Aug 12, 2025 Commissioners Court

COMMISSIONERS, GOOD MORNING.

LET'S TAKE UP

[4. TIME CERTAIN ITEM(S)]

NOW THE TIME.

CERTAIN ITEMS. NINE O'CLOCK, UH, SUBMISSION OF 2025 CALCULATED NO NEW REVENUE VOTER APPROVAL.

THE DI MINIMIS TAX RATE FOR BEXAR COUNTY IS CALCULATED BY THE OFFICE OF THE BEXAR COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR PER SECTION 26 0 4 OF THE TEXAS PROPERTY TAX CODE.

MR. RUSTY, I BELIEVE YOU MAKE THAT I'D LIKE TO OPEN WITH SOME REMARKS.

IN THE LAST YEAR, WE MADE SOME MAJOR STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS THAT I WANT TO COMMEND THE COURT FOR.

ITS FORWARD THINKING AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.

I'M COMMITTED TO NOT RAISING PROPERTY TAXES TO MAINTAIN THAT COMMITMENT.

THIS COURT WORKS TO LIVE WITHIN OUR FISCAL MEANS AND BE FOCUSED ON HOW WE MANAGE OUR DEBT.

WE HAVE DEMONSTRATED OUR COMMITMENT AND OUR ABILITY TO LEVERAGE WHILE MAINTAINING PHYSICAL CONSTRAINT.

WE DO THIS WITH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE GRANTS.

WE SEEK AND SECURE LIKE THE BLOOMBERG FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION OR OUR MANY HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION PROGRAMS THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

WITH THE FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND OUR LOCAL SUBURBAN CITIES.

WE PARTNERED AND LEVERAGED WITH OUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS, OUR SOCIAL SERVICES, OUR UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, OUR PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES.

AND WE DO THIS WITH OUR STRATEGIC USE OF SPECIAL FUNDS THAT HAVE LIMITED USE UNDER STATE LAW, LIKE THE ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT FUNDS TO THE TUNE OF 102 MILLION TO PROVIDE FOR THE LOCAL MATCH FOR THE TRANSFORMATIVE VIA EAST WEST SILVER LINE RAPID TRANSIT OR THE ALAMO REGIONAL MOBILITY AUTHORITY RESOURCES OR THE VENUE TAX FUNDS, WHICH WE HAVE TEED UP FOR THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE COLISEUM AND GROUNDS AND RODEO FOOTPRINT, FROST BANK CENTER, AND THE JOE FREEMAN COLISEUM AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A NEW DOWNTOWN ARENA.

I WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WE ARE STRATEGICALLY LEVERAGED OUR GRANTS IN PARTNERSHIP.

THE GENERAL FUND REVENUES COLLECTED PRIMARILY THROUGH PROPERTY TAX AND THE SPECIAL FUNDS THAT ARE RESTRICTED AND CAN ONLY BE USED FOR DEDICATED PURPOSE.

THESE BALANCES WITH FISCAL RESTRAINT, CONSTRAINT WITH THE MAXIMIZING OF BENEFIT AND SERVICES FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND THOSE WHO VISIT OUR WORLD-CLASS COMMUNITY.

SO I WANT TO THANK TAX ASSESSOR COLLECTOR ALBERT ESTE FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND FOR HIS CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP.

MR. ESTE, PLEASE STEP

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FORWARD.

LET'S HEAR THE REPORT, JUDGE.

GOOD MORNING.

I MIGHT MENTION THAT TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY AND THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE I'D RATHER BE.

SO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY.

SO, UM, OUR MISSION HAS ALWAYS HAS BEEN TO HELP KEEP FAMILIES IN THEIR HOMES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HELPING OUR SENIOR CITIZENS, OUR DISABLED, OUR VETERANS, AND ULTIMATELY OUR CHILDREN.

IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN DOING SINCE EVEN BEFORE I TOOK OFFICE, AND SO THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE WITH ME.

I HAVE CARLOS GUTIERREZ ONE, UH, ONE OF OUR CHIEF DEPUTIES AND I HAVE VANESSA BUSHAN, WHO IS OUR NEW, UH, TAX DIRECTOR.

BOTH OF THEM HAVE BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED.

SO LOOKING AT LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE ON YOUR FIRST SLIDE OR ACTUALLY SECOND SLIDE.

SO IF YOU WERE TO ADOPT THE SAME COMBINED TAX RATE IN 2025 AS LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE FOR BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AND THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND TOGETHER, IT WOULD BE 30 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUE AND WOULD DECREASE TAX REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY 9 MILLION.

NOW IN SPEAKING WITH THE AUDITOR, THAT'S, THAT DOESN'T CREATE A, A DEFICIT BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER CALCULATIONS THAT ARE DONE TO INCLUDE, UH, THAT DO NOT INCLUDE NEW CONSTRUCTION AND WHAT HAVE YOU.

THE BREAKDOWN ON THAT 29 CENTS FOR THE GENERAL FUND WOULD BE 27.63 CENTS PER HUNDRED DOLLARS AND WOULD DECREASE TAX REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY $9 MILLION.

AND IF YOU ADOPT THE SAME ROAD AND FLOOD FUND TAX RATE, UH, AS LAST YEAR OF 2.30 CENTS, THAT WOULD GIVE YOU A DECREASE OF 2050 $4.

AGAIN, THAT'S IF YOU KEEP THE SAME TAX RATE AS LAST YEAR, THE 2025, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.

THE 2025 COMBINED, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE THAT WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE EFFECTIVE TAX RATE FOR BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AND THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND IS 30.70 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUE AND WOULD INCREASE THE COMBINED TAX REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY $5.5 MILLION.

AND THE 2025.

AND ON THE BREAKDOWN ON THE GENERAL FUND, IT WOULD BE 28.27 CENTS PER HUNDRED DOLLARS.

THAT WOULD INCREASE THE GENERAL FUND TAX REVENUE BY 4.3 MILLION.

AND THE 2025, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE FOR THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND WOULD BE 2.40 CENTS AND WOULD INCREASE THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND TAX REVENUE BY 1.162 MILLION.

SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU SEE THE 2025 VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, IT'S 3.5%.

IT'S UNADJUSTED FOR THE UNUSED INCREMENT RATE.

SO THE 3.5 LIMIT ONLY APPLIES TO THE M AND O RATE, NOT THE DEBT RATE.

AND BASICALLY WHAT THIS IS, IS YOU CAN INCREASE UP TO 3.5%.

I MEAN, YOU CAN INCREASE MORE THAN THAT, BUT IF YOU WERE JUST TO INCREASE TO 3.5%, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO HAVE AN ELECTION.

NOW ADOPTING THE 2025 COMBINED VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE OF 3.5% FOR BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AND THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND WOULD BE 32.06 CENTS PER HUNDRED DOLLARS IN VALUE AND WOULD INCREASE TAX REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY 33 MILLION.

THE BREAKDOWN WOULD BE 30.60 CENTS FOR THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT WOULD INCREASE THE REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY $53 MILLION.

NOW, IF YOU ADOPT THE 2025 ROAD AND FLOOD FUND VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE FOR THE RODENT FLOOD FUND OF $0.01 FOR $100 OF VALUE, THAT'S GONNA DECREASE THE TAX REVENUE IN THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND BY 19 MILLION.

I CAN EXPLAIN THAT, BUT BASICALLY THERE'S EXCESS FUNDS THAT ARE THERE, WHICH WE HAVE TO USE THIS YEAR, UH, THAT THE COUNTY COLLECTED.

AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE GONNA SEE A DECREASE IN THE REVENUE IN, IN THE, UH, ROAD AND FLOOD FUND, THE 2025 VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE ADJUSTED FOR THE UNUSED INCREMENT RATE.

AND NOW IF YOU EXCEED THIS, YOU HAVE AN AUTOMATIC MANDATORY ELECTION.

AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS THE COUNTY'S BEEN GOOD ABOUT MANAGING THE

[00:15:01]

INCREASES IN, IN, IN TAX RATES AND THEREFORE THEY HAVE ACCUMULATED 3.20 CENTS, UH, OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.

SO IT'S OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.

AND SO WHAT YOU DO IS WHEN YOU DON'T HIT THAT 3.5%, YOU ACCUMULATE SOME, UH, SOME, I GUESS LIKE MONEY FOR THE FUTURE.

SO YOU HAVE 3.20 CENTS THAT YOU COULD ADD TO THAT THREE POINT, UH, 5% INCREASE.

SO IF YOU WERE TO ADOPT THE 2025 VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE ADJUSTED FOR THE UNUSED INCREMENT TAX RATE OF 3.20 CENTS FOR BOTH THE GENERAL FUND AND THE ROAD AND FLOOD FUND, THAT WOULD MAKE IT 35 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS VALUE AND WOULD INCREASE TAX REVENUE OVER LAST YEAR BY $101 MILLION.

NOW THE BREAKDOWN ON THAT IS GOING TO BE ON THE GENERAL FUND, IT'D BE 33 CENTS.

IT WOULD INCREASE THE REVENUE FOR THE GENERAL FUND OF 118 MILLION AND USING THE SAME, UH, CONCEPT WOULD DECREASE TAX REVENUE BY 16 MILLION.

THE 2025 DE MINIMUS TAX RATE, AND AGAIN, I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, NOBODY USES IT BECAUSE NOBODY UNDERSTANDS IT, BUT BASICALLY THE 2025 COMBINED ADJUSTED NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, EXCLUDING THE DE MINIMUS TAX RATE WOULD BE 31 POINT 15 CENTS PER HUNDRED DOLLARS OF VALUE.

THAT WOULD GENERATE $654 MILLION FOR AN INCREASE OF 14 MILLION.

IF YOU, ON THE NEXT PARAGRAPH, IF YOU INCLUDE THE DE MINIMIS RATE, THAT WOULD GIVE YOU AN EXTRA FI UH, $500,000, WHICH WOULD MAKE YOUR REVENUE $654 MILLION.

SO ON THE NEXT TWO SLIDES, I'M GONNA KIND OF JUST KIND OF COMPARE THINGS SO YOU CAN KIND OF GO THROUGH IT.

THE 2024 ADOPTED TAX RATE OF 29 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS USING THE 2024 COMBINED VALUES WAS CALCULATED TO GENERATE APPROXIMATELY 640 MILLION.

THIS WAS FOR LAST YEAR.

THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE CALCULATED TO GENERATE.

AND THE NU THE ACTUAL NUMBERS ARE GONNA BE DIFFERENT, BUT THIS WAS THE CALCULATIONS.

IF YOU READOPT THE 2024 TAX RATE OF 29 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS USING THE 2025 COMBINED VALUES, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THAT DECREASE OF $9 MILLION IN REVENUE.

AGAIN, IT'S NOT A DEFICIT BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER DOLLARS THAT ARE, UH, WILL BE INCLUDED.

THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED IN THE CALCULATIONS, AND IT'S A, THE DECREASE IN REVENUE IS A RESULT OF THE DECREASE IN TAXABLE VALUE.

THE 2025, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE OF 30.69 CENTS PER A HUNDRED DOLLARS USING THE 2025 COMBINED VALUES WOULD GENERATE 645 MILLION.

AND THAT'S AN INCREASE OF 5 MILLION OVER LAST YEAR'S ADOPTED TAX RATE.

ON NUMBER FOUR, YOU HAVE THE 2025 COMBINED ADJUSTED NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, 31 POINT 15 CENTS, AND THAT'S GONNA GENERATE 654 MILLION.

THAT'S AN INCREASE OF 14 MILLION.

AND WHEN YOU COUNT THE DE MINIMIS, IT'S UH, 654 MILLION, THE 2025 ADJUSTED VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, WHICH INCLUDES THE 3.5%, BUT NOT THAT OTHER MONEY THAT YOU HAVE BANKED OR THOSE OTHER RATES THAT YOU HAVE BANKED.

THAT WILL GENERATE AN INCREASE OF $33 MILLION.

AND AGAIN, IF YOU GO ALL OUT AND YOU DO EVERYTHING IT'S GONNA BE ON, THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE THE ADJUSTED VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE.

THAT WOULD GIVE YOU AN INCREASE OF $101 MILLION.

ON THE FINAL SLIDE, IT'S KIND OF A RECAP.

THE, UH, ON THE 2024, YOU'LL SEE IF YOU GO OVER TO THE FOURTH COLUMN, YOU'LL SEE THAT YOU GENERATED 640 MILLION.

IF YOU GO AND YOU ADOPT THE SAME TAX RATE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT YOU'RE GONNA GENERATE 631 MILLION, A DECREASE OF $9 MILLION.

YOU GO TO THE KNOWN NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, WHICH WOULD BE A, A HEIGHT ON THE, UH, TAX RATE, THAT'S GONNA GIVE YOU 645 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF $5 MILLION ON THE NEXT ONE.

IF YOU GO WITH A NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE ADJUSTED ON THE M AND O, THAT WOULD BE 31 CENTS.

THAT'LL GIVE YOU $654 MILLION OF

[00:20:01]

REVENUE, AN INCREASE OF 14 MILLION.

THE DE MINIMUS TAX RATE WOULD GENERATE 654,000,864, WHICH IS A 500,000 MORE, AND THAT'LL GIVE YOU 14.7 MILLION ON THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE.

THE 3.5% THAT YOU'RE ALLOWED BY LAW, IT'D BE 673 MILLION, WHICH WOULD GENERATE 33 MILLION.

AND THE FINAL ONE, IF YOU, AGAIN, IF YOU WENT ALL OUT THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE ADJUSTED FOR THE UNUSED INCREMENT RATE THAT Y'ALL HAVE BANKED WOULD GIVE YOU 742 MILLION FOR AN INCREASE OF $101 MILLION.

AGAIN, YOU CAN DO ALL THIS WITHOUT A MANDATORY ELECTION, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS.

I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I WANNA SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND ALSO BIANCA FROM THE BUDGET TEAM.

IT'S HER BIRTHDAY TOO, SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y'ALL.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER.

COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

UM, AL ALBERT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US WITH YOUR PRESENCE TODAY AND YOUR, YOUR, UH, CELEBRATION.

UM, QUESTION I THINK MORE FOR DAVID, UM, A LOT OF NUMBERS AND APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION, BUT I, I WANT TO TRY AND OVER SIMPLIFY THIS.

UM, THE BOTTOM LINE IS IF WE ARE, UH, TO KEEP THE TAX RATE THE SAME, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AS LAST YEAR.

THE NUMBERS ARE SUGGESTING THAT WE WOULD HAVE ABOUT $9 MILLION LESS.

UM, CAN YOU KIND OF EXPLAIN THAT? 'CAUSE I KNOW WE ALSO ARE GONNA HAVE A BUDGET PRESENTATION, WHICH WILL ACTUALLY SHOW WE'VE GOT MORE MONEY THAN, UH, LAST YEAR.

SO, SO THE, THE, UH, NO NEW REVENUE CALCULATION EXCLUDES NEW CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT? SO THIS IS JUST CURRENT APPRAISALS.

YES, I'M SURE WE HAD A RECORD HIGH PROTESTS AGAIN THIS YEAR, AND NOW THEY'RE DOING IT EVERY TWO YEARS.

SO I'M SURE THAT FACTORS IN AS WELL.

SO LAST YEAR WAS THE RECORD.

LOSSES WERE ACTUALLY HIGHER THIS YEAR.

BUT WHAT THIS IS TELLING YOU, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT AND WE'LL REITERATE IT IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, IS THAT IF YOU KEEP THE TAX RATE THE SAME, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE GOING, I'M GOING TO RECOMMEND YOU ARE ACTUALLY CUTTING TAXES RIGHT.

ON EXISTING VALUES, THAT'S A TAX CUT.

YOU WILL COLLECT LESS REVENUE THAN YOU DID LAST YEAR OFF THOSE SAME PROPERTIES.

AND, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS TOO WHEN WE GET INTO THE PRESENTATION, BUT I THINK IT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT, UM, MOST OF THE NEW STARTS, THE NEW CONSTRUCTION IS HAPPENING IN UNINCORPORATED BEXAR COUNTY, NOT NECESSARILY IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.

IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.

ALMOST ALL OF IT IS.

SO, SO WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING OBVIOUSLY THE BENEFIT OF THAT GROWTH.

UM, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, CITY MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT PICTURE IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY'RE SEEING YEAR OVER YEAR.

BUT, UH, THE REALITY IS, UH, WE'VE GOT A GROWING COMMUNITY, UH, PARTICULARLY THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT AGAIN, HOW TO INVEST IN THOSE COMMUNITIES AND, UH, KEEP UP WITH THAT GROWTH.

SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT.

I KNOW IT'LL MAKE A MORE SENSE WHEN WE GET INTO THE, THE BUDGET NUMBERS, BUT, UH, ALBERT, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE IT AND, UM, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.

COMMISSIONER, I JUST WANTED TO ADD, UH, YOU KNOW, BY ADOPTING LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU DO, YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING LOWER THAN THE EFFECTIVE TAX RATE.

WELL, UM, NOT THE EFFECTIVE, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO ALLOW YOU WITH THAT TAX RATE TO GENERATE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE AS LAST YEAR.

SO AS DAVID SAID, YOU ARE DOING A TAX CUT IF YOU DO ADOPT THE 29 CENTS.

THANK YOU, SIR.

COMMISSIONER WOODY, WELL, UH, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY AS WELL.

SPECIFIC, UM, FORMULA THAT WE MUST FOLLOW WHEN WE CALCULATE IT.

UH, MAYBE WE CAN TAKE IT OFFLINE.

I, I STILL GET CONFUSED BY THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, UH, AND THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, BY DEFINITION IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT WOULD BE AT THE SAME $640 MILLION, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, AN ADDITIONAL $5.5 MILLION ON THE EXISTING TAX BASE.

SO I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT WHAT PLAYS INTO THAT.

UH, OR IF THERE'S A SIMPLE ANSWER ON THAT WITH THE, THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.

THERE'S NOT, THERE'S NOT A SIMPLE, TRUST ME, THIS CALCULATION.

OH, THE NO NEW AND PAGES AND PAGES AND IT'S MANDATED BY THE STATE IN THEIR WISDOM.

THAT'S THE CALCULATION MR. RETI HAS TO DO.

IT COULD HAVE TO DO WITH ABATEMENTS, IT COULD HAVE TO DO WITH EXEMPTIONS.

I, THAT'S, I'M NOT THE EXPERT THERE.

YEAH, THE, THE STATE, THEY HAVE A VERY

[00:25:02]

AND IN THEORY, IT'S SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT AS YOU GENERATED LAST YEAR.

IT NEVER DOES.

AND IN THIS YEAR, USING THAT FORMULA, THAT IS BASICALLY THE SAME AMOUNT IS $5 MILLION MORE.

CARLOS, YOU WANT TO EXPAND ON IT A LITTLE BIT? I WAS GONNA ADD THAT THE, UH, LIKE DAVID SAID, THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS ARE BACKED OUT.

SO WE HAVE MARKET VALUE AND THEN WE HAVE TAXABLE VALUE.

WE KNOW THAT MARKET VALUES IN 2025 ARE UP, TAXABLE VALUES ARE DOWN AS A RESULT OF THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS AND THE EXPIRED ABATEMENTS.

AND THE REASON THAT THAT HAPPENS IS BECAUSE IT'LL, YOU LOWER THE VALUES AND YOU INCREASE THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, BUT REALLY ON THE BACK END, THOSE TAX, THOSE PROPERTIES ARE TAXABLE.

UM, WE WILL COLLECT FOR THEM.

UM, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH SUMMARIZES THE REASON FOR THE DECREASE IN, UH, 'CAUSE WE, LIKE I SAID, THE, UH, NO NEW REVENUE RATE IS DECREASED AS A RESULT OF THOSE NEW IMPROVEMENTS.

OKAY, WELL, APPRECIATE THAT AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, APPRECIATE THE, UH, PROPOSAL THAT WE KEEP THE TAX RATE, UH, THE SAME, WHICH WOULD ULTIMATELY BE, BE AN EFFECTIVE TAX DECREASE ON EXISTING PROPERTIES, UH, BUT LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE IN THE, UH, IN THE BUDGET AND, AND, UH, WHAT THE PUTS AND TAKES ARE.

BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

AND SO WHEN WE ALL, AND IN FACT, JUDGE, YOU MAY HEAR ABOUT IT TONIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT AT THE FOOD BANK.

THANK YOU ALBERT, FOR COMING ON YOUR BIRTHDAY.

I WISH YOU A CARIBBEAN CRUISE, UH, FOR THANK YOU .

AND, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE, UH, REPORT.

I JUST WOULD LIKE TO GET YOUR POWERPOINT, UH, A PHYSICAL COPY OR EMAIL COPY IS FINE.

UM, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IT ALREADY, I'M NOT SURE.

UH, THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO MENTION, WHICH IS THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT WE'RE WALKING INTO, IT APPEARS AS IF WE'RE LOOKING AT A POTENTIAL ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, HIGHER COST, UH, CAUSING PEOPLE TO SPEND LESS THAN INVEST LESS, BUY HOUSING LESS.

UH, AND THE GOVERNMENT MAY BE HAVING, UH, INCREASES IN COST BECAUSE OF TARIFFS AND OTHER EMERGENCIES THAT MAY COME AS A RESULT OF ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IN THE NEXT YEAR.

AND SO I JUST, UH, WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, LET OUR CONSTITUENTS KNOW THAT I THINK IT'S A YEAR OF, UH, LIKE MANY OF US WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, CONSERVING OUR PENNIES AND REALLY WATCHING OUR DOLLARS, UH, THAT WE'LL HAVE TO DO THE SAME HERE AT THE, AT THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT IN TERMS OF HOW WE DEAL WITH THIS BUDGET.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE HARD WORK AND NOW GO HAVE A PINA COLADA .

SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? LET ME, UH, LET ME ASK A QUESTION OF DAVID FROM A OVERARCHING, SO THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S BEING PRESENTED TO US AND OBVIOUSLY THE NUMEROUS REQUESTS WE'RE GONNA BE ASKED OF IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH NOW.

SO THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND, WE'RE LOOKING TO SET NEXT YEAR'S FISCAL YEAR 25, 26, AND WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE WORKSHOP AND THEN WE'LL HAVE DEPARTMENT HEADS, ELECTED OFFICIALS COMING IN.

THERE IS GOING TO BE TREMENDOUS PRESSURE ON THE BUDGET OFFICE, ULTIMATELY THE COUNTY, ULTIMATELY ON THE BUDGET IN ORDER TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS.

IT IS ALWAYS THE CASE THAT THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE MORE ASK THAN WHAT WE CAN AFFORD.

AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE REALLY TOUGH DECISIONS.

AND I THINK THIS COURT HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT PRIORITIZING OUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES TO FOCUS IN ON PUBLIC SAFETY, PUBLIC HEALTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AMONG THE OTHER, MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

ROAD FLOODS.

WE DID A BIG PROJECT AT THE LAST MEETING TO COMMIT TO A FLOOD CONTROL, THE NEXT GENERATION ACTIVATION CENTER.

SO WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE MINDFUL, AND I ALSO WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD AS COUNTY JUDGE, THE EXPERIENCE, THE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE THAT KIRK COUNTY AND THE HILL COUNTRY HAS SHOWED US.

AND THE REVIEW IS TO SHOW THAT MY PRIMARY JOB AS COUNTY JUDGE IS TO PROTECT THIS COUNTY.

I, I GOTTA BE READY.

AND SO I NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WISELY INVEST.

NOW, DAVID, THESE ARE MY QUESTIONS.

WHEN WE FIRST, WHEN I FIRST STARTED THE COUNTY JUDGE, I PRETTY MUCH INHERITED THE PREDECESSOR COURTS BUDGET FOR THAT 2324, NO, 22, 23.

WHEN MY FIRST YEAR, 2023, WE HAD A LITTLE OVER $3 BILLION AGGREGATE BUDGET.

IS THAT CORRECT? I THINK IT WAS RIGHT AT THREE, YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

AND I THINK IN MY FIRST FULL YEAR, THE 2324, WE, UH, REALLY LOOKED AT SEEING IF WE COULD MAINTAIN THE TAX RATE, WHICH WE DID.

AND WE'VE BEEN CONTINUED DOING, THAT'S HOW MANY YEARS NOW THAT WE MAINTAINED THE SAME TAX RATE

[00:30:02]

FOR LIKE 30 PLUS YEARS.

OH, YOU'VE NEVER, IN SINCE 1993 OR 94 COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS NEVER INCREASED THE TAX RATE.

AND IN THAT FIRST FULL YEAR THAT WE TOOK A REALLY HARD LOOK AT THE BUDGET, WE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE MAINTAINED THAT TAX RATE THAT WE HAVEN'T RAISED IN 30 PLUS YEARS, BUT WE ACTUALLY LOWERED THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF THE BUDGET TO 2.8, WHICH WAS REALLY ABOUT A 5% DECREASE IN THE AGGREGATE TOTAL BUDGET REVENUES THAT I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO RESTATE WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND THEN WHERE WE'RE AT NOW.

THAT'S RIGHT.

ALSO IN THAT CONVERSATION WAS A CONVERSATION OF LOOKING AT CAPITAL PROJECTS AND NOT SO MUCH SAYING THAT WE WEREN'T GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH CAPITAL PROJECTS BECAUSE WE JUST DID WHAT THE NEXT GEN ACTIVATION CENTER.

BUT WE HAVE LITERALLY, AND I APPLAUD THE COURT THAT WE'VE KIND OF SCRUBBED THROUGH THE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND WE'RE TRYING TO NOT CREATE ANY NEW INITIATIVES UNLESS IT IS FOR A BASIC DUTY LIKE FLOOD CONTROL, WHICH WOULD'VE PREVENTED, HOPEFULLY, WOULD'VE PREVENTED THE DEATHS.

AND REMINDER THAT WE HAD 13 DEATHS IN THIS COMMUNITY ON JUNE THE 12TH, THE FLOOD VIC, UH, THE, UH, BOTTLE CREEK AND COMMISSIONER COWARD, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT FORGETTING THOSE VICTIMS. AND SO WE'RE COMING NOW TO OUR THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.

AND I'VE ASKED YOU THIS, WE'RE, AND FROM A JUST OVERALL DESCRIPTION, WE HAVE A STRUCTURALLY SOUND COUNTY BUDGET, CORRECT? YES, SIR.

WE'RE NOT FACING IMMINENT DEFICITS THAT WE HAVE TO START MAKING SOME MANDATORY CUTS, CORRECT? THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT.

WE'LL SHOW YOU THE UPDATED LONG RANGE FORECAST BASED ON THE BUDGET I'M PROPOSING, AND IT LOOKS SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN WHAT WE SHOWED YOU IN MAY.

RIGHT? SO I WANT THE PUBLIC TO GIVE CREDIT TO THIS COURT, TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THIS COURT THAT WE'VE BEEN MINDFUL OF THEIR TAXPAYER MONEY AND HOW WE SPEND IT.

AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF MINIMIZE THE HARD EFFECTS.

WE HAVE ALERTED THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE, WHAT WE HAVE CALLED THE ARPA CLIFF, WHICH WAS THE TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDED DURING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO THE COUNTY.

AND WE DID A LOT OF GREAT THINGS.

I APPLAUD COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES FOR HER COMMITMENT ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, INITIATIVES, WHAT, $20 MILLION PLUS, I'M SURE YOU GOT THAT EXACT FIGURE FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND FOR THIS COMMUNITY, FOR THE CHILDREN AND MENTAL HEALTH.

AND, UH, SHE'S ALSO REALLY WORKED CLOSELY WITH SAN ANTONIO, ISD ON THE PEACE ROOMS, SAFE ROOMS FOR, WHICH I THINK ARE MAKING A TREMENDOUS IMPACT IN OUR YOUNG KIDS WHO LIVE IN A VERY, VERY TOUGH WORLD.

AND SO, COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, COMMISSIONER MOODY, Y'ALL HAVE ALSO BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT IDENTIFYING, AT LEAST FROM, I BELIEVE, A PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND WE HAVE REALLY MADE SURE THAT THE SHERIFF, THE CONSTABLES, UH, ALL THOSE IN THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE LAW ENFORCE PUBLIC SAFETY, HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY PROVIDED.

WE ALSO KNOW FROM THAT ARPA SITUATION, WE'VE ALERTED THE PUBLIC THAT WE WILL HAVE WHAT'S CALLED THE ARPA CLIFF.

SO, UH, MR. SMITH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CONTINUED PRESSURE ON THE BUDGET AS WE HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS OF WHAT POSITIONS THAT WERE PAID BY THAT ARPA FUNDING.

AND NOW IT HAS TO BE REINCORPORATED.

I THINK WE'LL BE SEEING THAT IN THE YEAR 2026.

AND I WOULD ASSUME MR. SMITH AND I WANT TO ASK THIS QUESTION, HAS THAT BEEN INCORPORATED IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET OR WILL THAT BE, WE'LL REVISIT ALL THOSE HARD ISSUES NEXT YEAR.

YOU'LL NEED TO START LOOKING AT IT NEXT YEAR.

AND IT'S NOT ONLY ARPA, WHAT WE'RE ALSO SEEING IS OTHER GRANT FUNDED PROGRAMS, THE GRANTS ARE DRYING UP AND SO PRETTY MUCH COUNTYWIDE IF WE'RE GETTING A PROGRAM OR A POSITION PAID FOR BY ANOTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY, WE'RE SEEING THAT SUPPORT STARTING TO WANE.

AND I WANT TO PUT THE COURT ON NOTICE THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS PASSED LEGISLATION THAT I THINK WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, SPECIFICALLY THE COUNTY IN, IN THIS REGARD.

WE KNOW THAT WHETHER YOU SUPPORTED OR NOT, THEY ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANT CUTS IN WHAT THEY CALL THE SNAP PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE FORMERLY FOOD SNAP PROGRAM.

THEY'VE ALSO MADE SIGNIFICANT CUTS TO MEDICAID.

AND MY, I AM PUTTING THE COURT AND, AND OBVIOUSLY THE BUDGET OFFICE IS FULLY AWARE ALREADY THAT A LOT OF THOSE BURDENS OF THE SUPPORTING THE LEAST OF US IN REGARDS TO FOOD INSECURITY, IN REGARDS TO HE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE MEDICAL CARE, ARE GONNA INCREASINGLY FALL ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

[00:35:01]

WE'RE AT THE FOOD BANK.

AND WHAT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IN SUPPORT, WHAT'S BEEN PASSED AT THAT, THE CONGRESS LEVEL OR NOT.

THE THING IS, IS WE'VE GOT HARD CHOICES TO MAKE IN REGARDS TO DO WE, BECAUSE AS YOU, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THIS PICTURE, WE'RE GONNA SEE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE MOVE OVER INTO THE AREA WHERE THE FOOD BANK IS GOING TO HAVE TO PICK UP.

AND WE'RE PROBABLY ALREADY KIND OF SEEING AN INCREASE UPTICK IN THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE FOOD INSECURE.

BASICALLY.

THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOOD AT THIS TIME.

AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE.

WE'RE GONNA SEE THE FACT THAT INDIGENT CARE, PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD OR PERHAPS COULD AFFORD 'CAUSE THEY WERE ON MEDICAID OR WHATEVER, SIMILAR PROGRAM, GUESS WHAT, IF THEY'RE CUT OFF, THEY'RE GONNA FALL INTO THE IN, UH, INSURED, UH, LESS POOL, WHICH THE COUNTY'S GONNA HAVE TO PICK UP THROUGH OUR UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM.

AND I KNOW THAT ED BANIS AND JIMMY HASSOCK ARE THE CHAIR ARE PREPARED TO DO SO.

I WANT THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE TOUGH DECISIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE AND HOW WE ARE TRYING TO BE AS RESPONSIBLE, ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AND GIVE EVERYBODY WHAT THEY WANT? AND I'M ALSO NOW TALKING TO MY DEPARTMENT HEADS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SAY, WE'LL DO OUR VERY BEST AND WE'LL HAVE TO BALANCE IT WITH ALL THE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE.

SO THE ISSUE HERE THAT I WANT TO CONCLUDE, DAVID, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO NOW GO THROUGH THE, THEIR NECK.

I PRESUME MR. , IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING CLOSER, BUT I'M KIND OF ALERTING.

WE'LL NOW SHIFT OFF INTO THE PRESENTATION TO THE BE COUNTY'S PROPOSED OPERATING CAPITAL BUDGET THAT MS. GUY IS, BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, IS THERE ANY FINAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MR. EY, IS THERE ANY FINAL COMMENTS FOR YOU? I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH, IN CLOSING THAT KIND OF SUM UP A, A LOT OF WHAT YOU SAID, AND JUST FOR COMMISSIONER'S COURT, THE, UH, THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY OF THE COUNTY SHOULD BE TO PROVIDE SAFETY, WELLBEING, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR CITIZENS.

THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AND ALL OF EVERYTHING WE DO ENCOMPASSES THAT.

THE OTHER THING I WOULD ASK THAT, I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE BITING AT THIS PIE, BUT I WOULD ASK THAT Y'ALL SERIOUSLY CONSIDER, UM, RAISES FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ANY FINAL QUESTION OR COMMENTS FROM THE DICE? ALL RIGHT, THIS GUY TODD, AND WE'LL, WE WILL NEED A CONSENT ON THE A CF YOU MEAN A MOTION? IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN? OH, I GUESS THE, A QUICK POINT OF INQUIRY JUDGE FOR LARRY, DO WE NEED A, I KNOW WE WE'RE NOT SETTING THE TAX RATE TODAY, BUT DO WE NEED A MOTION TO ACCEPT? I TALKED TO THIS ITEM.

I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO, BUT YOU ARE WELCOME.

YOU CAN, I DON'T, YOU CAN JUST ACCEPT THE REPORT.

POINT, POINT OF ORDER.

I DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT.

AGENDIZED FOR ACTION.

IS IT LARRY, JUST REALLY QUICK, THE TAX RATES THAT WE CALCULATED NEED THE APPROVAL OF THE GOVERNING BODY THAT WAS THAT A CF THAT WE SHOULD I KNOW, BUT WE WE'VE GOT A OPEN MEETINGS ISSUE.

I'M TRYING TO GET CLARITY THAT'S NOT .

SO WE'LL IZE IT NEXT WEEK.

FOR YOU TO ACCEPT THE REPORT MR. TY.

WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET, WE GET IT PROPERLY AGENDIZED FOR THE 19TH, WHICH IS OUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING.

ALRIGHT, MS. GAAN, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.

THANK YOU SIR.

GOOD MORNING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS TANYA GAHAN, I'M THE BUDGET AND FINANCE DIRECTOR TODAY I'LL BE PRESENTING THE 20 25, 26 PROPOSED BUDGET.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE ON AS THEY PULL UP THE POWERPOINT.

SO THE FIRST THING AS WE WERE DISCUSSING, OR THE COURT WAS DISCUSSING RIGHT NOW IS PROPERTY TAXES.

UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND, 80% OF OUR REVENUE IS BASED OFF OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT WE RECEIVE.

SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THAT.

WE RECEIVED OUR CERTIFIED VALUES AT $245.5 BILLION.

THIS WAS A $5.5 BILLION INCREASE.

UM, THIS IS 2.7, UH, 2.3%.

UM, SINCE LAST YEAR, UH, THE INCREASE WAS BASICALLY FROM NEW VALUES, EXISTING VALUES.

WHAT WAS INTERESTING IS THAT EXISTING VALUES ACTUALLY DECREASED BY $1.3 BILLION.

SO OUR ENTIRE INCREASE IS BASED OFF OF NEW VALUES OF PROPERTIES THAT WERE NOT ON THE TAX ROLL LAST YEAR.

AND AS YOU'VE SEEN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THE PROPERTY TAXES HAD SOME PRETTY, UH, SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN 2023

[00:40:01]

WE'RE AT 11.9%.

AT 2024 WE'RE AT 4.5% AND NOW WE'RE DOWN TO TWO 2.3%.

SO WE'RE SEEING THE PROPERTY VALUE STARTING TO DECREASE AND DEPENDING SOLELY ON NEW PROPERTIES, AS I MENTIONED, $6.8 BILLION HAS BEEN ADDED TO PROPERTY VALUES.

MOST OF THAT GROWTH IS IN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES AT $4.7 BILLION AND COMMERCIAL AT $1.4 MILLION.

AND THEN WE HAVE $721 MILLION FOR REMAINING PROPERTIES THAT ARE CATEGORIZED PROTESTS WERE LOWER THAN LAST YEAR, BUT STILL SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH.

LAST YEAR WAS A RECORD OF $107 BILLION IN PROTESTS STARTING IN APRIL.

UH, 163,000 PROPERTIES WERE PROTESTING THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 97 BILLION AT 145 PROPERTIES.

UH, PROTESTING AS YOU KNOW, THAT WE, UM, THERE IS A, I DUNNO, IT'S A LAW, BUT A RULE WHERE YOU CAN KEEP YOUR VALUES FROZEN FOR TWO YEARS IF YOU HAVE, UH, PROTESTED YOUR VALUES IN WANDA.

SO THAT WE'RE SEEING AN IMPACT ON THAT AS WELL.

THE COUNTY RECEIVES ITS FIRST PRELIMINARY REPORT IN APRIL AND THEN WE, WE RECEIVE OUR FINAL, UH, CERTIFICATIONS IN JULY AND WHAT WE NOTICE IS THAT WE LOST ABOUT $6.8 BILLION IN VALUES SINCE APRIL LAST YEAR WAS ABOUT 7.2 BILLION, SO STILL SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH, ESPECIALLY THAT PROTESTS WERE A LOT LESS THIS YEAR.

WE ARE PROPOSING TO MAINTAIN THE TAX RATE.

WE RECEIVED THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.

WE RECEIVED THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE AND THE VOTER PROOF TAX RATE AS IT WAS PRESENTED.

THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE IS AT JUST ABOVE 30 CENTS.

THE VOTER PROOF TAX RATE, WHICH IS AT A 3.5% GROWTH, IS AT 35 CENTS.

AND WE ARE PROPOSING TO MAINTAIN THE, THE, UM, TAX RATE AT 29 CENTS.

THIS MEANS THAT WE ARE BELOW BOTH OF THOSE TAX RATES.

SO YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO DO A PUBLIC NOTICE AS WE USUALLY DO.

USUALLY WE FELL BETWEEN THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE AS WELL AS THE VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE.

BUT THIS YEAR WE'RE BELOW BOTH.

OUR TAX RATE DOES CONSIST OF FIVE DIFFERENT TAX RATE WITH WITHIN THAT 29 CENTS.

AND THIS YEAR THE TAX ASSESSOR DETERMINED WE ARE COLLECTING HIGHER THAN OUR DEBT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FLOOD DEBT DEBT FUND.

SO WE ARE REQUIRED TO SHIFT ONE OF THE TAX RATES FROM THE DEBT FUND FOR FLOOD INTO THE M AND O FOR FLOOD.

BY LAW WE CANNOT COLLECT MORE REVENUE AND PROPERTY TAXES AND IS REQUIRED BY OUR DEBT.

AND SO WE ARE SUGGESTING TO TRANSFER 0.0 0 9 8 0 4 IN TAX RATE AND THIS WILL SIMPLY REALLOCATE THE PROPERTY TAXES INTO THE FLOOD M AND O FUND, WHICH IS JUST MAINTAINING OUR FLOOD PROJECTS.

NEXT IS A VISUAL OF YOUR TAX RATE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR GENERAL FUND TAX RATE TAKES UP MOST OF THE TAX RATE PERCENTAGE.

UM, THEN IT FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH THE GENERAL FUND DEBT.

UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE ROAD AND BRIDGE FUND, THE FLOOD CONTROL DEBT FUND, AND THEN THE FLOOD M AND O FUND.

THESE TAX RATES REFLECT THAT TAX SHIFT THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT SINCE 1995.

THE COUNTY HAS DECREASED OR MAINTAINED THEIR TAX RATE FROM 38 CENTS DOWN TO JUST UNDER 30 CENTS.

UM, SO THIS HAS BEEN TAX SAVINGS FOR THE, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS AND SINCE 1994, COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS SAVED PROPERTY OWNERS AT LEAST $2.8 BILLION SINCE 1994.

THIS INCLUDES THE REDUCTION OF THE TAX RATE AS WELL AS FREEZING SENIOR CITIZENS' PROPERTY VALUES AND THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS AT THE, THE COURT, UM, APPROVED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AT THE MAXIMUM OF 20%.

EXCUSE ME.

SO IT YES MA'AM, CAN YOU JUST REPEAT THAT BECAUSE I THINK LIKE THERE'S, THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION.

AND WE JUST GO OVER IT.

SO I WANT PEOPLE TO REALLY RECOGNIZE, UM, HOW MUCH THIS IS.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THE DEADLINE, THE HEADLINE.

SO LOOKING AT THIS GRAPH, I'M GONNA GO BACK ONE SLIDE.

IN 1995, OUR TAX RATE WAS 38 CENTS.

IF YOU HADN'T MAINTAINED THAT TAX RATE UP TO THIS POINT, YOU WOULD'VE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TAX REVENUE COMING IN.

BUT SINCE THE COURT CUT THE TAX RATE, EVEN THOUGH VALUES HAVE GONE UP, THE COURT HAS MAINTAINED OR CUT THAT TAX RATE.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION THAT YOU HAVE MAXIMIZED TO THE 20%.

SO IF A CONSTITUENT WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE THAT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, THEY HAVE TO APPLY FOR THE BARE APPRAISAL DISTRICT AND THEY WILL GET 20% OF OF THEIR VALUES EXEMPTED.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, IF YOU QUALIFY AS A SENIOR CITIZEN, YOU'RE ALL ABLE TO PRO, UH, FREEZE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES AND KEEP MAINTAIN THOSE PROPERTY TAXES.

SO EVEN IF YOUR PROPERTY TAX, UH, GROWS EACH YEAR, YOU WILL STILL PAY THE SAME AMOUNT AT THE FROZEN PROPERTY TAX OR PROPERTY VALUE RATHER.

UH, MOVING ON.

SO TANYA, YES SIR.

IF YOU CAN GO BACK ONE SLIDE.

I THINK YOU MISSED THE HEADLINE.

OH YES.

[00:45:01]

OH THE HEADLINE.

UM, 204.

THAT MEANS HAVE YOU NOT DONE ANY OF THOSE THINGS THIS YEAR YOU WOULD HAVE $248 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX FROM TAXPAYERS TO ALLOCATE IN THE BUDGET.

THIS YEAR ALONE, YOU ARE SAVING NEARLY $250 MILLION FOR TAXPAYERS.

WE PRESENTED THE LONG RANGE FINANCIAL FORECAST FOR THE GENERAL FUND AT THE END OF MAY TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT AND WE SHOWED SOME SIGNIFICANT FUTURE IMPACTS THAT WE WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WILL BE AFFECTING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

ONE OF 'EM OBVIOUSLY IS THE SLOWING PROPERTY TAX GROWTH, UH, LOWER INVESTMENT REVENUE, INCREASED HEALTH INSURANCE, WHICH INCREASES ABOUT 10% EVERY YEAR, MAINTAINING OUR POST ARPA PERSONNEL AND PROJECTS, CONTINUING EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PAYMENTS FOR OVERTIME AND FLSA FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE STAFF AS WELL AS BRAND NEW PROGRAM CHANGES TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE COUNTY.

CAN I ADD ONE MORE THING TO THAT SLIDE? YES MA'AM.

THE NEGATIVE TRUMP EFFECT AS PRESENTED IN MAY 20, UH, UH, MAY, 2025.

THIS IS THE GENERAL FUND LRF AS PRESENTED TO Y'ALL.

UH, THE GENERAL FUND WOULD'VE EXCEEDED ITS TARGET FUND BALANCE BY FISCAL YEAR 29 AT $48 MILLION, MEANING THAT WE WOULD BE BELOW OUR TARGET FUND BALANCE.

SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE DIRECTED TO LOOK AT WAS HEALTH INSURANCE, NET COST SAVINGS, AS WELL AS STABILIZING OUR PROGRAM CHANGES.

LAST YEAR, COURT UM, APPROVED ABOUT 14 TO $15 MILLION IN PROGRAM CHANGES, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST AND IT HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE COUNTY.

SO THIS YEAR WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO SLOW THAT DOWN, CONTINUE THE GROWTH BECAUSE OF OUR SLOWING PROPERTY REVENUE.

SO SINCE THEN WE DID UPDATE THE LONG RANGE FINANCIAL FORECAST, UH, TO INCLUDE WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO YOU TODAY, AS WELL AS THE PRELIMINARY REVENUES FROM THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.

IT INCLUDES OUR THIRD QUARTER ESTIMATES.

SO WE UPDATED THE, THAT INFORMATION AND OUR PROGRAM CHANGES ACTUALLY CAME IN AT $8 MILLION FOR NEXT YEAR, UM, WHEN THE LRF ASSUMED 5000006.3 MILLION IS FUNDED WITHIN THE OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS.

AND THEN WE HAVE 1.7 MILLION THAT'S FUNDED IN CONTINGENCIES.

AND I'LL GO INTO DETAIL FOR EACH OF THOSE, UH, OFFICES IN THE FUTURE SLIDES PROGRAM CHANGES FOR THE OFFICE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SPECIFICALLY, UH, THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT TURNOVER AND I'LL GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THOSE POSITIONS ARE.

BUT THOSE IMPACTS WILL HAPPEN AT AN ANNUAL BASIS STARTING IN FISCAL YEAR 27 WHEN THEY'RE PROJECTED TO FILL THEIR POSITION.

SO THOSE ARE PRETTY BIG INCREASES FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT INCREASING, UM, AT, EXCUSE ME, FLSA PAYOUTS AND OVER TIME AND DECREASING THAT UH, OVERTIME, UH, AS THEY FILL THOSE POSITIONS.

BUT WE ARE MAINTAINING THE OVERTIME FOR NEXT YEAR AS THEY, UH, SINCE THEY WILL STILL HAVE VACANCIES.

THERE'S ALSO ANTICIPATED COSTS FOR SALARY ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE COUNTY JUDGES.

UH, THE STATE DID INCREASE THE STATE JUDGES' SALARIES AND WE ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO INCREASE THOSE AT A CERTAIN THRESHOLD AS WELL AS SALARY SUPPLEMENTS.

SO THOSE ARE NEW COSTS THAT ARE ADDED INTO THE UPDATED LRF.

AND WE ALSO DID LOOK AT HEALTH INSURANCE AND I'LL DISCUSS THOSE CHANGES IN FUTURE SLIDES AS WELL.

SO MOVING ON TO SLIDE 10, UH, BASED OFF OF ALL THOSE NEW ASSUMPTIONS, WE ARE CLOSING THE GAP IN THE SAME FISCAL YEAR AND FISCAL YEAR 29 AT $28 MILLION.

SO WE STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO CLOSE THAT GAP.

UM, THOSE TOPICS THAT I DISCUSSED BEFORE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE COMMISSIONERS WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER IN THE NEXT COMING YEARS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE BUDGET THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ON A QUARTERLY BASIS JUST TO ENSURE WE'RE STILL ON TRACK.

THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, WHICH WE ARE PROPOSING AT $1 BILLION.

AND WHAT I WANNA POINT OUT HERE IS THAT MAJORITY OF THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY DOES GO TO OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

UM, THIS IS ABOUT 56% OF YOUR GENERAL FUND, WHICH INCLUDES LAW ENFORCEMENT AS WELL AS THE COURTS, THE CRIMINAL COURTS, CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS, ALL THE COURTS UNDERNEATH, UM, THE BEAR COUNTY, UM, UM, BEAR COUNTY.

UM, SO WE JUST, I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.

THE UM, BLUE PART IS THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS INCLUDES POST ARPA, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT AS WELL AS THINGS LIKE NON-DEPARTMENTAL AND ALL THE GENERAL OFFICES.

SO THAT TAKES UP MAJORITY OF THE GENERAL FUND AS FAR AS HOW WE'RE PROPOSING THE EXPENSES.

NEXT IS ALL FUNDS.

THIS DOES INCLUDE THE GENERAL FUND, BUT THIS ALSO INCLUDES YOUR CAPITAL FUNDS AND ALL OTHER OPERATING FUNDS AT THE COMMISSIONERS OVERSEE.

AND HERE WE'RE PROPOSING AT $2.8 BILLION.

OVERALL ABOUT HALF OF THE OVERALL BUDGET IS DUE TO YOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, WHICH ARE CARRIED FORWARD BALANCES FROM THE EXISTING PROJECTS.

AND THEN I'LL DISCUSS THE NEW PROJECTS THAT WE'RE CARRYING ON FOR FISCAL YEAR 26.

NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UH, PROPOSED PROGRAM CHANGES.

[00:50:02]

ON SLIDE 16, IT SHOWS THAT THE OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS, WHICH WE RECEIVED THEIR REQUESTS FROM, UH, EARLY MAY, UM, ASKED FOR $40 MILLION IN PROGRAM CHANGES.

THAT WAS A EQUATE TO 356 NET NEW POSITIONS AND ABOUT 250 RECLASSIFICATION OF POSITIONS.

MY STAFF WORKED THROUGH, UH, THOSE REQUESTS WITH THE OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION OF $8 MILLION FOR 170.5 NET NEW POSITIONS AND 13 RECLASSIFICATIONS.

THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES, UM, WILL SHOW THE TOTAL REQUESTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF EACH OFFICE AND DEPARTMENT.

THIS FIRST SECTION, THE FIRST COUPLE OF SLIDES REPRESENTS THE GENERAL FUND.

WE ARE PROPOSING $7.9 MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND TO INCLUDE WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IN CONTINGENCIES.

AND THE ONES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THAT LIGHT ORANGE ARE PLACED IN CONTINGENCIES.

AND I'LL DESCRIBE WHAT THOSE ARE FOR THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS, THE CONSTABLES AS WELL AS THE SHERIFFS.

UM, ECD SPECIFICALLY THERE'S AN ALLOCATION FOR THE CA POSITION AS THE COUNTY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE GRANTS DROP A LITTLE BIT LOWER EACH YEAR.

AND SO WE USUALLY RECEIVE A SUPPLEMENTAL GRANT FOR CA, UM, THE LAST COUPLE YEARS I THINK FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW.

UH, BUT WE ARE ANTICIPATING JUST IN CASE WE DON'T GET THAT SUPPLEMENT, WE WILL HAVE FUNDING FOR THE POSITIONS THAT ARE PARTIALLY FUNDED IN THAT CA GRANT.

NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES SHOWS THE NEXT COUPLE OF FEW OFFICES AND THEN HERE ARE THE REMAINING OFFICES IN THE GENERAL FUND.

WE ALSO ALSO PROPOSING IN OTHER FUNDS OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL FUND AT $158,000.

SO THE FIRST OFFICE I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WAS THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

THE OFFICE REQUESTED 182 POSITIONS AND 92 RECLASSIFICATIONS FOR A TOTAL COST OF $18.8 MILLION.

WE ARE RECOMMENDING 70 DETENTION POSITIONS.

THESE WILL BE PLACED IN CONTINGENCIES ALONG WITH $15 MILLION IN OVERTIME PAYMENTS, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 5 MILLION FROM LAST YEAR.

WE DETERMINED THAT THE OVERTIME IS, UM, IS TO COVER THE SOUTH TOWER AS THEY FILL THOSE POSITIONS, WHICH IS WHAT WE ARE AUTHOR, WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING, THE 74.

AND WE ALSO, UM, FUNDING UH, EXTRA UNITS BUT POSTS FOR HOSPITAL, UM, TRANSPORTS WHICH HAVE INCREASED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

SO THAT $15 MILLION SHOULD BE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WILL ALLOCATE FOR FLSA OR OVERTIME.

THE REASON WE'RE PROPOSING THOSE POSITIONS IN CONTINGENCIES IS BASED OFF OF OUR VACANCY REPORT AND PROJECTIONS AND THE CADET CLASSES THAT THEY WILL BE PROCESSING EACH YEAR.

WE'RE PROJECTING THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS UNTIL THE END OF NEXT FISCAL YEAR.

SO RIGHT NOW, AS OF LAST WEEK, THEY HAD 140 VACANCIES AND IF WE ADD ON THESE 70, THAT WAS, THEY WILL THROW THEM TO TWO OVER 200 VACANCIES.

SO THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS UNTIL LATER NEXT YEAR, IF NOT IN FISCAL YEAR 27.

SO WE ARE ASKING THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IF THEY CAN WORK WITH US IN THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO DETERMINE HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DECREASE OVERTIME ONCE THEY FILL THOSE POSITIONS, HOW THEY'RE GOING TO ACTUALLY FILL THE POSITIONS NEXT YEAR TO TRY TO ACCELERATE THOSE POSITIONS TO BE FILLED.

RIGHT NOW THE COURT IS PAYING TIME AND A HALF TO FILL THE SOUTH TOWER AND AS YOU KNOW, JAIL POPULATION IS AT ITS MAXIMUM, SOMETIMES MORE BECAUSE WE'RE SENDING INMATES OUTTA COUNTY AND WE ARE PROPOSING TO FUND $4.5 MILLION IN OUTTA COUNTY EXPENSES FOR NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE ESTIMATING THIS YEAR.

IN ORDER TO HELP THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FILL THOSE POSITIONS, WE ARE ADDING FOUR NEW DEPUTIES, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DETENTION OFFICERS TO HELP WITH THE TRAINING ACADEMY TO HELP BUILD UP THEIR CADET CLASSES AS WELL.

WE'RE ALSO INCREASING IN ADDITION TO, UM, THE DETENTION, WE ARE ALSO ADDING IN, UH, THREE UNIFORMED OFFICERS AND ONE PROCESSING CLERK BASED OFF OF THEIR SIGNIFICANT WORKLOAD IN THE MISSING PERSONS UNIT.

WE'RE ADDING 22 UNIFORMED OFFICERS IN PATROL TO CREATE ONE NEW DISTRICT IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS OF THE COUNTY.

AND WE'RE ADDING TWO DEPUTIES TO HELP RELIEVE THOSE PATROL OFFICERS FOR VERY SPECIFIC DWI CASES, WHICH CAN TAKE UP A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WILL RELEASE THE PATROL OFFICER AND ALLOW THE SPECIALIZED OFFICER TO CONTINUE THE THE DWI ARREST.

WE'RE ALSO ADDING AN OFFICE ASSISTANT ONE FOR WEST PATROL SO THAT EACH SIDE OF THE, UM, COUNTY HAD IN WITHIN THEIR SUB IN THEIR SUBSTATIONS HAVE, UH, TWO OHAS FOR COVERAGE IN THE DAY AND THE EVENING.

WE'RE RECLASSIFYING AN HR SUPERVISOR AND AS I MENTIONED, WE ARE PROPOSING TO PUT $4.5 MILLION TO CONTINUE OUT OF COUNTY INMATE DETENTION SERVICES.

MOVING ON TO JUVENILE OFFICE, THIS OFFICE DID NOT REQUEST ANY PROGRAM CHANGES,

[00:55:01]

BUT THEIR PERSONAL, UM, EXPENSES DID INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY AT $3.3 MILLION.

HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THE COMMISSIONERS THAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS YOU HAVE, UM, APPROVED ABOUT THREE, $3.8 MILLION IN REGRADES OF THOSE POSITIONS.

AT THE TIME THEY HAD A VACANCY RATE OF 47% AND THAT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS BECAUSE OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT'S INVESTMENT IN THAT.

NOW IT'S AT 27%.

SO BECAUSE THEY'RE FILLING THOSE POSITIONS, WE HAVE TO FUND THOSE POSITIONS BEING FILLED.

NEXT I WILL DISCUSS IS THE CONSTABLES.

EACH OFFICE, UM, REQUESTED A TOTAL OF $4.7 MILLION AT 50.5 NET NEW POSITIONS.

THEIR JUSTIFICATIONS VARIED FOR EACH OFFICE.

UM, WHEN WE FIRST RECEIVED THE REQUEST, IT WAS DUE TO WORKLOAD AND PAPERS SECURITY AND THEN LATER ON, UM, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, SENATE BILL 38 WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR.

AND SO WHAT THAT BILL DID IS IT, IT IT PROVIDED A TIMEFRAME OF FIVE DAYS FOR THE CONSTABLES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO SERVE PAPERS TO INCLUDE EVICTIONS AND WRIT OF POSSESSION.

UM, SO WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR DATA FROM OUR SYSTEM FROM ODYSSEY.

UM, WE ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR CURRENT TIMEFRAME.

SO WE ARE TRYING TO WORK WITH THE CONSTABLES AND WITH IT TO GET THAT INFORMATION BEFORE BECAUSE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH MORE WE WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE.

SO WHAT WE'RE DOING INSTEAD IS WE'RE PROVIDING EIGHT NEW DEPUTY CONSTABLES FUNDED IN CONTINGENCIES PENDING THAT DATA.

AND ONCE WE GET THAT DATA, WE'LL BE ABLE TO BETTER EVALUATE HOW MANY POSITIONS EACH OF THE OFFICES REQUIRED.

THE TOTAL COST OF THESE IN CONTINGENCIES IS $775,000 AND THIS WILL BE TWO FOR EACH OF YOUR PRECINCTS.

THE NEXT OFFICE I WILL DISCUSS IS CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS.

THEY REQUESTED $671,000 FOR EIGHT POSITIONS, BUT INSTEAD OF THESE REQUESTS, WE ARE PROPOSING $549,000 IN CONTINGENCIES TO FUND FUND HALF A YEAR OF COURT COORDINATORS IN RESPONSE TO THE PENDING UM, SUIT WITH THESE TEXAS SUPREME COURT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT OUR CURRENT PRESIDING COURT WILL BE DECENTRALIZED REQUIRING ALL THE COURTS TO FUNCTION ON THEIR OWN INDIVIDUALLY.

UM, SO WE ARE PREPARING FOR THAT.

IN ADDITION TO THOSE POSITIONS THAT WERE FUNDING IN CONTINGENCIES, WE'RE ALSO FUNDING ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A GRANT OR I'M SORRY FOR A BABY COURT MANAGER BECAUSE A GRANT WAS ENDING AND THIS BELONGS IN THE CHILDREN'S COURT.

SO WE'RE STILL PENDING INFORMATION ON THAT.

TANYA, BEFORE YOU GO ON, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THIS IS NOWHERE NEAR WHAT THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS BELIEVE THEY WOULD NEED IF PRESIDING WAS ELIMINATED, BUT IT'S WHAT WE THINK IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

MOVING ON TO SLIDE 26.

FOR BIBLIOTECH, THEY REQUESTED 500 AND ABOUT $570,000 AND WE'RE RECOMMENDING $661,000.

MAJORITY OF THAT WILL BE FOR THEIR ACTUAL LOCATION.

THAT WILL BE, UM, SET TO OPEN THIS YEAR AT LMA.

UM, WE ARE FUNDING, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE LEASE AGREEMENT IS STILL UNDER UM, NEGOTIATIONS RIGHT NOW.

SO WE DID PLACE THAT IN CONTINGENCIES UNTIL THEN.

BUT I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THIS IS A NEW BIBLIO TECH THAT WILL BE OPENING UP ON THE WEST SIDE.

NOW WE ARE MOVING ON TO PROPOSED EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION.

WE WILL BE FUNDING ABOUT $6 MILLION TO PROVIDE A 2% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS FOR COUNTY EMPLOYEES.

UM, UNIFORMED OFFICERS THAT ARE COVERED UNDER CBA WILL MOVE TO THEIR NEXT STEP ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY DATE IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE.

AND WE'RE CURRENTLY IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE DEPUTY SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS FOR NEXT YEAR.

FOR THE NEXT AGREEMENT.

THE STEP PLANS FOR THE NON CBA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, OR I'M SORRY, THIS IS FOR YES FOR NON LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IS AT 2%.

AND OF COURSE ONCE THEY REACH THEIR ANNIVERSARY DATE, THEY WILL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STEP.

THAT IS ALSO FUNDED IN, UH, TO BE CONTINUED NEXT YEAR.

WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING FUNDING FOR SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL PAY FOR EMPLOYEES WHO, UM, WORK ON SECOND AND THIRD SHIFTS AT $4,200 ANNUALLY.

AND WE'RE CONTINUING THE FUNDING FOR TUITION REIMBURSEMENT AT $500,000.

AS I DISCUSSED BEFORE, WE WERE DIRECTED TO LOOK AT HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS AND WE WERE TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON, ON THE EMPLOYEES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

SO WE ARE NOT GOING TO INCREASE PREMIUMS, DEDUCTIBLES, OR OFFICE VISIT COPAYS.

THEY WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED FOR EMPLOYEES.

WHAT WE WILL ADJUST IS THE OR WE'RE PROPOSING TO ADJUST IS COPAYS FOR PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THESE FOLLOWING, UM, DRUG TIERS.

GENERIC WILL BE INCREASING GENERIC AND BRAND FORMULARY WILL BE INCREASING.

$5 NON-FORMULARY WILL BE INCREASING $10 AND SPECIALTY DRUGS WILL BE REMAIN THE SAME AT $150.

THERE'LL BE NO INCREASE

[01:00:01]

TO THAT ONE.

NEXT WE'LL DISCUSS IS CAPITAL PROGRAM.

SO I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO START WITH THE STATUS OF OUR CURRENT PROJECTS.

UM, LAST YEAR WE RECOMMENDED TO PAUSE ISSUING NEW DEBT FOR OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM IN ORDER TO SPEND DOWN OUR CURRENT DEBT.

THIS TABLE SHOWS OUR CURRENT CAPITAL PROGRAM, AND THIS IS FOR OUR GENERAL CIP AND WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL SPENDING DOWN THE PROJECTS FOR ROADS AND FLOOD.

BUT I WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME ON THE CIP PROGRAM.

WE HAVE CURRENTLY $808 MILLION IN CURRENT CAPITAL PROJECTS AND WE'RE SPENDING A LITTLE OVER HALF OF THAT, OF THE BUDGET, BUT WE STILL HAVE ABOUT $117 MILLION LEFT TO SPEND.

SO WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS TO TRY TO ACCELERATE THOSE PROJECTS TO SPEND DOWN THAT MONEY.

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO IS SPEND DOWN WITHIN THREE YEARS.

UM, AND IF NOT WE HAVE TO PAY TAXES BECAUSE THE HIGH INTEREST RATES ARE SO HIGH, SO IT COULD POSSIBLY BE COSTING THE COUNTY IN THE FUTURE.

AND SO WE HAVE TO SPEND THAT MONEY DOWN AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

SO FOR NEXT YEAR, UH, WHAT WE DID PROPOSE ARE ABSOLUTE PROJECTS THAT WERE NECESSARY BASED ON SAFETY, ASSET PRESERVATION, AND ANY PROJECTS THAT WERE ADDITIONAL THAT THE COURT DIRECTED STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD ON.

OUR TOTAL CAPITAL PROGRAM IS AT $67.9 MILLION.

THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ROAD AND FLOOD.

I WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN FUTURE SLIDES.

THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES SHOW THE FIRST, UM, THE FIRST CATEGORY OF SAFETY.

WE'RE PROPOSING $19 MILLION IN SAFETY PROJECTS, WHICH WILL SUPPORT GEL IMPROVEMENTS, REPLACEMENTS, HVAC AND CHILLER REPLACEMENTS, FIRE SAFETY, AND ANY IT NETWORK SECURITY PROTECTION.

SO THESE ARE ABSOLUTES THAT THE OFFICE AND DEPARTMENTS REQUESTED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO FUND.

THE NEXT SECTION WILL BE ASSET PRESERVATION.

WE ARE PROPOSING $15 MILLION IN THIS CATEGORY.

THIS INCLUDES, UH, MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CRIME LAB EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENTS, AS WELL AS OUR ANNUAL PC REPLACEMENTS, WHICH ARE REQUIRED BY IT AND ANY NETWORK AND REFRESH AND BACKUP SOLUTIONS.

THE LAST PRIORITY THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IS FOR $33 IS FOR EXPANSION PROJECTS.

THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN, ARE REQUIRED OR HAVE BEEN DIRECTED BY COURT TO FUND.

SOME OF THE SIGNIFICANT ONES INCLUDE NEW LIGHT FLEET FACILITY FOR THE EXPANSION OF OUR CURRENT DEPARTMENT FOR LIGHT FLEET, UH, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF VEHICLES THAT WE HAVE BEEN ADDING ON, SO THEY NEED MORE SPACE.

UH, WE'RE ALSO FUNDING $9 MILLION FOR THE S-A-I-S-D PARKING GARAGE, WHICH WAS APPROVED, AND OF COURSE OUR ANNUAL REPLACEMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COUNTYWIDE VEHICLES.

UM, AND THIS IS APPROVED BY THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENT COMMITTEE.

NEXT, I WILL TALK ABOUT ROADS.

WE ARE FUNDING NEW, UM, ABOUT $8 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR ALAMO RANCH, CROWN WOOD, PHASE TWO, AND ROTH ROAD.

AND WE'RE ALSO ADDING A NEW PROJECT FOR THE MARBACH ROAD EXTENSION.

AND AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, JUDGE SAKAI, WE ARE FUNDING $21 MILLION IN THE NEXT GENERATION FLOOD SENSORS WITHIN THE FLOOD, CEIP, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR AN EXISTING PROJECT CALLED BIG GERONIMO FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $21.5 MILLION.

THIS IS A TENTATIVE, UH, BUDGET PROCESS CALENDAR TODAY.

OF COURSE, WE'RE PROPOSING OUR BUDGET TO YOU.

UM, THERE'S NO ACTION THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TODAY.

WE WILL COME BACK NEXT WEEK ON THE 19TH TO PROPOSE THE TAX RATE AND FOR YOUR APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT TAX RATE.

WE ALSO HAVE SOME TENTATIVE WORK SESSIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE ELECTED AND, UH, OFFICIALS AND THE APPOINTED OFFICIALS.

UM, SO WE HAVE THOSE THREE DAYS AVAILABLE.

THOSE ARE TENTATIVE BASED OFF THE SCHEDULES, UH, FOR THOSE ELECTEDS AS WELL AS FOR THE COURT.

WE DO HAVE A REQUIRED WORK SESSION THE DAY BEFORE WE ADOPT ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, UH, TO RECOMMEND THE CHANGE ORDER TO INCLUDE THE CHANGE MEMORANDUM, WHICH WERE CHANGES TO THE ACTUAL BUDGET.

AND THEN WE WE'LL ADOPT ON THE NINTH FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR TO ADOPT THE TAX RATE AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED BUDGETS.

AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE.

WAS TO TRY AND STAY AT AROUND A $5 MILLION NUMBER FOR PROGRAM CHANGES YEAR TO YEAR.

UM, TANYA, THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, OVERVIEW.

I KNOW WE HAD A, A CHANCE TO VISIT A LITTLE BIT, UM, IN, IN MY OFFICE.

SO, UM, GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A PREVIEW, BUT I WANT TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT GOES INTO PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.

'CAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS GET A LOT OF REQUESTS AND YOU, YOU HIGHLIGHTED THAT.

UM, WANTED TO ASK SPECIFICALLY, I THINK TOWARDS THE BEGINNING THERE WAS, I THINK A SLIDE ABOUT PROGRAM CHANGES, UM, AND HOW WHEN IT CAME TO FIGURING OUT HOW TO MINIMIZE ANY FUTURE DEFICIT, THE RECOMMENDATION

[01:05:01]

THIS YEAR IT'S ABOUT 8 MILLION, I THINK YOU SAID, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.

UM, REMIND ME AGAIN, WHAT WAS IT LAST YEAR AND, AND DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT'S KIND OF AVERAGED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS? BECAUSE I KNOW, UM, THAT'S IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT BECAUSE I, I THINK NOT NECESSARILY THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN, UM, SPENDING IRRESPONSIBLY.

I THINK WE STILL HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON WHAT MATTERS MOST.

BUT, UM, I THINK BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE DISCIPLINED WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE PROGRAM CHANGES IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT POSITIVELY WITH RESPECT TO THAT FUTURE DEFICIT.

SO WHAT, REMIND ME, WHAT WAS IT AGAIN LAST YEAR? THE, THE PROGRAM CHANGE YEAR OVER YEAR? UM, SO LAST YEAR WE, UH, U APPROVED $15 MILLION.

A LOT OF THAT WAS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT.

UM, AND THEN THE PREVIOUS YEAR THERE WAS A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.

IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, THEY WOULD RANGE BETWEEN LIKE TWO TO $3 MILLION.

OBVIOUSLY PATROL IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE.

I THINK YOU ADD IN A FEW DIS NEW DISTRICTS AT WHICH OPENED UP THIS, UH, MIDYEAR, I BELIEVE, UM, THE SHERIFF CALL OFFICE PROBABLY HAS MORE DETAIL ON WHEN THOSE OPENED.

SO THE YEAR BEFORE THE LAST YEAR WAS A RECORD HIGH FOR SURE.

AND BEFORE WE RANGED BETWEEN LIKE AROUND EIGHT, 10 MILLION, 12 MILLION STARTED INCREASING.

BUT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THE REASON YOU WERE ABLE TO GROW THAT IS BECAUSE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES WERE GROWING.

SO YOU HAD THE ABILITY TO GROW.

SO IT WAS NOT IRRESPONSIBLE.

SO THIS IS, THIS IS, UH, ESSENTIALLY, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE REFLECTIVE OF THE SLOWDOWN IN SOME OF THE GROWTH.

UM, AGAIN, COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT, THAT WE'VE GOT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST PROBABLY PAST BUDGETS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE MAYBE ADDED SIGNIFICANTLY TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

WE'RE STILL DOING THAT IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET, BUT, BUT MAYBE NOT TO THE EXTENT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.

THAT'S CORRECT.

UM, A REMINDER TOO, ON THE, UM, THERE WAS A SLIDE, I SHOULD HAVE MARKED IT HERE.

THAT WAS, UH, I THINK ABOUT OUR GENERAL FUND, THE GENERAL FUND PIE CHART.

UM, JUST KIND OF A REMINDER TOO FOR, YOU KNOW, US AND OUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, A GOOD PORTION OF THE GENERAL FUND IS, UH, BASICALLY AL ALMOST STATE MANDATED.

I MEAN, WE'RE AN ARM OF THE STATE, SO, UH, WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH DISCRETION OVER SOME OF THE SPENDING.

UM, AS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I WAS, YOU KNOW, AT CITY HALL, UM, THESE ARE CORE SERVICES THAT THE STATE SAYS THE COUNTY YOU HAVE TO FUND, RIGHT? IT'S, UH, THE COURTS, IT'S THE, UH, JAIL, IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, UM, I GUESS THE, SOME OF THE BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE.

I MEAN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE, I THINK MAKE UP ALMOST 80% OF WHAT WE SPENT.

IS THAT AN ACCURATE DEPICTION? IT'S UH, JUST ABOUT 50.

IT'S LIKE 50 TO 60%.

UM, AND THEN THE GROUP NEXT IS, WELL, WHAT I WANNA POINT OUT IS ON THAT DARK BLUE PART, A LOT OF THAT'S ARPA.

SO THAT'S GONNA SHRINK RIGHT OVER THE NEXT YEAR.

BUT MAJORITY OF IT IS RELATED TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE, LIKE YOU SAID.

YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING, DAVID? NO, JUST WHEN THE LEGISLATURE CREATES A COURT, YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.

RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO RUN A JAIL AND YOU, BY THE WAY, YOU HAVE TO RUN IT THE WAY THEY TELL US TO RUN IT.

ABSOLUTELY.

IN MINUTE DETAIL.

UP TO THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HOT WATER, SO, YEAH.

UM, I GUESS A QUESTION GOING TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UH, SLIDE.

UM, I KNOW IN SOME DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH THEM, THEY'VE UH, MENTIONED THAT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DETECTIVE POSITIONS THEY REQUESTED IN THIS BUDGET, BUT, UM, ARE ANY OF THESE SPECIFICALLY DETECTIVE POSITIONS THAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING? I DON'T BELIEVE SO.

UM, I THINK THE UNIFORMED OFFICERS ARE PATROL OR DETENTION OFFICERS.

UM, I BELIEVE ONE OF THEM MIGHT BE FOR MISSING PERSONS.

AND THEN THE OTHER, UH, THE OTHER UM, WILL BE A DEPUTY, OTHER TWO WILL BE DEPUTIES.

BUT THERE'S LIKE ONE OR TWO INVESTIGATORS FROM MISSING PERSONS.

TRYING TO GET THIS WRAPPED UP.

SO WE, UH, I'LL GET WITH YOU MAYBE AFTERWARDS ABOUT JUST KIND OF WHAT THEY REQUESTED, UH, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT DETECTIVES.

I JUST WANTED TO GET A CLARIFICATION ON THAT.

UM, THE OTHER THING I'LL JUST QUICKLY MENTION, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE DISCUSSION, UM, ON THE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION.

I KNOW THAT, UM, IT'S ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO MAKE THESE DETERMINATIONS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF WE COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.

I MEAN, THE 2% I DON'T EVEN THINK KEEPS PACE WITH INFLATION AT THIS POINT.

UH, NOT TO MENTION WHAT MAY HAPPEN WITH, UH, THE INSURANCE PIECE.

I KNOW WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT, BUT JUST SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON IS IF WE CAN DO MAYBE MORE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.

UM, BUT I THINK, I THINK THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT AT THIS MOMENT.

UH, TANYA, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND

[01:10:01]

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER.

COMMISSIONER MOODY.

UM, APPRECIATE IT, UH, THIS PRESENTATION.

AND OBVIOUSLY WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS, UH, PREVIOUSLY AND, AND SO, UH, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.

I I JUST WANTED TO, UH, TO BRING UP, UM, SOME OF WHICH WE, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT TO SOME EXTENT.

THE, UH, FIRST OF ALL, WHEN IT COMES TO A FEW OF THE ITEMS THAT WERE MENTIONED AS FAR AS THE PROGRAM CHANGES AND THE, UH, ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL, I THINK SLIDE 18.

SO I, I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, I, I KNOW WE'RE OPENING A NEW POSITION OR A, A NEW LOCATION WITH BIBLIOTECH OVER THERE, ALARM US.

BUT, UH, I'D LIKE TO SEE LIKE A STRATEGIC PLAN ON WHAT, WHAT BIBLIO TECH'S LIKE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE, UH, WHAT OUR OBJECTIVES ARE WITH THAT.

I KNOW IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD CONFLICT WITH THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

UH, BUT, BUT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO AT THE COUNTY AND HOW WE'RE FILLING GAPS THAT AREN'T BEING SERVICED TODAY.

UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE MY CONCERN IS IF WE'RE CONTINUING TO, TO ADD AND BUILD, UH, WITHOUT A STRATEGY, THEN, THEN WHERE ARE WE GOING? SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO MAKE THAT COMMENT.

I DID HAVE A QUESTION TOO ABOUT THE CONSTABLES HERE.

SO I SEE THAT WE'RE ADDING TWO POSITIONS PER PRECINCT.

I KNOW THAT MY CONSTABLE HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED ABOUT AN SRO POSITION, WHICH WOULD NOT BE FUNDED BY BEXAR COUNTY, WOULD BE ACTUALLY FUNDED BY THE ISD IN AL.

UM, AND AT THE TIME, I BELIEVE HE WAS PUSHED TO COME BACK AND, AND TIE THAT INTO, TO THE BUDGET, UH, DISCUSSION HERE THIS FALL.

SO WHERE WOULD THAT STAND AND WOULD THAT BE INCLUDED AS A BUDGET ITEM OR, SO I DON'T CONSIDER THAT A BUDGET ITEM.

TO ME, YOU JUST AMEND HIS CONTRACT WITH AL TO REFLECT THE ADDITIONAL POSITION.

THEY GET UNPROCESSED, BUT IF WE MAKE IT A BUDGET ITEM, THEN WHAT WE'RE DOING IS CREATING A PERMANENT UNREMOVABLE POSITION ON THE COUNTING BOOKS.

WHEREAS IF HE SIMPLY AMENDS THE CONTRACT, HE CAN HIRE THE PERSON WITHOUT BURDENING US WITH THAT PERMANENT ADDITION.

SO HE'S FREE TO FILL THAT POSITION ONCE HE'S AMENDED HIS CONTRACT WITH AL ISD.

CAN WE HAVE THE BUDGET OFFICE PROVIDE THAT GUIDANCE TO THE CONSTABLE THEN? ABSOLUTELY.

UM, AS IT RELATES TO THE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE JAIL, SO ONE QUESTION THAT COMES UP WITH THE 70, UH, DETENTION OFFICERS THAT ARE IN CONTINGENCY, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T ADDED, WE, WE'VE HAD THE ENTIRE JAIL OPEN, RIGHT? WE'RE AT CAPACITY, WE'RE OVER CAPACITY.

ARE WE INCREASING LIKE A STAFFING RATIO? WHERE, WHERE ARE THESE ADDITIONAL 70, UH, UNIFORMED OFFICERS GOING WITHIN THE JAIL AND THE SOUTH TOWER? SO WHEN WE OPENED SOUTH TOWER, WE DIDN'T ADD ANY POSITIONS BECAUSE WE ASSUMED IT WAS A SEASONAL INCREASE IN JAIL POPULATION.

WELL, IT'S NOT SEASONAL, IT'S JUST STAYING THERE.

SO WHAT WE'RE RECOGNIZING IS IT WOULD BE FAR LESS EXPENSIVE TO STAFF IT WITH FULL-TIME, 70 NEW FULL-TIME POSITIONS.

'CAUSE YOU JUST PAY THEM STRAIGHT TIME, NOT TIME AND A HALF MM-HMM .

HOWEVER, BASED ON HIS CURRENT 140 VACANCIES AND OUR HISTORY OF WATCHING CADETS BE HIRED A TRIT EVEN BEFORE THEY GRADUATE, AND THEN NORMAL ATTRITION WITHIN HIS PERMANENT POSITIONS, WE JUST THINK HE PROBABLY WON'T GET TO FILLING THESE UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

BUT WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT SHOULD HE GET TO ACTUALLY FILLING THESE 70, IT SHOULD HAVE A GOOD IMPACT FOR US ON FLSA PAYOUT AND OVERTIME.

AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS, THE COURT AND THE SHERIFF AND BUDGET CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PLAN IS.

AND AND THAT'S THE, THE CONCEPT, AND I UNDERSTAND IT, UH, BUT WE OBVIOUSLY IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SHERIFF NEED TO ENSURE THAT, THAT WE ARE SEEING THOSE SAVINGS, RIGHT.

WITH THOSE ADDITIONAL, UH, DETENTION OFFICERS.

I DON'T, I DON'T RECOMMEND PAYING FOR THIS TWICE.

I'VE BEEN A HUGE PROPONENT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND, AND THAT'S SHOULD BE PRIORITY NUMBER ONE FOR, FOR THIS COURT.

AGREED.

UM, AND I DO THINK, YOU KNOW,

[01:15:02]

UM, SO I'M NOT, NOT QUESTIONING THE INVESTMENT IN ANY WAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND FROM, FROM THE SHERIFF'S PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, THE ADDITION OF PATROL DISTRICTS, WHAT THAT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE, HOW THAT IMPROVES THE RESPONSE TIME SHOULD REDUCE THE SIZE GEOGRAPHICALLY OF THESE INDIVIDUAL, UH, PATROL DISTRICTS, WHICH SHOULD IMPROVE THE RESPONSIVENESS OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT TO, UH, TO OUR CITIZENS.

SO I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, BE GOOD AS A, UH, AS ONE OF OUR WORK SESSIONS OR, OR TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION COME BACK JUST TO BE ABLE TO LAY THAT OUT.

I KNOW WE HAD IT MAYBE A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, UH, BUT KIND OF UPDATE US WITH HOW THE, THE PROGRESSION HAS, HAS PLAYED OUT, BUT ALSO IF WE'RE MAKING THIS INVESTMENT WITH ADDITIONAL PATROL DISTRICTS, WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, I DO THINK, WELL, LET ME SAY ONE OTHER THING.

I KNOW IT'S STILL ON SLIDE 22 HERE, WE STILL HAVE 4.5 MILLION.

CAN I ASK WHAT THE ASSUMPTIONS ARE? 'CAUSE I, YOU KNOW, THAT I'VE PREDICTED THAT THIS IS FAR UNDERSHOOTING WHAT OUR CURRENT RUN RATE IS IN TERMS OF THE 275 INMATES WE HAVE HOUSED OUTSIDE OF BEXAR COUNTY.

SO WE USE, UH, YEAR TO DATE INFORMATION.

SO ESSENTIALLY THEIR USAGE, UH, I DID LOOK AT THE CONTRACT, UH, JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE ALLOCATING IT OR ESTIMATING IT CORRECTLY.

AND THERE IS A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT EVERY TWO MONTHS BETWEEN LIKE 400 TO HALF A MILLION EVERY TWO MONTHS ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT.

UM, SO WE ARE STILL ESTIMATING, WE REDID IT, LOOKED AT THE USAGE BASED OFF THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM ON THE YEAR TO DATES, AND WE ESTIMATED THAT OUT AND WE'RE STILL CLOSE TO ABOUT $4.55 MILLION.

WE DID TRY TO COMPARE TO THE NUMBER THAT YOU PROVIDED TO, UM, AND I THINK YOU WERE USING LIKE THE MAXIMUM BEDS AND DAYS.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT NUMBER SPECIFICALLY, BUT WE'RE STILL RECOMMENDING AT THE 4.5.

I'LL BE SURPRISED IF WE COME IN UNDER 4.5.

VERY SURPRISED.

BUT, UH, I WANT TO JUST BRING UP THE POINT THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW IMPORTANT WE HAD THE DA COME IN HERE LAST WEEK AND, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT THE BACKLOG, TALKING ABOUT UNINDICTED CASES AT THE JAIL.

IF YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S FOUR AND A HALF MILLION, I'M GONNA CALL IT 7 MILLION.

YOU LOOK AT HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND IN FLSA IN OVERTIME? UM, I THINK IT'S $21 MILLION THIS YEAR.

AND HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS IN THE JAIL? UM, MAJORITY ALL OF IT, RIGHT? VAST MAJORITY.

17 MILLION.

SO, UH, I THINK IT JUST SPEAKS TO HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND, AND MAKE PROGRESS ON THE, THE, THE DA FRONT WITH THE BACKLOGS AND WITH THE UNINDICTED CASES BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE ANNUAL COST AND SO FAR IT'S JUST CONTINUED TO INCREASE.

RIGHT.

WE MAY BE ABLE TO BY, BY SHIFTING SOME OF THE OVERTIME COSTS TO ACTUAL, UM, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES, MAYBE WE SEE SOME SAVINGS.

BUT RIGHT NOW THIS IS CONTINUED TO MOVE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SEEING IT FOR WHAT IT IS AND CONNECTING THE DOTS BETWEEN, UH, THE WORK OF THE, THE, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND, AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HERE.

UM, THE HEALTH INSURANCE COPAYS, I'M NOT SURE WHAT SLIDE THAT WAS ON.

YEP, THAT RIGHT THERE.

SLIDE 29.

SO IT, IT LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY CHANGES WITH PREMIUMS AND DEDUCTIBLES, BUT JUST COPAYS ON DRUGS.

DO WE KNOW WHAT, UH, HOW, HOW MUCH, UH, ADDITIONAL, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CURRENT TO PROPOSED COPAYS, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF CHANGE WILL THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL BUDGET FOR HEALTHCARE? IT'LL SAY FOUR AND A HALF TO $5 MILLION PER YEAR, UH, JUST WITH THOSE CHANGES.

OR THE NEXT NIGHT ON KSAT Q AND A.

UM, ONE OTHER QUESTION.

THE, UM, THE FLOOD ALERT SYSTEM THAT YOU HAD AT THE VERY END, I BELIEVE SO I SEE THIS WRITTEN IN AS 21 MILLION.

I KNOW WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT HERE IN THE COURT, WE, UM, ASKED THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO PARTNER WITH US ON THIS.

HAVE WE MADE ANY PROGRESS ON THAT FRONT? I HAVE NOT.

I HAVEN'T, BUT THE CITY IS, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY INFORMATION.

IN FACT, THE MAYOR, UH, WAS ON, I THINK THAT SAME NIGHT

[01:20:01]

AND SHE WAS, UH, THE WAY SHE WAS TALKING, IT DIDN'T SOUND LIKE THERE WOULD BE, SO ANYWAY, IN KEEPING WITH THE COURT'S DIRECTION, WE WOULD WELCOME PART FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS, BE HAPPY TO DO THAT, REDUCE THIS 21.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I WANT THE RIVER AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT THIS SYSTEM AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.

THIS IS PUBLIC SAFETY.

IT'S NOT EVEN FLOOD CONTROL.

THIS SYSTEM WON'T DIVERT ONE DROP OF RAINWATER.

BUT WHAT IT CAN DO IS PREVENT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED RECENTLY IN THIS COUNTY.

AND I DON'T WANT TO WASTE ANY TIME, AND I DON'T.

SO IF TO THE EXTENT YOU GUYS CAN FIND OTHER FUNDING PARTNERS, WHETHER IT'S THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO OR EVEN THE FEDS FEMA, I'M ALL FOR IT.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I WANT THE RIVER AUTHORITY TO KNOW THAT THEY WILL HAVE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES THEY NEED TO DO THIS AS FAST AS THEY CAN COMPLETELY AGREE.

I JUST, UH, WOULD, WOULD ASK US TO, UH, TO CONTINUE TO PRESS THE, THE CITY ON A, A PARTNERSHIP AND A CONTRIBUTION.

UM, AND IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO, UH, TO CONTRIBUTE, THEY SHOULDN'T COME BACK AND ASK FOR A CONTRIBUTION FOR THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, UH, EITHER.

SO, UM, I'LL JUST, JUST, UH, IN CLOSING, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR, I'M PLEASED WITH THE IDEA OF KEEPING THE TAX RATE THE SAME.

I THINK THAT THAT IS A, UH, UH, A POSITIVE STEP FORWARD FOR TAXPAYERS.

I KNOW, UH, I'M GONNA JUST, JUST BRING A LITTLE BIT OF REALISM HERE TO THE, UH, THE COURTROOM THOUGH.

AND WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, HOW WE BROUGHT DOWN THE TAX RATE.

WE'VE NEVER INCREASED THE TAX RATE.

LOOKS LIKE WE'VE DECREASED THE TAX RATE 20% OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, WHICH IS GOOD.

RIGHT? UH, THAT'S, THAT'S IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

WE ALSO IMPLEMENTED 20% HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, WHICH I KNOW WE'RE, WE'RE ALL PROUD OF, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE REALISTIC THAT HOME VALUES HAVE INCREASED 200 TO 300% DURING THAT 30 YEARS.

RIGHT.

AND THE VAST MAJORITY OF US PROBABLY IN THE ROOM, HOMEOWNERS, WE'VE SEEN IT, WE'VE FELT IT, WE KNOW IT.

RIGHT? SO THESE ARE, THESE ARE GOOD STEPS, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO RE RESTRAIN ADDITIONAL SPENDING, UH, BECAUSE OUR, OUR HOMEOWNERS REALLY FEEL THAT THAT PAIN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, BEEN IMPLEMENTED OVER THE LAST LIKE 20 YEARS WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR, THEIR HOME VALUES INCREASING.

UM, ONE LAST QUESTION I HAD, UH, DAVID, I DIDN'T SEE IT IN HERE.

WHAT, WHAT, UM, WHAT CONTRIBUTION FROM THE RESERVE FUND IS INCLUDED IN, IN THE CURRENT BUDGET? IS, ARE WE, UH, IS THERE A, AN AMOUNT THAT'S COMING OUT OF THE RESERVE FUND? ARE WE SPENDING IT DOWN COMPARED? YES, WE'RE SPENDING IT DOWN.

UM, I WANT TO SAY IT'S TENS OF MILLIONS, PROBABLY WITH, BASED OFF OF THE AUDITOR'S REVENUES.

UM, WE'RE LIKE MAYBE 50,000,080 INTO IT, BUT THAT'S WHAT THE, THE LONG RANGE FINANCIAL FORECAST SHOWS THAT WE'RE CLOSING THAT GAP OVER OUR TARGET FUND BALANCE.

SO WE ARE SPENDING DOWN, OKAY.

I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT I SAW.

RIGHT.

LOOKING AT THE GRAPH, UH, I'D LIKE TO, IF YOU CAN GET MY, MY TEAM THE SPECIFICS ON THAT NUMBER, UH, JUST SO WE, WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT.

BUT, UH, THAT'S ALL I HAVE AT THIS TIME.

JUDGE COMMISSIONER CO.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

HOW MUCH DID YOU SAY HOME VALUES RISEN? UH, 200, 300%.

UM, SO I, I WANNA PICK UP ON THE TAX, UH, ISSUE REAL QUICK.

UM, HOME VALUES HAVE RISEN, UH, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF SENATOR BETTENCOURT, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATRICK.

THEY WROTE INTO THE BUDGET BILLS THAT YOUR APPRAISAL MUST INCREASE BY 13.81% AND 12% AND 10%.

UH, AND MEANWHILE, UH, THAT IS ON THE LARGEST PORTION OF YOUR TAX BILL, WHICH IS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PORTION, WHICH IS, UH, 51% OF YOUR TAX BILL, WHICH THIS COURT DOESN'T CONTROL.

THEY DO.

SO THE REPUBLICANS IN AUSTIN HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST CAUSE OF TAX PAYING FOR TAXPAYERS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

LET ME GO TO THE EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION, UM, PART, UM, I'VE NOTICED THAT, UH, WE HAVE THIS 2% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT.

UM, AND I WAS WONDERING WHERE DID, WHERE DID YOU PEG THAT NUMBER? BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT INFLATION IN JUNE, IT WAS AT 2.7%.

SO I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING TO KEEP OUR COLA IN LINE WITH THE ACTUAL MARKET.

THAT, THAT'S REALLY HOW WE DETERMINED IT.

SO, UM, WE, IT'S WHAT WE COULD AFFORD

[01:25:01]

UH, I DID LOOK, UH, I THINK AT THE SAME INFORMATION MM-HMM .

SO IT'S JUST ABOVE 2% THE LAST TIME I LOOKED, SO YOU ARE CORRECT, COMMISSIONER.

2.7%.

I, I NEVER WANT US TO SEE AS A COUNTY SOMETHING BELOW WHERE WE'RE AT.

I THINK, I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT HAS PLAGUED SAN ANTONIO AND BEAR COUNTY ABOUT LOW WAGES AND WHY PEOPLE GO TO HOUSTON AND DALLAS AND AUSTIN AND OTHER PLACES, BECAUSE WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY, UH, STRAGGLED ALONG AS A LOW WAGE CITY.

SO I JOINED COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ IN SAYING, LET'S, LET'S TRY TO PEG IT THERE.

AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE TARIFFS AND VERY CLOSELY AT, UH, INFLATION GOING FORWARD.

UM, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF IN A DOWNTURN THAT THE PRESIDENT, UH, BECAUSE HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT THE MIDTERMS, ACTUALLY OFFERED A STIMULUS BILL AND THAT STIMULUS BILL MIGHT END UP, UH, MAKING COSTS SKYROCKET SIGNIFICANTLY.

UM, COUNTER JUXTAPOSE TO WHAT THE INTENTION WAS.

UM, I WANNA UNDERSTAND ON ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THEY ARE, THEY HAD ORIGINALLY REQUESTED 16, UH, POSITIONS AND WE ALLOCATED THREE.

WHAT ARE THOSE THREE? UM, SO WE ARE ADDING A POSITION FOR CASE MANAGERS.

UM, SO CURRENTLY THEY HAVE CASE MANAGER IN EACH PRECINCT, AND THIS JUST MANAGES LIKE, DIRECT QUESTIONS AND NEEDS FROM THE CONSTITUENTS.

AND I BELIEVE THEY WORK WITH YOUR OFFICE AS WELL.

UM, SO WE ARE ADDING BECAUSE OF WORKLOAD, UM, CASE MANAGERS TO THAT DIVISION.

SO THEY'RE ABLE TO DIVVY UP THAT WORKLOAD THEY CURRENTLY HAVE.

SO I, I WANT TO MAYBE ASK SOME OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT STAFF.

I KNOW THE SHERIFF IS HERE, OR WAS HERE, I'M NOT SURE IF HE'S STILL HERE.

THEY MAY BE JUST IN THE BACK.

UM, BUT I, UM, SOME OF THE CHIEFS, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING, UH, CRIME IS DOWN, THAT JAIL IS FULL, WHICH COULD MEAN THAT VIOLENT CRIME IS MAYBE UP.

I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE UPSTREAM ISSUES OF THE JAIL? UH, THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT 275 PEOPLE WHO ARE NEEDING TO BE SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF BE COUNTY, UM, THE WHOLE CONVERSATION AROUND THE 70 NET NEW POSITIONS.

HERE HAS GOTTEN THOSE TEXT MESSAGES REGARDING UNPAID TOLLS.

SO WE BASICALLY PUT THOSE IN CONTINGENCY UNTIL THEY'RE A HUNDRED, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER FILL, WHY NOT LOOK AT LIKE 30 THIS YEAR AND 40 WHEN THEY FILL 'EM AS KIND OF LIKE A, YOU KNOW, BONUS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

UM, JUST A THOUGHT.

OH, SHERIFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OR WHOEVER.

UM, I, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE GENERAL UPSTREAM OF OUR JAIL POPULATION.

SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING CRIME IS DOWN, BUT VIOLENT CRIME MIGHT BE UP.

UH, AND THAT MAY BE WHY THE JAIL IS MORE FULL, BECAUSE THEY'RE MORE VIOLENT OFFENDERS.

CAN YOU JUST KIND OF HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF CRIMES ARE PEOPLE COMMITTING UPSTREAM OF THE JAIL? WE ARE, YES, SIR.

WE ARE SEEING CERTAIN, CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF VIOLENT CRIME THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UH, UH, ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE IS, IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

MM.

YOU KNOW, AS, AS YOU SAW MORE THAN HALF OF OUR HOMICIDES LAST YEAR, AND LAST YEAR WAS A, WAS A, WAS A HIGH YEAR FOR OUR HOMICIDES.

UM, MORE THAN HALF OF THEM WERE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED.

AND THAT TREND SEEMS TO BE HOLDING FOR THIS YEAR AS WELL, OF THE, OF THE, OF THE MURDERS THAT WE HAVE HANDLED THIS YEAR, HOMICIDES THAT WE'VE HANDLED THIS YEAR, NOT JUST MURDERS, BUT HOMICIDES.

UM, A A SIZABLE PORTION OF THEM HAVE BEEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED AS WELL.

UH, SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING AN UPTICK IN ARE, ARE CRIMES SUCH AS JUGGING, UH, THAT THAT'S ONE THAT'S, THAT'S SEEING AN UPTICK WHERE, UH, CRIMINAL GROUPS ARE ACTUALLY PUTTING PEOPLE UNDER SURVEILLANCE AT A BANK OR AT HIGH END SHOPPING CENTERS LIKE, UH, LATA OR THE RIM FOLLOWING THEM HOME.

AND THEN EITHER BURGLARIZING THE CAR IN THE BEST CASE SCENARIO, BURGLARIZING THE CAR, UH, WHILE THE PEOPLE ARE INSIDE.

AND, AND YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL LEAVE A BANK WITH $10,000 CASH AND THEN GO INSIDE TO FIX A SANDWICH AND LEAVE THAT BAG IN THE CENTER CONSOLE, WHERE THEN THESE JUGGERS WILL COME IN AND, AND, AND BURGLARIZE THE VEHICLE AND TAKE IT.

BUT IN SOME INSTANCES, WE'VE EVEN HAD PEOPLE ROBBED AT GUNPOINT IN THEIR DRIVEWAY, UH, AS AFTER, AFTER A JUGGING INCIDENT.

SO THESE ARE THE, THESE ARE THE CASES THAT, THAT KEEP US BUSY, UH, BECAUSE MANY TIMES THESE JUGGING ORGANIZATIONS ARE PRETTY SOPHISTICATED.

SOME OF THEM COME FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE, EVEN TO COMMIT THESE SORTS OF CRIMES.

HOUSTON BEING ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE CENTRAL, UH, LOCATIONS FOR THIS.

THEY'RE COMING DOWN AND RENTED VEHICLES.

AND, UH, THEN THEY'RE, AS SOON AS THE CRIMES ARE COMMITTED, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ABSCONDING BACK TO HOUSTON OR WHEREVER ELSE THEY CAME FROM.

UH, AND SO IT, THOSE ARE VERY LABOR INTENSIVE TYPE, UH, INVESTIGATIONS.

UH, ONE OF THE OTHER CRIMES THAT WE'RE SEEING AN UPTICK IN IS, IS FRAUD.

UH, ESPECIALLY OF THIS, OF THE SENIOR COMMUNITY.

EVERYBODY

[01:30:01]

UH, EVERYBODY, JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY IN YOUR INNER CIRCLE, I GUARANTEE IT, THAT HAS GOTTEN THE PHONE CALL THAT SAYS, YOU MISSED JURY DUTY.

YOU'VE GOT A WARRANT FOR YOUR ARREST.

BUT IF YOU'LL GO TO THIS RETAIL LOCATION AND PUT MONEY INTO THIS MACHINE, UH, WE DEPUTIES WON'T COME TO YOUR HOUSE AND ARREST YOU.

IT'S A VERY COMMON, UH, SCAM.

UH, WE'VE GOT A, WE, WE WERE ABLE TO SQUEEZE OUT, PULL OUT FROM CIDA FINANCIAL CRIMES INVESTIGATOR THAT'S BUSY AS CAN BE, UH, BECAUSE OF THESE CASES.

AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LOSSES IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN MANY CASES.

JUST GOT A TEXT MESSAGE, UH, FROM SOMEONE THAT WE ALL KNOW, UH, THAT HAD A FRIEND THAT WAS SCAMMED OUT OF $2.2 MILLION, AND SHE'S ASKING ME TO CALL HER IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMMISSIONER'S COURT.

SO THESE ARE CRIMES THAT ARE NOT GOING AWAY ANYTIME SOON.

THEY'RE ONLY GETTING WORSE.

AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR NOT JUST ADDITIONAL PATROL DEPUTIES, BUT ALSO ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATORS TO HANDLE THE INFLUX OF THESE VERY SOPHISTICATED, VERY TIME CONSUMING, VERY LABOR INTENSIVE CRIMES THAT WE'RE HANDLING.

YEAH, I WAS JUST TRYING TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, JUXTAPOSE, SO THE OVERALL CRIME RATE IS DOWN.

HOW, HOW MUCH, UH, DO YOU KNOW THE, HAVE THE STATS IN FRONT? WE'D, WE'D HAVE TO GET YOU THOSE STATS.

BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S A NUMBER THAT CHANGES, UH, FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM DAY TO DAY.

AND, AND WE HAVE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN SAY IS THAT WE HAVE SEEN DISPLACEMENT OF CRIME FROM THE CITY OUT INTO THE COUNTY.

SO SOMETIMES WHEN THE CITY IS DOWN IN A CERTAIN CATEGORY, IT MEANS WE'RE UP.

AND I, I'VE GIVEN THE ANALOGY BEFORE, UH, THAT THAT CRIMINALS ARE GOING TO GO WHERE THE COPS ARE NOT.

AND SO IF THE CITY'S MORE DENSELY POPULAR, MORE DENSELY POLICED THAN WE ARE, THEN IT JUST STANDS TO REASON THAT IT'S JUST LIKE SQUEEZING A BALLOON.

YOU SQUEEZE IT IN THE MIDDLE, AND THE THE AIR IS GONNA GO OUT TO THE, TO THE OUTER PORTIONS OF IT WHERE YOU'RE NOT PUTTING EQUAL PRESSURE.

NOW, I KNOW THAT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE CITY AS FAR AS BEING DENSELY STAFFED AS DENSELY STAFFED, BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, IF WE DON'T AT LEAST MAKE AN EFFORT MM-HMM .

THEN WE'RE GOING TO PAY A PRICE OUT OF THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THAT.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, THAT'S WHY WE DID SOME OF THE BIGGEST INVESTMENTS WE'VE EVER HAD IN SURE.

IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE PULLED IS THE STATS AND ON, UH, AND THANKS TO YOUR STAFF, UH, ON SOME OF, FRANKLY, THE, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING APARTMENTS THAT HAVE POPPED UP AROUND THE 78 CORRIDOR.

AND I HAVE SINCE OPPOSED THEIR, UH, COMPANIES WHO DO NOT TAKE CARE OF THOSE PROPERTIES WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO PUT ANOTHER ONE IN OUR PRECINCT, BECAUSE WE'RE SEEING JUST ON TWO THAT I, MAYBE THREE THAT I PULLED THESE CRIME STATISTICS FROM YOUR TEAM, OVER 400 CALLS FOR SERVICE WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS TO BE SUBSIDIZING, UH, DEVELOPERS WHO ARE NOT, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THEIR TENANTS ARE BEHAVING, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN TAXPAYERS ARE UNDERWRITING THAT I WOULD SUBMIT THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER, FOR EXAMPLE, ON SUMMER, UH, FELONY WARRANT ROUNDUPS, WE MAY WANNA LOOK AT, UH, WITHOUT BEING DISCRIMINATORY SURE.

BUT WE WANT, MAY WANNA LOOK AT SOME OF THESE HOTSPOTS THAT HAVE, UH, SUCH ASTRONOMICAL CALL, UH, CALLS FOR SERVICE AND PAY A FRIENDLY VISIT TO THESE, UH, PARTICULAR, UH, MANAGERS.

SO SOME OF THESE AREAS, UH, BUT DO WHAT WE GOTTA DO TO MAKE, MAINTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, OVER AN OPERATION.

SO WE CAN TALK, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE TO TALK IN, UH, IN PUBLIC, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR TEAM, YOU KNOW, HELPING ON THOSE ISSUES.

ABSOLUTELY, SIR.

ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING, THE MONTAGE DEPARTMENTS IS ONE THAT WE'VE GOTTEN SPENT AN INOR INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME ON.

UH, WE'VE CERTAINLY TRIED, GOT SOME STRATEGIES THAT WE'VE TRIED OUT THERE.

WE JUST RECENTLY DID A PILOT PROJECT WITH A DRONES AS FIRST RESPONDERS PROGRAM.

AWESOME.

THAT ULTIMATELY, I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ENOUGH MONEY TO, TO FUND THAT PROJECT FOR THIS YEAR, BUT THINGS LIKE THAT COULD ABSOLUTELY BE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THIS ISSUE AND ABSOLUTELY HAVE A MEASURABLE EFFECT, UH, ON, ON THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SO ABSOLUTELY, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU AND ANYBODY UP ON THE COURT, UH, WITH, WITH HOTSPOT AREAS IN YOUR PRECINCTS.

WE'D, WE'D LOVE TO DO THAT.

UM, YEAH, IF WE CAN GO TO PAGE 28.

AND I'VE, I'VE, I'VE MADE MENTION THAT BECAUSE THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, UM, GOVERNOR APPOINTED, UH, INCENTIVES THAT DPS SHOULD ALSO BE CALLED TO BEAR, UH, SOME ASSISTANCE FOR THE MANPOWER THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT HAS HAD TO SHIFT FROM RESPONSES TO, UH, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE CRIME RATE HAS BEEN, I DON'T WANNA, I THINK IT'S AT LEAST TWICE THE NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME RATE, UH, MAYBE MORE.

SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US GET THOSE YES, SIR.

PARTICULAR, UH, THOSE PARTICULAR STATS.

I THINK, JUDGE, THAT COVERS IT FOR ME.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION FROM THE BUDGET STAFF.

THANK YOU, .

[01:35:01]

SO ALL THIS, IT'S NOT NEW, RIGHT? YOU'RE JUST REIN REITERATING WHAT Y'ALL STARTED, WHAT WE HAD ALREADY STARTED AND APPROVED.

I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION, COMMISSIONER WITH THE, UM, WITH THE STEP ANNIVERSARY THINGS, THAT'S NOT NEW.

NO, NO.

POWER KNOWING THAT THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THAT'S BUILT INTO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

YOU'RE JUST REIT THOSE PROGRAMS FOR NEXT YEAR.

AND IF WE CAN GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE 22 WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE INVESTMENT IN THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.

SO I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE MISNOMERS, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS MORNING.

SO JUST TO REITERATE, UM, I KNOW THE SHERIFF JUST TALKED ABOUT SOME CRIME, AND OF COURSE THIS IS A BIG CITY AND WE HAVE MAJOR CRIME, BUT THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE REASON THAT OUR JAILS TOOK CAPACITY.

IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M SCARED TO DRIVE HOME ON THE SOUTH SIDE, OR I'M SCARED TO WALK TO MY CAR AND THERE'S JUST CRIME AT EVERY MOMENT.

PART OF THE REASON, WHICH I'VE SAID BEFORE IS THAT PEOPLE ARE ROTTING IN JAIL AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE REASONS WHY, BUT THAT NEEDS TO BE FIGURED OUT RIGHT FROM THE STATE LEVEL TO THE LOCAL LEVEL, FROM PEOPLE AREN'T BEING PROCESSED.

AND WE TALK ABOUT NUMBERS AND WE TALK ABOUT MONEY, BUT WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT EVERY PERSON SITTING IN JAIL IS SOMEBODY'S CHILD, SOMEBODY'S FATHER, SOMEBODY'S SISTER, AND THESE ARE HUMAN LIVES AND LITERALLY PEOPLE RIDING IN JAIL.

AND THAT'S WHY THAT'S PART OF THE REASON CORRECT SHERIFF, WHY WE'RE AT CAPACITY.

SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE WE EMPHASIZE THAT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE'S JUST, YOU KNOW, SOME DIFFERENT MISNOMERS ABOUT THAT.

UM, AND THEN ANOTHER MISNOMER I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RECOGNIZE IS ON PAGE NINE.

SO THIS IS CORRECT.

UM, AND THIS IS POLITICALLY CORRECT, BUT A HUGE PART OF THIS IS THE NEGATIVE TRUMP EFFECT AND PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT, THAT WHOEVER YOU CHOSE TO VOTE FOR, OR IF YOU DIDN'T VOTE, THEN YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THINGS ARE JUST BEING CUT EVERY SINGLE, SINGLE DAY.

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT BECAUSE WE'RE JUST SITTING HERE LIKE, OH, THESE ARE JUST NUMBERS.

NO, THIS IS REALLY SERIOUS AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

WHEN YOU HAVE SENIOR CITIZENS WHO DEPEND ON MEALS ON WHEELS AND THINGS THAT ARE HAVING TO BE CUT OR FROM THE FOOD BANK.

SO THANK YOU.

ANYTHING ELSE? LET ME, UH, CLOSE WITH MY PERSONAL COMMENTS.

AS COUNTY JUDGE, I SPEAK AS AN INDIVIDUAL.

ALTHOUGH YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COURT, I BELIEVE YOU'RE SEEING A COMMISSIONER'S COURT THAT IS WORKING HARD TO MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS.

WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS.

NOT EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE HAPPY.

BUT FIRST I WANNA THANK ALL THE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR SUBMITTING THEIR BUDGETS AND ENGAGING WITH THE PROCESS.

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE DIFFICULT EVEN IN THE FUTURE.

I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE BUDGET OFFICE FOR WORKING TO DEVELOP THE DRAFT BUDGET.

IT IS A GOOD STARTING POINT, SO I WANT DEPARTMENT HEADS AND ELECTEDS TO KNOW WE'RE JUST GETTING THE STARTING POINT, BUT YOU CAN OBVIOUSLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE YOUR CASE AS WE WORK THROUGH THE WORK SESSIONS AND FUTURE COMMISSIONER COURT MEETINGS.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FINAL DOCUMENT THAT IS APPROVED REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITY'S PRIORITIES.

MY OFFICE AND COUNTY LEADERS WILL CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM THE RESIDENTS AT OUR COUNTY BUDGET, BUDGET TOWN HALLS, AND CONTINUE TO MEET WITH COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, DEPARTMENT HEADS, TO MAKE SURE THIS BUDGET IS SETTING THE NECESSARY FOUNDATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 26.

THE BUDGET OFFICE THAT MY OFFICE LED HAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED.

UH, WE RECEIVED MORE THAN 1,300 UNIQUE RESPONSES, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONERS, THIS WAS SHARED BY MEMO TO YOU, UH, THIS MORNING.

IF NOT, I'LL MAKE SURE THE STAFF, UH, DOES THAT TO YOU TO KNOW WHAT THE FEEDBACK FROM OUR SURVEY WAS.

THANK YOU TO THE COMMISSIONERS FOR HELPING TO PROMOTE THESE BUDGET TOWN HALLS FOR YOUR APPEARANCE AND TO ASSURE THE COMMUNITY THAT THESE RESPONSES ARE BEING CAPTURED AT ALL CORNERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WHAT WE'VE HEARD, AND HERE ARE TOP PRIORITIES WE'VE HEARD FROM THOSE TOWN HALLS AND THE SURVEY ONE, TRANSPORTATION

[01:40:02]

AND FLOOD CONTROL.

TWO, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THREE LAW ENFORCEMENT.

SO I THINK YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE BUDGET PRESENTATION TODAY THAT WE'RE WELL IN THOSE TRACKS THAT THE COMMUNITY CONSIDER PRIORITIES.

IN ADDITION TO THE FEEDBACK FROM THE BUDGET SURVEY, WE KNOW THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS FACING HARD TIMES FROM THE INFLATION ECONOMIC CONCERN OF TERRORISTS TO LIVING IN FEDERAL CUTS AND PROGRAMS FOR FOOD ASSISTANCE AND MEDICAID.

WE MUST EMBRACE FOR THESE IMPACTS.

I'D LIKE TO SEE FOCUS INVESTMENT IN FOOD AND HEALTH ACCESS IN THIS NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, I'M PLANNING TO CONVENE STAKEHOLDERS ON THESE ISSUES OF HEALTH AND FOOD ACCESS, ESPECIALLY AS WE FORESEE POTENTIAL FEDERAL CUTS IN THE EARLY FALL.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RESERVE OF SOME FUNDING IN CONTINGENCY TO SUPPORT ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME FROM THIS COMMUNITY CONVENING AND WHAT WE AS COMMUNITY LEADERS, COMMISSIONERS, AND MY I MYSELF AS COUNTY JUDGE CAN RECOMMEND TO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS.

I NOW WILL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET WHERE I BELIEVE IT NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED AS WE MOVE TOWARD A FINAL BUDGET.

THESE ARE MY PERSONAL OPINIONS, PUBLIC SAFETY SECTION.

YOU'VE HEARD WITH THE LEADERSHIP WITH THIS COURT AND WITH DAVID SMITH AS COUNTY MANAGER, FLOOD CONTROL, THE COUNTY INVESTMENT AND THE NEXT GEN SYSTEM TO FLOOD CONTROL IS A GAME CHANGER.

WE ARE PRO PROGRAMMING THE SHARE FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE COUNTY.

ALSO AS COUNTY MANAGER DAVID SMITH INDICATED CITY RESIDENTS, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS ARE ALSO COUNTY RESIDENTS TOO.

AND SO I UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES THE CITY AND COUNTY CAN'T COME TOGETHER 'CAUSE WE KIND OF LOOK AT THOSE RESIDENTS IS SEPARATE.

BUT THIS IS A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES LEADERSHIP VISION.

AND I WANT, AGAIN, APPLAUD COUNTY MANAGER DAVID SMITH.

I WANT TO APPLAUD THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR THE UNANIMOUS SUPPORT FOR THIS PARTICULAR INITIATIVE.

COMMISSIONER MOODY.

WE WILL WORK WITH CITY, STATE, AND FEDERAL PARTNERS TO IDENTIFY THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

I WILL TAKE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S WORD AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT THEY'RE GONNA SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR THE COUNTY, BUT, UH, I'M NOT GONNA WAIT FOR IT.

WE'LL SEE.

WE'RE GONNA GET IT DONE AND WE'RE GONNA HOPE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL HELP US SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THE NEXT STAGES OF FLOOD CONTROL.

THE NEXT GEN ACTIVATION CENTER IS JUST A PROCESS THAT WE WILL PROVIDE AN ADVANCED WARNING.

I ALSO WANT TO PUT ON RECORD THAT WE'RE LOOKING THAT THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT FLOOD CONTROL IS ALSO A REGIONAL ISSUE.

REMEMBER THAT WATER FLOWING THROUGH US IS ALSO FLOWING DOWNSTREAM.

SO WE MUST BE MINDFUL OF WHATEVER EFFORTS WE MAKE DON'T UNFAIRLY IMPACT OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS.

I WANT TO USE THIS SITUATION, THIS PROJECT, TO ENCOURAGE OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR RURAL COUNTIES, WITH OUR RURAL COUNTY JUDGES AND COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO SEE HOW WE CAN KIND OF PARTNER UP FOR WHATEVER STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING COMES AVAILABLE.

BUT WE'VE MADE IT CLEAR RIVER AUTHORITY THAT THE COUNTY WILL FUND THE FULL $21 MILLION IF NEEDED BECAUSE WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY.

SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

SHERIFF SALAZAR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM.

MORE IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU TO THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WORK IN YOUR DEPARTMENT, BOTH AT THE JAIL, BOTH IN LAW ENFORCEMENT.

UH, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN COMMITTED TO YOU FOR SINCE I'VE BEEN COUNTY JUDGE AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

SO I KNOW WE'VE KIND OF GONE BACK AND FORTH IN ALL THESE POSITIONS THAT YOU NEED FOR THIS CURRENT BUDGET, BUT I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE FACT THAT YOU DO SUCH GREAT WORK.

IT'S OFTENTIMES THAT YOU'RE REPORTING A CLOSURE OF A CASE OR THAT YOU HAVE HELPED A VICTIM THAT IS A VICTIM OF CRIME.

UH, AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE OUR EMPHASIS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

COMMISSIONER MOODY, I AGREE, YOU KNOW, 70 PERSONNEL TO SOUTH TO SOUTH TIRE.

SO LET ME KIND OF GET, LET'S PUT THE SHERIFF ON THE SPOT.

LET'S START TRYING TO LOWER THOSE COSTS OF OVERTIME AND ENSURE STABLE, UH, STAFFING LEVELS.

SO SHERIFF, I JUST GO AHEAD AND JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF COMMENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO, UM, STABILIZE RETENTION.

I THINK THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL ON TRYING TO ADJUST THE SALARIES TO ADJUST THE POSITIONS.

AND, UH, I THINK YOU'VE, UH, WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, BOTH YOU AND YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM, BUT YOU UNDERSTAND WE, WE, THESE OVERTIME AND UH, STAFFING VACANCIES ARE PROBLEMATIC AND WE REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE A STABILIZATION SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THOSE CONTINGENCY COSTS.

YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? RIGHT? SHERIFF JUDGE, TRUST AND BELIEVE NOBODY HATES COMING IN HERE MORE THAN I DO ON OVERTIME DAYS.

UH, I PROMISE YOU THAT IS NOT SOMETHING I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING.

AND SO ABSOLUTELY WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR

[01:45:01]

IT'S JUST A A ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, THAT WE DO NOW, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO MITIGATE IT TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE.

A A SIZABLE PORTION OF THAT MITIGATION COMES FROM CORRECT STAFFING STILL BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHAT SELECTIVE ON WHO ACTUALLY GETS INTO WHERE THE UNIFORM.

WE CAN'T NECESSARILY LOWER STANDARDS.

THAT'S A DANGEROUS GAME TO PLAY AS WELL.

UH, ALSO BEARING IN MIND THAT MANY TIMES WE'RE COMING IN HERE AND ASKING FOR MONEY FOR HOUSING OUT OF INMATES THAT QUITE FRANKLY THE 260 SOMETHING INMATES THAT WE HAVE HOUSED OUT SHOULD BE IN A STATE PRISON SOMEWHERE.

UH, BUT WE'RE HOUSING, WE'RE HAVING TO HOUSE THEM OUT.

AND SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, UH, WE WILL ABSOLUTELY MITIGATE THE CONDITIONS THAT THAT DID CAUSE US TO COME IN, UH, AND ASK FOR MONEY FOR OVERTIME OR FOR HOUSING OUT.

WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER, BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S OTHER PARTS OF THE SYSTEM THAT, THAT NEED TO BE WORKING OPTIMALLY AS WELL FOR THAT NUMBER TO COME DOWN ANYWHERE CLOSE TO ZERO.

THANK YOU SHERIFF.

LET ME ALSO FOCUS IN ON A OFFICE THAT, UH, OFTENTIMES AND I THINK COMMISSIONER MOODY, YOU'VE KIND OF, UH, ALLUDED TO IT, THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE.

SO LET ME TOUCH THAT HOT BUTTON ISSUE TANYA, IN THIS REGARD.

UH, I BELIEVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE POSITIONS ARE A FAIR STARTING POINT.

UH, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE A FURTHER INCREASE IN THE CONSTABLE PERSONNEL.

I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO JUSTIFY.

SO I'D LIKE TO SEE EACH OFFICE RECEIVE ONE DEDICATED FT FOR WARRANT ROUNDUP.

I THINK WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND COMMISSIONER, I THINK YOU ALLUDED TO IT, AND COMMISSIONER CALVERT YOU ALLUDED TO, TO FOCUS ON OUR STANDING WARRANTS IN OUR COMMITTEE TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY.

MY OFFICE HAS STARTED THAT CONVERSATION, UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S A PROCESS WE'RE AT.

WE, I BELIEVE HAVE OR WILL BRING IN THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE WILL BRING IN THE CONSTABLE, UH, WILL BRING THE COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE, UH, WILL BRING IN THE LINEBERG LAW FIRM THAT IS PART PARCEL OF THE COLLECTION OF WARRANTS AND SEE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS A BIG POOL OF UNCOLLECTED TICKETS.

UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO RAISE REVENUE JUST FOR THE SAKE, BUT WHAT WE WANT A MESSAGE IS IF YOU'RE BREAKING THE LAW, ESPECIALLY TRAFFIC OR CLASS C OFFENSES.

I THINK THE RULE OF LAW REQUIRES IS THAT IF YOU DON'T SHOW UP IN COURT AND YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN ADEQUATE NOTICE, YOU FACE THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU MAY GET PICKED UP AND BE BROUGHT TO COURT.

I'M HONORING, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT JUDGES OF PIECES UNDERSTAND THAT.

I EXPECT THEM TO STILL CONSIDER EACH INDIVIDUAL TO CONSIDER THEIR SITUATION, CONSIDER IF THEY'RE INDIGENT, CONSIDER IF THEY NEED HELP, CONSIDER DIVERSION, CONSIDER, BUT ULTIMATELY HOLDING PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE, UH, FOR THE ALLEGATIONS THAT THOSE TRAFFIC OR CLASS C CITATIONS.

SO ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR CONSTABLES WITH CONCERNS THROUGHOUT THIS PAST BUDGET YEAR.

I THINK IT HAS BEEN A ROBUST DISCUSSION OF WHAT THE CONSTABLES FOR EACH PARTICULAR CONSTABLE AND THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT COURT SECURITY, WHICH IS A COURT FUNCTION CORE FUNCTION OF CONSTABLES.

I WANNA REMIND THE PUBLIC AND THIS COURT THAT OUR CONSTABLES HAVE A CORE STATUTORY DUTY.

IT IS IN TEXAS STATUTE COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, AS YOU SAY, AS AN ARM OF THE STATE CONSTABLES ARE TO PROVIDE COURT SECURITY, ADDRESS WARRANTS, SERVING PAPERS AND MANAGING EVICTIONS AND COORDINATIONS WITH THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.

AND SO WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE CONSTABLES THAT EVICTIONS ARE UP AND THAT IS ALSO A SENSITIVE ISSUE FOR THE PUBLIC BECAUSE IT DOES CONTRIBUTE TO PEOPLE THAT ARE UNHOUSED.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IF THERE ARE COURT ORDERS THAT JUST THE PIECES ARE ISSUING AFTER THEY'VE HEARD THE CASE AND THEY FEEL THAT THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE REMEDY, WELL THEN THE CONSTABLES HAVE TO GO IN THERE.

WE HAVE HEARD STORIES OF HOW DANGEROUS THAT SITUATION IS AND UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE WILL RESORT TO VIOLENCE IN THOSE SITUATIONS.

WE ALSO FIND THAT MANY, SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THOSE SITUATIONS ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE ISSUES SUCH AS WARRANTS NOT CLASS C TRAFFIC TICKET, BUT FELONY WARRANTS AND FELONY WARRANTS WITH VIOLENT OFFENDERS.

SO THE CONSTABLES HAVE ASKED HELP FOR THAT.

THEY'VE ALSO HELPED ASKED HELP FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF COURT SECURITY AND I BELIEVE THE CONSTABLES HAVE COME TO THE COURT TO MAKE THAT KNOWN.

SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THE COMMUNITY VALUES OF ADDITIONAL SERVICES MUST COVER CORE FUNCTIONS.

AND SO I'M ASKING BUDGET OFFICE TO LOOK FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.

I UNDERSTAND THAT THEIR REQUEST IS MUCH, MUCH MORE, BUT SO LONG IT'S A CORE FUNCTION.

I WILL CONSIDER SEEING WHAT THE CONSTABLES NEED AND I'LL ASK MY COMMISSIONERS TO ALSO LOOK AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.

ANOTHER ISSUE

[01:50:01]

THAT WE'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON IS THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND WAKE OF RECENT FIRES HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY.

THE FLOOD EVENTS IN OUR REGION I THINK IS EVIDENT THAT WE MUST CONTINUE TO BE FORWARD THINKING WITH OUR INVERSE INVESTMENTS OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

LAST YEAR WE ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL.

I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE ROBUST TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION, UH, FUNDS FOR THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS FUNDS FOR SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT TO SUPPORT THE FIRE RESPONSE IN OUR FINAL BUDGET.

AS OUR REGION CONTINUES TO LOOK TO BEXAR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR LEADERSHIP SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP, WE MUST ASSURE THAT THEY'RE EXCEPTIONALLY RESOURCED, EXCEPTIONALLY EQUIPPED TO BE PREPARED AND READY TO RESPOND TO EMERGENCY EVENTS AND KEEP OUR NEIGHBORS AND PROPERTIES SAFE.

FURTHERMORE, WE NEED, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE COMPENSATION ISSUES OF THE FIRE MARSHAL OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, THIS IS A CAREER PATH TO ATTRACT THE BEST FOR THESE POSITIONS IN LIGHT OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY.

AND SO LET ME JUST KIND OF ALSO CLOSE WITH TWO MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

I WANNA MAKE SURE OUR WORKFORCE, I WANNA ENSURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO FUND THE MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT THAT WE PASSED THIS YEAR.

AGAIN, COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU FOR THE CONTRACT WITH PROJECT QUEST.

UH, AS A RESULT OF THE REQUEST OF COX METRO.

I THINK THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT IN THE LAST REPORT I GOT ON.

DON'T KNOW BUDGET, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WE CAN GET A REPORT OUT LATER OF WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE 'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND THEY HA THOSE UH, PROGRAMS HAVE ENGAGED AND ARE PROVIDING, UH, SUPPORT SERVICES TO THOSE.

AND THEN WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT WILL BE A PIPELINE FOR PEOPLE TO DO WHAT'S CALLED ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TRAINING.

WE MUST CONTINUE TO FUND INCENTIVE PROGRAMS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT INNOVATION GRANTS TO ATTRACT TOP TIER EMPLOYERS.

WE'VE GOT INDUSTRIES COMING IN HERE, WHICH WILL BE PART AND PARTIAL OF THE GROWTH OF BEAR COUNTY.

SO I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT WE ARE ON A ROLL TO ATTRACTING NEW CORPORATE PARTNERS.

AND THIS WILL ONLY ACCELERATE IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR AND HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON FUTURE BUDGETS.

SO AS YOU HEARD, UNLESS WE HAVE GROWTH, UH, WE CAN'T FUND AND MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERYTHING THAT THIS COUNTY DOES.

SO I UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOME VOICES IN THE COMMUNITY.

WHY DO YOU SUPPORT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? WHY DO YOU GIVE MONEY TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR? IT'S BECAUSE WE NEED TO PARTNER WITH OUR PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND WE NEED TO SEE INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND ESPECIALLY IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT ISSUE IN REGARDS TO THE COUNTY VENUE TAX FOR WHICH WE PASSED.

AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR THEIR MAJORITY APPROVAL FOR THAT VENUE TAX.

I WANT THAT TO BE LOOKED UPON AND, AND FROM A PERSPECTIVE, IF THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PERHAPS A EAST SIDE DOWNTOWN REVITALATION REVITALIZATION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOPEFULLY WITH THE CITY COUNTY PARTNERSHIP, WE ARE GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS RIGHT NOW.

IT'S MY HOPE THAT WHAT WE CAN DO IS LOOK FROM A VISIONARY STANDPOINT AND COMMISSIONER COWER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR TOWN HALL MEETINGS THAT WE WILL HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY MOVE FORWARD.

OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE AN ELECTION, I'LL HAVE TO ALLOW THE VOTERS TO SPEAK AND VOICE THEIR OPINION THROUGH ELECTIONS.

AND AS BELIEVE COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES, THAT'S WHY ELECTIONS COUNT ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES AND WE WILL HAVE ELECTION THIS NOVEMBER.

I'M HOPING THAT ON THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT WE WILL THEN HAVE ABILITY TO LOOK AT HOUSING AND OTHER COMMUNITY CENTER CENTERED AMENITIES.

FINALLY, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPONENT, WHICH WILL TIE INTO THE HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION, THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.

ANOTHER BIG DEAL WE MADE IN THIS COMMISSION'S COURT THIS PAST YEAR WAS THE APPROVAL AND I BELIEVE THE BASEBALL DEAL HAS BEEN DONE.

SO THAT WITH PARTNERSHIP OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OF GRAHAM WESTON AND WESTERN URBAN IN REGARDS TO THE TAX ZONES THAT IS GOING TO FUND THE BASEBALL STADIUM IS A COMMITMENT ALSO TO, AS PART OF THAT DEAL THAT WE MADE WAS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE URBAN CORE.

WE HAVE NOT JUST MADE THAT A DOCUMENT AND WE WALKED OFF, NO, WE HAVE MET WITH THE CITY, WE HAVE MET WITH THE BASEBALL OWNERSHIP.

WE HAVE MET INTERNALLY THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.

I'LL GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO ROBERT RAYNA.

WE ARE DEVELOPING A DRAFT FRAMEWORK FOR THE COUNTY'S INVESTMENT AND HOUSING FOR THE URBAN CORE THAT WE HELP THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE HARLANDALE, THE EDGEWOOD, THE SOUTH ENDS, AND ALL THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE WELL WITHIN THE FOUR 10 AREA AND COURT.

I'M GONNA BE ASKING YOU AT SOME POINT THAT WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE PROJECTS THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER AND SEE

[01:55:01]

WHAT TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX WE HAVE IN ORDER THAT WE INCREASE THE HOUSING STOCK IN THE URBAN CORE SO THAT WE CAN INCREASE, BRING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO THE URBAN COURT SO THAT THEY THEN IN TURN WILL HOPEFULLY ENROLL AND BE PART OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

AGAIN, THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS SURVIVE.

LEMME MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR.

IF THEY DON'T GROW, IF THEY DON'T INCREASE ENROLLMENT, THAT IS NOT A GOOD SITUATION AND THAT'S WHERE UNFORTUNATELY, SOME OF THESE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE.

AND SO IT'S MY DESIRE AND HOPE COMMISSIONERS THAT WE DON'T FORGET THE URBAN CORE AND HOW WE CAN MAKE, UH, STRATEGIC DECISIONS IN HERE WITH THE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE.

ALSO TOO, WE KNOW THAT WE SEE THE OPPORTUNITY EXPANDING THE CAPACITY OF OUR TOOLS SUCH AS THE PFC PRIOR, UH, FINANCE CORPORATION, THE HOUSING, UH, CORP AUTHORITY OF BEXAR COUNTY TO SECURE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEALS AND IMPLEMENTING A POLICY TO KEEP REVENUES GENERATED FOCUSED ON ELIGIBLE HOUSING AND HOMELESS PREVENTION PROGRAMS. WE MUST ALSO BUILD OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY, PARTICULARLY THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IN BEXAR COUNTY, WHICH DOES TREMENDOUS WORK AND HAS GREAT POTENTIAL TO DO MORE WITH OUR SUPPORT.

HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION, WHICH WAS A BIG ISSUE IN LAST YEAR'S TOWN, UH, BUDGET TOWN HALL MEETINGS.

WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE PASSED WAS THE CON COMMONS AT EC TRAILS IN THE SOUTH SIDE.

WE'VE ALSO BEGUN TO SEE THE RESULTS OF OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH SUBURBAN CITIES ON HOMELESS STREET OUTREACH.

WE NEED TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THESE EFFORTS TO CONNECT WITH AND SERVE THE NEEDIEST AS WELL AS ADDRESS THOSE NUISANCES FACED BY LOCAL BUSINESSES.

SO AT THIS TIME, AGAIN, I WANT TO APPLAUD DAVID SMITH AND THE BUDGET OFFICE FOR HAVE TAKEN A FOCUSED LOOK AT PAST BUDGETS ON OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS AND WORK TO LIMIT THE ISSUANCE OF NEW DEBT TO PROTECT OUR BOND RATINGS.

OUR COUNTY MANAGER HAS NOTICED THAT WE RISK PAYING TAXES FOR DEBT THAT WAS ISSUED BUT NOT YET UTILIZED.

I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO SCRUB THESE CAPITAL BUDGETS.

REEVALUATE IS ON THE BOOKS.

NOW.

RENEW OUR FOCUS ON THE EXIGENT NEEDS AND IMPACTFUL COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. SO AT THIS TIME I JUST WANNA SAY I THINK WE CAN COME TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE PRESENTATION.

SO THANK YOU TANYA FOR THAT.

UNLESS THERE'S FURTHER COMMENT OR QUESTIONS, WE WILL MOVE ON WITH THE REST OF THE AGENDA.

RIGHT, WE'LL TAKE UP AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, FILING FOR THE RECORD OF THE FOLLOWING LEGAL ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS AND DIRECTING THE CRIMINAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO TAKE ACTION IF NECESSARY.

AND COMMISSIONERS.

ALL

[5. Filing for record the following legal and administrative documents and directing the Criminal District Attorney's Office to take action, if necessary: a. Bexar County Auditor's Year End Monthly Financial Reports (Unaudited and Unadjusted) for June 30, 2025. b. Citation directed to Bexar County, Re: Ernesto Martinez vs. Bexar County, Case No. 2025CI15596.]

A THROUGH B AGENDA.

ITEM SIX

[6. Commissioners Court minutes for Tuesday, August 5, 2025.]

COMMISSIONER'S COURT MINUTES FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 5TH, 2025.

IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOODY.

UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SECOND BY SAYING AYE.

ITEM SEVEN, COMMUNICATIONS FOR CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO BE HEARD.

ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.

AGENDA

[7. Communications from citizens who signed the register to speak.]

UH, MR. MARK SULLIVAN, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.

GOOD MORNING.

HONORABLE JUDGE SAKA AND OUR ESTEEMED COUNSEL COMMISSIONERS.

I'M MARK SULLIVAN AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR CAPABLE MANAGEMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

I AM A BIOMEDICAL ENGINEER AND AN INVENTOR, A HUMBLE INVENTOR IN SERVICE TO OUR HUMANITY.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ME ON UH, A BC SHARK TANK FOR ONE OF MY PATENTS.

AND ALSO, UH, I WON THE CPS ENERGY INNOVATOR AWARD AND, UH, FOR ONE OF MY OTHER PATENTS.

AND, UH, I ALSO INVENTED THE BIKE ESSAY SYSTEM, WHICH HAS GROWN INTO THE HOWARD PEAK GREENWAY TRAIL SYSTEM.

AND, UH, I ALSO, UH, INVENTED, UH, FOOTBALL INVENTIONS THAT HELPED WIN SIX SUPER BOWLS.

AND, UH, SO, UH, THOSE ARE MOSTLY BIOMEDICAL AND SAFETY FOOTBALL INVENTIONS.

BUT NOW I BRING YOU TEXT POSITION, THE WORLD'S FAIR.

IT IS A PERPETUAL WORLD'S FAIR AND IT'S A 5 0 1 C3.

IT'S A TRANSFORMATIVE IN, IN INVENTION.

IT'S A VISIONARY NOVEL AND USEFUL SYSTEM TO CHANGE PROBLEMS INTO OPPORTUNITIES.

IT'S FOR OUR CITIZENS.

WE DO HAVE, UH, UH, IRS 5 0 1 C3, OUR EIN, OUR DBAS, OUR TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE REGISTRATIONS,

[02:00:01]

AND OVER 30 ISSUED UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CLAIMS AND MANY MORE ARE PENDING.

SO WE HAVE A NOVEL SYSTEM HERE THAT'S A WORLD'S FAIR THAT NOBODY ELSE CAN COPY.

SO THIS IS FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT IT IS, UH, IT'S A WORLD'S FAIR AND IN THE HEART OF IT, IT HAS THIS NOVEL AND POWERFUL AND USEFUL TEXT ACCELERATOR SYSTEM.

SO THIS EXPOSITION CAN INCREASE OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH THE HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATIONS, RESTAURANT ASSOCIATIONS, AND, UM, AND SO THERE WILL BE SEVERAL EXPOSITION CAMPUSES IN EACH, UH, PRECINCT.

SO WE PROVIDE A SYSTEM FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS, KIND OF DRESSED UP IN A PARTY DRESS, IF YOU WILL.

AND, UH, IT'S AN ENTERTAINING METHOD FOR JOB CREATION AND TO INCREASE REVENUES INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THIS UNIQUE WORLD'S FAIR CAN UPLIFT OUR CITIZENS AND FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING OUR FAMILIES.

SO PLEASE VISIT TEXT POSITION.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION AND I ASK FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT AND OUR PARTNERSHIP.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EACH OF YOU IN SERVICE TO OUR PEOPLE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

YOU'VE GOT A WORLD SPHERE COMING AT YOU, OKAY? OKAY.

INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. WE'LL GO TO AGENDA ITEM 20, PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU, MR. SULLIVAN.

ALL RIGHT, WE'RE NOW GOING TO TAKE UP

[20. Presentation, discussion and appropriate action regarding adopting an Order Restricting Outdoor Burning, effective on the date of adoption of the Order.]

DISCUSSION APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING ADOPTION OF AN ORDER RESTRICTING OUTDOOR BURNING, EFFECTIVE ON THE DATE OF ADOPTION OF THIS ORDER.

MR. LOPEZ? MR. MORELAND, GOOD MORNING.

UH, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU.

UH, I HATE THAT IT'S FOR THIS, BUT, UH, BETTER TO GET AHEAD OF IT THAN TO CONTINUE TO ALLOW IT.

AS YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK WE HAD A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT FIRE ON THE SOUTH END OF THE COUNTY, AND, UH, MAN, WE WERE LUCKY THAT, UH, NOBODY REALLY GOT GOT HURT OR WE DIDN'T LOSE ANY OF ANYBODY ELSE'S PROPERTY OTHER THAN THE PERSON WHO BURNED HER OWN S**T.

UH, PROPERTY OWNER.

UH, WE'D REQUEST BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT WE'RE IN, WE DO HAVE SEVERE, SEVERE FIRE, WEATHER DANGER OVER THE NEXT FORESEEABLE FUTURE, PROBABLY THE NEXT MONTH AND A HALF, TWO MONTHS, UNLESS WE GET SOMETHING FROM THE TROPICS, UH, GOING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, MAKING THOSE, UH, FORECAST PUSHING FORWARD.

SO WE'RE HERE TODAY FOR AT LEAST HOPEFULLY THE NEXT 90 DAYS.

UH, IF FEW OF THOSE GUYS WILL, WILL APPROVE US A BURN BAND, WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.

SECOND MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CALVER.

SECOND BY MS. CLAY, COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR STATEMENT BY SAYING AYE.

WHICH IS A CRIMINAL ACT IF FOR PURPOSES OF DESTROYING PROPERTY, I NEED PEOPLE TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

ANY OPPOSED? INTER STATUTE MOTION CARRIED.

LET ME MAKE ONE FINAL COMMENT.

I KNOW I MADE A LOT OF COMMENT TODAY, BUT ONE, UH, WHERE'S THE PIO O OKAY, UH, COULD, I WOULD LIKE, AND I THINK I, MY, I DON'T KNOW IF I SHARED THIS WITH THE MANAGER'S OFFICE, BUT BECAUSE OF THIS BURN BAN FROM THIS LAST SITUATION DOWN ON THE SOUTH SIDE, I BELIEVE IN PRECINCT ONE, IT WAS OUT IN A VERY ISOLATED PART.

SO THEREFORE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO HUMAN LIFE OR TO STRUCTURE, BUT IT DID IMPOSE A TREMENDOUS BURDEN.

THERE WERE NUMEROUS, UH, ESDS AND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

'CAUSE IT'S ON THE EDGE OF THE COUNTY.

UH, OBVIOUSLY, I BELIEVE, I DON'T KNOW IF THE STATE GOT INVOLVED AND, AND, AND PROVIDED SERVICES.

SO THIS IS A REMINDER TO THE PUBLIC THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NOT A BURN BAND, AND MR. LOPEZ, YOU AND I HAVE DEBRIEFED AFTER THAT INCIDENT, THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN NO VIOLATION EXCEPT THE PERSON WHO STARTED THIS FIRE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO, TO BURN THEIR TRASH OUT THERE.

SHE APPARENTLY STARTED A FIRE THAT WENT OUT OF CONTROL.

AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE INSTRUCTIONS OR POLICIES THAT WE WOULD ASK OUR CITIZENS WHO DO DECIDE THAT THEY WANT TO DO A BURN BACK, BUT THAT THERE ARE PERHAPS COMMON SENSE POLICY SUGGESTIONS, UH, INSTRUCTIONS.

BECAUSE WHAT I AM GOING TO PUT ON THE RECORD IS IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR RESIDENTS IN THE, THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT MAY BE NEGLIGENT OR OBVIOUSLY CHRIS, THAT THOSE THAT INTENTIONALLY START FIRES, UH,

[02:05:01]

AND I MAY BE ASKING THE COURT TO GET A POLICY, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, START WITH THE PIO.

COULD YOU PUT A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT THIS BURN BAND, BUT WITH COORDINATION? COULD WE PUT IN THERE WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES WE WANT FOR OUR RESIDENTS IN THOSE AREAS THAT ARE ALLOWED, OR AFTER TODAY, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED, BUT IF, IF AND WHEN A BURN BAN IS LIFTED, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY POSSIBLY COULD BE HELD FOR THE BILL OF THE COST OF THOSE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED.

SO CHRIS, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE YOUR OFFICE CAN HELP PIO AND THEN I WANT TO FIGURE FROM A PIO PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO WE GET THAT INFORMATION OUT? SO CHRIS, WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS ON PUTTING THAT? OR IS THAT, OR IS THAT ALREADY IN PLACE AND WE JUST NEED TO REMIND EVERYBODY? NO, WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY, UH, WE DO HAVE 3 52 LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE THAT, UH, DEFINITELY DOES ADDRESS, UH, MANY OF THESE THINGS.

JUDGE, UH, I DID HAVE A CONVERSATION, UH, WITH OUR CIVIL DIVISION.

UH, CURRENTLY THERE, WE, WE CANNOT, UH, PLACE ANY RESIDENT ON THE HOOK, SO TO SPEAK, UH, FOR A LOT OF THE COSTS THAT ARE INCURRED.

BUT, UH, PEOPLE REALLY HAVE TO REALIZE WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO CITE, UH, WHENEVER WE RESPOND, OR ANY OF ANY OF MY DEPUTIES RESPOND OUT, OR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEPUTIES RESPOND OUT TO THESE TYPES OF INCIDENTS.

UH, SO THEY, THEY ARE, THEY'RE HELD TO THAT.

BUT IF IT DOES, IF A FIRE GETS OUT OF CONTROL AS YOU STATED, AND SOMEONE ELSE'S PROPERTY IS BURNED TO, LET'S SAY IT'S THEIR HOME OR FENCING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, ANY TYPE OF STRUCTURE, THEY COULD BE, UH, CRIMINALLY CHARGED WITH ARSON.

AND A LOT OF PEOPLE, I DON'T BELIEVE, UH, REALIZED JUST THE SEVERITY OF THAT.

AND IN THIS CASE, LIKE YOU SAID, JUDGE, UH, BRINGING THAT BACK, UH, TO YOUR POINT, UH, IT WAS THEIR OWN BUILDING THAT BURNED.

HAD IT BEEN A NEIGHBORS, THEN WE ABSOLUTELY COULD CAUSE, YOU KNOW, COULD FILE CHARGES ON THEM, WE COULD ACTUALLY BRING, UH, BRING CHARGES UPON THOSE INDIVIDUALS.

SO WE'LL MAKE SURE, UH, WE ALREADY ARE WORKING WITH THEM ACTUALLY, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S INCLUDED AS WELL.

MONICA, DO YOU HAVE SOME THOUGHTS FROM A PUBLIC INFORMATION PERSPECTIVE? YES, SIR.

MONICA RAMOS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE RECORD, WE ACTUALLY ARE WORKING ON A PRESS RELEASE RIGHT NOW AND I DO HAVE SOME, UH, MEDIA FOLKS THAT ARE IN ATTENDANCE AND ALSO WATCHING ONLINE THAT ARE WAITING FOR THAT PRESS RELEASE.

IT'LL HAVE OUR REGULAR INFORMATION, INCLUDING DOS AND DON'TS FOR BURNING THAT WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL AND HIS OFFICE ON.

UH, WE DO SHARE THAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING NEXTDOOR, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO TARGET AND LOCALIZE, UM, WHERE WE SHARE THAT INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE AREAS OF UNINCORPORATED BEXAR COUNTY WHERE BURNING DOES OCCUR.

BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, GIVEN THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'RE RECEIVING RIGHT NOW, I WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE TO STEP UP COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT WE CAN HYPER TARGET, UH, THOSE RESIDENTS OUT THERE TO REALLY GET THE MESSAGE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY RESONATE.

A LOT OF THESE AREAS ARE UNINCORPORATED AREAS, A LOT OF TRADITIONAL STUFF, UH, SUCH AS SOCIAL MEDIA DOESN'T NECESSARILY REACH INTO SOME OF THOSE AREAS, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, CHRIS AND HIS STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SPREAD THE WORD ON THAT.

YES, SIR.

COMMISSIONER, I JUST ASK FOR YOUR HELP.

YES, SIR.

ANYTHING ELSE? ALRIGHT, THANK Y'ALL.

SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

ALRIGHT, WE'LL TAKE UP

[21. Discussion and appropriate action related to granting an exception to Administrative Policy 1.2 to authorize the consideration of the following late filed Agenda Item #21a. a. Authorization for the County Judge to negotiate a final professional services agreement with the law firm of Jackson Walker for certain representation of Bexar County in an administrative matter pending for consideration before the Texas Supreme Court related to the court's consideration of a proposed state-wide rule regarding central-docketing systems, including representation for legal consultation, strategic advice, and advocacy on behalf of Bexar County regarding the proposed rule now pending for consideration before the Court in an amount not to exceed $250,000, to include authorization and approval for the County Judge to execute the final agreement on behalf of the Court once approved by the attorney representing the County and filing the appropriate documents for record once final and executed.]

ITEM 21.

IT'S A LATE FILE.

SO I NEED, UH, DISCUSSION, APPROPRIATE ACTION RELATED TO GRANTING AN EXCEPTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY 1.2 TO AUTHORIZE THE CONSIDERATION OF FILING LATE FILE AGENDA.

ITEM 21, A MOTION TO APPROVE MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

SECOND.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SECOND BY SAYING AYE.

IN REGARDS TO HER ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PRESIDING SYSTEM.

NOW LET US TAKE UP ITEM 21, A AUTHORIZATION OF THE COUNTY JUDGE TO NEGOTIATE A FINAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE LAW FIRM OF JACKSON WALKER FOR CERTAIN REPRESENTATION OF BERK COUNTY IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER PENDING FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT RELATED TO THE COURT'S CONSIDERATION OF THE PROPOSED STATEWIDE RULE REGARDING CENTRAL DOCKING SYSTEMS, INCLUDING REPRESENTATION FOR LEGAL CONSULTATION, STRATEGIC ADVICE AND ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF BEXAR COUNTY REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE.

NOW PENDING FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE COURT IN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $250,000 TO INCLUDE AUTHORIZATION APPROVAL FOR THE COUNTY JUDGE TO EXECUTE THE FINAL AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY ONCE APPROVED BY THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTING THE COUNTY AND FILING THE APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTS FOR RECORD ONCE FINAL AND EXECUTED, I'LL OPEN THIS DISCUSSION WITH, THIS OBVIOUSLY IS INVOLVING, UH, AN ISSUE, A LEGAL CHALLENGE.

THERE IS A, WHAT THEY CALL A R MANDAMUS THAT HAS BEEN FILED BY A PARTICULAR DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, BEXAR COUNTY, UH, CHALLENGING THE ORDERS OF, I BELIEVE JUDGE SIT HARL, JUDGE LAR JACKIE VALEZ

[02:10:01]

UH, SHE, THIS PARTICULAR JUDGE HAS CONTINUED TO WORK IN THE PRESIDING SYSTEM, BUT SHE HAS ASKED THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT FOR ASSISTANCE.

WE ARE NOT WAYNE, THIS CONTRACT.

AND LARRY ESON CAN, UH, HAS HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE JACKSON WALKER, WHICH IS A LOCAL FIRM, BUT OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE A NATIONAL FIRM.

BUT WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEM.

UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO RETAIN THE SERVICES OF FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE NATHAN ECK OF THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT, WHO WITHIN THE LAST YEAR HAS STEPPED DOWN.

HE HAS BEEN A JUDGE FOR OVER 40 PLUS YEARS.

AND SO WE'RE ASKING FOR HIS ASSISTANCE TO WORK WITH THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT BECAUSE THERE IS A SECOND PROCESS, AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS WHERE THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT, THROUGH THEIR RULE MAKING, UH, AUTHORITY, UH, COULD POSSIBLY ORDER BEAR COUNTY TO UNDO ITS PRESIDING SYSTEM TO GO TO INDIVIDUAL DOCKETS.

WE'VE HEARD THROUGH THE BUDGET PROPOSAL WHAT THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM AND THE REASON WHY WE'RE HOLDING SOME FUNDS AND CONTINGENCY THAT IF WE'RE HAVING TO SHIFT.

BUT I CAN TELL YOU I BELIEVE THAT IS THE LOW END OF THE COST.

UH, THE, I BELIEVE THERE'S A FAIR ESTIMATE THAT IT COULD BE ANYWHERE FOR FOUR TO 9 MILLION.

PART OF THAT, AND I THINK, DAVID, YOU'VE ALLUDED THAT IN ORDER TO GO TO THE INDIVIDUAL DOCKETS, THERE'S GONNA BE A RECOMME, THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION OF OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION THAT SIX ADDITIONAL CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS BE ADDED TO OUR SYSTEM.

I WILL TELL YOU FOR THE RECORD, AND I WANT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND WE HAVE NO SPACE RIGHT NOW AND THAT MY FOCUS AS A FORMER DISTRICT COURT JUDGE IS TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AND I THINK COMMISSIONER CLIFF FLORES, YOU ECHO IT WITH, WE GOTTA HAVE PEOPLE NOT BE ROTTING IN OUR JAILS.

WELL, I BELIEVE OUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE IN OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS A REGARD REGARDS TO JAIL POPULATION.

SO I SEE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO AT LEAST HAVE BEAR COUNTY HAVE A VOICE AT THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT.

WE'RE UTILIZING CHIEF JU, FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE HECK UH, EXPERTISE.

IT IS APPARENTLY APPROPRIATE FOR BEXAR COUNTY TO APPROACH THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT FOR HIM TO ADVOCATE AND AT LEAST HELP THE INDIVIDUAL SUPREME COURT JUSTICE UNDERSTAND IT WILL ULTIMATELY BE A VOTE OF NINE PERSONS ON THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT.

THAT WHAT THE UNFUNDED MANDATE WILL BE IF THEY ISSUED A RULE TO THAT EFFECT WHAT CHAOS AND DISRUPTION, THE TECHNOLOGY, TECHNO TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL BE USED TO HAVE TO UNDO THE PRESIDING SYSTEM.

WE'RE TRYING TO GET A COST ESTIMATE FROM MARK GER ON THAT.

AND SO AS YOU HEARD, UH, RIGHT NOW IN CONTINGENCY IS FOR COURT COORDINATOR, I WILL PROMISE YOU THAT THOSE JUDGES ARE GONNA ASK THAT THEY EACH HAVE A COURT COORDINATOR.

AND SO, UH, THERE ARE 14, UH, COURT CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS, THERE ARE ALSO ASSOCIATE JUDGES.

THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS RULE COULD DISRUPT OUR CHILDREN'S COURT BECAUSE IT IS BASED ON A PRESIDING COURT SYSTEM.

SO I DON'T THINK THE PUBLIC REALLY, AND I, AND I DON'T EXPECT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THE TECHN TECHNICAL AND THE TECHNO, UH, WHAT IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED IN THIS ADJUSTMENT.

SO, UH, I'M ASKING THE COURT TO APPROVE THIS CONTRACT.

WE'VE HAD PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS, EXECUTIVE SESSION SO THAT Y'ALL UNDERSTAND THE, UH, LEGAL TERMS. SO I'LL PAUSE RIGHT NOW IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR I, LARRY, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD THAT I HAVE FAILED TO MENTION OR YOU WANT TO CLARIFY? NO, JUDGE, I THINK YOU'VE COVERED IT.

IT'S OUR STANDARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT.

UM, CHIEF JEFF, JUST FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE HECK, AS YOU KNOW, IS EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED IN THE RULEMAKING PROCESS.

YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER ADVOCATE.

UH, BUT THAT DOESN'T COME CHEAPLY.

BUT IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER 'EM.

AS FAR AS THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT GOES, AND THIS, AND ALSO TOO SPECIFICALLY THIS NOT, UH, UH, UH, INCLUDE LITIGATION.

NO, THAT IS A SEPARATE MATTER AS FAR AS THE IT IS LAWSUIT, POSSIBLE LAWSUITS OR ANYTHING.

IF THE, IF THE COUNTY FELT THAT WE HAD TO GO DOWN THAT PATH, WE'D HAVE TO RE RE-LOOK AT IT AND HAVE ANOTHER CONTRACT.

THAT'S CORRECT.

IT IS ONLY IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS, WHICH HE IS WELL VERSED IN, UM, DURING HIS TIME ON THE COURT.

AND, UM, SO HE'S ABLE TO REPRESENT US IN THAT CAPACITY.

IS THERE, UH, COMMISSIONER MOODY, SO CAN YOU REMIND ME THE, ON THE LAWSUIT SIDE, WE RETAINED OUTSIDE COUNSEL AS WELL? IS THAT WHICH LAWSUIT?

[02:15:01]

THE MANDAMUS? THE MANDAMUS? NO, NO, WE HAD NO POSITION IN THAT, THAT LITIGATION, THAT WAS A MANDAMUS.

THE, THE ISSUES ARE VERY NARROW AND THAT'S RELATED TO THE COURT.

WE HAD NO POSITION IN THAT.

I THOUGHT WE HAD, UH, APPROVED ADDITIONAL, UH, NO REPRESENTATION.

WE, AT SOME POINT, WE, WE CONSIDERED THAT WHEN WE HAD THAT FIRST DISCUSSION THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER, UH, WHETHER WE NEEDED TO LEGALLY BE INVOLVED IN THAT LAWSUIT AND HAVING A CONSULTATION WITH FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE, HE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT THIS IS THE BEST WAY THAT WE NOT BE INVOLVED ON THAT.

THAT'S AN ISSUE BETWEEN ONE PARTICULAR JUDGE OF THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS AGAINST THE LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE, JUDGE VALDEZ AND THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE, JUDGE HARLE.

SO THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT NOW WE MAY WELL WANT TO HAVE A VOICE IN THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY.

NOR HAVE WE INTERVENED IN THAT.

WHAT'S THAT? I'M SORRY.

NOR HAVE WE INTERVENED IN THAT LITIGATION.

WE HAVE NOT, WE HAVE NOT SPENT ANY FUNDS RELATED TO THAT.

WE CON WE CONSIDERED IT, BUT AFTER CONSULTATION WITH FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE, WE THINK THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO PROCEED.

AND WHAT'S THE, THE SEQUENCING BETWEEN THE LEGAL CASE AND THIS RULE MAKING? THAT'S A MATTER OF THAT.

ARE THEY COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OR THEY'RE THEY'RE, THEY ARE INDEPENDENT.

THEY'RE INDEPENDENT BECAUSE IT IS A NARROW LEGAL ISSUE, LARRY.

IT IS ABOUT THE AUTHORITY OF THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE BASED ON THE CHALLENGE TO THE SYSTEM.

SO THAT PARTICULAR JUDGE IS CHALLENGING THE VALIDITY OF THE SYSTEM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT, WHO I BELIEVE THIS MONTH.

AND SO THE TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE YES.

THAT THEY MAY MAKE A DECISION ORDERING OUR LOCAL.

SO THIS INVOLVES LOCAL CONTROL, LOCAL RULE.

THIS INVOLVES AN UNFUNDED MANDATE IF WE ARE ORDERED TO DO THAT.

SO I WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT AND THOSE JUSTICES THAT SIT THERE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE POLITICAL NATURE AND THE FINANCIAL IMPACT IT WILL CREATE FOR BEXAR COUNTY.

AND SO WE, WE HAVE JUST TOUCHED IT FROM A BUDGET PROPOSAL OF JUST DEALING WITH THE MINIMUM NEEDS.

I'M SUGGESTING THAT THAT COST IS GONNA SIGNIFICANTLY SKYROCKET DEPENDING ON WHAT IS REQUIRED.

UH, WELL, I, I DEFINITELY, UH, UNDERSTAND THE, THE CONCERN ABOUT THE, UH, THE RULE MAKING AND, AND THE CHANGE OF THE, UH, THE COURT SYSTEM.

I GUESS OBVIOUSLY JUST CONCERNED ABOUT THE, THE DOLLAR VALUE HERE.

AND WAS THAT BASED ON A RECOMMENDATION OR AN EXPECTATION FOR THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED? BECAUSE I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BILLING RATE IS, BUT 250 K SEEMS LIKE A LOT FOR A CONTRACT.

WELL, IT IS, BUT IT, IT'S A REFLECTION OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE'S FORMER STATUS AND HIS KNOWLEDGE, PARTICULARLY IN THE RULEMAKING PROCESS.

UM, IT'S JUST A REFLECTION OF HIS ABILITY TO REPRESENT.

I I DON'T, I MEAN, JUST HAVING TALKED TO HIM, HE HAS SOME PARTICULAR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET.

AND THAT COMES AT A PRICE COMMISSIONER AND THAT'S, THAT'S A DISCRETIONARY ISSUE FOR THE COURT.

HIS BILLING RATE IS HIGH, AND THAT'S A REFLECTION OF IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF HOURS.

AND, BUT HIS BILLING RATE IS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN WHAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT BECAUSE OF HIS FORMER STATUS, I THINK, I GUESS.

BUT THE 250 NUMBER, DID, DID WE COME UP WITH THAT AS A HIGH END OR WAS THAT ACTUALLY THEIR EXPECTED AMOUNT OF WORK THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO ON THIS? IT'S A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT, JUST, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'LL BE UTILIZED OR EXPENSED.

IT'S JUST AN AMOUNT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ANTICIPATE A LOT OF WORK VERY QUICKLY.

UM, HI, HIS BILLING RATE IS PRETTY HIGH, AND THAT AMOUNT IS SET AS A REFLECTION OF THAT, AND IT'S GONNA BE VERY QUICK, BUT IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF WORK BECAUSE IT COULD, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA NEED.

IT COULD BE BRIEFING, I ANTICIPATE IT'S A PUBLIC PROCESS, SO SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO GET THE COUNTY'S POSITION.

YOU MAY WANT AN APPEARANCE, YOU MAY WANT HIM TO ACTUALLY APPEAR.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME.

SO THAT'S A REFLECTION OF THE UNKNOWN.

UM, WE DON'T, ORDINARILY THIS RULE IS GONNA BE QUITE IMPACTFUL TO BEXAR COUNTY, SO YOU MAY WANT SOME ADDITIONAL, YOU WANT TO PROBABLY, UH, DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'VE DONE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN TO IMPACT THE RULE THAT, OR THE COURT'S CONSIDERATION.

SO IN MY OPINION, AND THAT COULD BE BRIEFING, THAT COULD BE A PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND LAWYERS OF HIS CALIBER, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR.

A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT, BUT IT'S BASED ON AN HOURLY RATE AND HE'LL BE BILLING MONTHLY FOR THAT.

SO IT, IT IS NOT GUARANTEED.

IT'S

[02:20:01]

COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

UH, THANK YOU JUDGE.

UM, YEAH, LOOK, I THINK CERTAINLY THE AMOUNT IS, IS, UH, HIGH, BUT CONSIDERING, UH, THE ALTERNATIVE AND JUST, UH, MULTIPLE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT IT COULD, IT COULD POTENTIALLY COST FOR, UH, DOING NOTHING.

I THINK, UH, IT'S WORTH GOING IN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A, OF A, UM, YOU KNOW, OFFENSE, UM, IN, IN, UH, IN OUR DEFENSE, I GUESS IS, IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT.

SO, UM, I AM SUPPORTIVE JUDGE, AND I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO PROOF.

SECOND MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY FLORES.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SECOND BY SAYING AYE.

THE RECORD THAT, UH, THE TIME IS 11:24 AM I'M CALLING FOR AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.

WE WILL NOW TAKE UP, THAT'S ITEM 22, BUT AT THIS TIME, UH, I NEED TO READ INTO

[EXECUTIVE SESSION]

SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL ASK THAT AND PUT ON THE RECORD THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS MAY BE DISCUSSED AND ACT UPON IF APPROPRIATE AND OPEN SESSION, UH, SECTION 5 51 0.071, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY FOR ADVICE REGARDING SUBSECTION A PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION SETTLEMENT OFFERS IN THE MATTERS OF SUBSECTIONS.

1, 2, 3, 4 TEZ VERSUS BE COUNTY MCMILLANS VERSUS NETHERTON VASQUEZ VERSUS BEAR COUNTY WOOD VERSUS BEAR COUNTY B, A MATTER IN WHICH THE DUTY TO THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY AND THE TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT, THE STATE OF TEXAS LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE POTENTIAL ACQUISITION OF SOFTWARE AND SERVICES FROM VR SYSTEM FOR ROTOR REGISTRATION SERVICES AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE TEAM SYSTEM PROVIDED BY THE TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE SAME VOTER REGISTRATION SERVICES.

I THINK FOR PURPOSES COURT, I'D ASK THAT, DAVID, YOU NEED TO REMAIN IN HERE, THOMAS.

I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE FROM THE BUDGET.

LARRY ROBERSON AND HI AND HIS TWO LAWYERS, I BELIEVE, UH, MICHELLE, PERU.

NO, I WANT TO BRING WHAT'S, NO, NO, LET'S DEAL WITH THIS.

I'M GONNA TAKE ELECTIONS.

SO IS MICHELLE CARU? YES.

WE'RE WE'RE.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

MICHELLE, YOU'RE GONNA STAY AN EXECUTIVE.

ALRIGHT.

I THANK EVERYBODY ELSE.

I'LL ASK THAT YOU BE EXCUSED.

I'M HOPING TO TAKE THIS UP, TAKE UP THE OTHER MATTERS, AND HOPEFULLY REOPEN WITH ALL DUE TIME.

SO, OKAY.

WE'RE GONNA NEED A MOTION ADJOURN AND, ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO.

TIME IS 12:12 PM THE COURT IS IN OPEN SESSION.

WE CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN.

IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED.

SECOND.

SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOODY.

LET ME ASK, UH, ANYBODY WISH TO MOVE ADJOURN IN THE NAME OF, I'D LIKE TO HAD LIKE TO ADJOURN A MEMORY OF CAROL AND ALFONSO HALL.

COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ THERE, JUDGE COMMISSIONER MOODY.

JUDGE, I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN IN THE MEMORY OF, UH, THE HONORABLE BRUCE BUG, UH, WHO'S BEEN A, A TITAN OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR STATE FOR THAT MATTER FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

UH, RUNNING THE TOBIN FOUNDATION, UH, IN CHARGE OF TDOT, UH, THE MULTITUDE OF PUBLIC SERVICE ROLES HE'S HELD.

UH, WE LOST HIM THIS WEEK AND, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A HUGE LOSS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

ALL RIGHT, I WANT TO JOIN IN, IN THE MOTION ADJOURN ON BEHALF OF BRUCE BUCK.

WHAT A GENTLEMAN.

UH, WHAT A PHILANTHROPIC INDIVIDUAL AND WHAT A VISIONARY LEADER ON BEHALF OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MAY REST IN PEACE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION ADJOURNED SAYING AYE.