[00:00:02]
I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE RICHARDSON
[CALL TO ORDER]
CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER AT 6:00 PM AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO CALL ON COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN TO LEAD US IN THE INVOCATION AND PLEDGE.EVERYONE, PLEASE BOW YOUR HEADS IF YOU WISH TO.
LORD, PLEASE WATCH OVER THIS GREAT CITY.
GRANT US THE ABILITY TO WALK MANY MILES IN EACH OTHER'S SHOES.
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.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE.
[3. MINUTES OF THE MARCH 23, 2026 AND APRIL 6, 2026 MEETINGS]
UH, I WILL BE LOOKING FOR A MOTION ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS MINUTES OF THE MARCH 23RD, 2026, AND APRIL 6, 20, 26.I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES AS PUBLISHED.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS AND VISITORS FORUM.
MR. MAGNER? I THANK YOU MAYOR.
WE ARE NOT IN RECEIPT OF ANY CARDS IN ADVANCE OF THE 4:00 PM DEADLINE, AND I DO NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
UH, IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE DESIRING TO SPEAK? I SEE NONE.
[EXECUTIVE SESSION]
SECTION 5 5 1 0 8, 7 1, AND TWO AND SECTIONS 5 5 1 0 7 4 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE COUNSEL WILL CONVENE INTO A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION TO EXEC, UH, TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING DELIBERATION REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO DELIBERATE COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM A BUSINESS PROSPECT OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE TO A BUSINESS PROSPECT PROJECT NORTH POINT.ALSO PERSONNEL MATTERS, UM, WITH MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE, THE TIME IS 6 0 2.
[RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION]
CONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION AND TAKE ACTION IF ANY ON MATTERS DISCUSSED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.THE TIME IS 6 39 MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN MAYOR, I MOVE THAT THE CITY MANAGER BE AUTHORIZED TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF RICHARDSON WITH PROJECT NORTH POINT TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INCENTIVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DIRECTION PROVIDED DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR INSTRUMENTS RELATED THERETO.
ALRIGHT, WE GOT A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN RIDER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN.
WE HAVE A SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THAT PASSES SIX TO ONE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS, UH, VOTING AGAINST VERY WELL.
[5. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE RICHARDSON FINAL ANNUAL REPORT]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS FIRE RICHARDSON FIRE DEPARTMENT ANNUAL REPORT, MR. MAGNA.I THINK, UH, CHIEF POVY AND HIS TEAM ARE HEADING IN, UH, FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION BREAK.
ALL RIGHT, CHIEF POOEY ISS GONNA HEAD, UH, STRAIGHT TO THE PODIUM THERE.
UM, MAYOR AND COUNSEL WOULD APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, UH, THIS ANNUAL IMPORTANT, UH, THIS IMPORTANT ANNUAL BRIEFING.
UM, THIS IS THE, THIS YEAR NOT ONLY A ANNUAL STATUS REPORT OF THE HEALTH OF, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT IT'S ALSO, UH, IN MY OPINION, A BUDGET DEEP DIVE AS WE, UH, CONCLUDE, UH, THIS BRIEFING TODAY, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE FIRE MASTER PLAN.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME, UH, CONSIDERATIONS FOR BOTH FY 27 AND 28, UM, AND AGAIN, IMPORTANT CONTEXT AS WE GET READY TO HEAD INTO.
UM, AND JUST A FEW WEEKS HERE AND GET READY TO HEAD INTO, UH, THE START OF OUR BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
AND SO, UH, CHIEF, I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU BEING HERE TONIGHT AND PUTTING THIS PRESENTATION TOGETHER.
I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE YOUR COMMAND STAFF, BUT, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AS WELL.
MR. MAGNER STAFF, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TO, UH, GO OVER THE, UH, LAST YEAR'S UPDATE.
I HAVE, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEFS, UH, CENTER YOUNGER AND CASKEY WITH US.
AND, UH, DEPEND ON WHERE WE GO.
[00:05:01]
FROM THEM AS WELL.SO THIS IS THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2025 IN MPA 1710 SAYS, I DO A REPORT EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST YEAR.
SO JUST A, A RECAP OF THE DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE STILL A ALL HAZARDS DEPARTMENT TO HANDLE ALL FIRE, EMS, RESCUE, FIRE PREVENTION, TACTICAL PARAMEDICS, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, RESPONSE MITIGATION, DISASTER RESPONSE AND EVERYTHING, PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, WATER LEAKS, ANIMAL, UH, RESCUES, GET CAST OUTTA TREES AND ALL THAT STUFF.
SO OUR, UH, ORG CHART REMAINS THE SAME WITH ONE CHANGE.
UH, BATTALION CHIEF OF EMS IS NOW A DEPUTY CHIEF OF EMS. THE REST OF IT IS THE SAME AS IT HAS BEEN.
AND OUR STAFFING LEVEL RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN PRETTY, PRETTY ROUGH SHAPE ON OUR STAFFING.
WE'RE 11 PERSONNEL DOWN ON THE SWORN SIDE, AND THEN THREE PERSONNEL DOWN ON THE, UH, THE CIVILIAN SIDE.
WE ARE HIRING RIGHT NOW THAT WE'LL GET INTO HERE IN A FEW MINUTES.
OUR, UH, YEARS OF SERVICE, WE'RE AT ABOUT 45% THAT'S BEEN HERE LESS THAN 10 YEARS.
UH, THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE WITH THE 18 PEOPLE WE HOPE TO HIRE PRETTY SOON.
AND THEN 25% OF OUR PEOPLE CAN RETIRE RIGHT NOW, RECRUITING AND HIRING.
SO WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A HIRING PROCESS AT THE MOMENT.
WE, WE, WE RECEIVED 500, I'M SORRY, 652 APPLICATIONS, AND WE DID THAT IN NINE DAYS.
AND WE'LL, UH, WE'LL CONTRIBUTE THAT TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
I'LL GET TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA SECTION A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT, THAT WAS, UH, A RECORD
OF THAT 600, 330 ACTUALLY SHOWED UP TO TAKE THE TEST.
WE OFFERED, UH, 213 PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE PHYSICAL AGILITY TEST, WHICH WAS HELD THIS LAST WEEKEND.
AND WE HAVE 132 THAT PASSED AND ARE GOING ON TO THE INTERVIEW PROCESS THAT ARE BEING INTERVIEWED THIS WEEK.
AND AGAIN, WE INTEND ON HIRING 18 PERSONNEL TO START IN EARLY JULY, THE ACADEMY.
I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THE TRAINING DIVISION AND HR.
THIS WAS A VERY CHALLENGING TIME.
THE, THE TEST WAS AT THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL IN, IN THE MAIN ROOM WHERE WE DO SO MANY ACTIVITIES.
AND ON SATURDAY WE HAD A GREAT TEST.
AND THEN, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS ON TUESDAY, WE HAD TWO TESTS.
THE MORNING TEST HAD JUST GOTTEN STARTED, ABOUT AN HOUR INTO IT, AND THE POWER WENT OUT.
AND WE SET UP AND OUT IN THE LOBBY.
WE SET UP WHAT YOU SEE IN THE PITCHER FOLKS TO START TAKING THE TEST, UM, AT THE NEXT, COMING AROUND FOR THE NEXT TEST THAT STILL WASN'T READY.
SO WE WENT AND GOT A BUNCH OF LIGHTS AND LIT UP THE BALLROOM TO GET THE TEST GOING AND HAD TEST INSIDE, OUTSIDE.
AND THEN THIS WEEKEND, IF YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND, WE RAN, UH, ABOUT 200 PEOPLE THROUGH THE AGILITY TEST IN BETWEEN ALL THE STORMS. SO KUDOS TO THE TEAM FOR TAKING CARE OF THAT.
UH, OUR TRAINING, UH, THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE IN 2025 COMPLETED 36,766 FIRE RESCUE HOURS OF TRAINING AND 10,024 HOURS OF PARAMEDIC CE.
SO THAT'S FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
REMEMBER, UH, ISO ONE REQUIRES THAT WE TRAIN 20 HOURS A MONTH FOR THE FIRESIDE FIRE OPERATIONS.
UH, SO THAT, THAT'S A LOT OF TRAINING.
AND THE PARAMEDIC C IS FOUR HOURS A MONTH FOR EVERYONE ON THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
THE, UH, FIRE RESPONSES WERE UP TO 5,170.
UH, GREEN IS EMS. IT'S 10,890 AND THE BLUE THAT IS ALL RESPONSES.
SO THE, THE GREEN AND THE RED, THAT'S A CALL, THAT'S AN INCIDENT THAT SOMEONE CALLED NINE ONE ONE.
THAT'S ALL THE UNITS THAT RAN, THAT RAN TO ALL THE CALLS.
UH, A HEART ATTACK TAKES TWO PIECES OF APPARATUS.
THAT'S AN AMBULANCE AND AN ENGINE, A STRUCTURE FIRES MULTIPLE ENGINES, A TRUCK, UH, BATTALION, ALL THAT.
SO WE ROLLED 25,670 TIMES THAT, THAT, THAT REALLY TELLS THE STORY THERE.
FOR THE, THE 2025, WE ENDED UP WITH 16,000 TO 60 CALLS.
OUR, UH, BUSIEST DAYS WERE KIND OF NORMAL.
THE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAYS, UH, BUSIEST MONTHS THAT, THAT'S ALWAYS A, UH, A SHOOT.
IT'S, IT'S EVERY YEAR IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
[00:10:01]
THE SAME AS OUR DEMAND BY HOUR, AND THAT'S USUALLY AROUND 7:00 AM TO ABOUT EIGHT IN THE EVENING.THAT'S OUR PEAK DEMAND THAT THIS IS FOR ALL CALLS.
AND THEN EMS. SO EMS IS STILL ABOUT 75 TO 78% OF WHAT WE DO.
SO THE, THE SAME NUMBERS AND THE EMS WAS, LIKE I SAID, 10,890 CALLS TO LOOK AT IT.
ON THE HEAT MAP, I ALWAYS LIKE TO SHOW THIS, THIS SHOWS WHERE THE, THE, THE, THE HIGHEST CALL VOLUMES ARE RED IS YOUR HIGHEST.
THAT FOLLOWED BY YELLOW, THEN BLUE THIS YEAR.
YOU MAY NOTICE, UH, UP AND DOWN CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, IT'S A LOT MORE RED UP AND DOWN CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY.
THAT'S BECAUSE OF BLOCKER ONE.
WHEN WE ENACT, UH, PUT BLOCKER ONE IN SERVICE, IT'S, IT'S ROLLING THE WHEELS OFF OF THAT THING, BACKING UP THE POLICE OFFICERS THAT ARE RUNNING UP ON THE HIGHWAY.
SO, UH, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE A A CRASH WORKING, THEY'RE GOING UP THERE TO ASSIST OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
SO NOW IF YOU LOOK AT ON THE EMS SIDE, THE, THE HIGHWAY GOES AWAY AS MUCH 'CAUSE IT'S THE, THE BLOCKERS NOT ON THE M MSS CALLS STRUCTURE.
THAT'S DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UH, THEY'RE STILL SPREAD OUT ALL OVER THE CITY.
NO RHYME OR REASON, THERE'S KIND OF EVERYWHERE.
BUT THAT WAS 60 WORKING STRUCTURE FIRES.
AND THEN OUR, UH, STATISTICS ON THE PROPERTY SAVED VERSUS LOST ANOTHER GREAT YEAR.
WE HAD A TOTAL PROPERTY INVOLVED VALUE OF 261,750,452 WITH, UH, SAVED NUMBER OF 256,000,977.
SO REALLY THE PROPERTY LOSS WAS ABOUT 4 MILLION, $5 MILLION.
SO THIS, AGAIN, LIKE I EXPLAINED LAST YEAR, THESE ARE OUR INITIAL NUMBERS FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
SO THERE'S UPDATES THAT HAPPEN THAT WE NEVER GET, BUT THESE ARE THE INITIAL NUMBERS FROM THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.
SO THAT, THAT, THAT'S A, A REALLY GOOD SAVE RATE.
RECALL, THEY HANDLE EVERYTHING.
NEW DEVELOPMENT, PERMITTING, PUBLIC EDUCATION, INVESTIGATION AND INSPECTIONS.
THIS YEAR WE HAD 43 INVESTIGATIONS, AND THIS IS WHERE THERE WAS, UH, A POSSIBILITY OF INITIAL, UH, UH, INTENTIONAL FIRE SETS OUT OF THAT.
WE HAD SIX OFFENSIVE AND SIX OFFENSES AND NINE ARRESTS.
UH, CHIEF CASKEY IS GONNA TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE CASES REAL QUICK THAT OUR TEAM INVESTIGATED, AND IT'S PRETTY INTERESTING.
SO I ASKED HIM TO GO WITH THAT.
SO LAST SUMMER WE HAD, UH, UH, APARTMENTS FIRE OFF OF PRESTON WOOD.
UH, ENDED UP BEING INTENTIONAL TO SET FIRE.
AND DURING THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION, WE, UH, ONE OF THE SUSPECTS WAS, UH, AN EMPLOYEE, A MAINTENANCE PERSON AT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX.
SO WE STARTED DOING A DEEP DIVE IN THIS PERSON'S WORK HISTORY.
AND FIRES KEPT POPPING UP WHERE HE WORKED BEFORE, THE PLACES HE LIVED BEFORE WHERE HE WENT TO CHURCH.
UM, SO WE ENDED UP INTERVIEWING.
HE DID, HE DID CONFESS TO SETTING THE FIRE.
THE FIRE CAUSED $1.3 MILLION APPROXIMATELY DAMAGE FOR THIS APARTMENT FIRE.
AND HE, DURING THE INITIAL INTERVIEW, HE, UM, ADMITTED TO SETTING 20 FIRES.
AND DURING FOLLOW UP INTERVIEWS, HE, HE SAID, QUOTE, 40 TO 50 FIRES.
SO SEVERAL OF THEM WERE GRASS FIRES AND DUMPSTER FIRES, BUT THERE WERE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES.
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF CHURCHES, THERE WERE MOBILE HOMES, HOUSES, APARTMENTS.
SO YEAH, WE GOT A SERIAL SERIAL OFFICER OFF THE STREET.
SO HE, UH, THEY, WE GOT A MILLION DOLLAR BOND UP FRONT.
THEY DID LOWER IT LATER TO, TO 500,000.
HE'S NOW HOME UNDER HOUSE ARREST WITH AN ANKLE MONITOR.
HADN'T HAD TO STAY IN COURT YET, BUT YEAH.
AND ONE OF THE FIRES WAS AT MOTHER-IN-LAW'S HOUSE.
SO, AND WE, THERE WAS, UH, WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE FIRES IN SIX DIFFERENT CITIES AND WE REACHED OUT TO THOSE MUNICIPALITIES, FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE, AND BASICALLY GAVE THEM ALL THE INFORMATION PLUS THE CONFESSIONS AND ALL THAT.
SO THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK THEIR CASES AS WELL.
SO GOOD JOB TO THE TEAM INSPECTIONS, 2,761 ANNUAL INSPECTIONS AND 545 PERMITS.
AND THE PERMITS, AGAIN, THAT COULD BE NEW CONSTRUCTION OR, UH, UH, RENOVATIONS ON SPRINKLER SYSTEMS OR ALARMS. SO THOSE TAKE QUITE A BIT OF TIME.
SO THAT 545 IS, IS A HUGE TIME COMMITMENT EDUCATION ON FIRE SAFETY, 1,291 ADULTS AND CHILDREN.
AND WE DID, UH, SEVERAL CPR CLASSES, INCLUDING THE ONE AT METHODIST HOSPITAL AND AT THE WILDFLOWER FESTIVAL, WHICH WE ARE DOING AGAIN THIS YEAR.
UM, I BELIEVE IT'S ON SATURDAY THIS YEAR.
WE HAVEN'T TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT EVERY YEAR WE DO THE ANNUAL
[00:15:01]
TOY DRIVE.UH, THAT'S THE BOXES OUT HERE AT CITY HALL AND EVERYTHING, UH, THAT WE PARTNER WITH, WITH THE, THE NETWORK OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES.
THIS YEAR WE DELIVERED 1,640 TOYS TO THE NETWORK.
OUR SOCIAL MEDIA IS GOING VERY WELL.
AND OUR, UH, UM, THE RECRUITING WAS AMAZING.
LIKE I SAID, IN NINE DAYS, OVER 600 APPLICATIONS.
AND ON THE FAR RIGHT, THAT POST, IF YOU SAW JUST WHERE THEY'RE HOLDING UP THE SIGNS AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE BEING KIND OF SILLY THAT THAT POST RECEIVED 799,000, UH, VIEWS ON FACEBOOK AND 850 VIEWS ON INSTAGRAM.
AND THEN THE ONE TO THE LEFT WHERE, UH, HE'S HOLDING UP THE SIGN IN FRONT OF THE ENGINE, UH, SAW 10,000 AND 50,000.
SO CHEVY'S DOING AMAZING WORK ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT.
STATE DEPLOYMENTS, WE HAD A BUSY YEAR STATE DEPLOYMENTS.
THE BIGGEST ONE WAS KERRVILLE.
WE HAD PEOPLE DOWN THERE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
SO IN THE CURVE KERRVILLE DEPLOYMENT, WE HAD OVERALL 18 PE, I'M SORRY, UH, 11 PEOPLE THAT EQUALED 163 DAYS DOWN IN KERRVILLE.
SO THAT MAY BE, YOU KNOW, FOUR PEOPLE EQUALS YOU KNOW, THERE FOR 10 DAYS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT, BUT THAT WAS A LONG TIME AT KERRVILLE THAT THEY SPENT WORKING DOWN THERE.
AND THEN THE MULTIPLE DEPLOYMENTS, OTHER DEPLOYMENTS WITH TASK FORCE ARE, WERE SIX PEOPLE TOTAL FOR 30 DAYS.
AND THEN THE TEXAS EMERGENCY MEDICAL TASK FORCE, EMTF THAT HAD EIGHT PEOPLE OVER 89 DAYS DEPLOYED.
SO LOTS OF DEPLOYMENTS GOING ON, BUT YOU CAN TELL THEY'RE DOING GOOD WORK IN THE PICTURES.
UEMR, THE MERCY RESPONSE TEAM AT UTD, STILL DOING A GREAT JOB.
UM, THEY'RE BEING LED BY SHEILA ELLIOT, THAT'S THE, THE HEAD EDUCATOR.
AND THEN, UH, NICK IS OUR, ONE OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS THAT'S ALSO THE OPERATIONS CHIEF UP THERE THIS YEAR.
THEY RAN 463 CALLS ON THEIR OWN OF THAT WE RAN 170.
SO ON THEIR OWN, THEY HANDLED 60% OF THE 63% OF THE CALLS, AND WE ONLY WENT UP FOR 37%.
THAT IS A HUGE LOAD OFF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
NOT SAYING EVERY ONE OF THOSE 63 PERCENTERS WOULD'VE CALLED 9 1 1, BUT A LOT OF 'EM WOULD'VE.
SO THAT KEEPS US FROM HAVING TO RUN UP THERE, UH, AND, AND DO THE MINOR CALLS.
SO THAT IS STILL A HUGE BENEFIT TO BE WORKING WITH UEMR. CITIZENS.
FIRE ACADEMY CLASS 27 HAD A BLAST.
IT WAS, UH, MARCH 26TH THROUGH MAY 28TH.
YOU CAN JUST LOOK AT THE PICTURES AND TELL THEY'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE CLASS 28 ON WEEK FOUR, I BELIEVE, COMING UP.
SO THEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE HAVING JUST AS MUCH FUN.
OUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IS RECALL.
THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR VOLUNTEERS OUT OF FOR FIRE ONE.
THEY ALSO WORK THE, UH, UH, CITIZENS FIRE ACADEMY CLASSES LIKE WE HAVE GOING ON NOW.
LUNAR NEW YEAR, FOURTH JULY WILDFLOWER.
THEY, UH, THEY WORK HARD DOING FUNDRAISERS TO, UH, DO THE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS KIDS.
THEY'RE GONNA BE HELPING OUT WITH A HUNDREDTH YEAR ANNIVERSARY AS WELL, THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HEALTH AND WELLNESS, DOING A GREAT JOB.
THE ANNUAL NFPA PHYSICALS WE JUST WRAPPED UP FOR THIS YEAR.
UH, AND WE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH THAT.
MANDATORY PHYSICAL FITNESS THEY HAVE TO WORK OUT EVERY DAY.
UM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE FOLLOWING THAT.
AND THEN THE FITNESS INITIATIVE TO RECALL THE FITNESS INITIATIVES WHERE THEY DO THE ROW CHALLENGE AND THEY CAN GET ADDITIONAL FUNDS PER YEAR.
BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE PREVENTING SOME MAJOR MEDICAL ISSUES BY THE WAY THAT THESE GUYS ARE WORKING OUT.
THEY'RE GETTING A LITTLE EXTRA FUNDS FOR IT.
BUT IT, IT TRULY IS, I BELIEVE, PREVENTING SOME MAJOR MEDICAL ISSUES.
UH, THE MENTAL HEALTH PEER SUPPORT TEAM'S DOING A GREAT JOB.
UH, THE, UH, WE'RE STILL DOING THE DEPARTMENT WIDE RESILIENCY TRAINING AND THE NEW MEDICAL WELLNESS CHECK-INS THAT YOU APPROVED LAST YEAR.
I'M GETTING GREAT, UH, COMMENTS FROM THE DOCTORS AND THAT THE THERAPIST THAT PEOPLE ARE PARTICIPATING IN, THAT, THAT'S WHERE THEY GO.
THEY HAVE TO SIT WITH A THERAPIST FOR 30 MINUTES, I BELIEVE IT'S 30 MINUTES.
AND, UH, THEY COULD TALK ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT APPARENTLY THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY NEED TO BE.
SO, VERY WELL WORTH THAT ON OUR APPARATUS.
THIS IS OUR CURRENT LEAD TIMES.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET A PIECE OF APPARATUS, AMBULANCES ARE RIGHT NOW 14 TO 19 MONTHS ENGINES, 47
[00:20:01]
TO 50 MONTHS QUINCE, 47 TO 50 MONTHS, AND A TRUCK 50 MONTHS.SO WE, RIGHT NOW, WE STILL HAVE TRUCK FOUR ON ORDER.
HOPE TO GET IT IN JUNE, WE'LL COME SHOW YOU THAT BIG TRUCK WHEN IT COMES IN AND, UH, WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO IT, THAT'S, IT'S STILL TAKING A, A LONG TIME TO GET THIS APPARATUS.
THE HUNDREDTH YEAR, UH, ANNIVERSARY.
SO WE JUST CELEBRATED THE ACTUAL TURN OF THE HUNDRED YEARS.
THAT WAS APRIL 9TH AND WE TURNED A HUNDRED YEARS.
UH, THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT, THAT'S THE OLDEST PICTURE THAT WE HAVE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THAT PICTURE WAS ACTUALLY AFTER THE, THE, UH, APRIL 9TH AT SOME TIME.
WE DIDN'T GET THE ENGINE FOR A WHILE, BUT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT'S THE OLD FIRE STATION AND THE, THE FIRST CREW.
SO ON JUNE 27TH, WE'LL BE HAVING THE ACTUAL CELEBRATION.
IT IS ON YOUR CALENDAR ALREADY FROM 10 TO NOON IN THE MORNING.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE DOING ALL THE PLANNING FOR THAT RIGHT NOW.
SO MOVING, UH, FORWARD OUR FOCUS MOVING FORWARD, CONTINUE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND TRAINING WORK TO RECRUIT AND HIRE SOME NEW TEAM MEMBERS.
THE DALLAS COUNTY HEALTH OVERDOSE RESPONSE TEAM, UH, TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LAST YEAR.
WE'RE STILL PARTNERING WITH THEM.
THEY WERE A LITTLE SLOW GETTING THINGS GOING ON, BUT THEY WERE FULL FORCE RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA BACK FROM THEM YET.
'CAUSE LIKE I SAID, THEY WERE PRETTY SLOW GETTING IT OFF, OFF THE, UH, THE TRACK.
SO WE'RE STILL PARTNERING WITH THEM, MAINTAINING OUR ISO ONE.
WE'RE WORKING TO IMPLEMENT THE FIRE MASTER PLAN AND, UH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, INCLUDING THE CPR AT THE WILDFLOWER.
SO REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
SO, MR. MAGNER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO STOP HERE AND THEN GO TO THIS OR CONTINUE? UH, I THINK GO AHEAD AND FINISH IT UP AND THEN WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
SO THE FIRE MASTER PLAN UPDATE, UH, WE HAVE THREE THINGS.
WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF SUPPORT.
UM, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON THE CREATION OF THE HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE, THAT THAT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY, PRETTY EXTENSIVE TO GET THAT GOING.
AND SUCCESSION PLANNING, WE'RE REALLY CLOSE TO FINISH THAT UP.
WE'VE JUST GOT SOME DOCUMENTS TO CREATE ON THAT.
ALL THE REST OF THOSE WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
SO THOSE, THOSE ARE DONE GOING FORTH.
SO, UH, THE COMPLETE, THE, THE 10 YEAR IN THE, THE 26 BOND COMING UP.
NOW, IF YOU RECALL, WE'VE GOT THE STATION SIX REMODEL, WHICH INCLUDES A FITNESS ROOM THAT IS 2.1 MILLION, THE APPARATUS STORAGE BUILDING BEHIND STATION FIVE.
THAT IS 8 MILLION AND STATION SEVEN, UH, THE DESIGN WE'RE ASKING FOR IN, UH, UH, FY 29 FOR 2.4, AND THEN IN 31 DO THE CONSTRUCTION FOR 23.5 MILLION.
UH, IN 2027, WE'D LIKE TO ADD THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROJECTS APPLICATIONS MANAGER THAT IS, UH, IN 27 FOR 109,000 ADD EMS CAPTAINS TO EACH SHIFT.
THAT'S THREE CAPTAIN POSITIONS.
BUT TO DO THAT WE ONLY NEED TWO PERSONNEL.
FOR ABOUT 300,000, WE'VE ACTUALLY CHANGED AND NOT GONNA CREATE ADDITIONAL CAPTAIN'S POSITIONS.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE THREE OF THE FOUR CAPTAIN'S POSITIONS THAT ARE ON DAYS, MOVE THOSE DOWN TO SHIFT, UH, AND THEN REPLACE THEM WITH EITHER A CIVILIAN OR A FIREFIGHTER RANK.
SO DROP THOSE POSITIONS DOWN AND RE UH, TAKE THE CAPTAINS OFF OF THOSE.
UH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR IN, IN FISCAL YEAR 28 FOR 111,000, UH, PEAK DEMAND AMBULANCE.
THIS IS THE OVERTIME TO MAKE THAT PEAK DEMAND START ACTUALLY PUSHING IT TO FY 28.
WE HAVE THE AMBULANCE ON ORDER.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE HERE TILL MID NEXT YEAR.
WE'RE GONNA START IT AROUND JUNE, BUT IT'S GONNA WORK OUT, UH, UH, BETTER ALL THE WAY AROUND TO START THAT OCTOBER OF 27, WHICH WILL BE FY 28, UH, ONE FULL-TIME FIRE INVESTIGATOR IN 28 FOR 152,000.
ADD THE TRUCK THREE, UH, THE STAFF TO BE ADDED IN FY 28.
AND THE VEHICLE CAPITAL IS SET TO FUND AN FY 29 FOR 2.7.
THAT TRUCK IS ON ORDER NOW, BUT WE DON'T PAY FOR IT UNTIL IT COMES IN.
AND WE HAVE THAT FUNDED IN, IN, UH, FY 29, THE PEAK DEMAND AMBULANCE GOING FULL TIME.
IF YOU RECALL, WE WANTED TO WITH STATION SEVEN, INSTEAD OF HIRING 21 PEOPLE AT ONE TIME, UH, THE DESIRE WAS TO SPLIT THOSE UP.
SO HIRE SIX PEOPLE, UH, THAT WOULD BASICALLY TAKE THE AMBULANCE FULL TIME.
AND IT BECOMES STATION SEVEN'S AMBULANCE, THE SECOND BATTALION CHIEF TO EACH SHIFT.
[00:25:01]
30 FOR 511 MILLION, I'M SORRY, 511,000.UH, AND THE, THE VEHICLE CAPITAL WOULD BE 135 IN FY 29, UH, STAFF FOR STATION SEVEN.
THIS IS THE REMAINING STAFFER FOR ENGINE SEVEN.
UM, WOULD BE FY 31 32, AND THAT EQUALS 2.1 MILLION.
UM, AFTER THAT, AT SOME POINT AROUND 33 OR 34, WE WOULD HAVE TO REALLY BE WATCHING THE CALL VOLUME.
THAT, BUT THAT'D BE TIME TO ADD ANOTHER PEAK DEMAND AMBULANCE.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE NEED TO WATCH THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.
THAT'S A LOT
SO, MR. MAGNER, UH, MAYOR, DO YOU HAPPY? UH, ANY QUESTIONS BY COUNSEL? MAYOR? MAYOR, CHIEF, THANK YOU.
ARE YOU, DO YOU EXPECT OR HAVE YOU BEEN ADVISED WHETHER OR NOT EITHER THROUGH, UM, THROUGH TEXAS TASK FORCE ONE OR EVEN FROM MORE LOCAL DFW, ARE Y'ALL GONNA BE CALLED UPON TO PROVIDE RESOURCES TO THE FIFA UH, UPCOMING FIFA EVENT? SO WE HAVE BEEN IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH EVERYONE, UH, THE MAIN ONES BEING ARLINGTON AND FRISCO.
AND RIGHT NOW NO ONE HAS ANY REQUEST.
DALLAS, THEY HAVE QUITE AN EVENT DOWN THERE AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE SAYING THEY CAN HANDLE IT AT ALL.
WE DO MAINTAIN OUR MUTUAL AID STATUS WITH THEM.
SO IF THEY DO GET IN A BAD POSITION, WE WILL GO HELP THEM.
CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND DETAIL.
ON SLIDE FOUR WHERE YOU'RE SHOWING THE STAFFING LEVELS, THERE IS A POSITION TITLED FIRE MANAGEMENT TECHNICIAN.
THIS IS KIND OF A MULTI-POINT QUESTION HERE.
ONE, WHAT DOES THAT DO? EXCUSE MY IGNORANCE ON THAT.
AND I GUESS, 'CAUSE YOU'RE AUTHORIZED FOR ONE, THERE'S NONE ACT NOBODY ACTUALLY IN THAT POSITION.
SO WHAT DOES THAT POSITION DO? HOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL THE NEEDS FOR THAT POSITION? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A NEED FOR IT.
SO HOW IS THAT HANDLED WHILE THE POSITION IS EMPTY AND THEN ON YES, SIR.
HOW DO YOU FEEL POSITION, IS THAT SOMETHING A FIREFIGHTER KIND OF MOVES INTO AFTER? IS THAT SOMETHING TOTALLY ASIDE FROM FIREFIGHTING? THAT IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TYPE OF EMPLOYEE, RIGHT.
IT'S A FIRE MANAGEMENT TECHNICIAN.
UM, OUR, OUR VERSION OF AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT.
AND THEY ARE, THEY DO MULTIPLE POSITIONS.
UH, WITH, WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE THE ONE YOU'RE SEEING VACANT, WELL, ACTUALLY TWO, UH, ONE IN OPERATIONS.
WE SHOULD HAVE TWO, TWO IN ADMINISTRATION.
SO WE MINUS ONE IN OPERATIONS.
AND THEN IN THE, THE PREVENTION SECTION, WE NORMALLY HAVE TWO, BUT WE HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW AND ONE POSITION FROZEN.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FILL THE OPERATIONS ONE AT THIS TIME.
AND THEY SUPPORT, UH, CHIEF CENTER MYSELF.
UM, EMS AND TRAINING IS THAT POSITION.
SO RIGHT NOW THE REMAINING TWO FMTS ARE FILLING THAT VOID, UH, UNTIL WE CAN GET THAT FILLED.
SO IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY A CIVILIAN HIRE HIRE.
APPRECIATE CHIEF, I THOUGHT WITH THAT TITLE, I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS SOMEBODY WHO I DON'T KNOW, WORKED ON EQUIPMENT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU ENLIGHTENING US COUNCIL MEMBER INE.
WELL, THANK YOU CHIEF FOR EVERYTHING YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT DOES.
UH, JUST A, A QUICK SMALL QUESTION, SLIDE NUMBER NINE THAT YOU HAVE, BY THE WAY, YOU GUYS DID GREAT JOB LINKING THAT GUY WITH OTHER ISSUE, OTHER PLACES, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT
SO I HOPE YOU HAVE SOME ANSWER ON THIS ONE.
IT SHOWS THAT IT'S GOING UP VERY SLOWLY UP EVERY YEAR EXCEPT THE COVID YEARS.
UNDERSTANDABLE, RIGHT? UH, IS THERE ANY RELATIONSHIP, YOU KNOW, WITH THE POPULATION GROWTH AND ANY OTHER NUMBERS THAT'S, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT RELATE WITH OTHER DATA? SO CHIEF CENTER HAS A GREAT EXPLANATION FOR THAT.
AND, AND WE'RE, WE'RE DEEP DIVING TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE ANSWER WHY.
BUT, UH, THE POPULATION GROWTH OF THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, SOMETHING THAT'S WELL-DEFINED, WE KNOW A THIRD PARTY LOOKS AT THAT AND CAN TELL US WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE RATE IS.
AND SO WE CAN LOOK BACK OVER A 12 YEAR PERIOD AND SEE THAT'S REALLY CONSISTENT OVER THAT SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
HOWEVER, UH, INC CONGRUENTLY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CALL VOLUME'S GOING UP AT THREE TIMES THE RATE THAT THE POPULATION GROWTH IS.
AND SO WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF MULT OR, OR FACTORS INVOLVED IN THIS.
CERTAINLY WHEN YOU START PUTTING PEOPLE ON TOP OF EACH OTHER, UH, WHEN, WHEN THE ROADWAYS REMAIN THE, BASICALLY THEY CAN ONLY BE AS LARGE AS THEY CAN, BUT WE HAVE MORE CARS MOVING AROUND ON THEM.
[00:30:01]
INCREASES CAR ACCIDENTS, IT INCREASES MEDICAL CALLS DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.SO WE'RE NOT THE ONLY CITY SEEING THIS.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MAIN DIALOGUES THAT'S HAPPENING IN NORTH TEXAS.
UH, ONE OF THE CHIEF OFFICER ORGANIZATIONS I BELONG TO, WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGE TOGETHER TO STUDY THIS, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S COMMON.
UH, BASICALLY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CALL VOLUME TRIPLING WHAT THE POPULATION GROWTH IS.
AND SO IT'S JUST THE NATURE OF, OF A CITY GROWING.
UH, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT IF WE CAN LOOK AT, UH, THAT NUMBER ALSO AVAILABLE, THAT INFLATION, THAT HOW IT'S GOING UP.
SO IF THAT HAS ANY RELATIONSHIP, JUST, IT'S VERY INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, GRAB THAT.
SO THERE, THERE IS LOTS OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS THING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST WE CAN SEE HOW THAT'S GONNA BE PROJECTED IN THE FUTURE THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR SOME ADDITIONAL STOPPING OR MANAGE FEW OTHER THINGS DIFFERENT WAY.
CHIEF COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN.
CHIEF, JUST WANTED TO TAKE TWO SECONDS AND JUST THANK YOU AND THANK ALL THE ASSISTANT CHIEFS FOR COMING HERE, PRESENTING AND FOR DOING A FANTASTIC JOB.
THANK YOU MAYOR CHIEF, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, UM, Y'ALL PRESENTED TO US, I REMEMBER THE COMMENT OF A LOT OF THE FIRES WE WERE SEEING WERE RELATED TO, UH, RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES.
AND I THINK THE COMMENT WAS MADE THAT THERE WAS SOME RESEARCH OR NOTHING HAD REALLY BEEN PUT OUT AS FAR AS, UH, ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL THOSE TYPE OF FIRES.
I WAS WONDERING, UM, IF THERE'S BEEN ANY ADVANCEMENT IN THAT.
ARE WE STILL SEEING THAT AS KIND OF ONE OF THE BIG PRIMARY SOURCES OF A LOT OF OUR BIG FIRE STRUCTURAL FIRES, OR? WE ARE DEFINITELY STILL SEEING IT.
UM, THE TECHNOLOGY HASN'T CHANGED.
AND WHERE WE ARE IS ALL OF THE, THE BODIES THAT ARE STUDYING EVERYTHING, AND THEN WHAT'S IN THE SMOKE, WHAT'S IN THE, THE WATER WHEN WE TRY TO PUT IT OUT, EVERYTHING ELSE, THE, THE NEW BEST PRACTICE IS LET IT BURN.
AND THAT KIND OF IS, DOESN'T SET WELL WITH A FIREFIGHTER
THERE'S NEW DEVICES COMING OUT CONSTANTLY TO TRY TO BATTLE 'EM.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE.
BUT RIGHT NOW, REALLY, IF WE CAN'T PUT IT OUT VERY QUICKLY AND STOP WHAT'S CALLED A THERMAL O RUNAWAY, IF WE CAN'T STOP THAT QUICKLY, THE BEST THING IS LET IT BURN OUT.
WITH SOME OF THAT GROWTH THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, FIN ASKED ABOUT, DO YOU SEE A PROPORTIONATE GROWTH OF THAT? DO YOU KNOW, HAVE Y'ALL LOOKED AT THAT? ARE THERE, IN OTHER WORDS, IF, OR WOULD YOU SAY NO, IT'S SOMETHING ELSE? SO WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS JUST, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A STRUCTURE FIRE, AND DUE TO THE NUMBER NOW OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES THAT ARE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT DEVICES, THAT WHILE THEY MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THE INITIAL CAUSE OF THOSE FIRES, UH, ONCE THE FIRE GETS TO THAT DEVICE, IT BECOMES THEN ACCELERATOR A PART OF THAT.
AND SO DECONTAMINATION OF OUR GEAR IS BECOMING A BIGGER AND BIGGER QUESTION MARK AND ISSUE, UH, THE TEXAS ENGINEERING EXTENSION SERVICE ISSUED THEIR WHITE PAPER LAST YEAR LOOKING AT HOW BAD IS BAD, UH, WHICH IS THE STARTING POINT, RIGHT? UNDERSTANDING HOW, HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
AND NOW WE AS AN INDUSTRY, AND I'M SPEAKING INTERNATIONALLY, ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE NAVIGATE AWAY FROM THIS? AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME, THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE LOOKING FOR OPTIONS OTHER THAN LITHIUM ION.
SO I THINK ONE DAY WE'RE GONNA GET THERE.
THE PROBLEM IS THERE'S WELL OVER A DECADE WORTH OF LITHIUM ION EVERYWHERE THAT EVEN IF TOMORROW A BETTER BATTERY CAME OUT, WE WE'RE STILL GONNA SEE ALL THESE DIFFERENT HOUSE FIRES.
I MEAN, IT'S IN YOUR VACUUM, YOUR CELL PHONE, YOUR, YOUR, YOUR TOOLS, WHATEVER.
SO THAT COMPONENT'S CONSTANTLY THERE AND WE'RE HAVING TO BE MORE AND MORE ALERT TO IT.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE ALSO DOING SOME COMMUNITY OUTREACH WHENEVER WE HAVE EVENTS LIKE WILDFLOWER AND WE HAVE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TENT, WE NOW HAVE SOME LITERATURE ABOUT, THIS IS FOR HOME SAFETY AS WELL.
CHIEF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION.
I THINK THE ONLY QUESTION I'VE GOT, UM, IS, IS AROUND DATA.
AND OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH POPULATION SIZE AS THIS, AS THIS CONTINUES TO GROW.
BUT I'M WONDERING, IS THERE ENOUGH DATA COLLECTION FOR SOME ANALYSIS TO BE DONE DOING THINGS LIKE CROSS SECTIONS WITH THE AGE, UH, AND THE AGE OF THE POPULATION? AND AS THAT, AS WE HAVE AN OLDER POPULATION GENERALLY ACROSS NORTH TEXAS, DOES THAT CREATE MORE CALLS, UH, AND THEREFORE BETWEEN POPULATION GROWTH AND A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF THAT GROWTH BEING OLDER? SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, IS THAT, ARE THERE, IS THERE ANYONE REALLY KIND OF PLAYING AROUND WITH ANY OF THIS DATA IN THAT WAY? OR IS IT SORT OF SOMETHING YOU GUYS JUST DO ON THE SIDE, BUT IT'S MAYBE NOT
[00:35:01]
AS, AS CRITICAL AN ELEMENT? SO WE HAVEN'T LATELY.CHIEF YOUNGER DID A WHILE BACK.
YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT? WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR BILLING COMPANY, DIGITECH, NUMBER ONE THROUGH OUR EMS CALLS.
BUT YES, THERE IS A DIRECT CORRELATION WITH THE AGE OF THE POPULATION.
THE INCREASE IN CALL VOLUME, IT TYPICALLY IS MAINLY RELATED TO MEDICAL CALLS, FALLS IN THE HOME, HEART ATTACK, STROKE, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UH, SO YES, WE DO SEE A INCREASE IN THE NUMBER CALLS AND THE TYPE OF CALLS WITH THE AGING OF THE POPULATION.
IT'S BEEN ABOUT SIX, SEVEN YEARS SINCE I DID THE LAST CORRELATIVE STUDY TOWARD OUR CAR VOLUME AND AGE.
BUT YES, THERE IS DATA OUT THERE AND THERE ARE PLACES THAT WE CAN GO TO PRETTY QUICKLY WHEN WE GET OUR DIGITECH, UH, MONTHLY STATEMENTS AND ANNUAL STATEMENTS.
IT DOES HAVE SOME, UH, CHARTS AND GRAPHS AND AGE CAUSE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO THAT'S DATA THAT WE COULD GET AND COMPILE RELATIVELY QUICKLY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT NOW PREPARED FOR THIS.
I JUST, JUST FOR, FOR ANY FUTURE STUDY OR WE GET A COLLEGE KID THAT WANTS TO COME IN AND HELP THE TEAM WITH SOME DATA ANALYSIS OR ANY OF THAT SORT OF THING, I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF WE HAVE THE DATA, UH, BUT THAT, THAT FEELS LIKE IT WOULD BE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTOR ON TOP OF THE, UH, UH, IT, IT IS AND THAT'S A VERY POPULAR TOPIC.
AND IT, IT IS REALLY ALL, LIKE I SAID, IT'S WRAPPED AROUND ALL THE MS CALLS ON THIS ONE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, 75 PLUS PERCENT OF OUR CALLS.
SO THAT, THAT'S A HUGE IMPACT.
WELL, THANK YOU CHIEF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER INE, YOU HAD ANOTHER QUESTION? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT MAYBE IN THE FUTURE PRESENTATION YOU COULD ADD SOME OF THE SLIDE, ADDITIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER FACTORS.
[6. REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE CITY COUNCIL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATED TO CEREMONIAL REQUESTS, FLAG DISPLAYS, AND THE CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENT PROCESS]
ON TO ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE CITY COUNCIL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELATED TO CEREMONIAL REQUESTS, FLAG DISPLAYS, AND THE COUNCIL APPOINTMENT PROCESS.MR. MAGNA, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR.
SO OUR DIRECTOR OF, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND AMY AND EMAR ARE CITY SECRETARY, ARE GONNA TEAM UP ON THIS.
UH, THE PURPOSE OF THIS BRIEFING IS, UM, REALLY TO ASK YOU TO HELP US CREATE A FRAMEWORK AROUND THESE, UH, DIFFERENT TOPICS.
UH, UH, WE COULD, UH, EASILY PROVIDE EXAMPLES, UH, IN RECENT MEMORY HERE OF SITUATIONS THAT HAVE, UH, DEVELOPED, UH, WHERE IT WAS A LITTLE BIT, UM, GRAY AS TO HOW WE, WE WOULD WANNA APPROACH THIS.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS TRYING TO ENSURE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WE RECEIVE THESE DIFFERENT REQUESTS, UH, THERE IS CONSISTENCY, UH, IN THE MESSAGE THAT WE DELIVER AND IN THE WAY THAT WE HANDLE, UM, THESE INQUIRIES.
AND SO, GREG AND AMY, THANKS FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, UH, MAYOR.
UM, COUNSEL, AS WE, UH, CONCLUDE THIS, UH, BRIEFING, WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR SOME, UH, HOPEFULLY SOME CONCURRENCE ABOUT, UH, HOW YOU'D LIKE TO APPROACH THESE ITEMS MOVING FORWARD.
AND THEN WE WOULD PROPOSE TO UPDATE YOUR COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE, UH, AT A, ON A FUTURE AGENDA JUST TO KIND OF MEMORIALIZE THE DISCUSSION.
SO, GREG, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
AND GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UH, AS PART OF THIS TOO, THIS ALSO COINCIDES WITH YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND SPECIFICALLY YOUR GOAL TO HAVE APPLIED PROCESSES AND POLICIES THAT MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO INTERACT WITH THE GOVERNMENT, AS WELL AS TO IMPROVE OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, OUR USER EXPERIENCE, AND OUR PROCESSES WITHIN THE CITY OF, OF RICHARDSON.
SO WE HAVE THESE FOUR AREAS THAT WE'LL LOOK AT, AND THEN OF COURSE HAVE THE DISCUSSION FOR NEXT STEPS.
THEY'RE FLAGGED TO POLICY, THE DAYS OF RECOGNITION POLICY, CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION POLICY, AND CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENT POLICY, STARTING WITH THE FLAG DISPLAY POLICY.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, IF YOU'VE VISITED CITY HALL, COME TO ONE OF THESE MEETINGS.
IT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE READILY SEEN AVAILABLE HERE, RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER WE HAVE THE INTERNATIONAL WALL OF FLAGS.
AND SO THIS WALL WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2015 AS A PERMANENT STANDARDIZED DISPLAY DISTINCT FROM OUR TEMPORARY EVENT BASED FLAG PRESENTATION.
SO THIS IS A PERMANENT FIXTURE HERE, UH, THAT, THAT WE PLAN TO HAVE WITH CITY HALL.
AND SO IT TIES INTO OUR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAPITAL OF NORTH TEXAS DESIGNATION.
IF YOU WERE TO GO LOOK AT THIS WALL, YOU WOULD SEE THE RESOLUTION FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE, WHICH, UH, ANNOUNCES CITY OF RICHARDSON AS THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAPITAL OF NORTH TEXAS.
THE ELIGIBILITY THAT WE HAD HAD AT THE TIME WAS NOT FORMALIZED, BUT WHAT WE HAD DONE WAS HAVE IT WHERE IT WOULD REPRESENT COMPANIES WITH OPERATIONS OR HEADQUARTERS IN RICHARDSON.
AND THE FLAGS THAT WERE DISPLAYED WERE THE, THOSE THAT APPEARED AT THE UNITED NATIONS, ESSENTIALLY.
SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT NOW IS TO FORMALIZE A POLICY RELATED TO WHAT FLAGS AND HOW THEY'RE PRESENTED ON THE INTERNATIONAL WALL.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT ALSO SET IN POLICY SOME GUIDELINES FOR OTHER EVENTS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THE CITY WHERE SOMETIMES WE WILL BORROW ONE OF THE FLAGS FROM THIS WALL TO USE AT THOSE OTHER EVENTS.
IN FACT, RIGHT NOW, THERE'S ONE MISSING, IF YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED, BECAUSE IT WAS BEING USED FOR ANOTHER EVENT.
AND SO, WHICH NATIONAL, IT'S TO ESTABLISH THIS CLEAR NEUTRAL STANDARDS, NEUTRAL BEING A KEY WORD.
[00:40:01]
WHAT ARE THE FLAGS THAT WILL APPEAR ON THE WALL, WHICH NATIONAL FLAGS APPEAR, HOW FOREIGN NATIONAL FLAGS ARE DISPLAYED DURING OFFICIAL EVENTS, UH, VISITS AND CEREMONIES AT CITY FACILITIES.AND REALLY THE POLICY PROTECTS DIPLOMATIC NEUTRALITY, UH, AS OTHERS VISIT US, THESE ARE, THIS IS PART OF A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD AROUND THE WORLD, UH, AND IT FOLLOWS US LAW INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL AND SUPPORTS THE CITY'S REPUTATION AS A CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS.
OF COURSE, WE NEED A PLACE TO PULL ALL THAT INFORMATION FROM WHAT ARE, WHO ARE THE ONES THAT SET THESE STANDARDS, THESE PROTOCOLS, AND, AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACCUSTOMED TO DOING THIS ON REALLY A DAILY BASIS.
AND SO WE GO TO THE US FLAG CODE, THE UNITED NATIONS FLAG CODE, THE US DEPARTMENT OF STATE, AND THE CIA WORLD FACT BOOK TO HELP US CREATE THESE AREAS AND GUIDELINES WITHIN THE POLICY.
THE BIG QUESTION FOR WHAT APPEARS WHICH FLAG APPEARS ON THE INTERNATIONAL WALL REALLY COMES DOWN TO THE DEFINITION OF OPERATIONS.
WHEN WE SAY YOU HAVE TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONS WITHIN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? AND THIS IS THE WAY THAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO PROVIDE THAT GUIDANCE WITHIN THE POLICY.
IT'S A PHYSICAL BUSINESS PRESENCE WITHIN THE CITY THAT CONDUCTS ONGOING ACTIVITY IN A COMMERCIAL OFFICE, RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT, MANUFACTURING, TECHNOLOGY, OR OTHER INDUSTRIAL SETTING.
REALLY THOSE AREAS THAT ARE ON OUR FIVE MAIN, UH, INDUSTRY AREAS AS WE DO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
AGAIN, TYING BACK TO THAT, UH, THE STAT TEXAS STATE LEGISLATURE RESOLUTION.
SO QUALIFYING OPERATIONS INCLUDE CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS, REGIONAL OFFICES, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITIES, ENGINEERING CENTERS, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SITES, OR SIMILAR BUSINESS FACILITIES THAT MEANINGFULLY AND NOTICEABLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY'S EMPLOYMENT OR ECONOMIC BASE.
RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS, RESTAURANTS, HOSPITALITY VENUES, STANDALONE STOREFRONTS OR OTHER PRIMARILY CONSUMER FACING LOCATIONS WOULD NOT QUALIFY UNDER THIS POLICY AS OPERATIONS FOR PURPOSES OF THE DISPLAY.
AS WELL AS, UH, ADDITIONALLY MAILING ADDRESSES, REGISTERED AGENTS, POST OFFICE BOXES, SHELL ENTITIES WITHOUT EMPLOYEES OR INACTIVE ENTITIES WOULD ALSO NOT QUALIFY WITHIN THIS DEFINITION.
UH, THE DETERMINING DETERMINATION OF THE QUALIFYING OPERATIONS WOULD BE MADE BY THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UH, OF COURSE IN, IN COORDINATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
AND THEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT ART.
IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST, IT GOES ON THE WALL, BUT THEN WE ALSO WANTED TO PULL SOME OTHER GUIDELINES TO HELP IDENTIFY THE BEST PRACTICES, SO TO SPEAK, OF WHEN WE HAVE THE FLAGS.
SO THE DISPLAY, OH, SORRY, GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT.
ONE MORE ITEM WITH THIS INTERNATIONAL WALL OF FLAGS.
UH, ALTERATIONS THE DISPLAY MAY BE TEMPORARY ALTERED IN CONSIDERATION OF SENSITIVITIES AND PROTOCOLS RELATED TO A SPECIFIC VISITOR DELEGATION OR EVENT.
AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE, IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DIPLOMATIC SENSITIVITIES WOULD EXIST BETWEEN TWO SOVEREIGN NATIONS, THE CITY MAY TEMPORARILY ADJUST THE DISPLAY TO AVOID PERCEIVED ENDORSEMENT OR OF ONE SOVEREIGN OVER ANOTHER.
SUBSTITUTIONS WOULD ALSO BE PROHIBITED.
NO HISTORIC VARIANT, CIVIL, NAVAL, OR OTHER MILITARY OPPOSITION OR ALTERNATIVE DESIGN MAY BE DISPLAYED IN PLACE OF THE OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED NATIONAL FLAG.
MEANING IF YOU HAVE A MILITARY PERSON COMING TO VISIT, WE WOULD NOT PUT IN THAT COUNTRY'S MILITARY FLAG.
WE WOULD STILL PUT IN THE COUNTRY'S FLAG OF THAT VISITING MEMBER PHYSICAL STANDARDS.
SO THIS IS WHAT I WAS ALSO TALKING ABOUT WITH MAINTAINING OTHER GUIDELINES, UH, WHILE WE'RE PUTTING THIS POLICY INTO PLACE.
SO UNIFORMITY ALL FLAGS ON THE WALL OR ARE OF THE SAME SIZE AND DISPLAYED AT THE SAME HEIGHT.
UH, THE ARRANGEMENT FOR FIXED PERMANENT GROUPINGS WHERE A SINGLE ROW IS USED, SUCH AS WE HAVE AROUND THE CORNER, FOREIGN NATIONAL FLAGS ARE ARRANGED IN ENGLISH ALPHABETICAL ORDER WITH THE US FLAG APPEARING IN PLACE OF HONOR FOLLOWING, UH, THE US FLAG CODE.
SO ESSENTIALLY WHENEVER YOU SEE THIS WALL, YOU'LL SEE THE US FLAG AT THE LEFT FOLLOWED AN ALPHABETICAL ORDER WITH ALL THE OTHER NATIONAL FLAGS GOING, UH, TO THE RIGHT.
BEYOND THAT, MAINTENANCE FLAGS ARE ALSO KEPT CLEAN, UNDAMAGED AND WILL BE REPLACED IF EVER WORN.
WHEN WE HAD THE FIRE AT CITY HALL, THESE FLAGS WERE, UH, THEY HAD SMOKE DAMAGE, SO WE TOOK THEM, GOT THEM CLEANED, AND UH, MADE THEM PRESENTABLE AGAIN.
THEN THERE ARE THE TEMPORARY DISPLAYS FOR EVENTS AND DIGNITARY VISITS.
AND THE, THE PICTURE THAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE WAY THAT THE FLAG IS SUPPOSED TO APPEAR.
UH, TEMPORARY DISPLAYS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR OFFICIAL VISITS, GOVERNMENT DIPLOMATIC OR TRADE DELEGATIONS AND CITY HOSTED CEREMONIES INVOLVING FOREIGN PARTNERS.
SEPARATE STAFFS EQUAL HEIGHT AND EQUAL SIZE FOR ALL NATIONAL FLAGS DISPLAYED TOGETHER.
NO NATIONAL FLAG IS PLACED ABOVE ANOTHER.
THE US FLAG HOLDS PROMINENCE TO THE SPEAKER'S, RIGHT? OR AS YOU'RE VIEWING IT TO THE LEFT, WITH THE FOREIGN FLAGS TO THE SPEAKER'S LEFT STAGE LEFT, OR AS YOU'RE VIEWING IT, AS YOU SEE IN THIS PHOTO TO THE RIGHT, NEVER PLACE ANOTHER NATION'S FLAG ON THE SAME HALLIARD AS THE US FLAG
[00:45:01]
AND THE UN FLAG MAY, THIS CAME UP DURING OUR, UH, WE'D BROUGHT THIS BEFORE THE CIEC AND THEY HAD MENTIONED THE UNITED NATIONS.WE'VE NEVER HAD ANYTHING WITH UNITED NATIONS, BUT WE WENT AHEAD AND ADDED SOMETHING HERE TOO, JUST IN CASE IT SHOULD EVER HAPPEN, THAT THE UN FLAG MAY BE DISPLAYED ONLY IN CONNECTION WITH OFFICIAL UN AFFILIATED EVENTS.
REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTIONS REQUEST TO CHANGE THE INTERNATIONAL WALL AD OR REMOVE A COUNTRY'S FLAG MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
THE CITY WILL ONLY DISPLAY THE OFFICIAL CURRENT NATIONAL FLAG OF A COUNTRY MEETING.
THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, HISTORIC OR ALTERNATIVE FLAGS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL WALL.
AND WHERE RECOGNITION OR NAMING IS SENSITIVE OR EVOLVING, THEN WE WOULD GO TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF STATE'S CURRENT LISTING, UH, AND ITS NAMING CONVENTIONS TO DETERMINE WHICH DIRECTION THAT WE SHOULD GO.
AND SO THAT IS A PROPOSAL FOR OUR FLAG POLICY COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE.
UM, MR. SO TOUCHED ON IT AT THE END THERE, BUT THIS ONE BEFORE THE COMMUNITY INCLUSION AND ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION, THEY HAD REALLY GOOD ROBUST DISCUSSION AROUND, UM, HOW THIS WOULD BE ENFORCED.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH, HOW WE WOULD APPLY IT, ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND SO, UH, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU ONE FOR TAKING THEIR FEEDBACK AND INCORPORATING IT IN HERE.
I, I SEE THAT THERE'S A VERY CLEAR PROCESS, UH, WHEN IT INITIALLY WENT BEFORE THEM, IT WAS JUST SORT OF AN IDEA, AND YOU CLEARLY DONE SOME GOOD WORK ON THIS, SO I DID WANNA LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT THEY PROVIDED REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK THAT IS INCLUDED HERE IN WHAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE SEEN TONIGHT.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK IN THIS.
I WANNA, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
ONE, THE FIRST ONE FOR CLARIFICATION.
UM, WHEN, SO ARE WE REFERRING TO THE UNITED NATIONS LISTINGS OR THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S LISTINGS FOR THE RECOGNITION OF A FLAG? SO THERE'S ACTUALLY TWO AREAS, OKAY.
IT WAS THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND THEN THE UNITED NATIONS.
UH, BUT THE UNITED NATIONS REALLY IS ONE OF THE, I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S GOT ALL THE NATIONS IN THE WORLD AND THEY RECOGNIZE AND BRING TO THAT WHAT, UH, FLAG IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THEM.
BUT HOWEVER, ANOTHER THING HAPPENS WHERE IT'S ALL RIGHT, WELL, WHAT COUNTRIES ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES? AND SO THERE, THEN YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OR OTHER FEDERAL RESOURCE, FOR INSTANCE.
UH, ONE OF THE RESOURCES THAT I HAD, THE, THE CIA WORLD FACT BOOK, IF YOU GO TO THAT PAGE RIGHT NOW, IT'S, IT'S GOT A MESSAGE ON IT SAYING THAT IT'S NOT CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED.
UH, SO AS THOSE THINGS ARE CHANGING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE WOULD LOOK TO THE UNITED STATES, UH, FOR THE GUIDANCE ON WHO DO WE RECOGNIZE AND UNDER WHAT, WHAT BANNER.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE A SITUATION.
I CAN TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, WHAT, RIGHT NOW WE'RE, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE REFERRING TO THE US VERSUS THE UN IN CASE THERE WAS A DISCREPANCY.
WELL, I, AND I UNDERSTAND, AND THAT'S WHERE WE TALK ABOUT THE, THE CIA WORLD FACT BOOK WHEN THEY HAD IT IN THE US STATE DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN THOSE ENTITIES, UH, SOVEREIGN NATIONS THAT THE UNITED STATES MAY RECOGNIZE AND THAT ARE IN THE UN.
AND SO US BEING PART OF THE UNITED STATES AND THIS BEING OUR SOVEREIGN NATION, WE WOULD TAKE OUR GUIDANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE, I I UNDERSTAND YOUR REFERENCE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, BUSINESSES THAT WE, UH, HAVE SOME KIND OF, UH, PRESENCE HERE.
UM, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE HAVE A HUGE DIVERSITY IN, IN OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND, UM, WHEN I THINK OF WHAT A CITY HALL IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE PUBLIC'S HOUSE AND OBVIOUSLY OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY'S A BIG PART OF THAT, BUT ALSO OUR RESIDENCE.
I COULD SEE WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE MIGHT HAVE SOME OF OUR SMALLER NATIONS THAT WE DON'T DO A LOT OF BUSINESS WITH BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALL NATIONS.
YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING, YOU KNOW, LIKE ST.
LUCIA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF SOME OF THE SMALLER NATIONS, UM, WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE A GROWING COMMUNITY.
AND IF THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE, WOULD IT, IS THERE A, A MECHANISM WHERE A PEOPLE GROUP WHO LIVES WITHIN RICHARDSON MAY SAY, LOOK, WE, WE WANNA SEE OUR NATION REPRESENTED, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T HAVE A LARGE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T DO A LOT OF EXPORTS, WE DON'T DO BUSINESS IN JUST 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A SMALL NATION, BUT WE ARE WANNA SEE OUR REPRESENTATION IN THE CITY BY WHAT WE BRING VALUE TO THE CITY.
UH, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST WHILE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS A PIECE OF WHAT WE DO AND A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE, IT'S NOT THE ONLY PIECE.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE'S NOT A MECHANISM IN PLACE BECAUSE IT'S PURELY REFERENCES FROM THE BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE.
UH, IS THAT ACCURATE? UH, CORRECT.
SO AGAIN, WHEN THIS, THE INTERNATIONAL WALL WAS CREATED, IT WAS FORMULATED AROUND THE STATE LEGISLATURE'S RECOGNITION OF THE CITY AS THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CAPITAL OF NORTH TEXAS.
AND AGAIN, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, IT'S FOCUSED ON SEVERAL KEY AREAS, TECHNOLOGY BEING VERY HEAVY,
[00:50:01]
AND THEN SOME OTHER AREAS.AND SO WHEN THIS WALL WAS DEVELOPED, THOSE WERE, THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY THE GUIDANCE THAT WE HAD, WE HAD OUTLINED FOR IT AND THAT WE WOULD, WE'RE OFFERING TO PROPOSE IN THIS POLICY.
OF COURSE, THAT IS WHAT'S UP FOR DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP ON THAT LINE OF QUESTIONING.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE CIEC TALKED ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME AS WELL.
UM, AND I THINK GRAPPLED WITH, AND THE CONCERN WAS, ONE, THIS WAS INTENDED TO BE BUSINESS FOCUSED BASED ON THE DESIGNATION THAT MR. SOWELL JUST MENTIONED, BUT ALSO TWO, JUST THE FEAR OF, UM, TRYING TO BE INCLUSIVE RESULTING IN YOU BEING EXCLUSIVE BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WAS A POPULATION AND YOU SOMEHOW MISSED IT.
AND, AND THAT THAT COULD CREATE ISSUES.
SO, UM, GIVEN THAT THIS WAS CREATED AS PART OF THE BUSINESS DESIGNATION, THEY, THEY FELT LIKE THAT WAS THE APPROPRIATE SORT OF, UH, BAROMETER TO STICK WITH, AND THAT WAS A FAIRLY, I GUESS, BALANCED, UH, I GUESS DECISION.
YEAH, THEY, THEY TALKED ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, THERE WAS, THERE WAS NO VOTE, OBVIOUSLY, THEY JUST TALKED ABOUT IT AND PROVIDED FEEDBACK TO MR. UM, TO MR. SO ON IT.
BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THEY TALKED ABOUT AT LENGTH, ABOUT HOW COULD WE, YOU KNOW, WHERE SHOULD THE CUTOFF BE, YOU KNOW, HOW SHOULD WE JUST INCLUDE ANY OLD PERSON THAT COMES TO CITY HALL AND, AND ASKS, TO YOUR POINT, UM, IF, IF YOU WANTED RECOGNITION AND THE, THE OVERALL FEELING AND THE FEEDBACK THAT THEY PROVIDED IS THEY DEFINITELY WANTED IT TO BE TIED TO SOMETHING, UM, SO THAT YOU AVOID THOSE SORT OF, UM, SITUATIONS WHERE POTENTIALLY YOU EXCLUDE A POPULATION.
UM, AND THAT GIVEN THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE WALL, UM, THAT, THAT STICKING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HAVING THEM SORT OF BE, UM, THE DECISION MAKER AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, UM, WAS THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO.
THANK YOU, MR. SO IF YOU WANNA MOVE ON, THAT'S SO FAR, SO GOOD.
ALRIGHT, SO NOW WE GO TO OUR DAYS OF RECOGNITION, WHICH AGAIN WAS ANOTHER TOPIC THAT WE BROUGHT BEFORE THE COMMUNITY INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION.
UH, THIS IS REALLY LOOKING AT AN UPDATE TO OUR CURRENT POLICY THAT WE HAVE.
CITY POLICY OUTLINES, OUTREACH FOR SPECIAL OBSERVANCES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE CULTURAL AWARENESS TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT A MINIMUM.
OBSERVANCES ARE INCLUDED, UH, IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS.
UH, YOU'LL NOTICE ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WE'LL HAVE POSTINGS TO RAISE AWARENESS OR ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
THE LIBRARY MAY ALSO HAVE ACTIVITIES SUCH AS HIGHLIGHTING EITHER COLLECTIONS, SOMETIMES THEY MAY DEVELOP YOUTH OR ADULT PROGRAMMING AROUND, UH, THOSE TOPICS AS WELL.
AND IN SOME CASES, EVEN MORE INFORMATION MAY BE POSTED OR SHARED BASED ON CITY EVENTS SUCH AS LUNAR NEW YEAR CULTURE AND THE CORE, THINGS LIKE THAT.
LUNAR NEW YEAR BEING AN INTERNATIONAL, UH, RECOGNITION OBVIOUSLY THAT WE TIE IN WITH A CITY EVENT THAT, THAT WE SUPPORT AS WELL.
SO WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THIS PART OF THE POLICY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TOOK FOR OUR GUIDANCE, UH, AS YOU SAW IN THE FLAG POLICY, WE'RE LOOKING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION.
THIS ONE WE LOOKED AT THE FEDERAL, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ACTUALLY THE STATE, UH, AS WELL, STATE OF TEXAS.
AND WHO DO THEY HAVE AS, AS OFFICIAL REC OR WHAT DO THEY HAVE AS OFFICIAL RECOGNITIONS IN THAT, UH, WE LOOKED AT THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM, EEOP, THAT HAD THE SCPS, WHICH IS THE SPECIAL EMPHASIS PROGRAM OF OBSERVANCES.
NOW, THAT HAS UNDER THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION BEEN CHANGED UP A BIT, UH, AND, AND A LITTLE BIT CHANGED, BUT, UM, THIS LIST IS BASED OFF WHAT WAS THERE AT THE TIME.
AND THAT WAS UNDER THE FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRAM, UH, AS IT WAS, AS IT WAS IDENTIFIED THEN.
SO THAT IS WHERE THIS LIST WAS DERIVED.
TOOK THIS TO AGAIN, THE COMMUNITY INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION, ASKED THEM FOR SOME INSIGHTS AS THEY WERE DISCUSSING.
UH, ANOTHER IDEA, AND, AND PROCLAMATIONS IS COMING UP HERE A LITTLE BIT LATER, UH, AFTER THIS DISCUSSION, BUT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PROCLAMATIONS.
AND AS PART OF THAT, WE HAD BROUGHT IN THESE DAYS OF RECOGNITION AND ASKED THEM FOR THEIR INPUT ON, ALRIGHT, IF WE WERE TO CHANGE THIS, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? AND SO THAT'S WHERE THIS LIST OF EXPANSION WOULD COME TO OUR DAYS OF RECOGNITION THAT WE COULD ADD TO THE LIST.
THIS OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, AND COINCIDES WITH THINGS THAT THE CITY IS INVOLVED WITH ALREADY OR, UH, UH, PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS AND SERVICES THAT AS THE CITY COUNCIL, YOU HAVE, UH, VOICED AND OR PROVIDE SOME KIND OF BUDGETARY SUPPORT FOR.
SO AS YOU SEE HERE, WE HAVE THINGS LIKE NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH, OF COURSE WITH RISD AND PISD.
WE HAVE AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THAT WE DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM.
UH, ON THIS LIST, YOU'LL ALSO SEE MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY.
THE, UH, MAKE A DIFFERENCE IS HAPPENS TO BE WITH OUR HR DEPARTMENT HERE IN THE CITY OF RICHARDSON.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO FOR OUR HIRING PRACTICES, WE HAVE EITHER MAKE A DIFFERENCE, UH, MEANING COME AND WORK FOR US OR MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
YOU WORK HERE AND WE TELL PEOPLE THAT STORY, AND WE EVEN HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED MADE A DIFFERENCE, WHICH IS, YOU'VE RETIRED FROM HERE AND WE'RE TELLING PEOPLE THE JOB THAT YOU DID.
AND SO EVERYTHING ON HERE, SOMEHOW WE CAN, UH, TIE IN WITH A PROGRAM, PROJECT OR SERVICE THAT THE CITY IS OFFERING.
AND, AND WOULD LOOK IS THIS, LOOK AT THIS AS A RECOMMENDED ADDITIONS FOR DAYS OF RECOGNITION.
NOW, AS I SAID, THIS WENT BEFORE CIEC AND AS THEY WERE BRINGING THIS LIST FORWARD, SOME OTHER ITEMS THAT HAD COME FORWARD, UH, WERE ALSO DAYS THAT COINCIDED WITH RELIGION BASED TOPICS.
AND, UH, AS THIS, THIS TOPIC CAME UP WITH THE CIEC, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D EXPLAINED WAS TO MAIN NEUTRAL,
[00:55:01]
TO MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY RESPECT, UH, DIVERSE BELIEFS, AND TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR COUNCIL'S LEGAL OPINION AND THE STATE AND FEDERAL LAW THAT THE CITY DOES NOT CONSIDER ANY REQUESTS THAT SUPPORT ANY RELIGION, RELIGIOUS, ARE, OR IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS OR INDIVIDUAL CONVICTIONS.AND THAT THAT WAS JUST A, UH, A COURSE A POLICY WITH US.
UM, THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL GUIDELINES FOR GOVERNMENT NEUTRALITY, WHERE THE TOPIC OF RELIGION IS CONCERNED.
THERE ARE TWO ITEMS HERE, THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE AND THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE.
GOVERNMENT MAY NOT PROMOTE A RELIGION.
WE CAN'T USE STATE RESOURCES TO, UH, SAY GO AND, AND BE A PART OF OR DO THIS, UM, BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT IS, UH, CONSTITUTIONALLY AGAINST THE LAW.
PART OF THAT TOO, AND THIS IS WHERE THE TRICKY PART ALSO COMES IN, IS GOVERNMENT MAY NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST A RELIGION.
AND SO KEY TO THAT IS WHAT, AND YOU'VE HEARD IT FROM OUR LEGAL TEAM MANY TIMES BEFORE, I I BELIEVE, UH, IT'S WHAT YOU DO FOR ONE, YOU MUST DO FOR ALL.
AND SO RICHARDSON AND THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE LEGAL COUNSELS, UH, HAVE THIS RECOMMENDATION THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE SAFETY FROM LITIGATION IS FOR CITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT DISPLAYS INFORMATION ARE STRICTLY SECULAR IN NATURE, AND THAT WE DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT'S RELIGION BASED.
UH, AND SO WHEN WE PUT THIS QUESTION TO THE CIEC, AND THIS WAS A QUESTION SPECIFICALLY, WE SAID, SHOULD THE CITY INCLUDE MENTION OF EVENTS TIMES OF YEAR BASED ON RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE? AGAIN, THIS WAS ANOTHER HEALTHY DISCUSSION THAT THEY HAD HAD.
UH, AND AT THE END OF IT, THERE WAS TWO OTHER QUESTIONS THAT WAS WITH THIS, THAT REALLY, IT, IT WAS ALIGNED THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO CROSS.
AND THAT IS HOW DO YOU DEFINE IF, IF YOU'RE GONNA ALLOW, THEN HOW ARE YOU GONNA DEFINE WHAT, WHAT IS A RELIGION? AND THEN TWO, WHAT AT WHAT LEVEL ARE YOU GONNA QUALIFY THAT IT IS A RELIGION? AND THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF THIS DISCUSSION CAME IN, BECAUSE AGAIN, WHAT YOU DO FOR ONE, YOU MUST DO FOR ALL.
AND UH, THAT, THAT DISCUSSION, AS I SAID, WAS VERY ROBUST.
AND SO AT THE END OF THE EVENING, THE VOTES ON THAT WAS FOUR TO THREE TO EXCLUDE RELIGIOUS BASED EVENTS FROM OUR DAYS OF RECOGNITION PROGRAM AS A RECOMMENDATION TO YOU.
AND WITH THAT, WE'LL OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS.
AND IT WAS A VERY ROBUST, UH, CONVERSATION.
AND THE MEETING WENT A LOT LONGER THAN I THINK, UH, INTENDED.
UM, I THINK PART OF, UM, WHAT THEY WANNA DO, THOSE THREE THAT SAID NO, IT WASN'T NECESSARILY THAT IT WOULD ALWAYS BE A NO.
UM, AND THOSE FOUR THAT SAID, NO, EXCUSE ME, IT WAS REALLY, UH, STRUGGLE WITH EXACTLY WHAT MR. SO STATED.
IT WAS, WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE? HOW DO YOU REGULATE THAT? UM, AGAIN, TO THE POINT YOU'RE GONNA WIND UP, UM, EITHER OPENING A DOOR YOU DON'T WANNA OPEN, BECAUSE ONCE WHAT YOU DO FOR ONE, YOU HAVE TO DO FOR ALL.
UM, AND THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY COULD ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND SO DID NOT FEEL LIKE IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO ANSWER, YES, WE SHOULD DO IT.
UM, WITH RESPECT TO QUESTION ONE, UM, AND, AND THOSE THAT, THAT THOUGHT THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD DO IT, I, I THINK, WANNA CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE.
UM, NARANJAN IS ON THAT, UM, BOARD, AND FORTUNATELY WE HAD TO LEAVE EARLY THAT NIGHT.
AND SO I RECOMMENDED TO THEM IF YOU WANTED TO, IF THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, THAT THAT PERHAPS IT WOULD BE GOOD TO TALK ABOUT WHETHER THERE ARE WAYS TO MAYBE DO THIS WITH THE, THROUGH THE RICHARDSON INTERFAITH ALLIANCE.
UM, MAYBE HAVE HIM COME IN AND AS A, A MEMBER OF THAT, UM, COMMITTEE AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT IN WAYS THAT THEY MAY BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE, UM, THESE RECOGNITIONS.
UM, NOT THROUGH OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT ACTION, BUT POTENTIALLY THROUGH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE RICHARDSON INTERFAITH ALLIANCE.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT FOR THAT REASON, THREE FOLKS SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE ON THIS.
AND I THINK THAT WAS THE SENTIMENT OF THE ENTIRE BOARD, IF THERE'S A WAY TO DO IT, UM, THAT AGAIN, IT WOULDN'T BE OFFICIAL, UM, CITY ACTION.
I THINK THEY'RE OPEN TO CONTINUING THAT, THAT DISCUSSION.
BUT IT WAS, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF ANGST BECAUSE I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, RECOGNITION ALSO BRINGS WITH IT AS, AS MANY SAID, UM, TOLERANCE.
UM, BUT I THINK THE ISSUE AROUND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW YOU, UM, WHERE YOU DRAW THOSE LINES, UM, WAS SORT OF THE, THE ULTIMATE ISSUE FOR THEM.
SO REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION FROM THEM.
AND FOR NOW, THEIR RECOMMENDATION, THEIR MAJORITY RECOMMENDATION IS, IS NOT TO PROCEED, UH, ON AN OFFICIAL CITY BASIS, RECOGNIZING RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS AND CONTINUE TO EXPLORE IF THERE MIGHT BE ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS THE, THE RICHARDSON INTERFAITH ALLIANCE COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN.
I JUST WENT BACK, UM, INTO THE EARLIER PART OF THE PRESENTATION AND ANSWERED IT MYSELF.
THANK YOU MAYOR PROAM HUTCHIN.
UH, GREG, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE, THE CURRENT OFFICIAL MONTHS THAT WE RECOGNIZE? I'M JUST, IT'S JUST SOMETHING CAUGHT MY EYE.
WHY DO WE HAVE SEPTEMBER DASH, OCTOBER FOR HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH? I'M JUST, IT, IT JUST CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHY IT'S TWO ON THERE.
SO IT FALLS ABOUT MID-SEPTEMBER AND GOES TO ABOUT
[01:00:01]
MID OCTOBER.UM, IT'S, YEAH, I, I JUST, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT ANSWER, SO IT JUST, IT CAUGHT MY EYE AND I JUST WANTED TO ASK THAT QUESTION.
UM, SO MY, MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS, IS IF, IF WE TAKE THE STANCE THAT WE'VE PUT IN HERE, THEN WHAT DOES THAT DO IN REGARDS TO, DOES, DOES THAT AFFECT OUR COLLECTIVE ATTENDANCE AS A COUNCIL AT RELIGIOUS BASED EVENTS? WOULD THAT, WOULD, WOULD, WOULD THAT, WOULD THERE BE A FACTOR ON, OR WOULD THAT, NOT A FACTOR, BUT WOULD THAT BE, IS THAT GONNA CAUSE AN ISSUE, I GUESS IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY? UH, UH, OF, OF, IF WE'RE TAKING THE STANCE SAYS WE'RE NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT GONNA RECOGNIZE SOMETHING IF WE, IF WE GO TO IT, ARE WE, IN ESSENCE GOING AGAINST WHAT WOULD BE THIS POLICY? I'M JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION ON THAT.
'CAUSE TO ME, IT SEEMS A LITTLE CONFUSING IF WE'RE SAYING, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO A, UM, UM, NOT, UH, WHAT DO WE CALL IT? NOT A DECLARATION, BUT A, UM, A PROCLAMATION.
BUT THEN WE SHOW UP AT AN EVENT.
IS THAT KIND OF SPEAKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF OUR MOUTH? I'M JUST ASKING FOR A CLARIFICATION.
'CAUSE I, I, I COULD SEE SOMEBODY ASKING US THAT QUESTION.
SO THE, THE KEY PART HERE IS THE GOVERNMENT MAY NOT PROMOTE RELIGION.
YOU CAN ATTEND AS A ELECTED OFFICIAL GOING TO A EVENT AT A CHURCH, AT A HOUSE, YOU KNOW, ANY HOUSE OF WORSHIP.
THE QUESTION COMES INTO OUR STATE RESOURCES, IN THIS CASE, THE CITY OF RICHARDSON, RESOURCES BEING UTILIZED TO EITHER PROMOTE OR ANOTHER WAY, UH, CAUSE PEOPLE TO ASK PEOPLE TO EITHER GO MAYBE WITH YOU TO THAT HOUSE OF WORSHIP OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S WHERE YOUR, YOUR LINE WOULD BE DRAWN.
SO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL OR EVEN AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL ATTENDING, THAT'S, THAT'S A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT STORY THAN TAKING CITY STAFF, FOR INSTANCE, AND THEN SAYING, OKAY, WE WANT YOU TO DO BLANK IN SUPPORT OF, THAT'S A, THAT'S A DIFFERENT CAUSE.
MAYOR PRO, TIM, LET ME, I GREG'S SPOT ON HERE.
LEMME TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER THOUGH.
UM, YOU AND YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AS AN ELECTED SPENDING, YOUR RESOURCES, EVEN, IT'S NOT JUST ATTENDING, IT'S, IT'S, IF YOU WANTED TO SPEND YOUR OWN PERSONAL RESOURCES OR POLITICAL, UH, CAMPAIGN FUNDS, FOR INSTANCE, TO PROMOTE SOMETHING, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY FINE IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY.
UM, AS LONG AS WE'RE NOT USING CITY RESOURCES TO DO THAT, WE STAY VERY CONSISTENT AND ALIGNED WITH, WITH THESE TWO CLAUSES.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFICATION.
COUNCILMAN VARGAS? THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UH, GREG, CAN YOU HELP MAYBE REMIND ME OR CLARIFY ON THESE DATES ON SLIDE 17 WHERE WE'RE RECOGNIZING MONTHS, UM, WHAT DO WE AS A CITY DO ON THOSE MONTHS? AND THE REASON I ASK IS, 'CAUSE I REMEMBER, UM, THREE YEARS AGO, I GUESS IT WAS MY FIRST JUNE, WE, YOU KNOW, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF PRIDE MONTH.
AND UH, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH IT.
I KNOW WE RECOGNIZED IT, I THINK AS PART OF A GROUP THAT WAS AT UT DALLAS.
UM, AM I CORRECT? I I KNOW YOU WERE.
YEAH, THAT WAS UT DALLAS, BUT I THINK THE YEAR AFTER THAT, THAT GROUP KIND OF DISBANDED AND WE DIDN'T HAVE, LIKE, THAT MEANT IT CAME WITH A PROCLAMATION.
WE, I REMEMBER WE WENT AND DID A PROCLAMATION OVER AT UT DALLAS FOR PRIDE MONTH, BUT THEN THE YEAR AFTER THAT, WE DIDN'T DO THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT THAT GROUP KIND OF DISBANDED.
SO ARE THESE TIED TO WE'RE SAYING, LOOK, IF WE RECOGNIZE THESE, WE'RE DOING PROCLAMATIONS.
ARE WE, ARE WE, AND I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN, WHAT IS THIS TIED TO? IS THIS STUFF WHERE YOU'RE SAYING, WE'RE GONNA RECOGNIZE THESE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT NOT THE OTHERS? OR WHAT ARE WE, WHAT ARE WE COMMITTING TO THERE? AND, AND THAT'S WHERE, I'LL GO BACK TO THIS.
DAY, UM, AND, AND S IN JANUARY.
NOW WE HAVE A FEW THINGS THAT COINCIDE WITH THAT.
WE HAVE AN ESSAY CONTEST, FOR INSTANCE.
SO THAT'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS LIST.
BUT WE'LL HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING.
THE LIBRARY WILL HAVE SOME, USUALLY HAVE SOME KIND OF DISPLAY.
WE'LL EITHER HAVE BOOKS ON, UH, AS WELL, UH, AS WELL AS BRINGING IN SPEAKERS FOR PROGRAMS. UM, SO THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
DAY, OR EVEN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH, HOWEVER, ON SOME OTHER MONTH, MONTHS.
UM, UH, AND I'M GONNA JUST GO TO THE END OF LIST INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
THAT MAY JUST BE, UH, ONE OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS.
I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T RECALL SEEING ANYTHING THAT THE LIBRARY SPECIFICALLY HAS DONE.
HOWEVER, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMMING, WELL, THEY HAVE AN ADAPTIVE SERIES OF PROGRAMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT, IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT'S AVAILABLE, THE CITY SERVICES THAT WE HAVE THAT, THAT WOULD GO ALONG AND SUPPORT IT.
BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS AS WELL AS THE PROPOSAL FOR THIS, WITH THE VERY LEAST, BE A SOCIAL MEDIA POST BY THE CITY WHERE WE WOULD SAY AND BRING RECOGNITION AND RAISE AWARENESS TO, UH, THE FACT THAT IN AUGUST, IT'S NATIONAL CIVILITY MONTH TO ENCOURAGE
[01:05:01]
A TIME TO ENCOURAGE A RESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR AND CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES.AND SO THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE THE LEAST OF WHAT YOU WOULD SEE.
AND THEN FROM THERE, IT DEPEND ON DO WE HAVE SOMETHING ELSE TO, SO IT'S FAIR TO SAY THIS SERVES AS A, IT SERVES AS A TOOLBOX TO MAYBE OUR DIRECTORS.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW THE LIBRARY DOES A LOT OF GREAT PROGRAMS THAT THEY TIE IT, AND I'VE SEEN EVERYTHING FROM COOKING TO SPEAKERS TO, YOU KNOW, CRAFTS FOR THE KIDS, TIED TO VARIOUS ONES.
UM, SO I, IT IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THIS SERVES AS KIND OF A GUIDE OR A TOOLBOX TO THOSE DIRECTORS, ALSO TO STAFF IN GENERAL WHERE TO PULL FROM AND KIND OF PROVIDES GUARDRAILS WITHOUT COMMITTING TO ANYTHING SPECIFICALLY.
UH, ONCE A QUARTER, WE HAVE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM FROM ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT COMES TOGETHER.
THEY REVIEW, WE REVIEW A LOT OF THINGS ACTUALLY ON THE LIST.
AND WE GO, WE START TO DIVVY OUT WHAT DEPARTMENTS WOULD BE BEST FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME PET DAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, AND OF COURSE A LOT OF THOSE BECOME VERY OBVIOUS.
AND SO THIS DOES, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE COMMIT IT TO A POLICY, IT, IT SETS AS, AS YOU HAD MENTIONED, THESE GUIDE RAILS.
IT'S, IT'S A RECOGNITION OF OUR, THIS IS WHAT THE CITY IS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING OR TAKING PART IN.
AND IT ALLOWS, SAY FOR INSTANCE, THE LIBRARIES, THEY SEE THAT IF THEY HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY, THEN MAYBE THEY WOULD, THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING.
WOULD, WOULD THIS PROHIBIT, LET'S SAY, AND I'M JUST USING, I'M JUST PULLING STUFF OUTTA THE AIR, SO THIS MAY NOT BE A THING I, BUT LET'S SAY, WOULD THIS PROHIBIT LIKE THE ANIMAL SHELTER FROM SAYING NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY, OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES, BECAUSE IT'S NOT LISTED IN HERE.
UH, SO THE OTHER PART OF THIS POLICY IS THE ANSWER IS NO, IT DOES NOT PROHIBIT.
IT'S NOT AN ALL INCLUSIVE, UH, FOR INSTANCE, THE THINGS YOU DON'T SEE ON HERE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION MONTH, OR PUBLIC SERVICES DAY, OR THINGS THAT WEEK, UH, OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
THIS SETS FOR WE SHALL DO THESE.
AND THIS AGAIN, COINCIDES WITH THE CITY COUNCIL'S OVERALL GOALS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, AND WITH A LOT OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE YEARS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A, A FORMALIZED LIST OF THINGS WE DO THAT DOES NOT PROHIBIT OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS YOU SEE USUALLY FROM DOING, DOING THINGS.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT DOESN'T PROHIBIT, UH, SAY FROM OUR SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN YOU HAVE THE HEALTHIER TEXAS CHALLENGE, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
COMM, THEY'RE COMMUNITY ORIENTED.
AND SO WE'LL POST ON, POST ON THOSE AS WELL.
UM, THIS IS JUST TO SET A BASE MINIMUM, SO TO SPEAK.
I KNOW THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS DO A GREAT JOB AT COMING UP WITH SOME OF THOSE, AND I'M ALWAYS FASCINATED TO SEE WHAT THEY POST AND HOW THEY, HOW SOME OF THE DAYS THEY RECOGNIZE AND HOW IT TIES INTO VARIOUS PARTS OF OUR CITIES.
I DO WANNA MAKE SURE YOU, UM, EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THOUGH, I MEAN, THOSE AREN'T DONE HAPHAZARDLY OR KIND OF IN A VACUUM.
THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR IS COORDINATING THOSE QUARTERLY MEETINGS.
SO THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING IN ADVANCE DEPARTMENTS AREN'T JUST KIND OF RANDOMLY PICKING AND CHOOSING WITHOUT SOME KIND OF COORDINATION THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS.
AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
SO WHEN I TALKED ABOUT OUR QUARTERLY MEETINGS, ALL OF THOSE SPECIAL DAYS AND THINGS, THOSE COME UP AS TOPIC DISCUSSION ITEMS SAYING, HEY, IT'S GOING TO BE THIS.
WE WOULD LIKE TO, AND THEN IT ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY TO KNOW, OKAY, THIS IS GOING ON WITH THEM.
IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME CROSSOVER? AND, AND USUALLY IT'S WITHIN OUR LIKE CORE DISTRICT KIND OF CHANNELS THAT WE DO HAVE CROSSOVER OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT.
UH, BUT YES, UH, CERTAINLY THERE IT IS A FORMALIZED APPROACH, NOT, NOT SOMETHING THAT, UH, RIGHT, THAT COMES OUTTA NOWHERE.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER VAR, JUST TO QUICKLY CLARIFY THE PRIDE MONTH COMMENT TOO, AND I THINK WE DO THIS FOR OTHER THINGS AS WELL, UM, IF I RECALL THAT, UH, THAT PARTICULAR PROCLAMATION WAS IN RECOGNITION OF SORT OF SOMETHING ON CAMPUS THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, BUT WASN'T DIRECTLY ADDRESSING YEAH.
AND SO I THINK SOMETIMES THAT'S IN THE PAST AT LEAST WHEN WE'VE HAD THINGS THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW FOR WHATEVER REASON, FOR WHATEVER REASON, DON'T FIT IN QUITE TO THIS, UM, THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE DONE SORT OF THINGS AROUND THAT.
SO I KNOW YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER SECTION AFTER THIS.
UM, BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THAT OTHER SECTION, UH, RELATED TO THE RELIGIOUS, UH, YEAH.
BASED TOPICS, BASED ON WHAT I'M HEARING, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WAS STILL SOME DISCUSSION GOING ON WITH THE CIEC THAT PERHAPS THERE WAS AT LEAST A PERSON OR TWO MISSING OR NOT ABLE TO BE THERE FOR THE VOTE.
AND I JUST WANT A LITTLE BIT OF CLARIFICATION ON THAT.
YEAH, THERE WERE SEVEN OF THE NINE, UM, THAT WERE THERE THAT NIGHT.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THERE, THAT THE DESIRE WAS NOT NECESSARILY THAT THEY WOULD CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND SUGGEST THAT CITY GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE RECOGNIZING THESE, BUT MORE SO WANTING TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION AROUND HOW,
[01:10:01]
HOW DO WE FIND A WAY TO RECOGNIZE THESE TO BUILD TOLERANCE? AND IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT COMES BACK AND TALKS ABOUT RICHARDSON INTERFAITH ALLIANCE.AND SO I, I THINK THEY'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION.
UH, I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S GONNA CHANGE THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME HERE, BUT IT, I MEAN, IT COULD, AND IF IT DOES, IT'LL DEFINITELY COME BACK TO US.
I THINK WE'VE GOT, AT LEAST IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE CALENDAR PROPERLY, AT LEAST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE KIND OF THE NEXT ROUND OF RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS COME UP, SEPTEMBER WOULD BE A NEXT BIG BIG ONE.
AND I ASSUME THERE'S MEETINGS MONTHLY OR SO EVERY OTHER MONTH IF IT'S OKAY.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S OKAY FOR COUNCIL OR NOT.
MY CONCERN WOULD BE, UH, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE ASK IS OR WHETHER OR NOT THE ASK IS, HEY, DO WE, DO WE ADOPT WHAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDING? MY RECOMMENDATION OR MY HOPE WOULD BE THAT MAYBE WHAT WE COULD DO IS ALLOW THAT TO BE FLESHED OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE SINCE THERE ISN'T SOME IMPENDING MOMENT THAT'S COMING UP.
SO THAT WHAT WE DON'T DO, AND, AND PERHAPS THIS CAN ALSO BE A PART OF THAT DISCUSSION, ONE, WHAT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THERE ARE WHEN YOU DECIDE THAT WE'RE GOING TO NO LONGER, UM, UH, POINT OUT RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS OF, OF DIFFERENT TYPES.
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE JUST, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT STRINGS THERE THAT IT FEELS LIKE MAYBE THERE MAY BE SOME, UH, CONCERN THAT I'D LOVE TO AT LEAST MAKE SURE IS EVALUATED.
AND PERHAPS, UH, IN THAT MEETING THERE WOULD BE ALL NINE IF WE WERE SO LUCKY.
AND, UH, BETWEEN THE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION AND TWO ADDITIONAL PEOPLE, WE COULD GET A LITTLE BIT MORE ROBUST FEEDBACK ON THAT, ON THAT FRONT, IF, IF YOU THINK THAT'S POSSIBLE.
LIKE I SAID, THEY INTEND TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION, SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT VOTING ON ANYTHING TONIGHT.
SO, I MEAN, CERTAINLY IF WE NEEDED TO DELAY THIS PORTION OR, OR WHATEVER, AGAIN, I THINK THE GENERAL TENOR, IT WAS, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THE COMMISSION CAME BACK WITH DIFFERENT ADVICE.
UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY COULDN'T FLUSH OUT WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE.
IF THAT WOULD MAKE THIS BODY MORE COMFORTABLE, WE CAN ASK THEM TO DO THAT.
FOR ME, IT WOULD, UH, AND I, AND I THINK SOME OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING IS, UH, INSTRUCTING MR. MAGNER TO COME BACK TO US WITH STUFF IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO, UH, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, I THINK FOR A LOT OF THESE THINGS, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE, WE GET IT FLESHED OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE HAD A, THAT DEEPER DISCUSSION, UH, FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT CONSEQUENCES, UNINTENDED OR OTHERWISE.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, AINE, YOU HAD A THANK YOU MR. MAYOR STATEMENT.
I MEAN, THIS IS, IT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS VERY DEEPER DISCUSSION AND IT'S, I THINK BEYOND THIS ONE BOARD THAT DISCUSSING THIS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, TWO THING I SEE THAT, NUMBER ONE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SEE THAT NOT SUPPORTING ANY RELIGION, RELIGION, THAT'S ONE THING.
IF YOU SAID THE SAME THING, IF YOU SAY OTHER WAY THAT NOT ENDORSING RELIGION, IT HAS TWO DIFFERENT MEANING.
SO THAT MEANS YOU ARE ANTI-RELIGION ONE THING.
OTHER ONE IS LIKE NOT ENDORSING RELIGION.
YOU ARE JUST, YOU ARE SUPPORTED OF EVERY RELIGION, EVERYTHING.
SO WE ARE CITY IS NOT REALLY LIKE, WE'RE NON-RELIGIOUS CITY.
IT'S A RELIGIOUS CITY NOT SUPPORTING ONE SPECIFIC RELIGION, BUT WE'RE NOT ENDORSING RELIGION WITH THE TAX MONEY, THE CITY'S MONEY.
SO THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE WORDING I SEE THAT, I THINK THE LAWYER CAN SAY THOSE THING AS A NON-LAWYER, I CAN PICK, I CAN SEE SOME OF THE WORD.
AND THE OTHER THING IS LIKE RECOGNITION.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY RECOGNITION? IT COULD BE LIKE ANOTHER HUGE BOOK, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT ITEM.
SO THOSE ALL NEED TO BE, TO CLARIFY THAT, WHAT IS THE RECOGNITION MEANS WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE A DAY? DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE'RE ALLOCATING SOME RESOURCE, SOME OTHER THINGS TO DO THAT, OR IT JUST A RE RECOGNITION? SO THIS IS, THIS IS NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE DISCUSSION EXCLUDING SOMETHING.
DEFINITELY THIS WILL BE LIKE LOTS OF, WE CAN CREATE, CREATE EVEN SOME LAWSUIT BASED ON OUR DECISION.
SO I THINK THIS NEEDS A MUCH MORE BIGGER DISCUSSION, IF NOT JUST THE BOARD, MAYBE ALSO THE COUNCIL, COUNCIL NEED TO DISCUSS.
WELL, LET'S, LET'S START WITH LETTING THE CIC HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO CHEW ON IT.
THEY MAY OR MAY NOT CHANGE ANY THOUGHTS, BUT LET'S AT LEAST GIVE THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND THEN, AND THEN WE CAN, I MEAN, THEY ARE AN ADVISORY GROUP, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO, UH, GO ONE WAY OR THE OTHER BASED ON THEIR DECISION, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER ADVISORY.
AND, AND JUST TO CLARIFY IT, IT'S, THERE IS LANGUAGE, GENERAL LANGUAGE YOU CAN USE FOR A POST.
THAT WASN'T THE QUESTION THAT THE, THE COMMISSION WAS REALLY STUCK ON.
IT'S WHERE DO YOU, WHERE DO YOU DRAW THE LINE? BECAUSE ONCE YOU DO ONE FOR ONE RELIGION, THEN IT'S ALRIGHT, SOMEBODY COMES THROUGH THE DOOR AND SAYS, ALL RIGHT, I'M HERE.
I PRACTICE THIS, MY RELIGION, I EXPECT THE SAME RECOGNITION FROM MY COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND THOSE WERE THE DISCUSSIONS THAT THE CIEC REALLY GOT CAUGHT
[01:15:01]
UP ON WAS DID THEY WANT TO OPEN THAT DOOR? UH, AND IF YOU WERE GOING TO, HOW DOES THAT, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO? YEAH, I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS, THIS IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE OF AN ISSUE, WHETHER IT'S WHO DO WE ALLOW TO PLACE THEIR LITERATURE IN OUR BUILDINGS? WHO DO WE PROVIDE FREE MEETING SPACE TO, OR WHO DO WE RECOGNIZE IT? IT'S, UM, IN THIS DAY AND AGE, THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE AT THAT VERY PODIUM THAT HAVE MADE A MOCKERY OF THIS MEETING, AND IT MADE, QUITE FRANKLY, A MOCKERY OF WHAT YOU DO.AND IT'S HOW MUCH OF AN OPENING DO YOU WANT TO GIVE THOSE PEOPLE IN THIS DAY AND AGE TO DO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
AND SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO THREAD A NEEDLE AND FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN BEING RESPECTFUL OF OUR COMMUNITY AND CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY LIKE WE TRY TO DO SO OFTEN, BUT ALSO NOT CREATING RI UNNECESSARY RISK, UM, FOR, UH, FOR YOU AS A, AS A COUNCIL OR STAFF OR, OR EVEN THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S, UM, BUT ALL, ALL THESE, ALL THESE, IT'S THE SAME THEME.
UM, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ANY OF THOSE THREE TOPICS, AND THERE, THERE ARE OTHERS THAT, UH, WE FIND OURSELVES WRESTLING WITH THE RIGHT BALANCE.
SO I, I'M OPEN TO HEARING SOME ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW WHERE I THINK WE MAY BE HEADING ON THIS FOR NOW, WHICH IS WE'RE GONNA GIVE THE C-I-E-C-A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A MORE ROBUST DISCUSSION A LITTLE BIT LATER.
BUT MR. BARRIOS IS, THERE'S SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON THIS? YEAH, YEAH.
SO TO CLARIFY, IF, IF THIS, IF WE DECIDE THAT CITY SHOULD NOT INCLUDE OR TO INCLUDE MENTION OF EVENTS TIMES OF YEAR BASED ON RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE, ARE THINGS THINGS LIKE POSTS RECOGNIZING CHRISTMAS OR PASSOVER OR RAMADAN? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT? CORRECT.
SO IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO, SORRY, DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OUT.
SO IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO RECOGNIZE THOSE AND ANY REFERENCE TO CHRISTMAS, PASSOVER, RAMADAN, OR ANY OF THE OTHER THOUSANDS OF HIGH HOLY DAYS OF VARIOUS RELIGIONS WILL NOT BE MENTIONED AT ALL.
IF, IF WE START, WHICH AS, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WE CAN COME UP WITH LEGAL LANGUAGE THAT'S NOT AS SUPPORTING, BUT, UH, THE GOVERNMENT MAY NOT PROMOTE RELIGION, THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE, WE CAN DO A POST WITH WORDING THAT DOES NOT, SO WE CAN WISH YOU GO AGAINST THAT.
WHERE THE, THE ISSUE COMES IN IS THE NEXT PART, IT'S GOVERNMENT MAY NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST A RELIGION.
SO THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE, WHICH MEANS THEN THAT, OKAY, I'VE DONE THE RELIGION, THAT'S IMPORTANT, THIS HOUSE OF WORSHIP OVER HERE, OR THIS GROUP AND ANOTHER GROUP COMES IN AND SAYS, OH, THIS IS MY COMMUNITY.
I, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO BE SUPPORTED.
AND, AND THIS HAS BEEN, UH, HELD UP IN CASE LAW UNITED SUPREME COURT, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT HAS RULED ON THIS CONCEPT OF WHAT YOU DO FOR ONE YOU MUST DO FOR ALL.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN'T DISCRIMINATE.
IF SOMEBODY WERE TO COME THROUGH THE DOOR, WE WOULD NEED TO BE PREPARED THAT IF WE ARE DOING SOME, WE HAVE TO DO ALL.
AND IF THEY COME THROUGH AND ASK FOR THEM, THEN WE EITHER LIST RISK LITIGATION, UH, OR WE GO AHEAD AND DO, IS, IS THEY REQUEST THE SAME THAT WE WOULD DO FOR ANYBODY ELSE BECAUSE WE SERVE EVERYBODY EQUALLY.
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION, GREG.
AND, UM, I I, MY 2 CENTS ON THAT IS THAT, UM, IT IS, AS CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, IS A PLACE WHERE IT'S GETTING HARDER AND HARDER.
AND THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, I THINK JUST IN THE, THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, THERE ARE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF HOL HOLIDAY RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS, JUST RECOGNIZING THAT ONE MONTH.
UM, AND SO I, I WOULD CAUTION US AS A BODY OR THE CITY TO START RECOGNIZING AS MUCH AS I PERSONALLY RECOGNIZE MY HOLY DAYS, I THINK THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS WATER TO START TO START TREADING.
YEAH, I, I GUESS I'M NOT REALLY SEEING, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE GONNA HEAR ANYTHING OUTTA THE CICC.
I MEAN, THIS WHAT'S HERE BEFORE US TONIGHT SEEMS VERY, VERY REASONABLE AND KEEPS US IN VERY SAFE WATERS.
IT'S BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, IT IS NOT THAT WE'RE NOT, THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO CREATE ANY KIND OF A, OF A, OF A, OF A RIFF IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
WE'RE JUST SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA DO PROCLAMATIONS FOR EVERY RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY THAT ANYONE WOULD WANT TO COME AND ASK US TO DO.
IF I'M READING THIS CORRECTLY, THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO FOR ANY, ANY RELIGIOUS, FOR ANY, ANY, NOT EVERY, BUT ANY FOR ANY, OKAY.
AND SO I'M, I'M NOT PERSONALLY SEEING WHY WE WOULD NEED TO WAIT.
I SEE THIS AS VERY REASONABLE WHAT, WHAT THE CITY MANAGEMENT STAFF HAS BROUGHT TO US.
AND, AND I, AND I PERSONALLY FULLY SUPPORT IT BECAUSE I THINK YOU GET OFF ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE IF ALL OF A SUDDEN WE HAVE SOME VERY, I GUESS I'M GOING TO SAY
[01:20:01]
NON, UH, I'LL TRY NON-STANDARD RELIGION, SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S WAY OUT THERE THAT COMES HERE AND SAYS, WE WANT A PROCLAMATION RIGHT NOW.IF WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING IS WE'D HAVE TO, WE'D HAVE TO DO ONE BECAUSE WE'VE DONE IT FOR OTHER, OTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
IS THAT A TRUE STATEMENT, DON? SO I, OR RUN OR RUN THE RISK OF HAVING A, A CHALLENGE FOR PICKING AND CHOOSING WHICH RELIGION, WHICH RELIGIONS WE RECOGNIZE AND DON'T RECOGNIZE.
SO I MEAN, I, I DON'T, I, I PERSONALLY DON'T SEE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE REST OF THE COUNCIL'S AT, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH WHAT'S ON HERE.
SO I, I PERSONALLY SAY WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T SEE A REASON TO, TO, TO WAIT.
I'M NOT, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA HEAR ANYTHING OUT OF, OUT OF THE CIEC THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD CHANGE.
I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK WHAT, WHAT COUNCILWOMAN JUSTICE WAS TALKING ABOUT IS THROUGH INTERFAITH ALLIANCE, THERE'S GOING TO BE MM-HMM
A STILL A, A SU, UM, MAYBE I SHOULDN'T TRY THE WORD SUPPORT, BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE COLLABORATION.
COLLABORATION SO THAT THERE'S NOT ANY TYPE OF, OF DISCRIMINATION OR, OR ANY KIND OF, UM, WHAT, WHATEVER WORD I SHOULD USE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF PUSHING DOWN OF ANY, ANY RELIGION.
WE'RE JUST TAKING THE STANCE THAT FROM A GOVERNMENTAL STANDPOINT, THESE, THIS IS JUST OUR CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION POLICY, WHICH IS WE'RE, WE'RE STAYING OUT OF THE RELIGIOUS LANE FROM, FROM A RECOGNITION STANDPOINT.
I THINK THAT AM AM I DID, DID I READ THAT? WHAT, DID I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? YEAH.
I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK THERE WERE, THERE WERE THREE THAT, THAT WEREN'T REALLY SURE.
I MEAN, AND, AND WE PUSHED THEM.
THEY, YOU KNOW, SOME DIDN'T WANNA VOTE AT ALL.
AND WE SAID, LOOK, YOU'RE HERE TO ADVISE THE, THE COUNCIL, RIGHT? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, TELL US, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AND, YOU KNOW, AND THEN I'LL COMMUNICATE TO THE COUNCIL, UM, SORT OF THE ANGST HERE.
AND I THINK REALLY THE DESIRE WAS TO FIND A WAY TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE THAT, THAT, THE THREE THAT VOTED, UM, UH, TO INCLUDE RELIGIOUS BASED EVENTS, UM, REALLY IT WAS A, IT WAS A CONCERN ABOUT TOLERANCE AND FIGURING OUT WAYS THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, BY TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS, WE BUILD TOLERANCE.
UM, AND SO THEY WANTED TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT OR, UM, AND, AND CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT IT.
NOT NECESSARILY MEANING THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA VOTE TO HAVE THE CITY RECOGNIZE THEM, BUT TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT, ABOUT WAYS THAT MAYBE WE COULD, UM, POTENTIALLY, UM, FIND OTHER AVENUES LIKE THE INTERFAITH ALLIANCE.
NOW THEY COULD COME BACK AND SAY, NO, WE WANT IT TO BE THE CITY.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THEY JUST WEREN'T PREPARED TO SAY NO, NOT AT ALL.
THEY JUST WANTED TO CONTINUE TO, UM, SORT OF EXPLORE WAYS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO FIND WAYS TO RECOGNIZE, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS.
IN OF THE, THE TOLERANCE, I, AND I GET THAT COMPLETELY.
I, I PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT THIS IS A VERY GOOD POLICY.
I THINK IT PROTECTS US OVERALL, DOESN'T ALLOW, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO GET UP, GET OFF INTO, INTO SOME VERY, VERY MURKY WATERS VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
AND SO I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A, I MEAN, I'M ACTUALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS AND DON'T, DON'T, DON'T THINK WE NEED TO WAIT BASED, I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO WORDSMITH A FEW THINGS, I'M NOT, I'M CERTAINLY NOT OPPOSED TO THAT.
BUT, SO I SEE A LOT OF LIGHTS ON.
I'M GONNA DEFINITELY CALL ON EACH PERSON.
HERE'S WHAT I'M GONNA SUBMIT TO EVERYBODY.
IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A DEBATE TO ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD ON THIS, THEN I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT WE MAY WANT TO BE SETTLING IN FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER HOUR OR MORE.
'CAUSE I'VE GOT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THOUGHTS, SUGGESTIONS, WHAT IFS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO PRESENT ONE AT A TIME, WHICH I HAVEN'T HAD A LOT OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT.
UH, BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD ON THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS, THINGS LIKE CHRISTMAS PARADES, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WE NEED TO ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT FULLY BEFORE WE MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS.
AND WE DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THE CHRISTMAS PARADE ONE UNLESS WE WANNA START THE DEBATE.
MY ASK IS IF PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH IT, THAT WE ALLOW THE CIEC TO THINK ABOUT IT SOME MORE, WHICH ALSO GIVES US A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT RAMIFICATIONS OF ELIMINATING THE MENTION OR SUPPORT OR WHATEVER POSTS ABOUT RELIGION.
THERE'S NO RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS COMING UP FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, WE SHOULD BE OKAY.
AND FOR SOMETHING LIKE TWO DECADES AT LEAST, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT POSTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS AND HANUKKAH AND, YOU KNOW, DIWALI AND EVERY OTHER RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY THERE IS.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN INTO LEGAL TROUBLE SO FAR.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THESE FOUR MONTHS WILL GET US INTO LEGAL TROUBLE.
UH, BUT THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS.
IF WE CAN HOLD ON IT, IF WE WANT TO DEBATE, AND I'M TOTALLY COOL DEBATING IT AS WELL.
COUNCIL MEMBER DORIAN, THANK YOU.
UM, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, ARE YOU, ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT THE, THE CITY DOES NOT PROVIDE A CHRISTMAS PARADE? I'M ABSOLUTELY NOT SUGGESTING THAT.
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS THAT IF WE ACTUALLY WENT WITH THIS FOUR THREE VOTE, THAT THAT COULD BE A QUESTION WE NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON, BECAUSE THAT SAYS THAT WE WOULD NOT ESSENTIALLY, UH, MENTION EVENTS OR TIMES
[01:25:01]
OF THE YEAR BASED ON RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE.ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE CHRISTMAS PARADE IS NOT A TIME OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE? WHAT I'M SAYING IS I'M SUPPORTING WHAT IS RECOGNIZED HERE.
SO YOU WOULD LIKE TO ELIMINATE THE CHRISTMAS PARADE? NO, I DID NOT SAY THAT.
WELL, THEN THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THIS DOES.
WELL, IT DOES, IT OPENS UP A CAN OF WORMS. AND I, I, I GET IT.
WE CAN SIT HERE ALL NIGHT LONG AND TALK THAT THIS THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING FOR TIME.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC RECOGNIZE AT THIS POINT? AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AS A REALITY.
WE'RE GONNA ELIMINATE A CHRISTMAS PARADE THAT WE'VE HAD WHAT, FOR, WHAT, 50 YEARS
I'M SUGGESTING WE WOULDN'T WANT TO DO THAT.
BUT THE FOUR THREE COULD BE READ AS ELIMINATING RELIGIOUS EVENTS.
RIGHT? SO I WOULD LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IT MORE BEFORE WE AGREE OR DISAGREE ON THIS.
I PERSONALLY AT THIS MOMENT, WOULD DISAGREE WITH THIS.
MEANING I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CHRISTMAS PARADE AND NOT HAVE TO DOUBLE THINK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE SOMEONE MIGHT WANT A WHATEVER ELSE PARADE.
SO NOW THIS OPENS UP, OPENS UP THE FACT THAT NOTHING OPENS.
POTENTIALLY, IF WE DID MOVE THAT DIRECTION, THIS ELIMINATE, OR IF IT GOES THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, THIS WILL ALLOW US TO PUT ALMOST EVERY RELIGIOUS, RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY ON RECORD OR, OR CELEBRATE THAT WITH THE CITY WOULD BE CELEBRATING THAT.
RIGHT NOW, INACTION IS JUST LEAVING THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE TODAY.
WHICH DOES NOT EXPOSE, I MEAN, IT COULD HYPOTHETICALLY EXPOSE THINGS, BUT WE'VE DONE THIS FOR 20 YEARS AND WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY, YOU KNOW, UNUSUAL THINGS COME TO US YET.
I THINK, I THINK THIS, ALL I'M SUGGESTING IS A ONE MONTH THOUGHT PROCESS WHERE THE CIEC COULD ACTUALLY TALK IT OUT AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO US.
BUT IF YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN, I'M HAPPY TO DEBATE IT AND THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND I'LL, I DON'T WANNA, I'LL TAKE TIME TO GO WITH ONE PERSON AT A TIME.
I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANT TO AGREE TO DISAGREE AT THIS POINT.
I'M JUST SAYING THE FACT IS, IS CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S A FOUR TO THREE.
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE THEIR, LET 'EM HAVE THEIR DISCUSSION, THAT'S FINE.
WE'LL SEE WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT COMES OUT OF IT.
UM, I, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO DISCUSS THIS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE, I MEAN, IT'S ON THE AGENDA.
IT FEELS LIKE, MAYOR, YOU'RE WANTING TO KICK THE CAN A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD.
UH, BUT THIS IS ON THE AGENDA.
UH, WE'VE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVE TO THE, AND OUR, UH, OUR STAFFER AND OUR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE, THE CIAC.
SO LET'S, LET'S DEAL WITH IT NOW.
I'LL HAVE A SERIES OF A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT QUESTIONS, UH, BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, BUT, UH, FIRST LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN.
I MEAN, YOU BRING UP A INTERESTING POINT ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS PARADE, AND, YOU KNOW, LIKE I KIND OF MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE PAST, SOMETIMES THE WAY THAT WE'VE, I FEEL LIKE WE'VE TRIED TO ADHERE TO THE SPIRIT OF THIS, UM, EVEN WITHOUT IT BEING WRITTEN, WHERE WHEN THERE'S RELIGIOUS EVENTS THAT, OR MAYBE GROUPS WE WANNA RECOGNIZE, RECOGNIZE AN INSTITUTION IN RICHARDSON FOR ITS CONTRIBUTIONS.
AND HEY, IF THE PROCLAMATION HAPPENS TO FALL AROUND THE SAME DAY AS A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY, THAT'S WHAT IT IS, RIGHT? AND IT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S WORKED SO FAR, BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS DAY AND AGE, MAYBE IT'S NOT TENABLE.
UM, DUE TO SOME OF THE POINTS YOU BROUGHT UP ABOUT EQUITY WITH BIG CITY EVENTS VERSUS A PROCLAMATION, THINGS LIKE THAT ALL HAVE TO SAY, THAT'S A DEBATE THAT I'M DEFINITELY NOT READY TO HAVE TONIGHT.
UM, I, I THINK THAT IF WE'RE REALLY GONNA DEBATE SOMETHING THAT WOULD CHANGE A BIG CITY EVENT AND REALLY TALK ABOUT IT LIKE THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I NEED TIME TO PREPARE FOR.
AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I REALLY CONSIDERED WHEN DOING THIS.
I, IF WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO POSTPONE IT, I'D LIKE TO POSTPONE IT.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I, I ASK YOU THAT THE DEFINITION, WHAT IS RECOGNITION MEANS, AND WHAT IS NOT SUPPORT MEANS.
SO THOSE ARE THE WORD, VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE CHRISTMAS PARTY, DEFINITELY THERE'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THIS CITY AND THE CHRISTMAS PARTY OF ME'S CHRISTMAS PARTY THAT HAPPENED, THIS ROOM.
SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS.
SO THE WAY YOU PUT THE LANGUAGE IN, UH, THAT COULD CHANGE LOTS OF THINGS.
I, I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL HOW WE PUT THOSE LANGUAGE.
IF IT WAS JUST THE PROCLAMATION THING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, I, I GET IT, THEN YEAH, WE CAN SAY, OKAY, THAT'S IT.
BUT THE WAY IT'S BEEN WRITTEN, THERE IS NOT REALLY THE PROCLAMATION.
UH, YOU KNOW, I CARE LESS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT THING.
IT'S LIKE, YEAH, IF YOU WANNA CLOSE THAT THING FOR EVERYONE, THEN IT'S FINE.
UH, BUT, UH, BUT IT'S NOT THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MUCH BROADER THINGS, AND IT'S GONNA GO TO THE, GO TO THE NATIONAL LEVEL.
IF WE JUST SAY, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT IT IS HAPPEN, AND WE ARE DOING THIS THING.
I THINK THIS NEEDS MUCH MORE BIGGER DISCUSSION WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE PUBLIC, AND, UH, AND CAREFULLY DRAFTING
[01:30:01]
THIS, ALL THIS.AND THEN WE, WE OPEN UP BIGGER THING THINGS THAN WE THOUGHT.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS, I THINK WE NEED TO DISCUSS THIS THING ANOTHER DAY.
WITH MUCH DEEPER THINGS, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, IT OCCURS TO ME WITH THE, THE DIRECTION, UM, OF THE DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
THERE ARE OTHER IMPORTANT, UH, PIECES OF INFORMATION THAT STAFF CAN BRING TO YOU, UM, DEFINITION OF SECULAR VERSUS RELIGION AND I WHOLE DISCUSSION.
SO, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE, UM, I'VE BEEN TAKING GOOD NOTES HERE.
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE HOMEWORK TO DO TO BRING INFORMATION BACK TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE THE MOST PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE PREPARED TO DO THAT.
UH, AT THE SAME TIME, MAYOR, UH, THE, MAYBE THE, THE, UH, COMMUNITY INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT COMMISSION, WE'LL CONVENE AGAIN, UH, WE CAN PROVIDE THEM SOME OF THE FEEDBACK AND SOME OF THE KIND OF THE, UH, TENOR OF THE DISCUSSION HERE TONIGHT.
UM, BUT WE'RE PREPARED AS STAFF TO KIND OF, UH, BRING BACK A, A MORE THOROUGH BRIEFING THAT WOULD GET INTO SOME OF THE, UH, KIND OF THE TENTACLES THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING TONIGHT AND THE INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO THOSE SO THAT YOU COULD HAVE A, A, A, A DISCUSSION WITH THE CONTEXT.
AND I THINK IF, IF THAT, IF ALL THESE LITTLE THREADS CAN ALSO BE THINGS THAT ARE THOUGHT ABOUT, AND OBVIOUSLY COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE, YOU'LL BE THERE IN THE ROOM, BUT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM A LIAISON PERSPECTIVE, UH, BUT JUST IF WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE KIND OF GO THROUGH SOME OF THE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES OF WHAT, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST THAT NO LONGER WOULD BE ABLE TO BE DONE, AND AS EVERYBODY KIND OF WHITES UP OUR EYES, IS EVERYONE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? UM, AND YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS, UH, THERE IS A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SUPER CLEAR TO EVERYONE ACROSS THE, THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO WANT TO THINK ABOUT, RIGHT? UH, WILL EVERYONE UNDERSTAND THAT SANTA'S NOT A RELIGIOUS THING, FOR EXAMPLE? RIGHT.
AND, UH, I, I, I TOTALLY RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS, BUT I WOULD, I THINK THESE ARE ALL PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT I'D LOVE TO MAKE SURE THEY'VE HAD.
THEY HAVE, UM, I MEAN, THAT WAS, THERE WAS A MUCH MORE ROBUST PRESENTATION ON THIS.
UM, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE NOT DO IT.
I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THEY DID HAVE ALL THAT INFORMATION WHEN THEY MADE THIS DECISION.
UM, AND WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, I FEEL LIKE THE DISCUSSION WE'VE HAD TONIGHT REALLY MIRRORED A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION THEY HAD THAT NIGHT.
UM, SO THERE'S A, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR EXAMPLES BROUGHT UP AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO YEAH, I MEAN, DEFINITELY, LIKE I SAID, THEY WANNA CONTINUE, KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT, SO, PERFECT.
I THINK THAT, BUT YEAH, THEY'VE, THEY'VE HAD A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN WE HAD AND HAD A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION, LIKE WE DID.
AND, AND FOR OUR FUTURE MEETING OF THIS KIND, IT MIGHT BE GREAT TO KIND OF HAVE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE THAT UNDER THAT CATEGORY WE WOULD EITHER CHANGE OR NOT DO IN THE FUTURE, RIGHT? SO IF WE'VE GIVEN PROCLAMATIONS FOR DIFFERENT MOMENTS OF TIME, UH, THAT WERE RELIGIOUS, LET'S JUST ITEMIZE THAT AS, HEY, HERE'S, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD LIST OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
LET'S ITEMIZE THE THINGS THAT WE WOULDN'T DO AGAIN BECAUSE OF, UH, UH, THIS DECISION.
WHICH, THAT WAY WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE'RE SAYING YES OR NO TO.
'CAUSE IT COULD GET A LITTLE BIT MURKY FOR SOME OF US.
SOME OF US MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, AN ACTUAL IMPACT TO THAT, THE DECISION THAT MAY OR MAY NOT MATTER, BUT AT LEAST WE KNOW WHAT IT'S MAYOR.
CAN I JUST CONFIRM, ARE YOU, IS THE COUNCIL GIVEN DIRECTION TO PROCEED WITH THE, UH, THE EXPANDED LIST OF, UH, JUST DAYS OF RECOGNITION? I THINK OVERALL NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION.
WAS THERE ANY CONCERN WITH THE DAYS OR ANY OF THAT, THAT, THAT LIST IS GOOD WITH THE COUNCIL? YES.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL TRANSITION, UH, NOW TO DAWN.
DID YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD AND GO THROUGH THE CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION POLICY BASED ON THIS DISCUSSION OR HOLD ON THAT? WELL, I MEAN, IF YOU WOULD, OBVIOUSLY JUST KNOWING THAT I THINK NUMBER FIVE IS A JUMP BALL BASED ON THIS CONVERSATION, BUT I THINK THE REMAINDER OF IT STILL MAKES SENSE TO GO THROUGH.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE CEREMONIAL RECOGNITION POLICY.
UM, THIS IS A POLICY, IT'S, IT'S A GUIDELINES THAT WE DEVELOPED IN 2014.
UM, I SAT DOWN WITH THE MAYOR AT THE TIME AND THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
WE DEVELOPED SOME GUIDELINES FOR PROCLAMATIONS AND WE JUST POSTED IT ON THE WEBSITE.
IT DID NOT, IT DID NOT GO TO COUNCIL.
UM, SO BASED ON RECENT DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM COUNSEL, THAT PROMPTED US TO REVIEW THE GUIDELINES AND DEVELOP A POLICY THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY BRING TO YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW AND ADOPTION.
SO THIS POLICY ESTABLISHED A CONSISTENT, TRANSPARENT, UH, PROCESS FOR CEREMONIAL RECOGNITIONS AND INSURERS REQUESTS ALIGN WITH THE CITY'S VALUES, LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, AND A NONPARTISAN ROLE.
AND THEN THE GOAL IS TO BALANCE COMMUNITY RECOGNITION WITH FAIRNESS AND NEUTRALITY.
AND YOU DO HAVE A COPY OF THIS POLICY AT YOUR PLACES.
SO HERE ARE THE PROPOSED GUIDELINES.
UM, ITEMS ONE THROUGH THREE HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE THE GUIDELINES WERE ADOPTED IN 20, IN 2014.
AND ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE ARE THE, UM, ADDED ONES BASED ON LEGAL OPINION AND TO PROVIDE CLARITY THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING HERE ALREADY.
[01:35:01]
ARE REQUIRED TO, TO HAVE APPROVAL BY THE MAYOR AND OR CITY COUNCIL.THE CITY MAY EDIT SUBMISSIONS TO ALIGN WITH OUR MISSION AND MESSAGING STANDARDS, AND THE CITY MAY DECLINE ANY REQUEST WITHOUT EXPLANATION, ALTHOUGH WE DO POINT THEM TO OUR POLICY WHEN WE, UH, WHEN WE DO DECLINE A REQUEST.
A REQUEST SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR CONNECTION TO RICHARDSON, UNLESS IT IS DEEMED THAT THE, THAT THERE'S A BROADER SIGNIFICANCE.
AND THEN THE TWO NEW ONES THAT WE'VE ADDED, UM, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AS A NONPARTISAN ENTITY, THE CITY DOES NOT CONSIDER ANY REQUESTS THAT MAY BE DEEMED IDEOLOGICAL, POLITICAL NATURE OR CONTROVERSIAL.
AND THEN, UH, TO MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY RESPECT FOR DIVERSE BELIEFS AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR COUNCIL'S LEGAL OPINION AND STATE AND FEDERAL LAW, THE CITY DOES NOT CONSIDER ANY REQUESTS THAT SUPPORT ANY RELIGION, RELIGIOUS, OR IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS OR INDIVIDUAL CONVICTIONS.
THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF CEREMONIAL REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, AND THEN WE HAVE ONE NEW ONE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AS WELL.
SO THE FIRST ONE IS PROCLAMATIONS.
AND PROCLAMATIONS ARE FORMAL DECLARATIONS, RECOGNIZING EVENTS, INDIVIDUALS OR ACHIEVEMENTS.
THEY COULD DESIGNATE, DESIGNATE SPECIAL HOLIDAYS OR, I'M SORRY, SPECIAL DAYS, WEEKS, OR MONTHS.
AND DECLARATION RECOGNITION INCLUDES SERVICE-BASED EVENTS SUCH AS PUBLIC SERVICES WEEK, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS SUCH AS HEALTHIER TEXAS INITIATIVE, OR, UM, THINGS WE DO WITH OUR PARTNER AGENCIES SUCH AS NETWORK OF COMMUNITY MINISTRIES.
AND THEN SPECIAL OBSERVANCES DESIGNED TO PROVIDE CULTURAL AWARENESS TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUCH AS CULTURE IN THE CORE.
UM, WE'VE ADDED TO THE POLICY SOME MILESTONE RECOGNITION PARAMETERS THAT WE'D LIKE TO LIMIT THOSE TO, TO, UH, FOR RETIRE RETIREMENTS 30 YEARS OR MORE ANNIVERSARIES, 50 YEARS OR MORE, AND BIRTHDAYS 80 YEARS OR MORE.
AND THEN PROCLAMATIONS ARE NOT ISSUED FOR BUSINESS EVENTS LIKE RIBBON CUTTINGS OR FOR GROUPS, UM, WITHOUT A RICHARDSON CONNECTION.
OUR SECOND TYPE OF RECOGNITION IS CERTIFICATES, AND THOSE WOULD BE USED WHEN A PROCLAMATION IS NOT APPROPRIATE.
UM, SO THAT WOULD BE JUST, UM, AN INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT OR, UM, A CONTRIBUTION BY AN INDIVIDUAL OR AN ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN OUR THIRD TYPE OF RECOGNITION IS A LETTER, AND THIS IS A MORE INFORMAL, UM, TYPE OF RECOGNITION.
THIS IS USED FOR THINGS LIKE WELCOMING AND CON CONGRATULATING EVENTS LIKE CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS.
UM, LETTERS ARE NOT FORMALLY PRESENTED AT COUNCIL MEETINGS, WHEREAS A, A CERTIFICATE OR A PROCLAMATION MAY BE PRESENTED AT A COUNCIL MEETING OR AN EVENT.
IT, UM, WE ASK THAT WHEN, UM, WHEN THEY ARE SUBMITTING A REQUEST FOR RECOGNITION THAT, UH, THEY PROVIDE SAMPLE WARNING IF POSSIBLE, TO HELP STREAMLINE THE PREPARATION.
UM, WE ONLY PROVIDE ONE FORMAL PRESENTATION OF A COPY TO BE ISSUED, AND THEN WE, UM, MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THEM TO PICK UP THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN A, AGAIN, AS I SAID EARLIER, SOME RECOGNITIONS MAY BE PRESENTED BY THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL AT A MEETING OR AN EVENT, AND THAT WOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE MAR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND THE CITY DOES MAKE THAT FINAL DETERMINATION ON THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, THE NEXT COMPONENT OF THE CEREMONIAL REC RECOMMENDATION POLICY IS A NEWLY PROPOSED SECTION FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
AND THAT IS THE KEY TO THE CITY.
A KEY TO THE CITY IS THE HIGHEST SYMBOLIC HONOR THAT THE CITY CAN GIVE.
IT RECOGNIZES EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE OR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OR PUBLIC.
IT IS INTENTIONALLY RARE AND RESERVED FOR TRULY EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, AND IT CANNOT BE AWARDED FOR POLITICAL, IDEOLOGICAL, OR RELIGIOUS REASONS.
THE PROCEDURE FOR AWARDING TO KEY TO THE CITY IS THAT THE NOMINATIONS MUST COME FROM A MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBER.
THE CITY MANAGER WOULD PLACE THIS ITEM ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA FOR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION, AND THE COUNCIL WOULD APPROVE THE AWARD AT A MEETING LIKE TONIGHT.
AND THEN ONCE APPROVED, AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT IS PREPARED AND PRESENTED AT A CIVIC EVENT OR A CEREMONIAL EVENT.
THE LAST TYPE OF RECOGNITION IS AN APPEARANCE OR ADDRESSED BY THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL MEMBER.
THESE REQUESTS ARE COORDINATED THROUGH THE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL, AND ALSO OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT A REQUEST.
WE ASK THAT THE REQUESTER SUBMIT THE FORM, UM, ONLINE THAT'S PROVIDED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE, AND WE ASK THAT THEY GIVE US A MINIMUM OF 15 BUSINESS DAYS NOTICE, UM, AND AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN ALLOW TIME FOR REVIEW AND SCHEDULING.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? COUNCIL MEMBER? MARIO? THANK YOU, MAYOR.
UH, AMY ON SLIDE 22, UM, ON 0.4, UM, CONTROVERSIAL
[01:40:02]
AT THE END THERE.HELP ME, I THINK I AGREE WITH THE SPIRIT OF THIS, BUT I COULD SEE WHERE THIS COULD BE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL NATURE.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S RECOGNIZING ANY POLITICAL PARTY, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A NOCO RIGHT? CONTROVERSIAL.
THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT ARE CONTROVERSIAL FROM, I MEAN, HECK, WE JUST HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CHRISTMAS PARADE IS WHETHER THAT'S CHRISTIAN, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IN ITSELF, UH, CAN BE CONTROVERSIAL THERE, THERE, HOW DO WE DEFINE THAT, I GUESS IS THE QUESTION.
I'M, I'M STRUGGLING WITH THAT WORD IN THIS.
CAN YOU KIND OF SHED SOME LIGHT OR MAYBE GIMME SOME THOUGHTS BEHIND HOW THIS WAS DISCUSSED, OR, UM, I THINK THAT'S BEEN INCLUDED JUST TO ALLOW FOR SOME FLEXIBILITY.
UM, PERHAPS IF THERE IS SOME TOPIC THAT'S, THAT'S IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS BECOME AN ISSUE AND SOMEBODY WANTED A PROCLAMATION OR SOMETHING ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, THEN WE WOULD DEEM THAT AS CONTROVERSIAL.
ONE, ONE EXAMPLE RECENTLY I THINK WAS THE, UH, UH, WHAT'S THE GROUP THAT PERFORMS AT THE EMAN? YEAH.
FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT'S CONTROVERSIAL.
AND SO YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GO AND DO A CEREMONIAL, YOU KNOW, LETTER FOR THAT PARTICULAR EVENT.
RIO, I'M, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE FLIPPANT HERE AT ALL.
BUT NO, YOU, YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT.
AND THAT, AND, AND I'LL REFER YOU BACK TO ONE FOR THAT VERY REASON, BECAUSE THE REQUEST IS SUBJECT TO APPROVED BY THE MAYOR AND, AND OR THE COUNCIL.
SO THAT WORD IS DEFINED BY YOU.
IT COULD HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONTEXT IN, IN, IN DIFFERENT TIMES ON DIFFERENT SUBJECTS.
BUT I THINK AMY'S RIGHT, IT'S, THAT'S TRYING TO BUILD IN THE FLEXIBILITY, UM, BECAUSE IT'S, YOU JUST, THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD PREDICT EVERY, EVERYTHING FAIR, EVERY ADJECTIVE THAT WE WOULD PUT IN HERE TO DESCRIBE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THAT WAS.
THE SPIRIT OF IT IS, YOU'LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT, AND ULTIMATELY IT'S, UH, THIS BODY THAT GETS TO DETERMINE THAT.
SO, SO THAT LEADS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION.
UM, ON ONE IT SAYS APPROVED BY THE MAYOR AND OR THE CITY COUNCIL AND YOU JUST REFERENCED THAT'S THIS BODY THAT MAKES A DETERMINATION ON THAT.
HOW, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW I KNOW PEOPLE SUBMIT IT AND THEN WE GET A CALENDAR REMINDER OR INVITATION SAY, LOOK, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING, DURING THE COUNCIL, WELL ACTUALLY WE ONLY GET INVITES.
IT'S BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING, RIGHT? SO IT COULD PUT IT ON OUR CALENDAR.
HOW IS THIS, IS THIS CHANGING THE WAY THAT'S BEING DONE? IS THIS, 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT REALLY, I MEAN, I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING EVER COMING TO US AND IT BEING ASKED, HEY, DO Y'ALL WANT TO RECOGNIZE THIS? IT'S JUST GETS PUT ON OUR CALENDAR.
SO WHEN WE RECEIVE A PROCLAMATION REQUEST, FIRST OF ALL, OUR OFFICE VETS IT, UH, WE RESEARCH WHATEVER ORGANIZATION IT MIGHT BE AND MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE FIND CONTROVERSIAL ABOUT IT.
UM, WE HAVE HAD SOME REQUESTS LIKE THAT BEFORE THAT WE'VE DECLINED AND THEY COME BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR AND WE DECLINE 'EM EVERY YEAR.
UM, SO ONCE WE VET IT, THEN I TAKE IT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND I ALSO DISCUSS, WE EMAIL THE MAYOR AND ASK IF HE'S OKAY WITH DOING THAT PROCLAMATION.
SO ONE, TWO, AND THREE HAVE NOT CHANGED.
THE REASON IT SAYS, AND OR CITY COUNCIL IS LET'S SAY, UH, MERRILL MARA MADE A DECISION AND THE PERSON REQUESTING IT WANTED TO BRING IT TO ANOTHER COUNCIL PERSON AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS DESERVING OF A PROCLAMATION.
YOU, YOU KNOW, ANY OF YOU COULD BRING THAT TO THE MAYOR AND ASK HIM TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA OR, YOU KNOW, HAVE A HAVE A DISCUSSION TIME SET ASIDE WITH IT.
BUT SO ONE, TWO, AND THREE HAVEN'T CHANGED.
THAT'S BEEN SINCE YOU SAID 2014? 2014, THAT'S BEEN THE WAY WE'VE BEEN MANAGING, UH, HANDLING IT.
SO YEAH, THERE'S NO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADJUSTING ONE, TWO, OR THREE.
UM, I LATER, ONCE WE DISCUSS THE KEY, I MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS THERE FOR NOW.
JUST, UH, ONE ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF CLARIFICATION BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT I'VE EVER LIKE SAID IT OUT LOUD, BUT SINCE WE HAVE THE TOPIC UP THERE, PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE, UM, SCENARIO WHERE WE'VE HAD A PROCLAMATION, IF I HAD A THOUGHT THAT I MIGHT LIKE TO DO IT, I'VE ALSO RUN IT BY THE CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM AND, AND THE CITY SECRETARY TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M NOT MISSING SOME REASON WHY THIS WOULD BE A BAD IDEA, UH, TO RECOGNIZE.
SO I, I, I DON'T MYSELF MAKE ANY KIND OF DECISIONS IN A PURE VACUUM.
I AT LEAST KIND OF CONSULT WITH THEM TO SEE IS THERE ANY HISTORIC PRECEDENCE OF US, YOU KNOW, IF WE'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO DO IT, THAT TYPE OF THING.
SO THAT DOES HAPPEN, EVEN THOUGH HYPOTHETICALLY I COULD MAKE THE DECISION, I I WILL BRING IT TO THEM TO VET IT AS WELL.
UH, YOU HAD A FOLLOW UP ON THAT COUNCIL MEMBER? YES.
AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A QUESTION TO YOU OR TO DON OR OR AMY, UM,
[01:45:01]
BUT WHAT HAS, I KNOW WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT MORE OF THESE RECOGNITIONS, UH, IN THE PAST YEAR SINCE YOU CAME ON AS A MAYOR.UM, SOME OF THEM ARE BEFORE THE MEETING, SOME ARE DURING THE MEETING.
HOW ARE WE DEFINING WHAT'S HAPPENING BEFORE, WHAT'S HAPPENING DURING, BECAUSE THE QUANTITY WE'RE HAVING IS, IS, UM, SOMETIMES BEFORE, SOMETIMES IT'S DURING.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF CLARIFY WHAT, WHAT DICTATES ONE BEING DONE AT FIVE 30 VERSUS FIVE VERSUS DURING THE ACTUAL MEETING.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO DISCUSS THAT, BUT WE ARE KIND OF DISCUSSING THIS.
SO, SO SEVERAL FACTORS GO INTO THAT.
UM, UH, THE ONE IS A LOT OF TIMES THE AVAILABILITY OF THE RECIPIENT.
UM, TWO WOULD BE THE COMPOSITION OR THE CHEMISTRY OF THAT MEETING.
UM, A LOT OF TIMES IF WE KNOW WE HAVE A LARGE AGENDA ALREADY AND THE RECIPIENT IS AGREEABLE JUST TO BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH YOUR TIME, WE TRY TO KIND OF DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU GUYS KIND OF PRESENT IT RIGHT BEFORE DINNER OR, YOU KNOW, DURING, DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WHILE I DON'T THINK, I THINK ALL, ALL THE PROCLAMATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED HAVE BEEN VERY, UH, VERY WARRANTED.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME, UH, WITH LIKE CITY STAFF FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE, THIS YEAR WE'RE TRYING TO DO MORE OF THE RECOGNITIONS FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PUBLIC SERVICES WEEK OR ANIMAL SERVICES WEEK, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS BEFORE THE, THE EVENT.
JUST NOT TO TAKE UP VALUABLE MEETING TIME.
AND SO, UH, COUNCILMAN, IT'S A, IT'S A VARIETY OF FACTORS, UH, GENERALLY TO THE MAYOR'S POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY AMY, MYSELF AND, AND MERRIL MAR LOOKING AT THE CHEMISTRY OF THAT MEETING AND SAYING WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE.
ALWAYS REALLY TRYING TO MAKE THE MEETINGS AS, YOU KNOW, EFFICIENT AS WE CAN.
UM, AND, UM, BUT UH, ALSO BE MINDFUL OF THE RECIPIENT'S AVAILABILITY.
IN THAT REGARD, I, I'D LIKE THE COUNSELOR AT LEAST TO SUGGEST MAYBE HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE COUNCIL AROUND TIMING IS, I KNOW A FEW WEEKS AGO WE DID A PROCLAMATION BEFOREHAND.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE IF I WERE RECEIVING A PROCLAMATION OF AT FOUR, AT FIVE 30, WHICH MOST OF US TIME WE'RE HAVING DINNER AT FIVE 30 VERSUS 6:00 PM IT SEEMS LIKE IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL DURING A LIVE MEETING, WHEN THERE'S AN AUDIENCE, WHEN WE'RE ON CAMERA, THAT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT MORE SIGNIFICANCE BECAUSE OF THE POMP AND BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION OF BEING LIVE ON A CAMERA, UM, VERSUS BEFOREHAND.
SO IF I'M AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S SCHEDULED FIVE 30 VERSUS SIX, I MAY FEEL LIKE, WELL, WHY DIDN'T I GET RECOGNIZED AT SIX? LIKE THE OTHER ONES? I KNOW A FEW WEEKS AGO WE HAD A GENTLEMAN WHO, UM, THEY A GROUP, I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER THE GROUP, BUT THEY RECEIVED ONE AHEAD OF TIME AND THE GENTLEMAN CAME AND READ THE PROCLAMATION DURING, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS NEAT ON HIS BEHALF, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S LIKE, I QUESTIONED DID HE FEEL THAT THEY DIDN'T RECEIVE THE RECOGNITION THEY SHOULD HAVE BY HAVING IT GIVEN TO HIM AT SIX O'CLOCK? AND I WALKED AWAY FROM THAT MEETING WONDERING, AND I DON'T KNOW THE GENTLEMAN, I DON'T KNOW THE GROUP, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT I LEFT WITH THAT WHEN HE READ IT AT THE SIX O'CLOCK, UH, DURING COMMENT SECTION.
SO I THINK THAT, AND I'M OPEN TO THAT DISCUSSION, BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD ALL, WE SHOULD SAY, LOOK, THEY'RE ALL GONNA HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN FIVE AND SIX, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE WE'RE GONNA DO X AMOUNT A DAY SO THAT WE DO HAVE THAT TIME FOR DINNER.
AND IT'S NOT JUST WE'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, A BUNCH, UM, IF IT WERE TO GET TO THAT CASE, BUT TO HAVE SOME BEFORE AND SOME DURING, I THINK KIND OF, UM, DEVALUES SOME OR MAYBE GIVES, MAKES IT THE APPEARANCE THAT SOME THINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS.
SO I, I, YEAH, THAT'S THE, WE WE DO DOZENS AND DOZENS OF PROCLAMATIONS THAT DON'T HAPPEN EVEN RIGHT BEFORE THE COUNCIL MEETING.
SOMETIMES THEY HAPPEN ON TOTALLY DIFFERENT DAYS, AND I DON'T, I WOULD HATE TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD THINK THEY WERE DEVALUED AS WELL.
I, I'VE YET TO GET I TO, YOU SAY I'VE DONE A LOT OF PROCLAMATIONS.
I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS YEAR OVER YEAR, BUT LET'S JUST SAY THAT I HAVE, I'VE GOTTEN ZERO COMPLAINTS FROM ANYONE WHO WONDERED WHY.
I, NO, NO, I KNOW, BUT I'M JUST SAYING, UH, UH, NO ONE HAS COMPLAINED THUS FAR DESPITE THE, UH, EXCESSIVE OR A HIGHER NUMBER OF PROCLAMATIONS THAN BEFORE COUNCIL MEMBER CORCORAN.
I THINK JUST IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT COMMENT, COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS AND MAYBE FUTURE COMMENTS AS WELL AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, MAYOR, I'M TOTALLY FINE.
JUST LIKE THE TWO PRIOR MAYORS I'VE SERVED WITH BEFORE YOU, WITH YOU HANDLING AND SCHEDULING IT AND DOING ALL THE WORK.
AND I'LL JUST SHOW UP FOR THE PICTURES.
AND, AND, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT ANYONE EVER FEELS ON THE COUNCIL THAT THERE'S SOMEONE IMPORTANT THAT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED, I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER REJECTED ANY OF THOSE.
AND, AND DEFINITELY IT'S, IT'S WELL WITHIN YOUR MEANS TO DO THAT AS WELL.
AND I'M, I'D BE VERY HAPPY TO SUPPORT ANY AND ALL OF THAT.
SO, UH, MAYOR PRO, TIM HUTCHIN, WRITER.
MAYOR, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY ONE THING.
I WAS SPECIFICALLY IN THE LAST DISCUSSION, I WAS SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THIS, THIS POLICY THAT I FELT LIKE THIS WAS VERY WELL WORDED.
AND SO THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN, WHEN I SAID, NO PROBLEM, WHY WOULDN'T WE, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD ON THIS? AMY, I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO, IT WAS
[01:50:01]
ABOUT, UM, I THINK IT WAS THE SECOND OR THIRD SLIDE RIGHT THERE.UM, INSTEAD OF SAYING ON RETIREMENT ANNIVERSARY AND BIRTH YEAR, RECOGNITIONS WILL ONLY BE CONSIDERED FOR THE FOLLOWING MILESTONES.
COULD WE PUT THAT THIS WOULD BE A GUIDE? I, I'M JUST THINKING OUT LOUD.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF, AND JUST BECAUSE WE HAD THE FIRE PRESENTATION, IF, IF CHIEF POY RETIRED AS CHIEF AFTER 20 YEARS, A PROCLAMATION MIGHT BE VERY WARRANTED.
BUT IF WE HAMSTRING OURSELVES WITH SAYING IT'S ONLY GONNA BE FOR 30 YEARS OF SERVER OR MORE, I WOULD STRUGGLE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOCKING DOWN INTO THAT, THAT TYPE, WE COULD USE THAT AS A GUIDELINE SO THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WHO RETIRES AFTER FIVE YEARS AND WANTS A PROCLAMATION THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO'S, WHO'S SIGNIFICANT IN THE CITY, IE FIRE CHIEF, MAYBE THE POLICE CHIEF, MAYBE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A CITY MANAGER WHO SERVES AS A CITY MANAGER FOR 20 YEARS RETIRES, AND WE WANT IT TO DO A PROCLAMATION.
COULD WE, INSTEAD OF SAYING WELL ONLY BE CONSIDERED, COULD WE, COULD WE SOFTEN THAT LANGUAGE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS AS A GUIDELINE, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE JUST 'CAUSE SOMEBODY TURNS 60, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO DO A PROCLAMATION FOR 80, 80 YEARS OR MORE.
ANNIVERSARY 50 YEARS OR MORE, PROBABLY PRETTY REASONABLE.
BUT RETIREMENT'S WHERE I KIND OF FEEL LIKE WE OUGHT HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE JUST BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL IMPORTANCE OF A PERSON THAT WE MIGHT WANNA DO THAT FOR.
WE, WE CAN, WE CAN SOFTEN THAT LANGUAGE A A LITTLE, AND AS I WAS READING IT, I WAS THINKING, UM, WE NEED TO HAVE AN EXCLUSION FOR CITY EMPLOYEES BECAUSE WE DO RETIREMENT PRO PROCLAMATIONS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES FOR VARIOUS NUMBERS OF YEARS.
SO IF WE CAN, IF WE JUST SOFTEN THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE MY, MY ASK ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE, THE ONLY, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS, I KNOW WE TALKED A WHILE BACK ABOUT NAMING ENTITIES FOR, FOR AS A PART OF RECOGNITION AS WELL.
SHOULD WE CODIFY THAT AS A PART OF THIS? OR THAT'S A, AN UPCOMING BRIEFING FOR YOU.
'CAUSE THIS KIND OF SEEMED TO BE THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
SO I, I GUESS, I GUESS THE ONLY, ONLY THING THAT I WOULD ASK IS, I MEAN, THE KEY TO WHERE IS IT KEY TO THE CITY? UM, THAT MAKES SENSE.
BUT I GUESS I'M NOT SURE I'M GONNA UNDERSTAND.
I MEAN, I, TONIGHT I WOULD ASK THE QUESTION, WELL, HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHEN WE DO A KEY TO THE CITY VERSUS, YOU KNOW, NAMING SOMETHING AFTER SOMEONE.
'CAUSE I WOULD SEE NAMING SOMETHING, HAVING A LOT OF THE SAME VERBIAGE THAT'S IN THIS KEY TO THE CITY, IN THAT, IN THAT AS WELL.
SO I'M, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND THAT.
THAT'D BE MY, MY ONLY QUESTION AS FAR AS I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA.
I DON'T SEE ANY PROBLEM WITH IT.
I JUST AM NOT SURE WE NEED TO ACTIVATE ONE VERSUS THE OTHER, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
I THINK THAT THE CRITERIA, EVEN THE FIRST FEW STEPS, UH, IN THE, IN THE NAMING, UM, WILL, WILL BE SIMILAR.
UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, REALLY THE KIND OF, UH, NUANCE HERE IS WE'RE STILL TRYING TO WORK THROUGH SOME LOGISTICS WITH, UH, HOW DO YOU MAYBE NAME SOMETHING THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY OUR ASSET, UM, AND HOW DO WE WORK WITH PARTNER AGENCIES? YEAH, NO, I UNDERSTAND.
SO, SO THAT'S JUST, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY WE DIDN'T BRING IT FORWARD.
WE WANTED TO BRING KIND OF BOTH PIECES, UH, FORWARD AT THE SAME TIME.
TO THE NAMING QUE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF IT'S OUR ASSET, IF IT'S AN ASSET WITHIN OUR CITY, BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT OUR ASSET, HOW COULD WE APPROACH A NAMING, UH, DISCUSSION? GOTCHA.
UM, SO I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE IS, IS ARE WE HOLDING ON THIS POLICY BECAUSE NO, NO, NO.
I MEAN, UNLESS THERE IS, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I WAS SPECIFICALLY YEAH.
UNLESS THERE IS ANY CONTROVERSY AROUND THIS POLICY, WE WOULD BE, UH, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT.
UM, I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS MENTIONED POSSIBLY HAVING SOME MORE QUESTIONS ON THE KEY TO THE CITY PART.
UH, DID I, DID WE ALREADY GET, WE WENT THROUGH THIS PAGE ALREADY ONCE, RIGHT? YES.
UH, DID, DID YOU HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON THAT? I WANNA MAKE SURE THIS IS, YEAH, THERE IS A LIKELIHOOD THAT WE WILL BE MOVING RELATIVELY QUICKLY ON BRINGING SOME POSSIBLE, UH, RECIPIENTS OF THIS TO THE COUNCIL SOON-ISH.
AND SO, UH, DEFINITELY IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS, IT'D BE A GREAT TIME TO DO IT.
YEAH, I THINK THAT THIS IS WORTH, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THE IDEA OF KEY TO THE CITY, BUT IT, IT, IT OPENS UP A PEN TO OUR BOX OF QUESTIONS LIKE COST, AND ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A PHYSICAL KEY VERSUS A GIANT PAPER KEY, OR, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S WHAT'S THE ACTUAL PROCESS? HOW ARE WE GONNA, THERE, THERE'S SO MANY QUESTIONS THERE.
I FEEL LIKE THIS WARRANTS FURTHER THE DISCUSSION.
UM, TO BE HONEST, THIS OPENS A LOT MORE QUESTIONS THAN THE THING WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT EARLIER.
[01:55:01]
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I, I FEEL LIKE IT'S, WE HAVE CERTIFICATES AND LETTERS AND ALL THESE, AND WE'RE JUST ADDING ONE MORE THING.SO I THINK IT'S MAYBE GOES, MAYBE I'M NOT SEEING THE DIFFERENTIAL THERE ON WHAT'S GONNA WARRANT A KEY TO THE CITY AND HOW WE'RE GONNA PROTECT THAT FROM BEING A, WHAT'S THE NEWEST, BRIGHTEST, SHINIEST THING OUR CITY IS OFFERING, THEREFORE, WE'RE GONNA HAND IT OUT LIKE CRAZY.
AND I DON'T KNOW, I'M JUST, I'M JUST KIND OF STRUGGLING, NOT AGAINST IT, JUST STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND THE GUARDRAILS IN WHICH WE'RE GONNA IMPLEMENT THIS AND THE COST.
UH, DON CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE COST? THAT'S PROBABLY YOUR EASIEST QUESTION, OR, SURE.
WELL, I, I HOPE, YOU KNOW, UH, UNLESS I THINK I'VE, THIS WOULD BE THE GUARDRAILS.
I MEAN, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S NOT TRYING TO BE SO PRESCRIPTIVE THAT, UM, YOU ONLY, YOU KNOW, ARE ELIGIBLE UNDER, YOU KNOW, CIRCUMSTANCES OR, YOU KNOW, CRITERIA A, B, AND C.
I THINK THE IDEA WOULD BE THAT, UH, MUCH LIKE THE NAMING AMERIPRO TERM IS THAT ANY COUNCIL PERSON COULD RECOMMEND A KEY, SOMEONE RECEIVE A KEY TO THE CITY.
I WOULD PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA.
AND THEN THAT THE COUNCIL COULD DELIBERATE AND DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS OF THAT PERSON RECEIVING, UM, YOU KNOW, DI NOT NOT WANTING TO BE PRESUMPTUOUS.
WE DIDN'T WANNA GET INTO A WHOLE CONVERSATION.
I'M, IF YOU, IF YOU LIKE THE PROGRAM, UH, VERY QUICKLY CAN BRING BACK, UH, SEVERAL OPTIONS FOR THE KEY TO YOUR POINT.
I DIDN'T HAVE A PAPER ONE, BUT, UM,
BUT, UM, SEVERAL OPTIONS, UH, FOR WHAT THE KEY TO THE CITY COULD LOOK LIKE AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, UH, APPROXIMATE COST PER, YOU KNOW, PER, UM, AWARDEE OR, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT IT.
SO, BUT WE WERE REALLY TONIGHT TRYING TO GET, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS NECESSARILY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE MEMORIALIZED IN THE, UH, COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE.
WE WERE REALLY TRYING TO, AGAIN, KIND OF BACK TO MY INITIAL COMMENTS WHEN I STARTED THIS BRIEFING, IS REALLY LOOKING FOR THE FRAMEWORK, UM, AND PUTTING INTO PLACE, UH, CONSISTENT WAY THAT REGARDLESS OF, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY SEVEN OF YOU COULD SAY, I THINK THIS PERSON IS, IS, UH, YOU KNOW, IS WORTHY OF A KEY TO THE CITY.
AND WE COULD FOLLOW THAT PROCESS AND GET IT ON THE AGENDA TO DISCUSS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE.
YEAH, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS.
I MEAN, I THINK IT IS A DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN A PROCLAMATION.
I MEAN, A PROCLAMATION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE TURNED 80 YEARS OLD, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY AN ACCOMPLISHMENT AND SHOULD BE CELEBRATED, BUT THAT'S NOT A KEY TO THE CITY MOMENT, RIGHT? RIGHT.
THAT'S SOMEONE WHO SERVED OUR CITY FOR, YOU KNOW, AS A FORMER MAYOR OR YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO SERVED ON A REGIONAL BOARD FOR US, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING REALLY BIG WHERE THERE'S BEEN, UH, SOME SORT OF SIGNIFICANT SERVICE TO THE CITY APART FROM, YOU KNOW, AN ANNIVERSARY OR, YOU KNOW, YOUR ORGANIZATION IS CELEBRATING SOME GREAT MILESTONE.
AND IT'S, THIS ISN'T A, A NEW CONCEPT.
MANY CITIES, UH, IN NORTH TEXAS HAVE THIS.
UM, SO I'M, I'M, I THINK IT'S OKAY.
AND I THINK THAT THE GUARDRAILS THAT ARE LISTED HERE ARE GOOD.
ANY ONE OF US CAN NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THIS.
WE HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD BE AWARDED THE KEY TO THE CITY BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A HIGH SYMBOLIC, UM, HONOR THAT, YOU KNOW, IT DOES WARRANT, UM, HAVING A DISCUSSION, MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT SORT OF HANDING THEM OUT LIKE WE DO PROCLAMATIONS.
SO I I, I'M FULLY COMFORTABLE WITH THIS AND I THINK THE GUIDELINES THAT ARE HERE ARE, ARE APPROPRIATE.
HEY, MR. ROME, I THINK THE GUIDELINES ARE APPROPRIATE JUST TO MAYBE, AND, AND I ALSO KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS MORE LATER ONCE WE SAY, HEY, WE ALL KIND OF AGREE WITH THE FRAMEWORK.
MAYBE JUST SO I CAN THINK ABOUT THIS IN THE INTERMEDIARY, ARE, ARE YOU THINKING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE ONE WE ATTENDED IN PLANO FOR MAYOR LAIER? IS THAT MORE OR LESS NOT, NOT SO MUCH NECESSARILY THE EVENT, ALTHOUGH THAT'S A POSSIBILITY, BUT THAT DOES GET TO A, A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF EXPENSE.
BUT, BUT, BUT THE, UH, SO THERE'S A CEREMONY FOR THE KEY TO THE CITY IS NOT, IS NOT SOMETHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
AND, AND I THINK, UH, WHEN WE'VE HAD THE CONVERSATION LEADING UP TO THIS, WE'VE BEEN TALKING MORE ABOUT, UH, POSSIBLY GIVING OUT WHEN A KEY TO THE CITY IS GIVEN OUT, PERHAPS WE DO IT IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY GOING ON, WHERE THERE ALREADY BE AN AUDIENCE WHERE YOU'RE ALREADY SPENDING SOME MONEY, UH, A 4TH OF JULY, UH, UH, EVENT WHERE THAT MAY, YOU MAY WANNA, SO YOU'RE NOT SPENDING EXTRA MONEY THERE.
AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE POTENTIAL KEYS TO THE CITY WILL BE IN THE FOUR FIGURES.
THEY'LL PROBABLY BE IN THE THREE FIGURE, UH, TYPE RANGE TO ANSWER COUNCIL MEMBER BARRIOS, UH, QUESTION.
YOU'RE PROBABLY TALKING IN THE ORDER OF A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS OR SO.
MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT, BUT DEFINITELY NOT A THOUSAND, FOR EXAMPLE, I DON'T THINK.
YEAH, I AGREE WITH THIS FRAMEWORK THAT'S WRITTEN THERE.
UH, AND I, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, CITY HAS GIVEN OUT KEY TO INDIVIDUAL IN THE PAST.
[02:00:01]
TWO, PERHAPS THREE OCCASIONS, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS, UH, IT LACKED THIS FRAMEWORK AND IT LACKED, UM, IT LACKED CONSISTENCY.I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT THE QUITE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT THE KEY WAS THE SAME KEY TO BE HONEST,
AND SO, UM, THIS WILL, THIS WILL BE HUGELY HELPFUL I THINK, NOT ONLY FOR COUNCIL, BUT FOR STAFF AND EVEN THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS WORTHY AND HOW YOU GO ABOUT, 'CAUSE A A, YOU KNOW, A RESIDENT COULD COME TO YOU AND SUGGEST THAT SOMEBODY RECEIVING KEY TO THE CITY AND ASK YOU TO MOVE THAT, BRING THAT FORWARD FORWARD.
UH, BUT OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THESE KIND OF THINGS NORMALLY GIVEN OUT WITH ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENT THAT CITY HAS EVERY YEAR.
SO THE, OR SOME, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERY YEAR GIVEN OUT.
WHENEVER IT'S GIVEN OUT, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WHEN THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT OTHER EVENTS, SO YOU DON'T CREATE ANOTHER BUDGET FOR THAT.
ESPECIALLY IN THE CURRENT, UH, BUDGET SCENARIOS.
WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY BUDGET FRIENDLY WITH THIS AND NOT CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE A MASSIVE ADDITIONAL EXPENSE.
EVEN NOT JUST CURRENT, EVEN IN THE FUTURE, WE CAN ALWAYS USE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE EVEN CALLS FOR, I'M, I'M GONNA LET FUTURE COUNCILS DECIDE WHAT THEY YEAH.
HOW THEY WANNA CELEBRATE PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE.
BUT FOR NOW, ALL THE DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN AROUND BEING VERY FRUGAL.
SO THE ONLY GIVEN THE CONVERSATION, I'M FINE MOVING FORWARD THAT, UM, THE ONLY QUESTION I'D LIKE TO GET CLARIFIED IS WHEN SOMEBODY REQUESTS, LET'S SAY I, THERE'S, UH, I DON'T KNOW, WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO SERVED FOR MANY YEARS IN A CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND I WANT TO PUT INTO RECOGNIZE THEM FOR KEY TO THE CITY FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, IS THERE A SPECIFIC, DO I JUST EMAIL YOU AND SAY, DON, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT THIS KEY TO THE CITY, THEN IT GETS PUT ON THE AGENDA.
'CAUSE CURRENTLY THE MAYOR CAN PLACE THINGS ON AGENDA, OR THREE OF US MUST COME TOGETHER TO GET SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA.
SO IS THIS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT ONLY ONE COUNCIL MEMBER CAN SUGGEST IT, THEN IT GOES ON THE AGENDA? OR HOW, WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR THIS? THAT WAS THE FRAMEWORK THAT I'M PRESENTING, BUT IT'S REALLY, IT'S UP TO THE COUNCIL.
I WOULD, I WOULD SUPPORT THAT.
COUNCILMAN THINK WHICH WAY? I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING.
HE, HE'S SAYING THAT HE WANTS IT WITH ONE COUNCIL MEMBER MAKING.
I I KNOW WHAT IT'S, I THINK THAT'S FAIR, HONESTLY.
I WANT TO, UH, I JUST WANT TO, UH, JUMP BACK ON THE, UH, KIA CITY.
I, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING VERY SIGNIFICANT AND, AND SHOULD BE PROBABLY MAYBE LIKE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF A PRESTIGIOUS AWARD.
AND I JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST TO A POINT WHERE WE'RE NOW ADDING ANOTHER LAYER OF PROCLAMATIONS AND WE'RE GONNA GET TOO MANY THINGS GOING ON.
I JUST WANNA, I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT IS THERE, IS THERE A LIMIT TO HOW MANY KEYS TO THE CITY WE'RE GONNA DO ANNUALLY? OR, I MEAN, IS IT, OR IS IT JUST OPEN TO WE CAN JUST GIVE AS MANY AWAY AS WE WANT.
I THINK IT'LL BE A VOTE OF THE COUNCIL.
AND IF WE DECIDE THAT SOMEHOW WE WANT TO GIVE OUT A THOUSAND KEYS TO THE CITY, I SUPPOSE THIS COUNCIL COULD CHOOSE THAT, OR THEY COULD CHOOSE NOT TO GIVE ANY KEYS TO THE CITY.
IT'S JUST, IT'S GONNA COME DOWN TO US AS A GROUP TO MAKE THE DIFFICULT CHOICE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T GET A, A KEY TO THE CITY, PROBABLY BASED ON THESE FOUR BULLET POINTS.
I'M JUST, MY, I'M JUST SAYING OUT LOUD SO EVERYBODY CAN HEAR IT JUST, I JUST DON'T WANNA GET IT.
I HATE TO SEE IT TURN INTO SOMETHING LIKE, OH, LET'S GIVE A KEY TO THE CITY AWAY AND, AND MAKE IT NOT SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH.
I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, TO A CERTAIN LIMITED AMOUNT AS WE GIVE THE KEYS AWAY.
I MEAN, AGAIN, WE'LL SEE WHERE IT GOES AND HOW, WHAT DIRECTION IT GOES, BUT JUST STATING THAT OUT LOUD.
'CAUSE I MEAN, WE ARE DOING A LOT OF PROCLAMATIONS RIGHT NOW, AND I FEEL LIKE THIS SHOULD JUST BE A, A LITTLE HIGHER HONORED, UH, PIECE.
OF COURSE IT WILL BE BOTH ELEVATED AND ENGINEERED AND ELEVATED AND ENGINEER IS ALL ABOUT.
DO WE HAVE ANOTHER ITEM OR WE DO.
OH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE MOVE ON, SO, UH, ON ALL OF THOSE, ARE WE OKAY WITH PROCEEDING WITH, UH, YEAH.
NEXT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE COUNCIL, UH, CITY COUNCIL APPOINTMENT PROCESS.
UM, SO THIS, UH, YOU HAVE THE DRAFT OF POLICY IN FRONT OF YOU AGAIN AND, UM, THE DRAFT APPLICATION AT YOUR PLACES.
AND, UM, THIS POLICY WAS DRAFTED BASED ON SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS THAT COUNCILS HAD AT MEETINGS AND, UM, THE, THAT YOU ALL AGREED ON TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUTLINING A TRANSPARENT AND STRUCTURED PROCESS FOR FILLING A SINGLE CA COUNCIL OF VAC VACANCY.
SO THE APPLICATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE APPLICATION, UM, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A DRAFT APPLICATION AS A STARTING POINT, AND THE APPLICATION WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON THE CURRENT BOARD AND COMMISSION APPLICATION, AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES APPLICATION
[02:05:01]
THAT IS PROVIDED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE.SO ONCE THIS POLICY IS TRIGGERED BY A VACANCY, THEN COUNCIL WILL APPROVE THE APPLICATION IN AN OPEN MEETING THAT IS PART OF THE STEPS OF THE, OF FILLING THE VACANCY.
THE APPLICATION MAY INCLUDE, I'M SORRY, UH, THE APPLICATION MAY INCLUDE, UH, BACKGROUND RELATED QUESTIONS THAT ARE RELATED TO FINANCES AND CRIMINAL HISTORY.
AND THE APPLICATION DOES REQUIRE AN AFFIDAVIT OR AN UNSWORN DECLARATION.
APPLICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE BOTH ONLINE AND IN PERSON, AND THERE WILL BE A CLEARLY DEFINED APPLICATION PERIOD THAT IS DETERMINED BY COUNSEL.
ONCE THE APPLICATION PERIOD IS OVER, A MEETING IS SCHEDULED TO REVIEW APPLICANTS, THE FULL APPLICANT LIST WILL BE RELEASED PUBLICLY IN THE AGENDA PACKET.
ONCE THAT'S POSTED, AND THIS ENSURES A TRANSPARENT AND, UH, PUBLIC PROCESS COUNSEL REVIEW OF THE APPLICATIONS, COUNSEL WILL RECEIVE A BINDER OF ALL THE, A APPLICATIONS FOR REVIEW, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD NOT CONTACT APPLICANTS INDIVIDUALLY DURING THIS PROCESS, DURING THE REVIEW PERIOD TO ENSURE FAIRNESS SELECTION FOR INTERVIEWS IN AN OPEN MEETING, COUNCIL WILL SELECT APPLICANTS TO INTERVIEW INTERVIEWS ARE CONDUCTED PUBLICLY, AND THEN COUNCIL MAY DELIBERATE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS ALLOWED BY LAW, UP TO THREE FINALISTS WILL BE SELECTED.
THE FINALIST INTERVIEW AND SELECTION FINALIST INTERVIEWS ARE ALSO CONDUCTED IN AN OPEN SESSION.
COUNSEL, AGAIN, MAY DELIBERATE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND ONE LOAN FINAL FINALIST WILL BE IDENTIFIED FOLLOWING DELIBERATION, THE APPOINTMENT AND OATH.
ONCE A LOAN FINALIST IS IDENTIFIED, COUNSEL WILL DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO PLACE THE ACTION OF OFFICIAL APPOINTMENT ON A FUTURE AGENDA.
THE VOTE ON THE APPOINTMENT AND THE OATH OF OFFICE OCCUR IN AN OPEN MEETING.
SO THE APPLICATION INCLUDES PERSONAL AND EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND INTEREST.
AND THEN AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, THE SWORN AFFIDAVIT OR DECLARATION CONFIRMING ACCURACY.
THE APPLICATION ALSO INCLUDES THE REQUIREMENTS AS STATED IN THE CITY CHARTER AND DETAILS, THE PERSONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENT REQUIREMENT, WHICH IS TO BE FILED BY THE, THE 45TH DAY AFTER APPOINTMENT.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MAYOR? LEMME JUST, UH, THANK AMY.
I, SHE DID A GREAT JOB OF TAKING, UM, WHAT I CALL THE COLOR COMMENTARY
AND SO ALL THE SUB BULLETS WERE THE FEEDBACK THAT YOU GAVE.
I FEEL LIKE IT'S EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE, UH, AND THE APPLICATION IS A STARTING POINT.
IT'LL HELP US BE 80% OF THE WAY THERE.
UH, YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE IT AS YOU SEE FIT DEPENDING ON THAT APPOINTMENT CONSIDERATION, BUT, UM, REALLY HOPEFULLY, UH, TONIGHT WE, WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN RESPONSIVE TO EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD OVER THE LAST TWO MEETINGS AND WOULD LIKE TO GET A CONSENSUS TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS AS WELL.
I, THE APPLICATION LOOKED REALLY, REALLY GOOD, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS? COUNCIL MEMBER? BARRIOS? YEP, MAYOR.
UH, THE ONLY FEEDBACK I HAVE, OR, YOU KNOW, UH, ON 0.6 ON THE APPLICATION COULD LIST DISTRICT ONE THROUGH FOUR VERSUS ONE THROUGH SIX.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, IF DISTRICT ONE OPENS UP, THEN WE WOULD JUST LIST DISTRICT ONE OR HOW YOU PLANNED THAT, BUT GOOD CATCH.
WAIT, UH, UH, THAT'S WHAT DISTRICT YOU LIVE IN THOUGH, RIGHT? NOT NECESSARILY WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE APPLYING FOR.
YEAH, I DON'T HAVE THE APPLICATION IN FRONT OF ME.
YEAH, BUT IT'S, IT'S RIGHT AFTER THE ADDRESS.
SO I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER VARS, THIS IS JUST TO TELL YOU WHAT DISTRICT THE PERSON LIVES IN.
ANY OTHER CLARIFICATIONS OR QUESTIONS? SO THEN OUR NEXT STEPS IS WE WILL INCORPORATE THESE POLICIES INTO YOUR CI CITY COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER AND PROCEDURE.
WE'LL BRING THAT BACK FOR ADOPTION WITH A RESOLUTION AT A FUTURE MEETING.
LET'S MOVE FORWARD ON THAT, I SUPPOSE.
[7. CONSENT AGENDA]
MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENTED AGENDA AS PUBLISHED.
SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM HUTCHIN RIDER, A SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE.
ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY ITEMS OF
[8. REPORT ON ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST]
COMMUNITY INTEREST COUNCIL MEMBER RIOS MAYOR.UM, ON SATURDAY, A COUPLE OF US ATTENDED THE CROWLEY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL FOOD FEST, WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS OF THE YEAR.
'CAUSE IT HAS AMAZING FOOD FROM ALL
[02:10:01]
OVER THE WORLD.UM, I I ALWAYS ENJOY TELLING OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE EVENT BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IT TRULY STANDS OUT.
UM, AND THAT EVENING, I BELIEVE I MAY ACTUALLY, I THINK COUNCILMAN DORIAN JOINED FOR A BIT THERE AS WELL, BUT THE RICHARDS RICHARDSON, EAST ROTARY CLUB, OTHER ANNUAL GAMES AND GIVING EVENT.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM ON, UM, ANOTHER GREAT EVENT.
I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE, UH, STAFF MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE VERY INVOLVED WITH THAT EVERY YEAR, AND THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB AND FULLY RAISED A LOT OF MONEY IN SCHOLARSHIPS.
UH, ANY OTHER ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTERESTS? COUNCIL MEMBER, FIN, UH, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT ONE OF MY FAVORITE GROUP OF PEOPLE, THEY HAD AN EVENT, UH, LAST SATURDAY.
I THINK MOST OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE ATTENDED THAT ALTRUA RESEARCH AND KINDNESS ACTION NETWORK.
UH, THE WORK THEY HAVE DONE, THEY DO.
AND, UH, THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS THEY HAVE THERE EVERY YEAR.
AND THAT DEFINITELY IF YOU SEE THAT, YOU, IT'LL TOUCH YOUR HEART AND, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST APPRECIATE WHAT THEY DO.
UH, THANKS TO THEM WHAT, WHAT THEY DO.
THEY WERE VERY COMPLIMENTARY ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU STUCK AROUND AND WORKED BOTH THIS YEAR AND PREVIOUS YEARS.
SO OF COURSE THEY MENTIONED COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE AS WELL.
WE HAD QUITE A FEW EVENTS LAST WEEK.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT I THINK THE CITY DID A FANTASTIC JOB ON, IT WAS THE FIRST ONE I WENT TO WAS THE REALTOR WORKSHOP AT THE IQ HQ.
UM, I'D NEVER, I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, I'D ALWAYS BEEN WORKING DURING IT, BUT I MADE IT A POINT TO GO TO THIS ONE AND IT WAS AWESOME.
CITY STAFF, JUST SUCH A GOOD JOB TYING IN THE WORK THAT THEY DO GREAT AND EDUCATING ALL THE DIFFERENT REALTORS AND, UM, IT WAS JUST SUCH SO WELL PUT TOGETHER.
SO GREAT JOB CITY, AND I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE IT ATTENDED.
I, UH, JUST WANNA SAY WE, WE, I'M KIND VERY PROUD OF THE, UH, COUNCIL AND MAYOR AND EVEN OUR CITY STAFF OF, OF, OF PARTICIPATING IN SO MANY EVENTS LAST WEEK.
WE WENT, THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING ALMOST EVERY DAY.
THE WEEKEND WAS COMPLETELY FULL.
AND, UH, IT JUST SHOWS REALLY GOOD CAMARADERIE WHEN WE GO OUT AND TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND, AND PARTICIPATING JOSEPH SUPPORT, PARDON? SIX EVENTS ON SATURDAY.
I KNOW I'M ONLY GONNA SHOW, I'M ONLY GONNA STATE ONE.
UM, WE DID HAVE THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY AT THE FUTURE RESIDENCE IN THE CORE, UH, WHICH IS THE TRAMMELL CROW, UH, ESTABLISHMENT.
AND ANYWAY, VERY GOOD TURNOUT.
UH, THEY'RE MOVING ALONG NICELY WITH, WITH THE, UH, ERECTING OF THE BUILDING.
THEY'RE GETTING READY TO, UH, WELL, I HAVEN'T ERECTED IT YET, BUT THEY ARE GETTING READY TO, UH, LAY THE GROUNDWORK AND, AND FOUNDATION AND START POURING SLABS.
SO IT'S COMING ALONG NICELY AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE OUTCOME ON THAT.
JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CITY AGAIN, ON A SUCCESSFUL TRASH BASK BA SUCCESSFUL TRASH BASH.
I THINK THE WEATHER MAY BE DAMPENED A LITTLE BIT, BUT WHEN I WENT THROUGH, I THOUGHT EVERYBODY WAS VERY ENGAGED TO MOTIVATE IT.
AND SO JUST WANNA SAY A BIG THANK YOU.
UM, OBVIOUSLY A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, UH, TO THE CITY AS WELL, OF COURSE, FOR, WAS IT 17 YEARS NOW? UH, 17 YEARS IN A ROW OF A DOUBLE, TRIPLE A BOND RATING.
UH, SOMETHING THAT SO FEW CITIES HAVE AND THE FACT THAT, THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE IT, ONCE AGAIN, JUST HUGE CONGRATULATIONS AND SAYS, UH, KUDOS TO, TO SAYS SO MUCH ABOUT YOU GUYS.
I'VE GOT THIS LONG LIST AND I WAS HOPING YOU GUYS WERE GONNA HELP ME.
BUT, UH, UH, I KNOW A FEW OF US, UH, ATTENDED THE UTD UH, AWARDS, UH, GALA, WHICH WAS REALLY EXCEPTIONAL AND, UH, UH, INSPIRING TO SEE THE PEOPLE THAT WERE RECOGNIZED FOR, UH, THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AS WELL AS OTHERS.
UM, THERE WAS, GOSH, UH, LIONS, UH, CLUB DID A PANCAKE THING ON, I THINK IT WAS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.
UH, A LOT OF RESIDENTS SHOWED UP AND, UH, A GREAT LITTLE FUNDRAISER TO, UH, HELP THOSE, UH, THAT ARE SITE IMPAIRED.
UM, UH, THERE WAS A, A CAR SHOW AT UTD CARS AND COMETS.
IT WAS, UM, UH, IT WAS PROBABLY SOMETIME ON SA FRIDAY NIGHT MAYBE.
AND THAT WAS BY THE, UH, THE FORMULA FORMULA RACING, UH, GROUP OUT OF, UH, UTD.
THEY HAVE STUDENTS THAT BUILD A GAS POWERED AND ELECTRIC POWERED, UH, RACING CAR THAT THEY COMPETE AGAINST OTHER UNIVERSITIES EVERY YEAR FROM SCRATCH.
AND, AND A PART OF THAT, THEY DO THIS, UH, THIS CAR SHOW.
UM, THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT I HAD TO KEYNOTE AT THE INFOSYS GALA.
UH, EMPHASIS IS A BIG, UH, CORPORATE, UH, UH, PARTNER HERE IN RICHARDSON AND JUST WAS HONORED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CHANCE TO DO THAT.
AND I'LL JUST NAME ONE OTHER THING, WHICH WAS LAST NIGHT, UM, THAT JOHN BEASLEY,
[02:15:02]
UM, I THINK IT WAS A HUNDRED YEARS OF MILES DAVIS, UH, NUMBER ONE, IT WAS THE MOST ATTENDED CABARET SHOW I'VE SEEN SO FAR.UH, OR THE CABARET SETUP SHOW THAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR.
AND I THINK THERE WILL BE, UH, A WHOLE SERIES OF JAZZ PERFORMANCES THAT ARE COMING UP.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE MAY HAVE A NICHE IN THE JAZZ SPACE WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEMED TO COME OUT AND IT WAS REALLY A, UH, UH, A WONDERFUL GROUP AS FAR AS THAT WAS CONCERNED.
UH, WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 8:51 PM.