* 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. TWO IN THE [00:00:01] MORNING, [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, AND WE'LL COME TO ORDER. IT IS, UH, WEDNESDAY, JUNE THE 26TH. 2024. IT'S 10:00 AM AND THE ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS IS NOW MEETING, IS NOW IN SESSION. UH, AND WE'LL START WITH A ROLL CALL. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MORNING. GOOD MORNING HERE. MAYOR DENNIS IS EXCUSED. COMMISSIONER CAL AMY PUTNEY FOR COMMISSIONER CAL. JUDGE CAMACHO IS EXCUSED. CARPENTER IS EXCUSED. COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES, MARCUS PRI, COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES. JUDGE, WHO IS EXCUSED FROM MAYOR . HERE, JUDGE EVANS. HERE. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA JEAN RODRIGUEZ FOR HER COUNCILWOMAN DEVITO LETSON HOUSE FOR COUNCILMAN GATO. MR. HASLAUER PRESENT, JUDGE HEKE IS EXCUSED. MAYOR HERRING. JUDGE JONES IS COMING. HE'S CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC BUSH. HOW ARE YOU JUDGE RAZZY HERE. MS. LEWIS. HERE JUDGE LU IS EXCUSED. SENATOR MENENDEZ SGIO GONZALEZ. FOR SENATOR MENENDEZ. COMMISSIONER MOODY, MSTY SPEARS WITH COMMISSIONER MOODY. REPRESENTATIVE MERGE EXCUSED. COUNCILMAN LIAS. MAYOR SCHROEDER. HERE. COUNCILMAN BRADLEY? HERE. JUDGE LAR IS EXCUSED. MAYOR SUAREZ. HERE. JUDGE TEAL IS EXCUSED. MR. VALDIVIA HERE. SORRY. THANK YOU . MR. VASQUEZ? HERE. JUDGE WHITMAN IS EXCUSED. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. I WAS WORRIED ABOUT THAT. , IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE, UNITED STATES AMERICA VOTE NATION UNDER GOD. INVIS WITH LIBERTY. LIBERTY JUSTICE. JUSTICE FOR ALL HONOR. ALLEGIANCE TO BE ONE STATE UNDER GOD. ONE AN INDIVISIBLE. PLEASE BE SEATED. SINCE WE HAVE A QUORUM, WHICH I WAS KIND OF WORRIED WHETHER WE WOULD OR NOT, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. MR. CHU. OKAY. UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, ANY DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST? OKAY, WITH THAT WE'LL [6. TxDOT Rural Transportation Improvement Projects (TIP) Presentation - Ivonne De La Rosa, Planner - Advance Transportation Planning (SAT), Texas Department of Transportation] MOVE ON TO OUR PRESENTATION, WHICH IS ITEM ONE POINT, WHICH IS ITEM SIX. IT'S THE T RURAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS PRESENTATION. JUST GOT THIS, WE'VE GOT THE HANDOUT. YOU GOT GOT IT. ALRIGHT. IT'S LARGE. ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU, UH, FOR ALLOWING US TO COME IN TODAY. UH, KIND OF TALK. THIS IS MORE APPLICABLE TO, UH, THE RURAL, THE RURAL, UH, AREAS RATHER THAN THE METROPOLITAN AREAS. THIS IS PART OF THE RURAL OUTREACH. MY NAME IS CLAYTON. I AM THE DEPUTY DISTRICT ENGINEER FOR THE SAN ANTONIO DISTRICT HERE. PROTECT, UM, KIND OF RELATIVELY NEW IN THIS POSITION WITH THE DEPARTMENT. UH, BEEN IN CONTROL MEETING GOING ON THREE MONTHS NOW. SO, UM, FOR THOSE, FOR THOSE OF YOU I HAVE NOT SEEN OR MET BEFORE, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE, WHERE I'M AT. UM, YVONNE ROSO, SHE IS OUR PLANNER. SHE IS THE BRAINS BEHIND THE OPERATION. SHE'S THE ONE WHO HELPS FACILITATE, FACILITATE AND PULL THIS TOGETHER. FIRST, FIRST FOR THE RURAL OUTREACH. THOSE OF YOU THAT WORKED WITH DARCY CHAPPO FOR THE YEARS, UM, YVONNE YVONNE'S, BASICALLY IN DARCY'S RULES SINCE DARCY DID RETIRE. UH, LITTLE OVER HERE. WHAT, UH, YVONNE BRINGS TO THE TABLE ON AND, AND HELP HIM WITH THEIR FACILITATE THIS SO THAT WE'LL KIND OF HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF THESE EIGHT STEPS AS WE WALK THROUGH THE WORLD TIP AND WE'RE AT, UM, ON PROJECTS. BUT FIRST I WANNA START OFF WITH, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE AS ONE OF OUR INITIATIVES CALLED IN THE STREET. SO HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE ON A BILLBOARD ON THIS SOCIAL MEDIA. BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT, THE INDUSTRY IS TEXAS USS INITIATIVE TO END US ON TEXAS ROADWAYS. SO GOING BACK TO NOVEMBER 7TH, 2000, THAT WAS THE LAST DAY SOMEONE HAS NOT, HAS DIED, HAS NOT DIED ON A TEXAS ROADWAY. AND THIS GOES BY HIGHWAY, INTERSTATE, CITY, STREET, COUNTY ROAD. NOW, ONE DAY HAS GONE, GONE BY OVER 23 YEARS. FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR WAS, WAS THE CLOSEST. UM, IT WAS ONE FAT FATALITY [00:05:01] ON A COUNTY ROAD OUTSIDE OF EL PASO. SO JUST TO PUT THAT, THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S A DEATH EVERY SIX SINGLE DAY FOR 23 YEARS. SO WE WANT TO PUSH THAT INITIATIVE. SO WHEN TEXT OUTSIDE, WE'VE GOT A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH. APPROACH NUMBER ONE IS WE WANT TO ENGINEER OUR ROAD SAFER. SO EVERY PROJECT WE IMPLEMENT, DESIGN AND BUILD, IT HAS IMPROVED SAFETY MEASURES. WHETHER IT'S IMPROVING THIS FRICTION OF THE ROAD, IMPROVING THE DRAIN TO GET THE WATER OFF, IMPROVING THE GUARD RAIL. UM, IN SOME LOCATIONS, UM, SOME IMPROVING SAFETY MEASURES ARE THE GUARD FENCE THAT YOU SEE, OR THE CABLE BARRIER DOWN. SOME OF THE DIVIDED US HIGHWAYS, YOU KNOW, PREVENT THOSE HEADING CROSSOVER CRASHES THAT ARE SAVING LIVES EVERY DAY. SO WE CAN ADDRESS IT FROM AN ENGINEERING SIDE. THE OTHER, THE OTHER PART INITIATIVE THAT GETTING THE WORD OUT ON DRIVER BEHAVIOR, EVERY BEHAVIOR IS REALLY STILL, STILL ATTRIBUTES TO A RARE PORTION OF THE FATALITIES. ONE IS SPEEDING, TWO, DISTRACTED DRIVING, DRIVING. AND THREE IS THE INFLUENCE. SO PLEASE SHARE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. UM, THOSE THREE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE IN COMBINATION ARE DEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER REALLY DO, UM, CONTINUE USE THE STREAK THAT WE'RE TRYING IN. SO PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH, UH, EVERYONE YOU TALKED TO TODAY, UM, REINFORCE THAT MESSAGE. OKAY. SO THE SANTO SANTO DISTRICT, OUR BOUNDARY IS WHAT'S DOTTED IN THE BLUE PURPLE LINES. THE SAN ANTONIO DISTRICT IS ALL THE COUNTIES WITH EXCEPTION OF GILLESPIE AND NCE. THE COUNTIES THAT ARE IN THE, IN THE BLUE ARE AN ALMO AREA, MPO, SOME OF U US C REPRESENTATIVES HERE TODAY. UM, WHICH WILL BE KIND OF DISCLUDED FROM OUR CONVERSATION TODAY, SINCE YOU HAVE THE ALMO AREA, MP TIP FOR YOUR PLAN THAT YOU ALL PART PARTICIPATE IN OR HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE ON THE POLICY COURT, SORRY, SORRY, THE ORANGE ARE THE ARPO RURAL COUNTIES. EXCUSE ME. THOSE ARE THE COUNTIES THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OBJECTION OF VALLEY COUNTY'S OUTSIDE THE ARPO. YEAH. AND THAT'S THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THE PRESENTATION, BY THE WAY, . BUT IF I CAN'T MAKE IT THROUGH, UH, LAVONNE, YOU READY? NOT FAMILIAR WITH ARPO AS A MEMBER OF THE COUNTY, UH, JUDGES IN CITIES AFTER, UM, A GOT HERE AFTER LUNCH, STEPPING BACK, BIG PICTURE CONNECTING TEXAS 2050. THAT IS THE STATEWIDE VISION ORANGE PLAN, TEXAS, THE KEY PERFORMANCE MEASURES, ALL ROADWAY PROJECTS REALLY BREAK THEM UP INTO THREE CATEGORIES. SAFETY RESERVATION, WHICH IS OUR MAINTENANCE PLAN AND MOBILITY THAT'S ADDING LANES AND IN TURN LANES TO TWO PROJECTS. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT ALL OF OUR IC PROJECTS, THOSE ARE THE THREE FUNCTIONS. SAFETY, MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS PRESERVATION AND MOBILITY. NOW WE HAVE INTRODUCED WHAT'S WHAT'S CALLED THE STRATEGIC SIDE. SO FROM A STATEWIDE, UH, INITIATIVES, THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF OUTTA AUSTIN FROM A STATEWIDE STAND STANDPOINT. DO THAT, IS IT ON THE SCREEN HERE? YES, ON THAT ONE. IT'S ON THAT ONE, BUT NOT THAT ONE. OH, I'LL WING IT HERE. IT'S THE PLAN. IT'S THE PLAN FOR MY COUNTY. THERE IS ALSO DOWN HERE. OKAY. SO THE, SO CONNECTIVITY, SO AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS WE HAVE THESE LONG RANGE STUDIES OF SAY US 90 IS GOOD EXAMPLE. THAT CUTS THROUGH THROUGH OUR DISTRICT FROM VAN HO TO BEAUMONT. SO STATEWIDE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT IT GOING, A, WE HAVE A LOT OF KEY BOTTLENECKS THAT US, US HIGHWAY 90 NEEDS TO MAINTAIN THE FLOW OF A US HIGHWAY. BUT OVER THE YEARS, AS IT'S PASSED THROUGH A LOT OF THESE SMALL COMMUNITIES, IT'S DEGRADED WITH, WITH TRAFFIC LIGHT AFTER TRAFFIC LIGHT DOWN TO A ROADWAY THAT'S NOT REALLY MOVING THAT FREIGHT AND THE TRADE ALONG US 90 AS IT ONCE DID. SO THAT INITIATIVE'S GONNA, YOU KNOW, AND I KIND OF WALK THROUGH HERE IN ANOTHER SLIDE OR TWO THAT PUSHES US TO KIND OF LOOK AT AT, OKAY, WHAT DO WE DO TO IMPROVE MOBILITY ON SAY, US 90 AND SOME OF THESE OTHER KEY KEY CORRIDOR ECONOMIC VITALITY. SO IT'S LOOKING AT THESE, THESE AREAS LIKE IH 35 AS AN EXAMPLE, WHERE YOU GO FROM SAN ANTONIO TO LAREDO, YOU HAVE STRETCHES WITH NO FRONTAGE ROAD IN COMMUNITIES. SO THEIR ECONOMICS, YOU KNOW, ECONOMICALLY, THERE'S SOME, SOME [00:10:01] AREAS THAT WE COULD BUILD SOME FURNITURE THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE SOME, SOME OF THE, UH, SITUATION FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES. AND THE LAST IS STEWARD STEWARDSHIP. WE CAN GO SPEND MONEY ON ROADWAYS THAT DO NOT MOVE THE DIAL OR, OR ADDRESS AN EXACT NEED. SO BEING STEWARDS OF, OF TAXPAYERS OF MONEY, WE HAVE TO BE VERY STRATEGIC IN IMPLEMENTING THE RIGHT PROJECTS AT THE RIGHT TIME AT THE RIGHT COST. SO THOSE ARE KIND OF THE THREE GUIDING, GUIDING PRINCIPLES, UM, FROM STATEWIDE STANDPOINT THAT WE'RE KIND OF FOLLOWING. ARE YOU SEEING LIKE A SLIDE THAT LOOKS LIKE A THERE WE GO. YES. THIS ONE'S REALLY CONFUSING AS WELL. SO THE BIG PICTURE CONNECTING US, HE IS, THAT'S THE BIG BLOCK BOX. THAT'S THE LONG RANGE STATEWIDE PLAN FOR LIKE THOSE INITIATIVES LIKE US 90, THOSE QUARTERS AS YOU KIND OF MOVE IN THE BLUE BOX ARE REALLY RELATIVE TO, TO THOSE, UM, MPOS. SO YOU THINK MPOS HAVE A LONG RANGE PLAN THAT'S KIND OF A SUBSET OF THOSE INITIATIVES. IN THE ORANGE YOU, YOU HAVE, OR YELLOW IS THE UT P HAS A 10 YEAR PROGRAM THAT TDOT HAS OF FUNDED TO NOT FUNDED PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH KIND IN THE FUNNEL TO GET IMPLEMENTED. NOW, WITHIN THAT, THAT YOU HAVE THE STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. THAT'S THE TIP. SO NPOO BOUNDARY, YOU HAVE A TIP, BUT STATEWIDE YOU HAVE IN THE RURAL AREAS A STATEWIDE TIP. THE FOUR YEAR FUNDED PLANS DURING THAT DARK ORANGE, IT IS FULLY FUNDED PROJECTS. AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT'S IN THEIR PACKET FOR THE PROJECT LIST AND THE MAPS AND THE TWO YEAR LANE SCHEDULE SCHEDULE, THOSE ARE LOCKED IN PROJECTS IF THEY'RE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, UM, THOSE ARE READY TO GO. AND WE'RE WORKING ON DESIGN, GETTING THEM OUT THE DOOR. THE RURAL TIP. SO WHAT IS IT? IT'S BASICALLY A LIST OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE FULLY FUNDED. UM, A LOT OF, A LOT OF 'EM, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF LISTED 'EM OUT HERE ON THESE, UM, SPREADSHEETS AND MAPS INDIVIDUALLY, SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT THEY ARE. AND SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE ROADWAY PROJECTS. THEY COULD BE SIDEWALK, THEY COULD COULD BE BICYCLE PATH, THEY COULD BE SHARED USE PATHS, THEY COULD BE, UM, BUS RELATED WORK OR, OR FREIGHT. UM, WE HAVE INITIATIVE INITIATIVE FOR EXAMPLE, TRUCK PARKING. THERE'S A LOT OF AREAS WHERE, WHERE IF YOU EVER DRIVE BETWEEN HERE AND DALLAS YEP. YOU'LL SEE TRUCKS PARKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT ALL OVER 35. UM, AN AREA. SO THERE'S A REAL NEED FOR ADDITIONAL TRUCK PARKING ALONG SOME OF THESE LONG DISTANCE INTERSTATES. UM, THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO INC INCORPORATE SOME OF OUR PROJECTS. SO HOW DOES THE RURAL TIP IMPACT YOU? UM, WE DO IS, WE DO IS WE COLLECT FEEDBACK. A LOT OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON ARE DRIVEN BY PREVENT MAINTENANCE IN THE RURAL AREAS. WE HAVE TO PRESERVE A, A LOT OF THESE ROADWAYS WITH SEAL COATS OR OVERLAYS. UM, THE OTHER SAFETY, SAFETY, YOU KNOW, I'LL KIND OF TOUCH ON THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT ARE DRIVEN BY THOSE NEEDS AND INPUT FROM EITHER ELECTED OR LOCAL OFFICIALS AND OUR AREA OFFICE REPRESE REPRESENTATIVES. SO HERE'S JUST A QUICK GLIMPSE OF ALL THE PROJECTS IN THE, IN THE RURAL TIP. SO THESE ARE THE PROJECTS THAT ARE COLOR CODED BY THE GEAR STARTING FY 25 5 THROUGH 28 OF FUNDED PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE OUT THERE. NOW, WHEN WE KIND OF DIVE INTO THIS, 'CAUSE THIS IS A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM, THESE ARE NOT PER SE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. THESE ARE INDIVIDUALLY LISTED, LISTED, BUT IT IS ONLY FOR ENGINEER ENGINEERING, WHICH IS THE DESIGN AND THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION. SO WE HAVE TWO ROADWAYS THAT ARE PART OF STATEWIDE INITIATIVES. ONE OF 'EM IS GONNA BE ABOUT IN MEDINA COUNTY AND THAT IS ON US 90 90. THAT IS TO EXPAND IT, IT FROM EITHER A TWO LANE TO A FOUR LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY OR FROM A FOUR LANE NON DIVIDED TO A FOUR LANE DIVIDED. THERE'S AREAS WHERE, WHERE IT'S BASICALLY ONE BIG PIECE OF, OF PAVEMENT AND WE RETRIED FOUR LANES, UM, AND SQUEEZED IN WITH NO SHOULDERS. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO EXPAND THAT TO FOUR LANE DIVIDER, THE GRASSY BE. UM, SO IN ORDER TO KIND OF GET THIS EXERCISE GOING, WE WERE GOING OUT AND LAYING OUT WHAT WE CALL SCHEMATICS. WE'LL HAVE OPEN HOUSES IN BBE COUNTY AND THEN IN MEA COUNTY PROPER GETTING INPUT FROM, FROM THE PUBLIC AND OUR, WE'RE HAVING A POWER PROBLEM BUILDING. NO, NO WORRIES. . SO WE'LL KEEP GOING. WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN? , WE'RE CP ON FLASHLIGHTS, , UH OH. SO, SO IN ORDER FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLANNING OF GETTING A RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO LIST INDIVIDUALLY IN THIS STEP. SO THIS IS KIND OF SOMETHING WE HAVE NOT DONE IN, IN A LONG TIME. SO NOW THOSE STATEWIDE INITIATIVES FOR BOTH US COUNTY AND THE OTHER ONE IS, IS DOWN IN, UH, RIO COUNTY. THAT'S US 57. UM, A LOT OF THIS IS KIND OF [00:15:01] BUILT UP FROM THE, THE EXPANSION OF THE TRADE AT AT, AT THE BORDER CROSSINGS. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT A NEW, UH, CROSSING COMING IN EAGLE PASS FROM THIS NE AND THEN THERE IS ALSO ONE, ONE AA COMING ACROSS IN THE DORIO RIO. SO WITH THAT POTENTIAL AND INFLUX OF ADDITIONAL FREIGHT COMING DOWN THESE CORRIDORS, THERE'S A GREATER NEED FROM A STATEWIDE STANDPOINT TO, UH, EXPAND THE, THESE, UH, TWO ROADWAYS BEFORE THEY DIVIDE. COULD I ASK YOU A QUESTION? YES, SIR. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRADE. UH, DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOOK AT THIS TRADE ISSUE AND THE FACT THAT 35, FOR EXAMPLE, ARTISTS DO ESSENTIALLY THE, IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF, OF THE COUNTRY. UH, IS THERE EXTRA FUNDS THAT ARE ALLOCATED AS A RESULT OF THAT? OR IS IT NORMAL? IS IT JUST THE USUAL PROCESS OF ALLOCATION THERE? THERE'S NO SPECIAL POT OF MONEY THAT CAME TO US FOR 35 OR OUR COUNTERPARTS ON THE RADAR. SO IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO, TO US TRYING TO PUT A REACTIVE, KIND, A PLAN TOGETHER GOING, OKAY, WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING, SOMETHING, UM, IN ANTICIPATION OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. SO BEGIN HERE. SO BE SO IT'D BE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO SUGGEST TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN CONGRESS TO GET SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THAT. I CAN'T, I CAN'T COMMENT ON THAT, BUT SURE. UM, THERE IS NO SPECIAL POT OF MONEY SPECIFIC FOR THAT. IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. WE, IT BASICALLY, FOR US IT COMES TO PRIORITIZATION. WHERE DO YOU TAKE MONEY FROM, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZING, UM, ON IT, BUT WITHOUT A DOUBT ICE 35, WE'RE DOING A STUDY RIGHT NOW FROM OUR, BASICALLY THE COUNTY LINE IS OF ALL COUNTY LINE ALL TO FOUR 10. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, HEY, DO YOU NEED TO EXPAND IT TO EIGHT LANES, SIX LANES, OR IS SIX LANES PLUS PLUS A TRUCK ONLY LANE? OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT THAT STRETCH. AT LEAST WE WE'RE WORKING ON WHAT, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. BUT THEN IT'S JUST FROM THERE, IT'S HOW DO YOU FIND PORTIONS? SO FUNDING THE, THE FUNDING IN THE TIP OR THE RURAL TIP IS A COMBINATION OF, IT CAN BE FEDERAL FUNDS, STATE OP FUNDS, WHICH IS A BIG MAJORITY OF IT, OVER 60% STATE FUNDS, UM, FROM PROPOSITION ONE, PROPOSITION SEVEN. AND THEN SOME ARE HAVE, THEY DO HAVE SOME FUNDS FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THEY DO, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO PROJECTS TO HELP, UH, GET THEM ACROSS, ACROSS THE FINISH LINE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. SO, LITTLE TIP, JUST KIND OF KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE PROCESS. WE ARE BASICALLY TOWARDS THE END WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE COLLECTING, UH, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, UM, ANYTHING ELSE WE MAY BE MISSING OR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEXT TIP. UH, WITH THAT, WE, WE KIND OF WILL WRAP THIS UP HERE AND BEGINNING OF JULY AND, UH, TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WILL TAKE ACTION ON IT IN AUGUST. SHE WISHES WHERE IT'S ACTIVE COME SEPTEMBER OF 2024. SO ON, UM, 57, I TRAVEL OUT OCCASIONALLY. QUITE FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T SURE MYSELF, I'VE NOTICED OVER THE YEARS, UM, THAT THE ROAD, IT WAS A TWO WAY ROADWAY AND THEN THEY PUT IN A PASSING LANE. BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE TRAFFIC OR TWOFOLD, ONE IS PEOPLE GOING TO EAGLE PASS TO SEE THEIR FAMILY OR OVER IN NEW MEXICO, AND THEN THE CASINO TRAFFIC AND THEN THE TRUCK TRAFFIC COMING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. AND UM, SO IF I'M LOOKING AT THIS TRIO COUNTY, I 35 REHAB, WIDEN, UH, NARROW WOOD ROADWAY, $35 MILLION, IS THAT CORRECT? IS WHAT I'M READING IT, IT IS TO EXPAND IT TO FOUR NINE, BUT THE 35 MILLION IS JUST FOR THE DESIGN AND THEN FOR, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BUY RIGHT AWAY TO EXPAND IT TO FOUR LANE. SO IT'S NOT CONSTRUCTION COST, BUT WHAT THIS DOES, IT GETS, IT GETS US THE PRESERVATION TO START GETTING THE BALL ROLLING FOR IT. AND THEN WORKING WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS IN THE LANO DISTRICT, THEY'RE DOING THE SAME. THEY'RE CONNECTED ALL THE WAY TO, THEY GOTTA THE PRIOR AND THEY GET TO A EQUAL PASS DOING THE SAME. YEAH. BECAUSE THE ONLY TWO, THE ONLY TWO TOWNS THAT YOU HAVE ONCE YOU LEAVE EAGLE PASS IS LA PRIOR AND BATESVILLE. RIGHT. AND, UM, SO I WAS INTERESTED IN, IN LOOKING AT THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. AND THEN THE, THE OTHER PART IS THE, THE SMALL, SMALL TOWN THAT'S THE OTHER PART WHERE, WHERE IT'S, WHAT CAN YOU DO? DO YOU NEED TO LOOK AT A WRAP AROUND 'EM? UM, AS YOU KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT EFFORT. SO THAT'S, THE LAREDO DISTRICT WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT FOR VILLE ON THE PRIOR, WELL, IF YOU WENT AROUND BATESVILLE OR LA PRIOR, YOU'D KILL WHAT EXISTING BUSINESS THEY HAVE. UM, , THAT'S [00:20:01] THE, AND THAT'S THE DELICATE BALANCE. YEAH. SOME CITIES ARE TO THE POINT, TO THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE SO SUSTAINABLE THAT THEY'RE JUST TIRED OF THE TRUCK TRAFFIC. UM, VAL IS TO THAT POINT, POINT MINUTE TRAVEL US 90 TRYING TO GET FROM SAY, HONDA THROUGH CAPITAL. UH, YOU KIND OF GET INTO THAT PAIN POINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN ANTICIPATE A NEW TRADE BRIDGE GOING IN, IN A COMING IN AND FUNNELING. THERE'S ONLY ONE ROUTE TO LIVE OUT OF THERE UNTIL FUTURE ROUTE ROUTES ARE BUILT NORTH SOUTH, UH, FROM EAGLE PASS OR GOING UP NORTH 20. YOU KNOW, THAT'S 'CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE FLOOD THE CITIES FOR A MORE QUIETER, UM, SCENIC VIEW, UH, INCLUDING OUR CHAIRMAN WHO MOVED TO KERRVILLE. SO, UH, I'M GLAD TO SEE THIS AND HOPE THAT, UH, HOPE THAT THIS CAN GET DONE. AND I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM ALL OF THE RANCHES AND I'M ONE OF 'EM, UM, THAT REALLY NEED TO, THAT ROAD REALLY NEEDS TO BE WIDENED. YEAH, WE'LL, WE'LL GO THROUGH A PUBLIC PROCESS 50 ON 57, MUCH, MUCH LIKE US, 90 WHERE WE NOT BE A BLACK BOX AND COME OUT AND JUST TAKE PEOPLE. AND IN RURAL AREAS, SINCE WE DON'T, DON'T DO THAT ACQUIRE RIGHT AWAY. UM, A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HEARD FROM ME WITH THEIR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS, YOU KNOW, OF HOW THINGS, THINGS WERE DONE MAYBE 50, 60 YEARS AGO. BUT THE PROCESS IS SO, SO DIFFERENT NOW, WHERE WE GO OUT, WE, WE LAY, WE LAY OUT STUFF, VISIT WITH EVERY SINGLE PERSON. SO BEFORE WE EVEN, UM, MOVE FORWARD WITH THE BIG, BIG PUBLIC FORUM, IF WE KNOW ANY ACQUIRED PROPERTY, POTENTIALLY FROM A PROPERTY OWNER, WE GO AND SET UP MEETING NEEDS ONE ON ONE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM. SO WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS WHERE WE'VE MET WITH 220 DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE FAMILY BUSINESS OWNERS, AND WE HAVE FLEXIBILITY OF GIVING 'EM FAIR OFFERS, UH, WITHOUT GOING TO IMMINENT DOMAIN. IMMINENT DOMAIN IS SOMETHING THAT GETS THROWN OUT REALLY QUICKLY. UM, BUT FROM THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS OR RANCH OWNERS, OWNERS FARMERS, RARELY DO WE GO TO IMMINENT DOMAIN. WE MAKE A GOOD FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR THEIR IMPROVEMENTS, THEIR PROPERTY. UM, AND WE SETTLED, UM, WITHOUT GOING TO THAT, IT'S ON THE BUSINESS OWNER, OWNER SIDE WHERE IT'S LIKE 90% WILL GO TO IMMINENT DOMAIN. MM-HMM. I HOPE THAT HELPS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. IT'S GOOD QUESTION. WITH THAT, ANY QUESTIONS THAT'S, WE HAVE YVONNE'S EMAIL IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO EMAIL ONE OF YOUR COMMENTS DIRECTLY, DIRECTLY, UH, SHE DOES HAVE SOME OTHER HANDOUTS. IF YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE COMMENT CARDS AND THE PACKET. UM, YOU CAN LEAVE THEM WITH ANYONE HERE BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY OR, OR, UH, EMAIL 'EM TO HER. ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK, THANKS FOR COMING IN. YOU BET. YOU KEEP THIS IN LOOP. OKAY, WITH THAT [7. Executive Director’s Monthly Report - Cliff Herberg A. Staffing Updates: B. Program Status and Operational Updates: Agency Contract Performance Report (CPR) Aging Services Alamo Regional Transit (ART Public Affairs & Communications Intellectual & Developmental Disability Services Natural Resources Public Safety Regional Services Environmental Conservation Military & Veterans Affairs Weatherization Assistance Program C. Organizational and General Administration Updates: Building Update Administration Policy Review Chief Financial Officer General Counsel] WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MONTHLY REPORT. MR. HERBERG, GOOD MORNING CHAIRMAN AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I'LL START OFF WITH JUST OUR STAFFING UPDATES. AS YOU RECALL, WE IMPLEMENTED THE FLEX SCHEDULE, UH, IN EARNEST, UH, TOLD YOU THAT WE WOULD KEEP YOU POSTED ON HOW THINGS ARE GOING. WE'RE ROUGHLY 90 DAYS INTO IT SO FAR, AND WE HAVE, UH, AND SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE, BUT TODAY THERE ARE 69 PEOPLE WHO WORK FROM HOME HYBRID SCHEDULE EITHER TAKING ONE OR TWO DAYS, UH, TO WORK FROM HOME. AND THAT'S TWO DAYS IS THE MAXIMUM THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. AND SO, UH, NOW WE'LL SEE HOW THAT WORKS. BEFORE WE THINK OF EXPANDING THE FURTHER, UH, ON ANOTHER STAFFING MATTER, MS. LEN ORTEGA AND , WHO ARE BENEFITS COUNSELORS IN OUR AGING PROGRAMS, HAVE OBTAINED THEIR CERTIFICATIONS OF LONG-TERM CARE. WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT. WITH THIS TRAINING, THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE SPECIALIZED ADVICE TO THOSE CON CONTEMPLATING LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES FOR THEMSELVES OR FOR THEIR LOVED ONES. UM, PROGRAM AND PROGRAM STATUS AND, AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES. AND OUR ART PROGRAM, THE ROLLOUT OF THE NEW, THE NEW PORTION OF THE ECO LANE SCHEDULING SOFTWARE IS UNDERWAY. THE APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE AND OPERATIONAL IN THE, IN THE APPLE STORE AND A GOOGLE PLAY MULTIPLE. AND THE NEW PHASE OF THIS SOFTWARE DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE MICRO TRANSIT IDEA THAT ART HAS BEEN WORKING SERVICE, SERVICE EXPANSION, PLANNING. ALONG THE SAME VEIN, OUR SENIOR DIRECTOR TRANSPORTATION, JOHN SCOTT AND OUR TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR, D DWAY EVANS, UH, HAD TO SUFFER, SUFFER THROUGH, UH, A CONFERENCE IN WEST PALM BEACH, SOUNDS TERRIBLE. UH, JUNE [00:25:01] THE NINTH THROUGH THE 12TH WHERE THEY RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING ON THIS ECO LANE, UH, MODULE. BY THE WAY, I HAVE TO GO TO DAYTON, OHIO IN OCTOBER WHILE THEY'RE IN WEST PALM BEACH. NOT THAT I'M THERE, IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM, LEGAL DUMPING WORKSHOP IS, WAS HELD. WAS HELD, OR I'M SORRY, WILL BE HELD, WILL HELD IN HON ON AUGUST THE 16TH FROM 8 38 TO 4:00 PM 4:00 PM REGISTRATION FOR THE WORKSHOP WILL OPEN ON JULY 17TH IN OUR INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SERVICES, THE ADULTS WITH THE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SUPPORTING AGING FAMILY MEMBERS PROGRAM HOSTED TWO CPR CLASSES THIS MONTH. AND WE HAD FOUR PARTICIPANTS, PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE CERTIFIED IN CPR, UH, LIKEWISE FOR INTERNS FROM OUR PROJECT, PROJECT SEARCH PROGRAM GRADUATED ON MAY 29TH. AND THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE WORK WITH, UH, NUMEROUS, UM, HOSPITALS AND OTHER AGENCIES. AND IN THIS CASE, HARSH, I SHOULDN'T SAY OTHER ENTITIES. IN THIS CASE, IT WAS CHRISTA SANTA ROSA HOSPITAL, UH, TO, UH, ASSIST PEOPLE IN INTERNSHIPS AND EMPLOYMENT, UH, FOR PEOPLE WITH, WITH IDD. AND SO WE HAD, UM, FOUR OF OUR INTERNS GRADUATE FROM THE PROGRAM. A IDD STAFF ALSO ASSISTED THE CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES WITH THEIR THEIR 20 24 4 ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR THE TEXAS COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY CENTERS AT THE GRAND HYATT IN AUSTIN ON JUNE THE 18TH AND 19TH IN MILITARY VETERANS VETERANS AFFAIRS ON JUNE THE 11TH, ACOG AND MATRIX DESIGN GROUP, ALONG WITH SAS CPS ENERGY, PORT SAN ANTONIO AND JBSA CONDUCTED A SITE VISIT AND TABLETOP EXERCISE TO DISCUSS MILITARY RESILIENCE AROUND JBSA. THE EFFORT WAS PART OF OUR, OUR ME GRANT STUDY, WHICH IS MILITARY MILITARY INSTALLATION RESILIENCY REVIEW, UH, STUDY THE SITE VISIT PROVIDED DATA FROM CRUCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE LOCATIONS CALLED TABLETOP OF EXERCISE ALLOWED 50 PARTICIPANTS DISCUSS DISASTER MITIGATION STRATEGIES AND THE IMPACT ON OUR IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY. AND JBSA OPERATIONS IN NATURAL RESOURCES RESOURCES. ON JULY THE 24TH AT 10:00 AM ACOG IS HOSTING AN INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR COVERING ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRAINING AND BEST PRACTICES FOR TECHNICIANS, TECHNICIANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS. AND I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE MONEY THAT'S COMING OUT FOR EV CHARGING EV PROJECTS. ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE FINDING OUT IS THERE'S A LACK OF TRAINING TECHNICIANS TO SERVICE THESE EV CHARGING STATIONS. SO THAT'S BECOME A BIG ISSUE. SO THIS IS VERY GOOD. AND, AND I, I RETURNED YESTERDAY FROM THE MARK CONFERENCE, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL REGIONAL COUNCILS, AND THEY WERE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO IMPLEMENT THIS TRAINING ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THESE TECHNICIANS. UH, AND THIS WEBINAR, THE HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF EV TRAINING AND WILL SERVE AS A TO A MORE ROBUST TODAY IN PERSON HANDSON ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRAINING. THE WEBINAR WILL BE USED TO, TO GAUGE INTEREST FOR THE IN PERSON TRAINING. SO PLEASE, UH, PLEASE LET LYLE HUSLER KNOW IF YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE INTEREST IN THIS AND SEND TO THIS, SEND THEM THE WEBINAR. AND LYLE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. AND I BELIEVE WE MAY HAVE A FLYER HERE AS WELL, UH, FOR YOU TO PICK UP THE, WE GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION, UH, AS AN EXAMPLE, AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE MONEY THAT'S COMING DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. UH, THIS WAS NOT AN ACOG PROJECT, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, KNOW OF SOME OF THE EXAMPLES ARE OUT THERE. UH, NATALIA, ISD AND SAN MARCO, UH, ISD WERE BOTH AWARDED REBATES TO ASSIST WITH THE PURCHASE PURCHASE OF ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES UNDER, UNDER THE 2023 EPA CLEAN SCHOOL BUS REBATES PROGRAM. NATAL RECEIVED $1.7 MILLION TO PURCHASE FIVE BUSES AND CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE. SAN MARCO RECEIVED OVER $2 MILLION TO PURCHASE SIX PLUSES IN THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, AND AS I SAID, THESE ARE NOT, NOT OUR PROJECTS, BUT WE, WE ARE OFFERING GRANT RUNNING SERVICES TO ANY OF YOUR COMMUNITIES. AND WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH, WITH ANY OF Y'ALL, UH, ANY OF YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR ANY OF THE ENTITIES TO APPLY FOR THESE FUNDS. UM, ONCE AGAIN, AT THAT ONCE CONFERENCE, ONE OF THE SPEAKERS TALKED ABOUT IS A UNIQUE MOMENT IN TIME FOR US TO SEE THESE INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS. AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO GRAB THEM WHILE WE CAN. AND, UH, LYLE WILL BE GLAD TO ASSIST YOU IN, UH, APPLYING FOR THESE PROJECTS OR ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU SEND OUR WAY. UH, WE REALLY WANT TO, UH, STEP UP OUR ECONOMIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN THE REGION. UH, ON ANOTHER MATTER REGARDING, UH, RENEWABLE RESOURCES. ON JUNE 18TH, ACOM HOST A WEBINAR ABOUT RENEWABLE NATURAL GAS. THE RECORDING AND PRESENT PRESENTATIONS FOR THE WEBINAR ARE POSTED ON OUR CLEAN CITIES WEBSITE AT ACOM.COM/CLEAN CITIES. PCQ IS HOSTING A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING TOMORROW, JUNE THE 27TH, AT 10:00 AM THE MEETING WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION [00:30:01] ON THE NEW NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARD STANDARD BY PARTICULAR MATTER, MATTER PARTICULAR MATTER. AND ITS POTENTIAL, POTENTIAL IMPACTS THE ATASCOSA AND BEX COUNTIES. SO THAT'S, IF YOU'VE GOT INTEREST THERE. THAT WEBINAR AT, UH, THE VIRTUAL TOMORROW AT 10:00 AM UH, AS I MENTIONED, UH, I BELIEVE IN OUR LAST, LAST MEETING WE TALKED ABOUT THE, UM, HYDROGEN PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THEY, THEY HAD THEIR FIRST MEETING ALREADY. AND THAT RECORDING IS FEATURED ON ACOG'S CLAIMS CITY'S WEBSITE. AND THE SECOND COMMITTEE MEETING WILL MEET ON JULY THE 11TH AT 10:00 AM TO LEARN ABOUT HYDROGEN FUEL CORRIDORS AND DISCUSS POTENTIAL SAFETY, SAFETY CONCERNS WITH HYDROGEN FUELING INFRASTRUCTURE. SO WE ARE ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE RURAL STAKEHOLDERS TO PARTICIPATE. AND ONCE AGAIN, THAT'S JULY, JULY 11TH AT 10:00 AM AND LYLE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. UH, ON ANOTHER ISSUE, UH, IS A ROUND TABLE ON BUILDING, BUILDING ENERGY CODES WILL BE HELD AT THE EIGHT BOARD ROOM AT 10:00 PM ALSO ON JULY THE 11TH. WOW. IT'S VERY BUSY. THE ROUND TABLE IS MEANT FOR CITY AND COUNTY STAFF INVOLVED WITH BUILDING BUILDING CODES. AND, UH, AS LAW POINTS OUT HERE, CITY STAFF OFTEN DO NOT EXPERTISE, EXPERTISE OR STAFFING TO ENFORCE BUILDING CODES, WHICH MAKES THEM LESS EFFECTIVE. THIS ROUND TABLE WILL FEATURE DISCUSSION AMONG MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY LEVEL STAFF INVOLVED WITH ENFORCEMENT TO ATTEMPT TO DISMANTLE BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL CODE ADOPTION. AND THIS REFOCUS ON, ON ENERGY CODES AND OUR PUBLIC PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS. ON JUNE THE 24TH, THE OUTREACH TEAM PARTICIPATED IN A TOWN HALL AND RESOURCE RESOURCE FAIR ON ELDER ELDER ABUSE. TOWN HALL WAS HOST BY BY SENATOR JOSE MENENDEZ, JUDGE VERONICA VASQUEZ, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY PROTECTIVE PROTECTIVE SERVICES IN PUBLIC SAFETY SAFETY. OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT WILL HOST A CIVILIAN RESPONSE TO ACTIVE SHOOTER EVENTS COURSE ON JUNE THE 28TH, FROM NINE TO 11:00 AM THE ACCON BOARD ROOM. THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE TO BOTH STAFF AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND PLEASE CONTACT JUSTIN EZ AT HIS EMAIL ADDRESS. EMAIL ADDRESS, WHICH IS J MONEZ AT AC COM FOR MORE INFORMATION. ALSO FROM PUBLIC FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. A FIRST LINE LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR POLICE OFFICER WILL BE HELD JULY 15TH THROUGH 17TH AT ACOG. THIS IS A THREE DAY I COVETED COURSE THAT IS TAUGHT BY INSTRUCTORS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS EMPLOYEE AND REGIONAL SERVICES QUARTERLY MEETING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY COMMITTEE WILL TAKE PLACE ON JULY 16TH AT 10:00 AM VIA, UH, MICROSOFT TEAMS. SO IT'S A VIRTUAL MEETING, IT'S A PRESENTATION ON, ON CHARGING THE FUTURE, THE ROLE OF RETAIL, AND OUR EV TRANSITION. AND IT WILL BE COVERED ON, ON THE PRESENTATION ON THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD GRANT AND HOME PROGRAMS. UM, AND FINALLY TODAY, ONCE AGAIN, I'VE MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, BUT I JUST WANTED TO RE RE URGE YOU ALL THAT, UH, CLAUDIA MORRIS READY TO HELP YOU ALL WITH ANY GRANT WRITING THAT YOU MAY HAVE. AND, UH, AS I SAID, WE REALLY WANT TO DO OUR JOB, DO OUR BEST TO GRAB THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT ARE COMING DOWN, DOWN TO THE REGION AND, UH, OR I SHOULD SAY, COME DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND DO OUR BEST TO GET SOME OF IT FOR OUR, FOR OUR REGION. AND SO, UH, CAMBODIA IS AVAILABLE FOR GRANT WRITING SERVICES AND, UH, IF NECESS NECESSARY, WE'RE PREPARED TO TAKE ON OTHER GRANT WRITERS RIGHT NOW. WE HAVEN'T GOT THE DEMAND FOR 'EM YET, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD UP. I WANT TO DO OUR BEST TO INCREASE OUR OUTREACH TO OUR SMALLER COMMUNITIES. AND SO FOR THOSE OF YOU, OF YOU, BUT YOU REACH AT, WHEN YOU MEET WITH YOUR LOCAL MAYORS AND SOME OF YOUR OTHER COMMITTEES, UH, COMMUNITY, WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO MENTION ANY KIND, UH, AS A RESOURCE FOR THEM, UH, TO HELP THEM IN THEIR GRANT MEMBERS. AND THAT COMPLETES MY REPORT YOU HAVE, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE GLAD TO HELP YOU AND, UH, TAKE CARE OF ANY OTHER MATTERS YOU MIGHT HAVE IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. MR. HERBERG. UM, SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, OR LAST YEAR, WE TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN CALL TAKERS, UM, UH, FOR, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY CURRENT INFORMATION RELATIVE TO THAT? AND JUDGE? UH, KRAUSE IS LOOKING AT ME BECAUSE HE IS ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF MY, OF OUR 9 1 1 BARE METRO. BUT, UM, THIS IS A CRITICAL SITUATION THROUGHOUT THE STATE. UM, I'VE TALKED TO STATE AGENCY HEADS WHO ARE ALL VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. I'VE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH JUDGE SAKA, UH, RELATIVE TO BEING ABLE TO PAY THESE PEOPLE. UM, AND, UM, WE GET 'EM TRAINED AND THEN A CALL TAKER COMES TO TOWN [00:35:01] OR SOMEONE ELSE COMES IN, OFFERS 'EM MORE MONEY, AND THEY'RE GONE. ALL THE TRAINING MONEY THAT WE SPENT IS OUT THE WINDOW. BUT I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR, UM, UM, AL IF I CAN, AND GUADALUPE AND BEAR THAT THE AGENCIES THAT WE WORK WITH, INCLUDING ACOG, UM, ARE IN REALLY NEED OF TRYING TO FIND THESE KEY INDIVIDUALS. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN, IF WE HAVEN'T MOVED FORWARD ON THAT, I'D LIKE THE CHAIR'S PERMISSION TO, UM, FOR FURTHER DISCUSS THIS TO SEE IF WE CAN'T GET SOMETHING MOVING ON, ON THE CALL TAKER TRAINING ISSUE. IS THIS DISPATCHER OR DISPATCHERS AND INFORMATION CALL TAKERS? YES, SIR. WE DO DO DISPATCH TRAINING COURSES AND UNFORTUNATELY, MARCEL A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT THIS MORNING, I'D ASK HER TO SUPPLEMENT, UH, MY ANSWER. BUT, BUT, UH, WE DO OFFER THE DISPATCH TRAINING. WE'D LOVE TO DO IT, BUT YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE, THE HEAD, YOU TRAIN THEM UP AND THEY GET HIRED AWAY. WE, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR REGIONAL ENTITIES ARE OUR SMALL GOVERNMENTS AND THINGS CAN'T PAY THE SALARIES THAT THE PRIVATE SECTORS OFFERED. SO IF IT'S A CONTINUING BATTLE, UH, AND LIKEWISE, I WOULD THINK THE OTHER THING THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR US, AND WE'RE SEEING, WE'RE SEEING THIS IN THE POLICE ACADEMY AS WELL, WELL, IS RECRUITMENT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST NOT THE APPLICANTS FOR THE POSITIONS, UH, THAT ARE OUT THERE. AND SO, ONCE AGAIN, IF YOU CAN, UH, GET THE WORD OUT OUT TO YOUR YOUNG PEOPLE, ANYBODY GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR CAREERS, UH, WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING OUR A I'M GONNA SHIFT OVER, NOT JUST FROM DISPATCH, DISPATCH OR THE POLICE CADETS. WE USED TO HAVE CLASSES OF 35, 35 AND 40. 40 WOULD BE IDEAL AND WOULD BE THE MAXIMUM, BUT WE WOULD SEE 35 CADETS. I THINK THE CURRENT COURSE THAT WE'RE SETTING, SETTING UP THE CURRENT CLASS IS ABOUT 24 REGISTERED SO FAR. WE HOPE TO GET MAYBE FOUR OR MORE. SO WE'RE SEEING A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE, THE INTEREST IN THOSE POSITIONS. AND, UH, SO THAT, AND THAT CUTS ACROSS ALL OF IT, LIKE I SAID, DISPATCHERS, PD, TRAILERS, ALL THAT STUFF. YEAH. NOT TO DELAY THE BOARD, NOT TO DELAY THE BOARD MEETING, BUT, UH, ARE WE SURE THAT WE'RE SENDING THAT INFORMATION OUT TO ALL OF THE CITIES THAT, THAT ARE IN THE ACOG REGION SO THAT WE CAN THEY MAKE SURE THEY CAN POST THAT ALSO? YES. OKAY. YES, WE ARE RIGHT NOW. MATTER OF FACT, UH, JUDGE KELLY AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT EFFORTS THIS, THIS MORNING TO INCREASE COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION WITH OUR MEMBERS AND, AND OUR SMALLER COMMUNITY. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, WE DO THIS WITH EMAIL AS BEST WE CAN. AND IF YOU'RE LIKE, AND LIKE JUDGE KELLY, WE WERE BOTH SHARING THE SAME, WELL, IF YOU GET A HUNDRED EMAILS A DAY AND YOU MAY GET THE SKIM AS BEST YOU CAN, AND THEN THEY GET UP BY THE WAYSIDE UNLESS THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNICATION. A MATTER OF FACT, WE'RE WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH, UM, A COUPLE OF AGENCIES TO REBRAND, REBRAND SOME OF OUR, UM, OUR MESSAGING AS WELL AS UPDATE OUR WEBSITE, UPDATE THE LOOK OF ACOG. AND, UH, WE'RE IN THAT PROCESS NOW. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS IS, UH, GETTING THE KIND OF MESSAGING, MESSAGING AND COMMUNICATION OUT TO, AND DOING SOMETHING THAT WILL HOPEFULLY, UH, INCREASE OUR OUTREACH. WE'RE ALSO PLANNING TO HAVE A, UM, DERE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS AT THE, OUR CONFERENCE, ABOUT, UH, GETTING WITH OUR OUTREACH OUTREACH TEAM TO REVIEW THE MESSAGE THAT WE'RE GETTING. WE'RE SENDING OUT. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING OUT THE CRITICAL INFORMATION AND NOT JUST WHAT I WOULD CALL THE ROAD SHOWS THAT ARE, UH, GENERIC INFORMATION, INFORMATION ON WHAT ACOG CAN DO. SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK UP OR WE'RE LOOK AT BETTER WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR MESSAGING. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU. I I HAVE A COMMENT. YES, SIR. WE MIGHT CONSIDER CITY BILL 22 LEFT OUT. DISPATCH, . WE DID. YOU, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE GO BACK TO THE LEGISLATURE TO ASK THEM FOR HELP IN THAT. UH, I MEAN, IT'S A FUNCTION OF MONEY. YEAH. RIGHT. IT'S ALWAYS, THEY GAVE, THEY GAVE EVERYBODY EXCEPT DISPATCH. AND, AND THEY'RE THE MOST CRITICAL ELEMENT. WE HAVE TO GET PEOPLE HELP. SO THAT'S GREAT IDEA. I WILL MENTION THAT TO JENNY FORD TO TALK ONE OF THEIR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. OKAY. SHE ACTUALLY SENT OUT A CALL FROM THAT. THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. YEAH. THANKS. BUT WITH REGARD TO THE TRAINING, MR. HASLAUER, SIR, UH, IF I WOULD, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU FOLLOW UP WITH MARCELLO. YES, SIR. HAVE HER MAKE A REPORT TO US AS TO WHAT, UH, TRAINING IS AVAILABLE OR WHAT MIGHT BE, UH, NEEDED. OKAY, JUDGE, THANK YOU. JUST, JUST 'CAUSE IT, IT'S A TOPIC THAT WE DON'T WANT TO LET, IT'S CRITICAL. YEAH. I'LL HAVE MARC REACH OUT TO YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU, SIR. [00:40:01] OKAY, [ 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.] MOVING ON. WE GO TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH ARE ITEMS 8, 9, 10, 11, AND 12. MOTION SECOND. GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. [13. Recognition of former Board of Directors Chairperson Suzanne de Leon, as an ex-officio non-voting member representative of the Board of Directors. - Chairman Rob Kelly] MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS. ITEM 13, RECOGNITION OF FORMER BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRPERSON, SUZANNE DE LEON, AS AN EX-OFFICIO, NON-VOTING MEMBER, MEMBER, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MAYOR, FORMER MAYOR. UH, I WAS VERY TROUBLED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT YOUR LOSS. BEEN A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION. AND THE ENTIRE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, UH, IN FACT, YOU'RE ONE OF THE PEOPLE I LOOK TO, UH, FOR ADVICE. UM, MICHELLE, HOW IMPORTANT VOTING IS? IT WAS ONE VOTE. I I UNDERSTAND ONE VOTE. YEAH, ONE VOTE. AND, UH, WHEN THIS TOPIC CAME UP, UH, I WAS PREPARED TO APPOINT YOU, BUT IN CLOSER REVIEW OF THE RULES, I DON'T NEED TO APPOINT YOU. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE IN THIS POSITION. UH, AND THIS IS TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT, AS A FORMER MEMBER OF ACOG CAN BE, UH, IN NON-VOTING, BUT A MEMBER OF THE GROUP. UH, AND I, I WELCOME YOU BACK AND, AND HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO STAY WITH US. SO, AND I WILL TELL YOU OTHERWISE THERE WOULD BE ACTION, BUT THERE'S NO ACTION TO TAKE HERE BECAUSE THE RULES PROVIDE FOR IT. RIGHT? SO, WELCOME. MAY I ASK THAT, MR. PLEASE. UH, MONDAY NIGHT COUNCIL MEETING THE COUNCIL TO BE MORE EMERITUS. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU'RE AN EMERITUS. EMERITUS. WE, WE WILL JUST CALL EMMY. OKAY. . OKAY, MOVING ON. ITEM [14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to amend the AACOG bylaws to require the Executive Committee Chair to appoint a minimum of two Executive Committee members to meet quarterly with the Human Resources Department. – Cliff Herberg] 14, CONSIDERED AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE ACOG BYLAWS TO REQUIRE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR TO APPOINT A MINIMUM OF TWO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO MEET QUARTERLY WITH THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT. MR. HERBERG, THIS HAS ONLY BEEN ON THE AGENDA THE LAST YEAR, I THINK. OH, I THINK, I THINK IT'S REALLY BEEN ABOUT THREE, FOUR MONTHS. SIX MONTHS. SIX MONTHS. I THINK THE LAST TIME IT WAS ON THE AGENDA WAS, UH, APRIL, BUT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IT FOR SIX MONTHS. YES. I THINK SINCE, UH, OCTOBER. BUT AS YOU'LL RECALL, THIS IS A BYLAW AMENDMENT, UH, TO, UH, ADD OR TO CREATE TWO LIAISON POSITIONS FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. AND OF COURSE, AS NECESSARY TO REPORT AS A WHOLE. UM, WE DID, UH, GIVE NOTICE TO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS THESE 30 DAYS. WE SENT NOTICE ON MAY THE SEVENTH, AS WELL AS ON THE 30TH. UH, AND TODAY WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY FEEDBACK FROM OUR MEMBERSHIP EITHER APRIL 1ST WORKING OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE AMENDMENT. AND SO, UH, HAVE GOT THE RED LINE VERSION OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE PROPOSING THERE ON THE SCREEN FOR YOU. UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK IT DIDN'T MAKE PACKET SOMEHOW THE, IT DIDN'T LOVE THE RED LINE VERSION, BUT, UH, BASICALLY PROVIDES THE, UH, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR WILL APPOINT TEAM MEMBER COMMITTEE, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO MEET QUARTERLY WITH OUR HR DEPARTMENT, AND ALSO PROVIDES THAT HR DEPARTMENT MAY REQUEST, UH, MEET WITH THE LEGAL SILENCE REPORT, ANY CONCERNS. AND THEN, UH, IT ALSO PROVIDES THAT THEY CAN REPORT BACK IF THERE IS AN ISSUE. IT COULD BE RE UH, COULD BE REPORTED BACK, NOT BY THE CHAIR, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE, WHICH MAY INCLUDE POINTING IT TO THE FULL BOARD. AND WITH THAT ABOUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. UH, ANY QUESTIONS? MOVE APPROVAL. WE'VE GOT A MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? A SECOND. UH, TO APPROVE ADDING THESE TWO LIAISON POSITIONS FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. UM, AND BY WAY OF, UH, DISCUSSION, I'LL SHARE WITH YOU THAT JUDGE TEEL AND I HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE ORDEAL, UH, THAT WE DID WITH THE LAST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WE WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN OURSELVES. AND THIS WAS A SELF-CRITICISM BECAUSE WE DIDN'T SEE THE PROBLEM, WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. UH, AND THEN WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION, IT WAS LIKE, HOW DID WE MISS IT? UH, AND THIS WHOLE SUGGESTION FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS TO NOT MISS ANY FUTURE PROBLEMS. UM, THAT WAS OUR, OUR BAD IN THAT SITUATION FOR NOT, NOT RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAD A PROBLEM, BUT WE'RE VERY PLEASED WITH, UH, UH, HOW WELL THINGS ARE GOING. SO, UH, HAVING SOMEBODY THAT CAN COME TELL THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, I THINK IS A GOOD THING. ANY OTHER [00:45:01] DISCUSSION? THEN WE'LL TAKE A VOTE. THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION. SHE CARRIES. MAY I ASK A SECOND FOR, UH, MR. HASLAUER? MOVING ON [15. Consider and act upon the recommendation to apply for and accept Federal 5311 Rural Transportation funding in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Duane Evans] TO ITEM 15. CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT FEDERAL 53 11 RURAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT. MR. EVANS. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME'S JOAN. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION REGIONAL ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT, EXCUSE ME. THE AGENDA ITEM BEFORE YOU SEEKS APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT 53 11 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FUNDING FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CONTINUED OPERATION AND COMPLIANCE OF OUR RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM KNOWN AS ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT ART WILL UTILIZE THE 53 11 FEDERAL FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PLANNING AND OPERATING ASSISTANCE FOR PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN OUR RURAL AREAS WITH POPULATIONS OF LESS THAN 50,000. THE FUNDING WAS ANTICIPATED AND DOES NOT REQUIRE AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2024 BUDGET. UM, STAFF RECOMMENDS AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACOG TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UP TO 2.5 MILLION TO CONTINUE OUR RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND. WHO MADE THE MOTION? OKAY. SECOND. MR. VASQUEZ? YES. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UH, APPROVE APPLYING FOR AND ACCEPTING THE TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, UM, FOR THE FEDERAL 53 11 RURAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDS. ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. [16. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for and accept State Rural Transportation funding in an amount up to $1,300,000. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Duane Evans] ITEM 16, CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECT DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT STATE RURAL TRANSPORTATION FUNDING IN AN AMOUNT UP TO 1,300,000. THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT. MR. EVANS. THE AGENDA ITEM BEFORE YOU SEEKS APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT STATE OF TEXAS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FUNDING FROM TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF OUR RURAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM KNOWN AS ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT ART WILL UTILIZE THE STATE FUNDING TO MEET THE CASH MATCH REQUIREMENT OF THE FEDERAL 53 11 PROGRAM. THESE FUNDS ARE USED TO PROVIDE CAPITAL PLANNING AND OPERATING ASSISTANCE IN OUR RURAL AREAS. THE FUNDING WAS ANTICIPATED AND DOES NOT REQUIRE AN AMENDMENT TO THE 2024 BUDGET. STAFF RECOMMENDS AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACOG TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION UP TO 1.3 MILLION IN STATE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING TO CONTINUE OUR RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. AND SECOND. SECOND. SECOND, MS. MAYOR DODGER. OKAY. WITH THAT, UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVING [17. 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 amount not to exceed $815,000 from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This item will require a budget amendment. - Alicia Avila-Penalver] ON TO ITEM 17. CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT ANNUAL DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDING FOR THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $815,000 FROM JULY ONE THROUGH JUNE, JULY 1ST, 2024 THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2025. THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT. MR. CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AS YOU SEE, YOU'RE NOT ALICIA, DIRECTOR AT OG. UH, ALICIA WASN'T NAME, UH, MAKE THE, UH, SHE HAD A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT SHE HAD TO ATTEND. SO I'M STEPPING IN FOR, UH, THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS MENTIONED. THIS IS AN ANNUAL CONTRACT WITH DETECTIVES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING COMMUNITY AFFAIRS. UH, THIS YEAR SHES FUNDING WILL ALLOW US TO WEATHER RISE A TOTAL OF 55 HOUSEHOLDS IN THE REPAIR OF EIGHT ADDITIONAL HOMES WITH WEATHERIZATION RATE WITHIN THE AC REGION AT NO COST TO THE HOMEOWNER. WE PASSED AROUND FLOOD. SEE ON BOTH SIDES WHAT THE PROGRAM SPECIFIES. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO THAT. UH, SO AS SUCH, IT DOES IN FACT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT. IT IS $45,000 LESS THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED TO RECEIVE. UH, SO AS SUCH, THE STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT THE BOARD AUTHORIZE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, WHETHER IT'S ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE AMOUNT NOT TO, NOT TO EXCEED $815,000. [00:50:02] SUBJECT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS, ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? MUST TAKE A VOTE? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. MOVING ON TO ITEM THINK MOTION. PARDON? WE DIDN'T HAVE A MOTION. I THINK HE HAD A MOTION. ALRIGHT. WE DIDN'T HAVE A MOTION. WELL, NO. MOTION. MM-HMM. WELL, SO I MAKE A MOTION. . MAYOR DODGER. THANK YOU. SECOND. GO SECOND. NOW THAT WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND, LET'S VOTE AGAIN. YEAH. THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A OPPOSED MOTION. CARRIE . GOOD. MOTION. ACCEPT. AYE. JUST PICK SOMEBODY. YEAH. JUST PICK . ITEM [18. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for $125,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Community Development Initiative Program and to accept funding if awarded. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Claudia Mora] 18. CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR $125,000 TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PROGRAM. AND TO ACCEPT FUNDING IF AWARDED, THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT. MS. MORA, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. CLAUDIA WATER REGIONAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR STAFF IS WORKING ON A STATE GRANT APPLICATION FOR FUNDING TO DEVELOP STRATEGIC PLANS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES. A STRATEGIC PLAN IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITIES TO SET GOALS AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO ACCOMPLISH THOSE GOALS. AT THE SAME TIME, UH, MEETING COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEEDS FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN PLAN, THE COMMUNITIES CAN APPLY FOR STUDENT FEDERAL GRANTS AND USE THE PLAN AS SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION TO ENHANCE THEIR APPLICATIONS. USA IS MAKING $5 MILLION AVAILABLE IN GRANTS UNDER THEIR RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE PROGRAM. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES FUNDING TO ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR HOUSING COMMUNITY FACILITIES OR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. GRANTS MAY BE USED FOR STRATEGIC PLAN DEVELOPMENT, ACCESSING ALTERNATIVE LENDING SOURCES AND TRAINING AND RESOURCES FOR BOARD OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT FINANCIAL SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. OUR USDA GRANT REQUEST IS FOR $125,000, A DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR MATCH REQUIRED. THEREFORE, ACOG SHARE WILL BE $125,000. WE ANTICIPATE THAT IMPLEMENTING BRAND PROJECT WILL BE FOR TWO YEARS AND IT WILL COST $250,000 USING EXISTING ACCO STAFF. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY THE 10TH. THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE THIS REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THE FY 2024 BUDGET. STAFF RECOMMENDS THE BOARD AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT FUNDS FROM USDA FOR APPROXIMATELY $125,000. I WILL ANSWER, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS. WHAT IS A CONTRACTUAL SERVICE? WHAT WHAT IS THAT? A CONTRACTUAL SERVICE WOULD BE, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE DECIDED TO USE THE MONIES TO HIRE, HIRE A CONSULTANT TO DO THE WORK. UH, LET'S SAY, SAY WE WANTED TO SET UP A PROGRAM AND, UH, INSTEAD OF THE STAFF DOING THE WORK, WE WOULD HAVE GO OUT FOR AN WITH AN RFA ASKING FOR, UH, COMPANIES THAT DO GRANT WRITING TO MAKE APPLICATION. AND THEN WE WOULD HIRE THEM TO DO THE STRATEGIC, I'M SORRY, TO DO STRATEGIC PLANNING. AND THEN WE WOULD HIRE THEM TO, TO DEVELOP THE PLANS FOR THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. AND THEY WOULD GET THE ADMINISTRATIVE PART OF THE GRANT? NO, THEY WOULD GET THE, UH, THE OPERATIONAL SPARK OPERATIONAL PART OF IT. I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE PLANNING AT THIS POINT, WE'RE PLANNING TO KEEP THE FUNDS, FUNDS IN HOUSE FOR STAFF TO ACTUALLY DO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE, OF THE STRATEGIC FUNDS. JUST DEPENDS ON THE FEEDBACK AND THE, THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS WE GET. SO IT ALLOWS FOR A CONTINGENCY IF WE HAVE TO HIRE AN ADDITIONAL GRANT WRITER OR PLAN WRITER. 'CAUSE THERE IS A PERCENTAGE OF A GRANT THAT GOES TO ADMINISTER. SO WE WOULD TAKE THAT IF WE DO THE GRANT IN-HOUSE. YES. FEE. THAT'S THE FEE. THE GRANT ADMINISTRATION PART? YEAH. OH YES. THE FEE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION MOVE? APPROVAL GOT A MOTION. SECOND AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THIS IS OUR CLEANUP HITTER USING A BASEBALL METAPHOR. WE'VE, WE'VE HAD SINGLES AND [00:55:01] DOUBLES AND TRIPLES. THIS IS THE HOME RUN. [19. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for two EPA Community Change Grants, each in an amount not to exceed $20 million, for a total request of up to $40 million, and to accept the funding if awarded. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Lyle Hufstetler] UH, THIS ITEM 19, CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR TWO EPA COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANTS EACH IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $20 MILLION FOR A TOTAL REQUEST OF UP TO $40 MILLION. AND TO ACCEPT FUNDING IF AWARDED, THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT, YOU MAY PROCEED. THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. GOOD MORNING TO YOU AND, UH, THE BOARD MEMBERS. MY NAME'S LYLE HUBLER, YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR. THIS FIRST ITEM, I HAVE TWO. THIS ONE ASKS FOR YOUR APPROVAL, UH, TO APPLY FOR THE EPA COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANT. UM, AS, UH, MR. CHAIRMAN HAD ALLUDED TO THIS IS, UH, FOR UP TO TWO APPLICATIONS EACH IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 20 MILLION FOR A TOTAL REQUEST OF UP TO 40 MILLION. AND THIS FUNDING IS GONNA BE APPLIED TO, UH, DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES WITHIN OUR REGION TO HELP THEM REDUCE INDOOR AND OUTDOOR AIR POLLUTION, TO REDUCE WATER POLLUTION, TO PERFORM BETTER SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, AND TO BE MORE RESILIENT, UM, AGAINST INCREASINGLY FREQUENT AND SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. ABOUT $2 BILLION IS BEING MADE AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE TO FUND POLLUTION REDUCING ACTIVITIES ACROSS EIGHT DIFFERENT CLIMATE ACTION STRATEGIES, WHICH INCLUDE MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION, BUILDING ENERGY USE, MICROGRIDS, UH, WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, AND, AND OTHERS. UM, APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED JOINTLY BETWEEN A LEAD APPLICANT AND A STATUTORY PARTNER, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH MUST BE A COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION. AND THAT'S DEFINED AS A NONPROFIT THAT SERVES A CERTAIN POPULATION, WHETHER THAT POPULATION'S GEOGRAPHIC OR BASED ON A SET OF COMMON CHARACTERISTICS. ACOG IS CURRENTLY ENGAGING WITH POTENTIAL CO-APPLICANT AS WE DEVELOP THE SCOPE OF THE PROPOSAL. AND TO THAT POINT TO HELP DEVELOP A PROPOSAL. UH, ACOG HAS BEEN CIRCULATING SURVEYS ELECTRONICALLY AND IN PERSON, UH, TO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS, UH, TO GATHER INPUT FOR A PROPOSAL, UH, ONCE THROUGH CONSTANT CONTACT AND ONCE THROUGH EMAIL. AND THEN WE'VE ALSO BEEN DISTRIBUTING, DISTRIBUTING THEM IN PERSON AT OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WORKSHOP. AND THEN OUR MOST RECENT RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE MEETING, WE RECEIVED 11 RESPONSES, UH, SO FAR AND THIS WEEK WE'RE SCHEDULING ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS WITH ALL THE RESPONDENTS IN ORDER TO DISCUSS THOSE SURVEY RESPONSES IN A BIT GREATER DETAIL. UH, AND THE INTENT OF THESE ONE-ON-ONES IS TO CLARIFY THE INDICATED NEEDS, IDENTIFY KEY PARTNERS OR SUB-RECIPIENTS THAT WOULD HELP WITH IMPLEMENTING THESE PROPOSALS, REQUESTING LETTERS OF COMMITMENT, AND DEVELOPING A SUMMARY BUDGET FOR EACH ACTIVITY. YOUR AGENDA PACKET INCLUDES A LIST OF THE 10 MOST, UH, REQUESTED PROJECTS ACROSS OUR SERVICE AREA. UM, IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SUBMIT TO ME YOUR, UM, YOUR, UH, REQUESTED PROJECTS. UM, I BROUGHT SEVERAL, UH, HARD COPIES OF THE SURVEY THAT WE'VE BEEN DISTRIBUTING. UH, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO FILL THAT OUT AND WE'LL, UH, SCHEDULE THAT ONE-ON-ONE TO DIVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THOSE SUGGESTIONS. UH, STAFF ANTICIPATES, UH, SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION BY AUGUST 1ST, 2024, WHICH IS WELL AHEAD OF THE NOVEMBER 21ST 2 24 DEADLINE. UH, SO IN SUM, WE REQUI, WE REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR THE, UH, EPA COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANTS, EACH IN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $20 MILLION, AND THEN TO ACCEPT THE FUNDING IF AWARDED. NO BUDGET AMENDMENT. AND I'LL TAKE YOUR QUESTION IF I MAY. OH, I'M SORRY. WHAT, WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE EQUIPMENT LINE? EQUIPMENT? YEAH. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THE EQUIPMENT AT THIS POINT? THIS POINT, IT'S JUST AN ESTIMATE, BUT IF THERE'S ANY, ANY, UM, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, THE BATTERY STORAGE, RIGHT? FOR, FOR SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OR OUT, OUT POWER OUTAGES, THAT WOULD BE EQUIPMENT. WE'RE, WE'RE THINKING, YOU KNOW, HIGH DOLLAR, NO CAPITAL EQUIPMENT. SO IT'S THE EQUIPMENT THAT'S IN THE GRANT. YES. BUT AT THIS POINT WE DON'T HAVE THE PROPOSAL FINALIZED. WE COULDN'T YEAH, BUT THAT'S POTENTIAL. THIS IS REALLY VERY PRELIMINARY. ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS GONNA TELL YOU, LYLE MENTIONED THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE GRANT APPLICATION IN AS EARLY AS I AS WE CAN, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW AGENCIES THAT WILL ACTUALLY MARK IT UP AND SEND IT BACK TO YOU AND TELL YOU HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WORK. AND THAT'S WHY WE'VE BEEN WORKING EARLY. BUT THIS REALLY IS SEEKING YOUR AUTHORIZATION TO REALLY GO AFTER THIS MONEY. THIS IS PART OF WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IN MY DIRECTOR'S REPORT. UH, THIS IS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME OF THIS GREEN MONEY. AND I ENCOURAGE ALL OF US, IF WE DO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS, UH, TO CALL LYLE ON ANY OF THE PROJECTS AND SITTING DOWN WITH LYLE ON THE THINGS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE. UH, YOU KNOW, FOR INSTANCE, THIS IS ALL UNDER GREEN ENERGY, BUT PART OF IT MIGHT INVOLVE METHANE MITIGATION IN A LANDFILL. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE GOT THAT PROBLEM OR NOT. THAT'S [01:00:01] NOT SOMETHING I WOULD THINK ABOUT. BUT IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT OR SOME PROBLEM, LYLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIT IT UNDER THIS GRANT. AND WE REALLY WANT TO, IT WAS ONCE AGAIN, PART OF OUR EFFORT TO GET THESE FUNDS TO OUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. AND LYLE, DO YOU KNOW, IS THIS PART OF THE JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE? IS THIS SUBJECT TO JUSTICE 40? YES. YES. IT'S, YES. IT'S, SO THE JUSTICE 40, IF YOU MAY, I'M SURE Y'ALL HAVE SEEN THIS IN YOUR CONFERENCES AND THINGS, REQUIRES THAT THE FUNDING, UH, 40% OF FEDERAL FUNDING GO TO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THE MORE THAT WE TARGET UNDERSERVED, THE MORE IT'S THE, THE BETTER THE APPLICATION LOOKS. AND WE'RE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY'S, UH, WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES. I ASKED LYLE IN YOUR MEMO, I ASKED LYLE BECAUSE I WAS SITTING TO LYLE GOING, YOU KNOW WHAT IS COVERED BY THIS? BUT YOU KNOW, IT SAYS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE. WELL, WHAT DOES GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE MEAN? GREEN ROOFS, PERMEABLE PAYMENTS, RAIN GARDENS. THERE'S MONEY FOR FORESTRY. THERE'S MONEY FOR PLANTING TREES. SO THAT DEVELOP YOUR, YOUR, YOUR COMMUNITY PARKS. UM, HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION AND SAFE RECYCLING PROGRAMS, THAT'S A BIG DEAL. UM, INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES, REPLACING LEAD PIPES, INSTALLING WATER FOUNTAINS, WATER CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGIES. SO YOU KNOW, IF YOUR COURTHOUSES NEED THE, THE, WHAT ARE THE FILTERED WATER FOUNTAINS THAT YOU SEE EVERYWHERE, THERE'S MONEY FOR THIS. SO ANY OF THE UPGRADES THAT YOU CAN THINK OF FOR YOUR COMMUNITIES, WE'RE TRYING TO INCORPORATE THIS INTO THIS GRANT. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE REACHING OUT TO EVERYBODY BECAUSE AS I SAID, THERE'S, OR AS LYLE POINTS OUT, THERE'S TWO $20 MILLION GRANT OPPORTUNITIES HERE. UM, AND WE ARE HOPING TO FIND SOME SHOVEL-READY PROJECTS BECAUSE AGAIN, ONCE AGAIN, THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE MORE DESIRABLE TO, UH, THE GRANT REVIEWERS. AND SO, PARTICULARLY, UH, LYLE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE SENT OUT YOUR SURVEYS AND DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOME OF THE BIGGEST PRIORITIES ON WASTEWATER AND WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES? IS, AM I CORRECT IN MY RECOLLECTION? UH, ACTUALLY LET ME, LET ME TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. UH, SURE. , YEAH, THAT'S TWO. SO, UM, OF THE, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR, UM, YES. UH, TO EXPAND, TO EXPAND HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION AND, AND, UM, EXPAND RECYCLING PROGRAMS, UM, PROMOTING, UH, THE REDUCTION, REUSE AND RECYCLING OF DISASTER AND CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS. UM, BUT THESE ARE JUST, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THE 10 MOST, YOU KNOW, COMMONLY REQUEST REQUESTED MEASURES. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, PROTECTED BY PLANES, PLANNING TREES, UM, HIGH QUALITY JOB TRAINING DEVELOPMENT IS A BIG, UH, COMPONENT OF THIS, OF THIS GRANT. AND CLIFF, I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED SHOVEL READY. UM, THE EPA IS CAPPING THESE PROJECT PERIODS AT THREE YEARS. SO, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT IS PROPOSED, YOU KNOW, NEEDS TO BE, IF NOT COMPLETED, AT LEAST OBLIGATED WITHIN THAT THREE YEAR PERIOD. SO WE DO EMPHASIZE THOSE KIND OF OBJECTS. YES, SIR. SO WE GET THE GRANT. THEN, THEN THE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY APPLIES TO ACOG FOR PART OF THE GRANT OR DO WE APPLY DIRECTLY TO? SO WE WOULD, WE WOULD MOST LIKELY IDENTIFY, UM, SUBRES, UH, WHICH COULD BE, UM, MUNICIPALITIES, UH, CERTAINLY, UM, BUT THEY COULD BE PRIVATE AS WELL. BUT, UH, ACOG WOULD BE APPLYING FOR THE FUNDING AND THEN DISTRIBUTING IT AS NECESSARY. SO, SO WE HAVE A COMMITTEE MAKE SELECTIONS OR PROJECTS TO FUND, OR, I DON'T KNOW, ASKING ABOUT A COMMITTEE. WELL, I MEAN, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DECIDE WHO GETS THE MONEY? I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE, THAT'S, THAT'S, AT THIS POINT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THAT'S THE LEAST OF OUR PROBLEMS IN GETTING 20. YOU'RE PICKING PROJECTS AND THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE IDENTIFIED AS MEETING THE, AS BEING ALIGNED WITH WHAT THEY'RE GIVING THE MONEY FOR. RIGHT? CPS ENERGY DID SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WE HAD SOME PRE-PLANNED PROJECTS THAT WE APPLIED FOR FUNDS FOR SOME BATTERY STORAGE PROJECTS, AND THEY WERE SELECTED. SO IT ESSENTIALLY TOOK DOLLARS. WE WERE PLANNING TO SPEND OFF OUR BOOKS, PUT IT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, AND IS GONNA ACHIEVE THE SAME KIND OF THING. WE WENT AND FOUND PROJECTS THAT FIT THE, THAT FIT THEM ALL. WE'RE HOPING TO GET, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HOPING TO GET ENOUGH PROJECTS TO HIT THAT $40 MILLION THRESHOLD. I MEAN, A, A MAXIMUM, YOU KNOW? SO WE, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SELECTING, YOU KNOW, WITH SELECTING THEM. AS I SAID, THIS HAS BEEN BEEN OUR BIG PROBLEM IS OUTREACH AND GETTING PEOPLE TO RESPOND. WE'RE SENDING, HOW MANY RESPONSES HAVE WE GOTTEN? LYLE 15, UH, 11 THAT WERE, THAT WERE USABLE, BASICALLY. OKAY. SO WE SENT OUT, WE'VE GOTTEN 11 RESPONSE. WE SEND OUT EMAILS TO 55 COMMUNITIES AND 13 COUNTIES, AND WE GET 11. SO WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT. AS I SAID, I'M TRYING TO GET MONEY TO THESE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. WE ALSO HAVE 13 COLONIAS IN OUR REGION, WHICH [01:05:01] QUITE FRANKLY WAS A SHOCK TO ME. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT. WE HAVE 13 COLONIAS. WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY SOME REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COLONIAL. THERE ARE SOME, UH, CITIZEN ACTION GROUPS THAT HELP THESE UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. UH, AND, AND, OKAY, LYLE, I'M GONNA GIVE IT TO YOU. YOU'RE GONNA TELL 'EM, TELL THEM WHAT A MICROGRID IS. SO I HAD TO EXPLAIN THIS TO ME, BUT THERE, THIS, SOME OF THIS FUNDING IS AVAILABLE FOR MICROGRID INSTALLATION, SO YOU CAN INSTALL A MICROGRID TO HELP PEOPLE GET ELECTRICITY IN THESE COLONIALS OR WATER, WATER PUMPS, WATER WELLS. UM, I, I SUGGESTED, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MONEY, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? A RESILIENCE HUB, RIGHT? COMMUNITY. TELL US ABOUT, TELL PEOPLE WHAT A RESILIENCE HUB IS. WILL YOU? IT'S BASICALLY, IT, IT EXISTS TO PROVIDE CONTINUITY OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND, AND SERVICES IN TIMES OF, YOU KNOW, NATURAL DISASTERS. USUALLY WHEN YOU HAVE WIDE WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES, IT'S, UH, MAYBE HEATING CENTERS, COOLING CENTERS DEPEND ON THE WEATHER SITUATION. A CHANCE, CHANCE TO YOU POWER YOUR, YOUR ESSENTIAL, THERE'S A POWER OUTAGE. AND, UH, MICRO IS BACKUP, BACKUP POWER FOR YOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, COOLING CENTER BACKUP POWER FOR COOLING CENTERS, COOLING CENTER, UM, MAKING MICRO GRIDING. IT WOULD MEAN MAKING IT FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND RELIABLE UNTO ITSELF. SO IT'S NOT CONNECTED TO THE GRID. SO IT CAN THESE SITUATION. SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. RIGHT. THAT'S JUST SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME OF 'EM, IT'S VERY BROAD. LIKE I SAID, THERE'S, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR TREES, PROTECTED BIKE LANES. IT ALL FALLS UNDER THIS GRANT ENERGY. SO WE WANT TO TO HEAR MORE SHAPE. MM-HMM. . EXACTLY. YEAH. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT TO THESE COMMUNITIES SO THAT WE CAN PUT IN A ROBUST GRANT APPLICATION AND GET SOME OF THESE FUNDS. ARE YOU, ARE YOU ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF THIS EMAIL? WE WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH OUR OUTREACH AND DO THAT, BUT GETTING TO THE 55 OF 'EM WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME IS THE HARDEST CHALLENGE. MM-HMM. . AND SO A LOT OF EMAIL, A LOT OF CALLING LYLE'S HAD MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS. I'M, UM, UH, GONNA BE TALKING TO THE SUBURBAN CITIES NEXT WEEK ABOUT IT, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO GET THE WORD OUT. AND, AND LIKE I SAY, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE SHOVEL-READY PROJECTS THAT WE CAN, UH, PUT TOGETHER FOR A STRONG GRANT APPLICATION. UH, LYLE, YOU SAID SOMETHING TO ME WHEN WE FIRST DISCUSSED THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE MONEY THAT'S ALLOCATED TO TEXAS, OUR REGION SHOULD GET SOME OF IT. I MEAN, WE SHOULD HAVE A GOOD SHOT AT GETTING THIS IF WE CAN PUT TOGETHER A GOOD GRANT PROPOSAL AND IN RESPONSE TO YOUR, UH, SUGGESTION ABOUT A COMMITTEE. I THINK THIS IS MORE WHO'S GOT THE PROJECTS TO GET 'EM INTO ACOG. SO ACOG CAN USE THAT TO APPLY FOR THE GRANT. AND MY MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS IS A ALMOST HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S PUTTING OUT. UH, AND WHETHER YOU AGREED WITH THE, THE POLITICS OF PASSING THAT OR NOT, UH, THERE'S NO REASON FOR US NOT TO BE IN A POSITION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT THERE EARLY AND OFTEN. THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I I, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD FROM A PHILOSOPHICAL STANDPOINT, YOU KNOW, THIS MONEY'S COMING DOWN. WE MIGHT AS WELL GET SOME OF THE JOBS, THE JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE. YEAH. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BENEFITS THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE DO THE HOUSING PROJECTS FOR THE HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION IS, EVEN THOUGH A PROJECT MAY BE TAX EXEMPT, ALL OF YOUR LUMBER YARDS, YOUR BRICK MASONS, YOUR ROOFERS, YOUR PLUMBERS, YOU KNOW, THEY ALL HAVE A JOB BUILDING THAT PROJECT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, AND AT LEAST MY VISION OF THIS GRANT TO HIT THESE UNDERSERVED COUNTIES AND COMMUNITIES AND, UH, GET THEM A LITTLE BIT OF, A LITTLE BIT OF THIS PIECE OF THE PIE. AND, AND QUITE FRANKLY, UH, IF YOU'RE GONNA FOCUS ON UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, WE OUGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. AND I'M LOOKING OVER AT THIS TABLE BECAUSE WE'RE THE MOST UNDERSERVED. UH, AND IT'S VERY, BY THE WAY, AND, AND THIS IS, UH, FASCINATING. WHEN WATCHING LYLE GO OVER THIS WITH ME. UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY, I ASKED HIM, CAN WE USE SOME OF THIS MONEY TO GET A, I HAVE A, A A GREAT IDEA THAT I WANNA BRING TO YOU SOMEDAY IF WE CAN EVER FIND FUNDING FOR IT TO PUT, UM, UH, HIGH CAPACITY HYPER FAST CHARGERS OVER HERE UNDER THE OLD BANK, BOBBY, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT REVENUE GENERATING SOURCE FOR ACOG. IT'S RIGHT HERE AT FOUR 10 AND 35 PEOPLE CAN CHARGE ZOOM IN AND ZOOM OUT. JUST CAN'T FIND FUNDING BECAUSE ACCO, THIS BUILDING IS NOT AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. ACROSS THE STREET IS AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. ACROSS THE HIGHWAY IS AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, THEY ARE SO HIGHLY DETAILED ON WHAT'S UNDERSERVED. AND MY, UH, MY SURMISE IS BECAUSE WE'RE HERE AND THIS BUILDING, WE DON'T MAKE IT UNDERSERVED . SO IT'S COME BACK TO BITE US, BUT LITERALLY ALL AROUND US. AND SO MY POINT IS, EVERY ONE OF YOUR COUNTIES UNDOUBTEDLY, PROBABLY HAS AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY IN IT THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM THESE FUNDS. IF [01:10:01] YOU CAN JUST GET THE WORD OUT TO THEM TO TELL US WHAT THEY NEED. WE'LL DO THE GRANT WRITING. WE WERE, WE'RE GONNA PARTNER, WE'RE GONNA FIND THE NON-PROFIT AGENCY. THAT'S ANOTHER THING. IF YOU KNOW OF A, OF A NON-PROFIT AGENCY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE PARTNER WITH US TO APPLY FOR THESE FUNDS. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE NON-PARTNER, I MEAN, THE NON-PROFIT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE IT TAKES BOTH OF US. WE GOTTA HAVE US AS A QUALIFIED GOVERNMENT ENTITY. WE HAVE TO HAVE A NONPROFIT ON IT. AND THEN, UM, UH, LET'S, LIKE I SAY, LET'S SEE WHAT PROJECTS ARE OUT THERE SO THAT WE CAN AND CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GRANT. DID YOU YES, SIR. DID YOU SAY THAT THERE WAS A MAP THAT SHOWS WHERE IS UNDERSERVED AND WHERE'S NOT? HE'S GOT THIS? YEAH. OKAY. LYLE CAN, YEAH, IT'S A, UH, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT. I'VE HEARD ABOUT IT, BUT HE HASN'T. YEAH. YES. YEAH. AND SO IF YOU'VE GOT AN IDEA FOR SOMETHING YOU WANT PUT SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, HE CAN LOOK IT UP AND TELL YOU IF IT QUALIFIES AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. AND LIKE I SAY, IT'S NOT LIMITED. THIS GRANT MONEY IS NOT LIMITED TO UNDERSERVED, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT'S JUSTICE 40 INITIATIVE. UH, IT'S, IT'S PREFERRED, BUT LIKE I SAY, ANY GOOD IDEA IS WORTH PURSUING. WELL, LET ME ASK A QUESTION ON POLICE OFFICER. YOUR SUGGESTION, YOU WANT THESE, WHAT KIND OF CHARGES ARE YOU, YOU TALKING ABOUT HYPER FAST CHARGERS? FAST. YEAH. THEY WOULD BE LIKE 250 TO 350 KILOWATT CHARGERS. CHARGE YOUR CAR IN ABOUT 20 MINUTES. IF YOU'RE AN EV MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, BUT ACOG HAS AN OFFICE IN KERRVILLE. MM-HMM. . AND WHERE IT IS, I THINK IT'S AN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY, AND IT IS ON INTERSTATE 10. AND, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH SEAN ALREADY ON TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ELSE. THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING FOR US TO LOOK INTO. SENT TEXT MESSAGES, SEE? YEAH. AND WE'RE TRYING TO, THIS IS DALTON RICE. HE, HE WAS LATE GETTING HERE, BUT THIS, OUR CITY MANAGER IN VILLE SAYS, . HEY, GLAD YOU'RE HERE ON BEHALF OF MAYOR HERRING. RIGHT. AND THE, UH, UH, AND I'VE GOT SEAN WORKING ON THE SAME THING BECAUSE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, OF BUYING ELECTRIC. WE'RE SEAN. SEAN, TELL US ABOUT YOUR INITIATIVES ON ELECTRIC BUSES. WE'RE PART OF IT. WE'RE PART OF IT. YEAH. BUT RIGHT NOW WE'VE HAD THE BACKUP COME ON UP HERE. I MEAN, THIS IS A LOT OF MONEY. WE, IF, IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN ACCESS SOME OF THIS MONEY, IT'S WORTH IT. UM, CURRENTLY, TEX STOCK HAD TO BACK UP A LITTLE BIT ON THAT BUSES BECAUSE OF THE UTILITY OF THERE'S, THERE'S NOT AVAIL. GET ELECTRIC BUSES. WE'RE LOOKING AT 10 YEARS TO GET A BUS. THEY BROUGHT ALL THE GRANTS BACKWARDS TO GET THE CUTAWAY, BUT THERE IS MONEY FOR SOME OF SMALLER ELECTRIC VEHICLES. AND THAT'S WHAT WE STARTED REVAMPING TOWARDS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO, IF WE CAN HANDLE OUR CAPACITY WITH SMALLER BUSES AND JUST DO FASTER TRIPS. UM, HOW ABOUT LIKE VANS AND, AND MICRO BUSES AND STUFF LIKE VANS, THAT'LL STILL BE, BE ACCESSIBLE NOW IN KERRVILLE, THE FACILITY DOWN THERE? YES. IT'S IN THE, IT CERTAINLY IS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT, CERTAIN PEOPLE TRYING BRING TO THAT, THAT, THAT'S GONNA BE, UM, THE ELECTRIFICATION OF, OF A GRID. AND I THOUGHT PROBABLY SPEAK A LITTLE BIT BETTER TO THIS IS, IS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, A HIGHWAY SEGMENT SEGMENT IS, I THINK, I THINK THE TERM IS ELECTRIFIED. IF AT EVERY 50 MILES WE HAVE A FOUR CHARGERS THAT PRODUCE 80 K THAT AT THE SAME TIME. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. SO, SO WE'RE TRYING TO DO THAT, BUT IT CAN ONLY BE 0.5 MILES OFF OF THE INTERSTATE AND OUR BUILDING'S A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE THIS. SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK FOR A WAFER TO GET THAT. AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. THAT'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER ASPECT TO GETTING THAT FACILITY OPENED UP AND RUNNING INTO THE PUBLIC DOING RIGHT PLACE. WELL, IF WE CAN GET THE TRAFFIC OFF I 10 INTO KERRVILLE, RIGHT, WE'D LIKE THAT DOWN, RIGHT DOWN 16 . AND IT TAKES SOME OF, THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THESE GRANT PROCESS TOO. SO EVEN IF YOUR COMMUNITY SAYS, OR YOU'RE SITTING THERE IN YOUR CHAIR SAYING, I'D LIKE TO SEE A HYPER FAST CHARGER IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WE GOTTA FIND THE SPOT FOR IT. AND SO, UH, IF I'M CORRECT, LYLE, WE DON'T, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE GOVERNMENT OWNED. IN OTHER WORDS, WE CAN DO THE INSTALLATION ON A PRIVATE PROPERTY. IF THERE'S A, A TRUCK STOP OR A GAS STATION OR SOMETHING, WE CAN PUT IT. SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBER, WHOEVER THAT IS, IF YOU WANNA GET INVOLVED. THERE'S, THERE'S A GAS STATION AT 16 AND SIDNEY BAKER. YEAH. AND SO WE, WE NEED TO INTERACT WITH THEM AND WE'VE GOT A SHORT TIME TO DO IT, BUT PUT THIS TOGETHER, GET THEIR CONSENT, GET THEIR BUY-IN AND MOVE AND GO. AND SO, BUT I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS ON, ON US AS THE ULTIMATE, UH, CONSUMER OF THE MOVE THE FUNDS, FIND THE PROJECTS. AND, AND JUDGE EVANS TO YOUR CONCERN, IF WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE SO MANY, UH, APPLICANTS THAT THERE WAS A, UH, EXCESS NEED, I WOULD BE GLAD TO CREATE A COMMITTEE OF SOME SORT SCORING TURNED COMMITTEES. LAU'S [01:15:01] GONNA DETERMINE IF IT QUALIFIES. YES. MM-HMM. . SO HE'LL HELP YOU GET IT TO QUALIFY. YES. YES. IF WE CAN, IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT THAT PRODUCTION, IT'S VERY, VERY LIKELY GONNA BE ELIGIBLE. AND IF YOU WOULD TALK TO YOUR, LIKE I SAY, I, I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M THRILLED TO SEE EVEN THE SMALL COMMUNITIES GET PARKS. IF THEY CAN GET MONEY FOR TREES AND SIDEWALKS AND PERMEABLE PAVEMENT AND ALL THAT STUFF FOR THEIR COMMUNITY, I'D LIKE TO DO IT. SO IF YOU, AND IF YOU HAVE MAYORS OR COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN DOING THESE PROJECTS, SEND THEM OUR WAY. SO WE REALLY WANT TO SAY, I DON'T SEE WHY WE SHOULD LEAVE ANY MONEY ON THE TABLE. I'D LIKE TO SUBMIT $40 MILLION GRANT, IF Y'ALL ARE IN SUPPORT OF IT, CAN IT BE USED FOR MITIGATION, LIKE LAND CONSERVATION IF ENDANGERED SPECIES COME AROUND, DEMONSTRATE AIR QUALITY? YEAH. IF, IF WE CAN DEMONSTRATE THE POLLUTION, POTENTIAL, POTENTIAL OR MAYBE A CARBON SEQUENCE POTENTIAL. SO SCIENCE, WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT. SORRY, WHAT IS IT DUE AUGUST. SO THE, THE APPLICATIONS ARE DUE NOVEMBER 21ST, 2024. AND, UH, THIS IS A REALLY, THIS IS A REALLY UNIQUE GRANT BECAUSE EPA, THEY, THEY DO REVIEW AND GIVE YOU FEEDBACK ON YOUR APPLICATIONS, BUT THEY'RE ALLOWING FOR RESUBMITTAL FOR THIS ONE. THIS IS, I'VE NEVER, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT, UH, ANY FOR ANY FEDERAL GRANT. BUT, UM, IF YOU SUBMIT THE FIRST ONE EARLY ENOUGH, GIVE THEM ENOUGH TIME TO REVIEW IT AND GIVE YOU BACK THE, THE FEEDBACK AND INCORPORATE, INCORPORATE THAT INTO YOUR RESUBMITTAL, THEN YOU CAN, YOU CAN SUBMIT THE, THE RESUBMITTAL IS AUGUST IS BEFORE THAT NOVEMBER. SO WHAT, THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO GET IT IN AUGUST 1ST TO GET ENOUGH TIME. AUGUST 1ST IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. THAT'S OUR, THAT'S OUR DEADLINE THAT WE SAID OUR SOFT, SOFT DEADLINE. AND I WOULD POINT OUT THAT I WAS AT THAT NA CONFERENCE, UH, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SPEAKER SAID THAT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR IN ALL OF THESE GRANTS IS REGIONALISM. SO ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE GOT THAT, LIKE TRANSPORTATION REDUCTION ACROSS, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE REGIONS IS GONNA GET FAVORITISM. ANYTHING THAT BENEFITS MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES. SO, YOU KNOW, A PARK OR, UH, I CAN'T THINK OF OTHER THINGS, BUT THINGS THAT SERVICE THE, THE REGION AS A WHOLE ARE SUPER HIGH PRIORITY TO THEM, OR I SHOULDN'T SAY FAVORED. UH, AND, AND THEY SPECIFICALLY WENT OUTTA THEIR WAY TO SAY, THAT DOESN'T BREAK YOUR GRANT. THAT DOESN'T RUIN IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT. BUT THAT'S A PREFERENCE. AND SO, UH, ANY OF THOSE IDEAS THAT YOU CAN COME UP WITH, WE'D LOVE TO ENTERTAIN 'EM. MR. MAYOR? MAYOR? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. SO, UH, THINKING OF A SIDEWALK SITUATION, UM, WOULD Y'ALL HELP WRITE THE GRANT WITH US? ARE WE, ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR WE WRITE THE GRANT. OKAY. YES. WE VERY MUCH WANT, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, AGAIN, THAT I HAVEN'T MENTIONED TO YOU, UH, IN THE IN YET, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST NOT THERE YET. BUT FOR INSTANCE, I WAS TALKING TO A YOUNG MAN AT ANOTHER CONFERENCE WHO WAS FROM AMARILLO, AND I ASKED HIM WHAT HE DID. I ASKED HIM WHAT HE DID, AND HE SAID, WELL, I RUN A GRANT MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR AMARILLO. THINK OF THAT POPULATION COMPARED TO OUR SIZE OF OUR POPULATION. HE SAID, OH, WELL, HOW BIG IS YOUR TEAM? HE SAID, IT'S ME AND SEVEN GRANT WRITERS. OH, THEY HAVE SEVEN GRANT WRITERS WE CAN FIND. WE HAVE ONE OFFICIAL GRANT WRITER. WE HAVE ONE I WANT, I WOULD LOVE TO BUILD UP IF WE CAN GET THE INTEREST FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. I WOULD LOVE TO BUILD UP THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE OF OUR, OF ACOG. I FEEL LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, PARTICULARLY AT THIS TIME, WE COULD REALLY BENEFIT IF WE HAD ADDITIONAL GRANT WRITERS. BUT WE'VE JUST GOTTA HAVE THE DEMAND. SO IF YOU WOULD GET THE WORD OUT TO YOUR COMMUNITIES TO COME TO US, WE'LL FIGURE A WAY TO PAY FOR IT. I'M, WE'LL, WE'LL WORK WITH YOU ON THAT. WE'LL, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, WE'LL DO IT. A PERCENTAGE, WE'LL DO IT, GRANT ADMINISTRATION, WE'LL DO IT BY THE HOUR. WE'LL DO SOMETHING. BUT I WANT TO HIRE MORE GRANT, UH, WRITERS TO START TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THESE, UH, TIMES. LIKE I SAY, AS THAT SPEAKER SAID, THE UNIQUE, UH, UNIQUE MOMENT IN TIME TO GET THESE FUNDS. OH, MAYOR, GOT, I'M GOOD. SORRY, I ASKED THE QUESTION. YES, SIR. UM, I DIDN'T SEE THIS. WHAT IS THE, THE MATCH ON THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY? THERE'S NO MATCH. OKAY. I LIKE THAT GUN. IT'S LITERALLY RAINING. IT'S LITERALLY RAINING MONEY DOWN ON THESE COMMUNITIES THAT PEOPLE WILL JUST PUT THEIR HANDS OUT TO CATCH IT. MM-HMM, , WE'VE JUST GOTTA GET THE WORD OUT. I GUESS OUR PICKUPS DON'T, UH, QUALIFY. DO THEY JUDGE? NO. ? NO, THEY DON'T LOOK AT A COMMENT ON, THEY'LL BE GLAD TO HELP. PUT YOU IN ELECTRIC TRUCK THOUGH. POWER STROKE'S. TOUGH TO BEAT. LEMME SHOW YOU . OKAY. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THEN? UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPLY AND ACCEPT? OKAY. YEAH. SECOND AND A SECOND. MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? [01:20:01] THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? WHO WOULD, WHO WOULD OPPOSE IT? MOTION CARRIES. UH, WE'VE GOT [20. Receive an update on the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. - Lyle Hufstetler] ONE OTHER ITEM HERE, ITEM 20, WHICH IS TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON THE CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANT. OKAY. SO, SO, UM, WE'RE STILL IN MORNINGS. IT'S STILL MORNING. THIS WE ARE IN EVERYTHING. THIS ITEM JUST SERVES, SERVES AS AN INFORMATIONAL INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING ON THE STATUS OF THE CLIMATE, CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANTS OR CPRG. UH, CPRG IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY FUNDED PROGRAM TO ENABLE STATES AND, UH, METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS ACROSS THE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO DEVELOP CLIMATE ACTION PLANS TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS, GAS EMISSIONS, OR TO REVISE EXISTING EXISTING CLIMATE ACTION PLANS. SO CPR G FUNDING IN OUR REGION IS BEING USED PART IN PART TO DEVELOP, DEVELOP THE ALO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. AGAIN, THAT'S TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REGION. SO LAST YEAR, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO APPLIED FOR 30 FUNDING AMOUNT OF 1 BILLION TO DEVELOP A PRIORITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, A COMPREHENSIVE, COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AND TO PROVIDE STATUS COURTS DETAILING PROGRESS TOWARD COMPLETION OF THOSE PLANS. THE PCAP WAS SUBMITTED ON MARCH 1ST, 2024, AND THE CCAP IS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT AND WILL REQUIRE ROBUST COMMUNITY AND KEY STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE 13 COUNTY SERVICE AREA. THE CCAP WILL BE KNOWN AS THE CLIMATE OF THE ALAMO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. AND THIS IS DUE TO THE EPA IN AUGUST OF 2025, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SELECTED WSP AS THE CONSULTANT TO, UH, CARRY OUT, UH, THE BULK OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO, UH, UH, DEVELOP A, UH, DETAILED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION INVENTORY, UH, TO PERFORM LOW INCOME AND DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY ANALYSIS AND OTHER PROGRAMMATIC REQUIREMENTS. AND WE HAVE ATLAS LOVEGROVE AND PAULINA LOPEZ, UH, HERE THIS MORNING. IN CASE Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT THEY CAN ANSWER, ACOG IS GONNA BE ENGAGING OUR SUBURBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES TO INFORM THE CONTENTS OF THE ALAMO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. SO THE CPRG COMES IN TWO PHASES. THERE'S THE PLANNING PHASE, AND THAT WAS THE $1 MILLION, UH, GRANT. AND THEN THERE'S THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. EVERYTHING THAT I'VE DISCUSSED SO FAR JUST PERTAINS TO THE PLANNING PORTION. UM, APPLICATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW BY THE EPA, UM, AND, AND, AND THAT'S INTENDED TO INITIATE PROJECTS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE PRIORITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. AND ALTHOUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION GRANT PERIOD HAS ENDED, THE ALAMO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN IS INTENDED TO BE A BLUEPRINT FOR FUTURE FEDERAL AND STATE GRANT PROPOSALS RELATED TO POLLUTION REDUCTION. VERY MUCH LIKE THE ONE THAT I JUST PRESENTED TO Y'ALL. THE COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANT. SO THESE ARE THE ELEMENTS OF THE ALAMO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT ARE REQUIRED TO BE INCLUDED, UH, SOME OF WHICH I'VE ALLUDED TO ALREADY AS WSP WILL BE HELPING WITH. UM, SINCE THE FOCUS OF THE CPRG IS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTIONS, IT'S NECESSARY TO DO A GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION INVENTORY. AND THIS IS JUST AN ACCOUNTING OF THE QUANTITY OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS EMITTED BY SECTOR AND BY COUNTY. THE SECTORS THAT WE'RE ANALYZING INCLUDE WASTEWATER, TRA, SORRY, WASTEWATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT, TRANSPORTATION, UH, BUILDING ENERGY USE, AGRICULTURE AND OTHERS. EVERY GOOD PLAN HAS A GOAL. SO WE'RE GONNA BE SETTING GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS FOR THE FUTURE IN ORDER TO GAUGE OUR PROGRESS TOWARD, UM, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION REDUCTION GOALS. THESE EMISSION REDUCTION MEASURES, UH, THE QUANTIFIED REDUCTION MEASURES, THEY'RE THE CORNERSTONE OF THE CPRG. AND THESE ARE PROJECTS, INITIATIVES AND ACTIVITIES THAT, UH, ARE IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMUNITIES AS, UH, AS NEEDS FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES. UH, WE'RE GONNA BE CONDUCTING ROBUST COMMUNITY AND KEY STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN EACH OF THE COUNTIES, UH, STARTING IN AUGUST AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE NEW YEAR. OTHER ANALYSES OF GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION MEASURES ARE REQUIRED, INCLUDING FOR, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UH, AND LOW INCOME AND DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY BENEFITS. SO I'M GONNA HONE IN ON TWO COMPONENTS OF THE ALAMO AREA CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT I THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR Y'ALL TO TAKE AWAY THIS MORNING. UH, FIRST WSP IS CURRENTLY REACHING OUT TO LOCAL UTILITIES TO HELP INFORM THE ENERGY USE SECTOR OF THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION INVENTORY. SO THEY'RE GONNA NEED RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONSUMPTION FIGURES IN ORDER TO DO THESE CALCULATIONS. SO, UH, THEY'RE REACHING OUT DIRECTLY TO, UH, MU MUNICIPAL, UH, UTILITIES TO CO-OPS, PRIVATE UTILITIES, ALL ACROSS THE ACOG REGION. [01:25:01] AND WE MAY NEED Y'ALL'S ASSISTANCE IN OBTAINING THIS, UH, THIS DATA AT A NOT TOO DISTANT DATE. THE SECOND COMPONENT IS REGARDING ENGAGEMENT. AND WE HAVE, UH, A FEW GOALS FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, TO, UM, ACHIEVE. UH, THE FIRST IS OBVIOUSLY TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR, UH, STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS DIRECTLY IN ORDER TO DEVELOP AN, AN EQUITABLE AND ACTIONABLE AND COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FOR THE ALAMO REGION. UH, OUR ENGAGEMENT IS MEANT TO PROVIDE AN OPEN FORUM FOR IDEAS FOR, UH, OR CREATIVE SOLUTIONS, UH, TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. UH, THIS, THE, I THINK THE BIGGEST GOAL IS TO DEVELOP THOSE, UH, EMISSION REDUCTION STRATEGIES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON MEASURES THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE TO SEE IF THEY CAN BE IMPROVED. SO WE'VE DONE SOME PRELIMINARY ENGAGEMENT VIA ONLINE SURVEYS, DIFFERENT FROM THE, UH, COMMUNITY CHANGE SURVEYS THAT I MENTIONED IN THE LAST ITEM. UH, WE HAVE ONE FOR RESIDENTS AND ONE FOR STAKEHOLDERS, BUT THEY'RE KIND OF LONG. SO, UH, WE'RE WORKING WITH WSP TO REDEVELOP THESE SURVEYS MAKE THEM MORE DIGESTIBLE. THEY'RE A LOT QUICKER, UH, TO COMPLETE, BUT THEY STILL GIVE US THAT NECESSARY INFORMATION ON WHAT'S NEEDED IN COMMUNITIES. AS SOON AS THOSE ARE FINALIZED, WE'LL REDISTRIBUTE THEM. AGAIN, WE'RE TARGETING THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, UH, TO GO OUT INTO THE COUNTIES. WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, TAGGING ALONG THE AC CALL ROAD SHOWS AND, UH, INTERAGENCY MEETINGS IN EACH OF YOUR COUNTIES. UM, WE'RE ALSO PLANNING ON GOING TO PUBLIC EVENTS IN ORDER TO HELP BOOST THAT, UH, THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. IT'S NOT JUST GONNA BE ONLINE SURVEYS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, HARD COPIES AVAILABLE, UH, WSPS LOOKING INTO PROVIDING, UH, TABLETS, UH, FOR, FOR THOSE WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE INTERNET TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY. WE'RE GONNA HAVE SPANISH LANGUAGE, UH, SURVEYS AVAILABLE. AND IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER LANGUAGE NEEDS THAT ARISE, WSPS MASSIVE AND HAS THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TRANSLATIONS IF NECESSARY. WE'RE TRYING TO GET FEEDBACK FROM EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY. SO, AS FAR AS STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT GOES, WE'RE GONNA BE DIVIDING IT INTO FOUR SECTORS THAT ARE LISTED ON THIS SLIDE HERE. UM, WE'RE TENTATIVELY PLANNING FOR TWO SETS OF STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, ONE IN THE NORTHERN REGION AND ONE IN THE SOUTHERN REGION. UM, AND WE'LL BE REACHING OUT TO EACH OF YOU WITH A ONE PAGER JUST DESCRIBING, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCING WSP AND TO SORT OF SET THE TABLE FOR OUR, UH, FUTURE ENGAGEMENT PLANS. AND WE'RE GONNA DO OUR BEST TO IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE KEY STAKEHOLDERS, UH, FOR EACH, WITHIN EACH SECTOR AND WITHIN EACH COUNTY. BUT AGAIN, WE MAY NEED Y'ALL'S ASSISTANCE IN DIRECTING US TO THE MOST APPROPRIATE PERSON. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE A LIST OF COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE AUGUST TO OCTOBER TIMEFRAME, DEFINITELY LET US KNOW 'CAUSE WE'LL, UM, YOU KNOW, CAG ALONG TO THOSE WHERE THERE'S ALREADY GONNA BE A GUARANTEED C COMMUNITY PRESENCE. SO IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THERE'S MY CONTACT INFO. I ALSO INCLUDED, UH, THE CONTACT INFO FOR ALICE LOVEGROVE. SHE IS THE, UH, PI FOR THIS PROJECT. SHE'S OVERSEEING A TEAM OF, OH, PROBABLY A DOZEN OR, OR MAYBE EVEN MORE, UH, PEOPLE EACH HAS, YOU KNOW, EXPERTISE IN, UH, DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THIS, OF THE CPRG, BUT ALICE IS THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF IT. ALSO, BOTH OF OUR CONTACTS ARE AVAILABLE THERE FOR Y'ALL TO REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS NOW, I'LL, I'LL TAKE THEM FROM THE LAST AGENDA ITEM. AND THIS ONE, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE PRETTY BUSY INFORMATIONAL. YEAH, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE PRETTY BUSY THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. AND THOSE RESPONSES TO THE COMMUNITY CHANGE SURVEY FROM THE PREVIOUS AGENDA ITEM THERE INFORM THE CPRV, THE CLIENT ACTION PLAN TOO, VERY, VERY CLOSELY. THERE'S TONS OF OVERLAP WITH ME. THIS AND THE PREVIOUS, I DON'T ANY QUESTIONS, SORRY. IT'S THE INTENT FOR THE, THIS PLAN TO TO BE THE BLUEPRINT FOR FUTURE FEDERAL AND STATE INCENTIVES. THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF HAVE THAT PRELIMINARY WORK ALREADY COMPLETED RIGHT INTO THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE FOR LY? THANK YOU. HEY, [21. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at AACOG.] ITEM 21 IS THE NEXT MEETING YOU SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 24. UH, PUT THAT ON YOUR CALENDAR. AND IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE GROUP THEN WE ARE 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.