Video Description:
Senior Citizens Advisory Board – May 2023
Read along below:
Unknown Speaker 0:00
Hearing no other additions to the agenda. I’ll entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended.
Unknown Speaker 0:07
So moved. Okay. movement that moved by art seconded by Shirley. Sheila.
Unknown Speaker 0:20
Okay, is there a second and a second? All right. All those in favor of the approval of the agenda say aye. Aye. All right. Any opposed? Motion carries approval of the minutes from the previous month.
Unknown Speaker 0:33
For any additions to the minutes
Unknown Speaker 0:39
are very good as usual.
Unknown Speaker 0:42
If not someone make a motion to approve the minutes and make a motion to approve the minutes.
Unknown Speaker 0:52
To me and art, any discussion? All those in favor approving the minutes say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed?
Unknown Speaker 1:01
Motion carries.
Unknown Speaker 1:05
Is there any public to be heard today?
Unknown Speaker 1:09
saying Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 1:18
All right.
Unknown Speaker 1:24
Now he went to the senior side, he should be here. Oh.
Unknown Speaker 1:28
All right. Well, maybe we move him. First. We have like facilities, he comes a little Caramilk at the top of the agenda. Otherwise, let’s just move to old business we can stop soon as I get here. So library recreation and culture.
Unknown Speaker 1:46
So do you want to talk about what Council direction was last week? Well, that council
Unknown Speaker 1:53
has given
Unknown Speaker 1:55
has has given tentative approval to having three ballot questions.
Unknown Speaker 2:01
One is for the Center for Arts and Entertainment. One is for a branch library. And one is for a collection of rec center but not park upgrades.
Unknown Speaker 2:16
That I think it probably needs more definition. But I believe that the intent was they bundle the proposal from the YMCA, which I would be happy to talk about
Unknown Speaker 2:31
with the
Unknown Speaker 2:33
expansion of the old rec center and building the new rec center at Dry Creek Park.
Unknown Speaker 2:42
So
Unknown Speaker 2:44
but the last was was a little bit fuzzy on your I only mentioned, I wanted to make sure that the white proposal was on the ballot. And but several other
Unknown Speaker 2:59
council members talked about it as a bundle. And I believe that’s the intent of the
Unknown Speaker 3:07
Parks and Recreation advisory board exam. Correct. So that’s probably the way it will come back to us. But of course, until the council approves absolutely valid language, which I’m understanding in June, it will not be set in stone.
Unknown Speaker 3:25
Okay, that changes.
Unknown Speaker 3:28
From what?
Unknown Speaker 3:30
unbundling before. Well, they’ll still be separate there. Yeah. There was never the intention of the survey had several possible bundles. You know, but that was just a survey.
Unknown Speaker 3:46
So when we, you know, saw the reactions and nothing had really overwhelming it’s gonna pass no matter what happens support.
Unknown Speaker 3:56
The idea was to make a thing that was on the ballot at all, a separate question. And so it looks like three questions is some some kind of an ideal choice. And those three, which would be library arts and Rec.
Unknown Speaker 4:17
Part of the target, and it’s still a little undefined what the right word is going to be they held a public outreach last week. And I have not heard any report from that. I guess we did proud of them. No, it was it was staffing, consultants. Okay. And right before I arrived, I got feedback from the consultant so I haven’t even had a chance to review it. Okay, so shall I have a concern? If I can just ask, because I think these are really important.
Unknown Speaker 4:57
But I got my new tax
Unknown Speaker 5:00
assessment yesterday.
Unknown Speaker 5:03
And it took my breath away. And
Unknown Speaker 5:07
I had a concern, if too much gets bundled in one area that when people see
Unknown Speaker 5:16
what Boulder County taxes are going to be a bit if that’s going to affect how they vote for these very important things. So I hope one of the considerations will be to whatever we needed 1/5 We take that into consideration, because, you know, if if I’m sitting there thinking, Well, how am I going to do this? Adding even more tax? is,
Unknown Speaker 5:48
you know, we’re worried about our citizens. I agree with you. That’s, that’s actually what I wanted the white
Unknown Speaker 5:56
mumble with the other things, but only have one vote. So yeah, I don’t know. Here’s, here’s Harold to finish this discussion, or do you want to put it on hold and let Harold socket up whatever he’s going to talk about?
Unknown Speaker 6:13
Well, good for him to hear. We’re talking. Okay. And you know, I agree with
Unknown Speaker 6:22
with all these other, but then I hear you say there’s got to be a fourth thing. That’s why MC Rs, YMCA or is that going to be under the recreation
Unknown Speaker 6:32
that has not subsided. But the I think the three three council members gave the opinion that all the rec,
Unknown Speaker 6:41
which would include above life should be bundled as one question. I expressed the opinion that the wife should be separate. But
Unknown Speaker 6:50
that’s that’s not decided. I think the council’s goal is, is that they that there’ll be three questions, you know, again, one library, one culture, one sports, but
Unknown Speaker 7:08
it’s not, not decided yet. And it has to be decided at the end of July. Yeah. And, and you know, the word is that it’s to come back sometime in June. So we’re shooting for June. I think the challenge with the Y project is Carol, would you mind? They don’t know what that even means. Could you do a quick summary of what the y’s project?
Unknown Speaker 7:36
Did everybody see that? So yeah,
Unknown Speaker 7:40
you know, it’s what was unique about this is in the last minute is that it is a
Unknown Speaker 7:47
multi dimensional project in that includes 100, affordable housing units, expanded childcare,
Unknown Speaker 7:58
a pool, 25 metre pool,
Unknown Speaker 8:03
ice rink, and went to court. And then obviously, the other amenities that they provided the why. And so when we look at what the council established in terms of goals, it basically starts checking every box that they have in their goal setting session.
Unknown Speaker 8:22
The way they finance these projects is they utilize housing tax credits, to help offset some of the capital costs associated with facility. So at the end of the day,
Unknown Speaker 8:36
you know, when we looked at Centennial, I think we plugged in $8 million to renovate centennial. But that’s basically converting into court space. We think
Unknown Speaker 8:47
whichever one didn’t lie, we think to probably rehab centennial, to keep it a pool.
Unknown Speaker 8:56
On the low end, we think that’s going to be 15 to 17 million. I honestly think based on what we’re seeing other projects coming out, that’s going to be probably around 25 million based on what we’re seeing in installation. So this really presented a unique opportunity to save for 10 to 12 million you get pull you get ice rink, get expanded childcare and housing which financially makes a lot of sense.
Unknown Speaker 9:24
The thing about it in the bundling or unbundling is there is a nexus in some of the other projects and how we model the pro forma is will be dependent on the choice we make. So right now we have
Unknown Speaker 9:42
how much money do we have for an operation system to do?
Unknown Speaker 9:49
So
Unknown Speaker 9:50
if the wide package is on the ballot, and it passes, and the other recreation items pass
Unknown Speaker 10:00
If you connect them, then it’s easier for us to then program the pro forma that we’re going to ship the 1.1 million for Centennial to the other recreation center, which actually reduces the offer and ongoing operating tax increase associated with it.
Unknown Speaker 10:19
If they’re unbundled, that part is new, because
Unknown Speaker 10:24
if
Unknown Speaker 10:26
this becomes a challenge, because if one passes and the other does it, then it blows up the financial model. So those are all things that we’re trying to work through, to figure out.
Unknown Speaker 10:39
Answer all questions.
Unknown Speaker 10:42
It would be built where Centennial Pool is located, that the pool would be removed, once the new y would be built, they would donate or in an exchange for the landlord gave them for their new site, they would give their current location to the city of Longmont, which would have the potential for another location for affordable or attainable housing.
Unknown Speaker 11:11
And, and that’s where the modeling starts coming in. And I started and so this is not firm numbers. But the value of the land exchange to convert to an attainable for sale product, I think has a value of about, let’s just say at least $6 million.
Unknown Speaker 11:31
So when you look at a 10 to $12 million contribution, and it’s $6 million to land for attainable for sale housing. But economic start looking really good on this because as we’re working the attainable housing side, we took
Unknown Speaker 11:47
some few labor options to the council, which they directed this forward on which we’re getting pretty clear i and that we think between that and some kind of land offset, you can finance attainable housing, for sale. And so now, not only are you hitting affordable housing, you’re hitting attainable housing, you’re getting childcare in the area adjacent to this, which we need in both affordable and attainable housing. And these amenities. I think the key for us is figuring out how the memberships work and how we process because what we don’t want to do is invest in this and then you have to have a wide membership and a city membership.
Unknown Speaker 12:27
So we have to build that cross membership component to this, which is worth
Unknown Speaker 12:37
our show now I had a question and I can’t remember what it was
Unknown Speaker 12:44
the
Unknown Speaker 12:46
I would probably hope that the when the tax begins in this in this land swap deal, would the property tax and sales tax increases on the ballot begin in the first year 2024. So that we feel that the fund or when they start later when
Unknown Speaker 13:09
the library scale.
Unknown Speaker 13:11
I’m still working through that My guest says we would approach it in a similar fashion to the arts and entertainment,
Unknown Speaker 13:19
arts and entertainment education because typically, when you’re relying on tax credits and CHAFA, it’s not uncommon to take two cycles to go through it. And so I think it would make more sense to start at once you actually have all the tax credits in place, because you don’t want to necessarily collect taxes if you’re not going to be using that or restricted. So what we’re still
Unknown Speaker 13:45
wrestling with, right, and that was second, Hawaiians for the Center for Arts and Entertainment have now agreed that regardless of when they
Unknown Speaker 13:58
raise the money, if they if a miracle happened and they raise the money really early, they would still not have the tax start until the first of the year in 2027. So people get some breathing space, you know, put it off get this
Unknown Speaker 14:17
change in tax issues. And so what Aaron’s talking about is that this would be also listed as some sort of a deferral of the tax
Unknown Speaker 14:33
I’m gonna say when they send out the when he did the surveys
Unknown Speaker 14:37
did they do in Spanish is irrelevant. They call it Spanish. And what were those of you that haven’t seen it right offhand? What those responses were no, I don’t but I I can get that and I’ll send that out to everybody the results of
Unknown Speaker 14:54
it was like 17 to 20%. So to observe him or noticing there was a difference in
Unknown Speaker 15:00
To look at a population 17 to 20% of them said yes, or responded, I can’t I don’t all know. But I mean, but I did know that when we look at the demographics of our community, I think we’re closer to 30%, I noticed that there was a fairly significant difference.
Unknown Speaker 15:18
But yes, she’s looking at it now and they may be a little bit lower.
Unknown Speaker 15:22
Junaid, would you mind restating what you said about your taxes might be good for Aerotech, they took my breath away.
Unknown Speaker 15:32
Property tax.
Unknown Speaker 15:35
The assessment on my house is just unbelievable. And I know that not not just Adams, an older adult on a fixed income, which a good portion of our population is that that certainly is going to affect people’s ability and willingness to pass anything that has passed associated with it. These are very, very important projects. And my concern is if you bundle too much, if you put too much in front of the people to vote on, after receiving this kind of shock this year, that you better have big red words that say this isn’t going into effect until 2027. Because their response? I’m quite sure it’s going to be no, just no.
Unknown Speaker 16:43
And, you know, from that survey, I already think I’m not sure what people are getting said. No. Christina, did you want to say something? No, I they were just trying to figure out how
Unknown Speaker 16:58
we could
Unknown Speaker 17:03
I agree with Tim out. I got my notes yesterday also. And
Unknown Speaker 17:10
holy crap. But that’s not exactly what I said. It’s 100. It was 120.
Unknown Speaker 17:17
Yeah, I mean, extra.
Unknown Speaker 17:21
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 17:26
You know, I think I got when I walked into counselors and that my wife had it, lady. No.
Unknown Speaker 17:33
I hadn’t same thing. You know, I think. I think unfortunately, I mean, obviously, we’re all waiting to see what the state legislature is going to do.
Unknown Speaker 17:43
I think, you know, what I was looking at my
Unknown Speaker 17:47
it made sense. Because my wife’s
Unknown Speaker 17:53
watching what houses are on sale and everything else. And the reality is, for every reason that we’re talking about affordable for sale products and affordable rental and attainable products and attainable random is, is because my appraisal matched the market in my area community. So from a from a market perspective, the numbers, right. And I think the challenge it mean, so the good news is
Unknown Speaker 18:24
at some point, we’re probably gonna make a lot of money off of our house. If the economy stays stable. We’re dead.
Unknown Speaker 18:35
Right, yeah, afford to downsize. And that’s what older adults are looking at. We can’t afford to downsize? Because we’re going to pay at least the same amount for half of the square footage. So
Unknown Speaker 18:53
and the interest rates are high. So it’s a very complex thing here. Yeah. Oh, I hope the legislature will give us a break. Or they will now everything we’re hearing, but I think they’re that’s why things like the wide project make a lot of sense. Because if you can drop in,
Unknown Speaker 19:14
and I think it’s going to change. So when we look structurally what we have to do, we have to go into more modern urban style development, pre war construction, long, narrow lots, you know, small setbacks.
Unknown Speaker 19:28
We know we can hit those price points. It’s hitting the land to do it. And I think that’s where all of this is. We talked about it. And depending on what Council chooses to put on the ballot, I think it’s working through all of these issues in a really strong communication plan. But at the end of the day, it’s also incumbent upon the people that are supporting these initiatives to develop their own communication plans as well because once they drop it on the ballot, we’re not. We can’t engage in a conversation other than fact
Unknown Speaker 20:00
So information.
Unknown Speaker 20:02
So yeah, it’ll be interesting. And unfortunately, I don’t think there’s an end in sight in terms of prices. I’ve heard the State Demographer
Unknown Speaker 20:11
we’re gonna try to bring her in to talk to the council.
Unknown Speaker 20:17
I think we’re still behind on housing, which
Unknown Speaker 20:21
we don’t agree with how the governor and the legislature is drafting a bill to deal with this issue. We don’t agree with the house. But the why I think we all agree with is why we need to do it. And and if we don’t, I just think it’s
Unknown Speaker 20:38
going to change characteristics. It’s already changed characteristics of the state, and it’s just gonna get worse.
Unknown Speaker 20:48
Interesting now, now that we received this in the mail, if they do a survey today, what I’m gonna change there could be would be interesting.
Unknown Speaker 20:58
Or my worry is the timing. That’s a terrible time to put an X on the ballot.
Unknown Speaker 21:06
People just got that wonderful news. Well, next year, the challenge to is next year, we know the school district is going to probably go with the bond initiatives next year doesn’t work. And and then you’re back into another reappraisal cycle in the year after that. And so
Unknown Speaker 21:24
yeah, the timing is just got off the board.
Unknown Speaker 21:28
Do you think anything’s going to happen at the legislature?
Unknown Speaker 21:31
Yeah,
Unknown Speaker 21:33
I think it will. We talked to the council last night in their first budget conversation,
Unknown Speaker 21:41
we’re estimating that it’s probably going to reduce it by 50%.
Unknown Speaker 21:51
Reduce
Unknown Speaker 21:53
the value that you pay, so they’re going to reduce the what they’re talking about is potentially reducing
Unknown Speaker 22:00
via the residential commercial atio by
Unknown Speaker 22:05
$40,000, which has, and again, we get, oh, you’re getting bits and pieces of information that when we model that, it looks like about a 50% reduction in the increase in the cost of taxes. So
Unknown Speaker 22:23
now what they end up with is anybody’s guess, but I think they are do something.
Unknown Speaker 22:29
Well, it wasn’t on the agenda. There was a discussion.
Unknown Speaker 22:33
Thank you.
Unknown Speaker 22:34
Well, it was all in in under the heading of the ballot discussion, which was
Unknown Speaker 22:42
there anything further on that before we move on? Okay. I guess we’re going to move on to directly to
Unknown Speaker 22:49
Harold.
Unknown Speaker 22:53
Thank you for coming, by the way, no worries.
Unknown Speaker 22:57
Can you come next week or next month?
Unknown Speaker 23:00
Get it on my calendar.
Unknown Speaker 23:04
Don’t know if you’ve got your hair but appreciate it.
Unknown Speaker 23:14
Let’s see I had a presentation that I was going to make and you have the sheet in front of you that kind of outline some of the high points I started thinking about it. You can see some stuff here all over the place is complicated business,
Unknown Speaker 23:30
the senior senior housing and you know, actually I think I should introduce everybody.
Unknown Speaker 23:37
I don’t know if you know everybody you probably know. I’m Dave
Unknown Speaker 23:42
cherub. This is Brandy queen. She’s counseling supervisor resource
Unknown Speaker 23:47
for all big shop, I guess, Senior Center.
Unknown Speaker 23:51
And tada, so Ruth Ellis and Sheila
Unknown Speaker 23:58
Taryn,
Unknown Speaker 24:00
Marsha Martino’s
Unknown Speaker 24:07
is an author
Unknown Speaker 24:14
think I’ll just take a moment here right now to mention again that we’ve had two resignations. So that brings the total number of vacancies we have right now.
Unknown Speaker 24:24
So we’re all going to have to do some work I think we can’t depend only on the city to find people. I think we’re gonna have to all try to find good board members.
Unknown Speaker 24:38
But remember, we’re out of out of this cycle now.
Unknown Speaker 24:42
Summer appointments, can you not know I will go somewhere point well, we will make we have two candidates that we will talk about interviewing later. Okay, so leaves you two vacancies that will be filled at the end of the year. So there’s a period of time
Unknown Speaker 25:00
We’re going to be short. Why did I start August?
Unknown Speaker 25:04
Well, again, I’m going to change sort of this.
Unknown Speaker 25:08
Yeah. So the two people that applied now will get appointed for July or August, which is like what you did. Okay. Well, we still have those other two vacancies that won’t be filled. So did I still say we need to do some work between appointments? Because people don’t seem to want to join these boards? Yeah. Parents three out of the ask you about this or not, but three boards that I know have asked for an extension in the amount of to accept applications. And the city clerk’s office decided not to do that. And then this board, got to read resignations. So So I think what we were looking at is seeing what came in.
Unknown Speaker 26:01
These relate
Unknown Speaker 26:06
resignations in the system on the email somewhere.
Unknown Speaker 26:19
Well, the board’s none of the the quorum
Unknown Speaker 26:29
was, I guess what the city clerk’s office used as the criteria, all of the boards wanted to have a choice, only one of them was going to be actually down to seat before this happened.
Unknown Speaker 26:43
But
Unknown Speaker 26:46
to two more, we’re going to be down to seat because there were six months point better six months left side of term, which is not so bad. But
Unknown Speaker 26:56
it only got worse. Also, Harold, you know if the quorum number changes, so this board has nine members, we’re going to be short to does the quorum change from five to four? Is that a legal question?
Unknown Speaker 27:14
That has been stored?
Unknown Speaker 27:19
Does it change from five to four from so nine, quorum would be five. If we only have seven members, that’s a Eugene quest, okay.
Unknown Speaker 27:29
To do much, as far as we need to talk about that depends on what the bylaws state and how it’s written. And so it couldn’t be written where it’s actually appointed members, which would reduce the argument says membership, membership and membership.
Unknown Speaker 27:49
The question is membership who’s actually appointed or
Unknown Speaker 27:53
that’s the, that’s a
Unknown Speaker 27:56
well, let me get started, everybody’s gonna have an opportunity to speak their piece.
Unknown Speaker 28:05
I’m just going to start by saying when I, when I started on the board, which will be two years ago,
Unknown Speaker 28:12
I was just overwhelmed with the stuff that’s done at the Senior Center. And the more I learned about the Senior Center, the more I realize there’s just
Unknown Speaker 28:23
all kinds of things that are going on all the time.
Unknown Speaker 28:28
Just to give you an idea, and I hope you haven’t heard a lot of some of this. But the
Unknown Speaker 28:36
last year, we had roughly 1400 people receive assistance as far as housing, financial caregiving, and health and medical care. And we had over 2600 people in classes that’s in the tech center. And that comes out to about 184 sessions over a period of a year. And I don’t know how many people you got involved, but I know that it’s over. But I think for the
Unknown Speaker 29:06
senior center, Tech Center,
Unknown Speaker 29:09
Senior Center Tech Connect,
Unknown Speaker 29:12
I think 35 active volunteers, but a total of like 60 volunteers. Yeah, it’s a lot. So there’s a lot of people involved. But there’s a lot of people that are served center, as far as counseling and support is concerned. But there were so many in decay interviews, three and almost 400 individual counseling interviews, and over 300 support groups.
Unknown Speaker 29:37
And so that’s all
Unknown Speaker 29:40
fantastic. I think you only had yourself for most of the year. As far as the counseling. As far as the counseling. You do have another personnel. I don’t know if anybody’s ever been a counselor. I was a counselor for a few years. And I know how hard it is, you know, that kind of case. It’s tough.
Unknown Speaker 29:57
We have 9000 registrants who’s
Unknown Speaker 30:00
610 programs as the online registration system, so you just look at the numbers of volume of people that go through senior center. It’s it’s, it’s really surprising. But by the same token, I, in my opinion, I think almost everybody in America would agree everybody’s, they’re stressed.
Unknown Speaker 30:20
They are just really stressed. And they work hard. And I can tell that they are stressed because they’ve got red eyes, or they look tired sometimes. Anyway.
Unknown Speaker 30:32
So that’s kind of just some of the services. And not to mention the 4000 meals on wheels that are that take place up the senior center. Now you’re not responsible for that provide the space for the Meals on Wheels. So it’s pretty good size operation.
Unknown Speaker 30:51
I thought I should state the mission statement. And that’s to this is from 2007. And I don’t know if that’s the last time that went to the Council on your mission statement strategic plan.
Unknown Speaker 31:04
Certainly, it’s the last time there was certainly the most talks, and almost certainly I wasn’t there for all of that,
Unknown Speaker 31:11
either. But anyway, the mission statement is to build and foster opportunities which promote dignity, independence, enjoyment, community, that sense of purpose. And all that I think is still still valid.
Unknown Speaker 31:27
Allies changed in the last, if you look at the top bullet points there,
Unknown Speaker 31:33
the population has increased some 14,000 people I think it is. And that 17%, roughly, I’m sure you’re aware of those demographic changes, but it impacts the services that we provide at the Senior Center.
Unknown Speaker 31:49
A third of these people, a third of our population is over 5555 and older. So the new people that are 13,000 people that we’ve increased, the city has increased from 2010 to 23. You know, that’s that’s about
Unknown Speaker 32:07
almost 5000 people, just for Hispanics, I shouldn’t say for over overfitting part. So everything that in itself seems to me is way too big workload, for the same reason just to increase.
Unknown Speaker 32:24
If you look at the breakout of the population, we’ve got, I just said, three 3% are 55 or less, that’s 33,000 people. I mean, if you look at it that way, that’s a huge number of people who try to serve. And then we go down to the 19%, or almost 20% or 65 or older. And
Unknown Speaker 32:45
so we’ve got a sizable population. And I don’t know how long your services are in five and older, it hasn’t always been that way. Okay. But anyway, it’s a third of the population.
Unknown Speaker 32:59
The Latino population, that’s a big focus of this whole discussion here. And that’s probably the main reason you’re here to
Unknown Speaker 33:06
the Latino population.
Unknown Speaker 33:08
All of my estimates are from the Census Bureau.
Unknown Speaker 33:13
2010, or 2020, or the American Community Survey, probably familiar with both of those have, the Latino population is 7.4 25%. That’s a quarter of population, that’s 25,000 people.
Unknown Speaker 33:30
And if you look at the number of people that they serve, we don’t have real good numbers as far as Latinos in this region, reasons for that, and some of its privacy and confidentiality.
Unknown Speaker 33:42
And we may change some of that. But looking at
Unknown Speaker 33:46
a 25,000 people.
Unknown Speaker 33:50
I thought I would mention that the poverty rate is almost 12%.
Unknown Speaker 33:58
And compared to the overall poverty rate. Now, if you’re back out, you’re back out the poverty rate,
Unknown Speaker 34:07
the Hispanic poverty rate and just consider whites the way I figured it’d be what six 7%. Poverty. So poverty rate of Hispanics, Latinos, is almost double what you would find in the majority white community.
Unknown Speaker 34:24
And I think it’s a little misleading to say.
Unknown Speaker 34:28
Now my personal favorite is that seniors over 80 are expected to increase to 1.4% by 2030.
Unknown Speaker 34:37
And
Unknown Speaker 34:39
that came from the area aging Area Agency
Unknown Speaker 34:44
and advice site other than
Unknown Speaker 34:48
by age, and some of us in this group are going to be there’s going to be more of us, looking for services, probably in better health or living longer.
Unknown Speaker 35:00
Take some time. So
Unknown Speaker 35:04
we anticipate from the indigent, long one, and again, you’re probably very familiar with that. 24,000 new residents by 2035. Personally, I think that’s a little high. Because if we’ve had a 15 15,000 increase from 2010,
Unknown Speaker 35:21
that’s called 13 years. 1213 years seems to be around another 15,000 people. So might be a little bit higher still, it’s still significant. Anyways, slicing.
Unknown Speaker 35:35
And last year, I guess I gotta clarify.
Unknown Speaker 35:41
We have 66 761 patrons utilizing our front door, it’s visits to the building. Okay, that’s just people walking. So maybe I come five days a week. Okay.
Unknown Speaker 35:55
You’re coming be the same person 26 times.
Unknown Speaker 36:01
But still, that’s a lot of people walking through most of those people at the front desk.
Unknown Speaker 36:08
Good portion, I’m guessing that they do. I guess my point is, you got a clerical staff to people. And you’ve got 26 66,000 People walking through the door. And a good portion of those are going to go to the front desk. So they have to deal with those. So not only just for, to give them directions, but they have additional duties on top of most of them. I don’t know exactly everything can do it. But I think the people that are overworked in that building, I think
Unknown Speaker 36:43
would be my guess.
Unknown Speaker 36:46
Who are the two? I’m sorry? Yes, front
Unknown Speaker 36:50
desk, or whatever you call it, reception center, a
Unknown Speaker 36:55
huge part of the registration. I’m sorry. And they do a lot of registration. I know. Right? They have other things they do. And that’s a major chunk. I said before the
Unknown Speaker 37:07
night 9000 registrations and 600 programs.
Unknown Speaker 37:11
So there’s two offices and then an administrative assistant,
Unknown Speaker 37:16
administrative assistant and two offices. So there’s three people
Unknown Speaker 37:21
is one a volunteer, or one is a part time to full time.
Unknown Speaker 37:30
And I’m 2023 it looks like we’re going
Unknown Speaker 37:35
on track over last year in terms of the programs offered again, this is this is focusing on Hispanics, that our needs here. And
Unknown Speaker 37:48
Ronnie got this and he said they’re talking about the programs available. And he said they offered 187 Episode 81 programs and 2121 Drop in groups. One program wasn’t snapped that was
Unknown Speaker 38:04
I’m sorry. 2001 battle 2001. I’m sorry. I showed you the shortage. Last time we hired a programming staff person was 2001.
Unknown Speaker 38:16
And spring quarter of 2023. Just recently you had 187 programs 48 dropins. Still programming so bilingual programming style.
Unknown Speaker 38:29
But there was still the word 10 programs in Spanish. Anyway you slice it.
Unknown Speaker 38:34
It’s it’s not anywhere near filling the need. That’s out in the communities when you look at the total number of Hispanics out there.
Unknown Speaker 38:47
All right understaffing. Basically most of the increase, correct me if I’m wrong, but most of the increase has been in counseling, and the resource stuff for the last several years.
Unknown Speaker 39:00
That’s a good meet up.
Unknown Speaker 39:04
We need to attend to their social, physical, emotional, basic needs. And again, we have no bilingual programming staff. And that’s a major equity problem. And all of this. And I don’t know, sometimes you add up the number of FTEs at different results, depending on the time, but it’s basically been 10 people.
Unknown Speaker 39:28
It started with seven people until I think was 2012 or 13. And you got to position 910. Anyway. So you got all these people, you got all these services that have grown with seven to 10 people.
Unknown Speaker 39:46
That’s what that’s what I feel strongly that needs more staff there. If you’d be given the step wasn’t for you still have a whole population of that’s not being served.
Unknown Speaker 40:02
So, given all that,
Unknown Speaker 40:05
the punchline is we need
Unknown Speaker 40:10
a Spanish speaking or a program for narrative, which would also be involved in outreach. I think we all agree we’ve got a problem with outreach.
Unknown Speaker 40:22
Part of it is the programming. Part of is just having the time to do the kinds of things you need to do to help reach. And it’s not just as fast as other books, or blacks or
Unknown Speaker 40:34
others independently.
Unknown Speaker 40:36
I don’t know the full time office support.
Unknown Speaker 40:40
I hope I made the case for the office.
Unknown Speaker 40:43
And we talked about awesome,
Unknown Speaker 40:47
the,
Unknown Speaker 40:49
the need for weekends and evenings.
Unknown Speaker 40:53
And we had a discussion about that.
Unknown Speaker 40:56
Jeff, Ryan, and I were thinking, and this is not I
Unknown Speaker 41:02
use a part timers, I call them limited term employees, I don’t
Unknown Speaker 41:07
care but on benefited employees, which are 30% cheaper than a regular employee.
Unknown Speaker 41:15
So you could get by offering some additional services, I don’t know how you would arrange the staff, you know, whether you put those people by themselves on the weekend or how you arrange staff. But that would be a cheaper way of offering services on weekends, and evenings.
Unknown Speaker 41:34
One of the things that I didn’t mention, it’s the computer for some additional staff, some of the other things that
Unknown Speaker 41:42
are being absorbed by other staff right now. And a big one is like, Randy, for example, some of the other stuff, take away from her duties to do some of the work we’ve been talking about for one area is international travel. And International, you can I guess you can, there’s different views on international travel. But we know it’s possible. A lot of people ask for
Unknown Speaker 42:09
a couple of myself, and they’re wonderful.
Unknown Speaker 42:13
But anyway, that’s, that would free up a person that handles that right now, I think it’s primarily shark handles, most of us should be doing more of that. And so we’d be able to offer
Unknown Speaker 42:27
more travel experiences to a certain segment of the population.
Unknown Speaker 42:32
So
Unknown Speaker 42:37
I guess that’s about what I have to say. The bottom line is that a lot of people, you don’t have enough staff, a lot of people aren’t being served. And in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of most of the people on this board, the Hispanic community isn’t present is underrepresented across the board. And that’s why we need that Spanish speaking Program Coordinator. There’s more to my way of thinking we could double the staff, triple the stuff from
Unknown Speaker 43:11
both ways.
Unknown Speaker 43:13
You know, we could we could increase the staff and use that kind of stuff, and a population that we’ve learned over time. But maybe, you know, as we go through this in the months and years to come, I think we need to build
Unknown Speaker 43:27
on what we’re trying to what we’re doing here, because of our outreach and our program coordinators as successful. What’s that going to do? All that’s going to do is bring more people in, increase the demand on the staff? I mean, that’s a good thing. But that’s what’s going to happen. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 43:43
So
Unknown Speaker 43:46
I have one question, kind of related. And that is, do you do make your budget adjustments?
Unknown Speaker 43:53
We’re adjusting budgets monthly. All you do
Unknown Speaker 43:58
carry overs and what we’re looking at so we’re constantly watching. So how can any how that comes up work because it comes from the department or right so when we started what we did was we took a look at the unspent budget Senior Services budget, and it really started with with brandy.
Unknown Speaker 44:21
We took a look at the onset budget and brought forth some items to herald to say this was outstanding 2022. And we would like to make the argument for these reasons to be able to bring that money as carryover in 2023 to be able to spend that and some of those reasons. Were the reasons that you listed that goes before Harold to be approved in July.
Unknown Speaker 44:51
And part of it is though you can’t use it for ongoing rights. It has to be
Unknown Speaker 45:00
Well, we put it in the budget. That’s really one time. Very specific reasons why we’re doing it. And if it’s not associated with budget is we start asking a lot of questions.
Unknown Speaker 45:12
They just got pounded on last week.
Unknown Speaker 45:19
So if I can kind of give some background, I think,
Unknown Speaker 45:24
and I’ve had to explain this to the council, when you, when you look at where we worked from 2010 to today, there’s a fair amount of interesting, there’s a lot of things that are employed.
Unknown Speaker 45:38
And I’m not gonna go, but I’m gonna anchor in on 2008, great recession. And that was a significant piece of the puzzle in, in, in how cities handle it in a different way.
Unknown Speaker 45:56
So, and I’m actually continuing to learn a lot of things about different nuances and how it was handled. But
Unknown Speaker 46:06
in LA, the,
Unknown Speaker 46:09
when the recession has been stabbed, some staff made some recommendations in terms of cutting services, trade staff, as part of the operating budget to deal with the deficit.
Unknown Speaker 46:24
One Council Executive, they had an election and other council came in, they didn’t accept it, they changed it. And what they ended up doing was keeping
Unknown Speaker 46:34
a lot of those positions in place, but utilizing one time funding.
Unknown Speaker 46:40
And so what that did was actually create what we thought when I got here in 2012, was a $3 million dollar budget reset, and actually functionally turned into a $4 million budget reset.
Unknown Speaker 46:53
In addition to that, instead of tactically, looking at positions in the organization in terms of making tactical bets based on priorities, what they did, basically, what they said was is if there’s a position where people aren’t sending in it, we’re just going to cut that position.
Unknown Speaker 47:10
And answer that creative trigger.
Unknown Speaker 47:15
Because when you look at the fact that you have three to $4 million in ongoing funding that you have to recover,
Unknown Speaker 47:24
starting in 2012,
Unknown Speaker 47:27
you can’t add anything new in those budget cycles, because you’re just basically replacing, creating the ongoing funding into positions that were being funded on an annual basis for a long time. So we lost a lot of ground. In that recovery mode, we also lost a lot of ground in that positions that were making that was cut, just because they were vacant, had difference bases in terms of the critical nature and critical impact of the organization.
Unknown Speaker 47:59
So now you’re having to make a three $4 million on what you already know that you can’t, and you’re having to figure out how to fund positions that were cut because they were vacant.
Unknown Speaker 48:11
And that’s what we took six years to work on in order to start to have that budget, because that’s not good financial practices.
Unknown Speaker 48:20
In the middle of that
Unknown Speaker 48:23
property tax returns in the sales tax records were bouncing back as fast. So you have really narrow budgets. And so even when I got here, we were making those adjustments. One of the things that we were, we were dealing with a beggar a couple of years, we’re staffing as his bonuses, only
Unknown Speaker 48:44
the salary increases were narrow.
Unknown Speaker 48:47
And what we were trying to cover is what we call Level One expenses, which are bus paid bills, and there was very little room for any additional capacity building.
Unknown Speaker 48:59
So that’s a big kid.
Unknown Speaker 49:02
At the same time,
Unknown Speaker 49:05
we went through the flood, and we had to start shifting more one time dollars into flood recovery for projects that we weren’t anticipating because now the Greenway was destroyed. And we had to leverage those dollars against the match that we had to do to receive federal dollars. So that started reducing the one time funds and, and so when you start seeing the ads come in here, so from 2010 When you’re at seven to now
Unknown Speaker 49:38
we’ve added three and a quarter positions that really started at 18. So you’re starting to see that 1517 piece in here. And so it has been a strange to kind of move through this and do all these other issues.
Unknown Speaker 49:57
It is not I will tell you from my perspective
Unknown Speaker 50:00
in gyms, it’s not for the sake of not, we want to do this. And we want to add these positions. Unfortunately, the story that you said today, based on everything I just talked about, is actually the experience that I’ve seen throughout the entire organization. So I’m just gonna say, same story, it’s the same story all over the place. And so specifically why we added
Unknown Speaker 50:25
a resource specialist, and we added
Unknown Speaker 50:30
they’re part of the therapeutic rec coordinator, because it’s half with Jeff and half and brandy. And why we added the condition was because what we were hearing from Brandy and her group is that the waitlist and people getting in to see counselors was about two to two and a half months, remember what was told in the budget. And so understanding all the other operational needs, we realize these people are needing immediate life services. And we need to find a way to start incrementally adding those positions first, because that’s really about can you stay in your house, if you have mental health treatment. And then we also added a physician in Brandon’s world, it’s a tag team with the housing authority that is that I don’t think that’s because we don’t pay for it.
Unknown Speaker 51:18
So there’s actually another position that we added this funding through the housing authority that works as a collective in this and so, but we’ve really been focused on that aspect. Because for me, at the end of the day, and when we talk to counsel, you look at what are your core services, and in this case, our core services is providing the resources that people need when they’re going through tough times, and make sure we support. And it’s highly likely I’m probably gonna hear the same thing this year, just because I know,
Unknown Speaker 51:49
what the work looks like and what they’re seeing coming in, it’s exacerbated by the economy and everything else. And so I think that’s going to continue to be oppressed. As we look at bilingual positions,
Unknown Speaker 52:01
I think we do need to probably look at the structure we have when we have openings and put a bilingual preference and or something I was gonna say, as positions come open, that really is, is something that I I do on a regular basis, and that I will ask Ronnie about, you know, what is, you know, let’s look at this job description. And do we need to have it valuable for work?
Unknown Speaker 52:33
And,
Unknown Speaker 52:35
you know, what is the forward facing component to the community? And is it a valuable preferred position? And thinking because of all of the reasons that you said, here, if we get to the point where we have vacancies, or any positions, Ronnie and I will have that that discussion that we’re going to need to move to the point where we need those having those skills. So you’re thinking you have 12 positions, vacancy, and decide to make fill up with bilingual, bilingual
Unknown Speaker 53:15
or trilingual required, but you’re still wind up in Tulsa, correct? Well, I’m gonna, I’m gonna get through more of this, because so when I say this exists all over the organization, it really does. And I think we’re people. Part of what I’m talking to these folks about is explaining our budget, you know, you will hear we have almost a half a billion dollar budget. That’s true.
Unknown Speaker 53:39
But the reality is that there are state statutes municipal charter issues code that really start regulating how and where we can use those those funds
Unknown Speaker 53:52
of 400 athletes 414 million, and carry overs will exceed a half a billion dollars.
Unknown Speaker 54:00
Only about 75 million of that is the general fund.
Unknown Speaker 54:04
And and so and of that 75 million in the general fund 75% of those expenses are related to personnel.
Unknown Speaker 54:14
Sorry, 75% are related to personnel. So our general fund activities are really heavy on the personnel side.
Unknown Speaker 54:23
And and when you start breaking it down, but we talked about what’s in the general
Unknown Speaker 54:30
police, fire libraries and recreation, Senior Services, neighborhood services, Human Services, agency cards, facilities, finance, etc. I mean, so
Unknown Speaker 54:41
of the 75 million there are a large number of departments that are utilizing the toxic court funds which when you get into the budget process, and you start looking at what you’re having a new revenue, there’s been many of years where the message has been focused on even submit
Unknown Speaker 55:00
at level two request additional personnel because we’re not sure we have enough money to cover most of the bills, and what’s coming in, which is actually what led to the conversation. I think it was last budget cycle where we had the recreation board coming to us saying we need to build projects and your recreation centers and the library board saying we need to do more for library services we were hearing from many hear from you on probably that I was hearing from you all, the staff. And what we needed to do was short on code enforcement officers. It was just blanket and and so when we were talking about the new projects, I just said to council, we cannot do this unless the added tax increase, because there’s no way we can incrementally set this, it’s just never going to happen.
Unknown Speaker 55:49
So inherently, what happens then in these and these conversations, as we go into the budget, and they put in their CRP, they put in their level one they put in their levels.
Unknown Speaker 56:03
Typically level one request, we’re probably accounting for between 700,000, and a million dollars in annual budgets, in terms of that was just natural inflation and prices going up.
Unknown Speaker 56:19
So if you think about it,
Unknown Speaker 56:23
that’s not including salaries, and it’s not including health insurance increases, risk management increases and all of that. So then we layer that on top of the level one, and, and then what we’re left with is can be allocated in level two expenses. And then we start going through those priority bases. And what we need to do
Unknown Speaker 56:47
explain what’s level one and level two level level ones, like your utility bills at your house, or your grocery bill or your cleaning supply bill. That’s what level one for us, is, those things that we need to do to continue doing what we’ve been doing. And so in don’t have a choice. And once we stopped to operation, either stop it and reduce it or repay that.
Unknown Speaker 57:17
Level two is that added value component to what we’re doing. And, you know, as I’ve seen the growth and programs across the organization,
Unknown Speaker 57:27
Jeff has probably heard me say this more than the others in the room.
Unknown Speaker 57:34
I think historically, I would say,
Unknown Speaker 57:38
and I can’t speak to what happened before me, I can only speak now we’re I’m really pressing him to go. If you don’t have the capacity, worry about
Unknown Speaker 57:48
it, because we need to focus on work orders. Because I think we have historically been relatively undisciplined in adding programs that we didn’t necessarily have the capacity to do when we’re putting forms.
Unknown Speaker 58:02
And
Unknown Speaker 58:04
in what would inherently happen is the commit budget in there. So when we added this, we need to stack and this was, this is not
Unknown Speaker 58:11
really new that the show was here and brandy and working through it. They were really good at being very succinct and what they needed lots critical events, and we were trying to climb positions. But somebody would come to me and go when we added this program. Now we need to staff and then we go. So where was that in the budget conversation? And did you think about that when you added it? And oh, by the way, I get 10 More priorities that are more significant.
Unknown Speaker 58:38
And, and so we’ve been working recently, when we started, we lost a lot of progress in the flood. Because we really lost a good four years and some of our budgetary progress just because it’d be so focused on it, but you ever read reengaged? And these are the conversations that they have with me every year, when we’re going through it to say, well, I know Yeah, but
Unknown Speaker 59:07
I need to find the counseling position. You got to figure it out. And
Unknown Speaker 59:14
so that’s another part of the problem. And then the other day as we were getting ready for this budget.
Unknown Speaker 59:19
I had a number of people
Unknown Speaker 59:22
that I think I intuitively knew but didn’t
Unknown Speaker 59:26
fully grasp it is we are just now at the level of staffing where as an organization where we were pre 2008.
Unknown Speaker 59:40
And that’s organizationally and and I think I can say unequivocally it was because we took the wrong because of funding services.
Unknown Speaker 59:50
I can tell you what I did in the previous community and what most of our Joining communities did, is they made the cuts that were necessary during that economic crisis.
Unknown Speaker 1:00:00
So that then when the new revenue starts coming in, instead of just refilling what we’ve had, they were really tactical with how they filled and how they expanded. And so they were dealing with some different staffing issues.
Unknown Speaker 1:00:13
COVID didn’t help matters, either. We weathered it better than most, but we have a really retracting adverts, and not do a lot of ads during the COVID period, because we just didn’t know how the economy’s
Unknown Speaker 1:00:26
we got out of the pretty unscathed, that we were bringing some of those concepts in
Unknown Speaker 1:00:32
the killed physicians, we,
Unknown Speaker 1:00:36
you know, we’ve had to eliminate we eliminated, we
Unknown Speaker 1:00:41
eliminated some positions on development. So we should reduce ongoing expenses, especially over the LED.
Unknown Speaker 1:00:49
So I think we’re now at a baseline where we can do this last year was probably the biggest budget that I’ve ever had here. And we added a fair number of positions.
Unknown Speaker 1:01:00
You know, we’re really getting pressed in our
Unknown Speaker 1:01:04
engineering world and our development world. And that’s incredibly important, because that’s what’s going to facilitate the production of housing, which hopefully can add more affordable and attainable units. As
Unknown Speaker 1:01:18
you know, they’re lag time they were getting three or four months.
Unknown Speaker 1:01:24
So you got to do all of that.
Unknown Speaker 1:01:28
And now, let’s layer on top of this the issue that we’re having tiring, and that’s another problem.
Unknown Speaker 1:01:37
Getting people just getting people, we added a large amount of carryover this year, it’s because
Unknown Speaker 1:01:44
and, you know, when you listen to
Unknown Speaker 1:01:47
listening to say demographer and other economic
Unknown Speaker 1:01:52
economist present, you know, nationally, for every two jobs on the market, there’s one applicant to fill that job.
Unknown Speaker 1:02:01
And the amount of competition for positions has increased dramatically. And it’s, you’re seeing words really bad in certain areas not as bad as other areas, especially in the human services area, the children with their families division has had a clinician position open for six weeks. And so the city pays
Unknown Speaker 1:02:25
much higher rate than local nonprofits and mental health partners. And they have had a hard time.
Unknown Speaker 1:02:36
So similar to the positions that
Unknown Speaker 1:02:40
are listed here, other areas of human services are having.
Unknown Speaker 1:02:46
Well, that’s a market issue. So like, it’s different in every area. So
Unknown Speaker 1:02:52
engineers, we have
Unknown Speaker 1:02:55
to hear adjustments. We tactically watch. And so we have a process that we go through in terms of how long is the position open.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:04
How many people that we lost in the police start getting certain triggers, we dive in and look at what’s going on.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:11
We had to adjust engineers, because it wasn’t that there wasn’t people in the market. It’s the market was outlining everything. And so we had to I think, adjust our step one engineer by $15,000 a year, our senior engineer by 20.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:29
And even then,
Unknown Speaker 1:03:31
it helped, but we were still getting outputs, especially by the private sector.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:38
What’s happening in the social service world, I think, is is a combination of there are more jobs in their apps.
Unknown Speaker 1:03:48
But I also think it’s something similar. I’m pretty confident, you’re not seeing the number of people into social services to go into. So I think added I think what’s exacerbating that issue is you just don’t have the volume of people
Unknown Speaker 1:04:06
statewide, nationally,
Unknown Speaker 1:04:09
and can high school or pushed into STEM. Right? So I mean, history may, you know, I’m a history major with a Master’s in Public Administration going great. We need to focus more on the social sciences, because when you look at the world of the future, that’s what we’re going to need, that we keep wanting to push people into STEM. And what you’re gonna find is a glut of people axiom and not enough in social services. And then it’s gonna pay more but I think the other thing that I talked to the council about is, I think generally in government, we’re seeing huge challenges in terms of people wanting to work for government. And so the example I will use as the world is today
Unknown Speaker 1:04:53
is much different than it was 20 years ago when I started this profession. I honestly didn’t spoke
Unknown Speaker 1:05:00
If, if I were,
Unknown Speaker 1:05:03
I look back to 1995, when I decided to go to get an MBA versus go to law school or an MBA, if I were in that position today, I would not choose it.
Unknown Speaker 1:05:18
And so what we’re seeing holistically in government, is people are exiting as fast as you can imagine.
Unknown Speaker 1:05:28
I get four contacts by headhunters a week.
Unknown Speaker 1:05:33
I have peers mentors,
Unknown Speaker 1:05:37
that are just checking out the system. And it’s really because of the vitriol that started to percolate into local government, local government has historically been into that. But what we’re seeing at the national level now at the state level, has now started percolating into local level. And, and then things that these folks deal with on a daily basis.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:01
They hear people hear about it and be like, Yeah, I don’t want to deal with this. And so in many cases, we create positions, but we can’t fill. And so it is as complicated as I’ve ever seen this world. Now you also have the change in what the new generations are wanting coming into the workforce. And, and we’re doing a lot of things to try and combat it. So we fully embraced workplace flexibility, work from home components, they really can’t, what they do, it’s hard for them to do that.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:37
Last year for salary increases, what took up a significant chunk of dollars coming in is the minimum salary increase of SAT was 6%. And we capped it at 12.
Unknown Speaker 1:06:51
We’re offsetting we’re looking at it wouldn’t surprise me to see the same thing coming in again. Because you don’t want to forget the folks you have here. Because take money to have a position that you lose to because there’s other positions when you decide to do
Unknown Speaker 1:07:11
so yeah, I mean, that that’s that is literally attendance team in it.
Unknown Speaker 1:07:16
overview of what we spent an hour on last night, and we will probably spend
Unknown Speaker 1:07:23
another 40 hours on the whole stinking festival Sunday,
Unknown Speaker 1:07:29
we will spend hundreds of hours on dealing with so the one thing I wanted to let you know is a they have been communicating
Unknown Speaker 1:07:37
the we’ve tried to address them where we can tactically but we’re trying to balance it within all the needs of the entire journal.
Unknown Speaker 1:07:48
I will say I think one of the needs that’s creeping up this year, actually is showing itself Our Children Youth and Family Services.
Unknown Speaker 1:07:57
And that is a big product of what we’re seeing here happen in our community with
Unknown Speaker 1:08:06
our children, or teenagers and our young adults. And unfortunately, we’ve seen some of that show itself in really bad ways recently at Centennial Park, and at Hobby Lobby in terms of some activity and
Unknown Speaker 1:08:22
it says gamer.
Unknown Speaker 1:08:23
And it’s a different problem than what we experienced in the community 20 years ago,
Unknown Speaker 1:08:30
when I’m saying this is how we dealt with it 20 years ago, it will not work today. And so I know that we’re gonna have to look at some
Unknown Speaker 1:08:41
some thinking intervention side and in the prevention side, but it’s also showing itself and final
Unknown Speaker 1:08:48
and
Unknown Speaker 1:08:50
free some resources there. So
Unknown Speaker 1:08:54
and when that’s all said and done,
Unknown Speaker 1:08:57
as we looked at the budget for this year,
Unknown Speaker 1:09:00
and Jim did a good job and you have a chance to watch the video that we’re bringing presented to council.
Unknown Speaker 1:09:07
Right now on a sales tax perspective. Sales tax is about 1% over where we were last year. You Sachs is way down, which when you look at sales and use tax and we’re not performing at where we hope to be from a budget perspective. Now, the good news is we did budget for Costco.
Unknown Speaker 1:09:28
That is only eight months. And at best it’ll narrow the gap or maybe balance it and it will take us over this year.
Unknown Speaker 1:09:39
What’s really starting to show itself and it’s interesting after I mentioned the article last night to you, my wife had another one for me to read where
Unknown Speaker 1:09:50
we can everybody’s been invading our way into recession. Are we going into recession.
Unknown Speaker 1:09:56
About a month ago I started seeing more and reading more about
Unknown Speaker 1:10:00
The American consumer had bad news for the US.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:04
And think what we’re seeing with all the inflation pressures that we’re seeing in the grocery store and everywhere else, people are now constricting on their disposable income, which is directly impacted sales tax.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:19
The price property taxes, interestingly enough, is a good thing.
Unknown Speaker 1:10:24
But it’s a bad thing, but it does to people because there’ll be another added restriction in the disposable income. And so had they
Unknown Speaker 1:10:34
stay with what they’re going to have that’s about that was about $7.2 million increase. And Randy for us, we’re going to fall into 2% of their 7.4. So we’re going to model 3.7 million increase in that. And then really, even when we do that, we typically in reappraisal years, this is part of our budget reset strategy, is we call a million or so off of the ongoing funding, and use it for one time. So when we’re in a non reappraisal year, we’re not pinching ourselves so tight, because historically, what the city would do is you’d be flush, you’d have no money, you’d be flushing and have no money. So we’re treating our reappraisal years in different ways, so we can smooth that curve. So that we have the ability in off cycle years to actually make adjustments in the organization. So at the end of the day, I think Jim said, we’re projecting that we may have $5.1 million
Unknown Speaker 1:11:34
last year was the first time I’ve seen this since I’ve been here. I said, on our off must pay bills level one, it tended to be between seven and 900,000, I think it seemed as low as six was last year, it was 1.9 million. And that was just the direct impact everything that we’re feeling as individuals, inflation, we’re filling as an organization. So
Unknown Speaker 1:12:01
let’s say we’re somewhere, let’s say it’s one and a half. So we’re at 5.4 million, you take one and a half off or must pay,
Unknown Speaker 1:12:09
I think we’re gonna have the same labor pressures. So if you think we have for the CBA,
Unknown Speaker 1:12:18
automatic 4% increase with collusive fires, that’s going to be
Unknown Speaker 1:12:24
close to three quarters of a million dollars. And then if you do that, for the rest of the organization in the general fund two
Unknown Speaker 1:12:31
and a half.
Unknown Speaker 1:12:35
So doesn’t leave a lot first.
Unknown Speaker 1:12:38
I wanted to explain that. So when you start seeing decisions we’re making, there’s at least a framework of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it.
Unknown Speaker 1:12:48
The other advantage of maybe going now with a ballot initiative is that if
Unknown Speaker 1:12:55
some of these apps, so let’s take the library, for example, where we’re putting in the ongoing operational costs and the preferred level of service. What that actually does for the rest of the departments in the general fund is it reduces one more layer of competition. And so that’s part of this, what we’re doing right now. And when we talked about on, on the Rec Center, and the why, why goes and save $1.1 million and ongoing expenses, we may reduce the salary tax increase what happened during the arduous day and take it from there, but then take the other half trillion dollars of 600,000. And drop it into opposite some of the other operational issues we’re dealing with. So the sins are inherently tied to each other.
Unknown Speaker 1:13:48
So a lot so there’s one more thing you shouldn’t say, Harold, which is what we ended up with the council wants about this as a year of finishing things. Yeah, so that was the other thing. So what really happened is, and I’ll take arts, for example.
Unknown Speaker 1:14:07
You know, I hear what we’re 20 years behind the building parks, and that’s correct. What I send to the council is, I can’t explain what happened in the first 10 years. I don’t know what’s in here.
Unknown Speaker 1:14:20
But I can tell you what happened in the 10 years of admin years, we had to completely reposition our staff and the flood recovery, which if you’re tenured behind
Unknown Speaker 1:14:30
behind, technically, we’re still in recovery.
Unknown Speaker 1:14:34
And in a short period of time, at some point this year, and they got want to travel Boston, across the bridge is it’s either going to be closed in one way or two ways and then we’re gonna have the Army Corps and Isaac Walton. So the flood really kind of shook system. But even in that
Unknown Speaker 1:14:53
we did really well the discipline in terms of the projects but recovery, but we have time constraints. What else
Unknown Speaker 1:15:00
Seeing holistically though, is not great.
Unknown Speaker 1:15:04
So what I did this year, started last year in the budget when we were looking at CIP going, can you finish it this year? Can you finish it this year?
Unknown Speaker 1:15:14
I’ve seen the roll.
Unknown Speaker 1:15:17
I was already seeing this anyway. So in the CIP process, what we’re saying is,
Unknown Speaker 1:15:23
don’t put anything new if you can’t finish what you started. So this will also be a reset year of finishing things. So then that way, as we’re putting new things in, we can actually spend the money and get it done. Because that in its own right is creating issues because inflation is killing us. And to give you a sense of the inflation impact,
Unknown Speaker 1:15:46
at a $4 million cost over on a compensatory project, which is critical to our broader transportation system.
Unknown Speaker 1:15:58
We had a $4 million overrun on the Boston Avenue Bridge, which, up until this point, everything’s coming under budget, and that was moving on time. So that’s inflation, or million dollars short on first, and then transit station, which is again, incredibly important to our broader transportation system.
Unknown Speaker 1:16:25
$33 million short on Nelson Flanders, again, that’s not a timing issue, that’s just the mark in the market, and that we’re getting away from this. concrete, steel, electrical components, everything else. And so we’re managing that we have managed Boston, I think we’ve got carpet under control, we’re gonna throw that on to yours, we got to figure the million for first in May. So this is also a year of finishing, so that we can really create a blank slate as we’re moving forward.
Unknown Speaker 1:16:58
I asked a question about finishing things. So a friend’s have picked up paying for two staff positions. Since 2017, part of one of our resource specialists and part of the marketing specialists and the friends around you can fill in more if you want more details have said quite clearly, but their thought was they were helping start that position. And the city would pick up the paint, finish it at some point. And that hasn’t happened. And they’re getting
Unknown Speaker 1:17:30
grumpy about it.
Unknown Speaker 1:17:33
What was the thought there about starting and finishing, paying for positions? Well, I mean, it’s an interesting question. Because if you use the money to pay for half of that,
Unknown Speaker 1:17:45
or whatever it is, then that’s money that’s basically keeping your staff level at a baseline
Unknown Speaker 1:17:52
and doesn’t really shift the needle at all. And so I’m not sure what the conversation we’re friends. And on that issue, I think, the budget, we said, we can’t fund it. And so the the options and friends
Unknown Speaker 1:18:12
that we would we would cover it. And so that’s an example of
Unknown Speaker 1:18:17
expanding and doing some things and in order to here.
Unknown Speaker 1:18:24
And I think it has become a different philosophy with a friend because historically, Michelle always had a list of things she asked for, and was always very clear that if the city can pay for that, friends, well, it appears that that that way of doing things is right, changing a little bit.
Unknown Speaker 1:18:48
A little bit of pushback from and that’s something that we get. Yeah. I mean, that’s kind of
Unknown Speaker 1:18:55
the operating model was this.
Unknown Speaker 1:18:59
They don’t want to do that. But that’s I know it’s created. So
Unknown Speaker 1:19:05
I talked to a couple of things.
Unknown Speaker 1:19:08
I don’t understand the whole situation.
Unknown Speaker 1:19:13
I don’t know what the future holds.
Unknown Speaker 1:19:17
What the question I have is really when you’re talking about expanding services versus core services, and like a resource specialists, that’s not expanding programming services that’s just trying to meet the needs of 1420 for people who walked in the door last year for resources systems.
Unknown Speaker 1:19:36
And that’s a core determinant for me, it’s a growing and
Unknown Speaker 1:19:41
so like, what is the plan to address that? Well, and I haven’t dug into
Unknown Speaker 1:19:47
I mean, this is what Christina and Ronnie have to do. But you know, I will tell you when I look at that, and I go into departments, even in public safety, you know, I
Unknown Speaker 1:20:00
An example that I often hear is,
Unknown Speaker 1:20:03
Well, it’s a core service to provide all of our services
Unknown Speaker 1:20:08
that serve
Unknown Speaker 1:20:10
core services, the immediate fire response, the
Unknown Speaker 1:20:15
concept of the tactical rescue unit, or this or that that’s not necessarily core. And
Unknown Speaker 1:20:25
that’s an extreme example. But in other operating budgets, it’s, I think we also have to look at the 108 things we do, and say, What’s core? And this and, you know, perhaps you need to watch. That’s sort of my mantra, what do we have to do? What do we need to do what we want to do, and I think organizationally, we have to start looking at the watts, and maybe start retracting a little bit over watts, to make sure we’re getting the half decent. Because I think that’s part of that lack of discipline is there. And I ran into this all the time, people telling me, I’m too busy, I’m too busy, I’m too busy. Council has given me a green light to stop the ones. I’ve given people a green light to stop the ones. And every time I ask questions, what are we gonna stop doing?
Unknown Speaker 1:21:16
And it’s a lot of times, I would argue, because the ones are what people on staff want to do not necessarily have to be removed.
Unknown Speaker 1:21:27
And so I think that’s gonna be part of the process to try to figure some of this out. You know, what I hear you saying? I think I understand most,
Unknown Speaker 1:21:36
most.
Unknown Speaker 1:21:38
But
Unknown Speaker 1:21:39
it seems like what I’m hearing is gonna be tough to fund a lot of different kinds of decisions and resources, whatever.
Unknown Speaker 1:21:50
And it seems like you’re saying that we have to evaluate our core services, you know, get back to the essential services, whatever, whatever the function is, or whatever, the officers. And that’s what you’re telling us.
Unknown Speaker 1:22:04
And
Unknown Speaker 1:22:06
any growth or while
Unknown Speaker 1:22:09
pretty limited, you’re not saying that you can’t submit the request. Anybody? They can submit anything you want.
Unknown Speaker 1:22:18
And they ask this stuff. What do you want from us?
Unknown Speaker 1:22:24
We have another discussion like this. What do you want from us as far as
Unknown Speaker 1:22:30
our problems?
Unknown Speaker 1:22:33
across you know?
Unknown Speaker 1:22:36
What do we have to do? Everything Brady just said, I think we have to do and I think it’d be more pertinent as we continue in the future.
Unknown Speaker 1:22:47
And I’ll explain why.
Unknown Speaker 1:22:49
The demographer to your point of, we can’t afford tax, and I’m talking about older adult population, they can’t afford the tax increases, but we can’t afford to downsize your entire career.
Unknown Speaker 1:23:05
I bought a house much later than most of you probably because I haven’t been here that long.
Unknown Speaker 1:23:11
And I started, I divided the front end of this
Unknown Speaker 1:23:15
madness that’s occurring.
Unknown Speaker 1:23:18
My kids are gonna go into college,
Unknown Speaker 1:23:21
big house through Adobe.
Unknown Speaker 1:23:24
We have to clean it. And my wife and I started talking about how do we downsize?
Unknown Speaker 1:23:29
And then we started looking
Unknown Speaker 1:23:34
to get a smaller house
Unknown Speaker 1:23:38
will cost significantly more than I paid for mine and how to get upside down from an equity perspective. So it was kind of like, graph we can.
Unknown Speaker 1:23:51
Now what the demographer is showing us is that is a statewide problem. And it’s also contributing to the housing crisis. Because there’s a normal and healthy housing market, you have a normal attrition to where people like myself and people like us any want to downsize your downside, yield up houses on the market that is picked up by the next generation moving in.
Unknown Speaker 1:24:21
That’s actually part of our problem. And I say all of this, because I think the demand for
Unknown Speaker 1:24:28
that hardcore social service assistance is only going to get worse
Unknown Speaker 1:24:35
because of that very issue, and then that’s starting to spin itself off into issues again, Gen X and Gen X group and now the millennials because
Unknown Speaker 1:24:46
I think everybody thought they were going to not wanting to move to suburbia and moving houses, but what we’re finding is that
Unknown Speaker 1:24:52
COVID was a big trigger in that and so now they’re starting to get into the market. Gen X is still we’re not getting
Unknown Speaker 1:25:00
In our housing buying potential, we’re close. And when you add those to the Mustang a piece here, that’s over 40 50,000 cars a year short, all right?
Unknown Speaker 1:25:10
Again, it’s short in Colorado, but then that’s also telling me that piece of what you all have to do is going to be more and more more importantly, especially for those individuals that are now in their retirement stage of life,
Unknown Speaker 1:25:28
that didn’t necessarily have the pensions in place to account for
Unknown Speaker 1:25:34
everything that we’ve seen. And I just think it’s gonna get worse. And so, to me, that’s like, that’s a hashtag, we have to get very clear on this. What’s a need to want to want to as we’re looking at what we do operationally to ensure that we’re supporting those that are most. Now
Unknown Speaker 1:25:56
another solution to this is something that Jeff does, if there are things that are want to use,
Unknown Speaker 1:26:03
that people would mean for being interested in participating in
Unknown Speaker 1:26:09
harmony notice, and I were talking about this. So a lot of my friends that I started with here, they’re all retiring Dale and I talked about this is I think there’s also a group in that 55 to 65 range, that may not naturally be inclined to utilize senior center services. But is there a market for that 55 to 65 year old group, to where you can do some fee based services, that helps facilitate things that actually brings in revenue, that allows us to do some things. So you cover your operating expenses, the fees, that then you may charge enough more to start bringing in a revenue model.
Unknown Speaker 1:26:56
And that helps offset helping those that are most in need of the core services to be supportive tax on. So I think there’s creative ways to know I was that was going to be one of my questions. I call him an enterprise from scratch, I’ve got like 50, universal, we don’t want to be an enterprise. Well. So but it’s the enterprise fund model where you take the same fee base component, but you use it as revenue to drop in here. You don’t want to be an enterprise fund, our definition that you can take same concept. Can Can we talk about a current problem we see happening with our revenue on the recreation side, let me let me say one thing for
Unknown Speaker 1:27:41
Ronnie and I have had that exact conversation about that 55 to 65 year old group, and one of the challenges that senior services have is that they’re closed on the weekends, and they close up five, most of us that are in that 55 to 65, page groups are still working those hours of the day that the senior center is open. For for us to have the capacity to bring in those extra revenues, we will need the resources to be able to to expand the outers or figure out how we can partner with other groups to augment it. And
Unknown Speaker 1:28:24
so here’s
Unknown Speaker 1:28:26
if the senior services,
Unknown Speaker 1:28:30
you know, once are
Unknown Speaker 1:28:32
tied to golf now real quick. So Golf has a reach of like this, seeing your services as a reach like this. If the golf and senior services were put together, and you did this, and maybe you said
Unknown Speaker 1:28:50
we want to work,
Unknown Speaker 1:28:52
or beginning our program for older adults.
Unknown Speaker 1:28:56
To figure out how you can split the revenue and minimize the staffing cost.
Unknown Speaker 1:29:01
Then not only are you benefiting this program, you’re benefiting God because you’re bringing in different people. Not that that’s the right answer, Jeff, I think we have to get creative and powered with Tina does and how we work collectively as an organization to benefit the whole. And my thought that recreation and Senior Services is, is a better fit because we do a lot of similar type of types of things in recreation world. And maybe between Ronnie and Ben, they could come up with that extra programming and cost share the are the revenue share and what was brought in.
Unknown Speaker 1:29:47
But another question that I think comes into this because they’re they’re a you know, the 61 to 70 demographic are our
Unknown Speaker 1:30:00
People like me who don’t know how to not work and found themselves retired.
Unknown Speaker 1:30:05
So what would the rules be in terms of liability and all of that, in terms of the ratio of people staffing and open building?
Unknown Speaker 1:30:18
How what percentage can be volunteers versus what percentage have to be? Absolutely.
Unknown Speaker 1:30:26
I don’t think there’s a magic answer to that. I think we would always need one full time staff member. There. We are. Part of the part of what we got within the budget last year was we created a volunteer coordinator.
Unknown Speaker 1:30:42
And so HR is now starting to aggregate a lot of that. And part of the reason was, we had so many people doing it, but we were stepping on our own toes. And so I think through that volunteer coordinator position, they could do that in very specific
Unknown Speaker 1:30:57
character animators volunteering
Unknown Speaker 1:31:01
with you on the technical side. high skilled, right, I know jail.
Unknown Speaker 1:31:09
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 1:31:13
That’s definitely a solution. And I think that brings the community together to not only as an organization to solve problems, but problems solve problems as
Unknown Speaker 1:31:27
questions about ours, because
Unknown Speaker 1:31:32
we do need to expand hours. But
Unknown Speaker 1:31:36
there’s the staffing and all that that goes along with it. That has anyone considered changing hours or alternating hours for? Have we looked at? What are the peak hours and sation in the senior center? And are there days that are more active than other days? And is there a way to have, you know, 10 to six, or 11 to seven, one or two days a week to accommodate people that need those after work hours, without necessarily having to expand staff?
Unknown Speaker 1:32:25
Retention potential?
Unknown Speaker 1:32:27
That’s actually a great point. And we’re doing that in different places. You know, one of the things I always suggest is we’re really moving more data informed decision making. And so we’ve integrated some groups within multiple departments, and we call it
Unknown Speaker 1:32:47
strategic integration.
Unknown Speaker 1:32:50
So we have a lot of data, folks. And one of the things I was gonna say, again, I think this is something as a city, where we haven’t really been great at is to kind of do what we’re doing, and we keep doing it. And a lot of times when I’m in conversation answers where we’ve always got it this way.
Unknown Speaker 1:33:06
I think it would be good to do some survey, and really see,
Unknown Speaker 1:33:14
hey, I think in terms of capacity, we can figure that out entirely. But then, if you’re looking at targeting a certain demographic to help generate revenue to go, I would survey that group 50 to 65 year olds, what would you like to see? What would you like us to do?
Unknown Speaker 1:33:32
Because a lot of times, we think we know what people want us to do. And in reality, that’s not what they want us to do. And so I would maybe tap back here to see how we can do some surveying there.
Unknown Speaker 1:33:48
Because it gets to that point, how are you opening that optimal hours? And if you were to cut it from
Unknown Speaker 1:33:56
what time you open?
Unknown Speaker 1:34:01
Yeah, so you know, you can do it, but are we open to 10. And we close at seven or reopen attending close at five and a half hours on Saturday, you can do it where you open at eight and you know, bring your full staffing contingent at eight, until you bring someone in at eight and bring somebody in at this time, and then you elongate or
Unknown Speaker 1:34:20
there’s about 1000 ways to deal with this. The other thing that I think we can start actively talking about is if you wanted to expand some of these things, or the Housing Authority side, do we have a lot of age restricted units. There are many ways that we can partner there and maybe it doesn’t have to be at the
Unknown Speaker 1:34:41
the senior center maybe it could be at Aspen
Unknown Speaker 1:34:45
Aspen Meadows apartments or maybe Spring Creek, you know, started expanding scope geographically as well. Utilizing facilities that we already have.
Unknown Speaker 1:34:56
Staffing is going to be an issue but
Unknown Speaker 1:35:00
I think making the message clear that when if and when hours are shifted, this is why. And so,
Unknown Speaker 1:35:11
deal with data. Yeah, don’t do it. Don’t do it like, you know,
Unknown Speaker 1:35:15
10. But you know, really be thoughtful about that data.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:19
Because we can, it’s easy to go to folks and say, well, here’s what you want it.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:24
I mean, we’ve been to trash collection, they worked four days a week.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:29
If you can figure trash out, you can almost figure out anything.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:39
I ask people, what’s the most important service the city provides? And everybody go places? trash service.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:47
What’s happened in
Unknown Speaker 1:35:49
sanitation workers strike, shuts the city down.
Unknown Speaker 1:35:55
Yeah. So I think that’s a good suggestion. And,
Unknown Speaker 1:36:00
and I’m open to all of that. I mean, that’s the one thing I think they can all say is, I’m not afraid of risk. And I’m not afraid of being creative to find solutions. And, and what if we test one out, it doesn’t work, or we lose.
Unknown Speaker 1:36:15
That’s how you make improvements. And, and I think that’s a mindset shift. And I’m still struggling with 10 years later, the first time I came in and talked to everyone, I said, I’m not afraid of risk, I’m not afraid of mistakes, mistakes, you make mistakes, and make improvements. And I’ll never obliterate anyone for a mistake in lessons, what I call,
Unknown Speaker 1:36:41
like, you’re just sitting on your backside not trying to improve. And it’s crazy to say, other than that, I’m pretty tolerant. It’s literally taking this 10 years to get more and more adoption. And that is the thing people are inherently afraid for. It’s
Unknown Speaker 1:36:57
but I think we have to bring back the private sector into what we do as government because otherwise 20 years from now, we’re gonna be looking at going what we’re doing, because the
Unknown Speaker 1:37:09
government should
Unknown Speaker 1:37:14
question in reference to the ballot issue. Is that going to take an increase in personnel and words that somebody’s got to get into the instructor into it? It is factored it is factored into it, which that is the
Unknown Speaker 1:37:29
was the potential we’re actually I think it’s creates capacity in other places. Because Jeff can then get creative with Ally staffing. So then maybe we’re not having to have rec come in all the time for positions. And then the library has this funding source for directory, the NATO command. So now all of a sudden, we’re restricting the amount of departments I mean, it needs space or needed staff. So
Unknown Speaker 1:37:57
site.
Unknown Speaker 1:38:02
So, so no, that is why we built that in because we were not going to, you know, those who failed learn from histories and six are doomed to repeat.
Unknown Speaker 1:38:11
That’s actually what started part of this problem, too. On the part, it’s just story, building parks.
Unknown Speaker 1:38:20
They will never add any staff to maintain
Unknown Speaker 1:38:24
and
Unknown Speaker 1:38:26
actually returning staff.
Unknown Speaker 1:38:29
And so when we, you know, came in, it’s like, Oh, no. So we went to the council and said, We can’t build any more parks until we get the staff we need to maintain our you may remember that conversation because I think you were in a couple of meetings or something else. And
Unknown Speaker 1:38:47
so now finally caught up to where we now can build parts based on staffing.
Unknown Speaker 1:38:53
Yeah, we were going to do that again. Thank you do anything that you’ve built into that we’ve built into the ballot is the capital replacement as well, city historically has not done a good job of preparing to maintain the facilities that we have. And that is a building component with a valid issue. So if we call the new rec center, there’s money there to help keep it all of the HVAC units and so on operations. We was that was the city of oh, 5 million was a library two, three. Yeah. A good another two or three in our public safety building. Sorry, 10 10 million somewhere in there.
Unknown Speaker 1:39:41
And you all cannot tell what
Unknown Speaker 1:39:46
because the foundation for failing the wall searchers are failing. And so again, those who failed for stakes are doomed to repeat it. Again, because we have facilities that were
Unknown Speaker 1:40:00
At the end of life, and we that was a bond initiative that everyone voted on, we have all these facilities. And it was because we never invested in them over time. And so literally 4050 years later,
Unknown Speaker 1:40:15
we were about to get red tagged on the civic center because the foundation’s failing.
Unknown Speaker 1:40:20
Same thing in the library. And we’re now seeing the same thing or public safety building. So that’s another thing that we got to build into our budget is really a really good ongoing maintenance program and being disciplined. Because what that does is it that took 10 million, let’s say $2 million away from us, that we could have potentially said, we’re going to add a library annex, for like five or 10 million, we’re going to add on to the Senior Center, we’re going to do that mean, just money that basically go in our building, the only thing you’ll see that’s different is
Unknown Speaker 1:41:00
a wall around the building. And that was put in because we needed to reduce the late limit on it. All the post tensioned slab and it started breaking.
Unknown Speaker 1:41:12
And
Unknown Speaker 1:41:14
2 million just
Unknown Speaker 1:41:17
talk to the volunteer coordinator specialist.
Unknown Speaker 1:41:24
Have you found that to be cost effective? I mean, are we getting the ball if
Unknown Speaker 1:41:30
you can quantify the value and acts of Marches question without volunteers here?
Unknown Speaker 1:41:36
David Bill does a really good job on tracking the hours and work reduction on that. And if you all wanted to do it, I want to do the same thing. Because we can quantify that. We know we haven’t quantified a third of our programs are volunteers yet there’s 1/3 of our programs. So we can take it into $1 value to say that’s equivalent to 30, probably two staff members something that’s equivalent to that.
Unknown Speaker 1:42:07
Y’all
Unknown Speaker 1:42:11
I have a question for Christina. How long does it take? I mean, are all positions have the same requirements as to how long you have to wait? How long you have to post it cetera, et cetera? Because I guess, I mean, I know of some positions, that by the time
Unknown Speaker 1:42:31
it closes, you’ve opened some of these people, and they’ve been hired by somebody else actually shifted that you did. So I think everybody should be posting their positions right now open into Phil.
Unknown Speaker 1:42:46
And we had to do that a couple years, because we were finding that
Unknown Speaker 1:42:51
do it open until filled.
Unknown Speaker 1:42:55
Glad to hear that. So if you get a great candidate, and they want
Unknown Speaker 1:42:59
to go after that great candidate, and they were hired. Okay, so it’s open public posting. Right. So no internal posting.
Unknown Speaker 1:43:16
Any other questions?
Unknown Speaker 1:43:18
So what I’ll tell you is I definitely heard he said,
Unknown Speaker 1:43:22
I’ve been hearing it
Unknown Speaker 1:43:26
if we had all the money in the world, I would go here it is, we were kind of hoping we would have another good year. But definitely the things that you mentioned are consistent brought to my attention. And, you know, we’re gonna do our best to get some of these needs if we can, you know, just know it’s my wins is always going to be happening.
Unknown Speaker 1:43:50
And you’ve obviously urban centers and have to get figured out
Unknown Speaker 1:43:56
they want to think about is Virginia with the LGA two
Unknown Speaker 1:44:01
so
Unknown Speaker 1:44:04
let’s talk to Kendra because if we can do an LE J city split
Unknown Speaker 1:44:11
well, so we’re gonna cross purposes there because one of the things that we’ve talked about what the Oh ha are my monthly meetings with the sperm services team is that a lot of the problems that are running into in the buildings are because people aren’t getting out of their building and going into the community. They’re just sitting there all day stewing and regroup fighting each other. So we’re actually doing more get acquainted programs this summer was specific outreach to the housing authority to try to get people to leave the building and come to us. Part of it.
Unknown Speaker 1:44:44
Let’s say
Unknown Speaker 1:44:47
we find one and a fun one, but we designed it not with the tax credit limitation.
Unknown Speaker 1:44:56
Maybe we can create
Unknown Speaker 1:44:58
so 50% by
Unknown Speaker 1:45:00
I mean no 2% of the other
Unknown Speaker 1:45:04
50% from the housing authority. Yeah. To you we create to what’s
Unknown Speaker 1:45:12
either
Unknown Speaker 1:45:13
talking about programming programs.
Unknown Speaker 1:45:17
Are you mentioned programming a while ago? This is not this is not programming. This is
Unknown Speaker 1:45:23
the resource, the resource specialist or counting kind of reviewers. But I think there’s a lively community in that. But we’re, we’re strengthener to anyone.
Unknown Speaker 1:45:37
But there you go. Greta, do you know we’re talking about your well, using the building on the weekend would be a plus, if you get
Unknown Speaker 1:45:47
if you get one staff member, you know, to open them up once a month, then you can set up volunteer programs to bring those people in right?
Unknown Speaker 1:46:00
To get that it gets the
Unknown Speaker 1:46:04
because the people in the housing authority places into place, we may not be a recent
Unknown Speaker 1:46:12
added resource
Unknown Speaker 1:46:15
is
Unknown Speaker 1:46:17
your navy arrest program, maybe a combination of
Unknown Speaker 1:46:21
words, it’s a program.
Unknown Speaker 1:46:26
I don’t think we have it.
Unknown Speaker 1:46:37
If you get half a personnel, this is all worth
Unknown Speaker 1:46:42
the next month, in other
Unknown Speaker 1:46:46
words, what I’m dealing with is on a brand new slide, we’re not getting people out of there. We don’t have enough programs there. Maybe part of it is we have to bring people there and then get people to go somewhere else. And if we could have a court made some kind of coordinator program that is bridging but also filling gaps.
Unknown Speaker 1:47:18
Programs for 20 years. We do it and other divisions don’t do it. Maybe you’re looking at like
Unknown Speaker 1:47:29
revisionist history revision of the 5050 split. Okay.
Unknown Speaker 1:47:34
And I’m just asking
Unknown Speaker 1:47:36
what that allows us to be intentional on focusing on Spanish per piece
Unknown Speaker 1:47:41
that or collectively is very interested in focusing on that
Unknown Speaker 1:47:53
tension towards it? I don’t know if it’ll.
Unknown Speaker 1:47:58
I don’t know if it’s politically what you learned.
Unknown Speaker 1:48:02
Well, if you bring the dollar exam, right,
Unknown Speaker 1:48:06
you can shift dollars
Unknown Speaker 1:48:09
to do what you’re wanting to hear within 60 minutes still accomplish. We did that with Sarah. And that’s what we did. And so we’re finding Sarah’s position to bring her more active and not her position and lower level to bring her more and more engaged within the housing authority but also connecting that to primary multifamily and other pieces. So that’s what I’m thinking about is like a Sarah model, but it’s their model that helps build some gaps.
Unknown Speaker 1:48:39
So I think that could bring in new patrons right if you’re additional revenue. I don’t know if that’s enough to to start having discussions. On the other half. I think we’re that piece of components are extending travel
Unknown Speaker 1:48:57
too, because I know we’re using
Unknown Speaker 1:49:04
Valerie
Unknown Speaker 1:49:11
she’s gone in some of the meetings I’ve had translated
Unknown Speaker 1:49:22
she’s done that. So there’s a bilingual need at the Housing Authority to
Unknown Speaker 1:49:29
know
Unknown Speaker 1:49:32
figured out but somebody from the senior group has been in Housing Authority meetings at our age restrictive units that has helped interpret.
Unknown Speaker 1:49:45
Veronica has a whole lot of time. Well, you make time when your city manager
Unknown Speaker 1:49:56
there was a thing I didn’t ask him to do. I just walked in and they were there. That’s
Unknown Speaker 1:50:00
Correct. So
Unknown Speaker 1:50:04
people who do that sort of thing?
Unknown Speaker 1:50:07
I was curious because we have we have our tier three interpreters, which we need to rotate, which I was curious as to why it may have been a joint client.
Unknown Speaker 1:50:22
Any other questions, comments,
Unknown Speaker 1:50:25
concerns? This is just a comment that appreciate you being here today. I got my
Unknown Speaker 1:50:33
job was able to absorb.
Unknown Speaker 1:50:36
It’s definitely
Unknown Speaker 1:50:39
an invaluable witness, right. So that’s kind of why I wanted to do it, I told these two I said, we need to, I don’t want you all to be in a position where as a board, you say something, and then I have to come in and get them out there. It’s not yet we’re gonna need to understand our process. And I probably need to do this every board
Unknown Speaker 1:51:01
to understand our decision making process and why we’re doing it. And the thing I leave everyone with, is it’s not that we don’t want to do it.
Unknown Speaker 1:51:11
And I
Unknown Speaker 1:51:13
think
Unknown Speaker 1:51:15
that’s been helpful because it’s too structured setting.
Unknown Speaker 1:51:20
Because, unfortunately, from 20 years ago.
Unknown Speaker 1:51:29
We’re pretty fortunate city, when you look at some what’s going on in some of these other cities, our law enforcement Fire Department, even the trash the trash folks
Unknown Speaker 1:51:42
out there wants to want to go by and
Unknown Speaker 1:51:45
they do a good job of doing what they get, of course, the senator. So thank you for what
Unknown Speaker 1:51:53
you have to be to be examples for our city.
Unknown Speaker 1:51:58
That’s actually part of what inhibits us grants to
Unknown Speaker 1:52:03
because we’re so far ahead of someone cities, there’s a lot of grants that we don’t need to qualify for.
Unknown Speaker 1:52:12
So the grants, we tend to qualify for those innovative grants that are on the cutting edge. And a lot of the base level grants that are we’re seeing out there, it’s you have to have this condition, and we don’t have that condition. Are there grants that are meant to get your community to collaborate around a specific issue? And we’re just so far surpassed that that.
Unknown Speaker 1:52:44
Up, we’re going to apply for a grant realistically, if there was something
Unknown Speaker 1:52:49
and that grant expired.
Unknown Speaker 1:52:52
And we typically have to pick up the funding ourselves. Yeah, that’s that’s something we’re pretty careful about because
Unknown Speaker 1:53:01
listed this was in the police world where he saw the police transfer police officers.
Unknown Speaker 1:53:07
We didn’t do a lot of that, because they require you to then pick it up, which takes away your ability to really look at priorities down the road, because now you have to fund this. And that’s part of what we bring forward to council in when we bring grants that you know, if their state or federal grants. That’s part of what we report on to council, what’s the financial investment that decision takes? Is there a match? And are we obligated to continue to Sunday after the insiders? And so
Unknown Speaker 1:53:46
it’s about that something I think everyone think there’s a lot of people don’t understand, like the public public safety sales tax. Because I’ve had questions recently about well, why don’t we put more police expenses over there. The way it was voted on doesn’t allow us to do that. For public safety, sales tax can only be used for new
Unknown Speaker 1:54:08
or or improved.
Unknown Speaker 1:54:11
So all the dollars that are raised from that either has to go into like new officers new programs. I can’t use it to fund something that existed prior to the adoption of that public safety sales tax, which
Unknown Speaker 1:54:25
creates a big issue for us from a budget perspective, because then when you inevitably go into those bad financial periods,
Unknown Speaker 1:54:34
it creates an issue for that tax and it creates an issue for us and that we’re having to manage our small tool because that revenue doesn’t come in which is in this other tax what we’re trying to use to figure out how to word it to say the ongoing pieces for this but in the event of an economic downturn, we can balance the entire risk system for example, versus having when you
Unknown Speaker 1:55:00
balkanize your tax base, you create some really significant challenges and economic downturns
Unknown Speaker 1:55:07
because you just start pressing impact on a smaller and smaller group of departments.
Unknown Speaker 1:55:19
Sorry to talk too much.
Unknown Speaker 1:55:23
So much before we break up, I do need two volunteers to help Ronnie and I do forward interviews.
Unknown Speaker 1:55:34
Okay, I’ll try to be
Unknown Speaker 1:55:39
okay. Thank you.
Unknown Speaker 1:55:48
Carrie, no other additions to the agenda. I’ll entertain a motion to approve the agenda as amended.
Unknown Speaker 1:55:55
So, okay, movement that moved my arm seconded by Shirley. Sheila.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:06
Joke.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:07
Okay, is there a second in a second? All right. All those in favor of the approval of the agenda say aye. Aye. All right. Any opposed? Motion carries approval the minutes from the previous month.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:21
For any additions to the minutes
Unknown Speaker 1:56:27
are very good as usual.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:29
If not someone make a motion to approve the minutes. Make a motion to approve the minutes.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:40
To me and art. Any discussion? All those in favor approving the minutes say aye. Aye.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:47
Opposed?
Unknown Speaker 1:56:49
Motion carries.
Unknown Speaker 1:56:52
Is there any public to be heard today?
Unknown Speaker 1:56:58
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 1:57:06
All right.
Unknown Speaker 1:57:09
Is he out in the hall?
Unknown Speaker 1:57:11
Yeah, yeah. He went to the senior side. He should be here. Oh.
Unknown Speaker 1:57:16
All right. Well, maybe move him first. We invite somebody to come on, we’ll have him on the top of the agenda. Otherwise, let’s just move to old business we can stop soon as I get here. So library recreation and culture.
Unknown Speaker 1:57:33
So do you want to talk about what Council structure was last week? Well, that council
Unknown Speaker 1:57:41
has given
Unknown Speaker 1:57:43
has has given tenders of approval to having three ballot questions.
Unknown Speaker 1:57:49
One is for the Center for Arts and Entertainment. One is for a branch library. And one is for a collection of rec center but not park upgrades.
Unknown Speaker 1:58:03
That I think it probably needs more definition. But I believe that the intent was they bundle the proposal from the YMCA, which I would be happy to talk about
Unknown Speaker 1:58:18
with the
Unknown Speaker 1:58:21
expansion of the old rec center and building the new rec center at Dry Creek Park.
Unknown Speaker 1:58:30
So
Unknown Speaker 1:58:32
but the last was was a little bit fuzzy. I mean, I only mentioned I wanted to make sure that the wife proposal was on the ballot. And but several other
Unknown Speaker 1:58:46
council members talked about it as a bundle. And I believe that’s the intent of the
Unknown Speaker 1:58:54
Parks and Recreation advisory board. Is that correct? Yeah. So that’s probably the way it will come back to us. But of course, until the council approves absolutely valid language, which we understand that in June, it will not be set in stone.
Unknown Speaker 1:59:13
Changes
Unknown Speaker 1:59:15
from what
Unknown Speaker 1:59:17
unbundled before? Well, they’ll still be separate there. Yeah. There was never the intention of the survey had several possible bundles. You know, but that was just a survey.
Unknown Speaker 1:59:33
So when we you know, saw the reactions and nothing had really overwhelming it’s going to pass no matter what happens support.
Unknown Speaker 1:59:43
The idea was to make a thing that was on the ballot at all, a separate question. And so it looks like three questions is some some kind of an ideal choice. And those three which would
Unknown Speaker 2:00:00
The library arts and rec
Unknown Speaker 2:00:05
part of the target. And it’s still a little way to find what the right one is going to be they held a public outreach last week. And I have not heard any report from that. I guess we’ll grab from that. No, it was it was staffing consultant. Okay. And we right before I arrived, I got feedback from the consultant. So I haven’t even had a chance to review it yet. Okay. So should I have a concern?
Unknown Speaker 2:00:38
just asked, because I think these are really important.
Unknown Speaker 2:00:45
But I got my new tax assessment yesterday.
Unknown Speaker 2:00:50
And it took my breath away. And
Unknown Speaker 2:00:54
I have concerned if too much gets bundled in one area that when people see
Unknown Speaker 2:01:04
what Boulder County taxes are going to be, that’s going to affect how they vote for these very important things. So I hope one of the considerations will be to whatever we need, and one bit, we take that into consideration, because, you know, if if I’m sitting there thinking, Well, how am I going to do this? Adding even more tax? is,
Unknown Speaker 2:01:36
you know, I we’re worried about our citizens, I agree with you. That’s that’s actually why I wanted the white proposal to be unbundled with the other things, but I only have one vote. So yeah, I don’t know. Here’s, here’s Harold, want to finish this discussion? Or do you want to put it on hold and let him talk about whatever he’s going to talk about?
Unknown Speaker 2:02:01
Well, good for him to hear.
Unknown Speaker 2:02:04
Okay. And, you know, I agree with
Unknown Speaker 2:02:10
with all these to say, There’s got to be a fourth thing that YMCA ORS YMCA or is that going to be under recreation? Well, that has not subsided. But the I think the three three council members gave the opinion that all the rec,
Unknown Speaker 2:02:28
which would include the budget, why should we vote as one question? I expressed the opinion that the wife should be separate. But
Unknown Speaker 2:02:37
you know, that’s that’s not decided. I think the council’s goal is, is that the that there’ll be three questions. You know, again, one library, one culture, one sports, but
Unknown Speaker 2:02:56
it’s not, not decided yet. And it has to be decided at the end of July. Yeah. And, and you know, the word is that it’s to come back sometime in June, June. So we’re shooting for June. I think the challenge with the wind project is Carol, would you mind? They they don’t know what that even means. Could you do a quick summary of what the Wasp project?
Unknown Speaker 2:03:23
Can everybody see that? So yeah.
Unknown Speaker 2:03:29
What was unique about this is in the last minute is that it is a
Unknown Speaker 2:03:34
multi dimensional project in that includes 100, affordable housing units, expanded childcare,
Unknown Speaker 2:03:46
a pool, 25 metre pool,
Unknown Speaker 2:03:51
ice rink, and one quart. And then obviously the other amenities that they provided the why. And so when we look at what the council established in terms of goals, it basically starts checking every box that they have in their goal setting session.
Unknown Speaker 2:04:10
The way they finance these projects is the utilize housing tax credits to help offset some of the capital costs associated with facility. So at the end of the day,
Unknown Speaker 2:04:23
you know, when we looked at Centennial, I think we plugged in $8 million to renovate centennial, but that’s basically converting it to court space. We think
Unknown Speaker 2:04:34
whichever one didn’t like we think to probably rehab centennial, to keep it a pool.
Unknown Speaker 2:04:44
On the low end, we think that’s going to be 15 to 17 million. I honestly think based on what we’re seeing other projects coming out. That’s going to be probably around 25 million based on what we’re seeing in inflation. So it’s really present
Unknown Speaker 2:05:00
have a unique opportunity to save for 10 to 12 million you get pull, you get ice rink get expanded childcare and housing which financially makes a lot of sense.
Unknown Speaker 2:05:11
The good thing about it in the bundling or unbundling is, there is a nexus in some of the other projects and how we model the pro forma is, will be dependent on the choice we make. So right now we have
Unknown Speaker 2:05:29
how much money do we have for an operation system to do.
Unknown Speaker 2:05:36
So,
Unknown Speaker 2:05:38
if the wide package is on the ballot, and it passes, and the other recreation items pass,
Unknown Speaker 2:05:48
if you connect them, then it’s easier for us to then program in the pro forma that we’re going to shift the 1.1 million from Centennial to the other recreation center, which actually reduces the opera and the ongoing operating tax increase associated with it.
Unknown Speaker 2:06:07
If they’re unbundled, isn’t that part of you? Because
Unknown Speaker 2:06:12
if you know if this is this kind of challenge, because if one passes and the other does it, then it blows up your financial model. So those are all things that we’re trying to work through to figure out.
Unknown Speaker 2:06:25
So yeah, I don’t know if I answered all the questions. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 2:06:30
It would be built where Centennial Pool is located, that the pool would be removed, once the new y would be built, they would donate or in an exchange for the landward gave them further insight, they would give their current location to the city of Longmont, which would have the potential for another location for affordable, attainable housing.
Unknown Speaker 2:06:58
And, and that’s where the modeling starts. And I started and so this is not firm numbers, with the value of the land exchange to convert to an attainable for sale product, I think has a value of about to say at least $6 million.
Unknown Speaker 2:07:18
So when you look at a 10 to $12 million contribution, and you get $6 million dollars, the land for a table for sale housing, but economic start looking really good on this because as we’re working the attainable housing side, we took
Unknown Speaker 2:07:35
some fee waiver options to the council, which they directed this forward on which we’re getting pretty clear i and that we think between that and some kind of land offset, you can finance attainable housing, or so. And so now, not only are you getting affordable housing, you’re hitting attainable housing, you’re getting childcare in the area adjacent to this, which we need in both affordable and attainable housing. And these amenities. I think the key for us is figuring out how the memberships work and how we process because what we don’t want to do is invest in this and then you have to have a wide membership and city membership. So we have to build that cross membership component to this, which is work.
Unknown Speaker 2:08:25
Now I had a question and I can’t remember what it was.
Unknown Speaker 2:08:32
The
Unknown Speaker 2:08:34
I would probably hope that the wind attacks BGP begins in this in this land swap deal. Would the property tax and sales tax increases on the ballot begin in the first year 2024. So that we build up a fund or what they start later when
Unknown Speaker 2:08:56
the library scale.
Unknown Speaker 2:08:59
I’m still working through that my dad says we would approach it in a similar fashion to the arts and entertainment, arts and entertainment education because typically when you’re relying on tax credits and CHAFA
Unknown Speaker 2:09:13
it’s not uncommon to take two cycles to go through it. And so I think it would make more sense to start at once you actually have all the tax terms in place, because you don’t want to necessarily collect taxes if you’re not going to be using that are restricted. So we’re still gross.
Unknown Speaker 2:09:34
Right? And that was second Lt. Alliance or the Center for Arts and Entertainment have now agreed that regardless of when they
Unknown Speaker 2:09:45
raise the money if they if a miracle happened and they raise the money really early, they would still not have the tech start until the first of the year in 2027. So people get some breathing space
Unknown Speaker 2:10:00
dates,
Unknown Speaker 2:10:01
put it off in this
Unknown Speaker 2:10:05
change in the tax issues. And so what Aaron’s talking about is that this would be also listed as some sort of a deferral of the tax.
Unknown Speaker 2:10:21
Gonna say when they send out the winning did a series,
Unknown Speaker 2:10:25
did they do it in Spanish is irrelevant. They call it Spanish. And what would it do that haven’t seen it right offhand? What those responses were no, I don’t, but I can get that done. I’ll send that out to everybody the results of
Unknown Speaker 2:10:41
it was like 17 to 20%. So deserve, and we’re noticing there was a difference. And we looked at a population 70 to 20% of them said yes, or respond is I care? I don’t all know. But I mean, but I did know that when we look at the demographics of our community, I think we’re closer to 30%, I noticed that there was a fairly significant difference.
Unknown Speaker 2:11:05
But yes, she’s looking at that now. And they may be a little bit lower.
Unknown Speaker 2:11:09
Sinead, would you mind restating what you said about your taxes might be good for Aerotech, that they took my breath away.
Unknown Speaker 2:11:20
Property tax,
Unknown Speaker 2:11:23
the assessment on my house is just unbelievable. And I know that not not just as an older adult, on a fixed income, which a good portion of our population is. And that certainly is going to affect people’s ability and willingness to pass anything that has passed associated with it. These are very, very important projects. And my concern is, if you bundle too much, if you put too much in front of people to vote on, after receiving this kind of shock this year, that you better have big, red words that say, This isn’t going into effect until 2027. Because their response, I’m quite sure it’s gonna be no, just no.
Unknown Speaker 2:12:30
And, you know, from that survey, I already think I’m not sure what people are getting said. So, Christina, did you want to say something? No, I we were just trying to figure out oh, we could
Unknown Speaker 2:12:51
I agree with Tim out. I got my notice yesterday, also. And
Unknown Speaker 2:12:57
holy crap. But that’s not exactly well. It’s
Unknown Speaker 2:13:03
120.
Unknown Speaker 2:13:05
Yeah, I mean, extra.
Unknown Speaker 2:13:09
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 2:13:13
You know, I think I got when I walked into counseling. My wife had it, lady. No.
Unknown Speaker 2:13:21
I haven’t seen thing. You know, I think. I think unfortunately, I mean, obviously, we’re all waiting to see what the state legislature is going to do.
Unknown Speaker 2:13:30
I think, you know, what I was looking at my
Unknown Speaker 2:13:35
it made sense. Because my wife’s into
Unknown Speaker 2:13:40
watching what houses are on sale and everything else. And the reality is, for every reason that we’re talking about affordable for sale products and affordable rental, and attainable products and attainable rental is, is because my appraisal matched the market in my area community. So from a from a market perspective, the numbers, right. And I think the challenge it mean, so the good news is,
Unknown Speaker 2:14:12
at some point, we’re probably going to make a lot of money off of our house. If the economy stays stable, we’re dead.
Unknown Speaker 2:14:23
Right and afford to downsize? And that’s what older adults are looking at. We can’t afford to downsize because we’re going to pay at least the same amount for half of the square footage. So it and the interest rates are high. So it’s a very complex thing here. Yeah. Oh, I hoped the legislature will give us a break. I think it will vary but I think there that’s why. Things like the wide project. Make a lot of sense because it
Unknown Speaker 2:15:00
You can drop in.
Unknown Speaker 2:15:02
And I think it’s going to change. So structurally what we have to do, we have to go into more modern urban style development, pre war construction long, there are lots
Unknown Speaker 2:15:13
of small setbacks.
Unknown Speaker 2:15:16
We know we can hit those price points. It’s getting the land to do it. And I think that sort of all of this, as we talked about it, and depending on what Council chooses to put on the ballot, I think it’s working through all of these issues in a really strong communication plan. But at the end of the day, it’s also incumbent upon the people that are supporting these initiatives to develop their own communication plans as well, because once they drop it on the ballot, we’re not, we can’t engage in a conversation other than factual information.
Unknown Speaker 2:15:50
So yeah, it’ll be interesting. And unfortunately, I don’t think there’s an end in sight in terms of prices. I’ve heard the State Demographer.
Unknown Speaker 2:15:59
We’re going to try to bring her in to talk to the council.
Unknown Speaker 2:16:04
I think we’re still behind on housing, which
Unknown Speaker 2:16:09
we don’t agree with how the governor and the legislature is drafting a bill to deal with this issue. We don’t agree with the house. But the why I think we all agree with is why we need to do it. And if we don’t, I just think it’s
Unknown Speaker 2:16:26
going to change the characteristics. It’s already changed characteristics of the state, and it’s just gonna get worse.
Unknown Speaker 2:16:36
Interesting now, now that we receive this in the mail, if they do a survey to table I’m going to change there could be would be interesting, or not, or my worry is the timing.
Unknown Speaker 2:16:49
Terrible time to put an X on the ballot.
Unknown Speaker 2:16:53
People just got that wonderful news. Well, next year, the challenge to is next year, we know the school district is going to probably go with the bond initiatives. So next year doesn’t work. And then you’re back into another reappraisal cycle in the year after that. And so
Unknown Speaker 2:17:12
yeah, the timing is just not often.
Unknown Speaker 2:17:15
You think anything’s going to happen at the legislature?
Unknown Speaker 2:17:19
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 2:17:21
I think it will. We talked to the council last night in their first budget conversation,
Unknown Speaker 2:17:28
we’re estimating that it’s probably going to reduce it by 50%.
Unknown Speaker 2:17:39
Reduce
Unknown Speaker 2:17:41
the value that you pay, so they’re going to reduce the what they’re talking about is potentially reducing
Unknown Speaker 2:17:48
via the residential commercial ratio by
Unknown Speaker 2:17:53
$40,000. Which has, and again, we only are getting bits and pieces of information, but when we modelled it, it looks like about 50% reduction in the increase in the cost of taxes. So
Unknown Speaker 2:18:10
now what they end up with is anybody’s guess, but I think they’re doing something.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:17
Well, it wasn’t on the agenda, minerals, discussion.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:20
Thank you.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:22
Well, it was all in in under the heading of the ballot discussion, which was
Unknown Speaker 2:18:29
Was there anything further on that? We move on so okay, I guess we’re going to move on to directly to
Unknown Speaker 2:18:37
Carol, Harold.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:41
Thank you for coming, by the way No worries.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:45
Can you come next week or next week?
Unknown Speaker 2:18:48
Get it on my calendar.
Unknown Speaker 2:18:52
I don’t know if you’ve got your hair but I appreciate it.
Unknown Speaker 2:19:02
Let’s say I had a presentation that I was going to make and you have the sheet in front of you that kind of outlines some of the high points I started thinking about it. You can see some stuff here all over the place is complicated business.
Unknown Speaker 2:19:18
The senior senior housing and you know actually I think I should introduce everybody.
Unknown Speaker 2:19:24
I don’t know if you know everybody probably not. I’m Dave
Unknown Speaker 2:19:30
cherub. This is Brandy queen. She’s counseling supervisor resource
Unknown Speaker 2:19:35
for all big shop, I guess, Senior Center
Unknown Speaker 2:19:39
taught us Ruth Ellis and Sheila
Unknown Speaker 2:19:44
Julian. Taryn
Unknown Speaker 2:19:48
Marsha Martino’s.
Unknown Speaker 2:19:54
isn’t often
Unknown Speaker 2:20:00
I
Unknown Speaker 2:20:02
think I’ll just take a moment here right now to mention again, that we tend to visit nations. So that brings the total number of agencies we have right now.
Unknown Speaker 2:20:12
So we’re all going to have to do some work, I think we can’t depend only on the city to find people are gonna have to all try to find good board members. And, you know,
Unknown Speaker 2:20:26
but remember, we’re out of out of this cycle. Now. It’s
Unknown Speaker 2:20:30
summer appointments. Can you’re not? No, no. I will go somewhere point. Well, we will make we have two candidates that we will talk about interviewing later. Okay. So leaves you two vacancies that will be filled at the end of the year. So there’s a period of time, we’re going to be short. Why did I start August?
Unknown Speaker 2:20:51
Well, again, I’m going to change part of this.
Unknown Speaker 2:20:55
Yeah. So the two people that applied now will get appointed for July or August, which is like what you did? Okay. Well, we still have those other two vacancies that won’t be filled. So I still say we need to do some work between now and
Unknown Speaker 2:21:13
specs. Because people don’t seem to learn when these boards. Yeah. Parents three out of the ask you about this or not. But three boards that I know have asked for an extension, you have
Unknown Speaker 2:21:31
to accept applications. And the city clerk’s office decided not to do that. And then this board got to record resignations. So So I think what we were looking at is seeing what came in
Unknown Speaker 2:21:48
these relate
Unknown Speaker 2:21:54
resignations in the system on email. So
Unknown Speaker 2:22:06
while the boards, none of them the the quorum
Unknown Speaker 2:22:16
was, I guess the what the city clerk’s office used as the criteria, all of the boards wanted to have a choice, only one of them was going to be actually down to seat before this happened.
Unknown Speaker 2:22:30
But
Unknown Speaker 2:22:33
to two more, we’re going to be down to seat because there were six months or six months left thought a term which is not so bad. But
Unknown Speaker 2:22:44
it only got worse. Also Harold, you know if that quorum number changes, so this board has nine members, we’re going to be short to does the quorum change from five to four? Is that a legal question?
Unknown Speaker 2:23:01
Think it’s based on?
Unknown Speaker 2:23:06
The change for proctor for Crum. So nine quorum will be five. If we only have seven members, that’s a Eugene quest. Okay.
Unknown Speaker 2:23:16
Do
Unknown Speaker 2:23:18
we need to talk about
Unknown Speaker 2:23:21
appends on what the bylaws state and how it’s written? And so it couldn’t be written where it’s actually appointed members, which would reduce the argument says membership membership?
Unknown Speaker 2:23:36
Well, that’s the question is membership who’s actually appointed or
Unknown Speaker 2:23:41
that’s the, it’s a
Unknown Speaker 2:23:44
well, let me get started, everybody’s going to have an opportunity to speak their piece.
Unknown Speaker 2:23:53
I’m just going to start by saying when I, when I started on the board, which will be two years ago.
Unknown Speaker 2:24:00
I was just overwhelmed with stuff that’s done at the Senior Center. And the more I learned about the Senior Center, the more I realized there’s just
Unknown Speaker 2:24:10
all kinds of things that are going on all the time.
Unknown Speaker 2:24:15
Just to give you an idea, and I hope you haven’t heard a lot of some of this. But the
Unknown Speaker 2:24:23
last year, we had roughly 1400 people receive assistance as far as housing, financial caregiving, and health and medical care. And we had over 2600 people in classes that’s in the tech center. And that comes out to about 184 sessions over a period of a year. And I don’t know how many people you got involved that I know that are dumber, but I think
Unknown Speaker 2:24:54
that senior center Tech Center,
Unknown Speaker 2:24:57
Senior Center Tech Connect may have
Unknown Speaker 2:25:00
I think 35 active volunteers, but a total of like 60 volunteers strong. Yeah, it’s a lot. So there’s a lot of people involved. And there’s a lot of people that are served.
Unknown Speaker 2:25:11
As far as counseling and support is concerned, but there were so many in tech interviews, three, almost 400, individual counseling, interviews, and over 300 support groups.
Unknown Speaker 2:25:25
And so that’s all.
Unknown Speaker 2:25:27
Fantastic. And I think you only had yourself for most of the year. As far as the counseling, counseling, you do have another person though.
Unknown Speaker 2:25:37
I don’t know if anybody’s ever been a counselor, I was a counselor for a few years. And I know how hard it is, you know, that kind of case is tough.
Unknown Speaker 2:25:45
We have 9000 registrants to 610 programs. That’s the online registration system. So you just look at the numbers of volume of people that go through senior center. It’s, it’s, it’s really surprising. But by the same token, I, in my opinion, almost everybody in America would agree everybody’s, they’re stressed.
Unknown Speaker 2:26:08
They are just really stressed. And they work hard. And I can tell that they are stressed because they’ve got red eyes. And they look tired sometimes. Anyway.
Unknown Speaker 2:26:20
So that’s kind of just some of the services. And not to mention the 4000 meals on wheels that are that take place up the senior center hired up responsible for that provide the space for the Meals on Wheels. So it’s pretty good sized operation.
Unknown Speaker 2:26:38
I thought I should state the mission statement. And that’s to this is from 2007. And I don’t know if that’s the last time that went to the council working on your mission statement strategic plan.
Unknown Speaker 2:26:52
Certainly is the last time there was certainly the most. And almost certainly I wasn’t there for all that wasn’t either. But anyway, the mission statement is to build and foster opportunities which promote dignity, independence, enjoyment, community, that sense of purpose. And all of that I think is still still
Unknown Speaker 2:27:14
alive, it’s changed. In the last, if you look at the top bullet points there,
Unknown Speaker 2:27:20
the population has increased some 14,000 people I think that is, and that 17%, roughly, I’m sure you’re aware of those democratic kind of changes, but it impacts the services that we provide at the senior center, you know, a third of these people, a third of our population is over 5555 and older. So the new people that were 13,000 people that we’ve increased, the city has increased from 2010 to 23. You know, that’s that’s about
Unknown Speaker 2:27:55
almost 5000 people, just for Hispanics, I shouldn’t say for over over 55. So everything that in itself seems to me is way too big workload just to increase.
Unknown Speaker 2:28:11
If you look at the breakout of the population, we’ve got, I just said 33%, or 55 or less, that’s 33,000 people. I mean, if you look at it that way, that’s a huge number of people who try to serve. And then we go down to the 19%, or almost 20% or 65 or older. And
Unknown Speaker 2:28:33
so we’ve got a sizable population. And I don’t know how long it’s your services, something very interesting. I have an older has it always been that way? Okay. By the way, it’s a third of the population.
Unknown Speaker 2:28:47
The Latino population, that’s a big focus of this whole discussion here. And that’s probably the main reason you’re here today. The Latino population,
Unknown Speaker 2:28:56
all of my estimates are from the Census Bureau.
Unknown Speaker 2:29:00
2010 or 2020, or the American Community Survey, probably familiar with both of those of the Latino population as well for 44% 25%. That’s a quarter of population, that’s 25,000 people.
Unknown Speaker 2:29:18
And if you look at the number of people that they serve, we don’t have real good numbers as far as Latinos, and there’s reasons for that, and some of its privacy and confidentiality.
Unknown Speaker 2:29:30
And we may change some of that, but looking at,
Unknown Speaker 2:29:33
like 25,000 people
Unknown Speaker 2:29:38
I thought I would mention that the poverty rate is almost 12%.
Unknown Speaker 2:29:46
And compared to the overall poverty right now, if you’re back out, get back up the poverty rate,
Unknown Speaker 2:29:55
the Hispanic poverty rate and just consider whites I the way I figure
Unknown Speaker 2:30:00
We’re gonna be about six 7%. Poverty. So poverty rate of Hispanics, Latinos is almost double what you find in the majority waking.
Unknown Speaker 2:30:12
And I think it’s a little misleading to say it’s 8%. Now my personal favorite is that seniors over 80 are expected to increase to 1.4% by 2030.
Unknown Speaker 2:30:24
And
Unknown Speaker 2:30:27
that came from the area aging Area Agency.
Unknown Speaker 2:30:31
And why site other than
Unknown Speaker 2:30:36
by age, and some of us in this group are going to be performing more of us looking for services, probably in better health, or living longer, and all those kinds of things. So
Unknown Speaker 2:30:52
we anticipate a problem the indigent, long one, and again, you’re probably very familiar with that. 24,000 new residents by 2035. Personally, I think that’s a little high. Because if we’ve had a 15 15,000 increase from 2010,
Unknown Speaker 2:31:09
that’s 1213 years 1213 years, seems to be around another 15,000 people. So might be a little side still is still significant. Anyway, slicer.
Unknown Speaker 2:31:23
And last year, I guess I got to clarify.
Unknown Speaker 2:31:28
We had 66 761 patrons utilizing our front door visits to the building. Okay, that’s just people walking in the door. So maybe I come five days a week. Okay. So prior to this, there could be the same person twice, six times.
Unknown Speaker 2:31:49
But still, that’s a lot of people walking through most of those people who are at the front desk.
Unknown Speaker 2:31:55
Good portion, I’m guessing that they do. I guess my point is, you got a clerical staff to people. And you got 26 66,000 People walking through the door. And a good portion of those are going to go to the front desk. So they have to deal with those. So not only just for to give them directions, but they have additional duties on top of most of them. I don’t know exactly everything to do with that.
Unknown Speaker 2:32:25
I think the people that are overworked in that building, I think
Unknown Speaker 2:32:30
it would be much
Unknown Speaker 2:32:33
cooler, the two of us, I’m sorry? Yes. Front desk, desk, or whatever you call it. Reception Center
Unknown Speaker 2:32:42
was a huge part of the registration. I’m sorry. And they do a lot of registration. I know. Right? They have other things they do. And that’s a major chunk. I said before the
Unknown Speaker 2:32:55
9000 registrations and 600 programs.
Unknown Speaker 2:32:59
So there’s two offices infinite admitted administrative assistant,
Unknown Speaker 2:33:03
administrative assistant and two offices. So there’s three people
Unknown Speaker 2:33:08
is one a volunteer or one is a part time to full time in.
Unknown Speaker 2:33:18
2023 It looks like we’re going
Unknown Speaker 2:33:21
on
Unknown Speaker 2:33:23
on track with September last year in terms of the programs offered again, this is this is focusing on Hispanics, that our needs here. And
Unknown Speaker 2:33:35
Ronnie got this and he said they’re talking about the programs available. And he said they offered 187 I’m sorry, 81 programs and 2021 Drop in groups. One program was in Spanish that wasn’t
Unknown Speaker 2:33:51
I’m sorry.
Unknown Speaker 2:33:53
That will 2001 I’m sorry. I showed you the shortage. Last time we hired a programming set person was 2001.
Unknown Speaker 2:34:04
And spring quarter of 2023. Just recently you had 187 programs 48 dropins. Still programming so bilingual programming stuff, as you said, but there were still the word 10 programs in Spanish. Anyway you slice it.
Unknown Speaker 2:34:22
It’s it’s not anywhere near filling the need. That’s out in the communities when you look at the total number of Hispanics out there.
Unknown Speaker 2:34:35
All right and understaffing. Basically most of the increase correct me if I’m wrong, but most of the increase has been in counseling and the resource stuff over the last several years.
Unknown Speaker 2:34:48
That’s a good leader.
Unknown Speaker 2:34:51
We need to attend to their social, physical, emotional basic needs. And again, we have no bilingual programming staff and
Unknown Speaker 2:35:00
So major equity problem, and all of this. And I don’t think sometimes you add up the number of FTEs, maybe a little bit different results, time. But it’s basically been 10 People
Unknown Speaker 2:35:15
started with seven people until I think was 2012, or 13. And you got to position 910. Anyway. So you got all these people, you got all these services that have grown, with seven to 10 people.
Unknown Speaker 2:35:33
That’s what that’s what I feel strongly that we need more staff there. If even if the staff wasn’t horrible, you still have a whole population of that’s not being served.
Unknown Speaker 2:35:50
So, given all that,
Unknown Speaker 2:35:53
the punchline is we need
Unknown Speaker 2:35:58
a Spanish speaking court, a program coordinator, which would also be involved in outreach. I think we all agree, we’ve got a problem with outreach.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:10
Part of it is the programming part of is just having the time to do the kinds of things you need to do to help reach. And it’s not just as fast as other other books, or blacks or
Unknown Speaker 2:36:22
others.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:24
And another full time office support.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:28
I hope I’ve made the case for the office.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:31
And we’ve talked about often
Unknown Speaker 2:36:35
the
Unknown Speaker 2:36:37
need for weekends and evenings.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:40
And we had a discussion about that.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:43
Jeff, Ronnie and I were thinking, and this is the
Unknown Speaker 2:36:50
use of part timers, I call them limited term employees.
Unknown Speaker 2:36:56
On benefited employees, which are 30% cheaper than a regular employee.
Unknown Speaker 2:37:02
So you could get by offering some additional services, I don’t know how you would arrange the staff, you know whether you’d put those people by themselves on the weekend, or how you rearrange the staff. But that would be a cheaper way of offering services on weekends, and evenings.
Unknown Speaker 2:37:21
One of the things that I didn’t mention, it’s competitive for some additional staff, some of the other things that
Unknown Speaker 2:37:30
are being absorbed by other staff right now. And a big one is like Randy, for example, some of the other stuff to take away from her duties to do some of the work we’ve been talking about. But one area is international travel. And International, you can I guess you can, there’s different views on international travel. But we know it’s possible. A lot of people ask for
Unknown Speaker 2:37:57
a couple of myself, and they’re wonderful.
Unknown Speaker 2:38:01
But anyway, that’s, that would free up a person that handles that right now, I think it’s primarily shark handles, most of us should be doing more of that. And so it’d be able to offer
Unknown Speaker 2:38:15
more travel experiences to a certain segment of the population.
Unknown Speaker 2:38:20
So
Unknown Speaker 2:38:24
I guess that’s about what I have to say, the bottom line is got a lot of people, you don’t have enough staff. A lot of people aren’t being served. And in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of most of the people on this board, the Hispanic community is up percent is underrepresented across the board. And that’s why we need the Spanish speaking Program Coordinator. There’s more to my way of thinking we did double the staff, triple staff from because there’s
Unknown Speaker 2:38:58
no place where
Unknown Speaker 2:39:01
we could increase the staff and use that kind of stuff to add a population that I don’t remember.
Unknown Speaker 2:39:08
But maybe, you know, as we go through this in the months and years to come, I think we need to build
Unknown Speaker 2:39:14
on what we’re trying to what we’re doing here because of our outreach and our program coordinators as successful. What’s that going to be? All that’s going to do is bring more people and increase the demand on the staff. I mean, that’s a good thing. But that’s what’s going to happen.
Unknown Speaker 2:39:31
So
Unknown Speaker 2:39:33
I have one question, kind of related. And that is do you do make your budget adjustments?
Unknown Speaker 2:39:41
We’re adjusting budgets monthly. All you do monthly carryover is and what we’re looking at so we’re constantly watching them. So how can any debit card or how does that work? Because it comes from the department or right so what we started what we did was we took a look at
Unknown Speaker 2:40:00
The unspent budget Senior Services budget and it really started with with brandy.
Unknown Speaker 2:40:08
We took a look at the onset budget and brought forth some items to herald to say this was outstanding 2022. And we would like to make the argument for these reasons to be able to bring that money as carryover in 2023. To be able to spend that, and some of those reasons, were the reasons that you listed that goes before Harold, to be approved in July.
Unknown Speaker 2:40:39
And part of it is, though you can’t use it for ongoing rights, it has to be
Unknown Speaker 2:40:48
well, we put it in the budget. That’s really one time very specific reason. That’s why we’re doing it in a good spot associated with budget is and we started asking a lot of questions.
Unknown Speaker 2:41:00
They just got pounded on last week.
Unknown Speaker 2:41:05
Questions. So if I can kind of give some background, I think.
Unknown Speaker 2:41:12
And I’ve had to explain this to the council, when you when you look at where we were from 2010 to today, there’s a fair amount of interesting, there’s a lot of things that are employed.
Unknown Speaker 2:41:25
And I’m not gonna go, but I’m gonna anchor in on 2008 and great recession. And that was a significant piece of the puzzles in, in in how cities handle in a different way.
Unknown Speaker 2:41:43
So, and I actually continuing to learn a lot of things about different nuances and how it was handled. But
Unknown Speaker 2:41:53
in LA, the,
Unknown Speaker 2:41:57
when the recession hits, staff, some staff made some recommendations in terms of cutting services, credit staff, as part of the operating budget to deal with the deficit.
Unknown Speaker 2:42:11
One Council Executive, they had an election and other council came in, they didn’t accept it, they changed it. And what they ended up doing was keeping
Unknown Speaker 2:42:22
a lot of those positions in place, but utilizing one time funding.
Unknown Speaker 2:42:27
And so what that did was actually create what we thought when I got here in 2012, was a $3 million budget reset, that actually functionally turned into a $4 million budget reset.
Unknown Speaker 2:42:41
In addition to that, instead of tactically looking at positions in the organization in terms of making tactical bets based on priorities, what they did based, what they said was is if there’s a position where people are excelling in it, we’re just going to cut that position.
Unknown Speaker 2:42:58
And so that creative Trump, right?
Unknown Speaker 2:43:02
Because when you look at the fact that you have three to $4 billion in ongoing funding that you have to recover,
Unknown Speaker 2:43:11
starting in 2012,
Unknown Speaker 2:43:14
you can’t add anything new and those budget cycles are just basically replacing, creating ongoing funding into positions that were being funded on an annual basis by one time. So we lost a lot of ground. In that recovery load. We also lost a lot of ground in that positions that were vacated, it was cut, just because they were vacant, had difference faces in terms of the critical nature and critical impact of the organization.
Unknown Speaker 2:43:47
So now you’re having to make a three $4 million on what you already know that you can’t and you’re having to figure out how to find positions that were cut because they were vacant.
Unknown Speaker 2:43:58
And that’s what we took six years to work on in order to strike out that budget, because that’s not good financial practices.
Unknown Speaker 2:44:08
In the middle of that
Unknown Speaker 2:44:11
property tax returns and the sales tax returns were bouncing back as fast. So you had really narrow budgets. And so even when I got here, we were making those adjustments. One of the things that we were in we’re dealing with a bigger a couple of years, we’re staffing,
Unknown Speaker 2:44:29
bonuses only
Unknown Speaker 2:44:31
the salary increases were narrow.
Unknown Speaker 2:44:34
And what we were trying to cover is what we call Level One expenses, which are bus paid bills and there was very little room for any additional capacity building.
Unknown Speaker 2:44:46
So that’s a big kid.
Unknown Speaker 2:44:50
At the same time,
Unknown Speaker 2:44:53
we went through the flood, and we had to start shifting more one time dollars.
Unknown Speaker 2:45:00
into flood recovery for projects that we weren’t anticipating. Because now the Greenway was destroyed, and we had to leverage those dollars enhance the match that we had to do to receive federal dollars. So that started reducing the one time funds. And, and so when you start seeing the ads come in here, so from 2010, when you’re at seven to now,
Unknown Speaker 2:45:26
rather than three and a quarter positions that really started at 18. So you’re starting to see that 1517 piece in here. And so it has been a strange to kind of move through this and deal with these other issues.
Unknown Speaker 2:45:44
It is not, I will tell you, from my perspective, in terms, it’s not for the sake of not, we want to do this. And we want to add these positions. Unfortunately, the story that you said today, based on everything I just talked about, is actually the experience of MCs throughout the entire organization. So I’m just gonna say same story, it’s the same story all over the place. And so specifically why we added a resource specialist, and we added
Unknown Speaker 2:46:17
their part of the therapeutic rec coordinator, because it’s half with Jeff and half of brandy. And why we added the clinician was because what we were hearing for brandy and her group is that the waitlist and people getting in to see counselors was about two to two and a half months, I remember what was told in the budget. And so understanding all the other operational needs, we were like these people are needing immediate life services. And we need to find a way to start incrementally adding those positions first, because that’s really about can you stay in your house if you have mental health treatment. And then we also added a position in Brandon’s world, it’s tagged with the housing authority that is that I don’t think that’s on this list, because we don’t pay for it.
Unknown Speaker 2:47:06
So there’s actually another position that we added as funding through the housing authority that works as a collective in this and so, but we’ve really been focused on that aspect. Because for me, at the end of the day, and when we talk to counsel, you look at what are your core services, and in this case, our core services is providing the resources that people need when they’re going through tough times to make sure we can support. And it’s highly likely I’m probably gonna hear the same thing this year, just because I know
Unknown Speaker 2:47:37
what the workloads like and what we’re seeing coming in, it’s exacerbated by the economy and everything else. And so I think that’s going to continue to be impressed. As we look at bilingual positions,
Unknown Speaker 2:47:49
I think we do need to probably look at the structure we have, and we have openings and put a bilingual preference and or something in there. I was gonna say, as positions come open, that really is is something that I I do on a regular basis. And then I will ask Rodney, about, you know, what is, you know, let’s look at this job description. And do we need to have it bilingual preferred?
Unknown Speaker 2:48:21
And,
Unknown Speaker 2:48:23
you know, what is the forward facing component to the community? And is it a bilingual preferred position? And thinking because of all of the reasons that you said, here, if we get to the point where we have vacancies, or any positions, Ronnie and I will have that that discussion that we’re going to need to move to the point where we need those additional skills. So you’re going to have to 12 positions, vacancy, decided to make fill up with bilingual, bilingual
Unknown Speaker 2:49:03
or trilingual required, but you still wind up in Tulsa, correct? Well, I’m gonna get to more of this, because so when I say this exists all over the organization, it really does. And I think we’re people. Part of what I’m talking to these folks about is explaining our budget, you know, you will hear we have almost a half a billion dollar budget. That’s true.
Unknown Speaker 2:49:27
But the reality is that there are state statutes municipal charter issues code that really start regulating how and where we can use those those funds
Unknown Speaker 2:49:40
of 400 414 million and carry overs will exceed a half a billion dollars.
Unknown Speaker 2:49:47
Only about 75 million of that is the general fund.
Unknown Speaker 2:49:52
And and so and of that 75 million in the general fund 75% of those expenses are related
Unknown Speaker 2:50:00
personnel.
Unknown Speaker 2:50:01
Sorry, 75% are related to personnel. So our general fund activities are really heavy on the personnel side.
Unknown Speaker 2:50:11
And and when you start breaking it down when we talked about what’s in the general
Unknown Speaker 2:50:17
police fire in libraries and recreation, Senior Services, neighborhood services, human service agencies, arts, facilities, finance, etc. Yeah, I mean, so of the 75 million, there are a large number of departments that are utilizing the tax support funds, which, when you get into the budget process, and you start looking at what you’re having a new revenue, there’s been many years where the message has been focused on even submit a level to request additional personnel, because we’re not sure we have enough money to cover most of the bills, and what’s coming in, which is actually what led to the conversation. I think it was last budget cycle where we had the recreation board coming to us saying we need to build more projects and give more recreation centers with the library board saying we need to do more for library services we were hearing from me to hear from you are probably what I was hearing from you all the staff and what we needed to do was short on code enforcement officers. It was just blanketed. And so when we were talking about the new projects, I just said the council we cannot do this unless the added tax increase, because there’s no way we can incrementally.
Unknown Speaker 2:51:33
It’s just never going to happen.
Unknown Speaker 2:51:37
So inherently, what happens then in these in these conversations is we go into the budget. And they put in their CFP, they put in their level one, or level two.
Unknown Speaker 2:51:51
Typically level one request, we’re probably accounting for between 700,000 and a million dollars in annual budgets in terms of that was just natural inflation and prices going up.
Unknown Speaker 2:52:06
So if you think about it,
Unknown Speaker 2:52:11
that’s not including salaries, and it’s not including health insurance increases, risk management increases and all of that. So then we layer that on top of the level one, and and then what we’re left with is can be allocated in level two expenses. And then we start going through those priority bases. And what we need to do
Unknown Speaker 2:52:34
is explain what’s level one and level two level level ones like your utility bills at your house, or your grocery bill or your cleaning supply bill. That’s what level one for us, is those things that we need to do to continue doing what we’ve been doing. And, and so and we don’t have a choice. And lastly, stop operation in either stop it and reduce it or repay that expense. Level two is that added value component to what we’re doing. And, you know, as I’ve seen the growth in programs across the organization. And, Jeff, you’ve probably heard me say this more than the others in the room.
Unknown Speaker 2:53:21
I think historically, I would say,
Unknown Speaker 2:53:26
and I can’t speak to what happened before me, I can only speak now where I’m really pressing them to go. If you don’t have the capacity learning about
Unknown Speaker 2:53:36
it, because we need to focus on work quarters, because I think we have historically been relatively undisciplined and adding programs that we didn’t necessarily have the capacity to do when we’re putting Formstack. And
Unknown Speaker 2:53:51
in what would inherently happen is the commit budget. And there’s a well, we added this, you need to staff and this, this is not
Unknown Speaker 2:53:59
really do that. Michelle was here and brandy and working through it. They were really good at being very succinct of what they needed, and what was critical events when we were trying to positions. But somebody would come to me and go when we added this program that we need to staff and then we go So where was that in the budget conversation? And if you think about that, when you added it, and oh, by the way, I get 10 More priorities that are more significant.
Unknown Speaker 2:54:26
And, and so we’ve been working recently, when we started, we lost a lot of progress in the flood. Because we really lost a good four years and some of our budgetary progress just because we had to be so focused on it. But you know, we’re being reengaged. And these are the conversations that they have with me every year when we’re going through it to say, well, I know Yeah, but
Unknown Speaker 2:54:55
I need to find the counseling position. You got to figure it out. And
Unknown Speaker 2:55:00
And
Unknown Speaker 2:55:01
so that’s another part of the problem. And then the other day as we were getting ready for this budget,
Unknown Speaker 2:55:07
I had a number of people
Unknown Speaker 2:55:10
I think I intuitively knew but didn’t
Unknown Speaker 2:55:14
fully grasp it is we are just now after the level of staffing where as an organization where we were pre 2008.
Unknown Speaker 2:55:27
And that’s organizationally. And and I think I can say unequivocally that because we cut the rope, because of funding availability service,
Unknown Speaker 2:55:37
I can tell you what I did in the previous community. And what most of our adjoining communities did, is they made the cuts that were necessary during that economic crisis. So that then when the new revenue starts coming in, instead of just refilling what we’ve had, they were really tactical with how they feel and how they expanded. And so they were dealing with some different staffing issues.
Unknown Speaker 2:56:00
COVID didn’t help matters, either. We weathered it better than most, but we have a really retracting advert and not do a lot of ads during the COVID period, because we just didn’t know how the economy’s
Unknown Speaker 2:56:13
going, we got out of the pretty unscathed, that we were bringing some of those concepts in
Unknown Speaker 2:56:19
the killed physicians, because
Unknown Speaker 2:56:23
you know, we’ve had to eliminate we eliminated, we
Unknown Speaker 2:56:29
eliminated some positions on economic development solution, reduce ongoing expenses, especially over the LED.
Unknown Speaker 2:56:37
So, I think we’re now at a baseline where we can do this last year was probably the biggest budget that I’ve ever had here. And we added a fair number of positions.
Unknown Speaker 2:56:48
You know, we’re really getting pressed in our
Unknown Speaker 2:56:52
engineering world and our development world. And that’s incredibly important, because that’s what’s gonna facilitate the production of housing, which hopefully can add more affordable and attainable units. As
Unknown Speaker 2:57:06
you know, they’re lag time they were getting three or four months.
Unknown Speaker 2:57:11
So you got to do all of that.
Unknown Speaker 2:57:16
And now, let’s layer on top of this the issue that we’re having with hiring, and that’s another problem.
Unknown Speaker 2:57:24
Getting people just getting people we have a large amount of carryover this year is because
Unknown Speaker 2:57:32
and, you know, when you listen to
Unknown Speaker 2:57:35
listening to say demographer and other economic
Unknown Speaker 2:57:39
economists present, you know, nationally, for every two jobs that are on the market, there’s one applicant to fill that job.
Unknown Speaker 2:57:49
And the amount of competition for positions has increased dramatically. And it’s, you’re seeing it where it’s really bad in certain areas, not as bad as other areas, especially in human services area and children. We’ve been families division has had a clinician position open for six weeks. And so the city pays
Unknown Speaker 2:58:13
a much higher rate, then local nonprofits and mental health partners. And they have had a hard time.
Unknown Speaker 2:58:24
So similar to the positions that
Unknown Speaker 2:58:28
are listed here, other areas of human services are having.
Unknown Speaker 2:58:33
Well, that’s a market issue. So I guess it’s different in every area. So
Unknown Speaker 2:58:40
engineers, we had two years
Unknown Speaker 2:58:43
to hear adjustments. We tactically watch. And so we have a process that we go through in terms of how long does a position open.
Unknown Speaker 2:58:52
How many people that we lost, and we started getting certain triggers, we dive in and look at what’s going on.
Unknown Speaker 2:58:59
We had to adjust engineers, because it wasn’t that there wasn’t people in the market. It’s the market was outlining everything. And so we had to I think adjust our step one engineer by $15,000 a year, our senior engineer by 20.
Unknown Speaker 2:59:17
And even then, it helped, but we were still getting outpaced especially by the private sector.
Unknown Speaker 2:59:26
What’s happening in the social service world, I think is is a combination of there are more jobs and their applicants. But I also think it’s something similar. I’m pretty confident you’re not seeing the number of people go into social services to go into it. So I think added I think what’s exacerbating that issue is you just don’t have the volume of people
Unknown Speaker 2:59:53
statewide, nationally,
Unknown Speaker 2:59:56
and can High School are pushed into STEM
Unknown Speaker 3:00:00
Right. So I mean history may have, you know, I’m a history major with a Master’s in Public Administration going, great, we need to focus more on social sciences. Because when you look at the world of the future, that’s what we’re going to need, that we keep wanting to push people into STEM. And what you’re going to find is a glut of people stem and not enough in social services. And then it’s gonna pay more. But I think the other thing that I’ve talked to the council about is, I think, generally in government, we’re seeing huge challenges in terms of people wanting to work for government. And so the example I will use as the world is today
Unknown Speaker 3:00:40
is much different than it was 20 years ago, when I started this profession. I honestly,
Unknown Speaker 3:00:48
if I were,
Unknown Speaker 3:00:51
I look back to 1995, when I decided to go to get an MBA versus go to law school or an MBA, if I were in that position today, I would not choose it.
Unknown Speaker 3:01:06
And so what we’re seeing holistically in government, is people are exiting as fast as you can imagine.
Unknown Speaker 3:01:15
I get four contacts by having hundreds a week.
Unknown Speaker 3:01:21
I have peers mentors,
Unknown Speaker 3:01:24
that are just checking out the system. And it’s really because of the vitriol that started to percolate into local government local government has historically been the into that. But what we’re seeing at the national level, and now at the state level has now started percolating into local level. And, and then things that these folks deal with on a daily basis.
Unknown Speaker 3:01:48
They hear people hear about it and be like, Yeah, I don’t want to deal with this. And so in many cases, we create positions, but we can’t fill.
Unknown Speaker 3:01:57
And so it is as complicated as I’ve ever seen this world. Now you also have the change in what the new generations are wanting to move into the workforce. And, and, and we’re doing a lot of things to try to combat it. So we fully embraced workplace flexibility, work from home components, they really can’t, what they do, it’s hard for them to do that.
Unknown Speaker 3:02:25
Last year for salary increases, what took up a significant chunk of dollars coming in is the minimum salary increase of salary 6%. And we kept it as well.
Unknown Speaker 3:02:39
We’re in a top setting we’re looking at it wouldn’t surprise me to see the same thing coming in again, because you don’t want to forget the folks you have here. Because take money to add position but you lose two because there’s other positions when you’ve just started.
Unknown Speaker 3:02:58
So yeah, I mean, that that’s, that is literally attended team in an
Unknown Speaker 3:03:04
overview of what we spent an hour on last night, and we will probably spend
Unknown Speaker 3:03:10
another 40 hours on the whole stinking desta for Sunday.
Unknown Speaker 3:03:16
And what we will spend hundreds of hours on dealing with so the one thing I wanted to let you know is a they have been communicating
Unknown Speaker 3:03:25
the we’ve tried to address them where we can tactically, but we’re trying to balance it within all the needs of the entire job.
Unknown Speaker 3:03:35
I would say I think one of the needs that’s creeping up this year, actually is showing itself Our Children Youth and Family Services.
Unknown Speaker 3:03:45
And that is a big product of what we’re seeing happen within our community with
Unknown Speaker 3:03:53
our, our children are teenagers and our young adults. And unfortunately, we’ve seen some of that show itself in really bad ways recently at Centennial Park, in Hobby Lobby in terms of some activity and
Unknown Speaker 3:04:09
we can say it’s game related. And it’s a different problem than what we experienced this community 20 years ago.
Unknown Speaker 3:04:18
When I’m saying how we dealt with it 20 years ago, it will not work today. And so I doubt that we’re going to have to look at some
Unknown Speaker 3:04:29
something on getting intervention side and in the prevention side, but it’s also showing itself and
Unknown Speaker 3:04:36
in the sense of how we bring some resources there so
Unknown Speaker 3:04:41
and when that’s all said and done.
Unknown Speaker 3:04:44
As we looked at the budget for this year,
Unknown Speaker 3:04:47
and Jim did a good job if you have a chance, you know, watch the video that we presented to council.
Unknown Speaker 3:04:54
Right now on a sales tax perspective. Sales tax is about 1% over
Unknown Speaker 3:05:00
Word last year, US tax is way down, which when you look at sales and use tax, and we’re not performing that where we hope to be from a budget perspective. Now, the good news is we did budget for Costco.
Unknown Speaker 3:05:15
That is only eight months. And at best, it’ll narrow the gap, or maybe balance it, but it will take us over this year.
Unknown Speaker 3:05:26
What’s really starting to show itself and it’s interesting after I mentioned the article last night to you, my wife had another one for me to read, where
Unknown Speaker 3:05:37
weekend everybody’s invading our way into recession, are we going into recession.
Unknown Speaker 3:05:44
About a month ago, I started seeing more and reading more about the American consumer had bad news for the US Department. And think what we’re seeing with all the inflation pressures that we’re seeing at the grocery store, and everywhere else, people are now constricting on their disposable income, which has directly impacted sales tax.
Unknown Speaker 3:06:07
The property tax, interestingly enough, is a good thing.
Unknown Speaker 3:06:12
But it’s a bad thing by the people because there’ll be another added restriction in the disposable income. And, and so had they
Unknown Speaker 3:06:21
stay with what they’re going to have that’s about that was about $7.2 million increase, and revenue for us. We’re going to fall in 60% of their Simplot for so we’re going to model 3.7 million increase in that. And then when we even when we do that, we typically in reappraisal years, this is part of our budget reset strategy, is we call a million or so off of the ongoing funding, and use it for one time. So when we’re in a non reappraisal year, we’re not pinching ourselves so tight, because historically, what the city would do is you’d be flush, you have no money, you’d be flushing and have no money. So we’re treating our reappraisal years in different ways, so we can smooth that curve. So that we have the ability and off cycle years to actually make adjustments in the organization. So at the end of the day, I think Jim said, we’re projecting that we may have $5.1 million
Unknown Speaker 3:07:22
last year was the first time I’ve seen this since I’ve been here. I said, on our off must pay bills level one, it tended to be between seven and 900,000. I think it seems low six was last year, it was 1.9.
Unknown Speaker 3:07:38
And that was just the direct impact everything that we’re feeling as individuals. Inflation, we’re filling as an organization. So
Unknown Speaker 3:07:48
let’s say we’re somewhere let’s say it’s one and a half. So we’re at 5.4 million you take one and a half off for must pay,
Unknown Speaker 3:07:57
I think we’re going to have the same labor pressures. So if you think we have firm CVA,
Unknown Speaker 3:08:06
automatic 4% increase with policing fires, that’s going to be
Unknown Speaker 3:08:12
close to three quarters of a million dollars. And if you do that, for the rest of the organization in the general fund two
Unknown Speaker 3:08:19
and a half hours.
Unknown Speaker 3:08:22
So doesn’t leave a lot for us.
Unknown Speaker 3:08:26
I wanted to explain that. So when you start seeing decisions we’re making, there’s at least a framework of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it.
Unknown Speaker 3:08:36
The other advantage of maybe going now with a ballot initiative is that if
Unknown Speaker 3:08:43
some of these apps, so let’s take the library, for example, where we’re putting in the ongoing operational costs and the preferred level of service. What that actually does for the rest of the departments in the general fund is that reduces one more layer competition. And so that’s part of this, what we’re doing right now, and we’ll be talking about on the on the Rec Center and the why the why goes and save $1.1 million and ongoing expenses, we may reduce the salary tax increase by half the artists say and take it from there, we then take the other half trillion dollars of 600,000 and drop it into opposite some of the other operational issues we’re dealing with. So these things are inherently tied to each other.
Unknown Speaker 3:09:35
Alright, so a lot. So there’s one more thing you shouldn’t say Harold, which is what you ended up with the council wants about this as a year of finishing ends. Yeah, so that was the other thing. So what really happened is, and I’ll take parts for example.
Unknown Speaker 3:09:55
You know, I hear what we’re 20 years behind the building cars. That’s correct.
Unknown Speaker 3:10:00
What I said to the counselor is, I can’t explain what happened in the first 10 years. I don’t know it wasn’t here.
Unknown Speaker 3:10:07
But I can tell you what happened in the 10 years have happened years, we had to completely reposition ourselves and the flood of recovery, which continued behind things to you know,
Unknown Speaker 3:10:19
technically, we’re still in recovery.
Unknown Speaker 3:10:22
And in a short period of time, at some point this year, I want to travel Boston, across the bridge, because it’s easy for me close to one way or two ways. And then we’re gonna have the Army Corps and Isaac Walton. So the flood really kind of shook system. But even in that
Unknown Speaker 3:10:41
we did really well, the discipline in terms of the projects, but recovery, but we have time constraints. What I’m seeing holistically, though, is not great.
Unknown Speaker 3:10:51
So what I did this year, and I started it last year in the budget, when we’re looking at CIP going, can you finish it this year? Can you finish it this year?
Unknown Speaker 3:11:02
I’ve seen the roll.
Unknown Speaker 3:11:04
I was already seeing this anyway. So in the CIP process, what we’re saying is,
Unknown Speaker 3:11:11
don’t put anything new if you can’t finish what you started. So this will also be a reset year of finishing things. So then that way, as we’re putting new things in, we can actually spend the money and get it done. Because that in its own right is creating issues because inflation is killing us. And to give you a sense of the inflation impact,
Unknown Speaker 3:11:34
at a $4 million crossover on a competent Street Project, which is critical to a broader transportation system.
Unknown Speaker 3:11:46
A $4 million overrun on the Boston Avenue Bridge, which, up until this point, everything’s kind of under budget, and that was moving on time. So that’s inflation, or million dollars short on first and main transit station, which is again, incredibly important to our broader transportation system.
Unknown Speaker 3:12:09
What else did I have that
Unknown Speaker 3:12:12
$33 million short on Nelson Flanders. Again, that’s not a timing issue. That’s just the marketing market, in that we’re getting away from a solid, concrete, steel, or electrical components, everything else. And so we’re managing that we have managed Boston, I think we’ve got competent under control, we’re gonna throw that onto yours, we got to figure the million four, first in Maine. So this is also the year of finishing, so that we can really create a blank slate as we’re moving forward.
Unknown Speaker 3:12:46
I asked a question about finishing things. So a friends have picked up paying for two staff positions. Since 2017,
Unknown Speaker 3:12:56
part of one of our resource specialists and part of the marketing specialists and the friends around you can fill in more if you want more details have said quite clearly, but their thought was they were hoping to start that position and the city would pick up the pace and finish it at some point. And that hasn’t happened. And they’re getting
Unknown Speaker 3:13:17
grumpy about it.
Unknown Speaker 3:13:20
What was the thought there about starting and finishing, paying for positions? Well, I mean, it’s an interesting question. Because if you use the money to pay for half of that,
Unknown Speaker 3:13:33
or whatever it is, then that’s money that’s basically keeping your staff level at the baseline.
Unknown Speaker 3:13:40
It doesn’t really shift the needle at all. And so I’m not sure what the conversation we’re friends on that issue. I think, in the budget, we said, we can’t fund it. And so then the options and friends
Unknown Speaker 3:13:59
then we would we would cover it. And so that’s an example of
Unknown Speaker 3:14:05
expanding and doing some things, and then we’re going to hear
Unknown Speaker 3:14:11
Yeah, and I think it has become a different philosophy with a friend because historically, Michelle always had a list of things she asked for, and was always very clear that if the city can pay for that, friends, well, it appears that that that way of doing things is right, changing a little bit.
Unknown Speaker 3:14:36
A little bit of pushback.
Unknown Speaker 3:14:39
And that’s something that you get. Yeah, I mean, that’s kind of
Unknown Speaker 3:14:43
the operating model was this.
Unknown Speaker 3:14:47
They don’t want to do that. But that’s I know it’s created so
Unknown Speaker 3:14:52
I talked to a couple of things.
Unknown Speaker 3:14:56
I don’t understand the whole situation. But I agree she’s getting
Unknown Speaker 3:15:00
I
Unknown Speaker 3:15:01
don’t know, what the future holds.
Unknown Speaker 3:15:04
What the question I have is really when you’re talking about expanding services versus core services and like a resource specialists, that’s not expanding programming services that’s just trying to meet the needs of 1420 for people who walked in the door last year for resources systems.
Unknown Speaker 3:15:24
And it’s a core determinant. For me, it’s a growing and so like, what is the plan to address that? Well, and I haven’t dug into
Unknown Speaker 3:15:35
I mean, this is what Christine,
Unknown Speaker 3:15:37
Ronnie have to do. But, you know, I will tell you, when I look at that, and I go into departments, even in public safety, you know, an example that I often hear is,
Unknown Speaker 3:15:51
Well, it’s a core service to provide all of our service
Unknown Speaker 3:15:56
that serve core services, the immediate fire response, the
Unknown Speaker 3:16:03
concept of the tactical rescue unit, or this or that that’s not necessarily core. And
Unknown Speaker 3:16:13
that’s an extreme example. But in other operating budgets, it’s, I think, we also have to look at the 108 things we do, and say, What’s core? And this and perhaps you need to watch, because we’re in my module, what do we have to do what we need to do what we want to do. And I think organizationally, we have to start looking at the watts, and maybe start retracting a little bit over watts, to make sure we’re getting the half decent. Because I think that’s part of that lack of discipline is there. And I read this off the top, people tell me, I’m too busy, I’m too busy, I’m too busy. Counsel has given me a green light to stop the ones. I’ve given people a green light to stop the ones every time ask questions, what are we gonna stop doing?
Unknown Speaker 3:17:04
And it’s a lot of times, I would argue, because the ones are what people want Safwan to do, but necessarily have to be removed.
Unknown Speaker 3:17:14
And so I think that’s definitely part of the process to try to figure some of this out. You know, what I hear you saying, I think I understand most,
Unknown Speaker 3:17:24
most,
Unknown Speaker 3:17:25
but
Unknown Speaker 3:17:27
it seems like what I’m hearing is gonna be tough to fund a lot of different kinds of decisions and resources, whatever.
Unknown Speaker 3:17:37
And it seems like you’re saying that we have to evaluate our core services, you know, get back to the essential services, whatever, whatever the function is, and whatever, the officers, and that’s what you’re telling us.
Unknown Speaker 3:17:52
And
Unknown Speaker 3:17:53
any growth for a while. And pretty limited, you’re not saying that we can’t submit a request. Anybody? They can submit anything you want.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:06
Let me ask this, what do you want from us?
Unknown Speaker 3:18:12
We have another discussion like this. What do you want from us? As far as
Unknown Speaker 3:18:18
our programs?
Unknown Speaker 3:18:20
He gets that question.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:23
What do we have to do? Everything Brady just said, I think we have to do and I think it’s gonna be more pertinent as we continue.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:34
And I’ll explain why.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:36
The demographer to your point of, we can’t afford tax, and I’m talking to our older adult population. They can’t afford the tax increases, but we can’t afford to downsize your entire direct.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:53
I bought a house much later than most of you probably because I haven’t been here that long.
Unknown Speaker 3:18:58
And I started, I divided finance.
Unknown Speaker 3:19:03
Madness is occurring.
Unknown Speaker 3:19:05
My kids are gonna go into college.
Unknown Speaker 3:19:12
We have to clean it. And my wife and I started talking about how do we downsize?
Unknown Speaker 3:19:17
And then we started looking
Unknown Speaker 3:19:22
to get a smaller house
Unknown Speaker 3:19:25
will cost significantly more than I paid for mine and how to get upside down from an equity perspective. So it was kind of like, Oh, crap, we can’t.
Unknown Speaker 3:19:39
Now, what the demographer is showing us is that is a statewide problem. And it’s also contributing to the housing crisis because there is a normal and healthy housing market you have a normal attrition to where people like myself are people like us and we want to downsize
Unknown Speaker 3:20:00
yield downside, if you’ve done houses on the market that data is picked up by the next generation moving in.
Unknown Speaker 3:20:08
That’s actually part of our problem. And I say all of this, because I think the demand for
Unknown Speaker 3:20:15
that hardcore social service assistance is only going to get worse
Unknown Speaker 3:20:22
because of that very issue, and then that’s starting to spin itself off into issues and the Gen X Carentan genetics group, and now the millennials because
Unknown Speaker 3:20:34
I think everybody thought they were going to not want to move to suburbia and moving houses. But what we’re finding is that,
Unknown Speaker 3:20:40
and COVID was a big trigger in that and so now they’re starting to get into the market. Gen X is still we’re not at the peak of our housing, buying potential, we’re close. But when you have those two, and then the stagnant piece here, that’s over 40 $50,000, a year short, all right.
Unknown Speaker 3:20:58
Again, it’s short in Colorado, but then that’s also telling me that piece of what you all have to do is going to be more and more and more important, especially for those individuals that are now in the retirement stage of life.
Unknown Speaker 3:21:15
We didn’t necessarily have the pensions in place to account for
Unknown Speaker 3:21:21
everything that we’ve seen. And I just think it’s gonna get worse. And so that, to me, that’s like, that’s a half, we have to get very clear on
Unknown Speaker 3:21:33
what’s a need to what to want to as we’re looking at what we do operationally to ensure that we’re supporting those that are most in need. Now,
Unknown Speaker 3:21:44
another solution to this is something that Jeff does, if there are things that are want to use,
Unknown Speaker 3:21:50
that people would mean for being interested in participating in
Unknown Speaker 3:21:57
harmony, others and I were talking about this. So a lot of my friends that I started with here, they’re all retiring Dale and I talked about this is I think there’s also a group in that 55 to 65 range, that may not naturally be inclined to utilize senior center services. But is there a market for that 55 to 65 year old group, to where you can do some fee based services, that helps facilitate things that actually brings in revenue, that allows us to do some things. So you cover your operating expenses, the fees, but then you may charge enough more to start bringing in a revenue model.
Unknown Speaker 3:22:43
And that helps offset helping those that are most in need of the core services to be supportive tax on. So I think there’s creative ways.
Unknown Speaker 3:22:53
That was going to be one of my questions. I call it enterprise from Do you have enterprise funds? I’ve got like 50, universal, we don’t want to be an enterprise. Well, so but it’s the enterprise fund model where you take the same fee base component, but you use it as revenue to drop in here. You don’t want to be an enterprise fund our definition that you can take the same concept. Can Can we talk about a current problem we see happening with our revenue on the recreation side? Let me let me say one thing, first.
Unknown Speaker 3:23:29
Ronnie and I have had that exact conversation about that 55 to 65 year old group, and one of the challenges that senior services have is that they’re closed on the weekends, and they close at five, most of us that are in that 55 to 65 age group are still working those hours of the day that the senior center is open for for us to have the capacity to bring in those extra revenues, we would need the resources to be able to to expand the outdoors, or
Unknown Speaker 3:24:06
figure out how we can partner with other groups to augment it. And
Unknown Speaker 3:24:12
so here’s
Unknown Speaker 3:24:14
if the senior services
Unknown Speaker 3:24:18
you know, once are
Unknown Speaker 3:24:20
tied to golf now real quick. So Golf has a reach of like this senior services as a reach like this is the golf and senior services were put together and you did this. And maybe you said
Unknown Speaker 3:24:37
we want to work,
Unknown Speaker 3:24:39
a beginning golf program for older adults.
Unknown Speaker 3:24:44
Figure out how you can split the revenue and minimize the staffing costs.
Unknown Speaker 3:24:49
Then not only are you benefiting this program, you’re benefiting God because you’re bringing in different people. Not that that’s the right answer, Jeff. I think we have to get
Unknown Speaker 3:25:00
Creative and powerful Akina does, and how we work collectively as an organization to benefit the whole. And my thought that recreation and Senior Services is, is a better fit because we do a lot of similar type of types of things in recreation world. And maybe between Ronnie and Ben, they could come up with that extra programming and cost share the are the revenue share and what was brought in.
Unknown Speaker 3:25:35
But another question that I think comes into this, because they’re, they’re a, you know, the 61 to 70 demographic are, are people like me who don’t know how to not work and found themselves retired?
Unknown Speaker 3:25:53
So what would the rules be in terms of liability and all of that, in terms of a ratio of people staffing and open building?
Unknown Speaker 3:26:05
How what percentage can be volunteers versus what percentage have to be absolutely in?
Unknown Speaker 3:26:13
Place? I don’t think there’s a magic answer to that. I think we would always need one full time staff member. There. We are. Part of the part of what we dealt with in the budget last year was we created a volunteer coordinator.
Unknown Speaker 3:26:30
And so HR is now starting to aggregate a lot of that and part of the reason was we had so many people doing it that we were stepping on toes. And so I think through that volunteer coordinator position we could do that get very specific.
Unknown Speaker 3:26:45
Karen renovators volunteering
Unknown Speaker 3:26:49
with you all on the technical side.
Unknown Speaker 3:26:53
Right, no jail.
Unknown Speaker 3:26:57
Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 3:27:00
So that’s definitely a solution. And I think that brings the community together to not only as an organization, so problems that probably solve problems as a community.
Unknown Speaker 3:27:15
I am question about hours, because
Unknown Speaker 3:27:20
we do need to expand hours. But
Unknown Speaker 3:27:23
there’s the staffing and all of that that goes along with it. But has anyone considered changing hours or alternating hours? Or have we looked at? What are the peak hours? And sation in the senior center? And are there days that are more active than other days? And is there a way to have, you know, 10 to six, or 11 to seven, one or two days a week to accommodate people that need those after work hours, without necessarily having to expand staff?
Unknown Speaker 3:28:13
Retention for a little later? That’s actually a great point. And we’re doing that in different places. You know, one of the things I always suggest is we’re really moving more data informed decision making. And so we’ve integrated some groups within multiple departments, and we call it
Unknown Speaker 3:28:34
strategic integration.
Unknown Speaker 3:28:37
It’s so we have a lot of data, folks. And one of the things I was gonna say, again, I think this is something as a city where we haven’t really been great at is to kind of do what we’re doing, and we keep doing it. And a lot of times when I’m in conversation answers what we’ve always done it this way.
Unknown Speaker 3:28:54
I think it would be good to do some survey, and really see,
Unknown Speaker 3:29:01
hey, I think in terms of capacity, we can figure that out internally, but then if you’re looking at targeting a certain demographic to help generate revenue to go, I would survey that group 50 to 65 year olds, what would you like to see? What would you like us to do?
Unknown Speaker 3:29:20
Because a lot of times we think we know what people want us to do and in reality, that’s not what they want us.
Unknown Speaker 3:29:27
And so I would maybe tap back here to see how we can do some surveying there.
Unknown Speaker 3:29:36
Because it gets to that point, how are you opening it optimal hours? And if you were to cut it from
Unknown Speaker 3:29:43
what time you open? A
Unknown Speaker 3:29:49
Yes, so you know you can do it when we open at 10 and we close at seven or reopen at 10 and close at five and a half hours on Saturday. You can do it where you open at eight and you know bring
Unknown Speaker 3:30:00
Your full staffing contingent aid until you bring someone in aid and bring somebody in at this time, and then you elongate or, you know, there’s about 1000 ways to deal with this. The other thing that I think we can start actively talking about is if you wanted to expand some of these things, on the housing authority side, do we have a lot of age restricted units, there are many ways that we can partner there, and maybe it doesn’t have to be at the
Unknown Speaker 3:30:28
the Senior Center, maybe it could be at Aspen,
Unknown Speaker 3:30:33
Aspen Meadows apartments, or maybe Spring Creek, you know, start expanding scope geographically as well. Utilizing facilities that we already have.
Unknown Speaker 3:30:44
Staffing is going to be an issue. But I think making the message clear that when if and when hours are shifted, this is why and so
Unknown Speaker 3:30:58
deal with data. Yeah, don’t do it. Don’t do it. Like, you know,
Unknown Speaker 3:31:03
10, but you know, really be thoughtful about that data.
Unknown Speaker 3:31:07
Because we can, it’s easy to go to folks and say, well, here’s what you want.
Unknown Speaker 3:31:12
I mean, we even do trash collection, they work four days a week.
Unknown Speaker 3:31:16
I mean, if you can figure trash out, you can almost figure out anything.
Unknown Speaker 3:31:22
Because that’s
Unknown Speaker 3:31:25
really
Unknown Speaker 3:31:27
I ask people, what’s the most important service the city provides? Everybody locally, some prep service. Look at what’s happened in
Unknown Speaker 3:31:37
sanitation workers. Strike shuts the city gas.
Unknown Speaker 3:31:43
Yeah. So I think that’s a good suggestion. And,
Unknown Speaker 3:31:47
and I’m open to all of that. I mean, that’s the one thing I think they can all say is, I’m not afraid of risk. And I’m not afraid of being creative to find solutions. And, and you know, what, if we test one out, it doesn’t work, or we lose.
Unknown Speaker 3:32:02
That’s how you make improvements. And, and I think that’s a mindset shift. And I’m still struggling with 10 years later, the first time I came in and talked to everyone I said, I’m not afraid of risk, I’m not afraid of mistakes, mistakes, you make mistakes, and make improvements. And I’ll never obliterate anyone for a mistake and lessons, what I call
Unknown Speaker 3:32:29
like you’re just sitting on your backside not trying to improve. And it’s crazy to say other than that I’m pretty tolerant it’s literally taking this 10 years to get more and more adoption in that because I think people are inherently afraid for it.
Unknown Speaker 3:32:44
But I think we have to bring that component in from the private sector into what we do as government because otherwise 20 years from now we’re gonna be looking at what we’re doing because the
Unknown Speaker 3:32:56
government does ship
Unknown Speaker 3:33:01
quite question in reference to the ballot issue
Unknown Speaker 3:33:06
is that going to take an increase in personnel and words that’s what he’s got we’re going into the factored into it it is factored it is factored into it which that is the
Unknown Speaker 3:33:18
potential word actually I think gives creates capacity in other places. Because Jeff can then get creative with how he staffing so then maybe we’re not having to have right come in all the time for positions and then if the library has this funding source and trajectory when they do come in. So now all of a sudden we’re restricting the amount of departments coming in these rates are needed staff so
Unknown Speaker 3:33:50
so that is why we built that in because we were not going to eat it those who fail to learn from histories and six are doomed to repeat them.
Unknown Speaker 3:33:59
That’s actually what started part of this problem too, on the parts of this story building parks
Unknown Speaker 3:34:08
they were never adding a staff to maintain
Unknown Speaker 3:34:12
and actually we’re cutting staff
Unknown Speaker 3:34:16
and so when we, you know came in it’s like oh, no, so we went to the council and said we can’t build any more parks until we get the staff we need to maintain our you may remember that conversation cuz I think you were in a couple of meetings for something else. And
Unknown Speaker 3:34:35
so it now finally caught up to where we now can build parts based on staffing.
Unknown Speaker 3:34:40
Yeah, we were gonna do that again.
Unknown Speaker 3:34:43
Delivering that you built into that we built into the ballot is the capital replacement as well. City historically has not done a good job of preparing to maintain the facilities that we have. And that is a building
Unknown Speaker 3:35:00
On end with a valid issue. So if we build a new rec center, there’s money there to help keep it all of the HVAC units and so on operations, can we please that was the city of 5 million was elaborated to three. Yeah, they did another two or three in our public safety building, sorry, 2 million somewhere in there.
Unknown Speaker 3:35:28
And you all cannot tell what.
Unknown Speaker 3:35:33
Because the foundation for failing, the last verses are failing. And so, again, those who fell for mistakes are doomed to repeat it. That’s all built in. Because we have facilities that were in the lot. And we that was a bond initiative that everyone voted on. We have all these facilities. And it was because we never invested in them over time. And so literally 4050 years later,
Unknown Speaker 3:36:03
we were about to get red tagged on the civic center, because the foundation was failing.
Unknown Speaker 3:36:08
Same thing in the library. And we’re now seeing the same thing or public safety building. So that’s another thing that we’ve had to build in our budget is really a really good ongoing maintenance program and being disciplined. Because what that does is it that took 10 million, let’s say $2 million away from us, that we could have potentially said, we’re going to add a library annex, for like five or 10 million, we’re going to add on to the Senior Center, we’re going to do that mean, just money that basically go in our building, the only thing you’ll see that’s different is
Unknown Speaker 3:36:48
a wall or around the building. And that was put in because it needed to reduce the lake limit on it. All the post tension slab and they started breaking.
Unknown Speaker 3:36:59
And
Unknown Speaker 3:37:02
2 million just
Unknown Speaker 3:37:05
got
Unknown Speaker 3:37:06
to the volunteer coordinator specialist.
Unknown Speaker 3:37:12
Have you found that to be cost effective? I mean, are we getting the ball if
Unknown Speaker 3:37:17
you can quantify the value and acts of Marches question about volunteers here?
Unknown Speaker 3:37:24
David Bill does a really good job on tracking the hours and work reduction on that. And if you all wanted to do it, I want to do the same thing. Because we can quantify that. We know we haven’t quantified a third of our programs or volunteer
Unknown Speaker 3:37:41
programs. So we can take it into $1 value say that’s equivalent to 30, probably two staff members.
Unknown Speaker 3:37:53
Okay.
Unknown Speaker 3:37:58
And then I have a question for Christina. How long does it take? I mean, are all positions have the same requirements as to how long would you have to wait? How long you have to post it cetera, et cetera? Because I guess, I mean, I know of some positions, that by the time
Unknown Speaker 3:38:18
it closes, you’ve opened some of these people, and they’ve been hired by somebody else actually shifted that you did. So I think everybody should be posting their positions right now open till
Unknown Speaker 3:38:34
the end. And we had to do that a couple of years, because we were finding that
Unknown Speaker 3:38:38
do it open until filled. Great.
Unknown Speaker 3:38:42
Glad to hear that. So if you get a great candidate, and they want
Unknown Speaker 3:38:47
to go after that great candidate, and they were hired. Okay. All
Unknown Speaker 3:38:52
right. So no internal posting.
Unknown Speaker 3:39:03
Any other questions?
Unknown Speaker 3:39:06
So what I’m telling you is I definitely heard you said,
Unknown Speaker 3:39:09
I’ve been hearing it
Unknown Speaker 3:39:14
if we had all the money in the world, I would go here it is. We were kind of hoping we would have another good year. But definitely the things that you mentioned are brought to my attention. And
Unknown Speaker 3:39:27
we do our best to get some of these needs. If we can, you know, just know it’s my wins is always going to be happening.
Unknown Speaker 3:39:38
And you’ve obviously urban centers and have to figure out
Unknown Speaker 3:39:43
what they want to think about is Virginia with the LGBT.
Unknown Speaker 3:39:49
So
Unknown Speaker 3:39:52
let’s start the Kindra because if we can do an LE J city slip
Unknown Speaker 3:39:59
Well, somewhere
Unknown Speaker 3:40:00
All across purposes there because one of the things that we’ve talked about what the Oh ha are my monthly meetings with the sperm services team is that a lot of the problems that are running into the buildings are because people aren’t getting out of their building. And going into the community, they’re just sitting there all day stewing and regroup biting at each other. So we’re actually doing more get acquainted programs this summer was specific outreach to the housing authority to try to get people to leave the building and come to us as part of it.
Unknown Speaker 3:40:32
Let’s say
Unknown Speaker 3:40:34
we find one and they find one, but we design it not with the tax credit limitation.
Unknown Speaker 3:40:44
Maybe we can create.
Unknown Speaker 3:40:46
So 50% funding up to 2% of the other.
Unknown Speaker 3:40:52
20% from the housing authority. Yeah. To you, we create two what’s
Unknown Speaker 3:40:59
either
Unknown Speaker 3:41:01
primetime programming program? Oh, sorry. You mentioned programming a while ago. This is not this is not programming. This is
Unknown Speaker 3:41:11
the resource, the resource specialists or counseling, try to refuse, but I think there’s a little bit community in that. But we’re, we’re streaming there to anyone, for sure. But there you go, Brad, do you know we’re talking about? Well, using the building on the weekend, wouldn’t be a plus, if you get
Unknown Speaker 3:41:35
if you get one staff member, you know, to open them up once a month, then you can set up volunteer programs to bring those people
Unknown Speaker 3:41:47
to get that it gets me
Unknown Speaker 3:41:52
because the people in the housing authority places into the place, we may not be a
Unknown Speaker 3:42:01
resource where we really
Unknown Speaker 3:42:05
there may be a rec program, maybe a combination of
Unknown Speaker 3:42:09
words since a program
Unknown Speaker 3:42:11
develops.
Unknown Speaker 3:42:14
Habits
Unknown Speaker 3:42:22
see,
Unknown Speaker 3:42:24
if you get half a personnel, this is all worth
Unknown Speaker 3:42:30
the next month in other
Unknown Speaker 3:42:34
words, what I’m dealing with is the brains, we’re not getting people out of there. We don’t have an occurrence there. Maybe part of it is we have to bring people there and then get people to go somewhere else. And if we did have a court made some kind of coordinator program is bridging but also filling gaps
Unknown Speaker 3:43:02
equivalent
Unknown Speaker 3:43:06
programs for 20 years. We do it and other divisions and don’t do it. Maybe you’re looking at like
Unknown Speaker 3:43:16
a mission as you’re envisioning it to get to school. Yeah. Okay.
Unknown Speaker 3:43:21
And I’m just asking
Unknown Speaker 3:43:24
what that allows us to be intentional on focusing on this magical piece
Unknown Speaker 3:43:29
that all collectively us very interested in focusing on and that makes the programs bilingual.
Unknown Speaker 3:43:38
My size,
Unknown Speaker 3:43:41
attention towards it. I don’t know if it’ll
Unknown Speaker 3:43:45
I don’t know if it’s politically what you are envisioning. Well, but so if you bring the dollar exam, right,
Unknown Speaker 3:43:54
you can shift dollars to do what you’re wanting to hear within 60 minutes still accomplish. We did that with Sarah and that’s what we did. And so we’re finding Sarah’s position to bring her more active in her position and lower level to bring her more and more engaged within the housing authority but also connecting that to primary multifamily and other pieces so that’s what I’m thinking about is like a Sarah model, but a Sarah model that helps fill some gaps
Unknown Speaker 3:44:27
so I think that can bring in new patrons write in additional revenue. I don’t know if that’s enough to to start having discussions on the other app I think with that piece of components are
Unknown Speaker 3:44:44
important too, because they’re going to reduce
Unknown Speaker 3:44:49
that
Unknown Speaker 3:44:51
Valerie
Unknown Speaker 3:44:59
she’s gonna
Unknown Speaker 3:45:00
on some of the meetings I’ve had translated
Unknown Speaker 3:45:10
she’s done that. So there’s a bilingual need at the Housing Authority to
Unknown Speaker 3:45:17
know,
Unknown Speaker 3:45:20
all figured out, but somebody from the senior group has been in Housing Authority meetings, at our age restricted units that has helped interpret.
Unknown Speaker 3:45:33
Veronica has a whole lot of time. Well, you make time with your city manager. So
Unknown Speaker 3:45:43
that was the thing I didn’t ask him to do. I just walked in and they weren’t there. That’s great. So
Unknown Speaker 3:45:52
people who do that sort of thing?
Unknown Speaker 3:45:56
was curious, because we have we have our tier three interpreters, which we need to rotate, which I was curious as to why it may have been a joy client.
Unknown Speaker 3:46:10
Any other questions, comments?
Unknown Speaker 3:46:13
concerns?
Unknown Speaker 3:46:15
Here’s just the comments. I appreciate you being here today, I got a lot I was able to absorb.
Unknown Speaker 3:46:24
It’s
Unknown Speaker 3:46:26
it’s been invaluable for this, right. And so that’s kind of why I wanted to do it, I tell GCLs said, we need to, I don’t want you all to be in a position where as a board, you say something, and then I have to come in and get it. Now that’s not yet. Or I want you to understand our process. And I probably need to do this every board
Unknown Speaker 3:46:49
to understand our decision making process and why we’re doing it. And the thing I remember
Unknown Speaker 3:46:55
is it’s not that we don’t want to do it.
Unknown Speaker 3:46:59
And I
Unknown Speaker 3:47:03
it’s been helpful because it’s to be structured, accepting.
Unknown Speaker 3:47:07
Because unfortunately, from 20 years ago.
Unknown Speaker 3:47:17
pretty fortunate city, when you look at some what’s going on in some of these other cities, there are law enforcement, fire department, even the trash the trash, folks, I knew
Unknown Speaker 3:47:30
there was a lot to go by. And
Unknown Speaker 3:47:33
they do a good job of doing what they have, of course, the senator. So thank you for what
Unknown Speaker 3:47:41
you have to be to be examples for our city, right. That’s actually part of what inhibits us grants to.
Unknown Speaker 3:47:50
Because we’re so far ahead of so many cities, there’s a lot of grants that we still need to qualify.
Unknown Speaker 3:47:59
So the grants, we tend to qualify for those innovative grants that are on the cutting edge. And a lot of the base level grants that are we’re seeing out there, it’s you have to have this condition, and we don’t have that condition. Are there grants that are meant to get your community to collaborate around a specific issue? We were just so far surpassed that, that
Unknown Speaker 3:48:31
if we were going to apply for a grant, realistically, there was something
Unknown Speaker 3:48:37
on that grant expire.
Unknown Speaker 3:48:40
And we typically have to pick up the funding ourselves. Yeah, that’s, that’s something we’re pretty careful about because
Unknown Speaker 3:48:49
most of this was in the police were over. So the police transfer police officers.
Unknown Speaker 3:48:54
We didn’t do a lot of that, because they require you to then pick it up, which takes away your ability to really look at priorities down the road, because now you have to find it. And that’s part of what we bring forward to counsel in when we bring grants that you know, if they’re state or federal grants. That’s part of what we report on to council. What’s the financial investment that the city makes? Is there a match? And are we obligated to continue this funding after the insiders and so
Unknown Speaker 3:49:35
that’s actually something I think everyone think there’s a lot of people don’t understand like the public public safety sales tax. Because I’ve had questions recently about well, why don’t we put more police expenses over there? The way it was voted on doesn’t allow us to do that. For Public Safety sales tax can only be used for new
Unknown Speaker 3:49:56
or or improved
Unknown Speaker 3:49:59
so
Unknown Speaker 3:50:00
Of all the dollars that are raised from that either has to go to like new officers new programs. I can’t use it to fund something that existed prior to the adoption of that public safety sales tax, which
Unknown Speaker 3:50:13
creates a big issue for us from a budget perspective, because then when you inevitably go into those bad financial periods,
Unknown Speaker 3:50:22
it creates an issue for that tax and it creates an issue for us and that we’re having to manage our small tool because that revenue doesn’t come in which is in this other tax what we’re trying to use to figure out how to word it to say the ongoing pieces for this but in the event of an economic downturn, we can balance the entire wreck system for example, versus having when you balkanize your tax base you create some really significant challenges and economic downturns because you just start pressing impact on smaller and smaller departments
Unknown Speaker 3:51:06
sorry, I talk too much.
Unknown Speaker 3:51:11
Break up I do need to volunteers to help Ronnie and I do board interviews.
Unknown Speaker 3:51:21
Okay, I’ll try to be
Unknown Speaker 3:51:27
okay.
Unknown Speaker 3:51:33
Summer
Transcribed by https://otter.ai