* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. GOOD MORNING, [00:00:01] EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO [1. Meeting called to Order The AACOG Board of Directors is meeting in accordance with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code (Open Meetings Act). As such, the Board of Directors reserves the right to retire into executive session concerning any of the items listed on this Agenda whenever it is considered necessary and legally justified under the Texas Open Meetings Act.] THE MONTHLY BOARD MEETING, VALMORE AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22ND, 2023. LET'S CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. CAN WE HAVE A ROLL CALL? SUSIE? YES, SIR. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. JUDGE TEAL. HERE. JUDGE KELLY. HERE. COUNCILMAN BOOK HERE. COUNCILMAN BRAVO. HERE. COMMISSIONER CALVER. AMY PUTNEY FOR COMMISSIONER CALVER, JUDGE CAMACHO. RAY CALLO FOR JUDGE CAMACHO. COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES. MARCUS QUINN FOR COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES FERRIS. HERE, JUDGE COO. MARK GILLESPIE. FOR JOHN MAYOR DA. HERE. MAYOR DENNIS. HERE. JUDGE EVANS. HERE. MAYOR EICHNER IS EXCUSED. EXCUSE ME. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. MR. OCKER. PRESENT. JUDGE HEKE. HERE. JUDGE JONES. HERE. JUDGE KRAK, YOU'RE SO, JUDGE KUCHER IS EXCUSED. MS. LEWIS. HERE, JUDGE LEWIS IS EXCUSED. EZ. COMMISSIONER MOODY. HERE. REPRESENTATIVE MER KELLY EARLY FOR REPRESENTATIVE ME COUNSELMAN ELIAS. MAYOR SCHRODER. HERE JUDGE. MR. BASQUEZ. MR. VALDIVIA MARK FREEBERG FOR CHAIRMAN VALDIVIA. MAYOR WILLIAMS. I, MR. HOFFMAN, REPRESENTATIVE HEMP SENATOR ZINI. WE HAVE A QUO. THANK YOU, SUSIE. UH, THIS TIME WE'LL DO THE PLEDGE, BELIEVE PLEDGE ALLEG TO STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS? ONE NATION GOD, INDIVISIBLE, DELIBERATELY. PLEDGE. PLEDGE. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ARE THERE ANY DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST FROM ANY MEMBER OF THE BOARD ON ANY AGENDA ITEM? HEARING NONE. WE'LL MOVE ON AND [6. Congressman Henry Cuellar] INTRODUCE OUR CONGRESSMAN HENRY COYAR. GOOD JOB. WE, AGAIN, TO ALL OF Y'ALL, I, I WANNA JUST TAKE A FEW MINUTES, UH, TO, UH, GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE. WHAT'S HAPPENING UP THERE IN WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON'S DOING WELL CAUSE WE'RE NOT UP THERE IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW, SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD . UH, BUT, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS, UH, THAT I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT. I HAVE SOME HANDOUTS. I KNOW THAT THE AREAS THAT I REPRESENT, I'VE GIVEN HANDOUTS. I HELPFUL TO, UH, TO THE, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. LET ME JUST INTRODUCE A COUPLE FOLKS, UH, THAT ARE HERE WITH ME. SO, YOU DUNNO, MY OFFICE GET FAMILIAR WITH MY OFFICE. UH, FIRST OF ALL, SHE'S NOT WITH MY OFFICE, BUT MY DAUGHTER CHRISTINA. AND, UH, TRY TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH MY DAUGHTERS. UH, GOT TWO DAUGHTERS WHEN I'M DOWN HERE. THE DISTRICT, UH, SHOULD BE SOON GOING UP TO, UH, DC WORKING, UH, WITH, UM, WE HAVE ANY HERE, , THE A&M SYSTEM, UH, UH, UP THERE IN, UH, UH, DC SO SHOULD BE MOVING UP THERE. UH, LETICIA IS WITH, UH, MY SAN ANTONIO OFFICE. UH, AND WHERE'S ERIC CLEVELAND? UH, ERIC, UH, OVER HERE IS WITH MY SAN ANTONIO OFFICE. UH, WE'VE GOT ASPEN WALKER ALSO, AND ALSO, UH, MARTINEZ, UH, ALSO, UH, WITH US. SO AGAIN, IF WE CAN BE, UH, HELPFUL TO YOU, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IN DC ALSO, UH, WE ALSO, UH, WANNA BE AS HELPFUL. I SIT IN ONE COMMITTEE CALLED THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE. I SIT IN THREE SUBCOMMITTEES. I CHANGED MY THIRD COMMITTEE, UH, CAUSE THERE WAS A CHANGE OF MAJORITY DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS, BUT I STILL ENDED WITH MY SENIORITY AND MY THIRD COMMITTEE, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT. UH, BUT I SIT, UH, NOW THE RANKING DEMOCRAT IN, UH, HOMELAND SECURITY, UH, WHICH MEANS I WILL HAVE A LOT OF BIG SAY. SO ON, ON HOMELAND. UH, THEN I SIT ON DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS, UH, WHICH IS, AGAIN, VERY IMPORTANT TO THIS AREA. I USED TO SIT ON AG, UH, WHICH ALSO TOOK CARE OF FOOD ALSO. UH, BUT WE MADE A CHANGE ON THAT AND ANNOUNCE IT ON THE [00:05:01] MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, UH, AND VETERANS, WHICH IS NOW VERY HELPFUL. I GOT, UH, THE THREE, UH, COMMITTEES THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR AREAS. AND AS YOU NOTICE, I HAVE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT ADDRESS, UH, MY DISTRICT HOMELAND ON THE BORDER. UH, AND OF COURSE THE, UH, MILITARY DEFENSE FOR ACTIVE. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS, WHICH IS THE AREAS THAT COVER, UH, MY HOPE DISTRICT ITSELF. UM, I DID A SECTOR STATE UP A STATE REPRESENTATIVE. SO I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF EXPERIENCE, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL ITSELF THERE. UH, AS THE MEMBER OF CONGRESS, I'M NOT SENT UP THERE TO MAKE POLITICAL STATEMENTS. UH, SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, I THINK ARE SENT UP THERE. THEY THINK THEY'RE UP THERE TO MAKE POLITICAL STATEMENTS. I'M NOT THERE. I THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH FAR LEFT AND THE FAR RIGHT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. UH, THOSE ARE THE 10% ON THAT SIDE, 10% ON THAT SIDE, ONCE A YEAR. UH, THE MOST FROM, AND THE FOLKS IN THE MIDDLE, BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. MODERATE. UH, WE GET ATTACKED BY THE FAR LEFT AND THE FAR RIGHT. BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DO OUR JOB UP THERE. BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. UM, YOU KNOW, UP THERE IN MARSH THAT IT'S DARNEST THINGS. UH, AND AGAIN, I'LL SAY THIS VERY GENTLY CAUSE I KNOW WE GOT BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS HERE. I DON'T WANNA GET POLITICAL, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE GO UP THERE AND THEY'LL VOTE AGAINST A BILL, FOR EXAMPLE, BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL. ALL I'M NOT FOR BIG SPENDING. BUT THEN ONCE THAT BILL GETS THERE, THEY WERE THE FIRST ONES OUT THERE IN WASHINGTON, IN AUSTIN, ASKING FOR TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS. AS YOU KNOW, THE TRANSPORTATION, UH, BILL ITSELF, UH, WAS VERY GOOD TO THE STATE OF TEXAS. ALMOST 30 BILLION WILL COME IN OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. UH, HIGHWAY DOLLARS, UM, BROADBAND, AND OF COURSE, UH, THE WATER, UH, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE STATE WILL GET, YOU CAN STILL APPLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. I KNOW THAT, UH, MAYOR, YOU'LL BE UP THERE. YES, SIR. I'LL SEE YOU THERE WITH MY, UH, BUT YOU CAN STILL APPLY FOR CERTAIN DOLLARS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND AT THE STATE. THE STATE, UH, HAS THE LARGEST SURPLUS, UH, THAT WE SEND IN HISTORY. WHEN I WAS THERE IN THE APPROPRIATIONS, IT WAS THE LARGEST ONE, THAT SIX AND A HALF BILLION. NOW YOU GOT THE REN DAY FUND, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE STARTED WHEN I WAS THERE. UH, BUT THEN YOU HAVE A SURPLUS, ALMOST 30 BILLION. AND AGAIN, TWO REASONS WHY OIL AND GAS, WHICH I SUPPORT, AND ALL THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, THE STATE DID A GOOD JOB AT KEEPING A, WHAT WE CALL IT, ADMINISTRATIVE FEE. UH, SO THEY STAYED WITH THIS MONEY, AND NOW THEY HAVE A SURPLUS CAUSE OF FEDERAL DOLLARS IN THE OIL AND GAS, UH, INDUSTRY. AND THIS IS GOOD. UH, SO I HOPE THAT YOU ALL DO YOUR WORK AND LOBBY, UH, THE STATE, UH, THE FOLKS. CAUSE THEY DO HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. MORE MONEY THAN THEY'VE EVER HAD, UH, IN THE HISTORY ITSELF. UH, THE HIGHWAY DOLLARS, I THINK, UM, DIFFERENT COUNTIES. BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE BREAKDOWNS, YOU CAN SEE THE LARGEST AMOUNTS OF DOLLARS HAVE COME TO COUNTY GU NAME THE COUNTY THAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST 10 YEARS BECAUSE OF THE NEW DOLLARS ARE COMING IN. AND AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE WORKING. IF I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, LET ME KNOW. UH, I KNOW I, I HAVE A MEETING WITH MY PART OF, UH, THE CITY THERE LATER ON TODAY. AND ANYWAY, I CAN HELP YOU BECAUSE THERE'S STILL FEDERAL DOLLARS AND MOST OF THE DOLLARS OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IS WHAT I CALL, AND I'M SORRY TO BRING MY BACK. UH, 80 20, 80% FEDERAL DOLLARS, 20% STATE DOLLARS FUND SIX AT THE STATE LEVEL ITSELF. SO A LOT OF THEM ARE GONNA BE FEDERAL DOLLARS COMING IN. SO IT MIGHT BE A STATE, UH, AGENCY, BUT IF I CAN HELP, UH, PLEASE LET ME KNOW, UH, TO HELP YOU, UH, ON THAT. UH, IN THIS AREA, WE GOT, UH, FOLKS THAT I WORK WITH, TONY GONZALEZ, UH, REPUBLICAN, GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. WE WORK TOGETHER. UH, AND OF COURSE, YOU GOT OTHER MEMBERS THERE, CHIP CASTRO, UH, AND FROM AUSTIN. GREAT. UH, SO WE CERTAINLY WANNA WORK WITH THEM. WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH SENATOR MORNING. UH, IN FACT, UH, WE DO A LOT OF THINGS, UH, IN A BIPARTISAN WAY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. UH, MILITARY, AGAIN, I KNOW THAT SOME OF Y'ALL BEEN TALKING. UH, I DO HAVE A MILITARY FELLOW, AND I THINK, UH, DIANE, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN TALKING. I CAN GO INTO IT. BUT WE ADDED A LOT OF MONEY. UH, A LOT OF MONIES THAT COMING IN. UH, SOME, UH, UH, ALONG WITH TONY GONZALEZ, SOME BY MYSELF. I HAVE RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE. UM, WE GOT A NEW, UH, CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, 29 MILLION. I KNOW TONY GOT ANOTHER ONE ALSO FOR LACKLAND. UH, I KNOW THAT THE IMPACT FEDERALLY IMPACT SCHOOLS LIKE [00:10:01] RANDOLPH. I LITERALLY, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, I THINK I BUILT THE HOME SCHOOL, UH, LITERALLY THERE, LITERALLY NAMED THE BUILDING. AND WE GOT IT DONE. UH, SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UH, ON THAT. SO TONY GONZALEZ, WHICH IS APPROPRIATIONS, AND THEN MYSELF, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON MAKING SURE THAT OUR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS, UH, COME IN. I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I STARTED ALONG WITH, UH, DEREK KILMAN FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, UH, IS THE, UH, IS THE AREA THAT, UH, DIANE KNOWS VERY, UH, VERY WELL. THE, UH, WHICH IS MONIES FOR THE AREA. I THINK WE GOT ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION THIS TIME. UH, THE MILITARY NEVER WANTS TO LET GO OF ITS MONEY. IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THE WORK OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITIES THAT GO INTO OUR MILITARY. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MYSELF AND, UH, DEREK KIL FROM WASHINGTON STATE STARTED SOME YEARS AGO. IT WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, EVEN THOUGH THEY GET MORE THAN HALF OF THE WHOLE, UH, BUDGET THAT WE HAVE, DOESN'T WANNA GO LET GO A FEW HUNDRED, WELL, AT THAT TIME WAS, UH, 25, 50 MILLION AND NOW A HUNDRED MILLION. THEY NEVER WANT GO LET, GO OF $1. BUT STILL, NEVERTHELESS, WERE ABLE TO GET IT DONE. AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT I DON'T WANNA GO INTO THAT I CAN GO JUST HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE GOT. UH, BOTH MYSELF AND TONY. I'LL JUST GIVE YOU SOME OF THE MILITARY THINGS. HUNDRED BILLION FOR, UH, 95 MILLION FOR THE IMPACT THAT BOTH BLACK AND RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE. UH, 15 MILLION FOR TELEHEALTH FOR MILITARY FAMILIES. THAT WILL HELP. UH, UH, OUR FACILITIES HERE. UH, 33 MILLION FOR THE T SEVEN TRAINER AIRCRAFT THAT WILL BE BASED AT RANDOLPH. UH, WE GOT, UH, SOMETHING HERE. I DON'T IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE ROUGH TERRAIN CONTAINMENT HANDLER. UH, THEY WERE GONNA GO OUT BUSINESS, BUT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET A EAR. BUT MONEYS OF 10 MILLION. KEEP THAT BUSINESS, UH, OPERATING WITH 10 MILLION. UM, AND, UH, RENEW THAT AND ADD 40 MANUFACTURING JOBS. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THEM. UH, WHOSE DISTRICT, WHAT CITY ARE THEY IN? ANYBODY RIGHT NOW HERE IN DISTRICT? A ROUGH TERRAIN CONTAINER, UH, AREA. BUT ANYWAY, UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE, UH, WORKED ON. AND AGAIN, UH, MONIES FOR WITH TONY. 95 MILLION FOR THE RECRUIT DORM CONSTRUCTION, 29 MILLION CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, UH, AT THE RANDOLPH. UH, AND THEN I CAN GO ON AND ON. BUT AGAIN, UH, BEING IN THE APPROPRIATIONS IS, UH, I THINK THE BEST COMMITTEE, UH, TO BE IN IS WE CAN DIRECT MONIES, UH, EITHER PROGRAMS OR EARMARKS, UH, TO GET THE JOB DONE ITSELF. FINALLY, LET JUST MENTION A A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, ABOUT THE BORDER. UM, IT'S INTERESTING, UH, THE BORDER, UH, ITSELF. FIRST OF ALL, I'LL SEND THIS JUDGMENT PART OF THE AREA HERE. THE BORDER IS ACTUALLY SAFER THAN SAN ANTONIO. IT'S MURDER, RAPE, ASSAULT, UH, CRIME RATE. UH, THE BORDER IS SAFE. NOW, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MIGRATION, UH, AND SECURITY. UH, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE LATEST NUMBERS, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BORDERS A LOT SAFER THAN EVEN HERE IN THIS PART. DALLAS AND HOUSTON ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS CITIES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND I ALWAYS SAY, PEOPLE SAY, HEY, WHAT'S THE MOST DANGEROUS THING ABOUT THE BORDER, HENRY? I SAY, WHEN I LEAVE WASHINGTON LAREDO AND I FLY TO WASHINGTON, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE POLITICS, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CRIME RATE OVER THERE IN WASHINGTON IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN IT IS AT THE BORDER ITSELF. SO MIGRATION IS ONE THING THAT WE LOOK AT, UH, THE BORDER, UH, AS BEING HOMELAND. WE'VE ADDED MORE MONEY FOR BORDER PATROL, UHFO, WHICH ARE THE, UH, MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT TO YOUR AIRPORT. AND OF COURSE, BRIDGES OVER THERE. UH, LOREDO IS THE LARGEST INLAND PORT. WE HANDLE ABOUT 15,000 TRAILERS A DAY. UH, I'M SORRY, 17,000 TRAILERS A DAY. 10,000 COMING THIS WAY. 7,000 GOING DOWN THERE. IF YOU GET ALL THE TRUCKS IN LOREDO AND, AND COMPARE 'EM FROM ALL THE PORTS OF ENTRY FROM A PASO DOWN TO BROWNSVILLE, THEY EVEN MATCH WHAT LOREDO DOES. IN FACT, IF YOU GET ALL THE TRUCKS, THE 18 WHEELERS HAVE PASSED LOREDO IN ONE MONTH. UH, THEY IN ONE DAY, THEY GO FROM THE LINE EM UP LIKE THAT. THEY GO FROM LOREDO TO ALMOST OUTSKIRTS OF SAN ANTONIO IN ONE MONTH. THAT'S IN ONE DAY. IN ONE MONTH. YOU LINE UP THE TRUCKS THAT PASS THROUGH LOREDO. THEY'LL GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO BOLIVIA IN ONE YEAR. YOU LINE UP ALL THE TRUCKS ARE PASSED, TORE AND PUT 'EM, LINE THEM UP. IN ONE YEAR, THEY WILL GO AROUND THE WORLD 2.4 TIMES. SO BREDOS A LARGE, WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN TRUCKS. WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN TRAINS. AS YOU KNOW. [00:15:01] WE'RE BUILDING A SECOND BRIDGE, UH, FOR KANSAS CITY. UH, SO THEY CAN HAVE THE TRAINS AND YOU'LL GET MORE BUSINESS. WHATEVER WAY YOU SEE EM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UH, KANSAS CITY UP OVER HERE. UH, WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN TRADES. SO WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN, IN BUSES. BUSES SHOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT TO Y'ALL. UH, BECAUSE BUSES ARE THE MEXICANS WITH MONEY. THEY'RE COMMITTED TO SPEND MONEY AT LIKE, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, NAME SCORES, AND THEY'RE COMING IN. SO LOREDO SMALL CITY WILL BE NUMBER ONE. BUSES, TRAINS, AND, UH, NOT AIRPLANES, BUT IN TRUCKS ALSO ITSELF. UH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN SECURITY AND TOURISM AND TRADE. WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS KEEP THE BAD PEOPLE A CRIMINAL ALIENS. AND WE WANNA GO AHEAD AND, AND STOP THE DRUGS. NOW, IF YOU LISTEN TO THE TV COMMERCIALS, YOU'LL SEE, UH, ADVERTISING. YOU'LL SEE, OH, MIGRANTS ARE BRINGING IN DRUGS AND ALL THAT WRONG. WHAT THEY'RE COMING IN ARE PORT OF ENTRY. AND WE NEED TO PUT TECHNOLOGY AT THE PORT OF ENTRY. AND, UH, 94% OF THE METH WILL COME IN THROUGH PORTS OF ENTRY. 91% OF THE FENTANYL WILL COME THROUGH PORTS OF ENTRY. BUT THEY ALSO COME IN FROM CHINA AND OTHER PLACES THROUGH THE MAIL ITSELF. AND SEAPORTS AIRPORTS AGAIN. SO WE GOTTA KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE BORDER ITSELF. NOW, THE PRECEDENT, AND I, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS SAY THAT WE AT THE BORDER OF MEXICO CITY AND WASHINGTON, DC DOESN'T GET THE BORDER AT ALL. THEY DON'T GET THE BORDER AT ALL. UH, IT'S EITHER TOO EXTREME ONE WAY OR THE EXTREME. UH, AND I'LL BE FAIR TO BOTH PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT TRUMP, UH, DIDN'T WANT TO LET ANYBODY IN, YOU KNOW, YET ONE OF A BAND WANTED IT THIS WRONG. PRESIDENT BIDEN, ALMOST THE FIRST YEAR WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY IN WRONG ITSELF. YOU GOTTA FIND A BALANCE. THERE'S A NEW RULE THAT THE PRESIDENT THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, THAT IS INTERESTING. THE IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST HATED. WE AT THE BORDER. WE THINK IT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IF SOMEBODY'S GOING TO COME TO THE BORDER, WE WANT THEM TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. THAT IS COME THROUGH PORTS OF ENTRY OR EVEN USE THE APP. WE DON'T WANT THEM TO COME IN BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY. IN FACT, UH, IN FACT, WHAT THIS RULE SAYS THAT IF YOU COME IN, UH, IN BETWEEN PORTS, WE'RE GONNA SEND YOU BACK. UH, AND THEN THERE'S AN IDEA, UH, THAT I ACTUALLY STARTED AND I COULDN'T GET A PASS THROUGH THE APPROPRIATIONS, UM, WHEN THE DEMOCRATS ARE MAJORITY. BUT IT SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE SOMEBODY ASKING FOR ASYLUM, THINK ABOUT THIS. YOU'RE ASKING FOR ASYLUM. YOU CROSS DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. CAN'T YOU ASK FOR ASYLUM? CUZ YOU'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM FEAR FROM THAT COUNTRY. SO YOU CAN PASS IN COUNTRIES WHERE YOU CAN ASK ASYLUM. WHY IS THE US THE ONLY PLACE YOU CAN ASK FOR ASYLUM? THINK ABOUT THAT. SO THE LAST TIME I HAD SOME SOMEBODY THERE THAT WE HAD PEOPLE FROM GEORGIA, UH, THE COUNTRY, GEORGIA, NOT THE STATE, GEORGIA, AND THINK ABOUT IT, THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH WESTERN EUROPE. SO WHY COULD THEY NOT ASK FOR A ASYLUM WHEN THEY WENT FROM GEORGIA TO WESTERN EUROPE? AND OVER HERE, BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHO GETS MOST OF THE ASYLUM CASES? IF YOU HAVE A HUNDRED PEOPLE IN FRONT OF AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE, 88 TO 90% WILL BE REJECTED BECAUSE AGAIN, CRIME, UH, DROUGHTS, HURRICANE, CRIMINAL, UH, GANGS, UH, POVERTY, DON, UH, THAT DOESN'T FALL UNDER THE, UH, ASYLUM LAW. IT'S ONLY IF IT'S PERSECUTION BY THE STATE AGAINST THAT INDIVIDUAL PERSECUTION. SO THEREFORE, IF YOU PUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE IN FRONT OF AN IMMIGRATION JUDGE, 88% OF THEM, 88 TO 90% ARE GONNA BE REJECTED. SO WHY ARE WE ALLOWING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE PEOPLE IN, OR AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE GONNA BE REJECTED. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE OVER 2 MILLION FINAL DEPORTATION ORDERS FINALLY. AND THESE PEOPLE ARE GONNA STAY HERE FOR A LONG TIME, IF NOT FOR EVERYONE. SO WHY ARE WE DOING THIS BACKWARDS? SO WHAT THE PRESIDENT'S DOING, FINALLY, THEY'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING, UH, WHERE THEY COME IN BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY, SEND 'EM BACK, COME THROUGH THE PORTS, ASK FOR A ASYLUM THE RIGHT WAY. UH, A LOT OF US, UH, AND AND REMEMBER THE FIRST MIGRANTS SAY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A STORY THAT I I GOT FROM THE UHERS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY WERE SAYING, OH, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS THIS OFFICIAL SAYING, HEY, THIS PEOPLE COMING ACROSS THE RIVER, THEY'RE TAKING OF OUR LANDS. WE NEED TO GET RID OF THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE LAW. AND ALL THAT. THAT WAS IN THE 18 HUNDREDS THAT THEY WERE TALKING [00:20:01] ABOUT AMERICA CROSSING THE RED RIVER. AND IT WAS A MEXICAN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT ABOUT THE AMERICANS CROSSING THE RIVER COMING IN. SO WE'VE HAD MIGRATION FOR A LONG TIME. WE REALLY HAVE. WE JUST GOTTA DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. SO WITH THAT, UH, I'LL LEAVE IT OPEN FOR ANY EASY QUESTIONS. JUST WANTED TALK ABOUT, UH, AND, UH, TALK ABOUT IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT APPROPRIATE ONE MORE THING. FARMVILLE, FARMVILLE WILL BE IMPORTANT. UH, ALSO, I SAT ON THE, UH, AG FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE I GOT EIGHT YEARS BEFORE I GOT IN THE APPROPRIATIONS. AND, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. THREE QUARTERS OF THE FARM BILL IS NUTRITION, INCLUDING BEFORE GOES TO MANUAL OVER HERE. ONE, ONE QUARTER GOES TO THE RANCHERS FARMERS. UH, AND AGAIN, UH, THAT FARM BILL COMES EVERY FIVE YEARS. I'VE, I'VE WORKED ON IT AS A MEMBER OF THE AX OF YEARS AGO. THAT FARM BILL IS GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, FOR OUR RANCHERS, FOR OUR FARMERS, BUT ALSO FOR NUTRITION. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TRY TO FIND THE BALANCE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT FEEL THAT ALL OF THAT SHOULD GO JUST TO NUTRITION. THEY DON'T FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD GIVE, UH, QUOTE, UH, GIVE THE FARMERS OR RANCHERS, UH, CORPORATE HANDOUTS IS WHAT SOME ON THE FAR LEFT SAID. THEN THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE, UH, FARMERS OR RANCHERS THAT FEEL THAT, UH, ALL OF THAT, THEY SHOULD TAKE MORE MONEY FROM THE NUTRITION AND GIVE IT TO RANCHERS AND PARTNERS. IN FACT, I HAD SOME PEOPLE FROM SOME COUNTIES HERE WON'T MENTION, I DON'T SEE 'EM HERE, BUT THEY CAME IN AND SAID, CONGRESSMAN, WHEN I WAS ON THE FARM BILL DEAL ON THE FARM, HEY, WE NEED TO GIVE THOSE PEOPLE, GET FOOD STAMPS AND ALL THAT. GIVE THEM A A MEAT TEST AND DRUG TEST. AND YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY NEED TO BE CLEAN BEFORE THEY GET ANY, UH, UH, ANY HELP. AND I SAID, YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT. AND THEY ALL STARTED LOOKING AT ME. IT'S NOT BAD. AND I SAID, ANYBODY WHO GETS HELP FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE MEANS TESTED AND THEY SHOULD BE DRUG TESTED. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SAID, OH, HE'S TALKING ABOUT US. WELL, NEVERMIND. WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING. SO AGAIN, WE GOTTA TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME, WHETHER YOU'RE POOR OR RICH, WHATEVER, LET'S TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME. BUT THE FARM BILL IS GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT. I ASKED YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH IT. IT WAS, UH, INTERESTING. CAUSE UH, IN TEXAS, WE DON'T HAVE ANY DEMOCRATS ON THE, FROM THE RURAL AREAS. THEY'RE ALL PURPLE, JA CROCKETT BREAKFAST ARE. UH, SO YOU GOTTA SPEND TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IT'S NUTRITION AND THE FARMERS AND RANCHERS. WE GOTTA TAKE CARE OF ALL THEM TOGETHER. QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN IS MIKE. HI, CONGRESSMAN CUE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING. UH, HEY MANDY, HOW ARE YOU? IT'S A PLEASURE, SIR. UM, WE, UM, AT THE CITY, UM, I'VE GOT SOME OF MY COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE WHO ARE, UH, WE ALL FOCUS ON DC UM, IN WITH AN, WITH A LENS TOWARDS BRINGING TAX DOLLARS BACK HOME. I, I'VE GOTTA TELL YOU, DURING COVID AND, UH, OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, UH, YOU'VE BEEN OUR GOLDEN GOOSE IN MANY WAYS, UH, AND REALLY DELIVERED. UM, WHENEVER WE VISIT WITH HENRY, HE ALWAYS SAYS, UM, OKAY, WELL, WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. RIGHT? AND, UM, THEN WE WALK OUTTA THERE WORRIED. WE'RE LIKE, GOSH, YOU THINK HE CAN DO SOMETHING FOR US? AND THEN HE ALWAYS DELIVERS MORE THAN WE ASKED. UM, AND SO YOU'VE DELIVERED ON INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AROUND THE MILITARY BASES THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE MILITARY. YOU'VE DELIVERED ON INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS INSIDE THE MILITARY BASIS. YOU'VE HELPED US WITH THE AIRPORT, THAT NEW FEDERAL COURTHOUSE OF OURS. IT'S GOT YOUR FINGERPRINTS ALL OVER IT. UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING ON THESE RAISED GRANTS. UH, AND FOR, UH, THE, THE GRANTS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE COMING TO YOU, UH, AND THAT I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALREADY QUARTERBACKING ON, UH, REGARDING, YOU KNOW, UH, EQUIPMENT FOR POLICE OFFICERS AND DRAINAGE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LINEAR CREEKS AND ALL THAT. AND, UH, I I I DO WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION, THOUGH. YOUR ROLE ON APPROPRIATIONS NOW THAT, UM, YOUR PARTY IS IN THE MINORITY, UM, UH, THAT HAS ME WONDERING, AND, AND I WONDER IF OTHER FOLKS HERE WONDER AS WELL. UM, IS THAT, DO YOU HAVE THE RELATIONSHIPS IN PLACE ON THAT COMMITTEE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING FOR US OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS? ABSOLUTELY. I, UH, I GET ALONG WITH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. UH, SO IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT OR REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY, I STILL GET MY JOB DONE. THERE ARE CERTAIN MEMBERS OUT THERE THAT BECOME RED FLAGS AND MY DAD, I'VE BEEN BOTH ON THE DNR. THEY GET UP, THEY SAY SOMETHING, EVERYBODY'S OKAY. AND, AND I SEE THAT ON THE D SIDE, AND I SEE THAT ON THE REPUBLIC. I'M NOT GONNA MENTION ANY NAMES. SOME FROM TEXAS. AND, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MATTER. OKAY, WHAT ARE THEY UP TO? WHAT ARE THEY UP TO? I THINK MY PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE IS I GET UP THERE AND PEOPLE KNOW THAT I'M NOT THERE TO, UH, UH, SAY, YOU KNOW, DO A GOT YOU TYPE OF THING. SO IT [00:25:01] DOESN'T MATTER TO ME IF IT'S A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY. I PREFER DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY COURSE, UH, BECAUSE THEN I'VE BECOME CHAIRMAN OF HOMELAND OF PROBES. IT'S A RANKING MEMBER, BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO, IT'S, YOU KNOW, I WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH JOHN CORN, UH, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CENTER OF CORN WE WORKED AT, HE AND I WERE THE ONES THAT HELPED PASS THE, UH, HUNDRED MILLION CALLS FOR THE COURTHOUSE. UH, I DID IT AT THE HOUSE. I WENT OVER TO THE SENATE TO STAYED THERE. AND THAT'S HOW WE DO IT. SO, TO ME, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER, UH, IF IT'S A D OR AN R, UH, MAJORITY, EVEN THOUGH I PREFER A D OF COURSE. UH, BUT IT'S, UH, I WORK ALONG WITH HIM. TONY GONZALEZ, GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. UH, SO HE AND I WORKED TOGETHER. A LOT OF THINGS WILL HEARD WHEN WILL WAS THERE, SAME THING. UH, SO I MEAN, I'LL I'LL TELL YOU VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, YOU KNOW, THE OUTTA THE SANTO DELEGATION. I'M A D I CONSIDERED TONY MY BEST WORKING PARTNER, OKAY, UH, ON THAT R D THANK YOU SIR. CONGRESSMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, BY THE WAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT Y'ALL DO. AND, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, ESSAY TO DC IF, IF, IF YOUR COMMUNITY DOESN'T DO AN ESSAY TO DC OR WHATEVER, Y'ALL SHOULD REALLY CONSIDER DOING THAT. CAUSE IT'S A WAY TO, YOU GOTTA GET IN FRONT OF, IF YOU'RE ASKING AGENCIES FOR MONEY, UH, THEY GOTTA KNOW WHO YOU ARE, GET TO KNOW YOU. SO WHATEVER THEY DO IN THEIR APPLICATIONS, UH, THEY'LL REMEMBER. OH, YEAH, IT'S CONVERSE. OH YEAH, IT'S SAN ANTONIO. OH YEAH, IT'S FAIR COUNTY. WE'RE SO HUMAN BEINGS AT THE END OF THE DAY. SO Y'ALL DO THAT VERY WELL. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU MADAM. THANK YOU. CONGRESSMAN, YOU MENTIONED, UH, IMMIGRATION ASYLUM SEEKERS, UH, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. A LOT OF, A LOT OF MIGRANTS COME THROUGH SAN ANTONIO FOR LOGISTIC REASONS. UM, IT IS, WE'RE JUST KIND OF A CENTER OF GRAVITY HERE WITH OUR, OUR, UH, BUS LINES THAT COME THROUGH HERE, PLUS OUR AIRPORT. AND, UH, THE MIGRANT RESOURCE CENTER ACTUALLY IS IN MY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY. UM, AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR DOING THE BACKGROUND CHECKS, BECAUSE YOU ALL DO TWO BACKGROUND CHECKS ON EVERY MIGRANT THAT COMES HERE. SO BY THE TIME THEY GET TO ARRIVE AT OUR MIGRANT RESOURCE CENTER, THEY'VE HAD A BACKGROUND CHECK IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY AND HERE IN THE US IN CASE THEY'VE EVER BEEN IN THE US BEFORE. THEY ARRIVE WITH ALL OF THEIR PAPERWORK, WE KNOW WHERE THEIR FINAL DESTINATION IS AND, AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM. SO WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK THAT VERY WELL. AND WE APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, THAT ALL, ALL THAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE THEY ARRIVE HERE. I KNOW IT'S, UM, WE HAD TO OPEN THAT UP IN A SHORT ORDER BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A HEADS UP THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU KNOW, OVERNIGHT WE WERE, THE NUMBERS OF MIGRANTS COMING THROUGH HERE WE'RE TRIPLING, QUADRUPLING. UM, NOW THEY'VE SUBSIDED AGAIN A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE IS. AND WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE DON'T, UM, WHERE WE GET, YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ONLY GOING MONTH TO MONTH ON WHETHER THEY'RE APPROVING FUNDING TO REIMBURSE US FOR OPERATING THAT. AND IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE COULD GET TO A POINT WHERE WE COULD HAVE SOME MORE STAB LONG-TERM STABILITY, UM, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. YEAH, SO I, I'M THE ONE THAT STARTED THIS PROGRAM, THE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF WITH 30 MILLION. UH, AND IT WAS ORIGINALLY SAID TO JUST DEAL WITH BORDER COMMUNITIES. MACALLAN AT THAT TIME WAS MORE THE, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF PEOPLE COMING IN, THERE'S TWO PROFILES OF PEOPLE COMING IN. UH, AS YOU KNOW, IS ONE, ARE THE ONES THAT SAY, HERE I AM, THEN THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE TRYING TO EV TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THEN WHERE THE MIGRANTS GROW, IT'S NOT UP TO THE MIGRANTS, IT'S THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS. THEY CHARGE UP TO $8,000, UH, UH, PER PERSON. SO THINK ABOUT IT, IF, UH, IF WE HAD 2 MILLION PEOPLE MULTIPLY THAT BY EIGHT AND THEN INCLUDE THE GETAWAYS, THE BAD GUYS SOMETIMES ARE MAKING MORE MONEY THROUGH PEOPLE THAN DRUGS. THE BAD GUYS CONTROL THEIR ROUTES. AND IF, YOU KNOW, SOME YEARS AGO IT WAS YUMA, UH, ARIZONA WAS NUMBER ONE CROSSING, THEN IT WAS A VALLEY, THEN IT WAS EAGLE PASTOR RIO. NOW IT'S AT PASO. AND RIGHT NOW THE TWO HIGHLIGHTS AREAS ARE AT PASO RIO. UH, THE TWO LOWEST ONES IN THE COUNTRY ARE WEST TEXAS, DESERT AND LOREDO. AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY INDO. UH, AND, AND SO THEREFORE THEY CONTROL WHAT SAID. SO THE MIGRANTS ARE COMING IN. THE ONES SAY, HERE I AM, UH, ANYBODY THAT BELIEVES IN THE, IT AIN'T GONNA WORK. I'LL, YOU HAVE THE RIVERS, UH, IS THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDER. THE MOMENT THEY TOUCH A, A, UM, A BANK THEY'RE IN, THEY CAN ASK FOR A ASYLUM UNLESS IF IT'S ONE HIDE. AND MOST, UM, EVERYBODY BELIEVES IN PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS, EXCEPT IF YOU'RE OVER [00:30:01] HERE AND YOU WANNA PUT A FENCE OVER THERE. UH, AND REMEMBER A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE, I'VE HAD THE LANDS FOR SO MANY YEARS, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, GIVE AWAY THEIR LAND, THE RIVER TO A FENCE. UH, AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THOSE FENCES, BECAUSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL VALLEY WATER COMMISSION, UH, IS YOU CAN'T PUT EM THE THE FENCE RIGHT BY THE RIVER BECAUSE IT'LL BE WASHED AWAY. AND THEN IF IT GETS WASHED AWAY, YOU DON'T WANT METAL TO BE GOING DOWN A DAMAGE OF BRIDGE DOWN RIVER ITSELF. SO THERE'S RECENT, SO IF THEY'RE PUT HALF A MILE AWAY, IS THAT GONNA STOP THOSE FOLKS? NO. CAUSE THEY CROSS A RIVER, THEY GET IN THE RIVER BANK AND THEY SAY, HERE I AM. THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE TRYING TO TURN THEMSELVES IN. THE OTHER ONES ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. THAT'S WHERE YOU FIND MOST OF THE CRIMINALS, THE THE ONES THAT ARE TRYING TO, AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, MIKE MULLEN, YOU KNOW, WE GET STONE GUARD MONEY. THOSE PEOPLE GOING THERE ARE TRYING, THEY HAVE COME IN, I'M TRYING TO EVADE FOR EXAMPLE, IN MCMULLEN OR THE 18 WHEELER THAT CROSSED THE CHECKPOINT IN LORENO AND CAME HERE, THE 53 PEOPLE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THIS, BUT 20% OF THEM HAD CRIMINAL RECORDS MURDER VERY SERIOUS ON THE US. THEY WERE TRYING TOEY, RIGHT? THEY WERE NOT TURNING THEMSELVES IN. SO WHAT WE DID IS WE PROVIDED MONIES, UH, FOR, FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING. AND IN THE, ORIGINALLY IT WAS THE BORDER CITIES, THEN SAN ANTONIO STARTED, YOU KNOW, THE OVERFLOW THAT WE HAD AND OTHER PLACES, SAN ANTONIO. SO THEN THE CATHOLIC OTHER GROUPS SAY, HEY, WE NEED MONEY OVER HERE. SO THEN WE STARTED MOVING SOME OF THE MONIES FROM THE BORDER OVER HERE. NOW YOU HAVE NEW YORK CITY, UH, CHICAGO, OVER WASHINGTON DC THEY ONLY GET THE DROP OF WHAT WE GET DURING THE, I UH, SAID HELLO TO THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK THAT YOU MET ERRITORY, NEW YORK. THEY SAID, OH, IT'S TERRIBLE. WE GOT SO MANY PEOPLE AND ALL THAT. THEY'RE ONLY GETTING A DROP OF WHAT WE SEE ON THE BOARD. YOU GET MORE HERE IN SAN THAN THEY GET OVER THERE IN NEW YORK. AND IT'S ALL A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BE FUNNY, KNOW I WAS, BUT UH, I WAS TRYING TO, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT ANYWAY, UH, THEY ONLY GET A DROP OF FORGETTING. SO THIS YEAR, CAUSE OF THE NEW YORK DELEGATION, ALL THOSE, IT WENT FROM 30 MILLION. THEN I HAD 50 THAT I WENT TO HUNDRED 50, I WOULD SAY WENT TO 800 MILLION, 800 MILLION ON THAT BECAUSE OF NEW YORK, CHICAGO, AND MARCH DC ITSELF. SO I THINK IT SHOULD BE MORE FOCUSED ON THE BORDER, BUT NOW WE'RE GETTING PRESSURE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT POSITION ON THOSE PEOPLE GETTING THAT MONEY OVER THERE. WE SHOULD BE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THAT. ONE LAST QUESTION. CAUSE I KNOW, UH, YOU GUYS ARE VERY BUSY. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT, WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT ALL THE SOUTH TEXAS RANCHES, THE FENCES, THE DEBRIS THAT'S LEFT BEHIND, AND THE DEVASTATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY FOR A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE COME THROUGH? YEAH. TORN THEIR HOUSES UP. PEOPLE ARE SELLING THEIR PROPERTY. UH, I KNOW TWO PEOPLE THAT CALLED ME THIS WEEK, AND YOU AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR AS LONG AS YOU'VE BEEN IN CONGRESS. UH, THEY HAD HUNTERS THAT THEY LEASED TO. THE HUNTERS SAID, WE'RE OUTTA HERE. UH, WE DON'T CARE. WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK. THERE'S TOO MUCH INFLOW COMING ACROSS. UM, AND THIS IS ALL IN THE EAGLE PASS AREA. AND THEN, AND HENRY, YOU KNOW, MY RANCH IS 30 MILES FROM THE BORDER. YEAH, 57. UH, FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I KNOW I'VE BEEN TRYING TO ADD MONEY TO HELP WITH SOME OF THE DAMAGES. UH, AND SOMEBODY BROUGHT ME A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND SAYS, HEY, IF YOU ARE IN AN URBAN CITY AND SOMEBODY BREAKS INTO YOUR HOUSE AND TEARS DOWN CERTAIN THINGS, DO YOU ASK THE GOVERNMENT FOR REIMBURSEMENT? NO. NO. SO SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING, SO JESSICA, THEY'RE MIGRANTS. WHY SHOULD WE REIMBURSE RANCHERS AND FARMERS? DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE? I'M JUST, EVEN THOUGH I'VE TRIED TO ADD MONIES FOR THAT, UM, BORDER PATROL, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA SEE, BORDER PATROL IS ABOUT 2000, UH, SHORT. AND SO IN THE APPROPRIATIONS, WE ADDED MORE MONEY FOR BORDER PATROL. ONE OF THE THINGS I STARTED WAS A, A SUPPORT STAFF FOR BORDER PATROL. BECAUSE AT ONE TIME, THE LOREDO CENTER, BY THE WAY, OH, LEMME GIVE YOU SOME THINGS. UM, MOST PEOPLE COMING IN RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE LIKE 69. ALMOST 70% OF THE PEOPLE ARE, ARE SINGLE I THEM. SO ONE TIME THEY WERE COMING FROM, FIRST IT STARTED IN THE NINETIES, BUT, UH, MEXICO, THEN IN THE 2000 IT WAS CENTRAL AMERICA. [00:35:02] UH, AND THEN FROM THERE, UH, RIGHT NOW WE GOT PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES THAT ARE COMING IN AND YOU KNOW, NOW IT'S BACK TO SINGLE ADULTS COMING BACK OR COMING INTO THE, TO THE AREAS. AND IF THEY'RE TRYING TO, THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE GETTING THERE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT ARE TURNING THEMSELVES IN CUZ THEY WANT TO GO TO BORDER PATROL AND SAY, HERE I'M ASANA. THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET, THE ONES THAT'RE TRYING TO EVADE, UH, COMING IN BECAUSE YES, THEY DO CUT, UH, FENCES. YES, THEY DO LEAVE WATER JUGS. UH, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, CATTLE CAN EAT THAT. IT'S NOT VERY HELPFUL, UH, ON THAT. YES, IN THE OLD DAYS, UH, THE WOULD COME IN, WOULD KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR AND SAY, HEY, CAN YOU GIMME A LITTLE WATER, LITTLE FOOD, WE'RE MOVING ON, BUT WE'LL DO SOME WORK. VERY RESPECTFUL. NOW YOU GET DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T WANNA LEAVE, UH, FAMILIES ALONE BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEIR INTENTIONS ARE. VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROFILES. SO THE PROFILES HAVE CHANGED. SO WE NEED TO GET MORE WATER PATROL AGENTS OUT ON THE FIELDS BECAUSE AS I WAS MENTIONING, LOREDO, UH, IN LAREDO, 94% OF THE PEOPLE COMING THROUGH MORADO, WHICH IS THE SECOND LOWEST AFTER WEST BEND, ARE SINGLE MALE ADULTS FROM MEXICO. THINK OF THAT. WE DON'T GET FAMILY UNITS, WE DON'T GET, UH, UH, UNACCOMPANIED KIDS. EVEN THOUGH THE PROCESSING THAT DOES FOR NOT COMING ACROSS. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE SO CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS DECIDE, HEY, WE WANT TO USE THAT AREA TO PASS DRUGS. LARGEST INLAND PORT 2% OF THE VEHICLES ARE, WELL, LOREDO IS A LOW HIGHER, BUT NATIONWIDE 2% OF THE PASSENGER VEHICLES ARE X-RAY OR, OR CHECKED. 17% OF THE TRUCKS ARE CHECKED, EVEN THOUGH LOREDO IS A LOW HIGHER CUZ OF SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO. SO THAT'S WHY THE PROFILE'S DIFFERENT. BUT THE PROFILES OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING IN THE RANCHES ARE NOT THE ONES WHO ARE TRYING TO TURN THEMSELVES IN. THEY'RE TRYING TO FADE. AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO GET MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS, UH, OUT THERE. THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO DO. AND A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE UP THERE IN WASHINGTON GET CAUGHT UP WITH THEIR SHINY OBJECTS. HEY, LET'S DO THIS, LET'S DO THAT. MY THING IS JUST TO TRY TO, WHAT I WANNA DO IN APPROPRIATION, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO DAVID OHIO, UH, WHO'S THE VIEW CHAIRMAN. LITERALLY NONE OF THE REPUBLICANS AND APPROPRIATIONS WANTED HOMELAND APPROACH. I KEPT SAYING THE RANKING MEMBERS SAID, OH NO, I'M MOVING TO INTERIOR. UH, I ASKED THE OTHER ONE, I DON'T WANT HOMELAND APPROACH. UH, AND NOBODY WANTED IT. THEN FINALLY, DAVID GEORGE SAID, I'LL TAKE IT. IT WAS VERY INTERESTING THAT NONE OF THE REPUBLICANS WANT IT. YOU KNOW WHY? CAUSE THEY KNOW IT'S GONNA BE FIGHTING AND IT SHOULD NOT BE FIGHTING. UH, AND AS I TOLD DAVID, I JUST WANNA RUN, MAKE SURE THAT TRAINS RUN ON TIME, GIVE THE MONEY, THE TECHNOLOGY, THE PERSONNEL, THE SUPPORT STAFF, THE WHAT THEY NEED FOR HOMELAND TO DO THEIR JOB. AND IF WE DO THAT, IT WORKS. WE DON'T LITERALLY, WE REALLY DON'T NEED TO PASS NEW LEGISLATION, UH, TO SECURE THE BORDER. EVERYTHING'S THERE. EVERYBODY SAYS, UH, SUPPORT TITLE 42, TITLE TO 42. I SUPPORT TITLE 42, BUT ACTUALLY TITLE A, WHICH IS IN THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW, TITLE 42 HAS GOT A TRUMP LAW. IT IS A 1944 LAW THAT GOT SET UP TO EXPEL PEOPLE ON HEALTH REASONS. TRUMP USED IT. UH, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY A 1944 LAW. UH, THAT'S THERE. TITLE EIGHT IS MUCH BETTER. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY TITLE 42 IS GONNA GO AWAY MARCH 11TH. THAT'S WHY THIS PRESIDENT'S NEW RULE IS COMING INTO PLACE. AND I SUPPORT THAT EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF DEMOCRATS DON'T SUPPORT IT, BUT I SUPPORT IT. BUT TITLE EIGHT IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN TITLE 42 BECAUSE TITLE 42, YOU EXPEL, THEN THEY CAN COME BACK. TITLE 40, UH, TITLE EIGHT, YOU THE LAW RIGHT NOW YOU DEPORT DEPORTATIONS. AND THEN THERE'S A 5, 10, 15, 20 LIFETIME BAN DEPENDING ON THE FACTS. AND THEY CAN'T COME BACK. TITLE ACCORDING TO YOU SET. THEY COME BACK, TITLE, UH, EIGHT. YOU CAN PUT A BAR. AND THAT SCARES A HECK OUT OF PEOPLE. CAUSE THEY CAN'T COME BACK ANYMORE. WELL LEGALLY ASK FOR ASYLUM. THEY, THEY GET RETURN UNDER TITLE EIGHT. THEY CAN'T COME BACK OVER HERE AGAIN. SO I WANNA PUT MORE PERSONNEL, MORE TECHNOLOGY, UH, AND, AND CERTAINLY DO, UH, JUST WHAT I CALL, UM, PROVIDE STONE GUARD, WHICH IS A PROGRAM THAT I STARTED WITH JOHN REPUBLICAN FROM HOUSTON. MONEY'S A GUARD, BORDER, SHERIFFS AND BORDER, UH, POLICE. SO THEY CAN WORK ALONG WITH THEM. AND MY TIME IS ON TWO THINGS REAL QUICK. TEXAS DPS HAS BEEN A LIFESAVER IN OUR AREA ALONG WITH BORDER PATROL, [00:40:01] BUT PARTICULARLY, UH, TEXAS DPS. I FOUND A BACKPACK ON OUR RANCH. I PERSONALLY FOUND IT. I HAVE IT AT THE RANCH. IT SAYS MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ETHIOPIA. I'M SORRY, WHAT? MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ETHIOPIA. A BACKPACK ON MY RANCH. BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE ALL THESE YEARS TO WORK BOTH SIDES AND BE A TRUE SPOKESMAN AND A GREAT PATRIOT FOR SOUTH TEXAS. AND I APPRECIATE LONG-TERM FRIENDSHIP. THANK YOU. AND, AND YOU SAID SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. IN THE OLD DAYS, THERE WAS MEXICANS COMING IN TO FIND A JOB AND IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY WOULD COME IN WORK, GO BACK, SEND MONEY, COME BACK. IT WAS, THERE WERE STILL LAWS THERE, BUT IT WAS VERY DIFFERENT THEN IN THE TWO THOUSANDS, UH, THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A LOOPHOLE CREATED IN 1998 BY A SENATOR WHO'S RETIRING FROM CALIFORNIA. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THAT IN THE NEWS . UH, IT WAS A LOOPHOLE THERE BECAUSE IF YOU BRING A CHILD, YOU'RE TREATED VERY DIFFERENT. YOU'RE RELEASED PRETTY MUCH. SO THAT'S WHY UNACCOMPANIED KIDS AND FAMILY, YOUTH ARE COMMITTED. SOMEBODY FOUND THAT LOOPHOLE. I TRIED TO CHANGE IT, I'LL ONLY DEMOCRAT ABOUT IT IN FAVOR AND ALL REPUBLICANS. AND I THINK IT WAS JUST, HEY, TREAT EVERYBODY THE SAME. MEXICANS AND CANADIANS ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD. WHAT YOU SAID IS IT'S NOW CHANGED WHERE NOW WE HAVE OVER 150 COUNTRIES THAT ARE CROSSING THE BORDER BECAUSE SOMEBODY SAYS, OH, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS GET OVER THERE. AND THE NUMBER ONES ARE CHINA, INDIA, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF A, UH, THERE'S LIKE FOUR COUNTRIES. THEY'RE, THEY'RE OUTSIDE. UH, MEXICO ITSELF, THERE, I MEAN YOU STILL HAVE, LIKE I WENT TO THE BORDER PROCESSING CENTER. WE HAVE PEOPLE, 500 FAMILY OR 500 INDIVIDUALS FROM ECUADOR. ECUADOR. WHAT DOES ECUADOR HAVE TO DO WITH THIS? I MEAN, SO I MEAN IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA, TO ME IT'S VERY SIMPLE. UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT BIDEN, WE ACTUALLY HAVE PUT MORE MONEY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY. AND I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS. WE ACTUALLY HAVE ADDED MORE MONEY UNDER PRECEDENT BIDEN THAN UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP. WHICH MEANS MONEY'S IMPORTANT BY, WHAT'S THE BIG DIFFERENCE HERE? YOU GOTTA HAVE REPERCUSSIONS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A POLICY THAT SENDS PEOPLE BACK, YOU CAN PUT ALL THE MONEY THAT YOU WANT TO. YOU GOTTA HAVE POLICY. FINALLY, THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, IN MY OPINION, IS FINALLY ADDING THE, UH, REPERCUSSIONS, UH, WHAT HE DID IN JANUARY THE FIFTH. AND WHAT IS THE NEW RULE THAT THEY WILL HOPEFULLY COME INTO EFFECT ME BY THE TIME, UH, TITLE 42 GOES AWAY OF MAY 11TH, IF THAT POLICY, AND I KNOW THAT'S VERY FAR LEFT TO THE IMMIGRATION ACTIVISTS ARE, ARE SAYING IT'S TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE GETTING RID OF IT. I HOPE THE PRESIDENT STAYS STRONG BECAUSE THIS WILL SLOW DOWN. SO IT'S THE POLICY AND ALL WE WON IS YOU CAN HAVE WATER SECURITY, BUT STILL TREAT THE MIGRANTS WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY AND HAVE 'EM ASK IT A ORALLY PROCESS. IF YOU COME IN BETWEEN PORTS OF ENTRY, WE SEND YOU BACK. IF YOU COME THROUGH THE PORT OF ENTRY, YOU WAIT TILL YOU CAN DO IT. I KNOW. I GOTTA THANK YOU CONGRESS. YOU CAN ASK MANNY, YOU CAN TELL ME EVERYTHING. I KNOW MANNY DOESN'T KNOW. MIGHTY WILL KNOW. YEAH. HI. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CONGRESSMAN. BY THE WAY, DIANE AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE I WAS IN THE STATE. SHE GOES, I HECK OF A JOB. OH YEAH. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE, SHE'S VERY GOOD AT AUSTIN. SHE'S VERY GOOD IN DC. SHE KNOWS WHO TO TALK TO. UH, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT SHE'S DONE FOR Y'ALL FOR MANY YEARS. THANK YOU. AND GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON [7. Monthly Report - Diane Rath A. Staffing Updates B. Program Status and Operational Updates Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) Alamo Regional Transit (ART) External Affairs & Communications Intellectual & Developmental Disability Services (IDDS) Military and Veterans Affairs Natural Resources Public Safety Regional Services Environmental Conservation Weatherization Assistance Program C. Organizational Updates Building Update General Administration Policy Review Chief Financial Officer General Counsel] TO OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT. MS. THANK MUCH MR. CHAIRMAN AND FIRST, UH, FIRST OF ALL AT OUR LAST MEETING, UH, I COURT. AND SO SINCE IT'S HER FIRST MEETING HERE AFTER ELECTION, RECOGNIZ THERE BE FOR US TO CONTINUE TO BE INVOLVED AFTER, UH, JUDGE SHIPLER LEFT. SO CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. I ALSO WANNA ON JACOB JACOB'S BEEN RECOGNIZED BY BUSINESS JOURNAL AS 40, UNDER 40 FOR HIS COMMITMENT, DEDICATION TO THE STUDENT. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF JACOB. UM, ALSO GONNA GET INTO A FEW OF OUR PROGRAMS AND I GO VERY QUICKLY. UH, WE'RE VERY PLEASED TO RECORD THAT THE ALAMO TRIPLE A [00:45:01] IS REALLY PERFORMANCE METRICS. THIS YEAR. AGING IS REALLY STARTING, UH, WHERE THEY SHOULD MEET THEIR METRICS ABOVE ALAMO. REALLY, REALLY GREAT JOB WITH THAT. UM, WILL IS GONNA BE CONTACTING MANY OF YOU TO DISCUSS UM, THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE FOR SOME OF THE PROGRAMS AND TO REALLY, UH, THE OUTREACH FIELD, UH, AND CAN'T SUPER JOB. AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COUNCIL OR THE COURT ARE REALLY AWARE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. UM, WE ALSO, UM, I HAVE SENT OUT A LIST TO THE NEW JUDGES OF THE VACANCIES OF MANY OF OUR ADVISORY REPORTS. IT'S INCLUDED IN THE PACKET. WE REALLY ASKED YOU TO REALLY REVIEW THAT AND SEND THE VACANCIES. CAUSE WE NEED THE INPUT ON OUR ADVISORY. SO YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THAT. UM, I B D IS VERY PLEASED. WE HAVE TO THANK THE CITY AND THEY WERE AWARDED, UH, JUST UNDER $800,000 IN ORDER TO EXPAND ACCESS TO THE IBD DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES. IT'S BEEN SO STACKED UP AFTER COVID THAT THEY REALLY HAVE A LOT OF WORK DO. THIS IS TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO THEM. I'M VERY EXCITED THAT WITH PAYS, WE'RE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAD OUR BIGGEST WEEK EVER A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. WE CLOSED TWO PROJECTS THAT WEEK. SO SINCE 2020 WE HAVE RECEIVED REVENUE $60,000, UH, TO SUPPORT OUR PACE PROGRAM. AND WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCES OF 55. WE'RE FINALLY IN THE GREEN OPERATING CAUSE WE ADVANCE THE EDUCATION NOT CAN REIMBURSE THE FOURTH. SO WE'RE VERY PLEASED THAT WE'RE FINDING A LITTLE BIT OF PUSH IN THERE. UM, WE ALSO, UH, WANNA REALLY MENTION TWO THINGS EARLIER THIS MONTH. UH, WANNA THANK UH, ECONOMIC, DEVELOP AND AGENCY JOIN WITH US AND SPONSORED OUR DEVELOPMENT RECOVERY WORKSHOP. IT REALLY HAD GREAT RESOURCES AND GREAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE. AND 14 FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCY HERE WORKING WITH YOUR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOLKS. I HAVE TO SAY WE USED TO HAVE, BEFORE COVID, WE HAD 80 PEOPLE IN WORKSHOP. THIS TIME WE HAD ABOUT 20. SO I THINK PEOPLE, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF VACANCIES AND STAFF POSITIONS, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TOOLS AVAILABLE THAT ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE THAT, THAT INFORMATION MORE APPLICABLE AND MORE AVAILABLE. BUT YOU CAN ENCOURAGE YOUR STAFF TO REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES SECTION. GREAT. WE HAVE A PLANNING ANDING WORKSHOP ON FRIDAY MARCH ON OUR MOST. WELL ATTEND ONE AND REGISTRATION WILL OPEN, UH, MARCH 3RD. UM, VETERANS DIRECTED CARE HAS NOW EXCEEDED OVER 515 VETERANS MEMBER CASE MANAGING. I HAVE TO BRAG ON WEATHERIZATION FOR MANY OF THE STUDENT FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? WE HAD OUR ONSITE MONITORING AND AOR NO FINDINGS. UH, THERE WERE VERY COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT STAFF AND WE'RE VERY PLEASED WITH THE WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE, UH, THUS FAR. WE'RE REALLY PLEASED ABOUT THAT. ON THE BUILDING UPDATE, UH, ALSO IN YOUR PACKET THERE'S INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM AT THE STATE LEVEL. IT'S WHAT'S FUNDING OUR AND THEY REALLY WANNA WORK WITH MORE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. SO NEEDING INFORMATION CONTACT LAW. WHILE AS A CONDUIT FOR THAT INFORMATION TO THAT PROGRAM, WE FINALIZE LEASES FOR STUDENT THREE HUNDRED AND TWO FORTY FIVE. AND SO NOW WE'RE REALLY MOVING FORWARD. OUR FIGURE PROSPECTS THAT WE HAVE, OUR STAIRWELL THAT WAS DAMAGED TO THE FREEZE WITH THE BROKEN WATER LINE HAS BEEN, UM, PREPARED. WE RECEIVED THE REIMBURSEMENT FROM OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. SO IT IS REALLY LOOKING VERY GOOD. UH, OUR ELEVATORS CONTINUE TO BE, UM, A WORK IN PROGRESS. AND ONE THING I DO NEED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF AND THAT IS THAT, UM, OUR GENERATED AND WE GOT FROM FEDERAL SUR PLUS THAT WE WERE SO PROUD OF HAS INSPECTION. THE GOOD NEWS IS FEDERAL SURPLUS AGREED TO TAKE IT BACK AND VERSUS ALMOST ALL THE MONEY, UH, SO THEY WILL BE TAKING IT BACK. AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT GOOD NEWS IS WE NEVER CANCELED OUR ORIGINAL ORDER. SO RIGHT NOW, WHAT'S BEEN OVER TWO YEARS SINCE WE'VE ORDERED IT, IT'S STILL SCHEDULED FOR MAY. WE HOPE THAT REAL LIFE BRAND NEW GENERATOR MAKES IT IN MAY. UH, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PREP WORK, UH, FOR IT. SO WE'LL SEE. REALLY RISE AFTER OVER TWO YEARS OR SO. WITH THAT, IF THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO RESPOND. ONE QUESTION. THE DNC WORKSHOP, UH, MAY 12TH IS A SUNDAY. SO IS IT 10TH MARCH? SORRY, MARCH, MARCH 12TH, SECOND. OH, IT [00:50:01] SAYS IN MARCH. MARCH 12TH. I MISSPOKE. THAT'S ON A SUNDAY. OH, IT SAYS FRIDAY. WHAT GETS YOU THE CORRECTED DATE? I APOLOGIZE. THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU VERY WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? MAYOR DEION? WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? MAYOR WORKSHOP MARCH 12TH AND OUR REPORT FOR MARCH 12TH IS A SUNDAY. OH, VERY GOOD. SO WE'LL GET, SEND A NOTICE TO ALL THE CORRECTING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MUCH. THANK YOU DIANE. MOVING [ Consent Agenda The consent agenda consists of items considered being of a routine nature and contains items recommended for approval by the Executive Committee or by the Board Chair and the minutes from previous Board of Directors meetings. These items will be enacted in one motion, or any member of the Board may request that items be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately for purposes of discussion and voting.] ON TO THE, THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH COVERS ITEMS EIGHT THROUGH 12, MOVE APPROVAL AND A MOTION BY, UH, MR. OCKER. SECOND BY, UH, MAYORS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. UH, MOVING ON [13. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Executive Director to approve the TexPool Resolution Amending Authorized Representative form. - Jenise Best] TO ITEM NUMBER 13 IN NEW BUSINESS, CONSIDER AN ACTON A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPROVE THE TAX POOL RESOLUTION. AMENDING AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE FORM DENISE, MR. CHAIRMAN MEMBERS BOARD. GOOD MORNING. THE PUBLIC FUND INVESTMENT ACT AT ACO POLICY REQUIRES THAT WE DIVERSIFY OUR EXCESS CASH INVESTMENTS AND TAX POOL IS THOSE INVESTMENTS THAT WE USE IN ADDITION TO VARIOUS PRODUCTS OFFERED BY BANK, WHICH IS OUR PRIMARY. SO BEFORE YOU TODAY, UH, WE ARE REQUESTING APPROVAL FOR A SIMPLE AMEND RESOLUTION TO COPY COPY OF IT AS, UH, AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE AND PLACE HER WITH JOHN TORRES, WHO WILL BE ASSUMING THE CONTROLLER POSITION, UH, WILL BLOCK OF RETIRES AT THE END OF MARCH. YOU HAVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT. GOT A MOTION BY, UH, JUDGE EVANS. SECOND. SECOND BY MAYOR DENNIS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU DENISE. ITEM NUMBER [14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to ratify the application submission and accept funding for the Alamo Area Regional Law Enforcement Academy – Texas School Marshal and Active Shooter Training program in the approximate amount of $75,000 from the Office of the Governor – Public Safety Office (PSO) for 2023-2024; and adopt a resolution in support of the project. This item will require an amendment to the 2023 budget. – Mike Ritchey] 14, CONSIDERING ACTON RECOMMENDATION TO RATIFY THE APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND ACCEPT FUNDING FOR THE ALAMO RE AREA REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, TEXAS SCHOOL MARSHALL AND ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $75,000 FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICE FOR 20 23, 20 24 AND ADOPT A RESOLUTION AND OF THE PROJECT. THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE AN AMENDMENT TO THE BUDGET. MR. RICHIE? GOOD MORNING. I THINK IT'S STILL MOR. YES, STILL MORNING. THANK YOU, SIR. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN. MY NAME IS MIKE RICHIE. I AM THE ALAMO REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY MANAGER. THE GRANT YOU CONSIDERING RECENT YEARS FOR THE LATE, UH, APPROVAL. I WAS CONTACTED ON FEBRUARY 3RD BY ACO AGENT WHO STATED THAT IF WE WERE INTERESTED IN TEACHING THE SCHOOL MARSHALL PROGRAM, WE SHOULD APPLY FOR OUR GRANT. IT HAD TO BE IN FEBRUARY 9TH. WORK WITH MARCELLA. RIGHT, BEEN SUBMITTED. DUE TO THE RECENT EVENT FROM SCHOOL SHOOTINGS IN TEXAS, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN INTEREST IN THE SCHOOL MARSH PROGRAM. IMPACT EDUCATION. GOVERNOR RECENTLY APPOINTED JOHN SCOTT TO OVERSEE SCHOOL SAFETY PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE IN ALL SCHOOLS. WE RE INTEND TO REACH OUT TO RURAL PERRY SCHOOLS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHOUT POLICE DEPARTMENTS. WE WON'T ASSIST IN SECUR SCHOOL. MARSH ALSO ARE GOING TO IDENTIFY CHARTER SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS DURING THEIR, WE'LL EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF FILLING PROSPECTIVE SCHOOL CAMPUSES AND PLACE THEM ON OUR VIRTUAL, VIRTUAL, UH, TRAIN PROGRAMS AND BRING THE SCHOOL MARSHALS IN AND TRAIN THEM IN OUR ACADEMY. WITH THE SCRUB AT THE SCHOOL MARSHAL, THE GRANT ASSIST US IN PROVIDING A THREE TIER APPROACH. THE FIRST WILL BE TO PROVIDE A THREAT ASSESSMENT, SUGGESTING THAT BEST PRACTICE SECURITY THE CAMPUS. SECOND, AFTER THE BEST PRACTICE PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE, ASSIST THEM PRACTICING AND SUSTAINING THIS PROTOCOL. THIRD, THE TRAINING WILL TRAIN ANY INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFIED AS ONE TO BE A SCHOOL. AL AS A SCHOOL GRANT IS A ONE YEAR PROGRAM. THIS WILL BEGIN THIS YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 1ST. UH, COMPLETE THE COMPLETED ON AUGUST 30TH, 2024. THE APPROVAL OF THE GRANT WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET QUALIFICATION, MOVE APPROVAL. SECOND. GOT A MOTION BY, UH, MR. OCKER, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOODY. ANY DISCUSSION? [00:55:01] YES. THANK YOU MAYOR DENNIS. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. TWO QUESTIONS. UH, ARE THE SCHOOL, UH, WHAT DO YOU CALL THEM? UM, MARCH ALS. ARE THEY ARMED? THEY WILL BE ARMED. THEY GO THROUGH A 80 HOUR PROGRAM. ALL THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU MR. RICHIE. RICHIE, DID WE TAKE A VOTE? NO. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL YOU OPPOSED. MOTION, CARRIE. THANK YOU. ITEM [15. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for and, if awarded, accept Section 5310 funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in an amount up to $150,000. This item will not require an amendment to the FY2023 budget. - Duane Evans] NUMBER 15, CONSIDERING ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR AND IF AWARDED EXCEPT SECTION 53 10 FUNDING FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND AMOUNT OF UP TO HUNDRED $50,000. THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE AMENDMENT TO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. CHAIRMAN, EVIDENCE DIRECTOR ABOUT REGIONAL TRANSIT. MY FIRST ITEM IS 53 10 FUNDING. 50 10 FUNDING. PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE TO THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED POPULATION. THE REGION PLAN FOR FUNDING TO CONTINUE EDUCATION. POPULATION ABOUT ALTERNATIVE MEANS AND SCHEDULED SERVICES. FIRST CALL CENTER HANDLES A LARGE AMOUNT OF DAILY CLIENTS NEED INFORMATION ON SCHEDULED SERVICES. THE HIGH AMOUNT OF CALL PEAK HOURS. CAN WE PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE FOR CLIENTS TO REQUEST INFORMATION FOR THE SCHEDULED SERVICES? ART BEGAN ADDRESSING THE ISSUE IN APRIL OF 2020 WHEN WE IMPLEMENTED A SELF RESERVATION PORTAL AT A SMARTPHONE. NOW BOTH THESE INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH OUR CURRENT SOFTWARE AND ALLOW USERS TO REQUEST SERVICES AT THEIR CONVENIENCE. IT THEN ALLOWS THE CLIENT TO MONITOR, MONITOR PROGRESSION UP THEIR RE REQUEST OR START TO FINISH OFF. NOW HAVING TO CALL THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN A REDUCED AMOUNT OF INCOME AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE ALTERNATIVE WITH THE ADDITIONAL NEW TECHNOLOGY CURVE. SOME OF OUR ELDER POPULATION, YOU WILL USE THIS FUNDING TO CONTINUE EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH SERVICES TO STIMULATE THE USE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SELF RESERVATION WEB PORTAL AND THE SMARTPHONE APPLICATION. THIS OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL POSITION WILL ALSO BE A CLIENT ADVOCATE TO MANAGEMENT ISSUES CONCERNING SERVICE AND SERVICE. THIS PROJECT STARTED IN 2020 AS CURRENTLY FUND TO 2023. IF AWARD, IT WILL NOT REQUIRE 2023 AMENDMENTS. ANY QUESTION? A MOTION? HAVE A MOTION SIR. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? YES, MAYOR DENNIS. THANK YOU MR. EVANS. UM, H ARE WE TRACKING HOW OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ABLE TO USE THE SYSTEM WITH, WITH TALKING ABOUT BEING SENIORS? I MEAN, ARE WE KNOWING THAT THIS IS WORKING FOR THEM? DO THEY HAVE INTERNET IN THEIR HOMES OR AVAILABILITY TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT TO THE SERVICE? WELL, UM, WHEN WE HAVE OUR HOME COORDINATOR, THEY, THEY DO TALK TO DIFFERENT POPULATIONS THAT ASSISTED HEALTH AND UM, WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING THE AMOUNT OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN SIGNED UP THROUGH OUR SOFTWARE. UM, NOT REALLY. UM, RIGHT NOW ON THE AMOUNT OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE SERVICES, BUT THOSE THAT HAVEN'T HAVE BEEN SIGNING UP, THEY HAVE BEEN UTILIZING THEIR SERVICES AND LIKE WE STATED, IT HAS CAUSED A DECREASE IN THE ONLINE TRACK, WHICH ARE ULTIMATE GO. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. YES. HOW'S THE UBER LIKE SYSTEM? I THINK YOU WERE GONNA IMPLEMENT IT OR HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED IT SO PEOPLE CAN CALL ON DEMAND LIKE AN UBER OR LYFT. HOW, HOW'S THAT GOING? OR WHAT IS THAT? HAS THAT BEEN IMPLEMENTED? YEAH, IT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED, UM, IN, IN VARIOUS AREAS. AND UM, BASICALLY IT'S JUST AS THAT WE HAVE, UM, ALLOCATED MORE RESOURCES TO CERTAIN AREAS, UM, BASED ON JUST KIND OF THE SERVICE, UM, SERVICE DEMAND AND FOR THOSE AREAS. AND, AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THAT WE'RE GETTING A BETTER TURNAROUND. WE'RE NOT RECEIVING, UM, AS MANY, UM, SITUATIONAL, UM, I WOULD SAY COMPLAINTS, UM, IN TERMS OF THAT WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO THAT LOCATION, PICK THEM UP, GET THEM TO THEIR, UH, THE NEXT LOCATION AT . DOES THAT WORK? BOTH. IF I COULD INTERRUPT, I JUST WANNA ADD ONE THING. UM, UNFORTUNATELY OUR PRIOR DIRECTOR USED THE TERM UBER, LIKE, AND IT REALLY IS NOT ON DEMAND. IT HAS TO BE SCHEDULED. WE RECOMMEND [01:00:01] TWO DAYS AHEAD OF TIME SO THEY CAN USE IT TO SCHEDULE ONLINE, THEY CAN USE IT TO, UH, DO THE SCHEDULING, BUT IT REALLY HAS NEVER BEEN ENVISIONED IN THIS SYSTEM BECAUSE THE RESOURCES ARE NOT PROVIDED TO BE TRULY UBER-LIKE WITH ON DEMAND, IT HAS TO BE PRESCHEDULED. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY NOW, SOMEBODY USED THAT LANGUAGE. YES. I'VE DIRECTOR. CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE LANGUAGE IS. WE TALKED ABOUT IT, OUR PRIOR DIRECTOR DID THAT, WHICH I THINK LEAVES A MISIMPRESSION. IT IS AN ONLINE TOOL AND YOU CAN SCHEDULE IT WITHOUT CALLING AND YOU CAN JUST LIKE UBER, YOU CAN SEE WHERE YOUR CAR IS, YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S PROGRESSING, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT'S COMING AND YOU CAN GET NOTIFICATIONS, BUT IT'S NOT AN ON DEMAND SYSTEM LIKE MOST OF US ARE USED TO WITH UBER. YEAH. ANYWAY, APOLOGIZE. NO, NO, NO, NO. YOU WERE JUST REPEATING WHAT YOU WERE TOLD. YOU WERE TOLD THAT. AND I APPRECIATE HELPING THE ELDERLY. MY CONCERN, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IS THE ELDERLY THAT DON'T HAVE SMARTPHONES THAT, UM, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND PICK UP CALL AND SCHEDULE A COUPLE DAYS FOR MEDICAL. AND OF COURSE WE'RE STILL WORKING ON A ROUTE WE'D LOVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A CONSISTENT ROUTE. IT'S, IT'S THROUGH NEW BROEL, GOEL COUNTY THROUGH AGAIN. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THAT AND I APPRECIATE IT. CAN I SAY JUST ONE THING AND I'M SORRY, BUT I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WITH THE CENSUS, CENSUS DATA CAME OUT DESIGNATING URBANIZED AREAS SIX MONTHS LATE. UH, IT, WE HAVE HAD A CHANGE TO THIS AREA THAT IS GONNA BE IMPACTING VIA AN ART BECAUSE NEW BRAUNFELS IS NO LONGER INCLUDED IN THE SAN ANTONIO. SO NEW BROTHELS IS NO LONGER PART OF VIA, IT IS ITS OWN URBAN DISTRICT, WHICH MAKES THEY HAVE MORE DECISIONS TO MAKE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO WITH NPO. THEY HAVE MORE DECISIONS TO MAKE ABOUT HOW THEY APPROACH TRANSPORTATION. BUT IT'LL GIVE US A GREAT DEAL, MORE FLEXIBILITY, MORE FUNDING, MORE ABILITY TO MEET THE DEMAND IN NEW BROADVILLE SINCE IT'S, IT'LL TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE IT'S A ITS OWN SMALL URBAN AREA AND A TECH STOP WILL BE HAVING A CONSULTANT TO REALLY WORK WITH THAT TO SEE HOW IT'S IMPLEMENTED. WE ALSO HAVE SOME OF OUR SMALLER COMMUNITIES LIKE SYLO AND CONVERSE, UH, THAT USED TO BE PART OF VIAS DISTRICT. THEY ALSO WILL NO LONGER BE PART OF VIAS DISTRICT. THEY'RE GOING BACK TO, UH, THE RURAL AREA. SO THAT WILL BE A CHANGE THAT WILL IMPACT SOME AREAS, BUT SHOULD PROVIDE BETTER SERVICE ONCE IT'S FULLY IMPLEMENTED. ALL RIGHT, WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. IMPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. [16. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to accept additional 5311 Federal transportation funds from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in an amount up to $650,000. This item will require a budget amendment. --Duane Evans] ITEM 16 IS ALSO DWAYNE CONSIDERING ACTON RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT ADDITIONAL 53 11 FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDS FROM IN THE AMOUNT OF SIX 50,000. THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE BUDGET THREE. TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM IS BASICALLY OUR PRIMARY SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THE OPERATION OF REGIONAL. THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION EACH YEAR AWARDS TRANS DISTRICT FEDERAL FUNDING UNDER RURAL AREA HISTORICALLY, BUT BASED, CALCULATED BY FORMULA AND A PERFORMANCE AMOUNT BASED UPON REVENUE FOR A3 AWARD, THEY A BASE AMOUNT, APPROXIMATELY 1.8 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR AND SET. THIS FUNDING WAS GIVEN BY THE BOARD AT THE JUNE, 2022 WEEK AWARD, THE PERFORMANCE BASED PORTION OF 50 AND AMOUNT UP TO SIX 50,000. THE GRANT WILL NEED TO BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL AWARD. AND WHILE THIS FUNDING WAS ANTICIPATED, OUR FORECAST REFLECTED A SMALLER AMOUNT AND WE NEED TO AMEND THE 2023 BUDGET TO RECOGNIZE, TO RECOGNIZE THE INCREASE FUNDING. APPROVE APPROVAL MOTION BY MR. OCKER. SECOND BY, UH, MAYOR DEON. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE CARRIES. THANK YOU. AYE. AYE. MEMBER [17. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Air Quality Committee to submit comments in response to the EPA Administrator's proposed revision of the Particulate Matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). - Lyle Hufstetler] 17, CONSIDER AN ACTON RECOMMENDATION FROM AIR QUALITY COMMITTEE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR'S PROPOSED REVISION OF THE PARTICULATE MATTER, NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. MR. HUFF. THANK YOU. UH, MORNING AGAIN, MR. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS, UH, MY NAME'S LILE HUBLER. I AM THE NATURAL RESOURCES, UH, PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR FOR, I WANNA JUST SET UP WITH A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION. WAS AN ENTIRE PRESENTATION LAST TIME, JUST A TIME MAKING SURE. SO ON [01:05:01] JANUARY 6TH, THE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ANNOUNCED ITS PROPOSAL TO LOWER THE NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARD FOR FINE PARTICULATE MATTER. THE CURRENT LEVEL FOR PM 2.5 FINE PARTICULAR MATTER IS, UH, SET AT 12 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER. THE EPA IS PROPOSING TO LOWER THAT STANDARD TO ARRANGE BETWEEN NINE AND 10 MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER. THEY ARE ACCEPTING COMMENTS THROUGH MARCH 28TH ON THAT PROPOSED NINE TO 10 RANGE. BUT THEY'RE ALSO ACCEPTING COMMENTS ON LOWERING THE STANDARD JUST A LITTLE BIT TO 11 , WHICH IS WHAT THE LETTER BEFORE YOU ARGUE. I SHOULD ADD THAT THE CLEAN AIR SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS, UH, A COMMITTEE THAT, THAT HELPS INFORM THE ADMINISTRATOR WHEN MAKING, UH, ADJUSTMENTS TO AM AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. THAT COMMITTEE, UH, RECOMMENDED UNANIMOUSLY THAT THE STANDARD BE LOWERED. THEY ARGUED THAT THE 12 DOES NOT ADEQUATE PROTECTION, BUT THERE WAS NOT CONSENSUS ON HOW LOW TO MAKE THAT, UH, TO MAKE THAT PROPOSAL. THE MAJORITY ARGUED FOR NINE TO 10, BUT THERE WERE A MINORITY ON THE PANEL. HE SAID THAT 11 WAS WOULD, WOULD BE ENOUGH. AND THE REASON FOR THAT DISCREPANCY IS THAT THERE'S IN GENERAL A LACK OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA TO SUPPORT LOWERING THE STANDARD TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT MONEY 10. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS LETTER IS ARGUING. WE'RE, UH, OUR PAYPAL IS EXPRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT THE UNCERTAINTIES IN THAT, IN THAT EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DATA SET. UM, WE PROPOSE RECOMMENDING THAT THE EPA ONLY TO LOWER THE STANDARDS TO 11 MICROGRAMS PER CUB METER TO, YOU KNOW, IN LINE WITH THE UNANIMOUS, UM, OPINION OF PATENT LINEAR SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. BUT WE ALSO ARGUE THAT, UH, LOWER LOWERING THE STANDARD, THE NINE TO 10 WOULD NOT ADEQUATELY IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH JUST BECAUSE OF THE REMAINING UNCERTAINTIES IN THE EVIDENCE AND THAT THESE ARE UNCERTAINTIES THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY PANELS. UH, FINAL ASSESSMENT, THE A APOP ACTUALLY ALSO SUPPORTS THE EPAS RECOMMENDATIONS TO INCREASE THE MONITORING OF A PARTICULAR MATTER TO ACCOUNT FOR POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO AT RISK COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NEAR, UH, POTENTIAL SOURCES OF PARTICULATES. AND WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT THE EPA FURTHER RESEARCH AND ADDRESS THE IMPACT OF LONG RANGE TRANSPORT, UH, ON LOCAL PARTICULAR MATTER LEVELS. VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SEE THAT 80% OF OUR FROM SOURCES OUTSIDE. SO WE ARGUE IN THE LETTER FOR, FOR MORE RESEARCH TO, TO, AND I WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU'LL HAVE ANY, I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THAT, THAT LETTER MOTION BY MAYOR WILLIAMS, SECOND BY JUDGE EVANS. ANY DISCUSSION? YES, I'LL, I'LL JUST SHARE THAT I DIDN'T, UM, IN THE, UH, AIR QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING, I DIDN'T SUPPORT THIS LETTER. I, THE DATA DOESN'T SHOW THAT WE'RE IN DANGER OF MEETING A STANDARD OF NINE OR 10. UM, AND, UH, SO, WELL, MY, MY OPINION WAS THAT IF WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S AIR SHEDS SENDING AIR POLLUTION INTO OUR AREA, WE'D LIKE TO TIGHTEN THOSE STANDARDS. THAT WAS JUST MY POSITION. VERY GOOD. GOT A MOTION A SECOND. ANY MORE DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AYE. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. I'VE BEEN ALL RIGHT. UH, ITEM [18. Receive an update on the potential consequences of ozone nonattainment. - Steven Smeltzer] NUMBER 18, RECEIVING UPDATE ON POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF OZONE NON-ATTAINMENT. MR. SCHMELTZER, THIS IS A PRESENTATION I ALSO GIVE TO THEIR COMMITTEE. SO MY ONES SLIDE, IT'S NOT VERY GOOD. UH, THE CURRENT STATUS IS IN, UH, OUR REGION, COUNTY, AND ONLY BEAR COUNTY AT THIS TIME WAS, UH, DESIGNATED ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, TWO 18 PART DESIGNATION FOR AIR QUALITY. THE STATE HAS PLAN AIR THREE MONTHS AGO, UH, NOVEMBER 2 22 DID NOT MEET THE STANDARD, SO UP REGION IMPLEMENTED IN THE COUNTY, [01:10:01] AND ALSO THEY'RE BE EXISTING. AND THIS LAST POINT ON THIS SLIDE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. COUNTY DOES NOT TAKE THE STANDARD BY DATE, ACTUALLY SEPTEMBER FOUR, ERROR THOUSAND 21, THE 2023, AND THEN THE COUNTY WILL BE RECLASSIFIED AS NON-PAY. WE WILL NOT MEET THE STANDARD. UH, OUR VALUES ARE WAY TOO HIGH. WE HAVE TWOS ABOVE THE STANDARD AND THE MONITORING FACILITY WAY ABOVE THE STANDARD WHERE WE WOULD NOT BE POPPED UP IN SERIOUS NONPAYMENT. NEXT SLIDE. BASICALLY, THIS IS A TIMELINE WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW. WE DID NOT MEET THE STANDARD WAS RECLASSIFIED NONPAYMENT. THE PLAN WAS ACTUALLY TO, TO FIRST MONTHS. THE PLAN WAS NOT SUBMIT IT, UH, RIGHT NOW, TQ TO SUBMIT THE PLAN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IN MAY OF THIS YEAR. AND THEY'RE TARGETING, UM, THE EPA BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER OR THE PLAN SUBMITTED TO THE EPA. NEXT SLIDE. BASICALLY, YOU, AS I MENTIONED, YOU HAD TO BE YOUR PAYMENT 20, THIS WILL NOW THEREFORE FALL FIVE. YOU, YOU'RE LOOKING AT REPOS CASE OF COUNTY SERIOUS NONPAYMENT UNDER THIS RE CASE. IT'S, UH, NEW TO THE, WELL, THE OLD PLAN IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BEING WITH CONTROLS. SO YOU'RE GETTING OVERLAP OF IMPLEMENTATION UNDERNEATH. STANDARD REASON KEEPS GETTING NON GOOD MAINTEN ALL VEHICLE TESTING AND IS UNDERNEATH A MODERN NON, BUT IT'S GONNA BE IMPLEMENTED AFTERWARD. YOU DECLARE SERIOUS NON, SO YOU'RE GETTING THE SIGNIFICANT OVERLAP OF CONTROLS MOVING FORWARD, ADDITIONAL BEING IMPLEMENTED, MEET THE STANDARD, BUT YOU'RE NOT MEETING THE STANDARD BY YOUR DEMO. AND THAT LAST, UH, THING ON YOUR TIMELINE, YOUR SERIES DAY FROM GARRETT COUNTY IS AROUND SEPTEMBER. YOU MIGHT SAY THIS A FEW YEARS OFF, BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT YEAR FIRST YEAR IS NEXT YEAR I NOT GOING ACCOUNT YOUR MAKING PAYMENT. SO YOU'RE UNIQUELY BY FOUR NEXT YEAR WHILE YOURS ARE NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED AT THAT TIME. NOT ALL YOURS. SO DIFFICULT TASK NOT BE UP SLIDE. BASICALLY, YOUR REQUIRES WERE MODERATE NON, THE REQUIRE WERE NON-PAYMENT WERE ACTUALLY RELATIVELY LIGHT. BUT ONCE YOU GO TO MODERATE NON, THE CONTROL, SIGNIFICANT REASON SIGNIFICANTLY COST ONE OF THE IS YOUR VEHICLE. NOW ALL YOUR VEHICLES ON GASOL VEHICLES TESTED, AND THIS IS ANNUALLY ALL VEHICLE YEARS BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR YEARS OLD. ALSO, ALL BUSINESSES NEED TO, UH, IMPLEMENT BOTH CONTROL TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE, FEASIBLE. SO THE BUSINESS NOT IMPLEMENTING THESE CONTROLS, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO CONTROLS. UH, ONE ORIGINALLY WASN'T CONSIDERED ORALLY SERIOUS, BUT OXY BECOME MAYBE YOUR MOST SERIOUS COMPONENT. YOU NEED TO SOLVE 15% ORGANIC COMPONENTS TO MAKE ALL ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND NITROGEN OXIDES. THE PROBLEM WITH YOU NEED TO A PERCENT REDUCTION. THERE'S NOWHERE TO GET THAT PERCENT REDUCTION. COMMERCIALS, THERE'S REDUCTION. SO THAT'S GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT AND THAT'S ACTUALLY REQUIRE OPERATING OUR REGION. NEXT SLIDE. ALSO SIGNIFICANT THING IS IF ANY NEW BUSINESS MOVE REGION THAT'S A LARGE SOURCE OR SO MAIN THE TO HUNDRED TONS OF CRITERIA, UH, YOU OFFSET, YOU GOTTA BUY TONS REDUCTIONS SOMEWHERE ELSE. WHERE YOU GONNA GET [01:15:03] SECTOR HERE? SO BUSINESS HAVE A, SO YOU NEW OUR LAND FILL, NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY, DO ALL PLANT WHATEVER. YOU NEED THOSE REDUCTIONS, AND WE'RE GONNA GET THOSE REDUCTIONS. AND REDUCTIONS ARE NOT OUT. ALSO PART REQUIRE STANDARDS. DO NOT MEET THE STANDARD. YOU HAVE TO FIT MORE CONTROLS INTO YOUR PLANT. YOU CONTROLS THE PLANT, YOUR MODEL NEEDS A REQUIREMENT. BUT ONE, OUR REASON THAT YOU SEE BEFORE THAT ONLY 90% LOCALLY, 81% IS INTO OUR, SO YOU HAVE TO REDUCE THAT PERCENT WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GET THOSE PAYMENT ABOVE STANDARD. YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT GOING, MAKE THE STANDARD, AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE STANDARDLY POSSIBLE. THIS POINT NEED TO, YOUR ALSO REQUIREMENTS DESIGN. YOU NEED TO CONTINGENCY MEASURES. THESE CONTINGENCIES MEASURES ARE NOT IMPLEMENTED THIS POINT AND THIS BACK OVERLAP. YOUR, SO YOUR SERIOUS IMPLEMENT. SO THE VENDOR, ALL THESE ADDITIONAL CONSISTENCY MEASURES ARE IMPLEMENTED, NO RULE MAKING, NO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT IMPLEMENTED REDUCTIONS. SLIDE YOUR PROGRAM. THE MAJOR ONE THAT PUBLIC SEE RIGHT AWAY IS THAT, UM, YOU GOTTA MAKE SURE ALL YOUR ARE, UH, THIS PROGRAM NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY NOVEMBER 7TH, SIX. BASICALLY IT'S ONBOARD TO SAFETY. SAFETY TAKE MINUTES TO, UH, WE DO NOT HAVE WITH THIS, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND THE, WE'RE HOLDING AROUND MIDYEAR WITH A 30 DAY PUBLIC COMMENT, WHAT THE COST OF THIS TEST WILL BE. AND THIS IS ADD TEST ON TOP YOUR SAFETY COST. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND 50 50 ON TOP OF THE ORIGINAL COST. NOW, RIGHT NOW IT SAYS COUNTY IS ONLY ONE THAT BE NON, IT ONLY APPLY TO COUNTY EXCEPT FOR CASE COUNTY WOULD PART 50 VEHICLE DOES NOT PASS THE TEST. YOU CANNOT GET A VEHICLE THAT, SO YOU MUST REPAIR THAT VEHICLE. ONE ABOUT REPAIRING A VEHICLE. THIS HAS TO BE REPAIRED. CERTIFIED REPAIR CAN'T JUST CONTINUE ALL WHILE SHOP THE VEHICLE REPAIR. YOU GO TO REPAIR SHOP THAT WE CERTIFIED. SO THE REPAIR SHOP NEEDS TO BE CERTIFIED. THERE'S A NUMBER OF WAIVER, BUT NOT TO MOST OF THE VEHICLES. FIRST SPENDING VEHICLE REPAIR. UH, YOU CAN GET THE WAIVERS STATION THAT WILL BE SET UP BY COUNTY SET UP THERE, BE ONE STATION, NOT COUNTY VEHICLE. YOU'RE LOOKING AT $600 OR MORE FOR LOW INCOME INDIVIDUAL TRYING TO REPAIR THEIR VEHICLE, WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GET. WHAT THE THING ABOUT REQUIRES ARE THESE ARE THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF, UH, ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, AERO SPACE, CLEANERS, STORAGE FUELS, UH, DRY CLEANING, SETERA. SO THESE ARE CONSUMER, THERE'S NOT, THEY'RE SPREAD OVER AND ALL THE TIME, THIS IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. SLIDE. THIS SHOWS THE COMPONENT OF VOLATILITY. ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ARE A REASON, [01:20:02] UM, 72% CONSUMER PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS. UM, YOU ALSO HAVE SOURCES OF ROUGHLY 5% FROM YOUR VEHICLES, NOT RECENT VEHICLES, NON VEHICLES, AND WHAT LOCATIONS ARE, AND YOU LOOK AT YOUR MANUFACTURING POWER, POWER PLANS, THEY ONLY REPRESENT 3%. SO IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GET PERCENT REDUCTION AND YOUR MANUFAC FACILITIES AND POWER FACILITIES, ET CETERA, ONLY REPRESENT 3S, REDUC. SLIDE SLIDE. YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS? I, I THINK YOU ALREADY ANSWERED IT. I, I WAS ASKING IF IT WAS JUST BEAR COUNTY, IT WAS ON YOUR SLIDE. AND I, I GUESS, UH, AS WE BRING IN MORE MANUFACTURERS IN COMAL COUNTY AND WRONGFUL, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT OVER HERE? AND WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UH, WHAT KIND OF SITUATIONS LIKE THIS? AND SECOND THING IS, I GOT BY CONTEXT, BUT WHAT IS NON, UH, ATTAINMENT? WHAT DOES THAT REALLY DEFINE? I THOUGHT I GOT IT BY CONTEXT, BUT BASICALLY THE EPA, YOU COMING TO COUNTY, THEY AT THE BOUNDARY AND THEN THEY RIGHT NOW GUARANTEE THE MOST ALL DOWN. THANK MR. SHAME COUNCILMAN. IF I COULD ADD THE NON-ATTAINMENT REFERS TO EPA SET CERTAIN LIMITS ON HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE. IT USED TO BE, UH, OZONE, 75 PARTS PER BILLION, THEN THEY DROPPED IT TO 70 PARTS PER BILLION. SO OUR, OUR THREE YEAR AVERAGE WAS ABOVE THAT, 70 PARTS PER BILLION. SO WE WERE IN NON-ATTAINMENT WITH THAT STANDARD. AND THAT'S THE SAME LANGUAGE THEY USE WITH A PARTICULATE MATTER THAT LYLE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THANKS. AND, AND I'LL JUST ADD THAT WE STILL HAVE ONE, ONE OF THE MONITORS IS ABOVE 75, AND IT, IT'S, AND THERE'S THREE REGULATORY MONITORS, BUT THEY CAN'T, YOU CAN'T AVERAGE THEM. SO ONE OF 'EM, THAT'S, IT'S SAT 75. IT'S, IT'S IN, IT'S IN SERIOUS DANGER OF CONSIDERING TO GO HIGHER. SO THAT'S THE SUGGEST WHY, WHY WE WERE, WE ARE FACING THIS SERIOUS, UH, REGULATORY MONITOR. THANK YOU. IT WAS REGULATIONS ARE PUT IN, UH, WHO'S GONNA, UH, MONITOR THE, THE, UH, FACILITIES THAT PREPARE THE UH, UH, THE CARS. OH, IT'S DCS YEARS PAST I'VE BEEN IN AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS THAT, UM, UH, THE, IF WE TOUCHED, UH, GULU, WELL, GU COUNTY TOUCHED, UH, UH, BEAR COUNTY, THEN WE WERE PART OF THAT, YOU KNOW, IS THAT GONNA BE TRUE? I, YOU MAY HAVE ANSWERED THAT, BUT IS THAT TRUE? THAT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN, IT POTENTIAL COULD INCLUDE BEACH COUNTY. SO WE CAN KNOW AT THIS TIME, THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE AN ARGUMENT FROM THE STATE TO LEAVE COUNTY, BUT IT'S UP TO THE, THE PUBLIC. WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS AS A GARAGE ACCOUNTING AND STUFF. WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS. GONNA HAPPEN SOMEDAY. SO PROBABLY JUST LIKE IT'S HERE NOW. AND, AND WHO INSPECTS? THERE WAS THAT FOUR COUNTY AREA THAT WAS AT ONE TIME PROPOSED TO BE DESIGNATED, AND THAT'S WHY THOSE FOUR COUNTIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SOME OF THE TCE Q FUNDING. IT'S BECAUSE OF THAT. YOU'RE EXACTLY CORRECT. IT WAS TALKED ABOUT. BUT THERE'S SOME FUNDING THAT, UH, FOLKS IN THOSE FOUR COUNTIES CAN ACCESS CAUSE OF THAT. THANK YOU. MY QUESTION WAS WHO, WHO INSPECTS THE NEW BUSINESSES THAT COME INTO HARRIS COUNTY? UM, YOU SAID THAT THEY'RE GONNA TRYING TO CONTROL THE EMISSIONS THAT THEY HAVE COMING OUT. DO, DOES ACOG UH, INSPECT OR SOMEBODY THEY WOULD BE PROBABLY, PROBABLY STILL WORKING ON THAT, BUT WE CAN SAY RIGHT NOW T C Q COLLECTS EMISSIONS AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING THAT VOLUNTARILY FOR YEARS. AND THE AMOUNT OF EMISSIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE REPORTED TO THEM ARE, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MUCH LOWER. UH, A MUCH LOWER STANDARD, UH, ARE MORE STRINGENT STANDARD I SHOULD SAY, THAN WHAT WAS STATUTE, UH, UNDER EPA. AND THEN WHEN WE WENT INTO MARGINAL, WE WERE ALREADY THERE, BUT IT GETS, IT KEEPS BEING LOWERED, BUT IT'S T C Q THAT HAS THE STATUTORY FOR RESPONSIBILITY IN TEXAS TO REGULATE [01:25:01] AND MONITOR IT, HONOR UP TO UP TO A HUNDRED, NOTING HUNDRED POTENTIAL. IF THEY HAVE THE STUFF THERE AND NOT A MILLION HUNDRED, THEY'LL STILL BE INCLUDED. AND ONCE YOU GO TO SEVERE EXTREME NON PAYMENTS, LOWER UNDER EXTREME ONLY 10, SAME THING. THAT SAME THING WITH ACCOUNT FOR COUNTY BUSINESS, NOT THIS, BUT YEAH, WHATEVER HAPPENS, LIKE RIGHT NOW, YOUR MANUFACTURING FACILITIES AND YOUR PLANTS HAVE TO SUBMIT THEIR EMISSIONS REPORTS TO T C Q, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN FULL ATTAINMENT. UH, T C Q COLLECTS THAT INFORMATION, BASELINE INFORMATION, AND THEY MONITOR WHAT YOUR EMISSIONS ARE CUZ YOUR PLANTS ARE PERMITTED FOR A CERTAIN LEVEL OF EMISSIONS. AND THAT OCCURS ANY PLACE NO MATTER WHAT YOUR STATUS IS. OKAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM. . ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU STEVEN. WE APPRECIATE IT. CHAIR, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I KNOW I, UH, DIDN'T VOTE IN SUPPORT OF, UH, THE LETTER TO EPA ON, ON THE PARTICULAR MATTER, BUT I WOULD SUPPORT A LETTER, UH, ON WHEN IT COMES TO OZONE, UM, LOOKING AT THE INS, THE VEHICLE INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE, I THINK THAT THERE'S, I THINK THAT THE WAY THEY DO THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE IMPROVED. SO IT'S LESS BURDENSOME TO OUR COMMUNITY AND MAYBE MORE EFFECTIVE. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HOW IT, IN THAT IT IS BURDENSOME AND, AND COSTLY, BUT WE, THAT EXTREME, NOT VERY IMPACTFUL, AND I THINK IT COULD POSSIBLY BE DONE BETTER. UM, AND WHILE I DON'T THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM, I'M CONCERNED THAT US NOT HAVING INSPECTIONS AND MA VEHICLE INSPECTION MAINTENANCE COULD BE DISPROPORTIONATELY HURTING, UH, BEAR COUNTY BECAUSE HOUSTON AND DALLAS AND AUSTIN HAVE THEM. AND SO WHEN THEY HAVE OLD CARS THAT ONLY ARE WORTH $2,000 OR $3,000 AND THEY'RE GONNA NEED $2,000 IN MAINTENANCE TO BE ABLE TO PASS INSPECTION, THEY COULD JUST SEND 'EM TO SAN ANTONIO AND SELL 'EM HERE IN OUR MARKET. AND SO WE MAY HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF OLDER HIGH POLLUTING VEHICLES AND, AND SO HAVING THOSE, THE MISSIONS TESTING COULD BE BENEFICIAL, BUT I THINK IT, IT COULD PROBABLY BE DONE BETTER THAN THE WAY IT'S DONE NOW. AND MR. CHAIRMAN, WE'LL HAVE LYLE WORK WITH COUNCILMAN BRAVO IN HIS OFFICE TO DEVELOP THAT LETTER AND BRING BACK, OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD POINTS. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON [19. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (REPAC) for FY2023 regional funding allocations due to the Office of the Governor on March 15th. This item will not require an amendment to the FY2023 budget. - Marcela Medina] TO ITEM NUMBER 19. CONSIDERING MICROPHONE RECOMMENDATION FROM REGIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS REPACK FOR SHORT, FOR FY 2023 REGIONAL FUNDING ALLOCATIONS DUE TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR ON MARCH 15TH, THE ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE AN AMENDMENT TO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. MARCELLA, GOOD MORNING. MORNING, MORNING CHAIR. MY NAME IS MARCELLA, THE PUBLIC SAFETY MANAGER. THIS I CONCLUDES THE FUNDING VERIFICATIONS FOR THE ORIGINAL EMERGENCY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR FUNDING HERE. 23 FOR SUBMISSION TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR ONLINE SECURITY GRANT DIVISION. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 28 PROJECTS THAT WERE SUBMITTED, JUST OVER 3 MILLION. I DO HAVE TO THE ATTACHMENT, UH, VERY LENGTHY ATTACHMENT OF ALL THE 28 PROJECTS, UM, THAT HAVE ALL GOOD INFORMATION IN THERE. UM, THROUGH THE REPACK REVIEW AND RANKING PROCESS, THREE APPLICATIONS WERE WITHDRAWN, WHICH REDUCED THE TOTAL REQUEST TO 2.5 MILLION. THE, UM, THE RENT ORDER THAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU ALL THE APPLICATIONS DID RECEIVE FAVORABLE REVIEW. HOWEVER, NOT ALL ARE GOING TO RECEIVE, RECEIVE FUNDING. THERE'S ABOUT, UH, 1.2 MILLION THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE RECEIVING THAT WE'RE TOLD TO ESTIMATE TO RECEIVE. UM, SO, SO THAT'S NOT GONNA TRICKLE DOWN VERY FAR. UM, HOWEVER, THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, ALTHOUGH THEY DO HAVE A ORDER, FINALLY, THEY MIGHT SKIP PROJECTS TO BE ABLE TO MEET FUNDING S FOR FEMA AND ALSO TO MEET THE STATE PRIORITIES. THESE PROJECTS, WHEN THEY ARE AWARDED, THEY WILL OPERATE OCTOBER 1ST, 2023, THIS SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2034. THIS ITEM, AS YOU STATED, DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT, AND I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? GOT A MOTION BY, UH, MR. OCKER. OKAY. SECOND, UH, BY COUNCILMAN. UH, ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIER. THANK YOU. UM, AND OUR NEXT MEETING IS [20. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at AACOG.] SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22ND, 2023 AT 10:00 AM WE'LL STAND ADJOURNED. * 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.