[00:00:04]
[1. Call to Order]
IT IS 6:00 PM SO I'D LIKE TO CALL THEM REGULAR MEETING TO ORDER FOR THE FULL SHARE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION ON MONDAY, OCTOBER THE 21ST.AND AS I MENTIONED, IT IS 6:00 PM UH, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT JUST FOR THE RECORD.
UH, MARK DEIN, JENNIFER HAMAN, AND BLAKE KOKI.
WERE NOT ABLE TO JOIN US THIS EVENING.
ALL OTHER MEMBERS AND, UH, ARE PRESENT.
SO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
SINCE WE TOOK A BREAK, EVERYBODY LOOKS NICE AND REFRESHED SINCE WE HAD A BREAK LAST MONTH.
UH, ITEM TWO IS PUBLIC COMMENTS.
DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? WE DO NOT.
[Business Items - A]
ITEM THREE ARE OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. SO THREE A IS CONSIDERATION AND ACTION ON THE MINUTES OF THE CORPORATION FOR AUGUST 19TH, 2024 MEETING.AND AS HAYDEN HAD PUT IN HIS EMAIL, WE DO HAVE A NEW AGENDA AND PACKET GENERATING SOFTWARE.
UH, SO THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH SOME BUGS.
SO HOPEFULLY EVERYONE DID RECEIVE THAT AND HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT.
AND IF YOU HAVE, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OR OFFER CORRECTIONS OR COMMENTS.
WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 19TH, 2024 MEETING.
SECOND, WE HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.
[Business Items - B]
THREE B IS CONSIDERATION AND ACTION ON THE FINANCIALS AND PAYABLES FOR THE CORPORATION FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JULY 31ST, 2024.WE DO HAVE TWO SETS OF FINANCIALS AND PAYABLES, AND THIS ONE IS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JULY 31ST.
UM, YOU'LL NOTICE OUR, UM, SALES TAX REVENUES COLLECTED IN, UH, SEPTEMBER, JULY REMITTANCES.
WERE UP 14% FROM THE SAME PERIOD THE PREVIOUS YEAR, AND WE ARE AT 90%, 90.94 OF THE BUDGET FOR 83% OF THE YEAR.
FOR THE TIME OF THIS REPORT, I AM NOT SURE WE'VE HIT IT.
THAT BEEN THAT CLOSE IN THE PAST? IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE BEEN OUTPERFORMING, BUT THIS, THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE.
SO, BUT STILL ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, SO THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
UM, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE, UH, MONTHLY EXPENSES OF $10,684 AND ONE PENNY.
WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PAYABLES.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? OH, YEAH.
SO TECHNICALLY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? YES, WE HAVE A QUORUM.
UH, SECOND MOTION'S BEEN MADE AND SECONDED.
UH, JUST FOR THE RECORD, WE HAVE FOUR BOARD MEMBERS AND ONE EX-OFFICIO MEMBER PRESENT, AND THAT DOES CONSTITUTE A QUORUM.
UH, WE CHECKED ON THAT A LITTLE EARLIER TODAY, SO I'M SURE OUR LEGAL COUNSEL WOULD'VE LIKE LAID DOWN THE LAW, NO PUN INTENDED.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.
[Business Items - C]
C IS CONSIDERATION AND ACTION ON THE FINANCIALS AND PAYABLES FOR THE CORPORATION FOR THE PERIOD ENDING OCTOBER, AUGUST 31ST, 2024.ALRIGHT, SO THAT SHOULD BE THE NEXT, UH, SET OF DOCUMENTS IN YOUR PACKET.
AND NOW, UM, AND YOU'LL NOTICE HERE WE WERE UP FIVE POINT 24% FROM THE SAME PERIOD THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
[00:05:01]
QUITE AS MUCH AS THE PREVIOUS REPORT, BUT STILL HIGHER.UM, AND THEN WE ARE AT 99.36% OF THE BUDGET AT 91.67% OF THE YEAR.
AND THE PAYABLES, UM, FOR, FOR THIS PERIOD ARE 14,487 AND 18 CENTS.
IF THERE AREN'T ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR ANELLE OR HAYDEN, CAN WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PAYABLES OR, I, I ACTUALLY DO HAVE A, A QUESTION.
IS THIS THE FORMAT WE'RE GONNA USE GOING FORWARD? THE MINUTES AND THE FINANCIALS.
THE MINUTES MAY LOOK SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT 'CAUSE I THINK WE CAN ENTER IT INTO THE SOFTWARE DIRECTLY.
SO THEY MAY FORMAT A LITTLE DIFFERENT, UH, NEXT MONTH, BUT THE FINANCIALS WILL BE THE SAME.
I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, APPROVE THE, UH, MONTHLY EXPENSES OF $14,487 AND 18 CENTS.
SECOND MOTION'S BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE PAYABLES FOR THE 14,000 487 18 FOR THE PERIOD ENDING AUGUST 31ST, 2024.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.
[Business Items - D]
IS DISCUSSION ON RETAIL ATTRACTIONS, CONSULTING SERVICES.AS YOU'LL REMEMBER, UM, WE OPTED NOT TO RENEW THE CONTRACT WITH THE RETAIL COACH.
AND SO SINCE THEN WE HAVE PRESENTED Y'ALL, UM, WITH ONE OTHER OPTION, RETAIL STRATEGIES AT OUR LAST MEETING.
AND THEN, UM, WE WERE ASKED TO GO AHEAD AND PURSUE AND GET INFORMATION FROM ANY OTHER CONSULTANTS THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE A SIMILAR SERVICE.
AND SO, UM, WE REACHED OUT TO A FEW AND HEARD BACK FROM RETAIL ATTRACTIONS.
RICKY HAYES, RICKY HAYES, UM, AND HE PUT TOGETHER AN AGREEMENT AFTER OUR INITIAL MEETING WITH HIM WHERE WE KIND OF EXPLAINED THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF FULL SURE WHAT THE PRIORITIES OF THE BOARD WERE AND WHERE WE'RE LOOKING TO GO IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
UM, HE PROPOSED A, A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND, UM, A SHORTER TERM.
SO HE IS LOOKING AT A SIX MONTH PARTNERSHIP WHERE HE ESSENTIALLY PAINTS THE PICTURE OF EXACTLY THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE COMPONENTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND, UM, INTERVIEWS, IF YOU WILL, WILL VARIOUS DEVELOPERS KIND OF NARROW DOWN A LIST OF THOSE INTERESTED, UM, IN MOVING FORWARD WITH DEVELOPMENT HERE IN SHORE.
UM, I THINK HE SAID, YOU KNOW, THE TARGET WOULD BE 12 TO TO 15 DEVELOPERS TO KIND OF BRING, UM, BRING TO THE CITY AND, UM, TOUR THE CITY AND, AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
UM, THE DISCUSSION FOR ABOARD, UM, WAS, WAS REALLY GOOD.
THEY DID HAVE, UH, QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS AND SO I'LL JUST SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WE'RE ALREADY, UM, FOLLOWING UP ON AND THEN WHAT OUR PLAN IS GOING FORWARD.
UM, THEY DID ASK SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE FOR RETAIL ATTRACTIONS WITH OFFICE SPACE, HOTELS, HOSPITALS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION.
THEY WANTED TO KNOW A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON HOW FAMILIAR THEY ARE WITH WEST HOUSTON AND, UM, RETAILERS OUTSIDE OF JUST NATIONAL BRANDS.
AND THEN THEY ASKED US TO MAKE SURE WE HAD, UM, CLIENT REFERENCES AND A LIST OF CLIENTS WE COULD REACH OUT TO AND TALK TO OURSELVES.
AND THEN, UM, THERE WAS SOME CONCERN OF THE COST.
IF YOU NOTICE, HE'S, UM, PROPOSING, UH, $30,000 FOR THE SIX MONTH PERIOD.
SO OBVIOUSLY RETAIL STRATEGIES I BELIEVE WAS 40,000 FOR 12 MONTH PERIOD.
SO RIGHT AWAY IT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
I THINK THAT BOTH OPTIONS ARE NEGOTIABLE DEPENDING ON WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AND WE CAN JUST CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS NO MATTER WHAT YOU DECIDE TO DO.
UM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS WAS GOING FORWARD, IF WE CHOOSE TO EXTEND THAT, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? IS IT ANOTHER 30,000 FOR AN ADDITIONAL SIX MONTHS OR DOES THE PRICE CHANGE? UM, AND THEN IT, IT, BECAUSE IT'S ONLY SUCH A SHORT PERIOD, THE SIX MONTHS, HOW MUCH OF THAT TIME WOULD BE SPENT ON DATA COLLECTION? AND THAT'S IT.
WE, UM, THAT'S THE QUESTIONS I HAVE THAT A BOARD HAD FOR US.
[00:10:01]
OUR HOPE WAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE ONE OR TWO REPRESENTATIVES FROM EACH BOARD JOIN US IN, UH, A CONFERENCE CALL WITH HIM SOMETIME IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS TO KIND OF GET A FEW MORE DETAILS AND FOR THEM TO HEAR FROM YOU WHAT WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR.UM, SO ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR US OR THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR US TO ASK THEM? IMMEDIATE COMMENT OF THAT SIX MONTHS, SIX MONTHS INTO A VERY SHORT PERIOD.
AND I WOULD QUESTION THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT ON SUCH A SHORT PERIOD, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GOT CLARIFICATION LAST TIME IN THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT ACTUAL, IF SOMEONE WAS TO COME TAKE ACTION, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 12 TO 36 MONTHS TO ACTUALLY HAVE IT IN, YOU KNOW, ARRIVING IN FULL SHARE AS AN OPEN BUSINESS.
SO A QUESTION THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME FOR WHAT RETURN ON INVESTMENT YOU WOULD GET, EVEN IF YOU WOULD THEN EXTEND IT BEYOND THAT.
THEN HOW DID WE COME IN CONTACT WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL? OR WHAT WAS IT BY REFERENCE? NO, SIR.
SO THE, AFTER FOLLOWING THAT INITIAL MEETING, UM, WE HAD, WE WERE ALREADY AWARE OF RETAIL STRATEGIES.
UM, RETAIL COACH AND RETAIL STRATEGIES ARE TWO OF THE BIGGER NAMES.
AND TO BE HONEST, WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW ANY OFF THE TOP OF OUR HEAD OF RETAIL CONSULTANTS OR, UM, ANY SERVICES LIKE THAT.
UM, SO THROUGH SEARCHES ON LINKEDIN, YOU KNOW, JUST NORMAL SEARCH ENGINE.
UM, AND THEN GOING THROUGH AND SEEING THAT RICKY, UM, AND RETAIL ATTRACTIONS HAD, UM, HAD SOME EXPERIENCE UP IN, UM, NORTH TEXAS DFW AREA, UM, WHICH IS WHERE I CAME FROM.
SAW THAT HE, HE HAD AT LEAST CONNECTED WITH, UH, OLD REFERENCES, UM, FROM, FROM MY TIME IN NORTH TEXAS.
UM, AND WAS AT LEAST ON THE SERVICE, A A REPUTABLE, UM, CONSULTANT.
UM, I GIVE HIM A CALL, HAD SOME INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM, AND THEN ME AND ANELLA SAT ON TWO OR THREE CALLS SINCE THEN TRYING TO GET HIS VISION FOR SERVICES FOR US, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR.
UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW THAT CAME ABOUT.
UM, IS THIS LIKE A, A, LIKE HOW MANY EMPLOYEES IS THIS ISN'T JUST LIKE A SINGLE, IT'S A BIGGER COMPANY, IN OTHER WORDS? SO FROM WHAT WE HAVE GATHERED, IT'S ABOUT THREE OR FOUR INDIVIDUALS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS SMALLER SIGNIFICANTLY THAN RETAIL STRATEGIES AND RETAIL COACH, BUT A MUCH MORE TARGETED APPROACH FROM WHAT WE UNDERSTAND.
UM, SO THAT IS DEFINITELY A CONCERN ON OUR END.
THAT WAS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CONCERNS WITH AARON ON THE, UH, ON THE RETAIL COACH, WAS LACK OF STAFFING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSTANT CONTACT WITH US.
UM, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, IS IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND WHEN WE'RE CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, BUT FOR OUR DUE DILIGENCE WE, WE WANTED TO HAVE AT LEAST A COUPLE OPTIONS FOR YOU GUYS TO CONSIDER.
UM, THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE CAME ABOUT THAT.
I THINK YOU HAVE DEFINITELY A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I HAD ON THE LIST ALREADY IS, UM, NOT SAYING THAT SOMEONE THAT'S FROM FAR OUTSIDE CAN'T DO A GOOD JOB, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU COME INTO FOSTER AND YOU SAY, WHERE'S ARK ROAD, BOISE D ARK ROAD? I'M LIKE, OKAY, WE KNOW THAT THEY DON'T KNOW OUR CITY.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE SOME FAMILIARITY WITH THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENTS THAT OUR AREA COULD ATTRACT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD EVER BE OPPOSED TO SOMEONE COMING FROM OTHER STATES AND RELOCATING HERE.
UH, FOR SURE IF IT'S POSITIVE FOR US.
THE OTHER THING I BELIEVE THAT'S IMPORTANT IS TALKING, YOU MENTIONED THIS, TALKING WITH THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL BE OUR REPRESENTATIVE.
UH, AND SO WHEN YOU SAID YOU WANT A COUPLE OF PEOPLE FROM EACH BOARD TO SIT WITH Y'ALL, UM, THAT WOULD MAKE ME A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE.
I WOULD LIKE TO, THIS IS KIND OF A SEPARATE SUBJECT, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A LITTLE MEETING WITH Y'ALL AND, UH, ALSO AARON FARMER WITH THE RETAIL COACH.
'CAUSE HE HAD REACHED OUT TO ME AND, YOU KNOW, HAD SOME DIFFERING THOUGHTS ON HOW THINGS WENT AND I'D LIKE TO JUST KIND OF CLOSE THAT LOOP.
I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T RENEWED AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST OUTTA RESPECT FOR HIM WORKING FOR US PREVIOUSLY.
UM, IF, IF WE COULD DO THAT AS PART OF THIS PROCESS TOO.
YEAH, I, I DID REACH OUT, UM, WHEN THE CONTRACT ENDED TO SCHEDULE A WRAP UP MEETING, SO I'LL, I'LL REACH OUT AGAIN AND TRY TO GET THAT SCHEDULED.
[00:15:01]
I DIDN'T, I MEANT TO MENTION THAT TO YOU BEFORE THE MEETING TODAY.BUT, UH, 'CAUSE I THINK THAT THESE SERVICES ARE HINGE ON ALSO WHAT WE BRING TO THE MIX, SO THEY CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
AND I APPRECIATE, UH, LEE'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE DURATION OF THE CONTRACT.
I MEAN, IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET TO LEARN WHO WE ARE AND THEN THAT SIX MONTH TERM WILL BE OVER.
SO WHAT CAN WE REALLY EXPECT IN THAT TIMEFRAME? AND THEN THE REFERENCES, UH, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING UP ON THOSE, UH, TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE PUTTING OUR MONEY IN THE BEST SPOT, UH, OR SOMEONE THAT'S GOT THE DRIVE AND DETERMINATION THAT WE NEED FOR RE, YOU KNOW, TO AGGRESSIVELY, UH, ATTRACT FOLKS.
AND THEN ALSO A BIO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HOW LONG INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE AND ALL THAT STUFF PRIOR EXPERIENCE.
WE'LL, WE'LL REQUEST THAT AND, UM, SEND IT TO Y'ALL AS WELL.
I DO HAVE, UM, HE, RICKY HAS OVER 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WORK CONSULTING WITH COMMUNITIES, UM, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO HE'S WORKED WITH OVER 520 CITIES IN 39 STATES, UM, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.
SO EITHER, UM, WORKING WITH THE CITY, THE COUNTY, THE STATE, OR THE TRIBAL ENTITY DEPENDING ON WHAT, WHAT THAT AGREEMENT LOOKED LIKE.
IF WE COULD, UM, GET EITHER A VOLUNTEER OR IF YOU COULD NOMINATE SOMEONE AND THEN IF YEAH.
IF WE COULD HAVE A ALTERNATE AS WELL, JUST IN CASE SCHEDULING ISSUES.
I WOULD LIKE TO BE ON THAT IF, UH, THE BOARD, UM, AGREES WITH THAT.
AND THEN WE NEED PROBABLY ONE MORE PERSON.
I MEAN, I'D BE HAPPY TO GO AHEAD.
I WAS GONNA NOMINATE, NOMINATE DEBORAH
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA VOLUNTEER.
I THINK GENERAL CONSENSUS WILL BE FINE.
AND, UM, UM, I THINK THAT'LL REALLY HELP UNDERSTAND WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO THE FIRM IS AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT'S THEIR, UH, UH, MODE OF OPERATION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU MOVE ON? UM, I KNOW IN THE PAST SOME BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT UPDATING OUR, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, UM, OUR YEAH.
STRATEGIC PLAN, RIGHT? UM, AND SO I'M THINKING THAT BEFORE WE WOULD, UH, AGREE TO SOME SORT OF A CONTRACT FOR SERVICES OR SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO DO THAT, IF NOT, WE SHOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE TO EASILY COMMUNICATE THAT.
SO, I MEAN, I'M, I'M NOT QUESTIONING WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AND HOW YOU'RE GOING ABOUT IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT AS A CITY, WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALL OF THESE, UM, WE, WE HAVE THE ROADMAPS IN PLACE, NOT JUST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT FOR MOBILITY AND FOR, FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH THESE CONSULTANTS, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE 'EM SOME HOMEWORK, RIGHT? AND THEN
UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I CAN'T, YOU ALL KNOW HOW MUCH CRAP WE GOT FOR FULL OR FAST TRACK FUNDING, RIGHT? NOT ONLY FROM, UH, THE MAYOR, BUT ALSO FROM CITIZENS, UH, AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA STILL, UH, FROM OTHERS WHO HAVE OTHER INITIATIVES GOING THAT AREN'T PROBABLY GETTING FUNDED.
SO THAT WAS ONLY $105,000 PER BOARD.
YOU KNOW, HERE YOU'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT, 60 PER BOARD, UM, OR MORE RIGHT.
SO WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE? AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING THAT'S PERFORMANCE BASED IF I'M GOING TO FIRST OF ALL SIT DOWN, AGREE BASED ON OUR, UH, OUR PLANS, OUR VISIONS, UM,
[00:20:01]
HAVE THEM LOOK AT THOSE, UNDERSTANDING THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF FUL AND THE ETJ, UH, THE FUTURE DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE FOR GROWTH.UH, UNDERSTAND THE, THE, I'M SURE THERE'S DATA AVAILABLE ALREADY THAT THEY CAN GO AND LOOK AT RIGHT? BASED ON HOW THE SALES TAX DOLLARS ARE COMING IN.
BUT, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY HAVE THEM DO THE HOMEWORK AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE, UH, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW, I'VE DONE THIS SORT OF THING BEFORE.
I'VE SEEN A SIMILAR SORT OF ENVIRONMENT WITH, UH, A CITY THAT'S GROWING AS FAST AS YOU'RE GROWING.
UH, LOOKING AT THE DEVELOPMENT AREAS, KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING REALLY, I SAY NOTHING REALLY COMMERCIALLY DEVELOPED FROM, YOU KNOW, WEST OF THE TEXAS HERITAGE PARKWAY IN RE FOR THE MOST PART.
SO KNOWING WHERE THOSE AREAS TO BE DEVELOPED ARE, KNOWING WHERE THE GROWTH IS GOING AND THE, THE MASTER PLAN COMMUNITIES AND WHAT'S HAPPENING NORTH ON 3 59, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO NOT JUST HAVE A CONSULTANT WORKING FOR FIVE OR $10,000 A MONTH GETTING DIRECTION FROM US.
THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ANALYZE ALL THAT, COME BACK AND SAY, LOOK, HERE'S A PLAN, RIGHT? HERE'S WHAT I'LL DO FOR X DOLLARS.
HERE'S WHAT I'LL COMMIT TO DOING ON A PERFORMANCE BASED.
I MEAN, THE, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE PART OF THE LAST TIME WE DID THE, THE UPDATE ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE CONSULTANTS WE USED THEN VERY MUCH SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE LIKE AROUND THE TABLE DISCUSSION AT THE IRENE STERN, YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS OVER A, A THREE OR FOUR MEETING PERIOD WHEREBY, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE AN OPEN DISCUSSION.
THEY'D GO AWAY, BRING BACK SOME, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION, PULL IT ALL TOGETHER, REVIEW IT, LIKE I SAID, TWO OR THREE ROUNDS, AND THEN IT WAS AN APPROVED, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN THAT GO PUBLISHED.
AND IT, IT WORKED REALLY, REALLY WELL.
YEAH, I THINK EVERYONE'S ON THE SAME PAGE BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY THE COURSE THAT THE CONVERSATION TOOK FOR ABOARD AS WELL.
AND, UH, JAMES, I BELIEVE, UM, A FEW MEETINGS AGO HAD REQUESTED THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT UPDATING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO WE DID REACH OUT TO TIP STRATEGIES, WHO DID OUR PLAN IN 2019.
UM, A LOT OF WHAT'S IN THERE IS STILL VERY RELEVANT, UM, BUT A LOT HAS CHANGED.
SO WE DID TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO JUST DO AN UPDATE AND THEN WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO DO AN ENTIRELY NEW, YOU KNOW, EVERY STUDY, EVERY TOWN HALL MEETING, YOU KNOW, AS IF IT'S BRAND NEW.
UM, AND I THINK IT WAS ANYWHERE FROM $75,000 TO $150,000, DEPENDING ON HOW, UM, IN DEPTH WE WANT IT TO GO WITH UPDATING IT.
SO WE CAN DEFINITELY, UM, INVITE THEM BACK IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR US TO KIND OF PURSUE BOTH, IF YOU ARE, UM, CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME SOME DIRECTION? DO YOU STILL, ARE YOU STILL INTERESTED IN US PURSUING A RETAIL RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT? OR WOULD YOU RATHER SWITCH GEARS AND HAVE US FOCUS MORE ON UPDATING THE STRATEGIC PLAN? NO, I THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE.
UM, I GUESS WHAT I WAS, AND I'M NOT EVEN NECESSARILY SAYING THAT IF THE CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR FULL SURE IS CURRENT ENOUGH, SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO USE AS A ROADMAP FOR WHOEVER WE HIRE MM-HMM.
BUT IF THE CURRENT ONE IS MISSING ENOUGH DATA OR IS IRRELEVANT TO THE POINT WHERE AS A CONSULTANT HE COMES IN AND READS THIS AND DOESN'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF HOW TO MOVE FORWARD, THEN WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO ONE BEFORE WE DO THE OTHER.
I, I WOULD PREFER THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR MONTHS NOW.
THERE'S JUST GLOBAL LOCAL CHANGES, UH, CHANGES TO OUR CURRENCY.
I MEAN, EVERY, EVERYTHING HOUSING BOOM, UH, ANYTHING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD THINK OF POPULATION GROWTH, I MEAN JUST LOCAL, GLOBAL AND GLOBAL CHANGES THAT, UM, IT JUST, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REMEASURED.
I THINK, UH, I THINK, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS FOR EDCS AROUND, UH, TEXAS, BUT YOU KNOW, MOST ORGANIZATIONS GET UPDATED STRATEGIC PLAN ONE, ONE OR TWO YEARS.
UM, SO 2019, I FEEL LIKE IT'S JUST ANCIENT.
I FEEL LIKE IT JUST NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REDONE.
UM, I DON'T HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA NOW? I BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD TO EIGHT MONTHS.
DO YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING DIFFERENT HITTING, SO, SO WHEN YOU BROUGHT THAT UP, YOU WERE IN YOUR, IN YOUR HEAD, IT'S A COMPLETE, IT'S NOT JUST UPDATING, IT'S COMPLETELY
[00:25:01]
DOING A COMPLETELY PLAN, COMPLETE OVERHAUL.I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN UPDATE FROM 2019 DATA AND STATISTICS IN 2024 WOULD LOOK LIKE.
I, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE COMPLETELY, ABSOLUTELY DIFFERENT.
WHAT WAS OUR POPULATION IN 2019? DO Y'ALL, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA? UM, I THINK IT'S TRIPLED ABOUT 15,000 LESS.
I THINK MAYBE IT WAS AROUND 16,000 IN, SO BY THE TIME THEY FINISH IT, IT'LL BE, IT'S MORE THAN DOUBLED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE 12 FIVE OR SO.
BUT IN THAT RANGE, I MEAN, POPULATION IS TRIPLED.
OUR, OUR CURRENCY IS WORTH ABOUT 30% LESS THAN IT WAS IN 2019.
I MEAN, I THINK THE DEMOGRAPHICS MAY STAY CONSISTENT AS FAR AS, UH, YOU KNOW, AFFLUENT, YOU KNOW, STILL AT THE UPPER END, HIGHLY EDUCATED MM-HMM.
BUT I THINK THAT, I THINK I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT A 2019 UPDATE WOULD NECESSARILY DO.
WELL, AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I KIND OF ASKED THAT IS MAYBE THAT'S A QUESTION FOR TIP STRATEGIES, IS TO ASK THEM WHAT THE DIFFERENCE ANALYZE WOULD BE.
I MEAN, THAT, I THINK THAT MAY ANSWER A LOT OF OUR QUESTIONS, POSSIBLY.
NOW, IF I REMEMBER, THERE'S FOUR SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITY ZONES, AND I, I DON'T THINK, I THINK THERE'S STILL OPPORTUNITY ZONES.
I, I WOULD HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN, IN ALL OF THEM, BUT ARE ALL FOUR STILL OPPORTUNITY ZONES? I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW.
SO I, I THINK IF, IF I HAD TO CHOOSE, I WOULDN'T DO IT IN TANDEM.
I WOULD DO THE STRATEGIC PLAN FIRST.
IT STINKS THAT IT'S EIGHT MONTHS.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I I I'M NOT OPPOSED TO DOING THE RETAIL COACH OR, UH, RETAIL, UH, ATTRACTIONS.
UM, PARALLEL EITHER, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S STILL A NEED FOR THAT TYPE OF SERVICE.
THIS, THIS CONTRACT IN PARTICULAR.
I'VE GOT A LOT OF, UH, HESITANCY WITH, ESPECIALLY BEING FROM OKLAHOMA, EVEN WITH ALL THE PHYSIC HE DONE.
BUT NO, I, I THINK STRATEGIC PLAN IS, IS, IS VITAL AT THIS STAGE.
AND, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE I STAND ON THAT.
I'M, I THE 150,000 SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY FOR A REPORT, BUT IF IT TAKES EIGHT MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER, I'D IMAGINE THAT'S, I MEAN, YEAH, I THINK A, A LOT OF, UH, WHEN I INITIALLY MET WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT, AND I ASKED KIND OF A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT, WHY IS THAT? AND IT WAS JUST THE CALENDAR AND THE TRAVEL SCHEDULE AND THE FACILITATION OF THE TOWN HALLS AND THE TIME SPENT WITH EACH OF THE STAKEHOLDERS.
AND THEN THE ANALYZATION OF THE DATA AND THE PUTTING TOGETHER OF THE REPORT.
I KNOW, UM, I THINK THEY'RE WORKING WITH RICHMOND.
THEY'VE RECENTLY WORKED, UM, WITH THE COUNTY AS WELL.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WE, THERE MIGHT BE, UH, FRESH DATA FOR THE CITY OF SHORE AS PART OF THE TIP STRATEGIES, FORT BEND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD IMPACT, UM, THEM UPDATING OUR PLAN IF IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN KIND OF BLEND OR, YOU KNOW, WORK OFF OF SINCE THAT'S BEEN DONE.
UM, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO MEET WITH THE COUNTY, UH, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS TO SO THAT REVIEW THAT, SO THAT PLAN BEFORE THE COUNTY ONE'S ALREADY COMPLETED, OR THEY'RE JUST DOING IT? YES.
AND I, I, I FORGOT ABOUT THE, UH, THE, UM, FOCUS GROUP OR, OR WHATEVER IT WAS, BUT IT, WE, THEY DO A SURVEY AND ASK WHAT THE CITIZENS OF SHORE WANT.
AND, UM, I REMEMBER THAT BEING HELPFUL, I THOUGHT, BUT IN 2019, THAT COULD, THAT COULD BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW BASED ON THE, THE NEW AMENITIES PUT IN.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT, SEE WHAT THAT SAYS.
I THINK THE, THE ISSUE IS TO DO A THOROUGH ONE, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF TIME BECAUSE THERE ARE TONS OF MEETINGS THEY HAVE TO HOLD AND STAKEHOLDERS THEY HAVE TO VISIT WITH, COMPILE ALL THAT THEN, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, RESOLVE ANY CONFLICTING INFORMATION, DATA, UH, OPINIONS, UH, TO MAKE IT A SEAMLESS REPORT.
UH, I WOULD THINK THAT SOME OF THE ITEMS WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, CONSISTENT.
I MEAN, WE'VE HAD A TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN RESIDENTIAL, OBVIOUSLY.
UH, WE STILL NEED ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE IN THAT PLAN.
UM, MAYBE IT'S PACKAGED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, BUT I THINK WE STILL HAVE A, A GOOD, GOOD DIRECTION TO FOLLOW IF WE CHOOSE TO CONTINUE WITH THE RETAIL RECRUITMENT AS WELL.
WELL, THERE, THERE IS DEFINITELY CURRENT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, UH, ON THE DRIVE HOME FROM OKLAHOMA YESTERDAY, UH, ALMOST
[00:30:01]
EVERY TOWN WE WENT THROUGH, MY WIFE UPDATED ME ON THE DEMOGRAPHICS FOR EACH OF THE LITTLE TOWNSWHAT THE POPULATION WAS AS SHE'S LOOKING AT IT, YOU KNOW, UM, AND WHEN WE GOT TO, WHEN, WHEN SHE THEN STARTED COMPARING IT TO FULL SHIRT, I MEAN, IT'S CURRENT BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PROJECTIONS.
UM, THE, IT, IT INCLUDES THE ETJA IN THE AREA, THE RE AREA, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE, THE AVERAGE SALARY, THE AVERAGE SALARIES OF MEN VERSUS WOMEN VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
SO THIS IS ALL CURRENT AND UP TO DATE AND AVAILABLE.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THIS, AND THIS IS THE THING, YOU KNOW, I USED TO EVEN HATE IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, YOU KNOW, IS YOU HAVE TO GO AND SPEND 6, 7, 8 MONTHS, RIGHT? UH, PLANNING, PUTTING TOGETHER A PLAN ON, YOU KNOW, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT, HOW YOU'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT IT, WHAT THE ROI IS GONNA BE, ALL THESE SORTS OF THINGS FOR MONTHS BEFORE YOU CAN ACTUALLY START DOING SOMETHING.
AND SO WE ARE HERE AGAIN, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED FROM THE PREVIOUS STUDY THAT WE DID, RIGHT.
AND I KNOW THESE COMPANIES, THIS IS HOW THEY MAKE A LIVING AND WHAT THEY DO, THEY DO THESE STUDIES FOR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS ALL OVER THE PLACE, RIGHT? AND FULL SHARE HAS CERTAINLY DONE IT'S FAIR SHARE.
UM, I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T DO IT, I'M SAYING I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF SPENDING EIGHT MONTHS, UH, PAYING SOMEONE TO PULL TOGETHER INFORMATION THAT'S PROBABLY AVAILABLE, UM, TO US IN, IN DIFFERENT FORMS. BUT IF WE HAVE TO DO IT, WE HAVE TO DO IT.
BUT YEAH, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING, JOEL, TO SEE WHAT THEIR NUMBERS, WHAT THEY COME UP WITH, BECAUSE ALL THE REPORTS NOW ARE ALL DIFFERENT.
SO THE CENSUS NUMBER AND OUR PAA STUDY THAT WE COMMISSIONED, AND I MEAN, EVERY NUMBER IS DIFFERENT.
SO IT MIGHT BE A GOOD, A GOOD TIME TO DO THIS.
BUT I MEAN, ALSO ON THAT, THERE'S, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT IN THAT STRATEGIC PLAN, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, EVEN IF THEY'RE DO RUN IN PARALLEL, YOU KNOW, WITH REGARDS TO THIS RETAIL COACH, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE GONNA RUN DEMOGRAPHICS, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE SAME INFORMATION THAT DEMOGRAPHICS, THAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN'S GONNA RUN.
SO THERE IS SIMILARITIES, LET'S SAY THE, THEY CAN'T COEXIST, BUT UNFORTUNATELY ONE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE DONE BEFORE THE OTHER.
MAY I ASK A QUESTION MARK DIRECTLY DIRECTED TO YOU? MM-HMM.
I MEAN, Y'ALL, Y'ALL ARE IN A, I MEAN, YOU'RE IN A PERIOD OF RAPID GROWTH, AND SO YOU MAY NEED TO DO YOURS MORE FREQUENTLY.
'CAUSE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE GONNA CHANGE MORE QUICKLY, MORE RAPIDLY.
I MEAN, I HAVE SOME CITIES THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS KINDA LIKE A COMP PLAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY FALLS ALONG MORE NORMAL.
AND THEN I, I HAVE SOME WHO ARE SO BUSY, THEIR EDCS ARE SO BUSY, THEY'RE NOT EVEN DOING IT BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT SO MANY THINGS COMING IN ANYWAY.
SO THEY'RE NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT BEING TARGETED BECAUSE THE STUFF THAT'S COMING IN IS SUCH LARGE USERS.
SO IN THAT REGARD, THOUGH, THAT'S ONE, GO AHEAD.
IN THAT REGARD, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THEM IN COMPARISON ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD GET BACK IF ONE WAS A, A REFRESH RATHER THAN A COMPLETE REDO APART, YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THAT STRATEGIC INFORMATION IS STILL RELEVANT, YOU KNOW? YES.
SOME OF OUR DISCUSSION AND ITEMS IS BASED ON DATA, AND SOME OF IT IS BASED ON HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE FULL SHARE MOVE FORWARD.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE REFRESH WOULD BE IN UPDATING THOSE, YOU KNOW, THE, I GUESS THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ONLY, AS OPPOSED TO NOT TAKING THE EIGHT MONTHS TO DO THE FULL BLOWN CHANGE, YOU MAY FIND THAT CAN BE DONE MORE EXPEDIENTLY.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? LOOK, LOOKING AT THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND ASKING WHAT TRULY WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF YOU'RE JUST SIMPLY UPDATING THE DATA THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN CHANGED CERTAINLY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
YOU MAY FIND WE CAN DO IT IN A SIGNIFICANTLY QUICKER TIME FOR LESSER MONEY.
THE ONE THING THAT I WORRY ABOUT IS I REALLY BELIEVE WE HAVE A LOT OF TRACTION
[00:35:01]
THAT'S STARTING TO HAPPEN ON MANY FRONTS.AND IF YOU, I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T DO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT OUR STAFF HAS A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND IF WE EXPECT THAT STRATEGIC PLAN TO BE DONE, THEY MAY HAVE TO TAPER OFF OTHER ACTIVITIES, WHICH MAY MEAN A DIRECT RESULT IN, UH, YOU KNOW, A BUSINESS COMING HERE OR TALKING TO A DEVELOPER.
UM, SO THAT'S WHAT ALL HAS TO BE BALANCED IN THE SCHEME OF WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
UM, 'CAUSE THE, I THINK THE STRATEGIC PLAN WILL TAKE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TIME.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GET THEIR INPUT ON THE UPDATE VERSUS THE FULL SCALE AMOUNT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE, THE, THOSE TARGET AREAS, IF THOSE, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST THINK OR HAVE THOSE REALISTICALLY CHANGED.
THE CITY IS STILL PRETTY MUCH THE SAME GEOGRAPHICALLY.
WE JUST HAVE MORE HOUSEHOLDS WHERE HOUSEHOLDS WERE PLANNED TO GO, BUT WE STILL HAVE THP, WE HAVE DOWNTOWN AND THOSE OTHER AREAS THAT WE'RE STILL FOCUSED ON, WE'RE GETTING SOME THINGS STARTED LIKE HARRIS STREET.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, DRIVE SOME INTEREST IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UM, I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK WHAT IN MY, AND MAYBE I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH OF THAT PLANNING STRATEGIC ECONOMIC PROCESS TO, FOR IT TO COME UP IN MY MIND, BUT I'M TRYING TO THINK WHAT ELSE WOULD WE BE ADDING TO IT OR, UH, REVISING.
I MEAN, I CAN SEE WHERE, OH, WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO AWAY WITH THE A BOARD.
MAYBE WE'RE NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE, BUT DO WE NEED A STUDY TO TELL US THAT CITY COUNCIL'S DECIDING THAT? UM, I, I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK WE SHOULD JUST LOOK THROUGH IT AND SEE IF IT'S THERE.
ARE THERE THINGS IN THERE THAT SAY THAT WE SAY, WELL, MAN, THAT HAS TOTALLY CHANGED OVER THERE.
I'D LIKE TO READ ONE, ONE SENTENCE.
IT SAYS, OL FULCHER IS, UH, IS THE FASTEST GROWING CITY, UH, IN THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AR AREA, MSA AND IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, OVERALL, THE CITY'S POPULATION IS PROJECTED TO REACH 22,000 RESIDENTS BY 2023 AND 30,000 BY 2028.
AREN'T WE AT 24 OR 35,000 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT NOW? 36,000.
BY ABOUT A DECADE, CENSUS SAYS 42,000.
SO, SO, WELL, I HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT I'M WORKING ON NOW IN MY MATH EQUATION IN THERE IS 31 PLUS 1,300 EQUALS 51.
SO HOW DOES THAT SIT AS A MATH PERSON? WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT IN TEXAS, THERE'S 31 MILLION PEOPLE, 1300 PEOPLE ARE COMING A DAY, AND IN 2050, THERE'LL BE 51 MILLION PEOPLE HERE.
SO, AND WE'RE A BIG PART OF THAT IN THE RE AREA.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE THE RESIDENTIAL GROWTH, UH, IF THINGS CONTINUE.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE ECONOMIC PART OF THINGS, NOT NECESSARILY THE RESIDENTIAL.
AND SO I, I DON'T WANT TO GET ANY FURTHER BEHIND ON THOSE EFFORTS.
AND AS PART OF THIS PLANNING PROCESS, YEAH.
IS IT, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE A WORKSHOP WHERE WE HAVE THE A AND B BOARD GET TOGETHER FOR A WORKSHOP WITH THIS, UH, CONSULTANT THAT MIGHT BE, UH, HELPING US TO, UH, UPDATE AND JUST GO THROUGH THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF IT WITH THEM AND, YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALL TALK AMONGST OURSELVES ABOUT, IS THIS STILL RELEVANT, NOT RELEVANT? DO WE REALLY NEED TO APPROACH THIS? AND THEN AT THE END, UM, YOU KNOW, GET SOME IDEA OF THE EFFORT FROM STAFF, UH, AND HOW LONG IT MIGHT TAKE AND WHAT IT MIGHT COST TO, TO GO THROUGH AND DO THAT.
I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU, TOMMY.
I MEAN, THE THING IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE KNEW THESE, UH, MASTER PLAN COMMUNITIES COMING.
WE KNOW THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE COMING.
THERE'S SOME NEW ONES THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW AT THAT TIME, BUT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ANTICIPATED THIS POPULATION GROWTH.
UM, I THINK THE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE COST OF HOUSING, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE AVERAGE AGE AND, YOU KNOW, WHICH HAS A LOT TO DO WITH WHERE PEOPLE SPEND THEIR MONEY AND WHAT THEY DO.
THAT'S IMPORTANT FROM A, FROM A COMMERCE STANDPOINT.
BUT WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MAKE SOME REAL HEADWAY ON SOME OF THESE MAJOR DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT THINGS LIKE DOWNTOWN AND THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT? I MEAN, I THINK THAT THE CORNER OF,
[00:40:01]
UH, 10 93 AND 3 59 WHERE, YOU KNOW, HEB HAS LAND, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE HAVE OUR LAND ON THE OTHER CORNER.I MEAN, WE CAN SEE THAT NOTHING'S HAPPENING, RIGHT? SO SOMETHING HAS TO, SOMETHING HAS TO BREAK FREE RIGHT? TO, FOR IT TO, TO HAVE A MAJOR, UM, A CHANGE.
AND I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING, AND I DON'T SEE HOW NECESSARILY THE STRATEGIC PLAN'S GONNA CHANGE THAT, RIGHT? THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE LAND, OWN THE LAND, UM,
SO WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE WAITING FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, TO TRIGGER, UH, CERTAIN THINGS.
BUT I THINK WE COULD HAVE A WORKSHOP AND HAVE SOME DISCUSSION, UM, ABOUT THE RELEVANCE OF THE CURRENT PLAN.
YEAH, I JUST DON'T WANNA LOSE THE ATTRACTION OF WHETHER IT'S A CONSULTANT OUT THERE THAT LIKE RETAIL FILL INTO X, Y, Z, YOU KNOW, TELLING CHER'S HERE, IT'S GROWING THIS MUCH.
HERE'S THE DEMOGRAPHICS THERE.
HERE'S ALL THE PSYCHOGRAPHIC INFORMATION.
HERE'S WHY YOU SHOULD BE HERE OR AN L OUT.
YOU KNOW, RECENTLY SHE'S GIVING PRESENTATIONS TO THE LEADERSHIP CLASS IN FORT BEND COUNTY, UH, CHAMBER.
WE WILL SHOW A REPORT LATER, UH, PRESENT ON BEING ON A PANEL FOR AN IMPORTANT, UH, MEETING OF POTENTIAL DEVELOPERS TO FORT BEND COUNTY.
UH, SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT JUST KEEP OUR IDENTITY AND NAME OUT THERE AS A CITY, AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO GO DORMANT.
SO I FEEL LIKE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT THAT AT THE MOMENT.
WE JUST HAVE TO BALANCE THAT WITH WHATEVER WE'RE DOING, IN MY OPINION.
WE, UM, WE'LL LOOK INTO SCHEDULING THE WORKSHOP, GET AVAILABILITY.
WE WILL CONNECT WITH TIP STRATEGIES TO ONCE AGAIN, GET A LITTLE MORE CLARIFICATION ON A REFRESH AND A TOTAL OVERHAUL.
AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE, UM, FORWARD WITH, UM, THE DISCUSSION WITH RETAIL ATTRACTIONS AS WELL.
THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR, UM, JUST ALL YOUR COMMENTS.
THANKS FOR THE INPUT WITH, WITH THE WORKSHOP.
WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A, WE'RE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE MAKING ANY DECISIONS, SO WE DON'T NEED A QUORUM, BUT IF, WHENEVER WE CAN DO IT, IF IT'S A TUESDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY NIGHT OR SIX O'CLOCK OR WHATEVER, JUST HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH IT AND HAVE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT, I GUESS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
'CAUSE I, I MEAN, I CAN'T, WHEN DID I READ IT LAST? YEAH, LET'S JUST BE HONEST HERE.
SO, UH, IT WOULD DO ME GOOD TO REVIEW IT AND REFRESH AS WE'RE HAVING THIS, UH, DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
THANKS FOR ALL OF THE INPUT AND THE COMMENTS.
ANELLE, YOU HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION? YES, SIR.
[Business Items - E]
THREE E IS DISCUSSION AND ACTION.ON APPOINTMENT OF BYLAWS, REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
SO WE, UH, TOOK A BREAK LAST MONTH, BUT ON AUGUST 20TH, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE APPOINTMENT A OF A BY BYLAW REVIEW COMMITTEE AS ADVISED BY OUR LEGAL COUNSEL.
SO THE REVIEW COMMITTEE SHOULD CONSIST OF TWO DIRECTORS FROM THE CDC TWO DIRECTORS FROM THE FDC AND EDC STAFF, AND OF COURSE OUR, OUR LEGAL COUNSEL.
UM, SO FOR THIS ITEM, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF VOLUNTEERS WHO WOULD FORM PART OF THAT COMMITTEE, OR IF YOU'D LIKE TO NOMINATE SOMEONE AMONG NATE, JOEL
I WAS JUST ABOUT TO WITHDRAW BY NAME YOUR ATTENTION,
SO WE HAVE ONE NOMINATION FOR JOEL, AND THEN LEE, GO AHEAD.
YEAH, I'D LIKE, I'D LIKE TO EXPRESS INTEREST ON THAT COMMITTEE.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT? JOEL, IS YOUR NAME IN OR ARE YOU WITHDRAWING? YEAH.
DID YOU, I MEAN, I, I'M, I HAVE TIME AND I HAVE INTEREST.
UM, I DON'T WANT TO CREATE PROBLEMS. I, I'M ALREADY GETTING ENOUGH HEAT, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SORRY, I JUST FOR THE RECORD, I'M NOT ON FACEBOOK, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT GOES ON, BUT, UM, I THOUGHT YOU WOULD WANT TO, I, THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT THAT'S WHY JAMES, WHY I NOMINATED.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE MILLIONS WATCHING AT HOME IS NOT GOOD FOR ANYBODY.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHY I, THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE INTEREST IN AGENDA.
I MEAN, I WAS THE ONE THAT ASKED ABOUT THE, THE BYLAWS TO START WITH.
I MEAN, CONSIDERING THEY HAVEN'T BEEN UPDATED SINCE THE BEGINNING.
UM, SO I'M, I HAVE TIME, UH, AND I'M AVAILABLE.
WILL THE, WILL THE COMMITTEE WORK AND THEN BRING THOSE BACK TO US FOR DISCUSSION? YES.
SO WHEN I TALKED TO DAN ABOUT THIS, HE, UM, TOLD ME IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE ABOUT THREE MEETINGS.
HE SAID, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS LEGAL COUNSEL WILL REVIEW
[00:45:01]
THE BYLAWS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MAKE THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEN WE WILL START WITH THAT.ANY ADDITIONS OR, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING WE WANNA EDIT OUT, WE WOULD SEND BACK TO THEM AND THEN GO FROM THERE.
DO YOU HAVE THE, UH, POTENTIAL MEMBERS FROM THE A BOARD ALREADY? UM, WE DO.
I BELIEVE IT WAS MS. KAY AND BRIAN.
UM, AND THEN DEVIN WAS OUR ALTERNATE MEMBER BECAUSE BRIAN, UM, WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND THAT MEETING.
SO HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD PRESIDENT HAD THE FIRST OPTION TO STEP ON OR DECLINE, I THINK.
IS THAT RIGHT? YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
DO WE NEED AN ALTERNATE? YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
OH, WAIT, I WAS GONNA NOMINATE DEBORAH IF WE DID
WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE THAT JUST IN CASE IF THERE'S ANY SCHEDULING ISSUES.
BUT THAT'S THE OFFICIAL PROCESS TO ESTABLISH A COMMITTEE.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, NOT THAT WE'RE DOING ANY VOTING OR ACTION, BUT, UH, YOU MAY LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE BYLAWS AND SEE IF COUNSEL MIGHT APPROVE.
MAKING IT EASIER TO HAVE A LITTLE COMMITTEE ON OUR BOARDS IF IT'S LEGAL.
NO, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY LEGAL AND WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKE OUT COUNSEL PERMISSION TO DO BUSINESS.
DO WE NEED ACTION ON THAT? I, I THINK YOU SHOULD, YES.
WELL, LET ME, DID THE A BOARD TAKE ACTION? THEY DID.
SO CAN WE HAVE A MOTION FOR APPOINTING JOEL PATTERSON AND LEE O'BRIEN TO THE BYLAWS REVIEW COMMITTEE AND WITH DEBORAH AS A ALTERNATE.
I WAS GOING TO, I FORGOT MY NAME WAS GOING TO BE ON THE LIST.
YOU CAN, I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? UM, UM, BEFORE WE SECOND, WHAT ABOUT THE MISSING MEMBERS HERE TONIGHT? WOULD ANY OF THEM HAVE INTEREST IN, SHOULD WE EVEN CONSIDER THAT? I MEAN, WE'RE MISSING THREE.
NO, WE CAN JUST GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD.
THAT WAY WE CAN GET IT SCHEDULED.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING? OKAY, I'LL, I'LL MAKE A SECOND.
YOU SECOND IT, I'LL SECOND YOU.
MOTIONS HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED.
NO, WE DON'T INCREASE YOUR PAY FOR THIS ROLE.
ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.
[Business Items - F]
ITEM THREE F IS DISCUSSION ON EVENT PROGRAMMING FOR THE 2024 HOLIDAY SEASON.UM, SO Y'ALL HAD REQUESTED TO JUST GET A REPORT ON WHAT WAS PLANNED FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL A LITTLE SUMMARY OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON SO FAR.
UM, FIRST I WILL SAY OUR CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING AND CHRISTMAS PROGRAM HERE AT CITY HALL IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 30TH.
THAT IS THE SATURDAY, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.
THAT'S ALSO SHOP SMALL SATURDAY, SO THAT SHOULD BE FROM FOUR TO 7:00 PM HERE AT THE COMPLEX OUT FRONT.
AND AS PART OF THAT, UM, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT WILL BE HOSTING JUST LIKE THEY DID LAST YEAR, THE MOVIE IN THE COURTYARD STARTING AT SEVEN.
SO HOPEFULLY EVERYONE CAN KIND OF TRANSITION BACK THERE.
UM, WHEN EVERYTHING UP FRONT IS, IS FINISHED, AND THAT WILL JUST ENTAIL A VERY SHORT PROGRAM.
WE'VE INVITED THE ESD ROTARY, UM, THE HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, FACE PAINTING, BALLOON ARTIST, A LITTLE TRAIN PICTURES WITH SANTA LETTERS TO SANTA AND SOME BAKED GOODS, COFFEE, HOT CHOCOLATE TYPE OF THING.
UH, AND THEN THE CHAMBER WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH THE CHAMBER ON THAT THEY WILL HAVE 15 BOOTHS TO FILL WITH, UM, BUSINESSES OR HOWEVER THEY CHOOSE ACTIVITIES, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR THEM.
UM, ANY OTHER PARTNERS? I'M, NO, I THINK, UH, I'M SORRY, WHERE DID YOU, THAT'S RIGHT HERE.
SO THE, THE WHOLE LEFT SIDE OF THE PARKING LOT, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THE POND.
SEE, THIS IS MY, YEAH, UM, THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE I WAS GONNA ADD.
THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE CONTEST, THIS WILL BE THE SECOND YEAR, SO WE'LL ALSO HAVE THAT GOING ON THAT MONTH.
SO WE'LL HAVE IT KIND OF BE PART OF THAT, THE PROGRAM THAT NIGHT, JUST LIKE WE DID LAST
[00:50:01]
YEAR.ALRIGHT, NOW I GOTTA GEAR UP FOR THAT.
I DIDN'T WIN LAST YEAR, SO YOU'RE CLOSE.
I WAS, YES, I'D HAVE FIGURED I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE.
I SAW THE OTHER ONES THAT WON.
SOME PEOPLE PUT SOME TIME INTO THOSE THINGS, BUT YEAH, THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL.
THE MOST STRUCTURALLY SOUND, I WILL SAY THAT
AND SO ANOTHER COMPONENT THAT WE'RE ADDING THIS YEAR IS, UM, PARTNERING WITH OUR DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES.
WE'VE GOTTEN SOME FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY DO HAVE, UM, SOME DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING STEADY TRAFFIC THROUGH SOME MONTHS.
AND SO WE FIGURED THIS WAS, UM, JUST A GREAT WAY TO BRING THEM IN, UM, EXPAND OUR, OUR EVENTS AND MAKE 'EM MORE ACCESSIBLE AT DIFFERENT PLACES, DIFFERENT TIMES, THAT TYPE OF THING.
AND SO THE FIRST SATURDAY IN DECEMBER, WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH DOERS TO HOST A, UM, CHRISTMAS KARAOKE AND UGLY SWEATER PARTY OUT ON THE PATIO.
UM, THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, I THINK IT'S DECEMBER 14TH IS OPEN CURRENTLY.
SO IF ANY DOWNTOWN BUSINESS WOULD LIKE TO, UM, TALK TO US ABOUT PARTNERING ON THAT, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
UH, AND THEN THE, UH, 21ST WE PARTNERED WITH DOGWOOD LANE, SO THEY'LL BE HOSTING A COOKIE DECORATING WORKSHOP, UM, WITHIN, THEY HAVE A LITTLE SPACE OUT BACK AS WELL.
UM, SO WE WILL JUST CREATE KIND OF A CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE MONTH, STARTING THAT, UM, SATURDAY IN NOVEMBER, AND THEN GO THROUGH HOPEFULLY EVERY WEEKEND UNTIL CHRISTMAS.
ARE THEY GONNA HAVE A COOKIE EATING WORKSHOP AS PART OF THAT
OUR, UM, OUR, UH, COOKIE LADY SAID THAT SHE WOULD MAKE SURE TO HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF COOKIES ON HAND,
SO IF THERE'S ANY OTHER IDEAS OR ANY OTHER BUSINESSES THAT YOU CAN THINK OF.
I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S, YOU KNOW, PIER 36, THERE'S THE BOUTIQUES, THERE'S ESSENCE HOUSE, ACE HARDWARE, JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT AVENUES.
THE CHURCH DOWNTOWN THAT WE'D BE HAPPY TO PARTNER WITH AND ADD, UM, THINGS ON THE CALENDAR, EVEN IF IT'S NOT A SATURDAY.
WE JUST STARTED WITH THE SATURDAY, SO WE'D HAVE AT LEAST ONE A WEEK, BUT IF IT'S ANY OTHER DAY OF THE WEEK, WE'RE VERY OPEN TO ALL OF THAT.
THE PART OF THE HOLIDAY STUFF, UH, DO YOU REMEMBER THE DATE THAT THE, ALL THE DECORATIONS WERE SLATED TO BE UP AND FUNCTIONAL? THEY KNOW THAT OUR EVENT WILL BE THE 30TH, SO THEY, IT MIGHT BE NOVEMBER THE 29TH, BUT
AND IF YOU REMEMBER, THE DESIGN FOR OUR DOWNTOWN LIGHTS WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR.
IT'LL BE A TUNNEL OF LIGHTS INSTEAD OF THE THREE DIFFERENT, I THINK IT WAS LIKE A GIFT AND AN ORNAMENT OR SOMETHING.
AND WHEN DID YOU SAY THAT WAS GONNA BE READY? I, UH, DECEMBER.
WE TOLD THEM ALL THE DECORATIONS BY NOVEMBER 30TH, BUT I'LL DOUBLE CHECK ON HOW THEY'RE SCHEDULING IT.
BUT DEFINITELY BY THE FIRST SATURDAY OF DECEMBER.
BUT IT MIGHT ALL BE THE ONE WEEK BEFORE.
SOUNDS LIKE A BUSY CALENDAR FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
SO THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING VERY PROACTIVE WITH THAT SCHEDULE.
AND YOU SAID YOU STILL HAVE DECEMBER THE 14TH OPEN? YES.
WE STILL HAVE ONE OPENING FOR GETTING ON THE SCHEDULE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON ITEM THREE F? IF NOT, WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM FOUR.
[Recurring Items - A]
RECURRING ITEMS FOUR A IS OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT.WE HAVE NINE ITEMS ON THIS LIST TONIGHT.
UM, I'LL START OFF WITH THE TEXAS HERITAGE PARKWAY MONUMENT SIGN.
I'M SURE TOMMY, THIS JUST MAKES YOU EVEN MORE HAPPY.
UM, THE SIGNAGE PLANS WERE APPROVED BY THEIR BOARD ON OCTOBER 8TH, HOWEVER, THEY NOW NEED THE APPROVAL OF THE TWO ADJACENT LANDOWNERS.
SO THEY ARE JUST WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM.
WE ACTUALLY CALLED AND CHECKED IF THERE HAD BEEN ANY RESPONSE RIGHT BEFORE THE MEETING.
THEY SAID NOT YET, BUT THEY'LL REACH OUT AGAIN.
UM, SO ONCE THEY HAVE THE, THE APPROVAL, THEY, THEY WILL SEND US A LETTER AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT THAT NEXT STEP IS, UM, FOR INSTALLING THE SIGN.
WHERE'S THE SIGN? JUST A REMINDER, THE JORDAN CROSSING, IT'S, UH, NORTH OF JORDAN CROSSING RIGHT UP, UM, THP.
SO WE TRIED TO PUSH IT AS FAR OUT AS WE COULD.
YEAH, I THINK IF YOU IN THE PACKET, ACTUALLY, YOU HAD A LINK TO THE SIGN.
I THINK, MAN, THAT IS A GREAT LOOKING SIGN.
I THINK THE CITY WILL BE PROUD OF IT, BUT YEAH, IT'S JUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JORDAN CROSSING BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTHBOUND LANES OF THP.
[00:55:01]
DESIGN IN THERE AS WELL.AND WE DID COLLABORATE WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS COHESIVE WITH THE REST OF THE SIGNAGE THAT WILL BE INSTALLED AT EAGLE LANDING PARK AND ALL OF THAT.
WHEN, WHEN WILL IT BE COMPLETELY DONE TO BE DETERMINED.
I KNOW I'VE KIND OF BEEN HUNG UP ON ALMOST THERE.
BUT THE PLAN WAS APPROVED MONUMENT SIGNAGE FOR YEARS.
I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER THINKING, YOU KNOW, I'M THE WORST PERSON TO ASK ABOUT DESIGN OR WHATEVER, AND I LOOK AT IT NOW, I'M LIKE, THIS IS PRETTY NICE.
WELL, WE HIRED A, A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT THAT HAS THAT EXPERTISE, SO, AND THEY KNOW OUR COMMUNITY AND I THINK IT SHOWS.
WE HAVE SOME TOUGH COMPETITION WITH SOME OF THE ENTRY SIGNS FOR OUR MASTER PLAN COMMUNITIES.
SO WE'RE LIKE, WE CAN'T COMPETE IN TERMS OF WATER FEATURES AND YEAH.
HEIGHT, BUT LET'S KEEP IT CLASSY.
ALRIGHT, IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS, I'LL MOVE ON.
UH, TO THE SECOND ITEM, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALISTS.
SO IF YOU REMEMBER, AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WE, UM, DECIDED TO SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBER FOR OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM.
UH, AND THAT POSITION WAS APPROVED.
UM, THE EDC IS CONTRIBUTING 30% OF THAT SALARY.
AND, UM, WE DO HAVE INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY.
WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT CANDIDATES.
SO IT'LL BE MYSELF AND OUR COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR AND OUR HR STAFF.
SO WE WILL HAVE THOSE INTERVIEWS AND HOPEFULLY HAVE SOMEONE ON BOARD MIDDLE OF NEXT MONTH SHOULD THEY ACCEPT THE OFFER.
AND SO WOULD THEY, THEY BE WORKING THEN ON LIKE EVENT PLANNING TOO? THE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THAT WOULD KIND OF SHIFT OVER YES, MA'AM.
SO WE JUST FIND OURSELVES, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF THE OFFICE AND, YOU KNOW, OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY SOMETIMES TO SHARE SOME OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND THEN ALSO TO GATHER INFORMATION MM-HMM.
SO WE'RE REALLY HOPING THAT, UM, THAT PERSON CAN, YOU KNOW, HELP BOTH THE CITY AND THE EDC, UM, SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE PUBLIC, WHETHER THAT'S ON THE WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND THEN ALSO BE, UM, IN PERSON ATTENDING SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS.
WE, WE'VE TRIED THAT, THAT'S A BIG PRIORITY FOR US SINCE, YOU KNOW, SINCE WE'VE GOTTEN HERE.
UM, AND WE FEEL LIKE THAT'S REALLY VALUABLE.
I WAS THINKING MORE OF PLANNING SOME OF YOUR COMMUNITY EVENTS MORE SO THAN EVENTS ATTENDING THEN.
UM, YEAH, LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT.
SOME OF 'EM, IT'S, IT'S MORE FOCUSED ON REALLY THE COMMUNICATIONS ASPECT OF IT.
SO SOMETIMES WE GO AND WE LEARN THESE GREAT THINGS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO SIT AND WRITE A REPORT OR A MEMO OR TAKE THE PHOTOS OR, YOU KNOW, PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
SO WE, WE SEE THAT POSITION REALLY HELPING IN THAT.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WE'LL GET AN EVENTS COORDINATOR.
I'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
UM, SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY PROCLAMATION.
SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THIS ON YOUR RADAR.
WE WILL BE HAVING A, A PROCLAMATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY AT THE NOVEMBER 19TH COUNCIL.
SO WE'LL REACH OUT AND KIND OF DO AN EMAIL BLAST AND SHARE, UM, ON LINKEDIN WITH ALL OF OUR LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS.
SO THEY CAN BE HERE, BUT JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THEIR HARD WORK, UM, THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY AND DO IT AHEAD OF THE, THE NOVEMBER 30TH DAY WHEN WE'LL, WE'LL ACTUALLY BE CELEBRATING AND MOST OF THE, THE NATION RECOGNIZES IT.
UM, OR, AND ITEM FOUR IS THE RFEI.
UM, SO THIS HAS, OUR, OUR GOAL WAS TO HAVE THAT POSTED, UM, THIS MONTH REALLY.
UH, AND DAN DID HELP US A LOT WITH DRAFTING THAT AND, UM, GETTING IT ALL SQUARED AWAY.
WE, YOU KNOW, DID A FEW BACK AND FORTH ROUNDS AND, UM, ONCE IT, WE FELT IT WAS READY, WE SHARED THAT WITH THE ADJACENT LANDOWNERS FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION.
UM, THEY JUST HAVE A DIFFERENT, ONE HAS NOT RESPONDED AT ALL.
ONE HAS RESPONDED AND THEY'RE JUST NOT BIG FANS OF THE APPROACH THAT WE'RE TAKING.
THEY, UM, JUST HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA OF WHAT DEVELOPMENT THERE SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, SO WE'RE TRYING TO SEE IF WE CAN WORK THROUGH THAT.
UM, BRIAN WHITE, THE PRESIDENT OF A BOARD HAS ASKED US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH POSTING IT, UM, JUST WITH OUR THREE ACRES AS PART OF IT.
SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR US TO DO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TALK THROUGH WITH LE LEGAL,
[01:00:01]
GIVE IT ONE FINAL EDIT AND MOVE FORWARD.UM, OR WE CAN GIVE A LITTLE MORE TIME AND SEE IF, UM, THOSE CONVERSATIONS WILL GO ANYWHERE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER, DID WE GET A COPY OF THAT OR NOT? OR, I DON'T THINK SO, TOMMY, BUT WE CAN SEND ONE.
WOULD IT BE OKAY FOR US JUST TO, I'M CURIOUS JUST TO SEE WHAT GOES INTO IT.
I KNOW THAT DAN HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THOSE AND, UM, I'M, I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA, BUT I'D LIKE TO JUST READ IT OVER.
WE'LL MAKE SURE TO SEND IT OUT TO EVERYBODY.
I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THE SPECIFICS OF IT, BUT, UM, I DEFINITELY THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH POSTING, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD THAT LAND FOR A LONG TIME.
UM, I THINK WE, WE JUST HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD
AND THIS, THIS IS AN, THIS ISN'T AN AGENDA ITEM SO WE, YOU KNOW, YEAH.
CAN'T MAKE A MOTION, BUT YEAH, DEFINITELY TAKE, TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
WE'LL SEND A COPY OUT AND THEN UPDATE FROM THERE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, I'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ONE.
UM, SMALL BUSINESS INCENTIVES.
SO AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS, YOU ALL ASKED US TO INCLUDE THE $50,000, UM, INTO OUR BUDGET.
UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS DAN, IF NOT CHARLIE RECOMMENDED THAT WE HAVE A POLICY, WHICH WE WERE ACTUALLY JUST DISCUSSING PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
UM, SO WE MET WITH DEBORAH AND KIND OF STARTED AN OUTLINE OF WHAT THAT POLICY FOR SMALL BUSINESS INCENTIVES WOULD LOOK LIKE.
WE SHOULD HAVE A DRAFT, UM, READY AND, UM, WE'LL PRESENT IT TO THE REST OF THE BOARD ONCE, UM, ONCE WE WORK THROUGH THAT, UH, ITEM SIX SCARECROW FESTIVAL.
SO WE WILL HAVE A BOOTH SET UP AT THE SCARECROW FESTIVAL AT DAILY PARK HOSTED BY THE SHORE REGIONAL CHAMBER.
THE EVENT ITSELF WILL RUN FROM THREE TO SIX.
SO IF ANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JUST JOIN US FOR 30 MINUTES OR AN HOUR AND UM, BE THERE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I KNOW TOMMY JOINED US LAST YEAR.
UM, I FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY, THERE ARE A COUPLE OTHER MEMBERS THAT STOPPED BY, BUT MARK, YEAH, IT, I THINK IT WAS MARK.
UM, I'M A SUCKER FOR FREE CANDY
UH, WHAT'S THE DATE OF THAT? UH, IT'S THIS SATURDAY.
AND THAT'S AT, AT DAILY PARK? DAILY PARK.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE'LL BE SATURDAY.
UH, AND THEN NEXT WEEK WE DO HAVE OUR FULL STREET FAST TRACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND, UM, BUSINESS HUB, HOME ACCELERATOR EVENT
UM, IT'LL BE FROM 8:00 AM TO ONE AT IRENE STERN.
SO WE, UH, MET WITH THE ADVISORY BOARD EARLIER TODAY TO FINALIZE ALL THE DETAILS ON THAT.
BUT WE DO HAVE 53 PEOPLE REGISTERED SO FAR.
SO, UM, THAT, ALONG WITH, I THINK IT'S A LITTLE OVER 11 ADVISORS, 13, 14, I THINK WE ARE AT, UM, WE'RE EXPECTING A REALLY GOOD TURNOUT.
SO, UM, AGAIN, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE ANYONE LISTENING AT HOME, IF YOU KNOW, UM, UH, ANY ENTREPRENEURS, UM, STARTING A BUSINESS LOOKING TO SCALE THEIR BUSINESS.
UM, JUST WANNA TALK THROUGH A POTENTIAL BUSINESS PLAN.
THIS IS, UM, THE GREATEST EVENT YOU COULD COME TO SO FAR.
UM, WE HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER ONE ROOF, SO IT'S EASY AND ACCESSIBLE.
IF YOU ARE A MAKER OF ANY SORT AND YOU HAVE PRODUCTS AND YOU WANNA GET PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY FOR THEM, WE WILL HAVE PHOTOGRAPHER THERE, UM, DOING BOTH HEADSHOTS FOR YOUR WEBSITE AND YOUR BUSINESS AND A PRODUCT SHOTS FOR WHATEVER ITEM YOU ARE SELLING.
SO WE WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE Y'ALL, UM, TO SHARE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR NETWORKS 53 REGISTERED.
UM, AND IT'S NOT JUST CANON PEOPLE, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
THESE ARE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS.
SO
WE'LL BE WORKING ON SETTING THAT UP ON, CAN I COME BY THAT AFTERNOON SURE.
YEAH, I HAD, UH, I HAD CON COPIED YOU ON AN EMAIL.
I MET, UH, KIMBERLY, I THINK SHE'S WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS SOMETHING SMALL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON.
I MET HER AT AN EVENT IN DOWNTOWN RICHMOND.
WE WERE JUST CHATTING AND SHE WAS LIKE, OH, YOU'RE IN MY AREA RE'S IN MY AREA.
I NEED TO MEET Y'ALL AND TALK TO YOU.
I WAS HOPING TO, THAT SHE WOULD REPLY BACK SO I COULD INVITE HER TO THIS EVENT.
SO I'LL TRY, I'LL TRY TO FOLLOW UP AGAIN FOR THAT.
ISN'T, ISN'T THERE AN EVENT TOO WHERE LIKE THE PUBLIC IS
[01:05:01]
ENCOURAGED TO COME, LIKE TO MEET NEW BUSINESSES? WASN'T THERE SOME OTHER EVENT THAT WAS AT IRENE STERN TO NO, I'M THINKING OF SOMETHING ELSE THEN MAYBE.ARE YOU THINKING BACK THROUGH TO THE CROSS CREEK? YEAH.
I WAS THINK, NO, I WAS THINKING THERE WAS A FAST TRACK ONE TOO.
WE DO HAVE OUR, UM, AS PART OF THE OCTOBER 29TH EVENT, WE WILL HAVE THREE DIFFERENT BUSINESS OWNERS SHARING THEIR STORY THAT ARE LOCAL.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING THEN.
I THINK THE COOKIE, THE ONE OF THE, THE COOKIE LADY AND HUMBLE GROUNDS, IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY.
UM, I DID WITH SUGARBERRY COOKIES, UM, WILL BE THERE.
AND THEN GARRETT AND BECCA'S SPEED AS WELL.
UM, GARRETT'S SPEED IS ONE OF THE ADVISORS FOR FULL SURE.
AND SO HE HAS JUST BEEN INVALUABLE IN SHARING HIS FEEDBACK ON, UM, JUST A LOT OF WHAT HE ENCOUNTERED TRYING TO OPEN HIS BUSINESS.
AND THAT'S BEEN A LOT OF WHAT HAS GUIDED US IN TERMS OF WHAT'S PART OF THAT DAY AND, UM, WHAT KIND OF ADVISORS WE REACHED OUT TO AND MAKE SURE TO GET TO BE THERE.
SO IT WOULD BE OKAY TO, LIKE, IF YOU JUST WANNA COME AND JUST SIT IN YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, BREAKFAST IF YOU JUST WANNA COME SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND KIND OF JUST GET A FEEL FOR, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE VERY, UM, THANKFUL TO BE ABLE TO DO BECAUSE YOU ALL VOTED FOR IT.
SO WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME BY AND JUST SEE IT, SEE IT RUNNING FIRSTHAND IF YOU JUST STOP BY BY.
AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHY I WAS ASKING BECAUSE I, MM-HMM.
BUT I DIDN'T WANNA GET IN THE WAY OF ANYTHING OF BUSINESS DISCUSSIONS.
WE'LL HAVE, UM, SOME TABLE SET IN THE MIDDLE FOR KIND OF THAT NETWORK MINGLING KIND OF SITUATION THAT'LL, THERE'LL BE BREAKFAST, LUNCH, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME REFRESHMENTS, ALL THAT KIND OF THING TO ENCOURAGE CONVERSATION.
SO, UM, WE WILL BE SENDING OUT AN INVITATION WITH A VERY DETAILED SCHEDULE OF EVENTS OKAY.
AND PARTICIPANTS TO BOTH A AND B BOARD AND OUR CITY COUNCIL.
'CAUSE WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE EVERYONE COME IN AND, AND JUST SEE FOR THEMSELVES WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE DOING.
THAT WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING OF THEN.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE ALSO BUSY AND DON'T GET TO MAKE ALL OF THOSE EVENTS THAT ARE SET UP.
AND SO IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO, I THINK THAT WOULD BE INVALUABLE FEEDBACK TO THE BOARD ON, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE USING THOSE FUNDS.
IF THERE'S NO OTHER ON THAT, I'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT.
UM, AS TOMMY MENTIONED EARLIER, I DID GET TO, UM, PARTICIPATE IN THE FORT BEND COUNTY FAMILIARIZATION TOUR.
THIS IS SOMETHING THE COUNTY HAS DONE.
UM, I THINK THIS IS THE THIRD TIME WITH A BREAK IN BETWEEN.
AND THIS YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE, UM, THEY HOST ANYWHERE FROM FIVE TO 10 SITE SELECTORS ALL, ALL THROUGH THE COUNTY.
SO WE, UM, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO BE PART OF FORT BEND COUNTY.
WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THE SAME EVERYWHERE, BUT WE REALLY TRY TO HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENCES IN ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE PURSUING, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT.
AND, UM, HAYDEN ATTENDED ONE OF THE, THE EVENTS AS WELL AND, UM, HAD SOME TIME TO SHARE WITH THE SITE SELECTORS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER COMMUNITIES, RICHMOND, UM, ROSENBERG, SUGARLAND, UM, ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS, MISSOURI CITY, UM, WERE ALL THERE.
UM, I HAD MENTIONED BEFORE WE WERE PART OF THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR, YOU KNOW, MONTHS LEADING UP TO IT.
SO, UH, IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.
THERE IS, UM, THERE WAS AN EMAIL FROM THE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, UM, SAYING THAT HE WOULD DO A DEBRIEF WITH THE SITE CONSULTANTS AND THEN ALL OF THE DIRECTORS WOULD BE BROUGHT BACK TOGETHER TO KIND OF, UM, GET TO GO OVER THAT FEEDBACK RECEIVED AND CONTINUE ANY CONVERSATIONS.
THANK Y'ALL FOR PARTICIPATING IN THAT.
I DID SEE A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT THAT AND, UH, I THINK IT WAS A, IT WAS A GREAT GROUP FOR FORT BEND COUNTY AND I'M PROUD THAT RE WAS REPRESENTED IN THE GROUP.
UH, LASTLY, I JUST HAVE AN UPDATE.
THE HARRIS STREET GROUNDBREAKING, UM, TOOK PLACE LAST WEEK.
WE'VE BEEN SO BUSY THE WEEK BEFORE.
UM, THE WEEK BEFORE, THAT'S WHEN I WAS OUT OF TOWN THE WEEK BEFORE LAST.
UM, IT HAPPENED, IT WAS WONDERFUL.
UH, PUBLIC WORKS TEAM DID A GREAT JOB.
UM, JUST ORGANIZING EVERYTHING.
WE HAD ABOUT 60 PEOPLE ATTEND, AND THIS WAS A MIX OF, UM, DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNERS, BUSINESS OWNERS, COUNCIL, EDC STAFF.
UM, I EVEN MET, UM, A YOUNG GUY AND A YOUNG GIRL WHO SAID, WE'RE NEW TO THE AREA, AND WE JUST WENT ON THE CITY'S FACEBOOK AND WE THOUGHT, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FOR US, BUT WE'RE GONNA SHOW UP
AND I THOUGHT, WELL, IF WE REACHED EVEN THOSE PEOPLE, WE DID IT WELL.
[01:10:01]
EXCITING JUST TO, TO HEAR FROM EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG, UM, THIS PROJECT HAS KIND OF BEEN IN THE PLANNING STAGES AND TO SEE IT MOVING FORWARD.I DID TALK TO, UM, TIFFANY SOLDER, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS THIS MORNING, AND SHE SAID THEY'RE CURRENTLY, UH, COORDINATING WITH THE CONTRACTOR ON THE PHASING OF IT AND SHOULD BE MOBILIZING VERY SOON.
SO THE COMPLETION, UM, IS TARGETED FOR SOME TIME NEXT SUMMER.
SO I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED AS I FIND OUT MORE DETAILS ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DAYS AND HOW THEY'LL FACE IT AND ALL OF THAT.
THERE WAS A DRONE THERE, WAS THERE LIKE FOOTAGE TAKEN AND HOW DO YOU ACCESS IT? UM, YEAH, THERE, THERE IS.
I'LL TRY TO FIND IT AND SHARE IT.
DEBORAH ALMOST GOT ATTACKED BY THE DRONE
THAT WAS LIKE ONE OF THE MORE MEMORABLE
WAS THAT, WHAT IS THAT WHO IT WAS? TALK ABOUT THAT
UM, THAT WAS ANOTHER PART OF IT.
WE KIND OF REALLY WANTED TO KEEP IN THE SPIRIT OF THE POINT OF REDEVELOPING HARRIS STREET, WHICH IS TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESS.
SO WE ENCOURAGED EVERYONE TO WALK OVER TO DOERS AND THEY WERE JUST THRILLED.
I MEAN, WE HAD MET WITH THEM BEFORE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY WERE READY FOR THE CROWD AND ALL THAT.
BUT AT THE END, UM, TYLER WAS JUST SO EXCITED.
HE SAID, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD DAY WHEN YOU GET THAT BUSY IN THAT CROWD BEFORE YOU'RE EVEN OPEN.
'CAUSE I THINK THEY OPEN AT 11 AND IT ENDED, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE AROUND 10 30 AND PEOPLE STARTED MAKING THEIR WAY OVER THERE AND IT WAS JUST A VERY LIVELY, UM, LIVELY TIME.
AND WE WERE, WE WERE EXCITED TO FINALLY SEE IT HAPPEN.
SO WE WILL, UM, WE WILL MAKE SURE TO TELL YOU WELL AHEAD OF TIME FOR A ROPE CUTTING OR RIBBON CUTTING FOR THAT EVENT.
I KNOW THIS WAS VERY SHORT NOTICE, BUT WE WERE WORKING WITH WHAT THE CONTRACTOR COULD DO AND WE DIDN'T WANNA DELAY THE PROJECT FROM STARTING ANY FURTHER.
DO YOU HAVE A CALENDAR ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE? WE DO NOT.
THERE'S NOT A CALENDAR ON SHORE'S WEBSITE.
THERE'S NOT A CALENDAR ON THAT WEBSITE.
SO LIKE ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.
WE COULD WORK WITH MARIAH TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ALL INCLUDED IN THAT CITY EVENTS CALENDAR ON THE CITY WEBPAGE TO START WITH.
SO THE CITY EVENTS CALENDAR, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT IS EITHER.
ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM AND THE BOTTOM LEFT USUALLY.
OH, THE SPECIAL EVENTS? MM-HMM.
YEAH, IF YOU SCROLL, IF YOU, UM, JUST DO RE TEXAS.GOV, SCROLL ALL THE WAY TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.
YOU SEE THE ACTUAL CALENDAR, AND THEN THERE'S BANNERS FOR THE UPCOMING EVENTS WITH MORE, THEY'LL HAVE MORE DETAILS.
WE USUALLY PUT LIKE THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE, ALL OF THAT STUFF WE'LL PUT ON THERE WITH THE DESCRIPTION.
IT, IT'LL HAVE ITS OWN LANDING PAGE AS WELL.
HERE, HOW'D YOU GET TO THAT? TEXAS? WELL, NO, IT GOT THAT.
WE'LL MAKE SURE, UM, IF YOU'D LIKE, WE CAN HAVE CALENDAR INVITATIONS, UM, SENT OUT TO YOU AS WELL, JUST TO HOLD IT ON YOUR CALENDAR IN THE FUTURE.
AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR MY REPORT.
THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.
SO IT'S, UH, I LOVE, I KNOW THE REPORT MAY BE LONG, BUT ME PERSONALLY, I LIKE HEARING EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON ON BEHALF OF OUR BOARDS.
[Recurring Items - B]
IS PRESENTATION BY CITY COUNCIL LIAISON REGARDING RELEVANT ACTION TAKEN AT PREVIOUS CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, MR. PATTERSON.SO, UH, THE LAST, UH, UPDATE THAT I GAVE WAS AUGUST 19TH.
UM, SINCE THEN, UH, WE'VE HAD, UM, UH, AUGUST 19TH HERE AT THIS MEETING.
SO THE CITY COUNCIL HAD A REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 20TH SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 3RD OF SEPTEMBER, REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING ON THE 17TH OF SEPTEMBER.
SO I'LL, I'LL TRY TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THOSE THREE.
WE DID HAVE A REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING LAST TUESDAY ON OCTOBER 15TH.
[01:15:01]
DO THAT ONE NEXT TIME.UM, YEAH, I, THIS IS, WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHY, WHY, SO MY LAPTOP KEEPS WANTING TO CHANGE.
IT KEEPS WANTING TO CHANGE THE BRIGHTNESS.
UH, DID YOU GET IT? YEAH, IT'S PLUGGED IN.
SO ANYWAYS, UM, ON THE, OKAY, SO ON THE AUGUST 20TH, UH, MEETING, SO ALL CITY, ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE PRESENT.
UM, WE DID DO THE SECOND ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST.
UM, AND, UM, THE, HE, UH, UH, GENTLEMAN, UM, RAYMOND CHU, WHO WON LAST YEAR, UH, PLACED FIRST AGAIN, UH, HE WON LAST YEAR.
HE DIDN'T, HE CAME IN SECOND LAST YEAR.
BUT I WAS DOING THAT FROM MEMORY, SO HE'S A VERY RENOWNED, INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHER.
SO IT WAS, UH, SO THAT WAS GOOD.
UH, MAYOR MCCOY DID THE PRESENTATIONS TO, TO EACH OF THEM.
UM, SO WE DID HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, UH, THERE'S A PUBLIC HEARING ON FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR THE, UM, DOWNTOWN, FOR THE GAS STATION ACROSS FROM THE SHELL, UH, WHERE FOR THAT, UH, GAS STATION TO BE COMPLETELY REDONE.
UH, THE WHOLE LAYOUT CHANGED WHERE THE PUMPS ARE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THE, UH, GAS STATION WILL ALSO HAVE A LIQUOR STORE AS PART OF IT.
UH, SO THAT WAS A PUBLIC HEARING.
THAT'S IN, UH, THAT'S THE ONE IN DOWNTOWN.
UH, WELL, QUITE SOME TIME AGO, COUNCIL, UM, APPROVED AND P AND Z APPROVED SOME CHANGES TO, UM, TO GIVE THEM, UM, DIFFERENT PARKING AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS FOR SOME OF THE RENOVATIONS THAT THEY WERE GONNA DO.
BUT THAT NEVER, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
SO ANYWAYS, SO LATER ON WE DID APPROVE THAT, UH, SEVEN ZERO.
UH, WE THEN WENT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND, UH, OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, WE DID, UM, UNANIMOUSLY, UH, APPROVE ZACH LANDER AS THE CITY MANAGER.
AND THEN OF COURSE, SO HE WAS PRESENT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MEETING.
UH, ALSO DURING THAT MEETING, UH, THE HARRIS STREET PROJECT BID, UH, WAS REVIEWED AND, UM, WE VOTED SEVEN ZERO TO GIVE, UH, AC COMPANY DG MEDINA CONSTRUCTION.
THAT PROJECT, UH, TO START CONSTRUCTION, I BELIEVE WE WERE TOLD, UH, 270 CALENDAR DAYS FOR THAT PROJECT.
UH, WE APPROVED A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PUBLICATION NOTICE TO ISSUE CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION TO FINANCE IMPROVEMENTS.
WE ALSO ADOPTED THE PROPOSED TAX RATE OF A LITTLE OVER 16 CENTS, 0.1 6, 1 8 5 6 PER $100.
UM, 0.1 2, 1 6 0 6 OF THAT IS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS 0.04025 IS INTEREST IN SINKING FUNDS.
THAT'S BASICALLY THE, THE DEBT.
UM, AND WE SET A, UH, PUBLIC HEARING FOR THAT TAX RATE FOR THE 3RD OF SEPTEMBER FOR THE FIRST HEARING AND THE 17TH OF SEPTEMBER FOR THE SECOND HEARING.
ON THE MEETING SEPTEMBER 3RD, UH, WE HAD TWO MEMBERS, ABSENT PATRICK POWERS, JASON NAPPE WERE ABSENT.
WE DID HAVE THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE.
WE POSTPONED A FINAL ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET, UM, TO THE SEPTEMBER 17TH MEETING THAT WAS APPROVED FOR ZERO.
UM, WE DID HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING A CHAPTER THREE 80 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE MS. HUGGINS, LLC AND THOMAS BLACKBURN.
[01:20:01]
ACTUALLY AN AGREEMENT THAT I BELIEVE I CAME ON COUNSEL IN 2018.AND I'M GONNA SAY WE FIRST DID THAT SOMETIME AROUND 2018, 2019.
UM, THAT AGREEMENT DID, UM, NO ACTION WAS TAKEN FROM THE CITY, AND SO IT NEEDED TO BE RESTATED AND REDONE.
WE DID APPROVE THAT FOUR ZERO.
UM, SO THEN THE 17TH OF SEPTEMBER, UM, PATRICK POWERS WAS ABSENT.
UH, THE CITY MANAGER GAVE AN UPDATE.
SO THE STANDING UPDATE FOR THE WATER PLANT AND THE ELEVATED STORAGE TANK, UH, IS THE WATER PLANT, $14.43 MILLION PROJECT.
IT'S, UH, 41% COMPLETE BASED ON THE $6.7 MILLION SPENT SO FAR.
UH, THE ELEVATED STORAGE TANK, 4.3 MILLION ROUGHLY, UH, PROJECT 77% COMPLETE, UH, BASED ON THE $3.4 MILLION EXPENDED.
UH, I THINK THE PROJECT'S BEHIND A BIT, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE REASON WHY.
OH, I THINK IT WAS THEIR, NOT A RAIN DELAY.
IT WASN'T A RAIN DELAY, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS A JOKE.
SO, OH, MAYBE IT WAS SORT OF, WAS A RAIN DELAY.
UM, SO THEN WE DID HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE TAX RATE.
SO THE PROPOSED TAX RATE, WHICH I WAS JUST SAID IS 0.1 6 1 8 5 6 PER $100 OF APPRAISED VALUE OF THE PROPERTIES APPRAISED VALUE.
UM, THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX WOULD'VE BEEN 0.1 5 4 5, 7 6 PER $100.
AND THE VOTER APPROVED IS THE 0.1 6 1 8 5 6.
SO THE NO NEW REVENUE, IF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX IS BASICALLY, UH, A TAX RATE THAT WOULD RAISE THE SAME AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAX, RIGHT REVENUE FOR THE CITY FROM THE SAME PROPERTIES IN BOTH THE PREVIOUS 2023 AND 2024.
UM, AND YOU SAY, WELL, HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN? WELL, THE INCREASED PROPERTY, UH, APPRAISED VALUES, UH, THAT'S HAPPENING IN FORT BEND, AND OF COURSE FULL SURE IN THE SURROUNDING AREA, THE VOTER APPROVED HIGH IS THE HIGHEST RATE TAX THAT THE CITY CAN ADOPT WITHOUT AN ELECTION FOR VOTER APPROVAL.
SO THAT IS THE, THE TAX RATE THAT WE, UH, ADOPTED.
UM, THIS IS, THIS TAX RATE, UM, IS A 4% DECREASE FROM 2023.
SO WHILE YOUR PROPERTY VALUE MAY GO UP AND THE TAXES YOU'RE GONNA PAY MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY MORE, UM, 40, 50, 70, A HUNDRED BUCKS, UM, THE, UH, THE TAX RATE ACTUALLY WENT DOWN.
SO, UM, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE TO APPROVE THE, THE FY 20, UH, FIVE BUDGET, UH, WE HAVE TO APPROVE THOSE TAX RATES.
SO WE DID APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE FY 2025 OPERATION CAPITAL BUDGET.
THAT PAST SIX ONE PROPERTY TAX, UH, INCREASE WAS RATIFIED.
UH, THERE WAS AN ORDINANCE, UM, FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE TAX RATE FOR THE TAX YEAR 2024 THAT PASSED SIX ONE.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION AND, UH, APPROVAL OF RESOLUTIONS 20 24, 6 37 AND 6 38, UH, APPROVING THE PROJECTS FOR, UH, THE A AND B BOARDS.
UH, THE THREE PROJECTS, UH, BEING THE HARRIS STREET, UM, THE EAST SIDE DRAINAGE.
MM-HMM,
AND THEN, UH, THE FULL OR FAST TRACK.
SO THE BUDGET WAS APPROVED AND ADOPTED.
AND, UM, ANY QUESTIONS? I'M DONE.
WELL I KNOW THE BUDGETING AND TAX SETTING SEASON CAN BE, UH, QUITE DEMANDING.
SO YOU GOT THROUGH IT AND APPRECIATE, UH, YOU TAKING OUR BUDGETS TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
I THINK, I THINK IT STARTS, YOU KNOW, LIKE NEXT MONTH IT DOES.
[01:25:01]
ALL RIGHT.[Recurring Items - C]
FOUR C, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I'M SURE ANELLE HAS A FEW ON THE LIST.DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE SPECIFIC THEY'D LIKE TO MENTION? UH, GET A HOTEL UPDATE IF WE CAN WITH THE, UH, HARRIS STREET AS WELL.
WITH THAT STARTING, WE SHOULD NOW BE STARTING TO SEE MONTHLY UPDATES.
ANY OTHER ITEMS AT THE MOMENT? IF YOU DO THINK OF SOMETHING, JUST EMAIL ANELLE AND HAYDEN AND MYSELF AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT ON THE AGENDA.
[Recurring Items - D]
D FOUR D IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.THE ONLY THING I WAS GONNA ANNOUNCE, AND EVERYBODY'S PROBABLY AWARE, EARLY VOTING STARTED TODAY RUNS FROM TODAY THROUGH, I BELIEVE NOVEMBER THE FIRST.
AND THEN ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER THE FIFTH.
THERE ARE PLENTY OF VOTING CENTERS.
UH, WE HAVE THE LIBRARY, UH, WE ADDED THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WESTON LAKES.
AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE JONES CREEK PARK, BUT YOU CAN VOTE AT ANY FORT MAIN COUNTY LOCATION.
I'LL ADD TO THAT TOMMY, IF I CAN.
WE HAVE, UM, THE KEY, THE FUL SHARE'S FARMER'S MARKET IS HAVING, UH, AN
IT'S A FUNDRAISING EFFORT, SO IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE AND WANTING TO SUPPORT, I THINK THEY'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, LIKE A COOK THERE MAKING ALL THE FOOD IN FRONT OF YOU.
IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY NICE MEAL.
AND THEN KEEP RE BEAUTIFUL WILL BE ON NOVEMBER THE 16TH AT 9:00 AM UH, AND THEN THE POLICE FOUNDATION, GUMBO COOKOFF IS COMING OFF AND I'VE, IT'S ON THE NINTH.
IT'S THE SAME DAY AS THIS BECAUSE WE JOKED ABOUT EATING AT ONE AND THEN EATING AT THE OTHER
AND THEN, UM, THE FULL FAST TRACK, OCTOBER 29TH FROM 8:00 AM TO 1:00 PM THAT'S RIGHT.
JUST IF, AND THAT'S LOCATED AT, EVERYBODY CAN SHARE.
SHARE EVERY SHARE, YOU KNOW, SO ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? ALRIGHT, ITEM FIVE.
MOTION'S BEEN MADE AND SECONDED.
OPPOSED? WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 7:28 PM THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH.