* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:06] GOOD AFTERNOON, [Item 1 - Call to Order] EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE HARLINGEN CITY COMMISSION. THE TIME IS NOW 5:34 PM AND WE'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. IT HAS BEEN DULY POSTED AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM OF THE COMMISSION AS EVERYONE IS PRESENT AT THIS TIME, I'LL ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE [Item 1a - Invocation] RISE AS, UH, FOR THE INVOCATION LED BY MAYOR PRO TEM REINI PEREZ. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE GATHER TODAY TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND SEEK YOUR GUIDANCE. GRANT US WISDOM, PATIENCE, AND UNDERSTANDING AS WE DELIBERATE ON MATTERS ON THE MATTERS BEFORE US. HELP US TO WORK TOGETHER IN HARMONY AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT PROMOTE THE WELLBEING AND PROSPERITY OF ALL OUR RESIDENTS. IN YOUR HOLY NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. [Item 1b - Pledge of Allegiance ] NOW, THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS FOR ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND I JUSTICE FOR ALL. [Item 2 - Conflict of Interest] MARK, IF YOU'LL READ THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS OF A COUNCIL MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM. MEMBERS WITH A CONFLICT OF INTEREST CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION NOR VOTE ON THE AGENDA ITEM. ARE THERE ANY KNOWN CONFLICTS OF INTEREST TO DISCLOSE AT THIS TIME? NONE. NONE, NONE. NONE. NONE AND NONE. MOVING ON. OKAY. HERE, [Item 3 - Announcements] UH, ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO ITEMS NOT LISTED ELSEWHERE ON THIS AGENDA, THE CITY COMMISSION MAY REPORT ON ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST, INCLUDING ANNOUNCING COMMUNITY EVENTS, ANNOUNCING EMPLOYER COMMUNITY RECOGNITION, THREE A MAYOR'S [Item 3a - Mayor's Announcements] ANNOUNCEMENTS. DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? JUST BRIEFLY, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE THAT JOINED US AT THE STATE OF THE CITY, UM, LAST WEEK ON THURSDAY. IT WAS AN AMAZING EVENT, AND I WANT TO COMMEND EVERYONE THAT WAS INVOLVED IN PUTTING IT TOGETHER. AND IF YOU ARE HERE, I KNOW I SEE ERICA, ALL OF CITY STAFF THAT WAS INVOLVED IN PUTTING THE, THE STATE OF THE CITY. WILL YOU PLEASE JUST STAND, STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED? WE HAVE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM, AND I DO WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO ALEXIS THAT IS, UM, ON LEAVE, BUT DID AN AMAZING JOB UP UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE MOVING AROUND. AND I KNOW SHE WAS HARD FOR HER TO, TO DO THAT. AND, AND WE WISH HER, WISH HER WELL. IN ADDITION TO THAT, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF HARLINGEN AND TO SHOW THE GREATER COUNTRY THAT THE CITY OF HARLINGEN IS THRIVING. WE ARE A COMMUNITY THAT IS JUST BOOMING AND THAT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT ON A NATIONAL PLATFORM. SO THAT WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE A SPOTLIGHT ON THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, AND IT WAS A PLEASURE TO DO THAT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. [Item 3b - City Manager's Announcements] UH, CITY MANAGER. UM, I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. WE WILL BE HAVING A VACCINE AND MICROCHIP CLINIC THIS SATURDAY AT RANGE OAK PARK FROM EIGHT TO 11. IT IS FOR HARLINGEN RESIDENTS ONLY. UM, AND ALSO TWO OF OUR EMPLOYEES, BRANDON AND CALISTA, FROM THE MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ARE CURRENTLY IN SAN ANTONIO. AND THEY ARE UP FOR A STATEWIDE AWARD FROM THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPAL, UH, INFORMATION OFFICERS FOR A VIDEO THAT THEY, UH, CREATED. THEY ARE FINALIST, AND A FEW OF US FROM THE CITY WILL BE THERE TOMORROW, UH, FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THEY'LL COME BACK WITH A TROPHY AND, UH, WE'LL LET EVERYBODY KNOW. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. UH, CITY [Item 3c - City Commission Member Announcements] COMMISSION MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENT. COMMISSIONER KIN, I HAVE NOTHING THIS WEEK. NONE, MR. LOPEZ. WELL, TODAY, WELL, TODAY HAPPENS TO BE A GLOBAL RUNNING DAY THANKS TO FOOTWORKS. THERE'S A ONE MILE TO A 5K RUN AT THE ARROYO PARK STARTING AT SEVEN O'CLOCK. SO, UH, FEEL FREE TO DROP ON BY AND TAKE A WALK OR TAKE A RUN. UH, WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THE SHERIFF, THAT IS, YES, I DID WANNA LET, I'M, I'M SURE EVERYBODY HERE ALREADY KNOWS, BUT I WANT TO LET EVERYBODY ELSE OUT AND HARING KNOW THAT TOMORROW WE'LL BE HAVING A PARADE TO CELEBRATE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR SOFTBALL TEAM. IT'S GONNA BE FROM SIX 30 TO SEVEN 30, AND IT'S GONNA START OFF ON FIFTH STREET AND THEN ON EIGHTH STREET. AND THERE WILL BE A LITTLE, I GUESS, CELEBRATION ON LONA PLAZA. SO WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME OUT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR LADY HAWS. UM, ITEM, [Item 4a - Presentation of Award- Harlingen High School South "Lady Hawks" Cross Country Team] UH, FOUR, UH, FOUR, A PRESENTATION OF AWARDS. HARLINGEN HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH LADY HAWKS, UH, SOFT BASEBALL TEAM. [00:05:02] SOFTBALL TEAM. IF I CAN PULL YOUR MICROPHONE. YES. OH, OKAY. AND DO YOU HAVE THE AWARDMENT? UH, YES. IT'S RIGHT THERE, MA'AM. GOT IT. THANK YOU FOR THE COACH. YES. SO HOW MANY OF YOU ARE HERE FOR THE SOFTBALL TEAM? ? EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY. ALMOST EVERYBODY. WELL, I JUST WANNA SHARE A FEW WORDS. UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO GO TO THE, TO THE GAME ON SATURDAY AND TO LOOK AT AND SEE THESE YOUNG LADIES PLAY WITH HEART AND DRIVE AND JUST WITNESS A VERY CLOSE KNIT, UH, TEAM THAT SEEMED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THEIR SPIRITS UP EVEN WHEN IT GOT CHALLENGING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE GAME. AND THAT RIGHT THERE, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT, LADIES, BUT YOU ARE INCREDIBLE. I KNOW THAT YOU, YOU PLAYED YOUR HEART OUT, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO IN THE YEARS TO COME. IT WAS REALLY PHENOMENAL. AND JUST LIKE HOW I ASKED, HOW MANY OF YOU HERE ARE HERE TODAY FOR SOFTBALL? UM, THE GIRLS CAN TELL YOU, AND PROBABLY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THIS ROOM, THAT THE STANDS WERE ALL GREEN AND WHITE. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE FOR MELISSA, AND IT WAS MOSTLY FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN. AND TO SEE OUR COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER IN SUPPORT OF THE GIRLS AND TO TRAVEL OUT THERE WAS JUST TRULY AMAZING. AND WATCHING COACH RIOS WITH HIS TEAM WAS JUST REALLY INSPIRING. AND SO I'M SUPER EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR YOU, YOUNG LADIES. I KNOW THERE'S THREE SENIORS, IS THAT RIGHT? THAT ARE GOING TO BE, UM, MOVING ON AND, AND WITH YOUR, WITH YOUR EDUCATION AND, BUT KNOW THAT YOU LEFT YOUR MARK RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, AND WE'RE SUPER EXCITED. SO WE WANTED TO COME AND CELEBRATE YOU. AND THE ENTIRE COMMISSION IS JUST SO PROUD OF YOU. AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF WE CAN JUST GET ALL OF THE GIRLS FROM THE SOFTBALL TEAM AND FOR COACH RIOS AND YOUR ASSISTANTS TO COME UP HERE, UM, IN FRONT OF THE DAAS. THERE'S NO MIC RIGHT DOWN THERE. NO, YOU HAVE TO GO THE TO THE PODIUM. OKAY. AND IF I CAN GET THE COMMISSION TO JOIN ME, YOU ON THE LEGISLATIVE WHAT? ON THE LEGISLATIVE. OKAY. UM, I ALREADY GOT THE PACKET. WHAT DID YOU SEND ME? OKAY. IS NOT TO THE STUDENTS. OKAY. OKAY. AND THEN CASTOR'S GONNA HANDLE HIS, OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. WE DO HAVE SOME SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS, BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO THE ANNOUNCEMENTS, BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE POSITIONED SO PERFECTLY, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE PICTURES NOW. SO THAT WAY, BECAUSE I KNOW IT, THIS IS LIKE BEVERLY WORKED REALLY HARD TO PUT EVERYBODY TOGETHER. SO WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT. AND I'M GONNA BREAK. I'M SORRY. CAN I JUST GET RIGHT HERE? RIGHT HERE? LET'S DO THAT. DO YOU WANT ONE OF THEM TO HOLD THE, UM, THE PLAQUE? WE CAN TAKE ONE MORE. GO HERE. YOU'RE HERE. YOU'RE OKAY. WELL, WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR, FOR THE TEAM AND OF COURSE FOR, FOR COACH [00:10:01] RIOS AND FOR THE PARENTS. AND SO I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A TEACHER FROM SOUTH THAT ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A COMM. SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE HIM SAY A FEW WORDS. AND THEN WE HAVE RECOGNITION, UM, CERTIFICATES OF AWARDS FOR EACH OF THE GIRLS, AND HE'LL CALL YOU BY NAME. BUT COMMISSIONER, I WAS THERE PREPARED FOR THE WORDS, BUT I'LL GO, UM, JUST SO YOU, THAT HE'S ON, I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS ALREADY, YOUR ENTIRE SEASON TOTALLY CAPTIVATED THE CITY. AND I KNOW THE MAYOR MENTIONED HOW PEOPLE WENT AND SUPPORTED YOU OVER THERE AT THE, AT THE GAMES. BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT WASN'T JUST THERE. AND I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS, BUT THAT BACK HERE AT HOME, YOU HAD PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK WATCHING YOU, WATCHING YOUR GAMES THERE, PEOPLE AT TIPSY, TAVERNS AT CA, UH, CLASSICS, ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES READING YOU GUYS ON, AND YOU GUYS JUST DID AN AMAZING JOB. AND IT, IT'S, IT WAS A MOMENT WHERE WE COULD BE LIKE, WELL, NOT JUST THIS MOMENT, BUT WE'RE VERY PROUD. THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. WE'RE VERY PROUD OF YOU. MAKE THE CITY PROUD, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHATEVER WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU'RE, UM, GONNA DO NEXT. AND FOR YOU SENIORS, I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAD LAST YEAR THAT WE SHOULD BEST OF LUCK. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY BE COMING TO JUNIORS AND MAYBE SEEING ME AS A TEACHER NEXT YEAR, GOOD LUCK, . YOU GUYS ARE GREAT. THANK YOU. AND NOW WE DO HAVE STUDENTS, WE JUST, WE WANT, WE NORMALLY DON'T RECOGNIZE EVERYONE INDIVIDUALLY, BUT I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY BY EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE THOSE MOMENTS SPECIAL. AND SO RE IF YOU CAN, UM, CALL OUT EACH OF THEIR NAMES FOR THEIR CERTIFICATE. OKAY. MS. KAYLEE SOVA, MS. LEILA LAMB, MS. EMILY RUIZ, MS. NATALIE MARTINEZ, MS. AMY VASQUEZ, MS. WARREN GONZALEZ, MS. REIN ALDO, MS. JAYLIN MATA, MS. AMIR RODRIGUEZ, MS. ANGELA PEREZ, UH, MS. ETTE GARCIA, MS. IAN AND MS. KARA JENSEN. AND LADIES, I DON'T KNOW, I SAW YOU PRACTICE. I KNOW COMMISSIONER AND I WENT TO GO SEE YOU PRACTICE AND ALL GET DIRTY, AND YOU KNOW THE WAY THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO, AND WE SAW YOU AT YOUR GAME. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT YOU CLEAN UP VERY WELL. YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. I I WAS THE SAME GIRLS, BUT YOU ARE. SO I'M JUST, I'M SO IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, AND I'M EQUALLY IMPRESSED WITH YOUR COACH. I SAW SO MUCH LOVE AND ADMIRATION FOR HIM THROUGHOUT THE GAME. AND COACH, IT WAS INSPIRING SEEING YOU AND KEEPING, KEEPING THEM UP. I HEARD YOU A COUPLE OF TIMES SAY, DON'T, YOU KNOW, DON'T LOSE HOPE. DON'T BE COMPLACENT. YOU STILL GOT THIS UP UNTIL THE VERY END, AND THAT MEANS SO MUCH. AND I COULD SEE IT IN EACH ONE OF YOU. I KNOW THERE WAS SOME TEARS WITH A FEW OF YOU, BUT IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW HARD YOU WORK AND YOUR DEDICATION. AND WE ARE SO INCREDIBLY PROUD. AND I KNOW THAT EACH OF YOU ARE ALSO PROUD OF YOUR COACH. AND SO I KNOW THAT ON THE DRIVE HOME COACH, I GOT EMAILS AND MESSAGES FROM PAR, UH, FROM PARENTS SAYING, WHAT IS THE CITY OF HARLINGEN GOING TO DO FOR THE GIRLS? AND I KNEW THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS GONNA COME UP AND, AND DO THIS PARADE. AND I KNEW THAT THEY WANTED TO CELEBRATE YOU BECAUSE LIKE COMMISSIONER SAID, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, THE WHOLE CITY, IN FACT, THE WHOLE REGION WAS ALL EYES ON YOU. AND SO I KNEW THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO SOMETHING, BUT WE THOUGHT AS A COMMISSION WHAT WE COULD DO TO HONOR YOU, COACH. AND SO WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU IS KEYS TO THE CITY FOR YOUR HARD WORK. SO IF YOU WILL, I HOPE EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME WELL. THIS RECOGNITION AWARD IS THE CITY OF HARLINGEN CONGRATULATING YOU AND PROUDLY PRESENTING YOU THIS AWARD FOR JOEY RIOS, COACH JOEY RIOS FROM THE HARLINGEN [00:15:01] HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH HEAD SOFTBALL COACH. COACH RIOS IS THE ESTEEMED HEAD SOFTBALL COACH AT HARLINGEN HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH. HE TOOK HIS TEAM, THESE BEAUTIFUL LADIES TO THE STATE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WHILE EARNING HIS 200TH WIN IN HIS ILLUSTRIOUS COACHING CAREER. THAT'S AMAZING, COACH. YES. A ROUND OF APPLAUSE. COACH RIOS MADE HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST COACH IN H-C-I-S-D TO LEAD A SOFTBALL TEAM TO THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN HIS THIRD YEAR AS HARLINGEN SOUTH SOFTBALL'S HEAD COACH. HE IS NOT ONLY DEVOTED TO THIS TEAM, HE IS ALSO DEVOTED TO HIS FAMILY, HIS WIFE, ANISA RIOS, AND TWO CHILDREN, DANIEL AND ELIJAH RIOS. AND COACH RIOS IS ALSO AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF HIS CHURCH AND PASSIONATE ABOUT MENTORING YOUNG ATHLETICS ATHLETES AND HELPING THEM DISCOVER THEIR PURPOSE THROUGH SPORTS. CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH RIOS FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT. TODAY. ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE ENTIRE CITY COMMISSION, WE PRESENT YOU THE KEY TO THE CITY OF HARLAN. SO MUCH. YES. READY? 1, 2, 3. YOU HAVE A FEW WORDS. AWESOME. FIRST OFF, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS IS SUCH AN HONOR. IT, IT'S, I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY, BUT I DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK MY STAFF, UH, THAT, THAT ARE HERE BEHIND ME BECAUSE I DON'T DO THIS ALONE. YES, I'M THE FACE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY, THEY ARE THE, THE WORKING MOTOR THAT CONTINUES TO KEEP THIS, THIS, UH, PROGRAM IN, IN DRIVE AND GEAR, RIGHT? AND THE GIRLS, OBVIOUSLY, FOR PUTTING THEIR, THEIR CONTINUOUS EFFORTS INTO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. AND, AND WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS AND, AND WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THIS. UH, I KNOW I GOT PRESENTED WITH A SMALL AWARD, BUT THERE'S NOT TOO MANY OF THESE FLOATING AROUND. THERE WON'T BE TOO MANY. UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S HISTORIC THAT WE GET TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF HARLINGEN. UH, AND WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN DOING THAT. UH, WE DO, UH, WE TOOK SOME TIME AND WE, WE, EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM, UH, TOOK SOME TIME TO AUTOGRAPH THE BALL. AND WE WERE 36 AND FIVE YEARS THIS YEAR, AND WE WERE A STATE RUNNER UP. AND THE FACT THAT WE GET TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF HOLLAND IS SUCH A GREAT HONOR AND PRIVILEGE. BUT WE ALSO WANNA PRESENT, UH, MAYOR WITH A BALL AND A SMALL TYPE OF APPRECIATION JUST FOR US, BECAUSE BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SHE WAS OUT THERE IN THE HEAT WITH US. SHE ACTUALLY BROUGHT US SOME POPSICLES OUT THERE IN THE HEAT AND WAS OUT THERE WITH US, AND SHE WAS LIKE, OH MY GOODNESS. HOW DO Y'ALL DO IT? IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT EASY. UH, BUT WE'RE PASSIONATE AND WE ENJOY WHAT WE DO, AND WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY, AND WE THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH NOW TO EVERYBODY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL. THANK YOU. YOU IN THE AUDIENCE. IF WE CAN GET HIM TO COME ON UP AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH US AS WELL, THAT WOULD BE BETTER. COACH, WHY DON'T WE HAVE YOU RIGHT HERE? CAN WE JUST SCOOCH THE GIRLS JUST A LITTLE BIT? READY? 1, 2, 3. OKAY. THANK HOW EXCITING. RYAN, CAN WE GIVE IT UP ONE MORE TIME FOR THE SALT LADY HAWK? OKAY. AMEN. ITEM FOUR [Item 4b - Presentation by Chief Mike Kester to Guillermo Dorantes- HPD Civilian of the Year Award] B PRESENTATION BY CHIEF MIKE CASTER TO GUILLERMO DURANTE, HPD CIVIL CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD. [00:20:02] MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS. UH, I'M HERE BECAUSE WE, UH, ANNUALLY WE GIVE OUT A AWARD TO BOTH THE OFFICER AND THE CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR. AND, UH, THIS ONE'S FOR THE CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR. AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAD A LOT OF NOMINATIONS, WE HAVE SOME OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEES WORKING AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, WE OPTED TO GO WITH MR. GUILLERMO ANTES. UH, HE HAD BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR 16 YEARS WORKING AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FROM OUR IT DEPARTMENT. SO HE TAKES CARE OF ALL OUR INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS AND ANYTHING WE NEED. HE JUST HAS BEEN AWESOME OVER THAT AMOUNT OF TIME. BUT AS YOU MIGHT RECALL, LAST YEAR WE HAD A LITTLE ISSUE ON OUR COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND ERMO WAS, YOU KNOW, MR. ON THE SPOT. HE WAS THERE TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING HE WAS ON CALL WOULD COME OUT IF WE NEEDED HIM, AND REALLY GOT US BACK UP ONLINE AND WORKING REAL WELL. SO WE MADE HIM THE, UH, CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR. I GOT A PLAQUE CARE FORM AND IT SAYS, FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF POLICE AND ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT RULES, REGULATIONS, AND POLICY MANUAL SPECIAL DIRECTIVES. AND UPON RECOMMENDATION OF THE PEER EMPLOYEES AND ADMINISTRATION FOR OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE AND DEDICATED WORK PERFORMANCE DURING THE YEAR 2023, ERMO DURANTE IS HEREBY PRESENTED WITH THE HARING AND POLICE DEPARTMENT 2023 CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR. I'LL ASK GUILLERMO TO COME UP HERE AS WELL. NOW, ON A SIDE NOTE, I WILL SAY HE USED TO WORK FOR ME, . NOW HE STILL WORKS FOR THE CITY, BUT DUE TO A REALIGNMENT NOW HE FALLS UNDER, UH, SERGIO MOJICA AND THE MIS DEPARTMENT. BUT, UH, HE'S BEEN OUTSTANDING FOR US. SO IF WE WANNA PRESENT HIM WITH THIS AWARD, AND WE GOT ANOTHER ONE HERE, A LITTLE PLAQUE STATUE THAT GOES WITH IT. SO IF WE COULD GET A QUICK PICTURE, WE'D APPRECIATE IT. YEAH, THIS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR. . JOSH, CAN YOU TAKE A PICTURE? NO, SORRY, I THOUGHT I NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, SIR. YOU YOU'RE GOOD. 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3. SO YOU, YOU GOT A CAT SCAN ON? OKAY, GOOD. GOOD. SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE A LITTLE OFF KILTER. ITEM [Item 4c - Presentation by Abel Gonzalez Mencio (Texas State Florist Association Ambassador) pertaining to "Rose Project"] FOUR C PRESENTATION BY ABEL GONZALEZ MENCIA, TEXAS STATE FLORIST ASSOCIATION AMBASSADOR PERTAINING TO ROSE PROJECT. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR VEDA AND CITY COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS ABEL GONZALEZ. MENCIA, A-I-F-D-C-F-D-P-F-C-I-T-M-F. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN HARLINGEN, TEXAS, THE YOUNGEST SON OF RAUL D AND LUIS GONZALEZ. CURRENTLY I'M THE OWNER DESIGN ENGINEER OF CASA GRANADA FLORAL. MY ADDENDUMS STAND FOR AN ACCREDITED MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF FLORAL DESIGNERS, A CERTIFIED FLORAL DESIGNER, ONE OF ONLY 138 ACCREDITED MEMBERS IN THE WORLDWIDE PROFESSIONAL FLORAL COMMUNICATORS INTERNATIONAL, AND ONLY ONE OF 74 TEXAS MASTER FLORISTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THESE EDUCATIONAL [00:25:01] CERTIFICATIONS AND RECOGNIZED INTERNATIONALLY IN THE FLORAL INDUSTRY ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF A DOCTORAL DEGREE IN FLORAL STREET AND FLORAL DESIGN. MY FLORAL JOURNEY BEGAN OVER 40 YEARS AGO. UPON GRADUATION FROM HARLINGEN HIGH SCHOOL IN 2017, I WAS A DUAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT OF THE TEXAS STATE FLORIST ASSOCIATION. IN 2018, I ENTERED THE DESIGNER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION IN HOUSTON DURING THE ANNUAL AZALEA TRAIL FESTIVAL WHERE I PLACED IN THE TOP THREE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IN 2019, I COMPETED AT THE TEXAS DESIGNER OF THE YEAR CONTEST, HELD UNDER THE MAJESTIC ROTUNDA AT THE STATE CAPITOL IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHERE ONCE AGAIN, I PLACED IN THE TOP THREE. THAT DAY I WAS SUPPORTED BY A VERY SPECIAL PERSON, MRS. AMANDA LETICIA OSA, UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, WIFE OF TEXAS, SENATOR JUAN CHUI OSA. AND I WILL NEVER FORGET HER WORDS AS SHE CAME BY MY TABLE, SHE SAID, LITTLE BOY FROM THE VALLEY DOES GOOD. I'M GONNA STAND HERE AND CHEER YOU ON AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO. AND SHE DID. SHE WAS MY GOOD LUCK CHARM. THAT SAME YEAR I ATTENDED THE LOUISIANA STATE FLORIS CONVENTION AND COMPETED IN THEIR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR CONTEST AND WON THE LOUISIANA CUP. I'LL NEVER FORGET WALKING INTO THAT ROOM, HEARING ANOTHER COMPETITOR SAY, WELL, I MIGHT AS WELL GO HOME. ABEL'S HERE, DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC CONVENTIONS WERE CANCELED. AND I HAD TO WAIT A FEW YEARS FOR THE ASSOCIATION TO ONCE AGAIN OFFER IN-PERSON COMPETITIONS. BUT I WAS HOOKED. BUT LOUISIANA WASN'T TEXAS. I WASN'T DONE YET. FORWARD TO LAST SUMMER IN 2023, THE TEXAS STATE ASSOCIATION HELD ITS EXPO IN ROUND ROCK, TEXAS, WHERE I COMPETED ALONGSIDE EIGHT OF THE MOST TALENTED DESIGNERS FROM THROUGHOUT THE STATE. AFTER THREE ROUNDS OF VERY INTENSE AND TIMED COMPETITION IN VEGETATIVE PERSONAL INTERPRETATION AND BRIDAL DESIGN, I WON THE COVETED TEXAS CUP DESIGNER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION. AND I WAS NAMED THE 2023 STAR OF TEXAS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IS 1978, NO DESIGNER SOUTH OF THE HOUSTON AREA HAS EVER WON THE CUP COMPETITION. I AM THE FIRST DRIVING HOME THAT EVENING. I DECIDED TO NOT ONLY BE A WINNER OF THIS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD, BUT ALSO TO BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE ASSOCIATION FOR TEXAS, FOR THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, AND FOR MY HOMETOWN OF HARLINGIN. AS AN AMBASSADOR, I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND MEANINGFUL THAT PEOPLE WOULD REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT TRULY WAS AN AMBASSADORSHIP AND NOT JUST A NAME ALONE. THEN I REMEMBERED THAT IN 2013, WHILE I WAS EMPLOYED BY ACOLYTE DESIGNS IN NEW YORK CITY AS THEIR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND DESIGN, I CAME UP WITH AN IDEA ON A BUSINESS TRIP TO MANHATTAN. ONE EVENING AFTER WORK, I TRAVELED TO TIMES SQUARE, AND AS I LEFT PENN STATION, I SPOTTED A FLOWER CART WITH AN ARRAY OF BRIGHTLY COLORED ROSES AND FLOWERS FOR SALE. I IMMEDIATELY WONDERED TO MYSELF, WHAT IF I GIVE AWAY ROSES IN TIMES SQUARE? WOULD TOTAL STRANGERS ACCEPT THEM? COULD I REALLY TOUCH SOMEONE'S LIFE AND MAKE THEM SMILE? WHERE WOULD THEY EVENTUALLY END UP? AND WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO SEE THE FLOWERS WALK AWAY IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND BLANKET THE CITY? I WANNA STOP THERE REAL QUICK. ROSES JUST WENT OUT TO THOSE YOUNG LADIES, AND EACH ONE IS WALKING OUT WITH ONE RIGHT NOW, AND THEY WILL BLANKET THE CITY OF HARLEM. THE ABEL GONZALEZ MENCIA ROSE PROJECT WAS BORN THAT NIGHT. I HANDED OUT 48 PINK ROSES, AND AS I WALKED TO THE VERY TOP OF THE RED STAIRS IN TIMES SQUARE, I SAW MY VISION COME TO LIFE. MY ROSES WALKED IN ALL DIRECTIONS. SOME WERE ACCEPTED BY COSTUME CHARACTERS. A FEW WENT TO NEW YORK'S FINEST, THEIR POLICE OFFICERS. THEY TRAVELED ON BROADWAY DOWN 42ND STREET. SOME GOT INTO TAXIS AND OTHERS WENT INTO SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS. EACH BLOOM HAD TOUCHED THE LIFE OF A PERSON, TOTAL STRANGERS FROM ALL AGES, ETHNICITIES, AND WALKS OF LIFE, WHO UNKNOWINGLY HAD CONVERGED AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD. AT THE SAME TIME THAT I HAD, I CONTINUED THIS PROJECT DURING MY BUSINESS VISITS TO LOS ANGELES, MIAMI, DALLAS, PHOENIX, AND MOST RECENTLY IN PHILADELPHIA, WHERE I WAS SELECTED TO THE ELITE SCHAEFFER DESIGN TEAM, A GROUP OF 30 WORLD RENOWNED FLORISTS WHO CAME TOGETHER TO BUILD A LEGACY ENTRYWAY INTO THE WORLD FAMOUS PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW. ONCE AGAIN, ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WERE MY WORDS, LITTLE BOY FROM THE VALLEY DOES [00:30:01] GOOD IN PHILADELPHIA. I'VE PROUDLY WORE THE SAME ATTIRE YOU SEE IN ME THIS EVENING, MY COWBOY HAT, MY TEXAS FLAG SHIRT, AND MY BOOTS. EVERYONE AT THE SHOW KNEW I WAS FROM TEXAS. AS I HANDED OUT THE YELLOW ROSES, MANY ASKED ME ABOUT MY JOURNEY, MY PASSION, AND MY COMPETITIONS. ONE GENTLEMAN EVEN ASKED ME, WHERE'S YOUR HORSE? AND I SAID, HE'S PARKED OUTSIDE . IT WAS THEN THAT I KNEW, AS I SAW THE YELLOW ROSES DRIFT AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER HALL UP AND DOWN THE ESCALATORS AND OUT INTO THE COLD PENNSYLVANIA STREETS, THAT MY AMBASSADORSHIP WENT FAR BEYOND JUST HANDING OUT ROSES. IT IS AN OPEN CONNECTION TO OTHERS WHO, FOR A BRIEF MOMENT THROUGH A BLOOM AND A SMILE, I CAN TOUCH THEIR LIVES. MY TERM AS A 2023 TEXAS DESIGNER OF THE YEAR CULMINATES ON JUNE 23RD WITH THE SELECTION OF THIS YEAR'S WINNER. AS MY FINAL TRIBUTE, I HAVE BEEN AFFORDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN AND LAY A WREATH ON JUNE 21ST AT THE ALAMO IN DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO DURING OUR UPCOMING TEXAS FLORAL CONVENTION, A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S FAMILY LEGACY AS A DIRECT DESCENDANT OF DEFENDERS OF THE ALAMO WHO FOUGHT ALONGSIDE GENERAL SAM HOUSTON. AS YOU SEE, MY IDEA HAS BLOOMED INTO A LABOR OF LOVE FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY FAMILY, FOR MY FRIENDS, AND FOR MY HARLINGEN, FOR THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, AND FOR THE ASSOCIATIONS AND BUSINESSES THAT I AM CURRENTLY AND PROUDLY AN AMBASSADOR FOR MAYOR VEDA AND COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. I HUMBLY ASK YOU AT THIS TIME TO PLEASE STEP FORWARD AND ACCEPT A BLOOM AS AND TAKE PART IN THE 2023 ABEL GONZALEZ CIO ROSE PROJECT. THANK YOU. SO CUTE FIRST, AND IT'S NOT A NINE 30 DELIVERY, IT'S NINE 30 DELIVERY MOTHER. OH, YES, . I'M TOTALLY, I'LL TAKE THAT. TOTALLY. COOL. TURN CITY MANAGER. EXCUSE ME. BUT ESPECIALLY, AND ESPECIALLY HIM, AMANDA, YOU'RE ADORABLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. WILL YOU TAKE A PICTURE? ABSOLUTELY. WILL WE HAVE EXTRA ROSES IF ANYBODY? ABSOLUTELY. 1, 2, 3. OKAY. ONE MORE. ONE MORE. 1, 2, 3. JUST ONE MORE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. MY WIFE. WHAT I TELL HER. I THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS. IT ALL ABOUT CONGRATULATIONS. THE HIGHLIGHT OF ALL THESE YEARS. MM-HMM. . ANYBODY WOULD. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO, MR. GONZALEZ MENCIA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPING A SPECIAL PLACE IN YOUR HEART FOR HARLINGEN. WE ADMIRE ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. YOU'RE MAKING HARLINGEN PROUD. WE ALL STAND BEHIND YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ITEM NUMBER [Item 5 - Citizen Communication ] FIVE, CITIZENS COMMUNICATION. AT THIS TIME, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ADDRESS THE CITY COMMISSION AND SPEAK ON ANY MATTER NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED FOR PUBLIC HEARING ELSEWHERE IN THIS AGENDA. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION MEMBERS MAY NOT RESPOND TO COMMENTS OR DELIBERATE ON TOPICS ADDRESSED. WE HAVE ONE MAYOR, UM, PUBLIC HEARING, [00:35:01] UM, BUT I GUESS WE'LL WAIT UNTIL THE PUBLIC HEARING, RIGHT? DO YOU HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT? PUBLICATION. OH, SO, OH, CELINE GARRISON. OH, I DON'T HAVE THE PUBLIC. I DIDN'T HAVE ISSUE. CELINE. HELLO, I'M SELENA GARRISON. I LIVE IN 82 0 3 WEST, THIS 83 IN HARINGTON, WEST SIDE. WOULD YOU MIND JUST MOVING THE MIC UP? I THINK I MOVED IT RIGHT THERE. YES. THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. I'M, UM, THE SECRETARY FOR THE PAN-AMERICAN GOLF ASSOCIATION. WE'RE, UH, OVER 6,000 MEMBERS STATEWIDE. WE HAVE, UH, OVER 150 MEMBERS IN JUST CAMERON COUNTY ALONE. WE WILL BE HOSTING, AND WE DO THIS ALMOST EVERY FEW YEARS, UH, OF A NATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT IN HARLINGEN. AND WE HAVE OVER 300 TO 400 MEMBERS COME AND, AND PLAY HERE. AND THEY USE THE HOTELS, THEY USE THE TRANSPORTATION. THEY'RE HERE ALL WEEK, AND THEY SPEND CLOSE TO A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE, UH, EVERY TIME THEY COME. AND WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER ONE THIS, UH, YEAR 2025 IN, UH, IN APRIL. SO WE WILL BE GETTING ALL THESE PEOPLE AN INFLUX OF PEOPLE IN HARLINGEN, UH, IN, UH, APRIL OF, UH, 2025. WE ALSO HOST, UH, UM, UH, JUNIOR CLINICS ONCE A MONTH. AND A LOT OF THE PARTICIPANTS ARE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, UH, KIDS, UH, KIDS FROM, UH, FROM THE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL AND, UH, AND, AND MIDDLE SCHOOL AND, UH, AND DIFFERENT, UH, KIDS ORGANIZATIONS THAT COME ONCE A MONTH. AND WE DO THIS ALL FREE OF CHARGE. WE, WE, UH, TEACH THEM HOW TO GOLF PUTT AND DRIVE. AND, UM, OF COURSE OUR, OUR PEOPLE, OUR MEMBERS, THEY, UH, UTILIZE THE TONY BUTLER GOLF COURSE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY. SEVERAL GROUPS AND SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. SO WE'RE ALL OUT HERE ALL THE TIME. UM, AND WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTING THE GOLF COURSE FOR OVER 50 YEARS. WHAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS, UH, TO, TO, UH, WE DO NEED A GOLF COURT STOR STORAGE FACILITY, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE ONE THAT THEY HAVE NOW IS IN, UH, DIS DISREPAIR, UH, BECAUSE OF YEARS AND YEARS OF NEGLECT. AND, UH, THAT GOLF CART STORAGE FACILITY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OUR OLDER GROUP BECAUSE THEY'RE OVER, A LOT OF THEM ARE OVER 70. THEY DON'T HAVE THE PHYSICAL STRENGTH ANYMORE TO LOAD AND UNLOAD A CART. SO THAT'S WHY THEY, THEY, UH, RELY ON THESE STORAGE FACILITIES, UH, TO, UH, TO, UH, STORE THEIR CART SO THAT THEY CAN GOLF EVERY DAY. AND THESE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN, UH, RENTING THESE SPOTS FOR OVER, OVER 50 YEARS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEY'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ALWAYS UTILIZED IT, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS THERE AT THE GOLF COURSE, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS PLAYING. AND, AND WE ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THEM PLAY BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN SUPPORTING THE TONY BUTLER FOREVER. AND, UH, I KNOW THAT THE TONY BUTLER GOLF COURSE HAS TAKEN A LOT OF MONEY FROM THE RENTALS OF THESE, UH, GOLF STORAGE FACILITIES, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'VE PUT IN ANY MONEY INTO MAINTAINING THE STORAGE FACILITIES. SO WE DO WANNA HAVE OUR OLDER SENIOR GROUPS HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF GOING TO THE GOLF COURTS. AND I'M GONNA MENTION THREE PEOPLE, UH, THAT DO USE A FACILITY. ONE OF THEM IS ART GONZALEZ. HE'S A, BY THE WAY, A VETERAN. HE'S BEEN USING THE FACILITIES FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS, AND HE, HE, UH, WANTS TO CONTINUE TO STORE HIS PART THERE. WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, I KNOW THAT'S MY TIME. OKAY. UH, THERE'S ANOTHER MEMBER THAT NO LONGER WILL BE COMING TO THE, TO THE GOLF COURSE BECAUSE HE CAN, HE DOESN'T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO, TO, UH, HAUL HIS CARD ANYMORE. AND I WILL FINISH UP. THERE'S OTHER MEMBERS, BUT I KNOW MY TIME IS UP. THANK YOU. PLEASE CONSIDER THE STORAGE FACILITY. THANK YOU, MA'AM. AND WE DO, I THINK BELIEVE THE COMMISSION HAS RECEIVED YOUR LETTER AS WELL. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND BEING HERE WITH US TODAY. NEXT ITEM [Item 6 - Approval of Minutes] MAYOR. ITEM NUMBER SIX, APPROVAL OF MINUTES, A REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 2ND, 2024, AND B, REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 17TH, 2024. IS THERE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THE MINUTES? IF NOT IN A MOTION? I, I SENT MY AMENDMENTS TO AMANDA. I BELIEVE THE COPY'S OUT IN FRONT OF Y'ALL, SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE SUBJECT TO THE AMENDMENTS. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. AND THIS IS FOR THE MEETING OF APRIL 2ND, 2024. IS THERE MOTION ON THE REGULAR MEETING OF APRIL 17TH, 2024? MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. [00:40:01] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM NUMBER [Item 7 - Consent Agenda] SEVEN, CONSENT AGENDA. NO DISCUSSION IS, IS ANTICIPATED ON ANY OF THE ITEMS IN THIS SECTION BECAUSE THEY'RE ROUTINE BUSINESS. UH, WERE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET ADOPTION PROCESS OR HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED AS A STAFF REPORT OR DISCUSSION ITEM. THIS ITEMS WILL BE CONSIDERED COLLECTIVELY BY A SINGLE VOTE UNLESS A COMMISSIONER MEMBER REQUESTS AN ITEM TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. UM, WE HAVE ITEMS A AND B. IS THERE ANY THAT NEED TO BE PULLED? IF NOT, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. NUMBER [Item 8 - Staff Reports and Other Discussion Items] EIGHT. STAFF REPORTS AND OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS, ITEMS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REQUIRE ACTION BY THE CITY COMMISSION AND ARE GENERALLY FOR INFORMATION ONLY. HOWEVER, ANY ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION MAY BECOME AN ACTION ITEM WITH THE RE REQUEST OF THE MAYOR OR AFTER THE REQUEST OF ANY TWO COMMISSION MEMBERS OR THE CITY MANAGER. [Item 8a - City Manager's Report] A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. MR. GONZALEZ? YES. I'D JUST LIKE TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE STARTED THE BUDGET PROCESS. UH, STAFF, CITY MANAGER AND FINANCE DIRECTOR WILL BE MEETING WITH STAFF, UH, STARTING NEXT WEEK. AND SO WE WILL BE SCHEDULING THE, UH, WORKSHOP WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, BEFORE WE COME TO THE COMMISSION FOR ANY TYPE OF ACTION ON THE BUDGET, JUST SO WE CAN GET SOME DIRECTION ON WHAT PARKS YOU WANNA PRIORITIZE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW. UH, STAFF REPORT. [Item 8b - Staff Reports - Presentation by Robert Rodriguez (F inance Director) of the quarterly Investment Report for the City of Harlingen ending March 31 , 2024 ] LET ME SEE. B STAFF REPORTS PRESENTATION BY ROBERT RODRIGUEZ, FINANCE DIRECTOR OF THE QUARTERLY INVESTMENT REPORT FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, ENDING MARCH 31ST, 2024. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. CITY COMMISSIONERS. I'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE INVESTMENT REPORT FOR THE, UH, PERIOD OF JANUARY 1ST THROUGH MARCH 31ST, 2024. UM, SO OUR TOTAL BOOK VALUE ON, UH, ALL OF OUR CASH AND INVESTMENTS, UH, TOTALED 82,939,198, AS YOU SEE ON, ON THE FIRST UM, BOX THERE. UM, OUR INTEREST EARNED FOR THE PERIOD JUST IN THOSE THREE MONTHS IS 996,734. UH, WE ALSO HAVE AMORTIZATION ON, ON TREASURIES THAT WE HAVE OF 120 1049. SO OUR, OUR NET INCOME FOR THAT PERIOD, UH, FOR THAT THREE MONTH PERIOD IS 1 MILLION 118, 224 67 FISCAL YEAR TO DATE. OUR NET INCOME ON THESE INVESTMENTS HAS, IS, HAS ACCUMULATED TO 2,157,288. UH, IF YOU LOOK TO THE RIGHT, THE THIRD BOX ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, OUR, OUR YIELDS MATURITY ON, UM, AVERAGE ON ALL OF OUR INVESTMENTS IS 5.257% COMPARED TO 5.187, UM, FOR THE PRIOR, UH, DECEMBER 31ST, 2023. UH, AT THE BOTTOM YOU DO SEE SOME, SOME TRANSACTION SUMMARY ON THE TREASURIES. WE, WE, WE GOT A COUPON OR INTEREST THAT HAS COME IN OF 81 2 50. WE, WE HAVE TWO TREASURIES, ONE THAT PAYS INTEREST, UH, PERIODICALLY, AND ONE THAT PAYS INTEREST WHEN THE, UH, TREASURY MA MATURES. UH, ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER, YOU HAVE AN ASSET ALLOCATION. SO OUR BANK DEPOSITS TOTAL, UH, ABOUT 4.5%, AND THOSE ARE AT PLAINS CAPITAL. UM, 77.8% IS IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, INVESTMENT POOL, WHICH IS, UH, TAX POOL. AND 17.7 IS IN OUR TREASURIES. THE NEXT ONE IS, IS JUST A RATING DISTRIBUTION, OUR CREDIT RATING. SO, UH, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE ARE, ARE AAA AT 95.5% OF THOSE INVESTMENTS. AND, UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, 4.5%, WHICH IS OUR DEMAND DEPOSITS AT PLAINS CAPITAL. AND, AND AS YOU SEE OUR BENCHMARK COMPARISON, OUR INTEREST RATE HAS, HAS SLOWLY CLIMBED TO, UH, MARCH 20, MARCH, 2024 IS AT 5.26%, UM, WHICH IS THE, THE CITY AVERAGE. UM, AND, AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE HAVE, UH, FOR THIS PERIOD THROUGH MARCH. THANK YOU, ROBERT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR ROBERT? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. REAL QUICK, ROBERT. YES, SIR. TEXT POOL IS, UH, A GROUP ORGANIZATION THAT DOES LIKE THE INVESTMENTS FOR, UH, CITIES THROUGHOUT THE CI STATE, CORRECT? YES, THEY DO. CITIES, UH, ANY GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY CITIES. CAN WE GO UP TO THAT LAST SLIDE PLEASE? IS THERE A REASON WE DON'T USE 'EM? WE TOOK THAT DIP IN WHAT, OCTOBER, 2023 THAT TEX POOL DID NOT, AM I MISUNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, THE RED, THE RED CITY OF ARLINGTON, RIGHT, [00:45:01] RIGHT. OCTOBER 23. CORRECT. WE TOOK THAT DIP. THEY DID NOT. AND WHAT'S, COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE CMT IS AGAIN? THE, THE CMT IS, IS THE TREASURY, I GUESS LIKE THE, UM, THE TREASURY RATE SO THAT THEY, THE TEXTBOOK KIND OF MIRRORS THE TREASURY RATE. SO I'M, I'M NOT SURE IN, LET'S SEE, THE OCTOBER 23 AND WHY DID OURS DIP AND NO ONE ELSE'S? UH, I'M NOT SURE, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHEN, WHEN WE CHANGED FROM FROST TO, TO PLAINS CAPITAL. UH, BUT I CAN CHECK IN INTO THAT AND I, AND I'LL LET YOU KNOW, JUST APPRECIATE, JUST TO MAKE SURE 'CAUSE IT WAS JUST THAT ONE MONTH AND THEN WENT BACK RIGHT OUT. YEAH, BUT I'LL, I'LL LOOK INTO IT AND I'LL, I'LL SEND YOU YEAH, IT SEEMS LIKE OURS ARE ALWAYS LOWER THAN TEXT POOL AND YEAH. I MEAN, JUST LIKE HALF A PERCENT MEANS A LOT WHEN YOU STARTED TO THINK IN, IN THE MILLIONS, RIGHT? YEAH. 'CAUSE IT ALWAYS, IT ALWAYS TRAILS. UH, AND SO WE, WE TRY AND, UH, UM, KEEP EVERYTHING IN TEXT POOL. AND SO, UH, WHEN WE WENT FROM FROST TO, TO PLAINS CAPITAL, WE ALSO WENT INTO THE, UH, INTO THEIR INVESTMENT WHERE IT HAS LIKE A SWEEP AND IT'LL SWEEP ALL OF OUR INVESTMENTS INTO, UH, AN INVESTMENT ACCOUNT WHERE IT PAYS A HIGHER RATE. FROST DIDN'T HAVE SWEEPS, DID THEY? IT DID NOT, NO. YEAH. OKAY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THING. SO WE'VE DONE THIS, BUT WE DIDN'T UTILIZE IT. LIKE WE, WE UTILIZED IT WITH PLANES. IT'S MUCH EASIER WITH PLANES TO DO. RIGHT. SO NOW WE'RE SWEEPING OUR MONEY EVERY DAY, SO IT ACTUALLY HAS A POTENTIAL TO EARN MORE. SO, YEAH. BUT IN THAT, IN THAT PARTICULAR MONTH, I, I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON, ON WHY THAT TIP. MM-HMM. . THANK YOU. YEAH. UH, ROBERT? YES, SIR. SO ALL OF OUR FUNDS ARE BASICALLY IN THESE THREE TAKES. PULL? YES, SIR. THERE THE MAJORITY, IF, IF YOU SEE IT'S 77% OF IT IS IN, UM, IN TEXT POOL, 77.8%. UH, WE DO HAVE 17.7 AT THE, UH, TREASURIES. AND THEN WE HAVE BANK DEPOSITS 4.5. WE'RE TRYING TO MINIMIZE THAT, THAT AMOUNT IN THERE. BUT WE DO, WE STILL GET THAT 4.5% IN, IN, IN THAT BANK. GOT YOU. THANK YOU. WHERE WHEREAS IN FROST IT WAS, IT WAS A LOT LOWER. YEAH. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION I WRAP? YEAH, THAT WAS A GOOD QUESTION, BUT I'LL, I'LL GO BACK WITH YOU ON THAT. I DID, THANK YOU. THANKS. [Item 9 - Public Hearings] ITEM NUMBER NINE, PUBLIC HEARINGS. AT THIS TIME, THE MAYOR WILL INVITE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM. TO ADDRESS EACH ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE TOPIC OF THAT PUBLIC HEARING. IF MORE THAN ONE PUBLIC HEARING IS BEING HELD, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK DURING EACH TOPIC, PROVIDED YOU HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CITIZENS COMMUNICATION FORM FOR THE APPROPRIATE TOPIC. IF YOU ARE, IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP FOR TWO OR MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS, YOU WILL BE LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES FOR ALL TOPICS. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE ONE FOR PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. I'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE ON THIS SECTION, AMANDA. OKAY. SO JUST SO THAT WAY WE HAVE EVERYTHING ON THE RECORD. WE HAVE NINE A, THE PUBLIC HEARING AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER ONE 11, ZONING. ARTICLE 18, SECTION ONE ONE DASH 5 0 9. AND I HAVE MY GLASSES ON DESIGN GUIDELINES, STOREFRONT WINDOWS BY PROHIBITING AIR CONDITIONER UNIT MOUNTED ON WALLS OF BUILDING ALONG A PUBLIC STREET WITH THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY. THE APPLICANT IS THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, AND AT THIS TIME, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND WE DO HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL SIGNED UP. LARS, I DON'T SEE HIM HERE. MR. MR. LARS TELLS ME THAT HE'S ON HIS WAY, BUT HE'S BASICALLY IN SUPPORT. OKAY. UM, SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE WILL PASS ON THIS ONE AND GO RIGHT BACK TO IT. UM, AND HOPEFULLY HE'S HERE BY THE TIME WE FINISH, [Item 9b - Public hearing for a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption at an event center in a General Retail (" GR ") District located at 116 W. Van Buren Avenue, Suite A, bearing a legal description of Lot 20 , Block 59 , Harlingen Original Townsite Subdivision . Applicant: Juan Cabrera.] UH, NINE B PUBLIC HEARING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ONSITE CONSUMPTION AT AN EVENT CENTER IN GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT. LOCATED AT ONE 16 WEST VAN BUREN AVENUE, SUITE A BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT 20 BLOCK 59 HARLINGEN ORIGINAL TOWN SITE SUBDIVISION. AND THE APPLICANT IS JUAN CAVERA. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM, OR HAVING SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. WE HAVE [Item 9c - Public hearing fo r a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow a storage building/detached garage greater than 144 sq . ft. in a Planned Development (" PO ") District located at 3210 Seminole Court, bearing a legal description of Lots 6-7, Block 3, Treasure Hills Country Club Subdivision. Applicant: Ronald Richardson ] NINE C THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR AN SUP TO ALLOW A STORAGE BUILDING DETACHED GARAGE GREATER THAN 144 SQUARE FEET IN A PLAN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT. LOCATED AT 32 10 SEMINOLE COURT, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT SIX THROUGH SEVEN BLOCK THREE TREASURE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB SUBDIVISION, AND THE APPLICANT IS RONALD RICHARDSON. THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM, AND NO ONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ITEM [Item 9d - Public hearing for a Special Use Permit ("SUP") to allow a storage bu ilding in a General Retail (" GR") District located at 1521 W. Monroe Avenue, bearing a legal description of Lot 1, Block 3, Duerson & Hasselmeier Subdivision . Applicant: Gilbert Mendiola c/o Carlos Mendiola] D PUBLIC HEARING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW A [00:50:01] STORAGE BUILDING IN GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT, LOCATED AT 1521 WEST MONROE AVENUE, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT ONE BLOCK THREE, DURON AND HASSEL MIRROR SUBDIVISION. THE APPLICANT IS GILBERT MENDOLA CARE OF CARLOS MENDOLA. THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THIS ITEM, HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM AND NO ONE SIGNED UP. WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ITEM E PUBLIC HEARING, AUTHORIZING THE CLOSING VACATING, TRANSFERRING AN ABANDONMENT OF A 0.5 ACRE TRACK OF LAND LOCATED SOUTH OF AND ADJACENT TO LOT 27. BLOCK TWO OF THE L AND L SUBDIVISION LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF K STREET, APPROXIMATELY 48 FEET NORTH OF FILLMORE AVENUE IN AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS FOR THE CONVEYANCE AND RELEASE OF ALLEY RIGHT AWAY AND CONVEY TO JAMES DE LEON, THE APPLICANT IS JAMES DE LEON. AT THIS TIME, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST OR HAVING ANYONE SIGNED UP, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME AND WE [Item 9a - Public hearing amending the City of Harlingen Code of Ordinances Chapter 111 , Zoning , Article XVIII , Section 111-509(1 )(e) Design Guidelines, Store Front Windows, by prohibiting air conditioner units mounted on walls of a building along a public street within the Downtown District Overlay. Applicant City of Harlingen] WILL MOVE BACK UP TO THE PUBLIC HEARING OF ITEM A AND ALLOW LARS TO PLEASE SPEAK. THANK YOU. I'M A LITTLE OUT OF BREATH. I RAN UP THE STAIRS. , YOU AND ME, BOTH AND MY AGE THAT MATTERS. , LARS, TIME, 1 0 9 NORTH A STREET. I'M HERE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE, UH, IS IT NINE A NINE A, EXCUSE ME. UH, WITH REGARD TO HAVING MECHANICAL OR OTHER THINGS HANGING OVER THE SIDEWALKS AND SO FORTH, THERE'S ALREADY A CITY CODE THAT ONLY ALLOWS FOR AWNINGS AND SIGNAGE TO BE OVER A SIDEWALK. UM, BUT THE DOWNTOWN, WE FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO MAKE IT SPECIFIC. THERE'S A FEW ISSUES WITH IT. ONE BESIDES BEING UNSIGHTLY, AND YOU'VE GOT THIS BEAUTIFUL LITTLE KIND OF OLD TIMEY DOWNTOWN, AND NOW PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO INSTALL THESE THINGS ON THE SIDEWALKS. EXCUSE ME. UH, IT'S A LITTLE UNSIGHTLY AND IT DOESN'T REALLY FIT WITH OUR MOTIF, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY DO HANG OUTSIDE OVER THE SIDEWALKS AND THEY EACH HAVE A DRAINAGE TUBE. AND THE AREA IN QUESTION HAS ABOUT EIGHT OF THESE. AND THOSE TUBES ALL DRAINED RIGHT ONTO THE SIDEWALK. SO IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE. IT'S A, IT'S AN APPEARANCE ISSUE. UH, AND I JUST THINK IT'S, UH, SOMETHING WE CAN, I MEAN, THERE, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO BESIDES HANGING AN AIR CONDITIONER UNIT ON THE EXTERIOR WALL OVER THE SIDEWALK TO COOL YOUR BUILDING. WE'VE BEEN DOING IT WITH THOSE OLD FASHIONED AIR CONDITIONERS FOR YEARS. SO, UH, I'M HOPING THAT YOU CAN SEE YOUR WAY, EXCUSE ME, SEE YOUR WAY CLEAR TO, UH, TO APPROVE THIS AMENDMENT AND, AND GET THROUGH. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, HAVING NO ONE ELSE TO SPEAK OR AGAINST, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MOVE ON [Item 10 - Action Items] TO ACTION ITEMS NUMBER 10, AMANDA? YES. UH, ACTION ITEMS CITY COMMISSION WILL DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND TAKE ANY ACTION DEEMED NECESSARY ON ITEMS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OR AN ORDINANCE, [Item 10a - Consideration and possible action to adopt an ordinance on first reading amending the City of Harlingen Code of Ordinances Chapter 111 , Zoning , Article XVIII , Section 111-509(1 )(e) Design Guidelines, Store Front Windows, by prohibiting air conditioner units mounted on walls of a building along a public street within the Downtown District Overlay . Applicant City of Harlingen.] A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING, AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN CODE OF ORDINANCES. UM, ONE 11 ZONING. ARTICLE 18, SECTION ONE 11 DASH 5 0 9 1 E DESIGN GUIDELINE. STORE FRONT WINDOWS BY PROHIBITING AIR CONDITION UNITS MOUNTED ON WALLS OF A BUILDING ALONG A PUBLIC STREET WITH A DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY APPLICANT, CITY OF HARLINGEN ATTACHMENT. OKAY. AND BEFORE WE GET STARTED, IF WE CAN HAVE, UM, MARK READ THE CAPTION. YES, MA'AM. IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 111 ZONING, ARTICLE 19, SECTION A HUNDRED ELEVEN, FIVE HUNDRED NINE ONE E DESIGN GUIDELINES, STOREFRONT WINDOWS BY PROHIBITING AIR CONDITIONER UNITS MOUNTED ON THE WALLS OF A BUILDING ALONG A PUBLIC STREET WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY, PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION AND ORDAINING OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING. OKAY. FANTASTIC. MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS. GOOD EVENING. UH, SO THAT'S THE BOUNDARY OF THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY. AND THESE ARE THE UNITS THAT, UH, GOT INSTALLED A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT ARE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE AESTHETICALLY, UM, ACCORDING THE DOWNTOWN. SO THE, THE BUILDING CODE ALLOWS THIS. SO THAT'S, UH, UH, SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S WHY THIS ORDINANCE IS BEFORE YOU SO THAT THIS COULD BE PREVENTED IN THE FUTURE IN, IN OTHER BUILDINGS. DID YOU SAY THAT IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY AESTHETICALLY WELL, SO THERE'S ISSUES ABOUT THE SAFETY WITH THE WATER GOING TO THE SIDEWALK. RIGHT. BUT IT'S ALSO THE, THE AESTHETICS OF HAVING THESE UNITS. OKAY. IN, SO IT'S A TWO PART, IT'S A TWO PART WITH THE WATER ON THE SIDEWALK, YOU CAN GET BIOS, SLIME, DEPENDING ON THE HUMIDITY OR ANY MOISTURE THAT BIOS SLIME CAN GET VERY, UH, SLIPPERY AND SOMEBODY CAN IS THIS IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING OR THE BACK OF THE BUILDING? IT'S ALONG THE SIDE STREET. THE SIDE STREET. OKAY. AND [00:55:01] THESE, UM, ARE MINI SPLITS? YES. IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. THERE ARE EIGHT OF THEM AND ONE OF THEM ALREADY HAS THAT BIOS LINE, LINE. I GUESS IT MUST BE WORKING OVER TIME. YEAH. YEAH. LET'S, LET'S JUST CALL IT BIOS LINE. SO WOULD THIS ORDINANCE, WOULD THIS LIKE THIS SPECIFIC BUILDING, WILL THEY BE GRANDFATHERED IN LIKE, CORRECT. OKAY. SO THIS IS JUST FOR NEW STUFF OR, YEAH. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE IN, IN OTHER BU IN OTHER BUILDINGS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY. AND SO CAN, BUT THIS ISN'T FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. THIS WOULD JUST BE FOR DOWNTOWN. JUST FOR THE DOWNTOWN, YEAH. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. IS IS IT A, IT'S NOT A FIRE HAZARD OF ANY SORT, IS IT? NO. NO. WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THESE? WHAT, WHY DO THEY HAVE THEM? LIKE WHAT, I MEAN WHAT IS THE A OR NOT THE APPLICANT BUT THE, THIS WAS THREE MONTHS AGO. IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? A FEW MONTHS AGO? SO, LIKE TO CALL THE BUILDING, UM, THE OWNER, THAT'S WHAT HE DECIDED TO DO FOR THE DIFFERENT, UH, ROOMS. BECAUSE IT'S ALLOWED, IS THAT RIGHT? THE, THE CODE ALLOWS IT AND IT WAS, I GUESS THE LE THE LESS EXPENSIVE O UH, OPTION FOR THE, FOR THE BUILDING OWNER, UH, TO DO. IT'S PROBABLY CHEAPER TO DO THAT THAN TO PUT 'EM ON THE ROOF AND COOL IT THAT WAY. THAT'S PROBABLY WHY THEY DID IT. OKAY. BECAUSE I WAS JUST THINKING THAT THEY DON'T SEEM LIKE I HAVE A LITTLE MINI SPLIT, BUT NOT IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN. UM, BUT IT'S JUST FOR A SMALL ROOM, LIKE A, LIKE A GYM. HOW DOES THIS WORK? IS THIS INDIVIDUAL, ARE THESE MULTIPLE BUSINESSES OR IT'S JUST ONE BUSINESS? IT'S JUST ONE. OKAY. YEAH, SURE. I'M JUST WONDERING IF THEY WENT TO THE BOARD FOR THE DOWNTOWN BOARD, IF THERE'S BEEN ANY DISCUSSION IF THIS WOULD IMPACT ANY OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS. 'CAUSE WE WANNA, YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT HINDERING BUSINESSES, BUT I DO SEE THAT, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T LOOK VERY NICE, SO, WELL, BELIEVE ME, I HAVE, I HAVE A, A GREAT PLACE TO USE THESE MYSELF. AND I, I WOULDN'T BECAUSE OF THE LOOK OF IT. MM-HMM. . UM, BUT THIS IS VERY MUCH AKIN TO, UM, YOU HAVE TWO NEIGHBORS IN THIS CASE, THE NEIGHBOR IS THE CITY OR THE PUBLIC SIDEWALK. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE BUILDING, WHICH IS RIGHT ON THE PROPERTY LINE. UH, WE ALREADY HAVE IT WITHIN THE CITY CODE THAT YOU CAN'T BUILD OR EXTEND OVER YOUR NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY LINE. RIGHT. YOU CAN'T HAVE A ROOF OVERHANGING, YOU CAN'T HAVE SHRUBBERY GROWING OVER. YOU CAN'T ENCROACH ON IT IN ANY WAY STRAIGHT UP. SO IT'S REALLY NOT THAT MUCH OF A, OF A DEPARTURE FROM ANYTHING THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. MM-HMM. THE ORIGINAL CODE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT WAS WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY TO ALLOW CERTAIN THINGS AND, BUT DID NOT, NOBODY IN BACK THEN FORESAW MINI SPLITS HAPPENING. AND SO IT WASN'T INCLUDED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT INVENTED YET. AND SO THEY, THE PERMISSION WAS GIVEN THAT CERTAIN THINGS COULD BE DONE BECAUSE THIS IS ALREADY PART OF THE CITY CODE THAT WE CAN'T BUILD OVER PUBLIC PROPERTY OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROPERTY. MM-HMM. . BUT HAVING NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THE FORESIGHT THAT THESE THINGS WOULD EXIST SOMEDAY, IT WAS NEVER ADDED IN TO INCLUDE SUCH STRUCTURES. SO WHEN YOU SAY THIS IS IN THE SIDE STREET WHERE THIS IS, UH, THIS IS ALONG SECOND STREET, IS IT WHERE THE OLD GYM USED TO BE? THAT IT'S WHERE THE OLD HEB USED TO BE? OR PIGGLY WIGGLY? FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE A REALLY OKAY. REALLY FAR BACK MEMORY. OKAY. OKAY. I WAS JUST SAYING I HAVEN'T SEEN IT. YEAH. AND THERE'S ACTUALLY ABOUT EIGHT OF THOSE. THEY GO FURTHER DOWN. SO ANYWAY, SO I GUESS I'LL STICK AROUND IF, IF THERE'S A QUESTION OR, OKAY. NO, I, I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IF NOT, THEN WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE TO, TO APPROVE THIS. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. ITEM [Item 10b - Consideration and possible action to adopt an ordinance on first read ing for a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow alcoholic beverages for onsite consumption at an event center in a General Retail ("GR") District located at 116 W. Van Buren Avenue, Suite A, bearing a legal description of Lot 20 , Block 59 , Harlingen Original Townsite Subdivision ] 10 B, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE OF FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, SUP TO ALLOW ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ONSITE CONSUMPTION AT AN EVENT CENTER IN A GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT. LOCATED AT ONE 16 WEST VAN BUREN AVENUE, SUITE A BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT 20 BLOCK 59 HARLINGEN ORIGINAL TOWNSIDE SUBDIVISION APPLICANT. JUAN CABRERA PLANNING DEPARTMENT. WHAT WAS THIS BUILDING PRIOR? THE OLD FELDMAN'S. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. AND THAT'S HOW I KNOW IT. I WAS GONNA SAY, BUT IT'S A HISTORICAL BUILDING. COME ON. HISTORY PEOPLE, LIQUOR STORES COME. OKAY. SO DO YOU NEED THE PRESENTATION? NO. NO. OKAY. THERE. MOTION. MOTION. MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE THE CASH. YEAH. COME ON. MARK IN ORDINANCE SUBMITTING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY [01:00:01] OF HARLINGEN, A SPECIAL USE PERMIT ALLOWING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ONSITE CONSUMPTION. AND AT A BET CENTER, ENTER A GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT LOCATED AT 116 WEST BEND BUREAU AVENUE, SUITE A BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT 20 BLOCK 59 HARLINGEN ORIGINAL TOWN SITE, PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION AND ORDAINING. OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING, THERE WAS A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER MIKE MESMER. AND A SECOND. NO, NO. IT WAS, UH, MOTION TO PROOF. MM-HMM. . OKAY. MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER BETIS AND A SECOND FROM MORALE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. MOVING ON. YES, MA'AM. UM, [Item 10c - Consideration and possible action to adopt an ordinance on first reading for a Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow a storage building/detached garage greater than 144 sq . ft. in a Planned Development (" PO ") District located at 3210 Seminole Court, bearing a legal description of Lots 6- 7, Block 3, Treasure Hills Country Club Subdivision . Applicant: Ronald Richardson] ITEM C, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, SUP TO ALLOW A STORAGE BUILDING DETACHED GARAGE GREATER THAN 1 44 AND SQUARE FEET. AND A PLAN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT LOCATED AT 32 10 SEMINOLE COURT BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT SIX SEVEN BLOCK THREE. TREASURE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB SUBDIVISION APPLICANT RONALD RICHARDSON ATTACHMENT MR. ANTE PLANNING. SO THERE'S A PROPOSED, UH, DETACHED GARAGE FOR, UH, THE APPLICANT, MR. RICHARDSON. HIS, UH, HIS HOUSE IS RIGHT HERE AND HE WANTS TO BUILD THE, THE DETACHED GARAGE IN THE, IN HIS SECOND LOT. HE, HE OWNS TWO LOTS NEXT TO EACH OTHER. THAT'S HIS EXISTING HOUSE ON THE SOUTH SIDE, ON THE PROPOSED, UH, UH, GARAGE, 40 BY 45, UH, IN THE SECOND LOT FOR HIS, UH, VEHICLES AND, UH, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HE, HE OWNS. AND THAT'S WHERE THE IS GONNA BE LOCATED. BEHIND THIS, UH, BEHIND THIS FENCE HERE. LEGAL NOTICE BACK, WE DID GET SOME, UH, LETTERS IN OPPOSITION. SO THE LETTERS WERE INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET WITH DIFFERENT, UH, CONCERNS FROM, UH, DIFFERENT PROPERTY OWNERS. BUT THE, UH, DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING, THE, UH, PROPERTY OWNER ACROSS THE STREET SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE, OF THE PROJECT. HERE'S THE OPPOSITION MAP. THESE ARE THE, IN RED ARE THE PEOPLE THAT SUBMITTED LETTERS, AND THEY, UH, THEY MAKE UP 19 PER 19% OF THE NOTIFICATION AREAS. SO IT'S SHY OF A FOR OF A JUST SHY FOR A SUPER MAJORITY VOTE. SO A SUPER MAJORITY VOTE IS NOT REQUIRED. SO MOTION TO APPROVE, YOU NEED TO READ THE CAP, I'M SORRY. MIKE MARK IN ORDINANCE ADMITTING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW A STORAGE BUILDING AND THE GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT LOCATED AT 1521 WEST MONROE AVENUE, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT ONE BLOCK THREE TO WHERE CENTER AND HESSEL MEYER SUBDIVISION PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION IN ORDAINING. OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING, UM, AS THERE IS OPPOSITION FROM NEIGHBORS, I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO DEFEAT THIS. SO, UM, THERE'S NO ONE HERE PRESENT THAT SIGNED UP FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. THE APPLICANT IS HERE IN CASE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR HIM. SURE. WHERE AND THE APPLICANT IS, AND THERE IS A, IN YOUR PACKET, THERE'S A PHOTO OF THE BUILDING THAT HE SHOWED I DIDN'T INCLUDED IN THE POWERPOINT I SEE. BUT IS IN YOUR PACKET OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING THAT HE WANTS TO BUILD IN THAT, IN THAT LAB. YOU KNOW, THE, THE BUILDING THAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR PACKET, UM, IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE GONNA BUILD. IT'S ABOUT 300 FEET DOWN THE STREET ON PINEHURST, AND IT'S ACTUALLY ON THE BULK GOLF COURSE. IT WAS BUILT ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. UH, NOW THE MAIN CONCERN THAT I CAN SEE FROM ALL THE OPPOSITION IS THE VIABILITY OF THE BUILDING DURING A HURRICANE OR STORMS. UH, PERMITTING REQUIRES THAT WE HAVE A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER THAT, UH, CERTIFIES THIS, THIS BUILDING'S GONNA BE STANDING WHEN THE HOUSES AROUND IT THAT WERE BUILT IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES ARE GONE. SO STRUCTURALLY I DON'T SEE WHERE THERE'S ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS BUILDING. AND SO, UM, I KNOW THAT AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU HAD TO, WHEN YOU WERE GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS, YOU HAD TO GET AN ENGINEER TO COME OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT, IT WOULD WITHSTAND ANY WEATHER. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE, WELL, THAT ALL, WELL THAT'S WHAT'LL HAPPEN WHEN ONCE WE START CONSTRUCTION IS THAT YEAH, THERE'LL THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER THAT HAS TO, UH, CERTIFY THIS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE PERMIT. OKAY. OKAY. I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, I I THINK MOST PEOPLE KNOW MY POSITION ON THIS. I THINK IT IS FINE AND I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUILD WHAT YOU WISH ON YOUR PROPERTY. AND IT SEEMS LIKE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S ALREADY, UM, OTHERS. AND SO YOURS WOULD [01:05:01] NOT BE THE FIRST, IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, EXACTLY. IT'S GONNA BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT'S 300 FEET AWAY. RIGHT. ON THE GOLF COURSE. WE'RE NOT ON A GOLF COURSE. , I HEAR YOU. OKAY. UM, UH, JAVIER, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M SORRY. DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. QUESTION. ONE QUESTION IS, IS IT GONNA BE BEHIND A FENCE? IT WON'T BE BEHIND THE FENCE. UM, THERE'LL BE A FENCE ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. OKAY. UM, I THINK THE PICTURE THAT YOU'VE GOT'S VERY SIMILAR. THAT BUILDING IS NOT BEHIND THE FENCE, WHICH IS THIS WHITE ONE. RIGHT. THAT'S HIS HOUSE. AND SO THAT'S THE LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING. MM-HMM. . AND SO HIS FRONT FENCE IS HERE, SO YOU WILL ONLY SEE THE TOP OF THE BUILDING. MM-HMM. MOST OF THE, MOST OF THE BUILDING WILL BE COVERED BY THE, HIS EXISTING FENCE. AND HE HAS A FENCE IN THE, ALONG THE BACK ALSO. OH, THE FENCE GOES ALL THE WAY AROUND THE PROPERTY. YEAH. SO YOU HAVE A FENCE AND IT'S ON YOUR PROPERTY. YEAH. OKAY. AND YOU CAN SEE JUST THE, THE TOP OF THE TOP OF IT. AND THERE'S ONE 300, DID YOU SAY 300 FEET AWAY? MM-HMM. ON PINEHURST. OKAY. AND, OKAY. IS, WAS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. AND SO, MR. CERVANTES RIGHT IT BEFORE HE'S ALLOWED TO START WITH THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE PERMIT NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT HE HAS THE ENGINEER TO GO OUT AND ENSURE THAT IT'S WELL STRUCTURALLY SOUND. THE, THE NE IF THIS IS APPROVED, UH, HIS NEXT STEP IS TO APPLY FOR A BUILDING PERMIT. AND IN THAT BUILDING PERMIT, HE WILL HAVE TO SUBMIT, UH, ENGINEERING PLANS. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, UH, ONCE THOSE ARE BU, BU AND APPROVED, THEN HIS CONSTRUCTION HAS TO MEET THE, THE PLANS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THERE'S A MOTION BY MIKE. IS THERE A SECOND? HAVING NO SECOND MOTION FAILS. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. CONGRATULATIONS SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT WAS ITEM C, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. [Item 10d - Consideration and possible action to adopt an ordinance on first reading for a Special Use Permit (" SUP") to allow a storage build ing in a General Reta il (" GR ") District located at 1521 W. Monroe Avenue, bearing a legal description of Lot 1, Block 3, Duerson & Hassel me ier Subdivision . Applicant: Gilbert Mendiola c/o Carlos Mendiola.] [Item 10e - Consideration and possible action to adopt an ordinance on fi rst read ing authorizing the closi ng , vacating , transferring , and abandonment of a 0.05 acre tract of land located south of and adjacent to Lot 27 , Block 2 of the Land L Subdivision , located on the west side of "K" Street approximately 48 feet north of Filmore Avenue , and authorizing the City Manager to execute all documents for the conveyance and release of alley right-of-way and convey to James Deleon . Applicant: James Deleon ] ITEM D, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE OF FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, SUP TO ALLOW A STORAGE BUILDING IN A GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT. LOCATED AT 1521 WEST MONROE AVENUE, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT ONE BLOCK THREE, DREW JERUSALEM AND, UH, HAS MEYER SUBDIVISION APPLICANT, UH, GILBERT MANDOLA IN CARE OF CARLOS MANOLA ATTACHMENT. MR. ANTE PLANNING AND ZONING. SO THIS IS A, IF YOU CAN JUST READ THE CAPTION. YES, MA'AM. IN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CLOSING, VACATING, TRANSFERRING AND ABANDONMENT OF A A 0.05 ACRE TRACK, THE LAND LOCATED SOUTH OF AN ADJACENT TO LOT 27, BLOCK TWO L AND L SUBDIVISION LOCATED IN THE WEST SIDE OF K STREET, APPROXIMATELY 48 FEET NORTH OF FILLMORE AVENUE, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS FOR THE CONVEYANCE AND RELEASE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY, AND CONVEY THE PROPERTY IN MR. JAMES DELEON, SUBJECT TO PAYING ALL CLOSING COSTS. IS THERE A MOTION? THE THERE'S A MOTION. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. SORRY THAT THAT WAS THE, THE CAPTION FOR THE NEXT AGENDA. ITEM. OH, I'M SORRY. WE'RE ON D, S, D. OKAY. SO WELL THEN WE TOOK CARE OF E WE'LL MOVE BACK TO ITEM D. GO AHEAD. MARK D WAS A STORAGE BUILDING. E IS IT'S CALLED C AND D ARE BOTH STORAGE BUILDINGS. IT'S PAGE 1 28, IF YOU HAVE NUMBERS HERE. MARKED MARK IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN OWE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW A STORAGE BUILDING IN THE GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT, LOCATED AT 1521 WEST MONROE AVENUE DURING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT ONE BLOCK THREE, DRE CENTER AND HASSEL, MY SUBDIVISION PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION ORDAINING. OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING. OKAY. IS THERE MOTION APPROVE? SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM TAKING CARE OF E ALREADY. OKAY. OKAY. MOVE ON TO [Item 10f - Presentation by the top three (3) Professional Consultants on employee insurance/benefits and possible approval of awarding a contract to one of the following compan ies.] UM, F. YES. OKAY. UH, PRESENTATION BY THE TOP THREE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS ON EMPLOY, ON EMPLOYEE INSURANCE AND BENEFITS, BOTH ON E AND POSSIBLE APPROVAL OF AWARDING A CONTRACT TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES. ONE DIGITAL SAG [01:10:01] RIDGE AND HENRY ROSEN BOND. UM, MCGRIFF INSURANCE SERVICES, SCOTT GIBBS AND JOHN BEST, UH, INGER BENEFITS SERVICES JOB. I MEAN, JACOB VONNE. HERE, SKIP THIS ONE. HI. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COMMISSION. SO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION AS MENTIONED BY THE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS. HOWEVER, UM, THERE IS A CHANGE. UM, THE TOP THREE WAS ONE DIGITAL MCGRIFF AND GALLAGHER. HOWEVER, UM, GALLAGHER HAS RESCINDED THEIR RFQ. SO WE HAVE, UH, VALUE RISK CONSULTANTS WHO IS GOING TO BE PRESENTING. SO THEY ARE THE NOW THE TOP THREE. I'M SORRY, WHO'S THE THIRD ONE? NOW? VALLEY RISK CONSULTING. THEY'RE OUR CURRENT, UH, CONSULTANT. THEY'RE OUR CURRENT CONSULTANT. AND THE, THESE ARE NOT RANKED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY, THEY'RE JUST, UH, LISTED, UH, AS A TOP THREE. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. AND SO, ARE WE GOING TO DO I, I'M CONFUSED. ADEQUATE QUESTION. DID WE DO THE E YES, YES. THE RIGHT OF WAY? YES, WE VOTED ON IT. YES. THAT'S THE ONE WE DID RIGHT NOW. WE SKIPPED, SO WE DID THE STORAGE ONE. WE DID ALL OF THEM. OKAY. CORRECT. RIGHT. ALL OF THEM, AMANDA, WE, WE JUST DIDN'T READ THE AGENDA ITEM, BUT WE READ THE CAPTION AND WE WORKED ON IT, SO. OKAY. 'CAUSE YEAH. OKAY. YES. OKAY. MARK, YOU'RE NOT A HEALTHY MARK. . . OKAY. AND SO, UH, ERIC, IS IT FIVE MINUTES FOR A PRESENTATION? FIVE MINUTE FOR QUESTIONS? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. SO DO YOU, DO YOU WANT THEM TO GO AHEAD AND PRESENT IN THIS ORDER? THAT'S ON THE AGENDA HOWEVER YOU LIKE. OKAY. 'CAUSE I HAD GIVEN THEM A SPECIFIC ORDER, BUT WHAT HOWEVER YOU LIKE IS FINE WITH US. SO, UM, FIRST OFF, WE HAVE MCGRIFF INSURANCE SERVICES. OKAY. HELLO. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING. YEAH. FOR YOUR TABLE PLACEMENT FOR MY SONS. THERE YOU GO. MESSY HEATERS YOU CAN HAVE. YEAH, NO, I'M GOOD. DON'T DO THIS. MINE, LIKE TO DO IT WHEN THEY MAKE SLIME. YEAH. YES. I WAS. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY. UM, SO YOU WILL HAVE FIVE, FIVE MINUTES TO, TO PRESENT. SURE. AND, UH, AMANDA, WE'LL KEEP TIME. YES. WE'RE KEEPING TIME THERE, BUT I'LL KEEP TIME HERE TOO. FIVE MINUTES, RIGHT? IT'S NOT THERE. OKAY, PERFECT. GO RIGHT AHEAD. THANK YOU. UM, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, UM, SCOTT, CITY MANAGER. YES, SIR. JUST A SECOND BEFORE YOU START. UM, WE HAD THE, THE SCORING SHEETS THAT WERE SENT TO THE MERIT ERS SEPARATELY. AMANDA, THEY'RE NOT IN THE, UH, I DON'T HAVE IT IN THERE ELECTRONICALLY. I THINK THE ONLY ONES THAT MAY HAVE IT ARE THE ONES THAT GOT HARD COPIES. UM, BUT THE ELECTRONIC VERSIONS DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THE, UH, INTO THE PACKET. COULD YOU? YEAH, THERE WERE, UM, DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE, THE SCORING SHEET THAT YOU COULD JUST MAKE COPIES FOR THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION? I GOT MINE RIGHT HERE. YEAH. IF YOU WANT TO USE THIS TO MAKE A COPY. UM, SO WHAT, HE'S OKAY. YEAH. I, I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THIS. AND MIKE NEEDS ONE AS WELL. WHAT HE'S REFERRING TO IS THAT THIS IS THE TABULATION SHEET. YEAH, THAT'S, BUT I HAVE THE ACTUAL SCORING SHEETS FROM ALL THE COMMITTEES. NO, WE JUST NEED A TABULATION SHEETS FOR NOW. YEAH. SO JUST MAKE COPIES FOR EVERYBODY. UM, I'M NOT SURE WHY THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PACKET. UM, IS THERE ANOTHER, UH, ANOTHER, ANOTHER, UM, ANOTHER, BECAUSE WE INCLUDED EVERY, EVERY PROPOSAL. I ASKED THEM TO SEND IT SEPARATELY AND NOT IN THE ENTIRE PACKET, SO THAT YOU COULD HAVE IT JUST BY ITSELF, BUT IT DIDN'T, FOR SOME REASON IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. UM, CAN WE MOVE ON? UH, SCOTT, I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. OKAY. NO, YEAH, GO AHEAD. GOOD. YEAH, GO AHEAD. UH, MAYOR, UH, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO? I'M NO WAY. YOU GOT IT. NO WORRIES. I'M, HEY, I'M HERE FOR YOU GUYS. WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD. I WANNA GET, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME WHEN YOU'RE PRESENTING. SO IF YOU CAN JUST, UM, HAVE, HAVE A SEAT AND WE'RE GONNA PASS ON THIS AND WE WON'T TAKE AWAY ANY OF YOUR TIME, BUT WE'LL GO ON TO ITEM G, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION DENYING THE RATE CHANGE APPLICATION PROPOSED BY A EP TEXAS, UH, GABE, UM, MAYOR MEMBERS COMMISSION. YOU MAY RECALL THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE ACTUALLY APPROVED THE RESOLUTION TO SUSPEND THE RIGHTS, GIVING TIME TO, UH, UH, THOMAS BRITO AND HIS STAFF TO REVIEW THE, UH, REQUEST BY A P. THEY FINISHED THEIR REQUEST AND FOUND THAT THE RATES, UH, WERE NOT, UH, JUSTIFIABLE. SO NOW THEY'RE ASKING US TO SUSPEND AND DENY [01:15:01] THE RATES. SO THIS RESOLUTION, WE'LL DO THAT, UH, IT'LL FORCE THE PARTIES TO COME BACK TOGETHER AND TRY TO COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF RESOLUTION. BUT WE NEED TO DO THIS BEFORE IT GOES TO THE PUC. SO, WE ARE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION, WHICH WILL DENY THE RIGHTS BEING REQUESTED BY A EP. UH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND, THIS RESOLUTION DENY SECOND P. OKAY. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER FETIS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIEDS. AND [Item 11 - Board Appointments] HOW ABOUT, LET'S GO TO ITEM 11, BOARD APPOINTMENTS, AND WE'LL START WITH, UM, COMMISSIONER KINSLEY, YOU HAVE ANY? I HAVE, UH, ALONZO CASOS TO THE VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD TO REPLACE GIL LUCIO. OKAY. UH, COMMISSIONER, UM, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, GABE, YOU TOLD ME THAT WE'RE MISSING FOUR PEOPLE TO THE KEY HARLING AND BEAUTIFUL. YES, WE ARE. MATTER OF FACT, WE TRIED TO HAVE A MEETING, UM, I THINK IT WAS EARLIER THIS WEEK. UH, AND, UH, AGAIN, WE ONLY GOT NINE MEMBERS TO SHOW UP, AND SO WE WERE NOT ABLE TO MEET. UH, AND SO I DID TALK TO MARK ABOUT POSSIBLY, UM, TRYING TO COME UP WITH A SCENARIO WHERE WE CREATE ANOTHER CORPORATION THAT DOES THE SAME THING, BUT JUST, UH, PROVIDE THE ARTICLES OF A CORPORATION THAT ONLY CALL FOR CERTAIN A LESS NUMBER OF MEMBERS. I THINK RIGHT NOW THERE'S, THERE'S 18 AND WE NEED TO GET 10 MEMBERS TO SHOW UP. AND SO IF WE CAN DO THAT, THAT MIGHT BE A SOLUTION TO RESOLVE. WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS WE COULD START THE, START IT WITH AN INITIAL ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION WITH JUST, I GOT A SIMPLER SOLUTION. I'M GONNA APPOINT ANNMARIE REYES, COMMISSIONER, FORT KINSLEY, COMMISSIONER RENEE PEREZ, AND MYSELF FOR THE LAST FOUR SLOTS. WE GO IN, WE HAVE THE MEETINGS, THEN WE CAN REDUCE THE NUMBERS. OKAY. WE JUST KNOCK IT OUT OURSELVES. IT WORKS. OKAY. SO IT'S, I'M THE CAPTAIN NOW. I'M TAKING SOME OF YOUR SLOTS, MY, YOUR APPOINTMENTS. BUT WE'RE GONNA GONNA DO THIS, AND THEN I'LL GIVE UP MY SEAT TO WHOEVER SLOT I TOOK FROM ONE OF Y'ALL. OH, NO. I FEEL A LITTLE EXCLUDED HERE. LIKE A MY SPOT. YOU WANT IT? MY SPOT COULD DO THIS, BUT, UM, BUT I'M IN AGREEMENT. . ALRIGHT. YEAH. SO THAT SOUNDS GOOD. OKAY. SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE THAT SOLVES THAT ISSUE. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER APPOINTMENTS? NO. YEAH, IT'LL BE ANNEMARIE REYES, FORD, KINSLEY, RENEE BEEZ, MYSELF, BUT OTHER BOARDS. YOU'RE GOOD. MIKE REAPPOINT, UH, WAYNE TY AT DOWNTOWN AND CREW. UH, DONNA BOSKY FOR THE, UH, KEY BARN. AND BEAUTIFUL. SO WHO, WHICH OF YOU GUYS CUT MYSELF OFF? YOU WANT TO STAY ON OR STAY OFF? I'LL STAY ON. YOU WANT TO STAY ON? YEAH. WE, WE, UM, COMMISSIONER, I THINK ONE OF THE MEMBERS RESIGNED, UM, THE ONE THAT SERVED AS THE, UM, KEY HYDROGEN BEAUTIFUL, UH, DIRECTOR. MELISSA BOYKIN. MELISSA BOYKIN. YES. SHE RESIGNED. SO MAYBE YOU CAN APPOINT HER. YES. OKAY. SHE WAS MINE. OH, SHE WAS YOURS. YEAH. SO I'M ASKING FOR DONNA BALINSKI TO BE ON THAT BOARD. SO WHO DO YOU, DANIEL WANTS TO, I CAN TAKE, UH, DANIEL'S SPOT THERE THAT'S OPEN OR SOMEBODY ELSE'S FOR HER. UM, SO WE HAVE FOUR SLOTS OPEN, OR FIVE. WELL, WE JUST FIND, UM, UH, NICK CONIG WHO TOLD ME AT THE MEETING THAT SHE HAD RESIGNED. WE CAN. SO NOW WE HAVE FIVE. WE HAVE, WE HAVE FIVE. YES. SO WE ALL GOTTA PICK. SO THE FOUR I SO JUST STAY ON? YES. OKAY. BUT MELISSA WAS COMMISSIONER KENZIE. ARE YOU OKAY WITH HIM? NO. APPOINTING HER. OKAY. OKAY, GOOD. SO WE'LL STILL HAVE THE COMMISSIONER SERVING, INCLUDING YOU AND, UH, YOUR APPOINTMENT. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? UH, THAT'S IT. GREENY. I'M GOOD. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. MOVING [Item 10f2 - McGriff Insurance Services, Inc. - Scott Gibbs and John Bass] BACK TO ITEM, UM, F GENTLEMEN AND JUSTICE AS FYI. SCOTT GIBBS AND HIS COMPANY MCGRIFF HAD BEEN OUR CONSULTANTS BEFORE ALSO. SO WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? OH, I TORE MY ROTATOR CUFF 15 AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET OLDER, THINGS JUST START BUGGING YOU. AND SO, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO IT, YEAH, SO I'VE HAD SURGERY TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO, SO I'M GLAD TO BE HERE. SO, ALL RIGHT, MAYOR, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU, UH, FOR HAVING US, UM, HERE TODAY. UM, UM, I'M, IT'S MYSELF, SCOTT GIBBS, UM, WITH MCGRIFF INSURANCE SERVICES AND JOHN BASS, UM, TO MY RIGHT. UM, WE, UM, WE'RE VERY HONORED TO, UM, HAVE WORKED WITH YOU GUYS SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS PROVIDING, UM, CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE EMPLOYEE BENEFIT [01:20:01] PLANS. SO, UM, VERY, UH, VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE. UM, WE'RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE WORKED WITH, UH, THE CITY MANAGER, UH, AND WHEN HE WAS IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES OVER THOSE, UM, OVER THOSE 18 YEARS. UM, I THINK, UH, WHAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON WERE JUST SOME KEY DIFFERENTIATORS, UM, FOR MCGRIFF. I THINK THE FIRST IS THE, UM, THE, THE TEAM THAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE, WHICH IS MYSELF AND JOHN. UM, I HAVE, UH, BEEN WITH MCGRIFF FOR 22 YEARS. I RUN THE PUBLIC ENTITY VERTICAL FOR MCGRIFF, UH, PUBLIC ENTITY IS ALL I DO. UM, YOU KNOW, WITH MCGRIFF, JOHN, UH, HAS BEEN WITH MCGRIFF FOR FOUR YEARS. HE'S BEEN IN THE BUSINESS 41 YEARS. I KNOW HE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT, BUT, UM, HE, UH, HE WORKED FOR UNITED HEALTHCARE FOR A LONG TIME. HE RAN THEIR PUBLIC AND LABOR MARKET. SO THE NICE THING ABOUT BOTH OF US IS, UM, WE GOT THE EXPERIENCE ON THE CARRIER SIDE EXPERIENCE ON THE CONSULTING SIDE TO KNOW WHERE THE BODIES ARE KIND OF BURIED. CHRISTINA PALACIO SERVE AS THE SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE. CHRISTINA WAS THE, UH, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ON THE CITY'S ACCOUNT. SHE'S VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE ACCOUNT. UM, BILINGUAL DOES A GREAT JOB, AS WELL AS JORDAN NIXON, WHO IS OUR DATA ANALYST. JORDAN, UM, HAS, UM, LOOKED AT THE DATA FOR THE CITY OVER MANY, MANY YEARS, UNDERSTANDS, UM, THE DATA. I THINK, UM, OVERALL FROM A PUBLIC ENDING STANDPOINT, UM, WE WORK WITH ABOUT 350 DIFFERENT PUBLIC ENTITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS. UH, HARLAN'S, IST IS A CLIENT OF OURS. UM, I'D ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD LOVE TO, IF YOU CHECKED REFERENCES, IT'S GREAT. UM, RACHEL CORTEZ OVER THERE. SHE'S, SHE'S AWESOME. UM, WE'VE DONE A REALLY, REALLY GOOD JOB, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM. SO, UM, I THINK IT'S OUR, OUR EXPERTISE THAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE. AND ULTIMATELY, I THINK AT THE END, IT'S, IT'S OUR CULTURE. WE LOVE OUR CLIENTS. WE'RE PASSIONATE. UM, MUCH LIKE THE, UH, COACH, UH, RIOS. I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT MY CLIENTS. I'M INVOLVED. I DON'T WALK AWAY. MANY OF YOU, UM, IN THE PAST HAVE SEEN ME HERE. I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE. I'M ALWAYS AVAILABLE, UM, FOR THE CITY. UH, WE ARE COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT. WE'RE FIERCELY INDEPENDENT. UH, WE HAVE THE CITY'S, UM, INTEREST AT HEART. WE KNOW THAT, UH, THAT YOU GUYS ARE FIGHTING FOR TALENT. SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS PROTECT YOUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND PROVIDE YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH THE, UH, BEST BENEFIT PLAN AT THE LOWEST COST. WE'D LOVE TO LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU GUYS AGAIN. WE REALLY WOULD BE HONORED. SCOTT, I HAVE A QUESTION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE COMMISSION ASKED, UH, FOR ME WAS THAT THE CONSULTANTS PROVIDE A PLAN ON BEING SELF-FUNDED. MM-HMM. . UM, HOW ARE YOU AT? ABSOLUTELY. SO, SO THE MAJORITY OF OUR, OUR, THE MAJORITY OF OUR GROUPS ARE, UM, ARE PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDED. SO, UH, IF YOU, WHEN IN THE PAST, OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE TRACKED THAT FOR, FOR YOU, FOR, UH, FOR THE CITY, UM, AT THE TIMES IT WAS JUST NOT, IT, IT WAS NOT, UM, FINANCIALLY SMART TO DO IT AT THE TIME. SO THAT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD COME IN. FIRST THING WE WOULD DO IS LOOK AT THE FINANCIALS AGAIN. UM, WE WOULD RUN IT THROUGH OUR MODELS AND WE WOULD TAKE A LOOK AT IT, UM, FROM A PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDED STANDPOINT OR NOT. UM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS SELF-FUNDED AS WELL. UM, SO WE ARE, UH, AGAIN, I WOULD TELL YOU THAT PROBABLY 75% OF OUR MUNICIPAL CLIENTS ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE PARTIALLY SELF, SELF-FUNDED OR IN SOME FORM. BUT, UM, THE REALITY IS THAT THAT'S WHAT WE DO. WE'RE EXPERTS IN THAT. SO WE WILL JUST, UM, WE'LL LAY IT OUT FOR YOU. AND THEN SOMETIMES WHAT, WHAT IT, WHAT WE DO TOO IS IT, IT BECOMES A THREE-YEAR PLAN. AND SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL TRACK YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THAT POINT WHERE IT, IT DOES MAKE SENSE FOR YOU GUYS TO ACTUALLY GO PARTIALLY SELF IN IT. AND THERE'S ALSO OTHER, UM, THERE'S OTHER CONTRACTUAL MECHANISMS LIKE, UM, LEVEL FUNDED PREMIUM, WHICH YOU GET THE BENEFIT A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, BEING PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDED, BUT THE PROTECTION OF FULLY INSURED PREMIUM. SO IT'S NOT JUST PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDED AND FULLY INSURED. THERE'S SOME OPTIONS IN THE MIDDLE THAT WE WILL, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT FOR YOU TOO, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE FIND THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU. HOW MANY, EXCUSE ME, HOW MANY, UH, MUNICIPALITIES DID YOU SAY YOU SERVICE? SO, UM, WE SERVICE, WHETHER IT'S ON THE RISK MANAGER SIDE OR THE EV SIDE, WE SERVICE ABOUT 350, UM, UH, ACROSS RISK MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. UM, I WOULD SAY JUST MUNICIPAL CLIENTS. ON THE EMPLOYEE BENEFIT SIDE, WE'RE PROBABLY WORKING WITH 30 TO 35 THROUGHOUT THE STATE. WHERE IS IT? WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED? SO I AM, UM, OUT OF DALLAS, TEXAS. UM, JOHN IS IN SAN ANTONIO. SAN ANTONIO, YEP. AND CHRISTINA IS, UH, IS IN DALLAS. UM, YOU KNOW, AS WELL. SO. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY OF THE MUNICIPALITIES HERE IN OUR REGION? NO. I MEAN, I'VE HAD SOME ON AND OFF OVER THE YEARS, BUT YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW I'VE GOT THE, THE DISTRICT AND YOU GUYS, AND THEN, UM, UH, WE HAVE NO COUNTY. UM, WE HAVE BEAR COUNTY. I KNOW THAT'S KIND OF THE TIP OF THE VALLEY, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, [01:25:01] IT'S NOT IN THE VALLEY. NOT IN THE VALLEY THOUGH. NO, MA'AM. SO THANK YOU. LET'S NOT SAY THAT. I WAS GONNA SAY, YEAH, NOT IN THE VALLEY. THIS SOUTH TEXAS. I GOTCHA. SO WE'RE ALL GONNA COME IN COWBOY HATS NEXT , TEXAS. JOKING, JOKING. TEXAS SHIRTS AND HAVE YELLOW FLOWERS. EXCUSE ME. YOU HAVE TO WEAR THE RHINESTONES UNDER YOUR ABSOLUTELY. MAN. COMMISSIONER I HAVE ARE THESE MUNICIPALITIES, YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES. HOW MANY OF THESE ARE SELF-FUNDED? UM, I WOULD SAY ON OUR MUNICIPALITIES THAT I, I I WOULD PROBABLY SAY 85 MINUTES ZERO. OKAY. OKAY. BUT NOW WE'RE IN THE QUESTION. I WOULD SAY ABOUT 80% OF THEM ARE, ARE SELF-FUNDED. YEAH. AND, AND WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IT REALLY, IT'S A, IT KIND OF LOOKS AT LIKE WHERE, WHERE YOUR HEAD COUNT IS. SO TYPICALLY MOST OF OUR MUNICIPALITIES WILL START LOOKING AT MOVING TO, TO BE SELF-FUNDED WHEN THEY'RE, UH, 200 TO 250 EMPLOYEES. UM, THEY'LL START LOOKING AT, AT, AT KIND OF MOVING THERE AT 250 EMPLOYEES, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? YEAH. BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEY'LL START LOOKING AT IT. OKAY. UM, BUT, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, WE, AGAIN, WE'LL DO THE ANALYSIS FOR ANY ONE OF OUR CLIENTS TO MAKE SURE WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, IF IT, IF IT, IF IT FITS, BECAUSE THERE ARE SCENARIOS WHERE IT ABSOLUTELY WILL FIT. AND THEN THERE'S OTHER SCENARIOS DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND DEPENDING ON THE RATES THAT THE CARRIERS HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE THAT FULLY INSURED PREMIUM, UH, IS, IS A BETTER OPTION THAN, THAN THAN SELF-FUNDED. IT JUST, YOU HAVE TO DO THE ANALYSIS. SO I'M CURIOUS, UM, YOU, YOU WERE WITH, YOU HAD THE CITY OF HARLINGEN FOR MANY YEARS, AND CLEARLY WE HAVE WAY MORE THAN 250 EMPLOYEES FOR SINCE, SINCE I GUESS FOREVER, RIGHT? . UM, SO CAN YOU JUST BRIEFLY EXPLAIN WHY THAT, IF IT WOULD, IF, IF IT WAS ENTERTAINED BACK THEN, WHAT WAS THE MAIN REASON NOT GOING THAT ROUTE? IF, IF YOU RECALL? SURE. YEAH. NO, NO, NO PROBLEM. EVERY YEAR WE WOULD LOOK AT, UM, EVERY YEAR WHEN WE PUT PUT OUT THE BIDS, WE WOULD ASK FOR BIDS FOR ON A FULLY INSURED BASIS AND A PARTIALLY SELF-FUNDED BASIS. AND SO AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN WE DID THE ANALYSIS, UM, THE, UM, THE CARRIERS ON A FULLY INSURED BASIS, FROM AN UNDERWRITING STANDPOINT, UH, THE CARRIER RATES WERE ACTUALLY LOWER THAN IF, UM, IF YOU WOULD'VE BEEN SELF-FUNDED AND TAKE THE RISK YOURSELF. SO THERE'S, THERE'S KIND OF A DELTA, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE GROUP. UM, MOST OF THE TIME GROUPS REALLY WANT TO SEE, UM, THEY KIND OF WANNA SEE A DELTA OF SEVEN TO 10%, UM, BETWEEN GOING AND, AND GOING SELF-FUNDED. BUT THE REALITY IS SELF-FUNDED ARE FULLY INSURED. THE VEHICLES INSIDE OF IT, FROM AN UNDERWRITING STANDPOINT ARE THE SAME. THEY'RE JUST CALLED DIFFERENT THINGS. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FULLY INSURED WORLD, OBVIOUSLY THE CARRIER'S TAKING ON THE RISK, SO YOU PAY A LITTLE BIT OF A PREMIUM FOR THAT RISK. UM, BUT IN CERTAIN MARKETS, DEPENDING ON THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THAT MARKET, FROM A CARRIER STANDPOINT, IT MAY, UH, YOU KNOW, FINANCIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS THEY COME IN, SOMETIMES CAN COME IN LOWER ON THE FULLY INSURED. SO. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OUT OF THE 80% OF THESE 30 TO 35 MUNICIPALITIES, UM, WHICH ONES, WHAT'S THE POPULATION OF SOME OF THOSE? AND CAN YOU GIVE US NAMES? THEY'RE SO FUNDED. UM, YEAH, SURE. UH, LET'S SEE. WE'VE GOT, UM, I CAN TELL YOU, HUH? A YEAH, WE'VE GOT MESQUITE, CITY OF ABILENE, UM, CITY OF MIDLAND, UM, AND, UH, WHO AM I BLANKING ON? CITY OF, UH, LET'S SEE. WE'VE GOT GRAPEVINES, CITY OF GRAPEVINE. UM, WE HAVE, UH, CITY OF CEDAR HILL. UM, SO WHEN WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO HAVE, LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, COUNTIES. AND SO, WHICH IS THE FURTHEST ONE THAT'S THE, THE FURTHEST SOUTH? UM, THE FURTHEST SOUTH WOULD, WELL, WE HAVE OASIS COUNTY, UM, AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, CITY, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE CITY OF, UH, BUTA OR NO, IT, CITY OF TEMPLE TOO. YEAH. BUT DON'T THINK IS IS A, IS THE ONE THAT'S THE FURTHEST SOUTH. UH, BUTTA IS PROBABLY THE FURTHEST CITY, UM, SOUTH. UH, SO I GUESS IF YOU'RE GOING THAT WAY, WE'VE GOT TEMPLE STILL. FUR IS NORTH OF, UH, BOSTON AND RIGHT. BUTTA IS, WELL, I'M TRYING TO THINK LIKE HOW ORANGE FITS OVER THERE. 'CAUSE WE HAVE CITY OF ORANGE OVER HERE AND WHERE BUDDHA IS, YOU KNOW, SO, BUT IN THE VALLEY CORRIDOR, UM, WE, WE, WE JUST, YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE ANY CITIES RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S OKAY. I, I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO THINK, THE COMMISSIONER'S TRYING TO SEE WHAT'S CLOSEST TO OUR COMMUNITY. SURE. AND IF THE, IN TERMS OF POPULATION, SO MAYBE THE QUESTION WOULD BE IF THERE'S, UM, ANY CITIES THAT YOU HAVE WITH SIMILAR POPULATION IN THE STATE OF TEXAS THAT ARE SELF-FUNDED, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S SMALLER COMMUNITIES, OUR NEIGHBORS IN SANTO, SO I DON'T REALLY NECESSARILY THINK IF THERE'S, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THERE'S A DIRECT CORRELATION TO POPULATION, UM, OR NOT, BUT I THINK IS THAT KIND OF THE QUESTION? THAT'S [01:30:01] ONE AND TWO IS, IS, IS, UH, THE, UH, MEETING CAPITAL, HOW MUCH, WHAT'S THE EARNINGS OF THOSE CITIES? BECAUSE I WAS MEET MOSQUITOES IS WELL FUNDED. MM-HMM. , UM, ABILENE, I KNOW WHERE IT'S AT. I'M SURE IT'S WELL FUNDED. YOU HAVE A AIR FORCE BASE THERE, I BELIEVE. YES, SIR. UM, YOU ALSO MENTIONED, UH, HELP ME OUT HERE. UH, TEMPLE CITY OF TEMPLE TEMPLE. UH, YEAH, YOU GOT SOME, YOU GOT SOME PEOPLE THAT REALLY MAKE SOME REAL GOOD MONEY UP THERE. AND ALL OF THESE THAT YOU HAVE ARE IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA AND GOING WEST AND AND SOUTH. AND THAT, THAT CLUSTER OF TEXAS, OBVIOUSLY MIDLAND, THAT'S WAY WEST. WELL, I CAN GO EVEN FURTHER WEST. WE HAVE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO TOO. SO THAT'S , THAT'S NEW MEXICO. YEAH. RIGHT. THAT'S NOT TEXAS, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. SO, SO THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. IT OKAY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. YEP. I HOPE YOU START TO FEEL BETTER. OH, THANK YOU. NO, IT'S, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THE NEXT ONE IS GO, LET, GO AHEAD AND ERICA HERE. OH, HI. SO [Item 10f1 - One Digital - Zach Gingrich and Henry Rosenbaum] THE NEXT ONE WE HAVE IS ONE DIGITAL, AND THAT'S, UH, ZACH GINGRICH AND HENRY ROSENBAUM. IT'S JUST A CHAIR, . GOOD EVENING MAYOR. AND, UH, COMMISSION SENIOR MANAGER. UM, ZACH GINGRICH. I'M WITH ONE DIGITAL, UH, WITH ME THIS EVENING. I HAVE HENRY, HENRY ROSENBAUM, UH, SENIOR UNDERWRITER AND FINANCIAL CONSULTANT FOR US AT ONE DIGITAL. UM, MYSELF, I AM AN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTANT. UM, SO REALLY IN CHARGE OF THE OVERALL PROCESS, UM, ALL THE WAY FROM THE MARKETING OF THE COVERAGES TO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND THE MONITORING OF THE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN. UH, BUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE DIGITAL. UM, WE WERE FOUNDED AS AN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS OR HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTING FIRM ONLY, UM, WAS THE CORE OF WHAT WE DID. UM, AND TODAY STILL REMAINS THAT CORE. SO WE HAVE GROWN TO OFFER FINANCIAL SERVICES, PROPERTY AND CASUALTY, UH, INSURANCE CONSULTING, UM, AS WELL AS HR CONSULTING. BUT, UM, AS MENTIONED, HEALTH INSURANCE, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS STILL REMAINS THE CORE OF WHAT WE DO. SO, UM, HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN? UM, IN SIMPLE, WE LIVE AND BREATHE HEALTH INSURANCE ALL THE WAY FROM, UM, THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PLAN, THE COST REDUCTION, WHAT IT MEANS TO YOUR EMPLOYEES, UM, MAKING SURE THE BENEFITS ARE RICH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW ARE THOSE COMMUNICATED? DO THE EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS? UM, WHAT, UH, WHAT VESSELS ARE USED TO COMMUNICATE THE BENEFITS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND IT, USE IT MORE EFFICIENTLY FOR THEMSELVES, THEIR FAMILIES, UM, AND IN RETURN, UH, WILL FINANCIALLY BE BENEFICIAL TO THE CITY. UM, BEING FOCUSED AROUND HEALTH INSURANCE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS THAT WE OFFER. UM, ONE OF, BE ONE OF BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT IS COST CONTAINMENT. UM, CONTAIN YOUR COSTS, UM, THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS. UM, I DO HAVE HENRY WITH ME TONIGHT AS MENTIONED FROM THE UNDERWRITING, ACTUARIAL AND THE FINANCIAL PIECE OF IT. UM, AS WELL AS OUR PHARMACY TEAM, WHICH WE'LL GET TO HERE IN A BRIEF SECOND. UM, AND A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CENTER OF EXCELLENCES, WHICH IS GONNA INCLUDE A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR STOP LOSS, DIFFERENT CAPTIVES. UM, I KNOW THERE'S A QUESTION ON SELF-INSURING A LOT OF THESE WILL PLAY INTO THAT CONVERSATION. UM, AS MENTIONED, UM, FOUNDED AROUND HEALTH INSURANCE WITH THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS THAT'S REQUIRED OF YOUR STAFF AND THE CITY AS A WHOLE. UM, AND SO OUR TEAM AND TEAM OF EXPERTS SUPPORTED BY LEGAL STAFF OF ATTORNEYS ASSIST WITH THAT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. SO THAT'S GONNA INCLUDE EVERYTHING FROM, UM, COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTS TO ANYTHING FROM A LABOR OR LAW, UM, UPDATE. OUR TEAM IS GONNA HELP YOUR TEAM STAY UP TO DATE ON THAT. UM, AND THEN AS MENTIONED, UM, BEYOND THE COST CONTAINMENT AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PLAN, HOW IS IT DELIVERED TO YOUR EMPLOYEES? HOW ARE THEY UNDERSTAND IT AND HOW ARE THEY UTILIZING IT? SO IMPROVING THEIR LIVES AND THE UTILIZATION OF THE PLAN? UM, THE TEAM ASSIGNED TO HARLINGEN, UM, IS COMPOSED OF BOTH A, A TEXAS-BASED TEAM AS WELL AS A NATIONAL TEAM. UM, MYSELF AS MENTIONED, ZACH RIDGE. UM, I'VE WORKED THROUGHOUT CAMERON COUNTY AS WELL AS HI DOGGO COUNTY OVER THE YEARS. UM, SO VERY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS HERE. UM, YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR POPULATION, AND THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE AREA. UM, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL TEAM MEMBERS THAT ARE FROM THE AREA, GEORGE, ONE OF WHICH WOULD BE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH HARLINGEN. UM, GREW UP IN WESTLAKE COAST, SO, UM, A LITTLE MORE WEST, UM, BUT VERY FAMILIAR WITH, WITH THE, UH, COMMUNITY AND THE, UH, THE PUBLIC THAT YOU SUPPORT. UM, AS MENTIONED, I DID WANT TO HAVE HENRY HERE WITH ME THIS EVENING, UM, JUST AS FIRST AND FOREMOST FINANCIAL, UM, OUTCOMES OF THE HEALTH PLAN AND SAVING BOTH THE [01:35:01] CITY MONEY AS WELL AS YOUR EMPLOYEES IS A, IS A, UM, VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT. I MENTIONED, UM, SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE OFFER AROUND STOP-LOSS, WHICH IS GONNA TIE INTO A SELF-INSURED OR PARTIALLY SELF-INSURED PLAN. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE SEPARATE DIVISIONS WITH BASE HERE IN TEXAS THAT ARE PURELY DEVOTED TO THOSE SOLUTIONS. UM, UM, WITH THAT, I DO WANT TO, UH, HAND IT OVER TO HENRY. UM, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UH, ANALYTICS. THANK Y'ALL. UH, YEAH. SO I JUST WANT TO, AGAIN, MY NAME'S HENRY ROSENBAUM. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF ANALYTICS IN THE CENTRAL REGION, UM, HOUSING IN HOUSTON. UH, I JUST WANT TO GO OVER THE, THE, THE INVESTMENT THAT ONE DIGITAL HAS PUT IN ALL OF THEIR REPORTING AND ANALYTICS. AND IT BEGINS WITH THEIR, UH, MONTHLY CLAIM REPORTING, WHICH IS GONNA BE IMPERATIVE TO MAKING SURE AND MONITORING YOUR, YOUR CLAIMS PERFORMANCE AND YOUR PLAN PERFORMANCE. AND THIS CAN BE DONE BOTH ON A SELF-FUNDED SIDE, AS WELL AS IF, UH, YOU STAY FULLY INSURED. WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP MONITORING YOUR PROGRESS AND YOUR PERFORMANCE SO THAT WAY WE CAN HELP YOU, UH, BETTER NEGOTIATE WITH THE CARRIERS IF IT'S FULLY INSURED OR ALSO ON THE SELF-FUNDED SIDE AS WELL. THAT LEADS TO OUR MORE, UH, DETAILED PROJECTION AND FORECASTING, UH, ANALYTICS, WHICH THIS ALLOWS US TO SET THE STAGE STRATEGICALLY FOR THE NEXT PLAN YEAR. UM, WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT FROM A FULLY INSURED, IF YOU STAY FULLY INSURED, IT'S AN INDEPENDENT LENS THAT ALLOWS US TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE CARRIER. OR IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING SELF-FUNDING, WE CAN DO A CROSS COMPARISON AND SHOW YOU WHAT BOTH OF THOSE AVENUES LOOK LIKE, STAYING OR GOING. UM, WE, UH, PROVIDE ALL OF THE HISTORICAL DATA SO THAT IT MAKES SENSE FROM THAT STANDPOINT. 'CAUSE PART OF GOING SELF-FUNDING IS YOU START TO BEGIN TO PULL SOME, SOME LEVERS. YOU CAN START TO CARVE OUT PHARMACY, CARVE OUT THE STOP-LOSS. THERE'S JUST A, A FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE THAT COST OVERALL. WE'LL BE ABLE TO PINPOINT EACH ONE OF THOSE AND SHOW YOU WHAT THOSE SAVINGS LOOK LIKE. AND WE DO THAT THROUGH THOSE REPORTING BEYOND THESE TWO PRIMARY PIECES OF INFORMATION. WE ALSO PROVIDE, UH, DEMOGRAPHIC AND BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS ON A REGULAR BASIS SO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR GROUP STANDS COMPARED TO YOUR PEERS. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A, UH, CONTRIBUTION MODELING THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO ROLL OUT, UH, AS THE, AS YOU NEAR OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES. UH, AND THEN WE HAVE A, A ROBUST DATA WAREHOUSING SYSTEM. OKAY. UH, IT'S A, AND I, UH, ALTOGETHER WE WOULD USE THESE, UH, THESE TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE, UH, THE BEST, UH, EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT PLAN FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES. RIGHT. UM, WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS, JOHN, HOW MANY, HOW MANY CAN YOU, I'M SORRY. LET'S GO AHEAD. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON HOW YOU WOULD HELP THE CITY, UH, LOOK AT THE SELF-FUNDED PORTION OF THE INSURANCE? YES, ABSOLUTELY. YOU ONE? YEAH, YEAH, I GET IT. OKAY. SO, UH, WHAT WE DO IS YOU, YOUR BASELINE WOULD BE WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY AT A FULLY INSURED FROM A SELF-FUNDED STANDPOINT. WHAT WE'LL DO IS LOOK AT THE SAME CLAIM, HISTORICAL DATA THAT WE HAVE, UM, WITH ASSUMPTIONS. IF BEFORE YOU GO TO MARKET, WE MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ON WHAT THAT FIXED COST, THE SELF-FUNDED COMPONENT OF YOUR STOP-LOSS FEES, YOUR, YOUR AD ADMINISTRATIVE FEES, ANY OTHER ANCILLARY COSTS PLUS THOSE CLAIM COSTS TO DETERMINE IF THAT LINES UP WITH OR BEATS YOUR FULLY INSURED PREMIUMS. UM, OFTENTIMES IT WILL, BECAUSE THERE IS A LOAD THAT FULLY INSURED CARRIERS, THE CARRIERS PUT ON THEIR FULLY INSURED PRODUCT, UM, BASICALLY BUILD IN THAT PREMIUM THOUGH FOR TAKING ON THAT ADDITIONAL RISK. ON THE SELF-FUNDED SIDE, YOU'RE TAKING THE RISK. SO REALLY ALL YOU'RE PAYING IS THOSE FIXED COSTS. SO WE'LL SHOW THAT COMPARISON. HERE'S YOUR FULLY INSURED COST UNDER THAT, FULLY UNDER THE PREMIUMS WITH THE CARRIER. HERE'S YOUR SELF-FUNDED COST, WHICH IS YOUR CLAIMS AND YOUR FIXED COST. AND WHAT'S THE NET, THE, THE DIFFERENCE, WHAT'S THAT DELTA BETWEEN THE TWO? AND DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO MAKE A MOVE? THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, HOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES DO YOU GUYS WORK WITH? SO, ACROSS THE NATION, WE WORK WITH ABOUT 2000. UM, AND, AND LEMME BACK UP. THAT DOES INCLUDE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UNIVERSITIES, HIGHER EDUCATIONS, UM, HERE IN TEXAS, UM, WE ARE ABOUT 10 MUNICIPALITIES. UM, WE ARE PARTNERED, UM, WITH SEVERAL ENTITIES IN THE AREA, UM, THAT'S GONNA BE GOING TOWARDS HI DOGGO COUNTY. SO, UM, WE DO CONSULT FOR WESLACO, ISD, UM, AND, UM, HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS GOING WEST. UM, SO VERY FAMILIAR, AGAIN WITH, WITH THE COMMUNITY. BEEN, UM, INVOLVED WITH SEVERAL DIRECT CLINICAL CONTRACTS. UM, AS WE TALK ABOUT SELF-INSURING THIS IS ANOTHER OPTION OR A COST CONTAINMENT MEASURE. SO I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH, WITH, UH, THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS THAT YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE UTILIZING. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. HOW DID THESE 10, UH, ARE THESE MUNICIPALITIES IN TEXAS? YES. YES, SIR. OKAY. COULD YOU NAME SOME? UH, YES. UH, THERE COULD BE, UH, CITY OF BALT SPRINGS. UM, IT IS MOSTLY IN THE, THE DALLAS AREA [01:40:01] AS WELL. UM, IN THE, THE HOUSTON AREA. WE WORK WITH, UM, SEVERAL DIFFERENT APPRAISAL DISTRICTS, FORT BEND COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, UM, AND, UM, THE, THE OTHER ONES ARE BLANKING ME RIGHT NOW. I APOLOGIZE. UM, THE MUNICIPALITIES WILL BE IN, UM, SOUTH TEXAS, WE, OR EXCUSE ME, NORTH TEXAS. UM, WE DID SIGN ON SOME RECENT CONTRACTUAL WORK, UM, WITH SOME CITIES IN HIDALGO COUNTY, UM, CITY OF EDINBURG. UM, I GUESS THIS IS MORE TOWARD GABE, THE, THE LAST, OR, AND THEY MIGHT STILL BE HERE. THE, UH, LAST CONSULTANT WE, WE RECEIVED, UH, WE GOT LAST YEAR, THE YEAR, A COUPLE YEARS AGO. UH, WILL THEY BE ABLE TO HANDLE ALL OF THE, UH, INSURANCE? BECAUSE I BELIEVE, UH, WELL THEY'RE, THEY'RE HERE RIGHT NOW, SO THEY'RE GONNA MAKE A, A PRESENTATION. WELL, WELL SEE. THIS IS MY QUESTION. IT IT IS MORE FOR YOU THAN, THAN ANYBODY ELSE IN THE, IN THE AUDIENCE. UH, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE BROUGHT IN A OKAY, WELL LET'S FIRST FINISH WITH THEM, SO, AND THEN WE CAN OKAY, GO AHEAD, JUMP OFF WITH THAT, GABE. BUT, UM, I JUST, ONE, ONE FINAL QUESTION. I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THERE WAS A, A DEDICATED PERSON FOR CAMERON COUNTY OR, OR THE REGION. IS THAT SOMEONE OUT OF THE HOUSTON OFFICE OR WHO WOULD BE THE CONTACT, UH, FOR US? YES MA'AM. SO IT WOULD BE, UM, MYSELF AND THEN GEORGE, UM, IS BASED OUTTA HOUSTON. UM, AND HE'S FROM THE WESLACO AREA, SO HE WAS OH, THAT, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. YES, MA'AM. SO YOU DON'T HAVE A-A-A-R-G-V OFFICE, CORRECT? YES MA'AM. BUT YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT WOULD BE DEDICATED TO THIS REGION. DO YOU HAVE ANY, DO YOU COVER ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OR SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR ANY OTHER ENTITY IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY? UH, WESLACO, ISD WEST. TY CURRENTLY? YES, MA'AM. AND THEN, UH, CITY OF EDINBURGH AS WELL. AND OKAY. WONDERFUL. I THINK THOSE WERE RIGHT, YOUR QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU. AND, UM, BEFORE WE CALL UP VALLEY RISK, YOU HAD A QUESTION FOR GABE? WELL, WE'LL, WE'LL FINISH UP WITH, UH, VALLEY RISK AND I'LL, OKAY, SO [Item 10f3 - Valley Risk Consulting] YES, NEXT UP WE HAVE VALLEY RISK CONSULTANTS AND WE HAVE DANIEL HALBECK AND I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW THE, UH, J JAVIER. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. UM, DANIEL HALBECK, I'M HOPELY. THE SLIDES ARE GONNA WORK. OKAY. YES. GREAT. SO WE'RE ESTABLISHED HERE. IT'S A PUBLIC ENTITY WITH, UH, RISK NEEDS. WE'RE OVER 100 YEARS OF COMBINED PUBLIC EXPERIENCE. WE HAVE OVER $125 MILLION IN ANNUAL HEALTH BENEFITS CONTRIBUTED UNDER THE MANAGEMENT CENTRALLY LOCATED HERE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. SO EVERYBODY THAT WOULD BE WORKING WITH YOU WILL BE HERE FROM LOCALLY AREAS. UM, WE'RE ALSO HUB CERTIFIED AND WE'RE ALSO MINORITY OWNED. WE JUST HELP OUT WITH DESIGNING RFP SPECIFICATIONS FOR MEDICAL AND VOLUNTARY PRODUCTS. WE TABULATE AND EVALUATE AND ALSO WE WORK WITH YOUR GROUP TO MAKE SURE YOUR TABULATIONS ARE UNDERSTOOD. WE COMPLETE EVERYTHING THAT DIRECTION. WE DO COST CONTAINMENT STRATEGY. I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS THAT. ONE, OBTAIN FAVORABLE RENEWALS WITH MEDICAL AND VOLUNTARY PRODUCTS. WE WORK WITH THE SYSTEMS, WE WORK WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT SELF-FUNDED VERSUS, UH, FULLY FUNDED MAINTAIN LOSS RATIOS UNDER THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS. WE ALSO, WHICH I DIDN'T HEAR OF ANYBODY ELSE'S, WE ALSO DEAL WITH THE PROPERTY AND CASUALTY. WE HELPED YOU GUYS, UH, REDO ALL THE PROPERTY AND CASUALTY, FINDING EVERYTHING ELSE TO DO IT FIT, WORKING WITH TRYING TO LOWER THE COST. WE, I THINK WE, I THINK WE SAVED 10,000, $10,000 ON THE LAST TIME WE WERE ABLE TO PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER, MOVE THEM TO THE DISTRICTS, UM, FROM TIA TO FO UH, TO THE INSURANCE S SO WE WORKED WITH THEM. AGAIN, THAT'S OUR MAIN BREAD AND BUTTER. WE HAVE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE WITH ROGERS, ONE OF OUR MAIN PARTNERS. WE, UH, WE INSPIRE OWNERSHIPS AND PARTICIPATION. YOUR EMPLOYEES COME FIRST. WE HAVE A WORKING SOLUTION WITH RESULTS. LAST TIME WE DID EVERYTHING, WE WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING AND ENDED UP COMING OUT ON A GOOD SIDE OF THAT. UM, I THINK CURRENTLY WHAT WE WORKED WITH YOU GUYS BEFORE WE ABLE TO GO THROUGH YOUR MEDICAL INSURANCE, WE ABLE TO KEEP IT UNDER $600 PER EMPLOYEE. SO I KNOW THAT WAS HARD BACK THEN. IT WAS EVERYTHING WAS GOING UP RIGHT AFTER COVID. WE HAVE A BIG ISSUE. SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. WE ALSO ARE INDEPENDENT. WE JUST DO CONSULTING. WE DON'T DO INSURANCE SALES. WE'RE NOT AGENTS. WE DON'T REPRESENT ANY COMPANY. SO WE'LL MAKE SURE WE LOOK AT EACH DIFFERENT COMPANY THAT BEST REPRESENTS FOR THE CITY OF HARLEY. OKAY. THESE ARE ALL THE COMPANIES THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH. WE ALL CURRENTLY HAVE CONTRACTS WITH EACH ONE OF THEM THAT WE HAVE WITH MCALLEN, SELF-FUNDED, UH, THE BROWNSVILLE, ISD SELF-FUNDED, UH, LAGUNA MADRE FO FUNDED, SAN JUAN FULLY FUNDED. [01:45:01] UH, PORT ISABEL SELF-FUNDED, UH, ED COUCH, ELSA FULLY FUNDED, UH, SHERRY LAND DISTRICT SELF-FUNDED. SO SOUTH TEXAS. MERCEDES IS SELF-FUNDED, HARLEEN FULLY FUNDED, AND HIDALGO COUNTY FULLY FUNDED. SO I KNOW YOU'RE ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS, SO HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS THOSE. UM, WE ALSO HAVE UNDER 500, UH, WHAT IT CALLED PREMIUM. WE WORK WITH STOP-LOSS. WE WORK WITH BUILDING THE NETWORK. IF YOU DO WANT TO DECIDE YOU WANT TO GO FULLY FUNDED OR SELF-FUNDED, WE WORK WITH YOUR NETWORK TO HELP BUILD UP NETWORK. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS WE'VE ALSO WORKED DIRECTLY WITH OUR PHARMACEUTICALS TO TRY TO KEEP YOUR BENEFITS DOWN. SO PHARMACEUTICALS, IF YOU TRY TO GO, UH, SELF-FUNDED, THAT'S ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST COSTS. ANY QUESTIONS NOW GENTLEMEN? UM, MAYBE IT'S FOR ERICA. HOW LONG WAS YOUR CONTRACT FOR? WAS IT FOR TWO YEARS OR THREE YEARS? IT WAS THREE YEARS. IT WAS ONE YEAR, UH, FIRST AND THEN TWO YEARS WITH OPTIONAL TO RENEW. OKAY. AND YOU'RE RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE JUST AT THE CURRENT TWO YEARS. SO YOU STILL HAVE ANOTHER YEAR TO RENEW IF YOU WANTED TO KEEP IT AT THE SAME COST. RUN BY THAT ONE AGAIN. CAN YOU SAY THAT AGAIN? I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. CAN YOU SAY IT AGAIN? I DIDN'T HEAR IT. OKAY. WHICH YOU, YOU'RE ON A THREE YEAR CONTRACT BASICALLY ONE YEAR. THEN YOU HAVE AN OPTION TO RENEW FOR TWO MORE YEARS. SO RIGHT NOW YOU'RE UNDER THE TWO YEAR MARK, YOU'RE COMING UP AND THEN, SO YOU HAVE ONE MORE YEAR TO RENEW AT THE SAME CONTRACT. SO THE RENEWAL WILL BE FOR ONE MORE YEAR, CORRECT? RIGHT. UM, WHEN YOU, UH, TOOK OVER THIS ACCOUNT FROM MCGRIFF, I BELIEVE? NO, IT WAS FROM CARLISLE. PARDON ME? FROM CARLISLE? MM-HMM. CARLISLE. THAT WAS JUST FOR, UH, WAS HEALTH. THAT WAS EVERYTHING. CARLISLE WAS DOING EVERYTHING. THEY WERE DOING THE INSURANCE AND THEY WERE ALSO DOING THE PROPERTY. PROPERTY AND CASUALTY AND WINDSTORM. WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR HARINGTON? EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. HMM. THEY DID NOT. SO YOU'RE THE, UH, PREVIOUS, SO YOU'RE THE CURRENT, SO GENERAL LIABILITY, YOU TOOK CARE OF THAT? WE TOOK CARE OF THAT PROPERTY. WE TOOK CARE OF THAT. UM, GROUP HEALTH, WE TOOK CARE OF THAT. YOU GOT THAT. I BELIEVE, UH, YOU'RE DOING WINDSTORM AS WELL. YES. AND THEN YOU GOT, UH, YOU DON'T DO WORKMAN'S COMP, DO YOU? WE DO, BUT WE DIDN'T WORK ON YOUR WORKERS' COMP. 'CAUSE YOU WERE ALREADY SET UP AND REMEMBER WE HAD THE ISSUES WITH GOING ON WITH EVERYTHING. SO YOUR WORKERS' COMP WAS WORKING. OKAY. SO THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN YOUR WORKERS' COMP. MS COMP IS TML UM, DID WIND THE QUESTION FOR YOU, GABE, IS THIS, UM, I KNOW WE, WE, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, BEFORE I ASK YOU YOUR QUESTION, HOW MUCH DID WE SAVE OVERALL BY GOING WITH, UH, YOUR COMPANY? WITH, UH, WITH EVERYTHING GOING UP, YOU REALLY DIDN'T SAVE ANY MONEY. YOU SAVED WITHOUT HAVING A LARGE PERCENTAGE INCREASE. OKAY. SO INSTEAD OF HAVING A 10% OR A 15% INCREASE, YOU ONLY HAD A 5% INCREASE. AND WE ACTUALLY KEPT, LIKE SOME OF THE ANCILLARY PRODUCTS, WE KEPT THEM AT 0% INCREASE FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER. I WAS THINKING THAT THE GENERAL LIABILITY WAS LESS. NOT, NO, TAKE IT BACK. GROUP HEALTH WAS LESS THAN THAN THE YEAR BEFORE. WELL, GROUP HEALTH WAS GONNA GIVE US A, I THINK IT WAS A $1 MILLION INCREASE. YEAH, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. BUT THEN WE, UH, WERE GONNA GO OUT FOR RQS FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND THEY DROPPED THE RATE, UH, DOWN TO ABOUT 400,000. BUT I ALSO MET WITH ROGER AND WE CAME UP, WE USED TO HAVE THREE DIFFERENT TIERS OF HEALTH INSURANCE. AND WHEN RIGHT BEFORE THEY DID THAT, WE COMBINED THEM TO HAVE ONLY ONE TIER FOR INSURANCE. AND SO THAT HELPED SAVE US SOME MONEY WITH AN EPO NETWORK. MM-HMM. . SO, UM, WE DID SAVE ON NOT HAVING TO GO WITH THAT MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE FROM UNITED. IT KEPT, IT KEPT US, KEPT IT LOWER. YEAH. DO YOU GUYS DO ANY CERTIFIED, UM, UM, SAFETY CONSULTANTS? UH, YOU HAD AN IN-HOUSE PERSON FOR THAT BEFORE, BUT WE CAN OFFER THAT IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT. JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY. YOU WAS THAT ONE, WAS THAT OUR RISK MANAGER? YES. MS. ERICA, I GOTTA ASK, ARE YOU DONE WITH, UM, WELL, IS THERE ANY, OR BEFORE WE GET TO ERICA, IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR VALLEY RISK? I DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? NO, I'LL TALK TO, ER I'LL ASK ERICA A QUESTION, THEN I'LL, I'LL ASK GABE A QUESTION. OKAY. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU ERICA. YES. COMMISSIONER, UM, I, I TAKE IT FIVE YEARS IS NO LONGER WITH US, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT, SIR. HOW [01:50:01] MANY RISK MANAGERS HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH? I HAVE GONE THROUGH TWO. THROUGH THROUGH. YES. ONE, THE FIRST ONE WAS A RISK COORDINATOR, AND THEN I RECLASSIFIED THE POSITION. IT'S NOW A RISK, UH, MANAGER, UH, RISK AND BENEFITS MANAGER. SO IS IT TWO OR IS IT THREE? TWO, NOT FORGET THE TITLES. PEOPLE THAT WERE IN THAT OFFICE. TWO TWO IN THAT OFFICE? YES. FOR SOME REASON OR ANOTHER I WAS THINKING THREE. NO, WHEN YOU CAME ON BOARD, THERE WAS ONE AND THEN YOU BROUGHT IN TWO MORE? UM, NO, UM, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, THAT POSITION WAS VACANT AND I, I, UH, UM, RECRUITED THAT POSITION. OKAY. AND THEN THAT PERSON IS NO LONGER HERE. AND THEN WE GOT THE SECOND PERSON, WHICH WAS FABIO, AND, UM, HE JUST LEFT FOR A BETTER PAYING POSITION. OKAY. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE AS I STARTED TO GET ON BOARD IS KEEP, UH, KEEP OUR FUNDS LOCALLY, INVEST LOCALLY AND REDUCE OUR EXPENSES. SURE. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHY I, I'VE ASKED GABE IN THE PAST ON WORKMAN'S COMP MM-HMM. , OTHER THAN TML, CAN WE FINALLY GET SOMEBODY TO COMPARE AND GET ANOTHER COMPANY OR TWO SO THERE'S, SO WE CAN WEIGH THINGS OUT. SO THERE'S VERY LIMITED, WE DID GO OUT FOR, UM, OUT TO MARKET WITH VALLEY RISK. THEY HELPED US WITH THAT. UM, BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE FOR THE CITY TO MOVE ON. AND THAT'S WHY WE STAYED WITH TML. AND I THINK TML IS GONNA BE VERY COMPETITIVE. THEY ENSURE, I WANNA SAY ABOUT 98% OF THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE STATE. SO IT'S VERY HARD FOR ANYBODY ELSE TO COMPETE WITH TML. MM-HMM. . AND YOU SAID WE HAD ACTUALLY IT HAD REDUCED, RIGHT? UM, WITH THE TIME THAT YOU WERE BEFORE US THAT YES. SO IT, IT WAS REALLY HIGH AND IT'S GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT LOWER SOME OF THE CLAIMS, BUT WITH TML, YOU, UM, THEY GO THREE YEARS BACK. SO BECAUSE WE HAD A COUPLE OF BAD YEARS EVEN BEFORE I STARTED, OUR RATES ARE A LITTLE BIT HIGH, BUT WE'RE WORKING, UM, RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PREVENTING SOME OF THOSE INCIDENTS SO THAT WE DO HAVE A BETTER YEAR ON THE COMING YEAR. WHAT ARE WE BETTER YET, WHAT ARE YOU DOING AS FAR AS THE, UH, REDUCING THE RISK? SO I'M WORKING, UM, TO YOUR QUESTION, I HAVE ALREADY HIRED ANOTHER, UM, RISK AND BENEFITS MANAGER THAT COMES WITH EXPERIENCE FROM CAMERON COUNTY. AND I WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THIS PERSON TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO RE UH, MITIGATE SOME OF THE RISK. WE DO HAVE TWO CONSULTANTS THAT WE DEAL WITH, TML. UH, MOST OF OUR, UM, ACCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT, UNFORTUNATELY. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN PROACTIVELY WORKING WITH, UM, CHIEF KESTER. WE HAD A MEETING WITH THEM ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, AND WE'RE WORKING TO REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE TYPE OF ACCIDENTS THAT THEY'RE HAVING AND WHY AND THE TIMES AND ALL OF THAT SO THAT WE CAN MITIGATE SOME OF THAT RISK. WE ALSO MET WITH TML AND SOME OF THEIR CONSULTANTS ABOUT THOSE CRASHES AND TRYING TO DETERMINE RIGHT. HOW TO HAVE SOME SORT OF, RIGHT. WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH TML, THEY HAVE CONSULTANTS AND SO THEY'RE HELPING US WITH THAT TO BRING THAT DOWN. RIGHT. ARE SOME OF THESE OFFICERS BEING RETRAINED THAT HAVE THESE ACCIDENTS? I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S RELEVANT. UM, COMMISSIONER NOT, NOT FROM START TO SCRATCH. I KNOW, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T, I THINK THAT WE'RE KIND OF GOING OFF TOPIC IN TERMS OF INDIVIDUAL, UM, ACCIDENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING, UM, YOU CAN, I CAN HAPPILY DISCUSS THAT. TALK TO ERICA ABOUT. SURE. NOT A PROBLEM. WOULD YOU HIRE FROM CAMERON COUNTY? I'M SORRY? WOULD YOU HIRE HER FROM CAMERON COUNTY? HER NAME IS CLAUDIA. OH, REALLY? SO YOU KNOW CLAUDIA, SHE CAME YEAH, SHE, CLAUDIA, YES. AND I BELIEVE SHE ALSO DOES SUBBING FOR THE HARLINGEN SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL. SO SHE'S KIND OF JACK OF ALL TRADES. SO, YEAH. SO ERICA, THE ONLY THING I THINK I'M CONCERNED WITH IN TERMS OF THE SCORING IS THAT I DON'T, I MEAN, I ONLY HAVE THE SCORE SHEET. MM-HMM. . SO, AND I'M LOOKING AT THAT AND, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE YOUR PREVIOUS RISK MANAGER THAT'S ON HERE KIND OF SKEWED THESE NUMBERS. UH, AND YEAH, SO I DID THE NUMBERS AGAIN. I CALLED 'EM THE RUSSIAN JUDGE HERE. OKAY. AND SO MCGRIFF CAME OUT NUMBER ONE AT 2 98. RIGHT? ONE DIGITAL CAME OUT SECOND WITH 2 86, AND THEN VALLEY RISK CAME OUT WITH 2 59 JUST BASED ON ERICA, ROBERT AND ANA'S SCORES. OKAY. OKAY. GOTCHA. I APPRECIATE THAT. SO THERE WAS A SKEW THERE. YEAH. RIGHT. AND IT, AND IT WAS PRETTY, I MEAN, PRETTY WILD, RIGHT? AND, AND HAVING HAD SOME YES. CONVERSATIONS. YES. UM, OKAY. I DO SAY I, I, I MEAN I I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, COMMISSIONER AND I, AND I DO AGREE THAT THERE IS VALUE IN, IN KEEPING THINGS LOCAL. UM, IS THAT, WAS THAT ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE, IN THE RUBRIC AT ALL? NO, THAT'S NOT PART OF THE QUALIFICATIONS. OKAY. [01:55:01] UM, IT DOES HAVE, IF YOU, UM, YOU WORK WITH MUNICIPALITIES, UM, BUT AS FAR AS HAVING A LOCAL OFFICE OR ANY OF THAT, THAT'S NOT PART OF THE METRICS THAT ARE MEASURED. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ERICA? YEAH, I, I JUST WANT TO SAY, IF YOU HIRE THE MOST COMPETENT PEOPLE, IT WORKS. AND IF YOU HIRE THE MOST COMPETENT CONSULTANTS, IT WORKS. I DON'T CARE ABOUT GEOGRAPHY, I CARE ABOUT COMPETENCY. I AGREE. I, WHEN SOMEONE'S GOING TO YOUR HIRING, I WAS TOLD THAT YOU ALWAYS HIRE SMARTER THAN YOU. ALWAYS HIRE PEOPLE BETTER THAN YOU. YES. AND THAT'S A WAY A TEAM WINS. ABSOLUTELY. I'D MAKE A, UH, MOTION TO, UH, AWARD THIS CONTRACT TO MCGRIFF INSURANCE SERVICES INC. I'LL SECOND THAT. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING. APPRECIATE IT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. AND WE THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TO PRESENT. WE APPRECIATE YOU. NUMBER 12, EXECUTIVE SESSION. [Item 12 - Executive Session] EXECUTIVE SESSION. ALL ITEMS LISTED IN THIS SECTION WILL BE DELIBERATED IN A CLOSED SESSION. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE NOT GENERALLY PERMITTED TO ATTEND A CLOSED SESSION. EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS AN ACTION ITEM AT THE DISCRETION OF THE MAYOR, HOWEVER, CITY COMMISSION WILL NOT TAKE ANY ACTION IN CLOSED SESSION 12 A PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0.0711 AND TWO ATTORNEY CONSULTATION, UH, SECTION 5 51 0.072 REGARDING 83 77 PROPERTIES, UH, B PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 51 0.071. ATTORNEY CONSULTATION AND CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION SECTION 5 51 POINT 0.072 DELIBERATION REGARDING REAL ESTATE AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.087, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS, PROJECT BID, UH, PROJECT ALPHABET, PROJECT SPEC BUILDING THREE. IS THERE A MOTION TO GO AND TAKE EXECUTIVE? SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIED. THE TIME IS NOW 7:31 PM AND WE WILL RETIRE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. BE OUT SHORTLY. [Item 13 - Action on Executive Session Items] TIME IS NOW 8:02 PM AND WE ARE OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE ARE ON ITEMS. ITEM 13, MAYOR. OKAY. ACTION EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEMS, THE CITY COMMISSION WILL, WILL RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION AND MAY TAKE ACTION ON ANY ITEM LISTED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION SECTION OF THIS AGENDA, A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ELECTION ON ITEM 12 A AS DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION B, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ELECTION ON ITEMS 12, B ONE, TWO, AND THREE AS DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. OKAY. SO FOR THIRD ITEM, UH, 13 A. IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION PROCEED IS DISCUSSED. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 13 B, PROCEED IS DISCUSSED. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. [Item 14 - Adjourn] THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YAY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.