[1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS]
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THE CITY OF LEAK C TEXAS WILL NOW COME TO ORDER IN A REGULAR MEETING ON AUGUST 11TH, 2026 AT 6:00 PM TONIGHT.
UH, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, OUR PASTOR JOHN CAGLE FROM MERCY GATE CHURCH, WHO WILL BE OUR INVOCATION SPEAKER THIS EVENING.
ALRIGHT, WELL, I'LL KNOCK IT OUT.
LORD, THANK YOU FOR LETTING US GATHER HERE TONIGHT.
WOULD YOU PLEASE FILL US WITH THE WISDOM TO DO THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS? HELP US UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ALL HERE TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD.
HELP US BE THANKFUL FOR ALL THE GIFTS WE'VE BEEN GIVEN AND ALL THE GIFTS THE CITY'S BEEN GIVEN.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD ONE.
[3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVAL OF MINUTES.COUNCIL CIP AND BUDGET WORKSHOP THREE B.
IF THERE'S NO CORRECTIONS, THESE MINUTES, STAND APPROVED.
[5. PUBLIC COMMENTS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL]
COMMENTS.MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE INVITED TO GIVE COMMENTS AT THIS TIME LASTING NO LONGER THAN THREE MINUTES.
COMMENTS MAY BE GENERAL IN NATURE OR ADDRESS A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM.
WE GOT A LONG LIST TONIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY HAVE TO KEEP TO THE, TO THE THREE MINUTES TONIGHT.
UH, FIRST PERSON JAMES CALLAN AND BRIAN HALLIGAN IS NEXT.
YOU WANT TO COME UP? IT'S BETTER TO SEEK FORGIVENESS THAN ASK PERMISSION.
THAT'S SOMETIMES CORRECT, BUT IT'S NOT THE WAY TO RUN A CITY.
HOLDING A NON-BINDING REFERENDUM NOW ON A CONTRACT FROM 2023 COULD BE ASKING FORGIVENESS OR COULD BE SEEKING COVER DURING A REELECTION.
MAYOR LONG IS QUOTED IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE RECENTLY AS SAYING QUOTE, EACH CAMERA COSTS LEAGUE CITY ABOUT $2,000 ANNUALLY, AND THERE ARE ABOUT 30 IN TOWN.
A CITY SITE SHOWS THERE ARE CURRENTLY 55 READERS WITH ANOTHER 22 PENDING.
THE CURRENT UNIT COST IS $2,500, NOT ABOUT $2,000.
HOW CAN CITIZENS MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS WITH INCORRECT NUMBERS FROM THEIR MAYOR? THE CITY STATES NINE FLOCK A LPR UNITS WERE INSTALLED IN DECEMBER, 2022.
HOWEVER, THERE IS NO TRANSACTION SHOWING HOW THESE FIRST UNITS WERE SOURCED ABSENT A PURCHASE ORDER.
THESE PHANTOM UNITS APPEAR FROM UNKNOWN PARTS.
WHAT INTERNAL VETTING TOOK PLACE? WHO AUTHORIZED THE PLACEMENT OF THESE UNITS? WHAT CONTRACT ALLOWED LEAGUE CITY TO BORROW SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF EQUIPMENT? THE LACK OF A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY MATTERS COUNTING HOAS AND BUSINESSES.
THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 A LPR SYSTEMS WITHIN LEAGUE CITY, BUT APRS ARE ONLY ONE WIDGET IN THE MASS SURVEILLANCE NETWORK.
A NETWORK WHICH CAN FIND STOLEN CARS AND ABDUCTED CHILDREN, BUT IT ALSO STOCKS EX-PARTNERS, MONITORS DESCENT AND ENABLES ABDUCTIONS BY HOMELAND SECURITY.
MASS SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING A LPR, IS USED BY CITIES TO PARTNER WITH ICE THROUGH THE 2 87 G PROGRAM.
2 87 G ENABLES ICE DEPUTIZATION OF LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PERFORM IMMIGRATION TASKS UNDER FEDERAL SUPERVISION.
THE JAIL ENFORCEMENT MODEL AND THE TASK FORCE MODEL.
THE CITY IS CURRENTLY ONLY, ONLY ENFORCED, IS ONLY ACTING ON THE JAILHOUSE MODEL.
THEY HAVE APPROVED THE TASK FORCE MODEL AND WITHOUT ANY FURTHER COUNSEL DISCUSSION COULD GO TO THE TASK FORCE MODEL AND BE PARTICIPATING WITH ICE IN RAIDS.
SOME PEOPLE SAY WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR IF WE DON'T BREAK THE LAW.
NOTHING TO FEAR IF WE DON'T BREAK THE LAW.
I PERSONALLY DID NOT SIGN UP TO HAVE MY BODY
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PHOTOGRAPHED EVERYWHERE I GO TO HAVE MY ACTIONS TRACED.THAT IS NOT THE COUNTRY WE WANT TO BE.
MINIMAL RETURN, MAXIMUM LOSS OF FREEDOM.
HALF OF THAT WILL BE, UH, AIDEN GOMEL GOBEL.
WE WE'RE NOW IN ANOTHER ELECTION SEASON, SO LET'S STEP BACK AND TALK ABOUT WHY WE DO THIS.
WHEN, WHEN ALL OF YOU TOOK THE OATH OF OFFICE, UH, YOU SWORE UPHOLD THE US AND THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION AND ALL OF THE, AND AND TO SUPPORT ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO RESIDE WITHIN OUR BORDERS.
AND AND I BELIEVE YOU SIGNED THE OATH.
IS IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, I I, I THOUGHT SO.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A TEXAS REQUIREMENT OR A CITY, BUT, UM, NOW THAT SAID, SOME OF YOU ARE ACCEPTING MONEY.
YOUR ALLEGIANCE IS TO THE CONSTITUTION, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO RESIDE WITHIN OUR BORDERS.
AND IT'S NOT JUST YOUR DONORS AND CERTAINLY NOT THE COUNTY JUDGE.
SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF YOU'RE ACCEPTING MONEY, UH, FROM, UH, FROM A CROOKED EX MAYOR, FROM A NEIGHBORING TOWN WHO ATTEMPTED TO POLICE THE SOCIAL MEDIA IN HIS TOWN, UH, UH, THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OF RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYEES.
THANKFULLY, HIS CITY COUNCIL REJECTED HIS IDEA AND REMINDED HIM OF THEIR OBLIGATION TO UPHOLD THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THAT PEOPLE COULD SAY WHATEVER THEY WANTED TO SAY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
YOU KNOW, HE EVEN MADE THE NEWS RECENTLY WHEN HE LIED IN A FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
YOU KNOW, ISN'T IT TIME TO CUT TIES WITH THIS MAN AND PEOPLE LIKE HIM? THE FIRST AMENDMENT WAS WRITTEN NOT FOR THE RICH AND POWERFUL.
IT WAS SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN FOR THOSE NOT IN POWER AND WHO DON'T HAVE MUCH OF A VOICE IN THEIR GOVERNMENT.
IT IS NEEDED MOST WHEN DEALS ARE MADE IN BACK ROOMS AND PEOPLE HAVE NO REAL SAY JAMES MADISON, WHO WROTE THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO, TO LIMIT GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT POWER AND TO PROTECT FOLKS.
CIVIL LIBERTIES FROM GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT OVERREACH IS TO PROTECT US FROM OUR GOVERNMENT BECAUSE OUR FOUNDING FATHERS DIDN'T TRUST OUR GOVERNMENT AND NEITHER DO I.
HE SPECIFICALLY STATED, NO LAWS CAN BE PASSED A BREACHING THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
FURTHERMORE, HE ADDED THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.
UH, AIDEN GOBEL, AND THEN, UH, ANDREW CLAWSON, I THINK CHARLESON.
MY NAME IS AIDEN GIMBLE, AND I'M ASKING YOU TO VOTE YES ON ITEM 10 B AND LET THE PEOPLE OF LEAGUE CITY VOTE IN NOVEMBER ON THE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM.
YOU'RE NOT BEING ASKED TO SHUT THESE CAMERAS OFF.
YOU'RE NOT BEING ASKED TO ACCEPT A BINDING RESULT TONIGHT.
YOU ARE BEING ASKED WHETHER THE PUBLIC GETS VOICE.
A NOVO TONIGHT WOULD MEAN DENYING LEAGUE CITY RESIDENTS EVEN THE CHANCE TO SPEAK THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX.
THE CITY'S OWN RECORDS SHOW THIS IS NOT JUST A SMALL LIMITED POLICE TOOL.
LEAGUE CITY CREATED A TAXPAYER FUNDED NEIGHBORHOOD FLOCK EXPANSION PROGRAM USING $200,000 IN PUBLIC MONEY.
THE CITY REQUIRED HOAS TO COORDINATE CAMERA PLACEMENT WITH LEAGUE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND REQUIRED FULL ACCESS, FULL POLICE ACCESS.
THIS IS NOT A NARROW PUBLIC ROAD CAMERA PROGRAM.
THIS IS A CITY BACKED EXPANSION OF SURVEILLANCE INTO NEIGHBORHOODS.
THE CITY'S OWN RECORDS ALSO SHOW THAT PRIVACY CONCERNS WERE KNOWN FROM THE BEGINNING.
STAFF WERE ALREADY ANTICIPATING HARD QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC.
SO THESE CONCERNS ARE NOT NEW AND THEY'RE NOT SPECULATIVE.
AND THE CITY'S RECENT PUBLIC MESSAGING IS A PART OF THE PROBLEM.
THIS IS A SIMPLE LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM, BUT THE CITY'S OWN RECORDS SHOW SOMETHING MUCH BROADER ACCESS TO PRIVATE NHOA CAMERA NETWORKS, LARGE SCALE DATA SHARING IN INTERNAL AUDIT PROBLEMS WITH HOW, UH, SEARCHES WERE DOCUMENTED WHEN THE PUBLIC, UH, EXPLANATION IS THIS INCOMPLETE.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHY THE PUBLIC DESERVES A VOTE, THEN THE OVERSIGHT PROBLEMS APPEAR IN BLACK AND WHITE.
IN JUNE, 2025, AN INTERNAL FLOCK AUDIT FOUND THAT MANY SEARCHES WERE BEING RUN WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING CASE OR EVENT NUMBER.
A WEEKLY AUDIT SHOWED 726 SEARCHES IN ONE WEEK WITH 29 NOT DIRECTLY LINKED TO A CASE OR EVENT NUMBER.
THAT IS NOT THE KIND OF RECORD THAT BUILDS PUBLIC TRUST.
AND THIS SYSTEM DID NOT REMAIN LOCAL.
BY JUNE 30TH, 2026, LEAGUE CITY'S OWN FLOCK SHARING SNAPSHOT SH UH, SHOWED DATA SHARING RELATIONSHIPS WITH 436 ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE FBI.
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ARE ALSO SHOW ACCESS TO PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL CAMERA NETWORKS.THIS IS NO LONGER JUST A FEW FIXED PLATE READERS.
ON A FEW ROADS, CITY RECORDS EVEN SHOW OFFICIALS DISCUSSING FEATURES BEYOND BASIC PLATE READING, INCLUDING TOOLS THAT CAN SEARCH PATTERNS OF WHERE A VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEEN.
SO THE PUBLIC HAS EVERY REASON TO QUESTION THE CLAIM THAT THIS IS ONLY A SIMPLE LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM TONIGHT.
UH, THE QUESTION IS WHETHER YOU TRUST THE PUBLIC ENOUGH TO LET THEM VOTE.
UH, IF YOU BELIEVE THE PROGRAM IS JUSTIFIED, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
IF YOU BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM CAN WITHSTAND SCRUTINY, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
AND IF YOU BELIEVE IN ACCOUNTABILITY, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
I'LL LET THE PEOPLE OF LEAGUE CITY SPEAK ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026.
AND AFTER ANDREW, IT WILL BE, UH, SCOTT FREBERG.
HELLO, UH, THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING US SPEAK TODAY.
I AM A RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY.
I HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY ON AND OFF AGAIN FOR MANY YEARS, AND THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY AND STATE HAVE BEEN OVERRUN WITH THESE TERRIBLE CAMERAS.
TODAY, I WISH TO SPEAK ON THE APRS AND ALLOW THE CITIZENS OF LEAGUE CITY TO VOTE ON THESE CAMERAS.
SOME PEOPLE USING THEM HAVE ONLY BEEN USING THEM SELFISHLY, EITHER TO STALK OR HARASS PEOPLE THEY KNOW OR WISH TO TRACK AND COLLECT THE DATA OF INNOCENT PEOPLE DRIVING TO WORK, SCHOOL, OR ON VACATION, VACATION, MOST PEOPLE PULLED OVER FROM THESE APRS ARE INNOCENT AND WERE FALSELY FLAGGED DUE TO THE AI SYSTEMS THEY RUN ON.
TO QUOTE IBMA COMPUTER CAN NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
THEREFORE, UH, THEREFORE A COMPUTER MUST NEVER MAKE A MANAGEMENT DECISION.
I ALSO WISH TO BRING UP THE RED LIGHT CAMERAS AS THEY WERE SEEN IN AN INFRINGEMENT ON OUR FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
IF THOSE CAMERAS WERE SEEN AS TOO MUCH SURVEILLANCE.
I'M NOT SURE HOW THESE ALPS ARE NOT WORSE.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS SCOTT FREEBERG AND I'M A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF LAKE CITY.
AND BEFORE I START, I WANTED TO BE SURE AND TELL YOU, MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR STRONG LEADERSHIP AND I WANT TO BE SURE AND THANK YOU FOR THAT AND THE STABILITY THAT YOU BROUGHT TO OUR CITY ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS OF LEAGUE CITY.
THE REASON I'M HERE TONIGHT IS I WANTED TO REMIND ALL OF YOU THAT THE CITY ELECTION IS COMING UP IN A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO MONTHS.
MY SUGGESTION AND HOPE IS THERE SHOULD BE A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO PASS THE MARRIAGE PROPOSAL TO LET THE VOTERS DECIDE THE FLOCK CAMERA SITUATION.
FROM WHAT I HEAR, IT'S OVERWHELMING.
FLOCK CAMERA SURVEILLANCE IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE.
GENTLEMEN WHO AUTHORIZED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT LICENSE PLATES EITHER.
IT'S A MASSIVE COLLECTION OF CITIZENS' PRIVACY.
AND LCBD IS NOT THE END OF THE DATA COLLECTED.
I WANT THEM TO HAVE THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO KEEP US SAFE, BUT I DON'T WANT THEM TO COMPROMISE WITH A TOOL THAT WILL VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF THE VERY CITIZENS THAT THEY PROTECT.
AND I HOPE Y'ALL VOTE THE RIGHT WAY.
BARBARA COLLINS, AND THEN IT'LL BE GORDON BETHEL.
AND Y'ALL GONNA HAVE TO EXCUSE ME.
OKAY, MR. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS BARBARA COLLINS AND I LIVE AT TWO 10 MORGAN ISLAND LANE.
I WILL BE 79 YEARS OLD IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
ON MARCH THE 20TH, I TURNED IN MY NEIGHBOR, MR. WARREN MARSH, WHO LIVES NEXT DOOR TO ME AT TWO 12.
MORGAN IS LANE TO COKE COMPLIANCE THE WAY HE DID THINGS NEXT DOOR HAS CAUSED FLOODING IN MY YARD WHEN IT RAINS.
ON THAT DAY, MR. GANTT CAME OUT.
HE WENT IN MR. MARSH'S YARD AND CAME IN MINE.
HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THERE WERE NO PERMITS TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WERE DONE ON APRIL THE FIRST 2026.
AT 11:24 AM RECEIVE MESSAGE ON IPHONE, MR. GARCIA,
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MR. BLANCO AND MR. GANTT WERE AT MY HOUSE.THEY CAME BACK AND WENT TO MY BACKYARD.
MR. BLANCO USED MY LADDER TO LOOK AT BACKYARD OF THE NEIGHBOR.
MR. BLANCO ASKED ME HOW LONG ALL THIS WAS LIKE THIS.
THEN NUMBER ONE, HE SAID, WHEN IT RAINS HOW THE AWNING WAS BUILT, IT WAS CAUSING ALL THE RAIN WATER TO RUN INTO MY YARD.
NUMBER TWO, ALL THE TURF AND THINGS IN THE BACKYARD CAUSED RAIN WATER TO RUN IN MY BACKYARD.
ON APRIL THE 27TH, 2026 AT 3:43 PM MESSAGE ON IPHONE FROM MR. BLANCO WANTED TO CALL AND GIVE UPDATE.
WE SPOKE SATURDAY ABOUT THIS SITUATION WITH THE NEIGHBOR AND THE AWNING AND THE TURF WORK.
I HAVE CALLED OUT TO THE CONTRACTORS.
I SAID CONTRACTORS THAT DID THE WORK SO THEY CAN COME AND GAIN THEIR PERMITS SO WE CAN GET THE SITUATION CORRECTED.
I'M WAITING FOR THE CONTRACTORS TO CALL ME BACK ON APRIL THE 30TH, 2026, I WAS HIT BY MY NEIGHBOR, MR. MARSH.
I DON'T WANNA GO ANY FURTHER TO THAT BECAUSE IT IS WITH THE, UH, GALVESTON COUNTY DA WITH THE GALVESTON COUNTY DA.
IT'S GONNA TAKE APPROX APPROXIMATELY A YEAR.
ON MAY THE 19TH, 2026, I REACHED OUT TO MR. BLANCO.
I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AND I TOLD HIM I WANTED THE SITUATION STRAIGHTENED OUT.
HE TOLD ME HE THOUGHT IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF.
HE TOLD ME HE WOULD CALL ME BACK.
HE, I IS MY TIME UP? YES, MA'AM.
BUT IF YOU WANNA LEAVE THOSE NOTES, I WILL DO WHAT? IF YOU WANT TO TALK AFTER THE MEETING OR LEAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER, WE CAN, WE CAN CONNECT AFTER THAT.
I JUST WANT THE SITUATION FIXED.
IF WE CAN GET YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, I WILL.
UH, GORDON BETHEL AND THEN WILLIAM PATE.
UH, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER, ASSOCIATES, FIRST RESPONDERS AND CITIZENS.
JUST WANTED TO COME UP HERE AND INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I AM RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL POSITION ONE THIS NOVEMBER.
JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU GUYS A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF WHO I AM AS A PERSON.
I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE THREE MINUTES, SO I WON'T GET TOO DEEP.
I LIVE ON THE EAST SIDE OF LEAGUE CITY.
UH, SHARE A, SHARE A HOUSE WITH MY WIFE AND FOUR KIDS.
GOT ANOTHER ONE PRETTY CLOSE TO GETTING OUTTA THERE.
JUST WE'RE, WE'RE ROOTING FOR 'EM,
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT BEING SAID, I'VE BEEN IN LEAGUE CITY FOR THE BETTER PART OF 30 YEARS.
UH, I COME FROM A SINGLE PARENT HOUSE, JUST ME AND MY DAD GROWING UP.
SO I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT COMMUNITY MEANT BACK THEN.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, I, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE BROKE.
I UNDERSTOOD, YOU KNOW, TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACK, SO TO SPEAK.
SO I WILL BRING THAT PERSPECTIVE AND I THINK SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET BEHIND SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW GOOD OF A COMMUNITY THIS WAS UNTIL ABOUT 2008 WHEN I BOUGHT MY FIRST HOUSE OVER THERE AT OAKS OF CLEAR CREEK.
SO I BOUGHT THAT HOUSE IN MAY, AND IF ANYBODY REMEMBERS, I HIT ABOUT WHAT? THE END OF AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER, RIGHT? SO I GOT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, $65,000 IN DAMAGE.
YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THAT YEAR WE WERE LIVING OUT OF, UH, MY, MY KITCHEN AND OUR MASTER BEDROOM, ME AND MY WIFE AND A A NINE MONTH OLD BABY.
NOW I CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE SIX MONTHS THAT IT TOOK TO GET EVERYTHING FIXED AND YOU KNOW, LIKE, YOU KNOW HOW RIDICULOUS THAT WAS.
BUT WHAT REALLY RESONATES IS WHEN I'M OUT THERE SHOVELING SHEET ROCK, CUTTING DOWN LIMBS, I HAVE NEIGHBORS THAT I'VE NEVER MET COMING TO HELP ME.
AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THAT ENTIRE STREET FOR THAT ENTIRE WEEK, ALL WE WERE DOING WITH HELPING WAS HELPING EACH OTHER OUT.
I THINK SOMETIMES WE FORGET HOW GOOD OF A COMMUNITY THIS IS UNTIL LIKE A DISASTER HITS.
I UNDERSTAND WE'RE GONNA HAVE ISSUES, WE'RE ALL GONNA DISAGREE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN THINGS HIT, WE DO THE RIGHT THING.
'CAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
THAT'S WHAT THIS COMMUNITY IS.
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STRONG FOUNDATION OF FAMILIES.I'VE VOLUNTEERED FOR 12 YEARS COACHING YOUTH SPORTS.
I'VE SEEN GUYS IN HERE THAT I'VE COACHED WITH, THAT I'VE COACHED AGAINST.
ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME, KNOWS HOW COMPETITIVE I AM, KNOWS HOW ORGANIZED I AM, AND KNOW WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE.
I LOVE THIS COMMUNITY AND I'M GONNA FIGHT FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
I'M GONNA BE OBJECTIVE AND I'M GONNA DO THE RIGHT THING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, GUYS.
WILLIAM PATE, THEN WHITNEY RASPBERRY.
ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING, COUNSEL.
UH, FIRST START OUT, UH, I AM A DIRECTOR ON THE GALVESTON CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT, UH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND WHILE EVERYBODY IS REALLY TALKING ABOUT AND FOCUSING IN ON THE CITY ELECTION, I DID WANNA MENTION THAT THERE IS ALSO, UH, THERE ARE THREE POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OPEN FOR ELECTION ON THE GALVESTON CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
THE FILING DEADLINE IS THIS UPCOMING MONDAY, AND IF YOU WANT TO CONSIDER PARTICIPATING IN THIS IMPORTANT PROCESS, AND ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, HAVE YOUR NEIGHBORS HATE YOU,
UH, SECOND TOPIC IS GONNA BE RELATED TO, UH, FLOCK CAMERAS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA ANSWER WITH ANY KIND OF VOTE WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES SURROUNDING THE USE OF THESE CAMERAS.
THERE'S NO SUPREME COURT PRECEDENT RELATED TO THIS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF THERE ARE CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES SURROUNDING THEIR USE, UH, ANY KIND OF OF VOTE THAT WE TAKE REALLY IS MEANINGLESS BECAUSE IF IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
IF THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WANT THEM, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE THEM.
UH, AND IF THEY ARE, IF THERE'S NO CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES WITH THEIR USE, THEN WE HAVE TO ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT ANY TOOL WE GIVE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE ABUSED IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT POLICIES, PROCEDURES, TRAINING AND ENFORCEMENT BEHIND THOSE, UH, EVERYTHING THAT'S CURRENTLY IN THEIR ARSENAL IS SUBJECT TO BEING MISUSED.
UH, I, I PERSONALLY DON'T, UH, I'M IN FAVOR OF SMALL GOVERNMENT AND, AND MINIMIZING GOVERNMENT INTRUSION INTO THE PRIVATE LIVES OF CITIZENS.
BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THERE WERE CONVERSATIONS HAD WITH THIS COUNCIL WHEN THESE FLOCK CAMERAS WERE FIRST PUT FORWARD, THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA THAT WAS PRESENTED ABOUT THEIR UTILITY.
AND I KNOW MONITORING ALL OF THE PUBLICATIONS AND INFORMATION SHARED BY OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL LARGE CASES IN, IN LAKE CITY WHERE THEIR USE HAS PROVIDED OR PROVED BENEFICIAL TO SOLVING THOSE CRIMES AND, AND GETTING THE PEOPLE THAT DID THE BAD THINGS INTO, UH, THE RIGHT HANDS.
SO I, I THINK THAT THE VOTE IS GONNA GO TO WHERE YOU ARE GONNA HAVE YOURSELVES A, UM, A REFERENDUM IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
UH, MY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU WOULD BE TO MAKE SURE IT WOULD BE NON-BINDING.
UM, I, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, NOT A DIRECT DEMOCRACY, AND YOU ALL WERE ELECTED IN ORDER TO MAKE THOSE TOUGH DECISIONS.
AND MAJORITY, UH, VOICES CAN AT TIMES NOT BE THE RIGHT CHOICES TO BE MADE.
UM, I'D ALSO RECOMMEND PRIOR TO A RESOLUTION OR THE ACTUAL REFERENDUM, UH, MAYBE SOME TOWN HALLS BE PROVIDED TO SHARE, UH, UNBIASED INFORMATION RELATED TO WHAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY ABLE TO DO.
THAT WAY THAT CITIZENS CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION WHEN NOVEMBER COMES AROUND.
IT'S WHITNEY RASPBERRY, AND THEN IT IS, UH, JULIUS AND I CAN'T READ YOUR LAST NAME.
HELLO, MY NAME IS WHITNEY RASPBERRY.
I AM A PROSECUTOR FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
UH, I HAVE ALSO BEEN A PROSECUTOR HERE IN GALVESTON COUNTY AS WELL.
UM, I AM HERE TO ADDRESS THE FLOCK ISSUE.
UM, WELL, THAT OTHER THING IS AN ISSUE.
THE FOURTH AMENDMENT IS TO PROTECT AGAINST UNREASONABLE SEARCH AND SEIZURE.
FEDERAL COURTS HAVE HELD THAT THERE IS NO EXPECTATION OF PRIVACY IN THE EXTERIOR OF A VEHICLE.
SPECIFICALLY, THEY HAVE RULED THAT FLOCK CAMERAS DO NOT VIOLATE THE FOURTH AMENDMENT.
I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED FLOCK HELP SOLVE EVERYTHING FROM CAPITAL MURDERS, HIT AND RUN FATALITIES OF POLICE OFFICERS, CHILD ABDUCTIONS, AND SO MUCH MORE.
I HAVE LOOKED THESE FAMILIES IN THE FACE AND HELD THEM WHILE THEY CRY BECAUSE FLOCK HELPED US GET THERE.
IN FACT, I AM THE PROSECUTOR THAT TRIED THE DEVON JORDAN CAPITAL MURDER THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2021 HERE IN LEAGUE CITY.
DEVON JORDAN WAS PART OF A HIGHLY ORGANIZED GROUP OF CHEMICAL CRIMINALS THAT FOLLOWED PEOPLE HOME FROM THE GALLERIA AREA AND ROBBED THEM AT GUNPOINT AT THE VICTIM, FOUGHT BACK, THEY
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WOULD PULL THE TRIGGER.THEY WERE CONNECTED TO MULTIPLE AGGRAVATED ROBBERIES AS WELL AS MULTIPLE CAPITAL MURDERS.
AND THESE CRIMES RANGED ALL THE WAY THROUGH COUNTIES, MULTIPLE COUNTIES, HARRIS COUNTY, GALVESTON COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY, AS WELL AS ALL THE WAY OUT IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
WITHOUT FLOCK, THAT CASE WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN SOLVED.
DEVIN JORDAN WOULD STILL BE ON THE STREETS, WREAKING HAVOC ON CITIZENS JUST LIKE JEFFREY JOHNSON FROM LAKE CITY, TEXAS, WHO WAS KILLED AT THE HANDS OF DEVIN JORDAN AND HIS FRIENDS.
THESE CAMERAS ARE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO SOLVING CRIME AND REMOVING DANGEROUS CRIMINALS FROM THE STREET.
LAW ENFORCEMENT IS TRUSTED WITH MULTIPLE DATABASES THAT ONLY THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE BAD COPS OR BAD PEOPLE IN ANY SORT OF PROFESSION.
WE CAN'T MAKE OUR DECISIONS AND PUT OUR COMMUNITY AT RISK JUST BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE EXIST.
WE JUST HAVE TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
SO IF A COP IS CAUGHT MISUSING A DATABASE, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DATABASE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, THEY SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
BUT OUR COMMUNITY ABSOLUTELY DESERVES TO BE SAFE.
UH, JULIUS, AND THEN IT'S BRADLEY.
THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, I LIVE IN LEAGUE CITY AROUND HIDDEN LAKES.
I'M HERE TO, AS MOST PEOPLE, TO TALK ABOUT THE ISSUE OF FLOCK CAMERAS AND THE PROPOSED REFERENDUM.
UM, I WANNA ADDRESS TWO POINTS BECAUSE I SEE A LOT IN THIS CONVERSATION.
WHEN DEFENDING FLOCK CAMERAS, PEOPLE WILL OFTEN SAY THAT IF WE CAN TRUST OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEN THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.
TO ME, THIS FALLS FLAT FOR TWO REASONS.
ONE IS THE IDEA THAT IS VERY SIMPLE IN MY MIND, THAT OUR RIGHTS CANNOT BE CONDITIONAL UPON THE GOODWILL OF ANY ONE PERSON, EVEN IF THAT PERSON IS AN OFFICER OF THE LAW.
OUR RIGHTS, OUR RIGHTS TO PRIVACY AND OUR FREEDOM FROM BEING TRACKED BY THE GOVERNMENT OR ANY BAD ACTOR, UM, THEY HAVE TO BE HELD SACROSANCT.
AND, UM, SECONDLY, THE REALITY IS, IS THAT, AND SEVERAL CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE RUN INTO THIS ISSUE, THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY JUST OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS ACCESS TO THESE CAMERAS.
THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP BY SPEAKERS BEFORE ME.
UM, UH, THERE HAVE BEEN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE, UM, WHO HAVE ENDED THEIR CONTRACTS OVER CONCERNS THAT THESE CAMERAS WERE BEING ACCESSED BY, UH, VARIOUS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OUTSIDE OF THE CITIES IN WHICH THEY'RE IN, SOMETIMES WITHOUT THESE CITY OFFICIALS EVEN BEING NOTIFIED, LET ALONE, UH, CONSULTED.
UM, AND THEN THE SECOND POINT I WANNA BRING UP IS THAT IF WE ARE PROPOSING TO TRADE AWAY SOME PIECE OF OUR PRIVACY, AND TO BE CLEAR, I DON'T THINK FLOCK CAMERAS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
BUT IF WE ARE PROPOSING TO TRADE AWAY SOME PIECE OF OUR PERSONAL PRIVACY FOR FREEDOM, UH, SORRY FOR SAFETY, THEN WE HAVE TO BE ROCK SOLID THAT THESE CAMERAS WORK.
AND ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES, PERHAPS THE LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA, UM, THAT INTRODUCED FLOCK CAMERAS IN THEIR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY WAS LOS ANGELES.
AND THE LAPD WHEN THEY WERE, UH, CONSIDERING RENEWING THEIR CONTRACT WITH FLOCK, LOOKED INTO THE EFFICACY OF THESE CAMERAS.
AND THEY FOUND IN THEIR STUDY THAT THEY HAD A 33% FALSE POSITIVE RATE WHEN IDENTIFYING STOLEN CARS.
THAT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT A SMALL TOWN.
UH, AND SO I'M, I'M CONCERNED I WOULD OPPOSE 'EM EITHER WAY OVER CONCERNS OF ISSUES AND, UH, SAFETY ISSUES AND, AND TRACKING AND PRIVACY.
BUT I DON'T THINK THEY ACTUALLY ARE AS EFFECTIVE AS WE'VE BEEN TOLD, UM, IN TERMS OF PROTECTING US.
AND IT'S NOT A TRADE OFF THAT I'M PERSONALLY WILLING TO MAKE.
AND THEN IT IS, UH, JESSICA, AND I'M SORRY, YOU GUYS ARE JESSICA SCHNEIDER MAYBE.
UM, I'M GONNA KEEP THIS REALLY SHORT.
UH, I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT IT YESTERDAY.
SO, UM, I'M OPPOSED TO FOX IN THE CURRENT IMPLEMENTATION OF
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AI POWER, UH, AI POWERED APRS.I SUPPORT THE NOVEMBER REFERENDUM SO RESIDENTS LIKE MYSELF CAN DECIDE THIS, UH, DIRECTLY.
DO WE HAVE JESSICA, JESSICA, JORDAN? YEAH, I'M SORRY.
IT'S A LITTLE, UM, JESSICA JORDAN.
UM, I LIVE IN LEAGUE CITY IN WESTWOOD.
I'M JUST ASKING, OH, I'M ASKING THAT, UM, THE FLOCK CAMERA SYSTEM BEYOND THE REFERENDUM IN NOVEMBER AS WELL.
UH, DAVID AL, AND THEN IT'S DEAN PAULSON.
I'M DAVID REEL AND I'VE LIVED IN LAKE CITY PRETTY MUCH MY WHOLE LIFE.
I LIVE ON 27 0 9 ALEXANDRIA LANE.
UH, WE JUST MOVED BACK RECENTLY AND FOR THE FLOCK CAMERAS, UM, I'M GRATEFUL THAT WE'RE EVEN BRINGING UP THE FACT THAT WE CAN HAVE A REFERENDUM, UH, THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT AND DISCUSS IT.
IT SHOWS TRANSPARENCY, SHOWS THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND, UH, I WANNA PUSH THAT FORWARD.
OBVIOUSLY, A LOT OF PEOPLE SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT IT.
UM, BUT I CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, PROPOSE THAT EVEN IF THE PEOPLE DO VOTE, THAT WE KEEP THE CAMERAS, UM, WE LOOK INTO A MAKING A SYSTEM THAT NOT EVERY POLICE OFFICER WILL HAVE ACCESS.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN HAVE CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT ARE, UM, GIVEN ACCESS AND SIGN IN INFORMATION TO IT.
AND SO WHEN THEY SIGN IN, WE CAN HAVE IT TO A PUBLIC SYSTEM THAT SHOWS THE REASON WHY, WHICH CAMERA AND WHERE AND WHEN THEY PULLED IT UP.
YOU KNOW, JUST SHOWS KEEPS THINGS SIMPLE, ORGANIZED, AND THE PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, THEY'RE ALREADY IN, I DON'T RECOMMEND ANYBODY DOING ANYTHING NEGLIGIBLE OR DUMB TO 'EM, OBVIOUSLY.
UH, I SEE A LOT OF TRENDS ON TIKTOK MY AGE.
SO IT, IT'S ROUGH SEEING WHAT PEOPLE MY AGE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW TO, UH, PUBLIC STUFF, REALIZING THAT Y'ALL ARE THE ONES PROVIDING THE FUNDING FOR ALL THAT.
AND SO IF THEY'RE GONNA BE AROUND, IF WE VOTE TO KEEP 'EM AROUND, LET'S MAKE IT MORE SECURE FOR US AND MORE TRANSPARENT.
OR IF WE DECIDE TO GET RID OF 'EM, LET'S DO IT THE PROPER WAY AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY AND KEEP OUR HEADS ON RIGHT.
AND IF, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD WITH PEACE AND DIGNITY AND, YOU KNOW, THANK GOD WE HAVE A GOOD COMMUNITY WILLING TO DO THAT.
SO THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING ME SPEAK AND I HOPE TO BE BACK TO THESE AGAIN.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME EVER DOING THIS.
SO Y'ALL HAVE A BLESSED NIGHT.
MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS TIME.
I'M A 14 YEAR RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY AND A VETERAN OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE.
WHEN I JOINED THE AIR FORCE, I TOOK A VOW TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.
FOR A LONG TIME, I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS GONNA BE FINE UNTIL OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION TOOK OFFICE AGAIN.
AND I SEE ASSAULTS ON OUR CONSTITUTION AND OUR RIGHTS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE EVERY DAY IN THE NEWS.
MY BIG CONCERN WITH FLOCK CAMERAS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE INFORMATION THAT IT COLLECTS WHILE IT GOES INTO SOME BIG CLOUD, AT SOME AI CENTER, GOD KNOWS WHERE, AND GUESS WHO CAN HAVE ACCESS TO IT? OUR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, THE FBI, THE CIA, AND COUNTLESS UNKNOWN OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT WOULD HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO USE THAT INFORMATION FOR NEFARIOUS PURPOSES.
YEAH, THE ARGUMENT'S BEEN MADE THAT, YEAH, FLOCK CAMERAS ARE GOOD BECAUSE THEY CATCH A BAD GUY.
WELL, WE NEED TO CONSIDER THE OPPOSITE SPECTRUM, THAT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FLOCK CAMERA CAUSES AN INNOCENT PERSON TO BE INCARCERATED.
I WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE AN ERROR MADE ON THE SIDE OF A CRIMINAL GOING FREE FOR A FEW EXTRA DAYS THAN HAVING AN INNOCENT PERSON PULLED OVER ON A TRAFFIC STOP, OFTEN AT GUNPOINT AND INCARCERATED FOR SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T DO.
SO I WOULD URGE THE COUNCIL TO VOTE YES ON THIS REFERENDUM, AND I WILL CLOSE BY BASICALLY SAYING, UM, IT'S AN ELECTION SEASON AND IT CERTAINLY SMELLS LIKE IT IN HERE.
OUR GOVERNOR IS CAMPAIGNING ON A LET'S MAKE TEXAS AFFORDABLE PLATFORM.
WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO IS CORRECT THE MISTAKES THAT HE'S MADE.
THIS COUNCIL NOW HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT MISTAKES PREVIOUS COUNCILS HAVE MADE.
AND THEN IT'S, UH, SEAN AFTER THAT CHUNKER JESSE VISOR.
I'M A RECENT RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY, ACTUALLY.
I HATE TO SINGLE IT OUT HERE, BUD.
I NEED YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOMETHING FOR ME.
[00:35:01]
OVER HERE.NOW WHAT DO YOU SEE? IT'S A LOT.
IT'S A LOT OF BLUE DOTS, RIGHT? OKAY, YEAH.
OVER HERE WE GOT LEAGUE CITY TYP.
TYPICALLY, WE GOTTA JUST ADDRESS THE WHOLE COUNCIL THERE, IF YOU WOULD.
SO UNDER THE MICROPHONE, WE GOT A BUNCH OF BLUE, BIG MAP OF BLUE DOTS.
I ASSUME THOSE ARE FLOCK CAMERAS.
YOU WOULD ASSUME RIGHT NOW THIS IS CALLED D FLOCK.
D FLOCK WAS MADE AS AN OPEN SOURCE BY OTHER ACTORS.
FLOCK DID NOT MAKE IT THEMSELVES.
WHY DID THEY MAKE IT? BECAUSE FLOCK DID NOT COME FORTH TO GIVE THE INFORMATION WHERE THEY WERE PLACING THE CAMERAS.
SO COUNSELING ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M COMING HERE NOT TO TALK ABOUT ON THE MORALITY OF MASS SURVEILLANCE OR EVERYTHING, WHATEVER OPINION YOU HAVE ON THAT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, THAT'S FINE.
I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT FLOCK ITSELF AS A COMPANY.
THERE'S BEEN ALL KINDS OF SURVEILLANCE COMPANIES.
I CAN REMEMBER MANY TIMES COMING TO INTERSECTION.
CCTV CAMERAS HAVE ALWAYS EXISTED.
BUT THE CEO OF FLOCK SAID THAT HE INVENTED THE TRAFFIC LICENSE PLATE CAMERA BACK IN 2017, AND IT'S BEEN HERE FOR A DECADE.
THE ISSUE WAS FLOCK DIDN'T COME FORTH WITH ANY OF THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE THEY WERE PLACING THE CAMERAS.
THEY WENT OVER THE CITY COUNCIL'S HEADS TOO.
THEY WENT OVER THE LAW ENFORCEMENT'S HEADS.
THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE ABOVE THE RULES.
SO D FLOCK CAME OUT BY PRIVATE ACTORS TO GIVE PEOPLE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION.
AND NOW FLOCK IS PURSUING A LAWSUIT AND A CEASE AND DESIST AGAINST D FLOCK AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY CRITICAL ABOUT THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE BECAUSE FLOCK WAS NOT FLUENT IN TALKING WITH OR HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
SO THE ISSUE HERE ISN'T ABOUT SURVEILLANCE.
THE ISSUE IS ABOUT FLOCK AND THE CEO COMING OUT AND CALLING THE PEOPLE A D FLOCK TERRORIST.
THAT SETS A DEADLY PRECEDENT WHEN YOU'RE CALLING SOMEONE A TERRORIST.
AND NOW HE'S TRYING TO HAVE THIS LIVE CONVERSATION WITH PEOPLE, BUT WE DON'T WANT THAT CONVERSATION WITH HIM.
THERE'S OTHER CAMERA SYSTEMS OUT THERE.
WHY IS FLOCK THE ONLY ONE? IF IT'S A LICENSE PLATE MONITOR, WHY IS IT SHOWING UP IN CHILDREN'S PARKS AND CHILDREN'S GYMNASIUM? THERE'S ALSO A VERY MASSIVE SECURITY ISSUE WITH FLOCK ITSELF.
THEY'RE VERY EASY TO GET INTO.
BY THE WAY, IT'S ACTUALLY OPEN SOURCE AND IT HAS BEEN UTILIZED BY PEDOPHILES.
AND I SAY THIS BECAUSE IN THE LAST YEAR, THE FBIS SEES 1.7 BILLION GIGABYTES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY MADE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T POST YOUR CHILD ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THERE'S NO TELLING THAT A FLOCK CAMERA PUTTING IT INTO THE CLOUD WOULD ALSO BE THERE TOO.
YOUR KID, YOUR KID, EVEN MY KID, MY DAUGHTER I HAD RECENTLY.
THEY'RE NOT FORTHRIGHT WITH WHAT THEY'RE COMING OUT WITH, AND THAT'S THE ISSUE WITH FLOCK THEMSELVES.
I HATE MY NAME'S SEAN CARNEGIE.
I'M A RESIDENT OF LEAGUE CITY HERE IN UH, MAG CREEK.
UH, IT'S A HEAVY DISCUSSION TONIGHT AND, UH, I CAME IN HOPING YOU GUYS WOULD, UH, OPEN UP THE, UH, MAGNOLIA PROOF BAR.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT TOPIC, BUT, UH,
UM, WHEN I WANNA TAKE MY WIFE OUT, WE HAVE TO GO TO KEMA OR UP TO THE CITY TO HAVE A, A NICE COCKTAIL AND A NICE PLACE.
I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT MORE CAMERAS THAN IN MAGNOLIA CREEK.
UH, AND SO, UH,
I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO A SPORTS BAR.
I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO A BAR AND GRILL.
IT'S SOMETHING WHERE I KNOW THAT I CAN GO, I CAN DRESS UP AND IT'S SUPER CLOSE.
SO, UM, YEAH, I'LL KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET.
UH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE UP A, OH, DID YOU MOVE? EXCUSE ME.
GOT ALL THE NAME ON THE OTHER PAGE? NO.
OH,
THIS IS, I'VE GOT IN TROUBLE FOR DOING THAT, SO I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GET IN TROUBLE.
SORRY,
UH, PEGGY ZOR 1802 RAMPART AGENDA
[00:40:01]
ITEM 10 B.ABOUT, UM, A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, WE HAD, UH, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THE HOA ALLIANCE MEETING, UH, MAKE A PRESENTATION ON FLOCK CAMERAS.
THAT WAS, UH, AT THE TIME THAT WE WERE OFFERING HOAS THE RESPONSE OF THE, THE, UH, ABILITY TO SIGN UP IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN, IN FLOCK CAMERAS.
I ALSO HAVE ATTENDED, UH, SEVERAL COUNCIL MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS, UH, WHERE THERE HAS BEEN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY LCPD ON, UH, DATA REGARDING FLOCK CAMERAS.
UM, FROM A, FROM A CITIZEN'S PERSPECTIVE, UH, WHEN, WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE, THE CONCERN AND THE VOICES AND, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S COMMENTS, THE, THE THOUGHT THAT I IMMEDIATELY HAD IS, WELL, WE MUST HAVE HAD A SUPREME COURT DECISION.
WE MUST HAVE HAD SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED WITH THE INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'VE GOT THIS OVERWHELMING CONCERN ABOUT FLOCK CAMERAS.
AND IT'S NOT BEING CRITICAL, IT'S JUST THERE MUST BE SOMETHING THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS INTEREST AND THIS OUTPOURING.
AND, AND AS I'M LOOKING, I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING.
I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN LAKE CITY.
I CAN FIND WHERE THERE WERE INSTANCES OF VIOLATIONS IN PASADENA LAST YEAR, OR BAYTOWN THIS YEAR WHERE THE SYSTEM WORKED.
THERE, THERE WAS AN ABUSE OF, OF THE DATA, AND THEY, WE DEALT WITH EVERYTHING THE LADY SAID FROM THE DA'S OFFICE.
I, I CAN'T SAY HOW MUCH I AGREE WITH THAT.
WE'RE AT A POINT TO WHERE THERE IS VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN OPEN DIALOGUE WHEN THERE'S A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION ON HOW WE APPROACH SOMETHING.
BUT WHEN THE CITY HAS GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY TO PROVIDE OPEN FORUMS WHERE LCPD HAS PRESENTED DATA, THE HLA ALLIANCE HAS REACHED OUT.
I, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY INDIVIDUALLY.
MY FRIENDS TELL ME THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED, THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED.
ONE, WE'RE ABOUT 13 WEEKS AWAY FROM AN, FROM AN ELECTION, AND WE HAVE A CANDIDATE OR TWO WHO HAS MADE THAT A PLATFORM.
AND THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT SAFETY.
AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE NUMBER FOUR AS THE SAFEST CITY IN THE STATE, THAT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO ME.
IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT IF I GO MISSING, YOU HAVE A WAY IF YOU CARE TO, TO TRY TO FIND ME.
SO, NON-BINDING RESOLUTION, IF YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING REFERENDUM, THAT'S THE WAY TO GO.
UH, AND THEN I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE UP.
[10B. 26-0320 Consider and take action on an ordinance ordering a Special Election for the City of League City, Texas, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, to submit a proposition regarding the League City Police Department’s continued use of automated license plate reader cameras at fixed locations on public roadways for law enforcement purposes (Mayor Long)]
B, CONSIDERING TAKE ACTION ON ORDINANCE.ORDERING A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE CITY OF LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD TO SUBMIT A PROPOSITION REGARDING THIS LEAGUE.
CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT'S CONTINUED USE OF AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS AT FIXED LOCATIONS ON PUBLIC ROADWAYS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES.
ALL RIGHT, SO BEFORE I GET INTO MY OWN SPIEL ON THIS, I WANNA RESPOND TO, UM, SOME OF THE, THE POINTS THAT WERE MADE IN CITIZEN COMIC.
'CAUSE I KNOW ONE OF THE, THE COMPLAINTS THROUGHOUT THIS DISCUSSION IS THAT, UM, WE DON'T LISTEN TO THE FOLKS.
SO I THINK IT'S FAIR TO ADDRESS SOME OF THEM.
UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THERE WAS A POINT MADE INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF HOA AND COMMERCIAL BUSINESS, UH, FLOCK CAMERAS.
UM, I'M GONNA START BY SAYING, REGARDLESS OF THIS RESOLUTION, AND EVEN IF IT WERE BINDING, THOSE WON'T GO AWAY.
SO THEY SHOULDN'T BE INCLUDED IN THIS CONVERSATION ONE BIT.
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT YOUR OWN PROPERTY WITH A CAMERA, AND SO DO THESE BUSINESSES.
TWO, UM, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION OF AN AUDIT, UM, FINDING, UM, CASE NUMBERS WEREN'T USED AND ACCESSING THE DATA.
UM, THOSE ARE, THOSE STATS THAT PEOPLE ARE SHARING ON THE INTERNET ARE BASED ON NATIONAL, UM, NUMBERS.
[00:45:01]
THAT NOT EVERY CITY HAS THE POLICIES AND CONTROLS IN PLACE THAT LEAGUE CITY HAS.UM, SO CONFUSING THE ABUSE, UM, IN PLACES THAT DID NOTHING TO PREVENT IT WITH WHAT COULD HAPPEN HERE, UM, JUST ISN'T LOGICAL.
UM, THE NEXT ONE, UM, AND I'LL GET MORE INTO THIS LATER, BUT WITH RESPECT TO, UH, PUT IT ON THE BALLOT, I'LL SAY THIS.
ANY ISSUE, ANY ISSUE WHATSOEVER ON ANYTHING WE DO FROM SOMETHING AS MUNDANE AS UPDATING THE BUDGET TO ACCOUNT FOR THE FACT THAT SALES TAX CAME IN 5 CENTS ABOVE OUR BUDGET LAST QUARTER, AND WE OVERSPENT IN LABOR BY 5 CENTS, AND WE'RE UPDATING THE BUDGET TO MATCH TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS ON THE BALLOT EVERY TIME A CITY COUNCIL POSITION IS ON THE BALLOT.
UM, NEXT, THERE WAS A COMPARISON MADE TO RED LIGHT CAMERAS.
AND IT'S TRUE THAT THEY WERE DETERMINED TO BE AN INFRINGEMENT ON RIGHTS, BUT THERE'S A MAJOR DIFFERENCE.
RED LIGHT CAMERAS WERE ISSUING CITATIONS.
BLOCK CAMERAS DON'T ISSUE A CITATION.
UM, THEY ALERT TO A PRESENCE FOR PREDEFINED LICENSE PLATES.
UM, AND THEY PROVIDE A DATABASE OF THOSE PLATES THAT ARE SEARCHABLE LATER, BUT THEY ARE NOT ISSUING CITATIONS.
AND THERE'S STILL THE ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF AN ACTUAL POLICE OFFICER BEFORE ANY SUCH CITATION OR ANY OTHER ENFORCEMENT TAKES PLACE.
UM, NEXT, UM, THIS ONE I JUST FOUND REALLY ENJOYABLE.
UM, WE LITERALLY USED THE WORD SLIPPERY SLOPE IN COMMAND, A SLIPPERY SLOPE FALLACY, UM, FRAME WHEN WE TOOK HIGH SCHOOL DEBATE.
THAT WAS, UH, REALLY ENJOYABLE TO SEE.
UM, FINALLY, UM, THERE WAS A MENTION ABOUT FLOCK BEING USED IMPROPERLY, UM, VIDEOTAPING CHILDREN BEING SET UP WHERE IT'S CATCHING VIDEO AND LIVESTREAM.
I THINK THAT ONE IS GOING TO COME DOWN TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE USING THE TERM FLOCK, AND WE SHOULD BE USING THE TERM AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER BECAUSE FLOCK HAS VARIOUS DIFFERENT EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING THEIR NEW ONE, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED CONDOR, WHICH IS A 24 7 LIVE STREAMING CAMERA.
WE DO NOT HAVE THOSE IN LEAGUE CITY.
I WOULD A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE THAT THOSE ARE A CONCERN BOTH FROM A, A SECURITY OF THE, THE STREAM TO THE, THE RIGHTS OF OUR CITIZENS.
BUT AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS ARE NOT THOSE, THOSE ARE THE FALCON CAMERAS, WHICH WE DO HAVE.
THEY ARE NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN LIVE STREAM.
THEY, THEY TAKE A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR PLATE AND LOG IN A DATABASE.
ALL RIGHT, NOW ONTO TO MY, YEAH, THAT WAS THE BRIEF PART.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE LIVE IN A REPUBLIC, NOT A DIRECT DEMOCRACY.
UM, WE'VE HAD A A LOT OF OF QUESTIONS, UM, ABOUT THIS.
UM, BUT THE, THE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS UP, UM, TONIGHT, I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY IT NOW.
I'LL VOTE NO ON A REFERENDUM AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT I PERSONALLY THINK ABOUT FLOCK CAMERAS, WHETHER FOR OR AGAINST THEM.
IT'S BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS A PROPER USE OF A REFERENDUM.
WE DO LIVE IN A REPUBLIC NON DIRECT DEMOCRACY.
I SUPPORT THE USE OF A REFERENDUM IN ESTABLISHING GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION ON MATTERS OF PREFERENCE.
FOR EXAMPLE, UM, SHOULD WE NAME THIS PARK AFTER COUNCILMAN CHAD TRESSLER? UM, THAT WOULD BE A MATTER OF PREFERENCE.
THAT WOULD BE A PROPER USE OF REFERENDUM.
WE SHOULD NOT USE REFERENDUM ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC SAFETY TAXATION, OR MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR LIBERTIES AND RIGHTS.
IN FACT, OUR FOUNDERS WERE VERY CLEAR IN ESTABLISHING OUR FORM OF GOVERNMENT TO SPECIFICALLY AVOID A DIRECT DEMOCRACY.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT OUR GOVERNMENT WAS INITIALLY FORMED TO REJECT HEREDITARY ANARCHIES AND THE TYRANNY THAT THEY PRESENT, THEY WERE JUST AS CAREFUL TO PROTECT US FROM THE TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY.
THEY WERE PRETTY CLEAR ABOUT THE FEAR OF A DIRECT DEMOCRACY AND THAT IT WOULD DEVOLVE TO TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY.
THAT'S WHY, UH, MR. ALEXANDER HAMILTON WARNED US, AND THIS IS A QUOTE, IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED BY AN HONORABLE GENTLEMAN THAT A PURE DEMOCRACY, IF IT WERE PRACTICABLE, WOULD BE THE MOST PERFECT GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE, HAS PROVED THAT NO POSITION IN POLITICS IS MORE FALSE THAN THIS.
THE ANCIENT DEMOCRACIES IN WHICH THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES DELIBERATED NEVER POSSESSED
[00:50:01]
ONE FEATURE OF GOOD GOVERNMENT.THEIR VERY CHARACTER WAS TYRANNY THEIR FIGURE DEFORMITY.
THE SAME CONCERN LED THOMAS JEFFERSON FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE AISLE.
TO STATE THE REPUBLICAN IS THE ONLY FORM OF GOVERNMENT WHICH IS NOT ETERNALLY AT OPEN OR SECRET WAR WITH THE RIGHTS OF MANKIND.
IN OTHER WORDS, HE WAS JUST AS AFRAID OF THE TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY AS THE TYRANNY OF THE GOVERNMENT.
OTHERWISE, HE WOULD'VE EMBRACED DIRECT DEMOCRACY BECAUSE HE WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THE PARISH SHOULD BE KEPT TO THE PEOPLE.
SO I BELIEVE IT IS OUR DUTY AS ELECTED OFFICIALS TO WEIGH IN AND DETERMINE THIS ISSUE.
AND INSTEAD THAT THERE'S BEEN COMPLAINTS RAISED BY FOLKS MANY HERE TONIGHT, A LOT MORE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AROUND TWO PRIMARY CATEGORIES.
FIRST QUESTIONS OF CONSTITUTIONALITY AND INFRINGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.
SECOND QUESTION, FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE.
WITH REGARDS TO THE CONSTITUTIONALITY, WE AS A BODY SPECIFICALLY HAD QUESTIONS ON THIS WHEN WE FIRST CONSIDERED FLOCK CAMERAS.
THE BEST ADVICE WE HAVE FROM LAWYERS AND FROM COURT PRECEDENTS AND FROM A BUNCH OF OTHER BORING THINGS THAT WERE ALL WELL OVER MY HEAD, IS THAT AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS ARE NOT COUNTER TO THE LIMITATIONS ON GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED BY THE CONSTITUTION ELSE.
WE WOULD NOT HAVE VOTED FOR THEM AS WE ARE ALL SWORN, AS SOMEBODY COMMENTED EARLIER, TO DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION.
HOWEVER, WHILE THERE ARE STILL CONCERNS AND WE'RE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, WE DO HAVE PROCEDURES AND METHODS IN PLACE FOR FOLKS TO CHALLENGE SUCH DECISIONS.
AND IT'S THE PRIMARY REASON OUR SUPREME COURT WAS SET UP GOING FURTHER.
I THINK IT WOULD BE A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT FOR US TONIGHT IN THE INTEREST OF EXPEDIENCY FOR THE FOLKS THAT DO BELIEVE THESE TO BE AN INFRINGEMENT ON THEIR RIGHTS, TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE IF IT'S A QUESTION OF CONSTITUTIONALITY, WE WOULD BE TRADING AWAY OUR RIGHTS FOR A VOTE OF THE MAJORITY.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S APPROPRIATE.
AND NOW I'M GONNA QUOTE A THIRD FOUNDER, JOHN ADAMS, WHO WARNED US THERE'S A DANGER FROM ALL MEN.
THE ONLY MAXIMUM OF A FREE GOVERNMENT OUGHT TO BE TO TRUST NO MAN LIVING WITH POWER TO ENDANGER THE PUBLIC LIBERTY.
NOT ONE OF US, NOT THE MAJORITY OF US.
NOW, THIS IS IN FACT SOMETHING FUNDAMENTAL TO THE NATURE OF OUR GOVERNMENT, GOING BACK TO OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND UNIQUE AT THE TIME TO OUR COUNTRY.
PRIOR TO THAT RIGHTS ONLY EXISTED WITHIN ENGLISH HISTORY, AS LAID OUT BY THE MAGNA CARTA AND THE ENGLISH BILL OF RIGHTS.
THE PROBLEM WAS THOSE RIGHTS WERE GRANTED AS ENGLISHMEN BY THE CROWN.
JOHN LOCKE, WHO INSPIRED MOST OF OUR FOUNDERS, STATED THAT THE STATE OF NATURE HAS A LAW OF NATURE TO GOVERN IT, WHICH OBLIGES EVERYONE.
AND REASON, WHICH IS THAT LAW TEACHES ALL MANKIND WHO WILL BUT CONSULT IT, THAT BEING ALL EQUAL AND INDEPENDENT, NO ONE OUGHT TO HARM ANOTHER IN HIS LIFE, HEALTH, LIBERTY, OR POSSESSIONS.
AND WHEN HIS OWN PRESERVATION COMES, NOT IN COMPETITION, OUGHT HE AS MUCH AS HE CAN TO PRESERVE THE REST OF MANKIND AND MAY NOT, UNLESS IT BE TO DO JUSTICE TO AN OFFENDER, TAKE AWAY OR IMPAIR THE LIFE OR WHAT ATTENDS TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE LIFE, THE LIBERTY, HEALTH LIM OR GOODS OF ANOTHER.
WE THEN INCORPORATED THIS IN OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WHEN WE DECLARED OUR RIGHTS INALIENABLE, NOT RIGHTS GRANTED TO US BY OUR GOVERNMENT OR BY THE MAJORITY.
THEREFORE, WE SHOULD NEVER SURRENDER THEM TO THE MAJORITY.
SO IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THIS IS A QUESTION OF RIGHTS, THEN YOU DON'T WANT THIS ON A REFERENDUM BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT THE MAJORITY TO DETERMINE YOUR RIGHTS.
MOVING ON TO THE QUESTION OF POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE.
SO IF WE HAVE A CONCERN THERE THAT'S NOT A REASON TO THROW THE TOOL OUT.
AFTER ALL WE DID THAT WE'D TAKE AWAY FROM OUR OFFICERS TELEPHONES, INTERNET ACCESS, MOTOR VEHICLES, TASERS, GUNS, AND WE SHOULD PROBABLY SHUT OFF WATER TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WHO KNOWS, THEY COULD USE THAT TO WATERBOARD SOMEONE YOU CONTROL POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE WITH POLICIES TO PREVENT IT AND GUIDELINES TO PUNISH IT.
SHOULD SOMEONE FIND A WAY AROUND THOSE POLICIES? LEAGUE CITY SPECIFICALLY, THIS COUNCIL HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THAT POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE.
IN FACT, THE MAJORITY OF THE NEWS STORIES ABOUT ABUSE THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP HAVE INVOLVED OFFICERS USING THE, THE FLOCK DATA TO STALK EX-GIRLFRIENDS AND OTHERS IN THAT, THAT SORT OF A RELATIONSHIP.
[00:55:01]
EXACT THINGS WE ASKED ABOUT.AND OUR POLICIES WERE CREATED TO PREVENT THAT POTENTIAL.
SO WE'RE NOT LIKELY TO SEE THE SAME ABUSE.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A CHANCE OUR POLICIES ARE INCOMPLETE AND LACKING.
FOR THAT REASON, I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT OPEN TO SOME FORM OF COMMUNITY INPUT TO REVIEW AND CONSIDER OUR POLICIES, LOOK FOR AREAS WHERE WE MAY HAVE MISSED POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND OFFER SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE WE MAY BE MISSING SOMETHING.
SO WE CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE OUR POLICY.
I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ALWAYS LOOKS FOR CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT.
I SEE NO REASON NOT TO DO THAT HERE WHILE WE'RE ON IT.
UM, THERE WAS A QUESTION RAISED ABOUT FALSE POSITIVES.
THE BEAUTY OF A FALSE POSITIVE WITH THIS, IT'S JUST ALERTING OUR POLICE TO A PRESENCE.
THEY STILL HAVE TO SHOW UP AND ACT.
UM, AGAIN, HAVING PROPER POLICIES IN PLACE, GUIDING THAT INTERACTION, UH, IS WHAT PREVENTS ABUSE.
IT'S REALLY NO DIFFERENT THAN IF YOUR BUSY BODY NEIGHBOR CALLS AND SAYS, I SAW SMOKEY THE BANDIT GOING DOWN 6 46 AND HIS FIREBIRD, THE COPS STILL HAVE TO SHOW UP.
THEY STILL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS AND DECIDE WAS THAT REALLY WHO WE'RE AFTER OR NOT? SO I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO THAT.
BUT A REFERENDUM THAT TOSSES ALL THIS TO THE PUBLIC IS RISKING THROWING OUT THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER.
UM, I I WANNA START BY SEPARATING TWO ISSUES AND I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING THEM MIXED TOGETHER.
UH, ONE IS WHETHER FLOCK CAMERAS ARE A USEFUL LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL.
UH, THE, THAT IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION FOR US TO HAVE.
BUT IT'S NOT THE DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
THE DECISION TONIGHT IS WHETHER WE SHOULD PUT THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSITION BEFORE THE VOTERS, AND SPECIFICALLY WHETHER WE SHOULD ASK THEM THE QUESTION THAT WE'VE, WHETHER WE SHOULD ASK THEM THE QUESTION WE'VE CHOSEN TO MAKE THIS NON-BINDING AND ADVISORY.
I'M NOT OPPOSED TO ASKING OUR CITIZENS WHAT THEY THINK, BUT IF WE'RE GONNA ASK THEM THROUGH AN OFFICIAL ELECTION, I THINK THAT WE OWE THEM ABSOLUTE CLARITY OF WHAT THEIR VOTE MEANS.
AND THAT'S WHERE I'M STRUGGLING WITH THIS ITEM.
THE ORDINANCE TELLS US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THIS IS A NON BIDING ADVISORY PROPOSITION, BUT THE ACTUAL BALLOT QUESTION THAT WILL BE IN FRONT OF THE VOTERS AT THE MACHINES ASK THE VOTER WHETHER THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD CONTINUE USING THE CAMERAS.
IT DOESN'T TELL THE VOTER THAT THE RESULT IS ADVISORY OR NON-BINDING.
SO BEFORE I CAN REPORT THIS AS WRITTEN, I HAVE THREE PRETTY SIMPLE QUESTIONS.
WHY ARE WE MAKING IT NON-BINDING? WHAT DO WE INTEND TO DO WITH A YES OR A NO VOTE? WHAT WILL IT MEAN AND WHY AREN'T WE TELLING THE VOTERS ON THE BALLOT THAT THEIR VOTE IS ADVISORY? SO I WOULD, IF, IF WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE JUST LIKE THIS, UM, MR. MR. MAYOR, THIS IS, THIS IS YOUR ITEM AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE SEEN QUITE A BIT OF THE NEWS COVERAGE AND ALL THIS AND, AND THROUGHOUT THE NEWS COVERAGE, YOU'VE BEEN VERY GOOD AT, YOU KNOW, MAKING POINT OUT THAT THIS IS ADVISORY AND ALL THIS.
I WOULD LIKE US TO HOPEFULLY WORK TOGETHER, MAKE AN AMENDMENT HERE AND JUST PUT AT THE END OF THAT BALLOT LANGUAGE, SHOULD WE CONTINUE TO MAKE AN ADVISORY TO PUT THE TERM NON, UM, NON-BINDING ADVISORY.
I THINK IT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION.
WILL YOU SECOND IT? I WILL IF IT'S LEGAL
YES, THE COUNCIL CAN MAKE WHATEVER BALLOT PROPOSITION JUST, IT NEEDS TO BE WORDED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE RESPONSE CAN BE BINARY, EITHER A YES OR A NO.
SO WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK WITH THE LANGUAGE TO ADD NON-BINDING OR ADVISORY PURPOSES ONLY.
I THINK, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY
AND JUST, I WANT TO DO, WANT TO ANSWER YOUR OTHER QUESTION JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHY.
AND SO SHARE A LOT OF THE SAME CONCERNS.
AND SO WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT IT BINDING VERSUS NON BONDING, NON-BINDING, AND THE REASON I KIND OF SETTLED ON NON-BINDING IS, UH, THE ISSUES IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE, IF IT WAS BINDING, RIGHT, WE WOULD COME UP, YOU KNOW, WE'D CERTIFY THE VOTE AND THEN THAT WOULD BE THE BINDING, THAT'D BE THE LAW.
OF COURSE, WE CAN'T TAKE DOWN THE CAMERAS IN AN AFTERNOON AND THE, THE TAKING DOWN THE CAMERAS IS ACTUALLY FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, RIGHT? OKAY.
YOU'D EVENTUALLY TAKE 'EM DOWN EVEN IF IT TOOK WHATEVER, A COUPLE MONTHS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
[01:00:01]
THE BIGGER ISSUE I, I KIND OF THOUGHT THROUGH IS WHAT IF, UH, THE CITIZENS DECIDE TO KEEP THE CAMERAS AND SO NOW YOU'RE BOUND TO KEEP THE CAMERAS LIKE IN PERPETUITY 30 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN THAT'S NOT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT PEOPLE USE.WE'D HAVE TO WHAT, GO BACK TO THE CITIZENS TO EXPLAIN THAT WE NO LONGER NEED THIS AND WE NEED A DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY.
AND TO A LITTLE BIT OF, OF, UH, COUNCILMAN RESER'S POINT, I FEEL THAT THE BINDING PART OF THIS IS THAT IF YOU, IF THE CITIZENS VOTED FOR SOMETHING AND YOU JUST DECIDED YOU DIDN'T WANNA LISTEN TO THE CITIZENS, THEN YOU WOULD BE BOUND AT THE BALLOT BOX TO GET VOTED OUT OR YOU GET RECALLED.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE ACTION COMES IN, WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD AND WHY I THOUGHT THE NON-BINDING VERSION, UH, WOULD BE BETTER, UH, TO PUT OUT THERE.
BUT I DO AGREE THAT DISCLOSING THE FACT THAT IT IS NON-BINDING IN THE RESOLUTION LANGUAGE MAKES GOOD SENSE.
AND, UM, MR. RICK, UH, JUST A QUICK RESPONSE TO THAT.
AND IF THIS VOTE COMES BACK AND THE VOTE SAYS THAT WE DO WANT TO KEEP THE, UH, FLOCK CAMERAS UP, WE REALLY NEED TO COME BACK.
'CAUSE THERE IS PRIVACY CONCERNS THAT STILL WILL REMAIN.
WE STILL HAVE DIFFERENT ISSUES, UH, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS TO MAKE THE, UH, CITIZENS COMFORTABLE.
UM, AND SO, UM, I I THANK YOU FOR SECONDING THAT MOTION.
I MEAN, ALL THESE PEOPLE CAME UP TO SPEAK ON THIS, THIS EXPERIMENT AND SELF-GOVERNANCE IS PRETTY AMAZING.
UM, I READ A LOT OF THE SAME BOOKS THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN TRESSLER HAS AND, AND YOU'LL SEE HERE IN A MINUTE THAT, UH, WE CAN READ THOSE SAME BOOKS, INTERPRET THEM DIFFERENTLY, AND ARRIVE AT DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS.
UM, I ALSO AGREE WITH, WITH COUNCILMAN CRUZ THAT THERE'S REALLY TWO QUESTIONS BEFORE TONIGHT, SHOULD LEAGUE CITY CONTINUE USING FLOCK CAMERAS? SHOULD THE CITIZENS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL US DIRECTLY WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT 'EM? AND TONIGHT, PRIMARILY, PRIMARILY ANSWERING THE SECOND QUESTION, UM, VOTING TO PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT SHOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY BE INTERPRETED AS BEING FOR OR AGAINST FLOCK CAMERAS.
UH, GENERALLY SPEAKING, I'M AGAINST GOVERNING BY REFERENDUM.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE I DON'T TRUST OUR CITIZENS OR DON'T THINK THEY'RE CAPABLE OF MAKING GOOD DECISIONS, IS BECAUSE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT EXISTS FOR A REASON.
COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO STAFF, ATTORNEYS, POLICE LEADERSHIP CONTRACTS, FINANCIAL INFORMATION, OTHER TECHNICAL DETAILS THAT AREN'T EASILY CONDENSED TO A BALLOT QUESTION.
WE'RE ELECTED TO STUDY THOSE ISSUES, HEAR FROM CITIZENS, WEIGH COMPETING INTERESTS, AND THEN TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR DECISIONS.
LIKE, UH, MAYOR LONG SAID, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD IS IF WE DON'T DO THIS THE RIGHT WAY, UH, THERE'S EITHER A RECALL OR AN ELECTION COMING UP.
OUR FOUNDING FATHERS, UH, THEY DID WARN US, UH, UH, AGAINST DIRECT DEMOCRACY, RIGHT? A PURE DEMOCRACY COULD PROVIDE NO CURE FOR THE MISCHIEFS OF FACTIONS.
WHAT JAMES MADISON SAID IN FED 10, AND HIS CONCERN WAS THAT IMMEDIATE MAJORITY SENTIMENT COULD SOMETIMES OVERWHELM LONG-TERM INTERESTS OR MINORITY RIGHTS.
UH, HE ALSO MADE ANOTHER POINT IN FED 63 TO THAT, THAT THAT SAME ISSUE, UM, THAT THE PUBLIC CONTEMPORARILY BECOME PASSIONATE ABOUT AN ISSUE LATER REGRET IT.
UH, WHAT WHAT IT DEMANDED AT THAT TIME.
SO HE WROTE THAT WHEN THE PEOPLE STIMULATED BY SOME IRREGULAR PASSION OR SOME ILLICIT ADVANTAGE, OR MISLED BY THE ARTFUL MISREPRESENTATION OF INTERESTED MEN, THEY MAY CALL FOR MEASURES THAT THEY LATER CONDEMN.
AND WE CAN'T ALL THE TIME TAKE THESE COMPLICATED ISSUES AND REDUCE THEM TO A SIMPLE YES NO QUESTION ON A BALLOT BOX.
UH, YOU KNOW, THAT BEING SAID, THE FOUNDERS BELIEVED THAT OUR GOVERNMENT ULTIMATELY DERIVES AUTHORITY FROM THE PEOPLE WHILE DELIBERATELY CREATING REPRESENTATIVE INSTITUTIONS THROUGH WHICH THAT AUTHORITY WOULD NORMALLY BE EXERCISED.
SO I'M GONNA VOTE YES NIGHT ON THIS, RIGHT? WHY IS THIS REFERENDUM HERE PARTICULARLY DIFFERENT FOR ME? WELL, I THINK IT'S UNUSUALLY WELL SUITED TO AN ADVISORY VOTE.
CONTRARY TO WHAT COUNCILMAN TRUSSLER SAYS, THE THE FUNDAMENTAL POLICY QUESTION ISN'T ESPECIALLY COMPLICATED, RIGHT? WE UNDERSTAND THAT FLOCK CAMERAS PROVIDE A LEGITIMATE, LEGITIMATE PUBLIC SAFETY BENEFIT.
LCPD SAID THE SYSTEM ASSISTED, UH, 305 CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
SO THERE IS A REAL PUBLIC SAFETY BENEFIT SIDE OF THIS DISCUSSION, BUT THEY ALSO CREATE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVACY, GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE, DATA ACCESS, AND POTENTIAL MISUSE.
UH, WE, YOU COULDN'T REALLY TURN ON THE TV OR OPEN SOCIAL MEDIA OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS WITHOUT SEEING SOMETHING POP UP SOME OF THEM IN, IN OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES, RIGHT? WHAT'S CRITICAL ABOUT THIS FOR ME, MAKES IT DIFFERENT IS THE, THE NON-BINDING ELEMENT, RIGHT? UH, THIS ISN'T DIRECT DEMOCRACY REPLACING REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? THE REFERENDUM ISN'T ADVISORY, NOT NON-BINDING.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY A CITYWIDE STRAW POLL.
UH, CITIZENS CAN TELL US WHERE THEY WANT THE BALANCE BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND PRIVACY.
BUT THE COUNCIL WILL STILL RETAIN THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DEAL WITH THE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, LEGAL EXPOSURE, DATA SECURITY,
[01:05:01]
LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDS, AND THE DETAILS OF WHATEVER ORDINANCE ULTIMATELY RESULTS.SO THEY CAN TELL US WHERE THEY WANT TO GO.
THE CITIZENS CAN TELL US WHERE THEY WANNA GO WITH THIS, BUT IT'S STILL OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS THEIR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO DETERMINE HOW WE GET THERE RESPONSIBLY.
RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, THAT BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, KNOW WHY HAVE THE VOTE AT ALL.
RIGHT? WELL, I THINK IT PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY.
THE GOVERNMENT ULTIMATELY OPERATES ON PUBLIC TRUST.
CITIZENS DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH EVERY DECISION WE MAKE, BUT THEY NEED TO BELIEVE THEIR GOVERNMENT LISTENS TO THEM AND TAKES THEIR CONCERNS SERIOUSLY.
WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVE GOVERNMENT ISN'T LISTENING, THEY'LL DISENGAGE.
THEY STOP PARTICIPATING, THEY STOP TRUSTING INSTITUTIONS.
EVENTUALLY THAT'LL DAMAGE THE REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT ON AN ISSUE INVOLVING GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY.
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT.
SO IN FED 51 MADISON SAID, A DEPENDENCE ON THE PEOPLE IS NO DOUBT THAT PRIMARY CONTROL ON THE GOVERNMENT.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE SHOULD GOVERN THE CITY BY REFERENDUM.
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ELECTED TO DO.
BUT I ALSO DON'T BELIEVE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT MEANS THAT WE SHOULD BE AFRAID TO ASK THE PEOPLE WE REPRESENT WHAT THEY THINK.
THIS IS A STRAIGHTFORWARD QUESTION INVOLVING THE BALANCE BETWEEN PUBLIC SAFETY AND PERSONAL PRIVACY.
BECAUSE THIS REFERENDUM IS ADVISORY, THE CITIZENS CAN TELL US WHERE THEY BELIEVE THAT BALANCE SHOULD BE AND THAT WE CAN DO THE JOB THEY ELECTED US TO DO.
TAKE THAT DIRECTION, CONSIDER THE LEGAL, FINANCIAL, OPERATIONAL REALITIES, CRAFT RESPONSIBLE POLICY AROUND IT.
SO WHATEVER THE VOTERS ULTIMATELY TELL US, LISTENING TO THEM STRENGTHENS RATHER THAN WEAKENS THE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
WOULD ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO SHOW OFF THEIR POLITICAL SCIENCE DEGREE?
WE ARE VOTING ON THE MOTION TO AMEND.
NOW WE ARE VOTING ON THE MOTION AS AMENDED, AND THAT IS TO ADD.
UH, AND MAYOR, I DO HAVE SOME PROPOSED LANGUAGE IF I, IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO READ.
UM, SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF, AND, AND WE CAN PLAY WITH THE LANGUAGE, BUT JUST TO KIND OF PROVIDE CLARITY AS A, AND THE PROPOSITION ON THE BALLOT WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE, AS A NON-BINDING STATEMENT OF VOTER PREFERENCE, SHOULD THE LEAGUE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT CONTINUE USING AN AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERA AT FIXED LOCATIONS ON PUBLIC ROADWAY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES, WOULD THAT BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE WILL OF COUNSEL? THAT WOULD, AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA SAY, WHAT STARTS OFF SAYING AS A NON-BINDING STATEMENT OF VOTER PREFERENCE.
WELL, I GUESS YOU'LL KNOW IF IT'S GOOD WITH ME WHEN I VOTE RIGHT HERE.
MOTION FOR FIRST AND FINAL MOVE FOR FIRST FINAL
I WANNA CLARIFY ONE TO GET ON THE BALLOT.
WHEN IS THE DEADLINE FOR, FOR FINAL APPROVAL? AUGUST 17TH.
SO IF, IF IT DOESN'T PASS FIRST AND FINAL AT NIGHT, WE WOULD NEED A SPECIAL MEETING.
WE'D HAVE TO POST IT TONIGHT AND WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, THE EARLIEST WE COULD HAVE IT, WE COULD HAVE IT ON, UM, THIS SATURDAY.
WE WOULD'VE TO HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING.
IF THAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER TO NOT HAVE TO DO THE SPECIAL MEETING.
THE, THE NEXT QUESTION WAS, HOW MANY WITH SEVEN OF US HERE HAVE TO VOTE YES FOR IT TO PAY US ON PERSON FILE SIX.
WE'LL JUMP BACK TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
UH, DON'T FEEL OBLIGATED TO SIT THROUGH THE REST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, IF YOU CAME HERE FOR THE FLOCK STUFF.
CAN I MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE THE, UH, ITEMS REGARDING THE, UH, UM, SPECIAL USE PERMIT, UM, UP SINCE WE HAD SOMEBODY HERE FOR THAT ONE AS WELL? SURE.
WHAT IS THAT ITEM NUMBER SEVEN? I'M SORRY.
MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND MOVE UP SEVEN A AND B.
[01:10:01]
PASSES SEVEN FOUR.[7A. 26-0307 Hold a public hearing on a request for Special Use Permit Application, SUP-26-0005 (Magnolia Proof), to allow for an Alcoholic Beverage Sales use, with on-premise consumption (a cocktail bar), on approximately 2.8331 acres zoned “CG-PUD” (General Commercial within the Magnolia Creek Planned Unit Development Overlay), generally located along the north side of League City Parkway, and east of Bay Area Boulevard with the address of 4550 West League City Parkway (Director of Planning) ]
HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE REQUEST FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPLICATION SUP DASH 26 DASH 0 0 0 5.MAGNOLIA PROOF TO ALLOW FOR AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES USE WITH ON, ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.
A COCKTAIL BAR ON APPROXIMATELY 2.8331 ACRES ZONED CG DASH PUD GENERAL COMMERCIAL WITHIN THE MAGNOLIA CREEK PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY.
GENERALLY LOCATED ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF LAKE CITY PARKWAY, AND EAST BAY AREA BOULEVARD WITH AN ADDRESS OF 45 50 WEST LAKE CITY PARKWAY.
UH, THIS HEARING OPENS AT SEVEN 10.
FIRST PERSON WE HAVE UP HERE IS, I'VE HEARD THE BETTER.
SO THANK YOU ALL FIRST OF ALL FOR HEARING, UM, OUR APPLICATION, UH, FOR AN SUP, UH, FOR A COCKTAIL BAR.
I'M ONE OF THE OWNERS OF CRAFT 96.
THIS IS A PROJECT I'M TAKING ON, UH, WITH, WITH SOME FRIENDS OF OURS.
UM, THE, THE JOKE EARLIER WAS, WE KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT ON YOUR PLATE TONIGHT.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO PUT SOMETHING IN YOUR GLASS
I'VE SPOKEN TO A FEW OF YOU OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS AS WE WORKED TO FIND A, A PARTNER AND, AND A AND A, UH, BUILDING A LEASE THAT WOULD WORK WITH US THROUGH THE TIMELINE OF GETTING THIS APPLICATION APPROVED.
AND WE FOUND ONE, AND WE'RE VERY, WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH IT.
AND WE, WE HOPE YOU ARE AS WELL.
SO, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? NO.
OH, WILL THEY HAVE THE SOFT PRETZEL LIKE CRAFT? OH, UH, UH, TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
UM, JACOB, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD.
UH, JACOB, UH, STUT STUY STUY.
I'VE BEEN A LEAGUE CITY RESIDENT FOR 12 YEARS.
I'M HERE TONIGHT IN SUPPORT OF MAGNOLIA PROOF.
UM, I REALLY THINK THIS WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO LEAGUE CITY, ESPECIALLY THE WEST SIDE.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE MANY PLACES TO GO, UH, FOR A NICE COCKTAIL OR A DATE NIGHT WITHOUT HAVING TO DRIVE ACROSS TOWN.
UH, IT'S A LOCALLY OWNED UPSCALE COCKTAIL BAR WITH A FOCUS ON QUALITY DRINKS AND A GOOD ATMOSPHERE.
UM, WITH ROTOLO'S RIGHT NEXT DOOR, YOU CAN GRAB DINNER AND THEN WALK OVER FOR A DRINK, UM, WHICH WOULD MAKE THAT AREA A DESTINATION.
I'D MUCH RATHER SEE LAKE CITY, UH, SUPPORT A UNIQUE LOCAL BUSINESS LIKE MAGNOLIA PROOF THAN ANOTHER CHAIN FRANCHISE OR MATTRESS STORE.
I HOPE YOU'LL GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD.
I DON'T WANNA BELABOR THE POINT AS I'M ALSO IN FAVOR OF MAGNOLIA PROOF, BUT JUST A COUPLE OTHER THINGS.
UH, MY WIFE AND I HAVE LIVED IN LEAGUE CITY FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS AS WELL.
WE CURRENTLY RESIDE IN MARBELLA ON THE EAST SIDE.
I WOULD MUCH RATHER IT BE THERE, BUT GET, GET, GET EVERYTHING YOU WANT.
UH, I DON'T LIKE GOING TO GALVESTON AND HOUSTON ON A DAY AND HALF WITH MY WIFE.
I HAVE TWO HIGH SCHOOL KIDS AT CLEAR FALLS.
WE FINALLY GET A LITTLE FREEDOM WHEN WE GET TO GET OUT FOR A COUPLE HOURS.
I WOULD LOVE TO GO RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.
ALSO, WE DON'T HAVE THAT MANY, UH, THRIVING RESTAURANT AND BAR BUSINESSES IN LAKE CITY.
WE'RE VERY SAFE AREA AND I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
I'M A FORMER STATE TROOPER IN THE AREA.
UH, AND SO I HATE TO SEE WHEN WE HAVE A GOOD RESTAURANT LIKE ROTOLO'S NOT HAVE A SUPPORTING PARTNER IN THE SAME, UH, GENERAL AREA AS, BECAUSE TWO TEND TO BRING IN THREE AND THREE MAKE EVERYBODY STRONGER, RIGHT? LIKE HE SAID, IF YOU BRING IN ANOTHER MATTRESS STORE, ANOTHER DENTIST OFFICE, LIKE OVER BY MARBELLA, YOU DON'T GET A LOT OF RESTAURANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE FOR ALL THE RESIDENTS THAT WE HAVE IN LAKE CITY.
SO I WOULD URGE YOU TO, UH, CONSIDER THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND, AND APPROVE IT.
BEING NOBODY ELSE ON THE LIST.
WE'LL CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AT 7 14 7 B.
[7B. 26-0308 Consider and take action on an ordinance authorizing a Special Use Permit Application, SUP-26-0005 (Magnolia Proof), to allow for an Alcoholic Beverage Sales use, with on-premise consumption (a cocktail bar), on approximately 2.8331 acres zoned “CG-PUD” (General Commercial within the Magnolia Creek Planned Unit Development Overlay), generally located along the north side of League City Parkway, and east of Bay Area Boulevard with the address of 4550 West League City Parkway (Director of Planning) ]
TAKE ACTION ON AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, SUP DASH 26 DASH 0 0 5 MAGNOLIA PROOF TO ALLOW FOR AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES USE WITH ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.A COCKTAIL BAR ON APPROXIMATELY 2.8331 ACRES, ZONED
[01:15:01]
CEG DASH PUD GENERAL COMMERCIAL WITHIN MAGNOLIA CREEK PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY.GENERALLY LOCATED ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF LEAGUE CITY PARKWAY, AND EAST OF BAY AREA BOULEVARD WITH AN ADDRESS OF 45 50 WEST LEAGUE CITY PARKWAY.
MAYOR, I MOVE TO APPROVE WITH FOUR STAFF'S.
ONE, I, I FIRST WANNA ADDRESS THE, THE GENTLEMAN WHO SPOKE DURING PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE THE ITEM.
I HAVE NO CLUE WHY YOU WANNA DRESS UP AND RIDE YOUR BIKE SOMEWHERE, BUT THAT'S NOT FOR ME TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T DO THAT.
UM, AND WITH RESPECT TO THE REST OF THE COMMENTS ON THIS, UM, WE, WE'VE HEARD PRETTY CLEAR MESSAGE FROM THE FOLKS.
SO THANKS FOR, UH, SHOWING UP.
I MEAN, LOVE YOUR PLACE ON THE EAST SIDE.
I GUESS IT'S ONLY FAIR THAT WE SHARE YOU GUYS WITH THE WEST SIDE AS WELL, BUT HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY.
AND MAYBE THE NEXT ONE COULD BE IN DICKINSON
PLEASE VOTE TO THIS WEST SIDE.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE JUST ALL OUTTA ORDER ON THIS SHEET.
[6. CONSENT AGENDA]
SIX A THROUGH F.NONE AGAINST, UM, LET'S SEE WHERE WE'RE, UH, NINE.
[9A. 26-0315 Report on certified tax roll, certified estimate of collection rate, certified excess debt collections, and no-new-revenue tax rate and voter-approval rate calculations (Assistant City Manager - CFO) ]
ON CERTIFIED TAX ROLL, CERTIFIED ESTIMATE OF COLLECTION RATE, CERTIFIED EXCESS DEBT COLLECTIONS AND NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE AND VOTER APPROVAL RATE CALCULATIONS.THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
SO ON THE SCREEN YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR TOTAL TAXABLE VALUE FROM THE CERTIFIED RULE IS 13.45 BILLION, WHICH IS AN INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR AT THE 13.28 NUMBER.
THE CALCULATION FOR THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE, AS WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE FIVE O'CLOCK WORKSHOP IS 35 CENTS.
UM, 0.6505, AND THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE IS 46.5935.
UM, PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET IS AT THE NEXT MEETING.
ADOPTING THE BUDGET IS GONNA BE TWO READINGS.
NEXT MEETING AND THE FIRST MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN TONIGHT AT THE NEXT ITEM IS PROPOSAL OF THE TAX RATE WITH ADOPTION ON SEPTEMBER EIGHTH'S MEETING.
[9B. 26-0316 Consider and take action on the 2026 proposed ad valorem tax rate (Fiscal Year 2027 - October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027) of $0.356505. The property tax rate will be adopted as an action item at the September 8, 2026 Council meeting (Assistant City Manager - CFO)]
NINE B, CONSIDER AND TAKE ACTION ON THE 2026.PROPOSED A VALOREM TAX RATE FISCAL YEAR 2027, OCTOBER 1ST, 2026 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2027 OF 0.3 5 6 5 0 5.
THE PROPERTY TAX RATE WILL BE ADOPTED AS AN ACTION ITEM ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2026.
NOT AGAINST, I GAVE IT TO YOU.
I DO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR WORKING SO HARD TO GET THAT NO NEW REVENUE BUDGET AND, AND COMING BACK TO US WITH SOMETHING THAT COVERED A LOT OF THE THINGS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT AND GIVING ANOTHER, UH, BUDGET BACK AT THE NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE AND TAX DECREASE.
[10A. 26-0319 Consider and take action on an ordinance ordering a Special Election for the City of League City, Texas on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 to elect a Council member to Position 3; ordering a Runoff Election on Saturday, December 12, 2026, if necessary (City Secretary)]
A CONSIDER AND TAKE ACTION ON OUR ORDINANCE.ORDERING A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THE CITY OF LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026.
TO ELECT COUNCIL MEMBER TO POSITION THREE, ORDERING A RUNOFF ELECTION SATURDAY DECEMBER 12TH, 2026.
NONE AGAINST, WE'VE ALREADY DISPENSED OF 10 B.
THERE IS NO ITEMS AFTER SUPPLEMENTAL AGENDA REPORTS FROM STAFF.
[13. COUNCIL MEMBERS COMMENTS/REPORTS ]
FROM COUNCIL MAYOR PRO TEM.[01:20:01]
MY TIME.MR. CHADWELL, UH, JUST WANT TO WISH ALL OF THE STUDENTS GOING BACK AND C-C-I-S-D-A SAFE, UH, PRODUCTIVE SCHOOL YEAR.
YEAH, COURTNEY STOLE THE WORDS OUTTA MY MOUTH.
UH, GOOD LUCK TOMORROW, ALL THE KIDS OUT THERE AND, UH, CONGRATS TO A LOT OF THE PARENTS WHO, UH, GET THE KIDS BACK AT SCHOOL.
MS. TRESSLER, I ALREADY ABUSED MY TIME
I WAS GONNA TELL YOU THAT I'D LIKE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, EXPAND ON WHAT THEY SAID AND WELCOME BACK THE KIDS TO DISD AS WELL.
EVEN THOUGH THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM DISD FORGOT TO DO THAT.
I'LL, I'LL, I'LL WELCOME HIM BACK.
[14. EXECUTIVE(CLOSED) SESSION(S) ]
CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO SUBCHAPTER D THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT SECTION 5 51 AT ALL THE GOVERNMENT CODE IN THIS 11TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2026 AT SEVEN 20.CITY COUNCIL HAS COMPLETED THE EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THE 11TH DAY OF AUGUST, 2026 AT 7 43.
[15. ACTION ITEM(S) FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION(S) ]
CONSIDER AND TAKE ACTION ON DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING POTENTIAL PURCHASER SALE OF REAL PROPERTY INTERESTS.I MOVE TO DIRECT THE STAFF TO PROCEED AS DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
[16. REPORT FROM CITY AUDITOR ]
FROM CITY AUDITOR.GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL.
UM, I WILL BE PROVIDING YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE UTILITY BILLING AUDIT.
THE RESULTS OF IT, LET SEE, DID I HIT THE RIGHT SLIDE? THERE WE GO.
THIS AUDIT FOCUSED ON DELINQUENCY, DETERRENCE, FINANCIAL RISK MITIGATION, AND EQUITABLE APPLICATION OF UTILITY BILLING POLICIES.
UM, TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF COUNCIL'S TIME, UH, IF PERMISSIBLE, I'D LIKE TO PRESENT THE AUDIT RESULTS AND THEN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSS ANY ITEMS AFTERWARDS.
BEFORE DISCUSSING THE RESULTS, I WANNA PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT ABOUT THE SCALE AND FINANCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF UTILITY BILLING.
THIS DIVISION, UH, SERVES APPROXIMATELY 39,000 CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS AND, AND IS A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR OPERATION.
IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, UM, A UTILITY REVENUE WAS $50.5 MILLION.
UM, THESE REVENUES FUND OPERATION MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL NEEDS OF THE UTILITY.
UH, THE UTILITY SYSTEM AS OF THE AUDIT ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE TOTALED APPROXIMATELY 4.73 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDED 1.19 MILLION OF PAST DUE ACCOUNTS.
CONSIDERING THE SCALE, EVEN MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN BILLING COLLECTIONS AND INTERNAL CONTROLS CAN HAVE MEANING MEANINGFUL FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL BENEFITS.
THE AUDIT EXAMINED PRIMARY CONTROLS FOR PROTECTING UTILITY REVENUE AND ADMINISTERING CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS.
THE SCOPE OF THE AUDIT INCLUDED DISCONNECTION PRACTICES, DEPOSIT POLICIES, AND FINANCIAL RISK BILLING AND FEE ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM AND CUSTOMER INFORMATION, AND ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE OVERALL, THE UTILITY BILLING DEPARTMENT WAS FOUND TO HAVE ESTABLISHED PROCESSES, EXPERIENCED STAFF, AND A HISTORY OF OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS WITH ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.
THE AUDIT RESULTED IN NINE FINDINGS, IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN REVENUE PROTECTION, OPERATIONAL CONSISTENCY, INTERNAL CONTROLS, AND LONG-TERM OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESS THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH STRONGER CONTROLS, MORE CONSISTENT PRACTICES, AND GREATER USE OF AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AGREED OR PARTIALLY AGREED WITH THE FINDINGS AND HAS IDENTIFIED CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OR ONGOING INITIATIVES FOR MOST RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE FIRST, I'M GONNA FOCUS ON THREE FINDINGS WITH THE GREATEST POLICY, FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.
AND THE REMAINING FINDINGS ARE GONNA BE GROUPED UNDER COMMON OPERATIONAL THEMES.
THE HANDOUT YOU'VE RECEIVED CROSS REFERENCES THESE TOPICS TO THE INDIVIDUAL FINDINGS AND ALSO THE AUDIT REPORT FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE.
THE FIRST FINDING ADDRESSES DISCONNECTION PRACTICES, WHICH ARE AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION TOOL, UH, FOR ENCOURAGING PAYMENT AND LIMITING DELINQUENT BALANCES.
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EXPOSURE AND VOLUME OF DELINQUENCY ACTIVITY HA ACTUALLY HELPS PUT THIS FINDING INTO PERSPECTIVE.AS OF THE AUDIT, APPROXIMATELY 17% OF CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS HAD A PAST DUE BALANCE OF THE 1.19 MILLION, UH, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE PAST DUE APPROXIMATELY $660,000.
UH, 60 660,000 HAD BEEN OUTSTANDING FOR MORE THAN 120 DAYS.
THE VOLUME OF OPERATION DELINQUENCY ACTIVITY IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT.
DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, UTILITY BILLING ISSUED APPROXIMATELY 59,000 DELINQUENCY NOTICES AND COMPLETED 2,650.
UH, THIS IS AN APPROXIMATE, UH, 2,650 SERVICE DISCONNECTIONS, WHICH AVERAGES ABOUT 50 PER WEEK.
THE AUDIT FOUND THAT CURRENT PRACTICES DO NOT ALWAYS ALIGN WITH THE DISCONNECTION CRITERIA ESTABLISHED IN CITY ORDINANCE AND POLICIES.
ONLY A PORTION OF ELIGIBLE DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS ARE PROCESS FOR DISCONNECTION.
EACH BILLING CYCLE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS ALSO SOMETIMES ALLOW ACCOUNTS TO REMAIN DELINQUENT FOR EXTENDED PERIODS WITHOUT BECOMING CURRENT.
AS A RESULT, CUSTOMERS IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES MAY BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY.
SOME ARE DISCONNECTED AND NECESSITY WHILE OTHERS REMAIN DELINQUENT LONGER.
WEAKENS DISCONNECTION IS A CONNECTION DETERRENT, UH, COLLECTION DETERRENT AND RAISES CUSTOMER EQUITY CONCERNS.
THE PRIMARY CAUSES INCLUDE CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS, MANUAL PAYMENT PROCESSING, AND LIMITED AUTOMATION.
DURING DIS DISCONNECTION PERIODS, CUSTOMER SERVICE HANDLES A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PAYMENTS AND CUSTOMER CONTACTS.
THIS LIMITS THE NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS THAT CAN BE PROCESSED BASED ON CURRENT CAPACITY MANAGEMENT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT STAFFING LIMITATIONS AND MANUAL PROCESS AFFECT CURRENT OPERATIONS.
AND NOTED THAT TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION OF AN IVR PAYMENT SYSTEM, ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE CONSISTENCY AND EFFICIENCY.
THE SECOND FINDING ADDRESSES THE CITY'S DEPOSIT PRACTICES.
CURRENT DEPOSIT PRACTICES MAY NOT FULLY REFLECT FINANCIAL RISK ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC DELINQUENCIES, WHICH INCREASES THE CITY'S EXPOSURE TO UNRECOVERED BALANCES.
THE EXISTING ORDINANCE ALLOWS FOR DEPOSITS TO BE INCREASED FOR CHRONICALLY DELINQUENT CUSTOMERS, BUT THAT AUTHORITY IS NOT CURRENTLY BEING USED.
THE AUDIT ALSO FOUND THAT SOME CUSTOMERS BECAME DELINQUENT AFTER THEIR DEPOSIT WAS WAIVED OR APPLIED, YET THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO RESTORE THE DEPOSIT.
AND IN THIS SITUATION, IT WOULD BE THAT THEY EITHER HAD A GOOD PAYMENT RECORD OR THEY HAD GOOD CREDIT WHEN THEY CAME IN AND SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME DELINQUENT.
OTHER MUNICIPALITIES USE A RANGE OF APPROACHES, INCLUDING DEPOSITS THAT VARY BY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER TYPE AND REQUIREMENTS TO PAY DEPOSITS IN APPLICABLE FEES BEFORE CONNECTION TO SERVICE.
THE RECOMMENDED DIRECTION IS TO EVALUATE DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS BASED ON CUSTOMER FINANCIAL RISK.
OF COURSE, HOW THE CITY BALANCES FINANCIAL PROTECTION WITH CUSTOMER CONSIDERATIONS IS ULTIMATELY A DECISION FROM MANAGEMENT.
AND COUNCIL MANAGEMENT DID NOT SUPPORT INDIVIDUALIZED OR CREDIT BASED DEPOSITS, BUT PLANS TO DEVELOP STANDARDIZED, STANDARDIZED DEPOSIT OPTIONS BY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER TYPE FOR LEADERSHIP AND COUNCIL CONSIDERATION IN FISCAL YEAR 2027.
THE THIRD FINDING ADDRESSES HOW CITY RECOVERS THE COST OF PROCESSING ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, INCLUDING CREDIT CARDS, DEBIT CARDS, AND EEX.
THESE COSTS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN FISCAL YEAR 22 AND 25.
FROM 44,000, UH, SORRY, $459,000 TO NEARLY 1.17 MILLION.
THIS IS A 268% INCREASE OVER THREE YEARS.
CURRENTLY THESE COSTS ARE RECOVERED THROUGH UTILITY RATES.
AS A RESULT, CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T USE ELECTRONIC PAYMENT METHODS HELP SUBSIDIZE THOSE WHO DO.
INCORPORATING ESTIMATED PROCESSING COST INTO UTILITY RATES ALSO MAKES COST RECOVERY LESS TRANSPARENT.
SEVERAL NEARBY AND SIMILARLY SIZED CITIES CHARGE CONVENIENCE FEES FOR CREDIT CARD OR ECHECK PAYMENTS.
THESE RANGE FROM TWO TO 4% OF THE PAYMENT AND SOME CHARGE A FLAT FEE.
GIVEN THE SIZE AND CONTINUED GROWTH OF THESE COSTS, THE POTENTIAL POLICY QUESTION FOR COUNCIL IS WHETHER ALL UTILITY CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO SHARE THEM OR WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE MORE DIRECTLY ASSIGNED TO THE CUSTOMERS WHO GENERATE THEM.
MANAGEMENT HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE SIGNIFICANT COST INCREASE, BUT INDICATED CONCERN THAT CHARGING THE PROCESSING FEE COULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT OPERATIONS.
HOWEVER, MANAGEMENT WILL SUPPORT FURTHER EVALUATION IF DIRECTED BY COUNSEL.
THE REMAINING FINDINGS ARE GROUPED BY COMMON THEMES.
[01:30:01]
REVENUE ADMINISTRATION AND CUSTOMER, UH, ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT.THESE FINDINGS INCLUDED FEE CODE ISSUES THAT RESULTED IN INCORRECT CHARGES, AGE TO MISAPPLIED CUSTOMER CREDITS, AND A SMALL GROUP OF SOLID WASTE ONLY CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS THAT REMAIN DELINQUENT FOR EXTENDED PERIODS.
TOGETHER, THEY REPRESENT OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE BILLING ACCURACY, STRENGTHEN REVENUE COLLECTION, AND REINFORCE SOUND.
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP MANAGEMENT AGREED WITH ALL FINDINGS AND IDENTIFY CORRECTIVE ACTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED ARE UNDERWAY OR ARE PLANNED.
THE SECOND GROUP FOCUSES ON THE RELIABILITY OF INFORMATION SUPPORTING UTILITY BILLING OPERATIONS.
THE AUDIT IDENTIFIED, UH, RECORDED DEPOSITS THAT DID NOT ALWAYS ALIGN WITH TRANSACTION HISTORY, MAKING DEPOSIT ACTIVITY DIFFICULT TO TRACE FROM THE CUSTOMER DEPOSIT RECORD ALONE.
THE AUDIT ALSO IDENTIFIED ISSUES WITH CUSTOMER RECORDS AND DOCUMENT INDEXING.
SOME INFORMATION WAS STORED UNDER GENERIC COUNT AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WERE NOT ALWAYS READILY AVAILABLE.
TOGETHER, THESE ISSUES CAN MAKE ACCOUNT RESEARCH MORE DIFFICULT, INCREASED STAFF EFFORT, AND REDUCED THE RELIABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY OF INFORMATION SUPPORTING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AND FINANCIAL ADMINIS, UH, ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT STATED THAT THE CUSTOMER DEPOSITS REVIEWED WERE ACCURATE, BUT ACKNOWLEDGED THAT DEPOSIT ACTIVITY IS NOT ALWAYS EASILY TRACEABLE WITHIN A SINGLE SYSTEM.
IMPROVEMENTS TO DEPOSIT TRACEABILITY, DOCUMENT INDEXING AND MONITORING ARE CONTINUING.
UM, FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS FOR, UH, FOR COUNCIL.
THE FIRST INVOLVES POLICY DECISIONS INCLUDING UTILITY DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS AND HOW ELECTRONIC PAYMENT PROCESSING COSTS ARE RECOVERED.
THE SECOND INVOLVES LONGER TERM STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AS A UTILITY CUSTOMER BASE GROWS.
MANAGEMENT IS EVALUATING TECHNOLOGY AUTOMATION AND OTHER OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO HELP ENSURE THE DIVISION HAS THE CAPACITY TO MEET FUTURE NEEDS.
UH, THE NORMAL FOLLOW UP PROCESS WILL BE CONDUCTED, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR 27 TO EVALUATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AGREED CORRECTIVE ACTIONS AND WILL BE REPORTED TO COUNSEL AT THAT TIME.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION.
UM, NOW, UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MS. TRUSS.
UM, IN THE FUTURE I'D LIKE THIS AS, UH, LIKE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ON THE FRONT OF EVERY AUDIT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS BROUGHT HERE TONIGHT.
I, I LIKE PRINTED STUFF IN ADVANCE SO I CAN OKAY.
YOU WOULD LIKE THAT WITH THE AUDIT REPORT? YES.
UM, ALL RIGHT, GOING BACK TO THE FULL AUDIT REPORT SINCE I HAD THE TIME TO READ IT NOW.
UM, GOING TO TO PAGE THREE, THERE'S A PARAGRAPH THAT SAYS, UTILITY GENERATES SIGNIFICANT ANNUAL REVENUE WITH A BUNCH OF NUMBERS.
GIVES ME PERCENTAGES PAST DUE, DOLLAR AMOUNTS DAYS, GREAT.
BUT NONE OF US RUN A UTILITY BILLING DEPARTMENT UP HERE.
SO I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THOSE NUMBERS MEAN AS FAR AS HOW ARE WE PERFORMING VERSUS SOME BASELINE.
SO WHEN YOU GIMME NUMBERS LIKE THAT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM RUN AGAINST WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TWO RELEVANT BASELINES.
FIRST ONE I WOULD CONSIDER IS HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER CITIES? AND THE SECOND ONE WOULD BE, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO ANY COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION THAT DOES SOME SORT OF BILLING? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF 17% OF ACCOUNTS DELINQUENT IS STANDARD OR ATYPICAL HIGH OR LOW.
UM, WHAT DOES 17% MEAN TO ME? UM, SO ALL THAT INFORMATION'S GREAT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING I CAN DO SOMETHING WITH.
UM, MOVING ON, WHEN WE GET TO PAGE SIX, WITH YOUR FINDING ON THE, THE DISCONNECT PRACTICES, I SEE THAT, UM, ESSENTIALLY IF I'M SUMMARIZING YOUR STANCE, IT WAS THAT IT'S, UH, SOMEWHAT SUBJECTIVE AND STAFF SAYS THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE, THAT THERE IS OBJECTIVE CRITERIA.
UM, I, I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER EFFORT TO SIT DOWN WITH MANAGEMENT AND GET THAT TO A CONSISTENT MANAGEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO OF Y'ALL BEFORE YOU COME TO US, AS OPPOSED TO SAYING, HERE'S MINE, HERE'S THEIRS.
UM, I, I REALLY DON'T THINK THE DIFFERENCES AS WHY DOES THIS REPORT MADE IT SEEM, UM, I THINK AUDIT WORKS BEST WHEN STAFF CONSIDERS THE, THE AUDITORS TO BE A TOOL THAT HELPS THEM IMPROVE AS OPPOSED TO SOMETHING THAT'S LOOKING FOR CONFLICT OR GOTCHAS
[01:35:01]
AND FEEL THIS, THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN IS WRITTEN TO BE A GOTCHA.UM, I, I DON'T APPROVE OF AUDIT BEING DONE IN THAT WAY.
UM, IN FACT, THE REASON I I BRING THAT UP IS AS I READ THROUGH THE FINDING, I SAID, MADE A NOTE TO MYSELF, I SAID, MAN, THIS IS A BIG ISSUE.
WHY IS THE PROCESS SO MANUAL? WHY IS IT SUBJECTIVE? AND THEN I GET TO THE STAFF, UM, RESPONSE AND THEY SPECIFICALLY SAY, IT'S NOT THAT THERE'S A OBJECTIVE CRITERIA.
AND THAT THE, THE ISSUES IN, UH, CONSISTENT CONSISTENCY IN APPLYING IT ARE, ARE REALLY A, A MATTER OF FOLLOWING THAT CRITERIA.
UM, WHICH TO ME THEN IT'S STILL BEING APPLIED CONSISTENTLY AND FAIRLY.
WE'RE JUST LOOKING FOR WAYS THEY HAVE TO BALANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE, UM, UM, I DON'T THINK WE'RE LOOKING TO COME DOWN ON, UM, SUCH AS, HEY, WE CHANGED BILLING SYSTEMS AND THEY HAVEN'T SET UP A NEW CREDIT CARD YET, AND THAT'S KIND OF ON US VERSUS SOMEBODY WHO JUST AIN'T PAYING FOR THEIR WATER.
UM, SO I LIKE THAT THERE IS CRITERIA THERE.
UM, MOVING ON TO PAGE, UH, UM, NINE, I THINK ONE THING, YOU HAVE AN ITEM THAT SAYS LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMATION.
I THINK PART OF THE ISSUE IS THAT WE JUMP FROM, THEY'RE CURRENT.
THEY'RE CURRENT, THEY'RE CURRENT TO, HERE'S A DISCONNECT NOTICE.
AND I THINK MAYBE SOMETHING WE OUGHT TO LOOK AT IS AN INTERMEDIATE STEP WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH OUR CITIZENS WHO, WHO ARE OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, AND OUR BOSSES AT THE SAME TIME TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS COMING.
WE, WE NEED YOU TO GET THIS FIXED.
PUT A LITTLE MORE FOCUS ON THAT STEP AS OPPOSED TO JUMPING TO DISCONNECTS AND, AND COLLECTIONS.
UM, A LOT OF TIMES I THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH, WITH CHANGES IN OUR SYSTEM, CHANGES IN, HEY, MY CREDIT CARD, UH, EXPIRED.
I HAVE A NEW EXPIRATION DATE, AND IT DID AUTO REMIND ME TO DO THAT, WHICH HAPPENED TO ME WITH MY UTILITY BILLING.
UM, SO, UM, I ALSO SEE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT 99.44% COLLECTION.
I WISH OUR, OUR AMBULANCE COLLECTION NUMBERS WERE THAT GOOD.
UM, SO I, I DO THINK WE'RE, WE'RE DOING BETTER THAN MAYBE THE, THE TONE OF THIS AUDIT WOULD WOULD FIND.
AND I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T BE LOOKING FOR THE IMPROVEMENT.
WE, WE, WE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THAT.
UM, WHEN WE SAY ON PAGE 11, STILL UNDER THE FIRST FINDING THAT WHEN OPERATIONAL CAPACITY IS INSUFFICIENT TO PROCESS ALL ELIGIBLE ACCOUNTS, UM, WHEN, WHEN WE SAY THAT THINGS AREN'T GETTING PROCESSED BECAUSE OF OF CAPACITY, DOES THAT MEAN, AND, AND I I DIDN'T FEEL THIS WAS CLEARLY NOTED HERE.
DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE GETTING PROCESSED, YOU KNOW, A WEEK LATER OR THAT THEY'RE JUST GETTING SKIPPED COMPLETELY? 'CAUSE THOSE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.
IF, IF I'M A STANDARD HOME, YOU KNOW, MAY MAYBE THEY RUN UP AN EXTRA THOUSAND OR 2000 GALLONS OF WATER USAGE TILL THEY GET PROCESSED.
UM, THAT DOESN'T PUT US THOUSANDS OR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN BEHIND ON COLLECTION.
UM, SO I'M FINE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT, THAT TO ME IS, IS NOT A BIG DEAL.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, THE REASON I BRING THAT UP, IT GOES TO WHEN WE GET TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE, THE RISK AND, AND I'LL GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE.
UM, ACTUALLY THAT'S MY NEXT ONE UP.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND GO THERE.
UM, YOU TALK ABOUT TRYING TO GO TO A RISK-BASED DEPOSIT STRUCTURE.
UM, AND I BROUGHT THIS UP LAST TIME THAT YOU DID ANECDOTAL SNAPSHOTS THAT HIGHLIGHTED THAT, OH, THERE'S RENTERS WHO, WHO ARE, ARE AT RISK, BUT WE DON'T HAVE STATISTICAL DATA SAYING THEY ARE.
I ALSO THOUGHT MORE ABOUT THAT RISK REALLY IS A, UM, A TWO FACTOR THING.
FIRST YOU HAVE, AND AND I APOLOGIZE, I'M GONNA LEAN ON MY EXPERIENCE AT NASA HERE.
WE DO EVERYTHING AS A RISK MATRIX.
AND, AND ON ONE AXIS YOU HAVE LIKELIHOOD, BUT ON THE OTHER YOU HAVE CONSEQUENCE.
AND, AND THE ONLY RISK YOU REALLY IDENTIFIED WAS RENTERS.
AND, AND THAT TO ME WAS A COP OUT.
UM, FRANKLY, I THINK THERE'S FOLKS WHO WOULD BRING THAT UP AS A DISCRIMINATORY, UM, LANGUAGE FROM, FROM OUR CITY GOVERNMENT.
UM, AND I WORRY ABOUT THAT, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE'RE
[01:40:01]
ACCUSED OF BEING A BUNCH OF ELITIST JERKS UP HERE ANYWAY.UM, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT ONLY ADDRESSES A LIKELIHOOD EVEN IF WE HAD STATISTICAL DATA TO SAY THAT, THAT THE ANECDOTAL MATCHES.
WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, I LOOK AT THE CONSEQUENCE.
SO, OKAY, THEY'RE, THEY, THEY RENT THEIR HOUSE, THEY'RE LESS LIKELY TO PAY THEIR BILL IF WE ACCEPT THAT PREMISE OR WE HAD STATISTICAL DATA, BUT HOW FAR BEHIND CAN THEY REALLY GET? AND IF WE'RE WE'RE PROCESSING IT ONCE A WEEK OR ONCE A MONTH, HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF GALLONS IS THAT? UM, WHEREAS TO ME, THE BIGGER RISK WOULD BE, SAY AN HOA WITH AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM THAT RUNS UP A 30, $40,000 BILL A MONTH.
UM, SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT ADJUSTING DEPOSITS BASED ON RISK, WE, WE NEED TO WEIGH THE, THE CONSEQUENCE, NOT JUST THE LIKELIHOOD.
UM, MOVING ON, WE HAVE THE, UM, YOU BRING UP THE, THE, THE PAYMENTS, THE ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, AND YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, FEE STRUCTURES FOR FOLKS WHO USE NO COST PAYMENT OPTIONS.
WHAT'S, WHAT'S TRULY A NOCO PAYMENT OPTION? UH, 'CAUSE IF THEY SHOW UP AND THEY WANNA PAY WITH CASH, WE'VE GOT LABOR INVOLVED THERE AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW THOSE FOLKS ARE, ARE OPERATIONALLY CONSTRAINED IN BEHIND, WELL, THAT'S NOT NO COST.
UM, SO IS, IS THERE A FORM THAT'S TRULY NO COST? I'M, I'M NOT AWARE OF IT.
AND IF IT'S A MEANS OF ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, BUT ASKING 'EM TO DO IT BY, UM, SOME SORT OF, UH, ECHECK FROM THEIR BANK VERSUS CREDIT CARDS, WELL, GREAT, LET'S EDUCATE FOLKS ON THAT AND MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO DO IT AND TRY TO HELP 'EM DO IT AND INCENTIVIZE THAT FAIR.
UH, BUT JUST TO SAY, OH, THERE'S CREDIT CARD FEES, WE OUGHT TO PASS THOSE ON TO PEOPLE.
SO ARE WE PASSING THOSE SAVINGS ON TO FOLKS AS WELL? UM, FIGURE OUT WHICH SYSTEM REALLY IS THE LOWEST COST FOR THE CITY AND TRY TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GO ON THAT, OFFER A SIGNUP BONUS FOR SWITCHING TO THAT SOMETHING.
UM, I'M GOOD WITH THAT, BUT JUST SAYING, OH, WELL, WE'RE LOSING MONEY THAT WE COULD BE HAVING BY, BY TAKING ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS.
'CAUSE I, THE LAST THING I WANNA DO IS SEE MORE PEOPLE LINE UP HERE TO TRY TO PAY IN PERSON, LIKE IT'S 1925.
UM, AND THEN YOU HAVE A FINDING LATER THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW CONVENIENT PAYMENT METHODS LEAD TO LESS UNTIMELY PAYMENTS.
SO WHY WOULD WE THEN PUT A FEE ON IT? I, IT'S JUST CONFLICTING RECOMMENDATIONS AND I DON'T LIKE SEEING THAT, UM, MOVING ON, FINDING FIVE CREDIT BALANCES, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
THAT, THAT ONE WAS A LITTLE BORING IN THE WEEDS FOR ME, BUT I, I DO WONDER, WE TALK ABOUT THESE ERRORS, IT NEVER ONCE WAS MADE CLEAR TO ME WHETHER THAT WAS AN ERROR WITHIN OUR SYSTEM OR USER ERROR BY FOLKS TRYING TO PAY.
UM, BOTH OF WHICH SHOULD BE SOLVED IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, SO I THINK THE WRITE UP SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CLEAR THERE.
UM, HONESTLY, AT THIS POINT, GETTING INTO THE DETAIL, WHICH IT WAS, I, I DON'T, I'VE LOST CARE.
UM, BUT I DO CARE ABOUT HOW THESE GET WRITTEN UP AND, AND IT MAY MATTER IN THE FUTURE.
UM, I ALSO DON'T LIKE ON THIS OVERPAYMENTS THING, IT SAYS A CURRENT CUSTOMER ACCOUNT HAD A CREDIT BALANCE RESULTING FROM REPEAT OVERPAYMENT SINCE MAY, 2023.
NOT ONCE DO I SEE A SENTENCE TELLING ME HOW THEY OVERPAID, WHY THEY OVERPAID, UM, HOW COMMON THIS MAY BE.
OKAY, WELL, ONCE I AGREED WITH MR CONES, DOESN'T MEAN IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
IT'S TWICE IN THE LAST TWO MEETINGS, BUT
SO I, I REALLY HATE SEEING ANECDOTAL STUFF IN THIS, UH, IN THESE AUDIT REPORTS.
UM, GOING BACK TO PAGE 30 WHERE WE GET INTO MANAGEMENT RESPONSE.
UM, I SEE NOTES, REVIEW OF ACCOUNTS, CONFIRM DEPOSITS WERE PROPERLY PROCESSED.
SO AGAIN, Y'ALL NEED TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND WHEN THERE'S A DISCREPANCY, I WANT THAT DISCREPANCY CLEARLY HIGHLIGHTED.
UM, I WANT BOTH SIDES TAKE ON WHY THERE'S A DIFFERENCE.
'CAUSE THAT TO ME IS MORE OF A CONCERN THAN MOST OF THE STUFF THAT IS IN THIS AUDIT.
[01:45:01]
UM, AND AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO WEIGH IN ON WHO DO WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN WHEN THERE IS A DISCREPANCY? AND THAT GETS DOWN TO WE ONLY HAVE, WHAT, THREE OR FOUR DIRECT REPORTS UP HERE.UM, SO WHEN THERE'S A DISCREPANCY, IT'S, IT'S, WE GOTTA GET TO THE ROOT OF THAT.
I THINK I'VE KEPT Y'ALL HERE LONG ENOUGH.
UM, I'M NOT PLEASED WITH THIS AUDIT REPORT.
UM, I LIKE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THE AUDIT.
UM, BUT I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE MORE EFFORT DONE TO ENSURE STATISTICAL VERSUS ANECDOTAL, UM, DATA POINTS.
I THINK SOME EFFORT NEEDS TO BE PUT FORTH, UH, TO SYNC UP, UM, WHAT IS SUMMARIZED AS MANAGEMENT POSITION AND AUDIT FINDINGS.
AND WHEN WE CAN'T, I WANT THOSE HIGHLIGHTED MORE SO THAT WE CAN BE A DETERMINANT WITH THE FULL FACTS.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS AN AUDITOR, I THINK YOU HAVE A TOUGH JOB BECAUSE YOUR JOB IS TO FIND AS AN AUDITOR THE PROBLEMS WITH CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS, AND I'M NOT SAYING PROBLEMS, MAYBE THINGS THAT ARE OVERLOOKED, BUT YOU BRING THEM TO COUNCIL AND TELL US THAT THESE ARE CERTAIN THINGS.
YOU ALSO BRING GOOD THINGS TO US THAT DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING GOOD.
UM, SO I'M NOT GONNA BEAT YOU UP HERE TONIGHT ON, ON YOUR AUDIT, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS A GROUP, CERTAINLY, AND TRY TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE THE, THE DATA OVERALL ONCE WE FIND A PROBLEM.
SO I THINK THAT'S YOUR JOB AND THAT'S WHAT WE HIRE YOU FOR, IS TO, TO GIVE US THAT INFORMATION.
UH, DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THE AUDIT THAT I'M A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED WITH.
UM, ON THE BILLING CONTROL, REVENUE RISK REVIEW, YOU STATE THERE WAS 39,000 CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS.
IS THAT JUST RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL OR BOTH? UH, THAT'S TOTAL, RIGHT? THAT'S TOTAL, YEAH, TOTAL.
BUT, UM, AND I'M NOT HERE TO BEAT YOU UP, BUT IN THE BUDGET IT SHOWS 45,000 HOUSEHOLDS.
SO DO WE HAVE 45,000 HOUSEHOLDS AND ACCOUNTS, OR DO WE HAVE 6,000 HOUSEHOLDS THAT DON'T HAVE WATER OR CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? I'M, I'M NOT SURE.
HERE IN THE BUDGET IT SAYS NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 45,000 328 3 9, AROUND 39,000.
TOMMY, I THINK WE HAVE A NUMBER THERE ARE COVERED BY LIKE W CDS AND, AND NEIGHBORING CITIES.
AND THEN THE ONES THAT ARE ON THE, THE, THAT PRIVATE WATER SET UP WELL.
SO THAT MIGHT BE THE NUMBER THAT EXPLAIN.
I MEAN, I JUST, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BUDGET IS TELLING US COMPARED TO WHAT IS ON THE AUDIT.
SO HOW MANY ACCOUNTS DO WE HAVE THAT WE PROVIDE WATER? SO THE WATER ACCOUNT NUMBER IS CLOSER TO PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OVER 39,000.
BUT WE DO HAVE PEOPLE THAT POTENTIALLY DON'T HAVE WATER AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN TIME.
BUT WE HAVE 45,000 HOUSEHOLDS.
DOES EVERY HOUSEHOLD HAVE A METER? YES.
SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE 45,000 CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
I MEAN, I, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT CHAD WAS.
SO, SO THERE'S GONNA BE INS AND OUTS AS FAR AS PEOPLE THAT MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT.
AND THERE'S GONNA BE TIMES THAT SOME HOUSES ARE NOT GOING TO HAVE WATER SERVICE.
IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A HIGH NUMBER TO ME.
I'M JUST, YOU COULD HAVE A LARGER APARTMENT COMPLEX WITH ONE METER THOUGH, CORRECT? CORRECT.
BUT YOU'RE NOT COUNTING, BUT YOU'RE NOT THOSE HOUSEHOLD, BUT YOU'RE NOT COUNTING THAT AS 45.
THAT'S NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
YOU COULD HAVE AN APARTMENT COMPLEX WITH 300 UNITS.
IT'S METER ONE ACCOUNT, BUT IT'S 300 HOUSEHOLDS.
WHAT'S THE CONTEXT OF THE 45,000? YEAH, WHAT'S THE 45,000 NUMBER COMING FROM? WHERE'S THE FOUR? WHERE'S THE 45,000? WHAT DOES THAT'S ON YOUR BUDGET? IT SAYS HOUSEHOLD NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, 45,000.
SO, SO THAT'S PROBABLY HOUSES AND APARTMENT COUNTS.
IS THAT ON THE UTILITY FUND? SO EACH SEPARATE APARTMENT, IF WE GOT A THOUSAND APARTMENTS IN ONE, ONE APARTMENT, ISN'T MOST OF THE APARTMENTS METERED WITH ONE METER AND THEY CHARGE THE, THERE'S NOT A THOUSAND METERS ON THAT APARTMENT.
SO, SO YOU'RE, SO THAT'S ONE ACCOUNT MULTIFAMILY WOULD NORMALLY HAVE ONE METER.
THE 45,000 NUMBER COMES FROM OUR DEMOGRAPHICS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
[01:50:01]
OKAY, LET'S GET PAST IT.I'M NOT, I MEAN WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME UP HERE TONIGHT, SO LET'S GO AHEAD.
THAT'S JUST ONE THING THAT, THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING ON IT.
ALSO, I'M FINDING NUMBER SIX, I THINK YOU STATED THAT, UH, LET ME SEE.
NUMBER EIGHT, UH, NO, I'M SORRY.
NUMBER SIX, DELINQUENT SOLID WASTE CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS.
SEVEN ACCOUNTS REVIEWED AT MORE THAN $6,000 OUTSTANDING WITH NONPAYMENT RANGING FROM 13 TO MORE THAN 70 MONTHS.
HOW DID WE GET THAT FAR BEHIND ON GARBAGE COLLECTION? UM, IT WAS A MATTER OF A, UM, A SYSTEM SETTING THAT WAS NOT PICKING UP ON THOSE.
AND SO THEY WEREN'T PULLED INTO THE, INTO THE CUTOFF PROCESS.
UH, SO, UH, AND THERE ARE VERY FEW ACCOUNTS, UH, I BELIEVE THAT, THAT A MANAGEMENT IS ALREADY ADDRESSING THOSE.
UH, AS FAR AS LIKE GOING BACK AND COLLECTING AND CORRECTING THEIR, I MEAN, 'CAUSE WATER ACCOUNTS ARE ONLY $19 OR $21 PER MONTH.
YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE TOO MANY OF THOSE THAT SUGGEST SOLID WASTE.
JUST TRY TO, UH, A CLARIFICATION ON THE HOUSEHOLDS.
HOW MANY ACCOUNTS DO WE HAVE? WHAT ARE THEY? ARE APARTMENTS ONE METER, ONE ACCOUNT? MM-HMM
WE DON'T COUNT EVERY APARTMENT AS, AS A HOUSEHOLD.
WE COUNT ONE METER FOR THAT APARTMENT NO MATTER IF THEY HAVE 500 APARTMENTS OR A THOUSAND APARTMENTS AS ONE ACCOUNT.
UNLESS WE SEPARATELY BUILD THEM EVERY, EVERY UH, UH, PERSON.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S THE ONLY TWO THINGS.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
UM, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S A VERY INFORMATIVE AUDIT.
UH, BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS AUDIT FOR A WHILE.
I THINK IT WAS, UH, VERY GOOD WORK.
AND THE ONE, THE COUPLE QUESTIONS I HAD THAT CAME OUT OF THIS, WHICH I THINK ARE IMPORTANT, IS IN A LOT OF OTHER ASPECTS OF OUR BUDGET, OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET, WE'VE WORKED FOR YEARS TO PUT THE COST TO, TO ALLOCATE THE COST.
THAT'S THAT, THAT AN ACTIVITY IS COSTING US BACK TO THE PERSON WHO'S CAUSING THAT COST.
AND THAT HAS HELPED US GET TO THAT NO NEW REVENUE RATE EVERY YEAR.
AND AS WE'RE EXPANDING THIS WATER SYSTEM, WE'RE GONNA RUN INTO SIMILAR CHALLENGES.
AND I THINK WE'VE ALWAYS LOOKED AT THE WATER SYSTEM AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER COST IS COMING OUT OF THAT IS ALLOCATED BACK TO THE, TO THE INDIVIDUALS OR THE ENTITIES THAT ARE CAUSING THAT COST.
SO WHEN I SEE A COUPLE OF THESE FINDINGS, I DO THINK THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK TO RIGHT SIZE THAT AND, AND EXPLORE THOSE DEEPER.
AND, YOU KNOW, I USE A CREDIT CARD TO PAY MY BILL AND THAT CREDIT CARD IS COSTING THE CITY ADDITIONAL MONEY.
AND I FEEL THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, I SHOULD PAY MY FAIR SHARE TO, TO, TO RIGHTSIZE THAT.
IF IT'S MOVING TO PUSHING PEOPLE MORE TO DEBIT CARDS OR DIRECT CHECK OR WHATEVER, THAT'S FINE.
SO I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF CHARGING THE FEES FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CAUSING US AS A CITY TO PAY OUR FEES.
AND IF YOU'VE SEEN OUR CREDIT CARD FEES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT HAS BALLOONED, RIGHT? IT HAS GONE UP QUITE, QUITE A BIT.
SO I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IF YOU'RE CAUSING THE CREDIT CARD FEES, YOU SHOULD PAY THOSE CREDIT CARD FEES AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME GIVE PEOPLE MULTIPLE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT ARE EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND STILL SECURE TO MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS THAT WOULD NOT INCUR THAT FEE.
SO I LIKE THE IDEA OF ALLOCATING IT TOWARDS IT.
UH, I DO AGREE WITH MR. TRESSLER WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RISK OF APARTMENT VERSUS, OR RENTAL VERSUS, UH, HOMEOWNER, YOU KNOW, I GUESS THERE, THERE CERTAINLY COULD BE A RISK, BUT BEFORE WE WOULD AL YOU KNOW, MAKE A DIFFERENT DEPOSIT BASED ON RENTAL OR OWNER, I THINK WE'D HAVE TO, TO REALLY LOOK AT IT AND FIND THE NUMBERS THAT SUPPORT THAT.
AND IF THE NUMBERS SUPPORT THAT, THEN I'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND ALLOCATE UH, DIFFERENT AMOUNTS TO EACH.
BUT I THINK I'D ONLY WANNA DO THAT IF WE KNEW, UH, ABSOLUTELY VIA THE, VIA THE DATA THAT THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS GOING TO OCCUR.
SO I THINK THE BIGGEST THINGS FOR ME IS THAT WE LOOK TO ALLOCATE THE COST APPROPRIATELY TO THE PEOPLE CAUSING THE COST.
AND WE TAKE THESE VERY SERIOUSLY AND WORK OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS TO, UH, OR NEXT, NEXT YEAR TO IMPLEMENT THESE CHANGES.
BUT OVERALL, I THINK THE REPORT SAYS THAT WE'RE DOING A, A VERY GOOD JOB IN UTILITY BILLING AND THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE CAN TWEAK TO MAKE IT AN EVEN MORE SECURE FUND SO THAT WE CAN KEEP WATER RATES AS AFFORDABLE AS POSSIBLE INTO THE FUTURE.
UH, THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS AT EIGHT 17.