* 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. [CALL TO ORDER] [00:00:02] GOOD EVENING. I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM I'M GONNA CALL ON COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS TO GIVE THE INVOCATION AND LEAD THE PLEDGES. PLEASE JOIN ME. GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER THIS EVENING TO DISCUSS MATTERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE, THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE DECISIONS. WE ASK FOR YOUR WISDOM. WE ASK FOR YOUR PROTECTION, AND WE ASK THAT WE MAY, WE BE REFLECTORS OF YOUR GRACE. WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AND NOW THE TEXAS FLAG, HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD ONE. AND YOU VISIBLE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS. UM, MOVE [3. MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 15, 2025 MEETING] ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2025. MEETING MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN RIDER MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES AS PUBLISHED. ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER HUM. I SECOND IT. GOT A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHEN RIDER. SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER SCHUL. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY, UH, WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE BEING ABSENT. UH, SIX ZERO. ALRIGHT, [4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORUM] I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORM. MR. MAGNER. THANK YOU MAYOR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. WE DO HAVE TWO SPEAKERS THAT ARE, UH, SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE COMMENTS TONIGHT. SO I'M GONNA READ SOME INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE SPEAKERS. UH, SPEAKERS SHOULD COMPLETE A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE CITY SECRETARY. SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN THE ORDER THAT THEY'RE RECEIVED. WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE STEP TO THE PODIUM AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD. ALL SPEAKERS WILL BE LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM OF FIVE MINUTES, AS INDICATED BY THE TIMERS. WHEN THE TIMER BEEPS, THE SPEAKER SHOULD CONCLUDE THEIR COMMENTS PROMPTLY. SPEAKERS MUST NOT PHYSICALLY APPROACH MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OR STAFF AND SHOULD REMAIN AT THE PODIUM DURING THEIR COMMENTS. SPEAKERS WITH HANDOUTS MUST PROVIDE THEM TO THE CITY SECRETARY FOR DISTRIBUTION. CITY SPEAKERS, SUBMITTING COMMENTS ON THE SAME TOPIC, OR ENCOURAGED TO REDUCE REPETITIVE REMARKS BY INDICATING THEIR COMMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADDRESSED. OR BY SELECTING A REPRESENTATIVE. SPEAKER. THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT PROHIBITS THE CITY COUNCIL FROM DISCUSSING OR TAKING ACTION ON ITEMS THAT ARE NOT POSTED ON THE AGENDA. CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF WILL NOT AFFIRM OR OPPOSE ANY SPEAKER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. THE MAYOR, CITY MANAGER MAY RESPOND WITH FACTS, A POLICY OR DIRECT CITY STAFF TO RESPOND TO THE SPEAKER. AFTER THE MEETING, THE AUDIENCE HAS ASKED TO REFRAIN FROM APPLAUDING OR OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION, OPPOSITION, A COPY OF THE COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE. AND THESE GUIDELINES MAY BE FOUND ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD ALSO, UH, LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE TO SILENCE THEIR CELL PHONES FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEETING. MS. ER, WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS. NIGHTMARE. DON DON TOBAR. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SANHI VAR AND MY ADDRESS IS 3 0 1 7 SPRING BRANCH DRIVE, RICHARDSON, TEXAS. UM, 7 5 0 8 2. HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN YOU TODAY AS WE CELEBRATE RAKSHA BUNTON, THE FESTIVAL OF UNIVERSAL ONENESS. MORE THAN JUST A TRADITION, IT IS A REMINDER OF THE BONDS THAT CONNECT US AS ONE HUMAN FAMILY. AKAN COMES FROM TWO SANSKRIT WORDS, AKHA MEANING PROTECTION, ANDAN MEANING BOND, OR OBLIGATION. ITS TRUE SPIRIT EXTENDS TO ALL RELATIONSHIPS, A PROMISE OF CARE, RESPECT, AND RESPONSIBILITY TO TOWARDS THOSE AROUND US. IN ANCIENT TIMES, DURING CRUCIAL, CRUCIAL MOMENTS, A SIMPLE THREAD, IRAQI WAS TIED AS A REMINDER OF ONE'S PLEDGE AND DUTY TO STAND BY ONE ANOTHER. IT IS A CELEBRATION OF UNIVERSAL ONENESS AND THE VALUES OF SERVICE, CARE, AND COMMITMENT TO THE GREATER GOOD. THAT SAME SPIRIT INSPIRES THE WORK OF HINDU SWAM ANG HSS IN THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT IS KEEPING OUR CITIES CLEAN THROUGH ROAD AND PARK PROJECTS, VOLUNTEERING WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE MEALS ON WHEELS, PROMOTING HEALTH THROUGH YOGA AWARENESS PROGRAMS, OR STEPPING INTO HELP DURING NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE THE AUSTIN FLOODS. LAST YEAR, THE SAVE AT DALI FOOD DRIVE COLLECTED AND DISTRIBUTED [00:05:01] 740,000 POUNDS OF FOOD FOR THOSE IN NEED. FROM VALUE-BASED LEARNING TO HANDS-ON COMMUNITY WORK, WE AIM TO SERVE NOT JUST OUR OWN, BUT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WE ARE BLESSED TO BE A PART OF. WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE PROTECT ONE ANOTHER, WE STRENGTHEN THE FABRIC OF HUMANITY ITSELF. SINCE 2004, HSS HAS ALSO CELEBRATED JAHA AS UNIVERSAL ONENESS DAY TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION AND MUTUAL RESPECT. WE VISIT CIVIC LEADERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO HONOR THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE AND REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE ALL PART OF ONE LARGER HUMAN FAMILY. THE TRUE MEASURE OF THESE VALUES, AND NOT IN WORDS ALONE, BUT IN ACTION WITH THIS SPIRIT, MAY WE ALL BE INSPIRED TO WORK TOGETHER, SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER, AND SERVE THOSE AROUND US TO BUILD A STRONG, MORE COMPASSIONATE AND UNIFIED COMMUNITY. TODAY, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, WE WOULD BE HONORED TO TIE ARAKI ON YOUR RIGHT WRIST. THIS IS OUR WAY OF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE AND SEEKING DIVINE BLESSINGS FOR THOSE WHO PROTECT AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS. MY NAME IS CHU PATEL. MY ADDRESS IS 5 0 2 5 REMINGTON DRIVE, GARLAND, TEXAS. SIGN 5 0 4 4. HONORABLE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE CITIZENS OF RICHARDSON CITY. GOOD EVENING. I AM CHU AND WE ARE HONORED HERE TODAY TO BE BEFORE YOU TO SEND YOU A WARM INVITATION ON, ON BEHALF OF THE BAP SRI SAMINA MANER IN IRVING, WE INVITE HONORABLE MAYOR AND EACH MEMBER OF THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE CITIZENS OF RICHARDSON CITY IN JOINING US IN CELEBRATING THE SPACIAL FESTIVAL OF DALI, ALSO KNOWN AS THE FESTIVAL OF FLIGHT ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, FROM 1:00 PM ONWARDS TILL 8:00 PM AT BAPS RINDER IN IRVING, DIWALI CARRIES A PROFOUND SIGNIFICANCE ACROSS VARIOUS CULTURES. IT SYMBOLIZES THE VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL KNOWLEDGE OVER IGNORANCE AND HOPE OVER DESPAIR. IT IS A MULTI-DAY FESTIVAL SPANNING FROM ONE TO FIVE DAYS, DEPENDING ON REGIONAL AND PERSONAL TRADITIONS. WHILE THE VALLEY IS PRIMARILY CELEBRATED BY HINDU JANE AND SIKH FATES, ITS CENTRAL THEME OF FLIGHT RESONATES WITH ALL OF HUMANITY. THIS FESTIVAL SERVES AS A SYMBOL OF UNITY AND STRENGTH BY BRIDGING GAPS BETWEEN PEOPLE OF DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS, FROM THE INTRICATE COLORFUL MONGOLI AT DOORSTEPS TO THE SKIES LIT WITH FIREWORKS. THE VALLEY CELEBRATES LIGHT THAT BRIGHTENS LIVES AND LIFTS THE HUMAN SPIRIT. IT IS A TIME FOR REFLECTION, JOY, AND RENEWAL, FOSTERING A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS AND SHARED HAPPINESS THROUGH THE THEME OF LIGHT WITHIN LIGHT AROUND BY JOINING US AT BAP S3 SEMINAR MONDAY IN IRVING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST. YOU'LL NOT ONLY PARTAKE IN A CULTURAL CELEBRATION, BUT ALSO EXPERIENCE THE UNIVERSAL MESSAGE OF UNITY AND HOPE THAT DALI BRINGS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING EACH MEMBER OF THE RICHARDSON CITY COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE MAYOR OF RICHARDSON AND THE CITIZENS OF RICHARDSON IN JOINING US IN CELEBRATING OUR FESTIVAL. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE EVENT, PLEASE VISIT BPS.ORG/DALLAS OR CONTACT US@DFW.PA AT GMAIL.COM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MIR. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WAS LOOKING TO SPEAK TONIGHT? OKAY, SEEING [8. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE RICHARDSON CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION’S FY26 ARTS GRANTS FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS] NONE. UM, IF IT'S OKAY WITH THE REST OF THE COUNCIL, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE ITEM NUMBER EIGHT UP, UM, AND HAVE IT BE DONE FIRST. UM, SO THAT ITEM IS GONNA BE TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE RICHARDSON CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION'S FISCAL YEAR 26 ARTS GRANTS FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS. MR. MAGNER. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MAYOR, OUR CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION CHAIR, SANDY PAL, IS GONNA MAKE HER WAY TO THE PODIUM. UH, AS YOU KNOW, EACH YEAR THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION ACCEPTS AND CONSIDERS APPLICATIONS FROM NONPROFIT CULTURAL ARTS, UH, ORGANIZATION SERVING RICHARDSON. AND, UH, SANDY IS HERE TO PRESENT THE COMMISSION'S REPORT. I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, KAYLA JOHNSON. KAYLA IS A, A BIG HELP TO MCKAYLA UH, THIS, UM, THIS YEAR AS THEY PREPARED, UH, ALL OF THE, UH, WORK AND DOCUMENTATION FOR THE COMMISSION. OF COURSE, ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, COUNCILMAN CURTIS DORIAN AS THE LIAISON TO THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION. SO, SANDY, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND, UH, THIS IS A BITTERSWEET PRESENTATION. ME 'CAUSE, UH, SANDY, [00:10:01] I'LL BE WRAPPING UP HER SERVICE, UH, AT THE END OF THIS YEAR ON THE COMMISSION. SO I KNOW THE COUNCIL, UH, SANDY, WANTED TO TAKE A A SECOND TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. BUT ON BEHALF OF THE STAFF, THANKS FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE TO GET US HERE TONIGHT AND, UH, AND OVER THE YEARS. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, MR. CITY COUNCIL. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA START AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR CULTURAL ARTS AND THANK YOU TO MCKAYLA AND TO, UH, KAYLA FOR PUTTING THIS PRESENTATION TOGETHER. UH, THE FIRST, THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS YOUR STRATEGIC GOAL, WHICH THE CULTURAL ARTS REALLY HELPS TO EXPLORE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR, OUR STAKEHOLDERS. SO, YOU KNOW, UH, AS OUR CITY MANAGER JUST SHARED, OUR CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION CONSISTS OF MYSELF AS THE CHAIRWOMAN, UH, SANDY POLISH. OUR VICE CHAIR IS ELIZABETH GONZALEZ, AND WE WORK TOGETHER WITH FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, UH, BRIAN BENTLEY, TED KLA, CYNTHIA ANNE, AMY TAYLOR, AND LEELA SHOOK, WHO IS OUR NEWEST COMMISSIONER, UM, AND ASSISTED OF COURSE BY CURTIS HISTORIAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND MCKAYLA DOLLAR AND, UM, KAYLA JOHNSON ON THE CITY STAFF. IT IS, IT IS A WONDERFUL COMMISSION. UM, EVERYBODY, IT, IT IS REALLY A UNIQUE, A UNIQUE GROUP. SO YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB PUTTING THAT COMMISSION TOGETHER. UM, SO AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS OF COMING UP WITH OUR ARTS GRANTS RECOMMENDATIONS, I, YOU KNOW, WE GOT SO MUCH FEEDBACK, A LOT OF DIFFERENT FEEDBACK FROM ALL OF OUR COMMISSIONERS. UM, THE COMMISSION ITSELF, WHICH YOU ALSO, YOU KNOW, UM, BASICALLY IS SERVES AS YOUR LIAISON. AND OUR BIGGEST, UM, OUR BIGGEST JOB RIGHT NOW IS TO SERVE AS YOUR REVIEW BOARD FOR THE ARTS GRANTS, WHICH IS WHAT WE JUST DID. UM, SO WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT THING ON OUR ARTS PROCESS, UM, THIS SPRING AND SUMMER. UH, AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE GUIDELINES AND THE APPLICATION FORMS. AND ALSO EARLIER THIS YEAR, UH, KAYLA AND MCKAYLA AND HER STAFF REALLY DID A, AN AMAZING JOB IMPLEMENTING SUBMITTABLE, WHICH ALLOWED ALL OF OUR ARTS GRANTS RECIPIENTS TO SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS ONLINE FOR THE FIRST TIME, AS OPPOSED TO EMAILING A HARD COPY OF THE WRITTEN APPLICATION AND THEIR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT'S REQUIRED ON THERE, WHICH IS THE QUESTIONNAIRE THAT THE COMMISSION COMES, PUTS TOGETHER. AND EACH YEAR, WE, WE TRY TO TWEAK THAT, UH, QUESTIONNAIRE TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT IS RELEVANT AT THE CURRENT TIME. THEY ALSO NEED TO ATTACH THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PROPOSED BUDGETS, TAX FILINGS, AND THEIR NONPROFIT LETTER. SO, UM, SO THIS SUBMITTABLE SYSTEM WAS AMAZING AND IT'S REALLY HELPED US SAVE A LOT OF TIME, NOT ONLY FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, BUT OUR COMMISSIONERS AND OUR CITY STAFF. SO, UM, BRAVO, KAYLA, AND MIKAYLA. UH, THE PROCESS STARTED IN JUNE WHEN THE APPLICATIONS WENT LIVE, AND THEN THEY WERE DUE BY THE 31ST. AND BETWEEN THE 31ST AND THE 23RD, THE COMMISSION AND THE CITY STAFF REVIEWED ALL OF THOSE APPLICATIONS. AND THEN WE DID OUR ARTS INTERVIEWS ON THE 23RD OF AUGUST, AND THEN THE COMMISSION GOT TOGETHER ON THE FOURTH TO DELIBERATE AND COME UP WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. SO WE RECEIVED 27 APPLICATIONS, FIVE NEW. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALWAYS EXCITING WHEN YOU GET SOME NEW, UH, APPLICATIONS. UM, WE DID INTERVIEW 23 APPLICANTS AND, UH, OF THOSE 27 APPLICATIONS REVIEWED, UM, OR RECEIVED ABOUT 61 OR 6,000. LEMME SAY THAT AGAIN. $671,000 WERE REQUESTED. UH, AND YOUR BUDGET INCLUDED, UH, $375,000. AND JUST AS A, AS A OVERVIEW, WE ARE BACK TO POST OR PRE COVID NUMBERS, UH, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT TO SEE. SO, UM, I THINK THE FOUR, FOUR YEARS THAT I HAVE BEEN WITH THE COMMISSION, WE WERE ALWAYS AT OR AROUND THE $375,000 MARK. AND SO IT'S REALLY NICE TO SEE THAT BACKUP AND, AND RUNNING. SO, ALL RIGHT, SO BETWEEN, LIKE I SAID, BETWEEN THE 31ST OF JULY AND THE THIRD, 23RD OF AUGUST, THE COMMISSION WAS VERY BUSY AND, UH, REVIEWING EVERY SINGLE APPLICATION. AND WHAT WE REALLY FOCUSED ON WAS, UM, THE FOCUS ON RICHARDSON AND THE PERFORMANCES AND THE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT WERE HOSTED HERE IN THE CITY. UM, THE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE DIVERSE OFFERINGS, NOT ONLY FOR ETHNIC DIVERSITIES, BUT DIFFERENT AGE GROUP DIVERSITY. AND, UM, THEN OF COURSE, UM, ANYTHING THAT WOULD HELP TO FURTHER OUR CULTURAL ARTS MASTER PLAN. AND ALSO SOME OF THE NEW THINGS THAT, UH, WE IDENTIFIED IN OUR NEW ARTS AND CULTURE MASTER PLAN, WHICH ALSO [00:15:01] INCLUDED IMPROVING AWARENESS OF CULTURAL OP OPPORTUNITIES, HOW ARE THEY MARKETING AND PRESENTING ALSO, UM, AGAIN, CONTINUED DIVERSITY AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, AND SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL IN THE ARTISTIC ARENA. THE OTHER THINGS, FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE ORGANIZATION, IF THEY DIDN'T SHOW THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE IN BUSINESS AND ABLE TO ACTUALLY, UM, DO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING THEY'RE GONNA DO, UM, THAT WAS CERTAINLY A PART OF OUR, UM, ANALYSIS. ALSO, THE, THE CITY AND THE, THE COMMISSION PUT TOGETHER AN ARTS WORKSHOP FOR ALL OF OUR ARTS RECIPIENTS. EVERY YEAR WE DO TWO A YEAR. AND, UM, IF THEY HAVE ATTENDED THOSE WORKSHOPS, WE HAVE IN THE PAST MADE IT A REQUIREMENT THAT YOU HAVE TO ATTEND. UM, WE, I DON'T, WE, WE DIDN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THAT A REQUIREMENT THIS TIME, BUT, UM, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US TO HELP SUPPORT THEM THAT THEY SHOW UP FOR THAT KINDA STUFF. AND THEN ALSO THE QUALITY OF THEIR APPLICATION. AND YOU, YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED, . SO HERE ARE THE NUMBERS. THERE'S THE NUMBERS. YEP. UH, SO OF THE 23 ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, WE INTERVIEWED, WE CHOSE TO, UM, AWARD OR RECOMMEND AWARDING FUNDING TO 22 OF THEM. UM, A COUPLE OF ONES THAT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT. UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY JUST IN GENERAL IS THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT WE, WE DID GIVE, UM, 45% OF THAT IS GOING TO INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS. BIGGEST REASON IS THE RICHESON SYMPHONY. THAT'S OUR, YOUR BIGGEST, UM, YOUR BRI YOUR BIGGEST GRANT THAT YOU GIVE OUT. UM, AND THEN THE NEXT LARGEST AMOUNT OF GRANT FUNDING THAT THE CITY GIVES OUT, OR IN OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IS OUR THEATER GROUPS AS WELL. SO, UM, AND, AND AFTER THAT WE HAVE VISUAL, WE VISUAL ARTS, VOCAL ARTS, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, AND OTHER, WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED LITERARY ARTS WITH RICHARDSON READS ONE BOOK AND, AND WHATNOT. UM, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THE NEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, THAT WE INTERVIEWED. UH, IT'S DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, THE TOWN NORTH CONCERT BAND. IT'S A SMALL BAND FOR, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO AUDITION, YOU CAN JUST SHOW UP IF YOU HAVE YOUR TRUMPET FOR WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND YOU WANNA GO PLAY IN THE BAND, YOU CAN GO DO THAT. SO, UM, WE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT, A GREAT, UM, SYNERGY BETWEEN THAT AND THE RICHARDSON COMMUNITY BAND. THEY DO A LOT OF SYNERGISTIC STUFF. UM, AND ALSO IF SOMEBODY, IF THEY, IF THE RICHARDSON COMMUNITY BAND GETS SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO PLAY WITH THEM, BUT IT DOESN'T FIT, THEN THEY REFER THEM TO ACTUALLY THE, THE TOWN NORTH CONCERT BAND. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN WORK UP TO IT. UM, SO WE DID DECIDE TO GIVE THEM A SMALL STIPEND THERE. UM, THE OTHER ONE THAT I REALLY, UH, I REALLY WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, IS OUT LOUD, WHICH IS KIND OF RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. UM, THEY WERE, THEY WERE NEW LAST YEAR. I DUNNO IF ANYBODY WENT TO ANY OF THEIR PERFORMANCES AT THE EISMAN CENTER. BUT, UM, THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF UNIQUE THINGS IN DIGITAL ARTS AND CULTURAL, AND THEY REALLY ARE FOCUSING ON THE YOUNG, YOUNGER GENERATION. AND WE REALLY LIKED TO SEE SOMETHING NEW AND FOCUSED ON IN THAT AREA. SO, UM, WE HOPE TO ENCOURAGE IN COMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS TO, UH, OR ARTS GRANTS, UH, PROCESSES TO GET MORE IN THE VISUAL ARTS, THE DIGITAL ARTS, UH, AND TECHNOLOGY AND WHATNOT. SO, UM, AGAIN, UH, WE CHOSE NOT TO AWARD MONEY TO THE DTX DANIA GROUP. AGAIN, THEY ARE A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION. WE LOVED THEIR APPLICATION. UH, HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT HAVE, IT WAS NOT A COMPLETE APPLICATION. AND IT ALSO THAT THEIR EVENTS THAT THEY HAD WERE NOT NECESSARILY, UM, WE COULDN'T, WE COULDN'T ACTUALLY, UM, FIND WHERE THEY HAD RICHARDSON EVENTS, SO THEY SAID THEY WERE GONNA DO THEM, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING BOOKED IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. SO WE, WE HAD TO TAKE THEM OFF THIS YEAR, UNFORTUNATELY. UM, BUT THEY'RE A GREAT ORGANIZATION, UM, OUTTA UTD, AND WE'RE HOPEFULLY THAT WE CAN WORK WITH THEM OVER THE COMING YEAR SO THAT THEY CAN APPLY AGAIN NEXT YEAR. AND, UM, ALSO, ONE OF THE COUPLE OTHER THINGS THAT I WANTED TO MENTION, JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE NEW THIS YEAR, WE HAD A, UM, AN APPLICATION FROM THE DALLAS ART THERAPY ORGANIZATION. VERY INTERESTING. WE REALLY LIKED THEM. WE, WE OFFERED THEM AN INTERVIEW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT ATTEND. AND THEY, THEY FOR NOT A REALLY GOOD REASON. SO WE DIDN'T, WE CHOSE NOT TO GIVE THEM ANY, ANY FUNDING THIS YEAR, BUT HOPEFULLY THEY CAN COME BACK AND, AND, AND DO THAT AS WELL. THE OTHER ONE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE DALLAS, UM, THE DIALOGUE INSTITUTE OF DALLAS, [00:20:01] WHICH AGAIN, WE, WE LIKED THEIR APPLICATION, BUT IT WASN'T COMPLETE. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT IN THE FUTURE, THEY HAD A LOT OF DIGITAL ART COMPONENTS IN THERE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE APPLICATIONS FOR THAT GROUP AS WELL. UM, BUT AGAIN, THEIR APPLICATION JUST WAS NOT, WAS NOT UP TO PAR. AND, UM, SO WE CHOSE NOT TO OFFER THEM AN INTERVIEW AND A COUPLE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO DID NOT REALLY MEET OUR CULTURAL ARTS MASTER PLAN. SO, ANYWAYS, UM, SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PIECE OF IT? COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. EXCUSE ME. QUICK QUESTION ON THOSE ORGANIZATIONS YOU MENTIONED MM-HMM . THAT THE APPLICATION WAS INCOMPLETE OR NOT UP, UP TO PAR. YEAH. WERE YOU ABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND HAVE THAT OPEN LINE OF COMMUNICATION? UH, UH, MCKAYLA, UM, IS, IS OUR LIAISON TO THOSE PEOPLE, AND THEN SHE HAS OKAY. DO YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE? THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I SEE A HEAD NODDING YES. YEAH. THANK YOU. YEAH, WE DO OUR BEST TO, UM, TO DISCUSS, BASICALLY ELIZABETH AND I, AND MIKAYLA AND KAYLA WILL GET ON THE PHONE AND KIND OF TALK A LOT ABOUT THAT AND WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO, UM, ALLOW THEM TO PRESENT A BETTER APPLICATION FOR NEXT, THE NEXT CYCLE OF GRANTS AND WHATNOT. AND SOME ARE, SOME ARE VERY RECEIVING OF THAT INFORMATION, AND SOME MIGHT JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GO LOOK IN OTHER DIRECTIONS. SO, SO BASICALLY OUR NEXT STEPS, UM, IS YOU GET TO DECIDE IF YOU'D LIKE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS OR NOT. UH, LATER ON IN THE MEETING TODAY, UH, FINAL REPORTS FROM THESE ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE SENT TO THE CITY BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. SO AGAIN, WE DO A, A GOOD JOB OF CHECKING IF THEY, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE, THE PEOPLE YOU GAVE MONEY TO LAST YEAR, DID THEY DO WHAT THEY SAID THEY DID, WE'RE GONNA DO WITH THE MONEY THAT, THAT WE GAVE THEM. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO REVIEWING THOSE. UM, BASED ON YOUR CONSIDERATIONS AND WHAT YOU DECIDE ON TODAY, UH, CHECKS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE ORGANIZATIONS IN OCTOBER. AND, UM, THEN AFTER THAT, UH, THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIAISONS WITH THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, HELPING THEM TO, UM, HELPING THEM TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND THEIR OFFERINGS, HELPING THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE HAVE PUT IN THE NEW ARTS AND CULTURE MASTER PLAN, AND HOW THAT'S GONNA HELP IN THE FUTURE, INCLUDING VISUAL ARTS, DIGITAL ARTS, AND MORE, AND INCLUDING MORE TECHNOLOGY AND FOCUSED ON SOME OF OUR YOUNGER, UH, CONSTITUENTS AS WELL. UM, SO THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE. UH, WE'VE ENJOYED, UH, OUR PROCESS. AUGUST IS ALWAYS A BUSY MONTH FOR THE CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION, AND I WANNA THANK THE ENTIRE, UH, COMMISSION OR THE, UH, COUNCIL, EXCUSE ME, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO BE A PART OF THIS. AND ALSO, WE WANNA THANK YOU FOR INVESTING IN THE ARTS FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UH, A LOT OF THE ORGANIZATIONS WHEN THEY COME TO OUR INTERVIEWS, ARE SO THANKFUL. THEY, THEY, THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW THANKFUL THEY ARE FOR THE MONEY THAT YOU PROVIDE, BECAUSE, UM, WITHOUT IT, THESE NONPROFITS WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T BE HERE IN OUR CITY. SO, THAT IS ALL I HAVE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I'M GONNA LET COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN SPEAK FIRST. GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MM-HMM . SANDY, UH, I JUST, I WANNA SAY, UH, THANK YOU, UH, MCKAYLA AND KAYLA AND THE ENTIRE COMMISSION FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS ORGANIZATION AS COMMISSIONERS. I, I KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, IT'S HARD TO MAKE THE DECISION A HEARTFELT DECISION ON DISTRIBUTING FUNDS BECAUSE ONE, THERE'S A LOT OF APPLICANTS, AND AS WE ARE GROWING A GROWING CITY, IT SEEMS THAT WE'RE GETTING MORE AND MORE APPLICANTS. BUT I DO LIKE TO SEE THE DIVERSITY. I DO LIKE SEEING SOME OF THE DIGITAL ARTS COMING INTO PLAY. IT BALANCES OFF WITH SOME OF THE INSTRUMENTALS AND SOME OF THE TALENT THAT'S OFFERED. SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THAT'S, UH, SORT OF ALTERING, UM, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. BUT I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT AND A LOT OF WORK, AND IT'S VERY TIME CONSUMING TO PUT THIS TOGETHER. AND, AND HONESTLY, IT'S JUST HARD TO MAKE THE DECISIONS ON WHO YOU'RE GONNA DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDING TO. SO I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO, UH, EVERYONE'S HARD WORK AND EFFORTS AND, AND, UM, I'M SAD TO SEE THAT YOU'LL BE TURNING OFF THIS YEAR 'CAUSE, UH, YOU'VE DONE SUCH A REMARKABLE JOB, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, YEAH, SANDY, FIRST, FIRST AND FOREMOST, JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, HAVING BEEN ON COUNCIL FOR A WHILE, I MEAN, SOME CHAIRMANSHIPS OF SOME COMMITTEES ARE JUST MORE TIME CONSUMING THAN OTHERS. AND THIS ONE, ESPECIALLY FROM WHAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED AND THE EXTRA WORK THAT BEING CHAIR REQUIRES [00:25:01] COORDINATING WITH STAFF, IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE TIME INTENSIVE ONES. AND SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR PERSONAL TIME TO STEP UP AND VOLUNTEER AND, AND DO THIS. UH, IT MEANS A LOT TO ALL OF US, CERTAINLY, AND I KNOW IT MEANS A LOT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE HELPED. SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION SURE. ON THIS NEXT STEPS PART. SO FOR FINAL REPORTS, UM, FROM FUNDED GROUPS, IF SOMETHING COMES THROUGH WHERE THEY, THEY ENDED UP NOT DOING WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO, IS THE PROCESS THAT THAT FUNDING WOULD GO BACK TO THE ARTS COMMISSION TO REDISTRIBUTE OUT TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS? OR WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT POINT? WELL, WE, WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT ISSUE. OH, OKAY. GOOD. BUT I THINK WHAT THE, THE, UM, PROCESS WOULD BE IS IN THE NEXT ROUND OF CYCLE, IT WOULD BE THAT OKAY, YOU KNOW, YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA DO THIS, YOU ONLY DID THIS. UM, AND SO WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN WE, UM, ARE THINKING ABOUT FUNDING FOR THE CURRENT CYCLE. AND, UH, MIKAYLA, WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT? YES, THAT'S ACCURATE. IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS, UM, BECAUSE OF THE TIMING THAT THESE GROUPS HAVE WITH THEIR SEASONS AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE COMPLETED, IT'S HARD TO LINE UP THAT FINAL REPORT WITH THE APPLICATION PERIOD. MM-HMM . BUT THEY DO HAVE TO HAVE THAT TURNED IN AND WE REVIEW IT PRIOR TO THEM ACTUALLY RECEIVING THEIR CHECK. SO IF IT'S WAY OFF AND THERE'S A MAJOR ISSUE, WE DO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO REVISIT WITH THE COMMISSION. OKAY. NO, THAT'S GOOD TO, GOOD TO KNOW. I MEAN, IT'S NEVER HAPPENED, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS WOULD PROBABLY, YEAH, I SAY IT'S NEVER HAPPENED, ACTUALLY. THERE WAS A, A FEW THINGS, BUT IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T, UH, EARTH SHATTERING. IT WASN'T LIKE, OH, THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, SOMETHING SERIOUS ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY, NO. YEAH. IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, WE WERE GONNA DO, UM, I DON'T REMEMBER. IT WAS, UM, FORGET WHICH ONE IT IS NOW. DO YOU REMEMBER WHICH ONE IT WAS? BUT ANYWAYS, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS A SMALL PART OF THEIR PROGRAMMING AND, UM, IT DID NOT IMPACT HOW WE FELT THEY WERE, UH, CONTRIBUTING TO THE ARTS SCENE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. SO, OKAY. WELL, YOU KNOW, ART, I FEEL LIKE ART FROM WHAT WE DO, ART CAN'T SURVIVE IN A LOT OF WAYS WITHOUT THAT PUBLIC SUBSIDY. AND IT PROVIDES A LOT OF COMFORT TO THE RESIDENTS, AND I THINK IT PROVIDES A LOT OF VALUE TO PEOPLE. AND SO, OH, ABSOLUTELY. AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S, THERE'S MANY, MANY FORMS OF ART AND, AND, AND THE ONES IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR ARE, UM, VERY HAPPY FOR THE ARTS GRANTS. AND IT'S GREAT, LIKE, WITH A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS AN EQUALIZER FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE AND GIVE PEOPLE ACCESS TO THINGS THAT WOULDN'T HAVE OTHERWISE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR PASSION IN YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SCH. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. WELL, FIRST I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING, AND STILL YOU'LL BE DOING . I DON'T THINK STEPPING DOWNS. YOU'RE GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE FOR US, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. UH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, UH, IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 375,000. IT'S, IT'S A BIG NUMBER. SAME TIME. IT'S NOT A BIG NUMBER IF YOU HAVE THAT MANY NAME ON THE LIST. AND, UH, AND I HOPE THAT NEXT YEAR IS GONNA BE BETTER THAN THAT. I HOPE SO. AND, BUT YOU KNOW, I SEE THAT SOME OF THE ORGANIZATION, THEY ASK BIG NUMBER COMPARED TO WHAT THEY GOT. SO, YOU KNOW, NOT NECESSARILY THOSE ARE BIG NUMBER, BUT IT'S LIKE THE RELATIVE THINGS. SO HOW, YOU KNOW HOW, I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW THAT HOW MUCH THAT WILL HAVE IMPACT ON THEIR BUDGET WHEN, ESPECIALLY SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR RE REPERTORY THEATER THAT WE HAVE IN RESEARCH? YEAH, THEY HAVE REQUESTED A NUMBER, BUT THEY GOT, YOU KNOW, A FAIRLY SMALL NUMBER. RIGHT. BUT I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THEM, THEY DO, YOU KNOW, GREAT WORK, BUT I KNOW THEM THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT. SO IF THAT GONNA IMPACT THEIR BUDGET, THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE, UM, ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS KIND OF HAVE THEIR OWN LITTLE, UM, WAY THAT THEY DO IT. THEY, SOME OF THEM ASK FOR TWICE AS MUCH AS THEY KNOW THEY'RE GONNA GET , LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY. I KNOW IT'S, IT SEEMS KIND OF FUNNY, AND THERE'S SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS WHO ALWAYS ASK FOR JUST WHAT THEY NEED. AND THE COMMISSION, THE COMMISSION KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON. SO, SO THERE'S THAT. SO THERE, SO THERE IS THAT PIECE OF IT. UM, THERE ARE, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IN OUR APPLICATION IS, IF YOU DO NOT GET YOUR FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT YOUR PROGRAMMING FOR THE YEAR? AND, UH, I, THAT IS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, EACH COMMISSIONER REALLY HAS THEIR OWN, UM, AREA THAT THEY REALLY LIKE TO FOCUS ON. BUT FOR ME, I LOVE READING THAT, THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE IT TELLS ME, UM, THAT THEY ARE LOOKING, THEY'RE NOT JUST EXPECTING THE CITY OF RICHARDSON TO FUND THEIR ENTIRE, UM, THEIR ENTIRE PROGRAMMING JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING WORK HERE IN CITY OR PROGRAMMING IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, UM, THAT THEY ARE OUT [00:30:01] THERE WORKING AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ARTS GRANTS, OP OPERATIONS OR OFFERINGS, AND ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT WAYS TO RAISE FUNDS THROUGH, UH, CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, UM, IF WE ARE ABLE, IN, IN MY MIND, AND THIS IS MY OPINION, I, WE DIDN'T TAKE A VOTE ON THIS WITH THE COMMISSION, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS THE, THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING, UH, INCREASES HOPEFULLY, UM, THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT ON THESE ARTS GRANTS FUNDING, I HOPE THAT WE CAN ADD, UM, MORE, UH, DIGITAL ART, VISUAL ART, SOME DIFFERENT THINGS. IT'S LIKE, I DON'T WANNA JUST GIVE MORE MONEY TO THE SAME PEOPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVING MONEY TO FOR 30 YEARS. I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE IT. I THINK THEY'RE DOING PHENOMENAL AND WE, WE LOVE THEM. BUT I, I THINK THAT IF AS WE GROW THAT, THAT POT THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE OUT, I HOPE THAT WE, UM, AND THE COMMISSIONS AND THE, AND THE LEADERS, UH, GOING FORWARD WILL REALLY LOOK TO FIND THOSE ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN EXPAND OUR CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN ALL AREAS. NOT JUST ETHNIC, BUT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ART AND WHATNOT. UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT IS, IN ALL OF OUR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS WHO DID NOT GET WHAT THEY ASKED FOR, THOSE THAT ASKED FOR TWICE AS MUCH AS THEY KNEW THEY WERE GONNA GET, THEY THEY'VE BEEN IN, THEY KEEP, ARE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR THE LAST, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS. SO, UM, THAT PART OF IT, I AM NOT, I NOT THAT CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ONE ORGANIZATION THAT WE DIDN'T FUND, THEY SAID, THIS IS HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST, AND THEY ASKED FOR ALL OF IT AND, AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T QUITE WORK THAT WAY, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, THAT IS, UH, HOW WE PROBABLY CAN LOOK AT THAT NUMBER. YEAH. THANK YOU. I THINK THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, IS THAT LOTS OF EXTRA WORK? YES. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. I APPRECIATE IT. YOU JUST START TO GET TO KNOW THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND, AND SEE, SEE HOW THEY, THEY COMPLETE THEIR APPLICATIONS. EVERY, YOU KNOW, IT'S ARTISTIC. EVERYBODY'S BEING ARTISTIC. YOU KNOW, WE HAD ONE ORGANIZATION WHO ASKED FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF A, A ROUND NUMBER, JUST THREW A BUNCH OF NUMBERS IN THERE. AND LIKE, I WAS LIKE, WELL, WHY, WHY THIS NUMBER? AND IT'S LIKE, DID YOU JUST WANNA STAND OUT? AND HE'S LIKE, YES. I'M LIKE, OKAY. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. . COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, SANDY, I ECHO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, WORDS SAY THANK YOU TO, TO YOUR, FOR YOUR SERVICE, TO OUR COMMUNITY IN THE ARTS AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE, UM, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID, I, I KNOW I'LL, I'LL MISS YOUR INPUT THERE BECAUSE I, IT SOUNDS LIKE, UH, YOU AND I ARE VERY, UH, IN SYNC ON YOUR WAY OF THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARTS AND INCREASING THE VARIOUS TYPES OF ARTS, NOT JUST THE SAME ONES, BUT BRINGING IN THOSE NEWER ART ORGANIZATIONS. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK CLARIFICATION. YOU MENTIONED TOWN NORTH CONCERT BAND, IT WAS THEIR FIRST TIME. WERE THERE ANY OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS LIST THAT WAS THEIR FIRST TIME? OR WERE THEY THE ONLY NEWER ONES THAT GOT ADDED? UH, THERE WAS, THERE WERE FIVE OTHER NEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT APPLIED. FIVE, THE ONLY ONE, THEY, THIS ONE, AND THEN THE DALLAS ART THERAPY WERE THE ONLY TWO THAT WE OFFERED AN IN, UH, AN INTERVIEW TO. OKAY. AND THE DALLAS ART THERAPY GROUP, YOU WERE THE ONES IN THIS SHOW, UH, DID NOT ATTEND THE INTERVIEW. OKAY, AWESOME. SO, UM, AND THEY'RE, AND MCKAYLA YOU CAN HELP ME WITH, WITH DALLAS ART THERAPY. THEY, THEY HAD A UNIQUE OFFERING, UM, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS FOCUSED ON, UM, ENGAGING WITH DIFFERENT, UM, DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. THEY HAD A ART THERAPY GROUP FOR VETERANS AND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AND PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, WERE, WERE DEALING WITH, WITH, UM, MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH AGAIN, WAS VERY INTERESTING. UM, BUT AGAIN, THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE INTERVIEW. YEAH. I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, AND, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CLARIFICATION. AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE TO, TO YOUR COMMUNITY. UM, DON, QUESTION FOR YOU, AND MAYBE MCKAYLA ON, AS FAR AS THE, THE, MY COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT NEW GROUPS, AND I KNOW SANDY KIND OF MENTIONED THAT, AND THAT WAS ALREADY ON MY, ON MY RADAR HERE. UH, CAN YOU, CAN DON, CAN YOU SEND ME AT SOME POINT, UM, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE, MAYBE SHOW ME WHAT ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE. OBVIOUSLY I HAVE THE ONES FOR THIS HERE, BUT MAYBE THE LAST TWO OR THREE YEARS, JUST I'M KIND OF CURIOUS TO SEE, HEY, HOW MANY NEW GROUPS HAVE WE BROUGHT IN? YOU KNOW, WHERE HAS THAT BUDGET GROWN? 'CAUSE PERSONALLY, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO A DECISION TO GIVE. MM-HMM. AND I APPRECIATE THE ENTIRE COMMISSION'S, UH, DEDICATION AND COUNCILMAN DORIAN'S DEDICATION TO THIS. UM, BUT AS, AS WE LOOK AT THIS, I'M GOING, OKAY, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE WE, HOW MUCH NEW GROUP OR, AND HOW MUCH OF IT IS WE'RE BECOMING WHILE IT'S, THERE'S CERTAIN ORGANIZATIONS OR COMMITTEE WE GONNA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT HOW, HOW MUCH OF IT IS WE'RE SUPPORTING THEM IN A HOLISTIC, OR WE CONTINUE [00:35:01] TO GROW IN ONE GROUP AND NOT THE OTHER, AND JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE BEING EQUITABLE ACROSS THE BOARD ACROSS DIFFERENT ARTS. SO I'M JUST KIND OF CURIOUS, JUST, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE THAT'S AT. SO YEAH, HAPPY TO DO THAT. IF IT MAKES SENSE, WE'LL TAKE IT BACK TO, UM, THE FIRST YEAR WE, WE FULLY RESTORED THE FUNDING SUBSEQUENT TO COVID. OH, COOL. JUST TO GIVE YOU A, IT'S PROBABLY A THREE YEAR VIEW, 2021. THAT SOUNDS PERFECT. YEAH. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU AGAIN, MAYOR PRO HUTCHIN MATTER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SANDY, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SERVICE HAVING SERVED AS A LIAISON JUST BEFORE COUNCILMAN DORIAN, UM, I SAW HOW MUCH EFFORT AND WORK YOU AND THE REST OF THE COMMISSIONERS DO. IT'S, UM, I, I, I, I CAN'T SAY THE OTHER COMMISSIONS ARE, ARE POSSIBLY LESS HARDWORKING, BUT Y'ALL WORK HARD, I'LL SAY THAT MUCH. SO REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, MY ONLY QUESTION IS, IS DO WE KNOW HOW MANY NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCES ? NO. I, I'LL TAKE THAT OUT. IT'S KIND OF A, THAT'S KIND OF AN INSIGHT I WAS WAITING FOR THAT. I KNOW IT'S KIND OF AN INSIDE JOKE BETWEEN SANDY AND I. YES. UM, SO I WON'T, I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT ON THE SIDE. BUT IN ALL BUSINESS, WELL, WE HAVE TWO BALLETS, TWO BALLETS. TWO BALLETS THAT TWO BALLETS. SO MAYBE WE, YEAH, MAYBE THAT'LL ONLY BE ABOUT 20 NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCES. WHO KNOWS? BUT THAT'S OKAY. WE'LL GET YOU SOME TICKETS THOUGH. I WAS GONNA SAY MY DAUGHTERS, MY BOOK DAUGHTER'S BOTH WE'RE IN NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCES WAS REALLY GREAT. UM, I WILL SAY, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT COUNT, BUT TO, TO, TO COUNCILMAN B BAR SAYS, I, I RECOGNIZE, AT LEAST AS COMPARED TO WHEN I WAS ON THERE, I THINK THERE'S AT LEAST THREE GROUPS ON HERE THAT I SEE THAT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE NEW GROUPS AS COMPARED TO WHEN I WAS THE LIAISON BACK, UM, SEVERAL YEARS AGO. SO I THINK, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN EXPANSION. YES, THERE HAS BEEN AT LEAST. SO I, I, I'M, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT WHILE I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER, THERE'S, Y'ALL HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB AS FAR AS TRYING TO EXPAND AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, A LOT OF, A LOT OF THE GROUPS HAVING SERVED AS LIAISON, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY, THE THEY KIND OF, THEY, DEPENDING ON THE YEAR, AND AS YOU KNOW, SANDY, THEY, THEY KIND OF COME AND THEY GO. THEY COME AND THEY GO. AND SO SOME ARE, SOME ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE STALWARTS AND ARE GONNA BE ON THIS LIST PROBABLY FOREVER. SOME WILL COME, SOME WILL GO. AND THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF, I THINK THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY PART OF THE, THE NATURE OF THAT, OF, OF THAT. BUT, UM, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS. REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR EFFORTS AND, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, SANDY, I, I, UH, WE'LL JUST KIND OF WRAP UP HERE BY SAYING, OBVIOUSLY, UH, I THINK THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT OUR CITY IS WE SEEM TO RECOGNIZE AND ALMOST ARE A REGIONAL LEADER WHEN IT COMES TO THE ARTS. I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE INVESTMENTS EVEN IN THE EISMAN CENTER AND, AND EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN DOING IN TERMS OF CONTINUED, UM, FOCUS ON, ON WHAT WE DO, UH, TO HELP ARTS ORGANIZATIONS. UH, ONE OF THE NAMES THAT JUMPED OUT AT ME, AND I THINK IT WAS THE ONE, ONE OF THE ONES THAT YOU MENTIONED ALSO, WHICH WAS OUT LOUD, UM, IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, THAT STARTED WITH MAYBE THE, UH, THE EISMAN EDGE MM-HMM . UH, UH, WHICH IT'S KIND OF COOL TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, A IT GETS UNCOVERED THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AND, AND NOW IS BECOMING A, AT LEAST A YEAR OVER YEAR SUSTAINED, UM, UH, ORGANIZATION, UH, TO BE INVOLVED WITH US. SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY NEAT TO SEE THAT. I AM CURIOUS, AND I, I THINK MAYBE THIS WAS SPOKEN TO A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I, IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME ANGLE, BUT HOW MUCH OF THE TIME, UH, THAT YOU GUYS USE AS, UH, UH, UH, MEMBERS OF THE ARTS COMMISSION ARE, ARE Y'ALL DISCUSSING THINGS LIKE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANY PARTICULAR ARTS ORGANIZATION? SO ALMOST KIND OF, UM, WHETHER YOU WANNA CALL IT AN ROI OR A PAYBACK, BUT, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE PUTTING IN THIS MUCH AND HOW MUCH VIEWERSHIP, HOW MUCH ACTIVATION IS THERE IN THE ARTS BY THIS ORGANIZATION AND THAT SORT OF THING? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT GETS DISCUSSED VERY DEEPLY, OR, OR IN WHAT WAY DOES THAT GET DISCUSSED? IF IT DOES? UM, WELL, WHEN THE ARTS APPLICATIONS COME IN, UM, MCKAYLA AND THEIR, AND KAYLA AND THE STAFF THERE, THEY PUT TOGETHER AN AMAZING ANALYSIS OF ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFERENT AREAS THAT YOU ARE DISCUSSING. UH, ONE, ONE IN PARTICULAR IS, UM, THEIR IMPACT ON THE EISMAN CENTER. ARE THEY USING THAT? AND, AND WHERE, WHERE THE, UM, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THEY BRINGING IN AND WHATNOT. BUT IT ALSO FOCUSES IN ON, UM, THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF PATRONS THAT COME AND USE THEIR, THEIR, OR SEE THEIR PERFORMANCES OR PARTICIPATE IN THEIR ACTIVITIES. AND THERE'S, THERE'S MANY OTHER, UM, ROI POINTS, I GUESS IS THE, OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD. UH, MIKAYLA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE A FEW MORE? WELL, WE USE THE AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS PROSPERITY CALCULATOR, AND WE USE THE DATA POINTS THAT ARE COLLECTED IN THE APPLICATION TO CALCULATE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EACH OF THE GROUPS FOR JUST THEIR RICHARDSON PERFORMANCES. AND THAT'S DATA THAT ALL OF THE COMMISSION MEMBERS ARE GIVEN, SO THEY CAN SEE THE FULL IMPACT OF EACH GROUP. UM, AS PART OF THEIR ANALYSIS. DO, DO WE DO ANYTHING IN TERMS OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY SHOW UP TO THEIR EVENTS OR THE, EVEN THE QUALITY, FOR EXAMPLE, OF THE EVENTS. AND, AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT ANY OF IT'S LESS THAN THE BEST [00:40:01] QUALITY, BUT, UM, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, ON, ON, UH, YOU KNOW, NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCES, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXCELLENT ONES AND REALLY ALSO EXCELLENT ONES, . UM, IS THERE A, IS THERE A, UM, THERE'S NEVER A BAD NUTCRACKER THAT I'VE EVER SEEN AT LEAST, BUT, BUT I MEAN, UH, THERE ARE GRADIENTS, UM, IN THERE. YEAH, YOU WILL, YOU'LL SEE THAT WITH REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, WE THINK ABOUT THE, UM, WELL, LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT THE, UH, INSTRUMENTAL GROUPS SURE. ALL THE DIFFERENT LEVELS, YOU KNOW, AND LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE. UH, WE, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT, UH, THE, THE TOWN NORTH CONCERT BAND IS NOT EXCELLENT. I HAVEN'T HEARD THEM, BUT I SAW THEIR VIDEOS AND WHATNOT. IT, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF, OF PLAY, BUT IT, IT, IT ALSO, UM, FOCUSES IN ON A DIFFERENT CLIENTELE. YOU KNOW, IT'S THE PERSON THAT WANTS TO GO AND HEAR TOP LEVEL INSTRUMENTAL, OR THEY'RE GONNA GO TO, UM, THE CHAMBER MUSIC INTERNATIONAL, WHERE WE'RE BRINGING IN WORLD CLASS MUSICIANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HERE TO THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UM, THOSE THAT WANNA HEAR A PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA WILL GO TO THE RSO. UM, YOU KNOW, AND I, AND I, AND I, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE, UH, CHAMBERLAIN, UH, OR THE CHAMBER MUSIC INTERNATIONAL IS A HIGHER QUALITY. IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF, OF THINGS. YOU THINK ABOUT SOME OF OUR VOCAL GROUPS, WE'VE GOT OUR, UM, UM, OUR, OUR, UH, I'M LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE GUYS, BUT, UM, OUR ORGANIZATION THAT GOES OUT AND IT'S, IT'S, OH, THE, UH, RICH TONES, THE RICH TONES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, THEY REPRESENT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON AND THEY HAVE ONE WORLD CLASS COMPETITIONS YEAR AFTER YEAR AT ALL OF THESE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS. AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, OUR, UH, RICHARDSON COMMUNITY CORRAL WHERE ANYBODY CAN JOIN THAT WANTS TO SING. YOU DON'T, YOU COULD BE TONE DEAF IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE, I DON'T KNOW. I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT AGAIN. AND, AND IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT, THAT THEIR QUALITY IS LESS, IT'S JUST THAT THEY ARE, THEY ARE FOCUSED ON A DIFFERENT CLIENTELE. IT'S NOT JUST WHO'S RECEIVING THE PERFORMANCE, IT'S THOSE THAT ARE GIVING IT AS WELL. YEAH. AND SO I THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE'S DIFFERENT LEVELS. YOU CAN ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST DID THE, THE ROI OF LIKE A MONETARY, HOW MANY, WHO BRINGS IN THE MOST MONEY TO THE CITY, UM, THEN SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS WOULDN'T BE GETTING ANY MONEY FROM THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. SO, SO THEY, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO ADD SEVERAL OTHER POINTS OF CONTACT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORKING WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME YOUNG CHILDREN'S, UH, THEATERS WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE DOING, THEY'RE DOING PRACTICES ON THE LAWN AT THE CHURCH TYPE OF THING, BUT THAT IS SERVING A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF CHILDREN IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. SO WE FELT LIKE THEY WERE DOING A GOOD JOB. THEY WERE RAISING MONEY IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT AREAS, AND SO WE WANTED TO BE A PART OF THAT. YEAH. SO ANY ECOSYSTEM HAS, YOU KNOW, THE THE TOP PERFORMERS YES. AND, AND THE UPCOMING AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING. SO, AND THE OUT LOUD, THE, THE PEOPLE WITH OUT LOUD, THEY ARE DOING, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CRUSHING IT. THEY'RE CRUSHING IT. ALL OF THEIR FINANCIALS ARE AMAZING. AND SO THAT WAS ACTUALLY A, THAT WAS ACTUALLY DISCUSSED IN THE, IN THE COMMISSION. IT'S LIKE, WELL, THEY DON'T REALLY NEED OUR MONEY. AND I SAID, WELL, NO, THEY DON'T NEED OUR MONEY. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULDN'T GIVE IT TO THEM, BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT TO HAVE HERE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. AND I THINK THAT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON WANTS THEIR NAME ON THIS BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. UM, IT'S VERY PROFESSIONAL, AND IT'S ALSO REACHING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CITY. SO, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, EBB AND FLOW AND LOOK AT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO PENALIZE A, AN ORGANIZATION BECAUSE THEY ARE TOP TIER AND THEY KNOW HOW TO RAISE FUNDS, AND THEY'RE EXCELLENT. UM, BECAUSE OF ANOTHER ORGANIZATION WHO ONLY WANTS MONEY FROM, IT'S NOT THAT THEY ONLY WANT MONEY FROM US, THEY HAVE NOT APPLIED OR, OR LOOKED FOR OTHER, UH, REVENUE SOURCES. WELL, I JUST WANNA SAY IN CLOSING, UM, UH, I, FIRST OF ALL, I DIDN'T REALIZE MAYOR PROAM, THAT YOU HAD, UH, UH, SERVED AS, AS LIAISON OF THE ARTS , BUT, UH, AS, AS ALSO A FORMER, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WHO DID SERVE, UH, AS LIAISON OF THE ARTS, UH, I WANNA THANK FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN, I KNOW HOW MUCH WORK IT IS TO BE LIAISON OF THE ARTS. I KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT THINGS YOU'RE ASKED TO BE A PART OF, AND I KNOW HOW INCREDIBLY LONG THAT SATURDAY CAN BE, UH, , UH, THAT, THAT YOU GUYS, UH, TAKE PART IN. AND, AND OF COURSE TO YOU, SANDY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THESE YEARS OF SERVICE. IT'S, IT'S REALLY JUST A TESTAMENT TO THE KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PROFESSIONALISM AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE ARTS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'LL BE CELEBRATING YOU MORE AT THE, UH, CHRISTMAS PARTY OR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS DINNER, I SHOULD SAY. UH, SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE AND, UM, WELL, A WELL DESERVED RETIREMENT FROM, UH, FROM THE ARTS COMMISSION, IF NOTHING ELSE. WELL, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND OUR CITY STAFF. SO APPRECIATE IT. AND MCKAYLA, UM, MCKAYLA IS AMAZING. WE'RE SO THRILLED THAT WE GET TO HAVE HER AND KAYLA, UH, AS PART OF OUR COMMISSION. THEY [00:45:01] DO AN AMAZING JOB. SO, AND THANK YOU, CURTIS. THANK YOU AGAIN, SANDY. [5. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ATMOS ENERGY 2025 RATE REVIEW MECHANISM FILING] ALRIGHT, UH, MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE. UM, REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ATMOSPHERE ENERGY 2025 RATE REVIEW MECHANISM FILING. MR. MAGNER, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, OUR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, UH, TODD GAS IS HERE TO LEAD THE BRIEF. AND I ALSO WANNA INTRODUCE, UH, ALLIE DOBBINS. ALLIE IS OUR NEW PURCHASING AND FRANCHISE MANAGER. AND SO MOVING FORWARD, ALI'S GONNA TAKE THE LEAD ON A LOT OF, UH, THE, UH, ISSUES THAT WE RECEIVE AND, UH, WORK WITH OUR GOOD PARTNERS, UH, AT OUR, UH, UH, FRANCHISE, UH, FRANCHISES TO, UH, RESOLVE THOSE. UM, TODD'S GONNA PROVIDE YOU WITH AN OVERVIEW, UH, OF THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE AT STEERING COMMITTEE, UM, UH, PRESENTED, UH, FOR, UH, CONSIDERATION. I THINK YOU'LL SEE THEY'VE DONE A NICE JOB OF, UH, ON THE FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. AND SO, TODD, THANKS FOR, UM, TRACKING THIS SO CLOSELY WITH US OVER THE COURSE OF, UH, THIS PARTICULAR NEGOTIATION. AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO, TO PROVIDE THE DETAILS. THANK YOU, DON. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. MAYOR PROAM, COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, SO AS DON MENTIONED, I'M GOING TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW. I'M GONNA PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF, UM, THE ATMOS RATE REQUESTS THAT WE RECEIVED BACK IN APRIL, AND THEN THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST FIVE MONTHS TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AS WELL AS A RECOMMENDATION, UM, FOR SOME ACTION BY THE COUNCIL. SO A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW. SO, UH, AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE ATMO CITY STEERING COMMITTEE. UH, WE'RE ONE OF 187 CITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS COMMITTEE. UH, SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GROUP TOGETHER OUR EFFORTS TO REVIEW RATE REQUESTS AND ANY FRANCHISE RELATED ISSUES. UH, WE ALSO WORK WITH ATTORNEYS FOR THE STEERING COMMITTEE, UM, AS WELL AS SPECIALIZED RATE CONSULTANTS, UH, 'CAUSE THEY'RE THE EXPERTS TO HELP DIVE INTO THE FILINGS AND HELP PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS AND TRY TO NEGOTIATE ON BEHALF OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE. IN ALL THE MEMBER CITIES, ATMOS HAS A STATUTORY RIGHT TO RECOVER, UM, AT THE ANNUAL COST OF THEIR CAPITAL INVESTMENTS THAT THEY MAKE EACH YEAR. UM, THIS IS KNOWN BY STATUTE AS GRIP OR A GAS RELIABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM. UM, ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF GRIP IS THAT, UH, CITIES ARE NOT ENTITLED TO CHALLENGE ANY PORTION OF GRIP AS UNREASONABLE. I FEEL LIKE I KEEP GETTING FEEDBACK. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, AND SO, UH, BACK IN 2007, THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, AS WELL AS ALL THE DIFFERENT MEMBER CITIES, UM, FORMED A, A PART OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE DECIDED, UM, IN WORKING WITH ATMOS, MID TECHS TO, TO COME UP WITH AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR REVIEWING, UH, RATE REQUESTS. SO INSTEAD OF UTILIZING GRIP, UH, WHERE WE'RE NOT REALLY A PART OF THAT PROCESS, WE NOW HAVE A MUCH MORE SUBSTANTIAL REVIEW OF, OF THE FILING. AND IT'S KNOWN AS THE RATE REVIEW MECHANISM. AND THAT'S DONE EVERY YEAR IN THE SPRING. THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS FILED LOOKING AT THIS YEAR'S FILING. SO AGAIN, BACK IN APRIL, UH, WE RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM ATMOS. IT WAS FOR A $245 MILLION, UH, INCREASE IN THEIR REVENUES TO RECOVER THE COST OF THEIR INVESTMENTS THEY HAD MADE, UH, IN 2024 IN THE MID TEXT REGION. YOU CAN SEE IN THERE IN THAT GRAPHIC WHAT THAT REGION, UH, COMPRISES OF AND WHERE WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THAT, UH, LOOKING AT THEIR INVESTMENTS, IT WAS $1.4 BILLION OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR IN THE, ACROSS THE WHOLE REGION. UH, YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS THAT MAKE UP THAT, UH, THAT COST. AND THEN FOR RICHARDSON SPECIFICALLY, CLAYTON WAS, UH, WONDERFUL ENOUGH TO PROVIDE US RICHARDSON SPECIFIC DATA. AND JUST LAST YEAR, LAST CALENDAR YEAR, THERE WAS, UH, WELL OVER $17 MILLION IN CAPITAL INVESTMENTS HERE IN OUR CITY. AND SINCE 2020, THAT TOTAL IS $42.6 MILLION. SO NOW OVER THE COURSE OF THE FIVE MONTH PERIOD WHERE WE, UH, ENGAGED WITH ATMOS, UH, WE HAD SPECIALIZED RATE CONSULTANTS HELP REVIEW THE FILING. UH, WE, UH, CAME TO TERMS ON A SETTLEMENT WITH ATMOS, WHICH REDUCED THAT INITIAL REQUEST BY OVER 16% FROM THE INITIAL $245 MILLION. NOW WE HAVE A SET A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT THAT'S FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF, UH, JUST OVER $205 MILLION. SO THAT RIGHT THERE IS, UM, EMPHASIZING THE, THE GOOD WORK THAT THE STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE CONSULTANTS WE WORK WITH ARE DOING. THE KIND OF THING THAT WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO ON OUR OWN IF WE WERE REVIEWING A LARGE FILING TRYING TO, TO DO THAT OUTSIDE THE COMMITTEE, THERE ARE TWO MAIN CATEGORIES THAT RATES ARE GONNA BE IMPACTED BY WITH THIS SETTLEMENT. UM, ONE IS THE CUSTOMER CHARGE. SO THAT'S GONNA BE LIKE YOUR FIXED MONTHLY COST TO SERVE CUSTOMERS. AND THEN THE CONSUMPTION CHARGE, OBVIOUSLY BASED ON USAGE. UM, SO THAT, UM, IS IMPACTED BY THE AMOUNT OF, UH, CUBIC FEET OF GAS THAT'S, THAT'S CONSUMED. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TABLES THERE, UM, UP AT THE TOP, THE MONTHLY CUSTOMER CHARGE, YOU CAN SEE IT'S, UH, FROM THE CURRENT RATE THAT'S IN PLACE TODAY VERSUS WHAT IF APPROVED, UH, THROUGH THE SETTLEMENT WOULD BE IN EFFECT ON OCTOBER ONE. UM, SO JUST HERE IN A WEEK AND A HALF, THERE'S [00:50:01] A 3% INCREASE, UH, FOR THE BASE CHARGE FOR RESIDENTIAL, 15% FOR COMMERCIAL CONSUMPTION CHARGE. UH, DIFFERENT RATIO THERE. UH, THERE'S A MUCH LARGER INCREASE, UH, FOR RESIDENTIAL THAN COMMERCIAL ON THE, UH, THE VOLUME, UH, NUMBERS. AND SO, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT MAKES THAT UP, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OUR CONSULTANTS HELP US NAVIGATE IS TRYING TO DETERMINE BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENTS THAT ARE MADE AND WHAT THAT MAKEUP IS OF THE CUSTOMER BASE. THAT HELPS US DETERMINE AND COME TO TERMS WITH THAT MISS ON WHERE THAT NEEDS TO FALL TO ENSURE THEY RECEIVE THE RECOVERY OR REVENUES THEY NEED TO, TO BE A RELIABLE, UH, PROVIDER OF SERVICE TO, TO RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE THERE ARE FAIR, REASONABLE RATES FOR THE AVERAGE CUSTOMER TO PUT ALL THOSE DOWN TO. OKAY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN? FOR MY MONTHLY BILL, UH, AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER WOULD SEE ABOUT A 9.3% INCREASE IN THEIR BILL. UM, SO, UH, A LITTLE LESS THAN $8 PER MONTH BASED ON THE AVERAGE CONSUMPTION, UM, THAT WAS PROVIDED. AND THEN FOR THE AVERAGE COMMERCIAL CUSTOMER, THEY'RE SEEING ABOUT A 6.6% INCREASE, UM, ON THEIR BILL ABOUT $26, UH, PER MONTH. SO THE RECOMMENDATION I HAVE BEFORE YOU, UM, SO THE ATTORNEYS CONSULTANTS AS WELL AS CITY STAFF AND REVIEWING THE FILING BELIEVE THAT THE NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT IS FAIR, REASONABLE, AND WE RECOMMEND APPROVING THAT SETTLEMENT. UM, THAT'S GONNA SAVE US TIME AND MONEY VERSUS GOING THROUGH A CONTESTED PROCEEDING WITH THE RAILROAD COMMISSION. UM, AND GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS. IF WE WERE NOT TO APPROVE THIS, WE WOULD ALSO THEN BE, UM, BEARING THE RATE CASE ASSOCIATED EXPENSES IF WE WERE TO, TO DO THAT ON OUR OWN. AND, UH, WITH THAT, UH, WE RECOMMEND ADOPTING THE SETTLEMENT RATES, UM, ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA IS A RESOLUTION FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. AND IF APPROVED, THOSE RATES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT ON OCTOBER ONE. AND WITH THAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAM MARIOS. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, TODD, A COUPLE QUESTIONS. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I WAS TRYING TO LOOK IN THE PRESENTATION? DID WE HAVE THE RATE INCREASE THERE? SO WE GO THROUGH THIS EVERY YEAR, RIGHT? UM, FROM ATMOS, UM, I'D HAVE TO LOOK BACK THE EXACT DATES, BUT IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME TIMEFRAME, UH, EACH YEAR WHERE THEY'LL FILE, UH, ON OR ABOUT APRIL 1ST. AND THEN, UH, WE EITHER PROVIDE AN UPDATE, UH, VIA MEMO OR VIA PRESENTATION USUALLY IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER. UM, I BELIEVE THIS YEAR WE DID IT, UH, THROUGH MEMO, JUST PROVIDING AN UPDATE SAYING, HEY, THERE'S, UH, THIS HAS BEEN FILED, WE'LL COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION AT THE END OF THE FIVE MONTH NEGOTIATION PROCESS. SO, SO I KNOW WE LOOK AT IT EVERY YEAR. I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION AND KIND OF WHY I ASK THE QUESTIONS, BECAUSE I'M THINK I'M LOOKING AT SLIDE NUMBER EIGHT AND I SEE, OKAY, MONTHLY CUSTOMER CHARGE OF 3.1%, YOU KNOW, I GET THAT, THAT THAT SEEMS PRETTY, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE RATE OF, UH, OF INFLATION ALL OF THIS YEAR. THAT'S PROBABLY LOW COMPARED TO INFLATION. UM, THEN I LOOK AT CUSTOMER CHARGE A CONSUMPTION CHARGE OR 26, ALMOST 27%. I'M GOING, WOW, THAT'S HUGE. DID WE GO UP 20% LAST TIME? DID WE GO UP 1%? I I, AND I GUESS, WHAT ARE THE DRIVERS BEHIND THAT? BECAUSE THAT'S WAY MORE THAN JUST INFLATIONARY CHARGES AND CAN YOU, CAN YOU GIMME SOME INSIGHT? 'CAUSE THAT THAT'S A TOUGH ONE TO SWALLOW AT 27% INCREASE. UNDERSTANDABLE. AND FORTUNATELY WE DO HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE TONIGHT. THEY MAY BE ABLE TO ADD ADDITIONAL COLOR, UM, AS WELL. AFTER I'M DONE WITH MY PRESENTATION, UH, I DO HAVE SOME RATE HISTORY JUST LOOKING AT, 'CAUSE TO YOUR POINT, ANYTIME WE GET THIS, I REVIEW WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO PRIOR YEARS, YOU KNOW, IF WE START TO STACK UP ALL THE REQUESTS, HOW MUCH OF AN INCREASE ARE WE SEEING? AND JUST AS A FRAME OF REFERENCE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, ON THE, UM, ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE COMMODITY CHARGE, THERE'S BEEN A FIVE YEAR INCREASE OF ABOUT 180% IF YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE FIVE YEARS. SO TO YOUR POINT, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, UM, IT'S, IT'S IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING OVER TIME. UH, SOME YEARS, DEPENDING UPON THE MAKEUP AND WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING TO RECOVER, WHAT MAY, WHERE THAT GROWTH IN THE SYSTEM IS, WHERE THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN THE SYSTEM IS OCCURRING. WHETHER THAT BURDEN'S GONNA BE BORN MORE BY RESIDENTIAL VERSUS COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, UM, IS GOING TO CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR. BUT, UM, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, THAT PIECE OF IT, THE RESIDENTIAL CONSUMPTION, IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT FAR OUTTA LINE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. OKAY. YOU SAID THEY'RE GONNA, ATMOS IS GONNA SPEAK TO US HERE SHORTLY? YES. NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA ACTUALLY IS AT MS. PROVIDE AN UPDATE. [00:55:01] UM, SO WE THOUGHT IT HAD SOME SYNERGY THERE, HAVING THEM RIGHT AFTER ME AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SURE. COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN. HEY, MR. MAYOR. SORRY, COUNCILMAN BARRIOS COMMENTS JUST GOT ME, GOT ME THINK YOU, I NEED, I THINK IT A REFRESHER EXPLANATION WOULD BE SORT OF HELPFUL TO US, TODD. SO REALLY, I MEAN, WHILE WE'RE HERE SAYING, WHOA, THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE. I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH ENCORE, WHICH I KNOW WE HAVE THAT PRESENTATION COMING UP LAST YEAR, UM, STAFF TOLD US, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS CAN BE FRUSTRATED ABOUT ENCORE, BUT GOING AT IT ALONE IN FRONT OF THE PUC FOR ENCORE IS REALLY JUST A LOSING STRATEGY. AND SO SORT OF WITH, WITH ATMOS, I MEAN WE'RE HERE AND WE'RE PART OF THIS NEGOTIATED, RIGHT? WHERE WE HAVE INDEPENDENT PEOPLE REVIEW IT, FIGURE OUT IF IT'S REASONABLE OR NOT. BUT WHAT, I MEAN, WHAT IS REALLY THE ALTERNATIVE OR WHAT WOULD THE ALTERNATIVES BE? I MEAN, THERE ISN'T ANYWHERE ELSE FOR US TO GET OUR, OUR GAS, RIGHT? . SO I DON'T KNOW. NO, NO. YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD QUESTION THAT I PREPARED FOR, I'M JUST ASKING BECAUSE THAT WAS A QUESTION WAS, WELL WHAT IF COUNSEL DECIDES NOT TO PASS THE RESOLUTION? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR US? AND, AND I CONSULTED WITH THE ATTORNEYS FROM THE, UH, STEERING COMMITTEE MM-HMM . AND ASKED THAT EXACT QUESTION JUST SO I KNEW COULD ADDRESS THAT. YOU KNEW IT WOULD COME UP. SO, EXACTLY. UH, SO IF THE CITY DOESN'T PASS THE RESOLUTION, THEN ATMOS WOULD BE ABLE TO CHARGE THE HIGHER GRIP RATES. AH, SO THAT'D BE HIGHER THAN WHAT THIS NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT IS. UH, IF WE DECIDE TO DENY THE INCREASE OR SETTLEMENT, UM, ATLAS WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL THAT MATTER TO THE RAILROAD COMMISSION. AT THAT POINT, WE'D BE IN A LEGAL PROCEEDING. AND DUE TO A CONFLICT OF INTEREST OF OUR STEERING COMMITTEE ATTORNEYS, WE NEED TO REPRESENT OURSELVES. UH, ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES NOW IS BOTH ATLAS, AS WELL AS ON COURT, OUR RATE MAKING EXPENSES ARE NOT BORN BY THE MEMBER CITIES. UM, THAT'S A PART OF THE FILING PROCESS. IF WE WERE TO GO THAT METHOD, WE WOULD, UH, HIGHLY LIKELY HAVE TO BEAR THOSE RATE CASING EXPENSES ON OUR OWN AS WELL. SO, SO IN ADDITION TO POTENTIALLY HAVING, OR LIKELY HAVING HIGHER RATES THAN WHAT'S AGREED ON THE SETTLEMENT, WE'D ALSO BEAR LEGAL COSTS THAT WE DON'T CURRENTLY BEAR AS A PART OF, UH, THE STEERING COMMITTEE. JOE, IF I, IF I MAY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE HIGH RATES AND WE DON'T TAKE THESE LIGHTLY. THERE'S OVER 140, 150 CITIES IN EACH ONE OF THESE STEERING COMMITTEES. UM, THEY'RE THE BEST ATTORNEYS THAT, THAT WE CAN FIND AS, AS, AS A HUNDRED PLUS CITIES TO REPRESENT US. AND THEY'RE WORKING, UH, TIRELESSLY. I MEAN, WE SEE YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE SEE THE LARGE DECREASES FROM THE INITIAL REQUEST. IN THIS CASE, IT WAS WHAT, THAT 16%? 16%. AND SO, UM, I THINK THE REALITY THAT WE'RE FACED WITH IN, IN, UH, NORTH TEXAS AND TEXAS ALIKE IS THE REQUIRED INVESTMENT THAT'S BEING PUT ON THE UTILITIES. UM, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD, IF YOU THINK BACK TO, UH, TO YURI AND JUST THE, THE, THE WILD PENDULUM SWINGS THAT WE HAD IN DIFFERENT KINDS OF, UH, NATURAL WEATHER EVENTS AND, AND ALL, ALL THE, ALL THE, UM, FACTORS THAT IMPACT THESE UTILITIES. AND SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS, ON THE ONE HAND, IT'S GREAT WHEN YOU'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THE EXPENDITURE. IT'S GREAT TO SEE HOW MUCH REINVESTMENT IS TAKING PLACE IN THIS CORE INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS, IT'S VITAL NOT ONLY TO OUR CORE SERVICES, BUT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WITH ENCORE IN A SECOND. UM, BUT JUST LIKE, JUST LIKE US LOCALLY HERE, THESE UTILITIES ARE SEEING THE SAME INFLATIONARY PRESSURES. UM, THEY, THEY'RE MANDATED TO MAKE CERTAIN REINVESTMENT. UH, THANKFULLY THEY'RE GETTING AHEAD OF, UM, CERTAIN THINGS AND PROACTIVELY MAKE AN INVESTMENT. AND SO, UM, THESE, THESE INCREASES ARE NOT TAKEN LIGHTLY BY ANY MEANS. BUT, UM, THE ALTERNATIVE YOU ASKED ABOUT IS WE GO AT IT AS A SOLO ENTITY AND EITHER GO TO THE PUC OR THE RAILROAD COMMISSION AND TRY TO MAKE THE CASE THAT SOMETHING 150 OTHER CITIES HAVE AGREED TO DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. RIGHT. AND TO ME, THAT'S NEVER BEEN A GOOD OPTION. I APPRECIATE THE ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SHEMEL. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. PROBABLY I NEED A LITTLE WATER BEFORE I CAN SPEAK. UH, THE RATE IS REALLY HIGH. UH, BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SEE THE NUMBER AFTER A FEW SLIDE, AND THAT'S REALLY, IT'S NOT COMFORTING, BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS HAVE DONE SO MUCH WORK BEHIND. SO, AND I SEE THE SLIDE, IT SAYS THAT STAFF RECOMMEND THIS. UH, SO, AND I, YOU KNOW, AND THEN ALSO THE EXPLANATION GIVEN BY, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER, DON MAGNER, THAT IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, NEGOTIATED WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE TOGETHER. SO, SO THERE IS EXPLANATION [01:00:01] WHY THIS THING HAPPEN. THIS PERSON JUST CAME, UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, END OF THE DAY IS DIFFICULT FOR THE RESIDENTS HERE. SO, UH, FOR MANY FAMILIES GONNA BE VERY DIFFICULT, UH, TO ADJUST THIS BECAUSE IT'S NOT COMING. JUST ONE THING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS HAPPENING SAME TIME. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, END OF THE DAY IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE COUNCIL. I MEAN, AT LEAST FOR ME TO SAY YES. BUT I DO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE LOTS OF WORK HAS BEEN DONE. UH, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTION, UH, BUT I'M GONNA BE ASKING ATMOS ON THAT. BUT I DO SEE THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, REPLACING THE ONLINE EVERYWHERE. SO IT'S A GOOD THING. BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY HAVE TO PAY THOSE. SO THERE, THERE ARE SOME EXPLANATION. I'M GONNA BE ASKING FOR THAT. UH, BUT, UH, BUT THE NUMBER LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, BIG. HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WE'RE NOT GONNA SEE, I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE LAST YEAR WAS NOT THAT GOOD EITHER. SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR, UH, ALL THE HARD WORK YOU HAVE DONE. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN VARUS. THANK YOU, MAYOR TODD. UH, YOU AND DON JUST MENTIONED THE STEERING COMMITTEE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE STEERING COMMITTEE SIZE, HOW IT'S MADE UP, WHO CHOOSES THAT, AND KIND OF MAYBE INFORM US, UH, YOU KNOW, TEACH US WHAT EXACTLY, UM, HOW THAT GOES ABOUT AND HOW THEY GO, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY'RE FORMED AND WHAT THAT PROCESS IS. SURE. SO WHEN YOU THINK OF A COMMITTEE, UM, THINK IT ON STEROIDS FROM THE STANDPOINT, 187 CITIES ARE PART OF THIS ONE. AS DON MENTIONED, WE HAVE A SIMILAR ONE FOR ENCORE, UH, ACTIVITIES AS WELL. NOT QUITE AS MANY CITIES, BUT VERY LARGE. AGAIN, WELL OVER 140, 150, UH, CITIES. AND SO, UM, WE, WE ARE A PART OF THAT. UM, AND BASICALLY THIS WAS, UH, A PROCESS THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE A FEW DECADES AGO TO SAY, INSTEAD OF US GOING THIS ALONE, WE NEED TO GROUP TOGETHER AND GROUP OUR EFFORTS TO TRY AND HAVE EXPERTS THAT CAN REVIEW THESE FILINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE ON OUR OWN OR THE STAFF TIME OR EXPERTISE TO DO OURSELVES. SO AS FAR AS THE COMMITTEE ITSELF, SO EVERY QUARTER, UH, WE HAVE MEETINGS WHERE, UH, WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM ATMOS AND ENCORE TYPICALLY ATTEND AND PROVIDE UPDATES ON KEY UPDATES GOING ON. THEY WILL MENTION IF THERE'S, UH, IF THEY HAVE A FILING COMING UP OR IF THERE'S AN ONGOING CASE, SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THEY CAN PROVIDE. THE, UH, ATTORNEYS FOR THE STEERING COMMITTEE ALSO PROVIDE A LOT OF FEEDBACK DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SO WE CAN KEEP AHEAD OF AND BE AWARE OF ANY MAJOR CHANGES THAT ARE GOING DOWN IN, UH, AUSTIN AND WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE FOR US AND OUR RESIDENTS. UM, AND SO THERE'S REGULAR COMMUNICATION FROM THAT STANDPOINT IN ADDITION TO THEM BEING THE EXPERTS TO HELP US KIND OF NAVIGATE THE, UH, THE FILING PROCESS AND REVIEW. SO, SO YOU SAY WE AND STEERING COMMITTEE, I'M SORRY. ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE? IS THIS LIKE THE CITY AS A WHOLE? THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, THE CITY. SO ARE YOU A REPRESENTATIVE? YES. OR IS THERE MYSELF AND ALLIE, MYSELF AND ALLIE, ONE OR BOTH OF US ATTEND THE COMMITTEE, UH, THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. OKAY. SO, AND I'M ASSUMING EVERY CITY THAT IS SIMILAR SIZE THAT WOULD HAVE SIMILAR TYPE STAFF MEMBERS, THEY ALL, SO IT'S A HUGE COMMITTEE. WE'RE NOT TALKING 20 PEOPLE. THIS IS SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A HUGE COMMITTEE. COUPLE, I CAN'T SAY 187 SHOW UP. YEAH. UH, THEY'RE USUALLY VIRTUAL MEETINGS, BUT, UM, CERTAINLY SOME OF THE LARGE ONES, SOME OF OUR BROTHER AND SISTER CITIES ARE MORE ACTIVE, UH, FROM THAT STANDPOINT. UM, BUT AGAIN, TODD, I THINK IF COUNCILMAN VAR, I THINK THAT IF THE DISTINCTION HERE IS YOU'RE NOT DOING THE EVALUATION AND NEGOTIATION THAT'S FAR, THAT'S FAR MORE COMPLICATED THAN ANYBODY ON OUR STAFF HAS THE EXPERTISE TO, WE, THE, THE, THE IDEA OF PULLING TOGETHER ALL THESE RESOURCES IS WE'RE ABLE TO GO OUT AND FIND THE BEST EXPERTS IN THIS FIELD THAT WE CAN, TO VET ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, TO ESSENTIALLY VET THE ASSUMPTIONS AND THE REQUEST, UM, THAT THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE BUILT ON BY THE UTILITIES. AND THEN WHERE WE BELIEVE THERE, WHERE THE EXPERTS BELIEVE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO GO BACK TO PUSH BACK, QUITE FRANKLY, AND TO CHALLENGE THE UTILITIES. THAT'S WHAT THEY DO ON OUR BEHALF. YOU KNOW, WE'RE THERE MORE AND, AND A RECEIVING CAPACITY. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK ANY CITY HAS THAT, THAT KIND OF EXPERTISE ON THEIR OWN STAFF. THE BENEFIT OF THE, OF THE POOLING, THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT AND GET THE, THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST TO REPRESENT US. AND THESE NEGOTIATIONS, WHICH ARE INCREDIBLY, UH, COMPLICATED. I MEAN, THESE FILINGS ARE HUNDREDS OF PAGES MM-HMM . UM, YEAH. AND, AND INCLUDE GREAT, GREAT DETAIL THAT IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT PARTICULAR UTILITY, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA REALLY BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, ASK, ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND, AND PUSH BACK IN THE RIGHT WAYS. SO, SO WHEN YOU SAY EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, [01:05:01] YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LEGAL EXPERTS THAT DEAL WITH UTILITIES AND YES. IN THIS LEGAL SPACE. YES, SIR. GOT IT. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING, AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S WORK ON THAT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. COUNCIL MEMBER. COR, SORRY, JUST, I'M SORRY. NEVERMIND. UM, TODD, YES, SIR. I IMAGINE SOMEWHERE THERE'S PROBABLY A SUMMARY OR SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT FINDINGS IN TERMS OF, AT SOME LEVEL THE EXPERTS DECIDED THE 26.7% WAS REASONABLE, CONSIDERING ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, I'M ASSUMING, UM, ARE THOSE PUBLISHED SOMEWHERE OR IS THERE A A GOOD PLACE TO BE ABLE, IF, IF SOMEONE WAS INTERESTED IN DIGGING DEEPER INTO SOME OF THIS STUFF, IS THERE A PLACE WHERE SOME OF THAT STUFF'S PUBLISHED OR ANY OF THAT INFORMATION IS KIND OF SHOWCASED? I'M GONNA ASK FOR IT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. TOMORROW. THANK YOU. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION TO THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL, I DON'T USUALLY GET A SUMMARY SAYING WHY THIS NUMBER MAKES SENSE, WHY THAT NUMBER MAKES SENSE, BUT I'M GONNA CERTAINLY FOLLOW UP TOMORROW WITH OUR, UH, CONSULTANT. I EXPLAIN WHAT WE, EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO RECEIVE. I'M SORRY, I SAID, EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO RECEIVE. OH, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THEY, THEY PROVIDE, UM, THE BACKGROUND JUST OUTLINING, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WAS REQUESTED. YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE AVERAGE BILL COMPARISON, GOING DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, UH, AVERAGE CUSTOMER USAGE. THEY'RE REALLY, THEY'RE REVIEWING THE PENSION ASSUMPTIONS, THE RATE OF RETURN. I MEAN, VERY, VERY DETAILED STUFF. TO DON'S POINT, UM, I THINK THIS FILING WAS JUST SHY OF 200 PAGES. ENCORE HAS A SIMILAR ONE, IF NOT LARGER. SO, UM, IT'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO GO THROUGH. UM, AND THEN THEY PROVIDE THE INFORMATION FOR US TO SAY, THESE ARE THE KEY POINTS TO HIT ON, TO SAY, THIS IS WHY WE DO FEEL IT, LIKE IT'S REASONABLE. SO AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, THEY'RE MAKING SURE, OR THEY'RE HELPING SAFEGUARD US FROM ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE PROFITS BEING TAKEN BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS THAT THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY PROFIT CREATING, IT'S JUST KEEPING, KEEPING THE, THE, THE BOATS MOVING FORWARD. YOU KNOW, I I LOOK AT IT LIKE, LIKE WHEN WE VET A PRO FORMA, RIGHT? RIGHT. I MEAN, THEY COME IN, THEY HAVE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS THAT THEY HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE, THESE ARE MANDATES. YEP. THEY HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY WANNA DO, JUST LIKE WE WANT TO DO WHEN WE WENT MAINTAIN OUR WATER AND SEWER LINES, THEY PUT COST ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS. AND SO WE HAVE THESE EXPERTS TO GO VET THOSE ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE BUILT INTO THAT PROFORMA, THAT PROFORMA DRIVES THE RATE OF RETURN THAT THEY HAVE TO ACHIEVE. RIGHT. AND THEN WE, WE VET THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS A REASONABLE RATE OF RETURN IN LIGHT OF WHAT THEY'RE REQUIRED TO DO OR WHAT THEY WANNA DO. AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THERE IS, THERE IS THAT PROACTIVE ELEMENT THAT, UM, I THINK, UH, AND, AND I THINK EACH OF THE PRESENTATIONS TALKS ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE LOCALLY INVESTED HERE THROUGH OVER THE, EITHER THE LAST YEAR OR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, HOWEVER Y'ALL ARE GONNA PRESENT IT TONIGHT. UM, SO I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT IS A SAFEGUARDING PROCESS THAT ALLOWS, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND FOLKS THAT DO THIS ALL DAY EVERY DAY TO REPRESENT US IN THE MINUTIA OF THAT 200 PAGE FILING TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH BACK AND SAY, THIS SEEMS A LITTLE HIGH, OR THAT SEEMS LIKE YOU DON'T NEED TO DO AS MUCH OF THAT, EXPLAIN TO US WHY. UM, AND THEN EITHER THEY ACCEPT THAT OR THEY DON'T. AND THAT'S HOW, OFTENTIMES FROM THE INITIAL FILING AND THAT INITIAL REQUEST, WE SEE THAT NUMBER COME DOWN SOMETIMES QUITE SUBSTANTIALLY, SOMETIMES IN THE, THE 20 PLUS, YOU KNOW, 20 PLUS PERCENT. ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, 16 IS A, IS A, IS A, IS A GOOD NUMBER AS WELL. YEAH. I, I'M, UH, I'M GONNA JUST WRAP MY COMMENTS BY SAYING I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF SUPPORTING WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAS PUT TOGETHER AND WHAT YOU GUYS ARE RECOMMENDING. UM, UH, I DO THINK, UH, CLAYTON, WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO, TO TO SPEAK HERE, UH, I'M, I'M HOPING THAT WHAT I CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND IS BECAUSE WE'VE, WE JUST WENT THROUGH SOME REALLY DEEP DIVES WITH WATER, AND THE UNDERSTANDING IS HOW MUCH WATER THERE REALLY EXISTS AND HOW YOU CAN'T JUST BUILD NEW WATER REAL EASILY. SO UNDERSTANDING THAT IN THE GAS SENSE IS GONNA BE HELPFUL PER, PERHAPS FOR ME AND MAYBE FOR OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY IS DRIVING THIS, UH, THIS, THIS MASSIVE THING THAT CLEARLY MUST BE FAIR BASED ON THE NUMBERS, BECAUSE EXPERTS HAVE REVIEWED IT. AND, AND, AND, AND THOSE ARE THE RIGHT NUMBERS. BUT I JUST DON'T, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE, WHAT ELSE GOES WITH IT. BECAUSE WITH WATER, I THINK IT'S TANGIBLE ENOUGH TO WHERE MOST OF US CAN UNDERSTAND YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH WATER, WE GOTTA BUILD MORE LAKES. WE GOTTA TRANSFER THAT WATER FROM SUCH A, A LONGER DISTANCE AND ALL THOSE OTHER ELEMENTS. UM, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW MUCH WATER HAS INCREASED AND HOW SENSITIVE, I THINK ALL OF US ARE TO THAT, AND THEN TO SEE OTHER UTILITIES ALSO INCREASING AT SOMEWHAT OF A SIMILAR, UH, RATE, IT JUST MAKES IT THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, AS, AS STEWARDS OR, UH, UH, VOICES OF OUR RESIDENTS, THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT YOU'RE HEARING HERE. MM-HMM . SO, UM, UH, MAYOR PROAM, YOU'RE [01:10:01] GONNA BE NEXT. AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER WE'RE GONNA ASK, TRY TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANNA WAIT AND HEAR FROM ATMOS DIRECTLY BEFORE WE ASK TOO MUCH MORE, UH, UN UNLESS IT'S ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD APPROVE, UH, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, ITEM, UH, THAT, THAT WE'LL BE VOTING ON IN A MOMENT. MAYOR PROTO MENTION MATTER, THIS IS A 50 50. SO TODD, I WANNA SPECIFICALLY ASK, ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE HEARD, NOT ONLY FROM RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO FROM BUSINESSES, IS THAT OVER THE PAST, AT LEAST THREE TO FOUR YEARS, EVERY TIME WE HAVE A, UM, STORM YURI OR ONE OF THESE OTHER STORMS IS THAT ATMOS IS GOING TO COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIES AND SAYING, YOU NEED TO, YOU NEED TO TURN DOWN THE AMOUNT OF GAS YOU'RE USING. YOU NEED TO TURN THAT DOWN. YOU NEED TO TURN THAT DOWN. YOU NEED TO BRING IT DOWN, OR YOU'RE GONNA GET, ARE WE GONNA HAVE TO RATION YOU? IS THAT CONSIDERED WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS? BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT ARE GETTING, GETTING REALLY TIRED OF GETTING THAT MESSAGE EVERY WINTER STORM. UM, AND SO DO YOU KNOW, IS THAT CONSIDERED AS A PART OF THIS? AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK, I'LL ASK OUR REPRESENTATIVE FOR MATT SPECIFICALLY, ARE THEY ADDRESSING THAT? BECAUSE I'M HEARING THAT MORE AND MORE AND MORE FROM BUSINESSES THAT THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO TURN DOWN THE, THE AMOUNT OF GAS THAT THEY'RE USING DURING THESE WINTER STORMS. SO I, IS THAT CONSIDERED IN THIS PRICE INCREASE? BECAUSE THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY GOING THERE, BUT IF, IF OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR, AND, AND SOMEWHAT RESIDENCES ARE GETTING LESS SERVICE, I MEAN, AT LEAST WITH THE WATER, YOU KNOW, SO FAR THEY HAVEN'T COME AND SAID, WELL, NEXT TIME WE HAVE A DAYS AT 105 OR WHATEVER, WE'RE GONNA SHUT YOUR WATER DOWN. UM, BUT ATMOS HAS CONSISTENTLY DONE THAT FOR SEVERAL, SEVERAL WINTERS IN A ROW. AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, IS THAT, IS THAT CONSIDERED IN HERE TO TRY TO SAY, OKAY, ARE Y'ALL GONNA GET PAST THAT POINT? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE WHAT I'M ASKING? I THINK IT DOES. I'M GONNA LET CLAYTON ADDRESS THAT. ONE THING I DO JUST WANT TO REITERATE TO YOURSELF AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE COUNCIL IS, SO TO RECALL, THIS IS FOR RECOVERING CAPITAL INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. SO $1.4 BILLION IN CAPITAL INVESTMENTS WERE MADE. THIS IS TRYING TO KIND OF AMORTIZE THAT OUT OVER SEVERAL YEARS. THE PAY BACK, BACK TO THEM. NO, UNDERSTAND. YEAH. SO TERMS OF DECISIONS THEY MAKE OR DIRECTION WITH BUSINESSES, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. YEAH. I THINK KEN, I, I, I, I MEAN, UH, MAYOR PRO TEMPERATURE, I THINK THAT ABSOLUTELY. I THINK ABSOLUTELY YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IT IS, AND BOTH FROM ATMOS AND ENCORE, UM, THE, THE CAPACITY, WE HAVE CAPACITY CHALLENGES IN NORTH TEXAS, IF NOT TEXAS, UH, AROUND ALL OF OUR UTILITIES. IT'S THE BLESSING OF BEING IN THE, PROBABLY THE MOST ROBUST METROPLEX IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, THE GROWTH THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING. BUT JUST LIKE, LIKE A LOT OF CITIES HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING UP WITH THAT GROWTH. I THINK THE UTILITIES ARE GONNA TELL YOU THEY DO AS WELL. AND SO I THINK THAT PART OF WHAT WE ARE PAYING FOR IS THAT ADDITIONAL CAPACITY TO TRY TO NOT ONLY MAINTAIN WHAT WE CAN TODAY AND ALLOW THEM BOTH ON POWER AND GAS TONIGHT. UM, NOT TO, NOT ONLY TO, TO PROVIDE THAT ADEQUATE SERVICE TO OUR CURRENT CUSTOMERS, BUT TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS, UM, HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. THAT'S WHY I INVITED BOTH TONIGHT. UM, I THINK BOTH OF THESE UTILITIES EVERY BIT AS MUCH AS WATER AND WASTEWATER CAPACITY ARE BIG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR NORTH TEXAS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH GROWTH WE'VE EXPERIENCED. I THINK THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT THAT YOU'RE SEEING, JUST LIKE, I MEAN, THE CONVERSATION CONVERSATION'S VERY SIMILAR TO THE WATER DISTRICT. I MEAN, THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, IS A NECESSITY BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF GROWTH THAT WE'VE SEEN HERE IN NORTH TEXAS. YEAH. AND WE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE. WE JUST HAVEN'T, WE JUST HAVEN'T HEARD YEP. FROM THERE, THE KIND OF THE MY WORDS DRACONIAN APPROACH OF, WELL, WE'RE GONNA LIMIT YOUR, TURN IT OFF. WE'RE GONNA METER YOUR GAS DOWN. HAVEN'T HEARD THAT OUT OF THE WATER. CERTAINLY HEARD IT OUT OF GAS. AND SO THAT'S THE REASON I'M ASKING. I'M ASKING THE QUESTION. SO, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ENOR HAD THAT WITH ROLLING BLACKOUTS IN SEVERAL TIMES AND WELL, YEAH, I WAS GONNA GET THERE LATER. , WE'RE ON GAS RIGHT NOW. THAT QUESTION WILL BE COMING AS WELL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MEAN, JUST THE LAST, THE LAST THING I'LL SAY NOW THAT I REALLY HAVE MY THOUGHTS GATHERED ON THIS, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DART AND THE WATER DISTRICT AND ATMOS IS THAT ATMOS IS FOR PROFIT. AND I THINK, JUST SO THAT'S ON THE RECORD, WHEN PEOPLE LOOK BACK AT THIS, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEIR STOCK PRICE PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE GROWTH, 'CAUSE OF OTHER FACTORS HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK MY THOUGHT THERE JUST BEING THAT I CAN ENVISION A SITUATION FOR PROFIT, NOT-FOR-PROFIT, LIKE WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE CITIES DO FEEL AT SOME POINT THERE IS A BREAKING POINT. AND I CAN SEE A SITUATION WHERE, HEY, IF WE WANNA RESOLVE THIS SOMEHOW A GROUP OF CITIES DO PULL THEIR RESOURCES AND DO TAKE IT TO THE ROAD COMMISSION. I'M NOT SAYING LIKE YOU MAYOR, I FULLY INTEND TO SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION TONIGHT. YEAH. BUT I CAN SEE THAT BEING A SITUATION THAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE AT SOME POINT. I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT AND SAY THAT PUBLICLY. COUNCIL MEMBER VARS. [01:15:01] YEAH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN CORCORAN. WHAT I WAS THINKING EARLIER, AND YOU SAID IT MUCH MORE ELOQUENTLY, UM, WHAT I WAS THINKING EARLIER WAS, YOU KNOW, THE SITUATION AROUND WHAT HAP WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH DART, YOU KNOW, WHERE CITIES ARE GETTING TOGETHER. AND AS YOU POINT OUT, IT IS A FOR-PROFIT. AND I REALLY WISH, AND THIS IS A KIND OF A SIDE NOTE TO STAFF, AND I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT IF WE'RE COMING AND PRESENTING TO THIS, TO OUR RESIDENTS AT A 27% INCREASE, DON, IF YOU CAME AND SAID WE WERE INCREASING ANY DEPARTMENT BUDGET BY OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT, OR INCREASING ATTACKS BY SUCH, ANYWHERE NEAR THAT NUMBER, THERE WOULD BE EXTENSIVE, EXTENSIVE DATA SHOWING EXACTLY WHY AND WHAT WAS CUT AND WHAT, WHAT WAS HAPPENING, VERSUS I FEEL LIKE WE'RE COMING FROM, AGAIN, A NON-PROFIT, A FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION SAYING WE'RE INCREASING RATES BY ALMOST 27%. AND AS OF NOW, WHILE HE'S STILL GONNA TALK, I'M NOT SEEING WHERE THAT IS. AND WHAT I KNOW IS THAT EVERY TIME WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A PROJECT PAUSED INTO CITY, A PUBLIC UTIL, YOU KNOW, IT'S USUALLY 'CAUSE WE'RE WAITING ON UTILITIES. 'CAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK THEY HAVE UNDERGROUND. 'CAUSE WE'RE WAITING ON THEM TO FIX SOMETHING, WAITING ON THEM TO GIVE US INFORMATION. AND YET THEY COME AND GIVE US AN INCREASE LIKE THIS. WE CAN'T, THERE IS A BREAKING POINT. WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO ALLOW THIS. AND FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY OF SAYING IT, THEY HAVE US BY, AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE REALLY CAN DO HERE. BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT STAFF, IF ANY UTILITY OR ANYBODY COMES AND TRIES TO GIVE US A RATE LIKE THIS, THAT WE WOULD HAVE THIS SPEND SOME TIME AND REALLY SHOWING US WHAT WAS CUT, WHY IS IT ABSOLUTELY NEEDING TO BE INCREASED? BECAUSE THAT'S A HUGE INCREASE, AND THAT'S A HARD ONE TO SOLVE OUR RESIDENTS AND AGREED THAT MAYBE WE DO NEED TO START LOOKING, TALKING TO OTHERS AND SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S HAPPENING WITH DART AND DART'S NOT DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SO, SO COUNCILMAN VARS, UH, IF THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE, UH, STEERING COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES, UH, THE ATTORNEYS COME AND GET INTO THAT DETAIL, WE'RE HAPPY TO FACILITATE THAT. UM, THAT HASN'T BEEN THE, THAT HASN'T BEEN THE REQUEST IN IN PRIOR YEARS. AGAIN, UH, WE COULD PROBABLY SPEND A WHOLE, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEETING JUST ON THIS ONE TOPIC, LETTING 'EM GOING THROUGH THAT, THAT IF THAT'S THE COUNCIL'S DESIRE, WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FACILITATE THAT AND HAVE THE EXPERTS COME IN AND PROVIDE THAT DETAIL. AND FOR THE RECORD, I WILL SUPPORT IT BECAUSE I DO NOT THINK WE NEED TO BE PUTTING OUR CITY AS THE LONE RANGER OUT THERE. MM-HMM . SO I WILL, I WILL RESPECT DOD AND DON AND KEN, I'M SURE HAD HIS HANDS ALL OVER THIS AS WELL AND MANY OTHERS. I WILL SU SUPPORT Y'ALL, UH, IN THIS AND YOUR RECOMMENDATION. BUT AGAIN, IT, IT IS A HARD ONE TO SWALLOW. SO WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. UH, TODD, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, I THINK YOU'LL PROBABLY GET US TO SUPPORT WHAT, WHAT'S BEEN PUT OUT THERE, BUT WITH, UH, OBVIOUSLY SOME, SOME DISCOMFORT AS, AS HAS ALREADY BEEN, UH, STATED. ALRIGHT, [6. REVIEW AND DISCUSS ATMOS ENERGY OPERATIONAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES] UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX, REVIEW AND DISCUSS ATMOS ENERGY, OPERATIONAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES. MR. MAGNER, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I I BELIEVE WE CAN, UH, CONSIDER TONIGHT THE FIRST, UH, UM, IMPORTANT STEP IN HELPING, UH, TO IMPLEMENT THE TACTICS THAT WE DESCRIBED, UH, RECALL UNDER THE TACTIC OF LEVERAGE OUR REGIONAL, UH, POSITION TO POSITIVELY IMPACT, UM, UH, ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US. EXAMINE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR COUNCIL TO STRENGTHEN ITS PURPOSEFUL ENGAGEMENT AND DIALOGUE WITH OUR FRANCHISEES WAS ONE OF THOSE TACTICS. TONIGHT WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE, UM, WITH US, UH, CLAYTON CHILDS, WHO'S THE AGNES ENERGY MANAGER, UM, OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, UM, WITH US TO, UH, PROVIDE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF, UH, ATMOS, UH, CURRENT, UH, WORK PLAN, THEIR CONSIDERATIONS, UH, AS THEY LOOK TO THE FUTURE. UM, AND THEN, UH, CLAYTON, UM, UM, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT, UH, THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. UH, CLAYTON, I'LL GO AHEAD AND, UH, ASK YOU TO JUST MAYBE INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM, UH, UH, THAT YOU HAVE HERE WITH YOU. JUST, UH, UH, MEAN TO, TO ALL THREE OF YOU. UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL AND WE APPRECIATE YOU. SO CLAYTON, LEMME TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR FURTHER BRIEFING. AWESOME. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF, I APPRECIATE THE TIME. UH, YOU HAVE ALLOWED ME TO COME AND PRESENT TO YOU ALL. UM, AS DON MENTIONED, MY NAME IS CLAYTON CHILDS. I'M THE MANAGER OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS THAT, UM, IS SUPPORTING THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UM, IN ADDITION WITH ME, I DO HAVE OUR OPERATIONS MANAGER, DUSTIN POWELL, AS WELL AS MY MANAGER, JOHN MAGELLA. UM, AND THEN JOY IS HERE AS WELL TO HELP, UM, JUST OBSERVE. SO, UM, WANNA GO AHEAD AND, AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE. I KNOW [01:20:01] THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS ON THE RRM SPECIFICALLY, AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WOULD RATHER ASK THOSE QUESTIONS PRIOR TO THE PRESENTATION OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE PRESENTATION, UM, AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AFTER YOU SEE, UH, SOME OF THE ITEMS I'LL BE PRESENTING ON. DO, DO YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD A BUNCH OF THE INITIAL THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS? DO YOU THINK THE PRESENTATION WOULD PROBABLY HELP AT LEAST CREATE A BACKGROUND FOR IT? UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, MAYOR, I THINK THE, THE PRESENTATION, AND THIS IS, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT SEPARATE. UM, OBVIOUSLY OUR INVESTMENT INTO, INTO RICHARDSON, UM, DOES PLAY A BIG PIECE INTO THAT, INTO THAT, UH, RM HEARING. YEAH. UM, BUT A LOT OF THE ITEMS THAT I WILL SPEAK ON IS, ARE SOME AROUND, SOME ITEMS AROUND SAFETY, SOME OF OUR CHARITABLE GIVING, UM, AS WELL AS TALKING ABOUT OUR INVESTMENT IN RICHARDSON. WHY DON'T WE START WITH THAT STUFF AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE QUESTIONS. OKAY. AS THEY'VE BEEN DIGESTED. . THANK YOU. PERFECT. I APPRECIATE IT. YEP. . ALRIGHT. UM, SO JUST AS I MENTIONED FOR A QUICK OVERVIEW, IF I JUST CLICK RIGHT. OKAY. UM, AND SO JUST KIND OF A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, UM, THIS PRESENTATION. SO I'M GONNA START BY JUST GIVING YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW OF ATMOS ENERGY AS A WHOLE, UM, DIVING INTO SOME SAFETY ITEMS AND SOME OF OUR SAFETY INITIATIVES, UM, TOUCHING ON CHARITABLE GIVING. AND THEN, UM, WE'LL REALLY DIVE INTO THE NUMBERS SPECIFICALLY FOR RICHARDSON. UM, AND SO OUR FOOTPRINT, SO ATMOS ENERGY IS THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST NATURAL GAS ONLY DISTRIBUTOR. AND WE SAFELY DELIVER, UH, A RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE, EFFICIENT, AND ABUNDANT NATURAL GAS, UH, TO MORE THAN 3 MILLION CUSTOMERS, UM, ACROSS 1400 COMMUNITIES IN OUR EIGHT STATES. UM, WE DO HAVE REGULATED UTILITIES, UM, IN THE STATES THAT YOU SEE ABOVE HERE. SO WE DO HAVE COLORADO, KANSAS, TEXAS, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, KENTUCKY, TENNESSEE, AND VIRGINIA. UM, WE OWN AND OPERATE APPROXIMATELY 79,000 MILES OF NATURAL GAS PIPELINE AND SERVE SOME OF THE FASTEST GROWING AND MOST VIBRANT COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY. OUR VISION AT ATMOS ENERGY IS TO BE THE SAFEST PROVIDER OF NATURAL GAS. UH, WE RECOGNIZE, BE RECOGNIZED FOR EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL AS BEING A GREAT EMPLOYER AND ACHIEVING SU SUPERIOR FINANCIAL RESULTS. UM, AND I DID JUST WANNA POINT OUT, AS PART OF OUR VISION, UH, WE ARE MODERNIZING OUR BUSINESS IN INFRASTRUCTURE WHILE CONTINUING TO INVEST IN SAFETY, INNOVATION, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, AND OUR COMMUNITIES. WE ARE INVESTING APPROXIMATELY $2 BILLION A YEAR IN SYSTEM UPGRADES TO PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS WITH SAFE AND RELIABLE NATURAL GAS SERVICE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. ALRIGHT. AND THEN HERE IS ATMOS ENERGY BY THE NUMBERS. UM, SO ATMOS ENERGY IS ACTUALLY HOME TO TWO UTILITY DIVISIONS, OUR MID TEXT DIVISION AS WELL AS OUR WEST TEXAS DIVISION. AND YOU CAN SEE ABOVE, UH, THE OVERVIEW OF OUR, OF OUR ENTIRE EIGHT STATES. SO 3.4 MILLION CUSTOMERS ACROSS 1400 COMMUNITIES, UM, ABOUT ROUGHLY 80,000 MILES OF PIPELINE, UM, WITH $2.9 BILLION INVESTED INTO OUR COMMUNITIES LAST YEAR. THE MID TEXT DIVISION, WHICH RICHARDSON IS A PART OF, YOU CAN SEE HERE AS A TOTAL, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 1.8 MILLION CUSTOMERS ACROSS 550 COMMUNITIES, UM, WITH $1.4 BILLION INVESTED LAST YEAR ALONE. ALRIGHT. AND AS I MENTIONED, OUR VISION IS TO BE THE SAFEST PROVIDER OF NATURAL GAS. SO SAFETY DRIVES EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. UM, AND WE ARE DOING OUR PART, UM, I APOLOGIZE. UM, WITH A COMMITMENT TO BE THE SAFEST PROVIDER OF NATURAL GAS SERVICES, THE SAFETY OF ATMOS ENERGY ENERGY'S EMPLOYEES, OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR COMMUNITIES ARE ALWAYS A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR US. IT'S AT THE CORE OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. UM, I DID WANNA POINT OUT IN TERMS OF TRAINING, UM, 'CAUSE THAT IS A BIG PART OF OUR SAFETY CULTURE IS THE TRAINING THAT WE DO PROVIDE TO OUR EMPLOYEES. UM, ATMOS ENERGY FIELD EMPLOYEES DO RECEIVE EXTENSIVE IN-PERSON VIRTUAL, UH, AND HANDS-ON TRAINING. WE HAVE A, UH, THE CHARLES K. VAUGHN CENTER IS OUR TRAINING CENTER OVER IN PLANO, TEXAS. AND SINCE IT OPENED IN 2010, UM, WE HAVE LOGGED A LITTLE OVER 2 MILLION HOURS OF TRAINING IN THAT BUILDING. AND THEN JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO ONE OF OUR SAFETY MASKS, OUR SAFETY AMBASSADORS, WHICH IS ROSIE THE SKUNK. UM, SHE REMINDS YOU TO USE ALL OF YOUR SENSES WHEN DETECTING A NATURAL GAS LEAK. AS Y'ALL KNOW, NATURAL GAS IS ODORLESS. UM, IN FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORS, UH, REGULATIONS DO REQUIRE THAT UTILITIES ADD. UM, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, UH, THE ROTTEN, DISTINCTIVE ROTTEN SKUNK SMELL. UM, ONE OF ROSIE'S SAYINGS IS SMELL GAS ACT FAST. IF YOU DO SMELL, UH, IF YOU DO SUSPECT A NATURAL GAS LEAK, PLEASE LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY, CALL 9 1 1 FROM A SAFE DISTANCE AND ATMOS ENERGY'S 24 HOUR TOLL-FREE NUMBER AND THEN GO OVER HOMEOWNER SAFETY AS WELL. UM, OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SAFER WHEN OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, ARE EDUCATED AND UNDERSTAND HOW TO SAFELY USE THE NATURAL GAS THAT WE DELIVER TO THEIR HOMES. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE CONTINUALLY EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW TO, UM, NOT ONLY DETECT LEAKS, BUT ALSO PREVENT ACCIDENTS. [01:25:01] OUR CUSTOMERS RECEIVE THEIR GAS THROUGH MAIN AND SERVICE LINES THAT LEAD UP TO THEIR HOMES AND BUSINESSES AND OUR EMPLOYEES ARE PROVIDED WITH EXTENSIVE TRAINING TO ENSURE THAT THE NATURAL GAS IS DELIVERED SAFELY. AND THE EQUIPMENT WE USE TO MONITOR AND MEASURE OUR SYSTEM IS IN WORKING ORDER. UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE DIAGRAM UP THERE DOES OUTLINE WHICH PARTS OF THE NATURAL GAS LINES ARE, UH, OWNED AND OPERATED BY ATMOS ENERGY, AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARE OWNED AND, UM, BY THE CUSTOMER. OKAY. AND THEN ADVANCED LEAK DETECTION TECHNOLOGY. WE ARE MONITORING OUR SYSTEM 24 7 AND PART OF THAT MONITORING DOES INCLUDE LEAK SURVEYS. WE USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY LIKE BACARO CARS, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT'S PICTURED UP THERE, UH, TO DETECT LEAKS ON OUR SYSTEM. WE OPERATE 12:00 AM LD UNITS IN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA AND RECENTLY ADDED NEW UNITS IN COLORADO, MISSISSIPPI, AND TENNESSEE. UH, A MLD DOES STAND FOR ADVANCED MOBILE LEAK DETECTION. UM, AGAIN, THAT IS THE CAR THAT'S PICTURED THERE AND IT IS ACTUALLY A THOUSAND TIMES MORE SENSITIVE THAN TRADITIONAL, UM, GAS SURVEYING EQUIPMENT. AND SO IT ACTUALLY MEASURES, UM, TRADITIONAL MEASURES IN, UH, PARTS PER MILLION. THIS ACTUALLY MEASURES IN PARTS PER BILLION. UM, AND THESE DO DRIVE THROUGH OUR CITIES, AS I SAID, 24 7. UM, THEY DO DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE ATMOSPHERE CONDITIONS ARE BETTER. UM, BUT I WILL SAY EVERY INDICATION THAT IS PICKED UP ON THOSE IS INVESTIGATED. ALRIGHT. AND THEN I'M GONNA INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR, OUR OTHER SAFETY AMBASSADOR. WHO IS GUS THE GOPHER. HE REMINDS EVERYONE TO CALL 8 1 1 PRIOR TO DIGGING. UM, AND SO WITH THE INCREASING, UH, PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DAMAGE TO OUR PIPELINE RESULTING FROM EXCAVATION REMAINS A PRI PRIMARY SAFETY RISK. UH, THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF NATURAL GAS LEAKS IS DIGGING YOUR CONSTRUCTION THAT DOES DISRUPT, UH, NATURAL GAS PIPELINES. UM, SO AGAIN, IF YOU NICK SCRAPE OR DENT A NATURAL GAS PIPELINE, CALL 9 1 1, THEN ATMOS ENERGY'S EMERGENCY NUMBER, WHICH IS 8 6 6 3 2 2 8 6 6 7 SO THAT WE CAN INSPECT THE PIPE AND MAKE ANY REPAIRS AS NEEDED. AND THEN JUST WANTED TO TOUCH QUICKLY AS WELL, UM, ON OUR CHARITABLE GIVING. UM, AT ATMOS ENERGY, WE TRULY WEAVE OUR PASSION, UH, FOR GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, THROUGHOUT OUR CULTURE. AND LAST YEAR, EMPLOYEES VOLUNTEERED CLOSE TO 43,000 HOURS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ENDEAVORS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH OUR FUELING SAFE AND THRIVING COMMUNITY PROGRAMS WE HAD DONATED. UH, WE SUPPORT APPROXIMATELY 1400 ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PLACES WHERE WE LIVE, WORK, AND SERVE. OUR FUELING SAFE AND THRIVING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM FOCUSES ON THREE ESSENTIAL PILLARS, FUELING BRIGHT MINDS AND HEALTHY FUTURES FOR OUR KIDS. FUELING HONOR AND THANKS FOR OUR COMMUNITY HEROES AND FUELING HOPE AND GROWTH FOR OUR NEIGHBORS. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN THIS IS WHERE WE'LL JUMP INTO THE CITY OF RICHARDSON SPECIFICALLY. UM, SO AS YOU CAN SEE, AND AS TODD HAD MENTIONED, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE HAVE INVESTED A LITTLE OVER $42.6 MILLION IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UH, WE HAVE ROUGHLY 27,000 CUSTOMERS AND MANAGE AND OPERATE THIR 394 MILES. UM, OF PIPELINE. LAST YEAR SPECIFICALLY, WE DID ACTUALLY INVEST A LITTLE OVER $17.6 MILLION. OKAY. AND THEN I DID WANT TO JUST PROVIDE A QUICK BREAKDOWN OF THAT CAP, THAT CAPITAL EXPENDITURE, SO THE MONEY THAT WE DID INVEST BACK INTO THE CITY. UM, JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW, THIS IS NOT GONNA ADD UP TO THE 17.6. WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS HIGHLIGHT THE, THE BIGGEST SPENDS, THE BIGGEST DRIVERS OF THAT SPEND. UM, AS WELL AS I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW PROJECTS IN WHICH WE WORKED WITH THE CITY ON LAST YEAR AS WELL. UM, SO AS YOU CAN SEE, INFRASTRUCTURE REPLACEMENT, LITTLE OVER $2.3 MILLION WAS FOR MAINS. UH, LITTLE OVER 4.3 WAS FOR SERVICE LINES AND A LITTLE OVER 4.1 WAS FOR METERS. UM, IN TERMS OF THE RELOCATION PROJECTS, SO THAT LAWN, MEADOW DRIVE AND FLAT CREEK, WE DID HAVE TO RELOCATE OUR SERVICES. UM, AND THAT WAS DUE, UM, TO A, UH, I BELIEVE THE SEWER PROJECT, THE RICHARDSON SEWER PROJECT THAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT AREA. UM, THE OTHER PROJECT LISTED THE DRAKE DRIVE CREEK SIDE AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE. THOSE WERE ACTUALLY ALLEY PROJECTS THAT THE CITY WAS CONDUCTING, UM, IN WHICH WE ALSO HAD TO MOVE FACILITIES. UM, BUT I DID WANT TO JUST MENTION AS WELL, UM, WE VERY MUCH VALUE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY. SO AS THINGS COME UP, IF YOU DO NEED TO MEET WITH US, WE ARE HAPPY TO BE PARTNERS WITH YOU ALL OUR ENGINEERS DO CURRENTLY ATTEND MEETINGS WITH THE CITY AS WELL, UM, TO TALK THROUGH UPCOMING PROJECTS AS WELL AS DISCUSS ONGOING PROJECTS. UM, AND SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO BE A BETTER PARTNER, WE ARE HAPPY TO DO SO. SO WITH THAT, UM, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS, BUT JUST REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE TIME TO BE UP HERE. MAYOR PRO TOM HUTCHIN RIDER. SO I THINK YOU HEARD MY QUESTION EARLIER. YES, SIR. YES SIR. WITH THE CAPITAL EXP I MEAN WHERE MY DIFFICULTY, [01:30:01] I LEMME JUST TRY AND, I MEAN, A LOT OF WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IS THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS AND, AND YET, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU KIND OF GET YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. IF I WALK INTO STARBUCKS TOMORROW AND THEY HAVE TO REPLACE ONE OF THEIR COFFEE MACHINES, I DON'T GET, YOU KNOW, MY BILL DOESN'T COME BACK AND SAY WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, LET'S SAY $6 FOR THE CUP OF COFFEE. OH, AND HERE'S 75 CENTS. BECAUSE YESTERDAY WE HAD TO REPLACE THE COFFEE MACHINE. SO YOU REALLY, I MEAN THAT'S WHERE I THINK SOME OF US HAVE THIS DIFFICULTY OF, OF YOUR, YOU KIND OF GET YOUR CAKE AND EAT TWO 'CAUSE YOU'RE CHARGING US ON THE ONE SIDE, WHEN I SAY US RESIDENTS BUSINESSES, UH, EVERYONE, YOU CHARGE THE CITY AS WELL FOR THAT MATTER, FOR THEIR GAS USE. UM, AND SO YOU KIND OF, IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE A DOUBLE DIP, IF YOU WILL. UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHERE, WHERE A LOT OF MY CONCERN. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, AGAIN, IF I, IF, YOU KNOW, COMING BACK UP WITH THE, WITH THE ISSUE OF IT, IT HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT PATTERN OVER THE, THE LAST SEVERAL WINTERS. EVERY WINTER STORM, YOU KNOW, BOTH RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES ARE GETTING THIS, HEY, YOU GOTTA THROW THROTTLE YOUR GAS USAGE DOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, BE COLDER, BE, BE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. HOWEVER IT'S GONNA AFFECT THE BUSINESS AND OR THE, AND OR THE RESIDENTS. AND YET ALL I'VE SEEN AND I'VE BEEN ON, I'M ON NOW MY, WHAT AM I ON SEVENTH YEAR OF COUNCIL AND EVERY YEAR KIND OF TO TODD'S POINT, WHATEVER, ALL THAT, WHATEVER THAT PERCENTAGE, I MEAN, EVERY YEAR YOU'VE COME IN AND ASKED FOR MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE. AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOTTEN THE CORRESPONDING LEVEL OF, OF COMMISERATE SERVICE IN THAT EVERY WINTER YOU'VE ASKED, ATMOS HAS PUT OUT AND SAID, OH, YOU GOTTA RESTRICT THE AMOUNT OF NATURAL GAS YOU'RE USING. SO WHEN DOES THAT END? 'CAUSE IT'S ONE THING, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY WE NEED THE MONEY IN ORDER TO PUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN, BUT THEN EVERY WINTER, IF YOU'RE GONNA TELL US WHY YOU CAN'T SUPPORT US, SOMETHING DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AT SOME POINT. IT JUST DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T FOOT, IF YOU WILL. SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY OVERALL ARCHING QUESTION. I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR ANSWER TO THAT. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO FOR THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION, LET ME TALK WITH, WITH OUR TEAM, GATHER A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION SO THAT I CAN BETTER ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR YOU. UM, FOR THE SECOND HALF OF YOUR QUESTION, UM, ATMOS ENERGY PRIORITIZES HUMAN NEEDS CUSTOMERS. SO DURING WINTER TIMES, WE PRIORITIZE OUR RESIDENTS, UM, WHETHER THAT BE, WHETHER THAT BE THE INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN THEIR HOMES OR, UM, MEDICAL FACILITIES, UM, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS ARE PRIORITIZED DURING THE WINTER. UM, AND SO THE CUSTOMERS THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO ARE TRANSPORT CUSTOMERS, UM, IN WHICH WE DO THAT IS PART OF THE AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THEM, THAT DURING THESE TIMES WE WILL PRIORITIZE THAT GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS. UNDERSTOOD THEN, BUT ALL YEAR LONG, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PAYING THOSE FEES THAT YOU HAVE LISTED THERE. SO AT SOME POINT YOU SHOULD BE, I MEAN, WE SHOULD BE READING, REACHING A, UH, A, A STABILITY, IF YOU WILL, UM, IN ORDER THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE ASKING ANYONE TO REDUCE THEIR, THEIR FLOW OF NATURAL GAS OR THEIR USAGE, I SHOULD SAY, OF NATURAL GAS. SO YOU CAN'T HAVE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ASKING FOR EVERYTHING IN BOTH WAYS IS WHAT IT, IT FEELS LIKE TO ME. AND AGAIN, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. I I AM ONLY TELLING YOU WHAT IT APPEARS TO ME IS THAT YOU'RE GETTING, YOU'RE GETTING YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO, SO TO SPEAK. SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY, AND ESPECIALLY LIKE I SAID, WITH, I MEAN, 'CAUSE GOD, EVEN THE WATER DISTRICT HASN'T HIT US WITH AS MUCH AS Y'ALL ARE HITTING US OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. SO I'M JUST, I'M, I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED. 'CAUSE I I, IT, IT JUST FEELS UN UNTENABLE AT SOME POINT. AND IT'S GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE. YOU'RE, YOU'RE BEGINNING TO HEAR IT. IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, SO MY NAME'S JOHN MANGENELLE. I'M THE MANAGER OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR AT ENERGY. TO HELP ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I'LL, I'LL TRY AND EXPLAIN IT MAYBE A LITTLE BETTER. THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED FOR HUMAN NEEDS, WHICH ARE RESIDENTS, COMMERCIAL, THE PEOPLE YOU TALK ABOUT, THE CUSTOMERS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT ARE SCALING DOWN, SO TO SPEAK. THOSE ARE INDUSTRIAL USERS AND THEY SIGN A CERTAIN TYPE OF CONTRACT THAT THEY KNOW THAT IT'S CALLED A TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT. RIGHT. AND WHAT THAT IS, THEY'RE USING THE EXCESS CAPACITY IN THE SYSTEM TO BUY GAS FROM A THIRD PARTY. WE TRANSPORT IT FOR 'EM. WELL, WHEN THE SYSTEM IS AT PEAK DEMAND, THAT EXCESS SPACE IS LIMITED IN OUR SYSTEM BECAUSE WE'RE SERVING THE HUMAN NEEDS. SO WE ASKED THOSE THIRD PARTIES THAT ARE ON TRANSPORT CONTRACTS TO SCALE BACK THEIR USAGE. NO, I UNDERSTAND THAT COMPLETELY. OKAY. BUT EVEN, EVEN LEAVING THAT ON THE SIDE, I CAN GO BACK. I MEAN, I, I DON'T, I MEAN, IF YOU GIMME 15 MINUTES, I'LL FIND 'EM ALL WHERE EVERY WINTER Y'ALL HAVE COME ONLINE AND SAID TO ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, OH, THIS IS A REALLY BAD WINTER STORM. YOU NEED TO SCALE BACK. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO CONSERVE, YOU NEED TO CONSERVE YOUR NATURAL GAS USAGE, OR WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO PROBLEMS. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING, HEARING THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING FROM BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT A PART OF THE PROGRAM YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. 'CAUSE [01:35:01] I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROGRAM YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. I'M TALKING ABOUT IN GENERAL. AND SO THAT'S WHERE I'M, THAT THAT'S MY CONCERN IS WE HEAR IT WINTER AFTER WINTER AFTER WINTER. I'VE HAD, I'VE HAD SOME OF THE ELDERLY IN THE COMMUNITY SAY, HEY, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? ARE WE GONNA, YOU KNOW, IS THE GAS GONNA GET, I MEAN, ARE WE GONNA NOT HAVE THE GAS AND YET I'M PAYING HIGHER AND HIGHER AND HIGHER FEES. THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE IT DOESN'T FOOT THAT. THAT'S WHERE, AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND YES, FROM A PUBLIC RELATIONS STANDPOINT, IF I WAS STANDING IN YOUR SHOES, I'D SAY THE EXACT SAME THING YOU'RE SAYING, BUT THEN YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE KIND OF RATE INCREASE YOU SHOULD BE. I MEAN, AND AGAIN, I DON'T WANNA SAY I KNOW YOUR BUSINESS, BUT AT SOME POINT, I MEAN, WE, WE REALLY, I MEAN, YOU HAVE US AS A, AS A CAPTIVE HOSTAGE. I GOTTA BE REALLY HONEST WITH YOU, IF I LOOK AT IT AS, AS ITS PUREST FORM. 'CAUSE WE DON'T, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO OUT AND FIND, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA, IT WOULD TAKE A LOT TO TRY TO GO FIND SOMEONE ELSE WHO WOULD REPLACE Y'ALL. JUST LOOK AT YOUR MAP, YOU KNOW, UM, THAT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. SO I MEAN, AS MUCH AS I DON'T WANT TO SUPPORT, I REALLY DON'T BECAUSE I FIND IT ACTU, I FIND IT OBJECTIONABLE WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED TONIGHT. IN ALL HONESTY, EVEN WITH WHAT YOU'RE CLAIMING, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF DOING BUSINESS. YOU, I MEAN, YOU WOULDN'T SELL ONE OUNCE OF NATURAL GA GAS OR ONE CUBIC FOOT OF NATURAL GAS. PROBABLY SHOULDN'T SAY OUNCE. SORRY. UM, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S A COST OF DOING BUSINESS. AND YET I FEEL LIKE EVERY YEAR YOU'RE JUST COMING BACK AND YOU JUST, OKAY, HERE'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. GIVE US MORE, GIVE US MORE. GIVE US MORE. AND OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR BUSINESSES, EVERYONE ARE ARE, YOU'RE HEARING IT NOT ONLY FROM ME, BUT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IT AS SOON AS I SHUT UP. YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IT ON DOWN THE REST OF THIS DIOCESE IS WE'RE ALL KIND OF TIRED OF IT. AND WE'RE, AND THEN ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE, WHEN I HEAR, OH, EVERYBODY GOT A CONSERVE, GOT A CONSERVE, CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. JUST CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. SO THAT'S MY MESSAGE TO YOU. I'M LIKE THE MAYOR, I DON'T FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A CHOICE TONIGHT. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO SUPPORT IT. 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GO OUT AND, AND BATTLE Y'ALL. IT'S KIND LIKE TRYING TO BA BATTLE THE 800 POUND GIANT. UM, AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT. I DON'T THINK WE AS THIS SIZE CITY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT. BUT GOD, IF I START HEARING OF OTHER CITIES OR OTHER GROUPS WANTING TO MERGE TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO IT, I'M GONNA BE ON BOARD REALLY, REALLY FAST WHEN I SEE THESE KIND OF INCREASES. SO, AND THAT'S NOT A, PLEASE DON'T TAKE THAT AS A THREAT. DON'T TAKE IT AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN I THINK WE'RE TIRED. WE'RE JUST TIRED OF THINGS BEING PASSED YEAR BY YEAR BY YEAR. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, POOR TODD HAS TO COME BEFORE US EVERY TIME AND BRING THIS AND HE'S LIKE, IT'S THE BEST WE CAN DO. WELL, YEAH, MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW. SO ENOUGH SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN. YEAH. I'M JUST A ONE DITTO TO EVERYTHING. MAYOR PROTO JUST SAID. I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK WHEN THE DIFFERENCE MAYBE IS IN 2021, WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED, I REALLY RARELY TALK ABOUT ANYTHING LIKE THIS. BUT I REALLY RECEIVED NO FEEDBACK, NO EMAILS, NO COMMUNICATION EXCEPT ABOUT MORE HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED. AND LATELY I'VE RECEIVED JUST THAT TRICKLE OF PEOPLE SAYING, HEY, WHOA, I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO BE PRICED OUTTA MY HOME WITH THE WAY EVERYTHING'S INCREASING. AND I DON'T THINK THE SENTIMENT WOULD EXIST IF WE DIDN'T START RECEIVING THAT TRICKLE OF PEOPLE JUST CONCERNED. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEY COME TO US, RIGHT? AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THE, I THINK THE, THE FEAR IS. I JUST HAD A QUICK QUESTION ON THE PRESENTATION. SO WHEN I SAW 61 EMPLOYEES ON ONE OF THE SLIDES, IS THAT, UM, EMPLOYEES THAT JUST ARE DEDICATED TO RICHARDSON ENTIRELY OR THAT LIVE IN RICHARDSON? WHAT IS THAT NUMBER? YEAH, THEY HELP SUPPORT. UM, SO OUR, OUR SERVICE CENTER THAT SUPPORTS RICHARDSON'S ACTUALLY IN PLANO. OKAY. SO THAT IS THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT HELP SUPPORT THIS AREA. SO IT'S THIS AREA LIKE A LITTLE CORRECT. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I I WILL FLIP ON IS LIKE YOU GUYS WORKING WITH OUR CITY STAFF, I MEAN, I DO APPRECIATE, I DO APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP AND I DON'T WANT ANYTHING THAT WE SAY TO, TO DO ANYTHING TO DAMAGE, YOU KNOW, THAT DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONAL PARTNERSHIP. THIS IS A LOT HIGHER LEVEL THAN THAT. AND I DO UNDERSTAND TRULY HOW, AGAIN, GIVEN, GIVEN THAT I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, THE PRESENTATION HAS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND HOW OUR PROJECTS DO CAUSE SOME COST OF EITHER COST OF DOING BUSINESS OR SOME, IT NECESSITATES SOME CONSTRUCTION WORK ON YOUR SIDE WHEN WE DO OUR PROJECTS. SO I, I DO APPRECIATE THAT ASPECT OF IT. BUT THANK YOU AGAIN. MY SENTIMENT IS STILL ALL THAT HAVE TO SAY THOUGH. MY SENTIMENT IS STILL THE SAME COUNCIL MEMBER , THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. WELL THANK YOU FOR COMING IN, PRESENTING, UH, THAT GIVES UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTION AND SHOW SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION NOT ON YOU. IT'S MUCH ON THE HIGHER LEVEL AND HOPEFULLY, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE WATCHING OR THEY'LL BE WATCHING, BUT SOMEBODY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION THAT THAT'S HAPPENING. BUT I DO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO FOR [01:40:01] US. I MEAN, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY IN A CITY, IT'S A, IT'S A, LIKE EVERYBODY'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE GET SERVICE. WE SERVE OTHERS. UH, AND THIS IS A VERY COMPLICATED SYSTEM HERE BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A COST FOR DOING BUSINESS AND THEN IT NEED TO BE PASSED ON THE OTHER THING. SO, BUT THESE ARE MOST ESSENTIAL, YOU KNOW, SERVICE THAT WE NEED. SO THAT'S WHY THE PAIN IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WE NEED EVERY DAY IF THE RATE GOES UP LIKE THAT IS PAINFUL. UH, EVEN IF IT IS MORE PAINFUL WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE. SO WE PUT OURSELF INTO A SITUATION, NOT JUST REJECTION OVERALL. SOMETIMES WE DON'T HAVE ANY ALTERNATE, UH, WE GOT STUCK, BUT I'M GONNA ASK YOU A FEW QUESTION, UH, UH, WHICH IS DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTION THAT, YOU KNOW, NEXT FIVE YEARS OR NEXT YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'RE LOOKING AT, LIKE THIS YEAR YOU SAID 1.4 BILLION IN THIS REGION, THEN OVERALL YOU HAVE 2.9 BILLION. SO EVEN IF YOU SPEND THAT ANOTHER 2.9 BILLION NEXT YEAR, SO I CAN MY TAKE MY PILL TODAY SO THAT I KNOW THAT NEXT YEAR IT'S NOT GONNA BE LESS THAN 26 PERSON. SO WHAT'S YOUR PROJECTION? WELL, WHILE I DON'T HAVE A EXACT NUMBER FOR YOU, I'M HAPPY TO ASK AND, AND SEE IF WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE OVER WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING TO SPEND MAYBE IN RICHARDSON OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO YEARS. BUT I'LL SAY THIS, OUR GOAL IS ALWAYS TO, UM, OFFER A SAFE AND RELIABLE CAN SPEAK CLOSER. OH, CAN YOU SPEAK CLOSER TO THE MIC? OH, SORRY. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? MM-HMM . YEAH. OKAY. DO YOU NEED ME TO START OVER? NO, GO. YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY. OKAY. UM, BUT I'LL SAY THIS, OUR GOAL IS ALWAYS TO INVEST BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES. AND SO DOING SO IT INCLUDES IMPROVING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, MEAN I'M HAPPY, HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP ABSOLUTELY WITH STAFF AND GET THAT FOR YOU. WE CAN SHARE THE FIVE YEARS INVESTING BACK IN THE COMMUNITY. SOUNDS REALLY GREAT. BUT IF YOU ASK BACK, YOU KNOW, HEY, GIVE US BACK THIS MUCH. THAT'S WHERE THE PAIN IS. I MEAN, INVEST AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, BUT JUST DON'T ASK FOR THE, UH, MONEY BACK. UH, NOW I SEE THAT YOU HAVE LOTS OF LINE RELOCATION REPLACEMENT. UH, HOW, HOW, I KNOW IN THE PAST, I DON'T KNOW YOU IF YOU HAD GOOD RECORD DRAWINGS, BUT MOVING FORWARD OR AS AT PRESENT CONDITION, ARE YOU KEEPING UP, YOU KNOW, MORE ACCURATE RECORD DRAWINGS SO THAT DURING CONSTRUCTION CONFLICT DOESN'T HAPPEN, SOMEONE HOUSE DOESN'T GET BLOWN UP, OR THE CITY OF DALLAS WATER UTILITY BUILDING DOESN'T GET BLOWN UP NEXT TIME. SO THIS KIND OF THINGS, DUSTIN, ARE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT? YEAH, SO WE'RE USING A SYSTEM CALLED LOCUS VIEW. UH, IT'S PRETTY MUCH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S ALLOWING US TO CAPTURE THE PIPE THAT'S BEING INSTALLED AS IT'S INSTALLED. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING CONTINUOUSLY, UH, DEVELOPING, GETTING BETTER AT USING, AND ALL OF OUR OPERATORS AND ALL OF OUR CONTRACTORS ARE REQUIRED TO USE IT. OKAY. THAT'S WONDERFUL AND COMFORTING TO HEAR. I WOULD, I WOULD JUST ALSO ADD THAT MOST OF THEIR UTILITY RELOCATION OR CONFLICTS ARE DUE TO PROJECTS GOING ON BY OTHER PARTIES, WHETHER IT'S A CITY OR OTHER UTILITIES LIKE ROAD WIDENINGS OR REPLACING WATER LINES WHERE IT'S IN CONFLICT. WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHERE IT IS AND WHEN THERE'S NOT, THEY USUALLY POTHOLE, THEY GO OUT AND LOOK, THEY DIG IT UP TO IDENTIFY WHERE IT IS TO AVOID THE CONFLICTS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE DURING THE DESIGN STAGES. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THAT SOUNDS SO GREAT, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY ALL THE TIME THAT CASE I'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, GAS LINE, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S NOT YOUR, MY GENERATION OR YOUR VERSION. IT HAPPENED SO MANY YEARS AGO. THE GAS LINES ARE JUST TOP OF THE SEWER LINE MANY, MANY TIMES. SO, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD ADD TOO THOUGH, KEEP IN MIND THAT MOST OF THESE GAS LINES WERE PUT IN YEARS AGO. YEAH. ELEVATIONS CHANGE WITH EROSION AND DIRT AND, AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. SO THAT'S WHY WHEN YOU ASK US HOW DEEP YOUR LINE, WE USUALLY DON'T TELL YOU WE GO OUT POTHOLE IT TO GIVE YOU ACCURATE INFORMATION JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY UNCERTAINTIES OUT IN THE, OUT IN THE FIELD. YEAH. THAT, THAT'S WHY I ASK YOU THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION THAT ARE YOU MONITORING DIFFERENTLY TODAY THAN IN THE PAST? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M A CIVIL ENGINEER. WE DO LOTS OF PIPELINE DESIGN. I DO REQUEST MAP FROM ATMOS, AND WE DO GET MAP, BY THE WAY, YOU GUYS ARE VERY RESPONSIVE. WE, WE GET THAT PRETTY QUICK BACK ANYTIME WE REQUEST, BUT IT HAS ALL, IT'S JUST A LINE. WE DON'T, IT DOESN'T SHOW WHERE EXACTLY THE LINE IS. UH, FORGET ABOUT THE DEPTH, BUT THAT'S FOR SAFETY PURPOSES. YES. WE DON'T GIVE THE EXACT LOCATION. SO THEN YOU GO OUT AND YOU GET IT IDENTIFIED IN THE FIELD THAT WAY IT'S EYES ARE PUT ON IT. THAT WAY YOU DON'T ACCIDENTALLY HIT IT OR DAMAGE IT WHEN THEY POTHOLE IT AND WHEN THEY DIG, YOU KNOW, THEY DIG IT UP. IT HOPEFULLY REDUCES DAMAGES SINCE THAT'S CAUSED. BUT THE OTHER THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, RECORD DRAWING IS ONE THING, BUT YOU SAID THAT YOUR CONTRACTOR ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW [01:45:01] SOME PROCEDURE NOW SO THAT IT MONITOR WHERE THOSE THINGS ARE INSTALLED. BECAUSE SOMETIMES CONTRACTOR, YOU KNOW, UH, IT, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T FOLLOW IF, IF YOU DON'T WATCH THEM, THEY DON'T FOLLOW THE DEPTH SUPPOSED TO BE. SO, AND THEN IT BARELY UNDER THE GROUND SOMETIMES. I KNOW THE SAFETY IS IMPORTANT, BUT I, I HOPE, YOU KNOW, AND I I SEE THAT CERTAIN DEGREE THAT YOU FOLLOW SOMEONE INSPECT, MONITOR. WE DO HAVE INSPECTORS ON THE JOBS WHEN THERE'S CONTRACTORS THAT ARE MAKING SURE THEY'RE BUILDING THE, THE WAY THE PLANS WERE DESIGNED, AND THEN THOSE PLANS ARE SUBMITTED TO OUR GIS DEPARTMENT THAT INPUTS 'EM INTO OUR SYSTEM. SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, BECAUSE THOSE RELOCATION CONFLICT, IF THAT DOESN'T GET RESOLVED, OUR CONSTRUCTION HAD TO STOP, SOMETIMES GETS DELAYED AND THAT COSTS CHANGE ORDER SO IT COSTS MONEY. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT. SO WHAT YOUR PROCEDURE TO MAKE THOSE HAPPEN FASTER SO THAT OTHER, WE, WE MEET, WE HAVE OUR ENGINEERING PARTNERS AT OUR COMPANY WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE CITY STAFF. SO WHEN THEY'RE AWARE OF A PROJECT THAT THEY BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION AND THEN THEY GIVE US 30, 60, 90% PLANS, A HUNDRED PERCENT PLANS. SO WE'RE IN LOCKSTEP WITH THEM TO HOPEFULLY MINIMIZE ANY SORT OF DELAYS OR CONFLICTS. YEAH, I MEAN, I, I DO HAVE SOME GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH YOU, YOU KNOW, THE CITY THAT I WORK WITH, SO I I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. UM, IT'S NOT THE SAME WITH ENCORE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE LISTENING, UH, BUT IT'S MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO RELOCATE THEIR POLE, UH, THAN THAT MOST LINE. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT. UH, NOW ONE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR US, WE HAVE A SPECIFIC BUDGET AND WE GO WITH THAT SPECIFIC, SAY, OKAY, WE CAN REPLACE ONLY THIS MANY, THIS MUCH WATER LINE OR SEWER LINE. UH, THAT'S WHY WE, OUR BUDGETS ARE MORE PREDICTABLE AND WE CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT FOR YOU, FOR YOUR CASE, I SEE THAT INVESTMENT ALREADY HAPPEN AND THEN COMES BACK, YOU KNOW, AND WE ARE KIND OF STUCK LIKE THIS 26%. DO YOU SEE THAT IN THE FUTURE WE CAN DO THI THINGS LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY SO THAT IT'S MORE PREDICTABLE AND MORE, UH, YOU KNOW, TOLERABLE FOR EVERY, EVERYONE, UH, HOUSE. LIKE, UH, BECAUSE THE COST IS GOING REALLY UP. BUT ALSO I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INVESTORS, THE SHARE MARKET, YOU KNOW, THE PRICE, YOU KNOW, THE STOCK PRICE GOES UP TOO. I MEAN THIS IS, IT'S A VERY CONFLICTING, YOU KNOW, SITUATION BECAUSE ONE IS MOST ESSENTIAL SERVICE AND THE OTHER ONE IS THE PROFIT. SO HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? WHAT CAN WE DO TO MINIMIZE THIS THING IN THE FUTURE? I WOULD HAVE TO VISIT WITH OUR, OUR TEAM BACK AT THE CORPORATE OFFICE AS WELL. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REGULATED BY THE RAILROAD COMMISSION, SO THERE'S ALL SORTS OF RE WE'RE REGULATED BY FEMSA AS WELL. SO THERE'S ALL SORTS OF OTHER PLAYERS THAT WOULD NEED TO WEIGH IN ON THAT. YEAH, THAT'S THE, THAT'S VERY CHALLENGING. I DON'T THINK THERE IS, YOU KNOW, WITH MY SMALL BRAIN, I DON'T SEE THERE IS THIS, YOU KNOW, EASY SOLUTION FOR THAT. UH, ONE, UH, OKAY. ONE LAST QUESTION FOR YOU. UH, , HOW LONG IT TAKES, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SEE A CONFLICT, HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR YOU GUYS TO, UH, RESOLVE THE CONFLICT FOR GAS LINE? I WOULD TELL YOU THAT'S A LOADED QUESTION. UH, AND IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT. YOU KNOW, EVERY PROJECT'S DIFFERENT. A A QUICK, YOU KNOW, AN INLET IN THE WAY. MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THEY CAN GO DO IN THE FIELD THE NEXT DAY OR TWO DAYS. BUT MOST OF OUR PROJECTS ARE SENT TO THIRD PARTY ENGINEERS. THEY DESIGN THE PLANS, THEN THEY GO TO OUR FROM ENGINEERING, THEN THEY'RE HANDED OFF TO OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT GROUP. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE OUT THERE BIDDING THE PROJECTS, FINDING THE CONTRACTOR RESOURCES. THEN IT GOES TO OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM AND OUR OPERATIONS TEAM TO MANAGE IT WHILE IT'S UNDER. SO IT REALLY VARIES DEPENDING ON THE SCOPE OF THE CONFLICT. NO, THANK YOU. I, I KNOW THAT THE QUESTION WAS NOT REALLY THAT SIMPLE ANSWER BECAUSE, BUT I HAD TO ASK BECAUSE SOME, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK YOU AND PEOPLE ARE LISTENING, UH, FROM FIRSTHAND, UH, AND, UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU FOR EXPLANATION. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BAR. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, GENTLEMEN, I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH SOME OF THE SENTIMENTS THAT MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHEN RIDER SHARED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR TALK. IT'S, IT FEELS LIKE DOUBLE DIPPING. AND I THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR PROTO FOR MAKING THAT POINT. UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, IT FEELS THAT AS HE USED THE EXAMPLE, I THINK HE SAID STARBUCKS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN'T, THAT THAT'S PART OF DOING BUSINESS. THAT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. UM, AND THAT DOESN'T FEEL OKAY. [01:50:01] I UNDERSTAND FROM BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, HOW THAT WORKS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, IT DOES FEEL LIKE YOU'RE DOUBLE DIPPING. AND I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH COUNT WITH MAYOR PRO TEM THAT, YOU KNOW, IF OTHER CITIES END UP TALKING, IT'S GONNA BE HARD NOT TO JUMP ALONG WITH THAT. AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHEN RE SHARED AND SAID, Y'ALL, I'M STRUGGLING. OH, SORRY, MY, IT JUST TIMED OUT ON ME. OKAY. I HAD TO LOG BACK IN LOOKING AT THIS FROM A PITCH DECK PERSPECTIVE, I'M STRUGGLING NOT TO BE INSULTED. IF YOU GO UP A COUPLE SLIDES TO THE ORANGE AND YELLOW SLIDES, THESE ARE YOUR, YOUR PR SLIDES, RIGHT? YOU HAVE SIX OF THEM, THEN YOU GO TO THE BOTTOM, YOUR TWO BLUE ONES, WHICH IS THAT NICE RICHARD, SOME BLUE THAT BREAKS IT DOWN TO RICHARDSON. YOU HAVE TWO, YOU PUT THREE TIMES THIS MUCH EFFORT FEELS LIKE THEN GOING INTO THOSE PR POINTS, THEN GOING INTO WHAT SPECIFIC TO THE CITY IS ON TOP OF THAT. IN THE SECOND SLIDE, THIS SLIDE SHOWS 17.6 MILLION IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURES IN RICHARDSON. YET YOUR SECOND SLIDE YOU MAKE UP, I THINK, AND I HAVEN'T DONE THE MATH, BUT THAT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE 60% OF THAT 17% IS ACCOUNTED FOR ON THE SLIDE. SO 40% OF THAT YOU DON'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN ON THAT. SO THESE YES, SIR. SO THESE TWO PROJECTS ARE ACTUALLY PART OF THOSE THAT SPEND. AND SO THE, THESE THREE ITEMS AS WELL AS THESE TWO PROJECTS. UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I DID SAY, I JUST WANTED TO INCLUDE, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY OTHER PROJECTS THAT MAKE UP THAT 17.6, RIGHT? BUT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE, THE BIGGEST DRIVERS FOR THAT. UM, I GET THAT JUST TO JUST 'CAUSE WE WERE LITTLE, LITTLE SHORT ON TIME FOR PRESENTATION WISE. I, I GET THAT. BUT AGAIN, TO SPEND MORE OF OUR TIME GOING BACK AND TALKING ABOUT THOSE OTHER SLIDES INSTEAD OF, WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW IS WHERE IS THAT MONEY GOING? HOW'S IT, I MEAN, EVEN IF YOU WOULD'VE SPENT TIME SAYING, LIKE YOUR LAST SLIDE WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT FEELING SAFE AND THRIVING COMMUNITIES. YOU KNOW, IF YOU WOULD'VE COME BACK AND SAID, LOOK OF THIS, THESE ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE NONPROFITS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WE ARE REINVESTING INTO, THIS IS HOW WE'RE INVESTING DIRECTLY INTO COMMUNITY. YEAH. THAT HELPS SHARE THAT STORY. OF COURSE, WHEN I RAN FOR OFFICE, UH, TWO, TWO TERMS AGO, UM, IN SPRING OF 23, I KNOCKED. AND EVEN GOING BACK TO THE FIRST TIME WHEN I LOST, I KNOCKED ON SEVERAL THOUSAND DOORS PERSONALLY BY MYSELF. AND A COUPLE OF THE STORIES THAT STICK OUT THE MOST WHEN I THINK ABOUT OUR RESIDENTS IS SOME OF OUR, I REMEMBER ONE LADY WHO SENT ME A CHECK FOR IT WAS $3 AND 88 CENTS. AND A LITTLE NOTE THAT SAID, THIS IS ALL I HAVE LEFT OVER THIS MONTH. I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN 'CAUSE I BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND THAT I WILL CARRY WITH ME TILL THE DAY I DIE. ALONG WITH A LADY WHO JUST LIVES A FEW BLOCKS EAST OF MY HOUSE. VERY DIFFERENT, ALTHOUGH IT'S VERY CLOSE TO MY HOME, A VERY DIFFERENT FINANCIAL SITUATION, CRYING WITH ME BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN WIDOWED FOR 20 YEARS AND HER HUSBAND WHO HAD RETIRED FROM ONE OF OUR BIG TECH COMPANIES IN THE AREA, AND SHE WAS STRUGGLING JUST TO PAY THE TAXES. WHEN OUR STAFF COMES TO US AND WHEN THE CITY STAFF, OR I SAY OUR AS IN THE COMMUNITY, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT OURS, THEY BELONG TO OUR COMMUNITY COMES AND APPROACHES US WITH BUDGETS. THEY COME EXPLAINING IT. AND FOR Y'ALL TO COME TO OUR COMMUNITY KNOWING THAT YOU ARE THE 800 POUND GORILLA, KNOWING THAT THIS IS PART OF DOING BUSINESS AND YOU CONTINUE TO INCREASE IT AT THIS RATE, I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK OF THESE, THESE OLD LADIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, THESE OLD MEN IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO'VE BEEN RETIRED FOR 20, 30 YEARS, SOME OF THEM AND EVEN LONGER, AND ARE STRUGGLING JUST TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE. THIS IS A HUGE DEAL. IT'S NOT GONNA BE HUGE IN ME. I'LL BE OKAY. MOST OF MY COLLEAGUES AROUND THIS TABLE, THEY'RE GONNA BE OKAY. BUT SO MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE NOT. THIS IS A DEAL BREAKER FOR MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS. SO YES, THIS IS A VERY, VERY HARD ONE TO SWALLOW. AND I ASSURE YOU THAT IF YOU ALL LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE, SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS IN THE EYE AND STOOD ON THE PORCH WITH THEM, YOU WOULD SEE IT FROM A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND BUSINESSES NEED TO MAKE MONEY, NOT AGAINST THAT, I TOTALLY GET THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT. IT'S IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ECONOMY. AND, AND I HOPE THAT EVERY BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING EUROS CONTINUES TO PROFIT. WE WANT BUSINESSES TO PROFIT. BUT THERE, THERE IS A LINE THERE, AND IT'S A VERY UNCOMFORTABLE LINE TO KNOW THAT YOU CONTINUE TO COME BACK TO OUR CO COMMITTEE AND SAY, LOOK, AND AGAIN, TO SAY WHAT MAYOR PRO TEM SAID, IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE DOUBLE DIPPING. YOU'RE [01:55:01] TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. MEANWHILE, THERE'S RECORD PROFITS. MEANWHILE, WE HAVE RESIDENTS WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO MAKE IT. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, IT FEELS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE, THAT YOU DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THE NUMBERS YET. YOU HAVE SIX SLIDES ON PR ISSUES, THINGS THAT REALLY, THEY'RE SWEET AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE PRETTY FLOWERS, BUT THEY'RE NOT THE MEAT OF THE, OF WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING HERE. THANK YOU. I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. COUNCIL BY, SO JUST FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I THINK BEFORE HE STARTED THE PRESENTATION, HE DID SAY THAT THE PRESENTATION PROBABLY WASN'T GOING TO ADDRESS A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE GONNA BE ASKING. SO JUST IN HIS DEFENSE, UH, HE, HE GAVE US THE MAYA CULPA UPFRONT, UH, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M THE ONE WHO INSISTED THAT HE GO AHEAD AND DO THE PRESENTATION. UH, PERHAPS THAT WAS, UH, THE WRONG MOVE SO THAT, UH, WE WOULDN'T BE UPSET AS MUCH ABOUT, ABOUT THAT PART OF IT. UM, I, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS AND, UM, MAYBE A FEW SUGGESTIONS, BUT WE'LL START WITH THE QUESTIONS. UH, YOU'VE, YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF FOCUS ON THE 26.7%, AND I TOO AM AM FOCUSED ON THAT. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS FROM THE STANDPOINT OF TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS TO WHAT YOU GUYS CHARGE, UH, THE CUSTOMERS. ONE COMPONENT WAS I THINK A FIXED COST. UH, THAT ONE WENT UP 3%. EVERYBODY FELT VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. OBVIOUSLY THE 26% SEEMED KIND OF CONSIDERABLY HIGHER. SO IS THERE, IS THERE SOMETHING, AND THEN, AND THEN NOW LOOKING AT THE USAGE, THAT VARIABLE PART OF THE BILLING, UH, HAD GONE UP CONSIDERABLY LESS FOR CORPORATIONS VERSUS, UH, VERSUS RESIDENTS. UM, SO I'M, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT JUST THE STRATEGY THERE IN TERMS OF HOW YOU GUYS ARE DETERMINING WHICH ENTITY SHOULD, UH, UH, GET THOSE HIGHER RATES OR THAT HIGHER BUMP IN PERCENTAGE. JUST WHAT THE THINKING IS. IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE? I GUESS I'LL, I'LL GIVE YOU A, A, A SOFTBALL. IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE TO GIVE, UH, SERVICE TO RESIDENTIAL VERSUS COMMERCIAL, UH, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS ARE LAID OUT OR BECAUSE OF THE CONSUMPTION PATTERN? JUST HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT YOU DID THERE IN TERMS OF THE RATES. I WOULD, I WOULD JUST TELL YOU, I WOULD NEED TO GO BACK AND VISIT WITH OUR RATES DEPARTMENT. I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH WHY MORE WENT TO ONE VERSUS THE OTHER. BUT WHAT I CAN SPEAK TO IS THE, THE FIXED CHARGE THAT'S A, THERE'S A CAP ON THAT EVERY YEAR. SO THAT'S WHY THAT IS, I THINK IT WAS 70 CENTS THIS YEAR, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. I DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THE FIXED RATE IS, IS CAPPED. SO THE REST OF IT GOES TO THE VARIABLE RATE. AND THE VARIABLE RATE CUSTOMERS HAVE A LITTLE MORE ABILITY TO CONTROL BECAUSE THEY CAN CONTROL HOW MUCH GAS THEY'RE USING VERSUS THE FIXED RATE THAT WHETHER THEY USE ANY GAS AT ALL, THEY'RE STILL GONNA GET THAT BASE CHARGE. SO, SO YOUR MEMORY'S RIGHT, IT'S 70, 70 CENTS, WHICH IS GOOD . UM, UH, BUT I I I GUESS WHERE I'M, WHERE I'M ASKING HERE IS CLEARLY THERE'S AN OVERALL COST TO DOING BUSINESS FOR YOU GUYS. AND, AND CLEARLY BY WAY OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSION, THEY'RE ALLOWING, UH, YOU TO BE ABLE TO RECOUP SOME OF THOSE INVESTMENTS. UM, UH, BY WAY OF THESE RATES, WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS, IS THE JUMP IN RATE, UM, UH, FROM, YOU KNOW, 58 CENTS TO 74 CENTS, LET'S SAY, UH, PER CUBIC FEET ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE. UH, AND ONLY AT THREE SECOND, UH, 3 CENT INCREASE PER CUBIC FOOT ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, I'M JUST CU ONE OF WHICH WENT UP 17%, WHICH IS ALSO VERY HIGH. BUT 26% FOR THE RESIDENTS, UH, IS OBVIOUSLY AN EVEN BIGGER CONCERN. UH, I'M JUST HOW YOU BALANCE HOW MUCH OF THAT GETS ABSORBED BY THE RESIDENTIAL VERSUS COMMERCIAL. I THINK WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY IS YOU NEED TO GO BACK. IF THAT'S STILL THE SAME ANSWER, THAT'S FINE. YES, I CAN FOLLOW UP. I'M TRYING TO CLARIFY. WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU WITH THAT INFORMATION. ALRIGHT, PLEASE, IF YOU WILL. UH, THAT WOULD BE SURE. INCREDIBLY HELPFUL. UM, UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT, AND, AND I THINK IT WAS INTIMATED A COUPLE TIMES, BUT MAYBE TO PUT A, A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A NUMERIC POINT TO IT, UH, EVERY BIT OF RESEARCH I DID SHOWS ME TWO TO 3% INCREASE IN CUSTOMERS, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR, UH, FOR ATMOS, UH, BUT ROUGHLY A 16% YEAR OVER YEAR INCREASE IN PROFITABILITY. AND SO I THINK WE ALL WANNA REWARD THAT AND, AND I THINK THAT'S A PART OF BEING IN BUSINESS. BUT, BUT JUST KNOW THAT WITH THAT COMES SOME LEVEL OF SENSITIVITY, ESPECIALLY FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE VOICE OF OUR RESIDENTS. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY SOME OF THE UNDERLYING, UH, FRUSTRATION AND, AND CONCERN THAT YOU MIGHT BE HEARING FROM US. UM, TO THE EXTENT, UH, THAT IT MAKES SENSE, IT WOULD APPEAR TO ME THAT YOUR COMMERCIAL USER IS PROBABLY USING QUITE A BIT MORE IN TERMS OF THE QUANTITY, UM, [02:00:01] UM, OF GAS, PROBABLY THE BIGGER CONSUMER AND THE BIGGER STRESSOR OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN TERMS OF, UM, YOUR OVERALL NEED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPLY GAS TO AN ENTIRE STATE OR ENTIRE SECTION OF A STATE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE PARODY AS IT RELATES TO THE INCREASE IN RATE, UH, UH, WHENEVER IT COMES TO COMMERCIAL VERSUS RESIDENTIAL. UH, SOMETHING TELLS ME WITH, YOU KNOW, HALF A CENT OR ONE MORE CENT, UH, ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, UH, YOU'D BE ABLE TO GO DOWN SOMETHING LIKE FIVE OR 10 CENTS ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE AND YOU'D STILL HAVE A PRETTY HEALTHY INCREASE ON BOTH. AND SO I JUST, I IMAGINE THERE'S A METHOD TO THAT MADNESS, BUT BECAUSE I, I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS, WHICH PARTLY TODD, THAT WAS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE SOME OF THIS, UH, IS COMING FROM, UH, THAT IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. LAST THING I'M GONNA SAY, JUST 'CAUSE I LIKE ENDING ON A SWEET NOTE. YOU GUYS DO AN AMAZING JOB AS FAR AS BEING A, A GREAT COMMUNITY PARTNER. UH, YOU DO A LOT OF THINGS IN AND AROUND THE CITY. CLAYTON DOES A GREAT JOB, UH, BEING THE FACE OF ATMOS, UH, FOR OUR CITY AND, AND, AND BEING IN, IN DIFFERENT SPOTS. SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THE FRUSTRATION WE HAVE IS ON BEHALF OF OUR RESIDENTS. UH, BUT, BUT KNOW THAT WE APPRECIATE YOU, UH, FROM A CORPORATE PARTNER, UH, AND, AND A GROUP THAT HAS WORKED REALLY WELL WITH RICHARDSON. AND, AND WE'RE GONNA BE ASKING AND EXPECTING MORE AND MORE, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES AND THINGS THAT WE RUN INTO WHERE A HOLDUP BY ATMOS OR ANY OTHER UTILITY, UH, IS REALLY, UM, BECOMING SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALSO GONNA GET LOUDER AND MORE SENSITIVE ABOUT. SO HOPEFULLY, UM, WE CAN KIND OF CONTINUE TO WORK WELL TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE CAN BE MINIMIZED. MAYOR, IF I, IF I COULD JUST, UH, MAKE, SO FIRST OF ALL, GUESS THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS. YOU KNOW, AS IT AS, UH, THIS CONVERSATION AND THIS VERY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION HAS, HAS CONTINUED TONIGHT. I DID WANNA END ON MAKING ONE POINT. SO IT'S A POINT THAT TODD MADE EARLY ON. SO ATMOS HAS STATUTORY RIGHT TO, UH, RECOVER THE COST THAT DIDN'T INVEST OVER THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS IN CAPITAL STATUTORY, RIGHT? THAT'S SET BY OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN AUSTIN, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WE TALK ABOUT FURTHER ENGAGING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN AUSTIN, THIS COULD BE ANOTHER PRO, THIS COULD BE ANOTHER TOPIC THAT WE WANTED TO ADDRESS WITH THEM. THE GRIP, WHICH IS THE BASE LINE, UM, ALLOWS US NO REAL PARTICIPATION IN THAT, IN THAT REVIEW PROCESS. AND IT ALLOWS US, UH, REALLY NO OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER ANYTHING UNREASONABLE. THAT'S WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO AND GO WITH THE STEERING COMMITTEE, THE BASE STATUTORY THE BASIS, UH, OR THE BASELINE STATUTORY PROCESS FOR THIS PROVIDES US WITH NO INPUT. THAT'S A PROBLEM WITH THE LAW. AND THAT'S A PROBLEM THAT I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER ADDING TO THE AGENDA THAT WE DISCUSSED WITH OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDAS. IF THAT WASN'T IN PLACE, EVERYTHING THAT WE DESCRIBED TONIGHT WOULD, WOULD LIKELY BE DIFFERENT IN SOME WAY OR FORM. IT'S THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO ENGAGE IN THIS, UH, THIS, UM, UH, STEERING COMMITTEE, THE, THE RRM PROCESS JUST TO BE HEARD AT ALL. THE GRIP IS ALLOWED BY, RIGHT? THEY CAN COME IN AND DO THAT BY RIGHT UNDER STATE LAW. AND SO AGAIN, I JUST THINK THAT AS WE LOOK TO ATMOS AND ENCORE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, THERE'S, THERE COULD BE A FLAWED PROCESS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT WE MIGHT WANNA, THAT WE MIGHT WANNA ADDRESS WITH LEGISLATORS. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DON. I THINK THAT THAT IS PROBABLY A FINE POINT TO MAKE AT THE VERY END THERE. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU GUYS STANDING THERE AND TAKING ALL THESE QUESTIONS. OF COURSE. THANK YOU ALL. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT, MOVING ON. EARLIER THERE WAS A QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT ENCORE WAS LISTENING. WELL, IT TURNS OUT, UH, ENCORE IS HERE AND WAS LISTENING. UM, SO [7. REVIEW AND DISCUSS ONCOR OPERATIONAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES] WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS REVIEW AND DISCUSS ENCORE OPERATIONAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATES. MR. MC, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR CHRISTIE, TARA, WHO HAS BEEN A REAL TREAT TO WORK WITH, UH, HAS TAKEN OVER FOR BARRY YOUNG AS AREA MANAGER. SHE'S GONNA GO AHEAD AND MAKE HER WAY TO THE PODIUM AND, UH, PRESENT A, UM, SUMMARY OF ENCORE'S, UH, UH, WORK OVER THE, UH, PAST YEAR AND WHAT WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO IN, IN THE COMING, UH, YEARS. AND THEN SHE'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS AS WELL. KRISTI, THANK YOU FOR KRISTI. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. . THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY STAFF, THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING. CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME OKAY? OKAY. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO TALK TO Y'ALL ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS THAT EN COURSE'S DOING, UM, IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON AND IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. I THINK THAT SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL HAD, UH, FOR ATMOS YOU'LL PROBABLY ALSO HAVE FOR ME. UM, BUT MAYBE I WILL COVER SOME OF IT IN THIS PRESENTATION AND, AND, UM, IT WILL BE ENLIGHTENING TO YOU. SO IF I'M GOING TOO FAST OR TOO SLOW, JUST LET ME KNOW AND I WILL, I WILL SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP. FIRST I WANTED TO TELL Y'ALL A LITTLE ABOUT WHO ENCORE IS. UM, ENCORE'S A REGULATED TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION [02:05:01] SERVICE PROVIDER. UH, WE, I LIKE TO SAY WE'RE THE UPS OF POWER. WE'RE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT WE DO NOT, UH, PURCHASE POWER. WE DO NOT GENERATE POWER. UH, WE DO NOT, UH, SELL POWER TO THE END USE CUSTOMERS. SO WE ARE, UM, A REGULATED UTILITY. WE'RE REGULATED BY THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, AND WE FOLLOW RULES SET FORTH BY THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND ERCOT. AND ERCOT IS THE GRID MANAGER. WE HAVE OVER 5,000 EMPLOYEES AT ENCORE THAT WORK ACROSS THE STATE IN OUR SERVICE AREA. UM, AND A LOT OF THOSE EMPLOYEES LIVE AND WORK HERE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. FIRST I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU A LITTLE ABOUT THE GRID RELIABILITY AND THE RES OUR RESILIENCY PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, CURRENTLY. UM, SO WE ARE EXPERIENCING, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, A HUGE AMOUNT OF GROWTH IN TEXAS. UM, OUR, OUR POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY THE YEAR 2050. NOW, ENCORE IS INSTALLING ABOUT 77,000 NEW METERS ACROSS OUR SERVICE AREA. ANNUALLY, THAT'S 77,000 NEW METERS. EACH OF THOSE METERS MAY BE ABOUT FOUR PEOPLE ON AT EACH METER. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING RECORD GROWTH IN RICHARDSON 10 YEARS AGO. UH, WE, WE INSTALLED 749 METERS IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON 10 YEARS AGO. THIS YEAR ALONE, WE'VE INSTALLED 15,343. THAT'S A HUGE GROWTH, UM, RATE THAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. NOT ONLY ARE WE SEEING PEOPLE COME IN, BUT THE USAGE THAT THEY ARE USING IS, IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO. UH, AND WE'RE SEEING THAT BECAUSE OF, OF AUTOMATION, I'M SORRY, AI, YOU KNOW, AI, UH, SEARCHES THAT THEY'RE DOING USE A LOT MORE, UM, ENERGY THAN THE NORMAL, THAN THE NORMAL SEARCHES. AND SO WE'RE, WE HAVE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE COMING IN AND THEY'RE REQUESTING EXTREMELY LARGE AMOUNTS OF POWER. UM, LAST YEAR WE SET A NEW PEAK GROWTH FOR DEMAND AT ERCOT FOR 85,559 MEGAWATTS IN AUGUST. UM, THIS YEAR WE DIDN'T, AND I'M, AND I'M CERTAIN IT'S BECAUSE THE WEATHER WAS, WAS NOT AS HOT AS IT WAS, UH, THE PREVIOUS YEAR. BUT, UM, SO I, I DID A FEW NUMBERS. AND SO 21% OF THE NEW LOAD GROWTH ARE, UM, ARE THAT WE'RE RECEIVING ARE REQUESTING OVER 75 MEGAWATTS. SO, YOU KNOW, A, AN A REQUEST FOR, UH, ONE OR TWO MEGAWATTS USED TO BE A REALLY LARGE, UM, UH, REQUEST FOR US. BUT NOW WE'RE GETTING, 21% OF THEM ARE 75 MEGAWATTS OR GREATER. RIGHT NOW IN OUR PIPELINE, WE HAVE 205 GIGAWATTS OF ACTIVE RETAIL REQUESTS, 205 GIGAWATTS THAT, THAT'S 75 MEGAWATTS. COULD YOU, JUST FOR EVERYONE, COULD YOU SAY LIKE, FOR FOR ONE RESIDENTIAL HOUSEHOLD, WHAT WOULD BE THEIR REQUEST AS COMPARED TO, JUST FOR A COMPARISON? 'CAUSE PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING MAY NOT UNDERSTAND. UNDERSTOOD. UM, SO OUR AVERAGE HOUSE USED TO USE ABOUT A THOUSAND KILOWATT HOURS A MONTH. UH, THAT HAS INCREASED AS WELL. SO OUR AVERAGE HOME IS USING ABOUT 1300 KILOWATT HOURS A MONTH. A SMALL CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, 20 20,000, 30,000 PEOPLE GENERALLY USES ABOUT 20 MEGAWATTS. SO THINK OF, THINK OF, I MEAN, THESE DATA CENTERS ARE USING MORE THAN A SMALL CITY USES. IT'S, IT'S A LOT. SO WITH THAT RECORD GROWTH, UM, ENCORE IS INVESTING. SO YOU ASK WHAT ATMOS WAS INVESTING. UM, ENCORE HAS, HAS, UH, COMMITTED TO INVEST $36 BILLION OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THAT IS TO KEEP UP WITH THAT LOAD GROWTH. UM, IF YOU WANT BUSINESSES AND, AND ALL OF THE CONVENIENCES OF, OF, UH, POWER, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO DELIVER THAT POWER TO THOSE BUSINESSES. SO OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, OUR CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN IS $36 BILLION. AND, UM, THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS TO INCREASE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE CAPABILITIES SO THAT WE CAN DELIVER, UH, SO WE CAN MODERNIZE OUR GRID AND DELIVER SAFE AND RELIABLE SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. [02:10:01] IN 2023, THE TEXAS LEGISLATOR LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THEY PASSED A, UM, A LAW THAT SAID THAT, UH, UTILITIES COULD DO A, UH, SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN. AND, AND THE INTENT BEHIND IT WAS TO ALLOW UTILITIES TO BE, UH, BETTER ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE, UH, MAJOR STORM. UH, SO WE HAD SEVERAL STORMS THAT HAPPENED, UH, ON THE COAST, AND WE HAD WINTER STORM URI. AND SO THE, THE TEXAS LEGISLATOR, OUR TEXAS LEGISLATORS SAID THAT THEY WANTED US TO, TO DO THINGS TO OUR GRID TO MAKE THEM BETTER WITHSTAND THE IMPACT OF THE, OF THOSE STORMS. AND, UM, SO IN 2020 4TH OF MAY OF 2024, ENCORE FILED OUR SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN WITH THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, AND THEY APPROVED IT IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN, UM, HARD AT WORK TRYING TO GET, UH, CONTRACTORS ON STAFF SO THAT WE CAN SPEND $3 BILLION OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ON, UH, SYSTEM RESILIENCY. AND, AND I'M GONNA GO OVER A FEW THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO, UM, OR THAT WE'RE ALREADY CURRENTLY WORKING ON TO, UM, MAKE OUR, OUR GRID BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND AN IMPACT OF A MAJOR STORM. SO THESE ARE THE KEY AREAS THAT ENCORE IS FOCUSING ON FOR OUR SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN. UM, AND SOME OF THEM WILL IMPACT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, UH, MORE THAN OTHERS. UH, AND I'LL GO OVER A COUPLE OF THOSE THAT ARE GONNA IMPACT THE CITY OF RICHARDSON SPECIFICALLY IN JUST A MINUTE. BUT WE'RE GONNA DO OVERHEAD AND UNDERGROUND SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND MODERNIZATION. WE'RE GONNA EXPAND OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN. UM, WE'RE GONNA IMPROVE OUR PHYSICAL SECURITY. SO AT OUR SUBSTATIONS, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO SOME DIFFERENT THINGS OUT IN THE FIELD TO IN IMPROVE OUR, OUR SECURITY THERE. UM, WE'RE ADDING AU AUTOMATION TO OUR FACILITIES, UH, SO THAT WE CAN PREDICT, UH, OUTAGES BEFORE THEY OCCUR. AND WE'RE, UH, INCREASING OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION AND ALSO OUR CYBER SECURITY. ME RISK MITIGATION, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. UM, I KNOW Y'ALL KNOW BACK IN THE, UH, MAY STORM OF 2024 THAT THE MAJOR CAUSE FOR OUTAGES DURING THAT STORM WAS TREES VEGETATION. AND SO, UM, WE, WE HAVE THE ABILITY NOW WITH THIS, UM, UM, SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN TO DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF VEGETATION MANAGEMENT THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, IN OUR SERVICE AREA. SO WE'RE USING DIFFERENT TOOLS NOW. AND SO SINCE I, SINCE 2018, UH, WE ARE USING DATA ANALYTICS TO, UH, PREDICT TREE GROWTH GROWTH RATE, WHERE WE'RE HAVING OUTAGES, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. AND THEN IN 2020, WE STARTED USING LIDAR. UH, SO THIS, UH, PICTURE ON THE SCREEN SHOWS YOU, UH, WHAT THE LIDAR LOOKS LIKE IN THOSE HOTSPOTS. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE TREES ACTUALLY TOUCHING THE LINES, AND SO THAT, THAT CAUSES OUTAGES. SO SINCE WE STARTED IN 2020 WITH A LIDAR, WE'VE REDUCED, UH, VEGETATION MANAGEMENT RELATED OUTAGES OVER 30%. SO IT, IT'S SHOWING THAT IT WORKS. AND, UM, I KNOW THAT, THAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTS AND CUSTOMERS DON'T LIKE THEIR TREES TRIMMED, BUT THEY LIKE THEIR POWER. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE BALANCING, UM, THE, THE, THE LOOK OF THE TREES. WE WANT THEM TO BE HEALTHY. SO WE HAVE HIRED ARBORISTS THAT, UH, TALK TO US ABOUT THE WAY OR TALK TO THE RESIDENTS ABOUT THE WAY WE'RE GONNA TRIM THE TREES. BUT, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN OUR TREES BECAUSE, UH, WE KNOW THAT HAVING POWER IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. NOW, UM, WE'RE ADDING DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION ON OUR LINES. AFTER THE SYSTEM RESILIENCY PLAN. WE HOPE TO HAVE 90% OF OUR SERVICE AREA COVERED BY AUTOMATION. AND SO THE AUTOMATION DOES A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, IT WILL ALLOW US TO CLOSE FS, WHICH MEANS WE GET THE CUSTOMERS BACK ON FASTER. UH, IN MANY CASES, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO ROLL A TRUCK. IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BLINK THREE TIMES AND SEE IF THE LINE'S CLEARED AND, AND, UH, RECLOSE ITSELF. AND, AND YOU ONLY SAW A BLINK IN THE POWER. UM, THERE'S ALSO, UH, SOME AUTOMATION ON THE LINE THAT ALLOWS US TO REROUTE WHEN WE HAVE MAJOR DAMAGE AND, UM, AND ISOLATE THE MAJOR DAMAGE AND GET BACK ON MORE CUSTOMERS THAN WHAT, UH, THAN WHAT WOULD'VE NORMALLY BEEN OUT THE ENTIRE TIME. SO WE HAVE FEWER [02:15:01] CUSTOMERS OUT FOR A LONGER PERIOD. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE THE HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE THAT'S BY THE OUTAGE, IT'S, IT'S NOT MUCH HELP TO YOU. BUT IF YOU'RE ON THE, YOU KNOW, IN THE CIRCLE, IT, IT IS. SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE SEEN THAT, UH, BE BENEFICIAL OVER THESE LAST FEW STORMS THAT WE'VE HAD, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UM, WE HAVE, AND THIS IS SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND ALSO SYSTEM RESILIENCY WORK, AND ALSO PART OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECT WORK. UM, SO SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, WE HAVE SOME UP UPCOMING DISTRIBUTION WORK, UM, UNDERGROUND, UH, SYSTEM RESILIENCY AND MODERNIZATION. WE'RE GONNA BE ASSESSING NINE CRITICAL UNDERGROUND SEGMENTS OF LINE. UM, WE HAVE STARTED REPLACING SOME ALREADY, BUT THE CABLE IN THE GROUND IS, UM, IN SOME CASES 20 YEARS OLD. AND, UH, WE, WE CAN PUT CABLE CURE IN IT IF IT HASN'T SEEN ANY OUTAGES AND THAT, AND THAT EXTENDS THE LIFE OF THE UNDERGROUND CABLE. BUT IF IT'S SEEN TWO OR MORE, UH, OUTAGES, THEN WE GENERALLY LIKE TO REPLACE THOSE SEGMENTS OF LINES. SO WE'VE GOT NINE OF THOSE THAT ARE CRITICAL THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ASSESSING TO SEE IF, UH, THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE'RE REPLACING AND UPGRADING APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES OF UNDERGROUND CABLE. UM, WE'RE REPLACING EQUIPMENT THAT'S VULNERABLE, ARE EXTREME WEATHER, UM, CONDITIONS, UH, WITH MORE RESILIENT, UM, UM, FACILITIES. AND SO THAT WOULD BE LIKE, UH, TRANSFORMERS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRANSFORMERS, MORE MODERN TRANSFORMERS. WE ALSO HAVE BEEN UPDATING OUR TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, A LOT OF THE LARGE BUSINESSES COMING INTO RICHARDSON NEED, UH, MORE POWER. AND IN ORDER TO DELIVER THAT POWER, WE HAVE TO UPGRADE OUR, UH, TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE. SO WE RECENTLY DID 2.1 MILES OF LINE UPGRADE ALONG OWENS TRAIL HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. UM, AND WE HAVE 4.5 SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR, UM, THAT IS GONNA BE OVER NEAR WATERGATE IN UT DALLAS. UM, SO WE'RE GONNA UPGRADE THAT. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S CONNECTING TO THE LINE AT PLANO. SO A LITTLE BIT OF IT'S IN PLANO, A LITTLE BIT OF IT IS IN RICHARDSON. UM, I WANTED TO TELL Y'ALL A LITTLE ABOUT OUR STORM EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. UH, SO YOU KNOW THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR POWER STAYS ON. UM, WE, WE INSPECT YEAR ROUND, UM, OUR FACILITIES YEAR ROUND. WE, WE DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF INSPECTIONS. WE DO POLE INSPECTIONS, A PERCENTAGE OF OUR POLES. WE DO TRANSFORMER, CABLE, UM, CABLE INSPECTIONS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, UH, CAN PREVENT ANY OUTAGES BEFORE THEY HAPPEN IF WE POSSIBLY CAN. UH, WE HAVE HIRED A METEOROLOGIST THAT'S ON STAFF AT ENCORE. UH, WE, WE REGULARLY, UH, HAVE CALLS WITH, UM, OUR METEOROLOGIST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL AWARE, KNOW WHAT WEATHER'S COMING IN. THE WEATHER'S MONITORED 24 7, 365. AND SO, UM, WE, WE WATCH THE WEATHER VERY CLOSE. WE ALSO HAVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING. WE GO THROUGH THIS, UH, FREQUENTLY. EVERYONE IS TRAINED ON WHAT THEIR ROLE IS AND WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. IF A, IF, IF THE STORM HAPPENS, UH, WE ALWAYS HAVE AN ON-CALL LIST AND WE ALWAYS HAVE A WHAT IF LIST. SO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PREPARED. UH, WE RUN DRILLS IF, IF, UH, AS MANY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AS WE CAN COME UP WITH. SO EVEN CYBERSECURITY ATTACKS, WE'VE, WE JUST RUN DRILLS ON ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THE RELIABILITY AND SAFE DELIVERY OF ELECTRICITY. UH, WE ALSO HAVE STARTED REPORTING TO, UH, THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION ABOUT OUR WEATHERIZATION PLANS AFTER WINTER STORM URI. UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF, OF, UH, THAT CAUSE OF WINTER STORM URI WAS THE FACT THAT OUR GENERATORS DID NOT HAVE WEATHERIZATION, UH, NOT ENCORE'S GENERATORS, BUT THE, THE GENERATORS FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS DID NOT HAVE WEATHERIZATION IN PLACE. AND SO AFTER THAT OCCURRED, UM, THEY PUT IN A PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE WAS WEATHERIZED. SO OUR STATIONS HAVE TO BE WEATHERIZED AS WELL. AND SO WE HAVE TO REPORT THAT TO THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION ANNUALLY. WE ALSO WORK WITH THE CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED ALL THE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE [02:20:01] CITIES, AND WE DO THAT ANNUALLY. SO WE MEET WITH THE CITY, UH, RICHARDSON ANNUALLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, KNOW WHERE THE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS AND IF IT HAS A GENERATOR ON IT, HOW LONG IT CAN LAST WITHOUT, UH, WITHOUT POWER. UM, SO THAT, AND, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE MOBILE GENERATORS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, BRING TO THE CITY, UH, SHOULD ONE OF THOSE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES GO DOWN SO THAT WE CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE KEEP THOSE INFRASTRUCTURES UP AND RUNNING IF WE ARE UNABLE TO GET POWER BACK QUICKLY. SO WE HAVE A RE, UH, RESTORATION METHOD, UH, AT ENCORE WHEN WE HAVE A MAJOR STORM. UM, I HOPE THAT ALL OF Y'ALL HAVE MY CELL PHONE NUMBER. UH, IF YOU DO NOT, MAKE SURE YOU GET IT BEFORE I LEAVE, UH, I, I AM YOUR CONTACT. THAT'S WHAT ENCORE HIRED ME TO DO, IS TO BE THE LIAISON FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. UH, WHEN WE HAVE A MAJOR STORM, UH, THE FIRST THING THAT WE DO IS WE GET BACK ON THE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CAN GET BACK ON. THE NEXT THING THAT WE DO IS WE START, UH, SENDING OUT DAMAGE EVALUATORS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THEY CAN EVALUATE WHERE THE MAJOR DAMAGE IS, SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME CUSTOMERS BACK ON THAT ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE DAMAGE. UM, AND THEN WE START WORKING ON GETTING, UM, THE MOST CUSTOMERS BACK ON, UH, AS POSSIBLE. SO LET'S SAY YOU HAVE A FEEDER THAT'S OUT AND IT HAS A THOUSAND CUSTOMERS ON IT, OR YOU HAVE A A FEW RESIDENTS, UH, OVER HERE THAT ARE OUT, UH, THAT THAT'S GONNA REQUIRE A LOT OF WORK. WE, WE TRY TO GET THE MOST, UH, BANG FOR OUR BUCK, I GUESS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY. SO WE TRY TO GET THE MOST PEOPLE BACK ON AS QUICK AS WE CAN. UH, BUT WE DON'T, UH, WE DON'T DO, WE DON'T DO, UM, A A LOT OF DAMAGE EVALUATION UNTIL WE HAVE THE CRITICAL LOAD BACK ON. A LOT OF IT'S DONE SIMULTANEOUSLY. I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT, BUT, BUT, UM, BUT WE FOCUS ON CRITICAL LOAD FIRST. SO, HOSPITALS, WATER FACILITIES, WASTEWATER FACILITIES, UH, 9 1 1 CENTERS, UH, WE FOCUS ON THOSE FIRST TO GET THEM BACK ON. SECONDLY, I'LL TELL YOU, UM, WE LOOK AT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IF, UM, IF KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THOSE BACK ON. WE LOOK AT NURSING HOMES, UH, THAT ARE NOT CRITICAL LOAD, UH, ELDERLY CENTERS THAT ARE NOT CRITICAL LOAD. AND I HAVE ALL OF THOSE IDENTIFIED. SO WHEN I, WHEN I START WORKING THE STORM, I'M AT OUR DOC TELLING THEM, HEY, I'VE GOT THESE FACILITIES THAT ARE OUT NEXT. SO ONCE THE CRITICAL LOAD IS BACK ON, I HAVE THEM MY LIST READY FOR THE NEXT, THE NEXT, UH, SET OF, OF FOLKS THAT I NEED TO, I NEED THEM TO FOCUS ON. BUT IF DURING A STORM, IF YOU HAVE ANY NEED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ME, BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY WHAT I'M HERE FOR. UM, ERCOT OVERSEES THE TEXAS GRID. ENCORE DOES NOT GENERATE POWER. WE DO NOT PURCHASE POWER IF ERCOT CALLS FOR A LOAD DROP. SO, UM, WE HAVE HAD TWO, UH, ROLLING OUTAGES. UM, ONE WAS DURING THE SUPER BOWL AND ONE WAS, UH, DURING WINTER STORM URI. UM, AND SO DURING WINTER STORM URI, WHEN ERCOT CALLED FOR THAT ROLLING OUTAGE, UM, THEY GAVE US AN AMOUNT WE HAD TO DROP AND WE HAD TO DROP IT IMMEDIATELY. UH, WE, UM, THAT IS, THAT IS IT, IT IS UP TO US TO KEEP THE GRID FROM BURNING DOWN. IF WE HADN'T DROPPED IT, IT WOULD HAVE, I MEAN, IT, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC TO THIS DAY. SO, UH, ERCOT MANAGES THE GRID. THEY TELL US, UH, UM, WHEN THEY ARE CALLING FOR EMERGENCIES, WHEN THEY WANNA CONSERVE THIS BAR CHART UP THERE IS, UH, IS THEIR DIFFERENT CONSERVATION PATHS. SO, UH, THEIR EMERGENCY, UH, ALERT PATH, SORRY, EMERGENCY ALERT PATH. SO, UM, THE DARKER IT GETS, THE MORE CRITICAL IT IS THAT, UH, THAT GRAPH AT THE BOTTOM THAT SHOWS THE 10, UH, 10,236 OPERATING RESERVES, UH, IF YOU EVER GO ON ERCOT, UH, WEBSITE, YOU'LL SEE THAT IF IT'S GREEN LIKE THAT, EVERYTHING IS GOOD. IT'S LIKE A LITTLE SPEEDOMETER. IF IT'S STARTS GOING DOWN, IT STARTS GETTING RED, IT'LL, IT'LL TURN YELLOW, IT'LL TURN ORANGE. AND SO IF IT STARTS GOING DOWN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A ISSUE WITH GENERATION. AND SO, UM, UH, WE TRY TO SEND OUT THOSE NOTIFICATIONS. ERCOT SENDS THEM OUT, WE FOLLOW THEIR LEAD. WE NEVER SEND IT OUT PRIOR TO, UH, IF ERCOT SENDS IT OUT, THEN I'LL SEND IT OUT TO OUR CITIES AND, AND START TELLING THEM THAT, THAT SOMETHING'S GOING ON. BUT YOU [02:25:01] ARE WELCOME TO SIGN UP. ANYONE CAN SIGN UP FOR THEIR ALERTS, UH, AT ERCOT.COM. I HAVE THE WEBSITE THERE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT IS. BUT, UM, UH, YOU CAN SIGN UP AND GET THE ALERTS ON YOUR CELL PHONE. YOU CAN ALSO GET THE APP ON YOUR CELL PHONE. I'M GONNA TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT HOW WE ENGAGE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS. THIS IS OUR PR PIECE OF IT. SO, UM, UH, WE HAVE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP THAT WORKS WITH, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS AND, UH, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. SO WHEN WE HAVE NEW BUSINESSES THAT COME INTO, UH, CITY, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP WILL HELP YOU ANSWER RFI REQUEST, UH, IF YOU GET THEM FROM, FROM THOSE BUSINESSES AND, AND PROVIDE YOU THE INFORMATION, UH, THAT YOU NEED TO, TO, UH, MAKE THEM AN OFFER OR TO TRY TO, UH, ENTICE THEM TO COME TO THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. WE ALSO WORK WITH, UH, BUSINESSES CHAMBERS. WE'RE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE OUT THERE AND INVOLVED, FOR US TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. WE, WE ALSO SET UP A ASK ENCORE BOOTH AT MANY OF OUR, AT MANY OF THE, UH, FAC UM, EVENTS THAT HAPPEN AROUND, UH, DALLAS AND RICHARDSON. UM, WE'VE BEEN RUNNING ASK ENCORE FOR 15 YEARS. WE HAVE EMPLOYEES THERE, AND, UH, CUSTOMERS CAN COME TO THOSE EVENTS AND ASK US ANYTHING THEY WANT. UH, AND WE TRY TO, UH, EXPLAIN WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE ASKING ABOUT. SO JUST LIKE Y'ALL ASK US QUESTIONS, UH, WE GET THOSE SAME HARD QUESTIONS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. AND SO WE TRY TO, UH, BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS FOR THEM. WE FOUND OUT, UM, THAT AFTER DEREGULATION, BUT PRIOR TO DEREGULATION, WE USED TO GO INTO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND DO, UM, DO, UH, ENERGY SAFETY, UH, EDUCATION. BUT WE FOUND OUT THAT AFTER DEREGULATION, WE QUIT DOING IT, AND WE FOUND OUT THAT IT WASN'T BEING DONE. UH, SO WE'VE STARTED A ONCOURSE SUPER SAFE KIDS PROGRAM. WE GO TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND WE TEACH, UH, ELEMENTARY AGE KIDS ABOUT ELECTRICAL SAFETY. WE ALSO HAVE A, UM, CARTOON ON SATURDAY MORNINGS ON PBS THAT TEACHES ABOUT ELECTRICAL SAFETY. UH, WE DO TOUCH A TRUCK, UH, FOR KIDS. WE, AT CAREER FAIRS, WE DO IT AT DIFFERENT EVENTS SO THAT THEY CAN SEE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE A LINEMAN. UM, AND SO, UH, WE WE'RE, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL GET SOME, UH, NEW EMPLOYEES FROM THE TOUCH OF TRUCK. WE ALSO DO LIVE LINE EVENTS. WE DO THEM FOR FIRE DEPARTMENTS, WE DO THEM FOR SCHOOLS. WE DO THEM FOR BUSINESSES WHERE WE SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE IF YOU GET INTO A, A LINE AND, UM, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO WEAR FR CLOTHING AND NOT TRIM TREES AND, UH, THAT ARE NEAR THE POWER LINES. AND BECAUSE HOW DANGEROUS IT COULD BE. UM, I WANTED TO TALK TO Y'ALL A LITTLE ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION AND RELOCATIONS. UM, I'D HAD, I HAD A QUESTION FROM THE MAYOR, AND I'VE HAD A QUESTION FROM, UH, ALLIE. AND, AND SO, UM, THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT GO INTO RELOCATION, UM, AND, AND INTO THE DESIGN AND TIMING FOR PROJECTS. OH, I WENT AHEAD, DIDN'T I? OH, MAYBE, I GUESS MAYBE THIS DIDN'T GET IN THERE. BUT ANYWAY, I'LL TALK TO Y'ALL ABOUT IT. 'CAUSE I HAVE THIS, I HAVE THIS SLIDE, BUT, UM, UM, SO, UM, WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT ON EASEMENTS TO GET EASEMENTS. BEFORE WE CAN DO PROJECTS, WE HAVE TO COORDINATE TRANSFERS IF IT'S A RELOCATION. SO WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T PULL OUR POLL IF WE HAVE COMMUNICATIONS STILL ON THE LINE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS THAT, UM, THAT WE CAN'T GET 'EM DONE AS QUICK AS YOU WOULD LIKE FOR US TO. UM, WE, UM, WE MAY HAVE TO SCHEDULE WITH CONTRACTORS. UM, WE HAVE TO ACQUIRE THE MATERIALS THAT ARE NEEDED. AND BY THE WAY, IF WE HAVE A STORM IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THAT, WE, WE HAVE TO SEND ALL OF OUR CREWS TO GO GET THE POWER BACK ON TOO. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO INTO, UM, THE TIMING FOR PROJECTS. BUT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE BEST ABLE TO MEET THE CITY'S, UH, NEEDS, WE ASK THAT YOU BRING US IN WHEN YOU'RE AT 60% PLANNING. SO IF YOU'RE PLANNING A PROJECT, WE WANNA BE INCLUDED WHEN YOU GET TO ABOUT 60%. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A TOOL THAT IS ONLINE THAT YOU CAN TRACK, UH, PROJECTS IN. IT'S, UH, IT'S ENCORE, UH, REQUEST, NEW SERVICE PORTAL. SO IF YOU PUT THE, THE PROJECT IN THERE, YOU CAN TRACK WHERE IT'S AT, AT ANY GIVEN TIME AND WHO THE CONTACTS ARE FOR IT. BUT AGAIN, I'M YOUR LIAISON FOR THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. [02:30:01] IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ANY PROJECT, IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SEE OUT THERE THAT YOU JUST WANNA KNOW ABOUT, GIVE ME A CALL AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER FOR YOU. OKAY. AND NEXT, UH, IS ABOUT THE AREA MANAGERS. UM, THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT I AM. I'M AN AREA MANAGER AND I AM ASSIGNED TO THE CITY OF RICHARDSON. AND I AM HERE TO HELP YOU WITH WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU HAVE TO ANSWER THE HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT RAPE CASES, TO DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT, UM, GET YOU THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED TO, FOR YOU TO INFORM THE CITIZENS OF RICHARDSON. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. AND THANK Y'ALL FOR ALLOWING ME THE TIME TO PRESENT. THANK YOU, CHRISTIE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, DORIAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR CHRISTIE. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I THINK YOU TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT AT THE VERY END ON NEW CONSTRUCTION, AND I WAS GONNA SPEAK, SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME AESTHETIC ISSUES JUST BECAUSE THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF INQUIRIES THAT COME IN ON THE AESTHETIC SIDE, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW LIFE AND POWER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A TREE BEING CUT. BUT, UH, MY QUESTION IS, YOU MENTIONED THE POLE HEIGHTS. WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM POLE HEIGHT IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE INSTALLING ABOVE GROUND, WHETHER IT'S NEW EXISTING OR REPLACING WIRING OR TRANSFORMERS, UH, IS THERE A SPECIFIC POLE HEIGHT? UH, BUT TO POTENTIALLY GO ABOVE EXISTING MATURE TREES OR SO, SO THERE, THERE'S NOT A SPECIFIC POLE HEIGHT. UM, LIKE I COULDN'T SAY WE DO A 30 FOOT POLE, RIGHT? THAT'S A STANDARD POLE. UM, SO IT, IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE LOCATION, UM, WHERE, WHERE IT'S GOING WHEN WE'RE INSTALLING THE LINE. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE POLES HAVE, UM, HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME MM-HMM . UH, AND SO THEY'RE THE SHORTER POLES. UM, BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE INSTALLING MUCH TALLER POLES AND WHAT WE HAD, UH, WE, WE HAD INSTALLED FIVE YEARS AGO. UM, SO IT, IT'S, THERE'S NOT A STANDARD POLE HEIGHT. IT'S MORE BASED ON THE, THE PROJECT THAT YOU'RE DOING ITSELF. AND THEN YOU HAVE TRANSMISSION POLES THAT ARE A HUNDRED FEET TALL. SO THERE, THERE'S QUITE A YEAH, A LARGE DIFFERENCE. AND THAT'S POLES A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT POLE. YEAH. AND I, AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT TOO. I, I KNOW IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND, YOU KNOW, TREES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR 30, 40, 50 YEARS AND YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ATTRACTIVE AT ONE POINT. AND THEN, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, ENCORE COMES IN OF COURSE AND CUTS THEM, I MEAN, LITERALLY CUTS THEM OUT. IT'S ALMOST BETTER JUST TO CUT THEM DOWN AND, AND, AND, AND REPLANT, I MEAN, EVEN THOUGH I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN, IN PUTTING THINGS IN GROUND, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, I, I KNOW THAT'S SOMETIMES DIFFICULT, UH, DEPENDING ON THE INFRAS, OUR EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT, AND THE COST. AND THE COST, THE COST IS EXPENSIVE TO GO FROM OVERHEAD TO UNDERGROUND. AND I TOTALLY GET THAT. YEAH. UM, DO YOU, DO Y'ALL EVER COORDINATE WITH WHEN A NEW DEVELOPMENT IS COMING ONLINE OR IF, UM, AN AREA'S BEING REDEVELOPED OR REVITALIZED, DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE DEVELOPER THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU'RE DOING INGROUND OR ABOVEGROUND OR A COMBO AND THEN CHECK TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF, OF LANDSCAPING AND LANDSCAPE IS COMING ONLINE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME BACK IN POTENTIALLY AND CUT THESE TREES IN HALF LITERALLY. YEAH. AND, AND SORT OF DISTURB THE, YOU KNOW, THE AESTHETICS OF WHAT'S BEING CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND I, AGAIN, I KNOW THERE'S A REAL FINE LINE THERE, BUT I'M JUST ASKING 'CAUSE THERE IS A FINE LINE. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE ENJOY DOING, EVEN THOUGH I TOLD YOU THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SLIDE MM-HMM . IT IS, IT IS VERY HARD FOR ME TO GO TO A HOMEOWNER AND SAY, I AM CUTTING DOWN YOUR PECAN TREE THAT YOU LOVE. RIGHT. IT'S, IT'S, UM, SO FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, UM, FOR ANY CONSTRUCTION, REDEVELOP NEW CONSTRUCTION, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO WORK WITH THE DEVELOPERS, BUT THEY GO TO THE CITY TO, YOU KNOW, DETERMINE WHAT UH, TYPE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE. THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME THE ALLOWABLE COST WILL PAY FOR UNDERGROUND FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION. SO THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME WE'RE PUTTING IN UNDERGROUND AND NEW CONSTRUCTION, IT'S WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO REDEVELOP AND PUT IN UNDERGROUND, UM, THAT IS ALREADY OVERHEAD, THAT THE COST IS PROHIBITIVE MOST TIMES. SO, UM, AND AS FAR AS VEGETATION MANAGEMENT OR UM, OR LANDSCAPING, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST, UH, OUTREACH IS, IS TRYING TO TELL CUSTOMERS NOT TO PLANT NEAR POWER LINES, NOT TO PLANT UNDERNEATH THE POWER LINES. IF I DRIVE BY AND I SEE, UH, SOMEONE PLANTING A TREE UNDER OUR POWER LINE, OR I SEE RECENTLY PLANTED P UH, TREES UNDER OUR POWER LINE, I GO AND TRY TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT, ABOUT MOVING [02:35:01] IT SO THAT IT IS NOT UNDERNEATH THE POWER LINE BECAUSE I KNOW EVENTUALLY MY COUNTERPART THAT COMES BEHIND ME IS GONNA HAVE TO GO CUT THAT TREE. AND SO, UM, WE DO A LOT OF EDUCATION ON TREE, BUT IT'S NOT SPECIFICALLY TO THE DEVELOPERS. WE TELL THE DEVELOPERS, YOU KNOW, MOSTLY BECAUSE IT'S UNDERGROUND NOW, RIGHT? YEAH. BUT WE TELL THE DEVELOPERS WHERE OUR FACILITIES WILL BE, UH, SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE, UM, YOU KNOW, PAD MOUNT TRANSFORMERS WILL BE HERE, DON'T PLANT A TREE RIGHT NEXT TO THAT PAD MOUNT TRANSFORMER 'CAUSE IT WILL BE, OR IT WILL BE IN THE WAY. DON'T PUT THE FENCE HERE BY THE POLE. I MEAN, WE DO TRY TO DO THAT WITH THEM. YEAH. AND YOU JUST, AND YOU JUST MADE A, A, A, A COMMENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC OR THE RESIDENTS AND, AND YES, THAT'S, I, AGAIN, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT. A SEED MAY DROP AND GROW INTO A TREE UNDER THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE JUST LET, LET IT GROW. AND THAT HAPPENS A LOT. AND I'M ONLY ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE I GET SO MANY CALLS. I DO TOO. I'M DOING THIS WHERE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WATCHING NOW CAN KIND OF HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEW CONSTRUCTION AND COLLABORATIVE CONSTRUCTION VERSUS EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY ON OLDER, UH, CITIES LIKE RICHARDSON AND ALL THE OLDER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE. I KNOW IT'S HARD TO GO IN THERE AND I MEAN, IF YOU'RE GONNA CUT IN GROUND, YOU'RE GONNA CUT INTO THE ROOT SYSTEMS OF THESE MATURE 40, 50-YEAR-OLD TREES. THEREFORE YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST GO AHEAD AND COMPLETELY RE LANDSCAPE. AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT ALWAYS WISE OR COST EFFECTIVE EITHER. SO I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU LIKE TO DO. AND HONESTLY, IT, THEY'RE NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST. I THINK THEY JUST COME IN THERE AND JUST CUT. AND THERE'S LITTLE SUPERVISION WHEN IT COMES TO, TO CUTTING THE TREES AROUND THE LINES. AND I KNOW THERE'S, AGAIN, UM, I DON'T THINK ANYONE LIKES IT, BUT I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. I JUST WANNA BE ABLE TO GET THAT ON THE TABLE. RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO, UM, LEMME JUST CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT. WE CUT ON A MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE WHEN WE, WHEN WE DO MAINTENANCE TRIMS, SO WE DO, WE DO DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRIMS. WE DO A MAINTENANCE TRIM, WHICH MEANS WE COME IN EVERY SEVERAL YEARS, UH, AND, AND TRIM A FEEDER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S, THAT IT IS, UM, THAT IT IS GOT A 10 FOOT CLEARANCE AROUND THAT FEEDER. SO THAT, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND, AND IT WON'T GROW BACK INTO THE POWER LINES. UM, WE ALSO DO, UH, SOMETHING CALLED A MAKE READY. SO IF A HOMEOWNER WANTS TO TRIM THEIR TREES, UH, THEY CAN CALL US AND WE WILL GO CUT IT AND MAKE IT SAFE SO THEY CAN TRIM THEIR OWN TREES AND, AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THEY WANT IT TO LOOK. SO WE'LL CUT IT, LEAVE THE BRANCHES, AND THEN THEY CAN COME IN AND TRIM THEIR OWN TREES. OKAY. UM, AND HOW DO THEY REACH OUT TO YOU? WHERE, WHERE DO THEY THEY CAN CALL OUR EIGHT, THEY CAN CALL OUR 800 NUMBER. THAT'S ON THEIR BILL. IT'S A EIGHT. IT'S A 8, 8 8 NUMBER. OKAY. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, TREE TRIMMING WHEN WE HAVE STORMS. SO WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO, OR, OR I SHOULD SAY WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO RESTORE POWER MM-HMM . SO IF, IF A TREE CAUSES A OUTAGE, UM, THEN WE DON'T WAIT ON A MAINTENANCE TRIM. WE HAVE TO GO TRIM THAT TREE TO GET IT BACK ON. IN THOSE CASES, UH, I WOULD SAY THAT THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT DON'T LOOK AS GOOD AS THE MAINTENANCE TRIMS. THE MAINTENANCE TRIMS LOOK BETTER BECAUSE WE HAVE ARBOR ON SITE. IT'S THE EMERGENCY TRIMS THAT ARE, ARE THE ONES THAT SOMETIMES LOOK A LITTLE HACKED UP. WELL, OF COURSE WE'RE ALL PART OF THE FEW YEARS AGO WHEN, WHEN WE HAD THE FREEZE COME THROUGH AND, AND, AND IT SORT OF REARRANGED SOME OF THE TREES BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT OF YEAH, THE ICE, THE, THE ICE. AND A LOT OF TREES. WELL, OF COURSE WE LOST A LOT OF TREES DURING THAT TIME, JUST, UH, COMPLETELY. AND A LOT OF THEM, UM, WERE STUBBS AFTERWARDS AND, AND SOME PEOPLE LEFT THE STUSS IN THEIR YARD AND EITHER DIED OUT OR THEY'RE NOT GROWING IN A VERY ATTRACTIVE WAY AT THE MOMENT. SO, UM, AND THAT GOES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY. BUT, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU CLARIFYING THAT AND FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE LISTENING TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT PROCESS. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNCILMAN DORIAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING AT MY YARD. . UH, MY, MY TREES AREN'T LOOKING SO GREAT HERE LATELY. UM, CHRISTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I DO, UM, HAVE ONE QUESTION, A COUPLE OF COMMENTS BEFORE I GO THERE. I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. YOU'RE YOU'RE WELCOME. AS YOU HEARD OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE GENTLEMAN THAT CAME BEFORE YOU, VERY DIFFERENT PRESENTATION FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I FEEL LIKE YOUR PRESENTATION, UM, WENT INTO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND I KNOW YOU DON'T, WE SEE YOU IN THE COMMUNITY, WE SEE THE ENCORE SUPPORTING ALL KINDS OF STUFF. UH, THERE'S, I'VE SEEN ENCORE BE THE SPONSOR OF SO MANY THINGS. I I LOSE TRACK OF IT, RIGHT. BECAUSE, UM, YOU GUYS ARE OUT THERE. SO I THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. UM, THE ONLY QUESTION, REAL QUESTION I HAD WAS ON SLIDE NINE, THE DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION SHORTENS OUTAGE TIMES, UHHUH, . UM, THIS, THIS WAS REALLY FASCINATING [02:40:01] TO ME, AND I SEE THAT YOUR LAST BULLET POINT, IT SAYS NOW COVER 70% OF THE ENCORE SYSTEM WITH 90% EXPECTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IS THIS IN RICHARDSON? ARE WE COVERED OR IS THAT 70% OF ALL, OR IS THAT 70% OF THE CITY SERVED? IT'S 70% OF OUR CITY SERVED, BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THE CITY OF RICHARDSON IS PRETTY CLOSE TO 90%. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE, WE'RE THERE AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UH, REROUTE POWER AND TO DO AUTOMATIC CLOSE INS NOW IN THE MAJORITY OF CITY RICHARDSON. FASCINATING. I, I DON'T EVER LOOK UP AND EVEN IF I DID, I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING AT. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. I WAS GONNA GO BACK AND SHOW YOU BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A PICTURE OF A RECLOSER ON THERE. AH, OKAY. SOME OF THIS IS FASCINATING TO ME. YEAH. THIS, THIS, THAT WAS PARTICULARLY FASCINATING TO ME WHEN I STARTED WITH ENCORE. WE DIDN'T HAVE, WE HAD POLES AND WIRES AND TRANSFORMERS, BUT THIS HAS, THIS HAS, THIS HAS COME ON, YOU KNOW, THE LAST 10 YEARS AND IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN, UM, IT'S MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. YOUR POWER'S NOT OUT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME LIKE IT USED TO BE. I, I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY FROM SUPER SAFE KIDS TOUCH A TRUCK AND LIVELINE EVENTS. THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING. UH, I KNOW THERE'S DIFFERENT TALKS, UH, IN THE COUNSELOR. WE'LL BE LOOKING AT STUFF AROUND PARTNERSHIPS WITH RSD AND CTE AND THEN I KNOW SOME OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND I HOPE THAT IF SOMETHING WERE TO COME UP, WHETHER THROUGH THAT OR THROUGH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE'RE ALL IN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, IF SOMETHING WERE TO COME UP, WE COULD ALWAYS CALL YOU AND MAYBE HELP CONNECT YOU WITH SOME OF OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS. I WOULD LOVE TO, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT WAY TO FURTHER OUR PARTNERSHIP. UM, BLESS YOU. TWO, TWO COMMENTS I'VE HEARD FROM RESIDENTS JUST RECENTLY THAT APPLY TO YOU. AND SINCE YOU'RE HERE, UM, I KNOW, AND THIS IS OF COURSE, WE ALL HEAR ABOUT THE TREES. I'VE BEEN ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT WORRY ABOUT MY TREES. SO I HAVE TREES RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE POLES. BEEN THERE A LONG TIME, UM, RIGHT BELOW THE LINES. UH, BUT I GET THAT THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. I TOTALLY GET THAT. WHEN, UM, ONE QUICK COMMENT. I KNOW I HEARD FROM TWO RESIDENTS THIS LAST WEEKEND THAT ENCO, ONE OF THEM WAS A TEXT TO ME AND SAID, HEY, ENCORE WAS JUST HERE REPLACING A POLE. WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANUP? AND HE'S TEXTED ME PICTURES JUST LIKE, WE HAVE YOUR NUMBER, EVERYBODY HAS OUR NUMBERS. AND HE TEXTED ME PICTURES. HE SAID, WHEN IS THE CITY GONNA COME OUT TO CLEAN THAT? I SAID, YOU NEED TO CALL ENCORE. THAT'S ENCORE'S RESPONSIBILITY. HE SENT ME AN EMOJI ROLLING HIS EYE. HE GOES, I GUESS I BETTER GO CLEAN IT UP MYSELF 'CAUSE THAT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE REPLACING STUFF, JUST BE AWARE OF, 'CAUSE HE SHOWED ME, IT WAS JUST PILES OF DIRT AROUND WHERE OBVIOUSLY WHOEVER WAS FILLING IT AND DOING THE BACKFILL JUST WASN'T REALLY CAREFUL THERE. IT MADE A MESS OF EVERYTHING. UM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I MENTIONED THIS, UH, WHEN WE WERE TALKING EARLIER TOGETHER, THE GENTLEMAN, BUT REALLY IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK I HEAR MORE, UH, REGARDING ENCORE WHEN WE HAVE, UM, PROJECTS IN THE CITY AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE STAFF SENDS OUT FOR LETS YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON SO THEY CAN GET DIAGRAMS OF WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERGROUND. RIGHT. UM, LOTS OF TIMES PROJECTS GET HELD UP AND NUMBER ONE REASON I HEAR, UM, FROM STAFF IS BECAUSE, WELL, ENCORE DIDN'T SEND US THE RIGHT ONES, OR THEY DON'T, WE DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON DOWN THERE. UM, BECAUSE IT'S, ESPECIALLY IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY, THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS SO OLD, IT'S REALLY HARD TO KNOW WHERE EVERY SINGLE LINE IS. RIGHT. UM, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN IMPROVE THAT BECAUSE THAT REALLY, AND IT'S NOT JUST, I'M NOT, I'M NOT JUST SAYING IT'S ALWAYS ENCORE, BUT I THINK ENCORE IS A BIG PART OF THAT, UM, IS, IS WE HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT ARE HELD UP WAITING ON UTILITIES. AND AGAIN, YOU'RE JUST ONE PIECE OF THAT. BUT IS THERE A BETTER WAY WE EITHER SOMETHING WE CAN BE DOING DIFFERENT OR IS THERE A BETTER WAY THAT WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU SO THAT WE CAN NOT HAVE THOSE DISRUPTIONS IN OUR PROJECTS? BECAUSE THAT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS TAKE NOTE. AND IF ANYTHING ABOVE CUTTING A TREES ABOVE DIRTY WORK SPACE WHERE SOMEBODY WASN'T QUITE CAREFUL, THAT'S NUMBER ONE THING I HEAR IS WHEN WE HAVE PROJECTS, WHY ARE THEY TAKING SO LONG? AND THEN WE'RE TRYING AROUND SAYING, WELL, WE'RE WAITING ON UTILITIES. RIGHT. AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S, THAT'S BAD FOR YOU ALL. IT'S BAD FOR US. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR ANYBODY. YEAH. UM, I WOULD TELL YOU THAT THE BEST WAY TO, TO DO THAT IS TO GET US INVOLVED SOONER THAN LATER. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, THE QUICKER WE KNOW ABOUT IT, THE MORE WE CAN PLAN FOR IT. UM, I DO KNOW WE HAVE A COUPLE OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE GOTTEN OFF RAIL, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING ON EASEMENTS OR BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING ON, ON OTHERS TO RELOCATE OFF OF OUR POLES. AND SO IT, IT, [02:45:01] IT'S REALLY A SPECIFIC PROJECT. YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD HAVE TO SEND IT TO ME AND LET ME LOOK AT IT. BUT THE BEST WAY TO GET US GOING IS TO GET US INVOLVED AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. SO AT ABOUT 60% OF PLANNING WHAT I SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, NOT ALWAYS GETTING COMPLETE, UM, NOT ALWAYS GETTING COMPLETE PLANS OR KNOWING WHAT'S AT THE CROSS SECTIONS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. DOES THAT SOUND ACCURATE? IS THIS SOMETHING, WELL, WE, IT'S AN ISSUE KIND OF NETWORK WIDE IN OTHER CITIES. IS THIS YEAH, WE DON'T, WE DON'T LOCATE OUR FACILITIES. THAT'S DONE THROUGH 8 1 1. WE DON'T LOCATE OUR OWN FACILITIES. WE, WE, WE PAY, DIG, TEST TO LOCATE OUR FACILITIES. SO WE DON'T SEND IN THE LOCATION OF OUR LINES. UH, DIG TEST MARKS THOSE FOR US. OKAY. SO STAFF, AM I WRONG IN THINKING, AM I, AM I SAYING SOMETHING INCORRECTLY, DON? LIKE WHEN AM I NOT MAYBE NOT UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS? WHEN WE ARE PLANNING, UH, SOME BIG UNDERGROUND PROJECT, WE SEND IT OFF TO OUR UTILITIES GET PLANS, DO WE SEND IT TO THEM DIRECTLY OR DO WE SEND IT THROUGH? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, WE, WE COORDINATE WITH, UH, ENCORE ATMOS, UH, AT TI MEAN ALL OF OUR FRANCHISEES, IF THEY'RE IN, IF THEY'RE IN, IF THEY'RE UTILITIES IN OUR RIGHT OF WAY AND WE'RE RECONSTRUCTING AN ALLEY OR A STREET, UM, THEN THERE'S A LOT OF COORDINATION. WE HAVE MONTHLY MEETINGS WHERE THEY COME IN. SO THE PLANNING IS GENERALLY NOT THE PROBLEM. IT'S WHEN WE ACTUALLY GET INTO THE FIELD AND WE, UM, TAKE UP THAT, THAT STREET OR THAT ALLEY, AND THEN WE'RE CONFRONTED WITH THE SUBGRADE, UM, UTILITIES AND, UH, THAT'S OUR OWN UTILITY SOMETIMES. AND THAT'S OFTENTIMES, THAT'S ENCORE. NOW ENCORE ALSO IS A, YOU KNOW, A UNIQUE SITUATION IN THAT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF POLES IN ALLEYS THAT CREATE, UM, UNIQUE SITUATIONS AS WE GO THROUGH AND REBUILD SOME OF THE OLDER ALLEYS. AND SO, UM, BUT THERE, THE, IN MY OPINION, THE PLANNING IS NOT A PROBLEM. WE PLAN AS, AS, UM, EFFECTIVELY AS WE CAN. UM, NOT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT IS UNDERGROUND. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IN SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, WE'RE WORKING THE MOST FOR STREETS AND ALLEYS. THESE ARE 50 AND 60-YEAR-OLD STREETS, AND THERE ARE 50 AND 60 YEAR OLDS AT, UH, 50 AND 60-YEAR-OLD AS BUILTS IF WE HAVE 'EM. UM, AND SO A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE GOING INTO A PROJECT BLIND. UM, YOU KNOW, CHRISTIE, I MAY KNOW, WE, WE, WE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE RUN INTO AN UNFORESEEN CONDITION IN THE FIELD, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO KIND OF GET INTO THE QUEUE. WE'RE NOT, NOT NECESSARILY THE FIRST ONE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF A SITUATION. OR, UH, COUNCILMAN A LOT OF TIMES, UH, ENCORE WHEN THEY'RE RESPONDING TO A WEATHER EVENT, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE UNDERSTANDABLY THINGS GET BACKED UP. AND, UM, THAT'S USUALLY WHERE, WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST ISSUES. UM, I, I FEEL LIKE WE DO A GOOD JOB PLANNING TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN AND WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE, IT'S THE REALITY OF WHEN YOU START PULLING UP THE CONCRETE, UM, OR YOU START WORKING IN THE FIELD THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE CONFRONTED WITH UNFORESEEN ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, QUITE FRANKLY JUST AREN'T POSSIBLE TO, UM, ANTICIPATE OR RECOGNIZE DURING THAT PLANNING PROCESS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW COUNCILMAN CHISEL AND I TALK A LOT ABOUT THIS 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE HAS THIS, HE HAS THIS OWN , YOU KNOW, IN HIS OWN PRIVATE, UH, BUSINESS. HE HAS, HE HAS THIS SITUATION. UM, SO I HOPE, I HOPE THAT HELPS CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT, BUT YEAH. UM, AND I'M GONNA THERE APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH. SOMETHING I JUST THOUGHT OF AND I, UM, I'LL, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'LL ASK THAT ONE OFFLINE. OKAY. UM, I'LL ASK THAT JUST SO I DON'T TAKE UP ANY MORE TIME. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WILL BENEFIT THE GROUP AS A WHOLE. SO, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTIE. AGAIN, A GREAT PRESENTATION. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH A PROJECT THOUGH, IF YOU LET ME KNOW, I CAN FIND OUT WHICH SPECIFIC PROJECT AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CHAPON. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. WELL, THANK YOU, CHRISTIE, FOR YOUR WONDERFUL PRESENTATION WITHOUT THE RATE HIKE SLIDE, . SO THAT'S, THAT SAVES OUR NIGHT AT LEAST. UH, I HAVE SOME QUESTION ALSO. I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT EVERYONE DOES, I THINK THEY DO THEIR BEST. UH, AND COMMUNICATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. I THINK THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LIKE TWO PART, IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, ONE IS COMMUNICATION, WHEN THAT'S GONNA GET RESOLVED. THE OTHER ONE IS GET THAT RESOLVED AS SOON AS YOU CAN. RIGHT? SO THE COMMUNICATION PART THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY LIKE, IF THERE IS NOT NONE, BUT OTHER PORTION, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER HOW WE CAN, HOW FAST WE CAN SOLVE THAT THINGS. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, HAVING YOUR PHONE NUMBER, THAT WOULD HELP. OTHERWISE, DON'T GET TEXT MESSAGE AND CALL ALL THE TIME. I DON'T HAVE ALL THE OTHER CONSOLE NUMBER, BUT I DON'T LET, LET HIM SLEEP. UH, NOW ALSO, THANK YOU FOR EXPLANATION WHY THE POLL TAKES LONGER TIME TO GET RELOCATED. AND, UH, THAT'S A GOOD, YOU KNOW, UH, EXPLANATION, CERTAIN DEGREE. I MEAN, AND THERE IS SOME OTHER THINGS THAT I'M GONNA [02:50:01] ASK YOU, BUT WHEN I MENTIONED LAST, YOU KNOW, WITH THE ATMOS, THE CONFLICT UTILITY CONFLICT, IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT. WITH ENCORE, IT'S NOT THE SAME WAY. SO CONFLICT WITH THE GAS IS ONE WAY. AND CONFLICT HAPPEN WITH THE ELECTRIC. ENCORE HAPPENS DIFFERENT WAY. SO IF BOTH OF YOU GIVE THE SAME ANSWER, IT'S NOT GONNA REALLY, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET THE CORRECT ANSWER. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S CONFUSING SOMETIMES. WHY, WHY WE HAVE PROBLEM THERE, WHY WE HAVE PROBLEM HERE. IT'S NOT THE SAME ANSWER. SO YOUR, YOU KNOW, WITH THE GAS LINE, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THE GAS LINE IS. MANY TIMES EVEN MAP SHOWS ONE PLACE REALITY IS DIFFERENT. BUT MOST OF THE TIME YOUR LINES ARE ABOVE GROUND. WE CAN SEE IT, RIGHT? UH, THE POLES ARE REALLY THE CONFLICT MOST OF THE TIME. YOU KNOW, HOW CAN YOU, IT'S NOT JUST ONE POLE HANGING BY ITSELF, THEN WE CAN JUST MOVE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO SHIFT THE WHOLE ALIGNMENT. IT'S COMPLICATED. AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT ONLY YOUR LINE, THERE ARE SOME OTHER LINE ON THAT POLE. SO, SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, WE FORGET SOMETIMES THAT WHY IT TAKES SO LONG TO GET THAT POLE REMOVED, UH, OR RELOCATE. BECAUSE MOST OF OUR ALLEY WE HAVE POWERFUL. UH, AND ALSO THE TREE, WHEN WE PLANTED MANY YEARS AGO, WHEN BEFORE I WAS BORN, THOSE LOOKS NICE WHEN THERE WAS LITTLE TREE. WE HAVE MAYOR, HE LOVES TREE. UH, BUT IF YOU PLANT THE TREE IN THE WRONG PLACE, LOOKS NICE, GOOD PICTURE. BUT AFTER 30 YEARS, IF IT IS THE WRONG PLACE, NOBODY WILL APPRECIATE THAT. UH, SO WHEN IT GROWS, UNFORTUNATELY THE TREE WILL LOOK BOLD. SO YOU CAN'T REALLY MAKE IT NICE, BECAUSE IF I LOOK AT ALONG THE BRICK ROW, THE POWER POLE, THE TREE TREE JUST SITS BELOW THE POWER POLE. SO I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE BALD TREES SOMEDAY, BUT IT'S HAPPENING NOW. UH, NOW MY QUESTION IS, BECAUSE WE HAVE CITY'S PRETTY MATCHED CITY AND TREES ARE MATURATING NOW GROWING, IS THERE ANY ALTERNATE WAY YOU CAN THINK THAT YOU CAN PROTECT THE POWER POLE, UH, FROM TOUCHING, UH, THE BRANCHES OR EVEN SOME OTHER ANIMALS? UH, I DO UNDERSTAND THAT UNDERGROUND IS NOT AN OPTION THERE, BUT I WAS HOPING THAT BY NOW THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER SOLUTION THAT OKAY, TREES ARE GONNA GO, WE CAN PROTECT THAT LINE DIFFERENT WAY. UH, IS SOMETHING COMING UP OR THERE, THERE'S NOT ANYTHING THAT I'M AWARE OF, BUT IF SOMEBODY CREATED, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. IT'S A GREAT IDEA, BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW OF ANYTHING THAT, THAT WOULD MAKE IT PROTECT IT FROM THE TREES. I KNOW, AND WE, WE ARE PUTTING ALL THE DATA CENTER, WHICH IS GREAT. THEY'RE GIVING ALL THE ANSWER, BUT HOW ARE WE GONNA SOLVE IT IF WE KNOW THE ANSWER, WE NEED TO SOLVE IT. SO IF SOMEBODY COMES UP WITH THAT IDEA AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN, I KNOW THAT RICHARD WILL BE VERY HAPPY. I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY. AND, UH, AND THOSE SQUIRREL WILL BE HAPPY. SO THAT, 'CAUSE IT TOUCHES AND FOR A SECOND WE LOSE THE POWER. UH, NOW WE DO HAVE A SOLUTION FOR SQUIRRELS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE WILDLIFE, UH, UH, PROTECTORS THAT WE PUT ON OUR FUSES TO KEEP THE SQUIRRELS FROM TRIPPING THEM. IT, IT HELPS SOMETIMES, NOT ALWAYS, BUT WE DO HAVE WILDLIFE, UH, PROTECTION. OKAY. THAT, THAT, THAT'S GREAT. UH, UH, BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE RESIDENTS CAN CALL ONCO SO THAT THEY CAN GET THE TREE, UH, TRIMED OFF SO THAT THEY CAN CUT THEIR TREES SAFELY. UH, IS THERE ANY COST INVOLVED FOR THAT? THAT THERE'S NOT A COST FOR A MAKE SAFE, BUT THEY, WE DO LEAVE THE LIMBS THERE, SO WE DON'T HAUL THE LIMBS OFF. WE'LL COME AND DO IT. UH, WE'LL COME AND, AND TOP IT OFF SO THAT IT'S A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE POWER LINE AND WE LEAVE THE LIMBS THERE FOR THEM TO CLEAN UP. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD. THAT ANSWERS SOME QUESTION THAT WAS ASKED BEFORE. UH, NOW SECOND QUESTION THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU DO HAVE A MAIN TRANSMISSION LINE, BUT YOU DO HAVE SOMETIMES POLE THAT GOES INSIDE PROPERTY. UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE, WE HAVE HOUSES THAT SITS 40 FEET, 50 FEET FROM THE RIGHT OF WAY LINE AND MAYBE FROM THE PAVEMENT IS 60, 65 FEET. SO YOU DO NEED ANOTHER POLE, POLE MAYBE INSIDE THE PROPERTY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I DO. AND THEN IT COMES TO THAT POLE, AND THEN IT GOES TO THE HOUSE. SO THAT KIND OF THINGS STILL SOMEONE CAN CALL AND EVEN THE LINE IS INSIDE THE PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT IT'S ONCORE. SO, UM, IF, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT A SERVICE DROP? SO IF IT'S A SERVICE DROP FROM THE, FROM THE, UH, TRANSFORMER TO THE METER BASE, UM, THAT IS THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO TRIM THOSE. SO WE WON'T TRIM THE SERVICE DROP FROM THE TRANSFORMER [02:55:01] TO THE HOUSE METER BASE, EVEN THE TREE, UH, IF IT'S IN THE TREE, THAT'S THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY. WHAT WE WILL DO, BUT THERE IS A CHARGE FOR, IS WE CAN COME ROLL THE, UM, WE, WE'LL DO A TEMPORARY DISCONNECT AND WE CAN ROLL THAT LINE UP TO THE POLE AND LET THEM TRIM THE TREE SAFELY OR HAVE THEIR ARBERY TRIM THEIR TREES. AND THEN ONCE THEY HAVE IT TRIMMED, THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND RECONNECT IT. SO, BUT THERE IS A CHARGE FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S ABOUT $110 EACH WAY. SO IT'D BE ABOUT $220 FOR, FOR THEM TO DO THAT. IT'S GOOD TO KNOW, BECAUSE WHEN I DRIVE AROUND, I SEE MANY HOUSES ARE LIKE THAT BECAUSE THE TREE IS GROWING INSIDE AND THAT SERVICE IS LIKE MATTER OF TIME. THEY WILL LOSE POWER SOMETIMES, BUT OKAY. THEY CAN. YEAH. AND, AND IT, AND IT'S BETTER TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE POWER GOES OUT. BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES DURING A STORM, THOSE TREES WILL RIP THE METER BASE OFF OF THE HOUSE BECAUSE IT'S ATTACHED TO IT, AND THEN IT COSTS THEM A LOT MORE MONEY TO GET THAT FIXED AND THE POWER'S OUT A LOT LONGER. AND, UH, ENCORE DOESN'T DO ANY INSPECTION ON THOSE. ENCORE DOES NOT. OKAY. NO. UH, SO ANYWAY, SO IF YOU CAN LOOK AT THE OPTION THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW FAST IT CAN RELOCATE THE POWER POLE, I WOULD APPRECIATE. I THINK MANY OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTRACT WILL APPRECIATE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING I UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT, BUT, BUT IF YOU CAN LOOK THAT AGAIN, THAT WOULD HELP MANY THANK YOU. OKAY. I'M GONNA PROVIDE ALL OF Y'ALL MY CARD BEFORE I LEAVE MM-HMM . AND SO YOU CAN SEND ME SPECIFIC PROJECTS AND I WILL LOOK INTO THEM. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, CHRISTIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. YOU, YOU'RE WELCOME. UH, YOU'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE. UH, I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE HAD A MEETING, BUT WE'VE ALSO RUN INTO EACH OTHER AT A NUMBER OF, UH, DIFFERENT EVENTS. BUT IT'S, UM, UH, A REAL PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE YOUR KIND OF ATTITUDE AS IT RELATES TO, UH, WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH US, WORK WITH STAFF, AND, AND ALWAYS BE RESPONSIVE. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT. YOU'VE GIVEN ME DOZENS AND DOZENS OF IDEAS, UH, OF WHICH I'M SURE, UH, UH, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL BEGIN HEARING ABOUT AS, AS WE GET A CHANCE TO DO MORE AND MORE THINGS, UH, AS A CITY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE AND, AND ALL THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO FOR US. MAYOR, IF I COULD, I JUST WANT TO DRAW YOUR, UH, COUNSEL'S ATTENTION TO A MEMO, UM, THAT IS AT YOUR PLACE. UM, WE DO HAVE A SEPARATE RATE CONSIDERATION FOR ENCORE, UH, RECALLED PREVIOUSLY, UM, YOU DID SEND THAT TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE FOR ITS CONSIDERATION. UM, AS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE, UM, THE, UH, STEERING COMMITTEE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH A, UH, NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT ON THIS PARTICULAR REQUEST FROM ENCORE. SO AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE MEMO, WE'LL BE RECOMMENDING THAT, UM, YOU ADOPT A RESOLUTION DENYING ENCORE'S REQUEST. UM, WE WILL HAVE THAT ON YOUR AGENDA FOR OCTOBER THE 13TH. FROM THAT POINT FORWARD ENCORE, HAVE 30 DAYS, UM, TO APPEAL, UH, THE CASE TO THE PUC. UM, AND SO ONCE IT GETS THERE, MUCH LIKE, UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, WE REALLY LOSE A LOT OF CONTROL, UH, BECAUSE THE PUC WILL MAKE THAT DETERMINATION, UM, ON, ON ITS OWN, UH, BASED ON THE FACT, UM, NOW WE WILL NOT, THE STEERING COMMITTEE WILL NOT STOP WORKING, UM, WITH ENCORE OVER THE NEXT, UH, 60 OR SO DAYS BEFORE THAT DEADLINE WOULD COME. UM, AND, AND, UH, AND BE APPLICABLE. SO HOPEFULLY THERE'S STILL A CHANCE THAT WE CAN REACH SOME KIND OF, UH, A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT THAT WE COULD BRING BACK TO YOU FOR, UH, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. UM, BUT JUST WANTED TO UPDATE YOU ON THAT. UH, AGAIN, UH, WE'LL, UM, WE'LL SCHEDULE THAT ACTION ON OCTOBER THE 13TH. IT NEEDS TO BE DONE ESSENTIALLY BY THE END OF THE MONTH IN OCTOBER. YOU WERE CONCERNED THAT THE COUNCIL MEETING WAS GOING TOO FAST. WELL, I'M JUST KIDDING. IT SEEMS VERY, IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS LIKE AN IMPORTANT THING, NOT TO MENTION . I'M TOTALLY KIDDING. I APPRECIATE THE, UH, UH, THE UPDATE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. HEY, DON. UM, EARLIER WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO ATMOS, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT STEERING COMMITTEE AND WE SAID, HEY, IF WE DENY THAT, THAT'S GONNA GO BACK AND IT'S THE CHANCE OF WINNING THAT AND THE COST ASSOCIATED AGAIN. SO HOW ARE, HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN THIS? BECAUSE BASICALLY YOU'RE RECOMMENDING WE DO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT NOT DOING WITH ATMO. NO, NO. AM I MISUNDERSTANDING THAT? YES. RIGHT. PLEASE EXPLAIN. GO AHEAD. YES. SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE DID SEND IT TO THE, THE, THE ENCORE STEERING COMMITTEE. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RE REACH, UH, REACH A, UH, NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT. SO WE ARE TRYING, WE ARE USING THE SAME PROCESS WITH ATMOS. WE WERE ABLE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT THAT RESULTED IN A 16 PLUS PERCENT REDUCTION IN, IN THE RATE INCREASE REQUEST. UM, WE'RE HOPEFUL TO DO THAT. UM, AND THAT IS THE PREFERRED, UM, PATH FORWARD BECAUSE IF THAT DOESN'T OCCUR AND ENCORE APPEALS, UM, UM, TO THE PUC, WE WILL LOSE ALL OF OUR ABILITY TO REALLY HAVE ANY KIND OF AN IMPACT. THE PU C'S GONNA HEAR THAT CASE ON ITS MERITS AND JUST MAKE THE DECISION TO MAKE. SO [03:00:01] IF, IF, SINCE WE WEREN'T ABLE TO REACH AGREEMENT, AND IF THIS WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO, UH, THE PUC, UM, WE WILL HAVE TO, I MEAN, THAT'S A LEGAL PROCEEDING PER SE. IS THAT SOMETHING WE HAVE TO HIRE EXPERTS AND PROCESS? NO, THE PUC IS THE P THE PUC IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THAN THE PRIOR, UH, DISCUSSION WE HAD. THE PUC IS JUST GONNA HEAR THIS CASE. UM, WE CAN HAVE SOMEBODY GO DOWN AND AND TESTIFY IF WE, IF WE WANTED TO. UH, WE'VE DONE THAT IN THE PAST FOR, UM, LIKE FOR WATER CASES FOR INSTANCE. BUT, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PROCESS THAN, THAN TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A SETTLEMENT. SO THEY JUST KINDA LOOK AT THE, WHAT THE DISCUSSION HAS BEEN. YEAH. TRANSCRIPTS, WHATEVER THEY LOOK A LETTER FROM. I, WE, WE WERE, I'VE SEEN SEVERAL OF THESE TAKE PLACE. THEY WILL MAKE THEIR DECISION AND, AND AS LITTLE AS FIVE MINUTES ON THESE CASES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEY'LL BE, THEY'LL BE ADVISED BY THEIR, BY THEIR, UM, STAFF AND THEIR LEGAL AND THEY CHURN THROUGH THESE, UM, JUST, JUST, UH, PRETTY QUICKLY. AND THERE'S, THEY, THERE'S, THERE'S LOTS OF THEM FOR 'EM TO HEAR. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION, DON. COULD I JUST ADD A COMMENT TO THAT? UM, SO TO THE EARLIER DISCUSSION REGARDING ATMOS, IF WE WERE TO DENY THE SETTLEMENT, HOW THEN WE'D BE BEARING ALL THOSE LEGAL EXPENSES WITH THIS? 'CAUSE THIS IS STILL A PART OF THE NORMAL PROCESS. WE'RE STILL BEING REPRESENTED BY THE STEERING COMMITTEE ON OUR BEHALF IN FRONT OF THE PUC. THEY'RE STILL ADVOCATING ON OUR BEHALF. WE'RE NOT SUDDENLY GONNA BEAR ALL THOSE LEGAL EXPENSES. IT'S JUST TO DON'S POINT, IF WE CAN'T REACH AN AGREEMENT BEFORE OCTOBER 29TH, THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO HAVE MADE THIS ACTION, YOU KNOW, IN, IN OCTOBER SO THAT IT THEN CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. OTHERWISE, IF WE DON'T DO THAT, THEN THE RATE REQUEST COULD BE APPROVED. I APPRECIATE THAT. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT VALUE ADD TO THE CONVERSATION. SO THANK YOU TODD. SURE. AND IF WE WANTED TO, AGAIN, IF WE WANTED TO GO DOWN AND GIVE TESTIMONY OR TAKE PART IN THAT, WE COULD DO THAT. ANYBODY CAN SPEAK, BUT WE WOULD, YOU KNOW. THANK YOU, CHRISTIE. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT, WE'LL [9. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE RENEWAL] MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER NINE, REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE RENEWAL, MR. MAGNER. THANKS. UH, MAYOR. MAYOR, COUNSEL MCKAYLA, DO IS GONNA KIND OF, UH, QUICKLY LEAD US THROUGH, UH, THIS BRIEFING. UH, THIS IS A BRIEFING THAT WE HAVE EVERY TWO YEARS. IT'S, UH, OUR, UM, DUTY AS STAFF TO REVIEW THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, UH, MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU THAT WE SEE FIT, UH, BASED ON OUR CURRENT, UH, ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, POLICY, PROCEDURE, PRACTICE, THAT SORT OF THING. UM, AND SO, UM, UM, IF, UH, YOU'RE AGREEABLE TO THESE CHANGES, UH, WE'LL HAVE AN ORDINANCE, UH, AND MIKAYLA COVER THAT. ON THE FINAL SLIDE, WE'LL HAVE AN ORDINANCE, UM, ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR YOU TO, UH, FACILITATE THE, UH, THE UPDATES, MIKAYLA. ALRIGHT, SO TONIGHT'S REVIEW OF THE CODE FALLS UNDER THE COUNCIL GOAL TO HAVE CLEAR, EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, AND CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVED PROCESSES. SOME BACKGROUND TO THIS, THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE IS ESTABLISHED IN CHAPTER TWO, ARTICLE THREE OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES AND DESCRIBES THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE CITY MANAGER AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. AND WE REVIEW THIS CODE EVERY TWO YEARS. THIS IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE CODE AND SHOWS THE SECTIONS WITHIN IT AND THE BREAKOUT OF THE, UM, DEPARTMENT AND DIVISION DIRECTORS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE CODE. SO THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION TONIGHT START OUT WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS. THIS JUST UPDATES, UM, OUR CI, OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER TO CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AS WELL AS THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT UPDATE WITH THEIR DEPARTMENTAL NAME CHANGE. YOU'LL SEE AN UPDATED ORG CHART. UM, THIS SHOWS THE UPDATE IN THE COO POSITION AND THEN ALSO HAS THE ADDITION OF THE ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND OUR PLACE MAKING MANAGER. YOU'LL SEE OUR CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT. SO THIS OF COURSE HAS THE UPDATE IN THE COO POSITION, BUT THEN ALSO HAS THE ADDITION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S ABILITY TO ESTABLISH AND CHARGE FEES TO BE COLLECTED AND PAID TO THE CITY FOR A VARIETY OF AREAS. AS YOU REMEMBER, LAST WEEK YOU APPROVED, UM, A MASTER FEE ORDINANCE THAT HAD SEVERAL FEES THAT THE CITY CHARGES OUTLINED IN IT. THERE ARE ALSO OTHER FEES THAT THE CITY CHARGES OUTSIDE OF THE MASTER FEE ORDINANCE THAT ARE SOMEWHAT PROGRAMMATIC OR CONTRACTUAL IN NATURE AND TEND TO CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BASED ON THOSE SERVICES THAT WE ARE RECEIVING. UM, SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE THINGS LIKE OUR FITNESS CLASSES AND WHAT WE'RE PAYING THE FITNESS INSTRUCTORS FOR THOSE OUR TECHNICAL, UM, ASSISTANCE BY SHOW MASTERS AT THE EISMAN CENTER FOR PERFORMANCES AND EVEN THINGS LIKE OUR HAZMAT CREW CLEANUP THAT WE THEN HAVE TO CHARGE TO THE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT, UM, THE SERVICES WERE RENDERED. SO WHAT THIS ALLOWS US TO DO IS PROVIDE, UM, OR CODIFY THE ABILITY FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE THE, UM, THE FEES AND THOSE AREAS TO SET THEM OR CHANGE THEM AS OUR CONTRACTS CHANGE WITH THOSE FEES. THIS THEN, UM, GIVES US TWO AREAS [03:05:01] THAT ALL OF THE FEES IN THE CITY ARE ALIGNED UNDERNEATH. SO THIS COMBINES ALL OF THE OLD RESOLUTIONS THAT WE HAD IN PLACE THAT ALLOWS US TO ADMINISTER THOSE FEES. BUT RATHER THAN HAVING RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE TRACKED DOWN FOR DIFFERENT AREAS, WE JUST HAVE TWO SECTIONS BETWEEN THIS EDITION AND THEN THE MASTER FEE, UH, SCHEDULE THAT YOU APPROVED LAST WEEK THAT EVERY SINGLE FEE IN THE CITY IS ABLE TO BE CHARGED TO UNDERNEATH FOR THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICES. THIS, UH, CHANGE WAS JUST BASED ON THE ADMINISTRATOR TO DIRECTOR POSITION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SECTION. THIS JUST CLARIFIES A COUPLE OF THE AREAS LIKE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING ADDITION AND THE TREE PRESERVATION PLAN THAT THEY REVIEW. FIRE CHIEF THIS SECTION HAD, UM, SOME RED LINES, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE RED LINES ARE, UM, THEY REALLY ARE JUST COMBINING DIFFERENT SECTIONS AND CLARIFYING THE ROLE. SO FOR THIS SLIDE YOU'LL SEE SOME RED LINES CLARIFYING THE ROLE OF THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE. YOU'LL ALSO SEE, UM, SOME RED LINES CLARIFYING THE ROLE OF THE FIRE CHIEF AND OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS. AND THEN ON THIS SLIDE YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE DIRECTION OF THE DELIVERY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES IS CROSSED OUT. BUT THEN IT'S COMBINED IN THE BULLET FOLLOWING IT. IF YOUR HUMAN RESOURCES, THIS IS JUST SOME RED LINES CLARIFYING THEIR ROLE IN OUR SAFETY TRAINING AND PROGRAMMING FOR TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY, YOU'LL SEE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CROSSED OUT. THIS IS A, UM, PREVIOUS ADDITION BECAUSE THE CHAMBER OF COM COMMERCE PREVIOUSLY PUT ON THE GROWTH AND MOBILITY LUNCHES AND AFTER THE CITY TOOK THOSE IN AS PART OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING, THE NEED FOR THIS JUST WASN'T THERE FOR THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND CAPITAL PROJECTS. THIS JUST, UM, MAKES HIS, UH, UH, POSITION CONSISTENT WITH THE OTHERS. AND THE TITLE ITSELF FOR THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE TO THE TITLE OF THE DEPARTMENT, CLARIFIES THAT WITHIN THE SECTION AND THEN ADDS, UM, SOME CLARITY AROUND THE SEC OR THE TYPES OF COMMUNICATIONS THAT THE DIRECTOR OVERSEES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE TOOK OUT THE OVERSIGHT OF THE CITY'S PLACEMAKING INITIATIVES IN THE CORE DISTRICT SINCE THIS WAS PULLED INTO THE PLACEMAKING MANAGER POSITION AND THEN ADDED THE MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT OF THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE IQHQ FACILITY. AND THEN FINALLY WE HAD THE BIENNIAL REVIEW. SO THIS WAS AN UPDATE FROM BIANNUAL, WHICH TECHNICALLY MEANS TWICE A YEAR AND WE CERTAIN CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA BE DOING THIS TWICE A YEAR TO UPDATE IT TO BIENNIAL SO THAT WE ARE, UM, UPDATING THIS EVERY TWO YEARS FOR YOUR REVIEW. FOR NEXT STEPS, WE WILL HAVE THE ORDINANCE FOR THESE UPDATES PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ON THE OCTOBER 13TH MEETING. AND THEN WE WILL GO THROUGH THIS REVIEW AGAIN ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST, 2027. SO I KNOW THAT WAS A FAST REVIEW AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN. SO JUST CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND FOR THE, THE PIECE REGARDING THE CITY MANAGER APPROVING AND SETTING THE DIFFERENT FEES FROM A, JUST A REALLY LIKE LEGALLY TECHNICAL STANDPOINT WHEN WE PASS OUR BUDGET, THAT IS REALLY NOT APPROVING FEES, RIGHT? THAT'S THE FEES HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED AND APPROVED AND SET BY THE CITY MANAGER. AND THIS IS JUST CODIFYING THE PROCESS THAT ALREADY HAPPENS OR IS THIS CHANGING THE CURRENT PROCESS? IT, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT PROCESSES FOR FEES. OKAY. SO THERE'S THE FEES THAT YOU APPROVE AS PART OF THE BUDGET, UM, AND APPROVED THROUGH THE RESOL OR THE ORDINANCES THAT UPDATE THE, UM, THOSE FEES PREVIOUSLY SOME RESOLUTIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS. UM, AND THE MASTER FEE ORDINANCE THAT YOU APPROVED SET THAT LAST WEEK MM-HMM . BUT THERE'S FEES THAT FALL OUT OF THAT MASTER FEE ORDINANCE. AND WHAT THIS DOES IS CODIFIES THE CITY MANAGER'S ABILITY TO APPROVE OR CHANGE THOSE FEES. SO IT'S KIND OF TWO, TWO BUCKETS OF FEES, IF YOU WILL. RIGHT. SO, AND I THINK I, YOU MENTIONED THAT SOME SPECIFIC CONTRACTS HAVE CERTAIN FEES MM-HMM . THAT DON'T HAVE TO BE INCLUDED OR SHOULDN'T BE INCLUDED IN THAT MASTER FEE ORDINANCE AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS PERTAINS TO. YES. YES. OKAY, THANK YOU. THIS GIVES US THE FLEXIBILITY OR GIVES THE CITY MANAGER THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADJUST THOSE FEES THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET YEAR WITHOUT HAVING TO COME BACK TO YOU TO AMEND THE, UH, MASTER FEE ORDINANCE. EVERY TIME WE HAVE A CONTRACTOR OR A COMPANY THAT ASSESSES US FEES THAT ARE PASSED THROUGH FEES CHANGE THEIR PRICING. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN BARAS. THANK YOU MAYOR. MICHAELA, MY QUESTION IS ALONG THAT LINE AND KIND OF FURTHER, UM, EXPLAIN TO ME OR THIS THIS LINE, SO THINGS LIKE, I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS WE [03:10:01] DISCUSSED, SOME OF THE FEES, THE WAY THAT EISMAN CHARGES STUFF. YES. OKAY. AGAIN, OPERATIONAL STUFF IN THE WEEDS, IT'S MOSTLY INTERNAL AND WITHIN OUR PARTNERS IT'S NOT EXTERNAL TO RESIDENTS. RIGHT. UH, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS SOMETHING THAT COUNCILS HAS LIKE, OH, WELL WE WOULDN'T BE INVOLVED WITH THAT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASING GOLF FEES, WHICH I KNOW IT'S ONE OF THE FEES WE'VE DISCUSSED. THIS IS NOT REMOVING ANYTHING RELATED TO GOLF FEES. ANYTHING RELATED TO TRASH FEES, WATER COSTS, OR ANY OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. THIS IS CORRECT. IS THERE ANYTHING WE ARE LOSING POWER ON IN THIS CODIFICATION OF THIS? NO, THIS OTHER THAN THE, THIS, THIS CODIFIES OUR CURRENT PRACTICES FOR THE FEES THAT FALL OUT OF THE ONES THAT COUNSEL NORMALLY APPROVES AND WERE INCLUDED IN THAT ORDINANCE. THAT, THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING IN THE WAY I READ IT. SO THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. OKAY. SLIDE 18. UM, WHERE IS IT? ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? SO WE, WE, YEAH, SO, SO UH, OVERSEE AND ENHANCE THESE PLACEMAKING INITIATIVES AND COURT DISTRICT EVENTS HAS BEEN CRASHED OUT. IS THAT BECAUSE THAT 11 WERE JUST REWORDING THAT OR IS WHAT, OR IS THAT ADDED SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHY ARE WE TAKING THAT OUT? I DON'T SEE WHERE THAT WAS ADDED ANYWHERE. IT WAS TAKEN OUT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE PLACEMAKING MANAGER REPORTS DIRECTLY TO ME, SO THAT WOULD TECHNICALLY FALL UNDER THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AUTHORITY. WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO AS ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER THAT ARE, ARE KIND OF OUTSIDE OF THE DEPARTMENTAL AREAS. SURE. AND, AND BECAUSE IT TOUCHES A LOT OF THINGS YES, IT DOES. YEAH. SO I DIDN'T SEE THAT ADDED SOMEWHERE ELSE. IT WASN'T ADDED. UM, WE DON'T NECESSARILY OUTLINE EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF PROGRAM THAT THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE OVERSEES. OKAY. IT IS STILL PART OF THE, UM, THE ORG REORGANIZATION CHART. YES. YES. THAT MAKES SENSE. SO FOR INSTANCE, WE DON'T HAVE A SECTION ON, UM, CULTURAL ARTS. UM, THOSE ARE KIND OF SERVICES, SERVICE AREAS THAT DON'T, UM, THEY'RE NOT JUSTIFIED AS, AS STANDALONE DEPARTMENTS. SO THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR OWN SECTION WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE. THEY'RE NOT OVERSEEN BY A DIRECTOR OR A DIVISION HEAD. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. AND [10. CONSENT AGENDA] WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. UH, YES. MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN, WRITER MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO PROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PUBLISHED COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN, I SECOND THAT. ALRIGHT, WE'VE GOT A MOTION FROM THE MAYOR PRO TEM. SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE, UH, NOT HERE. SO IT PASSES SIX ZERO AND [11. REPORT ON ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST] WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST. UH, ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING INTERESTING THAT THEY'D LIKE TO SHARE? YES, MAYOR PRO, TEM HU UH, JUST TWO THINGS REAL QUICK. ON TUESDAY WE HAD A GREAT, UM, HOA MEETING. UM, UM, CHIEF TITTLE DID A FANTASTIC JOB PRESENTING, UM, OUR CITY MANAGER AS WELL. SO APPRECIATE EVERYONE PARTICIPATING. AND THEN WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, FOR RICHARDSON REED'S ONE BOOK THAT EVENING. UM, AND IT WAS A VERY SPIRITED, UH, DISCUSSION, UM, WITH THE, WITH THE AUTHOR AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, JEANNIE DAVIDSON, UM, DIRECTOR OF, UH, LIBRARY SERVICES, CONTINUING THAT PROGRAM AND MAKING THAT PROGRAM REALLY THRIVE. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE TURNED OUT AND REALLY ENJOYED IT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ABSOLUTELY. COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS MAYOR, UM, SATURDAY, MANY OF US ATTENDED THE PUBLIC SAFETY EXPO. WE'RE AT HUFFINES AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO DON AND ENTIRE CITY MANAGER, OFF STAFF TO BOTH CHIEFS AND ALL THEIR STAFF. THAT TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE TO PUT TOGETHER. SO, UH, HATS OFF TO YOU ALL AND ALL THE HARD WORK YOU DID IS A GREAT EVENT AS USUAL. UH, AND THEN JUST LOOKING FORWARD OR NOT LOOKING FORWARD ANYMORE THIS EVENING WAS THE BEGINNING OF ROSH HASHANAH. SO I WANNA, UH, WISH, UH, AND I WON'T EVEN PRE PRETEND TO BE ABLE TO PRONOUNCE IT, BUT A HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH TO ALL THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO, UH, CELEBRATE AND OBSERVE, UM, ONE OF THE HIGH HOLIDAYS OF THE JEWISH FAITH. THANK YOU. WONDERFUL. ANY OTHER ITEMS? UM, I WILL JUST KIND OF CALL OUT THE FACT THAT, UM, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER AND, AND SEPARATELY A FEW HOURS LATER, UM, IN ORDER TO PUT DISTANCE BETWEEN US 'CAUSE HE'S A MUCH BETTER SPEAKER THAN I AM. UH, GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, UH, TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOFTWARE AND SERVICES COMPANIES, UH, A DEEP TECH SYMPOSIUM THAT WAS HERE IN TOWN AND WE'RE JUST INCREDIBLY WELL RECEIVED. REALLY NEAT TO SEE A BUNCH OF INTERNATIONAL SMALL BUSINESSES THAT, UM, UH, WERE RIGHT HERE IN RICHARDSON, UH, AND [03:15:01] IN ONE OF OUR KIND OF MANY VENUES. UM, UH, IN ADDITION TO THAT, SORRY, I HAVE MY NOTES RIGHT HERE. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I DON'T MISS ANYTHING. UM, DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY ALSO, UM, TO BOTH BE ABLE TO PRESENT SOME, UH, UH, ELEMENTS OF GRATITUDE TO THE CHINESE INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, ATTEND, UH, AN EVENT AT AT UTD THAT WAS KIND OF FOCUSED ON, UH, UH, MID AUTUMN, UH, FESTIVAL. JUST, UM, ALWAYS AMAZING TO SEE ALL THESE DIFFERENT KIND OF FUNCTIONS GOING ON AROUND TOWN. UH, AND TO CONTINUE TO SEE SO MUCH VIBRANCY GOING ON, UH, ON CAMPUS AT UTD. UM, IF THERE IS NOTHING ELSE, I WILL GO AHEAD AND WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THIS MEETING WILL BE ADJOURNED AT 9:15 PM. * 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.