[00:00:06]
[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.]
IT IS, UM, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER THE 23RD, 2020 4:10 AM IN THE MORNING.AND THE ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNANCE IS NOW IN SESSION.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS NOW IN SESSION.
UM, AND SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA WILL BE TO CALL THE ROLL.
CAN WE PUTNEY FOR COMMISSIONER CALVERT? JUDGE CAMACHO IS EXCUSED.
COMMISSIONER GILLESPIE FOR JUDGE K.
COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA, GENERAL RODRIGUEZ.
HERE FOR COUNCILWOMAN DEVITO FOR COUNCIL DEVITO.
MR. HASLAUER HERE, JUDGE HEKE IS EXCUSED.
OUR HEARING ALL RIGHTS FROM THEIR HEARING.
SENATOR GONZALEZ FOR SENATOR MENENDEZ.
COMMISSIONER MOODY IS EXCUSED.
MR. VALDIVIA? MR. VASQUEZ? JUDGE WHITMAN.
IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGES.
I PLEDGE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC, WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL HONOR, HONOR OF TEXAS.
FLAG OF ALLEGIANCE TO LEAD TEXAS.
DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS, MR. CHAIRMAN.
DO WE HAVE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST THAT NEED TO BE DECLARED? THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE PRESENTATIONS.
JUDGE, I'M NOT SURE OF OUR USDA PRESENTATIONS HERE.
I DID YESTERDAY AND I'VE JUST LEFT ANOTHER MESSAGE.
WELL, I THINK WE HAVE THE INSPIRE PEOPLE HERE.
[7. Employee Benefits Trust - Dennis Wagner, Partner with Spire Risk Management]
SO WHY DON'T WE JUST MOVE ON TO ITEM, UH, NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS AN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TRUST.AND WHEN HE PUT HIS GLASSES BACK ON, I RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER WOLF.
LET ME JUST JUMP IN HERE REAL QUICK, QUICK JUDGE.
CHAIR MEMBERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, I'M GONNA TURN THIS OVER OVER HERE TO PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UH, BUT I DID WANT TO TELL YOU JUST ON A PERSONAL NOTE, UH, IT'S KIND OF NICE BEING BACK WITH, WITH A NUMBER OF Y'ALL
UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE DO, AND LIKE I SAID, I, WE HAVE DENNIS AND, UH, DENNIS WAGNER, NICK LONG HERE TODAY, WHO, AS I'VE ALREADY EXPLAINED OR ARE SMARTER IN THESE TYPES OF THINGS, I AM.
UH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR FEEDBACK AND FEEDBACK AND YOU'RE GETTING THE CHANCE TO LISTEN TO SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING HERE CURRENTLY WITH C**K.
I DO A LITTLE LEAD IN FOR OUR MEMBERS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN, UH, PRESENT.
AT OUR LAST MEETING, WE HAD, UH, A VOTE TO ADOPT OR, OR ENACT AN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TRUST AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF DENNIS WAGNER.
AND I TOLD HIM EARLIER TODAY, IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG WITH IT, I'M GONNA BLAME HIM.
UH, BUT, UH, IT RESULTS IN A SAVINGS ON OUR PREMIUMS. AND SO I CAN SAY FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WEREN'T THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST FROM BOARD MEMBERS FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AND SO WE'VE ASKED FIRE AND, AND THE STAFF AND TEAM TO COME AND, AND EXPLAIN WHAT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO, UM, WELL, THANKS A LOT FOR THE, UH, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME SPEAK WITH EVERYONE THIS MORNING AND, AND WE'LL KEEP IT FAIRLY BRIEF BECAUSE WHAT, WHAT WE FIND IS EACH ONE OF YOUR, UH, UH, GROUPS IS GONNA HAVE UNIQUE NEEDS AND, AND WE DON'T WANNA TRY TO FIT A SQUARE
[00:05:01]
PEG INTO A ROUND HOLE, IF YOU WILL.THAT BEING SAID, THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT, UH, THAT I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF THE MUNICIPALITIES AND, AND COUNTIES AND, AND SOME OF THE SPECIAL DISTRICTS ARE NOT LOOKING NECESSARILY AT THEIR EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PLANS.
THEY BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY JUST COMPLICATE YEAR OVER YEAR AND BECOME MORE, MORE INTENSE.
SO WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS THAT, UM, A LOT OF THE FOLKS IN HERE MIGHT NOT REALIZE THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, UH, AN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TAX TRUST, WHICH SAVES A, YOU KNOW, A, A UNIQUE PORTION OF THE TAXES OFF OF THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, UM, PREMIUMS THAT YOU PAY ON A MONTHLY AND ANNUAL BASIS.
AND, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP YOU REVIEW IF YOU HAVE A TAX TRUST OR IF YOU NEED A TAX TRUST AND, AND, UH, PROVIDE YOU SOME GUIDANCE ON, ON AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, BASIS GOING FORWARD.
UM, NICK'S HERE IS A PARTNER OF MINE.
WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER FOR OVER A DECADE AND, AND DO A LOT OF WORK WITH MUNICIPAL MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES THROUGHOUT TEXAS.
AND, AND, AND HE SPECIALIZES IN SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED AROUND YOUR PHARMACY PLAN ON SPECIFIC TYPES OF PLANS.
SO I'LL LET HIM INTRODUCE HIMSELF REAL QUICKLY AND TALK TO THAT.
YEAH, HI, NICK LONG AND, UH, WE RUN THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES PHARMACY PLAN.
AND SO WE WERE CONTRACTED WITH NACO TO BUILD THIS PLAN OUT A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
AND THE ENTIRE, UH, INTENT TO THAT IS IF YOU GO, LOOK, LOOK AROUND IN ANY COUNTY IN HERE, EVEN, YOU KNOW, FROM BAYER ALL THE WAY DOWN, YOU GUYS ARE NOT LARGE ENOUGH INDIVIDUALLY TO SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATE YOUR PHARMACY AGAINST THE LARGE PHARMACEUTICAL PLAYERS.
IT LITERALLY TAKES HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES FOR YOU TO GET IN ANY KIND OF EQUITABLE FOOTING WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.
AND SO WHAT NACO DID IS THEY PULLED TOGETHER SOME OF THE LARGEST COUNTIES.
IT STARTED WITH KING COUNTY AND WASHINGTON, MECKLENBURG COUNTY, DALLAS COUNTY, AND SEVERAL OTHERS.
GOT ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND LIVES TOGETHER.
UH, WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE THE COST SUBSTANTIALLY.
NOW WE'RE UP TO ABOUT 500,000 MEMBERS IN THIS, UH, PBM DEAL TOGETHER IN THIS PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER DEAL TOGETHER.
AND SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE NOW KIND OF RELEASED IT DOWN TO, TO ANY SIZE COUNTY.
SO YOU CAN BE A A 200 LIFE COUNTY IN, YOU KNOW, IN CENTRAL TEXAS, OR YOU COULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, COOK COUNTY IN CHICAGO.
EVERYBODY GETS THE SAME TERMS OF THE CONTRACT.
AND THEN YOU ARE ABLE TO INDIVIDUALIZE, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOUR COPAYS ARE AND, AND HOW IT WORKS AND FEELS INSIDE YOUR OWN BENEFIT PLAN.
BUT IT'S, IT'S CREATED KIND OF SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS FOR NUMEROUS COUNTIES KIND OF ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND, AND IN PARTICULAR HERE IN TEXAS.
AND SO WE HAVE THAT AVAILABLE TO ANY COUNTY, UH, ANY, ANY MEMBER OF NACO OR ANY MEMBER OF NLC.
SO NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES OR NACO IS AVAILABLE TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT PROGRAM.
UH, THERE IS NO, THERE'S NO COST FOR PARTICIPATING IN THERE, AND WE CAN BASICALLY RUN THE ANALYSIS OF IF IT'S A GOOD FIT FOR YOU GUYS, TAKES ABOUT A WEEK AND IT'S RELATIVELY SEAMLESS AND EASY TO DO THAT.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO, AGAIN, KEEP IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE, AND I CAN HELP STREAMLINE IF, UH, IF THERE'S ANY INTEREST FROM ANY, ANY OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LEFT OUR NUMBERS AND OF COURSE MOST OF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVEN'T LOST IT YET, KEVIN WOLFE'S NUMBER, UH, WHETHER ON PURPOSE OR, OR, UH, OR NOT.
UM, BUT PLEASE, UH, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO US DIRECTLY AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO CONSULT WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO SEE WHAT MIGHT BE THE RIGHT FIT FOR EACH ONE OF YOUR, UM, FOR EACH ONE OF YOUR SITUATIONS.
DENNIS, REAL QUICK, WILL YOU EXPLAIN, LIKE I SAY, PARTICULARLY FOR MEMBERS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN HERE LAST TIME, WOULD YOU EXPLAIN TO 'EM THE BENEFITS OF THE EMPLOYEE IF IT'S TAX TRUST? JUST ON THE PERCENTAGE SAVINGS THAT WE GET ON THE, ON THE PREMIUM WAS 2.2 0.7% IS ROUGHLY WHAT IT IS.
SO ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TAX TRUST FOR, FOR YOUR FULL INSURED HEALTH PLAN, UM, THE STATE, UM, ALLOWS US TO NEGOTIATE WITH YOUR CARRIER TO BE ABLE TO, TO, UH, TO PULL OUT THAT 2.7% THAT IS NECESSARY FOR TAXES TO BE PAID, UH, TO THE STATE.
SO, UM, IT'S JUST A, IT'S, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL LINE THAT WE CAN TRY TO STRIKE FROM THE, UH, FROM THE OVERALL COST OF YOUR BENEFITS PLAN.
AND, AND IT'S A FAIRLY SIMPLE PROCESS.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL NEED LEGAL COUNSEL TO BE ABLE TO, TO PUT TOGETHER A TAX TRUST.
I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, CLIFF IS OFFERING HIS SERVICES, UH, FOR ANY KIND OF CLIFF, FOR ANY KINDA WAY, BUT, UH, CLIFF, YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD THERE'S SOME LAWYERS AROUND.
SO, UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST PIECES ABOUT IT, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE IT'S DONE, IT'S DONE AND WE CAN WORK WITH THE, UH, WITH THE CARRIERS TO BE SURE THAT THOSE TAXES ARE STRICKEN FROM YOUR, FROM YOUR BENEFITS.
UH, DENNIS, REAL QUICK, LET ME SEE IF I CAN SUM THAT UP.
SO, AS, AS FIRMS LIKE KIND OF GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING
[00:10:01]
FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO DECREASE COSTS WITHOUT DECREASING THE BENEFITS AND THOSE, SO IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, UH, THIS TAX TRUST IS, IS ANOTHER WAY TO DECREASE THE OVERALL COST OF THE BENEFIT PLAN FOR A PARTICULAR CLIENT, OR ABSOLUTELY.UM, WE JUST TRY TO LOOK AT UNIQUE WAYS, WAYS THAT WE CAN, THAT WE CAN HELP TRY TO PROVIDE SOME SPECIFIC GUIDANCE THAT A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
SO IT'S UNDERSTANDING THE, THE LAWS AND UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLIANCE WITHIN THE LAWS, TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT'S OUT THERE FOR US WITHOUT, UH, WITHOUT REDUCING OR WATERING DOWN ANY, ANY OF THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
AND JUST AS A REFRESHER FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T HERE, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE TAX TRUST, UH, JUST TELL, TELL EVERYBODY EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS.
IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IS A PREMIUM TAX ON ALL FULLY INSURED INSURANCE PLANS.
AND SO WHEN YOU, IF YOU'RE WITH BLUE, WITH BLUE CROSS, OR IF YOU'RE WITH AETNA, WHOEVER YOU'RE WITH, THEY'RE PAYING THAT TAX TO THE, UH, TO THE STATE.
HOWEVER, THERE'S A PROVISION INSIDE THE STATE CODE THAT ANY PUBLIC ENTITY EXCEPTS SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHICH I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, DISTRICTS WEREN'T PUT INTO IT, BUT THEY WEREN'T, UH, ANY PUBLIC ENTITY EXCEPT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS EXEMPT FROM THAT TAX.
AND SO WHAT YOU BASICALLY DO, SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU CREATE THAT TAX TRUST, WHICH THEN WE SH SHARE WITH YOUR CARRIER, THE CARRIER, WHEN THEY, THEY THEN GO PAY THAT TAX TO THE STATE, THEY PROVIDE THAT DOCUMENT DOCUMENTATION TO THE STATE AND THEY SAY, COUNTY, OR, OR Y WE, WE TOOK IN THIS MUCH, MUCH PREMIUM FOR THEM PER THIS DOCUMENT.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO CHARGE THEM CHARGE TAX.
AND SO THEN THE CARRIERS ABLE TO REDUCE THE PREMIUMS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO SIMPLY PAY THAT BACK TO THE STATE.
AND THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL DO FOR US.
AND SO, AND FOR, AGAIN, WE KEEP SAYING FOR PEOPLE THAT WEREN'T HERE, BUT JUST FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT NEED A SOURCE OF INFORMATION, I BELIEVE MAYOR DODGEN MENTIONED, UH, SINE HAS USES THIS ALREADY AS A VEHICLE FOR SAVINGS.
SO YES, I'M NOT AVAILABLE TO HELP 'CAUSE I KNOW NOTHING, BUT I DO, WE DO HAVE STAFF THAT, UM, IS VERY WELL VERSED AND WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS WITH A NUMBER, NUMBER OF SAVINGS AND, UM, A HELP ON DECREASING OUR PREMIUMS. AND I'LL TELL YOU, I WORK AS WELL, AND I WORK FOR A HOSPITAL AND I PAY MORE THAN OUR CITY DOES
SO MAYOR, DO WE ACTUALLY PUT THAT ONE TOGETHER FOR Y'ALL? YES.
BACK, BACK IN THE DAY IN, UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE YEAR, BUT IT'S BEEN SEVERAL.
WE STARTED ABOUT A DECADE AGO.
THEY'RE LIKE, I, I HAVEN'T WORKED WITH THIS ORGANIZATION, BUT YOU BRING THE DECODER RING FOR ALL THE POLICIES AND THE BENEFITS AND, AND FIGURE OUT WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE TO SAVE.
IT FOR THE, FOR THE FEE WE PAID TO THE ORGANIZATION, IT SAVED US TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER A DECADE.
SO I PREACH YOU GUYS THE RIGHT THING AND IT IS ACTUALLY FOUND MONEY.
IT'S UNNECESSARY MONEY, MONEY THAT YOU'RE SENDING TO THE STATE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
DID I HEAR YOU SAY, IF YOUR CITY IS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, YOU'RE ELIGIBLE.
COULD YOU ALL PLEASE CALL CITY OF LIVE OAK
TELL THEM I SENT YOU NOW THAT'S FOR THE PHARMACY BENEFIT PLAN, WHICH IS FOR THE PHARMACY BENEFIT PLAN.
EVERYBODY CAN DO THE YES, YES.
EVERYBODY CAN DO THE TAX BENEFIT TRUST, AND THEN THERE IS THAT PHARMACY BENEFIT, WHICH WE NEED TO EXPLORE MORE AS WELL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING.
AND MR. WOLF HAS VOLUNTEERED TO STAY AROUND FOR OUR NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE AS A FORMER CHAIR.
SO HE'S BEEN ROPED IN AS WELL.
AND SO I BELIEVE WE HAVE OUR, I THINK THE LADY CAME, I'M
[6. US Department of Agriculture Grant Opportunities - Betty Soto, Area Loan Specialist USDA Rural Development ]
GONNA GO BACK AND CALL ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS, UM, A PRESENTATION ON US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.DID MS. SOTO COME IN? YES, YES.
AND WE WORK, WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR ALL OF THAT TO, TO LOAD UP, UM, FOR ALL OF THE FORMER CHAIRS ARE HERE.
JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A MEETING OF OUR NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE AFTER THE MEETING.
AND SO, UH, PLEASE, UH, PLEASE DON'T FORGET, AS WE ADJOURN, WE'LL BE MEETING IN THE BACK, UH, TRAINING ROOM IN THE BACK HERE AFTER THE MEETING.
AND IN THE INTERIM, LOOK AROUND TO SEE WHO'S NOT NOT HERE.
[00:15:16]
OKAY.WELL, MY NAME IS BETTY SOTO AND I'M WITH, UM, USDA DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'VE GOT A MICROPHONE RIGHT THERE FOR YOU.
I'M WITH USDA WORLD DEVELOPMENT, AND I'M BETTY SOTO.
AND I HAD A POWERPOINT FOR Y'ALL, JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE OVER BOARD PROGRAMS. UH, BUT I'M JUST GONNA KIND OF READ SOME OF THIS INFORMATION.
AND THEN I BROUGHT SOME, SOME PROGRAM SUMMARIES ALONG.
UM, AND I'VE GOT BUSINESS CARDS.
SO YOU, SO IF YOU, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GO, I MEAN, WITH THE TIME, UM, AND KNOWING IT'S MORE SPECIFIC TO WHATEVER YOUR NEEDS ARE, THEN Y'ALL CAN CONTACT ME.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO GO OUT TO YOUR, UM, COMMUNITY AND, OR IF YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTY THAT NEED OUR ASSISTANCE, THEN I CAN GO TO THEM OR WE CAN DO A TEAMS MEETING, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IS EASIER.
BUT, UM, MY OFFICE IS IN SINE, UM, THE STATE OFFICE IS IN TEMPLE, TEXAS.
WE ADMINISTER OVER 40 PROGRAMS, UH, SUPPORTS RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH LOAN AND GRANT INVESTMENTS OF OVER 50 BILLION ANNUALLY.
THE PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS EXCEEDS 220 BILLION.
WE'VE GOT, UM, OUR PROGRAM AREAS, OUR BUSINESS, WHICH IS UNDER THE RURAL BUSINESS COOPERATIVE SERVICES, COMMUNITY, FACILITIES, UTILITIES, AND HOUSING.
AND UNDER EACH ONE, LIKE THE BUSINESS HELPS CREATE JOBS, UH, BY FUNDING AND GROWING BUSINESSES.
THE COMMUNITY FACILITY ADDRESSES NEEDS FOR THE COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS POLICE, FIRE AND RESCUE STATIONS, HOSPITALS, LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS AND TOWN HALLS.
HOUSING WORKS TO ELIMINATE SUBSTANDARD HOUSING BY HELPING PEOPLE BUY, RENT OR BUILD DECENT HOUSING.
AND UNDER THE UTILITIES, IT ADDRESSES THE NEEDS FOR BASIC SERVICES LIKE CLEAN WATER, SEWERS AND WASTE DISPOSAL, ELECTRICITY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND BROADBAND.
WE, WHAT WE DO FUND, OR HERE'S SOME TYPE OF PROJECTS UNDER THE BNI GUARANTEES.
WE'VE DONE HOTELS, MANUFACTURING, CONSTRUCTION, INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY, CONVENIENCE STORES, AND ASSISTED LIVINGS.
VALUE ADDED PRODUCER GRANTS CAN BE USED FOR FEASIBILITY STUDIES, BUSINESS PLANS, WORKING CAPITAL FOR VALUE ADDED PRODUCT MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENSIONS.
THAT'S, UM, ONE OF THE FEW THAT WE HAVE UNDER OUR AGENCY FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS OR JUST BUSINESSES IN GENERAL.
BUT, UH, WHEN THEY'RE, WE GET A LOT OF CALLS 'CAUSE WE'RE UNDER A UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FROM FARMERS.
UM, WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL THE RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GRANT.
IT CAN BE USED FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TYPE PROJECTS, BUSINESS INCUBATORS, WORKFORCE TRAINING.
IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED, UM, I CAN EMAIL YOU.
WE JUST, YESTERDAY I RECEIVED, UM, THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 APPLICATION PROCESS, UH, THE FEDERAL REGISTER.
UM, UNDER OUR, UM, RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM GRANTS, THERE'S SOLAR, WIND, GRAIN DRYERS, LIGHTING, HVAC INSULATION, COOLING AND REFRIGERATION UNITS, ENERGY AUDITS, RENEWABLE ENERGY, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
UH, MOST OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE DO THAT ARE UNDER THE LOAN PROGRAM, WE ALSO DO GUARANTEES ON 'EM BECAUSE WE LIKE TO WORK WITH YOUR LOCAL LENDER OR THE LENDERS THAT THE CLIENT IS USED TO WORKING WITH AND SEE IF THEY'LL, UM, WANNA DO A GUARANTEE WITH US.
I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE RURAL ENERGY.
WELL, IT PROMOTES ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS AND RURAL SMALL BUSINESSES.
I'M SKIPPING OVER SOME OF THESE.
[00:20:02]
THE COMMUNITY FACILITY, UM, PROGRAM AFFORDS FUNDING TO DEVELOP ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND RURAL AREAS.AN ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITY AS DEFINED AS, AS THE FACILITY THAT PROVIDES AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR THE O ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY IN A PRIMARILY RURAL AREA.
AND DOES NOT INCLUDE PRIVATE, COMMERCIAL, OR BUSINESS UNDERTAKINGS.
THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, IT'S GONNA BE A FACILITY THAT'S USED BY THE PUBLIC.
UM, MOST OF YOUR, UH, PUBLIC BODIES, UM, NONPROFITS CAN APPLY.
UM, IF Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED, IT'S, MOST OF THE PROGRAMS HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE APPLICANT TYPE DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLICANTS CAN APPLY FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, IT ALSO HAS MAYBE A POPULATION LIMIT OF THE SERVICE AREA.
SOME ALLOW FOR THE APPLICANT TO NOT BE IN A RURAL AREA, BUT THEY HAVE TO SERVE A RURAL AREA.
THAT POPULATION HAS TO BE UNDER WHATEVER THE REQUIREMENT IS.
MOST OF OURS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE A MATCH IN CASE Y'ALL ARE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, WONDERING ABOUT THE SECURITY.
THESE SLIDES DON'T GO INTO ALL OF THAT.
BUT, UM, FOR PUBLIC BODIES, WE DO, UM, BONDS THEM, UH, IF IT'S LIKE A WATER OR A SEWER BECAUSE WE WANT THE WATER IN THE SEWER OR THE FACILITY TO RUN IT LIKE A BUSINESS.
WATER PAYS FOR WATER, SEWER PAYS FOR SEWER.
WE'VE GOT TECHNICAL PROVIDERS THAT ONCE YOU DO AN APPLICATION HERE, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE WATER AND WASTE.
'CAUSE I PRIMARILY WORKED ON WATER AND WASTE AND COMMUNITY FACILITY PROGRAMS. UM, AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES, UH, OUR PUBLIC BODIES DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO TRY TO GET THROUGH ALL THE CHECKLIST AND GET THE PROCESS GOING.
AND WE'VE GOT, ONCE YOU DECIDE YOU WANNA APPLY, THEN THE TECHNICAL PROVIDERS ARE THERE FOR YOU AT NO COST.
WE'VE GOT SEVERAL, I KNOW WE HAVE SEVERAL OF OUR COUNTIES THAT ARE LOOKING FOR, UH, WATER AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT SOLUTIONS.
SO COULD YOU EXPAND, ARE THERE MATCH REQUIREMENTS TO THAT MONEY? YEAH.
IS THERE, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE RANGE OF FUNDING FOR THAT? WE GO UP TO 40 YEARS.
UM, ALL OF MY PROJECTS ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE SOME MAY BE ABLE TO AFFORD, UM, WE'RE NOT REALLY LIKE THE LENDER OF LAST RESORT, BUT YOU DO HAVE TO SHOW US, WE'RE GONNA ASK OR YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CERTIFY THAT YOU HAVE TRIED TO OBTAIN CREDIT ELSEWHERE.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS.
UH, BUT LET'S JUST SAY YOU'VE DONE ALL OF THAT.
UM, YOU WORK WITH YOUR BOND COUNSEL, I'M SURE YOU COULD EITHER USE THE ONE THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH NOW IF THEY'VE NEVER WORKED WITH US.
MOST HAVE, BUT IF THEY HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SOME GUIDELINES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO INCLUDE OR MAYBE WORD IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
WE WORK WITH THEM, BUT WE GO UP TO 40 YEARS IF IT APPEARS THAT, UM, THE CLIENT NEEDS TO MAYBE, UH, WAIT A YEAR, WE CAN DEFER PRINCIPAL, UM, FOR A YEAR.
UM, BUT YEAH, OR WE DO GENERAL OBLIGATIONS FOR COMMUNITY FACILITY.
WE LIKE TO DO THE GENERAL OBLIGATION.
WE HAVE DONE SOME THAT ARE A COMBINATION LIKE LET'S SAY OUR AIRPORT PROJECTS.
IF THE AIRPORT HAS ITS OWN REVENUE SYSTEM AND CAN AFFORD THE IMPROVEMENT, THEN WE COULD DO THE AIRPORT REVENUE PLUS TAX REVENUE, UM, LIMITED.
DO YOU HAVE GRANT PROGRAMS FOR THAT AS WELL? IF NO MATCH? YES.
SO WE DO, UM, NO, WE, WE CAN DO, WE DON'T HAVE LIKE A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT, UM, BECAUSE THERE MAY BE SOME THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY.
I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA SAY EVERY LITTLE THING IS GONNA BE INCLUDED, BUT, UM, MOST OF THE PROJECT PROJECTS INCLUDE YOUR ARCHITECT FEES, ALL THE CONSULTING FEES, UM, AND OF COURSE YOUR CONSTRUCTION.
SOMETIMES WE DO DO WATER RIGHTS IF THAT'S THE PROJECT.
UM, BUT YES, THE GRANT IS, IT DEPENDS ON THE NEED FINANCIALLY.
EVEN IF YOU'RE FINANCIALLY NEEDING A GRANT, WE WILL LOOK, LET'S, LET'S JUST SAY IT'S A WATER SYSTEM AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT YOUR SIMILAR SYSTEM COST.
UM, WE LOOK AT THE CUSTOMERS, UM,
[00:25:01]
EQUIVALENT.WE TURN THEM INTO THE RESIDENTIAL USAGE INTO EQUIVALENT UNITS.
AND YOU FIRST HAVE TO MEET SIMILAR SYSTEM COST.
IF EVEN GOING BEYOND THAT, IT APPEARS THAT YOU NEED GRANT FUNDS AND THE, UH, POPULATION UNION HOUSEHOLD INCOME, THERE'S LIKE A SCALE AND, YOU KNOW, UM, THE MOST, I MEAN, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE, MEET A CRITERIA, BUT IT WOULD BE LIKE 75% PERCENT GRANT.
BUT THOSE ARE JUST LIKE IN THE REALLY DISTRESSED AREAS.
UM, THE HOUSEHOLD INCOME, INCOME IS POVERTY AND THEY'VE GOT HEALTH AND, UM, UNARY ISSUES, ISSUES GOING ON.
SO, AND OUR ENGINEERS WORK WITH THEIR ENGINEERS, SO, YOU KNOW, SO YES, GRANT, WE DO LOTS OF WHAT WE CALL COMBO LOANS, THE LOAN AND GRANT TOGETHER.
BUT EVERY, EVERYTHING JUST HAS TO FIT.
AND SOMETIMES, SOMETIMES GRANTS ARE LIMITED.
SO UNFORTUNATELY I ALWAYS JUST DRAW LOAN BECAUSE IF WE CAN GET SOME GRANT MONEY, THEN SO PRESENT, YES.
THE, THE RATES ARE REALLY LOW.
UM, I WANNA SAY THEY'RE LIKE IN THE 2%.
UM, AND I'M NOT ABLE TO GET ON UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO MY SYSTEM SECURITIES.
BUT, UM, I CAN PROVIDE, I CAN PROVIDE YOU ALL OF THAT.
I'VE EVEN DONE LIKE, UH, PROPOSED OR DRAFT BOND OR AMORTIZATION TABLES.
JUST KIND OF GIVE YOU AN IDEA IF YOU ALREADY KNOW.
MY PROJECT'S GONNA BE $2 MILLION.
OKAY, WELL BASED, BASED ON THAT AND OUR CURRENT INTEREST RATE, THE, WITH THE TERMS AND EVERYTHING, THIS IS WHAT APPEARS YOU MIGHT, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO PAY.
WE'VE EVEN DONE WHERE, UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW WITH BONDS YOU HAVE TO, THEY HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY TEXAS ATTORNEY JOURNAL.
SO IF IT, A COMMUNITY CAN ONLY BORROW SO MUCH MONEY.
SO IF IT'S GONNA MEAN YOU HAVE TO WAIT TILL, UNTIL LIKE JANUARY OR WHATEVER THE MONTH IS OF THE NEXT YEAR, WE, WE KIND OF WORK WITH THEM JUST, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IF YOU, ONCE YOU, ONCE YOU COME TO US, THEN WE FEEL LIKE YOU, THERE'S A PROJECT YOU NEED.
UH, ANY ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. SOTO? I QUESTION? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, THIS IS ONLY, THIS GRANT AND LOAN OPPORTUNITIES ARE ONLY FOR COUNTIES AND CITIES WHO SERVE RURAL AREAS.
UM, WELL FOR WATER IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WATER AND WASTE.
OUR WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM IS FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF APPLICANTS.
UM, LIKE I'VE WORKED WITH DISTRICTS, UM, WATER SUPPLY CORPORATIONS, SPECIAL UTILITY DISTRICTS, THERE'S LIKE A LOT FRESHWATER DISTRICTS, UM, PUBLIC BODIES.
DO YOU SERVE THE URBAN AREA AS WELL? SO HERE, NO.
AGAIN, WE'VE HAD PROJECTS WHERE, UM, THE A THE APPLICANT AGAIN WAS NOT IN A RURAL AREA, BUT THERE'S BEEN, SERVE A NON RULE, I MEAN A RURAL AREA.
I MEAN, AGAINST THE ROLE INVOLVED.
I MEAN, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY IF Y'ALL HAVE, HAVE A PROJECT TO EXPLAIN IT MORE TO YOU ALL.
BUT BECAUSE THEN LIKE THROUGH TEAMS, WE, I LIKE TO BRING IN LIKE OUR ENGINEERING STAFF, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL STAFF, BECAUSE WE ALSO GET INVOLVED WITH LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL IS YOUR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORTS.
WHAT, WHAT THINGS YOU MIGHT EXPECT THAT MIGHT BE AN EXPENSE TO YOU.
OR MAYBE, UM, YOU DON'T WANT TO USE YOUR IN-HOUSE ENGINEER.
UM, YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD, AHEAD AND HIRE OUT SOMEBODY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? LIKE I SAID, THIS LITTLE BOOK ONE HERE HAS LIKE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THAT IT GIVES YOU EXAMPLES ABOUT WHO CAN, CAN APPLY, UH, WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
AND TOWARDS THE BACK, IT'S LIKE A MATRIX BECAUSE OUR HOUSING PROGRAMS ARE REALLY GOOD FOR THE COMMUNITIES.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL GOT MAYBE SOME SUBDIVISIONS OR DEVELOPERS THAT HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT COMING INTO YOUR AREA.
[00:30:01]
WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW PROGRAMS THAT STILL OFFER, LIKE FOR, THERE'S AN INCOME, THE VERY LOW AND LOW INCOME HOUSING THAT WE HAVE.UM, BUT AS LONG AS THEY MEET THAT CRITERIA, THEY'VE GOT AN ELIGIBILITY MAP ONLINE.
UM, BUT THERE'S NO DOWN PAYMENT.
SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM TO GET SOME VACCINE MEETING
BUT IT WILL GIVE YOU LIKE THE PROGRAM, UH, THE AGENCY IS UP AT THE TOP WHERE IT GOES TO THE HOUSING SERVICE, AND THEN ALL THE PROGRAMS AND THE OVERVIEW, THE APPLICANT, THE POPULATION, ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, LIKE IT'LL READ YOU THE WEBSITE THAT YOU CAN GO TO.
IF, IF I EMAIL IT TO YOU ALL, THEN LIKE TITLE LINKS, I CAN, YOU CAN JUST GO RIGHT TO IT.
SO IF YOU WANNA EMAIL ME THAT, UM, PLEASE FEEL, FEEL FREE TO, UM, I COVER 26 COUNTIES AND MOST ARE THE COUNTIES THAT ACCO SERVES.
UM, IF THERE ARE, IF THERE ARE A FEW THAT I DON'T SERVE, I WORK REAL CLOSELY WITH MY COWORKERS THAT ARE IN THAT AREA.
I SAY VALDI, I KIND DO DO THAT COUNTY, UH, JUST BECAUSE WE'RE ALL, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A CHOICE.
AND SO MAYOR SCHROEDER, UH, HI, MAYOR SCHROEDER WITH CASTROVILLE.
YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIMSELF, UM, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN, ONE OF THE, UM, CHALLENGES THAT I'VE SEEN IN WORKING WITH USDA ON ANY OF THE GRANTS OR PROGRAMS LIKE THAT ARE, UM, UNCLEAR, UH, GUIDANCE ON WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD IF MAYBE, UH, THROUGH LIKE WE'VE STARTED LEANING MORE ON ACOG'S, UH, GRANT CAPABILITIES.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD IF YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE MM-HMM.
EVEN US AS EMPLOYEES, RIGHT? GET FRUSTRATED SOMETIMES BECAUSE I MEAN, OF COURSE WE JUST, YOU KNOW, AS DRUGS AT THE NATIONAL OFFICE, IT COMES DOWN AND SOMETIMES THE TIME HE COMES DOWN, IT'S LATE AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT BETTER.
AND, UM, MICHAEL CANALES, HE'S, HE'S THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND THE PROGRAMS THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON, UM, HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO HIRE MORE STAFF, LIKE, AND PUTTING THEM OUT IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TEXAS.
BUT SOME, UM, ARE COMING IN FROM OTHER STATES THAT ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ALREADY AND THEY CAN JUST HIT THE GROUND AND GO SOME KNOW NOTHING.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO TRAIN THEM.
UM, I THINK I'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR 15 YEARS AND TRYING TO DO MY OWN JOB BECAUSE AFTER I GET 'EM TRAINED, THEY GO ON TO SOMETHING ELSE.
SO, BUT YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND RECENTLY WITH THE COMMUNITY, UM, CONGRESSIONAL DIRECT SPENDING, I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR, FAMILIAR, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S OTHERS HERE, HERE IN THE AREA, BUT THAT'S KIND OF A, A LITTLE COMPLICATED BECAUSE EVERY YEAR THAT A COMMUNITY HAS, HAS RECEIVED FUNDS, LIKE YOUR REGULATIONS FOR YOUR FISCAL YEAR DIFFERENT FROM ANOTHER PUBLIC BODY BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING ON A FISCAL YEAR, 2024, YOU MIGHT BE FISCAL YEAR 2023.
AND WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THAT.
AND THEN THEY'LL COME BACK OR THEY'LL SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? JUST TREAT THEM THE SAME.
AND YOU'RE LIKE, OH MY GOSH, I'VE ALREADY JUST TOLD THEM THEY JUST NEED TO DO THIS, THIS, THIS.
SO I MEAN, I JUST ASK, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE PATIENCE.
I KNOW THAT Y'ALL NEED THESE PROJECTS AND Y'ALL NEED THEM QUICKLY, BUT JUST KEEP IN MIND IT'S ALL GRANT HELPFUL IF WE GET SOME CONTINUITY BECAUSE EACH ONE OF US MIGHT WORK WITH YOU EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS.
IF WE START BUILDING SOME CONTINUITY THROUGH ACOG, UM, THAT MIGHT HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, REPEATABLE.
MM-HMM,
THESE ARE ALL VERY PROJECT SPECIFIC, RIGHT.
AND UH, WE, WE WE'RE GONNA NEED TO WRAP UP THE TIME.
SO, BUT, UH, YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION TO LEAVE IT AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM AND, UH, YES.
SO, AND THAT WAY ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO FOLLOW UP CAN GET THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.
YEAH, JUST, YEAH, JUST PLEASE EMAIL ME.
I PUT MY BUSINESS CARDS AND IF I CAN, I BRING IN PROGRAM SUMMARIES THERE.
YOU CAN ALWAYS, WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND YOU, ASK, WE'LL FOLLOW UP.
[00:35:01]
THANK YOU.[8. 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]
THE AGENDA IS ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MONTHLY REPORT.MR. HERBERG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
BEFORE I START MY REPORT TO GET TO MARY CARTER'S POINT, THIS IS WHAT I WAS TELLING YOU ALL ABOUT, UH, LAST MONTH.
AND THE, UH, I IDEA THAT WE'VE, WE ARE ABOUT TO HIRE A COUPLE OF GRANT WRITERS AND AN ASSISTANT TO HELP THEM RESEARCH THESE ISSUES.
AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS, AND, AND REALLY IT'S DEPENDENT, YOU KNOW, ACOG WILL BE PROVIDING THE SEED MONEY TO, TO PAY FOR THESE EMPLOYEES AND START THESE APPLICATIONS, BUT IT'S REALLY DEPENDENT ON YOUR INTEREST.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAM'S NOT GONNA WORK UNLESS Y'ALL ARE INTERESTED IN DOING SOME OF THESE, UH, RESILIENCY HUBS THAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THERE'S SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE.
I THINK SHE MENTIONED 40 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS FROM U-D-U-S-D-A ALONE.
AND SO WHAT I WANT TO DO IS BUILD THE CAPACITY TO ASSIST YOU ALL IN APPLYING FOR THESE THINGS.
AND THEN, AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE IT WORK, WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE SOME SORT OF FEE NO MATTER HOW YOU WANT TO ARRANGE IT.
EITHER AN HOURLY FEE, A PERCENTAGE, A INDIRECT FEE, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO STRUCTURE IT.
ALL I REALLY CARE ABOUT IS PAYING FOR THE EMPLOYEE SO THAT WE CAN KEEP IT RUNNING.
UH, AND IT'S NOT A REVENUE STREAM, IT'S JUST A, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ENOUGH OF ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE THE PROGRAM WORK.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I'D LIKE TO EXPAND IT TO WHERE WE HAVE MORE GRANT RIDERS TO GET THESE PROJECTS OFF THE GROUND, UH, PARTICULARLY DURING THIS FRUITFUL TIME WITH ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY COMING.
SO I'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE THAT WANTS TO LOOK AND GO AFTER SOME OF THIS MONEY, UH, WE'LL BE GLAD TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AND USDA AND THE OTHER GRANT, UH, FUNDING TO, UH, TO MAKE IT WORK.
SO, WITH THAT SAID, LET ME LEAD INTO MY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT ON THAT ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE, I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT ACOG THAT I THINK MAY BENEFIT YOU, OR AT LEAST I WOULD URGE YOU TO LOOK AT AND YOUR COMMUNITIES.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE USING, UM, MISSION SQUARE AS YOUR DEFERRED COMPENSATION PROVIDER, UH, VENDOR, UH, YOU KNOW, MISSION SQUARE, USED TO BE ICMA.
AND ARE ARE, ARE THOSE OF YOU IN THE ROOM HERE WITH MISSION SQUARE? ANYBODY HERE? OR IS EVERYBODY WITH EMPOWER OR SOMEBODY ELSE FOR YOUR DEFERRED COMPENSATION? YOUR 4 57 PLAN? ALRIGHT, WELL, I WON'T, WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT USING MISSION SQUARE, THEN GOOD FOR YOU.
I WAS JUST GONNA TELL YOU, WE'RE SWITCHING AWAY FROM THEM BECAUSE THE FEES HAVE BEEN, WE, WE HAVE FOUND IN LOOKING AT THE FEES ARE HIGHER THAN WE WOULD EXPECT IN THE MARKETPLACE.
AND WE'RE MOVING OUR DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN TO EMPOWER, WHICH IS THE PLAN, WHICH IS THE FIRM, UH, THE ENTITY THAT'S USED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WE FOUND THAT THEIR FEES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE A BROADER RANGE OF FEES THAT ARE HIGHLY, THAT, UH, BROADER RANGE OF FUNDS THAT ARE, UH, HIGHER RATED AND, UM, UM, MORE BENEFICIAL TO THE EMPLOYEES.
SO I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT UPDATE AS WELL, UH, ON OUR PROGRAM STATUS AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES.
UH, ON SEPTEMBER THE 25TH, ACOG'S CAREGIVER SUPPORT TEAM IN CO IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION AND CAREGIVER CLI COALITION DELIVERED A DEMENTIA TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DEPUTIES OF THE BEXAR COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
THIS TRAINING EQUIPS THESE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH THE SKILLS TO COMPASSIONATELY AND, AND EFFECTIVELY INTERACT WITH INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY, UH, DEMENTIA.
AND AS YOU SEE UP HERE ON THIS VERY NICE AWARD, ACOG WAS HONORED TO RECEIVE THE INAUGURAL PARTNERING TO PROTECT AWARD AT THE 40 41ST ANNUAL ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS HELD OCTOBER 8TH THROUGH THE 11TH IN GALVESTON.
AND THE AWARD RECOGNIZES ACOG'S EXCEPTIONAL COLLABORATION WITH A PS IN PROTECTING VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS FROM ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EXPLOITATION.
SO WE'RE VERY PROUD TO RECEIVE THAT FIRST AWARD, UH, IN ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT.
ART HAS ADDED MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE TO THE CITY OF SINE STARTING OCTOBER 1ST.
WILSON COUNTY CONNECT ALSO BEGAN OPERATING OCTOBER 1ST, AND THIS ROUTE INCLUDES STOPS IN STOCKDALE, LA VERNIA AND PO ON REGULARLY SCHEDULED DAYS IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION.
THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE IS MISSING REPRESENTATION FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES.
WE NEED REPRESENTATIVES FROM BANDERA GILLESPIE, CARNES, MCMULLEN, AND WILSON.
SO PLEASE CONTACT LYLE IF YOU HAVE A DESIGNEE, DESIGNEE IN MIND TO SERVE THIS COMMITTEE.
SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE, AND THIS COMMITTEE MEETS EVERY MONTH, EVERY OTHER MONTH TO DISCUSS REGIONAL SOLID WASTE ISSUES, DETERMINE FUNDING LEVELS FOR TCEQ, SOLID WASTE PASS THROUGH GRANTS, AND ENSURE THAT ANY SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES CONFORM TO THE SOLID WASTE PLANNED.
SO PLEASE GET WITH LYLE IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN SERVING.
ONCE AGAIN, WE NEED REPRESENTATIVE FROM BANDERA, GILLESPIE,
[00:40:01]
S MCMULLEN, AND WILSON.UM, IN OUR IDD SERVICES, UH, WE HAD A VERY WELL ATTENDED RESOURCE FAIR.
UH, ON OCTOBER THE 19TH, WE HAD 140 PEOPLE WHO ATTENDED 27 ORGANIZATIONS WERE PRESENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT IDD SERVICES, RESOURCES AND ATTENDANCE INCLUDED CPS ENERGY SAWS, MOLINA HEALTHCARE, AETNA, THE CENTER FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES, SPECIAL OLYMPICS, AND MORGAN'S MULTI ASSISTANCE CENTER, AS WELL AS ANY BABY CAN IN NATURAL RESOURCES ON, ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH FROM 9:00 PM TO 2:00 PM NATURAL RESOURCES WILL HOST AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE DEMONSTRATION AND SHOWCASE.
UH, THE TEAM IS INVITED, DRIVERS AND OPERATORS OF LIGHT, MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO COME TO ACOG AND DISPLAY THEIR VEHICLES OR OFFER RIDEALONGS.
UH, THE EVENT GEARED TOWARD BOTH THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND FLEET OWNERS AND OPERATORS AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL DRIVE ELECTRIC WEEK CELEBRATION AND SORT IN SUPPORT OF ELECTRIFIED TRANSPORTATION.
AND, UH, IF YOU HAVE TIME TO COME OUT, WE'D USUALLY DO IT OVER HERE IN THE, UM, IN THE MOTOR BANK PARKING AREA THERE.
AND, UH, IT'S FASCINATING TO SEE ALL THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S COMING ONLINE IS PARTICULARLY IN THE HEAVY TRUCK AREA, SO IT MIGHT BE WORTH IT TO STOP BY IF YOU ARE, UH, EVEN CURIOUS BECAUSE THE VENDORS THERE ARE, ARE EAGER TO SHOW OFF THEIR WARES, AND IT REALLY IS FASCINATING.
UM, THE NEXT CLEAN CITY STAKEHOLDER MEETING WILL BE HELD NOVEMBER 14TH FROM TWO TO 3:30 PM WHEN MARION WILL TALK ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION, ELECTRIFICATION, AND ENERGY RESILIENCE.
AND NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED ON DECEMBER 4TH AND FIFTH.
NATURAL RESOURCES IS HOSTING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNICIAN AND FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING AND COLLABORATION WITH ADVANCED VEHICLE TRAINING GROUP.
THIS COURSE AIMS TO FAMILIARIZE VEHICLE TECHNICIANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS WITH THE COMPONENTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES FACILITY PREPARATION, REQUIRED TOOLING, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
PLEASE CONTACT LYLE FOR REGISTRATION DETAILS.
UH, LYLE HUFFSTEDTLER AND ALSO THE EPA IS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR THE SOLID WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE RECYCLING GRANTS THAT ARE DUE DECEMBER 20TH, 2024.
UH, WE KNOW THAT MANY OF OUR COUNTIES HAVE EXPRESSED A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SOLID WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING TRANSFER STATIONS, TRUCKS, AND TRAILERS.
AND PLEASE TALK TO LYLE IF YOU HAVE ANY, UH, IF TO LEARN OF ANY OF YOUR SOLID WASTE NEEDS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS SWIFFER PROGRAM.
THIS IS A UP TO A $5 MILLION GRANT.
THERE IS NO MATCH REQUIREMENT, SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THESE FUNDING SOURCES THAT I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO GO OUT AND, AND GET, UH, AND IT RECYCLING PROGRAMS, EQUIPMENT, TRUCKS, TRAILERS, TRANSFER STATIONS, UM, ALMOST ANYTHING IN DEALING WITH SOLID WASTE IS ELIGIBLE.
AS I SAID, THERE IS NO MATCH REQUIREMENT AND THERE IS NO LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF GRANTS THAT WE CAN APPLY FOR.
SO WE HAVE SOME, WE ALREADY HAVE SOME PEOPLE IN THE, IN THE REGION THAT ARE INTERESTED, BUT WE ARE NOT EVEN AT THE 5 MILLION IN THE DOLLAR CAP YET FOR THAT ONE GRANT.
SO IF YOU HAVE SOLID WASTE NEEDS, UH, UH, ISSUES THAT NEED RESOLUTION THROUGH, UM, YOU KNOW, MONEY THAT WILL HELP ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES, WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU TO SUBMIT AS MANY GRANTS AS WE ARE ABLE.
AND LIKE I SAY, $5 MILLION UP TO $5 BILLION AND NO MATCH.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD GRANT, UH, IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM WILL HOLD A MEMBER ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP FOR MEMBER GOVERNMENTS WITH NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS.
UH, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE ALL HEARD ME TALK ABOUT OUR NEWLY ELECTED OFFICIALS.
PLEASE COME TO THAT TRAINING, PARTICULARLY ON OPEN MEETINGS AND OPEN RECORDS.
THAT'S A, UH, PITFALL FOR THE, UM, FOR THE, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT SCHOOLED IN, IN, UH, COMPLYING WITH THOSE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.
AND SO, UM, THE, UH, WORKSHOP WILL ALSO HELP, UH, WILL ALSO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP AND HOW ACOG CAN ASSIST WITH GRANT SERVICES AND BEST PRACTICES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO PLEASE, RSV TO CRYSTAL AT C COMPOST-ROSALES@ACOG.COM BY NOVEMBER THE FIFTH.
AND CRYSTAL, RAISE YOUR HANDS SO EVERYBODY, SO, SO WE GET WITH CRYSTAL AND HE SHOULD BE GLAD TO GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION.
UH, ALSO, UH, WE ARE COMING UP ON OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DECEMBER THE 11TH, SO PLEASE SAVE THE DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR.
OUR ANNUAL MEETING AND REGIONAL AWARDS LUNCHEON WILL BE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER THE 11TH AT 12:00 PM AT THE NORRIS CONFERENCE CENTER IN THE PORT PARK NORTH SHOPPING CENTER, WHICH IS THE OLD, UH, CENTRAL PARK MALL AT FOUR 10 IN SAN PEDRO.
UH, WE HOPE ALL OF OUR MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO JOIN AS WE CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ACOG REGIONAL AWARDS.
AND FINALLY, IN PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR ALAMO AREA REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY GRADUATED 22 CADETS WEDNESDAY, UH, THIS, UH, OCTOBER 16TH.
[00:45:01]
DENNIS WAS THERE TO HAND OUT THE DIPLOMAS.WE HAD 22 IN THE CLASS, SO WE, WE HAD A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH, UH, PASS THROUGH AND, UM, AND, UH, PUT SOME LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OUT IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, UH, THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OTHERWISE, THANK YOU.
[ 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.]
UH, CONSENT AGENDA.I MOTION TO APPROVE IS THAT, I'LL SECOND IT.
WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UH, APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
ANY DISCUSSION IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
UH, MOVING ON TO, UM, ITEM NUMBER 11, WHICH ARE
[11. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the 3rd Quarter 2024 financial report. - Julio Elizondo A. Dashboard B. Balance Sheet C. Revenue and Expenditures D. Administrative Budgets E. Quarterly Investment Report]
THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE THIRD QUARTER 2024 FINANCIAL REPORT.GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS BOARD.
I'M CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND I'LL BE GIVING YOU ALL AN UPDATE.
THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BEFORE YOU.
WE'LL COVER THE FINANCIAL DASHBOARD, WHICH WE PRESENT TO YOU ON A MONTHLY BASIS BASIS.
GO OVER THE, UH, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, BOTH THE BALANCE SHEET AS WELL AS THE STATEMENTS OF REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR FINANCIAL DASHBOARD AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER.
UH, THERE ARE, UH, QUITE A BIT OF METRICS HERE THAT YOU CAN, UH, VISUALIZE OR YOU CAN SEE.
UH, THE FEW THAT I LIKE TO POINT OUT OR, OR FOCUS ON ARE THE PERCENTAGE EARNED IN SPENT, WHICH IS AT THE TOP LEFT CORNER.
YOU CAN SEE AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, WE ARE AT 76%.
THAT ALIGNS WITH WHERE WE SHOULD BE FOR THE YEAR.
NOW THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE OVERPERFORMING AS WELL AS SOME THAT ARE UNDERPERFORMING, AND WE'LL GET TO THOSE IN A FEW SLIDES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION.
CASH AND INVESTMENTS, VERY IMPORTANT METRIC.
YOU CAN SEE AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, WE'RE AT $7.8 MILLION, UH, QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN WE WERE, UH, A YEAR AGO AND EVEN THE YEAR BEFORE THAT, A GREAT FINANCIAL POSITION TO BE IN.
AND, UH, I'LL COVER THESE, THIS IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL WHEN WE GET TO THE INVESTMENT SLIDE.
AND THEN THE LAST METRIC IS THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE.
YOU CAN SEE WE'RE AT ABOUT $8.8 MILLION TO END THE, UH, THIRD QUARTER.
UH, IT'S IN LINE WHERE WE'VE BEEN AT FOR, FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE YEAR WITH THE OUTLIER BEING LAST MONTH AND OVER 90 IS CURRENTLY 11%.
AGAIN, THAT'S A GREAT POSITION TO BE IN.
WE WERE UP IN THE, THE RANGE OF ABOUT 20% EARLIER THIS YEAR.
THE ACCOUNTING STAFF HAS WORKED AGGRESSIVELY AT COLLECTING THOSE AGED RECEIVABLES SO THAT WAY WE CAN HAVE THAT, UM, UM, CASH SO WE CAN INVEST, INVEST IT FOR THE AGENCY.
OUR COMBINED BALANCE SHEETS AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, OUR TOTAL ASSETS ARE 49 POINT, UH, $4 MILLION, A FEW MILLION HIGHER THAN WE WERE FROM A YEAR AGO.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS CAPITAL FROM OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
UH, AND, AND THOSE WERE BUSES THAT WERE PURCHASED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
AND AT THE END OF UH, SEPTEMBER, WE ARE AT $2.6 MILLION REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES.
UH, THAT'S DOUBLE WHERE WE WERE A YEAR AGO.
AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS DUE TO OUR MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAM.
UH, YOU CAN SEE HOW HERE THAT'S KIND OF OUTLINED IN OUR FUND BALANCE, UNRESTRICTED AND BOTH RESTRICTED SUMMARY, AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS BROKEN UP BY PROGRAM, BUT THE MVA, UH, LINE ITEM IS SPECIFIC.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S AT FIVE POINT THE UNRESTRICTED.
THEY'RE AT 5.5 MILLION UP FROM 3.3 WHERE THEY WERE A YEAR AGO.
CASH AND INVESTMENTS, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, $7.8 MILLION.
UM, AND HERE WE HAVE OUR INVESTMENT SUMMARY BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT.
UH, WHAT THIS DOES IS OUTLINE THE CURRENT RATES THAT WE HAVE, UH, FOR BOTH OUR INVESTMENT POOLS AS WELL AS THE CDS THAT WE HAVE, UH, INVESTED FOR THE AGENCY.
YOU CAN SEE AT THE END OF THE THIRD QUARTER, WE HAVE COLLECTED ABOUT 78,000 IN INTEREST.
EARN GREAT, GREAT POSITION TO BE IN.
AND WE HAVE LOCKED IN THOSE RATES AT 5%, UH, FOR EVERY, ALL OF THOSE RATES ARE AT SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR, UH, OR TO UP TO A YEAR.
AND I THINK THE, THE INTEREST RATE IS AT ABOUT 5.9 4.9%.
CURRENTLY TODAY ON OUR TAX POOL ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, THE HIGHEST, UH, OPEN RECEIVABLE THAT WE DO HAVE IS IN OUR AGING PROGRAM.
UH, BUT THAT IS CURRENT, UH, AS OF, UM, THE THIRD QUARTER, THE END OF SEPTEMBER, TEXT DOT, WE DO HAVE SOME OVER 90.
WE DO DO, UH, FORESEE COLLECTING THAT HERE PRETTY SOON.
AND THEN THE OTHER TWO BIGGEST OVER NINETIES IS OUR TMHP, WHICH IS OUR MEDICAID.
AND AGAIN, THOSE CAN BE REBUILD, UH, AFTER THEY REACH A YEAR MARK.
AND THE OTHER IS THE LIHEAP T-D-H-C-A PROGRAM.
UM, THE OVER 90 WILL BE BILLED AS OF, UH, THE END OF THIS MONTH, AND WE DON'T SEE ANY PROBLEM WITH COLLECTING THAT, UH, AGED RECEIVABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
[00:50:02]
HERE WE HAVE OUR STATEMENTS OVER, OVER OF REVENUES OF AND EXPENDITURES.AS I MENTIONED, $2.6 MILLION, UH, REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES.
WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 285,000 BELOW BUDGET.
THE MAJORITY OF THIS IS BECAUSE OF VACANCIES IN PERSONNEL AS WELL AS, UM, THE PROGRAM BEING UNDER BUDGET AND SERVICES AND NUTRITION SERVICES.
NOW, PROGRAM DOES, UH, PLAN TO EXPEND THIS ALL BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
UH, OR NO, WE HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED ANY WORRY IN, IN SPENDING THAT FUNDS BEAR AGING.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY 362,000 BELOW BUDGET FOR THE YEAR.
UH, MUCH LIKE ALAMO, THEY, IT'S DUE TO VACANCIES AND PERSONNEL AS WELL AS, UM, THEM BEING UNDER BUDGET AND NUTRITION.
UH, PROGRAM DOES ANTICIPATE CARRYING OVER ABOUT A MILLION TO THE FY 25 BUDGET, WHICH JOHN WILL EXPLAIN TO YOU ON A COUPLE IN A COUPLE MORE, UH, AGENDA ITEMS, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, UH, 35,000 BELOW BUDGET.
PROGRAM DOES INTEND TO HAVE THOSE, ALL OF THEIR BUDGET EXPENDED BY THE END OF THIS, UH, FISCAL YEAR PUBLIC SAFETY.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY 388,000 BELOW BUDGET.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE TARGET RANGE PLANNING GRANTS, UH, PROGRAM WILL NOT EXPEND THESE FUNDS THIS BUDGET CYCLE.
AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, THEY MORE THAN LIKELY WILL NOT BE SPENDING THESE FUNDS, UH, FOR THIS, THIS, UH, GRANT AS WELL.
AND, AND MEMBERS, IF I MAY ELABORATE ON THAT, WE HAVE A MEETING WITH, WITH, UH, A ZOOM MEETING ON FRIDAY WITH THE TAR, UH, TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE TO DISCUSS THAT GRANT AND THE FEASIBILITY OF, OF GETTING OUR TARGET RANGE OFF THE GROUND.
UH, WE'LL UPDATE YOU ON THE NEXT, UH, MEETING AS WELL.
MR.
UM, I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THIS.
HE'S GOING TO LOOK INTO IT AND GET BACK WITH ME.
I EXPLAINED OUR PREDICAMENT RELATIVE TO THE COST THAT'S INCURRED ON THIS.
UM, UM, I'VE ALSO TALKED TO LIEUTENANT, FORMER LIEUTENANT COLONEL DANNY SHAW THAT WORKS FOR ME NOW FROM THE OGT PROGRAM.
AND, UM, THERE ARE SOME FOLKS OUT THERE, IE SOUTH CAROLINA THAT HAS BUILT A GREAT SHOOTING RANGE AND THERE'S POSSIBLY FUNDING AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO COME IN AND HELP FUND TO DO THIS.
SO, UH, I'M NOT TRYING TO STEP ON YOUR TOES ON THIS REALLY TELLING YOU THAT.
I GOT A CALL THIS MORNING AND I BROUGHT IT UP TO DAVID AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT.
HE'S GONNA RUN IT BY HIS PEOPLE AT PARKS AND THEN GET BACK WITH US.
I WASN'T GONNA TALK ABOUT IT TODAY, BUT SINCE IT, SINCE IT'S HERE, I, THAT, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
I'LL WAIT UNTIL I HEAR BACK FROM EVEN WHEN WE, EVEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT IN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, UH, WE'RE LESS THAN OPTIMISTIC.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY A, A GLIMMER OF HOPE, UH, BUT THE MORE THAN A GLIMMER OF YEAH, I HOPE SO.
THE, UH, THE PROJECT WHEN WE STARTED THIS PRE COVID WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS EXPENSIVE, AND WE HOPE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO USE THE PLAZA BUILDING AS THE SITE FOR THE GUN RANGE.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GO INTO WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD A GUN RANGE, IT'S REALLY NOT THE RIGHT FACILITY.
SO THE PROJECT HAS JUST EXPANDED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN WE EVER DREAMED IT WOULD BE, MEANING WE WILL HAVE TO ACQUIRE THREE TO FIVE ACRES OF PRIME COMMERCIAL LAND, WHICH IS SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS FILLED FROM THE GROUND UP, WHICH IS SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, EQUIPPED THE STATE-OF-THE-ART RANGE TO MAKE IT COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER RANGES.
AND SO THE COST IS JUST EXPONENTIALLY CHANGED.
SO THAT JUST IS A, A BRIEF THUMBNAIL.
I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOUR PRO, YOUR PRESENTATION.
WE ARE HOPING WE CAN, THIS IS A, A RAY OF HOPE, SO WE'LL SEE.
I WOULD ALSO SUGGEST TO THE CHAIR THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE IN THIS ROOM WHO IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE OF, UH, OPERATIONS AND HE SPENT HIS CAREER DOING THIS, JUDGE WHITMAN, UH, FORMER CHIEF OF THE TEXAS RANGERS.
AND SO HANK SOMEBODY THAT I THINK MIGHT HAVE AN OPINION TO ABOUT THIS MIGHT WEIGH IN AT SOME POINT AND GET SOME MORE INFORMATION.
GLENDALE, I VOLUNTEERED JUDGE WHITMAN FOR THE COMMITTEE.
MOVING ALONG HERE, UH, THAT ABSENT FOR THE PROGRAM ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE, YOU CAN'T SEE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY A 2% UNDER BUDGET.
UH, THIS IS ALSO A GREAT POSITION TO BE IN AS, UH, WE ARE FORECASTING AN OVER RECOVERY TO END THE YEAR, BUT THAT WILL HELP ALLEVIATE THE UNDER RECOVERY THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY, UH, PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND, UH, AGAIN, JOHN WILL COVER THAT IN THE BUDGET, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION HERE TO FOLLOW IN A COUPLE MORE, UH, AGENDA ITEMS. AND THAT DOES CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION.
[00:55:01]
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE.DO WE HAVE A MOTION? SO, OKAY.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[12. Consider and act upon the recommendation to amend the Personnel Policy to state that Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) are to be determined at the discretion of the Board of Directors. - Clifford Herberg]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER 12.CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND THE PERSONNEL POLICY TO STATE THAT THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS ARE DETERMINED TO BE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
UH, MR. CHAIR MEMBERS, THIS ITEM, UH, IT'S SOMETHING WE ADDRESSED IN DETAIL LAST WEEK AT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
AND REALLY WHAT THIS ITEM, THIS IS NOT TO APPROVE, OPPOSE POLL THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET.
UH, THAT WILL PRESENTATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO YOU BY JOHN, BUT MERELY A POLICY CHANGE IN OUR PERSONAL POLICY PERSONNEL POLICIES TO RETURN THE DECISION TO GIVE A WAGE ADJUSTMENT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD IN 2015 15, MY PREDECESSOR, UH, SUGGESTED A POLICY CHANGE THAT I, OUR, WHETHER YOU WANNA CALL IT WAGE ADJUST, ADJUST COLA UH, COLA'S FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO, TO THE CPI THAT IS USED BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION AND DECIDING WHETHER THEY GIVE A, UH, A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT TO THOSE RECIPIENTS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE POLICY IS IN FRONT OF YOU, THE ORIGINAL POLICY IS WHAT YOU SEE WITHOUT THE RED BOX.
AND IT SIMPLY SAYS THAT THE BOARD DETERMINES WHAT COST OF LIVING, UH, ALLOWANCE WILL BE GIVEN OR WHAT WAGE ADJUSTMENT GIVEN THAT RED LINE WAS ADDED TO TIE IT TO SOCIAL SECURITY.
SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE FOLLOWED THAT POLICY TO THE LETTER WHEN IT WAS BELOW 3%.
SO IF THERE WAS NO ADJUSTMENT SOCIAL SECURITY, THE EMPLOYEES GOT ZERO, THERE WAS A 0.3% CHANGE, CPI ACOG TIED IT TO 3.3%.
UH, HOWEVER, WHEN BARGE INFLATION OF 8.7%, YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW A POLICY 3% THEN WHEN WE HAD IT 5.9 OR CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? I'M SORRY.
UM, YOU'LL SEE WHEN IT WAS 5.9%, HE GAVE 3%.
AND SO, UH, THE NET EFFECT IS PRACTICAL MATTER.
WE DON'T FOLLOW ALL OUR POLICIES.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE THAT POLICY AND RETURN IT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IS WHAT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, SO THAT YOU CAN TAKE INTO, INTO CONSIDERATIONS THINGS SUCH AS MARKET CONDITIONS, EMPLOYEE MORALE, AND QUITE FRANKLY, THE FI, FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE AGENCY, FOR INSTANCE.
UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE, AT THOSE NUMBERS NOW, OUR EMPLOYEES SINCE 2016 ARE NOW AT 8.8% DEFICIT IN, IN BUYING POWER DUE TO INFLATION BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T KEPT UP WITH INFLATION.
AND I, I SUGGEST, SUGGEST THAT IN 2016, I RECALL THERE WAS A MOVE BY SOME BOARD MEMBERS MIGHT TO HAVE GIVEN HOLD, GIVEN EMPLOYEES A COLA OF 1%, 2% WASN'T GIVEN BECAUSE OF THE POLICY IN 2017, IT'S A 0.3%.
I, I DOUBT THE BOARD MEMBER, IF THEY WERE GIVEN A CALL, WOULD'VE RECOMMENDED 0.3%.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN 1%, 2%, 3%.
THE POINT BEING, IF WE LEAVE IT IN THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD TO DECIDE, I DON'T THINK OUR EMPLOYEE WOULD BE IN THE DEFICIT THAT WE SEE AT 8.8%.
THEY WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF THE GAME OR EVEN, UH, IF WE HAD, UM, OR I SAY AHEAD OF THE GAME, MEANING WE WOULDN'T BE SO FAR ON THE HOLD OF ABOUT 8.8%.
UH, AND SO, AS I SAID, THIS IS REALLY RECOMMENDATION TO CHANGE THE POLICY TO PLACE THAT DISCRETION IN THE, IN THE BOARD RATHER THAN TIED TO A, UH, CPI INDEX THAT WE DON'T FOLLOW ANYWAY.
SO BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION YOU MAY HAVE.
AND THE REASON THAT THIS IS BROUGHT TO YOU, I SHOULD SAY IN THE INTEREST OF DISCLOSURE, THE REASON I AM BRINGING THIS TO YOU NOW BEFORE WE PRESENT THE 28 25 BUDGET, IS THE COST OF LETTING INCREASE THAT I, I AM RECOMMENDING THIS YEAR.
THE BUDGET IS 4% EMPLOYEES, UH, WHEN THE CPII BELIEVE AT 2.5%.
AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS GIVE THE EMPLOYEE A LITTLE BOOST TO EAT INTO THAT 8.8% DEFICIT.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? I JUST JUDGE, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WE WERE GONNA USE THE CPI IS THE GUIDE.
IT DOESN'T SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO ADOPT IT.
SO WE STILL HAD DISCRETION THAT POSITIVE AND I KNOW WILL BE WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM, BUT THAT IT'S, WE STILL HAD THE DISCRETION TO SAY WE COULD GO TO THE FULL CPI OR PORTION, THE CPI OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME STATE.
[01:00:01]
THINK THAT'S WHAT THE POLICY SAYS.IT SAYS WILL BE THE STANDARD TO DETERMINE.
IT DOESN'T SAY THAT IT IS THE, I SAY WILL BE WELL AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, I MEAN, I, I UNDERSTAND IF YOU, THE DISCRETION, THE WAY I READ IT AS A STANDARD TO DETERMINE WILL BE THE CONSUMER PRICE PRICE INDEX.
BUT IF, IF YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IT IS A DISCRETION MATTER, LIKE I SAID, WE'VE ONLY FOLLOWED IT WHEN IT WAS BELOW 3%.
AND SO I THINK THE STANDARD, THE CPI IS CERTAINLY A FACTOR TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, BUT I THINK THE BOARD OUGHT, OUGHT TO HAVE THE DISCRETION TO CONSIDER ALL FACTORS.
AND THAT'S ALL I'M PROPOSING HERE.
AS I SAID, SAID, RETURNING IT BACK TO THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, LANGUAGE THAT EXISTED BEFOREHAND.
WELL, I'M IN FAVOR OF THE BOARD HAVING THE DISCRETION TO DETERMINE, I'LL MAKE A MOTION.
WE'VE GOT A MOTION FROM JUDGE TEAL.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[13. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve an increase of the employee contribution to TCDRS from 6% to 7%, change employee retirement eligibility from 30 years to 20 years of service and make a one time payment of $500,000 to TCDRS. - Julio Elizondo]
OKAY, MOVING ON TO ITEM 13.UH, CONSIDER, DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE AN INCREASE OF THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION TO TCDS FROM 6% TO 7% CHANGE EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT ELIG ELIGIBILITY FROM 30 YEARS TO 20 YEARS OF SERVICE AND MAKE A ONE-TIME PAYMENT OF $500,000 TO T-C-D-R-S.
SIR ELIZONDO, GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, ED BROUGHT TO YOU TODAY IS FOR THE APPROVAL TO INCREASE THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION TO T CDRS FROM SIX TO 7%, AS WELL AS CHANGE THE YEARS OF SERVICE FROM 30 TO 20 YEARS, ALL WHILE MAKING A ONE-TIME CONTRIBUTION OF 500,000 TO KEEP OUR PLAN, PLAN FUNDED RATIO AT 94.8%, WHICH IS ABOUT THE PLAN'S CURRENT FUNDED RATIO.
AS YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THIS, UH, SUMMARY DOCUMENT THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR AGENDA ITEMS. YOU HAVE THREE PLANS, WHICH IS THE CURRENT PLAN ON THE LEFT.
THE MIDDLE PLAN IS MOVING THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION FROM SIX TO 7% WHILE KEEPING THE YEARS OF SERVICE AT 30 RATHER THAN 20.
AND THEN THE THIRD, AND TO THE FAR RIGHT IS THE, THE PLAN THAT WE ARE STAFF IS RECOMMENDING, WHICH IS MOVING THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION FROM SIX TO SEVEN AND INCREASING OR DECREASING THE YEARS OF SERVICE FROM 30 TO 20.
ACOG USED TO HAVE A MANDATORY, MANDATORY 7% EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION, WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH MEMBER GOVERNMENTS WITHIN OUR REGION.
12 OF 13 COUNTIES HAVE A 7% CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS.
SOME YEARS LATER, A DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN WAS ADOPTED AND ACOG REDUCED THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION TO 6% AND MATCHED 50% OF THE DEFERRED COMPENSATION CONTRIBUTION.
AT SOME POINT, ACOG DID STOP MATCHING THIS DEFERRED COMPENSATION, BUT THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION REMAINED AT 6%, WHICH OVERALL IMPACTS THE BENEFITS PACKAGE.
UH, EMPLOYEE RETENTION IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN MAINTAINING OPERATIONS AND STAFF DOES FEEL THESE CHANGES WOULD MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN EMPLOYEE'S DECISION MAKING.
THERE IS NO FINANCIAL IMPACT TO THE 2025 BUDGET, AS ACOG DOES OPERATE ON A TWO YEAR FIXED CARRY FORWARD RATE.
SO THIS WILL AFFECT THE FRINGE RATE IN 2026.
BEGINNING IN 2026, OUR CURRENT ELECTED RATE WILL INCREASE FROM 8% TO 9% AS OUTLINED IN THE ATTACHMENT.
STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO INCREASE THE EMPLOYEE T-C-D-R-S CONTRIBUTION FROM SIX TO 7%, CHANGE THE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY FROM 30 YEARS TO 20 YEARS, AS WELL AS MAKE A ONE TIME PAYMENT OR CONTRIBUTION OF $500,000 TO KEEP THE PLAN FUNDED RATIO AT AROUND 95%.
I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME IN, IN THINKING ABOUT THIS.
I THINK WE PROBABLY OUGHT TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO A, B AND C FOR THE DISCUSSION.
UH, THE 6% TO 7% IS ONE ISSUE.
THE, THE 30 YEAR TO 20 YEAR, UM, RETIREMENT IS ANOTHER ISSUE.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE FIVE, $500,000, UH, ONE TIME PAYMENT.
I THINK, I THINK THAT WOULD HELP US TO DO THAT SO THAT WE CAN STAY ON TRACK WITHOUT BUMPING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SO LET, LET'S GO AHEAD AND, AND BEGIN THE DISCUSSION ON THE RECOMMENDATION FOR, TO INCREASE THE CONTRIBUTION FROM 6% TO 7%.
MAY I ELABORATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT? UH, MR. CHAIR, THE 7% I KNOW, UH, SO MANY OF US KNOW THE VALUE OF OUR T-D-C-R-S CONTRIBUTION, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT IN IT, THE LAW REQUIRES, UH, THAT, THAT THE AMOUNT CONTRIBUTED TO THAT FUND MAKES 7% PER ANNUM COMPOUNDED, AND ACOG CURRENTLY PROVIDES A TWO FOR ONE MATCH.
SO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT SIX AND 7% MAKES A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.
AND JOHN RAN THE NUMBERS FOR ME, AND I, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT IT'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE OF FUNDING 70% OF YOUR SALARY VERSUS ABOUT 86 OR 87% OF YOUR SALARY WHEN YOU RETIRE.
[01:05:01]
UH, 12 OF OUR 13 COUNTIES PROVIDE 7%.I THINK THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE STANDARD ACROSS THE STATE.
IT'S WHAT I'VE ALWAYS EXPERIENCED IN, IN, UH, DISCUSSING IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
AND SO WE HAD A 7%, WE WENT TO SIX, BUT WE HAD THAT CONTRIBUTION.
I MEAN, THE MATCHING WITH OUR DEFERRED THAT WENT AWAY.
AND SO, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO, I'M PROPOSING WE GO BACK TO THE 7% TO BENEFIT OUR EMPLOYEES AND, UH, REMAIN COMPETITIVE WITH THE REGION.
I'LL MAKE THE, AND I HEARD, I HEARD MOTION PERCOLATING OVER HERE.
UH, SO WE'RE VOTE ON THE, THE FIRST ITEM IS 13 A, WHICH IS THE SIX 7% INCREASE.
UH, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
LET'S GO TO B, WHICH IS CHANGING THE RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY, YEARS OF SERVICE.
MAY I ADDRESS THAT AS WELL? YES, YES.
THE, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR, THE PRESENTATION THERE, I KNOW IT'S ALL IN FINE PRINT, BUT IN DISCUSSING THIS, UH, WITH T-D-C-R-S, UH, THE DIFFERENCE TO GOING FROM A RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY OF 30 TO 20 YEARS IS A ONE 10TH OF 1% DIFFERENCE, UH, INCREASE IN OUR, IN OUR RATE.
AND, UH, WE HAD A, A LIVELY DISCUSSION.
I'VE DONE MY BEST TO GET JUDGE EVANS ON BOARD, AND I DON'T THINK HE, HE IS, BUT, UM, NO, I HAD MORE SALES RESISTANCE
BUT, UH, IN MY EXPERIENCE, WE HAVE, UH, BEAR COUNTY IS 20, 20 YEARS.
OF COURSE, THE MILITARY IS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE.
CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE, AND MANY OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE 20 YEARS OF SERVICE OR LESS, OR OH, ALRIGHT.
AND COURSE, WE, AND ACOG CURRENTLY IS EITHER RULE OF OF 80, UH, YEARS OF SERVICE PLUS AGE EQUAL 80 OR 65 YEARS OR 30 YEARS OF SERVICE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, WITH OUR, UM, OUR MOBILE EMPLOYMENTS, UH, WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY? OUR, UM, ATMOSPHERE, THINGS THAT ARE SUCH THAT PEOPLE DON'T STAY 30 YEARS OF THE JOB.
WE HAVE OUR YOUNG KIDS COME IN, THEY STAY, THEY MOVE OUT.
I WANT 'EM TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET THAT 8% VESTING PERIOD THEN THAT LAST 12 YEARS ISN'T SO FAR DOWN THE ROAD AND THAT THEY CAN MAKE THE 20 AND THEN HOPEFULLY THEY'LL STAY THE 30, UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY SEE IT.
BUT RIGHT NOW YOU TELL A 25-YEAR-OLD KID THAT HE CAN RETIRE WHEN HE'S 55, THEY THINK THAT'S THE END OF THE EARTH.
AND SO IT WAS, I WANNA BRING IT DOWN
AND UH, NOW I LOOK IN HINDSIGHT AND THINK 30 YEARS, THAT'S JUST A, A BLINK OF THE EYE.
UH, BUT SO THAT IS THE LOGIC HERE.
IT'S ONE 10TH OF A PERCENT DIFFERENCE, UH, TO DO IT.
AND IT SEEMED TO ME TO BE SOMETHING TO MAKE US MORE COMPETITIVE AND ALLOW SOMEBODY TO ALSO BENEFIT OUR, BENEFIT OUR EMPLOYEES, AND COME HERE AT 25, RETIRE AT 45 AND SEEK A SECOND CAREER.
AND SO THAT, THAT'S THE MINDSET.
UM, AND SO, UM, UH, WITH THAT, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS PROPOSAL, JUDGE SHERMAN.
SO CLIFF, YOU MENTIONED ON THE SIX TO SEVEN YEARS THAT 12 OF THE 13 MEMBER GOVERNMENTS ARE AT SEVEN YEARS.
UM, BUT ON THIS ONE YOU MENTIONED CITY OF SAN ANTONIO MILITARY.
WHAT ABOUT THE MEMBER GOVERNMENTS? OH, I'M SORRY.
I MEANT TO SAY THAT THREE OF OUR MEMBER GOVERNMENTS ARE AT 20 YEARS.
UH, WILSON IS 20 AS WELL AS, UH, IS IT, UH, WHERE AM I SAYING IT? GUADALUPE COUNTY, WILSON, GUADALUPE, AND BEAR ARE AT 20 YEARS OF SERVICE.
INTERESTINGLY THOUGH, IN LOOKING THIS JUDGE EVANS HAD SOME GREAT POINTS AND WAS TALKING ABOUT THE COST OF THIS, BECAUSE I HAVE TO SAY, WE WERE ALL SHOCKED.
IT WAS ONE, ONE FIFTH OF A PERCENT DIFFERENCE IN FOLLOWING UP WITH CP UH, WITH, UH, T-D-C-R-S.
UM, UH, I FOUND IT COUNTERINTUITIVE, BUT THEY TURN OUT THAT THEY SAY, UH, THAT IT'S ACTUALLY A COST SAVING MEASURE TO GO TO THREE 30 TO 20, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THAT LAST 10 YEARS OF A TWO FOR ONE MATCH THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY OUT IF THEY STAY 30.
SO IT ACTUALLY SAVES THE PLAN MONEY.
I FOUND THAT COUNTERINTUITIVE.
WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T DISCUSS THAT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT.
AND, AND I'VE, I, UH, RAISED THAT TO JUDGE EVIDENCE.
UH, WELL THAT'S NOT
AND WE ASKED T-D-C-R-S TO DOUBLE CHECK THE NUMBERS.
AND I WILL SAY TO JUDGE EVANS CREDIT, UH, THEY ALWAYS SAY THIS, KEEP IN MIND THAT WE LOOK AT YOUR PLAN EACH YEAR AND EVALUATE IT ACCORDINGLY TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT OVERPAYING OR UNDERPAYING FOR THE PROMISED BENEFITS.
SO THEY HAVE A AN OUT THERE, BUT THAT AT LEAST THAT'S THE CURRENT CALCULATIONS.
UH, ONE MORE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ADD IN SUPPORT OF THIS PROPOSAL FOR THOSE OF WHO ARE, WHO, WHO MIGHT BE WARY,
[01:10:01]
I WILL POINT OUT THAT WE HAD A SIX 7% PLAN.WE HAD A PLAN FOR DEFERRED COMPENSATION THAT PAID 50%, AND THEN WE WENT AWAY FROM THAT.
SO MY POINT IS, IF IT DOESN'T WORK FOR US, WE CAN ALWAYS CHANGE IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE NOT HESITANT TO CHANGE IT AND FOR OTHER REASONS, WE CAN CHANGE IT IF IT DOESN'T WORK FOR US.
NOW WE'LL GO TO COUNTERPOINT OR MS. MS. TEAL.
WELL, I JUST WANTED TO ASK, WHAT ARE WE FUNDED NOW? AND I KNOW THAT'S PROBABLY A DIFFERENT BULLET POINT, SO I APOLOGIZE.
THANK YOU JUDGE EVANS, I'M NOT GONNA ARGUE ANYMORE.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THEN? THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, REDUCING OUR RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY ELIGIBILITY FROM 30 YEARS TO 20 YEARS OF SERVICE? I DON'T KNOW.
SO WITH REGARD TO REDUCING THE, UH, RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY FROM 30 YEARS TO 20 YEARS OF SERVICE, THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE A AYE.
OPPOSED? A NOTED MOTION CARRIES.
AND THEN THE LAST PART OF THIS, THIS AGENDA ITEM IS THE ONE TIME PAYMENT OF $500,000 TO T-C-D-R-S.
SO BECAUSE WE, AND, AND JULIO MAY HAVE STEPPED IN AND HELPED ME OUT, BUT BECAUSE WE WORK WITH A COGNIZANT AGENCY THAT DETERMINES OUR RATES, WE SWITCHED AGENCIES A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO FROM HHSC TO EDA AND THE WAY THEY CALCULATE RATES IS DIFFERENT AND SUCH THAT IN OUR FRINGE BENEFIT POOL, WE ARE OVER COLLECTED $600,000 ESTIMATED BY YEAR END.
WE CURRENTLY OVER COLLECTED 400, A LITTLE OVER FOUR PROJECTING FOR TO END THE YEAR AT OUT.
AND SO IF WE DON'T SPEND THIS MONEY, UH, IT WILL AFFECT OUR NEGOTIATED NEGOTIATING POWER AND OUR NEGOTIATIONS AND THE RATES WHEN WE GO BACK TO EDA FOR THE 26TH CYCLE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO SPEND DOWN THIS MONEY ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
WE'RE OVER COLLECTED BY GIVING THIS THE $500,000 CONTRIBUTION TO TT CRS.
EVEN WITH THESE CHANGES, IT TAKES OUR FUNDED RATIO FROM 95% TO 94.8%.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THIS $500,000 CONTRIBUTION BECAUSE ONE, WE'VE GOTTA GET RID OF THIS MONEY SOMEHOW WE'RE OVER COLLECTED BECAUSE, AND IT HAS TO ARGUE, STAY WITH BENEFITS, ARGUE WITH EDA HAS, IT HAS TO STAY WITH BENEFITS.
I ASKED IF WE COULD REDEPLOY IT AND WE CAN'T.
AND SO IT HAS TO STAY WITH BENEFITS.
WE HAVE CHECKED THIS IS AN ALLOWABLE, UH, EXPENSE UNDER THAT FUND.
AND SO, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, COUNTERINTUITIVELY, AGAIN, IT BENEFITS US TO SPEND THE 500,000 AND KEEP THE PLAN, UH, AT NEAR THAT 95% RATIO.
FOR ANOTHER LITTLE TIDBIT THAT I I I'M VERY HAPPY WITH.
ACOG IS AT 95, CURRENTLY, IF THIS IS APPROVED, IT'D BE A 94.8% FUNDED RATIO.
UM, T-D-C-R-S INFORMS US THAT, UH, IF YOU'RE ABOVE 89%, YOU'RE DOING PRETTY GOOD.
AND SO, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ON THE 7% IS IT WILL COST THE AGENCY $175,000 TO GO FROM THE 7% CONTRIBUTION.
THAT SIX, SIX TO 7% IS AN ANNUAL 175,000.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'VE GOT THE MONEY AND, AND WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE IT IN THE FRINGE BENEFIT POOL GOING FORWARD.
AND LIKE I SAY, IT BENEFITS US TO SPEND THIS 500,000 IF I SAID ALL OF THAT RIGHT.
MOTION AND MAYOR RILEY SECOND AND MOTION AND SECOND.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the proposed 2025 AACOG Budget as follows: - Jhoan Torres A. AACOG Organizational Chart B. 2025 Annual Budget Summaries and Spreadsheets 1. 2025 Agency Roll Up 2. 2025 Program and Titan Complex Budgets 3. 2025 Administrative Budgets (Indirect) 4. 2025 General Fund/Unrestricted Budgets]
TO ITEM NUMBER 14.WHO MADE THE MOTION? UH, MS. LEWIS.
MS. LEWIS, THIS IS CONSIDERED AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED 2025 ACOG BUDGET AS FOLLOWS, JOHN TORRES.
I'M THE CONTROLLER HERE AT ACOG.
AND THE ITEM I'M BRINGING FOR YOU TODAY IS GOING TO BE OUR PROPOSED 2025 AGENCY BUDGET.
UM, JUST AS A GENERAL OUTLINE, WE'RE GONNA GO OVER THE BUDGET CYCLE AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL A ROLL UP.
I'M GONNA WALK DOWN EACH INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM AND THEN I'M GONNA GO OVER OUR ADMINISTRATIVE INDIRECTS AND FINISH WITH THE GENERAL FUND.
AS OF TODAY, THE ACOG BUDGET STANDS TO SHADE UNDER $90 MILLION.
UH, FOR 2025, WE ARE PROPOSING A BUDGET OF 99.1 MILLION.
[01:15:03]
SO WHAT MAKES UP THAT $99 MILLION PROGRAMMATICALLY, IT'S GONNA BE $89.9 MILLION.THAT'S GOING TO BE ANYTHING FUNDED BY GRANTS AND PROGRAM INCOME.
ADMINISTRATIVE INDIRECT IS GOING TO BE ALL OUR SUPPORT DEPARTMENTS.
THAT'S GONNA BE ACCOUNTING, PROCUREMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, IT, THAT'S $5.7 MILLION.
AND OUR GENERAL FUND, THAT'S $1.3 MILLION.
THAT'S ANYTHING FUNDED BY MEMBERSHIP DUES, EMS, ADMINISTRATIVE FEES, GRANT WRITING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE THE TITAN COMPLEX.
ONE DISTINCTION I DO WANNA MAKE BEFORE I TALK ABOUT THE COMPLEX IS THAT GENERALLY THAT WOULD ROLL UP INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
HOWEVER, FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES, WE DO BREAK IT OUT.
THAT BUDGET FOR 2024 IS PROJECTING, OH, 2025 IS PROJECTING TO BE $2.2 MILLION, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE FUNDED BY THE PRO RATA SHARE OF EXPENSES AND THIRD PARTY TENANTS.
MOVING OVER TO OUR AGENCY ROLLUP, WHAT THE ROLLUP IS, UH, IS GOING TO BE THE HIGHEST LEVEL SUMMARY OF WHERE WE ARE AT THE END OF 20, OR WHERE WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE AT THE END OF 2024.
AND ONCE ALL THE DUST SETTLES, WE'RE GONNA BE AT THE END OF 2025.
SO STARTING WITH OUR BEGINNING FUND BALANCE FOR 2025 PROGRAMMATICALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT $9.3 MILLION ON NET REVENUES AND OVER EXPENDITURES FOR 2025 ARE LOOKING TO BE ABOUT $1.6 MILLION ON THE PROGRAM SIDE.
FOR ADMINISTRATIVE INDIRECT, I KNOW JULIO TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER DURING THE FINANCIAL PRESENTATION, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT A CARRY FORWARD GOING INTO 2025 OF $182,000.
SO FOR 2025, WE ARE LOOKING TO UNDER RECOVER.
SO BY $177,000 INTO THAT OVER RECOVERY OR THAT CARRY FORWARD TO, AND WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FLUFF, I GUESS, OF $5,000 GOING INTO 20 26 20.
UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT A BEGINNING FUND BALANCE OF $23 MILLION.
UH, ONE DISTINCTION I'LL MAKE THERE IS I KNOW THAT NUMBER DOES APPEAR A LITTLE BIT HIGH.
THAT INCLUDES ANY CAPITAL ASSETS, UH, VEHICLES, ANYTHING CAPITAL, I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY THAT.
AND THEN ANOTHER THING THAT HAPPENED IS WHENEVER WE BOUGHT THE COMPLEX DUE TO THE, THAT WE HAVE TO USE A CURRENT FINANCIAL RESOURCE MEASUREMENT FOCUS, WE HAVE TO RECORD THE LOAN AS AN INLAY.
SO THE ENTIRE 13 MILLIONS WENT INTO THIS AMOUNT, AND AS WE PAY OFF THAT LOAN, THIS AMOUNT SLOWLY DECREASES.
SO THAT DEFICIT FOR 2025 IS GOING TO BE $119,000 FOR.
AND, UH, MOVING OVER TO THE JET TITAN COMPLEX, UM, DEFICIT OF $219,000, PROJECTED FOR 2025.
AND I'M GOING TO WALK THROUGH EACH INDIVIDUAL ONE OF THESE LATER ON AS WELL, UH, IN MORE DETAIL.
SO WHERE DOES THAT TAKE US AT THE END OF 2025? SO AGENCY TOTAL, WE'RE STARTING WITH A FUND BALANCE AND CARRY FORWARD OF 32 32 $0.5 MILLION.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR 2025 IS GONNA MOVE UP BY ABOUT $1.1 MILLION FOR AN ENDING FUND BALANCE AND CARRY FORWARD OF 33.5 MILLION.
IN TERMS OF BUDGET GUIDANCE, WE ARE PROJECTED A INDIRECT RATE OF 15%.
THAT'S A 1% INCREASE FROM 2024.
SOME OF YOU MIGHT NOTE THAT THAT IS GOING TO ALSO TIE TO THE DE MINIMIS RATE THAT BECAME EFFECTIVE ON OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR.
UH, WE DID NOT USE THE MINIMUS.
THIS IS ACTUALLY A CALCULATED RATE.
UM, AT THIS TIME, WHENEVER WE, THE BUDGETS WE'RE LOOKING AT TREND ANALYSIS AND HISTORICAL DATA, APPLYING SEASONALITY TO OUR BUDGETS, AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT YEAR GRANTS THAT GO YEAR OVER YEAR, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE THAT FUNDING WOULD NORMALLY LAND.
WE'RE ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANY EXECUTED CONTRACTS, LONG-TERM FUNDING AND APPROVED AMENDMENTS AS THEY COME TO THE BOARD EVERY MONTH WHEN WE COME.
UH, AND AS CLIFF MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DID MAKE THE ASSUMPTION OF A 4% COLA IN THE 2025 BUDGET PROGRAMMATICALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT $91.5 MILLION IN REVENUES, $89.9 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES FOR A NET REVENUE OVER EXPENDITURES OF $1.6 MILLION.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE HEAVILY DRIVEN BY OUR MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.
UM, ONE THING I DO WANNA MENTION IS IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER, UH, YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING REFERENCE PAGES IN YOUR PACKET.
THERE IS A VERY DETAILED SLIDES, UM, THAT ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR EVERY PROGRAM.
SO THOSE ARE GO INTO MORE DETAIL THAN I EVER COULD HOPE TO.
UH, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THE UPCOMING SLIDES, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REFER TO THAT.
STARTING WITH OUR ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT BUDGET FOR 2024, WE HAVE A FORECAST OF $7.6 MILLION AND A 2025 BUDGET OF $12.8 MILLION.
IT'S ABOUT A $5.1 MILLION INCREASE, AND THAT IS DUE TO FUNDING RECEIVED FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT OR CAPITAL ASSETS, RIGHT? SO WE'RE PROJECTING TO BUY 32 BUSES FOR THE FLEET, UH, GET RID OF 28 FOR AN INCREASE OF FOUR.
UH, ANOTHER THING I DO WANNA MENTION IS IN THE VERY BOTTOM OF SOME OF THESE SITES, YOU'RE
[01:20:01]
GOING TO NOTICE THAT WE DID ADD SOME KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AS REQUESTED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.SO FOR OUR ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT, THAT IS GOING TO BE RIDERSHIP.
WE'RE LOOKING AT APPROXIMATELY 7,000 ADDITIONAL RIDES IN 2025 FOR ALAMO AGING.
THAT'S ABOUT A $600,000 DECREASE.
UH, AND THAT IS MAINLY GOING TO BE TWO THINGS, UH, DECREASE CARRY FORWARD AND A DECREASE IN FUNDING RECEIVED BY THE PROGRAM FOR BEAR AGING.
UH, 2024 FORECAST, 15.3 MILLION 2025.
THAT'S APPROXIMATELY A MILLION DOLLAR DECREASE AND IT'S GONNA BE TWO PRONGED.
UH, WE'RE CARRYING LESS CARRY FORWARD TO 2025 THAN WE DID INTO 2024.
AND THERE IS ALSO AN ADDITIONAL $500,000 OR SO DECREASE IN FUNDING RECEIVED FOR BEAR AGING OVER TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
THAT FUNDING IS GOING TO REMAIN PRETTY STATIC AT APPROXIMATELY $400,000 BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025.
UH, WE CONTINUE TO USE THAT FUNDING FROM TCQ TO PASS THAT FUNDING THROUGH TO OUR MEMBER GOVERNMENTS AND IMPROVE AIR QUALITY IN THE REGION.
FOR IDD, WE'RE LOOKING AT A INCREASE OF TO THE BUDGET OF $400,350,000.
THIS IS MAINLY GOING TO BE SALARY RELATED.
AND IDD HAD 11 EMPLOYEES THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THE NEW DOL RULE, UH, REGARDING EXEMPT EMPLOYEES.
SO WE DID RAISE THOSE EMPLOYEES UP TO MEET THAT MINIMUM AND THAT IMPACTED THIS BUDGET.
ACCORDINGLY, MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, THAT IS GOING TO BE ABOUT A MILLION DOLLAR DECREASE TO THAT BUDGET.
UM, THERE ARE TWO THINGS IMPACTING THAT.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE THE MERE GRANT THAT WE HAD IN 2024 GOING INTO 2025.
AND FOR OUR VETERANS DIRECTED PROGRAM, WE ARE, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE BOTTOM FOR THAT KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR, WE'RE LOOKING AT 25 LESS VETERANS SERVED.
UM, WE DID BUDGET A LITTLE BIT CONSERVATIVELY SINCE THAT NUMBER DOES EBB AND FLOW, HOWEVER WE COULD BE SURPRISED.
SO, BUT
THERE'S THE FUNDING MAINTAINS STATIC THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM TCQ.
BUT ONE THING THAT I DO WANNA MENTION IS WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT A $200,000 NEW GRANT FOR A PARTICULAR MATTER OF 2.5 MILLION, UH, 2.5.
AND THAT'S IMPACTING THIS BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, DECREASE INCREASE TO THE BUDGET OF $3.6 MILLION BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025.
THAT IS GOING TO BE DUE TO THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT.
SO THAT GRANT IS $4.5 MILLION, $3.6 MILLION OF THAT IS IN THE 2025 BUDGET REGIONAL SERVICES.
THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO MAINTAIN PRETTY STATIC.
WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE FUNDING FROM EDA, UM, FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AND THERE'S ALSO, IN TERMS OF INITIATIVES, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NEW POSSIBLE GRANT WRITING TEAM.
I'LL TOUCH A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT LA LATER.
UM, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE HEAVILY INVOLVED THERE.
WEATHERIZATION, UM, $400,000 INCREASE TO THAT BUDGET BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025.
AS YOU MAY RECALL, WHEN I CAME TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BACK IN JULY, WE DID MOVE SOME OF OUR BIO FUNDING 2 20 25 SINCE WE DID NOT EXPECT IT TO BE SPENT IN 2024.
AND THAT IS GOING TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT INCREASE.
SO THAT BIO BUDGET IS BUILT IN 2025.
MOVING OVER TO OUR ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGETS, THAT'S ABOUT A $330,000 INCREASE.
I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH EACH INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM, BUT THIS IS THE HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW, STARTING WITH OUR AGENCY MANAGEMENT BUDGET.
UH, THAT BUDGET IS INCREASING BY APPROXIMATELY $29,000.
UM, OUR AGENCY MANAGEMENT BUDGET DOES INCLUDE OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, AS WELL AS PART OF OUR QUALITY ASSURANCE, UM, MANAGER FOR OUR BOARD BUDGET.
THAT'S A $59,000 INCREASE THAT IS GOING TO BE HEAVILY DUE TO THE CHANGE IN OUR AUDITORS, RIGHT? SO I BELIEVE WE HAD ABOUT $120,000 BUDGETED IN 2024.
THAT NUMBER IS MOVING DOWN TO 20, TO ABOUT $55,000, WHICH ACCOUNTS ALMOST ENTIRELY FOR THAT DIFFERENCE.
OUR 2024 FORECAST IS, OH, THAT BUDGET IS INCREASING BY ABOUT $32,000.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF INITIATIVES THERE.
UM, THERE'S GOING TO BE SALARY INCREASES ACROSS THE BOARD.
THE OTHER THING IS IN 2024 FOR, WE DID IMPLEMENT
[01:25:01]
THE QUESTA BUDGET SOFTWARE.AND I HAVE TO GIVE OUR BUDGET ANALYST, HALEY HEINS A SHOUT OUT.
SHE DID A TREMENDOUS JOB IMPLEMENTING THE BUDGET SOFTWARE, PREPARING THE BUDGETS, UM, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED FOR WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN FOR US GOING FORWARD.
WE THINK IT'S GONNA BE TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR OUR BUDGET PROCESS.
UH, FOR 2025, WE HAVE ANOTHER BUDGET, UM, ANOTHER ITEM LATER FOR EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.
SO THAT IS BUDGETED IN THE 2025 BUDGET.
MOVING OVER TO PUBLIC RELATIONS, THE 2024 FORECAST IS 99,000.
UH, TWO DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE IMPACTING THAT MAJORLY RIGHT.
THERE'S A $50,000 REFRESH TO THE AGENCY AND THAT IS 50 OR $60,000.
AND THE OTHER THING IS GOING TO BE AN INCREASE OF ABOUT TWO FTES TO THIS BUDGET.
THAT'S PART OF THE, IF I MAY, THAT'S PART OF AN OUTREACH TEAM.
ONCE AGAIN, EXPAND OUTREACH INTO THE REGION.
AND WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE REFRESH, THE REBRANDING, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT REBUILDING THE WEBSITE, UH, TO MAKE IT MORE USER FRIENDLY AND MORE, UH, CONTAIN MORE CONTENT.
AND THAT'S WHERE THAT EXPENSE IS.
QA RESOURCES, $75,000, THAT BUDGET.
UM, THAT IS GOING TO BE PART OF A CONTINUED EFFORT TO BUILD UP STAFF, BUILD CAPACITY AND INCREASE TRAINING ACROSS THE AGENCY.
SO THAT IS BUILT INTO THE 25 BUDGET.
AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS THAT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, THAT BUDGET CONTINUES CONSISTENT ABOUT $28,000 INCREASE.
THAT IS, UH, STATUS QUO EXPENDITURES AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON OUR SECURITY POSTURE AND MAINTAIN THAT FOR OUR PROCUREMENT BUDGET, ABOUT A $64,000 INCREASE TO THE PROCUREMENT BUDGET.
THAT IS GOING TO BE AN ADDITIONAL FTE, UH, AS WELL AS COLA AND MERIT, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
MOVING OVER TO OUR GENERAL FUND, OUR 2024 FORECAST NET REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES IS GOING TO BE 402,000.
AND FOR 2025, WE ARE PROJECTING A DEFICIT OF $119,000.
UH, ONE THING I DO WANNA NOTE THERE IS WE DID DO A TRANSFER IN FROM PROGRAM FUND BALANCE TO THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS WHY SUCH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025 ON THE REVENUE SIDE.
SO DEPENDING ON WHERE WE ARE NEXT YEAR, THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING SIMILAR.
BUT I DID WANNA MAKE THAT DISTINCTION.
UH, CLIFF, I SHOULD MENTION THAT IN THE GENERAL FUND WE ARE GOING TO, THE GRANT WRITERS ARE IN THAT BUDGET, UH, FOR 2025, I THINK WE ARE LOOKING AT HAVING TWO GRANT WRITERS BROUGHT ONTO THE AGENCY TO PROVIDE GRANT WRITING SERVICES FOR US AS WELL AS LOCAL MEMBER GOVERNMENTS.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE THE TITAN COMPLEX FOR THAT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS INCREASE TO THAT BUDGET BETWEEN 24 AND 25.
WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON LEASING OUT THE FIFTH FLOOR IN THE BUILDING AS WELL AS MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO, YOU KNOW, ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS, COST SAVING MEASURES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WELL, I, LET ME USE THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO THANK CPPS.
WE RECEIVED A $48,000 REBATE, UH, ON OUR ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING AS WELL AS A $9,000 REBATE ON OUR CHILLER.
SO THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS AT CPS.
SO AT THIS TIME, STAFF REQUEST APPROVAL TO 2025 ACOG BUDGET AT A TOTAL OF 99 MILLION $138,106.
UM, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I HEARD SEVERAL TIMES TODAY, UH, AT THE ADDITION OF ADDITIONAL FTES.
I KNOW DUE FOR THE GRANT WRITING, AND I HEARD SEVERAL THROUGHOUT, UH, HIS PRESENTATION.
HOW MANY MORE EMPLOYEES ARE YOU LOOKING TO HIRE? WELL, SOME OF THEM ARE BUDGETED IN, FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE SOME IN THE, ARE BUDGETED IN FOR THE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND THAT HASN'T BEEN DECIDED, BUT WE, WE BUDGETED IN MM-HMM.
SO THEY'RE NOT DEFINITE POSITIONS.
THE GRANT WRITERS ARE DEFINITELY BEING INCLUDED.
THE PROCUREMENT POSITION IS DEFINITELY BEING INCLUDED.
SO THAT, I THINK WE HAVE, AND LIKE I SAY, WE'RE STILL EVALUATING PUBLIC RELATIONS AND THE OUTREACH, UH, ON WHAT, HOW FAR WE'RE GONNA GO WITH THAT.
BUT THEY'RE BUDGETED IN IF WE DECIDE TO PULL THE TRIGGER, JUDGE EVANS.
WHAT, WHAT METHOD DID WE USE TO DETERMINE THE COLA? WHAT DID WE USE AS A BENCHMARK THIS YEAR? UM, WE TOOK A LOT FACTORS INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, MAINLY WE LOOK THAT HISTORICAL DATA THAT CLIFFS IN THERE EARLIER THAT WHAT WE WERE IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, USUALLY WE TAKE THAT 3%, BUT IT'S KIND OF CUTTING INTO
[01:30:01]
THAT.BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION CALL UP WAS 0.7, SO ABOUT THREE, AND THEN WE JUST HIKED IT UP ABOUT 1% CUT INTO THAT DIFFERENCE.
SO WHAT WAS THE CPI THIS YEAR? 2.7%.
IT, IT, SOCIAL SECURITY, IT FINALIZED AT 2.5.
AND SO IT, WHEN IT, WHEN WE WERE DOING THE BUDGET, WE WERE LOOKING AT 2.7, BUT IT, IT FINALIZED AT 2.5.
AND SO THE DIFFERENCE IS WE HAD, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN, I SHOULDN'T ALWAYS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN GIVING 3%.
MY GOAL WAS TO GIVE 1% MORE TO EAT INTO THAT DEFICIT OF THAT 8%, 8.8% DEFICIT, A PERCENT AND A HALF OVER CPI.
HAVE TO HAVE SOME BASIS TO THE CONTRACT.
THAT'S WHAT POINT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT'S, IT'S A CATCH UP FOR THE OVERALL DEFICIT.
SO WE DO, I MEAN, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ON LOOKING AT SOMETHING FOR GUIDANCE.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE IS, LIKE I SAY, IT FINALIZED AT 2.5%.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION APPROVE APPROVAL.
WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE BUDGET THAT HAS PRESENTED ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[15. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve AACOG's 2025 Public Investment Policy. - Julio Elizondo]
CONSIDER AND ACT ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE ACOG'S 2025 PUBLIC INVESTMENT POLICY.UM, GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN.
PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT, UH, REQUIRES THAT WE BRINGING AN UPDATE TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UM, OVER THE INVE, OUR POLICY, THERE HAVE BEEN NO AMENDMENTS SINCE 2019, THEREFORE, OUR POLICY WILL REMAIN.
STAFF DOES RECOMMEND THE APPROVAL OF OUR 2025 PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT POLICY, WHICH WAS LAST APPROVED AT THE BOARD, HAD MEETING IN OCTOBER OF 20.
I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS TO THE ALL MAY HAVE MOVE APPROVAL.
A SECOND TO APPROVE THE, UH, PUBLIC INVESTMENT POLICY AS RECOMMENDED.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
A LIST OF BROKERS, UH, THAT'S APPROVED LIST THAT GETS SUBMITTED TO THE, UH, TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
YOU HAVE A LIST OF APPROVED BROKERS FOR THE INVESTMENT.
SO WE, WE USE, UM, TEXT POOL AND LONE STAR.
[16. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the Internal Audit update on completed 2024 activities and projects. – Jaye Wells]
MOVING ON TO ITEM 16.CONSIDER AN ACT UPON A RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE INTERNAL AUDIT UPDATE ON COMPLETED 2024 ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS.
MR. WELLS, THIS IS A LONG AGENDA.
WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN NOVEMBER AND TRY TO KEEP IT LATE FOR DECEMBER, SO IT'S ALL CRAMMED IN HERE.
GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS JAY WELLS AND I'M YOUR INTERNAL AUDITOR.
THE INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION PROVIDES ASSURANCE TO ACOG BY REVIEWING ITS OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND INTERNAL CONTROLS.
I'M HERE TO PROVIDE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF THE PROGRAM SO FAR THIS YEAR SINCE I LAST PRESENTED TO YOU, I HAVE COMPLETED AUDITS OVER THE ALAMO AREA REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, AN AUDIT OVER THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT, PERFORM SUBRECIPIENT MONITORING AND AN AUDIT OVER WEATHERIZATION.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE ARE TWO ADDITIONAL AUDITS UNDERWAY AND A THIRD AUDIT PLANNED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS YEAR.
AND I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY DELAYS IN THEIR COMPLETION.
IN ADDITION TO THE AUDITS AND REVIEWS I'VE COMPLETED, I HAVE ATTENDED TRAINING FROM THE COMMITTEE OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS OR COSO FOR INTERNAL CONTROLS FRAMEWORK AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL TESTING.
IN ADDITION, I HAVE ATTENDED THE AGA'S DEVELOPMENT TRAINING IN DENVER WITH JULIO.
AFTER WE RECEIVED A SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE A GA, I HAVE HELPED TO FACILITATE THE ANNUAL PHYSICAL INVENTORY.
AND LASTLY, I HAVE SIGNED ACOG UP TO BE A MEMBER ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED FRAUD EXAMINERS FRAUD WEEK.
AND WE'LL BE PROVIDING TRAININGS AND INFORMATION RELATED TO FIGHTING FRAUD TO THE STAFF THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 17TH.
[01:35:03]
I'LL NOW PROVIDE YOU A HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS, OBSERVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS DISCOVERED DURING MY REVIEW OF THE VARIOUS PROGRAMS, THE FULL REPORTS OF WHICH ARE ATTACHED IN YOUR PACKETS FOR YOUR REVIEW.FOR ALAMO AREA REGIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY, I HAD ONE OBSERVATION, WHICH WAS THAT THE PROCEDURES NEEDED TO BE DEVELOPED REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF WEAPONRY AND AMMUNITION.
THE ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WAS THAT ACADEMY STAFF WOULD DEVELOP THE SOP AND MAINTAIN IT, UH, ANNUALLY.
THAT REQUESTED PROCEDURE HAS ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED.
THERE WERE NO ISSUES NOTED DURING THE SUBRECIPIENT REVIEWS FOR PROCUREMENT AUDIT.
I HAD ONE OBSERVATION, WHICH WAS THAT TWO PROCEDURE DOCUMENTS, THE IT MANAGEMENT, AND THE MAIL HANDLING DOCUMENT NEEDED TO BE UPDATED.
IN ADDITION, ONE PROCEDURE NEEDED TO BE DEVELOPED REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF RECEIVED GOODS.
THE ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WAS THAT PROCUREMENT STAFF WOULD UPDATE AND DEVELOP THE SOPS AND MAINTAIN THEM ANNUALLY.
AGAIN, THESE PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND UPDATED AS OF THIS STATE FOR THE AUDIT OVER WEATHERIZATION.
I HAD ONE FINDING AND ONE OBSERVATION.
THE FINDING IS DUE TO THE PROGRAM HAVING HISTORICALLY PROVIDED THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION REGARDING TENANTS' RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS SOLELY TO LANDLORDS OMITTING DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH TENANTS.
THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED BY THE WEATHERIZATION TEAM, BY THEIR DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFORMATION PACKET DETAILING THESE PROTECTIONS AS WELL AS COMPLAINT PROCEDURES.
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SENT TO PREVIOUS TENANTS HOMES, WEATHERIZED AND WILL BE PROVIDED TO FUTURE TENANTS TO ENSURE THAT COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS.
THE OBSERVATION WAS THAT THE PROCEDURES NEEDED TO BE DEVELOPED REGARDING THE WEATHERIZATION PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
THE ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WAS THAT THE WEATHERIZATION STAFF WOULD DEVELOP THOSE SOPS AND MAINTAIN THEM ANNUALLY.
AGAIN, THIS PROCEDURE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED EVERY OTHER YEAR.
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND INTERNAL AUDIT PERFORM RISK ASSESSMENTS OF THE VARIOUS ACOG PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP A SCHEDULE FOR THE FOLLOWING TWO YEARS.
THE RISK ASSESSMENT WEIGHS THE PROGRAMS ON 14 DIFFERENT FACTORS, SUCH AS THE RESULTS OF PRIOR AUDITS FROM MYSELF AND OTHER AGENCIES.
THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING EXPENDED THE PROGRAM'S COMPLEXITY AND THE LENGTH OF TENURE OF MANAGEMENT TO NAME.
BUT A FEW OF THOSE, BRENDA AND I COMPLETED OUR RISK ASSESSMENT LAST YEAR.
BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THAT ASSESSMENT, WE PROVO, WE PROPOSED THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE FOR THE 20 20 25 FISCAL YEAR.
I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE RISK SCORE DOES NOT MEAN OF HIGH, DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANYTHING IS, IS WRONG WITH THE PROGRAM.
IN SUMMARY, I HAVE NOT NOTED ANY SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING OR PROGRAMMATIC ISSUES, AND I'M NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING THAT SHOULD BE DISCLOSED AT THIS TIME.
ANY QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS? MOTION FOR APPROVAL? YOU HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
WE HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND TO APPROVE THE, UH, INTERNAL AUDIT OF REPORT AS PRESENTED.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[17. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the Quality Assurance update. - Bryn Herrera]
TO ITEM 17.CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE UPDATE.
MORNING CHAIRMAN, CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M YOUR INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER.
I'M HERE, UH, TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON INTERNAL REVIEWS AND INITIATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED FOR 2024.
AND SO AS A BRIEF REFRESHER, THE INTENT OF THE ACOG QA PROGRAM IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS MEET AND EXCEED THEIR COMPLIANCE STANDARDS.
ASSIST IN PREPARING FOR EXTERNAL MONITORS AND AUDITS, IDENTIFYING WEAKNESSES AND PROCESSES, AND OFFERING RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.
MY, UH, ROLE AS THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER IS TO REVIEW THE PHYSICAL, TECHNICAL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE SAFEGUARDS, WHICH PREVENT THE UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION IN BOTH PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL FORMATS.
AND ADDITIONALLY TO MANAGE, COORDINATE, AND IMPLEMENT IT PROJECTS AND SERVICES WITH OUR CONTRACTED VENDOR.
I'M ALSO, I ALSO AIM TO PROMOTE COMPLIANCE WITH PRIVACY AND CYBERSECURITY LAWS VIA THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND BEST PRACTICES, INCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF NETWORK VULNERABILITIES.
QA IS ON TRACK TO COMPLETE ALL AREAS IN THE APPROVED 2024
[01:40:01]
SCHEDULE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.AND I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY ISSUES IN COMPLETING THE REMAINING REVIEWS BY THE START OF 2025.
BASED ON THE REVIEW ACTIVITIES WHICH HAVE BEEN BEEN COMPLETED SO FAR, I DON'T FEEL THAT THERE ARE ANY SIGNIFICANT BREACHES OF COMPLIANCE OR CONDUCT WHICH WARRANT REPORTING TO YOU TODAY.
IT'S BEEN A BUSY YEAR ON THE IT FRONT WITH SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES BOTH COMPLETED AND UNDERWAY.
THIS SLIDE GIVES A BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE AREAS IT HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN.
THE AGENCY HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN REGARD TO LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT AND DEVICE REFRESH PROCESSES AND CONTINUES TO MAKE ENHANCEMENTS AND UPGRADES TO NETWORK HARDWARE.
ANOTHER MAJOR PROJECT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN THE SOLICITATION OF BIDS FROM DIFFERENT IT MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDERS IN AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT THE SERVICES ACOG RECEIVES FROM ITS IT VENDOR REMAIN, UH, COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF QUALITY AND PRICE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.
THE RESULT OF THAT SOLICITATION AND SUBSEQUENT RECOMMENDATION IS A DIFFERENT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH I'LL BRING TO YOU AFTER THIS PRESENTATION FOR 2025.
WE'RE PLANNING TO CONTINUE TO ENHANCE AND MAKE REFINEMENTS TO THE AGENCY'S BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANS AND PROCESSES AS WE HAVE LEARNED TO ANTICIPATE THE UNEXPECTED AND INCORPORATE LESSONS LEARNED.
UH, ONE EXCITING NOTE IS THAT WE'VE ALSO LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE AGENCY'S TRANSIT TRANSITION FROM A.COM TO A.GOV DOMAIN.
THIS WORK WILL CONTINUE IN 2025, AND WE ARE WORKING IN 10 WITH OUR IT PROVIDER PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND OUR PROGRAMS FOR THIS TRANSITION.
THIS SLIDE IS A VERY ABBREVIATED OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE AREAS THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN WITH REGARDS TO COMPLIANCE, PRIVACY, AND SECURITY.
UH, WE CONTINUE TO ENHANCE OUR PRACTICES AROUND IDENT IDENTITY MANAGEMENT AND VERIFICATION.
THIS HAS BEEN A BIT OF AN EXERCISE IN WHACK-A-MOLE AS IT'S PHISHING AND OTHER SOCIAL, SOCIAL ENGINEERING ATTEMPTS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY ELABORATE AND CREATIVE.
AND THE INTENT IN THIS AREA IS SIMPLY TO TRY TO PREVENT THE AGENCY FROM BEING AN EASY TARGET.
INTERNALLY, WE ARE ITERATING AND PROVIDING GUIDANCE TO STAFF REGARDING THE NOW PROLIFIC PRESENCE OF AI.
WE ARE WORKING TO FIND THE CORRECT BALANCE BETWEEN IMPLEMENTING FEATURES WHICH ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR STAFF AND PREVENTING UNAUTHORIZED DATA DISCLOSURES AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
IN REGARD TO THE CONFERENCES LISTED HERE, YOU'VE HEARD ME PREACH ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT THIS IS JUST A VERY BRIEF REMINDER THAT IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY, I ENCOURAGE YOUR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITIES TO JOIN THE MULTI-STATE INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS CENTER, OR MS. ISAC, UH, AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A HOST OF FREE RESOURCES AIMED AT ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF CYBERSECURITY FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN SOME RECENT ACTIVITIES, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ENHANCEMENTS TO ACOG'S COMPLIANCE, PRIVACY, AND SECURITY ENVIRONMENTS.
I FEEL THAT WE ARE POSITIONED WELL TO PROACTIVELY RECOGNIZE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THREATS AND REGULATORY CHANGES, AND TO MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS IN THESE AREAS.
AS ALWAYS, I CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN AN OPEN DOOR POLICY FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS AND STRIVE TO BE AN INTERNAL RESOURCE SO THAT WE CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY MEET OUR MISSION GOALS.
HERE'S THE PROPOSED 2025 QA REVIEW SCHEDULE THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH JAY'S RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY.
THESE PROGRAM REVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN ADDITION TO THE ONGOING IT PROJECTS IN INITIATIVES FROM THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICE.
AND FINALLY, I ALWAYS LIKE TO EMPHASIZE THAT I-N-Q-A-A FORMED A PARTNERSHIP TO ENSURE COMPREHENSIVE INTERNAL MONITORING OVER THE AGENCY'S FISCAL AND PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES.
UH, BOTH JAY AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ACOG STAFF FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND FACILITATION OF OUR REVIEWS.
HERE'S A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSED 2024 INTERNAL REVIEW SCHEDULE INCLUDED FOR REFERENCE IN YOUR PACKETS.
AND WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL OF THE 2024 INTERNAL AUDIT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED PROPOSED 2025 INTERNAL REVIEW SCHEDULE.
WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UH, ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATION AND APPROVE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE UPDATE AS PRESENTED.
YOU NEED DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
OPPOSED? MAY I? MOTION CARRIES.
MAY I MAKE JUST A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE ISSUE OF CYBERSECURITY? AND LAST WEEK'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING, WE HAD A, UH, A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN CYBERSECURITY.
AND MAYOR SCHROEDER, YOU WERE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN TRYING TO WORK TO FIND SOME SORT OF SOLUTION TO THE ISSUE OF ADDRESSING SMALL COMMUNITIES AND THEIR NEEDS FOR, UM, UH, VALUATION OF THEIR, THEIR SECURITY, THEIR CYBERSECURITY.
UH, AT A CONFERENCE WE ATTENDED AT THE BEHEST OF JUDGE TEEL LAST WEEK, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MEET THAT WHICH WAS WHAT FUTURE OF THE SOUTHWEST REGION CONFERENCE, FUTURE OF THE REGION, SOUTH TEXAS.
I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MEET A LADY FROM THE TEXAS AGRI TEXAS A AND M AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICE, AND THEY DO FREE FOR ALL OF OUR SMALL COMMUNITIES.
THEY DO FREE ASSESSMENTS, UH, FOR YOUR, UH, SECURITY NEEDS FOR CYBERSECURITY
[01:45:01]
GAP ANALYSIS.SO ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THAT, PLEASE, UH, REACH OUT TO ME AND EMAIL ME AND I WILL SHOOT YOU HER INFORMATION.
UM, BEFORE WE START THE NEW BUSINESS, YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE 10 ITEMS OF NEW BUSINESS AFTER ALL THE WORK WE'VE ALREADY DONE.
BUT IF ANYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A SHORT BREAK, THIS WILL BE A TIME TO TAKE IT AS WE, AS WE MOVE, MOVE ON TO THE NEW BUSINESS.
[18. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to enter into a 3 year contract for IT managed services beginning January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027. This item does not require a budget amendment. - Bryn Herrera]
ITEM 18 IS CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A THREE YEAR CONTRACT.IT MANAGED SERVICES BEGINNING JANUARY 1ST, 2025 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, 2027.
THIS ITEM DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
MR. HERRERA, GOOD MORNING CHAIRMAN.
MEMBERS OF BOARD BRENT RERA, INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER.
SO, ACOG'S, IT NEEDS NETWORK AND INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE BEEN MANAGED BY A VENDOR NAMED COMPUTER SOLUTIONS SINCE OCTOBER OF 2016.
UH, IN AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT SERVICES ACOG RECEIVES THROUGH ITS VENDOR REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF PRICE, QUALITY AND EVOLVING INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
UH, THIS YEAR STAFF SOLICITED BIDS FROM DIR APPROVED VENDORS DURING AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER OF 2024.
THE MANAGED SERVICE PROVIDERS WHO SUBMITTED BIDS ON THE SCOPE OF WORK WERE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS, AVTEC SOLUTIONS, INCORPORATED A CP TECHNOLOGIES AND XEROX, AN EVALUATION COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF MYSELF, JACOB LINSKY, DEIDRE, JOHN DE, UH, DEIDRE JOHNSON, AND JULIO ELIZONDO SCORE PROPOSALS ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA, THE PROPOSER'S ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING EXPERIENCE THE PROPOSED WORK PLAN AND APPROACH PREVIOUS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND BACKGROUND PRICING AND COM COMPLETENESS OF THE APPLICATION PACKAGE.
THE SUMMARY SCORES ARE AS FOLLOWS, AVTEC SOLUTIONS WITH 39.5, XEROX WITH 45 ACP A CP TECHNOLOGIES 53.8 AND COMPUTER SOLUTIONS AT 57 BASED ON THE EVALUATIONS OF THE PROPOSED SUBMIT, UH, OF THE PROPOSAL SUBMITTED BY THE MSP'S STAFF RECOMMENDS SELECTING COMPUTER SOLUTIONS TO PROVIDE IT SERVICES TO ACOG.
ACOG CONTINUES TO BE PLEASED WITH SERVICES THROUGH COMPUTER SOLUTIONS IN ADDITION TO RECEIVING THE HIGHEST OVERALL SCORE FROM THE COMMITTEE.
COMPUTER SOLUTIONS IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR MSP APPLICANTS TO BE A WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS AND HAVE ITS MAIN HEADQUARTERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
THE PROPOSED VENDOR WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES OF ACOG'S.
IT NEEDS RANGING FROM ASSESSMENT, MAINTENANCE, AND UPGRADING OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENDPOINT PRODUCTS.
THE PROVISION OF PATCHING OF ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE AND SECURITY THREAT MONITORING AND REMEDIATION, SUPPORTING HIPAA COMPLIANCE, FORENSIC TRACKING AND AUDITING FOR USE AS EVIDENCE TO OUTSIDE MONITORS AND ROUTINE SERVICE REQUESTS FROM STAFF CONTRACTS WITH THIS VENDOR HAVE A BUILT-IN YEAR TO YEAR ESCALATION OF 10%, BUT ANNUAL ESCALATIONS WITHIN A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WOULD BE CAPPED AT 5%.
THEREFORE, STAFF RECOMMENDS ENTERING INTO A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH COMPUTER SOLUTIONS TO REALIZE SAVINGS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT THREE YEARS.
WITH YOUR APPROVAL, THE THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH COMPUTER SOLUTIONS WOULD BE IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1.7 MILLION.
STAFF FORMALLY REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
MOVE TO APPROVE SECOND, UH, TEAL AND, AND DOGEN.
UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UH, AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER THIS THREE YEAR CONTRACT, UM, WITH COMPUTE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[19. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to open a new bank account for the Employees Benefits Trust. - Julio Elzondo]
MOVING ON TO ITEM 19.CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO OPEN A NEW BANK ACCOUNT FOR THE EMPLOYEE'S BENEFITS TRUST MR. ELIZONDO.
SO THE ITEM BROUGHT FORTH UPON YOU TODAY IS TO AUTHORIZE ACOG A TO OPEN A NEW BANK ACCOUNT FOR THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TRUST WITH CHURCH, BANK AND TRUST.
UH, IT IS RECOMMENDED BY OUR AUDITORS, THE BANK AS WELL AS THE HEALTH INSURER, THAT WE MAINTAIN A SEPARATE ACCOUNT TO ALLOW THE INSURANCE PREMIUMS TO BE PAID OUTTA THE TRUST BANK ACCOUNT.
STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE NEW BANK ACCOUNT.
I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
DODGEN AND HAS WALKER HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND.
UH, TO APPROVE THE, UH, UH, NEW BANK ACCOUNT FOR THE EMPLOYEE'S BENEFITS TRUST AS PRESENTED.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[20. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to open a Request for Proposals (RFP) for expense management services - Jhoan Torres]
NUMBER 20, CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO OPEN A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.UH, GOOD MORNING CHAIRMAN MEMBERS TO THE BOARD.
UM, I'M HERE TO REQUEST APPROVAL TO RELEASE AN R FP FOR EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS R-S-P-R-F-P IS TO FIND A VENDOR THAT CAN PROVIDE TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT AND CREDIT CARD SERVICES THAT CAN ALLEVIATE
[01:50:01]
THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN THAT ACCO STAFF ENCOUNTER WHEN PREPARING, PROCESSING AND RECONCILING TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT VOUCHERS AND CREDIT CARD EXPENDITURES.HOWEVER, IN RESEARCHING WHAT SOME OF THESE SOLUTIONS OFFER STAFF NOTED THAT WHAT IS OFFERED IN THE MARKET ARE EXPENSE SOLUTIONS THAT OFTEN CONTAIN CO CORPORATE CARD TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT, AND EXPENSE REPORTING IN THE COMPREHENSIVE SUITE.
THIS RFP WOULD ALLOW STAFF TO EVALUATE THESE SOLUTIONS AND COME TO AN AGREEMENT WITH A VENDOR FOR WHICHEVER SOLUTION PROVES THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE AGENCY STAFF REQUEST APPROVAL AND AUTHORIZATION TO REQUEST A REQUEST FOR APPROVAL FOR EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
OKAY, DO WE HAVE A MOTION? MAYOR RILEY RILEY.
AND SECOND, SECOND MAYOR SCHROEDER.
UH, AND THIS IS FOR A, UH, RFP FOR EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SERVICES AS PRESENTED.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
NOW REMEMBER, WE DON'T HAVE A MEETING IN NOVEMBER, SO WE'RE PAYING FOR IT NOW.
AND DECEMBERS WILL BE BRIEF THANKS TO THIS MEETING.
[21. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to enter into an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) in the approximate amount of $129,000 with the City of Seguin for the operation of a Microtransit service. This item does require a budget amendment. - Duane Evans]
CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IN THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $129,000 WITH THE CITY OF SE FOR THE OPERATION OF A MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE.THIS ITEM DOES, DOES REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT.
MR. MR. EVANS? GOOD MORNING CHAIRMAN.
MY NAME IS DWAYNE EVANS AND I, I'M DIRECTOR OF OUR MOTION TRANSIT.
TODAY WE'RE DISCUSSING MICRO TRANSIT.
THIS IS A NEW SERVICE IN THE CITY OF SEINEN.
THE APPROXIMATE COST FOR 2025 IS 258,000 OF WHICH THE CITY OF SEINEN WILL PAY 129,000 AND ACOG WILL PAY, WILL PAY THE REMAINING 50%.
ACOG USES COLLECTED FARES AND SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM, RURAL TRANSIT FUNDS FROM TEXDOT TO FUND ITS SHARE OF EXPENSES.
FUNDS FROM TEXDOT ARE BASED ON A FUNDING FORMULA DETERMINED BY PERFORMANCE POPULATION AND LANDMASS.
THIS ITEM DOES REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? ANY QUESTIONS? MOTION.
MOTION
OKAY, MAYOR DODGEN, WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.
UH, THIS IS ON THE MICRO MICRO TRANSIT SERVICE WITH THE CITY OF SAGA.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[22. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to enter into an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) in the approximate amount of $170,000 with Wilson County to fund operations of a Deviated Fixed Route service. This item does require a budget amendment. - Duane Evans]
ITEM 2022, CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE ACT THE ACT ON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $170,000 WITH WILSON COUNTY TO FUND OPERATIONS OF A DEVIATED FIXED ROOT SERVICE.THIS ITEM DOES REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT.
MR. EVAN FUNDED FOR THIS SERVICE WILL BE SPLIT 50 50.
WILSON COUNTY WILL PAY FOR HALF OF THE IDENTIFIED EXPENSES AND ACOG WILL PAY FOR THE OTHER HALF ACOG PLANS TO USE SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM, RURAL TRANSIT FUNDS FROM TDOT TO FUND THIS SHARE OF THE EXPENSES.
THE TOTAL COST IS APPROXIMATELY 340,000 OF WHICH WILSON COUNTY WILL PAY ONE 70.
FUNDS FROM THE TEXDOT ARE BASED ON A FORMULA FUNDING DETERMINED BY PERFORMANCE POPULATION AND LANDMASS.
THIS ITEM DOES REQUIRE A BUDGET
OKAY, SO WE'RE GILLESPIE AND EVANS ON THIS ONE? YEP.
WE'RE GONNA AMEND THE 2024 BUDGET AND IT'S INCLUDED IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
WE'RE GONNA AMEND THIS CURRENT BUDGET AND IT INCLUDED IN NEXT WEEK.
IT IT'S GONNA BE INCLUDED BUDGET? THAT'S CORRECT.
WE'RE MEETING THIS YEAR'S BUDGET BUDGET THAT WE ARE CURRENT IN.
THERE'S GONNA BE A, A SMALL FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THIS YEAR BUDGET.
YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN,
UH, SO MY WATER, THANK, WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UH, UH, FOR THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH WILSON COUNTY AND THE AMOUNT OF $170,000, UH, FOR THE TRANSIT SERVICE.
ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY, THEN THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[23. Consider and act upon the recommendation to ratify the Executive Director's application for Service Expansion Program transportation funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, and authorize the Executive Director to accept these funds in the approximate amount of $800,000. This item does not require a budget amendment. – Duane Evans]
ON TO ITEM 23.CONSIDER AN ACTIVE UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO RATIFY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S APPLICATION FOR SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM, TRANSPORTATION
[01:55:01]
FUNDING FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT THESE FUNDS IN THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $800,000.THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT.
ON SEPTEMBER 20, 20, 24, TECH NOTIFIED ACOG OF THE THIRD ROUND OF SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM FUNDING AVAILABILITY APPLICATIONS WERE DUE OCTOBER 11TH, 2024.
THIS TIMELINE DID NOT ALLOW FOR ART TO BRING APPLICATION TO THE BOARD.
ART AS THE DESIGNATED RURAL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR ADDITIONAL SEP FUNDS TO EXPAND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN OUR REGION.
FUNDING WILL BE USED FOR OPERATING EXPENSES FUNDING IF AWARDED, WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN JANUARY, 2025.
FUNDS FOR, FOR THIS, UM, WILL BE USED TO, FOR INCURRED EXPENSES FOR OPERATIONS, PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, AND ADMINISTRATION EXPANDED SERVICES.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I CAN TAKE 'EM AT THIS TIME.
WE'VE GOT A MOTION FOR MS. MAYOR RILEY IN A SECOND MOVE, JUDGE EVANS.
UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[24. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Resource Recovery Committee (RRC) to remove closed landfill U2761 from the AACOG Closed Landfill Inventory and authorize the Executive Director to submit the required Closed Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Inventory Revision Form to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This item does not require a budget amendment. - Lyle Hufstetler]
CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE TO REMOVE CLOSED LANDFILL U2 7 61 FROM THE ACOG CLOSED LANDFILL INVENTORY AND AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT THE REQUIRED CLOSED MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILL INVENTORY REVISION FORM TO THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY.AND THIS ITEM DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
MR. HUBLER, GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS ON MILE HUBLER YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR.
SO THIS MAY SOUND FAMILIAR TO MOST OF Y ALL AT THE LAST MEETING, I PRESENT TO THE REQUEST BY A PRIVATE DEVELOPER TO REMOVE A SUSPECTED CLOSED LANDFILL LABELED U2 76 1 FROM THE CLOSED LANDFILL INVENTORY.
UH, TERRACON CONDUCTED A STUDY THAT SAMPLED SOIL AND GROUNDWATER FOR VARIOUS CONTAMINANTS AND TO, UH, SEE IF THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF A PRIOR LANDFILL.
UH, TERRACON FOUND MINIMAL PRESENCE OF, UH, GROUNDWATER AND SOIL CONTAMINANTS.
THEY WERE FAR BELOW THE ACCEPTED, UH, THRESHOLD FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND SAFETY.
UM, IN ADDITION, THEY CONCLUDED THAT THE SITE HAD REALLY ONLY SERVED AS A BORROW PIT, UH, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UH, BASICALLY EXCAVATING SOIL, SHIPPING IT OFF SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND BRINGING OUTSIDE SOIL AND OTHER FILL MATERIALS.
AND TO FILL THOSE HOLES, THEY WOULD OFTEN CONTAIN ASPHALT.
AND THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE VERY, VERY MINOR, UH, LEVELS OF CONTAMINANTS PRESENT.
UH, SO WITH THAT, UH, TERRACON BRIEF, THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, AT THE TIME, WE DID NOT HAVE VERIFIED TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TERRACON AND THE, UH, COMMISSIONER AND A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SITE.
SINCE, UH, THE LAST BOARD MEETING, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT TERRACON PRESENTED THEIR ANALYSIS, UH, TO BOTH THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE AND, UH, THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL WOMAN'S OFFICE ON OCTOBER 3RD AND FOURTH RESPECTIVELY.
THIS WAS THE SAME PRESENTATION GIVEN TO THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE, AND BY OCTOBER 16TH, WE HAD RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM BOTH, UH, THE RESPECTIVE CHIEFS OF STAFF THAT WE HAD THEIR APPROVAL TO PROCEED.
AND SO I'M BRINGING IT BEFORE YOU ONCE AGAIN, UH, THE, UH, REQUEST TO REMOVE CLOSED LANDFILL U2 70 61 FROM THE CLOSED LANDFILL INVENTORY.
ALSO, UH, WE'LL BE SUBMITTING THE CLOSED MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILL INVENTORY REVISION FORM TO THE TCEQ.
AND WE POSTPONED THIS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ONE.
THE MEMBERS HERE, IS THAT CORRECT? WE WERE WAITING TO SEE IF, UH, THE CITY AND THE COUNTY WERE, WERE, HAD APPROVED OR ANY OBJECTIONS.
BILL, YOU OKAY WITH THIS? YES.
GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE, UH, REMOVING THIS LANDFILL FROM THE, UH, LANDFILL INVENTORY AND FILING ALL THE NECESSARY FORMS WITH THE TCEQ.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[25. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply for a Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000. This item does not require a budget amendment. - Lyle Hufstetler]
CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR A SOLID WASTE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RECYCLING GRANT FROM THE ENVIRON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 5 MILLION.THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
OKAY, I'M GONNA KEEP THIS ONE SHORT.
SINCE CLIFF ADDRESSED A LOT OF IT EARLIER.
UH, BASICALLY THIS GRANT, UH, IT WAS ANNOUNCED LAST MONTH.
IT'S GONNA FUND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
BASICALLY, IF IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEMONSTRATE A MEASURABLE DECREASE
[02:00:01]
IN, OR IN, SORRY, AN INCREASE IN THE DIVERSION FROM WASTE TO LANDFILL, OR AN INCREASE IN THE RECYCLING RATE, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE ELIGIBLE.SO JUST TO LIST OFF SOME OF THE MOST COMMON, UH, NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN REFLECTED TO ME IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, JUST GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, IT'S GONNA FUND TRANSFER STATIONS.
I KNOW THAT'S A VERY CONSISTENT NEED ACROSS OUR REGION.
IT WILL FUND SORTING EQUIPMENT, IT WILL FUND TRUCKS, IT'LL FUND TRAILERS PROCESSING FACILITIES.
IT'LL FUND COMPOSTING PROGRAMS. IT'LL FUND, UH, DROP OFF FACILITIES, BUT ALSO CURBSIDE PICKUP.
UM, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH IF IT'S PART OF A LARGER PROJECT, WILL ALSO BE FUNDED.
SO IT'S, IT'S A REALLY A WIDE VARIETY OF, OF, OF ANY KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT OR ENHANCE OR INCREASE, UM, RECYCLING OR OTHER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT, UH, ACTIVITIES.
AND SO AWARDS ARE GONNA RANGE FROM 500,000 TO 5 MILLION.
AND, UH, THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REALLY EXPAND THE WORK THAT WE ALREADY DO WITH OUR EXISTING TCEQ SOLID WASTE, UH, FUNDING PROGRAM CURRENTLY FUNDED AT ABOUT $300,000 PER BIENNIUM.
SO GIVEN, YOU KNOW, THE POTENTIAL $5 MILLION AWARD IS A HUGE POTENTIAL FOR, UH, MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS TO WHAT WE ALREADY DO.
UM, THIS WILL, UH, NOT IMPACT THE 2024 OR 2025 BUDGETS.
UH, EPAS ANTICIPATING NOTIFYING, UM, AWARDEES DECEMBER OF 2025.
UM, SO COULD WAYS DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, AND WE'RE ONLY ASKING APPROVAL, UH, TO APPLY AT THIS POINT, UH, SIMILAR TO THE COMMUNITY CHANGE GRANTS A FEW MONTHS AGO.
IF WE'RE AWARDED, WE WILL RETURN, UH, WITH YOUR PERMISSION TO ACTUALLY ACCEPT THAT FUNDING.
AND SO, UM, THAT SAID, I RESPECTFULLY, WELL, I, BEFORE I ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME IF, IF I HAVEN'T TALKED TO Y'ALL, UH, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR RECYCLING OR YOUR SOLID WASTE NEEDS.
UH, I, I'M, I'M VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO HAVING THOSE, UH, DISCUSSIONS.
AND SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATE THOSE, UH, PRIORITIES INTO THIS PROPOSAL.
AND IF WE EXCEED THAT $5 MILLION, THEN YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS APPLY FOR A A SECOND GRANT.
VERY IMPORTANT THANK YOU FOR REITERATING.
THOUGHT MAYBE I HEARD YOU SAY EARLIER THAT THERE WAS ALREADY SOME THAT HAVE ALREADY, UH, PUT IN FOR THIS, BUT DID I HEAR YOU WRONG? IT EXPRESSED INTEREST WITH US.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON A GRANT APPLICATION NOW.
WE'RE GETTING THE NUTS AND BOLTS TOGETHER, JUST MAKING SURE WE'RE IN THE RIGHT ORDER HERE.
BUT WE'RE NOT EVEN AT THE $5 MILLION FOR ONE.
SO THERE'S ROOM FOR MORE PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR THEIR NEEDS.
I'LL SECOND WE GOT A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER GILLESPIE AND, AND SECOND FROM MR. MAYOR DODGEN, UH, TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR THIS $5 MILLION GRANT, UH, AND START BE THE FIRST PUSH OF THE BALL GETTING IT DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[26. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to submit the Clean Cities Partnership Agreement letter demonstrating that the Alamo Area Clean Cities Coalition is fully compliant with contractual requirements for all DOE funded projects and charging the Air Quality Committee with the responsibilities therein. - Lyle Hufstetler]
YOU'VE GOT ONE MORE.LYLE, CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT THE CLEAN CITY'S PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT LETTER DEMONSTRATING THAT THE ALAMO AREA CLEAN CITIES COALITION IS FULLY COMPLIANT WITH CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL DOE FUNDED PROJECTS AND CHARGING THE AIR QUALITY COMMITTEE WITH THE RESPONSIBILITIES THEREIN.
SO, UH, ACOG HAS HOSTED THE ALAMO AREA CLEAN CITIES COALITION SINCE 1999, A CLEAN CITIES AND COMMUNITIES AS A NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THEIR VARIOUS NATIONAL LABORATORIES.
AND, UH, ABOUT 80 DIFFERENT CLEAN CITIES COALITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, THE COALITIONS AND THE DOE WORK TO, UM, ADVANCE THE NATION'S ECONOMIC SECURITY, UH, PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY PROMOTING CLEAN TRANSPORTATION.
UH, EACH COALITION IS A NETWORK OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS WITH AN INTEREST IN REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN TRANSPORTATION AND REDUCING THE DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN BASED PETROLEUM FUEL.
DURING 2022 AND 23 OF THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, UM, UNDERWENT SOME BRANDING ENHANCEMENTS THAT INCLUDED, UH, REEVALUATING THE STANDARDS THAT GAUGE A COALITION'S, UH, SUCCESS AT ACHIEVING THE MISSION.
SO TO THAT POINT, THE DOE HAS DEVELOPED A SET OF 12 ACTIVE AND EFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR COALITIONS TO MEET.
AND IN SEPTEMBER 23, UH, UH, THE DOE ANNOUNCED THAT ALL COALITIONS MUST MEET THESE ACTIVE INEFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS BY FALL OF 2024, OR DEMONSTRATE A PLAN TO MEET THEM, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CLEAN CITY'S DESIGNATION STATUS, AND, OF COURSE, CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THAT CRITICAL FUNDING.
ALONG WITH THAT ANNOUNCEMENT, THE DOE ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD IMPLEMENT A NEW PROCESS, UH, WHERE COALITIONS WILL SEND A LETTER TO THE DOE ANNUALLY TO AFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO THE CLEAN CITIES AND COMMUNITIES MISSION AND THE ACTIVE INEFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS.
[02:05:01]
TO SUBMIT THE FIRST PARTNERSHIP, UH, RENEWAL LETTER, UH, BY DECEMBER 1ST, 2024.AND SO THAT LETTER IS INCLUDED IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET ALONG WITH THE 12 ACTIVE INEFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS.
THE LETTER GOES ON TO LIST THOSE ACTIVE INEFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE COALITION CURRENTLY MEETS, AND WE ALSO ARE LISTING THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE ARE, ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS TO MEET BY THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025.
ONE OF THOSE PENDING REQUIREMENTS IS TO FORMALIZE A GOVERNING BODY FOR THE CLEAN CITY'S COALITION AND STAFF IS PROPOSING THAT THE AIR QUALITY COMMITTEE BE THIS GOVERNING BODY AND THAT WE ADD TO THE COMMITTEE'S CHARGES.
THIS OVERSIGHT ROLE, THE WAY I ENVISION THIS, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, UH, PLAYING OUT IS THAT THE COALITION HAS TO DEVELOP AN ANNUAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN, AND IT'S UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE GRANT YEAR, AS YOU KNOW, AS, AS DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES COME UP AND IT OUTLINES THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED WITH CLEAN CITY'S COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FUNDING FROM THE DOE.
AND SO THE AIR QUALITY COMMITTEE, I PROPOSED TO BE CHARGED WITH APPROVING THESE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANS ANNUALLY AND AS NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND, UH, AT THIS TIME, STAFF DOES NOT FORESEE ANY HURDLES TO MEETING THOSE ACTIVE INEFFECTIVE REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY, UH, IN PROGRESS.
AND WE WILL MEET THOSE BY THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025.
SO, I, I ASK FOR YOUR, UM, YOUR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT THAT, UM, PARTNERSHIP RENEWAL LETTER AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT ENTAILS THE, UM, CHARGE TO THE AIR QUALITY COMMITTEE AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
MAYOR REILLY SECOND JUDGE EVANS.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION THEN? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SEND THE LETTER THAT WE'RE FULLY COMPLIANT WITH THE CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS FOR DOE, UH, FOR THE ALAMO AREA CLEAN CITIES COALITION.
FEELS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN A SPRINT ALMOST THERE.
[27. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to submit a response to the Request for Applications (RFA) posted by the Texas Veterans Commission for Rides for Texas Heroes grant year 2025-2026 in an amount not to exceed $400,000, and to accept funding if awarded. This item does require a budget amendment. - Julie Gudgel]
27.CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS POSTED BY THE TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION FOR RIDES FOR TEXAS HEROES GRANT 2025.
2026 FOUND NOT TO EXCEED $400,000 AND TO ACCEPT FUNDING IF AWARDED.
THIS ITEM DOES NOT REQUIRE BUDGET AMENDMENT MS. SCHEDULE.
WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M JULIE GDL, YOUR VETERANS PROGRAM MANAGER.
AND SINCE 2018, OUR RISES FOR TEXAS HERO GRANT HAS PROVIDED OUR NUMBER ONE REQUESTED ITEMS AND OUR ALAMO VETERANS NETWORK AND THAT'S RIDES.
70% OF OUR CALLS ARE FOR THESE RIDES.
WE PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS, INCLUDING MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION, GROCERY SHOPPING, ADULT DAYCARE, AND OTHER NECESSARY TRAVEL WITH AN ACOG SERVICE AREA.
ACCESSIBLE VETERAN TRANSPORTATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING INDEPENDENCE AND HEALTH.
NOT HAVING THE ABILITY TO DRIVE, WHETHER IT'S FOR AFFORDABILITY OR AGE IS FRUSTRATING.
AND OUR ABILITY TO GIVE THEM THIS RIDE HELPS RELIEVE THE BURDEN NOT ONLY ON THE VETERAN BUT THEIR FAMILY AS WELL.
THE MILITARY VETERAN AFFAIRS PROGRAM REQUEST PERMISSION TO APPLY FOR THE RFA 25 26 UNDER THE TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION FUND FOR VETERANS ASSISTANCE GRANT OF $400,000.
IF AWARDED, PLEASE ALLOW OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ACCEPT THE FUNDING.
THIS WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE 2025 ACOG BUDGET.
ANY QUESTIONS? IS THERE A MOTION? MR. GILLESPIE? SECOND.
OKAY, WE'VE GOT A MOTION A SECOND.
AND THIS IS TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR THE RIGHTS FOR TEXAS HEROES GRANT, UH, ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AND THANK YOU FOR BEING PERKY AT THIS HOUR.
THIS IS MY FIRST AFTERNOON MEETING, UM,
[28. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Regional Emergency Preparedness Advisory Committee (REPAC) to approve bylaw revisions. This item will not require a budget amendment. - Justin Monarez]
COMMITTEE REPORT ON 28.CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE REGIONAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO APPROVE BYLAWS REVISIONS.
THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
MY NAME IS JUSTIN MONEZ, HOMELAND SECURITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING COORDINATOR.
BYLAWS WERE PRESENTED TO THE REPACK OVER FOUR MONTH THAT EACH MEMBER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THROUGH THE CURRENT BYLAW, PROVIDE FEEDBACK AFTER DISCUSSION AND ACTION.
THE UPDATES WERE APPROVED, THE AUGUST 21ST MEETING.
THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGES ARE ON PAGE FOUR AND FIVE, MAKING IT ADMINISTRATIVELY EASY FOR
[02:10:01]
STAFF, EASIER FOR STAFF, AND REPACK TO GATHER NOMINATIONS FOR APPROVAL.ON PAGE SIX, CHANGING THE TERM LIMITS TO MEMBER TERMS BEING AT THE DISCRETION OF NOMINATING OFFICIAL ON PAGE EIGHT, CHANGING 40% TO 50% PLUS ONE.
AND ON PAGE 10, CLARIFYING EMPLOYMENT OF VENDOR AS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
WE SEE THE ATTACHED BYLAWS FOR THE STRIKETHROUGH VERSION AND ALL RECOMME PROVISIONS, INCLUDING SLIGHT WORDING CHANGES.
QUESTIONS AT THAT? ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS ONE? UM, 4.1 0.10, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT A COORDINATE A LETTER TO PRESIDENT COUNTY DISTRICT REQUEST NOMINATION TO THE COMMITTEE.
IS THERE SOMEBODY SERVING ON THAT ALREADY OR DO YOU KNOW? I DON'T HAVE THE LIST REALLY AT THIS TIME, BUT, UH, WE HAVE A VERY LIMITED VACANCIES.
I THINK WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE.
I'LL, I'LL CHECK WITH THE PERSON.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION? OKAY.
THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, APPROVING THE REVISED, UH, BY BYLAWS, BYLAW REVISIONS, UH, SAY AYE.
A MOTION OPPOSED? PARDON? WHO WAS, WAS THERE A MOTION? YEAH.
WHO'S ALL GOT, DO WE HAVE A MOTION A SECOND? I DON'T, NO.
ANY QUESTION? JUDGE KRAUS HAS GOT THE MOTION.
JUDGE JONES, WE GOT A MOTION TO SECOND TO APPROVE THE REVISIONS TO THE BYLAWS FOR REPACK.
ANY DISCUSSION? THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
[29. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at the Norris Conference Center.]
WILL BE THE DECEMBER MEETING.