[00:00:02]
WE READY? WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE
[State of the City Address on January 7, 2026.]
HERE THIS MORNING. AND SO AGAIN THIS EVENING. OH, YEAH. Y'ALL HAVE TO FORGIVE ME. I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH LATELY, AND I'VE SPENT A LOT OF LATE NIGHTS OR EARLY MORNINGS AS. AS SOME OF THESE FELLAS CAN TELL YOU FROM THE EMAILS THEY RECEIVED FROM ME. SO. BUT GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TO TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL THE STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS. WE'RE GOING TO START OFF WITH INVOCATION AND THEN KIND OF MOVE FORWARD INTO THE AGENDA FOR TODAY. ANYBODY HITS. DEAR LORD, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR TODAY. WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE THAT ARE HERE. WE THANK YOU FOR THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING LIVE STREAM. WE ASK YOU FOR PEACE, CALM AND DIRECTION AS WE ASSEMBLE AND AS WE SHARE THE DIRECTION, THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE GOALS AND THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CITY OF MANER. WE THANK YOU FOR THIS COUNCIL. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR GUESTS. WE THANK YOU FOR THE CITY STAFF. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR RESIDENTS. WE THANK YOU FOR OUR PARTNERS. WE ASK YOU TO CONTINUE TO BLESS US, DRAWS NEAR TO YOU SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO. WE THANK YOU FOR TONIGHT. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. ALRIGHT, SO. TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. IF YOU'VE BEEN TO THESE WITH ME BEFORE.I'VE NAVIGATED THIS PROCESS WITH A LOT OF JUST KIND OF A NARRATION, ME TALKING, AND THIS EVENING I WANTED TO COUPLE SOME, SOME KEY WORDS WITH, WITH IMAGES SO THAT IT WOULD KIND OF GO ALONG AND AND PRESENT BETTER, BUT ALSO SO THAT YOU COULD ACTUALLY SEE SOME DATA THAT GOES ALONG WITH WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE A LOT TO SHARE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO RUSH BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT EVERYTHING THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS CLEAR. MY HOPE IS THAT YOU ARE ENGAGED ALSO HOPE IS THAT YOU LEAVE HERE EMPOWERED TO TAKE ACTION.
BEFORE I GET TOO DEEP INTO IT, I WANT TO PAUSE AND DO SOME INTRODUCTIONS. WE HAVE ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE THAT ARE DEFINITELY WANT TO RECOGNIZE. BEGAN WITH OUR MY, MY COLLEAGUES, MY CITY COUNCIL PERSONS, OUR COUNCILMAN, MARINO COUNCILWOMAN, AND WE'RE COUNCILWOMAN MURIEL AND COUNCILWOMAN SONIA WALLACE. AND WE HAVE COUNCILWOMAN DAISY HILL AND MAYOR PRO TEM EMILY HILL WHO ARE NOT HERE TONIGHT. SO Y'ALL CAN JUST GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. MY GOOD FRIEND. AND AND ALWAYS SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE CHERYL COLE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND MY MOM AND JAKE, APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. DEFINITELY WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR CITY STAFF, CITY MANAGER SCOTT MOORE AND ALL THE DIRECTORS AND STAFF THAT ARE HERE TODAY. CONSTABLE TANYA NIXON, THANK YOU FOR COMING. SHE'S ANOTHER ONE THAT'S ALWAYS EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT WE DO OUT HERE IN MANER. AND THEN DOCTOR SIMONE, WHO'S HERE FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, OUR SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU, SIR, FOR ALWAYS SUPPORTING. I THINK WE'VE HUNG OUT ALL WEEK THIS WEEK. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I WANT TO THANK MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE WHO'S IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. JANINE, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME. I ALSO HAVE MY MOM THAT'S HERE SITTING NEXT TO HER. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. AND THEN FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. MICHAEL PERKINS, CAMERON, FRATERNITY BROTHERS THAT ALWAYS STAND IN MY CORNER. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL. ALL RIGHT. THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE CITY HAS ALWAYS STARTED WITH KIND OF A SUMMARY OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS WE'VE EXPERIENCED AND GONE THROUGH, AND WE'VE WALKED THROUGH A LOT OF DIFFERENT CHALLENGES. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME STORMS AND DISASTERS THAT WE FACED. THIS PARTICULAR CITY ADDRESS IS GOING TO START FROM. SOME ECONOMIC SUCCESSES. WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO SOME. POLITICAL
[00:05:06]
THINGS, LEGISLATIVE AGENDA THINGS, AND AND REALLY DIVE INTO THE SPECIFICS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN OVER TIME. IT'S NOT MOVING. OH, Y'ALL CAN'T SEE THAT BETTER. ALL RIGHT. SO TONIGHT'S FOCUS. WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO OUR OUR CITY DEMOGRAPHICS AND OUR OVERVIEW.WE'RE GOING TO SPEND SOME TIME ON OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA UPDATES SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM 2025. OUR CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO ALSO END WITH A KEY INITIATIVES AND THEN A CALL TO ACTION. SO I TOLD YOU ALL I'VE BEEN DOING SOME RESEARCH AND WE'VE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT THE CITY OF MAIN AND OUR HISTORY AND WORKED TO FIND SOME TIMELINES AND JUST KIND OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE AREA, AND JUST KIND TO PUT SOME DATA TOGETHER THAT CAN STAY IN OUR ARCHIVES AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD AS A CITY IN REGARDS TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN AND TRANSPIRED IN OUR CITY. AND I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DID THIS RESEARCH WAS BECAUSE I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT MAINERS BACKGROUND AND HISTORY IS, IS, HAS BEEN BUILT UPON THE DIVERSITY OF THE RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE. AND SO PRIOR TO 15, 28, THERE'S RECORDS THAT SHOW THAT THE COMMUNITY HERE WAS NATIVE AFRICAN AND SPANISH DESCENT, AND IT TALKS ABOUT WHAT WAS THOSE RESEARCH ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING DURING THIS AREA AND THEN WHAT TRANSPIRED DURING THE TEXAS REVOLUTION, PRIOR TO THE TEXAS REVOLUTION. AND THOSE GOOD OLD FOLKS THAT CAME FROM TENNESSEE, HOUSTON AND JAMES V MAINER, WHEN THEY CAME THROUGH, STOPPED INTO LOUISIANA, PICKED UP SOME ENSLAVED PEOPLE TO COME IN AND BUILD THE CITY. AND I THINK THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE CITY IS WORKING THROUGH A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR CULTURE AND OUR HISTORY, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT WHAT IS WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF MAINER. AND IT'S BEEN OUR DIVERSITY THAT HAS THAT WAS HERE IN THE BEGINNING. AND WE'RE STILL A DIVERSE CITY.
AND I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT LATER ON WHEN WE GET INTO THE CHALLENGES AND AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE FACE AS A CITY. SO SOME KEY FACTS IN REGARDS TO THE DATA TODAY.
MAINER IS 21,500 PEOPLE ESTIMATE WE ARE A DIVERSE MAJORITY MINORITY COMMUNITY. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THAT BEGINNING OF 1528 PRIOR AND NOW WE'RE STILL MAJORITY MINORITY, DIVERSE COMMUNITY, YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE 54% HISPANIC BY 22% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 14% WHITE AND 2.7% ASIAN AND SO FORTH. WE ARE A YOUNGER COMMUNITY THAN WE WERE IN 2021. AT SOME POINT IN TIME, I BELIEVE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT OUR AVERAGE AGE BEING AROUND 40 OR SO, AND NOW WE'RE ACTUALLY BETWEEN 30 AND 35, DEPENDING ON THE DATA THAT YOU'RE YOU'RE READING AND GOING THROUGH. HOME OWNERSHIP IS THRIVING IN MAINER, OUR HOMES STILL AVERAGE ABOUT THREE PEOPLE PER PER UNIT. THE INCOME IS HIGHER THAN WHAT IT WAS SOME YEARS BACK. AT ONE POINT IN TIME, WE WERE AT, I BELIEVE, $19,000 A PERSON. SO THAT INCOME NOW IS A LOT HIGHER THAN WHAT IT WAS IN THE PAST. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE ALSO HAVE A COMMUTE OF 28.5 MINUTES. SO FOR EVERYONE THAT'S OUT THERE SAYING IT'S TAKING HOURS, IT MAY BE DEPENDING ON HOW FAR YOU'RE COMING FROM. RIGHT NOW, AVERAGE IS ABOUT 28 MINUTES. WE HAVE A LOWER COMMUTE. THIS IS A FUN FACT IN DOING THE RESEARCH WE ACTUALLY HAVE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SMALL CITIES NEXT TO A METROPLEX, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A A SHORTER COMMUTE TO THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AREA THAN THE HOUSTON, THEN THE CITY. OUR SIZE AND SAME PROXIMITY FROM SAN ANTONIO OR FROM HOUSTON OR FROM DALLAS.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SHORTER COMMUTE IN THAT. SO JUST A FUN FACT THAT EVEN WITH ALL THE HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S STILL QUICKER TO MOVE FROM MAINER TO DOWNTOWN AUSTIN THAN IN THOSE OTHER PLACES. WE'RE STILL A FAST GROWING COMMUNITY, AND IN 2025, WE'RE LABELED TO SIX FASTEST GROWING SMALL CITY IN AMERICA. WE ARE PROJECTED TO DOUBLE IN
[00:10:02]
SIZE IN THE NEXT 4 TO 5 YEARS. SO YOU CAN SEE THE GRAPH WE'RE AT PROJECTED TO HAVE IN A 225.WELL, FROM 2013 TO 2023, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 225% GROWTH. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME HAS INCREASED. HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS SECTION IS THAT AVERAGE INCOME, AS WELL AS OUR POVERTY RATE OF 6.7%. 2030 MAINER EXCEED 44,000 PEOPLE, 106% GROWTH. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AND THINK ABOUT WHEN WE WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE LISTENING TO OUR RESIDENTS AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, STREETS, INFRASTRUCTURE AND AND SIDEWALKS. I THINK SCOTT DUNLOP I THINK WE IT WAS LIKE 2019, 2020 WHEN WE ADOPTED OUR NEW CODE FOR THE CITY. AND SO PRIOR TO THEN WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT HOW MANY, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE HOMES WERE ACTUALLY BUILT AND OR UNDER THE PREVIOUS CODE, IT'S ABOUT 79% OF THE CITY IS UNDER THE OLD CODE. AND SO THAT'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO. AND AND SO WHEN WE'RE WHEN WE'RE ASKING HOW COME SO MUCH HAS NOT HAPPENED IS BECAUSE THEN 80% OF THE CITY IS UNDER OLD CODE. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DRAINAGE SIDEWALKS, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THOSE AREAS.
AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE TIME TO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS. AND AND I WANT TO GIVE THIS EXPLANATION BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WHEN WE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING, WHEN WE BUILD A COMMUNITY FROM FROM OLDER STANDARDS AND WE'RE NOT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION AND COUNCIL, Y'ALL KNOW WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A WHILE. WE BUILD THE CITY, WE BUILD THE COMMUNITY FOR WHATEVER HOUSING THAT'S GOING TO TAKE PLACE ON THAT IN THAT LOT OF LAND. WE DON'T ALWAYS THINK ABOUT WHAT IT COSTS TO SUSTAIN THAT DEVELOPMENT. AND SO BECAUSE WE DO NOT DO THAT WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO BACK AND FIX DRAINAGE, WHEN IT'S TIME TO PUT IN SIDEWALKS, WHEN THERE'S MAJOR ISSUES IN THAT COMMUNITY, IF WE DID NOT PLAN FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AD VALOREM THAT COMES FROM THAT COMMUNITY, THE AD VALOREM, THE MONEY HAS TO COME FROM ANOTHER COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FACING RIGHT NOW, IS YOU HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WAS DESIGNED UNDER OLD CODE THAT WAS NOT BUILT TO SUSTAIN ITSELF, AND SO THE CITY HAS TO DO ENOUGH WORK TO GENERATE REVENUE TO TAKE CARE OF THE COMMUNITIES WE'RE BUILDING AND THE COMMUNITIES OF THE PAST TO COVER THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE DRAINAGE AND THE SIDEWALKS AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED WHILE TRYING TO KEEP THE SAME TAX RATE AND NOT INCREASE. AND THAT'S A HUGE, HUGE BURDEN THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF HAVE. AND BUT WE'RE COMMITTED TO IT. BUT I THINK IT'S FOR EVERYONE TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE. I THINK EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHERE WE NEED TO GO. TOP FIVE OCCUPATIONS FOR MAINE RESIDENTS MANAGEMENT JOBS, OFFICE CONSTRUCTION, SALES AND AND TRANSPORTATION. IN 2021, WE STARTED HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE CITY, THE CITY'S NEEDS, AND HOW COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY STAFF COULD BE MORE INVOLVED IN THE GREATER COMMUNITY BEYOND THE CITY OF MAINER. AND SO WE STARTED PARTICIPATING A LOT MORE IN TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE. WE STARTED LEARNING FROM MY COLLEAGUES IN OTHER CITIES, AND RIGHT AROUND 2023, WE PUT NOT ONLY PARTICIPATED IN POLICY DESIGN FOR FOR TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, THAT THEY WOULD GO TO THE CAPITOL TO ADVOCATE FOR. WE ACTUALLY CREATED OUR FIRST EVER LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AND WE WERE SO PROUD. WE TOOK THE DOCUMENT, THE ONE PAGE OF MR. JONES MADE, AND WE WERE DOWN AT THE CAPITOL, AND WE WERE ADVOCATING AND COMMUNICATING. ONE THAT MAINER IS HAS ARRIVED, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD IN BUILDING KEY RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE KNEW WERE GOING TO BE NECESSARY TO MOVE OBSTACLES OUT OF OUR WAY DOWN THE LINE. AND SO THIS IS A GLIMPSE OF THE 2025 DOCUMENT THAT HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM THE 2023. AND. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TO NOTE THAT SOME OF THE THINGS WILL PROBABLY NEVER COME OFF THE LIST, BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME FOR US TO HAVE TO CHANGE MINDS AND MINDSETS IN REGARDS TO GETTING FUNDING WHERE FUNDING NEEDS. AND SO WHEN YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, EDUCATIONAL WORKFORCE OR HEALTHCARE OR WATER WASTEWATER, THERE'S STILL THOSE THINGS ARE GOING TO PROBABLY BE THERE FOR A WHILE AND FOR OUR SPECIFIC AREA BECAUSE WE'RE COMPETING AGAINST THE GREATER TEXAS AREA TO GET THOSE RESOURCES HERE FOR OUR CITY. BUT I DID WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME TO JUST TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT NOT NECESSARILY SAYING THAT WHAT WE DID MADE
[00:15:03]
THESE THINGS PASS, BUT TO SHOW THAT WE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS OF SOME OF THESE THINGS BEING PASSED, BUT ALSO SO THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE RESULTS OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ADVOCATING FOR, ALONG ALONGSIDE SOME OF THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WERE WE WERE SUPPORTIVE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE J.D. GRANT, WHICH HELPS TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN DO OUR I THINK THAT'S OUR NEW 380 AGREEMENTS SO THAT WE CAN WORK WITH PARTNERS TO HELP THEM JUMPSTART THEIR THEIR OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR CITY.TRAVIS COUNTY IS NOT NECESSARILY A LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, BUT WE DID SPEAK IN SUPPORT THAT WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND OTHERS IN REGARDS TO OUR CONCERN THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR MANY YEARS AFTER SAFE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMING WITH COMMISSIONER TRAVILLION THAT PASSED. AND AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ACTUALLY WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH ENTITIES THAT ARE PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES FOR OUR KIDS IN, IN THE CITY. THESE THINGS WERE PASSED. BUT I WANT TO WHAT'S THE WORD DISCLAIMER WHAT WE WANT, WHAT WE WANT TO SEE HAPPEN WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION IS A TON OF MONEY GOING IN. THAT'S UNRESTRICTED, UNRESTRICTED FUNDS SO THAT THE LEADERS THAT ARE HIRED AND CONTRACTED TO LEAD THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, USE THEIR EXPERTISE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN. 21ST CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'RE SEEING SOME MOVES THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR PARKS, WATER, WASTEWATER AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE THINGS. BUT MOSTLY WE NEED TO ADVOCATE THAT THE TOOLS THAT ARE USED TO RANK COMMUNITIES OF HIGH NEEDS, THAT THOSE TOOLS ARE, ARE CONNECTED TO THOSE WHO ARE MAKING FUNDING ALLOCATIONS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING ACCESS TO THOSE FUNDS AND RESOURCES. AND THEN AGAIN, WE WE HEARD FROM CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR SISTER CITIES, BROTHER CITIES, SPECIFICALLY IN AUSTIN, ABOUT THE THE NEED TO, TO PROMOTE LIFE SCIENCES. AND SO WE'VE HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, MAYOR WATSON. HE'S TALKED ABOUT IT A FEW TIMES. AND SO WE'RE DEFINITELY MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IN LINE WITH THE JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE REGION. SO WHAT NEXT? THIS THE FIRST ONE IS NEVER GOING TO COME OUT THE LIST UNTIL WE HAVE A CHECK BY THAT ONE. AND THAT'S SALES TAXES. WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH OUR LEGISLATORS IN REGARDS TO OLD POLICIES AND LAWS THAT ARE. NEGATIVELY IMPACTING THE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID IN 2021 WAS, I GOT A CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH THE FORMER COMMISSIONER AND TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, AARON JIMERSON, AND WE TALKED ABOUT AND A FEW FOLKS WITH THE TEXAS, THE GOVERNOR'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE THE KEY FINANCIAL TOOLS THAT A CITY NEEDS TO THRIVE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE FINANCIAL TOOLS, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE THE NEEDLE AND INVEST IN THE KEY PROGRAMS AND THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO INVEST IN SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE THE AFFORDABILITY, HAVE THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TOOLS FIX THE ROADS AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO DO. INVEST IN SMALL BUSINESSES, NON-PROFITS, PROGRAMS FOR AFTER SCHOOL CARE AND SUMMER PROGRAMS. AND THAT'S YOUR SALES TAX. 1985. IF YOU'VE HEARD MY SPEECHES, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD ME SAY THIS ONCE BEFORE. IN 1985, WE MADE A DECISION AS A AS A COMMUNITY TO VOTE INTO SALES TAX ARRANGEMENTS. AND WE WERE VERY, VERY, VERY SMALL POPULATION. YOU CAN REMEMBER THAT TIMELINE THAT I SHOWED EARLIER. WE WE WERE NOT 21,500 PEOPLE, AND WE MADE A DECISION IN 1985 TO GIVE A PORTION OF OUR SALES TAXES TO SUPPORT SOME SPECIFIC PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OR EMERGENCY SERVICE NEEDS. LATER ON, WHEN WE MAKE THOSE VOTES, WE'VE GROWN. WE'RE A FAST GROWING CITY, AND WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION AS A COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT'S WHAT DO WE NEED RIGHT NOW SO THAT WE CAN MOVE OUR CITY FORWARD. AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT SALES TAXES.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY, MUNICIPALITY FREEDOM AND OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS. AND THEN WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE SOME SOME HELP WITH AFFORDABILITY. THE KEY THING WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO ENSURING THAT WE CAN BUILD A HOME THAT'S AFFORDABLE FOR SINGLE FAMILIES, OR TWO PARENT FAMILY INCOMES THAT ARE STILL STRUGGLING TO TO PAY FOR A HOME IS THE LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS, AND IF WE
[00:20:03]
CAN GET SUPPORT IN THOSE AREAS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY PUT A NICE PRODUCT ON THE GROUND FOR OUR FOR OUR FAMILIES. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE IN THOSE AREAS TO FILL THAT MISSING MIDDLE. AGAIN, UNRESTRICTED FUNDS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THEN FUNDS TO TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS IN THIS REGION. AND WE'VE MADE SOME HUGE STRIDES SINCE 2021 2023 AGENDA. WITH SAINT DAVID'S MOVING INTO THE AREA AND PROVIDING VERY, VERY HIGH QUALITY SERVICES. AND RIGHT HERE OFF OF 290. BUT THERE'S MORE THAT WE THAT WE HAVE TO DO, NOT ONLY FOR THE CITY OF MANIA, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. YOU MAY NOT KNOW OR YOU MAY KNOW, HOPEFULLY YOU ALL KNOW BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SOME TIME WE CREATED A WE WE WORKED FOR A WHILE AND PUT TOGETHER A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. AND THEN THIS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, YOU'LL FIND THIS DOCUMENT IN THERE WHERE IT'S A QUICK SUMMARY IN REGARDS TO SOME FEEDBACK FROM OUR RESIDENTS AND THINGS THAT THEY WANTED TO PRIORITIZE. AND I WANTED TO BRING THIS DOCUMENT BECAUSE AS I GO THROUGH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DEPARTMENT, YOU'LL SEE A CONNECTION BETWEEN WHAT RESIDENTS ARE ASKING US TO DO AND WHAT THE CITY IS FOCUSING TIME AND ATTENTION ON. AND SO QUICKLY YOU CAN SEE HERE I KNOW THE PRINT IS SMALL, SO I'LL READ A FEW OF THEM. ONE THE FIRST ONE SAYS NEED FOR FRESH AND HEALTHY FOOD OPTIONS.REVITALIZATION, REVITALIZATION, REVITALIZATION OF DOWNTOWN. LET'S SEE. I'M GONNA JUMP TO A LOCAL RETAIL AND HIRING LOCALLY, IMPROVE SIDEWALK AND BIKE LANES, AND INCREASE ACCESS TO NATURAL SPACES AND THEN SOME PARK NEEDS. AND SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE UNDER THE AREA INFRASTRUCTURE IS TIME AND ATTENTION THAT'S BEEN GOING TOWARDS THOSE AREAS. SO EVERYONE'S ALWAYS ASKING ABOUT 973. EVERYONE'S ALWAYS ASKING ABOUT 290. WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M GOING TO SPEND SOME MORE TIME ON, ON TRANSPORTATION, BUT WE SECURED A COMMITMENT FOR 973 FOR A FEASIBILITY FINANCE FEASIBILITY SURVEY, TEXDOT AND CMRA. AND SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP MOVE THE THE THE PROCESS DOWN THE LINE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE IMPROVEMENTS ON THAT ROAD. US 290 CORRIDOR STUDY WITH CMRA. THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR CRUCIAL FOUNDATIONAL PIECES FOR GETTING A HIGHWAY THROUGH THE AREA. SOLAR LIGHT, LIGHTS, LIGHTING AT THE FOUR PARKS, SIDEWALK CONNECTIONS FROM RING DRIVE TO RING ROAD, RECLAIMED WATER FIELD ADDITIONS, $312 MILLION IN NEW TAXABLE INCOME THAT COMES INTO THE AREA, 362 NEW RESIDENTIAL UNITS, THREE FAMILY MULTI-FAMILY PROJECTS, TWO EMERGENCY SERVICES FACILITIES AND NEW BUSINESSES THAT ARE COMING. SMALL SLIDERS. GOLDEN CHICK FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN WANTING A CHICKEN PLACE OR DON'T WANT TO DRIVE, THE ELGIN, JAMES, AVERY, OTA, MIDAS, DOLLAR TREE, AND A LOT MORE SO. I THINK THIS SAYS ENOUGH SAYS IT ALL WHEN IT COMES TO THE HARD WORK OF OUR ECONOMIC DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY STAFF IN REGARDS TO HEARING THE CALL AND ANSWERING CALL. AND SO THAT FIRST BULLET TALKED ABOUT HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES. AND SO THIS YEAR, WE GOT A CHANCE TO DO GRAND OPENING FOR OUR MANER HEB. AND OUR FIRST, OUR FIRST. YEAH, OUR FIRST MANER HEB NUMBER TWO IS ON THE WAY. THEY DON'T KNOW IT YET, BUT THEY KNOW THAT IT'S ON THE WAY. WE'VE ALREADY TOLD THEM 32 NEW BUSINESSES, 1250 JOBS AND COUNTING. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW ARE WE EMPLOYING LOCALLY 1250 JOBS. AND WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS YEAR. AND OF COURSE, THESE ARE SOME NATIONAL CHAINS THAT ARE FIRST, FIRST NATIONAL, FIRST OPPORTUNITY, FIRST MAJOR CONSTRUCTION RETAILER. IN REGARDS TO HOME DEPOT, FIRST MAJOR CLOTHING RETAILER IN REGARDS TO THE TJ MAXX AND THE BURLINGTON'S AND SO FORTH. 24 HOUR DINER, THE THE WAFFLE HOUSE AND AND SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT COUNCIL GOING AFTER THESE LATE MEETINGS. WE MIGHT JUST GO OUT TO WAFFLE HOUSE AND HAVE A BREAKFAST IN THE SAINT DAVID'S ROOM AND SOME BRANDING. WE HEARD FOR MANY YEARS THE NEED FOR US TO HAVE IMPROVED COMMUNICATION. AND WE TALKED ABOUT TWO WAY COMMUNICATION, MULTI-LANGUAGE, BUT WE ALSO TALK ABOUT TELLING OUR STORY.
[00:25:02]
AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE A MARKETING COORDINATOR WHO'S BEEN OUT DOING A LOT OF WORK TO, TO BRAND AND, AND HELP US WITH COMMUNICATING TO THE PUBLIC. AND THEN MISTER DAVIS IS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. AND SO WE'VE ACTUALLY JUMPSTARTED THE WORK IN OUR DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLANNING WITH HIS THREE STORY MULTI-USE FACILITY. RIGHT, RIGHT OVER THE OUTSIDE FROM FROM CITY HALL. AND NOW THERE'S MORE BUILDINGS THAT ARE COMING. AND SO BETWEEN THAT, HIS DEVELOPMENT, A FEW OTHER DEVELOPMENTS AND OUR DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION PLAN MASTER PLAN THAT'S GOING TO DO THAT HAS A TOURIST THAT'S GOING TO DO ABOUT $40 MILLION OF REINVESTMENT IN THIS DOWNTOWN OLD TOWN MANER. WE ARE PUTTING OUR MOUTH, PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS AND SUPPORTING THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE ASKED US TO DO. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN REGARDS TO TALKING WITH CHIEF PHILLIPS SOME YEARS BACK, WAS, HOW CAN WE INCENTIVIZE OUR CITY STAFF AND FOLKS TO LIVE HERE AND WORK HERE? AND WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THE COST AND INCREASING COST OF RENT, WE DECIDED TO TO PUT OUR OUR NAME IN THE HAT AND CREATE A PFC SO THAT WE COULD BUILD A FACILITY WHERE WE COULD HELP TO CONTROL THE RENTS AND CREATE AFFORDABILITY FOR OUR RESIDENTS.AND SO THE AVALON, THAT'S ABOUT A HALF A MILE OR SO FROM HERE, IS ACTUALLY A CITY PROPERTY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO INCENTIVIZE RESIDENTS TO COME AND LIVE. AND BY PROVIDING A LOWER INCOME, USING THEIR LOWER INCOME FOR RATE REDUCTION. LITTLE KNOWN FACT, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I READ THIS ANYWHERE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT WE DID ACQUIRE THE CARRIE MANOR HOUSE, WHICH HAS TIES TO THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF MANOR, AND WE HAVE SOME IDEAS ABOUT HOW THAT PROPERTY IS GOING TO BE USED. AND THEN WE HAVE AN AWESOME TRASH SERVICE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU CAN GET BULK PICKUP PRETTY MUCH WHENEVER YOU WANT IT IN MANOR. AND SO OUR TEAM IS WORKING HARD. LAST THING ON THE ON THE TOURS AGAIN WHEN WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR FINANCIAL TOOLS, IT'S AWESOME TO BE ABLE TO HAVE INTELLIGENT FOLKS ON YOUR STAFF THAT CAN COME TOGETHER AND BRAINSTORM AND WORK AROUND OBSTACLES TO GET TO, TO THE, TO THE SOLUTIONS WE NEED. AND SO THIS TOURS DOES ABOUT 2900 ACRES. AND WHAT IT WOULD DO IS I THINK IT'S GOING TO BRING IN THE POTENTIAL OF $91 MILLION INVESTMENT IN THAT 22,900 ACRES. AND SO THAT'S MONEY THAT DOESN'T COME FROM ANYONE. THAT'S NOT A TAX INCREASE. THAT'S NOTHING. THAT'S US USING THE TOURIST WHO, AS IT'S INTENDED TO INVEST BACK IN, BUILD, BUILD AND INVEST IN SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A HUGE RETURN FOR THE CITY. AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS PUSHING FOR ENGAGEMENT. AND SO I'M DEFINITELY HAPPY ABOUT THE NUMBERS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN INCREASE IN OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, SPECIFICALLY OUR EVENTS IN REGARDS TO SEEING MORE EVENTS THAT ARE AVERAGING OVER 2000 PARTICIPANTS. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE YEAR. OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, AGAIN, WE TALK ABOUT THE BEST THING THAT WE THE BEST TYPE OF COMMUNITY IS A COMMUNITY WHERE THE POLICE OFFICERS GET TO HAVE FUN WITH THE COMMUNITY VERSUS HAVING TO ARREST THEM ALL THE TIME. AND SO I'M THANKFUL THAT THEY'RE VERY PROACTIVE AND THEY'RE BUILDING PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITY, 92 COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND WE DO HAVE A LOT OF TRAFFIC STOPS. BUT I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DRIVING THROUGH. WE'RE JUST GOING TO SEE THAT THEY'RE DRIVING THROUGH. AND SO WE DEFINITELY THANKFUL FOR THE TEAM AND THE VICTIM. SERVICES IS OUT THERE SUPPORTING FAMILIES AS THEY'RE NAVIGATING TRAUMA. SO 280 VICTIM VICTIMS HAVE BEEN SERVED.
AND THEN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE OUR FIRST PERSON THAT'S GONE THROUGH THE PROGRAM. SO AWESOME. WE HAVE OUR YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS, BUT OUR IS MATT HERE. YEAH, THERE HE IS. MATT WOODARD CAME FROM PFLUGERVILLE AND HE BROUGHT IN A PROGRAM THAT WHERE WE RECRUIT STUDENTS TO COME IN AND GET SKILLED TRADES IN THE WATER CERTIFICATE, WHICH WHAT IS IT? WATER D WATER OPERATOR. AND SO WE DEFINITELY ARE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE CAN ARE STUDENTS. OUR YOUNG PEOPLE CAN GO THROUGH THE TRAINING WITH THE CITY, BUT AND THEN ALSO BE HIRED. AND I THINK WE HAD A HIGHER IN THE RECENT CLASS. GENERAL FUND REVENUE INCREASES. AND AGAIN, THIS IS ALL ABOUT THE HARD WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE. OUR EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING IS BEING STRATEGIC.
[00:30:05]
WE HAVE A LONG THINGS OF WE HAVE A LONG LIST OF THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR BEST TO BE STRATEGIC AND PRIORITIZING THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO NOT ONLY MEET A NEED, BUT ALSO BRING IN THE REVENUE SO THAT WE CAN MEET IN MORE NEEDS AS WE'RE MOVING DOWN THE LINE. CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD. AT THE ROAD. ROADS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE THAT AND AND, AND I WANT TO MOVE THROUGH IT. BUT AGAIN YOU SEE IN THE BOAT SALES TAXES, IF I IF YOU DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ANYTHING WITH ANYTHING IN YOUR MIND, UNDERSTAND THAT SALES TAXES AND OUR ACCESS TO SALES TAXES IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR FUTURE. BUDGET CONSTRAINTS. SAME THING.AND WHEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW TO ALLOCATE AND AND BUILD NEW DEPARTMENTS, MAKE THOSE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS OVER TIME, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FULL ACCESS TO ALL OF YOUR FINANCIAL TOOLS SO THAT YOU CAN DO THOSE THINGS. AND SO MANY YEARS AGO, WE SAW IF YOU LOOK AT HISTORY AND TIMELINES, SO MANY CITIES MADE FINANCIAL DECISIONS WITH THE THINGS THEY VOTED IN AND THE THINGS THEY VOTED OUT SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE ALL OF THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS. AND WHEN WE DID NOT DO THAT, GROWTH STARTED HAPPENING TO US, AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO PARTICIPATE LIKE WE NEEDED TO BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE TOOLS IN THE SUITCASE IN OUR TOOLBOX TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THOSE THINGS. SO IT'S CRUCIAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND THOSE THINGS AND THAT WE ACT AGGRESSIVELY SO THAT WE CAN GET ON TOP OF THOSE THINGS.
CHALLENGES. HERE'S THE ONE THAT I THINK EVERYBODY THAT'S MAYBE WATCHING FROM STREAM STREAM WORLD IS IS GOING TO BE EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS OUR THIRD FLOOR MAP AND JUST QUICK BECAUSE I KNOW THOSE ARE PRETTY SMALL. AND WE'RE POSTED SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE SLIDE DECK LATER ON. BUT ALL THE DOTTED LINES ARE, ARE COLLECTION OF ROADS THAT ARE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN COUNTY OR THE STATE FOR FUTURE OR CONSIDERATION FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. IF THESE THINGS ARE FUNDED AND DONE, YOU'LL NOTICE WE'LL HAVE MORE WAYS TO GO NORTH AND SOUTH, AND WE HAVE MORE WAYS TO GO EAST AND WEST WITH A TAKE WHICH WOULD TAKE OFF THE CONGESTION ON TWO 9973. THESE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE WANT TO EMPOWER THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SO THAT THEY KNOW ONE, HOW THE FIND THE RESOURCES, WHO TO CONTACT AND WHO TO TALK TO SO THAT THEY CAN INTELLIGENT AND ADEQUATELY ADVOCATE FOR THE CHANGES THAT WE NEED. ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT I SPENT SOME TIME LEARNING, BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I GAVE YOU THE TOOLS AND THE LINKS. AND SO WHEN WE WHEN WE GET THIS OUT THERE TO YOU, THERE'S LINKS THAT ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR THE SLIDE DECK. THERE'S A A STATE TRACKER. AND THE STATE TRACKER ALLOWS YOU TO CLICK ON REGIONS OR CITIES AND ACTUALLY SEE ALL THE PROJECTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. REGARDING ROADS IN THIS TRACKER. YOU CAN CLICK ON THERE AND YOU CAN FIND ALL THE DETAILS THAT YOU NEED TO FIND OUT ABOUT A ROAD PROJECT THAT'S HAPPENING.
YOU CAN FIND THE DESCRIPTION, YOU CAN CLICK ON ON THE LINKS AND THEN IT'LL GIVE YOU MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION I WANT. THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC ONES I'M BRINGING UP BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT COUNCIL BECAUSE EVERY METROPLEX HAS AN ENTRANCE INTO THEIR CITY. AND IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THESE METROPLEXES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, YOU SEE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT BEGINS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY TO THE POINT TO WHERE MANY OF YOU ALL, IF YOU WERE TO DRIVE TO HOUSTON OR DALLAS, YOU KIND OF OR EVEN FORT WORTH OR SAN ANTONIO, IT'S KIND OF LIKE I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHEN I'M ACTUALLY ENTERING THE CITY, THE CITY LIMITS. YOU'RE IN ALL THOSE SMALLER CITIES BEFORE YOU'RE ACTUALLY INTO THE CITY, AND YOU SEE HOSPITALS, YOU SEE OFFICE BUILDINGS, YOU SEE RETAIL, YOU SEE ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE GATEWAY ON THESE MAJOR THOROUGHFARES. OUR JOB IS TO WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TO TO BRING AWARENESS TO OUR LEGISLATORS, TO TO THOSE THAT ARE ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND SAY, HEY, HOW DO WE WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO? SO THE GATEWAY INTO OUR CAPITAL IS, IS, IS, IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, THAT IS THRIVING. AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF MONEY THAT'S GOING ON THE SOUTHWESTERN END OF 291 OF THE PROJECTS HERE, $643 MILLION. HOW DO WE GET THAT TYPE OF INVESTMENT OR MORE ON THE EASTERN END OF 290? AND YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THERE'S NO MAJOR METROPLEX BETWEEN THE SOUTHWEST END OF AUSTIN AND ANYTHING FAR WEST, BUT ACTUALLY ON 290 BETWEEN AUSTIN AND AND HOUSTON, THOSE ARE TWO MAJOR
[00:35:07]
METROPLEXES. YOU WANT TO INVEST IN THOSE AREAS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE THE MOST TRAVEL.AND SO OUR JOB IS TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN GO AND WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS TO ADVOCATE FOR THOSE THINGS. AND I PUT THIS ONE UP HERE FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, BECAUSE IT'S 290, BUT ALSO BECAUSE I WANT I WANT EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. THEY STARTED THIS PROCESS IN 1988. NOW THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER CONVERSATION THAT WE PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE WITH TXDOT ABOUT EFFICIENCIES AND HOW TO MOVE THE NEEDLE LOOK A LITTLE BIT QUICKER. BUT THEY STARTED THIS PROCESS IN 1988. AND SO GETTING HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS, WHEN WE HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO TO GET A SOLUTION, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE WHEN IT PASSES, IT MAY NOT COME BACK AROUND FOR A LONG TIME. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT 25 YEARS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY WENT TO THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION WE HAD. WE'RE IN A SITUATION NOW WHERE OUR OUR PLANS ARE NOT ACTUALLY ON THE CAPITAL METRO PLAN. I MEAN, SORRY, EXCUSE ME, THE CAPITAL PLAN. SO THE OUR HIGHWAY EXTENSION PIECES ARE NOT ON THE CAPITAL PLAN. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET THAT ON THE 20 ITS CAPITAL RIGHT, 2050 PLAN SO THAT IT CAN EVEN BE A CONSIDERATION. THE LONGER THAT LONGER IT TAKES TO GET ON THAT PLAN, THE LONGER THE FURTHER WE'RE OUT FROM GETTING A FREE HIGHWAY SOLUTION. AND LET ME ALSO HIGHLIGHT ON THIS ONE AS WELL. IN THERE, WHEN YOU CLICK ON THESE LINKS, IT'LL TAKE YOU TO THAT TIMELINE AND YOU'LL SEE THAT THEY STARTED OFF WITH WITH TXDOT, THE PROJECT STALLED. THEY WENT TO RMA, THEY CAME IN, DID THE FEASIBILITY STUDY AND THEN DID ALL THAT FRONT WORK. AND THEN TXDOT CAME BACK IN AND TOOK IT OVER AND STARTED WORKING TO FUND AND DO A LOT OF THOSE FREE PIECES. AND SO JUST BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING TO GET A SOLUTION WITH ONE ENTITY UPFRONT DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL END THAT WAY, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ALWAYS END THAT WAY. IT COULD IT COULD DEFINITELY END WITH A EXTENSION OF THE TOTAL THROUGH ELGIN, OR IT COULD END WITH A FREE HIGHWAY. OUR JOB IS TO ENSURE THAT SOMETHING HAPPENS, THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE THIS CONGESTION. SO ANOTHER THING TO POINT OUT ABOUT THAT AREA, PART OF THAT PIECE, THE REASON WHY THEY WERE, WHY IT WAS A MAJOR FOCUS, IS BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A TOP 100 LIST. I NEVER KNEW THAT, BUT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A TOP 100 CONGESTED. WHAT'S ACTUALLY, YEAH, TOP 100 CONGESTED ROAD SEGMENTS. AND THAT THERE'S A PART OF THAT AREA THAT WAS RANKED 45 IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO THAT'S WHY THAT ONE JUMPED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW, I DIDN'T KNOW, AND I WAS LIKE, HOW DID THAT SMALLER THEY HAD LESS TRAFFIC COUNTS, HOW THEY JUMPED BEFORE US. WELL, THEY WERE NUMBER 45 ON THE CONGESTION LIST. AND AND HERE'S IMPORTANT DATA I THINK, THAT WE CAN USE FOR TALKING POINTS WHEN WE GO INTO ADVOCATE, BECAUSE THEY TRACK THE DELAY TIME OVER A YEAR, 1 MILLION, 1.3 MILLION HOURS OF DELAY. $36 MILLION OF CONGESTION COST BECAUSE YOU'RE LOSING THAT FUEL IN THAT TIME. THESE ARE NUMBERS THAT ARE IMPORTANT THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO GO AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW LONG THE DELAYS HAVE BEEN GOING ON, HOW LONG THE TRAFFIC HAS BEEN THERE. AND SO I PULLED OUR NUMBERS BECAUSE I WANTED TO KNOW WHERE WE WERE RANKING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. AND SO IT IS. TWO APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CREATED IN 2019. AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE OUR WHERE OUR, OUR LEG OF 290 HAS BEEN. 114 SORRY, 144, THEN 152, THEN 116, THEN IN 2022 AND 2023 WHERE WE WERE IN THE TOP 100. NOW WE'RE AT 101. THEY HAVEN'T DONE 2025 YET, BUT YOU CAN SEE HERE IT SHOWS US THESE ARE KIND OF THOSE I DON'T KNOW THE TECHNICAL NAME OF IT, BUT BASICALLY WHAT A MAROON IS, IS WHERE THE TRAFFIC IS WORSE. SO AND I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE 3 TO 7 P.M. ON A FRIDAY IS WHEN YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE ON 290 IN MAYNOR. BUT BUT WE HAVE SOME PRETTY MUCH YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT'S PRETTY MUCH SPOT ON 6 TO 8 AND 4 TO 6. YOU'RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE TRAFFIC. THIS ONE ALSO TALKS ABOUT THE AVERAGE SPEED DURING THOSE TIME PERIODS. AND SO WE'RE WE'RE SEEING TIMES SPEED DROP DOWN TO ABOUT 30 OR 40MPH DURING THOSE PEAK TIME PERIODS. AND THEN THIS ONE ACTUALLY COVERS THE DELAYS OF AVERAGE DELAY IN HOURS. AND SO YOU SEE AN INCREASE IN HOURS BEING DELAYED. AND THEN HERE'S OUR NUMBERS RIGHT HERE. SO OUR OUR ANNUAL COST CONGESTION COST TO TO THE COMMUNITY TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING THROUGH OUR CITY ANNUALLY IS $28 MILLION. I THINK ALL OF US COULD USE THE EXTRA $28 MILLION INSTEAD OF SITTING, SITTING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR LESS THAN, WHAT WAS IT, THREE MILE STRETCH. SO THESE ARE THE THINGS IN THE
[00:40:02]
DATA THAT WE WANT TO DEFINITELY TAKE, TO TAKE AND ADVOCATE FOR. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, THE STRETCH OF ROAD THAT CMRA IS DOING THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR.AND THEN HERE IS ONE OF THE PROJECTS WHERE THEY HAVE THEY'RE OUTLINING. AND I WANT TO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS GOING TO FOLLOW ME OR NOT, BUT I WANT TO COME AND SHOW YOU ALL THIS. EVERY PROJECT HAS THIS STATUS CHART. AND TO HAVE A HIGHWAY, ALL OF THESE THINGS GOTTA CHECK THESE BOXES. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, IT'S HUGE BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A FEASIBILITY STUDY. YOU CAN YOU CAN EVEN DO OTHER THINGS AROUND IT. BUT THE PROJECT'S NOT GOING TO MOVE. SO AGAIN, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHEN EVERYONE'S WHEN YOU'RE HEARING US SAY WE HAVE A FEASIBILITY STUDY, WE'RE DOING THIS, WE'RE INVESTING HERE OR THERE SO THAT WE CAN GET A FEASIBILITY STUDY. YOU CANNOT MOVE THE PROJECT WITHOUT GETTING THAT FEASIBILITY STUDY. AND SO THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE TO THE PUZZLE. AND SO ON. 973 WAS HAPPY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY HAD A TRACKER FOR IT. AND THAT THAT THAT LITTLE ARROW, THOSE LITTLE ARROWS RIGHT THERE, THAT LOOKS LIKE A FAST FORWARD BUTTON FOR FUNDING. THAT MEANS IT'S IN PROGRESS. THAT'S THAT'S A HUGE POSITIVE FOR US BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE CITY IS WORKING WITH THE WITH TXDOT AND THEM TO TRY TO GET THAT FEASIBILITY STUDY GOING. AND THEY'RE ALREADY LOOKING FOR FUNDING. SO THAT MEANS ONCE WE GET THOSE TOP CHECKS THAT CHECK THAT FEASIBILITY STUDY DONE, WE CAN ACTUALLY SOLVE MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION. AND ONCE WE GET THE FINAL DESIGN AND THE ROLE, I THINK A LOT OF THAT OUR RIGHT OF WAY IS, IS ACQUIRED. THERE'S LITTLE TO BE DONE. WE CAN ACTUALLY GET TO CONSTRUCTION A LOT QUICKER THAN SOME OF THESE OTHER PROJECTS. CHECKING MY TIME. ALL RIGHT.
WE'RE ALMOST THERE, Y'ALL. THESE FOUR STARS ARE FOR BIG IMPACT AREAS THAT I THINK ARE GOING THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO OPENING UP THE CITY OF MAYNARD AND ON THE EAST SIDE. AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT. THIS SLIDE IN THOSE FOUR AREAS AND WHAT IT MEANS. AND I THINK THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN HOW IMPORTANT THESE FOUR AREAS ARE IS TO JUST HAVE YOU ALL PAUSE AND THINK BACK TO THE ANTICIPATION YOU WERE HAVING WHEN YOU HEARD THAT HEB WAS COMING, AND THAT EXCITEMENT.
AND IF YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, THINK AND RECAPTURE THOSE FEELINGS AND THAT EXCITEMENT, THEN MULTIPLY IT BY FOUR. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT THESE FOUR IMPACT AREAS ARE GOING TO DO FOR THE CITY OF MAYNARD. AND SO THAT'S I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THE DETAILS OF THOSE FOUR, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE WORK THAT OUR CITY IS DOING AND OUR PARTNERS THAT ARE WORKING WITH THE CITY IS GOING, THOSE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE AS POWERFUL, IF NOT MORE POWERFUL FOR OUR FUTURE THAN HEB. AND THAT'S SAYING A LOT. SO OPPORTUNITIES THERE, EVERYONE'S ALWAYS ASKING, YOU KNOW. HOW ARE Y'ALL? WHY ARE WE HAVEN'T BUILT THIS YET? WHY WHY HAVE WE DONE THIS ONE YET? WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON, Y'ALL. THERE'S A LOT OF BOND PROJECTS GOING ON. WE HAVE THINGS THAT STARTED BACK IN 2012, AND WE'RE MANAGING OVER $200 MILLION OF PROJECTS AND INVESTMENTS. AND PLEASE UNDERSTAND, GROWTH HAS HAPPENED TO US AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF GROWTH. AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS AS WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO ALSO ENSURE WE'RE BEING SMART WITH THE PROJECTS WE BRING ON WHEN WE BRING THEM ON, AND HOW WE ENSURE THAT ONE PROJECT HELPS SUPPORT THE OTHER. IF WE DO NOT DO THIS RIGHT, WE'RE WE'RE FIND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION WHERE FINANCIALLY WE'RE IN TROUBLE AND THAT'S WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO. AND SO WE HAVE TO KEEP A LENS OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
WE HAVE TO KEEP A LENS OF. ONE OF OUR GOALS IS TO HAVE IS TO BE FINANCIALLY SUSTAINABLE, TO BE TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN ALL THE THINGS THAT WE PUT INTO PLACE. AND TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO NOT ONLY TALK ABOUT TODAY AND THE PROBLEMS OF YESTERDAY, BUT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS, AND THEY'RE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS, RIGHT? THEY'RE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS BECAUSE WE HAVE WE WANT THIS AND WE WANT IT NOW, JUST LIKE A LOT OF FOLKS. BUT THEN WE HAVE TO AFTER WE GET THROUGH ALL THAT, WE CALM DOWN, WE BREATHE AND WE LOOK AT WHAT'S REAL. AND THEN WE WE START WORKING ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS HAPPENING, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT BECAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS QUESTIONS THAT I, THAT I'VE ALWAYS RECEIVED OR THE COMMENTS THAT WAS OUT THERE WAS WE DO NOT HAVE WE DON'T HAVE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY JUST SAID IT LIKE
[00:45:06]
I NORMALLY DO IN OTHER STATE OF CITY ADDRESSES, BUT THAT WE'RE SHOWING THAT. WE HAVE THE HUNT GROUP HERE. AND I CAN TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THEM, BECAUSE THEN WE'LL BE HERE ANOTHER HOUR.BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT THEY HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE TO THE WORK AND TO THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE FOR OUR PRIORITIES, FOR THE UPCOMING PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING. AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE, AND I APPRECIATE THE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AND YOU ALL HANGING IN THERE WITH US. AND SO. WE HAVE SOME IMAGES PROJECTED. 2027 IS THE HOPEFUL DATE OF WHEN OUR FIRST LIBRARY WILL BE ON GROUND, AND IT'S TAKEN SOME TIME. AND BUT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE DID NOT JUST BUILD SOMETHING, BUT WE WE SPENT THE TIME TO DO THE RESEARCH AND WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO BE BUILDING SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ONLY GOING TO FULFILL THE, THE, THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE BOND REQUEST, BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO SAVE THE COMMUNITY MONEY, AND IT'S GOING TO HAVE WAY MORE BUILT AROUND IT FOR FOR INVOLVEMENT. AND SO THE BIGGEST THING THAT I WANTED TO TO, TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT IS THOSE GUIDING PRINCIPLES. AND THESE AREN'T THE SPECIFICS. THESE ARE JUST KIND OF SUMMARIES OF, OF OF CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD IN WORKSHOPS. AND, AND THIS IS WHAT WE CHARGE THE HUNT GROUP WITH. AND, AND THESE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WE HAD ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO US.
AND THEY DELIVERED ON THINGS WELL BEYOND, WELL BEYOND WHAT WE WERE ASKING THE COMMUNITY FOR. IN ADDITION TO THE LIBRARY, IN ADDITION TO THE CITY HALL, THERE'S A FOUR ACRE PARK.
POTENTIALLY THERE'S THE THE OUTDOOR ROOM FOR CONCERTS AND EVENTS. THERE'S THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL HAPPEN AROUND IT. THERE'S THE RESIDENTIAL AND ALL THOSE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE BUILT INTO THIS MASTER DESIGN. AND BECAUSE WE'RE USING, AGAIN, LEVERAGING THE TOOLS WE HAVE TO NAVIGATE AROUND PROBLEMS THAT WE CAN'T NORMALLY SOLVE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE OUR SALES TAXES LIKE WE NEED TO HAVE THEM. WE HAVE WORKED TOGETHER WITH, WITH GREAT MINDS TO, TO TO NAVIGATE P3 PARTNERSHIPS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL WITH THE HUNT GROUP. AND SO I THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. THANK YOU, JONES, FOR AND MORE FOR TAKING US THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
BECAUSE WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE'RE NOT ONLY GOING TO GET A HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT WITH WITH GOOD PROGRAMING THAT TAKES PLACE IN THERE. WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A SITUATION WHERE THE CITY IS GOING, THAT SMALL INVESTMENT IS GOING TO BRING THE CITY BACK MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR YEARS TO COME. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE MONEY FOR THE INVESTMENT, MONEY FOR THE MONEY WE'RE INVESTING INTO OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S A POSITIVE. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO RECRUIT A REGIONAL HOSPITAL, WORKING ON RIDESHARE INITIATIVES SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE'RE GETTING WITHIN THE CITY LIKE WE NEED TO, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO TO GET TO THEIR SPECIFIC SPACES. AND THAT IS COST EFFECTIVE. LOOKING FOR P3 PARTNERSHIP FOR INDOOR SPORTS COMPLEX THAT CAN ALSO TURN INTO AN ENTERTAINMENT VENUE FOR CONCERTS. ADDITIONAL MULTI SINGLE AND MULTI-FAMILY UNITS, REGIONAL WATER TREATMENT PLANT, REGIONAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND AGAIN CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THE THE SOLUTIONS FOR TEXDOT WITH TEXTILE AND CT-MRI ON TWO NINE AND FM 973 UPGRADES TO OUR TECHNOLOGY, LONG TERM BUDGETING AND PLANNING FOR STAFF NEEDS. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK FOR OUTWARD, BUT NOW WE ALSO NEED TO START LOOKING INWARD TO HIRING THE THE NECESSARY KEY STAFF POSITIONS THAT ARE GOING TO MOVE US INTO THE FUTURE. INCREASING CITIZEN APPLICATIONS AND PARTICIPATION ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND THEN UPDATING OUR PERMIT SOFTWARE. WE HAVE, I THINK IT WAS SEVERAL THOUSAND PERMITS THAT COME IN ANNUALLY. AND SO WE NEED TO UPDATE OUR SOFTWARE SYSTEM TO HANDLE THE LOAD, CONTINUE TO REPLACE THE WATER LINES IN DOWNTOWN OLD MAIN AREA. AND AGAIN, THESE NUMBERS ARE THE INVESTMENT DOLLARS THAT WE CAN INVEST BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING WE'RE GENERATING REVENUE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY TO HELP COVER THE AREAS DOWN HERE. AND AND THEN HOPEFULLY THIS HELPS BECAUSE I KNOW THESE ARE KEY STREETS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN 2,000,003.7 MILES IN THIS YEAR ON JAMES STREET COMMONS TIMBER AND BOATYARD. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE, I THINK, SOME POSITIVE IMPROVEMENTS THAT I HOPE WILL GET US SOME SMILEY FACES ON
[00:50:06]
SOCIAL MEDIA. AGAIN, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS US MOVING TO THAT NEXT LEVEL OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. AND SO ASHLAND HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF WORKING TO WE DON'T HAVE A NEW STATION, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW. BUT NOW WE HAVE A NEW STATION AND SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE OF THE ADVERTISEMENT. IF YOU IF YOU WAIT FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO COME TELL YOUR STORY, THEY'RE GOING TO MISS EVERYTHING. THAT'S GOOD. AND SO WE'RE WORKING TO TO AND TO TO UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA AND TO BROADCAST OUR OWN STORY OR STORIES AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CITY ON A WEEKLY, WEEKLY BASIS. AND WE'RE INVOLVING COMMUNITY, COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN THAT PROCESS. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR DOING THAT. THESE ARE NEXT IN 26, DIVING INTO OUR PARK PLANS. OUR HIKE BIKE TRAILS, CONTINUE TO WORK ON THOSE DRAINAGE PLANS AND THEN SURVEYING FOR THE COMMUNITY FOR PROGRAMING IDEAS. THESE ARE THE LAST FEW THINGS BEFORE I MOVE TO MY CLOSE. AS THE PREACHERS WILL SAY. I JUST AGAIN, I TOLD YOU I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH. WE HAVE. THERE ARE SOME CITIES OUT THERE THAT ARE THRIVING AND THEY'RE THRIVING BECAUSE THEY'VE TAKEN THE ACCOUNTABILITY. THEY'VE TAKEN ACCOUNTABILITY TO ANOTHER LEVEL. AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE THEY'VE USED A LOT OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, AND THEY'VE CREATED A SCORECARD OF KEY AREAS. AND IN THIS SCORECARD, THEY'VE WORKED WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS OR DEPARTMENTS. AND AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY DEVELOP THE CRITERIA AND THEN THEY CREATE A MECHANISM SO THAT THEY CAN EVALUATE THOSE CRITERIAS ANNUALLY SO THAT THE CITY KNOWS HOW IT'S DOING IN ALL OF THESE KEY AREAS. AND SO I WANT TO WORK WITH OUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND CITY STAFF SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A PERFORMANCE SCORECARD SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE QUANTITATIVE DATA TO SHOW HOW WELL WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE OTHER THING IS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS AND I, WE WERE WE WERE IN TML AND IN FORT WORTH, AND WE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT'S TIME TO GO AHEAD AND START TALKING ABOUT WORKFORCE BUSINESS SUPPORT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. AND, AND I THINK IT'S IT'S AN AREA THAT'S DEFINITELY THAT WE NEED TO DIVE INTO, NOT ONLY FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO SO THAT IT CAN BE A SUPPORT ARM FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE. AND SO NOW IT'S TIME TO TO AGAIN DO THE SAME THING, GET THOSE KEY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AND START WORKING TO ESTABLISH A WORKFORCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THEN WORK TO A MULTI-YEAR PLAN SO THAT WE HAVE WORKFORCE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY. AND THEN, OH, I GOT CHANGED UP A LITTLE BIT BETTER TOGETHER. SO YOU MAY IF YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, I'LL GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU. WE HAVE LAUNCHED WHAT'S CALLED THE BETTER TOGETHER CAMPAIGN, AND IT'S THE MAYOR CHALLENGE. YOU EARN A CHALLENGE COIN. AND THIS CHALLENGE AND THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND IT IS. IF I AM A GOOD NEIGHBOR, IF I'M A GOOD PERSON AND I BECOME A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND MY NEIGHBOR BECOME IS A GOOD PERSON, IT BECOMES A GOOD NEIGHBOR. EVENTUALLY THE PEOPLE ON OUR STREETS WILL BECOME GOOD NEIGHBORS, AND WE'LL HAVE A GOOD STREET, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE MULTIPLE GOOD STREETS, AND THEN WE HAVE MULTIPLE. THEN WE HAVE A VERY, VERY GOOD COMMUNITY. WE'LL BE BETTER TOGETHER. AND SO THIS IDEA IS INCENTIVIZING WHAT WE SAY IS IMPORTANT TO US. WE REBRAND IT IN THE FIRST LETTER, THE FIRST WORD IN THE IN MVP FOR IS PEOPLE. SO WE'RE GOING TO INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE THAT TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE AND THE BETTER BETTER TOGETHER CAMPAIGN. AND I THINK OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR, FOR FOR SUPPORTING THIS INITIATIVE IS ABOUT US DOING SEVEN TASKS OVER 12 MONTHS AND OUR IN OUR ON OUR STREET, SEVEN TASKS ON YOUR STREET, WHICH ARE YOUR LOCAL RESIDENTS NEIGHBORS. AND AT THE END OF THE YEAR, YOU TURN IT IN AND YOU GET THE MAYOR'S CHALLENGE COIN. SIMPLE. YOU BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR. YOU HELP OTHERS, HELP OTHER NEIGHBORS BE GOOD NEIGHBORS. AND WE WANT TO HONOR YOU AND CELEBRATE YOU HERE AT CITY COUNCIL OR ANYWHERE ELSE WE CAN, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT IT IS FOR US TO BE GOOD PEOPLE AND AND TO BE NEIGHBORLY IN OUR CITY, NEIGHBORLY AND SAFE PEOPLE, AGAIN, MAKE IT EASIER FOR OUR HARD WORKING POLICE OFFICERS. SO WE WANT TO BE NEIGHBORLY AND WE WANT TO WE WANT TO DO THAT CALL TO ACTION. WE HAVE A VERY YOUNG COMMITTEE COMMUNITY. WE NEED EVERYONE TO GET REGISTERED TO VOTE, AND WE NEED FOLKS TO GO OUT AND VOTE. WHEN IT'S TIME TO VOTE, WE NEED TO ACTIVELY BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO HELP EDUCATE FOLKS SO THEY ARE AWARE AND[00:55:04]
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT. SO WE'RE NOT MAKING DECISIONS OUT OF EMOTIONS OR OUT OF FEAR, BUT WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT OUR FUTURE, BUT NOT JUST OUR FUTURE, BUT OUR CHILDREN'S AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S FUTURE. WE HAVE TO START DOING THAT NOW, AND WE HAVE TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THE AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN FOR FOR VOTER EDUCATION. WE NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR THE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AND JUST BE KIND AND COURTEOUS WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING ALL THESE ACCIDENTS ON TWO 90S, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT PATIENT AND WE'RE RUSHING AND WE'RE YELLING AT EACH OTHER. AND JUST IF WE CHOOSE TO BE KIND, COURTEOUS AND FOCUS ATTENTIVE, PATIENT AND RESPECTFUL DRIVER, WE MAY CAN CUT DOWN ON SOME OF THOSE ACCIDENTS. AND IT SOUNDS SOUNDS CRAZY TO HAVE A MAYOR SAYING THAT THE STATE OF CITY ADDRESS.BUT THE AMOUNT OF ACCIDENTS AND THE AMOUNT OF LIVES THAT ARE LOST IN MAINE ARE ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE WE WEREN'T PATIENT IS IS TOO MANY. WE NEED TO START BEING COURTEOUS AND KIND. LAST, I WANT TO END WITH THIS. I KIND OF HINTED AT THIS LAST YEAR, AND I'M JUST GOING TO DIVE IN A LITTLE BIT THAT MAN CAN DO WHAT MAN IS GOING TO DO. THERE'S JUST A FEW OF US THAT WHEN WE GET TOGETHER, WE HAVE FAITH, AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE THE MODEL COMMUNITY. MY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE NOT THE CITY STAFF. I KNOW THAT YOU ALL BELIEVE, BUT NOBODY REALLY BELIEVES THAT THIS CITY CAN BE A BEACON OF LIGHT AND A BEACON OF HOPE. AND I AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST BECAME MAYOR, JONES AND MOORE AND I, WE WENT WAS IN DALLAS, WE WENT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE, AND THERE WAS ALL THESE FIRMS THERE, AND WE WAS LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THIS WAS EARLY THIS 21, 2021.
AND WE WAS THERE AND WE HAD ALL THESE THE FLASH DRIVES AND WE WAS LIKE, HEY, MAN, IT'S GOING TO BE THE SPOT YOU NEED INVEST. AND THEY WAS LIKE, NAH, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. HAD THE DATA NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. AND THAT'S THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE RESPONSE. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET THAT. WHAT PEOPLE HAVE FAILED TO REALIZE IS THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CITY STAFF. THERE IS A DESIGN, A DIVINE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF MANER, AND NONE OF US CAN STOP IT. WE CAN CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN IT AND REAP THE BENEFITS BECAUSE WE PARTICIPATE IN IT. BUT THERE IS A THERE IS A DIVINE CALLING ON THIS CITY.
AND FOR THE FOLKS THAT CHOOSE TO BE HERE TO DO THAT WORK. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. THE SUCCESSES WE'RE HAVING IS NOT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ALL SO WISE. THERE'S A LOT OF PRAYER AND CONSIDERATION THAT GOES INTO THIS THING. AND BECAUSE WE'RE DOING THAT, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE OBEDIENT ABOUT IT, THIS CITY IS THRIVING. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE PROSELYTIZE TO ANYONE. I JUST NEED YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE DO BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS AND WHAT WE DO UP IN FRONT, AND HOW WE GET TO WHERE WE'RE GETTING. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE IT. YOU CAN CALL IT WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FOLKS THAT BELIEVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THE, THE, THE GOALS AND THE MILESTONES THAT WE'RE SETTING, AND THAT'S FINE. THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE. WE WILL INVITE YOU TO THE CELEBRATION EVERY TIME WE REACH ONE OF THOSE GOALS. AND EVERY TIME WE HIT ONE OF THOSE MILESTONES, MAYNOR IS ON THE MOVE. WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BUILD MAYNOR STRONG. I THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PATIENT WITH ME AND FOR HEARING WHAT IS ON THE HEART FOR OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND FOR OUR STAFF.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.