Nov 09, 2021 City Council Briefing Session

ALL RIGHT,

[00:00:02]

[1. Call the meeting to order.]

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

THIS IS THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING SESSION.

TODAY IS NOVEMBER 9TH, 2021.

UH, I HAVE 6:00 PM AND, UM, WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF COUNCIL PRESENT.

SO WE'LL GO AHEAD

[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]

HOW YOU DOING AND SEE THE MAGIC? WELL MAYOR, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND, UH, HAPPY, UH, NOT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ANYMORE.

I KNOW, BUT THE MORNINGS ARE GOOD EVENINGS.

IT GETS DARK EARLY.

UH, WE'D LIKE TO BEGIN.

WE HAVE A PRETTY FULL AGENDA TODAY, SO I'M GOING TO, UH, MOVE ALONG THROUGH MY REPORT, FAIRLY BRISKLY.

I WANT TO BEGIN WITH JUST A COUNCIL CALENDAR.

REMEMBER WE ARE ONLY, UH, WE'RE DOWN TO ONE REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING A MONTH FOR THE MONTHS OF NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.

SO, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN BETWEEN.

SO GO OVER THE CALENDAR VERY BRIEFLY.

THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM HERE IN THE GOVERNMENT CENTER LOBBY.

UH, WE WILL BE HOSTING OUR VERY FIRST VETERAN'S DAY RESOURCE FAIR.

THAT IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NEW VETERANS AFFAIRS GROUP THAT JUST STARTED THIS, UH, THIS YEAR.

AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH THEM TO BOTH APPRECIATE AND TO CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR THE VETERANS THAT LIVE IN OUR CITY.

AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SERVICES.

WE APPROACH VETERANS DAY, UH, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER THE 13TH, UH, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WILL HAVE THEIR LAST FARMER'S MARKET OF THE SEASON.

UH, IN THE OLD TOWN OLD DOWNTOWN AREA.

IT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL SERIES.

THEY'VE HAD, UM, A GREAT SET OF VENDORS.

IT'S BEEN BUILDING MOMENTUM REALLY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND THE FALL.

AND, UH, I'LL TAKE MY HATS OFF TO THE CHAMBER.

THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB BUILDING THAT PROGRAM AND THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO RESUMING THAT IN, UH, THE LATE SPRING.

AND WE'LL GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS IN 2022.

SO THAT'S FROM NINE TO 1:00 PM ON A SATURDAY, UH, ON, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA OF CEDAR HILL ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, THE SENIORS, UH, WILL BE HAVING THEIR ANNUAL THANKSGIVING LUNCH IN THIS WILL BE HELD AT THE ALANY SIMS RECREATION CENTER, UH, FROM 11 TO ONE AS ALL.

I'M SORRY.

UH, ARE YOU ATTENDING OR ARE YOU SERVING, UH, W WE WILL REACH OUT WITH, UH, UH, INFORMATION ON RSVP? WELL, I KNOW, SO AS ALWAYS, THE COUNCIL IS INVITED TO A ATTEND WITH STAFF AND ASSIST IN THE SERVING OR IN THE PARTICIPATING IN THE MEALS.

WELL, IT'S ALWAYS A FINE DAY AND WE ENJOY CELEBRATING THAT EVENT WITH OUR, WITH OUR SENIORS, WHICH ON MY PAGE SAYS SENIORS ARE 55 PLUS.

SO I GUESS I COULD SIGN UP AN RSVP AS WELL.

UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, I WOULD HAVE SAID THIS, BUT LAST YEAR WE DID THE DRIVE THROUGH, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY, THIS IS IN PERSON, RIGHT? YOU DON'T HAVE TO STOP AT THE CURB.

AND, UH, SO I KNOW THEY'VE MADE ARRANGEMENTS THAT STILL AND STILL HAVE POPULATION WE'LL BE VERY CAREFUL WITH, BUT WE FEEL COMFORTABLE.

WE CAN MANAGE THAT AND STILL SEE EVERYBODY'S SHINING FACES.

UM, ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH AND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED AND OBSERVE.

SO THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.

SO JUST MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT THAT ON YOUR CALENDAR.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2ND AT 7:30 AM IS THE NEXT MAYOR'S PRAYER BREAKFAST.

THAT'S ALWAYS HELD AT THE MEETING ROOMS AREAS OF THE, UH, ALAN SIMS RECREATION CENTER.

AND THEN THAT NIGHT, THURSDAY EVENING FROM SIX TO EIGHT IS OUR NEXT BIG EVENT IN TOWN.

IT WILL BE HOSTING OUR ANNUAL HOLIDAY ON THE HILL EVENT AND ON THE SQUARE IN DOWNTOWN CEDAR HILL.

THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ABLE TO ATTEND A SCALE ON THE SQUARE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, SAW THAT THE COMMUNITY IS BEEN QUITE ANXIOUS TO BE ABLE TO GET BACK OUT FOR FAMILY EVENTS.

AND SO WE EXPECT THIS ONE TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY WELL ATTENDED AS WAS, UH, THE SCARE OF IT.

AND WE'RE CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

UM, ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4TH IS OUR NEXT BIG NEIGHBORHOOD WALK WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND PARTNERS.

IT WILL BE HELD FROM 10:30 AM TO ONE.

UH, THIS ONE WILL HIGHLIGHT THE SHADY BRICK AREA AND, UH, WHERE THE CHIEF HAS ASKED US TO GATHER IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE GALILEAN BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH IS, UH, JUST TO THE NORTH OF, OF JOE WILSON ROAD.

UM, BY THE WAY, THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, LET ME KNOW THAT THEY'VE BEEN POURING A LOT OF CONCRETE OUT THERE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

AND SO THEY MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT POURS EVEN TODAY.

SO THAT PROJECT IS PROGRESSING RAPIDLY AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE, UH, PRETTY MUCH DONE AND THEY'RE PROBABLY DRIVING ON IT BY THE TIME WE HAVE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WALKS.

SO WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO THAT.

UH, REMEMBER FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10TH THROUGH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11TH IS THE CITY COUNCIL'S ANNUAL STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT.

UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEND OUT INFORMATION ON THAT AS WE GO.

THOSE, UH, ALL OF YOU YOU'VE MET WITH OUR FACILITATOR AND ONE-ON-ONE

[00:05:01]

WE APPRECIATE YOUR EXTRA TIME AND YOUR LEADERSHIP IN PROVIDING HIM WITH THAT INFORMATION ON A TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14TH IS OUR NEXT REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

I CAN ALREADY TELL YOU IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY LARGE AGENDA.

WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN KIND OF WORKING THEIR WAY, AND THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF YEAR END THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO GET DONE AS WELL.

SO YOU MIGHT PACK A SACK WATCH FOR THE DECEMBER 14TH MEETING IT, IT WILL BE BUSY.

UH, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE AGENDA? I MEAN, ON THE CALENDAR.

ALL RIGHT, NEXT, I'M GOING TO ASK OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, MARIE WATTS TO COME UP AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BRIEFING ON THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT.

IT'S ON THE AGENDA, BUT IS IT KIND OF A UNIQUE ITEM IN, SO SHE'S BEEN, UM, RIDING HERD OVER THAT ISSUE AND MIKE, TO HER TO GIVE YOU A FEW WORDS ABOUT THAT.

HI, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR MASON AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.

I'M HERE TO SEE ME TO DISCUSS CONSENT ITEM TO, UH, ADOPTION OF OUR BRAND SOLUTION APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TEXAS OAKWOOD ABATEMENT FUND COUNCIL AND CELEBRATE OUR ALLOCATION TERM SHEET AND JULY, 2021, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL PACSUN ANNOUNCED A GLOBAL SETTLEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $26 BILLION HAD BEEN RAISED WITH THREE MAJOR OPIOID DISTRIBUTORS, AND THEN OPEN YOUR MANUFACTURER.

THE STATE OF TEXAS OVERALL ALLOCATION EQUATES ALMOST $1.5 MILLION, DEPENDING ON THE PARTICIPATION OF CITIES, COUNTIES, AND OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, UH, OF THAT THE SETTLEMENT UP ON SHALL BE DIVIDED INTO A 15% GO INTO POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, 15% GO INTO THE OFFICE OF TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AS SERVING AS COUNSEL FOR THE STATE AND 70% GOING TO THE TEXAS OPIOID ABATEMENT FUND THROUGH THE TEXAS OPIOID COUNCIL.

THE CITY OF CEDAR HILLS ANTICIPATED DIRECT PAYMENT TO SUPPORT STRATEGIES TO FIGHT THE OPIOID CRISIS IS BETWEEN $70,000 AND $85,000.

AND SO THAT FINAL AMOUNT WE RECEIVED AND DIRECT PAYMENT WILL DEPEND ON COLLECTIVE ENTITY PARTICIPATION AND SOME FINAL ESTIMATES, BUT THAT BIGGER ISN'T ANTICIPATED TO SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE.

AND THE FIRST OF THESE FUNDS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN 2022 EXAMPLES OF OPO FOR MA MA WHERE MEDIATION USES WILL INCLUDE, UH, INCLUDE MENTAL SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA ASSOCIATED WITH OPIOD RELATED EMERGENCY EVENTS, COMMUNITY DRUG TAKE-BACK DESTRUCTION, AND DISPOSAL PROGRAMS AND TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.

ADDITIONALLY, SUB DEFICIENTS MAY APPLY FOR GRANTS ABATE THE OPIOD EPIDEMIC, AND IN ORDER TO ADOPT THE SETTLEMENT ALLOCATION SCHEDULE, THE CITY MUST SIGN THE SETTLEMENT PARTICIPATION FORMS AND ADOPT THE TEXAS TERM SHEET BY ADOPTING RESOLUTION NUMBER TWO, OUR 21 DASH SIX 40 THAT'S ON TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA.

THE DEADLINE FOR THE CITY TO JOIN THIS SETTLEMENT IS JULY 2ND, 2022.

AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM MARIE, IF NOT? UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY MARIE, THANKS FOR, UH, FOLLOWING UP ON THIS.

UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DID IN BIG AROUND.

OKAY, GREAT.

THANK YOU, MARIE.

UM, NOW AS ORIENTATION TO THE AGENDA, WE HAVE TWO BRIEFINGS FOR YOU TONIGHT AND BRIEFING SESSION.

UM, ONE IS FROM OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM WHO WILL BE GIVING YOU AN UPDATE ON THE LATEST COMMUNICATIONS INITIATIVES AND THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE SO FAR.

UH, DURING THIS YEAR, THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR INITIATIVE AND PRIORITY ON THE PART OF THIS COUNCIL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.

AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO GIVE YOU THAT UPDATE.

UH, THE SECOND ITEM COMES FROM OUR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND BUILDING CODE DEPARTMENT.

UM, THEY ARE, UM, IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING ALL OF OUR MAJOR OR CONSTRUCTION CODES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE PARTICIPATE WITH EVERYBODY ELSE AND INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL BUILDING CODES.

UM, THAT IS A PROCESS THAT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF TO ACTUALLY REVIEW A NEW CODE AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS OF BUILDING APPEALS AND ADVISORY BOARD SERVES THAT FUNCTION, UH, FOR OUR CITY.

SO THEY ARE HERE TO BRIEF YOU ON, UH, THE LATEST UPDATES TO THOSE, UM, TO THE NEW CODES, WHICH WILL BE ON YOUR AGENDA IN DECEMBER FOR CONSIDERATION OF ADOPTION.

UM, MOVING ON TO THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER PRESENTATIONS, INCLUDING A REALLY GOOD ONE.

THIS IS THE PRESENTATION OF THE 2021 PREMIER NEIGHBORHOOD AWARDS.

UH, AS WE ALL KNOW, IN SPITE OF COVID AND EVERYTHING ELSE, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS CONTINUED TO FIND WAYS OF ENGAGING AND THRIVING AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER.

AND SO THIS YEAR WAS PARTICULARLY, UM, IS PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE SOME OF THE BEST.

UH, WHO'VE BEEN OUT THERE CONTINUING TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER.

UH, DURING THESE TIMES WE ALSO HAVE A SUBMITTED, HEY, COUNCIL, WE HAVE ALREADY

[00:10:01]

UH, I KNOW WE DID IT A LOT WHEN, UH, WITH THE PREVIOUS MAYOR, BUT, UH, LET'S ALL COME DOWN FOR THIS ONE FOR THIS COUNCIL AGENDA.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, SIR.

WE HAVE TWO GOOD SAMARITAN AWARDS TO PRESENT TONIGHT.

THE FIRST ONE IS TO ALICE WASHINGTON.

THE SECOND ONE IS TO RAMONA ROSS VACANT.

AND AS YOU REMEMBER, THE GOOD SAMARITAN AWARD IS SUBMITTED BY CITIZENS WHO MAKE, UH, WHO MAKE NOMINATIONS, UH, TO THE CITY HAVE A NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT, INCLUDING A PROCLAMATION DECLARING NOVEMBER 11TH IS VETERAN'S DAY HERE IN CEDAR HILL, AND THEN A PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 17TH IS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS OR GIS DAY HERE IN CEDAR HILL.

UH, YOU'LL ALSO RECEIVE A PRESENTATION FROM PARKS DIRECTOR, SEAN RAY, ON THE PROGRESS AND THE LATEST ON THE 2017 BOND PROPOSITION THAT RELATED TO PARKS AND RECREATION.

YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF MAJOR ITEMS RELATED TO THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.

AND SO HE'LL BE PROVIDING YOU THAT BRIEFING IN ADVANCE OF THOSE AGENDA ITEMS. WE HAVE ONE ITEM UNDER BOND MATTERS TONIGHT AND ASKED TO CONSIDER A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF, FROM, UH, EXPENDITURES THAT WE EXPECT TO PAY OURSELVES BACK WITH A FUTURE DEBT ISSUE.

THESE ARE FOR OUR FIRETRUCK REPLACEMENT AND ALSO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE, UM, SCBA SYSTEM FOR OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.

UH, IT'S A CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL THAT RESOLUTION WILL ALLOW US TO GO AHEAD AND ORDER THOSE ITEMS AS THINGS LIKE FIRETRUCKS ARE TAKING 12 MONTHS OR MORE TO ABLE TO RECEIVE THEM.

ONCE WE PROVIDE, UM, WE PUT THE ORDER IN UNDER CONSENT AGENDA AND WE HAVE MINUTES.

UH, WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING OUR ENTRY INTO THE SEDIMENT ALLOCATION, UH, TERM SHEET AND THE PROGRAM ALSO CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION MODIFYING THE BOARD MAKEUP, THE ANIMAL SHELTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

THE COUNCIL MAY RECALL WHEN WE DID BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS THIS LAST YEAR, WE TALKED ABOUT RESTRUCTURING THAT BOARD A BIT FOR SOME BETTER PARTICIPATION IN SOME MORE CONSISTENCY.

THIS IS THE RESULT OF YOUR REQUEST THAT WE DO THAT.

THAT'S ALSO FOLLOWED WITH A COUPLE OF APPOINTMENTS TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, INCLUDING DR.

CAROLYN BROWN, TAMMY MILLER, AND CHIEF MARK AND STACY COPELAND.

AS OUR REPRESENTATIVES ON THAT BOARD, UH, ITEM, HE IS CONSIDERATION OF AN AGREEMENT WITH SPARK SERVICES TO PROVIDE THE CITY'S, UH, PHONE SYSTEM ITEM F IS, UH, THE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH ORAL X DESIGN FOR UNRELATED IMPROVEMENTS TO RAMSEY PARK IN, UH, IN THE HIGH POINT AREA $466,000 ITEM G IS ALSO TO CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT, UH, WITH WIRELESS DESIGN, FOR BOND RELATED IMPROVEMENTS FOR BEAR CREEK PARK, UH, IN THE BEAR CREEK SUBDIVISION FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $140,000, H IS TO CONSIDER THE PURCHASING OF LANDSCAPE AND IRRIGATION SUPPLIES FROM SITE ONE LANDSCAPE SUPPLY.

THIS IS THE PRIMARY BOOK PURCHASE THAT PARKS WILL MAKE FOR THE SUPPLIES THAT WE USE TO MAINTAIN OUR IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

AND THEN THE FINAL ITEM I IS TO CONSIDER A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH WE FIXED BRAIN'S LLC, UH, FOR THEIR CONTINUED WORK WITH OUR VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT FORMULA GRANT PROGRAM PHASE THREE, WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE FIRST RESPONDERS RESILIENCY PROGRAM, A PROGRAM THAT WE WERE PROUD TO PILOT FOR THE STATE THREE YEARS AGO.

AND NOW WE'RE ACTUALLY ON OUR THIRD YEAR AND THE PROGRAM IS ONLY GETTING STRONGER AND HELPING MORE FOLKS THAT, UH, THAT HELP US, UM, EVERY DAY WITH THEIR, UH, FIRST RESPONDER SERVICES.

SO WE'RE GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT PROGRAM.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS ON THE REGULAR AGENDA TONIGHT, INCLUDING, UH, UH, THE CONSIDERATION OF AGREEMENT ACCEPTING A SOLID WASTE IMPLEMENTATION GRANT THAT WILL ALLOW US TO PURCHASE AN ASPHALT RECYCLER.

IT'S A REALLY COOL PROGRAM THANKS TO DBU AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM FOR THEIR WORK ON THAT.

UH, ALSO CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF A FIRE ENGINE TO REPLACE THE CURRENT ENGINE TWO 14, AND CONSIDERING THE ALTERATION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF THE SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS SCBA SYSTEM.

THIS IS THE BREATHING EQUIPMENT THAT ALL OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS USE, UH, WHEN THEY ARE ADDRESSING A FIRE.

AND THEN FINALLY, A FINAL ITEM OF THE NIGHT IS CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP WHO WILL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO US AS WE PREPARE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONS ASSESSMENT AND PLAN, WHICH WILL GUIDE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THE AGENDA? AND OF COURSE THERE'S NO AGENDA ITEMS SHE'LL BE PULLED FROM CONSENT.

THANK YOU, COUNSEL.

NEXT ITEM ON

[3. Briefing on communications and community engagement initiatives.]

[00:15:01]

GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.

AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU AN UPDATE ON OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES FOR THE YEAR.

UM, WE BEGIN AS WE ALWAYS DO WHAT THE CITY'S VISION AS THE PREMIER CITY THAT RETAINS ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER, WHERE FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES FLOURISH IN A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.

UM, YOU ALL KNOW THESE EIGHT PREMIER STATEMENTS THAT DEFINE A PREMIER FOR US, AND THE OBVIOUS ONE THAT RELATES TO THIS PRESENTATION IS ENGAGED COMMUNITY.

UM, BUT I WANT TO NOTE THAT THAT IS MORE THAN JUST A STATEMENT AND IT REALLY UNDER GUARDS, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.

AND SO TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE DO FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT, BUT IT REALLY REFLECTS THE WORK THAT EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT, EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE DOES, UM, IT'S IN THE WAY THAT THEY DO BUSINESS AND THEN THE WAY THAT THEY DELIVER SERVICES.

SO I WANTED TO BEGIN WITH JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COMMUNICATE.

UM, THESE ARE JUST A FEW LISTED HERE.

YOU ALL KNOW THAT THERE'S MORE, THE COUNCIL ADDED COMMUNICATION DOES A BIG ROCK, I THINK FOUR YEARS AGO IN A COUNCIL RETREAT.

AND SINCE THEN WE REALLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME BUILDING UP THE MACHINE TO COMMUNICATE.

AND SO BUILDING UP EACH ONE OF THESE PLATFORMS WITH FOLLOWERS AND WITH QUALITY CONTENT, UM, SO THAT WE CAN DEPLOY THEM, UH, AS WE SEE FIT.

AND SO THE FIRST ONE LISTED ON HERE AS OUR WEBSITE, CEDAR HILL, TX.COM.

UM, IT'S REALLY OUR MAIN REPOSITORY OF INFORMATION.

THERE'S A TON OF PAGES AND A TON OF INFORMATION, BUT IT'S ALSO WHERE A LOT OF CITIZENS GO TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY.

UM, WE HAVE FOR THIS LAST FISCAL YEAR, 665,000 UNIQUE VISITS TO THE WEBSITE.

UM, AND IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, THAT HAS GROWN ABOUT 20% YEAR OVER YEAR FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

UM, MOST FOLKS ARE GOING TO THE WEBSITE TO TAKE ACTIONS, OUR MOST POPULAR PAGES ON THEIR ONLINE PAYMENTS FOR UTILITY BILLING AND MUNICIPAL COURT.

UM, THEY GO TO THE LIBRARY TO CHECK OUT BOOKS.

THEY GO TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER TO LOOK FOR ANIMALS TO ADOPT.

SO PEOPLE ARE REALLY INTERACTING ON THE WEBSITE AND GETTING THEIR BUSINESS DONE.

THEY ONLY STAY ON THERE FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS ON AVERAGE.

SO WE JUST HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO GET THEIR ATTENTION.

WE GET THEIR BUSINESS DONE AND THEY MOVE ON WITH THEIR DAY.

WE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, REALLY BUILDING UP OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE.

AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER WHEN WE HAVE A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THAT WE PUT IN THE UTILITY BILLS.

THAT'S THE HIGHLIGHTS NEWSLETTER IS ONE OF OUR PRINTED MATERIALS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE A DIVERSE WAY OF, OF REACHING PEOPLE.

NOT EVERYBODY IS ONLINE.

WE HAVE AN ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM THAT'S REALLY ABOUT GETTING FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS AND THAT'S CALLED LET'S TALK CEDAR HILL AND THAT'S THAT LET'S TALK CEDAR HILL.COM AND WE'LL USE THAT TO GET THAT BROAD PUBLIC INPUT FOR OUR BOND PROGRAM AND OTHER PROJECTS LIKE THE COMP PLAN OR A DOWNTOWN STREETS PLAN, WHERE WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE'S INPUT AND HEAR BACK FROM THEM.

UH, WE ALSO DO A NUMBER OF PRINT AND IN-PERSON, UM, INITIATIVES.

WE HAVE, UH, AN EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.

AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR NOTIFY ME SYSTEM, WHICH YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH WHERE PEOPLE GO TO SIGN UP FOR DIFFERENT NEWSLETTERS, UM, OR SERVICES THAT WE OFFER.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIRECT EMAILS LISTS THAT WE USE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

AND THEN THIS YEAR WE RELAUNCHED THE, MY CEDAR HILL MOBILE APP WHERE FOLKS CAN GO AND ACCESS THIS INFORMATION, BUT THEN ALSO MAKE REQUESTS AND TRACK THE PROGRESS OF THOSE REQUESTS.

SO WE EVERY DAY SPEND TIME DEVELOPING THOSE PLATFORMS AND A GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY ALL COME TOGETHER IS IN AN EMERGENCY.

SO, UM, IN FEBRUARY, WHEN THE WINTER STORM HIT, WE USED EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE METHODS TO GET INFORMATION ACROSS, UH, IN WAYS THAT WE WEREN'T ANTICIPATING TO.

SO WE STARTED A FEW DAYS BEFORE WHEN WE KNEW THE WEATHER WAS COMING IN TO GIVE PEOPLE, UM, WARNING.

SO LET THEM KNOW, HEY, TAKE CARE OF YOUR PETS.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SHOULD MAYBE BE PREPARED FOR.

GATHER SUPPLIES, BE PREPARED FOR A BRIEF POWER OUTAGES.

UM, AND THEN AS WE GOT INTO THE EVENT, THINGS EVOLVED AND WE, UM, REALLY ENDED UP HAVING TO DEPLOY A LOT MORE THAN WE ANTICIPATED.

SO WE ENDED UP RUNNING SET UP A 24 7, UM, COMMUNICATION SHOP OUT OF THE EOC.

AND WE WERE SHARING INFORMATION TO PEOPLE OVER THE PHONE ONLINE, UM, SOME IN PERSON, BUT WE WERE ALSO GETTING INFORMATION AND WE REALLY USE SOCIAL MEDIA IN THAT ASPECT AS A SERVICE DELIVERY FOR RESIDENTS.

SO WE WERE COLLECTING POWER OUTAGES AND OTHER NEEDS AND PASSING THEM ON TO FOLKS IN THE EOC.

AND WE HAD THE CITY MANAGER IN HIS OFFICE AT 3:00 AM, PASSING THOSE REQUESTS ON TO ENCORE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LAUNCHED AT THE VERY END OF THE LAST FISCAL YEAR WAS A REBRANDED VERSION OF OUR MOBILE APP.

AND THAT'S MY CEDAR HILL.

YOU CAN FIND IT, UM, IN THE APPLE STORE ON GOOGLE PLAY, BUT YOU CAN ALSO MAKE REQUESTS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AT CEDAR HILL, TX.COM/REQUEST.

UM, AND WE RELAUNCHED THIS IN, UM, RIGHT IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR.

AND SINCE WE HAVE REWATCHED IT AND THAT A CAMPAIGN FOR SUBSCRIBERS AND USAGE OF IT HAS INCREASED 20%.

UM, WE'RE AT,

[00:20:01]

AND MOST OF THOSE ARE FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT ITEMS FOR PUBLIC WORKS OR FOR TRASH REQUESTS, CAR REPAIRS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

UH, I THINK TWO YEARS AGO, UH, THE COUNCIL INVESTED SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL, MORE RESPONSIVENESS TO THESE, UM, REQUESTS, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THAT COME THROUGH THE SYSTEM AND WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF GOOD FEEDBACK FROM RESIDENTS ON THAT.

ONE OF THE KIND OF PILLARS OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR US IS TRANSPARENCY AND BEING THAT TRUSTED SOURCE OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION.

AND SO ALSO IN OCTOBER, UM, 2020, WE WATCHED, UM, OUR ONLINE MEETINGS.

SO YOU ARE LIVE ON THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW.

UM, ALL OF OUR AGENDAS AND MINUTES FOR THE COUNCIL AND ALL OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ARE ONLINE.

UM, THAT'S AT CEDAR HILL TX.COM/AGENDA, OR YOU CAN GET THERE FROM THE FRONT PAGE.

AND WHEN YOU CLICK ON THAT, WATCH MEETINGS, LIVE BUTTON ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE, AND THEN CLICK WATCH LIVE.

THAT'S HOW YOU PULL UP THE MEETING TONIGHT.

SO YOU CAN WATCH YOURSELF LIVE.

ONE OF THE REALLY COOL FEATURES OF IT IS THAT YOU CAN ALSO WATCH ARCHIVE MEETINGS.

SO THEY'RE AVAILABLE ONLINE AFTERWARDS.

UM, AND YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN JUST A SPECIFIC ITEM IF YOU'RE HERE.

UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU'RE AT THE FAMILY OF A NEW POLICE OFFICER.

AND SO YOU WANTED TO SEE THE CHIEF'S INTRODUCTION.

YOU CAN PULL THAT UP.

EACH ITEM IS INDEX TO THE AGENDA.

YOU CAN CLICK ON THAT ITEM AND WATCH JUST THAT ITEM.

SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT TRANSPARENCY TOOL FOR RESIDENTS, UM, WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN SOMETHING SPECIFIC.

THEY DON'T WANT TO GO BACK AND LISTEN OR WATCH THE WHOLE MEETING.

THAT IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT OLD NEWS BECAUSE IT HAPPENED A YEAR AGO, BUT IT'S SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT IN OUR TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO MEETINGS FOR RESIDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SHOW UP IN PERSON.

AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION A LITTLE BIT TO TALK ABOUT ENGAGEMENT.

AND I WANTED TO ASK MICHELLE EBANKS TO COME UP AND PRESENT THIS PART TO YOU.

SHE IS OUR COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, AND SHE'S BEEN IN THAT ROLE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND HAS DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB OF, UM, CREATING COHESION BETWEEN OUR ONLINE AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIENCE IN OUR IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

AND SHE'S GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH THAT.

THANK YOU, ALISON.

GOOD EVENING COUNCIL.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT.

SO YES, WE'VE MADE A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND GROWING OUR DIGITAL REACH, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF CONTINENT.

ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN KEY IN TOTAL.

WE HAVE 25 ACTIVE PLATFORMS MANAGED BY EIGHT DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.

AND OUR THREE MAIN CITY PLATFORMS HAVE BEEN THERE VERIFIED EMBEDDED, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE THE COVETED CHECK, UM, WHICH MEANS WE ARE TRANSPARENT AND WE ARE IN HAVE I'M SORRY, WE'RE PROVIDING GOOD AND ENGAGING CONTENT.

UM, TO OUR AUDIENCE, WE'VE BEEN COMMITTED TO POSTING FIVE TO SEVEN POSTS A WEEK ON THE VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.

AND THEY'VE ALSO BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT POSTING, HOW PEOPLE TALK AND LENDING A SOFTER, MORE RELATABLE TONE TO OUR CONTENT.

AND AS A RESULT, WE'VE INCREASED OUR REACH AND ENGAGEMENT.

SO WHAT PEOPLE SEE IS INTENTIONAL.

CURRENTLY WE HAVE CLOSE TO 9,000 FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOK AND OVER 2000 ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER IS SITTING ROUGHLY AT 3,200.

WE NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO BE A FAN FAVORITE.

WE TRY AND USE DIFFERENT STYLES OF COMMUNICATION.

LAST MONTH, A POST ABOUT SOAR SEWAGE RATES WAS IT WAS TRENDING ON INSTAGRAM.

NOT ONLY WAS IT A FUN VIDEO, BUT IT WAS ALSO VERY INFORMATIVE.

WE ALSO SAW A SPIKE IN ENGAGEMENT DURING COVID AND THE WINTER STORM, LIKE ALISON MENTIONED, WHICH SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF SHARING CURRENT RELEVANT INFORMATION IN REAL TIME.

AND THE LAST 30 DAYS, OUR FACEBOOK PAGE HAS REACHED CLOSE TO 19,000 UNIQUE USERS.

AND WE HAVE HAD OVER 87 INTERACTIONS, WHICH MEANS PEOPLE HAVE EITHER COMMENTED, SHARED, OR LIKED A POST WE'VE ALSO ADDED AWARD-WINNING CONTENT TO OUR RESUME.

AND SEPTEMBER THE CEDAR HAS STRONG ECONOMY PROGRAM WAS RECOGNIZED BY THREE CMA, WHICH IS THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAVVY AWARD AND DIGITAL INTERACTIVE COVID-19 PR CAMPAIGN.

A FEW COMMENTS FROM THE JUDGES INCLUDE THE LOOK WAS FRESH, SIMPLE, AND DID A GREAT JOB FEATURING LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS.

OUR DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER PROGRAM, WHICH WAS LAUNCHED IN 2016 WAS THE PROGRAM CREATED BY COUNCIL TO EXPRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A COMMUNITY, A COMMUNITY THAT CELEBRATES LIFE TOGETHER.

THIS PROGRAM HONORS ITS PAST AND FEEDS THE FUTURE LEADERS OF CEDAR HILL.

OUR 2021 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WAS AWARDED TO MR. GREG PATENT AND UNDER THE GOOD SAMARITAN PROGRAM, A COMMUNITY-BASED RECOGNITION PROGRAM THAT WOULD START IN 2017.

RESIDENTS DOMINATE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS FOR KINES ACTS OF SERVICE.

THIS YEAR ALONE.

WE RECOGNIZED 11 RECIPIENTS TO WHICH WE WILL BE AWARDING TONIGHT.

[00:25:01]

THEIR SURVEY SHARED COMMENTS OF EXTRA TIME WITH CHIEF NEXT YEAR, PARTICIPANTS GRADUATED AND WALKED AWAY WITH INVALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CITY.

IT ITS FEATURE AND A NEW NETWORK OF RESOURCES.

WE HOPE TO KICK OFF CLASS TWO NEXT YEAR AND WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED SEVERAL INCREASED.

OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE AN EXPERIENCE BOTH ONLINE AND IN-PERSON SEVERAL OUR IN PERSON EVENTS ARE ONES WE WEREN'T ABLE TO HOST SINCE 2019.

SO IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE AMPLIFY THE EXPERIENCE.

OF COURSE, THE CEDAR HALLWAY.

WE SAW AN INCREASE IN PARTICIPATION AT ALL EVENTS, ESPECIALLY AT PARTIES IN THE PARKS AND SCARE ON THE SQUARE.

WE'VE ALSO AMPLIFIED OUR VETERANS PROGRAM OVER THE YEARS.

WE'VE ADDED, THANK YOU, BANNERS THAT ARE SEEN AT UPTOWN BOULEVARD AND ON THE CORNER OF CDS.

AND WE PARTNERED WITH OUR LOCAL DAV CHAPTER TO HOST A RESOURCE FAIR IN CLAIMS CLINIC THAT WE WILL BE HOSTING HERE ON THURSDAY BY THEIR STATION TWO 11.

WE'LL BE ALSO PROVIDING MEALS FOR THE VETERAN COMMUNITY AND OUR MUCH ANTICIPATED HOLIDAY ON THE HILL IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2ND.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MICHELLE.

UM, ONE OF THE OTHER INITIATIVES THAT THE COUNCIL, UM, ASKED US TO LOOK AT TWO YEARS AGO, UM, UNDER COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT IS, UM, LOOKING AT SENIOR LIVABILITY.

AND SO YOU'LL RECALL IN EARLY 2020, THE MAYOR APPOINTED A FOCUS GROUP TO STUDY THAT IN THAT FOCUS GROUP MADE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS.

JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK REMINDER OF WHAT THOSE ARE.

UM, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAS DONE AN AWESOME JOB OF TAKING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTING THEM.

THE FIRST ONE BEING ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS REALLY FOCUSED ON HEALTH WELLNESS AND SOCIAL INTERACTION.

UM, THAT WAS TOUGH IN 2020, BUT, UH, NOW THAT THE SENIOR CENTER IS OPEN THERE'S PROGRAMMING YEAR AND PROGRAM THAT EXPANDS OUT OF THE SENIOR CENTER TO THE REC CENTER, UM, TO OUR PARKS AND OTHER FACILITIES, UM, INCLUDING A NEW MEAL PROGRAM, A DAILY MEAL PROGRAM FOR SENIORS.

THAT'S, UM, A REALLY AWESOME ADDITION TO THEIR PROGRAMS. THEY ARE EXPLORING TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS WITH THE FUNDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, GAVE FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR FOR A PILOT PROGRAM.

ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WAS TO BECOME A ONE-STOP RESOURCE HUB FOR ALL THINGS, SENIORS.

AND SO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS CREATED A SINGLE WEBPAGE FOR THAT@CEDARLTX.COM SLASH 55.

UM, AND THAT HAS ALL OF THE CITY'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR SENIORS AND OUR RESOURCE GUIDE IN THE COMMUNITY, ALL IN ONE PLACE.

UM, THE FOCUS GROUP ASKS THAT WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

AND SO, UM, PARKS AND REC IS LEADING A CONVERSATION WITH OUR NONPROFITS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT HOW WE CAN PROVIDE SORT OF, UM, HOLISTIC SERVICES FOR SENIORS IN NEED.

UM, AND WE RECOGNIZE A LOT OF THOSE THAT ARE IN NEED THROUGH OUR, UM, INDIVIDUAL OUTREACH THAT WE DO THROUGH OUR PHONE CALLS EVERY DAY.

UM, THE PORTER MENTIONED IT EARLIER, BUT ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS WAS TO TRANSITION FROM THE TERM SENIOR CITIZENS TO MORE INCLUSIVE TERMINOLOGY.

UM, THAT'S MORE MODERN.

AND SO THE PROGRAM HAS TRANSITIONED TO 55 PLUS AND SENIOR SERVICES.

SO IT'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, UH, ANYONE OVER 55 AS WELCOME.

AND THEN THE LAST ONE WAS TO BEGIN PLANNING FOR A FUTURE FACILITY.

AND SO YOU'LL RECALL WE DID A, UM, WE DID IMPROVEMENTS TO THE CURRENT SENIOR CENTER, UM, WITH THE 2017 BOND PROGRAM AND ENGAGED AN ARCHITECT TO LOOK AT THAT FACILITY AND NEEDS FOR A FUTURE FACILITY.

AND WE PRESENTED THOSE PROBABLY PRELIMINARY NUMBERS TO THE COUNCIL, UM, AT YOUR RETREAT LAST YEAR AND THEN DIRECTION WAS TO, UM, REFER THAT TO THE NEXT BOND COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION.

AND THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY AND LOOKING AHEAD.

SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE OF SOME OF THE CAMPAIGNS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON.

UM, ONE OF THEM IS TRASH, WHICH IS ALWAYS A FUN ONE.

YOU HAVE AT YOUR PLACE, LITTLE POSTCARDS ABOUT OUR NEW TRASH SERVICE REMINDERS AND ALERTS, UM, WHERE YOU CAN SIGN UP TO GET AN EMAIL, A PHONE CALL, A TEXT MESSAGE.

UM, YOU SHOULD NEVER MISS A TRASH OR A RECYCLING OR A BOOK SERVICE DATE AGAIN.

AND THEN, UH, IN JANUARY, WE'RE LAUNCHING THE NEW AT YOUR DOOR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM.

AND SO WE'LL BE, UH, REALLY ENDING THE YEAR AND THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WITH A LOT OF TRASH TALK AND REMINDERS ABOUT THAT SERVICE.

WE ARE LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT A NEW ALERT SYSTEM.

UM, WE HAVE RIGHT NOW KIND OF TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS,

[00:30:01]

UM, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO GO TO A NEW SYSTEM WHERE WE CAN CONSOLIDATE THOSE TWO AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR FOLKS.

SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO PUT ON OUR MATERIALS, TEXT THIS NUMBER TO JOIN, UM, FOR UPDATES, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE JUST ONE MORE ROBUST SERVICE FOR OUR USERS.

THAT LEADS ME TO OUR NEXT ONE, WHICH IS AN UPDATED NEWSLETTER.

UM, WE SPEND A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT PRODUCING THAT MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THAT GOES INTO THE UTILITY BILL.

AND WE WANT TO GET THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK.

SO WE'RE GOING TO REDESIGN THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THEN ALSO HAVE A DIGITAL VERSION THAT FOLKS CAN SUBSCRIBE TO.

IT'LL BE TIED TO THAT ALERT SYSTEM.

SO YOU CAN GET A TEXT OR AN EMAIL THAT THERE'S A NEW NEWSLETTER FOR YOU TO SEE.

AND THAT'S PART OF JUST OUR, UM, INITIATIVE TO TIE THINGS TOGETHER.

SO WE HAVE A PRINT VERSION OF SOMETHING WE WANT A DIGITAL VERSION AND VICE VERSA.

UH, MICHELLE WILL BE LEADING A NEW WELCOME TO CEDAR HILL PROGRAM FOR NEW RESIDENTS, UM, THAT WILL INVOLVE A DIGITAL AND PRINT VERSION WHERE A NEW RESIDENTS, NEW UTILITY USERS GET A POSTCARD WELCOME TO CEDAR HILL WITH A QR CODE WHERE THEY CAN GO TO A NEW WEBPAGE THAT IS SORT OF A RESOURCE GUIDE AND AN INTRODUCTION TO CEDAR HILL.

UM, AND THEN SHE'LL ALSO BE LEADING AN IN-PERSON, UM, TOUR AND MEET UP FOR NEW RESIDENTS SO THEY CAN GET TO KNOW SOME OF THEIR NEIGHBORS.

UH, AND THEN FINALLY, WE'LL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE PUBLIC INPUT EFFORTS FOR THE COMP PLAN, THE UPCOMING PARKS MASTER PLAN AND THE BOND PROGRAM AS WE CONTINUE ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, BUT ALSO GET READY TO CELEBRATE THE GROUNDBREAKINGS FOR SOME OF OUR BIG PROJECTS.

UM, AND THEN THE LAST TWO ITEMS ON HERE ARE SOME THAT THE COUNCIL WILL DISCUSS FURTHER AT YOUR RETREAT IN DECEMBER.

THE FIRST ONE IS LATINO ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH.

AND, UM, THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR AWHILE.

UH, HISPANIC, UM, RESIDENTS ARE ABOUT 25% OF THE CITY, AND THAT'S A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UM, REACH OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS INVOLVED AND ENGAGED IN THAT WE'RE REACHING PEOPLE THE WAY THAT THEY WANT TO BE CONNECTED WITH.

AND WE'LL FLESH THAT OUT MORE, WHAT THAT MEANS AND WHY THE COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES ARE FOR THAT AND YOUR RETREAT, HIM.

AND WE'RE VERY LAST BULLET IS NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT AND, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR THE CITY FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.

AND WE HAVE A REALLY ROBUST NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS AND LEADERS REALLY LED BY OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES STAFF.

UM, BUT THOSE, THOSE GROUPS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT ON PAUSE FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS AS WE ALL HAVE.

AND SO NOW THAT THEY'RE GETTING BACK INTO THEIR ROUTINE AND MEETING, UM, WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO REALLY DOUBLE DOWN ON ENGAGING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS AND, UM, PERHAPS ENDING SORT OF LITTLE TASKS GROUPS OUT TO, TO MEET WITH THEM AND GIVE THEM UPDATES AND HEAR BACK FROM THEM ON WHAT THEIR FEEDBACK IS.

SO SORT OF LIKE A NEIGHBORHOOD WALK, BUT COVERING ALL, UM, ALL NEIGHBORHOODS AND BEING ABLE TO REPORT BACK WHAT THEIR ISSUES ON.

AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE'LL DISCUSS MORE ABOUT THE COUNCIL'S INTEREST AND ENGAGEMENT IN THAT AT THE RETREAT.

AND THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

ALL RIGHT, GREAT.

UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AS ALWAYS.

UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? UH, THANK YOU, ALISON.

UM, SO OUTSTANDING PRESENTATION.

I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU HERE TO, TO REACH OUT TO OUR CITIZENS.

UH, I THINK THE LAST ONE YOU MENTIONED HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF BIG, UH, BIG BANG AND THE REASON WHY THERE'S SO MANY THINGS, SOME PEOPLE HAVE TWITTER AND FACEBOOK AND ALL THAT.

BUT ONE THING WE KNOW IS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS, IF WE CANNOT CONNECT WITH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY, REALLY REACH A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE PULL TOGETHER CONGREGATE.

AND SO I, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE GO WITH THIS LAST PIECE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT.

I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THOSE THOUGHTS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? UM, WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE UPDATE.

WE LOVE THE PRINT OF TRANSPARENCY.

WE LOVE WHAT YOU DO AS FAR AS, UM, YOUR ROLE IN THAT WITHIN OUR CITY, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL STAY CONNECTED, UM, AND LOOK FORWARD TO OUR COUNCIL RETREAT.

YOU HAVE SOMETHING CUSTOMER OR, UM, IT IS THE LIST OF ALL OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH AVENUES.

IS THAT AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE? YES, IT IS ON OUR WEBSITE.

IT'S UNDER COMMUNICATIONS.

IF YOU GO TO DEPARTMENTS COMMUNICATION.

YES, THERE ARE.

AND THERE'S LINKS TO THOSE.

ALSO THE PEOPLE I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT WITH WHEN, WHEN THEY TELL ME THAT WE DON'T COMMUNICATE WITH THE CITY, I'D LIKE, IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT I CAN SEND TO YES.

THAT ACTUALLY THAT IF YOU GET A COMMUNICATIONS IT AS, UM, NOT JUST THE SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THAT IT HAS ARCHIVED ISSUES OF THE HIGHLIGHTS NEWSLETTER AND A LOT OF OTHER RESOURCES THEY CAN GET CONNECTED TO.

OKAY.

[00:35:01]

PERFECT.

THANK YOU, MR. AIN.

THEY CAN BE AND SEE BANKS, UH, NEXT ITEM

[4. Briefing on proposed updates to the City's currently adopted building codes. ]

COULD YOU GIVE YOU MR. MAYOR CITY COUNCIL? IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TONIGHT.

TONIGHT.

WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW SOME OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE 2018 PLUMBING, MCCAIN, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, FUEL GAS, ENERGY BUILDING, RESIDENTIAL ONE AND TWO FAMILY DWELLING CODES AND THE 2017 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE.

AS YOU KNOW, WE START OFF EVERY PRESENTATION WITH OUR VISION, MISSION AND VALUES.

CEDAR HILL IS WE ENVISION CEDAR HILL AS A PREMIER CITY THAT RETAINS THIS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER OR FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES FLOURISH, AND A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT THROUGH OUR VALUES WITH PEOPLE IN RELATIONSHIP STEWARDSHIP, HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS, BEHAVIOR AND INTEGRITY, SERVANT LEADERSHIP.

AND WE DO THIS ALL FOR THE MISSION OF THE CITY.

WE DO THIS TO PROVIDE A CLEAN AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH BUILDING CODES ARE VERY FRONT, UH, FOR HAVING A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.

SO YOU MAY ASK WHY DO WE ADOPT BUILDING CODES TO PROTECT THE STRUCTURES AND THE OCCUPANTS THAT GO INTO THOSE STRUCTURES TO PROTECT PROPERTY VALUES, TO SET MINIMUM SAFE BUILDING STANDARDS, TO MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT ISO RATING, TO PROTECT HOME BUYERS AND TO ENSURE THAT CEDAR HILLS BUILDING CODES MEET THE NATIONAL STANDARDS AND THE STANDARDS OF THE NORTH TEXAS AREA.

WELL, HOW DO WE ADOPT, UH, THE ADOPTION PROCESS WHILE NEW BUILDING CODES COME OUT EVERY THREE YEARS, UH, 2018, THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODES WERE RELEASED IN MARCH.

THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS REVIEWED ALL OF THE CODES AND PUBLISHED RECOMMENDED, RECOMMENDED AMENDMENTS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2018.

THE BUILDING ADVISOR APPEALS BOARD OF THE CITY REVIEWED THE NEW BUILDING CODES AND THE COG RECOMMENDED.

AND THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE THE 2018 I CODES AND THE 2017 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE WITH THE AMENDMENTS.

SO IF WE'LL START OFF WITH THE PLUMBING CODE, SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITHIN THE PLUMBING CODE.

ONE OF THEM WAS THEY CHANGED DEFINITIONS, UH, FOR ACCESSIBLE TO MIRROR.

WHAT WAS IN THE BUILDING CODE FOR CHAPTER 11, WHICH IS OUR ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS, UH, FOR HANDICAP, UH, WHICH ALSO MIRRORS WHAT, UH, TEXAS STATE REQUIRES FOR HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY.

UH, PREVIOUSLY IN THE CODE HAD NEVER TALKED ABOUT A MECHANICAL JOINING SYSTEM, UTILIZING A TOOL AND A JAW.

UM, ALL OF THE JOINING MECHANISMS FOR PIPING SYSTEMS FOR WATER LINES WERE THROUGH A SOLVENT CEMENT OR THROUGH A SOLDER PROCESS.

UH, THIS NOW ALLOWS FOR, UH, SPECIFICATIONS FOR, FOR THOSE JOINING OF PIPES USING A MECHANICAL DEVICE, UH, PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS HAVE BEEN NOW, UH, DEFINED WITHIN THE BUILDING WITHIN THE PLUMBING CODE, UH, TO ADDRESS THE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER IT'S OWNED BY A CORPORATION OR A CITY OR AN INDIVIDUAL APARTMENT COMPLEX, THOSE ARE ALL CONSIDERED PUBLIC WHO PULLS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER A FEE IS, UH, CHARGED OR NOT.

BUT THEN THEY ALSO REDEFINED SOME POOLS WHERE IT WAS LIMITED BY, UH, THE DEPTH OF THE WATER.

THEY HAVE TAKEN OUT THE DEPTH OF THE WATER SPECIFICATION, BUT ADDED A SPECIFICATION THAT IT MUST HAVE A SYSTEM IN IT.

SO A POND IN YOUR BACKYARD THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU LIVE ON A LARGE PARCEL AND YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A POND.

YES, IT IS A SWIMMING APPARATUS.

IT COULD BE USED FOR SUPREME SWIMMING, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY CONSIDERED A POOL UNLESS YOU PUT A RE CIRCULATING SYSTEM ON THAT POOL.

SO, UH, THIS MADE IT, UH, DOESN'T MATTER, THE DEPTH OF THE WATER IT'S, WHETHER THERE'S A CIRCULATING SYSTEM ON THAT, ON THAT WATER SOURCE.

THEY ALSO MADE SOME SPECIFICATIONS FOR CAST IRON SOIL PIPE, WHICH WAS NEVER IN THE CODE TO MEET THE STANDARDS OF THE ASTS AND THE CSP PRODUCT STANDARDS, UH, WHICH REGULATE HOW THE PRODUCT IS MADE AND WHAT THE MAKEUP OF THAT PRODUCT IS.

UH, AND THEY ALSO, UH, LISTED SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR PROTECTING THAT MATERIAL WHEN AND CORROSIVE SOIL IS TO, UH, MAINTAIN THE PRODUCT STABILITY AND, UH, ELIMINATE D D DECORATION OF THAT PRODUCT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT LASTS FULLY IN LIFE.

THEY'VE ALSO MADE SOME, UH, UH, MODIFICATIONS TO THE EXPANSION TANK REQUIREMENT ON WATER HEATERS.

UM, YOU MAY HAVE ONE ON YOUR HOUSE IN YOUR, UH, ON YOUR CURRENT WATER HEATER, WHERE IT'S JUST SUPPORTED BY THE WATER LINE ITSELF.

THEY NOW REQUIRE THAT IT IS SUPPORTED INDIVIDUALLY

[00:40:02]

AND THEY'VE MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS TO, UH, PAN REQUIREMENTS UNDER A WATER HEATER THAT YOU NO LONGER CAN USE A PLASTIC PAN UNDER A FUEL UNDER A GAS-FIRED, UH, WATERS, WATER HEATER, WHERE A PREVIOUS CODES DIDN'T SPECIFY, SPECIFY WHETHER YOU COULD USE THAT OR NOT.

THEY'VE ALSO MADE PROVISIONS FOR THE DRAIN LINE, SO THAT IF YOU REPLACE A WATER HEATER IN YOUR HOUSE, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE A DRAIN LINE, UH, IT NO LONGER IS REQUIRED TO HAVE THAT DRAIN LINE IF IT WAS APPROVED IN THE PREVIOUS CODE CYCLE.

SO ONCE AGAIN, WE, UH, WE STRIVE NOT TO MAKE THINGS RECTAL OR RETROACTIVE.

THE CODE TAKES THAT INTO ACCOUNT AND NOT, UH, TO PREVENT THAT FROM BEING RETROACTIVE.

THEY'VE ALSO BECAUSE OF TIMES CHANGE AND PRODUCTS CHANGE THAT USED TO BE THAT AN EXPENSIVE TANK WAS THE ONLY TYPE OF DEVICE THAT YOU COULD USE FOR THERMAL EXPANSION.

THEY NOW HAVE ADDRESSED AND ALLOWED FOR A THERMAL EXPANSION CONTROL DEVICE, WHICH IT COULD BE SIMILAR TO THE PICTURE OF THAT WATTS, UH, DEVICE IT'S TO THE RIGHT, UM, THAT IT ALLOWS FOR ADDITIONAL MATERIALS AND DEVICES USED, UH, TO KEEP UP WITH THE GROWING, UH, INNOVATIONS THAT COME OUT THE NEXT IS THE MECHANICAL CODE.

UH, THEY A DEFINITION FOR NOW COMMERCIAL APPLIANCES.

SO, UH, IF YOU HAVE A, UH, CHURCH, PREVIOUS CODES REQUIRED THAT CHURCH APPLIANCE TO BE CONSIDERED A COMMERCIAL COOKING APPLIANCE, THEY HAVE NOW DEFINED, UH, COMMERCIAL COOKING APPLIANCES THAT IT MUST BE IN A FOOD SERVICING ESTABLISHMENT, UH, FOR RESALE, UH, WHERE THERE'S LARGE PRODUCTION.

SO IN A CHURCH WHERE YOU HAVE A KITCHEN THAT IS USED NO MORE THAN WHAT YOUR NORMAL DOMESTIC KITCHEN WOULD BE USED, IT'S NO LONGER REQUIRING TO HAVE A COMMERCIAL APPLIANCE IN THERE.

UM, SO THAT MAKES IT VERY IMPORTANT SUCH AS EVEN IN CITY HALL, IF WE HAD A KITCHEN AREA OR IN ONE OF OUR BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE, UM, IT WOULD NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A COMMERCIAL STYLE BECAUSE OF THE USE.

THEY'VE ALSO MADE PROVISIONS FOR PROTECTION OF CLEANING OUT A CLOG AND YOUR CONDENSATE DRAIN.

SO ON YOUR HEATING SYSTEM, THERE'S ALWAYS A CONDENSATE DRAIN THAT, UH, IS INCORPORATED.

THEY NOW REQUIRE THAT YOU HAVE A, UH, FITTING, UH, TO ALLOW FOR THE CLEARING OF THAT CLOG WITHOUT CUTTING THE PIPE, UH, WHICH IS A MUCH EASIER AND COST EFFECTIVE WAY, UH, FOR HAVING THE SYSTEM CLEARED OF A CLOG, UH, TO MAKE YOUR SYSTEM OPERATE PROPERLY.

THEY'VE ALSO ADDRESSED THE DEFORMATION OF YOUR DRYER DUCKS, WHICH COULD CAUSE FIRE IF THERE'S A BUILDUP OF DUCKLING IN THE, IN THE SYSTEM, UM, THAT YOU CAN NO LONGER, UH, CHANGE THE DIAMETER OR MAKE IT IRREGULAR IN SHAPE AND MUST BE MAINTAIN ITS SHAPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

UH, SO THEY'VE MADE PROVISIONS IN THERE AND THEY'VE ALSO MADE PROVISIONS IN THE CODE TO REQUIRE HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SUPPORTED.

UM, AND WHAT INTERVALS FOR LOCKING ACCESS POINTS NOW ON YOUR FREON FREON WAS AT ONE TIME, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A COMMODITY THAT COULD BE USED IN APPROPRIATELY.

UM, THE CODE TOOK THAT INTO CONSIDERATION, AND NOW THE REQUIRE THAT YOU PUT LOCKING DEVICES ON THOSE PORTS, SO THAT, UH, SOMEONE CAN'T JUST GO UP AND PULL THE FREON OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM AND USE IT INAPPROPRIATELY.