Feb 23, 2022 Work Session

[00:00:01]

GOOD AFTERNOON, IT IS NOW FIVE O'CLOCK, AND I CALLED THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF PRINCE

[CALL TO ORDER]

PLEASE CALL THE ROLL MRS. KNOTT MRS. WAYMACK.

HERE. MR. HUNTER.

HERE. MR. BROWN.

HERE. I AM CALLING IN FROM MY HOME ADDRESS 10682 LEMOORE DRIVE [INAUDIBLE] VIRGINIA FOR A PERSONAL REASON.

MR. CARMICHAEL.

HERE. MR. WEBB.

HERE. THANK YOU.

TONIGHT IS A WORK SESSION, SO WE WILL START OFF WITH THE DISCUSSION

[WORK SESSION]

KEITH EARLY. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAME CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. STOKE AND I GUESS MR. WHITTEN TOOK THE DAY OFF WITH US, BUT THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS EVENING. I'M HERE TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT REALLY THREE WHAT WE CALL HIGH LEVEL PRIORITY BUDGETARY REQUEST FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AND OUR PRIORITIES HAVE SHIFTED AGAIN THIS YEAR.

COMING INTO AS WE BEGAN THE BUDGET PROCESS.

OUR PRIORITY ONE WAS STAFFING, ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING REQUESTS THAT IS NOW BEEN PUSHED DOWN THE PRIORITY TWO.

PRIORITY ONE AND AS I SAID, HOPEFULLY YOU HAD A CHANCE TO VIEW THE RECORDING WE MADE OUR BUDGET PRESENTATIONS AND MR. STOKE AND MS. DREWRY.

AS I SAID THEN, IS NOT WITH PLEASURE THAT I'M STANDING UP HERE TALKING, YOU KNOW ABOUT SALARIES. WE JUST IMPLEMENTED A PLAN THIS PAST JULY AND FROM THE PD, WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT PLAN.

BUT HAVING SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T CONTROL THE MARKET AND WE LOOK AT IT AS A MARKET IS COMPETITION AND THE MARKET IS EVOLVING VERY FAST, I'LL GO OVER SOME OF THAT.

SO PRIORITY ONE REMAINS AND IT IS, THIS HAS BEEN OUR PRIORITY ONE IS, YOU KNOW, EACH BOARD MEMBER KNOWS THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND THAT'S HIRING AND RETENTION, WITH EMPHASIS NOW ON HIRING ABILITY.

SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN MARKET COMPETITIVE SALARIES. AND AGAIN, WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF NEW PAY PLAN TO DO PAY PLAN IS GOOD.

IT'S ROBUST, IT ALLEVIATES COMPRESSION.

BUT WHERE WE'RE SEEING CHALLENGES IS ON THE STARTING SALARY END.

AND AS WE KNOW FROM THE PAST, IT'S HARD TO AFFECT STARTING SALARIES WITHOUT CREATING ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS. SO IT IS A BIG REQUEST, AND THE REASON FOR THIS REQUEST, AS STATED, IS SIMPLY TO ATTRACT QUALITY APPLICANTS AND QUALITIES THAT ARE OPERATIVE WORD THERE.

WE HAVE STANDARDS AND WE'RE NOT COMPROMISING ON THOSE STANDARDS.

THE PEOPLE WE HIRE AND TRUSTED TO DO MAKE BIG DECISIONS AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY THE WAY OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTS TO BE SERVED.

AND THAT'S NON-NEGOTIABLE.

SO WE HOPE TO GET THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO ATTRACT THAT TALENT AND THAT TALENT IS MORE LIMITED TODAY THAN I THINK ANY OF US HAVE EVER SEEN IT.

CURRENTLY, WE HAVE FOUR POLICE OFFICER POSITIONS OPEN.

AND WE'VE HAVE CONTINUOUS ADVERTISEMENTS TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS IN OUR HIRING PROCESS HAS BEEN CONTINUOUSLY OPEN.

USED TO BE OPEN FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND IT CLOSES.

AND THEN WE TEST FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW, IT'S BEEN CONTINUOUSLY OPEN.

SO WITH THAT, WE THE POOL OF APPLICANTS WE HAVE NOW AND THIS IS FOR CERTIFIED OFFICERS ISN'T ROBUST AT ALL, AND THAT'S PROBABLY AN OVERSTATEMENT OR AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

WE STILL HAVE FOUR POSITIONS OPEN AND WE HAVE NO ONE THAT WE'RE READY TO ARE OUT OF THOSE FOUR OPENINGS AND ACADEMY START TWICE A YEAR.

THERE'S TWO ACADEMIES THAT CRATER RUNS PER YEAR.

NEXT ACADEMY STARTS IN JULY, AND WE'VE ALREADY BEGAN A PROCESS TO ONCE AGAIN ATTEMPT TO TEST THE WATERS WITH NON-CERTIFIED APPLICANTS AND POTENTIALLY AND HOPEFULLY PUT SOME PEOPLE THROUGH THE NEXT ACADEMY IN JULY.

AND AS YOU KNOW, FROM MY PAST PRESENTATIONS, THAT'S ABOUT A YEAR TURNAROUND TIME.

AND WE DO THE HIRING [INAUDIBLE] THROUGH THE ACADEMY AND FIELD TRAINING.

IT'S NOT AN ASSET TO THE COUNTY FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR.

SO STARTING SALARIES WITHIN THE REGION AND.

I'M SORRY DO EACH OF ALL HAVE THE HANDOUT I PROVIDED YOU.

WHAT THAT IS? THAT'S MY NOTES.

THAT WAS A LAST MINUTE DECISION TO MAYBE GIVE YOU SOMETHING IF YOU HAD QUESTIONS OR DIDN'T REMEMBER QUITE WHAT I SAID.

MEMORIALIZE KIND OF WHAT I'M SAYING.

SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING OFF OF.

THAT'S MY NOTES. AND HOPEFULLY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH IT.

FORGIVE ME IF THERE'S SOME TYPOS AND ALL THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE A FORMAL DOCUMENT.

CHIEF DOES A ACADEMY HAVE ANY OF SELF-PAID PEOPLE GOING THROUGH IT THESE DAYS? I TALKED TO THE DIRECTOR TODAY.

[00:05:01]

THE GOOD ONES THAT COME THROUGH, THEY'RE USUALLY HIRED BEFORE THEY EVEN GET THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO OF THE ACADEMY CLASS.

AND THEN THAT LOCALITY PICKS UP THE THE EXPENSES AND HIRES THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN REALLY GET INTO THE ACADEMY.

SO REALLY, NO LONGER DOES ANYONE GO THROUGH THE ACADEMY AND GRADUATES AND SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, LOOKS AT THEM AND INTERVIEWS THEM ALL AND HIRES THEM WHEN THEY COME THROUGH, WHICH IS AN OFTEN IF THEY'RE OF QUALITY, THEY'RE SCOOPED UP QUICKLY AND THAT CAME FROM DIRECTOR CLYBOURNE TODAY.

OK. SO AS I MENTIONED, STARTING SALARIES WITHIN THE REGION ARE SHIFTING AND THEY'VE EVOLVED RAPIDLY.

AND I WOULD SAY THE COMPETITION NOW FOR STARTING SALARIES FOR ENTRY LEVEL POLICE OFFICER POSITIONS AROUND THE 50,000 MARK AND JUST REMINDER OUR STARTING SALARY IS IS 45,000.

AND SO TO BECOME MARKET COMPETITIVE AGAIN, WHICH IS OUR FOCUS, WE BELIEVE STARTING SALARIES REQUIRE SOME ADJUSTING.

SO HOW DO WE DO THAT? OPTION ONE THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVE THESE IN THE ORDER THAT WE BELIEVE WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN. OPTION ONE IS, I BELIEVE, MS. DREWRY AND MS. HURT MADE A PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD A WHILE BACK ABOUT A STEP PLAN FOR ALL COUNTY POSITIONS AND A FIVE PERCENT SCALE ADJUSTMENT IN THAT PLAN THAT FIVE PERCENT.

WE'RE ALREADY IN THE PAY PLAN WE BELIEVE THEY MODELED MAYBE MODEL SOME OF THAT OFF OF OUR PAY PLAN, THE 30 STEP PAY PLAN.

SO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE SWORN EMPLOYEES ARE ALREADY IN THE PAY PLAN.

SO WITH IF THE BOARD WERE ABLE TO FUND A FIVE PERCENT SCALE ADJUSTMENT, WE WOULD WE WOULD BE SATISFIED THAT WE WOULD BE COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKET WITH THAT, NO ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR SALARIES THIS YEAR.

NOW WE'LL SAY THIS BECAUSE AGAIN, I DON'T ENJOY COMING UP HERE EVERY YEAR FOR THIS SUBJECT MATTER, BUT A FIVE PERCENT SCALE ADJUSTMENT FROM A 45000 ENTRY LEVEL WOULD PUT US AT 47000 250 STARTING SALARY.

AND I'LL GO ON THE VERY LAST PAGE.

WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE. I'VE LISTED SOME AGENCIES ON THERE AND WHAT THEIR SALARIES ARE. I WOULD SAY WITH CONFIDENCE, I'M ACCURATE IN THOSE BUT I COULD BE A FEW DOLLARS OFF DEPENDS ON. MOST OF THAT CAME FROM POLICE CHIEFS OR SHERIFFS OR WEBSITES.

BUT I'M NOT GONE SIT AND SAY I'M TO THE DOLLAR RIGHT ON THAT, BUT THE THEME IS CERTAINLY CORRECT. SO AGAIN, OPTION ONE TO SUPPORT THE PLAN THAT MS. DREWRY PRESENTED THE FIVE PERCENT PAY SCALE ADJUSTMENT FOR ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING POLICE, THAT WOULD PUT US, WE BELIEVE, ON THE LOW END OF COMPETITIVE IN THE STARTING RANGE. WE REALIZE THAT COMES WITH A PRICE TAG.

47250 PLUS WE HAVE A STEP PLAN AND WE'RE ABLE TO PULL CERTIFIED OFFICERS AND MAYBE SLIGHTLY MORE THAN MOST OF THEM WERE GETTING OR TWO TO THREE YEAR EMPLOYEES SOMEWHERE ELSE. THEY DON'T GET MUCH MORE MONIES THAN THAT, BUT THEY DO GET SOME.

SO WE BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD THAT WOULD GIVE US THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD AND HIRING AND COMPETING IN THIS REGION.

WE BELIEVE WE CROSSED THE COMPETITION IN OTHER AREAS SUCH AS TEAM AND COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S THE PRIMARY DRIVER WHILE PEOPLE WANT TO WORK HERE.

WE DO WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO LEAD THE AREA AND SALARIES.

WE WANT TO STAY COMPETITIVE WITH SALARIES AND THEN DESTROY THE COMPETITION WITH WHAT WE OFFER AS A TEAM AND WHAT THE COMMUNITY OF PRINCE GEORGE HAS TO OFFER.

MR. CARMICHAEL. WHEN YOU PITCH THIS PAY PLAN LAST YEAR WAS THE STARTING SALARY FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND. NO, SIR, IT WAS LOWER THAN THAT, IT WAS 43 AND CHANGE UP.

AND JUST WENT UP THAT MUCH IN SURROUNDING LOCALITIES.

AND IT'S STILL GOING UP WITH A LOT OF AND I'LL SHOW YOU EXAMPLES.

FINE, JUST A MINUTE. BUT YES, SIR.

SO AGAIN, THAT'S OUR RECOMMENDATION, AND ONE OF THE DRIVERS BEHIND THAT IS IS THE CIVILIAN SIDE OF THE HOUSE LOOKING AT IT JUST FROM [INAUDIBLE].

WE KNOW THERE'S A COUNTY PERSPECTIVE AND WE KNOW THERE'S PAY LIKELY PAY ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. THAT'S ANOTHER BIG REASON WHY THE PD IS BEHIND THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE THE ECC STAFF, WHICH ARE CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, ANIMAL SERVICES AND OUR CIVILIAN STAFF WITHIN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ITSELF.

AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S BIG OF ISSUES, BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY SOME COMPETITION ISSUES, SAY IN THE ECC RIGHT NOW, WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER POSITION, SO THAT FIVE PERCENT SCALE ADJUSTMENT WOULD POSITIVELY AFFECT OUR ENTIRE TEAM, NOT JUST OUR SWORN OFFICERS.

SO IF THAT'S CONSIDERED AS AN OPTION, THAT WOULD BE OUR RECOMMENDED OPTION.

OPTION TWO WOULD BE JUST TO ADJUST THE ADJUSTED STARTING SALARY TO 50000, MOVING 45 TO 50. BUT AS WE KNOW, WE CAN'T OR WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT WITHOUT ADJUSTING THE ENTIRE PAY

[00:10:01]

SO THE PRICE TAG TO MOVE 45 TO 50 AND ADJUST THE ENTIRE PAY PLAN JUST FOR GENERAL PURPOSES, SAY, 60 OFFICERS TIMES 5000, THAT'S A $300,000 INVESTMENT WITHOUT BENEFITS.

THAT'S OPTION TWO.

OPTION THREE IS COMPLICATED.

I DON'T INTEND UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO, AND I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO CALL CAPTAIN TAYLOR UP HERE TO HELP ME WITH IT IS AND THIS IS A NOT IDEAL OPTION, BUT IT COULD BE ECONOMICALLY EFFECTIVE SHOULD THE COUNTY ENTERTAIN A THREE PERCENT SCALE ADJUSTMENT OR NO SCALE ADJUSTMENT. WITH ABOUT $75000, WE BELIEVE WE COULD MANIPULATE OUR PAY PLAN TO WHERE THE FIRST TWO STEPS IN IT ARE AFFECTED IN THE REST OF THE PLANS NOT AFFECTED, AND WE COULD INCREASE OUR STARTING SALARY BY A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS.

AGAIN, THAT'S NOT IDEAL, BUT THAT'S THE LAST OPTION THAT WE COULD THINK OF TO AT LEAST GIVE US THE ABILITY TO INCREASE OUR CANDIDATE POOL.

SO AGAIN, OUR VISION IS TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE WITH PAY AND BENEFITS AND LEAVE THE REGION IN OTHER AREAS.

YOU KNOW, ONE QUICK EXAMPLE WE JUST HIRED HE'S STILL IN TRAINING.

WE HIRED, I HOPE, AN OFFICER FROM A NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENT AND THEY RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED A NEW PAY PLAN. THIS WAS AFTER WE IMPLEMENTED OURS.

IT WAS RECENTLY. AND HE WAS IN OUR PROCESS BEFORE THE JURISDICTION OF THE AGENCY WAS WORKING FOR FINISHED THEIRS.

LONG STORY SHORT, HE TOOK AN $8000 PAY CUT TO COME HERE.

HE MADE THAT CHOICE BECAUSE OF WHAT I'VE PREVIOUSLY SAID TEAM AND COMMUNITY.

BUT THAT'S JUST THAT'S GETTING US OUT OF THE COMPETITION.

2,000 SOMEWHERE IN THERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MAKE DECISIONS, BUT 8,000 IS TOUGH, REAL, TOUGH. THAT'S ONE RECENT EXAMPLE.

AND WITH THAT, LET ME, IF YOU DON'T MIND, YOU COULD JUMP TO THE VERY LAST PAGE OF THAT HANDOUT. AND THAT'S ITS AREA, PDS PAY, EXCLUDING LARGE AGENCIES.

YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GETS TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT THE LARGER COUNTY AGENCIES AROUND HERE, SO I DIDN'T EVEN INCLUDE THEM.

ARE YOU ALL WITH ME ON THAT? SO WE'VE GOT RICHARD BLAND.

THEY'RE ADVERTISED TO BE STARTING TO 52000.

WE RECENTLY LOST AN OFFICER WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS TO RICHARD BLAND.

PETERSBURG PD FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE SIXTY EIGHT CERTIFIED FIFTY THOUSAND NINE NINETEEN.

HOPEWELL PD FORTY NINE THOUSAND FIFTY NINE DOLLARS AFTER ONE YEAR FIFTY THOUSAND THREE SIXTY THREE.

DINWIDDIE FORTY SIX THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTY FIVE CERTIFIED.

VSU FIFTY THOUSAND ENTRY LEVEL JUST SPOKE TO THE CHIEF [INAUDIBLE].

TODAY THEY'RE MOVING TO 55,000 ENTRY LEVEL BEGINNING JULY ONE.

THIS IS VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY P.D.

COLONIAL HEIGHTS PD HAS ADVERTISED FOR CERTIFIED FORTY-SEVEN, FORTY-EIGHT.

WE KNOW THERE'S TALKS ABOUT TRYING TO DO SOMETHING WITH AIR PLAN JULY ONE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE TALKS ARE, BUT I BELIEVE THEY ARE HAVING DISCUSSIONS.

ASHLAND PD CHIEF GOODMAN OUT THERE FIFTY ONE THOUSAND ENTRY LEVEL, HIGH SCHOOL INTO THE ACADEMY. [INAUDIBLE] COUNTY, FIFTY THREE THOUSAND SIXTY SIX BCU PDS ADVERTISED AT FIFTY TWO THOUSAND ENTRY LEVEL, FIFTY EIGHT THOUSAND FOR A CERTIFIED AND I JUST SPOKE TO A CHIEF TODAY THAT ADVISED ME THEY'RE MOVING TO 62,000 ENTRY LEVEL AND NEW KENT COUNTY, FORTY EIGHT THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED ENTRY LEVEL AND SPEAKING TO SHERIFF MCLAUGHLIN, THERE MAY BE DISCUSSIONS IN ACTION JULY ONE ABOUT SCALE INCREASES THERE.

DO THEY ALL HAVE A PAY PLAN LIKE YOU HAVE THAT YOU CAN.

THE STEP PLAN? YEAH, I MEAN, THEY MIGHT COME IN, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN WHAT WE'RE GIVEN, BUT MAYBE LONG TERM IT MIGHT TAKE THEM FIVE YEARS TO GET A RAISE.

BUT IF YOU'VE GOT A PLAN LIKE WE PUT IN PLACE FOR YOU.

MAYBE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO SELL IT ON IS YOUR PLAN AND NOT SO MUCH THE STARTING WAGE IF THESE OTHER JURISDICTIONS DON'T HAVE A PLAN? WELL, THAT'S A QUESTION.

IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION, A VERY GOOD POINT.

AND I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT FOR ALL OF THESE AGENCIES.

I DO KNOW SOME OF THEM HAVE THAT PLAN AND I KNOW SOME OF THEM HAVE A MORE ROBUST PLAN.

I'LL PICK HOPEWELL.

HOPE, BUT WE HAVE A 30 STEP PAY PLAN AND WE FUNDED 65 PERCENT.

HOPEWELL HAS PROBABLY A MORE ROBUST OVERALL PLAN AND THERE'S A 20 YEAR PLAN.

IN OTHER WORDS, YOU GET FROM BEGINNING TO END IN 20 YEARS, AND IT'S FUNDED AT 100 PERCENT . AM I CORRECT ON ONE HUNDRED PERCENT? SO NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BASICALLY GOT STARTING AND ENDING, I WOULD SAY THEY'RE MORE ROBUST AT BOTH, AND THEY GET FROM BEGINNING TO END IN 20 YEARS TAKES US 30 AND WE FUNDED IT 65 PERCENT. THEY'RE FUNDING THEIRS AT ONE HUNDRED.

[00:15:02]

FIFTEEN MORE TO GO.

RIGHT. IN OUR PLAN, WE HIRE A 10-YEAR OFFICER.

THEY'RE COMING IN AT SIX YEARS.

SIXTY FIVE PERCENT FUNDED.

SO THAT'S A HOPEWELL EXAMPLE.

THAT'S ONE WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH BECAUSE WE WORK CLOSELY WITH HOPEWELL.

AND I KNOW DINWIDDIE.

I WANT TO SEE THIS PAST JULY HAD PASSED A STEP PLAN.

I BELIEVE FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTY, SIMILAR TO OURS IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS INCLUDED IN THAT. SO THAT'S TWO [INAUDIBLE].

AND THERE ARE I'M JUST NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE OTHER ONES, BUT THE STEP PLAN PAY SYSTEM SEEMS TO BE WHAT POLICE PDS ARE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, AND I COULD GO ON WITH THAT.

BUT THAT IS THE TREND.

THE ATTRACTION IS GETTING THEM IN HERE WITH A STARTING WAGE.

YES. WELL, I MEAN, IT'S TWOFOLD.

WE WANT TO GET THEM IN HERE AND KEEP THEM HERE.

SO THE PLAN IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND KEEPING IT ROBUST.

THE WHOLE PLAN COMPETITIVE IS IMPORTANT.

BUT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD TO PICK SOMETHING THAT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS WITH LIMITED MONEY, IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE STARTING SALARIES.

BUT AGAIN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO DO THAT WITHOUT AFFECTING THE WHOLE PLAN.

NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IF YOU DO IT RIGHT.

SO THAT'S OUR PRIORITY ONE AND IN THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION ON PRIORITY ONE, AND AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO RE-EMPHASIZE EVERYTHING WE DO HAS AN ENDGAME OR ENDGAME THERE.

THE REASON WE'RE DOING THE REASON WE'RE MAKING THAT REQUEST IS TO PUT THE QUALITY FOLKS IN THE SEATS OF OUR POLICE CARS SERVING THE COMMUNITY OF PRINCE GEORGE.

IT IS CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY DRIVEN IS WHAT WE'RE AFTER.

AND WILL ALSO JUST THROW UP.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BIASED OPINION.

THE CITIZENS OF PRINCE GEORGE, IN MY OPINION, ARE VERY WELL SERVED WITH A QUALITY POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT KNOWS HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE AND DOES OVERALL A VERY GOOD QUALITY JOB AND IS THERE FROM BEGINNING TO END AND FIX ITS PROBLEMS. AND DOES IT RIGHT? WE WANT WE WANT TO KEEP THAT.

AND I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS.

A REACTIVE DEPARTMENT IS NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE POLICING.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE, YOU WANT TO BE PROACTIVE AND PROBLEM SOLVING.

YOU WANT TO BE PREVENTATIVE AND WE WANT TO STAY THERE.

AND THE FURTHER WE GO ON THIS IS PAY AND STAFFING COMMENTS AS WE GO MOVE FORWARD IN THE COUNTIES. YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT SEE IT, BUT IT'S GROWING AND DEMANDS ARE GROWING.

LIKE IT OR NOT, IT'S HAPPENING.

WE SEE IT. AND SO WE WANT TO GET THOSE QUALITY PEOPLE IN HERE AND JUST GET THE RESOURCES WE NEED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

AND THIS REGION HAS GOTTEN ESPECIALLY MORE COMPETITIVE.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT.

PRIORITY TWO THIS IS NO, I DON'T BELIEVE WILL BE A SURPRISE.

YOU'VE HEARD THE PRESENTATION, THE POWERPOINT ON STAFFING.

NOTHING'S REALLY CHANGED THERE.

AND THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR US IS TO INCREASE OUR STAFFING.

BUT FRANKLY, IT GOES BACK TO PAY BEFORE WE ASK FOR ADDITIONAL POSITIONS.

YOU KNOW, A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE WERE FULLY STAFFED.

NOW WE'VE GOT FOUR OPENINGS AND THERE'S ALWAYS SCUTTLE AND TALK AND WE'VE GOT RETIREMENTS ON THE HORIZON. BUT OUR FIRST AND FOREMOST PRIORITY, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE PROBABLY EVEN THE ONLY DEPARTMENT IS TO WHEN WE HAVE EXISTING VACANCIES TO FILL IN WITH QUALITY PEOPLE AND ATTRACT GOOD PEOPLE AND WE HAVE THOSE VACANCIES, THAT'S WHY OUR PRIORITIES SHIFTED. BEYOND THAT, WE DO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED ADDITIONAL POLICE RESOURCES.

WHEN I SAY, YOU KNOW, AS THE BOARD GRACIOUSLY GAVE US AN ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION, WE WE FUNDED IT WITH AN OFFICER SALARY.

SO ADMINISTRATIVELY, WE HAVE A NEW ACCREDITATION MANAGER IN PLACE THAT ACCREDITATION MANAGERS ALSO TAKE IT ON ROLES OF OF TRAINING AND HELPING THE MAJOR YOUNG TODAY WITH HIRING WITH RUN THROUGH HIRING PROCESSES.

SO SHE'S TAKING SOME WORKLOAD OFF OUR POLICE OFFICER.

SO ADMINISTRATIVELY, WE'RE WELL POSITIONED RIGHT NOW.

SO OUR NEEDS AND ON THE UPPER END, YOU KNOW, WE'RE RUNNING A DEPARTMENT OF 60 SWORN CIVILIAN STAFF, ECC AND ANIMAL SERVICES WITH THE CHIEF OF MAJOR AND THE CAPTAIN.

SO WE'RE NOT TOP HEAVY AT ALL.

SO WE'RE LOOKING TO PUT RESOURCES AND WE VIEW IT THAT WE ARE HERE.

THE CHIEF, THE MAJOR, THE CAPTAIN AND THE CIVILIAN STAFF ARE HERE TO SUPPORT THE POLICE OFFICERS. WE SERVE THEM AND GET THEM WHAT THEY'RE WHAT THEY NEED TO DO THE JOB BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT MATTER.

THEY ARE THE IMPORTANT EMPLOYEES, THEY'RE THE ONES IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WHEN WE LOOK AT STAFFING, THAT'S WHERE WE WANT THESE POSITIONS TO GO ON THE STREET AND ON THE TOP END AND PATROL AND SIU AND DETECTIVES ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO US.

SO THAT'S PRIORITY TWO.

YOU'VE HEARD ME ASK FOR AND IT'S STILL THE SAME FOUR POLICE OFFICERS.

[00:20:05]

I WOULD JUST SAY ONE POLICE OFFICER.

ONE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICER PUTS US IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION THAN WE WERE IF WE GOT ONE. WE'RE IN A BETTER POSITION THAN WE ARE TODAY.

AND IF WE HAVE A PLAN MOVING FORWARD TO ADD STAFFING ON, IN MY VIEW, WE'RE BETTER POSITIONED. SO I DO NOT EXPECT AND STAFF DOES NOT EXPECT FOUR POLICE OFFICERS AND FY23.

WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF NEEDS OUT THERE, BUT WE WOULD ASK FOR SOME THOUGHT AND A PLAN TO GET US THERE.

BECAUSE LOOKING BACKWARDS AND WELL, LOOK WHERE WE ARE IN THE COUNTY TODAY AND LOOKING FORWARD. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COULD COME UP WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN MORE AND MORE.

THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE GROWTH IN THE COUNTY IS GOING TO GET MORE IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE, MORE BUSINESSES.

IT'S THE WAY THE TREND IS.

THE CENSUS DATA COME OUT.

YOU'LL KNOW ABOUT THAT.

BUT LOOK IT BACKWARDS, AND I BELIEVE I'M RIGHT ON THIS, 100 PERCENT.

IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, WE'VE ADDED ONE POLICE OFFICER TO THE PD, ONE COUNTY FUNDED POLICE OFFICER TO PD, AND I BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED MY FIRST YEAR HERE AND I BELIEVE WE TRADED, IF YOU WILL, AN UNFUNDED CAPTAIN POSITION FOR THAT POLICE OFFICER POSITION.

SO THAT'S ONE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICER WE'VE PUT ON THE STREETS OF PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY.

AND I WANT TO SAY THE PAST 10 YEARS, MAYBE MORE AND MAJOR, CAPTAIN, CORRECT ME IF YOU THINK I'M WRONG THERE.

NOW WE'LL SAY WE HAVE PUT MAYBE FIVE WE'VE ADDED FIVE TO OUR STAFFING THROUGH SRO GRANTS.

WE'VE APPLIED FOR GRANTS, MAYBE FOUR.

I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE ADDED FOUR, SO WE'VE ADDED OTHER POSITIONS.

FIVE, MAYBE IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, MAYBE MAYBE SIX, BUT I WON'T SAY FIVE SRO POSITIONS.

AND AS YOU KNOW, THE FUNDING FOR THAT RUNS OUT AFTER, I BELIEVE, FOUR YEARS.

AND THEN THE COUNTY PICKS UP PICKS UP THE FUNDING.

SO THE COUNTY HAS PICKED UP FUNDING FOR ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS, BUT THOSE POLICE OFFICERS TYPICALLY STAY DEDICATED TO THE SCHOOLS AND IT IS NOT POPULAR.

IT'S NOT POPULAR FOR ME TO EVEN THINK ABOUT PULLING A POLICE OFFICER OUT OF THE SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY GET THE STAFF THERE AND THE COMMUNITY GETS USED TO POLICE OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS, SO THEY'RE STILL DEDICATED IN SCHOOLS.

AND RECENTLY WE HAVE MADE ADJUSTMENTS.

WE'VE MADE STAFFING ADJUSTMENTS.

YOU MAY BE AWARE WE RECENTLY WITHDREW FROM THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA NARCOTICS TASK FORCE.

WE WERE A MEMBER.

STAFF AND I, WE SAT DOWN AND WE LOOKED AT EVIDENCE AND NUMBERS, AND WE CONCLUDED THAT THAT RESOURCE, WE NEEDED MORE.

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE TIME IN PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY THAN WE DID ON A TASK FORCE, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE FIRM BELIEVERS IN THE MISSION OF THE TASK FORCE AND DOES A GOOD WORK.

WE MADE A DECISION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET LEAN AS WE CAN.

SO THAT TASK FORCE POSITION IS WE WITHDREW EFFECTIVE MARCH ONE AND THAT POLICE OFFICER, WE'VE GOTTEN OUR REGIONAL TASK FORCES COMING BACK HERE TO PRINCE GEORGE SOLELY TO PRINCE GEORGE. THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO THAT ONLY MENTION THAT JUST TO SAY WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY AND WE STILL ARE LOOKING AT EXISTING RESOURCES AND REALLOCATING THEM ANYWHERE IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE TO SERVE OUR CITIZENRY.

MOVING FORWARD WITHOUT ADDITIONAL STAFFING.

IF WE GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO PULL OTHER RESOURCES, JUST KNOW THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OPTIONS OUT THERE AT THIS POINT.

WE'VE GOT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, YOU KNOW, THE CRITICAL IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE STAFF THE STREET, PATROL GET STAFFED, PERIOD.

IF WE HAVE TO PULL ANYBODY ELSE, WE PULL THEM.

IF IT'S UNPOPULAR, IT'S UNPOPULAR.

BUT THE OUR PATROL HAS TO BE STAFFED ADEQUATELY.

SO THAT'S THE HEART AND LUNGS OF ANY POLICE DEPARTMENT DETECTIVES AND SIU RIGHT IN THERE, THAT'S OPERATIONAL STAFF IS DOING THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THAT'S WHERE OUR FOCUS IS GOING TO BE.

AND MOVING FORWARD WITHOUT RESOURCES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT WHAT STAFF WE HAVE LEFT AND WE HAVE TO REALLOCATE AND WE WILL.

JUST SOME QUICK NUMBERS, SO I WENT OVER THE WHY THE WHY IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO ME, PROACTIVE, PREVENTATIVE, PROBLEM-SOLVING, POLICING WITH COMMUNITY IN MIND ARE ADDITIONAL STAFFING IS REQUESTED TO SERVE PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY THE WAY WE BELIEVE IT NEEDS TO BE SERVED AND WITH THE RESOURCES WE BELIEVE IT'S NEEDED TO PROPERLY SERVE THIS COMMUNITY THAT WE LOVE.

OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE, AS YOU KNOW, THEY'VE INCREASED CRIME HAS HAS INCREASED.

I DON'T WANT TO ALARM ANYBODY THERE.

CRIMES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE GOING ON IN THE COUNTY NOW.

CERTAINLY A SAFE COMMUNITY IS CERTAINLY POLICED IN A VERY EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE MANNER, IN MY VIEW. BUT THINGS ARE HAPPENING.

YOU ALL SEE SOME OF THE ACTIVITY THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR COMMUNITY FROM A POLICE PERSPECTIVE, AND THINGS ARE GETTING BUSIER.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION HERE, BUT EVERYTHING WE DO TAKES MORE TIME THAN THEY DID YEARS AGO.

MENTAL HEALTH BOOKING IN JAILS INVESTIGATIONS, YOU'LL HEAR FROM MS. [INAUDIBLE] AND A LITTLE WHILE BELIEVE YOU'LL GET SOME OF IT FROM HER TOO ON THE

[00:25:03]

THAT ALL AFFECTS OUR POLICE OFFICERS AS WELL, AND THINGS JUST TAKE MORE TIME AND SUCK MORE RESOURCES OFF OUR STREETS.

SO IN CALENDAR YEAR 2021, OUR VIOLENT CRIME INCREASED BY 12 PERCENT COMPARED TO OUR FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. TOTAL PROPERTY CRIMES HAVE RISEN BY 14 PERCENT COMPARED TO OUR FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY ARE UP FOUR PERCENT COMPARED TO OUR FIVE YEAR AVERAGE.

SO THE TOTAL PART A PART A IS WHAT WHAT WHAT IS CONSIDERED SERIOUS CRIME IS RISEN 11 PERCENT IN 2021 COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS, THE AVERAGE OF THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS. WHEN YOU DO COMPARISONS FROM 2021 TO 2020, IT'S PRETTY MUCH EQUAL.

LAST YEAR WAS A BIT OF AN ANOMALY, AND EVEN THIS YEAR IS WITH COVID AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER FACTORS ABOVE YOU OUT THERE WITH POLICE IN SOCIETY.

BUT IT HAS BEEN A BIT OF AN ANOMALY LAST TWO YEARS, BUT THERE ARE SOME NUMBERS FOR YOU AS FAR AS CRIME. CALLS FOR SERVICE 2021, COMPARED TO 2020 IN OUR ANNUAL REPORT, IS AVAILABLE TO YOU. SOME OF THIS IS IN. THERE ARE UP 10 PERCENT, SO IT CALLS FOR SERVICE UP 10 PERCENT THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR COMPARED TO OUR FIVE YEAR AVERAGE, IT'S PRETTY EVEN BECAUSE LAST YEAR, AS YOU REMEMBER, OTHER THINGS WENT UP, BUT CALLS FOR SERVICE ACTUALLY WENT DOWN. AND I THINK THAT'S A DIRECT CORRELATION TO COVID AND JUST WHERE WE'RE AT AS A SOCIETY.

SO THAT'S JUST SOME EXAMPLES, SOME HIGH LEVEL EXAMPLES OF HOW WE'VE GOTTEN BUSIER.

AND I MENTIONED EVERYTHING ELSE FROM INVESTIGATIONS TO MENTAL HEALTH BOOKING IN JAIL AND EVERYTHING IS JUST MORE TIME CONSUMING.

ECOS AND TOS EMERGENCY CUSTODY ORDER TEMPORARY DETENTION ORDERS 15 PERCENT INCREASE FROM 2020 TO 2021.

THAT'S AND THIS IS PROBABLY HIGHER THAN THIS, BUT WE ESTIMATED 525 MANPOWER HOURS AND 2021 WAS USED TO DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ECOS AND TOS PROCESSES.

THAT'S OFFICERS OFF YOUR STREET.

HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO THE YEAR BEFORE.

IT'S A FIFTEEN PERCENT INCREASE.

THE FIFTEEN PERCENT INCREASE IS IN IN IN NUMBERS.

WE HAD 78, I THINK ECOS AND TOS ISSUED IN TOTAL.

WE DEALT WITH IN 2021 AS COMPARED TO SIXTY EIGHT.

SO AT THE TIME, I'M SURE IS RELATIVE TO THAT.

CHIEF? YES, SIR.

YES, SIR. I HAD A QUESTION, I'M A PREFACE THIS BY SAYING I'M PROBABLY GOING TO STEP ON SOMEBODY'S TOES THAT'S SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE, OK? AND IT'S JUST T.J. TALKING.

I READ Y'ALL'S REPORTS ALL THE TIME.

WHAT IS BEING DONE TO HELP IMPROVE THE TIME, AND I'M GOING TO USE A POLITE WORD TO BABYSIT SOMEBODY UNTIL YOU CAN EITHER FIND THEM A BED OR FIND SOMEPLACE THAT THEY NEED TO GO OR BE FIT, OR EVEN GET A MAGISTRATE TO SIGN WHATEVER PAPERWORK YOU HAVE TO HAVE.

I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER THAT ONE IS GOING TO REQUIRE SOME LEGISLATIVE CHANGES AND THERE'S THERE'S A LOBBYING FOR THAT, BOTH FROM THE [INAUDIBLE].

I READ YOUR REPORTS EVERY DAY.

YOU ALL SPENT A LOT OF TIME I MIGHT USE BABYSITTING.

I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT. I KNOW YOU JUST CAN'T TURN THEM LOOSE AND PUT THEM ON A CORNER AND JUST LET THEM GO. BUT.

YES, THAT A HUGE ISSUE IN A LOT OF DISCUSSION AMONG ALL DEPARTMENTS IN VIRGINIA AND GROUPS, IF YOU WILL, SUGGEST.

[INAUDIBLE] HOURS.

WHAT I'VE SEEN ON YOUR REPORTS IS SOMETIMES YOU HAVE HOURS, I'M TALKING ABOUT SIX, TEN, TWELVE HOURS. THE SAD REALITY IS THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT INDIVIDUALLY.

IN 2021, FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE HOURS HE SPENT.

WELL, THAT'S WHY IT'S A QUESTION.

I FIGURED IT WAS RELATED TO THAT.

IT'S THAT'S LEGISLATIVE CHANGES AND LOBBYING AND, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS OUT WEST OR WORSE POSITION THAN WE ARE.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MORE RESOURCES AROUND US.

SOME DEPARTMENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY HOURS AWAY.

SO IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM POLICING IN VIRGINIA MENTAL HEALTH.

AND THIS GROUP TIED UP IN THAT NUMBER? I'M SORRY. I MEAN, IT'S TOUGH ON YOU.

NO, SIR. THAT'S I DON'T HAVE ANY NUMBERS FOR YOU THERE.

BUT THAT'S IT COULD BE RELATED TO SOME CALLS FOR SERVICE.

YOU KNOW, ECOS AND [INAUDIBLE] COME OUT OF THOSE CALLS.

BUT WE HAVE WE HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE GET CALLS FROM CITIZENS AND I DON'T BLAME THEM AND I KNOW EVERYBODY'S GOT A PLACE TO LIVE AND I KNOW WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE TRANSITION AND ALL THAT AND DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE I'M NOT A DOCTOR.

BUT PEOPLE, SENIOR CITIZENS OR YOUNGER PEOPLE GOT YOUNG KIDS IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AND YOU GOT PEOPLE KNOCKING ON THEIR DOOR AT ONE TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING OR KICKING ON THE DOOR OR SOMETHING, AND THEY GOT A CALL TWO OR THREE TIMES AND THEY GOT TO TIE YOU GUYS UP, TRY TO COME OUT THERE FOR SOMETHING GET DONE.

IT LOOKS LIKE TO ME, THE OWNER OF THE GROUP HOME OR WHOEVER IS THE SUPERVISOR SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A SLIP UP, SOMEBODY GETS OUT.

THAT'S ONE THING. BUT IF YOU'VE GOT MULTIPLE THINGS AT ONE HOUSE, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT OWNER NEEDS TO PAY THE PRICE FOR NOT SECURING THAT FACILITY BECAUSE YOU'RE PUTTING IT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND I CAN UNDERSTAND THE FRUSTRATION.

I WOULDN'T BE VERY HAPPY. YEAH.

MENTAL HEALTH IN GENERAL HAS BECOME MORE CHALLENGING ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT JUST, YOU

[00:30:01]

MADAM CHAIR, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? MR. BROWN. YES.

YES, YES, SIR. GO AHEAD, MR. BROWN. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHIEF EARLY, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

I GUESS MY MAIN QUESTION HERE IS.

I KNOW EACH YEAR, YOU KNOW, YOU COME BEFORE THE BOARD AND IT'S A USUALLY A DIFFERENT CASE OR A DIFFERENT SCENARIO.

BUT WHAT CAN WE DO TO START GETTING AHEAD OF THIS, WHETHER IT'S PROJECTING NEEDS OR WE I FEEL ALMOST LIKE WE'RE LIKE A DOG RUNNING IN A CIRCLE CHASING OUR TAIL.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE ADDRESSED DIFFERENT THINGS, SALARY WISE STEP PROGRAM RETENTION WITH GRANT FUNDS AND NOW THIS REQUEST.

BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE IN A MODE WHERE WE CAN KEEP UP AT PER SAY, AS PEOPLE SAY, CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES.

SO WHERE DO WE WHEN DO WE GET TO A POINT TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL IS ADEQUATE TO EITHER ATTRACT THE RIGHT PEOPLE, RETAIN THE RIGHT PEOPLE, WHETHER THAT'S CERTIFIED PEOPLE OR WHETHER THAT'S PEOPLE TO BRING IN THROUGH THE ACADEMY.

BUT I ALMOST FEEL LIKE EACH YEAR WE'RE JUST WE'RE KIND OF LIKE, OK, WE'RE JUST ADDRESSING THE FIRE THAT YEAR.

OKAY, WE KIND OF THROW THE WATER ON THAT FIRE AND IT'S [INAUDIBLE].

AND THE NEXT YEAR, THAT FIRE HAS BLAZED BACK UP, BUT IT'S STARTED ON A DIFFERENT SIDE OF THE ROOM. SO I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY THOUGHTS AROUND THAT, SIR.

WELL, GOOD EVENING TO YOU, MR. BROWN, AND THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

I'VE GOT SOME THOUGHTS. I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AN ANSWER.

I THINK IT'S A COMPLEX ANSWER TO THAT.

I THINK POLICING IN GENERAL IT'S NOT WHAT IT IS NOT PERCEIVED AS WHAT IT USED TO BE, AND THERE'S OPINIONS AND CONVERSATION WE COULD HAVE THERE.

I THINK IT'S PROBABLY I WOULD ARGUE NATIONAL.

YOUR QUESTION IS PROBABLY FELT NATIONALLY BECAUSE THE APPLICANT POOL, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY, IT'S THE PROFESSION ITSELF.

THE PROFESSION IS TAKING A BEATING OVER THE COURSE LAST FEW YEARS, IN MY OPINION.

AND YOU KNOW, OFFICERS THAT ARE ABLE TO RETIRING AND YOU CAN'T BLAME THEM.

AND THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH PRINCE GEORGE.

THAT IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING, IT'S PUT US IN A BETTER POSITION BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITY IS OVERALL VERY SUPPORTIVE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

BUT I THINK JUST LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE, IT'S JUST A MORE CHALLENGING PROFESSION OUT THERE AND IT'S NOT AS APPEALING TO FOLKS ENTERING THE JOB MARKET IS THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS NOW. AND AS FAR AS.

AND HAVING SAID THAT, I WILL SAY WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE NEW PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE AND ADDED TO OUR TEAM.

WE'VE GOTTEN SOME CANDIDATES WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND THEY'VE FIT IN REALLY WELL AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE QUALITY OF OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING.

RECENTLY, IT'S GOTTEN EVEN MORE CHALLENGING THAN WE'VE THAN WE'VE SEEN.

BUT WITH THE SALARIES, YEAH, I MENTIONED I THOUGHT 50,000 WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US HAVE THOUGHT POLICING WHAT THESE POLICE OFFICERS DO AND TESTIFIED IN COURT AND YOU KNOW, ALL THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES THEY LEARN OVER THE YEARS, PROFESSION BEEN UNDERPAID, BUT IT'S MOVING QUICKLY NOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S END.

AGAIN, I BELIEVE IT'S MARKET DRIVEN AND IT HAS TO BE LOOKED AT AS WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MARKET AND THE COMPETITION BECAUSE IT IS A COMPETITION, WE'RE COMPETING FOR LIMITED RESOURCES MR. BROWN.

SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE WITH, SAY, THE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE FIVE PERCENT INCREASE THAT PUTS US AT FORTY SEVEN TWO FIFTY, WELL, THERE ARE SOME AGENCIES THAT ARE A LITTLE HIGHER, YOU KNOW, A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS HIGHER THAN THAT IN OUR AREA.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT I'M BACK HERE NEXT YEAR? MAYBE JUST JUST I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING TO END.

YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED ONE UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE AREA THAT IT'S MOVING TO, WHAT WAS IT, $62,000 STARTING? IF MY INFORMATION IS THAT DIDN'T COME FROM VCU THAT CAME FROM A VSU SOURCE.

BUT SEE, THEY'RE COMPETING TOO.

VSU IS MOVING UP TO FIFTY-FIVE TO COMPETE.

AND THEN THAT PULLS, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF PULLS THE WHOLE MARKET UP.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING TO END.

I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T REALLY DO A GOOD JOB ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION, MR. BROWN. NO, THANK YOU, SIR, AND PLEASE DON'T DON'T TAKE MY QUESTION AS ANY CRITICISM OR ANY ANYTHING ON OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I REALLY FEEL WE HAVE A VERY FINE DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB.

I'M JUST I KIND OF FEEL SOMETIMES LIKE WE KEEP ADDRESSING THE SYMPTOMS AND WHAT IS THE REAL ROOT CAUSE AND HOW CAN WE LAY OUT A PLAN TO BETTER ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, EACH YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE DO FIFTY THIS YEAR, IF IT GOES UP, WE COULD BE BACK

[00:35:05]

I JUST WANTED TO CALL THAT OUT BECAUSE IT'S A STRUGGLE.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THIS WITH EMPLOYEE SALARIES, WITH TRYING TO GIVE THE CITIZENS BACK SOMETHING WITH FIXING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.

AND IT'S A LOT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WE SATISFY EVERYONE.

YES, SIR, WE FEEL THAT TOO.

AND I WOULD SAY IT'S LIKE ANY RESOURCES OUT THERE, A GOLD OR SILVER.

WHATEVER THE RESOURCE IS, THE MORE LIMITED IT IS.

IT SEEMS LIKE THE PRICE TAG ON IT GOES UP.

AND POLICE RESOURCES, I BELIEVE, ARE MORE LIMITED TODAY THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST.

AND SUPPLY AND DEMAND, I BELIEVE, IS A FACTOR, NOT THE MARKET.

THANK YOU FOR THAT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON PRIORITY TWO STAFFING? WELL, IT'S JUST UNIQUE THAT MR. BROWN WOULD SAY THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT A JOKE, BUT JOKINGLY, EVERY YEAR WE TELL YOU, DON'T COME BACK NEXT YEAR.

YOU JUST GOT YOUR PAY PLAN.

WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU FOR ANOTHER FEW YEARS.

YES, SIR. BUT SINCE MY TRANSIT TO BACK AND FORTH TO CHESAPEAKE FOR MY WORK NOW IT'S.

THREE RADIO STATIONS THIS MORNING, SUFFOLK, HAMPTON AND CHESAPEAKE ITSELF ARE ALL HOLDING THIS WEEKEND CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR POLICE OFFICERS ONLY WITH ONE PAYING $2000 SIGNING BONUS AND ONE PAYING 5,000.

YES. SO IT'S LIKE YOU SAID IT'S EVERYWHERE.

YES. THEY'RE IT'S LIKE THEY'RE STEALING OFFICERS FROM ANY JURISDICTION THAT THEY CAN STEAL THEM FROM. IF THAT'S THE WORD TO USE JUST BY RAISING THEIR SALARIES AND A LOT OF THE OFFICERS ARE JUMPING. YES, IT'S HARD.

IT IS. AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT.

I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S JUST MONEY DRIVEN, BUT CERTAINLY A FACTOR.

WELL, NOW YOU GOT FIRE AND EMS CERTIFIED EMPLOYEES, THEY'RE PLAYING THE SAME GAME, IF YOU WILL, BY MESSING WITH THEIR SALARIES.

TRYING TO STEAL ARE QUALIFIED PEOPLE.

AND ANY TIME EMERGENCY SERVICES, LAW ENFORCEMENT IS INVOLVED, I MEAN, THAT'S A JOB THAT HARDLY NOBODY WANTS.

YOU DON'T GIVE THE CREDIT THAT YOU DESERVE BY THE CITIZENS, BUT THEY WANT YOU THERE WITHIN TWO MINUTES WHEN THEY CALL, YOU GOT TO SUPPORT.

YES, SIR, I KNOW.

I'M SORRY, [INAUDIBLE]. I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION.

IS THERE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FOLKS WELL IN PATROL AND DETECTIVES, WHOEVER TO MAKE OVER TIME MONEY TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY COME? YES, SIR. WE HAVE LOTS OF THAT OPPORTUNITY IN THE COUNTY IN MOST POLICE DEPARTMENTS DO RIGHT THERE. [INAUDIBLE] WITH BEING FOUR PEOPLE SHORT.

THAT'S WHAT I GOT TO THINKING ABOUT THAT AND WONDERING HOW THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK OVERTIME WORK. WELL, SOMETIMES I THINK THE AND YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT GENERATIONS.

MAYBE MAYBE THIS GENERATION IS SMARTER THAN WE WERE, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF UNFILLED TIME.

YOU KNOW, IN YEARS PAST, IT WENT QUICK AND PEOPLE JUMPED AT THE OPPORTUNITY A LOT OF TIMES NOW AND MAYBE THEY'RE PRIORITIZED.

MAYBE THEY GOT THEIR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND HAVING TIME OFF TO DEAL WITH FAMILIES. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF OVERTIME AND WE STRUGGLE TO FILL IT, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE ALONE WITH THAT.

BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY, MOST DEFINITELY THAT OPPORTUNITY IS THERE.

OKAY. WELL, AND I KNOW I KNOW ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS READ THE REPORT YOU GET, BUT THEY USED TO SIGN UP EVERY CHANCE THEY GOT FOR SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT TO MAKE THAT EXTRA MONEY.

BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT THEY'RE RUNNING IN THEIR SHIFT, THEY'RE SO TIRED THEY DON'T WANT TO DO IT.

YES, I MEAN, THE CALL INCREASE IS JUST SO DRAMATIC IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

I MEAN, THEY JUST WANT THEIR TIME OFF NOW.

YES SIR. I THINK IT'S ACCURATE AND I KNOW TIME IS CRITICAL FOR Y'ALL.

BUT WE'LL ALSO JUST MENTION, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOSE A RESOURCE, WE DON'T DO A GOOD JOB OF CALCULATING THAT LOSS IN A FINANCIAL WAY.

BUT AND THAT'S ONE THING THAT PRINCE GEORGE RESIDENTS I THINK SHOULD FEEL GOOD ABOUT IS IN THE PAST, WE HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AT ATTRACTING CERTIFIED CANDIDATES AND WE ARE A CERTIFIED OFFICER.

WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR THEM TO GO THROUGH THE ACADEMY.

WE'RE NOT PAYING TWO OFFICERS TO TRAIN THEM.

YOU KNOW, IT'S A FIELD TRAINING OFFICER, PLUS THE RECRUIT.

THAT'S TWO SALARIES FOR MANY WEEKS, PLUS THE ACADEMY EXPENSES.

AND THAT'S NOT EVEN INCLUDING THE KNOWLEDGE AND ALL THE EXPERIENCE THAT YOU BUILD.

BUT EVERY TIME WE'RE ABLE TO HIRE A GOOD QUALITY CERTIFIED OFFICER, IT'S VERY IT'S ECONOMICALLY ADVANTAGEOUS.

SO WE'VE BENEFITED. AND ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, WHEN YOU LOSE ONE, YOU PUT A PRICE TAG ON THAT. IT'S YOU CAN I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO LOSE MORE MONEY THAN YOU COULD SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY AND SAVE MONEY AS OPPOSED TO LOSING OFFICERS THAT.

[00:40:04]

THAT'S BEEN THE AVERAGE MAY TAKE UP A LITTLE BIT AND IT'S FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS RETIREMENTS IS AT THE FOREFRONT RIGHT NOW.

BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN OFFICER RECENTLY GO TO RICHARD BLAND COLLEGE.

WE HAD TWO GO TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WITH ONE GO TO D.O.C.

AND THERE'S BEEN OTHERS. THIS IS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.

BUT THAT'S EVERY DEPARTMENT.

YEAH, WELL, WITH THAT, I CAN MOVE TO PRIORITY THREE IF YOU'RE READY, MADAM CHAIR.

YES, SIR. THE LAST ONE IS IS OUR ECC MANAGER POSITION ON A RELATED.

IT'S RESOURCE DRIVEN, TRYING TO RETAIN CRITICAL RESOURCES AND NOT LOOKING AT IT PERSON SPECIFIC BUT POSITION.

IT'S ALSO HAVING THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT A VERY CRITICAL RESOURCE FOR THE COUNTY SHOULD WE NEED TO DO THAT. SO THE REQUEST FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TO RECLASSIFY OUR ECC MANAGER POSITION FROM GRADE 319 TO A GRADE 320.

AND WITH THAT REQUEST, WE WOULD HAVE A REQUEST TO PAY INCREASE IF THAT WERE APPROVED OF OUR CURRENT EEC MANAGER FOR 10 PERCENT.

THIS POSITION HAS EVOLVED A LOT AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WHAT THE EEC MANAGER DOES IS IS WELL KNOWN BY THE PUBLIC OR TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT IT'S NO LONGER A GENERAL POSITION WHERE YOU CAN HIRE SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, WITH GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE AND PLUG THEM IN TO THAT POSITION. IT'S VERY TECHNICAL SPECIFIC.

TO ME IT'S KIND OF THAT UNIQUE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.

OUR ECC, I WILL SAY RIGHT NOW IS FUNCTIONING VERY WELL, VERY PROUD OF THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE IN THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.

AND AS YOU KNOW, THAT CENTER, IT FALLS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF POLICE AND WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT AND WE'RE RESPONSIBLE PROUDLY FOR THOSE FOLKS AND DOING THE BEST WE CAN FOR THEM. BUT THAT CENTER SERVES THE ENTIRE COUNTY.

IT SERVES FIRE, EMS SERVES POLICE AND ANYBODY ELSE WHO GETS ON THAT RADIO AND IT CERTAINLY SERVES OUR CITIZENRY AND THAT THAT ECC MANAGER IS CRITICAL TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THAT CENTER. AND I RELATED LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US HAVE A 40-HOUR WEEK JOB.

THAT CENTER RUNS TWENTY FOUR SEVEN THREE SIX FIVE AND THAT ECC MANAGER, WHEREAS HE ONLY SUPERVISES, SAY, ONLY TWO SUPERVISORS, 14 DISPATCHERS.

HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ACTIVITY.

TWENTY FOUR SEVEN THREE SIXTY FIVE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO IN THE MORNING.

ON A SUNDAY NIGHT, HE GETS A PHONE CALL.

IF IT'S IMPORTANT, HE CAN WAIT TILL MONDAY MORNING, THE WAITS THE MONDAY MORNING, BUT HE'S ALWAYS OR HE OR SHE IS ALWAYS ON THE PHONE AND ACCESSIBLE ALL YEAR, ALL HOURS.

IT'S A UNIQUE POSITION AND CAD AND RMS AND IT KIND OF INTIMIDATES ME TO WALK IN THE BUILDING. IT'S A LOT OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION THERE WITH THE FORT LEE AGREEMENT, THE RADIO PROJECT AND MOVING FORWARD, JUST WITH THE RADIO SYSTEM, OUR ECC MANAGER HANDLES ALL THAT STUFF BEHIND THE SCENES.

OUR ECC MANAGER IS A COORDINATOR BEHIND THE SCENES FOR ALL THE WHOLE RADIO PROJECT.

HIGH LEVEL OTHERS OF US ARE INVOLVED, BUT ACTUALLY TALKING, YOU KNOW, MAKING THINGS HAPPEN IN THE FIELD, IF YOU WILL.

THAT'S A RISK MANAGER.

SO IT'S NOT JUST ANSWERING 9-1-1 AND PUNCHING IN AND DISPATCH, AND IT'S KEEPING UP WITH CAD NEXT GEN 9-1-1, WHICH WAS A STATE MANDATE AND ALL THE TECHNOLOGY THAT GOES WITH THAT.

AND AGAIN, THE NEW RADIO SYSTEM, FORT LEE IS ADDED A WHOLE NOTHER DIMENSION INTO OUR OUR DEMANDS IN THE ECC AND IN MY VIEW, THAT POSITION IT COULD NOW.

BUT I THINK IT CAN CERTAINLY EVOLVE INTO A DIRECTOR OR DEPARTMENT HEAD POSITION.

IT'S A POSITION WITH A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITIES.

SO WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO ATTRACT GOOD [INAUDIBLE] AND OUR END GAME THEIRS TO KEEP IT.

AND THAT'S OUR REQUEST FOR THAT IS TO MOVE THAT PAY GRADE FROM A 319 TO A 320.

AND WE HAVE REWRITTEN THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THAT, PROVIDED THAT TO MS. HURT AND THAT IS AVAILABLE.

SHOULD YOU WANT TO READ THE JOB DESCRIPTION, I CAN CERTAINLY MAKE THAT AVAILABLE TO YOU IN THE EMAIL, AND IT HAS ALL THE DUTIES DETAILED OUT PRETTY WELL IN THE JOB DESCRIPTION.

AND WITH THAT, IF YOU ASK NO QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

ANY QUESTIONS QUESTIONS QUESTIONS? MA'AM, I'M GOOD. IS THERE ONLY ONE MANAGER OF THE ECC? YES, MA'AM. THERE'S ONE MANAGER, ONE PERSON THAT'S RESPONSIBLE.

I'M RESPONSIBLE. I'M THE ONE WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT CENTER.

BUT THE MANAGER RUNS IT DAY TO DAY, AND HE'S THE ONE THAT GETS THE IT'S THE REAL WORK DONE AND MANAGES THE STAFF THERE, AND I GO TO HIM FOR ANSWERS.

[00:45:01]

THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM.

ONE MORE QUESTION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF.

WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM PARKS AND RECREATION'S MR. ROTZOLL.

GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, MR. STOKE, I WILL TRY TO MAKE THIS SHORT AND SWEET FOR YOU.

LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS GOT A VERY LONG AGENDA.

MR. STOKE HAD MENTIONED KNOTT PICTURES, BUT I REALLY NEEDED A FEW PICTURES.

SO HERE YOU GO.

I HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT THINGS I'M GOING TO REQUEST.

THE MAIN ONE IS REPEAT, WE'VE WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS FOR, I BELIEVE, THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, THE NEED FOR A SENIOR GROUNDS MAINTENANCE WORKER.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO SENIOR GROUNDS MAINTENANCE WORKERS AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE HAD SINCE BEFORE ME.

IN THAT TIME, WE HAVE BECAUSE OF THE BOARD'S GENEROSITY, WE'VE EXPANDED OUR FACILITIES.

WE'VE EXPANDED OUR AMENITIES.

IT'S REALLY A COMPLEX.

IT'S REALLY A COMPLEX POSITION.

GOING THROUGH THE THINGS THAT THEY DO.

WE HAVE FOUR MAJOR COUNTY WIDE PARKS.

WE HAVE SCOTT PARK, WHICH INCLUDES THE PAVILION, THREE DIFFERENT RESTROOM FACILITIES, TEMPLE PARK WITH TWO PAVILIONS AND RESTROOMS, MORE ATHLETIC COMPLEX WITH THE RESTROOMS, THE APPOMATTOX RIVER PARK, WHICH HAS THREE SETS OF OUTDOOR RESTROOMS. WE HAVE ALL THE ATHLETIC COMPLEXES, WHICH WE HAVE 15 GAME FIELDS.

WE ARE ANTICIPATING 17 TOURNAMENTS IN THE UPCOMING IN THIS YEAR.

WE HAVE CONCESSIONS, RESTROOMS, BLEACHERS.

WE HAVE THE SIX DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS RIVER'S EDGE, BEECHWOOD, BAXTER RIDGE, BRANCH CHESTER LAKES, WILDWOOD AND STRATFORD WOODS.

WE HAVE ALL OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS, PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICE, CENTRAL WELLNESS CENTER, BROWNSVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER AND [INAUDIBLE] COMMUNITY CENTER.

SO REALLY, WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE WE ARE MAINTAINING THE BEST WE CAN.

BUT I FEEL WE CAN'T EXCEL WITH THE STAFF THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE. ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS AS WE GO ALONG, IF YOU HAVE ANY.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PERSONNEL? EVERYTHING GOOD.

THE THE NEXT IS WE, AS I'VE JUST MENTIONED, WE HAVE 15 ATHLETIC FIELDS, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 10 OF THEM WHICH ARE BERMUDA.

BERMUDA FOR ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN ON A GOLF COURSE OR A FOOTBALL FIELD OR WHAT IT IS IS A SHORT GRASS.

IT'S VERY DENSE AND IT NEEDS TO BE CUT THREE TIMES A WEEK THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.

REGULAR FIELDS YOU HAVE TO DO TWO TIMES A WEEK.

WE HAVE 10 BERMUDA FIELDS AND WE HAVE 15.

I'M SORRY, WE HAVE FIVE REGULAR FIELDS, SO THAT IS AROUND 50 CUTS A WEEK FOR EACH OF THOSE FIELDS. AND THAT'S JUST THE FIELDS.

IT'S NOT THE PARKS.

THAT'S NOT THE OUTSIDE OF THE PARK.

IT'S A VERY IT'S A LOT.

WELL, THE REASON THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING TRYING TO GET A REAL MOWER IS WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS IS YOU CAN CUT UNDER AN INCH IN HEIGHT, WHEREAS IF YOU DO A REGULAR ZERO TURN, WHAT YOU'RE GENERALLY GOING TO GET IS ABOUT A TWO INCH CUT.

AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE HAVE 17 TOURNAMENTS COMING UP THIS YEAR.

THE MORE THE, THE BETTER FACILITIES WE HAVE, THE MORE WE CAN ATTRACT.

MOST OF THE SPORTS THEY THEY LIKE IT SHORTER, SHORTER GRASS FIELD, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU CAN MAINTAIN WITH A REAL MOWER.

WHAT'S IT COST IN COMPARISON TO ONE OF THESE TO ZERO [INAUDIBLE]? IT'S A LOT MORE IT'S.

YEAH. I MEAN, YOU GET A ZERO TURN MOWER, A GOOD QUALITY ONE FOR ABOUT 11,000.

[00:50:01]

BUT THE BERMUDA FIELDS THEMSELVES, THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU NEED FOR THAT.

AND HOW MUCH IS THIS AGAIN? THAT'S EXPENSIVE, ROUGHLY.

I MEAN, IT IS.

THE MOWER ITSELF IS FORTY TWO THOUSAND BUCKS.

AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE A TRAILER.

SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE CARTING IT AROUND, YOU HAVE TO CART IT AROUND TO DIFFERENT PARKS, WE HAVE IT AT SCOTT PARK, WE HAVE BERMUDA AT MOORE AND WE HAVE BERMUDA AT TEMPLE.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, MR. STOKE AND I HAVE DISCUSSED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE [INAUDIBLE] DOING A TOURISM.

I'M JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, IF WE REALLY WANT TO MAINTAIN THE THE QUALITY OF THE FIELDS AND THE I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HAVE NOW.

AND THAT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, DUE TO YOU ALL.

IT REALLY IS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE REALLY PUT A LOT INTO THE FIELDS AND TO MAKE IT AS BEST WE CAN, WE NEED TO GO THIS ROUTE.

MR. ROTZOLL, IF THIS WOULD THIS MOWER REDUCETHE NUMBER OF TIMES YOU NEED TO CUT.

NO MA'AM, IT WOULDN'T.

IT'S THE SAME AMOUNT.

WHAT IT WOULD BE IS INSTEAD OF HAVING A LIKE A TWO INCH GRASS, YOU WOULD BE DOWN LIKE THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH, SOMETHING VERY LOW.

IF YOU'RE DOING, YOU'RE DOING SOCCER, YOU'RE DOING A FIELD HOCKEY, YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING WHERE YOU'VE GOT A BALL THAT'S ROLLING ON THE GRASS.

IT'S GOING TO ROLL A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

IT'S REALLY WHAT YOU DO IF YOU'RE TRYING TO HAVE TOURNAMENT QUALITY FIELDS.

OK, THANK YOU.

SURE. THIS IS ANOTHER THING WE'VE ALSO DISCUSSED.

FOR EVERYBODY THAT HAS BEEN BACK AT SCOTT PARK, THE FACILITY BACK THERE IS BEAUTIFUL, I MEAN, IT'S NICE.

IT REALLY IS. FOUR OF OUR FIVE FIVE FIELDS ARE BERMUDA, THE ONE FIELD, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT RIGHT WHEN YOU ENTER, WHEN YOU TURN IN INTO THE PARK IS REGULAR GRASS.

AND IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS YEAR OR COMING UP, WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE IT LIKE THE OTHER ONES AND MAKE IT BERMUDA.

TO DO BERMUDA, YOU NEED TO GET IRRIGATION.

AND SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU, FIRST OF ALL, YOU NEED TO GET THE IRRIGATION.

AND THEN IF YOU DO THAT, THEN YOU TURN AROUND AND SPRING IT LIKE WE DID ALL THE OTHER ONES. AND THEN YOU WOULD NEED TO GET A WELL, A DEEP WELL.

MR. HALTOM HAS SUGGESTED TO ME THAT WE GO FOR IRRIGATION WITH A DEEP WELL AS OPPOSED TO USING COUNTY WATER SINCE WE HAVE COUNTY WATER THAT RUNS BACK THERE.

I INITIALLY ASK HIM ABOUT THAT AND HE SAID IN THE LONG RUN THAT DOING IT DEEP WELL WOULD BE YOU WOULD SAVE A LOT OF MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.

MR. ROTZOLL, DON'T WE HAVE A WELL BACK THERE NOW? WE DO. WE DO.

WE HAVE WELL BACK THERE AND THAT'S WHAT WE GET THE WATER FOR THE FOR THE CURRENT, FORSEE OF FIELDS.

THAT'S SHALLOW OR DEEP? IT'S DEEP, IT'S DEEP.

[INAUDIBLE] NO, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE WERE BASICALLY ON THE EDGE ON WHETHER WE ARE EVEN GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE FOUR FIELDS FOR HOW FREQUENTLY WE DRAW FROM IT. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO GET ANOTHER WELL FOR IT.

I MEAN, UNLESS STANDARDS HAVE CHANGED SINCE THEN, I HAVE NOT CHECKED SINCE, YOU KNOW.

YOU CAN EDUCATE ME IF YOU'RE JUST GOING BACK ON THE GROUND AND YOU'RE NOT DRINKING WATER.

YEAH, YEAH.

WHAT IT WAS WHEN WE WHEN WE DID THE APPROVAL THROUGH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT BACK AT THAT TIME. AND I GUESS THAT WAS 2014, MAYBE.

I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THAT FAR BACK.

BUT THEY BASICALLY WE SET UP HOW FREQUENTLY WE COULD USE THE WE COULD WATER THOSE FOUR FIELDS AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE STANDARDS HAVE CHANGED, I DON'T KNOW, BUT WE COULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT THAT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FLOWS PER GALLON PER HOUR? YEAH, I DO NOT. NOT OFFHAND.

I MEAN, I CAN. I CAN DEFINITELY FIND THAT.

I MEAN, I'VE GOT A DEEP WELL.

I RUN TWENTY SEVEN TO TWENTY NINE GALLONS A MINUTE.

OK, ROUND THE CLOCK. I NEVER PULL IT DOWN LOW ENOUGH.

SHALLOW [INAUDIBLE] YOU CLEARLY CAN'T DO THAT WITH.

YEAH, I MEAN, JUST CURIOUS.

YEAH, THERE IS A GOOD.

THERE IS A GOOD AMOUNT OF WATER THAT RUNS THROUGH THERE.

WHEN THEY HAD TO TEST IT.

ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT AND THE LAST THING IS A PROTECTIVE NETTING AT SCOTT PARK FIELD

[00:55:06]

FIELD NUMBER SEVEN BACKS UP TO A DRAINAGE AREA.

YOU CAN SEE THE FENCE IN THE ONE.

IT'S REALLY A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE END OF THE FIELD AND IT JUST, YOU KNOW, I TOOK IT FROM ANOTHER ANGLE WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE THE FENCE IN THE BACKGROUND.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN USING FIELD SEVEN, FOR OR FOR SMALL SMALL CHILDREN, BECAUSE THAT WAY YOU CAN DO IT OR YOU CAN RUN IT HALFWAY.

IF WE EXPAND AS WE HOPING TO DO WHERE WE'RE GETTING MAJOR SOCCER TOURNAMENTS.

YOU REALLY COULD NOT USE THIS ONE AS A BIG FIELD, BECAUSE WHAT YOU WOULD DO IS YOU'D END UP KICKING, KICKING RIGHT INTO THE DRAINAGE POND.

WHAT I'M PROPOSING IS A NETTING SYSTEM LIKE WE ALREADY HAVE AT MORE? THAT'S WHAT WE PUT, THAT'S WHAT WE PUT UP TO PREVENT HOMERUN BALLS GOING INTO THE PLAYGROUND THAT WOULD PREVENT SOCCER BALLS FROM GOING INTO INTO THE THE DRAINAGE POND.

AND THAT IS WHAT I HAVE.

ANY QUESTIONS? IT'S TO SET IT TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME IN AND SET IT IT'S 20,000 BUCKS.

AND THE POLLS ITSELF ARE 30, SO IT'S RIGHT AROUND 50 THOUSAND.

I MEAN, LET'S GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO COME AND SET UP, BUT.

MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE A QUESTION.

YES, SIR. YOU MAY HAVE THE FLOOR.

MR. ROTZOLL WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL WORKER AND WITH ALL THE FIELDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, AND I'M I DEFINITELY KNOW YOU'VE BEEN ASKING FOR YEARS FOR THE [INAUDIBLE] PERSON. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO AS A WORKAROUND IF WE WERE TO CONTRACT OUT SOME OF THE CUTTING? AND I'M NOT SAYING THE FIELDS, BUT IF THERE WAS ADDITIONAL CUTTING THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT, WE COULD CONTRACT THAT OUT AND THEN THAT COULD REDUCE MAYBE THE WORKLOAD TO WHERE THAT NEED FOR THAT, THAT ADDITIONAL WORKER, YOU KNOW, MIGHT GET PUSHED OUT, I MEAN, LAST FEW YEARS, YOU JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE POSITION YOU'VE BEEN HAVING TO MAINTAIN WITH YOUR CURRENT STAFFING AND NOT HAVING ANY OTHER OUTSOURCING OPTIONS.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU HAD LOOKED AT ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR IF YOU HAD THE FIELDS BEING CUT AND YOU JUST LIKE AT SCOTT PARK, IF YOU HAD THOSE BEING CUT, THE NUMBER OF TIMES IT WOULD NEED TO BE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD LOOKED AT ANY OTHER OPTIONS LIKE THAT, SIR.

REALLY, WE HAVEN'T THE I THINK IT WAS THE FIRST YEAR I GOT HERE.

THE SECOND YEAR I WAS HERE.

THERE WAS A BIG STUDY THAT WAS DONE ABOUT OUTSOURCING, CUTTING AND THE COST AT THAT TIME.

TO DO THAT WAS WAS HUGE.

IT WAS IT WAS VERY, VERY BIG.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD REVISIT, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY PARKS. YOU KNOW, BALL FIELDS, ATHLETIC COMPLEXES.

THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I PERSONALLY DON'T THINK WOULD WORK VERY WELL WITH AN OUTSIDE OUTSIDE CONTRACTOR BECAUSE YOU WOULD THERE'S SO MANY TIMES THEY'RE ON CALL, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST YOU GET A RAINSTORM, YOU KNOW, AT ONE AND YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK WHEN IT WHEN IT LETS UP. SO I DON'T THINK SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD WORK WITH A CONTRACTOR, POSSIBLY SOMETHING WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY CUT NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS ONCE A MONTH, YOU KNOW, ONCE A WEEK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE LOOKED AT.

BUT YOU KNOW, AS I SAID, IT WAS IT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE THAN WE'RE PAYING FOR OUR STAFF. OK, THANK YOU, SIR.

IT'S STILL A GOOD IDEA TO THEY DID IT, ANYWAY.

WELL, CERTAINLY CAN. THINGS MAY HAVE CHANGED PEOPLE, THERE'S SO MANY LANDSCAPE PEOPLE OUT THERE NOW, THEY'RE HUNGRY FOR EXTRA WORK.

WE COULD DO THAT. BUT THAT'S UP TO EVERYBODY ELSE LATER ON AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESSES HERE. YEAH, BUT YEAH, I THINK BACK WHEN YOU ASKED FOR IT BEFORE AND THEY DID THE STUDY,

[01:00:03]

YEAH. WHAT THEY WERE CHARGING? YEAH, IT WAS IT WAS REALLY EXPENSIVE.

IS IT REALLY EXPENSIVE? YOU KNOW, BUT REALLY, YOU KNOW, I JUST KIND OF WANT TO REITERATE ABOUT THE ABOUT THE POSITION, YOU KNOW, AS WAS STATED, AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S COMES UP, YOU KNOW, THE LAST FEW YEARS.

I AM VERY, VERY, VERY PROUD OF OUR MAINTENANCE GUYS.

I MEAN, THEY'RE GREAT. THEY REALLY ARE.

THEY REALLY BUST THEIR BUTT AND.

YOU KNOW, THEY I CAN'T GET ANYTHING MORE FROM THEM, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY'RE GIVING EVERYTHING THEY GOT. SO IF WE WANT TO IMPROVE THE FACILITIES THAT YOU ALL HAVE INVESTED IN, THEN WE NEED TO DO THIS SO.

THANK YOU, MR. ROTZOLL.

THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

OUR NEXT PRESENTER IS FROM THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE.

GOOD EVENING, B OARD.

I JUST LIKE TO GO OVER THIS BUDGET PROPOSAL.

I WILL SAY I'M KIND OF WORKING WITH SOME INFORMATION THAT WAS PREPARED BY OUR FORMER ASSESSOR, BUT I DO BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY WELL PREPARED BUDGET AND I AM PREPARED TO ANSWER YOU QUESTIONS ON YOU HAVE ON IT.

FIRST ITEM, WHICH IS THE ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT, IS STAFFING COMPLETELY AWARE OF THE POSITION AND CHANGE FROM LAST NIGHT'S BOARD SUPERVISORS MEETING SO CAN JUST BASICALLY LEAVE OUT THE EXACT POSITION NAME, BUT WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE THE EQUIVALENT OF FIVE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES IN ONE PART TIME EMPLOYEE.

OF COURSE, WE DO HAVE A VACANCY AT THIS MOMENT.

OUT OF THOSE POSITIONS, BUT WE WERE LOOKING TO GOING FORWARD FOR FY TWENTY THREE IS THE FUNDING FOR A SIX FULL TIME POSITION.

AN INTERNAL ANALYSIS OF OUR WORKLOAD PRODUCTIVITY RATE.

THE TIME FOR ALL OF THAT, PLUS THE BACKLOG OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.

WE CERTAINLY NEED ANOTHER FULL TIME POSITION.

THE [INAUDIBLE], WHICH IS WHO SETS OUR STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE AND IS JUST THE INTERNATIONAL STANDARD FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS AND HOW ASSESSOR'S OFFICES SHOULD BE DONE IF YOU DO THE MATH, THEY RECOMMEND ABOUT 2.8 FULL TIME APPRAISERS THAT'S, YOU KNOW, FIELD LEVEL APPRAISERS AND WE CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE TWO.

SO WITH THE CHANGE IN THE POSITION, WE'VE NOW GONE FROM AN APPRAISER ONE TO A FUNDED SENIOR APPRAISER, WHICH WOULD STILL LEAVE AN UNFUNDED POSITION.

AND WITH THE NUMBER OF PARCELS THAT WE HAVE AND THE WORKLOAD, STATISTICALLY, WE NEED 2.8 PEOPLE. SO WE'RE GOING TO ROUND THAT UP TO THIRD, THIRD FULL TIME LEVEL APPRAISER, WHICH IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE WOULD BE [INAUDIBLE].

ALSO LOOKING TO ADD A TEMPORARY PART TIME POSITION, IN ADDITION TO THE PART TIME POSITION THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, THIS WOULD FILL SOME OF THE BACKLOG THAT WE HAVE AND ALSO GOING FORWARD FOR FY TWENTY THREE IS THE YEAR EVERY SIX YEARS IS THE LAND USE REVALIDATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO RESUBMIT AN APPLICATION AND ALL YOUR DOCUMENTATION FOR LAND USE, IT'S A VERY EXTENSIVE PROCESS THAT HAS TO BE DONE FOR THAT.

AND WE ARE REQUESTING A TEMPORARY POSITION TO HELP WITH THAT.

OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO THERE HAVE WE HAVE FOUND THERE'S A LOT OF DEFICIENCIES IN THAT LAND USE PROGRAM AND NOT ON ANYBODY'S BEHALF OR THE COUNTY'S BEHALF.

BUT JUST WE'VE HAD BETTER TECHNOLOGY.

WE HAVE BETTER RESOURCES NOW.

AND BY DOING SO, THAT PROGRAM NEEDS AN AUDIT.

AND THIS IS THE YEAR GOING FORWARD IN FY TWENTY THREE, TWENTY FOUR TO DO IT BECAUSE THIS IS THE YEAR WE'RE ASKING EVERYBODY TO SUBMIT ALL THEIR THEIR BASICALLY THEIR ANALYSIS AND HOW THEY QUALIFY FOR LAND USE.

SO THIS WOULD BE THE YEAR TO DO THAT COMPLETE AUDIT.

[01:05:03]

BEFORE IN THE PAST, THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY, TRULY KNOW IF SOMEBODY SHOULD BE IN LAND USE IS TO DO A FULL TITLE SEARCH, SO THAT'S NOT A REASONABLE OPTION TO DO.

AND NOW WE HAVE THOSE RESOURCES AT OUR FINGERTIPS.

AND JUST TO BE FAIR TO EVERYBODY, TO EVERY TAXPAYER, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU'RE IN THAT PROGRAM THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THAT PROGRAM AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THERE CORRECTLY. AND A LOT OF THAT GOES BOTH WAYS.

WE'RE NOT BY ANY MEANS LOOKING TO TAKE ANYBODY OUT OF THE PROGRAM, WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE IN IT AND THAT PEOPLE THAT CAN BE IN IT, IT SHOULD BE IN IT, BUT IT NEEDS AN AUDIT AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO DO THAT. THAT IS, THEY ARE STATE CODES THAT WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY FOR THAT AND WE NEED PEOPLE. WE NEED STAFF FILLED TO BE ABLE TO REALLY, TRULY FULFILL ALL THEIR LEGAL DUTIES AND THEN THEIR DUTIES TO THE CITIZENS TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S PAYING THEIR FAIR TAXES ON ALL PARTS. SO NO.

ONE, NO. TWO ITEMS, YOU KNOW, ARE JUST FILLING STAFF POSITIONS, FILLING AN UNFUNDED STAFF POSITION AND BRINGING IN A TEMPORARY PART TIME POSITION JUST TO GET US THROUGH LAND USE.

THAT WOULD RUN FROM ABOUT THE LAST WEEK OF AUGUST THROUGH ABOUT THE PROBABLY THROUGH JANUARY 1ST PART OF FEBRUARY.

SO THAT WOULD BE THE TIME FRAME THAT WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THAT.

THE REST OF WHAT WE HAVE IS IT'S REALLY JUST ADDITIONAL EXPENSES THAT WE'VE JUST SEEN IN THE MARKET AND WITH A LOT OF OUR CONTRACTORS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES JUST INCREASE FEES, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH WAY TO AVOID.

WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT ON RETAINER AND [INAUDIBLE] APPRAISER.

THAT'S A POSSIBILITY OF THAT IF WE EVER HAD AN APPEAL FROM A COMPLEX PROPERTY, AND I'M GOING TO USE ROLLS-ROYCE AS AN EXAMPLE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY ON RETAINER TO BE ABLE TO DEFEND THOSE PROPERTIES.

IF THAT WERE TO GO TO THE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OR EVEN TO COURT, DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO WITH THE GROWTH OF THE COUNTY, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE START BRINGING IN THE COUNTY STARTS BRINGING IN VERY UNIQUE INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WHEN THERE.

WITH THAT ONE PROPERTY, IT'S JUST ONE, IT'S ONE TYPE OF PROPERTY, YOU ONLY HAVE THAT ONE IN THE INDUSTRIAL PARK AND THINGS GOING FORWARD.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THAT.

MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE CONTRACTS.

THAT'S MAINLY VISION HOSTING THEIR CAMERA SYSTEM, WE'VE MADE SOME FEW CHANGES TO THAT WHICH ACTUALLY IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY.

BUT ALONG WITH THAT, OF COURSE, IS INCREASED COST.

GOING TO, JUMP OVER TO [INAUDIBLE] VEHICLE.

ONE OF OUR VEHICLES IS GOING TO NEED SOME MAINTENANCE, SOME TIRES IN THE FUTURE.

WE'VE HAD VERY LITTLE VEHICLE EXPENSE IN THE PAST INCREASE OF GAS PRICES.

AND THEN JUST SOME EXTRA MAINTENANCE ON THAT.

POSTAGE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE UNAVOIDABLE THINGS, THE POSTAGE RATE HAS GONE UP.

WE DO HAVE TO MAIL OUT ALL OF THOSE REAL ESTATE ASSESSMENTS EVERY YEAR, PLUS LAND USE.

THOSE THINGS ARE UNAVOIDABLE TO MAIL SO THAT THE SMALL COST THERE.

I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU DOWN TO CONVENTION AND EDUCATION.

WE'VE HAD A LIMITED BUDGET WITH EDUCATION PAST FEW YEARS WITH COVID, AND IT HASN'T BEEN A HUGE CONCERN BECAUSE IT HASN'T THERE HAVEN'T BEEN A LOT OF OFFERINGS.

BUT THAT IS, THOSE THINGS ARE BACK.

PART OF THE OFFERINGS FOR A LOT OF THOSE EDUCATIONS ARE LOCAL.

SO IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS DRIVING TO RICHMOND, A LOT OF THEM ARE ACROSS THE STATE, SOME OF THEM ARE OUT OF STATE.

BUT AGAIN, TO MAINTAIN THAT THAT EXCELLENCE, AS NOTED BY THE [INAUDIBLE], IS TO HAVE CERTAIN BENCHMARKS OF EDUCATION LEVELS.

IN DAYTONA BEACH AND VEGAS IS PROBABLY.

WE NEVER GET THAT LUCKY.

NO. FOR EXAMPLE, THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE, IT'S BEEN IN FREDERICKSBURG. SO YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT VEGAS, BUT IT'S NOT COMMUTABLE EITHER.

SO YOU DO.

[01:10:01]

THAT AND JUST TO BE ABLE TO KEEP CONTINUED EDUCATION, TO GET THOSE CERTIFICATIONS, TO HAVE DESIGNATIONS, DESIGNATIONS.

AGAIN, LOOKING AT THE BENCHMARKS OF OUR COMPETITORS, OUR SURROUNDING LOCALITIES AND WHAT THEIR APPRAISAL STAFF AS THEY THEY DO MAINTAIN THOSE [INAUDIBLE] CERTIFICATIONS.

AND A LOT OF THAT IS A ONE TIME EXPENSE.

THERE IS CONTINUED ED WITH THAT, BUT THE BIGGEST EXPENSE IS THE INITIAL CERTIFICATION.

SO WHEN HIRING OF STAFF AND GOING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE THING TO CONSIDER BECAUSE YOU COULD OFFSET YOUR EDUCATION IF YOU HIRED SOMEBODY THAT ALREADY HAD THAT, THEY WOULD JUST NEED CONTINUE EDUCATION.

WHAT'S PRESENTED HERE IS IF WE IF WE'RE DOING THIS FROM THE GROUND UP, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE FULL COST ON DOING THAT PRETTY MUCH PER PERSON.THAT ALL OF THE STAFF WOULD GET IT, OR WOULD THAT JUST BE THE TOP [INAUDIBLE]? WELL, YOU WOULD WANT YOUR ASSESSOR, OF COURSE, TO HAVE THAT CERTIFICATION, YOU'RE SENIOR LEVEL. APPRAISER IN AT LEAST YOUR APPRAISAL APPRAISER TWO.

ONE OF THE THINGS IS AN APPRAISER ONE, THOSE ARE USUALLY, YOU KNOW, MORE GREEN PEOPLE, BUT WITH PART OF THEM TO GET TO AN APPRAISER TWO WOULD WOULD BE TO HAVE THAT EDUCATION.

SO JUST TO HAVE THEM TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT STEP AVAILABLE TO TO DO THAT.

AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU CAN OFFSET THE COST OF WITH FUTURE HIRING IS TO HIRE PEOPLE THAT ONLY NEED TO CONTINUE TO ADD VERSUS NEEDING THAT NEEDING IT TO START WITH.

THE MOST OF THE EXPENSE IN THAT IS YOUR INITIAL EDUCATION FOR THAT.

MOST OF OUR DUES HAVE REMAINED STATIC.

THOSE ARE AGAIN IN PERSON PER PERSON, EXCUSE ME.

THESE WERE QUOTED AS IF THEY WERE TO BE FOR SIX PEOPLE.

OFFICE SUPPLIES WE HAVE FOR A SMALL AMOUNT IN THAT AGAIN, JUST TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ADEQUATE SUPPLIES TO GET OUT INTO THE FIELD.

A LOT OF OUR EQUIPMENT IS VERY OLD.

I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST SEVEN YEARS AND I CAN TELL YOU NONE OF IT'S BEEN REPLACED AND THOSE THINGS YOU NEED ANOTHER ONE.

MEASURING TAPES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE.

THEY'RE VERY DURABLE. THEY DO LAST QUITE A BIT, BUT MOST OF OUR STUFF IS ABOUT A DECADE OLD. FOOD SUPPLIES, THAT'S A SMALL THING, BUT SINCE SUBSCRIPTIONS, THOSE FIGURES ARE STILL PRETTY MUCH STATIC, I DON'T SEE A LOT OF CHANGES IN THOSE DATA PROCESSING SUPPLIES.

THAT'S AGAIN, ANOTHER STATIC COST JUST GOING TO SUMMARIZE, AND THAT THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IS REQUESTING AN INCREASE FROM THE BUDGET FROM LAST YEAR, MAINLY DUE TO FUNDING AN ADDITIONAL POSITION AND THE IMPLEMENTATION TO BRING THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE [INAUDIBLE] AND THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION CRITERIA FOR MASS APPRAISERS. THIS EFFORT REQUIRED BY EACH APPRAISER WITHIN THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IS MIGHTY IN EACH APPRAISER IS COMMITTED TO ACCOMPLISHING THESE GOALS TO BETTER SERVE THE CITIZENS OF PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY. ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? I GOT ONE.

YEARS AGO, WHEN WE FIRST ENTERED INTO THIS AGREEMENT ON THE GIS.

YES. THE JUSTIFICATION FOR DOING THAT WAS TO WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO HIRE A PERSON.

SO HOW MUCH ARE YOU ACTUALLY RELYING ON THE GIS TO USE IT IN YOUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS? A LOT, ACTUALLY, IF WE WERE ABLE TO GO A FEW YEARS WITHOUT THAT, THAT POSITION BECAUSE OF THAT. BUT WE'VE NOW WITH THE MARKET AND THE INCREASE AND THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO VERIFY THE NUMBER OF SALES, THE NUMBER OF BUILDING PERMITS THAT IS FAR EXCEEDED NOW.

WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO OFFSET FOR A FEW YEARS SO THAT THAT.

THAT SYSTEM IS BENEFICIAL BY FAR, AND NOT JUST FOR THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE, BUT FOR ALMOST EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THIS COUNTY.

SO IT'S NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT WE USE, YOU'VE GOT EVERY DEPARTMENT UTILIZING THAT.

AND I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND KEEPING WITH THAT.

I KNOW WE DO HAVE A SIX YEAR CONTRACT ON THAT.

IT DOES PRETTY MUCH TAKE CARE OF A POSITION, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT, I'D BE ASKING YOU FOR TWO POSITIONS.[INAUDIBLE].

WITHIN REASON, IT'S PRETTY ACCURATE.

WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY.

YES. OK.

[01:15:01]

BEFORE. BEFORE ME, I'D SAY PROBABLY AT LEAST A DECADE.

A LOT OF THAT AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD HAVE AUDITED THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW BECAUSE THOSE RESOURCES JUST WEREN'T AVAILABLE TO US.

A LOT OF IT'S TECHNOLOGY THAT WE NOW HAVE AT OUR FINGERTIPS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN VERY RECENTLY. AS RECENT AS 10 YEARS AGO, WE WERE STILL USING MILERS TO MEASURE THOSE SOIL TYPES THAT'S COME A LONG WAY IN JUST A DECADE.

SO EVEN THOUGH I SAY AND ON, IT'S MAYBE BEEN DONE 10 YEARS AGO.

WHAT WE HAVE TO US AND IT'S AVAILABLE TO US NOW IS NOWHERE CLOSE TO WHAT WAS THERE THEN BECAUSE I KNOW WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS WE WERE STILL USING USING MILERS.

I KNOW WE'VE HAD THE GIS SYSTEM FOR A WHILE, BUT WE HAVEN'T HAD BEEN ABLE TO TURN ON A LOT OF THOSE SOIL LAYERS, WETLANDS, FLOOD ZONES, THOSE THINGS ARE ALL.

I MEAN, EVERY DAY BECOME BETTER AND BETTER WITH TECHNOLOGY.

WE DID NOT HAVE THE AVAILABILITY TO EASILY PULL PEOPLE'S DEEDS.

YOU'D HAVE, WE USED TO HAVE TO PHYSICALLY WALK OVER TO THE COURTHOUSE.

WE HAVE HAD THAT FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.

BUT JUST IN JUST LAST YEAR, JUST LAST SUMMER, WE WERE GIVEN ACCESS TO SURVEYS.

THERE IS A PART OF THE STATE CODE IS WHEN YOU DIVIDE PROPERTY AND DEVELOP IT.

IT'S IF IT WAS DEVELOPED PRIOR TO 1983 YOU CAN STILL QUALIFY FOR DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING.

YOU CAN STILL STILL BE IN LAND USE.

IF YOU DEVELOP THAT PROPERTY AFTER 1983, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STAY IN THE LAND USE PROGRAM. AND UNTIL LAST YEAR, WE HAD NO WAY TO KNOW IF WHAT, WHAT YEAR THOSE THINGS, WHAT YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT WAS WAS DONE.

AND I SAY A DEVELOPMENT. OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE TALKING UNDEVELOPED OR UNBUILT LAND, BUT IT MAY BE DEVELOPED AND DIVIDED INTO A SUBDIVISION JUST NEVER WAS BUILT UPON.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT RESOURCE UNTIL LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO.

AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT NEED TO BE RESEARCHED AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE A MINUTE.

IT'S GOING TO TAKE A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME TO GO THROUGH THAT.

WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER TWELVE HUNDRED PARCELS IN THE LAND USE PROGRAM.

WELL, MY QUESTION. CURIOSITY.

WITH THE GIS SYSTEM, IF IT'S THAT ACCURATE AND UNLESS, IS IT A POTENTIAL THAT IT COULD BE A PARCEL OUT HERE OR PARCELS THAT MAY HAVE A BUILDING ON THEM.

IT'S NOT DOCUMENTED? YES. WE DO REVIEW THOSE EVERY FIVE YEARS WITH THE GIS, [INAUDIBLE], OF COURSE, IF WE CAN PHYSICALLY SEE SOMETHING, THAT'S ONE THING, BUT IN RURAL AREAS, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS PHYSICALLY SEE THAT.

SO YES, WE DO PICK THAT UP.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A STATISTICAL NUMBER ON HOW MUCH WE ADD TO OUR LAND BOOK BY FINDING THOSE THINGS.

SO WE'RE REVIEWING ABOUT ONE FIFTH OF THE COUNTY BY LOOKING AT THAT GIS STRICTLY FOR THOSE PURPOSES. I MEAN, WOULD YOU SUGGEST.

[INAUDIBLE] THAT FOR A REASON? I WAS ASKED A QUESTION.

I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF WE HAD ITS BUILDINGS ON PROPERTIES THAT WAS NOT DOCUMENTED.

YES, IT'S VERY COMMON IN RURAL AREAS THAT PEOPLE BUILD THINGS WITHOUT BUILDING PERMITS.

IT BARNS, GARAGES, IT'S VERY COMMON.

SO YES, WE DO FIND THOSE VERY, VERY OFTEN WITH THE GIS SYSTEM.

OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS? MR. BROWN? MR. BROWN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY TO QUESTION? NO, MA'AM, I'M GOOD.

OK, THANK YOU.

WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE FROM SOCIAL SERVICES.

HI, GOOD EVENING, MADAM CHAIR AND FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, MR. STOKE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE YOU TO TALK ABOUT MY POSITION REQUESTS FOR 2022-23 AND TO TALK ABOUT OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION'S REQUEST.

OK, SO THE FIRST THING I WANT TO START WITH IS REVENUE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT 100 PERCENT OF DSS OPERATIONS IS REIMBURSABLE, STAFF IS GENERALLY REIMBURSED AT OR LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN, THAT STAFF POSITION CREATE REVENUE OF 84 .5 PERCENT. SO THE MATH IS VERY LITTLE.

[01:20:05]

HMM. AND THAT'S JUST BENEFIT, IT DOES NOT INCLUDE OTHER SERVICES PROGRAMS THAT THE AGENCY SUPPORTS. SO THE NEED I HAVE A NEED FOR TWO POSITIONS FOR BENEFIT PROGRAMS. THE FIRST ONE IS FORTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THE COST TO THE COUNTY FOR THIS POSITION, USING THE FORMULA I SPOKE OF A FEW MONTHS AGO IS SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS WITH REVENUE OF THIRTY EIGHT THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS.

WE DESPERATELY NEED THIS POSITION.

WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN OUR CASELOADS OF UP TO 800 MORE CASES, AND WE CONTINUE TO CARRY THE HEAVIEST CASELOADS IN COMPARISON OF ALL THE SURROUNDING LOCAL DEPARTMENT SOCIAL SERVICES. THIS POSITION WILL ALLOW US TO STRATEGICALLY PLAN HOW TO SERVE THE CITIZENS BETTER, BECOME MORE THOROUGH IN OUR WORK AND SPEND TIME SERVING THE WHOLE CLIENT, MEANING ENSURING THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM ALL THE BENEFITS IN WHICH THEY ARE ENTITLED AND MAKING FEWER AGENCY MISTAKES.

ALSO, THE CSA COORDINATOR LEFT LAST YEAR, AND THOSE WERE DUTIES THAT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE BENEFIT PROGRAM UNIT.

SO WITH THE ADI AND THE CSA RESPONSIBILITY, IT REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THAT PARTICULAR BENEFIT SPECIALIST HAS IN PROCESSING BENEFIT CASES.

THE SECOND POSITION IS A PART TIME BENEFIT PROGRAM SPECIALIST TRULY DEDICATED TO FRAUD, AND THIS, OF COURSE, IS TWENTY SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE DOLLARS COST TO THE COUNTY IS JUST A TINY BIT OVER FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS, WITH REVENUE A LITTLE OVER TWENTY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

WE RECEIVE FRAUD FREE MONEY IN OUR BUDGET EVERY YEAR, AND WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO FOCUS ON FRAUD.

IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO PERFORM DUE DILIGENCE AS IT RELATES TO FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL DOLLARS GIVEN TO CITIZENS.

AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, GIVEN THAT OUR CASELOADS ARE HIGH, WE ARE DO NOT HAVE THE SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF TIME AND RESOURCES TO REALLY WORK FRAUD CASES LIKE AN AGENCY SHOULD.

SO FRAUD IS ADDED ON TO A BENEFIT PROGRAM SPECIALIST IS NORMALLY A PART TIME POSITION AND OTHER LOCALITIES.

AND OUR JOB IS TO LOOK AT THE LEADS THAT WE GET TO FOLLOW UP ON LEADS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT CUSTOMERS ARE TELLING US.

REFER THAT TO A FRAUD WORKER AND LET THE FRAUD WORKER DO THE INVESTIGATION.

AND IF IT DEEMS PROSECUTION, THEN THAT INFORMATION WOULD GO TO THE COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY.

SO WE ARE DOING FRAUD, BUT IT IS VERY, VERY LITTLE AND THAT IS REALLY BECAUSE OF THE VOLUME OF THE CASELOAD THAT WE HAVE.

SO THIS IS A COMPARISON TO THE SURROUNDING LOCAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE NUMBER OF BENEFIT PROGRAMS POSITIONS THAT DINWIDDIE, HOPEWELL, PETERSBURG, AND PRINCE GEORGE HAS, I MEAN, COMPARISON TO PRINCE GEORGE.

SO DINWIDDIE HAS 15 POSITION.

HOPEWELL HAS 28.

PETERSBURG HAS 44 AND PRINCE GEORGE HAS 10.

DINWIDDIE CASELOAD IS SMALLER.

IT'S TWO HUNDRED TO 300 PER WORKER.

HOPEWELL IS THREE HUNDRED WITH ONE OUTLIER, ONE PERSON DOING SPECIALIZED CASES THAT'S SIX HUNDRED.

PETERSBURG IS FOUR HUNDRED AND PRINCE GEORGE HAS SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR CASES.

SO THE ONE THING I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT A CASE IS NOT JUST A PERSON FAMILY.

SO WHEN WE SAY SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY FOUR CASES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MULTIPLE MANY PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE TO SERVE ON ONE PARTICULAR CASE.

[01:25:06]

IT'LL MAKE US A BIT MORE COMPETITIVE.

WE WILL ALWAYS LIKELY LEAD THE PACK WITH WORKLOAD.

I HAVE VERY, VERY GOOD STAFF, VERY SEASONED STAFF.

WE HIRE MORE EXPERIENCED STAFF THAT WE FEEL CAN PRODUCE A LITTLE BIT BETTER AND UNDERSTAND THE POLICIES A BIT BETTER.

BUT IF WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP UP, SO TO SPEAK OR LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE AND TRY TO COME WITHIN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE SURROUNDING LOCALITIES, I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE CITIZENS AND IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR THE STAFF.

THEY WILL BE ABLE TO BE A BIT MORE EFFICIENT IN THEIR WORK.

THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB IN MEETING DEADLINES AND TO BETTER SERVE FAMILIES.

AND WHEN I SAY BETTER TO SERVE FAMILIES, I MEAN HAVING THE TIME TO LISTEN TO FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GIVING THEM WHAT THEY NEED AND TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND HOW TO KEEP THE BENEFITS THAT THEY HAVE OR WHAT TO DO IF THEY NEED OTHER SERVICES.

AND AS YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF THE HIGH NUMBER WE HAVE, WE'RE SERVING CITIZENS. I MEAN, THE SIXTY THREE MILLION DOLLARS IS EVIDENCE OF THAT.

BUT WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB IN SERVING CITIZENS.

STAFF CAN DO A BETTER JOB IN AUDIT RESULTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

SO I JUST REALLY KNOW THAT THE FRAUD POSITION, WE GOT TO HAVE THE FULL TIME POSITION, REALLY, WE GOT TO HAVE.

AND I JUST WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH THIS APPROVAL OF THESE POSITIONS ARE GOING TO HELP US DO A BETTER JOB IN SERVING THE CITIZENS WHO ARE IN NEED OF THE BENEFITS.

BUT IN ADDITION, YOU KNOW, THESE NUMBERS DO NOT INCLUDE THE [INAUDIBLE] FOR THESE POSITIONS, BUT THESE POSITIONS COST A TOTAL OF SEVENTY ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE DOLLARS AND THE REVENUE IS SIXTY THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT DOLLARS.

SO IT'S VERY LITTLE THAT'S HAVING TO COME FROM THE COUNTY TO FUND THOSE POSITIONS.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION REQUEST? THANK YOU. AND SINCE THE VICE MAYOR OPENED THE DOOR, I KNOW I'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THIS, ABOUT THIS WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND I DO BELIEVE THE CITY COULD BE GETTING MORE MONEY FOR IT, FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THE COST THAT IT, THAT THE COMPANY IS ABLE TO MAKE OFF OF THE CITY'S ABILITY TO UTILIZE OUR SPACE.

I HEAR WE'RE HAVING TWO OTHER CONTRACTS, I HOPE THOSE CONTRACTS WILL BE BETTER, I UNDERSTAND WE'RE PUSHING THE LIMIT, SO TO SPEAK.

BUT ON THIS ONE, I THINK, IS WHEN WE CAN.

THEY'RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY ON THE EXPANSION OF 5G.

THERE'S CERTAIN OTHER THINGS THAT THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS, AND THIS MAY JUST BE THIS IS A CELLULAR MARKET. BUT I'M JUST TALKING IN GENERAL, ALL OF THESE CELLULAR EXPANSIONS AND FIBER NETWORK, THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING, BUT IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN.

IT'S OK. I'M JUST I'M JUST SAYING, I THINK THE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE.

PROJECT AND FOR WHAT WE COULD BE RECEIVING.

I THINK COULD BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, BUT IF YOU WISH TO SAY GO AHEAD, I JUST WANT TO SAY ONE THING THAT, MADAM MAYOR, THE CELLULAR MARKET IS BECOMING SO COMPETITIVE AND THE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING, AND A LOT OF THE ESTABLISHED CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDERS, THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING AWAY WITH THESE TALL TOWERS AND THEN MOVING INTO THESE NEIGHBORHOOD INSTALLATIONS. A LOT MORE INSTALLATIONS IN NEIGHBORHOODS ON SHORT TOWERS LIKE 30 FEET, 35 FEET. THEY'RE UTILIZING LIGHT POLES AND THEY'RE BASICALLY PUSHING THE CITY OUT OF THIS BUSINESS. AND SO THEY'RE DEALING WITH FPL AND STATE LEGISLATION.

ALSO, FEDERAL LAWS, THEY SORT OF PREEMPT OUR EXISTENCE IN THIS MARKET.

SO THESE ARE JUST THE LEFTOVER, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE BUSINESS FOR OUR PART IN THE CELLULAR SERVICE PROVISION.

I APPRECIATE THAT. AND ACTUALLY, YOU JUST OPEN THE DOOR FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE THAT WE HAVE WITH THE STATE TRYING TO ALLOW THESE ITEMS IN.

BY GOING TO [INAUDIBLE], GOING INTO PERSONAL PROPERTY, WHICH BECAUSE OF VERY BIG

[01:30:03]

THEY LOOK AWFUL.

THEY ARE LOWER NOW.

THEY ARE IN THE LIKE, SIGHTLINE OF OUR RESIDENTS, AND WE HAVE NUMEROUS RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE SEEING, AND THEY BORDERLINE JUST ENOUGH TO NOT BE ON A PERSON'S PROPERTY, BUT IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY RIGHT THERE AT THEIR RIM.

SO YES, THAT'S, I KNOW LAURA WON'T BE HERE FOR THIS, BUT WE NEED TO PUT IT ON THE NEXT PERSON'S LIST OF THINGS TO LOOK INTO FOR THE CITY, PLEASE.

BUT I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION, THANK YOU.

CITY CLERK. PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

THANK YOU. MAYOR GOMEZ? NO.

COMMISSIONER GELIN? YES. COMMISSIONER VILLALOBOS? YES. COMMISSIONER PLACKO? YES. COMMISSIONER BOLTON? YES. MOTION PASSES 4-1.

EXCELLENT. NOW WE'RE MOVING ON TO, I BELIEVE IN A LONG AWAITED ITEM FOR MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE HERE, M, TR-19751, APPOINTMENT OF MICHAEL ANISE AS FIRE CHIEF CITY ATTORNEY PLEASE RETURN TO THE COMMISSION.

THIS IS A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY.

COMMISSION OF TAMARAC FLORIDA APPOINTING MICHAEL ANISE AS FIRE CHIEF EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 24, 2022 WHERE IT SAYS THE DATE IS A MUTUALLY AGREED UPON PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

EXCELLENT. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND, PLEASE.

SO MOVED.

SECOND. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WISHES TO MAKE A COMMENT? PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE NOW OPEN.

NOW, ALL RIGHT, PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

VICE MAYOR, YOU PULLED THIS ITEM? YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO HAVE OUR NEW FIRE CHIEF HAVE THE PLEASURE OF HAVING A SEPARATE READING OF HIS ITEM AND WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS.

I HAD THE PLEASURE OF HAVING LUNCH WITH HIM AND OUR FORMER FIRE CHIEF A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND JUST WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS.

WELL, I THINK WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO SAYING CONGRATULATIONS AS SOON AS WE GET THIS VOTE UNDERWAY, SO SEEING THAT THERE'S NO MORE COMMENTS.

CITY CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

MY PLEASURE. MAYOR GOMEZ? YES. VILLALOBOS? YES. COMMISSIONER PLACKO? YES. VICE MAYOR GELIN? YES. COMMISSIONER BOLTON? YES. OH, HOW SULTRY.

SO CONGRATULATIONS, WE WELCOME YOU.

WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU.

THANK YOU.

WE KNOW YOU WILL DO AN EXCELLENT JOB, AND IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE OUR TAMARAC FIRE RESCUE HERE TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT OF YOU AS WELL.

THEY'RE ALL AMAZING. YOU'RE AMAZING AND.

IS THIS ON? YES, YOU'RE ON. WE WILL LET YOU HAVE THE MIC FIRST.

I DO KNOW THAT THE CITY MANAGER WANTED TO SAY A FEW WORDS AS WELL.

SO BUT THE FLOOR IS YOURS.

TAKE AWAY. OK, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER FOR THE APPOINTMENT.

THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR.

VICE MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, I APPRECIATE THIS IS A TREMENDOUS HONOR TO BE CHOSEN AS THE FIRE CHIEF IN TAMARAC, IT'S EVEN MORE OF AN HONOR TO BE WORKING WITH THE GREAT MEN AND WOMEN OF TAMARAC FIRE RESCUE.

THEY ARE THE BEST IN THIS COUNTY, I ASSURE YOU OF THAT, AND IT WILL BE AN HONOR TO WORK WITH THE EXCEPTIONAL EXECUTIVE TEAM, WHICH I'VE LEARNED IS A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE AND THEY DO THE VERY BEST WORK IN THIS CITY AND IN THIS COUNTY.

SO IT'S AN HONOR ALL THE WAY AROUND.

THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER.

THANK YOU, CHIEF.

AND I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND MY HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS AND GRATITUDE. YOU STEPPED UP BACK IN SEPTEMBER AND HAVE BEEN RUNNING WITH THE BALL EVER SINCE YOUR LEADERSHIP.

THE SUPPORT OF YOUR TROOPS IS A TESTAMENT TO WHO YOU ARE AS A MAN.

YOU'VE BEEN SERVING THE CITY FOR 24 YEARS.

YOU'VE WORKED YOURSELF UP FROM THE RANKS AND I'VE LEARNED RECENTLY HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK ON LEADERSHIP. SO WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU.

AND I THINK IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THE READY TO STEP INTO KEY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

I KNOW IT'S BEEN AN ENDURANCE RUN WITH THE PANDEMIC AND ALL THE STUFF THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD TO DO AS LEAD.

BUT WE ARE EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE OF ALL YOUR EFFORTS AND THE EFFORTS OF THE ENTIRE TEAM.

SO THANK YOU. SO WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO LOSE MOST OF OUR AUDIENCE.

[01:35:01]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND ON THAT NOTE, WE'RE ALSO IT IS 10:52, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A BREAK UNTIL 11:10.

WE ARE NOW IN RECESS. SEE YOU BACK HERE AT 11:10.

THANK YOU, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

MY APOLOGIES. WE ARE ONE MINUTE LATE.

IT IS NOW 11:11 AND WE ARE BACK ON THE RECORD.

WE WILL BE MOVING ON TO OUR REGULAR AGENDA ITEM TR-13735, COMPREHENSIVE DISPARITY STUDY ANALYSIS AWARD.

CITY ATTORNEY, PLEASE READ THE TITLE FOR THE RECORD.

MADAM MAYOR MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, THIS IS A RESOLUTION OF SEEING COMMISSIONER OF THE CITY OF TAMARAC, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY OFFICIALS TO AWARD AND EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE DISPARITY.

STUDY ANALYSIS TO MILLER 3 CONSULTING INC PIGGYBACKING MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AGREEMENT NO.

RFP18-036MT IN THE AMOUNT OF THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY ONE DOLLARS PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND, PLEASE.

SO MOVED. SECOND.

THANK YOU. I WILL NOW ASK KEITH GLATZ TO PROVIDE A PRESENTATION.

HE IS OUR CONTRACTS AND PURCHASING MANAGER.

YES. CORRECT. YES.

THANK YOU, MAYOR. KEITH GLATZ HERE, PURCHASING CONTRACTS MANAGER AND I DO WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT WE HAVE ON TEAMS MEMBERS OF THE PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS.

MILLER 3 CONSULTING.

WE HAVE, WE SHOULD HAVE DAVE MILLER, LAUREN MILLER, SHERRI WILLIAMS. EXCUSE ME IF I DON'T GET THIS NAME RIGHT, BUT UTENDE [INAUDIBLE] AND ANNE-MARIE SORREL OF THE MOSAIC GROUP. WE'RE ON THE TEAM'S CALL WHEN I LOOKED AT IT A FEW MOMENTS AGO, AND SO TODAY WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT A DISPARITY STUDY AND WHAT IS A DISPARITY STUDY.

IT'S SIMPLY A STUDY THAT DETERMINES WHETHER A GOVERNMENT ENTITY, EITHER IN THE PAST OR CURRENTLY ENGAGES IN EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES IN THE SOLICITATION AND AWARD OF CONTRACTS TO MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED AND DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, WHICH WE CALL MWDBES.

SO WHY DO WE NEED TO CONDUCT A DISPARITY STUDY? THIS GOES BACK TO A DECISION THAT WAS MADE BY THE U.S.

SUPREME COURT IN 1989 IN THE CASE OF CITY OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, VERSUS JA CROSON, WHICH THE COURT DECISION IMPOSED LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ON JUST THE JURISDICTIONS TO ESTABLISH A COMPELLING INTEREST TO SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS PROGRAM. AND THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY THEN WOULD BE USED TO DETERMINE IF COMPELLING INTEREST EXISTS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORMAL M/WBE TYPES OF REMEDIATION PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO DO BUSINESS WITH VARIOUS ENTITIES.

IT'S ALSO A MEANS TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MINORITY WOMEN ON BUSINESS, AS WELL AS TO, WITH RESPECT TO ANY CONTRACT SERVICES AND A DISPARITY STUDY IS THE ONLY LEGAL MEANS TO DEVELOP A SET ASIDE PREFERENCE PROGRAM BASED ON ETHNICITY OR GENDER.

SO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS, WHAT ARE THE WHAT DOES THE STUDY MEASURE? AND I'M JUST GOING TO PARAPHRASE THESE FIRST EXAMINES THE CURRENT CONTRACTING PROCESS THAT WE USE HERE AT THE CITY.

SECONDLY, PROVIDES A RELEVANT MARKET ANALYSIS OF THIS REGION, SOUTH FLORIDA.

IT WILL PROVIDE AN ANALYSIS OF THE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS FIRMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY IN THIS AREA AND OTHER PLACES, AND EXAMINES THE CITY'S HISTORIC USE OF MINORITY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.

DETERMINES THE GAP BETWEEN ACTUAL, BETWEEN, OLD ON A SECOND.

SORRY ABOUT THAT, I LOST MY PLACE.

IN TERMS OF THE GAP BETWEEN ACTUAL MINORITY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS CONTRACTING AND POTENTIAL MINORITY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES.

I THINK WE'RE THE NEXT PAGE. IT EXAMINES, IT DETERMINES THE GAP AND EXAMINES THE CAPACITY OF MINORITY WOMEN ON BUSINESS VENDORS IN THIS AREA TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM THE WORK AND IF

[01:40:03]

SO HOW DID WE GET HERE? THIS IS THE REAL QUICK HISTORY, ABOUT A YEAR AGO LAST FEBRUARY, THE CITY COMMISSION AUTHORIZED A STUDY.

WE WENT TO WORK TRYING TO IDENTIFY, STUDYING AND VERY QUICKLY IDENTIFY WITHIN ABOUT 30 DAYS OF THAT TIME WITH THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH AND WE WERE WORKING WITH THEM AND THEY HAD CHOSEN MILITARY CONSULTING WHO WERE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT TODAY, AND THEY TOOK SOME TIME TO NEGOTIATE THEIR CONTRACT.

IT TOOK THEM UNTIL ABOUT OCTOBER, WHEN THE CONTRACT FINALLY WENT IN FRONT OF THE COMMISSION AND SADLY, THE MOTION WAS DENIED, AND THEY REJECTED THE STUDY, SO WE HAD TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.

SO WE THOUGHT ANOTHER STUDY IDENTIFIED ONE FROM MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SCHOOLS, WHICH WAS THEY ACTUALLY CREATED A PROPOSAL WITH A TERM CONTRACT TIME FRAME, AND WE IDENTIFIED THAT IN DECEMBER, WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE PERMISSION OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SCHOOLS AND THE VENDOR, MILITARY CONSULTING, IN EARLY JANUARY THIS YEAR.

AND THEY PROVIDED US WITH THEIR FIRST PROPOSAL IN JANUARY, AND WE ENTERED INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH MILLER 3, AND WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE A BEST AND FINAL OFFER PRICE OF THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY ONE, AS OPPOSED TO THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL PRICE OF THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN THOUSAND FIFTY DOLLARS.

SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONSULTANT, MILLER 3 CONSULTING IS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN OWNED FIRM, WAS FOUNDED IN 1986 BY DAVE MILLER, SENIOR, WHO CREATED THE FIRST MINORITY BUSINESS PROGRAM FOR THE CITY OF ATLANTA AS THE YOUNGEST AND FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR IN THAT CITY.

MILLER 3 CONSULTING IS STILL A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS WITH DAVE MILLER JR.

AND LAUREN MILLER AS ITS PRINCIPALS.

THEY'VE CONDUCTED THE FIRST NATIONS FIRST.

THEY'VE CONDUCTED THE NATION'S FIRST DISPARITY STUDY FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA, IN 1988, WHICH HAD CORRECTLY ANTICIPATED THE DIRECTION OF THE SUPREME COURT OUTCOME OF THE RICHMOND VERSUS CROSON DECISION A YEAR BEFORE THE DECISION WAS EVEN BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE COURTS AND SOME OTHER CLIENTS HERE IN FLORIDA THAT HAVE USED THEM ARE BROWARD COLLEGE CITY OF TAMPA, CITY OF ST.

PETERSBURG, CITY OF TALLAHASSEE, THE GREATER ORLANDO AVIATION AUTHORITY, ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

SO A SUMMARY MILITARY CONSULTING IS THE CONTRACTOR WE PIGGYBACKED TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY SCHOOLS CONTRACT RFP-18-036-MT.

WE UTILIZE THE SAME HOURLY RATES AS MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS UTILIZED.

THE TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE IS THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY ONE DOLLARS AS A FINAL COST, AND THE SCHEDULE IS APPROXIMATELY 360 DAYS AFTER AWARD OF A CONTRACT.

SO THAT'S COMPLETES MY PRESENTATION.

IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS AGAIN, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ORGANIZATION ARE ON THE CALL AS WELL. ARE WE ABLE TO PLAY THEIR VOLUME IN HERE, JIM? YOU KNOW, WE ARE ABLE TO PLAY.

THEY ABLE TO. WHAT WERE YOU ABLE TO TRANSMIT THROUGH VOLUME IN HERE, OK? THERE THEY ARE. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.

GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING OUT THE FULL STAFF.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING? I WOULD TO MAYOR GOMEZ, VICE MAYOR GELIN AND COMMISSIONER MEMBERS BOLTON VILLALOBOS, AND PLACKO. I BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

WE'RE EXCITED TO BE HERE VIRTUALLY WITH YOU TODAY.

AND SO IN WONDERFUL BROWARD COUNTY.

I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMISSION'S COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO FURTHER ENHANCE AND PROPEL ITS CURRENT INITIATIVES FOR EQUITY AND THE CITY'S CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK AS MR. GLATZ HAS JUST COMMUNICATED, THE CITY STAFF HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB IN CAPTURING THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF DISPARITY STUDY.

BUT JUST TO ADD A LITTLE BIT TO THAT DISPARITY, STUDY TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACH AND HOW WE EXECUTE THE DEPLOYMENT OF OUR TEN POINT METHODOLOGY AND SHOW THE DISPARITY STUDIES THE TRIAGE OF THE CITY'S VITAL SIGNS THAT IMPACT THE CREATION OF A SUSTAINABLE, INCLUSIVE PROCUREMENT ENVIRONMENT SIMILAR TO OUR

[01:45:05]

DISPARITY STUDY SEEKS TO OPTIMIZE EACH VITAL ELEMENT AND COMPONENT TO CREATE THE SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT ENVIRONMENT, SO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR TEAM.

OUR CORE TEAM HAS BEEN TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS, AND WE'VE PARTNERED WITH TWO PHENOMENAL SOUTH FLORIDA TEAMS AND DUE TO THESE STRATEGIES.

PRINCIPAL ROB LONG, I BELIEVE, IS ON THE CALL, AS WELL AS THE MOSAIC GROUP OUT OF WEST PALM BEACH. ANN-MARIE SOREL IS ON THE CALL, BOTH OF WHICH WE INTENDED TO WORK WITH ON DELRAY. WE'VE HAD SOME PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH ANN-MARIE AND SOME OF OUR OTHER ENGAGEMENTS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. AND SO I, ALONG WITH THE ENTIRE DISPARITY STUDY PROJECT TEAM ASSEMBLY TODAY, ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO COMMENCING THIS DISPARITY STUDY EFFORT.

THANK YOU. THEY'RE OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS NOW.

THANK YOU. I SEE THAT VICE MAYOR GELIN HAS HIS LIGHT LIT.

VICE MAYOR? SURE, FOR THE MILLER TEAM, IS THE DISPARITY STUDY COMPLETE FROM MIAMI-DADE COUNTY? [INAUDIBLE].

AND WHAT WAS THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY? WELL, I MEAN, THE END RESULT WAS THAT THERE CONTINUES TO BE SOME OPPORTUNITY AREAS FOR THE DISTRICT TO IMPROVE SOME EQUITY IN THIS CONTRACT.

THEY HAVE MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT STRIDES OVER THE PAST THREE TO FIVE YEARS, REALLY LEVERAGING THEIR BOND PROGRAM AND ATTRACTING MORE M/WBES INTO THE FOLD.

AS A RESULT OF OUR STUDY, THE LEADERSHIP, AS WELL AS A SUPERINTENDENT, EMBRACED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

THEY FURTHER SORT OF DOUBLE DOWN ON THEIR COMMITMENT IN THIS SPACE BY ENCOURAGING AND MAKING POLICY AMENDMENTS AND CHANGES FOR WHICH WE'RE ADOPTED.

AND SO WE'RE SORT OF TRACKING THEIR CONTINUED GROWTH IN THIS SPACE AS THEY PURSUE TO SORT OF ENHANCE THEIR CURRENT INITIATIVES.

AND WHEN WHEN PUBLIC AGENCIES IMPLEMENT MWB PROGRAMS TO HELP FACILITATE A FAIRER PROCESS FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, DOES THAT HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY? NO, NOT AT ALL, ACTUALLY, I THINK ONE OF THE CORE IMPACTS IS THAT IT CREATES A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT IN TERMS OF THOSE FIRMS THAT YOU ENGAGE WITH DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES, BRING UNIQUENESS, BRING INNOVATION AS WELL AS COMPETITION, YOU KNOW, THE MORE COMPETITION YOU HAVE FOR OPPORTUNITIES.

IT SORT OF DRIVES PRICES DOWN IN A FAVORABLE WAY FOR MOST MUNICIPALITIES.

OK, THANK YOU. JAMES, CAN YOU PLAY THE POWERPOINT THAT I SENT TO YOU? SO YESTERDAY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WENT TO A PRESS CONFERENCE THAT WAS HELD AT THE BROWARD MAIN LIBRARY, WHICH INCLUDED HISPANIC UNITY OF FLORIDA, THE URBAN LEAGUE OF BROWARD COUNTY AND FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY.

SO I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME THE STATE OF HISPANIC AND IMMIGRANT BROWARD 2022, BROWARD COUNTY EQUITY INITIATIVE AND THE STATE OF BLACK BROWARD FIU.

IT'S A BROWARD COUNTY EQUITY INITIATIVE AND THIS IS, I THINK, A 30 PAGE SLIDE.

I'M GOING TO GO OVER ONE OR TWO SLIDES AND JUST REMEMBER WE STILL HAVE OUR FIVE MINUTES.

GO AHEAD. SO THE PURPOSE, AS YOU SEE HERE, IS TO PROVIDE HOLISTIC AND INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF THE BLACK AND HISPANIC COMMUNITY IN BROWARD AND PROVIDE A PLATFORM SO THERE CAN BE A BROWARD COUNTY PLAN OF ACTION.

LET'S SEE. SO THE GOALS I'M JUST GOING TO FOCUS ON NUMBER ONE, NUMBER THREE ITEM, HIGHER WAGE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, BUILDING WEALTH AND THEN TARGETED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE COMMUNITY. NOW I'LL JUST GO RIGHT TO THE ECONOMIC SECTION.

SO HERE, STATE OF BLACK, BROWN AND HISPANIC IMMIGRANT BROWN REPORTS FIND CLEAR EVIDENCE OF ONGOING AND PERSISTENT RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND OTHERS.

WE'RE HERE TO FOCUS ON ECONOMICS, BUT THAT'S THE REAL PURPOSE OF HAVING THIS DISPARITY STUDY, WHICH OTHER CITIES LIKE FORT LAUDERDALE AND MIRAMAR HAVE ALREADY DONE.

SO THIS IS HOW YOU ADDRESSED SOME OF THESE DISPARITY STUDIES.

A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION HERE, BUT AGAIN, I'LL JUST FOCUS ON THE ECONOMY.

ECONOMIC EQUITIES ACHIEVE WHEN BENEFITS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH ARE SHARED BY RESIDENTS ACROSS THE INCOME SPECTRUM AND WHERE THEY LIVE.

IT INCLUDES ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN THE FORM OF A VARIETY OF JOBS AND OCCUPATIONS, PAYING COMPETITIVE WAGES AND INCOMES THAT INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH IMPROVED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY.

AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A DISPARITY STUDY.

A LOT OF WOMEN OWNED, HISPANIC OWNED BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES DON'T HAVE A FAIR OPPORTUNITY TO WIN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS, SO THIS HELPS IDENTIFY THOSE DISPARITIES AND COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS. WHEN YOU GUYS LOOK AT THOSE, I'M DONE.

THOSE ARREST REPORTS THAT WE GET MONTHLY FROM BSO.

THOSE ARE NOT COMING FROM PEOPLE THAT COME FROM MEDIAN OR HIGH INCOME FAMILIES THAT COMES

[01:50:03]

SO THIS IS HOW WE ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES AND IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK? SEEING NONE, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.

OK, SO AS WE KNOW, AS A COMMISSION, WE ALL AGREE TO WANTING THIS.

BACK IN FEBRUARY, 2021 AND A DIFFERENT FINANCIAL TIME OF OUR CITY.

AND WE DID NOT KNOW UNTIL RECENTLY WHAT THE COST OF THIS WOULD BE.

SO WHILE I DO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE NEED TO EARN A LIVING AND DO GREAT WORK, I DO HAVE A CONCERN, AND I EXPRESSED THIS WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT UP AT OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING ABOUT THE COST OF THIS PARTICULAR YEAR LONG STUDY AND WONDERING IF THERE WERE OTHER WAYS TO ACHIEVE SIMILAR MEANS WITHOUT THIS EXPENSE, OR IF THIS EXPENSE COULD BE MODIFIED TO OBTAIN RESULTS WITHOUT SUCH A BIG OUT OF POCKET ITEM FOR US, SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, SOME ANSWERS, I DO KNOW THE ANSWERS TO SOME OF THEM.

I DON'T. CURIOUS AS TO WHY DELRAY VOTED AGAINST IT? DO WE KNOW? I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY AND THE CONSULTANT MAY HAVE SOME BACKGROUND ON THAT, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAD AN ISSUE WITH.

A POLITICAL ISSUE WITH ONE OF THE SUBCONTRACTORS.

OK, AND IT WAS IT WAS JUST AS SIMPLE AS THAT, AND I THINK THEY ALSO HAD THE SITUATION WHERE THEY HAD HAD JUST HIRED A BRAND NEW CITY MANAGER AND THEY WANTED THE CITY MANAGER, THE NEW CITY MANAGER, TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE PROGRAM AND SEE IF THAT WAS A PROGRAM THAT THEY WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH AS WELL.

SO THEY DIDN'T WANT TO USURP THE NEW CITY MANAGER'S AUTHORITY BEFORE THE NEW CITY MANAGER CAME IN TO OFFICE.

OK, TEAM MILLER, ARE YOU WILLING TO DISCLOSE WHAT THE POLITICAL CONCERN IS? WELL, WE QUITE HONESTLY, MAYOR GOMEZ, WEREN'T VERY CLEAR AROUND WHAT THE CONCERN WAS, THAT IT APPEARED THAT THERE WERE SOME COMPETING NARRATIVES, SOME OF WHICH SUGGESTED TO US THAT IT MIGHT HAVE OCCURRED OUTSIDE OF THE CONE OF SILENCE IN THE SCOPE FOR HOW MUNICIPALITIES CONTRACT.

IRRESPECTIVE OF THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SOUGHT TO DO IS TO STILL WORK WITH THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE STILL GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.

WE WERE INVITED TO COME TO THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH AFTER A SORT OF LABORIOUS SEVEN MONTH EVALUATION PROCESS.

THERE WAS NO CONCERNS AROUND THE PROCESS TO GET TO THE PLACE OF A WAR.

IT WAS JUST SOME CONCERNS AROUND MAYBE POTENTIAL FODDER THAT REPRESENTATIVES ON THAT BODY HAD SOME CONCERNS WITH.

OK, THANK YOU.

SO I SAW IN THE BACKUP AND I WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE I SAID, FOR HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MANY CITIES HAVE ACTUALLY DONE A DISPARITY STUDY? AND WHAT I SAW WAS THAT THERE'S TWO CITIES IN BROWARD THAT VICE MAYOR GELIN MENTIONED.

THERE WAS ONE COUNTY OF PALM BEACH AND WHAT THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH AND THEN MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLS IS THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DISPARITY STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED IN THE TRI COUNTY AREA.

THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE MORE I KNOW THE SOLID WASTE AGENCY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY PERFORMED THE STUDY.

AND DID YOU MENTION BROWARD COLLEGE? I DIDN'T. I DIDN'T NOT SEE THAT ONE IN OUR BACKUP, SO THEY HAD DONE ONE SOME TIME AGO, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT UP TO DATE.

OK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND I'M JUST GOING TO NOTE THAT THE CLOCK HAS BEEN TICKING.

WELL, I'VE NOT BEEN TALKING, SO I'M GOING TO TAKE SOME EXTRA SECONDS.

SO IF I UNDERSTAND THIS, A STUDY IS NEEDED IF WE ARE GOING TO DO A SPECIFIC SET ASIDE.

CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT EXACTLY A SET ASIDE IS? WELL, OUR PROGRAM THAT INFLUENCES THAT HAS THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD, EXCUSE ME, A PROGRAM THAT CENTERS ON TRYING TO FIND VARIOUS METHODS TO PROVIDE SOME SORT OF AN ADVANTAGE TO PROVIDE EQUITY FOR MINORITY OR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.

BASICALLY, WHAT IT DOES? WELL, I GUESS PART OF ME IS A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE WE WORKED REALLY HARD OVER THE PAST YEAR FOR PUTTING IN A PROGRAM TO INCREASE OUR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES OR VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES, OR TAMARAC PREFERENCE OR COUNTY BUSINESS PREFERENCE. ALL THESE KIND OF THINGS.

SO ARE WE SAYING THAT WHAT WE DID IS VOLATILE OF THE LAW, THAT WE DID IT WRONG? NO, NOT AT ALL.

WE'VE BEEN WE HAVEN'T.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE NOT IN A VACUUM.

AND SO WE'VE TAKEN ON THE INITIATIVE IN PURCHASING CONTRACTS DIVISION TO TRY TO IMPROVE

[01:55:06]

AND WE MOVED FROM 8.4 PERCENT MINORITY, 9.3 PERCENT WOMEN ON BUSINESS, OR 17.7 PERCENT IN FY20, UP TO 21.7 PERCENT IN FY21 FOR MINORITY AND 6.3 FOR WOMEN OWNED FOR A TOTAL OF 28 PERCENT.

NOW AT ETHNICITY WISE THAT THEY CAME OUT FOR 26 PERCENT BLACK BUSINESSES, 63 PERCENT HISPANIC BUSINESSES AND OTHER VARIOUS SUNDRY ASIAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES.

THEY MAKE UP THE BALANCE OF THAT.

SO WE HAVE BEEN VERY AGGRESSIVE IN MAKING EFFORTS TO ATTRACT BIDS AND SOLICITATION RESPONSES FROM MINORITY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.

SO AT THIS TIME, WE'RE SHOWING A SUCCESS.

AND THEN WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ADDING AT THIS TIME, A $300000 INCREASE TO OUR BUDGET THAT HAS NOT BEEN BUDGETED FOR? IT WOULD COME OUT OF OUR CONTINGENCY.

WE JUST REDUCED OUR MILLAGE RATE TO ATTACK SAVING, SO TO SPEAK, OF BUDGET DECREASE OF 405 THOUSAND AND CHANGE.

AND WE'RE GOING TO NOW EAT IT OUT OF OUR CONTINGENCY.

HAVE WE HAD ANY PROBLEMS TO DATE THAT WE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT? I DON'T THINK WE'VE HAD ANY ISSUES TO DATE.

WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN FAIRLY LATE.

AS I SAID, WE'VE BEEN FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL, BUT THIS DOES PROVIDE THE LEGAL.

BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PROVIDES THE LEGAL, BUT IF WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THINGS IN A PROPER MANNER TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR ABILITY TO INCREASE OUR OUTREACH AND PROCUREMENT TO WOMEN, BUSINESS OWNERS AND MINORITY BUSINESS OWNERS, I GUESS RIGHT NOW AT THIS TIME, I'M HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON OUR CITY.

TO ADD SOMETHING THAT WE ARE DOING, I'M PRESUMING LEGALLY OR ELSE WE WOULDN'T BE DOING IT. SO I'M NOT SURE THE TRUE NEED OF THE STUDY AT THIS TIME.

I'M HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE WITH UNDERSTANDING THAT WE NEED IT LEGALLY, BUT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING LEGALLY ALREADY.

CAN YOU HELP? WELL, THE ABILITY TO CREATE VARIOUS OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND EQUITY BUILDING PROGRAMS REQUIRE THE STUDY TO BE IN PLACE BECAUSE THE CROSSING DECISION BASICALLY STATED THAT WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE CROSON DECISION THERE WERE A LOT OF ENTITIES THAT WERE ATTEMPTING TO SET ASIDE BUSINESSES AND BACK IN THAT DAY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LATE 80S SET ASIDE MEANT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY STATE THIS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IS RESERVED FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES ONLY, AND THE CROSON DECISION WAS BASICALLY A REVERSE DISCRIMINATION TYPE OF SUIT AND SAYING THAT YOU CAN'T DO THAT.

YOU CAN'T REQUIRE ONE TYPE OF BUSINESS ENTITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PREFERENCE TO OR NOT A PREFERENCE, EVEN THE ONLY THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO PERFORM BUSINESS AND THE CROSON DECISION OUTLAWED THAT AT THAT POINT IN TIME, UNLESS THEY UNLESS THEY COULD, UNLESS THE ENTITY COULD COME UP WITH A COMPELLING ARGUMENT THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE PAST AGAINST BUSINESSES.

AND IF THEY ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A COMPELLING ARGUMENT, THEN THEN YOU CAN LOOK AT VARIOUS PROGRAMS TO.

IMPROVE EQUITY IN BUSINESS FOR MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, AND THAT'S BEEN THE BASIC PREMISE OF THE DISPARITY STUDY, THE DISPARITY STUDY WAS THEN THE CONCEPT OF THAT WAS DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS THAT.

AND IN CASES OF MILLER 3 CONSULTING, THEY ACTUALLY HAD ADDRESSED THAT BEFORE THE DECISION CAME DOWN FROM THE SUPREME COURT.

SO THAT'S WHAT IT DOES.

AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE DISPARITY STUDIES TO IMPROVE EQUITY OF FIRMS DOING BUSINESS FOR THE CITY THAT ARE MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED.

[02:00:02]

THEY JUST CAN'T SAY THEY'RE LEED CERTIFIED UNTIL THEY DO THE NEXT STEP.

ISN'T THERE SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THAT WE CAN WORK ON HERE, WHERE MILLER CAN COME THROUGH AND LOOK AT WHAT WE HAVE WRITTEN, COMPARE IT TO WHAT IS MAYBE INAPPROPRIATE OR WHAT HAS BEEN INAPPROPRIATE. WE OBVIOUSLY DON'T HAVE THE SET ASIDES.

WE'RE NOT DOING THAT BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL.

BUT WE ARE ALREADY WORKING TOWARDS THE IMPROVEMENT.

SO IS THERE A MODIFIED WAY TO DO THIS WITHOUT IT BEING A YEAR LONG STUDY, WITHOUT IT BEING $300000 TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE A GOAL OF EQUALITY THAT IS BEING SOUGHT BECAUSE THE CITY ISN'T AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND, TRYING TO PUT? THIS CATEGORY HERE, WE'RE PUTTING SET ASIDES, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING EQUAL AND ACCESSIBLE, FAIR.

WHAT IS THE ACTUAL WORDING? FOSTER FAIR, OPEN, TRANSPARENT AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT WITHOUT REGARD TO BIAS IN RACE, GENDER, RELIGION AND ETHNICITY.

SO WE TRY TO ACHIEVE THAT ANYWAY WITH EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING.

SO MIGHT IT JUST BE AN EASIER WAY FOR YOU TO MAYBE GO THROUGH OUR PAPERWORK AND HELP US? SO I KNOW.

GO AHEAD. IT'S SORT OF A RHETORICAL QUESTION, BUT.

WELL, NO, IT'S REALLY NOT.

I GUESS IT'S FOR MR. MILLER AND TEAM TO MAYBE ANSWER IF THERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT AND IF IT'S INAPPROPRIATE TO ASK IT NOW AND SEND YOU GUYS BACK TO A NEGOTIATION TABLE OR WHATEVER.

I'M CURIOUS. I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S A WAY TO DO THIS TO ACHIEVE A GOAL SIMILAR TO THAT OF WHICH WE'RE TRYING TO DO AN ALTERNATIVE.

MY RIGHT AND I WILL DEFER TO DAVE AND HIS CREW FOR THAT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, MAYOR GOMEZ.

I'LL LET OUR ASSIGNED PROJECT MANAGER FOR THIS EFFORT, SHARI WYNNE, AND SPEAK TO THE LEGAL DISCUSSION THAT YOU WERE SHARING.

AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AND FOLLOW SHARI WITH SOME COMMENTS AROUND POTENTIAL OPTIONS AND SOME PROS AND CONS FOR THOSE OPTIONS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DAVE, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE.

IN TERMS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS PROGRAM, WHAT THE COURTS HAVE, WHAT THE SUPREME COURT HAS SAID IS THAT IN ORDER TO UTILIZE ANY RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS PROGRAMS, YOU MUST COMPLETE A FACTUAL PREDICATE SHOWING THAT THERE IS A NEED AND A FACTUAL PREDICATE IN THIS INSTANCE IS A DISPARITY STUDY.

I WOULD ASK THAT WE NOT USE THE TERM SET ASIDE WHAT THE COURTS HAVE LITIGATED AND SETTLED ON IS THE PERMISSIBILITY OF FLEXIBLE AND ASPIRATIONAL GOALS IF THERE IS A SHOWING OF STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DISPARITY THROUGH A DISPARITY STUDY ANALYSIS.

THE QUESTION, MADAM MAYOR, THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ASKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR THE DISPARITY STUDY IN THE FACE OF INCREASED UTILIZATION.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO EXAMINE IS THAT INCREASED UTILIZATION IN LIGHT OF THE AVAILABILITY OF MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES BECAUSE IT IS THE COMPARISON OF THE TWO THAT TELLS US WHETHER YOUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO CORRECT ANY DISPARITY OR DISPARATE TREATMENT WITHIN YOUR JURISDICTION.

SO ONLY LOOKING AT IT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF UTILIZATION IS ONLY ONE HALF OF THE STORY.

YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW THE AVAILABILITY SIDE SO THAT YOU CAN COMPARE THE TWO AND SEE IF THERE IS IN FACT, AN ISSUE.

I THINK THE SECOND ISSUE THAT I WOULD OFFER TO YOU, PIGGYBACKING ON THE VICE MAYOR, ECONOMIC IMPACT COMMENTS IS THAT IT IS A WELL PROVEN FACT THAT BLACKS, HISPANICS AND WOMEN GET THEIR GREATEST OPPORTUNITIES INITIALLY FROM OTHER BLACK, HISPANIC AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES.

THAT IS CONSTANTLY TRACKED BY THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.

SO IN INCREASING MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES IN YOUR JURISDICTION NOT ONLY LEADS

[02:05:04]

AND THERE ARE STUDIES OUT THERE WHERE MUNICIPALITIES AND STATES HAVE BEEN MEASURING THE IMPACT, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE GROWTH OF MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES IN THEIR AREAS ON BOTH REVENUES AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH.

DAVE, YOU'RE ON MUTE. I APOLOGIZE IN TERMS OF OPTIONS, MADAM MAYOR.

WE'VE SEEN OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ISSUE RFPS IN A PHASED APPROACH AND SOME OF THOSE APPROACHES THAT WE'VE RESPONDED ON AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN BECOMING AWARDED.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO IS SORT OF STRESS, THE VALUE OF TAKING THE COMPREHENSIVE AND NON PHASED APPROACH. AND WHILE I RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE SOME OF THE POTENTIAL FINANCIAL CONCERNS YOU HAVE WITH REGARD TO THE PRICING OF THIS STUDY, WE STILL REMAIN COMMITTED TO PERFORMING IT. IF THIS IS THE I'M NOT SURE THIS IS A PROPER FORUM TO TALK ABOUT SOME ALTERNATIVES AND OPTIONS THERE, BUT I WOULD WANT TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT PHASE APPROACHES HAVE BEEN OFFERED MANY TIMES WHEN THOSE OFFERED BY MUNICIPALITIES ONCE WE ENGAGE IN FURTHER DIALOG ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF THE PHASE APPROACH.

MANY GO BACK TO THE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW BECAUSE YOU CAN TAKE A INTROSPECTIVE LOOK THAT IS YOUR POLICIES, PROCEDURES, YOUR UTILIZATION AND THAT, TO SHARE HIS POINT, ADDRESSES ONE SIDE OF THE COIN, BUT ABSENT HAVING THE ANECDOTAL COMPONENTS OF THE STUDY, THE QUALITATIVE COMPONENTS OF A STUDY WILL BE ASSESSING THE COMMUNITY'S PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES AND TRYING TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY.

IT LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED.

SO WE'RE WELCOME TO ENGAGE THE CITY IN FURTHER CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE.

I WOULD SORT OF SUGGEST THE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH.

I BELIEVE THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PIGGYBACKING VEHICLE THAT IS BEING OFFERED TO GET TO THIS POINT AND MOVE FORWARD.

BUT AGAIN, THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER INSTANCES WHERE PHASED APPROACHES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE TABLE. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I WILL RESERVE THE REST OF MY COMMENTS BECAUSE I'M OVER TIME AND WE ARE GOING TO COMMISSIONER PLACKO.

THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING.

OH, I GUESS MAYBE IT'S ALMOST AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

THE FIRST QUESTION, KEITH, I WANT TO MAKE SURE I COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD CORRECTLY; WE ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING ILLEGAL? OH NO, NOT AT ALL. OK.

ALL RIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT.

I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS.

HOWEVER, $300000 IS A LOT OF MONEY THAT IS NOT BUDGETED.

SO I GET THAT.

I AM WONDERING IF WOMEN'S BUSINESS APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE.

OF TYPES OF CONTRACTING, WE WOULD DO.

HOW MANY WOMEN BUSINESSES ARE WITHIN THAT REALM IN THE TRI COUNTY AREA? DO WE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? I COULDN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY WOMEN BUSINESSES ARE IN THE AREA.

I COULD GET BACK TO YOU AND TELL YOU HOW MANY WE'VE DONE BUSINESS WITH.

OK, I WOULD BE CURIOUS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS NICHE OF WOMEN BUSINESSES AND THERE ARE VERY FEW WITHIN EACH REALM, THEN ARE REACHING OUT THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN MAY BE SUFFICIENT.

I WOULD ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN TO COME OUT AND DO BUSINESS.

ABSOLUTELY. BUT I JUST THINK THAT EITHER IF THERE IS A WAY WE HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL AND YOUR STAFF HAVE BEEN DILIGENTLY REACHING OUT.

IS THERE A WAY TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN THAT IN OUR APPROACH? KEITH, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANTED TO FIND I FOUND WE HAVE RECORD OF 33 FIRMS THAT HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT. BUSINESS THAT WE'VE DONE WITH IN FY21.

OK. I THINK PROBABLY THE BEST THING IS TO TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.

IF THAT, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE BEST WAY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.

AND RIGHT NOW, WE UTILIZE OUR BIDS AND TENDERS PLATFORM FOR FIRMS THAT ARE ALLOWED TO THEN THEY THEY'RE ALLOWED TO COME IN AND SIGN UP TO BE ON THE PLATFORM.

THEY CAN TELL US WHAT THEY WANT TO BID ON.

AND IF WE IF WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR MATCHES, IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY SEND THEM A NOTIFICATION THAT THE ITEM IS SOMETHING, AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN

[02:10:06]

COMING TO THE DEMAND STAR WEBSITE, CLICK GO TO THE BITS AND TENNIS AND DOWNLOAD THE OPPORTUNITY. WE ALSO, OF COURSE, HAVE OUR SUN-SENTINEL AD AND OUR SUN SENTINEL AD, WE ENCOURAGE MINORITY WOMEN ON BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN ALL OF OUR ADVERTISEMENTS.

WE SEND COPIES OF OUR SOLICITATIONS TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION OFFICE IN MIAMI.

WE ALSO SEND THE STATE OF STATE OF FLORIDA OFFICE OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY SINCE VIA THEIR BIDS AND TENDER SUBSCRIPTION, AND WE ALSO SHARE WITH THE BROWARD COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT.

WE FINALLY REFER TO AS OESBD.

AND THAT'S THAT'S OUR PROTOCOL FOR EVERY SEAL SOLICITATION.

DO YOU FEEL WE ARE DEFICIENT IN ANY AREA? THERE COULD BE SOME ASSOCIATIONS THAT WOULD BE GOOD FOR US TO SEND SOME PROPOSAL OPPORTUNITY NOTICES, TOO, AS WELL.

AND WHY HAVEN'T WE? WE DON'T KNOW. WELL, WE DON'T KNOW ALL WHO THEY ARE.

SO THAT'S THE ONLY THAT'S THE ONLY ISSUE.

WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.

OK. I THINK THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OK. THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER VILLALOBOS? HEY, KEITH, HOW MANY VENDORS COMPETED TO GET THIS BID OF DISPARITY TESTS THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT, WE UTILIZE THE PIGGYBACK APPROACH BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO GET WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOMETHING MOVING AS QUICKLY AS WE POSSIBLY COULD, AND WE FOUND THAT THE COST OF THIS PARTICULAR STUDY WAS WAS VERY COMPETITIVE.

WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO UTILIZE THE MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS RATES AND THE ONLY THING THAT WE CHANGED WERE THE QUANTITIES, THE NUMBER OF HOURS REQUIRED TO PERFORM THE DIFFERENT TASKS FOR THE CITY AS OPPOSED FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

HAD WE NOT PIGGYBACKED, WHAT WOULD BE THE PROCESS? WE WOULD HAVE HAD, WE WOULD HAVE GONE OUT WITH A FORMAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

WE WOULD HAVE INVITED THE FIRMS IN THE INDUSTRY AND THERE AREN'T A LOT OF THEM.

THERE ARE ABOUT THREE OR FOUR THAT ARE REALLY WELL VERSED IS AND ONLY I'VE ONLY SEEN ABOUT THREE OF THEM RESPONDING IN THIS AREA OF THE STATE.

THERE'S ANOTHER FIRM THAT RESPONDS RATHER REGULARLY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA.

AND IS MILLER 3 CONSULTING, A WOMEN OWNED COMPANY? MILLER 3 CONSULTING IS A BLACK MALE OWNED, AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE OWNED COMPANY.

BUT I BELIEVE HE HAS A PARTNERSHIP WITH LAUREN, SO I THINK THEY HAVE SOME INFLUENCE IN THAT.

AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COMMISSIONER PLACKO, MADAM MAYOR GOMEZ RAISED REGARDING THE COST AND NOT BEING BUDGETED FOR ME PERSONALLY IS CONCERNING AS WELL.

AND SIMILAR QUESTION IS THIS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN-HOUSE WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE PROCESSES? YOU SAID THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE THAT WE HAVE NOT HAVE APPROACHED ANSWERING COMMISSIONER PLACKO QUESTION.

ARE WE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT FIRST NOW? WE CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE PROCESSES AND WE'RE WILLING TO TAKE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS ON AND HIS METHODS TO IMPROVE. THIS IS A RHETORICAL QUESTION TO THE COMMISSION, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN A RUSH TO PUT THIS PROCESS IMMEDIATELY.

WELL, WE CAN START TO PROCESS WHERE YOU'RE SAYING WHERE WE CAN LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO ACCEPT A CONTRACT TODAY BECAUSE REALLY WE ARE DOING BETTER.

YOUR NUMBERS STATED THAT WE'VE HAD RECORD NUMBERS OF WOMEN OWNED AND MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES IN TAMARAC, ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID.

DOING BUSINESS IN ONE CITY? YES. YEAH, DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY, CORRECT.

SO THAT SET ASIDE, I DON'T SEE THE NEED TO REALLY I CAN SEE HOW THIS GETS POLITICAL, YOU KNOW, WITH HOW IT'S BEING MANEUVERED.

BUT PERHAPS I THINK WE NEED TO WE NEED FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS.

THIS IS A RHETORICAL QUESTION TO THE COMMISSION.

[02:15:06]

YES, SO SOME OF YOU HAVE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COST OF THE DISPARITY STUDY AND THE FACT THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN BUDGETED.

IT WAS NOT BUDGETED BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE FORMER CRIMINAL, CORRUPT CITY MANAGER.

COMMISSIONER GELIN, WE WILL NOT BE MAKING THOSE COMMENTS.

THIS ITEM WAS VOTED ON AND APPROVED A YEAR AGO, AND SO HE IS SUPPOSED TO OR A KEITH OR FINANCE OR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER WAS SUPPOSED TO PUT THIS ITEM IN THE BUDGET AHEAD OF TIME, AND THAT WAS NOT DONE.

AND THAT'S WHY I WORKED SO HARD TO HAVE AN ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE FORMER CITY MANAGER, WHICH HE NEVER ALLOWED US TO DO PER REQUIRED IN HIS CONTRACT.

KEITH, YOU SAID THAT WE HAVE HAD SUCCESS.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS? WELL, IT'S DEFINITELY AN IMPROVEMENT.

STOP THE CLOCK, PLEASE, I'M NOT TALKING.

WELL, IT'S DEFINITELY AN IMPROVEMENT FROM WHERE WE WERE, I MEAN, WE MOVED UP IN ONE YEAR FROM IN THE MBE AREA, MOVED UP FROM EIGHT POINT FOUR PERCENT TO TWENTY ONE POINT SEVEN PERCENT IN JUST ONE YEAR.

SO HAVING CONTRACTS WITH ONE PERCENT OF BLACK BUSINESSES; IS THAT SUCCESS? THE MARGINAL SHIFT, THE FACT THAT WE'VE DONE BETTER IS SHOWING THAT WE'RE ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS.

AND DOING EIGHT PERCENT WITH HISPANIC BUSINESSES; IS THAT SUCCESS? OH, THAT WAS THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR.

WE MOVE, WE MOVE FROM MAYBE FROM EIGHT TO 21 PERCENT, WHICH IS A PRETTY GOOD JUMP IN ONE FISCAL YEAR.

FOR MILLER, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHY IT'S DANGEROUS TO JUST LOOK AT OVERALL PERCENTAGES INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE REAL DATA PER THE NEED FOR A DISPARITY STUDY? DAVE? IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT NOT DOING THE BREAKDOWN BY RACE, GENDER, IT DOES NOT ALLOW, ONE, IT DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO IDENTIFY WHERE THERE ARE ISSUES WITH PARTICULAR RACE, GENDER OR ETHNIC GROUPS.

AND THEN TWO, IN MEETING THE CROSON ANALYSIS, IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE ANY RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS INITIATIVES, THE SUPREME COURT HAS SAID YOUR INITIATIVES HAVE TO BE NARROWLY TAILORED TO THE GROUPS WHERE THERE ARE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IN CERTAIN INSTANCES FOR MIAMI-DADE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE SCHOOL WAS ABLE TO ADDRESS ISSUES WITH AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND WITH WOMEN IN CERTAIN PROCUREMENT CATEGORIES, BUT NOT WITH HISPANICS IN OTHER PROCUREMENT CATEGORIES.

SO THE DISPARITY STUDY ALLOWS YOU A DETAILED LOOK TO IDENTIFY EXACTLY WHERE YOUR ISSUES ARE AND WHAT YOU CAN ADDRESS WITH RACE AND GENDER CONSCIOUS INITIATIVES.

SO WHEN COMMISSIONER PLACKO ASKED THAT QUESTION ABOUT WOMEN THAT OUR PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR COULD NOT ANSWER YOUR DISPARITY STUDY WOULD ALLOW US TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

IS THAT CORRECT? YES, BOTH IN TERMS OF WHO IS UTILIZED AND WHAT WOMEN ARE AVAILABLE IN YOUR MARKETPLACE FOR THE, ACROSS THE DIFFERENT PROCUREMENT CATEGORIES.

OK, THANK YOU. AND QUESTION FOR THE FINANCE DIRECTOR.

THE CLOCK IS STILL RUNNING.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHRISTINE CAJUSTE, DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL SERVICES, CAN THE CITY AFFORD A DISPARITY STUDY? IS IT GOING TO BREAK THE BUDGET OR BREAK THE BANK? WE WOULD BRING BACK A BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT'S BALANCED IN TERMS OF I THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ADD THAT TO THIS YEAR'S BUDGET BECAUSE IT'S A ONE TIME AND NON-RECURRING.

AND WE DO HAVE SOME FUNDS THAT WE CAN USE FOR NON-RECURRING ITEMS. AND HOW OFTEN DO WE DO A BUDGET AMENDMENT? WE DO IT TWICE A YEAR, SO WE OFTENTIMES ADD ITEMS TO THE BUDGET THAT WAS NOT PRIOR BUDGETED BEFORE, AND WE OFTENTIMES APPROVE IT TWICE A YEAR? YES, TWICE A YEAR. WE DO ONE HISTORICALLY IN APRIL AND ANOTHER IN NOVEMBER.

OK, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER VILLALOBOS? JUST A FOLLOW UP QUESTION.

KEITH, DO WE HAVE, I BELIEVE YOU ANSWERED THIS QUESTION.

DO WE HAVE PROBLEMS? LIKE THAT, SHERRI WILLIAMS MAY BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT WE CANNOT IDENTIFY OURSELVES.

[02:20:02]

WOMEN OWNED, MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS WANTS TO DO BUSINESS IN TAMARAC.

THEY'RE GIVEN A FAIR SHARE.

THEY'RE BEING PROCESSED ACCORDINGLY.

THEY'RE BEING GUIDED.

THEY'RE BEING AS STRAIGHT AS WE CAN, POSSIBLY HELP THEM TO BE ABLE TO WIN THOSE BIDS.

IF THEY WANT AN OPPORTUNITY, WE GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY.

THAT'S A GREAT STATEMENT. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PLACKO? THANK YOU. I AM ALL IN FAVOR OF FINDING OUT WHERE WE'RE LACKING, BUT AT THIS POINT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A STEP BACK, I WOULD LIKE STAFF TO GO BACK AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO AGGRESSIVELY IMPROVE AND MAYBE FIND OUT IF THERE IS A WAY TO DO SOMETHING IN A STAGED ISSUE OR SOMETHING.

$300000 IS STILL A LOT OF MONEY.

I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND IT AND I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY OF IT, BUT AT THIS POINT I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE WHAT OTHER ALTERNATIVES WE MAY HAVE.

I AND THEN COME BACK TO US, THAT WOULD BE MY OPINION.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PLACKO.

AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THE REASON FOR HISTORICAL APPROACH, I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND ERA WITH MORE TECHNOLOGY, MORE ACCESS, MORE THINGS AND WE'RE CONTINUALLY EVOLVING AND OUR CITY HAS BEEN DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB, IN MY OPINION, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EVOLVE AND WE GO THROUGH AND WE MAKE SURE WE DO THINGS LEGALLY AND APPROPRIATELY.

AND WE ARE CONTINUALLY MINDFUL OF TRYING TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS A FAIR CHANCE AND ABILITY TO GET WHERE WE NEED.

WE WANT THEM TO BE AS WELL.

I WOULD SAY THAT I BELIEVE YOU DID RESPOND TO THE QUESTION OF HOW MANY WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES ARE IN OUR CITY.

NO. ESPECIALLY WITHOUT HAVING PREPARED FOR THAT.

SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED A STUDY FOR OUR OWN PURCHASING DIRECTOR TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH US THAT INFORMATION.

AND AGAIN, WHILE WE MAY HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE MONEY OUT OF OUR RESERVES OR A CONTINGENCY FUND OF THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, JUST BECAUSE WE CAN DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN WE SHOULD.

AND SO I HAVE CONCERNS ON THAT.

AND AT THIS RATE, I AM REMISS BECAUSE WE WENT STRAIGHT INTO DISCUSSION AND WE DID NOT OPEN THIS UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

SO. MY APOLOGIES.

IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WISHES TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT? WELL, I'VE GOT, BUT.

NAME AND ADDRESS OR LOCATION, PLEASE, FOR THE RECORD, YEAH.

TOM WATER WITH RED BIRD, A RESIDENT OF PLANTATION.

I SAW THAT SOMEONE MENTIONED POLITICAL ISSUES IN ANOTHER CITY.

I WONDER IF THAT HAD TO DO WITH MS. SOREL OF MOSAIC GROUP.

NOT ONLY IS SHE A FAMILY MEMBER OF FORMER COMMISSIONER DALE HOLNESS AND AN AIDE AND A CONSULTANT, SHE'S A FRIEND AND FORMER ROOMMATE OF OMAR SMITH, ANOTHER ASSOCIATE OF COMMISSIONER HOLNESS AND CREATOR OF POLITICAL COMMITTEES THAT ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION.

VICE MAYOR GELIN CONTRIBUTED TO ONE OF THOSE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES, AND MS. SOREL ALSO HOSTED OR SPOKE IN AUGUST IN MIAMI WITH COMMISSIONER GELIN'S WIFE AT A BLACK BUSINESS SUMMIT. I WONDER IF COMMISSIONER GELIN HAS MADE ANY ASSURANCES HIS WIFE WON'T PLAY ANY ROLE IN ANY DISPARITY STUDIES SINCE SHE RUNS BLACK BUSINESS GROUPS AND A LOT OF THESE ISSUES. I'D BE HAPPY TO SOMEONE TELL WHAT CITIES THESE ARE BEING PASSED.

I KNOW MS. SOREL, THERE ARE SOME ISSUES WITH HER WORK IN PAHOKEE, WHICH IS ALSO A TROUBLED SPOT WHERE SOME OF THE CITY ATTORNEY CANDIDATES FOR YOUR CITY WERE REPRESENTING UNTIL VERY RECENTLY.

SO IT'S ALWAYS AND I THINK MR. SMITH DID SOME WORK WITH COMMISSIONER BOLTON'S CAMPAIGN.

SO IT'S JUST VERY INTERESTING ALL THE CONNECTIONS HERE AND HOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T THINK $300000 IS SUCH A BIG DEAL AND THEY'RE SO WILLING TO SPEND $300000.

AND TO SAY THAT STAFF CAN'T FIGURE OUT THINGS THAT SOMEONE THEY PAY $300000 TO CAN.

I'M SURE THERE'S MANY UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA THAT WOULD GLADLY HELP THE CITY OF TAMARAC FOR FREE, THAT HAVE THE LATEST STATISTICS AND SCIENTIFIC

[02:25:04]

WHO IS LOOKING OUT FOR TAMARAC RESIDENTS? WHO? WHO? DO YOU NOT HAVE GOOGLE? WHEN YOU SEE ALL THESE CONSULTANTS HERE, YOU JUST GOOGLE THEIR NAMES, IT POPS UP, BUDDY EVANS. DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.

BUDDY EVANS HAD A WHOLE STORY OF HOW DALE HOLNESS WAS HIRING CONSULTANTS FROM PALM BEACH, MS. SOREL MR. OMAR SMITH, SOPHIA NELSON AND OTHER ASSOCIATE OF, I THINK, MR. ELLIS COMMISSIONER HOLNESS' NIECE.

SO IS THE MOSAIC GROUP BEING PAID BY ANY OTHER AGENCIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND BROWARD COUNTY; HAS SHE DISCLOSED THAT? IS BSO ONE OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS? I THINK IT WOULD BEHOOVE THIS COMMISSION TO TAKE THE LEAD AND DO THEIR HOMEWORK AND FIGURE OUT WHO THEY'RE GIVEN $300000 TO AND NOT FOCUS ON WHAT THEY'RE SAYING THE BIG ISSUE IS.

YOU'RE HIRING SOMEBODY.

THANK YOU. MR. MESA, DID YOU WISH TO SPEAK? AND I PRESUME YOU'RE SPEAKING AS A RESIDENT VERSUS A CITY EMPLOYEE.

NAME AND LOCATION, FOR THE RECORD.

STEPHEN MESA, I LIVE IN DISTRICT TWO, SO I JUST HAD A FEW POINTS THAT I'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY TOUCH ON IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL CONTRACT AND WHY I THINK IT IS NECESSARY THAT WE ACTUALLY DO A PROGRAM LIKE THIS.

FOR ONE, THERE IS A LACK OF EDUCATION IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING AND PROCUREMENT WITHIN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

WOMEN OWNED OR MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND WE'VE SEEN THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN WHERE OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE GOING OUT PURPOSELY TO EDUCATE THESE BUSINESSES AND TO ACTUALLY INTRODUCE THEM TO THAT PROCESS AS A LOT OF BUSINESSES KNOW WHEN THEY CONTINUE TO GROW. ONE OF THE NEXT STEPS FOR THEM IS TO GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING AND GOVERNMENT SECTOR BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE MONEY DOES RELY. FOR THE SMALL BUSINESSES, THEY'RE NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, FOCUSED ON ACTUALLY DOING BUSINESS WITH THE CITY AS WELL, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SMALL MINORITY OWNED OR WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES, NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO, BUT BECAUSE THEIR MAIN FOCUS WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SURVIVING AT THOSE FIRST FIVE YEARS. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW.

POINT OF ORDER, MAYOR. IF I MAY? GO AHEAD. THROUGH THE CHAIR, CITY ATTORNEY.

STOP. CITY ATTORNEY, CAN HE INTERRUPT A SPEAKER? HE HAS A POINT OF ORDER. HE HAS A QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY.

IT'S BEEN RECOGNIZED.

WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY? THE TIME IS STOPPED, SO AS SOON AS I'M ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION IF I CAN, THEN SPEAKER WILL BE ABLE TO START BACK UP.

YES, SIR. IS IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR AN ENGAGEMENT LIAISON TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF AN AGENDA ITEM? AND.

I CAN. FLORIDA LAW GIVES THE RIGHT TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK TO ANY ITEM ON ANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE THAT'S ON AN AGENDA.

THAT WAS AN ESTABLISHMENT STATE LAW FOR LEGISLATURE ABOUT FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO, THE SPEAKER, TO THE EXTENT THAT HE HAS IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS A RESIDENT OF THE THE CITY OF TAMARAC AND A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, HE HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK LIKE ANYONE ELSE.

OK, I WOULD JUST CONFUSED THAT SINCE HE'S AN ENGAGEMENT LIAISON TO THE VICE MAYOR.

I BELIEVE HE'S IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AND AS A RESIDENT CITY OF TAMARAC. THANK YOU.

IF THERE'S ANY ISSUES THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE BROUGHT UP IN A FUTURE DISCUSSION FOR POLICY.

PLEASE PROCEED MR. MESA. OK, THANK YOU ALSO.

AND MY FINAL POINT IS UNLIKE OTHER NEIGHBORING CITIES, TAMARAC CURRENTLY THAT I'M AWARE OF AS A RESIDENT OF ACTUALLY ENGAGING THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY OR ACTUALLY JUST ENGAGING PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WHO WANTS TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS, WHO WANT TO HAVE A PIECE OF LAND HERE IN TAMARAC TO SAY THAT THEY ARE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY, NOT ONLY AS A RESIDENT BUT AS A BUSINESS OWNER.

SO IN ALL REALITY, THIS MINORITY WELL, THIS DISPARITY STUDY WOULD ACTUALLY BEHOOVE OF THE CITY TO ACTUALLY GET ON BOARD WITH.

NOT ONLY WOULD WE BE CULTIVATING A CULTURE WITHIN THE CITY, WHICH IS THE STAPLE SPECIFICALLY THAT WE WANT THIS CITY TO BE THE CITY FOR YOUR LIFE.

WHOSE LIVES ARE WE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT? WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE ARE WE TRYING TO INTEREST AND ACTUALLY AFFORD THE ABILITY TO BE A

[02:30:02]

IT WOULD BE NOT ONLY AN INTEREST FOR THE COMMISSION TO VOTE ON, BUT I THINK IT WOULD ENTICE A LOT OF NEW BUSINESSES AND, YOU KNOW, GET A LOT OF THE OLD BOYS TO ACTUALLY START DOING WHAT WE SAY CAPITALISM DOES, WHICH IS CREATE COMPETITION, CREATE INGENUITY.

SO IF THIS DISPARITY STUDY DOES THAT FOR THE CITY, I SEE THAT AS BEING, IF ANYTHING, MORE FORWARD THINKING AND USING HINDSIGHT AS THEY'VE DONE BEFORE TO ACTUALLY BRING IN A LOT OF NEW BUSINESSES, A LOT OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO IGNITE A GROWING, DIVERSE COMMUNITY, WHICH IS NOW 50 PERCENT MINORITY COMPARED TO WHAT IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.

SO I DO THINK THE COMMISSION SHOULD VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS.

AND TO MR. VILLALOBOS POINT, I HAVE SPOKE WITH OTHER ENGAGEMENT LIAISON AND THEY DO SPEAK WITH BUSINESSES, AND I THINK IT'S BEHOOVE THEM TO SPEAK ON ITEMS LIKE THIS IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE ENGAGEMENT LIAISONS FOR THE COMMUNITY.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

AND POINT OF CLARIFICATION, CITY ATTORNEY.

WOULD THAT COMMENT LAST COMMENT BE CONCERNING? MAKE A CONCERN REGARDING VIOLATION OF SUNSHINE LAW.

JUST COMMUNITY LIAISON.

SPEAKING AMONG THEMSELVES ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF ME SPEAKING TO THE CITY MANAGER.

IT'S NOT A SUNSHINE VIOLATION.

OK, SO THEY CAN SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER ABOUT ITEMS AS LONG AS THEY DON'T BRING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION, NOR THE PERSON THAT THEY REPRESENT.

IT'S A VIOLATION OF SUNSHINE LAW.

IF ANY EMPLOYEE, PERIOD, ANY EMPLOYEE IS USED AS A CONDUIT FOR COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING AN ITEM OR ITEMS THAT ARE OR FORESEEABLE TO COME BEFORE THIS BODY.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CITY CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

OH, SORRY. NOT CLOSED, I APOLOGIZE.

PLEASE PROCEED. NAME, LOCATION, PLEASE, FOR THE RECORD.

KATHLEEN JOHNSON, I'M RESIDENT OF MAINLAND SPORE.

I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION AND THE CONCERNS THAT WERE BROUGHT UP ARE REAL CONCERNS TO ME AS WELL.

300 THOUSAND IS A LOT OF MONEY.

ALSO, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS DONE RESEARCH, I DO KNOW THAT IT IS.

WE ARE ABLE TO DO IT IN HOUSE TO A LARGE EXTENT.

SO I THINK THAT FOR ME SHOULD BE THE FIRST STEP.

LET'S LOOK AT IT.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE DONE THAT IN THE PAST.

YOU HAVE LOOKED AT THIS ISSUE.

YOU HAVE MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN ONE YEAR AS A WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS OWNER.

I WILL SAY, I THINK THAT'S GREAT.

I THINK YOU'VE DONE A MARVELOUS JOB.

CAN YOU DO MORE? ABSOLUTELY. CAN YOU RESEARCH IT MORE BEFORE YOU SPEND $300000 OF OUR TAX MONEY? ABSOLUTELY. AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT TO BE THE FIRST STEP BEFORE HIRING AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT WHO ABSOLUTELY WILL THEY DO A THOROUGH JOB? I HAVE NO DOUBT, BUT THERE IS A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE IN-HOUSE FIRST TO DECIDE IF WE NEED TO GO TO THE NEXT STEP OF THIS STUDY.

THE STUDY WILL BENEFIT IN THE LONG RUN, PROBABLY, BUT WILL IT MAKE AS MUCH PROGRESS AS YOU'RE ALREADY MAKING? I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK THE THE POINT ABOUT HOW MANY BUSINESSES WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES ARE IN THE AREA AS A POOL TO DRAW FROM.

HOW MANY HISPANIC, HOW MANY BLACK, HOW MANY OF ANY NATIVE AMERICAN, HOW MANY ARE IN THE AREA TO ACTUALLY DRAW FROM? I THINK THAT'S A GOOD POINT, BECAUSE IF OUR WE ONLY HAVE X NUMBER OF WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES TO DRAW FROM, THEN THE PERCENTAGE WE HAVE MIGHT BE A GOOD PERCENTAGE BASED ON WHAT'S OUT THERE. SO I UNDERSTAND WHERE THE STUDY WOULD REALLY GET INTO THE NITTY GRITTY OF THAT. BUT I DO THINK, AS WAS SUGGESTED, THERE'S A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE IN HOUSE AND THEN LOCAL UNIVERSITIES THAT COULD HELP OUT WITH GETTING SOME OF THAT INFORMATION.

AS SOMEONE SAID, GOOGLE IS A GREAT RESOURCE.

THE CENSUS IS A GREAT RESOURCE.

ALL OF THOSE THINGS CAN BE DRAWN IN TO GIVE A BETTER PICTURE BEFORE WE SPEND $300000.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

MS. DARCY SCHULER DR.

DARCY SCHULER.

[02:35:01]

ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS COMMISSION IS GOING TO BE ULTIMATELY VOTING ON THIS AT SOME POINT, I THINK WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT TOM LAUDER STATED.

I WOULD THINK THAT MR. GELIN, WHATEVER WOULD REMOVE HIMSELF FROM THE VOTE BECAUSE OF HIS WIFE'S TIE INTO THIS WHOLE CREW. I SUSPECT THAT MARLON BOLTON SHOULD ALSO BE REMOVED FROM THIS VOTE BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIORS THAT ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION CURRENTLY.

AND I ALSO THINK IT'S THE BIGGEST WASTE OF MONEY I'VE EVER HEARD AND THAT YOU HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB AT DOING A GREAT, YOU KNOW, I'M HERE TO PITCH SOMETHING YOU DON'T NEED.

AND THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

CITY CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.

YES, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR.

MAYOR GOMEZ? NO. COMMISSIONER BOLTON? YES. VICE MAYOR GELIN? YES. COMMISSIONER PLACKO NO.

COMMISSIONER VILLALOBOS? NO. MOTION FAILS 3-2.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO OTHER, ITEM 10A.

INCREASING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, LIAISON.

POINT OF ORDER THROUGH THE CHAIR, I HAVE A GUEST HERE FOR ITEM D.

CAN WE MOVE ITEM D TO ITEM A? SO AT THIS TIME, COMMISSIONER GELIN IS REQUESTING THAT 10D, RANKED CHOICE VOTING BE MOVED UP TO THIS ITEM.

YOUR GUESTS NAME IS? DAVID ANGEL, GENERAL COUNSEL FOR RANK MY VOTE FLORIDA.

OK, I DIDN'T HEAR SOME OF THAT BECAUSE IT WAS MUFFLED, BUT MR. ANGEL, YOU ARE AN ATTORNEY FOR? RANK? MY VOTE FLORIDA.

RANK MY VOTE FLORIDA, AND YOU'RE GOING TO DO A PRESENTATION FOR US ON BEHALF OF COMMISSIONER GELIN? PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. WE ARE NOW MOVING THIS ITEM 10D BEFORE 10A.

THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.

CAN I REMOVE MY MASK? CERTAINLY. WHATEVER YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.

OK. PLEASE STATE YOUR FULL QUALIFICATIONS, FOR THE RECORD.

MY NAME IS DAVID ANGEL AND I AM THE GENERAL COUNSEL FOR RANK MY VOTE FLORIDA.

AND THERE'S A PRESENTATION DECK.

THE ONE THAT DAVID EMAILED ME.

ACTUALLY, IF YOU DON'T MIND IF YOU WOULD SHARE, WHERE ARE YOU AN ATTORNEY? ARE YOU LICENSED IN FLORIDA? I'M LICENSED IN FLORIDA.

AND THE BUSINESS IS IN FLORIDA? THE NONPROFIT CORPORATION IS REGISTERED IN FLORIDA, YES.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO TRY TO MOVE THROUGH THIS QUICKLY, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.

SO WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY? WHY ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE AT ALL? WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE CURRENT WAY THAT WE VOTE, BOTH LOCALLY AT THE STATE LEVEL? FEDERALLY, THE CURRENT WAY THAT WE VOTE IS CALLED THE PLURALITY SYSTEM.

WHOEVER GETS THE MOST VOTES WINS AN ELECTION.

SOMETIMES YOU GO TO A RUNOFF, BUT IN MANY OTHER ELECTIONS YOU DON'T.

AND MANY OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEMS OF THE PLURALITY SYSTEM.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN HAVE NON MAJORITY WINNERS.

SOMEBODY WINS WITH A VERY LOW PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTE, SAY 20 PERCENT IN A CROWDED FIELD.

THERE ARE SPOILERS.

A THIRD PARTY RUNS IN AN ELECTION, IT SIPHONS OFF ENOUGH VOTES FROM SOMEONE THEY'RE IDEOLOGICALLY ALIGNED WITH.

AND THEN THE OTHER PERSON WINS THE ELECTION, SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T REALLY REPRESENT THE PREFERENCES OF THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.

FOLKS WASTE THEIR VOTES.

SOMETIMES THEY'LL VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE.

THAT ABSOLUTELY HAS NO CHANCE, BUT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY WANT TO OR THEY'LL VOTE STRATEGICALLY. THEY'LL SAY, I DON'T REALLY LIKE ONE OF THE TWO LEADING CANDIDATES, BUT I KNOW THAT I SHOULD VOTE FOR ONE OF THEM BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE PERSON I LIKE LESS IS GOING TO WIN AND IT INCREASES POLARIZATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

ONE OF THE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR RANKED CHOICE VOTING IS THAT THE CURRENT PRIMARY SYSTEM LEADS TO MORE EXTREME CANDIDATES BECAUSE THE MOST MOTIVATED AND THE MOST PARTISAN VOTERS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE USUALLY GOING TO SHOW UP TO VOTE IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

YOU CAN SEE A FEW EXAMPLES OF INSTANCES WHERE SOME OF THE WEAKNESSES ARE ON DISPLAY.

THIS IS FROM A CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT PRIMARY WHERE A REPUBLICAN, BYRON DONALDS, WON WITH 22.6 PERCENT OF THE VOTE IN AN EXTREMELY FRACTURED FIELD.

YOU ALSO SEE THIS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

THIS IS A RECENT CLEARWATER ELECTION WHERE ANOTHER CANDIDATE, MARK BUNKER, WON WITH TWENTY SEVEN PERCENT OF THE VOTE AND THERE IS NO RUNOFFS IN PINELLAS COUNTY FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. AND HIS PRESENCE ON THE CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN A THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE REST OF THE COMMISSIONER SINCE.

[02:40:02]

I THINK ALMOST 15 OR 20, AND THE THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WON THAT ELECTION WON WITH A VERY LOW PERCENTAGE OF THE VOTE, WITH ONLY A FEW HUNDRED VOTES OVER THE NEXT PLACE CANDIDATE.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.