* 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. GOOD EVENING, [00:00:01] EVERYBODY. TODAY IS JULY 27TH, 2021. THIS IS THE BRIEFING SESSION, REGULAR SCHEDULED BRIEFING SESSION. WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF COUNCIL PRESENT AND LET TO GO AHEAD AND OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER IT IS 6:00 PM. AND WE'LL BEGIN WITH OUR CITY [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] MANAGER REPORT. HOW YOU DOING TO SEE THE MANAGER? GOOD EVENING, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. UH, CLEARLY SOME ARE DECIDED TO SHOW UP IN THE LAST A WEEK OR SO AS WE ARE SEEING YEAH. ALL OF A SUDDEN SODAS LOOK AT THAT GREEN GRASS WHILE YOU CAN. SO, UH, GOT A HUNDRED DEGREE TEMPERATURES AND ALL, ANYWAY, IT'S NICE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF SUMMER. SEPTEMBER IS COMING THOUGH. SO HOPEFULLY IT WON'T, IT WON'T LAST TOO LONG. IT IS, IT IS VERY GOOD TO SEE EVERYONE TODAY. WHEN I GO OVER A COUPLE THINGS ON THE CALENDAR AND THEN WE'LL BRIEFLY ORIENT TO OUR RELATIVELY SHORT AGENDA FOR TONIGHT. AND THAT'LL BE THE EXTENT OF MY REPORT. UM, UH, ON THURSDAY, JULY 29TH, THAT'S THIS THURSDAY WILL BE THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN OUR ONGOING PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING YOUR 2017 BOND PROGRAM. UH, THIS WILL BE TO COLLECT PUBLIC INPUT ON IMPROVEMENTS TO BEAR CREEK PARK AND THE BEAR CREEK SUBDIVISION FAR SOUTHEAST PART OF THE CITY. UM, THIS IS A PARK THAT, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WORKED A LONG TIME FOR TO GET IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND I WAS ALREADY HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS ON IT. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO ENGAGING, UH, WITH THE RESIDENTS OF BEAR CREEK AND LOOKING FOR, UH, DREAMING AND DESIGNING THE NEXT STAGE OF WHAT THEIR PARK IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. SO THAT'LL BE AT 6:00 PM. IT'S AT THE PARK ITSELF, WHICH IS AT SIX 20 MIDNIGHT DRIVE, WHICH IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUBDIVISION. SO YOU CAN'T MISS IT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU COME IN, UH, ON FRIDAY, JULY 30TH, THE FOLKS HILLSIDE VILLAGE WILL BE, UH, HOSTING THE LAST OF THEIR, UH, JAM TO GIVE SUMMER CONCERT. CAN THEY DO THIS ON THEIR VILLAGE GREEN AT 7:00 PM? AND THEY ALWAYS DO IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF A LOCAL CHARITY. SO IF YOU HAVE TIME TO GO OUT IN, UH, ENJOY THE MUSIC AT A HILLSIDE VILLAGE, UH, PLEASE DO SO SATURDAY, JULY 31ST THAT SAID THIS SATURDAY IS OUR VERY NEXT NEIGHBORHOOD WALK. IT WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE WATERFORD OAKS SUBDIVISION. AND, UH, FOLKS WHO ARE GOING TO PARTICIPATE ARE ASKED TO MEET AT NINE 30 IN THE, UH, IN THE PARKING LOT OF WATERFORD OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SO WE'LL FORM UP THERE AND TO OUR TEAMS AND THEN SPEND THE NEXT TWO HOURS ENGAGING WITH OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN WATERFORD PARK. UM, PACK'S ALREADY DONE A GREAT JOB PREPARING FOR, UH, FOR THE EVENT. UM, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU'RE A, IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE, UH, WE'VE MADE ARRANGEMENTS IN ALL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, TUESDAY, AUGUST 3RD, UH, THE BACK-TO-BACK BUSINESS RECEPTION IS BEING HELD AT, UH, AN OCCASION'S EVENT CENTER AT 5:00 PM. UH, THIS IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. IT WAS SORT OF, UH, BORN OUT OF THE CEDAR HILLS STRONG COLLABORATION THAT, UH, UH, WAS ABLE TO, UM, THEY CAME OUT OF THE COVID RESPONSE PROCESS ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE. SO THAT IS AT SIX. I BELIEVE YOU'VE GOT A FLYER AT YOUR DESK. UM, AND, UM, NO COUNCIL MEETING NEXT TUESDAY. IT'S BEEN THE FIRST ONE. WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE IN AWHILE. HASN'T IT? MAYOR YOUR THREW ME OFF. I WAS LIKE, WHAT DID I FORGET, MAN? Y'ALL ARE ALL RIGHT. THEN NEXT THURSDAY, AUGUST THE FIFTH AT SEVEN 30 IS THE NEXT MAYOR'S PRAYER BREAKFAST. THIS WILL BE THE VERY FIRST MARRIAGE PRAYER BREAKFAST THAT WILL BE HELD INSIDE THE REC CENTER SINCE COVID. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND, UH, AND PRAY AND PRAY FOR OUR CITY. AND THAT'S AT SEVEN 30 AT THE ELENI SIMS RECREATION CENTER, UM, AT 6:00 PM THAT SAME EVENING, WE HAVE ANOTHER INSTALLMENT OF OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2017 BOND. AND THIS IS THE CELEBRATION OF THE RECENT IMPROVEMENTS TO KINGSWOOD PARK AND THE KINGSWOOD DIVISION THAT WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 PM. THE PARKS LOCATED IN KINGSWOOD AT 1528, SHARON DRIVE AGAIN, PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN US. THESE HAVE BECOME VERY, VERY POPULAR EVENTS. IT'S BEEN NICE TO BE ABLE TO SEE FOLKS AGAIN, AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PREVIOUS ONES THAT WE'VE HAD, THEY'RE VERY, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AND ALSO THEN TO CELEBRATE THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS ON FRIDAY, AUGUST THE SIXTH. THIS IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT DAY FOR US. UM, CEDAR HILL WILL BE HOSTING THE FIRST OF THE BEST SOUTHWEST TGF LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST SERIES. UH, THESE, UH, THESE BREAKFASTS HAVE [00:05:01] BEEN HELD AT, UH, CHARLTON METHODISTS FOR MANY YEARS NOW. UH, THEY ARE STILL IN THE MIDST OF THEIR COVID RESPONSE. AND SO THE, EACH OF THE BEST APPS, LESS CITIES HAVE AGREED TO TAKE ON, UH, HOSTING ONE. AND OF COURSE THEY WENT TO THE BEST CITY FIRST. SO WE'LL BE THE FIRST OUT OF THE BLOCKS WITH, UH, HOSTING, UH, THE BREAKFAST, WHICH WILL FEATURE OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE CALL SHERMAN AS THE, UH, DO I NEED TO SUBMIT, UM, THE INVOCATION FOR THAT OR PROBABLY YES, SIR. OKAY. SO THEY STILL HAVEN'T BEEN DONE. OKAY. IT'LL BE AT THE ALANY SIMS RECREATION CENTER AT SEVEN 30 AND THEN TUESDAY, AUGUST 10TH IS OUR NEXT REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING HERE IN THE CANDY ROOMS. AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER ITEM TO GO ON THE CALENDAR FOR YOU TONIGHT IS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST THE 11TH AT 9:00 AM. WE WILL BE, UH, WE WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY WITH, UH, THE HILLWOOD FOLKS IS THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ALREADY STARTED DOING SOME DIRT WORK OUT ON THE SIDE OF THEIR, UH, THEIR NEW CAMPUS AND, UH, ARE GETTING BUSY ON CONSTRUCTION. SO WE WILL BE JOINING THEM AT NINE FOR A CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT THERE'LL BE BRINGING TO OUR CITY AND THE PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE, THE, UH, ANY QUESTIONS ON CALENDAR. ALL RIGHT. UH, TONIGHT WE JUST HAVE ONE ITEM ON THE BRIEFING SESSION IS JUST A REFRESHER ON, UH, THE PROPOSED WATER IN WASTEWATER RATES STRUCTURE. WE DO HAVE AN ORDINANCE FOR YOU TONIGHT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED OVER MANY MONTHS AND MANY WORKSHOPS AND IS INTENDED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE ARE, WE HAVE A RATE STRUCTURE THAT PROPERLY SUPPORTS THE WATER SERVICES THAT WE HAVE HERE, THE ABILITY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT AS WE GROW, AND THEN ALSO, UH, THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE SOME SPECIFIC RATES TARGETED TOWARDS CUSTOMERS WHO MAY BE IN NEED OF SO A SENIOR CITIZEN, RIGHT, AND SO FORTH IS INCLUDED IN THAT, UH, RHONDA TREAT WE'LL PROVIDE YOU WITH AN UPDATE AND ALSO JUST A BRIEFING OF WHAT THAT ULTIMATELY ENTAILS. AND AS FAR AS THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT, UH, WE HAVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH MINUTES. UH, WE'D ALSO HAVE THE PRESENTATION OF THE QUARTERLY INVESTMENT REPORT FOR COUNCIL'S CONSIDERATION. UM, ITEM C IS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A DEVELOPER PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT WITH US ICV HIGH POINT 67. THAT IS THE HILLWOOD FOLKS FOR COSTS UPSIZE WATERLINES WITHIN, UH, THE HIGH POINT 67 DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BY TOM JOHNSON AND OUR ENGINEERING TEAM, AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THEM FOR DOING SO. SO THE CITY HAS IN THIS MASTER PLANS, UH, ADDITIONAL LINES THAT NEED TO BE, UH, THAT NEED TO BE LOCATED IN ORDER TO PREPARE, TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THESE AREAS LIKE WHERE HILLWOOD IS GOING THAT CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE WATER AND SEWER LINES. AND SO BEING ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT THEY'RE HAVING TO PUT IN AN EIGHT INCH LINE THAT ALSO FOR US, WE NEED TO PUT IT IN SOMETHING LARGER. WE CAN ACTUALLY GO IN ON THE SAME LINE. IT SAVES THE CITY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND, UH, ALLOWS US ALSO TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE, UH, THE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE BUYING POWER OF A DEVELOPER, LIKE A HILLWOOD VERSUS US HAVING TO DO IT OURSELVES. UH, THE SECOND THING THIS DOES IS IT LOOKS DOWN THE ROAD A LITTLE BIT, AS YOU KNOW, TXDOT IS IN THE PROCESS OF PLANNING ON AN INTERCHANGE THERE AT LAKE RIDGE 67, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING RIGHT AWAY WHEN THAT OCCURS UTILITIES THAT ARE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY. SO THIS ALSO PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO A RELOCATION IN ADVANCE OF THAT, AND ALSO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COST PARTICIPATION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT IN AN ECONOMICAL WAY. SO TOM, THAT WE'LL SAVE ABOUT $250,000 JUST BY BEING ABLE TO GO THIS ROUTE. SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THEY'RE LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD FOR US AND LOOKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE SOME MONEY AND ALSO TO BE ABLE TO ADVANCE OUR SERVICES, UH, TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE SEEING IN THAT AREA. UH, ITEM D IS AUTHORIZATION THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT, UH, WITH THE CHRISTMAS LIGHT COMPANY FOR THE TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY LIGHTING THAT OUR NEIGHBORS IN HIGH POINT AND HIGH POINT THEN PUT OUT EVERY SINGLE YEAR. SO THAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA ON THE REGULAR AGENDA TONIGHT, WE HAVE THREE ITEMS. THE FIRST A, AND THESE ARE, THESE ARE, THESE ARE JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF ITEMS, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY BIG DEALS FOR US. AND, UM, THE FIRST ONE IS A RESOLUTION ADOPTING AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, FOR OUR FORMAL PARTICIPATION AND ENTRY INTO THE REGIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEM THAT THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING. THIS HAS BEEN A PRIORITY OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE FUNDED THE PROJECT. IT REQUIRED TWO THINGS IN ORDER TO GET OFF THE BLOCKS. THE FIRST ONE WAS AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT, [00:10:01] NOT ONLY BETWEEN CEDAR HILL AND DALLAS, BUT ALSO OUR NEIGHBORS IN THE SOUTHWEST REGIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, DESOTO IN DUNCANVILLE, UM, THAT THEY ALSO ENTERED INTO THIS AGREEMENT THAT THEY BOTH HAVE DONE. SO WE WILL DO SO TONIGHT THAT ALLOWS US TO NOW THEN START TO ACQUIRE THE EQUIPMENT AND TO GO THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THE SYSTEM. WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO SWITCH OVER TO THAT SYSTEM SOMETIME LATE NEXT SUMMER. SO AGAIN, IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME, BUT IT'S REALLY A SHORT TIME FOR SUCH A BIG UNDERTAKING LIKE THAT. THIS REVOLUTIONIZES, OUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE, UH, AND FOR OUR FIRST RESPONDERS TO COMMUNICATE NOT ONLY WITHIN THE CITY, BUT ALSO OUTSIDE THE CITY. AND SO WHEN YOU ADD THAT TO THE COLLABORATIVE THINGS THAT WE ALREADY DO WITH OUR NEIGHBORS FOR FIRST RESPONSE, UH, THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICE DELIVERY FOR OUR CITIZENS. AND WE'RE LOOKING VERY FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO JOIN THAT SYSTEM. THAT'S INTENDED TO BE IN PLACE FOR A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME. TARRANT COUNTY ACTUALLY HAS BEEN DOING THIS PROCESS ALSO FOR A LONG TIME. SO WE'VE GOT A GOOD MODEL TO FOLLOW, AND WE'RE ALL SUPER EXCITED TO GET THAT DOWN THE ROAD ITEM C IS, UM, I'M SORRY. ITEM B IS THE ACTUAL AGREEMENT WITH MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, WHICH THEN EXECUTES THE EQUIPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE PURCHASED NOT ONLY FOR OUR POLICE AND OUR FIRE VEHICLES AND OUR PERSONNEL, BUT ALSO THE EQUIPMENT AT SOUTHWEST REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT CENTRALIZES ALL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS FOR US. SO THIS WILL ALLOW THAT EQUIPMENT TO BE ACQUIRED AND THEN INSTALLED IN THE TIMELINE THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED. AND THEN FINALLY, ITEM C IS THE ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE SETTING WATER AND WASTEWATER RATES FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN A PRO A LONG-TERM PROCESS FOR US TO DETERMINE WHAT A GOOD RATE STRUCTURE WOULD BE TO ANTICIPATE BOTH GROWTH NEEDS AND SERVICE NEEDS OF OUR CITIZENS. AND ALSO TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A, UM, A WATER AND SEWER FUND THAT IS, UH, HEALTHY AND ABLE TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF ITS CITIZENS. ANY QUESTIONS ON ITEMS ON THE AGENDA? ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL? ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS TO BE REMOVED FROM, COULD SAY THAT'S FINE. I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT THE, THE RADIO SYSTEM NOW THAT THE REASON WHERE WE'RE UPGRADING IT IS THAT THE SYSTEM WE'VE GOT IS NOT COMPATIBLE, I GUESS, WITH THE, WITH THE REGIONAL SYSTEM THAT'S IN PLACE. CORRECT, BUT IS, IS, SO IS THERE AN UPGRADE PATH ON THIS NEW SYSTEM, UM, FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS WHERE WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE TO FORKLIFT AS AGAIN, OR IS THAT REALLY MORE DRIVEN BY REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS WHERE IF THEY REPLACED HER SYSTEM WHERE EITHER HAVE TO STAY ON THE OLD SYSTEM AND THEN CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH THEM AGAIN, OR WE HAVE TO ALSO UPGRADE, IS THERE, IS THERE A PATHWAY TO UPGRADE IN THE FUTURE OR IT'S INTENDED TO BE CONTINUALLY UPGRADED AS TECHNOLOGY DOES? THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IT DOES FOR US IS TO GET US ON ONE OF THE CHIEFS, CORRECT ME IF I GO WRONG, BUT IT GETS US ON THE COMMON LANGUAGE THAT'S BEEN ADOPTED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO SYSTEMS. OUR CURRENT ONE IS NOT COMPLIANT. THAT'S WHY IT DOESN'T INTERFACE WITH OTHER RADIO SYSTEMS AROUND US. THIS DOES IS IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A CLASSIFICATION OF RADIO SYSTEMS THAT IS ALREADY DESIGNATED AS SORT OF THE LANGUAGE. AND SO WE BECOME, UH, INTEROPERABLE THE SECOND WE GET ONTO THAT SYSTEM. AND THEN, BECAUSE IT HAS THE POWER OF NOT JUST THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT ALL OF THE ATTENDING AGENCIES THAT WILL BELONG TO IT, THEY WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THAT UP. NOT, NOT DISSIMILAR TO THE ARRANGEMENT WE HAVE WITH DALLAS WATER UTILITIES AND TRA SOME OF THOSE TYPES OF, ARE THERE SPECIFIC BENEFITS TO THIS THAT WE EXPECT TO, TO REALIZE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST WONDERING, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, EO NOW, IF, IF THERE IS A CALL IN THE HIGH POINT AREA ON IT, WE HAVE A PORTION OF HIGH POINT THAT CEDAR HILL, THERE'S A PORTION OF IT. THAT'S THAT'S DALLAS, I BELIEVE. AND YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY WAY FOR OUR OFFICERS TO COMMUNICATE BACK AND FORTH WITH THE DALLAS POLICE OFFICERS TODAY? HOW'S THAT HOW'S THAT HANDLED WELL TODAY? THEY PROBABLY HAVE TO INTERFACE. I'M GOING TO NOW I AM GOING TO ASK FOR HELP FROM ONE OF MY KEYS. I'LL TAKE BOTH OF YOU. YOU JUST GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. UH, DANGER QUESTION, UH, COUNCILMAN MCCURDY RIGHT NOW, IF WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANOTHER OUTSIDE AGENCY, OTHER THAN DESOTO OR DUNCANVILLE, WE HAVE TO HAVE DISPATCH CALL THAT AGENCY PLAYED PHONE TAG, INSTEAD OF WHAT THE NEW SYSTEM I CAN TURN MY DIAL, CALL THE LOCAL DALLAS STATION OVER HERE AND SAY, HEY, WE NEED THIS OR DO YOU NEED THIS? SO IT IT'S INSTANTANEOUS. IT'S JUST LIKE ME PICKING UP THE RADIO AND CALLING, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF REYES ON THE RADIO AND THE FIRE CHANNEL. [00:15:01] SO IT'S A HUGE BENEFIT TO US. IT'S A HUGE BENEFIT TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS WELL, TO COMMUNICATE WITH PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY IN NORTH TEXAS, IF NOT EVEN FURTHER YOU'RE YOU'RE RIGHT. AND RIGHT NOW, TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, IF WE RUN MUTUAL AID WITH GRAND PRAIRIE, IF WE DON'T HAVE ONE OF THEIR RADIOS, THAT'S P 25 COMPLIANT, WE CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH THEM OFF OF OUR RADIO SYSTEM. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE DEPENDING ON EITHER HAVING ONE OF THEIR RADIOS, WHEN WE GET ON SCENE OR GIVING THEM ONE OF OURS, WHICH THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO WANT TO TAKE OURS BECAUSE WE'RE BUILT ON AN ISLAND RIGHT NOW. AND THE ONLY ONES THAT WE CAN TALK TO ARE CEDAR HILL DESOTA DUNCANVILLE, LANCASTER. SO, UH, IF WE GRABBED ONE OF THEIR RADIOS IN GRAND PRAIRIE, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'LL BE ABLE TO TALK TO THEM, COMMUNICATING WITH DALLAS UP IN THE HIGH POINT AREA, UH, IT'LL BE A TWIST OF A KNOB AND THAT'LL BE IT. AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO BE ON THE SAME CHANNEL AS, AS EVERYBODY ELSE. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT TO KNOW. I WAS JUST, I WAS THINKING OF A COUPLE OF RECENT INCIDENTS WHERE I HAD HAD READ THAT, THAT THEY HAD HAD SHOOT, YOU KNOW, SHOTS FIRED OR SOMETHING IN THE, IN THE WOODS SECTION OF HIGH POINT, WHICH OF COURSE IS DALLAS. AND, AND THAT OBVIOUSLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO VERY QUICKLY SPILL OVER INTO, TO CEDAR HILL. AND IT WOULD BE NICE THAT, UH, IT WILL BE NICE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A WAY TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH DALLAS FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. IT'LL BE NORTH TEXAS WIDE THAT, UH, EVERYONE THAT'S ON THIS PROGRAM OR BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. AND REALLY, UH, WHEN YOU TALKING ABOUT , IT'LL, IT'LL BE NATIONWIDE. AS LONG AS WE GET THE RIGHT ZONES AND PROGRAM, THE RATE IS THE RIGHT WAY WE COULD COMMUNICATE NATIONWIDE. OH, WHILE I GOT YOU UP HERE, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS THIS CONTRACT IS FOR SEVEN YEARS. SO I GUESS, I GUESS THE SIX YEAR GOING INTO IT, UM, ARE WE LOOKING TO REPLACE EQUIPMENT OR JUST THE SERVICES OR, OR BOTH? I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE RE UH, EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT. IT MIGHT BE A SYSTEM UPGRADE, UH, SO UPGRADE AND MAYBE SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER WISE, BUT NOT EQUIPMENT. THAT EQUIPMENT WE SHOULD BE GOOD OR MANY YEARS TO COME. PERFECT. THAT'S ALL I GOT. THANK YOU, MCCURDY. ANYBODY ELSE? WHAT THEY CAN SEE. THANK YOU. THAT'S MY REPORT MAYOR. OH, OKAY. UM, HOLD ON, RHONDA, LET ME GO BACK TO MY, KIND OF LIKE THIS PAGE. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM [3. Update on water and wastewater rates. ] ON THE AGENDA IS UPDATE ON WATER AND WASTEWATER RATES. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE AGAIN. I'M HERE TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED WATER AND WASTEWATER RATES. SO WE START EVERYTHING WITH COUNCIL'S VISION, MISSION, AND VALUES, UM, PROVIDING WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICE TO OUR CITIZENS AS A KEY COMPONENT OF SERVING THE CITY. AND AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND, UH, WE OPERATE ON THE VALUE, SET FORTH THE PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE BUILD, THE STEWARDSHIP HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS, BEHAVIOR INTEGRITY, AND SERVANT LEADERSHIP. WHEN WE LAST MET AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP, UH, THESE PROPOSED RATES WERE INTRODUCED, BUT THERE ARE FIRST INTRODUCED MAY 18TH AT THE WATER AND WASTEWATER CIP WORKSHOP. SO AT COUNCIL'S DIRECTION, WE HAVE CHANGED THE RATE STRUCTURE TO BE MORE EQUITABLE. WHAT THAT MEANS IS A CUSTOMER WHO HAS A LARGER METER, UH, HAS MORE ABILITY TO USE THE SYSTEM, PAYS A HIGHER BASE RATE. AND SO THESE RATES ARE PROPOSED UNDER THE AMERICAN WATER WORKS ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDATION THAT CONSUMERS PAY RELATIVE TO THEIR DEMANDS, THEIR CAPACITY DEMANDS. SO THE PURPOSE OF OUR GOAL ALSO IS TO INCREASE THE REVENUE FROM THE MINIMUM BASE CHARGES BASED ON THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS TO 38 TO 40%, WE'RE ALSO, UH, GIVEN THE DIRECTIVE TO PROVIDE A DISCOUNT TO OUR MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS, WHICH IS OUR SENIOR CITIZENS. AND SO WE'VE OFFERED A $2 DISCOUNT PER FOR WATER AND $2 FOR WASTEWATER AND ALSO ACHIEVE A 35% WORKING CAPITAL AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND GOAL. SO OUR CURRENT RUDDER AND WASTEWATER RATES ARE ACROSS THE BOARD. THE SAME, IF A CUSTOMER, AS RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL, EVERYBODY PAYS THE SAME MINIMUM RATE. AND SO THE WALMART DOWN THE STREET THAT HAS A TWO INCH WATER METER PAYS THE SAME AS A RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER. AND SO OUR PROPOSED RATES, MOST OF OUR UTILITY COSTS ARE FIXED. AND SO THE PROPOSED RATES ARE BASED ON THE AWW, A RECOMMENDATIONS THAT 40 TO 50% [00:20:01] OF THE BASE CHARGES COME FROM OUR CHARGES COME FROM THE BASE SERVICES. THIS PROVIDES A MORE STABLE FORM OF REVENUE TO COVER THE COST OF SERVICE. SO UNDER THESE AWW, A RECOMMENDATIONS, A ONE INCH METER WOULD GO FROM $9 AND 20 CENTS TO 1380, A ONE AND A HALF WOULD GO FROM $9 AND 20 CENTS TO $26. AND A TWO-INCH WOULD GO FROM NINE 20 TO $40 AND SO FORTH FOR THE SEWER RATES. THE PROPOSED SEWER RATE STRUCTURE WILL NOT CHANGE. THE MINIMUM BASE WILL CONTINUE TO APPLY FOR ALL METER TYPES AND CLASSES. AND OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS WILL CONTINUE TO BILL, UH, VOLUMETRIC CHARGES BASED THEIR SEWER, WINTER AVERAGE. AND SO OUR CITIZENS PAY A MINIMUM CHARGE AND A VOLUME METRIC CHARGE. UM, OUR CONSULTANT NEWGEN STRATEGIES RECOMMENDED THAT THE PROPOSED RATES, WHICH ARE BASED ON THE AWW, A RECOMMENDATIONS WILL MOVE US FROM 17% OF OUR COST OF SERVICE, UH, TO 27% IN 2020 TO 32% IN 2023 AND 38% IN 2024. SO WE HAVE SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS, UM, THAT GOT US TO THIS POINT. UM, ONE WOULD BE THAT WE HAVE A NECESS LATE FEES AND OVER 18 MONTHS, OR WE JUST STARTED THAT PROCESS. ANOTHER AS THE DISCONNECT PROCESS, WE JUST INITIATED THAT RECENTLY, UM, AND GOT THAT EVERY ON A MORE SCHEDULED TIME SINCE MARCH. UM, ALSO DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR CITIZENS AND PARTNERING WITH THEM TO GET THEIR BILLS CAUGHT UP. WE'VE OFFERED A LOT OF PAYMENT PLANS AND WE'VE BEEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL, UH, WITH ASSISTING THE CUSTOMERS. HOWEVER, UH, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO COVER THE MINIMUM CHARGE THAT AWW, A RECOMMENDS AND ALSO OUR CONSULTANT. SO THE PROPOSED RATES ARE BASED ON AWW, A RECOMMENDATIONS, OUR CONSULTANT RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO MAKE THE FEES MORE EQUITABLE. SO A KEY COMPONENT OF YOUR LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTIVE IS TO ASSIST OUR SENIOR CITIZENS. UM, AND WE'RE HONORED TO STEWARD A $2 DISCOUNT ON WATER, $2 FOR WASTEWATER, FOR OUR RESIDENTS THAT ARE OVER 65 AND CONSUME 5,000 GALLONS OR LESS PER MONTH ON AVERAGE. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT SEVEN OUT OF THE 11 SURVEYS CITIES, THEY DO NOT HAVE A SENIOR CITIZEN, RIGHT. THEY DON'T OFFER A DISCOUNT ON, ON ANY LEVEL. AND SO I THINK THAT ATTEST TO YOUR COMMITMENT AND LEADERSHIP AND PROVIDING THAT SERVICE TO OUR CITIZENS. SO THE GREEN, UH, SHOWN ON THIS EXAMPLE IS A RESIDENTIAL ACCOUNT, UH, WITHOUT THE DISCOUNT. AND SO CURRENTLY IT WOULD BE 47, 28. UH, THE EFFECTIVE RATE WOULD MAKE THAT 54 72, AND THEN THE BLUE SHOWS THE FEES FOR A CUSTOMER THAT HAS THE SENIOR DISCOUNT, THEIR BILL, A 47, 28 WOULD INCREASE THE $50 AND 72 CENTS. YES. SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A CUSTOMER THAT HAS A 10,000 GALLON A MONTH USAGE. SO THEIR BILL CURRENTLY WOULD BE $106 AND IT WOULD GO TO 119, UH, WITH THE NEW PROPOSED RATES. AND SO, UM, IN YOUR PACKET TONIGHT ON THE ORDINANCE, PAGE THREE THROUGH FOUR WILL SHOW YOU THE ACTUAL MONTHLY BASE RATE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR 20 22, 23 AND 24. SO THESE RATES WOULD BE REASSESSED EVERY YEAR. AND, UM, THESE PARTICULAR CHARGES ARE GOING TO BE BASED ON THE AWW, A RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, THAT MATCH THE METER SIZE TO THE BASE FEE. AND SO, UM, THIS IS UP FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THIS EVENING. AND ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? UH, YES. UM, QUICK QUESTION. CAN YOU GO TO PAGE 13? 13? I DON'T HAVE A COPY HERE. SORRY. YOU SAID PAGE 13? YES. ON YOUR PRISON. ON THE PRISON, THE PRESENTATION. I WAS LIKE 13. SO, SORRY, LET ME GET BACK HERE. OKAY. NO WORRIES. WHEN YOU WENT PAST THE FOUR, MAYBE IT'S [00:25:02] GO BACK ONE. OH, WELL IT'S ACTUALLY NINE. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE, UM, THE 20, 21, THE CURRENT RATES AND THE PERCENTAGES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WILL BE AFTER? UH, IF, IF THE COUNCIL CHOOSES TO ADOPT THE NEW RATES WORK WITH THOSE PERCENTAGES, DO YOU KNOW? UH, SO THE PERCENTAGES, AS FAR AS THE EXPENSES, OR THERE'S A 20, 21 AT THE TOP, IT SAYS THE CURRENT RATE IN SINGLE FAMILY IS 2217 COMMERCIAL SEVEN MULTI-FAMILY 11, AND, UH, IRRIGATION 2.9. SO WHAT WILL THE PERCENTAGES BE UNDER THE NEW, UH, NEW RATE? DO YOU KNOW? UH, I DO NOT, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY FIND THAT OUT FOR YOU. THAT'S AWESOME. I'M SORRY. I SAW IT. AND THEN THE NEXT PAGE CAME UP WAS 14. AND SO THAT'S WHY I SAID 13. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNCILMAN DANIEL, SORRY. UM, WHAT IS YOUR NAME, RHONDA? UM, I JUST HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS, UH, FOR THE WATER DEPARTMENT TO DO A, SINCE IT'S ALL ELECTRONICALLY DONE AND THE MEETUP PEOPLE DON'T GO OUT ANYMORE, RIGHT. IT'S TO CHECK PEOPLE'S METERS. UM, I'M GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT THEIR METERS AND WE HAD A TRAP THAT DRASTIC ACCIDENT WITH A CITIZEN, WITH THE WATER METER TOP. SO SUGGESTION TO YOU ALL IS, UH, MAYBE DO A WALKTHROUGH IN SOME OF YOUR OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS TO MAKE SURE THESE META TOPS ARE OKAY. THAT PROBABLY HAVEN'T BEEN LOOKED AT FOR MANY YEARS, YOU KNOW, CAUSE THEY HAVEN'T HAD TO TURN ON AND TURN OFF THE WATER THERE. UH, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, WE HAD A DRASTIC ACCIDENT THAT HAPPENED IN ONE OF THE OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS CONCERNING THE WATER METER. AND WHEN THAT HAPPENED, I REMEMBERED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A TOP ONLINE AT ONE TIME AND I NEVER, IT DIDN'T DAWN ON ME, YOU KNOW, THE CAR WAS CITY, BUT UH, AND THEN WE GET A FILL IN THE HOLE TOO. SO I'M JUST REAL CONCERNED BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, SOME OF YOUR OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS, THOSE, UH, METERS TOPS MAYBE NEED TO BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED. YES MA'AM. SO WE DO HAVE, UM, GOALS SET THAT'S PART OF, UM, AN AUDIT THAT WE'RE DOING FOR ONE IS, UM, WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT WE'RE EXCHANGING OUT THE REGISTERS, WHICH IS ADJUSTING OUR MANUAL READS. AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE PROCESS WHEN THEY GO OUT TO THE PROPERTY TO LOOK AT THE REGISTERS, TO CHECK THE MTUS, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE LIDS AS WELL. AND SO THE GOAL IS FOR US TO BE PROACTIVE AND FINDING THOSE CONCERNS AND REPLACING THEM. OKAY, GREAT. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. UH, CAUSE YOU SAID THANK YOU ROD. SO EXPANDING ON THAT QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO THAT, IF THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE HAVING CRACKED OR BROKEN OR MISSING PARTS, IS THAT SOMETHING WE GO OUT AND PUT A NEW ONE ON AS IT AND THE CUSTOMER'S CHARGED? OR IS THAT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE CITY OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? THEY'RE NOT CHARGED. IT'S AN EXPENSE OF THE SECOND PART OF THIS PART OF THE MAINTENANCE. YES. ALL RIGHT. UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE. I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING A CUSTOMIZED CEDAR HILL, UH, TYPE OF PLAN. UH, I REALLY DO THINK COUNCIL DID A GOOD JOB OF VETTING IT. AND THEN OF COURSE YOU AND YOUR TEAM DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF PUTTING IT TOGETHER. SO WE DO APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU YOUR TIME. ALL RIGHT, COUNSEL, I THINK THAT CONCLUDES OUR BRIEFING SESSION. A MOTION TO ADJOURN. IS THAT A MOTION? THAT IS A MOTION. OH, WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? IT'S LIKE A COUNCIL MEMBER GLOVER. NON-DEBATABLE MOTION, EVERYBODY. ALL IN FAVOR. PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. WE ARE ADJOURNED. IT'S 6 29. COUNCIL WILL RECONVENE THE COUNCIL MEETING. * 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.