All right, good afternoon everyone. >> We're going to start with a recognition before city council and we're going to start with Miss Sheila Cernna. Sheila Cernna, dedicated environmental and advocacy professional with over one decade of experience in environmental regulation, air quality management, and climate policy. After working for TCQ for seven years, she gained extensive knowledge and experience that led her to develop an air quality monitoring study, bringing attention to our city's ethylene oxide exposure. Michila, come on down, please. >> And do you want to say a couple of awards please? >> Thank you, mayor. Thank you so much. Um, well, first of all, I want to thank you for this recognition. Um, I think that you've shown the community how much you truly care, value, and understand environmental and air quality issues that we have. Um, I'd I'd also like to acknowledge Dr. Chamberlain for diverting some of his department's funds to the ETO air monitoring study, which I'm really proud of. I think we got great valuable data from that. And I hope to continue doing work for you and the city, our community. And lastly, I'd like to thank my husband because without him, I don't think I would have had the courage uh and so and to do any of what I've accomplished so far. So, he's given me a lot of love and support throughout the years. So, thank you. Yeah. Cool. Ready? One two three. Next recognition. Recognition for retiring executive director Maria Gaona of the Laredo Housing Authority. Laredo Housing Authority is also dear to me. My father used to be the executive director many years ago. So I can relate to that. Couple of words please. First of all, thank you, mayor, for this recognition. It means a lot to me. And uh I want to take the time to thank the board, the staff, everybody for joining me on this special uh occasion. And then it's it's been a pleasure to work for the agency for the past I've been there a total of 24 years. So, it's been an honor to serve the Laredo Housing Authority as well as our community. So, I'm going to dearly miss everyone, but thank you so much. Let's get a picture. Any family family members or any >> right >> one rest of Right in the middle. >> Everybody Thank you. I don't see her right there. >> Oh, okay. Can we have one of you come over here, please? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Right here. Ready? One, two, three. That's three more to go. Ready? One, two, three. One two three. Last one. Ready. One, two, three. Perfect. Here you go. Next recognition, Isabella Ramirez, >> Matilda Gonzalez, Deanda, Renata Gonzalez, Deanda for their exceptional dedication and leadership, not only as community advocates, but also as top scholars and accomplished athletes. These remarkable young women co-founded the nonprofit organization, We Got Your Back, through which they have been able to provide assistance to over 2,500 immigrants in our community. They have offered vital support, resources, and hope to individuals and families in need, reinforcing the spirit of unity and belonging that defines us all. Their nonprofit organization, We Got Your Back, stands as a testament to what compassion and determination can achieve. Driven by a deep commitment toward their community, they have not only alleviated hardship, but also inspired broader community involvement, motivating others to contribute to our collective well-being. These young ladies have poured their heart into the cause, setting an inspiring example of how community services can come together to make a lasting impact. Congratulations And one two three one. Who's first? You. >> So, first of all, thank you, mayor, for the recognition. And I just wanted to say a lot of thank you for um the support we've gotten over this year. And also thank you to my mom and my sister for always supporting us and just overall for the recognition of our passion and service for the community. Thank you. >> Yes, same for me that thank you. Thank you so much for the recognition and also just for all the support that we've received from like over the past year of making this and I'm so glad that we've received this. Thank you so much. >> All right, congratulations to both of you. Let's get family pictures. Do you have any family? Let's get family. One two three. That concludes our recognitions and thank you very much. Congratulations to everybody that received them. Thank you very much. >> All right, one more thing before we leave. We will recognize and introduce a new executive director, Jennifer Barentos. And congratulations for the new post. And you may you have all the good luck and we have all your support. Come on down. And of course, a couple of words. >> Thank you for this opportunity. I want to thank all the board of commissioners and our staff members um for this role that I'm going to play in the agency and continue our community efforts here with the with the city of >> Lo. And now this concludes our recognition. Thank you very much. >> Call to the meeting to order. City of Laredo has amended regular city council meeting city council chambers 1110 Houston Street Laredo Texas November the 4th 2024 5:30 p.m. All stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one nation indivisible. Moment of silence, please. >> Thank you. May be seated. Mr. Secretary, roll call, please. >> Yes, Mayor. >> Honorable mayor, Dr. Victor D. Trevinho, >> present. >> Council member, District 1, Gilbert Gonzalez. >> Council member, District 2, Ricardo Ranel Jr. Council member district three Melissa Cigaroa >> council member district 4 Albert Torres Jr. >> Mayor peramp Ruben Gutierrez Jr. >> present >> council member district 6 Dr. Tyler King >> here. >> Council member District 7, Vanessa Perez. Council member District 8, Alisa Sigoa. >> Mayor, you have a quorum. >> Mayor, let the record reflect that Gilbert Gonzalez is here. Gonzalez. >> Council Gonzalez, present, please. >> Yes, mayor. >> Item number five, approval of the minutes. So move motion. Any second? >> Second. All in favor? >> I oppose. Motion passes. Citizens comments. Citizen can participate through in-person comments. Citizen wishing to provide in-person comments are required to fill that witness card and submit it to the city secretary no later than 5:45 p.m. and identify themselves at the microphone. Comments are limited to around three minutes for speakers. Speakers may not pass or minister to any other speaker. All comments should be revalent to city build business and delivered in a professional manner. No derogatory remarks will be permitted. We'll start with citizen comments. Shel Lauret. I'm sorry. What's your name? Yes. Marisa Baltista. >> Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Marita Bautista. I'm a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural worker. I live in district three and serve on the fine arts and culture commission. As a cultural worker, I feel more morally obligated to use my artistic practice and talents in the service of positive social change. All of this work I engage in supports this belief that the arts are essential and transformative as long as they are accessible. Art transformed and saved my life as a young person. And I'm extremely thankful to the mentors I have that I've had in my life who made sure I had access to art and who showed me that there are opportunities in the arts and creative industries. Through my professional work, I have worked alongside hundreds of artists in the 20 plus years I have worked in the nonprofit art sector. I have also mentored many young artists who live here and in South Texas. I love connecting artists with community and vice versa. Although I have had many opportunities offered to me outside of Laredo, I feel extremely fortunate to work in service of my favorite city and that I get to do what I love and most and am most passionate about here in Laredo. Back in 2019, city council passed what has been marked as a very significant triumph for the arts in our community. Ordinance 201977, a proclamation of the first ever established dedicated funding source for public art in Laredo. With it, the city council authorized the allocation of 2% of city Laredo construction costs for art. With it, the city council authorized the Sorry, I repeated that. You also recognize that public art can boost economic development, increase tourism and property values, and that public art aids in the beautifification of the city, and contributes to community pride by promoting our heritage and expanding the experience and participation of citizens with the visual arts. By passing this ordinance, you all showed us that you desire to provide funding for the acquisition and conservation of public art in the city of Laredo. Thank you, city council, for showing us that it was important to you to take this crucial step forward because it also led the city to hire consultants to design and present the Laredo Public Arts Master Plan adopted in 2022 and ultimately led to the creation and job post for Laredo's first public art program manager on October 16, just a few weeks ago. a position that's needed to implement and administer the public arts master plan and prepare a 10-year strategic plan for our city's public art collection. Today, the 2% fund has about 2.4 million, a mere fraction of the city's overall budget. All of these things have been huge successes for our art community. Thank you for seeing the importance in all of that and for adopting the 2% fund because it demonstrates mayor a shared commitment of growth and development for an even more artistic and beautiful city full of opportunities. I stand before you now because I don't think anyone here believes that art is more important than water. Every single living being deserves access to clean water. Water is life. However, I also believe that everyone that is present here and in our city has the right to access art in public spaces. Our spaces, art is essential. You already took the necessary steps to show us this by adopting the 2% ordinance. Do not take this huge feat away from us. Do not continue to neglect our community from accessing accessing public art. The arts fund is already in motion and I expect all of you to continue to invest in our public spaces because we deserve a better quality of life, one that is propelled by the arts, insider imagination, and guide our pride as a community to thrive and prosper with healthy, dignified lives. Thank you. >> Thank you. For the record, Councilman is here, please. Yes, ma'am. All right. >> Thank you. >> Please be cognizant that we have multiple comments, so try to stay around three minutes. Norma, Norma Ortiz. Hello council members, my name is Nor Martis and I'm reading on behalf of my deon. Dear members of the Laredo City Council, as an art and culinary historian, I acknowledge that clean water is essential for survival, but art is what makes societies and cultures flourish. History is told through writing, sculpture, and painting. Art is a reflection of cultural traditions, beliefs, and experiences. Just two weeks ago, I moderated a panel with local chefs and and producers at TAMU called Foodtown Laredo. We talked about the desire Laredoans have to create the city that they want to live in. This includes clean water, sustainable agriculture, and the arts. Without a platform for self-expression, there is no impetus for this. Recent exhibitions at the Laredo Center for the Arts have been featured in prominent art magazines, putting Larredo as an arts destination on the map. A 2% cut will dim the great strides the Laredo art community has achieved over the past few years. The arts are transformative and it is only through self-expression that a community can grow and thrive. Just like water is needed for physical survival, art provides a means of expression and connection to to the human experience. Both are vital and can and should coexist. The source of financing clean water should not interfere with the ability of the arts to flourish in our great community. I urge you to seek funding from other sources. The arts are the soul of a city. Sincerely, mate Gomez Reon. >> Thank you, >> Tim Ruben. >> Hello. Thank you. Uh, my name is Tim Rubel. I am a Laredo based dance artist and dance professor at Texas A&M International University, though I'm speaking today as a private citizen as part of the artistic uh uh community here in Laredo. Um I'm here to voice my opposition to the elimination of city funding for the arts in Laredo. First of all, the arts are essential. Arts programming is a vital part of any healthy economy. A simple cursory look at cities across the world will demonstrate that those with strong arts districts have stronger have stronger economies. Uh the arts encourage businesses like restaurants, coffee shops, and bars uh to sprout up in their surrounding areas because people who attend arts events will go and patronize those places. The arts invite people to have tangible in-person experiences. They get people out of our cars and into community with each other. For a city like Laredo that is almost entirely autodependent and will undoubtedly suffer the effects from climate change caused by our automobiles, art events like Kaminatee, for example, are essential because they encourage walking and human interaction. In short, we need more arts in Laredo, not less. I do of course understand the need to address our water issues and I applaud those in our city government who have made this a priority. But stripping our excuse me, but stripping our stripping our city of its access to local arts funding is not the way to solve our water crisis. The water crisis was caused by years of mismanagement and only exacerbated by rapid suburban developments that strain the water system. Instead of cutting arts funding, build less sprawling subdivisions up north and invest in urbanizing our downtown. Seek out state and federal grants for water infrastructure. And finally, no offense, but don't raise the salaries of city council and the mayor when those funds could obviously be put towards our infrastructure needs instead. In closing, the arts are an easy target for elimination when times are tough. But I charge you, our elected officials, to be more forward thinking than that and to see that the arts are and can be Laro's strength, not a financial burden. Thank you. >> Thank you. Ricardo. >> Good evening, mayor, council members. I'm here representing myself and the community. It is hard to be in your position right now. It's not the easiest thing leaders from different regions, districts. You guys don't all get along with each other. You don't have to. But what you do have to do is make decisions that are better for the community of Florida. That is your main focus when you took this job and this opportunity was to help every single person here. No matter what they believe in and how they believe in it, it is to your utmost decision the way this this community continues. And right now, yes, we are in a predicament with the water issue. But at the end of the day, the water issue was not caused today, yesterday, last week or two weeks ago. It has been years of negle uh neglect through the system that this has happened. As leaders, you must own that. It's fine. We've already been through it. You guys have a temporary fix right now for it. That's fine. But the decisions you make today to cut non-essential things, it's not a band-aid. This is a planning, a strategic planning of what the infrastructure needs. And from there, you create KPIs and contingency plans so this will never happen again. And after that, you budget all of that and what infrastructure is going to take. And then you look at the providers as a whole and see which providers are best licensed for certain areas of opportunity, not one provider for all. And once that happens, you set a limit on change orders. Only 10% and 15% on change order can be continued through the bid. After that, it has to be rebitted. That is part of every single business um bid that we do in the international trade. It's something that's common practice. I I humbly ask you to incorporate things like that, measures like that. And if you want to get funds, I mean, people just said it and it's true. That raise that you guys have, give it to the utilities department for engineers that we could hire skilled engineers to come in. I'm not saying you don't guys don't deserve a raise, but maybe next year you guys do. We're in two years. That's fine. But let us vote on that, too. Let us see the difference. Let us see how what the difference between one council and four years another counselor looks like I don't I've never gone to any job and told my boss hey man I'm going to get a raise tomorrow it's that's not how it works but you guys are not in in an easy position so I respect you I asked you consider that and consider other other items such as your events funds we don't all need five events of fourth of July in every single district we could do one Fourth of July in Laredo and it could be one event per district and we have eight events a district that a year and that's it. >> Money is for that. >> Thank you for your time. I appreciate your time here, but please make the right decisions. Thank you. >> Julio Julio Mendes. >> Good evening council. My name is Julio Mendes. I am a 45 year educator in the fine arts leading from high school to Laro Center for the Art Laro Community College as well as Tamu and uh I'm going to be talking about art culture and education which is an important aspect of what we do as a community when we talk about the arts. So indulge me from the beginning of time mankind has used the arts both to educate and to create culture. The evidence is found in the bure caverns, Alamita caves where some 17,000 years ago humans painted the animals they hunted. Evidence of Native American renditions or their culture can be found as close as POS canyon with uh images that date 12,000 years ago. Federal are abundant throughout many areas of our nation such as Waco tanks in El Paso depicting hunting grounds in order to be able to teach their young ones to find the food that they needed. Magicians write Egyptian writing was created by using images of various birds and other objects and pieces which contributed to the formal alphabet used by the for writing where they recorded their culture and history. torical events uh giving an user insight of their culture from the past. Like them, we educate our children with a written language. Like them, we create symbols that represent sounds and when put together can give expressive thoughts and feelings and emotions. Uh that is art in itself, feelings and emotions. We also use recognized pictures, recognizable pictures to those sounds like a for apple. We also create chance music in order to be able to facilitate the understanding of the alphabet. A B CDE E F G. Children's books are also filled with iconic pictures that facilitate the reading of the story. Since the beginning of time, science was brought about through observation and creativity. Einstein said, and I quote, "In the scientific process, imagination is more important than knowledge. Art is a way of life. We think, we dream, we do interpretations of our readings with images formulated in our brain. We call this visual beings. Infants will draw circles and lines without formal organization. Yet, they can use their imagination to tell you fabulous stories. If you have had children's you know that this is true the famous uh movement in Mexico was approached by Vason's minister of education >> mayor three minutes mayor >> after the Mexican revolution he wanted to tell the story of his people but how to achieve it was the the main problem citizens were denied education and could not read. Thus he used artists like Rosco and others to create Victorian history. This is something that can be done in our town and I won't read the rest because my time is over. We have decapitated buildings that need to be beautified but we don't have the people that own them to be able to expend the money on that. It is important to be able to take into consideration that the funds that were provided for the uh uh beautifification of the city can be used in order to make our city a place that our own citizens are willing and are going to enjoy coming to the city. So I hope that you take that into consideration when you take your final decision. Thank you Garcia. >> Javier Garcia. >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Dr. >> Okay. Sorry. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Dr. City Council members, my name is Javier Garcia, born and raised here in Loro. The district I live is not important. We are all Loro. Dr. Trevinho, you wanting to defund the the culture program claiming has non essential only shows how ignorance your claims are. Do you ever think that these funds are going to solve the water problem? Non-essential is raising your own salaries. I mean you and you doing nothing about it only makes you look as crooked and corrupt as this has as the council members that voted for it. Nonessential is having your son receiving a salary. This is called nepotism. This is non-essential. We the citizens of Loredo demand an honest city council. A city council that makes decision in transparent way. Our citizens deserve to have a better quality of life. I hope you reconsider this and make the right decisions. Thank you very much. >> Wagner. >> Mayor, may I be heard briefly? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> I want to ask Mr. Gwen, could you please help us keep some sort of order with derogatory remarks and claims that may not be true? By all means, the the rules of the quorum do apply. We ask that you do not make direct remarks. I mean, your political speech is your political speech, but be respectful of council. >> Crystal Wagner. >> Um, council members and mayor, my name is Crystal Wagner and I am here I am here as a contemporary artist recently relocated from Los Angeles. I'm also an art professor. >> Please. >> I'm also an art professor and a cultural generator. I want to provide with you the broad picture. For the past 15 years in my career, I've traveled all over the globe creating largecale art projects. Projects just like the ones that this budget would fund. When I'm contacted and commissioned by governments, organizations, industries, the president become a major media company in Time Square. The questions are always the same. How can we bring the community together? How can we create moments that create transformative experiences that give citizens of a community bridges to each other? Transformative, inspirational moments that change the way that they experience a place that they've lived their whole lives. How can we do this? And the answer is always the same. It's the same in Singapore. It's the same in the Middle East. It's the same in Serbia through the arts. Every single project that I've done done to bring communities together has been based off of these largecale projects that come through public art funds for beautifification. It's about placemaking. It's about bridging communities. everything that we can do together to create moments for individuals. Creativity is the catalyst to innovation and imagination is the bridge between the past and the future. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Jessie Shaw. >> Jesse. Hello, my name is Jesse Shaw. I'm an artist and educator here on the radio. And I'd like and I'd like to talk to you about why we're all here today. Why is this building full of artists and patrons of the arts, dancers, singers, poets? Why are we gathered here to talk to you this evening? It's because we're frustrated with the framing of this issue. a false choice between art and clean water. First and foremost, we all want clean water. Everybody here, right? >> We all agree on that. >> But position, excuse me, sorry. But positioning this as a choice between water and public art is uh both misleading and frankly insulting. Here's what I see happening. Laro's water issue is systemic. This didn't arise overnight. It's been developing for years with multiple opportunities to fix it along the way and resolve it. Now, during an election year, council members appear to be seeking a quick fix to this issue. And while wanting a fast solution is understandable, raiding the public arts budget is not a real fix. It's an illusion of an action. It's a stunt. It's aimed at producing something deliverable in a time of desperation. And I get that. But these funds targeted were allocated by the community and this council to beautify our city. It was to foster a sense of place and pride for everyone who lives here. Now, just as the arts master plan is gaining momentum after many years and the city is preparing to hire a public arts manager to oversee these projects that will enrich our community, you're pulling the rug out from under us. You want to take the fund's promise for public art and for this community and throw it at a problem that hasn't been fully assessed yet. This feels like a betrayal of trust. For years, city leadership has failed to provide a reliable water system, a fundamental necessity. Now, trying to address that failure, you're preparing to break another promise. The commitment you made to public art, arts education, and the beautifification of our city. Public art fosters a sense of identity. It makes our city more vibrant and welcoming and instills pride to all the citizens of Laredo and especially the youngest. This isn't about today's decision. It's about a pattern of broken promises. Laredo deserves better. And to everyone here, please make your voice heard. and out there. Make your voice heard and let the council know that we won't stand for a poorly thoughtout fix at the expense of our community's vision for a beautiful and inspiring city. We deserve clean water and a city we're all proud to call home. Thank you for your Ra Portillo. >> Hi, my name is Raa Portillo. Um, and good evening, council members, mayor. Um, I want to start off by addressing something with you, Mayor Travin. During your time as Laredo's health authority during CO 19, you fought for our community. Even when city management and council attempted to silence and threaten you to maintain optics and ease public pressure. Today, your proposed agenda feels like a similar reactive approach. a quick fix meant to quiet concerns without addressing the deeper issues. Defunding the vital projects like the 2% arts fund to provide temporary relief to the water issue is a band-aid on a broken system. It won't solve our challenges and risks further damage to Laredo's future. Our city already struggles to fill crucial staff positions like engineering roles and a long-term vacant traffic department director role among many others because we lack the quality of life needed to retain and attract talent. Investing in arts and culture and quality of life isn't non-essential. It's essential for growth and sustainability. Without it, we will continue losing talent and fall behind, trapped in a cycle where poor quality of life limits progress. I urge you to consider the long-term impact. Sacrificing projects that build our community in return for shortterm optics won't move Laredo forward. address the water crisis with real comprehensive solutions, not distractions that undermine years of advocacy and progress. After returning to Laredo after 10 years and deciding to get involved in making Laredo better, I personally dedicated over a year of time and effort to advocate for and help pass the 2% for the arts program to tackle a water crisis caused by your poor leadership and mismanagement. I'm sure you can figure out another way to fund the water bill rebates just like you figured out a way to increase your discretionary spending and give yourselves a salary raise. Thank you. Daniel Martinez. >> It's right here. >> Hi, good evening. Um, so my name is Danielle Martinez. I'm actually I'm a healthcare worker. I'm a taxpayer. I'm a mother. I have my daughter here and I had this whole uh thing written up. But my daughter was here and she was listening to everything that was going on. And so, you know, for the past weeks, I've witnessed on social media and that's why I'm here today the going back and forth and the lack of each and every single one of you to work together because as we can see, the community is divided right now. But we need to find a balance. We need to find a balance because water is essential. It's essential. Arts are essential, too. Maybe it's the wording that was used, but arts are essential as well. The only thing is is that when there is a crisis, water surpasses anything. It's the need, the survival. We need clean water for survival. I work in healthcare and there was many, many elderly. I work with an insurance many elderly at doctor's hospital who were sick with vomiting, diarrhea and nausea because of the water situation. Now Miss Melissa Sigaroa in the last meeting you did say that we need to have amenities to provide a good quality of life. But how do we want to have good quality of life if we don't have a clean and good water infrastructure system? That needs to be priority right now. We need to put our personal interest aside because I love art. My children participate in school district art contest. But what is essential essential right now is the water. Why? Because of the elderly. The elderly who didn't know about the water boil notice. Mr. Dr. King, I messaged you. There was people in our district who didn't know about the water boil notice, but because I'm a healthc care worker, I was able to communicate that to them. and thank you for delivering. You know, the city did deliver water. Miss Vanessa Perez as well. She she also did her part in her district. So, I thank you for that. But we need to really put our personal interests aside and really ma what matters the most, which is water because we need water. Now, climate change is another thing. We need a good water infrastructure system for droughts, for flooding. That is what the community wants. Clean water. You see all the comments on the so on the social media the the um the meeting get streamed live. All they want is clean water. Now you also mentioned that there's water boil notices across other cities in Texas. We don't care about that. We live in Laredo and we voted each and every single one of you to represent us citizens of Laredo, not citizens of Austin, not citizens of Dallas, not citizens of Houston, but of Laredo. And so Eoli present in our water should not happen because like I've said before, we do not live in Africa. We live in the United States of America where we pay taxes and where we pay a water bill. And so for my daughter who has a heart condition to have to go to school with the water fountain being covered, I'm sorry, but that is wrong and that is just unacceptable for teachers to be at school with chronic diseases. Okay? Who only got one bottle of water. And I know that's not your fault, but how is that acceptable? How maybe it's the wording. You all need to really come together, each and every single one of you, and put all your personal aside, personal interest aside, and really look at what needs to be done, which is clean, safe water. Now, yes, arts are essential. They're essential for social and emotional intelligence. I know that. I'm an advocate for art, but artists need clean water. And so my daughter was listening to the back and forth and the comments and you know she explained to me a little bit and I told her you know they're artists and they love art but we also have the clean wa we have the water situation. So Himea what is it that you want to tell them? >> I love art but I need clean water. >> So I'll leave you all with that. Dr. Ricardo mayor comments don't really have to do with the arts. So maybe I'd like to defer until the artists are done with their comments. >> All right. Thank you, >> Nathan Breton. All right. Thank you. >> Jesse Shaw, Ricardo Castillo. Um, first of all, I'd just like to thank the council and everybody involved here today and everything that you do to um provide value for for the citizens of Laredo. Um, I'm somebody who has lived here the f u my my family has been here since since 1744 and went since 1755 when when our city was founded. Um, I was born in Galson, which is not how I wanted to spend my time talking about that, but anyway. Um, I didn't go away for college. I've stayed here and been a part of this community my my entire life, my entire cognizant life. Um, I'm an educator, an arts educator, and an artist who uh I feel like I have a very particular um uh perspective to speak about this as someone who has worked with the city on public art projects before. In the past, I was a the muralist fortunate and grateful enough to be selected to to put a big mural uh in our downtown, all displaying our our our wonderful city's really fascinating history, which I'm very passionate about. Um above the top of the mural I'll remind everybody and which I'd love to do um that it says our story is our power. As an educator I learned that um you know the human brain is an amazing thing from a very very early age from its very first cognizant moments it is constantly gathering information like a sponge gathering information about its surroundings um in order to develop to survive in that situation. Right? And the the the medical doctors among us will will confer with this. Right? Um, and if a child is growing up in a city, in a community with broken down buildings, um, that used to be apartment buildings way back in the day, but nobody wants to bring them up to code, so now they're all empty and, um, nar a walkable sidewalk that leaves our citizens to the whims of South Texas heat, right? Then that child inevitably will grow up forming that as part of their identity. Gosh, I guess I can't ever expect anybody to do anything for me here. I guess that's how it is. I guess that's how how I gotta be. I guess I gotta be tough and I guess I just can't help anybody else because ain't nobody gonna help me out, right? I guess that's how I got to be. Um, and I guess that's how part of the identity that I'm going to form as a Mexican-American, as a Laredoan, and as as a human being. I know that that's not what you all want. I know that you all took these positions because you care about our city. And I thank you for everything you've been doing to address this this water situation that nobody wanted to have to deal with, right? Um, but I have to tell you, as somebody who has sat on multiple um multiple boards for our our community theater organizations, which by the way, I'm still waiting to see some of our council members at our at our plays and stuff. If you want tickets, please just reach out to me and I'll get you some comp tickets. Um um and as somebody who has worked with the city before, um I have to say that this recent decision to allocate arts funds to to as a band-aid for this problem was not surprising for me when I was when I was granted this this ability to make this this mural that I was still very proud to do. Um I want everybody to understand that not a single penny reached my pocket at all for that. Um and ner enough money was spent on the project to cover the rent of the genie boom uh uh in order to reach the height of the building. Um I I I know that this is um a community that really cares about how our our citizens are. We do need water. And I don't want anybody to think that all of us coming to you is any evidence of us being bratty or ungrateful or unwilling to share our resources for the good of our society, for the good of our our our community. Actually, as artists, we are very used to having no resources whatsoever and still producing all of all of the stuff that you all enjoy all of the time. Um, so I just wanted to um bring that perspective as somebody who has worked with the city before and to um I believe in you. I believe in all of you and I believe in all my students and I believe in all of you as as adults even um that you all will make the right choice that there are other resources. We're not coming to you saying like no don't take us our money away. We're not crying here. We're also adults. We're coming to you because we know that there are other resources to fix this problem. And um I also just wanted to remind everybody that there is not a single decision that this council can make that will stop us from creating art and culture and history for our community. So we're we're used to it, but I I believe in you to to make the right decision moving forward. Thank you so so much. >> Thank you. Leslie Miranda. >> That's for the matter. >> All right, that's fine. Thank you, >> Kayla Sanchez. Hello, veteran taxpayer and advocate. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. clean. for a lasard. Foreign I need the captions. I need the captions in Spanish. Gracias. >> All right, I will request the quorum, please, or else we're going to take longer. Please refrain from shouting or jerry. Luxandrea. Good evening, mayor and city council members. For the record, my name is Lupandera. We are here yet again with a water issue because of Alisa Saroa, Melissa Sarah, and Dr. Tyler King. Dur Alisa Saroa during the water boiling notice. You mentioned that it was indeed an emergency crisis, but you stated here a week ago that there was no rush with the water crisis and refused refuse to stop your art projects in your district. I'm not against art. I'm all for it, but right now we need clean water. Your slogan reads, "Caring for people first, but yet you failed the constituents of District 8 by taking no action last week." >> The crisis. I'm talking. I'm talking >> order. >> Order. >> Respect the line. Respect the line. >> The crisis happened during your leadership and it's not a matter of if you would do something tonight. You must all vote to stop all projects and bring clean water to the city of Laredo. Alisa Camin is a city sponsor event. Are you using city resources to promote your own interest? Because if so that would be conflict of interest rules because Daphne Foundation is registered at your residence 1420 Washington and the last time I checked you're still the president and the founder Melissa Sarua the rebate is it is not important to you >> for the people they rely on drinking water for their everyday use they don't have a car or extra money to buy bottled water so when They want to get water. It cost them money. This is especially true for people that live below the poverty line. We have put ourselves in their shoes and lives their lives for one day. I know a lot of them and how they struggle during the wild border boil notice. And instead of being against the rebate, why don't you try to collect money from your friends from Old Mercy Hospital and use that money towards the water infrastructure. Thank you, >> Ricardo Ort. Order >> there. >> I'm going to res recess for five minutes. >> Everyone may have your attention, please. Uh we there's a lot of business to get through tonight. Uh we want to respect your rights to speak. So in order to keep things moving, uh I am asking that you all remain seated. When the mayor calls you up, you have your three minutes. uh please refrain from from cheering and clapping and and taking up more time. However, please know as uh you know from coming in here that any disturbances uh you will be asked to to leave and you'll be escorted out by police. So, please maintain the quorum so we get through this meeting. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. We'll continue with citizen comments. Ricardo Ortalo. >> Okay. Good afternoon, honorable mayor Dr. Victor Tavinho, city of Laredo, uh, council members, council staff, and citizens of Laredo here at these people's house. Um, I am Ricardo Talo and I am addressing this honorable people's house to bring to your attention our citizens concern about your taking away the 2% funding for the arts and using it for water utilities funding. Um allow me to remind you the especially those council members in favor of these money's new allocation that this money is solely and exclusively to be used for inclusion of public art in capital improvement projects beautifification of city buildings, walls, bridges and existing infrastructure and maintenance. It is expressly prohibited from using these funds for purchasing art, building museums or aiding artists or artistic uh foundations. These are not funds for extravagant agendas nor personal city council members hobbies. I ask you if you don't believe that we Laroans, especially the ones in marginalized and forgotten for decades, do not all districts and areas deserve dignified and preserved looking neighborhoods. Have you ever thought why Laredoans don't want to live in Laredo? Have you asked yourselves why there is an everexisting noaso mentality? Have you asked yourselves why architects doctors scientists professionals don't want to come to work here? It is very easy for you to step outside your house, see a flourishing green yard. But have you been thinking about those children that get to see on a daily basis torn down buildings, abandoned commercial spaces, gray and poverished and dirty buildings? My mother is going blind and you want to take away from her her last chance to see color, beauty, and cleanliness? Do you want to strip away from her her right to a dignified space? Please think about this. Beautifification of streets, bridges and public spaces construct a sense of community, a sense of pride and a feeling of safety. Yes, water is vital and it is a fundamental right by but why are you positioning yourselves between our right to clean water and our right to safe, clean and beautiful neighborhoods? If some of you are advocating to strip us from an allocated percentage that could bring us dignified public spaces and neighborhoods, why haven't you advocated from stripping yourselves from that salary increase that will cost the city an extra 40%. Why should the children from the southside, the elderly in downtown or from Barasteka lose their chances to live in a dignified district? Meanwhile, you people are trying to get salary rates. It is embarrassing that our sister city of Novo can afford international art festivals, an art center and museums without having to compromise our water, utilities expenses, a third world country city showing you how things are done. My apologies, council members, but you don't deserve a pay raise. You deserve a citizen's pink slip. This disaster's water problems that you have brought upon us can only demonstrate that you have failed to keep us safe. Make things right and don't ransom our chance to a dignified neighborhood. Don't don't ransom our chance for public spaces that give us a sense of security in the city that we will feel proud of. Respectable mayor, please better the salary increase. City Council members, make things right and admin administer our hard-earned taxpayers money without compromising our children's future, our elders of dignity, and our sense of safety and our neighborhoods. Please don't touch that to present clean water, our Olympia, cleaner houses. Gracias. Keep this in mind. Edith Esposa It's tearing the city apart. National Park. raise Food trucks. tearing each other apart. Rockinz. >> Good afternoon everybody. >> I didn't finish the last time because that's where I got my notes. But to make a long story short, now they're talking about the water solution. You all are planting 80 oak trees on Clark and a waste of money for everybody. Our taxes going down the drain. Instead of making Laro safer and better, better for the future, you're making it worse. Old oak trees grow real big to begin with. 80 trees and some of them have already died and you water. You start watering at 5:00 in the morning and I've seen it as far as 9:30 at night watering plants. Clark, we're wasting the water completely there. You're still wasting it. Instead of beautifying Laro, we've gone backwards on Clark. Clark, I'm all I want to do is talk about Clark. No other project like that. Just Clark itself. We've gone so far backwards on safe. It's pathetic. Instead of taking the blue art and just making up turning lanes, make it safer. Take all those trees out of there. It'll be it'll beautify Larredo and it'll make it a lot safer for everybody else and you will be saving water and light bills too. Think about it. You don't need a PhD to think about that. All you got to do is be have common sense how to do it. What are you going to do? People are going over the curves to to make a left turn because their bumps are make them all turn in lanes. One time I brought you pictures from the lakeway where they had all the strictly just turning left to the left and it was beautiful. You could see the bright lights on it. So I'm going to stay with that. You're wasting basically I figure over $1,000 per day in that project. Y seen up to six people working there daily, probably even more. So we have wasted a lot of money there for nothing. And I think it is completely a waste of money. Out of the 20 that we counted, I think 20 already 80 that we counted holes. I think you added some more. They have to be a 100 trees out there, old trees. Let's say you get them for free for 100 bucks each. That's a lot of money wasted and the manh hours and all the construction going and it's just the beginning because now you got to maintain every year. And how big do they grow? They grow real big. So, please think about it. Maybe do away with them. Take take those trees someplace else because they're already dying anyway, some of them. That's one of them. And this other note that we got again that we had already voted against it as you know Dr. uh Gayo, he brought his lawyer and we're all against this project here on Clark that you want to do something with it to make more businesses. It's already it's a hassle there. Make beautify it. You're taking it more back. More back. More. We haven't taken a step forward on Clark. We're always going back. Those beautiful >> uh mayor three minutes mayor. >> Okay. Those beautiful poles. Those poles. Waste of money. What we're doing is throwing money away. Put them around the downtown. It'll be more beautiful downtown than out there on different uh streets. Thank you for your time. Appreciate it. God bless you all. >> Thank you. Take care. Manfredo Salenzo Selenas from district 4. Uh the reason I came was I see that all you councilmen argue the hard the water but the water problems been there since years. Nobody pay attention for it. I mean you get uh you get in your head the big money for sale and you always forget about the city you know the art the people who are hey get a from the US government they have funds for art you get millions of dollars for it so stop fighting for the money I mean like Mr. Garcia said, "Hey, we got to fix the water. The water we can't survive." Oh, that's all I got to say. >> All right. Thank you, >> Jose. >> Joseando. >> Uh, good afternoon. For the record, my name is Kos Wango. Um, I hope you're actually listening to the people behind me because I came to say the same basically the same thing is that we have no trust in city council. We left this whole place without water and people were suffering. Businesses were closing and today we don't even trust you that I'm not drinking water from from the house. I have to go buy water because I just don't trust city council. And you're asking for billions of dollars in a bond. It's almost embarrassing to to be asking. I don't see how you're not embarrassed to ask for that money. I don't trust you. I don't trust that you're going to uh be diligent with our money. For for a long time, we all have been trying to fix this with the water and putting pumping money into it and more money and more money. And we're still in the same situation as we were before. We're even worse right now. I've been speaking with a lot of people as I've been campaigning and um I spoke with one group uh community LRD and they they told me so many things and I wish I could come forward and and say all these things that the issues that they had but time does not permit but the one thing that we came everything came down to was trust. We just don't trust you and I think that is something that you need to work on the trust of the people right now. all these people that are coming up in a democratic way bringing out their concerns and all I hear is they don't trust you and to me as I was listening to other people I have I have a question to ask you and I know that you can't answer but in a moment of silence or when you're alone if you can reflect on this what is the legacy that you want to leave behind what is the legacy that you're leaving behind as for me I can tell you from point of view from the outside looking in. The legacy that you're leaving behind is that you left us for 12 days without water while you were bakering and firing about getting a pay raise or a pension or traveling to Washington. I believe that you need to reflect on that very seriously. Thank you. >> Thank you. Rebecca Rodriguez. >> Good evening. Sorry. >> Good evening, city council. Honorable Mayor Dr. Victor Drevin. My name is Rebecca Maria Rodriguez and I am a current resident of district 4. Today I am speaking as both a concerned citizen and member of the local arts community. I am well aware of the need for an efficient water system for our city. This is a basic human right that is non-negotiable. As many of my fellow community members have voiced, it is the lack of action on the city's part that has led to the numerous boil water notices and service interruptions throughout the last 5 years. However, I am also disappointed by the recent proposal set forth regarding the reallocation of the public arts fund to address the water crisis, especially in light of the ethically questionable pay raises that were recently approved. I am here to say we are not your scapegoats. It is appalling that the artists you call upon to beautify your neighborhoods, nurture young minds, and represent Laredo on the state, national, and even international stages are once again left fight for crumbs. I'm sure you all are familiar with the phrase, let them eat cake. This is what you are telling us when you prioritize your salaries and self-s serving interest over the well-being of the constituents you serve. All the radios deserve clean water and sufficient resources to thrive in the city we love through artistic expression and we will not let the selfishness of a few dictate the futures of so many. I humbly but firmly ask city council to find alternative funding for our waterline replacements without affecting the public arts fund. To Mayor Dr. Victor Trevinho, please veto the pay raise approved by city council members Albert Torres, Ricardo Ranel, Vanessa Perez, Ruben Gutierrez, and Gilbert Gonzalez. If you're wondering why I mentioned them by name, well, remember tomorrow is election day. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Breton >> for another item. >> Michelle Romani. >> Good evening, Mayor Travin, members of the city council. My name is Michelle Marie Romani and I'm here to speak on the water issue and a couple of other funding matters. I kind of feel like uh John Wayne and David Crockett by myself, but I can understand the need for arts. I am a frequent attendee. I think y'all have seen me at the and I appreciate art. But I also know that we need our water. We need to have clean water. And I'm saying, what I'm suggesting is not a cancellation, but a deferment. There's got to be a way where both sides can meet. And one of those would be perhaps taking the hotel motel tax money which is for tourism, art, brains and tourists. Leverage that money from the convention and visitors bureau from the from the um hotel motel tax to to divert that because that is a restricted fund and that can help. The other would be next week the returning members of the Texas House will be pre-filing legislation. I suggest that perhaps a delegation meet with our legislative delegation, Senators Afarini and Representative Richard Raymond, and see if legislation can be filed that can allow Laro to tap in from the Texas Commission for the Arts, from the Texas Historical Commission, whatever monies are available, that is a viable solution that I've not heard anybody address. Now, we do need the money for the water, but it's not just about laying down a pipe. The other suggestion is again tapping into our legislative delegation and Congressman Buyer to talk to Chancellor John Sharp about having a water engineer program at TAMU where we can grow our own engineers or offer some sort of an incentive for them to come to Laredo whether it be a student loan forgiveness or something. uh but have them stay at least for five years so we can get something out of them and give something to them. The other suggestion would be in having a temporary moratorum on water disconnections because people are having to choose between paying their electric bills or their gas bill. I'm not saying a three I'm just maybe a 15 20 days at least until the end of the month to get people on their feet. The last suggestion would be regarding the raise in compensation. I work in the Texas House for Mayor. Three minutes. >> I'll be very quick. I work in the Texas House for 13 years and I worked for a lawmaker who was on call 24 hours. A water pipe breaks here. I'm not going to call Mr. Neb. I'm not going to call Mr. Valdez. I'm going to call my council member. And I know a lot of people probably got callings at 3 in the morning. Y'all have What people don't understand is that it is a full-time job because you're also making sacrifices. You've got families to feed. You've got households to support, but the worker is worth their wage. So what I wanted to present was some sort of a balance because everybody is yelling, everybody is screaming, but nobody is offering any kind of a concrete solution. I'm a nobody. I get that. But at least thank you for allowing me to to give you the benefit or lack of benefit of my 13 years in the Texas House. And I hope that you know you can both of them. The time to meet with the legislative delegation is now, not when you go to Austin when session is already happening, but the pre-filing, the negotiations begin now. I thank you for allowing me to speak. >> Thank you. Valentine Ree Valentine Valer for the record veteran advocate. Let's start with some facts. The utilities department is an enterprise fund and its annual budget this year is a $191 million budget for waterworks and sewers. You also have the utilities capital improvement plant which is 136 million and is that money is used for water water line replacement and treatment. In total is $326 million. Any lesser amount stated is false. Is it is it enough money? No, it's not. The idea to defund our citizens quality of life investment is only a drop of water. So this investment that is needed and I would say maybe 800 million. The people of the art community have contributed greatly to this community. I'll give you an example. The no border wall. It put Laredo on the map. It brought families together, not only from Laredo, but from around the world. Let me repeat this. From around the world stood with Laredo because of that art. Now, and by you defunding arts and any other pro any other quality of life improvements for our city, you're setting us backwards in Novagen. That's why our kids are going to live in Austin or Fort Worth or Dallas because we don't have the arts here. We don't have a lot. We don't have parks here. That's why they're leaving. And what you do instead, you come up with this master plan. Oh, let's defund that. But let me tell you what you should have thought 10, 15 years, Mr. Al Torres, Mr. Ricardo Rael, it was in your time that you should have gotten together to fix this problem with the water and replace our old pipes. That's an old problem that should have been fixed then. And you gave yourself a raise back then. And now again, you gave yourselves a race to include Ruben Gutierrez and Vanessa Perez who are running right now. You guys gave yourself that race >> without giving the opportunity to the community to say yes or no. Do you really deserve this? So what are you doing? You're rewarding your own failures. Let me repeat that again. You're rewarding your own failures. A lot of you people want to label me as a political assassin and I'm not. Okay. A political assassin is like the lady Lucandra who's in the back who works for our mayor canona and I'm pretty sure she's hired by some of these other council members to say the negative things that are not even true. >> Mayor three minutes. So with all due respect, I want you to give back that money to the community where it belongs. Dr. Good evening. First of all, as always, thank you each for your public service. However, I and many have been very disappointed in this council. In my 65 years as a laid on, I have never seen such a loss of confidence and such a negative attitude towards our city governance, our city council. And it's no one person's fault. I think that each one of you know why. Why? Why, you ask? Why is the public so disappointed, so upset, so betrayed? There are many reasons. The current council, let's just begin with the last four years, had a member who obtained her seat through cheating and was so proven so by our judicial system. This council, many of you, decided to accept her and embrace her instead of isolating her and shaming her into vacating her seat during the appeal process. You wanted her illegal vote, her illegal seat to your benefit. And remember, the public is very intelligent. and this nauseated the public. Secondly, over the last eight years, you have failed the citizens of Laredo, failed us in your most important capacity to provide us clean air and water. Countless of warnings, countless of boil notices, countless of communications from the state with scathing reviews of our processes and our infrastructure. Finally, and no surprise to anybody, a catastrophe. Ecoli contaminates our water, resulting in increased gastrointestinal illnesses, our children having to go to their doctor, expenses, emergency rooms, hospitals. Countless businesses lost thousands, if not millions of dollars, many like Starbucks having to shutter their doors during this crisis. Your response to this is just appalling. You send notice to public citizens to seize and desist, discussing things with people who listen to them, memos to this council saying muzzle up for fear of lawsuits. And finally, a knee-jerk grandstanding public stunt that now we are serious. >> Three minutes. >> That now we are serious and we will do everything possible to fix this. And let's begin by cutting non-essential items such as the arts. 2% construction funds. How much money is that? Not as much money as the raise and the pension that you all have given yourself. Now what's really comical and Victor you know we're both in medicine when someone has a stroke they have warnings called transinis eskeemic attacks. If a stroke occurs devastating consequences. Imagine if we said the brain is suffering. We had a stroke. We ignored the TAS. We got to fix this now. How are we going to fix it? Well, let's send all the blood to the brain. Cut off the blood to the kidneys, to the intestines, to the pancreas, to the legs. Yeah, the brain's going to get better. At what cost? At what cost? So, for God's sakes, Mr. City manager, city council, please take a step back, formulate a plan with the experts, present it to the public, float that huge bond that we know is coming, and we will approve it as long as it's well thought out. In the setting of this magnificent failure of our council, and I'm not leaving anybody behind here, of our council as a whole, requesting a 40% pay raise. How in the world, how in the world did this get on the agenda quite nebulously? And that also has the public, which is very intelligent, extremely upset. anonymous councilman go to our city manager and decide that we're going to clean up old policies, something that was there six years ago and bring it up in vote and all of a sudden we have a 40% pay raise. When asked who were these councilmen, we hide behind the skirts of confidentiality. Mr. Ne, our city is trying to shake the chains of the patron system. No one should know better than you. So no decision should be made behind closed doors and smoke fil rooms. Perception is as bad as reality. And the perception on this whole deal was terrible. I know each of you members of council and I know that you have beautiful minds and wonderful hearts. Gilbert, you came on this council and you've got great ideas and you're going to do great things. Richie, you came to me when you were running against that disgraced candidate and you said to me, "Doctor, I'm going to represent my district with honor. I will never accept anything that is going to a grandise myself. I'm here for the public." And I want you to think about the pay raise and think about that comment you said. Melissa, I know where you stand. Albert, you're on your way out. Victor, you ran on fiscal conservativism. You ran against the pension, against these little slush funds. And I know that taking a step back and I've heard and I'm sure you've heard it from your public and your patients that this pay raise is not deserved at this moment and it looks bad and it feels bad and whether smoking mirrors know there's something. Dr. Alissa, I know where you stand. Vanessa, not sure where you stand on this. But I'm hoping that you also should be very sensitive to a very, very intelligent populace. You think you have no boss cuz the city manager is not your boss. The mayor is not your boss. Each of you are not each other's boss. Your boss is a public who put you in that seat. and the public who put you in that seat has voiced very clearly more than 4,000 that they are against this pay raise. I'm asking you listen to your boss, listen to the public. Don't have your head in the sand. Sure, it's a little embarrassing that it happened, but understand part of it was the process, Ruben. The process was nebulous in a city that's not going to tolerate anything but transparency. Put up the the deal for a raise. Let it be discussed. Let the public discuss. At the end of the day, in the future, I'm sure something will come up that say if you all want to pay raise, it has to be approved by your boss. And that's the public. Anyhow, I beg that you give the public some hope that you step back that one of you who voted for this pay raise can bring it back up and say, you know, it just wasn't the right time. We don't deserve it. I run a business. I know who deserves a raise and who doesn't. And when someone performs stellarly, I give them a 4% raise. But I just want you to step back, try to gain some confidence from the public, and let them understand that you have a heart, you have a brain, defer this pay raise for years. That pay raise will more than cover the meager 2% for the arts, but it shows your public that you care. And that's what we need to see, guys. We need to see that. Thank you. appointments and boards and committees. Any other comments? We don't have any other comments. >> No, ma'am. >> Did we do um communications? >> Communications. Mayor, the the comments are specific item unless they want to speak already right now. >> All right. >> You want to ask them? >> There's any comments on items? We can ask him to speak right now. >> Ricardo Sanoval on item 54F1 and two council. I have this item and the item from 54 F2 if I'm not mistaken. I'm just going to do both. Make it easier for everybody. Mayor Cono leaving again. I'm here to speak on the pay raise, the pension, and the water. as a leader, as a business owner, as a kid that grew up in a warehouse. My father was a forklift operator. He started from the very bottom. He grew up grew up his company and lived in American dream just like many of our families here on the radio. Majority of the people here work in our industry. Then the healthcare, fire department, police, and the city. There's a model that we have and I'm sure a lot of families have. should be for the employees right now that have worked diligently throughout this whole process. utilities people, their fire, their police, the city, the people that work every day, parks, wrecks, all of those guys. Can you just imagine what you walk around and at the end of the day, they're the ones that make the city. They're the ones that do all the hard work. They're the ones that do everything for us. the utility guys, the guys in the sewers maning what other people don't want to smell and doing what other people don't want to do. The guys working the water mans carrying all that big equipment stuff those people are the ones that deserve that raise the hardworking people the ones that they was their end of right so be a leader if it doesn't feel right it doesn't feel right sometimes we mess up and Dr. said it it was it's something that should go down and it wasn't sometimes in your control what not that's fine being a leaders being able to acknowledge that hey you know what I made a call here guys you know we're going to rehddle let's do it and we'll make a better decision going forward for everybody else and that's it that's all we ask for but remember think of your people think of your employees man imagine being in utilities for 15 years working in the sewer or something like that and then they just get belittled by what happened and it's not even their fault and we can't even get engineers to come and tell them explain to them what it is to be doing or they're supposed to be doing how to monitor some things. That's tough. Imagine what their neighbors tell them, hey, you know, mayor three minutes. >> Yes. >> Again, thank you guys for your time in remember you guys are supposed to worry about taking for people to take food to their houses, not yours. Thank you. Yeah, I'm going to move items related with water specific items number 48 53 54 A1 54 E1 54 F2 54 H1 54 H2 and supplemental 1.1. >> These all all these items have comments. >> We'll start with >> that's your motion. I'll second for discuss. >> That's a motion. >> So you want to repeat the numbers again? >> Yes. 48 53 54 A1 54 E1 54 F2 54H1 54H2 and supplemental 1.1 >> report one motion. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Go ahead. >> Um, when you're bringing them up, will you please state what they are? Because I know there's several people that have been unable to follow it in the agenda. If you'll just state the items so that they can follow along. >> Yes, we will read them. >> All those in favor? Mayor, I just want to add 4 F1 for the along with your with your items. >> Motion amended. >> All in favor? >> I oppose. >> You can make a separate motion because we already voted on this one. >> All in favor? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. So, do you want to make a second group motion? >> Yes. I'd like to amend the motion to um bring up 54 >> um sorry D two and three, D2 and three. And also 54, excuse me, 54 G1 G3. 54 G3. >> Yes. >> Second. >> Motion. >> Motion second. All in favor? I >> opposed. Motion pass. >> Number 48. >> Mayor, point of order, mayor. Uh 48 was passed at the previous meeting. It's already been uh drafted, so it does not need to be. >> So we just No action. I'm sorry. >> You're let >> you'll be called up at 54 G2. Yeah. 53. This >> item 53 discussion with action on compensation and recognition for exempt 24-2109 employees who work extraordinary hours during October 24th water boil emergency. >> That is a motion. >> All right, go ahead. >> Evening mayor and city council Linda at the human resources department. Um so what we're going to talk about is what constitutes an exempt and non-exempt employee uh with the city of Laredo. Um so in the context of employment law the classification employees are exempted and non-exempt primarily falls under the fair labor standards act the FLSA um as well as other uh local state and federal laws including some specific to Texas. So what this talks about is a fairly standards act FLSA and it talks about what exempt employees are and typically this includes executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and certain computer employees. What the city of Laredo does when we take on those positions, we automatically assume everybody's an hourly employee and then we go through an exemption test. And in the exemption test, we follow the FLSA uh guidelines. And this is what tells us if that position is going to qualify as exempt or non-exempt. Um some of the criteria for a non-exempt employee generally and tell that there's a minimum wage. So the minimum wage in the federal government is 725. The city of Loredo's minimum wage it is 13 uh 47 an hour. So there's a couple of things that we look at. So the non-exempt employees are they are entitled to receive the minimum wage which is 725 the city exceeds it and then they are they are also entitled to the overtime pay for hours that are worked over 40 hours in a work week. So the salary threshold as of July 1 of 2024 the minimum wage increased to844 per week that equates to 2110 an hour annually 438.88 for any employee that is earning above that they are now considered um exempt non-exempt status. So that means that they're eligible for uh for overtime. The job duties also the nature of the job uh duties must also meet criteria aligned in the FLSA to qualify exempt status. So we also follow city of Laro follows what's called the Texas payday law and it primar primarily addresses what wage uh payment practices are. So we keep it consistent and we do it with all of our city employees. We also follow the Texas labor code and the and the Texas Journal follows federal law regard regarding the classification of exempt and non-exempt employees align its provisions with the FLSA guidelines. We also follow what's called state specific regulations. Texas does not have additional exemptions beyond those defined by the FLSA, but employers must comply with state labor laws regarding wage and hour practices. Key considerations for compliance. Employers must carefully evaluate both federal and state regulations to ensure proper classification and compliance. We also have job descriptions that clearly describe what the job duties are of those positions and c it's crucial to in determining the job duties performed by the employee which influences their classification. We also must maintain documentation and it must be thorough as far as what is considered regular employee and also we will review those positions on a a needed basis to determine if they're classified as classified or non-classified. We also will state that the minimum wage in the state of Texas is 725. City of Laredo's minimum wage that we're paying is 1347. We also state that the overtime is for non-exempt employees that have worked in excess of 40 hours and they must receive compensation. Governmental entities allow what is called the compensatory time which if we don't have the overtime money, we can allow for compensatory time to accumulate. The city of Laredo has a threshold no not to exceed 240 hours. Once one of our employees exceeds that 240 hours, we then start to allow them to start taking time off to uh run those numbers down. the more that we have uh employees on 240 hours, that means it's a it's a financial liability to the city of Laredo. That means that we we're we're on the on the on I guess we're responsible for paying that employee should that employee leave us. So the employees work so what is considered worked hours worked hours is ordinary in include all the time which an employee is required to be at the employer's premises on duty or the prescribed work site. Record keeping is also the responsibility of this employer to make sure that our time and our payroll records are up to standards and up to par. That is our responsibility as a as an organization. So resolutions in consideration to account for exempt status employees overtime compensation would change the exemption status resulting in a loss. So if we paid an employee that is considered an exempt employee, we paid that overtime that they we bear the possibility of now they are no longer considered non-exempt and they become hourly uh wage employees that changes their status. >> Mayor May I hate to interrupt your presentation. However, I think we understand that all the employees got compensated fairly. I'm sure that HR um if they qualify for overtime because of their threshold that they did get paid their overtime. If they're salary employees, I'm assuming that there's no extra pay in a nutshell. My understanding of this item, correct me if wrong was for us to consider an extra incentive for these employees, right? So, can we get to that part? Uh we don't doubt that you all did everything correctly to compensate them, >> but I think time is of the essence and we want to know what is that you're proposing. >> Mr. Mayor and and city council. Um so the Texas Constitution has this requirement that you cannot go retroactively and pay anybody for any time that has worked previously because it equates to type of a bonus pay. So what Miss M teniente covered was essentially how we're going to be able to help our people this time around through the recognition through compensatory time structure. Legal has prepared an ordinance that will be on your agenda for the next meeting to start this which means that if we want to recognize individuals that are salaried employees for this extraordinary service above and beyond what what's expected of their job. we have to have this policy in place first and then that takes care of the re retroactive nature of what this is. And so we have prepared an ordinance that will be coming forward at the next council meeting for first reading. And that establishes that when when we declare a um an emergency through the declaration, the city manager can initiate the ability to repay uh those salaried employees above and beyond what's norm what they would normally do for a salaried employee. So the only way we were able to get around the the responsibilities of that is that we can do it through compensatory time. We can do it through um recognition. We can we can do it in some way for this one. But the only way we can set it going forward is we have to have an ordinance that says that we are allowed to take that action. >> May I? >> Yes. So are you saying that we need an ordinance even if you want to give time and a half of time for time and place in order for you to give >> because they are a salaried employee and because we cannot retroactively pay because the the emergency is actually still going on. We are still within the emergency declaration but because the work happened last week I cannot retroactively go and and reimburse and pay them for that. So this action of the council says but during these emergency declarations we have the the ability to recognize our salaried employees the same way as we did with our hourly employees. Our hourly employees were taking care of time and asks our salaried employees because they are they're not strictly assigned to a 40hour work week. That's that's the challenge we have with the the way the Texas Constitution recognizes that type of position. >> So mayor may I redirect to you? So you mean to tell me if I'm understanding this correctly that once the ordinance is presented and if council were to approve it that we won't be able to apply it for the recent water boil work? >> No sir. Uh for anything going forward we will have to administratively help manage this current boil water notice administratively. going forward. This would establish the criteria and the procedures as to how we would recognize a salary employee for any future emergency type event. >> Yes, if I may. Uh we we we staffed this today and uh Jesus Esparza the director budget found a 92 policy that's consistent with what we were proposing and discussing that the city manager or any director has the discretion to to give paid time off uh as compensation for this as opposed to a dollar for dollar. >> So we do 92. >> Yes. So, so that mechanism is already in place and the the city manager and directors have the ability to to give their salary employees time off >> which is a compensatory time structure. The the the request of course will be is to establish this ordinance so that we can actually pay it out in a in a financial way as well too rather than just compensate compens compensatory time. Mayor >> may redirect. Okay. So, you will be using the 1992 ordinance to We will utilize that administratively in order to take care of this boil water notice. But I would ask that you you consider the advancement of this so that we can actually recognize through a financial contribution rather than uh time off from work >> and the 92 policy is policy. It's not an ordinance. So again, it's it's within the city manager's discretion to >> like to make a motion to table item 53 and for us to readress it when the ordinance comes at the next meeting. Motion >> second. All in favor? >> Opposed? Motion pass. 54 A1. Discussion with possible action on the progress report from management regarding the mayor's five measures requested at the boilwater notice press conference on October 23rd, 2024. The five measures including or include addressing status of illegal connections. Number two, status of amnesty program. Number three, status on rebates to the community. Number four, status of assistance to local businesses. Number five, status of proper staffing and public engagement with the community. I do want to make some initial points that I made earlier to the public as it relates to illegal connections and having enough inspectors and the rebates to the community. Now, speaking about staffing shortages, investing in our people and hiring more staff, ensuring water quality and water delivery is a core function of local government as we know. But it all starts with proper department leadership and investment and training for our employees. From several discussions, a city our size should have 20 to 25 inspectors. Laro has if you combine all the departments around 10 to 14 but far less with all recommend with all recommended certifications and licenses. So we need to make sure that more for personnel properly license and backflow prevention and we move away from a manual and paper in intensive environment because this leads to a loss of efficiency duplication and inadvertently invites corruption. With regards to pay for supervisors and inspectors we need to attract them with competitive pay and maybe entitlement with good benefits. But the key is to get more qualified personnel. And regarding the rebates to customers, when it comes to rebates for the public, this will be brought up tonight right now. And I'll be advocating for this rebate not as a handout, but as a form of goodwill and respect for a community that has struggled with these water bowl notices and now for several years as we know and someone like myself that went to every water distribution site on the recent boil water notice and like they say I saw the people's faces and suffering. that had experienced waiting two or three hours for a basic resource sometimes with no air condition and kids in the cars. So this is my comment and we'll proceed. Mr. >> Good evening, mayor and city council. I I was going to give you uh some updates on these. We actually have a couple reports on on a couple of these pieces, but I was going to cover some of the ones that we are still working on. So, I wanted to talk just a little bit about them. Uh, the status of the illegal connections. We continue we are still we still have boots on the ground from from across the state. They are out there and they are they continue on through the inspection process. really no change from the conversation that we had last week where we're out there checking and inspecting and trying to find any other illegal connections that are out there um so that we can kind of eliminate any future kind of problems that we that we're going to have. So that work continues out there um interrupt. >> Yeah. Yes. Go ahead. >> Um I I just wanted to ask so you're finding the illegal connections and are you're working with every place to make sure that the connections are corrected? >> Yes. Yeah. So uh yeah. Mayor and city council. So as they as they discover these things, it kind of comes back into the city's hands. So because we have people from across different areas out there inspecting, we bring them back in house. Then utilities is actually sending out an individual that says this is how you are going to correct the issue. Depending on the severity of the issue is whether or not we can give them grant them up from uh essentially up to five days. We do have some out there that we've granted 15 days for because it wasn't up to the severity level that we we had a lot of concerns. So we're trying to give everybody time to get through that that those illegal connections and trying to correct that. some of it because of some of the larger uh facilities that are that are actually involved. It's actually paperwork more than anything else and and showing that they've done their inspections on the backflow providers and all of that and trying to make sure that everything's safe. So, this process is walking through there. But yes, once once we make the contact, uh then we're then we're walking through this. This is where the amnesty program is going to be very important to us as well too because and I I talked about this a week ago as well too is that I I have sympathy for our people our residences and businesses that may have taken the word of a of a what what I would consider a professional contractor saying don't worry I'll get the permit don't worry I'll make sure that this gets done correctly and so we are working through that but that amnesty program is that if anybody has any issue out there. And we will be bringing forward a resolution at the next council meeting for the amnesty program as well too because I want the council to uh essentially assist me with exactly how we're going to walk through that amnesty program. But it's in place right now where if anybody calls us, we will come out and we will look at that work that has been done to make sure that it has been done correctly and safely and for for everybody. our our concern is more about those ones that should have known what they were supposed to be doing and so we will walk through that. But the amnesty program is in place for that. Um we'll talk about the rebates to the community because we have a presentation for that one. Want to talk about the status of the assistance of local businesses because that's on there. The council took action last week and so that program is in place as as I think you're all aware. We've already rolled it out there for the small businesses and and walking through that. We believe that we have $500,000 from the city and then we are also going to assist and lean on the federal government through the Small Business Administration. Uh mayor worked hard on on getting that information done and we'll be going that route as well too. Um and I also have a report on the proper staffing. So, I'm going to turn it over to HR to walk through the proper staffing and and where we're at with that because it's not the same as just putting an application out on our website and hopefully somebody comes by and says, "I want to work for the city of Laredo. We will be out target marketing. We will be out knocking on doors. Um, if we can get them onto the bus, we'll drive them here." So, but it's uh the idea is to get them here and and get them on staff as best we can. So, I wanted HR to actually cover that. A second. Okay. You can see that. Okay. Thank you. Okay, mayor and council members, Linda Dante, human resources director. So, we've put a plan together uh for the mayor uh and council to review. So, what we what we need to do as an HR department, we need to assess what are the goals and the objectives of the utilities department. So, we ran some preliminary reports last week and we found that there are some FTs that are available. So, what we're going to do, we need to determine with the department what are the number of the positions that are needed. determine the available VA vacant positions and any and consider reclassifying some of those positions that they have into the what the needs of the department are. So, we're going to work really close with the department on this. How are we going to get our messages out? We're going to do a cam a community campaign. So, the community campaign is going to be impactful towards to attracting a a workforce. So, we're going to highlight the water and sewer employees and how they contribute to public health, environmental protection, and the community well-being. We're also going to emphasize that we have career stability with the city of Laredo. We're going to emphasize job security, competitive salaries, and benefits typical in municipal employees. The training and advancement, we've already started discussions with Laredo College to see if they can enhance our current programs. We don't currently have employees that are going through that process. So, we're already engaging with Laredo College. We're supposed to get a proposal by early next week or late this week in order for us to determine what the needs are for the C, the D, C, B, and A certification utilities department. So, we're going to work with those. So, what are our targeted audiences? We're going to go out to the high schools and we're going to look for graduates that just recently that have low skills. We want them in tax to come with us and develop a career with the city of Laredo. We're also going to be looking for people that are wanting to change their career that they work in construction or plumbing. We're going to go out to the the workforces and we're going to see if we can get in there and talk to this uh to this group of individuals. And we are also going to target veterans that are transitioning to civilian careers. We're going to go to the recruiters and see where they're coming out. We're going to go to the VA's office to see who is transitioning out of of out of military services. The marketing channels that we will be using, it's going to be the social media, the platforms of like Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn are going to be our platforms. We're going to also install ourselves at local events. We're going to go to job fairs. We're going to go to community events, school career days at uh vocational schools, and also um high schools. We're going to uh create partnerships. We're going to collaborate with local trade schools, community college, and workforce development agencies. So, we're going to talk about our incentives. Our incentives are we're going to look into uh if there's a relocation assistance program that we can bring in our engineers. We're going to target the engineers that are highly skilled and specialized. We're wanting to target those and seeing if there's a program that we can put together. Maybe we use a sign in a sign on boses, but we're going to try to find something that legally we can do. We're going to highlight our health benefits, our retirement plans, and we're going to talk about paid training. We're going to talk about our holidays. Uh those are the incentives we're going to talk about and consider offering a flex schedule and part-time schedules just to get people into our that are uh be focusing on the water and sewer programs engagement strategies that we're going to have internally. We're going to have an employee spotlight that features videos and articles showcasing utilities um our water and sewer programs. We're going to invite open houses to the utilities to the plants just so people can get idea or the committee can get an idea of what it is that they do there. And we're also going to be engaged in community workshops. Uh we're going to hostformational sessions. Uh we're going to do fairs within the department to attract people come in and see and talk to us, talk to the talk to the um professionals that are in the utilities department. And of course we're going to do the follow-ups. We have to create all these and then we're follow-ups to see what's working, what is not working. That plan of action. Uh we're going to foster that we have retention and growth in that department. This is what the HR department is committing to do for the with the utilities department. Um the measurement and adjustments track the effectiveness and different channels and messages through the surveys and applications. We want to know how are we doing? Are we attracting those? How long are those positions open? What do what do we need to do to uh change those uh those criteras to see if we can attract the skilled and non-skilled labor force and we're prepared to adapt the campaign based on feedback and results. And that's pretty much my presentation. Any questions? Mayor >> uh and mayor um and city council, we also have the goodwill rebate uh and flushing program to present and I believe it's going to be a tag team between finance and utilities. Yes, go ahead. >> While this is getting passed out, just miss just a quick question. Um, I'm taking it that obviously HR, you know, hires for the entire city. But I'm guessing that our new executive utilities director, Mr. Persker, is also involved in this process. try to understand how you all work together, >> council member. Absolutely. So, what we did, we did an analysis of what is in the FTEES of the utilities department. And we determined that we we do have some challenges. We do need to create some engineerings. We need to do the EIT, engineers and training. We need to do step one, step two. Similar to what we're doing with our engineering department, we're going to have to mimic and mirror that type of program uh in into the utilities department. We are going to have to work with uh Mr. Pitkar just to make sure that the needs they're doing the assessment and once they determine what that need and assessment in then we mold ourselves to what their needs are. We have determined that there are positions out there that do need to change those demands. >> And thank I don't want to take too much more time, but one one thing I have learned recently is that there's a culture there has been a culture within the utilities department and to engineering for our best engineers to be promoted up. They have to leave the utilities department to get promoted to the engineering department. For me, that reminds me of, you know, in the classroom when you're a teacher and you're doing really well and then you get promoted to be an assistant principal or a principal. It's like, we need good teachers in the classroom, too, you know. So, we need good engineers to be promoted within our utilities department. It shouldn't be this thing where we promote people out of utilities. Like, we need to be promoting engineers within utilities. That's just something I learned recently I didn't really appreciate. Um, so I hope that's a culture shift um within the utilities department that we can make because We need our good engineers to stay in the utilities department. >> If I may also add, council member, what had happened there, uh we had an um our our engineers retired, they left the organization, they they retired out. So, we need to be cognizant. We need to work to make sure that we have a continuous um succession plan. So, if one is promoted up, if you do a step one, they do a step two, and they go into a PE an engineer, civil engineer, then we want to keep those, you know, and it means that we've got to do a study to is our positions competitive to what the private sector is. We may not be able to completely pay it what a public sector private sector is, but we're doing a better job as an organization to retain those engineer those highly skilled positions are very hard to get for the city of Laredo. But we're going to work on it. We're going to improve this our plan. >> Yes, >> I have I have one last question. So, um the number of people that you're looking for, do we have an idea what that number is? I have a number right now that we have 56 positions in utilities department and along with management we're going to have to determine where those 56 are going to fall into >> 56 available. >> Yes. And we have 10 that we're currently as of last week we're posting for 10 positions. We're currently recruiting for those 10. So we need to find out where do we need to fit the other 40 some odd positions in order for them to align with what we're needing to do in the utilities department. So we're going to work as a tight team. uh with management of utilities, with management our budget and finance, and we're going to get a plan for them so we can get the best people into our department. >> And mayor and city council, a little bit more on top of that as well, too, is that that's the one thing that Mr. Pisker is walking through right now is to make sure that the people that we do have are in the right places of where we need the help as well, too. So over over time, divisions tend to have a tendency to uh expand and we're going to pull some of those back. At least that's the anticipation. We believe that we'll be able to create other openings within the structure for more engineers, more inspectors within our current structure. And so when Mr. Pisker gives his uh his his status report for today, uh you might hear a little bit about that. But that's the intent is that we have the open positions that we are. We're going to make sure that they're positioned correctly. And then of course some of the positions we have may have to be reallocated within the structure. >> And 56 represents what percentage of the the total employee base for the utilities department? >> Those are the vacancies that we've identified with the report last week. So >> right 10% maybe a little less. >> We have 379 positions. Of course >> uh 23 are actually brand new. We just approved this budget this year. So 56 of 350 more or less >> mayor and we'll we'll talk about the rebate program now. >> Go ahead and utilities operation for the record. >> The objectives of this presentation is to assess the three months of the billing cycle and establish the water usage for residential and commercial accounts. Propose financial relief to utility customers. Estimate the cost for 33 33% Goodwill credit and to identify the funding source where this will be funded. The proposed goodwill credits for water and sewer. It is a 33% credit for residential customers for both um for residential customers and commercial accounts. It will be $10.13 per residential account for a total cost of $711,000. For commercial accounts, they would receive a credit of $75.75 for a total cost of $521,000. We are factoring in a flushing credit for sewer and for residential customers that would equate to $148 for a total cost of 103,000. commercial accounts would get a $5.73 credit for a total cost of 37,9.95. Total estimated cost for this Goodwill credit for the both water and sewer is1,374,4403. The total estimated water boil cost would be would be comprised of the credits for both water and sewer plus the estimated boil water expenses that will have been calculated at 1,762 to date for total estimated cost of 3,137,163. The funding source in order to avoid an impact to the operating budget, we are proposing to utilize the water availability fund to cover the goodwill rebate and the estimated water boil cost incurred. Motions needed tonight. We would request authorization to present a proposed amendment to the ordinance number 2019-071. This will allow for the use of the water availability fund to cover the Goodwill rebate and the small business assistance program related to the October 2024 water notice incident. To implement the goodwill rebate in the amount equivalent to 33% WA water for residential and commercial accounts with an additional one-day credit towards the sewer usage due to the requested flushing. We would bring to to next council meeting an introduction an introduction ordinance to draw down fund balance from the water availability fund and to appropriate expenditures. >> Is there a motion? Motion to accept motion. We second >> second. Go ahead. >> Could you repeat please what will be refunded to customers? Okay, for residential customers, everybody will get a $10.13 credit to their water bill plus a $148 credit for their sewer portion. For commercial accounts, they will get $75.75 for the water and $5.73 for the sewer. >> And these costs are based on a percentage. It was a 33% of the cost of the actual water and sewer >> and the water availability fund. What is that fund intended for? >> The water availability is funded for purchase of water rights, groundwater storage um means to obtain water and does it that impact right now I know there's a study going on for the aquifier groundwater storage or the possibilities of identifying locations within our city limits of of the possibility of having water storage underneath the ground. Does drawing down from this fund impact any of the ability to continue on with that? >> Well, it will impact anything that you take out that was not planned is an impact to the budget, but is there enough funding available? I'm not quite sure what the cost of this outside sourcing is at the moment, but there are funds available in the water availability to cover this credit. >> Thank you. >> Comments. >> Go ahead. >> Yeah. And just to be clear, of the 3.1 million that you're talking about here, uh 1.7 of that million has already happened. That's already that's not for discussion. You know, that that's that's paid for. already done >> uh based on the emergency uh and then the the remaining 1.4 million uh is from the the two sets of credits. I know we had talked about uh it seems like we're doing 33% for residential and for commercial and I know that was discussed last time. So we're keeping it that way. It's doing um and then you're doing it for water and for sewer. Um I had a question. How how much money is uh in the water availability fund right now? >> Okay. 13 million. >> And you mentioned it usually is used for water rights, but we've bought plenty of water rights over the years. >> I think we have over 60,000 acre feet of water, >> but still it limits us on other things. So bring it down to approximately 10 million. total in the fund. >> At the end of the day, I don't I mean, the idea of spending this 1.7 million on uh 10 and $4, you know, credits um it definitely uh hurts, but at the end of the day, I see this as um us punishing ourselves for, you know, not uh you know, not being able to for this happening on our watch. And um you know ultimately I know the public's going to see uh you know for residential $10 and um looks like the sewer credits very small. I mean that obviously they're going to see that and and and feel like it's not enough. Um but it we're doing the 33% it's matching but um you know and it's it's definitely obviously they probably deserve more. um we're balancing um you know punishing ourselves as a city with this but with what to the fund and then doing the right thing by giving them a credit as a good will but so I'm very torn on it but I I I appreciate the >> and Mr. Mayor and and so on that last slide Mr. Uh we have three requests for motions. Three motions or you could combine them all as uh the move was so that we can uh begin the administrative process to get this done. >> Uh we first Yeah, I'll be brief. Um you did mention water rights. Um can you tell me when was the last time we purchased water rights? I'm not exactly maybe about 2022 or 2021. >> And we haven't purchased water rights since then. >> Right. >> We buy them as they become available. They're not always available. >> Has anything become available in the last two years? >> Yes, Mr. Mayor. If I may, we currently have a proposal for some water rights and uh I've shared that with the director uh Mr. Buzz and uh Angie's aware of it. We were just going through legal on the purchase of the water ride. So, we're still in the study phase of moving forward or not based on the recommendation of the director. >> Okay. The other question I had, Mary, if I may redirect, um the $10.13 residential credit, I'm assuming that's an average. >> Yes, we were asked to get a three-month average and we determined the cost of the water and 33% of that cost represents the 103. So, this is just an estimate or are y'all looking at doing a credit across the board of $10.13? >> It's a credit of $10.30 across the board. >> So, it's not really a 33% credit the consumer is going to see. >> Some people make the lower tiered ones. It would probably be a higher percentage as opposed to your higher water usage because the minimum bill for a lower user is $6046. does take back water, sewer, trash, environmental stuff. But for water and sewer, um we only calculated that percentage for the water and sewer line item. >> So, mayor, mayor and city council, so this is the process that we had used the last time we had done the 33% because the last boil water notice was about 10 days, I believe, and so it's about 33% of the bill. Uh they established the same process for this. I I think what the way it's been explained to me is that because we're utilizing the average within the bill, that means the ones that are at the lower income level, the the ones that are the lower users are the ones that are going to get the better benefit of that, which makes it very nice for our structure because they're the ones that have less resources to take care of their other things. And so that's how we balance out within that process. And that's how it's like, okay, we we'll we'll present this as as we've done it in the past the same way. And this is the way we we've set that up so that we could take care of the less important. >> So, um I'm being asked I don't know if this makes sense, but 33% of the water credit takes into account 100% water usage that drives up sewer. Right? So, if we reduce the water usage by 50% and the sewer credit comes from there, doesn't it? >> The sewer is based on your water usage. Yes. >> That again >> the the sewer is based on water usage. The sewer rate >> So is a sewer um rebate based off the 100% water usage or are we giving a sewer rebate based on the average of the usage, right? Because you do have a reduced usage at 33% of sewer. So are we really crediting the sewer the way it should be credited as a question? The sewer is not being credited 33%. The sewer was credited based on the flushing that we asked I mean residents to do for 15 minutes. >> So so mayor and mayor and city council. So what we did was we established essentially a one day for the sewer side of that. So even if you were not if even if you did not flush your home, you're going to get credit for that on the sewer side as well too. And that's why we we established that as that one day one day charge for the sewer side. So um it I mean, I I guess we can we can we can keep moving the numbers around to get them where they're at, but the intent was to take the average of the water side and then take that one day where we asked them to flush the system because um they were not when they utilized the water, they were not using the sewer system to put the drinking water through. >> And so the idea was that the water water was for laundry, the water was for yards and everything. So it became more about the goodwill is what it was for for lack of a better way to explain this. And so that's why we established the the parameters of of the sewer side would be a one day thing for the reason that we ask everybody to flush. >> All right. There's a motion second. >> Mayor, I have a question. >> Go ahead. >> Um there's been a lot of uh comments from the public that their bill is higher than abnormally higher for some reason. Um, has the water department been looking into those claims? Because I understand we're talking about giving a rebate, but some of the public seems to, uh, think that their bill is abnormally high. So, uh, $10 isn't going to really address those concerns. And is there a reason for that? Or I mean, why are we seeing such a high I even noticed it in my house as well, higher case by Because remember the bill comes with components of water, sewer, trash. I know trash increased their fees I believe, right? I think it went up that also went up. So it all goes into that collective bill that's that people get, but it's not just water and sewer. There's water, sewer, trash, environmental, and if their fees go up, it's reflected on the bill. Now, there was a rate increase that took effect on in October, but the billing cycle that you get today, which is spring, November, is partially September or like latter part of September to October. You have to look at the the billing date. So sometimes people get bills but it was their summer usage and don't realize that because a lot of times we get calls and said, "Well, I'm not watering right now, but the the bill date does reflect the time period and that time period was probably still a higher usage of of water." And but we can certainly if somebody calls us and says, "Could you look at our bill?" We have the ability to do that and and then we could tell them when they have the spikes in water usage. >> And and mayor and city council, that's what I would suggest that if anybody has a concern with their bill, give us a call. Let us walk through the bill first with them so that they understand exactly where what may have changed from one month to the next. Uh and then we can go from that point as forward as as well. I know they're doing a lot in the water conservation side to uh if there are if there's any high usage, they're finding some of those as well too that they may have a leak, they might have it. So, just give us a call first. Let us walk through the triage of the of their bill and then we'll figure out how we can help them. All right. All right. We have a second. >> All right. Call for the question >> to approve approve the credit. credit. >> May I ask a point? Mr. W, do we need to create the motions exactly as they are? Um, do they need the language that's used here? >> It'd be clear, but everything's on the table. So, you can do one motion help. >> I think the motion to follow the plan. >> Thank you. >> Question, one more comment question. I just don't agree with the average. Um I think that every customer, every account uses what they use and the credit should be given accordingly based on what their bill is. Right? If someone who pays $100 in water should get their $33. If someone pays 60 or $50 in water, they should get their $16 and whatever cents. The only thing I can think of is that we don't have the mechanism of crediting every individual account is what it seems like. >> Right. >> I cannot tell you that we have the ability to go 80,000 accounts one by one to determine what that credit would be. I'd have to ask it. >> I mean, and and I get the goodwill, right? But what's fair is fair. And if people use water differently, right, then they shouldn't have to lose. So, you know, others get a bigger percentage, right? Because then some people are getting um 40% while someone else is getting probably 20%. Right? And I just don't think it jives, right? I mean, this is a business and the consumer, each consumer has different expenditures and you know, if you go and return something at a store, you're not going to get you're going to get your money back, right? And I think we owe it to the people that if they did not get the water the way they expected it, then they should get their 33% accordingly. It's what I don't agree with, but um >> we we could check to see if we have the ability to do that, but then we would have to come back to council and present the new totals because these totals would totally change. >> Um what would be and this is I'm just shooting from the hip. What would be um the financial impact if we were to wave one month of of water? >> Yeah, I think it would be very significant. I can't I don't have the exact amount with but it's we average I mean this is doing >> but would it be multiplying this times three for easy math? I'm assuming >> it probably would be a little bit greater than this amount. I mean, you're talking about water can collect somewhere around maybe two million 2.5 million for one month depending on the month that we're >> I was just throwing it out there because I know it's even tough to get some of my colleagues to agree to the 33% at this point. But I just don't agree with it being spread the way it's being spread. I don't think it's it's fair. But we'll we'll proceed. I guess we're giving something and >> question. Go ahead. My my question um is on the the the program that we're using because it seems like a common thing that every time we bring up trying to adjust somehow the utilities and this has been going on for years. There's always an issue and and it's mentioned that it needs to be calculated by hand. I don't understand why we would have to calculate each individual account by hand when you can't just apply a multiplier like you know a 33% or whatever deduction across the board and you see that reflected in the bill as a 33%. There's a got to be a mathematical program in this day and age that can do that kind of thing where it isn't a thing that has to be done by hand because we keep hearing these things all the time when we're trying to figure out what to do and how to how to remedy some of these things or policies that we're trying to make. And it's always we're going to come back later. We have to figure it out and come back. I mean, we've been talking about this for a while now. We knew this was coming up and we're still talking about calculating each individual bill by one by one when we have technology at our disposal. So I just I don't understand that. >> Yes. Good evening Joe Rivera. Mayor City Council Ja for the record. Um yes. So for the for the purposes of this rebate that we're trying to do, our system is capable of doing this. There are some limitations around it. So the team and I are actually working on putting in some programming uh changes that will allow us anytime we have to apply a credit or or uh like the grout we were talking about the grout uh search charge last meeting. We are working to make the program more robust to be able to handle these types of on the-fly request. Regardless of what we decide tonight, we will have to go back and make some adjustments to the to the software we have, but we we expect to be able to do that within the time frame you all are asking us to do this in. Um, I will tell you that yes, our software uh the system we have in place today is a software that the city has had for many years. Um, and just like any other software out there, there are limitations. No, no software will ever check the box for everything we want to do. There are some things that we will have to work around, but we can make this work. So, we just need you all to decide tonight what what we want to apply. We'll work with the utility utilities and it will work together to make this happen. Uh we are considering in the future looking at a newer ERP system, which is what we're talking about here, but that's a much much bigger project that we're not ready to to to to discuss yet. But as far as the current system, we we can make this work. if I can >> and the concern is that we are trying to make a decision tonight but it's hard to make that decision when we don't have like if the question is can we give a 33% and what is the impact is there a way that you all can give us that what that impact is so we can decide whether or not that's what we want to do or we need to go with the plan as recommended because I appreciate the recommendation but you know if we're talking about addressing some of the concerns like you know making it applicable exactly per customer when we do have the capability. I think it would be important for us to know what that impact looks like so we can make that decision. >> Council if if I may just one more clarification because I did say earlier that the system we have is is a is a system we've had in place for many years. I do want to clarify though that the system we have is on the latest software release. So, it's not I'm not by any means saying that the software is outdated or anything. It just doesn't always meet every single uh nuance that we want to apply. So, having said that, like I said, we can as far as going back and looking at uh what the impact of is on any changes to what you all have talked about today. I'll let Angie talk to that. Oh, no. And and mayor and mayor and city council and and I I think that's why we brought forward something that we have done in the past and that the idea was to kind of stay with that model at least at this point in time. We can create it any way you would like to do that. But I I think the idea was that we were wanting to react fairly quickly with this process. Uh just so that everybody understands the sense of urgency that we have with the issue. And so um and I think this is why we we bring forward this recommendation in the format that it is. We can always ch adjust it. We can always change it if necessary. It'll take some meandering in order to walk through it. This software is a proprietary software as well too. So we have to go back to the company and ask for the adjustments of what they want to do within the system as well too. Um and so we just want to make sure that we take care of the need based upon your sense of urgency of our people. All right, there's a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I opposed. Motion pass. Thank you. >> 54 F. Mayor mayor >> could we people are waiting to hear 54 F2 and H1, and I know a couple are trickling out. I know that's it's jumping ahead, I think, of Council Member Wonagas's item, but um that is why people are here, and I think they'd appreciate if we could handle those two items in particular. item we were on because we hadn't talked about the illegal connections and some of the other items that were it was already it was already covered >> from last week we still have people out there >> reviewing those and working through those >> I I have a question I thought we were going to with the five. I did want to add and ask um I know we did the credit right and some people um did go through the extra expense even though we provided bottled water whatever the case may be. Um is there any proposal to defer any late fees for maybe one month or 15 days to allow those people that underwent an additional expense the ability to at least maybe not get disconnected um or something to that effect. Was that considered? >> Uh, and mayor and city council, council member, we had not gotten into that conversation. Tonight was the first night we had heard about the uh the at least an opinion that we defer from this connection. And I would say that it's based upon the the incident was a boil water notice, not really the same thing as CO where people were laid off and everything, but if you wish to consider that, we're happy to put something together like that. I'd like to make a motion to have management um look into potentially um waving um disconnections for um I would say maybe through December when this incent this rebate um gets um enacted um to also include the consideration of late fee waiverss. >> Motion second. >> All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Motion passes. We can put that together and bring it back. >> All right, >> mayor. And and and I if I I apologize a little bit, but before you get to the 54F uh two especially, uh what I was recommending was that Mr. Mr. Bishker get up and give his staff report, which is on supplemental one. >> And that'll give you a a nicer picture of what the utility department is. And then as we move into these conversations, it should help correlate and coales all the information. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> I a quote. Motion pass. Thanks sir. How are you doing? start. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Mayor. Um, of course, good evening, mayor, city council, city manager, city staff, and residents of the Gateway to Mexico. people saying, "How do I operate the system here? Just hit the enter. Use the arrows." >> Wonderful. Thank you. Um, you know, my first time to get to be in front of you and, uh, couple comments I'll have in general and then I'll give you some of my thoughts that I want to share with you. I can't tell you how much that I appreciate everybody. that since I've been in Laredo has been incredibly gracious and incredibly welcoming and I appreciate that, including council and the mayor. So, that doesn't go unnoticed. So, thank you all for that. Um, here's my thoughts and I I thought you would value kind of getting into my head a little bit. Um, water and wastewater service to me are the foundation for economic vitality and quality of life in a community. And I think the boil order experience you had maybe illustrates that. Um, and of course when they adversely impact these key areas, it's certainly a reason for concern and certainly people show that concern and so has council. So I really respect that. And then what do I, you know, as you know, you've seen my resume. I've run New York Stock Exchange water utilities and I've run major city utilities. But um I think we have to be careful. I I've always considered my role and of course that of the department to be a custodian of an asset that's owned by the community. It's not ours. It's not for us to benefit from. It's for us to earn the trust of the people and do what we think is in their best interest to protect their asset and make it work. So it's that simple for for me. Um and then the third item on that line and it's a little gling to me. It's it's actually misqued. It's a quote from my book. You know, you hear about sustainability and we all hear everybody's definitions. Uh but quite frankly, everybody has pipes, everybody has plants, everybody has booster stations, everybody has lift stations. So that doesn't make you unique. So to me, sustainability is the attraction, development, and retention of in-house intellectual capital. What that boils down to being is people. People make pumps work, people make plants work, people make backflow prevention programs work, etc. So, to me, that's a high priority. So, I just wanted to share that with you because we get caught up in the pumps and the pipes and those kind of things. There's a balance to it. Um, I also want to talk to you about a couple things that are I'm I'm hiring and I'm I'm not glossing over the situation you had the back. I'll get to that in a second. But I've used this exhibit uh at several stops along my tour. And uh when I first came to Texas, I called this a teeter totter. Uh and quite frankly, the mayor said to me, "Buzz, in Texas, that's a seesaw. So, I'm going to call the seesaw the rest of my Texas career." Um, and you've seen some of these things, but I want to talk about how they impact things and why I believe there's a balancing act to be done. Any of those look familiar. Understand that all those things, and I'm not being critical in them, they all have a place. That's why I call the balancing act. All of those things reduce usage, right? and all of those things reduce revenues. This is a business. So, we got to be cognizant of that. So, let's look on the other side. And the other thing I would say to you that I've said to all of my utility comrades everywhere I've been is we have a role to play in this game. It's not just impose things on our customers who pay the bills and look for us to run their system, right? There's things we can do. things like strategic pipe replacement. We've talked a lot about that, right? Plant optimization. We run water treatment plants. We run them poorly. We waste water. We waste energy. We waste chemicals. Meter change out program. It's our cash register. We got to make sure we're able to read the meters properly. They're registering properly. And we're building people. leak detection program. Everybody thinks of conservation as leak detection only. I would suggest to you it's all of these things because that's where you get your benefits. And then the last one is a valve operation program. And I noticed one of the recommendations from the report coming out of the boil order was a valve replacement operation program. So what happens when you look at the right side of the balancing act? If you can find your valves quickly and you can operate them, you can minimize the magnitude of the outing, right? And when you have a main break and the amount of water you lose, very positive thing for everybody, for residents as well as reducing cost, leak detection, we all know what that that is. And certainly that provides reductions in pumping and water usage. And by the way, I run companies that had water plants on the Great Lakes. That's a wonderful situation to be in, right? You're never worrying about water supply and it's some of the best actually it's probably some of the best water in the world to to treat. We don't have that benefit here and neither has most of the communities in Texas I've been associated with. So, it's important that we minimize our losses and we repair mains quickly. meter change out program. I talked about that. It's a revenue thing. I talked about plan optimization, pipeline replacement. You guys have been talking about and and you know the drill. What's what do the things on the right side of the equation do? They make or allow our residents to believe that the people that they're paying to run their utility are doing their job. So, I don't mind that challenge. People ought to ask us, "What are you doing for all of this?" Because you know what these do? They drive down cost, right? They minimize use of our limited source of supply and they balance the equation so that we don't have to have rate increases. The water in and wastewater utility business for my entire career is basically a pretty much a pretty much a fixed cost business, right? We have plants, but if we pump a million gallons or 20 million gallons or 30 million gallons, there's some incremental costs, but you pay for the capital, people are at the facilities. So, you've got a lot of fixed costs. So, when you do these kind of things, you can help mitigate some of those things. So, I want to share that with you because that's what our folks are going to be hearing from me. And then the next one, I I'll I'll dive in very quickly into the situation you're all dealing with that you're too familiar with. First thing I noticed, we had a pollution control division. We don't have pollution. We're running a water system. We're going to call it the water quality assurance division because that's what its real function is. We're putting out high val high quality water at the plant. The goal is to assure that that water gets through the piping system and gets to our residents, right? That's the that's the job. So, as long as we get the working properly, then the issue is assuring that it gets to our residents in in the way it's supposed to be. And I'm a fan of action teams and I'm a fan of bringing people together in our department. It's fascinating how how polarized and how uh siloed an organization can get unless people are making it start working together. So I took the GIS group, the water treatment group, our water conservation and our old pollution control folks and said, "Okay team, let's sit down and we're going to decide how we work out of this situation." Good news is we haven't had any bad samples. We're really focused. We're doing flushing and all the things we should. We're using free chlorine for a while. That'll help take away some of the things in the system that might have built up over time. Uh but we will develop a fully compliant backflow prevention program. I will tell you that. I will guarantee you that. Okay. My goal will be very simple and I've said this to our staff. Right now people are talking about Laredo and our backflow prevention nonprogram. I want us to get to the point where when I call my other colleagues, they say, "Boy, we heard Laredo's got the best backflow prevention program in the state of Texas." That's the mission. That's where we're headed. Okay. And so, we're going to be fully compliant. How we going to do that? And then we're going to continue. We've had the blessing of having help from DCQ and some other communities. That's a wonderful thing. We appreciate it. And other departments in the city, by the way, and and to me, that bodess very well for this city and and and the type of people we have. Um, we're going to identify an area in the city center and then we're going to put in place what I will call the model back go prevention techniques that need to be done in that area. And by the way, part of that is just and I don't want to bore you with this but quite frankly everybody's not the same risk to the system. So you have different types of backflow preventers for different hazard risk and you have different customers bring different hazards, right? And I think you all get it. A hospital would have a higher propensity to put something in a system that may be a resident. So we'll do what you're supposed to do and we'll identify in this area all those different hazard levels. We will then pursue and making sure they have the proper devices based on their hazard and then we'll do our inspections. And quite frankly, you've got some we have some issues here. It's not you, it's we. Um, we got some situations where the backflow is there, but the utility has a responsibility to make sure it's tested on an annual basis. That's our responsibility. We don't have to do anything except make sure it's done. And if that thing if that testing tag doesn't get turned in, we're going to notify some people. So, we're going to get on our game, so to speak. And a lot of it's that uh so it's not all doom and gloom. But it's a combination of things and I and I mentioned in the last bullet point that's separating the customers in the different classes. So you know that's how we're going to look at things. That's how we're going to pursue it and we're going to do work do our best to make sure we don't have any other occurrences until we get there. After we get it in place and we get our systems working so we can identify these things and get processes in place to do it, then we'll expand it out the entire system because we'll be good at our game and it'll just be a matter of adding more resources and then I'll be able to tell you what I need. Okay, everybody wants to give me people. God bless you. I love it. I've never been in a situation like that. And I I told told him in the in the bullpen over there, I said, "I have ne I I've been in this business, as you know, since 1970." I've never had people throwing money at me and saying, "Here, Buzz, we want you to have money. I love it. I'll spend everything you give me." Uh, but quite frankly, I want to spend your money wisely, okay? And I want to spend it and get outcomes. And I will tell you this, we will very in very short order be able to bring you our performance measures, okay? uh that'll be my performance plan and it'll cascade down the organization and we'll measure our outcomes and we'll know how we're doing every week and every month and every year. So, you'll be clear on that and and we're going to engage the people and we talked about it with HR and stuff. Um there's a message to be said here. We need to say it. We need to get good people in here. We need to pay them well and we need to get outcomes from them. Okay? So, that that'll be our mission. Also, the other item I want to talk a little bit about tonight is you're in a stage three for water conservation. I want to suggest that we move to stage two and you might find that a little bit going on, but >> so well if I could put that form of motion may not I'm teasing but I wanted to give you this graph because I I want you to understand something. Our water conservation plan suggests for example in stage one that we get a 15% reduction cumulative stage two is 20 and then stage three is 25 cumulative over the three stages look at the look at the reduction we've gotten remember it went in place in May I was told and look at what's happened the red that's been in in August consumption was down 22% and then September's 11% so my sense is two things I want to say to And I want to say it to the residents. Thank you. Because people have rallied to this cause and we've exceeded our expectation. We needed a 5% incremental reduction. We're getting double digits. It's wonderful. Again, that has another impact on the other side of the equation, right? So, it also has an impact on contractors and people that are doing business. So, uh in respect to that, uh I would like to suggest that we do that. Uh we can we'll monitor it. Remember, we can go back to three if we have to. I'd like to see us get to one because we're doing such great things. And by the way, we do have an offer on the line to buy some water rights, which I've done a few times in my career. So, we'll work on that. But so, that's that's the ball. That's the game plan. And uh >> I just think that that this this may be merit's consideration. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Ask a question for legal booking. >> Are we able to follow his recommendation and stage two at this time. >> This item is tied. >> Okay. Okay. >> Councilwoman, this item is one. >> Might as well just bring it up. >> And can we move to bring >> Make a motion to bring Mr. >> 541. Is that a water issue? >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> We'll finish with a water issue. status upd. >> Okay, there is a motion. >> Second. >> Second to move stage three. All in favor. >> It's the next one anyway. >> All right. Okay. Yeah. Move on. Item 54, you won. >> Motion. >> All in favor? >> I opposed. >> Motion pass. >> Okay. So, it's a discussion with and possible action to re-evaluate the current status on stage three and search charges of the water utilities bill and any others matters incident there too. So, uh this item ties into uh what Mr. Buzz just uh recommended and also uh um I believe we read that the river as well was going to come up. Uh maybe 8 ft. Do we have anybody that uh directly here that would know if that happened today? This afternoon should happen by daylight tomorrow morning. >> By daylight tomorrow morning. Okay. Well, as well with with that being said and Mr. uh Buzz's recommendation and tying in this item, I would like to make a motion to uh lower stage three to stage two to our >> second motion. Second. >> Go ahead. Do we have someone to talk about the reservoir because the original restrictions were tied to the levels at the Amistad reservoir. So do we have an update on what those levels might be? No. >> 21%. >> Yeah. Mayor and city council my understanding is the last time that we had looked at the Amastad which was last week was 21%. So and it's been holding over the 20%. Our stage three actually triggers at 20%. So we are over that. Uh what I think Mr. Pisker is talking about as well too is that again and Mr. Garcia talked a lot about is the tributaries coming in are strong. All of the all of the signs are showing that and as we're coming into the latter part of the year uh it looks like we're we're all good to pull off that stage three coming back to the stage two. as we're looking at it and um cognizant of the fact that we're trying to establish a regional staging um staging level for all the cities and we're kind of touting that we would like to follow the science and follow a plan and so if we've come out of that 20% level then it's this sounds like the result >> and I I believe that we're staying we're staying fairly strong right at that amount and we're we're seeing a few more rains coming through but I I don't know if unless unless they release more water to get down to the Rio Grande or down to this the valley uh then we we're probably going to be okay with those numbers and those percentages. May I ask one thing uh to um for for the rest of this question was about the search charges within the utilities. If you will add to that that we will just not charge any sir charges. >> Yes. I we we that we didn't have the program to charge the community. I would just like to have official action just to say we're not going to do search charges this round with the stage three and um and we'll move back to stage two. >> Uh yes I do. And also I I want to thank the community and the city because regardless of the ammyist levels back in July, we were one of the only communities and city to follow into a stage three. I know upstream and downstream from us they they never got into a stage three. So hopefully uh in the future we can grab a hold of our our uh border communities and come uh and and do uh save as much as water and conserve uh as a region together. So thank you to the city of Laredo. >> All further question all in favor I opposed motion pass. Okay, let's go ahead and fit in the water issues. >> 54F 54 F2. >> Yeah, but let me >> Yeah, >> it's next. >> Yes. Okay, it's going to be 54 F F2 first. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Go ahead. >> There's comments so we can hear the public. Okay. Pedro Morales. >> Good evening. My name is Pedro Morales. I'm an artist and um I think you have heard uh the messages from the art community and uh I will just stick to the essence of the messages which is fund the arts. Do not please do not touch the uh funds allocated for the arts to do other projects and please do not refer to the art artist community as non-essential. Thank you. Thank you. Armando Lopez, 54 of 2. Is there a microphone here? I don't envy you. I used to sit not at this council but on a school board and I know what it feels like. So, uh I come to just give you something hopefully uh again crystallizing some of the comments that have come. But I just want you to and and the hard part about doing the dayto-day is that we you need to step back every once in a while and have a perspective of a history in the community. And so if all these people look familiar to you, the ones wearing this color, it's because at some point we all came together with you when YoYo M came down in the river and as a community we worked together to put together a wonderful event that received worldwide accolades. as a city got great praise for it. And we work with our sister city to talk about the healing power of art and and to bring, you know, a focus on on a discussion about building a wall right in front of our city. And so uh and and again, YoYo M was did it with music and then all our youth uh present and it was a great partnership. There was a lot of energy. We work really well with the city and we put together a committee that involved the educational institutions, the artistic groups and of course the county and the city. So the majority of the people who are present today are volunteers appointed by you to boards and to committees and for decades advocating for the arts, adding color and words and sound to the city. Most of them have never collected a penny for their efforts. No city check for their hours and hours and hours. They are content to give of their time for their city. All to be consider all to be considered and I'm sorry and now to be considered a little non-essential. We sign oath when we serve on city commissions to not take compensation and we on the fine arts commission chuckle because we don't vote on contracts. We don't award contracts. No one woos us. We love the artists in this city and we push forth their efforts and their gifts. We look in awe at the young faces at our venues. We marvel again in awe in the faces of the children. We are lifted by the words of our visionaries. We work every day to highlight our culture. The great cities of this state and of the world embrace public art. Our efforts were to carve out a small piece of money so that we could have a plan like Progressive El Paso did and other border communities. We didn't invent this. We took it from other folks that we're trying to collaborate with and they developed the plan and young people brought it to us and we brought it to you and you funded it. So allow the arts to flourish with the trickle of money that flows for their hard work. Our city is old and needs repairs. All of us who come back here know that. But there's something wonderful about a city that's older than our country. And that's that we get to be part of keeping it alive and teaching the word how to exist with a duality of cultures, languages, and of course art. This problem of water is not the fault of the artist of the artists. They have always been there. of our city and they will continue to to do that. Thank you very much for your Santana. Hello members of uh council. My name is Santana. I am director of the web county historical commission, board member of the Laredo Cultural District, uh author, columnist, and resident of one of the oldest neighborhoods in Laredo St. Peters. I was puzzled when I heard that some members of council, including the major, believe the arts are something non-essential. puzzled even more when the radio has seen the birth of a historic art movement in the past few years that has provided enough tangible evidence of the need of more funding for the arts because it has made clear it is something this community wants but most importantly this community needs since when is happiness non-essential that is what art provides a community happiness art can be bring can bring people together and help them feel a sense of belonging and value. It can help people from different backgrounds connect and understand each other better. Art can help communities achieve goals related to housing, health, and neighborhoods. It can also help communities progress towards their goals by increasing tax revenue, strengthening social networks, and reducing health risk. When people are involved in the creation and upkeep of public spaces, they develop a sense of ownership and connection to those spaces. This can make the community a better place to live, work, and visit. Art can help strengthen the social fabric of a community and increase community pride. Art can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve mood. It can also be a form of therapy or relaxation for people who don't have access to other mental health health resources. Art is fundamental, especially for youth in a city that has vending machines spread all over that provide Narcan like if there were sodas due to our fentinil problem. How is art non-essential? How is happiness non-essential? Your decision today to stop funding the soul of the city will be a decision that affects a generation or more. You will be remembered for this action. Your legacy will be forever stained with this decision. This decision you make likely with a signature, a simple motion. This I can guarantee you as a historian will follow you forever. And whatever you do and whatever you did, this will take precedent. You can't stop one problem by creating another one. Please explain to this community what mathematical formula you are using to believe with so much confidence that removing the 2% funding for the arts equals close to a billion dollars needed to repair our aging water infrastructure. Maybe you're using the same mathematical formula that believes >> mayor three minutes $10 is what people should receive for the issues of the water. The arts are the soul of the city. It can become what it rescues the city from never hearing again there is nothing to do in Laredo. We are not cartels. We are not just fifth wheelers. We are not just a spot in the desert. We are a land that saw seven flags wave above it. We are much more. Do not destroy your potential. Save the arts. Save Laredo. Happiness is essential. Thank you. Charles Martins. >> Well, I think it's going to be worth the wait. Um, a lot's been said. A a lot's already occurred. Um, one one thing I want to try to get us to do, and I want each of you to understand this from me. I respect each and every one of you. You work for your districts, and you work for the city of Laredo. I have not seen this from the last group that left. Full of self-interest. I've heard accusations today that I don't see in this group. I'm tired of the accusations. It's negative. It doesn't help anything. But what I will say is the group that is here very emotional and they have a great point. Um, we definitely need the arts. There's no doubt about it. What we have here is we've got a collision of two issues. We've got a water problem that finally collapsed, spread bacteria through the inside of our pipes. And let me let me throw this in. The bacteria either came from the river and got through the water treatment plant or it got in the pipe at a break or a connect that was illegal or a connect that was legal for a bacteria got inside the ID of your pipe. Look at your water system as your water transportation department because truthfully this is where our problem is. And I think what's happened here. I I compare it to a well blowout in my industry. That's when you find out everything that they're trying to hide. Employees, service companies, consultants, engineers, that's when you find out what exactly happened. And I think that's happened here. And I think we need to hire people. We need to get qualified people. And we need to get up to par. But I do not think that the people that supporting funding to repair what we're doing, what we want to do and need to do are doing this to hurt the artist group. I think it's strictly a timing thing. Truly there. This is there is no intent here that I've seen where it's it's it's an enemy catfight thing. I think the politics turn it into that. And I think we're all human and this is a good thing because we're supposed to talk about this kind of stuff. We're supposed to get through this and it's a serious issue. You get a bacteria. I I don't know how you got in, it can reoccur. It's just like at a hospital or a clinic or at your home. You got a bacteria, you get sick. Our pipeline system in this town is sick. But I think for the first time we've identified not a patch job that what I'm hearing they're not patching. The patching's been going on for too damn long and we all suffered from it. We didn't have the right people. We didn't understand the truth. I actually think the man on the crew that's out there digging the ditch can tell me where our problem pipelines are. We don't get much of that in natural gas and oil because they don't leak. We build them right and we build them to last. And the same can be done with your transportation system. I'm just not I'm just not comfortable giving a blank card for a billion dollars when I know where that number came from and I know it's impossible for that individual that led that number to understand what it actually takes to do this. We have no rightway cost. We're talk we have we have pipeline contractors in Sapata in Alice in Corpus in in in inselout, believe it or not. And we go out and we bring in these corporations that are used to these big old municipal contracts and we get hammered. We get their consultants and we get these companies they they pedal around the United States with serious about looking at these costs. We're not we're not at that level. And and I I'm I'm optimistic at our new gentleman who just spoke a little bit earlier. He actually has a plan and I think he's smart enough to know what he doesn't know. That translate to me in he's not going to make a fool of himself. He knows what he's doing and we need to trust this individual at this point in time. Now, as far as this funding goes, I don't want to wait six months. I don't want you all to put me as a citizen here in the position of I need to fund a billion dollars and that includes a water park and the the B national park that the mayor has been working on. I don't I don't want to have I don't want to have to repair my water line and fund those two projects at the same time. I don't think that's fair to me. putting those two together was the same individual that came up with the billion dollars. Those projects were chunked in there a long time ago. Why? Why are we Why are we on that? Why Why are we sitting here taking sides when we should be working together to resolve this issue? And and it's so I don't want to repeat myself and I know I'm past the timeline. It's it's hard for me to understand why we can't work together to get through this. And that includes the citizens with the arts group. That includes the citizens that got sick when we they drank the water. That includes everyone in this town and in this community. We we have to we have to focus and understand that we might have to take a little piece of that group and a little piece of that. Truthfully, I'm actually glad you have the money and that it's allocated. Just think if we didn't, we'd be tapping the bridges again. I mean, let's let's let's let's bankrupt this town. You want let's do that. Let's just start borrowing all the all the money we need because we got to protect somebody and somebody's interests. We got to protect our interests and that includes all the nonprofits, all the citizens. This includes all of us together. And if we don't start thinking like that, we're going to stay divided. And I do not like division. Nationally, we're going through that right now. Locally, we're going through it right now. It's disappointing. I I I I I want to I want to talk about your pipe a little bit and your pipelines. I know that that um I think your operating pressure would be around 100 pounds. The people I'm talking about in the pipeline business, we're talking 10,000 pounds. 10,000 pounds per square inch. We have those kind of people right here in South Texas that can build these things for us. But they don't get in. You You want to point fingers in corruption? Look in the past. All those people did nothing. And we pay consultants millions and millions of dollars. And look what we're stuck with arguing among ourselves. I don't like it. >> Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Samantha Bro. Good evening, Mayor and Council members. Um, my name is Samantha Broa. I'm a future educator, art educator studying in the valley. because all the opportunities are not here. I'll be reading for somebody else. Uh she is an artist, a local artist. Her name is Selena Varta. Good evening, city council members and mayor. Thank you for giving us your time to listen to this crucial issue for many Laroans. Sorry, I'm catching my breath. In 2005, I was the only student at JB Alexander High School to graduate from the health and science magnet program and studio art magnet program. At the end of that year, the principal and the superintendent visit us visited us during one of our studio art classes to explain their plan of removing the art magnet program entirely in the future. Each one of my classmates decided then and there to leave Laredo. The news was devastating to us as this was what we wanted to work towards for our careers. We had limited access to the arts and the little access we had was being completely removed. The message was clear as no other programs received financial cuts. When the 2% of city funds were going to be set aside for the art initiatives here on Larredo, it was an incredible step forward. The news of hiring a public art program manager was deeply encouraging as it indicated a step into the right direction. The city of Laredo declared the vital importance of local artists and the arts program to continue economic growth. Additionally, we bring a sense of community, boost morale, give Laredo a sense of pride and fuel tourism. The news of possible the news of the possible removal of the 2% arts fund is deeply troubling and echoes the same message that local artists repeatedly experience. We need more advocacy and investment into the arts and toward professional avenues for future creatives, our current youth who will feel this the most. I have my degree from a prestigious art school, one of the top art schools in the nation. When I came back to Laredo, I realized I wouldn't be able to find a job locally that I could use my hard-earned knowledge and expertise in. For the full duration that I have been a resident in Laredo, I have cultivated private work with the knowledge that the workforce in the arts is limited at best. Please do not add decades of double work and processing to the to the positive momentum the art community has going by removing the 2% allocated already that you previously set apart for the specifically for this growth in the arts. I greatly appreciate your time and energy on this important matter and I expect to rely on your word and support from 2019 and look forward to the immense richness the investment in the arts will bring. with warm regards. I also want to add personally um I grew up with a lot of crime and drug use in my home and so I'm one of three kids who made it out of that because of the arts. >> The people in my life that brought me out of that were my art teachers, >> the educators that pulled me aside and said, "Hey, you know what? You have something. You can do something different and we matter in this community. We have a voice that nobody else gets to hear because we're always pushed to the side." So, I want you to recognize that this is an opportunity for you to allow this community to to grow up. So, thank you very much for your time tonight and I urge you to make the right choice. Thank you. >> Thank you. Melissa Amia Haynes Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Melissa Mui Haynes and tonight I will be reading a letter from Alonso Gomez who is one of one of our most notable um Loredoans. So to the esteemed members of the Loredo City Council, I urge you to reconsider any plans to defund the arts program in our community. Art surrounds us, shaping our lives in profound ways. The music you listen to on your way here, the clothes that you're wearing, and the chair you're sitting on, and the show that you will binge watch tonight are all creations of artists. As a filmmaker from Laredo, I know firsthand the transformative power of the arts. My journey began in childhood inspired by inspired by visits to museums, performances and performances at the Larita Little Theater and unforgettable classes with dedicated art teachers like Armando Roa and my beloved drama teacher, the late Jack Davis at St. Augustine High School. These experiences provided me with a voice and a passion for storytelling. Recently, I had the privilege of bringing renowned cinematographer Frederick Elms to Laredo for a hands-on workshop at the Laredo Center for the Arts, which was free. Um, many young filmmakers attended, and I was struck by their disbelief that someone of Mr. Elm stature would be interested in our community. This reflects a deeper issue. Many of our young artists doubt their own worth and potential, yet they are deserving of support. They possess unique voices that need to be nurtured. Storytelling is essential for preserving our identities and promoting understanding among diverse communities. Art and storytelling allow us to express who we are and connect with others. Without these forms of self-expression, we risk losing vital aspects of our collective memory and human diversity. Through creativity, we learn to respect and appreciate the dignity of all lives. Movies, music, and visual arts are the memories of our lives. They inspire us, challenge us, open our minds to new perspectives and touch our hearts. They transport us to different places and broaden our understanding. Creativity knows no borders. And it is through this understanding that we foster unity. The urge to create is a divine gift connecting us to something greater than ourselves. When I think of a musician performing or a dancer dancing, I see a glimpse of the light of God's creativity. In those moments when a painter paints and a chef creates or an actor delivers a monologue that somehow changes your entire world view, something profound happens. A divine light comes in and connects us to each other and to something greater. I implore you not to dim this light. Instead, seek funding from other sources rather than cutting support for the arts. Many artists find their strength not in words, but in the brush strokes of painting, the notes of a melody, or the movement of a camera. Please protect and nurture the young voices in our community. They are the ones who can change the world. Thank you for your attention and consideration. Sincerely, Alonso. On a personal note, on a personal note, and as a mother and as a volunteer in the art community for the past 20 years, I implore you to consider the decision and the impact this will have. I have seen you all at events at the center. I know you know, Councilman Gett, we've got the same age. I know want the same community for >> for for for your child as I do mine. I employ please consider Thank you. Thank you for your time. I don't want to take up your time and repeat what everybody else has said. Uh but I do want to say clarify something that was said earlier about Kaminate. Uh I'm part of the Laredo Cultural District and uh Kaminate was a program that we revived and years ago. I do believe that uh the convention and visitors bureau had started the program but then it stopped and so it is not being funded by the city at all. It is done by donations and sponsors. And we started the program at the cultural district which is at Casis and it has grown to where a lot of private businesses um places like Gallery 2011 and Center for the Arts are joining with us because there's such a great movement to provide art for the community. and it provides a venue for starting artists, new artists to come in and learn how to price their their work and learn how to grow with the community. Um, I as a private business owner are providing half of my property to support the arts and we have two art galleries on our space. So, Kaminare is a program from its citizens and it's not funded by the city. Um, we understand that Uh a lot of you are new to council and this problem that we have the with the water has been ongoing for many many years. I personally am in the center of Laredo and I can tell you that whenever I have water breaks and I go to look into the hole that's in there, it looks like a caterpillar because of all the patches that they've done. And uh I've been patiently waiting for them to redo those water lines. So I know It's going to take time and I know it's going to take a lot of money. But what I'm asking all of you or what we are asking is for you all to look at it with vision for the future and not just think about your term on city council. You may be there for four years max eight years. Think long term. Look at where the city is and where it's going. From what we heard tonight, I can see that some of those plans are moving. We have some new a new city manager. We have new people that are coming into the city and that's good to see. It's sad that we have to go back and mention that there's been a lot of corruption. Money has been thrown away. Money has disappeared and not gone towards the projects that it should have. And we can see that the tide is turning and we truly appreciate that. But with the arts, it's a drop in the bucket for the money that you're going to need. And we really, really want you to consider not defunding it and understanding that we are a necessity. Thank you. >> Thank you on this. Okay, we'll continue with 54. >> No, may there's discussion on the discussion. >> Oh, discussion. Go ahead. >> There's more discussion. Does anybody have anything to say? Want to speak? >> We don't have a two. Okay, there's one. Thank you. Hi I'm I'm Gail Aker Rodriguez. I run Gallery 2011 in one of the most beautiful buildings in Laredo. It's uh an old home from I believe 1836 and it's got all of its original walls and floors and it's really a treasure here. I would like to point out a few things about art that you've been handed a h you have a handout. Um the Texas creative sector employs nearly 845,000 Texans. Almost one in 15 15 Texas jobs are part of the creative sector. Arts and culture industry generated six billion in taxable sales for the Texas economy totaling nearly 380 million in state sales tax revenues in 2021. So when we bring art to Laredo or we encourage artists in Laredo we encourage them to show their work so that they can sell that work obviously because that's what they want to do. They want to become artists. They want to Somebody supports me, somebody recognizes me, somebody sees me. Not only that, but students who have are exposed to art do much better in school. Art and music. I mean, there's studies done. It's in your handout. Texas students highly engaged in arts are between 34% and 112% more likely to earn an exceptional score on standardized standardized tests than students who are minimally engaged. Students who are highly engaged in the arts were 20% more likely to attend college and 42% more likely to attend the four-year institutions. what we would like to see in Laredo. And I know that UISD is already adopting um an arts program for um middle school children. Uh that's something that we don't have. There's not art for um elementary kids. They get they can only get it when they get to middle school or high school. By that time, you've lost a lot of initiative from children who are interested. So there are things in place that can be helped that we can have that will get done. But that 2% that we got designated a while back. It's so important to construct buildings in Laredo in every neighborhood. That money is to make sure there's an art element in any building that is funded by the bonds because those children in other neighborhoods that maybe don't make it downtown to Kamaka that maybe their parents can't take them. >> Mayor, three minutes, >> they should have access to art in their neighborhoods and that's all we're asking. Do not take away the fund for that. Thank you. >> Hi, good evening everyone, mayor and rest of the council. Thank you and everyone behind supporting us. Uh, my name is Alberto Rocha. I stand before you today as a Laredoan, but in difficult times, some could say I'm a non-essential citizen. But I am an artist and I've been an educator. I'm for I'm a former educator for the past 21 years. And after 21 years, I've decided to stop teaching because I feel that I can reach a wider audience, not just of kids, but of adults. Now I'm a full-time artist, and it's quite difficult to be a full-time artist is with projects like this that could help support people like myself. And this is not about me. This is about the community. I've left Laredo twice to study and really prestigious universities and I've learned a lot and I've come back because of this knowledge and because of the things that I know that I can share with the rest of the community and I volunteer myself. I am the interim board president of the Laredo Center for the Arts and I think in the time of the co we all struggled to through those times but guess what? I think it was us artists that help alleviate our mental health. If we would have gone crazy, we wouldn't have all these programs. I mean, now we have people, brothers and sisters that leave Laredo and we're so proud of them. Every time that we see like Peter Studio or Cesar Martinez or Ethel Shipton, Maro Martinez, these are all friends and colleagues. And of course, my opa, we all look forward to being like them. But it takes a whole community and we really look up to you to make the right decision. When I was young, one of the very first scholarships that I got was from the Center for the Arts and that was a $500 scholarship and that took me a long way up to today. As an educator, I've instilled all these things with my students for my students. At first, I would take them out of town so that they could see firsthand what a real artwork is because we don't have a museum here. But guess what? As an interim or as a board president for the Center for the Arts, I am looking forward that one day we will have a museum for ourselves and we will be so proud of it because the essential things here aside from the arts is our culture. And if we don't document the culture that we have and don't if we don't take pride in our stories, then what do we have as artists? They say we'll fix this, but we need to stick together. So please touch your hearts and know that there's so many of us working together just like you are so that we can make Larredo a better place. Thank you. >> All right. Nobody else with this item. All right. We'll proceed with 54 >> F2. >> F2. >> F2 again. discussion with possible action to suspend or cancel the funding 24 C-228 for non-essential projects, funds, etc. and place funding into a general fund and for economic rebates for community residential water accounts andor water infrastructure infrastructure projects and any matters related there too. Now I need to say something regarding this few words and like I mentioned earlier today I understand that the pausing of the quality of life projects is not what anyone wants to hear. I don't want to hear that either. But it is not. But for the majority of the community just to boil water notice, there was no quality of life without the confidence of the water. Just like going to a grocery store when we need to buy the essentials like bread and milk and we don't have enough money, we put certain non-essentials aside. I also want to make it known that just because there's a pause in certain projects, that does not mean there's no support for these projects, it just means that they will have to be will wait to be presented on their own merits instead of automatic expectation. For example, having the utilities department and all the city departments pay 2% that goes to the art form like we're talking about may not be the proper way to fund this project. That there might be other ways, especially in the light of the current need. And for that reason, the motion was made to pass ordinance number 20190-177 for an undetermined amount of time and the 2.5 million funds to be transferred to the general fund so that management and legal can come up with a best course of action on dealing with the needs of the utility department. As public servants, we are elected in this difficult times and difficult decisions that are prudent and necessary because our job is to create stability and confidence and the core functions of government. So I want you to think of that and a lot of things have been said that all this came as a result of many years and we are here to take the bull by the horns. This does not mean that we're not wanting to do the right thing, but we have to present all the scenarios and people have to be informed. Just like Mr. Martin said, we need to come together and make solutions. Everybody can identify the problem, but what about the solutions? That where it gets difficult, and that's what we're here for. Mr. Ne, >> sir, mayor, Dr. Trevino, city council. Um, I'm I'm going to um I'm gonna take my time and I'm going to say a few things as I as I walk through this to answer the the question that's that's on there. Uh because I have not heard anybody on this city council to say to stop any project at all yet. The the question that came out of the last council meeting was city management, please go back and look at this list. And if we can bring this list up on the uh on the chart, please look at this list and look and see if there is any non-essential projects that can be in there that that's on this list that we can divert those funds over to helping take care of the utility work. Nobody said anything about stopping any one project at all. When the when when Mayor Trevino and I were talking about even the donation of the or the 2% arts and public places money, it was this is 2% of utility money that will be put over into this side and if we have this problem with our utility, why are we not devoting all of these resources over to that? That that was the that was the conversation that we had and we bring it forward to the council for that. So I apologize for a lot of the people that have that have come out here with not the entire conversation of where they should be. I can understand their passion. I can understand all those concerns. I can understand the confusion between a salary and an allowance which is part of that whole conversation as well too. The action of the council based upon charter was to remove allowances out of salary. So there was nothing illegal, nothing immoral about that process within there. That's my That's my frustration with where we're at with all of this stuff here. Now, I was asked to go back and look at this list that is in the general fund within our structure to determine are there anything in here that we can remove off of our our CO bond, our geo bond for 2024 and move it over there. I will say that the donation or the uh the money for the uh the funding of the arts 2% just so everybody's clear of that there are no projects assigned to that there is not an art project that would be eliminated for those funds. Now on that side and this is this is the the hard part about this because we've shared a lot of different opinions as to what we should be doing and everything. I'm here to tell you, mayor, city council, that based upon our bond covenants of this money, there are eight criteria within the the thing when we went out and borrowed the money for moving the money to the utilities is not one of them. This money cannot be moved over to the utilities to take care of any of that work over there. I think with what mayor was talking about maybe a suspension of the program or something, that's a whole another conversation. It's the same conversation we had with the the salaries of our of our salaried employees. We can't retroactively go back. The bond covenants will not allow us to go back and take any of these projects off. Now, the city council could, in their infinite wisdom, walk through these projects and move them around within the eight criteria. That's all acceptable based upon your responsibilities as the city council. Just really quickly, these monies cannot be moved over to utilities for through this bond ordinance. That's that's the end of end of that part of that thing. I want to take it a little bit farther though because I've heard I mean I've heard a lot of different types of attacks tonight on on everybody if you've been here for 10 years, eight, 15 years. In June of 2022, the city council of Laredo accepted a water master plan. That water master plan stays valid today. Within that water master plan, it has a 50year cycle in there. 50 years from 2023 forward. 50 years. $911 million. And it and it has everything from secondary water sources. It has everything about distribution systems. It has everything about our plant expansions. It has everything about our growth within the city. That master plan is solid. What happened were some unfortunate incidences within our structure where we ended up adding $90 million more of more work onto this list and tried to do it with the same amount of money that we had on our projects on our list master plan. If we would have followed the master plan 100% of the way through there, this map right here is within the uh in that in that area and I'll turn it around for everybody as well too. This is what we call a heat map of our water system. Everything in red is where we've had major water main breaks and everything in red is anything that's over 50 years older or older. So if you look the areas that we had the coline contamination enter into our system is 50 year old lines and that's where that's where the map is. You can see yellow all over and we're we're tracking all of this for a while. This heat map is is situated and if we would have if we would have went out in 2023 and spent the money on replacing the lines that were in the red it would have been resolved. However, we put in $90 million of other projects because of our growth, because of our activity and everything else. We had to spread ourselves thinner. I kind of I kind of I get upset about this with with our people because rather than to come to the council and say, "Hey, we need a we need additional money for these new projects for all this extra work as well as keeping up with what the the plan was," we said, "Oh, they'll probably tell us no." I don't know if that's exactly the story that got told, but that usually is what I what I hear is that well, they're going to say no. We have this bond referendum coming up potentially for the next year for asking the people if they will support any projects within that. If we thought, oh, they're just going to tell us no, we'll never know what the people want to do or what they how they want to do it. And so, as I look at this stuff, boil water notices are unfortunate. In 2019, we were hit with one that went 63 days eight boil water notices in five years. Each one of them had different reasons and different criteria that happened with it. What I what I think I'm hearing from every one of you and and the mayor and I have talked about this extensively all the way through this emergency. We're not going to drop the ball. We're going to take care of it today. So with that, we need approximately about $175 million to replace out if we were to replace everything that's over 50 years old. We have a thousand miles of water distribution line of different sizes. 30% of our infrastructure is over 50 years old. That means 300 miles of water line out there that is over its life expectancy. It's not it's not rocket science. It's not a lot to do with this thing. It's really focusing in on this work and tackling it. And so I I guess I you're you're hearing a little bit of my frustration tonight because I I don't like people upset. I don't like them doing that, but I think some of their some of their decision- making is all based upon not the best information within there. And so, I want to make sure I clarify some of that. I I'm happy to take a beating like anybody else. I bruise easy. I'll cry in in my corner and everything, but but I I think the thing is is that we are focused on making those changes. Mr. Pisker is here in order to help us make those adjustments. We're going to we're going to go and tackle this thing and we're not going to let go of it until we find a way back through that. The chloride dioxide project that you just put through last at the last meeting that was in year one of the master plan in 2022. This city council talked about that project in 2023. We talked about it three times in order to get it into the budget. This work is there. We're working through this process. It just takes a little bit of time in order to kind of understand where we came from because I came in in February 23. I wasn't here before. I'm learning as quickly as I can. I'm trying to find out exactly where all the skeletons are in the closet so I know how to move them out. But we're trying to move this thing forward. Um, I think the Goodwill uh rebates are all great and everything else, but I guess when we get down to the situation here, uh, Council Member Rangal, your item here, we cannot move any of these projects off of here and move it into the utility. We have to go after it a little different. And in our public uh, notice that we did today, our public conference press conference today, we talked about that it's going to be our internal money. We have we have some money set aside for a lot of this work. We are we have offers from the state and the federal government for grants and loans in order to move this thing forward. And I think we'll get very creative about these other processes. All I'm asking for is please give it a little bit of time. I I I know you all of you don't mind having the conversations with the public in this way. Good or bad, it doesn't matter to you. I know. Um, but I get defensive about that because I I report to every one of you for for the job that you do and I believe that it's a tough job. My job is to make sure that I can move 3,000 employees in the same way of what your vision is. And so I really hate it when we get into these conversations, but I wanted you to know we've got a plan. We know exactly where we're headed. it will be coming forward more and more. The the farther away we get from our emergency declaration, the better and the better structure we're going to have going forward. We're not lost. We haven't ignored anything in the past. From 2019 when those 63 days happened, the uh the water plants were corrected. It was a cine residual issue back there in the 63 days. you fixed it. Our problem now is in the distribution system. We will fix it now and then we will have our system working the way it is. So, uh, thank you. I apologize for taking my opportunity to to at least set some of the record straight with this as well too. I know it's election day tomorrow. I apologize for that as well too. But, mayor, city council, we cannot do anything with these fund projects here. If you were to delay any of them, it's because you want us to focus more our attention on that. I will tell you that I've got the crews doing all everything they can. >> There's no action needed for this item. Question. >> Yes. You have question and I understand here what what uh Councilman Ranel is trying to do. You know, he acted when he was supposed to and I commend him for that. Uh but we need to have a stricter uh like pre-aggenda meetings. You see there there was a lot of important stuff and the list so much important but I don't see the fire chief here where he was worried about but because they know I only see the our community here is I mean and and they spend three of their hours here is I mean is our community based on on rumor? What what are we based on? We needed to have a stricter pre-aggenda where the community should have already known where this this wasn't been be able to to to execute that way they wouldn't have wasted time. >> I agree with with with council Gonzalez right now. We should have had this conversation before and I wast you know the art community to come in and be afraid if we're going to defund something. We're trying to figure out a way how how to get this this ball moving, getting better at water quality to the to our community. We're not trying to hurt anybody. We're what we're trying to do is make sure what was not fixed eight years ago or 10 nine years ago, this is my first year my actually eight months from here from now. So I'm trying to fix what wasn't fixed eight years ago within eight months and I'm trying to catch up with all these council members here. So that's the reason we were trying to find. Okay, we we didn't fix it last talk and last and last committee everybody everybody was talking about kicking the can down the road. I don't want to do that. So that's the reason that we're trying to find the monies that we need to put them into into into action and you'll start you know doing work for that we need for the committee. >> Mayor and city council I I will tell you that and legal will tell you this as well too. Unless it hits a public agenda, then it can't be it really can't be talked about in the public unless it's on a public agenda. That's that's the nature of what you guys all do. So, I would love to do precursors. I would love to say, "Hey, this is where this is going to go and this is what's going to happen." But I believe you deserve the information first and then in order to make that conversation and make that that criteria work. So, >> yes, were you first? I just wanted to say that these comments were made at council by council members and mayors and and our mayor and we do need to be more more informed from our management. This should have not this should have been addressed and said and we should have known that we couldn't have moved these monies around and there it's not that the public's misinformed it's that we are misinforming them because we are mis we are we don't have all the information >> yes go ahead >> so I think that um I put the first item right and and I went public with urging that we shift as much of the money possible to fix the utilities issues, right? And you did not see my item come back after we tabled it because if I'm not mistaken, all of us on this council got an email saying we weren't going to hear about this until November the 18th. >> Am I not correct? >> No, sir. That's that was correct. And I I felt that it was necessary in order to meet. >> Obviously, some of us here have communication with a lot of people are in the audience. we could have communicated that saying there's no conversation to be had until the 18th for starters, right? Obviously with the item you saw on the agenda, you were able to speed things up and here we are today. Thankfully, we won't have a repeat of this discussion um on the 18th and we were able to tackle it tonight. >> Correct. >> Right. So, for the public's sake, right, I think all of us have supported the arts and different projects. Right. I still think that if there's anything we can do from the CO bonds and I understand that you cannot move any of the money to utilities, but I think that you could still ask for a pause on certain projects and I'll and I'll say it, you know, I've always and I said it last week and I'll say it again today. district priority funding, right? Could be something that we can pause collectively for this year and ask our bonding um agents, right, or whatever it is that they're called, our financial adviserss, if we could submit an amendment for that set amount, whatever the amount may be, right? Um I don't see an issue with what we have before us. What I do see a concern in is how this ordinance went ahead and affected an enterprise fund. And I think that all of you in this room and council member Sigan knows this. I've been helping and advocating for the arts and I've supported every art project that you have proposed to this council when sometimes the council has not wanted to support it and I've helped you champion several things. and I'm part of organizing one of the biggest art show for elementary kids and middle school kids and high school kids for years because I've invited you to judge that. Um, what I do think that's bothersome to a certain extent is not the 2% that we're putting into the arts from the SEO bond, which is a $600,000 you all saw on your screens tonight. What I do think is that the ordinance that was drafted or the ordinance that was passed in whatever year it was 2022, I think it was council member 19th. And if I'm not mistaken, we give credit to council member Elgil and council member Marta Martinez who who championed that is the 2% we're pulling from the utilities bonds. when we see that we're we have an infrastructure issue with utilities and we're still tapping into 2% of the utility bonds which should be just for utilities, right? That's where maybe we shouldn't be putting that 2%. Especially with the issues we have now, but the 2% from general CO bonds is perfectly fine, which are the $600,000 we just saw on your screen. But I I'll tell you this is where where it becomes I think an issue. Right? It took me six years to convince the council that we had to do something about the lion water tanks that not only fed to the district I represent but to South Laredo, West Ledo, Central and parts of North Ledo. and the comment that the council members I've been through five different councils I've worked with 19 different city council members and two mayors about eight city managers in city managers the issue that always came up when I tried to do something about the lion water tanks was if district 4 is getting $12 million at that time of project monies and it's a conversation I've had with with my colleagues now um why isn't my district getting the $12 million And I think that this council has worked diligently to say, well, if it's just so happens that geographically the land water tanks are in the district I represent. The airport happens to be in the district that council member Gutierrez represents and when we give funding to the airport, I don't see any one of us thankfully say if $1 million going to the airport, we're $9 million for my district or the future um uh sports complex or downtown or M's road traffic, whatever the case may be. What I do want to see is if there is no need for us to pull 2% of the utilities bonds for the arts because we're already doing it from the bigger cos then leave that 2% for water utilities and what I was going to get to on the arts as it pertains to land water tanks. I've had difficulty in finishing the project and like Dr. Sro said I'm on my way out. I am. And one of the major projects that I want to finish and Chief Landine and management can attest to this. I'm hammering them. When are we going to finish the Lion Water Tanks project? I want to see that done before I leave. And it's got to be delayed. You know why? because of the 2% art that we've got to incorporate on those tanks because the architect or or or or the engineers decided that a waterfall um an actual waterfall um justified a water feature justified the art requirement that's costing us 2% of the 12 million if I'm not mistaken which is now 20 million because we've t we've taken so long and that is a frustration I have that we're trying to finish water projects And we have to incorporate the arts from the utilities monies that we are seeing are not sufficient. Right? And that's what I have to say about that 2%. I'm not against it. But if it's utilities money and we're pulling 2% of the utilities money when they need the money, maybe we shouldn't. And maybe we should increase the CO bond from 2% to 2.5 to make up for that 2% from utilities to balance it out. But that is a frustration I have with the utility bond money. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> If memory serves me correctly and I I I agree with you, I um the ordinance did exclude the 2% from the utilities bond. um from from what I what I again what I remember um I don't know about this project or what's going on there but within the ordinance it I I do I know that there was a conversation about back in 2019 that the um that it would exclude utilities bond >> and we had clarification on that mayor >> yeah I just heard from Mr. Ma, our finance director, mayor, city council, that the actual utility bonds does not have the 2% coming out of it. >> The 2% the 2% in question comes out of the general fund geo bond. Go ahead. >> Order, please. Can we then revisit all the projects we've done out of utilities? Because I've also understood from staff, right? And here we are thankfully getting this information now that the artwork that we see of United High School, JW Nixon High School and whatnot on these tanks justifies that 2%. So maybe staff has a misunderstanding, right, of what we are working with. What I can guarantee you, mayor, city council, is that we will walk through all of that to make sure that it is there because again, we need to make sure that those monies are allocated appropriately and we had some questions about the bond language uh even even through this conversation. So, let me let me make sure we get with the count get with my staff and everything and we will walk through each one of these things to asssure that it is all taken care of. I would ask that just be a little patient with some of this things as we're as we're kind of stepping through this thing piece by piece by piece. >> Mayor man. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Did you have a comment on 54? >> Go ahead. I will allow it. Dr. >> We just heard what I thought was a beautiful presentation by Walter Buzz Kishker. Is that correct? >> And in it he really distilled it so nicely and he clearly said the solution is not throwing money at it. Obviously they need money. You guys have a lot of money from the utilities department. How much money are we talking about in our 2% art fund? 600,000 bucks. was how fast is that going to accelerate the correction of our water issues? $600,000. How fast what difference is that going to make? >> Yeah, please council. >> I'm sorry. I'm I'm so sorry. And so I think, you know, we've had a very forceful presentation by our city manager. We also had a tremendous amount of confusion about the 2% which utilities construction what. I think this council once again has to take a step back and ask yourself, is it worth hurting so many people that already have had it very hard in the arts? And like you said, Albert, I am sure you had to fight for that 2% back then. And this committee gave it to them. And I don't know, mama told me a lot about Indian giving and this is that situation. So, Mr. Ne, you know, we need to know where the money is coming from before we take away. And $600,000 really is petty. >> I have a question. >> Thank you. Usually I don't allow comments after you had your comments. >> Can I just ask one question? Can I just ask one question? >> Go ahead. I'll allow it. >> When we were allotted the 2% for the arts and in the bonds. Okay. And we didn't use that money the first year, I believe, or the second year. That money was distributed to everybody's discretionary fund. >> Yes, it was. >> Yes, >> mayor. Just as a correction, >> if I may, it was distributed to every district >> to determine an art project, not the fund. Okay. >> And we work with our appointee to determine locations for those. >> Okay. And how many of those districts actually did an art project? I can tell you that my district there was three projects that we came for >> because you can go and look in there and the fund the money you want to answer that mayor and city council as we addressed last week the fund itself has $2.4 million in it today this 600,000 that is in the geo bond would be added to that number because right now we have no projects assigned to that $2.4 million. So it wasn't used. So they have it in their discretionary fund. >> Okay. >> Every every district. Um, since then it's been it's been um the the fund has has been intact and every year the the 2% of the capital improvement project bonds um goes into this fund. There isn't a pro a project um at the moment or or hasn't been because we have a master plan that needs to be followed and a process that should be kept intact and respected and um this is the fact that we um have a position posted for an arts director will help implement this plan for the future. And so even even though there's the words saying that we don't have a project, well, there's a reason because we're trying to follow a process. So I think it's a whole part of the whole. >> Thank you. Um Mr. When you uh were talking about the water master plan and I assume what you were implying is that we're going to be following now this water master plan and that perhaps we hadn't been following it as we should have before. >> Mayor and city council. Yes. What what I'm alluding to within there and we have been following the plan. However, what we've allowed to have happen are additional projects based upon our growth to take over. Um, there was a project, a tech stop project where we had to move a utility line, $8 million to move the utility line out of the way so tech can widen their road. So those projects take the same money of what we're doing with the other work. And that that would that's that's the point I'm trying to make is that if we have a plan that's been approved by the council, we follow that plan >> because according to the water master plan and this is to cover fiscal year 2023 to fiscal year 2027, there is included $52 million for pipeline replacement, $15 million to replace equipment, and $50 million with an emphasis on water quality. So you're talking about $17 million that is planned. So when we talk about trying to focus and somehow cancel non-essential projects to move some of this stuff along, at some point we're going to hit capacity. And so it is we have to walk and chew gum at the same time. And the reason why the arts community is here is because a suggestion has been made the council at the meeting before and also with our mayor's comments just now that somehow there are non-essential projects that we could cancel to throw money at this problem that is already going to receive in our budget $17 million. And I think that's where a lot of the confusion comes from. And as I said last week, we have to have a strategic plan and will have to have faith that this council will follow the strategic plan and not be jump and hopscotching to grab something that maybe a faction here doesn't like to throw at our everpresent ever critical water issue. If we can't show the public that we have a strategic plan that we're willing to follow for the whole growth of the city, which includes the arts to create a better quality of life and attract that professional talent we need and keep the talent that we have, we will not be able to find that public trust to pass those bond items that we will be asking you to pass in May that are essential to our continued growth. It is a matter of trust and I am grateful that the arts community came to express their deep concern for the comments that have been made here and for their insistence that art as part of our quality of life is as essential to us as the quality of our water. We can do both. Did uh we take out the money from the utility department without permission for art or not? >> Mayor, I' I'd have to I'd have to look into that deeper for that reason, but I do not believe we did. uh we want to check that out I think based upon the earlier conversation as to make sure whether or not uh the ordinance that was passed that you that you've been talking about actually remove 2% out of the utility work or not and we'll walk through that. My understanding is that we did not >> Yes. Go ahead. Um, I just want to, you know, comment that I understand everything that's been said about the arts and everything, but I do want to bring up uh the issue, for example, that I've been dealing with in my district with the Faskin Treehouse. You know, there is a downside that when it comes to hiring an artist to do something like that, a project like that, and the artist doesn't um fulfill their obligation, it's very hard to get the project completed. And that is relevant because we're talking about that was a a very hefty investment and it took four years to complete which I think that it's important for us to have some and I think we've talked about it before um procedures in place on how to address situations where you're taking a structure that requires like there's safety involved people are going to be using it. They're going to be, you know, children are going to be playing on this thing and it needs to be structurally sound. And you have an artist in charge, but the artist has delayed and delayed and delayed and delayed the project. It ties up the funding and it creates a problem for us as government to get this done. So, as much as we advocate for art and stuff like that, we do have to keep in mind that we have to ensure that these projects get completed for the public. And it's hard to do that when in those situations where you have an artist that isn't finishing. >> Order. Order. Uh, >> well, it's on it's on the agenda. So, it's been an issue for four years. All right. >> Did you have a question? >> No, ma'am. I was just going to mention that that's an item on the agenda. Maybe we can wait to discuss this. >> All right. Okay. All right. Next item. >> What is it? >> We're in Facebook. >> Mayor, what's the next item? >> 54. Go 54 F. >> 54 F. Let's do 54F first. >> F1. >> F1. >> That's council member Van. We're going to do your council 54 F1. All right. >> Council members and what uh constituent part times or fulltimeifications and any matters related there to interrupt briefly just a point of order. I think there's still more confusion about what happened with the item and really no action was taken based on the information the city manager gave us. So all the projects stay as is on the co bond based on the information provided to us. So the council takes no action. >> Correct. Nothing changes from the >> list. Go ahead. >> Just sharing that the 2% is is going to stay intact. Um and I just thank each and every one of you for showing up with your wholeheartedly caring about your community and I wish we would have this um kind of presence at every meeting. So, thank you so much. proceed with your >> discussion with possible action on compensation of city council members and and constituents parts time and full-time clarification and any matter related there too. So, the reason I'm bringing is I just I want Miss Diente to see if to let us know if we're full-time, part-time, or we're consist of being full-time and we consist of being part-time for the city council. >> All right. And one other thing I would like to comment uh this is important because uh relating to pension placed on the agenda with a majority of not being allowable according to most of the recent conversations with TMRSS TR TMRS and the city attorney's offices. This is an item that was placed on the first meeting when I was elect where I was elected as mayor. I felt at that time and I feel now as elected officials we shouldn't receive pensions. However, the legal opinion of TMRS is that we were forced into the pension even if we do not opt into the program because he was created by previous city councils. The only way out of the pension was if the city manager reclassified future city councils members as part-time and they would not qualify for the pension or allowances. Is that a correct statement? Mr. City Attorney, >> go ahead and I will both answer this. U so as a category council is a participant in TMRS and you cannot undo something in the past. You can stop future council members from uh participating, but that would require the certification that you all work $1,000 less than one,000 hours a year, which could create a situation where you put a cap on on services. >> Um yes, thank you, city council. Mr. Uh so on this issue um the legal department um this is a case of first impression to say the least, right? Uh it's um you know you have city council members in other cities that do receive a pension. Um so there's not much talk of them wanting to opt out or resend. This is a case of first impression. So instead we decided just to ask our legal department or the legal department for TMRS which is our administrator for this pension. And we asked them a set of questions. One of the questions was can this body uh pass a motion to resend their participation in the in the pension plan as a department and the answer was no it cannot happen. Um the only way to terminate participation for TMRS for the city of Laredo would be if this body were to stop the program for any new hires at a specific date. So, it would essentially be the city as a whole and every employee opting out of the pension. However, it would only apply to new employees and new hires after the date you choose for the city to stop participating in TMRS. And anyone who was a participant of the program would continue to be a participant of the program. And that includes you. Even if you were to rescend the whole uh the whole city from the program, each and every one of you would still keep your pensions intact. You would still be contributing and you would still be a participant until you are no longer on this earth. Okay, that's how it works. And the reason why it is and it makes sense is because the moment that an employee participates in the program, they have a vested property interest at that point. And that vested property interest cannot be taken from the by a government entity which would be all without due process. So that would be the only way. You could not resend participation in it. And you certainly cannot dissect departments out. It doesn't work that way. It's either we're all in or no one's in. That's how that works. >> Men has what I have to offer is two things. So as a city organization, what we've got to do is the management has to do two things. It's got to have a mechanism that will accept the compensation. That's the first one. And that the second piece is that the city will validate that the the council does work more than a thousand hours per year. Uh anything working over then constitutes them uh the members becoming a member of the TMRS. I also need to add to Mr. uh conversation here. Um the member if you all you currently all have an account with TMRS right now. If you stop your Councilman Doris is about to go off. If he goes off and he's a vested member, then that account will stay in place until a couple of things happen. If he's five years, then he's a vested member. And what he would have to do is have 15 years of employment in a governmental entity being a school district, the county or university. And then he can come in once he hits a 20-year mark, he can come and ask for a pension if the account has less than $10,000. what TMRS will do. They'll pay out that that fund and that pretty much takes care of that employee. Or the other piece could be that you're vested at five years of service and at age 60 you can come up and you can also uh apply for a pension. Those are going to be the mechanisms in place for this council right now and anybody that is a member of the TMRS system. >> And the five years also has some other significance. It does qualify you as a vested employee and you get the 200% match from the city of Laredo. >> The two for one match. Okay. Go ahead. >> Thank you. Um, so there may there is since we're talking about the pension and I I suppose that's what the part-time and full-time classification issue was trying to identify. Uh item 54D3 has a discussion item to see if we could resend the classification of elected officials as a designated department of the city so that we wouldn't fall into this not trap but we wouldn't fall into the classification of being our own department which I understand we we wouldn't want to um resend the pension for all of our departments here at the city because Just as a point of order mayor, if would it be prudent that we just bring up the item since she's already addressing it and not we >> is that your item? >> It's okay. >> I'll make a motion to include item um 54 D3 with this discussion. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> Motion pass. >> Thank you, mayor. So um because we're talking about the the reason why we cannot resend the pension is because we are considered in our own department and single departments in any city cannot opt in or opt out on their own. Then the argument is can we stop being a department? Can we just be elected officials? There there may be other implications because we do receive certain benefits um as being considered city employees. But if we were to reclassify ourselves so that we're not considered as a department, then does that somehow get us out from this burden and we can just be the elected officials that we are that we actually are and not have these city employee benefits that that we're not able to opt out of? Uh a short answer to your question, ma'am, and it is a very good question. The answer is no. Um you essentially the city has already taken the position that you are a department. And I'm going to read to you an email that I received from TMRS. Again, my colleagues and I, we researched this uh this issue diligently and then we finally went to the um the administrators of our pension and we asked what what what TMRS noted was the city cannot discontinue participation in TMRS on a department by department basis. The city can only adopt a new ordinance to discontinue participation in TMRS for all persons newly elected or newly hired or rehired by the city after the effective date of an ordinance. And that comes to us via Texas Local Government Code 852.006A, which is the only mechanism for termination of the city's participation in the pension plan. >> But does that address the issue of how we're classified? And if it's and perhaps Miss Sen can answer that was done. department so that our paychecks are easier to cut if we stop being a department because we're not city employees. We are elected officials and and and I I understand the distinction that you are making of C councilwoman Sigoa. However, while I believe that legally you are not employees, what I can say is that legally as per this part of the local government code, you are considered employees for the limited purpose of this program. So, you do have the employee designation because we have a we had an organizational chart. We had a budget line item where this this body was considered a department, but it was only considered in that light in order for you to be able to apply as per and let me look at my notes really quick. It's um there is a provision in the local government code that allows for elective participation by elected officials in TMRS as long as there was a certification that there was uh that each council member or the department worked at least a thousand hours a year. That has already been done. And as for TMRS, that cannot be rescended. Your participation as a body on a department level cannot be rescended and that is for that is from the chief legal counsel from TMRS. >> Does that matter if you're part-time or full-time and that that distinction Mr. Mayor that's a very good question doesn't really matter because full-time is 2080 Mr. Win I I always forget the number he always reminds me 2080 right all you need is a thousand. So by its very essence, the statute prohibits part-time employment to participate as elected officials. >> Mr. Rodriguez, could you explain that again? So that people understand what you're saying. >> I'm so sorry. >> Yes. Uh typically full-time employees will work 280 hours a year. That's 40 hours a week for as many weeks as there are in the in the year. Correct. This statute by law allows your participation as long as there is a certification that each of you works at least a thousand hours. So by its very nature, it takes into consideration part-time employment. I wouldn't get too hung up on that on that nomenclature. I would just look at the statute for what it says and it just says that if you want if you if you pass an ordinance that says you work at least a thou that that you want to participate there's a certification that you work at least a thousand hours you're in and it cannot be rescended. It can only be rescended if the city of Laredo as a whole decided to terminate participation for every single employee. It cannot you cannot carve out a department that's already been established. >> Remember I direct council. >> Go ahead. So, um, I guess the options, I mean, to simplify this based on the item that was put for discussion before us would be number one, pull the whole city out of the retirement system, which we're not going to do. Number two, have the city manager or the city attorney certify that no one on the council works more than a thousand hours, which means no more than two hours a day or two hours and 30 minutes a day. And number three would be that this council opts out or passes an ordinance that says moving forward the city council is not um part of the pension plan which means the newly elected council members would not participate which I think would be unfair and what would happen to the council members that would remain on council if you if the council were to even consider saying future councils don't qualify on on this program. >> I would say, excuse me, I would say based on the questions that we asked TMRS and the way we phrase them, option two and three cannot happen. Council member Torres, only count only option one. >> Two and three cannot happen. They just cannot. You're in. You cannot be carved out. The ordinance that you pass to participate cannot be rescended. And that is from the chief legal officer from TMRS. Is there mayor? >> Yes. >> Is there no I mean here we're asking TMRS who wants us to be a part of the pension plan. Is there no one else that we can get a third opinion from? >> Um TMR >> like you're you're you're saying you're you're talking to the attorneys at the >> Yes. This is the chief. This was this is a if I may, council member, this is a this uh email was given to us or this email was sent to us by Just give me one moment. That would be Miss Christine Sweeney, the chief legal officer for the Texas Municipal Retirement System, >> right? Which we pay into. So, can we not get a third party opinion of the situation? I don't we and why why wouldn't we be able to dissolve a department or resend an ordinance? >> I mean I because they are the administrator uh they their legal department is solely working in interpreting the language of the local government code that belongs to TMRS. I don't know where you would find another opinion and I don't think it's based on opinion. With all due respect to council member Sigaroa, I believe that is what the statutes say and what it allows for cities to do and what they can't do. So I I would say if you're asking for an opinion from the horse's mouth, that's that we we we spoke to the horse and the horse told us what the answer is. Council member, I wish I could come up with a better way to say that. just have a hard time. >> Council members, this this is a unusual case and at first when we first talked to them, they said, you know, you can't flip-flop and we get that and and so it will be, you know, frowned upon, but I believe we've talked about it. Uh if you really want to go to option two, I believe we we can make the the case that you as a as a body, your elected officials, if you don't work a thousand hours, then you would the future uh council members would not participate in TMRS. If you want to proceed that path, we can we can pursue that path. But that's that's the only viable option because option one is not viable. This won't take out every employee. So, and again, it's it's it's something that no one else has done, but I believe that can be done. U can't be undone after that. >> Go ahead. >> Talked to the attorney general about And I and I do think that we should correct the ship and resend the ordinance and go with what you just mentioned, the route that you just mentioned, um, Mr. Newan. Um, it is this isn't about whether we actually work a thousand hours or not. It's a it's an ordinance that was put in into place precisely for council to and um receive this pension plan. The community is not happy about it. Several of us on council aren't happy about it. Unfortunately, if I but I um if there's not much that can be done of the past, which I would hope that we still continue trying to find a way forward, um let's at least correct the the path and and resend the ordinance. >> If I may just real briefly, u the attorney general deals with state law and this is a federal pension law issue. So the attorney general wouldn't provide us more expertise on this matter. That's why we wouldn't necessarily go to them. We we went to TMRS. They they are giving us sound advice. If you want to find someone else, we can search, but I don't think we're going to find anyone that's going to give us a different interpretation. >> Of course, >> may I have a comment? >> Yes. Go ahead, >> Mr. Um, after a sitting council member has served their time, Miss said one of two things happen. One, I'm assuming would be for one-term council members if they were to accumulate $10,000 or less, which equates to 7% of our own salary. Correct. And there's no match unless there is a vesture. Correct. >> So any one-term council member is really getting their money back after one term if they don't seek re-election or lose their first term. Right. So it it's a refund of their own money right? >> With applicable taxes, because as money is going into the pension system, it's non-t taxable at that point. The moment that you or the member receives their monies back, there is that applicable tax depending on your tax bracket uh when you're filing your taxes. Yes. >> Okay. In order to get vested, you must be reelected >> essentially your your minimum five years. >> Five years. Yes, sir. after you serve eight years, right? Nothing stops any council member that served the eight years from after the 31st of the year that they've served on January the 1st for them to request their money plus whatever matter went in there and donated. Correct. Donate it back to the city out of principle if you want to do that or give it away. Nothing stops you from doing that. Correct. >> It it be your money after eight years with the the after eight years you can opt to withdraw the money and if you it's a principal thing you can donate it back to the city if you choose to do so and the city would accept that >> I'd accept it yes >> I would think that the management would have to accept it right as a donation >> back so I think that's important to clarify right that the first four years it's 7% of the council's paycheck nothing goes into an account until after a vesture >> right 7% of the total sum of of uh gross compensation. >> Yes, sir. >> Yeah. Not the gross. >> Go ahead. >> Okay. I think Council Member Thor is just committed to donating back to the city in January of 2025. No, I'm just kidding. Uh uh it was a joke. It was a joke. It was a joke. Okay. Uh I would say in two years and 26, can we not have a meeting on the night before the election because clearly things are just too crazy. Um and then lastly, um sorry, just quick thing. Um, if I may, mayor. Yes. >> Uh, >> okay. >> Joke again. Um, and then, um, mayor just, and I don't want to get ugly, but there's you did make a comment publicly saying that you were the only one, uh, who opted out of the pension. And as was just stated, eight out of nine up here um had came on after it was uh after the the pension was passed. Um, and then five of us that came on in 2022, we all ran on uh uh getting removing the pension and then in your first meeting uh and I we I agreed with you. We we did try to get rid of the pension and we heard something similar to what was heard tonight, but all of us we were not given none of us were given a chance to opt out of the pension. Um, but I I know you you had made a comment publicly that that you were the only one who's not in the pension and I think, correct me if I'm wrong, it's because you're the only one over the age of 65 and have the option of social security. Can you just clarify that for the record? >> Yeah, that's a good point. And my comment was I did not sign for the pension where other other people did sign. uh whether I'm 65 or above I think has nothing to do with that. >> So it's irregardless of that. >> So >> so for >> city management city attorney is is the mayor not opted into the pension >> everybody is. Everyone is >> yes everyone is on the day that they are on boarded on there is a packet that all members filled out on the first day and all members right now are being deducted for the 7% TMRS pension. >> Okay just I think it's important because several of my colleagues have also made an argument that if you're social security age um you don't get a pension or you automatically don't qualify because you're getting social security. That's here nor there. You can be 100 years old and you're going to be in the pension. >> If if the city of Laredo mayor and council, if the city of Laredo has the TMRS pension system for all members, then on day one, every single person is signed into our TMRS pension system. >> Whether they sign the form or not, they're automatically signed >> once you're an employee. And and there is no choice if you want in or out. Everyone will be processed during the onboarding process. Because if my memory is correct and I remember you may so for starters let's clarify that just because Amy's over 65 doesn't mean he's not on the pension. Everybody's on the pension. No matter how old you are whether you're already tapped in social security at 62 or 65 or 67 or 70 there's pension. >> That is correct sir. As long as you're city of employee you are on the TMR pension system. >> Now I think >> with exception of of fire >> correct. Now, I think that, if I recall correctly, and and I may be wrong here, mayor, um when you won your election, got sworn in, it is my understanding that the mayor opted to not sign his TMRS paperwork. And I'm assuming that's why you were under the impression that you did not have an account. But we're being told that whether you sign on or not, the city creates an account automatically with social security with our social security numbers with TMRS. Is that accurate? >> No, sir. The all all members have signed their TMR system. >> That is correct. I never signed any paper. I didn't want to sign any papers, >> but an account was automatically created. >> I have a signature on. No, >> you have a comment. >> Yes. Uh Eric, good afternoon, good evening, uh Victor and Jun. For the record, I was at that meeting and you did refuse to sign that that form. And with regards to the comment book made by Dr. King, that is actually incorrect. if you've if you've paid into social security at least 30 years that it does not impact your social security if you're in a pension. That's how tax law works. I'm a tax attorney. Secondarily, the fact being that you've worked what 70 years, so you're well paid into social security, so it does not impact that. With regards to the meeting, the first day that you had that meeting, I accompanied you to that meeting and you refused to pay, you refused to sign those forms. If those forms were signed, they weren't signed at that meeting and I don't know when they were signed by you. I'd like to take a look at them because I specifically remember when they told you, "Well, mayor, everybody has to sign these forms." The response was, "Well, sue me." Okay. and I'll sign an affidavit to that because I was at that meeting. So to miscategorize some of the things that that basically happened is not not fair. It's not just and you know you guys really should really be above board when it comes to this kind of stuff. So that's that's only common sense. >> All right. Thank you. >> Next item. It's another item. No, you want to talk now because it's not that item. It's G2. >> Yeah, >> 54. G2. >> No, we're in G1. >> 54. >> No, G1 is your item. >> That's your item, right? >> No, she's next with item. >> G1 is G1. Oh, she wants to make a motion on the item at hand. >> Okay, go ahead and make your motion >> of elections and yes, there are um several of us up for elections. We may we may not um >> I for one would like to move to follow the recommendations of zone and resend the ordinance so that >> we look into possible that's something we need to like I said it has been done but but we we can >> I think it's important >> pursue that I mean >> that option >> to certify that that you all work less than hours for future exclusions right >> correct the ordinance that that put put into place the allowance for the elected officials to be included in the pension plan >> may have you heard Mr. Go ahead. >> Um, and Council Member Seo, what what what I what I will add to that is the question of whether or not there can be a possible descertification. I based on what I've read, I I I I don't know if it's possible, but what if I say come back to this council with that question answered by the chief legal officer to see if it's possible? And if it is, then you could possibly take a vote at that point. if we can just I I I just don't want I just don't want this body to take action and then our administrator saying it can't happen. I I would rather get all the facts first, get everything for you so that you can make the most informed decision and vote in the most informative way if if I may. Council member Zigar. >> Sure. I just my worry thank you. My worry is just that >> whoever does get elected tomorrow or the fall then we then would you're you're going to not be out of office until December 31st. So, we will >> you won't be silly next meeting. >> Okay. >> We will work diligently to ask that question. >> One last comment about this and and Mr. Rodriguez, could you please see if there is a definition for that department and if we can just become a non department here that because we are a different class of people here and that way we leave the city system intact and we're just no longer considered a city department. >> So if those are the >> explore that please >> if those are the two questions uh I I I will ask TMRS and um get get back to you all uh with with any information that they're willing that they'll give. Okay. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Next item. >> 59 G1. Thank you, mayor. Discussion with possible action requesting the honorable mayor, Dr. Victor Devinho, exercise his authority under section 2.14 of the city charter for the city of Laredo and veto ordinance number 2024-200. And any other matters incident there too. I don't know if there are some citizen comments, mayor, that >> No. >> No. But I do have a comment u on this particular item since I was given a letter by council woman Elisa Searo and signed and by yourself and Dr. Tyler King on an alleged charter violation of five city council members. I wanted to hear from legal the attorney to either validate the merit of these allegations as legally true or just a matter of opinion. >> Uh mayor say council members uh because the the the the letters and the the requests came in uh through attorney client privilege communication. I I'm I'm not going to disclose the the uh the content uh exactly. But the gist of it is was the action legal and and the answer is yes, it was legal because under the uh charter council one can set this salary but here we're talking about allowances and at the end of the charter says that council members uh can receive allowances. And then we also have this ordinance that's been in place which does not contradict uh the charter. And that ordinance goes into further detail about what types of allowances are are allowable u from cell phones to home offices to out of town trips to uh vehicles. So legally it was uh sound. There's nothing unethical because it doesn't violate our ethics code because it dealt with you as entire body uh indistinguishable from from one uh seat to another. So there's no legal impediment. Uh it is sound. It's up to you mayor and the charter if you want to exert your executive power to veto. >> All right. Now regards to the veto power. This power is given to the mayor under the city charter section 2.15 powers and duties of the mayor which states that the mayor shall have the veto power and his or her veto shall be executed with the next two regular scheduled council meetings and may be overridden by a vote of five council members made at the same time of the veto. I have always taken the veto power very seriously and I'm a strong believer in the democratic process where majority rules especially if they are elected officials elected by a people to represent them at city council unless there's a violation or there was a violation of the city charter the power should not be used just because I personally don't like something or someone or the convenience of the elections This is the reason why I did not veto it. And when I was asked to veto it by the city manager selection, the sports complex items and the police chief selection, I did not do so. This goes to the essence of what our American democracy is all about. Democracy is not convenience that can be wielded when you believe that you're on the prevailing side of a vote. this is even more the case when everyone is still receiving a pension. So that that's my answer to that. >> Go ahead. >> Thank you. And I fully um respect your right uh to veto and I and I think it's fully within you and I think every mayor is obviously going to act differently with how they choose to execute the veto power. But at the end of the day, you you should veto absolutely anything that you disagree with that that you think is wrong that you don't fundamentally agree with. You shouldn't just in my opinion, I I I think if you disagree with it, you should use your veto power because that's what our charter gives you. Our charter gives you very little uh power, but it gives you a veto. And sure, five people would have to override it, which is what took to vote for it. I you know, we we could have considered increasing that, but we didn't. Um because the whole point of a veto is make it harder for something to happen. But I mean it's not I mean as political science degree I know Council Thor's political science degree I think we can agree you vetoing this would not be undemocratic. Um please please don't say that it's not democratic. It's it's totally democratic. That's that's the point the charge there. That's why the president of the United States has a veto power. Uh otherwise why would a veto power exist? Um so you you know I just That's all I say, >> mayor. There there is >> But the the reason that I was asked to veto it was based on the request of a letter that stated that there was something violating the charter and that was the reason for it. >> Mayor, there's a a public comment >> there, Mr. Salasa. >> There are four public >> for G2. Therefore, GQ not for this. >> Second >> motion second. All in favor? >> Perhaps perhaps there was just some mistake in the numbering. >> So I they did intend to sign up for this item. >> Okay. It could have been a mistake. So these two I guess are those >> mayor just for purposes of the record we do have here public comments for 54G2 which is Miss Bauto which is the next item but she can speak on this one if you want. >> Yeah go ahead. Go ahead. >> Mary, just for purpose of the record, I think we made a motion, a second to extend the meeting, but there was no vote. >> All in favor extending the vote. >> I >> opposed. Motion passes. >> Good evening. That was a a wow from the legal department. A lot of salad words of this uh GMRS that a lot of the people don't know about. We're confused with that. That's something that uh the people we the people don't know. But anyway, uh good evening. My name is Leticia Lamaro. For the record, I am here to exercise my First Amendment right and bring your attention to the 40% rates along with the pensions that certain city council members have allowed themselves. Um, my family, my friends, over 4,000 people, families have signed this petition and uh they don't agree they don't agree at all with this decision. I want to thank three distinguished council members that have stood up to do the right thing and that's Councilwoman Alisa Cigaroa, Melissa Cigaroa, and Dr. Councilman King. Thank you so much for that. Um this raise 40% increase along with a penance uh has been totally unjustified. uh the rest of the council people that did this uh I think lack of integrity because you took an oath right to do the right thing. And so we're asking Mayor Dvinho to do the right thing. Do the right thing and reverse the decision and veto this decision. I can't understand how the city attorney and the city manager and you, mayor, could have allowed this decision to go through regardless when it happened, regardless what year it happened. I think that we the people should be involved in your decisions behind what you all do behind closed doors that we don't know about. I think we should be included. we would love to participate in your decisions and what you do because we're the taxpayers. We're paying your salary. So, with that said, I want to remind you that the people put you in your seat that you are in the position that you are right now and that we put you there. You all accepted a salary. You accepted it. You knew how much you were going to get paid and then for some reason out of the blue and it might be boring to you, Mr. Gutierrez, >> but it's not boring to the rest of the people. >> We all need >> and so I believe that we the people should be involved. We should be involved. And if you're not satisfied with your position, you're not satisfied with your pay, then step down. And lastly again Mayor Trevinho, do the right thing, veto it, and do it immediately. Thank you so much, till almost. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Anelus. I'm here as part of the public and member of the network for opportunity progress and advocate advocacy and liberation. Today I'm here to add my voice on the matter of the city council race as public servants and representatives of your districts. Your positions and your power come from the will of the people. It is the same people who should have a say in whether or not this change of grammar, letters, whatever you'd like to call it, that should go through or not. The question wasn't whether it was legal or not, but about the ethics and morality behind it. Because at the end of the day serving the people looking out for their needs a lot of times comes at a great cost and we understand that that's why there is already is a salary whether the we the people that you are serving believe that that salary should be increased will be completely reflected on your actions and how we feel about those actions. Nobody would be here arguing against or even make a deal about it if we felt you were serving us exactly as we thought you should be. Today, I want to ask you, the mayor, to veto this ordinance and listen to what the people have said. As stated previously, 4,000 people have signed the petition against this ordinance, while many many others were not even aware of this decision. If you know me personally, then many people can attest to this. I never stop talking about politics or the government. It's one of my few interests that I take great pride in. And when I would tell people that there's a 40% race or that the city council gave themselves any race at all, a lot of them didn't even know that this was happening. How could they? A lot of them are busy working and trying to make ends meet. So, they don't have time to look at all the live feed. They don't have time to look at all the posts that are going on. So here we are talking about it. I encourage each and every one of you to make the change that we need now. Be the people we know you can be the leaders that took care of Larredo and rise to the occasion and be someone we can all be proud of to having the city council and not someone that once again will jump on this problem until the next person and this can deal with a lot of different problems. I'm glad that you guys are so interested in fixing our water issues. I really am. But when you give yourselves raise what we face all these issues, it doesn't give us a lot of faith that you're looking out for us. So please, mayor, I ask you on behalf not only of myself, but fellow friends and family to deal with this decision. Thank you. Thank you, Preston. Sala Hi. First of all, I'd like to apologize for the mixup. My parents did not teach me how to sign up for public comments, but it's fine. Hi everybody. My name is President Salasad. Uh I'm a senior at Texas&M International University majoring in political science. Shout out to my polyai majors out there. And today I am urging the mayor to please veto this pay raise. Now I understand that we were talking about the legality and how the procedures actually allow for something like this to happen. That's perfectly fine. And I know that your veto, the decision that you caused was because somebody made that uh violation. That's fine. I'm here asking you to do the veto because it's immoral. It is immoral how this decision was made without the correct voices of the people. Right? If another fact about me is that I am currently the student government association political action committee chair. So, I do all different uh political events such as the town hall election uh the town the the city council election town halls that were uh taking place and I had candidates come over to me uh to the university and speak on their platform and exactly what they were standing for and one of the questions I had actually asked the city council uh woman Vanessa Pettis is if she believed that it was right, it was good to be able to pass something like this. Now, her response was bringing out the ordinance of how of how the city councils were ran. And I believe that there was some confusion with my words, right? I do not believe I I know for a fact that things like this can go through our procedures. I know for a fact that by legal procedures, something like this can happen, but it's the fact that we then go out there to the people and actually get their voices on something like this in order to create a concrete decision. You guys aren't representatives of the people within your district. How many people did we ask or do we go door by door saying, "Hey, do you think it's okay we get a raise?" I can probably tell you it's not a lot of people. I mean, 4,000 people right now are signing a petition to ensure that something like this gets vetoed. And you know, there was another argument that was made that if we had actually asked uh if you all had actually asked the people to go out there and ask them for their decision that nobody would have have participated. That's completely false because we had 4,000 people petition and say, "Hey, we actually don't want something like this to exist." So, I do re I do urge you as a member of the youth, as member of student government, as a member of Laredo, as a constituent of District 4, please reconsider your decision. I don't think that this is right. I don't think it's morally correct and I think it sets a dangerous precedent for things that could pass without the people's decisions. And I think that's pretty much all I have to say. Thank you'all so much for listening to me. Please, please, please veto the pay raise. We need to make sure that this process is just and fair to everybody. Thank you'all. Have a good night. Maximilliano Prao. >> Good evening, mayor, council members. It's been a long for hours wait actually 10:30. Mayor, how much you remember me? I helped uh just like President said earlier, we hosted the city council forums in TU years ago 2022. I interviewed actually four of y'all. No, we hosted four of y'all including you mayor. Back then we asked you what are going to do to engage the public. You said transparency. You said like if you're open with everyone that that's how we get a public age, being transparent. And this ordinance right here, right now, that's not your promise. Your campaign promise from two years ago. I voted for you twice, sir. Twice per general election and then the runoff because I believed in you, sir. This is not transparent. Yes, it might be legal. It might, but it's not ethical. It's not transparent. It's not right. Sir, I am in range right now. I can't even like think properly right now because how is it fair that there's all this all these things are going on with the water? Even the consideration of defunding the arts was in the agenda and and this is just happening. It's crazy to me like this is all going on right now. Mayor, there's a lot of things we can invest in the water, the air, just the economy overall. For me, I'm I just graduated from my masters this past May. I can't find a job here in Laro because I had to apply Antonio, Dallas, Austin because there's no opportunities here and this is going on like instead of investing the people investing in the city, investing in everyone else, you decide that this is right or none of this is right that this is just legal and therefore I can't beat it. As the king said, as many political science majors, as me, myself included, use your beat of power, sir. Your beat of power is a way you are able to be transparent with the people. It's a way to keep the people engaged. And yes, you mentioned you want the people, the students, the young adults to be engaged. I am engaged, but for the wrong reasons. Thank you, sir. Thank you, >> Donna Moreno. Good evening, everybody. I know it's late and we're all very tired and overwhelmed. Nonetheless, I'd like to make some final closing remarks um for everybody here and all of those watching at home because I'm well aware that it's very important to address everybody. Um, in late September, there was a motion passed, a vote taken, I'm sorry, to change the language in an ordinance and basically move around allowances and salaries that ultimately created a $20,000 raise for our city council members. City council members are now earning about $70,000 and our mayor, Mr. Victor Trevino, is earning a little bit over $100,000 with salaries and allowances altogether. You are earning more than San Antonio city council members who have a budget four times bigger than ours and a population more than twice as big as ours. Nonetheless, two weeks after you granted yourselves that raise, we were given a two week long water boil notice. That money, however you want to put it in whatever language you want to use, has been used to benefit you instead of benefiting the people that you represent. As city council members, your job is to ensure that the people that you are representing that got you into your position of power are well taken care of. There are a myriad thousands of problems that plague Larredo and have for a long time. Pollution carcinogenic air, limited water resources, failing in infrastructure, constant contamination of the current water that we have. Nonetheless, you felt the need that one of the most urgent things on your agenda was to change the language to allow your allowances to change. There are so many things that we could have done in that moment, in that time to educate not only yourselves because there's a clear clear um president right now. How much lack of information you have as city council members, but to educate the public because we had members here, our city manager stand up and clarify for all of us what should have been clarified from the beginning since last meeting's agenda. And if not, you could have used social media. There are a myriad of ways in which you can communicate with your public and some of you do but the majority of you lack severely especially considering the fact that you felt the need to give yourselves more more money. Moving on to that you have people that have worked you serve four-year terms you have people that have worked example in the college as directors and coordinators who are earning $50,000 a year. people who have been employed since 2016. That's eight years worth of service to the education and the development of our city. And in your four-year term, cuz I'm assuming it's a one run, it's a one-term run. You deserve $20,000 more in allowances for your cell phones, for your home office, for your gas, you want our taxpayer money to pay for your car to take you to work. The bare minimum that you should be doing because again, as city council members, you are civil servants. You serve the people that got you into office. You are dividing the people by spreading this misinformation, by moving all of these agendas, using all of these birds. You made us waste our time. We came here at 5:30 p.m. urging you to not cut funding for the arts. But that wasn't an issue of the people. >> That wasn't an issue of the people. That was an issue of you because you didn't use the correct wording. and us, we are putting our trust and you are putting our faith that you're educated individuals that can communicate things effectively. How is it possible that you have college students? Some of us don't even have full degrees and yet we have to come here and simplify matters for other people to the best of our knowledge because you have been incapable of doing so. Do something about this system. And I urge you, mayor, to veto it, not because it's anti-democratic, but for the opposite. Because democracy is standing for what the people believe in. And if you didn't educate the people, you can't expect them to give you an honest opinion. Just the way that you guys campaign and gone door to door knocking and asking for votes, you should do that for whenever you have city ordinances. Thank you. I I will just say that um you know I I feel very confident in in Tammy and the education they're providing because our youth are very well spoken and and thank you for expressing your opinions. I did want to clarify a couple of things, Mayor. I think um when we're discussing the legalities of the pay raise and what happened, what ultimately we found out was exactly what we've heard from Mr. Wyn and Mr. Rodriguez that legally speaking that action could take place. But what we were arguing and I and I mention the council members um Dr. King and and Alyssa Sigaroa. What we were arguing is that it violated the spirit of what our city charter said and also the spirit of making sure we don't vote for something that has personal benefit to ourselves. So the legality stopped becoming an issue once that was clarified. But we understand the city charter says that if there is any salary increase, which this body is able to do, that that salary increase would only apply to the next person in the seat. that there would be an election cycle so that the public would have a chance an opportunity to weigh in on the decision before the salary increase actually went into effect and because of the way this ordinance was proposed that didn't happen and it became effective immediately after two readings. So that was the violation of the city charter. It was violating the spirit of it but it was technically legal. The other is that we have an ethics ordinance and The ethics ordinance bounds us to not be able to vote on things that give us a personal benefit. As Mr. Wyn clarified, because we voted or the council voted as a body to increase the salary, perhaps we don't individually benefit. So, it is allowed. However, it does violate what that ethics ordinance intends, which is that we are not making decisions that benefit us personally, financially. And then the last point I'd like to make is that this discussion began because of um the attempt by the city attorney to clean up the language and the 2016 ordinance that set the salary at 50,000 comma including allowances, in the at the outset that there was somehow confusion in 2016. He brought up the fact that the previous council member not Ricardo Ranel Estean Ranel that Estan Ranganel had an intent that the 50,000 should be just salary and that the allowances should be on top of that. And because of that confusion now in 2024, we're re-examining that issue. However, what we were not told at the time was that in 2019 that city council looked at the same ordinance. In 2019, that discussion was held. So any misconceptions about what was going on in 2016 were clarified by the 2019 city council and they passed an ordinance, an amendment that clarified how those allowances would be paid out and that made very very clear that the salary of $50,000 included the allowances within it and everyone on that council agreed to that at that time. So, it is a little unfair for us to pretend like there's confusion from the 2016 ordinance, the 2019 council already looked at it and decided that $50,000 was enough of a salary for this council for this seat. So, I just wanted to clarify those points, mayor, in what we hope you will weigh and consider in making your decision and again ask for your veto. >> Yeah. One more thing, uh, one thing that I do I do not yield to pressure from council or any other official. I yield to the public. If the public wants this, I do listen to the public. So that's where I stand. >> Go ahead, Russell. >> Thank you, Mayor. And um I hope you keep those sentiments for just a couple more minutes. I would like to just um share the the correspondence that I have I've shared to yourself and to um Mr. Zone um is from I I went I I sought out a legal opinion from outside of our city from a municipal lawyer who strongly disagrees with your creative legal maneuvering. Um and while we keep calling these an allowance. We also have to remember that um that the 40% increase gets impi applied to the pension, meaning that the city has to match contributions to 75,000, not not instead of the 50,000 from before. So, this is a raise. This is considered a salary. and and I I respect that you do don't um fall to pressure of people, but this is the right thing to do. Over 4,000 people have signed a petition. Thousands of people don't even know about this. Over more than half of the people that voted you in are against this. And this is just it's purely the right thing to do. And we urge we we beg you to please consider vetoing and thank you very much for your opinion. Again, I say the same thing. I will yield to the needs of the public and I will listen to the public, not to pressure from any council members. Thank you for that com move forward. Mayor, >> um I fully appreciate uh no one of you yielding the pressure from each other because you're each independent and uh what you have verbalized that you're not going to yield the pressure from the council, but you will listen to the public. And I think that the public has made it extremely clear I understand the issue of vetoing, making it feel like your vote is more important than the majority. But there's a purpose for that veto. And the purpose of that veto is to allow every member who voted for it, not understanding the reaction of the public to reconsider and maybe do the right thing. It's not to overpower anybody. You still have the five votes to overcome the veto, but it's for each one of those members to let the public who put you there. see if you respond to our concerns. My ads in the paper were not to put pressure on you, but were to get you to see the public perception. Sometimes we lose that cuz you guys are so busy. You guys have a million problems, not just this one. And then you had the water boil which overtook everything. And so sometimes you just don't see the public reaction. And the purpose of the advertising was not to hurt anybody, but was to have you see how many people were going to sign that and have you see what your public would like you to do. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next item. Mayor. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Mayor, if I may bring up an item that is uh a time of u timesensitive item number 41 for parks and rec with JJ Wness, please second. >> Motion second. >> All in favor? >> I motion. >> Obviously not. We already we already discussed that. >> We already discussed that. Point of order. Point of order. I already said what I was going to say. >> Show me that petition. Point of order. >> Show me the actual signatures. >> That's what I need to see. >> That's what I need. >> Point of order. Let's proceed. Item 41 is on the >> Item 41 is on the table. Motion to approve item number 41. >> Second. >> Motion second. >> All in favor? >> I oppose. >> 41. I don't know. >> Motion carries. >> Mayor motion. >> I'd like to I'm sorry. Go ahead. I'll council. >> Go ahead. Motion to open up appointments or to approve appointments to commissions, boards, and committees. One and two. >> Second. >> Motion. Second. All in favor? >> I motion pass. >> Mayor, may I be here quickly? >> Go ahead. >> One of my items was next. Um, it's 54H1. I'm asking that we hear that. >> Go ahead. >> That's my motion to bring a 541. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Motion passes. Mayor, item 54H1 is discussion with possible action on drug testing of the city council to enhance accountability and integrity in public office. >> No. Um discussion with possible action on drug testing of city council to enhance accountability and integrity in public office and petitioning members of the council to opt into such testing with an effort to promote accountability, integrity, public safety and deterrence with the ultimate goal of demonstrating transparency in municipal government and any other matters incident there too. Um Mr. I've worked on this agenda for the last eight years. On my first year on council, um I visited with then Senator Lucio, Eddie Lucio, who tried to champion drug testing of elected officials um in the entire state of Texas. However, it was deemed quote unquote unconstitutional and it was left up to the individual elected officials if they would submit themselves to drug testing voluntarily. Um, since then we came back, we also met at that time. Uh, he's still there, Attorney General Ken Paxton. And the response was the same, right? That it was unconstitutional. Not apparently making it mandatory, Mr. Zone still is that, right? unconstitutional and quote unquote excuse me um what is considered and I quote um zone as a violation of individual of someone's potential individual privacy right >> right if it were to be mandatory >> right >> and when um when we do that for employees it's because employees um agree right to submit themselves to drug testing um as part of their employment requirements. >> Um we've heard throughout the entire night today um about um council employed, not employed, full-time, part-time, pension, no pension. Um, I think that if all city employees, including part-time and contract labor employees, have to abide by a drug test, then the council should also lead by example and should opt in to drug testing. Um, I am urging um all of my colleagues, if they have not opted in, to opt in. I am making a motion that um effective about 10 minutes left on the meeting, but that effective immediately that each council member be provided a drug test before the meeting. It'll be up to them to opt in on whether or not they want to submit a sample for transparency purpose on whether or not um they want to be drug tested. Um do we have any information as to where we stand right now with this ordinance? >> You wanted them to be tested today or Well, I'm first asking um if we have any information on what the ordinance is right now and how many members of council are have opted in and how many have opted out. >> Yes, sir. Linda Dento with the human resources department. So, um to answer your questions, there has been three ordinances that this council has approved and I'm not talking about this one, but in starting in 2020, there was an ordinance that was um introduced and passed. The latest one is ordinance 2023065. And in this ordinance, what it did instead of of testing uh three members, it we changed it down to one member. So that's the latest one and it's on voluntary basis in drug testing. >> So whoever opts in um is thrown into a random sample and each meeting one individual gets chosen at random to submit themselves to drug testing. >> That is correct, sir. What we do, we don't do a drug and alcohol. What we what we do is a drug panel. what you have before you. It's a 10 panel urine test and these are the 10 areas that that this panel checks and also we've also done a hair sample uh panel and that one test seven. It goes back more than the 30 days and this is what this panels do in the testing. Uh so summary of drug test. So before you is this uh itemized listing of how uh each one of the council members have opted into the drug testing program. And right now volunteer basis. And as you can see, these are the members that have opted in, the members that have opted out. Um the no responses once we do the onboarding and we ask one time, no answer. We ask the second time, no response. We're just going we're just going to leave it alone. We do make it note that um the the council member has been asked and they've just either not answered or not submitted. Uh but this is how we stand right now. I'm assuming uh council member Blan I mean I don't want to speak for you but I'm assuming you opted out because you have to submit yourself to mandatory drug testing for CDL driving through the state >> mandate but you know I don't mind right now. So, I'd like to make a motion to have voluntary drug testing before each council meeting that we have our provider here providing a um a container for whoever wants to submit a sample can do so whether they opted in or opted out. And if they choose not to do so, then we'll just display on the website um in accordance to the ordinance right now that they chose not to submit themselves to a drug test. That's my motion. >> Okay. We have a motion that we'll >> second. Do you have a comment? >> Yes. >> For the record, elected official, elected official also, and I'm also part of the program as part of the ordinance that first originally came out. When we first originally came out, we didn't have an option. All of us were in. And then they went through another procedure that they said back in 2020, well, it's not going to be mandatory anymore because it's g it's it's illegal for elected officials to do it, but you're going to be able to opt out if you want to. So, a lot of a lot of the members opted out at that time and then when the new members came in, they were given the opportunity to opt in if they wanted to. I was getting calls from the health services because there was only two members, one member of council that was doing it, which is Mr. Torres and myself. And they said, "Look, you're going to get called every time before a meeting. It's either going to be you." In fact, because there were three members, it was me and Albert being called for every meeting and we were being tested and they told us, "Here's judge. Sign it. sign it so you can opt out. I said I'm not going to opt out. I already promised the people that I opted in and I'm in. So, I'm in. Can't tell the people now that I'm going to be I don't want a drug test anymore. And I think Albert had the same feelings at that time and he said, "Look, I'm in." So, we stay in. Now, they want to bring the drug test back again. They already opted out. It cost the city too much money. Everybody's been testing negative. Whoever did the test, it's a waste of time and a waste of money. I wish I could opt out. I only have a few more months, I guess, till my term ends and that's it. I think you're going to be I think if there's one more meeting, I think there's only one more test and that's it for us, for you and that would be it. So, everybody else, it's just the expenditure. How much does it cost for per for for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per for per per test? $45. >> $45. So each time we get tested and now because the pressure of it, it's going to be $450. So $900 a month is going to be $9,000 a year >> at least of tax first money that's going to be thrown away. >> Mayor, point of information, we we apologize, but uh we need to get to public hearing number three, otherwise we're going to miss a tax. >> Yes. >> Thank you. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? >> I opposed. Motion pass. >> Can I clarify that? >> To oppose. >> Motion pass. >> Motion open. >> Second. All in favor? >> Opposed? Motion pass. Public hearing industry ordinance designating the city limits and DTJ 55 miles outside city limits tax reinvestments over the commercial industrial tax payments establishing the boundaries thereof of the matters relating there to declaring findings of fact providing acceptability and providing for the effect December 1, 2024. >> Four or against four or against >> second motion second. All in favor? >> Motion pass. Mr. >> I'd like to make a motion to bring up staff report number 15. Motion >> second. >> Second. All in favor? >> Close. Motion pass. >> Thank you so much. I've been here since 4:00. Uh I'm Sandra Kavaso Sala. I am the chairman for the Loredo Commission for Women and I'm here uh to respectfully request your approval of our action plan. Um you should have it there in front of you. We cannot do number one anymore because uh tomorrow's election. So no more participation in that since it hadn't been approved and also number two we'll still continue to try and help as much as we can in in the in the breast cancer awareness. Uh we do have a a few that we want to add this year to make things better for to do more things for the Laredo Commission for Women and that's number four empowering. We want to have a women's empowering conference. We want to have it in March which is uh international women's day on March 29th and uh we're really looking forward to that so we can continue to inspire and networking uh more networking amongst women and also we want to do an informative web page with the help of um the city so that people can know what the Laredo Commission for women are doing and also uh have some briefings and presentations uh as part of our meetings and we would I really like to have them here since they do have to be uh recorded. I think we were informed of that and so u with all due respect uh honorable mayor and city and council members if uh you would please approve our action plan. So >> Mr. Mayor would like to make a motion to approve the Laredo Commission for women action plan through their staff leaison and management. >> Second. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> Opposed? Motion passes. >> Mr. Mayor recognized recognized. >> Who is first? I have the red button. >> Mayor motion to bring a final reading of ordinances. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Motion second. Second. All in favor? >> I. >> Yes. They need to table uh number 25. >> Mayor. Motion to approve. Final reading of ordinances number 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22, 23, and 24. >> Second. Motion second. All in favor? >> I. >> Opposed? Motion passes. >> Motion to table uh final reading of ordinances number 25. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> I. >> Opposed? Motion passes. >> Uh Mr. Mayor, can we table item 30 as well as per the uh economic development table item 30 second. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> I motion pass. >> Go ahead. >> Wednesday evening so that we can finish this agenda. We took up all the time to talk about our personal agenda items and the people's business. We still have a consent agenda and reports. Can we please come back Wednesday, not Tuesday because of the election, Wednesday in the evening. I'm I'm sorry. Point of order. The recess is for the next day. Uh if if you want to move it to another day, we just have to post 72 hours. >> So Friday. >> So it would when would be the earliest that we could meet. >> We can recess tomorrow or we have to post 72 hours. >> So Friday, I'm I'm assuming tomorrow. Would we have quum? Could we explore if we have quorum so we could do it tomorrow and then >> if not and it was just to finish the items that we are lacking. There are a couple of staff reports >> there just be a motion recess which be tomorrow >> it shouldn't take long. >> I tried to not do it on election day but there's no way around it. What there is we can um if I may be heard order we can adjourn today and make a motion to call a meeting within 72 hours which would put us at Tuesday Wednesday Thursday would put us at Thursday right so we could essentially meet Thursday >> put 1059 >> on the screen >> yes >> so I'll I'll make A motion for us to adjourn and have staff pull us for availability on Thursday. >> How about for Thursday at noon? >> Well, if you all can post. >> All right. Meeting a journ.