCIAL YEAR. THE NEW VENDORS. YES. THE FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM, THE. YES.OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. AND HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY, BASED ON THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH THE GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT, WE CAN LOOK AT A INVESTMENT OF AT LEAST 500 ZERO ZERO $0 THEREAFTER EVERY YEAR. BECAUSE I SAW WHAT I SAW IT WITH, IT BROKE EVEN 5000, 5000.
BUT WE HAD A NEW CONTRACT. I THINK THAT WOULD HELP US TO SEE, TO BEGIN TO REALIZE SOME SOME GAINS FOR THE CITY. HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY. YES. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE DID INSTITUTE A NEW CONTRACT WITH THEM. YES WE DID. WE HAVE A I THINK WE SHOULD BE IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE FOUR YEAR CONTRACT THAT WE DID. BUT AGAIN, YOU WILL SEE AS AN ATTRACTION AND AS A CITY ASSET, YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE MADE UP IN SALES TAX AS WELL. AS WE CONTINUE TO ATTRACT EVENTS, YOU KNOW, MUCH MORE HIGH END EVENTS ON THE GOLF COURSE. THOSE PARKS LOOK GREAT OUT THERE TOO. THEY DO, THEY DO. THEY LET THOSE PICKLEBALL COURTS AND ALL OF THAT. YEAH.
AND THEN WE ARE IN THIS NEW BUDGET. WELL, BEFORE WE COMPLETE THIS BUDGET HERE IN THIS YEAR, I'M WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY THE PICKLEBALL PARK OUT THERE TO CHANGE THE LIGHTING COMPLETELY ON BOTH THE PICKLEBALL PARK AND THE, THE BASKETBALL PARK. YEAH. ON SUNDAY, JUST ON SUNDAY, YOU HAD PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 60 AND 70 FROM THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY ON SUNDAY MORNING PLAYING BASKETBALL OUT THERE AT THE BASKETBALL PARK. YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. THE PICKLEBALL PARK IS FULL EVERY WEEKEND. EVERY WEEKEND. BASED ON THE IMPROVEMENTS WE HAVE DONE OUT THERE. I SEE MR. JOHNNY BROWNBACK THERE. HE CAN ORGANIZE A PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT FOR US. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THAT IS AWESOME. ANY OTHER LIGHTS? COUNCIL MEMBERS? ALL RIGHT, LYNN, THANK YOU TO THE STAFF. THANK YOU FOR WHAT WE RECEIVED IN OUR GENERAL FUND. I'M JUST HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE'RE NOT BALANCING OUR BUDGET WITH FUND BALANCE MONEY. THAT'S THAT'S THAT'S GOOD. AND THE COME FROM 3 MILLION TO 18 MILLION IN THE FUND BALANCE WITH THE PROPER FUNDING. YOU SAID 60 DAYS OF OPERATING AND PLUS 1.5 MILLION TO HAVE OVER THAT IS IS IS EXPLICIT. I JUST THANK YOU YOU ALL FOR THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. IT JUST SHOWS WHERE WE'VE COME FROM. SO THANK YOU ALL. WE'RE GOING TO NOW MOVE FOR AN ADJOURNMENT. MAY I GET A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY I. I. OUR MEETING IS ADJOURNED. WORKSHOP IS ADJOURNED AT 11:20 A.M. HAVE A GREAT DAY. WE'LL SEE Y'ALL NEXT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.