[1. Call the meeting to order.]
[00:00:07]
WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF COUNCIL PRESIDENTS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, CHAD MCCURDY, UH, WITH JOIN US HERE MOMENTARILY.
[2. City Manager Reports: City Council Calendar/Upcoming Events City Operations Conduct a briefing to discuss items for the 7:00 p.m. regular meeting]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE CITY MANAGER REPORTS.HOW ARE YOU DOING TO SEE THE MANAGER? OH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL HAPPY APRIL AND SPRING.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY IN THE NICE, COOL WEATHER THINGS TO THE COLD FRONT AND THE STORM WE HAD LAST NIGHT ABOUT WAS IT CHIEF THREE 30, UH, THE HELL AND THE WIND CAME OUT.
WE HAD NO MAJOR REPORTED DAMAGE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO IT SAYS THE SEASON FOR THAT, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME BACK PAT BATEMAN TO, UH, TO BE MANNING OUR, A CITY COUNCIL, A HOSPITALITY DESK FOR CITIZENS THAT NEED DIRECTION AND ASSISTANCE.
THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST TIME WE WILL STAFFED OUR WELCOME DESK AND SAID, COVID BEGAN.
SO IT'S ANOTHER SIGN THAT A SPRING HAS SPRUNG AND WE'RE SLOWLY BUT SURELY GETTING BACK TO NORMAL, UH, WHEN REMIND THE COUNCIL, UH, THAT, UH, THE CITY AS AN ENTIRE ORGANIZATION IS GOING THROUGH THE ANNUAL CYBERSECURITY TRAINING, UH, PROCESS THAT NOW WE DO EVERY YEAR, GIVEN THE CONCERNS AND THE MANDATES THAT WE FACE TO KEEP OUR NETWORK, UH, SAFE FROM HACKERS AND SO FORTH.
SO, UM, OUR IT DIRECTOR HAS REQUESTED THAT WE COMPLETE THAT TRAINING BY APRIL 30TH.
AND AGAIN, EVERYBODY THAT WORKS FOR THE CITY OR HAS ACCESS TO THE NETWORK.
CLINTON CITY COUNCIL, UM, ARE ALL REQUIRED UNDER THE, UH, STATE MANDATE THAT TO PUT THOSE, UM, UH, THAT TRAINING INTO MANDATORY MODE FOR US, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, NEED SPECIAL ASSISTANCE, PLEASE GIVE US A CALL.
WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SET YOU UP AND, UH, HELP YOU, UH, UH, COMPLETE THAT TRAINING BY THE REQUESTED.
THE, UH, THE, UH, THE HOUSE BILL THAT PASSED REQUIRES IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND AS YOU WILL SEE, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE THINGS ARE SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING LAST YEAR, THEY COME UP WITH NEW TRICKS EVERY YEAR AND THINGS TO BE WORRIED ABOUT.
SO KEEPING THAT REFRESHED AND THE THINGS TO BE WATCHING OUT FOR, TO JUST HELP PROTECT THE NETWORK IS A, IS A GOOD THING.
SO I COMPLETED MINE ACTUALLY MONDAY, AND I LEARNED A FEW THINGS AS WELL.
SO IT'S, IT'S RELATIVELY PAINLESS AND IMPORTANT AND GOOD INFORMATION, UM, LIKE TO EXPRESS, UH, OUR, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE CH ISD WHO LAST WEEK ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED A MAJOR MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR GRANT, UH, FROM TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TO SUPPORT, UM, UH, STEM EDUCATION AND CAREER READINESS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UH, THE DISTRICTS ALREADY PUTTING THAT GRANT TO GOOD USE, AND WE'LL BE OPENING A REALLY STATE OF THE ART STEM CENTER, UH, TO BE ABLE TO SERVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, UM, FOR THE, THE DISTRICT BEGINNING NEXT FALL.
UM, SEVERAL STAFF MEMBERS, UH, PROVIDED SOME ASSISTANCE, UH, TO THE DISTRICT AS THEY WERE MAKING THEIR APPLICATION.
SO WE CONSIDER THEIR, WHEN THE COMMUNITY, WHEN, AND WE CONGRATULATE THEM FOR THEIR GREAT WORK.
AND THE RECEIPT OF THAT GRANT, UH, WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT, UH, TOMORROW MORNING, BETWEEN 10 30 AND NOON, OUR, UH, FOLKS IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IS HOSTING A COME AND GO.
A RECEPTION FOR KIM
UH, SHE'S DONE SOME REMARKABLE THINGS IN HER TENURE, UH, IN CEDAR HILL.
AND SO WE WOULD LIKE TO DEFINITELY CELEBRATE HER AND SEND HER OFF WITH OUR BEST WISHES.
SO IF YOU'RE ABLE TO COME TO THAT TOMORROW, 10 30 TO NOON, AND IT HAS COME AND GO, SO JUST COME AS YOU CAN, UH, WE'LL GO OVER THE CALENDAR QUICKLY.
AGAIN, I'M GOING QUICK BECAUSE WE HAVE A VERY STACKED TO BRIEFING AGENDA TONIGHT.
WANT TO MAKE SURE WE, UH, INCLUDE TIME FOR THAT, UH, ON TUESDAY, APRIL THE 20TH, THIS IS NEXT TUESDAY.
WE OFFICIALLY BEGIN, UH, THE, THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET SEASON TO DEVELOP THE BUDGET FOR WHAT WILL BE FISCAL YEAR ENDING 2022 BUDGET.
UH, IT WILL BE A SPECIAL CALLED WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS THE STREETS, FACILITIES AND DRAINAGE AND PARKS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
UM, THIS IS, UH, PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT CIP WORKSHOP THAT WE WILL DO IS IT SETS THE STAGE FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2017 BOND, AS WELL AS IMPORTANT UPDATES ON THE SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND THEN WHAT'S DOWN THE ROAD TWO AND THREE AND FIVE YEARS.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE PLANNING, AS IT RELATES TO THE CAPITAL NEEDS OF OUR CITY, IT WILL BE HELD AT 6:00 PM AND IT WILL BE IN THE COURT MULTIPURPOSE ROOM HERE AT GOVERNMENT CENTER.
UM, THE NEXT, THE CALENDAR ITEM I'D LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION WOULD BE THE NEXT REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON TUESDAY, APRIL 27TH.
UH, WE WILL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE GREG PATTON
[00:05:01]
FOR THE CEDAR HILL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, AS YOU KNOW, THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IS THE PINNACLE OF THE COUNCILS, UH, CITIZENS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER RECOGNITION PROGRAM.UH, THE LAST RECIPIENT OF, UH, THAT HONOR WAS LOIS KENNEDY.
I BELIEVE BACK IN 2017 OR 2018, UH, THIS WILL BE AN AFFAIR THAT HAS BEEN MODIFIED FOR COVID JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY CAN CELEBRATE, UH, GREG PATENT APPROPRIATELY, BUT ALSO THAT WE KEEP EVERYBODY INVOLVED SAFE.
SO, UM, THAT AGENDA WILL BE RELATIVELY LIGHT SO THAT WE CAN, UH, SHOW, UH, THE APPROPRIATE TIME TO APPRECIATE, UH, GREG AND HIS FAMILY FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THEIR MANY DECADES OF SERVICE.
UH, AND THEN TUESDAY, MAY 4TH IS THE NEXT, UH, UH, IS ALSO A SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
WE'VE GOT TWO THINGS ON THE AGENDA THAT NIGHT.
UH, THE FIRST THING YOU'LL BE RECEIVING THE NEXT STAGE OF UPDATES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR LIBRARY AND SIGNATURE PARK.
UH, THEY WILL ACTUALLY HAVE SAMPLES OF MATERIALS THAT THEY HAVE IN MIND, BOTH FOR THE EXTERIOR AND THE INTERIOR.
SO THIS WILL BE THE COUNCIL'S FIRST LOOK AT THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE PLANTS.
UH, WE ALSO INTEND ON THAT NIGHT TO, UH, DISCUSS, UH, THE LOOP NINE ALIGNMENT SAYS THAT BEGINS TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF GETTING FROM FOUR TO EIGHT PREFERRED ALIGNMENT.
THAT TXDOT WILL BE ISSUING SOME TIME.
WE THINK IN THE SUMMER, UH, THEY HAVE THROWN A FOURTH ALIGNMENT IN THE RELATIVELY SHORT TIMEFRAME THAT STAFF IS REVIEWING.
NOW, WE'RE GOING TO WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH THE CITY COUNCIL TALKING ABOUT THE PROS AND THE CONS OF EACH OF THOSE IN PREPARATION FOR TECH STOPS, PUBLIC MEETINGS LATER THIS SUMMER, A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS I'LL JUST POINT OUT EARLY VOTING FOR THE MAY 1ST ELECTION BEGINS NEXT WEEK ON APRIL 19TH.
AND WE'LL RUN THROUGH A FRIDAY, APRIL 27TH ELECTION DAY IS MAY 1ST AND THE BOARD AND COMMISSION APPLICATIONS, UH, ARE, UH, OPEN FOR PEOPLE TO TURN IN FROM NOW THROUGH MAY THE SEVENTH.
UM, UH, LAST THING I WILL SAY IS THAT, UM, THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER IS CURRENTLY BEING PLANNED FOR MAY 6TH.
IT IS INTENDED TO BE AN IN-PERSON AFFAIR.
WE'LL PROBABLY BE AT THE RECREATION CENTER ON THAT EVENING AT SEVEN.
AND I BELIEVE, UH, THE FOLKS AT THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH DOWNTOWN HAVE, UH, ARE GOING TO HOST THE NOON AFFAIR.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UH, WE'LL GET THAT ON YOUR CALENDAR AND ALSO SEND YOU INFORMATION ON THAT AS, UH, ADDITIONAL DETAILS GET WORKED OUT, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE CALENDAR.
AND THEN WE'LL QUICKLY, I'LL JUST GO OVER THE AGENDA.
IT'S NOT, WE HAVE SEVERAL BRIEFINGS, INCLUDING A, UH, A BRIEFING ON THE 2021 ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR.
AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE BEGINNING TO SCALE UP SOME OF OUR TRADITIONAL ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.
AND SO ALISON GREEN WILL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHAT WE HAVE ON THE CALENDAR SO FAR.
AND SO YOU CAN START MAKING YOUR PLANS AND GET YOUR CALENDAR IN ORDER FOR THOSE.
UH, WE'LL ALSO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN WORKING VERY HARD ON AND THE STAFF IN RESPONSE, AND THAT IS, UH, CONTINUING, UH, BEST PRACTICES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM.
UH, WE, UM, COMMITTED TO PUTTING TOGETHER A DASHBOARD TO SHOW OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND SOME OF THE RESULTS OF THAT WILL BE PRESENTED TONIGHT, UM, BY, UM, MELISSA AND RHONDA AND OUR, UH, CRACKER, UH, JACK UTILITY BILLING TEAM, REALLY PROUD OF THE EFFORTS THAT THEY PUT INTO THAT.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE WILL GET A REPORT FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM ON ALL THE AMAZING THINGS THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST YEAR.
AND, UH, THEY WILL PROVIDE THEIR ANNUAL UPDATE TO COUNCIL.
THE IRREGULAR AGENDA TONIGHT INCLUDES A NUMBER OF PROCLAMATIONS.
UH, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS, ONE RELATED TO A SITE PLAN FOR HIGHLANDS COLLEGES THAT THE COUNCIL, UH, ZONED AND PLANTED.
AND THEN WE HAVE A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT ASSOCIATED WITH A GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORE FOR TOBACCO AND VAPE PRODUCTS.
UH, THAT IS ALSO ON THE AGENDA, INCLUDES A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS INCLUDED PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR THE HILLWOOD EDITION, UH, IN OUR INDUSTRIAL SECTOR.
AND THEN ALSO IN A REQUEST TO APPROVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR, UH, REQUIRED LOCAL FUNDING FOR RIGHT AWAY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LAKE RIDGE PARKWAY, HIGHWAY 67 INTERCHANGE PROJECT.
UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS ON THE REGULAR AGENDA, INCLUDING, UH, REAUTHORIZING OR RENEWING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT, UH, FOR NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION WITH MISSION CEDAR HILL.
UM, ALSO, UH, AN ITEM TO, UM, AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO, UH, DO DESIGN SERVICES WITH TENANT LANDSCAPING FOR THE LIBRARY AND THE PARK, AND THEN A SITE PLAN ASSOCIATED WITH A MULTI BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ON EAST BELTLINE ROAD.
AND THEN FINALLY AN UPDATE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
[00:10:01]
ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO OUR INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE.AND SO THAT WILL BE PRESENTED BY OUR FIRE MARSHALL.
WE DO HAVE A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS A NUMBER OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, AND THAT IS MY REPORT.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE AGENDA? ARE THERE ANY ITEMS TO BE PULLED FROM CONSENT? ANY ITEMS TO BE PULLED FROM SAY, ALRIGHT, SIR,
[3. Briefing on the City's 2021 engagement calendar.]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS BRIEFING ON THE CITY'S TOTAL 21 ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR.THIS WILL BE GIVEN FROM OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AS A MARINE.
DID HE GOOD EVENING MAYOR CITY COUNCIL? UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS EVENING ARE YOUR ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR.
UM, WE ALWAYS START OUT WITH THE CITY COUNCIL'S VISION AND MISSION, AND YOU ENVISIONED CEDAR HILL AS A PREMIER CITY THAT RETAINS ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OR FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES FLOURISH IN A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT YOU RETAIN AND CELEBRATE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER IS BY ENGAGING RESIDENTS, UM, BRINGING THEM INTO THE CITY AND MAKING THEM REALLY A PART OF THE COMMUNITY.
UH, I THINK TWO YEARS AGO, THE COUNCIL ADDED AN EIGHTH PREMIERE STATEMENT, UM, TO YOUR LIST.
AND THAT WAS AT CEDAR HILL HAS AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY.
AND EVERY YEAR WE'VE EXPANDED, UM, THE NUMBER AND THE TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT CITIZENS HAVE TO BE ENGAGED WITH THE CITY.
OBVIOUSLY OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS, THAT'S LOOKED REALLY DIFFERENT FOR, FOR US AS WE'VE TRIED TO, RE-IMAGINE HOW WE ENGAGE WITH CITIZENS WHEN WE CAN'T BE PHYSICALLY WITH THEM.
BUT, UM, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A SPRING A SUMMER AND A FALL WHERE WE CAN GET BACK TO, UM, SOME KIND OF MODIFIED IN-PERSON EVENTS.
AND SO, UM, THAT REALLY IS THE IMPETUS OF US SHARING THAT WITH YOU TONIGHT.
SO I'LL START WITH THE COUNCILS, UM, REALLY TRADITIONALLY ANNUAL ENGAGEMENT EVENT WITH CITIZENS, UM, WHICH HAS PARTIES IN THE PARK.
AND SO WE'VE DONE THAT FOR A FEW YEARS NOW.
UH, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT, UM, FOR, TO COME OUT AND SPEND SOME TIME VISIT WITH, UM, LOCAL OFFICIALS.
AND IN THE LAST TWO YEARS ALSO TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARK IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH OUR BOND PROGRAM.
AND THE FIRST PARTY IN THE PARK THIS YEAR WILL BE, UM, THURSDAY, MAY 13TH FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AT WINDSOR PARK.
UM, SO THERE'LL BE GAMES AND SNACKS AND THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE NEW PLAYGROUND AT WINDSOR PARK.
UH, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF PARTIES IN THE PARK.
SO WE WE'LL KIND OF EVALUATE, UM, HOW THE FIRST ONE GOES AND THEN PLAN THE REST OF THOSE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
AND THEN ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT, UM, YOU HAVE CREATED OVER TIME IN CEDAR HILL IS THE DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER PROGRAM.
UM, MR. PORTER MENTIONED THAT NEXT COUNCIL MEETING APRIL 27TH, YOU WILL GIVE THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD TO, UM, GREG PATTON AND CELEBRATE HIM.
UH, AND THEN WE ALSO ALMOST ON EVERY, UM, COUNCIL MEETING HAVE HAD GOOD SAMARITAN AWARD.
SO WE'VE HAD SEVEN, UH, AWARDS GIVEN SO FAR THIS YEAR.
THAT'S NOT INCLUDING THE AROUND 40 OR SO THAT WE, UM, WE'LL GIVE TO THOSE FOLKS WHO HELPED WITH THE WINTER STORM.
AND THEN FINALLY TO RECOGNIZE THE GREAT IMPACT SERVANT LEADERS IN THE COMMITTEE READY.
UM, ONE OF THE COUNCIL'S TOP PRIORITIES IS PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND SO, UM, CHIEF RAYEZ AND CHIEF SMITH HAVE CREATED THEIR OWN OUTREACH PROGRAMS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO EVERY OTHER MONTH, UM, WE DO A NEIGHBORHOOD WALK WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CITY STAFF AND THE CITY COUNCIL.
THE NEXT ONE OF THOSE WILL BE ON MAY 22ND IN THE SPRINGFIELD NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, WE'LL CONTINUE THAT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UH, AND THEN NEW THIS YEAR, WE'LL DO A COMMUNITY SAFETY ROUND TABLE.
AND WE'RE PLANNING FOR THAT IN MAY, UM, AS SORT OF A VIRTUAL EVENT WHERE THE MAYOR WILL HOST A CONVERSATION WITH, UM, BOTH CHIEFS AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES STAFF ON COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY.
SO FOLKS WILL BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, UM, AND THEY'LL HAVE A GOOD CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK TO AN IN-PERSON NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IN OCTOBER.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IS TO BE ABLE TO DO SPECIAL EVENTS IN PERSON.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON ALL THE PICTURES OF PEOPLE'S FACES, AND YOU CAN JUST TELL THE FUN THAT THEY'RE HAVING AND THE, THE EXCITEMENT OF MAKING THOSE MEMORIES.
AND SO WE DID THE ALREADY THE CITYWIDE BLOCK PARTY AND REC CENTER ANNIVERSARY IN MARCH, AND THAT WAS A DRIVE-THROUGH IN VIRTUAL EVENT.
UM, BUT KICKING OFF WITH MUSIC IN THE PARK, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO AN IN-PERSON EVENT.
AND SO THAT'LL HAPPEN IN JUNE AND THEN WE'LL HAVE SUMMER READING KICKOFF AND KID FISH TOURNAMENT, WHICH IS, UM, THE PICTURE ON THE SLIDE JUNE 10TH WILL BE HOSTED BY THE CITY OF THE DESOTO THIS YEAR.
AND THEN WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO FALL EVENTS BEING BACK TO NORMAL, UM, SCHEDULE.
SO WITH COUNTRY DAY SCARE ON THE SQUARE
[00:15:01]
AND HOLIDAY ON THE HILL, UM, AND THEN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BOND PROGRAM ALSO GIVES US A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH RESIDENTS.SO WE'LL HAVE OUR RIBBON CUTTINGS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND PARK NEIGHBORHOOD PARK IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING WITH THE PUBLIC, THE CONCEPT PLAN FOR THE LIBRARY WHEN IT'S FINISHED.
UM, AFTER THE PROJECT IS BID, WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE NEW COMMUNITY POOL AT VIRGINIA WEAVER PARK.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF PROJECTS.
SO WE'LL BE DOING THE MASTER PLAN FOR CRAWFORD PARK AND THEN THE NEXT ROUND OF NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS THAT WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2022.
SO WE'RE ABLE TO BOTH CELEBRATE OUR MILESTONES AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT ONES AND TO ASK FOLKS WHAT THEY WANT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THEN FINALLY, JUST GENERAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH.
SO YOU MAY REMEMBER AROUND THIS TIME LAST YEAR, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DID A FEEL GOOD FRIDAY PARADE WHERE THEY, WELL, WE WENT THROUGH AND DID A DRIVE BY FOR ALL THE SENIOR LIVING, UM, PLACES IN CEDAR HILL.
AND THEY HAD SO MUCH FUN THAT THEY WANTED TO DO IT AGAIN THIS YEAR.
AND SO WE'RE PLANNING THAT, UM, FOR MAY 27TH, I BELIEVE IT'S ON YOUR CALENDAR.
IT WAS ONE THAT DEFINITELY ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EARLY PANDEMIC DAYS, UM, WE HAD BEEN PLANNING FOR A WHILE YOUR CITIZEN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AND HAD PUT THAT OFF UNTIL WE COULD HAVE IN-PERSON CLASSES.
SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO STARTING THAT UP AGAIN, THIS FALL, AND THEN SOMETHING NEW, UM, THAT WE'RE PLANNING AS A WELCOME TO CEDAR HILL TOUR FOR NEW RESIDENTS.
SO THEY CAN SEE, UM, WHAT ALL THE CITY HAS TO OFFER.
WE'LL CONTINUE OUR VETERANS AND WOMEN VETERANS DAY RECEPTIONS, UM, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SUMMIT, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SUMMIT THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED IN JANUARY.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, IN JUNE, YOU'LL DO YOUR REPORTING COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS.
AND THEN, UM, FINALLY THE CHAMBER WILL HOST THEIR STATE OF THE CITY WHERE THE AMERICAN UPDATE, UM, ON THE HAPPENINGS OF THE CITY.
SO THAT WAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF EVENTS.
SO WHEN I DID PUT THAT ALL IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT QUARTER, APRIL THROUGH JUNE.
AND SO, UM, I HOPE THAT YOU'VE CLEARED SOME TIME ON YOUR CALENDAR.
SO THIS IS, WHAT'S ALL COMING UP HERE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
A LOT OF THOSE DATES ARE STILL TO BE DETERMINED AND THE FORMAT WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH BACK TO NORMAL WE CAN GET, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING FOLKS IN PERSON AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME, AS YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU'LL BE SPENDING A LOT OF IT WITH US AND WITH YOUR RESIDENTS.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR ALISON? UM, I'LL JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR, FOR DOING THIS.
UM, AS WE ARE TRYING TO TAKE HER UP TO DOING MORE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UH, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THE FULL COUNCIL TO KNOW WHERE THEY CAN BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS SCHEDULE AND, UH, AND COUNSEL THIS CHILD TO, UH, GO OUT.
AND, AND SO OUR COMMUNITY IS LOVE ARE REALLY APPRECIATE HAVING THE, UH, THE ADVANCED SCHEDULE LIKE THIS.
AND IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER FOR ME TO GET STUFF ON MY CALENDAR FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE BACK HALF OF THE YEAR.
[4. Briefing on Utility Services Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Dashboard. ]
NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS BRIEFING ON UTILITY SERVICES, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR, KPI DASHBOARD, OUR DEPUTY CD MANAGER, MS. LISA CUMMINGS, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.UM, YOU ALL KNOW ME, I'M MELISSA VALDEZ COMING TO THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER AND, UH, RHONDA AND I'LL LET HER INTRODUCE HERSELF.
WE'LL DO TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION.
WE'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
I'M THE UTILITY SERVICES MANAGER AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AGAIN TONIGHT TO SEE ALL OF YOU IT'S BEEN AWHILE.
SO I WANT TO, UH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED ON THE KPI DASHBOARD, I WANT TO TAKE US DOWN MEMORY LANE JUST A LITTLE BIT IN 2014, 2015.
WE AND I TALKED WITH CHAD EARLIER TODAY.
WE MADE A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCE ADVANCEMENT IN THE UTILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT BY GOING WHAT WE CALL FROM A FLIP PHONE TO A SMARTPHONE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET THERE.
WE DON'T HAVE A FLIP SMARTPHONE YET, LIKE CHAD DOES, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE THROUGH THIS DASHBOARD.
BUT, UM, W WHAT THAT REALLY MEANT WAS EACH CITIZEN AT EACH RESIDENTIAL HOME, IN EACH ACCOUNT IN CEDAR HILL HAD 12 DATA POINTS PER YEAR.
NOW WE HAVE THOUSANDS OVER 8,000 DATA POINTS PER YEAR PER RESIDENT.
THAT'S SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT PUTS THE DATA IN THE CITIZENS HANDS.
AND OVER THE SIX YEARS, ACTUALLY IN 12 MONTHS, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THAT TRANSITION, UM, PRETTY EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH FATHOM.
[00:20:01]
UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE END OF 2019, JUST 15 MONTHS AGO, UM, FATHOM TOLD US THAT THEY WERE QUITTING WITHIN A MONTH.AND, UH, WE HAD TO TAKE A SEAT AND OF COURSE, UH, YOU KNOW, GRIEVE OVER THAT AND GO THROUGH THE SEVEN STAGES OF GRIEF, BUT IN THE LAST 15 MONTHS, AND FORTUNATELY, UM, JOE ALSO OUR, OUR COLONEL JOE ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS GOING TO OFFICIALLY RETIRE.
AND SO WE WERE DEALT WITH CIRCUMSTANCE IN OUR CIRCUMSTANCE THAT UNDER, UNFORTUNATELY IT MEANT THAT OUR UTILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAD TO ESTABLISH ITSELF FROM LITERALLY NOTHING, SO BULLYING AND ESTABLISHING THOSE BILLS AND QA QC CONTROLS AND MAKING SURE THAT THE WORK ORDER SYSTEMS WAS WITH THE FIELD TECHS, ALL OF THAT, AND THE SYSTEMS HAD TO BE RECREATED LITERALLY FROM SCRATCH.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST 15, 15 MONTHS.
AND I REALLY AM PROUD OF RHONDA.
WE HIRED HER FROM THE CITY OF FORT WORTH.
SHE HAS OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE OTHER, UH, MY, MY FORMER RIGHT HAND TO YA, RIGHT? UH, SHE IS NOW THE ASSISTANT MANAGER OF UTILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, AND SHE HAS OVER 14 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE CITY OF CEDAR HILL.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW PROUD I AM OF THIS TEAM AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH.
AND WE'LL GO OVER THAT WITH YOU HERE TODAY.
SO OF COURSE, WE START EVERYTHING WITH OUR VISION, OUR VISION OF CEDAR HILL, BEING A PREMIER CITY THAT RETAINS ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER, WHERE FAMILIES, FAMILIES, AND BUSINESSES FLOURISH IN A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.
AND WE FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON FAMILIES WITHOUT WATER.
YOU CAN'T LIVE IN A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT.
WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND AND IT'S A, IT'S A SERVICE FEE FOR SERVICES GIVEN IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT PAID FOR BY ANY PROPERTY OR SALES TAXES.
AND SO WHEN YOU BUY A PRODUCT, WE GIVE IT TO YOU AND THEN THEY PAY US AND WE PAY DALLAS WATER UTILITIES FOR THE WATER AND THE TREATMENT ASSOCIATED.
UM, SO OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES TO OUR CITIZENS AND CUSTOMERS CONSISTENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY VALUES.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL SEE THROUGH THIS DASHBOARD THAT WE HAVE DONE THAT OVER THE LAST 15 MONTHS.
SO THE LAST TIME WE UPDATED YOU ON THIS WAS DECEMBER 8TH, 2020.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT A FEW THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO CHANGE.
THE FIRST THING WAS OUR BILL PRINT VENDOR.
UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN WE WENT FROM FATHOM TO THE NEW VENDOR, UM, WE DID NOT, WE WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH HOW THEY WERE, UH, HAD THEY ESTABLISHED THE BILLS.
THEY WEREN'T CLEAR AND UNDERSTOOD, UNDERSTAND WE, THE CITIZENS DIDN'T REALLY LIKES IT IN THEIR PAY, THEIR CHECKS, THEIR HANDWRITTEN CHECKS, OR THEIR PAYMENTS TO ANOTHER STATE.
SO WE PROPOSED AND YOU'LL SEE IN HERE THAT ALL BILLS WE CHANGED.
THE PROCESS OF THE BILLING CHANGED IN ALL, ALL OF CHECKS.
NOW COME TO TWO EIGHT, FIVE UPTOWN BOULEVARD IN WHICH WE ARE PROCESSING THOSE CHECKS.
AND THAT KIND OF GOES INTO THE NEXT ONE AND CREATING CREATION OF A DASHBOARD TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS.
WE UNDERSTAND THE COUNCIL WANTS TO HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO HOLD OUR STAFF AND OUR, OUR UTILITY SERVICES TEAM ACCOUNTABLE.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS INTENDED TO DO.
UM, TIMELY AND ACCURATE BILLING IS OUR TOP.
AND NUMBER ONE GOAL, IF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO PAY AND WHEN THEY NEED TO PAY IT, AND THEN THEY DON'T TRUST THAT IT'S THE RIGHT AMOUNT OR THE RIGHT READ, THEN WE HAVE PROBLEMS. AND THAT'S KINDA WHAT HAPPENED.
AND WE'VE, UM, WE'VE SIGNIFICANTLY APPROVED ON THAT, WHICH WE'LL REPORT TONIGHT.
UM, PREMIER CUSTOMER SERVICE, IT'S PART OF YOUR MISSION, VISION VALUES.
AND WE ARE PROUD TO SHOW YOU OUR, OUR, UM, ENHANCED ENHANCEMENTS IN THOSE AREAS.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THE SYSTEM WORKS.
THE MTUS, THE DATA THAT WE RECEIVE IN THE SYSTEM.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THAT WORKS.
SO THE LAST UPDATE WE DISCUSSED FOUR KEY OBJECTIVE OBJECTIVES.
WE WANTED TO CHANGE THE BILL PRINT VENDOR.
WE WANTED TO MAKE THEM EASIER TO READ AND PROVIDE BETTER INFORMATION.
WE ALSO WANTED TO BRING PAYMENT PROCESSING IN-HOUSE THAT MEANS ALL PAYMENTS ARE PROCESSED BY OUR EMPLOYEES, WHEREAS BEFORE IT WAS PROCESSED BY A THIRD PARTY, THAT'S NO LONGER TAKING PLACE.
HOW DO I GO BACK? OH, THERE WE GO.
AND THEN, UM, ACCOUNTABILITY, WE WANTED TO CREATE A DASHBOARD TO SHOW YOU OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND WHAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED.
AND ULTIMATELY WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOW, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT, UM, THE TRUST AND INCREASED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
SO IN THAT WE CREATED FIVE KEY GOALS AND, AND OF THESE, WE'RE GOING TO REPORT ON EACH ONE OF THESE.
AND AT THIS POINT, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO RHONDA AND I'LL COME BACK AT THE END GOOD EVENING.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BACK HERE TODAY.
UM, AS MELISSA MENTIONED, WE SET UP SEVERAL
[00:25:01]
KPIS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS AND TO, UM, ENCOMPASS OUR DASHBOARD THAT YOU HAVE A COPY OF.SO THIS IS GOING TO BE, UM, OUR DASHBOARD PRESENTATION.
UM, SO OUR FIRST, SO OUR FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT KPI IS GOING TO BE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, OUR CUSTOMERS DESERVE TO BE ABLE TO PAY THEIR BILL, PAY IT EFFICIENTLY, GET THE, GET THE RESULTS THAT THEY'RE WANTING WHEN THEY CALL, UM, WHEN WE VISIT THEM IN THE FIELD, ANY KIND OF ISSUE THAT THEY HAVE, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO RESOLVE IT.
SO WE ADDRESSED, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, THE FIELD CREW, BUT ALSO HOW WE RESOLVE ISSUES AT THE FRONT DESK.
SO CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR MAIN KPI.
WE ALSO TOUCHED ON BILLING OPERATIONS.
WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH ON SYSTEM OPERATIONS, PHILIP OPERATIONS, AND, UM, ALSO THE FOLLOW-UP AND ACCOUNTABILITY THAT WE'VE SET FOR OURSELVES.
SO OUR FIRST KPI IS CUSTOMER SERVICE.
UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE CITIZENS.
UH, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS IN A TIMELY MANNER AND ALSO, UM, RESOLVE ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.
SO ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE SET WAS THE FIVE MINUTES OR LESS TIMEFRAME, UM, FOR HOLDS, UH, NOBODY LIKES TO BE ON, HOLD ON A PHONE CALL.
THEY WANT TO GET SERVICE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S BUSY.
SO ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE SET WAS, UH, FIVE MINUTES OR LESS.
SO IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CUT THAT IN HALF.
SO OUR AVERAGE RIGHT NOW IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES.
UM, OUR SECOND GOAL WAS THE ESCALATION RESOLUTION.
IF IT HAS TO GO TO A SUPERVISOR OR MANAGER, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PARTICULAR, UM, GOAL IS RESOLVED.
OUR ISSUE IS RESOLVED WITHIN 24 HOURS.
NOBODY WANTS TO GET A BILL OR HAVE AN ISSUE AND FEEL LIKE THEY'RE NOT BEING, IT'S NOT BEING ADDRESSED.
SO OUR 3% OR LESS OF CUSTOMER ACCOUNT ESCALATIONS, UM, OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS ARE TRAINED TO, UH, ATTEND TO THAT ISSUE AND RESOLVE IT WITHOUT HAVING TO ESCALATE IT.
SO WE HAVE ENHANCED THE TRAINING THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH FOR THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS, ALSO FOR MANAGEMENT, UH, IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE CITIZENS WITH THE BEST SUPPORT THAT WE CAN, UH, AS YOU'RE AWARE, A LOT OF THE CUSTOMERS DIDN'T LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY WERE HAVING TO MAIL THEIR PAYMENTS TO CALIFORNIA.
SO WE BROUGHT THE PAYMENTS IN HOUSE FOR EASY PROCESSING.
UM, A LOT OF THAT RESOLUTION HELPS WITH CUSTOMERS BECAUSE WE KNOW THEM, WE INTERACT WITH THEM.
WE GET TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE PERSON DOWN THE STREET THAT HAS THE BUSINESS, THIS IS THEIR ACCOUNT.
SO IT HELPS US IN PROCESSING PAYMENTS.
IT HELPS US WITH THE INTERACTION, AND HONESTLY, IT'S BETTER TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, YOURSELF WHO CAN DO IT BETTER THAN US.
UM, SO WE SET THAT GOAL OF 98% AND WE'RE ACTUALLY AT 99% FOR THE PAYMENT PROCESSING.
AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO PAY US DIRECTLY.
SO MY CHECK MARKS ARE COMING UP AFTERWARDS.
UM, SO THE SECOND KPI THAT WE HAD IS SYSTEM OPERATIONS, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE SYSTEMS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, BUT ALSO THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE WORKING EFFICIENTLY FOR THE CUSTOMERS.
SO IN UTILITY SERVICES, WE HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS.
WE HAVE THE FIELD CREW, WE HAVE THE FRONT DESK, SO WE DON'T ALWAYS INTERACT WITH THE SAME TYPE OF APPLICATIONS.
UM, BUT WE ENSURED THAT WE KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF THOSE APPLICATIONS SO WE CAN RESOLVE THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WHEN THEY ARISE.
SO ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT CAME UP THIS PAST WEEK, WHENEVER WE DID SHUT OFFS, WAS THAT WE REALIZED WHEN WE TESTED THE PHONES, THAT THE CUSTOMERS WEREN'T ABLE TO PAY AFTER HOURS.
UM, SO WE GOT ON THE PHONE ON A FRIDAY NIGHT AND SAID, HEY, YOU KNOW, OUR CUSTOMERS CAN'T PAY AFTER HOURS.
THIS IS, THIS IS NOT HOW THIS SHOULD BE.
UM, SO JUST BEING ABLE TO TEST THOSE PARTICULAR PROGRAMS, KEEPS THEM EFFICIENT AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S WORKING PROPERLY AND THAT OUR CUSTOMERS CAN, CAN DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AND REACH US WHEN THEY NEED TO REACH US.
UH, SO OUR SECOND ONE WOULD BE MONTHLY STAFF TRAINING SPECIFIC TO PROGRAMS AND APPLICATIONS.
UH, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, PARTS THAT INTERTWINE, UH, WE DON'T ALL USE THE SAME PROGRAMS, BUT WE NEED TO KNOW THE INS AND OUTS.
SO WE DO A MONTHLY TRAINING WITH ALL OF THE STAFF TO IDENTIFY, UM, THE PROGRAMS. MAYBE THEY'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM, BUT WE WANT THEM TO BE AS FAMILIAR AS
[00:30:01]
THE PERSON WHO USES THAT PROCESS EVERY DAY.SO THE COLLECTION, OUR COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF THE WEEKLY DATA ON THE STAFF PRODUCTIVITY, WE HAVE BEEN MONITORING WHAT THE FIELD STUFF DOES.
WE'VE BEEN MONITORING THE WHOLE TIMES ON THE PHONES.
WE'VE BEEN MONITORING HOW MANY CALLS WE'RE GETTING, UM, HOW LONG IT TAKES US TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, HOW MANY CALLS WE'VE ESCALATED.
SO ALL OF THOSE, UM, ALL THE DATA COLLECTION HELPS US TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTIVITY, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE TO THE CUSTOMERS.
AND, UM, OUR LAST, UM, KPI FOR OUR LAST GOAL FOR THIS KPI WAS, UH, WATER SMART.
SO AS YOU KNOW, WATER SMART IS OUR CUSTOMER PORTAL WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN SEE THEIR USAGE AND WE WANTED TO REALLY DRIVE OUR CUSTOMERS TO, TO THAT PORTAL.
UM, THEY CAN SET UP ALERTS, THEY CAN MAKE PAYMENTS, THEY CAN SEE THEIR HOURLY USAGE.
SO IT'S A WEALTH OF INFORMATION.
SO AS OUR PROCESS STARTS WITH, UM, NEW SETUP, UH, SETUPS OF ACCOUNTS ARE EVEN JUST TALKING WITH THE CUSTOMERS.
IF WE'RE NOTICING THAT THEY'RE NOT REGISTERED, THEN WE'RE GIVING THEM, UM, ASSISTANCE WITH GETTING THAT SET UP.
CAUSE IT'S, IT'S VERY VALUABLE FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET AN ALERT THAT SAYS THEY'VE USED MORE WATER THAN THEY'RE USED TO.
THEY MIGHT HAVE A LEAK, UM, JUST WITH THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS THAT WE HAVE, OF COURSE, A FIELD STAFF OR OFFICE STAFF CAN'T REALLY MONITOR THAT AS WELL AS THE CUSTOMER CAN.
SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SET THAT UP.
ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT, UH, THE PORTAL IS THAT WE HAVE THE SECOND HIGHEST REGISTRATION RATE OF ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS, AND THERE'S A LOT OF UTILITIES THAT USE THE SYSTEM.
AND SO FOR US TO HAVE THE REGISTRATION RATE THAT WE DO AND TO CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT, IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT ASSISTANCE TO THE CUSTOMERS.
UM, IN ADDITION, SO WE'RE LEARNING MORE OF THE TOOLS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THAT, UM, IN ORDER TO HELP THE CUSTOMER SET UP.
SO OUR THIRD, UM, KPI IS GOING TO BE BILLING OPERATIONS.
AND OF COURSE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE TOUCHED ON WITH THE TRANSITION FROM FATHOM TO MUNI BILLING AND ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, UM, WITH THE SYSTEM WE SET A GOAL FOR THE DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS, UM, FOR, FOR 30 DAYS ARE OVER.
UM, ONE OF THE MAIN POINTS FOR OUR DELINQUENCY IS THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD A CONSISTENT SHUTOFF OF COURSE, BECAUSE OF COVID AND JUST ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR CITIZENS FACE.
UH, WE STARTED DOING SHUTOFFS FOR THE 120 DAYS, WHICH HAS HELPED, UM, CONTINUE TO CONTROL THAT IT'S NOT THE FUN PART OF BEING A MANAGER OR FUN PART OF BUSINESS, BUT IT IS NECESSARY.
HOWEVER, UH, SETTING THESE TYPE OF GOALS AND JUST WORKING WITH THE CUSTOMERS, UM, HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL FOR US FOR MARCH.
UM, SO WE ARE UNDER OUR 10% AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO, TO UTILIZE THOSE PARTICULAR, UM, SYSTEMS TO HELP US.
SO, UM, THE ACCURACY RATE FOR THE BILLING WE SET AT 97%, UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A THIRD PARTY BILLER AND OUR GOAL IS TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CUSTOMERS GET A BILL THAT'S ACCURATE THAT'S ON TIME.
SO WE MONITOR THE REPORTS FROM, UM, THE BILLING STAFF IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE NOT GETTING BILLS THAT ARE INCORRECT.
SO WE SET THAT GOAL AT 97%, HOWEVER, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE 99% FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
AND SO WE, WE ARE PLANNING ON CONTINUING HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THAT LEVEL BECAUSE THE CITIZENS HERE DESERVE THAT.
UM, RHONDA, SO, UH, THE LEAK ADJUSTMENT, OH, SORRY.
IS IT THE ELECTRONIC, UH, BILLING OR BOTH ELECTRONIC IT'S ALL BILLING.
SO WE TAKE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF THE ACCOUNTS THAT WE BILL, WHICH IS A LITTLE OVER 16,000, AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE TO THE BILL, MISS MISREADS, ANYTHING OVERBUILD.
AND SO THAT IS THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE HAVE.
SO WHERE WE'RE DEFINITELY UNDER 3%, UM, WE'VE BEEN UNDER, UNDER 1%.
SO, UM, THAT'S INCLUDING ALL ACCOUNTS.
SO IN REGARDS TO, UH, LEAK ADJUSTMENTS, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE WINTER STORM.
AND SO WE HAD A LOT OF CUSTOMERS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE LEAK ADJUSTMENTS ARE LEAK.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROCESS THOSE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
UH, WE DO ALSO INCORPORATE THE PAYMENT PLANS FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE HIGH BILLS THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY A HIGH BILL.
UH, WE'LL BREAK THAT UP AND SPLIT IT UP.
BUT AS FAR AS THE LEAK ADJUSTMENTS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
[00:35:01]
THAT WE PROCESS THEM TIMELY.WE USUALLY DON'T HAVE TO WAIT A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, BUT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE CUSTOMER TO BILL AGAIN, IN ORDER TO PROCESS THE ADJUSTMENT.
SO, UH, WE SET A FORTY-FIVE DAY GOAL FOR THAT, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT AS WELL.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR? OKAY.
AND SO OUR FOURTH KPI IS GOING TO BE OUR FIELD OPERATIONS.
UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE, UM, MAIN COMPONENTS AS WELL, WHICH IS ONCE A CUSTOMER HAS AN ISSUE, WE WANT TO ADDRESS IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO, UM, OUR FIRST, UH, IDENTIFICATION IS GOING TO BE THE, UH, LEAK INVESTIGATIONS, WHICH WE WANT TO HAVE A 48 HOUR RESPONSE.
NOW THAT IS NOT INCLUDING, UM, AN EMERGENCY.
THIS IS JUST A CUSTOMER THAT MIGHT HAVE A HIGH BILL, OUR WANTS TO HAVE SOME KIND OF, UM, CHECK OF THEIR PROPERTY.
THEN WE HAVE, HAVE THE SURFACE RECONNECTIONS COMPLETED THE SAME DAY.
UM, AND SO IF THE CUSTOMER PAYS AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, OR IF THEY PAY AT FIVE O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO RESTORE THEIR SERVICE THE SAME DAY.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE, UM, EVEN WITH OUR PROCESSES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE THE TASK OF SHUTTING CUSTOMERS OFF, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE TASKS TO GET THEM BACK ON AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO WE'VE SET THAT GOAL THAT IT NEEDS TO BE THE SAME DAY, OUR INVENTORY, UH, BI-WEEKLY CHECK, UM, IS GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE INVENTORY IN STOCK TO TAKE CARE OF THE CUSTOMERS.
IF IT'S A METER BOX, IF IT'S A LID, IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, UM, THE COMPONENTS OF THE METER, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT IN STOCK.
SO WE'RE CHECKING THAT EVERY OTHER WEEK, WHENEVER WE HAD THE WINTER STORM, WE HAD TO DO SOME, SOME MORE DIGGING BECAUSE SOME OF THE PARTS WERE NOT AS ACCESSIBLE.
UM, BUT THAT HELPS US TO PLAN FOR FUTURE EVENTS LIKE A WINTER STORM OR SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT PREPARED FOR, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THE PARTS ON HAND.
AND SO ARE OUR 98% OF EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE SUCCESS.
UM, WE ARE WORKING ON THIS, UM, TO, TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES WHEN WE GO TO THE PROPERTY TO READ IT, AS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MANUAL READS THAT REQUIRE SOMEBODY TO VISIT THE PROPERTY.
AND SO THIS PARTICULAR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE GO TO THE PROPERTY, THE FIRST TIME WE'RE ABLE TO FIX WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS, AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE THIS JESSIE YET, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY WORKING TOWARDS AND WE WERE INTENDING TO HIT IT.
UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IN, IN DOING SO.
SO COUNCIL, UM, HAD ASKED US TO VERIFY THE DATA THAT IS COMING IN, UM, FOR ONE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CUSTOMERS ARE BILLING ACCURATELY, THE EQUIPMENT IS WORKING EFFICIENTLY.
AND SO WE'VE, UH, INCORPORATED THE RANDOM MANUAL READS.
SO THESE CHECKS ARE JUST RANDOM ONES WHERE WE TAKE INFORMATION FROM THE READ CYCLE, HAVE SOMEBODY GO TO THE FIELD AND MATCH IT UP.
SO FOR ALL OF THE BANNER READS THAT WE COMPLETED, WE HAD A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURACY.
SO WHAT IS COMING THROUGH THE SYSTEM IS THE SAME THING.
THAT'S THAT SHOWING AT THE PROPERTY? OH, LET ME GO BACK.
SO THE 5% MANUAL READS AS A BIG GOAL THAT WE SET, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE DASHBOARD NOW, UM, WE HAVE A 17% AND THEN 13 FOR THE OTHER CYCLE RIGHT NOW.
SO THERE ARE A LOT OF, UM, ACCOUNTS THAT WE WANT TO RESOLVE, WHATEVER THE ISSUE MAY BE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONS TO WHERE IT WILL TRANSMIT THAT READING WITHOUT US HAVING TO MAKE A FIELD VISIT.
SO THAT IS A GOAL THAT, THAT WILL TAKE SOME TIME FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND OUR LAST KPI IS GOING TO BE OUR FOLLOW-UP AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
UM, SO OUR MEETING EVERY WEEK TO REVIEW OUR OBJECTIVES AND THEN ANALYZE OUR PERFORMANCE.
SO I MEET WITH MY STAFF, I MEET WITH MELISSA.
UM, AND SO WE'RE HOLDING EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE EVERY, EVERY WEEK WITH REPORTING WITH DISCUSSIONS TO SAY, WHAT WORKED, WHAT DIDN'T, WHAT DO WE NEED TO CHANGE? AND WE GET TOGETHER AND BRAINSTORM OF WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE EVERYTHING, UM, RUN EFFICIENTLY.
WE LOOK AT SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM GOALS.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PICTURE ALL THE WAY AROUND, UM, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY ANY ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR PROCESSES AND HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.
AND THEN WE'LL NOTE OUR PROGRESS AND WE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS WHERE, UM, WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED.
[00:40:01]
UH, JUST, THAT'S GOING TO BE A CONTINUAL PROCESS AS WE GO FORWARD.UM, NOTHING'S GOING TO BE PERFECT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THE CUSTOMER RECEIVES THE BEST EXPERIENCE THAT THEY CAN AND SERVICE.
AND THEN, UH, LASTLY, WE'LL BE DOING THE QUARTERLY DASHBOARD TO UPDATE, UH, ADMINISTRATION AND ALSO COUNCIL.
SO WE HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE AND WE CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR SYSTEM.
AND SO THAT IS MY PART OF THE PRESENTATION.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO MELISSA, BUT I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE.
SO, BECAUSE WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF A LITTLE BIT OUT OF TIME, UM, WE BELIEVE THAT THE, UM, GOAL SET FOR US BY THE CITY COUNCIL HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED AND WE'VE SEEN A GREATER LEVEL OF CITIZENS SATISFACTION BECAUSE OF IT.
AND, UH, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
WE UNDERSTAND, WE HAVE AREAS THAT WE WILL CONTINUALLY WORK ON.
UM, BUT WE'VE MADE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROFIT.
ALL RIGHT, WE'LL START WITH CUSTOMER SAMS. THANK YOU, MARIE.
UM, SO WHAT I DID HERE IS THAT THERE'S A REALLY HIGH UTILIZATION OF OUR SYSTEM AS COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES.
AND, UH, I WAS DOING THE PRESENTATION.
I NOTICED THAT FROM WHAT I KNOW PERSONALLY, THE WATER SMART SYSTEM HAS A LOT OF BENEFITS, A LOT TO OFFER THE CITIZENS.
AND I THINK THAT AS WE INCREASED THE UTILIZATION BY OUR CITIZENS, IT WOULD ALSO BENEFIT US.
SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO DRIVE CITIZENS TO TAKE MORE ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S TURNING, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN GET TO THEM TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO EXPAND THEIR USE OF THE SYSTEM BEFORE RHONDA CAME, WE ACTUALLY WENT TO BEFORE COVID TWO, UM, JOE AND I WOULD GO TO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS AND TRAIN THEM ON THE SYSTEM, TRAIN THEM HOW TO SET UP THRESHOLDS ON NOTIFICATIONS, HOW TO READ WHETHER OR NOT THERE, UH, THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THEIR THEY'VE HAD A POTENTIAL LEAK OR BE ABLE TO TELL IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR CONSUMPTION.
WE CAN PICK THAT UP ONCE NEIGHBORHOODS START MEETING AGAIN, BUT ALSO WE CAN TALK TO ALISON ABOUT PROMOTING, UM, UH, THAT ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND OUR, ON OUR CITY WEBSITE, EVERY PERSON IN CEDAR HILL GETS A BILL EVERY MONTH.
SO WE CAN ALSO PUT A LITTLE HOW TO GUIDE IN THERE AND WE CAN LOOK AT THE, WE CAN MOST CERTAINLY LOOK AT AND BRAINSTORM ON OTHER IDEAS.
UH, FIRST A COMMENT, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK WE DEFINITELY HAVE A HIGHER CUSTOMER SATISFACTION BECAUSE I, I HAVE NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS ON WATER BILLING IN, UH, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE I'VE HAD A COMPLAINT ON, ON A UTILITY BILL, WHICH MEANS YOU ALSO HAVE A HIGHER COUNCIL SATISFACTION RATING.
UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND ALLOWS US TO MOVE ON TO OTHER THINGS OR THERE'S NO CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME.
UH, I LIKED WHAT, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SOUNDS WAS SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL TRAINING, MAYBE SOME, SOME VIDEOS THAT WE PUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE YOU THAT WE NEED TO BE GETTING MORE OF THIS INTO SPANISH AS WELL.
UM, AS WE'RE PUTTING IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE LATINO POPULATION IS THE FASTEST GROWING POPULATION SEGMENT IN OUR CITY.
UM, MANY OF THOSE DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
AND, UH, AND THEN FINALLY A QUESTION, DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE ON THE TIMELINE ON WHEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHER LEVEL FUNCTIONALITY RESTORED TO THE SYSTEM, LIKE BEING ABLE TO PREDICT WATER LEAKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE COULD DO THE PUSH, THE ALERTS TO, TO CITIZENS.
WE DON'T HAVE A TIMELINE ON THAT, BUT AT OUR NEXT UPDATE, WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT AND SET SOME GOALS FOR HOW WE CAN REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL ON THAT STUFF.
CUSTOMER HAYDEN, THANK YOU MERE.
WELL, I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED ON THE PROGRESS Y'ALL HAVE MADE, YOU KNOW, I CAN LOOK BACK AND THINK, AND YOU TOOK US BACK A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT, WHAT Y'ALL HAD TO GO THROUGH FROM THAT STANDPOINT.
BUT YEAH, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE BEFORE WE STARTED THE PROCESS, THINGS WERE JUST CAVING IN ON US.
AND THE CITIZENS WERE JUST THOROUGHLY, UH, I GUESS, DISGUSTED WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT IT TODAY IN, IN, IN THE STEPS THAT YOU'VE TAKEN AND WHAT'S GOING ON NOW, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT HEARING ANY COMPLAINTS.
UH, AND WHEREAS BEFORE WE HEARD QUITE A BIT OF COMPLAINTS ON IT, SO I'M JUST, AGAIN, EXTREMELY EXCITED OF WHAT STEPS
[00:45:01]
THAT YOU ALL HAVE TAKEN IN, IN THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING.UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE WATCHED THIS WHOLE PROCESS WHEN WE STARTED THE AMI AND ALL THIS.
AND SO THIS IS GOING TO BE MUCH SMOOTHER THAN ANYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE EVEN IN THE PAST.
SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAD THERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN, UH, SAM'S ALERTED TO THE REGISTRATION AND DO WE KNOW HOW MANY, I MEAN, YOU, YOU MADE A POINT IN THE BEGINNING, BUT DO WE KNOW HOW MANY OF OUR ACCOUNTS ARE REGISTERED FOR CINDY'S 76 REALLY HIGH? AND SO ON THAT BASIS, UM, IF YOU GET AN ALERT, YOU'RE ONLY REALLY GETTING THE ALERT ON THOSE THAT HAVE REGISTERED, CORRECT.
WELL, YOU HAVE TO SET UP THE ALERTS YOURSELF.
SO LIKE MY ACCOUNT, I HAVE TO SET UP THE ALERT IF I WANT IT TO GO OVER 5,000 GALLONS, JUST LIKE I DO MY BANK ACCOUNT OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, GOES THROUGH OVER A CERTAIN DOLLAR AMOUNT.
SO THE CITIZEN HAS TO SET UP THOSE.
AND I REMEMBER SETTING MY EYES, DIDN'T KNOW IF SOME POINT OUR SYSTEM RECOGNIZES SOME KIND OF LEAK AND I GUESS YOU REALLY WOULDN'T UNLESS YOU REGISTERED DOES.
AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT, UH, COUNCILMAN MCCURDY WAS GETTING TO, HOW CAN WE NOTIFY THOSE CITIZENS? THAT THERE'S A POTENTIAL ISSUE AND WE'RE LOOKING INTO HOW WE CAN DO THAT.
AND WE'LL REPORT ON THAT WHEN WE COME BACK.
WITH SOME OF THE MESS OF, I COULDN'T HEAR ALL WHO WERE THERE, BUT, UH, I, UH, I'M THOROUGHLY IMPRESSED.
NOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE, UH, THE MANUAL READS AND SO FORTH AND THE ACCURACY OF RMI AMI, UM, I GUESS, AND I'M SITTING HERE, I JUST LOOKED AT MY WATER BILL AND JUST NOW HOW YOU DID, AND, AND I'M PROBABLY ONE QUARTER OF WHAT I'VE BEEN USING TOO.
SO IT'S LIKE, WOW, WHY IS MY SOUL SO SMALL? AND I STILL GOT FOUR PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE.
SO THAT WOULD BE AN ISSUE THAT IF HE CAUGHT UP NEXT TIME AND I SEE A HUGE JUMP, THEN WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF CHECK ON THE METER.
WE CAN CHECK YOUR ACCOUNT INDIVIDUALLY.
SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO FIX THEM.
YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT WOULD COME BACK TO BITE ME NEXT TIME I GET A COMPLAINT ABOUT A LOW BILL.
WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THAT.
I'M EXTREMELY SATISFIED AND I HOPE THE CITIZENS ARE.
THANK YOU, CUSTOMER, UH, PAIN, UH, CUSTOMER GLOBALLY.
UM, JUST A VERY QUICK COMMENT.
UM, LOOKING BACK AT, WE WERE WITH FAT, WITH FATHOM TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD 18 MONTHS AGO, FROM THAT TO WHERE WE ARE NOW, THIS CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ENTIRE UTILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THE STAFF HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB TO GO FROM BASICALLY NO WATER SYSTEM WITH FATHOM LEAVING US TO THE HICCUPS THAT WE'VE HAD.
BUT THE ADDITION, WHEN WE SWITCHED TO THE OTHER SYSTEM TO WHEREVER WE ARE NOW, WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT KPIS AND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL FOR LEAK DETECTION, VERY SURLY.
THAT'S A GREAT JOB AND GREAT PRESENTATION.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET WORSE BEFORE YOU GET BETTER.
AND THIS WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE CASES.
I DID A GREAT JOB IN FIXING THE WATER PROBLEM.
UM, MY QUESTION TO YOU NOW IS, UM, AND THE REASON I'M ASKING THIS, CAUSE MY NEIGHBOR TAKES MY MAGAZINE BECAUSE I GET A BILL AND SHE PLAYS ONLINE.
SO WHAT IS THE SYSTEM THAT YOU ARE GOING TO USE TO LET THE CUSTOMERS THAT PAYS, UH, THROUGH THEIR BANK ACCOUNT, I GUESS, AND DO Y'ALL HAVE A PLAN FOR THEM TO GET THE MAGAZINE? SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THOSE CEDAR HILL HIGHLIGHTS, NEWSLETTER THE HIGHLIGHT.
SO, UM, I, MY, MY ACCOUNT IS ALSO AN AUTO PAY AND, UM, I STILL GET A PHYSICAL BILL, BUT THERE IS A PART WHERE YOU CAN CLICK TO NOT GET A PHYSICAL BILL.
AND IN THAT INSTANCE, WE PUT OUT THE HIGHLIGHTS NEWSLETTER ON FACEBOOK EVERY MONTH.
SO SHE HAD LEANED ON THEM ALL.
MA'AM WE, WE PUT THAT OUT ON FACEBOOK EVERY MONTH, JUST SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON AND HAPPENING.
SO IN CEDAR HILL ON THE HIGHLIGHTS, RIGHT? YES.
UTILITY BUILDING, ESPECIALLY TODAY TYPE SEASON IS EVOLVING.
UH, SO WE DO APPRECIATE THE UPDATE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
[5. Economic Development Corporation Annual Update.]
ALL RIGHT.A FINAL ITEM ON OUR BRIEFING AGENDA IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
HELLO THERE, MS. KIM, GOOD EVENING.
GET THE WHOLE TEAM MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE UP HERE WITH MY TEAM, MYSELF, KIM
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DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ANDY BUFFINGTON, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AND LOUIS CASTILLO, OUR SPECIALIST TO DELIVER YOU AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT.HOW DO I CLICK FORWARD? OKAY, ANDY.
SO AS WE START EVERYTHING, UH, WITH THE PRESENTATION IS THE CITY'S VALUES AND MISSION HERE THAT YOU GUYS ON SET.
UH, AND WE STAY TRUE TO THAT HERE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT AND THE CORPORATION, UH, BOTH FOR CEDAR HILL HAS A STRONG AND DIVERSE ECONOMY.
AND OF COURSE, UH, KEEPING THIS A VERY DIVERSE PLACE WHERE BUSINESSES FEEL WELCOMED, UM, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR SERVICES ARE AND YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE A COMPLIMENTARY SET OF THINGS.
SO WHAT'S GOING ON DOWNTOWN AND THINGS TO THAT END.
BUT THE DIVERSITY PART IS SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS, UM, AS SEE AS IMPORTANT, WE WORK EVERYDAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
ALL RIGHT, WE WANTED TO START OUT JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC TONIGHT, UH, WHO KIND OF WONDERS, WHAT IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JUST IN GENERAL IS A PROCESS BY WHICH A LOCATION IMPROVES ITS ECONOMIC POLITICAL AND SOCIAL WELLBEING OF ITS PEOPLE.
AND SO WE WANT TO DELIVER SOME INFORMATION TONIGHT TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUR TARGETED PROGRAMS, HOW WE WORK TO ENHANCE THE LOCAL TAX BASE, DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY, CREATE JOBS.
AND WE WANTED TO REALLY EMPHASIZE THAT CEDAR HILL HAS MADE THIS LAST YEAR POSSIBLE FOR US TO FLOURISH DUE TO THE CONSISTENCY OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS VISION THAT YOU HAVE LED YEAR OVER YEAR AS A CITY COUNCIL, AS A PA THROUGH THE PATH OF A THOUGHTFUL AND PURPOSEFUL STEPS AND INCLUSIVE OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
AS WE GO INTO REPORTING THIS YEAR, I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CORPORATION.
WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE MENTION OF OUR EDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHO WORK REALLY HARD, VOLUNTEERS, THAT THERE FOR MEETINGS, UH, PRESIDENT MICHAEL AMMAN IN PARTICULAR AND VICE PRESIDENT, SEAN GLOBIN THROUGH BEING THERE AND OVERSEEING THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE.
AND WE KNOW THAT EFFECTS NOT ONLY THE PRESENT, BUT ALSO THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE WANTED TO START OUT WITH TALKING ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
THIS TIME WHEN THIS SIGN WAS IN A LOT OF WINDOWS COVID WAS, UH, ONSET.
IT KIND OF SHOCKED US ALL CAUGHT US OFF GUARD.
WE HAD, UH, JUST, THIS IS A SAMPLING OF THE BUSINESSES THAT WERE TOLD TO CLOSE.
SO WHAT DID, WHAT, WHAT WAS OUR RESPONSE TO THAT? WELL, IT WAS THE TYPICAL CEDAR HILL WAY.
WE BANDED TOGETHER AND FORMED SOME STRONG PARTNERSHIPS, THE CITY, THE EDC, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE COURSE, OUR VOLUNTEERS AND OTHER LEADERS PUT TOGETHER NOT JUST PROGRAMS FOR FUNDING, BUT ALSO WAYS TO COMMUNICATE AND ENCOURAGE OUR BUSINESSES THROUGH THIS TIME.
SO, UM, A VOLUNTEER GROUP PUT THE FUNDING PROCESS TOGETHER AND THAT WOULD BE VERNON FOLKS, RANDALL CHASE, PETTY BOWS, HEART WRESTLE, REEDS, WIND DEGAS RIDER, AND JEFF POWERS.
SO WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THIS FOLKS HAS SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS PUTTING TOGETHER OUR CEDAR HILL STRONG GRANT LOAN PROGRAM.
AND, UH, LEWIS IS GOING TO RECOGNIZE OUR CONTRACT TEAM, KEY STAFF AND PARTNERS.
WE COULDN'T HAVE IT WITHOUT THE STAFF THAT WAS HERE TO HELP THE CONTRACT TEAM, THE KEY STAFF AND THE PARTNERS THAT WAS PETTY BUS HUD AND UNDER LAUREN, ERICA SARACHO, DAISY JAMAICA,
THESE FOLKS, SOME OF THEM VISITED OVER 100 BUSINESSES.
THEY MESSED UP AND ACTUALLY GOT OUT IN THE COVID AND VISITED AND MADE SURE THAT THESE BUSINESSES KNEW ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS. AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, OUR ADC BOARD, UM, SUPPORTED THE FUNDING.
BUT THANKS TO MARIE WATSON, HER WORK WITH DALLAS COUNTY, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE CARES, ACT FUNDS TO FUND 69 BUSINESSES WITH $780,000.
83% OF THESE BUSINESSES ARE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED.
AND OUT OF THIS 35 BECAME CHAMBER MEMBERS.
AND I WAS TOLD LAST WEEK THAT 30% OF THE NEW GOLF TERM OF THE GOLF TOURNAMENT ATTENDEES WERE CEDAR HILLS STRONG PARTICIPANTS.
SO THAT JUST MAKES US VERY, VERY HAPPY TO SEE THEIR CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT.
WE DID ACHIEVE 100% LOAN FORGIVENESS BY OFFERING SOME VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.
AND, UH, WE REACHED OVER 26,000 ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH ANDY WILL TELL YOU, OR EXCUSE ME, LEWIS WILL TELL YOU ABOUT OUR VISITATION.
AND THEN ANDY WILL TELL YOU ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA.
AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE PHOTOS OF PRESENTING THE CHECKS.
IT WAS AN HONOR BEHALF THAT REALLY HUMBLED ME TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FACES AND THE NAMES
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AND THE PEOPLE FROM THE GRANT LOAN PROGRAM THAT WAS DONE.THESE ARE BUSINESSES HERE IN CEDAR HILL.
SOME OF OUR PEOPLE THAT COME HERE AND WE HAVE A COMMUNICATION WITH THEM QUITE A BIT.
SO THEY WERE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL.
THE STORIES WERE SIMPLY AMAZING.
AND THAT WILL GO TO ANDY BUFFINGTON TO HEAR ABOUT IT, LIKE WITH ANYTHING SUCCESSFUL.
WE LOOK TO OUR PARTNERS AND, UM, THOSE ACROSS THE CITY TO MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN.
AND IT WAS ACTUALLY THE TIMING OF, AT THE, I BELIEVE THE MAYOR MASON WAS AROUND THE TABLE WITH DALLAS COUNTY AND THE TIMING OF THAT FUNDING, WE WERE ABLE TO PIVOT THAT THOSE DOLLARS AND ACTUALLY MAKE IT FOR THE FEDERAL CARES ACT FUND.
AND SO THAT ALLOWED US TO ACTUALLY EXTEND THIS INTO A WHOLE MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE USING, UH, AS YEARS GO ON.
BUT THIS ALLOWED US TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE MANY FACES AND VOICES AND, UM, ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT THAT LIVES IN CEDAR HILL.
AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY GO ON NOTICE BECAUSE IT'S SERVICES OR PROFESSIONAL THINGS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ALL TAKE FOR GRANTED SOMETIMES.
AND SO WITH COVID, IT REALLY ALLOWED US TO CONNECT AND THEN ALSO ALLOW THEM TO HAVE THIS STAGE AND HIGHLIGHTING THEM WITH THIS MARKETING CAMPAIGN, CEDAR HILL STRONG.
AND IT WAS BY NO MEANS JUST US.
UM, IT WAS A COURSE OF THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER AND EVERYONE INVOLVED.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR STRENGTH OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND GETTING THERE.
SO NOW WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WERE THINGS THAT WERE ACCOMPLISHED LAST YEAR THAT WERE DESPITE COVID.
WE STILL CONTINUED WITH BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION EFFORTS, AND I'M GOING TO TURN THIS OVER TO LOUIS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED THERE.
EVEN DESPITE WE HAD CHALLENGES, IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW WE COULD HELP THE BUSINESSES AND CELEBRATE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.
WE HAD AN ANNIVERSARY WITH THEM, AND AS YOU CAN SEE THE PHOTOS THERE, AND I REMEMBER THE MAYOR BEING THERE, HE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME SEND TO THE STATES, HAS REALLY GOTTEN INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE'RE WORKING ON AN EXPANSION WITH HIM, JC PENNY, THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER, ALSO TALKING ABOUT AN EXPAND CLIENT BASE THAT WAS AS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO HELP MORE AND DO MORE AND SEND MORE PRODUCT FROM CEDAR HILL AND ALSO DELTA STEEL, ALSO WORKING ON AN EXPANSION.
AND IF YOU LOOK TO THE LOWER, RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THE BASKETS THAT THE EDC HELPED PUT TOGETHER FOR THE HOLIDAY CROSS MARKETING PROMOTION.
THE TOP 25 EMPLOYERS RECEIVED A GIFT BASKET CONTAINING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF CEDAR HILL, SMALL BUSINESSES PRODUCTS FROM LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES THAT WERE ABLE TO HELP THE BUSINESSES HERE IN CEDAR HILL.
YES, WE DID A LOT OF CROSS-MARKETING AMONGST THE BUSINESSES LAST YEAR.
UM, THANKS TO THE, THE CEDAR HILL PARTNERSHIP, UH, AND COMRADERY.
WE WERE ABLE TO REALLY GET THE DOWNTOWN, UH, LAKES PROJECT MOVING THIS YEAR.
OF COURSE, THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN IN PLANS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR PLANNING AND ENGINEERING AND PERMITTING ENCORE ATMOS.
AND OF COURSE THE LAKES COMPANIES REALLY PUSH FORWARD TO GET THE FINAL PLANS IN PLACE AND HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS.
UH, THESE, UH, THIS PROJECT IS GOING INTO THE PERMITTING PHASE AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT RENDERINGS AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD INTEREST CONTACTING US DIFFERENT SMALL BUSINESSES, INTERESTED IN HAVING A SPACE AND NEARBY IN THE SURROUNDING AREA.
ANDY'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE NEW BUSINESSES THAT OPENED IN THE PAST YEAR AND HOW THEY'VE WORKED TOGETHER.
SO HOPEFULLY YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO VISIT SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE LISTED HERE AND PATRON THEIR STORES IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN.
IF YOU ACTUALLY GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THERE'S COLLABORATION AMONG ALL THOSE PARTNERS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY HAPPENED ORGANICALLY, BUT JUST THEN LOCATING IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN NATURALLY.
IT'S NOTHING THAT WE'VE HAD TO REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ADVANCE THEM ON.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING HERE AT THE HOME IS WHERE THE TOWERS ARE.
THAT'S THE, UH, BREWERY OWNERS THAT JUST OPENED UP ON TEXAS STREET AND ACROSS THE WAY, HOPEFULLY YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH ALICE WASH.
SHE OWNS A SOAP BURRY THAT SHE'S ACTUALLY, UH, LAUNCHED HERE IN CEDAR HILL AND SHE'S TO UTILIZE ALL OF THE VARIOUS VENDORS DOWNTOWN TO BLEND IN SPECIALTY SOAPS, TO FEATURE THEM AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
SO, UM, THAT'S ALL HAPPENING NATURALLY.
AND SO IT'S JUST ADVANCING THOSE THINGS AS A CATALYST AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND YOU'RE NEXT.
AND THEN DOWN THE WAY, UM, OF COURSE WE HAVE OUR INDUSTRIAL PARK THAT WE'VE OWNED FOR MANY YEARS AND WE'RE ONLY DOWN TO THREE RAINING LOTS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE STACKED
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LOOKING STRONG.ONE THING THAT WE DID IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BUSINESS PARK FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE AT EASE AND COMFORTABLE IS WE HOSTED THE BUSINESS PARK ASSOCIATION LUNCHEON HERE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER.
AND IT WAS, UH, FOR THE VOTING MEMBERS.
IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THEM HERE.
IT WAS VOTING MEMBERS, STEVE SMITH, NURSE, OUR FROM NASCO, BEVERLY BONDS FROM DELTA STEEL, CRAIG JOHNSON FROM PEPPER, CHRISTINE COMPTON FROM MJB ROADS AND KEN LYNCH FROM API MANUFACTURING, AND ALSO LIKE TO THANK, UH, THE BOARD MEMBER, SEAN QUILT AND OUR VICE PRESIDENT.
SHE'S THE LIAISON FOR THE GROUP.
SO SHE'S THERE AT THE MEETINGS, LISTENING AND, UH, HELPING OUR BOARD UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE BUSINESS.
PARDON ME? DO THEY MEET, I'M SORRY, HOW OFTEN DO THEY MEET QUARTERLY? OKAY, THANK YOU.
THE PIECES OF INFORMATION WE GAVE THE BOARD, OR EXCUSE ME, THE ASSOCIATION WAS WE WANTED THEM TO BE AWARE OF THEIR NEW NEIGHBORS THAT WILL BE COMING UP IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
SO WITH THAT, WE WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT LAST YEAR'S PROGRESS IN LAND DEVELOPMENT.
SO IN, AS PORTER SAYS, IN ALL THE FOOD GROUPS, WE HAVE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, 180 ACRES HAS BEEN PURCHASED BY HILLWOOD AND THEY HAVE NAMED THIS DEVELOPMENT HIGH POINT 67.
SO THIS WILL BE BRINGING NEW JOBS, NEW COMPANIES TO CEDAR HILL.
THIS WILL BE BUILDING OUT OVER THE NEXT FOUR TO FIVE YEARS.
AND OF COURSE THAT'S ALREADY BEEN MARKETED.
AND ONE THING I HOPE THAT YOU NOTICE THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION LIKE THAT, THE VISUAL OF WHERE THE TOWERS ARE AND ALL THE BUSINESSES FOR CEDAR HILLS STRONG AND THIS AD AS WELL, ANDY BUFFINGTON RUNS THE TRAPS ON ALL OF THAT IMAGE MARKETING FOR CEDAR HILL, WHICH IS SO CRITICAL TO WHEN WE TELL THE WORLD OUR STORY.
WE'VE ALSO SEEN LAND DEVELOPMENT THIS YEAR IN MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS.
WE HAVE TWO TO THREE UNDERWAY AT THIS TIME WITH THE VARIOUS RANGE OF SERVICES AND SINGLE FAMILY HOME DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS VERY, VERY EXCITING FOR LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE, WHICH INCLUDE A 400 ACRE MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY.
THE MORE ROOFTOPS WE HAVE, THE BETTER RETAIL AND STORY THAT WE HAVE TO TELL THIS IS VERY, VERY EXCITING ON THE FRONT FOR THE FUTURE.
AND OF COURSE, PART OF OUR JOB IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS TO BE INVOLVED WITH OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR REGIONS LOCALLY, REGIONALLY STATEWIDE, NATIONALLY AND GLOBALLY.
SO HERE, ANDY'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.
OF COURSE, LIKE WE SPOKE ABOUT WHEN WE, UH, STARTED NOTHING HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, BY WAY OF JUST ONE DEPARTMENT OR ONE GROUP.
AND SO WE OF COURSE VALUE ALL OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE LOCALLY, UH, AS IT ALLOWS US TO REALLY REFLECT AND WORK TOGETHER ON ADVANCING NOT ONLY CEDAR HILL, BUT EVERYONE IN THE SURROUNDING REGION.
AND WE DIDN'T SHY AWAY FROM SPENDING ANY DOLLARS ON THAT OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, EVEN WITH COVID.
AND SO IT JUST SHOWS THE STRENGTH IN THOSE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE, UH, YOU KNOW, STEER THE SHIP TOGETHER AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
BUT THIS IS VARIOUS ONES THAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS HERE TONIGHT.
AND THEN I ALSO DON'T WANT TO GO REMISS WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT PRESIDENT MICHAEL OMAN OF OUR BOARD WITH THE CEDAR HILL BUSINESS PARK.
HE'S ACTUALLY WALKED THE RAILROAD TRACK OUT THERE AND GOTTEN THOSE RAILROAD TIES CHANGED FROM WOODEN TO STEEL.
SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF YEARS OF WORK IN THAT.
MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THAT TOO, AND SEE LITTLE CONTINUES, BE IN FRONT OF WITH INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS, WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND PARTS OF PARTICIPATION.
AND AS YOU SEE THERE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE ARE MEMBERS OF.
WE ARE PLACING CEDAR HILL IN THE FRONT, IN THE FOREFRONT OF SITE SELECTORS, POTENTIAL INVESTORS, COMPANIES, AND BRANDS.
SO YOU CAN SEE WE'RE STILL ACTIVE SUPPORTING THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND THEY REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT THAT WE'RE STILL SUPPORTING THEM IN THEIR EFFORTS.
WELL, I HAVE TO REALLY GIVE CREDIT TO KIM.
SHE NEVER SHIED AWAY OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS OF PUTTING IN AN RFI.
SO EVEN IF WE WERE DOWN TO SIX HOURS LEFT TO SUBMIT, WE WERE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO DO SO.
AND IT REALLY HELPS OUT BECAUSE THERE'S JUST GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF INFORMATION SHARING TO GET YOU ON THE MAP.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE'VE LANDED.
SO WE'VE HAD INTEREST ALL THE WAY FROM JAPAN AND THE NETHERLANDS, CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK AND CHICAGO, JUST OVER THE PAST 12 MONTH PERIOD.
AND IT SHOULD PROVE TO US, YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF GROWING INTO A GLOBAL SITE SELECTION PROCESS.
SO IT'S REALLY PROVEN THAT THAT IN OUR PROCESS, BUT THE STATS HERE SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
WE SUBMITTED OVER 48 RFI PACKETS AND WE ACTUALLY STILL HAVE EIGHT TO 12 IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW.
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IT WAS WORKING ON.SO IN PREPARATION FOR CONTINUING THIS GREAT PROGRESS FORWARD, OF COURSE, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.
BUT IN PREPARATION FOR THAT, WE WANTED TO TAKE A GOOD, HARD AT OUR MARKET STATISTICALLY, WHICH IS JUST PART, PART OF PLANNING.
SO WE UP GAGE THE COMPANY TO DO A CEDAR HILL MARKET STUDY.
AND OF COURSE WE LIKED THIS PICTURE.
MAYOR MASON SAYS, THAT'S YOU SIGNING THE CEDAR HILL STRONG INTO BEING SO THANK YOU.
BUT, UH, THESE ARE JUST IN GENERAL STATS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE AUDIENCE.
OUR POPULATION IS NOW PUSHED OVER 50,000.
WE'VE GOT A LABOR FORCE OF ALMOST 26,000 WITH 18,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN AN AVERAGE INCOME PUSHING 90,000.
NOW WE'VE GOT A GREAT DIVERSE COMMUNITY WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES WITH OVER 30% OF OUR, UH, WORKING CITIZENS.
SO THIS MARKET ANALYSIS LOOKS AT A FIVE TO SEVEN YEAR OUTLOOK.
SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT THEY REPORTED IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIAL AREAS QUICKLY.
CAUSE I KNOW THAT WE'RE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME, BUT, UH, THIS PRESENTATION CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU OF COURSE, BUT THE, IN THE AREA OF INDUSTRIAL, OUR RENT PER SQUARE FOOT IS VERY STRONG AND IT'S THE HIGHEST PER SQUARE FOOT RENT IN THIS REGION.
OUR RETAIL IS SECOND TO HIGHEST.
AN AVERAGE HOSPITALITY OF COURSE WAS DOWN BECAUSE OF COVID, BUT WE WERE ALL DOWN AND OUR MULTIFAMILY PER SQUARE FOOT IS VERY HIGH IT'S AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE REGION AS WELL.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR INDUSTRIAL OCCUPANCY IS 99.7% TO BE EXACT.
SO WHAT INDUSTRIAL WE HAVE HERE IS OCCUPIED, WHICH IS GREAT NEWS.
MOVING FORWARD INTO ADDING INDUSTRIAL.
OUR RETAIL IS HOLDING GREAT AT 94% OCCUPANCY OFFICE AT 90%.
AND THE MARKET ANALYSIS ALSO FOUND THAT WE'RE POISED TO ABSORB 75 TO 125 NEW HOMES PER YEAR IN THE THREE TO $400,000 RANGE AND 50 TO 60 NEW HOMES PER YEAR IN THE 400,000 PLUS RANGE.
THOSE ARE ALL FROM THE CDS MARKET STUDY.
AND OF COURSE THAT INFORMATION IS JUST PART OF WHAT GOES INTO A STRATEGIC PLAN BECAUSE WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY PART, THE, THE ETHOS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE CULTURE, AND THE PERSONALITY AND THE VISION OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO LEADING THAT CHARGE FOR OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS OUR EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE.
YOU CAN SEE HERE, COUNCILMAN ALLEN SIMS, COUNCILMAN DANIEL HAYDEN, AND OUR BOARD MEMBERS, ANGELA BARRY ROBERSON, AND ANDREW LEGRAND.
THEY ARE BIWEEKLY MEETING AND WATCHING THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.
AND PART OF, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS COMMUNICATING THOUGH WITH THE CITIZENS AND THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE BEGAN THIS PROCESS WITH A VALUES, VISION, MISSION STATEMENT, OLDER GROUP WORKSHOP, WHICH WAS OVER 25 OF OUR LOCAL, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS, CITIZENS STAKEHOLDERS FROM ALL OVER OR INCLUDING OUR TEEN COUNCIL.
WE'VE BEEN YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS GROUP.
THEY WERE LED BY OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING FROM ANTHEM TO TAKE IN, UH, VALUES AND VISION FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THIS IS A WORDLE NEW WORD FOR THE NIGHT, A WORDLE TO COMBINATION OF MANY OF THE WORDS THAT CAME TO THEIR MIND IN THINKING ABOUT CEDAR HILL.
SO MOVING FORWARD WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 2021, THE THREE TOP WORDS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT WORKSHOP WERE TRUST SERVICE AND COLLABORATION, AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL DELIVER, UH, HOW WE'LL MOVE FORWARD ECONOMICALLY IN ATTRACTING TALENTED WORKFORCE TARGETED INDUSTRIES, RETAIL STRATEGY, UH, SMALL BUSINESS TOOL KIT, AND BRANDING AND MESSAGING ON MOVING CEDAR HILL FORWARD.
AND I'LL LET ANDY WRAP US UP WITH WHAT KIND OF KPIS WE'RE LOOKING TOWARD AND FINISH THIS UP.
SO THE LAST 12 MONTHS HAVE REALLY TAUGHT US, UH, WHAT WE'RE CAPABLE OF DOING.
AND SO, UH, SO THE YEAR AHEAD AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH THE STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION IS GOING BACK TO WHAT WE'VE LEARNED OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
AND THAT WAS IMMERSING OURSELVES IN THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT HERE AND NOT LOSING SIGHT OF THE VALUE THAT THAT BRINGS TO OUR STORY AND WHAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE IN THE WAY OF INVESTMENT FOR CEDAR HILL.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO STAY TRUE TO THAT, AND WE'RE GOING TO INVOLVE EVERYONE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESSES.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DELIVERING GREAT RESULTS FOR YOU GUYS OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT THIS FAR AND YOUR SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD.
THANK YOU MR. PORTER AND MAYOR LETTING US BE HERE NIGHT.
THAT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
UH, WE ALWAYS CALL CDL PREMIER CITY, BUT WHAT REALLY MAKES US PREMIER IS THE FACT THAT WE ABLE TO DIVERSIFY OUR PORTFOLIO AND
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LOOKING AT THE RESULTS OF WHAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN.UM, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE KIND OF RAN OVER OUR BRIEFING SESSION, BUT I KNOW WE STILL HAVE MORE TO HEAR FROM YOU DOING, I CALL IT A SESSION.
SO A COUNSELOR KIND OF HOLDS THEIR COMMENTS TO LATER.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THAT CONCLUDES OUR BRIEFING, UH, AGENDA.
IF A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT MOTION TO ADJOURN, WE DO HAVE A MOTION.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? THEY HAVE A SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HAYDEN.
UM, NON-DEBATABLE MASON MOTION OF THE FAVORITE PIECE.
UH, WE, IT IS UNANIMOUS AND WE ARE ADJOURNED.