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OH, ARE WE READY? ARE WE HOT? GOOD EVENING,
[1. Call the meeting to order.]
EVERYONE.I WANNA OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
THIS IS THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE, UH, BRIEFING SESSION.
WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF CITY COUNCIL PRESENT.
OPEN CARRY OF FIREARMS IS NOT PERMITTED WITHIN THESE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
[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]
ON THE AGENDA IS CITY MANAGER REPORTS.HOW YOU DOING, MR. CITY MANAGER? I'M DOING, THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL DAY.
YOU CAN, UH, FEEL THE EXCITEMENT IN THE AIR IN THE LOBBY.
UM, AND IT'S, UH, IT'S STRIKING 'CAUSE IT REALLY IS.
UH, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A SOUND OF THE, OF THE SEASON THAT WE'RE IN.
UH, THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH THAT HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE, UH, IN THE CITY IN THIS LAST FEW MONTHS.
AND THE OPENING UP OF FACILITIES AND THE CHECKING OFF OF BOXES OF PREVIOUS PLANS AND THE LAYING OUT NEW PLANS.
UH, THIS PROCESS TODAY IS VERY MUCH PART OF THIS VERY LONG AND STEADY CEDAR HILL JOURNEY THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN ON.
SO IT'S AN EXCITING DAY TO BE ABLE, UH, TO, UH, CONGRATULATE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MCCURDY ON HIS REELECTION AND TO WELCOME TO THE COUNCIL, UH, GERALD MALONE, WHICH WILL DO THE FORMALITIES OF THAT SOON.
BUT IT'S REALLY INDICATIVE OF, OF THIS, OF THIS PROCESS OF BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THE CONTINUATION AND INVESTMENT OF NEW LEADERSHIP THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE HERD OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO I AM, I'M GRATEFUL TO BEAR WITNESS TO IT ONCE AGAIN TODAY.
AND NOTE THAT YOU'RE NOT JUST SEEING IT IN THE ELECTED LEADERSHIP.
YOU'RE SEEING THAT WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL.
WE WILL ALSO BE CELEBRATING TONIGHT THE OFFICIAL PINNING OF UP AND COMING LEADERSHIP WITHIN OUR, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THAT'S ALSO A VERY SPECIAL FAMILY OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE, UM, TO, UH, CELEBRATE, UH, THOSE THAT SERVE, UH, THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, SO FOR TONIGHT, UH, WE HAVE A FAIRLY EXTENSIVE CALENDAR I'M GONNA GO OVER.
AND THEN, UH, A VERY EXCITING BRIEFING THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ON THE, UH, ON THE DRAFT OF THE CITY'S, UH, TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS ASKED FOR US TO KIND OF REFORMAT, UH, OUR EFFORTS SO THAT THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD A TOURISM SECTOR TO OUR ECONOMY CAN BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, UH, WE CAN TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND YEARS.
AND SO, WE'RE, WE APPRECIATE THOSE THAT SERVED ON THAT, UH, TOURISM, UH, COMMITTEE AND ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING THAT TODAY.
SO I WANNA GO OVER THE, UH, CALENDAR, UH, UH, QUICKLY, UH, TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, MAY 15TH FROM SEVEN 30 TO EIGHT 30, UH, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING THE POLICE MEMORIAL CANDLELIGHT VIGIL.
THIS IS AN ANNUAL AFFAIR, UH, WE HELD AT THE GRADY LAMB, UH, POLICE AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ON BELTLINE ROAD FROM 7:30 PM TO 8:30 PM OBVIOUSLY, THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC ARE INVITED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AND CELEBRATE, UM, THOSE WHO'VE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
UH, ON THURSDAY, MAY THE 16TH, UM, AS SEVERAL OF YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UH, HOSTING A TOUR FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS OF A DEVELOPMENT UP IN MCKINNEY.
UH, YOU'RE KINDLY ASKED IF YOU ARE GOING ON THAT TOUR TO BE HERE AT NINE O'CLOCK AS WE'VE SECURED TRANSPORTATION.
AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT IT'S LEAVING AT LIKE 9 0 3.
SO, UH, IN ORDER TO MAKE THE DAY.
SO PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO BE HERE AT NINE.
UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THAT, JUST LET US KNOW.
UM, ALSO THEN ON FRIDAY, MAY 17TH, JUST A REMINDER, THAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR NEW APPLICATIONS FOR BOARD AND COMMISSION SERVICE.
SO IF YOU HAVE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN SAYING, HEY, I'D KINDA LIKE TO, YOU NEED TO REMIND THEM THAT, UH, FRIDAY IS THE DEADLINE FOR THAT.
UH, ON THIS SATURDAY, MAY 18TH, WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF VISITORS, UH, INTO OUR CITY.
SPEAKING OF TOURISM AND, UH, PEOPLE WHO COME TO OUR CITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL IT HAS TO OFFER, THE ANNUAL HEAD FOR THE HILLS BIKE RALLY WILL BE TAKING PLACE.
UH, IT BEGINS AT 8:00 AM AND AS ALWAYS WILL BE HOSTED AT, UH, HILLSIDE VILLAGE.
UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND RIDER ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN TOWN THAT DAY.
SO ALSO, UH, DRIVE CAREFULLY IF YOU ARE DRIVING AROUND TOWN, UH, IN THAT MORNING, ALSO FROM 9:00 AM TO 3:00 PM OUR FRIENDS AT BUILDING THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY CHURCH, UM, WILL BE CELEBRATING A FAIR IN WHICH THEY WILL ALSO BE SHOWCASING THEIR NEW COMMUNITY GARDEN THAT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
UH, SO PASTOR VIC, WHO I BELIEVE IS HERE TODAY, HAS, UH, KINDLY INVITED ALL, UH, COUNCIL AND CITY PERSONNEL WHO WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND.
AND THEN FROM 12:00 PM TO 1:00 PM UH, THEY ARE HOSTING A SPECIAL LUNCH OF THE CITIZENS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS, WHICH WILL BE GRADUATING VERY SOON.
THAT'LL BE HELD FROM 12 TO 1:00 PM AT THE TINE HICKMAN LIBRARY
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AND CEDAR HILL MUSEUM ON TUESDAY, MAY 21ST IS OUR SECOND, UH, WORKSHOP ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2025 BUDGET.THIS ONE WILL COVER WATER AND SEWER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
UH, THIS WILL BE AN EXTENSIVE EVENING.
SO, UH, WE'LL DEFINITELY PLAN ON, UH, SPENDING THE EVENING WITH US.
WE'LL BE COVERING THREE MAJOR ITEMS. ONE WILL BE THE, UH, RATE STUDY.
SECOND ONE WILL BE THE PRESENTATION OF A BRAND NEW WATER AND WASTEWATER MASTER PLAN.
SO THESE, THESE WILL BE THE DOCUMENTS THAT WILL FEED YOUR CIS INTO THE FUTURE.
AND THEN WE'LL ACTUALLY GO OVER THE TRADITIONAL UPDATES ON PROJECTS THAT ARE IN PLAY AND PROJECTS THAT ARE NEXT UP ON THE LIST.
SO WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER, UH, NEXT TUESDAY.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU.
UM, THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST WORKSHOP THAT WE WILL HOLD IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE TINE HICKMAN LIBRARY.
SO WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO TEST THAT NEW BUILDING OUT, UM, AND ALL OF, UH, ALL OF ITS FACILITIES.
WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A SIGN, OR WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY POST IT HERE.
'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S LIKE OLD HABIT TO GO TO THE FOURTH FLOOR.
SO, JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY REMEMBERS, UH, ON THURSDAY, MAY 23RD FROM SEVEN 30 TO NINE, UH, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL BE CELEBRATING THE GRADUATION OF THE LATEST CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY CLASS.
THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD GROUP.
THEY HAVE DONE A LOT OF GREAT STUFF OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND THEN, SO THEIR DINNER AND AND GRADUATION CEREMONY WILL BE FROM SEVEN 30 TO NINE AT THE ALLEN E SIMS RECREATION CENTER.
AND AS ALWAYS, COUNCIL IS INVITED.
IN FACT, WE'VE POSTED, UH, COURTESY POSTING ON THAT.
SO IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE TO COME, UH, PLEASE DO.
SATURDAY, MAY 25TH IS, UH, THE NEXT CEDAR HILL FARMER'S MARKET.
I HEARD GREAT THINGS ABOUT THEIR FIRST ONE THIS LAST SATURDAY.
AND ALSO, THIS IS A BIG DAY FOR US BECAUSE IT'S THE OPENING DAY OF THE LAGOON.
SO IF YOU'VE BEEN WAITING TO GET INTO THE POOL, UH, YOU ONLY HAVE JUST ANOTHER WEEK OR SO TO, TO, TO WAIT.
SO, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT MONDAY, MAY 27TH, UH, CITY OFFICES WILL BE CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY.
AND THEN OUR NEXT REGULAR CITY COUNCIL, UH, MEETING WILL BE HELD ON TUESDAY, MAY 28TH, UH, FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, WE WILL BE HOLDING NEW COUNCIL PHOTOS ON THE 28TH PRIOR.
SO I THINK THE CITY SECRETARY SET THREE 30 OR SO WILL GIVE YOU ADDITIONAL, UM, INFORMATION ON WHERE TO MEET AND SO FORTH.
BUT I BELIEVE THE PICTURES WILL BE TAKEN AT, UH, THE NEW LIBRARY AND SIGNATURE PARK FACILITY.
ON TUESDAY, UH, MAY 30TH, UH, THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE BEST SOUTHWEST MWBE, UH, LOCAL BUSINESS, UH, WORKSHOP, UH, THAT HAS BEEN VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR OUR REGION, FOR OUR CITY.
THIS ONE WILL BE HOSTED BY OUR PARTNERS WITH THE CITY OF DESOTO, UH, FROM SIX 30 TO 8:00 PM AT IN THEIR COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT TWO 11 EAST PLEASANT RUN ROAD.
UM, JUST TO NOTE, YOU KNOW, THAT STARTED OUT WITH, UH, THREE CITIES AND NOW THERE ARE SIX CITIES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT PROGRAM.
AND SO IT CONTINUES TO, UH, GARNER A LOT OF, UM, OF SUPPORT AND INTEREST AMONGST THE, UH, CONTRACTING COMMUNITY.
IT IS THE FIRST DAY OF JUNE, AND ALSO THE FIRST, UH, THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BIG SUMMER EVENTS THAT ARE VERY POPULAR FOR OUR CITY.
SO FROM 8:00 AM TO 11:30 AM ON SATURDAY TO JUNE 1ST IS THE BIG KID FISH TOURNAMENT.
SO THAT WILL BE AT VALLEY RIDGE PARK.
THEY WILL STOCK THE, THE, THE, THE POND A COUPLE OF WEEKS PRIOR.
AND SO I KNOW SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO GO AND TEST IT OUT.
UH, AND THEN ALSO THE VERY SAME DAY, IT'S ALSO THE KICKOFF OF THE LIBRARY SUMMER READING PROGRAM, WHICH IS ALWAYS A BIG DEAL, WILL BE ESPECIALLY A BIG DEAL THIS YEAR, UH, WITH THE NEW LIBRARY.
SO THAT WILL BE HELD FROM THREE TO FIVE.
SO JUST PLAN ON DOING CITY EVENTS ALL DAY ON JUNE THE FIRST, UM, TUESDAY, JUNE THE FOURTH, WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, UH, AND ALSO JUNE THE FIFTH.
SO THIS NOW THAT WE WILL HAVE, UH, SWORN IN THE NEW COUNCIL AND WE WILL HAVE RECEIVED THE APPLICATIONS FOR BOARD OF COMMISSIONS.
THIS WILL BE, UH, THE COUNCIL'S OPPORTUNITY TO DO INTERVIEWS AND THEN ALSO MAKE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE NEXT YEAR.
UH, WE USUALLY HAVE A BACKUP DAY, BUT THE CITY SECRETARY HAS ALREADY TOLD ME WE ALREADY HAVE 27 NEW APPLICATIONS.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE ALREADY SURE THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENINGS IN ORDER TO TAKE CARE OF THAT PARTICULAR BUSINESS.
SO SLOT THOSE OFF IN YOUR CALENDARS FOR US, IF YOU WILL.
IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE THE ENGAGEMENT AND INTEREST THAT THERE IS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY SERVE ON THESE BOARDS.
SO THAT'LL BE A, UH, A GRAND OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO SEE THE TALENT, UH, OF INTEREST IN OUR COMMUNITY.
ON THURSDAY, UH, JUNE THE SIXTH IS THE NEXT MAYOR'S PRAYER BREAKFAST.
AS ALWAYS, THAT'S HELD AT THE ALLEN SIMS RECREATION CENTER FROM SEVEN 30 TO NINE.
AND THEN ALSO ON THAT SAME DAY, ANOTHER BIG SUMMER EVENT
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FOR, UH, THE COMMUNITY.AND THAT IS THE BIG MACHINES EXPO.
AND THAT, AGAIN, WILL BE HELD AT, UH, VALLEY RIDGE PARK FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM ON THE SIXTH.
I WILL MAKE A NOTE THAT, UH, JUNE 7TH ON FRIDAY IS THE FIRST MUSIC IN THE PARK CONCERT THAT WILL BE BEGINNING AT 8:00 PM UH, AND RUN TILL NINE 30.
AND THEN THEY WILL HOST, UM, THEY WILL HOST CONCERTS EVERY FRIDAY IN JUNE AT VALLEY RIDGE PARK.
AND IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT EVENING.
AND THEN THE LAST THING I WILL, UH, MENTION TO YOU IS THAT OUR NEXT NEIGHBORHOOD WALK, WHICH WAS RESCHEDULED, AS YOU KNOW, FOR DUE TO WEATHER, WILL BE SATURDAY JUNE 8TH.
UH, IT'LL BE IN THE HIGH POINT NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UH, THE CHIEF HAS ASKED US TO GATHER AT GOOD SHEPHERD CHURCH, UH, AROUND, UH, UH, 10 TO 10 15, AS WE WILL BEGIN THE WALK AT 10 30 AND END THAT ABOUT ONE.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE COUNTER? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION REGARDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD WALK.
THE WALKING STARTS AT 11, ENDING AT ONE.
UH, SO YOU WAIT JUST A COUPLE HOURS.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD WALK BEGINS AT 11 OR 10 30.
IS IT IS AS WE ARE STARTING TO ADVANCE INTO THE SUMMER MONTHS.
UM, JUNE 8TH COULD QUITE POSSIBLY BE VERY WET, VERY RAINING, OR VERY HOT.
IS THERE ANY WAY OR ANY CONSIDERATION TO MOVING THAT START EARLIER SO THAT WE FINISH AT 12? WE, WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS TRY TO RUN THE THING OF NOT BEING TOO EARLY AND BEING UNWELCOME, UH, BUT ALSO DOING THAT.
WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT MAYBE MOVING IT UP, UH, 30 MINUTES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE SUGGESTION.
UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE CALENDAR? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, QUICK ORIENTATION TO THE AGENDA FOR TONIGHT.
AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE ONE PRESENTATION DURING BRIEFING, AND THAT IS A PRESENTATION OF THE CITY'S DRAFT NEW TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, THEN ON THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR TONIGHT, UH, WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF ELECTION MATTERS, INCLUDING THE FORMAL CANVASSING OF THE MAY 4TH GENERAL ELECTION.
FOR PLACES ONE IN FOUR, THE INSTALLATION OF NEW CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS REPLACED ONE IN FOUR, UH, THE ISSUANCE OF OATHS OF OFFICE AND THE REMARKS BY ELECTED OFFICIALS.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT, INCLUDING, UH, THE ONE I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THE SWEARING IN AND BADGE PENDING OF NEWLY PROMOTED POLICE OFFICERS.
SO THIS IS, UH, THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ALSO PRESENTING A PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MAY 15TH THROUGH THE 21ST AS NATIONAL POLICE WEEK HERE IN CEDAR HILL.
UH, A PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF MAY 19TH THROUGH THE 25TH IS NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK.
UH, PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF MAY, 2024 IS ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS HERITAGE MONTH.
AND THEN FINALLY, A PROCLAMATION DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF MAY, 2024 IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH HERE IN CEDAR HILL, WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT.
IT IS CONSIDERED CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CELLS AND ENTERTAINMENT, UH, FOR A NEW RESTAURANT CALLED HILLSIDE SOCIAL.
THAT WILL BE AT HILLSIDE VILLAGE.
VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND WELCOMING THAT NEW BUSINESS INTO TOWN.
THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER, A NUMBER OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ASK, UH, TO ANSWER THOSE.
UH, AND THEN, UH, FINALLY, UH, WE DO HAVE ONE CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR TONIGHT.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THE AGENDAS? WE DO EXPECT TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING.
I, I'M NOT SURE WE'LL FIND OUT.
IF, UH, IF NOT, I WILL NOT MOVE IT FORWARD.
[3. Presentation of the City's draft Tourism Strategic Plan.]
AGENDA IS PRESENTATION OF THE CITY DRAFT TOURISM STRATEGIC PLAN.UH, WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AND PRESENT TO YOU A DRAFT, UM, STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY'S TOURISM EFFORTS.
UM, YOU ALL KNOW CEDAR HILL HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN TOURISM EFFORTS TO INVITE VISITORS TO OUR TOWN FOR OVER 10 YEARS NOW.
SO IT'S A GOOD TIME FOR US TO TAKE STOCK OF WHERE WE'VE, UH, COME FROM AND KIND OF SET OUR COURSE FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE CONVENED A COMMITTEE, A STEERING COMMITTEE OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THAT AREA.
UM, SO OUR NATURE AND OPEN SPACE PARTNERS, OUR RETAIL PARTNERS, UM, OUR DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES, AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SHIRLEY DANIELS AND MAYOR PRO, TIM ALLEN SIMS ALSO SERVED ON THAT COMMITTEE.
UM, WE'RE ESPECIALLY THANKFUL FOR THEIR INPUT.
UM, THE MAYOR PROTO WAS THE CITY MANAGER WHEN THE CITY FIRST STARTED OUR TOURISM EFFORTS.
AND SO HIS, UM, CONTEXT AND, AND
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INPUT AS WE GO FORWARD WAS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL.UM, WE HAVE DONE THIS WORK WITH THE HELP OF A CONSULTANT IN THIS INDUSTRY, UM, VICKI SODERBERG WITH CIGNA STRATEGIES, AND THEY WERE CHOSEN TO HELP US THROUGH THIS PROCESS BECAUSE OF THEIR VERY EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE, UM, HELPING CITIES BUILD THEIR DESTINATION FOR VISITORS.
UM, SO THEY'VE WORKED WITH CITIES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ESPECIALLY IN TEXAS.
UM, VICKI IS GONNA GO THROUGH THE DRAFT OF THE PLAN AT KIND OF A HIGH LEVEL, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE A COPY OF THE PLAN IN YOUR FYI PACKET.
UM, SO SHE'LL GO THROUGH THAT AT A HIGH LEVEL.
AND THEN IF WHATEVER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS YOU HAVE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE'LL INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE DRAFT, UM, AND BRING THAT BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION IN A FEW WEEKS.
SO I'LL ASK YOU TO COME UP NOW AND GO THROUGH THE DRAFT.
UM, HAS EVERYBODY FOUND THE COPY OF THE PLAN IN YOUR PACKET? OKAY.
UM, UH, SO, UH, AS MS. REAM SAID, UH, I'M VICKI SODERBERG WITH SIGNE STRATEGIES AND OUR COMPANY IS ACTUALLY LOCATED IN HELENA, MONTANA.
UM, HOWEVER, UM, WE HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE WORK IN TEXAS, AS YOU'LL SEE IN A MINUTE.
AND, UM, IN 2022, THE TEXAS TRAVEL ALLIANCE ACTUALLY MADE ME AN HONORARY TEXAN BECAUSE I SPEND SO MUCH TIME HERE.
SO I'M VERY BLESSED BY THAT DESIGNATION.
UM, I PERSONALLY HAVE OVER 38 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE TOURISM AND DOWNTOWN INDUSTRY, AND OUR TEAM AS A WHOLE HAS A COLLECTIVE 80 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
SO WE KNOW THE INS AND OUTS OF BOTH DOWNTOWNS AND TOURISM, WHAT WE'VE SEEN WORK AND WHAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN WORK IN OTHER COMMUNITIES AND BROUGHT ALL THAT EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE TO CEDAR HEALTH FOR THIS PROJECT.
UM, THIS JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA, UM, ON THE LEFT IS PROVINCES AND STATES, AND ON THE RIGHT IS COMMUNITIES IN TEXAS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A PRETTY BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE, VARIETY OF COMMUNITIES, A LOT OF THEM SIMILAR SIZE, UH, TO CEDAR HILL.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU, I'M SORRY, HOW DO YOU SAY THE COMPANY NAME? I'M SORRY.
HOW DO YOU SAY THE COMPANY'S NAME? SIGNET.
SO, JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF HOW THE PROCESS WORKED, AND THERE'S MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT IN THE PLAN.
UM, WE STARTED WITH EVALUATING YOUR CURRENT SITUATION.
WHAT DOES A VISITOR ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE? CAN THEY FIND CEDAR HILL? ARE THERE REASONS THAT THEY MIGHT WANNA COME TO CEDAR HILL? UH, CAN THEY FIND THEIR WAY AROUND? CAN THEY FIND THE THINGS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR? WHAT IS THERE FOR THEM TO SEE AND DO WHEN THEY GET HERE? UM, SO WE DID AN EVALUATION OF THAT.
UM, WE ALSO RESEARCHED YOUR COMPETITION, UH, AND WHAT, WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THAT YOU HAVE BASED UPON THE ASSETS THAT YOU HAVE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, AND THEN ALSO FROM OUR EXPERTISE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME BEST PRACTICES THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR CEDAR HILL.
NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US, AND WE TALKED A LOT IN THE COMMU IN THE COMMITTEE ABOUT, IS THAT WE, WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT TOURISM IS AN ASSET FOR A COMMUNITY, BUT WE DON'T WANT TOURISM IMPROVING YOUR TOURISM PRODUCT OR YOUR VISITOR EXPERIENCE TO HAVE A DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE FOR YOUR RESIDENTS.
SO WE'RE ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF TRYING TO MAINTAIN THAT BALANCE.
AND WE, WE DID TALK ABOUT THAT QUITE A BIT WITH THE COMMITTEE.
UM, THE COMMITTEE MET THREE TIMES, I THINK.
UM, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF LIVELY DISCUSSION, AND IT WAS REALLY, IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE HOW THEY STARTED HERE AND WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AND CREATE SOME REALLY CONCRETE, UM, IDEAS FOR CEDAR HILL MOVING FORWARD.
UH, ALSO WORKED WITH THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD, UH, TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE AND WHAT THEIR VISION IS SPECIFICALLY FOR DOWNTOWN.
AND I'M ACTUALLY MEETING WITH THEM AGAIN TOMORROW TO TALK ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PLAN AND GET SOME IDEAS AROUND HOW THEY WOULD LIKE TO START TO PROCEED TO REALLY START IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
AND THEN WE DEVELOP THIS DRAFT PLAN.
UM, I, WE, THERE'S TWO PIECES THAT ARE MISSING FROM THE PLAN.
ONE IS THE BUDGET, AND ONE IS THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
AND THE REASON THAT WE WAIT ON THAT IS BECAUSE IF THINGS CHANGE, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE BUDGET, THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE ORDER THAT THINGS ARE
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IMPLEMENTED IN AND THAT KIND OF THING.SO WE LIKE TO GET FEEDBACK ON THE PLAN ITSELF BEFORE THEN WE ADD THE BUDGET.
UH, THE TIMING OF THIS WILL WORK WELL BECAUSE IT'LL, IT'LL BE A GOOD TIME TO KNOW AS YOU'RE GOING INTO YOUR BUDGET CYCLE.
SO THE, THE PROJECT GOALS THAT WE WERE APPROACHED WITH IS, FIRST OF ALL, WE WANTED TO CLARIFY AN IDENTITY, VISION FOR WHAT IS THE CEDAR HILL EXPERIENCE.
NOW, THIS ISN'T, UH, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY ON A BILLBOARD OR WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY IN YOUR MARKETING, BUT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL AND EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY'RE HERE? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT THEM TO GO HOME AND TALK ABOUT AFTER THEY'VE BEEN HERE? AND THEN BUILDING UPON THAT DEFINED CEDAR HILL EXPERIENCE? UM, WE WOULD, WE WANT WOULD BE CREATING AN IMPLEMENTABLE PLAN SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DELIVER THAT EXPERIENCE.
UH, A PLAN WITHOUT AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS JUST SOMETHING THAT SITS ON THE SHELF AND CA GATHERS DUST.
AND WE'RE, WE REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO THAT FOR YOU.
SO THE IDENTITY VISION THAT THE COMMITTEE CAME UP WITH, UM, WAS A VIBRANT DESTINATION, IMMERSED IN NATURE WHERE VISITORS EXPERIENCED NEW HEIGHTS AND CREATE LASTING MEMORIES, UH, WAS GREATLY WORDSMITHED, UM, TO REALLY IDENTIFY THE WORDS THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS AN INTERNAL DOCUMENT.
YOU WON'T SEE THIS IN ANY MARKETING MATERIALS, BUT IT'S MEANT TO GET EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE AND EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, WHAT TYPE OF DESTINATION YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD.
THE FIRST ONE IS FAMILY FRIENDLY.
EVERYBODY AGREED ABOUT THAT ONE.
UM, AND IT WAS ABOUT ALL AGES.
IT'S NOT JUST FAMILIES, MOM, DAD, AND THE KIDS.
IT'S GRANDPARENTS, IT'S IT'S SINGLES, YOU KNOW, WHO COME TOGETHER IN GROUPS.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DEFINITIONS OF FAMILIES, AND THEY REALLY WANTED IT TO JUST BE AN ALL ENCOMPASSING IDEA, NATURAL SETTING.
ANOTHER ONE THAT WAS KIND OF, KIND OF EASY TO COME UP WITH
UM, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THE IDEA THAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME HERE, OR THEY TALKED ABOUT THE IDEA IS THAT THEY WANT PEOPLE TO COME HERE TO RELAX IN NATURE, BUT ALSO TO MAYBE HAVE SOME ADVENTURES SO THAT IT ISN'T JUST THIS TOTALLY PEACEFUL, IDYLLIC SETTING.
THERE'S ALSO, THERE'S ALSO SOME ADRENALINE RUSH OUT THERE FOR YOU.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE, UM, WAS THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS
NOW GRANTED, ALL THESE THINGS DON'T EXIST YET, BUT BUILDING UPON THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE, YOU CAN CREATE THEM.
SO IN YOUR PLAN, I THINK IT'S MAYBE PAGE 15, UM, IT KIND OF TALKS ABOUT THE VISITOR FRIENDLY INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THESE ARE THE CATEGORIES WITHIN, UM, WHICH THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES.
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR LODGING, THERE'S BEEN A LOT, LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT NEEDING MORE LODGING IN CEDAR HILL.
WELL, FROM A VISITOR PERSPECTIVE, UH, IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND EXPERIENCE YOUR NATURAL SETTING, GIVING THEM LODGING OPTIONS THAT THEY CAN'T GET ELSEWHERE REALLY WILL SET YOU APART AS OPPOSED TO PUTTING UP A, YOU KNOW, A, A FLAGSHIP HOTEL.
UM, THEY CAN STAY IN HOTELS ANYWHERE, BUT THEY CAN'T NECESSARILY STAY IN A TEEPEE OR A YURT OR GO TO AN ECO RESORT OR, UM, GO GLAMPING, WHICH IS HIGH-END CAMPING MAYBE IN, YOU KNOW, MINI TRAILERS AND THAT KIND OF THING.
SO, UM, DOING THINGS LIKE THAT REALLY WILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME HERE AND UTILIZE YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES, BUT ALSO STAY AND SPEND SOME MONEY, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL AWARE OF.
YOU PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO THIS INFRASTRUCTURE, THIS NA THEIR TRAILS AND ALL OF YOUR NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE PEOPLE COME, THEY USE THAT AND THEN THEY GO HOME AND THEY NEVER SPEND A PENNY TO HELP MAINTAIN THAT.
AND SO GETTING THEM TO SPEND THE NIGHT GETS YOU LODGING, IT GETS YOU DINING,
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SHOPPING AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY PLACE TO GET, UH, VISITOR INFORMATION EASILY RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE TALK ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT.
WIFI AND ELECTRICITY IS ANOTHER ONE, UH, DOWNTOWN.
SO THERE'S AN EVENT, THERE'S SOME EVENTS DOWNTOWN COMING UP.
UM, MR. PORTER TALKED ABOUT THAT.
AND HAVING WIFI AVAILABLE DOWN THERE AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S ELECTRICITY HELPS YOU TO RECRUIT A LOT OF DIFFERENT VENDORS BECAUSE THE CAPACITY IS THERE, UH, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARDS FOR PEOPLE PURCHASING FOOD OR OTHER KINDS OF THINGS.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, WHICH DIFFERS FROM INFRASTRUCTURE.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS KIND OF THE THING, THE BASIC THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE IN PLACE.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT EXPANDS ON THAT, AND THAT IS, UH, STARTS ON PAGE 21 IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING ALONG.
AND THAT JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU AN OVERVIEW OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.
AND THEN ON 22, THE RECOMMENDATIONS START.
UM, A LOT OF THIS WAS, UH, DISCUSS, CAME OUT OF DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD WITH, UM, THE DOWNTOWN BOARD, UH, AND, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE RECRUITED FOR DOWNTOWN, AS WELL AS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ALCOHOL, UH, REGULATIONS BECAUSE THE CURRENT ONES MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DO SOME OF THE EXPERIENTIAL THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO KIND OF ELEVATE CEDAR HILL AS A DESTINATION OF CHOICE.
UH, AND SO WE'RE, WE'VE MADE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THAT AND THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT COULD BE AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M GUESSING AT TOMORROW'S MEETING WITH THE DOWNTOWN BOARD
UM, CUSTOMER SERVICE IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AS WE ALL KNOW.
IT DOESN'T START WHEN SOMEBODY WALKS INTO THE BUSINESS OR COMES INTO THE COMMUNITY.
IT STARTS WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER INFORMATION ONLINE, AND THAT'S 24 7.
AND SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT APPROACH TO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AND WORKING WITH BUSINESSES TO UNDERSTAND THAT AND PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME RESOURCES IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
OUTDOOR PROGRAM OR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE IN CEDAR HILL, DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE THE CITY OR, YOU KNOW, PARKS DEPARTMENT OR TOURISM DOING THEM, RECRUITING BUSINESSES OR, UH, CONCESSIONAIRES OR CONTRACTORS TO DO THEM.
BUT EXPANDING THAT OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE BEYOND JUST USING THE TRAILS.
YOU HAVE AN AMAZING RESOURCE HERE.
YOU WANNA PROTECT IT AND YOU WANNA ANY KIND OF DEVELOPMENT TO BE APPROPRIATE, BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO DO SOME THINGS THAT CAN MONETIZE, UH, THE INVESTMENT THAT YOU'VE MADE AND HELP RETURN SOME OF THAT MONEY IN, IN SALES TAX AND OTHER WAYS TO THE COMMUNITY KIND OF GOES ALONG WITH EVENTS.
UM, THE CITY'S BEEN DOING A LOT OF EVENTS AND DOING EVENTS IS HARD.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER WORKED ON AN EVENT, BUT IT, IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK AND IT TAKES A LOT OF HANDS AND A LOT OF MONEY TO DO IT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CEDAR HILL CAN ABSOLUTELY DO, BECAUSE OF THE STAGE THAT YOU HAVE, THE THE, THE DIFFERENT PLACES THAT PEOPLE CAN HOLD EVENTS IS THAT YOU CAN RECRUIT EVENTS THAT ARE PUT ON BY THIRD PARTIES.
THE THING THAT COMES TO MOST PEOPLE'S MINDS IS SOMETHING LIKE A CARD SHOW, A CAR SHOW WHERE YOU ARE THE VENUE AND THE EVENT ORGANIZER RECRUITS THE CAR, PEOPLE WITH THE CARS TO COME IN AND DO ALL OF THAT, AND THEY DO THE EVENT.
SO YOU'RE HERE, YOU'RE THE LOCATION, THE VENUE FOR THEM, BUT THEN THEY, THEY DO ALL THAT WORK.
AND THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT, IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF STAFF TIME THAT HAS TO BE SPECIFICALLY ALLOCATED TO EVENTS.
THE OTHER P UH, THE THIRD PIECE OF THE PLAN IS STORYTELLING.
AND THAT STARTS ON PAGE 25 WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS STARTING ON PAGE 26.
AND THERE WERE SOME SHORT TERM ACTIONS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED IN WHEN WE DID THE ASSESSMENT AT THE BEGINNING
[00:30:01]
OF KIND OF, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH? AND THERE WERE SOME SHORT TERM THINGS THAT NEEDED THAT WE RECOMMENDED TO BE DONE, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, SOME OF THEM HAVEN'T AND FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.BUT, BUT THOSE ARE, UM, PRETTY EASY THINGS TO GET STARTED AND START TO SEE BENEFITS FROM THIS STORYTELLING.
IT COULD BE LOOKED AT AS MARKETING, BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE AND IT'S MUCH BROADER THAN THAT, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE HAVE AS IN TERMS OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT EVERYBODY IN CEDAR HILL SHOULD KNOW A STORY ABOUT CEDAR HILL, THEIR STORY ABOUT CEDAR HILL, THEIR BUSINESS' STORY, THEIR BUSINESS NEXT DOOR TO THEM'S STORY.
TELLING YOUR STORY IS SO CRITICAL BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU MAKE YOUR STORY A PART OF YOUR VISITOR'S STORY AND THAT BENEFITS YOU IN A LOT MORE WAYS BECAUSE ONCE YOU MAKE THAT EMOTIONAL HUMAN CONNECTION WITH THEM, WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, THEY'RE GONNA BE AN ADVOCATE FOR YOU.
THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK, THEY'RE GONNA GO TELL PEOPLE WHAT A GREAT TIME THEY HAD AND HOW MUCH THE COMMUNITY RESONATED WITH THEM.
SO THAT'S WHY WE KIND OF SET THIS APART.
UM, A LOT OF THESE ARE GONNA BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF, UH, THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATION.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO OPPORTUNITIES IN HERE FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO DO THEIR SHARE.
THEN WE HAVE THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT PORTION, WHICH STARTS ON 29, AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS START ON PAGE 30.
UM, THIS IS A RESTRUCTURING OF HOW, UH, TOURISM IN DOWNTOWN HAVE BEEN MANAGED IN THE PAST.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOT JUST DO MARKETING, YOU HAVE TO HAVE PRODUCT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT IN AN EXPERIENCE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING CONCRETE TO MARKET.
AND BY MANAGING THAT AND MANAGING THOSE ASPECTS TO THE, TO THE EXPERIENCE, IT WILL HELP YOU TO HAVE A MORE SOLID AND CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS TO HAVE.
SO WE'RE RECOMMENDING A DESTINATION MANAGER INITIALLY, WHICH YOU COULD THINK OF AS THE PERSON THAT WAS DOING WHAT MICHELLE WAS DOING WITH, UM, VISIT CEDAR HILL, BUT IT'S, IT'S BROADER THAN THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO GONNA BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, A LOT MORE THINGS DOWNTOWN.
AND, AND IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST A BROADER, AND IT REALLY, THE DESTINATION MANAGER REALLY DOESN'T DO ANY MARKETING BECAUSE THEY'RE FOCUSED ON THE DESTINATION AS A WHOLE AND MAKING SURE THAT WHATEVER PROMISES YOU'RE MAKING IN YOUR MARKETING, YOU CAN KEEP THOSE PROMISES AND DELIVER ON THOSE PROMISES.
UM, THE NEXT POSITION THAT YOU WOULD PROBABLY ADD IT, IT DEPENDS ON YOUR PREFERENCES OBVIOUSLY, BUT THERE'S A MARKETING COORDINATOR AND AN EVENTS COORDINATOR, UM, EVENTS PERSON THAT ONLY WORKS ON CITY EVENTS, BUT ALSO ON THOSE THIRD PARTY EVENTS THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, GOING OUT AND RECRUITING THOSE.
AND TO SOME EXTENT, THEY WOULD ALSO BE HELPING TO RECRUIT SMALL MEETINGS THAT THE VENUES THAT YOU HAVE IN CEDAR HILL WOULD WORK FOR.
BUT IN GENERAL IT WOULD BE LOCAL CITY RUN EVENTS AS WELL AS THIRD PARTY EVENTS.
UM, THE MARKETING COORDINATOR, EASY, RIGHT? MARKETING,
AND THEN THERE ARE SPECIFIC TASKS FOR, UM, THE DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD.
AND ALL OF THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THEM AND THEY'RE ON BOARD WITH THEM.
UM, AND SO THAT WAS JUST A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE WE FELT, UH, TO BE IN THERE.
AND THEN THE LAST THING IS THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THE STAFF SHOULD BE, UH, PARTICIPATE IN AND THAT THE CITY WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING MEMBERS OF, UH, THINGS LIKE THE TEXAS DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS NOT JUST FOR WHOEVER'S YOUR DOWNTOWN, YOUR DOWNTOWN BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD BE GOING IN MANY COMMUNITIES, THE CITY MANAGER, THE MAYOR, THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE COME TO THAT OVER THE YEARS BECAUSE IT'S REALLY A GREAT PLACE TO GET IDEAS, NOT JUST ABOUT MARKETING DOWNTOWN OR WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS MIX YOU SHOULD HAVE, BUT A LOT OF THE BROADER THINGS THAT END UP UNDER YOUR PURVIEW.
SO WITH THAT
IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON? UM, THANK YOU, UH, FOR,
[00:35:01]
FOR THE PRESENTATION COUNCIL, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, UH, CUSTOMER GLR? YES.I JUST HAD A REALLY QUICK QUE QUESTION.
IS THERE A METRIC THAT WE WOULD USE TO SHOW THAT THIS ANY PLAN, ANY TOURISM PLAN IS WORKING IS HOW WOULD WE BENCHMARK THAT? SO IF YOU GO TO, UM, SO WE PROVIDED INFORMATION IN HERE ON PAGE, I SAW THAT FIVE.
UM, ABOUT THE, THE DIRECT SPENDING EMPLOYMENT EARNINGS TAX RECEIPTS THAT THE STATE HAS IDENTIFIED ARE COMING FROM TOURISM IN CEDAR HILL.
NOW, I, I CAUTION YOU FROM EXPECTING TO SEE A BIG CHANGE THE FIRST YEAR OR SO, THE FIR THE FIRST YEAR WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO REALLY WORK ON PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND NOT, NOT SO MUCH ON DRAWING PEOPLE IN, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, GETTING THE HOUSE CLEANED UP FOR THE COMPANY BASICALLY.
UM, AND BUT THAT'S ONE CONCRETE WAY THAT YOU CAN START TO SEE THAT, ALTHOUGH WE ALL KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT CAN IMPACT SPENDING THE ECONOMY, DISASTERS, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
BUT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A PRETTY CONCRETE METRIC.
WE WILL ALSO HAVE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN METRICS FOR MEASURING OKAY, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THIS WORKING? HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE WE GOT COMING TO THIS? HOW MANY NEW EVENTS HAVE WE GOT? AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SO, SO THERE WILL BE WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW, AND SO DEFINING SOME OF THAT.
I WOULD JUST ALSO NOTE THAT OUR PARKS AND RECREATION AND OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING ON GETTING SOME DIFFERENT MEASUREMENT TOOLS SO WE CAN SEE HOW VISITORS ARE COMING, WHERE THEY'RE COMING, AND WE CAN COMPARE THOSE YEAR OVER YEAR SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO SAY, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU VISIT THE STATE PARK AND WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM? HOW MANY PEOPLE DO COME TO EVENTS AND WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM? SO WE'LL ROLL THAT INTO OUR IMPLEMENTATION PLANS TO BE ABLE TO REPORT OUT ARE WE GETTING MORE VISITORS AND ARE THEY COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY? AND THEN WHEN THEY LEAVE THOSE LOCATIONS, ARE THEY GOING TO OTHER PLACES IN CEDAR HILL WHERE THEY CAN EXPAND THEIR EXPERIENCE? BECAUSE ONE OF, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, TO BUILD UPON THAT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT SPENDING, UM, HOTEL OCCUPANCY, TAX MONEY ON EVENTS IS THAT, UM, THEY NEED TO AN, THEY, THEY SHOULD BE PUTTING PEOPLE IN BED, HEADS IN BEDS, OVERNIGHT VISITATION.
UM, BUT IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT POINT, YOU'VE GOTTA START LOCAL AND THEN BRINGING PEOPLE IN FROM OUT OF TOWN.
AND THEN AS THE EVENT GROWS, IT STARTS TO BRING PEOPLE IN FROM FURTHER AWAY.
SO IF ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO YOUR EVENTS ARE ALL IN CEDAR HILL, THEN YOU THINK, OKAY, WELL OKAY, THOSE ARE LOCAL EVENTS AND THOSE ARE GREAT, BUT DO WE NEED SOME BIG SIGNATURE EVENTS? DO WE NEED SOMETHING ELSE TO REALLY, UM, DRAW IN PEOPLE? BECAUSE YOUR VISITORS ARE LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT THEY CAN'T GET CLOSER TO HOME.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT, BUT THEY WANT THINGS THAT THEY CAN'T GET CLOSER TO HOME.
AND CEDAR HILL HAS THAT FOUNDATION AND YOU HAVE THOSE ASSETS FOR THIS WHOLE AREA OF THE STATE.
UM, YOU JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE THEM AS A DESTINATION.
UM, YEAH, I, I, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, WITH YOU AND, AND, UM, I GUESS WAS THE BEST BOARD THAT WAS, THAT WAS PART OF THIS OR, UH, WE HAD A SEPARATE STEERING COMMITTEE.
AND THEN ALSO THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN BOARD.
SO THE, THE, THE SEPARATE, THE THE STEERING COMMITTEE, UM, I, I GUESS, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND YOU, YOU KIND OF NEED, I GUESS SOME TYPE OF CO UH, DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO SEE YOU HEAD DOWN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UM, I GUESS FOR ME, UM, DO WE HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE OR WE WON'T KNOW THAT UNTIL THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU MENTIONED ABOUT EVENTS, UM, WHETHER THE CITY DOES IT OR WE HAVE A THIRD PARTY, UH, THAT'S GOING TO DO IT.
UM, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT SIZE STAGE, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR EVENTS? UM, YOU KNOW, UM, I, I, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ON HERE ABOUT A CHAMBER, BUT, UH, FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER OR CONFERENCES, UM, YOU KNOW, I SEE YOU HAVE FACILITIES ON HERE, BUT UH, ALTHOUGH WE MAY NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TYPE OF, UH, CONVENTION CENTER OR CONFERENCE CENTER, I'M JUST, JUST CURIOUS ABOUT IF THERE ARE ANY TYPE OF PRIORITIES OR ANY INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO UM, TRY TO MEET SOME THINGS IN YOUR PLAN.
SO I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE NEXT STEP SLIDE, UM, OKAY.
UM, AND THAT INFRASTRUCTURE SECTION WILL BE REALLY CRITICAL TO THAT.
[00:40:01]
A LOT OF THOSE ARE LIKE LONGER LEAD TIMES.AS YOU GO THROUGH THE PLAN AND REVIEW IT, YOU'LL NOTICE THERE'S A LOT OF RECOMMENDATIONS IN HERE.
MANY OF THEM YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN BEFORE IN OTHER PLANS.
SO YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN, YOUR PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN, UM, THE BRANDING INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND SO THIS IS KIND OF COLLECTING THOSE PIECES AND PUTTING THE VISITOR LENS ON THAT.
UM, SO SOME OF THEM ARE LONGER TERM ITEMS THAT WE REALLY WANNA WORK FOR, BUT YOU'LL NOTICE THE CONVENTIONS, THE CONVENTION CENTER IS STILL IN THERE.
UM, AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THOSE ARE ALL IN THE PLAN AND WE'LL WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH THOSE FOLKS TO ACCOMPLISH THEM.
AND, UM, I DO LIKE THE, THE THREE PILLARS.
UH, IT'S BEEN YOUR FOUNDATION, SO, UH, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, SO WE APPRECIATE THAT.
ALRIGHT, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COUNCIL, COUNCILWOMAN, AZI.
JUST, UM, I GUESS AN OVERALL POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
UM, I FEEL LIKE I NEED TIME TO CONSUME THIS.
THIS IS, I THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PLAN.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN BITS AND PIECES IN DIFFERENT PLACES.
UM, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING IT ALL IN ONE PLACE.
UM, ALLISON MENTIONED, UM, BEING ABLE TO TRACK DATA, THAT'S HOW I OPERATE, SO I LOVE THAT.
UM, MAYBE THERE'S A PLACE OR APPLICATION WHERE WE CAN GET SOME DATA.
THE OTHER THING THAT I'LL SAY IS WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE LIKE THE VERY BEST PLAN POSSIBLE IF WE HAVE NOT TAKEN THE EXTRA FILTER TO SAY THAT WE HAVE REDUCED ALL FRICTION, ALL HASSLES, ALL OBSTACLES.
YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST EVENTS AND THE BEST PLANS, BUT IF IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET TO MM-HMM,
I KNOW WHAT IT IS, ME IS ME, MM-HMM.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT WE, UM, AGREE TO THAT WE TAKE THAT EXTRA FILTER, UM, FOR THAT LAST LITTLE PIECE, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AS IT RELATES TO TOURISM.
UM, AND THERE'S, THERE'S ONE IN HERE ABOUT LOOKING AT PARKING, UM, AND ACCESSIBILITY, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN WHEELCHAIRS OR DEAF OR BLIND OR WHATEVER.
UM, BUT JUST KIND OF LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UH, BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THE LESS FRICTION THERE IS, THE MORE WILLING PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO COME.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, PARKING, I, I DON'T, IT IS A LOT IN HERE, BUT, UM, I GUESS CHARGE STATIONS, IF THAT'S, IS THAT CHARGE STATIONS AREN'T SPECIFICALLY IN HERE.
UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY ADD THEM AS SOMETHING TO CONSIDER IN THE, UM, YEAH, THE PARKING.
IF, IF IT'S, IF IT'S CONSIDERED, I MEAN, I, I, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MENTIONED, UM, UH, A CUS IT IS A CAR SHOW OR, OR SOMETHING.
BUT, UM, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE I DON'T HAVE A ELECTRIC CAR, BUT MAYBE, MAYBE A CHARGE STATION IS A POINT OF REFERENCE FOR TOURISM.
MAYBE THEY COME AND SHOP OR SOMETHING.
I DON'T KNOW THOUGH, OR AT LEAST HAVING SOMETHING THAT, TO GO WITH THIS, THIS SEAMLESS, FRICTIONLESS IS HAVING SOMETHING THAT TELLS PEOPLE WHERE CHARGE STATIONS ARE DESTINATION.
YOU KNOW, LIKE A MAP OF PARK PARKING OR MAP, YOU KNOW, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO LOCATE CHARGE CHARGE STATIONS WITHIN THE CITY.
I THINK WE GOT A GOOD FOUNDATION HERE.
SO WE'LL SEND THIS OUT TO YOU ALSO ELECTRONICALLY, UM, AND THEN HOPE TO BE BACK EITHER ON MAY 28TH OR JUNE 11TH FOR THE COUNCIL'S ADOPTION.
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ALLISON REEM, COUNSEL, THAT, UH, CONCLUDES OUR AGENDA ITEM.
I DO HAVE A MOTION FOR COUNCILMAN GLOVER.
COUNCIL MEMBER INE THAT'S NON ABOVE MOTION.
UH, MEMBERS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
AND I HAVE 6 47 WE ARE ADJOURNED.