Apr 23, 2024 City Council Workshop

[00:10:56]

GOOD. BIG FULL HOUSE TODAY.

[00:11:00]

[00:11:02]

I JUST REMIND EVERYBODY.

[I. CALL TO ORDER]

JUST PLEASE LET THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER COMPLETE THEIR THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONING BEFORE YOU CUT THEM OFF.

AND OTHERWISE, THIS IS A BUDGET HEARING.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET, AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT RIGHT OVER TO MR. CZYMBOR. AND MR. BOYLE.

[II. MANAGERS REPORT]

SO I MEAN, NOT BY BUT NOT BY CHOICE, BUT OKAY, BUT I DIGRESS A LITTLE BIT.

I WANTED TO COME ON THEIR OWN.

NO, THEY DID NOT.

JOHN. KICKING AND SCREAMING.

NO, NO, THEY'RE ALL GOOD FOLKS.

ALL GOOD FOLKS.

SO, SO I'LL BE KICKING AND SCREAMING AT ME IN A MINUTE.

SO. RIGHT. EXACTLY, EXACTLY.

ALL RIGHT, SO IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO COME BEFORE YOU, AS I ALWAYS SAY.

SO WE DID. THIS WILL BE OUR, I GUESS, TECHNICALLY SECOND FORMAL BUDGET WORKSHOP, BUT WE DID HAVE A WE'LL CALL ONE ON ONE WITH THE COUNCIL, SO I THINK FEBRUARY 12TH AND THEN THAT FIRST WEEK IN APRIL ISH, I DON'T REMEMBER THE DATES, BUT THEN WE ARE HERE APRIL 23RD TO ACTUALLY PRESENT THE THE PROPOSED BUDGET. SO AGAIN APPRECIATE COMING FOR YOU.

SO LET'S GO. LET'S GO TO THE AGENDA HERE REAL QUICK.

FIRST PAGE I DON'T HAVE THE THE THING.

COME ON JOHN, WE PRACTICE THIS.

JOHN. COME ON NOW. ALL RIGHT, HERE WE GO.

HERE. OH, THERE WE GO.

LOOK AT US. IT'S HERE.

ALL RIGHT. THIS IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID ON THE ONE ON ONE.

SO WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW THE SAME FORM.

SO YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN SOME OF THIS INFORMATION BEFORE.

IT MAY LOOK FAMILIAR.

WE'VE REFINED IT. AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE DATA THAT WE HAVE.

SO I'M GOING TO GIVE A COUPLE OF BRIEF COMMENTS, AND THEN JOHN AND I ARE GOING TO TAG TEAM FISCAL YEAR 20 FOR YEAR END PROJECTIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 PROJECTIONS, FUND BALANCES ASSESSED TAXABLE VALUE, OUR PROPOSED MILLAGE RATE, COST OF LIVING STAFFING PLAN, CIP PLAN, DEBT SERVICE AND THEN SCHEDULE NEXT BUDGET WORKSHOP. WE DO KNOW THAT MR. MEERSMAN SUPPOSEDLY IS WATCHING WHILE HE'S ON A CRUISE SOMEWHERE IN EUROPE.

SO HELLO STEVE, HOPEFULLY YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME.

SO WONDERFUL.

OKAY, SO I THINK THE COUNCIL KNOWS THIS IS IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THIS IS MY NINTH BUDGET.

SO KIND OF BITTERSWEET.

I THINK IT'S BEEN A PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE SAYING TONGUE IN CHEEK, BUT NO, IT'S BEEN IT'S BEEN GOOD.

I THINK THE PROCESS HAS CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVED.

I THINK CHANGE.

I THINK MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED PROBABLY THAN WE'VE EVER HAD IN THE PAST, WHICH IS I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD THING.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE TAKING MORE ACCOUNTABILITY, YOU KNOW, MORE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET, WHETHER YOU WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S APPROVED OR NOT APPROVED OR I THINK I THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY READILY ENGAGED.

SO I THINK IT'S I THINK THAT'S REALLY GOOD.

I THINK THE DOCUMENT HAS IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY.

I THINK THE READABILITY, TRANSPARENCY AND USABILITY OF THE DOCUMENT, I THINK IT'S BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED SINCE, SINCE WE'VE WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING VERY HARD AT IT. SO SO THAT'S WHAT I GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON.

NEXT. NEXT.

SO THIS IS A THIS IS A NICE SLIDE.

YOU KNOW AND I THINK EVERYBODY RECOGNIZES THIS SOMETIMES YOU YOU KNOW WE CELEBRATE.

YOU GOT TO HAVE CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES.

AND THIS IS A SUCCESS STORY.

WE HAVE A VERY SMALL BUT I'LL SAY MIGHTY FINANCE DEPARTMENT.

[00:15:05]

SO HE DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT.

HE EVEN SAYS, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS TRUMPETING THE TRIPLE CROWN WINNER.

WELL, YOU KNOW, AS I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT ONLY A HANDFUL OF MUNICIPALITIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA HAVE TRIPLE CROWN, AND WE'RE THE SMALLEST.

I MEAN, SO THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES IN PREPARING THOSE DOCUMENTS, SUBMITTING THEM, MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, THEY CHECK ALL THE BOXES, MEET ALL THE CRITERIA.

IT'S A LOT OF HARD WORK AND A LOT OF A LOT OF MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT.

BUT I GOT TO GIVE JOHN A LOT OF CREDIT, EVEN THOUGH HE SAYS, WHY DO YOU KEEP BRINGING THAT UP? YOU KNOW, AND I SAID, BECAUSE IT'S IT'S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT WE ALL SHOULD BE EXTREMELY ACCOMPLISHED, SHOULD BE PROUD OF.

SO, I MEAN, I APPRECIATE JOHN'S EFFORT.

LET'S SEE HERE.

OH, AND I AND I DO THIS.

I DO THIS IN JEST, BUT I THE BUDGET, I SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR FOR JOHN.

AND SOMETIMES HE GETS HE GETS A HIGHER LEVEL OF SCRUTINY THAN MAYBE SOME OTHER PEOPLE, SOME A HIGHER LEVEL OF ATTENTION THAN MAYBE SOME OTHER FOLKS.

BUT I HOPE I HOPE THAT'S MADE HIM A BETTER FINANCE DIRECTOR.

AND I KNOW THE BUDGET IS A LOT BETTER BECAUSE OF HIS EFFORTS, SO THANKS A LOT, JOHN.

AFTER ALL THAT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU A RAISE.

I'M JUST KIDDING. JUST KIDDING.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO ON NEXT SLIDE.

ALL RIGHT. SO I PURPOSELY ASKED JOHN TO PUT THE SLIDE IN THERE.

I YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MATHEMATICIAN.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO BE A STATISTICIAN TO LOOK AT THESE SLIDES AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS SAYING.

YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S TRENDING UPWARD.

SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO BACK TO 2015, YOU KNOW, THE TOTAL BUDGET WAS, YOU KNOW, $10 MILLION.

AND IF YOU IF YOU LOOK, FOLLOW THAT FIRST LINE.

I KNOW THE COLORS AREN'T THAT GREAT.

I SAID, JOHN, GIVE ME COLORS I CAN ACTUALLY SEE.

BUT COLORS AREN'T ALL THAT GREAT.

BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT FIRST LINE.

THAT'S THE TOTAL BUDGET.

I MEAN, GOING FROM $10 MILLION TO 60 MILLION.

YOU KNOW, THE SECOND BUDGET IS THE SECOND THAT I THINK THAT GOLDISH COLOR, I'M NOT EVEN SURE, BUT THAT GOLD COLORS THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE.

AND THEN I'M SORRY.

YEAH. THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE.

AND THEN THE OTHER LINE IS THE DA FEES, WHICH IS THAT, THAT I THINK THAT GREENISH LINE GOING FOR GREEN.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT COLOR. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT COLORS WE GOT THERE.

BUT YOU GOT THREE LINES AND THEY'RE GENERALLY GOING UP.

SO THAT'S ALL GOOD.

THEY'RE NOT GOING DOWN. AND YOU DID SAID WE DO HAVE A LITTLE DIP A COUPLE TIMES WHEN WE USE WE ACTUALLY USE THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE.

THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO USE IT FOR.

YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO REINVEST YOUR CAPITAL IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND MAKE IMPROVEMENTS.

SO WE'VE DONE THAT AND THERE HAS BEEN SOME UP AND DOWN, BUT GENERALLY EVERY TREND IS GOING UPWARD.

SO AGAIN, VERY POSITIVE STUFF.

VERY CREDIT TO THE COUNCIL.

AND YOU KNOW, THE ADMINISTRATION.

AND OBVIOUSLY HAVING A VERY FINANCIALLY STABLE AND ROBUST COMMUNITY.

SO ALL RIGHT, THAT'S THAT'S I THINK THAT'S ALL ON MY LIST.

THE STUFF I CAN READ, YOU KNOW, OF MY CHICKEN SCRATCHING.

BUT AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE, THE OPPORTUNITY.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TAG TEAM.

JOHN'S GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS I KNOW THE COUNCIL HAS SEEN THIS BEFORE.

BUT WE'LL GO THROUGH THE JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

[1. PROPOSED FY25 BUDGET PRESENTATION]

AND THEN WHEN WE HAD OUR INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS, WE HAD, YOU SEE, AT THE TOP THIRD THERE IS THE GENERAL FUND ALL THE PIECES OF THE GENERAL FUND FROM 19 THROUGH 23. AND THEN THE MIDDLE SECTION, THERE IS ALL THE OTHER GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS, WHICH IS YOUR DA FEES, YOUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, A TAX, H TAX.

AND THEN MOST RECENTLY THE HARDEEVILLE COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION FOUNDATION.

AND AT THE BOTTOM, YOU SEE OUR FISCAL YEAR, 23 YEAR END BUDGET STABILIZATION, THE COMMITTED FUNDS, THE ACCRUED, THE UNASSIGNED AND THE RESTRICTED DAR FEES, WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING THAT WILL BE AT THE END OF 24.

AND THEN WHAT WE ARE PROJECTING THAT TO BE AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 25, A COUPLE OF THINGS WITH THE PROJECTIONS FOR 24 AND 25, YOU SEE THAT WE'RE ADDING ABOUT 1.3, $1.4 MILLION IN BUDGET STABILIZATION.

THAT'S STRICTLY CALCULATION DRIVEN BASED ON THE GROWTH IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET THE COMMITTED FOR LAND ACQUISITION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT IS GOING TO BE PROJECTED TO DECREASE FOR BOTH PURCHASING THE LAND FOR FIRE STATION 84 AS WELL AS SOME LAND FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S TRAINING FACILITY.

[00:20:02]

KEEP ROLLING. HEY! AND IN THIS SLIDE, IF YOU'LL SEE IN THE BOTTOM LINE THERE THE TWO NUMBERS THAT ARE UNDERLINED, WE ANTICIPATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, A INCREASE IN ASSESSED VALUE OF 31.3% AND AN INCREASE IN MARKET VALUE OF 30.7%.

SO AGAIN, IF YOU GO BACK AND YOU LOOK BACK TO 2017, WE HAD A TOTAL ASSESSED VALUE OF 30 MILLION.

NOW WE'RE AT 128 MILLION.

THEN WHEN YOU GO OVER TO THE MARKET VALUE IT GOES IT'S INCREASED BY ALMOST 2.1 MILLION, GOING FROM 580,000,000 IN 2017 TO THE CURRENT $2.6 MILLION.

SO JUST A LOT OF GROWTH IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS OR SO, EIGHT, NINE YEARS OR SO.

AND I JUST WANTED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT TO YOU, TO SHOW YOU THAT WE CAN.

THE CONTINUED GROWTH AND WHAT THAT CONTINUES, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THAT CONTINUES TO GIVE US AS WE AS WE GROW.

SO THEN THE NEXT ONE, THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE HISTORIC MILLAGE FOR BOTH JASPER AND BEAUFORT COUNTY.

AND YOU CAN SEE IN JASPER COUNTY, SINCE 2015, IT WENT FROM 136 DOWN TO 96.

AND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS THE MILLAGE RATES WERE THE SAME WITH THE MOST RECENT JASPER COUNTY.

REASSESSMENT YEAR.

THEY THEY BECAME SEPARATE.

AND YOU'LL SEE THAT NOW BEAUFORT COUNTY, THE THE RATE FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY IS 102.

AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT I KNOW COUNCIL IS INTERESTED IN IS WHAT IS THE OVERLAPPING RATE YOU SEE FOR JASPER COUNTY? IT'S 343, AND FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY IT'S 217.

AND IF THERE'S NO QUESTIONS ON THAT, I THINK I TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CITY MANAGER.

A LOT OF UP AND DOWN HERE.

THAT'S OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

NEXT. WE GOT NEXT.

HEY. THANK YOU. HAD TO SWITCH THAT UP HERE.

YEAH. SO I THINK THE COUNCIL KNOWS WHEN WE HAD THE ONE ON ONES, WE WE WENT THROUGH ALL THE INFORMATION AND OBVIOUSLY TOOK AT THAT POINT IN TIME, TOOK THE TEMPERATURE AND THE FEELING OF WHERE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE AT.

AND OBVIOUSLY AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.

IT WAS IT APPEARED AT THAT POINT THAT THE COUNCIL BELIEVED THAT WE SHOULD MAINTAIN THE MILLAGE RATE.

SO, AS YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE BUDGET WAS PREPARED BASED ON THE SAME MILLAGE RATE AS LAST YEAR.

SO OBVIOUSLY, WHEN THE COUNCIL GETS TO THAT POINT, WHEN YOU MAKE THE DECISION ON WHAT THAT ULTIMATE MILLAGE RATE WILL BE, OBVIOUSLY THE DOCUMENT WILL BE AMENDED.

SO AS I TOLD THE MAYOR WHEN HE GOT HIS BOOK, I SAID, MR. MAYOR, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS MY OUR PROPOSAL WAS THE OPENING SALVO.

SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME BACK AND FORTH.

AND WHERE THAT ENDS UP, THAT'S COMPLETELY UP, UP TO WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO.

THIS IS JUST A PLACE AS ANY TO START WHEN YOU'RE FINISHED.

I'M SORRY. THIS IS AS GOOD A PLACE AS ANY TO START.

YES, SIR. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.

GO AHEAD. OKAY.

WHEN I PICKED UP MY BOOK MIKE SAID IN THE INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS THAT 3.5 COUNCIL MEMBERS WANTED TO KEEP IT THE SAME.

AND I OF COURSE, AND I'VE MADE THIS PUBLIC.

I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANY BUDGET THAT DOES NOT DECREASE THE MILLAGE RATE.

AND AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF REASONS FOR IT.

AND SO I JUST WANT TO SINCE I SEEM TO BE THE MOST VOCAL ONE ABOUT THIS, I JUST WANT TO POINT SOME THINGS OUT TO THE COUNCIL.

GET TO THE PAGE.

REVENUE. PROPERTY TAX REVENUE IS UP OVER $2.8 MILLION.

VEHICLE TAXES ARE $100,000 UP.

THESE ARE ALL INCREASES FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

MOTOR CARRIER TAXES 105,002.

LOSS CATEGORIES 130,000.

MASC 100,000.

FRANCHISE TAXES 100,000.

[00:25:01]

THESE ARE ROUNDED UP, BUT NOT FAR OFF.

IN ADDITION, BUSINESS LICENSE AN EXTRA $100,000 BUILDING PERMITS $500,000.

H TAX $500,000.

A TAX WHICH WE USE FOR VARIOUS REASONS 1,000,007.

THAT CATEGORY OF TAX INCREASES.

IT'S 2 MILLION. EIGHT.

JUST THOSE THINGS.

THERE'S A LOT OF THERE'S SOME PLUSES AND MINUSES, LITTLE THINGS.

BUT THOSE MAJOR THINGS REVENUE IS UP $6,170,000.

NOW A MILLAGE RATE IS $115,000.

SO WE'VE WE'VE GIVEN.

MONEY TO A LOT OF THINGS, BUT WE HAVE HAD A FUNDAMENTAL PHILOSOPHY EVEN BEFORE I WAS HERE, OF 12 YEARS OF TAX INCREASES, A DECREASES.

EXCUSE ME. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE HAVING A RECORD INCREASE IN REVENUE IN THIS IN THIS CITY, BUT BY NOT REDUCING TAXES, NOT ONLY ARE WE SAYING THAT, OH FORGET IT, EVERYBODY ELSE CAN GET RAISES.

EVERYTHING. WE CAN DO THIS, WE CAN DO THAT.

BUT THE THE PEOPLE WHO PAY THE TAXES, THEY DON'T SHARE IN THE BENEFITS OF ALL THIS INCREASE.

BUT IT ALSO SIGNALS A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY OF THIS COUNCIL.

AND I OBJECT TO THAT.

WE HAVE HAD A PHILOSOPHY ON THIS COUNCIL FOR 12 YEARS, EXCEPT FOR THE FOR THE PANDEMIC YEAR, WHERE WE WERE WHERE WE WERE CAUTIOUS AND RIGHTFULLY SO, EVEN THOUGH REVENUE TURNED OUT TO BE GREAT THAT YEAR, WE HAVE HAD A PHILOSOPHY OF OF TAX REDUCTION, THE CHANGE THAT NOW IS IN, IN A RECORD YEAR OF REVENUE, I THINK SENDS A WRONG MESSAGE AND ONE I DO NOT ENDORSE AND CANNOT ENDORSE, BUT IT SENDS A WRONG MESSAGE TO OUR TAXPAYER, TO THE VOTERS OF THIS OF OF THIS CITY AND TO WHAT THEY'VE COME TO EXPECT FROM US.

I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE CHANGING OUR BASIC PHILOSOPHY, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS INCREASE IN REVENUE.

SO THAT'S MY FEELINGS.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE.

I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.

I GOT ONE VOTE.

IT'LL BE NO IF IF THERE'S NO DECREASE IN, IN MILLAGE.

SO I'VE SAID MY PIECE.

I'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE FLOOR IF ANYBODY WANTS TO REBUT.

AND I'D LOVE TO HEAR THE REASONINGS WHY.

LET ME GO NEXT. HARRY, I SURE I DON'T THINK IT'S A QUESTION OF REBUT OR WANTING TO CHANGE THE PHILOSOPHY. THANK YOU.

MY QUESTION IN THE NOTE THAT I SENT TO I BELIEVE MIKE WAS I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT IT FROM TWO PERSPECTIVES, KEEPING IT THE SAME AND 1% MILLAGE.

AND I WASN'T AS ASTUTE ON THE NUMBERS AS YOU ARE.

I DIDN'T LOOK RESEARCH THEM LIKE YOU DID.

AND SO THAT'S MY QUESTION, BECAUSE I THINK THE PHILOSOPHY OF LOWERING TAXES AND TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THOSE THAT ARE RESIDENTS AND PAY THE TAXES IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

THE AND IF YOU LOSE THAT MILLAGE, IT'S HARD TO PICK IT BACK UP DOWN THE ROAD.

SO MIKE, THAT'S MY QUESTION FOR YOU.

AND I AM PERFECTLY OPEN TO THE REDUCTION.

BUT THE OTHER THING I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS WITH MIKE PLANNING TO LEAVE AND GETTING A NEW PERSON, I WAS THINKING OF MAYBE TRYING TO KEEP THE PLAYING FIELD EVEN FOR THAT PERSON.

BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALLY A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN.

SO HARRY, I'M WILLING TO JOIN YOU IN THAT.

I'D JUST LIKE TO GET A LITTLE MORE CERTAINTY FOR MYSELF.

AND AND I'M HOPING TO GET THAT FROM YOU, MIKE.

AND I ASK THAT IN ENOUGH ADVANCE TIME THAT HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET A A VERSUS B KIND OF THING.

AND I THINK THAT THAT LEGACY OF TAX REDUCTION IS A VERY IMPORTANT LEGACY.

AND IF WE CAN KEEP IT, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.

MR. JOHN. WELL, LIKE I SAY I UNDERSTAND HARRY'S VIEWPOINT, AND AND I'LL RAISE MY SAME CONCERN

[00:30:07]

I'M NOT A FINANCE PERSON LIKE JOHN IS.

AND AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, MIKE, TOO, BUT.

JUST LIKE I SAID BEFORE, MY CONCERN IS.

WE HAD A SISTER CITY NOT LONG AGO GETTING THEMSELVES IN A BIND BECAUSE THEY KEPT LOWERING THE MILLAGE, OR NOT RAISING IT OR LOWERING IT AND NOT RAISING IT FOR SO MANY YEARS.

AND THEN THEY GOT IN THE FINANCIAL SITUATION AND THEY CAN ONLY RAISE IT BY STATE LAW.

SO MANY MILLS.

SO THAT IS MY CONCERN.

WE HAVE LOWERED IT FOR, FOR SO MANY YEARS.

AND. THAT'S ONE CONCERN.

AND I HAVE ANOTHER CONCERN THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A NEW CITY MANAGER.

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A NEW MAYOR.

IT'S JUST A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY.

SO I GUESS THOSE THREE FACTORS HAVE TO WEIGH IN SOMEWHERE.

BUT I ALSO SEE YOU WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TO HARRY ABOUT SOME OF THE INCREASES AND STUFF.

BUT I DO HAVE THOSE THREE CONCERNS AND I'VE AND I VOICED THOSE CONCERNS PREVIOUSLY.

WELL, I SUPPORT EVERYTHING THAT JOHN JUST SAID.

IT'S BECAUSE IT'S VERY EASY FOR US TO DECREASE THE MILLAGE, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD IF WE HIT HARD TIMES SOMEWHERE TO GO AHEAD AND THEN PULL IT UP.

MY QUESTION TO MIKE AND JOHN WOULD BE IF WE ARE GOING TO DROP THE MILLAGE, HOW MUCH DOES EACH HOUSEHOLD GET BACK? $17, $17.

SO I WENT TO PUBLIX TODAY AND I BOUGHT SOME GROCERIES, BARELY ANYTHING, AND I SPENT MORE THAN $17.

THAT'S THE $17 I'LL NEVER, EVER SEE AGAIN.

SO MY THING IS YOU GIVE SOMEBODY $17 BACK BECAUSE OF, LIKE, WHAT THE MAYOR WAS SAYING.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALL THIS MONEY, BUT THAT'S $17 THAT COMES AND GOES AT THE BLINK OF AN EYE.

BUT IF WE CAN GIVE THAT MONEY BACK TO THE RESIDENTS IN SOME OTHER WAY, LIKE MAYBE BETTERING OUR SERVICES OR MAYBE GIVING US GETTING ANOTHER FIREFIGHTER OR MAYBE GETTING ANOTHER LEO IN THERE, TO ME IS MORE. IT'S A IT'S A MORE USEFUL WAY TO SPEND THAT MONEY INSTEAD OF GETTING $17 BACK IN MY CHECK.

AND THEN I GO AND I BLOW IT.

I CAN'T EVEN BUY HALF A TANK OF GAS WITH THAT.

I'M GOING TO ASK CHIEF WOODWARD.

CHIEF WOODWARD, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU DOWN RIGHT NOW? BY NOW I'M DOWN TO FIVE PEOPLE.

I'VE GOT THREE OFFICERS DOWN OUT ON SERVICE CALL BECAUSE I'VE GOT GETTING HURT ON THE JOB.

AND I. DO YOU THINK THAT YOU WILL BE LOSING ANY, ANY FOLKS THROUGHOUT THE.

I MEAN, WE ARE ALWAYS LOSING OR GAINING PEOPLE.

ARE YOU PLANNING DO YOU THINK YOU WILL LOSE ANYBODY? I'M TRYING TO BE FULL STAFF BY JULY.

I LOOK TO LOSE AT LEAST TWO BEFORE JULY.

NOW I'M GETTING WORD THROUGH MY COMMAND STAFF THAT WE POSSIBLY COULD BE LOSING TWO.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE TWO DOWN BECAUSE OF ATTRITION.

THEY'RE GOING TO GO SOMEPLACE ELSE AND YOU'RE THREE DOWN BECAUSE OF INJURIES.

RIGHT. SO THE REST OF YOUR FOLKS ARE WORKING OVERTIME, I'M ASSUMING.

YES, MA'AM. WE'RE HAVING TO WORK A LOT OF OVERTIME DUE TO SCHOOLS THE AND SOME BUSINESSES NEEDING OFF DUTY OFFICERS, WHICH THEY DO PAY THE CITY BACK FOR THAT OVERTIME.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OVERTIME GOING ON WITH CALLS FOR SERVICE TOO.

SO, SO SO IT'S NOT ONLY WE ARE SEEING THE THE UPWARD TICK IN OVERTIME, BUT WE ARE ALSO WE NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF THE FACT THAT THERE COULD BE BURNOUT IN THERE TOO, A LOT OF BURNOUT.

AND FOR ME TO HAVE AN OFFICER THAT'S IN THE PROCESS OF BEING BURNOUT AND HAVING THIS BURDEN PUT ON THEM EVEN MORE BECAUSE WE ARE LOSING FOLKS BECAUSE OF INJURY OR WHATEVER.

I THINK THAT MONEY WOULD BETTER BE BETTER SPENT AT LEAST TRYING TO INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY INSTEAD OF ME GETTING $17 BACK IN A CHECK AND A I CAN'T EVEN GET HALF A TANK OF GAS IN THERE.

SO. I LIKE FOR ME TO GO INTO DEEPER DETAIL.

I CAN, BUT I WROTE ALL THIS STUFF DOWN.

YEAH. I MEAN, IT'S IT'S IT'S MY THING IS.

YES. I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY BACK IN THEIR CHECK.

IF IT WAS A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS, I'D BE ALL OVER IT.

[00:35:03]

BUT SERVICES TO THE CITY.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT GET BETTER.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU KNOW, POLICE OFFICERS OUT THERE.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MAYBE FIREFIGHTERS OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF WE'RE IF YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE BURNOUT IN YOUR DEPARTMENT, THAT CONCERNS ME.

IF WE'RE STARTING TO SEE BURNOUT IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THAT CONCERNS ME BECAUSE THESE ARE SERVICES THAT TAXPAYERS PAY FOR.

I DON'T I MEAN, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND I'M ASKING SOME OF YOU FOLKS OVER HERE, WOULD THAT $17 MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE IF WE DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES ADDRESSED? THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

SOMEBODY IS WAITING ON LINE TO MAKE A COMMENT.

SO, MR. MAYOR, THIS IS COUNCILMAN MEERSMAN RODEN.

WELL, I'M NOT PRESENT.

I HAVE THE CONCERN OF UNANTICIPATED EXPENSES IN THE HIRING OF A CITY MANAGER.

AND JOIN WHAT IS BUILT IN THE BUDGET FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF PAYING FOR TWO MANAGERS FOR A SHORT TIME.

THEN HE SAYS, PLEASE ASK THIS QUERY.

THE SCARY QUESTION.

HE'S CONCERNED THAT IN THE TRANSITION OF HIRING A NEW MANAGER, IF IF AT SOME POINT WE FACE OURSELVES WITH HAVING PAYING FOR PAYING FOR BOTH.

I JUST WANT TO SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS AND TO CONTINUE THE DEBATE.

AND JOHN, I UNDERSTAND AND I'VE BEEN I'VE BEEN THROUGH IT IN TWO STATES.

I KNOW YOU HAVE. AND WHAT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, EVERY STATE HAS SOME FORM OF MAX INCREASE IN TAXES.

BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IF THINGS GO DOWN.

WE HAVE DOUBLED STAFF.

AND SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN BAD TIMES IS THEY REALLY? BECAUSE IT HAPPENS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.

ALL THESE EXTRA LITTLE JOBS THAT WE'VE CREATED.

YOU'RE GOING TO CUT THEM, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET LAID OFF.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IF TIMES REALLY GET BAD.

SO THAT'S THAT'S IF WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT, OKAY, NO MORE TAX REDUCTION THAN WE SHOULD.

AND BECAUSE WE'RE AFRAID OF BAD TIMES, THEN HOW ABOUT ALL THE ALL THESE EXTRA LITTLE ADMINISTRATIVE JOBS AND ALL THESE EXTRA JOBS WE'RE ADDING? SHOULDN'T WE CUT THOSE AS WELL? BECAUSE SOMEDAY WE MIGHT HAVE TO CUT.

WE MIGHT HAVE TO CUT STAFF BECAUSE TOM'S GOING TO BE BETTER.

SO YOU CAN YOU CAN TAKE THAT ARGUMENT BOTH WAYS.

THE POINT IS, WE'RE NOT IN BAD TIMES.

WE HAVE $6 MILLION MORE TO SPEND THAN LAST YEAR.

NOBODY'S GETTING CUT OUT.

WE'RE WE'RE ADDING THREE POLICE OFFICERS.

WE'RE ADDING PARAMEDICS TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

WE HAVE IN WE HAVE IN THOSE TWO PUBLIC SAFETY'S.

WE HAVE GONE UP 120% SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE IN PERSONNEL AND MONEY SPENT.

WE HAVE NOT SKIMPED ON PUBLIC SAFETY.

OKAY? WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT.

AND AGAIN, IN TWO STATES, ANYTIME SOMEBODY WANTS TO USE THE ARGUMENT ABOUT TAXES, THEY ALWAYS BREAK IT DOWN TO THE LOWEST DENOMINATION $17. ASK THE PEOPLE OF HARDEEVILLE HOW MUCH THEIR TAX BILL IS LESS THAN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF WE HADN'T BEEN LOWERING TAXES SINCE 2015.

IT'S NOT $17, IT'S HUNDREDS.

MY TAX BILL LAST YEAR WENT DOWN $500.

THE CITY OF HARDEEVILLE BECAUSE IT'S REASSESSMENT YEAR, BUT BECAUSE I WAS IN A NEW HOME AND I DIDN'T HAVE AN EXCESS VALUE. SO IT'S NOT $17 A YEAR.

IT'S HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS EACH YEAR THAT OUR TAXPAYERS HAVE SAVED SINCE WE STARTED THIS IN 2012.

YES, YOU CAN BREAK IT DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DENOMINATOR AND THAT SUPPORTS THE ARGUMENT, BUT IT'S NOT THE REALITY OF TAX REDUCTION AND AND TAX REDUCTION OVER THE YEARS.

AND WE HAVE AND AGAIN, ALL THOSE ALL THOSE ISSUES, ALL THOSE FACTORS.

AND WITH $6 MILLION MORE, WE ARE SAYING WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE FUNDAMENTAL PHILOSOPHY OF

[00:40:05]

I WON'T BE PART OF IT AND GO, GO ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS WHAT THEY FEEL ABOUT IT.

AND BECAUSE WE HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY TO DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO, AND WE HAVE, WE ALSO HAVE.

AN ADDITIONAL WHAT? HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE GOING TO ADD TO THE STAFF? WHAT'S PROPOSED? TEN FULL TIME EQUIVALENT.

TEN ON TOP OF THE 150 SIX THAT WE HAVE HAVE NOW.

I MEAN, WE KEEP ADDING AND ADDING AND ADDING.

SO IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PHILOSOPHY, WE WE CAN'T WE CAN'T LOWER TAXES BECAUSE WE'RE WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT FUTURE TIMES.

WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT THIS, THAT THEN WE SHOULDN'T BE RAISING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

AND I'LL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT AS WELL.

BUT I, I, I RESPECT YOUR CONCERNS AND EVERYBODY'S CONCERNS.

BUT TO ME THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE OFFSET.

SO I AGAIN I'M NOT GOING TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE.

I'M DONE. I THINK THAT I THINK THAT WE ALL FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE FACT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOWER THE TAX RATES FOR THE CITIZENS AND ALL THE IMPLICATIONS.

I GUESS WHERE I'M AT, HARRY, IS THIS ISN'T A DONE DEAL, THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOWER IT OR KEEP IT THE SAME.

THIS IS WHY WE'RE HAVING THE WORKSHOP.

AND I THINK YOU'VE PRESENTED SOME COMPELLING EVIDENCE FROM A LOT OF THE RESEARCH.

YOU'VE DONE MORE THAN I'VE DONE WHEN THE BENEFITS OF THAT AND I STILL WANT TO HEAR FROM OUR STAFF KEEPING IT THE SAME AND 1% LOWERING IT.

AND AND MY FEELING IS WE'RE NOT TAKING A BIG RISK IF WE LOWER IT.

I THINK WE'RE SENDING AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE.

MY POSITION OF STAYING THE SAME UNTIL WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION, WAS CONCERNED THAT I MIGHT BE MAKING A MISTAKE OR DOING SOMETHING THAT WASN'T FULLY THOUGHT OUT.

AND THAT WAS WHAT I SAW.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS.

AND THAT'S WHY I STOLE MATT.

AND I'VE HAD THAT DISCUSSION WITH HARRY AND MY MY MIND IS STILL OPEN, BUT WE NEED, IN ADDITION TO HARRY'S POINT OF VIEW, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IT THE SAME, LOWERING IT.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO GET FROM YOU IN A 30,000 FOOT VIEW, YOU KNOW, NOT DETAIL BY DETAIL, BUT JUST AN OVERVIEW BECAUSE AND JOHN, I WOULD SAY THIS TO YOU WITH ALL THOSE AWARDS, WHEN WE'RE IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR A NEW CITY MANAGER, THOSE AWARDS AND THAT PAGE MAKE OUR WORK A LOT EASIER BECAUSE OF THE SOUNDNESS OF OUR CITY.

AND THAT'S ANOTHER FACTOR HERE.

WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT AN EDGY CITY IN TERMS OF FINANCES.

THOSE AWARDS SPEAK TO THAT.

SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS AS HIGH A RISK SITUATION THAT MAYBE SOME PEOPLE WANTED TO MAKE IT, KEEPING IT THE SAME VERSUS ONE.

I THINK WE'RE IN VERY GOOD POSITION.

AND THAT'S TO YOUR STAFF AND, MIKE, YOUR LEADERSHIP.

SO IF YOU CAN GIVE US KEEPING IT THE SAME, TAKING IT DOWN ONE AND JUST SOME OF YOUR INSIGHTS.

NO. WE CAN.

WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE.

WE DO COUNT. COUNT.

POINT. COUNTERPOINT.

WE CAN DO THAT WITH A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.

THAT DONE THAT. WHATEVER.

WE DON'T NEED TO DO THAT.

I WOULD RECOMMEND BO.

AND WE CAN DO THAT. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THE MILLAGE RATE.

WE WAIT TILL COUNCILMAN MEERSMAN GET BACK GETS BACK.

SO WE OUR NEXT BUDGET WORKSHOP, WE HAVE SPECIFIC TOPICS WE'RE GOING TO COVER.

AND THAT'S ONE OF THEM, TO BE CANDID WITH YOU.

I MEAN, WE COULD WE COULD GO AND WE'LL PRESENT THAT.

BUT WE WE WILL WE CAN PRESENT WHAT WHAT THOSE.

PHILOSOPHICALLY AND THEN NUMBERS WISE WHAT THAT MILLAGE KEEPING THE SAME ONE MILL, TWO MILL, WHATEVER WE CAN PRESENT ALL THAT I THINK I MEAN, IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS, IF YOU DO IT AGAIN, JOHN'S PROBABLY GOING TO KICK ME BECAUSE HE'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'RE GOING TO HOLD HANDS AND DO THE NO NO KEEP THE MILLAGE RATE THE SAME WALK. BUT I MEAN.

YOU GUYS SET THE MILLAGE RATE.

WE CAN MAKE WHATEVER THE COUNCIL.

BY MAJORITY DECIDES TO DO.

WE CAN MAKE IT WORK.

I MEAN, WE ARE IN SUCH.

WE ARE IN A VERY GOOD FINANCIAL POSITION.

SO WE CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING THE KEEPING IT THE SAME.

WE CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT ONE MILL, TWO MILL, WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE UP THOSE DIFFERENCE.

[00:45:04]

AND WHATEVER THE COUNCIL DECIDES AGAIN, IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S ALL.

I THINK IT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO PUT, I GUESS, POLICY WISE AND WHAT WE BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT.

THE REASON WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING AGAIN, I'LL JUST BE VERY QUICK AND THEN WE CAN MOVE ON BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S I KNOW IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC IS YOU WE'VE GOT A $25 MILLION CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING, WHICH USES A LOT OF CITY RESOURCES, INCLUDING GENERAL FUND BALANCE.

SO YOU ARE AND I AGREE WITH YOU, HARRY.

I MEAN, WE HAVE A HISTORY OF MILITARY REDUCTION GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.

PEOPLE ARE SHARING IN THE FRUITS OF THE LABOR AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

BUT AT THE SAME POINT, WHEN WE'RE INVESTING TENS OF MILLION DOLLARS IN RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, IN STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND STORMWATER AND PERSONNEL, AS VAL SAID, POLICE AND FIRE, WHEN I HAVE QUALIFIED POLICE AND FIRE SHOWING UP BECAUSE I HAVE A HEART ATTACK OR I HAVE A, YOU KNOW, CRIME IN PROGRESS, WE'RE MEETING THOSE NEEDS.

AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO HIRE PEOPLE.

YOU HAVE TO PAY THEM COMPETITIVE WAGE.

SO YEAH, RIGHT. I AGREE, HARRY, THAT WE WE'VE WENT FROM 72 TO 156 PLUS ANOTHER HOPEFULLY TEN.

BUT THAT'S WHAT A GROWING COMMUNITY NEEDS RIGHT.

SO WE'RE FORTUNATELY HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.

BUT YOU GOT TO PAY FOR THE PEOPLE, RIGHT? IF YOU WANT TO PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICE, YOU GOT TO PAY FOR THEM.

SO I MEAN, I CAN STOP THERE.

I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION.

I THINK THE COUNCIL, WHETHER IT'S A 3 TO 2 VOTE OR 4 TO 1 OR A50, WHATEVER IT IS, WE CAN MAKE WHATEVER THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO AND, AND POLICY WISE, WE CAN WRAP THAT BO AND SELL IT ANY WAY YOU WANT.

BUT, I MEAN, WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS ARE, I GUESS WE'LL SAY PAID THE BIG BUCKS TO MAKE THAT DECISION.

AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THERE'S A WINDOW OF A COUPLE OF WEEKS I'M WAITING FOR STEVE TO GET BACK AND MORE DISCUSSION.

YES, SIR. SO THAT WE SO THAT'S STILL AN OPEN DISCUSSION WHETHER WE KEEP IT THE SAME OR RAISE IT.

MY VIEW IS IF WE REDUCE IT, I'M I THOUGHT THE MOST I WOULD CONSIDER REDUCING IT WOULD BE ONE MILLAGE POINT.

AND AND I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING TO THE MOMENTUM AND THE PHILOSOPHY THAT COUNTS.

AND AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S TAKEN 12 YEARS TO DO.

SO THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO TO LOOK AT WITHOUT A LOT OF RESPECT AND A LOT OF HARD WORK AND A LOT OF FOLKS.

MY MIND IS OPEN TO THE CHANGE.

I'D LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION.

I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN A POSITION TO GO WAY BEYOND ONE TWO AT THE VERY MOST, OR KEEP IT THE SAME.

I THINK THAT'S THE DISCUSSION POINT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.

OKAY. DOES THAT SOUND GOOD, MR. MAYOR? AND THE REST OF COUNCIL, WE KIND OF PARK THAT AND TELL MR. MEERSMAN GETS BACK AND ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO PUT ON THE NEXT AGENDA.

THIS IS THIS IS A WORKSHOP.

THERE'S NO VOTE INVOLVED.

IT'S IT'S DISCUSSION.

IT'S IT'S A TIME TO HAVE EVERYBODY'S POINT OF VIEW VOICED THE AND SO WHAT BO IS ASKING FOR.

AND MR. MEERSMAN COMING BACK.

THERE'S NO VOTE TODAY.

ANYWAY, THE FIRST READING IS SCHEDULED FOR THE MAY 16TH.

I THINK IT IS. YES, SIR.

SO THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME TO GET THE ANALYSIS THAT MR. WHITE'S ASKING FOR.

IF YOU GO DOWN ONE MIL.

WHAT? WHAT COMES OUT WITH TWO MEALS.

ET CETERA. ET CETERA. AND GIVE GIVE HIM WHAT HE'S ASKED FOR.

AND THEN WHEN YOU GET TO FIRST READING, THE DISCUSSION WILL CONTINUE.

YES, SIR. MIKE.

STEVE MENTIONED THAT WHERE HE WAS BEFORE HE LEFT WAS HE WAS AT THE POSITION OF KEEPING IT THE SAME, AND HE ASKED ME TO PASS THAT ON.

AND I DO THAT AT HIS REQUEST.

AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT HE TOLD US.

ALL RIGHT, JOHN, WELL, LET'S LET'S JUST KEEP MOVING ON AND WE'LL GO THROUGH IT AND WE CAN IDENTIFY ANY OTHER TOPICS THAT THE COUNCIL WANTS TO HAVE MORE DISCUSSION ON AND MOVE TO THE NEXT WORKSHOP.

MR.. JOHN. THIS IS THE SLIDE FOR THE CPI CALCULATION AND HOW WE DO COLA.

YOU KNOW WE DON'T CONTROL IT UP HERE, SIR.

HERE WE GO. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE IT'S YELLOW ON WHAT I DID, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE A LIGHT GREEN.

IT'S A 4.5% IS WHAT THE CALCULATION WE'VE USED FOR IT LOOKS LIKE BACK ALL THE WAY TO 2013, WHERE WE'VE BEEN TRACKING THIS, THE, THE CPI CALCULATION FOR, LIKE, ALL HOUSEHOLDS IN THE ALL URBAN CONSUMERS IN THE SOUTHEAST.

[00:50:10]

THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BUDGETED.

AND I GUESS THAT'S ANOTHER DECISION POINT FOR COUNCIL.

ANYONE HAVE ANY ISSUE WITH THAT? NO. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, JOHN EVERYONE GETS A COST OF LIVING INCREASE OF 4.5%.

THAT'S WHAT'S PROPOSED. YES, SIR.

AND EVERYBODY HAS A PERFORMANCE REVIEW.

AND THEY CAN ALSO EARN UP TO 4% IN ADDITION TO THAT.

THAT IS CORRECT. YES, SIR.

OKAY. SO POTENTIALLY SOMEONE A HIGH PERFORMER CAN HAVE A 8.5% SALARY INCREASE.

IF THEY HAD A HECK OF A YEAR.

YES, SIR. IF THEY HAD A HECK OF A YEAR.

SO, BUT THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE MAXIMUM.

AND THE MINIMUM END IS 4.5%.

THAT WOULD BE CORRECT. YES, SIR.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ISSUE WITH THAT? OKAY. AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO.

IT'S UP TO AN 8.5% INCREASE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.

AND AND CONGRATULATIONS.

YOU ALL DESERVE IT.

BUT ZERO FOR THE TAXPAYER SEEMS A LITTLE.

DISPROPORTIONATE. HOW TO GET THAT IN.

JOHN. SORRY. YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT LINE ALL EVENING.

YEAH. I WILL HAVE POLICE PROTECTION ON THE WAY OUT, CHIEF.

THANK YOU. YEAH, RIGHT.

YOU BETTER START YOUR CAR ELECTRONICALLY.

ALL RIGHT. NEXT SLIDE. HEY, JESS OR ELIZABETH.

OKAY. YOU CAN'T READ THOSE.

WE GOT TO GO. ALL RIGHT, THIS THIS IS THE SAME SIDE I THINK THE COUNCIL SAW BEFORE.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

WE WENT THROUGH, AND I DON'T SPEND A BUNCH OF TIME, BUT WE WENT THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS AND THEIR REQUEST INITIALLY ASKED FOR 19 FULL TIME EQUIVALENTS, 19 FULL TIME AND 11 OR 12 PART TIME THE BUDGET.

SO A TOTAL OF 31 TOTAL.

BUT THAT WOULDN'T BE FULL TIME, JUST 31 TOTAL.

AND THEN THE PROPOSED BUDGET INCLUDES 1410 FULL TIME AND FOUR PART TIME.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT OR ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE POSITIONS I CAN GO THROUGH THAT OR.

WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS ON STAFFING? SO IF NOT, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.

YES, SIR. FIRST OF ALL, IF WE IN THE.

RECORD SPECIALIST.

OKAY. I WHEN I GOT TO THAT PAGE AS OPPOSED TO EVERY OTHER POSITION, THERE WAS NO LIKE THE ONE BEFORE.

IT HAS CLASS TITLE, DEPARTMENT REPORTS TO SALARY RANGE, ETC., ETC.

SO THERE'S NO TITLE.

I ALMOST I KEPT GOING BACK AND FORTH TRYING.

THAT'S PAGE FOUR ON UNDER STAFFING.

THERE IS NO TITLE TO THAT.

MR. MAYOR, IF I COULD ON PAGE FOUR OF THE SECOND CLEAR TAG THAT'S SAYS STAFFING IN YOUR BOOK FOR, FOR WHATEVER REASON, WE REALIZED ONCE WE PUT THESE BINDERS TOGETHER AND THEY'VE BEEN PICKED UP THAT THERE IS NO TITLE ON THAT, ON THAT POSITION.

SO THAT IS WHERE THAT CONFUSION COMES FROM.

THAT'S ENTIRELY ON ME.

BUT THAT SHOULD SAY THE RECORD SPECIALIST SHOULD BE STARTING THERE WITH THE BEGINNING OF PAGE FOUR.

ALL RIGHT. SO MY FIRST QUESTION ON THIS, BECAUSE I'M, YOU KNOW, I MRS GUZMAN SAID SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT.

YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO SEE.

ACTUAL YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE ALL SUPPORT GOING TO PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN WE ADD POSITIONS LIKE THIS.

THIS IS NOT SOMEBODY GOING OUT ON A FIRE CALL OR MEDICAL CALL OR POLICE CALL.

THIS IS AN EXTRA OKAY.

SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS.

AND MAYBE, CHIEF, YOU CAN ANSWER THIS.

WHO DOES THIS WORK NOW? WHO ANSWERS THE DOOR? THAT'S ONE. NOBODY. NOBODY.

[00:55:02]

IT'S A PROBLEM THAT THAT WE DON'T.

WE NEED SOMEBODY TO TO ANSWER THE DOOR AND DO THE RECORDS AND DO FILING.

THEY WOULD BE DOING FILING RECORDS.

THEY WOULD BE A LIAISON TO OUR BILLING COMPANY.

THEY WOULD MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR RECORDS ARE, YOU KNOW, SENT TO THE STATE, SENT TO THE FEDS.

EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO REPORT AND KEEP TRACK OF.

THEY WOULD ALSO HELP KEEP TRACK OF LIKE CERTIFICATES THAT EXPIRATION CERTIFICATES, THINGS THAT EXPIRE, MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON TOP OF THAT.

WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE MS REQUIREMENTS NOW TO FOR REPORTING.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO DO REPORTING TO THE FEDS ON THE THE DRUG ADMINISTRATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO THAT PERSON WOULD HELP KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS ON THAT.

ALL RIGHT. SO HERE'S HERE'S WHERE I YOU KNOW, I ESPECIALLY AGAIN I'M GOING TO KEEP GOING BACK.

WE WE DON'T HAVE MONEY TO GIVE YOU KNOW AFTER 12 YEARS WE DON'T TO REDUCE TAXES.

BUT WE'RE GOING TO ADD SOMETHING THAT IS A NEW CLERK OKAY.

WE'RE GOING TO ADD SOMEONE WHO DOES FILING AND ANSWERING THE DOOR ALL IN AT $66,000, WHICH IS A YOUNG POLICE OFFICER.

WHAT DO WE START? A YOUNG NO.

EXPERIENCED POLICE OFFICER.

CHIEF 4646 FIVE SO WE'RE GOING TO GET SOMEBODY TO FILE AND DO RECORDS AND ANSWER THE DOOR FOR MORE MONEY THAN SOMEBODY'S GOT TO CARRY A GUN AND GET SHOT AT. I'M SORRY.

I DON'T SHAKE YOUR HEAD.

I'M YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT'S THE KIND OF COMPARISON, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE COME TO ADDING POSITIONS, WE ARE ADDING POSITIONS. WE HAVE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXIST WITHOUT THIS PRIOR TO THIS TIME.

OKAY. SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS RATHER EXPENSIVE CLERK.

AND SO I'M GOING TO OFFER YOU A SUGGESTION BECAUSE WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SAVING MONEY HERE EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE $6 MILLION MORE.

WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE A FULL TIME POSITION IF WE WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE SOMEBODY COME IN 20 HOURS A WEEK? IT'S 20 MORE THAN YOU HAVE NOW.

AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THESE OTHER LINE ITEMS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THE RETIREMENT FUND BENEFITS, $16,000 TAXES ALL COME UP TO 66,000.

YOU PROBABLY GET, YOU KNOW, A RETIREE FOR $20 AN HOUR AND 20 HOURS A WEEK, AND YOU STILL HAVE.

SO I GUESS I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE THERE'S ALL THIS CONCERN ABOUT THE MONEY.

WHY DON'T WE THINK A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY INSTEAD OF, OKAY, WE GOT THE MONEY, LET'S LET'S ADD, YOU KNOW, A HIGH PRICED CLERK.

LET'S DO IT. LET'S DO IT PART TIME.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S STILL. IT'S STILL 20 HOURS A WEEK.

NO. I'M ASKING. IT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED.

I'M. I'M CHALLENGING YOU TO THINK DIFFERENTLY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE'S THIS CONCERN ABOUT MONEY AND ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SO WHY DON'T WE THINK DIFFERENTLY? AND THEN WE CAN WE CAN LOWER, LOWER THE MILLAGE.

SEE, IF YOU HAD SOMEONE THERE, SAY 10 TO 2.

AND THAT WAS KNOWN TO PEOPLE BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO COME UP AND GET BURNING CERTIFICATES.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.

COULD THAT WORK ON A TRIAL BASIS TO ONE? IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME COMMUNICATION SO THAT EVERYONE KNOWS 10 TO 2 THAT'S GOING TO BE AVAILABLE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO DO THESE THINGS OR SOME OTHER HOURS.

THAT'S JUST AN ILLUSTRATIVE THING.

CAN THAT WORK AS A STARTING POSITION AND SEE HOW THAT GOES? AND MY OTHER QUESTION IS HOW IS ALL THIS GETTING DONE NOW? WELL, A LOT OF IT'S NEW STUFF, LIKE WE HAVE OUR FIRST MAY 1ST INSPECTION.

IT'S MOST OF IT'S NEWS.

I GET BUT IT'S SPLIT BETWEEN THE CHIEF OFFICERS AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

SO THE DOORS, THE CRITICAL THING, IT ISN'T DOING THE DOOR.

WHOEVER HEARS THAT BUZZER COMES.

YEP, I GET IT.

SO THAT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, AND IT MAY EVEN BE JAMES AND HIS CREW THAT ANSWERS THE DOOR.

IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHO'S AROUND AT THE TIME.

WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT IT.

SEE WHAT THE BENEFITS OF A PART TIME PERSON WOULD BE.

YES, SIR. DEFINITELY.

YOU KNOW, CONSIDER IT, MR. MAYOR. YES, PLEASE.

I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF THIS POSITION BECAUSE I GET A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM LOCAL THAT GO TO TRY TO GET SOME HELP, AND THEY CAN'T GET HELP BECAUSE STEVE AND EM OUT ON A CALL OR WHATEVER, AND THERE'S NOBODY THERE.

[01:00:05]

IF NOBODY THERE, THEY CAN'T GET A BURNING PERMIT.

WE'VE PASSED AN ORDINANCE FOR NEW HAMLETS, AND THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO COORDINATE BETWEEN THE BILL AND COMPANY AND PEOPLE COMING IN.

BUT I'M ALSO WILLING TO CONSIDER WHAT YOU SAID A COMPROMISE WITH, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR THIS POSITION.

BUT WE DO NEED SOMEBODY THERE, EVEN IF IT'S PART TIME, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT GO AND CAN'T GET HELP.

SO IF YOU WANT, I CAN SAY I'M OFFERING A PART TIME.

I'M WILLING TO COMPROMISE WITH THAT.

IT COULD BE A STARTING.

ONE OTHER QUESTION, STEVE, WITH SOMEBODY ON TOP OF THE BILLING, MY SUSPICION IS THERE ARE THINGS THAT SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS AND.

A GOOD CASE TO ADD TO THIS WOULD BE WITH A PERSON WORKING ON THOSE BILLINGS.

MAYBE WE PICK UP ANOTHER 30 OR $40,000 THAT'S FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, OR MAYBE IT'S 10 OR 5.

WE DON'T HAVE TO INFLATE IT.

BUT I WOULD THINK THAT IF YOU HAD SOMEBODY WORKING THAT ISSUE, YOU WOULD CATCH SOME OF THESE DELINQUENT BILLS.

AND THAT WOULD ADD TO I WOULD HOPE I MEAN, WE'RE SO NEW INTO THIS.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH IS BEING DROPPED THROUGH THE CRACKS AT THE MOMENT IN TIME.

I MEAN, WE'RE JUST STARTED BUILDING IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS WITH THE ASSUMPTION COULD BE THIS, THOUGH, WITHOUT SOMEBODY ON IT, THERE'S MORE THAT'S GOING TO DROP THROUGH THE CRACKS THAN SOMEBODY ON IT.

YES, SIR. OKAY.

DOES WILL THIS PERSON ALSO KEEP A CHECK ON ALL YOU GUYS, WHETHER YOU ALL ARE UP TO DATE ON YOUR QUALIFICATIONS, YOUR VACCINATIONS, YOUR MAKE SURE YOUR PD'S ARE DONE ON TIME, THAT YOU'RE CONTINUING EDUCATION IS ON TIME AND ALL OF THAT STUFF.

IT DOES A LOT OF THE CONTINUING ED STUFF.

YEAH, BUT THIS WOULD KEEP TRACK OF ANY ANY CERTIFICATES THAT THEY NEED TO GO REDO, WHETHER IT'S ACLS OR THEIR BLS CARDS OR ANY OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, SHOTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE LIKE YOU'RE REFERRING TO.

YES, MA'AM. YEAH. SO IF, IF, LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, A PARTICULAR GROUP OF Y'ALL, YOU'LL ALREADY YOU'LL NEED TO GET CERTAIN THINGS DONE.

THAT PERSON WILL BE THE ONE THAT'S RESPONSIBLE TO SAY, HEY, A, B, C, D AND E, YOU ARE DUE FOR THIS KIND OF THING.

GET IT DONE RIGHT.

OKAY, OKAY, SO IT'S NOT JUST ANSWERING THE DOOR AND TYPING LETTERS.

THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DEEPER THAN THAT.

POSITIVE. YEAH.

YEAH. OKAY.

POLICE DOORMAN.

IT'S YEAH, I GET YOU.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT DEEPER THAN THAT.

YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU.

OKAY. THAT'S MY CONCERN ABOUT THAT.

THE, THE OTHER THE POSITION THAT I, I WAS UNCLEAR ON.

AND AGAIN, I GO BACK TO WHAT JOHN'S CONCERNED ABOUT.

YOU KNOW, IF WE EVER HAVE ROLLBACK, THESE ARE THE KIND OF POSITIONS THAT END UP PEOPLE GETTING LAID OFF BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO DOUBLE UP. SO I ALWAYS I'M I AM VERY THIS IS I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT TAX REDUCTION.

ADDING STAFF IS SOMETHING I TRY TO THINK THROUGH AS, AS STRONGLY AS I POSSIBLY CAN.

NOW, I KNOW THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME REAL POPULAR OUT THERE, BUT THEN AGAIN, I'M A LAME DUCK SO I CAN BE UNPOPULAR.

IT'LL MAKE YOU A LOT LESS POPULAR IF YOU LAY SOMEBODY OFF, THOUGH, THAT'S FOR SURE.

YEAH. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS.

I'M ALWAYS A LITTLE TOUCHY ADDING PEOPLE WHEN THE FINANCE.

IN ADDITION, JOHN I KNOW THERE WAS SOME CONVERSATION EARLIER IN THE YEAR.

THERE WAS SOME SUGGESTION.

IS THIS PRIMARILY AND I WENT THROUGH THE JOB DESCRIPTION.

THERE'S THREE PAGES OF WHAT THEY CAN DO POSSIBLY.

YOU'LL NEED FOUR PEOPLE FOR THAT.

BUT. IS THIS PRIMARILY FOR THE PROCUREMENT THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN THE YEAR AND SOMEBODY SUGGESTED IN MR. CZYMBOR SAID, WELL, LAST YEAR, I RECOMMEND IT.

AND IT DIDN'T GET IT GOT CUT DOWN BY COUNCIL.

IS THAT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING TALKING ABOUT HERE.

YES, SIR. MAYOR. SO YOU KNOW CUT CUTTING DOWN TO WHAT IT IS.

THIS IS ABOUT PROCUREMENT.

YEAH. BUT TO YOUR POINT ABOUT IT, LOOKS LIKE YOU WOULD NEED 3 OR 4 PEOPLE TO DO THAT.

I THINK THAT ALSO SPEAKS TO WHAT YOU'VE BEEN SAYING ABOUT WE GOT TO DO MORE AND AND ALL OF THIS.

THIS IS A PERSON WHO YES, WE COULD HAVE A FULL TIME PROCUREMENT PERSON, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF HAVING JUST THAT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB WITH PROCUREMENT.

BUT I'M ALSO GOING TO PUT ON THAT PERSON.

YOU ARE GOING TO HELP US WITH THE BUDGET.

YOU ARE GOING TO HELP US AS WE GO THROUGH THE AUDIT.

[01:05:02]

BUT BUT THE THE PRIMARY PIECE OF WHAT WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS PERSON IS ABSOLUTELY TAKE OUR PROCUREMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

OKAY. ALL RIGHT.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.

BECAUSE EACH DEPARTMENT IS ADDING LAYERS.

WE'VE ADDED THE NUMBER OF LAYERS TO.

AND EACH DEPARTMENT GETS MORE LAYERED THAN IT WAS EIGHT YEARS AGO.

NINE YEARS AGO, WHEN MR. CZYMBOR STARTED. SO AGAIN, THAT CONCERNS ME.

NOW I'LL LET JEN TAKE HER TURN OF BEFORE YOU GO.

SORRY, SIR. NO, NO, NO.

GO, PLEASE. WITH THE FINANCIAL ANALYST PERSON.

AND THE MAYOR DID BRING UP THE ISSUE ABOUT THE PROCUREMENT.

SO WILL THIS PERSON BE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR SENDING OUT THE RFP IF WE NEED SOMETHING SCOPE OF SERVICES AND ALL OF THAT STUFF.

MAKING SURE THAT IF WE DO GET GRANTS FROM THE STATE AND FEDERAL, THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE, ALL THE T'S ARE CROSSED AND THE I'S ARE DOTTED AS FAR AS THOSE GRANTS ARE CONCERNED. TO THE SECOND PART OF WHAT YOU ASKED, NEIL IS DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB.

OKAY, I DON'T EVEN NEED TO TURN AROUND.

I'M ASSUMING TO HAVE ANOTHER SET OF EYES AND ANOTHER OKAY, DOING THAT WOULD BE A BIG PLUS FOR HIM.

OKAY. BUT THE MAIN THING THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO, TO HAVING WITH THIS PERSON THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS THEY'RE HERE, IS TO REALLY ROUTINIZE AND HAVE PROCEDURES.

SO EVERY TIME STEVE NEEDS TO BUY A VEHICLE OR BUY A FIRE TRUCK, YOU KNOW, HE HAS SOMEBODY WHO WHO IS DRIVING THE PROCUREMENT PIECE OF THAT RATHER THAN HAVE HIS COMMAND STAFF HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.

GOTCHA. OKAY. NOT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE INVOLVED, BUT THEN WE HAVE A ROUTINE WAY OF GOING ABOUT IT.

WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, FROM A LEGAL STANDPOINT AND SO FORTH.

WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO OKAY, IT'S COMING FROM HARDEEVILLE.

THESE ARE ALL STARTING TO LOOK THE SAME RATHER THAN THE WAY THAT I WOULD WRITE.

ONE MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN STEVE, HOW IT MIGHT WRITE IT AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.

THEY'RE ALL CONSISTENT AND THEY'RE ALL MUCH, MUCH EASIER.

IT'S SAID, AND I'M GOING TO SCREW THIS UP, BUT.

YOU WANT TO MAKE IT EASY FOR SOMEBODY TO SEE YOU AS THEIR BEST CUSTOMER.

SO WHEN WE PUT AN RFP OUT ON THE STREET, WE WANT THE ARCHITECT OR THE BUILDER OR THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER TO SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING, BE ABLE TO CLEARLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND GET THROUGH IT, BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT, THEY MIGHT NOT EVEN BID.

SO I IT'S IT'S A CIRCULAR WIN WIN TO ME.

OKAY. I HOPE THAT COUNCIL SEES IT THE SAME WAY.

THANK YOU JOHN.

THE THE EXPECTATION I WOULD HAVE, WHICH IS A COMPLIMENT TO YOU THAT YOU'LL GET THE SAME EXCELLENCE WITH THIS ADDITIONAL PIECE THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN OUT OF YOUR STAFF WITH THAT LIST OF AWARDS.

AND YOU'LL GO INTO IT WITH THE SAME VIGOR AND THE SAME EXCELLENCE.

AND A YEAR FROM NOW, YOU'LL HAVE A STORY TO TELL US ABOUT WHAT DIFFERENCE THAT MADE.

ABSOLUTELY. AND AGAIN, AS WE GROW, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS THAT HELPS US TAKE CERTAIN BACK BACK OF THE HOUSE FUNCTIONS TO THE NEXT LEVEL TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. AND I'M SURE THE DEPARTMENT HEADS WOULD WOULD MUCH APPRECIATE HAVING SOMEBODY TO WALK WITH THEM AS THEY BUILD OUT THEIR RFPS AND RFQ.

OKAY. THANK YOU.

WE DIDN'T WANT TO OVERLOOK HER.

SORRY, JAN. YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS GETTING AWAY WITH IT? WE'RE NOT ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH.

JAN, THE PR PERSON.

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU AND I DISAGREED LAST YEAR AND PROBABLY GOING TO DISAGREE AGAIN.

AND I JUST WANT TO PREFACE IT, I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH ANY, ANY OF THESE THINGS.

YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, PUTTING FORTH THEIR BEST NEEDS AND AND THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE.

THE ISSUE IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PUT OUR MONEY IN THE BEST PLACE? SO WHEN I LOOKED AT THE THE PR PERSON I'M LOOKING AT IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE MILLIONS, I'M MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PR SINCE MIKE AND I CAME HERE.

THIS IS MY NINTH BUDGET, YOU KNOW, AND I, I HAVE LESS FRIENDS AFTER EACH ONE.

BUT THERE WAS ONE PERSON.

THERE WAS NO REC CENTER.

WE DIDN'T HAVE TWO PUBLIC WORKS PERSONS DIRECTLY WORKING FOR PIT.

WE'VE EXPANDED.

WE'VE DONE WONDERS BACK THERE.

AND EVERY ONE OF THESE THINGS I'VE PUSHED FOR, I'VE SUPPORTED AND I PRAISED WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISH.

[01:10:03]

AND MY FIRST QUESTION IS, WHY DON'T WE HAVE INTERNS ANYMORE? WE DO HAVE INTERNS.

THEY COME IN THE SUMMER, SIR.

OH, THEY ARE COMING BACK THIS SUMMER.

OKAY. THEY COME USUALLY RIGHT AROUND MAY.

OKAY. THAT WAS MY QUESTION WAS IN TERMS AND NOW PART B OF THAT, WHY CAN'T THE INTERNS.

BECAUSE IT SAYS THEY THIS PERSON WOULD HANDLE ATHLETIC PROGRAMS. WHAT ATHLETIC PROGRAMS ARE THEY DOING THAT LIKE THE INTERNS CAN'T HELP WITH.

SO INTERNS ARE FOR A 12 WEEK PROGRAM, RIGHT? SO ONCE THE 12 WEEK PROGRAM IS GONE, WE DON'T HAVE INTERNS ANYMORE.

SO THE FULL TIME POSITION IS SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE YEAR ROUND.

SO THE ATHLETIC PROGRAMING THAT WE DO RIGHT NOW, JUST INTERNALLY FOR LOCALS IS OUR BASKETBALL PROGRAM.

AND THEN WE ALSO DO VOLLEYBALL.

WE WANT TO EXPAND.

WE WANT TO EXPAND ON THE SPORTS TOURISM.

SO THIS PERSON IS GOING TO BE BASICALLY TAKING ALL THAT OFF OF ME RIGHT NOW, AS YOU SAID.

YOU KNOW, THERE WAS TWO PEOPLE WHEN I GOT HERE IN 2018, AND WE HAVE EXPANDED, AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT.

IF IF WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF, WE CAN EXPAND ANYMORE.

SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE CONTINUING TO ASK FOR THIS POSITION SO THAT WE CAN EXPAND WHAT WE OFFER, NOT ONLY TO THE CITIZENS, BUT ALSO TO THOSE THAT ARE TOURING ALL OF OUR AREA.

SO SPORTS TOURISM IS HUGE.

YOU'VE GOT TORMENTA THAT'S GROWING BLUFF.

I MEAN, WE JUST THE OTHER DAY WE HAD TO TURN A COUPLE OF PEOPLE AWAY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE SPACE.

I MEAN, WE ARE THE EPITOME OF DOING MORE WITH LESS, BUT BURNOUT IS HUGE.

YOU'RE YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE PERSON THAT IS DOING IT ALL.

I AM BACK THERE.

IF IT'S NOT ME, BILL OR ANDREW ARE BACK THERE.

ANY TIME THAT THERE'S A FOOTBALL GAME, ANY TIME THAT THERE'S A BASEBALL GAME, WE'RE OUT THERE.

ANYTIME THERE'S A SPECIAL EVENT, OUR STAFF HAVE TO BE THERE.

SO WE HAVE SIX FULL TIME.

WELL, WE HAD FIVE. NOW WE HAVE 16 CAME ON BOARD AND THAT'S IT.

SO WE'RE ALL ROTATING AROUND.

SO ANY TIME THAT WE USE OUR PART TIME STAFF THAT HELPS ALLEVIATE A LITTLE BIT AND THE INTERNS GET A FULL ON IMPACT.

SO THEY ARE LEARNING HOW TO DO MY JOB.

THEY'RE LEARNING HOW TO DO LOGAN'S JOB, MEL'S EVENTS ATHLETICS, YOU NAME IT, THEY'RE THERE LEARNING EVERYTHING.

SO. BUT TO PUT THEM IN A CALIBER OF A FULL TIME JOB PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANT TO.

PROBABLY WOULDN'T WANT TO PUT AN INTERN IN A FULL TIME POSITION.

IT'S GREAT FOR THEM TO LEARN AT THIS POINT, BUT I WOULDN'T PUT AN INTERN IN THAT FULL TIME POSITION.

SO WE'RE KIND OF AT THAT THAT PRECIPICE OF DO WE? DOES PARKS AND RECREATION MOVE AND GROW WITH THE CITY? YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE AT, WHAT, 12, 12,000 PEOPLE? I THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

YEAH. SO I MEAN, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW.

AND SAME THING WITH THOSE SERVICES.

THOSE SERVICE NEEDS ARE GOING TO GROW.

I MEAN, WE JUST HAD A THE BUNNY BASH AND WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

I MEAN, YOU HAD PEOPLE COMING FROM DOWNTOWN HARDEEVILLE THAT'S AN ADULT SERVICE.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EVERYBODY IN OUR DEPARTMENT WORKS TOGETHER ON THAT.

SO IT'S NOT JUST EVEN THOUGH IT IS AN ATHLETIC POSITION, THEY'LL ALSO BE WORKING OTHER AREAS, LIKE JOHN WAS JUST SAYING ABOUT HIS POSITION AS WELL.

SO BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY NEEDED.

AND THE NUMBER ONE REQUEST THAT WE GET FROM OUR LOCALS IS ATHLETICS.

SO WE JUST WE CAN'T GROW ANY MORE WITHOUT IT.

I WOULD I WOULD LOVE TO DO MORE, BUT I PHYSICALLY CAN'T DO ANY MORE.

NO. AND I AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.

BUT YOU KNOW, THE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU SAID THAT OCCURRED TO ME, NUMBER ONE IS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE THE SPACE TO DO ANY, ANY MORE, RIGHT? I MEAN, AND SO NOW.

I'LL USE AN ANALOGY WHEN I HAVE DINNER.

ONCE I GET FULL, I DON'T EAT ANYMORE.

IF WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE OUR STAFF CAN ONLY HANDLE THIS MUCH, WELL, YOU HAVE TO.

YOU HAVE TO STEP AWAY FROM THE TABLE.

YOU CAN'T DO A BUNNY BASH IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH, IF YOU'VE REACHED THE MAXIMUM ABILITY OF YOU TO PERFORM.

SO I'M JUST AGAIN CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ADDING PEOPLE.

IT'S NOT IT'S NOT THE PEOPLE ON THE STREET THAT VOTES THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY.

THESE ARE EXTRA THINGS TO DO EXTRA IN A DEPARTMENT THAT WE HAVE.

WE HAVE GROWN UNBELIEVABLE.

MAYBE ONE OF THE BIGGEST DEPARTMENTS BETWEEN BESIDES POLICE AND FIRE.

SO I'M GOING TO ASK YOU THE SAME THING I ASKED CHIEF KEMP.

THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE.

IT'S $56,000 WITH ALL IN $73,000 WITH BENEFITS.

OKAY. WITH THE BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING ELSE CHEAPER THAN YOUR POLICE.

BUT A PART TIME PERSON DOES NOT HAVE RETIREMENT, DOESN'T HAVE HEALTH CARE, AND YOU CAN GET

[01:15:04]

YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST NEED HELP DOING STUFF, THEN YOU KNOW THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT. AND I WOULD I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING I SAY TO CHIEF KEMP.

MAKE THIS A PART TIME POSITION AND DO AS MUCH AS AND THEN DO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.

BECAUSE IF YOU GOT SOMEBODY PART TIME, SAY, A RETIRED TEACHER OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER IT WAS A $20 AN HOUR, WHICH WOULD BE EXTREMELY HIGH, THAT'D BE A HECK OF A LOT LESS THAN WHAT YOU'RE BUDGETING HERE.

AND THEN WE COULD REDUCE TAXES.

THAT THAT IS A THAT IS A WONDERFUL SUGGESTION.

HOWEVER, I WILL, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS POSITION, NUMBER ONE, IT'S A TAX MONEY, WHICH IS GOOD.

SO IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE GENERAL FUND.

BUT WE DO HAVE A POSITION THAT'S OPEN, THAT'S PART TIME.

WE CAN'T FILL IT BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO WORK AT NIGHT.

NOBODY WANTS TO WORK BACK HERE AT NIGHT.

SO. OKAY.

YEAH I POINT, YEAH.

QUICK POINT. AND THEN JOHN I'M SORRY.

NO YOU GO AHEAD. SO OKAY ATTACKS.

THIS IS NOT GENERAL FUND TAX DOLLARS.

SO OBVIOUSLY THAT THE MILLAGE QUESTION REALLY DOESN'T KICK IN WITH WITH THIS PARTICULAR POSITION YOU GOT TO SPEND WE HAVE TO SPEND THOSE TAX DOLLARS.

IF WE DON'T WE'RE GIVING THEM BACK.

SO AND THEN SECOND, SECONDLY, AND I THINK EVEN MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW PROBABLY IF ONLY POSITIONS THAT ACTUALLY CREATE REVENUE OR RUNNING PROGRAMS CREATING REVENUE, I WOULDN'T I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY OTHER POSITION OTHER THAN SAVING LIKE THE PROCUREMENT PERSON THAT COULD SAVE US MONEY.

I MEAN, BECAUSE WE'RE SAVING, WE'RE PUTTING OUT, WE'RE GETTING THE BEST DEAL BY A, YOU KNOW, COMPREHENSIVE RFP, FINDING ALL MULTIPLE VENDORS.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW POSITIONS THAT ACTUALLY CREATES REVENUE.

I THINK IT WAS 40 OR 50, $60,000 OF NEW MONEY.

SO IT MIGHT COST US WHAT, 71,000? BUT IF WE'RE BRINGING IN 50,000 PLUS, WE'RE PAYING FOR BY A TAX DOLLARS, I THINK WE'RE AHEAD OF THE GAME.

I MEAN, THAT'S I THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD CONSIDER THAT THAT'S WHAT I THAT WAS GOING TO THROW MY $0.02 IN.

AND ALSO I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT IF WE RECALL LAST YEAR WE JEN DID WITHOUT AND WE SAID WE WOULD TRY TO HELP HER THIS YEAR.

AND SO AND SO SHE'S DONE A WHOLE YEAR WITHOUT.

AND AND I WAS GOING TO ADD WHAT MIKE SAID, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO PAY FOR ITSELF.

BUT IT'LL COME CLOSE AND IT'S NOT COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL REVENUE.

SO I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH PROBLEM WITH THIS POSITION.

AND WE DID TELL HER WE WOULD HELP THIS YEAR.

YEAH. AND THIS SAME MAYOR, WE UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM TOO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK, I THINK YOU HAD CHALLENGED US TO KIND OF LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX.

AND SO THIS IS LOOKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN STILL PROVIDE MORE SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY, BRING IN THOSE REVENUE DOLLARS.

AND. I MEAN, IT'S A WIN WIN SITUATION, SO.

BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW.

SERVICES HAVE TO GROW.

THERE'S YOU'VE GOT BLUFFTON, HILTON HEAD, ALL THOSE AREAS.

EVERYONE'S COMING THIS WAY BECAUSE THERE'S NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.

SO LET ME, LET ME ASK A LOT OF CHOICES FOR RESTAURANTS.

HOW TOUGH DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE TO RECRUIT A FULL TIME PERSON JUST TO WHAT THE MARKET'S LIKE AND THIS AND THAT? WHAT'S YOUR SENSE? NOT TOUGH AT ALL.

WE JUST IN SOUTH CAROLINA, GENERAL.

I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT NORTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, ALL THE AREAS THAT ARE AROUND US WHERE WE ADVERTISE, THESE ARE REALLY GOOD ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS THAT GO VERY FAST.

NOW, THEY DON'T NORMALLY STAY, YOU KNOW, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.

THESE ARE KEY POSITIONS THAT COME IN FOR 2 OR 3 YEARS, BUILD SOMETHING, AND THEN THEY MOVE ON INTO, YOU KNOW, HIGHER ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS.

SO TRYING TO GET SOMEBODY IN, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM AT ALL.

AND WE HAVE A VERY GOOD TEAM.

YOU KNOW THAT, LIKE I SAID, WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO GET THINGS DONE.

THAT'S JUST THAT'S JUST HOW I LEAD.

THAT'S MY PHILOSOPHY.

WE ALL LEAD TOGETHER AS AS A GROUP.

SO NOT ONE OF US DOES JUST ONE THING.

WE ALL, WE ALL TAKE PART.

THANK YOU, SIR.

YEAH THANK YOU JEN.

YOU'RE WELCOME SIR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT? NO. ALL RIGHT, MR. DAVIS, FREE FOR YOU.

SIP. YES, SIR.

YES, SIR. HE DIDN'T STEAL ANY OF MY THUNDER.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I WANT TO GO OVER THE CIP WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT.

MR. SINWAR DID TOUCH ON KIND OF THE BIG NUMBERS EARLIER.

VERY BRIEFLY. BEFORE I START, I DID WANT TO KIND OF JUST SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM.

AND BECAUSE THEY DESERVE A LOT OF CREDIT, YOU KNOW, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD A TRUE CIP.

WE HAD A CAPITAL BUDGET, BUT IT WAS A ONE YEAR.

IT WAS A ONE YEAR BUDGET. NOW WE'VE IDENTIFIED NEEDS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE CURRENT OR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR AND, YOU KNOW, IN A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM.

[01:20:01]

WE ALSO HAVE A PROJECT SHEET FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, WHICH PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION, IS QUITE TRANSPARENT.

AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

AND MR. BOYLE AND REALLY ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS PLAY A LARGE PART IN THAT.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WE'VE COME A LONG WAY WITH OUR CIP AND, AND WE SHOULD BE HAPPY AND REALLY PROUD OF THAT.

BUT AS MR. CZYMBOR SAID EARLIER, YOU KNOW, IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR FOR FY 25, ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, THERE WAS ABOUT $35 MILLION WORTH OF REQUESTS. IF YOU LOOK OUT THE WHOLE FIVE YEARS, IT'S ABOUT $140 MILLION OF THINGS THAT ARE ANTICIPATED, WANTED, NEEDED, REQUIRED, ETC.

MANDATED IN SOME CASES, PERHAPS.

BUT ALL THAT SAID.

SO FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR 25, RECOMMENDING ABOUT $24.5 MILLION IN IN OUR CIP.

AND I'LL JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT A FEW OF THE KIND OF THE BIGGER ITEMS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, SEVERAL OF OUR INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, YOU KNOW, ARJUN BOULEVARD US 278, ETC., G2 HUDSON PLAYGROUND AND PARKING AND EVEN MORE ADDITIONAL PARKING AT THE RICHARD GRAY COMPLEX.

SOME FUNDS FOR BEGINNING OF REVITALIZATION OF WHITEHALL BOULEVARD.

CERTAINLY VEHICLE REPLACEMENT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO DO EVERY YEAR.

SOME NEW VEHICLES THAT WE'RE ADDING TO IN PUBLIC WORKS FUNDS FOR THE FUNDED CONSTRUCTION OF THE VETERANS PARK, THE FIRST STEP IN OUR MUNICIPAL HUB PROJECT.

WE'VE ALLOCATED OR SUGGESTED FUNDS FOR THE BEGIN THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR A NEW CITY HALL.

AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE ARE PAID FOR THROUGH A A WHOLE VARIETY OF SOURCES.

AND WE HAVE GENERAL FUND, WE HAVE GRANTS, WE HAVE DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FEES, THIRD PARTY CONTRIBUTIONS DEBT ISSUANCE WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTES AND CERTAINLY A TAX AND H TAX.

AND THAT'S HOW WE FUND ALL THOSE PROJECTS.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY ROBUST CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR A CITY OUR SIZE.

BUT AGAIN, NOT ALL CITIES OUR SIZE ARE GROWING LIKE WE'RE GROWING EITHER.

SO YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT NEED YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE A VISION THAT YOU ALL HAVE ARTICULATED OVER THE YEARS.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE STRIVE TO GET THERE.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO MATCH THESE UP AS BEST.

WE ALL THESE PROJECTS UP THE BEST WE CAN WITH THE GOALS THAT YOU SET EVERY YEAR.

I THINK WE DO A GOOD JOB IN THAT.

WITH THAT SAID, I'LL TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE OR PERHAPS ANY DEPARTMENT HEADS IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR PROJECTS.

ANYONE. PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY.

I HAVE A COUPLE THEN.

OKAY. SIR.

MATT, THE FIRST QUESTION IS.

AND I DON'T SEE IT ANYWHERE ON HERE IS THE BOYD STREET PROJECT.

I BELIEVE THAT'S ACTUALLY GETTING TAKEN CARE OF THIS YEAR, SO THAT'S NOT THAT.

THAT'S THAT'S A PROJECT THAT JODY IS HANDLING RIGHT NOW.

SO THAT'S THAT SHOULD NOT BE PART OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, CORRECT? NO, BUT I MEAN, SHOULDN'T IT BE ON HERE IF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET THERE'S NO NO, IT'S GOING TO BE DONE IN THIS CURRENT BUDGET YEAR.

IT'LL BE OH, THIS ONE BEFORE JUNE 30TH.

YES, SIR. OKAY, OKAY.

BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING.

YES, SIR. OKAY.

SAY, IS THAT TRUE? JODY? THAT IS TRUE.

NEXT QUESTION I HAVE I NOTICED THAT BACK IN I THINK IT WAS 2019.

I THINK THE COUNCIL ENDORSED IT IN 2020.

JANUARY 2020.

IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, THIS COUNCIL ENDORSED A WHITE HARDIE BOULEVARD MASTER PLAN THAT WE SPENT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON AND THAT NUMBER OVER THE COURSE OF MANY YEARS.

IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, WAS $10,000,012 MILLION.

IT WAS A BIG WHATEVER WE WANT IT TO BE.

REALLY? YEAH, IT COULD BE WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE, RIGHT? YOU'RE RIGHT. AND YET AFTER.

WHAT WILL BE FIVE YEARS.

WE'RE GIVING UP $25,000 OUT OF GENERAL FUND AND $100,000 OUT OF ARPA MONEY TO PUT TOWARDS THAT 1210, $12 MILLION TOWARDS WHITE HART BOULEVARD.

AFTER ALL THIS TIME AND AGAIN, NINE YEARS, I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE THE FIRST DAY I SAW WHITE HART BOULEVARD.

NOTHING'S GOTTEN DONE.

AND ACCORDING TO THIS, NOTHING'S PLANNED.

BY CONTRAST, THE MUNICIPAL HUB, WHICH CAME OUT AROUND THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE IN THE IN THE DESIGNATED IN THE PLAN THAT THE MUNICIPAL HUB WILL COST ULTIMATELY $9,366,000.

[01:25:08]

AND I WAS I'M CURIOUS AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE STILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE RENOVATION OF WHITE HART BOULEVARD IN ANY WAY? AND ON TOP OF IT NOW, WHAT WAS DONE EVEN BEFORE I GOT HERE, THE THE TREES ARE GETTING WHATEVER WE SPEND ON THOSE TREES ARE GETTING CHOPPED DOWN.

AND YET AGAIN, AFTER THE COUNCIL ENDORSED A REVITALIZATION OF WHITE HART BOULEVARD IN JANUARY 2020, WE ARE STILL NOT PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO IT.

AND AND WHEN I SAY THAT IN TERMS OF WHAT THE MONEY IS DEVOTED IT TO, BUT WE'LL ADD PEOPLE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, GOD FORBID SOMEBODY HAS TO ANSWER THE DOOR.

BUT WE'RE NOT PUTTING ANYTHING INTO THE THE RENOVATION OF WHITE HART BOULEVARD.

SURE. WELL, FOR FOR ONE THING I WOULD RESPOND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS THE FIRST STEP IN THE WHITE HART BOULEVARD WAS TO REDO THE MCDO.

WE HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WITH SOME OF THE DESIGN PRINCIPLES THAT WE WANTED TO INCORPORATE.

NOT ALL OF WHITE HART BOULEVARD IN THAT REVITALIZATION WILL BE DONE, YOU KNOW, BY US, BY THE CITY.

CERTAINLY CAPITAL INVESTMENT BY THE CITY IS A PART OF IT.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS, THIS, THIS IS WHAT THIS CIP REFLECTS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, AS WE'VE GIVEN YOU UPDATES, YOU KNOW, WE HOPE TO HAVE A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP BEFORE TOO LONG, ETC., AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.

BUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE PROPOSED, WHITE HART BOULEVARD ARE ALSO PRIVATE INVESTMENT AS WELL.

AND SO WE KIND OF HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, TO I GUESS, THAT HURDLE STILL TO CLEAR.

BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE MUNICIPAL HUB, YOU KNOW, IT'S CONNECTED, IT'S ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY WE ALREADY OWN.

I THINK IT'S IT'S ALL INTERRELATED.

AND I THINK WE JUST KIND OF NEED THAT CATALYST TO GET STARTED.

BUT I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

I THINK EVERYONE'S FRUSTRATED THAT THINGS HAVEN'T HAPPENED SOONER, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE THAT THAT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO REALLY KICK IT OFF.

BUT I THINK PUTTING THIS MONEY IN, CERTAINLY IT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY IN THE SCHEME OF OUR CIP.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IT DOES SEND THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE AND WE'RE DOING THAT AND.

SURE. AND THANK YOU.

MATT AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME WORKING ON AN RFP FOR FOR SOME ENGINEERING AND DESIGN AS THINGS HAVE CHANGED, AS WE'VE SEEN MORE OF THAT NEED FOR THAT CONNECTION WITH BOYD STREET.

AND. 321.

OUR FOCUS IS, IS IS GOING THERE BECAUSE WE GOT TO GET THAT FIXED BEFORE WE CAN FIX SOME OF THE ESTHETICS THAT GO AROUND WITH IT.

THE MCDO CHANGES, WHICH THINGS ARE IN THE PROGRESS RIGHT NOW THAT PROJECTS THAT ARE STARTING.

WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE SSC PROCESS.

YOU WILL SEE THOSE CHANGES.

AND THAT MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT FROM WORKING ON THAT MS FROM LAST YEAR'S CAPITAL PLAN.

I DO THINK WITH THE PRIVATE INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, A LOT OF THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE CHANGES.

I'VE HAD THE THE BENEFIT OF BEING AT A CONFERENCE LAST WEEK AND TALKING ABOUT THESE, AS YOU SAID MANY TIMES, THESE PLANS THAT SIT ON A SHELF AND NOTHING HAPPENS AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.

WE'RE HAVING TO REEVALUATE.

WE HAD MONEY FOR LANDSCAPING IN THERE WITH WHAT DOMINION'S DOING, WE'VE GOT TO REWORK SOME OF THE ENGINEERING SO THAT THE LANDSCAPING CAN BE PUT IN THE RIGHT SPOT AND NOT BE REMOVED IN A FEW YEARS AS AS THIS WAS.

SO I DO BELIEVE THAT THINGS ARE MOVING FORWARD.

I THINK YOU'LL SEE A LOT MORE.

WE TRY TO BE REALISTIC IN WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND WITH THIS ARPA MONEY BY THE END OF THE YEAR, AND THAT'S WHAT THE FOCUS IS FOR US FOR RIGHT NOW.

IT. AND AGAIN, THE MONEY THAT'S DEVOTED TO TO ANY PROJECT HERE IS A REFLECTION OF THE PRIORITY THAT IT'S GIVEN.

OKAY. AND I AND YOU KNOW, MORE THAN ANYBODY I'VE BEEN HARPING ON THIS THIS.

BUT CIP STILL REFLECTS THAT WAITATI BOULEVARD IS NOT A PRIORITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT SPENDING MONEY, IT'S NOT A PRIORITY, OKAY.

THERE'S A LOT MORE THINGS THAT HAVE A LOT MORE MONEY.

SO THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE MORE OF A PRIORITY.

BUT WHAT? I'M CONCERNED AS I LEAVE, STILL TALKING ABOUT WHITE HARDEE BOULEVARD AS I WALK OUT THE DOOR.

WE HAVE.

AND WE'VE GOT A RECENT REPORT THAT MY REQUEST FROM ANDY FOGEL.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 2.5 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF WAREHOUSING THAT'S GOING TO COME STRAIGHT DOWN WHITE HART BOULEVARD AND MAKE IT EVEN LESS ATTRACTIVE FOR

[01:30:10]

AND PROBABLY I KNOW WE'RE WORKING WITH SOMEBODY, I HOPE I HOPE THAT DOESN'T TURN THEM OFF WHEN THEY REALIZE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PARADE OF TRUCKS.

BUT PART OF ALL THAT ANSWER WAS, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TRAFFIC CALMING.

WE'RE GOING TO DO MEDIAN WORK THAT HAS NOTHING, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT THAT'S BEEN IN THE MASTER PLAN SINCE JANUARY 2022, 2020.

NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AND NOTHING IS DEVOTED IN THIS CIP IN TERMS OF MONEY BEING DEVOTED EVEN ON THE ON THE OUTSIDE.

AND THAT'S WHAT MY QUESTION WAS, AND THAT'S MY CONCERN.

ADDRESSED FOR FEAR THAT THE TRAFFIC CALMING AND EVERYTHING AT THAT INTERSECTION, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE.

AND I GUESS THAT'S MY QUESTION BECAUSE I DON'T SEE IT IN THIS REPORT, IS EXACTLY WHAT THAT'S FOR.

THE THE I TOTALLY, TOTALLY, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS $1 MILLION SPREAD OUT OVER FIVE YEARS, AND THAT'S NOT NEARLY WHAT WAS CALLED FOR IN THE TOTAL.

COUPLE OF POINTS, HARRY.

I AGREE WITH YOU, BUT I AND I USE THIS SAYING WAY TOO MUCH.

YOU GOTTA CRAWL BEFORE YOU CAN WALK.

WALK BEFORE YOU CAN RUN.

SO AGAIN, I'M I AGREE WITH YOU.

THE PERFECT WORLD.

I WISH WE COULD DO EVERYTHING.

AND I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF STUFF'S BEYOND OUR CONTROL.

REGULATORY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TRYING TO HIRE CONSULTANTS, YOU KNOW, GETTING PEOPLE MOTIVATED.

BUT, I MEAN, WE GOT TO BE PROUD.

WE SPENT A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS BUYING PROPERTY ON WHITE HARDEE BOULEVARD.

WE CLEANED UP THOSE PROPERTIES.

WE SPENT PROBABLY $5 MILLION ON THE HARDEEVILLE COMMERCE PARK, WHICH HAS GOING TO HAVE ENORMOUS RETURNS FOR TRANSFORMING WHITE BOULEVARD. YOU'RE GOING TO YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL KINDS OF PRIVATE INVESTMENT PEOPLE TAKING, BUYING PROPERTY, REVITALIZING PROPERTY, TEARING DOWN PROPERTY THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENING. SO THIS IS A THIS IS A, I GUESS, A SNOWBALL THAT'S STARTING TO ROLL DOWN THE HILL.

AND I AGREE WITH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AND NOTHING'S FOR CERTAIN IF WE CAN IF WE CAN EHMCKE THAT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, YOU AND I WON'T BE HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS.

I MEAN, YOU'LL BUT THAT WILL BE DRAMATIC WHEN SOMEONE COMES IN AND BUYS PROPERTY, THE CITY, AND THEN JUST TO, YOU KNOW, FINALIZE AND I'LL SIT DOWN IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS IN THE LAND EQUITY LAND ACQUISITION.

WE'VE GOT ANOTHER 5 OR 600,000 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND.

PLUS WE GOT THE, YOU KNOW, $3.5 MILLION RESERVES.

IF WE'VE GOT TO COME TO THE TABLE AND DO OUR PART WHEN WE IF WE INK THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP DEAL.

YOU. AND I WON'T EVEN BE TALKING ABOUT WHEN THIS IS GOING TO BE DONE.

IT'S GOING TO BE TRANSFORMED.

I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE A MIRACLE.

I MEAN, THIS WILL BE LIKE UNBELIEVABLE.

SO I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

SO IT'S TAKEN A WHILE AND I KNOW THAT'S BEEN YOUR MANTRA OR MANTRA MANTRA AND I GET IT.

AND BUT I YOU KNOW, WE WITH WE HAD TO PUT ALL THE BUILDING BLOCKS IN PLACE.

THE BIG THING MIGDAL THE THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE STANDARDS, THE US BUYING PROPERTY, A SELLING PROPERTY, US GETTING IN THE RIGHT POSITION TO ENDORSE THE PLAN AND FINANCE SOME PRIVATE DEVELOPER WHO KNOWS REALLY KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

SO I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

I MEAN MAYBE WE COULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB HIGHLIGHTING THAT IN THE CIP, BUT THERE'S COMPONENTS IN THERE THAT WE'RE THAT I HOPE THAT WHEN YOU AND I ARE GONE, THESE FINE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

YOU KNOW, I CAN'T GO OUT THE DOOR WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT LIGHT HEARTED BOULEVARD.

THE NEXT QUESTION I HAVE AND AND I AGREE THAT WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH THE THIS PUBLIC PRIVATE IS PROBABLY THE MOST SUBSTANTIVE PROGRESS THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE IN WHITE HART BOULEVARD.

AGAIN, I JUST DON'T DIDN'T SEE THE THE REFLECTION OF THAT IN THE NUMBERS THAT WERE THERE.

BUT AT ANY RATE JUJU HUDSON, PHASE TWO, $1.1 MILLION.

IS THAT THAT FIELD? NO, SIR. THAT'S THAT'S THE FINISH.

THE PLAYGROUND. THAT'S THE FINISH THE PLAYGROUND WITH THE WITH DESIGNED AS DESIGNED WITH THE SPLASH PADS.

NO, SIR. THERE'S NO OBVIOUSLY.

BECAUSE IF IF IT'S MY PRIORITY, IT GETS IT, YOU KNOW, IT GETS PUT ASIDE.

SO IN THE ORIGINAL WHEN WE APPROVED BACK THERE, PHASE TWO WAS THE CONSIDERATION OF A SPLASH PAD.

WE HAVE NOT YET BEEN PUT.

YOU KNOW THAT ANALYSIS IN FRONT OF THIS COUNCIL.

[01:35:04]

AND NOW HERE WE ARE WITH ANOTHER BUDGET.

IT'S NOT IN THERE.

IT'S BEING IGNORED.

AND YOU KNOW, IT'S AND OKAY, LET'S LET'S SEE IF WE CAN STALL THEM UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST.

AND THEN HE'S OUT OF OUR HAIR.

BUT JUST LIKE WHITE HART BOULEVARD, I'M GOING TO BE IN YOUR HAIR ABOUT IT UNTIL I LEAVE.

WE WANT YOU IN OUR HAIR.

SO WE WANT YOU.

WE WE REALLY DO WANT A SPLASH PAD.

BUT BACK IN 2018, 19, IT WAS IT WAS TAKEN TO COUNCIL AND THE SPLASH PAD WAS NOT IT WAS NOT APPROVED.

WE SHOWED LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND IMAGERY.

AND THEN WE ALSO ON TOP OF THE JUJU, WHICH THERE'S THERE'S TWO MASTER PLANS.

WE HAD THE JUJU PLAYGROUND MASTER PLAN, PHASE ONE, TWO AND THREE.

THE THREE IS THE PARKING LOT.

WE ALSO HAD THE RICHARD GRAY MASTER PLAN, WHICH IS THE ALL EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE BACK IN RICHARD GRAY RIGHT NOW.

SO THERE IS IMAGERY THAT WAS IN THERE AND WE CAN SHARE ALL THIS WITH YOU.

YOU WE'LL SHARE THE PLANS, ALL THAT STUFF.

IT'S ALL OUT THERE.

BUT IT WILL SHOW YOU THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVED NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY SPLASH PAD BECAUSE IT WAS PUT I KNOW I WAS HERE, BUT IT WASN'T APPROVED.

COUNCIL DID NOT APPROVE. NO, WE DID NOT APPROVE IT AT THAT TIME AND WE AGREED.

OKAY. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY.

LET'S DO THIS.

YES. SO NOW WE'RE ON PHASE TWO AND IT'S STILL NOT IN THERE IN SPITE OF, YOU KNOW, MY REPEATED ASKING FOR IT.

YOU KNOW, BLUFFTON JUST DID IT FOR WHATEVER AMOUNT OF MONEY AND, AND AND SO I'M BRINGING IT UP AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO SPEND ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS ON, ON TOP OF THE WHATEVER WE DID BACK THERE.

AND IT JUST GOES TO MY POINT BEFORE, WE HAVE PUT A LOT OF MONEY IN PERSONNEL IN IN EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES AND REC CENTER INTO PARKS AND RECREATION, AND I'M PROUD OF IT.

I'M NOT DISPUTING IT, BUT AS PART OF THAT, YOU KNOW, SHOULD BE AND YOU DID TELL US RECENTLY YOU WOULD BRING US BACK THAT ANALYSIS. WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT ANALYSIS.

NOW WE'RE AT A BUDGET.

IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO EVEN CONSIDER IN SPITE OF ME ASKING FOR IT.

AND I'M ONLY ONE PERSON, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT AT LEAST IF IT WERE CAME HERE, THEN I'D FIND OUT IF THERE WAS THREE PEOPLE, ONE PEOPLE, OR I'M JUST JUST QUACKING IN THE WIND HERE.

NO, YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT QUACKING IN THE WIND.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M.

THAT I'M COMMUNICATING IT EFFECTIVELY.

OKAY. DID YOU. HUDSON PLAYGROUND IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING.

ON PHASE ONE.

PHASE TWO AND PHASE THREE IS JUST FOR JUJU HUDSON PLAYGROUND.

THE SPLASH PAD WAS NEVER INCLUDED OR APPROVED BY COUNCIL, SO WE DO HAVE INFORMATION.

I CAN SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL.

WE'VE GONE OUT. WE'VE GOT QUOTES FOR SPLASH PADS, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, BUT IT CANNOT GO WHERE JUJU HUDSON PLAYGROUND IS.

THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SPACE.

THIS IS WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING THE INFRASTRUCTURE.

NOW THERE IS SPACE THAT'S BACK THERE.

IT'S ALONG I 95, BUT THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE A TON MORE MONEY.

SO WE CAN DO ANALYSIS AND WE CAN BRING ALL THAT STUFF BACK TO YOU.

BUT JUST FOR JUJU HUDSON PLAYGROUND, THERE IS NO SPLASH PAD THAT'S INCLUDED IN THAT.

THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CLARIFIES IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

WE FACE IT OUT BECAUSE OF THE COST.

SO I MEAN, IF WE COULD HAVE DONE IT ALL AT ONE TIME, IT WOULD HAVE COST US, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE ABOUT $4.5 MILLION ALL AT ONE TIME.

SO. IS.

IS THIS 1.1 APPROVED? WELL, IT'S. YES, AS A MATTER OF FACT, I THINK WE HAD.

NO, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT APPROVED UNTIL THIS BUDGET PASSES.

IT'S NOT APPROVED.

SO PART OF IT IS IF YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SEMANTICS, THIS IS NOT APPROVED UNTIL THE COUNCIL SAYS YES.

YES, SIR. OKAY.

THE THE SPLASH PADS WERE NOT APPROVED IN TO 2019, BUT IT DIDN'T SAY WE'RE NEVER GOING TO DO IT.

SO YOU YOU'RE PLAYING SEMANTICS WITH ME I NEED LAND.

THAT'S WHAT I, THAT'S WHAT I NEED FOR YOU TO GIVE US SOME LAND SO THAT WE CAN WE CAN BUILD IT FOR THE ANALYSIS.

BECAUSE THERE WAS EVEN SOME TALK ABOUT PUTTING IN A MUNICIPAL HUB.

BUT BUT AGAIN, UNTIL THAT COMES BEFORE THE COUNCIL, YOU DON'T HAVE.

THIS IS BEFORE THE COUNCIL.

IT'S PART OF THE BUDGET.

YES. YES.

THE SPLASH PADS HAVE NEVER BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE.

SINCE 2019 HAS NOT BEEN BEEN.

BUT THE COUNCIL FOR WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT IT.

YES. WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO PUT IT.

I GUESS THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT.

BUT AGAIN, WE WE CAN I CAN PULL UP AN ANALYSIS AND DO ALL THAT FOR YOU AND BRING IT IN FRONT OF COUNCIL.

YOU KNOW, I JUST THOUGHT WE'D OPPORTUNITY I THOUGHT WE THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.

[01:40:02]

SURE. I NOTICED WE'RE PUTTING $900,000 INTO OLD CITY HALL, AND THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL THAT THAT WAS THAT WAS IN DIRE NEED AND.

NO, NO, DISPUTED THAT.

BUT IT DID OCCUR TO ME, AS I'M LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER, IT'S A BIG NUMBER, RIGHT? IT'S A BIG NUMBER.

AND PART OF THAT IS THAT PARTLY THAT'S ALL OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND.

IT'S ALL COMING OUT OF GENERAL FUND.

RIGHT. AND IT IS A BIT OF A PLACEHOLDER RIGHT NOW.

WE ARE DOING SOME EXPLORATORY WORK RIGHT NOW.

I MEAN, IT IT MAY BEAR OUT THAT IT JUST MAKES MORE SENSE TO DEMOLISH THAT STRUCTURE, DEPENDING ON WHAT WE FIND.

THAT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.

JUST TIMING IS NOT IDEAL WITH THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW, BUT.

WELL, THAT'S I'M NOT QUESTIONING THE 900,000.

WHAT I'M QUESTIONING IS THIS.

IT'S A LOT OF MONEY.

AND NOW YOU'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, I WOULD I WOULD HATE TO TO TEAR DOWN A HISTORICAL BUILDING.

I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT TAKING THE HAYWARD HOUSE DOWN, BUT.

IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY.

THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS LIKE THE MAYTAG REPAIRMAN.

IT'S EMPTY A LOT.

LET'S SAY WE CAN SAVE IT.

WE'RE GOING TO PUT $900,000 IN IT.

AND THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE DISCUSSION, BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT IT IN EVERYBODY'S MIND.

COULDN'T WE UTILIZE THAT BUILDING BETTER AFTER SPENDING ALL THAT MONEY? DO WE REALLY NEED THE CHAMBER SITTING THERE ALL BY THEMSELVES EVERY DAY? AND AND AGAIN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL THINK ABOUT.

WHAT IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY ON RESTORING A HISTORICAL BUILDING, AND I'M CERTAINLY IN FAVOR AND I DON'T QUESTION THE MONEY.

WHAT'S THE BEST UTILIZATION OF THAT BUILDING WHERE THE THE CITY AND THE PUBLIC CAN GET THE BEST USE OUT OF JUST SOMETHING? ABSOLUTELY.

WE WE ALL WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT.

SO JB IS GOING TO GET BUSY.

WHAT? WAIT A MINUTE. WE ALL YOU WANT TO SAY THAT YOU AGREE WITH THAT I AGREE WE AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

NO. SO ALL CANDID.

SO JB IS GOING TO GET BUSY.

THEN WE WILL HAVE AN ANALYSIS.

WHAT'S THE CURRENT CONDITION OF THE BUILDING.

WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS AND WHAT ARE THE COSTS GOING TO BE.

AND YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.

BUT YOU KNOW THERE'S MORE PEOPLE THAT GO IN THERE, RIGHT? I MEAN IT'S A CHAMBER.

WE HAD LOW COUNTRY LEGAL IN THERE.

WE HAD YOU KNOW, WE HAD WE COULD HAVE HAD ON THE PAST.

WE HAD THE COUNTY OFFICERS, WE HAD THE MEDIA IN THERE.

SO I MEAN, OUR WHOLE GOAL IS, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD THE SPACE NEEDS STUDY.

WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY NEEDS AND NOT A LOT OF SPACE.

SO YOU'RE RIGHT. SO WE'VE GOT TO MAXIMIZE WHATEVER WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH BETWEEN 500 AND 950,000.

I AGREE WITH YOU OKAY.

HOPEFULLY PROBABLY BY THE A MONTH FROM NOW WE'LL HAVE THAT.

WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE A REAL GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE DO OR WHAT WE RECOMMEND AND WHAT YOU GUYS WANT TO DO.

AND LOWCOUNTRY LEGAL VOLUNTEERS EXPANDING THAT.

BLUFFTON HELP SELF HELP.

WHAT'S THE BEST UTILIZATION AFTER INVESTING ALL THAT MONEY? WHAT'S THE BEST UTILIZATION OF THAT BUILDING? I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT I NEED TO READ INTO IT.

SO COUNCIL, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE FOR STAFF? WE'RE WE DO HAVE A 5:00 DEADLINE, SO WE DO HAVE A COUPLE MORE MINUTES.

JOHN, DID YOU HAVE ONE MORE PAGE? SIR, AFTER I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.

ANOTHER PAGE? OH, YOU DON'T WANT ANY MORE QUESTIONS FROM ME, DO YOU? JENNIFER. MY QUESTION.

I'M SORRY. JUST A QUICK ONE.

AT SOME TIME, WITHOUT SPENDING TONS OF HOURS ON THIS, COULD YOU JUST SORT OF GIVE US A COMMENT ON THOSE SPLASH PADS, WHAT THE COST IS? NOW, I'M JUST CURIOUS.

AND AND SO YOU COULD DO THAT.

I KNOW YOU HAVE IT, AND I'M NOT ASKING NOW, BUT WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN.

IF YOU COULD JUST AN UPDATE ON THAT, PLEASE.

TONIGHT. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT.

HELLO AGAIN. THE LAST PAGE WE HAVE MY LAST PAGE, ANYWAY, IS THE DEBT SERVICE PAGE, AND IT JUST YOU'LL SEE AT THE TOP, WE WE'VE LAID OUT EVERYTHING THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.

AND THEN YOU SEE THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.

AND WE WALK THROUGH ALL OF THESE IN THE, IN THE ONE ON ONE MEETINGS WITH COUNCIL.

YOU SEE, WE'VE GOT WE'RE PROPOSING TO BORROW $1.9 MILLION FOR THE VETERANS PARK MUNICIPAL HUB, ANOTHER $1 MILLION FOR THAT CITY HALL

[01:45:05]

WE'RE ANTICIPATING BORROWING $3,050,000.

AND THEN WE HAVE VARIOUS AND SUNDRY VERY VEHICLE AND EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE IN ONE.

ONE BORROWING. AND THAT IS.

SIX POLICE CARS, A TRUCK FOR NEW STAFF AT FOR BUILDING SAFETY, AND A EXCAVATOR FOR A MINI EXCAVATOR FOR PUBLIC WORKS.

AND. THERE'S ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THERE AS WELL.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S REPLACING ONE SUV FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THAT'S WHAT THAT THAT LAST $924,000 IN BORROWING WOULD.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THE PROPOSED ADDITIONS TO DEBT SERVICE? OKAY. THANK YOU.

SO JOHN THE THE RECREATION CENTER.

WE'VE BEEN PAYING.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS THE BULK OF THAT WAS BEING PAID BY A TAX FUNDS.

YES, SIR. YES, SIR. BO H.

YEP. I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY.

MIKE. THE WHOLE THING IS PAYING FOR BY AGE, TAX AND A TAX.

OKAY? THE WHOLE THING WAS THE WHOLE THING.

NO GENERAL FUND TAX DOLLARS.

I THINK INITIALLY WE THOUGHT SOME GENERAL FUND MONEY BECAUSE WE WEREN'T COMPLETELY ON OUR PROJECTIONS TO HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY FOR IT.

BUT AGAIN, IT'S IT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH TO PAY FOR DEBT SERVICE.

SO NO GENERAL FUND TAX DOLLARS GOES TO THE.

OKAY. SO WE HAVE ENOUGH AGE TAX AND EIGHT TAX FUNDS TO CONTINUE TO PAY OFF THAT RECREATION CENTER.

AND THE REASON I ASK THE QUESTION, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS, LIKE THE RECREATION PERSON WHO ARE GOING TO BE USING THAT ATTACKS.

YES, SIR. NOW NOT PAY IT OFF LIKE RIGHT NOW.

BUT NO, NO, BUT OUR PRINCIPLE.

SO IT NEVER HAS TO COME OUT OF GENERAL FUND AT THIS POINT.

CORRECT. WE HAVE NO WE ARE VERY COMFORTABLE.

I'M SORRY, JOHN, I'M WALKING ALL OVER YOU.

BUT WE ARE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH OUR PROJECTIONS AND THAT WE WILL HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO PAY THAT DEBT SERVICE.

AND THERE IS A TAB IN YOUR BOOK THAT SAYS A TAX AND H TAX, AND IT DOES HAVE THE ONE PAGE THAT SHOWS THE THE ANTICIPATED DEBT SERVICE FOR ALL OF THOSE AS WELL AS AND THAT INCLUDES THE 15% THAT WE MIGHT BE THAT WE COULD USE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS WELL AS FUNDING. THE POSITION FOR, FOR RECREATION FOR BEGINNING IN THIS FISCAL YEAR AND GOING OUT, I THINK THAT THAT GOES TO FISCAL YEAR 30.

AND IT SHOWS THAT WE CONTINUE TO WE WOULD CONTINUE TO HAVE ENOUGH FUND BALANCE TO COMFORTABLY COVER BOTH THE THE NEW POSITION, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ALL OF OUR DEBT SERVICE AND THEN WHATEVER ELSE WE MIGHT DECIDE TO PARTICIPATE IN.

COUNCIL. ALL RIGHT.

I HAVE I'VE RECEIVED SOME EMAILS OVER THE WEEKEND REGARDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND I'VE SHARED THAT WITH THE CHIEFS AND MIKE, AND I THINK IT'S IT'S IMPORTANT ALTHOUGH IT'S SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE BUDGET BECAUSE IT'S THE USE OF, OF EQUIPMENT.

AND, CHIEF, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M ABOUT TO ASK YOU? BECAUSE I FORWARDED THIS TO YOU, BUT ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS HAS WAS QUESTIONING WHY OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO 100%, 100% OF THE MEDICAL CALLS AND WAS QUESTIONING WHETHER OR NOT THIS WAS NOT A A NECESSARY USE OF OF TIME. SO COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC WHY FIRE VEHICLES GO ON ON MEDICAL COSTS? YES, SIR. THERE'S MANY REASONS.

FIRST OFF. I WANT TO BE RUDE, BUT NOT EVERYBODY IS OF SMALL STATURE AND IS EASY TO MOVE IN AND OUT OF HOUSES.

SO THE LARGER THE POPULATION, THE HARDER IT IS TO GET THEM IN AND OUT.

WE'VE DONE THINGS TO TRY TO COMPENSATE FOR THAT WITH OUR AMBULANCE.

[01:50:04]

AND THE TOILET SEEMS TO BE WHERE EVERYBODY LIKES TO FALL, AND IT'S HARD TO GET PEOPLE OUT.

SO ONE IS EXTRA HANDS.

KEEP OUR OWN PERSONNEL FROM GETTING HURT BY TRYING TO LIFT PEOPLE OUT OF THESE CRAZY POSITIONS THAT THEY WIND UP IN.

ANOTHER REASON IS AS GOOD AS OUR DISPATCH IS.

PEOPLE DON'T ALWAYS TELL US EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON AND WE WIND UP, YOU KNOW, WE GET TOLD, OH, THIS GUY'S GOT A BROKEN TOE, AND WE GET THERE AND HALF HIS LEG IS HANGING OFF, SO IT'S NEVER WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE.

SO THAT'S ANOTHER REASON.

AND THIRD, ALL OF OUR ALL OF OUR FIREMEN ARE EMTS AT MINIMUM, SO WE CAN START MEDICAL TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY NO MATTER WHERE THAT AMBULANCE IS.

AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING IS LET'S SAVE TIME.

BECAUSE TIME, AS YOU KNOW, MAYOR, IS VERY CRITICAL TO GETTING AN AED ON SOMEONE.

I CERTAINLY DO, YES, SIR.

SO THAT IS OUR MAIN REASON IS TIME.

WE TRY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THE CALLS ARE.

THE AMBULANCES ARE ALWAYS RUNNING ALL OVER THE CITY.

ALL OVER THE COUNTY.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT.

OUR FIRE TRUCKS ARE GENERALLY, AS YOU KNOW, WE ONLY USE 5% OF OUR TIME IS ON ACTUAL FIRES.

SO WE TRY TO MAKE UP THAT DIFFERENCE WITH AMBULANCES INSTEAD OF SPENDING ALL THIS, YOU KNOW, HAVING AMBULANCES SITTING AROUND DOING ANYTHING.

WE'VE ALREADY GOT THE FIRE TRUCKS.

SO LET'S USE THEM ON THE MEDICAL CALLS.

LET'S USE THESE TRAINED GUYS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE.

WE HAVE, LIKE YOU SAID, SEVERAL MILES OF INTERSTATE ON THAT EMAIL.

AND THAT REQUIRES MORE THAN JUST AN AMBULANCE.

YOU GOT TO HAVE THE TOOLS TO GET IN AND OUT OF THESE VEHICLES.

YOU GOT TO BE ABLE TO CUT THE ROOFS OFF, CUT THE DOORS OFF.

SO THERE'S MANY, MANY REASONS.

OUR MAIN REASON, THOUGH, IS SAVING TIME.

AND TIME IS HEART MUSCLE.

TIME IS BRAIN TISSUE AND THAT IS OUR MAIN REASON.

AMEN. AMEN.

OKAY. THAT GOOD ENOUGH? I GOT MORE IF YOU NEED MORE.

WELL, NO. AND AGAIN, YOU SAW MY RESPONSE.

YES, SIR. AND YOU HIT A LOT OF IT ON THE HEAD.

THAT'S VERY GOOD. A LOT OF THIS THE SAME BECAUSE IF YOU RECALL, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, I ASKED THE SAME QUESTIONS AND YOU GAVE ME THESE ANSWERS.

BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND NOT FROM ME, BUT FROM YOU.

YOU KNOW WHY WE HAVE THESE THINGS.

SECOND QUESTION THESE PROTOCOLS OF HAVING A FIRE VEHICLE GO TO RESPOND TO MEDICAL CALLS.

IS THIS STATUTORY MEANING? IS IT REQUIRED BY LAW? IS IT IS IT CUSTOMARY? IS IT CUSTOMARY TO THE LOW COUNTRY? IS IT CUSTOMARY TO SOUTH CAROLINA, OR IS IT JUST CUSTOMARY FOR US? HOW PREVALENT IS THIS CUSTOM? IT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE PREVALENT BY THE YEAR, AS MORE AND MORE FIRE DEPARTMENTS REALIZE THAT THESE FIRES ARE GOING DOWN, CALL VOLUMES ARE GOING DOWN.

ONE REASON, ONE WAY WE CAN ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, INCREASE OUR UTILIZATION IS TO SEND THEM MORE MEDICAL CALLS.

AND IT'S BEEN PROVEN IN SOME OF THE LARGER CITIES, LIKE CHICAGO AND ALL THAT.

SENDING THE FIRE TRUCK DOES SAVE THAT TIME.

AND TIME, LIKE WE SAID, IS BRAIN TISSUE IS IS HEART MUSCLE.

SO IT IS NOT NECESSARILY CUSTOMARY, BUT IT IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE CUSTOMARY.

NOW AND WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS A LOT LIKE WE'VE DONE IS THESE FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE STARTING TO TAKE OVER EMS SERVICES, YOU KNOW, CHATHAM EMS ACROSS THE RIVER DID THAT.

YOU KNOW, BACK IN 1999, SOUTH SIDE PURCHASED MERCY AMBULANCE SERVICE AND THEY STARTED DOING THE SAME THING THAT WE'RE DOING.

SO IT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMON.

IT IS NOT 100% COMMON ACROSS THE COUNTRY YET, BUT IT IS MORE AND MORE COMMON.

A LOT OF YOUR BIGGER CITIES ARE DOING IT.

SO AS IT TRICKLES DOWN, IT WILL BECOME PRETTY MUCH CUSTOMARY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, I WOULD SAY.

HE NOTHING STATUTORY TO IT.

NO. RIGHT. OKAY. SO JUST AGAIN, I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF ONE PERSON IS MAKING THESE QUESTIONS, THERE'S PROBABLY OTHER PEOPLE WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND. AND I ACTUALLY LOOKED ONLINE YESTERDAY AFTER YOU SENT THE EMAIL.

AND THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT FIRE DEPARTMENT WEBSITES THAT HAVE THAT EXACT SAME QUESTION.

WHY DOES A FIRE TRUCK COME TO AN EMS CALL? SO WE WILL GET WITH JAMES AND HIS CREW, AND WE'LL GET ONE OF THOSE FAQS KIND OF THING ON OUR WEBSITE.

THAT WAY IF THEY HAVE A QUESTION, THEY CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND GET THE ANSWERS.

THAT WOULD BE THAT WOULD BE EXCELLENT.

AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN GET THAT AROUND TO THE COMMUNITY WHO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT THESE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEM AND THEY DON'T ANSWER.

AND AS YOU RECALL, I ANSWERED THIS PERSON AT 80, ROUGHLY 80% OF OUR CALLS ARE MEDICAL.

BUT HAVING SAID THAT, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW WHAT I ANSWERED.

IF WE DIDN'T SEND OUR MEDICAL TRUCKS TO OUR FIRE TRUCKS, TO THESE MEDICAL COSTS, HOW MANY FIREFIGHTERS COULD WE ELIMINATE? IF WE DIDN'T SEND THEM TO THE THING? YEAH. IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO ON MEDICAL COSTS, HOW COULD WE REDUCE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT?

[01:55:04]

SO AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW WHAT I ANSWERED.

BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE OUT THERE.

IF THEY DIDN'T GO ON MEDICAL CALLS, WOULD COULD WE JUST LEAVE THEM IN THE BAYS AND SAVE GAS? YOU COULD THEY'RE STILL GOING TO DO THEIR TRAINING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE GOING TO BE AT THE STATION DOING WHATEVER THEY CAN DO, WHETHER IT'S THAT I SEE HIM GOING AROUND YOU CHECK WHERE THE ADDRESSES ARE.

YOU YOU'RE CONSTANTLY OUT.

THOSE THOSE VEHICLES.

YEAH. WE'RE DOING PRE PLANS INSPECTIONS, FIRE INSPECTIONS.

WE'RE DOING HYDRANTS DRIVERS TRAINING.

THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WE HAVE TO DO OUT AND ABOUT IN THE PUBLIC.

SO THEY THOSE TRUCKS ARE MADE TO MOVE.

YES SIR. WHETHER THERE'S A FIRE OR NOT THERE, THE DIESEL MOTORS, JUST LIKE AN 18 WHEELER.

THEY'RE WHAT THEY CALL MILLION MILE MOTORS.

SO THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DESIGNED TO DO.

OKAY. DESIGNED TO LAST TEN YEARS FOR US.

OKAY. AND JUST EXPLAIN.

YOU SAID YOU WOULD.

WE WOULDN'T SAVE ANY MONEY IF WE DIDN'T GO ON MEDICAL COSTS.

YOU WOULD SAVE SOME GAS MONEY, MAYBE.

OKAY. BUT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THING, IT'S IT'S NOT.

BUT WE EXPLAIN AS, AS WE ALL KNOW HERE THAT WE TRY TO DO OUR FIRE STATIONS WITHIN A CERTAIN RADIUS. CORRECT.

AND WHY DO WE DO THAT? AND WHAT'S THE BENEFIT OF DOING THAT? YOU TRY AND AGAIN IT GOES BACK TO TIME.

TIME IS EVERYTHING.

JUST LIKE IN A FIRE.

YOU KNOW, YOU'VE ALL HEARD THE RULE THAT A FIRE DOUBLES IN SIZE EVERY 30S.

WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY FASTER THAN THAT NOWADAYS WITH THESE NEW MATERIALS THAT THEY'RE USING IN THESE HOMES.

BUT THAT'S THE GENERAL RULE OF THUMB.

SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS WE TRY TO PUT THESE FIREHOUSES IN A WHERE THEY CAN GET THERE IN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME OR SIX, EIGHT MINUTES, JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU KNOW.

POLICY ALLOWS.

THAT WAY THEY, THEY GENERALLY STAY IN THEIR AREAS WHERE AN AMBULANCE COULD BE RUNNING ALL ACROSS THE CITY FOR THE MOST PART.

SO THEY'RE CLOSER TO MOST CALLS USUALLY FOR THAT FOR THAT REASON IS BECAUSE THEY ARE IN IN THESE COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS HILTON HEAD LAKES AND SUN CITY, WHERE WE'RE RIGHT OUTSIDE OF SUN CITY.

SO IT'S ALL BASED ON TRAVEL TIMES FOR THOSE BIG APPARATUS, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT RACE CARS.

THEY DON'T GET UP AND GO 100 MILES AN HOUR.

SO WE CAN'T GET THERE EXTREMELY FAST.

WE HAVE TO BE AT LEAST FAIRLY CLOSE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND AGAIN I'VE ANSWERED THIS GENTLEMAN AND HE'S HE'S GIVEN INPUT BEFORE AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE PUBLIC INPUT.

BUT HE RAISED QUESTIONS THAT I REALIZED MAYBE THE REST OF THE PUBLIC ISN'T AWARE OF.

AND WE WELCOME THE QUESTIONS.

IF YOU WOULD JUST SEND IT TO US AND MAYBE WE'LL ADD IT TO THAT, THAT WEBSITE, AND THEN WE'LL ANSWER IT FOR YOU.

IF ONE PERSON HAS IT, THAT MEANS PROBABLY THERE'S MORE THAN ONE PERSON HAS THE SAME QUESTION.

SO AND THAT'S WHY I ASKED YOU TO THE WEBSITE.

AND THAT WAY WE CAN JUST HAVE ONE PAGE TO ANSWER ALL THESE KIND OF SMALL QUESTIONS TO MAKE IT EASY FOR US.

AND THAT'S WHY I ASKED YOU TO ANSWER NOT JUST FOR THIS GENTLEMAN SO MUCH AS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING IT.

ANYTHING ELSE? NO.

NOT NOW. YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE ME AN OPENING LIKE THAT.

YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN THAT, CHIEF.

NO. THAT'S RIGHT.

SO I GUESS BASED ON WHERE WE'RE AT, I'LL WE SUGGEST SOME DATES.

BUT KNOWING MR. MEERSMAN IS GOING TO GET BACK APRIL 29TH WITH JET LAG, HE MAY NOT BE WANTING TO MEET ON APRIL 30TH.

WHY DON'T WE JUST WAIT? I'LL EMAIL HIM, SEE IF HE HAS ANY QUESTIONS SO WE CAN SET UP THE NEXT BUDGET WORKSHOP.

I'LL FIND OUT WHAT THE COUNCIL'S AVAILABILITY IS.

I KNOW WE HAVE OUR NEXT COUNCIL MEETING MAY 2ND.

THE AGENDA AT THIS POINT IS MANAGEABLE, SO WE WERE THINKING ABOUT A WORKSHOP BEFORE IT ON A COUPLE OF THINGS, BUT MAYBE WE COULD DO THE BUDGET WORKSHOP BEFORE THEN AND THEN DEFER ANOTHER SOME OTHER WORKSHOP TOPICS MAYBE THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

SO I'LL GET WITH YOU FOLKS AND THEN MR. MEERSMAN TO SEE WHEN HE CAN MEET, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY HE HE'LL WANT TO HAVE SOME INPUT.

WELL YES, SIR.

IF AND THIS IS A QUESTION FOR COUNCIL.

IT WOULD SEEM TO ME.

UNLESS THE DEPARTMENTS WANT TO REVISIT MY PART TIME SUGGESTION.

BUT IT SEEMS TO ME AS FAR AS COUNCIL'S DECISION HERE, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO WHETHER OR NOT WE WANT TO REDUCE THE MILL.

SO IF THAT'S THE ONLY ISSUE THAT HAS TO BE DECIDED THEN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED A TWO

[02:00:07]

THERE'S THERE'S THAT SEEMS TO BE COMING AWAY FROM HERE.

THE ONLY ISSUE LEFT TO BE RESOLVED THAT WOULD IMPACT THE BUDGET, BUT ALSO GOING TO BO'S POINT, WHERE HE NEEDED THE ANALYSIS FROM FROM KEEPING THE MILLAGE AT THE SAME RATE OF LAST YEAR.

TO WHAT IF WE HAD ONE, ONE POINT, YOU KNOW, IF THAT ANALYSIS, WE COULD PROVIDE THAT AS PART OF THAT.

YEAH. BRIEF WORKSHOP THAT I THINK THAT THE MAYOR'S TALKING ABOUT.

YEAH. AND YOU COULD THAT THAT ANALYSIS COULD BE SENT AS PART OF OUR, OUR PACKET.

AND IF THERE IS A.

IF THE AGENDA IS WELL, YOU'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS IN TERMS OF YOU WANT TO MEET SEPARATELY FOR A HALF HOUR DISCUSSION OR YOU WANT TO DO IT BEFORE A MEETING, YOU KNOW, BUT AGAIN, IT AS ANY BUDGET CONTROVERSY, IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD, ALL FIVE OF US SHOULD DECIDE IT, NOT FOUR OF US.

SO I CAN DO IT ON THE FIRST.

SOMETIMES THE WORKSHOP AND THE MEETING IS IS A LOT OF.

THERE'S A LOT OF TIME AND A LOT OF THOUGHT THAT WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO BE SHARP, AND I VOTE.

I MEAN, I SUGGEST FOR ME PERSONALLY THAT WE DO THE FIRST GET THAT DONE AND THEN WE GET TO OUR.

MEETING AND WE KNOW WHAT WE'VE DONE ON THE FIRST, SIR.

SO MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO DO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON THE FIRST, NOT BEFORE THE MEETING ON THURSDAY.

OKAY. AND PERHAPS THERE'S I'M SORRY, YOU MEAN NOT BEFORE THE FIRST READING, JUST ON THE FIRST.

DO THAT. AND ON THE 1ST OF MAY.

YES. OKAY. OKAY.

GOTCHA. THANK YOU.

PERHAPS WE COULD LOOK AT BECAUSE, AGAIN, STEVE'S BACK THE 29TH, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT'S A MONDAY, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, BACK TO THE WORLD.

WELL, I'VE BEEN TO EUROPE.

IT'S NOT AN EASY RECOVERY TIME, BUT PERHAPS THERE IS SOME OTHER WORKSHOP AGENDA ITEM THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE NECESSITATE US TO COME TOGETHER AND GET MORE DONE THAN JUST A HALF HOUR. COME, ALL EVERYBODY COME IN FOR A HALF HOUR CONVERSATION.

BECAUSE THE ANALYSIS THAT BOSE ASKED FOR, WE SHOULD ALL HAVE AN ADVANCE, RIGHT.

SO THAT JUST SOME OPTIONS TO CONSIDER.

AND YOU KNOW I, YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER KNOW HOW THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE GOING TO GO.

SO WHETHER THEY'RE 30 MINUTES OR 3 MINUTES.

SO WE SHOULD ALL CONSIDER THAT.

ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OKAY. ANYONE ELSE FROM COUNCIL HAVE ANY ANY OTHER THOUGHTS THAT THEY'D LIKE TO INPUT INTO THE

[III. ADJOURNMENT]

SO LET'S HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

MOTION TO ADJOURN. WE HAVE A MOTION.

WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

GOOD FOR YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.