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I NEED SMELL ELBOW.THE TIME IS NOW 5:32 PM AND WE ARE CALLING THE JOINT SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COMMISSION, THE TOUR AND THE EDC MEETING.
TO ORDER, IF WE CAN ALL PLEASE RISE AND HAVE COMMISSIONER MORALES LEAD US ON THE INVOCATION.
HEAVENLY FATHER, WE GATHER FOR THIS MEETING WITH EDC CITY COMMISSIONERS AND MS. DURS BOARD.
PLEASE SCRATCH HIS WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING THAT UNITY OF PEACE GUIDE US GUIDE, GUIDE OUR DELIBERATIONS AND DECISIONS TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY.
MAY OUR ACTIONS REFLECT JUSTICE, COMPASSION, RESPECT FOR ALL.
AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE EDC WANTS TO CALL ITS MEETING.
OKAY, I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS MEETING IN THE ORDER.
WE'VE ALREADY DONE THE ROLL CALL ON THE PLEDGE OF MEETINGS.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE, WELL, WE HAVE QUORUM AND, UH, CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
ALAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, PLEASE? YES.
UH, MR. KEVIN, UH, UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A BOARD MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM.
UH, MEMBERS OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UH, CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OR VOTE ON THE AGENDA ITEM.
ARE THERE ANY KNOWN CONFLICTS OF INTEREST TO DISCLOSE AT THIS TIME? UH, START WITH MR. MARTINEZ.
IF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? I, I THINK THE, UH, THE JUROR, THE JUROR BOARD NEEDS TO CALL THEIR MEETING.
AND THE, UM, WHO'S THE CHAIR? THE CHAIR I THINK IS RNA.
DO YOU KNOW WHO THE CHAIR IS? DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE UH, I USUALLY CHAIR THE MEETINGS.
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OKAY.NO, BUT I THINK YOU DID IT LAST TIME BECAUSE THEY APPOINTED YOU AS THE CHAIR, LIKE AN INTERIM OR SOMETHING.
THE, THE CHAIR
SO, HOST OF THIS MEETING? UH, YES.
WE'LL CALL THE MEETING THE ORDER OF THE CHARGE NUMBER TWO AND I DON'T KNOW WHO'S HERE FROM, FROM THE CHARGE GROUP.
ERIC, I KNOW IS WHO ELSE YOU ARE HERE.
MIKE, AREN'T YOU ON THE TURN? YEAH, YOU'RE ON THE TURF? YES.
THERE UH, THERE WERE FOUR MEMBERS THAT ARE GONNA BE ATTENDING TODAY.
WE DO HAVE ONE VACANCY ON THET.
SO THERE'S, UH, SIX MEMBERS WHOSE APPOINTMENT IS THERE? I'M SORRY.
UM, AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COMMISSION AND ALL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT.
UH, WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO, OR ALAN WILL YOU? I CERTAINLY MAYOR.
UH, UH, UNDERSTATE I NEED TO CHANGE IT A LITTLE BIT.
UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A CITY COMMISSIONER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM.
UH, COMMISSIONERS WITH CONFLICT OF INTEREST CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION OR VOTE ON THE AGENDA ITEM.
ARE THERE ANY KNOWN CONFLICTS OF INTEREST TO DISCLOSE AT THIS TIME? UH, BEGIN WITH A COMMISSIONER.
AND IF THE SAME CAN BE FOR THE JUROR BOARD, CERTAINLY.
ANY CONFLICT TO DISCLOSE? NONE.
WE ALREADY HAD HER, WE ALREADY GOT YOURS.
FROM THE, UH, THE EXHIBITION MEMBERS.
AND SO WE WILL HAVE MOVE ON TO ITEM ONE.
CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FOR THE CITY COMMISSION.
DID YOU HAVE ONE, MR. DEZI MARTINEZ? YES.
HI, THIS IS REALLY, MY NAME IS DERE MARTINEZ.
I FORMER BOARD REALLY IMPRESS TO, I'M HERE THE ON BEHALF OF A LITTLE THING.
MARKET CHANGE EQUALS OPPORTUNITY.
IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I SEE YOUR AGENDA ITEM, THAT YOU JUST HAVE ONE GO INTO SESSION AND TWO LITTLE, AND AND THAT'S OKAY.
BUT I THINK THAT OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY HAS ELECTED OUR MAYOR THAT HAS COME INTO SOME WAYS OF DOING THINGS AND THE UPGRADING SO THAT WE CAN HAVE CEO NOT THE TYPE THAT'S RUNNING AN ORGANIZATION, BUT CHANGE QUALITY EQUALS OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO ALSO IN THE COMMUNITY, THE BUSINESS SECTOR TO PARTICIPATE.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THAT I READ IN THE CODE THAT SAYS IN THE ACT THAT YOU CAN'T GIVE LITTLE MORE DESCRIPTION.
WE WANT KNOW IF THE CATEGORY THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON IT, THE HEALTH INDUSTRY, IS IT A HEALTH, IS IT, ET CETERA.
THE OTHER THING IS, EVEN IN MARKETING, I DON'T KNOW YOUR STRATEGY AND I CAN, IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP WITH ALL OF IT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERYTHING IS A, IS A PART OF WHO WE ELECTED.
IF YOU HAVE MORE INSIGHT THAN WE HAD THE REST OF THE BUSINESS COMMITTEE, HOW ARE WE GONNA GET CONTRACTS? HOW ARE WE GONNA GET WORSE FOR OUR COMMITTEE? 17% ARE DISABLED AND ELDERLY.
17% ARE, ARE DISABLED, ELDERLY, AND ANOTHER AND 20 SOME PERCENT IN POVERTY.
WE NEED TO GET OUR COMMUNITY TO GET JOBS.
WOULD YOU HAVE ANY WEBSITE? WOULD YOU HAVE ANY WEBSITE HASN'T EVEN BEEN UPDATED.
IT INCLUDES THE JOBS AND INDUSTRY.
THERE'S ONLY 5% IN MANUFACTURING JOBS.
WE, MAN, WE SEND OUT EXPORT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TO SAN ANTONIO AND TO EVERYWHERE ELSE.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE MORE JOBS.
SO WE NEED MORE, MORE TRANSPARENCY, MORE ACCOUNTABILITY SO WE CAN KEEP UP.
TALKING ABOUT THE COMMITTEE WE HAD BACK IN THE DAY, WE BROUGHT SAM'S, IT WAS A LOCAL COMPANY, THE AREA, AND I WAS TOLD BY THE LEADERSHIP AT THAT TIME, NO, DON'T, DON'T CONSIDER THEM THEIR CROOKS.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY WORD AGAINST THE OTHERS THAT HAVE GONE.
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WE HAVE A LOT OF DEDICATED QUALIFIED PEOPLE, INCLUDING, AND SOME HERE IN TOWN IN MARKETING CENTER.I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE BUSINESSES AND THE USE OF THIS AREA THAT YOU NEED TO FOCUS YOUR PRIORITIES ON THAT.
AND THE WATER BOARD, YOU KNOW MY POINT, HE WANT US TO PAY MORE BILLS AND JUST HAVE A COPY OF MY TAXES THAT PAY AND HELP US BILL PROPERLY AND HELP US PARTICIPATE.
YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE PRIVACY, THE LAW.
PLEASE HELP US CONTACT MAY BETTER.
OKAY, WE'LL CLOSE THE CITY, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION OF THE HARLINGEN CITY COMMISSION.
WITH THE EDC, WE HAVE, IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? MR. MARTINEZ? UM, I KNOW THAT, THAT IT RANG IF YOU WANT TO SAY A FEW MORE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING TOGETHER AND I WANT TO WANT TELL OUR, OUR OUTSIDE COMPANIES ARCHITECTS, ANOTHER TO GO HIRING.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SOLUTIONS SAN ANTONIO ARE NOT NECESSARILY A SOLUTION FOR THE BOARD.
WE HAVE A LOT OF QUALITY PEOPLE OUT HERE.
ARCHITECTS ALSO, WE HAVE ABOUT FIVE OF 'EM HERE.
SO PLEASE, ALL OF YOU, WHEN YOU DO YOUR STRATEGIES CONNECTED WITH OUR COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHY I HAVE THE MARKETING PEOPLE.
I KNOW CONIG WAS IN MARKETING, BANKING WAS IN MARKETING WORK COMPANY.
I KNOW OTHER MARKETERS, ET CETERA.
I, I'M HERE TO, I'M HERE FOR COMMUNITY.
I'M A MASTER'S IN ECONOMICS AND GOVERNMENT AND I TAUGHT IN COLLEGE.
SO PLEASE BUILD UP YOUR YOUTH AND BUILT UP THE COMMUNITY.
DON'T JUST COME IN HERE LIKE A VACUUM COMMUNITY.
NO, WE DIDN'T GET ANY COMMENTS FROM THEM.
MOVING ON TO ITEM ONE, EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071.
ATTORNEY CONSULTATION SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 DELIBERATION REGARDING REAL ESTATE AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.087.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING PROJECT OR, UH, PROJECT ORGANIC.
IS THERE A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? I A MOTION SECOND OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
THE TIME IS NOW 5:42 PM AND THE HARLINGEN CITY COMMISSION IS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH THAT
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INTERNAL COMMITTEE MADE UP OF MYSELF, BEVERLY, UH, BRANDY, UH, MARTINEZ, WHO'S OUR MARKETING COORDINATOR.THEN WE ALSO ASKED, UH, LIZZIE DE LA GARZA TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT EFFORT AS WELL.
THE A AGENCIES WERE, UH, EVALUATED, THEY WERE RANKED, AND THE TOP THREE FIRMS WERE ASKED TO, UH, UH, MEET WITH US AND ANSWER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SO THAT WE COULD DECIDE ON WHICH FIRM WE WANTED TO, UH, MEET WITH.
SO THE THREE FIRMS THAT WERE, UH, INVITED TO, UH, FOR A SECOND INTERVIEW WITH MARKETING ALLIANCE, COBALT DIGITAL MEDIA OUT OF, UH, MACALLAN AND INSIGHTFUL, UH, AS WELL, WHO'S ALSO WHO IS, UH, OUT OF DALLAS.
AND SO MARKETING ALLIANCE QUICKLY SURFACED TO THE TOP OF THE, UH, OF THE LIST.
AND SO WE FELT VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THEM.
THIS IS AN AGENCY THAT, UH, IS BASED OUT OF FLORIDA.
HOWEVER, THEY DO HAVE PERSONNEL THAT WORK HERE IN THE, UH, STATE OF TEXAS.
THEY HAVE ALSO DONE QUITE A BIT OF WORK HERE IN THE VALLEY WITH, UH, COAST STEPS.
SO THEY'RE, UH, UH, THEY'RE VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE VALLEY, WITH THE, UH, RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
THEY ARE ALSO QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND OUR, UH, EFFORTS TO ALSO ATTRACT INDUSTRIES FROM SOUTH OF THE, UH, THE BORDER, UH, HERE TO THE, UH, TO HARLAND.
THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WILL BE COVERED, UM, THROUGH THEIR CONTRACT WILL BE, UH, EVALUATING OUR BRAND IDENTITY.
UH, OUR LOGO, OUR TAGLINE, UH, COME UP WITH A COHESIVE WAY OF MARKETING THE COMMUNITY TO OUTSIDE INVESTORS WHO WILL ALSO WORK WITH THEM ON VIDEOGRAPHY, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND, UH, VIDEO PRODUCTION.
THEY WILL CREATE NEW, UH, AD DESIGNS, UH, FOR OURSELVES THAT CAN BE USED, USED IN PRINT MEDIA AS WELL AS DIGITAL MEDIA.
THEY WILL ASSIST US IN EVALUATING OUR WEBSITE AND, UH, BRINGING IT UP TO, UH, DATE AS WELL.
AND POSSIBLY EVEN HOSTING VIA WEBSITE.
THEY WILL ASSIST US IN DEVELOPING NEW MARKETING BROCHURES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE IN TRADE SHOWS AND, UH, OTHER EVENTS AS WE PROMOTE THE, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, AND ALSO ASSIST US IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT KITS THAT WE CAN USE FOR THE SAME PURPOSE.
THE INVESTMENT THAT, UH, WE WOULD, UH, UH, OR THE, UH, COST FOR DOING ALL THIS WOULD BE, UH, $99,600, WHICH IS VERY COMPETITIVE COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER PROPOSALS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED.
SO WE'RE REQUESTING, UH, YOUR APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, MARKETING ALLIANCE.
AND, UM, LIZZIE, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD ABOUT THE PROCESS OR THE FIRM.
I I JUST WANNA SAY THAT IT, IT WAS A VERY OBVIOUS ANSWER.
UM, THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS AND SO, I MEAN, WHILE ALL THE COMPANIES WERE GREAT FOR MARKETING PURPOSES, THIS COMPANY REALLY UNDERSTOOD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THEY SPOKE THE LANGUAGE, THEY UNDERSTAND WHO THEY'RE MARKETING TO, THEY UNDERSTAND HOW TO WORK WITH SITE COLLECTORS FOR BUSINESS EXPANSION, FOR BUSINESS RELOCATION.
AND SO IT JUST SEEMED LIKE A VERY OBVIOUS ANSWER.
THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE, AGAIN, WORKING WITH
UM, AND, AND JUST THIS WHOLE DEMEANOR AND PRESENTATION THAT THEY'RE COMING IN REALLY SAYING, WHILE WE KNOW WE'RE EXPERIENCING THIS, WE REALLY WANNA LEARN ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC COMMUNITY, UM, YOUR NEEDS, YOUR VISION, AND WE WANNA COMPLIMENT THAT.
BUT, UM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE JUST REALLY EXPERIENCED IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REALM, WHICH IS, UM, VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT JUST MARKETING TO THE MASSES.
IT IS A VERY STRATEGIC KIND OF MARKETING FOR THOSE SPECIFIC, THAT SPECIFIC AUDIENCE, WHICH IS THE MAINLY SITE ELECTRIC, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE HIRED BY COMPANIES TO LOOK AT AREAS WHERE IT'S GOOD TO RELOCATE OR EXPAND.
UM, AND SO PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT THEY HIT ON, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM THE WEBSITE, FROM THE VIDEOGRAPHY, FROM STRATEGY, I MEAN JUST PRETTY MUCH, IT WAS ALL A VERY COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK WE WERE THERE JUST REALLY EXCITED AND REALLY GIDDY TO START WORKING WITH THEM BECAUSE WE THINK THEY'RE GONNA DO AN AMAZING JOB FOR HAR IN TERMS OF MARKETING, UM, THE CITY AND, AND ALL THE WONDERFUL ASSETS THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER.
SO WE WANTED TO BRING THIS TO YOU AT THIS MEETING SO THAT WE CAN QUICKLY START MOVING.
WHAT WOULD WORKING, WHAT WOULD THAT BE? I'M
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SORRY.LIKE, LIKE IT GETS APPROVED AND EVERYTHING.
WHEN WOULD YOU START WITH, UM, WE'D CONTACT THEM RIGHT AWAY AND TELL 'EM THAT THEY'VE BEEN APPROVED AND THEN WE'D START SETTING DATES TO START MEETING WITH THEM, UH, TO WORK ON THE, THE CREATIVE AND THE, UH, MARKETING STRATEGY AS WELL.
DO YOU HAVE THIS BUDGETED? I'M SORRY.
OH, IT'S ALREADY IN YOUR BUDGET? YES.
UM, WHAT WAS I GONNA SAY? OH, ANY, DO, DOES THIS, UM, ORGANIZATION WORK WITH ANY OTHER CITIES OR EDCS WITHIN THE REGION? UM, THEY, YEAH, ASIDE FROM COSTEP AND THEY NO LONGER WORK, UH, WITH EP, UH, SO THE ANSWER IS NO.
UH, ONE OTHER THING IS THAT THEY WERE, THEY WERE REALLY OPEN TO SUBCONTRACT WITH LOCAL, UM, ORGANIZATIONS OR COMPANIES, FOR EXAMPLE, TRANSLATION, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING THAT WHILE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SPANISH BUT THEN THERE'S VALLEY SPANISH.
UM, AND, AND I DON'T MEAN THAT IN A NEGATIVE WAY, BUT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND SO THEY WERE VERY OPEN TO WORKING WITH A LOCAL AGENCY THAT COULD HELP IN AREAS LIKE TRANSLATION.
AND SO WE'VE GOT SOME IDEAS TO, TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO BRING IN SOME LOCAL TALENT.
IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? IS THERE A MOTION? I'LL SECOND.
I THINK WE NEED TO GO FIRST SO THAT, DON'T WE? NO, IT IS FINE.
IT'S HAPPENING SIMULTANEOUSLY.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE COMMISSION'S APPROVAL.
YOU DO STILL NEED, YES, YOU DO.
THIS IS THE ACTION ITEM, UM, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE AND BY THE EDC ADMINISTRATION.
IS THERE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FOR APPROVAL? THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY BUR.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY JAY.
ANY DISCUSSION IF NO DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AND THE COMMISSION IS ADJOURN ADJOURNED.
A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
SO A SECOND SESSION MEETING ADJOURNED.
WE HAVE CONTAINERS FOR FOOD TO GO THAT, THAT I THINK WE WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
WHO DOES CERTIFIED AGENDA CHURCH? MARYANNE, I HAVE IT'S CITY STAFF.