do this. Do we have anyone on the phone? >> Okay. Good afternoon everybody. Welcome. Today is um Friday, April 24th. We're here for a work session on first quarter proposed budget revisions and tax levies. Um we're on the record until two. I pretty confident we don't need that much time, but we do have another work session this afternoon. So um it's 12:02 now. We'll start with introductions. Mr. Martinez, >> George Martinez, >> Aaron Baldwin Day, >> Donald Handelin, >> Jerry Kirker, >> Scott Myers, >> Daniel Volunt, >> Anna Broly, >> Christopher Constant, >> Zach Johnson, >> and on the phone we have Mr. Rivera, >> Felix Rivera. >> All right, thanks. And we're joined by owner Bruss director. And uh why don't you take the lead >> because you're OM. >> Yeah. Hello. Introduce us to the budget process again. >> Hello. I will introduce you to the budget process again. Uh on Browse, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Um we uh get through today and then move on to Tuesday night. Um, based on the amendments that I see being offered right now, I think it's unlikely that we would have an S version presented on Tuesday. Um, but I have, um, spoken with a couple of the members on their current amendments and, um, I'm interested to hear more about them. >> Okay. Um, and to the vice chair and the chair of the budget finance comm. >> Thank you. Um, yeah, we'll be brief. Um similarly I would say even if even if we saw twice as many amendments I don't anticipate doing any kind of omnibus. I think the biggest challenge for us members is of course we know uh there's I think it was 47,000 under the cap and so um anyone contemplating an increase to the budget needs to be mindful of that and of course any new budget neutral or decreases are are fair game for discussion. So I think we just have a few amendments here for discussion. So we'll definitely let members um speak to that. I don't think we need a time limit or anything because there's so few. So, um, so but, uh, just to keep in mind as well, this isn't for debate, it's for, uh, presentation and Q&A. Um, and then of course, if you do have amendments you're contemplating, we we certainly take them on the floor up to the night of. Um, but highly recommend checking in with our budget analyst, uh, Mr. Fina, as well as OMB director, because if you change, as we have found in past years, if you change things under the cap, um, the IGC's sometimes can can make that number bump around a little bit. So just make sure that whatever you're contemplating um you've considered that as well. Um so yeah and I think at this point as I said we're not contemplating rolling these in. So we would just take each amendment individually um on the night of that's all we can say. >> Okay. So we're also joined by Miss Silvers right now at 12:04. Um we'll start with the amendment by Mr. or Miss Baldday. >> All right. Thank you chair. Um so uh what you have before you is an increase to our general government operating budget. Uh this is a request for one-time funding for the Anchorage Fire Department to uh conduct a follow-on um operational analysis. Uh there was a study done uh with respect to staffing particularly overtime in 2023. Uh this amendment proposes to continue that analysis uh to include um increases in call volume over time, optimization of the current staffing model, uh discussion of sort of the geography of call volume and how that has changed over time and a forward look at what kinds of infrastructure changes might be needed and what kinds of operational changes might be needed to accommodate the facts on the ground. So, um this is coming from general fund. Uh it keeps us under the cap and it will require that AFD provide a small amount as this will not cover the entirety of the staffing study by I think a couple of thousand dollars. So, um happy to answer any questions that you may have. >> We'll start with Mr. Broly and then Mr. Kirk. >> Yeah, thank you. Um so uh one just to ask um is this something that you have worked with the fire department on? >> Yes it is. >> They are listening and can speak if you want. >> Okay. Um yeah and then two the other question I was going to have is what is the actual total but I see it's on page the last page here page two of the um memo. And so this would essentially be a sole source to this organization. >> Uh correct the total is $48,750. And then last quick question is um the obviously this would come out during contracting but um does this need to be a sole source and what would be the justification for that? >> Yeah, great question. Um so this um this proposes to use the same consulting firm that did the initial staffing and overtime study in 2023 uh since they have context already for the way that our particular particular fire department operates. Um they also happen to be uh a consulting firm that's comprised of fire department professionals and uh they're this is this is sort of their their wheelhouse. This is this is what they do which I think justifies a sole source contract. They have um the the unique expertise the familiarity with the um with the department and context for what Anchorage looks like in terms of staffing right now. >> Thanks. Yeah. And that suggests also that they would not have to start from scratch which would save considerable consulting hours. >> Um, exactly right. And that is actually why the um the number proposed for this contract is lower than it would ordinarily be because there they will not need the same degree of onboarding and uh like research into what we do and how we do it. >> Thanks. >> All right. Um I would note also we've just been joined by our assembly member elect Janice Park. The recount was just completed and the results are clear. So, welcome. And I have next in the queue, Mr. Ger. >> Yeah. Thank you. Could I just somebody remind me what's what what are we under the cap right now? It's like 47. >> Yeah. >> So, this takes us basically right up to the cap. >> Correct. >> Okay. Um, and is there any expectation? you know, they come back and they say, you know, we need to we need to add we need to add more staff, fourth person, every rig. Um, it's going to blow up the cost of the fire department's operating, but is there is there an expectation that we're going to immediately follow through on this study or is this justformational? What's, you know, what's kind of the long-term impact you expect here? >> Yeah, great question. Um so uh so I think what this what this aims to do is to help us understand the variety of options that we have as far as as staffing and um the the future needs for for apparatus, the future needs for um fire stations. I think we're all aware that we are understaffed and underresourced for a city of both our geographic size and population. And so I would anticipate that this would give us a menu of options as to how we could deal with both the short-term and the long-term implications of the staffing shortage we have currently. U I would expect that there would be some suggestions for changes that would need to be made to the budget. I don't believe that the immediate uh expectation is that four people in every rig is the solution. Um, I think that's that's been tossed out as an option, but I I don't know that that is that that we have a an expectation of what exactly this study will result in. >> And I guess a follow-up question which might be more for if you know offhand, what is AFD's vacancy factor right now for or vacancy rate for firefighters? U through the chair member Girker. I don't know their exact vacancy rate, but it's under 10 positions if I you know from the budget numbers that I looked at and the position uh vacancy numbers that I looked at in the last month. >> Okay. And themies I seem to recall being full. >> Correct. >> Okay. Interesting. Okay. Thank you. >> Yeah. It's a budget that's actually balanced on overtime. Yeah. That's the challenge I think they're trying to square. Mr. Gates. Um, thank you. Uh, I just wanted to drop a word that um, although this is an amendment for 45,000 in the budget, that's the point in time we're at. Uh, it's recommending a source contract specifically company and there's no guarantee that that's actually going to be sourced or with that company. So that's up to the fire department and since it's on the executive branch side, the purchasing director needs to make a determination that sourcing is appropriate. So while that might be the hope um 45,000 can be budgeted but the rest didn't contracted with assets that may or may not have >> technical question then could the assembly appropriate to itself the amount to conduct the study >> um I think we've done something like that in the past think about exactly where that line is though. All right. Thanks. Um, just a thought. Next, I have Mr. Johnson. >> Yeah, thanks. And and Dean kind of preempted sort of the question I was going to ask about what the the process would look like if this was approved and went through title 7. And I think kind of um maybe it's hard to say at this point, but could inform decisions. You know, what what would we expect the the deadline to receive such a report by? and is it something that we think reasonably we would get in time to inform budget decisions for 2027? >> Uh yeah, so their anticipated deadline for study delivery is 12 weeks uh which would give plenty of time for consideration as we're looking at FY27. Um, I think uh it's also important to note that um that OM is contemplating their own sort of teasing apart the staffing model that we currently utilize and that this study would support their efforts in understanding um what best practices might look like if we were to import them here from elsewhere. Um and there's a I think a secondary question with respect to the utility of this study dealing with sort of the the the future needs of fire that if we are going to think about um bonding about capital needs and things like that the sooner that we can have that information the the better decisions we can make. >> Yeah. Thank you. So I I I don't want to try and do calendar math in my head, but it seems like if this was a soul source, then 12 weeks from sort of, you know, when the contract's awarded to when we we get the product would be plenty, but if we have to go through a longer RFP process or something like that, you know, if that's um either the decision of the purchasing director or or depending on on kind of how we um allocate this funds in the amendment if it's approved. I don't know. I I guess I I um it seems like it's kind of hard to say how that would play out and I'm just wondering if perhaps you know as as remember Baldwin Day works on this amendment if um I think it would be helpful for for my part anyways if kind of had a clear sense of when we thought you know um we'd get something back and and where would it fit in our budget cycle um because 12 weeks obviously it would but if it's something else that might be uh relevant to consider uh through the chair to member Johnson. I will say in in addition to member Ger's question, um the the practicality of us receiving a um staffing report about a um municipal department that costs $120 million and being able to adjust um in the next budget cycle in a meaningful way is relatively small. Um because um you know depending on what the adjustments are and how we would be able to plan to onboard them, let alone the costs associated with making those adjustments to member Baldwin Day's point, we need time to plan how that would actually happen and what the impacts and trade-offs within the community would be if it were to result in either a transfer of money from one department to another in order to change the fire department staffing or additional revenue from some new source, different source. that would support um the changes that may be recommended in whatever the staffing study is. Um to member Girker's question about you know do do we expect that this report would say we should add a bunch of staffing positions and blow up the budget. Um I think the answer to the staffing positions is that we already have a report that tells us that we should add staffing positions. So, we know that um it's the question of how do we get the money to make that transition within the department in a way that is appropriate for the community and actually gets us where we want to go. >> Add to what you said just we had a discussion with the HR director and kind of we had a really intense discussion about the future of the fire department. it might have been in the budget process late last year and I think that there was some recognition in that room that any conversation about a major restructuring to meet the need could take as much as 10 years right and so um to the questions that are being raised about what's the time sensitivity and the impacts on the budget what Miss Prrow said I think is really important for people to consider it's large it moves slowly it doesn't increase or decrease rapidly and anything that happens is probably going to outscope all of us in this room right now because the changes are substantive enough that it has to be thoughtful. So, I just want to add that to the layer of how people think about this. This isn't a going to solve the problem issue. It's going to help get to the solution. >> Anything more, Mr. Johnson? >> No. Thanks. >> All right. Um, next I have Mr. Bry again. >> Yeah. Um, one other thing that came to mind, so this really describes fire personnel because it's the department, but I know um, some of us during um, our other role these last few months have heard a briefing and it was also at the community economic development committee on really the increasing escalation of ambulance use. And so I'm wondering just to be clear, does this include that? because I think there's been the discussion about the engines and the fire response on the fourpack, but I think actually if 80% of the calls are coming from the medical side, it seems like that's the part that I don't think anybody has a good handle on and they are legally obligated to respond, right? So, so I just want to because this doesn't really explicitly say that other than emergency services, but just want to be clear, is that kind of the scope is to look at that piece of it. >> Yeah, great question and and thank you for that. Um so so this does this study will evaluate call the call volume trends themselves uh which I think we all know ambulance calls have escalated considerably um over over time um it'll also think about response types like what types of responses are being deployed again what is the geographic distribution of those calls and responses because I I think one one of the pieces you know we're we're always playing chess when it comes to when and where where an apparatus can be reasonably deployed and if you know if an ambulance from station 4 or if the ambulances at station 4 are tied up and they cannot respond to a midtown call then someone else has to come and fill in the gap which leaves a gaps elsewhere in town etc. So understanding what that Tetris looks like is definitely part of this. Uh and again with the very very longer term view of where do we have operational holes that would suggest we need a new fire station at some point in the future and where where does that fit in terms of current operations changes in population um things like that. So again, the staffing piece is a part of it, but it is not the entirety of the picture of fire department operations and and that is exactly what this study intends to do is to to have a much deeper analysis of the operational picture at large. Um where staffing is certainly a part of it. Um but but I that is not the only thing that we need to know more about. >> And I'll just add too, I mean in that time since this original study was done, we've actually started the mobile crisis team, right? The whole logic behind that is there's a bunch of calls um that that are best met by people with that train anyway. So so I do think that um as long as it's clear that this is broad enough that it's really looking at what we've heard from the department and others is a really huge increasing cost and operational strain. I think that would be really valuable to make sure it's in here. >> That's a great flag. And um those are those are the sorts of things that that um can be I believe they are already in the scope of work. uh but we can ensure that that that does in in fact fit with this. Um one one additional note I think that's important with respect to vacancy factor uh to respond to member Gker's question earlier um the vacancy factor is only one piece of the equation. Uh so there is the vacancy factor but there is also the reality of um of the the TDY that is happening within the fire department for a variety of needs whether that is um the core team or training center or academy or people going to paramedic school and there are any number of reasons why uh a a firefighter is not available to be scheduled and then we have the concurrent challenge of the number of retirees we are we are sitting at a retirement and cliff with AFD and quite honestly the the the volume of new hires that are coming into the department even with the second academy this year uh is not sufficient to fill the gap that is happening with respect to retirement and so we we are going to have to make some changes. How those changes are made is I believe the open question. Um, if if nothing were to change, if if nothing were to change, we were to have the number of retirees we expect this year and an academy in this academy in January, there is a delta of -12 people at the fire department. So, we we've got to make some changes and make some progress so we do not absolutely scorch our fire department. So there is one >> absolutely intended >> one item that's not here and I don't think it'll be able to be part of this study but I'm sure they can kind of point to it. This is on the the operation. It's on staffing the demands capacity. It doesn't really deal with the funding equation. And um the funding equation is interesting because as we do increase billable services, transport, SEMT, if we get to the 247 mobile crisis team and it's operating sufficiently, all of those services become billable services, which becomes revenue to underwrite and offset the costs of change that you're seeing over time. And so that's a different study. you know, that's Colston or somebody who's an expert in the Medicaid world who has done some work for us and has looked at these things. But I want folks to understand that the revenue question is very likely not part of this and it couldn't be because they do something different. Miss Ross, >> um through the chair, the the this is the um operations staffing study, if you will. What comes next is the plan that involves a budget and a revenue process. And the staffing study can take 12 weeks to deliver, but the plan to deliver the outcome may take 5 to 10 years depending on the data that we get from this information. And so to to that impact, right, as we are making changes within our budget, it's it's our job to make the plan to know how we're going to get there. And I think one of the challenges the municipality has had at large is that there really is not a budget plan. um and and creating the sort of vision of what it looks like 5 10 15 years from now. What are we doing with some of our larger departments and their service provision to the community and and what do we agree is the right thing to do. And so the plan of how these changes might come about depending on whatever the recommendations are from the report is part of what we will do over you know the time after we get it. Don't hate me for saying this, but like we have a CIP and a CIB. We might need an OIB OIP that kind of sets out an agenda for the future. >> Obviously, any mayor gets to adjust their proposal, but the assembly is the one who sets that. So, >> right, >> she didn't throw rocks at me. That's a good sign. >> I don't have any rocks, sir. >> No rocks were thrown in that question. So, Mr. bars there for a minute. >> Well, it's like a Dr. Seuss book. Um, will this report be public or will it be confidential to the administration and policy makers here in the assembly? >> Uh, through the chair member Girker as this is not our amendment. I don't know, but I would imagine it would be public as the other documents have been. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. So I'll just share from a from a labor perspective of having negotiated labor contracts uh these type of reports get used as cudgilles in labor negotiations and uh become leverage in um arbitration. So just be careful of that. I know we're saying potentially a decade but >> yeah so um I somebody just pointed a notes that we maybe you're getting a little close to debate on this. We have a little bit of time. The work session is to present the idea and we'll have those debates on Tuesday but yes I hear you and um yeah so um and it's fair and just notes notes from the underground. So um want to take on the next one at least first second part you >> yeah so um this is it's labeled as amendment one. So this is from myself and chair constant. Um basically it's I will note it's a budget neutral amendment. Um so you'll see some TBDs on the bottom, but the goal is not uh this is not proposing utilizing any of the the room under the cap. Um and it does two things. Um one is it would increase um the funding basically or make um the position that we already have our part-time constituent uh relations person into a full-time person. So um and this is unrelated to the current plan, which is that he will be basically covering for our communications director while she's on maternity leave. So, this is um this would be not just a a short that's already covered in the short term. This would be full-time. Um and the idea being one, I think um members who have utilized this position, we've had a couple folks in the position um have found some value in it. They've been operating uh part-time. And it's also, I think, part of the bigger discussion around um how we communicate with the public. You know, the the two-way, right? When we get communications in, when we communicate back out. Um and we know that it is just a large very large volume of email. So the goal is not that this person just becomes our full-time email person. Um but there is I think a lot of opportunity for us to enhance our communications to look at additional um channels to do that on and to really um you know have more capacity really to um for either individual members or for the body as a whole to engage more with uh constituents. And so you know of course our model is not that we have our own staff. We people can have aids uh we have staff for the branch. So, this would really be a branch resource the way that legislative services is. Um, and so individual members could utilize it as well as um for kind of branchwide communications. One example, we just uh launched the uh civic anchor project which is a great project, not connected to a specific project or a specific member. Um, and really it's meant to be across the municipality, not just the assembly. And so, I think there's um things like that. You know, the the work that Ledge Services and others have been doing um seems to be having a positive effect. So this would really be increasing on that and then I can turn to Chris. >> Sure. Thanks. The second part right now and there might be a third part have Mr. Martinez speak to it but um is the proposal to and this was from the clerk a request to add a halftime inspector at the health department in order to get ahead of some of the problems we're recently reading about in the news about massage parlors. And so, uh, this would put a body in place to go and do the work that we just don't have the capacity to do. The MUN, the clerk's office is responsible, the assembly branch, legislative branch is responsible for licensing. And so, it's kind of under us, but the health department is the one who does that kind of work, the inspections. And so, um, I've discussed it with, uh, Miss Rash, the director of the department, and the clerk. And so this idea just kind of closes the loop on some of the work that members have been doing to raise some concerns relating to sex trafficking and massage brothers. >> Miss B. >> And I'll just add for those who uh know anything about Spanard for a long time, it was not just a Spanard problem, but we know that this is clearly a cyclical problem in our community. So there was a version not not this position, but there was a a huge issue probably a generation or so ago and clearly it's happening again. So I think this is timely. >> Mr. want. >> Thank you. Yes. Um, when do the sponsors anticipate we'll have a little bit more insight into the >> Tuesday. >> Budget neutral component of this. >> Okay. >> We're just scrubbing the budget right now. Looking real close. >> Okay. Thanks. >> So, we'll have something by Tuesday. >> Yeah. Not yet. We're not quite ready, but we'll we have a very solid idea on where it comes from. Not yet ready for prime time. Mr. Jones, >> uh, two pieces. First half, I I didn't quite catch the first part of your answer to member Bolan's question about the the timing. Okay. >> Not yet. Probably Tuesday, though. >> Well, okay. >> Motion to continue to the next meeting. >> More special meetings. Why not? Um, okay. The other the other half of this see this is for 50% of the position. Would the other half the funding come from the existing HD budget? Is that the plan? >> Uh, I I I was told that that what they asked for was a halftime position. And so um that's what I presented and it wasn't uh part of a full-time. They just said halftime. So I think that that was the number that came my way and I went with it. Miss Limp Pearson, >> I can speak to that a bit, Mr. Chair. Um, I've talked with Miss Rash a bit about like what what makes sense in terms of this like would this be a new person who only works half time? Could we roll in some additional inspection or licensing duties that are part of this um or you know elsewhere in the kind of code enforcement space at the health department? And she I would say we're still thinking it over. I think it can be hard to hire half-time personnel and I think ideally we might be able to make this a position that addresses this specific need and also potentially has some bandwidth to address other uh code enforcement issues at the health department but we don't have a concrete answer yet. There isn't an obvious location in the health department budget to reallocate funding uh in labor to be able to to make this a full-time position, but we're kind of chewing on the options. >> So, it sounds like that might be might not be fully resolved that question. um by the time we take this up next Tuesday. But I I I can see how this could be read as either one part-time position or or half of a full-time position. But I think you know understand that maybe there's some flexibility that needs to be available there. I think is it just to clarify that if we do approve this as the assembly whether it's one person half the time or half of their total time it will be dedicated to the purpose that we outline here. Yeah, >> that's correct. And I think that um if we are unable to find another funding source to make it a full-time position, the baseline is based on this we would interpret this as we need to onboard a new individual who is a half-time person dedicated to this specific purpose. Um we like there's we this wouldn't be a reallocation of any kind of responsibilities with an existing position and then our work would be to see if there is both the need and the funding to make it into a full-time position where this percentage of the time was dedicated to this specific purpose but there was other work that the person could also take on. And I would offer, we had a big press conference and the attorney general of the state of Alaska said they want to help us with crime activities. So maybe it can be some jointly and creatively funded effort um to tackle mutual items of interest. I don't know. But this was definitely the amount that was requested from me. I just built it around the request. If they had gotten me earlier and said full-time, I'd have done that, too. But um that is And so Mr. Martinez, want to speak to your idea? Sure. Where does it go? >> I I would say it could go on this one, but it could be separate run as well. Just describe it. >> Sure. >> Yeah. Um so the there's an idea to um let me just take a step back and say for folks who remember the housing summit remember how important it was to convene uh a group of stakeholders around uh issues and items that are important to the city's future and progress. And uh that work really produced uh a lot of opportunities for us to learn but also to have an agenda that kind of we've been driving forward and we haven't really had to to have multiple of those but it was a good starting point. The idea essentially is to recreate the same con convening uh energy and space around our young people. a youth convening, a summit, uh a symposium, giving them the opportunity to have uh both the kind of sustained learning across a curriculum, uh working with the school district, but for our vantage point, a convening at Lusac Library that brings together our young people from across the city, gives them the opportunity to discuss real issues, uh model the roles of the assembly, kind of the mock model UN, think of that role. and and I and I envision creating an agenda that they could champion with our youth representatives. And so this is really an opportunity for our youth rep to be elevated, for the young people of our community to have a a deeper connection to the civic conversation that we're all having and uh and I believe that the potential cost is within the existing budget. Our friends in the legislative services gave a number right around $32,000 to kind of get it convened and um yeah, the idea would be empower youth and actually get them to ride the bus or from maybe provide some transit opportunities because there aren't buses out there to come in for one at least one day, maybe a couple days plus an ongoing curriculum opportunity to understand how it works. You see students come from Chooiak, Eagle River High School, East High and service mostly and so they all send students to attend one meeting. The idea is let's build on that >> and chair to follow up. I mean right now the community councils are also having those those discussions around reorganizing their membership, the role of young people in the community, the role of of youth in the community councils. So it's one of those things that just resonates to me. Cities that are investing in the opportunities for young people are cities that are saying we're investing in our tomorrow. >> Yeah. Just to clarify when you say it's in the existing budget. So this is money we already have with appropriated to something else that we're going to move towards this. Is that is that correct? >> All of the items on this exist within the budget currently and they would be reappropriations. And do we have an idea where? >> As I said, we will know by >> Well, you said turfos for this as well. It's the same. >> It's the same. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I just identified a small spot. Um, Miss Bald, >> thank you. I uh I would like to return to this um the conversion of the part-time constituent relations um and comm's person to to full-time. So, does does this does this conversion include like will we see some kind of a a job description or more specifics around what this individual would be functionally doing on behalf of the branch? Uh, and if so, when might we expect that? And if not, what will be the process by which this person's scope of work is actually determined? >> Fantastic question. Yeah, I think um if I could ask um Miss Ross to because maybe you could just describe um not that this has all been worked out, but kind of it's it's really a position that already exists just part-time. So maybe some of the I guess some of the things that that Noah has already been um working with or working on and then also maybe the limits of the part-time, you know, what you maybe haven't been able to do because of that. >> Let me think kind of on the spot here, but Um, so what I think some of the things we would like to have this position do more of, um, I think it's been successful to help with the emails that come in to the whole assembly where we you don't have an address so you don't know which assembly member to assign it to or if we call it kind of help desk questions. We're doing about three to four of those a week. Um, and then I know a lot of you are doing video and some of you are expanding. Some of you do email newsletters, some of you want to. Um, that's area that's one area where we haven't been able to offer much support. So, I think we could The whole point of this position was really to help you more with your individual communications. The three of us in legisl legislative services now serve the whole body and do bodywide communications. Um, but we see all of you struggling uh with keeping up with the emails and the social media and doing newsletters and that sort of thing. So, I think that's one area that we could expand more of with this position. Uh, and then with our our civic work is starting to really explode. We um did workshops or tours for 140 students just this month over four different visits. >> And I think Yeah, thank you. Um, I would just add too I think um that that yeah, it would need to be a bit iterative. We've also talked about, you know, do we change the paradigm that everybody emails all the assembly all the time, right? And and we've already had those conversations. Do we try to say you can reach out to all of us if you'd like to make a comment if you're trying to reach on a district issue, right? So these those kinds of discussions and so um and I think the reality too is it's hard to find aids. The aid budget is very part-time. I think it's been the same amount for years and years. So it used to probably be a part-time staff person that you had that even came and did, you know, work for you. we just don't have that and so we are our own staff in that sense. Um, and I think there's there's been discussion about do we have more individual staff, do we have district staff, and I think the budget implications of that are very large and people have not been willing to go there. And then the other question is how do we make this job manageable? And so I think this is a way to to equitably share it among branch members, make sure that they're tapped into what the body is doing and it's not just my personal aid, it's not just his personal aid. Um, but I think there's a lot of opportunity there. And so we would uh I would anticipate working that out as we have these other discussions. as we figure out the workload, we figure out, you know, what what this job looks what the assembly job looks like in the next few years. >> And I would add just a little bit to that, there's discussion about having it be also supportive of the clerk's office, um, which didn't quite make it onto this document, I think, as it should have. And, um, as the fin theory on to answer the second part of your question was like how how does it get worked out if it doesn't exist? It's a question in two parts. One is leadership establishes the workflow, but two is when the the annual work plan is established, the assembly also looks at staffing and operations and has a check-in with the various departments, how things are working. And so how I would approach that would be in the next year with the new assembly as priorities are established. You ask the team like how's it working? What are your strengths? Who's doing what? How can it adjust and meet the needs? And so the idea of having a full complement of staff would be that they can be more flexible and more full in their work. So you would determine that in the next year with the team doing the work and the body. Okay. Anything else? Anything else? Okay. So, um, Tuesday night, order of operations, we will convene. We have, I think, seven reading resolutions. We'll spend the first hour plus change doing that. Then we will get on to the business and the business will um we'll have anything that gets pulled off the consent agenda as normal and then we'll change the order of the day to move the certification after the budget questions. We'll deal with the budget questions and then we'll have certification. Once the certification occurs, we will swear in the new members. So that's the operation for Tuesday. And Mr. Ker, >> yeah, like I said on the agenda, we'll get through the agenda. The items are on. Can >> can I just ask a real quick sequence uh sequencing question for setting the mill rates and this might not be the appropriate setting for it, but are the property valuation appeals done? like how do we know the total taxable base yet? Like how are we setting the mill rate at this point? >> I think that those two are somewhat disconnected. Um the way that the assessments work is that they are how you split up the pie, >> right? The pie doesn't really change in in ter the amount that is allowed is set by that formula which is population plus 5-year rolling average etc. That's the cap and then the breakdown of the cap underneath is established um property by property adorum based on the assessed values but the amounts to each service area and district are generally set by that other process which is the annual tax cap I think on a >> so the the process we're in right now basically sets the budget which is the total dollars that need to be collected in each area the tax bills that go out to our community are that number multiplied by whatever their assessed value is. So if the assessed value is still moving or part of the exemption process within property appraisal, what I don't know right now is what the actual timeline or if there is any different treatment for those that are still in question, but for the most part um we can figure out what the answer to that question is and let you know how those uh properties are treated specifically. Um but outside of that, this is normal process for how it's done every year. So yeah, it's kind of TBD, but they're somewhat different processes. They are dependent on each other, Miss Broly. >> Yeah. And I'll note, so we had 2,000 appeals. It sounds like the last report we heard was 80% of them were being resolved by staff. And that seems to be normal for the board of equalization. So even if you said, okay, we have 400 more appeals and all 400 of those properties are still in question. I just looked it up. We have a $44.8 billion taxable base. So that so even if those folks are not in it has such a negl negligible impact on the big picture that the mill rate itself would not change >> right and it settles in as you get closer to the final action the final processes and appeals are done that's when it gets locked in but the amounts are set by what we act on on Tuesday >> yeah no it's it's after nine years I've still never quite figured out how the tax >> timeline for that I think it's on is it June 1st >> June one yeah that's the statuto date when we have to get it set up. So, um, yeah, if I don't hear any other questions, we will be back in this room, I think, at 3 o'clock. 2 2:30 >> 210. Let me verify. >> Sorry, I just got to verify. >> 210 back at 210. >> We're