Jun 24, 2025 City Council Briefing Session

[1. Call the meeting to order.]

[00:00:06]

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

TODAY IS JUNE 24TH, 2025.

THIS IS THE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING FOR THE BRIEFING SESSION HERE, THE CITY COUNCIL.

WE DO HAVE A FULL QUORUM OF, UH, CITY COUNCIL WHO WAS PRESENT.

I WANT TO OFFICIALLY CALL THIS MEETING ORDER.

I HAVE 6 0 2.

[2. City Manager Reports: City Council Calendar/Upcoming Events City Operations, including April and May 2025 Police and Fire Monthly Snapshots and April and May 2025 Financial Reports. Conduct a briefing to discuss items for the 7:00 p.m. regular meeting]

HOW ARE YOU DOING, MADAM? CD MANAGER.

HELLO, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.

IT'S AN HONOR AND PLEASURE TO BE HERE THIS EVENING TO SERVE YOU AND THE COMMUNITY OF CEDAR HILL.

REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT GET DONE TONIGHT.

SO I DO HAVE A LOT TO REPORT ON, AND WE HAVE A REALLY COOL BRIEFING SESSION THAT AMANDA AND ALL OF HER AMAZINGNESS AND ENERGY WILL BRING TO YOU AND GIFT YOU WITH THAT.

SHE'S GIFTED TO ME ALREADY TWICE, SO, UH OH.

I DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA TAKE FROM HER.

BUT BEFORE THAT, I LIKE, I'VE GOT A FEW THINGS.

IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH ME GOING THROUGH THE CALENDAR REALLY QUICK, AND THEN I'LL GO THROUGH THE AGENDA.

UH, I ACTUALLY JUST HAVE A FEW THINGS ON THE CALENDAR THAT I WANT TO MENTION.

UM, YOU'RE IN YOUR PACKET, YOU HAVE A COUNCIL CALENDAR, AND OF COURSE I PUT THAT IN YOUR COUNCIL UPDATE EMAILS THAT I SEND TO YOU EVERY FRIDAY.

BUT ON SUNDAY, JUNE 29TH, UH, THIS SUNDAY WE HAVE A LET'S WAVE TOGETHER INCLUSION POOL PARTY THAT IS FOR, UM, PEOPLE, ADULTS, CHILDREN OF ALL ABILITIES.

AT THE LAGOON AT VIRGINIA WEAVER PARK FROM FIVE 30 TO 7:30 PM LAST YEAR, WE HOSTED THE SAME EVENT AND IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING ANOTHER ONE THIS YEAR ON FRIDAY, JULY 4TH.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? WE'RE ALMOST IN JULY.

NEXT FRIDAY, CITY OFFICES ARE CLOSED.

AND THEN ON FRIDAY, JULY 11TH FROM FOUR TO 6:00 PM WE HAVE AN EVENT FOCUSED ON, UH, THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN AND SATURDAY JULY 12TH, ALSO FOCUSED ON THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN.

I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, TASSY BENON, TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT, UH, A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT BOTH OF THOSE EVENTS WILL INCLUDE.

THANK YOU, MELISSA.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

UM, SO AS MELISSA MENTIONED, UM, WE DO HAVE A HEART OF THE HILL DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN COUNCIL'S DIRECTION.

UH, AS PART OF YOUR STRATEGIC, UH, PLAN IS TO FOCUS ON DOWNTOWN.

AND SO WE ARE WORKING WITH MEN'S COLLABORATIVE.

THEY WILL BE IN TOWN HELPING US WITH THIS POP-UP EVENT ON FRIDAY.

IT WILL BE HOSTED AT THE LIBRARY.

IT'S OPEN TO THE ENTIRE PUBLIC.

WE HOPE EVERYONE CAN COME OUT.

IT'S FROM FOUR TO SIX.

IT'S REALLY, UM, JUST A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO, IT'S HAVE SOME INTERACTIVE, UM, ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO FOCUS ON, UM, NEW IDEAS FOR WHAT PEOPLE WANNA SEE IN DOWNTOWN.

UH, FOCUS A LITTLE BIT ON OUR, UM, COMPLETE STREETS AND SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT.

JUST GIVING PEOPLE AN IDEA ABOUT WHAT, UM, THE INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON, UH, FOR DOWNTOWN.

SO THAT WILL BE FROM FOUR TO SIX, UH, AT THE TRAFFIC HICKMAN LIBRARY ON FRIDAY, JULY 11TH.

AND THEN ON THE 12TH, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FARMER'S MARKET.

WE WILL BE THERE, UM, WITH A POPUP TENTS, UM, THERE, UM, FOR THE FARMER'S MARKET AT PIONEER PARK, IT'S FROM NINE TO ONE.

IT'S COME AND GO OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE, UM, A PRESENTATION GIVEN AT 10 AND 12, UM, TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT TO WHAT THE DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN IS, OUR CASE FOR ACTION, ALL OF THE INPUT THAT WE'VE ALREADY HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN IS AN INITIATIVE THAT WE'VE, UH, BEEN FOCUSED ON FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

AND SO IT'S JUST REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UM, FILTER SOME OF THAT INPUT DOWN AND LET THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING, UH, ON THAT EFFORT.

AND WE WILL ALSO HAVE A WALKING TOUR OF DOWNTOWN AT 11.

UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAPPENING ON THAT DAY, BUT OUR, UM, MAIN POINT WILL BE IN PIONEER PARK, UH, BEGINNING AT 9:00 AM PRESENTATIONS AT THE SOCIAL CHICA AT 10 AND 12, AND THEN A WALKING TOUR AT 11.

SO WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE.

WE INVITE THE PUBLIC TO COME AND THERE, THERE'S INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, RELATED TO THE PROJECT.

AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY.

BUT THAT'S ALL.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE LEAD ON THAT.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

I WANNA GO BACK TO THE WAVE OF INCLUSION.

LET'S WAVE TOGETHER.

INCLUSION PARTY, I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT.

DE UNDER HEARD, UH, SHE SERVES ON OUR TOURISM DESTINATION ADVISORY BOARD AND SHE HAS A NONPROFIT WAVE OF UNITY.

THIS WE ARE PARTNERING WITH HER.

THEY SERVE THE BEST SOUTHWEST REGION.

IT'S A FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENT THAT CELEBRATES UNITY, DIVERSITY, AND BELONGING FOR INDIVIDUALS OF ALL ABILITIES.

THE FREE EVENT DID, DOES REQUIRE AN RSVP, UH, AND THEY'RE STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND SHE IS ALSO A CEDAR HILL HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI.

SO

[00:05:01]

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU CHASTITY FOR THAT UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN.

UH, THE MAYOR BROUGHT TO US A REALLY FUN EVENT.

UH, TRAVIS GIBSON, NFL PLAYER OF THE CHICAGO BEARS.

WHAT? RIGHT? HOUSTON.

OH, OKAY.

WELL, HE'S AN NFL PLAYER.

UH, SORRY, .

MY APOLOGIES, MAYOR.

I SHOULD HAVE ASKED THAT QUESTION.

FOR THE BRIEFING SESSION.

UH, TRAVIS GIBSON REACHED OUT TO THE MAYOR AND HAS, UH, SCHEDULED A COMMUNITY APPRECIATION DAY AT VALLEY RIDGE PARK FROM NINE TO 1:00 PM ON SATURDAY, JULY 12TH.

AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HOSTING HIM.

WE ARE WORKING WITH HIM AND IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT EVENT.

YES, HE, UH, THIS IS HIS FIRST ANNUAL EVENT.

UH, HE'S DOING IT HERE IN CEDAR HILL AND HE'S ALSO A CEDAR HILL ALUM.

AWESOME.

YEAH.

UH, CEDAR HILL HIGH SCHOOL ALUM.

YES.

THANK YOU MAYOR FOR DOING THAT AND, UH, MAKING THAT CONNECTION.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU.

TUESDAY, JULY 15TH, WE HAVE OUR NEXT STEP IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, OUR PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP.

UM, IN ADVANCE OF THAT, AS CUSTOMARY AS WE'VE DONE IN YEARS PAST, WE'VE PROVIDED YOU A FULL PACKET OF ALL PROGRAM REQUESTS THAT WERE SUBMITTED BY THE DIRECTORS.

EACH YEAR, ON AVERAGE, WE GET ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF BUDGET REQUESTS BY DIRECTORS.

AND THIS YEAR IS NO DIFFERENT.

UM, THE DIRECTORS PUT IN A LOT OF WORK ON THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS AND WE WANNA HONOR THEM WITH THEIR WORK, UM, AND GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THOSE IN ADVANCE OF THE BUDGET WORKSHOP.

SO THAT IS THERE, UH, THERE'S A LETTER THERE FOR ME, UH, FROM ME.

I WILL SAY, UH, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL'S TOP PRIORITY.

AT THE LAST BUDGET WORKSHOP YOU GAVE US DIRECTION TO ADDRESS THE GENERAL EMPLOYEE PLAY PAN.

IT'S ABOUT 10% UNDER MARKET.

AND WE ARE GOING, I PLAN TO PRESENT, UH, AN OPTION FOR YOU TO ADDRESS THAT.

AND SO, UH, YOU'LL GIVE US DIRECTION AND WE WILL IMPLEMENT IT, HAVE THE FINAL BUDGET WORKSHOP IN AUGUST.

SO THAT IS THERE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS, YOU CAN CALL ANY OF US IN ADMINISTRATION.

UH, I'M SORRY, DID YOU SAY WE DID HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL MONIES? UH, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WANT COUNSEL TO DO.

WHAT NOW? UM, WELL, I, I, I WANT YOU TO HAVE THEM, UH, COUNSEL HAS ASKED FOR ALL OF THIS DATA IN THE PAST IN ADVANCE OF THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP.

I WILL SAY WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY, UH, BECAUSE I'M REALLY WORKING TO ADDRESS YOUR NUMBER ONE.

ALRIGHT.

OBJECTIVE, RIGHT? I JUST WANTED IT IS GIVEN TO, TO YOU.

I WANT, I WANT COUNSEL TO KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT AN OPEN CHECKBOOK.

ALL RIGHT? SO I HATE TO GIVE YOU, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, COUNSEL UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS IS A WISHLIST.

BUT IF WE DO HAVE SOME MONEY AVAILABLE, THEN MAYBE WE CAN PRIORITIZE LATER.

SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD.

CORRECT, MAYOR, THANK YOU.

JUST 'CAUSE YOU GOT CHECKS, DON'T MEAN YOU GOT MONEY.

THERE YOU GO.

.

YES.

ALRIGHT, SO THAT'S TUESDAY, JULY 15TH, 6:00 PM TRAFFICKING HICKMAN LIBRARY CITY COUNCIL, PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP.

OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.

'CAUSE REMEMBER WE DON'T HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING THE FIRST, THE SECOND TUESDAY IN JULY, OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING.

THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT.

CITY MANAGER.

I'M SORRY.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

YES.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

MAYOR.

THAT WAS ALL YOU.

UM, TUESDAY, JULY 22ND, WE HAVE OUR NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 6:00 PM HERE IN THE GOVERNMENT CENTER.

UM, DO WANNA POINT OUT ONE OF YOUR BOARD'S REALLY COOL WORK, NEIGHBORHOOD ADVISORY, BOARD LEADERSHIP ROUND TABLE SERIES 2025 CALLED DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE.

UM, THURSDAY, JULY 24TH.

THEY WERE HOST A PROGRAM FROM SIX TO SEVEN 30 HERE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER.

LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THEIR WORK.

AND THEN THE ONLY THING I WANT TO, UH, END ON IS FRIDAY, AUGUST 1ST.

IT'S WHEN THE BEST SOUTHWEST PARTNERSHIP STARTS.

IT'S TGIF LEGISLATIVE SERIES.

UH, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT ALREADY.

UH, JUST LAST YEAR I REMEMBER IT WAS MY SECOND DAY AND THE MAYOR ASKED ME TO SERVE ON THAT PANEL AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

SO, UM, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR'S TGIF SERIES, AND THAT STARTS ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 1ST.

ANY ANY QUESTIONS OR ADDITIONS ON THE CALENDAR? UM, CAN YOU CHECK WITH GOVAN AND YOU CAN GET BACK WITH ME AFTER THE FOURTH, BUT IF THEY DO GO IN A SPECIAL SESSION, WHAT WILL WE DO WITH THE, UH, LEGISLATIVE SERIES? OH, YES, I'M KIND OF HEARING THAT SOMETHING MAY HAPPEN.

THAT'S NUMBER ONE.

NUMBER TWO, UM, MADAME'S SECRETARY, UM, SHE I THINK IS GONNA HAVE AN ORIENTATION FOR A NEW, NEW, UH, BOARD OF COMMISSION MEMBERS.

UH,

[00:10:01]

I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT'D BE A LITTLE, LITTLE OVERWHELMING.

BUT, UH, MAYBE A FEW OF YOU CAN, CAN JOIN AND, YOU KNOW, JUST WELCOME OUR NEW BOYS AND COMMISSION MEMBERS.

SO IS THAT ALL RIGHT, MADAM SEC? MADAM SECRETARY? OKAY.

ABSOLUTELY.

WE'LL COORDINATE TO MAKE SURE WE SURE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER.

SO I BELIEVE JULY 17TH? YES.

ALRIGHT.

UM, ALSO IN THE FYI PACKET BEFORE I GET TO THE COUNCIL AGENDA, UM, I DO WANNA POINT OUT CITY OPERATIONS UPDATES.

UM, THERE ARE TWO LINKS, UH, ACTUALLY THREE LINKS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE PUBLIC.

UH, THEY ARE THE POLICE MONTHLY SNAPSHOT THAT INCLUDE APRIL AND MAY.

AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR ALSO APRIL AND ENDING MAY 31ST, 2025.

UM, OF COURSE, UH, ALL THESE NUMBERS ARE UNAUDITED.

I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE REVENUE NUMBERS ON PROPERTY TAXES ARE DOWN.

UM, THEY HAVE BEEN DOWN, UH, ACTUALLY THE LAST FEW YEARS.

UM, WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE, THE ACTUAL, UH, REVENUES HAVE BEEN DOWN THE LAST TWO YEARS, LOWER THAN NORMAL.

UM, THEY'RE DOWN BECAUSE OF THE LOWER COLLECTION RATE WILL PROBABLY LAND ABOUT 98%.

WE'RE AT 96, 97 0.7%.

AND NEXT YEAR WE WILL BUDGET MORE CONSERVATIVELY AS A RESULT OF THAT.

THE REASON FOR THAT IS WHEN THERE ARE PROTESTS ON PROPERTY TAX, WHAT THEY DO IS THEY TAKE OUT THOSE PROTESTS OUT OF NOT LAST YEAR'S.

'CAUSE THOSE WERE ALREADY PAID TO THE CITY OUT OF THE CURRENT YEARS.

AND SO WE'RE HIT DOUBLE.

SO THAT'S THE CAUSE FOR THAT.

COULD I, COULD, IS HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, UH, ALSO INCLUDED IN THAT? YES.

OKAY.

SO, SO YOU HAVE THE PROTEST HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS AS WELL, UH, AS BRINGING EVALUATIONS DOWN.

YES, SIR.

MM-HMM .

OKAY.

SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THOSE FINANCIALS, ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO US AND LET US HELP YOU.

BUT THAT'LL BE A GOOD IN PREPARATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET WORKSHOP.

UH, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE MONTHLY SNAPSHOTS PROVIDED? NO.

ALRIGHT.

UM, THE LAST THING IN YOUR PACKET IS A LETTER FROM GINGER REED AND MS. CAROLINE MCKEE, UH, THIS LETTER HERE, UM, WANTED TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THAT, UH, CEDAR SHE SHARES FOOD PANTRY IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO INCREASE THEIR DONATIONS.

UH, WE'LL, UM, UPDATE THE MAYOR ON, UM, SOME PROGRESS WE'VE HAD WITH THE CEDAR HILL SHARES FOOD BOARD AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND WE WILL ULTIMATELY, UM, ADDRESS THE COUNCIL WITH, UM, CEDAR HILL SHARES AND A POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP.

SO JUST WANNA BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THAT.

ALRIGHT, I'LL GO THROUGH THE AGENDA, IF THAT'S OKAY.

PASTOR VICTOR JACKSON, UH, LOVE HIS SPIRIT.

HE IS COMING TO PRAY OVER OUR COUNCIL MEETING FROM BUILDING THE KINGDOM CHURCH, UH, FOR OUR INVOCATION.

AND WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GREAT PRESENTATIONS.

UH, THE MAYOR ON, UH, ACTUALLY FRIDAY TO JUNE, I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT DATE.

JUNE 13TH, THE MAYOR WAS HONORED WITH, UH, THE WILLIAM PITSTICK AWARD FOR HIS ADVOCACY FOR THE REGION.

UH, MAYOR STEVEN MASON WAS HONORED AT THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS WITH THE WILLIAM PITSTICK AWARD, UH, THAT HONORS HIM FOR HIS WORK IN ADVOCATING FOR REGIONALISM.

UH, UNFORTUNATELY, THE MAYOR WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THAT LUNCHEON IN WHICH HE RECEIVED THAT, AND HE WAS GETTING BOMBARDED WITH TEXT MESSAGES FROM OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS SAYING CONGRATULATIONS.

AND, UH, SO AS A RESULT, THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, TODD LITTLE, WILL BE HERE TONIGHT TO RECOGNIZE THE MAYOR AND HIS, UH, REALLY, UH, MOST DESERVING AWARD THAT HE WILL BE RECEIVING TONIGHT.

SO THAT'S REALLY EXCITING AND I'M HAPPY AND, UH, TO SEE YOU RECEIVE THAT MOST DESERVED HONOR.

THE OTHER ITEM IS IN RECOGNITION OF OUR DREAM TEAM, CITY SECRETARY AND, UH, BELINDA AND ROSIE.

THEY ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL CLERKS ASSOCIATION 20 25 20 26 ACHIEVEMENT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD.

AS YOU KNOW, BELINDA HAS SERVED THE CITY FOR, I BELIEVE 25 YEARS AND IN VARIOUS DIFFERENT ROLES.

AND, UH, WE ARE VERY PROUD AND HONORED TO HAVE BOTH HER AND ROSIE SERVE ON OUR TEAM AND GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DID AS MUCH DESERVING THIS RECOGNITION.

WE ALSO HAVE A PRESENTATION DESIGNATED THE MONTH OF JULY, 2025, THE HOTTEST MONTH OF THE YEAR.

WELL, MAYBE THAT'S ARGUMENTATIVE TO AUGUST AS PARKS AND RECREATION MONTH IN CEDAR

[00:15:01]

OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT TYPICALLY DO THIS EVERY YEAR, AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF FUN EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE PARKS SYSTEM.

WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HONORING THEM WITH THAT DESIGNATION.

TONIGHT ONTO THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA, WE HAVE THE MINUTES.

UH, ITEM B IS A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 20 25 20 30 DALLAS COUNTY HAZARD MITIGATION ACTION PLAN.

WE HAVE AN AMAZING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOUR CITIES, LANCASTER, DESOTO, AND DUNCANVILLE, IN WHICH WE HAVE A REGIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGER.

UH, AND SHE WILL BE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE COUNCIL HAS ON THAT AGENDA.

ITEM ITEM C IS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH STANDARD SITE UTILITIES FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 316 730 9,000 FOR DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS AT 7 0 2 EAST PLEASANT RUN.

THIS AGENDA ITEM WAS PART OF OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THIS YEAR, AND, UH, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THAT WORK DONE.

ITEM D IS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR A ROADWAY PAVEMENT CONDITION SURVEY IN THE AMOUNT OF $60,899.

THIS WAS DONE, UH, I THINK IN 2017, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, IN WHICH, UH, A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT GOES THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR STREETS.

THEY CAN SEE CRACKS UNDERNEATH THE CONCRETE AND DETERMINE THE, UH, RELIABILITY AND THE NECESSARY, UM, NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE, AND GIVE THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON WHAT THOSE TOP PROJECTS MIGHT BE AND THE COSTS ASSOCIATED.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DELIVERING TO THAT, THAT REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL IN THE FUTURE.

AND, UH, OUR GOAL FOR THAT IS THAT THE NOVEMBER, 2025 COUNCIL RETREAT, WE WILL DELIVER THAT INFORMATION.

ITEM E IS AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH GARVER IN THE AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED 159,548 FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE LEAD AND COPPER RULE, REVISION MANDATE, AND LEAD AND COPPER RULE IMPROVEMENTS ISSUED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.

THIS IS AN UNFUNDED MANDATE PASSED DOWN BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

AND, UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH WANTING TO WORK WITH GARVER TO SATISFY ALL THOSE REQUIREMENTS.

REGULAR AGENDA INCLUDES ONE ITEM, UH, AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO EXIT AGREEMENT WITH YEAR OUT ENERGY SERVICES COMPANY, LLC, ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP FOR DESIGN MANAGEMENT AND RENOVATION OF THE FORMER ZULA B WILEY LIBRARY.

UM, THIS COMPANY IS, UH, REALLY A, A PERFORMANCE BASED COMPANY.

THEY PROMISE THE CITY'S, UH, SAVINGS OF, UH, REPLACING SPECIFIC PIECES OF SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT LIGHTS WITH L-E-D-H-V-A SYSTEMS, AND THEY, UH, TAKE THOSE SAVINGS AND FUND, UM, REPLACEMENT OF THAT.

AND SO, WHAT WHAT, WHAT I WANNA DELIVER TO COUNCIL IS THAT WE'RE UTILIZING THE PUBLIC FUNDS IN A, IN A REALLY RESPONSIVE WAY BY TAKING THE SAVINGS, REPLACING OUTDATED EQUIPMENT THAT WAS PUT IN THE 1980S AND REPLACING IT WITH MORE HIGHLY EFFICIENT, ENERGY EFFICIENT, UM, EQUIPMENT.

SO, UH, THAT PROJECT IS, THAT COMPANY IS HERE UP FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN OUR DISCUSSIONS.

THEY'VE ALSO COMMITTED TO 30% MWBE PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT, AND WE WILL ENSURE TO SEE THAT THAT TAKES PLACE.

AND THEN YOU HAVE A CLOSED SESSION WITH, UM, ME LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

UM, UM, MADAM CITY MANAGER FOR THE ORIENTATION OF THE AGENDA COUNCIL, THERE ARE FIVE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY ITEMS TO BE PULLED FOR CONSIDERATION? OKAY, UM, LOOKS LIKE I HAVE A, UM, LOOKS LIKE I HAVE A NOTE TO TABLE THE CLOSED SESSION FOR ANOTHER DAY.

UM, SECOND.

OKAY.

REALLY, I'M TEASING.

I'M TEASING.

ANOTHER MONTH.

THAT IS ALL.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, NEXT

[3. Briefing on Library Operations. ]

THIS WILL BE PRESENTED BY OUR LIBRARY DIRECTOR BRENDA BELL.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

HOW IS EVERYONE TONIGHT? HOPEFULLY YOU'RE DOING FABULOUS.

UM, TONIGHT, I'M REALLY EXCITED.

I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, REALLY SHOWCASE, UH, OUR, WHAT WE'RE CALLING OUR YEAR END REVIEW.

BUT I'M GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN MEMORY LANE A LITTLE BIT AS WELL.

UM, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT AND TAKE YOUR MINDS BACK.

IT'S BEEN JUST A LITTLE OVER A YEAR SINCE WE WERE GETTING READY TO DO A VERY SPECIAL COMMUNITY WALKOUT CELEBRATION.

DO YOU ALL REMEMBER THAT? MM-HMM.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE GOT READY AT THE ZULA B WILEY, UH, LIBRARY? AND OUR MAYOR HAD SOME BEAUTIFUL WORDS TO CAPTURE OVER 40 YEARS OF, UM, SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY

[00:20:01]

AND WE INVITED THE ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL BAND TO COME AND HELP US WALK OUT OR DANCE OUT, UH, OF THE LIBRARY.

THAT WAS A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT.

AND WHAT MADE IT SUPER SPECIAL WAS THAT WE GOT TO DO THAT TOGETHER.

AND NOT ONLY WAS IT SPECIAL TO WALK OUT AND CAPTURE THOSE MEMORIES, BUT IT WAS ALSO VERY, UM, SPECIAL BECAUSE WE GAVE, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE GAVE THE COMMUNITY A PA TRINKET TO BRING TO THE GRAND OPENING OF THE ENE HICKMAN LIBRARY SO THAT THEY COULD CAPTURE THE OLD MEMORIES AND GET READY TO START THEIR NEW CHAPTER.

WELL, I STAND BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT YEAR HAS BEEN LIKE, BUT ALSO WHAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE, UM, LEADING UP TO THIS YEAR IN REVIEW FOR THE LIBRARY IN THE PARK.

AND I GUESS I HAVE THE CLICKER IS THE GREEN ONE.

RED, GREEN AGREE.

HERE WE HAVE OUR CITY'S VISION, MISSION, AND VALUES.

UH, THESE ARE A NO OR NOT FOREIGN TO US, AND I, WE ALWAYS WANNA PUT THESE UP BECAUSE IT IS A GREAT REMINDER OF EVERY DECISION THAT'S MADE, EVERY STRATEGIC PLAN THAT'S DEVELOPED.

UM, IT IS ALL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF OUR PREMIER VISION.

WE ENVISION CEDAR HILL AS A PREMIER CITY THAT RETAINS A DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER WHERE FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES FLOURISH IN A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.

AND OUR MISSION, THE MISSION OF CEDAR HILL, OF THE CITY, IS TO DELIVER THE HIGHEST QUALITY MUNI MUNICIPAL SERVICES TO OUR CITIZENS AND CUSTOMERS, CONSISTENT WITH OUR COMMUNITY VALUES.

AND OF COURSE, THOSE VALUES ARE OUR GUIDING LIGHT.

SO PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS, STEWARDSHIP, HIGHEST ETHICAL STANDARDS AND BEHAVIOR AND INTEGRITY AND SERVANT LEADERSHIP.

AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE LIBRARY'S VISION, UH, MISSION AND VALUES FALL RIGHT IN LINE, UH, AND REALLY ARE UNDERGIRDED WITH THE CITY'S VISION.

ALSO, WE'RE PURSUING PURSUING PREMIER.

SO CEDAR HILL HAS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER.

UH, WE'LL TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW THE LIBRARY IN THE PARK HAS ADDED TO THAT CHARACTER SINCE 1846.

UH, ALSO, WE ARE CLEAN, WE'RE SAFE, WE HAVE VIBRANT PARKS.

WE HAVE A NEW PARK, THE SIGNATURE PARK, UH, AS A RESULT OF THIS PROJECT, AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY, WHICH YOU'LL SEE LOTS OF, UH, THAT TONIGHT, AS WELL AS EXCELLENT, SAFE, EFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE.

UH, IN FACT, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALREADY OVERFLOWING BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY BEING, UH, SO SUCCESSFUL.

UM, BUT IT'S SAFE, IT'S EFFICIENT, AND A STRONG AND DIVERSE ECONOMY AS WELL AS, UH, WE SUPPORT OUR TEXAS SCHOOLS OF CHOICE, UH, AT THE LIBRARY.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, AS A REMINDER, OUR MISSION FOR THE LIBRARY, WE WANTED TO JUST KIND OF REMIND EVERYONE OF THAT MISSION IS TO BE THE COMMUNITY PLACE OR THAT THIRD PLACE, UH, THAT ACCESS THE DOOR TO DISCOVERY, CONNECTING OUR CULTURALLY RICH AND DIVERSE COMMUNITY TO RESOURCES.

LOTS OF RESOURCES AND SERVICES THAT PROMOTE LIFELONG LEARNING, PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND AN AWARENESS OF THE ARTS.

SO COUNSEL, YOU GAVE US DIRECTION.

IN FACT, UH, FROM THE YEARS OF ABOUT 2015 ISH, UM, MELISSA AND I WERE REMINISCING.

THAT'S WHEN YOU ALL CAME UP WITH REALLY, AND MAYOR, IT WAS YOUR EXCELLENT VISION THAT BROUGHT TO LIGHT THAT WE NEEDED A NEW LIBRARY.

UH, WE WERE IN GRANDMA'S HOUSE, , AS YOU ALL REMEMBER, UM, PUTTING A LOT OF LIPSTICK ON THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT HOUSE.

BUT YOU KNOW, IT WAS YOUR VISION OF EXCELLENCE IN SPIRIT OF INTEGRITY THAT REALLY BROUGHT THAT, UH, VISION TO LIGHT.

AND IN 2017, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, YOU ALL GAVE US THE DIRECTION TO GET BROAD PUBLIC INPUT.

LOTS OF LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, LOTS OF SURVEYS.

I SEE COUNCILMAN GLOVER SHAKING HIS HEAD.

YOU REMEMBER THOSE, UM, BOND, YOU KNOW, ELECTION COMMITTEE MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, MEETING WITH THE COMMUNITY, ASKING, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT? WHAT WAS VERY UNIQUE ABOUT THAT WAS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE A PHOTO OF A NEW LIBRARY.

WE DID NOT HAVE A DESIGN CONCEPT YET OF A NEW LIBRARY.

WE LITERALLY HAD THREE THINGS, THE COMMUNITY'S HOPES, THEIR DREAMS AND THEIR ASPIRATIONS.

AND THOSE WERE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE CONTINUE TO ASK THROUGHOUT THAT TIME OF COMMUNITY INPUT.

WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? WHAT DO YOU ASPIRE, UM, TO BE AND TO DO? WHAT IS THE VISION? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN THE NEW LIBRARY? UH, THAT REALLY WAS A AMAZING JOURNEY, AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS WAS

[00:25:01]

AND IT WAS WONDERFUL, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER.

AND WE SAW, WE STARTED TO SEE THAT PEOPLE WERE WANTING TO HAVE MORE, MORE THAN, UM, THAN AT THAT TIME THAN THEY PROBABLY EVEN COULD IMAGINE.

UH, BUT WE CONTINUED TO ASK THAT QUESTION EVEN INTO THE 2018 THROUGH 2022.

WE WENT ON THE LISTENING TOUR.

UH, WE WENT THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS.

YOU REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE, UH, OPENING UP OUR BIDDING PROCESS FOR OUR DESIGN TEAM, AND WE SELECTED THE TOP NOTCH THANKS TO COUNCIL AND, AND YOUR LEADERSHIP.

AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, SELECTING THE TOP NOTCH DESIGN TEAM, PGAL AND 10.

IKE WAS THE BEST.

AND, UH, WE'RE SEEING THE TESTAMENT OF THAT NOW AS WELL AS OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING.

AGAIN, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT NO STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, HAPPENS WITHOUT THE DIRECTION THAT YOU ALL PROVIDED FOR US AND THE SUPPORT, AMAZING LEADERSHIP.

AND THEN OF COURSE, 2022 CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES.

COME ON.

DO YOU REMEMBER WE WERE OUT ON ONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS IN JULY.

UH, WE CLOSED DOWN PIONEER PARK, UH, OR PIONEER TRAIL, AND WE TOTALLY TURNED THAT INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD CELEBRATION.

I CAN'T BELIEVE EVEN TODAY THAT WE HAD OVER 500 PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT ON ONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS OF THE YEAR.

I THINK, UH, WE WERE, WE'RE SEAN, WE WERE LIKE IN RECORD BREAKING TEMPERATURES.

I THINK IT WAS LIKE A HEAT ADVISORY, UH, OUT ON THAT DAY.

BUT EVERYONE STILL CAME OUT TO CELEBRATE.

WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE GIVEAWAYS.

WE HAD FOOD, WE HAD GAMES, WE HAD FUN.

AND AGAIN, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FULLY DESIGNED CONCEPT OF THE NEW LIBRARY, BUT THE ENERGY AND THE EXCITEMENT FOR WHAT WAS TO COME WAS ELECTRIC.

UM, I REMEMBER THAT DAY WAS VERY SPECIAL BECAUSE OUR OWN VERY OWN MS TRAFFICKING HICKMAN WAS ALSO ABLE TO BE THERE WITH US.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE THOSE MOMENTS WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, AT OUR GROUNDBREAKING.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, UH, YOU ALL MAY RECALL IN 2023, WE WEREN'T EVEN 70% DONE WITH THE PROJECT, BUT WE HAD A BEAM SIGNING AND WE INVITED ALL OF OUR COUNCIL, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO COME AND HELP SIGN THE FIRST BEAM TO BE HUNG IN THE NEW LIBRARY.

SO YOUR SIGNATURES ARE FOREVER IN BRAZEN IN THE FOREVER LIBRARY.

AND THEN OF COURSE, 2024, BUSY GETTING READY TO TRANSITION.

LOTS OF HARD WORK.

THAT WAS, UH, A TIME WHEN OUR, OUR COUNCIL DIRECTION GAVE US THE, THE GO AHEAD AND THE ENERGY TO REALLY BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY PIECE OF THE TRANSITION FROM THE PHYSICAL ITEMS TO THE STAFF, UM, AREAS, EVERYTHING WAS PLANNED.

IT WAS WELL CURATED, WELL THOUGHT OUT, UH, EVEN DOWN TO WHERE EVERY BOOK WAS GOING TO GO IN THE NEW LIBRARY.

UM, EVEN THINKING THROUGH THE NEW ITEMS THAT WE WERE ADDING, THAT WAS A GREAT TIME OF TRANSITION AND JUST REALLY GETTING EVERYONE READY.

WE ALSO WERE IN THE PROCESS THANKS TO YOUR DIRECTION OF HIRING NEW STAFF MEMBERS.

UH, WE WERE GROWING FROM ABOUT A TEAM OF 17 TO 27 AND GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS AND GETTING READY TO SERVE IN A WHOLE NEW, UM, WAY.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE GRAND OPENING, WHICH WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, AND I HAVE SOME PHOTOS TO REMIND US OF, NOT ONLY DID WE HAVE ONE GRAND OPENING, AND I WENT TO A GRAND OPENING RECENTLY OF ANOTHER LIBRARY.

I WILL NOT MENTION WHAT LIBRARY IT WAS, BUT IT LITERALLY WAS SOME HARD HATS, A FEW PHOTO OPS, AND A FEW, UM, SHOVELS.

THERE WAS REALLY NOT A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT ENGAGED COMMUNITY, THIS GRAND OPENING WAS LIKE NO OTHER GRAND OPENING.

IN FACT, I BELIEVE THAT WE SET A WHOLE NEW RECORD FOR CEDAR HILL AS FAR AS THE GRAND OPENING OF THE LIBRARY IN A PARK.

UH, WE CELEBRATED NOT JUST WITH ONE, BUT MULTIPLE, BECAUSE YOU ALL SAY YOU WANTED TO MAKE THIS ICONIC.

YOU WANTED THIS TO BE A GRAND OPENING THAT EVERYONE WOULD REMEMBER.

UM, AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO NOT JUST INVITE THE COMMUNITY, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORD GOT OUT.

WE HAD OVER 60 MILLION VIEWS, UM, WHEN WE PARTNERED WITH K STRATEGIES TO DO THE GRAND OPENING, UH, COLLATERAL AND INVITATIONS AND MEDIA, LOTS OF MEDIA ATTENTION, LOTS OF, UH, NEWS STATIONS, NEWSPAPERS, AS WELL AS A FAR REACH NATIONWIDE,

[00:30:01]

THEY WERE HEARING ABOUT THIS NEW LIBRARY IN THE PARK.

AND HERE YOU ALL GO ALL IN YOUR BOW TIES AND, UH, LOOKING AMAZING.

UH, YOU ALL REMEMBER WE HAD BEFORE THE FULL GRAND OPENING, FEW WEEKS EARLY, UH, THE MAYOR DECIDED HE WANTED TO DO A CHAMPAGNE TOAST.

SO WE HAD, WE PLANNED A VIP RECEPTION AND FOR THE GRAND OPENING, WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE OUR SPONSORS, UH, FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES AS WELL AS REALLY INVITE THE ENTIRE CITY, CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO THE GRAND OPENING.

TOOK SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS.

IT WAS REALLY AMAZING TO SEE EVERYONE, UM, ALL DRESSED UP.

BUT THIS WAS REALLY CAPTURING THE EXCITEMENT, EVERYTHING FROM THE ENTERTAINMENT.

WE HAD DUELING PIANOS, A JAZZ BAND ON THE ROOFTOP DECK.

IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME GETTING TO EXPERIENCE THE SUNSET FROM THAT ROOFTOP DECK OVERLOOKING THE BEAUTIFUL TOWERS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN CEDAR HILL.

IT WAS A DEFINITELY A, A NIGHT TO REMEMBER.

I THINK WE HAD OVER 300, UH, AND 50 PEOPLE THAT CAME TO THIS GRAND OPENING AS WELL, VIP RECEPTION.

AND THEN JUST A FEW WEEKS LATER, WE TURN AROUND AND WE GET READY FOR OUR HUGE GRAND OPENING.

AS YOU ALL CAN SEE, IT WAS, THERE WAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.

IT DIDN'T MATTER YOUR AGE, IT DIDN'T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE.

IT DIDN'T MATTER IF YOU WERE NEW TO CEDAR HILL OR TO THE REGION, OR IF YOU HAD LIVED HERE.

EVERYONE WAS INVITED.

AND WE HAD ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT, NOT JUST THE INTERIOR OF THE LIBRARY, BUT ALSO INTO THE SIGNATURE PARK.

AS YOU ALL CAN REMEMBER, WE HAD THE SANTANA TRIBUTE BAND OUT IN THE GRAND LAWN AREA OF THE SIGNATURE PARK, AS WELL AS FACE PAINTING.

OUR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WERE AVAILABLE FOR EVERYONE TO PLAY ON.

THERE WERE PEOPLE THAT WERE ABLE TO SPREAD OUT BLANKETS AND HAVE, UH, PICNICS IF THEY WANTED TO.

WE HAD OVER SEVEN FOOD TRUCKS, UM, THERE AS WELL AS A PASSPORT THAT GAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE TO EXPLORE THE LIBRARY, BUT ALSO TO, UH, GET A MOMENTUM OF A COOKIE, A DESIGN, SPECIAL DESIGN COOKIE IF THEY FINISH THEIR PASSPORT.

UH, THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND JOINED US AGAIN, AS WELL AS OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, OUR PARKS BOARD, OUR LIBRARY BOARD, ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.

IT TRULY WAS, UH, A DAY TO REMEMBER, AND THAT'S BEEN JUST A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO.

THIS PICTURE ALSO REALLY, UM, CAPS ENCAPSULATES THE FACT THAT THIS WAS AN ICONIC PROJECT.

THIS WAS A 20 PLUS YEAR DREAM OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, REALLY CELEBRATE IN A GRAND WAY.

AND IT ALSO JUST SHOWCASE THE BEAUTY OF THE DESIGN AND THE UNIQUENESS OF THE DESIGN OF A LIBRARY IN A PARK.

THERE'S NOT VERY MANY LIBRARIES.

IN FACT, I DON'T KNOW VERY MANY OF THEM, UM, IN THE COUNTRY THAT ARE A LIBRARY, IN A PARK, THUS DESIGNED THE WAY THAT, UH, THIS DESIGN IS.

AND EVERYONE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME.

IN FACT, WE'RE STILL HEARING, UH, FEEDBACK.

PEOPLE ARE READY FOR THE NEXT, I GUESS, BIG PARTY.

WE HAD OVER 6,000 PEOPLE THAT CAME TO THIS GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION.

UH, SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT.

UH, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

SO HERE, UH, SERVICE BY THE NUMBERS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, MOVING FROM GRANDMA'S HOUSE, WHICH IS WHAT YOU KNOW, WE SO DEARLY WELL LOVED ZILLOW B WILEY TO THE TRAFFICKING HICKMAN LIBRARY HAS BEEN WILDLY SUCCESSFUL.

WE HAVE HAD LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME IN, SOME THAT HAVE NEVER HAD, NEVER EVEN COME INTO THE OLD LIBRARY.

UH, BUT THEY'VE COME IN, THEY WANNA GET LIBRARY CARDS, THEY WANT TO UTILIZE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE OFFER.

THEY'RE WANTING TO CHECK OUT BOOKS.

YOU MAY NOTICE THAT WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE LIBRARY, THERE'S A LOT OF BOOKS THAT ARE NOT ON THE SHELF.

THAT'S BECAUSE OUR CIRCULATION HAS INCREASED BY MORE THAN 80% FROM THE OLD LIBRARY, UH, TO GIVE IT IN, I GUESS IN A, A CLEARER VISION.

WE CHECK OUT MORE IN ONE WEEK NOW THAN WE DID IN A WHOLE MONTH AT THE ZULA B WILEY, UH, LIBRARY.

WE ALSO ARE VERY, UH, EXCITED BECAUSE WE'VE HAD OVER 210,000 VISITORS WHO HAVE COME THROUGH TO EXPERIENCE THE LIBRARY.

THAT INCLUDES NOT JUST FAMILIES FROM CEDAR HILL, BUT FROM THE ENTIRE REGION.

THIS HAS BEEN A REGIONAL IMPACT THAT THE TRAFFICKING HICKMAN LIBRARY HAS HAD AS WELL AS, UH, LIBRARIES ARE COMING.

IN FACT, JUST YESTERDAY WE HAD THE CITY OF ROULETTE.

THEY BROUGHT THEIR LIBRARY AND, UH, SOME OF THEIR LIBRARY BOARD MEMBERS BECAUSE THEY'RE IN A 12,000 SQUARE FOOT

[00:35:01]

UH, ALSO WE'VE INVITED, OTHER, OTHER CITIES HAVE COME.

IN FACT, OUR NEIGHBORS, DESOTO, THEY HAVE THEIR, UH, DIRECTOR'S RETREAT AT OUR LIBRARY.

WE FELT VERY HONORED TO HOST THEM.

THEY WERE REALLY IMPRESSED WHEN WE GAVE THEM A TOUR SHOWCASE.

IN FACT, THEY WERE TAKING LOTS OF PICTURES OF THE A MH MACHINE BECAUSE, UM, OUR AUTOMATIC HANDLING MACHINE IS ONE OF A KIND.

WE'RE THE ONLY LIBRARY IN THIS REGION THAT HAS, UH, THAT PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY.

UM, THAT HAS REALLY HELPED TO MAKE OUR, UH, SERVICES EVEN MORE EFFICIENT.

WE ALSO WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS FROM THE GRAND OPENING WHEN WE HAD OVER 125 VOLUNTEERS.

UH, AND THEN EVEN ON A DAILY BASIS, WE ARE VERY GRACIOUS TO HAVE OUR VOLUNTEERS THAT COME AND ASSIST US WITH EVERYTHING FROM SHELVING TO HELPING WITH PROGRAMS, UM, REALLY HELPING JUST LEVERAGE OUR VOLUNTEERS, UH, WITH THE INCREASED VOLUME OF NOT JUST CIRCULATION, BUT ALSO FOLKS WHO ARE COMING IN AND EXPLORING, UH, THE LIBRARY.

THE SERVICE ALSO GOES BEYOND THE BUILDING.

WE HAVE OUR WEBSITE THAT HAS BEEN UPGRADED.

AND LAST I CHECKED, WE WERE, UH, BELIEVE THE NUMBER ONE MOST VISITED LIVE OR WEBSITE FOR THE CITY RIGHT BEHIND THE HR WEBSITE.

UM, SO WE HAVE UPGRADED THAT AND WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM.

VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

NOW IT'S, IT'S MADE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO FIND INFORMATION, TO BROWSE THE CATALOG, TO FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR CLASSES, LOOK AT OUR CALENDAR, REGISTER FOR EVENTS.

UH, SO THAT HAS BEEN A HUGE WIN.

THAT WAS THE FIRST UPGRADE IN QUITE A WHILE.

AND WE ANSWER A LOT OF CALLS.

WE GET A HIGH VOLUME OF PHONE CALLS IN ADDITION TO THOSE THAT COME IN ASKING A VARIETY OF REFERENCE QUESTIONS.

WE ALSO HAVE, UH, A BUTTON ON THE WEBSITE THAT FOLKS CAN SUBMIT QUESTIONS IF THEY HAVE, UH, A QUESTION.

AND, AND THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE LIBRARY.

YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY'LL CALL AND ASK, HOW CAN I GO ADOPT? I WANNA GO ADOPT, ADOPT A NEW PUPPY.

HOW CAN I DO THAT? AND SO WE HELPED TO DIRECT THEM TO THIS AREA THAT THEY NEED.

AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR PROGRAM, SOME OF YOU WERE WITH US FOR OUR RECENT, UH, SUMMER READING KICKOFF WAS, WHICH WAS AMAZING.

UH, IN THE OLD LIBRARY, WE AVERAGED ABOUT 150 FOLKS FOR OUR SUMMER READING KICKOFF.

IN THE NEW LIBRARY, WE'RE SEEING, UH, UPWARDS OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COMING TO, UM, OUR KICKOFF, WHICH IS AMAZING.

UM, NOT ONLY IS IT A KICKOFF FOR SUMMER READING, BUT IT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE OUR OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, UH, COLLABORATE WITH US.

AND THEY COME AND GIVE GIVEAWAYS AND TELL FOLKS ABOUT THEIR CITY SERVICES.

IT ALSO HAS GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE SUMMER READING FOR ALL AGES FROM CHILDREN ALL THE WAY, UM, WHAT WE SAY, CRADLE TO, I DON'T WANNA SAY GRAVE, BUT CRADLE TO UP THERE, TO GRAY.

UH, BUT IT, IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.

WE ENJOY PUTTING THOSE PROGRAMS ON.

WE'VE HAD A HUGE INCREASE IN OUR PROGRAMS OFFERED A 32% INCREASE, UH, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.

UH, WE'RE OFFERING NEW PROGRAMS NOW.

WE HAVE THE SPACE TO OFFER THINGS LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YOGA AND DIY NIGHTS FOR, UM, CRAFTING.

AND THOSE THAT WANT TO GET CREATIVE, WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER MORE BECAUSE WE HAVE 42,000 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE NOW.

WE ALSO HAVE HAD OVER 40,000 FOLKS TO ATTEND OUR PROGRAMS, UM, IN THE FIRST YEAR, WHICH IS A, A 16% INCREASE, UM, FROM THE ZULA B WILEY LIBRARY.

AND THEN OF COURSE, WE CONTINUE TO BE THAT CULTURAL HUB.

WE CELEBRATE OUR RICH, UM, CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN CEDAR HILL.

AND, UH, WE'VE HAD EVERY CULTURAL CELEBRATION, A FEW PHOTOS THAT WE PUT UP HERE FROM OUR CINCO DE MAYO WHERE WE HAD THE BEAUTIFUL BALLET FOLK LOCO, UM, PERFORMANCE.

AND WE ALSO HAD AFRICAN DRUMMING AT OUR KWANZA CELEBRATION, UH, WHICH ACTUALLY ALSO GOT FEATURED IN, UH, PICKED UP IN THE NEWSPAPER AS WELL.

BELIEVE THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE ONLY KWANZAA CELEBRATIONS IN THIS BEST SOUTHWEST REGION.

I THINK THERE'S ONE OTHER CITY THAT HOSTS THEM IN OUR EVENT RENTAL SPACE.

I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN AREA THAT COUNCIL YOU ALL GAVE US LOTS OF DIRECTION ON.

YOU ALSO REALLY WERE EXCITED TO EXPLORE HAVING EVENTS ON THAT BEAUTIFUL ROOFTOP DECK.

IN FACT, I REMEMBER EARLY IN THE DESIGN PROCESS, WE EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT, OH, DOES THERE NEED TO BE A BAR UP THERE?

[00:40:01]

UH, BUT IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SPACE THAT WE'VE HOSTED, UM, MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS SUCH AS WEDDINGS, BABY SHOWERS, UH, BEAUTIFUL CEREMONIES, BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.

IN FACT, I THINK WE HAD, ONE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS HAD A RECENT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION, UH, FOR HIS WIFE RECENTLY.

AND I KNOW, MAYOR, YOU HAD YOUR ANNIVERSARY FOR YOUR COMPANY.

UH, WE'VE HAD LOTS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND BUSINESSES, UH, EVEN GOLDEN HOMES, UH, HAD THEIR CELEBRATION, GRAND OPENING, CELEBRATION, DINNER AND, UH, PARTY AT THE LIBRARY.

WE'VE BROUGHT IN LOTS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER, NOT JUST EVEN THE BEST SOUTHWEST REGION.

WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME FROM NORTH DALLAS TO UTILIZE THE EVENT SPACE.

UM, AND PEOPLE FROM OKLAHOMA, FROM EVEN SOUTH OF US WHO HAVE COME TO UTILIZE THE BEAUTIFUL EVENT SPACE, THAT ROOFTOP DECK AND THE, THE MULTIPURPOSE SPACE THAT OPENS UP FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND THE OUTSIDE IN HAS REALLY ALLOWED FOR A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE THAT PEOPLE HAVE REALLY ENJOYED.

WE'VE EVEN HAD SOME PERFORMANCES ON THE PATIO RIGHT BEHIND THE NANO WALLS, UM, AND BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT THE INSIDE WITH THE AUDIENCE IN THE INSIDE AND THE PERFORMANCE ON THE PATIO.

LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SERVED.

AS YOU CAN SEE, OVER 18,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SERVED JUST THROUGH THAT 5,400 AND, UH, 20, UH, SQUARE FEET OF EVENT SPACE.

THAT'S BEEN A LOT OF STAFF WORK.

IT'S ALSO, UH, JUST A TESTAMENT TO OUR AMAZING EVENT TEAM.

UH, THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP CURATE SOME WONDERFUL EVENTS AND WORK WITH ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO, UM, MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE.

AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO HOST AN EVENT, OR YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING TO HOST, IT'S SUPER EASY TO, UH, SUBMIT AN INQUIRY.

THERE'S TWO WAYS.

UH, BUT FOR COUNSEL, YOU ALL WOULD REACH OUT TO RACHEL BURKE.

SHE'S OUR CREATIVE EVENT COORDINATOR.

I KNOW THAT EVERYONE KNOWS HER.

UM, THERE'S ALSO ON OUR LIBRARY WEBSITE AS PART OF THE UPGRADE, RECREATED AN EVENT PAGE THAT YOU CAN SUBMIT A FORM AND BASICALLY THAT TELLS OUR EVENT TEAM WHAT EVENT YOU WANT TO HAVE, HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE EXPECTING, KIND OF GIVING THEM THE GENERAL BROAD INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS THEM TO THEN REACH BACK OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS OR THOSE THAT SUBMIT A FORM AND TALK WITH THEM ABOUT WHAT THEIR, WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE.

ALSO VERY, UM, CLEAR ON THE EVENT PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE.

IT'S VERY TRANSPARENT IN THAT IT SHOWS THE HOURLY RATE.

YOU ALL MAY REMEMBER THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE A DISCOUNTED RATE FOR CEDAR HILL RESIDENTS, WHICH THEY'VE BEEN VERY GRATEFUL FOR.

AND THANKS TO YOUR DIRECTION, UH, FOR ALLOWING US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

UM, IN ADDITION, NONPROFITS ARE ABLE TO HAVE A, UH, DISCOUNT AS WELL.

SO ANY 5 0 1 C3 RECEIVES A DISCOUNT, UH, AS WELL.

SO THE IMPACT, WE MEASURE OUR SUCCESS BASED ON WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAYING.

THAT'S BEEN OUR, OUR WAY OF DOING THINGS.

THAT'S A CEDAR HILL WAY.

WE WANNA KNOW WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS ARE AND HOW THEY'RE EXPERIENCING THE SPACE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SEEK INPUT ON CONSTANTLY.

SO THERE'S MANY WAYS TO GIVE, UH, SHARE THE IMPACT.

AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE A FEW THINGS, UH, THAT WE'VE HEARD WITH YOU ALL.

ONE COMMENT SAID I WAS IN AWE AS I WALKED UP AND, AND AROUND THIS AMAZING LIBRARY.

I WAS DELIGHTED TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OF VARIOUS AGES ENJOYING THE MANY RESOURCES AVAILABLE.

ANOTHER PERSON SAID, THE STAFF IS FRIENDLY, EFFICIENT, AND AMAZING, AND THE FACILITY IS WELL LAID OUT AND COMFORTABLE.

BRAVO ANOTHER COMMENT.

THE LIBRARY IS AN ABSOLUTE O ACES OF CALM.

FROM THE MOMENT YOU STEP INSIDE, A SENSE OF PEACE WASHES OVER YOU.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS SO CONDUCIVE TO RELAXATION AND FOCUS, MAKING IT A TRULY AMAZING SPACE TO UNWIND AND GET LOST IN A GOOD BOOK.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I PROMISE YOU.

WE DID NOT WRITE THESE , UM, THAT THIRD COMMENT.

I AM REALLY, THEY, THEY PROBABLY EXPERIENCED THE ENTIRE LIBRARY, BUT WHAT WE CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND I'M SURE YOU ALL HAVE WITNESSED IT, IS THERE'S A DIFFERENT VIBE ON EVERY FLOOR.

SO IF YOU'RE IN THE SOCIAL CAFE, THERE'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT VIBE THERE WHEN YOU COME UP TO THE MAIN LEVEL.

THAT'S OUR YOUTH AREA.

WE ARE NOT A QUIET LIBRARY.

WE HAVE TO REPEAT THIS DAILY.

WE ARE NOT A QUIET LIBRARY.

[00:45:01]

BABIES ARE HERE.

SOMETIMES THEY FALL, SOMETIMES THEY CRY.

THEY CRY BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA LEAVE.

SOMETIMES THEY'RE PLAYING.

UM, AND THEN IF YOU GO UPSTAIRS, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT, UH, VIBE.

WE'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE HAVE, UH, CALLED IT THEIR ZEN SPACE.

I'VE ACTUALLY HAD SOMEONE SAY IT FEELS VERY TRANQUIL.

UM, AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE SITTING UP IN A TREE HOUSE.

SO YOU CAN FIND WHATEVER VIBE YOU WANT, UH, AT THE TRAFFICKING HICKMAN LIBRARY.

AND ANOTHER WAY THAT WE SEEK THAT INPUT IS THROUGH THIS QR CODE, UH, WHICH WE PLACE AROUND THE LIBRARY, MAINLY AT SERVICE DESK.

BUT WE'RE CONSTANTLY ASKING, HOW DID WE DO? SO PEOPLE CAN ALSO ANONYMOUSLY SCAN THAT QR CODE.

UH, THEY CAN TELL US THEIR EXPERIENCE.

UH, THEY CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, GIVE US FEEDBACK, LET US KNOW WHAT DO THEY WANNA SEE.

WE ALSO HAVE A WAY ON THE WEBSITE THAT, UM, WE'RE ASKING THEM, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE BOOKS THAT YOU, WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR COLLECTION THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE? UH, WE RECEIVE THOSE SUGGESTIONS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.

AND SO WE REALLY TRIED TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT WE GAVE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO GIVE THEIR SHARE THEIR IMPACT BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT.

UH, WE REVIEW THIS CONSTANTLY AND A LOT OF DECISIONS ARE MADE.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALREADY MOVED SOME FURNITURE AROUND.

SO IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN LATELY, YOU MAY NOTICE WE'VE MOVED A LITTLE BIT OF FURNITURE AROUND BECAUSE, UH, ONE OF THE EXAMPLES IS OUR STUDY ROOMS. WE HAD A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FURNITURE IN THE EIGHT STUDY ROOMS. AND WE THOUGHT, OH, EVERYONE'S GONNA LOVE THESE LOW SEATS WITH A LITTLE CUTE LAPTOP DESK CONNECTED TO THEM.