[00:00:04]
SHE'S COMING IN.UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UH, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A HECTIC MORNING, UM, WITH EVERYBODY DRIVING IN FROM, UH, ALL THE DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT I'M CERTAINLY HAPPY AND GLAD THAT EVERYBODY HAS MADE IT SAFELY.
THANKFUL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL RAIN WE'VE HAD THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
IT LOOKS, HAS MY, MY YARD LOOKS REALLY NICE, BUT WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES.
BUT ANYWAY, UH, WELCOME TO THE ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING TODAY, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23RD, 2025 AT 10:00 AM WE WILL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AT THIS TIME, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SCHEDULED OUR PICTURES, WE WILL DO THAT.
WE'RE WAITING FOR JUDGE HECKY TO GET HERE, AND HOPEFULLY HE'LL BE HERE SOON.
AND WHEN HE DOES, WE'LL BREAK AND GO AND TAKE OUR, TAKE OUR PICTURE TOGETHER.
WELL, THE MEETING HAS BEEN CALLED TO ORDER, AND I'M GOING TO GO TO ITEM THREE AND ASK, UH, SUZIE, SHE WILL DO THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR DENNIS, HERE.
JUDGE CAMACHO FOR JUDGE CAMACHO.
MARK FREEBERG FOR ENRIQUE VALDIVIA.
WELL, TO STAY AT THE DOOR WHERE YOU ALL, DO YOU ALL WANNA GO ON AND GET THE PICTURE DONE? YES.
I ALSO FAILED TO RECOGNIZE MAYOR DA LEON AND BRIAN, MR. HOFFMAN, AND THEY'RE BOTH HERE.
AND REPRESENTATIVES ALTERNATE.
WELL, IN THAT CASE, UM, LET'S GO AND DO THE PLEDGE AND THEN WE'LL GO, THEN WE'LL GO.
I PLEDGE TO, TO FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD IN THE VISIBLE WITH JUSTICE OR ALL HONOR FLAG.
I DON'T, IT'S DOWN FOR, AND WE'RE GONNA GO OUTSIDE AND DO OUR, DO OUR, OUR.
SO I TOLD HIM, I SAID, MR. PAT, I HAVE A, AND WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'RE GOING HAVE, THAT'S SHERIFF.
SO ANYWAY, LONG STORY SHORT, I DRIVE UP THERE AND WE HAVE WRATH AS WELL.
SO ANYWAY, MR. TO GO AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AND, OKAY.
SO ANYWAY, LONG STORY SHORT MEETING THOUGH.
THERE'S WHEN I STARTED, AND MR. PAT SAYS, UH, THIS GUY SAYS, COME UP, MR. ZACHARY'S WAITING ON YOU.
AND I GO UPSTAIRS AND THERE'S THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW BALLROOM THAT HE BUILT ON TOP OF THE PORTICO.
HOW ARE YOU? JUST GONNA, YOU MARCUS, WHAT'S UP MAN? GOING ON.
[00:05:01]
DAY.AND THAT'S WHAT I PUT ON THAT LAST, YEAH.
HE MAY NOT, THAT NOT SAYING IT OR HE SAW IT RESPONDED.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT IT'S WHAT MY 4-YEAR-OLD WAKE UP AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE I, I WAKE UP ON THE EDGE OF MY BED.
SHE, SHE END UP LIKE OUT MORE READY TO KICK HER OUT OF INTERFERENCE.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO KICK HER OUT FOR SOME, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO KICK HER OUT FOR, UH, YEAH, SHE'S ALMOST THERE.
SHE ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION FOR MY ROOM, A PRINCESS SET UP, AND I WAS LIKE, OKAY, SHE'S ALREADY GOOD.
THE LAST ONE, WE GOTTA DO IT, IT PRINTS EVERYTHING FOR THAT ONE.
[00:10:33]
AND THESO ENDEAVOR CAN TAKE AS MANY AS YOU WANT.
YOU WEREN'T THE ONLY, I WAS LATE JUST IN TIME THOUGH.
PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE IN THE RAIN S**T.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT KEVIN, SIR, ARE YOU NORMALLY HERE? YES.
OH, I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE BECAUSE SECOND CAN'T GET, WE, WE NEED MORE DAYS ALLOWED.
IT, PLUS I'M ON THE, AND WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE INTO OUR REGULAR MEETING AND MOVE US TO ITEM FIVE, UH, PUBLIC COMMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS AT THIS TIME? YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO PUBLIC.
NO, NO COMMENTS AT THIS TIME FROM THE PUBLIC.
AND MOVING TO ITEM SIX, ARE THERE ANY DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST? SEEING THERE? NONE.
[7. Computer Solutions Security Offerings - Ken Knight, Vice President and General Manager – Netwatch]
TO OUR PRESENTATION.OUR FIRST ONE IS FROM THE COMPUTER SOLUTIONS SECURITY OFFERINGS.
WE'VE GOT MR. KEN WRIGHT AND HIS TEAM VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF NET WATCH.
ALRIGHT, I WILL MAKE THIS QUICK.
UH, CLIFF TOLD ME I GOT TWO MINUTES, MAX
UM, I THINK YOU HAVE A COPY OF 'EM, SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, OUR INFORMATION IS THERE.
I AM, UH, THE VICE PRESIDENT AT COMPUTER SOLUTIONS AND, UH, I RUN NET WATCH, WHICH IS OUR BRAND OF MANAGED SERVICES.
WE'VE BEEN, UH, VERY BLESSED BY HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COUNCIL, UH, STARTING IN 2016.
UH, AND WE'RE STILL CURRENTLY SUPPORTING THE TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY, UH, ITEMS FOR THE COUNCIL.
AND SO, UM, I WANTED TO DO TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, CLIFF YEARS AGO, BACK IN 2016, SAID, HEY, WHATEVER TYPE OF, UH, RATES, UH, THAT WE ARE GETTING, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL THE MEMBERS, UH, OF THE COUNCIL.
AND SO I WANT TO REITERATE SOMETHING THAT'S, GOSH, HOW MANY YEARS IS THAT? NINE YEARS OLD
UM, IF YOU, THE MUNICIPALITY THAT YOU ARE REPRESENTING, UH, IS INTERESTED, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO HINT ON, UH, OR WAS ASKED TO SPEAK AROUND WAS CYBERSECURITY.
UM, AND SO, UM, AS YOU ALL ARE PROBABLY VERY WELL, WELL AWARE, UM, THIS CYBERSECURITY LANDSCAPE, UH, CONTINUES TO CHANGE AND IS EVER CHANGING.
[00:15:01]
UH, AND I WANTED TO JUST PRESENT A, A FEW OPTIONS TO YOU, UH, AS, UH, AN AVAILABLE RESOURCE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT.IF YOUR, UH, MUNICIPALITY IS NOT CURRENTLY, UH, DOESN'T HAVE A CYBERSECURITY INSURANCE POLICY IN PLACE, UH, IT WOULD BE OUR RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU DO IN FACT EXPLORE THAT AND, AND GET ONE, UH, WE DO NOT OFFER THAT.
UH, WE, THAT WOULD BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
HOWEVER, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT OUR ORGANIZATION DOES TO HELP YOU GET COMPLIANT, UH, AND NOT ONLY MEET BUT EXCEED THOSE, UH, THOSE TYPES OF, UH, REQUIREMENTS THAT THE, THE POLICIES ARE, ARE ASKING FOR.
AND SO WITH THAT, I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW OF AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS.
UH, ONE OF THOSE IS A PENETRATION TEST.
UH, WE OFFER THOSE, UH, MOST CUSTOMERS END UP DOING THOSE ANNUALLY.
AND CYBERSECURITY INSURANCE POLICIES TYPICALLY ASK FOR THOSE TO BE PERFORMED AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.
UH, WE ALSO DO A SECURITY ASSESSMENT, WHICH WILL HELP GIVE YOU A ROADMAP.
SO TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT STATE? WHAT'S AN IDEAL FUTURE STATE, AND HOW DO YOU GET THERE? UH, AND THEN WE ALSO, UH, OFFER WHAT'S CALLED AN INCIDENT RESPONSE PLAN.
SO IN THE CASE THAT A CYBERSECURITY ATTACK DID HAPPEN, UH, TO YOUR ORGANIZATION, HOW DO YOU RESPOND? WHAT ARE YOUR NEXT STEPS? UM, A LOT OF CYBERSECURITY INSURANCE POLICIES ARE, HAVEN'T STARTED MANDATING THAT, BUT MANY ARE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION.
AND SO WE JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF FROM THE COUNCIL PERSPECTIVE, WE WANTED TO OFFER THOSE TO YOU.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A, A, A PROVIDER CURRENTLY OR YOU'RE LOOKING TO POTENTIALLY EXPLORE, UH, SOMETHING ELSE, OUR OUR CONSULTATIVE SERVICES ARE COMPLETELY FREE.
UM, ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS IS ONE OF THE MULTIPLE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE STATE THAT WE, WE SUPPORT AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO AS WELL AS, UH, THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL COUNCILS.
UH, BEFORE YOU GO, ARE YOU, ARE YOU, UM, AVAILABLE TO TALK TO DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL CITIES? ABSOLUTELY.
UM, MY CONTACT INFORMATION IS READILY AVAILABLE.
YOU CAN REACH OUT TO ME, I'LL BE HAPPY, HAPPY TO COME TO MEET, MEET YOU AT YOUR OFFICE AND, AND WALK THROUGH THOSE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE.
AND THEN JUST PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, GENERAL COUNSEL.
UH, FROM A TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE, WE KIND OF DIVIDE OUR BUSINESS INTO THREE MAIN REVENUE, UH, STREAMS. ONE BEING THAT WE RESELL PRODUCTS, SO ANY TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT OR GEAR, UH, TO RUN YOUR MUNICIPALITY.
UH, WE ALSO DO PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IN WHICH WE IMPLEMENT THOSE, UH, THOSE TECHNOLOGIES.
AND THEN NET WATCH IS OUR BRAND OF MANAGED SERVICES.
AND SO WE MANAGE THE END USER EXPERIENCE, THE MANAGING DATA CENTER, UH, SYSTEMS SECURITY ELABORATION, AND SO WE PROVIDE ALL THOSE TO ALAMO AREA COUNCIL EVIDENCE.
AND JUST FOR UH, SAKE OF CONVERSATION, THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE RISKFUL DOES OFFER CYBERSECURITY INSURANCE.
IT'S A NEW PRODUCT THAT WE HAVE.
SO IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED, PLEASE, UH, LET ME KNOW.
PLEASE TELL US WHO'S WITH YOU.
WE'RE HERE LOCAL, UH, WE'RE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, BUT I HAVE MONICA LONGORIA, SHE IS ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENT'S TECHNICAL ACCOUNT MANAGER.
AND SO SHE MANAGED THE RELATIONSHIP VERY INTIMATELY BETWEEN THE COG AND OUR ORGANIZATION.
AND, AND SO SHE IS HERE A LOT, UH, AND SHE'S BEEN THE, UH, THE TAM, UH, SINCE THE, THE INCEPTION.
SO, UH, WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, WITH THE WHOLE STAFF HERE.
AND THEN ALSO I HAVE ANDREW LILLY, HE IS OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER, SO YEP, WE'RE ALL HERE TO HELP.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
AND THAT WILL, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, FROM KEN? KEN? ALRIGHT.
[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:]
EXECUTIVE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, UH, MONTHLY REPORT, MR. CLIFF HERBERG.AND, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UH, JUST TO BUILD UP A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT, UH, KEN WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, THE REASON I ASKED HIM TO COME IN IS, ONCE AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'VE, YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ON CYBERSECURITY ISSUES, UH, MANY, MANY TIMES.
AND THAT LANDSCAPE IS, HE SAYS, CONTINUES TO CHANGE DAILY.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE MENTIONED BRIEFLY THAT I REALLY, UH, RECOMMEND TO ALL OF YOU IS THEY WILL COME IN AND DO AN ASSESSMENT OF YOUR SYSTEM AND THEY HAVE, UM, UH, STATE-OF-THE-ART TOOLS THAT LOOK AT ALL THE, OF YOUR SYSTEMS AND IDENTIFY THE WEAKNESSES.
AND I THINK THAT EVEN IN THE BEST OF SYSTEMS, YOU WILL BE SHOCKED TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY FIND.
UH, AND WE HAVE SPENT YEARS TRYING TO BRING OUR SYSTEMS UP TO WHERE WE ARE ELIGIBLE TO GET A CYBER SECURITY INSURANCE POLICY.
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES NOW HAVE BEEN BURNED SO BADLY ON THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH CYBER THAT THEY HAVE VERY, VERY RIGOROUS STANDARDS
[00:20:01]
TO GET A POLICY.AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU SHOULD DO IS GET THE APPLICATION FOR AN INSURANCE POLICY FROM SOME OF THESE COMPANIES AND LOOK AT THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY'RE ASKING YOU.
AND IF YOU ANSWER THEM TRUTHFULLY, I THINK YOU'LL FIND YOU HAVE SOME WEAKNESSES.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT YOU WILL FIND IS THAT IF YOU, UH, EMBELLISH THAT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, THEY WILL BE QUICK TO DENY COVERAGE, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE AN INCIDENT.
SO YOU REALLY NEED TO BRING YOUR, YOUR SYSTEMS UP TO, TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE PROPER, UH, COVERAGE IN THE EVENT OF SOME SORT OF DISASTER.
AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE RISKS OUT THERE AND WHAT YOUR OPINION IS ON HOW FAR, UH, ACOG SHOULD PREPARE, UH, FOR, FOR ANY TYPE OF DISASTER.
AND SO WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE.
THE OTHER THING BEFORE I FREE IT AS I GET TO MY REPORT IS, UH, SUSIE HAS A BUNCH OF MEDALS OUT HERE FOR YOU.
ACOG HAS 2,500 OF THESE MEDALS TO GET OUT, AND SO PLEASE TAKE SOME FOR YOUR STAFF, PLEASE GRAB A HANDFUL.
UH, WE WANT YOU TO, UH, TO TO CELEBRATE FIESTA WITH THE COMMUNITY AND GET 'EM OUT TO YOUR STAFF AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND, AND I THINK WE'VE GOT A REAL PRETTY MEDAL FOR YOU TOO, BY THE WAY, EVERY YEAR THAT WE DO OUR MEDAL DESIGN, IT'S DONE BY, UH, LISA VELASQUEZ AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT.
SHE'S, SHE REALLY SHOULD BE A GRAPHIC ARTIST INSTEAD OF BEING IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO, UH, UH, I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO LISA FOR HER HELP IN, IN DESIGNING THIS YEAR'S MEDAL.
UH, AND SO AS I GO INTO MY REPORT ON STAFFING UPDATES, I AM VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE YET AGAIN, THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT HAS RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING FROM THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION.
THIS AWARD RECEIVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT'S ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE 2023 FISCAL YEAR IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RECOGNITION IN GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING.
I'M VERY PLEASED TO SEE THAT WE MAINTAIN THOSE HIGH, UH, UH, ACCOUNTING STANDARDS IN OUR PROGRAMS STATUS AND OPERATIONAL UPDATES.
UH, MAY IS OLDER AMERICANS MONTH, AND THIS YEAR'S THEME IS FLIP THE SCRIPT ON AGING, WHICH URGES EVERYONE TO CONFRONT AND DISMANTLE THE OLD STEREOTYPES AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT AGING.
UH, THE AGING PROGRAM URGES EVERYONE IN OUR REGION TO RECOGNIZE OLDER CITIZENS AFFIRM THEIR DIGNITY AND COMMIT TO ACTIVELY SUPPORT THE CHOICES OLDER ADULTS MAKE ABOUT HOW THEY AGE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES.
AND ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA, THIS MONTH IS A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING OLDER AMERICANS MONTH FOR YOUR APPROVAL.
UH, ART IS, UH, VERY HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE EXPANDING SERVICES IN CARNES COUNTY BEGINNING MAY 1ST.
THE ROUTE WILL NOW INCLUDE STOPS IN RUNGE AND, AND KARN CITY, UH, IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT.
WE WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO REQUEST A PRESENTATION ABOUT ACOG SERVICES FOR YOUR CITY COUNCIL OR COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT MEETINGS.
UH, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN DOING THAT, UH, PLEASE CONTACT CRYSTAL AND SHE WILL BE GLAD TO SET THAT UP.
UH, ALSO IN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAM, OUR 2025 BRAVO CLASS WILL BEGIN, UH, OUR BO BASIC PEACE OFFICER TRAINING CLASS BRAVO CLASS WILL BEGIN CLASSES MONDAY ON APRIL THE 21ST.
AND OUR FINAL TOTAL IS A COHORT OF 28.
UM, PLEASE CONSIDER SPONSORING A CLASS FOR THE A CADET FOR THE CHARTER CLASS, WHICH BEGINS AUGUST THE 11TH.
AND YOU CAN CONTACT ME OR MIKE RITCHIE, OUR ACADEMY MANAGER ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO SPONSOR A CADET.
UH, AND OF COURSE I, UM, ALWAYS STRESS THIS BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, OUR ACADEMY CONTINUES TO HAVE SMALLER CLASS SIZES THAN WE WOULD LIKE.
AND SO WE VERY MUCH NEED TO, TO BUILD UP THAT, UH, ATTENDANCE AND IN REGIONAL SERVICES.
GIVEN ALL OF THE CUTS THAT ARE GOING ON, UH, WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RURAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE HAS RELEASED INFORMATION ON FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES CURRENTLY, UH, AND IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS WITHIN USDA AND SISTER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
AND IF YOU LOOKED AT, UH, MY REPORT TODAY, YOU'LL SEE THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE 13 OR 14 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT ARE HAVING FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE.
AND SO YOU'RE WELCOME TO CONTACT CLAUDIA MOORE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE.
IT'S A WIDE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, UH, LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR RURAL SERVICES.
THERE IS A FLYER THAT WE PREPARED FOR YOU JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA ON SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
THIS WAS JUST RECENTLY RELEASED, AND SO WE ARE GETTING UP TO SPEED AS WELL ON WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE REQUIREMENTS ARE, UH, FOR FUNDING.
BUT I NOTICED THAT THERE IS SOME, UM, MONEY AS LOW AS 1% LOANS TO HELP YOU DEVELOP BUSINESSES IN YOUR REGION.
AND SO, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THERE WITH THESE VARIOUS PROGRAMS. SO PLEASE TAKE A FLYER AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, UH, FUNDING PROGRAM, CLAUDIA WILL BE GLAD TO ASSIST YOU.
AND WITH THAT, UH, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.
[00:25:01]
AND LIKE I SAID, PLEASE GRAB A HANDFUL OF MEDALS.IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE YES, YES, YES, YES.
WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM GOLD ON THAT.
UH, I AM GONNA TELL YOU THAT WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN MUCH NEW INFORMATION, BUT WE'LL BE GLAD WHERE WE CURRENTLY STAND.
ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FOR JUDGE? THANK YOU, MARY.
[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.]
THAT WILL TAKE US TO ITEM NINE, WHICH IS CONSENT AGENDA.ARE THERE ANY I THAT ANY MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO HAVE US PULL FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR SESSION? THE ONLY ONE I WANTED TO PULL WAS THE OLDER AMERICANS ONE, I THINK SHOULD CALL THAT LIKE SOMETHING ELSE IN THAT GROUP.
BUT ANYWAY, BUT ARE THERE ANY NOT REALLY SEASONED, SEASONED AMERICA SEASON EXACTLY.
THANK I CALL, WE CALL US HISTORIC.
IS THERE A MOTION FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA? JUDGE EVANS? UH, SECOND.
UH, ANY ANY QUESTIONS, DISCUSSIONS? UH, PLEASE VOTE.
AYE AND YES, UH, FOR THOSE ALL IN FAVOR OF AN AGENDA.
IF ANYONE OPPOSED, THE MOTION DOES CARRY.
[10. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the 1st Quarter 2025 financial report - Julio Elizondo, Chief Financial Officer. A. Dashboard B. Balance Sheet C. Revenue and Expenditures D. Administrative Budgets E. Quarterly Investment Report]
MOVE TO ITEM 10.CONSIDER AN ACT UPON RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE FOR REPORTER 2025 FINANCIAL REPORTING.
UM, MR. JULIO ELIZONDO AND, UM, SIR, GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU, CHAIR DENNIS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS JULIO ELIZONDO, I'M YOUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AND TODAY I'LL BE GIVING YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON THE FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
WE WILL GO OVER OUR FINANCIAL DASHBOARD AS WE PRESENT YOU ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
WE WILL COVER, UH, OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH INCLUDE THE BALANCE SHEET, THE STATEMENT OF REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES, AND GO OVER OUR ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGETS AS WELL AT THE END OF MARCH.
UH, YOU CAN SEE HERE OUR, OUR FINANCIAL DASHBOARD THAT WE PRESENT, UH, THE PERCENTAGE EARNED AND SPENT.
WE ARE AT ABOUT 23% SPENT, UH, FOR THE QUARTER.
UH, YOU'D TECHNICALLY YOU'D LIKE TO BE AROUND THAT 25%, UH, RANGE, BUT THERE ARE SOME REASONS THAT I WILL COVER ON THE SLIDES TO COME, UH, ON, ON WHY THOSE VARIANCES HAVE OCCURRED.
OUR CASH AND INVESTMENTS IS CURRENTLY AT $8.8 MILLION.
ABOUT A MILLION DO, UH, YOU KNOW, $1.5 MILLION MORE THAN WHERE WE WERE, UH, UH, TWO YEARS AGO, AND ABOUT A MILLION MORE THAN WE WERE A YEAR.
GREAT, GREAT POSITION TO BE IN RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, CURRENTLY AT $10.5 MILLION.
WE ARE HAVE BEEN AROUND THAT MARK NOW FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND WE ARE AT 14% OVER 90.
AND I WILL COVER, UH, THE REASONS WHY WE'RE, WE'RE IN THAT POSITION.
UH, WHEN WE, I GET TO THE AR SLIDE COMBINED BALANCE SHEET, CURRENTLY SITTING AT $48.4 MILLION.
UM, AND OUR REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES ARE AT 1.3 MILLION.
UH, JUST FOR REFERENCE WHERE WE WERE A YEAR AGO, IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, $700,000 MORE.
AND AGAIN, I WILL COVER THAT, THAT MAIN REASON WHY IN THE SLIDES TO COME HERE WE HAVE A SUMMARY OF OUR FUND BALANCE, BOTH UNRESTRICTED AND RESTRICTED.
AS, UH, YOU MAY RECALL EARLIER THIS YEAR, I GAVE A PRESENTATION, UM, SAYING THAT THERE WERE A FEW YEAREND JOURNAL ENTRIES THAT STILL NEEDED TO OCCUR.
UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH OUR EXTERNAL, UH, AUDITS WITH OUR EXTERNAL AUDITORS, OUR AUDIT OVER EXTERNAL, UH, WITH OUR EXTERNAL AUDITORS.
UM, AND SO UNRESTRICTED AT THE END OF MARCH IS CURRENTLY AT $12.1 MILLION.
UH, BIG REASON, BIG PORTION OF THAT IS DUE TO MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY AT $8.4 MILLION.
YOU CAN SEE IT'S ABOUT A $3 MILLION INCREASE FROM WHERE WE WERE A YEAR AGO TODAY.
CASH AND INVESTMENTS, VERY IMPORTANT SLIDE, UH, CURRENTLY SITTING AT $8.7 MILLION.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS SITTING IN OUR INVESTMENT POOLS, WHICH ARE EARNING ABOUT 4.3%, UH, TODAY, AND HERE WE HAVE OUR INVESTMENTS SUMMARY BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT.
AND AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, UH, THE LONE STAR COUNT IS CURRENTLY PAYING AT 4.33%.
THAT IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF OUR FUNDS DO SIT ON A DAILY BASIS TO EARN THAT INTEREST.
AND AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE AT ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN INTEREST EARNED.
UH, SO GREAT POSITION, UM, TO BE IN AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, AS I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE CURRENTLY AT $10.5 MILLION IN OPEN AR.
THE BIGGEST CUSTOMER THAT WE HAVE IS THE VA THAT IS CURRENT.
THERE IS NO, UH, ISSUES THERE.
T WE DO HAVE 350,000 AND OVER 90.
UH, NOW THE, THE REASON FOR THAT IS OUR DID ORDER THREE BUSES EARLIER THIS, OR LATE LAST YEAR ON A 53 39 GRANT.
UH, THOSE BUSES DID BECOME MUCH A AVAILABLE MUCH EARLIER THAN EXPECTED.
UH, THAT 53 39 GRANT WAS NOT AVAILABLE, SO THEY DECI PROGRAM MANAGEMENT DECIDED TO APPLY
[00:30:01]
THAT EXPENSE TO A DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE SO THEY COULD UTILIZE THOSE VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY.UH, THIS REQUIRED AN AMENDMENT TO THE 53 11 GRANT AND THAT AMENDMENT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AND WE'RE WAITING APPROVED FROM TXDOT.
UH, SO THEY DO EXPECT THAT TO CLEAR HERE WITHIN THE NEXT, UH, FEW WEEKS.
UH, THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS CURRENT.
THERE IS A LITTLE OVER IN OVER 90 AND THAT WILL BE CLEARED WITH A PAYMENT TO HHS.
AND THEN JUST GOING DOWN TO THE NEXT TWO BIGGEST OPEN OVER 90 IS IN MAC, AND THAT IS A QUARTERLY REPORT THAT WOULD BE BILLED SIX MONTHS AFTER THE FEDERAL QUARTER END.
AND THEN TMHP, UH, WE DO HAVE THOSE, UM, CLAIMS OWED THAT ARE OVER 90 THAT CAN STILL BE RE REBUILD 365 DAYS AFTER, UH, THEY COME DUE.
STATEMENT OF REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES, AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE AT $1.3 MILLION YEAR TO DATE ACTUAL, AND NOW WE'LL COVER THOSE, UH, VARIANCES THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.
SO YEAR TO DATE ON ALAMO AGING, THEY'RE CURRENTLY 80,000 BELOW BUDGET, UH, PROGRAM DID MEET WITH HHSA COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND THEY DID RECEIVE, UH, NOTICE THAT 75% OF THE BUDGET WILL BE FUNDED.
NOW, WILL MCKNIGHT DOES HAVE, AS CLIFF MENTIONED, WILL JUST HAVE A, AN AGENDA ITEM ON, UH, IN A, IN A COUPLE, UM, AGENDA ITEMS FROM NOW WHERE HE WILL GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON, UH, THE SPECIFICS OF THAT.
BUT THEY ARE WAITING, UH, VALIDATION FROM HHS TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH CARRY FORWARD, UH, FUNDING WILL BE ALLOCATED TO THIS YEAR.
AGAIN, VERY AGING, VERY SIMILAR REASON, 391,000 BELOW BUDGET FOR THOSE EXACT SAME REASONS.
UH, THE BIG REASON THERE IS THE SERVICE EXPANSION PROGRAM THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FY 25 BUDGET.
SO THEY WILL NEED A, A BUDGET MODIFICATION TO INCREASE THAT.
MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS IS CURRENTLY 575,000 ABOVE BUDGET, BUT, AND THAT'S LARGELY DUE TO THAT VETERANS DIRECTIVE PROGRAM.
THE CASE MIX FOR THAT FOR THE VETERANS HAS CHANGED.
UH, IT'S, IT'S A POSITIVE CHANGE THOUGH, AND IT IS CAUSING A VARIANCE FROM THE BUDGET, SO THEY WILL NEED A BUDGET MODIFICATION TO INCREASE THAT BUDGET.
IF I MAY, JUST TO THE BOARD, I WANTED TO POINT OUT ONCE AGAIN THAT THAT VETERAN DIRECTIVE CARE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE IS THE LARGEST IN THE NATION AND, UH, CONTINUES TO GROW.
AND SO A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP AS WILL HIS TEAM IS BUILT WITH THE VA AND WE'RE SEEING THE BENEFITS OF THAT NOW.
IDD IS CURRENTLY AT $130,000 DEFICIT, AND THIS IS LARGELY DUE TO SOME MEDI, THE MEDICAID WRITE-OFFS THAT HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTER.
THAT IS ABOUT $70,000 WORTH OF THAT DEFICIT.
UH, THEY ARE PROGRAM IS AWAITING APPROVAL FROM HHS, UH, FOR THE PRIOR AUTHORIZATIONS IN AMOUNT OF 200,000.
I KNOW THIS IS HERE IN APRIL, BUT IT, IT'S JUST KIND OF, THEY HAVE TAKEN LONGER THAN EXPECTED, SO WE SHOULD EXPECT THAT, UM, THAT TO COME BACK TO US, BUT WITHIN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.
UH, SO ONCE THAT DOES OCCUR, UH, IT WILL RESULT IN A SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR.
WEATHERIZATION IS CURRENTLY $221,000 BELOW BUDGET, UM, MUCH LIKE AGING.
THEY DID, UH, RECEIVE VALIDATION FROM T-D-H-C-A THOUGH THAT THE D-O-E-B-I-O AND THE LIHEAP FUNDING HAS BEEN, UH, RELEASED.
SO THEY CAN START, START EXPENDING THOSE FUNDS AGAIN.
UH, PROGRAM DOES HAVE SOME BIG, UM, PROJECTS IN THE WORKS, AND SO THEY DON'T FORESEE AN ISSUE WITH EXPENDING THOSE FUNDS FULLY BY THE END OF THE GRANT CYCLE.
ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE, WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER BUDGET BY 2%.
IF YOU RECALL, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL FROM OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION LAST YEAR IN DECEMBER, WE DID FORECAST AN, UM, AN UNDER RECOVERY THIS YEAR.
SO THAT'S GONNA PLAY AN IMPORTANT PART IN THIS.
WE DO WANT TO MAINTAIN, UH, LOW EXPENDITURES IN THE ACTUAL SIDE, SO THAT WILL HELP US WITH OUR INDIRECT RATE GOING FORWARD IN YEARS TO COME.
AND THAT DOES CONCLUDE OUR PRESENTATION.
I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE.
UH, VERY GOOD REPORT AND THE NUMBERS LOOK GOOD.
WE CERTAINLY ARE APPRECIATIVE, YOU AND YOUR TEAM THE HARD WORK THAT YOU DO TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS.
BRIAN, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD OF THE, WITH THAT, IS THERE ANY MOTION PLEASE APPROVAL? SECOND.
OKAY, COMMISSIONER, MR. HAS SECOND, UH, ANY FURTHERS QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS? DID Y'ALL GET THE, THE, THE SECOND SU COMMISSIONER, VICE FLOSS AND MR. OCK? YES.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS? FURTHER DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION DOES CARRIED.
[11. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the Internal Audit update on completed 2025 activities and projects – Jaye Wells.]
I'M 11.CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE INTERNAL AUDIT UPDATE ON COMPLETION 2025 ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS OF J WELLS.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR DENNIS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
[00:35:01]
WELLS AND I'M YOUR INTERNAL AUDITOR.THE INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION PROVIDES ASSURANCE TO ACOG BY REVIEWING ITS OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND INTERNAL CONTROLS TO ENSURE WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REGULATIONS.
AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM SO FAR THIS YEAR.
SINCE I LAST PRESENTED TO YOU, I HAVE COMPLETED AN AUDIT OVER REGIONAL SERVICES, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND THE ALAMO AND BAYER AREA AGENCY ON AGING.
AND I AM CURRENTLY HAVE STARTED THE PLANNED AUDIT TWO PLANNED AUDITS FOR 2025 ALAMO REGIONAL TRANSIT AND NATURAL RESOURCES WITH AND HAVE, DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY ISSUES IN THEIR, IN THE REMAINING AUDITS SO FAR THIS YEAR.
IN ADDITION TO THE AUDITS AND REVIEWS I'VE WORKED ON, I HAVE ATTENDED MULTIPLE TRAINING COURSES TO ENSURE I'M UP TO DATE ON INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND HAVE PROVIDED TRAININGS AND INFORMATION TO STAFF RELATED TO FIGHTING FRAUD.
I'VE ALSO RECEIVED THE CERTIFICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS CSOS INTERNAL CONTROL PROGRAM.
I AM ATTENDING THE AGA'S LEAD TRAINING, UH, LATER ON THIS WEEK AND AM HELPING TO FACILITATE A PHYSICAL INVENTORY REVIEW FOR THE AGENCY.
I HAVE DISCOVERED NO ISSUES THAT WERE DEEMED SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO WARRANT BEING A FINDING OR OBSERVATION DURING MY AUDIT OVER REGIONAL SERVICES PROGRAM.
AND THE FULL REPORT IS ATTACHED IN YOUR PACKETS FOR YOUR REVIEW.
I DID, HOWEVER, HAVE ONE RECOMMENDATION, WHICH ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION SHARES THAT RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT THE PROGRAM AND ACCOUNTING PERSONNEL UTILIZE PROPER ACCOUNTING CODES AND CARE WHEN POSTING AND APPROVING AND EXPENDITURE.
THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED WITH ACCOUNTING AND PROGRAM STAFF AND AN UPDATED APPROVAL PROCESS HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
IN ADDITION, THE AGENCY IS CONSIDERING AN AUTOMATED REIMBURSEMENT SYSTEM FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION RESOURCE RECOVERY.
I HAD ONE FINDING ONE OBSERVATION AND ONE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATION.
THE FINDING IS DUE TO AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION BEING RENEWED BY THE PROGRAM WITHOUT FOLLOWING COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION STANDARD AS REQUIRED BY AC ACOG'S PROCUREMENT POLICY.
AND THE THEN CURRENT REGULATIONS TO PREVENT THIS FROM REOCCURRING PROGRAM AND ACCOUNTING STAFF HAVE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING RELATED TO THE REQUISITION AND COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION PROCESS.
IN ADDITION, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM PREPARED FOR THIS AGENDA TO UPDATE THE RELATED ACOG POLICIES PER THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
THE OBSERVATION IS THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION TEAM RECEIVE NOTICE OF NON-CONFORMANCE FROM THE TEXAS COMMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TCEQ REGARDING THE APPROVAL OF PROJECTS PRIOR TO THEIR IMPLEMENTATION AND A FAILURE TO PROVIDE UPDATES OF THOSE PROJECTS TO THE FUNDING SOURCE PROGRAM.
STAFF HAVE UPDATED THEIR PROCEDURE DOCUMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE ADEQUATE STEPS FOR APPROVAL AND UPDATES.
IN ADDITION, THE PROCEDURES WERE PROVIDED TO C-T-C-E-Q.
THE SECOND RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT MULTIPLE PROGRAMS HAD PURCHASED CONCURRENT PROGRAM LICENSES FOR COLLECTION AND SCORING OF GRANT APPLICATIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT THAT PROGRAMS ARE REQUIRED TO COLLECT.
THE AGENCY MANAGEMENT SHOULD CONSIDER MAINTAINING A SUBSCRIPTION REPOSITORY TO COORDINATE SUBSCRIPTION SOFTWARE UTILIZATION THROUGHOUT THE AGENCY TO ENSURE THAT MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES FOR THE AUDIT OF ALAMO AND BAYER AGENT, A AREA AGENCY ON AGING.
I HAD ONE OBSERVATION AND ONE RECOMMENDATION.
THE OBSERVATION WAS THAT THE PROCEDURE DOCUMENTS RELATED TO BENEFITS COUNSELING PROGRAM NEEDED TO BE UPDATED.
THE ACTION PLAN FOR THIS WAS THAT THE PROGRAM STAFF WOULD UPDATE AND DEVELOP THE SOPS AND MAINTAIN THEM ANNUALLY, AND THOSE PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN UPDATED.
THE RECOMMENDATION, WHILE I HAVE NO CONCERNS RELATED TO THE RECORDS REVIEWED, AND I COMMEND STAFF FOR THEIR RECORD KEEPING PRACTICES, THE PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY TRANSITIONING CLIENT DOCUMENTATION TO ELECTRONIC FILING WITH A FINAL PHASE EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY FISCAL YEAR END.
ONCE COMPLETE, I RECOMMEND THAT THE AGING PROGRAM STOP REMAINING DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS AND FOLLOW INDUSTRY EXAMPLE AND MAINTAINING ELECTRONIC FILING AND RECORD KEEPING OF CLIENT FILES TO ENHANCE CONSISTENCY, EFFICIENCY, SECURITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY.
IN SUMMARY, I HAVE NOT NOTED ANY SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING OR PROGRAMMATIC ISSUES AND I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY INFORMATION
[00:40:01]
THAT SHOULD BE DISCLOSED AT THIS TIME.DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. WELLS.
ONCE YOU MAKE YOUR RECOMMENDATION, I MEAN MAKE YOUR OBSERVATION, MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION, IS THERE SOME FOLLOW UP THAT THAT DEPARTMENT IS DOING? WHATEVER IS THAT YES, WE, I'M, I'M WORKING WITH THE, THE PROGRAMS TO ENSURE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON ON STAND PAGE.
UH, ANY, YES, JUST A LITTLE BIT ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ISSUE WITH THE PROCUREMENT THAT WASN'T FOLLOWED.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT INVOLVED THE, WE, WE, UH, WE PURCHASED OUR ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO SURVEYMONKEY TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT $7,600.
AND CURRENTLY, AS JAY MENTIONED, WE'VE HAD AN AGENDA ITEM TO RAISE OUR PURCHASE THRESHOLDS TO MEET CURRENT FEDERAL STANDARDS.
BUT UNDER OUR CURRENT EXISTING POLICIES, UH, A MICRO PURCHASE IS $3,000.
DOES THAT EXCEED THAT? 7,600 EXCEEDED THE MICRO PURCHASE AMOUNT.
IT RE REQUIRES IN OUR INTERNAL POLICIES, UH, TWO MORE BIDS TO GO OUT AND SEE COMPETITIVE BIDDING.
WE JUST RENEWED THE $7,600 LICENSE.
UH, THE NEW FEDERAL STANDARD IS 10,000 AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ASKED TO APPROVE, UH, SHORTLY IN AN AGENDA ITEM.
BUT I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW WHAT THAT PROCUREMENT ISSUE WAS AND WE ARE RESOLVING THAT.
AND UH, ALSO, AS JAY SAID, THERE'S ADDITIONAL TRAINING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND FUTURE WE TO FOLLOW OUR POLICIES, PRO QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS.
I, I THINK THAT UM, ALL IN ALL, IT'S A GOOD, UH, REVIEW AND IF THAT'S THE WORST THAT, UH, THAT WE'VE GOT, I THINK WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE.
AND UM, SO, BUT THAT'LL MOVE APPROVAL.
I APPRECIATE ALRIGHT, AND VOTE ANY? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION DOESN'T CARRIED.
[12. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the Quality Assurance update - Bryn Herrera.]
TO ITEM 12.CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE QUALITY ASSURANCE UPDATE.
MORNING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UH, MY NAME IS BRYN HERRERA.
I'M YOUR INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER.
FOLLOWING UP AFTER JAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON, UH, INTERNAL REVIEWS AND INITIATIVES SO FAR IN 2025, THE INTENT OF ACOG QA IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR PROGRAMS MEET AND EXCEED THEIR COMPLIANCE STANDARDS.
ASSIST IN PREPARING FOR EXTERNAL MONITORS, AUDITS, IDENTIFYING WEAKNESSES AND PROCESSES, AND OFFERING RECOMMENDATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT.
MY ROLE AS INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER IS TO REVIEW THE PHYSICAL, TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SAFEGUARDS WHICH PREVENT THE UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION, BOTH PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL.
ADDITIONALLY, AND COORDINATE AND IMPLEMENT AND MANAGE IT PROJECTS AND SERVICES WITH OUR CONTRACTED VENDOR.
MS. MONICA LONGORIA SITTING BEHIND ME, I HAVE HER ON SPEED DIAL.
UH, 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 VULNERABILITIES.
QA IS GEARING UP TO TACKLE PROGRAM REVIEWS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCHEDULE APPROVED BY THE BOARD LAST YEAR.
THE MAJORITY OF WORK SO FAR, UH, THIS YEAR DONE REGARDING COMPLIANCE HAS REFLECTED A NUMBER OF IT AND PRIVACY INITIATIVES, WHICH ARE GONNA BE SUMMARIZED ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND SOME, I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY ISSUES IN COMPLETING THE REMAINING REVIEWS BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND BASED ON THE MONITORING ACTIVITIES COMPLETED SO FAR, I FEEL THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT BREACHES OF COMPLIANCE OR CONDUCT WHICH WARRANT, WARRANT REPORTING TO YOU TODAY.
THE IT SIDE OF THE OFFICE IS ALWAYS BUSY WITH ONGOING AND
WORKING WITH JACOB AND CLIFF, WE HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE IN OUR ASSET REPLACEMENT AND LIFECYCLE LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT.
WE'RE NOT EXEMPT FROM SUPPLY SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES, WHICH AFFECT THE ENTIRETY OF THE TECH INDUSTRY.
BUT IN ANTICIPATION OF THE RISING COST OF EQUIPMENT, WE HAVE BEEN AGGRESSIVE IN THE PROCUREMENT OF NEW DEVICES AND HAVE REALIZED SOME COST SAVINGS.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON INTEGRATING SIGNAL SIGN-ON FUNCTIONALITY WHEREVER POSSIBLE ACROSS DIFFERENT SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS.
IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE OUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT LEANER AND MORE CONSISTENT, WE CONTINUE TO ITERATE AND ON AND REFINE DISASTER RECOVERY AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANS.
AND I'LL ACTUALLY BE BRINGING IN AN ITEM, UH, TO YOU AFTER THIS PRESENTATION TO REQUEST YOUR INPUT AND GUIDANCE REGARDING THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS THE AGENCY SHOULD.
WE ARE PREPARING, WE'RE PLANNING TO ADOPT A NEW DATA BACKUP SOLUTION IN THE COMING MONTHS, WHICH ENHANCES OUR CURRENT RESTORATION CAPABILITIES AND ALSO PROVIDES FOR PERIODIC TEST DRILLS AND TABLETOP EXERCISES.
AND FINALLY, IN A PROCESS WHICH BEGUN LAST YEAR, THE AGENCY'S TRANSITION TO A.GOV DOMAIN HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND HAS PROVIDED US WITH AN INCREASED LAYER OF SECURITY IN OUR ONLINE PRESENCE.
[00:45:02]
THIS SLIDE IS A SUMMARY OF INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS FOR 2025 IN THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY REALM.AND AS YOU MAY RECALL THAT THE BOARD APPROVED ACOG'S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY AT THE DECEMBER MEETING.
AS A RESULT, THE PRIVACY OFFICE HAS IMPLEMENTED PROCEDURES TO MONITOR THE ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AI WITHIN OUR ENVIRONMENT.
THE MAIN GOAL IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA IS TO BE RECEPTIVE TO THE UTILITY AI TOOLS CAN PROVIDE WHILE STILL BEING COGNIZANT OF OUR DATA PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS OR CONCERNS WITH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.
REGARDING DAILY OPERATIONS, THE INFO AND PRIVACY OFFICER CONTINUES TO COORDINATE WITH ACOG'S MANAGED IT VENDOR TO PLAN, SCHEDULE, IMPLEMENT REPLACEMENTS AND UPGRADES TO BOTH HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE THROUGHOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT WITH THE INTENT ON INCREASING EFFICIENCY, SECURITY, AND VISIBILITY, WE CONTINUE TO REINFORCE TO STAFF THE IMPORTANCE OF CYBER VIGILANCE THROUGH REGULAR TRAININGS, ENGAGEMENT VIDEOS AND PHISHING SIMULATIONS.
AND ANECDOTALLY, I RECEIVED MANY COMMENTS THAT SUCH TRAININGS HAS BEEN INFORMATIVE, HELPFUL, AND HAS IMPROVED THE END USER.
CYBER HYGIENE, PRIVACY AND SECURITY ARE JOURNEYS RATHER THAN DESTINATIONS, BUT I WANT TO THANK ACOG LEADERSHIP FOR RECOGNIZING THEIR VALUE AND IMPORTANCE AND SUPPORT WITH SUCH INITIATIVES.
SO IN SOME RECENT ACTIVITIES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ENHANCEMENTS TO ACOG COMPLIANCE, PRIVACY, AND SECURITY ENVIRONMENTS.
I FEEL 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 OUR PROGRAMS AND STRIVE TO BE AN INTERNAL RESOURCE SO THAT WE CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY MEET OUR MISSION.
AND FINALLY, I ALWAYS LIKE TO INCLUDE THE SLIDE TO EMPHASIZE THAT IA AND QA FORMED A PARTNERSHIP TO ENSURE COMPREHENSIVE INTERNAL MONITORING OR THE AGENCY'S FISCAL AND PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES.
I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, ECOG STAFF FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND FACILITATION AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL OF 20 25 25 QA ACTIVITIES.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT MS ITEM? OKAY, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT AND IF NO QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, IS THERE A MOTION, PLEASE MOVE APPROVAL.
I THINK JUDGE EVANS, I SAW HIS HAND, THAT'S FINE.
THAT THEY WILL TAKE YOU AS A SECOND.
HE'S THE DEAN OF ACOG SO HE CAN GO FIRST.
THANK YOU A DEAN AND MR. OCKER ALL THE MAYOR WOULD AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THE MOTION DOES CARRIED AND PLEASE STAY WITH US, UH, FOR THE NEXT PART OF THE JOURNEY.
[13. Discussion regarding AACOG’s appropriate level of disaster preparedness - Bryn Herrera.]
TO ITEM 13 DISCUSSION REGARDING A CO'S APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MY NAME'S BRENT, HER AND I'M AGAIN, YOUR INFORMATION AND PRIVACY OFFICER.
I'M COMING IN HERE TODAY WITH THIS ITEM BECAUSE WE'VE REACHED A POINT IN OUR INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS ON BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND DISASTER RECOVERY, WHERE WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT AND DELIBERATION ON THE AGENCY'S LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, BACKUP SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES IN PLACE TO RESTORE NETWORK DATA WITHIN A DAY AFTER A DISASTER.
HOWEVER, DATA AVAILABILITY AND DATA ACCESSIBILITY ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME THING IN A DISASTER SCENARIO.
AND WE ARE CONCERNED, UH, WITH HOW OUR PHYSICAL ASSET INVENTORIES WILL BE AFFECTED AND ARE PLANNING FOR SCENARIOS WHICH INVOLVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO END USER DEVICES SUCH AS A MASSIVE RANSOMWARE ATTACK, A FIRE OR A NATURAL DISASTER.
SO WHEN PLANNING FOR WORST CASE SCENARIOS, WHICH AFFECT THE ENTIRETY OF THE AGENCY, WE'VE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 50 CRITICAL STAFF THAT WE NEED TO MAINTAIN, UH, MINIMAL FUNCTIONALITY.
CURRENTLY THE AGENCY HAS APPROXIMATELY 10 RESERVE LAPTOP COMPUTERS DESIGNATED AS LOANER DEVICES.
LOANER DEVICES ARE PROVIDED TO STAFF WHEN THEY NEED TO SEND IN THEIR STANDARD DEVICE FOR REPAIR OR AS A TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT IN THE EVENT OF SOMETHING LIKE THEFT.
LOANER DEVICES CAN ALSO BE ISSUED DURING EMERGENCIES, BUT THIS CREATES A CHALLENGE FOR US.
SO IN THE EVENT OF AN AGENCY-WIDE DISASTER, WE HAVE 50 CRITICAL STAFF AND ONLY 10 LOANER DEVICES.
IF THE DISRUPTION IS LOCALIZED TO ONLY ACOG PURCHASING REPLACEMENT DEVICES SHOULD NOT BE TOO MUCH OF AN ISSUE.
WE COULD IF WE NEEDED TO GO TO DIFFERENT BEST BUYS IN TOWN AND PURCHASE REPLACEMENT LAPTOPS, HOWEVER, IN THE EVENT OF A NATURAL DISASTER IS SOMETHING WHICH AFFECTED THE WIDER REGION, THE AGENCY COULD STRUGGLE WITH SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGES AS MULTIPLE ENTITIES SEEK TO BUY NEW COMPUTERS AND RESTORE THEIR OPERATIONS.
WE'RE THEREFORE ASKING YOUR, UH, SEEKING YOUR INPUT AND GUIDANCE ON A TOLERABLE LEVEL OF RISK THE AGENCY SHOULD ASSUME REGARDING CONTINGENCY PLANNING.
INCREASING THE LOANER DEVICE POOL TO 50 LAPTOPS TO COVER CRITICAL STAFF DURING A TOTAL DISASTER WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT OUTLAY OF RESOURCES AT AS IT REPRESENTS A MINIMUM COST OF SIX FIGURES AND A LARGE INCREASE TO THE IT COST POOL THAT OUR PROGRAMS MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY ABSORB.
ADDITIONALLY, IN CONSIDERATION OF A FIVE YEAR REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THESE LOANER DEVICES GO UNDERUTILIZED DURING NORMAL OPERATIONS AS THERE THEY'RE ONLY TYPICALLY AROUND FIVE OR SO LOANER DEVICES ISSUED OUT
[00:50:01]
AT ANY GIVEN TIME.WHILE INCREASING THE DEVICE POOL TO COVER 50 CRITICAL STAFF DOES ADDRESS THE RISK OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH PHYSICAL ASSETS IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER.
IT ALSO RAISES DIFFERENT RISKS REGARDING A NUMBER OF COMPUTERS WE HA WE ARE HAVING TO HOUSE MAINTAIN AN INVENTORY.
SO THIS BECOMES A QUESTION OF HOW A RISK TOLERANT ACOG SHOULD BE WITH ITS PHYSICAL IT ENVIRONMENT AND WITH YOUR GUIDANCE, WHAT LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS THE AGENCY SHOULD OPERATE UNDER.
WHILE THE PROBABILITY OF A TOTAL DISASTER WHICH LEVELS THE ENTIRE ENTIRETY OF THE AGENCY IS NON-ZERO, IT IS MUCH MORE LIKELY THAT A DISASTER WHICH ONLY TAKES OUT, UH, 10, 15 OR EVEN 20 TO LAPTOP, 20 TO 30 LAPTOPS OCCURS.
JACOB, CLIFF AND I HAVE DISCUSSED VARIOUS WAYS TO TACKLE THIS CHALLENGE FROM INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE LOANER POOL OVER TIME TO IDENTIFYING OLD BUT STILL USABLE LAPTOPS AND KEEPING THOSE ON HAND FOR A PERIOD OF AFTER REPLACEMENT TO ACT AS EMERGENCY BACKUPS.
BUT COGNIZANT THAT THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY A QUESTION OF RISK TOLERANCE AND PREPAREDNESS, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO SEEK OR INPUT AND GUIDES BEFORE CONTINUING OUR INTERNAL EFFORTS ON THIS ISSUE.
SO WE ARE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT YOU CONSIDER A MOTION ON, UH, POTENTIALLY ONE OF THE F UH, FOLLOWING FOUR OPTIONS.
SO OPTION ONE IS THAT WE PURCHASE FOUR NEW LAPTOPS COMPUTERS TO BRING OUR TOTAL RESERVE DEVICES TO 50, WHICH WOULD COVER THE ENTIRETY OF DESIGNATED CRITICAL STAFF DURING AN AGENCY-WIDE DISASTER.
BUT THIS COMES WITH A SIGNIFICANT COST AND POSSIBILITY OF ASSET UNDER UTILIZATION.
THIS WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $140,000 WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE TARIFFS.
OPTION TWO IS PURCHASING APPROXIMATELY 10 NEW LAPTOP COMPUTERS TO BRING OUR TOTAL RESERVE DEVICES TO 20 AND IMPLEMENTING A PROCEDURE TO IDENTIFY OLD BUT STILL USABLE DEVICES TO REFURBISH DURING THE REPLACEMENT PROCESS.
TO FURTHER BOLSTER THE RESERVE POOL, THIS WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY, UH, $35,000.
OPTION THREE IS EXPANDING THE RESERVE POOL OVER TIME TO INCLUDE MORE DEVICES BUT IN AN INCREMENTAL WAY, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE AN IMMEDIATE FINANCIAL IMPACT THROUGH A COMBINATION OF SETTING ASIDE FUNDS IN THE 2026 AND 27, IT BUDGETS FOR MORE RESERVE DEVICES AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING A REFURBISHMENT PROCESS.
AND THEN OPTION FOUR IS MAINTAINING ITS STATUS QUO AND KEEPING OUR CURRENT RESERVE POOL AT 10 DEVICES IF YOU BELIEVE A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT APPROACH IS WARRANTED.
ASIDE FROM THE OPTIONS AS PRESENTED, WE'RE OF COURSE WE COURSE DEFER TO THE BOARD GUIDANCE AND WILL ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH YOUR PLEASURE AND DIRECTOR.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE, AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR GUIDANCE LEVEL OF RISK TOLERANCE, WHICH WE SHOULD BE PREPARED.
WITH THAT, LET ME STEP IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND, AND I'VE ASKED BRENT TO PREPARE SOME OPTIONS JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR WEEKS, WELL, NOT WEEKS, FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS ABOUT DIFFERENT, UH, REMEMBER I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT GETTING READY FOR, UH, CYBERSECURITY INSURANCE AND ALL THE PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO BE AT THAT LEVEL.
WE ARE VERY WELL PREPARED TO HANDLE A BAD ACTOR, VERY, VERY CONFIDENT IN THE, IN THE SYSTEM WE'VE GOT IN PLACE, UH, TO FIGHT HACKING AND MALWARE AND ALL THE OTHER GOOD STUFF THAT COMES OUTTA CHINA AND RUSSIA AND SO ON.
UH, BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, AND SO, AND, AND LET ME JUST BE FRANK, WHY I'M HERE IS I WANT YOUR ADVICE AND YOUR GUIDANCE, UM, AS, AS A WAY, UM, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT IS.
A DISASTER, RIGHT? YEAH, YEAH.
THAT'S AN INDICATION OF THE POSSIBLE DISASTER.
UM, BUT, UM, I HAVE, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL IN SAN AN ALARM OF COVERING MYSELF SO THAT IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER, I I ADEQUATELY BRIEFED YOU ON THE POTENTIAL PITFALLS OF A PROBLEM.
AND SO THAT I'VE GOT YOUR GUIDANCE IN HOW WE WANT TO HANDLE IT.
UM, AND LONG AND SHORT OF IT IS, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? A FIRE? YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A FIRE NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIRE THAT'S GONNA BURN DOWN THE WHOLE BUILDING.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME SAN ANTONIO HAD A DISASTER LIKE THAT? I THINK, UH, JUDGE EVANS, YOU REMEMBERED THE, THE APARTMENT FIRE.
I GUESS THAT'S EIGHT OR 10 YEARS AGO.
THAT'S WHY I, BUT I WAS GONNA SAY AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WHETHER WE HAVE A FIRE THAT ENGULFS THE WHOLE BUILDING, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT IF YOU HAVE A FIRE ON THE FOURTH FLOOR OR IN THE, UH, SPRINKLER DEVICES GO OFF, GUESS WHAT? EVERYTHING'S DRENCHED.
UH, SO MY POINT IS, IN THE SAFE, WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE PREPARED IF WE BOUGHT, AND, AND I WANTED TO BRING UP A POINT THAT THAT AND, AND BUILD ON POINT THAT BRIAN BROUGHT UP.
ACCESSIBILITY OF THE DATA IS DIFFERENT FROM, UH, BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, DISSEMINATE AND GET IT, UH, AVAILABLE TO ALL OF THE END USERS.
SO WE WOULD HAVE, LET'S JUST SAY THAT
[00:55:01]
OUR SYSTEMS WENT DOWN, WE CAN GET THE DATA UP IN 24 HOURS AND THEN WE'VE GOT START IMAGING COMPUTERS AND GETTING THEM OUT TO THE CRITICAL PEOPLE.BRANDON HAS AND HIS TEAM HAVE IDENTIFIED, BRANDON AND JACOB HAVE IDENTIFIED, UH, THE 50 CRITICAL SPOTS.
UH, REMEMBER WE'VE GOT 360 EMPLOYEES, 50 JUST BARELY GETS YOU OPERATIONAL IN YOUR PROGRAMS. AND SO HOW PREPARED DO WE WANT TO BE? WHAT'S OUR RISK TOLERANCE? WHAT'S OUR, UH, UM, DO WE JUST WANNA LEAVE IT WHERE WE ARE AND PRESUME WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A FIRE? AND SO I WANT YOUR GUIDANCE ON THAT.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S PITFALLS EITHER WAY.
WE'LL SPEND 150 NOW WITH THE TARIFFS.
MAYBE IT'S 200,000 ON COMPUTERS THAT ARE SITTING THERE AND ROTATING OUT YEARLY.
UH, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT'S YOUR PLEASURE? AND I WOULD LOVE YOUR GUIDANCE ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND I KNOW CHAIRMAN HASSOCK HAS IS HAND UP A BEFORE I WAS GONNA SAY ONE OF THE THOUGHT PROCESSES WOULD BE WE BOUGHT A BUNCH OF LAPTOPS WITH ME TO KEEP 'EM OFF SITE.
AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT SOMEPLACE LIKE QUARRY RUN, WHICH AS I RECALL MY BRIEFING FROM YOU IS DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND A CATEGORY FIVE, HURRICANE THREE.
AND SO, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD DO.
OR DO WE JUST KEEP GOING ON WAY ON AND, AND WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A GREAT SECURE BUILDING, HOPE THERE'S NO FIRES.
WELL, WE HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS IN TOWN AND ONE THING COMES TO MIND, AND I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE SOFTWARE WOULD WOULD WORK OR NOT, BUT YOU HAVE THE COLLEGES THAT PROBABLY HAVE LARGE AMOUNTS OF LAPTOPS, UM, THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO POSSIBLY LOOK AT.
MAYBE THAT'S, MAYBE THAT'S A START IN A FINISH RIGHT NOW.
MAYBE THERE'S NO ROAD OR A PATH TO GET THERE.
BUT THERE WAS A THOUGHT THAT I HAD BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF, A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT SIT IN CLASSROOMS. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THEY BRING THEIR OWN LAPTOPS OR WHAT, BUT IT'S A, IT'S AN IDEA BETWEEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE COLLEGES.
WE MIGHT WANT TO WANT TO LOOK AT THAT.
AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I MEAN WE'RE, WE'RE, LOOK, WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL.
WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING AT BARE METRO 9 1 1.
AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING, IN FACT, I'M GOING TO AUSTIN PROBABLY IN A AN HOUR OR SO TO, UH, TESTIFY ON SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THIS.
AND SO, UM, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, THAT WE FIND A WAY TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH SOMEONE.
UM, IF WE BUY 'EM AND THEY SIT, UM, THEN THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET.
YOU OPEN 'EM UP AND YOU'VE GOT PROBLEMS. SO WITH CORY RUN BROOK CITY BASE, WE TRY TO UTILIZE BOTH FACILITIES EVERY SINGLE DAY SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS WORKING 24 7, 365 AND THAT, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH BECAUSE IF ONE OF OUR CONSOLES GOES OUT, WE JUST WALK UP TO IT, PULL THE COMPUTER OUT, PUT ANOTHER ONE IN, AND WE'RE BACK UP AND GOING.
UM, COMMISSIONER, I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO GO OUT THERE.
UM, COMMISSIONER'S BEEN THERE, COMMISSIONER'S BEEN THERE, SO I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU OUT THERE, SIR, BUT THAT WAS JUST A THOUGHT I HAD.
UM, YES, YOUR, YOU TALKED ABOUT THEIR FIVE YEAR REPLACEMENT PLANS FOR THE 50 CRITICAL LAPTOP FOR, FOR EVERY, EVERY LAPTOP ISSUE STATUS ON A FIVE YEAR REPLACEMENT.
FIVE I YOUR, AT ANY GIVEN TIME, YOU'RE NO MORE THAN FIVE OF THE RESERVES OUT AT ANY GIVEN TIME? APPROXIMATELY? NO.
OUT OF, OUT OF YEARS, I GUESS FOUR AND FIVE, WHAT'S KIND OF THE DIMINISHING RETURN ON THEM, YOU KNOW, NEEDING REPLACEMENT MORE AND SHOULD YOU UP POTENTIALLY THE REPLACEMENT TIME SOONER? I AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT.
I THINK THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNIVERSITIES OR WITH OTHER THINGS, UM, WOULD PROTECT THOSE ASSETS.
'CAUSE WHEN THEY DO SIT THERE, THEY, THAT'S ONE, THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE DISCUSSIONS JACOB CLIFF AND I HAVE HAD IS POTENTIALLY MOVING TO DO A FOUR YEAR REPLACEMENT.
BUT IT, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE NATURE OF, OF THE POSITION FOR OUR STAFF.
UH, LIKE A LAPTOP THAT'S ISSUED TO SOMEONE WHO WORKS OUT IN THE FIELD IS GOING TO BE MORE NEED OF A REPLACEMENT, BASICALLY SITS IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY SO THAT, THAT CAN, THAT WE CAN DO SOME, UH, TO IDENTIFY MAYBE THOSE AREAS WHERE, UM, THOSE LIFECYCLES FOR THOSE DEVICES ARE, ARE SHORTER, UH, BASED ON THE NATURE, NATURE OF THEIR POSITION.
YOU KNOW, MADAM CHAIR, MY MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF EXPLORE A COUPLE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
YOU KNOW, THE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE SIDE.
IF THERE'S CRITICAL LAPTOPS THAT MAYBE NEED TO BE REPLACED SOONER, REPLACE THOSE SOONER.
UM, YOU KNOW, KEEP THE 10 RESERVE IN PLACE AND WORK ON A PARTNERSHIP WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH SOME OF THE LOCAL UNIVERSITIES THAT ARE GONNA BE UNDER THE, THE SAME STRICT, YOU KNOW, STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS OF CYBERSECURITY.
UM, AND, AND THEN GET THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE FIELD THAT MAY HAVE DAMAGED LAPTOPS MORE, GET 'EM REPLACED THREE YEARS VERSUS FIVE OR SOMETHING.
[01:00:01]
ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD POINT OUT ON THAT THOUGH, IS THE SAME THING THAT BRENT TALKS ABOUT.IF YOU DO HAVE A REGION-WIDE DISASTER OR LIKE THE COVID SITUATION WHERE WE HAD SUPPLY CHAIN SHORTAGES, IF YOU GO TO YOUR PARTNER, THEY'RE GONNA SAY, WE'VE GOT ALL OF THOSE ASSETS COMMITTED.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD, THAT WAS ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD.
YOU CAN ENVISION ANY SCENARIO WHERE THERE'S RISK.
AND SO THIS IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION.
I JUST WANT TO POINT THAT OUT.
UH, JUST A QUESTION ON WHAT CAN YOU GIMME AN EXAMPLE OF THE IMMEDIATE DEMAND OR REQUIREMENT THESE 50 CRITICAL STAFF WOULD BE GETTING AFTER, I'M SORRY.
WHAT, WHAT DO EXACTLY ARE WE CHARGING THESE 50 CRITICAL STAFF TO DO IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF A DISASTER? WE, WE HAVE ASKED PROGRAMS TO, BASICALLY, WE'VE GONE TO EACH OF OUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY WHO ARE THE ABSOLUTE CRITICAL STACK YOU NEED IN YOUR DEPARTMENT TO MAINTAIN A BASICALLY A, A A SKELETON OR MINIMAL OPERATION, THE EVENT OF DISASTER, WHAT YOU NEED TO LIMP BY THE REST OF YOUR OPERATIONS SETBACK UP.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE, THE 50 50 NUMBER COMES IN.
AND SO THAT'S AN AGENCY WIDE NUMBER TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS AND ALL, ALL OF OUR SERVICES THAT, THAT WE PROVIDE.
SO I, I'M JUST GONNA PULL ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.
SO THERE'S THE ASSUMPTION THERE, THERE'S IMMEDIATE DEMAND TO CONTINUE THAT CONTINUITY.
SO I, I'M CHALLENGING THAT A LITTLE BIT.
WHAT, WHAT IS THAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? THE BIGGEST THING WOULD BE LIKE OUR FOOD AND NUTRITION PROGRAM.
THAT AND THEN OUR AGENT OF THAT AGING SERVICE.
THE OTHER ONE WOULD BE OUR IDD SERVICES, WHICH IS OUR, AGAIN, OUR LARGEST PROGRAM, ROUGHLY 150 PEOPLE OUT IN THE FIELD VISITING PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.
AND SO THIS WOULD GET YOUR SENIOR STAFF AVAILABLE TO DEPLOY THOSE CASE MANAGERS OUT.
AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A TABLETOP WHERE YOU TIME THOSE OUT.
A TABLETOP EXERCISE WHERE YOU TIME THOSE OUT.
'CAUSE THE, THE, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A DIFFERENT EMERGENCY OR DISASTER RESPONSE RESOURCE IS GETTING IN BEFORE YOU IS PRETTY HIGH THERE.
I WOULD THINK IN THIS SCENARIO.
PROBABLY DEPENDS ON THE CONTINUITY OF WHETHER YOU ARE THE PROBLEM YOUR, YOUR BUILDING BURNED DOWN VERSUS THERE IS A LARGER CATASTROPHIC ISSUE.
THAT'S A, BUT, BUT I THINK THAT WILL INFORM A, UM, A BETTER ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION, IF YOU WILL, BECAUSE IF, IF YOU HAVEN'T TRACKED A SINGLE FAILURE BECAUSE OF A LAP OF A LACK OF LAP LAPTOPS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? THAT'S A GREAT, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO FEEL.
I MEAN, WE, WE KNOW WE HAVE PURPOSELY NOT MADE A RECOMMENDATION HERE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO BE BIASED.
I WANT TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.
AND AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IS MAKING SURE THAT I'M DOING WHAT Y'ALL WANT US TO DO SO THAT IF WE DID HAVE A FIRE, YOU SAY, WELL HOW COME YOU WEREN'T READY? OR, YOU KNOW, AND THEN BY THE CONVERSE IS WE DON'T HAVE A FIRE.
YOU SAY, WHY'D YOU SPEND 200 GRAND ON COMPUTERS THAT ARE SITTING THERE RUSTING AWAY? AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
'CAUSE WE GOT TO THE POINT IN OUR INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS WHERE IT'S REALLY A SIGNIFICANT VARIANCE, RIGHT? A SIGNIFICANT DELTA ON THE RESPONSE.
AND SO THAT'S ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING IS I WANT YOUR INPUT REDUNDANCY IS GOOD, BUT YOU MAY NOT NEED THAT REDUNDANCY IMMEDIATELY.
AND SO THERE MAY BE BETTER SOURCES TO GET THAT FROM DEPENDING ON THE COMMISSIONER.
THE FIRST QUESTION I HAD WAS ABOUT OUR CLOUD.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY SHOULDN'T BE RELIANT UPON A HARDWARE PIECE TO THE, OUR REDUNDANCY THAT'S JUST KIND OF PRIMARY.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLOUD IN PLUG AND PLAY THE HARDWARE FROM, FROM THAT.
SECONDLY, I EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
WE HAVE, WE DO, WE ARE IN THE CLOUD AND THAT GETS TO HIS TERM WHEN YOU SAY ONE ACCESSIBLE VERSUS AVAILABILITY, RIGHT? THAT'S A TWO.
15, WE CAN PULL IT DOWN 50% OF ALL THE COUNTIES OUT HOURS, OUR NETWORK BURNED DOWN IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO PUT IT ON DATA.
BUT YOU GOTTA PUT IT ON SOMETHING THAT'S ACCESSIBLE QUESTION, YOU GOTTA PUT IT ON SOMETHING.
SO JUST IN TERMS OF LOCATION, I AGREE THAT, UH, MOST OF OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT INCLUDES DUPLICATES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE THE BOOKS, UH, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS COMMISSION, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A DUPLICATE IN THE NORTHWEST.
JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, LACKLAND RAM OUT, THERE'S DUPLICATION.
SO I WOULD LOOK FOR LIKE-MINDED EMERGENCY SERVICES PROVIDERS.
THOSE COULD BE OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES DISTRICTS.
WE COULD HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FIRE, UH, EEMS LOCATIONS BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE EMERGENCY BUSINESS.
IT COULD BE USE AND UPDATED AS WELL AS OUR, YOU'VE GOT A UNIQUE, UH, PROCUREMENT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
UH, SO THERE IS SOME OPPORTUNITY THERE AND YOU ALSO CAN TIME IT WITH AN ENTITY THAT DOES REGULAR REPLACEMENT OF THEIR LAPTOPS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE USAA AND HEV, THESE CORPORATIONS ARE UPDATING THEIR, UH, HARDWARE EVERY TWO YEARS OR SO, MAS.
UM, AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT SURPLUS IN AN ENVIRONMENT
[01:05:01]
WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING AT EVERY TWO YEARS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, I MEAN, YOU'RE GETTING A TWO YEAR, I MEAN, THEY MIGHT GIVE IT TO YOU FREE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.I MEAN, MY MOTHER USED TO WORK IBM AND SOLD ALL THE, UH, GOVERNMENTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, KIND OF FAMILIAR WITH THAT PATTERN.
BUT, UM, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE MY INITIAL THOUGHTS ABOUT SOME OF YOUR CORPORATE, UH, ENTITIES, AND WE ALL KNOW HEB, IF THEY WERE RUNNING OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, THEY, THEY DO A GOOD JOB ON THE SUPPLY CHAIN STUFF.
AND THEY GOT BIG WAREHOUSES AND THEY'VE GOT SPACING AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING.
BUT, UH, OUR ESDS, UH, IN TERMS OF DEPLOYMENT, UM, CORPORATIONS, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT THOUGHTS AS WELL AS OUR EXISTING EMERGENCY, UH, BACKUP CENTERS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LIKE LAND WE HAVE OR STORAGE SPACE WE HAVE ON SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES, BUT, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS WE CAN WORK TOWARDS AND MAYBE GET A GRANT IN SOME OF THESE CASES FROM STATE FED.
50% OF YOUR IT COMMISSIONER IS STORED AT CORY RUN COUNTY.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT, STUFF LIKE THAT, RIGHT? OH, I JUST, UM, I JUST HAD A THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I WORK IN, WITHIN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, AND SO WE HAVE REMOTE ACCESS WHEN THERE'S AN EMERGENCY THROUGH A PARTITION, AND IT'S TYPICALLY THROUGH OUR OWN DEVICES, UM, INSTEAD OF GIVING US ONE OUT.
AND SO I JUST WONDER IF WE HAVE THAT CAPABILITY HERE.
UM, WE ALSO DO THAT WITHIN MY CITY.
UM, AND WE INITIALLY STARTED THAT DURING COVID AND IT, IT WAS PARTITIONED OFF SO THAT WE COULD, WE COULD, UM, HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY AND THE AUTONOMY TO, UM, RESPOND QUICKLY.
WE DO, WE, WE DO HAVE, WE HAVE THAT, THAT CAPABILITY HERE.
UM, TO YOUR POINT, AND ALSO TO YOUR POINT COMMISSIONER, BUT AS I WORKING IN THAT HEALTHCARE SPACE WITH A PRICING HIPAA, IT, WE, WE VERY MUCH PREFER TO, TO HAVE THE MONITORING TOOL, UH, TOOLS THAT WE HAVE ON OUR, ON OUR AGENCY ENDPOINTS.
AND SO DURING THE EVENT OF A DISASTER, WE CAN ALLOW STAFF TO ACCESS THROUGH THEIR PERSONAL DEVICES OR THEIR HOME COMPUTERS.
BUT WE WOULD WANT VISIBILITY INTO THE, INTO THE DEVICES SOONER RATHER THAN LATER AFTER A DISASTER.
AND THAT HAPPENS THROUGH A PORTAL THAT WE UTILIZE THAT THEY CAN THEN OUR ENTITY THEN, UH, MONITORS.
UM, BUT IT HAPPENS WHEN A SYSTEM IS DOWN WITHIN OUR FACILITIES AS WELL.
UM, IF WE HAVE OUR PERSONAL LAPTOPS, WE CAN STILL ACCESS WHAT WE NEED AND DO OUR WORK, EVEN THOUGH OUR LOCAL SYSTEM MAY BE DOWN.
SO, SO, UM, TAKING BITS AND PIECES FROM EVERYONE'S COMMENTS HERE, BUT YEAH, THAT ANSWER THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS AND, UH, COMMISSIONER CALVERT, I THINK THERE IS SOME REDUNDANCY THEN THAT'S ALREADY AVAILABLE RIGHT? WITHIN THE CLOUD, A REMOTE ACCESS THAT, THAT PROVIDES THAT SURE.
BUT IN A CRISIS TYPE SCENARIO, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S, THAT'S AN OPTION.
UM, GOING BACK TO, UH, TO THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE, THE REDUNDANCY HERE, AND, AND I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK ABOUT THE TYPES OF EMERGENCIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IF THERE'S A FIRE HERE IN A BUILDING, THEN OBVIOUSLY US GOING TO BEST BUY, UM, YOU KNOW, OR, OR NAME YOUR CHAIN AND GETTING, YOU KNOW, 50 LAPTOPS OR A HUNDRED LAPTOPS, I DON'T SEE THAT AS AN ISSUE, RIGHT? AND IF, IF IT'S JUST THE PHYSICAL ASSET THAT WE'RE GOING AND BUYING, AND IT'S, IT'S SITTING THERE AND IT'S NOT BEING CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED, UM, WE'RE NOT REALLY BUYING MUCH, UH, IN TERMS OF READINESS BY JUST HAVING THOSE LAPTOPS SITTING IN A ROOM OR IN A WAREHOUSE, RIGHT? SO THEN YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, WELL, WHAT'S THAT SCENARIO WHERE YOU HAVE A CRISIS, REGIONAL CRISIS? UM, BUT, BUT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, YOUR COMMENTS EARLIER, I THINK IN THAT SITUATION, YOU KNOW, IS, IS ACOG A TIER ONE RESPONSE TO THAT TYPE OF CRISIS, RIGHT? OR ARE WE GONNA, WE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT FEMA, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT NATIONAL GUARD TIER.
THERE'S GONNA BE ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES AND SUPPORT THAT ARE FLOODING INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK IN THAT SITUATION, I JUST DON'T SEE LIKE ACOG BEING FRONT LINES, UH, IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO, TO GET BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, AS I THINK THROUGH ALL THAT, I MEAN, I WOULD LEAN TOWARDS MORE LIKE AN OPTION THREE.
UM, OR MAYBE OVER TIME YOU'RE, YOU'RE CONTINUING TO EXPLORE HOLDING ONTO MORE OF THESE COMPUTERS FOR A COUPLE ADDITIONAL YEARS, RIGHT? AND THAT COULD BUILD A POOL OF REFURBISHED DEVICES.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF JUST GOING OUT THERE TO, TO PURCHASE THE COMPUTERS, TO SIT IN A, IN A ROOM, I DON'T SEE IF THAT REALLY BUYS US THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL BENEFIT.
WELL, COMMISSIONER MOODY ZOMBIES IS THE BEST BODY IN MY BOOK.
[01:10:01]
UM, YES MA'AM.SO SALES TALKS, ACCESS TO DATA IS, IS, IS FANTASTIC.
HOWEVER, MY FIRST QUESTION WOULD BE, HOW MANY IMAGES DO WE HAVE? DO WE HAVE DEPARTMENTALLY SPECIFIC IMAGES? OR DO WE HAVE A SINGLE IMAGE FOR THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION? WHEN WE SAY, YOU KNOW, SET UP A NEW LAPTOP, WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE, UH, AN AGENCY IMAGE THAT WE USE.
UM, HOW MUCH OF OUR DATA THAT MAY BE OUT ON THE CLOUD IS ACCESSED FROM LOCAL CLIENT BASED SOFTWARE THAT'S ON INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS? 'CAUSE THAT'S A SPECTRUM, RIGHT? I MEAN, THERE MAY BE, MAYBE EVERYTHING IS A CLIENT BASED THAT'S ON THE SYSTEM.
WE DON'T DO THAT MUCH ANYMORE.
OR EVEN IF WE DID HAVE A, A LAPTOP WITH A ORGANIZATIONAL IMAGE ON IT, ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE CAN'T RUN UNLESS WE HAVE THEM IN STOCK AND HAVE THAT CLIENT SOFTWARE IN PLACE? IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE, PERCENTAGE, I'M HESITANT TO GET ONE, NOT NEED TO DEFER TO, UH, ONE THE TECHNICAL ENGINEERS OVER IN ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.
ARE WE ON THE GOOD SIDE OF 50% OR ARE WE ON THE LOCAL SIDE OF IT MORE? WE, WE, IT'S MORE ACCESSIBLE THE IN THE CLOUD THAN NOT.
WHAT ABOUT, UM, OUR POLICY AND EXECUTION OF ABOUT LOCALLY STORED DATA? SO WE WENT THROUGH SOMETHING, I, I DON'T WANT TO USE THE WORD CATASTROPHIC, BUT, BUT IT WAS, WE HAD EVERY DEVICE THAT WAS CONNECTED TO OUR NETWORK AFFECTED BY AN EVENT.
THE BIGGEST LOSS THAT WE HAD WERE THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAD STORED LOCALLY ON THEIR HARD DRIVE, NOT IN A CLOUD POSITION.
UH, AND FOR MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE, THAT WAS ALL LOST, CORRECT? STAFF, STAFF ARE GIVEN GUIDANCE THAT THEY SHOULD BE SAVING THINGS TO, TO, UH, NOT TO THEIR DESKTOP, RIGHT? UM, AND IN PRACTICE, UH, IT, IT'S, IT'S MORE THE FIELD POSITIONS, WHICH MAY HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO, BUT IN REALITY IT'S 50.
UH, BUT, BUT WHEREVER POSSIBLE STAFF ARE ENCOURAGED GIVING GUIDANCE TO, TO SAVE IT TO THE NETWORK RATHER THAN THEIR DESKTOP REALITY.
THAT WAS ONE OF OUR TOUGHEST PARTS.
SO REALITY, IS IT POSSIBLE, DID THE DEPARTMENT SAY, OR DO YOU THINK THAT HAVING A, AN ORGANIZATIONALLY IMAGED LAPTOP IS CRITICAL? OR ARE WE FAR ENOUGH ALONG WITH THINGS AVAILABLE IN THE CLOUD THAT, THAT WE COULD TAKE A, AGAIN, A PERSONAL DEVICE AND AT LEAST HAVE EMAIL ACCESS AND BASIC FUNCTIONALITY LIKE THAT? NO, I, I, I AGREE THAT WE COULD TAKE A BASIC DEVICE AND WE, I RAN THROUGH A TABLE, UM, NOT TABLETOP CENTER PROOF, PROOF OF CONCEPT SCENARIO WITH, WITH PARTNERS OVER COMPUTER SOLUTIONS WHERE THEY STOOD UP BOTH A BRAND NEW DEVICE, DEVICE AND A, UM, AND A REFURBISHED DEVICE, UH, TO BASICALLY THE TIMING WOULD TAKE TO IMAGE THOSE TWO, MAKE THEM BASICALLY WORK READY.
AND THE, THE LONG ANSWER OR THE, THE SHORT ANSWER TO, TO THAT QUESTION IS THAT BOTH WOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY ABOUT AN HOUR.
AND YOU'RE LIMITED REALLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF KEYS THAT YOU PLUG INTO THE COMPUTER TO GET THE IMAGE.
SO THE, THE TIME PER ASSET IS, IS NOT, UM, IS NOT EXORBITANT.
UH, IT, IT IS NOT, IT'S NOT, UH, A HORRIBLY SIGNIFICANT.
YOU'RE BASICALLY JUST BOTTLENECKED WITH A PHYSICAL NUMBER OF DEVICES, IMAGING AT ONCE.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO OPERATIONALIZE THE EXPENSE INSTEAD OF DOING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES? I MEAN, CAN, CAN, CAN WE LEASE A SMALL SET THAT SO THAT THEY DON'T BECOME, I MEAN, IF YOU HOLD ON THE LAPTOP FOR FIVE YEARS, AND WELL, WHAT WE WOULD DO ON THE LAPTOP, HOW IT GOES IS WE WOULD ROTATE 'EM OUT.
'CAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT A 25 LAPTOP, GIVE OR TAKE 25 UNIT REFRESH EVERY YEAR.
SO WE WOULD BE ROTATING THOSE OLD ONES OUT, PUTTING THE NEW, THE RESERVE ONES IN TO USE SO THAT WE'RE CONSTANTLY REFRESHING THAT BACKUP POOL.
UH, OR NOT CONSTANTLY, BUT AT LEAST EVERY TWO YEARS, 1 25 AND 25, AGAIN, AT AN AVERAGE AGE PER DEVICE, HOW LONG ARE WE, DO IT TRY TO GIVE THEM FIVE YEARS? FIVE YEARS OR SO? AND THAT'S WHAT WE, WE STARTED OUT WITH A THREE YEAR AND WE FOUND WE COULD GO TO FIVE.
UH, GENERALLY, LIKE HE SAYS, DEPENDS ON THE LEVEL OF USE.
AND IN THE FIELD THEY TAKE A LOT ROUGHER TREATMENT THAN THEY DO HERE AT THE OFFICE.
COMMISSIONER CALVER JUDGE, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, WELL, PERHAPS ONE OF THE BEST GUIDING LIGHTS FOR US IS BENCHMARK, UH, COUNTIES THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH A LOT OF EMERGENCIES FOR ME, WHAT I, BECAUSE I I THINK THIS IS A VERY GOOD EXERCISE, VERY GOOD DISCUSSION, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE OF THESE.
BUT I THINK IF YOU LOOK TO FLORIDA, QUITE FRANKLY, AND LOOK TO FLORIDA EQUIVALENT OF COGS, UH, FLORIDA IS ALWAYS HAVING TO DO THIS.
SO I WOULD GO, WHENEVER I LOOK AT DOING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, I EITHER GO TO SOME PLACE IN TEXAS, LIKE MAYBE HARRIS COUNTY THAT HAS A LOT OF EMERGENCIES, OR I GO TO LOUISIANA AND LOOK AT FLORIDA
[01:15:01]
AND LOOK AT THE COG IN FLORIDA AND SEE WHAT THEY DO.YOU'RE GONNA GET THE, THEY HAVE TO BE READY.
SO LOOK THERE, WHERE'S THE JUDGE? I, I AGREE WITH GRANT AND BRIAN, UM, THE THOUGHT HERE, AND IF WE'RE GONNA TEST THIS, DO A TABLETOP TO SEE WHAT IS THE LIKELY SCENARIO YOU'RE GONNA BE RELI YOUR COM COMPLETE TO, UH, COMPUTER WIPE OUT.
SO I'M GONNA PROPOSE A FIFTH OPTION.
WHY DON'T WE JUST EXPAND THE 2026 IT BUDGET FINANCIALLY RATHER THAN EXPAND THE RESERVE POOL? BECAUSE I THINK FINANCIALLY THE HAVING THE MONEY JUST TO GO OUT AND BUY 'EM IS GONNA BE PROBABLY THE MOST, PROBABLY THE BEST OPTION VERSUS HAVING A THIS RESERVE POOL THAT WE'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA TAP INTO BASED ON HISTORY.
YOU KNOW, KIND OF ADDING ONTO THAT, YOU KNOW, IN ANY BUDGET WE LOOK AT IT'S OKAY TO RED LINE.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT, I LOOK AT THE MILITARY SIDE, WHAT IS THE MOST LIKELY COURSE OF ACTION AND WHAT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS COURSE OF ACTION? OKAY.
AND IF WE TAKE THOSE VERY SIMPLISTICALLY, WHAT'S KIND OF THAT MIDDLE GROUND? UM, YOU KNOW, YOU DID PUT THE CONCEPT, YOU DID THE TABLETOPS.
UM, EVEN IF YOU DON'T ADD, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET, IF SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC HAPPENS, WE'RE LIKELY GONNA BE POINT AWAY FROM OTHER BUDGET ITEMS AND THEN PUT INTO SOME OTHER THINGS.
SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE HAVING NATURAL SAVINGS AT AT THAT POINT.
ANYWAYS, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE ACTION ON THIS TODAY.
UH, SO THE DISCUSSION IS GOOD.
UH, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO BRING THIS BACK TO WELL, I WAS GONNA SAY, I JUST WANT TO GET, IF YOU MIGHT, IF, IF I MAY, I WAS GONNA SAY, I'VE GOT, I THINK I, I THINK WE'RE ALL ACTUALLY ON THE SAME PAGE.
I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR INPUT AND BRING THE ISSUES TO YOUR, TO YOUR ATTENTION SO THAT WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING IN THE EVENT OF SOMETHING THAT WE'RE TO STRIKE US LOCALLY OR IN THE BUILDING.
UM, AND SO WHY DON'T WE GO BACK? I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE MADE.
UM, UH, I LOVE THE IDEA OF GOING TO FLORIDA AND SEEING WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
LET'S CALL NOT GOING I MEETING AND SEE.
AND THEN, UH, WHY DON'T WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON IT? I COST US, HUH? TO HANDLE A BAD ACTOR.
AND SO WE GOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT JUST THIS PHYSICAL LOCATION AND HOW WE WOULD HANDLE IT.
BUT, UH, I THINK YOUR GUIDES HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO ME AND, AND, UH, HELPFUL TO ALL OF US.
UM, AND REALLY I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE ALL HAVE THE SAME COMFORT LEVEL.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M WORKING TOWARDS JUDGE EVANS.
SO DOES COMPUTER SOLUTIONS HAVE A, A DIVISION THAT DOES THE ASSESSMENT, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS? NO.
YEAH, I, I THINK, UH, ANYTIME AN ORGANIZATION HAS A, A BUSINESS CONTINUITY OR A DISASTER PLANNING QUESTION, WE'RE ALL OPTIONS GOAL IN THOSE SCENARIOS IS SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT.
THEY'RE NON-BILLABLE RESOURCES.
SO THEIR GOAL IS TO PUT THEMSELVES IN YOUR SCENARIO, WHAT YOU TRYING TO SOLVE FOR, AND JUST PRESENT OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
IF I MAY ADD, WE HAVE, UM, LOOKED AT THE OPTION.
WE UNDERSTAND HAVING HARDWARE, JUST SITTING THERE, GETTING OLDER, NOT BEING VIABLE.
UM, ONE OPTION WOULD BE, WE UNDERSTAND AT THE ACADEMY IT IS SEPARATE, IT IS OFFSITE IN CASE ANYTHING SAY HAPPENED HERE.
UM, THE LAPTOPS WOULD BE THERE ONCE A MONTH.
OUR TECHNICIAN WOULD GO OVER THERE, THEY WOULD BOOT IT UP, MAKE SURE PATCHING, SECURITY, EVERYTHING.
WE DO THAT NOW WITH THE ACADEMY ON THE TABLETS.
YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND SOMETIMES THEY MAY NOT HAVE CLASSES, BUT ONCE A MONTH THE TECHNICIAN IS SCHEDULED TO GO THERE.
SO THE HARDWARE JUST ISN'T SITTING THERE.
IT WOULD BE READY TO GO AT ANY MOMENT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WAS CONSIDERED AS WELL.
UM, I DO HEAR THAT IS A CONCERN AND IT IS A VIABLE CONCERN, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING.
SO WE HAVE WORKED, WE DO WORK WITH THE AGENCY AND ANY OF OUR CLIENTS GOING OVER VARIOUS, YOU KNOW, SCENARIOS.
UH, I JUST WANNA, IF YOU NEED TO LOOK AT YOUR RE REFURBISHMENT POLICY, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF WAS MENTIONED DURING THIS WHOLE THREAD ABOUT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THAT.
UM, IF YOUR POLICY OR, UM, YOUR FLOW DOESN'T ALLOW FOR THAT FLEXIBILITY, PLEASE ADD THAT IN.
I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY OF US WHO, UM, DON'T WANT YOU TO, TO DO THAT AND TO BE PIGEONHOLED AT FIVE YEARS.
'CAUSE THAT'S A LONG TIME NOWADAYS,
NO, I APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
AND NOW LIZ AND MS. DEAN CAN TAKE THIS BACK AND, AND,
[01:20:01]
UH, EXPLORE OPTIONS AND MAYBE TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN LATER.[14. Consider and act upon the recommendation to authorize the Executive Director to revise AACOG personnel policy 6.6.2 – Bonus Eligibility requirements - Deedra Johnson.]
ITEM 14, CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO REVISE ACCO PERSONNEL POLICY 6.6 0.2 A POLICY, UH, ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.MS. JOHNSON, GOOD MORNING CHAIR DENNIS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
IN JULY OF 2024, THE OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING FOR THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AUDITED TO PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAM GRANTS, THE AUDITOR MADE A FINDING DISALLOWING $3,900 THAT WAS PAID TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY MANAGER FOR THEIR 2024 MERIT BONUS PERFORMANCE REVIEW CYCLE.
THE AUDITOR REPORTED, THE AUDITOR'S REPORT HIGHLIGHTED THAT ACCO POLICY LACKED CLARITY ON DETERMINING THE PERFORMANCE BONUS.
WE, WE ARE ADDING THIS SENTENCE TO OUR POLICY THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THAT AUDITOR TO OUR PERSONAL POLICY 6.62.
AND IT READS, THESE BONUSES ARE DETERMINED BASED ON PERFORMANCE METRICS ALIGNED WITH THE PROGRAM GRANTS AND AGENCY GOALS.
WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED THIS IN RED IN YOUR AGENDA PACKET.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? ALRIGHT.
ANY, UH, QUESTIONS? CONCERN ON THIS ITEM BOARD? ALRIGHT, THERE, IS THERE A MOTION? PLEASE MOVE FOR APPROVAL.
WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND? SECOND.
ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL FAVOR, AYE.
[15. Consider and act upon the recommendation to approve the revised AACOG Accounting and Financial, Asset Management, and Procurement Policies - Julio Elizondo.]
COULD CONSIDER AN ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE REVISED ACOG ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL ASSET MANAGEMENT AND PROCUREMENT POLICIES.MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, ONCE AGAIN, I'M JULIO ELIZONDO.
THE ITEM BROUGHT TO YOU TODAY, UH, IS TO CONSIDER AND ACT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION TO APPROVE THE REVISED ACOG ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL ASSET AND MAN ASSET MANAGEMENT AND PROCUREMENT POLICIES, THE TEXAS GRANT MANAGEMENT STANDARDS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS TEX GUMS, AND THE CODE OF FEDERAL REG REGULATION CFR UPDATED THE PURCHASING AND ASSET MANAGEMENT THRESHOLDS.
ACOG IS RECOMMENDING UPDATING THE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL ASSET MANAGEMENT PRO PROCUREMENT POLICIES TO REFLECT THESE NEW THRESHOLDS.
MICRO PURCHASES ARE INCREASING FROM 3,500 TO $10,000, AS CLIFF MENTIONED EARLIER.
AND FOR ITEMS THAT REQUIRE FORMAL COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION, ACOG WILL FOLLOW THE TEXAS ACQUISITION THRESHOLD, WHICH IS CURRENTLY $250,000.
THAT AMOUNT IS INCREASING FROM THE PREVIOUS AMOUNT OF 25,000 THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CURRENT POLICY.
THOSE ITEMS BETWEEN THE MICRO PURCHASES AND THE TEXAS ACQUISITION THRESHOLD WILL STILL REQUIRE THREE BIDS AND QUOTES FROM VENDORS.
IN ADDITION, THE ASSET MANAGEMENT POLICY REQUIRED CHANGES DUE TO A SHIFT OF RESPONSIBILITIES FROM THE PROCUREMENT TO THE ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT.
ACCOUNTING IS NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ANNUAL INVENTORY COUNTS, TRACKING ASSETS IN THE INVENTORY SOFTWARE, AND ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS.
I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY.
I THINK MOST OF US HAVE SEEN THIS ITEM AT OUR AGENCIES, SO I'M, UH, POINTING OR THE OTHER, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM? MADAM CHAIR? YES, SIR.
I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR.
UM, THE, AM I UNDERSTANDING THAT THE THRESHOLD FOR THE, UH, BIDDING IS GOING FROM 50,000 TO 250,000? IS THAT IT IS GOING FROM, SO WE CURRENTLY HAVE 25, 20 5,000 IN OUR POLICY.
UM, BUT WE'RE GOING TO, TO THE TEXAS ACQUISITION, WHICH IS 250,000.
I MEAN, JUST FOR, FOR THE RECORD, I MEAN, I THINK THAT, UH, WHILE THE STATE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAS ITS REASONS, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S A SIZABLE CONTRACT, UH, I MEAN THAT CAN BE, UH, CUTTING OUT A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES.
UM, AND I THINK, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO GET A BITE OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, IS IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, SO WHAT I'VE HEARD IN YOUR RECOMMENDATION WAS THAT THERE'S STILL THREE BIDS THAT HAVE TO BE YES, SIR.
UM, AS OPPOSED TO A GENERAL, I'M JUST GOING TO, I MEAN, I, MY, AGAIN, MY LONG TERM LOOK AT THAT LEVEL, THAT HIGH OF A LOW, IT'S A BIG JUMP.
UM, AND YEAH, THINGS ARE GOING UP, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A HUGE JUMP AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE DETRIMENTAL TO, UM, A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE.
THEY'LL GET, THEY'LL GET, UH, I MEAN THE, THE WHOLE POINT OF A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS WAS TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW THEM TO BUILD CAPACITY TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER CONTRACTS.
AND SO, UH, TWO 50 IS A, IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S FOR SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST AN ANNUAL AMOUNT.
SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR THE RECORD, I I THINK IT'S NOT PARTICULARLY HELPFUL
[01:25:01]
TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.SO ALSO THE STATES OF THEIR LIMIT IS 250,000.
YOU HAVE TO AS AN AGENCY, GO DO THAT.
NO, WE CAN GO, WE GO UP TO ANY AMOUNT.
YOU GUYS, YOU ALL WISH TO SET THAT, TO SET THAT.
THE ONLY THING I WOULD POINT OUT, STILL 51, WE HAVE DIFFICULTY FINDING VENDORS.
AND SO I WILL POINT OUT THAT WE ARE VERY BENEFITING GREATLY FROM HAVING BEAR COUNTY DOWN AT THE PLAZA, UH, SUPPLYING US SMALL MM-HMM
AND WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THEM.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN A GREAT RESOURCE FOR US.
UH, SO WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO SEARCH OUT VENDORS.
UH, THIS REALLY JUST, UH, IS THE, YOU KNOW, UPPING THE FORMAL PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENT FOR THE RFPS AND ALL OF THAT.
UM, AND THE, WE USE, IF WE CAN, UH, STATE APPROVED VENDORS HAVE BEEN PRE-PRO PROCURED, UH, OR WE, IF AND IF THEY'RE TOO EXPENSIVE, WE GO OUT AND, AND TRY TO BEAT THE BUSHES TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT'S MORE REASONABLE.
AND, AND, AND HOPEFULLY LOCAL IS WHAT WE LOOK FOR.
SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE DO STRESS THAT, I MEAN, WE DO STRESS TRYING TO USE SMALL VENDORS ALL THE TIME.
UM, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT CONSISTENT WITH THE TEXAS ACQUISITION THRESHOLD.
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY OUR PROCUREMENT CONSULTANT, UM, IS THAT ACOG'S EXISTING POLICIES WERE VERY, VERY RESTRICTIVE THAT WERE BASICALLY BEHIND THE TIMES OF 25,000.
AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO MOVE UP TO THE CURRENT STANDARDS, THIS, THIS LONG PROCESS.
SO WHEN YOU DO THIS, YOU, UM, YOU WOULD PRODUCE THESE PARTICULAR ITEMS TO THE BOARD, SO THE BOARD WILL SEE WHAT YOUR EXPENDITURES RIGHT.
I'M STILL, I'M STILL LIMITED AT THE 50,000.
WE WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THE BOARD FOR BOTH BOARD APPROVAL FOR ANYTHING BELOW.
I MEAN, ABOVE 50,000 GOING TO DO.
BUT EVEN ON, EVEN IF THE BOARD DECIDED TO DO THIS TODAY, YOU WOULD STILL MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD SAW THE EXPENDITURES THAT WERE HERE.
ANYTHING THAT'S ABOVE 50, WE COME TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
AND THEN SO AND BELOW IS, IS, UH, WITHIN THE DELEGATED AUTHORITY THAT YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN ME, MR. MOODY.
I WAS JUST WONDERING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, UM, AND YOU MENTIONED, UH, CLIFF, THE RESTRICTIVE NATURE OF OUR EXISTING POLICY.
I MEAN, WERE THERE OTHER EXAMPLES OF OTHER ACOG, OTHER GOVERNMENT ENTITIES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS? I ASSUME THERE'S, THERE'S A WIDE SPECTRUM OF DIFFERENT BARS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
YEAH, SO ACTUALLY NORTH, UM, AND I FORGET THE COG THAT WAS NORTH TEXAS.
THEY ACTUALLY HAD THIS VERY SAME, UM, STRUCTURE IN THEIR, IN THEIR POLICY.
AND SO FROM WHAT WE, WHAT WE WERE TOLD WAS THAT THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST POLICIES THEY HAD SEEN AT THE COG LEVEL.
AND SO WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO, UH, MIMIC THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TWO 50, UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT? YES, YES.
WHAT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR CONTRACTS ARE BELOW TWO 50 VERSUS OVER? YEAH, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW OFF, OFF THE TOP HEAD.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY A CONTRACT.
SO WE HAVE CONTRACT WITH ALL OF OUR VENDORS RANGING FROM THE HOME HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND EVERYTHING THAT ARE SMALL.
UH, OUR SPEECH THERAPY, OUR PSYCHO, UH, PSYCHOLOGIST THAT BILL $150 HOUR, A VERY SMALL, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTS THAT SERVICE THE AGENCY SUCH AS OUR, UH, OUR LANDSCAPING AND OUR, UH, WHAT PAINTING AND, AND, UH, UH, REFURBISHING FACILITIES, THAT TYPE OF THING.
I MEAN, VERY FEW OF 'EM ARE GONNA BE ABOVE 250.
SO THIS WOULD BASICALLY SIM SIMPLIFY.
FOR INSTANCE, IF WE GET A TENANT THAT COMES IN AND THEY NEED A TENANT IMPROVEMENT BUILD OUT, LET'S JUST SAY IT TYPICALLY COSTS 75 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
WE ARE ABLE TO GO OUT AND DO THIS THROUGH MULTIPLE BIDS THAT WE SEND OUT TO THE CONTRACTORS AS OPPOSED TO DOING A FORMAL PROCUREMENT RFP THAT REQUIRES, SAY, 30 DAYS OUT THE STREET.
A LOT OF YOUR VENDORS AREN'T PREPARED TO DO A FORMAL RESPONSE, YOU KNOW, AND SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM.
AND SO THAT LIMITS THE POOL OF PEOPLE THAT WE CAN GET TO DO THE WORK SO IT ACTUALLY EXPAND.
AND SO THIS WOULD ALLOW US THAT FLEXIBILITY TO GO OUT AND GET THREE BEDS, START CONSTRUCTION FOR INSTANCE, WITHIN, YOU KNOW, TWO WEEKS INSTEAD OF WAITING 45 DAYS TO GET CONSTRUCTION DONE.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF THE SIMPLIFICATION OF THE PROCESS.
UH, JUST MY, MY THOUGHTS ON IT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, RIGHT NOW OUR COUNTIES ARE 50,000.
I'M TRYING TO GET THAT RAISED TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND WOULD BE THE NUMBER.
I THINK THAT'S A HUGE IMPROVEMENT OVER 25,000.
[01:30:02]
IS A LOT OF MONEY AND I, SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.UM, BECAUSE I AGREE EVEN AS THE COUNTY'S 50,000 IS NOT ENOUGH.
BUT I THINK A HUNDRED, I WOULD EXPECT THAT I WOULD SECOND THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT THOUGH? UH, YES, I DO.
I JUST FOR PERSPECTIVE, I, I UNDERSTAND PARTICULARLY ON THE CONTRACTING PART.
I HAD EIGHT CONTRACTORS, UH, UH, TRIED TO GET BIDDING ON SOME PERSONAL WORK AND, UH, BECAUSE I THINK I WROTE IT LIKE I WAS A GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT OFFICE, NONE OF THEM ACTUALLY BID.
TAKE MY HOUSE PREPARES BECAUSE I WAS FOLLOWING, UH, OLD HABITS.
BUT ANYWAY, UM, THE ONLY CONCERN I, I STILL HAVE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IS, UH, WHAT I HAVE SEEN AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN AT BE COUNTY, I, YOU KNOW, POINTING THE FINGER BACK AT OURSELVES IS SOME OF THE BIGGER BUSINESSES ARE THE ONES WHO GET THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
LIKE THEY'RE PREPARED TO DO THE BID.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, MY ONLY CONCERN IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I I, I KNOW IT'S MAYBE NOT, UH, WITHIN STATE LAW, BUT BIG BUSINESSES ARE GETTING A LOT OF THESE, WHAT USED TO BE SMALL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
JUST, JUST PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, THAT'S WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
SO WE HAVE TO REALLY KEEP AN EYE ON HELPING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES GET AN OPPORTUNITY AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S VERY EASY TO CALL SOME OF THE BIG VENDORS.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THEY CAN TURN YOU OUT OF APPLICATION REALLY QUICK.
AND YOU KNOW, I MEAN IT'S, THEY GOT DEPARTMENTS ON THAT, YOU KNOW, SMALL BUSINESS DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE ALL OF THAT WHEREWITHAL.
AND I, AND I, SO IT'S A BALANCE IS ALL I'M SAYING.
SO I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND, BUT JUST KEEP AN EYE ON ARE WE REALLY GETTING SMALL, I MEAN DEFINITION OF SMALL BUSINESSES, 500 EMPLOYEES AT WEST.
SO I'M JUST SAYING LIKE, WE REALLY NEED TO HELP OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
BUT I GUESS I'M MISSING THE, I I THINK I'M MISSING SOMETHING IN, IN WHAT YOU'RE, UH, TRYING TO EXPLAIN, BECAUSE I AGREE WITH YOU.
WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS OUR SMALL BUSINESSES CAN'T DO FORMAL PROCUREMENT.
THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS.
WE HAVE TO WALK OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS JUST SO THAT THEY CAN ACCEPT A CH PAYMENTS.
THEY'RE USED TO TAKING A CHECK.
SO WE HAVE TO SIT, BASICALLY SIT 'EM DOWN AND SAY, THIS IS HOW YOU FILL OUT YOUR A CH DEAL.
THIS IS A ROUTING NUMBER FOR A BANK.
THIS IS THE, THE, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU GET PAID THROUGH YOUR CREDIT, THROUGH YOUR ACCOUNT.
AND SO IF, IF YOU WANT SMALL BUSINESS TO GET BIGGER CONTRACTS, IF WE REQUIRE THE FORMAL COMPETITIVE PROCESS, THEY HAVE NO ABILITY TO PRODUCE A FORMAL R IT'S THE SAME, THEY DON'T HAVE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INSURANCE.
A LOT OF TIMES I HAVE TO WAIVE THE INSURANCE TO USE OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO USE SMALL VENDORS.
THEY'LL COME IN HERE AND THEY'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, I CAN PAINT YOUR WALLS FOR $2,000.
THE BIG COMPANY WANTS 10,000, BUT I DON'T HAVE $2 MILLION IN INSURANCE COVERAGE, SO I'LL WAIVE IT.
'CAUSE I'D RATHER PAY 2000 THAN 10 AND WE'LL COVER IT.
SORRY, WE'LL COVER IT THROUGH TML
OR WE'LL BUILD, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BUILD THESE WALLS FOR 50,000 AND WE'RE DONE.
UH, AND I WILL TELL YOU OFTENTIMES OUR BIGGER VENDORS THAT COME IN THAT YOU SAY, LIKE I SAY, THEY'VE GOT ALL THE SPIT AND POLISH, THEY'RE GOING TO GO THEIR BIDS FIVE TIMES HIGHER.
YOU KNOW, OR THREE TIMES EASY.
AND SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY SEARCHING FOR THE SMALLER ONE.
AND SO I DON'T, BY THE WAY, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE HUNDRED IF THAT'S WHAT THE BOARD PREPARES.
BUT IF THAT'S WHAT THE BOARD PREPARES THAT'S ON NEED PREFERS, THAT'S FINE.
I I WAS JUST GONNA WRAP IT UP AND SAY, I, I COMPLETELY GET WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND I, I THINK IT'S GONNA END UP, YOU KNOW, BEING A MEDIUM.
I'M JUST SAYING KEEP AN EYE ON THAT BECAUSE THE PRACTICAL NATURE OF WHAT I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN IN TERMS OF WHO'S ACTUALLY GETTING THESE AT THIS NEW THRESHOLD, IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, AND SO I JUST SEE THIS DEGRADING OF IT AND IT SOUNDS TO ME AS IF, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO REALLY PINCH YOUR PENNIES AND MAKE SURE YOU STAY WITH THEM.
BUT IT MAY BE MORE THAN A BIG BEAR COUNTY, RIGHT.
UM, MUCH MORE THAN BIG BEAR COUNTY.
UH, YOU ALL WILL BE MUCH MORE, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THESE DETAILS.
UM, AND IF OUR SMALL BUSINESS NEIGHBOR HERE, UH, AS A ACCOUNTING CAN HELP DO WORKSHOPS IN ADVANCE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, EITHER OR PART OF THE DECEMBER SMALL BUSINESS CONFERENCE, MAYBE THERE'S BREAKOUT SESSIONS WHERE WE ARE ACTUALLY BUILDING CAPACITY.
MAYBE THOSE ARE THINGS WE CAN PARTNER TO TRY AND GET IN, IN, YOU KNOW, AHEAD OF THE GAME FORECASTING, RIGHT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE START THE NEW YEAR OFF WITH AN EVENT AND SAY, HEY, WE'VE GOT THESE FORECASTED PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DO X, Y, AND Z.
WE'LL TRAIN YOU ON THE WEEKEND, OR WE'LL TRAIN YOU AFTER HOURS OR WE'LL TRAIN YOU IN A BREAKFAST, OR WHATEVER IT IS.
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY REALLY NEEDS
[01:35:01]
CAPACITY.'CAUSE IT YOU HAVE A COMPETITION'S FEROCIOUS.
UM, YEAH, I WAS GOING, YOU KNOW, ECHO WHAT CLIFF HAD SAID, YOU KNOW, THE TWO 50 THRESHOLD AND HOW I LOOK AT IT FROM THE CITY MANAGER SIDE, IT'S LESS ABOUT THE CONTRACTUAL PIECE BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE TO BRING IT TO THE BOARD.
IT STILL HAS TO FOLLOW ALL OF THE BOARD APPROVAL SIDE.
I THINK TO, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT COMMISSIONER, I THINK IT ACTUALLY BENEFITS THE SMALL BUSINESSES AND, AND HELPS THEM BE ABLE TO SCALE UP A LITTLE BIT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY, YOU HAVE A, WE HAVE, WE'RE WORKING AND PARTNERING WITH BROWNWOOD ON A BILL THAT'S ACTUALLY TRYING TO REDUCE THE WORKERS' COMP ISSUE, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT'S HURTING SMALL BUSINESSES FROM DOING THESE SMALL TIME JOBS WITH, WITH MUNICIPALITIES AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW EVERY TIME WE HAVE TO GO OUT FOR OUR, FOR AN RFP, WE TYPICALLY SEE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20 TO 30% HIGHER OF COSTS SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S GOING THROUGH A FORMAL RFP PROCESS VERSUS IF WE CAN GO AND NEGOTIATE THROUGH A BID, YOU AVOID THE RFP OR RFQ COST OF ACTUALLY HAVING TO DO IT.
UM, WE AVOID HAVING TO WAIT 30 OR, YOU KNOW, 40 OR 60 DAYS, YOU KNOW, TO DO THAT.
WHICH AGAIN, THE INFLATIONARY FACTOR, YOU KNOW, GETS US.
UM, AND WE TYPICALLY DO NOT SEE THE SMALL BUSINESSES ON THE FORMAL RFP.
SO I, I THINK THE THRESHOLD TWO 50, I THINK IT JUST, IT ADDS THE INFLATIONARY FACTOR OF HOW IT USED TO BE BACK IN, YOU KNOW, WAY BACK IN THE DAY.
UH, BUT A HUNDRED, I THINK, I THINK IT'S SEMANTICS AT THAT POINT, BUT I DEFINITELY THINK INCREASING THE THRESHOLD IS, IS BENEFICIAL.
'CAUSE EVERYTHING STILL HAS TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD.
UM, AND I THINK TO, TO THAT POINT, AND WHAT I ALWAYS DO AS A CITY MANAGER, I ALWAYS BRING THAT MATRIX TO IT.
SO IF WE HAVE MULTIPLE BIDS, WE SHARE THAT WITH, WITH THE COUNSELOR, WITH THE BOARD AND SAY, HEY, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE GOT.
HERE'S THE BEST VALUE, HERE'S THE LOWEST BID, HERE'S WHAT WE GOT.
SO THAT WAY THE BOARD CAN KIND OF SEE IS IT A SMALL BUSINESS OR WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE.
UM, AND YOU CAN KIND OF VET IT, YOU KNOW, VET IT THAT WAY.
SO THE BOARD STILL WOULD HAVE OVERSIGHT, UM, ON, ON THOSE, ON THAT PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
IT'S JUST THE THANK YOU MR. ACKER.
I SERVE AT THE PLEASURE OF THE COMMISSIONERS AND UH, I HEAR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
UM, THE BURKE COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT IS A 250,000.
UM, OUR BOARD PACKET IS ABOUT THIS THICK NOW.
IT USED TO BE THIS THICK, AND IN THE BOARD PACKET IT LISTS EVERYTHING THAT REED HURLEY, ED BANOS AT THE 250,000 THRESHOLD.
IT'S, IT'S IN OUR AUDIT, THE, UH, WHAT WE CALL THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
UM, THOSE ITEMS ARE SENT TO US PRIOR TO THE BOARD MEETING AND MAYBE WEEKS OUT TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SO THAT WE KNOW, UH, EXACTLY WHERE THOSE EXPENDITURES ARE.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO TRACK THESE AND DO THESE.
SO, UM, AS YOU'RE BOTH WELL AWARE, AT A $3 BILLION A YEAR BUDGET, 12,000 PLUS EMPLOYEES, UH, AND, AND GROWING QUICKLY, UH, IT HELPS US, UM, ON WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
UM, THIS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
ACOG DOESN'T HAVE A $3 BILLION BUDGET, UH, AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT TRYING TO GET OUTTA LONG MEETINGS, BUT, UH, UH, IT, IT'S WORKING WELL AND IT'S WORKED WELL FOR US.
AND, UM, UM, YOU WILL HAVE PEOPLE THAT, UH, AS CLIFF SAID, WE DO THE SAME THING THERE.
PROCUREMENT AS YOU, YOU'RE BOTH WELL AWARE OF AND HELPING PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET, UH, ABIDE AT THE APPLE TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND COMMISSIONER YOU WERE THERE, UM, AT THE GROUNDBREAKING THE OTHER DAY AND LISTEN TO THE REPORT ON WHAT WE'RE DOING TO REACH OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
WELL, I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE DISCUSSION.
I THINK WE'VE HAD A VERY HEALTHY DISCUSSION.
HOWEVER, WE DO NEED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR A MOTION.
I'LL MAKE THE MOTION USING THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
I'LL SECOND THAT WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE COURT TO HAVE THE LIMIT AT $100,000.
ALRIGHT, LET ME ASK YOU, LET ME ASK YOU THIS DISCUSSION.
WHERE, WHERE DOES THIS HANDICAP YOU, CLIFF? WELL, ONLY THAT WE HAVE TO DO A FORMAL PROCUREMENT IF WE, IF WE, IF WE GET ABOVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
AND THOSE ARE NOT LAR I MEAN THOSE ARE NOT OFTEN.
I MEAN, SO WE CAN DO THE, WE CAN DO, CAN, CAN YOU LIVE WITH A HUNDRED THOUSAND? WE CAN DO IT, YES.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT WHERE THE CONTRACTS ARE BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS IS AFFECTING 5% OF THE CONTRACTS OR 90% OF THE CONTRACTS, RIGHT? NO, I WOULD SAY I WOULD SAY 5%.
I WOULD SAY THE FIVE CLOSER TO THE FIVE THAN THE NINE.
THERE REALLY WAS NOT GOING TO BE A BAD EFFECT.
SO WE DO HAVE THE MOTION AND WE'VE GOT A SECOND.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
HEARING, THERE'S NONE THAT BE PREPARED TO VOTE AND, UM, ALL IN FAVOR WITH AYE.
[01:40:01]
AYE.ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION DOES CARRIED.
YES, WE DIDN'T, WE DIDN'T CLARIFY IN THAT MOTION THOUGH, WE'RE GONNA UP THE MICRO PURCHASE TO THE 10,000.
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
[16. Discussion of the status of funding for the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) program services - William McKnight.]
16 DISCUSSION AND OF THE STATUS OF FUNDING FOR THE ALAMO AGENCY ON AGING, UM, PROGRAM SERVICES.IT'S NOW, WELL, NO, IT'S NOT AFTERNOON YET.
MORNING CHAIR DENNIS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I, I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY.
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, I'M THE SENIOR DIRECTOR WITHIN MY PORTFOLIO, I HAVE THE BEAR AND ALAMO AGING PROGRAMS, THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAMS, AND THE MILITARY VETERANS AFFAIRS PROGRAM.
I'M HERE TO PROVIDE YOU AN UPDATE ON THE CHALLENGES CURRENTLY AFFECTING OUR AREA AGENCIES ON AGING AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS THAT WE SERVE EVERY DAY.
PROGRAMS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT, SUCH AS HOME DELIVERED MEALS, TRANSPORTATION IN-HOME CARE, AND CAREGIVER SUPPORT ARE FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED UNDER TITLE THREE OF THE OAA RIGHT NOW.
ON APRIL 9TH, 2025, TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE COMMISSION INFORMED ALL THE AREA AGENCIES ON AGING THAT FUNDING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 TITLE THREE PROGRAMS WOULD BE PAUSED TO HELP MANAGE THIS CRISIS.
HHSC PLANS TO REDISTRIBUTE CARRY OVER FUNDING FROM FISCAL YEARS 2023 AND 2024 IN ORDER TO KEEP ESSENTIAL SERVICE RUNNING THROUGH THE REST OF THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
HOWEVER, DESPITE THESE ASSURANCES FROM HHSC THAT A UPDATED ALLOCATION FIGURE WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE 18TH OF APRIL, WE'RE STILL WAITING THESE CRITICAL DETAILS, THIS FUNDING PAUSE AS A RESULT OF TWO MAIN ISSUES.
THE FIRST PANDEMIC RELATED FEDERAL FUNDING PROVIDED THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE ACT, UH, PLAN ACT, ARPA AND CARES ACT HAS EXPIRED OR BEEN PULLED BACK DUE TO RECENT FEDERAL BUDGET DECISIONS.
AND SECOND, THE STATE HAS NOT PROVIDED THE REQUIRED MATCHING FUNDING NEEDED TO ACCESS FEDERAL DOLLARS ALLOCATED THROUGH OAA, THE ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY LIVING OR ACL.
THE FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING AGING PROGRAMS IS EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT REORGANIZATION RESULTING IN STAFFING CUTS IN EXCESS OF 40%.
THIS RAISES THE CONCERNS ABOUT ONGOING OVERSIGHT AND SUPPORT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE IMPACT OF THESE SERVICES HAS ALREADY BEEN FELT LOCALLY.
OUR AAA HAS HAD TO PAUSE NEW ENROLLMENTS AND SEVERAL VITAL PROGRAMS, AND WITHOUT STABLE FUNDING, WE ANTICIPATE EVEN MORE REDUCTIONS.
CAN YOU PULL UP OUR SLIDE PLEASE? AND THESE ARE THE, THE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE, UH, CURRENTLY PAUSED, UH, UP TO THIS POINT AS WE WAIT FOR OUR, OUR NEW ALLOCATIONS FROM HHSC.
UH, THE BOTTOM LINE IS FROM THE START OF THIS FISCAL YEAR UP TO DATE, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SERVE IN RELATION TO THESE SERVICES.
JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, WE'VE SERVED A TOTAL, AND THIS IS WITHIN BOTH THE BEAR AND THE ALAMO AA, A TOTAL OF 963 RESIDENTS, UH, TOTAL COST IN EXCESS OF $800,000.
SO AGAIN, THAT IS FROM THE 1ST OF OCTOBER THROUGH THE, THE 10TH OF FEBRUARY, I'M SORRY, 10TH OF APRIL.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO MANAGE THAT, BUT I WANTED YOU TO GET KIND OF THE IDEA OF THE IMPACT THAT THESE SERVICES HAVE AND THE, THE CLIENT BASE THAT WE'RE SERVING AND HOW IMPORTANT THESE SERVICES ARE.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, ALSO IMPACTED IS THE AMERICORPS SENIORS PROGRAM, SPECIFICALLY OUR SENIOR COMPANION PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS COMPANIONSHIP TO CRITICAL NON-MEDICAL SUPPORT TO OLDER, OLDER ADULTS.
UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS CASE, 85% OF THE AMERICORPS STAFF HAS BEEN RECENTLY PLA PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE.
AGAIN, IMAGINE WHAT IMPACT THAT HAS AND THE IMPACT OF MANAGING THAT PROGRAM AS WELL.
WE'RE ALSO SEEING BROADER FEDERAL BUDGET CONSTRAINTS THAT HAVE LED THE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, EDA.
THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN FROZEN INDEFINITELY.
THIS FREEZE IS DELAYING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AND ECONOMIC PLANNING INITIATIVES TYPICALLY SUPPORTED THROUGH THESE GRANTS THAT THEY SPONSOR.
AGAIN, IT FURTHER COMPLICATES OUR COMMUNITY'S CAPACITY TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO THE NEEDS.
THERE IS JUST, AS CLIFF ALLUDED TO, THERE IS NO UPDATE AT THIS POINT.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GET THE INFORMATION ON THE 18TH.
[01:45:01]
TO, TO REALLY DO THE MATH TO DETERMINE WHAT THE IMPACTS ARE.UH, SO WE, WHAT OUR POSITION AT THIS POINT IS WE WE'RE JUST CONTINUING TO MONITOR THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO ACT RESPONSIBLY.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE YOU UPDATES ONCE WE DO RECEIVE THOSE FISCAL NUMBERS, WHAT THE IMPACT IS ON SERVICES IF WE'RE FORCED TO, TO PAUSE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY MADE A COMMITMENT AND YOU'VE ALL READ THE EMAIL.
IF ALL OF THESE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE GO AWAY, THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS TO KEEP PEOPLE FED.
THAT IS, THAT IS THE, WE NEED, WE HAVE TO KEEP BOTH OUR CONGREGANT AND HOME DELIBERATE MEAL PROGRAMS GOING AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE COMMITTED TO DO.
BUT THE CHALLENGE IS THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU CAN TAKE, CARRY OVER FROM 2023 AND 2024 AND DISTRIBUTE IT AMONGST 28 AAAS AND SUPPORT WHAT OUR CURRENT REQUIREMENTS ARE.
SO THIS IS REALLY AS NO MATTER WHAT NUMBER, WHAT AMOUNT OF FUNDING WE RECEIVE, IT'S GONNA BE WELL BELOW WHAT WE NEED.
SO WE'RE GONNA ANTICIPATE CUTS AT EVERY SINGLE LEVEL US WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS PROBLEM SET.
SO THAT REALLY IS THE KEY MESSAGE MESSAGE AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS.
UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. MCKNIGHT.
UH, CERTAINLY VERY DISHEARTENING ON NEWS.
HOWEVER I REALLY WANT THIS CONVERSATION TO BE IS THAT WE, I WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEMS THAT WE, YOU'VE EXPLAINED IT TO US, I THINK NOW IS THAT WE'RE WAITING TO GET MORE INFORMATION.
AND I, WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S REALLY NOT ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO, DO, UH, UNLESS, UNLESS WAIT AND HOPE FOR THE BEST.
SO THAT'S WHAT I WANT THIS CONVERSATION, UH, TO BE ABOUT.
IF WE COULD PLEASE COMMISSIONER.
SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF THESE THAT ARE FEDERALLY FUNDED? IS IT A HUNDRED PERCENT EVERYTHING THAT I'M TALKING, TALKING ABOUT WITHIN THIS CONTEXT? THIS IS ALL FEDERAL.
FEDERAL AND OF COURSE THAT'S A CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATION.
SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE HOPELESS.
I THINK THAT THERE'S PLENTY OF CASE STUDY THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS, UM, THAT THOSE ENTITIES WHO HAVE GONE TO THE COURT SYSTEM TO CLARIFY THAT THIS IS A CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATION THAT SHOULD NOT BE STOPPED, HAVE HAD SUCCESS, AND I THINK THE COGS COULD SPLIT THAT COST, UM, IN TERMS OF GOING TO FILE WHATEVER, UH, MOTIONS THAT NEED TO BE FILED TO GET CLARITY FROM THE JUDICIARY THAT THESE ARE CONGRESSIONALLY APPROPRIATED, AND FORCE THE ADMINISTRATION TO LAY ITS CARDS OUT ABOUT MODIFICATIONS OR WHAT THE PLANS ARE.
UH, BECAUSE THESE ARE, IN MANY CASES, ESPECIALLY ON THE FOOD SERVICE, THESE ARE LIFE CRITICAL, UH, SERVICES.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE THIS BOARD TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH COGS THAT WE ARE NOT HELPLESS THOSE ENTITIES THAT ARE, UH, PUTTING THIS INTO THE JUDICIARY.
THE JUDICIARY IS ADDING CLARITY AND ADDING RESOLUTION.
SO LET'S GET THE RESOLUTION IN THE COURTS AND HELP OUR SENIORS AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, THERE IS, THERE IS A STATE MATCH THOUGH, RIGHT? THAT'S SO, AND OUR FUNDING HAS BEEN CUT AND THERE'S A STATE MATCH REQUIREMENT.
SO YOU HAVE CUT IT CUT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
SO, BUT THERE'S FUNDING STILL THERE AND THEN THE STATE IS AT THIS 0.0 MATCHING MOVEMENT TO USE STATE FUNDING TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO MEET THE MATCH, TO GET THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
SO IT'S, IT'S THOSE TWO THINGS OCCURRING.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE WAY I WOULD LOOK AT IT IS, IS THE BIENNIUM BUDGET, RIGHT? SO THE BIENNIUM BUDGET AT THE STATE SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROPRIATED AT LEAST FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR, CORRECT? YES.
UM, THERE IS, I MEAN DESPITE THE FACT THAT FACT THAT THERE'S A SURPLUS OF FUNDING, SO THERE'S STILL, THERE IS NOT ANY PUSH QUESTION WAS ASKED DIRECTLY FROM ANY MOVEMENT TO GO TO OUR LEGISLATURE, GO TO THE LEGISLATURE TO ATTEMPT TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO COVER REQUIREMENT.
WHAT THEY, WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS REQUIRED.
LET ME, LET ME STOP YOU THERE.
WE, WE ARE OPERATING UNDER THE FISCAL YEAR THAT WAS APPROPRIATED A YEAR AGO.
CORRECT? SO THERE IS ALREADY AN APPROPRIATION, CORRECT? WELL, THERE ALREADY IS.
THAT WAS SOMEWHAT APPROPRIATE.
THERE ALREADY IS APPROPRIATION.
WE ARE, SO THE, THE ISSUE IS THAT WE AT LEAST NEED TO MAKE THIS FISCAL YEAR'S APPROPRIATION REALITY, RIGHT? I MEAN THAT, THAT WOULD BE THE GOAL.
BUT THIS WAS, WHICH TRIGGERED THE CAUSE BECAUSE THIS FISCAL YEAR IS WHAT NOTIFIED US THAT HAS CAUSED EXACTLY, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T I COULDN'T HEAR YOU.
IT'S THIS FISCAL YEAR HAS BEEN CAUSED FFY 20, CORRECT.
FFY 20 BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH MATCH FUNDING TO MEET THE WHAT HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED.
I HAVE TO GET INTO THE DETAILS, THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS SO I CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT IT IS.
BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, IF I MAY, THE FEDS PAUSE, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PAUSED ALL FUNDING SAID YOU'RE JUST AS IF FOR TO, DID THEY SAY APRIL OR MAY, THIS IS
[01:50:01]
THE END OF 25 FUNDING.THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE US, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STOPPED ALL THE FUNDING.
WE ASKED THE STATE IF THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO STEP IN AND SUPPLEMENT WITH ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS.
AND THEIR ANSWER WAS, WELL, THE ANSWER WAS THAT'S NOT THE PLAN.
SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA TRY, THE STATE IS NOT GONNA STEP IN TO TRY TO, UM, AND REALLY RATE THIS DEPOSIT.
SO, AND WE DON'T KNOW THE LEVEL OF CARRY OVER FUNDING AS HE SAID YET, BUT WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE DRAMATICALLY LESS.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT 75%, I KNOW WHEN, WHEN JULIO DID HIS BUDGET, UH, HE, THEY THEY CUT THE FUNDING TO THE 75% TECHNICALLY.
BUT WHEN YOU TRY TO TALK ABOUT BRINGING BACK ALL THIS CARRY FORWARD FUNDING, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE ENOUGH.
IT'S NOT GONNA EVEN BE 75% WE'RE EXPECTING CUTS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THAT 75% AS OPPOSED TO 80% THRESHOLD THEY HAD.
SO WE'RE NOT GETTING THE PREVIOUS BUDGET.
UH, AND SO THERE'S GONNA BE A DRAMATIC LOSS OF THE FUNDING.
AS HE SAID, WE'RE PRIORITIZING NUTRITION, BUT STATE'S NOT GONNA STEP IN.
NOW WHETHER, LIKE I SAY THIS IS A NATIONWIDE, BASICALLY THE GOVERNMENT GUTTED, WHAT IS IT? THE ADMINISTRATION ACL, CORRECT? CORRECT.
THEY GUTTED THAT PRO, THAT AGENCY, THAT DEPARTMENT WITHIN HHSC.
AND SO WHEN WE TALKED TO THE STATE COMMISSIONER, SHE SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ANYBODY THAT THEY COULD TALK TO.
THEY'RE STILL WAITING TO FIGURE OUT WHO THEY TALKED TO, UH, ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ON PAUSE.
BUT THIS IS REALLY, IT'S A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM.
UM, IT'S NOT, THEY CUT IT NATIONWIDE.
SO ALL THE COGS, ALL THE COGS HAVE THE SAME.
AGAIN, UH, LOOK, I KNOW WHAT THE STRATEGY IS.
STRATEGY AT FEDERAL LEVEL IS CREATES SCARCITY CORRECT.
FOR A, A LOT OF OTHER BALONEY.
BUT OUR JOB IS TO, IN ESSENCE DECLARE AN EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO THESE PROGRAMS AND WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR ACOG PARTNER.
I BELIEVE WE CAN GET THAT CLARITY WE NEED.
I'M NOT SURE IT'S CONSTITUTIONAL THAT ONE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT.
IT'S NOT YEAH, YEAH, IT'S NOT.
THEREFORE, I, LIKE I SAID, I'VE SEEN THE COURTS CLARIFY THAT CONGRESS HAS TO BE THE ONE THAT MAKES THE APPROPRIATIONS.
I MEAN THAT'S IN THE CONSTITUTION, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
I'M HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL, I'M JUST A FOOD LABEL IN THE CASE.
BUT, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT LITIGATING CLARITY SO THAT AT THE VERY LEAST WE BEGIN THE PROCESS BECAUSE THE COURTS ADMINISTRATION WILL APPEAL THESE THINGS AS HIGH AS THEY WANT APPEAL THESE THINGS.
BUT WE SHOULD NOT WAIT ANOTHER MONTH WITHOUT HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THE, SO I DON'T KNOW, IS THIS JUST AN UPDATE OR DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DISCUSS? NO, IT'S AN UPDATE.
WE WERE HOPING TO HAVE SOME REAL NUMBERS BECAUSE THEY PROMISED US MM-HMM.
ON ROYAL TWO OCCASIONS AFTER THEY, AND THEY HAVEN'T GOT ANYTHING.
I, I MEAN THEY'RE NOT, IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET, SO I MEAN, IT, I WOULD, I WOULD TALK TO YOUR FELLOW COGS AND SEE IF YOU ALL CAN WORK COLLABORATIVELY OR MAYBE THE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S NOT EVERY COG BUT EVEN THIS COG, I MEAN THIS COG MAYBE THE OTHERS JOINING WITH AMICUS BRIEFS OR WHATEVER.
BUT FOR OUR PROGRAMS, WE REALLY DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AREN'T IN A, IN A, IN A REAL SELF-INFLICTED EMERGENCY THAT WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED.
AND I, I SUBMIT TO YOU, WE CAN PREVENT THIS BY GOING AND GETTING THE FEDERAL COURTS INVOLVED.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WELL, MR. MCKNIGHT, UM, KEEP UP THE DIVIDE AND WE'LL TO KEEP ON TOP OF THIS.
IT'S HORRIBLE AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY UPDATES IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT, THAT WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THIS, YOU KNOW, COMES UP.
[17. Consider and act upon recommendations from the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee regarding the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, Truancy Prevention, Justice Assistance Grant, General Victims Assistance-Direct Services, and Violence Against Women Justice and Training Program funding streams for FY 2026. This item will not require a budget amendment – Justin Monarez.]
17, OUR COMMITTEE REPORTS, UH, ITEM 17, CONSIDER AN ACT UPON RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGARDING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE DELINQUENCY PREVENTION, TRUANCY PREVENTION, JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT, GENERAL VICTIMS, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECT SERVICES AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN JUSTICE AND TRAINING PROGRAM FUNDING STREAMS FOR FY 2026.THE ITEM WILL NOT REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENT.
UH, MR. RE, GOOD MORNING CHAIR, DENNIS, VICE CHAIR AND MEMBERS.
I'M THE HOMELAND SECURITY CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR FOR OVER A MONTH, BEGINNING IN MARCH, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REVIEWED OVER A HUNDRED APPLICATIONS AND SCORED THE APPLICATIONS IN A THREE DAY PROCESS IN APRIL.
THE ATTACHMENT FOR THIS ITEM REPRESENTS THE CJ RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS IN EACH FIVE FUNDING STREAMS. IT INCLUDES EACH PROJECT RANKING, DESCRIPTIONS, FUNDING AMOUNT REQUESTED, CJ RECOMMENDED AMOUNT, ANTICIPATED AMOUNT, AND COUNTY SERVED.
THE ANTICIPATED AMOUNT IS BASED ON THE REASONABLE BUDGET EXPECTATION
[01:55:01]
PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AND THEY WILL MAKE FINAL FUNDING DECISIONS.THESE BOARD APPROVED RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DUE TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR ON MAY 5TH.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME, YOUR HONOR.
ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS? DO YOU NEED A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM? A MOTION TO APPROVE.
IS THERE A MOTION PLEASE? MOTION I SECOND TO AND I SECOND OR GRANT SECOND.
UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? UH, PLEASE VOTE.
NDA UH, FAVOR ANY ANYONE OPPOSED? MOTION AS CARRIED.
[18. Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at AACOG.]
TO ITEM 18.UM, OUR NEXT MEETING IS GATHERED FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY 28TH, 2025 HERE AT 10:00 AM IS THERE ANY OTHER SENIOR I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE? MY GRANDSON IS GRADUATING FROM BLACK.
TOMORROW'S BE IN THE SPACE FOR OFF CALIFORNIA ON MONDAY.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK VERY MUCH FOR GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK, THANK WATCHING VIDEO.