* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. ALL [00:00:01] RIGHT. THE TIME IS SIX 30 AND I CALL THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED HUDDLE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, TYPE A AND TYPE B BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING TO ORDER. ROLL CALL PLEASE. CHAIR PRESENT. VICE CHAIR. LUCAS PRESENT, REGIONAL SECRETARY, BOARD MEMBER SNYDER. HERE. BOARD MEMBER CLARK. HERE. BOARD MEMBER COLEMAN. PRESENT. BOARD MEMBER MINTON. HERE. ALRIGHT. UNDER THE PLEDGE, MY PLEDGE LEAD FLAG, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD. INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE ONE STATE UNDER GOD ONE. AND INVISIBLE ITEM FOUR. PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, I WAS JUST INFORMED THAT, UM, P NZ UH, HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, SO IF YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND COME ON UP. ALRIGHT. UH, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME OKAY? WE CAN, BUT YOU MIGHT WANT SPEAK LOUD CAUSE I GET THAT OVER IF YOU THE RECORDINGS. WANNA DO THE PODIUM? MICROPHONE. OKAY. OR YOU CAN JUST SEE EYES. YEAH, IT'S FINE TOO. IT'S ON WHEELS. THERE WE GO. THIS WILL WORK. NOW YOU, YEAH. FIGURING OUT SOLUTIONS. HELLO. UH, MY NAME IS RICK HUDSON. I AM THE CHAIRMAN OF, UH, PLANNING AND ZONING. AND I, UH, JUST WANTED TO KIND OF TOUCH BASE WITH, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. UM, SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK THROUGH WITH OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. UH, STARTED WITH PARKS BOARD. WANT TO BRING YOU GUYS IN AS WELL. UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. SOME OF THOSE ARE IMPACTING SITES LIKE THE MEGASITE. AND WE'RE TALKING SIGNIFICANT DOLLAR FIGURES ON THESE. I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET 'EM RIGHT. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GIVING YOU GUYS WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR DEALS HAPPEN. AND I WANT TO JUST START INCREASING COLLABORATION. WELL, MAYBE NOT CO COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS BOARDS SO THAT WE GET IT RIGHT AND WE'RE NOT GOING BACK AND PUTTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE AFTER YOU GUYS HAVE MADE A DEAL OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND. WE'RE PUTTING AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN. THERE IS NO DEAL COMING. THAT'S JUST NOT, NOT BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF TAXPAYER MONEY THAT'S NOT BENEFITING THE COMMUNITY. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A FEW MONTHS IS HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS PROCESS BETTER? AND I THINK WE CAN DO THAT BECAUSE THE BOARDS EACH HAVE THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITIES AND THEIR OWN AREAS OF EXPERTISE. AND IF WE START COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE BOARDS, I DON'T KNOW, QUARTERLY, SEMI-ANNUALLY, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I THINK WE CAN REALLY START TO SEE LITTLE IMPROVEMENTS THAT'LL YIELD BIG BENEFITS FOR HATO. BUT I JUST WANTED TO PLANT THAT SEED IN, IN EVERYBODY'S MIND. HEY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE CAN DO AND I THINK IT'LL YIELD DIVIDENDS. SO THAT'S WHAT I HAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND DO WE HAVE ANYBODY ELSE SIGNED UP FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT OR NO? OKAY. HEARING NONE, UH, ONTO THE ECONOMIC DIRECTOR'S REPORT. UH, GOOD EVENING. UM, REALLY QUICK, A COUPLE OF ITEMS JUST TO CATCH YOU UP ON SOME SCHEDULE ISSUES. FIRST OF ALL, I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY PERSONALLY FOR GOING OUT TO ICS D WITH CHENEY AND I HERE. UM, IT WAS A BUSY, BUSY EVENT. I THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO WENT THE FIRST TIME ORT OCCURRING, UH, MEMBERS OR DON'T GO ON AN AUTOMATIC BASIS, SAW THE VALUE OF, OF THAT TYPE OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION WITH PROSPECTS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I THINK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN PROPOSALS ACTUALLY BACK FROM PEOPLE WHILE WE WERE THERE AT ICSC WITH ACTUAL CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO PURSUE. IN ADDITION TO JUST KIND OF KEEPING THE HOME FIRE BURNING, TALKING TO SOME OF THE BRANDS THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO ASSOCIATE. AND AGAIN, I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF YOUR TIME, PERSONAL TIME TO GO OUT THERE AND PUT IN THAT KIND OF EFFORT. YOU GUYS ARE ON THE BOOTH, YOU'RE OUT MAKING [00:05:01] CALLS, UM, AND STUFF ALONG THE WAY THROUGHOUT THE TWO AND A HALF DAYS OVER THERE. SO THANK Y'ALL VERY, VERY MUCH FOR THAT, UH, TIME. WE WILL HAVE A FULLER STAFF REPORT FOR YOU AT THE JUNE 26TH MEETING JUST TO KIND OF DO THE, THE PROS AND CONS. WHAT WENT WELL, WHAT DIDN'T GO WELL, WHAT DO WE WANNA MAKE SURE DO BETTER NEXT TIME AROUND. UM, THERE'S ALWAYS LEARNING FROM EVERY ONE OF THESE ACTIVITIES. SO EXPECT US TO HAVE SOME IDEAS. YOU'VE ALREADY SHARED SOME WITH US. UM, BUT AGAIN, A FULLER STAFF REPORT. UM, WE GET TO THE 26TH TONIGHT CUZ WE'RE IN BUDGET SEASON. WE FELT LIKE WE OUGHT TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON THAT ASPECT. UM, AGAIN, FROM A SCHEDULING STANDPOINT, THE CITY'S BUDGET AND OUR BUDGET HAVE TO COALESCE. UM, THE END OF JUNE IS KIND OF POINT WHICH THAT HAPPENS. SO TONIGHT, NOT ONLY WILL THERE BE SOME FINANCIAL PRESENTATIONS, BUT A FEW OTHER ITEMS ABOUT POTENTIAL STAFF AUGMENTATION AND A FEW THINGS ABOUT SOME OF THE GROSS LEVEL BUDGET NUMBERS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT. YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO DIGEST THAT. AND THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN FINAL FOUR. THAT'S THE OTHER BIG ITEM TONIGHT BESIDES OUR, OUR NORMAL CLEANUP ON PROJECTS. AND THEN JUST A COUPLE OF SCHEDULE ITEMS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT. UM, AUGUST 17TH, WILCO, THE, THE EDC THAT IS COUNTYWIDE IS ACTUALLY GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION BY RAY PERRYMAN. UH, HE'S BEEN IN THE MARKET DURING TIME. UH, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN RAY TALK ABOUT SORT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN THE REGION. UM, HE'S GONNA TALK SPECIFICALLY AT KALARI ABOUT SEY THERE. UM, THERE IS A LIKELY SECOND TRIP TO KOREA, UH, COMING UP. THERE WAS THE FIRST ONE AT THE COUNTY SPEARHEADED BACK IN THE, UH, FIVE MONTH AND A HALF AGO. UM, WHICH GENERATED QUITE A BIT OF SAMSUNG AND SAMSUNG SUPPLIER INTEREST. SO THERE'LL LIKELY BE ANOTHER THIS TIME IN SEPTEMBER OCTOBER DATE SHIFT HAVE TO BE, UH, FINALIZED AND DETERMINED. BUT, UH, WE MAY GET AN INVITE TO GO ALONG THIS TIME AROUND. SO TWO MEETING DATES. I THINK WE LOOK AT IT, OUR SCHEDULE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR. OCTOBER 9TH I BELIEVE IS THE NINTH HOLIDAY, OR IT'S COLUMBUS DAY, I'M NOT SURE WHICH. UM, AND THEN DECEMBER 24TH, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DON'S HOUSE ON DECEMBER 25TH RATHER FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER. OUR SECOND MEETING IN DECEMBER. SO I ASSUME WE DID NOT HAVE THAT. NO, NO. LIKE AGENDA ITEM. YES. ALL RIGHT. DON, MOVE TO A FRUIT WITH THE EGG WITH THE EGGNOG. THE ONLY OTHER ITEM THAT I HAVE FOR YOU TONIGHT, CAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST EASIER TO COMBINE IT IN THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, BUT ASK GIVEN IS JUST SORT OF AN UPDATE ON THE PINE ROAD. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH, UM, A SCHEDULED ERROR THAT WE CAN ALL TAKE TO THE BANK, SO TO SPEAK. UM, AND K FREEZE HAS BEEN DUTIFULLY WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE ANALYSIS ON PINE ROAD IN TERMS OF WATER WASTEWATER, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. AND SO, MATT, GO AHEAD. UM, IT'D BE PROBABLY BETTER. GOOD EVENING BOARD. SO, UH, JUST A QUICK UPDATE. AS YOU GUYS MAY RECALL, BACK IN, I THINK IT WAS APRIL, WE DID AN AMENDMENT THROUGH THE K FREEZE CONTRACT ON THE SPINE ROAD TO ADD IN UTILITIES THAT WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT. UH, IT WAS TO ADD IN WATER WASTEWATER DRAINAGE AND DETENTION. UM, SO K FREEZE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THAT. I'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH THEM BECAUSE OF THE DELAY TO ADD THOSE EXTRA THINGS, FINDING WAYS TO COMPRESS THEIR SCHEDULE. AND SO, UH, WHAT WE'VE COME UP WITH IS, YOU KNOW, TYPICAL GOVERNMENT IS DO A 30% SUBMITTAL REVIEW IT, DO A 60% SUBMITTAL, REVIEW IT, DO A 90% SUBMITTAL REVIEW, IT DO A HUNDRED PERCENT SUBMITTAL. AND SO HAVING COME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR, I UNDERSTAND THAT WHILE THE GOVERNMENT LIKES THEIR 30, 60, 90, 100, IT'S NOT REALLY A REQUIREMENT. AND SO, UM, I'VE ASKED THEM TO REMOVE THE 90% SUBMITTAL SO THAT WE CAN GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO GET TO FASTER. AND SO, UM, WE SHOULD BE GETTING THE 60% SUBMITTAL WITH WATER WASTEWATER DRAINAGE DETENTION, UM, EARLY IN JULY. AND SO WE WILL DO A 60% OVER THE SHOULDER REVIEW WITH THEM, GO IN DEPTH, GO WALK THROUGH EVERYTHING. AND THEN THE UM, THOUGHT IS THAT IN EARLY SEPTEMBER WE WOULD GET THE 100% PLAN SET AND TALKING TO BOB, THE THOUGHT THERE IS, SINCE THE EDC IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE THE ONE BUILDING THE ROAD, IS THAT WE WOULD ALREADY HAVE THE EDCS CONTRACTOR ON BOARD BY THAT SEPTEMBER TIME. [00:10:01] SO WE DO ANOTHER OVER THE SHOULDER REVIEW WITH THE CONTRACTOR THERE SO THAT WE CAN GET ANY LAST MINUTE CHANGES DONE. AND THEN IN OCTOBER WE GET THE FINAL PLAN SET TO THE CONTRACTOR SO THEY CAN START CONSTRUCTION SO THAT EVEN WITH THE COUPLE OF MONTH OF DELAY FROM THE AMENITY OF THE CONTRACT, IT DOESN'T LOSE ANY TIME IN THE SCHEDULE. WE STILL STICK TO STARTING CONSTRUCTION IN OCTOBER. AWESOME. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO MS. PINERO? WELL I HAVE IT RELATED TO THE, THE 1 99 JUG. UH, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE FINALIZATION OF WHICH DIRECTION? THE JUGS GONNA COME OVER THE, THE 1 32 DESIGN. HMM. 1 32. YES. OKAY. YEP. CAUSE THAT'S KIND OF GATING US BEING ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON OTHER PROJECTS. SO WE ARE SCHEDULING A MEETING WITH GARVER LATER THIS WEEK TO TALK ABOUT WHICH SIDE THE JUG HANDLE NEEDS TO BE ON. UM, WE HAD A MEETING TODAY WITH TEXT OUT ON A DIFFERENT PROJECT, BUT THIS DID COME UP BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION IN EASTERN WILLIAMSON COUNTY. AND UM, SO WE ARE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT THE OVERALL PLAN IS THIS WEEK BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH GARVER. WE HAD A MEETING WITH THEM LAST WEEK TALKING ABOUT THIS. UM, I'VE ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT SOME DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES BECAUSE, UM, NOTHING ABOUT THEM, BUT JUST, IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYBODY'S JUST FOCUSED IN ON THIS ONE ALTERNATIVE. AND I DON'T WANT US TO FOCUS IN ON ONE ALTERNATIVE IF THERE'S A BETTER ALTERNATIVE OUT THERE. AND SO, UM, AND UM, I DON'T REMEMBER IF BOB WAS ON THE CALL, BUT CHENEY WAS ON THE CALL AND SO, UH, WE ASKED SEVERAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE THIS. AND SO I'M PUSHING THEM TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THINGS AND NOT JUST SAY, OKAY, WELL THIS IS WHAT YOU GUYS DID BEFORE, SO THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION FOR, FOR THE EDC FOR THE CITY, FOR THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION, FOR EVERYTHING INVOLVED BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO DO THIS MASSIVE PROJECT AND CREATE MORE HEADACHES FOR US LATER DOWN THE ROAD. MATT, I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN ON SOME THINGS WE SEEM TO HURRY, HURRY, HURRY, HURRY, AND THEN MAKE MISTAKES. AND THAT'S SOMETHING I CAN SEE 10 OR 15 YEARS LATER, SOMEONE COMING UP AND SAYING, WELL WE NEED 20 MILLION CAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA REDO AN ENTIRE PROJECT THAT WE JUST DID. AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU LOOKING INTO THE, UM, IMPACTS OF WE'VE GOT 20 MILLION IN LAND WE JUST PURCHASED THAT COULD IMPACT IT. AND THE TUNNEL VISION. SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET CAUGHT ON ONE TRACK AND NOT EVEN BE OPEN TO OTHER CONCERNS. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU WON'T CHANGE IT OR IT DOESN'T MEAN IT WON'T CHANGE AND IT'LL STILL BE THE SAME, BUT AT LEAST, AT LEAST LISTEN. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. YES SIR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT RELATES TO EITHER SPINE ROAD AND OR 1 32 JUG HANDLE? SO DO WE HAVE A DATE OF WHEN WE'LL HAVE THAT FIRMED UP THE, THE JUG HANDLE CONVERSATION? UM, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A, LIKE, IT'LL BE DONE JULY 1ST BECAUSE ONCE, JUST KIND OF LIKE THE COUNTY ROAD 1 37 THING, ONCE WE KIND OF HAVE A PATH FORWARD, THEN WE'VE GOTTA GET TEXT DOT ON BOARD WITH THE WHOLE THING. AND SO, UH, WE HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH TEXT.TODAY, IT WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT 1 37, UM, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT 1 32 AND SOME OTHER THINGS. AND UM, SO THEY KIND OF KNOW WHAT I'M PUSHING FOR AND THEY AGREE WITH ME THAT IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO JUST FOCUS IN ON THIS ONE SOLUTION IF IT'S GONNA CREATE HEADACHES FOR THEM AND FOR US LATER. AND SO ONCE I GET GARVER TO GIVE US THE SOLUTION THAT WE THINK WE WANT, THEN UM, WE'LL, WE'LL PRESENT THAT TO THE COUNCIL AND MAKE SURE THAT THE COUNCIL'S ON BOARD AND WE'LL TAKE IT TO TECH DOT AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH. WHAT ARE YOUR ISSUES? LET'S RESOLVE THOSE AND LET'S GET, SO I'M PUSHING GARVER AS HARD AND AS FAST AS I CAN TO GET THIS ALL RESOLVED. UM, THEY JUST SENT ME AN UPDATED SCHEDULE TODAY CUZ I WANTED A COMPRESS SCHEDULE. AND SO WE'VE ALREADY TAKEN TWO MONTHS OUT OF THE SCHEDULE AND SO I'M PUSHING THEM TO SEE HOW MUCH MORE I CAN GET OUT OF IT. I'M GUESSING THAT PROBABLY BY MID-JULY WE WILL HAVE, WE WILL BE READY TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS IN DEPTH WITH TECHO. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SIR. AWESOME. UH, NOTHING ELSE. THANKS MATT. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ALL CONSENT AGENDA 61 AND 62. SO DISCUSSING CONSIDER ACTION APPROVING A SIX MONTH EXTENSION TO THE CURRENT RIGHT OF ENTRY TO THE MEGASITE PROPERTY TO RELOCATE, UH, [00:15:01] THE VACANT HOME ON THE PROPERTY, AS WELL AS DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE CORPORATIONS MEETING ON MAY 8TH. I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, 61 AND 62 AS PRESENTED. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION BY VICE CHAIR LUCAS, A SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER MINTON, IF WE CAN GET A ROLL CALL PLEASE. BOARD MEMBER SNYDER. AYE. BOARD MEMBER CLARK AYE. BOARD MEMBER COLEMAN AYE. BOARD MEMBER MINTON AYE. CHAIR CARLSON. AYE. VICE CHAIR LU AYE. MOTION CARRIES 6 0 7 1, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER A PRESENTATION ON THE PROPOSED NEW EMPLOYMENT POSITIONS FOR THE CORPORATION AND PHYSICAL YEAR 2024 CONSISTING OF ONE FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT POSITION OF BUSINESS RETENTION SPECIALIST AND ONE INTERN POSITION FOR THE SUMMER OF, EXCUSE ME, OF 2024, INTRODUCE TEAM RESEARCH THAT WAS DONE ON THE BUSINESS RETENTION. I MENTIONED THAT SEVEN ONE AND 72 ARE BOTH KINDA PRECURSIVE TO SOME OF THE BUDGET DISCUSSION IN GENERAL. UM, GIVE SOME FLAVOR FOR WHAT WE LOOKED INTO TRYING TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND, AND WHAT BEST PRACTICES WERE ON THE MARKET FROM. THANK YOU BOB, FOR THE INTRODUCTION. UM, GOOD EVENING BOARD. ETHAN SIMS, BUDGET ANALYST FOR THE RECORD. SO PART OF MY JOB, ASIDE FROM THE BUDGET OF COURSE, IS HELPING DEPARTMENTS EXECUTE SPECIAL PROJECTS AROUND THE CITY, WHICH HEAVILY TOUCH ON THE AREAS OF FINANCE, ECONOMICS, AND GENERAL PROCESSES AROUND THE CITY. ONE SUCH PROJECT I BECAME HEAVILY INVOLVED WITH EARLY ON IN MY CAREER HERE IN THE CITY OF HUTTO WAS DEVELOPING A BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM. SO IN AN EFFORT TO DO TO THAT, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND I WENT AND VISITED SEVERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS HERE IN OUR AREA AND ACTUALLY A SMALL TOWN IN NORTH TEXAS THAT HAD A SIMILAR POPULATION SIZE AS OURS. WE EXPECTED TO LEARN ABOUT A FEW PROGRAMS OR SURVEY TECHNIQUES THAT WE COULD BRING BACK TO THE CITY AND IMPLEMENT ON OUR OWN. BUT INSTEAD WE FOUND IN ALL OF THESE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS THAT THERE WAS A BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM THAT WAS INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED AND DEMANDED A LOT OF STAFF TIME TO ADMINISTER EFFECTIVELY EVEN IN CITIES WITH A SIM SIMILAR POPULATION SIZE AS OURS. SO, UM, BASICALLY EACH OF THESE, THESE EDCS THAT WE WENT TO VISIT HAD A BUSINESS, UH, RETENTION AND EXPANSION SPECIALIST OR A BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE CHOOSING TO CLASSIFY OUR POSITION AS. THAT TYPICALLY HAD AROUND 50 OR 60 CORPORATE VISITS A YEAR. THEY WERE IN CONSTANT ATTENDANCE AT, UH, LOCAL BUSINESS EVENTS AND HAD ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE OF, UH, CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARES AND WAS IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR, UM, BASICALLY LOCAL BUSINESS LEADER, UH, CONNECTION NETWORK. AND THEY ALSO MAINTAINED A DEEP AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF BOTH BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FROM THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WITH ALL THIS BEING SAID, WE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL SERVICES THAT WE COULD BRING BACK AS A STAFF AND IMPLEMENT, BUT WE FELT THAT THAT WOULDN'T DO A B R E PROGRAM JUSTICE. AND IT'S NOT REALLY WHAT THE CITY OF HUTTO NEEDS. THE CITY OF HUTTO NEEDS A PROGRAM THAT NURTURES THE SMALL AND BIG BUSINESSES ALREADY HERE AND THOSE THAT ARE COMING. AND TO DO THAT, WE'RE GONNA NEED A FULL-TIME POSITION. THIS PERSON WOULD DEVELOP, ANALYZE, AND DISTRIBUTE THE DATA NECESSARY TO EXECUTE A COMPREHENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM HERE IN THE CITY. THEY WOULD MANAGE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES AND CITY PARTNERS. THEY'D FEEL QUESTIONS FROM BUSINESSES REGARDING, UH, AVAILABLE PROGRAMS OR CITY OPERATIONS THAT ARE IMPACTING THEM DIRECTLY. THE SPECIFIC DUTIES ARE OUTLINED IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION THAT'S INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET. HOWEVER, THE DO THE JOB DESCRIPTION DOESN'T TOUCH ON THE STRATEGIC IMPACT THAT THIS POSITION WOULD HAVE, BOTH ON THE EDC AND THE CITY AT LARGE. BASICALLY THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S JOB IS TO LOOK FORWARD AND INCENTIVIZE BUSINESSES TO COME TO THE BUSINESS. RESOURCE SPECIALISTS WOULD LOOK BACKWARDS AND ENSURE THAT THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY IN HU AND THOSE THAT ARE COMING HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY, THEY NEED TO EXPAND AND THRIVE. SO AS COMPANIES COME TO HUTTO UNDER THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP OF THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMEONE KEEPING THESE BUSINESSES IN, IN HU [00:20:01] IN ADDRESSING THE COMPLEX ISSUES. UH, SOME OF THEM MAY FACE THESE ISSUES, ARE THEY, THEY CAN INCLUDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, REAL ESTATE ISSUES, AND HELP NAVIGATING CITY PROCESSES. SO THAT'S FOR THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALISTS. UM, ADDRESSING THE INTERN THAT'S ALSO MENTIONED, UH, THE INTERN WOULD BE IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE BACKFILL DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, WHICH IS A NOTORIOUSLY BUSY TIME FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. AND FOR THE EED C IT'S A TIME WHEN I C S C IS, UH, COMMENCING AND THERE'S FOLLOW UP TO BE DONE ONCE THAT CONVENTION IS OVER. THERE'S ALSO CITY BUDGETS AND THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT CONTRACTS ARE GONNA BE RENEWED. UH, IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, THE INTERN WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS, ALLOWING THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST TO EXECUTE THEIR ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS, UH, DURING THIS BUSY TIME. SO THAT'S A BRIEF OVERVIEW AND I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MAY HAVE. SO A QUESTION I HAVE IS, WITH THAT PARTICULAR POSITION, WHAT PERCENTAGE DO YOU INDICATE THAT GOES TOWARDS MARKETING AND DIFFERENT INITIATIVES THAT ARE CENTERED AROUND? CUZ ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I IDENTIFIED AND COMMUNICATED THIS TO YOU ALL IS A LOT OF THE TASKS THAT WE DO HAVE THAT ARE PUT ON THE CITY COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING, WE COULD BENEFIT JUST AS MUCH FROM HAVING A PERCENTAGE OF THOSE TASKS ALLOCATED TO SOMEONE WHO HAS GRAPHIC DESIGN EXPERIENCE, A MARKETING BACKGROUND, SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE MESSAGING FROM THE EDC GETS KIND OF LOST IN THE SHUFFLE OR IS PRESENTED AFTER THE FACT. SO A PERFECT EXAMPLE, LIKE ALL THE IMAGES AND ALL THE VIDEOS WE RECORDED AT I C S E OUTSIDE OF THE ONE WHERE THE MAYOR POSTED WHERE IT WAS DURING THE SETUP MM-HMM. , IT'S NOT A FULL SCOPE OF EXACTLY WHY WE'RE THERE AND PEOPLE GOT TO ACTUALLY SEE THE ENGAGEMENT IN REAL TIME. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS, OR OR FEEDBACK TO SEE, AND MAYBE I DIDN'T SEE IT AND MAYBE IT'S IN THERE SOMEWHERE. SO PARDON ME IF I DID MISS IT, BUT IS THERE ANY KIND OF CONSIDERATION FOR THAT BEING A PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION? UH, YES, SIR. SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST PARTS OF THE BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE MAKING IT KNOWN TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY WITHIN HU THAT, THAT THESE SERVICES ARE BEING PROVIDED, UH, THROUGH THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALISTS. SO WITH THAT BEING CONSIDERED, THEY WILL HAVE TO DO A LOT OF MARKETING, UM, NOT ONLY FOR THE SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE, BUT THE SERVICES THAT THE EDC PROVIDES. AND, UH, WE, WE ARE AWARE THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT FULLY BUILT OUT AS A STAFF AND SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF DUTIES THAT WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THE, TO THE BUSINESS, UH, RESOURCE SPECIALISTS. AND ONE OF THOSE, UH, IN CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WILL BE MARKETING ON BEHALF OF THE EDC WITH OF COURSE, COMMUNICATIONS INVOLVEMENT, UM, AS NECESSARY. I GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU. WHEN YOU RESEARCHED THIS ROLE, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU DID SOME DUE DILIGENCE, YOU VISITED SOME LOCAL AREAS AS WELL AS YOU WENT OUT TO ANOTHER CITY. WHEN YOU RESEARCH THE ROLE AND YOU RESEARCH WITHIN THOSE CITIES, HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THEIR, UM, CHAMBER? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO A CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TYPE FUNCTION WHERE YOU'RE REVISITING COMPANIES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE AND WORKING WITH THEM. MM-HMM. , CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON WHAT THE DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS PROPOSED CREATED ROLE VERSUS THE CHAMBER AND WHAT THEY DO? MM-HMM. ? YES, SIR. SO THE, THE, THE BIGGEST KIND OF MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST AND THE CHAMBER IS THAT THE CHAMBER ONLY SERVICES CHAMBER MEMBERS. UH, SO, SO THIS, THIS BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST WOULD BE, UH, TASKED WITH PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO ALL, UH, LOCAL BUSINESSES WITHIN HATO. THE, THE, THE OTHER DISTINCTION THAT I THINK SETS THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST APART FROM, FROM CHAMBERS IS THAT THE AMOUNT OF, UH, RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS AND HONESTLY ONE-ON-ONE CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT A BUSINESS WOULD GET FROM THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST WILL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH THAN WHAT THE CHAMBER PROVIDES. THEIR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS, UH, SORT OF EVENTS AND NETWORKING. THIS BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST WOULD REALLY, UH, GET INVOLVED AND BE ABLE TO HELP BUSINESSES IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT OF THE CITY, HELPING THEM NAVIGATE THE CITY PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED, WHETHER IT BE DEVELOPMENT, ENGINEERING, A PERMIT THAT'S HELD UP, OR IT COULD BE PROVIDING THEM WITH, UH, IN-DEPTH DATA ON WHAT THE CITY OF HUTTO HAS IN TERMS OF WORKFORCE EDUCATION LEVELS. SO I REALLY FEEL IT'S GONNA BE THAT, THAT THAT IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS THAT THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALISTS WILL PROVIDE, AND THE FACT THAT IT IS SERVICING NOT ONLY CHAMBER MEMBERS, BUT ANY LOCAL BUSINESS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR CHAMBERS STATUS, UH, THAT REQUESTS THEIR ASSISTANCE. [00:25:01] SO THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION. WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT, THAT IT WILL BE AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, BUT A HIGHER LEVEL ENTRY. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS SOMEBODY WHO IS IN PURSUIT OF THEIR MASTER'S DEGREE OR ALREADY HAS THEIR MASTER'S DEGREE AND IS LOOKING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH IN A PROFESSIONAL CITY GOVERNMENT OR CI CITY ADMINISTRATION OR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS. SO, UH, THE, THE, IT, IT'S NO MISTAKE THAT THERE WILL BE A, A LEARNING CURVE ONCE YOU, YOU GET INTO THE ROLE, BUT, UM, IT'S MANAGEABLE FROM, FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL AND WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE FOR BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALISTS, IT'S GENERALLY AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION. SO IN REGARDS TO AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHART, WHERE WOULD THEY FALL UNDER, DO THEY REPORT TO MM-HMM. ASSISTANT OR DO THEY GO STRAIGHT TO THE CITY MANAGER? LIKE HOW DOES THAT REPORTING GO? SO THE, THE POSITION WOULD REPORT TO THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, AND THEN OF COURSE THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TO DIRECTOR. SO THIS WOULD BE UNDER, UH, UNDER BOTH OF THEM. UM, REALLY THEY, THEY SERVE AS I STATED, TO KIND OF LOOK, LOOK BACKWARDS AND, UH, REALLY FOCUS ON THE, THE BUSINESSES THAT, THAT ARE ALREADY HERE. SO THEY WILL HAVE A GREAT DEGREE OF AUTONOMY BECAUSE THAT WILL BE THEIR PRIMARY FOCUS. UM, HOWEVER, THEY WILL REPORT TO THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW FROM ANY OF THE CITY'S THAT YOU ANALYZED, DO THEY HAVE THE SAME STRUCTURE WHERE THEY HAD THE BUSINESS RETENTION SPECIALIST ASSISTANT, THEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR? I CAN'T NECESSARILY SPEAK TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ALL THE CORPORATIONS THAT, THAT WE WENT TO VISIT. UH, IT OF COURSE DEPENDS ON ALSO HOW THEY HAVE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY, UH, SET UP. UM, BUT THAT IS AN ANSWER THAT, THAT I CAN GET FOR YOU. UH, WE COULD LOOK MORE INTO THE ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY OF THE OTHER CITIES. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, EXCUSE ME. UH, ANYTIME ANYBODY STARTS TALKING ABOUT INCREASING HEADCOUNT, I START TO ASK MYSELF, OKAY, IS THIS, IS THIS A FUNCTION THAT CAN BE ABSORBED BY EXISTING STAFF OR IS THIS, SO FAR OUTSIDE OF THE EXPERTISE OF, OF THE CURRENT CITY STAFF THAT WE ARE, WE HAVE TO HIRE A NEW INDIVIDUAL? CAUSE OF COURSE WE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF, OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO HAVE VERSUS A NICE TO HAVE. SO THE CITY OF HUTTO IS GROWING AND WHILE WE DON'T CLAIM TO NECESSARILY BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A POLICE OFFICER OR, OR A NEW PATROL VEHICLE, AS THE CITY OF HU GROWS, THERE'S GOING TO BE A GREATER DEMAND FOR THESE SERVICES AS MORE LOCAL BUSINESSES OPEN UP AND AS LARGER BUSINESSES THAT, THAT, THAT MIGHT BE AUXILIARY TO, I LIKE TO MENTION THE SAMSUNG PLANT AS AN EXAMPLE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF EXPERTISE, AND PARTICULARLY THE AREA OF THE BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAMS AND THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED THROUGH THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THO THOSE ITEMS ALONE COULD KEEP, UM, ANY FTE OCCUPIED AND BARELY OVER THEIR HEADS TO BEGIN WITH. AND I FEEL THAT WITH ALL THINGS CONSIDERED THAT ROLE WILL HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE CITY'S OPERATIONS GOING FORWARD AND THEIR ABILITY TO RETAIN AND NOT ONLY RETAIN, EXPAND THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE IN THE CITY. MATTHEW, IF I RAN A RESTAURANT, OR ETHAN, SORRY, I DON'T ASK YOU MATTHEW, THAT'S WHO SPOKE, UM, . ALL RIGHT. IF I RAN A RESTAURANT, WHAT SERVICES WOULD YOU PROVIDE ME? HOW WOULD YOU HELP ME AS A BUSINESS TO WHERE AS I'M PAYING MY PROPERTY TAXES EVERY YEAR, I'M THINKING I'M GETTING SOMETHING OUT OF THIS. WHAT KIND OF THINGS WOULD YOU SEE? SO THE BUSINESS RETENTION OR THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST COULD OFFER CONNECTIONS TO EMPLOYERS. UM, THEY COULD OFFER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT THAT MIGHT LEND WELL TO THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. UM, THEY CAN ALSO CONNECT, UM, LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESTAURANTS WITH PARTICULAR GRANTS. UM, AND PARTICULARLY TH THIS IS A MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE THAT, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT, UH, THE BUSINESS RESOURCE SPECIALIST COULD FIGURE OUT SERVICES THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AS A CITY TO HELP STARTING BUSINESSES, UH, GET ON THEIR FEET AND, UH, BEGIN, UH, THE PROCESS OF OPENING THEIR BUSINESS HERE IN HU. SO IT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM CREATING A BALANCE SHEET TO, UH, FIGURING OUT HOW TO, UH, RUN W TWO S. SO THERE, THERE'S LOTS OF AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANY LEVEL OF BUSINESS, UH, [00:30:01] BUT IT REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON THE SPECIFICS OF EACH INDIVIDUAL CASE. I GOTCHA. WELL, I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS GOING THROUGH THIS AND, AND DOING SOME DUE DILIGENCE. SOME OF THE THINGS I PICKED UP, THERE'S A LOT OF BUZZWORDS. I'M HEARING THE, UH, WORKFORCE TRAINING. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THE OTHER COMMUNITIES HAD A TSTC OPERATION, BUT WE ALL PAY TAXES IN A TSTC. AND SOUNDS LIKE SOME OF WHAT THIS JOB WOULD DO WOULD OVERLAP WITH, YOU CAN CALL DOWN A TSTC AND ANY, ANY NUMBER OF PEOPLE WILL PICK UP THE PHONE AND THEY'LL EVEN DEVELOP A PROGRAM. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, THEY'LL DEVELOP A PROGRAM FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO BRING YOU EMPLOYEES. AND SO THEY MAY BE MORE SUITABLE, SUITED FOR THIS, SOME OF THIS. BUT FROM THE BUSINESS MARKETING STANDPOINT, UM, ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS I GET REGULARLY FROM SOME BUSINESSES IS THAT THE CITY HAS A TENDENCY TO OVER PROMOTE A COUPLE BUSINESSES IN THE CITY ON FACEBOOK AND THE CITY PAGES. AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, WHAT ABOUT ME? WHEN DO I GET THE KIND OF PRESS COVERAGE THAT THEY'RE GETTING? SO I THINK AS WE GET INTO THIS, WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL THAT IF YOU'RE OUT THERE MARKETING, HOW DO YOU MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY? AT LEAST THE CHAMBER ONLY HAS FOR ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO PAY TO GET HAPPY, BUT MM-HMM. , IF YOU HAVE THREE HOTELS AND YOU PICK ONE, TWO ARE UPSET BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T GET THE SAME TYPE OF LOVE. UM, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THIS WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH WORK TO KEEP SOMEONE BUSY, UM, BUT YOU HAVEN'T DONE THIS JOB BEFORE, RIGHT? NO, SIR. SO I, I WOULD THINK USUALLY YOU WOULD HEAR THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO'S DONE IT, NOT SOMEONE WHO'S JUST TALKED TO PEOPLE. BECAUSE EVERYWHERE YOU GO, EVERYBODY'S GONNA SAY I'M OVERWORKED. THEY PROBABLY ARE, BUT SOMETIMES THEY'RE OVERWORKED BECAUSE THEY'RE PICKING UP MORE TASKS THAN WHAT THEY NEED TO BE DOING. AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE OVERWORKED BECAUSE LITERALLY THEY DIDN'T HAVE TOO MUCH WORK. UM, YOU ALSO MENTIONED GETTING THROUGH CITY ISSUES. I ALWAYS JUST SOMETHING THAT, UH, BOARD MEMBER MINTON SAID, I ALWAYS WONDER ABOUT FTE GROWTH BECAUSE A GOVERNMENT ALWAYS WANTS TO GROW FTES CUZ THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON EVERY TIME YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT. THAT'S CUZ WE NEED ANOTHER BODY TO FIX THAT COMPLAINT. AND IF WE'RE GONNA HIRE SOMEBODY, THAT'S PART OF THEIR JOB IS TO HELP GET THEM THROUGH CITY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. I THINK IT'S IRONIC THAT THE CITY'S THE ONE THAT MAKES THE ISSUES AND THEN WE HIRE SOMEBODY TO HELP A BUSINESS GET THROUGH IT WHEN MAYBE THE ANSWER IS WE JUST DO THINGS LIKE RETURN EMAILS OR SAY, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF YOU'VE EVER GONE TO MYGOV.PAY AND TRIED TO PAY A PERMIT, YOU, YOU DO NEED SOMEONE TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH THAT. SO THE CITY COULD JUST MAKE THAT PROCESS EASIER AND THEN WE'D SAVE AN FTE. AND THEN I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY BUSINESSES, LASTLY, HOW MANY BUSINESSES CLOSED LAST YEAR OR HOW MANY WERE TRYING TO EXPAND. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE SO MANY BUSINESSES COMING HERE. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO NECESSARILY NEGLECT THE ONES THAT ARE HERE. RIGHT. BUT I DO QUESTION, ARE THE BUSINESSES HERE THAT HAVE ALL RECENTLY LOCATED HERE IN THE PAST YEAR OR FOUR YEARS, NOT ONE THAT'S EVER SAID, HEY, I, I COULD USE SOME HELP EXPANDING. MOST OF 'EM, THEY JUST NEED TO HIRE PEOPLE. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE PEOPLE TO HIRE. LIKE, EXPANSION'S NOT THE ISSUE. IT'S SO I JUST WANT US TO BE CAREFUL IF WE'RE GONNA GO OUT AND ADD IN ANOTHER PAYROLL ITEM, UH, FOR THE EDC, WE'LL FIND, I GUESS WE'RE GONNA FIND OUT WHAT THE FINANCES ARE. BUT LAST WE SAW, WE'RE GONNA RUN OUT OF MONEY IN 2025 AND SO WE HAVE TO SELL LAND AND DO SOME THINGS. I'D HATE TO TAKE ON ADDITIONAL SAL SALARY OBLIGATIONS UNTIL, UNLESS WE HAVE A CLEAR PATH FORWARD OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. UM, BUT I THINK IT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO LOOK AT AND SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO MAYBE DO IT AS A PART-TIME AND SEE HOW IT WORKS OUT. AND THEN FROM A PART-TIME, IF WE SEE BENEFIT, WE CAN GO, I'D HATE TO JUST HIRE SOMEBODY FULL-TIME AND FIRE ME A YEAR LATER BECAUSE NO ONE SAW VALUE IN IT. WELL I KNOW AS A BOARD WE'VE DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, WE WERE ORIGINALLY LOOKING TO HAVE THREE EMPLOYEES AND WE DECIDED TO WAIT AFTER WE BROUGHT, UH, JANIE ON TO THE, THE EDC AND SEE ALL OF THE, THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. SO HAVING TO SAY THAT YOU DON'T THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH WORK FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR A THIRD PERSON AND WHO KNOWS, WE ALSO NEED TO START GROWING TALENT. SO YOU'RE NOT IN A SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE RETIRES AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, BOB SOMEDAY IS GONNA WANNA RETIRE AND THEN WE GO DOWN TO ONE PERSON AND THEN WE'RE DOWN TO WHERE WE DON'T, WE'RE TRYING TO PLAY CATCH UP AGAIN AND WE HAVEN'T GROWN SOMEONE TO BE THERE OVER TIME. I THINK WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL ALWAYS ASSUMING BOB'S GONNA RETIRE . WELL, I DON'T, I'LL BE HONEST, PEOPLE SAY THAT. WELL, YOU NEED TO HAVE, WELL I'M JUST SAYING WE NEED TO HAVE A A, A GROWTH PLAN. IT'S LIKE SAYING, HEY, THIS PERSON MAY BE GONE. MAYBE WE NEED A GROWTH PLAN FOR CHENEY. SHE MAY, I MEAN WE MAY SAY SOMETHING. I'M JUST SAYING WE, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL. WE'RE JUST ASSUMING PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE LEAVING. AND IF YOU'RE GONNA HIRE PEOPLE BECAUSE WELL I THINK BOB'S GONNA BE GONE IN 15 MONTHS, THEN WE NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM BOB BEFORE WE START MAKING PLANS. THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING. EVERYBODY ASSUMES HE'S GONNA RETIRE, BUT HE MAY BE HERE 15 MORE YEARS. WELL, I HOPE HE IS. I'M SAYING THAT AN ORGANIZATION OF TWO PEOPLE IS NOT, IS NOT GROWING. AND I THINK WE'VE SEEN THAT WE DO HAVE ENOUGH DEVELOPMENT COMING IN IN THE EDC. I JUST THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE, WE STRONGLY [00:35:01] SHOULD CONSIDER. UM, WE OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE FINANCES, WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR BUDGET AND WE GET ALL THAT STUFF IN EXECUTIVE. UM, AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT HERE WHEN WE GET TO THE BUDGET. SECOND ON THE 20, THE 26TH I GUESS. UM, BUT THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHT. I DON'T THINK IT'LL BE A WASTE. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON SEVEN ONE CHENEY? BOB, WHAT DO YOU GUYS NEED? PARDON? WHAT DO YOU GUYS NEED? WELL, CLEARLY I HAVE SEEN THAT THE WORK JUST EXPANDS TO BUILD THE BODIES THAT WE HAVE. I MEAN, I REALLY THOUGHT MS. CHE CAME ON AND I CLEAR MAYBE 10 50, 20% MIGHT BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT SOME STUFF THAT WE HAD TO DO. AND , ALL IT'S HAPPENED IS MY BAND WENT THIS FALL, HER BAND WENT THIS FULL. UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE RUN AROUND TRYING TO JUST KEEP UP WITH ONE ANOTHER NOW CUZ THERE'S SO MUCH ABOUT, WE DEFINITELY NEED SOME MARKETING. WE DEFINITELY NEED SOME RESEARCH. UH, BUSINESS RETENTION I THINK IS A WAY YOU TRAIN PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS TO LEARN THE BUSINESS A LITTLE BIT. UH, IN MY OPINION, BOTH THE DIRECTOR AND THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SHOULD OWN SOME ACCOUNTS. WE'RE GONNA GO WITH AN ACCOUNT BASED PROGRAM THERE PEOPLE WE SEE AS WELL. CAUSE THAT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE JOB IN GENERAL, SO HUNDRED PERCENT. UM, WE CAN EASILY FILL A THIRD POSITION. THE BALANCE OF WHERE EXACTLY THAT WORK IS ON A GOOD DAY GIVEN WEEK IS GONNA HAVE TO BE WORKED THROUGH. UM, BUT RESOURCE SPECIALIST POSITION, AS IT WAS DESCRIBED, HAS BROADEN UP, IN MY OPINION, COVER SOME FLEXIBILITY AND GIVE US WHAT THAT PERSON DROVE AND ALSO TAKE OUT ADDITIONAL. SO IS IT, IS IT ANOTHER ASSISTANT THAT'S BETTER THAN, UH, I THINK WE CAN GET BY WITH SOMEBODY NOT QUITE AS, YOU KNOW, HIGH POWERED OR WHATEVER AND, AND THEN AND GET SOME TRAINING DONE. WE'LL LET THEM SORT OF GROW UP JOB A LITTLE BIT MORE. BECAUSE LIKE ON THE CITY SIDE, EVERYBODY HAS A SILO, RIGHT? AND LIKE, OH, I ONLY DO THIS AND I ONLY DO THIS. AND I'M THINKING IF YOUR GUYS ARE OVERWORKED, DO WE NEED A WHOLE NOTHER, A WHOLE NOTHER BRANCH ON THE TREE? OR DO WE NEED MORE HELP IN THAT TO WHERE, LIKE YOU SAID, EVERYBODY'S GOT SOME ACCOUNTS, EVERYBODY'S GOT SOME, I DON'T KNOW THAT AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO UTILIZE OUR CITY MARKETING. I MEAN WE'VE GOT LIKE FIVE OR SIX PEOPLE. THEY JUST WON AN AWARD. SO, UM, AGAIN, I I WOULD FIND IT ODD THAT WE WERE PAYING FOR MARKETING WHEN WE HAVE A WHOLE MARKETING DEPARTMENT. BUT I DON'T KNOW, THAT COULD BE OVERWORKED TOO. UM, I DON'T KNOW. CHANEY DO YOU, DO YOU WANNA YEAH, YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT WAS HOPED TO BE PART OF MY ROLE, FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT PART WAS BUSINESS EXPANSION. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT TO MEAN THAT THE VALUE WAS ALREADY BUILT THERE. WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO IT. IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING CAPABLE, IT'S ABOUT NOT HAVING TIME DO IT. UM, THE OTHER THING I WILL SAY IS, UM, BRE IS ONE POSITION THAT CONSISTENTLY IS HOUSED WITHIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS, THE FULL-TIME JOB. AND I DON'T THINK WE SAW A SINGLE GOAL. I THINK EVERYONE HAD AT FOUR AND THEY SHORT STAFF. SO I THINK THIS IS KIND OF THE NEXT STEP TO GET US OURS BEING A BUSINESSES WE WANT THEM TO SEW. UM, I DID WANT ABOUT TST ABSOLUTELY VALID. THEY ARE AMAZING. NOT LEVERAGE THEM PROPERLY. SO WE ARE INVESTING $125,000 EURO AS A CORPORATION AND NOT GETTING AS MUCH OF A RETURN OUT INVESTMENT AS WE COULD IF WE HAD SOMEONE. PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY WAS TO ENGAGE WITH TSTC COLLEGES AND ENGAGE WITH OUR BUSINESS CONNECTIONS AND A LOT. SO I THINK, I DON'T KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT YOUR WORKLOAD, THERE'S A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE BEING PULLED HERE, THERE, THERE, HERE, PREPARE THIS, PREPARE THAT. YOU KNOW, WHEN I ENVISIONED THE ROLE, I SAW THAT AS BEING THE IMMEDIATE NEED IN GIVING YOU THE EXTRA 10, 20% BACK IN YOUR DAY. THIS SMALL ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF. UM, HAVING A PART-TIME PERSON FOR THAT, I DON'T, I GUESS I WASN'T AT THAT POINT THINKING JUST RETENTION. WHEN DO YOU ENVISION BRINGING SOMEBODY ON? LIKE SOMEBODY, LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WE WOULD LIKE TO BUDGET FOR THIS END [00:40:01] INTO THE FISCAL SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER OCTOBERISH. OH, SOON AS THE BUDGET'S APPROVED, WE CLOSE THE POSITION. WAIT, REALISTICALLY. SO THERE'S, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T SEE UNDER THE HOOD. I SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON. UM, BUT I MEAN, YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CONSTANT CALLS REGARDING, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S COTTONWOOD PROPERTY OR MEGASITE OR OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THAT I DON'T WANNA SAY ARE SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS. I THINK THAT'S A POOR PHRASE TO USE. HOWEVER, LIKE THERE'S A LOT THAT WE NOW HAVE TO DEAL WITH WITH COTTONWOOD, YOU KNOW, ON TOP OF THE MEGASITE. SO I THINK THE WORKLOAD WOULD ALSO LOOK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IF WE WEREN'T IN LAND GAME. UM, SO AS LONG AS WE REMAIN IN THAT, I THINK WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, AFFORD THAT, UH, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR NOT ONLY FOR TO HAVE A THIRD PERSON THERE, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, UM, THERE IS A POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, BOB WILL RETIRE AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED A BENCH BUILT TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, BRING IN THAT NEXT LAYER. AND, AND RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THAT. SO, UH, IT'S KIND OF A TWOFER. BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE GET PAST, YOU KNOW, LAND SALES AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THE DYNAMIC WOULD PROBABLY CHANGE. BUT FOR THE TIME BEING, AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, IT'S GONNA BE NEEDED. ALL RIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT ITEM? ARE WE'RE GOOD? CHAIR? MAY I MAKE ONE COMMENT? GO AHEAD. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT CHENEY AND ELLA I HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN EAGER TO ACCOMPLISH IS FOR YOUR LAWYER TO GET EXECUTED DOCUMENTS AFTER THE CITY COUNCIL HAS APPROVED THEM AND WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IN THREE YEARS OR EVEN BEFORE SHE WAS HERE. UM, IF I HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT LIST OF EXECUTED DOC, UH, AGREEMENTS, IT WOULD REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES ME TO PERFORM MY WORK FOR YOU, WHICH WOULD ALSO REDUCE OVERALL COSTS OF LEGAL FEES. UM, AND SO THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING WE'VE TRIED AND TRIED TO DO, BUT IT, IT ALWAYS DOESN'T KEEP, DOESN'T HIT THE PRIORITY BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS RIGHT IN HER FACE. THANK YOU. IS THAT NOT A CITY SECRETARY ISSUE? I MEAN, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR EXECUTED DOCUMENTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, NO ONE ON EDC IS ABLE TO GET THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE, LIKE I SIGNED THEM AND I GIVE 'EM BACK TO THE CITY SECRETARY. AND SO WELL WHAT, WHAT THE ISSUE IS, UM, COUNT, UH, BOARD MEMBER, UM, IS THAT WHEN, UM, THERE WERE, WHERE IT WAS SIGNIFICANT TURNOVER IN THE SECRETARY'S OFFICE, WE USED TO HAVE, UH, DEPUTY CITY SECRETARY THAT HANDLED THE MINUTES AND PREPARED THOSE DOCUMENTS AND HAD A CONTACT THERE. UM, BUT AS I UNDERSTAND IT, ONCE THAT TURNOVER OCCURRED AND ONCE CHENEY WAS HIRED, CHENEY HAS ASSUMED THE CITY SECRETARY DUTIES THAT WERE PROVIDED PREVIOUSLY BY THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE. AND SO SHE IS THE ONE THAT'S HAVING TO MAINTAIN THE RECORDS OF THIS CORPORATION. AND, UM, AND THAT, THAT'S WHERE SOMETIMES GET THINGS GET SHORT BECAUSE, WELL, I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD PASS THINGS AND YOU WOULDN'T GET THEM EXECUTED. UH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING FROM THE, IT'S, IT'S BOTH. IT'S, IT'S CONSISTENTLY RECEIVING. LIKE FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DISCUSSION WE HAD ON THE SPINE ROAD ISSUE THAT'S ON THE AGENDA TODAY. UM, IF, IF THOSE WERE MAINTAINED AND MONITORED, THEN WE WOULDN'T END UP WITH, UM, RE OR, UH, PEOPLE LOOKING FOR AGREEMENTS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY DONE IN JANUARY. IN JUNE. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? HEARING NONE? 72. THANK YOU ETHAN. UM, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER A PRESENTATION OF THE CORPORATE FINANCIAL REPORTS FOR APRIL, 2023 AND MAY, 2023. GOOD EVENING. UM, I'M CHRISTINA BISHOP, THE CONTROLLER FOR THE CITY. UH, ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA WE HAVE THE FINANCIAL PACKETS FOR APRIL AND MAY, 2023. UM, I DO WANNA MAKE A FEW NOTES ON THE FINANCES, UH, AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS. UH, THE FIRST BEING THAT THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 AUDIT WAS COMPLETED, THE EDC RECEIVED A CLEAN OPINION THIS YEAR. AND WITH THAT CAME A COUPLE OF, UH, PROPOSED ADJUSTMENTS BY THE AUDITORS. UH, THE PRIMARY ONE BEING THAT THEY PROPOSED AN ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS ON THE, UH, BUSINESS LOANS. UH, BASICALLY THEY WANTED TO PUT A LINE ON THE BALANCE SHEET SAYING THEY [00:45:01] DON'T THINK WE'LL COLLECT ANY OF THE LOANS WE ACCEPTED JUST TO GET THE CLEAN OPINION. BUT WE HAVE STARTED COLLECTING, UM, THE FIRST REPAYMENTS, UH, ON THE RE AMORTIZED, RE AMORTIZED SCHEDULE. SO YOU WILL SEE THOSE DEPOSITS ON THE JUNE FINANCIAL REPORTS. UM, THE NEXT ITEM IS THAT WE HAD, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS LAST MEETING, UH, WHEN ANN PRESENTED, SHE DISCUSSED AN ITEM ON HOW TO ACCOUNT FOR THE, UH, CITY AND EDC $6 MILLION LOAN. UH, WE DID DISCUSS THAT WITH OUR AUDITORS ON FRIDAY, AND WE, UM, ARE GOING TO MAKE A RECLASSING ENTRY. IT'S GOING TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE, UH, DUE TO CI IT'S CURRENTLY AT A 6 MILLION, UH, JUST OVER 6 MILLION BALANCE. SO THAT $6 MILLION IS GONNA BE, UH, TREATED AS A LONG-TERM LOAN. UM, ANOTHER ITEM I WANTED TO TOUCH ON IS THAT IN MAY WE RECEIVED THE SALES TAX TOTALS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH. THE EDC RECEIVED, UH, $318,000. THAT IS THE LARGEST, UH, SALES TAX DISTRIBUTION THAT THE CITY AND E D C HAS EVER RECEIVED. UM, AND FINALLY, UH, TONIGHT CHENEY HAS THE PAPERWORK TO COMPLETE THE OPENING OF THE WELLS FARGO BUSINESS ACCOUNTS. UM, I THINK THOSE ARE THE PRIMARY ITEMS I WANTED TO TOUCH ON. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE APRIL AND MAY FINANCIALS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM. SINCE YOU BROUGHT UP THE BCL LOANS, I'VE HAD ONE OF THE PEOPLE REACH OUT AND SAID THAT THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF SOMEONE AT THE CITY TO PAY, BUT THEY'RE STRUGGLING. WHO, WHO DO THEY NEED TO CONTACT TO PAY? THEY, THEY WANNA, THEY WANNA PAY A LOAN, BUT WE'RE NOT ANSWERING. UH, I THINK I KNOW WHICH BUSINESS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THEY WANNA HAVE A SIT DOWN MEETING WITH BOB CHENEY AND I, AND I HAVE TO, UH, SCHEDULE THAT. IF IT'S THE ONE I'M THINKING OF, I, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT OUT IN PUBLIC, THE INITIALS. CHRISTINE? UM, WE, WE CAN TOUCH ON IT LATER. YEAH, I CAN SHOOT YOU A THING LATER CUZ THEY'RE ALL LOCAL PEOPLE, BUT YEAH, THEY'RE TRYING TO PAY THE MONEY, I GUESS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE, WHAT, WHAT'S, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. OKAY. WE'D BE HAPPY AND, YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS? WHEN DID WE START OUR LOAN PAYMENT? WHAT MONTH WAS THAT? CAN YOU REMIND ME FOR THE, FOR A COTTON LOAN? UH, FOR THE ALLIANCE BANK LOAN COTTON? YEAH. UM, I WANNA SAY THAT WAS APRIL, MARCH, OR APRIL. THOUGHT IT WAS APRIL. I THINK WE CLOSED IN MARCH. YEAH. SO THAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN APRIL. YEAH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOTHING ELSE. THANK YOU, CHRISTINA. APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. EIGHT ONE, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACTION TO APPOINT A NEW TREASURER OF THE CORPORATION. MR. CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPOINT MR. MARCUS COLEMAN, OR BOARD MEMBER MARCUS COLEMAN AS THE TREASURER FOR THE A D C. I WILL SECOND THAT SPEECH. MARCUS SPEECH? YEAH. YOU WANNA ACCEPT THAT? WELL, I'LL, AND THEN I'LL SECOND IT. OKAY. WELL, FIRST I WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, MY TIME HERE HAS BEEN VERY INTERESTING AND VERY GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF THIS BOARD AND ALSO PROVIDE SOME GREAT INSIGHT AND BE ABLE TO DO SOME THINGS THAT HOPEFULLY WILL MOVE OUR CITY FORWARD. SO I'M EXTREMELY HUMBLED AND GRATEFUL AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING THIS, THIS STEWARD OF THE TREASURY OR STEWARDS OF THE ACCOUNT. HOWEVER, WE YEAH, IT'S NOT THAT FUN NOR EXCITING. YEAH. . I'M DOING IT JUSTICE THOUGH, MAN. YOU'RE DOING A PRETTY GOOD JUSTICE. THE MONEY'S ALWAYS EXCITING. SO THAT'S THE GOAL. SO YOU GOT FINANCE HAPPENING. MY LOYALTY LIES WITH THE MONEY. SO, AND TO THE CITIZENS OF OUR CITY. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING THE TREASURER. I ENJOYED THE ROLE. I THINK THAT YOU'LL LEARN A LOT. YOU'LL SEE I WASN'T A LOT, I WASN'T FINISHED. I'M JOKING. , I'M JUST JOKING. I THINK YOU'LL LEARN A LOT. I MEAN, YOU'LL GET TO SEE AND WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, FOLKS AND SEE THE FINANCIALS BEHIND IT. AND I THINK THAT IT'S A GOOD THING THAT EACH PERSON SERVES ON A LOT OF THOSE BOARDS SO THAT, OR CHAIRS SO THAT THEY CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT EACH ONE OF THOSE CHAIRS DO VERSUS JUST, UM, KIND OF OBSERVING. WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES. MY FRIEND AND I WILL JUST ADD THIS LAST BIT. YOU KNOW, BEING AT I C S E WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY SEE THINGS FROM THE GROUND UP AND WASN'T EXPECTING IT TO BE SO IMMERSIVE AS FAR AS DEALS COMING THROUGH, LIKE IN REAL TIME, LIKE SAME DAY. SO IT DEFINITELY WAS A EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO CONNECT WITH OTHER CITIES WAS A HUGE, HUGE BLESSING BECAUSE YOU REALLY LEARN FROM A LOT OF BIGGER CITIES, GEOGRAPHICALLY DIFFERENT. BUT A LOT OF THE SIMILAR COMPLEXITIES [00:50:01] THAT WE HAVE, THEY ALSO CAN EXPERIENCE, BUT PROVIDED SOME GREAT INSIGHT. SO IT MAKES ME MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE ROLE MOVING FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. WELL WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, SO IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET A ROLL CALL PLEASE. BOARD MEMBER MINTON. AYE. BOARD MEMBER COLEMAN. AYE. GOTTA SAY IT. DUDE. BOARD MEMBER CLARK. AYE. BOARD MEMBER SNYDER. AYE. VICE CHAIR LUCAS. AYE. CHAIR CARLSON. AYE. MOTION PASSES. SIX. OH, CONGRATULATIONS, SIR. OH, THANK YOU SIR. JUST WANT TO BE LIKE YOU, SEAN. OH NO, I WANNA BE LIKE YOU. I WANNA BE LIKE YOU. CHOOSE DEFAULT ITEM EIGHT TWO, DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE VIA RATIFICATION OF THE REVISED E D P A FOR PROJECT ESLO AS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL. SIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE EED P A AS PRESENTED AND ALREADY APPROVED BY COUNCIL AND FORM. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION BY BOARD MEMBER CLARK, A SECOND BY, UH, BOARD MEMBER MINTON. ANY DISCUSSION? YEAH, I DID WANNA ASK, SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THE AGREEMENT PREPARED IN THIS FORM AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING? YES, I DID WANNA SEE IF I COULD ASK GEORGE A COUPLE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE AGREEMENT AND IF WE WERE TO DO THAT, I WOULD SAY WE NEED TO GO TO AN EXECUTIVE THAT WOULD BE, UH, UM, SINCE WHAT ESLO IS ON THE EXECUTIVE, UH, LIST, RIGHT? YEAH. SO THAT WOULD BE UP TO THE, UH, PRESIDING OFFICER TO CALL A VOTE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE ON THE ITEM. YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN PUBLIC, THE WHOLE AGREEMENT FOR AN HOUR AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. SO, I MEAN, I DON'T MIND TAKING A VOTE, BUT WE'VE ALREADY DISCUSSED IT IN, IN PUBLIC. SO AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW WHY, BECAUSE WE SHOULD DO THINGS JUST CAUSE WE DIDN'T DO THINGS CORRECTLY ON COUNCIL. DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULDN'T DO THEM CORRECTLY AS, UH, EDC BOARD. WELL, SO YOU AMENDING YOUR MOTION TO TAKE IT TO HOLD HOLD ON. SO FROM THE EDC SIDE, I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S THE COUNCIL PIECE, BUT JUST FROM THE EDC SIDE, IF YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE IT TO A VOTE, I'M HAPPY TO TO ENTERTAIN THAT. BUT I MEAN I JUST, WE GOTTA KEEP THOSE TWO PIECES INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER. SO BEING COUNCIL AND EDC OH YEAH. RIGHT. I'M NOT TALKING. YEAH, NO, THAT'S WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M SAYING JUST AS FOR THE COLLECTIVE, LIKE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES ON, BUT IF, IF YOU SAY, HEY, I WANT TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE THIS TO A VOTE, I'M HAPPY TO DO SO I JUST DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE BACK AND FORTH AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF. SO IT'S, WELL, I'D LIKE TO TAKE IN THE BACK IF POSSIBLE. I WAS OUT MAY 8TH. OKAY. AND I WAS NOT PART OF THE MEETING, SO I, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION ON IT. I'D LOVE TO GET ALL THE INFORMATION ON IT TO MAKE A DECISION, BUT I'D LOVE TO, YOU KNOW, FOR, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, BUT MR. CHAIR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CLARK, UM, ASKED FOR IT AND UH, WE HAVE A SECOND NOW THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. YEAH, DEFINITELY DISCUSSION. VOTE ON THAT ITEM. YEP, DEFINITELY. WE CAN GET A ROLL CALL CHAIR. CROSSEN. AYE HERE LUCAS. OH, HAD TO CALL ME SECOND, HUH? AYE. BOARD MEMBER SNYDER NE. BOARD MEMBER CLARK. AYE. BOARD MEMBER COLEMAN. AYE. BOARD MEMBER MINTON. AYE. OCEAN PASSES. FIVE ONE. ALL RIGHT, SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO EIGHT THREE. UM, DISCUSSING CONSIDER ACTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION R 20 23 1 35 AUTHORIZING AN ADMITTED FUNDING AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $12 MILLION BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF HU AND THE CORPORATION TO CONSTRUCT MEGASITE EAST WEST SPINE ROAD PROJECT TO PROMOTE NEW OR EXPANDED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY, AUTHORIZING THE CHAIRPERSON, EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. IS THIS SOMETHING WE CAN TAKE TO THE BACK AND DISCUSS FURTHER? CUZ I HAVE WAY TOO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THIS IS SET UP TO EFFECTIVELY VOTE ON THIS HERE. WELL, THIS IS ALREADY ON THE AGENDA FOR IT, UH, BECAUSE IT, IT RELATES TO THE MEGASITE AND SO YOU WOULD JUST POSTPONE THE ITEM UNTIL AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION. THAT'S FINE. WE'LL POSTPONE EIGHT THREE. UH, EIGHT FOUR. DISCUSS AND CONSIDER ACTION APPROVED 90 DAY EXTENSION OF THE DUE DILIGENCE PERIOD FOR PROJECT PRIMERO. UM, THE ACTUAL AGREEMENT WAS HANDED OUT HARD COPY AND AS EACH ONE OF [00:55:01] YOUR YES. YEAH. POSITION AND BOARD. JUST BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, PRIMERO HAS BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH THEIR CLIENT TO LAY OUT THE SITE TO GO THROUGH ALL THEIR PRELIMINARY DUE DILIGENCE. THEY'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. UM, THEY WOULD CLOSE AND THEIR MONEY WOULD GO HARD. JUNE 25TH I BELIEVE IT IS. UM, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW THE DELIVERY OF THE ROAD AND SO THAT STILL HAS AN IMPACT. WE WOULD ENTERTAIN GOING OUT 98 SEPTEMBER. PROBABLY WASN'T GONNA BE WILDLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT, BUT, UM, THAT IF THAT WAS THE BEST SOLUTION THAT, THAT THEY FELT THEY COULD COME UP WITH, THAT WE WOULD BRING IT FORWARD TO Y'ALL. I ALSO SUGGESTED THAT IN THE EVENT THAT FOR SOME REASON THAT TIME DIDN'T SATISFY THEIR CLIENT'S NEEDS AND WE WOULD UNLIKELY BE ABLE TO EXTEND ANY BEYOND THAT WITHOUT A SIGNIFICANT PENALTY. SO, UM, AND THEY'RE FINE WITH THAT. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE EXTENSION BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S, IT'S BECAUSE OF US. WE DIDN'T HAVE, WE DON'T HAVE THE ROAD READY. MM-HMM. , THE SEED DOESN'T HAVE IT ENGINEERED. WE STARTED THE PROCESS AND WE'VE SAID, OH, WE FORGOT WE, WE FORGOT UTILITIES NOW WE NEED THE UTILITIES THERE. UTILITIES. AND SO WE'RE ASKING COMPANIES TO GO OUT AND BUY LAND WHEN WE DON'T EVEN HAVE OUR STUFF IN A ROW. I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR IN A WAY. AND, AND WE JUST HEARD FROM THE CITY ENGINEER THAT WE SHOULD BE AT A HUNDRED PERCENT SEPTEMBER, SO EARLY SEPTEMBER. SO I, YOU KNOW, AT THAT POINT THEY KNOW IT'S THERE, IT'S DONE AND GOING FORWARD. SO YEAH, I I THINK THAT, THAT, THAT'S PRUDENT TO GIVE THEM THE 90 DAYS CAUSE I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE WOULD COME IN NOT KNOWING IT'S DONE YET EITHER. SO I'LL MAKE THAT MOTION TO APPROVE EIGHT FOUR AS PRESENTED. I'LL SECOND HAVE A MOTION BY VICE CHAIR LUCAS, A SECOND BY BOARD MEMBER CLARK, IF WE CAN GET A ROLL CALL PLEASE. BOARD MEMBER SNYDER. AYE. BOARD MEMBER CLARK. AYE. TREASURER COLEMAN. SORRY. THAT'S YOU. AYE. BOARD MEMBER. I'M USED TO IT. . AYE. BOARD MEMBER MINTON. AYE. CHAIR CARLSON. AYE. AYE. CHAIR LUCAS. AYE. MOTION PASSES. SIX OH ITEM NINE, EXECUTIVE SESSION. THE BOARD WILL NOW RECESS THE OPEN MEETING AND RECONVENE AN EXECUTIVE SE SESSION PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0 7 1 ATTORNEY CONSULTATION 5 51 0 8 7 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND 5 51 0 7 2 REAL PROPERTY TO DELIBERATE AND SEEK LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING RETAIL AND RESTAURANT INCENTIVES PENDING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST BCL OF TEXAS PROJECT GRACELAND PROJECT, TITAN PROJECT SKY BOX, THE MEGASITE PROJECT, THE COTTONWOOD PROPERTIES AND DELIBERATE WITH GENERAL COUNSEL REGARDING BYLAWS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY THREE 12 APPLICATION REVIEW ALLOCATION OF CORPORATE FUNDS FOR INCENTIVES. THE TIME IS MR. CHAIRMAN, I WAS GONNA SEE LOOKING THROUGH THIS, TEN THREE, TEN FIVE AND TEN SIX. I DIDN'T SEE HOW THOSE HAD ANY RELEVANCE IN THE, IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND TO SEE IF WE COULD TALK ABOUT THOSE IN THE PUBLIC. UM, I THINK IF, IF STAFF'S ALREADY GOT IT DOWN THERE, WE JUST NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND THEN WE CAN COME OUT AND TALK ABOUT WHATEVER. I HAVE NO PROBLEM TO, BUT THERE'S A LEGAL, LIKE UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING LEGAL WITH A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT, WHAT I'M GONNA IS, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GO BACK THERE BECAUSE THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HUTTO, IT'S NOT AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ITEM. IT DOESN'T DEAL WITH REAL PROPERTY UNLESS WE'RE GETTING READY TO SUE THE CITY. I DON'T THINK IT FALLS UNDER ATTORNEY CONSULTATIONS. AND SAME WITH APPOINTMENTS, REAPP APPOINTMENTS, TERM OF APPOINTMENTS, WE DON'T EVEN DO THAT. THAT'S A CITY COUNCIL FUNCTION. SO THAT'S ANOTHER ONE. I DON'T KNOW, IT'S NOT A PERSONNEL ISSUE AND THAT WASN'T CALLED. AND THEN THE, THE CONCEPT DESIGN UPDATES FOR COTTONWOOD PROPERTY, IT'S, I THINK WE'RE JUST DOING A CONTRACT, SO I GUESS WE COULD GO IN THERE FOR AN ATTORNEY CONSULTATION OR SOME KIND OF LEGAL ISSUE WITH IT. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT IT'S, IT'S JUST, UH, THESE KIND OF THREW ME OFF. I HADN'T SEEN SOMETHING LIKE THESE, THESE BEFORE. SO THERE MAY BE MORE TO THE STORY. I, I DON'T KNOW. COUNSEL, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROCEED? UM, IF, IF THE, IF THE BOARD IS NOT IN A POSITION THAT THEY NEED LEGAL ADVICE RELATED TO THOSE PROJECTS, UM, THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE THE QUESTION. FIRST QUESTION IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. UM, WITH REGARDS TO THOSE. OTHERWISE, UM, THERE'S NO NEED TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THOSE AND I'VE NOT BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONTACTED REQUIRE REQUESTING ANY LEGAL ADVICE ON THOSE PROJECTS FOR THOSE UH, ITEMS. EXCUSE ME. SEE I TOOK IT AS TALKING CUZ I'VE BEEN READING THE [01:00:01] BYLAWS AND I THINK THERE'S SOME, UH, QUESTION LEGALLY OF HOW THEY'RE WRITTEN. ARE THEY CORRECT AND STUFF. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING, THERE'S NO SECRET SAUCE THING AND IT'LL BE DISCUSSED AND VOTED WHEN WE COME BACK OUT OF EXECUTIVE, BUT I THINK WE COULD, SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASK LEGAL SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME OF THESE ITEMS. WHAT THE BYLAWS ARE NOT HERE. SO YEAH, THEY ARE, IT'S UP ABOVE. IT SAYS REGARDING BYLAWS. WHERE'S THAT AT? IN THE TOP PART IN SECTION NINE. UH, THIRD LINEUP. I GOTCHA. FROM THE BOTTOM. ALL RIGHT. OKAY, SO, ALL RIGHT, SO IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH THE OTHER TWO? TEN THREE AND 10? FIVE? NO, TEN FIVE. THERE WAS A GOAL OPINION BUT ABOUT, UH, WHAT IS REQUIRED BETWEEN HOW AND AN EDC. SO A LEGAL THAT AS WE LOOK AT BUDGET AND HOW PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TO THAT. SO WHAT'S THE REASON FOR ON THERE? I'LL JUST WITHDRAW MY THING. ALL TIME IS 7 31. WE ARE IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.