* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] ALL RIGHT. TODAY IS TUESDAY, JULY 21ST, AND THE TIME IS SIX O'CLOCK OR 6 0 2, DEPENDING ON WHAT WATCH YOU LOOK AT. UM, AND I WANNA WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THIS SPECIAL MEETING. UM, CAN I GET A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? FLORES KA. HERE. TOBY? YES. PRESENT. ZA ZA? HERE. MEDINA. HERE. ZAPATA? HERE HARRIS. HERE. MCKINNEY HERE. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE SEVEN, SO WE HAVE A QUORUM. [II) Citizen Comment Period with City Council] UM, UP NEXT I HAVE CITIZENS COMMENTS. THE CITY COUNCIL WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS EARLY IN THE AGENDA OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. THOSE WISHING TO SPEAK ARE ENCOURAGED TO SIGN IN BEFORE THE MEETING BEGINS. SPE UH, SPEAKERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK DURING THIS TIME PERIOD ON ANY AGENDA ITEM OR ANY OTHER MATTER CONCERNING CITY BUSINESS. AND WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE OBSERVE THE THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT. RIGHT NOW. I HAVE ONE FORM AND THAT'S DIANE HARBAUGH. YOU DON'T DO THE PLEDGE. OH, I'M SORRY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. MY NAME'S DIANE VAL, AND I LIVE AT, UH, 1528 AMBERWOOD LOOP. AND I'M HERE THIS EVENING, OR AT THIS MEETING TO SPEAK ON TWO AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING. I HAVE ANOTHER MEETING TO ATTEND, SO I WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTEND THAT MEETING. UH, REGARDING, UM, ITEM NUMBER 14, I WANT TO BEGIN SAYING THAT I AM GENERALLY NOT A PROPONENT OF FORENSIC AUDITS. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND THE UNUSUAL DECISIONS AND PRACTICES UNDER THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION, I BELIEVE A RESET IS WARRANTED. I'VE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT THE COST OF CONDUCTING A FORENSIC AUDIT. WHILE I UNDERSTAND THOSE CONCERNS, I DID NOT HEAR THE SAME LEVEL OF CONCERN EXPRESSED OVER THE COST OF SEVERAL DOWNTOWN PROPERTIES OR SEVERAL DOWNTOWN PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS MADE BY THE CITY. AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE AND TO CARRY OUT THE WISHES OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS. MANY RESIDENTS HAVE ASKED FOR AN INDEPENDENT AUDIT, AND I BELIEVE THAT REQUEST DESERVES SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. A FORENSIC AUDIT IS NOT SIMPLY ABOUT EXAMINING THE PAST ADMINISTRATION. IT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE ARE GAPS IN OUR FINANCIAL CONTROLS, POLICIES AND OVERSIGHT THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED MOVING FORWARD. IF THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED, NOW IS THE TIME TO LEARN THEM. FOR THOSE REASONS, I RESPECTFULLY ASK EACH OF YOU TO SUPPORT MOVING THIS ITEM FORWARD. REGARDING ITEM NUMBER 17, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE COUNCIL CONCEALER TABLING OR DENYING THIS ITEM BEFORE MOVING FORWARD. I BELIEVE THE CITY SHOULD RECEIVE A CLEAR COMMITMENT FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, ABBA AND HARRIS, THAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO SEE THE PROJECT THROUGH TO COMPLETION. I ALSO BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE GREATER TRANSPARENCY REGARDING THE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT PUBLICLY OFFERED FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM AND THAT THAT WAS DONE ON THE LINE, INCLUDING THE STATUS OF COMMITMENTS AND WHETHER THOSE FUNDS REMAIN AVAILABLE. ADDITIONALLY, I QUESTION WHETHER THIS EVENT SERVES THE BROADER INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY. WHILE I RESPECT EVERY RESIDENT'S RIGHT TO CELEBRATE EVENTS THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO THEM, I BELIEVE A CITY FUNDED EVENT SHOULD PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, PARTICULARLY AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE FACING BUDGET DEFICITS AND MAKING DIFFICULT FINANCIAL DECISIONS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT ONE OF OUR FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNCIL MEMBER ARIA SUCCESSFULLY ORGANIZED AND HOST IN MARIACHI EVENTS WITHOUT RELYING ON CITY FUNDING THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT COMMUNITY EVENTS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, PARTNER SPONSORSHIPS AND VOLUNTEER EFFORTS RATHER THAN TAXPAYER DOLLARS. I ENCOURAGE COUNCILMAN COUNCIL TO EXPLORE THOSE OPTIONS BEFORE COMMITTING PUBLIC FUNDS TO THIS EVENT. FINALLY, I QUESTION SPONSORING AN EVENT THAT PRIMARILY BEN BENEFITS ONE GROUP IS THE BEST USE OF CITY RESOURCES, PARTICULARLY AT THE TIME. OH, I'M SORRY. I READ THAT ALREADY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I HAVE NO OTHER FORMS. WOULD ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK BEFORE WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? ONE MORE PERSON. ALL RIGHT. SORRY, I, NO, DON'T APOLOGIZE. SIX 30, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SPEAK, BUT I HADN'T FILLED OUT MY PHONE. DO THEY KNOW THAT IT'S NOT THE REGULAR SESSION YET? I DO. OKAY. I DO. ALL RIGHT. WELL, IF YOU JUST WANNA, YOU CAN COME UP AND SPEAK AND THEN FILL OUT YOUR FORM AND GIVE IT TO JENNIFER. MM-HMM . YEAH, JUST STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD WHEN YOU COME UP TO SPEAK. 36 30. THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU FOR COMING. UH, SO DOUG CHRISTIE, I'M A RESIDENT HERE. JUST TO TELL YOU WHAT, WHAT BROUGHT ME TO COME BY. I SAW ON THE FACEBOOK THE POST THAT WE ARE, AND I DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. BUT SOMETHING ABOUT, WE'RE LOOKING AT [00:05:01] PROMOTING SOMETHING FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY. WHAT, 27 IS THAT THE YEAR? UM, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY KNOWS $16 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT . WE'RE LOOKING TO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CITY'S INVOLVEMENT LEVEL IS IN THIS. ARE WE SPENDING MONEY ON THIS OR NOT? UH, HOPEFULLY NOT. 'CAUSE I MEAN, MY, MY VIEWPOINT FROM A BUSINESS PERSON IS IF, IF THE CITY'S GOING POINT SUPPORT ONE THING AND SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS, WELL WHAT ELSE ARE WE GONNA HAVE EQUAL TIME ACCESS FOR? WHO ELSE IS GONNA COME UP AND SAY, WELL, WE WANT EQUAL SHARES. YOU KNOW, IS THERE A DIFFERENT GROUPS ORGANIZATION? HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE WE GONNA OPEN UP TO LIABILITY THAT WE AS THE CITY HAS TO SPEND MONEY ON? UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSED, SOME OF THE NEWS, THE KYLE RIDE SHARE, THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA WHEN WE STARTED THOUGHT IT'D BE $20,000. WHAT IS IT? A MILLION DOLLARS THIS YEAR? SO LET'S THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY. I MEAN, GREAT, LET'S SUPPORT EVERYBODY, BUT LET 'EM COME DO IT. BUY THEIR OWN PERMIT, DO THEIR OWN THING. LET'S JUST NOT DO IT FROM A POINT OF LET'S CINDY FUND THIS AND SUPPORT 15 ORGANIZATIONS. HOW DO WE PICK AND CHOOSE THE WINNERS OR LOSERS? SO APOLOGIZE FOR SHORT NOTICE. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW ALL THIS WORKS. FIRST, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TO A FEW MEETINGS AND Y'ALL HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH, AND HOPEFULLY YOU CAN FIGURE OUT THE BUDGET AND KEEP HER GOING. SO LET ME FINISH FILLING THIS OUT AND TURN IT IN SO YOU HAVE RECORD. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK NEXT? IF YOU COULD STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS ESSIE MERRILL AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR KATH. OH, YOU'RE WELCOME. ALSO, AS A MEMBER OF CI WANT TO SAY THAT, SORRY, I DON'T HAVE IT ON THE LIGHT HAD TURNED OFF, BUT YOU'RE GOOD. OKAY. SHALL I START OVER? . OKAY. UM, I AM A MEMBER OF CAS AND AS A MEMBER OF CAS, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR US ON THE NEW BUILDING. I'D ALSO ASK THAT YOU MOVE UP AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17 TO AN EARLIER TIME, UH, THIS AFTERNOON. AND AS A CITIZEN OF KYLE, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT MANY PEOPLE DO NOT WANT THE CITY TO FIND A SPECIAL EVENT FOR ONE GROUP. IT'S UNFAIR. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU REPRESENT ALL THE CITIZENS, NOT JUST ONE GROUP. I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE I WOULD LIKE TO COME UP AND SPEAK. ALL RIGHT. SEE NONE. WE'RE GONNA CLOSE CITIZEN'S COMMENTS. WE'RE GONNA [III) Executive Session] GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. THE CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS AGENDA ITEMS. ONE A I AND TOO LITTLE I IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 5 5, 1 0.07, ONE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. ALL RIGHT, GOOD EVENING. AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. WE WENT OVER JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO, UM, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT TODAY. TODAY IS TUESDAY, JULY 21ST. THE SPECIAL, OH MY GOODNESS. I'M GONNA CLOSE THE SPECIAL FIRST. I'M JUST SO EXCITED TO GET READY. ALL RIGHT. UM, YEAH. I'M GONNA CLOSE. SPECIAL, UH, COUNCIL MEETING. IT IS SEVEN 10. IT'S NOW CLOSED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.