* 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 RIGHT, AT SIX [00:00:01] O'CLOCK, WE'LL CALL THE CITY [1. Call Session to Order] COUNCIL WORK SESSION. ORDER FOR THURSDAY MAY 1ST START WITH ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR THOMPSON. COUNCILOR THORNTON. HERE. COUNCILOR CLARK. HERE. COUNCILOR KOHLER. HERE. COUNCILOR PORTERFIELD. HERE. MAYOR TIM GORDON. HERE, MAYOR HERE. AND OUR FIRST ITEM IS [3.1. Discussion with Downtown Hutto Business Association (DHBA) on a variety of topics including but not limited to: introduction of their Events and Finance Committees, feedback from recent events, long-term goals and funding, previous existing downtown programs, and alignment with Hutto SOAR 2040. (DHBA; Emily Betros)] ITEM THREE ONE DISCUSSION. THE DOWNTOWN HEAD OF BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, DHBA ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS INCLUDED BUT NOT LIMITED TO INTRODUCTION OF THEIR EVENTS AND FINANCE COMMITTEES, FEEDBACK FROM RECENT EVENTS, LONG-TERM GOALS AND FUNDING PREVIOUS, EXISTING DOWNTOWN PROGRAMS AND ALIGNMENT WITH HEAD OF ORG 2040. I START THIS OR DO YOU GUYS START THIS OR I'LL TAKE IT OFF REAL QUICK. SO, UH, COUNSEL, WE HAVE THE DOWNTOWN HEAD OF BUSINESS ALLIANCE HERE TONIGHT, AND, UH, GRACIE MATTHEWS IS GONNA SPEARHEAD THEIR CONVERSATION. UM, SO GRACIE, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY, GO AHEAD AND PRESENT. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. UM, UM, WE PRESENTED IN THE APRIL COUNCIL MEETING, AND THIS IS A WORKSHOP THAT WE TOOK AS KIND OF LIKE THE ACTIONABLE ITEM THAT WE WANTED. UM, SO TODAY WE'RE GONNA SHOW THE ACHIEVEMENTS IN APRIL, AND WE ARE ON TRACK WITH ALL THE TIMELINE ITEMS THAT WE'VE DONE. UM, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF SPECIFIC TASKS THAT WE COULD DRIVE TOWARD. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET COUNCIL , UM, SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WE CAN GO TOWARD, UM, GUIDING YOU GUYS TO HELP US ALIGN IN OUR GOALS. SO I'LL BE TOUCHING ON OUR FIRST TWO COMMITTEES THAT WE BROKE OUT ON, BECAUSE WHEN I PRESENTED IN APRIL, IT WAS JUST KIND OF LIKE, HERE'S A BIG MISSION STATEMENT. HOW DO WE GO FROM HERE TO A PARKING GARAGE? RIGHT? WE HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO IN BETWEEN. SO, UM, YEAH, IT'S LIKE, SO THE FIRST COMMITTEE THAT WE LAUNCHED IS THE EVENTS COMMITTEE. THE T-SHIRTS THAT YOU GOT WERE THE RESULT FROM THE GOLF TOURNAMENT THAT ASHA, SHE IS CHAIRING OUR EVENTS COMMITTEE. UM, THE MISSION STATEMENT IS ALL PART OF THE GREATER MISSION STATEMENT, BUT FOR THIS COMMITTEE, THEIR GOAL IS TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN AS A HUB FOR COMMERCE AND ENTERTAINMENT THROUGH COMMUNITY BUILDING, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT TO PATO. UM, COMMITTEE, WE HAVE ASHA, SHE'S THE OWNER OF BAR, A MERGED BARBER SHOP AT 1 0 7 EAST. WE HAVE BILLY LEGAS WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT. SHE HAD A CLASS TONIGHT, BUT SHE IS THE NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. UM, WE HAVE DINA, UM, I WAS DIAMOND EDGE CONSTRUCTION, AND THEN WE HAVE WARREN SMITH, UM, THE OWNER OF TEXAN CAFE. SO THAT IS A COMMITTEE THAT HAS COMMITTED TO THIS COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE STILL AN ADDITIONAL MEMBER RECRUITMENT PROCESS. UM, IN APRIL, JUST LOOKING BACK AT THE SMALL AND LARGE SCALES, WE'VE HAD SO, SO MANY MORE THAN WHAT'S LISTED HERE, BUT JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE BLIND DATE WITH A BOOK EVENT WAS WITH A HUDDLE WINE BAR AND THE HUDDLE LIBRARY TOGETHER. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS GROUP IS ALREADY BRANCHING OUT OF DOWNTOWN AND TAPPING INTO LIKE OTHER HU COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. UM, ALSO HAD A TASTING WITH A WINEMAKER AT THE HUDA WINE BAR. MIKE, WHAT ELSE DID YOU HAVE THAT WERE LIKE SMALLER SCALE ON A MONTHLY BASIS? WE HOLD A BINGO NIGHT, IT'S A FREE BINGO. UM, EVERYBODY GETS A CARD, YOU REMEMBER, YOU GET ADDITIONAL CARDS AND THEN INCENTIVE THEM TO JOIN OUR CLUB. UM, WE DO THAT THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH. UM, IT'S JUST A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GO. UM, WE DO A LOT OF TASTING EVENTS AND THEY'RE ALWAYS FREE TASTING EVENTS, SO EVERY, EVERYTHING THAT WE OFFER, THERE'S ALWAYS A FREE ASPECT OF IT. SO NOBODY A LOT BECAUSE WE WANNA ENCOURAGE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO VISIT DOWNTOWN AND SPEND A LOT OF TIME. UM, WE HAVE COMING UP, WE HAVE A MOM AND ME EVENT, WHICH WILL INCORPORATE CHILDREN. WE ARE FAMILY FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENT. A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT. SO WITH THE PURCHASE OF MIMOSA, YOU GET AN APPLE JUICE BOX AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A MOM CHARCUTERIE BOX AND A KID CHARCUTERIE BOX. AND WE'RE PARTNERING WITH OAK AND GROVE HANDMADE TO DO BUILD YOUR OWN BOUQUETS. SO IT'S ANOTHER HU BASED BUSINESS. SHE HAS NO REPRESENTATION. SHE DOESN'T HAVE A STOREFRONT. SHE'S BEEN INSIDE OF MERGE BEFORE. SHE'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE AT LAND POST ON SATURDAY AND I'M JUST GONNA HAVE ONE OF HER SETUPS IN MY SHOP ON SATURDAY. SO SHE'S KIND OF LIKE IN TWO PLACES. UM, BUT OTHER, YEAH, LOOKING FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING IN OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE SHOP. OKAY, AWESOME. AND AT THE GENERAL STORE, WE HAVE THE SPRING OPEN HOUSE, AND THEN WE GOT THE COFFEE EVENT COMING OFF. SO THE GENERAL STORE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES AND THEY HAVE EVENTS THAT ARE KIND OF ON THEIR OWN, RIGHT. BUT BRINGING THIS EVENTS COMMITTEE TOGETHER, WHAT WE WANNA DO IS HAVE MORE SYNERGY, RIGHT? INSTEAD OF JUST BEING ONE OFF. IF WE CAN JUST ALL SYNERGIZE TOGETHER, THEN IT CAN MAKE A DESTINATION, MAKE A HALF DAY TRIP OUT OF IT, RIGHT? NOT JUST THE HU OF RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO THE NON TAXPAYERS THAT LIVE IN OTHER CITIES TO COME IN AND BRING REVENUE TO NEW YORK CITY. UM, AND THEN WE HAD OUR FIRST MERGE [00:05:01] GOLF TOURNAMENT. I HAVE A SEPARATE SLIDE THAT IS GONNA SPEAK ON, AND THEN THE ANNUAL PRISH FESTIVAL. UM, AND SO MANY MORE. UM, THE SMALL SUCCESSES, I THINK THE KEY HERE IS ENERGY OVER COMPETITION. SO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT WE DO BEING A BRICK AND MORTAR VERSUS A FOOD TRUCK VERSUS A DAYTIME LUNCH VERSUS A SIT DOWN GRAB AND GO. YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT KIND OF METRICS THAT YOU HAVE TO HIT AS A SMALL BUSINESS, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL AT THE TABLE TOGETHER HAVING A VOICE TO DO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR EVERYONE. UM, I PUT THIS LINE ITEM HERE, BUT WE KIND OF ALREADY RESOLVED THIS A CITY EVENTS PERMIT. SO IT WENT FROM BEING LIKE A ONE PAGER TO LIKE PAGES LONG. UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA TABLE THIS ITEM BECAUSE, UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THAT EVENT PERMIT PROCESS IS. IT SEEMS LIKE THE CITY'S TRYING TO MAKE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF STANDARDIZING AS BEFORE CHAMBER USED TO BE THE ONLY ONE THAT PUT EVENTS TOGETHER, BUT NOW THERE'S OTHER BUSINESSES DOING IT. YOU GUYS NEED HAVE A STANDARD. SO WE FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT. SO WE WILL TRY THE NEW METHOD. IF WE HAVE ISSUES, WE'LL BE BRINGING IT UP TO YOU. UM, SO WE'LL TABLE THAT ITEM. AND THEN DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODELS IMPACTED BY EVENTS. SO CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING IS AN ITEM. I DON'T KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A CITY ITEM. CHAMBER DOESN'T OWN IT, WE DON'T OWN IT. THIS IS A CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING. WE HEARD RUMORS THAT IT'S NOT GONNA BE DOWNTOWN ANYMORE. SO I WANT TO TAKE A MINUTE AND DISCUSS THAT. WHO IS HEADING THE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING AND THE LOCATION THIS YEAR? YES. FIRST TIME HEARING OF IT. YEAH. ISN'T IT PARKS OR EDC? WE DID KIND OF SWAP SOME THINGS IN THE BUDGET, SO I THINK, WELL, THAT'S GONNA BE FAST FORWARD. THAT'S GONNA BE A DIFFERENT BUDGET. BUT THIS PAST CHRISTMAS, IT WAS BY THE EDC. I THINK TRADITIONALLY IT'S RUN BY THE INTENTION IS TO HOLD IT AT ADAM MORGAN THIS YEAR. MM-HMM . AND IT IS SPEARHEADED BY PARKS DC DOESN'T OWN THAT EVENT. WHY IS WE KEEP CHANGING OUR EVENTS. WE HAD SANTA CLAUSE CRAWL EVERY SINGLE YEAR AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN LAST YEAR WE JUST CHANGED IT. HIPAA CROSS CRAWL. I KNOW IT'S JUST A NAME. WHEN LAST JAMES ABOUT IT, HE GOES, WELL, STAFF FELT, I FORGOT WHAT HE SAID, BUT I WAS LIKE, BUT ARE THEY GETTING THAT FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC? AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE MAKING CHANGES. AND THEN YOU GOT THE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING BEEN HELD DOWNTOWN HERE. I'VE BEEN HERE AND NOW IT'S, AND MAYBE ADMIRAL GAME'S BETTER. I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW ARE WE MAKING THE DECISIONS? IS IT LIKE WE'RE SITTING IN A ROOM GOING, HEY, YOU WANNA DO THIS YEAR? OR ARE WE GETTING FEEDBACK FROM DOWNTOWN, FROM THE PUBLIC, FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, IT'S TERRIBLE DOWNTOWN, MOVE IT BECAUSE WE'RE STARTING TO MAKE CHANGES. AND I TOLD JAMES SOMETIMES I THINK WE'RE MAKING CHANGES JUST TO MAKE CHANGES AND IT'S LIKE WE HAVE TOO MUCH TIME. BUT I DON'T KNOW. I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT'S CAUSING THE, THE CHANGES IN OUR PROGRAMING. YEAH. UM, SO I WILL SAY SOME OF THE CONVERSATION PREDATES ME. I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE OCTOBER. SO KATE OR A CM COULD PROBABLY SPEAK TO THOSE MATTERS SPECIFICALLY. UM, TO YOUR POINT OF SOME OF THE OTHER EVENTS, IT IS A POINT OF CONVERSATION AND THROUGH EVENT SURVEYS AND THEN WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND THEN ALSO FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE TOO. UM, THOSE ARE REALLY BIG POINTS THAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON. SO IT'S DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND VERY MANY ASPECTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION FOR OUR COMMUNITY. BUT I WOULD ARGUE PUTTING OUR CHRISTMAS TREE IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FOPO OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT OUT AT ADAM MORGAN PARK THAT NO ONE WILL SEE AFTER THE LIGHTING IS A BAD CALL. AND I WOULDN'T, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT'S SECOND THAT SHOULD DO. AS SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T EVEN LIVE HERE. THAT'S, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LOGISTICS, PARKING AND ALL THAT, BUT TO, TO ALREADY SAY YOU WANT TO MOVE IT WHEN FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'LL HAVE A PARKING GARAGE WHERE WE CAN DO SHUTTLES DOWN TO THE DOWNTOWN. AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN TRIED IT WITH THE NEW PARKING GARAGE THAT NOW JUST ADDED A BUNCH MORE PARKING SPACES DOWN HERE, THEN ARBITRARILY MOVING IT. I NOW KEEPING THE, YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THE OTHER EVENTS. BUT I MEAN, THE WHOLE POINT OF DOING THE HIPPO CROSS CALL IS YOU WALK BY, YOU SEE THE TREE GET IN THE SPIRIT, YOU MOVE IT, YOU'VE TAKEN AWAY THE BIGGEST CHRISTMAS DECORATION WE OWN IN THE CITY THAT WE BOUGHT FOR OVER $50,000 AND PUT IT WHERE NO ONE SEES IT. UM, SO WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BRING THAT UP AGAIN BECAUSE THAT OPENS UP, IS, I THINK IT WAS 72 TO 79, WHATEVER IT WAS. SO YEAH. PASSED ON UNANIMOUS VOTE. SO WE SHOULD BE HAPPY. AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND IT'S, IT'S A, A GREAT ADDITION. I GUESS I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT WHAT YOU, BECAUSE WE DON'T LEAST, I DON'T EVER SEE THE COMMUNITY SURVEY. SO WHEN I SEE CHANGES, IF THEY'RE TRULY BEING DONE FROM COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS, THAT'S GREAT. PEOPLE COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT, I MEAN, EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING, CHRISTMAS EVENTS, WE DIDN'T HAVE SNOW ONE YEAR AND THEY, YOU KNOW, FREAKED OUT ON THAT. WHY, WHY DID YOU STOP, HAVE A SNOW? SO I FEEL LIKE I HEAR A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, BUT WHAT I HAVEN'T HEARD IS, IS HEY, THE CHRISTMAS TREE, I DON'T LIKE WHERE IT'S AT. [00:10:01] I WISH IT WOULD GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. BUSINESS OWNERS COMPLAIN ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS. NOT ONCE THAT THEY SAID, HEY, CHRISTMAS NOW HERE IN DOWNTOWN, IT'S BAD FOR BUSINESS. UM, SO I, I GUESS AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT SOME OF THESE BIGGER CHANGES AT SOME POINT. DO THEY GO BEFORE THE COUNCIL, BEFORE THE PUBLIC STARTS HEARING? BECAUSE I KIND OF FELT LIKE SOME OF THESE CHANGES OUGHT TO KIND OF LET THE COUNCIL KNOW FIRST WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING SOMETHING SO THAT THEN WHEN PEOPLE ASK, WE HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL THEM INSTEAD OF, I DON'T KNOW. FIRST I'VE HEARD LIKE YOU GUYS HEARING THIS STUFF IS, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE AS ELECTED OFFICIAL, I SHOULD HEAR IT BEFORE YOU DO. NOT THAT I'M TRYING TO PULL RANK ON YOU, BUT IT'D BE NICE AT LEAST KNOW WHY WE'RE DOING IT. SO I CAN TELL YOU. YEAH. SO I THINK THE CONSENSUS IS WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THINGS THAT BIG IS GOING TO IMPACT US. AND NOW THIS ASSOCIATION IS HERE READY TO RECEIVE. RIGHT? WE ARE READY TO RECEIVE THE COMMUNICATION AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK. RIGHT. UM, IN TERMS OF IF YOU CAN BRING IT BACK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE INPUT BECAUSE WARREN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA SPEAK ON IT. SO THE, ANYTIME THE STREETS ARE CLOSED DOWNTOWN, IT COSTS ME MONEY. SATURDAY, THE CRAWFISH BOIL COSTS ME FOUR GRAND EVERY TIME WE DO IT. SO IT'S A SATURDAY. ESPECIALLY. COULD YOU TAKE AWAY, I'M A DESTINATION RESTAURANT. PEOPLE COME FROM TAYLOR, WELL I'M NOT FROM TAYLOR ANYMORE. 'CAUSE THERE NOW THEY COME FROM BROWN ROCK AND VILLE AND GEORGETOWN, YOU KNOW, ALL TO HERE. RIGHT? AND SO IF THEY CAN, IF THEY COME ON A SATURDAY AND THEY LEARN THAT THAT, THAT THEY'VE KIND OF LEARNED OVER THE YEARS, OH, IS CRAWFISH, I'M NOT GOING BECAUSE THEY CAN'T PARK, YOU KNOW, AND, AND GET THERE. SO WE, WE LOSE FOUR GRAND EVERY TIME THAT THE STREETS ARE SHUT DOWN. SO WE'RE WORKING ON, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE DOUBLE OR TRIPLE OUR SALES, RIGHT? SO WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AS AN ORGANIZATION, EVEN SPEAKING WITH CHAMBER, IS NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE BLACK AND WHITE, RIGHT? WE HAVE GOT TO COME TO THE MIDDLE OR 25%, 75, WHATEVER TO MAKE IT WORK. RIGHT? SO ONE IDEA WE HAD WAS WHEN THAT GETS SHUT DOWN, WE CAN TELL THE PATRONS THAT COME TO SAY, HEY, IT'LL BE A DISASTER PARKING, BUT THESE ARE THE SPECIAL CRAWFISH FESTIVAL MENU ITEMS THAT WE CAN HAVE AND MAYBE WE CAN RAISE MONEY SO THAT WARREN COULD HAVE A BOOTH RIGHT. WHERE PEOPLE CAN GRAB AND GO. SO EVEN THOUGH IF HIS REGULAR PATRONS DON'T COME THAT DAY, HE WILL STILL GET THE BENEFIT OF THE CASH FLOW FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE VISITING, RIGHT? YOUR PIE SHOP, YOUR PIES TO MAKE UP FOR THAT PIE SHOP OR WHATEVER THAT IS. RIGHT? SO WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER. I THINK THAT'S THE ISSUE. UH, THAT'S THE MESSAGE. BUT BACK TO THE TREE, WARREN HAD A GREAT IDEA OF, UM, INSTEAD OF HAVING ON A SATURDAY, WHAT IF WE HAVE IT IF SCHOOL IS OUT ON A WEEKNIGHT WHERE SOME OF THE RESTROOMS AREN'T CLOSED, RIGHT? WHY DON'T WE, WE CAN HAVE BOTH. WE DON'T HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, KILL ONE BUSINESS. IF YOU'RE DOING IT ON A MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND SCHOOL'S OUT, FAMILIES ARE STILL GONNA COME DOWN THERE. RIGHT? JUST DON'T HIT MY FRIDAYS. JUST DON'T HIT MY FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS. THOSE ARE THE TWO BUSIEST DAYS IN A RESTAURANT. FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS AND YOUR FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS TODAY, IF WE GET MORE RESTAURANTS DOWN THERE, NOW YOU JUST HAVE THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU JUST KILLED ME ON FRIDAY, SATURDAY. AND TO YOUR POINT, WE DO IT ON A WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE KIDS ARE OUTTA SCHOOL. YEAH. MAYBE IT TURNS IN, UH, OKAY. WEDNESDAY INTO A BETTER WEDNESDAY BECAUSE THAT'S A DIFFERENT GROUP OF PEOPLE. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE CAN STILL KEEP THE TREE DOWNTOWN INSTEAD OF, I GUESS WE GOTTA FIND OUT ABOUT THIS TREE AS I GUESS IF THEY DO THEY OR EAT US, WHOEVER DECIDES THIS DECIDES TO KEEP IT OUT OF OUR GAME. ONE THING, I DON'T KNOW, YOU GUYS AREN'T A NONPROFIT YET, BUT WE'VE GOT A NEW POLICY. I DON'T THINK WE'VE ADOPTED IT YET, RIGHT? ON THE CAN'T HOLD A, A COMPETING EVENT. LIKE CAN THEY DO THEIR, I GUESS WE CAN FIND OUT IF YOU GUYS COULD DO YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS THING TO WHERE IF THERE'S GONNA BE A CHRISTMAS THING ADAM ORAIN. YEAH. YEAH. WE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO BUY A $72,000 TREE. NO. AND I, I JUST HAVE A POINT, YOU KNOW, AND I'M NOT EVEN SPEAKING AS PART OF THE BOARD. I, BUT AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, I CAN'T EVEN FATHOM OR UNDERSTAND HOW THERE WOULDN'T BE A CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. , IT'S DOWNTOWN HU I DON'T KNOW WHOSE IDEA IT WAS TO EVEN THINK OF. LET'S JUST TAKE THE TREE WAY OUT TO ADAM MORGAN PARK FULLY DECIDED. SO, AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE HAVE INPUT OR COMMUNITY INPUT OR, YOU KNOW, UM, FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT LIVE HERE? HOW DO WE DO THAT? WELL RECEIVED, RECEIVED HERE. UM, SO I, AND THE, THE TEAM HERE WILL GO RELAY THAT TO OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT AND, AND CITY MANAGEMENT STAFF. UM, AND IF, YOU KNOW, IF THIS DECIDES TO BE A CONVERSATION AT CITY COUNCIL, UM, WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN MAKE SUCH COMMENTS OR YOU CAN RELAY THEM TO YOUR RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEN WE CAN ALSO CAPTURE THAT THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. UM, COULD, COULD I MAKE A COMMENT ON EVENTS IN GENERAL? SURE. THE MORE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE FOR DOWNTOWN HUDDLE, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL [00:15:01] THE ALLIANCE WILL BE. AND, UH, I I THINK KEEPING THE CHRISTMAS TREE EVENT AND LIGHTING EVENT IS ESSENTIAL. I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DATE BEING CHANGED, UH, TO ACCOMMODATE RESTAURANTS AND OTHER OTHER THINGS. BUT, UH, BECAUSE AS WARREN SAID, YOU'RE OUTTA SCHOOL DURING THAT TIME OR YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. BUT, BUT THE MORE EVENTS WE CAN DO DO FOR DOWNTOWN HU IS GOING TO MAKE IT MORE VIABLE. WELL, IT DEPENDS ON HOW THEY'RE DONE THOUGH. IF YOU EXACTLY, IF IT COULD SHUT DOWN THE STREETS ON EVERY SATURDAY, I'M NOT HA GONNA HAVE TO MOVE MY LOCATION. YEAH. 'CAUSE I CAN'T SURVIVE DOWN THERE. RIGHT. BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON THOUGH, IS COMING UP WITH CREATIVE IDEAS ALL TOGETHER ON HOW TO HOST EVENTS. MAYBE THEY'RE NOT EVEN ALL DOWNTOWN, BUT THEY REPRESENT DOWNTOWN AND IT CAN KIND OF MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY, YOU KNOW, AND HELP ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES AND, AND, AND HAVING WHEN ONCE FRITZ PARK IS DONE, THAT WOULD BE CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN THAT WOULD ALLOW WALKABLE TRAIL OVER FROM. SO IF, IF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ARE AN ISSUE, I THINK YOU MIGHT WANNA LOOK AT A SUNDAY RATHER THAN A WEEKNIGHT BECAUSE THE, THE EVENT IS KIND OF A KICKOFF FOR THE SEASON AND SCHOOL'S REALLY NOT OUT AT THAT TIME. AND IF YOU WAIT UNTIL SCHOOL'S OUT, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF RIGHT ON TOP OF CHRISTMAS. AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE TRAVEL, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO OTHER THINGS. SO IT BECOMES A, A TOTALLY DIFFERENT KIND OF THING. IT'S NOT REALLY A SEASONAL KICKOFF AT THAT POINT. SO I THINK THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THINGS TO BALANCE, THINGS TO LOOK AT. I THINK YOU GOTTA KEEP ALL OPTIONS OPEN. YEAH. LONG TERM. I THINK IF WE HAD MORE PARKING, IT, IT HELPS SOLVE THAT. 'CAUSE IF YOU GO TO GREAT BUY-IN, THEY HAVE EVENTS. FREDERICKSBURG HAS EVENTS, BUT THEY DON'T SHUT THE CITY DOWN FOR IT. I DON'T, THEY HAVE PARKING LOTS, THEY HAVE PEOPLE WALK AND PEOPLE ARE DOING THAT. SO I THINK THE LONG TERM STATION IS PROBABLY MORE PARKING. SO THAT THEN YOU CAN HAVE EVENTS AND STILL HAVE WALKABILITY AND PEOPLE, AND MAYBE YOU ONLY SHUT DOWN FROM 79 TO UH, BARLEY STREET. THAT'S WHERE THE PEOPLE COME. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT'S STILL, THOSE ARE THE BUSINESSES THAT DO WELL WITH THE ROAD SHUT DOWN. SO THERE'S, THE POINT OF THIS IS WE DON'T HAVE TO, IT'S MAY, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO DECIDE THE CHRISTMAS TREE NOW, BUT THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE I WANTED TO BRING TO THE MEETING TO SAY WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY AND WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHO'S MAKING THESE DECISIONS BEFORE IT GETS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A TREE LIGHTING IN DECEMBER AND IT'S TOO LATE TO BACK PADDLE TO CHANGE THE LOGISTICS. I THINK ULTIMATELY YOU GUYS HAVE A PRETTY BIG WEIGHT ON THE DECISION THAT'S MADE. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW. OUR ASK HERE, OR SHOULD OR SHOULD. YEAH. UM, RIGHT NOW CHAMBER IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES EVENTS THAT SHUTS STREETS DOWN. I THINK BARRICADES ARE PROVIDED BY JEFF WHITE. UM, BUT POLICE IS NOT. SO IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN THINK ABOUT BUDGETING FOR POLICE FOR THE TIMES THAT WE SHUT ROADS DOWN? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S ONLY THE COUPLE THAT CHAMBER HAS, BUT JUST THINKING WAY AHEAD, YOU KNOW, DHPA BECOMES REALLY BIG AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THOSE EVENTS. WE DON'T HAVE MONEY 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT A PAID MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION. UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER NOW OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD FOR YOU GUYS TO KIND OF CONSIDER. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAD THE, UH, FIRST ANNUAL MERGE BARBERSHOP GOLF TOURNAMENT. UM, THE GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT AND THE GOAL OF THE REASON WHY I NAMED MY BARBERSHOP MERGE IS BECAUSE WE WANNA MERGE TOGETHER LOCAL BUSINESSES WITH THE COMMUNITY. UM, THE MERGE BARBERSHOP, GOLF TOURNAMENTS. UM, WE HAD, UH, THE RESULTS ON THE RIDE UP THERE. WE HAD 56 GOLFERS. UM, WE HAD 28, UH, BUSINESSES INVOLVED. 20 WERE HOW DO BUSINESSES AND EIGHT WERE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES. EXAMPLE ONE IN TAYLOR, A FEW IN GEORGETOWN, ROUND ROCK, ET CETERA. UM, WE HAD 23 RAFFLE GIVEAWAYS WITH WHOLE, UM, 18 WHOLE SPONSORSHIP SIGNS. UM, AND WE HAD A TON OF DOWNTOWN AUTO BUSINESSES INVOLVED. UM, WE RAISED 2000 AND WE, UM, ARE WORKING WITH BILLY TO TRY AND, UH, COVER BOOTH FEES FOR, FOR THE, UH, DOWNTOWN HUDDLE FESTIVAL EVENTS. SO THOSE DOWNTOWN HUDDLE, HUDDLE, UM, POPUP FESTIVAL EVENTS, EACH BUSINESS, I THINK IT'S TWO 50 FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO BE A POPUP BUSINESS THERE. AND SO WE ARE GOING TO USE THAT 2K TO, UM, PAY FOR THOSE. UM, AND YEAH, I, WE PASSED OUT THE SHIRTS TO EACH OF YOU GUYS. THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY THAT WE MERGED TOGETHER SOME SMALL [00:20:01] BUSINESSES. UM, ON THE BACK. IT'S, IT SHOWS OUR MAIN SPONSOR, UM, THAT WERE INVOLVED, WHICH IS, UH, YOU CAN SEE IT THERE ON THE BOTTOM LEFT, A SNEAKER COMMERCIAL, A COUPLE FROM MY BUSINESS, A JEWELER, EPIC MARKS AND SMART BUILDING, FSG SMART BUILDINGS. AND THEN THE DOWNTOWN PA BUSINESSES INVOLVED. YOU CAN SEE UP THERE, UM, THE ONES THAT ARE REALLY INVOLVED WITH THE GENERAL STORE, THE PIZZERIA, THE WINE BAR, UM, E STREET TATTOOS AND HAPPY PANINI. UM, WE HAVE MORE THAN JUST THOSE THO THOSE THAT DIDN'T NECESSARILY WANNA BE SUPER INVOLVED. UM, WE STILL INVOLVED A LOT OF 'EM AND ADDED 'EM ON THE SHIRT AS WELL SO THAT WE COULD REALLY JUST DRIVE PEOPLE TO COME TO DOWNTOWN. UM, SO YEAH, THIS, IT WAS A, IT WAS OUR FIRST EVENT AND SO WE, WE, UH, MARK IT AS A SUCCESS AND HOPE THAT EACH YEAR IT'LL GET BIGGER AND BETTER AND WE WON'T HAVE CONFLICTING EVENTS IN NEXT YEAR'S FUTURE. SO WAS THE SAME AS THE MAYOR'S GOLF TOURNAMENT, RIGHT? YES. SO NO, I, I PLAYED 36 HOLES THAT DAY. UM, YEAH, SO THAT WAS, UH, TOO LATE TO CHANGE AND IT WAS AN UNFORTUNATE MISTAKE. AND SO NEXT YEAR THAT MISTAKE WILL NOT BE MADE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET EVEN MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A CONFLICTING EVENT. UM, AND THEN THE NEXT EVENT, WHICH IS ALSO NOT IN DOWNTOWN FOR THIS ONE, IS A PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT. UM, WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE 75 EXPECTED REGISTRANTS. UM, AND THE FOCUS OF THIS EVENT WE'VE DECIDED IS JUST GONNA BE DOWNTOWN HUDU. SO THE GOLF TOURNAMENT I REACHED OUT TO ABOUT ALL OF HUDU, EVERYONE SAW MY FACE, UM, AND WAS TRYING TO GET AS MANY BUSINESSES INVOLVED AS WE COULD. BUT THIS PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT, WE WANT THE MAIN FOCUS TO JUST BE DRIVING THOSE 75 REGISTRANTS, HOPEFULLY MORE TO JUST COME TO DOWNTOWN. UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THAT FOCUS WILL BE. THE GIVEAWAYS WILL ALL HOPEFULLY JUST BE DOWNTOWN OR DISCOUNTS OR IF WE DON'T DO THAT, IT WILL JUST BE FOCUSED ON COMING TO DOWNTOWN. UM, AND THEN EVENT AFTER THAT WILL BE ONE THAT IS HOPEFULLY IN DOWNTOWN ON A WEEKDAY IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY DOING LIKE CORNHOLE OR YEAH, CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT, UH, POSSIBLY ON GRACIE'S LAND AND DOING IT ON A WEEKDAY AND HAVING DISCOUNTS AT DIFFERENT STORES TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE WILL COME DOWN TO THAT AREA AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SAY LIKE, HEY, THERE'S FREE WATER AT THE WINE BARS, SO HEAD OVER THERE AND THEN YEAH, MAYBE I'LL GET A DRINK OF WINE WHILE THERE GETTING THEIR WATER. BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE IDEA FROM THERE. SO WE'VE GOT A COUPLE THAT ARE OFF CAMPUS, IF YOU WILL SAY. AND THEN, UH, HOPING TO HAVE A FEW ON AS WELL, BUT NOT NEARLY AS A LARGE SCALE AS NO, NO, UH, NEED TO SHUT DOWN ANY STREETS AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO IT ON A DAY THAT IT'S LESS BUSY AND SO PARKING WILL BE OKAY. SO ANY QUESTIONS, UM, FROM ANYBODY ON THIS? DO YOU HAVE ANY POTENTIAL DATES FOR THE, FOR THE, UM, PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT, THE PICKLEBALL? WE'LL DO, UM, SO THAT LOCATION OF THAT IS GONNA BE IN ROUND ROCK AT THE PICKLER. UM, THAT'S THE NEW, A NEW LOCATION IN, IN ROUND ROCK FOR THAT PICKLEBALL FACILITY. AND WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, JULY OR AUGUST AND THE UH, CORNHOLE, WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT DATES FOR THAT YET, BUT YOU'RE ON THE COMMITTEE SO Y'ALL LOOK INSIDE ON THE DATES . UM, BUT SAME BECAUSE CLICHE, LIKE SHE LITERALLY GOOGLED HOW TO THROW A GOLF TOURNAMENT, DON'T PLAY GOLF SO SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW. NO, I DON'T PLAY GOLF. IT WAS REALLY HARD. YEAH, IT'S DIFFICULT BUT WE DID IT. YEAH. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, LIKE IT'S NEW MEMBERS AND NEW BLOOD, RIGHT? LIKE WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT REVIVING YOUR DOWNTOWN AND HALF OF US DON'T EVEN LIVE HERE. SO I JUST WANT TO RELATE THAT MESSAGE. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT THE CITY CAN BRAINSTORM TO, YOU KNOW, I THINK EMILY'S BEEN GREAT. WE'VE DISCUSSED AT THE LAST, UM, OUR MONTHLY BOARD MEETING SHE ATTENDED AND LET US KNOW ABOUT ALL THESE OTHER SMALL BUSINESS EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE BETTER SYNERGY AND TRY TO PIG IT BACK TOGETHER ON ALL THE EVENTS WITH THE A A C AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. JOE, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK ON IT OR WOULD YOU LIKE I CAN GO OVER THIS. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU GUYS WERE LOOKING FOR ON THIS. UM, CAN'T TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS WHAT BILLING SENT AND REVEREND ACROSS SOME PRETTY ROUGH NUMBERS. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCREEN, UM, ROUGHLY ABOUT 3,200 VISITORS, 1.4 TITLE RESIDENTS. UH, NOT QUITE SURE WHY SHE ADDED THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN THERE, BUT THAT WAS ASKED . UM, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. UH, ACTUALLY THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. 130,000, UH, 80 PLUS VENDORS, LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS. AND ACCORDING TO BILLINGS [00:25:02] IT WAS 1500 POUNDS OF PROFIT FISH. BUT I'LL DO, 'CAUSE I, WE WERE ON A TEXT CHAT A LITTLE WHILE AGO, GRACIE AND KELLY AND I, UM, I WOULD TRY TO PULL NUMBERS THAT I GET FOR WHEN I GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL EVERY QUARTER. I'LL GET THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU. THOSE ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MORE COMPREHENSIVE. IF I WOULD'VE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, I COULD'VE JUST GOTTEN THAT FOR YOU GUYS, BUT I APOLOGIZE. NO, NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE. I THINK FROM DINA'S EXPERIENCE THAT WHO PUT IT ON LAST YEAR, RIGHT? 1500 POUNDS WAS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. SO, BUT THEY SOLD OUT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT FASTER. LAST YEAR WAS FOUR 30, THIS YEAR WAS 2:30 PM AND THEN THE CONSENSUS AS BUSINESS OWNERS, WE DON'T KNOW 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT OUT THERE WITH TICKERS. THOSE NUMBERS REALLY GOT FROM THE EDC IN TERMS OF THE FOOT TRAFFIC. BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS LESS PEOPLE ATTENDANCE. BUT IT MIGHT BE A VARIOUS FACTORS SUCH AS MAYBE THE LINE WAS MORE EFFICIENT. SO YOU DON'T SEE PEOPLE CLUSTERED AROUND, RIGHT. BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE ACTUALLY SAW NUMBERS GO UP EXCEPT FOR WARREN. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. BUT YOU KNOW, SAME AMOUNT OF CRAWFISH SOLD IN A FASTER TIME. UM, THE ONLY FEEDBACK, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF YOU WANNA CHIME IN FROM THE GUESTS THAT CAME TO THE EVENT? YEAH. SO, UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH BILLY TOO AT THE LAST MEETING, BUT YOU KNOW, QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WERE EXPRESSING THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT AND WHAT ARE WERE THE THINGS FOR THE KIDS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REAL FAMILY FRIENDLY, UM, PER SE. AND SHE HAD SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CHAMBER WILL HOST THINGS THAT ARE NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY ALL THE TIME, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO DRAW PEOPLE AND AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW ALL DAY AND SEE ALL OF THESE YOUNG FAMILIES WALKING. NOW I'M, I'M SEEING WAY MORE PEOPLE WALKING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND STROLLERS DOWNTOWN THAN I EVER HAVE. EVEN WHEN I WAS SITTING IN THE FOOD TRUCK WINDOW LOOKING OUT. AND YOU DON'T, I'M SEEING IT MORE AND MORE BECAUSE I'M THERE SIX DAYS A WEEK, 12, 14 HOURS A DAY. SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE WERE DISCUSSING SOME OF THE THINGS, UM, FOR FUTURE EVENTS, FOCUSING REALLY ON MORE FAMILY, YOU KNOW, JUST MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL FAMILIES TO ENJOY AND STAY LONGER AND MAYBE TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO EAT SOMETHING OR MOM'S GONNA GRAB GLASS OF WINE AFTERWARDS ON THE BEFORE SHE GOES BACK OR, UM, SO THAT NOT ONLY FOR THE CRAWFISH BUT ALSO FOR THE UM, CHRISTMAS EVENT TOO. THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE SHARING THEIR DISAPPOINTMENT IN NOT HAVING, AT LEAST NOT WHAT MY KIDS GREW UP IN DOWNTOWN WITH THE SNOW AND THE ICE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, MORE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. UM, 'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT AS WE CREATE EVENTS DOWNTOWN AND WANT TO BRING PEOPLE THE FAMILY ASPECT OF IT. SO I THINK WE'VE ALL DISCUSSED KIND OF, WELL HOW CAN WE DO THAT? AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL WORKING ON. WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE DOING SPECIALS FOR KIDS WITH AN ADULT PLATE OR YOU KNOW, THE BACKYARD AT THE HALL OF FAME MIGHT LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOR A CERTAIN EVENT DAY OR YOU KNOW. SO, UM, THAT'S JUST SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING JUST FROM FEEDBACK. I, FROM FRIENDS ALL OVER, NOT JUST CUSTOMERS BUT THROUGH THE YMCA, UM, AND OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS AROUND THEIR DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, CHATTED WITH ME . SO I'VE JUST BEEN SHARING THE FEEDBACK OF THE NEED FOR THAT DOWNTOWN FOR THE EVENTS. WHAT IS THE AVERAGE AGE OF HOW A RESIDENT NOW? 35. 50%. 50%. SO IT IS DEFINITELY CHANGING FROM, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS AGO IT IS GETTING YOUNGER AND YOUNGER. YOUNGER, HIGHER, MORE HIGHER INCOME. WE WANNA SPEND MONEY, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING HERE, WE WANNA GET IT BASED OFF OF DATA ALSO. YES, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP BUSINESS AFLOAT BUT ALSO LIKE HOW DO WE TARGET AND CATER TO THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE CITY. SO IF WE CAN GET SOME DEMOGRAPHIC DONE ALSO, I THINK THAT'S AVAILABLE SOMEWHERE. BUT IF I CAN SAVE TIME AND NOT WE'VE GOT IT TO THE EDC OUGHT TO HAVE IT JUST TO REPLACE HER DATA. OKAY. AND THEIR UM, INFORMATION. BUT YEAH, I MEAN I WOULD SAY IF YOU'RE DOING AN EVENT, I KNOW AMY WHEN SHE DID THE UM, WORLD HIPPO DAY, SHE HAD A REPTILE SHOW. A POTTER SHOW FOR KIDS. SHE HAD A PETTING ZOO AND IN THEIR MIND IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE. AND I WOULD JUST THROW OUT TO THE CHAMBER THAT THE IDEA IS TO SELL MORE THINGS OF CRAWFISH. BUT I HAD TWO KIDS, I WOULDN'T GO DOWN THERE AND BUY CRAWFISH IF I HAD TWO KIDS THAT RIGHT AS I GOT OFF THERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? AND I'M LIKE, THERE'S NOTHING FOR YOU BUT I'M GONNA GO HAVE A BEER AND CRAWFISH. THAT'S NOT GONNA BE A GOOD DAY. BUT IF IT'S LIKE, HEY WE CAN GO, WE'RE GONNA GO THE REPTILES, WE'RE GONNA DO [00:30:01] THIS OR WHATEVER THEY GOT AND YOU GUYS HAVE EVENTS AND STUFF WITH IT, I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY HELPS YOU SELL MORE. I THINK THAT'S IDEA IS SELL MORE CRAWFISH. DO YOU ANYBODY SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT SAUSAGE? 'CAUSE I GOT A, I WAS GETTING TEXTED ABOUT SAUSAGE NOT NOT BEING IN THE, I DON'T EAT CRAWFISH, BUT NO, NOT A BIG THING. NOT HAVING SAUSAGE OR HAVE I DIDN'T HEAR ANYONE TALK ABOUT THAT. DID THEY NOT HAVE SAUSAGE? THEY USUALLY DO SAUSAGE WRAP. IT'S JUST LIKE TWO POTATOES, ONE PIECE OF CORN. NO, NO. YOU CAN LIKE SAUSAGE WRAPS OFF TO THE SIDE. YEAH, THEY GOT SAUSAGE IN THE, DON'T WORRY. YOU COULD HAD SAUSAGE. IT WOULD, IT WOULD'VE BEEN THE WRONG KIND OF SAUSAGE. I JUST SAW GIANT CORN DOGS, LOTS OF CORN DOGS AROUND. I REALLY WANTED ONE. BUT YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I SAW. I HAD ONE. THEY WERE DAY . OKAY. SO THAT WAS APRIL IN A NUTSHELL FOR THE EVENT COMMITTEE. EVERYTHING FROM SMALL TO LARGE SHUTDOWN STREETS. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT NOW THE DHBA IS WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE CHAMBER AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME MISSION, RIGHT? UM, THEY'RE NOT UNDER US, WE'RE NOT UNDER THEM. WE SHARE DOWNTOWN, RIGHT? SO WE'RE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER AND CONSCIOUS OF EACH OTHER'S MISSIONS. UM, I THINK IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK. SO WE ASK YOU TO JOIN US AND IF YOU CAN PAY FOR THE POLICE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SHUT THE ROADS DOWN, THAT WOULD HELP. SO WE CAN DREAM BIGGER. UM, MAYBE PLAN OUT HOW MANY EVENTS Y'ALL ARE EXPECTING TO HAVE SHUT DOWN STREETS. YEAH. SO THAT THE CITY MANAGER CAN PLAN PERSONNEL IN THE NEXT BUDGET. JUST TO KINDA HAVE AN IDEA, EVEN IF YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE THE EVENT. I MEAN I'M SURE THERE'S NO WAY HE CAN ACTUALLY REALLY COULDN COMMIT IT, BUT IT WOULD BE A LEARNING CURVE. YEAH. YEAH. WE KNOW THE CHAMBER ONES FOR SURE. AND THEN MAYBE SLATE FOR ONE FOR D HB OR SOMETHING. LET'S, LET'S START SMALL AND THEN WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AN ASK IN THE CITY MANAGER'S BUDGET PROPOSED. OKAY, SO TODAY THE POLICE UH, HELP FOR THE TWO EVENTS THAT THE CHAMBER DOES THAT THE CHAMBER PAYS FOR THAT. IS THAT WHAT THAT IS? OR YES, THEY PAY SECURITY. IT'S OVERTIME YOU, YOU PAY 'CAUSE IT'S OVERTIME. WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS IT'S NOT EVEN, IT IS NOT EVEN CONSIDERED OVERTIME. IT IS A COMPLETE SEPARATE SECURITY PAY. RIGHT. I THINK IT'S LIKE $90 AN HOUR. IT'S LIKE A TIME OF MATERIAL TYPE. SO THAT'S, BUT YOU COVERED THAT AND WE, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE IS AN OUTSIDE SECURITY SERVICE THAT WE COULD HAVE USED FOR THE EVENTS THAT THEY HAD USED, HAD BEEN USED FOR OTHER CITY EVENTS. AND WHEN IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE FOR OLD TIME DAYS, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DO IT AT HALF THE COST. THEY CHAMBER ENDED UP PAYING FULL COST FOR HU PD. SO WHO MAKES THAT DECISION THEN? YOU HAVE TO USE DUNNO WHO YEAH, WE DON'T KNOW. WE WENT, WE, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I WAS PRIVILEGED TO AS PART OF THE CHAMBER THEN IN OCTOBER WAS DIRECTLY BETWEEN TIM AND CHIEF AND IT WENT BACK AND FORTH AND WHEN HE CALLED TO GET CLARIFICATION ON IT, IT WAS HURO PD. SO IS THE POLICY, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY POLICY THAT YOU HAVE MANAGEMENT LIKE KIND OF INVOLVED TOO, JUST BECAUSE THEY PLAN FOR ALL OF THESE EVENTS. THEY KIND OF HAVE A PREPL PREP PLAN FOR, YOU KNOW, SAFETY FOR THE EVENTS SO THAT THEY WEREN'T ON THE, AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S THE OTHER THING YOU WERE ASKING US TO LIKE GUESS IT, IT'S A TOTAL GUESS BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNTIL THE EVENT PLAN IS IN PLACE THAT IT'S DETERMINED HOW MANY SECURITY GUARDS YOU HAVE TO HAVE. BUT IT REALLY IS DIFFICULT WHEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER SECURITY COMPANY RIGHT HERE IN HU AND YOU CAN'T USE THEM. YOU HAVE TO USE, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TOO. YEAH. YEAH. ABSOLUTE RASHAN I WOULD ARGUE RASHAN IS A LOCAL BASED BUSINESS YES. THAT I'VE USED BEFORE. AND YEAH. AND THAT'S WHO APPROACHED US AND WE WERE LIKE, OH WE, WE WOULD LOVE TO USE YOU. HE IS ACTUALLY A CHAIN MEMBER. MM-HMM AND THEN WHEN IT ALL PLAYED OUT, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED. WE'LL CHECK THE POLICY. 'CAUSE IF THERE'S NOT A POLICY WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE AND, AND SURROUNDING CITIES QUITE OFTEN REQUIRE THAT YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT BE INVOLVED AS WELL. YEAH, THE OTHER CITIES ARE DONE. OKAY. SO THAT WAS OUR FIRST COMMITTEE EVENTS. I WANNA, I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME SO I WANNA JUMP TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE THAT WE STARTED, WHICH WAS FINANCE. WE WENT BACK AND FORTH THE LAW WITH THE CHAMBER AND OUR DHD ABOUT WHAT TO NAME THIS. AND IT'S JUST TOO BIG OF AN UMBRELLA. SO WE JUST CALLED IT FINANCE. THIS IS GOING TO DEFINITELY SUBDIVIDE INTO OTHER SUBCOMMITTEES IF NOT BREAK OFF INTO OTHER COMMITTEES. UM, BUT THIS GOAL MAINLY IS TO OBTAIN FUNDING SOLUTIONS WITH THE CITY. E-D-C-H-P-C AND DHBA. SO MYSELF, GABE SANCHEZ, HE OWNS A LOT OF PROPERTIES IN DOWNTOWN ROUND ROCK. HE'S ALSO A COMMERCIAL BROKER. HE'S THE BUILDING OWNER OF THE PIA. UM, GARY BROWN, HE'S A CHAMBER BOARD MEMBER, ALSO DEVELOPER. AND THEN JUSTIN LOCKE, ANOTHER CHAMBER BOARD MEMBER AND A DEVELOPER. SO THE FOUR OF US ARE IN COMMUNICATION TO FIGURE [00:35:01] OUT BENCHMARK OTHER CITIES, WHAT THEY'VE DONE, BENCHMARK, YOU KNOW, INCENTIVES AND GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE, MAYBE NOT FROM THE CITY. AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS HERE, BUT EVERYTHING JUST KIND OF COMES DOWN TO FUNDING. UM, SO PARKING, I KNOW Y'ALL ARE ALREADY WORKING ON. UM, BUT ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MEETING WITH CHENEY OUR NEXT WEEK ARE OTHER GRANT PROGRAMS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND MORE. UM, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I THINK IT BREAKS IT DOWN A LITTLE BETTER. SO FOR THE REST OF TODAY'S MEETING, THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE I WANTED TO KIND OF LEARN FROM THE CITY AND BRAINSTORM WHERE WE CAN GET SOME OF THIS MONEY, RIGHT? EVEN THE POLICE, YOU KNOW, FOR THE EVENTS, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING SIMPLE. BUT WHEN I DID SOME RESEARCH, THESE WERE THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMS THAT DID EXIST IN THE PAST FOR DOWNTOWN HU UM, TO START PRESERVATION PROPERTY TAX FREEZE PROGRAM, DOWNTOWN FACADE PROGRAM, PROPERTY TAX REBATE POLICY. UM, AND UNDERNEATH THE TAX REBATE POLICY FOR EXAMPLE, IT HAS THINGS LIKE DISCOUNTED DEVELOPMENT, PERMIT FEES, YOU KNOW, AT A 80% RATE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO EVEN LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT WOULD HELP, YOU KNOW, MATT FIXES DOOR DOWNTOWN THAT HE'S GOTTA GO THROUGH. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS, EVEN PAINTING. 'CAUSE WE CAN ONLY STICK TO A CERTAIN PAINT SWATCH, RIGHT? THERE'S ALLOWANCES FOR THAT. SO THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT USED TO EXIST. I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE CITY'S PROCEDURES AT WHAT POINT IT ROLLS OFF OR IF IT GETS VOTED OFF OR THESE THINGS WE CAN BRING BACK TO LIFE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE AS PROPERTY OWNERS IT ONLY TRICKLED DOWN INTO SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE BRINGING THE SALES TAX TO THE CITY, RIGHT? SO THEY DON'T WANT TO BE TRYING TO SERVE GREAT FOOD IN A BUILDING THAT'S DETERIORATING, RIGHT? BUT IT COMES TO A POINT, WE CAN'T JUST HIKE UP RENT TO MEET THE CERTIFICATE APPROPRIATENESS. SO I'LL STOP THERE. SO THOSE ARE CURRENT ORDINANCES. THOSE ARE ORDINANCES THAT I FOUND ON YOUR WEBSITE AND IT GOT ENACTED IN 2016, AUGUST 8TH, 2016 IS THE LAST TIME I SAW FOR THESE. WE CAN PULL 'EM UP IF, IF THERE'S AN ORDINANCE ON THE BOOKS, IF I'M WRONG, DO IT. BUT THERE'S AN ORDINANCE DOESN'T GO AWAY UNLESS WE REPEAL THE ORDINANCE. AND IF SHE'S FIGHTING IT ON THERE, LACK OF, UH, JUST FOR THE FACADE, IT WOULD BE YOU'D HAVE TO FUND IT. FIND IT, YEAH. RIGHT? $0, RIGHT? SO IF IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE A CONVERSATION IN JUNE, MAY AND JUNE, RIGHT BEFORE THE JULY FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. LET'S GET SOME FUNDING APPROVED FOR THAT. UM, SO THAT'S, I DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I FOUND SO FAR. HUDDLE TO STORE 2040. I KNOW Y'ALL SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND RESOURCES TO BRING THIS, YOU KNOW, 2040 PLAN. UM, BUT ALL I WANNA SAY FOR THIS IS CAN WE BE AT THE TABLE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION OF WHAT DOWNTOWN HU'S GONNA LOOK LIKE IN 2040, RIGHT? BECAUSE ALL THE PROPERTY MANAGERS AND PROPERTY OWNERS, RIGHT, LIKE DECADES OF FAMILIES OR INVESTORS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A SHORT TERM FLIP TURNAROUND DEVELOPER. WE'RE HERE AS PARTNERS FOR A LONG TIME. SO HOW DO WE HELP AND HAVE A VOICE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE? THAT IS OUR ASK HERE. AND THEN THE EDC ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, UM, WHERE THE RECIPIENT REQUIREMENT, MEG IS A GREAT EXAMPLE THAT A WINE BAR OWNER SUCCESSFULLY WENT THROUGH THAT GOT SOME GRANTS, RIGHT? AND I THINK CHENEY USES HER AS A MODEL OF GIVING TO OTHER BUSINESSES INTERESTED IN TOWN TO SAY, HEY, GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BUT I WANNA ACTUALLY HAVE A COMMITTEE FOR THAT, RIGHT? SO THAT MEG COULD HELP OTHER BUSINESSES COMING DOWNTOWN TO WALK THEM THROUGH WITH THE EDC, SAY, HEY, I DID THIS. YOU CAN ALSO COME TO DOWNTOWN AND HOW TO WILL FUND YOU THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE BIG DREAMS HERE TOO, BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE A NON-PAID MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM COMMITTEE ASSOCIATION. YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST BOOTSTRAPPING, WE'RE SCRAPPY, BUT WE ARE PASSIONATE. SO, UM, I JUST NEED YOU GUYS TO BE PASSIONATE WITH US. YOU GUYS ALREADY SAVED US ABOUT $200,000. 'CAUSE IF WE WOULD'VE PAID A CONSULTING FIRM TO DO THIS, THEY WOULD'VE, I TAKE, I TAKE WORTH A TREE IF WE HAVE TO HAVE TWO TREES, . UM, BUT THAT'S ALL WE HAD FOR TODAY. BUT I WANTED TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR ATTENDING THE WORKSHOP, BUT WE ARE NOT GOING TO. BUT THIS IS NOT A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A FLASH. WE'RE GONNA BE GONE. LIKE WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE UP. YOU'RE GONNA SEE US AGAIN UNTIL WE GET SOME SOLUTIONS. SIR. UH, I, I KNOW I'M NOT AT THE TABLE, BUT UH, I'M ON P AND Z AND I THINK I [00:40:01] MIGHT BE ABLE, ABLE, ABLE TO ANSWER THE SO QUESTION. UM, I THINK BASICALLY IT WAS A TIMING ISSUE. DH, UH, DHBA DIDN'T EXIST WHEN WE WERE DOING THE LEGWORK AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE PLAN. SO WE'RE FOR SOAR 2040. SO WE WERE REACHING OUT TO THE VARIOUS ENTITIES THAT D-D-H-B-A HAS KIND OF GATHERED TOGETHER. SO IT WAS INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES, INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES, ET CETERA, CONTRIBUTING TO THE SO R RATHER THAN DHVA. AND WHEN THE NEXT, SO R COMES IN, WHICH WILL PROBABLY BE IN ABOUT THREE, MAYBE FOUR YEARS. ABSOLUTELY. DHBA, JUST LIKE CHAMBER AND JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE DOWNTOWN IS GONNA GET INVITED. I HOPE. I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL STILL BE THERE, BUT THAT'S THE INTENT. LET'S GET DOWNTOWN INPUT INTO THE SOAR SO WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT. SOUNDS GOOD. WE ARE GONNA HAVE, ACCORDING TO OUR TIMELINE, IF YOU GO TO THAT LAST PAGE, BY NEXT MONTH WE WILL HAVE OUR 5 0 1 C SIX REGISTERED. WE'LL HAVE OUR BYLAWS. SO WE WILL BE THERE READY TO RECEIVE AND GIVE INPUT. SO, UM, THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE. UM, WE MEET MONTHLY WHENEVER WE CAN. I DON'T HAVE A WORKSHOP WITH Y'ALL, BUT AFTER I MEET WITH THE A DC ABOUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS, UM, WE DO WANNA BE INVITED TO SOME OF THE BUDGET KIND OF MEETINGS IN JUNE. UM, BUT WHEN DO Y'ALL MEET? UH, MONTHLY. UM, THIRD. THIRD MONDAY. MONDAY. YES. THIRD MONDAY. I'D LIKE YOU GUYS STILL TO COME QUARTERLY TO COUNCIL AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TO BUDGET THINGS WE MAY NOT REMEMBER TO TELL, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE WITH Y'ALL, BUT THEY'RE, THE BUDGET MEETINGS ARE ALL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL OUT THERE COMMUNICATED TO THE WHOLE PUBLIC. WE MAY NOT BE TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU GUYS WILL. OKAY. BUT THEY ALLOW PUBLIC COMMENT THAT ALL THOSE MEETINGS, YEAH. SO OKAY, WE'LL FIND THAT. WE'LL HAVE A MAYBE A SHORT LIST IN A SHORTCUT S LIST. BUT THAT IS ALL I HAD. THE HB MEMBERS THAT I BACK ON REAL QUICK. UM, GRACIE HAS A LIST OF ALL THE MEETINGS. THE BOARD MEETINGS ARE, UM, THIRD MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH AND THEY'RE SCHEDULED OUT THROUGH DECEMBER. SO THEY'RE ALL LISTED IN THE SPACE THAT IS RESERVED. SO IF ANYBODY NEED THAT INFORMATION, I CAN ALSO SEND THAT OUT AS WELL. SO JUST LET ME KNOW. YEAH, WE HAVE A COMMUNITY CALENDAR. WE PAID, I WON'T SAY HOW MUCH WE PAID FOR THAT, BUT THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE SOME OF THIS INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE INTERESTED IN DOWNTOWN THE GROWTH OF DOWNTOWN OR SOME PEOPLE WANT DOWNTOWN TO GO AWAY. THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP AND, AND EITHER GO TO YOUR GUYS' MEETINGS AND, 'CAUSE I THINK COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC IS GOOD FOR YOU GUYS TOO. AND IF WE'RE GONNA USE YOUR TAX MONEY TO FUND A CALENDAR. BUT ANOTHER WAY TO PUT YOU GUYS ON THERE TOO IN YOUR EVENTS. YOU WE DO ALL THAT. I THINK IT'S LIKE, IS IT 40,000 OR SOMETHING? CALENDAR? I THINK IT'S THE ONE, YEAH. SO YOU GUYS WANT NINE, NINE, $9 FOR AN OFFICE. I MEAN WE, WE'VE GOT MONEY. WE CAN, WE ALLOCATE. WELL I THINK WE, I SPOKE WITH SHAY WHEN I ASKED HER MY CONTACT COMMUNICATION ABOUT JUST POSTING FLYERS OF COMMU CITY EVENTS IN THE STORE AND SHE HAD SAID WITH THE CALENDAR THAT WE CAN GET OUR EVENTS AS LONG AS IT'S NOT LIKE EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING DOWNTOWN, WE CAN JUST LET THEM KNOW AND SHE'LL EASILY ADD TO THE CHAPTER. SHE SAID JUST LET HER KNOW SO WE'RE NOT HEAR PROBABLY. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ATTENDING. I KNOW YOU HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING TO GO TO, BUT WE ARE HERE, YOU KNOW HOW TO REACH US SO WE'LL BE IN COMMUNICATION. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU'ALL. THANKS. THE NEXT [3.2. Discussion and possible action related to Work Session topics 4. ADJOURNMENT] ITEM IS DISCUSSION. THREE, TWO DISCUSSION POSSIBLE ACTS RELATED WORK SESSION TOPICS, ANYTHING TO THAT WORK SESSION. SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S LIKE A STATEMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF THE RIGHT WORD IS, BUT TO, TO DIRECT STAFF THAT WE WANNA KEEP THE EX THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN DOWNTOWN. WE THERE WAS GONNA BE ONE THERE BE JUST, WE CAN MAKE RUST ASSURE RESPECT THAT. IS IT A MOTION? MOTION? YEAH. WELL, BUT IT MAY NOT BE, BUT IT'S A TREE. WE LOVE HAVING TREES. WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE EVENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE WHOLE THING. THE CHRISTMAS YOU THE TREE LIGHTING. YEAH, LIGHTING, NOT JUST LIGHTING WAS AWESOME. WRITE THAT DOWN. I'LL TAKE THAT. THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD TREELINE. THAT WAY WE CAN JUST TELL THE PUBLIC THAT THEY AS A, THERE'S OTHER DIRTY RUMORS GOING AROUND OUT THERE, BUT THIS ISN'T ENOUGH. [00:45:04] THANKSGIVING WEEKEND. YEAH, BUT AFTER BLACK FRIDAY OR IF IT'S NOT ON BLACK, IT'S ON SHOPS ON SATURDAY. SATURDAY. ON SATURDAY. THE FIRST SATURDAY. THAT'S GOOD. BUT DECEMBER BEEN, NO, IT'S THE, IT IS THE LAST SATURDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING. IT'S COMBINED WITH SHOPS ON SATURDAY. THE FIRST WEEKEND IN DECEMBER IS THE CRAWL. THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. YEAH. YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT. IT WAS ALL, I GOT 'EM BACKWARDS. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. BUT YOU DON'T LIKE FRIDAYS OR SATURDAY? WELL I NEVER CAN REMEMBER THAT CRAWL THEN. CALL VOTE HEARING COUNCIL THO. AYE MR. CLARK? AYE. COUNCIL KOHLER AYE. COUNCIL PORTERFIELD. AYE. MAYOR PUT TIME GORDON. AYE MAYOR. AYE MS. I BEST SIX ZERO. ANYTHING ELSE? YES, JUST UH, TO DIRECT STAFF TO UH, FIGURE OUT THE SECURITY POLICE POLICY AND THEN, UH, ALSO BUDGET ITEM FOR YEAH, JUST FIGURE OUT THE POLICY AND POTENTIAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE, WITH THE CITY. ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT ONE? CALL TO VOTE FOR COUNCILMAN THORNTON. AYE. COUNCILOR CLARK? AYE. COUNCILOR LAR AYE. COUNCILOR PORTERFIELD AYE. MAYOR PRO GORDON. AYE. MAYOR STA AYE. ASSISTANT BUREAU. ANY OTHERS? ALL RIGHT, WELL ADJOURN AT 6 47. * 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.