* 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. SIX [00:00:01] PROBLEM THIS [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.] MORNING. WELL, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, WELCOME TO THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. UH, TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28TH, 2023. LET'S CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. UH, SUSIE, DO YOU HAVE THE ROLL CALL FOR US? YES, SIR. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. GOOD MORNING. MORNING, JUDGE THIEL. HERE, JUDGE KELLY HERE, CITY OF NEW BRAUNFELS. GOOD MORNING, BRADLEY FOR JAMES BLAKEY. COMMISSIONER CALVERT. AMY PUTNEY FOR COMMISSIONER CALVER. JUDGE CAMACHO IS EXCUSED. COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES. MARK STEP. COMMISSIONER FLORES. MAYOR CONTRERAS. HERE. JUDGE COD. MAYOR DEON. HERE. MAYOR DENNIS. HERE. JUDGE EVANS. HERE. MAYOR EICHNER IS EXCUSED. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA. HERE. MR. HAS LOCKER HERE. JUDGE HEKE. HERE. JUDGE JONES. HERE. JUDGEY. HERE. JUDGE KUTCHER. HERE. MS. LEWIS. HERE, JUDGE LU. SENATOR MENENDEZ. COMMISSIONER MOODY. MISTY SPEARS FOR COMMISSIONER MOODY. REPRESENTATIVE MURR KELLY LEY FOR REPRESENTATIVE MURR. COUNCILMAN ALS. MAYOR SCHRODER. HERE. JUDGE DEZA IS EXCUSED. MR. VASQUEZ? HERE. MR. ALVIA. JUDGE WHITMAN. HERE. MAYOR WILLIAMS. HERE. REPRESENTATIVE IAN. MR. MCNAY IS HERE. MR. HOFFMAN. JOHN, ANSWER FOR MR. HOFFMAN. REPRESENTATIVE KEMPEL. SENATOR ZINI. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. SUSIE, YOU'LL STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PLEASE OF ALLEGIANCE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD IN LIBERTY. LIBERTY FOR ALL FLAG STATE. UNDER THAT STILL MEANS WE CAN THROUGH THIS PROVIDER STATEMENT. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS, JUDGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE ANYONE ON THE BOARD WITH ANY CON DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST FOR ANY AGENDA ITEM? HEARING NONE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX. [6. PACE Nation - Dub Taylor and Charlene Heydinger] UH, WE'VE GOT A PRESENTATION ON PACE, UH, FROM MR. DUB TAYLOR. MR. TAYLOR. THANK YOU JUDGE. UH, SO I'M HERE THIS MORNING. MORNING, UH, ON BEHALF OF TEXAS PACE AUTHORITY AND PAY STATION, UH, TO, UH, PRESENT RECOGNITION AND HONOR, UH, YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR DIANE RATH, WHO RECENTLY RECEIVED REPORT. UH, I'M THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, SERVED FROM TEXAS BASE AUTHORITY, BUT I ALSO SERVED ON THE PACE STATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS. UH, IF YOU BEAR WITH ME, I THINK THIS IS WORTH HEARING. UH, SO SHORTLY AFTER DIANE RATH ACCEPTED THE POSITION OF THE, UH, THE EPA ANNOUNCED THE WAS COVERING OF CLEAN AIR, NON NON ATTAINMENT, AS YOU MAY WELL KNOW, IMPOSES A SIGNIFICANT COST ON COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES. SO DIANE BEGAN RESEARCHING CLEAN AIR TOOLS, NOT ALREADY ADOPTED THE REGION. AFTER READING THE BUILDING OPERATIONS ACCOUNT FOR OVER A QUARTER OF THE EMISSIONS, DIANE PROPOSED A REGIONAL PACE OR PROPERTIES BEST CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAM. WITH THE APPROVAL OF HER BOARD BOARD, SHE ESTABLISHED THE ACOG REGIONAL PACE PROGRAM AND THE TEXAS PACE AUTHORITY. UH, MY ORGANIZATION WAS SELECTED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE PROCESS, ADMINISTERED THE PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM NOW HAS 10 CITIES IN THREE COUNTIES. INCLUDED AND, UH, CONTINUES TO THE PROGRAM IS FACILITATED AT SIX PACE FINANCED ENERGY SAVINGS PROJECTS, TOTALLY MORE THAN 35.8 MILLION WITH PROJECTS RANGING FROM 5,000 TO 28 MILLION IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL AREAS. AND THEIR NUMBER OF EXCITING PROJECTS PIPELINE THAT ARE EXPECTED TO CLOSE SOON. ON JUNE 7TH AT THE PACE NATION SUMMIT SUMMIT IN NEW YORK CITY, YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DIANE RATH, WAS RECOGNIZED WITH THE WOMEN LEADER IN PACE AWARD AND I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT THIS AWARD ON BEHALF OF PACE NATION. DIANE WAS NOMINATED FOR ADVOCACY AND INNOVATION BECAUSE OF HER IMPACTING CREATING SUCH A LARGE AND VIBRANT REGIONAL PACE PROGRAM, SHE CONTINUOUSLY ADVOCATES FOR PACE INVESTMENT AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND IS [00:05:01] INSTRUMENTAL THE INSTRUMENTAL FORCE BEHIND EXPANDING THE PROGRAM'S AVAILABILITY IN SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. SO, DIANE, CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS AWARD. I APPRECIATE YEAH, I TAKE A THANK YOU. 2 1, 2, 3. THANK YOU SIR. AND THANKS FOR ME. AND I HAVE TO SAY DEL WAS ALSO RECOGNIZED, HE ALSO RECEIVED AN AWARD. SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE AND WE'RE VERY GLAD WHEN YOU JOINED US BLOWING REMARKS. THANK YOU, MR. TAYLOR. AND, AND CONGRATULATIONS DIANE. MOVING ON TO OUR EXECUTIVE [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] DIRECTOR'S MONTHLY REPORT. MS. R. YES, THANK YOU. AND I, I HAVE TO REALLY, UH, THANK WHILE THERE'S LOT AT ALL OF THE WORK ON THE PROGRAM. SO HE HAS REALLY, UH, SERVES US SO VERY WELL AND I HAVE TO REALLY, UM, THANK GEORGE PART BECAUSE WHEN HE WAS, UM, BECAME AWARE OF THE PROJECT PROJECTS THAT WERE GOING ON IN CASTROVILLE AND REALLY BROUGHT THEM TO MY ATTENTION. SO WE DID THE OUTREACH AND EDUCATED THOSE INVESTORS AND LEADERS ON THE PROJECT. AND CAST CASTROVILLE WAS GONNA BE NATIONAL MODEL, HOW HISTORIC STRUCTURES AND SMALL INVESTMENTS CAN REALLY BE USED TO IDOLIZE AND USE PACE. CUZ IT'S TREMENDOUS WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND WE'VE GOT A COUPLE, YOU HAVE A ONE 28,000,001 HERE. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF OTHER BIG ONES IN THE PIPELINE. SO IT'S BROUGHT ANY, ANY OTHER ENTITY WANTS IT. PLEASE LET US KNOW. I HAVE TO REALLY THANK UH, COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL CAUSE SHE WAS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL WITH SAN ANTONIO. ANTONIO ADOPTING IT ALSO. SO IF ANY OTHER COUNTIES, OTHER COUNTIES OR CITIES ARE INTERESTED, WE KEEP HOPING, UH, TO, TO GET MORE. CUZ IT, IT REALLY IS EXCITING. UM, WITH THAT, UM, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING SHOW AND TELL. SO WE HAD MY SHOW AND TELL, I REALLY HAVE TO BRAG. WE ALSO WERE RECOGNIZED AND GOT THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE AND FINANCIAL, UH, REPORTING BY THE GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. UH, WE FIND FINALLY WERE NOTIFIED LAST WEEK AND WE GOT OUR ADDITIONAL BUTTON JUST YESTERDAY. SO THIS RECOGNIZES 19 OF 20, 20 21. WE HAVE FOR 17, 18, 19 AND 21 IN 20. I JUST HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED IN 20 WE AND OUR, OUR APPLICATION FOR, WE DIDN'T INCLUDE LETTER. SO SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE, DIDN'T HAVE THE TRANSMITTAL LETTER, OUR APPLICATION WAS NOT COMPLETE AND THEY DIDN'T TELL US THAT UNTIL AFTER IT WAS TOO LATE TO ADD THE TRANSMITTAL LETTER. SO THEY DIDN'T SUBSTANCE YOUR FINANCIAL REPORT. THEY DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT, LOOK AT THAT. WE DIDN'T HAVE A TRANSMITTAL LETTER. SO WE LEARNED AND IT WAS COMPLETE THIS TIME. WE'RE VERY PROUD OF HAVING LY THANK ACCOUNTING FOR ALL THE WORK THEY DO, MAKING THAT POSSIBLE. AND MANY OF Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT THIS INTEREST FACT THAT CAME TO US JUST THIS WEEK. WE HAD, UH, AS YOU ALL REMEMBER, REMEMBER WE HAVE AN ALAMO AREA HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, UH, THAT SERVES SERVE NOT FAIR COUNTY, BUT THE OUTER 12, UH, COUNTIES. AND HAVE, WE HAVE ME MEMBERSHIP ON THAT BODY FROM SOME, SOME OF THE DIFFERENT CITIES AND COUNTIES, UH, THAT MAKE IT UP. AND, UH, WE ARE BUILT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, BUILT COMPLEX IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR DEVELOPER PARTNER IN SEGUIN. AND WE'RE BUILDING ONE ONE NORTH OFS. SO, SO WE HAVE THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR SEGE. AND I HAVE TO SAY JUDGE CUTCHER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US THAT DAY. IT'S A REALLY PRETTY COMPLEX, COMPLEX. IT'S RIGHT ACROSS FROM T L U, UH, AND IT'S A LOVELY, LOVELY COMPLEX, PRETTY COOL, PRETTY PLAYGROUND. THE INSIDE, INSIDE ARE LOVELY. UH, SO THEY DID THE RIBBON CUTTING AND UH, THEY, THEY REALLY HAD A NICE CELEBRATION. THEY HAD LUNCH, WE HAD A TENT. IT WAS VERY, VERY NICE. WE, WE HEARD FROM TWO OF THE TENANTS, UH, ONE WAS A SINGLE MOTHER WITH HER TWO DAUGHTERS, TWO OR TWO CHILDREN, AND ONE WAS A SINGLE FATHER WITH HIS TWO, TWO KIDS. BUT, UH, A VERY NICE COMPLEX AND IF, IF ANY OF Y'ALL GO NORTH ON 35 ACROSS FROM THE WALMART DISTRIBUTION PLANT, IT'S NOW GOING VERTICAL. SO YOU SEE BUILDINGS ON YOUR LEFT, LEFT, THE ELEVATOR SHAFTS ARE IN SUFFOLK, THE CONCRETE, CONCRETE BEING POURED. AND THAT IS OUR FELS ONE THAT IS, UH, A HUNDRED UNITS BIGGER THAN WERE 198 IN SYDNEY. THAT WAS JUST UNDER 300. UH, AND THAT ONE WILL BE GOING IN. SO IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY, VERY PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED AND TO BRING WORKFORCE HOUSING TO BOTH SEINE AND, AND NEW BRAUNFELS, [00:10:01] BOTH OF WHICH NEEDED SO BADLY. AND WE HAVE JUDGE EVANS. WE HAVE, I CLOSED ON OUR BOND SALE FOR, UH, FINANC. THE REFRESHING OF REFRESHING A COMPLEX IN BURNING, COMPLEX, COMPLEX IN BANDERA. WE, CLIFF AND I LEARNED A LOT, LOT GOING THROUGH OUR ON SALE. I DON'T KNOW IF I EVER SIGNED MORE PAPERS. YOU THINK BUY, BUYING THE HOUSE, YOU SIGNED A LOT. LET ME TELL YOU. YOU SIGNED A LOT DOING THAT ONE. UM, BUT THAT ONE HAS ALSO GONE, GONE FORWARD TO REFRESH, UM, THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES. SO WE HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN THAT AREA. AREA. AND I HAVE TO SAY, SAY I'M VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WHEN WE WERE AT NARC, AS YOU KNOW, MAYOR DENNIS WAS ELECTED ON HER OWN FULL TERM, UH, TO THE NARC BOARD. AND, AND SHE HAS BEEN, UH, TAKING A LEADERSHIP POSITION THERE. SO SHE IS REPRESENTING THE NARC BOARD TO THEIR, UH, EDC. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR SERVING ON THE BOARD AND THEN, UH, PROGRESSING IN THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND RECOGNITION. SO IT SERVES US VERY, VERY, VERY WELL. SO I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT WE ALSO HAD OUR, UM, CAN'T SAY QUARTERLY MEETINGS. WE ONLY MEET THREE TIMES A YEAR, BUT OUR TALK MEETING WAS KILGORE THIS TIME. SO LAST WEEK WE WERE IN KILGORE. SO, UH, THAT WAS A, A GOOD MEETING. THEY, WE, OUR SUMMER MEETING ROTATES AROUND THE STATE LAST YEAR. WE WERE IN BEAUMONT THIS TIME KILGORE. SO, UH, IT KEEPS US, I THINK, AWARE OF THE FORT WORTH OF THE STATE AND IT'S BEEN A VERY, VERY, VERY BUSY, BUSY MONTH. IN ADDITION, IN ADDITION TO NARC AND IN ADDITION TO TARC, UM, I WAS IN DC LAST LAST WEEK IN MY POSITION AS A, AS A BOARD MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF DEFENSE COMMUNITIES. AND WE HAD A VERY, VERY INTERESTING PRESENTATION. OUR SEMINAR, TWO DAYS ON THE FOREIGN INVESTMENT NEAR MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. AND I REALLY HAVE TO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK WORK THAT TEXAS IS PUTTING IN TO TRY TO BE PROACTIVE AND KEEP, UH, A SITUATION FROM DEVELOPING IN OUR STATE THAT HAS DEVELOPED IN SOME STATES. UH, WE WERE THERE AND WE'LL BE DOING A PRESENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT DEFENSES, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, UM, SEMINAR ARE IN ST. LOUIS IN THE MIDDLE OF JULY ON ALL THE DIFFERENT, UH, WAYS THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE WORKED WITH JBSA TO SUPPORT THEIR RESILIENCE EFFORTS, EFFORTS CAUSE WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF STATE GRANTS AND COUPLE, COUPLE OF DOD GRANTS AND SITTING THE LANDSCAPE, SO EXTREMELY ACTIVE. AND SO WE'LL BE, UH, DOING A PRESENTATION ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, UH, AT THAT ONE. AND THEN WHEN ICMA MEETS IN AUSTIN, UH, WE'LL BE DOING A PRESENT PRESENTATION, UM, AT, AT THAT, UH, UH, SOME ARE ALSO ON WHAT WE DO TOGETHER, UH, TO SUPPORT JBS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. SO AN AWFUL LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, WHICH IS GOOD. VERY GOOD. UM, WE DO HAVE TALK ABOUT IN YOUR, A LOT OF INFORMATION OR IN YOUR NOTEBOOK ABOUT, IN MORE DETAIL, BUT I HAVE TO REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, SOME OF OUR IDD STAFF, STAFF FOR THE CREDENTIALS. THEY'RE CONTINUING TO GAIN AND ANNOUNCE THAT EMILY ORTIZ HAS JOINED THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OUTREACH TEAM. SHE'S GONNA BE WORKING IN BENDER, HER LESBIAN HANDLE. SO YOU, YOU WILL BE SEEING HER, SHE'LL BE AT COMMUNITY EVENTS. SHE'LL REALLY BE GOING TO MORE LY CONNECT US TO THAT. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO DO THAT PIECE QUITE A BIT. AND I KNOW THAT MUST BE IN FREDERICKSBURG. UM, THIS WEEK, UH, OUR STAFF FROM OUR VETERANS DEPARTMENT WAS PRESENT AND IS GOING TO BE PARTICIPATING IN A COUPLE OF SESSIONS THERE ALSO, WE ARE CURRENTLY HOSTING, AND IT KICKS OFF AT 11 O'CLOCK TODAY. WE ARE HOSTING THE STATE AGING CONFERENCE AGING IN TEXAS AT RIVER CENTER. UH, AND THAT IS WHY MY WILL AND SOME OF HIS STAFF ARE NOT HERE WITH US TODAY. THEY'RE DOWN AT THE CONFERENCE, UH, IS STARTS AT 11 O'CLOCK O'CLOCK AND GOES UNTIL FRIDAY. NO, WE ARE STILL VERY, FOR FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE RESOURCES IN THIS COMMUNITY AT UT HEALTH WITH, UH, UH, BARS SHOP, UH, INSTITUTE ON AGING AND, UH, WITH, WITH OUR ALZHEIMER'S, THE BIG, UH, ALZHEIMER'S, UH, RESEARCH INSTITUTE. AND SO WE HAVE SOME REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL RESOURCES THAT, UH, WE CAN HAVE SPEAKERS, UH, ADDRESS, ADDRESS THE CONFERENCE AT. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. AND THAT ENDS, UM, AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY. SO WE WILL BE DOWN THERE AT THAT TIME. I HAVE TO BRAG, BRAG ON THEM. THEY HAVE MET ALL OF THEIR PERFORMANCE METRICS AND FACT THEY, UH, HAVE EXCEEDED SOME OF THE, OF THE ANNUAL TARGETS ALREADY THIS YEAR. SO I'M VERY PROUD OF THEM. AND, AND ART IS BEING VERY BUSY OFF. I KNOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING WITH SEINE ON POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL ROUTES IN SEINE. AND UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH NEW BRAUNFELS BECAUSE IF YOU MAY, MAY CALLED BRAUNFELS, UH, DECEMBER, DECEMBER 29TH, RIGHT AT THE END OF THE YEAR WAS DESIGNATED [00:15:01] IT ITS OWN SMALL URBAN, UH, TRANSIT AREA AREA. SO IT'S NO LONGER INCLUDED IN THE VIA TRANSIT MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. IT'S ITS OWN AREA THAT THEY HAVE DECISIONS TO MAKE AS THEY GO FORWARD, HOW THEY WANT THEIR SERVICES STRUCTURED. SO WE'RE ENGAGED IN, IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM. CAUSE THEY HAVE A GREAT DEAL MORE FLEXIBILITY NOW THAN THEY DID BEFORE. AND WE'RE VERY LUCKY WE HAVE SEAN WHO HAS SUCH DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF THE REGULATIONS AND THE SYSTEMS AND REALLY WORKED IN, WORKED IN A SMALL URBAN DISTRICT IN SAN ANGELO. SO HE REALLY BRINGS A LOT OF EXPERTISE TO, TO THAT, UH, DISCUSSION, UH, NATURAL RESOURCES. WE'RE REALLY STILL TRYING TO GET, UH, SCHOOL BUS FLEET INFORMATION FROM OUR ISDS. SO ANY OF YOU CAN, YOU CAN REALLY ENCOURAGE YOUR ISDS TO, UH, RESPOND, RESPOND TO THE SURVEYS THAT LYLE HAS OUT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR IS THERE ANYTHING, LYLE WOULD WELCOME CALLS CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET A RESPONSE TO COMPLETE THAT SURVEY. THAT SURVEY. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY PLANNING ROUND TABLE ON JULY 27TH FOR YOUR STAFF. AND THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY, AND THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY DISCUSSING HOW YOU INCORPORATE ENERGY RESILIENCE INTO YOUR HAZARD MITIGATION MITIGATION PLANS. UH, WE ARE ALSO, WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING WITH NATURAL RESOURCES, UM, EDUCATING FOLKS ABOUT THE ENERGY MANAGEMENT NEEDS. AND SO PLEASE, UH, REACH OUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN HELP YOU WITH AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THE ENERGY ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLANS. UH, THERE WILL BE, AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. UH, TT C Q DID ADOPT, UH, THEIR PROPOSAL FOR MODIFICATIONS TO THE STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR OZONE SINCE WE WERE BUMPED UP TO MODERATE, MODERATE CLASSIFICATION. SO THIS IS JUST FOR JUST FOR BEAR COUNTY, BUT THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING HERE AT A, AT SEVEN O'CLOCK ON JULY 13TH ABOUT THOSE PROPOSALS IN BEAR COUNTY. IT WILL BRING ADMISSION AND, UH, ADMISSIONS TESTING THAT IS PROPOSED TO START START IN NOVEMBER OF 2026. EVEN THOUGH ANNUAL, AND THIS IS GONNA BE SO CONFUSING FOR PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH ANNUAL ADMISSION OR ANNUAL INSPECTIONS ARE, YOUR CAR IS VANISHING, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THAT ANYMORE STARTED IN NOVEMBER OF 26TH. EVERY VEHICLE IN BEAR COUNTY WILL HAVE TO HAVE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION COSTING ABOUT 11, $11 AND 50 CENTS FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR, UH, AMS, UH, TESTING. IF THEY DO NOT COMPLY AND DON'T PASS THE TEST, THEY CANNOT HAVE A REGISTERED, REGISTERED VEHICLE AND, UH, THAT CAN OPERATE IN, CANNOT OPERATE PERIOD. IN BEAR COUNTY, IN COUNTY. THERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT THINGS IN THAT, THAT PROPOSAL, UH, REALLY URGE ALL BE COUNTY AND COMMUNITIES IN BEAR COUNTY TO ATTEND THAT PUBLIC HEARING AND, AND SEE IF THERE IS AN AGENDA, AGENDA ITEM ON THAT ON YOUR AGENDA TODAY FOR THAT. OH, THE ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS, BUS LUNCH AND LEARN ON JULY 25TH. WE HAVE WHAT I, WE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED OUR HAZARD MITIGATION ROUND TABLE ON JULY 27TH, AND THEN OUR EARLY AND ENERGY CODES ROUND TABLE AUGUST 24TH. WE JUST HAD HAD A GREAT TURNOUT FOR THE NEW, UH, ELECTED OFFICIAL OFFICIAL WORKSHOP. UH, LAST WEEK WE HAD, UH, MORE FOLKS THAN REGISTERED, SO, AND HAVE REALLY GOOD COMMENTS AFTERWARDS. SO THEY'VE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH THE WORKSHOPS THAT WE'RE SCHEDULING NOW. AND PENNY IS ALWAYS WELL ATTENDED AS OFFICE FOURTH. SO YOU'LL, YOU'LL CONTINUE TO GET INFORMATION OR REMINDERS OF THIS, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST LET US KNOW. IN ADDITION, UH, CLAUDIA HAS, UH, SAID TO ME IN THE REGION, AND THAT'S COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. WE'RE DOING OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN NOW. UH, IT WILL COVER 24 29 THAT WILL BE COMING TO THE BOARD LATER, BUT WE'RE IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE NOW. SO SHE HAS HELD MEETINGS ALREADY IN BRAUNFELS, IN KERRVILLE AND WILL BE VIS VISITING THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. UH, AFTER JULY 4TH, UH, MILITARY AND, AND VETERANS OF AFFAIRS AFFAIRS, THEY CONTINUE TO SEE STEADY GROWTH IN OUR VETERANS DIRECTED CARE. WE ARE CURRENTLY MANAGING MORE VETERANS THAN ANY PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY, CURRENTLY MANAGING 610 VETERANS TO AGE IN PLACE, STAY IN THEIR HOMES, HOMES UNDER OUR WONDERFUL PARTNER PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR R VA. AND I HAVE TO SAY AGAIN, MANY COMMUNITIES DON'T ENJOY THE RELATIONSHIP WE DO WITH THE VA, BUT 610 VETERANS ARE BENEFITING FROM IT. AND WE'RE GETTING ABOUT 30, 30 REFERRALS A MONTH. OF COURSE, WITH THAT POPULATION POPULATION YOU ALSO LOSE A FEW, UH, CURRENT ENROLLS ENROLL. UH, BUT WE'RE VERY PROUD TO BE LEADING THE WAY IN THE COUNTRY ON THAT ONE. AND, AND, UH, OUR VETERANS NETWORK HAS SWITCHED OVER, OVER FROM OUR STATE GRANT [00:20:01] TO, WE'RE TOTALLY FUNDING FUNDING IT AT THE PROGRAM REVENUE FROM VETERANS DIRECTED CARE. AND WE HAVE INCREASED OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS FROM 210 UP TO 227. SO WE HAVE 227 PARTNERS IN THE REGION THAT ARE SERVING, SERVING OUR VETERANS THROUGH THAT REFERRAL. UM, WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED THAT WE RECEIVED, UH, A DEFENSE, UH, ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT, THE DA GRANT GRANT FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, UH, LAST WEEK. SO WE HAVE $750,000 SUPPORT OF THE HUNDRED HUNDRED 49TH UNDER WING WITH, UH, TEXAS, TEXAS INTERNATIONAL GUARD. THIS IS THE FIRST GRANT THAT THEY HAVE MADE IN SUPPORT OF A GUARD UNIT. SO IT'S REALLY LEADING THE WAY AND IT'S VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSES GOING. IT'S GONNA EXPAND THE OPERATION CENTER THAT'S AT LACKLAND, UH, AND THE BOARD IS OPERATING AND THAT WILL SERVE NOT ONLY THE MILITARY COMMUNITY IN ALL SOUTH TEXAS, BUT ALSO CIVILIAN, CIVILIAN. SO WE ALL BENEFIT FROM THAT EXPANSION AND THAT GRANT. SO IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY GOOD. AND IT'S GONNA PUT IN A NEW ANTENNA TOWER AT LACKLAND. SO BOTH CIVILIAN, BOTH CIVILIAN AND MILITARY. UH, AVIATION IS GONNA BE BENEFITING FROM FROM THAT ONE. WHEN YOU WALKED IN, WE WALKED IN, IF YOU CAME IN THAT DOOR, YOU SAW, WE STILL HAVE ONE OF OUR ELEVATORS THAT IS CLOSED OFF. WE'RE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THE FIRE ALARM COMPANY TO, UH, MAKE SOME MODIFICATION. SO IT MEETS THE CURRENT CODE COMPLIANCE, COMPLIANCE STANDARDS. AND AT THE OLD ONE, IT DOESN'T MEET THE NEW ONE. SO WE'VE BEEN WAITING ONE MONTH FOR THOSE MODIFICATIONS TO BE MADE. SO WE THOUGHT WE'D BE OPERAT OPERATIONAL BY THE END OF MAY. THAT'S COME, GONE, JUNE'S COMING, GONE. SO WE HOPE IT FINALLY GETS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS IN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING BACK THE BUILDING, OUR UH, GENERAT HAS FINALLY, RIGHT ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER YOU'VE ORDERED IT, SO WE HAVE OUR GENERAT GENERATOR GENERATOR, IT IS INSTALLED AND THEY'RE MAKING THEIR WORK, THEY'RE WORKING ON IT THIS WEEK. BUT WE'RE ALL SET TO DO OUR TESTING, UH, IN THE NEXT FEW DECADES. SO WE HAVE A GENERATOR, SO IF WE HAVE ANOTHER DISASTER, WE ARE SET. THAT DOES NOT POWER THE ENTIRE BUILDING, BUT IT POWERS SOME OF OUR CRITICAL OPERATIONS, PARTICULARLY 9 1 1 1. AND SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS FUNDED BY 9 1 1. AND, UM, I BD. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND IT, WE WERE DOWN THE WIRE REQUIRED CAUSE WE HAD TO HAVE IT INSTALLED BY THE END OF JULY ORDER TO ACCESS THOSE 9 1 1 FUNDS. SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY. HAPPY. AND IT ALSO WILL IMPORTANTLY BE POWERING THE SECURITY CAMERAS SO THAT EVEN IF WE HAVE A SHUTDOWN, OUR SECURITY CAMERAS, CAMERAS WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE. OPERATE. UM, AND THAT IS OUR REPORT. AS YOU CAN TELL, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. OUR STAFF IS VERY BUSY AND THEY'RE REALLY DOING A VERY GOOD JOB. AND MR. CHAIRMAN, I'LL YOU ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS? DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT DIANE'S REPORTS? SO GOING BACK TO THE ISSUE ABOUT CAR INSPECTIONS, AUTOMOBILE INSPECTIONS, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE TO HAVE THOSE INSPECTIONS. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT ALL OF THE SAN ANTONIO PRIDES ITSELF AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS BECAUSE OF MEDICAL CENTERS, BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE HERE FOR SMALLER COMMUNITIES, HOW ARE YOU GONNA HANDLE ALL OF THE TRAFFIC COMING IN FROM DIFFERENT PLACES FOR CONVENTIONS, ET CETERA? IF SOME OF THOSE CARS DON'T MEET THE STANDARDS AND, AND THEY WON'T, WE'RE CONCERNED. WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO T C FOR SAYING THAT, UH, BEING IN A LITTLE BIT OVER $11 BECAUSE OF THE POVERTY, POVERTY IN OUR COUNTY. UM, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TRAFFIC, YOU HAVE TRAFFIC COMING IN AND IT ONLY PERTAINS TO THOSE CARS THAT ARE REGISTERED IN, IN BEAR COUNTY UNDER BOTH FEDERAL, FEDERAL AND STATE LAW. SO THAT'S THE ONLY THAT CARS THAT DO IT. UH, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE TRAFFIC GOING IN AND OUT. THE ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS ARE ALL OUR TRUCKS WITH 40% OF THEM ALL US MEXICO TRAFFIC PASSING THROUGH BEAR COUNTY BETWEEN 9 10, 2 81 AND 35. THE TRUCK TRAFFIC ARE A HUGE COMPONENT OF THAT. UH, OUR HIGHEST, UH, EMITTERS ARE FROM AUTOMOTIVE, UH, VEHICLES. AND, UH, PARTICULARLY OVER THE, THE NEW HOUR, PEOPLE COULD JUST STOP GOING THROUGH, DRIVE THROUGH AT THE NOON, AS SIMPLE AS THAT. SOUNDS, SOUNDS IT HELPS A LOT. BUT WE STILL ONLY PRODUCE 20% OF THE OZONE HERE, 80%, 80 OF IT'S TRANSPORT, EITHER FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY OR FOREIGN COUNTRIES. SO WE ALREADY ARE, ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED IN WHAT WE CAN DO TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM. AS WE SAW IN APRIL OF 20, WE WERE ALL SHUT DOWN AND OUR MISSION TO APRIL OF 20 WE'RE STILL HIGHER THAN IN 2019. SO WE HAVE SUCH A LIMIT, LIMITED EFFECT ON WHAT WE REALLY CAN CONTROL. UH, BUT FEDERAL LAW DOESN'T GO THERE, THERE. SO OUR RESIDENTS WILL BE PAYING THE EXTRA AMOUNT OF DOLLARS AND HAVING THE ADDITIONAL INSPECTION, UH, STARTING AS PROPOSED IN NOVEMBER OF 26. WELL, ON MY [00:25:01] YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HAVE TAUGHT ME OVER, OVER TIME THAT YOU LOOK AT GOVERNMENT ENTITIES AND YOU ASK YOURSELF HOW MANY OF THE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES THAT FURNISH FLEETS, HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE IN COMPLIANCE ALSO. AND SO I THINK THIS IS GONNA HAVE A WIDE RANGING EFFECT. MM-HMM NOT ONLY ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS, BUT OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE MASSIVE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS TO DELIVER PRODUCTS FROM POINT A TO POINT B. SO ANYWAY, YES SIR. UH, ALL THE FLEETS, BOTH GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR, ANY CAR THAT IS LICENSED, REGISTERED HERE, WE'LL HAVE TO PASS THE INSPECTION. SO I REMEMBER WHEN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO DID THE UNIFIED, UH, PROGRAM, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL ALL BUILDINGS IN THE CITY, UH, OR BUSINESSES WERE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CITY'S NEW REGULATIONS. A WEEK LATER, TWO OF THE CITY BUILDINGS BURNT DOWN CUZ THEY WERE NON-COMPLIANCE. SO YES, THANK YOU FOR THAT INSIGHT. THANK YOU. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S MUCH INSIDE, BUT YEAH. INTERESTING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HAVE A QUESTION ON THE, UM, UH, SCHOOL BUSES. YES. YES. IS IT, UH, POSTED ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE SURVEY? UM, I THINK THEY HAVE SENT THEM OUT DIRECTLY TO THE SCHOOL BUSES, BUT WHILE YOU EVER MAYOR, MAYOR, PERHAPS HE CAN GET INFORMATION CONVENTION CENTER DIDN'T. THANK YOU JUDGE. ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU DIANE. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ALONG TO [ 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.] CONSENT AGENDA. UH, WE HAVE UH, MEETING MINUTES. WE HAVE FINANCIAL SUMMARY, CONTRACT PERFORMANCE REPORT. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION, NOT NECESSARILY REMOVE IT FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA ABOUT ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FROM VIA, IT LOOKS LIKE THE LAST MONTH WE COLLECTED IS JULY 22, ALMOST YEAR. WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS. BOTH TEXT DOT AND VIA ARE VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOU, YOU HAVE TO, THEY PROCESS ONE MONTH AT A TIME SO IT BUILDS ON EACH OTHER. SO PART OF THE PROBLEM WAS OUR ACCOUNTANT THAT WE HAD COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IN HIS BILLING AND HIS, HIS HIS WORK ON THIS SIDE AND THEN PART OF THE INVOICES THAT WE SUBMITTED COULD HAVE BEEN CLEARER. BUT WE'VE HAD TWO MEETINGS WITH VIA, THEY WERE VERY, VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS. SO WE FEEL MUCH BETTER ABOUT GOING FORWARD AND WE HAVE TO OWN PART OF IT. AND VIAS PROCESSES HAVE TO OWN PART OF IT, BUT ALMOST A YEAR. BUT IT VIA DON'T THEY HAVE TO PAY THEIR BILLS IS LIKE THE REST OF US. YEAH. I CAN'T BLAME IT ALL ON VIA, UH, WE HAVE HAD A CHANGE IN THAT ACCOUNTANT POSITION WITH THE CHANGE IN THE ACCOUNTANT AND DISCOVERED THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB. WE OWN PART OF THAT AND THE NEW BRAUNFELS UCAS AT THE SAME THING. UM, NEW BRAUNFELS IS, IS REALLY THAT CONTRACT RUNS. WE ARE OPERATING NEW BRAUNFELS UNDER A CONTRACT WITH VIA, UH, BECAUSE THEY WERE PART OF THE VIA TRANSIT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, BUT VIAS OR DISTRICT, BUT VIAS SERVICE AREA DOES NOT EXTEND OUT OUT OF FAIR COUNTY. SO THEY CONTRACTED WITH US AND THAT'S ROLLED INTO THE ENTIRE BILLING WITH VIA. AND I, I HAVE TO SAY WE OWN PART OF THAT CUZ OF OUR ACCOUNTANT WHO IS NO LONGER WITH US AT THIS TIME. UM, BUT WE HAVE IT IN BETTER STEAD. AND I HAVE TO ALSO RECOGNIZE WE'RE, WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE SHAWN BACK WITH US AGAIN. UH, CUZ WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROGRAMS, HE'S A HUGE ASSET TO US AS WE LIKE WITH STRAIGHTEN THE PAST OUT AND MOVE FORWARD BETTER. BUT WITH THE, UH, IT, IT SAYS THE LAST MONTH THE BILL WAS NOVEMBER 22. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BILL UNTIL THEY PAY THE PRIOR MONTH. AND THAT'S TRUE BOTH OF TEXDOT AND VIA. SO UNTIL THEY DO IT, YOU'RE JUST STUCK IN THIS STRANGLE. THEY HAVE, YOU HAVE TO BILL 'EM, THEY HAVE TO PAY IT AND THEN YOU CAN SUBMIT THE NEXT MONTH THEY REVIEW IT, THEY PAY IT, AND THEN YOU CAN SUBMIT. SO YOU HAVE THIS BACKLOG, IT RUNS VIA CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. IT IS, BUT I HAVE TO SAY AGAIN, IT'S NOT, WE OWN THIS, A LARGE PART OF THIS, THE BILLING CYCLE FOR BOTH, THE WAY THEY HANDLED THAT FOR BOTH TEXDOT AND VIA IS THE SAME IN THE TRANSIT AREA. AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THAT WAS OUR ACCOUNTANT PUT, PUT THIS FIXED. WE FEEL VERY POSITIVE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE NOW AND WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE UNTANGLED OUR AREAS AND THAT THE PROCESS STILL TAKES A WHILE CUZ YOU STILL HAVE TO SUBMIT IT, [00:30:01] GET PAID, SUBMIT AND GET PAID. SO IT WILL TAKE US A WHILE TO WORK THROUGH THAT BACKLOG, BUT WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE THE FORMAT IN THE SYSTEM IN PLACE NOW. BUT BETWEEN OUR, OUR PRIOR OUR TRANSIT DIRECTOR, WE HAD IN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN WHEN SHAWN LEFT AND WHEN SHAWN CAME BACK AND THE ACCOUNTANT, THEY HAD IT, WE HAD WORK TO DO. SO SEAN OWNS IT NOW , SHAWN AND JULIO OWN IT. NOW. I WILL NOT LET JULIO OFFER INHERITED SEAN AND JULIO. YES. THEY BOTH INHERITED IT. BOTH OF THEM INHERITED IT AND BOTH OF THEM ARE WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY. UH, YEAH, WE, WE ARE BOTH THROUGH DECEMBER NOW. UH, AND MUCH LIKE SHE SAID, UM, THEY HAVE STATED DO NOT SEND US ANY MORE BILLINGS UNTIL WE WEEKLY. WE HAVE AN, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE SENT THEM SO FAR, UH, IT'S TAKEN SOME TIME. SHE, WHAT SHE STATED IS TRUE. WE'VE HAD SOME TURNOVER IN THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS IN, IN, IN THE ART DEPARTMENT. UM, SO WE HAVE COME TO AN AGREEMENT ON WHAT THE BILLING SHOULD LOOK LIKE. THEY'VE KIND OF ACCEPTED THOSE VERSIONS OF THOSE, THOSE ITERATIONS. AND SO, UM, I DO FEEL WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS WE SHOULD BE COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE YEAR TO DATE WHERE WE STARTED. BUT IT'S JUST A SLOW PROBLEM. IT'S IT'S A LOT OF MONEY. IT IS. IT'S VERY MUCH SO. AND, AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN AS YOU'VE, AS YOU'VE POINTED OUT PAST YOU, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A HUGE ISSUE. YEAH. THIS IN THE FIRST CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD ABOUT THE, UH YEP. AND THIS TIME WE OWN IT BEFORE THEY OWNED IT, BUT THIS TIME IT'S US VERY HARD TO GET. ALL RIGHT. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION BY UH, JUDGE EVANS, SECOND BY MAYOR CONTRERAS. ANY MORE DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER [11. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to release a Request for Proposal for an insurance benefits consultant. - Deedra Johnson] 11 AND 12. TOGETHER. I'VE GOT IT BRACKETED. IT WOULD BE 11 AND THIS, THEN SHE HAS THE NEXT ITEM TWO. GOTCHA. OKAY. GOOD MORNING DEIDRA. MORNING. WE'RE AT ITEM NUMBER 11. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS. THE ITEM I BRING FOR YOU IS THE REQUEST TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RELEASE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANT INSURANCE BENEFITS. WE CURRENTLY UTILIZE A BENEFITS CONSULTANTING FORM, SO THIS IS RELATED TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND THE PLACEMENT OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SUCH AS MEDICAL, DENTAL, VISION, LIFE, DISABILITY, AND VOLUNTARY BENEFITS. BEEN WITH THIS CURRENT TENDER UNDER OUR MOST RECENT CONTRACT FOR FOUR YEARS AND WE HAVE ONE OPTION YEAR REMAINING. HOWEVER, WE WOULD LIKE TO VENTURE VENTURE OUT TO SEE WHAT COMPANIES ARE OFFERING IN THIS COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT, ENVIRONMENT. ONCE AGAIN, ACCO STAFF HAS, SO, OH, I'M SORRY. ONCE ACOG STAFF HAS SELECTED A RECOMMENDATION, WE WILL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR FINAL APPROVAL. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I MOVE MAYOR WILLIAMS AND UH, MAYOR DENNIS AS A SECOND. DISCUSSION, QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT, MOVING ON TO ITEM [12. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Temporary Employee Services. - Deedra Johnson] 12, DEIDRA. NEXT ITEM GREEN IS THE REQUEST. REQUEST AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RELEASE THE RFP FOR TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE SERVICES. TEMPORARY EMPLOYEE SERVICES ARE GENERALLY UTILIZED FOR THE SHORT TERM NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS, RECEPTIONIST, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE TECHNICIANS, SUPPORT TECHNICIANS, TECHNICIAN SUPPORT, AND DRIVERS FOR THE REGIONAL TRANSIT PROGRAM. THE CURRENT VENDOR HAS BEEN, BEEN WITH US AGAIN FOR FOUR YEARS AND ALL RENEWAL OPTIONS UNDER THIS CONTRACT HAS BEEN BEEN EXHAUSTED. ACO STAFF RECOMMENDS THE AUTHORIZATION FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR TO RELEASE THAT REQUEST FOR REQUEST PROPOSAL. ONCE AGAIN, ONCE WE HAVE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, WE WILL BRING IT BACK TO, TO THIS BOARD FOR FINAL APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MOTION BY AMERICAN CHAIR SECOND BY JUDGE EVANS. ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION, CARRIE. THANK YOU DEIDRA. ITEM NUMBER 13, [13. Consider and act upon the recommendation to submit a comment letter to TCEQ regarding its proposed Bexar County Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revision and associated rulemaking. - Lyle Hufstetler] CONSIDER AN ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO SUBMIT A COMMENT LETTER TO T C E Q REGARDING ITS PROPOSED BEARER COUNTY INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE, STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, REVISION AND ASSOCIATED RULE MAKING. MR. LYLE HUFFSTEDTLER. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS. I'M LYLE HUFFSTEDTLER, YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR. TO THE ITEM. ITEM FOR YOU IS A PROPOSED COMMENT LETTER TO BE SENT, SENT TO THE T C E Q THAT EXPRESSES OUR SUPPORT, SUPPORT OF THEIR PROPOSED COUNTY INSPECTION, INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE FOR IM STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN REVISION AND ASSOCIATED RULEMAKING. [00:35:01] SO BEAR COUNTY WAS DECLARED NON ATTAINMENT UNDER THE CURRENT OZONE STANDARD IN SEPTEMBER OF 20 18 18. AND AFTER THREE YEARS OF FAILING TO MEET THAT STANDARD, BEAR COUNTY WAS BUMPED UP TOMORROW, MODERATE NON ATTAINMENT EFFECTI NOVEMBER 7TH OF 20 UNDER THE CLEAN AIR ACT AND EMISSIONS AND PROGRAM MUST, MUST BE IMPLEMENTED FOR NON ATTAINMENT AREAS WITHIN FOUR YEARS OF A RECLASSIFICATION. SO FOR BEAR COUNTY, THAT DATE WOULD BE NOVEMBER 7TH, 2020 26. THIS IS ONLY FOR BEAR COUNTY. OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THESE INSPECTIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE ATTAINMENT OF THE, THE THOSE ON STANDARD. A RULE RULE MAKING IS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT IM AND SET THE TESTING SHEET WITHIN IN BEAR COUNTY AND THE SUPERVISION IS REQUIRED TO ADD BEAR COUNTY COUNTIES. IM TO THE STATE, IM PROGRAM THE PROPOSED START, START DATE FOR THESE INSPECTIONS UNDER THE RULE MAKING IS NOVEMBER 1ST, 2026 AND THE PROPOSED FEE IS GOING TO BE $11 AND 50 CENTS. OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS THAT HAVE THESE UH, EMISSIONS TESTING IN PLACE ARE, UM, DALLAS AND HOUSTON. THEY ACTUALLY CHARGE A BIT MORE FOR THEIR INSPECTIONS. AND, UM, EL PASO, PASO AND AUSTIN VOLUNTARILY IS UH, PART OF THE IM PROGRAM. AND THEY HAVE THE SAME 1150 FEE THAT IS PROPOSED COUNTY. THAT IS ACTUALLY THE MINIMUM, UH, FEE THAT IS, UH, ABLE TO BE CHARGED. UH, VEHICLE OWNERS WHO FAIL THESE INSPECTION INSPECTIONS WILL BE REQUIRED TO REPAIR THEIR VEHICLES, UM, AND, AND ADDRESS THOSE EMISSIONS RELATED MALFUNCTIONS AND PAY THE ASSOCIATES ASSOCIATED REPAIR COSTS. NOW THERE ARE WAIVERS THAT ARE, THAT ARE AVAILABLE. UM, ONE OF THOSE IS A LOW INCOME TIME EXTENSION, BUT UNFORTUNATELY YOU HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU'VE PUT IN SIX, $600 WORTH OF REPAIRS AND THAT VEHICLE AND IT'S ONLY A ONE YEAR, UH, EXTENSION. THE CURRENT TCU TIMELINE ALLOWS FOR THE SUBMITTAL OF THE SIP AT THE END OF 2023. THIS IS ONE YEAR AFTER THE EPAS DEADLINE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT THE CIP. I HAVE INCLUDED SOME LANGUAGE, LANGUAGE SPEAKING TO THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES IF THE EPA DECLARES A FAILURE, FAILURE TO SUBMIT THE SIP BY THE REQUIRED DATE. AND THAT'S A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY THAT T C E Q EXPLICITLY ADDRESSES IN THIS SUPERVISION. THE PROPOSED, UH, COMMENT LETTER BEFORE YOU EXPRESSES APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED SUPERVISION, UM, INCLUDING SETTING THE FEE AT 1150. AS I SAID, THAT'S, UH, THE MINIMUM THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SET IT AT AND IT'S WELL BELOW A RECOMMENDED AMOUNT AMOUNT FROM A 2020 TCE Q COMMISSIONS SUGGESTED THE MINIMUM FEE SHOULD BE $18. SO, SO WE'RE ALREADY COMING IN BELOW THAT. WE ALSO APPROVE OF ALSO APPROVE OF THE, THE PROPOSED DATE, DATE. IT GIVES US PLENTY OF TIME TO OBVIOUSLY IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM, BUT, BUT TO DEVISE A, A PUBLIC EDUCATION ATION CAMPAIGN DUE TO THE CONFUSION THAT DIANE HAD MENTIONED REGARDING REGARD THE SAFETY INSPECTIONS. AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW, TO KNOW THAT THE RECENT REPEAL OF SAFETY INSPECTIONS DOES, DOES NOT AFFECT, AFFECT THE PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ADMISSIONS INSPECTIONS. SO THERE'S GONNA BE A ONE ONE TO TWO YEAR PERIOD DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU'RE REGISTRATION IS WHY YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO TAKE YOUR CAR IT ON. WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE THINKING THAT THAT'S A PERMANENT THING. BY 2026, EMISSIONS INSPECTIONS WILL BE IN BEAR COUNTY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL LAW. CAN'T IMAGINE. AND I WILL TAKE, TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE 'EM, BUT WE'D RECOMMEND, UH, SUPPORT, SUPPORT OF THE COMMENT LETTER. I HAVE A QUESTION. YES. SO IF YOU BUY A CAR IN BEAR COUNTY AND YOU LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTY AND STEVENS WANNA REGISTER IN BEAR COUNTY, SO IF YOU REGISTERED BEAR COUNTY, YOU LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTY, DO YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN HERE TO GET THE INSPECTION? IF YOU DID, AND I THINK THE REGISTRATION SHOULD BE THE COUNTY YOU LIVE. YEAH. BUT THE BUYER HAS A CHOICE BY YEAH, I I KNOW THEY DO, BUT SOME, SOME PEOPLE DON'T TAKE THE CHOICE TO GO TO THEIR COUNTY. SO IF IT'S REGISTER BEER COUNTY, YOU, YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN HERE TO, IF IT'S REGISTERED IN THAT COUNTY YES. WOULD IT'S BASED ON THE REGISTRATION. THAT'S INSANE. EXCUSE. YEAH. YOU SEE THIS AS A FIRST STEP FOR ONE STATEWIDE. I DON'T, UM, CAUSE THIS, THIS IS A FEDERAL REQUIREMENT AND SO IT'S BECAUSE OF THE ATTAINMENT, RIGHT? YEAH. IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR NON-ATTAINMENT STATUS. THAT IS NOT NON-ATTAINMENT COULD VOLUNTARILY OPT IN LIKE AUSTIN DID, TRAVIS AND LOUIS DID. BUT I DON'T FORESEE A STATE MAN A STATEWIDE INSPECTION MANDATE. YES, SIR. UH, WELL WHAT HAPPENS IN A SITUATION WHERE INDIVIDUAL, NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY SPENT ON THE VEHICLE, CAN'T BRING IT TO THAT ACCEPTABLE LEVEL AND THAT'S THE ONLY FAMILY VEHICLE WORK VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND [00:40:01] MAYBE SOME LOW INCOME PROGRAMS OUT THERE, BUT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN MORE THAN PEOPLE THINK. ABSOLUTELY. THAT THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE VERY AWARE, WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT. AND IT, TO YOUR POINT, IT IT'LL REQUIRE A LOCAL PROGRAM. THERE USED TO BE A ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, BUT THAT'S, UH, I MEAN THAT'S BEEN, UH, A DORMANT SINCE 20 20 17. I DON'T EXPECT CAUSE IF REACTIVATED, BECAUSE IF I'M IN THAT SITUATION, I'M GONNA DRIVE ILLEGALLY AT THAT POINT TO GET TO WORK TO FEED A FAMILY AND THEN TRY TO SAVE UP MONEY TO GET A DIFFERENT VEHICLE. RIGHT. WE, WE EXPECT THAT TO BE PRETTY COMMONPLACE. IT'S GONNA BE A, A MANAGING EXPECTATIONS BUT ALSO EDUCATIONAL PROCESS. SO MY, MY SECOND QUESTION, ARE THERE ANY BUSINESSES OUT THERE THAT ARE GONNA BE FORCED TO PROVIDE THESE TYPE OF INSPECTIONS OR EVALUATIONS? NO. SO, SO, UM, CURRENT INSPECTIONS SITES WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO OFFER EMISSIONS TEST. IT WOULD BE IN THERE PROBABLY INTEREST TO DO SO, BUT THEY'D BE EXPECTED TO PURCHASE THE EQUIPMENT. THAT'S WHY THE FEE'S IN PLACE. I, I REPEAT THAT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. DIANE, DIDN'T YOU DO SOME WORK A WHILE BACK ON THE DIFFERENT MONITORING STATIONS AND THE MOST OF THOSE STATIONS, IN YOUR OPINION WERE PUT IN THE WRONG LOCATION? OR DID I MISS, AM I MISSTATING THAT? NO, I THINK WHEN WE LOOK, CUZ WE HAVE NINE MONITORS AND MONITOR THE THREE, THE ONLY ONES THAT COUNT ARE THE THREE REGULATORY ONES. AND CALAVERAS IS IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MONITORING STATION AND EPA IS WHO SELECTS THE PLACES THAT'S AT CAMP BULLIS BECAUSE OF THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS AND THE, THE AIR IS SORT OF TRAPPED THERE. TRADITIONALLY THAT'S OUR, OUR WORST UNIT. UH, AND YOU HAVE I 10 GOING BY AND AGAIN, WE ONLY MISSED VIEWPOINT THAT THAT ONE HAS ALREADY MISSED IT FOR THE YEAR. I MEAN WE'RE, WE'RE DOOMED FOR THE YEAR WITH THAT ONE ALREADY. UH, BUT THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS OUT THERE AND, AND WHERE THAT MONITOR IS CERTAINLY IS A DISADVANTAGE. WE ALSO, IN THE LAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS HAVE HAD INCREASING PROBLEMS WITH THE NORTHWEST MONITOR. A LOT OF THAT IS JUST THE TRAFFIC THAT'S OUT THERE, THE NORTHWEST. WE DID A, UH, ONE OF THE STUDIES THAT LYLE AND STEVEN DID REALLY IDENTIFIED SOME OF THE WORST TRAFFIC LOCATIONS FOR OZONE. AND THAT ONE OUT THERE IS A BAD PROBLEM. AND LALE DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA ELABORATE ON THAT OR CORRECT. I SAID SOMETHING WRONG. YEAH, NO, THAT WAS A STUDY WE DID FOR THE MPO A FEW YEARS AGO WHERE WE, WHERE WE TRIED TO PINPOINT LIKE WHAT, WHAT ARE THE PROBLEM INTERSECTIONS, INTER, INTER CHANGES TRAFFIC POINTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING THE MOST, MOST HIGH CERTAIN MONITORS. AND UM, I'D BE HAPPY HAPPY TO SHARE THAT STUDY, UM, WITH THE BOARD. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY INTERESTING. MM-HMM. WE CAN, WE CAN, IF YOU CAN GET IT TO ME, WE CAN SEND IT OUT TO THE BOARD MEMBERS FOR THERE. CUZ IT'S VERY INTERESTING WHERE WE HAVE, WHERE WE HAVE IT. AND AGAIN, IF PEOPLE JUST WOULDN'T GO SIT AND DRIVE THROUGHS AT LUNCHTIME, AS SIMPLE AS THAT SOUNDS, IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. JUDGE EVAN, SO WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT? IS IT GONNA BE A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR OR IS IT GONNA BE DEFINED, PROBABLY DEFINED ONLY OR WHAT? IT, IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO THE REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT. SO THE BURDEN FOR ENFORCING, IT'S GONNA FALL AS YOU SAID, JUDGE TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE POLICE OFFICERS, UH, WITH HAVING A FINE. SO IT'S, IT'S IT BE LIKE A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR OR TRAFFIC TICKET. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, TRAFFIC, BUT IT'S, IT'S A TRAFFIC VIOLATION. YEAH. SO THAT'S CLASS C. OKAY. IT BE TRAFFIC. SO YEAH, IT WON'T BE A JAILABLE OFFENSE. NO. SO COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE DUE TO TECH DOTS INABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH THE ROAD POPULATIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET PROJECTS OUT, GET THE RIGHT OF AWAYS DONE, BE ABLE TO GET THE PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND COMPLETED? I I HAVE TO REALLY SAY AGAIN THAT WE ONLY PRODUCE 20%, 80% IS TRANSPORT. SO WHEN WE WERE TOTALLY SHUT DOWN AND WE HAD ALMOST NO TRAFFIC, WE WERE EXCEEDING THE STUFF CUZ OF WHAT BLOWS IN. AND IT'S REALLY INTERESTING IN THE PAST, UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE HOT BAKING SUMMER DAYS THAT ARE OUR PROBLEM. OUR WORST PROBLEMS ARE IN THE SPRING OR IN THE FALL. UH, THE LAST TWO YEARS OUR SEPTEMBER HAS BEEN JUST HORRIBLE. AND IT'S REALLY WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANGE IN WIND DIRECTION, UH, AND THE FRONT'S COMING THROUGH. SO WHILE CRINGES, WHEN I EXPLAIN IT THIS WAY, UM, BUT WHEN IN THE HOT SUMMERTIME WE HAVE THE GULF BREEZE AND THE GULF BREEZE BLOWS EVERYTHING THROUGH. SO WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE, IT REALLY BLOWS THROUGH. BUT WHEN YOU'RE IN THE FALL AND THE SPRING, WE DON'T QUITE HAVE THAT SAME GULF BREEZE OPERATING THE SAME WAY. AND YOU HAVE A [00:45:01] COLD FRONT COMING DOWN WITH THE WIND SHIFTS. SO WE HAVE OUR GULF BREEZE COMING AND BLOWING OUR NORMAL DIRTY AIR OUT AND THEN YOU HAVE ALL THE STUFF COMING DOWN FROM THE MIDWEST AND OTHER PARTS THAT COME HERE AND THEN IT, THEY ALL COLLIDE AND BECAUSE OF THE STRENGTH OF THE WIND OF THE FRONT COMING THROUGH, IT COMES BACK THROUGH AND THEY HAVE THESE NEAT LITTLE ROSETTE MODELS THAT SHOW THAT WIND DIRECTION. BUT THAT IS WHAT NAILS US EVERY TIME IS WHEN THE, THE FRONTS COME THROUGH AND CORRECT ME, I KNOW YOU CRINGE WHEN I DO THAT, BUT CORRECT, CORRECT ME WITH WHAT I SAID WRONG. NO, THAT SOUNDED, THAT SOUNDED GREAT. WAS VERY WELL DONE. I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS CONCISE. JUDGE. ONE LAST THING, JUDGE, I GOT ONE LAST QUESTION. UM, JUST, I'M PROBABLY GETTING THE WEEDS IN HERE, BUT ARE THEY GONNA, UM, EMISSION TEST TO THE YEAR LEVEL THAT THAT VEHICLE IS WHAT CAME OUT? BECAUSE SOME OF US MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW, I GOT LIKE A 71 CHARGER AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY GOT, BECAUSE IT, IT'S ONLY, IT'S ONLY GONNA BE GASOLINE LIGHTENING VEHICLES AGES TWO 20. SO IF YOUR VEHICLES MORE THAN 24, HERE'S, YOU WON'T HAVE TO DO THESE EMISSIONS INSPECTION. UM, AND THE WAY THEY USE THE INSPECTIONS IS JUST TO ONBOARD DIAGNOSTIC PLUG IN AND THE COMPUTER SAN ANTONIO ROLLING COAL AND AGO HE USED TO BE PUT A PROBE BE AFTER ME. OKAY. I USED TO DO THAT. SO LYLE, UM, DID I HEAR YOU TWO SAY THAT IF A BEARER COUNTY RESIDENT DOESN'T HAVE THE SUBMISSION TESTING THAT THEY CAN'T REGISTER THEIR VEHICLE? IF THAT'S CORRECT. IF YOU DON'T HAVE, IF YOU DON'T PASS THE EMISSIONS TEST, YOU WON'T. SO IT'S THE BEAR COUNTY TAX OFFICE THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO MAINTAIN THESE RECORDS AND KNOW WHETHER SOMEONE HAS THE EMISSION TESTING OR NOT IN THE SAME WAY THAT THEY HAVE WITH THE INSPECTION STICKER NOW THE SAFETY INSPECTION. YEAH. YEAH, I WOULD THINK SO. I KNOW THAT THE, THE BIG MAIN PLAYERS ARE GONNA BE THE DMV, THE DS, BUT I IMAGINE THAT, AND JUST A COMMENT ABOUT JUDGE EVANS QUESTION, UM, WHEN THAT REGISTRATION RENEWAL COMES UP, THAT REGISTRANT THAT MAY HAVE PURCHASED A VEHICLE IN BEAR COUNTY IS GOING TO HAVE TO REGISTER IN THEIR COUNTY RESIDENCE ANYWAY. SO I DON'T THINK THAT IS ISSUE IS GOING TO BE AN ISSUE. OH, I, I SELL MY PICKUP BY ANOTHER JUDGE. LESS COMMENT JUDGE SIR. NO PROBLEM. UM, LIKE WHAT DIANE WAS SAYING, I MEAN THE CHALLENGE IS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO, TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF TRYING TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SMALL AMOUNT THAT IS ACTUALLY CREATED HERE, WE'RE GONNA DO ALL THESE THINGS AND HAVE A MINI MINIMAL MEASURABLE, YOU KNOW, IMPACT ON, ON THESE NUMBERS. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE KNOWINGLY HURTING A VULNERABLE PART OF THE POPULATION. THAT'S THE PART THAT DOESN'T SIT WELL WITH ME AND OTHERS I'VE TALKED TO. IT'S LIKE WE'RE GONNA DO ALL THIS STUFF, HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON FOLKS AS INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALSO AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND AS WE GROW AT THIS RATE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE NUMBERS ARE STILL GONNA LOOK BAD. NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING, THERE'S JUST, THERE'S GOTTA BE A BETTER WAY. AND I KNOW IT'S EPA AND I KNOW WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO THIS AND WE ALMOST HAVE TO PASS THIS. IT'S JUST REALLY FRUSTRATING TO DO ALL THIS AND IT'S REALLY NOT GONNA CHANGE A WHOLE LOT AT THE END OF THE DAY. THAT'S, IT'S GONNA SEE GOOD PEOPLE GET HURT. THAT'S WHAT I'M, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. AND TO MAKE IT WORSE, IF I CAN ADD, I THINK EVERYONE IS EXPECTING THAT IN TWO YEARS WE'RE GONNA BE RECLASSIFIED TO SEVERE BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO BRING IT DOWN. AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN IMPLEMENTED ALL THE CONTROLS THAT ARE REQUIRED FROM BEING MODERATE AND WE'RE GONNA ALREADY BE BUMPED UP TO SEVERE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S TWO YEARS, RIGHT? TWO YEARS. IT, IT'S, SO TO YOUR POINT ABOUT BEAR COUNTY ALREADY BEING, OR THE CAMP ALREADY BEING OUT COMPLIANCE, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE, THE LAST YEAR OF THOSE ON DATA THAT'LL BE USED, USED TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION FOR NEXT ABOVE. SO I WOULD SAY IT'S ALMOST VERY CERTAIN. AND, AND I ALSO HAVE TO REALLY COMMEND CPS FOR THE EFFORTS THEY HAVE MADE IN SHUTTING DOWN, UH, THE COAL POWER PLANTS AND THE INVESTMENTS THEY'VE MADE AND THE ADDITIONAL SOLAR FIELDS THAT HAVE COME ON BOARD. I MEAN, THIS COMMUNITY, UH, HAS DEMONSTRATED AN EXTREME COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING IT. AND IT'S ONLY CUZ THEY LOWERED THAT LIMIT FROM 75 TO 70 THAT GOT US IN THIS MESS. AND THESE, UM, THESE SUPERVISIONS DO CONTAIN A, A PORTION THAT SPEAKS TO THE, THE PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT ARE IMPLEMENTED IN CPS ENERGY HEAVILY, UH, FIGURED IN IN THAT DOCUMENTED. I HAVE A QUESTION. WH WHY IS THE EPA MONITOR AT CAMP BOLUS? EPA DECIDES WHERE THEY WANT TO PUT THEM BECAUSE MILITARY VEHICLES HAVE NO EMISSIONS. IT'S ALSO IN A FLIGHT PATH FOR SAN ANTONIO AIRPORT AND THE GEOGRAPHY, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU E P DECIDES WHERE HE [00:50:01] PLACE THEM AND E E P WILL PLACE MONITOR. THERE'S CERTAIN, I GUESS, PURPOSES FOR MONITORS AND, AND ONE PURPOSE IS TO MEASURE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS IN THE REGION. SO THE FACT, THE FACT THAT IT IS CONSTANTLY OUR HORSE MONITOR, THAT'S REALLY BY DESIGN, UNFORTUNATELY. SO AGAIN, IT'S HOUSTON, DALLAS, AUSTIN, AND EL PASO SOUNDS TO ME LIKE A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN FOR CONGRESS. WELL, THEY, THEY NEED TO REVISE THE CLEAN AIR ACT. THE LAST AMENDMENTS WERE VEHICLES WERE MUCH, MUCH IN 1990, BUT NOT IN 2023. I I MIGHT ADD THAT THERE'S, UH, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARGUE THAT THAT 70 PARTS PER BILLION SHOULD BE EVEN LOWER. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH, ASTHMATIC, YOU KNOW, THOSE GOOD ISSUES. SO THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT OFF THE TABLE EITHER. THAT COULD, THAT COULD EVEN BECOME EVEN MORE IMPACTFUL TO US IN THE FUTURE. I GUESS WE SHOULD BE LUCKY THAT THEY KEPT IT AT 70, RIGHT? YEAH. THANK MAYOR RETIREMENTS. ALL RIGHT. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, THIS COMMENT LETTER. I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION. ALL RIGHT. MAYOR WILLIAMS, SECOND. SECOND BY JUDGE EVANS. ANY MORE DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. THANK YOU LYLE. ITEM [14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to submit a budget modification to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Regional Solid Waste Grant to reallocate funding to assist area communities with environmental conservation, purchase outreach items, and supplies; and approve a resolution. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Claudia Mora] NUMBER 14, CONSIDERING ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT A BUDGET MODIFICATION TO THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY REGIONAL SOLID WASTE GRANT TO REAL REALLOCATE FUNDING TO ASSIST AREA COMMUNITIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PURCHASE OUTREACH ITEMS AND SUPPLIES AND APPROVE A RESOLUTION ITEM WILL NOT RE REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD, GOOD MORNING. UH, MR. CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, I'M CLAUDIA MOA. I'M YOUR REGIONAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR. UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT ACOG HAS RECEIVED A OVER $761,000 TO OPERATE THE ALAMO REGIONAL SOLID WASTE FOR, FOR THE FY 2223 BIENNIUM. AND THAT RUNS FROM SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER OF FIRST 20 20 21 THROUGH AUGUST 31ST. 2023 OF THAT BUDGET AMOUNT, AMOUNT APPROXIMATELY $350,000 OR 175,000 PER YEAR PER YEAR SUPPORTS THE TWO YEAR IMPLEMENTATION BUDGET. AND THIS IS THE BUDGET THAT WE, WE USED TO AWARD GRANTS TO OUR COUNTIES AND OUR COMMUNITIES SO THAT THEY CAN, UH, DO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS. BUT THE GOAL OF THE PROGRAM IS TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE THAT WE SENT TO THE LANDFILLS. THERE, THERE WERE, UH, SOME UNSPENT FUNDS THIS, UH, THIS BY, AND THAT'S DUE TO PROJECTS THAT DID NOT, NOT, UH, WERE NOT ABLE TO SPEND ALL THEIR FUNDS ALONG WITH SOME OPERATIONAL, UH, SAVINGS. SO, SO THIS ENABLES ACCO TO OFFER, UH, UNSPENT FUNDS TO OTHER GRANTEES TO HELP THEM SUPPLEMENT THEIR KIND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR PROJECTS. NONE OF THE OTHER ENTITIES, UH, CAN USE THE FUNDS NOW. SO ACOG MISUSE THE FUNDS FOR A COG MANAGED PROJECT IN ORDER TO EXPEND ALL PROGRAM FUNDS BEFORE THE END OF STAFF PROPOSES THE UNSPENT FUNDS OF APPROXIMATELY $108,000 BE USED FOR A COG MANAGED PROJECT. THAT INCLUDES CREATING AN EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION THROUGHOUT REGION, UH, HOLD TWO HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION EVENTS IN OUR AREA, PURCHASE SOME, SOME OUTREACH MATERIALS, AND ALSO PURCHASED LAW ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS, UH, FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING CODE ENFORCEMENT. AND THESE CAMERAS WOULD BE, UH, GIVEN TO ALL THE COUNTIES WITHIN OUR REGION AT THEIR MEETING OF MAY, MAY 31ST, THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS YOUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, APPROVE THE EXPENDITURES FOR THE PROJECT. TODAY'S BOARD ITEM ASKED FOR, UH, YOUR APPROVAL OF THE RCS RECOMMENDATION TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, EXCUSE ME, SUBMIT AN AMENDMENT TO THE TCE T BUDGET FOR THIS PROJECT PROJECT SO THAT ACOG CAN DO THE COG PROJECT. I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY MOVE APPROVAL. GOT A MOTION BY MR HAS LOCKER, SECOND BY JUDGE EVANS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? A MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CLAUDIA. SKIP 15. YEAH, SKIP. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE SKIPPING. ITEM NUMBER 15. UH, [00:55:01] THAT'S BEEN TAKEN OFF THE AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 16 [16. Consider and act upon the recommendation to ratify the application for Federal 5311 Rural Transportation funding and to authorize the Executive Director of AACOG to accept an amount not to exceed $2,300,000. This item will not require a budget amendment. -- Sean Scott] IS CONSIDER AN ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO RATIFY THE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL 53 11 RURAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. AND TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACOG TO ACCEPT AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 2.3 MILLION. THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT. MR. SEAN SCOTT'S, UH, GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS SHAWN SCOTT. I'M THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR HERE FOR COUNCIL GOVERNMENT. THE ITEM FOR YOU WE'RE, WE'RE REQUESTING A RAMIFICATION TO THE APPLICATION DUE TO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT TRANSPORTATION NOTIFYING US ON JUNE, JUNE 7TH AT OUR 53 53 11 LOCATION WAS GOING TO BE. AND THEN THEY WANTED THE APPLICATION ON THE 22ND OF JUNE. SO THIS DID NOT ALLOW TIME TO BRING TO YOU FOR, UH, BEFORE ACTION WAS DATED. FEDERAL 50 FEDERAL FUNDS ARE USED TO SUPPORT PROGRAM. THESE FUNDS ARE USED TO ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL AND, UH, OPERATING EXPENSES, AND THEY ALSO REPRESENT A PART OF OUR TRANSPORTATION BUDGET. THIS AMOUNT IS THE FEDERAL AWARD TO ACOG FORS 2024 FOR FISCAL YEAR. SO ACOM BUDGET, THIS EXPENSES WERE GOING INCUR SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2023 THROUGH AUGUST 31ST, 2020. THE FUNDING IS BASED UPON LOCATION THAT INCLUDES COMBINATION OF GEOGRAPHIC AREA, POPULATION, RIDERSHIP, AND LOCAL SUPPORT. NEXT, I ASK FOR APPLICATIONS SO THAT FUNDING CAN BE DISTRIBUTED AS SOON AS IT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM. THIS FUNDING WAS ANTICIP ANTICIPATED AND REQUIRE AMENDMENT 2023 ACOG BUDGET. SO WITH THIS, WITH THIS, RECOMMEND THE BOARD TO RATIFY THIS APPLICATION AND AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACCEPT TRANSPORTATION BOARD IN AN AMOUNT OF TO 2 MILLION. ALL RIGHT, I OKAY. GOT A MOTION BY JUDGE KELLY, SECOND BY JUDGE EVANS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANY OPPOSED? CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER [17. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for and accept 5311 Rural Transportation state funding in an amount up to $1,300,000. This does not require a budget amendment. -- Sean Scott] 17, CONSIDERING ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT 53 11 RURAL TRANSPORTATION STATE FUNDING IN AMOUNT UP TO 1.3 MILLION. THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT. MR. SCOTT. LIKE I SAID, THIS, THIS ITEM, THIS ITEM IS THE 53 11 STATE AWARD TO ILLINOIS COUNCIL GOVERNMENT. WE THE 53 11 FUNDS TO SATISFY MATCH REQUIREMENTS OF OUR 53 3 11 FEDERAL FUNDING, WHICH MR. APPROVED ON THE ITEM BEFORE, UH, ACO BUDGET FUNDING AGAIN TO PAY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL AND OPERATING EXPENSES. EXPENSES, THAT IS GOING TO OCCUR SEPTEMBER OF 2020 AND AUGUST 30, AUGUST 31. UH, THE FUNDING IS BASED UPON ON THE LOCATION METHOD THAT MATCHES THE ALLOCATION METHOD FOR THE FEDERAL, FEDERAL FUNDS. UH, AGAIN, FEDERAL. THIS STATE FUNDING WAS ANTICIPATED AND REQUIRE TO ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE. GOT A MOTION BY JUDGE HAD KEITH SECOND BY MAYOR CONTRERAS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? A. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU, SEAN. [18. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to accept annual Department of Energy (DOE) funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program in the estimated amount of $780,000 for the period of July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. This item does not require a budget amendment. - Alicia Avila-Penalver] ALL RIGHT. ITEM NUMBER 18. CONSIDER AND ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT ANNUAL DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDING FOR THE WEATHER. WEATHER WAS WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WITH, WITH NATHAN, ESTIMATED IN THE AMOUNT OF 780,000 FOR THE PERIOD OF JULY 1ST, 2023 THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2024. THIS ITEM DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT. MS. ALICIA? GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME IS ALICIA AVI. I AM THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM. WE ASK THAT THE BOARD CONSIDER AND RECOMMEND ACTION TO ALLOW THE EXECUTION OF A CONTRACT WITH TEXAS, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING COMMUNITY AFFAIRS FOR THE 20 20 20 20 BOARD DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE FOR GRANT IN THE AMOUNT NOT EXCEED 80,000. THIS IS A RE GRANT. THIS WILL NOT REQUIRE AMENDMENT. THIS FUNDING WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE APPROXIMATELY 65 WOMEN, COUPLES AND THE WILL MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT. I'D BE HAPPY TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. ALL RIGHT. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION TO APPROVE. ALL RIGHT. BY, UH, MOTION BY MAYOR DEON. SECOND BY, UH, MR. VASQUEZ. DID I SAY IT WRONG? NO. OKAY. DID NOT. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT, UH, MEETING. YES. WE WENT ALMOST A WHOLE MEETING AND I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING [01:00:01] . I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A REALLY SHARE A REALLY HAPPY, UH, ANNOUNCEMENT, I THINK FOR THIS GROUP THAT REALLY MADE ME PROUD. A RESIDENT THAT I KNOW NEEDED SOME HELP WITH HER WATER BILL. AND SHE CALLED ACOG AND THEY GAVE HER THE $67 AND 38 CENTS, AND SHE WAS ABLE TO PAY HER ORDER BILL TO SOLVE. AND SHE CALLED ME, SHE SAYS, MARY, I'M GONNA PAV THEM BACK AS SOON AS I CAN. AND I SAID, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT, BUT SHE SAYS, NO, NO, THEY HELPED ME. SO I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS GOOD THAT SHE CALLED THIS ORGANIZATION AND THEY RESPONDED. AND SO THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. RESPOND. MAYOR, WE, I HAVE TO REALLY COMMEND THE AGING STAFF. THEY DO A GREAT JOB RESPONDING TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY REALLY FIND THEMSELVES IN A CRISIS. AND THE OUTREACH FOR ELECTRIC BILLS, FOR WATER, BILLS FOR, I MEAN, THE LIST GOES ON WITH SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY RUN INTO IN ALL 13 COUNTIES AND HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO RESPOND AND REALLY GIVE THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT CRITICAL RELIEF RIGHT AT A CRITICAL MOMENT FOR THEM IS VERY HEARTWARMING. UH, AND I THINK, I THINK THAT DOVETAILS GREAT INTO WHAT, UH, JUDGE KUTCHER WAS SAYING A WHILE AGO ABOUT THE ABILITY TO PAY THESE EXTRA FEES AND FINES. AND I CALL IT THE HAMSTER WHEEL. THE DRIVING WHILE LICENSE INVALID IS A, IS A MONSTER IN MY COUNTY. YEP. I MEAN, IT'S, IT IS UNBELIEVABLE IN THE SUBSEQUENT ENHANCES TO JAIL TIME. ABSOLUTELY. JAIL, THEN THEY, IT IS CRAZY. YEAH. YEAH. AND, UH, I CALL IT THE HAMSTER WHEEL AND, AND IT'S HARD TO GET OUTTA THAT HAMSTER WHEEL ONCE YOU GET IN IT. AND SO THANK YOU MAYOR DENNIS, AND THANK YOU DIANE. IT'S OUR, OUR LEGISLATURE'S DIVORCED FROM REALITY. YEAH. YEAH. [19. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. at AACOG.] SO OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED, UH, FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 26TH, 2023 AT 10:00 AM AND WE ARE ADJOURNED JUST TO REMIND PEOPLE, FOR OUR EIGHT COUNTIES THAT ARE IN THE 9 1 1 DISTRICT, WE HAVE A 9 1 1 JUDGE MEETING. * 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.