[CALL TO ORDER]
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THE WACO CITY COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 3RD, 2026 TO ORDER AT 3:05 P.M. WELCOME TO THE WORK SESSION OF THE WACO CITY COUNCIL, AND WELCOME TO ALL THE PEOPLE GATHERED HERE IN THE GALLERY HERE THIS AFTERNOON. GOOD, GOOD CROWD. APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE TODAY. AND WELCOME TO ALL THE VIEWERS AT HOME. ALSO WATCHING ON THE WACO CITY CABLE CHANNEL. AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY FOR THIS SESSION. I AM MAYOR JIM HOLMES. I'M JOINED ON THE DAIS HERE TODAY BY OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, ISABELLA. ZENO. JOSH ROOD, DARIUS EWING FROM DISTRICT FOUR, GEORGE CHASE, DISTRICT FIVE, AND OUR MAYOR PRO TEM NEXT TO ME, ANDREA FAIRFIELD, ALSO ON THE ADJACENT DAIS OVER THERE, SENIOR CITY STAFF KRISTEN HAMILTON, OUR CITY ATTORNEY, AND MICHELLE HICKS, OUR CITY SECRETARY. SO WE'LL START OUR MEETING TODAY WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE. OKAY. AND OUR FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS GOING TO BE ADMINISTERING AN OATH OF OFFICE TO OUR NEW CITY MANAGER. AND RYAN HOLT IS IN THE FRONT ROW OVER THERE. AND CITY SECRETARY HICKS IS RIGHT HERE. BUT WE NEED A MICROPHONE. WE NEED A MICROPHONE FROM SOMEBODY IN COMMS BACK THERE. BUT EVERYTHING PREPARED EXCEPT FOR THE MIC, I MEAN. I WONDER BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CERTAIN AGE YOU'RE GOING TO AT THE MOMENT SHE COMES TO REGRET THAT. I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING FOR JUST. YEAH. ALRIGHT. HOPEFULLY THAT WORKS. YEAH.
OKAY. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND WHEN I SAY I STATE YOUR NAME AND THEN REPEAT AFTER ME. I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE, FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE OFFICE OF THE OFFICE OF THE CITY OF WACO. CITY MANAGER OF THE OFFICE OF THE OF THE WACO. HELLO. OKAY. OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND WILL, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND, PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION, THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF THIS STATE, OF THIS STATE AND OF THE CITY OF WACO. THE CITY OF WACO.
SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD.
PLEASE. ORGANISM. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY THERE? OH. CAN I GO INTO A LITTLE BIT. YEAH. YOU.
WE WANT TO START. I THINK YOU'RE GOOD THERE YESTERDAY. OKAY. HOLD ON FIRST. WHAT WAS.
HEY, CHRIS. ONE MORE QUICK LITTLE. ALL RIGHT. OH, YEAH. HERE WE GO. WE FOUGHT OBAMACARE BACK. IN. NOW WE ARE JOINED ON THE DAIS BY OUR NEW CITY MANAGER, RYAN HOLT, RIGHT OVER HERE FOR THE FIRST MEETING. CONGRATS, RYAN. AND I KNOW WE'VE DONE THIS A COUPLE A COUPLE THREE TIMES NOW HERE ON THE CONGRATS. BUT JUST JUST SUMMARIZE MY COMMENTS. YOU'VE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE CITY FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. THIS IS YOUR THIRD
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YEAR. IS THAT THIS WEEK? YEAH FEBRUARY 5TH WILL BE IN TWO DAYS WILL BE 30 YEARS. 30 YEARS.AND THAT IS SOMETHING. AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ASSUMING THIS ROLE AND TAKING THIS ON. ONE THING I WILL NOTE THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY SWORN IN KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES UP ON THE THIRD FLOOR LAST FRIDAY. FRIDAY A WEEK AGO, HIS FIRST DAY ON THE JOB THAT THAT SATURDAY IS WHEN THE STORM HIT AND HE WAS PUT INTO ACTION IMMEDIATELY. AND WE HAD NO DOUBT THAT HE WOULD HANDLE EVERYTHING PERFECTLY, WHICH HE DID THROUGH THE ICE STORM SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND TUESDAY. ONE OF THE THINGS YOU DID DO WAS GIVE ALL OF HIS EMPLOYEES TWO DAYS OFF BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET TO WORK. BUT I'M TELLING YOU NOW THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO DO THAT EVERY WEEK. I HOPE THAT'S NOT YOUR PLAN TO GIVE THE EMPLOYEES. BUT ANYWAY, I APPRECIATE YOUR HANDLING OF THAT. THE CITY CAME THROUGH VERY SUCCESSFULLY AND APPRECIATED. LOOK FORWARD TO. WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. SO WE'LL GET STARTED.
GET YOU WORK HERE. THE FIRST ITEM IS THE RECOGNITION OF. WORK SESSION SPEAKERS. DID WE HAVE ANY CARDS? MICHELLE. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CARDS. MAYOR DOES NOT HAVE ANY. SO SEEING NO
[WORK SESSION]
REQUESTS TO SPEAK WILL NOW RECESS THE REGULAR SESSION AND CONVENE INTO WORK SESSION WITH A REPORT FROM CITY MANAGER RYAN HOLT. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND WELCOME TO THOSE THOSE JOINING US IN THE AUDIENCE AND ONLINE. THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO TODAY'S AGENDA AS FAR AS RECOGNITION OF EMPLOYEES. I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE TREMENDOUS WORK DONE BY CITY STAFF DURING THE RECENT WINTER STORM, ALTHOUGH WE DID FACE SOME CLOSURES. THANKFULLY, OVERALL, WE DIDN'T EXPERIENCE ANY MAJOR POWER OUTAGES OR OTHER SEVERE IMPACTS. THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT LED A SMOOTH OPERATION, COORDINATING THE RESPONSE AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NUMEROUS AGENCIES WORKING IN WACO AND, FRANKLY, OUR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. YOU KNOW, WE OPENED THREE WARMING CENTERS, HOSTED 50 COMMUNITY CENTER COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE EVENT. ALL THE WHILE, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TEAMS, INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC WORKS STAFF, ANIMAL SERVICES, ZOO STAFF, THE CALL CENTER AND ALL OF OUR INTERNAL SERVICES TEAMS AND FACILITIES, FLEET AND IT COMMS KEPT ALL OF OUR OUR PUBLIC INVOLVED AND OUR EMPLOYEES IN THE LOOP AND HR HELPED AS WELL. THEY RESPONDED TO ENSURE ESSENTIAL SERVICES CONTINUED EVEN DURING DIFFICULT TIMES. YOU KNOW, STAFF DID AN EXCELLENT JOB LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE STAYED SAFE AND WARM. WE HAVE A HIGHLIGHT VIDEO COMPILED BY OUR COMMS TEAM TO SHOWCASE SOME OF THE IMAGES AND VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE EVENT.PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME DURING THE ICE STORM, YOU KNOW, FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB OR DOES IT MAKE YOU NERVOUS? AND FRANKLY, I DIDN'T LOSE A BIT OF SLEEP BECAUSE OF THE 1600 OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONALS WE HAVE WORKING FOR THE FOR THE CITY. AND SO THEY I KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO DO FANTASTIC. AND THEY DID REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK BY THE TEAM. NEXT MAYOR AND COUNCIL. WE ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THAT LISA BLACKMAN WAS APPOINTED TO THE ROLE OF CHIEF DESTINATION DEVELOPMENT OFFICER. THAT ROLE BECAME EFFECTIVE YESTERDAY AND I'M GRATEFUL THAT SHE AGREED TO TAKE ON IT FULL TIME. LISA JOINED OUR TEAM AS AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER IN 2021, AND BRINGS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM INDUSTRY. SHE SERVED AS INTERIM IN THIS ROLE, IN ADDITION TO HER ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER DUTIES, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE SHE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING IN THIS CRITICAL SECTOR OF OUR PORTFOLIO. YOU'LL RECALL THAT WE HAD OPERATED IN AN INTERIM STRUCTURE FOR SOME TIME AS WE NAVIGATED THE TRANSITION WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER TO PRIVATE OPERATIONS AND THE REVISIONING OF WHAT WHAT THE CHANGE FROM A TRADITIONAL CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU STRUCTURE TO A DMO ORGANIZATION WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR OUR TEAM. I WANT TO PARTICULARLY RECOGNIZE THE WHOLE DMO TEAM FOR THEIR PROFESSIONALISM AND DEDICATION DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD, OPERATING IN AN INTERIM STRUCTURE WHILE MANAGING SIGNIFICANT ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE REQUIRES RESILIENCE AND COMMITMENT TO THE MISSION BEYOND INDIVIDUAL ROLES, THE
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TEAM MAINTAINED EXCELLENT SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDERS THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE TIME, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE INITIATIVES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE DMO TEAM IN 2026. AND CONGRATULATIONS TO LISA BLACKMAN. CITY MANAGER FORD. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'M.OH, WHAT'S THE MATTER? OH, CITY MANAGER HOLT IS WHAT WE'RE DOING THESE DAYS. MY GOD MY BAD, MY BAD I DID IT SO NOBODY ELSE HAS TO. CITY MANAGER HOLT, THANK YOU. LISTEN, I WANT TO SAY THAT A LOT OF THIS WORK AND CHAIRING THE DMO AND AND THE COMMISSION AND ALL THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE, NOT JUST WITH TRANSITIONING THE CONVENTION CENTER, NOT JUST WITH STANDING UP THE TRANSITIONING THE DMO FROM CVB, TRADITIONAL CVB, MAKING US IN LINE WITH INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND ADVANCING AND BEING THE CITY THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OFFERING UP OUR COMMUNITIES IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM, AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE US IN OUR CITY.
BUT STANDING UP, IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE WELCOME CENTER, AND I'M SPEAKING NOT TO THIS CHOIR, BUT MOSTLY TO THE FOLKS WATCHING AT HOME, THAT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT EVEN JUST NATIVE WACOANS SHOULD HAVE. AND A LOT OF MOST OF THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF LISA BLACKMAN. SO WE'RE INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL THAT SHE IS STEPPING INTO HER FULL LIGHT LEADING, LEADING THIS DEPARTMENT. AND I AM SUPER EXCITED TO SEE WHAT'S NEXT.
YEAH, I'LL JUST I'LL ADD A HEARTY SECOND TO THAT TO OUR MAYOR PRO TEM COMMENTS, BECAUSE I STILL AM ON A HIGH FROM THE ECLIPSE WEEK. THAT FESTIVAL WAS AMAZING. I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, CUTTING A RUG OUT THERE WITH OUR MAYOR PRO TEM, LISTENING TO BIG BOY PERFORMING. I REMEMBER BEING THERE WITH OUR MAYOR FOR DWIGHT YOAKAM. THAT WAS THAT WAS JUST AN INCREDIBLE FESTIVAL AND HIGHLIGHTING HER MANY SKILLS. AND I THINK NOW WITH WITH JELLY ROLL AND POSTY COMING TO MCLEAN, WE'RE KIND OF ON THE MAP A LITTLE MORE. AND SO NEW THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN WACO, AND THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME. AND SHE'S THE PERSON TO LEAD. I'LL JUST CALL OUT IF I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME MY INTERACTIONS WITH LISA AND I, THEIR CAPACITY AS AN ACM, OR AS SHE'S BEEN SORT OF IN THE INTERIM FOR THIS ROLE. WITH THE DMO, YOU CAN TELL THAT HER LIFE AND EXPERTISE AND CALLING IS IN HOSPITALITY. EVERY INTERACTION SHE HAS, SHE IS INTERACTING WITH A CUSTOMER THAT SHE IS TRYING TO PLEASE AND TO GIVE THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE.
AND THAT HAS BEEN, WITHOUT A DOUBT, EVERY INTERACTION I'VE HAD WITH LISA BLACKMON SINCE SHE'S COME ON TO THE TEAM HAS BEEN SOMEONE WHO IS CONTINUALLY SEEKING TO PROVIDE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE IN WACO, AND I'M REALLY, REALLY THRILLED FOR HER TO STEP INTO THIS ROLE.
GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LOTS OF KEY DATES ARE BEING CELEBRATED. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I BELIEVE THAT TOMORROW WILL BE OUR CITY ATTORNEY, KRISTEN HAMILTON. ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH THE CITY, AND I WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO HER FOR CHOOSING WACO, AND WE ARE SUPER GLAD TO HAVE HER ON THE TEAM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
AND FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, TO EACH ONE OF YOU ALL, MICHELLE AND THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE, MONICA AND THE COMMS TEAM AND THE STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY TO THE WELCOME RECEPTION THIS AFTERNOON. WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO GET TO REPRESENT THE 1600 PLUS EMPLOYEES, HOPEFULLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A OF OF A LONG CAREER, 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING. I AM SUPER GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THE WARM WELCOME.
THERE IS ONE INFORMAL REPORT TODAY. IT PROVIDES AN UPDATE ON 2025 TRAVEL AND TOURISM DATA, INCLUDING A LOOK AT LODGING, PERFORMANCE AND OVERALL TOURISM. THIS HAD PLANNED TO BE A PRESENTATION EARLIER IN THE YEAR AND BECAUSE OF TIMING, WE WANTED TO GET THAT DATA TO YOU ALL SO THAT YOU COULD DIVE INTO IT AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT. THERE ARE 20 RESOLUTIONS ON TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA. I'LL HIGHLIGHT ONE OF THEM. ITEM 2026 061 CONSIDERS AN AMENDED AND RESTATED MASTER DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE FLOYD CASEY STADIUM SITE, SOMETHING THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. REDEVELOPMENT OF THE FLOYD CASEY SITE IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO BRING NEW DEVELOPMENT TO THE CITY'S CORE. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2022, COUNCIL APPROVED AGREEMENTS WITH THE DEVELOPER FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE, AND THEN IN EARLY 2025, STAFF AND THE DEVELOPER SOUGHT TO RESTRUCTURE THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT TO UPDATE TIMELINES AS WELL AS CLARIFY AND SIMPLIFY
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THE INCENTIVES. I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE RESTRUCTURING WORK HAS BEEN DONE AND UPDATED AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN EXECUTED BY THE TURNER DEVELOPMENT TEAM. KEY REVISIONS IN THE UPDATED AGREEMENT INCLUDE CLARIFICATION OF REQUIRED PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, CONSOLIDATION OF FUNDING SOURCES FOR INCENTIVES TO TIFF FOR A DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT SET IN MARCH OF 27. FULL COMPLETION OF THE DEVELOPMENT IN 2037, AND ADDED FLEXIBILITY IN HOW THE PROJECT IS BONDED. THE TOTAL INCENTIVE AMOUNT HAS NOT INCREASED. GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON THE SITE. A LOCAL GROUP OF BUILDERS HAS CREATED THE CENTRAL TEXAS PREMIER BUILDERS GUILD AND PLACED ALL 260 RESIDENTIAL LOTS, PLUS 96 MULTIFAMILY UNITS UNDER CONTRACT WITH A 40 MONTH TAKE DOWN SCHEDULE. PHASE ONE IS FINAL. IS IS IN FINAL PLAT. THE GUILD IS CLOSED ON 22 LOTS AND PERMITS ARE ISSUED ON 12 LOTS. FINALLY, A FRONT PORCH GUIDE HAS BEEN HIRED TO MARKET THE PROPERTY, AND STAFF IS PLEASED TO RECOMMEND COUNCIL'S APPROVE APPROVAL OF THIS RESOLUTION. I'LL MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT ON THAT, CITY MANAGER HOLT. YEAH, I INVITE EVERYBODY TO KIND OF DRIVE BY THERE. IT'S IT'S WHERE THE OLD FLOYD CASEY STADIUM USED TO BE. IT'S NOW DECORDOVA SPRINGS, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT. AND YOU SEE THE ROADS IN, YOU CAN ALREADY SEE THE FIRST HOMES STARTING TO GO UP. AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO OUR NEW PARK, OUR ALICE RODRIGUEZ MARTINEZ RODRIGUEZ PARK, WHICH IS ALSO SCHEDULED TO OPEN, I THINK, LATER THIS YEAR. IT'S A PRETTY AMBITIOUS, SUPPOSEDLY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. MAYOR. YEAH, SO THIS SHOULD BE HOUSES AND A PARK THERE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. BUT JUST DRIVE DOWN VALLEY MILLS AND LOOK OVER WHERE THE WHERE THE STADIUM USED TO BE. IT'S IT'S A GREAT INFILL PROJECT THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON ITS HOUSING OBJECTIVES. AND IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THAT TAKE OFF. ALL RIGHT.THERE ARE FIVE ORDINANCES ON THE AGENDA FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. ITEM 2026 078 IS A FIRST READING AND THE REMAINDER COME TO YOU ON SECOND. READINGS 078 CONSIDERS THE CREATION OF A MUNICIPAL SETTINGS DESIGNATION TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF GROUNDWATER IN A DESIGNATED AREA AT THE SITE OF THE OLD HILLCREST HOSPITAL. THIS PROCESS COMES AS PART OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPERTY UNDERTAKEN BY BAYLOR, SCOTT AND WHITE IN PREPARATION FOR THE CITY'S PURCHASE OF THE PROPERTY. AND IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS THAT WILL END THE THE MANAGER'S REPORT. I MEANT TO READ THIS BECAUSE I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU BROUGHT OUT THE ORDINANCE ABOUT THE THE HILLCREST HOSPITAL. THAT'S ANOTHER KIND OF INFILL PROJECT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND WE'RE STARTING THE PROCESS OF GETTING THAT, AS YOU MENTIONED, THE CITY GETTING THAT ACTIVATED AT SOME POINT SOMEHOW. BUT WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF NOTICES AND THAT SORT OF THING IN THE, IN THE ORDINANCES. BUT IT'S A VERY EXCITING POSSIBILITIES IN THAT AT THAT SITE AS WELL. YEAH. I'LL JUST CHIME IN AND SAY, WHEN I GOT APPOINTED TO COUNCIL IN 2020, IT TOOK PROBABLY 24 HOURS BEFORE I STARTED FEELING PHONE CALLS ABOUT THE OLD HILLCREST HOSPITAL SITE, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHEN THEY WERE KIND OF LOOKING TO TO TEAR IT DOWN, YOU KNOW, AS IT STOOD, I THINK IT WAS COSTING THEM UPWARDS OF A MILLION BUCKS JUST TO JUST TO KEEP IT OPEN AND CLOSED. SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOOKING TO TEAR IT DOWN. AND I GOT SO MANY PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE FROM, FROM WACO TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HEY, I WAS BORN IN THIS HOSPITAL OR, YOU KNOW, I HAD MY, HAD MY BABY IN THIS HOSPITAL AND THIS AND THAT. SO I KNOW IT'S A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF OUR CITY'S HISTORY THAT, THAT PROPERTY. AND MY WIFE AND I'S FIRST HOME WAS IN THE HIGHLAND NEIGHBORHOOD RIGHT THERE. I WALKED MY DOGS BY THAT LOT EVERY DAY. AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT WE'RE TAKING A STEP IN THIS DIRECTION TO MAKE SURE THAT A GOOD THING AND A COMMUNITY BENEFIT HAPPENS ON THAT SITE. THINGS START HAPPENING WHEN YOU GET ON COUNCIL. THAT'S WHAT THEY TELL ME. YEAH, YOU GUYS, I MEAN, DON'T LOOK AT THE IT'S PURELY ANECDOTAL, DON'T LOOK FOR THE EMPIRICAL DATA. BUT I'VE HEARD THAT THINGS THINGS START HAPPENING THERE. JUST I JUST WANT TO BRIEFLY CIRCLE BACK TO THE WINTER STORM. GRATEFUL FOR OUR CITY MANAGER'S FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB. I THINK A COMMANDING PERFORMANCE IN DEALING WITH THE WINTER STORM. I'M GRATEFUL THAT OUR COMMUNITY DID, BY AND LARGE, DID NOT LOSE POWER DURING THAT TIME. BUT I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT, THANKS TO OUR OWN CURRENT CITY MANAGERS AFTER ACTION REPORT OF 2021, I THINK WE'VE GOT A LOT OF BEST PRACTICES IN PLACE, AND BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR PUBLIC SERVICE TEAM, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TEAM, POLICE AND FIRE FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT THEY DID. RESPONDING TO RESIDENTS IN CRISIS DURING THAT TIME. I ALSO WANT TO GIVE JUST A SIDE SHOUT OUT TO SAINT ALBANS. I THINK THAT THEY'VE STEPPED UP EVERY TIME THAT THE CITY HAS ASKED THEM TO OPERATE A WARMING CENTER, AND THAT IS A REAL WAY OF LIVING OUT FAITH THAT WE DON'T SEE THAT OFTEN IN OUR COMMUNITY, JUST HOW PUBLIC SPIRITED THEY ARE. SO THANKS TO REVEREND ZIMMERMAN AND THE SAINT ALBANS PARISH THERE, FOR FOR ALL THEIR PUBLIC SPIRITED SELFLESSNESS AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, THEY'RE WILLING TO TAKE ACTION. I MEAN, AND THE FACT THAT IT OUGHT TO BE A. JUST IMMEDIATE COMMS PIECE TO HAVE THE IMAGERY OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS PUSHING THIS BUS. I MEAN, THAT NEEDS TO GO
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ON ALL OF THE WACO THINGS. SO MAKE THOSE T SHIRTS MAKE IT A THING BECAUSE I GOT YOU. THAT'S AWESOME. I WILL SAY TRANSIT BROUGHT BUY SOME DONUTS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN APPRECIATION FOR THAT. SO THIS, WHICH I NOTICED ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR PD, THEY CALLED POWER RINGS AND I HAD NEVER HEARD THAT TERM FOR DONUTS BEFORE. WELL, I WILL SAY THERE WAS NO FAVORITISM ON CLOSING DOWN THE STREETS BECAUSE I THINK WE CLOSE DOWN TWO. WHEN WAS IT CAMERON PARK AND THE OTHER ONE WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. SO THERE WAS I WAS I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT TOO PUBLIC, BUT I WAS NOT MOVING AROUND FOR ABOUT FIVE DAYS THERE. IT RAINS ON THE JUST AS WELL AS THE OH GOOD I APPRECIATE THAT WAS AN INTERESTING CALL FOR A BRAND NEW CITY MANAGER TO HIS MAN. HEY, MAYOR, YOU. WE'RE SHUTTING YOUR STREET DOWN LATER, RIGHT? RIGHT. DELOREAN WAS NOT ON THE ROADS. ANYTHING ELSE ON ANYTHING THAT WILL END THE MANAGER'S REPORT? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE FIRST PART OF THIS MANAGER'S REPORT? OKAY, WE'LL ALL GO TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. THE CONSENT AGENDA INCLUDES 2026 058 AND RESOLUTION 2026 059 THROUGH RESOLUTION 2026 OH 77. ARE THERE OTHER ITEMS COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE FROM THIS CONSENT AGENDA? CONSENT AGENDA, THEN WILL INCLUDE 2026 058 AND RESOLUTION 2026 059 THROUGH RESOLUTION 2026 OH 77. EXCEPT FOR WE ARE GOING TO PULL RESOLUTION 2026 OH 61. THAT'S THE CORDOVA SPRINGS ONE, WHICH I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBER CHAFE CHASE BECAUSE OF THE TIFF DETERS, I THINK, HAVE FILED AFFIDAVITS OF SUBSTANTIAL INTEREST ON THAT RESOLUTION. OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS WORK SESSION ITEMS 2026 OH 54 THROUGH 2026 OH 56 CITY MANAGER HOLT GREAT MAYOR. THE FIRST WORK SESSION PRESENTATION ITEM 054 WILL BE PRESENTED BY CHIEF SHERYL VICTORIAN. TODAY'S PRESENTATION WILL COVER A 2025 UPDATE OF THE WACO POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND A LOOK AHEAD TO INITIATIVES IN 2026. OH WELL, I'D TAKE THIS IF THAT'S OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER HOLT. I WAS AFRAID THAT WAS GOING TO BE ME MAYOR PRO TEM, SO, I MEAN, I DID IT FOR YOU. I TOOK THE HEAT OFF OF EVERYBODY ELSE. YOU DID IT FOR ALL OF US, I WAS AFRAID. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. IT IS A JOY TO BE BEFORE YOU AGAIN. IT'S ALWAYS A LITTLE. IT'S. I ALWAYS HAVE A LITTLE ANXIETY WHEN I COME HERE. AND I REALIZE THAT THIS IS MY FIFTH TIME DOING THIS. AND I'LL CELEBRATE FIVE YEARS IN MARCH 2021. I MEAN, MARCH IS JUST WENT BY SO FAST. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR SUPPORT. CAN I TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE REAL QUICK AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RECOGNITIONS, AS MANY OF YOU ARE LIKE YOU LIKELY KNOW, BACK IN MAY, CANINE ANDOR WAS INVOLVED IN A CRITICAL INCIDENT AND HAD TO BE TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE. HE'S NOW ONE OF OUR AMBASSADOR DOGS OR OUR AMBASSADOR DOG. AFTER HE TOTALLY HEALS AND TAKING HIS PLACE WITH K-9 HANDLER. MIKE IS K9 IKE, WHO WE BROUGHT FOR YOU TO TONIGHT. SO WE HAVE MIKE AND IKE HERE TONIGHT. MIKE AND IKE.AND AS YOU CAN TELL, I UNDERSTAND WHY HE'S IN COUNCIL AND HE WANTS TO BE OUT ON THE STREET, SO I KNOW. HI, BABY. YES, THAT'S HIM SAYING GOOD WELCOME. I MEAN, I'M SORRY. I'M HERE. I'M READY TO GO TO WORK. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING HIM. OFFICER. CHIEF, I'VE GOT TO ADMIT, THE DOG IS MUCH BETTER BEHAVED THAN THE AVERAGE SPEAKER AT THAT PODIUM.
YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CANINE. OUR TEAM. I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR TEAM THAT SHOWED UP TODAY. WE HAVE COMMANDERS HERE, OUR ASSISTANT CHIEFS HERE, SOME SERGEANTS HERE AS WELL AS OFFICER. SO THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING AND SUPPORT. AND SO LET'S JUST HOP RIGHT ON IN.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A PRESENTATION ABOUT OUR OVERVIEW OF 2025. AND I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHERE WE ARE, WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHERE WE'VE BEEN. ESSENTIALLY TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT POLICE AND DISPATCH STAFFING. RIGHT. WE TALK ABOUT THAT ALL THE TIME.
CRIME, CRIME STATISTICS AND TRENDS, DISPATCH STATISTICS AND CALL RESPONSE TIMES, OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THEN OUR STRATEGIC GOALS FOR THE WACO POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR 2026 AND BEYOND. BUT WHAT I WANT TO DO TODAY IS TELL A STORY ABOUT A COMMUNITY SUCCESS STORY, BECAUSE WE COULD NOT DO THIS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY, WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNERS, AND WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF YOU GUYS AND OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. SO WE'RE
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GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS. THIS IS OUR STORY THAT WE'RE TELLING ON TODAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STAFFING, OUR SWORN STAFFING, WE HAVE AN AUTHORIZED STRENGTH OF 297 POLICE OFFICERS. WE HAVE AN ACTUAL SWORN STRENGTH OF 286. IN 2025, WE HIRED 31 NEW HIRES, NEW POLICE OFFICERS. WE WELCOME THEM TO OUR FAMILY. WE ACTUALLY HAVE TEN IN THE ACADEMY RIGHT NOW, AND WE LOST 12 TO ATTRITION IN 2025. WE'RE USING SOME VERY UNIQUE WELL, I GUESS THEY'RE NOT UNIQUE STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITING. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE THREE POLICE OFFICERS TEACHING AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, TWO RECENTLY RETIRED SERGEANTS, KEITH VAUGHAN AND ASSISTANT CHIEF ROBERT LANNING, ARE BOTH INSTRUCTORS AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY AND COMMANDER CHET LONG ALSO. AND SO WE RECEIVED A LOT OF STUDENTS COMING THROUGH FROM INTERNSHIPS, COMING TO DO RIDE ALONG, AND HAVE PEAKED THEIR INTEREST IN POLICING. IF THEY HAD NOT THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE, THEY STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT. AND WE HAVE RECEIVED SOME STUDENTS IN OUR ACADEMY CLASSES BECAUSE OF IT. SO ANOTHER THING, OUR EXPLORER PROGRAM AND OUR YOUTH PROGRAMS, WE ARE SEEING THE BENEFITS OF THAT AS WELL. WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF EXPLORERS THAT HAVE JOINED OUR RANKS IN THE PAST YEAR, AND THAT'S BEEN EXCITING. AND THEN ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT I'M MOST PROUD OF IS OUR OFFICERS ARE, ARE, ARE SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE JOINING OUR DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HISTORICALLY HAS HAPPENED IN POLICING. BUT WE'RE SEEING IT A LOT LATELY. AND SO I'M JUST VERY, VERY PROUD OF OUR TEAM. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR DISPATCH NUMBERS. WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 37 APPROVED FULL TIME EMPLOYEES. WE ARE ACTUALLY AT 26. THIS IS 2025. WE'RE CURRENTLY AT 26 RIGHT NOW. AND WE LOST FIVE TO ATTRITION. WE DO HAVE FOUR PART TIME POSITIONS THAT ARE FILLED. WE APPLICATIONS ARE OUT RIGHT NOW FOR OUR DISPATCH POSITIONS, AND WE HAD A TOTAL OF 201 APPLICANTS. AND YEAH, THE BUT WE NEED THEM TO TURN IN BACKGROUND PACKETS. SO IF THAT'S YOU AND YOU'RE OUT THERE AND YOU'RE HOLDING ON TO A BACKGROUND PACKET, GET IT IN. I THINK THE DEADLINE IS TODAY AT 1600, I BELIEVE SO, BUT AS OF TODAY, WE HAD ACTUALLY 30 PEOPLE WHO TURNED IN A BACKGROUND PACKET FROM THAT 201. SO THAT IS. HOPEFUL. AND ALSO WE HAVE A CIVIL SERVICE EXAM ON SATURDAY, AND WE HAD 189 PRELIMINARY APPLICATIONS AS OF 4:00 OR 2:00. WHEN I LEFT THE OFFICE, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 32 PACKETS THAT HAD BEEN TURNED IN.TYPICALLY THEY WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE TO TURN THEM IN, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE SOME GOOD CANDIDATES OUT OF THAT AS WELL. ALRIGHT, I HOPE YOU GUYS CRINGED WHEN YOU SAW THAT READ ON THE SCREEN. TWO AFTER FIVE YEARS OF HAVING ALL GREEN, BUT IT WAS TO BE EXPECTED AT SOME POINT. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, WE USE THE NATIONAL INCIDENT BASED REPORTING REPORTING SYSTEM, WHICH IS CALLED NIBRS, AND THAT'S HOW WE COLLECT OUR DATA. IT'S THE FBI'S INCIDENT BASED STANDARD FOR REPORTING CRIME. AND THEY GREW CRIME INTO TWO CATEGORIES GROUP A AND GROUP B. CRIME IS TYPICALLY UNDER THE GROUP A CATEGORY, AND THAT INCLUDES THE CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY OKAY. THE GROUP B ARE TYPICALLY RELATED TO ARRESTS, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON TODAY. THE CRIMES AGAINST THE GROUP A CRIMES. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR OVERALL NUMBERS. AND THIS INCLUDES CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY AND CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY. I LOVE THAT GREEN ARROW RIGHT THERE. BECAUSE SINCE 2021, CRIME HAS DECREASED. I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GET THIS NUMBER RIGHT. GOT MY HELPER BACK THERE, MATT. IT WAS 30.6% AND WE SAW THAT LITTLE BIT OF RED ON THE PREVIOUS PREVIOUS SLIDE. BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT WE'RE STILL AT HISTORIC LOWS HERE IN WACO, AND WE HAVE SEEN A 30% OVERALL DECREASE IN CRIME SINCE 2021. AGAIN, THIS ALSO INCLUDES THE CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN TO YOU IN JUST A SECOND. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, THIS IS WHERE WE SAW THAT 0.4% INCREASE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, IT'S ACTUALLY 11 INCIDENTS MORE THAN LAST YEAR. ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT WAS THAT DROVE THE CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS NUMBERS ARE OUR FAMILY VIOLENCE INCIDENTS. THERE WERE 59%, 59% OF THE
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FAMILY OF THE CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS WERE FAMILY VIOLENCE INCIDENTS. OUR FAMILY VIOLENCE UNIT HAS BEEN VERY PROACTIVE AND WORKING DILIGENTLY IN TRYING TO PROTECT THOSE THAT ARE INVOLVED, OR THAT CAN BE IDENTIFIED AS BEING A POTENTIAL FOR BEING INVOLVED IN VIOLENCE WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. BUT WE CAN'T BE IN EVERYBODY'S HOUSEHOLDS, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EDUCATING PEOPLE, MESSAGING WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU'RE INVOLVED IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS TO REDUCE SOME OF THESE INCIDENTS. ALL RIGHT. CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY IS WHERE WE HAVE SEEN THE LARGEST DECREASE SINCE 2021, AND THAT IS 41% WHAT I DID, I MISSED MY OWN PAPERS UP. YES, I BELIEVE IT WAS 41% TOTAL DECREASE SINCE 2021. AND THIS IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE WHEN I TALK ABOUT THIS IS A COMMUNITY ISSUE, OUR COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT EDUCATING THEMSELVES ON HOW TO REDUCE THEIR OWN VICTIMIZATION. AND I THINK THAT HAS CONTRIBUTED CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NUMBER DECREASING SIGNIFICANTLY, ALONG WITH SOME GOOD POLICE WORK. AND OUR TEAM.OUR TEAM IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND DO A GREAT JOB. CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY NOW, CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY ARE THOSE CRIMES THAT ARE. I DON'T LIKE USING THE TERM VICTIMLESS, BUT THOSE ARE THE CRIMES THAT MAY BE NARCOTICS ARE WEAPONS CHARGES, OR THEY COULD BE COMMERCIAL SEX CRIMES. RIGHT? AND TYPICALLY IN CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY, WE ARE BEING PROACTIVE IN THE WORK. IT IS OUR OFFICERS CONDUCTING TRAFFIC STOPS. OUR OFFICERS ARE EXECUTING WARRANTS OR THAT KIND OF THING. OKAY. SO THAT'S WHERE THIS NUMBER COMES FROM. SO IF I SEE IT GO DOWN IT COULD MEAN A COUPLE OF THINGS. IT COULD BE GOOD OR BAD. IT COULD MEAN WE'RE NOT CONDUCTING AS MANY TRAFFIC STOPS, OR IT COULD MEAN WE'VE CONDUCTED A LOT OF TRAFFIC STOPS. AND OUR PEOPLE ARE NOT TRAFFICKING DRUGS ANYMORE. PEOPLE NOT CARRYING WEAPONS IN THEIR CAR ANYMORE. SO IT COULD MEAN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY IS. SO THIS IS ONE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT AND AS A CITY, BECAUSE ONE LIFE, ONE LOST LIFE IN WACO IMPACTS US ALL. IT'S SOMEBODY'S MOTHER, FATHER, BROTHER, SISTER, DAUGHTER, SON, RIGHT, NEIGHBOR. AND THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT THAT REALLY CONCERN US, RIGHT. HOWEVER, WE'RE STILL DOWN, WE STILL HAVE THE SAME NUMBER THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. ONE LIFE IS TOO MANY, BUT WE ARE AT EIGHT THIS YEAR. WE ENDED THE YEAR WITH EIGHT PEOPLE DYING AT THE HANDS OF SOMEBODY ELSE. SO TO LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, THESE THESE INCIDENTS WERE BROKEN DOWN BY EACH INVESTIGATION. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE SOLVED FIVE OF THE EIGHT INVESTIGATIONS. AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO JUST TELL OUR COMMUNITY IF THEY HAVE ANY INFORMATION RELATED TO ANY OF THESE CRIMES THAT ARE ANY OF THESE HOMICIDES THAT WE HAVE LISTED HERE, THAT THEY CONTACT CRIME STOPPERS.
2545753 HELP. OR YOU CAN CALL THE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND JUST SHARE INFORMATION WITH US.
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION RELATED TO ANY OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS, SO THAT WE CAN BRING JUSTICE TO THESE FAMILIES. CHIEF, BEFORE YOU MOVE ON, DID YOU NOTICE THAT THIS YEAR? I MEAN, EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS WERE THE SAME, THAT THEY WEREN'T THERE, WERE THERE FEWER GANG RELATED MURDERS THAN LAST YEAR? I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CHART. BUT I BELIEVE YOU'RE RIGHT, BECAUSE I THINK THERE WERE ONLY TWO ON THIS. I'M TRYING TO GO BACK. I CAN'T GO BACK. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. I DON'T WANT TO MESS IT UP. I THINK I WENT AHEAD ANOTHER SLIDE TOO, BUT I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. AND I CAN LOOK AND VERIFY THAT FOR YOU BECAUSE I THINK ON THIS ONE THERE WERE ONLY TWO, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, AND WE HAD SEVERAL LAST YEAR.
ALL RIGHT. I FEEL LIKE I MISSED A SLIDE. OH I DID IT WAS OUR FIRST DISPATCH SLIDE. AM I DOING. OH HERE WE GO. LOOK THERE. HERE WE GO. READING IS FUNDAMENTAL. ALL RIGHT. SO THESE ARE DISPATCH STATS OKAY. SO THE CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT ARE ENTER INTO CAD 138,276. WE SAW A SLIGHT INCREASE OF 0.8%. BUT THESE ARE ALL OF THE CALLS THAT OUR THAT COME INTO OUR DISPATCH CENTER. AND YOU KNOW, WE DISPATCH FOR EIGHT OTHER AGENCIES AS WELL. THE NUMBER OF CALLS ENTERED INTO CAT FOR THE WACO POLICE DEPARTMENT WERE 95,000 CALLS. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WERE ANSWERED THAT CAME INTO DISPATCH CENTER THAT INCLUDE THE NINE ONE CAME IN AS 911, AND NON-EMERGENCY WAS 233,205. THERE'S A SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CALLS
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THAT WE TOOK IN THIS YEAR, AND THEN THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE'RE SPENDING A LITTLE BIT LESS AMOUNT OF TIME ON THE PHONE WITH PEOPLE WHEN THEY CALL IN, AND HOPEFULLY GETTING THEM THE HELP THAT THEY NEED A LITTLE QUICKER. IT'S 6.59% DECREASE FROM 2024, AND WE'VE BEEN AVERAGING 1.7 MINUTES ON THE PHONE WITH THOSE THAT ARE CALLING. OKAY, SO THIS IS THE AVERAGE DISPATCH RESPONSE AND HOLD TIMES FOR ALL PRIORITIES. AND THEN PRIORITY ONE, IF YOU LOOK FOR EACH COLUMN FOR EACH YEAR ON THE LEFT, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE AVERAGE FOR ALL CALLS. AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE ON THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THOSE FOR THE PRIORITY ONE CALLS, THOSE PRIORITY ONE CALLS OR THOSE CALLS WERE LIFE OR DEATH. AND WE NEED TO GET THERE IN A HURRY. AS YOU CAN SEE, IF YOU COMPARE TO THE YEAR BEFORE, THERE IS A REDUCTION. BUT THERE WAS A CONVERSATION THAT I WAS HAVING WITH OUR DISPATCH MANAGER AND WITH THE MAYOR A LITTLE EARLIER ABOUT THE THE APPEARANCE OF THESE NUMBERS. RIGHT. WE'RE AT 6.35. MINUTES TO GET TO A PRIORITY ONE CALL, BUT THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES US TO GET TO A RESPONSE IS 6.01. I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME OUTLYING FACTORS THAT MAY BE INVOLVED THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK INTO FURTHER, BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AND YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE SHOULD BE GETTING TO PRIORITY ONE CALLS QUICKER. BUT THERE COULD BE A NUMBER OF REASONS THAT, YOU KNOW THAT IS OCCURRING TOO. BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT.NEVERTHELESS, IT'S DECREASED FROM THE YEARS PAST AS WELL AS OUR WHOLE TIMES HAVE ALSO DECREASED. SO THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT'S TAKEN US TO ACTUALLY CONNECT WITH, GET THE INFORMATION AND GET A CALL DISPATCH AND GET OFFICERS TO THE SCENE HAS REDUCED. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RECRUITMENT AND WELL INITIATIVES AWARDS AND RECOGNITION. YOU GUYS KNOW WE TALKED THIS PAST SUMMER. WE HAD THREE OF OUR COMMANDERS TO COME AND PRESENT TALKING ABOUT THE THE NATIONAL CASE CLOSED PROGRAM. IT'S A NATIONAL PROGRAM THAT WE WERE SELECTED FOR. WE WERE THE 10TH AND FINAL AGENCY TO BE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT PROGRAM, AND THE FOCUS OF THAT PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP BEST PRACTICES FOR RESPONSE TO FATAL AND NON-FATAL SHOOTINGS, BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NON-FATAL SHOOTING AND A FATAL SHOOTING. RIGHT. AND SO WE WERE OUR DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART WAS CONCERNED, THOSE CASES WERE NOT BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE SAME UNIT. SO WE DID SOME RESTRUCTURING. AND NOW THAT THOSE CASES ARE BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE SAME UNIT, NOT ONLY THAT, WE HAVE MOVED A CRIME SCENE UNIT TO THIS, TO MAJOR CRIMES AS WELL. AND ON EVERY MONDAY WAS COMMANDER GEORGE. COMMANDER GEORGE WAS LEADING OUR GUN CRIME INTELLIGENCE MEETING WHERE ALL OF THOSE GUYS WOULD GET ON THE PHONE AND LADIES WOULD GET ON THE PHONE, AND THEY WOULD DISCUSS OUR TEAMS, AND THEY WOULD DISCUSS ANY GUN RELATED CRIMES THAT HAD HAPPENED THE WEEK BEFORE, OR PROVIDE UPDATES ON ANY CASES THAT WE MAY BE WORKING ON. SO NOW WE'RE WE'RE COMMUNICATING MORE AND TO PATROL INVESTIGATIONS, CRIME SCENE UNITS, THEY'RE ALL ON THIS CALL BUILDING TRUST THROUGH YOUTH ENGAGEMENT. OUR PAL PROGRAM, AS YOU KNOW THAT WE RELAUNCHED THE PAL PROGRAM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. BUT THIS PAST SUMMER AT THE IT WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF SERGEANT PETER MOTLEY. HE DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO DO A PAL SUMMER CAMP, SO WE DID A PAL SUMMER CAMP. IT WAS THE FIRST EVER SUMMER CAMP. WE PARTNERED WITH WACO ISD. THERE WERE 38 YOUTH WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS CAMP. THEY WERE 5 TO 16 YEARS OLD AND IT WAS FOCUSING ON BUILDING TRUST, A SENSE OF BELONGING, AND THEN HAVING THOSE POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH POLICE OFFICERS. SO IT'S THE FIRST OF ITS KIND THAT WE'VE HEARD OF IN THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE WE DID IT HERE AT WACO PD. AGAIN, HISTORIC RECRUITMENT. I LOVE THE FACT THAT WE HIRED 30, 31 NEW OFFICERS DOWN TO 30 NOW, NEW OFFICERS IN 2021, AND THE ADDITION OF K-9 TEAM IN 2025. WE HAD SOME STATE AND SOME NATIONAL RECOGNITIONS. SERGEANT PRICE AND DETECTIVE RACZKOWSKI WON THE FREDERIC MILTON THRASHER AWARD, WHICH IS THE NATIONAL GANG CRIME RESEARCH CENTER AWARD, AND IT RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN GANG RESEARCH AND RELATED FIELDS. OFFICER SOPHIE MARTINEZ IS. SHE'S OUR TEXAS CRIME STOPPERS COORDINATOR. SHE WON COORDINATOR OF THE YEAR. AND THEN WE HAVE SERGEANT JOSHUA FISHER, WHO WON THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT POLYGRAPH INVESTIGATOR.
INVESTIGATORS IN THE CONFERENCE HAPPENED TO BE HERE THIS YEAR. SOME OF OUR OTHER SUCCESSES.
YOU GUYS HEARD US TALK ABOUT THE CRIME FREE MULTI-HOUSING AND EXECUTIVE MEETING BEFORE. I
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KNOW THAT YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT JUST SOME OF THE WORK THAT THOSE GUYS ARE DOING AND THEY DON'T LIKE PATTING THEMSELVES ON THE BACK, SO I'M GOING TO PAT THEM ON THE BACK A LITTLE BIT TONIGHT. THEY THEY WORK. THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO OUR SAFE UNIT, WHICH IS SUPPORT, SUPPORT, ABATEMENT, FORFEITURE AND ENFORCEMENT. THEY PARTNERED WITH 68 PROPERTIES THIS YEAR. THE PARTICIPATING PROPERTIES EXPERIENCED EXPERIENCED A 38% REDUCTION IN CALLS FOR SERVICE, A 57% REDUCTION IN REPORTS, AND A 13% REDUCTION IN ARRESTS OVER THE PAST YEAR. AND AT THE END OF 2025, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 4147 PROPERTIES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN OUR CRIME FREE MULTI-HOUSING PROGRAM. AND SO THAT'S JUST AN EXCELLENT ACCOMPLISHMENT. ALL RIGHT. THIS SINGLE THIS SLIDE GOES REALLY, REALLY FAST. BUT JUST SOME OF THE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS PAST YEAR AND EVENTS THAT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO PUT ON AGAIN THIS YEAR. OUR TEAM HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB JUST CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY, ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY. OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS HAVE STOOD UP AND SUPPORTED US IN ALL OF THESE EVENTS, AND IT HAS JUST BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY. AND AGAIN, IT TAKES ALL OF US TO REDUCE CRIME. AND I BELIEVE THAT THESE ENGAGEMENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY, SEEING US BEFORE THEY NEED US AND DEVELOPING THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND THEM EDUCATING THEMSELVES ON HOW TO BEST REDUCE THEIR OWN VICTIMIZATION, CONTRIBUTES TO THE REDUCTIONS IN CRIMES THAT CRIME THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO DO IS ALSO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE WORK OF OUR VICTIM SERVICES VOLUNTEERS, OUR VICTIM SERVICES VOLUNTEERS HAD 776 CALL OUTS LAST YEAR. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING IN WITH FULL TIME JOBS AND ARE VOLUNTEERING TO COME AND SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY WHEN THEY'RE HAVING WHEN THEY'VE GONE THROUGH A CRITICAL INCIDENT. AND WE'RE GOING TO PUT OUR PUT OUT A CALL FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS. THERE IS AN APPLICATION PROCESS. WE DO A BACKGROUND CHECK. YOU ATTEND AN EIGHT DAY TRAINING FROM 6 P.M. TO 9 P.M. IN THE EVENING, AND THEN I THINK YOU'RE REQUIRED TO WORK FOR SHIFTS IN A YEAR. I MEAN, NOT IN A YEAR, IN A MONTH, JUST TO RESPOND TO CALLS, HOMICIDES, QUESTIONABLE DEATHS, SEXUAL ASSAULTS, CHILD ABUSE, AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS. SO IF THERE'S ANYBODY OUT THERE WHO WANTS TO COME AND GIVE BACK TO THEIR COMMUNITY IN THAT WAY AND ARE COMPASSIONATE, PLEASE COME AND JOIN OUR VICTIM SERVICES TEAM. SO OUR STRATEGIC VISION FOR 2026. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIRE PUBLIC SAFETY PSYCHOLOGISTS. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF RIGHT NOW TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. WE THINK WE HAVE SOME GREAT NEWS AND A PARTNERSHIP THAT HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THIS POSITION UP AND RUNNING. WE IT HAS TO BE SOMEBODY THAT OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO TRUST. WE HAVE CHIEF BERGESON AS WELL, HIM AND HIS TEAM COMING UP WITH JUST THE PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIRE THE RIGHT PERSON AND THE PERSON WHO'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO INUNDATE THEMSELVES IN OUR DEPARTMENTS AND CAN THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD THE TRUST OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS. SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. WE ALSO ARE WORKING ON THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAM, AND THIS IS ORIGINATING FROM THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP TEAM. I KNOW MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER HOPE ARE A PART OF THAT COMMITTEE. AND AND SO WE ARE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO START A MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAM. AND IT'S GOING TO BE A POLICE OFFICER, A MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER, AS WELL AS AN EMT FROM FIRE TO RESPOND TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN CRISIS, TO JUST KIND OF REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF, I DON'T KNOW, USE OF FORCE OR SENDING POLICE OFFICERS TO CALLS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO HANDLE. SO REDIRECT THAT CALL TO THAT GROUP WHO WILL SHOW UP IN A VAN NOT BEING IN UNIFORM, AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS. BUT WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT THE EMDR IS ALSO GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PROACTIVE WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE CRISIS FREQUENTLY, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES SO THAT WE'RE NOT COMING IN CONTACT WITH THEM A LOT. WE WERE ALSO THE RECIPIENTS OF THE GRANT L E M H W GRANT, AND WE FOUND OUT WHEN WE WERE AT INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE CONFERENCE BACK IN OCTOBER, THAT WE WERE THE FIRST AGENCY ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT WAS GRANTED THIS THIS GRANT. AND WE HAVE CHIEF WALLACE, WHO IS LEADING OUT ON THIS EFFORT. WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO INTERNALLY WITH OUR POLICE OFFICERS[00:45:04]
BRINGING IN BENCHMARK ANALYTICS. WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN CLASSES FROM MARCEL BRUNELLE, WHO TALKS, WHO WROTE A BOOK ON DIGNITY AND POLICING, MR. MIKE ALEXANDER, BRINGING IN HIS HIS HIDDEN HAZARDS CLASS, AND ALSO THE FINANCE COP BRINGING HIM IN FOR TWO SESSIONS SO THAT OUR OFFICERS CAN MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AS IT RELATES TO THEIR FINANCES. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT TOTAL WELLBEING OF OUR POLICE TEAM AND MAKING SURE WE'RE PROVIDING THEM WITH THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS JOB AND HANDLE THE TRAUMAS THAT THAT COMES WITH WITH BEING A POLICE OFFICER. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT TEAM IS REBRANDING AND ESSENTIALLY IT'S NOTHING. YOU GUYS MAY NOT SEE A DIFFERENCE ON THE OUTSIDE.WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT TEAM OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO DISTRICTS, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO BE MORE INVOLVED INTERNALLY WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THAT WE COULD USE THEM IN INVESTIGATIONS IF NEEDED. AND THEY CAN. THEY'RE GOING TO PARTNER WITH PATROL WHERE THEY CAN, BUT WHERE THEY CAN. BUT I'M VERY PROUD THAT WE'RE WORKING TO GO IN A NEW DIRECTION. WE'VE BEEN WE'VE HAD THE UNIT FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS NOW. WE'VE LEARNED LEARNED SOME THINGS. AND IT'S TIME TO TO GO BIGGER AND BETTER. AND THEY ARE DOING A GREAT JOB THERE. SO PROJECT NICK FINALLY. SO PROJECT CONNECT THE PICTURE FROM THE BUS. WE WERE ACTUALLY ON THE FIELD TRIP. WE WERE ON THAT BUS. SO PROJECT CONNECT IS ACTUALLY AN INITIATIVE FROM THE AN INITIATIVE CALLED NEW BLUE. NEW BLUE IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE. CHIEF WALLACE AND I WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE PICKED OR SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. AND IN THIS PROGRAM, WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH AN IDEA TO BETTER CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITIES. AND WHAT CHIEF WALLACE AND I AGREED ON DOING IS PROJECT CONNECT. AND WHAT PROJECT CONNECT IS, IS OUR OFFICERS, BEFORE THEY ARE PUT OUT INTO THE STREET, GOING TO FIELD TRAINING, WE FAMILIARIZE THEM WITH WACO AND WE TALK ABOUT THE CULTURE. WE TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY. WE TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN POLICE AND COMMUNITY, AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS. A COUPLE OF PLACES THAT THEY WENT TO, THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST ONE, AND THEY GOT STUCK AND HAD TO PUSH THE BUS OUT OF THE SNOW. WE THEY, THEY GET CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES. THEY DO LUNCH. THEY WENT TO MISSION WACO. THEY GOT AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE FROM DOCTOR PEACHES, WENT TO THE COVE, THEY DID A WACO HISTORY BUS TOUR. AND WHAT I DID MENTION WAS TWO OF OUR PARTNERS HAD WE HAD TO HAVE COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO JOIN US IN THIS INITIATIVE WITH NEW BLUE. AND THAT HAPPENED TO BE MR. ANTHONY BETTERS AND BOBBY HARNER, AND THEY WERE GREAT PARTNERS AND SO FAR SO GOOD. SO WE ALSO HAVE TWO CANDIDATES THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN NEW BLUE. NEW BLUE RIGHT NOW. AGAIN, THIS IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE, AND I JUST LOVE THE FACT THAT OUR TEAM IS PUTTING THEMSELVES OUT THERE TO PARTICIPATE IN STUFF LIKE THIS. AND COMMANDER LONG AND OFFICER JEANETTE DRAPER ARE PARTICIPATING IN NEW BLUE RIGHT NOW. SO INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS THEY'LL COME UP WITH NEXT YEAR.
SO AGAIN, COUNCIL, THANK YOU. THANK CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR THE INCENTIVES AND APPROVING INCENTIVES AND HELPING US HIRE WITH OUR HIRING. IT HAS BEEN IMPACTFUL AND PEOPLE ARE JUST ATTRACTED TO COMING TO WACO AND FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. BUT I AM GRATEFUL TO BE THE CHIEF. I LOVE DOING WHAT I DO AND THE PEOPLE I DO IT WITH. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU CHIEF. APPRECIATE IT. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR CHIEF VICTORIA? CHIEF, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM ON THE JOB YOU'RE DOING IT. COUNCIL MEMBER EWING AND I DID WANT TO KNOW THERE'S PROBABLY A DISCUSSION FOR ANOTHER TIME, BUT WE WERE HOPING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CANINE RECRUITMENT AND INTERVIEW PROCESS. OKAY, IT'S GOT TO BE GOOD FUN, BUT IT PROBABLY MORE THAN WE NEED TO GO INTO TODAY. YES. YES, SIR. I'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT TO YOU. WE DID APPROACH THE PODIUM IN A VERY NICE MANNER. SHE DID. HE'S EXCITED. I TELL YOU, ONE DAY I WAS IN MY OFFICE. THEY PRACTICE ON SEVEN. I WAS ON EIGHT AND IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMEBODY WAS HURTING HIM. I WAS LIKE, WHAT IS WHAT'S GOING ON? AND. AND CANINE HANDLER MIKE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT HE'S A LITTLE EXTRA. SO THE SO WHEN Y'ALL HEARD WHEN I HEARD HIM BACK THERE, I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE HIM FIRST BECAUSE IF NOT SO HE'S A LITTLE EXTRA. HE'S JUST A BABY. HE'S JUST A BABY. WELL, CHIEF, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION TODAY. I WILL ATTRIBUTE THE THE VERY SLIGHT POINT, 18% INCREASE IN CALLS FOR SERVICE TO THE FACT THAT FRANK HAS MORE FREE TIME ON HIS HANDS IN THE LAST CALENDAR YEAR. CERTAINLY GETTING INTO, I'M SURE, PLENTY OF THINGS. BUT I DID HAVE A QUESTION. THE THE CURRENT SWORN OFFICERS OR SWORN STAFF IS AT 286 OUT OF 297 WITH TEN IN THE ACADEMY AND MIGHT UNDERSTAND
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THAT SHOULD THOSE TEN, YOU KNOW, COMPLETE WILL BE AT 296 OUT OF 297 OR HOW DOES THAT THOSE ARE TEN. THOSE TEN ARE INCLUDED. THEY'RE INCLUDED IN IT. OKAY, GREAT. WITH THAT BEING SAID, 11 SHY OF THE THE SWORN ALLOTMENT IS HOW HOW DOES THAT STACK UP TO KIND OF PREVIOUS YEARS IN TERMS OF HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO KIND OF BEING THE MOST STAFFED THAT WE'VE BEEN FROM SWORN OFFICER STANDPOINT? SO FORTUNATELY, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE THAT NUMBER, BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE WE WERE AT 268. YEAH. AND SO WE MADE THE 268.SO BEING AT 286, 4 OR 5 YEARS LATER IS IS ON POINT. RIGHT. SO AND WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ATTRITION TOO, BECAUSE WE'RE LOSING PEOPLE FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. RETIREMENT RESIGNATIONS. AND SOME HAVE BEEN ASKED TO LEAVE OR LEAVE. BUT I THINK THAT WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION AND THAT WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. I KNOW SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE SORT OF TRACKING WHERE STAFFING IS AT VERSUS WHAT THE SWORN ALLOTMENT IS, IT'S KIND OF ALWAYS THE THE GAME OF TRYING TO BRING MORE IN THAN WE LOSE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
SO WE CAN KIND OF GET TO THAT FULL NUMBER. BUT I WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT FOR BEING AT 286, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S NOT IT'S NOT AS EASY AS PUTTING A JOB, POSTING OUT AND GETTING IT FILLED. WHEN IT COMES TO TO HAVING SWORN STAFF FILL OUT THAT NUMBER. AND I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY TO TO SORT OF PUT ALL THE THINGS IN PLACE TO HAVE PEOPLE COME AND DO A REALLY, REALLY DIFFICULT JOB. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT. AND THEN LASTLY, I DO I AM CURIOUS, AND THIS IS AGAIN A REPORT FOR A DIFFERENT TIME, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO GET INFORMATION. YOU CALLED OUT THE THE VERY VERY SLIGHT INCREASE IN WAS IT CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS AND THE, THE BIG CHUNK OF THAT PROBABLY BEING DOMESTIC OR FAMILY? I KNOW THAT I THINK MAYBE LAST YEAR IN THIS PRESENTATION YOU KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED THE OR MAYBE IT WAS A DIFFERENT PRESENTATION FROM THE COMMANDERS. YOU KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED THE STEPS IN SORT OF THE NEW PROGRAM SORT OF ROLLED OUT FOR THAT. I'D LOVE TO KIND OF GET AN UPDATE ON JUST THE GENERAL PROGRESS OF THAT IN TERMS OF THE INTERACTIONS AND EDUCATION THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE AND HOW THAT'S GOING. SURE. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? YEAH, I WILL ECHO COUNCIL MEMBER LOZANO ON THAT ONE. YEAH.
THIS COUNCIL'S HAS ALWAYS HAD A HIGH PRIORITY CHIEF ON WACO BEING A SAFE CITY. AND I LOVE LOOKING AT DATA AND THIS DATA. I LOVE YEAR OVER YEAR AND TREND ANALYSIS. AND YOU GUYS HAVE NAILED IT. AND YOU'RE MEETING OUR HIGH PRIORITY. AND YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR TEAM HAVE REALLY 30%, OVER 30% REDUCTION JUST IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. IT'S AMAZING. AND WHAT IMPRESSES ME MOST, ALMOST CHIEF VICTORIAN, IS THAT YOU'RE STRESSED OUT OVER THAT. LESS THAN ONE HALF OF 1% IN A SUB PART OF OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO IT SHOWS ME THAT YOUR HEART IS MAKING THIS ALL HAPPEN AND YOU TAKE ALL THIS VERY SERIOUSLY AND YOU'RE GREAT LEADER. WE'RE IMPROVING OUR RESPONSE TIMES AND HOLD TIMES, WHICH IS AMAZING. AND ANOTHER PART THAT'S ALMOST KIND OF UNRELATED TO DATA IS THE RELATIONAL POLICING THAT YOU DO IN THAT LOOP THAT YOU HAD ON ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WERE THE PUBLIC OUTREACH THAT YOU HAVE COMMITTED TO IN THIS CITY? PEOPLE KNOW WHEN A POLICE OFFICER COMES UP, THAT'S FRIEND, THAT'S NOT FOE THAT THAT IS SOMEBODY HERE TO HELP YOU. AND YOU'VE CHANGED THE WHOLE DYNAMIC OF THAT RELATIONSHIP. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THE OTHER THING THAT I SAW IN HERE WAS THE 2026 VISION, WHERE YOU HAD THE LIST OF THINGS YOU'RE DOING IN OUR RESOLUTIONS TODAY THAT I REALLY I'D READ THROUGH IT, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THAT DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOU APPLYING FOR GRANTS RELATED TO FAMILY VIOLENCE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, AND PEACE OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH, ABOUT A QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS OF GRANTS WHICH HELP US THROUGH STATE AND FEDERAL GRANTS. SO YOU'RE YOU'RE YOU'RE WALKING THE WALK AND YOU'RE TALKING THE TALK. SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO. IS IT IS WOULD IT BREACH ANY CONFIDENTIALITY TO INTRODUCE SOME OF YOUR COMMANDERS AND LEADERSHIP TEAM? IT WOULD NOT. BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE SOME MORE THING. YEAH. WE CHIEF ROBERT LANNING RETIRED ON LAST WEEK AND WE MADE A PROMOTION. SO WE'LL BE PROMOTING ADAM BREWER TO ASSISTANT CHIEF TO TAKE CHIEF LANDING SPOT. HE WAS UNABLE TO COME TONIGHT. HE HAD SOME MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT HE WAS THE ONE THAT USUALLY SHOW UP AT 6:00 IF WE WERE NOT ABLE, BUT WE HAVE A WHOLE. CAN Y'ALL STAND UP? I SEE SOME BADGES OUT THERE. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK MY NEW EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SERGEANT VAUGHN RETIRED. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THE SIX FOOT SEVEN SANTA CLAUS BACK HERE.
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SERGEANT MCALLISTER WHO ACTUALLY PUT THIS PRESENTATION TOGETHER FOR US. SO THANK YOU SARGE. GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DOCTOR VICTORIA THANK YOU I MEAN I DON'T I DON'T EVER REALLY GET TO SAY EAT EM UP CATS FROM THE DAIS. BUT I SEE YOU. I SEE YOU.ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT WORK SESSION IS 2020 6-0 55 DISCUSSION OF ANIMAL SERVICES AND PET CIRCLE REGIONAL ANIMAL CENTER. CITY MANAGER HOLT. ALL RIGHT, STAYING IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY VEIN, THE SECOND WORK SESSION PRESENTATION ITEM 055 WILL BE PRESENTED BY MELISSA SHELDON, DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL SERVICES. THIS PRESENTATION WILL COVER A 2025 UPDATE AND 2026 PREVIEW FOR THE ANIMAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WHICH INCLUDES THE PET CIRCLE REGIONAL ANIMAL CENTER AS WELL AS WACO ANIMAL PROTECTION. MELISSA, THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER HOLT. MY NAME IS MELISSA SHELDON. I'M THE ANIMAL SERVICES DIRECTOR FOR PET CIRCLE REGIONAL ANIMAL CENTER IN WACO ANIMAL SERVICES. TODAY WE WILL TALK ABOUT ANIMAL SERVICES AND PET CIRCLES OPERATIONS. OVER THE LAST YEAR. WE'LL GO OVER SOME CHARTS, STATS, EVENTS, OPERATIONAL UPDATES, AND FUTURE PLANS. SO FOR 2025, THE SHELTER SAW A DECREASE TO INTAKES, MAINLY IN STRAYS AND OWNER SURRENDERS. THIS DECLINE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO AN INCREASE IN COMMUNITY PROGRAMING, MAINLY DESIGNED TO KEEP PETS WITH THEIR PEOPLE.
PROGRAMS LIKE OUR COMMUNITY PET PANTRY PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL TRAINERS WHO HELP INTERVENE BEFORE PET SURRENDER AND OUR SAFETY NET AND FOUND FRIENDS PROGRAM OR SNIFF PROGRAM AIMED TO KEEP PETS CLOSER TO THEIR HOME TO INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF REUNIFICATION BY UPWARDS OF 3 TO 6 TIMES. THE SHELTER ALSO SAW AN INCREASE IN ANIMALS REUNITED WITH THEIR OWNERS. THE CHART ON YOUR RIGHT YOU CAN SEE I'VE MARKED PET CIRCLES, INCEPTION AND SINCE THEN RETURN TO OWNERS. RATES ARE 3.7% HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR. RETURN OWNER RATES REMAIN HIGHER THAN YEARS PAST, AND FOCUS IS ON INCREASING THAT PERCENTAGE EVEN MORE. THIS GRAPH SHOWS THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME AN ANIMAL STAYS IN THE SHELTER BEFORE HAVING THE OUTCOME OF ADOPTION. AT PET CIRCLE, WE DO DAILY POPULATION ROUNDS AIMED AT TREATING EVERY ANIMAL AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND PAINTING PLOT PLANNING PATHWAYS FOR EACH PET THE MOMENT THEY ARRIVE. THIS CONSISTENCY HAS LED TO AN EIGHT DAY DECREASE FOR DOGS AND A FOUR DAY INCREASE OR A FOUR DAY DECREASE. SORRY FOR CATS, MOVING ANIMALS FASTER ALLOWS THE SHELTER TO HELP MORE ANIMALS. THIS CHART IS THE SHELTER ANIMALS COUNT POPULATION BALANCE CALCULATOR.
IT SHOWS IF AN ANIMAL SHELTERS POPULATION IS INCREASING, DECREASING OR STAYING THE SAME.
100% MEANS ANIMALS ARE LEAVING AT THE SAME RATE AS THEY'RE ARRIVING UNDER 100% MEANS THE POPULATION IS INCREASING. SO 95% MEANS 5% OF THE ANIMALS ENTERING THE SHELTER STAYED IN THE SHELTER SYSTEM. OVER 100% MEANS THE POPULATION IS DECREASING. SO FOR EXAMPLE, 106% MEANS 6% MORE ANIMALS LEFT THAN ENTERED THE SHELTER. ON THIS SLIDE YOU CAN SEE OUR 2024 NUMBERS. AND I'VE ALSO MARKED WHEN PET CIRCLE STARTED. HERE'S OUR 2025 NUMBERS. YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR MOST OF THE MONTHS WE WERE AT OR ABOVE 100%, SPRING AND SUMMER ARE OUR BUSIEST TIMES WITH THE MOST INTAKE. AND KNOWING THIS, WE TRY TO. WE TRY HARD TO MANAGE OUR CAPACITY LEADING UP TO THESE MONTHS. WE ALSO TRY TO DO MICROCHIPPING CLINICS IN EARLY SPRING IN HIGH INTAKE AREAS, TO KIND OF HELP REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF THOSE ANIMALS ENTERING THE SHELTER.
ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE WORK THE SHELTER STAFF'S DOING IS THIS CHART. IN 2024, THE TOTAL INVENTORY, BOTH IN SHELTER AND IN FOSTER, CREEPED CLOSE TO 900 ANIMALS IN CARE.
THIS IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE ALL OF THESE ANIMALS ARE RELIANT ON THE CITY FOR MEDICAL CARE AND OTHER COSTS. I'VE MARKED PET CIRCLES INCEPTION OR STARTING MONTH ON THE CHART, SO YOU CAN SEE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ANIMALS THAT WE INHERITED DURING THAT TIME. STAFF HAS WORKED VERY, VERY HARD TO FIND POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ANIMALS, MANY WHO WERE STUCK IN THE SYSTEM. TODAY, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ANIMALS IN CARE IS CLOSER TO 250 ANIMALS.
DESPITE BEING VERY FULL FOR MANY DAYS OF THE YEAR, THERE'S STILL A GREAT STORY TO BE TOLD.
THE CITY REJOINED SHELTER OPERATIONS IN 2012, BRINGING MORE RESOURCES TO THE SHELTER
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ALONG WITH COMMUNITIES AND ALONG WITH COMMUNITY SUPPORT. THE SHELTER FINALLY ACHIEVED OVER 90% SAVED IN 2016 AND HAS MAINTAINED THAT EVER SINCE. YOU CAN SEE IN 2025 WE DID HAVE A SLIGHT INCREASE TO OUR EUTHANASIA NUMBERS. THAT WAS DUE TO A LATE IN THE YEAR LARGE COURT ORDERED COCKFIGHTING RING CASE THAT CREEPED OVER OUR EUTHANASIA NUMBERS, BUT IN ALL ACTUALITY, WE HAD LESS DOGS EUTHANIZED IN 2025 COMPARED TO 2024. SOME OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE SHELTER ACHIEVED WERE THE DECREASE IN ANIMALS BORN AT THE SHELTER BY 74%, AS WELL AS SEEING OUR ADOPTION RETURNS DECREASE BY 20%. THIS SHOWS THE DEDICATION OF STAFF TAKING TIME TO MATCH PETS WITH THEIR PEOPLE. SPAY NEUTER NUMBERS INCREASE FROM 2024, WITH 117 MORE ANIMALS GETTING SPAYED NEUTERED THAN PREVIOUS YEARS. WE ALSO STRENGTHENED BOTH OUR COMMUNITY AND NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS, ONE BEING THE BISSELL FIX THE FUTURE PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM PAYS FOR VETERINARIAN TO PERFORM A MINIMUM OF 30 SURGERIES A DAY AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER. HISTORICALLY, WHEN WE OUTSOURCED SPAY NEUTER COST, IT WAS APPROXIMATELY $400 PER ANIMAL. BUT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, OUR COST PER ANNUAL IS.COST PER ANIMAL IS APPROXIMATELY $22. BECAUSE OF THIS, OUR IN SHELTER SPAY NEUTER COMMUNITY SERVICES INCREASED 99% FROM LAST YEAR. NOW I WANT TO TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO TALK ABOUT OUR EVENTS AND PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS. IN SEPTEMBER, WE CELEBRATED OUR ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY. WE HAD A GREAT TURNOUT FOR THE EVENT WITH BOTH PD AND FIRE OUT ALONGSIDE OUR ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICERS FOR TOUCH A TRUCK, AS WELL AS THE LIBRARY OUT FOR STORYTIME. WE ALSO HAD A DUNKING BOOTH WITH DUNK THE DIRECTOR BEING VERY POPULAR AND I GOT VERY WET. IN 2025, WE PARTICIPATED IN OVER 80 EVENTS. WE'RE THANKFUL FOR OUR MANY COMMUNITY PARTNERS LIKE BOMGAARS, HEB, PETSMART, PETCO, PET SUPPLIES PLUS BUBBA'S CANE'S STREET DOG CAFE AND MANY OTHERS WHO I'M PROBABLY FORGETTING. WE HOSTED TWO VACCINE AND MICROCHIPPING CLINICS WHERE WE HELPED 294 ANIMALS. WE PARTICIPATED IN THE LEAD PROGRAM, HELPING HIGH SCHOOLERS BUDGET FOR REAL WORLD EXPENSES AND TEACHING THEM ABOUT PROPER PET CARE. WE ALSO HOSTED A PET THANKSGIVING, WHERE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS PASSED OUT HUNDREDS OF BOWLS OF THANKSGIVING DINNER TO SHELTER PETS AWAITING THEIR NEW HOMES.
WE'VE ALSO HAD INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS, WITH A 450% INCREASE FROM 2024, FROM CLEANING KENNELS TO HELPING STAY ON TOP OF LAUNDRY TO WALKING DOGS AND HELPING AT ADOPTION EVENTS, WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR ALL THEY DO FOR US.
A COUPLE OTHER PROGRAMS TO HIGHLIGHT ARE OUR BARK RAKE PROGRAM, WHICH SINCE JULY HAS HAD OVER 700 ANIMALS PARTICIPATE, AS WELL AS OUR PET FOOD PANTRY, WHICH IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROGRAM THAT GIVES OUT AROUND 1,000 POUNDS OF PET FOOD MONTHLY TO FAMILIES IN NEED. WE ALSO OPERATE OUR SAFETY NET AND FOUND FRIENDS PROGRAM, WHICH HAD A 50% SUCCESS RATE, MEANING HALF OF THE ANIMALS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THAT PROGRAM DID NOT HAVE A SHELTER INTAKE. WE'VE ALSO MAINTAINED OUR FIREHOUSE PROGRAM AS WELL, AIMED TO REUNITE PETS FASTER IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. ALSO WANTED TO BRING SOMETHING POSITIVE. SO THIS IS MELON, WHO FIRST CAME INTO THE SHELTER IN 2023 AS A STRAY WAS ADOPTED SHORTLY AFTER, SHE CHANGED A FEW OWNERS AND FOUND HERSELF BACK IN THE SHELTER IN MAY OF 2025 AS A STRAY. SHE HAD SHE WAS UNDERWEIGHT, HAD SORES ON HER BODY, BUT SHE ENDED UP BEING A STAFF FAVORITE AND STAYED AT THE SHELTER FOR FIVE MONTHS. HOWEVER, MELON ABSOLUTELY HATED THE KENNEL ENVIRONMENT AND WAS SHOWING SEVERE SIGNS OF KENNEL STRESS AND ANXIETY TO THE POINT WHERE ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATIONS WERE NOT WORKING AND STAFF WAS ACTUALLY CONSIDERING EUTHANASIA.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE CONSTANT ADVOCACY OF STAFF, A RESCUE OUT OF STATE IN CONNECTICUT SAW HER AND TAGGED HER. MELON WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER SHELTER, WHICH ACTED AS A TRANSPORT HUB BEFORE TAKING HER ON HER FREEDOM FLIGHT NORTH. AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE PICTURE OF THAT IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT NOW. MELON'S LIVING HER BEST LIFE OUT OF A SHELTER. AND IN 2025, 340 ANIMALS WERE TRANSPORTED TO RESCUE PARTNERS. A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF STAFF. NOW, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OPERATIONAL UPDATES. IN AUGUST OF 2025, WE HAD DOCTOR PISANO OF TEAM SHELTER USA COME BACK TO THE SHELTER TO DO A CONSULT. DOCTOR HAS BEEN HELPING THE SHELTER SINCE 2012 AND HELPED SHAPE THE SHELTER INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. SHE WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE, BUT NOTED WE WERE STILL OPERATING OVER CAPACITY AND RECOMMENDED SUSPENDING OWNER SURRENDER APPOINTMENTS AND CONTINUING TO FOCUS ON REDUCING INTAKE. ANOTHER OPERATIONAL UPDATE IN
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2025 WAS ON SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2025. BELLEMEADE EXITED OUR SHELTER CONTRACT. THIS WAS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE BELLEMEADE WAS ONE OF THE LARGER MUNICIPALITIES THAT TIED INTO THE SHELTER, WITH 5% OF THE TOTAL ANIMAL INTAKE. BELLEMEADE PARTNERED WITH AN AGENCY OUT OF COUNTY THAT THEY TRANSPORT ANIMALS TO INSTEAD. NOW WE DO HAVE SOME PINCH POINTS AND SOME CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. WE ARE SEEING INCREASING PRESSURE ON OUR ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICERS, ONE BEING THE AMOUNT OF CALLS FOR SERVICE. YOU CAN SEE I INCLUDED A CHART THERE WITH SOME LARGER CITIES AND SOME KIND OF CLOSER TO OUR OWN SIZE, BUT WACO IS RECEIVING ABOUT FOUR TIMES THE CALL. CITY'S TEN TIMES OUR SIZE ARE RECEIVING ANIMAL PROTECTION. OFFICERS REGULARLY WORK ALONGSIDE POLICE AND FIRE AND OUR FRONTLINE FOR PROTECTING COMMUNITIES AND ADDRESSING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS LIKE RABIES. THEY RESPOND DURING WEATHER EMERGENCIES, NATURAL DISASTERS AND OTHER CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, AND FREQUENTLY RESPOND TO DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, BOTH HUMAN AND ANIMAL. THERE WAS A BILL THAT FAILED IN THE IN THE RECENT TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO DESIGNATE ANIMAL CONTROL AS A FIRST RESPONDER, TO OPEN THEM UP TO MORE LOCAL AND AND NATIONAL GRANT FUNDING. IT ALSO TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND RESOURCES TO TRAIN AN ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICER. THEY GO THROUGH ABOUT 12 WEEKS OF TRAINING, AND IT CAN BE A VERY DEMANDING AND SOMETIMES THANKLESS JOB. THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF PUBLIC CONFUSION ABOUT THE ROLES AND DUTIES OF WHAT AN OFFICER CAN AND CANNOT DO. YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM I'VE INCLUDED THE NOT JUST THE DOG CATCHER HASHTAG, WHICH IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE INTO EDUCATING PEOPLE OF THE INCREASING ABOUT THE ROLES OF ANIMAL CONTROL. WE'RE ALSO AWARE OF A INCREASING NUMBER OF CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS ABOUT LOOSE ANIMALS AND OUR DISPATCHING PROCESS. MEETING THIS DEMAND REQUIRES INCREASED ACO OR OPO RESPONSE, WHILE ALSO CONSIDERING SHELTER CAPACITY AND ENFORCEMENT IMPACTS TO LIVE EXIT AND IN RESPONSE TO BETTER HELP WITH THE COMPLEXITY OF THE SITUATION, WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE THE NATIONAL ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL ASSOCIATION COMING THIS MONTH TO DO AN ON SITE EVALUATION AND PROGRAM PROCESS IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP, SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HOST THEM. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF EXCITING THINGS IN THE WORKS, ONE BEING OUR SHELTER MEDICAL CLINIC, WHICH STARTED CONSTRUCTION IN LATE 2025 WITH EXPECTED COMPLETION EARLY FALL OF 2026.SO THIS CLINIC WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE DISTEMPER OUTBREAK OF 2022, WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THE CURRENT FACILITY DID NOT HAVE ADEQUATE ISOLATION ABILITY.
CURRENTLY, A MAKESHIFT SOLUTION USING ADOPTION KENNELS IS IS WHERE OUR WHERE WE HOUSE OUR ISOLATION. WHEN WHEN THIS CLINIC IS COMPLETED, WE WILL THE KENNELS WILL BE FREED UP AGAIN AND BETTER HELP WITH THE OVERALL FLOW OF THE SHELTER. THIS CLINIC ALSO GREATLY WILL ALSO GREATLY EXPAND ON OUR SURGICAL CAPABILITIES, AND WE'RE GRATEFUL THAT COUNCIL INCLUDED IT IN THEIR 2024 CIP PROJECT PROGRAM. ANOTHER EXCITING ADDITION TO THE SHELTER IS AN ADOPTION TRAILER. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO BE ABLE TO MOVE MORE ANIMALS TO ADOPTION EVENTS, TO RESCUES, AND IT DOES HAVE A LONG BUILD TIME, BUT WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE IT DEPLOYED IN EARLY 2027. 2025 WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR PET CIRCLE. I'M SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE HARD WORK THAT STAFF DOES EVERY DAY AND THE COMMITMENT THEY HAVE TO CONSTANTLY EVOLVING ALONGSIDE THEIR COMMUNITY, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT 2026 AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS WE WILL ACCOMPLISH. THANK YOU. GREAT PRESENTATION. THANKS, MELISSA. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MISS SHELTON? MELISSA. SEEING THAT CHART, ESPECIALLY THE CAPACITY CHART OF WHEN PET CIRCLE LAUNCHED IN TERMS OF HOW MANY PETS WERE THERE AND IN FOSTER VERSUS NOW.
I MEAN, THAT'S THAT'S INCREDIBLE WORK THAT Y'ALL DONE. AND I KNOW IT HASN'T BEEN EASY TO KIND OF HANDLE BOTH THE ADOPTIONS AND THE CARE OF THE ANIMALS IN THIS TIME. BUT Y'ALL HAVE JUST YOU'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB AND YOUR STAFF HAS DONE AN AMAZING JOB, AS HAVE THE VOLUNTEERS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD WORK. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF CHALLENGES.
THIS IS A REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP LIKE YOU. LIKE YOU SAID WITH BELL MEAD'S DEPARTURE, JUST GRATEFUL FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING HERE AND JUST KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU. OTHER COMMENTS GUYS, ONE QUICK QUESTION. I REALIZE IT'S PROBABLY A LOT OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO IT, BUT IN SUMMARY, TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THE LARGE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WE GET WHEN COMPARED WITH OTHER CITIES AND POPULATION SIZES? SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING
[01:10:01]
TO NARROW DOWN AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE RECEIVING SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT OF CALLS? I THINK WE HAVE A WONDERFUL ANIMAL COMMUNITY THAT CARES DEEPLY ABOUT THE ANIMALS IN IT. AND SO I DON'T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTES TO MORE CALLS, BUT IT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE CARE ENOUGH TO CALL IN. SO WE'RE TAKING THE TIME TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, ARE THE TYPES OF CALLS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN LINE WITH WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE SEEING AND WHERE CAN WE, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE MORE EDUCATION OR KIND OF STREAMLINE THOSE OPERATIONS TO RECEIVE LESS OF THOSE CALLS OR KIND OF DIRECT THEM APPROPRIATELY. SO WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WHERE THAT ELEVATION IS AND WHY IT'S OCCURRING. ANYTHING ELSE? GEORGIA I KIND OF HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT. IT WAS IN THE CONTEXT OF MY COMMENTS.MELISSA, THE TRENDS ARE ALL NICE. INTAKES ARE DOWN, THE RETURN TO OWNER RATES ARE UP, THE LENGTH OF STAY IS SHORTENING. SO THAT'S GREAT. AND THEN AS COUNCILMEMBER MENTIONED, THE TOTAL ANIMALS IN CARE ARE DOWN. AND THERE WAS A TIME, I GUESS IT WAS LAST YEAR WHERE THE GRAPH SHOWS. BUT THERE WAS A TIME WE HAD ALMOST 800 OR 900 ANIMALS OUT, WITH 700 OF THEM BEING IN FOSTER, WHICH IS SORT OF A PRECARIOUS POSITION TO BE IN. SO I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS AND THE INTENTIONALITY OF GETTING THAT NUMBER UNDER CONTROL TO WHERE THAT ROUGHLY 700 IN FOSTER NOW IS REDUCED TO ABOUT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 100. SO GOOD TRENDS ALL THE WAY AROUND. I HAVE THE KIND OF A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO WHAT GEORGE WAS SAYING ABOUT THE ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICERS, AND THEN OUR SORT OF LOOKS LIKE DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF CALLS WE COVER MORE THAN JUST THE CITY OF WACO, RIGHT? WE'VE GOT A LARGER REGION THAT WE SERVICE. AND THEN MAYBE AS A FOLLOW UP TO THAT. SO THAT IS MAINLY WACO. WE DO TRANSPORT ANIMALS FOR MCLENNAN COUNTY, AND SOMETIMES WE WILL RECEIVE CALLS FROM OUTSIDE AGENCIES, BUT WE REDIRECT THEM BACK TO THEIR JURISDICTION. BUT THAT'S MAINLY JUST WACO. WE STILL HAVE TO BE THERE TO I GUESS WE DON'T SEND OUR PERSON OUT. WE JUST TELL THE OTHER PERSON TO USE THE OTHER JURISDICTION. OKAY, YOU HAVE YOU MENTIONED PUBLIC CONFUSION ABOUT ROLE OR DUTIES? CAN YOU JUST CAN YOU GIVE ME A MINUTE, A THUMBNAIL ON ON THAT? WHAT IS THE WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR CONFUSION? YEAH. SO A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, I GUESS THE PERCEPTION FOR AN ANIMAL PROTECTION OFFICER OR ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER IS THEIR MAIN RESPONSIBILITY IS CATCHING STRAY DOGS. AND THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. THAT'S ACTUALLY ONE OF THEIR LOWER PRIORITY CALLS. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE CRUELTY, NEGLECT INVESTIGATIONS. THEY HAVE EDUCATIONAL COMPONENTS TO THEIR JOB. THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, DANGEROUS DOG INVESTIGATIONS, AGGRESSIVE DOG INVESTIGATIONS. THEY APPEAR IN COURT FOR ANIMALS. SO THERE'S A LOT MORE MORE TO THEIR ROLE THAN I THINK PEOPLE REALIZE. WHEREAS MOST PEOPLE THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE JUST A DOG CATCHER OR, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THEY DO FOR A MAJORITY OF THEIR DAY, RIGHT? THE TRADITIONAL THING YOU SEE ON THE CARTOONS WHERE YOU CALL UP THE GUY AND HE COMES WITH THE TRUCK, THE NET AND ALL THAT STUFF. OKAY. GREAT PRESENTATION. REAL EXCITED ABOUT THE MEDICAL CENTER COMING UP IN THE THIRD QUARTER. I MEAN, THE MEDICAL CLINIC, THAT'LL BE GREAT. AND A GREAT ADDITION TO WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON. TRENDS ARE ALL GREAT. I APPRECIATE THIS IS KIND OF A HAIRIER SITUATION 24 MONTHS AGO. AND YOU GUYS HAVE STABILIZED IT ALL. AND IT LOOKS VERY GOOD AND KEPT THAT THE THE WHAT DO WE CALL IT, NOT THE KILL RATE. WHAT DO WE CALL IT.
WHAT'S THE PROPER NAME? LIVE EXIT RATE OKAY. YEAH THAT'S OKAY. THE EUTHANASIA RATE HAS BEEN YOU'VE PRESERVED THAT TO A VERY LOW LOW NUMBER. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS NOBODY'S GOING TO FOLLOW UP WITH? TRY TO SAVE ME OUT OF THAT COMMENT.
I'M ON MY OWN. ALL RIGHT. THANKS AGAIN MELISSA. NEXT ITEM IS WORK SESSION 2026 OH 56.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM. CITY MANAGER HOLT CERTAINLY MAYOR COUNCIL. OUR LAST WORK SESSION IS IN RESPONSE TO JANUARY 20TH.
REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEM TO LOOK INTO THE OPTIONS TO PURSUE AN ENHANCED COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR RETIREES. BLUE COST. OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER CFO WILL PRESENT ITEM 056 TO PROVIDE A LOOK AT OUR COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT OPTIONS. MR. COSTELLO, THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. HOLT, GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. COUNCIL MAYOR. AGAIN, THIS IS A A FOLLOW UP FROM THE REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER EWING TO BRING THIS BACK TO LIGHT AND START THIS CONVERSATION IS REALLY A KEY AT THIS POINT BECAUSE AS WE'RE STARTING THE FY 27 BUDGET CYCLE, WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE TODAY, SOME OF THIS WILL START GOING INTO OUR PLANNING SESSIONS, HOW
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WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS AND THE OPTIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU. SO AS WE LOOK INTO THIS REAL QUICK, THE NUMBERS FROM TMRS TEXAS MUNICIPAL RETIREMENT SYSTEM HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED YET. THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THEIR ACTUARIAL STUDIES RIGHT NOW. SO THEY'RE UPDATING THE PLAN INFORMATION WITH INVESTMENT EARNINGS AND EVERYTHING FROM THE LAST PLAN YEAR. SO WHAT YOU SEE TODAY ARE THE SAME NUMBERS THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAST. WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO UPDATE ON THAT END. BUT WHAT WE DO WANT TO DO IS PRESENT THIS AS THE NUMBERS, BECAUSE THE NUMBERS ARE NOT GOING TO DECREASE AT THIS POINT. THEY'RE THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE SLIGHTLY. BUT WHAT TO TO WHAT EXTENT? WE DON'T KNOW YET. WE WILL FIND OUT SOON. BUT OVERALL THE ENHANCED COLAS, WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE HERE, COUNCIL IS THAT THIS IS WHAT WE DESCRIBE A BOTH AND SO BOTH AND SITUATION THERE. THERE IS DEFINITELY A COST TO THE CITY FOR THIS 6.1 MILLION FOR THE 50% COLA, ABOUT ALMOST 11 MILLION FOR THE 70% COLA. HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, THERE IS ALSO A A DEFINITE BENEFIT FOR OUR RETIREES. SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY AND KIND OF LOOK AT THE PATH FORWARD OKAY. SO AGAIN THE THE THERE THERE WILL BE AT LEAST THREE OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US WHEN THESE PLANS COME BACK OUT. THE NON RETROACTIVE ARE DONE. THOSE SUNSET. SO THOSE ARE NO LONGER OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO US. SO WHAT YOU SAW OUT OF THOSE WE'VE WE'VE GRAYED THOSE OUT. SO YOU HAVE THE OPTION ONE WHICH IS A 50%. OPTION THREE IS A 70%. AND THERE WILL BE AN OPTION FIVE.THAT'S THE 8% 2 TO 1 MATCH. SO 8% AND 16% BY THE CITY. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT'S GOING TO BE YET, SO I CAN'T EVEN PUT NUMBERS OUT THERE FOR THAT ONE. SO WE JUST KIND OF BLANK THAT ONE OUT. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT OPTIONS ONE AND THREE. AGAIN. OVERALL, LOOK AT OUR CURRENT PLAN STATUS OVER THE YEARS FOR FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE LAST TEN YEARS, OUR LIABILITIES HAVE OUTWEIGHED OUR ASSETS. SO WHAT YOU SEE IS LIKE WE ARE A 2 TO 1 MATCH CITY. SO IN A PERFECT WORLD AND A PERFECT PLAN RIGHT NOW, IF THE EMPLOYEE IS GIVEN 7%, THE THE CITY WOULD GIVE 14% TOWARDS THE PLAN FOR AN OVERALL 21% FUNDING RATIO. WHAT YOU SEE IS THE CITY HAS CONTRIBUTED 18%, SO 4.1% ABOVE THAT. THAT 14% CONTRIBUTION LEVEL, THAT IS THE AMOUNT THAT IS NEEDED. IF YOU IF YOU DO THAT FOR 20 YEARS, IN AN IDEAL WORLD, THAT'S WHAT WOULD BRING YOUR ASSETS UP TO MEET YOUR YOUR LIABILITIES AND MAKE THOSE EVEN THAT MAKES SENSE. SO AGAIN, WE ARE BEING ASKED TO TO CONTRIBUTE HIGHER THAN THAT 14%, TO TRY TO GET OUR, OUR ASSETS UP TO OUR LIABILITY. SO BLUE THAT EMPLOYER MATCH. WHAT IS WHAT DO OTHER CITIES DO ON IS EVERYBODY 2 TO 1 OR MOST CITIES ARE 2 TO 1. OKAY. THERE THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT OPTIONS 1 TO 1, ONE AND A HALF TO ONE AND 2 TO 1 UNDER UNDER TMRS. THANKS. SO AS WE LOOK OUT, WE HAVE JUST LOOKED AT HISTORICAL INCREASES IN OUR IN OUR CONTRIBUTION AMOUNTS. CONTRIBUTION RATES KIND OF EXTRAPOLATE THAT OUT OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS TO TO SHOW THE DIFFERENCE. THE TOP IS WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE TODAY. SO FY 26 AT THAT TOTAL AMOUNT OF $32.3 MILLION, 23.3 COMING FROM THE CITY AND NINE COMING FROM OUR EMPLOYEES. AND YOU SEE THAT ALL THE WAY OUT TO 2036, WHERE WE ESTIMATE THAT THE CITY WILL BE PUTTING IN ABOUT 41 MILLION EMPLOYEES, PUTTING IN ABOUT 12 MILLION. NOW, IF WE GO DOWN TO THAT 50%, THAT'S THE BOTTOM, THE 50% COLA, THAT'S WHAT THE CITY AND THE EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS WOULD, WOULD COME OUT TO. IF OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS, TRENDS CONTINUE AS THEY HAVE OVER THE PAST, PAST SEVERAL YEARS. SO WHAT YOU SEE, INSTEAD OF THAT 41.1 MILLION IN FY 2036, THE CITY WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING ALMOST 50.8 50, ALMOST 51 MILLION. AGAIN, THESE ARE THESE ARE VERY HIGH LEVEL ESTIMATES. WE DO NOT HAVE AN ACTUARIAL STUDY TO ACTUALLY PROVE THIS OUT. BUT THIS IS THE GENERAL TREND THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST ABOUT TEN YEARS THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT 6.1 MILLION FOR THIS 50% COLA, WE WE KIND OF WANTED TO PUT THAT IN SOME EQUIVALENCY. SO 6.1 IS OKAY TO TALK ABOUT IN THE ABSTRACT. BUT WHAT DOES THAT REALLY AMOUNT TO IN OUR BUDGET. AND IF YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE THE THREE BIG TOUCH POINTS FOR A LOT OF OUR PUBLIC, IF YOU LOOK AT LIBRARIES, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AND ONE THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT WITH ANIMAL SERVICES AND PET CIRCLE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 6.1 IS AS AT LEAST 1 TO 1.4 YEARS OF FUNDING FOR THOSE ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS FOR WHAT THE GENERAL FUND GIVES TO OUTSIDE AGENCIES. THAT'S ABOUT TWO
[01:20:05]
YEARS OF FUNDING. AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT STREETS, THAT IS ABOUT 34% OF THE CASH THAT WE SEND OVER FOR STREET MAINTENANCE, ROUGHLY THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT 33.3 LANE MILES OF STREET PRESERVATION. SO THESE ARE THESE ARE REAL DOLLARS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK FOR IN THE BUDGET IN ORDER TO GET TO THE $6.1 MILLION MARK. NOW, AGAIN, THIS IS THIS IS THE CITY SIDE. THAT IS ONE ASPECT OF IT. THERE IS ALSO THE RETIREE SIDE. WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BECAUSE THERE IS A REAL BENEFIT TO THESE RETIREES AS WELL. SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE SEEN HERE, IT IS REMAINING THE SAME. WHAT I WOULD DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THAT THAT VERY BOTTOM LINE, OPTION ONE AND OPTION THREE, THIS IS THE INCREASE. WE'VE LOOKED AT THE AVERAGE RETIREE. WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT ENTIRE CENSUS REPORT, APPLIED THE 50% RETROACTIVE TO ALL OF THOSE RETIREES THAT FIT INTO THOSE QUARTILES. DONE THAT FOR THE 50% AND FOR THE 70%. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE ARE REAL DOLLARS. I MEAN, THERE THERE'S GOING TO BE A 12%, 12.6% INCREASE TO THE MAJORITY OF THE RETIREES AT A 50%. THAT WOULD COVER THE FIRST THROUGH THE THIRD QUARTILES. FOURTH QUARTILE WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER AT 10.6% INCREASE IN THEIR THEIR MONTHLY BENEFIT. OPTION THREE IF YOU GO OUT TO THAT 70%, THAT GOES UP TO ABOUT A 20.6 21. AND THEN FOR THE FOURTH QUARTILE DOWN TO A 16.7% INCREASE. SO AGAIN, YOU THE THE RETIREES THAT ARE IN THE SYSTEM TODAY WOULD DEFINITELY SEE SOME OF THIS BENEFIT FROM THAT. THAT ENHANCED COLA. SO THIS BRINGS US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND AS WE START THIS BUDGET CYCLE, WHAT WE HAVE PROMISED YOU THROUGH THE LAST BUDGET PROCESS AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO WHAT WE WILL PRESENT TO YOU ARE SOME OPTIONS TO GET DOWN TO THAT $6.1 MILLION MARK, SO THAT IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH, MAYOR COUNCIL, WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT THAT. AND WE WILL WE WILL TAKE YOUR TAKE YOUR DIRECTIVE AND WE WILL PUT THAT INTO ACTION. BUT WHAT THIS WILL REQUIRE US TO DO IS GET WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS AND FULLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT TO THEIR SERVICE LEVELS AND WHAT WHAT EACH DEPARTMENT CAN OFFER.WE WILL SCRUB BUDGETS. WE WILL GO THROUGH, WE WILL SCRUTINIZE IN ORDER TO TRY TO GET THERE.
BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT THE GENERAL FUND OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS HAS REDUCED OUR OUR EXPENSES BY ABOUT $24 MILLION. SO A LOT OF THE THE EXTRA HAS BEEN CUT OUT. WE HAVE REALLY SCALED BACK OUR OPERATIONS. SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LEVEL OF SERVICE IMPACTS THIS IS GOING TO HAVE ON THESE DEPARTMENTS. BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BRING BACK TO YOU IN THE BUDGET RETREAT. AND WE'RE WE'RE READY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU. AT THAT TIME, MAYOR, YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT THE OTHER CITIES. WE DO HAVE THAT FOR YOU. SO OUR PEER CITY IS WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS ABILENE AT THAT 0%.
BUT THAT'S THAT'S A RARE EXCEPTION TO NOT HAVE ANY COLA OPTION FOR A CITY OUR SIZE.
AMARILLO IS THE ONLY ONE WITH A AMARILLO AND MIDLAND HAVE THAT 50%. GEORGETOWN WACO WERE THE ONLY ONES WITH 30%. THE REST ARE THAT ABOUT THAT 70% MARK. SOME OF THESE ARE LEGACY. SO MEANING THAT THEY HAVE NOT MADE A PLAN CHANGE IN AS FAR BACK AS RECORDS GO FOR US. SO THEY'VE ALWAYS HAD THAT 70% RETROACTIVE IN PLACE, MEANING AT THIS TIME THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO MAKE ONE BIG CATCH UP. WACO WOULD BE TRYING TO MAKE ONE BIG CATCH UP. YOU CAN SEE DOWN IN THAT BOTTOM SECTION, WACO. OPTION ONE WOULD BE THAT 50%. IT WOULD DROP OUR FUNDING RATIO DOWN TO 77.2%.
IDEALLY, WE WOULD NOT REALLY WANT TO BE BELOW THAT 80% MARK, BUT WE CAN GO DOWN THAT 77.2.
AND THEN OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, IT WILL IT WILL CONSISTENTLY BUILD BACK UP. BUT THAT WOULD REQUIRE US TO GO FROM THAT 18% CONTRIBUTION RATE ON THE CITY SIDE, UP TO ALMOST 23%, WHICH WOULD BE THAT SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE, ABOUT THAT $6.1 MILLION INCREASE.
MAYOR COUNCIL CONCLUSION. THIS IS THIS IS NOT A DONE CONVERSATION FOR US. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THIS. WE WILL CONTINUE THE WORK, PUT IN THE THE WORK TO TO GET YOU SOME OPTIONS. SO IF YOU DO TELL US THAT YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH A 50% OR 70%, WE WILL BE READY TO PULL THAT TRIGGER. BUT WE NEED TO TO BE ABLE TO TO HAVE THE TIME WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SERVICE LEVEL IMPACTS THAT MIGHT HAVE. BUT WE WILL BRING THIS BACK TO YOU FOR THE FOR THE BUDGET RETREAT IN JUNE OF 20 2026. COUNCIL, I'M GOING TO PAUSE HERE AND I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR
[01:25:04]
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER COSTELLO. THANK YOU. THIS IS VERY HELPFUL INFORMATION, AND I THINK THE LIST OF PEER CITIES THAT YOU'VE GIVEN IS IS GOOD. THESE ARE THESE ARE GOOD PEER CITIES.WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT IN JUNE, COULD YOU ALSO MAYBE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHAT, LIKE OTHER MCLENNAN COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES ARE DOING, JUST BECAUSE THOSE ARE SOMETIMES THE PEOPLE WE'RE COMPETING WITH FOR FOR FOR WORKERS? YES, SIR. WE WILL WE WILL ADD THOSE IN. YEAH. I APPRECIATE YOU GETTING THIS TOGETHER SO QUICKLY FOR THE PRESENTATION TODAY. I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY TO, TO TO STOP ALL THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING AGAIN, YOU KNOW, OVERSEEING THE CITY'S FINANCES AS WE'RE HEADING INTO BUDGET SEASON, AS WE'RE CLOSING OUT THE LAST ONE, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS NEVER STOP. SO I DO APPRECIATE YOU TAKING TIME TO PUT THIS TOGETHER AND FOR PROVIDING THE AMOUNT OF DATA THAT YOU DID. I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION WITH THIS INFORMATION WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, WITH STAFF AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I UNDERSTAND OBVIOUSLY ON STAFF, YOU GUYS HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THIS AS YOU HOPE TO RETIRE ONE DAY. SO I KNOW THAT WE ON COUNCIL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR RETIREES. OBVIOUSLY IN 23, WE STEPPED UP TO THE 30% AND JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP UP BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY INFLATION IS IS A KILLER AND HITS US ALL, BUT DO SO WITHIN REASON AND WITHIN. YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO THE LEVERAGE WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO PULL TO GET THIS DONE. ONE QUESTION I HAD ONLY BECAUSE THE NON RETRO PLAN WAS GRAYED OUT ON YOUR MONTHLY BENEFIT THERE, ARE WE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BE GRANDFATHERED IN AT OUR 30% NON RETRO. OR WILL WE HAVE TO SHIFT TO A 30% RETRO NEXT YEAR. NO WE WILL BE GRANDFATHERED IN. SO YOU HAD TO ADOPT INTO THAT PLAN. BUT ONCE YOU ADOPT INTO IT THAT THAT'S YOUR THEN YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. NOW YOU CAN AT THIS POINT YOU CAN ONLY ENHANCE FROM THERE OKAY. YOU CAN'T GO BACK. OKAY. WE WOULD HAVE TO GO AT LEAST A 30% RETROACTIVE AT THIS POINT. OKAY. AND ONE MORE QUESTION. IT'S NOT IT'S NOT FEATURED HERE. BUT I KNOW THAT YOU AND I HAVE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS. WOULD YOU MIND JUST KIND OF DETAILING THE DRAWBACKS OR THE NEGATIVES TO DOING AN AD HOC 70% COLA OR AN AD HOC COLA AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THAN THE 3,030% REPEATING, YEAH, DOING IT, DOING A AN AD HOC INSTEAD OF A REPEATING IS A LITTLE BIT DETRIMENTAL BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONE YEAR AT A TIME. SO WHEN YOU'RE YOU'RE AMORTIZING THESE OUT OVER 20 YEARS, THAT THAT ACTUARIAL STUDY IS LOOKING AT MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE FUNDING CONTRIBUTION RATE THAT YOU NEED FOR THE LONG TERM. SO THAT GIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE THE AD HOC, YOU'RE ONLY LOOKING AT GIVING THE CURRENT RETIREES THAT ONE TIME BOMB. SO YOU'RE YOU'RE NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ANY OF YOUR FUTURE RETIREES AND BUILDING IN FOR THAT. AND SO IT'S AM I CORRECT IN SAYING THAT THAT THEN ALSO REMOVES YOU FROM YOUR CURRENT CONTRIBUTION? SO THE 30% REPEATING WOULD BE REMOVED FROM THAT TO THEN STEP INTO THE AD HOC AND DOES. AND IF TRENDS CONTINUE, WE'LL HAVE CONTINUED LIMITED OPTIONS GOING FORWARD. SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO NECESSARILY BECAUSE WE'RE BEING GRANDFATHERED IN, WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO DO AN AD HOC THIS YEAR BECAUSE THAT WOULD STOP OUR 30% REPEATING THAT WOULD THAT WOULD STOP THE 30% REPEATING, YOU WOULD ADOPT THE AD HOC. AND THEN THE NEXT YEAR YOU WOULD HAVE TO EITHER ADOPT A NEW AD HOC, OR YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO FORWARD WITH A REPEATING OPTION. OKAY, THAT IS HELPFUL BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED AS WELL. AND WHEN YOU EXPLAIN THAT TO ME, IT MADE IT PRETTY CLEAR THAT IT WAS NOT THE BEST OPTION LONG TERM. AND WE CERTAINLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR PEOPLE MORE THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR. AND A BIG REASON WHY I WANTED THIS PRESENTATION WAS SO WE COULD HAVE A HOLISTIC VIEW ON WHAT THAT WOULD TAKE OVER TIME AND, FRANKLY, GIVE US WHAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS ON, YOU KNOW, HEY, HOW DO WE GET THERE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO. SO I APPRECIATE THAT, SIR. THANK YOU. YEAH. AND TELOMERASE DOES HAVE ON THEIR WEBSITE A FULL STUDY THAT THEY HAVE PRODUCED. SO IT'S A IT'S A ONE SHEET OUT THERE ON THEIR WEBSITE THAT ANYBODY CAN GRAB THAT SHOWS KIND OF THEIR THEIR CALCULATION METHODOLOGY AND HOW THE, THE, THE YEAR TO YEAR AD HOCS ACTUALLY COST MORE OVER TIME THAN A SIMPLE REPEATING.
OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THIS IN JUNE AT THE BUDGET RETREAT AS WELL. THANKS. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? THANKS, BLUE FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IT AGAIN IN JUNE. ANY OTHER ITEMS, CITY MANAGER HOLT? NO, SIR.
THAT WRAPS UP ALL THE ALL THE PRESENTATIONS. OKAY. WE HAVE WORK SESSION 20 2657 CITY
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COUNCIL REQUEST FOR FUTURE ITEMS TO BE DISCUSSED AND SCHEDULED FOR UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. ARE THERE ANY REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? THERE BEING NONE THERE,[EXECUTIVE SESSION]
WE WILL NOW RECESS THE WORK SESSION AND RECONVENE THE REGULAR SESSION FOR THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, AS READ INTO THE RECORD BY THE CITY SECRETARY AT 4:35 P.M. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WILL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS REAL PROPERTY TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SECTION 551 .72 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, SECTION 551.087 REAL PROPERTY TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551.072 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION FIVE, 5.551.087 AND ATTORNEY BRIEFING, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071. DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT BEING THE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT ON CITY OWNED AND ADJACENT PROPERTIES NEAR CITY HALL, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF PHASE ONE, BARONS BRANCH AND HERITAGE SQUARE, AND ATTORNEY BRIEFING, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071. CITY OF WACO VERSUS THE CAMERON COUNTY HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION. CAUSE NUMBER TWO 2020 5-3131-4. IN THE 170TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT. WE ARE N* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.