* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [CC Briefings 01202026] [00:00:07] I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER. WELCOME TONIGHT. WE HAVE SOME GREAT PRESENTATIONS STARTING OUT. UM, MAYOR'S TEAM COUNCIL, VNA. YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF 'EM HERE TO GO FORWARD? OR YOU WANT ME TO SLIDE IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT? NO, I THINK, WE'RE YOU READY? YEAH, WE'RE READY. GO AHEAD. VNA. HI. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. WANNA KNOW LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS OFFICER. UM, TONIGHT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM MEMBERS OF OUR MAYOR'S TEAM COUNCIL. OUR MAYOR'S TEAM COUNCIL STUDENTS ARE JUNIORS AND SENIORS WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED BY THEIR TEACHERS BECAUSE OF THEIR LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE. AS MEMBERS OF THE TEAM COUNCIL, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A SERVICE PROJECT THAT BENEFITS THEIR COMMUNITY. AND SO TONIGHT WE WILL LEARN ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS DIRECTLY FROM THEM. OKAY? OKAY. OKAY. WE'LL JUST GO TO THE, YOU'RE NOT HERE YET IS OUR YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY HERE? NO, WE HAVE JUST THE FIRST ONE. THE FIRST ONE. COLLEGIATE? YES. ALRIGHT. ARE Y'ALL READY TO COME UP? YES, MA'AM. WELCOME. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO MAKE SURE YOU, YOUR, AND YOU'LL CLICK THIS RIGHT ONE TO PUT YOUR VIDEO AND CLICK IT AGAIN TO PLAY. IS IT GONNA PLAY AUDIO? YES. OKAY. OKAY. YEAH. HELLO, WE'RE THE GRAND PRAIRIE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE MAYOR. SCENE COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS ROBERT EMRICH AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO TELL Y'ALL ABOUT OUR PROJECT. I, WE WANTED TO BRING MORE RECYCLING INITIATIVES TO BETTER CLEAN OUR COMMUNITY AND BRING IT TO, ESPECIALLY TO THE LOWER KIDS. AND WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IMPLEMENTING THIS ONTO OUR CAMPUS. SO AROUND OUR SCHOOL WE HAVE POSTERS OF RECYCLING, EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHAT RECYCLING IS, WHY WE NEED IT, AND WHAT MATERIALS YOU CAN AND CAN'T USE FOR RECYCLING. AND WE JUST THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE A STARTER INTRODUCTION INTO HAVING MORE STUDENTS CARE ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY AND THE SPACE THAT THEY'RE IN EVERY DAY. WE'VE ALSO DONE A LOT OF LIKE VOLUNTEER WORK IN THE SENSE OF LIKE BRINGING OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY TO REALLY SHOW SERVITUDE. AND THROUGH THIS, UH, THE DISTRICT HAD AN EVENT CALLED BARBECUE AND IT WAS MORE OF LIKE SCIENCE AND PLANET, LIKE PLANETS AND ASTROLOGY. AND SO WE TOOK OUR AMERICAN COUNCIL TEAM ALONG WITH A LOT OF THE CLUBS AT OUR SCHOOL TO, UM, DO VOLUNTEERING, CLEAN UP THE TRASH AT THE EVENT, RECYCLE, AND REALLY LIKE BRING IT TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER. AT THE BARBECUE, WE HAD A LOT OF GROUPS AND WE SPLIT THOSE GROUPS INTO, UH, CERTAIN SECTIONS. SO WE'D GIVE THEM CERTAIN AREAS AROUND THE SCHOOL AND WE'D TELL THEM, HEY, YOU GO PICK UP PLASTIC. YOU GO PICK UP PAPER, AND YOU GO PICK UP NON RECYCLABLES. AND THROUGHOUT EACH STUDENT THAT WAS PART OF THE EVENT, PICKED UP TRASH AND PUT 'EM IN A TRASH BAG. AND THEN WE ANALYZED IT AND WE SAID, CAN THIS BE RECYCLED OR CAN THIS NOT BE RECYCLED? SO THAT BROUGHT MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO RECYCLE AND KEEP GRAIN PRAIRIE CLEAN. WE ALSO LOOKED FOR A WAY TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT OUTSIDE OF OUR SCHOOL. AND WE DID THAT BY LOOKING AT OUR STREETS. WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD ALSO START THE PROCESS OF DOING ADOPT A STREET. GOOD. SO WE STARTED THIS PROCESS EARLIER LAST YEAR AND ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING OUR STREET ADOPTED. SO WE PICKED THE STREET RIGHT BY OUR SCHOOL, WHICH IS A SOUTHEAST STREET, FOURTH SOUTHEAST STREET. SO WE STARTED HAVING EVENTS TO HELP CLEAN UP THAT AREA AND BEAUTIFY THAT AREA. NOW OF COURSE, ALL OF THESE INITIATIVES COST MONEY. SO WE, WE APPLIED FOR A GRANT, A $400 GRANT WITH A NATURE SCIENCE, UH, CENTER. AND THROUGH THAT GRANT WE MADE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE'LL NEED. SO IT'S ALSO A BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT WHERE WE'RE GONNA LOOK TO MAKING GRAND PRAIRIE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE MORE PRESENTABLE ON THE OUTSIDE. SO WE HAD ADDED STUFF ONTO OUR LIST, SUCH AS SOIL, FERTILIZER, FLOWERS, AND WE EARNED THAT GRANT. AND WE'RE PLANNING OUR PROJECT TO BEGIN IN THE SPRING TO WHERE WE CAN START GROWING THESE FLOWERS TO MAKE OUR CAMPUS BEAUTIFUL. YES. YES. AND HERE IS OUR VIDEO. HELLO Y'ALL. WE ARE THE GRAND PRIX COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE MAYOR, TEAM COUNCIL MEMBERS. [00:05:02] OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE INITIATIVE IS TO HAVE A BEAUTIFICATION AND GARDEN PLAN. OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE A SAFER, MORE WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR STAFF, STUDENTS, AND FAMILIES. THIS INITIATIVE STARTED TO INVOLVE STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY SERVICE TO SHOW THEM HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY. OUR PROJECT BRINGS THE CLASSROOM OUTDOORS, BRINGING BONDING EXPERIENCES TO ALL THE STUDENTS, LETTING THEM TAKE INITIATIVE AND RESPONSIBILITY ON CAMPUS. WE'RE TRANSFORMING THIS UNUSED LAND INTO A GARDEN THAT'S MORE WELCOMING FOR GYPSY STUDENTS. UH, THIS PROJECT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER WITH TEENS, STAFF, AND LOCAL PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER TO TAKE CARE OF THE GARDEN. THE GOALS OF OUR PROJECT ARE TO UPKEEP THE VISUAL APPEALS OF PUBLIC SPACES, CREATE A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT, AND PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. THE FIRST STEP TO MAKING THIS HAPPEN WAS TO CHOOSE A SPACE. WE WORKED WITH THE FACILITATOR AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER WHO CAME TO OUR SCHOOL AND TOWARD THE GROUNDS TO FIND THE PERFECT AREA TO DO THIS. WE CHOSE THIS AREA RIGHT HERE BECAUSE WE BELIEVED IT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REALLY SHOW OUR SCHOOL'S SPIRIT. AFTER WE SURVEYED THE LAND, WE THEN STARTED FILLING OUT A GRANT APPLICATION FOR $400. ONCE THE GRANT WAS APPROVED, WE THEN STARTED FILLING OUT PURCHASE FORMS AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE MATERIALS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO COMBINE SERVICE-BASED LEARNING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. IT WILL HELP PROMOTE A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, KEEPING GRAND PRAIRIE CLEAN STARTS WITH US. GREAT JOB. YEAH. VNA, NOT JUST THEM, BUT SPECIFICALLY THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR PROJECT. WE NEED TO LET THEM BE AWARE OF THE BIG EVENT AND TRY TO GET THEM TO COME OUT AND HELP ALONG WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF MY TEAM. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR, FOR THEM BEFORE WE GET THE NEXT GROUP? EXCELLENT. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU FOR COMING TONIGHT. WHO'S NEXT? VNA. I DON'T THINK OUR YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IS HERE YET, SO WE WILL GO TO THE NEXT ONE. GRAND PRAIRIE FINE ARTS ACADEMY. GREAT. OKAY, SO THEN YOU'RE JUST GONNA PUT THIS TO PLAY. OKAY. UM, MY NAME IS GRA AND WE ARE HERE FROM GRAND PRAIRIE FINE ARTS ACADEMY. TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR FALL PROJECT THAT WE DID, WE CHOSE TO DO A PROJECT ADDRESSING THE COMMUNITY AND FOOD INSECURITY AROUND THE HOLIDAYS. WE REALLY WANTED TO HELP ELIMINATE THAT AND REALLY JUST GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY IN ANY WAY THAT WE COULD AND HELP GIVE PEOPLE A REALLY GOOD HOLIDAY MEAL. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, WE DID IT NOT ONLY OURSELVES, BUT WE INVOLVED OUR SCHOOL. WE DID A THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE AND WE DONATED ALL OF THE PROCEEDS TO THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL FOOD PANTRY HERE IN GRAND PRAIRIE. GOOD. OH. AND WE RAISED IT THROUGH THE PEOPLE AT OUR SCHOOL. WE PUT UP POSTERS AND WE HAD MANY DONATIONS. THAT'S HOW WE WERE ABLE TO GET ALL OF OUR FOOD DONATIONS AND FOOD STAPLES. CAN WE GO AHEAD AND YEAH. THANK YOU. PERFECT. TO THE COUNCIL, I AM EXCITED TO ENGAGE WITH CITY LEADERS TOWARD VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND REPRESENT MY SCHOOL. I DECIDED TO SERVE MERITING COUNCIL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE. MY NAME IS GARCIA, AND THIS PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN DIRECTLY FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF, FURTHERING MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CITY DECISIONS ARE MADE AND HOW COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE ADDRESSED. MY NAME IS ISABELLE BALDWIN AND OUR SCHOOL'S BAY SEA COUNCIL CHOSE TO CREATE A FAT CITY FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT THE HUNGRY. THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE AN ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGING PERIOD FOR SOME FAMILIES, SO WE WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDED FOOD ASSISTANCE. OH MY GOD. WE HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY THE LITTLE TUNE THAT WE ADDED IN THERE. THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S GOOD. THROUGH THE COUNCIL, I AM EXCITED TO ENGAGE WITH CITY LEADERS FOR VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND REPRESENT MY SCHOOL. [00:10:01] I DECIDED TO SERVE MERITING COUNCIL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE. MY NAME IS GARCIA GARCIA AND THIS PROGRAM HAS PROVIDED ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN DIRECTLY FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY STAFF, FURTHERING MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CITY DECISIONS ARE MADE AND HOW COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE ADDRESSED. MY NAME IS ISABELLA BOLAND AND OUR SCHOOLS BAY CITY COUNCIL CHOSE TO CREATE A BIG CITY FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT THE HUNGRY. THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE AN ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGING PERIOD FOR SOME FAMILIES, SO WE WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDED FOOD ASSISTANCE. WE COLLECTED NEARLY 120 ITEMS FOR THE THANKSGIVING DONATION DRIVE. ALL OF OUR DONATIONS ARE GOING TOWARDS THE ST. MICHAEL, THE AR, ANGEL CATHOLIC PARISH FOOD PANTRY. ALL OF OUR DONATIONS WERE DROPPED OFF AT THE ST. MICHAEL YORK ANGEL CATHOLIC PARISH AND ARE GOING TOWARDS THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL FOOD PANTRY. HERE IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS. WE DONATED FOUR BOXES ALL RAISED BY ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AT GRAND PRAIRIE FINE ARTS. WE CHOSE TO DONATE ALL OF OUR COLLECTIONS TO THE STATE PRINCE AND NEPAL FOOD PANTRY HERE IN GRAND PRAIRIE. AROUND THANKSGIVING, THE FOOD PANTRY DISTRIBUTES SPOTS OF FOOD WITH THE TRADITIONAL STAPLES NEEDED TO MAKE AT THANKSGIVING DINNER. WE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS BY COLLECTING THE NON-PERISHABLE ITEMS ON THEIR LIST OF FOOD TO INCREASE DONATIONS. WE CREATED A SMALL COMPETITION WITHIN OUR SCHOOL FOR WHICH GRADE COULD DONATE THE MOST FOOD. MY NAME IS ELAINE WELLS AND THROUGH THIS SERVICE PROJECT, MY INTEREST IN PUBLIC SERVICE HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED. I HAVE LEARNED HOW TO PLAN AND LEAD PROJECTS, AND I HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCE TO IMPLEMENT INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESS MY COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. I HAVE LEARNED THAT EVEN AS A YOUTH, I'M ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND SERVE IN MY COMMUNITY. WELL, THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GREAT JOB. ALL RIGHT. AND NEXT WE HAVE OUR YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. SO MAKE SURE YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND HIT THIS RIGHT BUTTON TO GO TO THE NEXT SCREEN AND TO PLAY YOUR VIDEO. SHOULD WE READ THE, WE NEED TO SAY YOUR NAME. YOU START WITH THE SCENE. YEAH. OKAY. YOU JUST START THE VIDEO AGAIN. OH, SHOOT. I'M SORRY. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, SPEAKING TO THE MIC. AND SPEAK LOUD PLEASE. GOOD. A THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. UM, WE ARE REPRESENTING YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. MY NAME IS FLORETA SANTINE. THESE ARE MY CLASSMATES, UM, IMANI JI, MARIA AZO AND KIMBERLY MENDOZA. AND FOR OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT, WE CHOSE TO CLEAN UP TRASH AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, I'M SURE YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF ALL THE TRASH THAT'S ON OUR STREETS AND ON OUR GRASS. AND WE CHOSE TO CLEAN UP THE TRASH BECAUSE IT JUST LOOKS, IT LOOKS BAD. IT LOOKS TRASHY. IT LOOKS TRASHY. YEAH. AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE TO JUST CLEAN IT UP A LITTLE BIT. UM, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A VERY SIMPLE, VERY SIMPLE TASK. UM, WE BELIEVE THAT IT BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY AND IT BENEFITS THE ENVIRONMENT A LOT. AND SO WE CHOSE TO CLEAN UP TRASH. UM, UH, HERE IS OUR VIDEO. HELLO, MY NAME IS KIMBERLY. MY NAME IS IMO. MY NAME IS FLORETA. MY NAME IS MARIA. AND WE REPRESENT WIDE RELAY'S MAYOR'S KING COUNCIL. AND FOR OUR PROJECT, WE DECIDED TO PICK UP TRASH NEAR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DECIDED TO DO THIS AS OUR PROJECT BECAUSE OUR ENVIRONMENT IS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, SO WE SHOULD TREAT IT WITH RESPECT AND CARE. THIS BENEFITS OUR COMMUNITY BY KEEPING OUR STREETS CLEAN AND ENSURING THAT OUR ENVIRONMENT IS STRONG AND HEALTHY. [00:15:04] GARBAGE HARMS THE ENVIRONMENT BY CONTAMINATING SOIL, WATER, AND AIR, LEADING TO HABITAT DESTRUCTION, THREATENING WILDLIFE THROUGH INGESTION AND ENTANGLEMENT, ESPECIALLY PLASTIC DISRUPTING ECOSYSTEMS AND CON CONTRIBUTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE VIA GREEN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS LIKE METHANE FROM LANDFILLS. IT ALSO POSES SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH RISK BY ATTRACT ATTRACTING TESTS, SPREADING DISEASE AND BLEACHING TOXINS TO THE FOOD CHAIN, IMPACTING HUMAN HEALTH AND ECONOMIC STABILITY. A WAY TO PREVENT TRASH IN OUR STREETS IS TO HAVE BETTER TRASH STORAGE FOR COMMUNITIES. BY HAVING LARGE TRASH CANS OUTSIDE OF HOUSES, IT CAN PREVENT TRASH BAGS FROM BEING RIPPED BY WILDLIFE AND IT WILL BE BETTER FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. GREAT JOB. . YOU GO. . WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. ANOTHER BIG EVENT. PARTICIPANT . ALL RIGHT. GRAND PRIX HIGH SCHOOL ALL. YOU'RE GONNA CLICK THIS, THIS RIGHT BUTTON. MM-HMM . TO GO TO YOUR VIDEO AND CLICK IT AGAIN. APPLY. GOOD AFTERNOON. WE ARE WITH GRAND PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL AND WE ARE SO GLAD TO BE HERE. SO, STARTING OFF, MY NAME IS AUBREY SANCHEZ. MY NAME IS JIMENA ROSAS. MY NAME IS SHARIA SAUNDERS. MY NAME IS ABIGAIL RODRIGUEZ AND WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT WITH YOU OUR PROJECT. SO WE DECIDED TO WORK WITH THE GRAND PRAIRIE HOMELESS OUTREACH WITH TAMMY. SHE'S AN AMAZING PERSON. SHE IS, YES. AND SHE HAS A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION AS WELL. AND SO WE DECIDED TO HELP AND CREATE FOOD PACKAGES AND MAKE DELIVERIES TO HOMELESS PEOPLE IN MORE OF THE HOMELESS POPULATED AREAS THROUGHOUT GRAND PRAIRIE. SO WE CHOSE TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE, LIKE, MAYBE IT'S NOT THE FLASHIEST PROJECT YOU COULD DO, BUT WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING IMPACTFUL TO REALLY HELP PEOPLE AND WHILE ALSO LEARNING THROUGH THE PROCESS, WE GET TO SEE THESE PEOPLE'S, UH, LIVES, THE SITUATIONS THEY'RE IN, AND, YOU KNOW, LEARN TO TAKE LIKE WHAT WE HAVE, NOT TO TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. SO AND SO BEFORE WE DO GET INTO OUR VIDEO, ONE THING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS OUT OF RESPECT FOR ALL OF THE HOMELESS PEOPLES THAT WE HAVE HELPED, WE REALLY WANTED TO RESPECT THEIR PRIVACY AND NOT SHOW THEM ON VIDEO AS IT CAN SEEM EMBARRASSING TO THE COMMUNITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE HAVE PRESENTED A SLIDESHOW OF PICTURES OF WHAT WE WERE DOING DURING THE PREPARATION OF OUR PROJECT. GOOD. THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT. THAT'S GREAT. [00:20:51] HM. GREAT JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH . THANKS FOR COMING TONIGHT. ALL RIGHT. IN OUR NEXT GROUP, DUBISKI CAREER HIGH SCHOOL, YOU'RE JUST GONNA PUT THIS RIGHT BUTTON TO GET TO YOUR VIDEO AND THEN YOU'LL HIT IT AGAIN TO PLAY. ALRIGHT. HELLO EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS UH, BENJAMIN VANDY. UH, WE ARE A PART OF DUB BISKY CAREER HIGH SCHOOL. MY NAME IS LEXI MENDEZ. MY NAME IS MADISON TREVINO. MY NAME IS BENINA ELLI AND MY NAME IS JACOB HERNANDEZ. SO FOR OUR PROJECT, WE DECIDED TO DO A CANNED FOOD DRIVE. AND I THINK A MAJOR THEME IN OUR PROJECT WAS COLLABORATION. UH, IN OUR SCHOOL WE HAVE LIKE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS AND, UH, WE ALL LIKE SPECIALIZE IN DIFFERENT THINGS. AND ONE THING WE WANTED TO EMPHASIZE IS A WAY FOR LIKE ALL OF US TO SORT OF COLLABORATE ON THIS PROJECT. SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN IT CAME TO ACTUALLY FILMING OUR VIDEO, WE HAD OUR MEDIA PATHWAY, UH, HELP LIKE RECORD AND LIKE EDIT OUR VIDEOS. AND ONE OF OUR, UH, CLUBS, UH, STUDENT COUNCIL, THEY ALSO HELPED US, UH, WHEN IT CAME TO ACTUALLY LIKE DOING THE CANNED FOOD DRIVE ART CLASSES. OH YEAH. IN OUR ART CLASS, THEY ACTUALLY DESIGNED THE BAGS THAT WE PUT THE ACTUAL, UH, FOOD IN. SO THAT WAS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATION. AND OUR PROJECT ITSELF WAS A WAY TO KIND OF GIVE BACK TO OUR SCHOOL, UM, ITSELF. WE GOT WITH THE, UM, THE SOCIAL WORKER AT OUR SCHOOL AND SHE HELPED US REALIZE THAT THERE WERE MANY FAMILIES AT OUR SCHOOL, ABOUT 20 PLUS WHO WEREN'T GOING TO HAVE A PROPER THANKSGIVING MEAL. SO WE WANTED TO GO AND FIND A WAY TO KIND OF HELP THAT FAMILY HAVE THAT THANKSGIVING MEAL. DURING THAT TIME, WE UM, CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF STARTING A FOOD DRIVE TO GET FOOD TO GO AND MAKE THESE SORT OF BASKETS OR MORE SO BAGS THAT WERE, LIKE YOU SAID, DECORATED BY THE ART CLASS. AND WE TEAMED UP WITH OTHER CLUBS AS WELL TO GO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. WE ALSO TO ENCOURAGE OUR HUGE SCHOOL FULL OF MANY CLASSES WITH FOUR DIFFERENT FLOORS. WE, UM, CAME UP WITH THIS POINT SYSTEM TO ENCOURAGE THEM, WHICH WILL BE FURTHER EXPLAINED IN OUR VIDEO. VIDEO. YEAH. OH, SORRY. LEMME PLAY YOU PRESS IT AGAIN. I DECIDED TO JOIN THE MAYOR TEAM'S COUNCIL BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS AS TO, TO HOW PARTICIPATION IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN HELP FOSTER A STRONGER, MORE CONNECTED COMMUNITY. I WANTED TO SEE THE FUTURE OF GRAND PERRY. HOW IS IT BECOMING? BECAUSE SINCE I MOVED OVER HERE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, SEVEN YEARS AGO, IT WAS A LOT OF STUFF WASN'T HERE. THE EPIC WATERS WAS NEW AND I JUST LOVE HOW GRAND PRAIRIE HAS GROWN AND I WANT TO SEE HOW CONTINUE TO GROW IN THE FUTURE. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN GOVERNMENT POLITICS AND DIFFERENT CIVIC DUTIES. SO JOINING THE MAYOR TEEN COUNCIL GAVE ME LIKE A UPFRONT LOOK ON HOW THOSE THINGS ACTUALLY WORK IN THE REAL WORLD. AS A CITIZEN OF GRAND PERRY, UH, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF CURIOUS ON HOW THINGS WORK OUT AND SO, UM, I WANTED TO GO AND SEE ON HOW LEADERS LIKE THE MAYOR DO THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY TO GO AND HELP US ALL. BY HAVING SUCH A GREAT LEADERSHIP ROLE, I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO SEE WHAT, LIKE ITS KIND OF A GOVERNMENT SIDE WOULD LOOK LIKE AND TO SEE WHAT I REALLY WANNA DO IN MY FUTURE. WHEN WE CAME UP WITH OUR IDEAS, WE DECIDED TO COME UP WITH OUR IDEAS AS INDIVIDUAL, AS A MAYOR'S TEAM COUNCIL, BUT WE ALSO HAD THE GREAT IDEA TO MAYBE COLLABORATE WITH, UM, THE STUDENT COUNCIL KINDNESS CREW SO THAT WE COULD BE ABLE TO FORM A PLAN TOGETHER. AND SO WHEN WE DID, UM, GO AND COMBINE TO GO THROUGH THE, WITH THE CAN [00:25:01] FOOD DRIVE, WE STARTED COMING UP WITH CLEAN IDEAS, WHICH IS WHEN WE CAME UP WITH THE NAME OF GOLF TO GO FOOD DRIVE TO KIND OF ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET INTO IT. WE WENT OVER LIKE WHAT CLASS PERIOD WE'LL GO AND COLLECT THE CANS. AND THEN WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE PRIZES TO GO AND ENCOURAGE THE STUDENTS TO GO AND DONATE FOR THE GOOD CAUSE. ASIDE FROM HAVING PEOPLE, UH, DONATE CANS OF FOOD TO US, WE ALSO DECIDED TO GET OUR LOCAL ART CLASSES AT DUB BISKY INVOLVED. WE DID THAT BY ALLOWING THEM TO DECORATE THE BAGS THAT WE WERE GOING TO PUT THE FOOD IN. I LEARNED THAT, UH, EVENTS SUCH AS OUR CANNED FOOD DRIVE COULD HELP STUDENTS THAT NORMALLY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO OUT, UM, AFTER SCHOOL AND VOLUNTEER, GIVE A LITTLE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT, UH, TEAMWORK AND COLLABORATION, SEEING HOW THERE'S DIFFERENT MOVING PARTS IN OUR PROJECT. ANOTHER IDEA THAT WE HAD WAS A, A CAN DRIVE OR A MAKING A BASKET FULL OF FOOD TO GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE, THE FIREFIGHTERS, THE POLICEMEN, HOMELESS SHELTERS, OR EVEN THE CHURCH. WE WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN OUR MISSION TO FEED 12 FAMILIES BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT OF DIFFERENT THINGS SUCH AS OUR STUDENT COUNCIL AND THE DIFFERENT STUDENTS AT DUBISKI, UH, VOLUNTEERING AND GIVING OUT FOOD. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU BET. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. AND SO OUR LAST UH, PRESENTATION FOR THE, FOR THE NIGHT IS SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE HIGH SCHOOL. SO I'LL JUST CLICK THIS RIGHT ONE TO GO THROUGH THIS ONE. YEAH. ALRIGHT. HELLO. UM, I'M AVA BARRAZA AND I'M PART OF THE SOUTH GRAND PRAIRIE MAYORS TEAM COUNCIL. UM, MY OTHER FRIENDS, TWO OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY AT AURORA. UM, OUR MUSICAL REHEARSAL, SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY COME TO THAT. THEY HAD TO CHANGE THE, UM, MUSICAL TO NEXT WEEK BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. AND THEN MY OTHER FELLOW FRIENDS HAD AN EMERGENCY. SO YOU'RE IN. YEAH. YEAH. SO I'M IN TODAY. UM, YES. SO WHAT WE DID IS WE PARTNERED UP WITH SANTA'S HELPERS TOY DRIVE. SO RIGHT HERE. UM, SO WHAT WE, THE REASON WHY WE WENT WITH SANTA'S HELPERS TOY DRIVE IS YES, TOYS FOR TOTS IS VERY COMMON, BUT WITH SANTA'S HELPERS, WE WERE GUARANTEED TO KNOW THAT THESE TOYS WOULD GO TO GRAND PRAIRIE RESIDENCE THAT NEEDED THEM. SO THAT IS WHY WE PARTNERED UP WITH, UM, SANTA'S HELPERS. UM, SO WHAT WE DID IN ORDER FOR THIS TO ACTUALLY TAKE EFFECT IS WE PUT IT ON SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS EVERY SINGLE DAY. LIKE YOU WOULD HEAR EVERY FIRST PERIOD IT YEAH, YOU, YOU WOULD HEAR IT EVERY FIRST PERIOD. UM, THEN WE'D SEND EMAILS TO TEACHERS. WE WOULD ALSO PUT IT ON OUR TVS AND WE ALSO PRINTED OUT FLYERS AND WE PUT THEM ALL AROUND THE SCHOOL WHERE WE KNEW WOULD GET A LOT OF TRAFFIC. UM, SO YES, THERE, THERE HE IS. THERE'S PETE. UM, YES, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE. SO THESE ARE THE FLYERS THAT WE PUT OUT. THEY'RE VERY CUTE. YES, THEY'RE VERY FESTIVE. BUT, UM, IN ORDER TO GET THESE PEOPLE TO REALLY GET IN THERE, UM, WE ALSO PUT THE BOXES ALSO IN THE HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS. SO, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE REMIND YOU EVERY FIRST PERIOD, BUT LET'S ALSO REMIND YOU DURING THESE PASSING PERIODS, BECAUSE IT MAY HAVE CROSSED YOUR MIND JUST A LITTLE BIT. UM, SO HERE IS US ALL PUTTING THESE TOYS TOGETHER INTO THESE BOXES. UM, BASICALLY WE DIVIDED THEM TO THE SMALLEST, TO THE BIGGEST, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT THE BIG FAT PLUSHY TOYS TO GET SQUISHED FOR THESE KIDS. IT'D BE REALLY BAD AND REALLY SAD. UM, MM-HMM SO THIS TOOK US, I WOULD SAY AROUND A GOOD 30 MINUTES. 'CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT, THERE WAS A LOT, THERE WAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC. AND WE'RE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. SO HERE IS US GETTING ALL THESE TOYS ON THOSE, UM, BIG TRUCKS THAT YOU USUALLY SEE ON THE NEWS. UM, YES, WE WERE ON THE NEWS. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER. I'M THE GINGERBREAD MAN. UM, AND THEN, UM, OTHER MAYOR, TEAM COUNCIL, THAT'S FAITH. SHE IS IN THE OLAF. AND WE WERE ALSO ON THE NEWS. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR OTHER MAYOR'S TEAM COUNCIL, LINLEY. SHE IS IN THE MIDDLE BEING INTERVIEWED ON TELEVISION. SO YEAH, WE WERE, WE WERE A LOT ON TELEVISION AND THEN KYLIE AND JORDAN AND THEIR CHEYENNE UNIFORMS. SO, UM, [00:30:01] EVEN THOUGH YOU WOULDN'T SEE US LIKE IN OUR FULL UNIFORMS, WE DID STILL HAVE OUR GIRLS, UM, BE IN THEIR CHEYENNE UNIFORMS AND, UH, SHAKE THEIR PALMS AND BE THE SCHOOL SPIRIT THAT WE KNOW THEM TO BE. UM, WE ALSO GOT THE SPORTS PEOPLE AS WELL, SO YOU NAME IT, BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, SWIM TEAM. UM, I WANNA SAY TENNIS AS WELL. SOFTBALL. THEY ALSO HELPED BRING ALL OF THAT LIKE LUGGAGE THAT YOU SAW WITH THOSE TOYS AND THEY BROUGHT THEM ALL ONTO THOSE TRUCKS AND WE WERE VERY THANKFUL FOR THEM. UM, YES, THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT WE DID AND IT GOT DONE EFFICIENTLY. SO THANK YOU. GREAT PROJECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DONNA. UM, LET'S TRY BRINGING 'EM ALL UP IN FRONT OF US AND THE COUNCIL CAN STAY UP HERE AND SQUEEZE TOGETHER SO WE CAN GET US BEHIND THEM ALL AND GET THEM IN FRONT OF US FOR A GROUP PICTURE. OKAY. YOU BET. DO Y'ALL WANNA COME UP AS YOU'RE COMING FORWARD? I JUST WANNA SAY I'VE SERVED AS A JUDGE FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITY YOUTH COUNCIL PROJECTS AND THERE'S SOME PRETTY BRIGHT KIDS FROM ACROSS THE NATION, BUT I AM SO PROUD, SUPER PROUD TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE IN GRAND PRAIRIE. I AM SO HONORED TO REPRESENT YOU ALL. I'M SO HONORED THAT YOU ALL ARE OUR FUTURE AND I'M JUST SO HONORED WITH ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT FROM HOMELESSNESS TO RECYCLING. THAT'S AMAZING. SO I KNOW, I KNOW OUR FUTURE IS IN GOOD HANDS, SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. GREAT JOB, DONNA. GET IN HERE WITH THEM. SO, SO WE DO HAVE, UM, DINNER FOR OUR TEEN COUNCIL STUDENTS IN CONFERENCE ROOM E AND CITY HALL, EAST MAYOR AND COUNCIL. PLEASE STOP BY IF UM, TIME ALLOWS. YOU BET. IS ANY OF THE G-P-I-S-D SPONSORS HERE? YEAH. THANK, THANK Y'ALL BECAUSE IT TAKES G-P-I-S-D GETTING THEM HERE AND Y'ALL'S APPROVAL TO DO IT. VNA, GET IN HERE PLEASE. YOU'RE FINE. WE'RE JUST MOVING THE ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY. HERE WE GO. COME ON. VNA, GET DOWN HERE. ALL RIGHT, ERIC. ALL RIGHT. EVERYONE RIGHT OVER HERE. ONE MORE. ERIC, WE GO. STAFF BACK IN THE BACK. GPSD. Y'ALL GOOD? THANK YOU. HERE ANOTHER ONE. GOT A CAMERA UP AS GOT IT. JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU BET. VNA, UH, WE HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TONIGHT 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE EXACT SESSION. WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN TO THOSE HERE WHAT THE TEAM COUNCIL HA HAS DONE THIS YEAR SO FAR. WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH 'EM, WHAT YOU KNOW, AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING, THIS MAY BE THE CULMINATION OF IT, BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE TO TRY TO EDUCATE THEM ON THINGS. SURE. SO THE VERY FIRST THING OUR TEEN COUNCIL STUDENTS DID WAS A MEET AND GREET MAYOR AND, AND MR. BILL TO LEARN JUST ABOUT CITY SERVICES, WHAT A MAYOR DOES, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A CITY MANAGER. AND THEN THEY WENT OFF AND DID THEIR SERVICE PROJECTS WITH THEIR PRESENTATION. TONIGHT, UM, IN FEBRUARY WE WILL HAVE A SHORT TOUR OF THE CITY. I BELIEVE THEY ARE GOING TO TOUR EPIC WATERS AND EPIC CENTRAL. UM, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A VENDOR FAIR WHERE THEY CAN MEET SOME OF OUR DIRECTORS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS. UM, AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE BIG EVENT. AND THEN, UM, AFTER THAT CONCLUDES RIGHT BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDS, THEY'LL COME BACK TO COUNCIL AND RECEIVE THEIR CERTIFICATES OF COMPLETION. THANK YOU VMA AND THANK YOU FOR HITTING IT UP. SURE. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND THANK YOU KIDS AGAIN. THANK Y'ALL. ALRIGHT. AND SO, UM, IF YOU'RE STAYING FOR DINNER, CANDACE IN THE WHITE SWEATER. WE'LL SHOW YOU WHERE THE CONFERENCE ROOM IS. Y'ALL CAN SLIP OUT NOW. IF YOU WANT TO BILL AS THEIR DEPARTING, YOU WANNA INTRODUCE OUR NEXT STAFF PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OUR NEXT STAFF PRESENTATION IS REGARDING LONE STAR CONSULTING COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING AND THE GRANTS UPDATE. LANA LANA SHOW TONIGHT. HELLO, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. SO TONIGHT I'LL BE GIVING A QUICK UPDATE ON OUR EFFORTS WITH LONE STAR CONSULTING. FIRST, UH, FIRST OFF, [00:35:01] UM, LONE STAR CONSULTING IS A GRANT AND LOBBY FIRM THAT WE'VE CONTRACTED WITH SINCE FEBRUARY OF 2024. THEY RESEARCH GRANT OPPORTUNITIES BASED ON COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND OTHER CRITICAL CITY PROJECTS. UM, THEY SUBMIT THE GRANT PROPOSALS WITH INFORMATION THAT THEY GATHER FROM CITY STAFF, FOLLOW UP WITH OUR FEDERAL AGENCIES AND ASSIST WITH GRANT IMPLEMENTATION IF NECESSARY. WE HAVE ALSO ASKED LONE STAR CONSULTING TO COORDINATE OUR NLC HILL DAY VISITS, IN ADDITION TO LOBBYING ON ANY KEY ISSUES, UM, THAT WE REQUEST THEM TO. SO AS OF TODAY, THE COST OF SERVICES IS $149,500. IN 2024, IT WAS 71,500. IN 2025 IT WAS 78,000. SO HERE'S A GRAPH OF THE GRANTS THAT WE HAVE APPLIED FOR. SO FAR ARE 11. WE HAVE FOUR GRANTS THAT ARE STILL UNDER REVIEW. WE HAVE RECEIVED ONE GRANT THAT WAS A CYBERSECURITY GRANT. UNFORTUNATELY, FOUR GRANTS WERE DENIED AND TWO OTHERS WERE DEFUNDED. AND SO YOU CAN SEE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT WE HAVE REQUESTED, THE TOTAL THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED. AND THEN OF THE FOUR GRANTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW, UM, OOPS, SORRY. I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT NUMBER FOR YOU. I'M, I THINK I'VE GOT NOT ENOUGH COMMENTS. TOO MANY ZEROS MAYBE. UM, AND SO 11 GRANTS ARE IN PROGRESS THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM ON NOW. AND THOSE 11 GRANTS HAVE A POTENTIAL FUNDING OF $30 MILLION. ONE. ONE SERVICE THAT WE DID SECURE THROUGH LONE STAR CONSULTING WAS, UM, THE EPAS WATER TA ENGINEERING SUPPORT. THAT'S NOT A GRANT, BUT IT IS FOR SERVICES. AND THAT'LL START IN MARCH OF 2026. THE EPA WILL ASSIST US WITH PLANNING, ANALYSIS, ENGINEERING DOCUMENTS, UM, AND THOSE AMOUNTS, THE ESTIMATED VALUE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 750 TO 900,000. AND SO THAT IS GONNA BE, UM, FOR THE COTTONWOOD CREEK FLOOD MITIGATION. THE OTHER THING THAT WE ASK FOR SUPPORT FROM LONE STAR CONSULTING IS COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDS, ALSO KNOWN AS EARMARKS. AND SO IN 2024, WE HAD SUBMITTED EIGHT PROJECTS. THE TOTAL ASK WAS OVER $72 MILLION. FIVE PROJECTS WERE ACCEPTED. WE GOT OVER 17 MILLION ALLOCATED IN THE FEDERAL BUDGET. BUT THEN UNFORTUNATELY WE HAD A GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN AND A YEAR LONG CONTINUING RESOLUTION, WHICH STRIPPED ALL FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS. 2025, WE SUBMITTED SEVEN PROJECTS. THE TOTAL ASK WAS 16.9 MILLION. THREE OF THEM HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED. AND SO THAT IS 7.7 MILLION THAT IS PENDING. UM, CONGRESS RIGHT NOW IS IN THE PROCESS OF APPROVING BUDGETS. ON JANUARY 15TH, THEY DID APPROVE THE INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL. SO THAT IS THE WATERFORD LIFT STATION AT $1.7 MILLION. THAT GOES TO THE PRESIDENT'S DESK AND WE SHOULD GET THOSE FUNDS, UM, PENDING HIS SIGNATURE. THE OTHER TWO EARMARKS THAT WE ARE WAITING ON ARE MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION AND THE I 30 I 30 PIPELINE. AND THOSE BUDGETS ARE, SHOULD BE COMING UP FOR VOTES SOMETIME THIS WEEK. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR 2026 PROJECTS, WHICH WE WILL BE PRESENTING TO OUR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS LATER THIS IN MARCH, UM, AS PART OF OUR HILL DAY ACTIVITIES. AND THOSE WILL BE SEVEN PROJECTS TOTALING $23 MILLION. ALL RIGHT. AND THAT CONCLUDES, UM, THE UPDATE. ANY QUESTIONS FOR IVANA, SIR? MAYOR PROAM. THANK YOU. IVANA. WHAT DOES, UM, ACCEPTED MEAN? DOES THAT MEAN THAT IT'S BEEN VOTED ON BY BOTH CHAMBERS OF THE HOUSE, I MEAN HOUSE AND SENATE AND THE, AND THEN IN FRONT OF THE PRESIDENT? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? ACCEPTED? SO ACCEPTED MEANS THAT THE CONGRESSIONAL MEMBER HAS AGREED TO SUBMIT IT AS PART OF THEIR, UM, BUCKET [00:40:01] OF MONEY. OKAY. BUT IT HASN'T BEEN, IT HASN'T BEEN VOTED BY CONGRESS. CORRECT. AND SO THE THREE THAT WERE ACCEPTED IN 2025, THOSE DID MAKE IT INTO THE BUDGET. THEY'VE BEEN ALLOCATED. ALRIGHT. BUT THE FIVE DID NOT BECAUSE OF THE CRS. THE FIVE DID GET ACCEPTED. THEY MADE IT INTO THE FEDERAL BUDGET AND WE DIDN'T GET THE MONEY BECAUSE OF THE YEAR LONG CONTINUING RESOLUTION. WAIT, COULD YOU GO TO THE SLIDE BEFORE THIS ONE? UM, THE TWO THAT WERE DEFUNDED, WERE THEY DEALING WITH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT? NO. THE TWO THAT WERE DEFUNDED WERE DEALING WITH, UM, COMMUNITY GARDENS UNFORTUNATELY. EXPLAIN. SO THEY, HOW WERE THEY DEFUNDED? LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT JUST STRIPPED MONEY AWAY FROM, LIKE, EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS. YES. OKAY. MM-HMM . GOT YOU. AND THE ONE THAT WAS RECEIVED, WHICH ONE WAS THE ONE THAT WAS RECEIVED? THAT WAS A CYBERSECURITY GRANT. OKAY. FOR 128,000? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU COUNCILOR. MEMBER ADAMS. SO GO BACK TO THE . MM-HMM . WHAT, WHAT DEPARTMENT, WHAT FEDERAL DEPARTMENT WAS, UM, OVERSEEING THAT GRANT? UM, I'LL HAVE TO GET MORE DETAILS ON THAT, ON THE DEPARTMENT. OKAY. AND COULD IT BE POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF THE AG BILL BEING DELAYED OR WAS IT AN ABSOLUTE DENIAL? AND IF SO, COULD YOU GIVE US THE REASON? THE FEEDBACK I'LL GET, YEAH, I'LL GET THAT REASON FOR YOU. THANK YOU, BONNA. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. IT'S KIND OF LIKE, DON'T COUNT THE MONEY UNTIL YOU GET THE CHECK, CHECK IN THE BILL RIGHT NOW. YEAH. BACK TO YOU, BILL. MAYOR, OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS A SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVE UPDATE. WE'VE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON THIS. IT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS TAKEN SOME TIME. UH, KATRINA HAD BEEN ALREADY POINT PERSON, BUT KATRINA HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE BECAUSE SHE HAD TO HAVE A, A EMERGENCY KNEE SURGERY. UH, SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS LISA AND CHERYL HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY TO TRY TO PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER WITH OUR LEGAL TEAM. AND TONIGHT YOU'LL SEE ON YOUR CONSENT AGENDA THE, THE REVOCATION OF SOME THINGS. AND ALSO WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT TO YOU WHERE WE'RE HEADED. AND SO YOU'LL HAVE A GOOD, GOOD, CLEAR VISION OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED AND HOW WE'RE TRYING TO GET THERE. IT'S JUST TRYING TO STAY LEGAL, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. CHERYL DELEON, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER RIGHT NOW. SO AS, AS OUR CITY MANAGER, BILL HILL STATED WHAT WE'RE, THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE TO WHERE WE'RE AT WITH OUR PROGRAM. FIRST OF ALL, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IS, IF YOU LOOK AT THE HEADING HERE, WE HAVE THE ACCESS GP. AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON IS SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVE UPDATE. BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ACCESS MEANS. 'CAUSE I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT TELLS YOU WHERE WE'RE HEADED WITH THIS PROJECT. ACCESS MEANS ADVANCING CONTRACTS, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND SU SUPPLIER SUCCESS FOR GRAND PRAIRIE. SO I THINK THAT IF THAT DOESN'T TELL YOU WHERE WE'RE HEADED, I THINK THAT THAT IS, THAT IS THE VISION. OKAY. ALL RIGHTY. SO, WELL, THE FIRST THING IS, IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WHEN WE ORIGINALLY WERE LOOKING AT THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM, WE DISCOVERED THAT FEDERAL LEGISLATION HAD CHANGED. AND SO ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT YOU'RE GONNA ACTUALLY SEE ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT, WHICH IS ITEM NUMBER 14, IS ACTUALLY RESENDING WHAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE. SO WE'RE GONNA RESEND THAT. BUT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS DEVELOPING WHAT WE CALL OUR SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE PROGRAM. AND THAT'S BUILDING WHAT WE, WHAT I JUST CALL THE ACCESS GP FRAMEWORK. AND WE ARE WORKING WITH BOTH PURCHASING AND LEGAL. THERE ARE OF COURSE CONSTRAINTS WHENEVER YOU TRY TO DEVELOP SOMETHING NEW. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE STAY IN THOSE CONSTRAINTS. COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT WE'RE RESCINDING? SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE RESCINDING IS THAT WE HAD, UM, UH, DIVERSITY EQUITY AND, UM, DEI, UM, UH, AMENDMENT. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS. I'M GONNA ACTUALLY LET MEL TALK ABOUT THAT 'CAUSE I DID NOT WORK ON THAT. IN, UH, 2020, THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT, UH, ENCOURAGED DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION CONCEPTS AND LANGUAGE IN, UM, WORKPLACE ACTIVITIES, UM, CITY CONTRACTS AND, UH, ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS. AND SO, UM, THE, IN 2025, THE, UH, PRESIDENT ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER INDICATING THAT ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT PROVIDED GRANT FUNDING TO STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES HAD TO, UH, COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, WHICH REQUIRED, UM, ALL ENTITIES TO REMOVE ANY CONCEPTS OF DEI, UH, PROGRAMMING THAT THEY HAD IN PLACE. AND SO THAT [00:45:01] RESOLUTION, WHERE WE'RE, UM, BEFORE YOU TONIGHT ON YOUR CONSENT AGENDA IS TO REMOVE THAT RESOLUTION SO THAT WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE EXECUTIVE ORDER AND THE DIRECTIVES FROM THE FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT ISSUE GRANT FUNDS TO THE CITY. SO FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IS WE ARE GOING TO DEFINE A 30% ASPIRATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE GOAL. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL ALSO BE DOING IS WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE TOOLS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING. THERE'S DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS. UM, WE, WE HAVE DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT WE USE FOR BIDS, PROPOSALS, CONSTRUCTION DELIVERY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE'RE GONNA GO LOOK AT THOSE AND SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA DEVELOP THAT PROGRAM TO FIT THAT. AND, UM, UM, SO THEN LET ME GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. HOLD ON FOR A SECOND. CHERYL. UHHUH . MAY I ASK A QUESTION, PLEASE? MM-HMM . UM, COULD YOU GO BACK TO THE LAST SLIDE PLEASE? SURE. IS, UH, THE 30% ASPIRATIONAL GOAL MM-HMM . HOW DID WE COME UP WITH THAT? THAT WAS PART OF, UM, A, A PROGRAM THAT WAS JUST A, A REQUEST TO BE. WE WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE VERY, UH, ADVANTAGEOUS. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO ACHIEVE FIRST YEAR. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ACHIEVE AND SHOW THAT WE'RE REALLY COMMITTED TO THIS PROGRAM. WHEN WILL WE KNOW IT'S SUCCESSFUL OR NOT? BECAUSE THE ASPIRATION TO, TO ACHIEVE 30%, IT JUST MIGHT BE 6% EACH YEAR. SO WOULD THAT BE CONSIDERED SUCCESSFUL OR NEEDS IMPROVEMENT? WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO IS AS WE DEVELOP THE PROGRAM, WE'RE GONNA, UM, HAVE TO MEASURE IT ANNUALLY. SO WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE THOSE MEASUREMENTS. SO ONCE WE MEASURE IT ANNUALLY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHERE WE'RE AT. AND THEN ONCE WE ARE, ONCE WE KNOW WHATEVER THAT PERCENTAGE IS, WE CAN KNOW HOW MUCH MORE WORK WE NEED TO DO TO ACHIEVE THE 30% STARTING OFF A PROGRAM. I RECALL NOT LONG AGO WE HAD ANOTHER PROGRAM WHERE THEY WANTED SOMEONE TO DO 10% EACH YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND THAT'S VERY IMPOSSIBLE. MM-HMM . AND I BELIEVE THIS IS VERY TAXING ON THE STAFF TO TRY TO DO 30% ASPIRATIONALLY, UH, EACH YEAR. SO MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER, YOU KNOW, STARTING SMALLER AND AS WE GROW TO SEE WHERE THE PROGRAM IS GOING, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT NOT BE ON THE COUNCIL. SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT BE HERE SAYING, HEY, YOU DIDN'T REACH YOUR ASPIRATION TO GOAL TO 30%. NOT UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY, BUT JUST SAYING, HEY, WE STARTED OFF AT 10% OR 15% OR 12%. AND BECAUSE I JUST DON'T SEE THE GOAL BEING MET WITHIN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS. THAT'S JUST MY OPINION. AND LOOKING, UH, I'M NOT SURE THE PERSON THAT'S IN THE POSITION NOW HAS MADE ANY MAJOR STRIDES TO REACH THAT GOAL SINCE THEY'VE BEEN HERE. SO I JUST, I KNOW YOU DON'T WANNA ANSWER THIS, I'M JUST SPEAKING. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO ANSWER THIS. FROM THE TIME SHE GOT, FROM THE TIME THIS PERSON GOT HERE TO, TO WHERE THEY'RE AT NOW, ASPIRATIONALLY, HAVE WE ACHIEVED ANYTHING? WE HAVE BEEN MAKING IMPROVEMENTS AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON VERY MUCH DIVERSIFYING, UH, THE FOLKS THAT, THAT ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. MM-HMM . WE HAVE MADE A LOT OF OUTREACH TO, UM, UH, WITH, BY VARIOUS THING, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE OFFERED IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. WE'VE HAD THE ELEVATE PROGRAM, WHICH IS TALKING ABOUT HOW TO HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS. WE'VE ALSO DONE OTHER PROGRAMS TO HELP PEOPLE LEARN HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. YEAH. SO I THINK WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO DO IT. THIS IS, THIS IS A BIG PROGRAM AND, UM, EVERYTHING TAKES BABY STEPS. AND, AND I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK WE SHOULD LOWER SO WE WON'T TASK THE STAFF AS, AS A MEASUREMENT OF A STRETCH GOAL TO GET TO 30%. ALTHOUGH WE ARE STAGNATED AT 7%. IT'S JUST UNTIL WE GET THE PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST, JUST MY CONSIDERATION TO START SMALLER AND INCREASE AS WE SEE WHERE WE'RE, WHAT DIRECTION WE'RE GOING IN. BECAUSE WHAT ITEM IS IT ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT? 14. IT'S ITEM 14 IS THE RESCINDING. THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE TO THE PROGRAM. WE'VE NOT ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED ANYTHING. IS THERE AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT TO SET THE 30% ASPIRATIONAL GOAL? NO, SIR. THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE. SO I WOULD SAY THE TIME THAT WE SET THE ACTUAL GOAL IS WHEN WE NEED TO MAKE THE MOTION TO WHATEVER WE WANT. OKAY. I THINK, UH, IN MY OPINION, THE ASPIRATIONAL GOAL, UH, I'LL BE BLUNT, THOUGHT OUT THE WINDOW, UH, WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS SET THE POLICIES IN TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE FUNNEL, MORE PEOPLE IN THE FUNNEL. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'LL SEE HOW EFFECTIVE THAT IS. WE CANNOT REQUIRE SMALL BUSINESSES TO BE COMPLIANT WITH US. WE CANNOT REQUIRE SMALL BUSINESSES TO QUOTE US. UH, WE ALL WANT TO GROW THE SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE SUPPORTING US IN BUSINESSES, BUT WE CAN'T GIVE CONTRACTS UNLESS THEY QUALIFY. AND [00:50:01] THAT'S WHERE WE'RE FOCUSING ON FOLKS, IS TO EDUCATE THEM AND TRY TO GET THEM QUALIFIED. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE TO FOCUS. MM-HMM . UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M GONNA SET IT AS A 7% 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA SEC CLOSE AT EIGHT. I DON'T KNOW. I THINK WE JUST NEED TO KEEP GOING WHERE WE'RE GOING AND HAVE STAFF KEEP TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE IN THE FUNNEL. THAT'S MY, MY 2 CENTS WORTH BILL. YOU'VE GOT YOUR NEXT IN QUEUE. AND THEN COUNCILMAN ADAMS. MAYOR, WE, IN COMING UP WITH THIS ASPIRATIONAL GOAL, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THIS, SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF THE PREVIOUS STANDARDS THAT WE SET AND INSOFAR AS OUR LOCAL LOCAL AND THAT CONTAIN, THAT INCLUDES 13 COUNTIES. LET ME UNDER, LET ME MAKE THAT CLEAR. AND OUR LOCAL IS 13 COUNTIES. AND BY THAT BEING 13 COUNTIES, WHAT WE'RE HAVING TO DO IS WE'RE SETTING THE ASPIRATIONAL GOAL IN OUR ASSESSMENT. PREVIOUSLY IT WAS 23%, WE WANTED TO LET PUT IT AT 30% AS A ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. IT'S A GOAL. WE DON'T, WE, WE HONESTLY WANT STRIVE FOR. HEY LOOK. BUT WE MAY NOT, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN PEOPLE DOWN. IF WE GET TO 50%, IT'S THE, THE EXACTLY. THE POINT IS WE WANT MORE PEOPLE IN THE FUNNEL. MM-HMM . AND I, I SET IT AT 30, SET IT AT 50, SET IT AT 10. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS KEEP WORKING AND TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE AS PART OF THE BID PROCESS. AND THAT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER DEL BOSKY. I THINK. BETSY WERE YOU FIRST OR YOU WELL, SHE UNDID IT AND THEN REDID IT. SO SHE WENT AWAY AND THEN CAME BACK. GOTCHA. SO THE PROGRAM THAT THIS PROGRAM, DOES THAT INCLUDE THE EXPOS THAT WE'RE CREATED THAT BE PART OF THE PROGRAM? YES SIR. SO THEY ARE? YES SIR. SO THAT'S A BIG TOOL OF THAT'S CORRECT. COUNCIL MEMBER KY TO THAT PROGRAM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE SHOW UP. VERY FEW FOLLOW UP. MM-HMM . I MEAN, I'M NOT SAYING FOLLOW UP WITH US. NO. AS FAR AS THE PROCESS, I'M SAYING THEY DECIDE, WE TALK, SOME OF 'EM JOHN MM-HMM . THEY DECIDE THEY'D RATHER NOT HAVE TO HASSLE WITH GETTING THE BONDING AND THINGS. IT'S AN, IT IS NOT AN EASY DEAL, BUT WHETHER WE SET IT AT 30% OR NOT ISN'T GOING TO SS SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE PERCENTAGE ISN'T THE PROBLEM ISN'T GONNA SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HOW WE TRY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE, THE FUNNEL IS THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS? WELL I GOT A STATEMENT AND A QUESTION. SO I'LL START WITH THE QUESTION FOR STAFF. IS THIS POSSIBLE IS 30% POSSIBLE WITHOUT CAUSING UNDUE STRESS? I THINK 30% IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOWARDS TOO OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. DAY ONE WOULD BE DIFFICULT 'CAUSE WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A MEASUREMENT RIGHT NOW. WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE TO DO TO ACTUALLY DEVELOP A MEASUREMENT BASED ON THE DATA THAT YOU HAVE IS AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL OF 30% TOO HIGH? I DON'T THINK THAT'S FOR ME TO DETERMINE. I THINK THAT WHAT NEEDS TO BE ASPIRATIONAL, IF WE INTERPRET ASPIRATIONAL AS WHAT WE SAY, IF THAT IS A FUTURE GOAL, I THINK YOU CAN SET, LIKE THE MAYOR SAID ANYTHING TO BE A FUTURE, UH, A FUTURE GOAL. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO, THAT WAS MY QUESTION. SO THE COMMENT I WANNA MAKE IS WE ARE A SMALL BUSINESS TOWN. THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE SITTING ON THIS. THIS DIET STARTED WITH SMALL BUSINESSES AND IT'S NOT TO CIRCUMVENT ANY FEDERAL MEASURES OR TO CIRCUMVENT ANYTHING. WE NEED TO HAVE A SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND THAT CONSISTS OF ALL PEOPLE, ALL BUSINESSES. AND I THINK AS A CITY THAT IS SOMETHING WE WANNA STRIVE FOR. AND 30% IS AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET A REPORT CARD IF YOU FAIL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET KUDOS. YOU'LL GET SOME KUDOS, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'LL GET A RIBBON IF YOU GO BEYOND 30%. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT ALL OF OUR OTHER CITY AND COUNTY ENTITIES, AND I'M NOT EVEN MENTIONING SCHOOLS, 30% IS QUITE LOW AS FAR AS WHAT THEY'RE STRIVING FOR. BUT I BELIEVE THAT 30% IS ASPIRATIONAL. I THINK WE CAN ATTAIN IT. THERE'S NO RED MARKS IF YOU DON'T. BUT WE NEED TO SET A GOAL OF SOME SORT AND CONSIDERING WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST AND CONSIDERING HOW WE'RE TRYING TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE, WE NEED A MARK. WE NEED A MARK TO STRIVE FOR. AND SO 30% IS WHAT I RECOMMENDED. THAT'S JUST ME. I WOULD HOPE MY PEERS ON THIS DAIS WOULD CONSIDER IT AS WELL. BUT I KNOW THE WORK THAT, UH, KATRINA HAS PUT IN, I KNOW SHE'S ONLY BEEN HERE TRULY A SHORT SPELL CONSIDERING THE WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE. BUT I THINK WE CAN DO IT AS A CITY. I THINK WE CAN DO IT AS A COUNCIL AND A STAFF. AND I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT GRAND PRAIRIE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND WILLING TO HELP LO OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS SMALL BUSINESSES. ONE OF THE OTHER COMPONENTS, I KNOW THE 30%, HOPEFULLY [00:55:01] I'M NOT GETTING AHEAD. WHEN YOU MENTION AT THE BOTTOM THE SCORING INCENTIVE THAT IS FOR OUR PEOPLE. THAT'S NOT FOR SOMEONE AROUND IN ANOTHER COUNTY. THAT'S FOR LOCAL GRAND PRAIRIE BUSINESSES. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES, NOT NECESSARILY WORKING FOR THE CITY, BUT JUST PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO SCALE UP FOR THEM TO FIND LOCATIONS, BRICK AND MORTARS PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THEIR HOMES THAT MAY WANT TO STEP OUT. THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT THE ACCESS GP PROGRAM WAS STRIVING FOR. AND I WANT TO THANK KATRINA, LISA AND YOU FOR DOING ALL THE BU FOR DOING ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE THUS FOR, AND I EXPECT YOU'RE GONNA BLOW IT OUT THE WATER. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US THE UPDATE. THANK YOU. AND NOW REMIND YOU WE'RE NOT SETTING THE GOAL TONIGHT, THE PERCENTAGE THAT'S CORRECT. THIS ALL THIS IS IS JUST AN UPDATE. WE'RE NOT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HEADON. THANK YOU. SO, UM, MAYOR MENTIONED WHEN WE HAVE THOSE EXPOS AND WHATNOT, THAT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS TRANSLATE TO THOSE FOLKS. MM-HMM . GETTING IN THE SYSTEM. SO I THINK WITH THE EDUCATIONAL OR UH, WHATEVER THE GAP NEEDS TO BE MET, IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE UNDER YOUR, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND I'M CURIOUS HOW MUCH OF A LIFT THEY'RE PREPARED TO DO. I KNOW THEY'RE DOING A LOT JUST RELATED TO TRYING TO BRING THINGS TO GRAND PRAIRIE SEPARATE FROM TRYING TO CATER TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HEAD, LET ME INTERJECT. I'VE TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE THAT I PERSONALLY BROUGHT IN HERE AND WE'VE OFFERED HELP AND AFTER THEY CAME IT WASN'T US NOT WILLING TO HELP THEM. IT WAS THEM MAKING THE DECISION. THEY DIDN'T WANNA DO IT. I DON'T WANT TO GO FORWARD. I, UH, TIME AND TIME AGAIN. SO OUR STAFF IS PREPARED. UH, IF WE HAD ENOUGH SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS TOWN, THAT ONE, FIRST OF ALL, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESS AVAILABLE FOR THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE IN OUR CITY. I CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. MANY BUSINESSES CAN'T DO ANYTHING FOR THE CITY. SO WHEN YOU SAY WE HAVE A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS CITY, OKAY. DUH. WE HAVE VERY FEW SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE CITY THAT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTUAL QUOTES. WE DO. AND I, AGAIN, HAVE BROUGHT SOME TO YOU MM-HMM . AND AFTER YOU POLITELY EXPLAIN IT TO 'EM, THEY CALL ME BACK AND SAYS, MAYOR, I CAN PURSUE SELLING MY PRODUCT TO NAIL SALON EASIER THAN I CAN TO SEE. YEAH. THAT WAS HER EXACT RESPONSE. I THINK WITH THAT THEN, AND I KNOW WE'RE NOT GONNA BE VOTING ON THIS TODAY. WHEN, WHEN WILL THIS COME BACK? UM, ACTUALLY THAT'S, THAT'S THE NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT WAS PERFECT TIMING. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. I'M NOT READY FOR IT. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T FINISH MY COMMENT. I'VE GOT SOME OTHERS. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. UM, WHAT I WANTED TO SAY THEN THAT'S VERY RELEVANT. SO I THINK PART OF THIS, UM, CONFIGURING AND BRAINSTORMING IS ASSESSING WHAT COULD THEY ACTUALLY GET HELP WITH FROM THE CITY BECAUSE MAYBE WHAT WE'RE THINKING IS NOT WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING. UM, WE CAN'T HELP EVERYBODY. EVERYTHING IS NOT RELEVANT. WE DON'T NEED NAIL YOU KNOW, NAIL EQUIPMENT, UH, FOR DOING NAILS. BUT, UM, MAYBE THAT'S A INTERESTING WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT, TO REFRAME LIKE THAT. BECAUSE WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS WHAT ARE THE CITY LOOKING FOR THAT SMALL BUSINESSES CAN BID. YES. MAYBE REFRAME BUSINESSES USUAL. THERE'S NOT A LOT THEY CAN DO. 'CAUSE WE DO SO MUCH IN HOUSE. THAT'S TRUE. WE'VE GOT A VERY EFFECTIVE STAFF. I THINK WE ARE GOING DOWN THE ROAD THAT WE HAVE ASKED, UH, STAFF TO GO DOWN AND WE NEED TO PURSUE THAT. UH, YOU MAY NEED TO TRY TO REFRAME WHAT THE GOAL IS. I THINK THAT'S BEEN ECHOED IS 30% TOO HIGH. AND THAT'S SOME WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS WHEN WE GET TO THAT PERCENTAGE. RIGHT. AND IS, AND I JUST WANT, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THIS, CHERYL, YOU'D BE THINKING ABOUT IT. YES. WELL THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE TEAM IS DOING IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. AND, AND, AND AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY HOW WE DO THIS. AND THAT'S, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SETTING A PROGRAM. AND I JUST WANNA SAY WE MAY SET A PROGRAM, FOLKS THAT MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE. WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE MAY HAVE TO COME BACK AND MAKE TWEAKS. THAT'S HOW, THAT'S HOW YOU IMPROVE. SO WE MAY, WE'RE GONNA SET SOMETHING ON WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE TRUE. WE'LL GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THAT PROCESS AND THEN ONCE WE GET THAT FEEDBACK, WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS WE GO ALONG. THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED ANOTHER SURVEY TO TRY TO FLUSH OUT WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. SURE. TO TRY TO MAYBE MORE NARROWLY FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WORTH OUR EFFORTS SINCE EVERYTHING IS NOT NECESSARILY [01:00:01] WORKING, UH, FOR, FOR THEIR NEEDS AND FOR THE CITY'S NEEDS. THAT'S CORRECT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SURVEY LOOKS LIKE. MAYBE SOMETHING FOR YOU AND STAFF TO BRAINSTORM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ. UH, UM, JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAVE BEEN SAID. I, I KNOW THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE AND I KNOW WE STARTED THE EXPOS AND IN DIFFERENT EVENTS AND IT'S GROWN AND I'M GLAD IT'S, IT'S DONE. SO ONE THING JUST KEEP IN MIND IS, UM, JUST CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE ESPECIALLY YEAH. AMONG ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS. ABSOLUTELY. I KNOW WHENEVER WE FIRST STARTED EXPO, IT SEEMED THERE WAS MORE ENGAGEMENT. WE WERE PART OF THE PROCESS, PART OF THE IDEA OF BRAINSTORMING. AND NOW I FIND OUT ABOUT EXPOS LOOKING ON FACEBOOK BEFORE I EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT. AND TO ME, I MEAN, WHEN WE, WHEN WE'RE OUT THERE GOING OUT TO THE PUBLIC, WE'RE SAYING WE'RE, WE'RE SMALL BUSINESS AND WE'RE DOING THIS PROGRAM, THAT PROGRAM, I MEAN, WE'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE IN ADVANCE AND BE PART OF THE SOLUTION AS WELL. SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS FAR AS THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK. APPRECIATE THAT. UM, AS FAR AS JUST, UM, PERCENTAGE, I'M NOT SURE WHERE WE'RE GONNA LAND, BUT SAY WE DO LAND ON A NUMBER AND, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO, THE ONLY PERSON WE HOLD ACCOUNTABLE IS REALLY THE CITY MANAGER. I MEAN THAT US AS COUNCIL, I MEAN THAT'S THE ONLY PERSON WE HOLD ACCOUNTABLE IS THE CITY MANAGER. AND IT WORKS ON THE WAY DOWN. SO I MEAN, HE HE WANTS IT AT FIVE. YEAH. SO IF HE HAS A PASSION AND HE FEELS, YOU KNOW, HE COULD DRIVE IT, WHICH I KNOW BILL FEELS PARKED IN GOOD PLACE AND I KNOW HE'S PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS AREA AS WELL. COURSE SHE'S, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING HIS BUY-IN AND HIS VISION PART OF THE RAT SELECTION NUMBER. I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND. 'CAUSE WE, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S PROBABLY THE MAIN PORTION WE'RE GOING TO TALK WITH ABOUT THAT PERCENTAGE. YEAH. SO THAT'S ONE THING I HAVE SAY THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TIM. YEAH. TH THANK YOU MAYOR. AND UM, CHERYL AND LISA AND KATRINA, THANK Y'ALL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN REGARDING THE ACCESS GP PROGRAM. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE, COUPLE COMMENTS. UM, I SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS ON THE 30%. I THINK IT'S A GOOD NUMBER. UM, IT'S AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT EXPECTING WE'RE GONNA REACH THIS TOMORROW, BUT YOU'RE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS IT. THAT'S, WE'RE TRYING TO ASPIRE TOWARDS SOMETHING. UH, THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO COMMENT ON IS KATRINA HAS HELPED ME ON A FEW THINGS WHERE SHE COMES TO DIFFERENT CHURCHES, CIVIC GROUPS AND EXPLAINS HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN OUR CITY, UM, CAN DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY. HOW THEY CAN GET CERTIFIED FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. UM, HOW THE, WHAT HOW THE PROCESS LOOKS LIKE. JUST PERIOD. A LOT OF FOLKS ARE IGNORANT AND THEY DON'T KNOW AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO. SO I WANNA COMMEND YOU AND LISA FOR GIVING HER THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE CITY TO PEOPLE. UM, AND I WANNA ENCOURAGE MY FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, REACH OUT TO STAFF AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY CIVIC GROUPS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, WHOEVER REACH OUT AND BRING THE INFORMATION TO THESE GROUPS SO THEY KNOW. BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO DO WORK. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW. THEY MAY HAVE THE, THE KNOWLEDGE, THEY MAY HAVE THE VISION, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE WORK THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING. ACCESSS GP IS BIGGER THAN JUST WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW AND IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMMING AND UM, Y'ALL ARE DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB. AND Y'ALL HAVE MY FULL SUPPORT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ADAMS. COUPLE MORE THINGS. THE 30%, WHEN THE DISPARITY STUDY WAS COMPLETED, I THINK THEY IDENTIFIED A MARKET STUDY THAT WAS 27%. THAT'S BASED ON DATA, NOT ASSUMING AND ASSUMPTIONS. SO 30% IS REALLY CLOSE, YOU WANNA ROUND UP. SO 27% IS ABSOLUTELY DOCUMENTED. UM, ANOTHER QUESTION, FOR INSTANCE, WITH REPAIRS AROUND THE CITY, WE TEND TO GO TO BIG BOX STORE, HOME DEPOT, QUICK AND EASY. AND THEY SUBCONTRACT TO PRETTY MUCH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. THAT IS A POOL OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT CAN BE SUPPORTED WITHOUT GOING THROUGH BIG BOX STORES. AND THAT'S A PART OF OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INTO. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I APPRECIATE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ZAO SAYING IS GP ACCESS OR ACCESS GP IS MORE THAN TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, IS TEACHING THEM HOW TO BE BUSINESS OWNERS, BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE CITY. WHEN AS, AS A RESULT WE YIELD TAXES, SALES TAX FOR THE CITY. SO A PART OF THE PROGRAM THAT I LIKE IS THE CERTIFICATION PIECE. IS THE TRAINING PIECE. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT NOT ONLY HAS KATRINA ASSISTED WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ANO, BUT ALSO WITH COUNCIL MEMBER LOPEZ AND PRESENTING, UH, INFORMATION, JUST INFORMATION ON HOW TO DO BUSINESS, HOW TO BE CERTIFIED. AND SO, UM, I BACKED THE PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OUR STATE HAS GONE ON A, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TYPE OF CIRCUIT YOU WANT CALL IT, PROMOTING SMALL BUSINESSES. SO WHY WOULD WE NOT AS A CITY BE BEHIND SOMETHING THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS IS ENCOURAGING US TO DO? THANK YOU. I [01:05:01] I DON'T THINK I HEAR ANYBODY AGAINST THIS ACCESS. NO, WE'RE ALL FAR. THIS I THINK WE JUST NEED TO BE CLEAR ON, I THINK WE'RE ON PART OF THIS. WE'RE OFF THE WHEEL. OKAY. AS LONG AS WE SURE. THERE'S AN ARGUMENT ON THE 30%, WHICH I COULD CARE LESS. NAME IT 50 15. IT'S NOT GONNA SLOW THEM DOWN. I'M NOT GONNA ARGUE ABOUT THE ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. THIS COUNCIL IS SUPPORTIVE OF THIS ACTION. WE'RE TRYING TO GET EDUCATED ON TONIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON, I JUST WANNA MAKE, UH, ONE QUICK COMMENT IN, IN REGARDS ABOUT THE 30%. THE 30%, I THINK IT'S 29.9 AND THEN WE CAN GO FROM THERE. BUT JUST JOKING, , BUT, UM, I LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT IN REGARDS TO THE DISPARITY STUDY. UH, I FOUND A LOT OF FLAWS IN, IN, IN THE PRO IN THE PROCESS THAT THEY, IN THE METHODOLOGIES THAT THEY USE. SO WE, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ON, I KNOW THE STAFF HAS HAVE REVIEWED IT AND IT'S GONNA BE VERY CAREFUL ON SOME OF THE METHODOLOGY AND THE TECHNIQUES THEY USE TO, TO GAIN THE DATA. THEY MAY HAVE JUST INTERVIEWED ONE PERSON AND, AND PAINTED A PAINTBRUSH THAT THIS IS ACROSS THE BOARD FOR EVERYONE. SO I FEEL THAT WAS NOT, UM, SUPPORTIVE FOR WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR AND, AND NEEDED. SO, UH, I'M GONNA TRUST THE STAFF. IT'S ALWAYS TO COME UP WITH A APPROACH, NOT SO MUCH NUMBER DRIVEN ON 30%. I, I THINK THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH. WE CAN MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF A PROGRAM BY LOOKING AT THE INCREASED, UH, PARTICIPANTS. ABSOLUTELY. INCREASED, INCREASED QUOTAS. THAT'S RIGHT. PERIOD. SO WE CAN LOOK INSTEAD OF HAVING A NUMBER BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE THAT AND IF IT'S TIED TO A PERSON'S PERFORMANCE, JUST LIKE WE HAD NOT LONG AGO, UH, ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, IT WAS 10% WAS GONNA BE TIED TO A PERSON'S PERFORMANCE 10% EACH YEAR. AND I WAS AGAINST THAT THEN BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S TOO MUCH TO SAY. EVERY YEAR YOU'RE GONNA INCREASE 10%. THE ECONOMY IS BAD NOW. SO WE GOING 30%, WE HIT IT NEXT YEAR. THE ECONOMY IS WORSE. WE AT 3%. SO HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HAVE STRETCH GOALS. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE MORE OF A STRETCH GOAL TO GET THERE INSTEAD OF AN ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. UH, AT 30% IN THE STRETCH GOAL SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY ATTAINABLE YEAR AFTER YEAR THAT WE CAN HOLD OUR HAT ON AND SAY, HEY, WE ARE, WE HAD A, A STRETCH GOAL OF 6%. CAN, CAN, CAN WE, CAN WE GET PAST THE, THE PERCENTAGE? THE PERCENTAGE TONIGHT? YES. COME ON. CAN WE GET PAST THE PERCENTAGE? WE CAN DO THAT. MAYOR, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT, I, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH, LIKE YOU SAID, WHEN YOU, I BROUGHT PEOPLE TO THE CITY, TO THESE PROGRAMS AND THEY DID NOT SET UP THE PAPERWORK. UH, WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING BACK AND FORTH UNTIL I'M, I'M TIRED. NOTHING'S COME ON. WE'RE NOT SETTING A PERCENTAGE TONIGHT. AND WHEN WE GET THE TIME, I'M GONNA PUT IT FOR A VOTE. WE'LL JUST DO AN UP AND DOWN VOTE. I MEAN, WE KNOW WHERE EVERYBODY STANDS. COUNCIL MEMBER, HEADON. ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE MENTIONED TO STAFF BEFORE, UM, THAT I WANT TO MENTION AGAIN, A WAY WE CAN SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH PROCUREMENT AND ALL OF THAT IS, UH, SHOP SMALL OR SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES INITIATIVES. I'VE SEEN OTHER CITIES DO THAT. UH, THAT'S MARKETING RELATED. UH, MAYBE COMBINING MARKETING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SHOP LOCAL'S, A BIG SHOP, LOCAL SHOP, SMALL SUPPORT, SMALL, WHATEVER PHRASE WE WANT TO PUT ON IT. BUT I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY FOR THEM TO FEEL SUPPORTED. AND I THINK, UM, WE CAN FIND WAYS TO MEASURE WHETHER THAT'S WORKING WITH ALL OF THESE, UM, FESTIVALS WE HAVE WITH LOCAL PEOPLE COMING OUT AND SELLING GOODS. I KNOW SOMETIMES ONE OF, ONE OF THE THINGS WE HIGHLIGHT WITH EVENTS IS THAT IT'S FREE, WHICH IS GREAT. BUT I THINK MAYBE WE CAN SHIFT FROM FREE TO SHOP SMALL SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES AND UH, START TO PUT A MARKETING CAMPAIGN TOGETHER ALONG THOSE LINES. AND WE ACTUALLY DID THAT THIS YEAR. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID AT CHRISTMAS TIME, WE HAD THE MISSILE TO MARKET. WE DID A LOT OF MARKETING ABOUT THAT. SO I THINK WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT. SO I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THAT WORKS AND THAT GREAT IDEAS. THAT WAS A GREAT MARKET. I LOVE THAT. MM-HMM. UM, SO I THINK THAT SHOULD JUST BE A YEAR ROUND THING. MM-HMM . AND I FEEL LIKE EVEN IF THEY DON'T FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SAY, WELL WE CAN SEE THE CITY IS STILL SUPPORTING US IN THIS OTHER AVENUE. UM, SO I'S WHY TO KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING, GET WITH STAFF ON THAT AND UM, LET'S JUST KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. UH, THANK YOU CHERYL. SURE. THANK YOU. AGENDA REVIEW. ALL I WAS GONNA DO IS GO THROUGH THE, THE TIMELINE. SO THIS REAL QUICK OH, TIMELINE. OKAY. SORRY. OKAY. UH, THE, THE, I SAW NO LIKES I WAS READY TO MOVE ON. THAT'S FINE. , I'LL DO, I'LL BE VERY BRIEF. SO FROM FEBRUARY TO APRIL WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THE FRAMEWORK. UM, SO WE'LL BE BRINGING BACK SOMETHING BACK TO YOU PROBABLY IN APRIL. UM, THEN [01:10:01] WHAT THE BIGGER THING IS, IS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONFIGURE AND TRAIN. SO THAT IS CONFIGURING, THAT'S CONFIGURING. WE HAVE A LOT OF SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE TO PUT IN PLACE. SO WE HAVE IMPLEMENTATION. UH, WE ALSO HAVE TO TRAIN STAFF. WE ALSO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND IT IS ALSO COMMUNICATING TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS PROGRAM, THIS PROGRAM FOLKS, IS ABOUT CONNECTIONS. IT'S ABOUT CONNECTING EVERYBODY TOGETHER SO WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT ASPIRATIONAL GOAL. THE LAST THING WE'RE GONNA DO IS LAUNCH IN OCTOBER OF 2026. WHEN WE GO LIVE WITH OUR, OUR UM, ERP SYSTEM. THIS IS GONNA BE PART OF THAT SYSTEM THAT WE'RE GONNA GO LIVE WITH. WE'LL BE ABLE TO PRESS THE BUTTON AND SAY, NOW WE'RE ABLE TO, WHAT THAT'S GONNA ALLOW US TO DO IS BE ABLE TO TRACK HOW WE ARE DOING CURRENTLY OUR SYSTEM DOES NOT ALLOW THAT, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA SLOW US DOWN. TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO THAT IS NOT, THAT IS CORRECT SIR. THIS WILL JUST GIVE US A WAY TO TRACK IT. I THINK WE'LL KNOW HOW, WE'LL WE'LL KNOW WHETHER RESULTS ARE IN BECAUSE WE'LL HEAR FROM PEOPLE. I FINALLY GOT MY FIRST ORDER FROM THE CITY. THAT'S TRACKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NOW CAN I SAY THANK YOU? AGENDA REVIEW. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL, WE HAVE ITEM SEVEN TO 15 ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. I WILL BE ASKING TO PULL ITEM 14 FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE OTHER ITEMS? ADAM FOURTEEN'S THE ONE THAT WE'RE ALREADY DISCUSSED. OKAY. YES SIR. YOU HAVE A QUESTION? ALRIGHT, GO AHEAD TONY. UH, I GUESS IT WOULD BE SOMEBODY IN BUDGETS ON, ON ITEM NUMBER, UH OH. THE ITEM NUMBER 15. ITEM 15. AND IT'S REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE TOWN. WE'LL SEE. TELEPHONE MANAGEMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR. THE BEST I COULD TELL BY LOOKING AT THAT AT THIS ITEM IS WE'RE JUST MOVING FROM HERE TO THERE TO MAKE EVERYTHING MATCH WHAT THE CIP BUDGET IS. YES SIR. IS THAT CORRECT? THIS IS OUR QUARTERLY. IT'S NOT ADDING ANY, ANY DOLLARS TO IT. IT'S NOT TAKING ANY DOLLARS AWAY FROM IT. IT'S OUR QUARTERLY CLEANUP. SO SOME OF IT IS JUST SO MONEY. YES SIR. ALRIGHT. THAT'S WHERE, THANKS AL. THANK YOU FOR THE YES. TAL . ANYBODY ELSE? CAN YOU PLACE TRASH BAGS NEXT TO THE BIN AND HAVE 'EM PICKED UP? WHAT'S THE ANSWER? NO. THANK YOU. BACK TO YOU MAYOR PROM. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, BACK TO YOU MAYOR. NO EXEC SESSION. LET'S GO EAT. AND IF YOU HAVE TIME TO RUN DOWN AND SAY HI TO THE KIDS, GO AHEAD. IF YOU WANT TO EAT IN THE C IN OUR LUNCH ROOMS, STAY THERE. 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE TO MEET THE BUNKER. WE'RE RECESS. COME BACK AT SIX 30. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.