Mar 26, 2025 Board of Directors Meeting

[2. 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.]

[00:00:06]

UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.

GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26TH, 2025 AT 10:00 AM.

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, AND AS WE CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER, WE WILL, UM, BEGIN, UH, ASK FOR SUSIE FOR ROLL CALL, PLEASE.

GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.

MORNING, MAYOR DENNIS.

HERE, JUDGE S COMMISSIONER JUDGE CAMACHO.

HERE, COMMISSIONER CARPENTER, CLAY FLO.

MARK SPRINGPORT COMMISSION.

CLAY FLORES.

JUDGE CO IS EXCUSED HIS ARGUMENTS HERE.

COME MOVE.

JUDGE CO IS OUT, BUT I'M, I'M HERE.

HIS, THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR COOCH.

MAYOR DODGE, KATE CLE FOR MAYOR DODGER.

GOOD TO SEE YOU, MAYOR.

YOU'RE DOING WELL.

I'M, IT'S GOOD.

I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS.

OH, SURE.

GARCIA.

COUNCILMAN LAIKA STANDS FOR COUNCILMAN GTO.

MR. HAS HERE ALL NICE.

FROM YOUR HEARING JUDGE.

HERE, JUDGE KELLY? HERE.

JUDGE.

K.

MS. LEWIS.

HERE.

JUDGE LUS IS EXCUSED.

SENATOR MENENDEZ.

COMMISSIONER MOOD? HERE.

COUNCILMAN S SARAH RILEY.

HERE.

MARY KROGER.

COUNCILMAN BRADLEY? HERE.

JUDGE S MAYOR SUAREZ.

JUDGE TEAL.

HERE.

MR. VALDIVIA? MR. VASQUEZ? HERE.

JUDGE WHITMAN? HERE.

MS. DELE? HERE.

REPRESENTATIVE DI HOFFMAN.

HERE WE, THIS AND SUSIE, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, CALVERT HAS JOINED US.

I KNOW WHEN YOU CALLED HIS NAME, HE WASN'T HERE, BUT HE'S HERE.

THE CIRCLE COMMISSIONER.

YES.

SHE, SHE, SHE CALLED.

THANK YOU.

DON'T TAKE THE LETTER.

OH, SO WE DO HAVE A QUORUM? YES, MA'AM.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND IF YOU'LL JOIN ME IN, UH, THE, THE, UH, PLEDGE UNITED STATES AND TEXAS PLEDGE FOR I PLEDGE.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

AMERICA.

AND TO REPUBLIC FOR STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY.

LIBERTY FOR ALL HONOR.

TEXAS.

TEXAS.

ONE STATE UNDER GOD.

ONE INDIVIDUAL ITEM ITEM FIVE OF PUBLIC COMMENTS.

REALTORS, UH, THIS IS TIME FOR ANYONE TO COMMENT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON ISSUES OR ITEMS OF CONCERN.

THERE WILL BE, WILL BE NO BOARD OF DIRECTORS DELIBERATION OR ACTION ON THESE COMMENTS? TIME ALLOWED IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR.

UH, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO PUBLIC COMMENTS.

CHAIR.

THANK YOU.

UH, MS. CAMPOS.

ITEM SIX.

DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

ANY ME MEMBERS? UH, NEEDING TO DO SO? SEEING THERE ARE NONE, WE WILL MOVE TO,

[7. Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape Program overview/ update - Daniel Oppenheimer]

OUR FIRST ONE IS CAMP BULL SENTIN SENTINEL LANDSCAPE PROGRAM.

OVERRULE AND UPDATE WITH MY VERY GOOD FRIEND, UH, MR. DANIEL APPETIZER.

HI DANIEL.

MORNING EVERYBODY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME OKAY? I'M NOT GONNA TOUCH THAT AGAIN.

.

UM, GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS DANIEL OPPENHEIMER.

I'M THE LAND PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT A NONPROFIT CALLED THE HILL COUNTRY ALLIANCE, WHERE I ALSO WEAR A SECOND HAT AS COORDINATOR OF THE CAMP BULLIS SENTINEL LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP.

TODAY, I'M HERE TO DO TWO THINGS.

I'M GONNA TRY TO DO SO IN A VERY TIMELY FASHION SO THAT Y'ALL EITHER HAVE TIME TO ASK QUESTIONS OR TO GET ON WITH WHAT I ASSUME IS A ROBUST AGENDA.

TWO THINGS.

THE FIRST IS I JUST WANT TO GIVE Y'ALL A QUICK HIGH LEVEL UPDATE ON THE WORK OF THIS PARTNERSHIP.

THE GENESIS OF THIS PARTNERSHIP FOR THOSE WHO WEREN'T HERE IN 2020 IS RIGHT HERE.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA BRING THIS THING BACK TO ITS ROOTS.

THE SECOND THING I WANT TO DO IS TO JUST THANK ACOG FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP IN THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.

SO THE CAMP BULLIS SENTINEL LANDSCAPE IS A LOCALLY LED AND NON-REGULATORY

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HOW DO WE DO THAT? WELL, WE AS A PARTNERSHIP WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES VOLUNTEERING LANDOWNERS TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND USES THAT MITIGATE ENCROACHMENT AND REDUCE THREATS LIKE DROUGHT, WILDFIRE AND FLASH FLOODING.

AND IF YOU CAN LOOK UP ON THE MAP, YOU SEE OUR PROJECT AREA DELINEATED IN PURPLE.

UM, WE CREATED THIS, UH, BACK IN 2020 AFTER LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM FLIGHT TRAINING ROUTES TO MISSION SENSITIVE SPECIES.

AND, UM, ULTIMATELY IT'S SQUIGGLY BECAUSE WE USE HYDROLOGIC UNITS.

YOU CAN SEE CAMP BULLIS ANCHORED IN THE MIDDLE.

UM, SO WE'RE WORKING ACROSS NUMEROUS COUNTIES, UH, TOWARDS THESE GOALS TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND USES AND MITIGATE ENCROACHMENT.

THERE WE GO.

UM, SO BECAUSE OUR WORK IS NON-REGULATORY IN NATURE AND SUPPORTS A VARIETY OF VALUES AND INTERESTS FROM MILITARY READINESS AND NATIONAL DEFENSE TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY AND NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ASSEMBLE A REMARKABLE COALITION OF 58 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL, STATE, FEDERAL, NONPROFIT, UNIVERSITIES, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, ALL WORKING TOWARDS SHARED GOALS.

OUR PARTNERSHIP MEETS QUARTERLY TO MAKE HIGH LEVEL DECISIONS, AND THEN WE DEFER TO SIX TECHNICAL COMMITTEES TO MAKE PROJECT AND PROGRAM LEVEL DECISIONS.

AND THOSE TECHNICAL COMMITTEES WORK ON ISSUES RANGING FROM WATERSHED PROTECTION TO NIGHT SKIES PRESERVATION.

RIGHT.

SO WHILE MUCH OF OUR WORK FOCUSES ON CONNECTING PRIVATE LANDOWNER WITH TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES, SUPPORTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WITH COMPATIBLE LAND USES REMAINS AN IMPORTANT THREAD.

AND THAT STARTS HERE AT ACOG.

I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY WITHOUT ACOG'S VISION AND AMBITION TO SECURE THE FIRST EVER SENTINEL LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP STATUS IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS.

UH, BACK IN 2023 WHEN WE WERE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, WE WERE ONLY ONE OF 10.

AND AGAIN, STILL THE FIRST IN TEXAS.

NOW THERE ARE 18 OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, AND ACOG CONTINUES TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP ROLE, CHAIRING OUR CAMP SENTINEL LANDSCAPE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS PARTICIPATING IN OUR PLANNING TEAM, WHICH SPEARHEADED THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR FIRST EVER IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

UH, EVERYONE ON THE HORSESHOE, IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL IT? I DUNNO.

I'M GONNA CALL IT HORSESHOE.

UH, SHOULD HAVE, UH, THE SUMMARY OF THAT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IN FRONT OF YOU.

UH, I'VE GOT A FEW EXTRA COPIES, UH, RIGHT HERE.

UH, IF YOU DIDN'T GET ONE, I WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO PROVIDE, NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE, BUT JUST A FEW CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF HOW THIS PARTNERSHIP IS COLLABORATING WITH AND SUPPORTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, UH, IN THE HOPES THAT THIS CAN SPARK NEW IDEAS AND CONVERSATIONS IN THE COMING MONTHS AND YEARS.

UH, AGAIN, JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES.

WE'VE WORKED WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S EDWARDS AQUIFER PROTECTION PROGRAM TO SECURE $5 MILLION FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO PROTECT AREAS THAT NOT ONLY PROTECT THE EDWARDS AQUIFER RECHARGE AREA, BUT ALSO MITIGATE ENCROACHMENT AROUND CAMP BULLIS.

WE'VE WORKED WITH LOCAL GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS TO SECURE ABOUT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION TO CONDUCT A GROUNDWATER STUDY ACROSS THAT ENTIRE PROJECT AREA OF NEARLY 1 MILLION ACRES, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND NOT ONLY THE EDWARDS AQUIFER, BUT THE LOWER THE MIDDLE AND THE UPPER TRINITY, AND HOW ALL THESE AQUIFERS ARE FITTING TOGETHER SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE THESE AQUIFERS RECHARGING, WHERE ARE THEY DEPLETING? WHAT'S THE DIRECTIONAL FLOW OF EACH OF THESE AQUIFERS AND HOW DO THEY FIT TOGETHER? AND WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE, WE CAN BETTER INFORM HOW WE PROTECT THIS WATER, WHICH IS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT FOR URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES, BUT FOR JOINT BASED SAN ANTONIO AS WELL.

UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH KENDALL COUNTY, UH, THE PEOPLE OF KENDALL COUNTY.

A COUPLE YEARS AGO PASSED PROP A, UH, $20 MILLION FOR, UH, LAND PROTECTION CONSERVATION EASEMENTS.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO HOST LANDOWNER WORKSHOPS, UH, AND CONDUCT OUTREACH TO CONNECT PRIVATE LANDOWNERS WITH THAT FUNDING.

AND NOW THE PARTNERSHIP IS EXPLORING A NEW IDEA, SEEKING TO ESTABLISH A SPECIAL DISTRICT THAT MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE FOR STATE APPROPRIATIONS.

A A FEW PARTNERS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT ACOG COULD PLAY A ROLE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THIS DISTRICT, BUT THIS REMAINS AN INCREDIBLY PRELIMINARY CONCEPT WITH FAR MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS.

[00:10:01]

IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT TO ME OR MR. WILL MCKNIGHT WILL IS IN THE BACK SHAKING HIS OR RAISING HIS HAND.

UM, ALRIGHT, ONE MORE SLIDE, JOEL.

SO AGAIN, WE RECEIVED OUR RECOGNITION AS THE FIRST SENTINEL LANDSCAPE IN TEXAS BACK IN FEBRUARY OF 2022, WHICH MEANS WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS OFFICIALLY.

AND IN THAT TIME, WE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.

WE HAVE BUILT A ROBUST COALITION, AGAIN OF 58 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS.

WE'VE GOT EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE TO HELP US COORDINATE AND SYNCHRONIZE TOWARDS SHARED GOALS.

WE HAVE SECURED FUNDING.

WE'VE SECURED OVER $15 MILLION THAT'S NOT INCURRING, INCLUDING LOCAL MATCH.

WE HAVE SECURED OVER $15 MILLION PREDOMINANTLY FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO SUPPORT COMPATIBLE LAND USES.

AND IN THE PREVIOUS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, ACOG THIS, THAT THE CREDIT GOES TO A ACOG SPEARHEADED, UH, AN EFFORT TO WORK WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO GET TWO RESOLUTIONS PASSED THAT RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PARTNERSHIP'S WORK TO THE STATE'S ECONOMY, TO MILITARY READINESS AND NATIONAL DEFENSE, TO AGRICULTURE INTO NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION.

AND THEN MOST RECENTLY, IN NOVEMBER, IN THIS VERY ROOM, THE PARTNERSHIP APPROVED OUR FIRST EVER IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO GUIDE THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OF COLLABORATIVE WORK.

SO WANTED TO KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR LEADERSHIP IN SUPPORT.

IF THERE'S TIME FOR QUESTIONS, WOULD LOVE TO TRY TO ANSWER THEM.

IF NOT, UH, LEFT A FEW CARDS AND A FEW OF THESE FLYERS HERE.

UM, AND AGAIN, JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS.

WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH DANIEL FOR THE PRESENTATION.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

THIS, TO ME IS SUCH A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE POWER AND THE STRENGTH OF ACOG.

THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PROJECT AND HOW YOU'VE COME SO FAR IN SUCH A SHORT TIME IS REALLY INCREDIBLE.

AND BRIAN, I JUST WANNA HEAR FROM YOU AS TO HOW IMPORTANT THIS PROJECT IS.

THANK YOU.

BEAT ME TO IT.

YEAH, I'D LOVE TO MAKE A COMMENT, UH, ABOUT THIS MADAME CHAIR.

THANK YOU.

UH, I, I CANNOT OVEREMPHASIZE THE POSITIVE IMPACT THIS HAS HAD ON MILITARY OPERATIONS AT CAMP OLAS.

IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST ASTOUNDING WHAT WE'VE DONE IN SUCH A SHORT TIME.

IT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF VOICE MY APPRECIATION FOR DANIEL AND HIS LEADERSHIP, UH, WITH THIS PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE, UH, IT, IT'S REALLY HE THAT WE OWE A LOT OF SUCCESS THIS PROGRAM TOO.

SO THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE IT, MA'AM.

THANK YOU.

AND JUDGE, WE WANNA THANK KENDALL COUNTY TOO, FOR THEIR PART.

UH, IS IT KENDALL COUNTY, RIGHT? I'M KERR KERR.

WHO'S KENDALL COUNTY? IS KENDALL COUNTY HERE? I DON'T, NO.

NO.

OKAY.

MY BAD.

I'M TRYING TO LEARN ALL THE COUNTIES AND THE JUDGES .

GOTCHA.

BUT YES, SIR.

OH, YES.

THANK YOU, GRANT.

I'LL ADD HERE.

I APPRECIATE DANIEL AND HIS PARTNERSHIP AND CAMP BULLIS, UM, AND JBSA.

SO DANIEL HELPED US PULL TOGETHER A GROUP, YOU KNOW, AND, AND JUST THINKING ABOUT TANGIBLE RESULTS HERE.

BEAR COUNTY, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO PARKS AND REC EDWARDS TALK FOR PROTECTION PROGRAM, GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN A ROOM TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES HERE THAT, THAT WE'RE VERY, UH, EXCITED ABOUT.

I KNOW THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S, UH, VERY EXCITED ABOUT TOO.

BUT, UH, DANIEL WAS AT THE, THE CENTERPIECE OF, OF PULLING ALL THAT TOGETHER AND REALLY APPRECIATE HIM, HIM WORKING WITH US ON THAT AND MAKING IT HAPPEN.

AND BRIAN AS WELL.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE YOU AN APPLAUSE.

I AGREE.

THANK YOU AGAIN VERY MUCH.

WHICH ALSO SPEAKS TO, UH, THE MILITARY CITY USA THAT WE ARE.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMING.

THANK Y'ALL.

ANYONE ELSE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT.

AGAIN, THANK YOU DANIEL.

THANK YOU.

[8. Executive Director’s Monthly Report - Cliff Herberg A. Upcoming Events: B. Staffing Updates: C. Program Status and Operational Updates: D. Organizational and General Administration Updates:]

MR. HERBERT, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.

I AM GLAD TO REPORT THAT I'M FINALLY OFF CRUTCHES AFTER TWO MONTHS, SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HOBBLING AROUND, BUT MAKING PROGRESS.

UM, ALRIGHT, SO I HAVE A VERY BRIEF, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT AND BEFORE I GET INTO THAT, I WANNA REMIND YOU ABOUT THE FLYER THAT'S ON YOUR DESK AND IT'S IN YOUR PACKET AND IT SHOULD BE EMAILED TO YOU LATER TODAY SO THAT YOU CAN FORWARD IT TO ANYBODY THAT WILL BE INTERESTED.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF EVENTS ON THERE, UH, FOR MARCH AND APRIL.

AND, UM, PLEASE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU EVER WANT US TO PROMOTE, WE'LL BE GLAD TO PUT THIS ON THERE.

SO PLEASE REACH OUT TO CRYSTAL IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING, UH, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO PUT ON THE FLYER FOR YOU AS WELL.

AND SO WITH THAT, I'LL BEGIN MY, UH, REPORT, UH, ON STAFFING UPDATES.

THE SENIOR MEDICAID PATROL AWARDED A CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT EARLIER THIS MONTH TO RECOGNIZE ACOG'S BENEFITS COUNSELING TEAM FOR

[00:15:01]

THE REVIEW, I'M PLEASED TO REPORT, FOUND NO COMPLIANCE ISSUES.

I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK OUR TEAM FOR THIS CLEAN AND SUCCESSFUL AUDIT.

UH, HEATHER ARMSTRONG ALAMO MANAGING LOCAL OMBUDSMAN LED A 30 MINUTE TRAIN THE TRAINER SESSION FOR OVER 90 LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN, INCLUDING STATE OFFICE STAFF, LOCAL STAFF, AND CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER OMBUDSMAN VOLUNTEERS.

THE SESSION COVERED, RECOGNIZING REPORTING, PREVENTING ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND EX AND EXPLOITATION.

AND ON THIS ONE, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ELABORATE.

I ALWAYS LIKE TO BRING THESE TO YOUR ATTENTION WHEN WE HAVE STATE OFFICE STAFF OR STATE OFFICE PEOPLE HERE.

UH, AND AS YOU'LL REMEMBER, LAST MONTH I MENTIONED THAT THE T COLE STAFF CAME TO ACOG TO LOOK AT OUR POLICE ACADEMY.

AND SO THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHERE OUR PROGRAMS ARE LEADING THE STATE AND THE WAY THEY'RE RUNNING, SERVING AS MODELS, UH, FOR THE WHOLE STATE.

AND SO VERY PROUD TO RECOGNIZE THE TEAMS THAT ARE RUNNING THOSE PROGRAMS AND MAKING THEM SUCH A SUCCESS.

UH, IN ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT.

WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS THERE.

ART LAUNCHED THE KENNEDY CONNECT ROUTE IN KASS COUNTY ON MARCH THE THIRD.

AND THE TEAM HAS RECENTLY PRESENTED TO THE CARNES COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND KARNS CITY COUNCIL A PLAN TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR FIXED ROUTE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY IN NATURAL RESOURCES.

THE NATURAL RESOURCES TEAM IS COLLECTING DATA FROM FOR THE CLEAN CITY'S ANNUAL REPORT.

UM, AND I'VE MENTIONED THIS LAST MONTH AND I WANNA BRING IT UP, UH, JUST TO REMIND YOU THAT IF YOU HAVE DEPLOYED ANY NEW ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES IN 2024, SUCH AS PROPANE, NATURAL GAS, RENEWABLE FUEL, OR ELECTRIC, WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.

THIS INFORMATION THAT WILL BE COLLECTED AND USED TO ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF POLLUTION THAT'S REDUCED IN OUR REGION.

AND FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE OR ANY INFORMATION YOU WANNA PROVIDE, PLEASE CONTACT LYLE HUFFSTETLER AND HIS EMAIL, UM, IS OF COURSE LYLE HUFFSTETLER@ACOG.GOV.

AND FINALLY, UH, AND I BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION MAINLY BECAUSE, UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES, I DON'T WANNA SAY ISSUES, BUT STRUGGLES WITH KEEPING THE POLICE ACADEMY STAFFED AS FAR AS OUR OR OR FULLY OCCUPIED WITH OUR CLASSES AND THE AVAILABILITY OF SLOTS.

UH, LAST CLASS, WE WERE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE 35 CADETS GO THROUGH, UM, THIS CLASS.

AND, AND SO LET ME READ INTO IT HERE.

BUT OUR 2025 BRAVO CLASS, UH, HAS PARTICIPATED IN ORIENTATION ON MARCH THE 24TH.

AND THUS FAR WE HAVE 24 CADETS.

SO WE HAVE THIS EBB AND FLOWING.

35 IS GREAT, 25, 24 IS TOUGH.

AND SO IF YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT, UH, OR ANY OF YOUR DEPARTMENTS OR ANY OF YOUR, UH, COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER REGIONS OR COMMUNITIES, UH, HAVE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL OFFICERS, PLEASE SEND THEM TO OUR ACADEMY.

THERE ARE STILL TIME FOR THEM TO GET IN THEIR CLASS AND THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES BEGINS APRIL THE 21ST.

AND SO WITH THAT, THAT COMPLETES MY REPORT.

BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.

YES, I A LITTLE COMPLIMENT TO YOUR AG YOUR AGE DEPARTMENT, WOULD THAT AUDIT? ANY TYPE OF AUDIT LIKE THAT WITHOUT HUMAN SERVICES IS VERY INTENSE AND THOROUGH.

YES.

SO HUGE, HUGE COMPLIMENT TO THE STAFF THAT MADE THAT HAPPEN.

THANK YOU YOU VERY MUCH TODAY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERONICA.

THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE? WELL, THANK YOU, UM, MR. HERBERT FOR YOUR REPORT.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

[9. 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.]

AND CERTAINLY IF ANY MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO PULL ANY ITEM FROM, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE UH, SAY SO AT THIS TIME, ANYONE WANTING TO REMOVE ANY ITEM FROM CONSENT AGENDA OR FURTHER DISCUSSION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO AT THIS TIME.

HEARING NONE, IS THERE A MOTION FOR, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA? SO MOVE BY, UH, MAYOR BRILEY.

SECOND.

SECOND BY JUDGE TILL ANY DISCUSSION? I HAVE THE VOTE PLEASE.

ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? WITH NAY, THE MOTION DOES CARRY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MOVING

[10. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply and accept funding for the five year Regional Coordinated Transportation Plan in the approximate amount of $250,000 from the Texas Department of Transportation. This item will require a budget amendment. - Duane Evans]

CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY AND THAT FUNDING FOR THE FIVE YEAR REGIONAL COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $250,000 FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

UH, MR. EVANS, GOOD MORNING CHAIRMAN AND MEMBER OF THE BOARD.

MY NAME IS DWAYNE EVANS.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION FOR ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS.

THE END OF

[00:20:01]

THE PURPOSE OF THESE PLANS WERE TO ELIMINATE WASTE IN PUBLIC TRANSIT, GENERATE EFFICIENCIES TO INCREASE SERVICE AND REDUCE AIR POLLUTION.

IN 2015, THIS LEG LEGISLATION WAS UPDATED AND INCLUDING A PLAN, UM, WAS NEEDED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE SPECIFIC FUNDS FROM FTA, THE CURRENT ALAMO AREA TRANSIT PLAN, HUMAN SERVICES COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION PLAN WAS APPROVED IN FEBRUARY, 2021 AND DEVELOPED WITH THE ASSISTANT OF A CONSULTANT.

THE FUNDS WILL BE USED TO UPDATE THE CURRENT FIVE YEAR PLAN.

THE FUNDS AWARDED WILL BECOME AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2025.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE.

I THANK YOU MR. EVANS.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? BOARD MS. ITEM, IS THERE A MOTION PLEASE? MOTION TO APPROVE MR. AND JUDGE CAMACHO.

ALRIGHT, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS? UH, ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE A.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? WITH NAY? THE MOTION DOES CARRY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR.

[11. Consider and act upon the recommendation to ratify the application and authorize the Executive Director to accept funding for the Charging Smart program in the approximate amount of $50,000 from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). This item will require a budget amendment. - Lyle Hufstetler]

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

MR. LYLE, GOOD MORNING CHAIR DENNIS AND BOARD MEMBERS.

I'M LYLE HUFFSTETLER, YOUR VERY CONGESTED NATURAL RESOURCES PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR.

UH, SO WHILE THIS ITEM, UH, DOES NOT MEET THE THRESHOLD FOR BOARD APPROVAL AS IT'S GONNA FALL JUST UNDER THE $50,000 THRESHOLD, I DO WANT TO STILL BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION TO HELP GENERATE INTEREST AND, UM, HOPEFULLY GET SOME ADDITIONAL LETTERS OF COMMITMENT, WHICH WILL MAKE SENSE IN A LITTLE BIT.

SO FIRST, JUST TO ADDRESS THE LANGUAGE ON THE AGENDA, THE APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS MARCH 21ST.

SO THIS SHOULD BE A REQUEST TO RATIFY A PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL TO, UH, IREC THE INTER INTERSTATE RENEWABLE ENERGY COUNCIL.

THE EXACT DOLLAR AMOUNT REQUESTED IN THE PROPOSAL WAS $49,875.

AND THIS IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN WHAT APPEARS IN YOUR, UH, GRANT VETTING EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

AND IT'S BASED ON SOME MODIFIED TRAVEL COSTS TO SUPPORT THE SCOPE OF WORK IN THE PROPOSAL.

UM, IEC EXPECTS TO MAKE AWARDS BETWEEN 40,000 AND $50,000.

UH, IEC OPENED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS IN FEBRUARY, SEEKING UP TO FIVE REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS TO TAKE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECRUITING AND PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO HELP ACHIEVE DESIGNATION UNDER THE CHARGING SMART PROGRAM.

CHARGING SMART IS A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONWIDE ELECTRIC VEHICLE OR EV CHARGING RECOGNITION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

AS A REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT PARTNER, ACOG WOULD RECRUIT, UH, CITIES AND COUNTIES IN THEIR REGION TO PURSUE A CHARGING SMART DESIGNATION.

AS A COLLECTIVE COHORT, ACOG WILL GUIDE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, UH, WITH CUTTING CONSULTATION WITH IEC, UH, TO, UH, ASSIST IN SETTING AND ACHIEVING EV READINESS GOALS, STREAMLINING REGULATORY PRACTICES, AND FACILITATING THE ADOPTION JUST IN GENERAL OF EVS AND CHARGING STATIONS.

UH, SEVERAL CITIES IN OUR REGION OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE INDICATED INTEREST IN INSTALLING EV CHARGERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

IN ORDER TO INITIATE A FORMAL PARTICIPATION IN CHARGING SMART CITIES AND COUNTIES MUST SIGN AND RETURN A LETTER OF COMMITMENT TO ME TO PURSUE DESIGNATION CHARGING.

SMART PARTICIPANTS EARN POINTS BY COMPLETING CRITERIA THAT ARE DIVIDED INTO SIX CATEGORIES.

THOSE INCLUDE PLANNING, REGULATION, UTILITY ENGAGEMENT, AND, UH, EDUCATION INCENTIVES, GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, AND SHARED MOBILITY.

AND THERE ARE THREE DESIGNATION LEVELS, BRONZE, SILVER, AND GOLD EACH REQUIRING A CERTAIN NUMBER OF POINTS TO ACHIEVE.

UM, I BELIEVE THAT PARTICIPATING IN CHARGING SMART, UM, HELPS SIGNAL THAT YOUR COMMUNITY IS INTERESTED IN EV CHARGING AND HAS MADE IT EASIER TO IMPLEMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITIES BY, UH, REDUCING THOSE REGULATORY BURDENS, WHICH ACTUALLY HELPED TO REDUCE THE SOFT COST ASSOCIATED WITH INSTALLING CHARGING.

SO I BELIEVE THAT WOULD, UH, POTENTIALLY BE A SELLING POINT IN A POTENTIAL GRANT PROPOSAL, HYPOTHETICALLY.

AND SO THAT SAID, I DO REQUEST A RATIFICATION OF THIS PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL FOR ACOG TO BE A CHARGING SMART REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT PARTNER AND TO ACCEPT THE FUNDING IF AWARDED.

AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU LOT.

ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD

[00:25:02]

ALL RIGHT.

WE HAVE A MOTION.

SECOND AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE A.

AYE, AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? WITH NAY? THE MOTION DOES.

GARY, THANK I WANNA SAY WHILE YOU'RE THERE, I SAW YOU ON TV THIS WEEK.

I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD IT WAS, THE PROGRAM, BUT HE WAS ON KSAT EXPLAINS, AND I TELL YOU, HE DID A FANTASTIC JOB.

I MEAN, MADE ME FEEL REALLY PROUD.

I HAD A LOT OF FUN WORKING WITH YEAH, JUSTIN ON THAT.

HE DID IT IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR.

I GUESS THEY KIND OF BROUGHT IT BACK 'CAUSE OF ALL THE, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE HEADING INTO URBAN SEASONS.

SO WE GOT A LOT, A LOT OF POOR QUALITY DAYS.

UM, I JUST, YOU KNOW, WISH I COULD GET MORE PIECE FROM THAT .

OH, WELL YOU CERTAINLY DESERVING OF IT, BUT YOU DID A FANTASTIC JOB.

I WAS VERY PROUD.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OZONE IN A PARTICULAR MATTER THAN I, I WANNA KNOW, BUT IT WAS VERY GOOD.

SO THANK YOU FOR REPRESENTING US.

WELL, THANK YOU, SIR.

I ENJOYED IT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

[12. Consider and act upon the recommendation from the Resource Recovery Committee (RRC) to approve an application for a scrap tire storage facility and authorize the Executive Director to submit a conformance review letter to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This item will not require a budget amendment. - Lyle Hufstetler]

THIS ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

AGAIN, LYLE.

THANK YOU, CHAIR DENNIS.

UM, SO THE TCEQ REQUIRES COMPANIES WHO STORE AT LEAST 500 POUNDS OF SCRAP TIRES ON SITE TO HAVE A PERMIT.

SCRAP TIRES OR TIRE DERIVED FUEL ARE USED TO FUEL CEMENT KILNS DUE TO THEIR HIGH BURNING TEMPERATURE.

AND ADDITIONALLY, USING TIRES FOR FUEL HELPS GET THEM OUTTA LANDFILLS AND HELPS MITIGATE ILLEGAL TIRE DUMPING, WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW IS A HUGE PROBLEM ACROSS OUR REGION AND ACROSS THE STATE.

UH, THIS PARTICULAR CEMENT PLANT FIRST RECEIVED ITS SCRAP TIRE REGISTRATION IN 1996 WITH BOTH KILNS PERMITTED TO BURN SCRAP TIRES FOR FUEL.

IT WAS EMITTED IN 2018 TO INSTALL A DELIVERY SYSTEM TO KILN TWO, AND IT CAPPED THE NUMBER OF TIRES THAT COULD BE STORED ON SITE AND REQUIRED THAT THE BE STORED IN ENCLOSED LOCKABLE CONTAINERS.

THE PERMIT WAS AGAIN AMENDED IN 2024 TO REFLECT A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP FROM MARTIN MARIETTA TO ASHGROVE CEMENT.

THE APPLICATION AT HAND, UH, THIS MORNING IS A SCRAP TIRE, UH, REGISTRATION AMENDMENT TO BE ABLE TO STORE SOME OF THOSE TIRE SCRAPS AND PIECES ON AN OUTDOOR ASPHALT PAD ON SITE LOCATED VERY CLOSE TO THAT CONVEYANCE SYSTEM TO KILL NUMBER TWO.

UM, THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE TOTAL FACILITY TIRE STORAGE, UH, LIMIT.

THEY'RE JUST WANTING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND BE ABLE TO STORE SOME OF THOSE TIRE SCRAPS OUTSIDE IN A, IN A PLACE THAT'S MUCH MORE CONVENIENT TO LOAD IT IN.

UM, WHILE WE ASK TODAY FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF THE PERMIT APPLICATION, IT IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THE ISSUANCE OF THE PERMIT.

ULTIMATELY, THAT RESPONSIBILITY, OF COURSE, FALLS ENTIRELY WITH TCEQ.

THAT SAID, THE RESOURCE RECOVERY COMMITTEE AT ACOG REVIEWED THIS PERMIT APPLICATION ON MARCH 12TH AND HEARD A PRESENTATION FROM THE PLANT OPERATORS AT THIS MEETING.

UH, CONSULTANTS FOR ASHGROVE CEMENT COMPLETED A CONFORMANCE REVIEW THAT ASSESSES COMPLIANCE WITH ACOG'S, UH, REGIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

AND THAT REVIEW IS INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET.

THE PERMIT APPLICATION IS ALSO INCLUDED BASED ON THESE ATTACHMENTS.

ALL THE INFORMATION RECEIVED IN THE PRESENTATION, THE RRC DETERMINED THAT THE PERMIT DOES CONFORM WITH OUR SOLID WASTE PLAN.

AND I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM.

ALL RIGHT.

AGAIN, THANK YOU, SIR.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? I HAVE ONE QUESTION.

YES, LISA? WHAT, WHAT IS, IS THERE ANYTHING ADJACENT TO THE, TO THE PROPERTY? LIKE IF THEY'RE GONNA STORE THESE TIRES OUTSIDE, IS THERE ANYTHING NEARBY? HOW CLOSE IS THE NEAREST? ANYTHING FROM NOT, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S, IT, IT'S A LARGE COMPLEX AND THIS CAD IS KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

OKAY.

IT'S NOT REALLY CLOSE, YOU KNOW, REAL CLOSE TO.

GOT IT.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

BUT FOR APPROVAL.

OKAY.

WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.

AND ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT.

ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? WITH NAY? AND THE MOTION DOES CARRY.

THANK YOU AGAIN, LYLE.

THANK YOU.

AND

[13. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to apply and accept funding for an Economic & Infrastructure Development (EID) grant in the approximate amount of $200,000 from the Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC). This item will require a budget amendment. - Claudia Mora]

CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY AND ACCEPT FUNDING FOR AN ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT GRANT IN THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $200,000 FROM THE SOUTHWEST BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

MS. CLAUDIA MORA.

THANK YOU CHAIR DENNIS AND BOARD MEMBERS.

I'M CLAUDIA MORA, THE REGIONAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR HERE AT ACOG.

THIS AGENDA ITEM FEATURES A FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TO, TO FURTHER THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REVOLVING

[00:30:01]

WE ARE EXPLORING THE CREATION OF AN RLF PROGRAM THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION.

STAFF HAS RESEARCHED E-D-A-R-L-F GUIDELINES AND, UH, PROGRAMS FROM OTHER COGS AROUND THE STATE.

UH, WE'VE SPOKEN WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE, AND AREA BANKS TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR AREA.

TO CREATE AN RLF PROGRAM, WE WOULD APPLY TO EDA FOR FUNDING, AND THAT FUNDING REQUIRES A 40% CASH MATCH.

NOW, THE CASH MATCH PERCENTAGE IS DETERMINED BY THE EDA INVESTMENT RATE FOR PLANNING AWARDS.

OUR CURRENT EDA PARTNERSHIP PLANNING GRANT HAS A MATCH PERCENTAGE OF 40, WHICH IS BASED ON THE AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME OR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED COUNTY IN OUR REGION.

IF WE WERE TO APPLY TO EDA, IT WOULD BE FOR $1 MILLION TO DO THE PROGRAM.

THE ACOG CASH MATCH FOR $1 MILLION IS $400,000.

WE NEED TO IDENTIFY A SOURCE FOR THE CASH MATCH.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE SOUTHWEST BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION RELEASED A NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR ITS ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM, ALSO KNOWN AS EID.

THE SBRC IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATES OF ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, NEW MEXICO, AND TEXAS.

AND THEY ARE TO PROVIDE FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING TO ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AND PERSISTENT POVERTY COMMUNITIES TO CARRY OUT INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

CONGRESS AUTHORIZED A COMMISSION IN THE 2008 FOOD CONSERVATION AND ENERGY ACT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE FARM BILL.

THE GOALS OF EID FUNDING INCLUDE INVESTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND SUPPORT SERVICES, ACCESS AND OUTCOMES, STRENGTHEN WORKFORCE CAPACITY, FOSTER ENTREPRENEURIAL AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, AND PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION PRESERVATION AND ACCESS INFORMATION ON THE EID GRANT PROGRAM HAS BEEN PRESENTED AND SENT TO OUR MEMBER GOVERNMENTS IN THE SEVEN COUNTIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING.

AND THOSE ELIGIBLE COUNTIES INCLUDE ATASCOSA, BANDERA, BEAR RE S KERR, AND MEDINA COUNTIES.

AMONG THE ELIGIBLE USES OF THE EID GRANTS IS AS MATCHING FUNDS FOR FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS.

IF THE E-I-D-E-I-D, EXCUSE ME, AND FEDERAL GRANT DO NOT EXCEED 80% OF THE PROJECT COST, OUR INTENTION IS TO REQUEST A PORTION OF THE REQUIRED E-D-A-R-L-F CASH MATCH FROM SBRC AND THAT WOULD BE A REQUEST FOR $200,000.

OUR PROPOSED EID PROJECT MEETS THE FUNDING GOAL OF FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURIAL AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS THE GOALS OF THE SBRC 2025 STRATEGIC PLAN OF ADDRESSING BARRIERS TO GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY AND MAXIMIZE INVESTMENT EFFICIENCY AND IMPACT.

THERE IS A NEED TO MOVE QUICKLY ON THE S-B-R-C-E-I-D GRANT AS THE PRE-APPLICATION DEADLINE IS APRIL 4TH.

IN ANTICIPATION OF APPLYING TO EDA FOR THE RLF PROGRAM FUNDING, WE WANT TO APPLY FOR A PORTION OF THE CASH MATCH BY SUBMITTING A PRE-APPLICATION TO SBRC BY APRIL 4TH.

IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE PRE-APPLICATION SCORING, WE WILL BE INVITED ON OR ABOUT APRIL 24TH TO SUBMIT A FINAL APPLICATION BY MAY 12TH.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO THE FY 2025 BUDGET.

STAFF RECOMMENDS THE BOARD AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO APPLY FOR AND ACCEPT FUNDS FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM IN THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $200,000.

AFTER I TAKE A BREATH, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

I THANK YOU MS. MARA.

I HAVE ONE QUESTION, BUT WE'LL HEAR FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FIRST.

YES, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND IS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT THE IDEA OF A REVOLVING LOAN FUND.

WE HAVE BEEN EXPLORING THIS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, AND CLAUDIA'S BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK ON THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING ABOUT A REVOLVING LOAN FUND FOR OUR REGION.

UH, AND OF COURSE WE HAVE NOT COME TO YOU FOR APPROVAL YET.

UH, BUT THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY AROSE ON VERY SHORT NOTICE, AND AS CLAUDIA HAS PRESENTED, THIS WOULD BE SEED MONEY FOR THAT FUND IF THE BOARD WERE TO APPROVE IT.

AND SO, UM, WHEN WE GET, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WITHOUT YOU KNOWING ABOUT IT.

AND SO I WANT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT, BUT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING UP THIS IDEA OF, OF A REVOLVING LOAN FUND TO SERVE OUR SMALLER AND RURAL COMMUNITIES, SMALLER

[00:35:01]

AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT.

BUT LIKE I SAID, THIS IS PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF THAT SEED MONEY THAT MATCH THAT WE NEED.

AND SO WE WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION.

AND IF WE WERE, UM, APPROVED FOR THIS LOAN, OR I'M PARDON, APPROVED FOR THIS GRANT, THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY, I THINK IN SOLIDIFYING OUR APPLICATION TO EDA ABOUT THE, UH, THE, UH, VIABILITY OF OUR REVOLVING LOAN FUND.

SO THAT'S THE GOAL.

BEFORE WE WERE TO ENTER AND PUT YOU IN THE BANKING BUSINESS, WE WOULD BE SURE AND LET YOU KNOW ABOUT IT BEFOREHAND AND GET YOUR APPROVAL AND DO A FULL PRESENTATION ON EXACTLY HOW THAT WOULD BE MANAGED.

BUT, UH, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THE THOUGHT PROCESS ON HOW WE'RE APPLYING FOR THIS AND, AND WHY WE'RE DOING IT THIS STAGE BECAUSE OF SUCH A SHORT TURNAROUND BY THE SOUTHWEST BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION.

AND BY THE WAY, IF THOSE OF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THE SOUTHWEST BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S FAIRLY NEW.

IT WAS CREATED IN 2018, 2008, 2000, 2008.

WELL, THE, UH, YES, BUT IT WASN'T FUNDED.

IT WASN'T FUNDED UNTIL 2018.

YES.

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING THE, UH, DIRECTOR OF THAT, UH, VIA TELECONFERENCE A FEW MONTHS BACK.

IT WAS CREATED IN 2008, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY FUNDING IN TWO TH UNTIL 2018.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

AND SO THEY'RE JUST NOW REALLY GETTING ROLLING.

UH, SO, UH, THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THEIR FIRST PROJECTS AS WELL.

SO ANYWAY, A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFORMATION THERE ON WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO.

UH, THANK YOU.

THE HANDS OF GOVERNMENT WORK VERY SLOWLY.

UM, CON I DID WANNA ASK, HOW DID YOU, I MEAN, NOT YOU, BUT HOW DID THEY COME ABOUT WITH THESE SEVEN COUNTIES IN PARTICULAR THAT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FUNDING? THEY MOVED THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, UH, EACH OF THE COUNTY, UH, DISTRESSED AREAS OF, UH, BASICALLY THE POVERTY, UH, POVERTY LEVEL, UH, UH, UNEMPLOYMENT, UH, THE MEDIAN, UH, HOUSEHOLD INCOME.

AND THEN, UH, VARIOUS CRITERIA THAT WOULD, UH, BE IN THE SURROUND SURROUNDING AREAS LIKE, UH, EDUCATION, EDUCATION, UH, STUDENT, UH, DROPOUT RATES, THAT SORT SORT OF THING.

SO THEY DID A COMPILATION OF A LOT OF THINGS.

THEY PUT IT THROUGH SOME TYPE OF A FORMULA OR LOG.

THEY HAVE TO DETERMINE AND IDENTIFY THOSE STATES.

I MEAN THOSE, THOSE COUNTIES.

AND THAT THERE WERE THREE LEVELS OF IDENTIFICATION, UH, DISTRESSED, UH, TRANSITIONAL.

AND, UM, WHY DID I JUST DRAW A BLANK ON THAT ONE? UM, ANYWAY, UH, THE SEVEN COUNTIES, WE HAD ONE DISTRESSED COUNTY AND THE OTHER SIX WERE CONSIDERED TRANSITIONAL.

AND SO, JUST A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION, A DISTRESSED COUNTY IS ELIGIBLE FOR 80% OF ITS PROJECT FUNDING, WHEREAS A TRANSITIONAL COUNTY IS ELIGIBLE FOR 50% OF ITS PROJECT FUNDING.

THE OTHER, THE OTHER CATEGORY, UH, IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR ANY, UH, FUNDING.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS A POCKET THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED DISTRESSED USING THE SBR C'S CRITERIA AND LOGARITHM, THEN THEY COULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR PROBABLY ABOUT 50% FUNDING.

OKAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

YES, SIR.

IF I MAY ADD TO THAT.

SO WHEN MEETING WITH THIS, UH, THE DIRECTOR OF THE SBRC, UH, THEY COVER COUNTIES THROUGH SEVERAL STATES.

I BELIEVE THEY GO ALL THE WAY, WAY TO CALIFORNIA, BUT IT'S, IT'S A BORDER COUNTIES, PARTICULARLY, UH, SOUTH, SOUTH SOUTHWESTERN COUNTIES RUNNING FROM TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THEY GO ALL THE WAY INTO CALIFORNIA, BUT I BELIEVE THEY, THEY DO, THEY DO 90 SOME ODD 93 COUNTIES, 93 COUNTIES THAT THEY COVER.

SO THERE ARE REGIONAL ORGANIZATION, AND I DO WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR, THIS IS JUST THEIR REQUIREMENTS.

IF WE WERE TO GO FORWARD WITH A REVOLVING LOAN FUND, IT WOULD SERVE THE ENTIRE REGION.

WELL, ALL OF THE 13 COUNTIES, YES.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UH, ANYONE ELSE? QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MOVE APPROVAL.

WITH THAT BEING SAID, I DO KNOW RIO COUNTY IS THE DISTRESS.

YEAH, THAT'S WHAT, YEAH, THAT'S THE ONLY, SO, OKAY, SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND I HEARD A SECOND SOMEWHERE.

UM, SECOND CHAIRMAN HAS, UM, CHAIRMAN HASLAUER.

ALRIGHT.

OR A GRANT.

EITHER ONE.

JUST PICK A ONE.

OKAY.

UH, WELL WITH THAT, UH, ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? UH, THE MOTION DOES CARRY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CLAUDIA.

THAT WAS VERY THANK AND IMPORTANT.

[14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to ratify the Executive Director’s acceptance of funding for the Employment Navigation Pilot in the approximate amount of $85,540 from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). This item will require a budget amendment. - Virginia Charles ]

[00:40:01]

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

AND WE HAVE MS. CHARLES.

GOOD MORNING CHAIR DENNIS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I'M VIRGINIA CHARLES, SENIOR DIRECTOR OVER INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SERVICES IN THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY FOR PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, ACOG PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT SERVICES.

THE IDD SERVICES DEPARTMENT PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT SERVICES THROUGH A PILOT PROGRAM FUNDED THROUGH THE TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION.

MONEY FOLLOWS THE PERSON FUNDING.

THIS AWARD IS FOR AN EMPLOYMENT NAVIGATOR PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL PROVIDE SERVICES TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE RELATED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND APPLICABLE PARTNER AGENCIES SUCH AS TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS.

THIS PILOT PROJECT WILL FURTHER EMPLOYMENT FIRST OBJECTIVES FOR PEOPLE WITH IDD TO PROVIDE TRANSFERABLE SKILLS THAT MAY LEND TO FUTURE INTEGRATED AND COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO ADD AWARD AWARDED FUNDED FUNDING TO THE 2025 BUDGET.

ACOG RECEIVED THE CONTRACT FROM HHSC EARLY MARCH WITH A REQUEST TO FORWARD PROCESS AS FUNDING IS EFFECTIVE UPON CONTRACT EXECUTION.

THEREFORE, DUE TO THE TIMING ISSUE, ACOG WOULD HAVE LESS FUNDING IF CONTRACT EXECUTION WAS DELAYED.

STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL TO RATIFY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDING FROM THE TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION FOR AN EMPLOYMENT NAVIGATOR PILOT PROGRAM IN AN APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF $85,540.

I'LL TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS NOW.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU MS. CHARLES.

UH, ANY QUESTION, COMMENTS? BOARD WITH THAT? IS THERE A MOTION PLEASE? SO MOVED.

DID YOU GET IT? SUZIE? UH, COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

JUDGE COCHO.

UM, ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? WITH NAY? MOTION DOES CARRY.

THANK YOU, MS. CHARLES.

BUT DON'T

[15. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to release a Request for Qualifications and contract with qualified professionals to provide training, evidenced based interventions, and case consultation in an amount not to exceed $109,000 for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders (SUD). This item will require a budget amendment. - Virginia Charles ]

WE HAVE ITEM 15.

CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RELEASE REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND CONTRACT WITH QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS TO PROVIDE TRAINING, EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS AND CASE CONSULTATION IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $109,000 FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.

AGAIN, MS. CHARLES.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING.

ONCE AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 12TH, 2024 DURING THE BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT MEETING, ACOG'S PROPOSAL FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER WAS APPROVED WITH A TOTAL ALLOCATION OF $375,000.

THIS FUNDING IS FOR PROGRAM PROGRAM, UH, THAT COMES FROM THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS AND IS FOR A PROGRAM THAT IS AIMED AT COMBATING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IN THE IDD POPULATION IN BEXAR COUNTY.

THIS INTEGRATED INTENSIVE SERVICE COORDINATION MODEL OF CARE WILL PROVIDE A CONTINUUM OF SUPPORT FOR THE PEOPLE WITH IDD THAT WE SUPPORT AND WE IDENTIFY AS HAVING RISK FACTORS FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER UP TO AND INCLUDING TREATMENT AND RECOVERY OPTIONS THAT HELP SUPPORT THE PERSON THROUGHOUT THEIR RECOVERY JOURNEY.

AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, ACOG SEEKS TO CONTRACT WITH QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS TO ASSIST WITH TRAINING EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING, COUNSELING CASE CONSULTATION, AND LINKAGES TO TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH IDD AT RISK OF OR WHO ARE EXPERIENCED IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.

THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS DOCUMENT WILL BE FINALIZED ONCE THE CONTRACT IS RECEIVED FROM BEXAR COUNTY.

THIS ITEM WILL REQUIRE AN AMENDMENT TO INCLUDE THE AWARDED FUNDS IN THE 2025 BUDGET.

STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RELEASE A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS AND NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT FOR QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 109 THOU.

I'LL ENTERTAIN YOUR QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU AGAIN, MS. CHARLES.

ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? YES, SIR.

UM, CLIFF, CAN YOU, UM, EXPAND ON THIS ANY? WELL, VIRGINIA IS THE EXPERT, SO I WOULD HESITATE TO TAKE HER PLACE, BUT SHE, SHE KNOWS MORE ABOUT IT, BUT IT'S ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS AMONG THE IDD COMMUNITY AS SHE POINTED OUT.

AND OF COURSE ADDRESSING THOSE, BUT I'LL LET HER ELABORATE.

RIGHT.

UM, WE PREVIOUSLY PREVIN, UH, PRESENTED TO THE BOARD A REQUEST TO APPLY FOR THIS PARTICULAR FUNDING THROUGH THE O OPIOIDS SETTLEMENT FUNDS FOR A PROGRAM THAT WOULD TARGET INDIVIDUALS WITH IDD AND THAT MAY HAVE, UM, COMORBID SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND OR WHO ARE AT RISK OF USING SUBSTANCES.

SO THE, THIS PROGRAM IS GEARED TOWARDS HAVING, UM, AN

[00:45:01]

ONE WHERE WE WOULD IDENTIFY RISK FACTORS IN PEOPLE WITH IDD LIVING IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT MAY CAUSE INCREASED STRESS LEVELS, ET CETERA, THAT MAY CAUSE RISK FACTORS TO INCREASE AND THEREFORE THEY MAY USE SUBSTANCES OR THINK ABOUT USING SUBSTANCES.

SO WE WOULD WANT TO HAVE AN EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND ADDRESS THOSE WITH EFFECTIVE, YOU KNOW, EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS.

WE WOULD HAVE A SECOND TIER WHERE IF A PERSON IS CURRENTLY USING, AND THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH IDD THAT, YOU KNOW, USE SUBSTANCES AND WE WOULD WANT TO IDENTIFY THEM AND PROVIDE INTERVENTIONS TO, YOU KNOW, MOTIVATE THEM TO SEEK TREATMENT AND TO REMAIN IN TREATMENT AND TO HAVE LONG-TERM RECOVERY IN PLACE.

AND SO BASICALLY THIS, THIS WILL ALSO PROVIDE, I THINK, A PLETHORA OF DATA THAT WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE TO KNOW WHAT DOES THIS POPULATION, THIS LOOK LIKE WITH, IN TERMS OF IDD AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER.

THE RESEARCH REALLY IS UNCLEAR EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE AT HIGH RISK.

IF I CAN ADD TO THAT, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN THE DA'S OFFICE, THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM.

IF YOU CAN IMAGINE AMONG A VULNERABLE AND SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION OF PEOPLE, UH, WHO ARE EITHER HAVE IDD OR OTHER MENTAL ISSUES, THEY ARE, AS YOU SAID, HIGHLY VULNERABLE TO EVERY DRUG DEALER IN THE WORLD WHO WANTS TO GET THEM INVOLVED IN DRUGS.

AND SO IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM.

AND SO THIS IS A, A NEAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE TO, TO GATHER RESEARCH.

YEAH, I I, I'VE SPENT A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ON, ON THIS, UM, QUITE FRANKLY, A LOT OF TIME ON THIS.

IT'S THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.

UM, AS FAR AS I THINK MOST OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS IN BEXAR COUNTY.