* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] GOOD [1. Call the meeting to order.] EVENING EVERYONE. TODAY IS OCTOBER 11TH, 2022. THIS IS THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING OF, UH, OF THE BRIEFING SESSION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL. THIS IS A REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING. THIS IS AN OPEN MEETING. WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF CITY COUNCIL'S PRESENT, AND I WANNA OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. IT IS 6:00 PM AND WE'LL BEGIN [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] WITH THE CITY MANAGERS REPORT. HOW YOU DOING THERE, MR. CITY MANAGER? I'M DOING WELL, MAYOR. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY TONIGHT AFTER A VERY BUSY WEEK, UH, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND ALSO AT THE TEXAS MUNICIPALLY CONFERENCE. SO, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION, UM, TO OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, CHIEF REES FOR A WONDERFUL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT. UH, AS WE'VE CONTINUED TO SEE REALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE COMMUNITY IS VERY ANXIOUS TO BE OUT ENGAGING WITH ONE ANOTHER. UM, I KNOW THAT ALL OF THE STOPS THAT I MADE WERE, UH, WERE VERY WELL ATTENDED, AND FOLKS WERE DOING A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, SORT OF REENGAGING WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS. IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENT. UH, APPRECIATE THE COUNCIL FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK AND ENGAGEMENT ON THAT EVENING, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR, FOR PUTTING IT TOGETHER. AND THEN THE, THE LARGE NUMBERS OF STAFF, UH, AND VOLUNTEERS THAT ALSO PARTICIPATED ON THAT EVENING. SO WE WENT STRAIGHT FROM THAT TO, UH, TO TML AND THEN GETTING READY FOR, UH, COUNTRY DAY. UH, SO ALSO WENT TO EXPRESS MY, UH, GRATITUDE TO YOU AND YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THAT EVENT AS WELL AS TO JESSICA HAHN AND THE WHOLE COUNTRY DAY COMMITTEE FOR PULLING OFF REALLY ONE OF THE BEST COUNTRY DAYS WE'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME. NOW, IT'S TRUE. SO BEEN THE FIRST COUNTRY DAY WE'VE HAD IN TWO YEARS, BUT THIS ONE HAD A LITTLE EXTRA EMPHASIS ON IT THAT I THINK WAS, UH, VERY APPARENT, REALLY FROM THE, FROM THE OPENING CEREMONIES. IT WAS REALLY, REALLY WELL ATTENDED. UH, THE VENDORS THAT WERE THERE NOT ONLY DID WELL, BUT WERE VERY HAPPY TO BE THERE. AND, UH, THE PUBLIC THAT ATTENDED, UH, HAD CLEARLY MISSED THE EVENT. SO, I WANNA EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION, UH, NOT JUST TO THE COMMITTEE AND THE VOLUNTEERS, BUT TO, UH, SEAN RAY AND OUR PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM THAT DO AMAZING WORK DURING THAT WEEK, AND ESPECIALLY OVER THAT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, PUTTING THE THINGS TOGETHER, MAKING SURE THAT, UM, IT'S TAKEN CARE OF WHILE THE EVENT'S GOING ON, AND THEN MAGICALLY MAKING IT DISAPPEAR BY, UH, SUNDAY NIGHT AS IF IT, IT HADN'T BEEN THERE. I HAD SOMEBODY COMMENT TO ME. IT'S LIKE THE OLDEN DAYS WHEN THE CARNIVAL USED TO ROLL IN TOWN AND THEY'D WAKE UP AS A KID AND IT WAS JUST THERE, AND THEY'D GO AND HAVE FUN AND THEY'D WAKE UP THE NEXT DAY AND THE THING WOULD BE GONE AS IF IT NEVER ATTENDED. THIS IS THE KIND OF WORK THAT TAKES PLACE. UH, BUT ALSO THERE WAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON OTHER RETURN TO DOWNTOWN, AND I THINK YOU SAW THAT IN SOME OF THOSE, THE, THE DETAILS THAT YOU HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. UH, MICHELLE EBAS, ALLISON RING, UH, OUR TOURISM GROUP, THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF EFFORT REALLY SPENT ON SPECIAL AMENITIES. YOU'VE SEEN THE NEW LIGHTED CEDAR HILL LETTERS DOWN THERE, THE, THE MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE THERE. UH, TOM JOHNSON, OUR POET, WORST CREWS, AND THE CONTRACTOR ON PHASE ONE, UH, DID NOVEL WORKS, TURNING THAT IN FROM AN ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION SITE TO A NEARLY COMPLETED PROJECT READY FOR A SPECIAL EVENT, AND ALL THAT STUFF REALLY CARRIED OUT WITHOUT A HITCH. AND THEN REALLY, ALSO, THE ENTIRE STAFF TEAM WHO MANN BOOTHS VOLUNTEERED, DEFINITELY CONTINUED TO ENGAGE IN THE COMMUNITY, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES, PUBLIC WORKS AGAIN, UH, TOURISM LIBRARY, UH, THE, THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE GROUP JUST, UH, JUST SHINE DURING THE EVENT. SO IT WAS A LONG DAY, BUT A VERY SUCCESSFUL ONE. AND WE KIND OF ENTER THIS WEEK TIRED, BUT VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, OUR FUTURE. UH, WHEN I GO TO THE CALENDAR, I WANT YOU TO TAKE KIND OF A DEEP BREATH. I TOLD YOU OCTOBER WAS BUSY, SO WE'RE KIND OF HITTING SORT OF THE HALFWAY MARK OF WHAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A VERY BUSY FEW WEEKS. UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN WITH JUST A REMINDER, UH, THAT TOMORROW OCTOBER 13TH IS THE NEXT CLASS OF THE, OF CLASS TWO OF THE CITIZENS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD GROUP. THEY'VE WORKED REALLY HARD, UM, AND, UH, I'M VERY EXCITED TO THAT WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO THEIR GRADUATION, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE IN NOVEMBER. I THINK THEY'VE LEARNED A LOT, AND I THINK WE'VE CREATED AND HELPED SORT OF BLOOM SOME FUTURE LEADERS IN THAT GROUP. UH, NEXT WEEK ON, UH, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20TH IS ALSO A BIG DAY FOR US. UH, WE WILL BE HOSTING A, UH, CELEBRATION HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON ON HER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE REPRESENTING CEDAR [00:05:01] HILL AND, UH, THIS CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. IT WILL BE FROM FOUR TO SIX HERE IN THE LOBBY OF THE GOVERNMENT CENTER. WE'LL HAVE A SMALL CEREMONY IN THE KENNEDY ROOM, UH, DURING THAT EVENT. AND WE, UH, ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR ATTENDANCE AND FOR HER PRESENCE HERE, AS SHE HAS LEFT HER MARK, UH, ON THIS COMMUNITY FOR, UH, MANY DECADES TO COME. UH, THAT IS FOLLOWED BY NEXT SATURDAY, OCTOBER THE 22ND. WE'RE HAVING, UH, OUR CLEAN, OUR CLEAN CEDAR HILL CITY WIDE CLEANUP. SO THIS HAS BEEN AN EFFORT THAT, UH, YOUR BEST BOARD'S BEEN WORKING ON, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN HEARING IT AT HOA MEETINGS, UM, AND AT OTHER COMMUNITY GATHERINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF THE CITY, THEY'RE PROUD OF, ITS NATURAL BEAUTY AND THE WAY THAT, UH, WE GET TO LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS PRETTY STUFF, BUT NOT SO PROUD OF HOW THE, THE TRASH HAS BEEN. AND SO THIS IS, IS AN EFFORT TO TRY TO TAKE SOME OF THAT PASSION, AGAIN, ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, AND, UM, MAKE, UH, A REAL EFFORT THERE TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STEWARDING, UH, THESE VERY SPECIAL PLACES IN THE WAY THAT WE SHOULD. I AM TOLD THAT WE ALREADY HAVE 16 TEAMS SIGNED UP. THAT'S A LITTLE, IT'S AROUND A HUNDRED PEOPLE JUST ON THAT. WE HOPEFULLY EXPECT TO GET EVEN MORE. SO IT OUGHT TO BE A REALLY GOOD EVENT. AND IF YOU'VE GOT AN INTEREST IN IT, WE CAN GET YOU THE INFORMATION ON HOW YOU CAN SIGN UP A GROUP OR SIGN UP AS YOURSELF. AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE ALL OF THE MATERIALS THAT YOU NEED, THE TRASH BAGS AND SO FORTH TO MAKE IT BOTH EASY AND FUN TO, UH, BOTH ENGAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND ALSO, UH, KEEP CEDAR HILL BEAUTIFUL AND MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE. SO ON. UM, YES, SIR. GONNA BE CONTINUED ON SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD, RIGHT? SO ACTUALLY, IT CAN BE EITHER WAY. IF YOU NEED A PLACE. UH, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP HAS A LIST OF PLACES THAT YOU CAN GO. OKAY. BUT A TEAM, IF A TEAM HAS A PARTICULAR PART OF THE CITY THAT THEY'RE ESPECIALLY FOND OF, THEN YOU'RE ALLOWED TO, TO GO AHEAD AND SIGN UP FOR THE, THE PLACE OF YOUR CHOICE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY TO THAT. THAT'S SOMETHING I ACTUALLY REALLY, REALLY ENJOY. ALL RIGHT, THAT SAME EVENING ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22ND, OUR PARTNERS AT THE CH I S D EDUCATION FOUNDATION WILL BE HOSTING THEIR PURSES WITH A PURPOSE EVENT AT THE L SIMS RECREATION CENTER ON PARKVILLE ROAD. UH, THIS IS A FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR THE C L EDUCATION FOUNDATION. I THINK IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL LAST YEAR. I THINK THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ANOTHER BIG YEAR THIS YEAR. UH, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A TABLE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING. AND WE DON'T KNOW THAT, PLEASE GIVE US A CALL AND WE WILL MAKE ARRANGEMENTS, UH, TO GIVE YOU THOSE DETAILS. NEXT, REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS TUESDAY, OCTOBER THE 25TH, AND THEN THE LAST, UH, CITIZENS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY WILL BE THURSDAY, OCTOBER THE 27TH. THAT'S RIGHT BEFORE, UH, THEIR GRADUATION, UH, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE EIGHTH. ALL RIGHT, TURNING TO THE NEXT BIG SPECIAL EVENT FOR CEDAR HILL SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29TH IS SCARE ON THE SQUARE, SO WE'LL GET TO RETURN DOWNTOWN. PROBABLY GET TO SEE THE FINAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PHASE ONE. SO STREET LIGHTS AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS SHOULD BE UP BY THEN. AND THEN, UH, THIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A SIGNIFICANT EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, GOING DOWNTOWN. SO, UM, WELL, THERE WILL BE A NUMBER OF BOOTHS. IF YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN SERVING ON ANY OF THEM THAT THE CITY'S DOING, JUST LET US KNOW. OTHERWISE, JUST COME OUT AND ENJOY THE DAY. IT'S, UH, IT, IT'S A GRAND EVENING WITH A LOT OF FAMILIES FINDING THEIR WAY DOWN THERE. YES, THERE'S CANDY. SO IF YOU'RE A DENTIST, IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST NIGHT OF YOUR LIFE, CUZ YOU GET TO THEN TAKE CARE OF ALL THOSE FAMILIES AFTERWARDS. BUT IT'S A, IT'S A NICE EVENT. UH, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH WILL ALSO BE, UH, A NICE EVENT FOR US. UH, ON THAT EVENING, BETWEEN FOUR AND 6:00 PM WE'LL BE HOSTING A DOWNTOWN CELEBRATION. SO THIS IS KIND OF A THREE PART CELEBRATION. ONE WE'RE GOING TO FORMALLY, UH, DO THE RIBBON CUTTING ON YOUR COMPLETE STREETS. PHASE ONE PROJECT, UH, TWO, JIM AND AMANDA LAKE WILL BE HOSTING KIND OF AN OPEN HOUSE AND A GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE KICKOFF OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT THERE AT THE PHILLIPS PROPERTIES. AND THEN WE'LL END WITH A RECEPTION AT THE 1846 COFFEE HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA AS A WAY OF REALLY, UH, NOTING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE, THE DOWNTOWN AND WHAT PHASE ONE WILL DO WHEN IT, WHEN WE, WHEN WE GET TO PHASE TWO AND HOW DOWNTOWN'S STARTING TO LOOK. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT EVENT. WE'LL CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU MORE DETAILS AS WE GET CLOSER. ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT DAY, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, THE, THE LAKE RIDGE, UH, CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT IS BEING HELD BETWEEN 7:00 AM AND 1:00 PM AT TANGLE RIDGE GOLF COURSE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PLAYING AND OR VOLUNTEERING [00:10:01] FOR THAT EVENT, I SEE COUNCILMAN MCCARTY, AS I'M SURE HE KNOWS SOMEBODY THAT CAN GIVE YOU INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UM, ALSO ON THAT SAME DAY WILL BE OUR NEXT, UH, NEW CITIZEN. WELCOME TO CEDAR HILL BUS TOUR. AGAIN, THAT'S A NEW INITIATIVE THAT STARTED THIS YEAR OUT OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS GROUP. IT'S BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED. I LOVE GOING AND HEARING, UH, THE STORIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE, UH, FINDING CEDAR HILL AS THEIR NEW HOME. UH, THAT'LL BE HELD FROM 9:00 AM TO 11:00 AM AND THEY, AGAIN, MEET HERE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER FOR A SMALL PRESENTATION, AND THEN THEY GET TO GO ON A BUS TO GET, UH, A GOOD VIEW OF THEIR ADOPTED NEW HOME. UH, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH IS THE FORMAL, UH, GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR CLASS TWO OF THE CITIZENS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. BE HELD BETWEEN SIX AND 8:30 PM IN THE MULTIPURPOSE COURTROOM HERE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER. YES, SIR. THAT'S THE LAST NOVEMBER THE EIGHTH. YES. PROBABLY, WELL, ONE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE. UM, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, POLLING PLACES HERE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER. WELL, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. UH, WE'LL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, CONTACT THE FOLKS AND MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT, THAT THEY HAVE VOTED EARLIER OR EARLIER IN THE DAY. AND IF NOT, THEN WE WILL LOOK AT OUR RESCHEDULE. YES, SIR. UM, LET'S SEE. NOVEMBER 8TH IS THE FIRST REGULARLY SCHEDULED COUNCIL MEETING IN NOVEMBER, AND THEN NO, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH IS ALSO A BIG EVENT FOR US. WE'LL BE, UH, HOSTING THE FORMAL RIBBON CUTTING ON THE BALCONES, UH, TRAIL ON 1382, AND THEN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH, UH, THROUGH SATURDAY, UH, NOVEMBER THE 19TH WILL BE OUR, THE CITY COUNCIL'S ANNUAL STRATEGIC, UM, PLANNING WORKSHOP. AND THEN CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXTENSIVE CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? ALL RIGHT, IF NOT, UH, WE'LL QUICKLY GO TO THE ORIENTATION TO THE AGENDA. WE HAVE, UH, TWO PRESENTATIONS AND BRIEFING SESSION TONIGHT. ONE IS A RECAP ON, UH, YOUR INITIATIVE SURROUNDING, UH, OUR VERY FIRST LATIN FEST FESTIVAL DOWN AT VALLEY RIDGE PARK. THAT'LL BE LED BY RUSSELL REED, UM, AND ELLE HERNANDEZ. AND THEN ALSO YOU'LL RECEIVE A PRESENTATION BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT ROBERT RIGGS REGARDING THE UPCOMING C H I SST BOND ELECTION AND VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATIFICATION ELECTION. THAT'S A MOUTHFUL. UH, YOUR RELATIVELY BRIEF COUNCIL AGENDA. REGULAR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT HAS THREE PROCLAMATIONS, INCLUDING, UH, THE DESIGNATION OF OCTOBER 9TH IS FIRE PREVENTION WEEK. UH, THE DESIGNATION OF OCTOBER IS CODE ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION MONTH. AND, UH, ALSO A SPECIAL PRESENTATION OF ASSISTANCE LIFE SAVING AWARD, UH, TO JACKSON STROUD AND TIM LYONS WILL BE, WHICH WILL BE PRESENTED BY OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, WILL BE A VERY SPECIAL PRESENTATION HERE. UH, WE HAVE CITIZENS FORUM AND THEN A CONSENT AGENDA AND NO REGULAR AGENDA. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS YOU GUYS MIGHT HAVE ON THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA, AND IN THE ABSENCE OF THAT. THAT IS MY REPORT. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, UH, ABOUT THE AGENDA? ANY ITEMS ON THE CONSENT TO BE PULLED? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. SEAT THE MANAGER. NEXT [3. Latinfest Recap.] ITEM ON THE REPORT IS LATIN FEST RECAP, LED BY MICHELLE HERNANDEZ AND RUSS REED. IT IS ALL MICHELLE'S SHOW. HE JUST ACCIDENTALLY REMIND ME. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. CITY COUNCIL. JUST WANTED TO, I WANT TO FIRST, UM, THANK YOU GUYS. I, UH, WANT TO, UM, LET YOU KNOW WE HAD A GREAT EVENT AND I REALLY APPRECIATED OF THOSE THAT SHOWED UP, UM, TO, FOR THE SUPPORT OF LATIN FEST. IT WAS A VERY EXCITING LONG DAY AND, UM, I BELIEVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL ONE WITH THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. SO I WANTED TO DO KIND OF A FINAL KIND OF RECAP OF EVERYTHING TO KIND OF LET YOU KNOW HOW THE EVENT WENT. I INITIALLY WANNA START BY THINKING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE AMAZING SUPPORT WE'VE HAD FOR IT THAT HELPED TO BRING A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE TO LIFE BEING THE LATIN ENGAGEMENT IN THE CITY. AND I BELIEVE WE REALLY DID THAT, UM, MORE, MORE TIMES THAN THAT, UM, IN, UH, IN THE SUCCESS OF THE EVENT. WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF THE COUNCIL PRIORITIZING THE EVENT IN THE FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET AND HELPING US TO INITIALLY FUND IT AS WELL. AND I WOULD BMS IF I DID NOT THINK ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT CAME INTO PLAY TO HELP MAKE THIS EVENT AS SUCCESS, AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT WAS BECAUSE IT TOOK MANY PEOPLE TO DO IT. [00:15:01] AND I WAS VERY HUMBLED BY THE SUPPORT AND EVERY, AND EVERYBODY THAT PLAYED THEIR PART IN MAKING THIS, UM, EVENT AS SPECIAL AS IT WAS. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS KIND OF GO THROUGH, UH, SOME INFORMATION AND SOME FEEDBACK AND SOME STATS THAT WE GOT FROM THE EVENT. SO FIRST, OF COURSE, OUR VISION, MISSION, AND VALUES OF THE CITY, THAT I BELIEVE THAT WE REALLY TRY TO SHOW THE PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS AND THE STEWARDSHIP AND THE HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS OF THE CITY SHOWS, UH, THROUGH THIS EVENT AND THE SERVANT LEADERSHIP. I BELIEVE THAT EVERYBODY THAT PLAYED A PART IN THIS EVENT REALLY DID, UH, DO AS A LEADER OF THE CITY IN REPRESENTING US IN OUR PURSUING PREMIER. I BELIEVE THAT WE PRETTY MUCH TOUCHED EVERYTHING, UM, IN ENGAGING ALL PARTS AS EVEN THE ISS D THAT THEIR BOARD OF TRUSTEES WERE INVOLVED WITH THE EVENT. SO THIS WAS REALLY, TRULY SOMETHING THAT REALLY ENCOMPASSED EVERYTHING ABOUT CEDAR HILL. AND I WANT TO SPEND, UH, SPEND SOME TIME TO REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE SPONSORS AND THE BUSINESS PARTNERS OUR SPONSORS, CEDAR HILL, EDC, DELTA STEEL, MARINO LAKE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, DALLAS AERONAUTICAL SERVICES, RESOURCE ONE, CRATE UNION, MJB WOOD, AND CENTRAL STATES. THEY ALL DON THEY ALL SPONSORED BETWEEN 2,500 TO $5,000, UH, THROUGH EACH OF THESE SPONSORSHIPS AS WELL AS OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS, ALEX OMEGA, DESIGN AND BUILD CREDIT UNION OF TEXAS, FRIDA TACOS, FROST BANK, RUS FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS, AND TRAIN CASA, WHO ARE ALSO SPONSORS THAT DID 1500, UM, FOR A BOOTH AND EXTRA MARKETING FOR THEIR BUSINESSES. AND THESE ARE ALL SMALL BUSINESSES AND LOCAL REGIONAL BUSINESSES THAT WANTED TO BE A PART OF THE FIRST LATIN FEST. AND WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU INITIALLY ARE SOME TESTIMONIALS THAT WE GOT FROM THE EVENT. AND I DO, OUR FIRST TESTIMONIAL IS FROM SHOWTIME LEMONADES, AND HE DOES INDICATE HE SOLD A THOUSAND. AND THOSE WERE IN THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF LATIN FEST SOLID. GO THROUGH THIS VIDEO. HEY EVERYBODY, I'M TELLING YOU, I WISH I WAS OUT HERE TODAY FOR THE LATIN FEST. WE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME. WE DID OVER A THOUSAND LEMONADE. AND LET ME TELL YOU, THE CITY OF CEDAR HILL, THEY PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER, GREAT. EVERYTHING WAS ORGANIZED. WE CAN'T WAIT THE NEXT YEAR. I WISH IT WAS TOMORROW. THIS IS FRED SMITH WITH SHOWTIME LEMONADE AT THE LATIN F HEY MAN, Y'ALL MISSED IT. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT YEAR THERE. I'M YOLANDA WOODFORD. I AM WITH RESOURCE ONE CREDIT UNION. I AM LIVING FOR LATIN FIST. WE WILL BE HERE EVERY YEAR. THE CROWD IS GREAT. THERE ARE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. IT'S THE SEAMLESS PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THEMSELVES. AND ASHLEY AND MICHELLE HAVE MADE THIS SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT. YOU ALL HAVE RESOURCE ONE CREDIT UNION EVERY YEAR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LATIN FEST. THOSE ARE JUST A FEW TESTIMONIALS THAT WE GOT TO, UM, KIND OF LET PEOPLE KNOW HOW, WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK WE GOT. THESE ARE SOME EVENT STATS THAT WE HAVE. UH, FROM THE EVENT, WE HAD ATTENDANCE OF OVER 5,000 PEOPLE. WE HAD A GREAT RESPONSE FROM THE COUNTRY BOARDS DISPLAYED IN THE VENDOR EXPO. WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME VENDORS THAT WERE FIGHTING OVER THE COUNTRIES THAT WOULD BE IN FRONT OF THEIR BOOTH. UM, WE HAD THE PASSPORTS THAT WERE ENJOYED BY THE VENDORS. UH, THEY GOT GREAT FEEDBACK AS FAR AS EXPOSURE CUZ PEOPLE WOULD TRY AND GO TO AS MANY BOOTHS AS I COULD, WHICH HELPED TO GET PEOPLE TO GO TO ALL OF THE VENDORS. UH, ABOUT 10 DOGS FROM THE TRI-CITY ANIMAL SHELTER WERE ACTUALLY ADOPTED AT THE EVENT, UH, THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE HOT SAUCE CONTEST WINNER. SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO SELL HER WINNING SALSA THROUGH FACEBOOK. AND ON THE NEXT DAY AFTER LATIN FEST, SHE DID SELL 150 JARS OF HER HOT SAUCE. UH, THE FACEBOOK EVENT HAD OVER 2,500 RESPONSES TO THE EVENT. THE VENDORS, UH, SOLD OVER 10,000 TRANSACTIONS AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT WITH ALL OF THEM SELLING OUT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE FOOD ITEMS. THESE WERE ALL THE FOOD VENDORS, UM, THAT DID, UH, WE DID ASK THEM FOR FEEDBACK OF HOW MANY TRANSACTIONS THEY DID, AND EVERY FOOD VENDOR SOLD OUT OF ALL OF THEIR FOOD. AND OUR SPONSOR, DELTA STEEL, REPORTED SEVEN JOB APPLICATIONS IN PERSON TWO ONLINE. THEY GIVE AN ADDITIONAL 50 APPLICATIONS TO ATTENDEES FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. AND THEY'VE BEEN SENDING UP SECONDARY INTERVIEWS AND FOLLOWING UP ON ALL LEADS. AND THAT'S JUST FROM THEIR BOOTH AT LATIN FEST. AND NOW I'D LIKE TO DO KIND OF A RECAP TO KIND OF SHOW THE DAY OF THE EVENT AND KIND OF THE EXCITEMENT THERE WAS, MOMMY. [00:21:05] AND BEFORE I GO TO THE LAST SLIDE FOR QUESTIONS I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, WE DO HAVE ONE OF OUR HOT SAUCE CONTEST WINNERS HERE, MS. ANNETTE ALVARADO, WHO WON OUR JUDGES' CHOICE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT HER AWARD FOR BEING A HOT SAUCE CONTEST. AND SHE ACTUALLY DID BRING HER HOT SAUCE FOR EACH OF YOU TO ENJOY. SO YOU, YOU EACH ARE GETTING A BOTTLE OF HER. SO SHE'S PROVIDING A, YOUR OWN JAR OF HOT SAUCE FOR YOU TO ENJOY. IS IT HOT? IS IT THEY'RE ASKING IF IT'S REALLY HOT, SPICY. YES. IT'S SPICY HOT. YES, IT'S FRESH. FRESH. AND OUR OUR PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER, WHICH COULD NOT MAKE IT TONIGHT, IS KAYLA KINTU, WHO'S BEEN DOING A LOT OF, UM, GETTING GREAT SUCCESS FROM THE EVENT FOR HER HOT SAUCE AS WELL. SO THEY ARE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS FOR THE NEXT LATIN FEST. WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF DEBRIEFING INTERNALLY WITH OUR TEAM, WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS, WITH ADMIN. AND SO WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE, HOW WE COULD, UM, LEARN FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THE EVENT AND BE ABLE TO SEE HOW IT COULD BE, UM, MARKETED AND HOW WE COULD MAKE THE EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT, UH, EVEN MORE ENGAGING AND CONTINUE ON THE SUCCESS OF LATIN FEST AND MAKE IT A PREMIER EVENT FOR CEDAR HILL. SO AT THIS TIME, JUST KIND OF LEAVE IT UP TO QUESTIONS AND IF YOU HAD ANY FEEDBACK AS WELL, YOU'D LIKE. SO JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, WE'RE NOT HIRING LIEUTENANT SANDFORD NEXT YEAR FOR POLICE WORK. HE'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE BOOKED AS TALENT. HE'S GOT IT. GOT IT. UH, LET'S BEGIN WITH CUSS WILLIAM MCCARTY. UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, I THOUGHT THE EVENT WAS GREAT. I, I WENT OUT AND, AND I, I TALKED TO A NUMBER OF THE VENDORS. I, I DID TALK TO THE LEMONADE GUY. HE TOLD ME HE SOLD OUT ONCE, WENT AND GOT MORE SUPPLIES AND THEN SOLD OUT AGAIN. AND, AND SO HE, UH, AND I GOT SOME THAT LEMONADE THAT WAS, THAT WAS SOME GREAT LEMONADE. OH YEAH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE GET, GET HIS NAME FOR COUNTRY DAY NEXT YEAR. MM-HMM. . UM, AND THEN, UH, THE, I SPOKE TO DELTA STILL. THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING THAT THEY GOT NINE APPLICANTS OUTTA THAT. HE SAID, HE TOLD ME THAT THE EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, HUGE SUCCESS FOR THEM. UM, I DID DO HAVE ONE SUGGESTION. I, I LIKE THE HOT SAUCE COMPETITION THINKING NEXT YEAR WE OUGHTA INCLUDE TAMAS AND TACOS, SO JUST WANNA THROW THAT OUT THERE. WE DO HAVE TIA WHO SIGNED UP TO HEAD UP HOT SAUCE CONTEST NEXT YEAR. SO , WE'LL SEE WHAT SHE CAN ENGAGE ON. . ALL RIGHT, GREAT. GREAT EVENT. CONGRATULATIONS TO, TO ALL OF YOU. YOU, YOU, UH, DEFINITELY REPRESENTED THE CITY. WELL, THANK YOU. THANKS COUNCIL GLOVER. THANK YOU. UM, ONCE AGAIN. GREAT. UM, GREAT PROGRAM. LATIN FEST. THE, THE, THE INAL LATIN FEST WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. AND, UH, JUST TO YOU AND TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS. UM, I JUST HAVE A REALLY QUICK QUESTION. WHAT SURPRISED YOU? WHAT, WHEN, WHEN YOU DID YOUR DEBRIEF AND YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THE LEARNINGS, WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST ABOUT, WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED YOU? UM, I WOULDN'T SAY ACTUALLY SURPRISED. I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAD A LOT OF CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO, AND IT'S A LOT OF WHAT WE COULD DO TO MAKE IT BETTER. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SURPRISED. IT WAS OUR FIRST ONE. UM, WE, UH, FOX WENT THERE TO DO A LITTLE SEGMENT ON US AND HE'S LIKE, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS? AND I'M LIKE, THIS IS OUR FIRST ONE. SO, UM, I THINK THE, UM, THE SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, [00:25:01] UM, WAS REALLY, YOU KNOW, HELPFUL TO REALLY SHOW THAT THE CITY IS REALLY TRYING TO LISTEN. AND I THINK IT MAY BE SURPRISED THE PUBLIC MORE THAN US BECAUSE WE ARE PROVIDING AN EVENT THAT HELPS, UM, TO SHOW THAT THE COUNCIL'S LISTENING AND THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY. AND I THINK THIS REALLY HELPED TO SET THE CITY APART AND BE ABLE TO BE, CONTINUE TO BE A PREMIER LOCATION BECAUSE WE TRY TO PROVIDE A PREMIER EVENT THAT SHOWCASE THE CITY IN THE BEST LIGHT. AND BEING IN TOURISM, I WILL NEVER DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE JUST, HEY, LET'S JUST DO THIS FOR THE CITY. IT'S FOR US TO BE SEEN OUTSIDE THE CITY AND FOR US TO BE SEEN FOR VISITORS AND TO ENGAGE THE VISITORS AND BE ABLE TO GROW FROM WHERE WE'RE AT. SO CONTINUE TO GROW, WHETHER IT'S TIME, WHETHER IT'S ENTERTAINMENT, HOW WE CAN BRING MORE PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE THE CITY. BECAUSE FOR ME PERSONALLY, I AM A, YOU KNOW, PERSON THAT BELIEVES IN THE CITY AS MUCH AS I DO BECAUSE I TRY AND BRING PEOPLE HERE TO VISIT. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY ONE OF THOSE WHERE IT'S A CONTINUATION THAT EACH YEAR I THINK WE CAN BUILD ON TO MAKE THE CITY LOOK EVEN BETTER. AND IT'S EVEN A CON, WE'RE WORKING ON TIMEFRAMES AND LOCATIONS AND STUFF SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THINGS THAT HELP MAKE US LOOK EVEN BETTER EVERY YEAR. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. , PHILLIP SIMS. THANK YOU. SO, JUST CURIOUS, UH, SO WHAT WILL YOU DO NEXT YEAR TO EXPAND ITS, UM, REACH AND BRING IN MORE PEOPLE THAN JUST CEDAR HILL? WHAT, HOW WILL YOU, HOW WILL YOU EXPAND IT AND MAKE IT, UH, LIKE A LATIN FEST FOR THE ENTIRE BEST SOUTHWEST? WELL, I KNOW ONE THING IS, UM, BEING MARKETING FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE VISITORS IS THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING TO HELP IN ENGAGING THE ENTERTAINMENT TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO FACILITATE MORE, UH, DIFFERENT NICHE OF VISITORS AND PEOPLE THAT WOULD WANT TO BE FOR DIFFERENT TRIBUTE BANDS, UH, DIFFERENT KINDS OF ENTERTAINMENT. UM, WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON IDEAS OF, YOU KNOW, UH, BUSING AND MO MOVING. I'M LIKE, I CAN'T CONNECT TO THAT WORD, MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT THROUGH THE VENDOR EXPO. SO, UM, BUT THERE'S MORE MARKETING THAT WE, WE ACTUALLY DID MARKET THIS A LOT THROUGH TEXAS MONTHLY, THROUGH SOUTHWEST NOW THROUGH, UH, PROGRAMMATIC DIGITAL MARKETING THAT WENT OUTSIDE OF THE 50 MILES. WE DID SWAG CARDS THAT WE ACTUALLY ASKED FOR ZIP CODES. I BELIEVE ONE THING THAT COULD HELP US IS IF WE COULD, EVEN IF IT'S A FREE TICKETING WAY TO DO IT, WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY GET DIGITAL VERSIONS OF GETTING PEOPLE'S ZIP CODES TO HELP US REALLY SHOW THAT THEY'RE COMING FROM OUTSIDE. SO, UM, I BELIEVE WORKING MORE, UH, WITH OUR MARKETING TEAM THROUGH THE DEPARTMENTS, THROUGH THEIR EXPOSURES, THROUGH UM, DIFFERENT WAYS WHERE WE CAN, UH, REALLY ONBOARD A, A MARKETING COMPANY TO HELP US AS WELL TO GET OUT THERE SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TALLY UP THE, UH, TASKS AND BE ABLE TO FURTHER EXPAND OUT. IT WAS A VERY, IT WAS A BIG UNKNOWN EVERYTHING FOR THIS, THIS LATIN FEST. WE WERE JUST GOING OFF THE FACT OF OKAY, WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING PEOPLE SHOW UP AND WE'RE HOPING PEOPLE GET OUR MESSAGE AND WE'RE HOPING PEOPLE COME. AND WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT DID COME, WE, I THINK, CAN GROW FROM THAT WITH A LOT OF WORD OF MOUTH AS WELL, AND ADDRESS MAYBE DIFFERENT AREAS OR APPS THAT WE DIDN'T BEFORE. AND WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ON HOW WE GET THE WORD OUT. MM-HMM. . ALL RIGHT. WELL, ALLOWED ME TO SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. CONGRATULATIONS, IF THAT'S THE BEST WORD. I MEAN, THIS WAS, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, A BIG WIN. UM, I DON'T THINK THESE PICTURES REALLY, UH, SERVICE JUSTICE. I MEAN, YOU REALLY HAD TO BE THERE. I MEAN, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T SHOW ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE DANCING. I MEAN, IT WAS DANCING TO SONGS, THE KIDS CAME YEAH. THIS WAS A LOT OF WHAT I VIDEOED BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO RUN AROUND EVERYWHERE. YEAH. BUT WE ARE TRYING TO, UH, GET LIKE, UM, MICHELLE E. BANKS AND, AND MARIES CONTRIBUTED, AND ASHLEY, AND, AND GET MORE PEOPLE AND LIKE I SAID, MORE INTENTIONAL SO WE CAN ACTUALLY ASSIGN PEOPLE YEAH. WAYS TO GET MORE ASSETS THAT COULD HELP US PROVIDE BETTER YEAH. MARKETING THINGS FOR NEXT YEAR. SO, YEAH. I, I, I, I THINK, UM, I THINK THE, THE ATTENDANCE, UH, I THINK THEY WILL PROBABLY COMMUNICATE TO THEIR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS. UM, SO I THINK ORGANICALLY YOU WILL PROBABLY GET, YOU KNOW, MORE ATTENTION. UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A BIG PARTY. I MEAN, IT WAS JUST FUN AND, UM, UH, IT WAS JUST A GREAT EVENT. I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. SURE. UM, UH, IN YOUR EARLIER SLIDES, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS ABOUT 5,000 IN ATTENDANCE MM-HMM. , WHAT WAS YOUR GOAL? WAS, WAS THAT YOUR GOALS 5,000 THOUSAND? DID YOU THINK IT WAS GONNA BE LOW LOWER THAN THAT? WERE YOU UH, WE WERE BEING CONSERVATIVE AND WHEN WE EVEN ADVERTISED TO THE SPONSORS, UM, WE WERE BEING CONSERVATIVE TO THREE TO 4,000. YEAH. AND SO IT EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. AND FINALLY, UM, I THINK THE COUNCIL'S PRIORITY WAS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE MORE [00:30:01] INTO, UH, THE LATIN COMMUNITY. UH, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO HEAR FROM THEM. SO I THINK THE, UH, THE SURVEY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, A PART OF THE PROGRAM. UH, DID THAT TAKE PLACE? AND IF SO, UH, DO YOU HAVE A DATE OF WHEN WE CAN BE ABLE TO GET SOME FEEDBACK AS FAR AS, UH, THE EFFORTS FOR THEIR SURVEYS? UH, WOULD THAT BE SURVEYS TO THE PUBLIC OR THROUGH THE LATINO ENGAGEMENT GROUP? YEAH. UH, SO I, I GUESS, UH, UH, IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE SURVEYS THAT WERE SENT OUT TO SPECIFICALLY FOR THE, FOR THE LATIN ENGAGEMENT GROUP. I, I HAVE A, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS, THE LATIN FOCUS GROUP WAS GONNA BE TAKEN THAT CHARGE, BUT I THINK THEY WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOW UP THE DAY OF AND ALSO, UH, UH, ENHANCE MORE PARTICIPATIONS FOR THE SURVEY. SO I, I WAS JUST CURIOUS. I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED ON THAT DAY, DAY. IT WAS A CRAZY WEEK BEFORE, BUT I DO HAVE TO SAY THE LATINO ENGAGEMENT GROUP WERE VERY VITAL TO THE, UM, BOOTH THAT WE HAD BECAUSE IT, AND MARIE CAN ATTEST THAT SHE HELPED, UH, LEAD THAT BOOTH THAT, UH, THE BILINGUAL, UM, VOLUNTEERS THAT WE HAD REALLY HELPED TO FACILITATE PEOPLE THROUGH THE EVENT. SO THEY WERE VERY MUCH A PART OF THAT YEAH. IN BEING ABLE TO HELP IT. AND TO BE HONEST, I, THERE WASN'T AN ACTUAL SURVEY DONE THEN, BUT WE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT WITH TALKING TO THE VENDORS AND TALKING TO SOME ATTENDEES THAT WE KNOW AND KIND OF GETTING SOME FEEDBACK OUT THERE. BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PRIORITIZE IN PUTTING AND SEEING IF WE COULD ACTUALLY DEDICATE SOME PEOPLE WHO CAN ACTUALLY GET SOME SURVEY STUFF DONE IN THE NEXT ONE. OKAY. WE, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH ADMINISTRATION AND MAKE SURE COUNCIL GETS THAT FEEDBACK. MM-HMM. . UM, BUT, UH, WE WANNA KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO MORE, IF THERE'S ANY GAPS. I MEAN, THAT WAS MY PURPOSE OF TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DO THIS. SO, UM, BUT THAT'S ALL, I DID GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK EVEN THROUGH, UM, LOOKING AT POST, UH, THAT PEOPLE DONE THAT, THAT THEY'VE POSTED WHETHER ON FACEBOOK OR NEXT DOOR THAT THEY DID APPRECIATE CEDAR HILL LISTENING. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I GOT THAT TOO, IS THAT PEOPLE DID, HEY, CEDAR HILL FINALLY DID THIS AND CEDAR HILL LISTEN KIND OF THING. SO YEAH. UM, I THINK PEOPLE DID APPRECIATE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING, UH, THAT WAS GEARED TOWARD LATIN AMERICANS. YOU KNOW, TWO MORE THINGS. UM, I GUESS WHAT REALLY HIT HOME TO ME WAS, YOU KNOW, AFTER I GAVE THE WELCOME, UH, THE, THE HEADLINER CAME OUT, STARTED SINGING, AND, UH, THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, TWO KIDS APPROACHING ME. I WAS GETTING READY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND THEY WANTED TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE MAYOR. I HAD THAT PRETTY COOL. UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER LADY THAT CAME UP TO ME AND SHE SAYS, YOU KNOW, WHO CAN I TALK TO? I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE MY FEEDBACK. AND I WAS LIKE, WELL, I GUESS YOU TALKED TO MICHELLE. WELL, I GOT NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY WHERE YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT . UM, BUT UH, SHE SAYS, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS TO BE THE FIRST ONE, YOU GUYS DID IT RIGHT. YOU KNOW, UH, YOU ALREADY ANSWERED THE MAIL. UH, SO I HAVE HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS OUT OF THE EVENT. COURSE THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. SURE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GET THAT ANSWER FROM, UH, BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY, HAVE YOUR PLANS, HOW WE CAN BE AN ENHANCE. I THINK WE'RE OUR OWN HARDEST CRITICS, AND SO WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT INTENSELY FROM OUR SIDE OF WHAT WE CAN DO. CUZ WE KIND OF SEE THINGS FROM THE BACK END. RIGHT. WE'RE HOPING EVERYBODY ENJOYS IT, BUT WE KIND OF SEE, OH, WE COULD CHANGE THIS AND DO THIS AND MAKE THINGS BETTER. AND, AND YOU HAVE TO. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO HERE. YEAH. YEAH. SO THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD. JUST HELPS US MAKE A BETTER EVENT FOR THE CITY HOME RUN. GOOD JOB. YEAH. THANK YOU. I'M GONNA MAKE ONE MORE PLUG FOR MY TAMALI CONTENT , BECAUSE EVERY LATIN COUNTRY HAS DIFFERENT TAMALES. YES. SO YES. THERE'S SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. THEY DO. WE'LL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. , CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AGAIN. YEAH. AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO JUDGE. UM, WE'LL HAVE YOU DOWN FOR THAT. THANK YOU, MICHELLE. ALL RIGHT. UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL FOR OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY. OH, I'M SORRY. WE DO HAVE ONE MORE. NEXT WE HAVE PRESENTATION [4. Presentation by CHISD Board of Trustees President Robert Riggs regarding CHISD bond election and Voter Approval Tax Ratification Election (VATRE).] BY C H I S D, BOARD OF TRUSTEE PRESIDENT ROBERT RIGGS REGARDING C H I S D, BOND, ELECTION AND VOTER APPROVED TAX, REIFICATION ELECTION, THE VADER. HOW YOU DOING THERE, TRUSTEE? I'M DOING GREAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU. CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER, THANK YOU FOR THE CHANCE TO BE BEFORE YOU AND I APPRECIATE THIS THIRD CHANCE TO KIND OF TALK THROUGH THE VADER AND THE BONDS AND, UH, AS A, I'M GONNA REPRESENT THE SCHOOL TODAY AND IT'S GREAT TO HAVE OUR SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU, DR. HUDSON. AND ALSO I WANNA RECOGNIZE THE CITY STAFF. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING, UM, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. VERY MUCH SO. AND CITY COUNCIL, I KNOW YOU'VE LEARNED AND HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT ITEMS AND YOU MAY HAVE YOUR OWN QUESTIONS, AND I WANT TO WANT YOU TO FEEL FREE TO JUST INTERRUPT AT ANY TIME, WANNA MAKE SURE AND ENGAGE THOSE QUESTIONS. THOSE ARE REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT. I DO HAVE A SET OF SLIDES THAT I'LL WORK MY WAY THROUGH OTHERWISE. SO, UM, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF IS THAT THE WORK THAT THIS SCHOOL HAS BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO FOCUS AND PREPARE FOR WHAT'S COMING UP. AND THAT IS, UM, THE CITY COUNT OR THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS BEEN WORKING, [00:35:01] UM, VERY MUCH ON PAYING DOWN DEBT, UH, TRYING TO BE AS EFFICIENT AND, UH, EFFECTIVE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. AND WE'VE PAID OFF DEBT EARLY. AND BY THAT WE'VE SAVED THE CITIZENS OF CEDAR HILL AN A LARGE AMOUNT OF INTEREST. WE'VE ALSO TAKEN VERY SIGNIFICANT COST CUTTING MOVES TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE SCHOOL IS AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE. ONE, AS YOU KNOW, WHEN THE DALLAS COUNTY STOPPED PROVIDING BUS SERVICE TO, TO CEDAR HILL, WE NEEDED TO JUMP IN QUICKLY WORK, AND THE CITY COUNCIL WAS HELPFUL FOR US IN IDENTIFYING LOCATIONS WHERE WE COULD SERVICE THE BUS AND CREATE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. THAT ADDITIONAL COST WAS SIGNIFICANT FOR US. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN RENTING SPACE, UH, UM, AND RENTING OUR CURRENT FACILITY, AND THAT IS A LARGE EXPENSE. AND SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT LATER ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE BONDS. AND THAT IS TO, UM, CREATE AN IDENTIFY LOCATION FOR US AND TO BUILD A TRANSPORTATION LOCATION THAT WILL FURTHER DRIVE US DOWN. BUT AS WE'VE BEEN DOING IT, WE'VE BEEN CUTTING OUR COST. WE'VE ALSO, UM, ELIMINATED THE POSITION OF THE CHIEF, UH, WITH, OF STAFF WITHIN, UM, THE ORGANIZATION. AND SO WE'VE MADE CUTS, UH, COST CUTTING A PRIORITY. UM, SOME OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'VE DONE, UH, ARE LISTED THERE. THE OTHER ASPECT THAT WE'VE DONE IN PREPARATION IS THAT WE'VE ENGAGED WHITLEY PIN. WHITLEY PIN IS A, UM, CONSULTANT THAT WE'VE BROUGHT IN. IT'S OUR AUDITING FIRM, AND WE'VE ASKED THEM TO DO AN EVALUATION, WHAT'S CALLED AN EFFICIENCY AUDIT. UH, IN 2018, EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT WAS CONSIDERING A VADER OR UM, UH, V A T R E WAS REQUIRED TO DO AN EFFICIENCY AUDIT, THEN C HIT. AND THAT, UH, REQUIREMENT WAS PUSHED OFF. THE STATE RELENTED SAID, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE THAT. CEDAR HILL SCHOOL BOARD CHOSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS. AND WHAT THIS IS, IT'S AN EVALUATION WHERE, UM, WHITLEY PENN EVALUATES CEDAR HILL WITH NINE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT MOST CLOSELY MATCH CEDAR HILL IN THE STATE. AND IT'S THAT COMPARISON THAT IS THEN GIVEN AND THEN A REVIEW IS DONE, AND WE RECEIVE A 26, 28 PAGE AUDIT THAT GOES THROUGH, AND I'VE PLACED IN YOUR PLACE, YOU HAVE THAT AUDIT, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU. AND IN ONE, THERE'S ONE EMPTY, THERE'S ONE BLANK PAGE OR ONE PAGE THAT'S SEPARATE. AND IF YOU WANNA PULL THAT OUT, THAT'S KIND OF THE HEART OF THE FINDINGS OF THAT PAGE. AND I'M JUST GONNA DRAW YOUR ATTENTION IF I CAN, TO THE VERY TOP, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE SMALL FONT, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT AS LET ME HAND ONE TO YOU. AND IN THIS, I JUST WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE VERY TOP. AND THERE ARE THREE SETS OF COLUMNS. THE COLUMN ON THE FAR LEFT SHOWS THE DISTRICT, UH, ON THAT PAGE. AND IT'S THE MIDDLE COLUMNS SHOW PEER DISTRICTS, THAT'S THE OTHER NINE COL SCHOOLS THAT WERE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WE'RE COMPARING CEDAR HILL AGAINST. AND THE FAR RIGHT REPRESENTS ALL OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND AS YOU LOOK ACROSS, I REALLY WANNA BRING FORWARD THE, THE, THE AMOUNT OR THE PERCENT OF OUR BUDGET THAT CEDAR HILL SPENDS ON INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM. 56.7%. UH, THE PEER DISTRICTS IN THIS GROUP, THOSE PEERS THAT ARE MOST LIKE US, THEY ARE SPENDING 54.3% OF THE AMOUNT OF CASH THAT THEY BRING IN. AND OVERALL, THE STATE IS JUST SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN US AT 57.3%. SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE VERY IMPORTANT STATISTICS THAT SHOWS THAT CEDAR HILL WHEN COMPARED TO DISTRICTS THAT ARE VERY COMPARABLE TO US IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, IS SPENDING THE, THE, A LARGER PERCENT OF OUR BUDGET ON INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM THAN OUR PEERS. WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO THE STATE AVERAGE, BUT IN OUR PEER GROUP, WE'RE SPENDING MORE. IF YOU CARE TO LOOK, THERE ARE OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU CAN SEE A COMPARISON. NOW, AS YOU GO THROUGH IT, WE WILL, WE'LL COMPARE AND WE'LL LOOK AT OTHER DISTRICTS AND OTHER AREAS THAT ARE CLOSER. BUT THIS IS THE BEST, UM, COHORT FOR US TO BE EVALUATED. YOU CAN SELECT AND HAND SELECT OUT HIGHLAND PARK AND CAPEL, AND YOU'LL SEE OTHER SPENDING PATTERNS. BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT I THINK REPRESENT ACCORDING TO THE AUDITING FIRM. THEY FELT THIS ME MOST REPRESENTS OR MATCHES WHAT CEDAR HILL IS DOING. BRINGING IT A LITTLE CLOSER TO HERE, YOU'VE SEEN THIS CHART BEFORE. THERE ARE 16 OR 15, EXCUSE ME, DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTY OF DALLAS. AND OF THOSE 15, CEDAR HILL HAS THE LOWEST RANK. YOU SEE, $8,700 [00:40:02] THAT WE BRING IN PER CHILD IS USED ON THE M AND O SIDE OF FUNDS. I'LL SPEND A, I HAVE A SLIDE IN A LITTLE BIT LATER THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW THE CITY TAXES AND HOW THE, UM, SCHOOL BOARD TAXES ARE RECEIVED. BUT IN THIS POINT, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WITHIN ALL OF DALLAS COUNTY, CEDAR HILL RECEIVES THE LOWEST REVENUE FROM TAXES IN TO EDUCATE THOSE CHILDREN. NOW, THE DIFFERENCE, ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS, THE PAGE THAT I JUST HANDED YOU OUT HAS $10,318. THIS SHOWS $8,700. THERE ARE SOME FUNDS THAT ARE PULLED OUT IN THE, UM, AUDITORS EVALUATION THAT COMPARE IT. BUT THIS IS AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON THAT YOU HAVE IN THIS SHEET. THOSE ONE LAST ITEM, THE GREEN CHECKS THAT ARE LISTED, UM, WITHIN THE 15 WITHIN THESE SCHOOLS, YOU CAN SEE WHICH OF THOSE HAVE PASSED A TR E IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. ALL RIGHT? SO ALL OF THOSE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE A CHECK MARK HAVE PASSED A TRE. OUR IMMEDIATE SURROUNDING SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE ALL PASSED TRS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, AND THAT HAS ALLOWED THEM TO INCREASE THEIR PAY RATE WITHIN THE TEACHERS. UM, AND SO YOU SEE THE OVERALL, UM, FIRST YEAR SALARY FOR A TEACHER IN THOSE DISTRICTS WHERE CEDAR HILL IS $56,000, THE OTHER DISTRICTS SOMETIMES ARE REACHING AS MUCH AS $61,000 FOR 10 YEARS. UM, TEACHERS CEDAR HILL IS RUNNING ABOUT, UM, IS JUST A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS, SOMETIMES THREE TO $4,000, STILL LESS THAN OUR COMPETITION. THAT WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, THE VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION THAT WE'RE GONNA, THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS IN A MINUTE ON AUGUST 22ND, UM, AFTER RECEIVING INPUT FROM THE LONGHORN FUTURES COMMITTEE, UM, AND MANY, MANY MORE MEETINGS OF MANY WHICH YOU WERE A PART OF OR KNEW OF, ON AUGUST 22ND, THE CEDAR HILL ISD BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO CALL FOR A VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION AND A BOND ELECTION TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 2022. IN OUR PAST, WE HAVE DONE BOTH AT TRE AND BONDS, BUT THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE BOTH ON THE BALLOT AT THE SAME TIME. THIS IS WHAT THAT MEANS. THERE WILL BE FOUR PROPOSITIONS. AND AS YOU KNOW, UH, AT THE, WHEN A, UM, STATEWIDE ELECTION SEASON IS COMING, THE BALLOT IS GONNA BE VERY LONG. ALL OF THOSE THINGS FOR THE SCHOOL AND FOR THE CITY ARE GONNA BE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THAT BALLOT. SO AS YOU WORK YOUR WAY DOWN, YOU'LL HAVE FOUR PROPOSALS THAT WILL BE ON THE BALLOT. THE FIRST IS THE VADER, UM, VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION. AND THE NEXT THREE ARE ALL BONDS. THE FIRST IS THE SCHOOLS AND SAFETY RENOVATIONS, THE SECOND THE TECHNOLOGY. AND THEN THE THIRD IS THE REPLACING, UM, OF ATHLETIC FACILITIES. AND I'LL EXPLAIN THOSE IN A MINUTE. THE VADER, THE VADER IS FOCUSED ON TEACHERS SALARIES AND THE EMPLOYEE PAY RAISES ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THIS IS PEOPLE AND PROCESSES, PEOPLE AND PROGRAMS. MONEY THAT IS GIVEN FOR THE VADER CAN'T BE USED FOR THE EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES AND ANY BOND FUNDS WILL NOT GO INTO THIS. THEY ARE SEPARATE FUNDS AND DISTINCT, BUT THAT IS WHAT A VADER IS FOR. THE VADER IS AN INCREASE IN THE RATE OF TAXES, AND THAT'S WHAT VOTERS ARE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE. SO THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO INCREASE THEIR TAXES, AND I'LL SHOW YOU THE AMOUNT IN JUST A MOMENT OF WHAT THAT IMPACT WILL BE. THE BOND IS A, A CONTINUATION OF THE CURRENT BOND RATE WITH UP TO HALF A PENNY OF INCREASED POTENTIALLY. AND WE'LL DISCUSS THAT AS WELL IN JUST A SECOND. THE BOND PROPOSALS, AS YOU CAN SEE, ARE TO FOCUS ON SAFETY AND SECURITY THROUGHOUT ALL THE DISTRICTS. THIS IS A SENSE OF SOME OF THE BUILDINGS MAINTENANCE ACROSS THE SYSTEM. YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UM, OUTDOOR. UH, WE HAVE PORTABLE BUILDINGS IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. UH, WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING ISSUES. WE HAVE LEAKING ROOFS BECAUSE OF WIND AND HAILED DAMAGE. UM, WE HAVE LOTS OF AREAS OF MAJOR CHANGES THAT WE WANT TO DO. WE ALSO HAVE SAFETY AND SECURITY ITEMS THAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON. UH, WE WANT BULLETPROOF GLASS IN ALL THE VESTIBULE IN ALL OF THE SCHOOLS. WE WANT INCREASED MASS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN ALERT ISSUES IF THE WORST HAPPENS. UM, WE NEED QUICKER. WE NEED CAMERAS SO THAT WE CAN RESPOND AND SEE DANGERS IN MORE AREAS. WE NEED VAPE SENSORS, [00:45:01] THINGS THAT WILL GO INTO BATHROOMS TO LET US KNOW WHEN THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN THERE THAT SHOULD NOT BE. WE ALSO BROUGHT IN, IN PREPARATION, KNOWING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN, WE WANTED A THIRD PARTY GROUP TO COME AND ASSESS OUR BUILDINGS. THIS IS NOT CEDAR HILL MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS DETERMINED THAT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A BOND. THIS IS AN OUTSOURCE SIDE MAINTENANCE GROUP THAT WENT ON TOP OF EVERY BUILDING, WENT THROUGH ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND EVALUATED EACH BUILDING BUILDING BY BUILDING. AS YOU CAN TELL, MANY ARE LISTED ARE POOR SHAPE, SOME ARE FAIR, AND WE HAVE ONE THAT'S IN THE GOOD CATEGORY. THE FIRST BOND PROPOSAL OR PROPOSITION B, AGAIN, PROPOSITION A WILL BE THE VADER ON THE BALLOT. PROPOSITION B IS THE LARGEST AND IT'S 207.7 MILLION. AND IN IT, UM, THE SAFETY AND SECURITY LISTS ARE, ARE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDING AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS, ROOF PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL ISSUES, UM, ADA COMPLIANCE, UH, AND THEN ALSO MAJOR PROJECTS ARE LISTED ON THAT RIGHT SIDE. THE LARGEST OF WHICH THE SINGLE LARGEST ITEM IN THIS BOND IS A NEW ELEMENTARY FINE ARTS ACADEMY TO BE LOCATED SOMEWHERE IN CEDAR HILL. ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS BOND IS THE DEMOLITION OF BRA, AS WE HAVE TALKED AND SHARED WITH YOU IN THE PAST. BUT ALSO WE ARE ADDING STEM UNITS IN MANY OF THE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING BESSY COLEMAN AND A FINE ARTS EDITION IN BESSY COLEMAN. UM, YOU HAVE STEM IN, UH, HIGH POINT PLUMBER, WATERFORD OAKS, NEW SCHOOL BUSES, AND A NEW TRANSPORTATION FACILITY, WHICH WE DISCUSSED EARLIER. THAT NEW TRANSPORTATION FACILITY WILL LOWER OUR LEASE REQUIREMENTS, ELIMINATING $2 MILLION OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET THAT WE CAN PLOW INTO OTHER KEY PRIORITIES, PROPOSITION C THE THIRD, THE THIRD ITEM ON THE BALLOT, AND THE SECOND IS FOCUSED ON DESKTOPS. SO ALL OF THESE, THE, THE BONDS THAT WILL BE FOR THE EQUIPMENT AND FOR THE LONG RANGE BUILDING ITEMS, THEY'LL BE OUT TO 25 YEARS. THOSE EQUIPMENT ITEMS DON'T LAST 25 YEARS, THEY LAST SIX TO EIGHT YEARS. THOSE WILL BE FUNDED WITH SHORT TERM BONDS THAT WILL PAY PAID OFF ACCORDINGLY. AND THEN THE LAST, UM, THIS IS KIND OF A ALLEN HIGH SCHOOL, UM, WHEN THEY CREATED THEIR LARGE FOOTBALL STADIUM FOR 60 MILLION, THE STATE OF TEXAS MADE THE DECISION TO PULL OFF. ANYTIME YOU HAVE A STADIUM THAT SEATS A THOUSAND PEOPLE OF WHICH CEDAR HILL FOOTBALL STADIUM DOES, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A SEPARATE BOND JUST TO STAND FOR THOSE. BUT SEPARATE FROM A HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT'S DIFFERENT FROM OURS IS OUR GYM, OUR, UM, EXCUSE ME, OUR TRACK AND OUR SOCCER FIELDS, OUR, UM, FOOTBALL STADIUM ARE USED BY OUR GYM AND OUR PE DEPARTMENT ARE USED BY THE SOCCER TEAM. THEY'RE USED BY THE, UH, GIRLS SOCCER TEAMS. THEY'RE, THEY'RE USED ALL THE TIME. SO, UM, THIS IS JUST AS VALID TO ME AS THE REST TAX INFORMATION. THIS IS THE PART WHERE WE DIFFER SO MUCH. THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, IN THE SCHOOL BOARD, WE RECEIVE TAXES FROM AN M O TAX RATE AS WELL AS AN IN NS. SO THE M AND O IS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS. AS WE SAID EARLIER, THAT'S $8,700 THAT CEDAR HILL RECEIVES FOR EACH KID THAT COMES TO CEDAR HILL SCHOOLS FOR THE YEAR. IF A STUDENT OR IF A PARENT DECIDES TO TAKE THEIR CHILD AND MOVE THEM FROM CEDAR HILL TO DESOTO OR TO ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT TO A PRIVATE OR TO A CHARTER, THEN THAT $8,700 GOES WITH THAT KID. IT LEAVES, AND THE SCHOOL DOES NOT RECEIVE THAT. INNS IS THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND, AND THAT IS BASED ON THE TAXABLE HOUSE TAXABLE EVALUATION OF CEDAR HILL. SO AS THE TAX VALUE HAS GONE UP, THAT MONEY HAS GONE UP. THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO MAKE ALL OF THE BOND PAYMENTS. SO THAT IS THE TWO SOURCES OF INCOME. THE RATE, AS YOU SEE IS 1.31. AND THAT WILL MOVE US TO ABOUT THE MIDDLE POINT OF WHERE WE WERE ON THOSE OTHER 15 SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE COUNTY OF DALLAS. UH, PRESENT BRIEF. I DO HAVE ONE, ONE QUICK QUESTION, UM, ON THAT. SO YOU MENTIONED THAT IF A STUDENT LEAVES CEDAR HILL, THAT YOU LOSE $8,700 IN REVENUE AND, AND THAT REVENUE'S GONE. IF THEY GO TO, FOR EXAMPLE, TO THE SOTO, DO THEY GET $8,700 REVENUE? NO. OR DO THEY, WHAT DO THEY, WHAT DO THEY RECEIVE? THEY WOULD GET THEIR $10,314 BASED ON THE, THEIR FUNDING MODEL WITH THE STATE. SO IT ACTUALLY IS A HIGHER VALUE [00:50:01] TO THEM THAT THEY WOULD RECEIVE IN JUST FOR THAT ONE STUDENT THAT'S COMING. THAT'S BASED ON A, A TAX FUNDING RATE AND BASED ON LOTS OF CALCULATIONS TO IT. BUT NO, THEY, THEY ACTUALLY RECEIVE BASED ON THE CHILDREN THAT COME AND ARE ENROLLED. NOW, ARE YOU PAYING THAT THEM TO THEM DIRECTLY OR IS THAT PAID THROUGH THE STATE? HOW THE STATE FUNDS US? SO THE STATE, UM, UH, BASED, THERE'S A DUE TO DUE FROM STATE CALCULATION AND THAT REVENUE IS ACTUALLY A CHECK THAT CON, NOT A CHECK, IT'S A TRANSFER THAT COMES FROM STATE INTO THE CEDAR HILL FUNDS MUCH BEYOND THAT. AND I'LL NEED OUR CFO, CARLA, SETTLE TO ANSWER AND RESPOND TO ANY OF THOSE DIRECT WHAT EXACTLY THAT HAPPENS. BUT THAT'S THE, THE ASPECT FAMILIAR WITH. OKAY, YOU BET. AND I THINK THAT'S A KEY POINT TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT, UM, WHEN, WHEN, YOU KNOW, IN DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL HAS, UH, AND WE HAVE OPEN DISTRICTS ARE ALL AROUND US. EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS MOVED TO OPEN. AND SO THOSE STUDENTS CAN CHOOSE TO GO TO A BRAND NEW SCHOOL AND A DIFFERENT DISTRICT THAT MAY BE JUST THREE MILES AWAY FROM THEIR HOME, FOUR MILES AWAY FROM THEIR HOME. UM, WE ARE COMPETING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT. THAT'S WHAT OUR SCHOOLS NEED TO BE CAPABLE OF PULLING. UM, WE NEED TO HAVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE UP THERE WITH THE BEST. WE NEED TO HAVE RESOURCES WITH THE BEST. WE NEED TO HAVE TEACHERS WITH THE BEST. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE VADER WOULD RAISE THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION PORTION AND YOU CAN SEE THE 12 CENTS THAT WE'RE REQUESTING. UM, AND YET ON THE BOND PORTION, THAT SECOND PARAGRAPH SHOWS THAT WE'RE RAISING AT HALF OF A PENNY UP TO HALF OF A PENNY. UM, AND WE'LL TALK THAT THROUGH. THIS PROBABLY IS THE, THE BEST CHART TO UNDERSTAND WHAT COULD HAPPEN ON THE TOP RATE. YOU SEE, IF BOTH THE BOND, ALL THREE BONDS AND THE V A T R E PASS, THEN THERE WOULD BE FOR A $300,000 HOME, AN INCREASE OF TAXES OF $14 AND 96 CENTS PER YEAR. THAT WOULD BE THE TAX INCREASE. IF ALL FOUR PROPOSALS ARE PASSED NOW BASED ON COMPRESSION, IF NOTHING PASSES, IF ALL FOUR ARE VOTED DOWN BY, UM, THE VOTERS OF CEDAR HILL TAX RATES FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD ACTUALLY DECREASE BY $310 ON A $300,000 HOUSE. NOW HOME VALUES HAVE INCREASED, THOSE WILL GO UP. SO, SO THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THAT ASPECT OF IT, BUT ON A STRAIGHT $300,000 HOME, THAT'S THE DOLLARS DIFFERENCE THAT YOU HAVE. HEY, I I'VE HEARD YOU USE THAT TERM BEFORE COMPRESSION. WHAT, WHAT IS THAT REFERENCE? UM, SO AS THE TAX VALUES FOR HOMES IN CEDAR HILL HAS GONE UP AND ALL OF TEXAS HAS GONE UP, ACTUALLY, OUR UM, DOLLARS THAT WE CHARGED OR THAT THIS, THE EIGHT, LET ME COME BACK TO THIS ONE. THAT 0.97 NUMBER HAS ACTUALLY BEEN DECREASING OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AND SO AS PRICE HOUSE VALUES GO UP, THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT FROM THE STATE DECLINES. SO, AND THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS ALL, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICTS? VERY GOOD QUESTION. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. NOT PICKING UP IS, UM, THERE'S SEPARATE, CORRECT, FOUR, FOUR DIFFERENT, AND THERE'S THREE BONDS AND ONE VADER. SO THERE'S FOUR DIFFERENT PROPOSALS THAT EACH COULD PASS OR FAIL ON THEIR OWN. IT SAYS I'M MISSING IS IF THE VADER PASSES, IT'S STILL THE SAME. RIGHT? THE UM, SO IF THE BOND PASS EFFECTIVELY, IF THE VADER FAILS, LET ME SAY IT IN A NEGATIVE TERM, YOU WOULD HAVE THAT SECOND, THAT 0.8546 IS THE ACTUAL, IT WAS THE M AND O TAX RATE THAT IT, THE VADER PASSES, BUT THE BOND DOESN'T. OKAY. SEEMS LIKE THERE BE A DIFFERENCE IN BETWEEN THOSE NUMBERS. UM, IT WOULD BE THE THIRD LINE DOWN. UM, THE M O SO VADER ONLY AFFECTS THE MNO. WHAT I'M SAYING IS VAPOR PASSES PHONE THE SAME AS THE YEAH, OKAY. THE HALF PENNY IS UP ON [00:55:01] THE, IN NS SIDE, I THINK IS THE DIFFERENCE. YES. IT'S A HALF PENNY DIFFERENCE. SO, SO THE BONDS, IF THE BONDS PASS THE 0.3 360 GOES TO A 3 4 1 OH, THAT, THAT'S 0.05. THAT'S CORRECT. SO, AND, AND THAT, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION YOU'RE MAKING BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT'S INTERCHANGEABLE MONEY. IT'S NOT. SO, UM, I CANNOT TOUCH THE IN NS MONEY AND MOVE IT OVER TO THE, TO THE, UM, M AND O BUD. SO IF WE HAVE, IF OUR INTEREST IN SYNCING FUND IS DOING WELL, AND IT HAS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THAT'S WHAT'S ALLOWED US TO PAY OFF OUR BONDS EARLY. THAT'S WHAT'S ALLOWED US TO LOWER, UM, THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST THAT CEDAR HILL TAXPAYERS HAVE TO PAY. UM, BUT I CAN'T USE EXCESS INNS MONEY AND GO ADDRESS A TEACHER'S SALARY OR ADD, UM, UTILITY COSTS OR THINGS LIKE THAT. VERY GOOD POINT. VERY GOOD. YES, SIR. UM, UM, I GOT SEVERAL QUESTIONS. I THINK THE EASY QUESTION I HAVE IS THERE'S LIKE, I THINK FOUR PROPOSITIONS. SO YOU'RE JUST SAYING BOND, BUT THERE'S FOUR DIFFERENT PROPOSITIONS. CORRECT. SO, UM, I'M SURE THESE NUMBERS, IF, IF THREE OF THE FOUR, NONE OF THIS WILL NOT MATCH JUST THE BOND ONLY. RIGHT? SO SURE, BY FAR THE, THE BIGGEST BOND IS AS PROPOSAL B OR PROPOSITION B. OKAY. AND SO THAT'S THE ONE THAT, THAT WILL REALLY DRIVE A LOT OF THE INFORMATION. NOW, THE, THE, THE 0.05, THAT, THAT HALF A PENNY, UM, WE, MOST OF EVERY ONE OF OUR, UM, CALCULATIONS FROM OUR BOND COUNCIL SAYS WE WON'T NEED THAT HALF A PENNY. WE'VE JUST PUT THAT IN THERE JUST IN CASE, BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE WORDING THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS REQUIRES, THAT SAYS ON THE BOTTOM OF EVERY BOND PROPOSAL THAT HAS TO SAY THIS IS A TAX INCREASE. AND I GUESS THE OTHER QUESTION IS, I I THINK IT'S TO TO, TO SOME PEOPLE WHO'S NOT REALLY SURE, YOU KNOW, UM, ENGAGED, I GUESS WITH THE, WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE FOLLOWING THE FORMULAS. UM, AND IF THEY'RE THINKING THAT, HEY MAN, I'M, I'M PENNY PINCHING. I, I CAN'T JUST SUPPORT A BOND. UM, BUT I'M, I'M READING HERE IF, IF IF NOTHING PASSES, THEN THEY'RE GONNA BE PAYING MORE THAN THE ACTUAL, UH, BOND INVADER THAT DO PASS. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ENOUGH OF THAT NARRATIVE THAT'S GOING AROUND TO ACTUALLY KIND OF EXPLAIN THAT. COULD YOU REALLY RESPOND TO THAT? YEAH, WE, WE CERTAINLY HAVE COMMUNICATED IN, IN LOTS OF FORMATS, AND SO WE ARE TRYING TO MEET WITH, UM, ALL OF THE PITS AND ALL OF THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS. UM, I KNOW DR. HUDSON'S BEEN TO FIVE CHURCHES SO FAR. UM, SO WE, AND WE HAVE LOTS OF EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES, CERTAINLY AT THE LATIN FEST AND OTHERS WE'RE HANDING OUT THAT INFORMATION. UM, WE THANK YOU FOR IN INVITING US TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS AND WE'VE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN ALL OF THOSE. SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THAT MESSAGE OUT OF THAT, THAT THIS IS, THERE ARE FOUR PROPOSITIONS. UM, IF THE VADER PASSES THAT ALLOWS US TO FOCUS ON PEOPLE AND, UH, TEACHER PAY BOND WILL ALLOW US TO DO BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT. THOSE ARE THE KEY ASPECTS. UM, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MR. MAYOR? OR AM I MISSING IT? YEAH, I JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, IT JUST KIND OF, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I GUESS WE TRANSPARENT AND UM, THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE GOING OUT IS SURE. IS NOT SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A THREAT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA BE PAYING MORE IF THE BOND DOESN'T PASS. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DOING AN ULTIMATUM, I GUESS IS KIND OF THE SENSE. I GOT IT. UH, THE, THE REPERCUSSIONS ARE OUR TAX RATE IS LOWER. IF THE EVA DOESN'T PASS IT, IT STAYS LOW. I MEAN, THAT'S WHY IT IS A VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION. IT, WE ARE ASKING VOTERS TO INCREASE TAXES. WE'RE SAYING THAT, UM, THAT THE BOARD FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH BASED ON THE INFORMATION WE HAD AND ALSO BASED ON THOSE CHARTS OF WHERE THE STARTING PAY IS FOR TEACHERS. I KNOW AS A BOARD MEMBER, I CAN SAY WE VOTED AND PASSED A DEFICIT BUDGET OF $4.8 MILLION THIS YEAR. AND WE DID THAT BECAUSE WE WANTED TO GIVE RAISES TO TEACHERS THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD IN THE CURRENT BUDGET. WE, WE PROPOSED THE, THE SOLUTION TO THAT WAS PRESENTING TO THE VOTERS A VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE ELECTION. IF, IF [01:00:01] THAT DOESN'T PASS, WE'LL WE'LL STEP BACK AND HAVE TO REFORMULATE. OKAY. UM, ON THE BOND, THE SAME WAY THE, THE $207 MILLION ARE LEGITIMATE ARE, ARE PRESENTED, UM, THROUGH OUTSIDE SOURCES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS LEGITIMATE NEEDS. UM, THE, I CAN TELL YOU THE AVERAGE AGE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, EVEN AFTER YOU DEMOLISH BRA IS OVER 35 YEARS OF BY AGE. AND YOU HAVE SOME THAT ARE IN THE FORTIES AND THEY HAVEN'T, THEY, THE RENOVATIONS ARE SORELY NEEDED. SO THAT'S A GREAT POINT. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. SO ONE LAST QUESTION. YES SIR. I'M SORRY. YOU, YOU ONLY NEED A HALF A CENT TO DO ALL THOSE BOND PROJECTS? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. IT'S HALF A PENNY GOING THROUGH AND THAT'S GREAT POINT. UH, HOW MUCH, UH, HOW MANY I THINK MORE QUESTION. HOW MANY MORE SLIDES? CUZ WE ALREADY IN, IN, IN THE SEVEN CLOUD. UM, I KNOW WE ARE CLOSE. UM, WE'RE DONE . I CAN GET YOU THERE. SO, BUT LAST THIS WAY WE HAD THE, THE QUESTION PORTION. LET'S TRY TO TRY TO RUN THROUGH IT REAL QUICK SO WE CAN GET YOU THE COUNSEL. SURE. I'LL, I'LL TRY. BUT YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS IMPORTANT. UM, IT IS AND YOU KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING AT YOUR, YOUR EFFICIENCY REPORT THAT, THAT YOU ALL PRESENTED TO US TONIGHT AND, AND ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE YOU ALL ARE MOST OFTEN CRITICIZED OUT, OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THAT WE SPEND TOO MUCH ON ADMINISTRATION. CORRECT. UM, AND THE REPORT HERE SHOWS THAT, THAT YOU SPEND, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, A FULL PERCENTAGE POINT MORE THAN THE STATE AVERAGE ON ADMINISTRATION. BUT, AND, AND YOU STILL SPEND SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THE PEER GROUP, BUT THE ENTIRE PEER GROUP IS HIGHER THAN, THAN THE ENTIRE STATE. IS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON WHY, YOU KNOW, DISTRICTS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO CEDAR HILL ARE SPENDING MORE YEAH. IN ADMINISTRATION? CERTAINLY THE STATE AVERAGE, IF YOU GO ALL THE WAY, AND, AND I'LL ASK DR. HUDSON IF HE HAS ANY OTHER FURTHER COMMENTS, BUT, UM, THAT FACTORS IN SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT I HAVE 140,000 KIDS AND MORE AND THAT REALLY SKEWS SOME OF THE STATE AVERAGE NUMBERS DOWN. UM, OKAY, SO, SO WHEN YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, FORT WORTH, ONE OF THE LARGEST OR OUR LINKEDIN, THEY HAVE ONE SUPERINTENDENT, THEY HAVE, AND NEXT DOWN EVEN THE SMALLEST SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE A SUPERINTENDENT. SO YOU DO THAT APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON. THAT'S WHY OUR PEER DISTRICT IS A REALLY FAIR, IT'S LOOKING AT THE RIGHT NUMBER OF STUDENTS, THE RIGHT ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED NUMBERS THAT MATCH UP CLOSER TO CEDAR HILL THAN SOME OF OUR SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY THAT PEER GROUP, I THINK IS A MORE ACCURATE DEPICTION OF HOW WELL CEDAR HILL IS RUN OR NOT. OKAY. AND, UM, I, I'LL MAKE THIS MY LAST QUESTION. SURE. UH, SO YOU SHOWED THAT THE SLIDE WITH THE, THE TEACHER'S SALARIES AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU STATED THAT YOU'RE RUNNING A 4.8, WAS IT 4.8 MILLION? THAT'S CORRECT. DEFICIT BUDGET. AND SO THE, THE BUT THE SALARIES THAT YOU'RE PAYING ARE STILL BELOW THE REST OF THE, ARE SURROUNDING CITIES. CORRECT. AND SO IF THE VADER PASSES, IS THAT GOING TO FULLY FUND THOSE SALARIES OR IS THAT GOING TO GET YOU KIND OF, CUZ YOU'RE REALLY STILL, STILL NOT IN A COMPETITIVE RANGE. EVEN IF YOU FUND THOSE SALARIES, IT, IT GETS US MORE COMPETITIVE. SO, UM, THE, THE PROJECTIONS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM THE VADER PASSING WOULD BE $6 MILLION IN. SO IT WOULD GIVE US A, A MILLION DOLLAR POSITIVE, BUT EACH, EACH YEAR THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SURE AND, AND, AND REDO THE CALCULATIONS TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT WILL PUT US. UM, WE DIDN'T FEEL THAT WE COULD GO ANY HIGHER BASED ON WHAT OUR AVAILABLE FUND BALANCE WAS AND BASED ON HER FUNDING. SO I CAN TELL YOU AS A BOARD MEMBER, UM, WE ARE UNE WE'RE UNCOMFORTABLE EVEN GOING AS FAR AS WE HAVE. UM, UM, BUT THAT'S, UH, WITH HER FUNDING, WITH COVID FUNDING THAT IS OUT THERE IF WE HAVE TO MAKE A DRASTIC CHANGE. SO IF THE VADER DOES NOT PASS, WE WILL HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD COMPLETELY AND REVAMP EVERY, EVERY OPTION AVAILABLE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR PRESIDENT TRUSTEE? UM, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, I I DO REMEMBER, UM, IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS THAT, UM, BELY COLEMAN WAS, WAS OPENING AND THAT'S RIGHT. AND NOW THE PEGGY WILSON BUILDING WAS OPENING AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT'S 20 YEARS AGO. THAT'S RIGHT. UM, IT DOESN'T FEEL THAT LONG, BUT IN ORDER TO DO MAINTENANCE ON, YOU KNOW, ROOF AND AC AND THINGS LIKE THAT, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THOSE AGE AND LIFE DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG. AND WE GOT BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, TWO TIMES [01:05:01] EVEN OWNING THAN THEY ARE. SO I SEE THE NEED, UM, ESPECIALLY ON THE BOND SIDE, BUT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COMPETITIVE AND WE BRING IN THE RIGHT TALENT TO BE ABLE TO TEACH OUR YOUTH. SO, UM, I WISH YOU LUCK AND SUCCESS ON THE BOND AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AS WELL TODAY. APPRECIATE. CAN YOU, UM, UH, GIMME FIVE SECONDS AFTER WE ADJOURN, I WANT TO MENTION SOMETHING TO YOU. I'D BE HONORED. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UH, BRIEFING SESSION. COUNSEL, UH, ARE TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION TO ADJOURN. WE HAVE A MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. UH, THAT IS A NON DEBATABLE MOTION. ON A FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. I HAVE 7 0 6 COUNSEL. WE ARE. * 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.