Sep 01, 2026 Commissioners Court

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ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. WELCOME TO COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1ST,

[1. Opening Prayer: Father Carlos Velazquez with San Fernando Catholic Church (Justin Rodriguez) ]

I BELIEVE A COUPLE PEOPLE HAVE PASSED. AND SO JUST LET ME ASK FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE, AND THEN WE'LL START WITH THE PRAYER WITH COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ AND PLEDGE.

AND THEN I UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, YOU MAY OPEN WITH THE PRAYER AND PLEDGE.

THANK YOU JUDGE. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I DID WANT TO TAKE JUST A MOMENT BEFORE I INTRODUCE FATHER CARLOS TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN WORKING HARD IN PARTICULARLY IN PRECINCT TWO.

BUT I KNOW PRECINCT ONE WAS ALSO IMPACTED REALLY PARTS OF THE COUNTY WITH THIS LAST STORM.

I KNOW THERE'S STILL SOME FOLKS IN MY PRECINCT WITHOUT POWER TODAY, HOPEFULLY BEING RESTORED LATER TODAY, BUT I WANTED TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK OF ALL OF OUR EMERGENCY OPS FOLKS.

ROBERT REINA, WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT FOLKS ON MY TEAM.

THE MVP WAS VICTORIA GODINEZ, WHO WAS KIND OF HER OWN CENTRAL COMMAND GETTING FOLKS RESOURCES, HOUSING, FOOD. BUT ALSO JUDGE WANTED TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT OUR COMMUNITY STEPPED UP AS WELL.

I WAS OUT AT THE GOOD SAMARITAN CENTER THIS WEEKEND AND THEY HAD PLENTY OF DAMAGE.

AND THERE WERE FOLKS THERE FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD HELPING CLEAN UP AND GET IT RESTORED FOR THE SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM AND THE CHILD CARE PROGRAM.

SO JUST A LOT OF FOLKS THAT OPENED THEIR, THEIR, THEIR HEARTS AND THEIR ARMS TO THE WEST SIDE.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU, THANK THEM AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEM FOR THEIR COMPASSION.

ALL RIGHT. HAVING SAID THAT, I WANT TO HAVE FATHER CARLOS COME UP.

SPEAKING OF COMPASSION FATHER CARLOS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.

APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. JUST REAL QUICK BACKGROUND BEFORE WE GET INTO THE PRAYER.

FATHER CARLOS WAS BORN IN CHICAGO, BUT RAISED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.

HE'S EARNED DEGREES IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES AND PHILOSOPHY AND A MASTERS OF DIVINITY FROM OBLATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY.

HE WAS ORDAINED TO THE PRIESTHOOD FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN ANTONIO IN 1990.

HE SERVED IN NUMEROUS PASTORAL AND LEADERSHIP ROLES, INCLUDING DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF VOCATIONS AND PARISH PASTOR.

HE SERVED PASTOR, BEEN A PASTOR HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, A NUMBER OF AREA PARISHES, AND REMAINS DEDICATED TO SERVING THE FAITHFUL AND STRENGTHENING THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND SOUTH TEXAS.

MY FRIEND FATHER CARLOS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

IF YOU ALL WOULD RISE AND JOIN US IN PRAYER. AND THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE.

THE FLOOR IS YOURS. FATHER, WE BOW OUR HEADS IN PRAYER.

ALMIGHTY AND GRACIOUS GOD, WE GATHER TODAY WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING THE PEOPLE OF BEXAR COUNTY.

WE ASK YOUR BLESSING UPON THIS COMMISSIONERS COURT UPON ALL WHO SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND COUNTY, AND UPON EVERY PERSON AND FAMILY WHO CALLS THIS COMMUNITY HOME.

GRANT, OUR COUNTY JUDGE, OUR COMMISSIONERS, AND ALL GATHERED HERE WISDOM IN THEIR DELIBERATIONS, INTEGRITY IN THEIR DECISIONS, AND COMPASSION IN THEIR SERVICE.

WHEN THE ISSUES BEFORE THEM ARE DIFFICULT, GIVE THEM CLARITY.

WHEN OPINIONS DIFFER, GIVE THEM PATIENCE AND RESPECT.

AND IN EVERY DECISION, HELP THEM REMEMBER, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHOSE VOICES ARE EASILY OVERLOOKED THE POOR, THE HOMELESS, THE ELDERLY, OUR CHILDREN, OUR VETERANS, THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING, AND ALL WHO DEPEND UPON GOOD AND FAITHFUL GOVERNMENT.

BLESS THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE THEIR COUNTY EACH DAY ARE FIRST RESPONDERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS, COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND ALL THOSE WHOSE WORK STRENGTHENS AND PROTECTS OUR COMMUNITY.

MAY OUR BELOVED BEXAR COUNTY CONTINUE TO BE A PLACE WHERE NEIGHBORS CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, WHERE JUSTICE IS PURSUED,

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LORD, GUIDE THE WORK OF THIS COURT TODAY. MAY ALL THAT IS SAID AND DONE HERE BE MARKED BY WISDOM, HUMILITY, COURAGE, AND A GENUINE SPIRIT OF SERVICE.

WE ENTRUST THIS MEETING AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF BEXAR COUNTY TO YOUR LOVING CARE.

AMEN. THANK YOU. FATHER. PLEASE JOIN US IN THE PLEDGE TO OUR NATION'S FLAG.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU, FATHER CARLOS.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANY OTHER POINTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE? IF NOT, LET US GO TO ITEM AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE.

[3. Request of Commissioners Court to identify items from the Consent Agenda for additional discussion and to approve remaining Consent Agenda items. ]

RODRIGUEZ. COMMISSIONER. MOODY. COMMISSIONER.

CALVERT. ALL RIGHT. MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT.

SECOND. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? MOTION CARRIES. WE NOW GO TO.

OH. POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. FERNANDA CARDENAS, WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU IN THE ROOM, FERNANDA? OKAY. I THOUGHT SHE WAS.

LET ME PUT ON THE RECORD THAT PART OF CONSENT WAS APPOINTMENT OF FERNANDA CANEZ TO THE CENTER FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES.

SO I CONGRATULATE HER. SHE'S BEEN A LONG STANDING PUBLIC SERVANT SERVING ON THE CITY COUNTY JOINT COMMISSION OF ELDERLY, AND I THINK ALSO ON THE COMMISSION OF DISABILITY.

AND SHE HAS BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING SURE.

AND SHE IS ALSO AN ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE GONZALES FOUNDATION, AND SHE'S ON THE LIBRARY BOARD.

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD AT THAT. ALL RIGHT. CEREMONIAL.

[4. CEREMONIAL ITEM(S)]

OOPS. LET ME READ IT. ALL THOSE THAT ARE HERE, WOULD YOU PLEASE COME FORWARD? WHEREAS RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SUICIDE PREVENTION IS ESSENTIAL.

ENCOURAGING OPEN AND COMPASSIONATE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH REDUCES STIGMA, ENSURES THAT PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE, THAT THEY HELP AND HOPE THAT HELP AND HOPE ARE AVAILABLE.

AND WHEREAS SUICIDE PREVENTION IS A SHARED COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY THAT REQUIRES US TO RECOGNIZE WARNING SIGNS, STRENGTH AND CONNECTIONS, SUPPORT THOSE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING.

CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ASKING FOR HELP IS NOT IS MET WITH COMPASSION, DIGNITY, AND UNDERSTANDING.

AND WHEREAS, THE BEXAR COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONTINUES ITS IMPORTANT WORK PROMOTING THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH PREVENTION, EDUCATION, OUTREACH, PARTNERSHIPS, AND EFFORTS THAT CONNECT RESIDENTS WITH CRITICAL RESOURCES AND SUPPORT.

AND WHEREAS WE RECOGNIZE AND SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS TO BRING GREATER ATTENTION TO SUICIDE PREVENTION, TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY AWARENESS, AND TO WORK ALONGSIDE FAMILIES, HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, FIRST RESPONDER EDUCATORS, VETERANS, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND OTHER PARTNERS TO HELP SAVE LIVES.

AND. WHEREAS, SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL, ALL OF US, TO CHECK IN ONE ANOTHER, LISTEN WITHOUT JUDGMENT. LEARN THE SIGNS THAT SOMEONE MAY NEED HELP.

REMIND OUR NEIGHBORS THAT REACHING OUT FOR SUPPORT IS AN ACT OF COURAGE AND STRENGTH.

NOW THEREFORE, BE RESOLVED THAT THE BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY RECOGNIZE AND PROCLAIM THE MONTH, A MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2022 TO BE SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH SIGNED BY THE COURT.

AND FOR THE RECORD, I AM WEARING MY IS IT THE BLUE RIBBON OR IS THAT THE RIGHT COLOR OR IS IT PURPLE? I DON'T KNOW. ALL RIGHT. SO I HOPE EVERYBODY HAS ONE WHO'S PASSING THEM OUT.

YOU'RE PASSING THEM OUT. SO IF ANYBODY ELSE WOULD YOU PLEASE MAKE SURE ANYBODY TO WEAR YOUR BLUE RIBBON OR IN REGARDS TO SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF. YES. HELLO.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE BEXAR COUNTY CITY OFFICIALS FOR BRINGING MENTAL HEALTH TO THE FOREFRONT.

MY NAME IS SONIA ALANIZ AND I AM A BOARD MEMBER WITH THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION.

SO THIS MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. WE ARE IN A JOURNEY OF DESTIGMATIZING SUICIDE PREVENTION AND SUICIDE AWARENESS. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO PERSONALLY THANK YOU FOR THIS, FOR BRINGING JUST MENTAL HEALTH TO THE FOREFRONT.

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SHE'S OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE THE EVENTS AND RESOURCES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.

TALK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SCHEDULED. HI. WE HAVE AN UPCOMING WEBINAR SERIES, SUICIDE PREVENTION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN.

WE'RE GOING TO START OFF TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY, A LUNCH AND LEARN WHERE WE TALK ABOUT SUICIDE IN GENERAL.

WEEK TWO, WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON YOUTH WITH DAVID'S FOUNDATION TALKING ABOUT CYBERBULLYING.

WEEK THREE WILL BE VETERANS FOCUSED AND WEEK FOUR WILL BE FOCUSED ON OLDER ADULTS.

SO WE HOPE THAT EVERYBODY CAN TUNE IN TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS.

OH THANK YOU. WE HAVE SENT OUT EMAILS THROUGH COUNTY CONNECTION AND WE'LL SEND OUT ANOTHER ONE TODAY.

THANK YOU. TO ACCEPT YOUR PROCLAMATION. AND IF WE COULD HAVE A PICTURE, PLEASE.

OKAY, COOL. YEAH. THAT WAY YOU JUST YOU JUST SQUEEZE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE.

SQUEEZE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE, A BIT MORE. OKAY.

PRESENTATION PROCLAMATION BEHALF. A COMMISSIONERS COURT RECOGNIZES SEPTEMBER AS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH, CELEBRATING THE REALITY, THE REALITY THAT PEOPLE CAN AND DO RECOVER.

NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS IN RECOVERY, THEIR FAMILIES, PEER PROFESSIONALS, TREATMENT AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, RECOVERY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND THE MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO HELP PEOPLE BUILD HEALTHIER AND MORE STABILIZED.

COMMISSIONER. CALVERT. DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I WANT TO THANK THIS COURT FOR THEIR INVESTMENT IN UNITY RECOVERY. IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE THEM ON SOUTH CROSS DOING WHAT THEY DO. WE'RE JOINED BY AMANDA CASSIDY, TREJO, COMMISSION, CAMI COX AND GABRIELA MEDELLIN FROM UNITY RECOVERY.

WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION IN THE AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT.

IT READS. WHEREAS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE LIVING IN RECOVERY AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, DEMONSTRATING THAT RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE AND THAT INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES CAN HEAL AND THRIVE.

AND WHEREAS RECOVERY IS STRENGTHENED BY ACCESS TO TREATMENT, PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT, STABLE HOUSING, HEALTH CARE, EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES, SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS, AND WELCOMING COMMUNITIES.

AND WHEREAS UNITY, RECOVERY AND OTHER NONPROFIT RECOVERY, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT, REENTRY, FAITH BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY HELPS THOSE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION BY PROVIDING PEER LED SUPPORT, COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, PATHWAYS TO TREATMENT, AND RESOURCES THAT HELP INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ACHIEVE AND SUSTAIN RECOVERY.

AND WHEREAS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH RECOGNIZED EACH SEPTEMBER CELEBRATES PEOPLE IN RECOVERY, HONORS THE MANY PATHWAYS TO RECOVERY, REDUCES STIGMA AND RECOGNIZES THE FAMILIES, PEER PROFESSIONALS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, ADVOCATES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO MAKE RECOVERY POSSIBLE.

AND WHEREAS BEXAR COUNTY CALLS UPON RESIDENTS, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALS IN RECOVERY, SUPPORT THOSE SEEKING RECOVERY, RECOGNIZE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF FAMILIES AND RECOVERY PROFESSIONALS, REDUCE STIGMA, AND STRENGTHEN THE STIGMA. EXCUSE ME, THE SYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES THAT MAKE RECOVERY POSSIBLE.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY RECOGNIZES SEPTEMBER 2026 AS NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH.

WITNESS OUR SIGNATURES AND SEAL OF OFFICES. FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2026, SIGNED BY YOUR COMMISSIONERS COURT.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR A WORD FROM YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HEARD TODAY.

I AM HONORED TO ACCEPT THIS PROCLAMATION ON BEHALF OF UNITY RECOVERY, RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER AS RECOVERY MONTH AND AUGUST 31ST AS NATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY. AUGUST 31ST, CARRIES A SOLEMN PURPOSE TO MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND NATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY ALLOWS US TO REMEMBER AND HONOR LIVES LOST TO OVERDOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY, SO WE CONTINUE TO EDUCATE AND SPREAD AWARENESS TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING.

AT UNITY RECOVERY, OUR MISSION IS TO SPREAD HOPE THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY, AND WE BELIEVE THAT RECOVERY BEGINS WITH UNDERSTANDING AND CONNECTION BY EDUCATING OUR COMMUNITY. WE BREAK DOWN BARRIERS AND OPEN DOORS FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE.

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THEY NEED TO NAVIGATE THEIR JOURNEY TOWARD HEALING.

THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COURT FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY AND FOR RECOGNIZING THESE VITAL AWARENESS EFFORTS, AND FOR STANDING WITH UNITY RECOVERY TO BUILD A MORE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY.

I JUST WANTED TO ONE THING I JUST WANTED TO REMIND THE COURT THAT UNITY RECOVERY IS ONE OF THE ARPA FUNDED PROGRAMS THAT WE FIND THAT YOU ALL FUNDED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BE WELL, TEXAS AT THE BE WELL INSTITUTE AT UT SAN ANTONIO.

IT IS A VERY UNIQUE MODEL. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN SAN ANTONIO, FOCUSED ON PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE WHO ARE IN RECOVERY.

AND IT'S BEEN A REALLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM. WE'RE REALLY PROUD TO HAVE THEM AS PARTNERS. THANK YOU.

AND I JUST WANT TO EXTEND AN INVITATION TO EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM TO COME TO OUR COMMUNITY DAY ON SEPTEMBER 19TH.

ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION AND COMMISSIONER. CALVERT CONTINUES. PRESENTATION. PROCLAMATION. BEHALF OF COMMISSIONERS COURT RECOGNIZING AUGUST 31ST, 2026 AS INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY, HONORING THE LIVES LOST AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY OVERDOSE WHILE PROMOTING EDUCATION STIGMA REDUCTION. NEXT, NAXOLONE ACCESS TREATMENT, PEER SUPPORT AND OTHER OVERDOSE PREVENTION SERVICES.

COMMISSIONER. CALVERT. OKAY. I THINK LIBBY, AM I RIGHT? UNITY IS ALSO LIBBY. IS UNITY ALSO COMING UP FOR THAT? OKAY, SO I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE DONE BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME.

MY FAULT. OKAY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY AS WELL.

THE PROCLAMATION READS, WHEREAS OVERDOSES REPRESENT A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, NOT A MORAL FAILING.

AND EVERY PERSON AFFECTED BY SUBSTANCE USE DESERVES DIGNITY, COMPASSION, AND ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE CARE WITHOUT STIGMA OR DISCRIMINATION.

AND WHEREAS OVERDOSE AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ACROSS EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD AND WALK OF LIFE, LEAVING A LASTING IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY.

AND WHEREAS UNITY, RECOVERY AND OTHER NONPROFIT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT, HARM REDUCTION, FAITH BASED REENTRY, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY WORK TO SUPPORT THOSE STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION BY EXPANDING TO PEER RECOVERY SUPPORT OVERDOSE PREVENTION, EDUCATION, NALOXONE TREATMENT RESOURCES, AND PATHWAYS TO HEALTH AND RECOVERY.

AND WHEREAS AUGUST 31ST IS RECOGNIZED ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD AS INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY, A TIME TO REMEMBER THOSE LOST TO OVERDOSE STAND WITH GRIEVING FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES, REDUCE STIGMA, AND RENEW OUR COMMITMENT TO PREVENTING FUTURE DEATHS.

AND WHEREAS BEXAR COUNTY CALLS UPON RESIDENTS, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY SUBSTANCE USE, OVERDOSE LOSS, EXPAND ACCESS TO LIFE SAVING RESOURCES, AND WORK TOGETHER TOWARD A FUTURE WHERE FEWER LIVES ARE LOST AND MORE PEOPLE CAN ACHIEVE HEALTH, HEALING AND RECOVERY. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY RECOGNIZES AUGUST 31ST, 2026 AS INTERNATIONAL OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY.

SIGNED THIS FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2026. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I DON'T KNOW IF SOMEONE ELSE WANTED TO HAVE A WORD ON ON THIS PARTICULAR RESOLUTION.

DON'T GIVE ME A MICROPHONE. YES I WILL. I WILL JUST SAY THAT THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAM THAT YOU SEE BEHIND YOU CONTINUES TO BE FOCUSED ON OVERDOSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE USE. WE CONTINUE TO DO COMMUNITY BASED TRAININGS TO FOR ADMINISTERING NARCAN, BOTH WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.

WE HAND OUT FREE NARCAN, FREE NALOXONE REGULARLY TO ANYONE WHO FEELS THEY MIGHT NEED IT, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE IT, AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT NEED IT. SO OVERDOSE PREVENTION CONTINUES TO BE A HIGH PRIORITY FOR THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT.

THANK YOU. I WILL SPEAK ON BEHALF OF UNITY RECOVERY AND SAY THAT WE ALSO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND OVERDOSE TRAINING.

AND AT 4045 EAST SOUTH CROSS, WE ALSO ARE PROUD AND GLAD TO HAVE A VENDING MACHINE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY AND FREE 24 HOURS A DAY, AND WE ALWAYS HAVE THE LOCKS ON AVAILABLE IN IT.

I'LL COME FORWARD. WE'LL TAKE A PICTURE.

CAN I JUST SQUEEZE A LITTLE BIT MORE TOGETHER?

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I KNOW YOU'RE THERE. I JUST WANT TO DO A SHOUT OUT TO THAT DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THAT DEPARTMENT.

I KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING SOME REALLY MEANINGFUL DISCUSSIONS OF WHAT HOW THAT DEPARTMENT SERVES OUR COMMUNITY, BUT I JUST WANT TO GO ON RECORD AS SAYING THANK YOU AND EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE, ESPECIALLY ON ISSUES SUCH AS THIS, WHICH ARE SO IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE MOST IN NEED OF HELP, ESPECIALLY IN THE MENTAL HEALTH. IS THERE ANY FURTHER COMMENT? IF NOT, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO DO A PRESENTATION AND PROCLAMATION.

WE HAVE A COMMISSIONERS COURT RECOGNIZE SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2026, AS THE DAY GIOVANNI OCHOA WOULD HAVE TURNED 27 YEARS OLD.

OH MY GOD. I WAS ON THE DISTRICT COURT BENCH WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

HAD HE NOT PASSED AWAY FROM CHILD ABUSE AT THE AGE OF 4 IN 2003? TODAY, WE HONOR HIS MEMORY BY RAISING AWARENESS OF THE INCREASED VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN BEING SEEN IN BEXAR COUNTY.

COMMISSIONER CALVERT. THANK YOU FOR THIS RECOGNITION AND PROCLAMATION.

THANK YOU. TWO OF OUR SHEROES ARE IN THE HOUSE, PAMELA ALLEN FROM EAGLE'S FLIGHT AND YOLANDA VALENZUELA AS WELL HERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO YOUR. YOU DESERVE A TELEVISION SHOW TO UPLIFT YOUR WONDERFUL WORKS FOR THIS COMMUNITY.

THANK BOTH OF YOU. THIS RESOLUTION READS. WHEREAS EVERY CHILD IN BEXAR COUNTY DESERVES SAFETY, DIGNITY, LOVE AND PROTECTION FROM ABUSE, NEGLECT, EXPLOITATION AND VIOLENCE.

AND WHEREAS GIOVANNI OCHOA WAS A FOUR YEAR OLD SAN ANTONIO CHILD WHOSE TRAGIC DEATH ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2003 EXPOSED FAILURES IN THE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM, SPARKED CALLS FOR REFORM AND HELPED LEAD TO THE CREATION OF A BLUE RIBBON TASK FORCE ON CHILD ABUSE.

AND WHEREAS SEPTEMBER 1ST WOULD HAVE BEEN AND MARKED GIOVANNI'S 27TH BIRTHDAY, OFFERING OUR COMMUNITY A MOMENT TO HONOR HIS MEMORY.

REMEMBER ALL CHILDREN HARMED BY ABUSE AND RENEW OUR COMMITMENT TO PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

AND WHEREAS EAGLE'S FLIGHT ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH THROUGH EFFORTS INCLUDING GIOVANNI'S HUGS, CONTINUES TO KEEP GIOVANNI'S NAME ALIVE BY SUPPORTING FAMILIES, RAISING AWARENESS AND WORKING TO PREVENT FUTURE TRAGEDIES.

AND WHEREAS BEXAR COUNTY JOINS GIOVANNI'S SIBLINGS, LOVED ONES, ADVOCATES, AND ALL THOSE COMMITTED TO CHILD SAFETY IN TRANSFORMING REMEMBRANCE INTO RENEWED ACTION SO THAT NO CHILD IS FORGOTTEN AND NO WARNING SIGN IS IGNORED.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT HEREBY HONORS THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF GIOVANNI OCHOA AND RECOGNIZES THE ONGOING WORK OF EAGLE'S FLIGHT ADVOCACY AND OUTREACH. WITNESS OUR SIGNATURES AND SEAL OF OFFICES.

FIRST DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2026, SIGNED BY THE COMMISSIONERS COURT.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING.

I WISH WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO HAVE THIS DAY, AND I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTINUING TO JUST PARTNER WITH ME.

ALL OF YOU. ALL. I HAVE A CONNECTION WITH ALL OF YOU.

FAMILY CONNECTION WITH GRANT MOODY THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE, BUT I WOULD RATHER WE NOT HAVE THESE TYPES OF CELEBRATIONS.

TODAY WOULD HAVE BEEN GIOVANNI OCHOA'S 27TH BIRTHDAY.

27 PERHAPS HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUSBAND, PERHAPS A FATHER.

MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE PLAYED LITTLE LEAGUE GROWING UP.

MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN IN HIGH SCHOOL, PLAYING SPORTS, LIVING AND LOVING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE WILL NEVER KNOW. THAT'S WHAT ABUSE STEALS.

IT DOESN'T JUST TAKE A CHILD'S LIFE. IT TAKES EVERY BIRTHDAY, EVERY DREAM, EVERY CHANCE TO LIVE OUT HIS DESTINY.

IT ALSO TOOK THE BROTHER OF DANIELA AND ALYSSA.

GIOVANNI'S LIFE ENDED AT FOUR YEARS OLD, BUT HIS STORY FOREVER CHANGED OUR COMMUNITY.

MORE THAN TWO DECADES LATER, WE ARE STILL STANDING TOGETHER.

WE CONTINUE TO HOLD VIGILS, TO MOURN LIVES IN OUR COUNTY.

CUT TO SHORT. THIS SHOULD NEVER BECOME NORMAL.

THROUGH MY WORK, I'VE HAD THE HEARTBREAKING RESPONSIBILITY OF HELPING BURY ABANDONED AND ABUSED INFANTS AND CHILDREN.

AND EVERY TIME I ASK MYSELF THE SAME QUESTION, HOW MANY MORE? SO TODAY ON GIOVANNI'S BIRTHDAY, I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR RENEWED COMMITMENT.

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LET IT BE A DAY OF RESOLVE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIOVANNI.

WE REMEMBER YOU. YOLANDA.

GOOD MORNING, COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGE. MY NAME IS YOLANDA VALENZUELA, AND I WAS WITH CASA FOR 15 YEARS, AND I WAS ON THE CHILD WELFARE BOARD A LONG TIME.

AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY I AM COMMISSIONER REBECA CLAY-FLORES APPOINTEE ON THE CHILD WELFARE BOARD AS WELL.

AGAIN. FIGHTING CHILD ABUSE ALL MY LIFE HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. BECAUSE THOSE KIDS HAVE NO VOICES.

I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT IN DECEMBER OF 2003, THAT WAS ONE OF MY CASES.

DID GIOVANNI OCHOA CASE. I WILL NEVER FORGET THOSE PHOTOS OF HIS SKELETAL BODY LAYING ON THAT TABLE.

JUDGE SAKAI SAW THEM BECAUSE HE WAS A JUDGE. WE COME ALONG.

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY. HE LOST HIS LIFE. OWN FAMILY MEMBERS DID THAT TO HIM.

THEY WERE ALL PROSECUTED. THEY ALL SERVED TIME.

SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN CHANGED BECAUSE OF GIOVANNI.

THINGS CHANGED THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE, THE WAY THINGS ARE APPROACHED, THE OVERSIGHT HAS CHANGED BECAUSE OF GIOVANNI IN MANY REGARDS. I CAN ONLY THINK OF ONE NONPROFIT THAT HAS NAMED SOMETHING AFTER GIOVANNI AFTER HIS HORRIBLE DEATH, TIED TO A BED, STARVED BY HIS OWN FAMILY.

HER NONPROFIT HAS GIOVANNI HUGS. IF YOU HAVEN'T MET WITH HER, ALL HER FUNDING GOES TO CHILD ABUSE AND TO THE FAMILIES AND TO WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, THE NEED FOR FOOD.

I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO SAY THAT THE TWO SISTERS ARE DOING FANTASTIC.

THEY WERE ADOPTED IMMEDIATELY. TERMINATION OF RIGHTS OCCURRED.

FIVE COUSINS WERE ALSO REMOVED AT THE EXACT SAME TIME BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL LIVING IN THE SAME HOME ON POTTER VALLEY.

AND THOSE FIVE COUSINS WENT UP NORTH. THEY ALL GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE.

SOME OF THEM WENT TO IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS, BROWN UNIVERSITY.

AND THEY'RE ALL ADVOCATES RIGHT NOW. AND VOICES FOR THEIR COUSIN GIOVANNI AND THEIR BROTHER, GIOVANNI OCHOA. AND SO DAYS LIKE THIS THAT PAM HAS STEPPED FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT HIS BIRTHDAY BE CELEBRATED AND HE NOT FORGOTTEN, WILL ALWAYS OCCUR IN BEXAR COUNTY BECAUSE NOBODY WHO'S EVER WORKED FOR CHILD ABUSE WILL. NOBODY CAN SAY THEY DON'T KNOW GIOVANNI OCHOA.

AND SO HIS LIFE WILL LIVE ON. GIOVANNI'S LIFE WAS FAR TOO SHORT, BUT HIS LEGACY REMINDS US THAT EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO BE SEEN, HEARD, PROTECTED, AND LOVED. HIS STORY MUST NOT END WITH HIS DEATH.

IT MUST CONTINUE THROUGH THE LIVES WE CONTINUE TO PROTECT THROUGH THE CHILD WELFARE BOARD, THROUGH CASA, THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF PROTECTIVE SERVICES, BELONG IN ONE CHILD'S LIFE.

SHOULD NEVER BE LOST IN SILENCE. LET HIS LEGACY BE THE COURAGE TO SPEAK, THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ACT, AND THE COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN IN OUR COUNTY.

AND SO THANK YOU. PAMELA ALLEN, THE CEO OF EAGLES FLIGHT, FOR NEVER FORGETTING WHAT WE FIGHT FOR, WHAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR. THANK YOU.

IF I MAY, AS A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. PAMELA.

YOLANDA, DON'T, DON'T DON'T STEP AWAY BECAUSE YOU'VE NEVER STEPPED AWAY.

YOU'RE YOU'RE IN THE TRENCHES DAY IN AND DAY OUT, FOR WHICH WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL.

COMMISSIONER CALVERT. THANK YOU FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. THIS IS A SPECIAL PROCLAMATION.

AND TO RECOGNIZE THE EFFORTS OF PAMELA ALLEN AND EAGLES FLIGHT.

[00:30:04]

CHILD WELFARE BOARD AND AND BEING PART OF THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY.

YES, I INDEED WAS THE JUDGE AT THAT TIME IS ONE OF THE MOST PROFOUND CASES THAT HAVE AFFECTED ME.

AND WHY I CONTINUE TO SERVE AS A PUBLIC SERVANT IS BECAUSE WE CAN NEVER QUIT THIS FIGHT.

AND IT'S BEEN MY HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS YOUR COUNTY JUDGE AND AS YOUR DISTRICT COURT JUDGE IN CHILDREN'S COURT FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS.

AS MY TIME COMES TO AN END, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT NOT ONLY WAS THERE GIOVANNI OCHOA, I WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD, THERE WAS DIAMOND ALEXANDER WASHINGTON, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL CHILD WHO PASSED AS A RESULT OF CHILD ABUSE.

AND THE MOTHER THAT CHILD WAS CONVICTED AND GIVEN A LIFE SENTENCE.

AND SO OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM DOES ITS VERY BEST.

BUT THESE TRAGEDIES CONTINUE. AND, PAMELA, I THINK OUR PATHS CROSSED WHEN YOU TOOK UP THE CAUSE FOR A BABY THAT WAS LITERALLY STUCK IN OUR BUREAUCRACY, BOTH IN THE COURT SYSTEM, BOTH AT THE MORGUE, BOTH IN, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A CHILD WHO NEEDED TO BE PUT TO REST.

AND YOU AND I WORKED TOGETHER TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

AND YOU AND YOUR PRIVATE RESOURCES FOUND A BURIAL FOR THAT CHILD.

AND THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THAT CHILD IS IN HEAVEN AT THIS TIME.

AND SO I WANT EVERYBODY TO RECOGNIZE WHAT EVERYBODY DOES.

I ALSO WOULD BE REMISS, AND I WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD, WHERE'S OUR TAX ASSESSOR? COLLECTOR? IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT HERE TODAY, BUT THAT'S OKAY.

HE'S PROBABLY TRYING TO COLLECT THOSE TAXES, SO BE READY.

BUT HIS BROTHER, STATE SENATOR CARLOS ISD, WAS AT THAT TIME A STATE SENATOR AND A LEADING ADVOCATE AND CREATED MANY CHANGES IN OUR CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM. AND I WANT TO GIVE HIM RECOGNITION AND GIVE HIM AT AYE WORDS OF GRATITUDE AND THANKS FOR WHAT HE DID. AND OBVIOUSLY, HE'S GONE THROUGH HIS TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, BUT IT'S ALSO A REMINDER THAT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. AND I WANT TO PUT A PLEA TO THIS COMMUNITY THAT ALTHOUGH WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENCES AND WE HAVE DIFFERENCES, AND IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT TIME, LET US NEVER, EVER FORGET THE LEAST OF US.

AND THAT'S THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MOST IN NEED, ESPECIALLY THE ABUSED AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN.

SO WITH THAT, COULD WE ALSO AGAIN GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR EVERYBODY WHO HAS SERVED EITHER AS A VOLUNTEER, DONATED TO A NONPROFIT. AND I WANT TO THANK THE COURT COMMISSIONERS COURT AND THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO HAVE GIVEN THEMSELVES UP IN PUBLIC SERVICE TO THE CHILDREN OF THIS COMMUNITY. GIVE YOURSELF A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

ALL RIGHT. WOULD YOU COME FORWARD TO GET A PICTURE WITH YOUR PROCLAMATION, PAMELA? LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET SOMEBODY TO TAKE THIS.

ALL RIGHT. THE LAST PRESENTATION OF THE MORNING WILL BE RECOGNITION OF BEXAR COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES WHO COMPLETED THE TEXAS REGISTERED ELECTION OFFICIAL REO CERTIFICATION PROGRAM THROUGH THE ELECTION CENTER ON JULY 30TH, 2026.

COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? THANK YOU JUDGE. MICHELLE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.

AND I KNOW WE'VE GOT SPECIAL RECOGNITION OF SOME OF YOUR EMPLOYEES.

LET ME JUST SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO YOU.

THESE ARE THESE ARE ELECTION STAFF, PART OF YOUR TEAM THAT COMPLETED A REGISTERED ELECTION OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES SPECIALIZED TRAINING IN ELECTION AND VOTER REGISTRATION ADMINISTRATION, EIGHT COURSE PROGRAMS. SO PRETTY RIGOROUS PREPARING FOR WHAT WILL BE A HIGH TURNOUT ELECTION.

IT'S A PROGRAM THROUGH THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY ELECTION ELECTED OFFICIALS.

WE JUST WANT TO SHOW OUR THANKS AND APPRECIATION FOR THEIR COMMITMENT.

[00:35:01]

BUT I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR COMMITMENT TO MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A ELECTIONS OFFICE THAT IS RUN EFFICIENTLY, EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY, AND THAT FOLKS HAVE CONFIDENCE WHEN THEY GO TO THE POLLS.

SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, MICHELLE, BUT I DO HAVE THEIR NAMES.

I KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO EACH ONE OF THEM, BUT I WANT TO AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR NAMES. IF YOU WANT TO MAYBE READ ONE OF THE CERTIFICATIONS OR ONE OF THE RECOGNITIONS. BUT I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU AT THIS POINT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, I AM SUPER PROUD TO BE ABLE TO BRING MY TEAM UP AND TO GIVE THEM THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE. I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN I TOOK OFFICE, THERE WAS ONE PERSON IN THE OFFICE WHO HAD RIO AND IT WAS ME.

AND THEN THERE WAS TWO, AND NOW WE HAVE 20. SO 85% OF MY STAFF IS NOW STATE CERTIFIED IN ELECTIONS.

THEY DID MORE THAN JUST ATTEND CLASSES. THEY HAD TO GET OUTSIDE OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE AND LEARN EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT TEXAS ELECTIONS AND HOW TO HOW TO RUN ELECTIONS PROPERLY. SO I WILL PASS THIS OVER. I DID WANT TO SAY THAT THE COMMITMENT THAT THEY PLACED IN THIS WAS MORE THAN JUST THEIR TIME AND THEIR EFFORT. IT DID REQUIRE THEM TO BE A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE.

RIGHT. AND IF WE'RE NOT GROWING, WE'RE DYING, AS ONE OF MY FRIENDS LIKES TO SAY.

AND WITH NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY JUST RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, I WANT THE VOTERS OF BEXAR COUNTY TO KNOW THAT OUR OFFICE IS EQUIPPED AND READY TO ASSIST.

AND NOW, WITH 20 REGISTERED ELECTION OFFICIALS, WE ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE THEM TO YOU.

AWESOME. LET ME LET ME READ THEIR NAMES AND HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE TILL THE END.

I KNOW WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF FOLKS HERE TO SUPPORT THEM.

BUT THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT THAT. YEAH, IF YOU JUST MAYBE WAVE IF YOU'RE HERE.

I KNOW SOME OF THEM ARE PROBABLY STILL AT THE OFFICE, BUT DARYL AGUILAR, LILIAN ALMEIDA, MARCO ANTONIA, ELISA BOCANEGRA, LATANYA BURTON, JOE CAMACHO, JUNIOR.

CECILIA CHAVEZ TORRES, RHONDA DUDLEY, PAULA FLOYD, GLORIA GONZALEZ, REED GRADELESS, VANESSA HERNANDEZ, BRANDON KELLY, ETHAN KLEBAN, VICTORIA MOLINA, FRANCES MORENO, MORA, JULIAN OLIN, OR JULIAN AND ADRIANA VINSON.

LET'S GIVE THEM ALL A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE. COMMISSIONER.

CALVERT. I WANT TO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

YOU'VE BEEN A LEADER ON ELECTIONS AND REFORMS AND HELPING TO IMPROVE OUR ELECTIONS.

AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR STEPPING UP TO GET ADDITIONAL KNOWLEDGE TO HELP US THROUGH WHAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG ELECTION AND MAYBE A CHALLENGING ONE.

I WANT TO SAY, AND I SEE PATRICIA CASTILLO OUT HERE, SHE'S PROBABLY HEARD MY DAD SAY THIS IN A MEETING IN OUR HOUSE.

WE HAVE A SAYING, DON'T PRAISE ME, JUST RAISE ME.

AND AND WE KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE EARNED QUITE A BIT OF, OF, OF ACCOLADES.

BUT, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN HELP WITH WHAT NOT ONLY IS GOING ON IN TERMS OF WAGES, BUT IN TERMS OF SUPPORT AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

WE'VE GOT 150, 150, 000 PEOPLE WHO ARE ON A SUSPENSE LIST, AND I IMAGINE THAT'S GOING TO CAUSE A LOT OF CALLS AND A LOT OF INQUIRIES MORE THAN EVER, PROBABLY BEFORE. SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT GETTING THAT EXTRA SUPPORT TO HELP THE PHONE LINES AND HELP THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO COME IN, HELP THE CORRESPONDENTS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO THE VOTERS, WHICH YOU ALL WEREN'T NECESSARILY EXPECTING TO HAVE IN ADDITION TO EVERYTHING YOU DO.

SO I JUST WANT TO KNOW YOUR SCENE AND WE'RE GOING TO WORK TO TRY TO HELP.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, FOR THIS PROCLAMATION.

MICHELLE, THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW YOU DO GET THOSE CALLS AND SOMETIMES THEIR COMPLAINTS YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH PATS ON THE BACK.

SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. WE APPRECIATE IT.

ONE MORE ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND THEN COME UP FOR A PICTURE. THANK YOU.

[00:40:04]

IF I WOULD HAVE YOUR PERMISSION. I'D LIKE TO TAKE UP A MATTER OUT OF ORDER.

IT'S AGENDA ITEM 58. BUT THESE ARE LATE FILES, SO COULD I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE LATE FILES FOR 56, 57, 58? SECOND. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? MOTION CARRIES.

I WOULD LIKE TO NOW TAKE UP 58 AYE APPROVAL OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH TOSCANO ROSA CALVO P LLC FOR CERTAIN LEGAL REPRESENTATION OF BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS, AND THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COALITION AND POST WB.

APARTMENTS VERSUS BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT AND ROGELIO SANDOVAL VERSUS CAMERON COUNTY HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $50,000. WITHOUT FURTHER AMENDMENT OF THE AGREEMENT.

MR. ROBERSON, COULD YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE MR..

STEVE TUSCANO. MR. TUSCANO, WOULD YOU PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM? I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU ARE REPRESENTING BEXAR COUNTY.

I KNOW STEVE AS AN HONORABLE PERSON. MOST I THINK HIS CURRENT TITLE NOT ONLY IS ATTORNEY AT LAW AND CHAIR OF THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HONORARY COUNSEL OF SPAIN.

CORRECT. AND A HIS FATHER, DOCTOR ALFONSO TUSCANO, ONE OF THE FAMILIES OF THE ORIGINAL DESCENDANTS OF THE CANARY ISLANDERS AND HE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF CEDA, WHICH I JUST RECENTLY HAD AN HONOR TO BE AT THEIR LUNCHEON.

IT IS A VERY, VERY PROUD GROUP. THEY ARE THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS.

SO WITH THAT, MR. ROBINSON, I THINK WE'RE JUST NEED TO GET A APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT IS THE MINISTERIAL.

AND THEN LET. SO IS THERE A MOTION. SO MOVED.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANY QUESTIONS? JUDGE, I JUST HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE CORRECT FOR RECOGNIZING HIS EXCELLENCY THE ARGUS, MR. CHICANO, WHICH IS A DIPLOMATIC TERM. AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE HIS FATHER'S LEADERSHIP IN HELPING US GET THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE BECAUSE HE WAS CHAIR OF OUR BEXAR COUNTY HISTORICAL BOARD AT THE TIME THAT WE GOT THAT.

AND OF COURSE, THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK, A LOT OF RESEARCH THAT HIS FAMILY DID.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE APPRECIATE THAT. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.

THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? MOTION CARRIES. YOU ARE NOW HIRED, MR. CHISSANO AND FIRM. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE YOU'VE GOT SOME REPORT OUT ON SOME LEGAL ACTION FAVORABLE LEGAL ACTION ON BEHALF OF BEXAR COUNTY. THAT'S RIGHT. WELL, NUMBER ONE, I JUST WANT TO SAY THE TREMENDOUS RESPECT THAT I HAVE FOR THIS COMMISSIONERS COURT I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH WITH EACH ONE OF YOU IN MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY ENDEAVORS IN WORRYING ABOUT THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT, THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO FOCUS ON WHAT IT NEEDS TO WORRY ABOUT.

I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS ON LOOKING TO THE HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF WHAT BUILDS SAN ANTONIO AND TAKING THAT HISTORY AND LOOKING FORWARD AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO IT BETTER.

IT'S AN HONOR TO REPRESENT THE COUNTY IN THIS PARTICULAR TWO PIECES OF LITIGATION.

THE COUNTY IS RIGHT ON THESE CASES. AND IT'S AN HONOR TO BE CONSIDERED TO REPRESENT YOU ALL.

I WILL DO OUR BEST TO REPRESENT THE COUNTY, DEFEND THOSE ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO DEFEND AND MOVE FORWARD AND HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU A BUNCH OF YOUR MONEY BACK THAT HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TODAY. THAT'S WHY YOU'VE BEEN HIRED, MR. CHICANO, TO HELP THE TAXPAYERS. LARRY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO HELP THE COURT UNDERSTAND OTHER THAN LET'S GET HOPEFULLY GET THAT LAWSUIT RESOLVED AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN? I THINK THAT'S IT, JUDGE. UNLESS THE COURT HAD ANY QUESTIONS.

NOPE. THANK YOU ALL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. STEVE.

AS I WOULD SAY IN THE COURTROOM, YOU'RE EXCUSED.

ALL RIGHT. SPECIAL PRESENTATION ITEMS FIVE, A SPECIAL PRESENTATION TO COMMEMORATE THE BEXAR AMERICA 250 INITIATIVE.

[5.a. Special presentation to commemorate the Bexar America 250 initiative and recognize the Bexar Heritage Center's role in leading this program along with community partners to promote the history of Bexar County's role in American Revolution.]

KEN MCGLAMERY, OUR PARKS DIRECTOR. SO, MARTY, I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU.

I JUST WANT TO SAY, I BELIEVE WE HAD ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CELEBRATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE AMERICA 250.

AND I JUST NEED TO RECOGNIZE MARTY AND KEN FOR THE TREMENDOUS WORK.

KEN. THANK YOU. WE AS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOCUSED ON WHEN I BECAME COUNTY JUDGE AND YOU FOLLOWED THROUGH ON THIS PARTICULAR EVENT,

[00:45:05]

AND I WANT TO SAY SHE WENT BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AND THE RECOGNITION, I BELIEVE, FOR THE RECORD, THAT SHE HAS GOTTEN STATEWIDE. YOU'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN OUR COUNTY MAGAZINE, I BELIEVE, WHICH IS DISTRIBUTED TO THE ENTIRE COUNTY.

SO, MARTY, BRIEFLY TELL US WHAT YOU DID. I KNOW IT COULD TAKE ALL DAY, BUT WE AIN'T GOT ALL DAY.

OKAY. GOOD MORNING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS AHMADI TAMEZ HERITAGE OUTREACH MANAGER.

I ALSO MANAGE THE BEXAR HERITAGE CENTER AND ITS STAFF, AS WELL AS SERVING AS THE STAFF LIAISON TO THE 20 MEMBER BEXAR COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION. JUDGE SAKAI, THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITH IN THIS PROJECT.

THE BXEAR HERITAGE CENTER WAS HONORED TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE TEXAS AMERICA 250 COMMISSION FOR ITS OUTSTANDING PROGRAMING.

FOR GENERATIONS, AMERICANS HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THAT THE NATION'S STORY BEGAN ALONG THE EAST COAST.

HOWEVER, LONG BEFORE THE FOUNDING OF THE UNITED STATES, THRIVING SPANISH AMERICAN INDIAN COMMUNITIES EXISTED ACROSS A VAST REGION KNOWN AS NEW SPAIN, WHICH ENCOMPASSED MUCH OF WHAT WE NOW KNOW AS THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.

PARTS OF THE SOUTH AND PARTS OF THE WEST COAST.

THESE COMMUNITIES WERE ESTABLISHED CENTURIES BEFORE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SHAPING THE HISTORY, CULTURE, ECONOMY, AND LANDSCAPE OF THE UNITED STATES.

WE WANTED OUR VISITORS TO UNDERSTAND THIS HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE REGION, ESPECIALLY OUR STUDENTS.

THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD THIS CELEBRATION OF AMERICA.

250 WAS A MORE COMPLEX AND BROADER STORY, WITH DEEP ROOTS IN SPANISH TEXANS, AND IN COMMUNITIES LIKE BEXAR COUNTY, WHERE THE TRADITIONS OF RANCHING ASSISTED IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, WHERE NAMES LIKE DELGADO, DE ARMAS, FLORES, HERNANDEZ, AND MARTINEZ PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE.

LEAVING THE STUDENTS WITH THE QUESTION, COULD THAT BE MY FAMILY? THERE WERE COUNTLESS HOURS OF COORDINATION, RESEARCH, DISCUSSION, AND EXECUTION THAT WERE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THIS EXCEPTIONAL BEER.

AMERICA 250 PROGRAMING. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND RECOGNIZE MY STAFF.

REBECCA GONZALEZ AND RYAN MARTINEZ, OTHER COUNTY DEPARTMENTS.

A THANK YOU TO KEN MCGLAMERY. SHARON NEVILLE FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR MAKING SURE MAKING SURE ALL OF OUR INVOICES WERE PAID VERY IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU TO THE PRINT SHOP FOR THEIR HELP IN PRINTING ALL OF THE MATERIALS NEEDED.

PIO FOR MAKING SURE WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR MESSAGE.

OUR COUNTY PARTNERS INCLUDED GISTBCI AND BIBLIOTHEQUE, LAURA COLE AND BRAULIO CARRILLO FOR THEIR SUMMER READING PROGRAM FOCUSING ON BEXAR AMERICA 250 STORYTELLING. BUT A BIG THANK YOU GOES OUT TO OUR FOUR MAIN PARTNERS, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, WHO DEVELOP PROGRAMING FOR OUR TEACHERS WHEN THEY WERE ON SITE AT MISSION CONCEPCION AND MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, TO THE UAW ETTLINGER CENTER FOR UNDERWRITING THE BUSSES FOR THE TEACHERS, AND FOR HOSTING THE LOCATION FOR OUR AFTERNOON PROGRAMING TO THE ALAMO, FOR PROVIDING OUR CPE CREDIT FOR THE TEACHERS AND PROVIDING PRESENTERS AS WELL, AND UTSA FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN THE CREATION OF THE BEXAR AMERICA 250 STORY MAP COMPONENT AND THEIR PROFESSORS WHO WERE PRESENTERS.

WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF PARTNERS AND WE PROMISE TO BE BRIEF.

SO WE'LL BEGIN WITH THIS SLIDE. BEXAR AMERICA 250.

BACKGROUND ON THE PROJECT IS THE SPANISH CONTRIBUTION BEXAR COUNTY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

WE HAVE CATTLE, WE HAVE THE PRESIDIO SOLDIERS, AND WE HAVE THE DONATIVO.

DONATIVO WERE TAXES. SO THERE WERE TAXES GATHERED HERE IN THIS REGION.

DONATIVO WERE TAXES, ALTHOUGH IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A DONATION, AND I'M SURE WE ALL WISH OUR TAXES WERE CONSIDERED DONATIONS, BUT THEY WERE NONETHELESS A SPANISH CONTRIBUTION.

WE HAVE A HISTORIC MAP. THESE ARE HISTORIC COUNTY RANCHES.

THIS IS HISTORIC BEXAR COUNTY, WHICH MADE UP ATASCOSA WILSON AND BEXAR COUNTY.

THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE RANCHERS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

THIS MAP WAS DESIGNED FROM AN EXISTING MAP FROM THE 1970S RESEARCH, BUT UPGRADED AND ADDED.

AND GIS WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THIS IS PART OF OUR MAP EXHIBIT, OUR AMERICA 250 PROJECT'S VISION.

IN 2024, WE BEGAN DISCUSSIONS WITH JUDGE SAKAI STAFF AND THE TEXAS AMERICA 250 STAFF AND COMMISSION 2025.

WE LAUNCHED AND WE HAD OUR JUNE TEACHER WORKSHOP.

WE HAD OUR JUNE BEXAR HERITAGE CENTER EXHIBIT AND OUR FIRST TRI COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION SYMPOSIUM 2026.

WE HAD AMERICA 250 WEBSITE A STORY MAPS LAUNCH OUR BEXAR AMERICA 250 COOKOFF KICK OFF EXCUSE ME, OUR BEXAR HERITAGE MAP EXHIBIT AND KIOSK UNVEILING OUR BEXAR HERITAGE SYMPOSIUM FOCUSING ON THE NATIVES OF THIS REGION.

[00:50:08]

WE HAD THE PUBLIC READING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, WHICH WAS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE.

AND THEN WE HAD OUR SECOND COMPONENT OF OUR TRI COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION.

WE BEGAN WITH THE BEXAR AMERICA 250 LICENSE AGREEMENT, WHICH WAS FACILITATED BY MYSELF AND THE TEXAS AMERICA 250 COMMISSION.

THE LOGO WAS DESIGNED IN-HOUSE BY REBECA GONZALES.

THIS AGREEMENT ULTIMATELY WAS APPROVED BY THIS COURT ON DECEMBER 16TH, 2025 IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.

WE HAD OUR TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP ONE IN JUNE OF 2025, ONE IN JUNE OF 2026.

YOU SEE HERE WHERE WE HAVE FIRST LADY RACHEL SAKAI GREETING ALL OF THE EDUCATORS WHO CAME TO THE WORKSHOP.

WE HAVE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE GIVING A TOUR IN THE AFTERNOON.

WE HAD OUR AFTERNOON SESSION WITH DOCTOR NATHAN JONES AYE JOSE GONZALEZ FROM THE GRANADEROS AND DOCTOR JESS, EXCUSE ME, DOCTOR AMY PORTER FROM TEXAS, A AND M.

THEN WE HAD OUR ANALYSIS OF OUR TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP.

WE HAD ABOUT 50 ATTENDEES FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.

WE HAVE OUR REACH OF 5971 POTENTIAL STUDENTS ANALYSIS OF 2026.

AT THIS TIME, BECAUSE MOST EDUCATORS BELIEVED THAT IT WAS WINDING DOWN BY 2026.

BUT WE HAD 30 ATTENDEES OF TEACHERS, AND WE HAD SEVERAL OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE TEACHER AIDES THAT ATTENDED.

WE HAD OUR BEXAR HERITAGE CENTER EXHIBIT WHERE WE HAD TEN HISTORICAL MAPS.

MOST ARE COPIES PROVIDED TO US BY THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT.

WE HAVE AN INTERACTIVE KIOSK WITH SLIDES DESIGNED BY REBECA GONZALES, AND THE RESEARCH PROVIDED BY THE RESEARCHERS WHO WERE ON THE BEXAR AMERICA 250 COMMITTEE. WE HAD A BEXAR AMERICA 250 VIDEO. WE HAD OUR BEXAR COUNTY TRI COUNTY SYMPOSIUM 1 IN 2025 AND 1 IN 2026.

AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD ANTHONY DELGADO, CHAIR OF THE WILSON COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION.

BELINDA CARVALHO'S, CHAIR OF THE BEXAR COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION, AND MARTIN GONZALEZ, CHAIR OF THE ATASCOSA COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION, WHO BROUGHT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROFESSORS TO SPEAK AT THIS SYMPOSIUM IN 24 AND IN 25.

WE HAD OUR BEXAR HERITAGE KICKOFF CELEBRATION IN FEBRUARY, AND JUDGE SAKAI WELCOMED AND BEGAN THE KICKOFF FOR OUR 2026 TIME FRAME. WE HAD A COMMISSIONER MOODY AS WELL.

WE HAD A QUEEN SOFIA INSTITUTE SEND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY FOR THIS EVENT.

WE HAD THE TEXAS AMERICA 250 COMMISSION LEAD, OUR MARGARET KOCH, WHO CAME IN.

WE HAD THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WHO SENT ONE OF THEIR KEY RESEARCHERS FROM THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THEIR SPECIALTY HISPANIC TASK FORCE. AND THEN WE HAD BRANDON SEALE, A VERY WELL KNOWN DOCUMENTARIAN.

YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME OF HIS SHOWS ON CRN, BUT HE'S A HE'S A WIDELY RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY ON THIS WHO ALSO SPOKE.

AND SO WE HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT FOR THIS KICKOFF.

THEN WE HAD OUR PUBLIC READING, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, A NATIONAL INITIATIVE. THIS WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC READING WE HAD A VISITOR, ACTUALLY FROM NEBRASKA WHO WAS READING OUT LOUD THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. AND IT WAS A IT WAS A WONDERFUL AFTERNOON.

WE HAD THE STORY MAPS WITH OUR LESSON PLANS, WHICH ARE THE LESSON PLANS IF YOU TYPE IN BEXAR AMERICA 250 IN THE SEARCH ENGINE, YOU WILL SEE OUR WEBSITE AND YOU'LL SEE THE LESSON PLANS AND THE STORY MAPS TO GO WITH THAT COMPONENT TO GO WITH THAT, THAT TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO USE TO SHARE THE HISTORY AND STORY OF THIS REGION'S PARTICIPATION IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

AND WE HAVE OUR BEXAR AMERICA 250 COMMITTEE AND I'M GOING TO READ IT QUICKLY, I PROMISE.

WE HAVE DOCTOR ERICA ARREDONDO, HASKINS, UAW DOCTOR AMY JO BAKER, DOCTOR AMY PORTER, A&M, SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE DOCTOR KATE CAREY FROM THE ALAMO IS HERE WITH US TODAY.

WE HAVE ALEX RIVARD DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ALAMO DOCTOR NATHAN JONES, DOCTOR DAVID CARLSON, JOSE GONZALEZ, VALERIE FINCH AND RON FINCH WITH THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, SON OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE BEXAR HERITAGE CENTER EXHIBIT COMMITTEE, WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PUTTING MUCH OF THIS RESEARCH TOGETHER THAT THE HERITAGE CENTER USED. DOCTOR HASKINS FROM UAW. ANTHONY DELGADO, CHAIR OF THE WILSON COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION,

[00:55:05]

AND WE HAD DOCTOR NOWLAN, ANDREA CROSSAN, JENNIFER CAMPBELL, STEVE HOFF FROM THE BCITGIS TEAM, AND THEN ROBERT HUFF AS PART OF OUR BEXAR AMERICA 250 STORY MAP COMMITTEE.

OF COURSE, THE BEXAR HERITAGE CENTER STAFF REBECA GONZALES AND KARINA MOZINGO AS WELL.

AND WE THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS. I WAS AS QUICK AS I COULD BECAUSE I KNOW YOU HAVE A FULL AGENDA, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, COURT, FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT.

DOCTOR JUDGE SAKAI, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN PROVIDING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THIS IMPORTANT HISTORY.

AGAIN, A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH BEXAR COUNTY'S ROLE.

THEY DO CONSIDER IT SOMETHING FAR AWAY. AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CONSTITUENT IN BEXAR COUNTY AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES HAD PRIDE IN THIS AMERICA. 250 CELEBRATION AND RECOGNIZED THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THIS REGION.

THANK YOU AGAIN. KEN, DO YOU WANT TO COME UP? AND ALSO, WE HAVE SOME GUESTS FROM OUR NATIONAL PARKS.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF MARTY AND ALL THE STAFF AND GOT A LOT OF FIRE AND FORGET CAPABILITY WITH HER.

WE DID THIS. I MEAN, SHE EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS.

I BELIEVE THEIR DEDICATION, THEIR WORK, THEIR THEIR PRODUCT FAR EXCEEDS THEIR PAY GRADES HERE IN THE COUNTY.

THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRULY A VERY ASTONISHING WHAT THEY'VE PUT TOGETHER.

SO I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF THEM. I'D LIKE TO JUST RECOGNIZE CHRISTINE JACOBS FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, WHO'S HERE. DOCTOR KATE KERRY FROM THE ALAMO DOCTOR JESSICA NOWLAN AND ANDREA CROSSAN FROM UTSA.

AND THEN WE HAVE BRAULIO AND LAURA COLE FROM BIBLIOTECH.

UNFORTUNATELY, YOU, I W WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE IT, BUT THESE ARE OUR FOUR STRONGEST PARTNERS IN OUR AMERICA.

250. NATIONAL PARKS AND I KNOW YOU. YOU'VE ASKED THE COUNTY TO HELP. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES OUT THERE? SO IN THE SOUTH SIDE. THANK YOU SIR. I DO NOT HAVE PREPARED REMARKS FOR TODAY.

I KNOW AND IT'S NOT A REQUEST IN THE BUDGET. OKAY.

BUDGETS STAND DOWN. GO AHEAD. CLOSE YOUR EARS.

I WILL I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO EMPHASIZE AND KIND OF FOOT STOMP THE FANTASTIC COLLABORATION THAT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE SHARES WITH BEXAR COUNTY HERE IN TEXAS. WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE NOT ONLY A UNIT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, BUT THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CALVERT, FOR REMINDING US THAT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNIT IS ALSO THE FIRST AND ONLY UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE IN THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS. FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT, FROM A CULTURAL STANDPOINT, FROM A HISTORICAL STANDPOINT, IT IS QUITE LITERALLY THE HEART OF SAN ANTONIO.

AND SO OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAD THIS PAST YEAR TO CELEBRATE AND SHARE THE UNIQUE, COMPLEX HISTORY AND HERITAGE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY IN SAN ANTONIO IS JUST ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE.

THE REACH AND THE PROFESSIONALISM AND THE ENTHUSIASM THAT YOUR BEXAR COUNTY TEAM HAS BROUGHT TO THE CELEBRATION OF THE UNITED STATES IS NOTHING SHORT OF SPECTACULAR. SO THANK YOU. ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, THE GREAT TEAM AT SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO, AND WE CONTINUE TO DO TOGETHER TO ELEVATE AND RAISE THE VISIBILITY OF YOUR NATIONAL PARK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND YOUR WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. CALVERT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I JUST WANT TO THANK THE WHOLE TEAM AND ALL YOUR TEAM.

HISTORY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST GUIDES FOR OUR FUTURE.

AND I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT YOUR TEAM HAS BROUGHT OUT A LOT OF FACTS THAT HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN AND HAD COLLECTED SOME DUST.

AND I LOVED WATCHING YOU ON. I THINK I SAW YOU ON KSAT TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE VERY INTERESTING HISTORY THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT BEXAR COUNTY.

AND I THINK AS WE LOOK TO THE REVOLUTION OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY SO UNIQUE, WE HAVE OUR ELECTION AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CIVIC EDUCATION TO LOOK AT OUR FORMER HERITAGE AS A BRITISH COLONY AND TO OUR AMERICAN HERITAGE AS A AS A REPUBLICAN, A DEMOCRACY THAT CAN ALSO CONTINUE TO BE BROUGHT TO LIFE BY BY THIS.

I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT, AS WE LOOK AT THE.

250. I'VE VISITED A WORLD HERITAGE LOCATION BANFF IN, IN, IN CANADA A COUPLE

[01:00:07]

AND I THINK THAT WE AS A COUNTY CAN LOOK IN FUTURE YEARS AT HOW WE CAN HELP MARKET OUR, OUR, OUR TOURISM OF OUR WORLD HERITAGES EVEN BETTER BECAUSE THE INTERNATIONAL NATURE OF VISITORS, I THINK WE CAN BUILD ON HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU BEING IN THE BUSINESS IN NATIONAL PARKS, YOU YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS.

IF YOU'VE IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE. SO WE'RE WE'RE AN INFANT WORLD HERITAGE LOCATION THAT HAS TO BE SUPPORTED IN GETTING ON THE MAP.

AND I THINK WE NEED TO LEARN THOSE LESSONS FROM OTHER GREAT PLACES, WHETHER IT'S POMPEII OR YOU KNOW, IN CANADA. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.

AND WE APPRECIATE THE HEART THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS.

THANK YOU, MR. CLAY-FLORES. YEAH. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL CONTINUE TO DO.

OF COURSE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE WORKED ON TOGETHER.

AND IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE FREE PARKS, FREE MISSIONS FOR EVERYONE.

OF COURSE, WITH THE NATIONAL CUTS FROM THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE CAN HAVE ACCESS TO. AND INDEED, THE MISSIONS IS THE HEART OF PRECINCT ONE, AND THE MISSION TRAILS IS JUST FOR THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP HERE OR GREW UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE. IT'S JUST A PLACE THAT I WAS ABLE TO GO TO.

EVEN WHEN WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO DO ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE OF THE FREE ACCESS.

SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAKE THAT FREE ACCESS FOR EVERYONE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. OF COURSE, KEN, WE'RE NOT FORGETTING ABOUT THE WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY EVENT THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM, ANNALISA, PUT TOGETHER FOR THAT WONDERFUL DRONE SHOW THAT WE GOT RECOGNIZED FOR, I THINK.

RIGHT. SO JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CONTINUING HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA.

AND SO LET ME CLOSE WITH THIS. I DON'T DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER UP WITH THE PARKS AND NATIONAL PARKS, WITH THE THE WORLD HERITAGE MISSIONS, BUT I WOULD ASK THE COURT TO LOOK AT ANY OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE HOW WE CAN PARTNER, HELP PROTECT THOSE INSTITUTIONS OUT THERE. THEY ARE DESERVING OF PROTECTION.

THEY NEED PROTECTION. I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. AND I KNOW MISS JACOBS, YOU'VE COME TO MY OFFICE.

WE'VE DONE OUR VERY BEST, BUT WE'RE WE'RE HAVING A TIGHT BUDGET YEAR, SO I HOPE THAT THE COURT WILL CONSIDER WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO PARTNER WITH YOU AND YOUR GREAT STAFF OUT THERE AT THE PARK SERVICE.

THANK YOU. AND THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO AND PRESERVATION OF HISTORY.

ONE ONE COMMENT. SOME PEOPLE MAY THINK IT'S POLITICAL, BUT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS IT'S UP TO US LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO PRESERVE OUR HISTORY AND MAKE SURE IT'S ACCURATE AND ON THE BOOKS. AND FOR THAT, MISS THOMAS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE RECOGNITION OF THE FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE HISPANIC FAMILIES, THAT ARE VERY MUCH PART AND PARCEL OF THE BIRTH AND OF THE.

AND WE KNOW THAT MR. STEVE TOSCANO AND HIS FAMILY WAS PART OF THAT.

SO THANK ALL OF Y'ALL. LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

THANK YOU. ALRIGHTY. WELL, LET'S MOVE ON. COMMISSIONER.

[5.b. Special presentation by Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores recognizing awards received for the County's 2026 Colon Cancer Awareness Month comprehensive, multi-platform public awareness campaign designed to educate, engage and mobilize the community around colorectal cancer prevention, screening, and survivorship. ]

RECOGNIZING AWARDS RECEIVED FOR THE COUNTY'S 2026 COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

COMPREHENSIVE, MULTI-PLATFORM PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO EDUCATE, ENGAGE AND MOBILIZE THE COMMUNITY AROUND COLORECTAL CANCER PREVENTION, SCREENING AND SURVIVORSHIP. COMMISSIONER. CLAY-FLORES.

I KNOW THIS IS VERY PERSONAL TO YOU. SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.

THANK YOU, JUDGE SAKAI. I BELIEVE THE AV TEAM IS PUTTING UP A SLIDE DECK THAT AMY PUTNEY PUT TOGETHER.

I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AMY. IF YOU CAN GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, PLEASE.

Y'ALL CAN DO A BETTER ROUND OF APPLAUSE. I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE SAID IT IN SPANISH. FUERTE APLAUSO, POR FAVOR. SO AMY PUTNEY IS MY DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS.

SHE WASN'T EVEN WITH ME FOR A YEAR YET WHEN I WAS LIKE, I GOT TO DO SOMETHING FOR COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, BECAUSE WHEN I GOT DIAGNOSED, I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT GOD ENTRUSTED ME WITH.

SO WE JUST STARTED COMING UP WITH THESE IDEAS.

AND LITERALLY 23 EVENTS IN ONE MONTH WAS EXHAUSTING.

AND SHE WAS THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

AND I JUST WANTED TO BRING LIGHT TO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS ABOUT THIS WAS A COUNTY WIDE EFFORT.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE GOT PROCLAMATIONS FROM DIFFERENT SUBURBAN CITIES THROUGHOUT BEXAR COUNTY, AND WE GOT SUCH GREAT MOMENTUM THAT WE HAVE ACTUALLY RECEIVED THREE NATIONAL AWARDS.

SO IN EVERYTHING WE DO TAKES MONEY. SO I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONERS COURT.

[01:05:01]

SO A PREVENTATIVE COLONOSCOPY HAS TO BE DONE AT 45, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW.

AND COLON CANCER IS NOW AMONGST CANCERS, THE LEADING CAUSE OF CANCER THAT'S IN PEOPLE UNDER 50.

SO A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TO FIGHT IF THEY ARE HAVING GI ISSUES, IF THEY HAVE FAMILY WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF COLON CANCER, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TO FIGHT, HAVE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES TO GET A COLONOSCOPY BEFORE 45.

BUT IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW AT BEXAR COUNTY, THROUGH OUR AETNA INSURANCE, YOU CAN GET A COLONOSCOPY PREVENTATIVE AFTER 18.

SOMEONE SHOULD CLAP FOR THAT. SO IF YOU'RE HAVING GI ISSUES, IF YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF FAMILY HISTORY OF COLON CANCER, WHICH I DID NOT, PLEASE TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR EVEN IF YOU'RE UNDER THE AGE OF 45, BECAUSE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GETTING DIAGNOSED AT A YOUNGER AGE. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT SPECIFICALLY.

JENNIFER LUNA REALLY STEPPED UP AND HELPED US WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS.

AND ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU SEE BACK HERE WHO SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT FOR NATIONAL WEAR BLUE DAY, AND WE'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED FOR ALL OF OUR PARTNERS THAT YOU CAN SEE WHO, WHO HELPED TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS.

AND MORE PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT COLONOSCOPIES AND UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE OF THAT.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. OH, AND I JUST WANT TO SPECIFY THE THREE NATIONAL AWARDS.

AND IT'S NOT ABOUT THE AWARDS. IT'S ABOUT THE COUNTY. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE COUNTY BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THE AWARDS. IT'S MEANING THAT WE ARE SPREADING THE WORD AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE KNOWING ABOUT THIS. SO BEXAR COUNTY RECEIVED THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES AWARD FOR CIVIC EDUCATION AND PUBLIC INFORMATION CATEGORY.

THEY ALSO RECEIVED THE THREE CMA SAVVY AWARDS, WHICH IS CITY COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS FOR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS, SPECIAL EVENTS, AND ADVOCACY. AND THIS ONE AMERICAN GASTROENTEROLOGY AWARD.

SO A WHOLE BUNCH OF DOCTORS FOR MULTIMEDIA PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN INITIATIVE.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN. MARCH IS COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

SO WE ARE GEARING UP TO START TO ORGANIZE ALL THESE.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED FOR HELP, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE AND MAKE SURE YOU WEAR BLUE FOR COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, CHECK YOUR COLON BECAUSE COLONOSCOPY SAVED LIVES. THANK YOU JUDGE. THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. WE'LL MOVE ON TO TIME CERTAIN RUN A LITTLE BEHIND.

[6.a. 9:30 a.m.: Presentation regarding Bexar County's FY 2026-27 Proposed Tax Rate, and discussion and appropriate action regarding placement of the proposed tax rate of $0.299999 on the agenda for the Commissioners Court meeting on September 15, 2026, as an action item. ]

PROPOSED TAX RATE AND DISCUSSION. APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING PLACEMENT OF THE PROPOSED TAX RATE OF 0.99999.

I HOPE I SAID ENOUGH. NINE TWO. OKAY. OH, I MISSED TWO.

SORRY. STAND CORRECTED. PUT. PUT THE. YEAH, THAT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE.

SO I STAND CORRECTED ACCORDING TO THE AGENDA ITEM ON THE AGENDA FOR THE COMMISSIONERS COURT MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2026 AS AN ACTION ITEM. MISS SMITH, DEAN OR SORRY? GOOD MORNING. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS TANYA GAITAN, BUDGET AND FINANCE DIRECTOR.

TODAY, MY PRESENTATION SHORT. IT'S SORT OF A RECAP OR RECAP OF THE PRESENTATION THAT ON AUGUST 18TH.

SO AS A REFRESHER, OUR NET TAXABLE BASE IS AT $242.2 BILLION.

THIS WAS A DECREASE OF 1.3% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, WHICH IS EQUAL TO ABOUT $3.3 BILLION.

THAT WAS 7 BILLION OF THAT IS NEW VALUES. AND I'LL GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT THAT.

BUT WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS FOR EXISTING VALUES.

OF THAT 7 BILLION. A MAJORITY OF THAT WAS $4 BILLION OF NEW RESIDENTIAL VALUES, 1.3 IN COMMERCIAL AND 1.7 IN ALL OTHER CATEGORIES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO CORRECT FOR THE RECORD THAT I HAD PRESENTED TO THE COURT AND TO THE PUBLIC ON AUGUST 18TH WAS THE NEW EXEMPTIONS.

SO JUST FOR AN EXPLANATION AND PROVIDE MORE DETAIL FROM WHAT I PRESENTED LAST YEAR OR LAST, ON AUGUST 18TH, THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF $11 BILLION IN EXEMPTIONS.

TOTAL OF THAT, $8.9 BILLION WAS DUE TO EXISTING EXEMPTIONS, MEANING THERE WAS MORE PROPERTIES OR VALUES INCREASED, AND THE REMAINING AMOUNT OF 2.1 BILLION IS DUE TO THE NEW EXEMPTION, WHICH MAJORITY OF THAT WAS THE BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY EXEMPTION? A MINOR AMOUNT OF THAT WAS 24.8 MILLION WAS FOR THE SURVIVING SPOUSES OF DISABLED VETS.

SO I WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT FOR THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS THE COURT TO CORRECT THAT.

[01:10:05]

AND THEN WE ALSO HAD THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE, WHICH IS JUST ABOVE $0.38.

AND I'LL GO INTO DETAIL, BUT THE TAX ASSESSOR RECEIVED NEW INFORMATION THAT WAS SLIGHTLY UPDATED.

AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE FUTURE SLIDES.

SO SINCE THE 1995 THE COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS EITHER DECREASED OR KEPT FLAT THE TAX RATE.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TODAY AT ABOUT $0.29.

SO ADDITIONALLY WE WANT TO KEEP THE TAX RATE FLAT.

HOWEVER, WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO SHIFT THE TAX RATE FROM FLOOD MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, WHICH HAS A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE OF ABOUT $20 MILLION, AND WILL SHIFT THAT TO THE GENERAL FUND TO HELP ASSIST PAY FOR FUTURE COSTS FOR NEXT YEAR.

THERE'S NO IMPACT TO FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS OR MAINTENANCE PROJECTS IN THE REMAINING TAX RATE OF THE FLOOD CAN COMPENSATE FOR THE ENTIRE OPERATIONS OF THE FLOOD FUND.

SO THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE IS AN OPTION FOR COMMISSIONERS TO CONSIDER, WHICH IS AT $0.30.

AND THIS IS THE TAX RATE THAT HAS THAT WOULD GENERATE THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE AS THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

AND IF WE WERE TO INCREASE TO THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, IT WOULD BE JUST UNDER $0.01, AND THAT WOULD TRIGGER A PUBLIC NOTICE.

IF YOU WOULD GO TO GO ABOVE THAT AMOUNT. THE NEXT TAX RATE THAT WAS DETERMINED BY THE TAX ASSESSOR WAS THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE. AND THIS WAS A SLIGHT CHANGE FROM THE TAX ASSESSORS FROM THE LAST PRESENTATION BY THEIR OFFICE.

IT WAS ESTIMATED AT 3.86727 AND HAS BEEN UPDATED TO 0.386728.

SO IT'S JUST A SLIGHT CHANGE BUT NEVERTHELESS STILL AT $0.38.

AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE OPTION TO INCREASE THE TAX RATE TO THIS AMOUNT.

AND IT WOULD BE ABOUT JUST UNDER A CENT ONCE AGAIN RIGHT BELOW THE VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE WITHOUT TRIGGERING AN ELECTION.

SO TODAY WE ARE REQUESTING A MOTION TO PROPOSE THE TAX RATE OF 0.299999 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2627.

PROPOSED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET AUTHORIZING TO DO THE PUBLICATION THAT WILL BE PLACED IN THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS AND LA PRENSA.

ALSO SETTING THE PUBLIC HEARINGS TO PROPOSE THE TAX RATE ON SEPTEMBER 15TH AND PLACING THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE COURT'S CONSIDERATION TO TO ADOPT ALSO ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, AND I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

I HAVE. WELL, JUST A COMMENT GOING BACK TO THE 24 POINT ON SLIDE THREE.

$24.8 MILLION IS DUE TO THE EXEMPTION FOR THE SURVIVING SPOUSES DISABLED VETERANS.

I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY SAVING TAXPAYER TAXPAYERS MONEY BECAUSE OF THIS NEW EXEMPTION THAT IS STATEWIDE, AS DAVID SMITH ALWAYS SAYS, DAVID, HOW MUCH MONEY BECAUSE OF THE EXEMPTIONS THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED, HOW MUCH MONEY DO WE ACTUALLY SAVE? YOU DON'T HAVE THAT IN YOUR HEAD.

HOW MUCH MONEY DO WE ACTUALLY SAVE TAXPAYERS EVERY YEAR? DAVID. IT WAS WELL OVER A BILLION, MAYBE TWO BY NOW. HOW MUCH? OVER $1 BILLION. BECAUSE OF ALL THE TAX, BECAUSE OF THE TAX RATE AND THE EXEMPTIONS AND THE SENIOR CITIZEN TAX FREEZE, ALL OF THOSE COMBINED.

AND ALSO THE OVER 65 TAX EXEMPTION PASS FOR US.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, INCLUDING THE EXEMPTION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES OF DISABLED VETERANS.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO EMPHASIZE.

I KNOW THERE WAS, I GUESS THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN LAST TIME WAS KIND OF TAKEN DIFFERENTLY, BUT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF EMPHASIZING HOW MUCH WE'RE ACTUALLY SAVING TAXPAYERS, AS WE ARE BEING DILIGENT IN BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. YEAH.

THANK YOU JUDGE. TANYA, A COUPLE QUESTIONS. THE LET ME FOCUS ON THE, I GUESS, SLIDE SEVEN, THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE. BECAUSE I THINK, LOOK, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US WANT TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT RAISING TAXES.

BUT LET ME, I GUESS FOR HYPOTHETICAL PURPOSES TAKE THAT.

SO THAT'S THE TAX RATE THAT YOU MENTIONED WOULD GENERATE THE SAME LEVEL OF REVENUES AS LAST YEAR.

THAT'S CORRECT. SO RIGHT NOW, STAFF HAS PROPOSED A BUDGET USING THE CURRENT TAX RATE.

AND AS A REMINDER, LAST YEAR I THINK THE BUDGET WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND 2.8 BILLION UNDER YOUR PROPOSED BUDGET.

THIS YEAR IT'S ABOUT 2.6 BILLION. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. SO AS AN OPTION, IF THE COURT LOOKED AT THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE,

[01:15:01]

BUT I THINK IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE, I GUESS THE ADDITIONAL REVENUES THAT IT WOULD GENERATE IF WE WENT TO THAT.

NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE. YES SIR. IT'S ABOUT 18.5 MILLION.

OKAY. 18.5. OKAY. OKAY. AND THIS IS NOT PART OF THE PRESENTATION, BUT THERE'S ALSO.

AGAIN, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THIS, BUT THERE'S ALSO AN OPTION TO TAKE THE INCREMENTS FROM PAST YEARS THAT THE LEGISLATURE ALLOWS.

RIGHT. CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT THAT OR REMIND US WHAT THOSE OPTIONS WOULD BE? YES. SO THE UNUSED INCREMENT TAX RATE IS, IS COLLECTED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS.

THE AMOUNTS. AND WHEN THE TAX ASSESSOR ASSESSES THE VOTER APPROVED TAX RATE, THAT ADDITIONAL AMOUNT IS ON ADDED ON TOP OF THAT.

SO OF THE $0.38, IT'S ABOUT $0.04 THAT WE HAVE IN THAT INCREMENT TAX RATE.

GOTCHA. IT'S INCLUDED IN THAT. AND AGAIN THAT WOULD SO $0.04.

I MEAN THIS THIS NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE IS LESS THAN A PENNY RIGHT.

THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH. SO THAT'S JUST I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS FOR COMPARISON'S SAKE.

OKAY. GOING BACK TO THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, THE THE 18.5 MILLION.

DO WE KNOW, OR HAVE YOU CALCULATED, IF THE COURT CHOSE TO DO THAT, WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE ON THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER IN BEXAR COUNTY? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, I THINK. WELL, GENERALLY, SINCE IT WOULD BE THE SAME.

BUT WE CAN GET. IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW THE VALUES INCREASED OR DECREASED ON THE PROPERTY.

BUT SINCE YOU'RE COLLECTING THE SAME AMOUNT OF TAXES, IT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY THE SAME.

ABOUT THE SAME. YEAH. BUT WE CAN GET THAT DETAIL JUST FOR YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S DETERMINATIVE NECESSARILY, BUT IF IT'S THE SAME THEN IT KIND OF MAKES SENSE THAT WE LOOK AT THAT, BUT I WOULD THINK IT WOULD HAVE SOME, A LITTLE BIT OF AN IMPACT.

I MEAN, SO IT'S ANOTHER PENNY. NO, BUT THE ISSUE IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL VALUATION.

OKAY. AND SO WE TYPICALLY ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE YOU ASKED BASED ON THE AVERAGE TAXABLE VALUE, AND THAT COULD GO UP OR DOWN. AND SO IT'S ON AN AVERAGE BASIS.

BUT IN AGGREGATE, USING THE FORM COMPLICATED FORMULA THE LEGISLATURE REQUIRES.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. YEAH. NOT ANYMORE. CAN'T BLAME ME ANYMORE.

YEAH. THAN THOSE GUYS. YEAH. WE HAVE TO. THEY SAY THAT BECAUSE IT WOULD RAISE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF GROSS REVENUE, THAT IT SHOULDN'T IMPACT AN INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY IF THE VALUE REMAINED THE SAME.

OKAY. I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT. SO I MEAN, ONE OF THE ISSUES WE'VE GOT AND THIS IS NOT, I MEAN, GOING BACK TO OUR FRIENDS IN AUSTIN IS THERE'S AND EVEN BACK WHEN I WAS THERE, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME KIND OF CONSTRAINTS PUT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. AND THAT'S PROBABLY WHY THERE'S NO SIGNS NECESSARILY THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THIS NEXT SESSION.

I WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO PULL THIS UP. I WAS WORKING WITH THE CONFERENCE OF URBAN COUNTIES.

THEY'RE DOING AN ANALYSIS. AND THEY'RE TRYING TO ESSENTIALLY REMIND OUR OUR LEGISLATORS HOW MUCH OF COUNTY OPERATIONS ARE AS WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE TIME REQUIRED BY, BY THE STATE.

AND SO I JUST GOT THIS THIS MORNING. IT SAYS THE CONFERENCE OF URBAN COUNTIES ANALYSIS IS SPECIFIC TO BEXAR COUNTY.

GROUPS 85%, 85% OF OUR GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS AS LEGISLATIVELY DIRECTED SERVICES OR NECESSARY SUPPORT COSTS.

SO THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE MOST WE CAN WITH FEWER RESOURCES.

IT'S A BIGGER CONVERSATION. AND MELISSA IN THE BACK AND OUR LOBBYISTS HAVE TO HELP US WITH THIS, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO COMPRESS.

WHAT WE CAN DO LOCALLY. AND YET 85% OF WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR IN OUR BUDGET IS, IS TO DELIVER THOSE STATE MANDATED SERVICES.

SO IT MAKES NO SENSE LOGICALLY, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING CERTAINLY TO KEEP AN EYE ON.

LOOK, I YOU KNOW, I THINK INITIALLY FELT COMFORTABLE STICKING WITH OUR, OUR TAX RATE.

THE CONCERN I'VE GOT IS I THINK THE CITY IS DISCUSSING IT LOOKS LIKE THEY MAY INCREASE THEIR TAX RATE.

I BELIEVE ALAMO COLLEGES HAS INCREASED THEIR TAX RATE.

[01:20:03]

SO I'M A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO COLLECTIVELY IMPACT OUR, OUR HOMEOWNERS.

BUT AGAIN, I'M INTERESTED IN HAVING THE DISCUSSION BECAUSE I THINK IT'S WORTH HAVING AT LEAST THIS PUBLIC DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS MAY LOOK LIKE.

SO THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, IT'S ABOUT 18.5 IS WHAT WOULD IMPACT THE THE GENERAL FUND.

YES, SIR. OKAY. THANK YOU JUDGE. I JUST WANT TO THANK THE BUDGET OFFICE AND COUNTY STAFF FOR.

I KNOW THIS IS, AS WE'VE SAID MULTIPLE TIMES, A TIGHT BUDGET ENVIRONMENT A LOT OF HEADWINDS.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK DONE TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT A PROPOSED BUDGET AT THE EXISTING TAX RATE.

SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THAT. I DO WANT TO JUST GO AHEAD.

SO IS THE REQUESTED MOTION. WE HAVE TO READ IN ALL OF PAGE NINE.

I'M SORRY. COMMISSIONER. THE REQUESTED MOTION WE HAVE TO READ IN ALL OF SLIDE NINE.

YES. IT'S ONE ONE MOTION. WELL, THEN I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION TO PROPOSE A TAX RATE OF 0.299999 TO FUND THE FY 2627 PROPOSED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET AND AUTHORIZED PUBLICATION OF NOTICES OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 2026 TAX YEAR PROPOSED TAX RATE AND FY 2020 627 PROPOSED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET IN THE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS AND LA PRENSA, TOGETHER WITH ALL OTHER POSTING AND NOTICES REQUIRED BY LAW AND SET THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE AND PROPOSED BUDGET FOR SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2026 AND PLACE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED TAX RATE AND PROPOSED BUDGET ON THE SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2026 COMMISSIONERS COURT AGENDA AS ACTION ITEMS JUDGE.

BEFORE WE ENTERTAIN A SECOND, CAN I ASK THE COUNTY MANAGER REAL QUICK, DAVID, COULD WE ON THE NOTIFICATION FOR THE NEXT AGENDA RELATED TO TAXES? COULD WE ALSO HAVE THE COURT CONSIDER BOTH THE 0.299999 AND THE .0309043, WHERE WE INFORM THE PUBLIC THAT BOTH OF THESE ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION AND YOU CAN COME AND SPEAK ON, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOU FEEL.

BUT COULD WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE BOTH OF THOSE ON OUR AGENDA? SO THE STATE IS FAIRLY SPECIFIC. I WILL YIELD TO LEGAL ADVICE ON THIS, BUT TYPICALLY THEY REQUIRE A SPECIFIC NOTICE THAT WAS JUST READ WITH A SPECIFIC TAX RATE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ALLOW FOR TWO.

WHATEVER YOU DO, I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE COURT TODAY, IF YOU WANT TO CONSIDER A TAX RATE HIGHER THAN 29.99 $0.09, YOU NEED TO TELL US TODAY SO THAT WE CAN ADVERTISE THAT HIGHER RATE, WHATEVER GETS ADVERTISED TODAY IS THE MAXIMUM TAX RATE. THIS COURT CAN SET ON SEPTEMBER 15TH.

LARRY ANY THOUGHTS? WELL IT'S A LITTLE MORE. I MEAN DAVID'S RIGHT BUT IT'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED BECAUSE THE POSTING IS ON SEPTEMBER 8TH.

I WILL SAY THIS COMMISSIONER THE CALENDAR FOR THIS TAX RATE AND THE ADOPTION OF THE TAX RATE IN THE BUDGET IS TIMED OUT.

TANYA HAS WORKED WITH MY OFFICE TO GET EVERYTHING SET UP SO THAT YOU CAN ADOPT THE BUDGET ON THE 15TH.

SO THE NOTICE IS ACTUALLY POSTED ON THE EIGHTH.

IT'S THE FOURTH JUST I MEAN THE FOURTH, BUT THE.

SO IT HAS TO BE POSTED WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME FRAME BEFORE THE ACTUAL ADOPTION OF THE TAX RATE.

THE DAYS ARE CALCULATED. SO DAVID IS RIGHT. YOU HAVE TO DIRECT TANYA TO WHATEVER THAT RATE IS.

YOU'RE GOING TO DO THAT TODAY. SO WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE TODAY THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT POSTED.

AND AGAIN THAT'S THE MAXIMUM YOU WOULD CONSIDER.

YOU CAN ALWAYS SET IT ON THE 15TH LOWER THAN THAT AMOUNT, BUT YOU CAN NEVER GO HIGHER THAN WHAT WE'VE PUBLISHED.

WITH ONE EXCEPTION, WHEN YOU GO ABOVE THE VOTER APPROVED RATE, YOU WILL TRIGGER AN ELECTION AND THAT WILL THROW THE TIMELINES IN COMPLETE DISARRAY.

YOU'RE DEALING WITH SPECIFIC STATUTORY DEADLINES, SO YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT RATE YOU DIRECT DAVID TO POST.

SO YES, STAY BELOW $0.38 PLEASE. ABSOLUTELY. PLEASE.

JUDGE, CAN I SPEAK TO THE MOTION BEFORE WE GET A SECOND? CAN I SPEAK TO. WELL NO, I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW IF THERE'S A SECOND.

THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THE MOTION. THERE'S A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER MOODY AND THERE'S A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

[01:25:05]

SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE SAID IS WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT NOT BEING BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO WHEN NETFLIX IS COMING IN.

AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THE STATE IS NETFLIX AND BEXAR COUNTY IS BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO AND BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO THOUGHT EVERYBODY REALLY ENJOYS COMING DOWN AND GETTING THEIR MOVIE AND THEIR TWIZZLERS AND THEIR POPCORN. AND NETFLIX SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, WE WE'RE COMING FOR YOUR REVENUE.

AND THE LEGISLATURE IS COMING FOR THE COUNTY'S REVENUE.

I'VE TAKEN A CLASS IN FINANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN WITH A MUNICIPAL BOND PERSON, AND HE SAID THAT THE LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO PROPOSE A 2.5 CAP.

SO WE'VE GONE FROM 8% TO 3.5 TO 2.5. RIGHT. THIS MORNING, THERE ARE 400 FORECLOSURES BEING SOLD ON THE COURTHOUSE STEPS, THE MOST IN YEARS.

THE NEW HOME SALES WERE DOWN 20% IN THE LAST MONTH.

REVENUE COLLECTION IS DOWN ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THE IRS REVENUE COLLECTION IS DOWN 35%. THERE ARE SOME INDICATION WE HAVEN'T NECESSARILY SWEPT THE TAX APPRAISAL FOR PEOPLE DOING DOUBLE HOMESTEADS OR OTHER THINGS THAT ARE ACTUALLY NOT PERMISSIBLE UNDER THE LAW, AND WE MAY SQUEEGEE UP, AS COMMISSIONER ELIZONDO USED TO SAY, WE MAY SQUEEGEE UP SOME MONEY IF WE DO A REAL DEEP DIVE INTO THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES.

SO THE DEBT MAY BECOME EVEN GREATER. THE DEFICIT, I SHOULD SAY, OF, OF REVENUE MAY BECOME MORE ACUTE THAN WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY PROJECTING. AND THE HOUSING INSECURITY IS ON THE COURTHOUSE STEPS RIGHT NOW AND ONLY SEEMINGLY GETTING WORSE. I THINK 2027 IS GOING TO BE EVEN WORSE THAN 2026.

I AM VERY CONCERNED. SO IN ESSENCE, WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY, DAVID, IS THAT TO THE HOMEOWNER, IT IS YOUR YOUR IMPACT ON YOUR HOME. IF WE DID THE 0.030 IS THEORETICALLY GOING TO BE THE SAME DEPENDING ON THE VALUE. SO LET ME JUST GIVE THIS CAVEAT.

IF THE VALUE OF FORECLOSURES IS UP, IF THE VALUE OF HOME SALES IS 20% DOWN, YOUR VALUE ACTUALLY MAY GO DOWN.

IF THIS TREND CONTINUES AND THE REVENUE TO THE COUNTY ALSO MAY GO DOWN.

IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE EXPERIENCED THIS YEAR.

EXISTING VALUES. RIGHT. OKAY. SO I THINK THE COURT IS, IS MOVING IN A DIRECTION OF TACTICS. I VOTED FOR 16 TAX CUTS. IT'S A TACTIC, BUT WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE STRATEGY.

WHAT DO WE WANT TO FUND? DO WE WANT TO FUND RAISES? DO WE WANT TO FUND THE 85% OF NON-DISCRETIONARY FUNDING WE HAVE TO FUND? WHAT DO WE WANT TO FUND AN INFRASTRUCTURE? AND IF WE'RE FACING A WHAT, DAVID, 40 MILLION POTENTIAL DEFICIT BASED UPON YOUR ESTIMATES AND WE DON'T BEGIN TO SHORE UP OUR ACTUAL REVENUE, I'M NOT SURE WHEN WE GET THE SERVICES, THE RAISES, THE THINGS THAT A LOT OF FOLKS ARE EXPECTING WITH THE COST OF LIVING, INTEREST RATES ARE ABOUT TO GO UP LIKELY IN A MONTH HERE.

THAT MAY MEAN HOME SALES SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE, CREDIT ISSUES, SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE.

OUR JP COURTS ARE SEEING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CREDIT CARD DELINQUENCIES BEING CALLED.

IT'S A DOMINO EFFECT IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET. SO I BELIEVE THAT GOING WITH THE 0.309043 RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY NOT INCREASE TO THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER BECAUSE OF THESE DEFLATIONARY TRENDS IN OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND IN OUR MARKET. AND I THINK IT HELPS PREVENT US FROM HAVING DOUBLE YEARS OF BUDGET ISSUES.

SO I WANT TO JUST LAY THAT FOR CONSIDERATION FOR THE COURT, BECAUSE WE AS A COURT ARE NOW IN A POSITION OF SAYING WE JUST WE WANT TO FUND WHAT WE WANT TO FUND, OR WE'RE NOT GOING TO FUND A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE USED TO FUND, AND IT'S GOING TO WIND UP BEING ALL KINDS OF CRISES OF PEOPLE COMING TO THE COURT AND US SAYING, SORRY, WE CAN'T HELP YOU. WE KNOW THE CITY IS IN A WORSE CIRCUMSTANCE, SO THEY'RE GOING TO COME TO THE COUNTY MORE AND MORE PRESSURE.

[01:30:02]

I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT. BUT WE ARE ACTING LIKE BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO WHEN NETFLIX IS IN THE HOUSE, AND I JUST WANT TO HAVE THAT FOR CONSIDERATION FOR OUR COLLEAGUES.

COMMISSIONER MOODY WELL, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE THE VARIOUS OPINIONS HERE ON THE COURT, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I HIGHLIGHT SOME, SOME SPECIFIC POINTS FOR, FOR YEARS.

RIGHT. ELECTEDS HAVE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT RAISING YOUR TAXES, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT THE APPRAISED VALUE OF OUR HOMES HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND WE HAVE PAID MORE IN PROPERTY TAXES YEAR OVER YEAR FOR A DECADE OR MORE. RIGHT. SOME OF THOSE YEARS BEING EXTENSIVE INCREASES.

WE'RE FINALLY SEEING THE REVERSE SITUATION PLAY OUT, WHERE WE ARE SEEING ACTUAL DECREASE ON AVERAGE IN PROPERTY VALUATIONS. BUT NOW WE WANT TO HAVE IT A DIFFERENT WAY.

AND WE WANT TO SAY, WELL, IN THIS CASE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO TO RAISE THE TAX RATE TO BALANCE THIS OUT.

SO WE STILL GET OUR MONEY. AND I THINK THAT'S PRETTY HARD TO STOMACH FOR MOST, MOST HOMEOWNERS OUT THERE BECAUSE WE'RE WE'RE SWITCHING THE NARRATIVE.

AND SO I'M VERY ADAMANT ABOUT ABOUT HOLDING THE CURRENT TAX RATE.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE REALIZE THAT WAS IT $303 MILLION.

THE RESERVE NUMBER. OR WAS THAT LAST YEAR. OH THAT WAS LAST YEAR.

THIS YEAR'S TWO LIKE 252 80. BETWEEN THAT JUST UNDER 300 MILLION.

SO STILL A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESERVES OVER AND ABOVE OF THE 15% RESERVES THAT WAS RECOMMENDED, WHICH IS ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT'S REQUIRED. AND, YOU KNOW, ALSO EVEN WITHIN THIS BUDGET, THERE'S A LOT OF FUNDS PUT WITHIN CONTINGENCIES THAT I THINK WE STILL YOU KNOW, HAVE TO HAVE SOME TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AS A COURT.

BUT I THINK SOME OF THOSE NEED TO GO AWAY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS TO, TO GET TOWARDS BALANCE, RIGHT BETWEEN OUR REVENUES AND OUR EXPENSES AS A COUNTY.

WE HAVE TO WORK IN THAT DIRECTION. AND SO YOU KNOW, WE WILL SEE WHAT THE COMING YEARS BRING.

BUT RIGHT NOW I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE IN MAINTAINING THE CURRENT TAX RATE AND KNOWING THAT THAT MAY FORCE US TO MAKE SOME TOUGH DECISIONS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE AS A COURT ABOUT WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE.

AND THIS FALL, TALKING ABOUT OUR CAPITAL PLAN AND WHAT PROJECTS NEED TO BE REPURPOSED WITHIN OUR INDIVIDUAL PRECINCTS AND COUNTYWIDE, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO HAVE CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ROADS AND FLOOD AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE NOT ON THE CAPITAL PLAN TODAY.

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THAT. BUT AT THIS POINT, I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT, AND I THINK WE OWE IT TO HOMEOWNERS TO HOLD THE LINE HERE.

AND MAYBE THEY'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO FINALLY SEE A DECREASE IN THEIR BEXAR COUNTY TAX CONTRIBUTION THIS NEXT FY.

BUT I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT FOR THE RECORD.

THANK YOU JUDGE. YOU KNOW, I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL ACKNOWLEDGE COMMISSIONER CALVERT'S POINTS.

I THINK HE AND I HAD A CONVERSATION YESTERDAY ABOUT THAT.

BUT ALSO TO PUT IN CONTEXT A LITTLE BIT, I THINK MOST OF US HERE ON THE DAIS HAVE LIVED THROUGH THE LAST FEW PRETTY PRETTY ROBUST YEARS AT THE COUNTY, WE HAD SIGNIFICANT GROWTH YEAR OVER YEAR.

IT'S SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK MY COMFORT LEVEL IN IN KEEPING IT AT THE CURRENT TAX RATE IS I THINK WE'VE YET TO LIVE THROUGH THESE LEAN TIMES WHERE WE HAVE TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR OWN SPENDING AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT THESE MOMENTS CALL FOR BEFORE WE ASK OUR CITIZENS TO TO PUT IN MORE.

SO IT IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH 12 TO 24 MONTHS.

AND I THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THAT CONVERSATION, I THINK, TO COMMISSIONER MOODY'S POINT.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, THE FLOOD CONTROL NEEDS ARE GROWING IN A GROWING COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE MORE THAN LIKELY SOME KIND OF TAX RATE INCREASE THAT MAYBE THE CITIZENS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON.

I THINK THAT'S COMING IN 2027. SO YOU KNOW, I THINK MY COMFORT LEVEL TODAY IS KEEPING THE TAX RATE WHERE IT IS,

[01:35:05]

I THINK EVEN THOUGH WE WERE LIVING THROUGH SOME PRETTY ROBUST YEARS PUTTING THE AMOUNT WE PUT AWAY IN OUR RAINY DAY FUND, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM HAS REALLY HELPED.

AND NOT JUST BOND RATING, BUT IT'S HELPED IN TIMES LIKE LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR WHERE WE HAD TO KIND OF DIP INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT.

SO SO I THINK THE, AND THIS IS NOT KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.

I THINK THE CONVERSATION IS MOVING FORWARD TODAY.

HOW DO WE BECOME, HOW DO WE LOOK AT OURSELVES AND REFLECT ON WAYS WE CAN BECOME MORE EFFICIENT WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE DO MORE THAN HOPE, BUT PLAN FOR SOME LEAN YEARS AHEAD.

SO THAT IS MY POSITION, JUDGE AND COLLEAGUES.

AGAIN, I THINK EVERYBODY HAS A VALID POINT, BUT I THINK AT THE SAME TIME UNTIL WE'VE HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR OWN ORGANIZATION IN THIS MOMENT IN TIME, NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH I THINK WE OWE IT TO NOT JUST OURSELVES TO, BUT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS TO DO THAT BEFORE WE ASK THEM TO CARRY A FURTHER BURDEN.

THANK YOU. JUDGE. JUDGE COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES.

SO AS A PRODUCT OF SA ISD AND LIVING IN SA ISD AND AS A FORMER PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATOR, WHENEVER THERE IS SOMETHING ON THE BALLOT TO FOR BONDS, FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR SCHOOLS, I ALWAYS VOTE YES TO RAISE MY TAXES BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION.

AND THAT WAS WAY BEFORE THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION IS CUTTING AND CUTTING PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

THAT BEING SAID, IN GENERAL, NO ONE WANTS TO RAISE TAXES.

SO I THINK THAT I AM GOING TO BE IN AGREEMENT TO KEEP THE TAX RATE AT WHAT IT CURRENTLY IS. HOWEVER, WE REALLY DO NEED TO LOOK INTO WHAT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING IN THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS.

SO ONE OF YOUR SLIDES, SLIDES EIGHT TALKED ABOUT THERE'S AN OPTION TO INCREASE THE TAX RATE FOR VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATE.

SO I THINK I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE THAT IF WE DO DECIDE TO RAISE THE TAX RATE WE RAISE IT NOT NECESSARILY AT THE NO NEW TAX RATE, BUT WE ACTUALLY RAISE IT WITH THE BLESSING OF VOTERS SO THAT PERHAPS IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, IF THE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO, TO GO DOWNWARD, THAT THEN THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, TO OUR VOTERS, AND THEN OUR VOTERS DECIDE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. DAVID, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ONE THING.

I THINK WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE 0.030 RATE, WE HAD JUST MENTIONED THAT THE FORMULA FROM THE LEGISLATURE WOULD NOT IT WOULD NOT INCREASE THE NET TAXES OF THE OF THE VOTER.

CORRECT. OR OF THE OF THE HOMEOWNER, I SHOULD SAY.

YES. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT AT THE LEGISLATURE, THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, BECAUSE ONCE YOU TAKE OUT NEW CONSTRUCTION, IT TRIES TO APPROXIMATE OR CALCULATE HOW MUCH YOU RAISED OFF THE SAME PROPERTIES LAST YEARS YOU'LL RAISE THIS YEAR, AND IT EQUATES THE TWO. OKAY. SO SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY THAT COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN I CALL FOR THE 0.30, IT'S NOT A IT'S NOT AN INCREASE.

IT'S IT'S TO THE HOMEOWNER. IT'S THAT'S I MEAN, IN THEORY, YES, IN THEORY, BUT BUT PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, THAT COULD BE A DIFFERENT MATTER. WE CANNOT GUARANTEE ANYONE THAT THEIR BILL WON'T GO UP.

WELL, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO END UP MAKING THAT THEORY PRETTY SOUND.

AS AN ECONOMICS GUY, WHEN I LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, 20% LOSS IN SALES INTEREST RATES UP, WHICH IS GOING TO DECREASE SALES, PROPERTY VALUES DEVALUED, ALL OF THOSE SIGNS SAY VALUES WILL GO DOWN. YOU WILL HAVE A MUCH STRONGER ARGUMENT AT THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT.

IF YOU SAY MY NEIGHBOR COULDN'T SELL HIS HOUSE.

THAT MEANS YOUR VALUE IS PROBABLY GOING DOWN.

ALL THE DATA WOULD INDICATE THAT 400 FORECLOSURES ON THE COURTHOUSE TODAY, CREDIT ISSUES UP TODAY.

SO LOOK, THESE ONLY THESE THINGS ONLY ARE GOING TO GET HARDER.

THE CONCERN I HAD REALLY WAS FOR COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS FOR A LOT OF OUR COUNTY EMPLOYEES.

[01:40:01]

INFLATION IS ABOUT TO GET WORSE WITH THOSE CREDIT CARD INTEREST RATES GOING UP AND ENERGY COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP.

SO MY HOPE WAS THAT WE WOULDN'T GET TO WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I CAME ON THE COURT 12 YEARS AGO, WHICH WAS WE WERE WE WERE BEHIND ON WAGES. WE HAD TO CATCH UP.

WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE USED TO HAVE AN 8% VALUE.

BUT THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T CALCULATED.

NUMBER ONE, WE'RE ASSUMING THAT THE LEGISLATURE WON'T GET RID OF THE INCREMENTS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BANK.

THEY COULD GET RID OF THAT IN THE NEXT SESSION.

HOPEFULLY THEY WON'T, BUT THAT'S VERY POSSIBLE.

THE 2.5 IS GOING TO BE A REAL BUZZKILL TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO I KNOW A LOT OF OUR OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE ON THE STREETS, THE WAGE INCREASES. WELL, THE LEGISLATURE IS 51% OF YOUR TAX BILL.

BEXAR COUNTY IS 17%. 17% OF YOUR TAX BILL. SO WE ARE NOT THE ONES THAT ARE IN 100 POINT SCALE GOING TO CAUSE THAT. SO I WILL IF THERE'S NOT THE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S NOT THE VOTES ON THE COURT TO DO IT.

I CAN SUPPORT THE MOTION, BUT THIS WILL BE A VERY CONSEQUENTIAL VOTE FOR NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

AND THE AND THE AND THE WINDS THAT ARE ABOUT TO HAPPEN ARE NOT IN OUR FAVOR AT THIS POINT.

ANY FURTHER ANY FURTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? LET ME CLOSE WITH MY OPINION.

AS COUNTY JUDGE FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, WE'VE HELD THE LINE ON THE PROPERTY TAX RATE.

WE KNOW THAT WHEN THINGS ARE GOING GOOD AND PROPERTY VALUES GO UP, OUR REVENUE GOES UP.

THAT'S THE REASON WHY THE TAXPAYERS CONTINUE TO COMPLAIN BECAUSE THEIR TAXES GO UP.

ALTHOUGH OUR TAX RATE STAYS THE SAME, IF NOT BEEN REDUCED IN THE PAST, I WOULD LOVE TO BE IN ROBUST TIMES WHERE WE COULD REDUCE THE TAX. AND IN THE FUTURE, I'D ASK THE COURT TO DO THAT IN ORDER TO GIVE THE TAXPAYERS TRUE TAX RELIEF.

TODAY, WE'VE HAD A ROBUST DISCUSSION IN WHICH I MUCH APPRECIATE BECAUSE I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO UNDERSTAND.

I WANT THE STAFF TO UNDERSTAND. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT THESE DECISIONS ARE IN THIS CURRENT BUDGET YEAR. WE BELIEVE THAT SOME POSITIONS WILL BE LOST.

WE'LL HAVE TO TELL SOME EMPLOYEES WE HAVE. WE'LL DO OUR VERY BEST TO FIND POSITIONS FOR YOU.

BUT SOME POSITIONS WILL BE CUT, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT WERE FUNDED BY FEDERAL FUNDS CALLED ARPA.

THAT WILL HAPPEN. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE COST OF LIVING.

AND YOU'RE RIGHT. COMMISSIONER CALVERT. OUR EMPLOYEES DESERVE THAT.

BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER DISCUSSION ON OUR HEALTH PLAN.

AND WE'RE GOING TO HOLD THE LINE, SO TO SPEAK, ON WHAT THOSE PREMIUMS ARE AND WHAT COST OF DEDUCTIBLES AND CO-PAYMENTS ARE GOING TO BE.

THAT'S THE COST THAT THE COUNTY IS ABSORBING IN THIS BUDGET.

SO WE'RE DOING OUR VERY BEST TO PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES.

I BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION FOR THE RETIREES.

I WOULD LOVE AND I'VE MET WITH THEM. THEY DESERVE A PAY RAISE TO COMMISSIONERS.

BUT IF OUR EMPLOYEES CAN'T GET ONE, WELL, OBVIOUSLY I'M HAVING DIFFICULTIES SAYING THE RETIREES, ALTHOUGH AGAIN, LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR. THEY HAVE COST OF LIVING ISSUES TOO.

AND, COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, YOU'RE RIGHT. 85% OF OUR BUDGET GOES TO BASIC SERVICES.

SO WE CAN'T COMPROMISE AND CUT BASIC SERVICES, ESPECIALLY WITH SITUATIONS.

THE DISASTER THAT HAS HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEKEND, THE COUNTY MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO STEP UP AND PROVIDE FOR ITS CITIZENS, ESPECIALLY WHEN BASIC SERVICES SUCH AS FOOD, HOUSING, HEALTH CARE ARE SO IMPORTANT.

SO COMMISSIONER CALVERT. I GET YOUR ANALOGY OF BLOCKBUSTER TO NETFLIX AND I ACCEPT IT, BUT I ALSO WANT TO PUSH BACK AND SAY, IF WE DON'T MAKE THE CHANGES NECESSARY IN ORDER TO BECOME THE MOST LEAN AND MEAN,

[01:45:07]

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ISSUES. SO I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT BECAUSE IN MY FOUR YEARS AS COUNTY JUDGE, WE TOOK AN AUSTERE POSITION TO THE BUDGET, EVEN THOUGH IN THOSE BETTER TIMES WE COULD HAVE EASILY INCREASED AND DONE MORE.

BUT LET ME REMIND EVERYBODY, WE ADJUSTED SALARIES FOR MOST OF THE EMPLOYEES, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. I KNOW THAT WE DID OUR VERY BEST FOR THE DEPUTIES.

I KNOW WE VERY DID DID OUR VERY BEST FOR THE CONSTABLE DEPUTIES.

WE HAVE PROVIDED THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WITH ALL THE RESOURCES THEY NEED.

WE'RE DOING OUR VERY BEST TO MAKE SURE OUR BEXAR COUNTY JAIL IS A COMPASSIONATE PLACE.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE PUBLICITY IT GETS. AND SO I UNDERSTAND.

SO MY VIEW IS. THAT IT'S NOT A BLOCKBUSTER VERSUS NETFLIX.

IT'S THAT IF WE DON'T CONTINUE TO BE MINDFUL OF OUR MANDATORY DUTIES, THEN YEAH, WE WILL BE BLOCKBUSTER. WE'LL GO OUT OF BUSINESS.

BUT WITH THE STEPS THAT WE'VE TAKEN THESE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND WHAT WE'RE TAKING TODAY IS A CLEAR SIGNAL TO THE TAXPAYERS THAT WE ARE MINDFUL OF THE MONEY THEY THEY GIVE TO US AND THAT WE'RE GOOD STEWARDS.

WE'RE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE DISAGREEMENTS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ROBUST DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY.

BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS DONE ITS BEST TO PUT A AUSTERE BUDGET THAT ALSO IS COMPASSIONATE, TAKES CARE OF PEOPLE. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYBODY, BUT THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE UNLESS WE INCREASE THE TAX RATE.

AND I GET THE FACT THAT THE NO NEW TAX REVENUE CAN BE CONSTRUED AS A NO NEW AS A NOT A TAX RATE INCREASE.

BUT I'M SORRY, I'M A LAWYER AND I'M A FORMER JUDGE.

THAT'S NOT BEING STRAIGHT. IT IS A TAX INCREASE.

THEREFORE, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS MOTION. I'LL BE READY TO TAKE THE CRITICISMS OR THE COMMENTS OF HOW MUCH MORE WE HAVE TO DO.

I'VE HEARD IT OVER THIS PAST WEEKEND. WHY ARE WE DOING MORE FOR OUR CITIZENS AND OUR COMMUNITY? BUT LET ME ALSO REMIND EVERYBODY WHY I'M PROUD OF BEXAR COUNTY, WHY I'M PROUD TO BE YOUR COUNTY JUDGE, BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, OUR COLLEGE DISTRICTS, EVERYBODY, OUR SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY, EVERYBODY IS INCREASING THEIR TAX RATE.

SO WITH THIS VOTE, A FAVORABLE VOTE, WE ARE NOT.

AND I THINK THAT'S A POWERFUL POSITIVE MESSAGE THAT IF YOU TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS, IF YOU MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, YOU CAN GET THROUGH THESE TOUGH TIMES. AND I HAVE NO DOUBT, NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT GOOD TIMES ARE GOING TO COME, THAT WE HOPEFULLY HAVE BOTTOMED OUT, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE NEW INDUSTRIES COMING INTO SOUTH SIDE, ESPECIALLY PRECINCT ONE AND PRECINCT FOUR. WE ARE A GROWING COMMUNITY, A GROWING ECONOMY, AND WE'VE MADE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, AND I'M PROUD OF THIS COURT.

AND I THINK TODAY IS A VOTE TO MOVE THE COUNTY IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY, IN A VERY TOUGH WAY.

BUT IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION TO KEEP THE TAX RATE AT 0.29999.

DID I GET THAT RIGHT? ONE MORE NINE. ALL RIGHT.

IS THERE ANY ONE MORE NIGHT. ALL RIGHT. WHATEVER NINES ARE IN THERE.

RIGHT. SO IS THERE ANY FURTHER COMMENT. OTHERWISE I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE.

AT THIS TIME I WANT TO CALL FOR ROLL CALL. COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES.

YES. COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ COMMISSIONER MOODE COMMISSIONER CALVERT COUNTY JUDGE VOTES I.

THIS IS A UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED MOTION. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

I HOPE THE PUBLIC WILL APPRECIATE THE TOUGH DECISION THAT THIS COURT JUST MADE.

ALL RIGHT. PRESENTATION. LET'S SEE. PRESENTATION.

[6.b. 9:45 a.m.: Presentation, discussion and appropriate action regarding the Workforce Solutions-Alamo 2026-2027 program year budget. ]

[01:50:05]

OH, MARSHALL, ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE PRESENTATION? I'LL JUST BE OPENING. ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS MARSHALL HOPE, COORDINATOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR BEXAR COUNTY. I'M ALSO THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO'S COMMITTEE OF SIX.

TODAY WE HAVE THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 2027.

I WILL INVITE ADRIAN LOPEZ, CEO OF WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO, TO MAKE HIS PRESENTATION.

THANK YOU MARSHALL. GOOD MORNING JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THIS NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.

JUST AS A REMINDER, OUR MISSION VALUES AND ENVISION YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO STRIVE FOR THIS EVERY DAY IN THE 13 COUNTIES THAT WE SERVE RUNNING A 16 CAREER CENTERS AS WELL AS OUR MOBILE UNIT.

JUST BY WAY OF SORT OF A SUMMARY ABOUT WHAT WE DO.

WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A WHOLE COLLECTION OF FUNDING SOURCES, ABOUT 30 DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES RUN A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. BUT IN A NUTSHELL, WE'RE TEXAS TALENT EXPERTS WHERE WE PLAY A UNIQUE AND PIVOTAL ROLE TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT TALENT TO EMPLOYERS AND CONNECT JOB SEEKERS TO EMPLOYERS.

WE'RE ALSO SERVICE OPTIMIZERS BY WORKING CLOSELY WITH EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE A NUMBER OF SERVICES, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE JOB FAIRS, POSTING SPECIAL GRANTS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.

WE'RE ALSO PARTNERSHIP MANAGERS, WHICH IS WE WORK CLOSELY WITH NONPROFITS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, WORK WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, WORK WITH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND SO THAT THOSE PARTNERSHIPS ARE SUPER CRITICAL TO THE WORK THAT WE DO.

THESE ARE SOME INITIAL OR NUMBERS THAT'S BASED ON SORT OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED THROUGH MAY.

SO SO FAR IN OUR 16 CAREER CENTERS, WE HAD ABOUT 64,000 FOLKS THAT COME TO US.

SOME OF THEM MAY COME TO US JUST TO DO SOME LIGHT WORK, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, RESUME WRITING, JOB SEARCH, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. OUR CENTERS ARE SUPER CRITICAL FOR WHEN SOMEBODY, FOR EXAMPLE, IS BEING LAID OFF. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LAST FEW MONTHS WE'VE HAD SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF AN INCREASE IN THAT, AND I'LL GO OVER THAT IN A SUBSEQUENT SLIDE. BUT THESE CENTERS ARE CRITICAL FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO WHEN THEY DO FIND THEMSELVES IN THAT SITUATION.

TODAY WE HAVE ABOUT 2000 OR SO REGISTERED JOB SEEKERS.

WE'VE PROVIDED OVER 100,000 UNITS OF SERVICES.

CERTAINLY, THIS IS NOT AN ALL ENCOMPASSING OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE DONE SUCCESSFULLY IS CONTINUOUSLY PROVIDED TEACHER EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

TO DATE, THAT'S OVER 700 TEACHERS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.

THAT'S CRITICAL IN TERMS OF US BEING ABLE TO CONNECT TEACHERS TO REAL WORLD WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

WE ALSO SERVE 13,000 CHILDREN ON A DAILY BASIS THROUGH OUR CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES.

UNFORTUNATELY, NEXT YEAR THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO BE REDUCED BY PROBABLY ABOUT 2000.

BUT WE ALSO WORK CLOSELY ALONGSIDE CHILD CARE PROVIDERS THROUGHOUT THE REGION, INCLUDING HELPING THEM WITH THEIR TEXAS RISING STAR.

HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE'VE HAD OUR NINTH CONSECUTIVE CLEAN AUDIT.

SO WHILE THE DOLLARS CONTINUE TO BE AT A HIGH RATE, SO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS ABOUT $195 MILLION.

WE CONTINUE TO ADMINISTER THOSE IN A SAFE MANNER.

WE HOSTED OUR SECOND ANNUAL IMPACT AWARDS. RAISED SOME SOME DOLLARS THERE.

HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THE OUTGOING JUDGES.

HAPPY ABOUT THAT? SOME. SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THE CHILD CARE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH NOT ONLY STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, BUT ALSO WE WORK CLOSELY WITH CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.

SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE MADE, FOR EXAMPLE, ALMOST $1 MILLION INTO YOU KNOW, CHILD CARE. I'M SORRY, $1 MILLION TO BE ABLE TO SORT OF ADDRESS TEXAS RISING STAR, RIGHT.

SO THIS ALLOWS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS TO CHARGE A LITTLE BIT MORE AND TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROGRAM BECAUSE BY LAW, WE CAN ONLY INVEST IN CHILD CARE PROVIDERS AT OUR QUALITIES.

AND SO WE'VE HELPED THEM OUT ON A NUMBER OF THINGS, INCLUDING SOME WAGE SUPPLEMENT SUPPORT, ABOUT $914,000. THEY'RE PROVIDED ABOUT 73 RETENTION BONUSES.

SO THIS IS CRITICAL FOR TEACHERS TO WHO ARE, YOU KNOW YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY LOOKING AT MOVING OUT OF THE CHILD CARE INDUSTRY, SOME OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON THE CHILD CARE CDA ASSESSMENTS.

WE INVESTED INTO THINGS LIKE INCENTIVES TO COVER FEES FOR PEOPLE TO GET THEIR CREDENTIALS OTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING 63 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE PROVIDED YOU KNOW, THROUGH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT. SO THESE ARE MAY'S NUMBERS.

TODAY'S NUMBER IS ABOUT 4.7%. SO WE SHOULD BE SITTING HISTORICALLY AT AROUND THREE, 3.5%.

[01:55:02]

ANYTHING ABOVE 4.5%, YOU'RE PROBABLY IN A LITTLE BIT OF A ROUGH PATCH.

SO WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING THAT OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

BUT AGAIN, THIS MAKES OUR SERVICES THAT MUCH MORE CRITICAL TO ENSURING THAT WE'RE WORKING ALONGSIDE EMPLOYERS TO HELP THEIR AFFECTED EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO WORKING ALONGSIDE INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS.

AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR WORKFORCE ONE UNIT.

I'M PRETTY PROUD OF THAT. THAT IS OUR MOBILE UNIT THAT WE'VE TAKEN ACROSS THE REGION.

LAST YEAR, THIS MOBILE UNIT WAS SUPER CRITICAL IN TERMS OF THE FLOODS THAT WERE HAPPENING IN KERRVILLE AND THE HILL COUNTRY, BECAUSE WE WERE TAKING IT RIGHT TO THE DISASTER AREA.

SO THIS HALF $1 MILLION INVESTMENT HAS YIELDED US SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE CUSTOMERS THROUGHOUT THE REGION AND INCLUDING EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE SOME MORE DETAIL ON THE ACTUAL BUDGET. I'M GOING TO BRING UP GABBY, OUR CFO.

GOOD MORNING. OUR FEDERAL FUNDING HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE FISCAL YEAR 2022, REACHING APPROXIMATELY 153 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2027, WHERE WE REFLECT A DECREASE OF $1 MILLION, OR POINT 7% DECREASE COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 26.

THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE REDUCTIONS IN CHILD CARE AND WIOA DISLOCATED WORKER FUNDING.

IN CONTRAST, ADULT AND YOUTH SERVICES FUNDING SAW SMALL INCREASES.

THE INITIAL BUDGET IS BASED ON TWC FUNDING ESTIMATES, ANTICIPATED CARRYOVER FUNDS AND HISTORICAL SPENDING PATTERNS.

ACTUAL FUNDING LEVELS WILL BE UPDATED THROUGH FUTURE BUDGET AMENDMENTS AS CONTRACTS AND CARRYOVER BALANCES ARE FINALIZED.

THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2027 BUDGET TOTALS $195,380,770 COMPARED TO THE INITIAL FY 2016 BUDGET. THERE IS A 1.6% INCREASE, OR $3 MILLION, COMPARED TO THE BUDGET AMENDMENT ONE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026. THERE IS A DECREASE OF 2.2%, OR 4.4 MILLION.

THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF OVERALL DECREASE IS THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, WHICH REFLECTS THE REDUCTION OF APPROXIMATELY 2.3 MILLION COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 26.

SERVICE DELIVERY, INCLUDING RESERVES AND SPECIAL INITIATIVES, ACCOUNTS FOR 91.8% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET, WHERE WORKFORCE CENTER FACILITIES REPRESENTS 3.5% OF THE BUDGET, AND CORPORATE COSTS REPRESENTS 4.7%.

A BREAKDOWN OF OUR BUDGET FOR CORPORATE COSTS.

WE HAVE PERSONNEL WHERE SALARIES, COST OF LIVING AND PERFORMANCE AWARDS ARE BUDGETED AT AN INCREASE OF 60 63,530, OR 1.1.5 PERCENT IN FY 27. IN FRINGE BENEFITS, WE HAVE AN INCREASE OF 111,000, OR 9.9%, COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 26, WHICH IS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE HEALTH INSURANCE ESTIMATE RATE INCREASES.

A STAFF TRAVEL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT HAS A DECREASE OF 42,000 TO HELP OFFSET HIGHER PERSONNEL AND BENEFIT COSTS.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WE PROJECTED A DECREASE OF 24.3% OR $412,000.

THIS DECREASE REFLECTS REDUCTIONS IN TEMP AND TEMPORARY STAFFING AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE BOARD OFFICE RELOCATION.

THE CURRENT BOARD OFFICE LEASE EXPIRES IN MARCH OF 2027, SO THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET INCLUDES 631,500 FOR POTENTIAL RELOCATION RELOCATION RELATED EXPENSES, WHICH WILL SUPPORT MOVING COSTS, FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT.

THE OVERALL CORPORATE COSTS ARE PROJECTED TO DECREASE BY 124,000, OR 1.4%, EXCLUDING THE RELOCATION EXPENSES.

BOARD OFFICE RELOCATION RESULTS IN AN INCREASE OF 507,000, OR 5.8%, IN CORPORATE EXPENSES IF RELOCATION DOES NOT OCCUR.

THESE FUNDS WILL BE REDIRECTED TO SERVICE DELIVERY.

FOR A FACILITY BUDGET, WE ARE PROJECTING AN INCREASE OF $357,000, OR 5.6%, WHERE THE BOARD CONTINUES TO OPERATE AND SUPPORT 16 WORKFORCE CENTERS ACROSS THE ALAMO REGION AND A WORKFORCE ONE MOBILE UNIT.

WE ALSO BUDGETED A FACILITY RELOCATION FOR 62,000.

MOBILE UNIT BUDGET INCREASED BY 65 TO INCLUDE A CONTRACTED CDL BUS DRIVER THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILE UNIT, AND $152,000 CONTINGENCY FOR UNFORESEEN MAINTENANCE NEEDS.

FOR SPECIAL INITIATIVES AND RESERVES, THE BUDGET INCLUDES 616,000 FOR SPECIAL INITIATIVES AND WORKFORCE CENTER EVENTS.

FUNDING SUPPORTS THE RATE WIDEN YOU CAREERS IN TEXAS SUMMER EARN AND LEARN PROGRAM TEACHER EXTERNSHIP,

[02:00:03]

THE RESERVE IS CURRENTLY BUDGETED AT 13.1 1 MILLION, WHERE MOST OF THE RESERVE IS CHILD CARE FUNDING OF APPROXIMATELY 12.9 MILLION.

RESERVES REMAIN AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS UNEXPECTED CONTINGENCIES AND MULTIYEAR FUNDING OBLIGATIONS.

FOR SERVICE DELIVERY. THE INITIAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 WAS 164 MILLION, WHICH IS 1.2 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FY 2027. HOWEVER, COMPARED TO THE BUDGET FOR FY 26 AMENDMENT, THERE IS A 4.5 MILLION INCREASE. THE SERVICE DELIVERY IS PROJECTED TO BE A DECREASE OF ABOUT 2.5%, AS I SAID, COMPARED TO AMENDMENT OF FY 26. WE'RE READY TO WORK.

HAS A DECREASE OF 2.4 MILLION DUE TO A ONE YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION.

AND CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SCHOOLS CHILD CARE HAS A DECREASE OF 446,971, WHERE THE INITIAL FUNDING ESTIMATES REFLECT REDUCTIONS BOTH IN CHILD CARE SERVICES AND CHILD CARE QUALITY FUNDING.

THESE ESTIMATES ARE BASED ON CURRENT FUNDING TRENDS AND GUIDANCE PROVIDED BY THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION.

WIOA AND OTHER FORMULA FUNDED GRANTS INCLUDE DISLOCATED WORKER, WHICH REFLECTS A DECREASE IN FUNDING WHERE OVERALL TWC ESTIMATES SEVERAL GRANTS INDICATE A FUNDING REDUCTION OF ABOUT 0.7%. THE SERVICE DELIVERY BUDGET DECREASE INCLUDES THE $631,500 SET ASIDE FOR POTENTIAL BOARD RELOCATION, BUT IF THE RELOCATION DOES NOT OCCUR, THESE FUNDS WILL BE REDIRECTED DIRECTLY TO SUPPORT SERVICES.

NEXT, WE HAVE THE SERVICE DELIVERY BY COUNTY ALLOCATION, WHICH IS PREPARED UTILIZING THE TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE.

CHAPTER 800 METHODOLOGIES AND FACTORS PROVIDED BY THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION.

THE FY 27 BUDGET CONTINUES TO REFLECT THE ESTABLISHED ALLOCATION PATTERN OF APPROXIMATELY 2.64% FOR THE URBAN COMMUNITIES AND 17.36% FOR THE RURAL COMMUNITIES. NEXT, WE HAVE A TIMELINE OF THE BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS, WHERE WE START WITH THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE AND WORK FOR SOLUTIONS.

ALAMO. AFTER THE BEXAR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT TODAY, WE'LL HAVE THE AREA OF JUDGES MEETING AND THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL.

NEXT STEPS. WE'RE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL FOR THE FY 27 ANNUAL BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $195,380,770.

I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL, AND I HAVE QUESTIONS.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. SO CAN WE GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE? MY SLIDES ARE ACTUALLY NOT NUMBERED. THE AREA JUDGES YOU SAID HAVE TO APPROVE ON AUGUST 26TH, WHICH IS WHICH WAS LAST WEEK. YEAH. THESE ARE SLIDES WERE WERE SUBMITTED SOME TIME BACK.

THAT DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO, I BELIEVE SEPTEMBER 23RD.

OKAY. I JUST WANT FOR THE RECORD TO REFLECT ACCURACY.

SO THERE ARE NO ISSUES BECAUSE I KNOW LAST YEAR WE HAD TO HAVE LIKE A LAST MINUTE MEETING BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME DIFFERENCES.

YEAH. AND THERE IS ANOTHER CHANGE AS WELL, BECAUSE JUST YESTERDAY WE WERE AT THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE WITH THE CITY AND THEY BUMPED US.

SO WE'RE NOW GOING BACK ON SEPTEMBER 16TH. SO OKAY, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE Y'ALL GET THIS.

YES, MA'AM. ACCURATE AND DONE. THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH MY OFFICE ABOUT MY CONCERNS ABOUT CHILD CARE.

SO WHY IS THERE A DECREASE IN CHILD CARE SERVICES AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE TO HELP? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S AS WE CONTINUE TO GET MORE AND MORE TEXAS RISING STAR PROVIDERS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON WAY BEFORE I WAS COMMISSIONER.

BUT WITH THAT, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE TO HELP PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR, I GUESS, THE SMALLER CHILD CARE SERVICES WHO AREN'T CERTIFIED. YEAH. WELL, THE FUNDS ARE SPLIT INTO TWO DIFFERENT FUNDS.

ONE IS THE MAJOR SUBSIDIES. THAT'S ABOUT 130 MILLION OR SO.

AND THEN ABOUT ANOTHER $9 MILLION. IT ACTUALLY GOES INTO QUALITY.

SO THE QUALITY IS REALLY NOT BEING AFFECTED. IT'S MOSTLY ON SORT OF THE FUNDING IS STILL SORT OF KIND OF THE SAME.

THERE'S GOT SOME REDUCTIONS. BUT BY AND LARGE, WE'RE STILL HAVE WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO CHILD CARE CENTERS, BUT ISN'T GOING TO BE IT, DOESN'T THAT MEAN IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE WAITING LIST? SO ON THE SUBSIDY SIDE, YES, THE WAITING LIST WILL ALL LIKELIHOOD WILL PROBABLY INCREASE.

SO WE'RE LOOKING AT NEXT YEAR'S YOU KNOW, TARGET TO BE ABOUT 2000 LESS THAN WHAT WE SERVED THIS YEAR.

THE TRAJECTORY BASED ON THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSIONS PROJECTIONS THROUGH 2031 WILL CONTINUE TO SHOW DECREASES.

[02:05:05]

CORRECT. THE WAY WE WOULD REACH THE NUMBER, THE PROJECTED TARGET IS BY ATTRITION.

BUT I'M STILL TALKING ABOUT THE THE KIDS WHO ARE ON THE WAITING LIST, THE KIDS WHO CAN'T GET IN.

SO YOU ALL BEING, I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST FUNDER, AM I CORRECT, OF CHILD CARE FACILITIES IN THE REGION? THEREFORE, WITH THAT MONEY COMES POWER. SO I JUST NEED TO ENCOURAGE YOU, AS SOMEONE WHO SITS ON THE BOARD, TO MAKE SURE YOU FIGURE OUT WAYS, MARSHALL AND DEBORAH TO HELP THEM HELP EVEN THE MOM AND POP SHOPS, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE ACCESS, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE RESOURCES, EVEN IF YOU CAN NO LONGER GIVE THEM FUNDING, I REALLY THINK YOU ALL NEED TO HELP TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TO HELP PLACE THEM AND HELP SERVE.

YEAH, WE'RE DOING THAT ON A NUMBER OF WAYS. ONE OF THE STRATEGIES, FOR EXAMPLE, IS WORKING ALONGSIDE PRE-K FOR ESSAY.

SO THOSE CHILDREN, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT ARE ON THE WAITING LIST THAT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF AGE FOR PRE-K FOR ESSAY, WE DO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THOSE PARENTS ABOUT THAT OPPORTUNITY.

WE ALSO WORK ALONGSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WHO ARE CREATING THEIR OWN PRE-K PROGRAMS, AGAIN, OFFERING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION TO OFFER THAT OTHER OPPORTUNITY.

PROGRAMS LIKE HEAD START AND OTHERS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE SOME OF THE CHILDCARE DOLLARS ACTUALLY SUPPORT AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS. SO KIDS THAT JUST NEED CARE AFTER THEY, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL LETS OUT WE WORK ALONGSIDE SCHOOLS AND, AND PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE REGION TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL FOR, FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS.

SO THINGS LIKE THE YMCA AND OTHERS PROVIDE THOSE TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES.

ALL RIGHT. WELL, IF YOU CAN JUST CONTINUE TO KEEP MY OFFICE POSTED AND LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING I CAN, I CAN DO THAT. AND THEN SECONDLY, ARE YOU ALL STILL PLANNING TO MOVE THE MAIN OFFICE? SO WE'RE STILL IN THE NEGOTIATIONS IN REGARDS TO THAT.

WE HAVE HAD BOARD APPROVE A PARTICULAR LEASE OR OUR LANDLORD WITH THE EXISTING FACILITY.

HOWEVER, IN THE BUDGET WE STILL ARE SHOWING THE $631,000 IN THE EVENT THAT THAT NEGOTIATION FALLS THROUGH.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT.

THERE'S A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

CORRECT. CORRECT. CORRECT. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SIGNAL BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTION? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CARRY ON, MR. LOPEZ. CARRY ON. SIX C PRESENTATION DISCUSSION BY TAKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

[6.c. Immediately following item 6b: Presentation and discussion by Rhia Pape, Executive Director of SA Digital Connects (SADC), regarding the organization's efforts and successes in bringing digital inclusion to Bexar County since its inception and the planned sunset of the organization at the end of the calendar year. ]

OH, GOOD MORNING, JUDGE COMMISSIONERS LAURA COLE FROM BIBLIOTECH.

I'M HERE THIS MORNING ON BEHALF OF SA DIGITAL CONNECTS, WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2020 AS A PUBLIC PRIVATE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP.

ITS PURPOSE WAS TO ADVANCE DIGITAL INCLUSION IN BEXAR COUNTY THROUGH THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DIGITAL INVESTMENT PLAN, AND TO SECURE FUNDING FOR THE THREE COMPONENTS OF DIGITAL INCLUSION, AFFORDABILITY, ACCESS AND ADOPTION.

IN 2021, BEXAR COUNTY INVESTED $250,000 IN THE CREATION OF THE DIGITAL PLAN AND WORKING WITH SA DIGITAL CONNECTS.

IN 2023, BEXAR COUNTY CONTRACTED WITH SPECTRUM FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WOULD ENSURE ALL OF BEXAR COUNTY COULD HAVE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. I'VE BEEN PROUD TO REPRESENT BEXAR COUNTY ON THE BOARD OF SA DIGITAL CONNECTS FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS AS A DIGITAL CONNECTS WAS NEVER INTENDED TO LIVE ON IN PERPETUITY. IT WAS CREATED WITH A SPECIFIC TIMELINE AND LIFESPAN TO ACHIEVE ITS GOALS.

AS WE PREPARE TO SUNSET SA DIGITAL CONNECTS, I'M VERY PLEASED TO HAVE OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RHEA PAPE, HERE TO REPORT ON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THIS MODEL ORGANIZATION AND THE PLAN TO MOVE THE WORK FORWARD.

RHEA. THANK YOU LAURA. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY.

MY NAME IS RHEA PAPE. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SA DIGITAL CONNECTS, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO SHARE WITH YOU THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON OUR FINAL PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY DIGITAL INVESTMENT PLAN.

THE DIGITAL INVESTMENT PLAN GAVE OUR COMMUNITY SOMETHING WE DID NOT HAVE BEFORE, WHICH WAS A SHARED ROADMAP TOWARDS DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY.

[02:10:07]

AS YOU KNOW, IN 2020, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND BEXAR COUNTY PARTNERED WITH UTSA, NOW UT SAN ANTONIO, TO CONDUCT A COMMUNITY WIDE SURVEY TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN OUR AREA.

WE KNEW WE HAD A PROBLEM, AND WE NEEDED TO GET THAT BASELINE DATA TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD.

WHAT WE LEARNED WAS THAT WE HAD ONE OF THE LARGEST URBAN DIGITAL DIVIDES IN THE U.S.

20% OF OUR HOUSEHOLDS DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO RELIABLE INTERNET IN THEIR HOMES.

SOME FAMILIES MAY HAVE HAD THE INTERNET AVAILABLE AT THEIR HOME, BUT WERE UNABLE TO AFFORD THAT SERVICE, OR THEY MAY HAVE HAD SERVICE, BUT NO COMPUTER OR LAPTOP.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THEY MAY HAVE HAD BOTH, AND STILL LACKED THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEEDED TO USE THE INTERNET SAFELY.

WITHOUT RELIABLE INTERNET CONNECTION, EVERYTHING BECOMES HARDER.

APPLYING FOR JOBS. UPSKILLING AND WORKFORCE TRAINING.

EDUCATION AND ACCESSING HEALTH CARE AND EVEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

KEY LEADERS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM.

A FIVE YEAR PLAN WAS BUILT IN SA DIGITAL CONNECTS WAS CREATED AND CHARGED WITH IMPLEMENTING THIS PLAN.

WE WERE BUILT, AS LAURA MENTIONED, AS A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, WHICH IS NOW SEEN AS THE STANDARD MODEL APPROACH TO BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND HAS INSPIRED CITIES AND COUNTIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

MANY THROUGHOUT TEXAS, TO ESTABLISH SIMILAR PARTNERSHIPS, NONE OF WHICH NONE OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY ONE ORGANIZATION OR ONE SECTOR.

THE STRENGTH OF ESSAY DIGITAL CONNECTS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PARTNERSHIP ITSELF.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS REFLECTS THAT CROSS SECTOR MODEL WITH BRIAN DILLARD, OUR BOARD CHAIR FROM VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT.

DAN GEDDES AT FROST. MELINDA HIGGINS LOUDON AT TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA.

LAURA COLE WITH BEXAR COUNTY AND BIBLIOTECH. AND LUIS CASAS, COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP WITH CASA CONSULTING SOLUTIONS.

THEIR COMMITMENT TO THIS WORK HAS BEEN UNMATCHED AS WE HAVE NAVIGATED THE COMPLEXITIES OF DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY EFFORTS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY.

THIS SLIDE CAPTURES THE EVOLUTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS.

WE BEGAN BY CONVENING AND CONCEPTUALIZING THE WORK, AND THEN MOVED SYSTEMATICALLY THROUGH THE MAJOR BARRIERS FACED BY OUR RESIDENTS IN 2022.

AFFORDABILITY BECAME A MAJOR PRIORITY IN 2023.

WE FOCUSED ON ACCESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE. IN 2024, WE ELEVATED DEVICES LIKE LAPTOPS AND HOTSPOTS IN 2025.

WE FOCUSED ON DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING AND THIS YEAR, OUR FINAL YEAR, OUR FOCUS IS SHIFTED TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY AND INTEGRATION.

THAT PROGRESSION IS INTENTIONAL. WE WERE NOT BUILDING OUT A COLLECTION OF DISCONNECTED PROGRAMS. WE WERE BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM THAT COULD STRATEGICALLY ADDRESS THE COMPLEX LAYERS OF DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY AND ULTIMATELY SUSTAIN THE WORK BEYOND THE LIFE OF, SAY, DIGITAL CONNECTS. THE IMPACT OF THIS STRATEGY HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT.

WE ACTIVELY ENGAGED MORE THAN 250 LOCAL PARTNERS.

WE HAD 163,000 HOUSEHOLDS SUPPORTED THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM, MORE THAN ANY OTHER COUNTY IN TEXAS.

WE HAD MORE THAN 35,000 HOUSEHOLDS REACH THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED EFFORTS, INCLUDING THE 12,500 HOMES HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY THAT WERE SERVED THROUGH THE WORK Y'ALL DID WITH SPECTRUM IN 2024 AND 2025, AND THROUGH SUBSTANTIAL GRANT FUNDING FROM METHODIST HEALTHCARE MINISTRIES.

IN JUST TWO YEARS, WE SAW 8300 DEVICES DISTRIBUTED AND 7400 INDIVIDUALS REACHED THROUGH DIGITAL SKILLS TRAINING.

THESE ARE COLLECTIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND THIS PARTNERSHIP HAS MADE A COLLECTIVE IMPACT.

ONE OF THE CLEAREST INDICATORS OF THIS PROGRESS IS THE CHANGE IN HOUSEHOLD ACCESS.

IN JUNE OF 2022, APPROXIMATELY 80% OF BEXAR COUNTY HOUSEHOLDS HAD HOME INTERNET.

BY DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR, THAT FIGURE INCREASED TO 99%.

INTERNET SPEEDS ALSO RANKED SAN ANTONIO FOURTH AMONG THE 100 LARGEST CITIES IN THE U.S.

FOR MEDIAN DOWNLOAD SPEED, PUTTING US AHEAD OF AUSTIN, DALLAS AND HOUSTON.

AND WHILE THERE'S STILL IMPORTANT WORK TO DO TO ENSURE THAT EVERY HOUSEHOLD HAS RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE INTERNET, THIS TRAJECTORY DEMONSTRATES WHAT IS POSSIBLE WHEN.

INFRASTRUCTURE. INVESTMENT POLICY. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION ARE ALIGNED.

SIMILARLY, ACCESS TO HOME INTERNET IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND IT IS NOT SUFFICIENT.

SORRY. WHILE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE, AFFORDABILITY OF INTERNET SERVICES HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS,

[02:15:04]

IN BEXAR COUNTY, THE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS SUBSCRIBING TO THE INTERNET INCREASED FROM 79% IN JUNE OF 2022 TO 92% IN DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR.

THAT REPRESENTS A 13 POINT INCREASE AND PUTS US IN LINE WITH OTHER LARGE COUNTIES IN TEXAS.

IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PRESENTATION TODAY, IT'S THAT'S A DIGITAL CONNECTS WAS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED TO NOT DO THIS WORK ALONE.

THE MOST IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL PRODUCT HAS NOT BEEN ANY INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM, BUT THE PARTNERSHIP ITSELF.

EACH SECTOR BROUGHT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. PRIVATE SECTOR SERVICE PROVIDERS BROUGHT INFRASTRUCTURE, AFFORDABLE SERVICE OPTIONS, AND MANY OF THE LAPTOPS THAT HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED.

THE PUBLIC SECTOR BROUGHT POLICY, FUNDING, CONVENING AUTHORITY, AND THE ABILITY TO ALIGN PUBLIC INVESTMENTS.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS BROUGHT TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS, COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES, AND DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT RESIDENTS WERE EXPERIENCING, AND PHILANTHROPY PROVIDED INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE AND THE FLEXIBLE INVESTMENT NECESSARY TO BUILD CAPACITY AND PURSUE SOLUTIONS.

WE SAW THIS PARTNERSHIP COME TO LIFE THROUGH SEVERAL KEY EFFORTS, SUCH AS COMMUNITY CONNECTS, A BI ANNUAL CONVENING OF ORGANIZATIONS WHERE THEY SHARED EVERYTHING THAT THEY WERE SEEING IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY SERVED.

THEY IDENTIFIED GAPS AND SHARED RESOURCES AND COORDINATED THEIR PROGRAMING EFFORTS.

WE HAD DIGITAL SKILLS AND TRAINING, WHICH ADDRESSED THE REALITY THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS ONLY VALUABLE IF PEOPLE CAN CONFIDENTLY AND SAFELY USE THE INTERNET.

WE HAD DEVICE PATHWAYS AND DISTRIBUTION INITIATIVES THAT HELPED ADDRESS THE HARDWARE BARRIER FOR RESIDENTS WHO HAD CONNECTIVITY, BUT LACKED AN APPROPRIATE DEVICE FOR THEIR NEEDS.

AND WE HAD EDUCATION AND AWARENESS INITIATIVES, INCLUDING A DIGITAL DIVIDE SIMULATION THAT OFFERED INSIGHT INTO THE LIVED EXPERIENCES BEHIND THE DATA TO STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS VARIOUS SECTORS.

WE ALSO RECOGNIZED THAT LOCAL PROGRESS IS INFLUENCED BY DECISIONS MADE AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.

TIME AND ATTENTION WAS PUT IN AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVELS TO ENSURE THAT THE NEEDS AND EXPERIENCES OF BEXAR COUNTY WERE REPRESENTED.

THAT INCLUDED ENGAGEMENT IN THE 88TH AND 89TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE AND LEADERSHIP IN THE AC TO DC DELEGATION ADVOCACY EFFORTS.

THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A COORDINATED LOCAL VOICE AND THAT POLICIES AND INVESTMENTS AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL REFLECTED THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

ULTIMATELY, THIS WORK IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST INTERNET CONNECTIVITY.

DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY IS AN ECONOMIC ISSUE. RELIABLE INTERNET ACCESS AND DIGITAL SKILLS INCREASES WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION AND EARNINGS.

IT IS A BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE.

SMALL BUSINESSES WITH AFFORDABLE BROADBAND HAVE GREATER OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW GREAT, GENERATE REVENUE, AND CREATE JOBS. IT IS AN EDUCATION ISSUE BECAUSE STUDENTS INCREASINGLY NEED RELIABLE CONNECTIVITY AND DIGITAL SKILLS TO COMPLETE SCHOOLWORK AND ACCESS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. AND IT IS A HEALTH CARE ISSUE BECAUSE HOME INTERNET ENABLES ACCESS TO TELEHEALTH AND DIGITAL HEALTH SERVICES AND PORTALS.

WORK TOWARDS BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE SUPER SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH.

AND IT IS AS IT IS, FOUNDATIONAL TO THRIVING IN TODAY'S DIGITAL WORLD.

THE DIGITAL INVESTMENT PLAN WAS DESIGNED NOT SIMPLY TO CLOSE A TECHNOLOGY GAP, BUT TO HELP UNLOCK THESE BROADER ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RETURNS.

THAT BRINGS ME TO OUR FINAL YEAR. WE'VE CREATED A BLUEPRINT FOR COLLABORATION.

WE'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT WE CAN BRING GOVERNMENT, PHILANTHROPY, BUSINESS, AND NONPROFITS TOGETHER AROUND A SHARED PROBLEM.

ESTABLISHED COMMON PRIORITIES USE DATA TO GUIDE INVESTMENT AND MEASURE PROGRESS TOWARD A SHARED SOLUTION.

THE FINAL PHASE OF OUR WORK IS FOCUSED ON DOCUMENTING THAT MODEL, ASSESSING COMMUNITY IMPACT, AND MAKING SURE THE OUTPUTS WE'VE CREATED REMAIN USEFUL BEYOND THE LIFE OF OUR ORGANIZATION.

BUT THE WORK IS NOT FINISHED. WHILE OUR ORGANIZATIONAL WORK AT DIGITAL CONNECTS IS COMING TO A CLOSE, THE COMMUNITY'S WORK CONTINUES. TECHNOLOGY WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE.

FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING PRIORITIES WILL CHANGE AND THE NEEDS OF RESIDENTS WILL CHANGE.

WHAT SHOULD NOT CHANGE IS OUR COMMITMENT TO ENSURING THAT RESIDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN OUR ECONOMY.

AS PART OF OUR SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS THIS YEAR, WE'RE WORKING ON A COMPREHENSIVE IMPACT REPORT WITH BETO GOMEZ AND HIS TEAM AT BETTER FUTURES INSTITUTE WITH DOCTOR ERICA SOSA AT UT SAN ANTONIO, AND WITH ANITA FERNANDEZ WITH THE OCI GROUP,

[02:20:08]

THE LEGACY FUND WILL BE STEWARDED BY A LONG STANDING COMMUNITY PARTNER AND WILL CREATE A MECHANISM TO CONTINUE INVESTMENT IN DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY BEYOND THE CONCLUSION OF OUR WORK. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION TO BEXAR COUNTY JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, TO LAURA COLE AND THE BIBLIOTECH TEAM AND THE DIGITAL NAVIGATORS THAT HAVE DONE SO MUCH WORK IN THIS SPACE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

AND OF COURSE, MARC GAGER AND HIS TEAM, YOU HAVE ALL BEEN AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS WORK, AND WE WOULD HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MUCH PROGRESS WITHOUT THE COLLABORATION.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK THE HUNDREDS OF ORGANIZATIONS AND FUNDERS, BUSINESSES, EDUCATORS, EDUCATION EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AS WELL AS RESIDENTS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS EFFORT.

THE IDEA WAS NEVER TO CREATE A PERMANENT ORGANIZATION THAT OWNED DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY.

THE GOAL WAS TRULY TO BUILD CAPACITY AND RELATIONSHIPS, A SHARED VISION AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY TO CONTINUE THESE ISSUES.

ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES AS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY NEEDS EVOLVE.

WE ACCOMPLISHED THAT, AND WE DID IT TOGETHER.

THANK YOU. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR GETTING THE JOB DONE.

IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE SLIDE OF THE MAPS? YES. IN ALL BLUE. THERE WE GO. THIS IS PROOF OF SUCCESS IN UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP.

AND TO SEE THAT THIS STARTED OFF AS A PILOT PROJECT IN MY PRECINCT.

AND I THINK PART OF PRECINCT FOUR AS WELL. AND YOU CAN SEE THE VAST DIFFERENCE, THE TWO WHITE SPOTS THAT ARE STILL THERE IS THE PORT IN LACKLAND, WHICH IS OF COURSE DIFFERENT ENTITIES. SO I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT.

BUT THAT'S WHY BUDGET, THE BIBLIOTHEQUE NAVIGATORS ARE SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE ACCESS NOW, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR NAVIGATORS ARE STILL TEACHING PEOPLE AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND DEVICES, ESPECIALLY OUR SENIORS AND ALL THAT. SO NOW THEY CAN USE THE ACCESS THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

JUST CONGRATULATIONS. GREAT WORK HERE AND YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY DONE A GREAT JOB.

THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. PIG. THANK YOU JUDGE. GREAT REPORT. THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. I BELIEVE AGENDA ITEM SEVEN IS AN ERROR.

[7. Request of Commissioners Court to identify items from the Consent Agenda for additional discussion and to approve remaining Consent Agenda items. ]

I'D LIKE TO REVISIT AGENDA ITEM 35. THAT IS IN REGARDS TO THE INTERIM APPOINTMENT. THE APPOINTMENT FOR WHICH WE DID IN CONSENT, I BELIEVE.

STAFF. YOU'RE ASKING FOR WHAT? JUDGE, I THINK I HAVE THE CORRECTION ON THAT IF I'M IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I BELIEVE THAT 35 SHOULD CONTAIN THE LANGUAGE SUBJECT TO SALARY NEGOTIATIONS.

IS THAT WHAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING? YES. IS THERE A MOTION.

IS THERE A MOTION TO CORRECT. WELL, LARRY MOVE TO RECONSIDER THAT MOVE, TO RECONSIDER THAT ITEM BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY BEEN ADOPTED.

SO CAN YOU MOVE TO RECONSIDER THAT ITEM? OKAY.

START WITH THE MOTION. I MAKE THAT MOTION TO RECONSIDER MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CALVERT TO RECONSIDER AGENDA ITEM 35.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES. COMMISSIONER.

I WOULD GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MOTION. NEW MOTION JUDGE TO APPROVE ITEM 35, WHICH IS CONSENT.

APPROVAL OF THE MANAGER. SIGN COUNCIL OVERSIGHT ADVISORY BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION OF HALLEY PEACE AS INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1ST, 2026, SUBJECT TO SALARY NEGOTIATIONS.

COMMISSIONER CALVERT YOU ADOPTED. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES.

WE'LL GO TO AGENDA ITEM EIGHT, FILING FOR THE RECORD THE FOLLOWING LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS.

[8. Filing for record the following legal and administrative documents and directing the Criminal District Attorney's Office to take action, if necessary]

[9. Approval of Commissioners Court minutes for Tuesday, August 18, 2026, and Tuesday August 25, 2026. ]

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOODY.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. ALL THOSE. ABSTENTION.

MOTION CARRIES. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. DOCTOR WILDER, YOU HAVE SIGNED UP ON AGENDA ITEM 40,

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

[02:25:04]

YOU GOT SIX MINUTES.

REPORT RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT THE BEXAR COUNTY ELECTION ADMINISTRATION.

I HAVE RETURNED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE, MOST RECENTLY IN AUGUST, BECAUSE CONCERNS REMAIN UNRESOLVED AND NEW ONES HAVE EMERGED.

WE NOW ARE JUST 48 DAYS FROM EARLY VOTING, AND I REMAIN CONCERNED THAT THE BEXAR COUNTY ELECTIONS DOES NOT HAVE ITS HOUSE IN ORDER.

TODAY, I WANT TO ADDRESS THREE SPECIFIC CONCERNS.

VOTE BY MAIL. THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN VOTERS IN SUSPENSE AND POLL WORKER READINESS DURING THE PRIMARY.

FOR FIRST VOTE BY MAIL. DURING THE PRIMARY, VOTERS REPORTED NEVER RECEIVING MAIL BALLOTS.

OTHERS RETURNED COMPLETED BALLOTS BUT WERE TOLD BY THEIR ELECTIONS HAD NO RECORD OF RECEIVING THEM.

IN ONE CASE, A VOTER WAS INITIALLY TOLD BY BAER ELECTIONS HER BALLOT HAD BEEN RECEIVED, THEN LATER TOLD IT WAS NOT RESULTING IN HER BEING DISENFRANCHIZED.

THAT RAISES QUESTIONS BEYOND MAIL DELIVERY ABOUT INTERNAL TRACKING, RECORD KEEPING AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH VOTERS AT THE 30TH JUNE ELECTION COMMISSION MEETING. ADMINISTRATOR CAREW WAS ASKED ABOUT HOW MANY VOTERS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED BALLOTS BUT DID NOT.

SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION YET.

SHE CITED A 98.75% DELIVERY RATE, LATER CLARIFYING THIS CAME FROM THE MAIL VENDOR OUT OF ARIZONA AND REPRESENTED BALLOTS REPORTED REPORTEDLY DELIVERED TO MAILBOXES. THOSE ARE NOT THE SAME MEASUREMENTS.

WE WERE TOLD IMPROVEMENTS WERE COMING TO GET US THROUGH THIS UPCOMING ELECTION.

ON ON JUNE 23RD, ADMINISTRATOR CAREW CAME BEFORE THIS COURT SEEKING APPROVAL FOR APPROXIMATELY FOUR 461 000 FOR A BLUE CROSS VOTE BY MAIL SORTING SYSTEM. SHE EXPLAINED THAT BEXAR WAS MANUALLY PERFORMING PORTIONS OF THE RETURN MAIL BALLOT PROCESS, AND THAT BLUECREST WOULD AUTOMATE AND STREAMLINE THE PROCESSING, HELPING ADDRESS SOME OF THE VOTE BY MAIL CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED DURING THE PRIMARY.

THE COURT APPROVED THAT PURCHASE. WE HAVE NOW LEARNED THAT BLUECREST WILL NOT BE IMPLEMENTED FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.

SO WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGED SINCE THE PRIMARY TO PREVENT THESE PROBLEMS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN? TEAM ALONE DOES NOT EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. TRAVIS COUNTY IS ANOTHER LARGE TEXAS COUNTY THAT USES TEAM AND HAS EXPERIENCED TEAM PROBLEMS, AND YET I HAVE NOT FOUND EVIDENCE THAT TRAVIS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PATTERN OF VOTERS NOT RECEIVING BALLOTS, RETURN BALLOTS. REPORTEDLY NOT BEING RECEIVED, OR VOTERS RECEIVING CONFLICTING INFORMATION ABOUT BALLOT STATUS.

THAT SUGGESTS THAT WE NEED TO EXAMINE BEAR SPECIFIC FACTORS.

THE ARIZONA THIRD PARTY CONTRACTOR, STAFFING, TRACKING, RECORD KEEPING AND INTERNAL PROCESSES.

I'M ASKING THAT THIS COURT HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING ON BEXAR COUNTY.

ENTIRE VOTE BY MAIL PROCESS WHERE CONSTITUENTS CAN ASK QUESTIONS AND RECEIVE DOCUMENTED ANSWERS BEFORE VOTING BEGINS.

SECOND, THE SUSPENSE LIST. IN MARCH, APPROXIMATELY 64,000 BEXAR COUNTY VOTERS WERE IN SUSPENSE BY 30 JUNE 30TH.

JUNE 80TH 4000. BY LATE AUGUST, 153,500 WERE AN INCREASE OF 90,000, OR 140%, SINCE MARCH. WE ARE HEARING FROM VOTERS WHO DISCOVERED THEMSELVES IN SUSPENSE DESPITE REPORTING THEY HAD NOT MOVED.

THEY'VE NOT CHANGED THEIR ADDRESSES. THEY'VE NOT FORWARDED THEIR MAIL.

ADMINISTRATOR CAREW HAS PUBLICLY STATED THAT MAIL HELD BY USPS COULD RESULT IN BEING PLACED IN SUSPENSE.

YET THERE'S NOTHING IN TEXAS ELECTION CODE THAT WOULD INDICATE THAT A PERSON GOING ON VACATION AND PUTTING THEIR MAIL IN SUSPENSE SHOULD RESULT IN THEM BEING PUT IN A SUSPENSE STATUS WITH THEIR ELECTIONS. WITH 153,500 VOTERS AFFECTED, WE NEED THE DATA.

WHAT STATUTORY REASONS ACCOUNT FOR THIS INCREASE? HOW MANY RESULTED FROM VOTER REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES BEING RETURNED, AND SPECIFICALLY, WHAT EXPLAINS VOTERS PLACE IN SUSPENSE WHO HAVE NOT MOVED OR CHANGED ADDRESSES. I'M ASKING ELECTIONS TO INCREASE TO PROVIDE THE INCREASE BROKEN DOWN BY STATUTORY REASON OR CODE THAT CAUSED THE VOTERS TO ENTER SUSPENSE. THIRD POLL WORKER READINESS AND COMMUNICATION.

I AM A REGISTERED POLL WORKER, SO THIS CONCERN COMES FROM MY DIRECT EXPERIENCE.

I WAS TOLD BY ELECTIONS TRAINERS THAT JUDGES AND CLERK TRAINING WOULD BE FINALIZED AND AVAILABLE IN INTEGRA IN EARLY JULY.

[02:30:06]

AFTER REPEATED DELAYS AND SEVERAL PROMISED DATES THAT PASSED.

I WENT PERSONALLY TO BEXAR ELECTIONS ON AUGUST 14TH BECAUSE NOBODY WAS ANSWERING THE PHONE AND WHEN I.

WHEN I GOT THERE, I FOUND THE FRONT DESK WAS UNCOVERED WITH VOTERS WAITING FOR ASSISTANCE AND I WALKED DOWN THE HALL.

I WENT INTO THE FIRST OPEN OFFICE AND MET WITH ADMINISTRATOR CAREW, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE MATERIALS WOULD NOT BE RELEASED IN ADVANCE IN CONFLICT WITH WHAT I'D BEEN TOLD PREVIOUSLY. SHE SUBSEQUENTLY DIRECTED BY EMAIL THAT ALL ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT INQUIRIES TO INCLUDE MY INQUIRIES AS A AS A POLL WORKER BE CHANNELED THROUGH HER. SINCE THEN, I HAVE LEFT MULTIPLE MESSAGES FOR HER, MOST RECENTLY TO LEFT YESTERDAY AND NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE THAT CREATES A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE.

STAFF WHO PREVIOUSLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS WITHIN THEIR AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY NO LONGER CAN DO SO, WHILE THE DESIGNATED POINT OF CONTACT IS NOT RESPONDING.

MEANWHILE, POLL WORKERS REPORT SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS BUT NOT BEING CONTACTED OR PROCESSED WITHOUT BEING PROCESSED.

THEY CAN'T REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING, WHICH I SHOULD MENTION STARTS TODAY.

AND I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO HELP.

ON 18TH AUGUST, I HELD AN ELECTION JUDGE AND INTEREST CLERK MEETING WITH 195 PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO ADDRESS THE OVER 200 VACANT JUDGES POSITIONS. WE'VE CONDUCTED RECRUITMENT, OUTREACH AT MULTIPLE EVENTS AND WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS.

THERE ARE THERE ARE PEOPLE WILLING TO SERVE AND STEP FORWARD.

THIS IS WHY THE LACK OF RESPONSIVENESS FROM BARE ELECTIONS IS SO CONCERNING.

WE CAN RECRUIT POLL WORKERS AND WE CAN. BUT WE NEED ELECTIONS TO PROCESS THOSE APPLICATIONS.

I'M ASKING THREE THINGS. HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING FOR VOTE BY MAIL, ADDRESS THE REASONS FOR THE VOTERS IN SUSPENSE, AND REQUIRE BARE ELECTIONS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT POLL WORKER TRAINING GAPS THAT HAVE BEEN CORRECTED AND ESTABLISH A RELIABLE COMMUNICATION AND PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR POLL WORKER.

THE TIME FOR TRANSPARENCY AND CORRECTIVE ACTION IS NOW.

WHILE PROBLEMS CAN STILL BE FIXED, NOT AFTER THE ELECTION.

THANK YOU. PATRICIA CASTILLO. TWO. TWO.

TWO. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. HOW'S EVERYBODY? GOOD, GOOD. I'M HERE TODAY. REPRESENTING BOTH THE PEACE INITIATIVE THAT I WORKED FOR AS WELL AS THE MISSION OF MOTHERHOOD, WHICH IS A PROGRAM FOR PART OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS OF TEXAS IN THE SPANISH COLONIAL MISSIONS, WHERE ONE OF THEIR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS AND HAVE BEEN FOR 20 PLUS YEARS.

WE'RE HERE OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE THOUGHT THAT FUNDING COULD BE CUT TO BEXAR COUNTY'S STAR PROGRAM.

AND THAT FOR US IS A VERY BIG CONCERN. AND I UNDERSTOOD, AND I HAD HEARD THAT CUTS FOR THAT PROGRAM WERE ON THE TABLE. AND I ALSO HAVE HEARD THAT SINCE THEN, I THINK THEY'VE BEEN TAKEN OFF THE TABLE.

AM I CORRECT IN SAYING THAT THAT FUNDING CUTS FOR STAR PROGRAM ARE TAKEN OFF THE TABLE? PATRICIA, LET ME REFER YOU TO STAFF AT THE CONCLUSION OF REMARKS, PLEASE.

OKAY. SO CONTINUE AND THEN. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE WHO CAN CONFER WITH MISS CASTILLO AT A CONCLUSION OF HER REMARKS, PLEASE? THE REASON WHY THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE BEXAR COUNTY AT CREATING THIS PROGRAM, WHICH STANDS FOR SAFETY TEAM, ACTIVE RESPONSE PROGRAM.

YOU BROKE THROUGH A BARRIER THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

YOU'RE PUTTING THE PRESENCE OF CRISIS ADVOCATES.

CASE WORKERS, COUNSELORS, CASE MANAGERS, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRESENCE OF THESE FAMILIES WHERE THERE IS HORRIBLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CHILD ABUSE, ELDER DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ALL OF THESE KINDS OF CASES THAT ARE GOING ON.

AND WITH THE STAR PROGRAM, YOU'VE GOT A PRESENCE BECAUSE THEY'RE RESPONDING WITHIN 24 HOURS TO THESE FAMILIES.

AND THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THESE FAMILIES NEED IN ORDER FOR US TO GET A CHANCE AT HELPING THEM GET OUT OF

[02:35:03]

I MEAN, WHEN WE WHEN WE DON'T GET TO THESE FAMILIES WITH EXPEDIENCY WITH YOU KNOW, QUICK INTERVENTION WITH KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF, YOU KNOW, THAT KNOW HOW THESE FAMILIES OPERATE AND KNOW WHAT THEY NEED.

YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU PUT THESE FAMILIES IN DANGER.

AND WHEN WE HAVE FUNDING TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK, WE'RE INTERVENING EARLY, WE'RE DEESCALATING SITUATIONS, WE'RE CONNECTING PEOPLE WITHIN 24 HOURS TO EXISTING RESOURCES AND THE HELPING PROCESS, THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS, THE ACQUIRING OF SAFETY BECOMES AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY.

PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LET ANY FUNDING END FOR THE STAR PROGRAM.

KEEP IT AVAILABLE AND IF POSSIBLE, INCREASE IT BECAUSE IT DOES PRECISELY WHAT THESE FAMILIES NEED.

ACCOMPANYING ME TODAY IS LINDA JIMENEZ. SHE IS ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS OF TEXAS AND THE SPANISH COLONIAL MISSION, AND ALSO ONE OF OUR PARTNERS. AND WE WANTED TO COME HERE AND LET YOU KNOW HOW CONCERNING THIS IS FOR US AND AND FOR YOU TO URGE YOU TO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN. MUCHAS GRACIAS, DOCTOR GUERRERO. WOULD YOU PLEASE CONFER WITH MISS CASTILLO? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I HAVE REBECCA HARRIS, REBECA.

OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP AND YIELDED YOUR TIME AS CASSANDRA MANN.

STILL HERE? OKAY, HOW ABOUT MONIQUE? OH. GETS WEAK.

YES. IS SHE THERE? AND, DENISE GARZA, ARE YOU STILL HERE? ALL RIGHT. SO THEY HAVE YIELDED YOUR TIME TO MISS REBECCA HARRIS.

YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I'M REBECCA HARRIS, MOTHER OF JOSEPH FINNEGAN AND DAUGHTER OF ROSE LOZANO GARCIA. YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER THEM BY NAME, BUT YOU'LL CERTAINLY REMEMBER THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE.

ON THE EVENING OF MAY 27TH, MY SON JOSEPH BRUTALLY MURDERED MY MOTHER, ROSE, IN HER SHAVANO PARK HOME WHERE THEY BOTH LIVED. THE NEWS SHOCKED NOT ONLY MY FAMILY, BUT OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

MY SON LOVED HIS GRANDMA AS A NINE MONTH OLD.

HE'D CALL HER MORNING BECAUSE SHE'D SING TO HIM GOOD MORNING.

AS WE'D WALK INTO HER KITCHEN, STILL IN OUR PJ'S.

HER MURDER STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE INSIDIOUSNESS OF MENTAL ILLNESS, SOMETHING THAT KNOWS NO SOCIO ECONOMIC BOUNDARIES.

AND NOW THAT JOSEPH AND MOM'S JOURNEY ENDED TRAGICALLY, I'M THE ONLY ONE LEFT ASKING FOR FUNDING.

A DIFFERENT OUTCOME FOR THE NEXT FAMILY IN CRISIS.

I CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST. SO FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, I WILL WORK THROUGH MY GRIEF AS AN ADVOCATE FOR CHANGES TO HOW THE MENTALLY ILL ARE HOUSED, REHABILITATED, MEDICALLY TREATED AND THEIR OFFENSES ADJUDICATED.

PLEASE ALLOW ME TO BE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF A WORKING COMMITTEE OR GROUP TO EVALUATE THE EXISTING SYSTEMS, THEIR DEFICIENCIES AND IMPROVEMENTS. MY ADVOCACY WILL INCLUDE ADDRESSING THE RELEVANT HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES IN THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION. I HAVE MANY DETAILS TO SHARE OF JOSEPH'S STORY.

AND WHERE DO I BEGIN? DO I START AS EARLY AS TWO AND A HALF.

WHEN WE WERE KICKED OUT BY DAY TWO FROM MOMMY'S DAY OUT PROGRAM FOR BEHAVIORAL ISSUES, WE WENT THROUGH THREE DAYCARES. TWO WERE SIX MONTHS EACH, AND THE THIRD ONE LASTED TWO MONTHS.

ALL COULDN'T HANDLE JOSEPH'S BEHAVIOR ISSUES BY FOUR YEARS OLD.

OUR FOURTH DAYCARE TEACHER REALIZED THAT JOSEPH NEEDED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT AND OFFERED HER AUNT AND UNCLE TEAM A PSYCHOLOGIST AND PSYCHIATRIST.

TEAM. JOSEPH WAS DIAGNOSED ADHD AND TREATED THROUGH MEDS AND COUNSELING.

OR DO I JUMP TO THE EVENTS? LAST YEAR, WHEN JOSEPH GRADUATED, THE BEXAR COUNTY FELONY MENTAL HEALTH COURT WOULD JUDGE RON RANGEL ON DECEMBER 19TH, 2025. JOSEPH WAS SUCH A STAR PARTICIPANT IN THE PROGRAM THAT JUDGE RANGEL INVITED HIM TO SPEAK AT THE WINTER COMMENCEMENT. LOOKING OVER HIS PREPARED SPEECH, JOSEPH STARTS WITH LIFE BEFORE FELONY MENTAL HEALTH COURT,

[02:40:02]

SCHOOL IMPROVED WHILE ON MEDICATION AS WELL AS FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

I HAD FAMILY SUPPORT. DEACON CEPEDA, CHAPLAIN GIBBY.

MY FUTURE GOALS, THANKS TO THE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM WILL GET ME A COLLEGE DEGREE.

I WANT TO THANK JUDGE RANGEL FOR HIS MERCY ON ME IN TIMES OF MY WEAKNESS.

ON GRADUATION DAY. JOSEPH QUIT HIS MEDS, IMMEDIATELY STARTED DRINKING AGAIN, SMOKING DELTA NINE AND THC PRODUCTS. 182 DAYS LATER, HE MURDERED HIS GRANDMA. MORNING. IF IT PLEASES THE COURT, I FEEL COMPELLED TO SHARE DETAILS OF JOSEPH'S SCHOOL YEARS TO HELP ADVOCATE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF LONG TERM FUNDING, PLAN FOR FUTURE SMART OFFICERS AND OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US WITH SUFFERING, THOSE WITH OUR LOVED ONES WHO ARE SUFFERING MENTAL ILLNESS.

AS YOU HEARD, JOSEPH, STRUGGLE STARTED AS EARLY AS TWO AND A HALF.

MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS EXCEPTIONALLY HARD. THIS IS WHEN JOSEPH BECAME VIOLENT AND STARTED HAVING RUN INS WITH POLICE.

HE HAD A SHORT STAY WITH HIS DAD TRYING TO LIVE WITH HIM, BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT.

HE WAS REJECTED AND ABANDONED. HE TRIED TO COME BACK TO MY HOUSE AND THAT WAS NOT OKAY.

SO MY MOTHER AND FATHER TOOK HIM IN JOSEPH'S HIGH SCHOOL.

HE WAS DIAGNOSED BIPOLAR, WHICH IS A MOOD DISORDER, AND HE TOOK THE PRESCRIBED MEDICINE BUT STOPPED IMMEDIATELY.

HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY IT MADE HIM FEEL.

HIS BEST FRIEND DIED BY DROWNING. AND FROM THEN ON, JOSEPH COULDN'T FUNCTION.

THAT WAS HIS FRESHMAN YEAR. HE STARTED DRINKING AND DOING DRUGS TO COPE, AND WE SOUGHT COUNSELING AND THERAPY, PSYCHIATRISTS FOR MEDICATION. AND WE STAYED CLOSE TO HIS PEDIATRICIAN.

WE. WHICH IS JOSEPH, MYSELF, MY MOTHER, MY DAD AND MY HUSBAND.

WE WERE FIRED FROM HIS PEDIATRICIAN AND PSYCHIATRIST BECAUSE JOSEPH WOULDN'T FULFILL THE PRESCRIBED TREATMENT.

HE WOULDN'T TAKE MEDICINE. FROM SOPHOMORE YEAR ON, WE TRIED PRIVATE SCHOOLS, PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CHARTER SCHOOL, ONLINE SCHOOL, A MILITARY BOOT CAMP, SCHOOL.

NOTHING WORKED. NO LOCATION OR GROUP OF STUDENTS OR A GROUP OF TEACHERS.

COUNSELORS KNOW OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US. WORKED OUT.

JOSEPH DIDN'T GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL. ONLINE SCHOOL WAS OUR MOST TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.

BY THE TIME JOSEPH WAS 22, HE WAS DIAGNOSED SCHIZOAFFECTIVE, WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, WHICH IS A THOUGHT DISORDER AND BIPOLAR, A MOOD DISORDER.

ALL THIS TO SAY, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT HISTORY WITH JOSEPH.

SO WHEN I JOINED NAMI FAMILY TO FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP WITH MY MOM BACK IN 2023, I WAS SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT MANY OTHER LOVED ONES DIDN'T SUFFER THEIR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS UNTIL THEIR COLLEGE YEARS, OR THERE WERE SOME FAMILIES THAT THEY DIDN'T SUFFER UNTIL THEY WERE 3040. THERE WAS A FAMILY IN THERE, A MOM AND DAD, 80, AND THEIR SON WAS 50, LIVING AT HOME WITH THEM, NOT TAKING MEDICINE. THAT'S MIND BLOWING FOR ME TO COMPREHEND.

WHICH IS WORSE, MY LONG SUFFERING STORY OR STEPPING ON A LANDMINE.

TO ME, LEARNING THAT MENTAL ILLNESS CAN JUST FLIP ON LIKE A SWITCH IS A HUGE THREAT, WHICH MEANS IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANY ONE OF US AND DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. WHEN JOSEPH WAS IN JUDGE RON RON RANGEL'S CRIMINAL COURT AND FELONY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM, WE LIVED OUR BEST LIVES FOR THE ENTIRE 18 MONTH PROGRAM.

WE WERE A FAMILY AND NOT BROKEN. WE VACATIONED TOGETHER.

WE HUNG OUT EVERY DAY WITH EACH OTHER, WITH OUR FAMILY AND OUR FRIENDS.

WE DID HOMEWORK TOGETHER BECAUSE JOSEPH WAS IN COLLEGE, HE WAS MAKING A'S.

WE WENT TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS TOGETHER AND WE LIVED LIFE TOGETHER THAT 18 MONTHS.

THIS PROGRAM HOLDS THE FELONY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS UNDER STRICT SUPERVISION AND HALLELUJAH! WITHOUT IT, I WOULDN'T HAVE GREAT MEMORIES WITH JOSEPH.

FILLED WITH LAUGHTER AND HOPE. THE PROGRAM LASTED 18 MONTHS AND DOES FOLLOW UP.

[02:45:07]

THEY OFFERED US MANY OPPORTUNITIES AND THE HEARTBREAK IS THE FOLLOW UP.

SERVICES ARE NOT MANDATORY. I REALIZE MANDATORY FOLLOW UPS.

THOSE COST MONEY. NEVERTHELESS, I AM HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR LONG TERM FUNDING PLANS.

MY ASK OF YOU, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. THREE THINGS.

AN EXPANSION OF THE SMART UNIT AS YOUR BUDGET ALLOWS.

SINCE INCEPTION, THE SMART UNIT HAS HAD 2000 CONTACTS.

THIS SPEAKS VOLUMES TO THE NEED MORE OFFICERS MEANS MORE CONTACTS, IMPROVED OUTCOMES, AND IMPROVED RESPONSE TIMES. THIS ALONE MAY HAVE SAVED MY MOTHER'S LIFE.

NEXT, ASSESS THE CURRENT DIVERSION PROGRAM IN JAIL.

THERE IS NO ONE TO TRY TO GET HELP. GET MENTALLY ILL INMATES.

HELP! NOT IN A JAIL CELL. A JAIL CELL TYPICALLY WORSENS A MENTALLY ILL PERSON'S CONDITION.

ADDITIONALLY, TO ELEVATED SUPERVISION AND POTENTIAL PHYSICAL CONFRONTATIONS WITH OTHER INMATES AND CORRECTION OFFICERS.

AND LASTLY, EXPAND THE SCOPE AND SIZE OF COURTS SPECIALIZING IN HANDLING THE MENTALLY ILL.

JUDGE RON RANGEL IS A GREAT RESOURCE. ARRESTING HOUSING AND ADJUDICATING THE CRIMINAL CASES OF MENTALLY ILL DEFENDANTS IS EXPENSIVE. LONG TERM INCARCERATION EXPONENTIALLY RAISES THE COST.

I WOULD ARGUE THAT INVESTING MONEY IN THE THINGS I HAVE ASKED OF YOU COULD NOT ONLY SAVE BEXAR COUNTY MONEY, BUT THE GRIEF MY FAMILY NOW EXPERIENCES. AGAIN, I OFFER MYSELF TO WORK WITH A COMMITTEE OR GROUP TO EVALUATE OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM THAT SERVES OUR GREAT COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU.

LET ME FINISH THIS, OKAY? LET ME GO AHEAD. RON TOOK DSABC YOU HAVE SEVERAL, I PRESUME DEPUTIES SIGNED UP. RON. DO YOU WANT TO. IS DO YOU WANT DO THEY WANT TO YIELD THEIR TIME OR DO THEY ALL WISH TO INDIVIDUALLY SPEAK? A FEW OF US WOULD LIKE TO WAIVE OUR TIME. I'D LIKE TODD HARRISON.

OKAY. IS IS RENEE OPERATIONS TO SPEAK FIRST, PLEASE, IF THAT'S OKAY.

THE WHAT NOW? TODD HARRISON, DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS FOR FLEET.

I'D LIKE HIM TO SPEAK TO THE COURT FIRST, IF THAT'S OKAY.

YOU WANT TODD TO SPEAK FIRST? YES, PLEASE. OKAY. YES, SIR. AND WHO SHOULD BE SECOND? I'LL DO.

I'LL DO SECOND. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. LET ME. TODD HARRISON.

THEN RON TOOK. AND THEN RON TELL ME WHICH ONE IS YIELDING TIME TO YOU.

AND I HAVE RAY POLLARD YIELDING. TODD TIME TO RAY, TO TODD HARRISON.

RAY, ARE YOU STILL HERE? OKAY. AND YOU'RE YIELDING TIME.

TODD. SIX MINUTES. THANK YOU, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, FOR ALLOWING ME TO ADDRESS YOU TODAY.

I'M TODD HARRISON, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF FIELD SERVICE FOR THE COMBINED LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATIONS OF TEXAS.

I NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS AND I'M ASSISTING DSA, B C IN TRYING TO GET A NEW CONTRACT IN BEXAR COUNTY.

I BELIEVE YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE NOTICE WE SENT OF DECLARING WE WERE AT IMPASSE AND REQUESTING MEDIATION.

WE FIRST SENT IN. ON DECEMBER THE 2ND OF 2020, FOR AN INTENT TO BARGAIN.

THAT WAS SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE CONTRACT CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRED AND WENT INTO EVERGREEN.

WE WEREN'T ABLE TO MEET WITH THE COUNTY UNTIL MAY 28TH OF 25.

WE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS. THE ONLY REALLY GOOD MEETING WE HAD WAS OUR SECOND ONE WHERE WE HAD 14 ARTICLES, BUT THEY WERE ALL, YOU KNOW, JUST REAL EASY ARTICLES TO DO.

THEY WEREN'T ANY OF THE SUBSTANTIAL ONES. THEY ASKED FOR OUR FINANCIAL PACKAGE, WHICH THEY RECEIVED IN OCTOBER OF 25. WE HAD TO FINALLY GET BACK WITH THEM IN THE FIRST PART OF 2026 TO GET BACK TO

[02:50:09]

FAST FORWARD THEY BLAMED THEY WERE WAITING BECAUSE WE HIRED BAKER TILLY, WHICH DID A SALARY SURVEY FOR THE COUNTY LAST TIME, TO DO A SALARY SURVEY.

WE GOT THE PRODUCT. IT WAS WRONG. THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE PROPER SALARIES FOR BEXAR COUNTY.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PROPER SALARIES FOR 90% OF THE SALARIES.

THEY WERE COMPARING BEXAR COUNTY TO. AND YOU MIGHT ASK, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? BECAUSE I GOT THEIR CONTRACTS. WE NEGOTIATE THEM.

WE NEGOTIATE THEM. EXCEPT FOR HOUSTON NEGOTIATE EVERY ONE OF THOSE CONTRACTS THEY HAD.

SO I KNEW WHAT THE PAY RATE WAS AND WHAT THE STEPS WERE AND WHAT EVERYTHING ELSE WAS.

I SENT A CORRECTED DEAL BACK TO BAKER TILLY AND LISTED THE CONTRACTS THAT I SPECIFICALLY GOT THE FACTS FROM, AND WE'RE STILL IN DISPUTE WITH THEM OVER THE CHARGE THEY DID.

I PERSONALLY AM THINKING ABOUT TO SEND THEM AN INVOICE FOR HAVING TO DO THEIR WORK, BUT SO THAT'S WHY WE CHOSE NOT TO USE THEM.

COUNTY WANTED IT. WE GAVE IT TO THEM. I GAVE THEM THE CORRECTED.

I GAVE THEM THE SOURCE MATERIALS FROM WHERE THE CORRECTED NUMBERS CAME FOR.

BUT THEN THEY STILL WANTED TO SAY, WELL, WE JUST CHOSE NOT TO USE IT.

THAT'S NOT TRUE. THAT'S NOT TRUE. IF IF WE'RE PAYING SOMEBODY FOR SOMETHING, I'M A NUMBERS GUY, I'M GOING TO VERIFY THE NUMBERS. AND THEY WERE WRONG.

SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. THE COUNTY'S FINANCIAL POSITION.

THE ONLY THING I LOOK AT IS THE GENERAL FUND, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU USE TO PAY SALARIES.

THAT'S WHAT YOU USED TO PAY YOUR BILLS. THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE, YOU LOOK AT THE PAST 2015 IN UNASSIGNED GENERAL FUND, YOU HAD $72,000,810, $880.

THAT WAS 21% OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR.

AT THAT TIME, THE THE THE COMMISSIONER APPROVED MINIMUM WAS 10%.

SO YOU DOUBLE THAT IF YOU GO ALL THE WAY, IT DIDN'T GO TO 15% TO 2018.

THAT YEAR, YOU HAD $177 IN UNRESTRICTED RESERVE.

IF YOU GO UP TO THE 2020, IT WENT UP TO 148 MILLION, WHICH WAS 35% OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES FOR THE YEAR WENT DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO 137,000,000 IN 21, BUT THAT WAS STILL 27% OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES.

FROM 22, IT WENT UP TO 200,000,246 IN FISCAL YEAR 23, 298 INTO FISCAL YEAR 24, 406,000,406 MILLION. IN 2025. THAT WAS 53.54% OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.

Y'ALL HELD ON TO MORE THAN YOU ACTUALLY SPENT.

AND THE REASON THAT HAPPENS, PEOPLE HAVE A TENDENCY TO OVERESTIMATE EXPENSES AND UNDER ESTIMATED REVENUES COMING IN. THE THE PROBLEM IS THAT'S COMING FROM YOUR TAXPAYERS THAT YOU WERE ALL TALKING ABOUT AND Y'ALL WERE WORRIED WHILE AGO ABOUT RAISING THE RATE LESS THAN 1%.

THAT'S ALL MONEY THEY PAID IN TAXES. AND Y'ALL ARE NOT A FOR PROFIT CORPORATION.

YOU'RE A SERVICE. YOU'RE A SERVICE PROVIDER. YOU PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE AND YOU PROVIDE PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES.

[02:55:06]

ALL RIGHT, I WILL WRAP IT UP. HOLD ON. YOU'RE YIELDING TIME, RENEE.

ALL RIGHT. IF YOU LOOK BACK OVER THE TEN YEAR TIME FRAME.

YOUR GENERAL FUND UNASSIGNED BALANCE, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR ANYTHING.

GENERAL FUNDS WHERE YOUR SALARIES COME FROM IS WHERE YOUR PAY RAISES COME FROM.

IT'S WHERE A LOT OF YOUR BENEFITS AND A LOT OF YOUR WORK IS DONE ON THE GENERAL FUNDS.

IT WENT UP BY $334 MILLION IN A TEN YEAR PERIOD.

THAT'S A 558% INCREASE. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A VISION AND LOOKING FORWARD.

I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK BACK AND START MAKING SOME DECISIONS OVER.

I MEAN, YOU'RE TELLING US WHILE WE'RE AT THE TABLE BARGAINING OR THE COUNTY MANAGER DID THAT, HE PUT IT OUT IN PAPER. THERE WERE NO BUDGETED PAY RAISES FOR ANY EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING BARGAINING UNIT EMPLOYEES.

WE'RE AT THE TABLE BARGAINING AND WE GET THAT.

SO THAT'S WHY WE WENT TO IMPASSE AND REQUESTED A MEDIATOR SO WE CAN GET THIS WORKED OUT.

I WILL ANYBODY'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? I'LL TAKE THEM BECAUSE I CAN PROVE MY FACTS OFF OF YOUR INDEPENDENT AUDITS.

IF THEY WANT TO CALL ANYTHING OF RESERVING THE GENERAL FUND, ASSIGN IT OR RESTRICT IT, PUT IT IN THE BUDGET, THAT IT'S A RESERVE. I WOULD SAY THE 15% FLOOR IS YOUR RESERVE.

YOU'VE GOT TO YOU'VE GOT A FLOOR, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A CEILING, BECAUSE WHEN WOULD IT FINALLY BE ENOUGH FOR THE COUNTY MANAGEMENT TO THINK THEY HAD ENOUGH? WOULD IT HAVE TO HIT $1 BILLION JUST SITTING IN ACCOUNT, COLLECTING INTEREST AND NOT BEING USED ON THE TAXPAYERS? I DON'T KNOW. Y'ALL WILL HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

I THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING TO ME. AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION LATER AND JUST DO WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE CITIZENS OF BEXAR COUNTY AND YOUR DEDICATED EMPLOYEES.

AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE BARGAINING UNIT.

I AM NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE BARGAINING UNIT.

ALL YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED A BUMP. THEY NEED A BUMP BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE IS BUMPING EXCEPT TAKE HOME PAY.

NOBODY'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS. I'LL. I'LL SIT DOWN.

THANK YOU. DEREK. YOU'RE GOING TO COME AFTER RON.

ARE YOU GOING TO YIELD TIME? OKAY. GO AHEAD. ROB.

I WAS GOING TO SAY GOOD MORNING, BUT WE'RE ALREADY IN AFTERNOON.

REAL QUICK. I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE NEGOTIATIONS.

WAS TODD COVERED? YESTERDAY I ATTENDED FOUR RETIREMENTS, OVER 100 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, JUST PUT IN THEIR PAPERWORK BECAUSE THEY DON'T FEEL APPRECIATED BY BEXAR COUNTY ANYMORE. I'VE BEEN AT THE ROLL CALLS.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AT THE JAIL. AND MORALE HAS IS WORSE THAN I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

NOT ONLY ARE THEY WORKING IN A FACILITY THAT'S FALLING APART AROUND THEM WITH SEWER DRIPPING ON THEIR DESKS NOW THEY'RE TELLING THE COUNTY'S TELLING THEM THAT THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM. EVERY MAJOR POLL THAT WE LOOK AT, PUBLIC SAFETY IS, NUMBER ONE, THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY EVEN OVER THE ECONOMY, WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT EVERY ONE OF US KNOWS HOW TOUGH THIS COMMUNITY IS GETTING LATELY WITH CRIME AND EVERYTHING.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO WRAP OUR HEAD AROUND IT. 15 PEOPLE ON AVERAGE HAD TO STAY OVER AFTER AFTER WORKING A SHIFT BECAUSE THEY HAD NOBODY TO REPLACE THEM. THOSE ARE MOTHERS THAT CAN'T GO HOME TO THEIR CHILDREN.

AND THAT'S AN ONGOING THING. THAT IS NO FAULT OF THE SHERIFF'S.

NO MATTER WHAT THE MEDIA PLAYS, THE SHERIFF HAS GIVEN WHAT YOU GIVE HIM TO OPERATE HIS ON HIS BUDGET AND HE'S RECRUITING MORE PEOPLE THAN HE CAN KEEP EMPLOYED RIGHT NOW. HE BRINGS IN 30, 15, 20 QUITS.

SO WE'RE NEVER GETTING AHEAD OF THIS. WHAT I'M ASKING YOU ALL TO DO IS EVERYBODY KNOWS WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC OR PRIVATE COMPANY, YOUR BIGGEST ASSET IS YOUR EMPLOYEES. NUMBER ONE, THE PEOPLE THAT PUSH THE PAPERWORK AROUND, THE ONES THAT GUARD THE PRISONERS IN THE JAIL, THE ONES THAT ARE OUT PATROLLING THE STREETS, THE ONES THAT ARE PROTECTING YOU ALL IN THIS COURTHOUSE RIGHT NOW.

PLEASE KEEP THAT IN YOUR MIND AND YOUR HEART.

[03:00:02]

AND TO WRAP THIS UP, TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY TO OUR EMPLOYEES ONE MONTH FROM TODAY, THE COUNTY IS GOING TO TAKE OR STEAL, I CALL IT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF THE MONEY THAT THEY'VE EARNED IN THEIR SALARIES BECAUSE THEY CANNOT TAKE THE TIME OFF, USE IT OR LOSE IT IS BACK IN PLAY AGAIN. I'VE TRIED TO REACH OUT TO SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS FOR ADVICE ON THIS AND HAVE BEEN GHOSTED.

SO WHERE DO WE GO NOW? NOT ONLY ARE THEY NOT GOING TO GET A PAY RAISE OR ANY TYPE OF PAY ADJUSTMENT FOR THREE YEARS GOING ON, FOR NOW, WE ARE GOING BACK TO TAKING THEIR HARD EARNED TIME THAT THEY THEY ALREADY EARNED BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT TAKE THE TIME OFF.

THE NEW PAYROLL SYSTEM. YOU CANNOT. IF YOU ARE NOT IN A COUNTY FACILITY, YOU CANNOT REMOTELY CHECK YOUR TIME.

YOU CANNOT. YOU CAN CHECK YOUR PAYCHECK. BUT IF YOU WORK IN AN OFF SITE FACILITY, WHICH A LOT OF SHERIFF'S OFFICE EMPLOYEES DO, YOU CAN'T CHECK YOUR TIME BALANCES. YOU CAN'T EVEN CHECK IT.

SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE A TRIP SOMEWHERE OR HAVE SOMEBODY ELSE.

TIME'S UP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

COMMISSIONER CALVERT. THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT SAN ANTONIO CITY.

SAN ANTONIO IS IN A BIGGER DIRE STRAITS. BUT WHAT DID THEY DO? THEY STILL MADE PUBLIC SAFETY THE TOP PRIORITY.

AND THAT'S ALL WE'RE ASKING FOR, Y'ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.

ROBERT. DEREK EASTER. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS DEREK EASTER BOUTTE WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 YEARS. I'M WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RIGHT NOW REPRESENTING THE DEPUTY SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION OF BEXAR COUNTY, DSABC. SO WE'VE BEEN HITTING THE ROLL CALLS, KIND OF BRIEFING OUR OUR MEMBERS ON THE PROPOSAL THAT WE INITIALLY RECEIVED, WHICH WAS 0% FOR THE NEXT YEAR. OUR MEMBERS ARE PRETTY FRUSTRATED.

THEY FEEL THEY FEEL DISRESPECTED JUST SEEING THAT WE'VE BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS APPROXIMATELY, I THINK, TODD, MAYBE 600 DAYS, AM I RIGHT? 633/600 DAYS.

UNLIKE OTHER COUNTY EMPLOYEES, WE HAVE BEEN AT THE TABLE NEGOTIATING SOME OF OUR FINANCES.

AND AFTER 600 DAYS, WE'RE TOLD THAT WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE NOTHING. THAT'S THAT'S VERY SURPRISING.

VERY ALARMING. WE UNDERSTAND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, JUST LIKE HE MENTIONED.

THEY HAVE, I BELIEVE, $158 MILLION DEFICIT. AND FOR SOME REASON THEY STILL FOUND MONEY TO GIVE SAPD 5% FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS, TOTALING ABOUT 16%, THREE YEAR CONTRACT, 5% EACH YEAR.

AND THEY HAVE A DEFICIT JUST AS WELL. PUBLIC SAFETY HAS TO BE A CONCERN.

IT HAS TO BE A PRIORITY HERE. OUR MEMBERS ARE THEY'RE LOSING FAITH IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW.

THEY'RE LOSING FAITH IN THE NEGOTIATING TECHNIQUES THAT WE'RE USING.

IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME WE COME DOWN TO CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, EVERY TIME IT GETS DRAGGED OUT, WE GET INTO OUR EVERGREEN. OUR CONTRACT EXPIRES.

IF YOU LOOK AT SAPD, THEIR CONTRACT HASN'T EXPIRED YET.

THEY'RE STILL IN THEIR CURRENT CONTRACT. THEY STARTED NEGOTIATING AFTER US AND THEY FINISH NEGOTIATING BEFORE US, AND THEY GOT 5% A YEAR FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

SO IT SEEMS UNREALISTIC WHEN THE COUNTY COMES TO US AND TELLS US, HEY, 0%, WE HAVE AN EVERGREEN, WE HAVE ANOTHER YEAR OF EVERGREEN. AND THE EVERGREEN SAYS THAT NOTHING CHANGES ON OUR CONTRACT WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.

AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE RECEIVING IN THE NEXT YEAR OF EVERGREEN. WE'RE RECEIVING NOTHING FOR THE NEXT YEAR, AND THAT'S OUR CURRENT OFFER IS NOTHING FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

SO IT'S UNACCEPTABLE TO OUR MEMBERS. THEY'RE EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED. WE'RE STARTING TO LOSE DEPUTIES GOING TO BEXAR COUNTY. I MEAN GOING TO NEW BRAUNFELS, GOING TO COMAL COUNTY, ALL THE SURROUNDING AREAS. YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB.

AND WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US UP WITH THAT PAY ADJUSTMENT, GETTING US UP TO FAIR MARKET VALUE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. BUT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE TAKING A STEP BACKWARDS, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE FOR DECADES WHERE WE WERE UNDERPAID, WE WERE UNDERSTAFFED. IT'S VERY HARD TO RECRUIT.

IT'S VERY HARD TO RETAIN PEOPLE. AND THESE DEPUTIES, THESE NEW DEPUTIES THAT ARE COMING IN, PEOPLE, THEY WANT TO GO WHERE THE MONEY'S AT.

AND IT'S HARD TO GET PEOPLE TO DO THIS JOB AS IT IS, AND IT'S HARD TO GET THEM TO DO THIS JOB HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY, WHEN THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES AND THE OTHER SMALL SURROUNDING AGENCIES ARE PAYING MORE MONEY.

SO WE JUST REALLY WANT YOU TO CONSIDER THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS.

WE'D LIKE FOR IT TO GO A LOT FASTER AND BE MORE EFFICIENT.

AND IF YOU COULD SEPARATE US FROM THE REST OF BEXAR COUNTY EMPLOYEES JUST BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN AT THE TABLE NEGOTIATING.

SO IT'S DISHEARTENING WHEN YOU'RE SITTING ACROSS THE TABLE FROM SOMEBODY FOR 600 SOMETHING DAYS, AND THE WHOLE TIME THEY'RE GOING TO OFFER YOU NOTHING.

THAT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THAT'S NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE WE NEED AN ANSWER TO TAKE BACK TO OUR MEMBERS.

AND WE NEED SOMETHING POSITIVE TO KEEP THEM IN THE IN THE IN THE FIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT.

ANTONIO DIAZ AND DIANA GUTIERREZ. DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK SEPARATELY OR TOGETHER? COME ON.

[03:05:23]

BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS, IS THE ISSUE THAT I'M ALSO HERE TO TALK ABOUT MAINLY THE PARTICIPATION OF OUR LOCAL SHERIFFS AND SAPD WITH ICE THAT WE OBJECT TO AND WE OBJECT TO THIS NEW CONCENTRATION CAMP THEY'RE BUILDING UP FOR TEN.

I DON'T KNOW IF BECAUSE BY READING SB 4 OR 287 G AS BEFORE, IN 2017 AND IN 2023 ARE OUTRAGEOUS AS FAR AS RACIALLY PROFILING OUR BROWN SKINNED PEOPLE AND TAKING AWAY THE COUNTY OR CITY'S ABILITY TO DECLARE SANCTUARY STATUS. ALL THESE MEAN SPIRITED, RACIALLY BIASED LEGISLATIONS THAT OUR STATE IS APPROVING, PASSING, AND THEN THAT WE CAN'T EVEN COUNT ON OUR SUPREME COURT TO DEFEND OUR.

OUR RIGHTS AT ALL. BUT BECAUSE THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY UPHOLD OUR STATE SUPREME COURT OR APPEALS COURT DECISIONS WERE ATROCIOUS AS FAR AS CONTINUING TO RACIALLY PROFILE US AND VIOLATE OUR CIVIL RIGHTS, OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. EARLIER YOU HAD A PRESENTATION ON, ON BEXAR.

250. WELL, WE WERE THE ORIGINAL FAMILIES. WE'RE WE'RE THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES THAT BUILT THOSE MISSIONS THAT WERE HERE BEFORE THE SPANISH ARRIVED, LOOKING FOR WATER AND WHAT TO EAT. WE WERE ALREADY HERE.

AND YET 250 OR 550 OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO PUT NUMBERS INTO, WE CONTINUE TO BE RACIALLY DISCRIMINATED, DEPORTED, INCARCERATED, REMOVED, DENIED WHATEVER CIVIL RIGHTS OR OR IN PLACE FOR THE REST OF THE CITIZENS.

SOMEHOW IT'S OKAY TO LABEL US AS IMMIGRANTS, FOREIGNERS, CRIMINALS AND LAWS ARE APPROVED AND PASSED TO TO SAY IT'S OKAY. SO I'M SAYING ONE THING THAT A GREAT LEADER ONCE SAID A LAW MIGHT BE LEGAL, BUT IT DOES NOT MAKE IT MORAL.

AND SO WE CONTINUE TO PROTEST UNDER THOSE THOSE BELIEFS THAT LAWS MAY BE LEGAL, BUT THEY ARE NOT JUST OR MORAL.

SO WE WILL HOPEFULLY DEPEND ON OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO TO PUSH BACK ON OUR BEHALF.

CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. IS THERE ANY CITIZENS THAT SIGNED UP THAT I DID NOT CALL YOUR NAME? HEARING NONE, LET'S MOVE ON. I BELIEVE WE GO TO OUR INDIVIDUAL MATTERS.

THEN I BELIEVE WE HAVE EXECUTIVE SESSION, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME MATTERS TO TAKE UP, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE SOME MATTERS TO TAKE UP AFTER WE FINISH.

EXECUTIVE 51 PRESENTATION ON THE OUTCOMES ACHIEVED THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORKDAY HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT PAYROLL SYSTEM,

[51. Presentation on the outcomes achieved through the implementation of the Workday Human Capital Management & Payroll system which went live in December 2025.]

GOOD AFTERNOON, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE.

THERE'S NO ACTION ON THE SIDE OF THE DAY. SO I'LL MOVE THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.

THIS WAS I'LL JUST START WITH THIS. THIS WAS A JOINT INITIATIVE HIGHLY COLLABORATIVE INCLUDE INVOLVEMENT FROM BCIT AS WELL AS THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.

SO LEO IS HERE AND TINA AND HR. THE THREE OF US FORMED THE EXECUTIVE STEERING COMMITTEE, AND THEN WE WERE SUPPORTED BY A PROJECT TEAM AND NUMEROUS TEAM MEMBERS THAT CONTRIBUTED.

THERE'S A BULLET OR TWO WHERE I'LL PAUSE ON THAT HERE.

SO THE PROJECT GOALS INITIALLY WERE TO INCREASE OR IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDED INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, IMPROVE DATA ACCURACY, ACCESSIBILITY, RELIABILITY, AND SOME COST SAVINGS, ENHANCE DECISION MAKING, BETTER COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT AND GREATER EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION.

SO THE PROJECT PROJECT STARTED IN EARLY 2024, AND WE WENT LIVE IN DECEMBER OR DECEMBER 20TH,

[03:10:01]

AND IT DELIVERED SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS ON A MORE UNIFIED, RELIABLE AND ADAPTABLE PLATFORM THAT ALLOWED US TO RESPOND TO ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS WITH GREATER CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY. AND IT'S THE FOUNDATION FOR ONGOING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, ESPECIALLY IN THE PAYROLL IN THE HR SPACE. SO THE PROJECT SCALE AND ENGAGEMENT, THERE WERE OVER 2000 MEETINGS, 600 OR 6000 PROJECT TICKETS 26 CORE TEAM TEAM MEMBERS AND NUMEROUS SMES.

SO THOSE CORE TEAM MEMBERS WERE BASICALLY FULL TIME DEDICATED TO THE PROJECT.

AND THOSE INCLUDED PEOPLE IN BCIT, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS HR AND SOME OTHER OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS.

160 TRAINERS TRAINED, 4800 EMPLOYEES DELIVERED MORE THAN 125 UNIQUE TRAINING SESSIONS THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT. AND THEN WE HAD 20 OR 79 CHANGE AMBASSADORS.

THOSE CHANGE AMBASSADORS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING US WITH THE COMMUNICATION INTO OR WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS.

SO WHAT HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED? SO WE IMPLEMENTED HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT COMPENSATION, PAYROLL BENEFITS, TIME AND ABSENCE MANAGEMENT RECRUITING. AND THEN WE HAVE READY TO GO A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND PERFORMANCE AND TALENT MANAGEMENT.

AND THOSE THINGS WILL BE COMING AS WE WORK THROUGH WITH HR AND SOME OTHER PARTNERS IN THE COMING MONTHS.

SO WHAT'S BEEN REPLACED? WE REPLACED SAP, WHICH WAS IN USE SINCE 2003.

MULTIPLE SERVERS, MULTIPLE DATABASE DATABASES THAT WERE OLD AND AGING.

LOGIC WAS THE BENEFITS SYSTEM OF RECORD. NEO GOV WAS THE RECRUITING SYSTEM OF RECORD.

MOCA WAS IN PLACE FOR TIME KEEPING SINCE 1977.

SO FOR 48 YEARS WE WERE USING MOCA FOR TIME KEEPING THAT'S BEEN REPLACED.

PAPER BASED TIME KEEPING WAS STILL IN PLACE. AND THEN WE HAD SOME OTHER SYSTEMS. SO HERE'S SOME OF THE OUTCOME METRICS. TWO YEARS AGO HR AND PAYROLL WAS SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT.

NOW WE'RE ON ONE PLATFORM, ONE UNIFIED PLATFORM TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

SO GREATER VISIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY INTO KIND OF WHAT WE DO FROM AN HR AND PAYROLL PERSPECTIVE.

LIKE, LIKE WE MENTIONED EARLIER, ON DECEMBER 20TH, 2025, WE FLIPPED THE SWITCH.

AND SINCE JANUARY FIRST, ALL OF THOSE HAVE BEEN RUNNING ON THAT, THAT UNIFIED PLATFORM, ALL OF THOSE PROCESSES.

SO FROM MANUAL TO MODERNIZED PAYROLL. SO REMEMBER BEFORE WE WENT LIVE ON THIS, WE HAD A SEMIMONTHLY MONTHLY PAY PROCESS.

WE PAID ON THE 15TH AND THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.

AND IT WAS A PAY BY EXCEPTION PROCESS. SO IT MEANT WE PAID, ASSUMING YOU WORKED THOSE HOURS.

AND IF YOU DIDN'T AND YOU TURNED IN TIME OR LEAVE AFTER THE FACT, THEY HAD TO GO BACK AND MAKE SOME OF THE CHANGES.

SO THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, IT WAS A HIGHLY MANUAL PROCESS FOR THEM.

SO NOW WE PAY BIWEEKLY. THE WHOLE THING IS AUTOMATED.

WE THE RESULT IS AN 85% REDUCTION IN PAYROLL PROCESSING TIME.

SO IT'S SIGNIFICANT PAYROLL PROCESSING BENEFIT FOR FOR THAT FOR THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.

SO WE REALLY DO OR ELIMINATED 60,000, 68,000 PIECES OF PAPER ANNUALLY.

49,000 PAPERLESS REQUESTS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED SO FAR.

OR THIS WAS, I THINK, INTO JULY. THESE METRICS A 90% REDUCTION IN PAPER TIME KEEPING AND PRINTING IN BCSO 1827 PAPERLESS CHANGES IN DIRECT DEPOSIT. 875.

PAPERLESS CHANGES TO FEDERAL WITHHOLDING AND 1157 PAPERLESS CHANGES TO HOME.

CONTACT INFORMATION. SO IT HAS SIMPLIFIED ALSO THE TIME KEEPING PROCESS FOR BCSO.

SO BEFORE EVERYTHING WAS HANDLED MANUAL, IT WAS ALL CAPTURED ON ON SPREADSHEETS.

AND THEN THAT INFORMATION WAS COMPILED AND SENT OVER TO THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.

SO NOW THEY HAVE 50 INTEGRATED TIME CLOCKS ACROSS ALL OF THEIR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.

THEY'VE LOGGED OVER 260,000 CLOCK SEGMENTS AND PROCESSED 43,000 TIMESHEETS WITH 35000 ABSENCE REQUESTS.

IN THIS IN AN AUTOMATED FASHION, SINCE WE'VE GONE LIVE AND THEY USE TIME CLOCKS PLUS FOR THEIR TIMEKEEPING, NOT A NATIVE WORKDAY TIMEKEEPING APPLICATION SINCE GO LIVE EMPLOYEES FROM A SELF SERVICES STANDPOINT HAVE COMPLETED OVER 3200 DIRECT DEPOSIT UPDATES, OVER 1100 W-4 CHANGES, AND OVER 1600 HOME CONTACT UPDATES.

SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS BEFORE WERE HANDLED BY PAPER OR SOME KIND OF FORM OR SOME KIND OF EMAIL.

RIGHT. ON THE ADOPTION SIDE, WE'VE SEEN OVER 907,000 LOGINS EITHER THROUGH MOBILE OR DESKTOP IN THE WORKDAY,

[03:15:01]

SO THE HIRING PROCESS IS ALSO IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS HAS ALSO BEEN STREAMLINED.

SO WITH WORKDAY RECRUITING 139 POSITIONS, POSITIONS WERE FILLED IN UNDER 30 DAYS, AND AN AVERAGE TIME TO FILL SHRANK TO 45 DAYS. ACROSS THE BOARD, WE'VE SEEN OVER 11,000 COMPLETED APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING OVER 2000 INTERNAL AND 1200 REFERRALS.

SO WORKDAY IS REALLY DRIVEN BY A LOT OF BUSINESS PROCESSES.

SO THERE'S 197 BUSINESS PROCESSES THAT ARE DEFINED THROUGH SOME KIND OF WORKFLOW OR AUTOMATION AND WORKDAY.

THOSE PROCESSES HAVE RESULTED IN OVER 460 000 COMPLETED PROCESSES SINCE WE'VE GONE LIVE.

AND LIKE WE SAID, NEXT UP IS REALLY ROLLING OUT THE LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, THE TALENT, TALENT, PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION, WORKDAY HELP AND RELEASE.

AND THERE'S A WORKDAY AS A RELEASE EVERY SIX MONTHS.

SO THERE'S A RELEASE COMING UP AS WELL. SO THAT'S THE LAST LAST SLIDE.

WE REALLY JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE IMPACT OF THE PROJECT. THERE'S NO ACTION TODAY.

YOU KNOW, WE WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON THESE PROJECTS. THIS IS A MULTI MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT THAT THE COMMISSIONERS COURT APPROVED.

THAT IS REALLY, LIKE I SAID, LED TO SOME DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND SOME AUTOMATION ON A UNIFIED PLATFORM THAT I THINK HAS REALLY BENEFITED THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.

I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR LEO AND HR AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO GET BETTER.

SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE TEAM. I'M PROUD OF THE COLLEAGUES THAT I GOT TO WORK WITH, THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEAM, THOSE FOLKS IN BCIT, AS I'M SURE THAT LEO AND TINA ARE VERY PROUD OF THEIR TEAM.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING THEY WANT TO SAY, BUT.

COMMISSIONER. CALVERT. THANK YOU AND THANKS TO YOUR TEAM FOR THEIR GOOD WORK AND EVERYBODY WHO'S COLLABORATED TOGETHER.

SO HAS THE HAVE THE FOLKS IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WHO HAVE THESE REMOTE POSITIONS THAT WERE JUST MENTIONED AND UNABLE TO, I GUESS, CLOCK IN? I MEAN, HAVE THEY COMMUNICATED THOSE TIMESLOTS THAT EVERY REMOTE POSITION AT EVERY REMOTE SITE? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED BEFORE IN WORKDAY.

EVERY EMPLOYEE CAN LOG IN THROUGH THE APP AND SEE THEIR LEAVE BALANCES.

AND I BELIEVE THAT'S TRUE FOR BCSO, RIGHT? SO EVERY EMPLOYEE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP.

SO MAYBE THERE'S SOME EDUCATION THAT WE NEED TO GO BACK AND PROVIDE. BUT EVERY EMPLOYEE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOG IN THROUGH THAT APP AND SEE THEIR LEAVE BALANCES. THEY CLOCK IN AND CLOCK OUT ON AN APPLICATION CALLED TIME CLOCKS PLUS.

AND LIKE I MENTIONED, THERE'S 50 OF THOSE TIME CLOCKS IN THE VARIOUS OFFICES AND APARTMENTS.

THE REASON TIME CLOCKS PLUS WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR THEM IS BECAUSE THEIR CALCULATIONS FOR OVERTIME AND FOR LEAVE ARE MORE COMPLEX THAN A NORMAL COUNTY EMPLOYEE.

SO THAT'S WHY WE WENT WITH THAT SOLUTION. OKAY. WELL, THAT WAS RON TOOK.

HE'S, THE PRESIDENT OF THEIR ASSOCIATION. SO I'M SURE IF YOU ALL GET TOGETHER, MAYBE HE CAN COMMUNICATE WHERE THE ISSUES ARE.

BUT CONGRATULATIONS. IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT FOR THE DATA DELINEATION THAT WE WANT TO DO TO ANALYZE THINGS.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER MOODY. WELL, MARK, THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE.

WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT AND SOME OF THE THINGS MENTIONED HERE ARE THOSE MODULES FOR WORKDAY, LIKE EXPANSION OR. YEAH. SO THE GOAL OF THE PROJECT WAS TO IMPLEMENT AND REPLACE EVERYTHING THAT WE WERE DOING BEFORE.

AS PART OF THE INITIAL PHASE, BUT THEY ARE COMPONENTS THAT WE ALREADY PAY FOR.

BUT WE NEVER HAD A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BEFORE.

SO THERE'S SOME DESIGN AND CONFIGURATION THAT NEEDS TO GO INTO THE SYSTEM AS WELL AS SOME UNDERSTANDING OF WHO'S GOING TO OWN WHAT BUSINESS PROCESS AND HOW WE ROLL IT OUT.

SO WE'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH HR, FOR INSTANCE, ON A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ROLLOUT, AND THERE'S BEEN A PILOT TO SEE HOW THAT WOULD GO. SAME THING FOR TALENT AND TALENT AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.

THOSE ARE MODULES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. YOU CAN REFER TO THEM AS MODULES, BUT FUNCTIONALITY THAT WE ALREADY LICENSE.

OKAY. YEAH, I JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE MOST EXCITING SLIDE TO ME IS WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? AND THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EXPLOITING SUCCESS HERE.

IF WE'VE HAD A GREAT IMPLEMENTATION, WE HAVE A GOOD CONTRACT IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE OTHER WINS THAT WE COULD NOTCH UP WITH REGARD TO OTHER MODULES, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO REFER TO IT WITHIN THIS ECOSYSTEM OF OF WORKDAY.

I GUESS THAT'S KIND OF MY QUESTION. YEAH, THERE CERTAINLY ARE.

AND THERE'S A ROADMAP THAT THE TEAMS PUTTING TOGETHER ARE ACTUALLY HAS AND THEY'RE CONTINUING TO REFINE.

THERE'S ALSO A WORKDAY CUSTOMER CHANGE COMMITTEE WHERE THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.

SO BCIT THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, HR AND OTHER FOLKS ARE RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS AS WELL ON HOW THINGS MAY BE ABLE TO BE OPTIMIZED OR HOW WE MAY BE ABLE TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE. AND SO THEY'RE EVALUATING THOSE.

AND THOSE ARE ALL ON OUR ROADMAP TOO, RIGHT? SO CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT IS A BIG DEAL FOR US.

OKAY. AND DOES SOME OF THE PROCESSES YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, DOES THAT COVER PUBLIC WORKS AS WELL OR NO? YES. OKAY. DO YOU STILL THINK THAT THERE'S OTHER PROCESSES THAT ARE NOT AUTOMATED TODAY THAT,

[03:20:07]

SO YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, CERTAINLY THOSE KIND OF THINGS ARE ON THE RADAR, BUT IT DOESN'T COVER THINGS OUTSIDE OF THAT SCOPE.

RIGHT? YEAH. AND ULTIMATELY, I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S STILL ANOTHER PLACE WHEN IT COMES TO IT, AUTOMATION AND WHETHER WORKDAY PROVIDES TOOLS THAT WORK WITHIN THAT SPACE OR NOT.

OR THERE'S OTHER IT SOLUTIONS THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PORTALS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT TO BE ABLE TO, TO SIMPLIFY AND USE TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL MORE BROADLY OUTSIDE OF JUST HR IS WHAT I'M THINKING.

YEAH. AND WE HAVE OUR, WE HAVE A TEAM OF BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TEAM THAT ACTUALLY MEETS FREQUENTLY WITH THE VARIOUS OFFICES AND DEPARTMENTS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEIR STRATEGIES ARE, WHERE TECHNOLOGY MAY HELP ENABLE THEM TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE.

AND THOSE THINGS COME BACK TO OUR IT TEAM. SO OUTSIDE OF THE SCOPE OF WORKDAY, THOSE THINGS COME BACK AS OPPORTUNITIES AND IDEAS THAT BCIT AND WE EVALUATE WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S AN EXISTING PLATFORM THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO UTILIZE IN ORDER TO FILL THOSE GAPS AND HELP THEM BE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE.

AND WHERE THERE'S NOT, THOSE THINGS TURN INTO BUDGET REQUESTS THAT WE PUT IN THROUGH OUR BUDGET, AND THEY GET PRIORITIZED ACCORDINGLY. OKAY. THANK YOU.

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. YES. THANK YOU JUDGE. I'LL JUST MAKE THIS REAL QUICK.

I JUST WANTED TO JUST GET INTO A LITTLE BIT OF SPECIFICS ON HERE ON SOME OF THE COST BENEFIT, YOU KNOW, THIS SYSTEM TO LIKE I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, AND MARK, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED ALSO, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A HUGE MANUAL PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAD BEFORE 85% MANUAL PAPERS GOING THROUGH, WE HAD THINGS LIKE SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND, CLOSE TO 400,000.

WHEN PEOPLE WOULD LEAVE, WE WOULDN'T GET THE PAPERWORK TILL LIKE A MONTH LATER. AND SO THIS, WITH THIS AUTOMATION, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S JUST ELIMINATED ALL THAT.

SO YOU KNOW, AND A BIG THING ABOUT THAT IS, IS OVERTIME PAY.

WE'RE ACTUALLY NOW WHEN YOU'RE EARNING YOUR OVERTIME PAY, WE'RE ABLE TO PAY WITHIN THAT SAME PERIOD.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S HUGE. RATHER THAN EMPLOYEES HAVING TO WAIT, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL MONTHS TO GET THEIR PAY.

AND THEN FOR THE ACTUAL DIRECT PROCESSING. NOW THERE'S A LOT OF AUDITING, DIFFERENT THING GOES INTO IT.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT USED TO TAKE LIKE 3 OR 4 DAYS TO ACTUALLY RUN THE SYSTEM, HAVE IT GO THROUGH.

NOW WE'RE TALKING. IT'S IN A MATTER OF HOURS.

SO AND I'VE, YOU KNOW, HAVE GOTTEN I WAS HOPING FOR A LOT MORE COMPLIMENTS, BUT EMPLOYEES HAVE COME UP TO ME, YOU KNOW, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE SAID THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE BI WEEKLY, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN RELY EVERY TWO WEEKS THAT IT'S ON THEIR THEY APPRECIATE THEIR BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT TIME BALANCES A LOT THIS FISCAL YEAR SAID, OH, YOU KNOW, I WAS ABLE TO BUDGET AND ACTUALLY TAKE SOME MORE TIME OFF.

SO APPRECIATE THOSE ASPECTS OF IT. AND THEN YOU STOLE MY THUNDER ON THAT.

I WAS HOPING COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES TO SHOW HER THAT ONE, BUT, YOU KNOW, GET EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE PAPER REDUCTION AND EVERYTHING ON THERE.

IF YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, I'M THE ONE WHO KICKED THAT OFF WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE. YES, I REMEMBER THAT COMMISSIONER.

SO BUT YEAH, I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE 68, 000 PIECES OF PAPER RIGHT OFF.

THAT'S JUST FROM PAYROLL PAPER TRANSACTIONS. AND MARK WENT THROUGH THAT PRETTY, PRETTY WELL.

BUT AND THEN JUST OVERALL HIGH LEVEL. AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE I DON'T WANT TO BE TOOTING THE HORN, BUT, YOU KNOW, COLLABORATIVELY, YOU KNOW, US WORKING TOGETHER FROM SUCH A PAYROLL, FROM A MANUAL PAYROLL PROCESS TO GO TO AN AUTOMATED PROCESS, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT GOES INTO THIS COLLABORATION, WORKING TOGETHER TO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS TOGETHER, IF YOU JUST ALL JUST DO AN INTERNET SEARCH OF TEXAS COUNTIES AND CITIES THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED A SYSTEM AND THE FAILURES THAT HAVE GONE ALONG WITH THAT, AND I DON'T WANT TO THROW SHADE ON THEM, BUT THERE'S SOME BIG COUNTIES OUT THERE THAT HAD SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH DEPUTIES SHOWING UP AT THE COURTHOUSE AND ALL THIS TYPE THING.

SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANT TO REALLY STRESS THE, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS NO SMALL FEAT.

AND WE WERE BLESSED WITH REALLY GOOD TEAMS AND WORKING TOGETHER.

AND, AND WE THOUGHT ABOUT PUTTING EVERYBODY'S NAME ON HERE.

BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD, WE'D END UP MISSING OUT ON SOMEBODY.

BUT BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT TIME, JUDGE.

I JUST WANT TO THROW THAT OUT THERE AND LET ME JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR ME.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE TO WRAP UP? I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. MARK. DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ELSE? I JUST WANTED TO SAY I APOLOGIZE TO LEO. I DID READ THROUGH ONE OF HIS SLIDES THAT HE HAD ALL THE GOOD METRICS ON THERE.

SO HERE IT IS. WHAT IS THE LESSON THAT WE LEARNED IN MAKING SUCH A BIG SYSTEMIC CHANGE THAT OBVIOUSLY, AS I RECALL, WE HAD A LOT OF PUSHBACK.

AND I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE DON'T LIKE CHANGE, ESPECIALLY IN THIS PLACE.

SOMETHING I AIN'T GOING TO MISS. BUT WHAT, WHAT IS WHAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE LEARNED SO THAT THE COURT AND THE STAFF KNOWS FROM THE

[03:25:03]

MARK, I'LL START WITH YOU AND LEO. WELL, I'LL SAY THAT THIS WENT REALLY SMOOTH FOR A LARGE IMPLEMENTATION.

AS LEO SAID, THERE'S ALWAYS A LITTLE BUMPS. ONE OF THE LESSONS LEARNED.

I'D LIKE TO MAYBE ANSWER A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, THAT WE APPLIED FROM THE OLD EGIS PROJECT TO THIS ONE.

AND WE CAN STILL IMPROVE UPON ON ON OTHER LARGE ONES IS INCLUDING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT AS A ROLE AND AS A COMPONENT OF THE PROJECT. AND WHAT THAT MEANS. YOU SAW THOSE CHANGE AMBASSADORS THAT WE HAD IN THERE. THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS END USER ADOPTION, AND IF END USERS DON'T WANT TO USE IT OR THEY DON'T LIKE IT, THEN THE PROJECT COULD FAIL, RIGHT? AND SO THAT CHANGE, COMMUNICATING WHAT WE'RE DOING EARLY ON IN THE PROJECT AND REINFORCING WHAT THAT CHANGE IS AND WHAT TRAINING IS NEEDED FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO ADOPT AND EMBRACE THAT CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE UPON AND THAT WILL TAKE AND EVEN ENHANCE ON THE NEXT LARGE IMPLEMENTATION. BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE DID IMPROVE UPON FROM THE LAST ONE AS WELL.

SO. WELL, THAT'S THE THING. AFTER YOU GO THROUGH EACH IMPLEMENTATION, THERE'S PLENTY THERE.

BUT JUST TO, YOU KNOW, ECHO WHAT MARK SAID. BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT TOO, YOU KNOW, CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS HUGE, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, TIME KEEPING SYSTEM THAT GOES BACK TO THE 70S.

JUST GETTING THAT MORE OUT THERE AND MORE TRAINING UP FRONT, I THINK WILL GO A LONG WAY.

THANK YOU. CLOSE WITH THIS. I'M GOING TO TELL THE COUNTY AND I TALKED AND I SAY THAT IN ITS ENTIRETY, WHICH MEANS TO ALL ELECTEDS, TO ALL APPOINTED, TO EVERY DEPARTMENT, TO EVERY EMPLOYEE.

YOU BETTER EMBRACE CHANGE BECAUSE IT'S COMING.

AND I THINK I'M TALKING TO THE RIGHT GUY IN FRONT OF ME.

AI, AS I THINK THE COUNTY MANAGER HAS ILLUSTRIOUSLY POINTED OUT, IT'S GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER.

AND IF WE ARE TO EFFECTIVELY USE AI, THAT MEANS WE MAY NOT HAVE TO HAVE SO MUCH FTE TO CARRY THE LOAD. AND I AM JUST PUTTING THAT ON THE TABLE BECAUSE THE COUNTY MANAGER BROUGHT THAT UP AT THE LAST MEETING.

WE ARE INDEED IN A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION OR EVOLUTION.

MARK, HOW DO YOU HOW DO WE SIMPLY SAY AI WILL BE A GAME CHANGER AND PEOPLE BETTER EMBRACE IT AND THEY BETTER LEARN HOW TO CHANGE.

I THINK YOU SAID IT CLEARLY. I MEAN, IT'S A IT'S INEVITABLE.

AI IS HERE. IT'S NOT GOING AWAY. IT IS A BUSINESS DISRUPTOR, BUT THAT CAN BE USED IN A VERY EFFECTIVE, EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT AND A POSITIVE WAY. ALL RIGHT.

MR. COMMISSIONER MOODE, I JUST WANTED TO TAG TEAM THAT.

I THINK WHEN WE SAW THE PROPOSED BUDGET, I EVEN SUGGESTED, YOU KNOW, SHOULD WE HAVE A STUDY ON WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE HERE FOR BEXAR COUNTY AND WHETHER THAT'S COUNTY MANAGER DIRECTED TO COUNTY STAFF TO LOOK FOR THOSE INTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES OR WHETHER THAT'S AN OFFICIAL SANCTIONED STUDY.

I MEAN, I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON ALL OF US TO LOOK AT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE BUDGET ENVIRONMENT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.

I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO, FIVE YEARS IN THIS SPACE? AND WE MAY NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN FIVE YEARS, BUT WE SHOULD START LOOKING IN THAT DIRECTION.

JUDGE, JUST BEFORE YOU MOVE ON, I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE COURT, THOUGH THE PUBLIC DOESN'T SEE IT, THE COURT HAD TO TAKE SOME LEADERSHIP IN THIS.

I DON'T WANT TO BRING UP THOSE ISSUES, BUT JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT THE COURT HAD TO REALLY TAKE SOME LEADERSHIP ON THIS.

YEAH. SO I KNOW THAT WE HAD NEVER SEES THAT SIDE OF IT.

WE HAD TO SAY WE HAD CERTAIN EMPLOYEES THAT REALLY WEREN'T A VERY HAPPY DURING THIS WHOLE PROCESS.

I HOPE THEY ARE NOW, BUT THEY BETTER BE. I WANT TO THANK THE COURT FOR TAKING THAT LEADERSHIP ROLE.

THANK YOU. NO ONE EVER SEES THE HARD SIDE OF IT. SO FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. LET'S CONTINUE ON.

[52. Presentation and discussion regarding quarterly awards in FY27 to vendors for critical IT products and services-including computers, software, security solutions, networking, telecommunications gear, staffing, deliverable-based services, and technology training-utilizing Cooperative Contracts including the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Cooperative Purchasing Program, Omnia Partners, and The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS). ]

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION RESOURCES COOPERATIVE PURCHASING PROGRAM IS AT OMNIA PARTNERS AND THE INTERLOCAL PURCHASING SYSTEM.

MR. GALLOWAY, GOOD AFTERNOON, YOUR HONOR. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.

I AM GREGORY GALLOWAY, THE BEXAR COUNTY PURCHASING AGENT, DIRECTOR OF PURCHASING. HERE IN TANDEM WITH MY PARTNERS IN BCC.

I T MR. GAGER AND MR. NIXON BACK IN THE BACK AGAIN TO DISCUSS THE CRITICAL NEED OR CRITICAL FUNDING THAT WILL BE FOR THE THE BEGINNING OF

[03:30:07]

I DO WANT TO MAKE NOTE THAT AND KEEP ME STRAIGHT, MARK, THAT THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY CAPITAL PROJECTS.

THE STRATEGY WILL BE TO FUND THOSE AS STANDALONE PROJECTS.

SO THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CAPITAL PROJECTS.

ONLY SPECIFIC CRITICAL NEEDS FOR THOSE ABOUT TEN SERVICES OR PRODUCTS.

WHAT? THANK YOU GREGORY. SO TODAY ACTUALLY THERE'S NO ACTION ON THIS ITEM.

WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS JUST BRING FORWARD A REMINDER TO THE COURT OF HOW THIS WAS HANDLED BEFORE AND A DISCUSSION AROUND HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED THIS FISCAL YEAR COMING UP. SO IN PREVIOUS YEARS THIS ITEM WAS SUBMITTED TO COMMISSIONERS COURT, USUALLY AFTER THE BUDGET WAS APPROVED IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER TIME FRAME.

AND IT WAS ONE BIG NUMBER THAT WAS OVER $20 MILLION FOR CAPITAL SPENT OR NOT FOR CAPITAL SPEND, FOR DIR OR COOPERATIVE SPEND THAT WE ANTICIPATED OVER THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR BASED ON A PRIOR YEARS HISTORICAL KIND OF KIND OF NUMBER.

AND IT WAS ALWAYS CONFUSING AND IT WAS HARD TO GET TO COURT AND FOLKS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT.

AND IT GOT PAST MOST YEARS, BUT LAST YEAR IT DIDN'T.

SO THIS YEAR, THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH PURCHASING AND WITH THE COUNTY MANAGER'S OFFICE, WE WANTED TO TAKE ANOTHER APPROACH, AND THAT IS TO BRING BACK QUARTERLY ESTIMATES TO YOU ALL IN MUCH SMALLER INCREMENTS, WHERE THE BACKUP CLEARLY IDENTIFIES WHAT PURCHASES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAKING FOR THAT QUARTER.

SO HERE'S HISTORICALLY WE USE DIR. WE DO USE SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, COOPERATIVE CONTRACTS.

THE SCOPE IS USUALLY FOR COMPUTER HARDWARE. BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S FOR SOFTWARE AND APPLICATIONS THAT WE'RE ALREADY USING.

RIGHT. AND SO MOST OF THE TIME THOSE THINGS ARE UNDER CONTRACT.

AND THE COURT HAS ALREADY PREVIOUSLY APPROVED THOSE CONTRACTS.

BUT SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT. AND WE NEED TO BUY THROUGH RESELLERS.

AND THOSE RESELLERS ARE ALL ON COOPERATIVE CONTRACTS.

WHAT HAPPENS IS IF WE DON'T RENEW, THEN WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE SERVICES.

AND MOST OF THOSE ARE CRITICAL BUSINESS CONTINUITY RELATED SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS OR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? SO A LOT OF THOSE ARE COMING UP IN OCTOBER, AND WE HAVE RENEWALS THAT COME UP AS EARLY AS OCTOBER 1ST.

SO WHAT WE CAN'T DO IS WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER TO BRING THAT FIRST QUARTER LIST.

SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS TALK ABOUT BRINGING THAT LIST NEXT COMMISSIONERS COURT FOR YOU ALL.

IT WILL PROBABLY BE UNDER A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS AND IT'LL PROBABLY BE LESS THAN TEN VENDORS THAT WE NEED TO SPEND MONEY WITH IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE DISRUPTION IN SERVICE. THE BACKUP WILL BE VERY CLEAR, AND IT SHOULD BE MUCH EASIER FOR YOU ALL TO, TO READ AND APPROVE. RIGHT. AND SO SO IT'S JUST A STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO ME REALLY IS, IS TO THE COURT, IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT, THAT WE'D LIKE TO BRING THAT NEXT COURT TO GET THAT FIRST QUARTER APPROVAL.

IT'S TRICKY WITH THE TIMING OF THE BUDGET GETTING APPROVED RIGHT AROUND THE SAME TIME, BUT I THINK THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US ON THE ITEMS THAT THEY KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO APPROVE IN OUR CONTRACTS BUDGET THIS YEAR OR RECOMMEND.

SO WE REALLY NEED THAT APPROVAL IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO DISRUPTION IN SERVICE.

SO IT'S REALLY JUST TALKING ABOUT THAT. YOU'LL SEE THE NUMBERS NEXT COURT IF THE COURT'S OKAY WITH THAT.

THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. MULTIPLE

[53. Pre-Authorization of awarding multiple delivery purchase orders, and upon Commissioners Court approval of the FY 2027 budget, the execution of awarding multiple delivery purchase orders in October 2026 to Caldwell Country Chevrolet, Lake Country Chevrolet, Inc., Caldwell Country Ford dba Rockdale Country Ford, and Sam Pack's Five Star Ford, in the aggregate total amount of $2,443,351.25 to provide for the purchase of forty-five (45) various law enforcement vehicles, as requested by Public Works Department/Fleet Maintenance for County Law Enforcement Offices and Departments; pursuant to and in accordance with Texas Local Government Code Chapter 271, Subchapter F, Section I 02, Cooperative Purchasing Program Participation; authorizing the Purchasing Agent to execute and file appropriate award documents for record with the County Clerk. ]

WE'RE BUYING CALDWELL COUNTY. CHEVROLET LAKE COUNTRY.

CHEVROLET. CALL CALDWELL COUNTRY FOR DOING BUSINESS.

ROCKDALE COUNTY FORD, SAM PAX, FIVE STAR FORD AND THE AGGREGATE TOTAL AMOUNT OF 2,404,300 AND $0.25 FOR 45 VARIOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES, AS REQUESTED BY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT FLEET MAINTENANCE FOR COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND DEPARTMENTS.

I'LL STOP THERE. THERE WE GO. YOUR HONOR. THANK YOU.

SO WE'RE HERE, OBVIOUSLY, TO REQUEST THE THE APPROVAL TO GET THESE PURCHASE ORDERS OUT TO THE MANUFACTURERS ON BEHALF OF OUR PARTNERS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE FLEET MAINTENANCE TEAM, THE VRC VEHICLE REPLACEMENT COMMITTEE MET IN APRIL OF 2020 SECOND OF THIS YEAR.

APPROVED THE VEHICLE REPLACEMENTS GOING THROUGH THEIR LOGS, THE MAINTENANCE WRECKS, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE SPECIFIC TO THOSE THOSE VEHICLES THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SO WE'RE JUST ASKING THAT WE GO AHEAD AND GET, GET THIS FUNDING OUT, GET THE APPROVAL OUT, GET THE PURCHASE ORDERS OUT TO THE MANUFACTURERS BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY BEHIND.

[03:35:04]

WE TRY TO TIME OURS TOWARDS THE BUDGET, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER AGENCIES.

SO WE'RE REQUESTING THE APPROVAL IN THE AMOUNT OF $2,443,351.25 THIS AFTERNOON.

QUESTIONS. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES.

ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU. CONTINUE ON. 54 PRESENTATION. APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING APPROVAL OF BEXAR COUNTY'S 27 CALENDAR YEAR.

[54. Presentation, discussion and appropriate action regarding approval of Bexar County's 2027 calendar year required contribution rate, basic benefits, provisions, and any plan changes for the County's Retirement Plan with Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS).]

FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS LEO CALDERA. I'M THE BEXAR COUNTY AUDITOR.

AND TODAY I HAVE DIANA AGUIRRE WITH ME. SHE'S OUR RETIREMENT ADMINISTRATOR.

AND TODAY WE WILL NEED AN ACTION FROM YOU ALL TO APPROVE THE REQUIRED PAYROLL RATE.

AND I'LL BRIEFLY GO THROUGH THAT RIGHT NOW. ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE, WE'RE SHOWING WHERE REGULAR EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION IT'S A 7% CONTRIBUTION FROM EMPLOYEES. EMPLOYEES EARN 7% COMPOUNDED ANNUALLY.

AND TXDOT SAYS THEY ACTUALLY PREPARE THIS REQUIRED PAYROLL RATE.

IT'S ACTUALLY THAT PERCENTAGE THAT THE COUNTY HAS TO PAY FOR EACH PAYROLL THAT WE ADMINISTER.

AND THIS IS A MINIMUM THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY PAY ON THIS.

YOU CAN ALWAYS PAY A LITTLE BIT MORE TOWARDS THE THE OUTSTANDING AMOUNT THE COUNTY MATCHES 200% ONCE YOU'RE VESTED AND IS THERE AT THE TIME OF RETIREMENT AND CURRENTLY.

OR IF WE ADOPT. IF YOU ADOPT THE REQUIRED RATE, IT WOULD BRING THE FUNDED RATIO TO 88.1%.

AND I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE, WE WERE VERY BLESSED WITH A VERY GOOD RETIREMENT BENEFIT.

AND, AND OBVIOUSLY THE GOAL IS TO PRESERVE THAT.

SO WHEN WE'RE ALL READY TO RETIRE HERE ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, WE'VE GOT A PLAN HISTORY SHOWING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, THE REQUIRED PLAN RATE THE COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS CHOSEN.

THERE'S A COUPLE OF YEARS IN THERE WHERE THE COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, CHOSE THE ELECTED RATE, WHICH WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE AND OFF TO THAT RIGHT COLUMN ON THE FAR RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT HAS AFFECTED OUR FUNDED RATIO.

AND HERE ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE THE HISTORY OF BEXAR COUNTY RETIREE COLA'S.

WITH THE MOST RECENT BEING THIS PAST YEAR WITH THE 20% CPI CONSUMER PRICE INDEX AND THE COST AT THE LITTLE OVER, WELL, $3.6 MILLION. AND PRIOR TO THAT, IN 2023, THE 5% FLAT COLA, WHICH I WOULD SAY COMMISSIONERS, Y'ALL ARE VERY GENEROUS WITH THAT.

THAT'S ONE OF THE HIGHEST THAT THAT I'VE SEEN BEING HERE IN MY 27 YEARS.

OF COURSE, THESE COME AT A COST AND YOU CAN SEE THAT 5% FLAT RATE ACROSS THE BOARD.

RAN THE COUNTY ABOUT $45.6 MILLION. AND IT TAKES ABOUT 15 YEARS TO PAY THAT.

SO WE'D SEE US THE FINAL PAYOUT IN 2038. SO COLA OPTIONS JUST WENT AHEAD AND PUT THIS ON THERE.

WHAT THE COST AND HOW THEY WOULD ASSOCIATED WITH THE DIFFERENT COLA OPTIONS FOR RETIREES.

AND THEN THE CHANGE TO THE FUNDED RATIO AS OF DECEMBER 31ST, WE HAVE 3795 RETIREES. AND ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, IT'S JUST EXAMPLES OF DEPENDING ON IF A COLA WAS CHOSEN, HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT A RETIREE. AND THERE'S DIFFERENT FACTORS GO INTO IT, HOW LONG THE RETIREE HAS BEEN RETIRED.

AND THEN DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF PLAN THE COLA IS SELECTED.

AND HERE ON THIS LAST SLIDE, I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE AND DIANA DOES A GREAT JOB REGULARLY.

NOT ONLY DO WE EMPHASIZE OR ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR OUR CURRENT PROGRAM, WE DO HAVE OTHER FOUR OPTIONS FOR 57 PLANS, WHICH WE HAVE A LOT OF EMPLOYEES THAT PARTICIPATE IN THAT.

AND ACTUALLY A LOT OF RETIREES ARE ACTUALLY DRAWING MONEY FROM THOSE 457 PLANS.

WE ALSO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE DRAWING SOCIAL SECURITY.

[03:40:03]

THAT'S WHY I BRING YOU ALONG THERE, DIANA. 13.59 CONTRIBUTION RATE WITHOUT A RETIREE COLA.

AND WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL MAY HAVE.

SO I ASSUME WE HAVE A SPECIFIC MOTION TO PUT ON THE RECORD.

IS ANYBODY GOING TO MAKE IT? YEAH, SURE. THANK YOU.

LEO. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WENT THROUGH THAT PRETTY QUICKLY, BUT WE APPRECIATE THAT.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE I SAW I READ THIS RIGHT.

SO THE LAST I GUESS SINCE 2023 WE GAVE A 5% FLAT COLA. AND THEN IN 2025, THERE WAS A 20% OF CPI INCREASE.

YES. THAT'S CORRECT. I WAS JUST LAST YEAR OBVIOUSLY.

RIGHT. JUST LAST YEAR. OKAY. I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.

I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S A IT'S A VERY HEALTHY RETIREMENT, AS YOU KNOW, LEO.

I MEAN, 88% FUNDED IS IN THAT WORLD PRETTY GOOD.

YEAH. AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER EXAMPLES OF OTHER PENSIONS THAT ARE UNDER UNDER 60% OR UNDER 50%.

I THINK ANYTHING CLOSE TO AROUND 90% IS CONSIDERED KIND OF IN THAT A CATEGORY.

SO, SO I, I THINK WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE. OBVIOUSLY, I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR RETIREES A WELL-DESERVED COST OF LIVING INCREASE.

BUT I KNOW IT'S A TOUGH TIME, LEAN TIMES FOR US.

AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WE WANT TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THESE DOLLARS TO MAKE SURE THAT CORPUS IS THERE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

AND SO WITH THAT, I WILL GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE 2027 RECOMMENDED CALENDAR YEAR. CONTRIBUTION RATE.

BASIC BENEFITS PROVISIONS AND ANY PLANNED CHANGES TO THE COUNTY'S RETIREMENT PLAN WITH TCDRS THE AMOUNT.

AGAIN, JUST FOR THE RECORD, IT WAS 1313.5 9%, 13.59% IS THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT AND I WOULD MAKE THAT PART OF THE MOTION. IS THAT A CORRECT MOTION? ALL RIGHT.

IS THERE A MOTION? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MOODY. COMMISSIONER MOODY. I DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE ANY COMMENTS. I THINK YOU LAID IT OUT HERE. I WOULD LIKE AT SOME POINT TO SIT DOWN AND BETTER UNDERSTAND THOSE CALCULATIONS FOR THE REQUIRED MINIMUM RATE.

SURE. JUST GOING IN AND LOOKING AT THE CALCULATIONS UNDER RETIREMENT PLAN FUNDING TOTAL NORMAL COST RATE AND THE A L RATE, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO GET INTO IT TODAY.

BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT GETS YOU DOWN TO THE 13.59 AND HOW THAT'S CHANGED OVER TIME.

JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT BETTER. YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION TO TINA. TINA ASKED OF THE BUDGET OFFICE TO MEET WITH THE GROUP THAT'S CALLED THE BEXAR COUNTY SENIOR RETIREES.

I THINK THEY'RE AN INFORMAL GROUP. I BELIEVE THAT LINDA GUAJARDO HAS COME OFF SEVERAL TIMES TO BE CITIZENS, TO BE HEARD MAKING THE PITCH. ASKED YOU TO MEET WITH THEM.

DID THAT HAPPEN? AND IF NOT, WHAT HAPPENED? SO WE DID HAVE A MEETING SCHEDULED FOR YESTERDAY AT 130, AND IT WAS CANCELED. I'M NOT SURE WHY THAT WAS.

OKAY. SO WE DID HAVE A MEETING OR A SCHEDULED MEETING.

ALL RIGHT. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTION OR COMMENT? I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU JUDGE COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU. 55 IS CIVIL DISTRICT COURTS.

I GOT WE GOT A GOOD EXECUTIVE. SO WE'LL I KNOW, BUT JUDGE, YOU DON'T SAY WE GOT TO GET THE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE AND COME BACK.

[03:45:02]

SO WE WILL CONTINUE WITH 56 LATE FILE THAT HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY PRIOR MOTION 56 A DISCUSSION APPROPRIATE ACTION

[56. 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 #56a. ]

SO WE ARE EVERY YEAR WE DO A RENEWAL FOR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE WITH AETNA.

THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ADMINISTER THE PLAN, AND THAT IS FOR OUR RETIREES WHO ARE 65 AND OVER.

THIS IS AN OPTION THAT'S AVAILABLE TO RETIREES.

NOT ALL OF OUR RETIREES ACCEPT IT. IT IS ESSENTIALLY PART C OF MEDICARE, BUT IT COVERS PART A, PART B AND PART D, AND THE COST SPLIT BETWEEN BEXAR COUNTY AND RETIREES IS ABOUT 60/40.

AND RIGHT NOW, OUR RETIREES ARE PAYING $116.38 A MONTH AS THEIR PREMIUM.

SO AS WE WERE WORKING WITH MCGRIFF AND AETNA, THEY.

AETNA CAME BACK WITH A RENEWAL FOR PLAN YEAR 2027 AT AN INCREASE OF $700,000 OVER WHAT WE CURRENTLY SPEND, WHICH IS ABOUT $3 MILLION. AND THE MAJORITY OF THAT INCREASE WAS DRIVEN BY PHARMACY COSTS.

SO IF WE WERE TO ACCEPT THAT THE COST TO THE COUNTY WOULD HAVE INCREASED BY $424,000 AND THE RETIREE COSTS WOULD HAVE INCREASED BY ABOUT $283,000. FOR RETIREE PREMIUM, THAT WOULD BE ABOUT $25 A MONTH OR $300 ANNUALLY AS AN INCREASE.

SO WE ASKED OUR CONSULTANT AND AETNA TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE AND COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO IMPLEMENT.

AND SO THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE THAT THEY'VE DEVELOPED WHERE WE WILL BE UNBUNDLING MEDICAL AND PHARMACY.

AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE OUR OUR HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTANTS HERE.

AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT RESULTS IN THE CHANGE IN THE WAY THE CENTERS FOR MEDICAL SERVICES, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES CALCULATES THE COST OF PHARMACEUTICALS.

SO DOING THAT RESULTS IN A DECREASE IN THE COST OF 308 000.

SO WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS THAT WE APPROVE THE COURT, APPROVE THIS RENEWAL, THE REVISED RENEWAL, THE IMPACT ON THE RETIREE. IF IT'S IF THE COURT APPROVES, IT IS A DECREASE IN THE MONTHLY PREMIUM OF $27.22, OR $326 ANNUALLY. NO CHANGE TO COVERAGE, NO CHANGE TO BENEFITS OR THE FORMULARY OR THE NETWORK.

SO THE ONLY CHANGE THAT RETIREES WILL EXPERIENCE IS THEY WILL NOW HAVE TO HAVE TWO INSURANCE CARDS, ONE FOR THEIR MEDICAL AND ONE FOR THEIR PHARMACY AND OUR HR BENEFITS TEAM DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT WILL WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR RETIREES.

WE HAVE AN ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR. WE'LL BE WE'LL PUSH THIS INFORMATION OUT AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE COMFORTABLE. SO WITH THAT WE ARE REQUESTING RENEWAL OF THE UNBUNDLED MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN WITH AETNA AND STANDALONE PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN WITH SILVERSCRIPT AT A DECREASED COST FOR PLAN YEAR 2027 OF 3 MILLION FROM 3,030,000 TO 2.7 MILLION FOR SAVINGS OF ABOUT 309,000 TO BE PASSED ON TO THE RETIREES SLASH MEMBERS THROUGH A DECREASE IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PREMIUM QUESTIONS.

COMMISSIONER. CLAY-FLORES. SO JUST TO SUMMARIZE, THERE IS NOT AN INCREASE FOR THE RETIREES.

CORRECT? THIS IS JUST RETIREES, NOT ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES. THIS IS JUST RETIREES 65 AND OVER.

THERE'S ABOUT 945. OKAY. SO IT'S ACTUALLY A SAVINGS TO THEM.

THIS WILL BE A SAVINGS, WHICH IS WHY YOU GUYS CHOSE THIS.

THE DIFFERENCE IS THEY JUST HAVE TWO CARDS, RIGHT? CORRECT. OKAY.

THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL. SECOND.

MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. COMMISSIONER MOODY. COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

CAN I HAVE THE INSURANCE? WHAT? WHAT DO YOU ALL CALL THE INSURANCE OF RECORD?

[03:50:02]

I'M JOHN HARRIGAN WITH MCGRIFF. WE ARE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTANT AND SUPPORT THE RETIREES.

SIMPLY EXPLAIN WHAT COST BENEFITS WE HAVE. SAVINGS THAT WE PASSED ON TO OUR SENIORS THAT ARE OVER 65.

SO YOU ARE YOU ARE PASSING ALONG $300,000 OF PLAN SAVINGS TO THE RETIREES.

RETIREES OUT OF THEIR OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS HAVE PAID $116 PER MONTH FOR THEIR RETIREE COVERAGE FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. THAT NOW GOES DOWN TO $89. THE BACKGROUND TO THIS JUST FOR THE COURT, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THIS CAME ABOUT IN 2024. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PASSED THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, AND IT CHANGED THE ECONOMICS OF HOW MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS, WHETHER THEY'RE COMBINED OR UNBUNDLED, ADDRESS THE REIMBURSEMENTS TO PHARMACY DRUGS.

SO BY UNBUNDLING IT, WE'RE KEEPING IT WITH THE SAME PARENT ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS CVS OWNS BOTH AETNA AND SILVERSCRIPT.

THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS US TO NOT IMPACT THE BENEFITS PLAN, DESIGNS THE DRUG LIST, BUT IT ALLOWS US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ECONOMICS.

ALL RIGHT. SO MISS SMITH, DEAN, I'M VERY PLEASED THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PASS THIS TO THE SENIORS.

ALTHOUGH IT'S A IT'S A LIMITED GROUP. THAT'S NOT EVERYBODY, BUT IT'S STILL A BENEFIT.

WE'VE PASSED SAVINGS THAT WE'VE PASSED ON. FOR THE RECORD, THOUGH, IN REGARDS TO THE HEALTH PLAN, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AND I THINK I CAN VERIFY THAT THE AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE IS IS A VERY SUPERIOR, WELL-RUN PLAN. SINCE I'M ON THE PLAN, I GUESS I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE I PROBABLY GET A BENEFIT OUT OF THIS VOTE, SO I CAN PROBABLY ABSTAIN ON IT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S PROBABLY WHAT, 25 BUCKS A MONTH? YES. CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO ABSTAIN.

JUST KIDDING. NO, WE MAY ALL BE THERE EVENTUALLY.

WELL, ALL OF Y'ALL WILL BE THERE. BUT THE POINT BEING IS THAT THE WE HAVE THE I CONSIDER THE BEST.

AETNA IS ONE OF THE BEST PLANS ON THE MARKET.

IT'S BEEN VERIFIED THROUGH SOME OF THE SENIORS WHO HAVE WORKED WITH ME ON ASKING FOR A COLA INCREASE.

THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEIR MEDICAL PLANS ARE SUPERIOR IN REGARDS TO BENEFIT.

AND THEY HAVE FAR MORE SAVINGS IN AETNA PLAN THAN OTHER PLANS ON THE MARKET.

SO I WANT THAT ON THE RECORD PLUS TWO, I THINK, FOR THE NEXT COURT.

THE NEXT BUDGET, THE COUNTY IS GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK REAL HARD AT THE COST OF THE HEALTH PLAN IN GENERAL AS TO THE EMPLOYEES AND EVERYBODY COVERED THE ACTIVE EMPLOYEES, AND THERE MAY HAVE TO BE ADJUSTMENTS EITHER IN PREMIUM OR ADJUSTMENTS IN DEDUCTIBLES OR ADJUSTMENTS IN COPAY. IS THAT A TRUE STATEMENT? AND IF IT IS SO THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WE'VE DONE VERY GOOD IN THIS BUDGET YEAR, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE.

YES, SIR. SO IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET WE WORKING WITH OUR HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTANT, WE ARE ESTIMATING THAT COSTS WILL GO UP BY BETWEEN 8 AND 10% DEPENDING ON THE PLAN. AND IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE THE COUNTY PICK UP THAT ENTIRE COST. IT'S ABOUT $8 MILLION FOR THIS CURRENT BUDGET.

THIS UPCOMING BUDGET YEAR. YES. AND THAT'S A THAT'S A BENEFIT TO THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE ARE COVERING WITHIN OUR BUDGET.

THAT'S CORRECT. WE ARE WE HAVE NOT THE COURT HAS NOT PASSED ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS ONTO THE EMPLOYEES SINCE, I BELIEVE, SINCE PRIOR TO COVID 19 PANDEMIC. BUT IT MAY HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT IN THE FUTURE.

YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT'S COMING TO Y'ALL, JUDGE.

YES. DAVID SMITH, AT THE RISK OF SHUT UP WHEN YOU'VE GOT THREE VOTES.

I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SAY SOMETHING. GO AHEAD.

TWO THINGS. NUMBER ONE IS I WANT TO THANK TINA SHOULD PROBABLY ABSTAIN AS WELL.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S CONTINUE. I DON'T GET A VOTE. DAVID. DAVID. LET'S GO. I DON'T GET A VOTE.

SO I WANT TO THANK TINA AND HER EMPLOYEES. YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THEY SWEAT THESE DETAILS.

AND THEY COME TO YOU A COUPLE TIMES A YEAR AND YOU'LL EVERYBODY NOTICE IT SOMEWHAT DURING OPEN ENROLLMENT OR WHEN THEY HAVE TO USE IT.

BUT THIS PLAN THAT OUR EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES HAVE ACCESS TO IS, I'LL PUT IT UP AGAINST ANY PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITY AROUND HERE. AND THAT LEADS ME TO MY SECOND.

SO THANK YOU, TINA, AND THANK YOU. WOW. AND IT LEADS ME TO MY SECOND POINT IS OUR PLAN.

[03:55:02]

AETNA AND OUR STAFF ADMINISTER THE PLAN BENEFITS THAT YOU APPROVED.

SO IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE BUYING A PACKAGE OF BENEFITS NECESSARILY OFF THE SHELF FROM A COMPANY.

YOU'RE BUYING THEIR ADMINISTRATION OF THE BENEFITS YOU APPROVE.

AND SO FOR INSTANCE COMMISSIONER. CLAY-FLORES YOU BROUGHT ONE UP THIS MORNING, WHICH IS.

I CHECKED ME IF I'M WRONG, TINA, BUT I THINK ANY COUNTY EMPLOYEE OR COVERED MEMBER, ANY COUNTY EMPLOYEE OR COVERED MEMBER ON A PPO ON A PPO OVER THE AGE OF 18 HAS A COVERED COLONOSCOPY.

THAT IS. AND IT'S NOT JUST 40 YEARS, 18 OR OLDER.

SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT BENEFIT, BUT THAT'S A BENEFIT THAT YOU CHOSE TO GIVE OUR EMPLOYEES.

SO YOU ALL SHOULD GIVE YOURSELVES A PAT ON THE BACK FOR THE FAIRLY RICH BENEFIT PLAN WE HAVE IN HEALTH INSURANCE.

AND WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE ALL OUR EMPLOYEES THROUGH WELLNESS AT COLONOSCOPY AND ENDOSCOPY AND ALL WHATEVER PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE IS REALLY MANDATORY FOR THEIR WELL-BEING AND, WELL, HEALTH.

SO LET'S CALL FOR A VOTE OR ELSE WE CAN CONTINUE TO BRAG ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, SAY AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ANY EXTENSION? THE COUNTY JUDGE PROUDLY ABSTAINS.

I LOOK FORWARD TO MY SAVINGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

CAN I JUST ACKNOWLEDGE. I'M DAN BARRETT FOR HIS WORK.

I KNOW YOU WORK WITH ALL OF US IN DETAIL, SO THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO 57. IT'S BEEN LATE.

[57. 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 #57a. ]

PRECINCT TWO TO REHIRE FORMER BEXAR COUNTY EMPLOYEE JOE GARZA AS A FULL TIME LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPUTY, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2026. THIS HIRING CONFIRMS CONFORMS TO THE BEXAR COUNTY POST RETIREMENT EMPLOYMENT POLICY.

IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. ANY FURTHER? ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING. NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIED.

[58. Discussion and appropriate action related to granting an exception to Administrative Policy I .2 to authorize the consideration of the following late filed Agenda Item #58a. ]

I BELIEVE NOW WE'RE AT EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND TAKE UP ITEM 55 POINT OF INQUIRY.

LARRY OR DAVID, DO WE NEED TO GET A MOTION, A UNANIMOUS MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE ON ANY OTHER ISSUES REGARDING CONTRACTS BEING NEGOTIATED OR IF THERE IF THAT ITEM WILL BE ADDRESSED IN.

EXECUTIVE. DAVID, DO YOU HAVE TO SOMETHING TO DISCUSS ON THAT ITEM? I'M SORRY. WE'RE LOOKING AT ITEM 60 A, WHICH IS THE DELIBERATION REGARDING CONTRACT BEING NEGOTIATED.

IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANY DISCUSSION, WE NEED TO HAVE A MOTION UNANIMOUS MOTION TO APPROVE.

IF WE'RE NOT. NO, I DON'T THINK I DON'T I DIDN'T ASK OUR LAWYERS TO BE HERE, SO I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE A DISCUSSION. SO YOU CAN JUST DROP THAT ITEM.

OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO DROP 60 AYE THEN AND GO BACK TO THEN ITEM 59 UNDER 551071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY FOR ADVICE REGARDING A PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION SETTLEMENT OFFERS IN THE MATTERS OF ECPI UNIVERSITY VERSUS BEXAR COUNTY. 26CI20375. BE A MATTER IN WHICH THE DUTY OF THE ATTORNEY TO THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY AND THE TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT. STATE BAR TEXAS CLEARLY CONFLICTS WITH CHAPTER 551 OF THE CODE.

SPECIFICALLY ONE UPDATE ON LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE PENDING LITIGATION MATTERS AND CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN BUDGET REQUESTS RELATED TO STAFFING AND RESOURCES NEEDS FOR THE REMAINING 12 CIVIL DISTRICT COURT JUDGES OF BEXAR COUNTY AUDI CONTINUING IN THE CURRENT CENTRALIZED DOCKET SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON THAT LITIGATION. TWO LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO THE RECEIPT OF SPECIAL ORDER NUMBER 73816 JOINT ORDER ADOPTING FELONY APPOINTMENT FEE SCHEDULE AND FELONY CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS, AND THREE LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO NEGOTIATION AGREEMENT WITH THE DEPUTY SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION OF BEXAR COUNTY ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 174 OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.

[EXECUTIVE SESSION (DISCUSSION ONLY: CLOSED TO PUBLIC) ]

I'LL ASK THAT THE COURTROOM BE CLEARED EXCEPT FOR THOSE PERSONNEL NEEDED FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION.

[04:00:08]

ALL RIGHT. ARE WE READY FOR EXECUTIVE? NO, FERNANDO.

WHAT ELSE? IS THERE? ARE WE BACK IN? OPEN, OPEN, OPEN! OH, GAVEL! THAT'S RIGHT. ARE WE ON? OH, THERE WE ARE.

OKAY. THE TIME IS NOW. 1:40 P.M.. WE'RE NOW BACK IN OPEN SESSION.

[55. Discussion and appropriate action related to certain budget requests related to staffing and resource needs for the remaining twelve (12) Civil District Court Judges of Bexar County continuing to participate in the current centralized docket system. ]

APPROPRIATE ACTION RELATED TO CERTAIN BUDGET REQUESTS RELATED TO STAFFING AND RESOURCE NEEDS FOR THE REMAINING 12 CIVIL DISTRICT COURT JUDGES OF BEXAR COUNTY CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CURRENT CENTRALIZED DOCKET SYSTEM.

IS THERE A MOTION? YES, JUDGE. I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REQUEST FROM THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURT ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZING TWO TEMPORARY FULL TIME SENIOR COURT SUPPORT SPECIALIST AND TWO TEMPORARY PART TIME SENIOR COURT SUPPORT SPECIALISTS TO SUPPORT THE CENTRALIZED DOCKET SYSTEM IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED A TOTAL OF 5000 HOURS, EQUIVALENT TO A COST OF $108,950.

MR. THOMAS GUEVARA, ANYTHING TO ADD? I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE RESULT OF CONFERRING WITH THE CIVIL DISTRICT COURT ADMINISTRATOR AND THE LOCAL ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE, JUDGE JIMENEZ.

THANK YOU. JUDGE. YOU'VE BEEN HERE ALL MORNING. I BELIEVE WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

SO. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. IS THERE ANYTHING TO ADD? SECOND, BUT I WILL. SECOND. COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES SECOND.

ANYTHING TO ADD? THOMAS. ANYTHING TO ADD. I'LL CALL FOR A VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ABSTENTIONS. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. IF Y'ALL NEEDED TO SAY SOMETHING, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET TO THE ADJOURNMENT.

ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOVE FOR ADJOURNMENT.

SECOND. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ.

COMMISSIONER CLAY-FLORES. WHAT DO WE DO? WE WOULD ADJOURN IN BEHALF OF NO ONE TODAY, SIR.

COMMISSIONER RODRIGUEZ. THANK YOU. JUDGE. I MOVE TO ADJOURN IN THE NAME OF RICARDO FLORES.

RICHARD PARRA. JESSE CUELLAR AND EDWARD JOHN LOZANO, SENIOR COMMISSIONER MOODY.

I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN IN MEMORY OF PAUL MARTIN WEST COMMISSIONER CALVERT.

I'D LIKE TO ADJOURN IN HONOR OF EDWINA SOLIS, THE WIFE OF COUNCILMAN MARIO SOLIS.

ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION SAY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION TO ADJOURN IS GRANTED.

LET'S GO HOME AND GO GET SOME LUNCH. I THINK COMMISSIONER CALVERT. YOU'VE BEEN ABLE.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.