* 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. [00:00:06] GOOD [CALL TO ORDER] AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. IT'S 2:01 PM AND I WILL CALL TO ORDER THE AUSTIN AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING. UM, WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT. WE ARE MEETING AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, UH, IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL. UM, MEMBERS, THE ORDER THAT I THOUGHT [2. Proposed amendments to the bylaws of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs.] WE'D GO IN IS WE WOULD TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER TWO FIRST, WHICH IS THE, THE A PROPOSAL FOR AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF THE COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS. UH, LET ME, LET ME START BY SAYING NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND I'LL CONFIRM THAT WITH THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. AND, AND SO NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AT THIS SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. UH, SO, SO WE'LL GO TO ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH ARE THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS OF THE COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS. UH, THE CHAIR WILL RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, I HAVE PASSED OUT A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD MAKE THOSE PROPOSED, UM, NEW SEATS, EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS, SO IT WOULDN'T IMPACT THE QUORUM ISSUE, BUT WOULD POTENTIALLY ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO BE ON THE COMMISSION. OUR UNDERSTANDING FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS FOR THIS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IS WE, THE, THE, THE ACTION HERE WOULD BE TO SEND THIS BACK TO THE COMMISSION FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. UH, WE'RE NOT JUST NECESSARILY ADOPTING IT HERE. SO GET CONFIRMATION ON THAT AND THEN THAT WOULD BE MY MOTION. YES, THAT'S CORRECT. COUNCIL MEMBER. ALRIGHT, THAT IS MY MOTION. SO, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THIS? I, I DON'T, I'M PULLING UP THE COMMITTEE SITE RIGHT NOW TO SEE IF I CAN, IF IT'S IN THE BACKUP, BUT I SHOULD HAVE IT UP MOMENTARILY. IT IS NOT. WE CAN EMAIL IT TO YOU. WE WERE BOUND BY THE TWO PERSON RULE HERE, SO I'M SORRY. I DID NOT GET TO SOCIALIZE THIS TO THE, WHAT I'LL DO, WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL READ IT OUT LOUD SLOWLY SO THAT, UH, AT LEAST COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP. OKAY. SO HERE, HERE, MR. MY CONCERN. I ALSO DON'T HAVE A COPY, BUT YOU RESOLVED THAT. THANK YOU. SURE. SO WHAT IT WOULD DO, AND, AND WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS I'M GONNA TRY TO READ THIS WITH THE RED LINE SO THAT YOU'LL, YOU'LL, IF, IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT THE PREVIOUS AMEND PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS, I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHERE THE CHANGES ARE IN THAT PROPOSED AMENDMENT. OKAY. THE BOARD IS COMPOSED OF DELETE 11, SO THAT IT WOULD READ. THE BOARD IS COMPOSED OF 15 MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, DELETE, AND ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT. THE BOARD IS COMPOSED OF 15 MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, PERIOD. EACH COUNCIL MEMBER SHALL NOMINATE ONE BOARD MEMBER TO SERVE. HANG ON. YEAH, IT WAS JUST DUPLICATE DUPLICATED. AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT SHALL DELETE APPOINT THE ADDITIONAL MEMBER THE SHALL NOMINATE ONE MEMBER. SO NOW IT'S, IT CLARIFIES THAT THERE'S JUST ONE MEMBER FROM THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSION, AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSION REPORT SHOULD NOMINATE ONE MEMBER. NOW, HERE'S THE KEY LANGUAGE, AND THE COMMISSION SHALL NOMINATE. THE COMMISSION SHALL NOMINATE THREE NON-VOTING MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. THE THREE NON-VOTING STAKEHOLDER MEMBERS SERVE IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY ONLY AND MAY PARTICIPATE AT BOARD MEETINGS, BUT MAY NOT VOTE OR BRING A MOTION, AND DO NOT COUNT TOWARD CALCULATION OF A QUORUM OR ANY OTHER MINIMUM COUNT, VOTE COUNT REQUIRED BY CITY CODE OR STATE LAW. I'LL READ THE WHOLE THING AGAIN WITHOUT THE RED LINES, WITHOUT MY INTERRUPTING. AS I READ IT, THE BOARD IS COMPOSED OF 15 MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL. EACH COUNCIL MEMBER SHALL NOMINATE ONE MORE BOARD MEMBER TO SERVE, AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT SHALL NOMINATE ONE MEMBER, AND THE COMMISSION SHALL NOMINATE THREE NON-VOTING MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. THE THREE NON-VOTING STAKEHOLDER MEMBERS SERVE IN AN ADVISORY CAPACITY ONLY AND MAY PARTICIPATE AT BOARD MEETINGS, BUT MAY NOT VOTE OR BRING A MOTION AND DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS CALCULATION OF A QUORUM OR ANY OTHER MINIMUM VOTE COUNT REQUIRED BY CITY CODE OR STATE LAW COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER HAS MADE THE MOTION TO REFER THIS LANGUAGE BACK TO THE, UM, TO THE COMMISSION FOR ITS CONSIDERATION. IT IS SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA. DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM. THANK YOU AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER FOR BRINGING FORWARD THIS LANGUAGE. I, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND YOUR INTENTION IN TRYING TO STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN WHAT THE COMMISSION IS RECOMMENDING AND THE NEED TO HAVE MORE ADDITIONAL VOICES AT THE TABLE AS WELL AS TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I [00:05:01] DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR YOU AND, AND THE RATIONALE AND WHY YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD THE, THE PROPOSED CHANGE FROM WHAT WAS RECOMMENDED FROM THE COMMISSION. BUT I, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. UNFORTUNATELY, I WOULD LIKE TO BE REGISTERED AS OBJECTING TO THIS PROPOSED AMENDMENT. UM, JUST RECOGNIZING THE TIMES THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW AND THE UNPRECEDENTED ATTACKS ON OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY, I TAKE TO HEART THE RECOMMENDATION THAT IS COMING FROM OUR IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS COMMISSION. SO AT THIS TIME, I CANNOT SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT AS PROPOSED. THANK YOU, MAYOR TIM, IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER FOR, I THINK, ACCOMMODATING SOME FEEDBACK WE GOT LAST TIME WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND, UH, UH, WHAT IS THE PRIMARY VALUE OF HAVING THE THREE NON-VOTING MEMBERS? IS IT TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY CONCERN THAT WAS RAISED LAST TIME BY FOLKS THAT SPOKE DURING TESTIMONY, BUT IT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE QUORUM ISSUE, IN WHICH CASE WE STILL HAVE TO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT APPOINT PEOPLE THAT WILL SHOW UP AND MAKE QUORUM, WHICH IS KIND OF THE FEEDBACK I GOT FROM MY COMMISSIONER, WHICH IS, IT SEEMS REALLY STRANGE TO GO AROUND, UH, EVERY TIME YOU FIND A DEFICIENT COMMISSION CHANGING THE RULES, ADDING SEEDS, SORT OF STACKING A SUPREME COURT OR WHATEVER IT IS TO TRY AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET A QUORUM INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING PEOPLE APPOINT PEOPLE THAT WILL SHOW UP. SO I'M ASSUMING THIS IS THAT THE INTENT HERE IS TO STRIKE THAT BALANCE. THAT'S RIGHT. JUST TRYING TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF MAKING SURE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE MORE INVOLVEMENT, BUT NOT ADDING TO QUORUM ISSUES THAT COULD ARISE. HOW DO WE PLAN TO FIX THE QUORUM ISSUES THAT WE'VE RUN INTO IN THE PAST? I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S A, MAYBE A NOW A TOTALLY SEPARATE ISSUE FROM THE ONE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS IN THIS. THAT'S CORRECT. I THINK THIS TAKES THAT ISSUE OFF THE TABLE AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHEN WE'RE APPOINTING PEOPLE, MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE AVAILABLE AND WILL ATTEND THESE MEETINGS. WHAT ABOUT, AND I KNOW THAT WE, UM, WE TOUCHED ON IT LAST TIME. I THINK WE GOT THE INFORMATION FROM STEPHANIE. DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS ENFORCING THE THREE ABSENCES AND YOU'RE OUT, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS THE RULE. IS THAT, CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT PLEASE? YES. SO CODE HAS SOME RULES ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE AN AUTOMATIC VACANCY FOR ATTENDANCE. IT'S THREE IN A ROW OR A THIRD OF A RULING. HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROVISION FOR COUNCIL TO WAIVE THAT AND ALLOW A MEMBER TO CONTINUE SERVING, BASICALLY RESTARTING THAT CLOCK ON AT THEIR DISCRETION. AND IS THAT BEING ENFORCED? I WOULD SAY WE HAVE, WE HAVE REALLY GOOD SUCCESS WHEN WE REACH OUT TO A COUNCIL OFFICE AND THEY CONNECT WITH THAT MEMBER TO CONFIRM, DO YOU WANT TO CONTINUE SERVING WHAT'S GOING ON? WE ALSO SHARE ANY INFORMATION THAT WE MIGHT HAVE. MAYBE IT WAS A WORK, SOME WORK RELATED CONCERNS OR SOME OTHER ISSUES, TRAVEL, ET CETERA. WE SHARE WHATEVER INFORMATION WE CAN. AND I WOULD SAY WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF RESPONSE ON THAT. THERE WAS, IN THE PAST, AND I COULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS AT THE LAST MEETING, WE WEREN'T NECESSARILY HEARING ABOUT THOSE VIOLATIONS TIMELY. THAT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AND SORTED OUT. I DO NOT SEE THAT AS AN ISSUE MOVING FORWARD, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS COMMISSION. OKAY. SO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT THAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE AND INFORMATION HAS BEEN CONVEYED TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THIS BECOMES A MORE FUNCTIONAL COMMISSION? YES. INDEPENDENT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN THIS ITEM. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN VALA, UH, IN MY, UH, UNDERSTANDING TOO, 'CAUSE I, I HAD ASKED AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING ABOUT IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER, UH, UH, COMMISSIONS THAT WERE, HAD A SIMILAR STRUCTURE AND ONE OF THE ONES THAT WAS MENTIONED WITH THE ASIAN AMERICAN, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE, UH, COMMISSION. AND IN TALKING ABOUT WHY IT WAS STRUCTURED LIKE THAT, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND WHY THE, THE, THE LOGIC WOULD APPLY TO THE IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS. UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IS A VERY WIDE RANGING COMMUNITY. AND THE IDEA BEING THAT THEY WANTED THERE, THERE CAN BE, FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT OF, UH, UH, CHINESE AMERICAN OR INDIAN AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO WOULD PROBABLY DOMINATE THE, THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION. BUT THE IDEA BEING THAT THEY WANTED TO HAVE MEMBERS FROM OTHER AREAS AND HAVE A, UH, COMMITTEE THAT'S BROADLY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. AND MY THINKING ON THIS WOULD BE SIMILAR, WHERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS, UH, ARE EXTREMELY NUMEROUS IN AUSTIN, BUT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS THERE, THERE'S IMMIGRANTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD THAT MAY NOT MAKE IT ONTO THE COMMISSION IN ITS CURRENT FORM, BUT WE WANT THEIR VOICES TO BE AT THE TABLE. THE IDEA BEING THAT THE CHAIR AND THE COMMISSION COULD THEN IDENTIFY AND SAY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY IMMIGRANTS FROM THIS PART OF THE WORLD. WE REALLY NEED TO ADD SOMEBODY. AND, AND WE WOULD HAVE THAT. THAT'S AGAIN, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE THINKING BEHIND THAT, NOT A, A QUORUM SOLVING ISSUE, BUT REALLY MORE OF A, A, A REPRESENTATION ISSUE. AND, AND I, I THINK THAT THAT'S A, A COMPELLING, UH, LOGIC FURTHER DISCUSSION. DO YOU WISH TO CLOSE, THE ONLY THING I WAS GONNA ADD IS IT'S NOT ON THIS THAT [00:10:01] WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE TRANSLATION SERVICES FOR THIS COMMISSION, NOT JUST AT MEETINGS, BUT THE NEED FOR MAYBE INDIVIDUALS WHO DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH WHEN THEY'RE COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER COMMISSION MEMBERS OFFLINE, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT TRANSLATION IS AVAILABLE. AND JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT. AGAIN, I KNOW Y'ALL ARE GONNA WORK ON THAT, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. YEAH, CLOSE. ALRIGHT. A MOTION HAS BEEN MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. UH, THOSE WHO ARE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO REFER THIS LANGUAGE BACK TO THE COMMISSION, UH, FOR ITS CONSIDERATION AND RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL COUNT, TO THE THIS COMMITTEE, UH, INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND, UM, THOSE OPPOSED, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEM. SO THE MOTION PASSES ON A VOTE OF FOUR TO ONE WITH THE MAYOR PRO TEM BEING THE ONE NO VOTE COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, YOU'RE NOT A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE, SO, OKAY. UM, BUT I, I APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION. I'M, I'M, I'M, I'M NOT, BUT I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WHEN I COUNT VOTES THAT I DON'T GET CROSSWISE. GOOD. UH, VERY GOOD. SO THAT TAKES CARE OF ITEM NUMBER TWO. MEMBERS WILL NOW GO [1. Consideration and possible action regarding creating a policy setting the framework for the property tax rate elections for municipal services.] TO ITEM NUMBER ONE. AND, UM, ITEM NUMBER ONE, OF COURSE IS CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING CREATING A POLICY, SETTING THE FRAMEWORK FOR A PROPERTY TAX RATE ELECTIONS FOR MUNICIPAL SERVICES. AND, AND LET ME JUST SAY BEFORE WE GO INTO THAT, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THIS COMMITTEE FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT IT'S PUTTING IN. THIS IS WHAT WE HAD HOPED THAT AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD, UH, DO AND PLAY THIS ROLE. AND ONE OF THE KEY THINGS THAT WE INDICATED WE WANTED TO DO AS AN AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE IS WE WANTED TO LOOK AT HOW WE WOULD GO ABOUT CALLING FOR A TRE IF IN FACT WE WANTED TO HAVE A TRE AND KEY. UH, THE KEY PART OF THAT, I THINK, WAS THAT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO POTENTIALLY RECOMMEND TO THE FULL COUNCIL A POLICY AND A PROCESS SO THAT THE PUBLIC THAT RELIES ON US COULD APPRECIATE AND SEE THAT THERE'S A NEED IF, IF WE'RE CALLING FOR A TRE, THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR A TRE, UH, THE THOUGHTFULNESS IN WHICH WE CONSIDER ASKING FOR A TRE, AND THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ASK FOR A TRE WITH A LEVEL OF CREDIBILITY BECAUSE WE HAD A POLICY AND PROCESS THAT WE WERE FOLLOWING. UM, NOW THERE ARE GONNA BE OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER, OBVIOUSLY, UH, WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT BUDGETS AND HOW WE GO ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A STRAIGHT BUDGET OR WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH A BUDGET, WHAT ARE OUR NEEDS, UH, WHAT IS AFFORDABLE REGARDING TAXES? BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO GO BEYOND THE TAX RATE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AS MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO FULL COUNCIL AS AN AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE VOTERS BEING IN A POSITION TO KNOW WE FOLLOWED A MEANINGFUL PROCESS, UH, AND THAT THEY COULD HAVE FAITH IN US AS A GOVERNING BODY THAT WE'RE OFFERING SOMETHING THAT WE'VE WORKED THROUGH. SO WE ASK OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF, UH, TO COME FORWARD WITH A PROPOSAL FOR POLICY. WE'RE GETTING READY TO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THAT. WHAT I HAVE DONE IS TAKEN THE POLICY THAT THEY MADE AVAILABLE TO US PREVIOUSLY. AND WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO IS WORK THAT INTO A MEANINGFUL PROCESS. WHEN YOU HEAR THE PRESENTATION AND WHEN THE PUBLIC HEARS THE PRESENTATION FROM OUR STAFF, EVERYTHING IN THIS DECISION TREE IS SOMETHING THAT SHE HAS THAT WILL BE IN THESE POLICIES THAT YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN. UM, BUT I'VE CREATED, IT IS LABELED VERSION THREE TRE, DECISION TREE. UM, AND I MUST ADMIT I PLAYED WITH CUTE NAMES, BUT, UH, WE DIDN'T GO THERE, UM, ANYWAY, WITH ONE EXCEPTION. AND, AND I'LL, I'LL BRING THAT UP AT THE TIME, UH, BUT IT'S AN EXCEPTION AFTER TALKING TO THE, THE, THE CITY MANAGER, UH, UH, ABOUT THIS. THAT BEING SAID, UM, WERE YOU GONNA SAY DECISION TO RE ? JUST LEAVE THIS ALONE. ALL RIGHT. LEAVE IT ALONE. LEAVE IT ALONE. UM, ALRIGHT. THANK Y'ALL. SO, UM, WITH THAT, I'M, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER, UH, TO YOU. YEAH, I DO TOO. . GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, CARRIE LANG, DIRECTOR OF THE BUDGET AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENT OFFICE. UM, I'M, I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU AS THE MAYOR SAID ON, UH, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION ON A TAX REELECTION POLICY. AND, UM, WANT TO START THE CONVERSATION BY, OKAY, MAYBE CLICKING RIGHT. I'LL START THE CONVERSATION BY JUST TALKING A LITTLE BIT THROUGH THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO OR SO. UM, ON APRIL 8TH, WE TALKED ABOUT, OR, OR PRESENTED THE FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST FOR THE CITY. [00:15:01] UM, AND WE SHOW A DEFICIT IN FISCAL YEAR 26 OF $33.4 MILLION. THAT DEFICIT CONTINUES TO GROW THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE LIFE OF THE FINANCIAL FORECAST. AND THEN IN THAT SAME PRESENTATION, IN THAT SAME DISCUSSION, WE SHOWED THE, UH, PRO PROJECTED VOTER APPROVAL RATE AS OF THE FORECAST AT 57.01 CENTS, UM, PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF TAXABLE VALUE. AND THAT'S JUST SHOWING WHAT THE RATES ARE LOOKING AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT AT THE TIME, AND WHAT THAT STILL MEANT AS FAR AS THE DEFICIT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ANTICIPATING FOR THE COMING YEAR. IN ADDITION, WE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UH, INCLUDED A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE END OF THE APA FUNDING, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE FUNDS END AND DOLLARS MUST BE SPENT BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 2026. UM, AND SO THERE ARE 10 PROGRAMS, UM, PRIMARILY THOSE THAT ARE IN THE HOMELESS, UH, SERVICES. UM, BUT THERE ARE STILL SOME PROGRAMS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TOTALING 18.1 MILLION THAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING. UM, THE, THE DEPARTMENTAL STAFF SAYS THESE, THESE SHOULD BE ONGOING, UM, FUNDING AND ONGOING SERVICES BASED ON THE, THE RESPONSES THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR. AND THEN ON LAST WEEK, THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE PRESENTED TO THE JOINT MEETING OF THIS COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE SPEAKING TO THE, UM, NEEDS FOR OUR HOMELESS SERVICE RESPONSE, UM, A HUNDRED $0.45 MILLION THAT IS NEEDED OF TO CONTINUE THE CURRENT LEVELS AND TO EXPAND THE LEVEL OF PROGRAMMING, UM, RELATED TO OUR HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE SERVICES. AND THEN FINALLY, UM, JUST THINKING THROUGH WHERE WE ARE AND THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF FEDERAL GRANT REDUCTIONS, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN TO THE SERVICES THAT WE CURRENTLY PROVIDE. UM, AND THEN I WANT TO JUST MAKE NOTE THAT DURING, UM, CURRENTLY IN THE CURRENT STATE TAX CODE, ANY, UM, ANY APPROVAL OF A TAX RATE THAT'S HIGHER THAN THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE DOES REQUIRE, UH, COUNCIL APPROVAL OF AT LEAST 60%. AND SO, JUST CONTINUING TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION ON WHAT THIS, WHAT THE BACKGROUND IS, UM, WHY WE ARE CONTINUING THIS DISCUSSION. AND THEN I'LL MOVE FORWARD TO, UM, TALKING THROUGH THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE, UH, WANNA, WANNA TALK ABOUT TODAY. AND 1, 1, 1 OTHER THING I'LL ADD TO THAT IS, UH, THE WAY THE STATUTE READS, FOR THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL FOR A WHILE, YOU'LL RECALL THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT REQUIRE A RECORD VOTE, UH, JUST IN, IN, EVEN WITH SIMPLE BUDGET ITEMS, THIS REQUIRES A RECORD VOTE OF AT LEAST 60% OF THE COUNCIL TO GO TO A TRA. OKAY. SORRY TO INTERRUPT. NO, YOU'RE FINE. SO THE FIRST POLICY RECOMMENDATION, AND I'LL READ IT FIRST AND THEN KIND OF TALK THROUGH IT. UM, THE CITY MANAGER SHALL PRESENT A PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET EACH YEAR TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT IS BALANCED AT A PROPERTY TAX RATE THAT IS EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN THE PROJECTED VOTER APPROVAL RATE. HOWEVER, THE CITY MANAGER MAY PERIODICALLY CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF GENERAL FUND PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO IDENTIFY AREAS FOR INVESTMENT OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT COULD BE PROVIDED BY, BY REVENUE FROM A TAX RATE ELECTION OR A TRE. AND SO, PER THE CITY'S FINANCIAL POLICY, THE REVENUE, YOU KNOW, YOUR CURRENT REVENUE SHOULD MATCH YOUR CURRENT EXPENDITURES. AND SO THIS IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS MAKING SURE THAT OUR BASE, UM, EXPENDITURES ARE COVERED BY OUR BASE REVENUE. UM, WE, AS SUCH, THE WE ARE, WE ARE REQUIRING THAT THE STAFF WORK THROUGH THIS POLICY TO PRESENT A BUDGET THAT IS BALANCED IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING CONTINUOUS REVIEW OF THE, OF THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT WE ARE PROVIDING AND LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES, UM, AS WE ARE, AS WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES. THIS ALSO, UM, ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR CONTINUED COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF, OF THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING. SO JUST ALLOWING US TO HAVE A REALLY THOROUGH LOOK AT WHAT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE REQUIRED, WHAT GROWTH IS REQUIRED, AND DETERMINE FROM THAT WHETHER OR NOT TAX REELECTION IS NEEDED. POLICY TWO, THE TAX ELECTION SHOULD OCCUR NO MORE FREQUENTLY THAN ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A TRE HELD TO GENERATE REVENUE NECESSARY FOR RESPONDING TO A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY THAT IS THE RESULT OF SUSTAINED ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, A NATURAL DISASTER OR CALAMITY, OR A SIGNIFICANT AND UNEXPECTED REDUCTION IN FUNDING RESULTING FROM FEDERAL OR STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION THAT WILL RESULT IN THE CESSATION OF CRITICAL GRANT FUNDED PROGRAMMING, AND WHICH CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLY AND SUSTAINABLY ADDRESSED THROUGH THE USE OF FUNDING FROM THE GENERAL FUND EMERGENCY OR BUDGET STABILIZATION RESERVE FUNDS. PRIOR OUR DISCUSSION, WE, [00:20:01] UM, WE REALLY RECOGNIZED THAT A STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE CAUSED BY THE CURRENT PROPERTY TAX REVENUE CAPS CRE, BUT CREATING THESE GUARDRAILS AROUND, UM, A TRE WILL HELP US MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING PRUDENT IN OUR BUDGETING AND OUR COST CONTAINMENT. THIS POLICY WILL ALLOW FLEX FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS FINANCIAL NEEDS, SHOULD AN EMERGENCY ARISE, OR A LOSS OF FUNDING THAT, THAT WOULD REQUIRE US TO CONSIDER A TRE POLICY RECOMMENDATION. NUMBER THREE, THE CITY SHALL CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE LEVEL OF PROGRAMMING OR SERVICES FUNDED WITH THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE GENERATED ABOVE THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, AND PROVIDE AN ACCOUNTING OF THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF SERVICES SHOULD THE ELECTION FAIL. TRE SHOULD NOT BE USED TO ADDRESS BASE COST DRIVERS, BUT CAN BE PROPOSED TO ADDRESS IDENTIFIED GAPS IN SERVICES AND NEW OR EXPANDED SERVICES. UM, AND THIS POLICY IS REALLY TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, IT TIES BACK TO THE POLICY NUMBER ONE, CURRENT REVENUE COVERING THE COST OF CURRENT EXPENDITURES, UM, MAKING SURE WE'RE CREATING A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SERVICES THAT THE TRE WILL FUND SO THAT IF THOSE SERVICES AREN'T, OR IF THAT ELECTION DOES NOT PASS BASELINE OR BASE COST DRIVERS ARE STILL COVERED THROUGH, UM, THE, THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE OR THE REVENUE THAT WE ARE, WE'RE PRESENTING UNDER THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE. POLICY RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FOUR, THE CITY SHALL STRUCTURE A PROPOSED TRE TO ACHIEVE MUNICIPAL PURPOSES AND INCLUDE A BALANCE OF ONE TIME AND ONGOING EXPENDITURES THAT WILL ALLOW INVESTMENTS TO BE SUSTAINED OVER THE MEDIUM TERM AND ALLOW FOR FUNDING ONE-TIME STARTUP EXPENSES RELATED TO EXPANDED OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS. SO, UM, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS, UH, RECOMMENDATION, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THE REQUIREMENT TO SAY WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE TRE IS. THAT IS, THAT IS A REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE ON THE BALLOT. AND SO THE, THE POLICY REINFORCES THAT REQUIREMENT, AND IT ALSO ALLOWS FOR A STRUCTURE FOR THE TRE TO BE SUSTAINED OVER THE MEDIUM TERM TERM. WHAT WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS THAT WE BALANCE THOSE ONE TIME VERSUS ONGOING COSTS, SO THAT IF, IF THERE'S AN APPROVAL FOR, UM, FOR, FOR SERVICES THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK IN THE, IN THE NEXT YEAR AND COVER THE COST OF THE INCREASED COST DRIVERS THAT HAPPEN NATURALLY IN THE COURSE OF DOING BUSINESS, WE WANTED TO AVOID CREATING TRE IN ONE YEAR AND HAVING TO, UM, NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE NEXT TWO TO FOUR YEARS. SO BALANCING OUT THE, THE ONGOING VERSUS THE ONE-TIME COST ALLOWS FOR THOSE ONGOING COSTS TO GROW OVER THAT MEDIUM TERM. BEFORE WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL NEED A TRE AGAIN. AND NOW I'M GONNA KIND OF WALK, WALK THROUGH BUILDING A, WHAT THE STRUCTURE OR COMPREHENSIVE TRE STRUCTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE. AS I MENTIONED, WE WOULD COME FORWARD WITH A BALANCE BASED BUDGET AND ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN CREATING A BALANCE BUDGET IS HERE. YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALK TO COUNCIL, WE HEAR ITEMS FROM COUNCIL, WE HAVE CONVERSATION WITH COUNCIL DEPARTMENTS, DO A ROBUST PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE, UM, AND, AND LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT, WHAT GROWTH THEY, THEY'RE HAVING IN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR SERVICES. AND THEN WE HAVE THE BUDGET SURVEY THAT WE, UM, PROVIDE EVERY YEAR TO GET SOME COMMUNITY FEEDBACK BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS COMES IN. AND SO THAT'S, THOSE ARE ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT WE CONSIDER WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PROVIDING A BUDGET IN GENERAL. AND, AND WHAT WE ARE, UM, ANTICIPATING IS ONCE WE PROVIDE THAT BASE BUDGET, THEN WE'LL LOOK AT INCLUDING THE ELEMENTS THAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN TRE. SO IF BALANCING THE BUDGET RESULTED IN MAKING REDUCTIONS, UM, AND, AND IF THERE ARE IDENTIFIED GAPS IN SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE OR BEGIN DOING, THEN WE WILL LOOK AT THOSE THINGS. WE WOULD LOOK AT, UM, PROGRAMMATIC ENHANCEMENTS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE CONVERSATION THAT WAS JUST HAD ABOUT THE HOMELESS STRATEGY, OFFICE ENHANCEMENT REQUEST, UM, WE WOULD ALSO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE, UM, WHAT IS HAPPENING ACROSS, OH, AND I WAS BEING ALL FANCY, AND NOW MY CLICKER'S NOT WORKING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THERE YOU GO. GIMME ONE MORE. I WAS TRYING TO BE FANCY Y'ALL. UM, BUT LOOKING AT BUILDING THE COMPREHENSIVE, UM, FINANCE TRE STRUCTURE BY LOOKING AT ALL THE REQUESTS THAT ARE COMING IN, LOOKING AT ALL THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING AND IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE THOSE AREAS THAT WE CAN LOOK TO, UM, FUND THROUGH POTENTIAL, UM, TAX REELECTION. AND I WANNA KEEP GOING AND SAY THAT THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES. YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE TALK THROUGH THIS IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE COULD SEE HOW WE WOULD BUILD THE, UM, TAX REELECTION STRUCTURE. [00:25:01] BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THESE POTENTIAL, UH, ITEMS. THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE ARE, IF IT, IF A SERVICE OR PROGRAM AREA ISN'T LISTED, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE ARE SAYING IT SHOULD NOT BE FUNDED. WE JUST WANNA HELP FACILITATE THE CONVERSATION SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN BUILD THIS. UM, AND, AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ELEMENTS, SO ONCE THE ELEMENTS ARE CREATED, ONCE WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT GROUPINGS OR, OR WAYS THAT WE WANNA POTENTIALLY INCLUDE IN THE STRUCTURE, THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS THAT WE CAN THEN FINALIZE WHAT THAT STRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE. THERE'S A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK OF, UH, A POTENTIAL TAX REELECTION OR A STRATEGIC LOOK AT THIS. AND SO IF WE ARE LOOKING AT THE COMPREHENSIVE LOOK, IT WOULD BE TAKING LITTLE ELEMENTS OF ALL THOSE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED AREAS AND, AND SEEING HOW MUCH WE COULD FUND, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH 1 CENT. AND SO IT, WE'LL BE TAKING, FOR EXAMPLE, PARTS OF EACH OF THOSE BIGGER BUCKETS AND IDENTIFYING WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND THEN WE WOULD GO BACK AND LOOK AT, OKAY, IF WE DID A 2 CENT INCREASE ON THE RATE, HOW MUCH MORE COULD WE DO OF ALL THOSE ELEMENTS? THAT'S MORE OF A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT A TAX REELECTION STRUCTURE. SEPARATELY FROM THAT, YOU CAN DO A MORE STRATEGIC LOOK WHERE YOU'RE SAYING, I'M GONNA FUND ALL OF PERHAPS THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE ENHANCEMENTS AND A PORTION OF THE HOUSING AND PLANNING ENHANCEMENTS, AND THAT'S WHAT I COULD FUND WITH 1 CENT. AND THEN LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL OF 2 CENTS, I COULD THEN FUND MAYBE ALL OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT WERE CREATED IN, OR THAT WAS, UM, BROUGHT FORWARD IN, IN THE NEEDS FOR THE NEXT COME FOR THE COMING YEAR. NOW IN THIS EXAMPLE, UM, A ONE 1 CENT INCREASE IS 21 MILLIONS AND A 2 CENT INCREASE IS 42 MILLION. AND THIS IS BASED ON THE INFORMATION FROM OUR, FROM OUR FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST. OF COURSE, AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THOSE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS PART OF THE EXAMPLE TO SEE HOW WE COULD POTENTIALLY STRUCTURE, UM, THE, THE ELEMENTS OF A TAX REELECTION. AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. UM, OKAY, SO MEMBERS, WHAT I WOULD DO RIGHT NOW IS SO THAT WE CAN, UH, KIND OF PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER IS I'D LIKE TO JUST HAVE YOU WALK THROUGH THE DECISION TREE SO THAT WE GET IT. AT LEAST IT'S HELPFUL FOR ME AND I, I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL FOR, UH, THE PUBLIC AS WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW WE WOULD APPROACH THIS. UM, IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DECISION TREE, BY THE WAY, I'M GONNA START WITH WHAT SHE JUST DID WITH HOW YOU WOULD ANALYZE WHAT MIGHT GO INTO THAT. THAT APPEARS OVER IN THAT BIG RIGHT HAND BOX, UM, WHERE IT SAYS, THERE'S BEEN A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF GENERAL FUND PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF INVESTMENT, OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT COULD BE PROVIDED BY REVENUE FROM A TRE. AND I'LL COME BACK TO THAT, BUT THAT'S WHERE THAT FITS IN THERE. UM, THE FIRST BOX THERE IS, AS POINTED OUT, IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT CI THE CITY'S CURRENT FINANCIAL POLICY AND POLICY NUMBER ONE THAT SHE PUT UP, UH, ON THE SCREEN. SO, BUT THEN YOU START THE QUESTION PROCESS, DOES THE MANAGER RECOMMEND A POTENTIAL TRE? BECAUSE POLICY NUMBER ONE SAID THAT HE MIGHT DO THAT, BUT IT ALSO SAYS THAT THE COUNCIL, SO DOES THE, IT CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNCIL. DOES THE CITY COUNCIL ON RECOMMENDATION OF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMEND A POTENTIAL TRE? I CAUGHT A TYPO THERE, BUT, UH, BUT YOU GET MY, UH, YOU GET THE POINT, RIGHT? THE, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE, THE COUNCIL OR THE MANAGER WOULD MAKE A RECOMMENDATION. IF NEITHER DO, IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN WE GO THROUGH THE REGULAR BUDGET PROCESS. IF ONE OR THE OTHER OR BOTH DO, THEN WE ASK, WHAT WAS POLICY NUMBER TWO OF WHAT SHE LAID OUT? HAS IT BEEN FOUR YEARS OR MORE SINCE A TRE? IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN WE GET INTO THE POTENTIAL EXCEPTIONS. AND, AND THIS IS POLICY NUMBER TWO AS WELL, THAT SHE LAID OUT. IF OUR TRE IS BEING PURSUED BY EITHER THE CITY MANAGER OR THE CITY COUNCIL IN LESS THAN FOUR YEARS AFTER THE LAST TRE, THEN THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WILL CERTIFY THE EXCEPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MET TO THE COUNCIL. AND, AND THEN THOSE EXCEPTIONS ARE EXACTLY WHAT SHE HAD IN HER POLICY NUMBER TWO WITH, AND I TOLD YOU THERE WAS ONE EXCEPTION TO IT. IT GO DOWN 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 LINES. IT SAYS, RESULTING FROM FEDERAL OR STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE CESSATION. I'VE ADDED THE WORDS OR LIMITATION, THE CESSATION OR LIMITATION, [00:30:02] HER POLICY, THE POLICY SHE GAVE US SAID, CESSATION OF CRITICAL GRANT FUNDED PROGRAMMING I'VE ADDED HERE, OR TOOLS FOR FUNDING OR FINANCING PROGRAMS. AND HERE'S WHAT THE THOUGHT WAS IN TALKING TO THE MANAGER IS IF THE LEGISLATION ON, UH, CO'S PASSES THIS TIME, THAT MEAN THAT THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE GRANT FUNDING. MAY NOT INVOLVE THE CESSATION OF GRANT FUNDING, BUT IT TAKES AWAY A TOOL THAT MIGHT CAUSE US OR THE MANAGER TO WANT TO RECOMMEND THAT WE TAKE ACTION IN LESS THAN FOUR YEARS. YOU SEE WHAT, SEE WHAT THAT DOES. SO IF, IF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE CERTIFIES THAT ONE OF THOSE EXCEPTIONS OR DOES NOT CERTIFY THAT ONE OF THOSE EXCEPTIONS APPLY, IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN THE TRE POLICY WOULD BE THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE A TRE, IT WOULD BE LESS THAN, IT WOULD'VE BEEN LESS THAN FOUR YEARS. AND IT DOESN'T MEET AN EXCEPTION. IF, HOWEVER, IT'S DETERMINED YES, OR EITHER, IF THE QUESTION IS HAS IT BEEN FOUR YEARS OR MORE SINCE THE TRE OR THERE'S AN EXCEPTION THAT APPLIES, YOU GET A YES TO EITHER ONE OF THOSE, THEN YOU GO TO THE BOX, DOES THE PROPOSED TRE MEET THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS? AGAIN, I'M, I'M SUGGESTING THAT THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE LOOK AT IT IN ADVANCE. THE FIRST ITEM THERE, I BELIEVE IS FROM POLICY NUMBER ONE. THAT'S WHAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT WHEN SHE SHOWED YOU HOW THE LEGOS WOULD WORK. AND THEN POLICY NUMBER THREE IS THE NEXT ONE, POLICY NUMBER FOUR IS THE NEXT ONE. SO IF IT MEETS THOSE CONDITIONS, IF THE ANSWER IS NO, THEN THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A TRE. BUT IF IT MEETS THOSE CONDITIONS, THEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT THERE BE A TRE ASSUMING A 60% VOTE OF THE COUNCIL. SO I THOUGHT I, I WOULD GET THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE I WANT THE PUBLIC TO ALSO SEE WE WOULD HAVE A THOUGHTFUL PROCESS TO GET US TO A TRE, EVEN WITH THIS POLICY IN PLACE. QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? ALRIGHT, QUESTIONS FOR, UH, OUR STAFF AND CA AND MAYOR PRO TIM? OH NO, I CAN SEE YOU BETTER NOW. OKAY. UH, THEY TOOK IT OFF THE SCREEN, SO IF ANYBODY HAS A QUESTION. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER. I GUESS I'LL START WITH THE POLICY NUMBER ONE, I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND YOUR WORD CHOICE WAS, I FEEL LIKE VERY DELIBERATE AS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE LEGOS, THAT COMPREHENSIVE VERSUS STRATEGIC, UH, THE TWO VERY, THE TWO ROUTES YOU COULD TAKE. AND SO REALLY, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS WOULD THIS POLICY FORECLOSE A NON COMPREHENSIVE TRE? LIKE ARE WE, ARE WE SAYING DO THE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS? I MEAN, THE COUNCIL ALWAYS HAS THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO WHAT WE ULTIMATELY APPROVE, BUT IF WE'RE FOLLOWING THE POLICY, IS THE POLICY SAYING DO THE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS AND ACT COMPREHENSIVELY? OR IS IT SAYING DO THE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS AND THEN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT AND YOU COULD CHOOSE TO JUST DO ONE THING OR TWO THINGS, DO THE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS AND YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO ONE OR TWO THINGS. I THINK THE COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS ALLOWS FOR STAFF TO IDENTIFY ALL THE NEEDS AND THEN COUNCIL COULD MAKE THE ULTIMATE DECISION OF WHICH ONE OF THOSE THINGS THEY WANNA COMPREHENSIVE WOULD MOD. LET ME SAY THIS BACK. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT. NO, PLEASE. COMP THE WORD COMPREHENSIVE MODIFIES THE ANALYSIS, NOT THE DECISION THAT WAS, WOULD BE MADE TO GO FORWARD ON T. CORRECT. ALRIGHT, JUST WANNA, THAT'S GOOD. MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND. UH, AND I THINK YOUR SUGGESTED LANGUAGE, UM, ADDRESSES A QUESTION I HAD ABOUT DO WE GET ANY MONEY FROM THE FEDS OR THE STATE THAT AREN'T GRANTS? NO, I'M GONNA, IN GENERAL, NO. MOST OF THE DOLLARS THAT WE GET FROM FEDERAL OR STATE GOVERNMENT ARE GRANT RELATED. THERE MAY BE SOME NUANCE, BUT IN GENERAL, MOST OF THEM ARE GRANTS. THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO ADD. YEAH, YEAH. NO, THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE. ON POLICY NUMBER THREE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NOT HAVING THE TRE POTENTIALLY ADDRESS COST DRIVERS, HOW DOES THAT FIT IN WITH COMPARING TO CO UH, CUTTING PROGRAMS? SO I COULD ENVISION A SITUATION WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES THAT IF WE DON'T DO A TRE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT, YOU KNOW, THREE PEOPLE HERE AND THIS PROGRAM HERE AND THIS THERE. AND SO AS PART OF THE COMPREHENSIVE TRE WE'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA PRESERVE THESE PROGRAMS, [00:35:01] BUT THESE PROGRAMS ARE PART OF THE REASON WHY WE'RE DOING A TRE. RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY HAVE BALLOONED COST-WISE BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO JUST TO SUSTAIN THEM. SO HOW DOES THE POLICY OF SAYING YOU'RE NOT ADDRESSING COST DRIVERS FACTOR INTO A INCORPORATION OF, LET'S SAY, PRESERVATION OF PROGRAMS THAT ARE THEMSELVES A COST DRIVER TODAY? I THINK THE GOAL WAS TO REALLY, UH, PUSH STAFF TO LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO THROUGH REPRIORITIZATION, THROUGH ALLOCATION, REALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, IDENTIFYING THE AREAS OR THE, THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS THAT MAY NOT BE, UM, UM, PROVIDING THE OUTPUTS THAT, THAT WE ARE INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY WOULD AND, AND REALLY DOING A SCRUB OF THOSE SERVICES WITHOUT JUST SAYING, OH, OUR COST DRIVERS ARE 33 MILLION. WE NEED TO ADD 33, 30 $3 MILLION TRE. IT PUTS SOME ONUS TO DO THE WORK TO IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS IF THERE ARE. AND THEN ONCE WE PRESENT THAT BALANCE BUDGET, THAT SHIFTS THE BASELINE FOR OUR COST DRIVERS. AND IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE SAY, WELL, YES, WE DID THAT, WE PRESENTED THAT BALANCED BUDGET, BUT WE NOW HAVE IDENTIFIED GAPS BECAUSE OF THAT, THEN WE COULD LOOK AT THOSE AS GAPS IN SERVICES THAT WE WOULD MOVE, POTENTIALLY MOVE FORWARD WITH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. OTHER QUESTIONS? YES. COUNCILMAN UCHIN AND THEN MAYOR PRO. TIM AFTER COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN. OH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAD A QUESTION. UH, SINCE YOU'RE VERY PRECISE WITH LANGUAGE, WHY ARE WE USING, WHAT IS POTENTIAL TRE AS OPPOSED TO JUST TRE? DOES THAT JUST MEAN BECAUSE IT'S NOT ACTUALLY APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL? THAT, THAT'S THE WAY I WAS SEEING IT IN MY HEAD. OKAY. I ACTUALLY PUT POTENTIAL IN TODAY. 'CAUSE IT JUST, IT, IF YOU'RE LOOKING LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE UPPER, DOES THE MANAGER RECOMMEND A TRE OR DOES IT, IT'S, IT'S A POTENTIAL TRE BECAUSE THE COUNCIL WOULD'VE TO VOTE TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT. UH, FOR THAT MATTER. IF YOU TAKE IT EVEN MORE SPECIFIC, THE VOTERS WOULD'VE TO VOTE SURE. TO DO IT. UH, SO THAT'S, I DID THAT MAINLY I WAS COMING AT IT FROM, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS IT A, UM, LOOKING AT IT AS A POSSIBILITY OR CONTINGENCY EVEN AS OPPOSED TO OTHER SOLUTIONS. I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER JUST POINTED OUT, THERE MIGHT BE THINGS THAT WE CAN CUT. I MEAN YES, REMEMBER ALTER JUST TWO HOURS AGO, RIGHT? WITH THE COUCHES AND FOUND $400 MILLION. SO I SUSPECT, UH, THERE MIGHT BE SOME OTHER AVENUES TO HOW TO APPROACH SOME OF THE, UH, CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING. AND, AND, AND BY THE WAY, THAT'S WHY I SAID A MINUTE AGO THAT THERE WILL BE OTHER THINGS THAT WE END UP CONSIDERING AS JUST PART OF THE BUDGETING PROCESS. AND, AND I, I WROTE DOWN, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL BE ASKING WHAT ARE OUR NEEDS? I MEAN, WE MAY HAVE DISAGREEMENT OVER WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, UH, WHAT IS, WHAT DO WE CONSIDER TO BE AFFORDABLE WITH REGARD TO TAXES, RIGHT? UM, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS A, A POLICY AND A PROCESS IF WE DECIDE THAT, THAT WE OUGHT, THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING WE FOLLOW, OR I'M, WE ARE ALL TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO GO AND ASK THE VOTERS FOR THAT. BUT A KEY PART OF GETTING TO THAT POINT MAY VERY WELL BE, I CAN'T SUPPORT GOING TO THE VOTERS ON THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE CUT THIS PROGRAM OR THAT PROGRAM. THAT'S JUST PART, I I THINK THAT BECOMES PART OF THE OVERALL PROCESS, PARTICULARLY AS SHE TALKED ABOUT A BALANCED BUDGET. AND THEN YOU START MM-HMM . FIGURING OUT WHAT GETS ADDED TO IT. AND, UH, IS THERE AN ATTACHED TIMELINE TO HOW THIS WOULD WORK IN TERMS OF WHEN WE NEED TO, I'M, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR THE FIRST PART OF QUESTION. I'M SORRY. IS THERE AN ATTACHED TIMELINE TO THIS PROCESS? AND, AND I'M JUST PUT IT IN CONTEXT REALLY QUICKLY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, MAYOR PER FUENTES WOULD'VE BROUGHT UP THE SAME THING, BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT IS THE ALMOST $40 MILLION IN PUBLIC HEALTH GRANTS THAT MAY BE NOT RENEWED NEXT YEAR. THAT ISN'T EVEN PART OF OUR OTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, ARPA DOLLARS AND SALES TAXES AND SO ON. AND THAT'S A WHOLE, LIKE, AND I'M NOT SURE WHEN WE'LL KNOW ABOUT THAT. AND I'M NOT SURE IF WHEN I USE THE WORD CONTINGENCY, I'M THINKING ABOUT THOSE ITEMS TOO. SO, SO, AND, AND I'LL LET THEM ADD TO OR REBUT WHAT I'M GETTING READY TO SAY. I AS A GENERAL RULE, BECAUSE THE POLICY WOULD BE, AS A GENERAL RULE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONLY DOING THIS ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS AS A GEN, THAT THAT'S, THAT STARTS THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT TIMELINE, FIRST OF ALL. AND THEN WHAT THAT WOULD DO. SO THAT, FIRST OF ALL, IT'S, IT'S A, HAS IT BEEN FOUR YEARS OR MORE? SECOND WOULD BE IT WOULD THEN, I ANTICIPATE PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE [00:40:01] ROLE THAT THIS SUGGESTS, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD PLAY IN MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS, IT WOULD SUGGEST THAT IT WOULD BE PART OF THE BUDGETING PROCESS. AND SO THE TIMELINE WOULD BE GEARED TOWARD GETTING THROUGH A BUDGET PROCESS. AND THEN OF COURSE, IF YOU END UP PASSING SOMETHING ABOVE THE THREE POINT A HALF PERCENT, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NOVEMBER MM-HMM . AND SO THAT, NOW HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, THE REASON THERE IS A BOX THAT SAYS NO ON FOUR YEARS IS BECAUSE THESE THINGS MIGHT HAPPEN, THESE EXCEPTIONS MIGHT HAPPEN. AND THEN FROM A SPECIFIC TIMELINE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, I THINK IT WOULD BE LOOKING AT WHAT IS THE NEXT POTENTIAL ELECTION DATE. MM-HMM . IN THIS CASE, PROBABLY YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE WILLING TO LOOK AT ANY UNIFORM ELECTION DATE, BUT WE TEND TO, IN AUSTIN TO, TO FOCUS ON NOVEMBER'S, BUT WHO KNOWS WHEN THERE'S A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY. SO IT CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FROM A TIME PERSPECTIVE, UM, FOR US TO DO, AND AGAIN, THE WE, THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN SUCH A WAY WHERE THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD NEED TO CERTIFY THOSE EXCEPTIONS ARE MET, TAKE IT TO THE COUNCIL, AND THEN THOSE DECISIONS BE MADE. BUT THEN THE TIMING, THE, THE TIMEFRAME WOULD BE WHEN IS THE DETERMINATION MADE AND WHEN IS THE POTENTIAL ELECTION, IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTION, IF, IF, IF THE DETERMINATION HAS BEEN MADE THAT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS. OKAY. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? I, YEAH, I MEAN, I, IT FLIPS IT AROUND BECAUSE I WAS WORKING OFF OF GOING, LOOKING AT NOVEMBER AND WORKING BACKWARDS, AND WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS IT'S BASED ON THEIR REQUIREMENTS LOOKING FORWARDS. AND SO I'VE GOTTA THINK REVERSE THE WAY I'M THINKING. YEAH. I, I THINK IT IS, UNLESS SOMEBODY HAS SOME, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THIS KIND OF OPEN DISCUSSION IS 'CAUSE I, I, I THINK WE'RE THINKING OF ALL THIS STUFF FOR THE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BUILDING SOMETHING HERE. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THE FIRST TIME, BUT I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. I THINK THE BEST WAY TO GO TO THE VOTERS IS NOT TO JUST ASSUME WE'RE, OKAY, NOVEMBER'S COMING, SO LET'S HAVE AN ELECTION, MICKEY ROONEY, LET'S HAVE A SHOW. UH, WHAT WE DO IS WE HAVE, WE HAVE, WE, INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE ELECTION AND BACKING AWAY FROM THAT, WE FOCUS ON THE NEED OR THE BUDGETING PROCESS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT CLARIFIES MY QUESTIONS. GOOD, THANK YOU. AND MAYOR, YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT, UM, WE, THAT THE ELECTION WOULD HAVE TO BE THE NOVEMBER ELECTION BECAUSE IT SETS THE RATE FOR THE NEXT TAX YEAR. GOOD, VERY GOOD POINT. SAY, SAY THAT AGAIN BECAUSE, UH, YOU'RE RIGHT. INSTEAD OF WHAT I, WHAT I YAMMERED ABOUT THE UNIFORM ELECTION DATE, YOU, YOU WOULD NEED TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU'RE SET, YOU'RE SETTING A TAX, YOU'RE SETTING A TAX RATE FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. SO, SO EVEN IF YOU HAD A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY, EVEN IF YOU HAD A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY, YOU WOULDN'T RUSH TO A MAY ELECTION. IT WOULD STILL END UP GOING THROUGH THE BUDGETING PROCESS. CORRECT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT. MAYOR PRO TIM, THANK YOU. UH, FIRST I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE STAFF FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATION, UH, FOR THESE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE CONSIDERATION OF COUNCIL CONSIDERING A TAX RATE ELECTION. I THINK IT, IT SHOWS FISCAL DISCIPLINE ON THE CITY'S PART. IT, AND IT GIVES US A FRAMEWORK AND A LENS TO CONSIDER WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US BY FIRST REQUIRING US TO LOOK AT, OKAY, WHAT ARE THE, THE GAPS THAT WE HAVE IN PROVIDING CITY SERVICES? WHAT ARE THOSE ENHANCEMENTS THAT WE NEED? AS WELL AS GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO THE EVER-CHANGING DYNAMICS AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL. WE NEED THAT FLEXIBILITY IN ORDER FOR US TO RESPOND, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY'S NEEDS AND TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION. UM, THAT TO ME IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I ALSO LIKE ESTABLISHING A, A TIMELINE WITH IT COMING EVERY FOUR YEARS, OR, YOU KNOW, US HAVING AT LEAST THAT AS A, AS A BENCHMARK, UM, BECAUSE THAT WAY IT'LL DISCOURAGE, UH, FREQUENT TAX INCREASES TO OUR RESIDENTS AND REALLY REQUIRE US TO THINK ABOUT, UM, THIS IN A LONG-TERM PLANNING LENS. AND THAT REALLY, TO ME, WHAT HITS HOME AND WHAT I'VE BEEN SHARING BACK WITH MY COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ARE FACING A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT IN OUR BUDGET. AND SO WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION, UM, EITHER THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR. UM, BUT IT IS A MATTER OF, OF WHEN AND NOT IF, UM, GIVEN ALL, ALL OF THE CHANGING, UH, DYNAMICS AND, AND REALLY, UM, BECAUSE WE ARE A GROWING CITY AND WE HAVE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY AS A GROWING CITY. UH, SO REALLY THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU AND AND SIDE FOR JUST SHARING THAT, I APPRECIATE THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, I THINK IT REALLY, UH, GIVES US A SOLID FOUNDATION TO WORK OFF OF. UH, MY QUESTION IS THE, THE FOUR YEAR MARK IS THERE, UM, CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT HOW YOU CAME TO THE FOUR YEAR AS THE POLICY RECOMMENDATION FOR US TO, TO LOOK AT? [00:45:01] WE WERE JUST TRYING TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT WE AS A CITY LOOK AT, UM, THE POTENTIAL OF, OF, UM, BOND PACKAGES ON A FIVE TO SIX YEAR CYCLE. UM, AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE CRAFTED SOMETHING, WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE MEDIUM TERM. SO WE DO A FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST. WE WANTED TO MAKE THAT WE, UM, WOULD LOOK AT ITEMS THAT COULD BE COVERED THROUGH THAT MIDTERM OF THE FINANCIAL FORECAST, AS WELL AS CONSIDERING, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE DO NOT OVERBURDEN THE TAX PAYERS. SO WE WANTED, WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE TOO SOON BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE, UM, A POTENTIAL OF THOSE DATES COLLIDING WITH, UH, UH, CIP BOND PACKAGE. UM, AND SO WE WANTED TO JUST TRY TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM IN THERE SO THAT WE HAD ENOUGH TO PLAN OUT, BUT ALSO NOT COINCIDE WITH A POTENTIAL BOND PACKAGE AND ALLOW FOR THE GROWTH OF THOSE DOLLARS. OKAY. GOTCHA. WELL THAT, THAT CERTAINLY MAKES SENSE. AND YOU KNOW, THE OTHER PIECE THAT I LIKE HERE IN THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OUR CITY STAFF IS THAT TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF US HAVING TO REALLY GO THROUGH AND SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE WOULD PUT THOSE ADDITIONAL DOLLARS, SHOULD OUR VOTERS APPROVE A TAX RATE ELECTION, AS WELL AS WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES IF WE DON'T APPROVE IT, IF THERE ISN'T SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, WHAT SERVICES ARE AT STAKE, WHAT PROGRAMS ARE AT STAKE AND WHAT WE WOULD RISK LOSING. SO I, I THINK HAVING THIS AS A, THIS FRAMEWORK REALLY SHOWS, UM, OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND ENSURING THAT AS WE CONSIDER A TAX RATE ELECTION, WE ARE BEING THOROUGH AND COMPREHENSIVE IN OUR PLANNING, BUT REALLY TRY REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE AND SERVICES WE WANT TO PROVIDE OUR COMMUNITY. SO I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THESE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR THE DECISION TREE. I THINK THAT IS ALSO INCREDIBLY HELPFUL TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE AND, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCESS WE WOULD UNDERTAKE FOR A TAX RIGHT ELECTION. SO I JUST WANNA ALSO APPRECIATE YOU FOR, FOR CREATING THAT. THANK YOU. THANKS. UH, COUNCILOR VELA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THINKING ABOUT THIS, 'CAUSE I, I, I THINK ABOUT THE PRIOR TO THE, UH, THREE POINT A 5% PROPERTY TAX CAP WORLD, UH, DID WE HAVE A POLICY BEFORE ABOUT DECIDING ON THE PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY TAX THAT, THAT, THAT WE WOULD TAKE WHEN WE HAD THAT FLEXIBILITY TO GO UP TO, I BELIEVE 8.5% OR SO? OR WAS IT REALLY MORE JUST KIND OF AN AD HOC, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION EVERY UH, EVERY YEAR? I BELIEVE IT WAS AD HOC, BUT I'M GONNA LET THE FORMER BUDGET OFFICER SPEAK TO THAT . FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IT WAS AD HOC. WE DID HAVE A POLICY THAT WAS VERY, VERY BROAD IN GENERAL THAT SAID THE CITY MANAGER SHOULD BRING FORWARD A BUDGET WITH A, AT A TAX RATE THAT WAS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE A FINANCIALLY STABLE BUDGET. IT WAS VERY BROAD. OKAY. BUT, SO THIS WOULD BE DEFINITELY A MORE KIND OF THOUGHT OUT DELIBERATIVE, NOT THAT, AGAIN, I'M SURE JUST 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A PROCESS DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT THINKING VERY HARD ABOUT IT AND, AND DELIBERATING, BUT THIS WOULD BE A-A-A-A-A-A SOLID KIND OF ROADMAP. AND, AND I APPRECIATE IT AND I THINK THIS IS A, A GOOD, UH, UH, APPROACH. UM, AND I I WOULD JUST POINT OUT THAT AGAIN, THIS IS A CURRENT, YOU KNOW, THE PROPOSED POLICY, UH, THE EXCEPTIONS TO WHEN WE WOULD ASK FOR A TRE, UH, GENERATE REVENUE NECESSARY FOR RESPONDING TO A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY THAT IS A RESULT OF SUSTAINED ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, UH, OR SIGNIFICANT UNEXPECTED REDUCTION IN FUNDING FROM FEDERAL, STATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION, UH, OR, UH, TOOLS, UH, FOR FUNDING OR FINANCING PROGRAMS, WHICH CANNOT BE, I MEAN, I KNOW THIS IS WRITTEN THEORETICALLY, BUT IT SURE FEELS LIKE IT'S BEEN WRITTEN FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR. I MEAN, IT JUST, WHEN I READ IT, I'M JUST KIND OF LIKE, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, UH, 'CAUSE IT, IT, IT SURE FEELS LIKE WE ARE, UH, DEFINITELY IN, UH, TRE LAND, UH, RIGHT NOW. BUT I, I, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE, THE, THE THOUGHTFUL, UH, PROCESS THAT, THAT'S BEING LAID OUT, UH, HERE. AND, UH, UH, I, UH, I SUPPORT AND APPARENTLY IT, IT'LL BE A KIND OF, AGAIN, CODIFYING TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, UH, WHAT WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN A MORE INFORMAL PROCESS IN THE PAST. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. GOOD. THANK YOU. UH, YES. COUNCILOR DUCHEN, UH, ONE, I JUST WANNA SAY I ALSO APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT AND THE PROCESS THAT PER COUNCIL MARVEA TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND MAKE IT SIMPLIFY AND HELP PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS PROCESS. I'M JUST CURIOUS THOUGH, IF THERE IS AN ANALOGOUS PROCESS THAT YOU ALL HAVE OR IS THAT IS WRITTEN DOWN ANYWHERE FOR THE ALTERNATIVE TO THE EXTENT THAT IF WE ARE A SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCE THAT WE WOULD LOOK TO WHAT OUR OPTIONS ARE FOR CUTTING PROGRAMS, [00:50:01] PERSONNEL, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, DOES THAT EXIST SOMEWHERE? OR IS THAT, UM, IS THIS A SPECIAL TOOL THAT REQUIRES A SPECIAL PROCESS? SO ANNUALLY THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, WE TALK TO DEPARTMENTS AND LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT THEIR SERVICES AND PROGRAMS ARE. I THINK EVEN MORE SO IN THE, IN THE RECENT YEARS, WE'VE HAD DEPARTMENTS AND AFT ASKED DEPARTMENTS TO LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE CALLING SERVICE PRIORITIZATION, WHAT THINGS ARE FURTHEST FROM YOUR CORE. AND SO IS THIS, THIS IS ADDING TO THAT PROCESS. I THINK EVERY YEAR GOING FORWARD IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, WE'LL HAVE THOSE, UM, TOUGH CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE OF WHERE, WHERE WE RECOGNIZE WE ARE FINANCIALLY WITH THE, WITH THE REVENUE CAPS. UM, AND SO THIS IS IN ADDITION TO STAFF WILL CONTINUE TO DO THE DUE DILIGENCE OF SCRUBBING BUDGETS, LOOKING AT WAYS WE CAN TRY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT OVER THE COMING YEARS, AND LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CON CURB THE COST OF, UM, OF THE GROWTH OF OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. I'M JUST THINKING LIKE IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD, UH, IF YOU ARE, WHOEVER, LET'S JUST SAY DELL AND YOU HAD AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, YOU'D SAY, OKAY, I'M GONNA CUT, I'M GONNA SHED 7.5% OF MY WORKFORCE, AND THAT'D BE MY PROCESS, MY FLOW CHART FOR ADDRESSING WHATEVER THAT, UH, WHATEVER THAT ECONOMIC DOWNTURN TURNED OUT TO BE OR THEIR ECONOMIC DISTRESS. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THAT EXISTS HERE EXCEPT FOR THE SERVICE PRIORITIZATION YOU JUST COVERED THAT YOU WOULD GO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AND FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT THEY CAN DO ON THEIR END THAT'S FURTHEST OUTSIDE OF THEIR CORE RESPONSIBILITY. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY, YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, WHAT I, WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS ASK FOR A MOTION AND THEN, BUT I'M, I'M LOOKING AT COUNSEL, LEGAL COUNSEL HERE, UM, BECAUSE I'M GETTING READY TO PUT IT ON YOU. UM, BUT THE, WHAT THE MOTION WOULD DO IS IT WOULD BE THAT THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TO THE FULL COUNSEL A TRE POLICY THAT CONFORMS WITH THE PRESENTATION THAT'S BEEN MADE BY, UH, PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND THIS DECISION TREE. I GUESS THAT'S THE MOTION. AND THEN THE QUESTION I'VE GOT IS FROM Y'ALL'S PERSPECTIVE, ARE YOU ABLE TO CRAFT SOMETHING SO THAT WE CAN BRING IT FORWARD TO THE FULL COUNSEL? I GOT, I GOT A THUMBS UP. EITHER, EITHER HE'S AN AGGIE AND HE JUST SAID GIG THEM OR, UM, WE GOT A THUMBS UP. ALL RIGHT. UH, THE MOTION WOULD THAT, THAT THE CHAIR, UH, IS LOOKING FOR IS THAT, UH, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TO THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL OF AUSTIN, TEXAS A TRE POLICY THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PRESENTATION MADE BY OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND VOLUME THREE OF THE TRE DECISION TREE THAT IS IN FRONT OF THE COMMITTEE. MOTIONS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER IT IS SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER VELA. UM, IS THERE DISCUSSION WITH REGARD TO THAT MOTION? ALL THOSE WITHOUT OBJECTION. THE MOTION IS ADOPTED, UH, UNANIMOUSLY BY THE, UH, AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. UM, THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH THAT THIS, UH, I THINK THIS IS, SETS THE CREDIBILITY THAT WE'RE, THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE'S LOOKING FOR AS WE GO FORWARD. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING IT TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL MEMBERS. THAT'S ALL THE BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THIS SPECIAL CALL MEETING OF THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL. SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 2 54. THANKS EVERYBODY. MAYOR PRO TEM, BE SAFE TRAVELING. TAKE CARE. * 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.