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   Review of Proposed Departmental Budgets for FY23-24

   discussed

   Council reviewed FY23-24 proposed departmental budgets for Development Services, Fire Department, and Technology Solutions. Department heads presented line-item changes including new positions (building official, building inspector, planning intern, additional firefighter), capital requests (ATV, ballistic vests, extrication tool), and operational adjustments. No formal votes were taken; this was a work session for review and discussion.

   📍Fire Station 1📍Fire Station 2📍Highway 19 corridor📍Sims Park🏢Firehouse Subs🏢Target Solutions👤Chief Fitch👤Mr. Hall👤Ms. Manz#Account 41-210 regular exempt employees#Account 43-121 city engineering services#Account 43-199 professional services miscellaneous#Account 43-499 contractor services#Account 44-463 lease automobiles#Account 44-631 central garage maintenance#Account 44-643 fire hose#CRS audit#Capital request: All-terrain vehicle ($15,000)#Capital request: Ballistic vest replacements#Capital request: Combi extrication tool#Communications Services Tax#Comprehensive Plan update#Development Services Budget#Division 071 Fire Supervision#Division 073 Firefighting#FY23-24 Budget#Fire Department Budget#Fire cancer insurance#Firefighter supplemental compensation program#Local Option Fuel Taxes#NOx home box program#Residential Rental Inspection Program#Technology Solutions Budget

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   [00:00:18] I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor. Yes, members of the council, a pleasure to be before you this [00:00:24] evening to talk again about budgets, which are key to our municipal operations, as they [00:00:33] set our organizational goals, of course, and express all of our values to the stakeholders [00:00:38] of the city and allow municipal operations to continue. In terms of revenues, we are [00:00:46] still awaiting some figures from the state of Florida. In particular, we are waiting [00:00:53] for our communications services tax and our local option fuel taxes. And we'll feel much [00:01:01] more comfortable representing budgets to you once those figures have been received. With [00:01:08] that being said, though, this evening we plan to present three budgets to you. We will start [00:01:15] by presenting the development services budget to you, and that will be followed by the fire [00:01:22] department budget, and then lastly we'll be presenting technology solutions to you this [00:01:29] evening. And I will ask Mr. Hall to come forward to start off this evening with development [00:01:36] services. Well, hello, Mr. Hall. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Manz. I'll give a brief overview [00:01:49] of the budget, what we have before you this evening, and basically the highlights of what [00:01:55] have changed from the previous year. We did some staffing revisions internally this year. [00:02:02] We were, we finally got ourselves a building official. So it's an internal hire, or it's [00:02:08] a hire that we actually have a full-time building official, and that affects some of the line [00:02:12] items later on that I'll discuss. In hiring a building official now we can move forward [00:02:18] and get ourselves a building inspector also. These positions were in the budget last year. [00:02:24] We just had them emptied, but now we're moving forward with filling those. The only other [00:02:31] positional change we have is we've added a planning intern, which is a part-time planner. [00:02:38] Most universities, individuals that get degrees in public administration or geography or urban [00:02:45] design, those individuals need to get a professional internship to graduate. So there are actual [00:02:53] people that are looking to work in the field, and it's a good opportunity to get someone [00:02:59] that's interested, eager to learn, and then also a hard worker. And with the idea this [00:03:06] is over time, maybe if this is an individual that we might want to hire after they graduate, [00:03:12] it would be a great production of that individual or processing of that individual. [00:03:18] So that's the... [00:03:19] Do you have a spot where they're going to come out of, like, NASC or NANDL or USF? [00:03:23] Yeah, there were 12...there's 12 universities within...I did some research on this just [00:03:30] recently to fill a planner position that we have. In Alabama, Georgia, Florida, in that [00:03:38] area, there's 12 universities that have urban planning or a planning-related degree as [00:03:43] a bachelor's, and then there's also...there's a smaller number of those that have a master's [00:03:48] degree. So those are ones we would actually be targeting. We send out invites to them [00:03:54] and actually meet with their advisors and send information about what we can offer them [00:03:58] so they could...these individuals could fulfill their internships appropriately, so... [00:04:06] I'll move now into going through the expense codes. I'm not going to go line by line because [00:04:12] some of those aren't finalized and we still need some final numbers, but I'll hit the [00:04:16] ones that have changed the most. And I'll read the number, and then I'll go over to [00:04:23] the far right side, which is 2324, to see what's changed. The 41-210, which is the regular [00:04:30] exempt employees, that's our building official has moved in, and we have that locked in and [00:04:35] we have that full-time building official, so that's a very big plus to our department. [00:04:44] Then moving down past the personnel issues, going down...our personnel positions, moving [00:04:51] down to the city engineering services, which is 43-121. That is for our consulting engineer [00:04:58] that we have on staff. They do plan reviews for soil and water sedimentation control and [00:05:05] other items, so we're at 50,000 for that one. The next item down with planning and [00:05:11] professional services, that relates to specifically our...any ordinance updates where we hire [00:05:20] outside professionals and our comprehensive plan you've been hearing me talk about for [00:05:24] the past year. We're working on doing that, and that is to hire a consultant to assist [00:05:29] us in preparing that plan for next year. The next item, the professional services miscellaneous, [00:05:36] which is 43-199. That one is specifically other planning, general assistance we might [00:05:43] need, and our CRS consulting. We have an audit year this year coming up, and that would be [00:05:49] funds that would be available to hire a consultant to help us with CRA outside services. And [00:05:56] last but not least is the 43-499, which is our contractor services. This is the big change [00:06:04] we have on our budget. Last year we had a large amount on that, but that was using a [00:06:09] consultant for our building official services and all our building inspections. That has [00:06:14] again been taken down considerably to the amount shown because we have the inside building [00:06:21] official. We do still need money and contracts for that in case a building official goes [00:06:26] on vacation. If we have someone get sick and we just need some filler time to cover that. [00:06:35] Moving down now a couple spots to 44-463, which is the lease automobiles. Obviously [00:06:41] since we have a new building official, we need to get a new vehicle for that individual. [00:06:47] Using a contract that we use, they have their own truck. Not having a contract person, we [00:06:52] need to get a truck for that individual. So that's why that is a change in that fee. [00:06:59] Maintenance buildings and grounds, that's to do some revisions and changing some of [00:07:05] our office layouts internally to add in some magnetic doors like you've seen around City [00:07:12] Hall and additional furniture for some new offices that we have. Central garage maintenance [00:07:21] and services 44-631, that is slightly changed because again a new vehicle means new services, [00:07:28] new items we need to add into that. Fuel is the next item. Obviously you buy a vehicle, [00:07:35] you need some fuel, so that's the estimate of what the fuel would be on that. That could [00:07:39] go up or down again according to the cost of fuel, but we did an estimate of the average [00:07:46] mileage that would be on the vehicle and I'm comfortable with that number. Office supplies, [00:07:55] office supplies in general are things like paper and binding material, paper clips and [00:08:03] all that other kind of stuff. What's the number of that one? 45111. The 45111 office general [00:08:10] supplies should be $2500. When we did the maintenance and building grounds, I'm sorry [00:08:17] that's an error. The maintenance building grounds, the 14500 is the office internal [00:08:40] changing office around and furniture and that, so I'm sorry about that. There's an error [00:08:44] around the 14820, that should be $2500. Good catch, thank you. And then last but not least [00:08:53] we have on here, there are some slight adjustments in these up and down, but the largest adjustment [00:08:59] is for the automotive parts that went up, it doubled because you get a vehicle and you [00:09:04] have some upkeep on that. I'd be more than happy to go in any more detail on these, but [00:09:10] I just wanted to hit the highlights that were changes from the previous year. That's [00:09:20] some pretty expensive health insurance, that must be a mistake, that upper part. We don't [00:09:25] particularly work on that, it's formulas that jump through, so if that's an error. Well [00:09:32] we budgeted for a 10% increase, this number probably is correct based on the number of [00:09:39] staff in the department, and at this point we are hoping for a 10% increase. We have [00:09:55] three more staff individuals than we had last year. Maybe more people is what it is. And [00:10:03] we are currently anticipating that all of the staff will take insurance. Well if it's [00:10:19] incorrect we'll take a look at that, but that's our understanding right now, the formulas [00:10:23] that have been run. The formulas, right. [00:10:33] Any other questions you might have? [00:10:35] I think you made the comment that with the new employee, there's a new car, your increase [00:10:43] in automobile lease is only $3,000, so were you trading in the vehicle for another vehicle? [00:10:52] Lease is under, that number should be under lease should be $14,820. [00:11:00] Right, so I'm looking at the previous year and I see that there are 11, 4, so my question [00:11:05] is is there a second car or is this just the same car, it's just time to get a new one? [00:11:11] One of the cars is going, we currently had two vehicles. One of the vehicles gets shifted [00:11:17] away and then we're getting in a new vehicle, so that's why it's a new vehicle. [00:11:22] And the big savings is in contractual because we're not paying out for those services anymore. [00:11:27] So we will still remain having two vehicles in our department. [00:11:31] Just to speak for the mayor who's voice still rings in the back of my head, when you talk [00:11:38] about the fuel for $4,000 and he's got all these electric vehicle charges around here, [00:11:46] I'm assuming that the cost of electric vehicle is prohibitive, even including the fuel? [00:11:54] I'm sorry, we have one electric vehicle, we had two, we're going to one electric vehicle [00:12:00] and then the building official's vehicle is going to be an SUV type vehicle and those [00:12:06] aren't, we're not looking at an electric vehicle for that purpose because he would be working [00:12:10] in, he's in the emergency management team, he's one of the critical issues and you really [00:12:16] can't use an electric vehicle if there's a hurricane and things of that sort. [00:12:24] That's, unfortunately that's how we had to go. [00:12:36] Any other questions? [00:12:37] All right then, thank you for your time Mr. Hall and we will ask Chief Fitch to join us [00:12:43] at the table for a presentation on the fire budget. [00:12:54] The fire budget is bifurcated into two divisions, he's got administrative and then fire support [00:13:04] staff. [00:13:05] Good afternoon everybody, what an exciting year it's been on the fire department, we [00:13:11] just celebrated our 100 year anniversary within the department this past year and the excitement [00:13:18] continues with the ground breaking, the recent ground breaking to Fire Station 2 and we [00:13:23] look forward to the hardening grant to start for Fire Station 1 so through the city manager's [00:13:29] vision, commitment and your council's commitment and support of public safety we've been able [00:13:36] to make a lot of improvements within the department this past year and specifically I call the [00:13:42] big three, we've made improvements to our staffing, our facilities and our equipment. [00:13:50] So we were able to add an additional firefighter as you remember last year and we've been able [00:13:57] to make improvements to our facilities with the ground breaking for Fire Station 2 and [00:14:03] then for the apparatus as you recall we've recently, within the past couple of years [00:14:08] received a new ladder truck and we're currently speccing out a new engine for replacement [00:14:12] on our normal replacement cycle. [00:14:16] Our firefighters are very proud of our staff that we have in place, we have for the first [00:14:22] time in a while we're fully staffed for a full time staffing level at a time where most [00:14:32] fire departments within the state are at a shortage and there's a shortage of firefighters [00:14:36] throughout the state so I'm proud of that, I'm proud of our retention, we haven't lost [00:14:40] any firefighters in a while to other departments so I think they're happy and it's due to your [00:14:47] commitment to public safety and the things that I just mentioned that we're able to retain [00:14:51] our staff. [00:14:55] Our staff this past year and as I recapped it [00:15:00] In 2022, they responded to a record number of calls, 5,911, so just shy of 6,000 calls a year, which is an average of 16 a day, which is a lot on top of that 16 calls a day. [00:15:13] They were able to contribute to 1,451 fire safety inspections along with fire administrative staff to get those completed. [00:15:24] We also completed 75 business tax receipt safety inspections. [00:15:30] We participated in 21 community events throughout the year, completed 145 plan reviews, and our staff also completed 5,864 hours of training, which is quite a bit. [00:15:44] So as you know, it's all certification-based training, so there's CEU hours that have to be completed throughout the year. [00:15:52] And the residential rental inspection program, which was within the department the past year, completed 1,280 residential rental inspections. [00:16:03] The highlights of this upcoming budget are exciting. There's not a lot of substantial changes. [00:16:09] The biggest change that you'll see as we go through our budget is we're asking for one additional full-time firefighter, which gets us one step closer to my goal of adding one firefighter per shift. [00:16:22] So instead of having a shift level of seven, I would like to increase that to a shift level of eight. [00:16:30] The relinquishment of the residential rental inspection program has gone to code enforcement. [00:16:37] And any projected fluctuations that you see as we go through the budget are mainly due to the increasing costs of materials and equipment that we're seeing across the board. [00:16:50] And in addition to that, I have three capital requests that you'll see. [00:16:55] So as the city manager mentioned, there's two divisions within my budget. [00:17:00] The first one is fire supervision, 071. [00:17:04] And we'll start out prepared to go line by line, whatever you see fit that you would like me to do. [00:17:15] But at this point, I will go line by line to the lines that have changed the most. [00:17:22] And at any time, stop me if you have any questions. If I skip over a line that you would like some explanation on. [00:17:31] So in 071, fire supervision and personnel, we go down to the first line that saw a little bit of a change. [00:17:41] It's 41411 overtime. [00:17:43] So we've increased that a little bit to allow overtime for administrative staff within this division, which consists of myself. [00:17:55] The assistant fire chief, which also serves as the fire marshal, and an administrative assistant full time. [00:18:03] As you can see, overtime residential rental is no longer there. [00:18:07] We go down to some of the benefits have gone up, as you mentioned in the last budget with development. [00:18:14] So FRS, firefighter pension fund, those have all gone up a little bit. [00:18:22] Workers comp went up, and the total personnel services for 071 fire supervision is 314,860. [00:18:37] As we go down to operations, we were able to reduce travel training, 44011 by $500. [00:18:48] Hostage, we were able to reduce a little bit. [00:18:52] Freight express charges reduced. [00:18:56] We made a slight increase to gas and propane, natural gas. [00:19:00] We're just projecting an increase in that category. [00:19:03] We were able to make a reduction in the water and sewer. [00:19:08] And we were able to reduce the lease automotive, line 44463, because we relinquished the residential rental car, which was an electric car. [00:19:22] That is now under code enforcement. [00:19:24] So we were able to reduce that line item for the two staff cars that we have. [00:19:29] And I'd like to add that they were both hybrids. [00:19:32] So they were the first batch of hybrids the city saw come in. [00:19:41] There's a little bit of an increase to fire AD&D insurance, also an increase to fire cancer insurance. [00:19:50] And I'd like to add that that line item for fire cancer insurance covers the whole department, not just 071. [00:19:57] So that covers every firefighter that falls within the category of that state statute. [00:20:08] Maintenance, building, and grounds, we increased that a little bit. [00:20:12] We would like to do some upgrades to Fire Station 1, just some cosmetic upgrades with painting and things of that sort with our staff while they're on duty. [00:20:23] Office supplies general, we're projecting a slight increase in that line. [00:20:28] Fuel, we were able to reduce that a little bit, and we're projecting that we can save a little bit of money with the hybrids that we have in place. [00:20:38] And dues and memberships, we reduced that quite a bit. [00:20:45] And books and publications, we've reduced slightly for a total operating budget of $98,020. [00:20:52] Any questions on 071? [00:20:58] Supervision? [00:21:02] We'll move into operating firefighting 073. [00:21:15] 073 firefighting budget consists of 22 full-time firefighters. [00:21:23] Within that group of 22 full-time firefighters are three district chiefs, six captains, 13 firefighter paramedics, and a small pool of part-time firefighters as well. [00:21:36] As we move into the budget, personnel for 073 firefighting, 41299 regular salaries and wages, that's increased mainly due to COLAs, as we see across the board, and the additional one firefighter that we're requesting. [00:21:56] Reserve firefighter wages, we were able to reduce that mainly due to vacancies. [00:22:02] We have a hard time recruiting and keeping part-time firefighters just because there's such a shortage of firefighters in the state, and every fire department around here is hiring. [00:22:16] Most of the part-time firefighters that we have are either part-time firefighters that are working on their day off from another full-time fire department, or they're fresh out of fire school and they're looking for a full-time job. [00:22:31] So they're kind of hard to keep on staff. [00:22:35] Just allow me one comment, Chris. We didn't program any COLAs into the salaries and wages for these positions. That'll be dealt with in another part of the budget. [00:22:49] The overtime budget we dropped, reduced by $5,000 due to the fact that if we gain an extra firefighter, that will reduce our overtime need. [00:23:06] Education incentive pay, 41522, that's a firefighter supplemental compensation program to the state that the city's reimbursed for all of the firefighters that have college degrees. [00:23:21] So that was reduced slightly. [00:23:25] The rest of the next four or five items, uniform cleaning allowance, paramedic incentive pay, coordinator incentive pay, inspector incentive pay, incentive pay and USAR incentive pay are all contractual in the union contract. [00:23:45] There's been some slight fluctuations and it's all based upon how many staff members we have in place with those specific certifications. [00:23:56] Now we're down to some of the benefits that have fluctuated as well. Social Security, FRS, our fireman's pension fund, there was a change that went from 13% to 14.7% so there's a little bit of an increase there on the pension fund. [00:24:16] Health insurance has gone up and worker's comp firefighter driver actually was reduced by a little bit so total personnel services is 2,573,390. [00:24:35] As we go into operating budget for firefighting, there's no changes, these all remain consistent with previous years until you get down to central garage maintenance, 44631, we were able to reduce slightly by $500. [00:24:54] Fire hose, 44643, we're asking for a little bit of an increase due to a price increase in hose. [00:25:03] We're also seeing a price increase with office supplies, just general supplies across the board whether it's copy paper, printer cartridges, whatever as you can imagine everything's gone up a little bit so we're asking for a slight increase in that line. [00:25:19] Small tools as well, there's been an increase in costs for tools. Fuel, slight increase request there. [00:25:31] Clothing and wearing apparel, we're requesting a $2,000 increase due to the fact that we would like to outfit our new captains with dress uniforms. [00:25:41] The new captains just completed their promotionary period and it was one of my goals to get all of our officers outfitted with dress uniforms so they look appropriate, respectful and they represent the city well when we go, especially when we go to other jurisdictions for funerals or any kind of a gathering like that. [00:26:03] Bunker gear costs have increased so that's increased by $1,000. [00:26:10] Medical supplies have increased so we're asking for a $3,000 increase to first aid supplies. [00:26:19] Training supplies general which is our target solutions program which we use to document all of our training which goes to the state for certifications. [00:26:30] Their cost has increased a little bit so we're asking for an increase in that line. [00:26:36] Community education, we're asking for a slight increase in that to continue our NOx home box program. [00:26:45] And operating supplies miscellaneous, a slight increase in that line item by $500 and a slight reduction we were able to make in books and publications. [00:26:59] For a total operating budget of $215,120. [00:27:05] For capital expenditures we included an all terrain vehicle for $15,000 which will be used at our many special events that we have. [00:27:20] The current vehicle that we have looks more like a dune buggy. [00:27:25] It's got really thick treads. [00:27:27] It's not the right type of vehicle to use in Sims Park so we're asking for an upgrade to that vehicle. [00:27:38] We're also asking for ballistic vest replacements. [00:27:43] Our current vests have seen the end of their life cycle unfortunately. [00:27:52] They're only good for five years so you may or may not recall but the last vests we got we got through a grant program through the Department of Health. [00:28:05] And those are expired so we're asking for new ballistic vests for all of our staff that we can use at any hostile event or active shooter event. [00:28:17] Last is an extrication tool. [00:28:21] The tool I'm asking for is a combi tool. [00:28:25] Keep in mind we're going to apply for a firehouse subs grant for a new extrication tool for the fire truck that will be housed at Fire Station 2. [00:28:39] Which services most of the Highway 19 corridor in the event that we do not get that grant. [00:28:47] So I'm asking for a combi tool which is a one tool. [00:28:50] It's like a Swiss Army knife. [00:28:52] It allows for cutting and spreading with the same tool. [00:28:57] So it's a little bit cheaper, less expensive than getting a whole complement of tools. [00:29:02] Which we got through the firehouse subs grant about two and a half years ago for the new ladder truck. [00:29:08] So those are three capital items which total $37,290. [00:29:14] It might additionally be appropriate to note that the all-terrain vehicle that is being proposed as part of the capital equipment program. [00:29:26] In addition to supporting the fire department presence at special events is intended to play a role in emergency operations as a function as well. [00:29:38] Right, so the current, that's a good point, thank you. [00:29:41] The current ATV has patient transport capabilities. [00:29:45] So if we're in a large crowd in the park, we can actually put a patient on the ATV and get them out of the crowded environment. [00:29:53] Onto the road where that patient can then be transported, transferred to an ambulance. [00:29:58] So it will. [00:30:00] have that same capability to function. [00:30:05] So the total... [00:30:06] It might also work when we're finding an emergency situation on the river. [00:30:11] We take them from the river's edge back up to the road in some residential... [00:30:19] Or a great preserve. [00:30:20] Or we can get through in a larger fire truck. [00:30:23] Yeah. [00:30:23] Correct. [00:30:24] So the total expenditures for 073 firefighting is $2,825,800. [00:30:34] And that concludes my report. [00:30:35] I'd be happy to answer any questions that I can. [00:30:38] You blew over real quickly. [00:30:40] And I think it's real important for everybody here to know that when I came [00:30:44] board and city council, we ran a five or six man shift and that really restricted [00:30:49] on what you could do as far as entering a building when there was a fire and they [00:30:53] needed more people on that shift to be able to... [00:30:56] You can better explain it than I did. [00:30:59] So when you blew over going from seven to eight, that's just a big security thing [00:31:04] when it comes to a fire situation where we have to enter the building. [00:31:09] It is. [00:31:09] So there's what they're called an OSHA two-in-two-out rule. [00:31:14] So there has to be two firefighters on the outside of a structure anytime you [00:31:17] send two in and that's for safety reasons. [00:31:19] So if those firefighters get trapped or if they get in trouble, there's two [00:31:23] firefighters on the outside that can go in and attempt a rescue. [00:31:27] So there's four. [00:31:29] Right. [00:31:29] And when we were dealing, mostly when I first came board and council was dealing [00:31:34] with a five and six situation, which really put a lot of guys in jeopardy. [00:31:38] So just working seven to eight, as I said, you blew over it, but it's really [00:31:42] important for penetrating a building. [00:31:45] Important principle to communicate. [00:31:46] Right. [00:31:46] Yeah. [00:31:47] Thank you for bringing that up. [00:31:48] It's very important. [00:31:49] Thank you. [00:31:51] Oh, my question. [00:32:00] Some revenues, some positives, in terms of any capacity or sheriff sales tax, [00:32:08] something like that. [00:32:10] Oh. [00:32:13] Continue to suggest that when you discuss. [00:32:29] He is in the middle of a big, pretty big urban area. [00:32:33] Yeah. [00:32:38] Kelly, but I know others have heard him say this, but as an example, my sister [00:32:43] lives in unincorporated Largo. [00:32:45] And unincorporated Largo contracts with the city of Treasure Island on a service [00:32:52] area agreement to help recover territory. [00:32:55] Most of Boston, most of it, at least everybody wants to be, especially [00:33:03] it's really important to have that security. [00:33:05] Go to a city because they know there are people nearby. [00:33:14] Continue to advocate that. [00:33:25] And having a recreation service area, looking at who are the customers that [00:33:30] we serve. [00:33:31] Undoubtedly, the library. [00:33:34] I think the library in the big city is operated by the county. [00:33:41] And they've just finally renovated. [00:33:44] Thank you. [00:33:50] Not to find these partnerships, I think the, I hope you all will agree with me [00:33:56] that the public is getting really tired of the really severe partisanship. [00:34:04] If we ask them to consider working with us, that they would project it to the [00:34:18] fire department directly for many years. [00:34:23] In fact, 50,000. [00:34:27] This situation where the county will not. [00:34:35] The number of trips you make a day, there's no doubt. [00:34:38] Some of those trips are life and death, you know. [00:34:42] Some may be, you know, just in case or accidents that may not have serious [00:34:53] injuries or someone falls out of the bed. [00:34:56] Or the folks that are ringing the alarm at Main Street Landing all the time. [00:35:06] When you have those emergencies, and we're so close to the hospital. [00:35:16] Continue to ask why. [00:35:23] Here's another $400 a year after for an $800,000 new truck. [00:35:29] It's only been a couple of years since we've repaid for the big ladder truck. [00:35:35] So we have the equipment. [00:35:37] We've got the manpower. [00:35:39] We've got a great operation. [00:35:41] I would just think that... [00:35:51] We have mutual aid, and we've talked about this before, but I can't help but think... [00:35:58] Press has continued to build, and these increases... [00:36:03] It's great to tell our story. [00:36:05] I don't see a report from anybody, really, that talks about who we're serving. [00:36:12] So I'm not expecting anything to happen in this year's budget, [00:36:16] but it would be wonderful for us to start thinking about... [00:36:20] I'm not expecting anything to happen in this year's budget, [00:36:23] but it would be wonderful for us to start thinking about... [00:36:30] ...and getting the data to show just how much we are really contributing [00:36:36] to the community at large. [00:36:44] There could be a squeeze play coming with this COA. [00:36:50] At or find other revenue sources of our own. [00:37:01] Looking at these expenses, we don't see the revenue. [00:37:05] We don't know how much of it... [00:37:12] Thank you. [00:37:13] From a fire rescue perspective, we get along really well with the city of New Port Richey. [00:37:20] We have an automatic aid agreement, if you may recall, for structure fires. [00:37:23] We get along very well with Pasco County Fire Rescue. [00:37:28] We meet routinely as a command staff, all three agencies. [00:37:34] We work well with them. We train with them. [00:37:38] So we're prepared for an emergency because they're going to be there also. [00:37:44] If it's a big fire, they're going to be there. [00:37:46] If it's a car accident that needs transport, [00:37:50] we work with them every single day. [00:37:51] So we work very well with them. [00:37:53] Aside from the transport issue that you're talking about, [00:37:57] that's a state statute. [00:37:58] I know the city managers had some conversations at her level for that. [00:38:04] But aside from the transport, we work very well with the other agencies. [00:38:14] I'll just add to that. [00:38:17] Chris took me to church this morning. [00:38:19] It was Grace Christian Church in Lutz. [00:38:23] It was actually the retirement of the chief for the county, Scott Cassin, [00:38:30] and the swearing in of the new Tony Perez, the new captain. [00:38:35] Just to back him up on what he says, [00:38:38] he must have introduced me to at least a dozen staff members from the county. [00:38:44] There was definitely a working relationship there. [00:38:47] Sure. [00:38:50] Didn't get anything out of the church. [00:38:55] Thank you, Chief. [00:38:56] Thank you. [00:38:57] Okay. [00:38:59] All right. [00:39:01] If we could have Mr. Green up front for technology solutions presentation. [00:39:09] We're all ready. [00:39:14] Thank you. [00:39:17] All right. [00:39:18] Thank you, everyone. [00:39:19] I first want to say that, you know, [00:39:21] this being my first full budget being here for a year, [00:39:24] I'm really proud of my staff and the different accomplishments [00:39:29] that we made technology-wise throughout the city [00:39:34] and just a lot of the relationships that we created [00:39:38] and just the movements we're trying to make [00:39:41] with all of our different departments. [00:39:44] I'd like to first highlight our accomplishments [00:39:48] from this current fiscal year. [00:39:51] I'm going to read off a few items [00:39:54] and then we'll go into some of the differences in the operating budget. [00:39:59] So one of the first accomplishments I want to bring up [00:40:04] is our e-land network migration. [00:40:07] What that is is we moved the network into today's century [00:40:13] with trying to create faster speeds [00:40:16] and being able to offer multiple services on our city network [00:40:22] using frontier fiber between each of our buildings. [00:40:26] Initially, we used old technology that was basically leased from Spectrum, [00:40:36] old carriers prior to that, [00:40:38] that we were paying astronomical amounts of money for. [00:40:41] And with the frontier service, we got the e-land, [00:40:44] we're able to do a lot of different things between our nine buildings. [00:40:48] So that kind of just made the network better [00:40:52] in regards to everything that we can do today. [00:40:56] The next item that I'd like to bring up [00:40:59] is our network backup and data center implementation. [00:41:02] One of the things that we needed to strive to do better as a city [00:41:07] was to make sure that during hurricanes and things like that, [00:41:10] we would be, or disasters, we would just be prepared. [00:41:13] And by doing that, we worked with MSP [00:41:18] to do a backup of all of our data, [00:41:22] whether it's our physical or virtual servers. [00:41:25] We also created the opportunity now [00:41:29] that if something did happen to our city and our data and stuff, [00:41:32] that we would be able to stand that up offsite, [00:41:35] at another location, in another data center, [00:41:40] and still be able to access our network. [00:41:43] The other item on here is our internet connection consolidation. [00:41:48] One of the things I found when first coming aboard [00:41:51] is that we had an internet connection everywhere [00:41:54] and kind of had to minimize that, [00:41:57] but still maintain some of those internet connections [00:42:00] based off of some redundancy to have [00:42:03] and also some of the services we have like public Wi-Fi. [00:42:08] The other accomplishment I'd like to talk about [00:42:11] is the migration of all the city sites [00:42:14] all going to our VOIP system. [00:42:17] Some of our sites initially had some old copper lines. [00:42:22] They weren't on our VOIP system [00:42:26] where basically we could direct dial to one another. [00:42:31] Some of those locations now can do that [00:42:34] based off of some of the changes that I made, [00:42:37] my team has made, [00:42:40] and kind of consolidating some of the analog lines [00:42:43] that we have that are actually going away. [00:42:46] Some of these carriers are increasing the cost [00:42:49] for those types of things just for us to get off, [00:42:52] but it's all the technology. [00:42:56] Another great accomplishment has been [00:42:59] the dual-access implementation and camera security. [00:43:02] When I got here, there was kind of a project [00:43:05] started with dual-access controls [00:43:08] to where we could use ID badges and everything like that. [00:43:11] That has been increased, particularly at City Hall. [00:43:14] I think we're pretty much done at City Hall. [00:43:17] We did the library. PD already had some. [00:43:20] We still need to do some other locations, [00:43:23] and we're just working to kind of increase that. [00:43:26] That's been a success [00:43:29] to now where you can go in different buildings [00:43:32] using the ID badge. [00:43:35] Also, walking around city properties, [00:43:38] the residents know, hey, you're a city employee [00:43:41] because you have identification. [00:43:44] Another accomplishment I would say [00:43:47] is our data cabling infrastructure upgrades. [00:43:51] Our building has been around for a while [00:43:54] here at City Hall and some of our other locations, [00:43:57] and part of the efforts [00:44:00] that my team had worked with some vendors [00:44:03] was to upgrade the cabling, [00:44:06] also to work with some of that faster bandwidth [00:44:09] that we can support now throughout all of the buildings. [00:44:12] Another item would be [00:44:15] our Tyler employees [00:44:18] ESS, which is employee self-service. [00:44:21] One of the biggest efforts [00:44:24] that we're still striving to work with. [00:44:27] Hopefully that'll get improved [00:44:30] with one of the capital items I'll discuss later. [00:44:33] But now employees can now view [00:44:36] online through Tyler their actual accrual balances. [00:44:39] They can request time off, [00:44:42] and then you can see those balances [00:44:46] and how everything changed. [00:44:49] We're working on some of the efforts [00:44:52] that we're going to work on for the future. [00:44:55] The new fiscal year would be [00:44:58] to get some more automation [00:45:01] with our employees. [00:45:00] basically our timesheets and whatnot. [00:45:02] And then lastly, as an accomplishment, [00:45:06] I wanna talk about some cloud services [00:45:07] that we migrated to. [00:45:09] One of them being our Laserfish product, [00:45:12] which was an in-house electronic document system, [00:45:16] which we didn't use to its fullest potential, [00:45:21] but we have began to, [00:45:23] and with some scanning of building plans, [00:45:27] with the development department, [00:45:30] human resources, and the city clerk. [00:45:34] What we've done is basically take [00:45:36] a lot of these file cabinets [00:45:37] that have big paper plans, [00:45:40] have old personnel documents and things like that. [00:45:43] We worked with a consultant to scan that information [00:45:46] and get it in the Laserfish system. [00:45:48] Well, the Laserfish system was initially [00:45:50] in-house on a physical server, [00:45:53] and they had a cloud-based product [00:45:55] that we migrated to, [00:45:57] so we were able to eliminate that server, [00:45:59] but still have the ability to access that stuff [00:46:02] over the internet through the cloud services, [00:46:05] but still reduce some of the paper [00:46:08] that we have throughout our city departments. [00:46:11] So those are some of the efforts [00:46:15] that my team and I have worked on this past fiscal year. [00:46:21] So I'd like to go and discuss [00:46:25] some of the changes in the operating. [00:46:31] I'm gonna go through a few lines here [00:46:33] because there are some significant changes. [00:46:37] I'm gonna begin with object 43499, [00:46:40] contractual services. [00:46:42] What that line item includes with the increases [00:46:46] is that getting a little bit more support [00:46:49] from our MSP on some security aspects [00:46:53] of doing things such as a penetration test, [00:46:58] which would help develop some more security standards [00:47:02] throughout the city, [00:47:03] and kind of help us to look at [00:47:07] being better at cyber security. [00:47:12] They also include some GPS. [00:47:15] It's like GPS data that gets collected on our vehicles, [00:47:21] and just continued MSP services [00:47:25] with some consulting with some networking. [00:47:28] The next item, the travel and training. [00:47:32] So now that my staff is full, [00:47:34] we have a full staff now. [00:47:36] I have a network administrator, [00:47:38] I have a operations manager, [00:47:39] I have two tech specialists, [00:47:43] level two and two help desk. [00:47:46] We are really at full throttle. [00:47:48] We're able to handle a lot more [00:47:51] with the different departments, [00:47:53] but then there's also training. [00:47:55] So we have to increase that knowledge of our team, [00:48:00] of the new and changing technology. [00:48:02] So in the past, [00:48:06] we didn't have as full of a staff, [00:48:07] and now that we have more of a full staff, [00:48:10] and our expertise level is a lot higher [00:48:14] than it probably has ever been. [00:48:17] The next item I'd like to talk about [00:48:19] is the telephone local. [00:48:22] And what that, the increase in that item is, [00:48:26] that is our back, [00:48:28] our Verizon for our department. [00:48:32] That also includes our mobile device management [00:48:35] for all of the devices within the city, [00:48:38] so we can push apps to them. [00:48:40] We can manage them, do remote wipe. [00:48:42] And it also includes our monthly phone service [00:48:47] that we have through SIP, through Frontier. [00:48:51] Robert, it might be a good time just to mention that, [00:48:54] because I'm sure the council has noted [00:48:56] that there's a large increase in telephone local [00:48:59] and contractual services miscellaneous, [00:49:02] that some of that is the result [00:49:05] of classifying some of those expenses inappropriately [00:49:10] in a previous year. [00:49:11] Yes, correct. [00:49:13] Yes, yes ma'am. [00:49:14] So yes, so a lot of these items in the budget weren't, [00:49:20] I'll just be frank about it, [00:49:22] they weren't originally budgeted appropriately. [00:49:26] And I've been able, since I've been here, [00:49:28] I've been able to come in and kind of [00:49:30] take a look at certain things [00:49:32] and align them appropriately [00:49:34] and actually find out what things actually cost. [00:49:37] So that's a lot of the change. [00:49:41] So they just fall better. [00:49:47] Paying some of the other department expenses [00:49:48] with coming in here now? [00:49:50] Yeah, some of the others, we're paying them individual [00:49:53] and we're centralizing them into technology solutions. [00:49:56] Sorry about that, yep. [00:49:58] All right, the next item that I'd like to touch on [00:50:01] would be lease copier, that's the 44481. [00:50:07] We needed a copier, we needed like a copy, [00:50:11] not necessarily a copy machine, [00:50:13] but we needed a printer for our department. [00:50:14] We still kind of print certain things, [00:50:17] more so myself than anything. [00:50:20] Then the next item on here is the vehicle lease. [00:50:24] My department in the past, [00:50:27] we didn't always have our own vehicle. [00:50:28] It was kind of like a pool vehicle [00:50:30] that we used between the other departments. [00:50:33] But we've been real busy going into different buildings. [00:50:37] We go down to Sims Park, we do different things. [00:50:40] We have to move heavy equipment, [00:50:43] computer equipment, servers, things like that. [00:50:46] So we needed a means of transportation. [00:50:50] Let's see here, the 44621, maintenance equipment. [00:51:00] So this line item includes some of the services [00:51:04] with the backup and the disaster recovery, [00:51:08] those monthly charges, the email backups, [00:51:11] our equipment that supports the networking hardware, [00:51:17] the maintenance agreements and whatnot [00:51:19] with those particular devices. [00:51:24] Maintenance AV equipment, 44625. [00:51:29] We need to maintain, we had some issues [00:51:31] with the mics previously. [00:51:33] We need to be, we need to maintain some of this equipment. [00:51:38] So that was the budget item for that. [00:51:41] And so that's where that was in there, [00:51:44] is the 10,000 there. [00:51:47] All right, let's see. [00:51:58] Operating supplies training room, 45253. [00:52:03] Upstairs in our suite, next door there was a training room. [00:52:09] We kind of started gutting that room out a little bit. [00:52:11] There was some older technology, [00:52:13] some older equipment in there. [00:52:15] Kind of repurposed that. [00:52:16] We want to make that into a conference room [00:52:18] and also like a training facility, [00:52:22] put a couple of stations there. [00:52:24] So that like if staff needs to do like [00:52:27] individualized training and they don't have nowhere to go, [00:52:29] they can come there and just a place for my team to meet [00:52:33] and just kind of strategize and whatnot. [00:52:36] So that's kind of to make improvements in that space. [00:52:41] Can you go back to software licenses and support? [00:52:44] Sure. [00:52:45] You got a big jump there. [00:52:46] Okay, software license and support, 4525. [00:52:50] So the jump in that is essentially, [00:52:53] there's a lot, so most of the software throughout the city [00:52:56] goes into my budget. [00:52:57] And so some of the software, [00:53:02] you know, we use more software today [00:53:04] with a lot of, to improve a lot of our technology, [00:53:09] to do different things in other departments. [00:53:12] So the jump in that, again, [00:53:15] also that was something that wasn't [00:53:18] budgeted appropriately originally, [00:53:21] because I found out that there was some items [00:53:22] that needed to go in the department. [00:53:26] I'm sorry, in that software licensing. [00:53:29] On that, by centralizing it, [00:53:31] it gives the technology solutions department [00:53:35] more of a voice in what's being selected [00:53:38] and why it's being selected, [00:53:41] and whether or not it should be selected [00:53:44] and brought on as a software for the use of any department. [00:53:49] So we're using that process and bringing the expenses in. [00:53:53] It's using the professionals to choose the equipment, [00:53:57] more so than the people that actually use it, I think. [00:54:00] They have a voice. [00:54:01] Yeah, they have a, yeah. [00:54:02] In it, for sure, and we want them [00:54:03] to be part of the selection process. [00:54:04] But I'm just saying, here's the professional. [00:54:05] Right. [00:54:09] On those lines, the nation that you're giving [00:54:15] ties into, again, on the revenue side, [00:54:18] the general fund that you come out of, [00:54:21] the allocation of these costs back to other funds. [00:54:27] Nobody does more banking, and nobody does. [00:54:35] Right. [00:54:39] Right. [00:54:39] Revenue streams themselves down. [00:54:42] So, I'm just guessing it's gonna be really critical [00:54:45] to look at these allocations. [00:54:52] The work that's coming in here gets translated back to, [00:54:56] come at that point back to. [00:55:01] Absolutely. [00:55:05] I'd like to say one other thing, [00:55:06] I'd like to say one other thing, [00:55:07] because I can see you're ready to step it up. [00:55:16] I was, and I'm just guessing that they have [00:55:20] about four years that don't have a whole lot. [00:55:36] Yeah. [00:55:43] Sorry, Peter, are you talking about the five-year plan, [00:55:45] the next page? [00:55:46] The same number, the 740 was the same number, [00:55:48] I didn't see that, but. [00:55:50] Yeah, the five-year plan has $741,000, [00:55:53] but there's a, you know, between the software [00:55:56] and whatever upgrades that you're gonna do. [00:55:58] Yeah, at this. [00:55:59] To the degree that, you know, that's an okay. [00:56:03] Yeah. [00:56:04] I don't know, but. [00:56:10] Right. [00:56:15] And to you guys that, [00:56:17] if we go to the Lincoln City's conference [00:56:19] and you go to all those booths, [00:56:21] there's always a booth called the FL class [00:56:23] or somebody in there, [00:56:25] always trying to talk to us as elected officials. [00:56:28] I, the bank that provides banking [00:56:34] is sitting at 5.8%. [00:56:39] About 5 1⁄2%, [00:56:41] and the cash bond at the FL class is sitting at 5.8%. [00:56:48] So I talked to the auditor that serves them about that [00:56:53] because it kind of blew me away. [00:56:59] The interest rates, they were so low [00:57:01] because of inflation and all that's going on now. [00:57:06] Secondly, there's been changes in the, [00:57:09] or I think in terms of federally, [00:57:17] that all the banks together can provide [00:57:19] more than this hundred thousand. [00:57:25] 5 1⁄2% interest that you can make on your money. [00:57:29] Similar debt and the revolving thing. [00:57:32] I'm just encouraging, I'm sure you've got rules [00:57:35] you're gonna have to solve. [00:57:43] Right. [00:57:44] I think an hour or five years of this is the year you wanna buy it. [00:57:51] In response to the point you're making, [00:57:54] Councilman Altman, [00:57:56] we are, without question, [00:57:58] proposing a very ambitious program [00:58:01] in technology solutions for capital. [00:58:04] And in our heads, [00:58:06] we have a prioritization schedule for these expenditures. [00:58:13] And without the benefit of solidified revenue figures, [00:58:18] we're just not ready at a first reading [00:58:22] to tell you which ones might not make our next cut to you. [00:58:28] But we wanna fully introduce [00:58:31] the potential projects that you'll see at your second reading. [00:58:36] Now, of course, you know the VxRail storage [00:58:39] and virtual server management system, [00:58:42] you've already approved. [00:58:44] So that $370,000 expenditure [00:58:49] is already in the work. [00:58:50] So it's certainly gonna make the 23-24 fiscal year. [00:58:55] The others, although we do have in mind [00:59:00] a list of priorities, [00:59:03] at this point, they're all tentative [00:59:06] until you approve them. [00:59:14] Thank you. [00:59:18] Sure, absolutely. [00:59:20] Thank you. [00:59:22] I'm gonna go back to 45411 dues and memberships. [00:59:32] That's increased as well [00:59:35] because there's more people in my department. [00:59:37] I go to, I know for a fact, [00:59:39] I go to Florida League of Cities. [00:59:41] I went this year to meet with some of my peers [00:59:44] across the city in technology. [00:59:47] Nate Nathan, who's my network administrator, [00:59:51] and he'll be going to different conferences [00:59:52] and things like that. [01:00:00] uh, that those account for him and maybe some of the other teammates. [01:00:06] Uh, so next leads me into my capital items, which we were [01:00:11] kind of discussing, uh, previously. [01:00:14] Uh, for, so there's four, there's, there's, there's, there's quite a [01:00:20] few projects, um, that requires some software. [01:00:23] Um, one of them is, uh, just FOIA public records management system. [01:00:29] I'm looking to, uh, improve our, um, transparency as well as, uh, [01:00:36] communication on the tracking of, of, uh, public records requests. [01:00:42] Uh, the other item is, uh, Tyler time and attendance. [01:00:46] Uh, that is a, another module to continue on my efforts with the, uh, [01:00:54] with the time, with our timesheet process, um, kind of provide an automation. [01:01:00] Uh, Bitdefender MDR patch management, that's more security. [01:01:04] Uh, you know, cause I'm always trying to, uh, fight that cybersecurity [01:01:09] and make sure that we're, we're covered, uh, Tyler payments, which [01:01:13] is, uh, a part of, uh, also another module part of Tyler that we're [01:01:17] kind of gearing towards that direction for over the counter payments [01:01:21] because, uh, one of the, uh, uh, uh, it's called, uh, uh, pay guardian that's [01:01:27] going away and, uh, I'm trying to get on top of that instead of waiting to [01:01:31] the last minute, but Tyler payments will bring more ease to seeing things [01:01:36] right within the system instead of between two different portals. [01:01:40] Uh, and then the big, the big item, um, that I'm really excited [01:01:45] about is our, uh, website redesign. [01:01:47] Um, looking, looking forward to that project, uh, to really kind of, [01:01:52] uh, upgrade our, our, our website, provide more information and visibility [01:01:58] through the website to the, to the public and kind of just, uh, allow, [01:02:04] allow all of the departments to, um, feel at ease when editing their, their [01:02:08] own web pages, um, with, with, with the CMS that you use to, uh, manage the pages. [01:02:14] So, uh, that's a real excitement for, for me on that project. [01:02:18] The other component is the functionality that it'll provide the [01:02:22] users that we don't currently enable. [01:02:26] Right. [01:02:27] Correct. [01:02:27] Some, some of the, a lot of the things that we're lacking currently with the [01:02:30] website, this, this new design will really like be good. [01:02:35] I'm excited about it. [01:02:36] And then, uh, my, my last capital item is improvements to, uh, [01:02:41] Sims Park security with the cameras as well as, um, uh, city hall and various [01:02:47] buildings, uh, and, uh, really, I'm, I mean, I'm just excited about some, some [01:02:54] of these projects, um, just because just, it, it, it adds on to, uh, a lot of the [01:03:00] growth that, that, that we're going to see. [01:03:04] Um, at this point, does anybody, uh, are there any questions or anything that I [01:03:09] could, uh, elaborate on? [01:03:12] Just where you're right there. [01:03:13] You, we increase, I've probably got some other thoughts, but we increasing [01:03:17] the cameras at, uh, Francis Park. [01:03:20] Um, I don't at this, at this moment. [01:03:23] No. [01:03:24] Okay. [01:03:25] What I was thinking is more is that, you know, we've had a lot of middle school [01:03:28] kids going home and just, I don't want anything stupid to happen multiple [01:03:34] different ways. [01:03:35] I'll discuss with the city manager to see what direction. [01:03:38] Yeah. [01:03:39] I mean, it doesn't have to be whole sophisticated, but just something in [01:03:42] there because we've got, you know, the kids stopping there on the way home. [01:03:45] Anyhow, we need, we have increased the police presence, um, during after school [01:03:51] hours, but I think you, you raise a valid point and we'll, we'll talk about how we [01:03:57] can divert some cameras there. [01:04:00] Middle school kids, middle school kids, but adults showing up too. [01:04:02] Sure. [01:04:08] Sure. [01:04:09] All right. [01:04:13] Hi, we're going to be taking over the credit card processing because I know [01:04:18] they're [01:04:26] our services [01:04:29] um, over, over the counter, but not, not, not for the utilities online. [01:04:34] Cause we use, we use, um, invoice cloud for that. [01:04:39] Yeah. [01:04:41] Yeah. [01:04:42] Um, [01:04:47] I don't think you've got this all, although I think you'd like to put the [01:04:50] garbage [01:05:09] okay, [01:05:11] okay. [01:05:23] Over here. [01:05:29] Yeah. [01:05:38] Mhm. [01:05:44] I'm preparing to do that. [01:05:51] That's better. We build everyone who should be by garbage. We could lower [01:05:56] the cost of garbage collection. Absolutely. [01:06:06] Certainly. [01:06:09] All [01:06:23] okay. [01:06:29] Yeah. [01:06:36] Her. [01:06:38] Yeah. [01:06:41] I'm aware of that. [01:06:43] Asking about for a long time that allows the residents [01:06:47] track [01:06:49] so [01:06:53] seven years ago. [01:07:01] Notice what you can [01:07:04] somebody [01:07:06] yeah [01:07:09] minute [01:07:12] you put it on [01:07:14] Yeah. [01:07:17] Oh, [01:07:19] all [01:07:20] about [01:07:31] Yeah. [01:07:32] Yeah. [01:07:36] Yeah. [01:07:37] Yeah. [01:07:40] Yeah. [01:07:50] I can respond if you allow me in respect to the waste hauling fees being placed [01:07:57] either on the tax roll or on water bills. I would like to stage a [01:08:05] discussion with the city council about that because I really need direction [01:08:10] from you. And I plan to do that at the next meeting. It's not too late to put [01:08:15] it on the tax rolls for this year. And we need to decide as a group what you [01:08:23] would like the staff to do. Is it your preference that it go on the tax rolls [01:08:28] or the water bills and we provided you in the past and accounting of what we [01:08:36] felt might be some advantages and disadvantages to both systems will [01:08:40] resurrect that and pass it out to you again and maybe have a brief discussion [01:08:46] and let you decide how to march forward. We do have to march quickly. Um, if the [01:08:53] determination is to go on the tax rolls, but it's possible, but it's 40 [01:09:01] percent plus rentals in this, you know, so if you take just one, one little [01:09:05] thought of your tax and put it on with the water bill, but it's still part of [01:09:09] that 40%. They could pack up their stuff and move out and leave a bit. That [01:09:13] that's one of the disadvantages. Yes. Unless the water ordinance were changed [01:09:18] and the bills for water were in the name of the property owner and not the [01:09:25] renter. I've already seen the feedback on social media about why are my taxes? [01:09:30] You know, why are we doing this? Why are we going to lower my taxes? So you [01:09:34] want to put, you know, several $100 on a new tax on the tax bill. [01:09:41] You know, I'm [01:09:41] I'm [01:09:44] okay. [01:09:46] Thanks. Something over time gives a person the ability to control it. It's a [01:09:50] high water bill. [01:09:54] About that. And the tax bill. [01:09:57] It's a lot softer landing for us. I think that we make that water water bill. [01:10:01] I have problems with that. But, but the trash bills, it's, you know, that's a [01:10:06] different story. That's 120 bucks, 150 bucks across the year. Yeah, that [01:10:13] typically bill quarterly. So [01:10:17] we think based on what we see that it will come out to be less than $30 [01:10:25] quarterly. [01:10:28] If [01:10:29] based on the competitive bid and the fact that we're making commitments for [01:10:36] every residential property in the city and commercial properties as well. And [01:10:42] again, method of guaranteed payment. [01:10:46] And so we think we have a competitive advantage in that respect. So we'll talk [01:10:49] about all of those things and everybody will get a chance to vote. The in [01:10:54] respect to the utility bill function that Councilman Altman has always had [01:10:59] interest in. I'm not certain, but I think crystal can help me, but I think the [01:11:06] cost associated with that feature is an $80,000 range. Okay. And it is [01:11:14] something that a homeowner could access from their home or otherwise on their [01:11:22] own account and have the same features that we have at city hall that would [01:11:28] allow you to learn about your own usage. Um, I didn't know about the feature that [01:11:36] you could receive notices as well. Um, on some potential leakages at your own [01:11:44] home. Um, and we can provide some information to you about that feature [01:11:53] and see if it's something that you want us to include in the budget this year. [01:12:04] This is [01:12:14] harder than it has had to be done because of our [01:12:26] cases with three, four, five, $5,000. [01:12:33] God, they filled it anymore. Just kidding. Yeah. Anyway, thank you for that. [01:12:42] I just want to say, um, I'm in that year that you've been here. Um, I've seen, [01:12:48] I've seen a major, major change because when I left council and what's going on [01:12:52] here now, you've done a great job and I think you've got a great team. Yeah, he [01:12:57] was definitely in a rebuild mode from the minute he entered the scene. And [01:13:04] although he did take time to time to tout some of his accomplishments, um, [01:13:09] there are even more than what he presented to you this evening and he has [01:13:16] assembled a great team. Donnie, um, being one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and I'm very [01:13:23] proud of the work he has done. So thank you for taking the time to acknowledge [01:13:28] it. I always considered, uh, you know, the city be kind of a pyramid and the [01:13:31] five of us sat up on top and then they held us up at the top. But, um, like the [01:13:37] foundation and, and if you don't have a solid foundation and a pyramid, um, it [01:13:41] tips over in between finance and it, um, that in my opinion is the foundation of [01:13:46] the city. Thank you. Thank you. [01:13:54] Can you get your head out of this off this room? [01:14:01] Mr. Mayor, I don't have any further to present to you, but we can respond to [01:14:05] any questions that you may have. I'm happy. Anybody else? Any questions? Okay, [01:14:11] we'll adjourn until seven.

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3. 3Communications
4. 4Adjournment