[WORK SESSION]
[00:00:06]
AFTERNOON. ALMOST SAID MORNING. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
WE WELCOME YOU TO THE 2025-2026, 2026-2027 BUDGET WORK SESSION.
AND HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ALL WITH US. COMMON IN COMMISSIONER KORTEMEIER, YOU HAVEN'T MISSED ANYTHING.
WE'RE DOING THE PREAMBLE. WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PREAMBLE.
I THINK I GOT THE LAST PARKING SPACE. YES. YES, ME TOO.
ALL RIGHT. MISS ROARK. YES, HELLO. TO KICK US OFF.
I AM SO WHETHER THIS IS YOUR FIRST. I BELIEVE YOU'RE 6TH, THE 11TH, THE 20TH OR THE 29TH TIME YOU HAVE SAT THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. WELCOME. NICE TOUCH.
I LIKE THAT. E FOR EFFORT ON THAT ONE. THANK YOU.
SINCE. AND I HAVE TO CLICK. I CAN DRIVE A LITTLE BIT, BUT IF I FORGET.
SINCE 21-20, 2011-2012, OUR BUDGET PROCESS HAS BEEN BUILT AROUND THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
DECATUR STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDES CITY GOVERNMENT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL BY PROVIDING DIRECTION ON POLICIES AND ACTIONS TO BRING THE COMMUNITY'S VISION FOR ITS FUTURE TO LIFE. AND OUR CURRENT VISION IN OUR CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN IS DECATUR WILL FOSTER AN EQUITABLE, THRIVING, AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY FOR ALL TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE.
CLIMATE ACTION, CUTTING EMISSIONS FOR THE LONG TERM, AND WE'RE PREPARING FOR ADAPTATION NOW.
CIVIC TRUST, WHICH EMPOWERS US WITH BOLD AMBITIONS AND HIGH TRUST.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ENSURING HOUSING DIVERSITY THROUGH INNOVATIVE POLICY, MAKING.
MOBILITY SAFER AND AFFORDABLE WAYS FOR GETTING AROUND FOR MORE PEOPLE.
SO WE HAVE A VISION. WE HAVE THEMES. BUT HOW DO WE CONNECT THIS TO THE ACTUAL WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN THE CITY? THAT'S WHERE VISION BASED BUDGETING COMES IN.
A VISION BASED BUDGET IS A FINANCIAL PLANNING DOCUMENT THAT ALLOWS THE CITY TO CONNECT THE COMMUNITY'S VISION WITH THE NECESSARY RESOURCES THINGS LIKE PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT, AND FUNDING REQUIRED FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
IT ALSO DESCRIBES A NARRATIVE AND WITH NUMBERS THE PROGRAMS, POLICIES AND PROJECTS IDENTIFIED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND EACH CITY DEPARTMENT'S RELATIONSHIP TO THEM. AND OUR VISION BASED BUDGETING PROCESS IS COLLABORATIVE.
IT INVOLVES OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR RESIDENTS. IT'S INCLUSIVE.
IT INVOLVES THE COMMUNITY WITH FEEDBACK IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY.
IT'S QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE. IT'S FUN AND THERE'S ART.
SO MAKING IT CREATIVE. SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN 2020, FOR THAT YEAR, WE COULDN'T REALLY GET TOGETHER, COULDN'T HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS.
AND THIS YEAR'S TRELLISES WERE SOCCER THEMED.
YOU CAN KIND OF THINK WHAT SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE WRITTEN ON A SOCCER BALL LIKE THIS.
WE'RE HANGING ON OUR TRELLISES. THIS ONE SAYS SUPPORT LOCAL GREEN SPACES, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND THE OAKHURST DOG PARK. SOME REQUESTS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED.
JUST A SAMPLING RIGHT HERE. FOR MORE PLANTS AND ICE CREAM, SIDEWALKS AND SHUTTLES, PICKLEBALL COURTS, CHANGE THE HOURS FOR THE AMBASSADORS. MANY OF THE ITEMS ON THIS LIST AND IN THE BIG LIST ARE ACTUALLY INCLUDED IN OUR PROPOSED BUDGET.
ARE YOU SURE THAT WASN'T MORE PLANTERS? YEAH.
GOT THAT TOO. THAT'S COMING SOON TO A STREET NEAR YOU.
OH. AND BECAUSE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT DOESN'T JUST STOP WITH OUR THOSE OF TAXPAYING AGE, WE TRY.
[00:05:10]
CITY SHOULD SPEND ITS ALLOWANCE. WE RECEIVED ABOUT 72 COMMENTS.MOST OF THEM WERE LEGIBLE, A FEW WE CAN'T QUITE MAKE OUT, BUT THE TOP RESPONSES SEEM TO BE FOR MORE PLAYGROUNDS, MORE SOCCER FIELDS, MORE SIDEWALKS, AND FOR FREE CANDY.
WE DID ALSO RECEIVE A REQUEST FOR TO BUY A ROCKET SHIP AND TO GET UNICORNS, WHICH I WAS ALL FOR. BUT I DID HAVE TO TELL MY YOUNG FRIEND, IT'S NOT LIKELY WE'D BE ABLE TO DO EITHER OF THESE, BUT IF I COULD GET YOU A UNICORN, I WOULD TAKE THAT OVER THE ROCKET SHIP.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR. DON'T. PLEASE DON'T GO FAR.
AND I THINK MAYOR DID A GREAT JOB OF TEEING UP AND DESCRIBING TO EVERYBODY THE THOUGHT AND PROCESS THAT GOES INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDGET. AND I BELIEVE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE, THE PROCESS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE PRODUCT.
AND WE ARE THE ONLY CITY THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT ACTUALLY HAS THIS VISION BASED BUDGETING PROCESS.
AND SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME SAY THAT WHEN MEREDITH AND I GET DONE WITH THIS GIG, WE'RE GOING TO GO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO WRITE THE BOOK, GO ON THE ROAD AND TAKE THIS OUT TO OTHER COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE DO THINK IT REALLY IS THAT POWERFUL.
AND THE WAY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CONNECT OUR VISION, OUR PLAN TO THE BUDGET DOCUMENT.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY IT'S, IT'S EMBRACED BY STAFF.
AND WHILE THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS CERTAINLY A, STRATEGIC PLAN AND OTHER DEPARTMENTAL PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY THE CITY COMMISSION DRIVE, A LOT OF THE CONTENT AND WORK IN THE BUDGET CERTAINLY THE PRIORITIES FROM THE CITY COMMISSION RETREAT. AND THOSE PRIORITIES REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
BUT JUST AS A REMINDER THAT THE TOP PRIORITIES, OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE.
IT'S NOT I KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER PRIORITIES BEHIND THE CITY COMMISSION.
BUT THE TOP ONES FROM THE RETREAT EARLIER THIS YEAR INCLUDED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS, ROAD AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, THE UNHOUSED POPULATION, AND THEN AN EMPHASIS ON COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND YOU WILL SEE INITIATIVES AND BUDGET SUPPORTS EACH OF THESE PRIORITIES. SO LET'S, LET'S JUMP IN BEFORE I HIT THESE NUMBERS.
AND I THINK THIS ALSO IS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT MEREDITH SAID.
SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS AT LEAST A THREE LEGGED STOOL OF THE BUDGET BEING A FINANCIAL TOOL. I MEAN, IT'S BUDGET, IT'S GOT NUMBERS AND, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WE AS STAFF, ONCE THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED, WORK WITHIN THE RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED.
IT'S A POLICY TOOL. AND THAT'S MUCH OF WHAT MEREDITH WAS EMPHASIZING.
HOW MUCH OF THIS BUDGET REFLECTS THE POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN SET BY THIS BODY.
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, OUR BUDGET IS A COMMUNICATIONS TOOL, A COMMUNICATIONS TOOL AMONG THIS BODY.
COMMUNICATIONS TOOL THAT'S VERY VALUABLE TO STAFF, BUT ALSO A COMMUNICATIONS TOOL TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS EVEN TO ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS BUDGET DOCUMENT AS A COMMUNICATIONS TOOL TO BE SOMETHING.
AND WE EVEN TALK ABOUT WITH THE BUDGET ART, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ART ON THE COVER, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING TO MAKE THIS MORE APPEALING, MORE ATTRACTIVE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WHO SAY YEAH, MAYBE I WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME BUDGETS FROM BACK IN THE DAY THAT DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, BLACK AND WHITE NUMBERS AND TOTALLY UNAPPEALING.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE NUMBERS. SO THE REVISED BUDGETS OF THE 25-26 BUDGET THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN, WE PERFORM WHAT'S ESSENTIALLY A TRUE UP TO THE BUDGET OR WE DEVELOP THE REVISED BUDGET.
[00:10:06]
AND THAT IS, I'D SAY IT'S FLAT, BUT TECHNICALLY IT'S $177,000 LESS THAN WHAT THIS BODY ADOPTED AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. SO 0.39% LESS. AND THEN THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS ABOUT $2.5 MILLION MORE THAN THE REVISED BUDGET, OR AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 5.5%. AND THE BUDGET THAT WE DEVELOPED WAS INFLUENCED OR BUILT KNOWING THAT THE 2026 DIGEST, WHICH IS PREPARED BY DEKALB COUNTY, IS SET TO INCREASE BY JUST SHY OF 5%. AND WE'LL DIVE INTO THAT DIGEST IN MORE DETAIL.THE MILLAGE RATE REMAINS THE SAME. THE TOTAL MILLAGE RATE REMAINS THE SAME AT 12.97 MILLS.
WE DO PROPOSE TO USE JUST SHY OF $3.5 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE IN ORDER TO BALANCE THE BUDGET.
AND THEN THE HIGHLIGHT AROUND SALARIES IS THAT FULL TIME EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A 2.5% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT IN JULY OF THIS YEAR, AND THEN A 2.5% MERIT-BASED SALARY INCREASE IN JANUARY.
Y'ALL STOP ME AT ANY TIME. SOME MORE THINGS TO POINT OUT, ALL THINGS STAFF RELATED, AND THAT'S REALLY SALARIES AND BENEFITS, THOSE COSTS ARE AROUND 58% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET.
WE WILL HIT ON SOME OF THE OTHER FUND BUDGETS, AT 58% IS CONSISTENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
WE DO HAVE A AN ACTUAL ACTUARIALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR RETIREMENT PLAN THAT WE ARE OBLIGATED TO MAKE. AND THAT ACTUALLY IS WE'RE RECOMMENDING REDUCING THAT FROM 9.5% TO 9% OF PAYROLL.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THESE LATER, JUST SOME SMALL CHANGES TO THE HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN THIS YEAR.
WE, FOR EMPLOYEE ONLY COVERAGE, THERE'S A REDUCTION IN THAT CONTRIBUTION FOR EMPLOYEES FOR THAT COVERAGE. AND FOR HEALTH INSURANCE, IT'S THE SMALLEST INCREASE IN THE EMPLOYEE PREMIUM OR THE AMOUNT THAT EMPLOYEES PAY INTO THE PLAN.
THE SMALLEST INCREASE IN THREE YEARS. AND THEN OF COURSE, I MENTIONED IN ADDITION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN, THERE ARE OTHER PLANS THAT GUIDE OUR WORK. THE EQUITY ACTION PLAN, THE TOWN CENTER 2.0 PLAN, RECREATION PLAN, AND CLEAN ENERGY. QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU.
AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE, WHEN WE WERE GETTING OUR REPORTS, OUR PERCENTAGE OF STAFF COST TO BUDGET, HOW DOES THAT STACK UP TO OUR PEER CITIES? DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA? WOULD WE HAVE HAD ANY IDEA? WAS THAT A METRIC THAT WAS MEASURED? IT WAS, I THINK IT WAS. WE WERE GENERALLY IN THE BALLPARK, BUT WE WILL CONFIRM THAT IN OLDER REPORTS.
AND THEN IT IS OUR GOAL BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT'S IN THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANKS. SO LET'S TALK ABOUT REVENUES AND SPECIFICALLY THE TAX DIGEST. AND SOME OF THIS WAS COVERED AT THE MEETING BACK IN MAY WHEN THE TENTATIVE MILLAGE RATE WAS ADOPTED. AGAIN, THE REAL PROPERTY TAX DIGEST INCREASED ABOUT 4.9%.
THE TOTAL INCREASE, IN CASE YOU WONDER WHAT THAT NUMBER IS IT'S 100 AND ABOUT $172 MILLION.
AND THIS WAS THE NUMBER THAT I FOUND STAGGERING 77% OR 132 MILLION IS NEW VALUE, AND 23% IS REVALUATION. AND WANT TO JUST I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY.
SO FOR 2026, NEW VALUE IS 77%. LAST YEAR NEW VALUE WAS 24%.
YEAR BEFORE THAT, NEW VALUE WAS 31% OF INCREASE.
YEAR BEFORE THAT NEW VALUE WAS 22%. YEAR BEFORE THAT, NEW VALUE WAS 33%.
I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA. SO DO WE KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE BIG SPIKE? SO I GOT A REPORT FROM THE COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE THE SPIKE IS ONLY IN COMMERCIAL.
[00:15:02]
BECAUSE THE RESIDENTIAL DIGEST REMAIN REALLY FLAT.AND SO I'VE THEY'VE SENT ME A LIST OF ALL THE CHANGES AND THEN, WHAT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED FROM THEM, BECAUSE WHILE I CAN SEE YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WHAT, WHAT DID I SAY CONNECT DECATUR.
I THINK THAT WAS THE. THAT'S THE PORTLAND'S, THE AVONDALE, PORTLAND.
THAT HAD, THAT HAD A LARGE, A LARGE INCREASE IN THE DIGEST.
WHAT I NEED TO KNOW IS ARE THEY RECORDING THAT AS NEW VALUE OR RE VALUE? SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS JUST GETTING CAUGHT UP IN ON THE DIGEST.
77% OF THE INCREASE OR THE TOTAL DIGEST INCREASE.
IT'S THE INCREASE. YEAH. OF THAT INCREASE. SO OF THE $172 MILLION, 77% IS NEW VALUE.
SO WE'RE DIGGING INTO IT. YEAH. I WONDER IF IT'S COMMERCIAL PUBLIC'S DEVELOPMENT.
BUT THAT FEELS LIKE THAT'S BEEN TWO YEARS. IT IS A PORTION OF THE PUBLIC'S DEVELOPMENT.
SO IT LOOKS LIKE THAT CAME IN PHASES. THE NOTION APARTMENTS.
IT'S PROBABLY THE RESIDENTIAL PART. OH I'M SORRY.
IT'S NOTION. YEAH. IT'S THE NOTION APARTMENTS.
AND THEN I THINK THEY EVEN CALLED IT NOTION THREE.
SO I SUSPECT THE WAY THEY DEVELOP THESE LIKE NOTION ONE, MOTION TWO, NOTION THREE.
SO THAT SEEMS JUST A LOT FOR, YOU KNOW, BIG PROJECTS TO REALLY COME ONLINE AT ALL.
AND SOME OF THE NORTHWOOD RAVEN PROPERTY IS PART OF THE VALUATION INCREASE.
AND SO IT COULD BE, SO IT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE BECAUSE OF A CEO, BUT IT COULD BE.
YEAH. THAT'S JUST, THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE THAT INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR IN COMMERCIAL.
AND THEN THE TRUTH IN TAXATION ADVERTISING, GIVING US WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT BACK IN MAY.
THE ROLLBACK RATE AGAIN, IF WE ROLLED BACK THE MILLAGE RATE SO THAT WE WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANY ADDITIONAL TAX MONEY DUE TO REVALUATION, THAT ROLLBACK RATE WOULD BE 11.021 MILLS.
AND THIS ADVERTISED TAX INCREASE. THERE ARE ALSO TWO WAYS TO COMMUNICATE THAT, UNDER THE TRUTH AND TAXATION LAW, UNDER THE TRUTH AND TAXATION. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER.
THE TRUTH IN TAX, UNDER THE TRUTH AND TAXATION LEGISLATION, THE TAX INCREASE IS JUST UNDER 2%.
OH, I BET. IT'S BEEN A FERRIS BUELLER. YOU GOT ONE MINUTE.
BUT TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BOTTOM LINE IN TERMS OF FROM 25 TO 26, IN TERMS OF THE TAX REVENUE THAT'S GOING TO BE GENERATED BASED OFF OF THE FULL TAX DIGEST HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS MULTIPLIED BY THE MILLAGE RATE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE X MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WILL BUILD THAT'S REALLY A 5.8% INCREASE.
SO AGAIN, JUST. LET'S KEEP DISSECTING THE REAL PROPERTY TAX DIGEST. IT, THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AT 907 MILLION.
AND THEN RESIDENTIAL, THAT WOULD BE 2.7 BILLION.
IT SEEMS SO STRANGE TO SAY. BUT THE RESIDENTIAL IS 75% OF THE TOTAL TAX DIGEST, COMMERCIAL IS 25%. THAT'S HUGE. I MEAN, AS I SAID LAST YEAR, IT WAS 23%.
BEFORE THAT IT WAS 22%, 24%. AND AS RECENTLY, YEAH, IN 2020, IT WAS 20%.
AND SO WE CONTINUE TO SEE AS WE DESIRED TO SEE THAT NUMBER CONTINUE TO TICK UP.
[00:20:02]
AND THAT ALSO HELPS IT HELPS WITH THE PROPERTY TAX BURDEN ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNERS.SO WE TALK ABOUT THE MILLAGE RATE. JUST A REMINDER, ONE MILL IS A, IS EQUIVALENT TO $1 FOR EVERY $1,000 OF ASSESSED VALUE. THAT'S HOW WE COME UP WITH THE MILL.
AND SO IF WE SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE INCREASING THE MILLAGE RATE BY ONE, IF THERE WERE NO HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, THE SIMPLE MATH THAT WOULD GENERATE ABOUT $3.6 MILLION IN REVENUE.
AND THEN ALSO FOR THE TAXPAYER, THEY SAY THEY SEE, OH, WE'RE RAISING TAXES BY ONE MILL, THEN THAT WOULD COST ABOUT $335 FOR THE TAXPAYER. AND HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS HAVE A TANGIBLE IMPACT ON OUR REVENUES.
BUT WE DO USE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS AS PART OF OUR TAX RELIEF POLICY.
AND THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS PROVIDE TAX RELIEF.
FOR THE MOST PART YOU SEE THE GH-1 AND THAT'S FOR EVERY HOMESTEAD PROPERTY.
THAT'S $40,000 OFF OF YOUR ASSESSED VALUE. AND TO PROVIDE SOME AMOUNT OF TAX RELIEF FOR THE, FOR THE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY OWNER. AND THAT COST, THE COST TO THE CITY IS ABOUT $2.6 MILLION.
THERE ARE ADDITIONAL HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS THAT ARE AGE BASED AND AGE AND INCOME BASED.
AND THEN PUTTING THOSE TOGETHER, THAT'S JUST OVER $3 MILLION.
SO JUST THE, WHEN WE DO MAKE CHANGES, AND I GUESS IT'S BEEN GOING ON THREE YEARS NOW SINCE WE INCREASED, WE DID A NUMBER OF INCREASES IN THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS AND DEFINITELY INCREASED THAT IMPACT OR REDUCED REVENUES TO THE CITY.
RIGHT, RIGHT. IT REQUIRES STATE LEGISLATION TO MODIFY THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
SO STATE LEGISLATION, AND THEN IT ALSO GOES TO A REFERENDUM.
AND SO NOT NORMALLY A REFERENDUM TO GET PASSED.
IT'S THE SORT OF THING THAT'S GOT, YOU KNOW, WOULD NORMALLY HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT.
BUT WE DO GO THROUGH THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO GET THAT PASSED.
FOR ANY CHANGES. FOR ANY CHANGES, YEAH. SO ONCE IT'S IN PLACE LIKE THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE DON'T THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE DO, NOTHING THAT, NOTHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN AT THE STATE LEVEL. IT'S JUST IF WE WANT TO INCREASE IT OR DECREASE IT AND THEN WE WOULD GO BACK TO THE STATE.
THANK YOU. AND THEN THE MILLAGE RATE HISTORY.
YOU CAN SEE JUST GOING BACK TO 2013, WHEN WE WERE AT 2013, WE WERE AT 13 MILLS.
I DO WANT TO POINT OUT IN 2018 AND 2019, THOSE INCREASES IN THE MILLAGE RATE WERE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF LEGACY FOR THE PURCHASE OF LEGACY PARK, THE PURCHASE AND FINANCING OF LEGACY PARK.
AND THEN THE LAST MILLAGE RATE INCREASE OF HALF OF A MILL FROM 23 TO 24, AND THAT'S ALSO THE YEAR THAT WE DID THE PAY ADJUSTMENTS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, THEY PAY ADJUSTMENTS.
WE ADJUSTED PAY FOR BASED OFF COMPRESSION THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE IN THE CITY.
THAT CONTINUES TO TAKE PLACE, BUT THAT WE WERE CORRECTING THE COMPRESSION AND ALSO MADE CHANGES TO SALARIES TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE MARKET. WHAT WE NORMALLY DO, WE CHANGE PAY RANGES FOR THAT TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE MARKET. BUT IN THAT CASE, WE ALSO ADJUSTED SPECIFIC SALARIES AND THAT WAS A COSTLY EXERCISE, NECESSARY, BUT IT DID REQUIRE A CHANGE TO THE MILAGE RATE.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE THIS SLIDE IS GOING TO BE USED, BUT I THINK IT WOULD BENEFIT FROM SOME
[00:25:06]
CONTEXT BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT IT, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVEN'T CHANGED THE MILAGE RATE, WHICH IS TRUE, BUT THE CONTEXT IS YOU'RE NOT SEEING THE VALUE OF THE DIGEST.RIGHT. AND SO THIS IS KIND OF MISLEADING. IF YOU WERE JUST GOING TO LOOK AT THIS AND BASE YOUR.
IT ONLY TELLS HALF THE STORY. YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE COULD MARRY THAT UP. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO SAY OH, YOUR TAXES HAVEN'T GONE UP, EACH, IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE DIGEST.
AGAIN, IF YOUR PROPERTY VALUE WENT UP, THEN YES, YOUR TAXES WENT UP.
AND HERE'S THE BREAKOUT OF THE MILLAGE RATE AS RECOMMENDED.
AND YOU SEE WHAT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE SAME.
WE'RE PUTTING 0.05 INCREASE INTO THE GENERAL FUND, AND THEN SHAVED OFF 0.05 FROM THE BOND FUND. AND THEN THE IMPACT ON THE TAX BILL COMPARING $750,000 HOME AND 2025 TO 2026. IF THERE'S NO CHANGE IN YOUR ASSESSMENT, THEN IT WOULD GO DOWN BY $2. AND THE REASON IT DOES THAT IS THAT THE, THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION BY LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO THE BOND FUND. SO WHEN PART OF THAT MILLAGE RATE SLIDES OVER TO THE GENERAL FUND, YOU GET A LITTLE BIT OF A BENEFIT THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, KEY BEING A LITTLE BIT. I WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF TOTAL TAX BILLS.
SO YOUR CITY TAX BILL, IF YOUR HOME, THE FAIR MARKET VALUE IS $500,000.
AND THAT MEANS THE ASSESSED VALUE IS 250,000, YOU WOULD PAY JUST SHY OF $2,800 IN TAXES.
$750,000 HOME, JUST ABOUT $4,400, AND THEN A HOME.
THAT'S $1 MILLION. AGAIN, THAT'S AN ASSESSED VALUE OF 500,000.
YOUR CITY TAXES AGAIN, CITY TAXES, THIS EXCLUDES SCHOOL TAXES.
CITY TAXES WOULD BE ABOUT $6,000. AND IN 2026, THE AVERAGE HOMESTEAD PROPERTY VALUE IS RIGHT AROUND 750,000. I THINK THOSE ROUNDED TO THE NEAREST 25,000 AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.
SO I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL TO SEE. AND ALSO THE FACT THAT WE KNOW THAT ONCE THE SCHOOL, ONCE THE SCHOOL TAXES GET PUT ON THERE THAT CHANGE THAT DRAMATICALLY CHANGES THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE TAX BILL.
DEBT SERVICE. THIS CHART REFLECTS ALL OF THE CITY'S OUTSTANDING LONG TERM DEBT. AND WE HAVE $139 MILLION IN OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL TODAY. ABOUT 47% OF THAT OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OR ABOUT $65 MILLION IS FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES. SO WITH THE 2000, THE TOP LINE THERE, 2007 GO BONDS.
HALF OF THAT PRINCIPLE IS FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CAPITAL PROJECTS.
WHEN WE ISSUED THE BONDS WE JUST GAVE THEM HALF OF IT, BUT IT SHOWS UP ON THE BILL, ON THE TAX BILL, JUST WITH THE BOND LINE ITEM. THEN THE SCHOOL GO BONDS.
AND ALSO IF THESE ARE GO BONDS, THAT MEANS THAT THERE WAS A REFERENDUM.
AND THEN SO THE NEXT IS THE $52 MILLION FOR THE SCHOOL BONDS.
THAT'S OUTSTANDING. THIS IS 16, WAS THAT TALLEY AND FIFTH.
AND THEN 07 WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL THE RENOVATIONS AT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW, HOW THOSE. I, AGAIN, I, I FORGET WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THEIR BOND.
[00:30:01]
BUT THE NEXT ONE'S GOING THROUGH. SO THE URA URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY.UR THE, URA AS WELL. I SUSPECT THAT THE URA WILL HAVE A MEETING SOON.
BUT THE URA, WHERE IT SAYS YOU SEE IT SAYS 2010 AND THEN 2020, THE 2020 IS WHEN WE REFINANCED OR DID A REFUNDING TO SAVE SOME MONEY. AND SO THE URA 2010-2020, THAT'S THE FINANCING FOR PUBLIC WORKS FOR FIRE STATION NUMBER 2 AND FOR THE DECATUR REC CENTER. THE NEXT URA 2013 OR 2020B, THE 20 MILLION THAT'S OUTSTANDING.
THAT'S FOR THE, YOU HAVE THE BEACON COMPLEX. AND THEN THE 2020C, THAT'S THE PURCHASE OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. THE TWO PFA, THE LOAN AND THE BONDS. THAT'S FOR THE, THAT'S THE FINANCING FOR LEGACY.
AND IT ALSO INCLUDES THE HOUSING AUTHORITY REVENUE BONDS.
WE CARVED OUT ABOUT SIX ACRES FOR THE LEGACY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO WE CARVED THAT OUT AND AT THE SAME TIME WE REFINANCED ALL OF THE LOANS FOR THAT PROPERTY.
AND THEN THE 2026 GO SALES TAX. IF ANYONE WANTS TO TAKE A WILD GUESS WHAT THAT MIGHT BE? LOST TWO. IS THE SQUARE. YEAH, THAT'S OUR MOST RECENT BOND ISSUE.
SO I WON'T BELABOR THIS, BUT IF Y'ALL HAVE QUESTIONS I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER.
IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE SEE THAT WE CARE.
WE CARRY A LOT OF SCHOOL DEBT. THE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU MENTIONED THIS, THE REDEVELOPMENT AT BEACON WASN'T PART OF THAT ALSO SCHOOL SYSTEM? IT IS AND I DON'T INCLUDE THEIR PORTION HERE.
OKAY. WE DO SHOW IT IN THE, WE SHOW IT IN THE BUDGET IN THE URA 2013 BUDGET.
THERE'S A, THERE'S THE SCHOOL SYSTEM'S PAYMENT OF THEIR DEBT.
WE DID PAY SOMETHING OFF THIS YEAR. SO CITY HALL.
YEAH. SO THE COPS, FOR THE RENOVATION OF CITY HALL.
SO HARD TO BELIEVE. WELL, IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS.
IT'S TIME TO AT LEAST GOT NEW CARPET. RENOVATE EVERY SEVEN YEARS.
NOW. SO ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT REVENUES.
SO GENERAL FUND REVENUES $47,541,160. THAT'S THE SAME NUMBER AS OUR EXPENDITURES BECAUSE WE HAVE TO HAVE, BY LAW A BALANCED BUDGET.
ALL OF OUR TAXES COMBINE ALL OF THE TAX REVENUE IS JUST SHY OF $36 MILLION.
OF COURSE, MOST OF THAT BEING REAL PROPERTY TAXES.
THAT'S 81% OF OUR TOTAL REVENUE, HEAVILY RELIANT ON TAXES, HEAVILY RELIANT ON PROPERTY TAXES.
SO WE GO FROM 35 MILLION TO 4.2 MILLION IN TERMS OF THE NEXT LARGEST LINE ITEM FOR REVENUE.
AND THAT'S OUR RECREATION FEES. AND THAT'S, IT'S ONLY THAT HIGH NOW, BECAUSE THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM THAT HAD BEEN IN ITS OWN FUND CAME OVER INTO THE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE THAT'S GOING ON THREE YEARS NOW.
AND SO OTHERWISE JUST GENERAL RECREATION FEES HAVE BEEN A LOT LOWER THAN THAT.
DEVELOPMENT PERMITS, JUST ABOUT $1 MILLION. WE'RE ANTICIPATING NEXT YEAR CODE VIOLATIONS.
AND THAT INCLUDES CODE VIOLATIONS WRITTEN BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEN PARKING METER FEES.
WE'LL GET A LITTLE MORE GRANULAR, AND THIS IS WHEN YOU CAN SEE HOW WELL OUR ESTIMATES WERE OR WERE NOT AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
AND THEN WE HAVE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE MAKE IN THE REVISED BUDGET.
SO REAL PROPERTY TAXES. THE, JUST A SLIGHT UPTICK FROM THE ADOPTED TO THE REVISED $173,000 INCREASE, AND THEN THE REVISED TO THE PROPOSED ABOUT 800,000 IN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAXES IS WHAT WE EXPECT AS WE REMAIN AT THE SAME MILLAGE RATE, BUT ACTUALLY THERE'S THE UP TO 0.05 IS COMING OVER TO THE GENERAL FUND.
[00:35:08]
SO THAT GIVES THAT A BIT OF A BOOST. BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES ALSO REMAIN PRETTY FLAT.OCCUPATION TAXES OR BUSINESS LICENSES AGAIN REMAINING PRETTY FLAT.
ALCOHOL EXCISE TAX. IS THERE SOMETHING. DROP THE ZOOM BOX DOWN.
CAN YOU MOVE THE ZOOM BOX. OH I DIDN'T KNOW YOU CAN ZOOM BOX THIS WHOLE TIME.
SORRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CONSTRUCTION PERMITS WE BUDGETED, WE AS IN ME, BUDGETED $1.2 MILLION IN THE ADOPTED BUDGET. AND WE ARE ADJUSTING THAT DOWN TO 690, 000.
IT'S A PRETTY BIG, PRETTY BIG HIT. $550,000. THERE, CLEARLY I ANTICIPATED CERTAIN PROJECTS TO BE COMING OUT OF THE GROUND THAT HAVE NOT OCCURRED YET.
AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE PULLED THAT BACK TO 553,000 JUST YESTERDAY I SAW THAT WE POSTED $90,000 FOR THE PROJECT ON COMMERCE. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO END UP BEING, I BELIEVE A LITTLE BIT, A LITTLE BIT BETTER THAN THE REVISED BUDGET BECAUSE OF SOME PERMIT FEES THAT JUST CAME IN.
FROM ALL THE WAY BACK. SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE PROJECTS THAT ARE, THESE ARE JUST THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THE TWO HOTELS, TWO HOTELS, THE GROCER AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT ON COMMERCE, SO. LET'S LOOK AT THOSE WORDS. WHAT'S THAT? WHAT ARE THOSE WORDS FROM A FEE AND PERMIT.
50. IT'S A LONG WAY TO GET BACK TO A MILLION, BUT.
WELL, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A. PIPELINE THAT IS THAT BOX.
YEAH. THE BOX COUNT. OKAY. IS THERE A PIPELINE THAT GETS YOU TO BACK TO A MILLION? IT'S REMAINING AT THE ROUGHLY THE SAME LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT.
I MEAN, THIS IS ALSO LIKE FROM YEAR TO YEAR, JUST, YOU KNOW, REDEVELOPMENT, RENOVATIONS, HOME RENOVATIONS, TEARDOWNS, NEW HOMES. I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S CONSISTENCY FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
526. RIGHT, RIGHT. WHERE I ANTICIPATED THE TWO HOTELS AND THE GROCER AND THE APARTMENT COMPLEX WOULD BE COMING OUT OF THE GROUND AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S GOING TO GO TO NEXT YEAR, EVEN THOUGH WE JUST GOT $90,000 FROM ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS JUST CAME IN.
ARNOLD DO WE HAVE THE SPEED ZONE CAMERAS? IS THAT.
THAT'S ANOTHER FUND. OKAY. SO THAT'S SEPARATE FROM THIS.
YEAH. AND WE'LL LATER THIS EVENING AFTER THE BREAK, I BELIEVE WE'VE GOT THAT.
THERE'S MORE. WE'VE GOT. WE WON'T BE SPEEDING THROUGH THIS.
OKAY. OR MAYBE I SHOULD SPEED. THE PARKING METER FEES.
METROPOLIS GAVE US A NICE SYNOPSIS EXPLAINING THAT DECREASE FROM 425 TO 225 TO THE TUNE OF THIS MANY PARKING SPACES WERE OUT OF COMMISSION FOR, ACTUALLY SINCE MAY OF 2025 ON NORTH MCDONOUGH. AND THERE WERE A NUMBER ON CHURCH STREET DUE TO CONSTRUCTION.
AND THAT EXPLAINS THE DECREASE IN THE PARKING METER FEES.
YOU KNOW, I WAS EXTREMELY CONSERVATIVE IN TERMS OF THE ESTIMATE FOR NEXT YEAR FOR THE PARKING METER FEES, YOU KNOW, ONE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET ALL THE PARKING SPACES BACK. AND I HAVE THOSE NUMBERS OVER HERE AT MY FINGERTIPS.
IF WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. CONSTRUCTION. RIGHT HERE.
ALL THE ONES BACK. IN FRONT OF CITY HALL, IN FRONT OF CITY HALL.
AND SO ONLY A PORTION OF THEM WILL BE COMING BACK.
AND THEN THE RECREATION FEES IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE RIGHT AT THE $4 MILLION.
WE WILL BE RIGHT AT THE $4 MILLION MARK FOR THE REVISED BUDGET.
[00:40:03]
AND AND THEN AGAIN, FAIRLY CONSERVATIVE FOR NEXT YEAR, THE $4.25 MILLION.AND, BUT WHEN THE REVENUE DOESN'T COME IN FOR RECREATION, THAT ALSO MEANS THE EXPENDITURES AREN'T TAKING PLACE BECAUSE THE RECREATION I MEAN, THEY'LL PLAN, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS SPORTS BALL CLASS AND THERE'S GOING TO BE REVENUE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
THAT WAS THE COMMISSIONER WALSH ACTIVITY. IT'S ACTIVITY BASED? YES, AND SO THEN OBVIOUSLY THE EXPENDITURES THERE ARE NO EXPENDITURES.
THERE ARE NO REVENUES. SO RIGHT NOW WITH RECREATION, WHILE THE REVENUE LOOKS LIKE IT'S DOWN 580, THE BUDGET FOR THE EXPENDITURES JUST WENT DOWN 575,000, SO IT BALANCES OUT.
AND THEN PENALTIES AND FINES, THOSE ARE RIGHT ON AND THAT AND EVEN THAT 685 WHERE I BUMPED IT UP AND THE REVISED BUDGET, I THINK WE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN THAT.
THAT IS, THAT OVER THE YEARS I HAVE OBSERVED A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STAFFING NUMBERS AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FINE AMOUNTS.
I WILL TELL YOU, I WILL NEVER HAVE A CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, WITH THE POLICE CHIEF ABOUT HOW MANY TICKETS ARE BEING WRITTEN AND THAT SORT OF THING. BUT I CERTAINLY DO SEE THAT THERE'S A CORRELATION.
AND AS OUR STAFFING NUMBERS HAVE GOTTEN MUCH, MUCH IMPROVED OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS.
WE SEE THAT NUMBER TEND TO GO. AND FUND BALANCE IS ALWAYS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUBJECTS. NEVER KEEP YOUR. NEVER TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE FUND BALANCE.
YOU DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT THE CITY MANAGER SAID.
WE DO HAVE A FINANCIAL POLICY THAT YOU ALL ADOPT AS PART OF THE BUDGET, AND THAT, AND THIS IS ALSO RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICE FROM GFOA, THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, THAT WE MAINTAIN A FUND BALANCE OF 20 TO 30% OF THE GENERAL OPERATING EXPENDITURES.
SO AT THE END OF 24-25, WE ADDED $2.2 MILLION TO THE FUND BALANCE.
THAT TOOK US TO AN ACTUAL BALANCE CASH ON JUNE 30TH OF JUST OVER $17 MILLION, 38% OF THE EXPENDITURES IN THE CURRENT BUDGET. WE ARE ANTICIPATING TO USE $2.6 MILLION FROM FUND BALANCE.
AND IN 26-27, WE'RE BUDGETING TO USE $3.5 MILLION OF FUND BALANCE WILL TAKE US DOWN TO ABOUT 11 MILLION, OR 24% OF EXPENDITURES. I WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD BE RIGHT THERE, 24-25%.
AGAIN, WE, YOU KNOW, WE TEND TO BE CONSERVATIVE EVEN WITH THE REVISED BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE POSITIONS THAT ARE VACANT THAT WE STILL BUDGETED AS IF WE MIGHT FILL THAT POSITION FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF THE YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE. AND SO THERE WILL BE SOME SALARY SAVINGS AND THERE WILL JUST BE SOME EXPENDITURES THAT DON'T HAPPEN IN THE REVENUES AGAIN, THAT FEEL PRETTY SOLID ABOUT. SO I JUST ANTICIPATE THAT WE'RE GOING TO, WE'LL END UP IN A BETTER SPOT.
WHY IS THAT YOUR PREFERRED TARGET? SO IT'S BETWEEN 20 AND 30%.
THERE'S ANY OTHER LOGIC JUST. IT COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THAT 20 TO 30% RANGE.
BUT IT GIVES US OPTIONS. I WOULD SAY IT GIVES THIS BODY OPTIONS WHEN PRESENTED WITH OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY NOT BE IN THE BUDGET. AND SO IF Y'ALL HAVE AN. EXAMPLE OF BEING.
SO ONE THING THAT WE DID WITH. PURCHASE OF PROPERTY.
YEAH, EVEN THE PROPERTY DOWN THERE BY AGNES SCOTT IF WE'VE GONE BELOW 20% FUND BALANCE. NOT THAT I RECALL.
NOT THAT I RECALL, NOT MY TIME. SAID BY THE CITY MANAGER.
AND AGAIN, BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE. AND I RECOGNIZE AND I THINK ONE REASON WE PAY SO MUCH ATTENTION TO IT IS THAT THERE IS THERE IS A FINE LINE WHERE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ASKING THE COMMUNITY TAXPAYERS TO BE PAYING MORE IN TAXES WHEN THERE'S AN IF THERE'S AN APPEARANCE THAT YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE AMPLE
[00:45:07]
SAVINGS, YOU HAVE AMPLE FUND BALANCE. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHY CAN'T YOU CUT MY TAXES? BUT ONE, YOU ALSO YOU DON'T YOU DON'T MAKE A DECISION OR A DECISION THAT WOULD HAVE A RECURRING IMPACT, LIKE PROPERTY TAXES THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY DEPLETE YOUR FUND BALANCE BECAUSE AGAIN, AND THAT'S WHERE WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT INTERNALLY, THE WAY TO SPEND FUND BALANCES ON ONE TIME NON-RECURRING NORMALLY CAPITAL EXPENDITURES.EXPENDITURES. EXPENDITURES TOTAL $47,541,160.
SO THE EXPENDITURES INCREASE $2.5 MILLION. IT'S A $2.5 MILLION OUT OF, FROM 45, ESSENTIALLY FROM 44, $45 MILLION. AND OR 5.5 OR 5.6% HIGHER THAN THE REVISED BUDGET.
OF THAT INCREASE $1.5 MILLION IS IN PERSONNEL SERVICES.
PERSONNEL SERVICES BEING SALARIES, SALARIES, BENEFITS, HEALTH INSURANCE, RETIREMENT.
AND THEN WITHIN PERSONNEL SERVICES, WE HAVE HEALTH CARE COSTS.
WE WILL TAKE A BIT OF A DIVE INTO HEALTH CARE COST INCREASES ABOUT $318,000.
WHICH AND AS YOU HEARD ME SAY THAT ONE OF THE SMALLEST, SMALLER INCREASES THAT WE'VE HAD IN A WHILE.
AND WE HAD THE WORK SESSION A FEW WEEKS BACK WITH MISS DE CASTRO AND TEAM ABOUT THE PROPERTY AND CASUALTY OR MORE SPECIFICALLY LIABILITY INSURANCE, BUT ALL IN ALL THE INSURANCE PREMIUMS DROP CLOSE TO $250,000.
BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT THERE IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S RISK THAT WE'RE TAKING.
YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE A WE HAVE A GREAT YEAR, THEN WE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT SAVINGS OF 250,000.
BUT IF WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN NUMBER OF LOSSES AT A CERTAIN AMOUNT, THEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT SAVINGS WILL, YOU KNOW, WILL BE DEGRADED.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE, BUT IT GIVES YOU IT GIVES I FEEL THAT WE HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER OUR DESTINY.
AND OF COURSE WE DO HAVE THE STOP GAP OR THE RETENTION YOU KNOW, IN CASE WE DO HAVE A CATASTROPHIC LOSS. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INCREASE ABOUT $460,000.
EXAMPLES OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ARE THE BUILDING PERMITTING SERVICES.
AND YOU RECALL WE HAVE REVENUE THAT'S COMING IN FOR BUILDING PERMITTING SERVICES, BUT THEN WE ALSO PAY A THIRD PARTY WHO PROVIDES OUR BUILDING PERMITTING TEAM. LEGAL SERVICES ARE INCLUDED IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES.
OUR AUDIT SERVICES. WE'RE COMPLETING A JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS WITH CARL VINSON INSTITUTE.
CONSULTING FEES FOR PLANS. GIS SERVICES, I BELIEVE ARE IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES NOW.
AND THEN THE IT ASSESSMENT THAT'S OVER TWO FISCAL YEARS THAT'S INCLUDED THERE.
BUT ONE OF THE LARGER CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE AND I THINK I RECALL THIS BODY INCREASING THAT CONTRACT AS WE SAT HERE AND CONSIDERED THE CONTRACT ONE EVENING FOR THE POOLS, FOR THE POOL MANAGEMENT.
THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IS A CONTRACTUAL SERVICE.
ALSO, JUST A REMINDER THAT THAT'S SHARED WITH THE DDA AND WITH TOURISM.
WEBSITE HOSTING, OUR LIVE STREAMING FOR OUR MEETINGS, THAT'S ALL INCLUDED IN THERE.
SO BEFORE WE GET OFF THIS SLIDE, I'VE GOT A QUESTION.
SO WHERE, WHAT PART OF THE PROCESS DO WE GET TO MAKE REQUEST AND RECOMMEND CHANGES? HOW DOES THAT WORK. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT TONIGHT.
OKAY. SO I'VE GOT A GLOBAL SORT OF REQUEST, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO PRESENTING GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES. I THINK FOR THE SAKE OF JUST BETTER DIGESTION, YOU KNOW, MORE CLARITY,
[00:50:08]
MORE TRANSPARENCY, LIKE THIS SLIDE, I THINK READS BETTER AS A BRIDGE.SO I'LL SHOW YOU ALL WHAT I MEAN. YOU CAN PASS THAT AROUND.
IT'S EASIER TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. IT'S EASIER TO DIGEST THE INFORMATION.
IT'S FASTER. IF THIS WERE THE ONLY PARAGRAPH WHERE YOU HAD NARRATIVE DESCRIBING THE CHANGE, IT WOULD BE OKAY. BUT THERE'S QUITE A FEW OF THEM WHERE THERE'S NARRATIVE.
EACH SECTION, YOU KNOW, IT'S A WELL PUT TOGETHER DOCUMENT, BUT I THINK A BRIDGE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES WILL BE HELPFUL TO US TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE STARTING FROM, WHERE WE'RE ENDING AND HOW WE GET THERE, SO. THAT'S HELPFUL. I MEAN, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL FEEDBACK, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL IS LIKE HOW.
BUT CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, GENERAL FUND, YOU KNOW, THIS SECTION THAT STARTS OFF WITH EXPENDITURES AND THE CORRESPONDING SECTION THAT STARTS OFF WITH REVENUES, I THINK THEY SHOULD START WITH A BRIDGE AT THE VERY TOP, AND THEN YOU CAN KEEP THE NARRATIVE.
YEAH. AND THEN THE SECOND THING IS I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD EVER DISPLAY HISTORICAL MILLAGE RATE INFORMATION WITHOUT THE CORRESPONDING DIGEST VALUE. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE AN AVERAGE TAXPAYER, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT IN 2013 MY MILLAGE RATE WAS 13%.
AND THAT'S VERY HELPFUL TO HEAR BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WANT THIS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS TOOL.
SO YEAH, BUT BUT I THINK WE NEED SOME BRIDGES TO BRING CLARITY MAKES IT EASIER.
I WILL SAY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I HEAR A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE MILLAGE RATE DIDN'T GO UP.
DID IT GO DOWN? SO MAYBE IF IT'S HERE'S THE MILLAGE RATE AND THEN ANOTHER COLUMN APPEARS BESIDE IT TO THEN PUT IT IN CONTEXT, BECAUSE I DO THINK THERE IS A FRACTION OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT'S VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT'S THE MILLAGE RATE.
THAT'S TELLING THEM HALF OF WHAT THEY NEED TO.
BUT IT MAY. BUT MAYBE THAT'S JUST THEIR QUESTION.
MAYBE THEY, THEY'RE OKAY NOT KNOWING OTHER PEOPLE.
AND WE WILL SAY YES. I MEAN, THE DIGEST INCREASED, YOU KNOW, 5%.
BUT ALSO BUT THIS YEAR THE RESIDENTIAL DIGEST REMAINED COMPLETELY FLAT.
I MEAN, THE TWO NUMBERS ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED AND THEY SHOULD BE PRESENTED AS SUCH.
I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THAT'S IMPORTANT CONTEXT, BUT I'M JUST SAYING THERE IS A HUGE PORTION OF OUR COMMUNITY OR MAYBE NOT HUGE, BUT THERE'S A PORTION THAT'S JUST LASER FOCUSED ON THAT MILLAGE RATE.
AND SO THAT'S RIGHT. BUT AND AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON.
I GO UP AND DOWN MY STREET AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S LIKE, ALL RIGHT, MY NEIGHBORS VALUE WENT UP 5%.
AND THEN THE OTHER NEIGHBORS VALUE STAYED FLAT.
AND SO THIS NEIGHBOR IS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE UPSET ABOUT THEIR TAX BILL GOING UP.
AND THE PERSON OVER HERE IS LIKE, OH MAN, STAY THE SAME.
SO IT IS GOING TO BE FOLKS ARE GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.
BUT FROM THAT MACRO STANDPOINT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE.
YEAH, I'M HAVING IT ALL IN ONE PLACE. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT PERSONNEL FOR A MOMENT. THE, THE WAY THAT OUR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ARE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE, AND WE WANT TO RETAIN OUR HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYEES AND OUR EXPENDITURES RELATED TO PERSONNEL MAKES UP 58% OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET.
I MENTIONED EARLIER THE RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTION DROPPED SLIGHTLY TO 9% OF THE PAYROLL.
WE ARE RECOMMENDING THREE ADDITIONAL FULL TIME POSITIONS.
I'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE IN A MOMENT. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RECLASSIFICATIONS AND WE'LL DIP INTO THOSE.
AND THEN ONCE AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT THE PRIMARY DRIVER FOR THE INCREASE IN THE PERSONNEL SERVICES IS THE INCREASE IN FULL TIME SALARIES.
FULL TIME SALARIES INCREASE, AND THEN AS A RESULT, THE RETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS INCREASE, THE HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASES. ALL RIGHT, SO RECLASSIFICATION OF A NUMBER OF NEW A NUMBER OF POSITIONS.
SO FIRST THERE ARE THE THREE NEW FIREFIGHTER POSITIONS.
SO WE HAVE THREE FIREFIGHTER SHIFTS. 24 ON 48 OFF.
[00:55:03]
SO WE HIRED THEM, THE NEW FIREFIGHTERS? NO, WE ARE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THE THREE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS.BUT THIS THIS IS GOING TO BE LIKE THREE POSITIONS WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO FILL.
YES. THAT'S THE INTENT. YES, WE ARE. AND WE ARE FULLY STAFFED TODAY.
AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. MORE FIREFIGHTERS ALWAYS BETTER.
SO WE HAVE NOT INCREASED THE NUMBER OF FIREFIGHTERS IN I DON'T BELIEVE IN MY TENURE.
THERE IS THE, WE HAVE ADDED ONE POSITION IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE LAST 30 YEARS.
BUT WE DO HAVE WELL AND THEY'RE NATIONAL STANDARDS AS IT RELATES TO YOU KNOW, MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENTS BASED OFF OF, YOU KNOW, OUR EQUIPMENT. AND SO WITH OUR ENGINE, WITH THE RESCUE VEHICLE WE, THE MINIMUM STAFFING REQUIREMENT IS TEN BODIES.
WE NORMALLY HAVE ENOUGH STAFF TO HAVE 12 PER SHIFT.
WHEN WE HAVE DONE. NOW WE HAVE PERFORMED AN ANALYSIS AND ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT THE REALITY IS BASED OFF OF ABSENCES, VACATION, MEDICAL, LEAVE, MEDICAL, I MEAN ANY OR ABSENT FOR.
AND SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THE MOVE TO 13% AND THAT WILL HELP US WE SHOULD ACHIEVE THAT MINIMUM STAFFING LEVEL.
SO HAPPY TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. WE HAVE AN ANALYSIS THAT'S BEEN PERFORMED.
AND THIS WAS THIS, I WOULD SAY THAT THIS IS JUST GETTING US TO LIKE THE BASICS, THE BARE MINIMUM.
AND WE DO INTEND TO GO FURTHER WITH OUR STUDY IN OUR NEXT YEAR AND IN THE NEXT YEAR IN TERMS OF WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WORKING, WORKING WITH A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION TO TO DO A, AN ANALYSIS OF OUR FIRE OPERATIONS.
YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT STAFFING AND EQUIPMENT AND OTHER RESOURCES.
BUT THIS IS AT THE MINIMUM WE WERE FOR GENERAL PUBLIC SAFETY THIS IS WHAT'S NEEDED.
SO AS IT IS NOW WITH VACATIONS, TRAINING, OTHER THINGS, SICK DAYS, WE CAN'T.
WE ARE NOT. WE CAN'T MAINTAIN THE 10%. WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT MEETING THAT.
SO AND I WILL SAY THE CHIEF AND STAFF HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR YEARS.
AND I SAID, SHOW ME THE DATA. AND THEY SHOWED ME THE DATA.
SO I, AGAIN, IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEEN A CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING.
THESE THREE FIREFIGHTERS BE ENTRY LEVEL OR WE'RE LOOKING FOR MORE ADVANCED LEVEL.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN FIREFIGHTERS? I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE MADE THAT DETERMINATION.
I MEAN, LET'S LIKE, I MEAN, LIKE, LET'S GET A CERTIFIED FIREFIGHTER IN PLACE.
SO THAT WAY THEY CAN JUST, THEY CAN START TOMORROW.
BUT THE, THE OTHER OPTION IS TO, TO HIRE SOMEONE WHO'S EAGER AND THEY'VE GOT TO GO GET CERTIFIED.
AND THERE'S AS WE WE SEE IT IN POLICE AND FIRE.
I PLANT MY OWN SEED. SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S. AND THEN THE REST OF THESE, I BELIEVE ARE GOING TO BE RECLASSIFICATIONS.
AND THESE ARE RECLASSIFICATIONS. IN SOME, IN SOME OF THESE ARE PEOPLE ARE IN THE POSITION, SOME THEY ARE NOT. AND THIS EQUIPMENT OPERATOR POSITION IS VACANT AND WE ARE PULLING THAT AND MAKING IT A BROADER PROJECT MANAGER BASED OFF OF THE TYPES OF PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY WITH TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS,
[01:00:01]
THINGS THAT WERE THE. WHAT I'M. WHAT I'M SEEING AND HEARING AS CITY COMMISSION PRIORITIES.THIS WILL HELP PUSH SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS FORWARD.
AND WE'RE ALSO GOING FROM TWO ASSISTANT PARKS AND REC DIRECTORS TO THE DEPUTY, THE OTHER ASSISTANT PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR IS MOVING INTO ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. AND WE WILL HAVE THIS ASSISTANT OPERATIONS AND RISK DIRECTOR, WHICH LOOKING AT MISS DE CASTRO TIES RIGHT IN WITH THE NEED THAT HAS BEEN CREATED BY GOING TO THE PARTIALLY SELF-INSURED MODEL. AND SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COMMISSIONER ARNOLD HAD AROUND OUR RISK ASSESSMENTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT. THAT'S WHAT THE PERSON IN THIS POSITION WILL ASSIST WITH.
THE HR GENERALIST POSITION BEING RECLASSIFIED TO A BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION MANAGER POSITION TO REFLECT THE LEVEL OF WORK THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING PERFORMED. THIS FACILITY OPERATIONS MANAGER POSITION ESSENTIALLY MOVING FROM JUST BEING PARKS AND REC FACILITIES TO BEING UNDER THE PUBLIC WORKS UMBRELLA. SO REALLY BROADENS THAT ROLE TO ENCOMPASS ALL FACILITIES IN ALL DEPARTMENTS.
THE CIVIL ENGINEERING MANAGER TO A PROJECT ENGINEER ACTUALLY MOVES THE POSITION FROM A, AND THERE'S NO ONE IN THIS POSITION MOVES IT FROM A MANAGEMENT LEVEL POSITION TO BEING MORE TECHNICAL. SO MORE HANDS ON TECHNICAL ORIENTED.
I BELIEVE THAT WE'VE GOT THE SKILL LEVEL WITH OUR OTHER ENGINEERING POSITIONS TO MANAGE OPERATIONS.
AND SO THIS WILL GIVE US AGAIN, A HANDS ON TECHNICAL ENGINEER.
AND SO THIS IS IN PERMITTING THE PERMITTING OFFICE.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE, WE'VE HAD THE POSITION FOR YEARS.
WE HAD A PERSON IN THAT POSITION AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL, THIS POSITION WILL HELP A GREAT DEAL WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE ESPECIALLY, I MEAN, NOT JUST WITH THE CONTRACTORS, BUT WHERE YOU KNOW, A HOMEOWNER MAY NEED A LITTLE EXTRA ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT A CONTRACTOR, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT A BUILDING EXPERT.
TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, 99% OF OUR PERMITS DO GO SMOOTHLY.
BUT WHEN IT GETS OFF TRACK, THIS IS THE PERSON THAT'S GOING TO HELP.
HELP WITH GETTING IT BACK ON THE RAILS. SO THIS WOULD BE A FULL TIME FTE DEDICATED TO JUST THAT ACTIVITY, OR WOULD THEY HAVE OTHER? THEY'LL BE MANAGING THE PERMITTING OPERATIONS.
SO THE BUILDING OFFICIAL THE, THE SAFE BUILT CONTRACT CODES ENFORCEMENT, ARBORIST, ARBORIST WOULD ALL COME UNDER THIS POSITION.
AND THEN RECLASSIFYING A CURRENT POSITION, CHIEF OF STAFF POSITION AND ADDING AN ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND TAKING AMONG MANY DUTIES PULLING THE SUSTAINABILITY ENERGY RELATED INITIATIVES AND POSITIONS UNDER THAT POSITION AS WELL. AND THEN YOU CAN JUST SEE THAT A WHOLE LOT OF POSITIONS. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE THE RANGES. SO THIS IS NOT THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC SALARIES.
THIS IS JUST MAKING SURE. AND WE WENT OUT TO THE MARKET AND SAID TO HOWEVER MANY OTHER CITIES YOU KNOW, HERE'S, YOU KNOW, HERE'S WHAT OUR PLANNER DOES, GIVE US YOUR SALARY RANGE FOR THIS COMPARABLE POSITION.
SO WHERE SHOULD THIS POSITION BE IN THE SALARY RANGE? IT'S MORE FOR MOST HELPFUL, LET'S SAY FOR RECRUITMENT PURPOSES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT THAT STARTING STARTING PAY AT THE RIGHT SPOT WHEN WE GO TO ADVERTISE FOR THIS POSITION.
AND THEN PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE NOW, AS LONG AS THEY'RE IN THAT RANGE, IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE PAY.
SO THIS HAS A VERY NOMINAL IMPACT ON THE FINANCES OF THE BUDGET.
DID WE DO THIS OR DID WE USE A CONSULTANT TO COLLECT THE DATA? SO YES AND YES. SO OUR HR OFFICE PERFORMS A SALARY SURVEY MOST YEARS.
[01:05:08]
SO WE SEND THAT OUT TO THE CITIES. THEY'RE SENDING THE DATA BACK.AND AGAIN, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE DONE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
AND WE HAVE WORKED MOST RECENTLY IN THIS YEAR, WORKED WITH THE CARL VINSON INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT IN ATHENS, AND THEY PERFORMED A JOB DESCRIPTION ANALYSIS.
AND THEN THAT, USING THAT ANALYSIS THE FOLKS AT CARL VINCENT ALSO MADE RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHERE THESE POSITIONS SHOULD BE, SO WE MARRIED UP. THE DATA THAT WE GET IS CITY BY CITY, ALONG WITH THE PROFESSION PROFESSIONALS AT THE CARLTON INSTITUTE.
WE SHARE OUR RESULTS WITH THE CITIES THAT RESPOND TO OUR SURVEY.
IF THEY ASK FOR IT BACK. YES. AND THAT'S NORMALLY HOW WE HOW WE DO IT.
WOULD WE JUST CONSIDER JUST DOING IT AS A POOL AND DIVIDING THE COST? WE ABSOLUTELY WOULD. WE, SO DCA THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, THEY ALSO GATHER THE SAME INFORMATION, BUT IT ENDS UP. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO USE AS WELL.
BUT IT TENDS TO BE, BY THE TIME THEY GET IT TOGETHER, IT'S THE DATA'S OLD.
WHAT ABOUT CARL HANSEN? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT ABOUT CARL? I MEAN, AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT THAT IS AN IDEA THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE DRIVEN, SO. THE CEO HAS ACTUALLY IN THAT THE SECOND MEETING WE HAD THE NEXT DAY OUR OTHER MAYORS.
AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AT THAT TIME. AND THE CEO ACTUALLY MENTIONED WANTING TO DO THAT COUNTY WIDE SO THAT THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY THERE TO DO A COUNTY WIDE, SO. I MEAN, THERE WOULD BE, I MEAN, THE EFFICIENCIES THAT COULD BE CAPTURED.
SO. THERE ARE SOME OF THE OPINIONS THAT IS COLLUSION.
THIS IS CITY ATTORNEYS AND OTHER PLACES THAT THEY SOMETIMES DON'T LIKE TO GIVE US THEIR DATA.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE DOING THIS OPEN RECORDS REQUEST.
BUT. AND THAT, AND THAT HAS COME TO LIGHT LITERALLY IN THE LAST YEAR.
THIS COLLUSION? BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TELLING CONSULTANTS AS WELL.
BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THAT APPROACH IF POSSIBLE.
AND SOME MODEST CHANGES WITH OUR PART TIME POSITIONS, A SLIGHT INCREASE FOR OUR.
JUST ONE LAST THING. SO IN THAT LAST SLIDE, ARE WE IN THE BALLPARK.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK. ARE WE GENERALLY IN THE RANGES OR ARE WE ARE THERE ANY AREAS WHERE WE FALL OUTSIDE, MOST IMPORTANTLY BELOW THE RANGE? THERE, I MEAN, YOU SEE THE RECREATION ONE THAT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST SHIFTS FROM A RANGE THREE TO A RANGE SIX. I'M LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY OTHERS.
THE ARBORIST POSITION ALSO HAD A BIG MOVE, BUT OTHERWISE THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD EXPECT. THIS IS, FROM YEAR TO YEAR, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD EXPECT.
IT'S JUST THE TWEAKING FROM ONE RANGE TO ANOTHER.
AND AGAIN, AS LONG AS WE KEEP DOING THIS FROM YEAR TO YEAR, WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE.
WHOLESALE RATES. RIGHT. AGAIN, SOME SMALL CHANGES FOR SOME OF THE PART TIME POSITIONS. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, CROSSING GUARDS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS WOULD BE THE THIRD INCREASE I THINK. I'M SURE IT IS. BUT THE NUMBER IS STAYING THE SAME THIS YEAR AT 50 CROSSING GUARDS.
THIS IS JUST A VISUAL TO SHOW THE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH WE INVEST IN OUR EMPLOYEES THROUGH THE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM.
IT'S OPEN ENROLLMENT RIGHT NOW. AND WE HAVE THE CITY'S RETIREMENT PLAN THAT COULD BE, WILL BE A PRESENTATION FOR ANOTHER DAY WHERE WE COULD SPEND A, DO A WORK SESSION.
WE AS IN MR. CASTRO. THERE'S A, THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS FOR RETIREMENT THROUGH A COMMISSION SQUARED, A THIRD PARTY. WE PROVIDE TUITION ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE A WELLNESS PROGRAM.
[01:10:04]
WE STRIVE TO PROVIDE A LIVING WAGE. AS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, WE TRY TO KEEP OUR SALARIES AND OUR RANGES COMPETITIVE.AND I WILL SAY THIS BUDGET REFLECTS MORE OF A COMPETITIVE SALARY RANGE.
AND THE MARKET RATE SALARIES. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT DOING A STUDY LIKE WE DID THREE YEARS AGO WHERE WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT EACH AND EVERY PERSON'S SALARY. AND THERE'S A LARGE COST ASSOCIATED WITH MAKING THOSE ADJUSTMENTS.
AND THEN THE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, AND YOU MAY RECALL THE GREAT WORK SESSION THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR WITH RENEE JACKSON AND CLAIRE MILLER TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE VARIOUS WAYS THAT WE ENGAGE OUR EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, IN THE WORK OF THIS ORGANIZATION. AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL TEAMS. WE HAVE AN EQUITY TEAM, A STORYTELLING TEAM, THE PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT TEAM.
MR. LEAKE. ALSO JUST A REAL, YOU KNOW, OUR WORK WITH THE EMPLOYEES TO DEFINE OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE. AND AGAIN, WORKING TOGETHER ON OUR SHARED VISION VALUES, OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES. AND THEN YOU KNOW, WORK TO ENSURE LIKE, IF YOU'RE COMING INTO THIS WORKPLACE EVERY DAY AND YOU'RE SPENDING MORE TIME WITH US THAN MAYBE YOU ARE WITH YOUR FAMILY, THIS IS A PLACE WHERE YOU WANT TO FEEL WELCOME.
YOU WANT TO FEEL ACCEPTED. YOU WANT TO FEEL AS IF YOU BELONG HERE.
AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS ORGANIZATION FELT 30 YEARS AGO.
AND SO, AND THERE'S STILL LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE IN THAT WAY, BUT I BELIEVE IF PEOPLE, IF THEY FEEL APPRECIATIVE, THEY'RE RECOGNIZED, THEY'RE ENGAGED IN THE WORK THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE STRONGER, STRONGER AS A WHOLE AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY.
QUESTION, DO WE KNOW THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE ACTUAL ENGAGEMENT WITH MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY? DO WE KNOW LIKE THE RATIO? 75% OF OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A FIGURE THAT.
HOW DO WE DEFINE ENGAGEMENT? CUSTOMER FACING.
CUSTOMER FACING. HOW MANY TIMES DO. RESIDENTS OR VISITORS OR CUSTOMERS.
BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR INVESTMENT, OUR EMPLOYEES.
IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE INVESTING OUR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING WIDGETS.
WE'RE INVESTING IN OUR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE THEY HAVE THIS HIGH TOUCH WITH PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO THERE'S A DIFFERENT, THERE'S A DIFFERENT OUTPUT THAT HAS TO GO INTO THAT PROCESS AS OPPOSED TO, OH, I'M JUST MAKING WIDGETS. I DON'T EVER SEE ANYBODY. I MEAN, THAT'S LIKE STORYTELLING.
AND I'M NOT BEING FLIPPANT, BUT I THINK IT'S 100%.
I THINK I MEAN, AGAIN, I MEAN, WHEN I THINK, YOU KNOW, IS THERE SOMEONE YOU KNOW, IN THE FINANCE OFFICE THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE AS FRONT FACING, BUT THEY'RE STILL WORKING WITH OUR VENDORS EVERY DAY OR WORKING WITH OUR BUSINESSES.
AND I SAY THAT JUST TO HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, WHY WE INVEST AND WHY, YOU KNOW, 57% OF OUR OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS GO TO SUPPORT PERSONNEL.
THIS IS WHY IT'S NOT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE MAKING WIDGETS.
OR WE THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR AWESOME EMPLOYEES THAT WORK IN THE CEMETERY.
I MEAN, THEY'RE ENGAGING. I MEAN, THE PUBLIC SERVICE, THEY'RE USING IT AS A PARK.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF THEY THOUGHT THEY GOT A JOB WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO JUST BE, YOU KNOW, TRIMMING GRASS, NO, THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
LIKE THEY ARE. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE FRONT FACING, THEY'RE INTERACTING WITH THE COMMUNITY.
EVEN IF IT'S A SMALLER AMOUNT FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOU'RE STILL DOING THAT WORK.
AND SO HEALTH AND WELLNESS BENEFITS, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE PORTION OF OUR BUDGET THAT'S FOR EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THE SALARIES IT'S GOING TO BE HEALTH INSURANCE AND I COULD SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON THIS.
SO JUST Y'ALL KIND OF TELL ME WHEN TO STOP OR SPEED UP.
[01:15:08]
AND THAT'S ADMINISTRATIVE FEES WE HAVE. SO WE'RE ALSO PARTIALLY SELF-INSURED UP TO $105,000 PER PERSON, PER BELLY BUTTON FOR HEALTH INSURANCE. I DID SAY THAT OUT LOUD.BUDGET WAS FUN. I DON'T HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT ONE? THAT'S HOW THE INSURANCE FOLKS TALK. IT'S BELLY BUTTONS.
YEAH. AND SO WE PAY, WE PAY EVERY PERSON, EVERY PERSON'S HEALTH AND HEALTH EXPENSES UP UNTIL $105,000.
AND SO YOU'LL SEE WHAT THAT EQUATES TO IN TERMS OF CLAIMS. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THOSE, YOU PUT ALL THOSE TOGETHER AND WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER CHART FOR THAT IN A MINUTE 2.4%.
Y'ALL, I MEAN THIS IS LIKE THE LOWEST INCREASE WE'VE HAD IN SO LONG.
I MEAN IT'S BEEN DOUBLE DIGITS OR NO, I, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT RENEWAL, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS WERE A LOT HIGHER AND THEY CAME DOWN. I THINK IT'S I THINK IT'S INSURANCE TRICKERY.
BUT I ALSO WILL SAY AND TO BE VERY SERIOUS, YOU KNOW, WE DO A BENEFIT SURVEY EVERY YEAR.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HEARD AND CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM OUR EMPLOYEES THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS ABOUT THE HEALTH INSURER AND THE THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATOR THAT THEY WOULD EITHER LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT OR JUST NEVER SEE, YOU KNOW, THEY JUST SOME, SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT MAYBE THE GRASS IS GREENER AND WE SHOULD GO TO ANOTHER INSURER OR ANOTHER THIRD-PARTY ADMINISTRATOR.
WE DID PURSUE ANOTHER INSURER VERY SERIOUSLY.
AND ULTIMATELY IT BECAME AS WE GOT INTO THE DETAILS, INTO THE MINUTIA, IT BECAME CLEAR THAT THIS OTHER INSURANCE COMPANY WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN, ON AVERAGE, AN ADDITIONAL $100,000 OUT OF AN EMPLOYEE'S PAYCHECK. EVERY PAYCHECK. YEAH. 100.
SO WHAT I SAID? 100,000. WOW. I DID NOT SAY 100,000.
YEAH, YOU DID. AND SO. WE'RE REALLY PAYING A LOT.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS FULLY STAFFED.
$100 OUT OF EVERY PAYCHECK. AN ADDITIONAL $100 ON AVERAGE.
AND WE WERE NOT. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM EMPLOYEES.
THEY'RE LIKE, OH, WELL, YOU'RE KIND OF LIKE, WELL, THANK YOU FOR LOOKING.
AND WE SAY, WE WILL CONTINUE. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ONCE WE, YOU KNOW, MOVE INTO THE NEXT, THE PLAN FOR, FOR NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND START ON DAY ONE TO SEE WHAT OTHER OPTIONS ARE, BUT ALSO WORK ON MAKING IMPROVEMENTS. ALL RIGHT, TELL US EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, IS IT PAYMENT OF CLAIMS? IS IT TIMELY PAYMENT OF CLAIMS? IS IT BALANCE BILLING? IS IT JUST THE CONFUSION WHEN YOU GET TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TPA? SO THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE. BUT AGAIN WE TRIED AND.
BUT AGAIN I'M, I AM COMFORTABLE WITH WHERE WE ARE, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND AND WE DO HEAR, WE HEAR EMPLOYEES, WE HEAR THEIR FRUSTRATION. AGAIN, I TALKED ABOUT THE SELF-INSURED MODEL.
WE, THE, THIS, THE CITY HAS BEEN COMMITTED AT THIS POINT FOR DECADES TO MAINTAINING THIS 80/20 SPLIT FOR HEALTH CARE COST WHERE THE EMPLOYEE IS MAKING A 20% CONTRIBUTION TO ESSENTIALLY TO THE PREMIUMS. AND THOSE PREMIUMS ARE DETERMINED ACTUARIALLY.
AND THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SURVEY, THERE WAS SOME FEEDBACK.
AND WE, AS IN THE EMPLOYEE SAID WE'LL PAY FOR THE ENHANCED DENTAL BENEFITS.
AND SO THAT'S A BRAND NEW OFFERING AND OPEN ENROLLMENT THAT OPENED TODAY.
AND THEN ALSO THE OFFERING OF CANCER SCREENINGS AS WELL.
AND SO YEAH, THE PAYROLL DEDUCTION ON AVERAGE FOR EMPLOYEES $2.33 PER PAY PERIOD, NOT
[01:20:08]
$233,000 PER PAY PERIOD. SO WE DO CONTINUE WITH, WE HAVE A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR.THERE'S A STOP LOSS PROVIDER, WHEN WE HIT THE 105,000.
AND THE PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT SAVED US, LOOKING AT, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THROUGH THIS PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT WE'VE SIGNED UP WITH THROUGH OUR BROKER STOP LOSS REMAINS THE SAME.
IF YOU GO, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT YOU GO WHEN YOU DO BLOOD WORK AND DO SOME BASIC THINGS, YOU STILL DO THAT? YES, THAT IS PART OF THE WELLNESS PROGRAM. AND SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR BLOOD DRAWN AT THE CITY OR GO TO YOUR DOCTOR AND FROM THERE, THERE'S ALSO A HEALTH ASSESSMENT. AND THEN THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, HEALTHY ACTIVITIES THAT YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN.
AND THEN YOU GET A 30%? 30% DISCOUNT OFF OF YOUR PREMIUM, BUT.
THE CANCER SCREENINGS WILL BE OFFERED AT THE KNOW YOUR NUMBERS.
DO WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN THE KNOW YOUR NUMBER PROGRAM? DO WE GET 100% PARTICIPATION? WE DO NOT. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY YOU WOULDN'T DO THAT TO SAVE 30%.
I MEAN, THAT SHOULD BE LIKE LOW HANGING FRUIT.
LIKE, YEAH, JAB ME IN THE ARM AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT.
JAB ME TWICE AND GIVE ME 60. SOUNDS LIKE A PSA FOR THE YOUTH COUNCIL. NUMBERS. 97 MEMBERS COMPLETED THE ANNUAL SCREENING AND HEALTH ASSESSMENT.
HOW ACCESSIBLE IS THE SCREENING? WE'RE NOT BRINGING FOLKS TO THEM, ARE WE? LIKE, ARE WE BRINGING FOLKS TO DO THE SCREENINGS TO SAY PUBLIC WORKS? YES. YES. OH IT'S HERE. OH, WELL, THEN THERE'S NO EXCUSE.
OH YEAH. AND THERE'S MULTIPLE. OKAY. WELL, THERE'S NO EXCUSE.
OKAY. YEAH. IT'S SUPER EASY TO SIGN UP. LOTS AND LOTS OF TIME SLOTS.
HOW HARD IT IS TO GET TO THE DOCTOR DURING THE WORKDAY? RIGHT. OH, YEAH. THAT TO SAVE 30% ON YOUR INSURANCE.
I MEAN, THAT'S A BIG DEAL. SO BUT I DIGRESS. RIGHT.
I, IT CONFOUNDS ME. IT CONFOUNDS ME. YEAH. IT SOUNDS LIKE A PSA.
ALL RIGHT, SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT THOSE NUMBERS ON THE FIRST SLIDE, YOU'RE LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN ANDREA? SO WE ARE BUDGETING TO PAY OUT CLAIMS IN 26-27 OF ROUGHLY $3.5 MILLION.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, MOST LIKELY A REAL NUMBER.
WE HOPE WE DON'T GO OVER. I HOPE THAT IT'S LESS.
ALSO THE STOP LOSS INSURANCE THAT IS A PREMIUM.
WE PAY THAT $1.25 MILLION BECAUSE ANYTHING OVER THAT 105, THE INSURANCE COMPANY WILL PAY AND.
AND EVERY YEAR, I'D SAY BETWEEN 5 AND 7 YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS WILL EXCEED THE STOP LOSS AND THEN HALF OF THOSE MAY BE WAIVED, YOU KNOW, WAY IN EXCESS. SO JUST, YOU KNOW, LIFE HAPPENS.
ADMINISTRATIVE FEES. AND THEN FROM THERE YOU CAN SEE THE, AGAIN, THESE ARE, THESE ARE ALL OF THE CATEGORIES RELATED TO OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS. AND SPEAKING OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS, LET'S.
HAVE A STRETCH BREAK. I JUST GOT A CRAMP. RIGHT.
OH OH. GOOD. BREAK UP A COUPLE OF GROVES.
ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. WE ARE BACK IN SESSION.
THANKS, Y'ALL. NOW WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH.
REALLY WE'RE GOING TO BE HITTING MOST OF THE OTHER FUNDS OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL FUND.
BUT I DID JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE WORK AROUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SOME FOLKS MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THAT TRUST FUND HAD BEEN UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DECATUR HOUSING AUTHORITY UP UNTIL LIKE BASICALLY TODAY. THAT WE, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PROCESS AS SET UP
[01:25:02]
BY THE ORDINANCE YEARS AGO COME THROUGH THE PROCESS TO HAVE THAT MOVED OVER TO THE CITY.AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, THE BALANCE IN THAT ACCOUNT IS $787,253, AND THAT IS BEFORE THIS $100,000 TRANSFER. AND THEN SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU'RE FULLY AWARE OF.
BUT THE 600 COMMERCE DRIVE WE ARE WORKING ON THE KIND OF PLAN TWO FOR, AND WE'LL BE BRINGING THAT BACK TO THIS BODY IN TERMS OF THE MISSING MIDDLE MODEL HOUSING THAT THAT IS BEING PLANNED AT THAT LOCATION.
THE DECATUR HOME REHAB BASICALLY THE MLK EVERY DAY PROGRAM CONTINUES THE ARPA FUNDING, WHICH I'LL SHOW YOU ALL A SYNOPSIS OF OR SUMMARY OF THE ARPA FUNDING, BUT A LARGE PORTION OF THAT DID GO TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, PART OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH YOU ALL WAS CONVEYED TO THE CITY ON MONDAY NIGHT FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AT LEGACY.
AND THEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LEGACY DECATUR, THE CREATIVE VILLAGE AT LEGACY PARK FROM WHICH WE ALSO RECEIVED 209 OR WILL RECEIVE WE'VE BEEN AWARDED $209,000 FROM CONGRESSMAN HANK JOHNSON TO DO SOME REHAB TO A COUPLE OF THE COTTAGES THERE AT LEGACY PARK FOR THE CREATIVE VILLAGE FOR ARTIST STUDIOS AND HOUSING.
AND HOTEL/MOTEL TAX FUND. BEDS. BELLY BUTTONS.
SO HOTEL/MOTEL TAX IS 8% AND THAT REVENUE AND IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S JUST, IT'S THE SALES TAX AT OUR HOTELS AND MOTELS. AND THAT'S DISTRIBUTED TO THE DECATUR TOURISM BUREAU, TO THE CONFERENCE CENTER AND TO THE GENERAL FUND.
AND THAT IS BASED OFF OF THE DISTRIBUTION IS DETERMINED BY STATE LAW.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE REVISED BUDGET. IT'S A LITTLE BIT LOWER THAN WHAT WE HAD ANTICIPATED IN 25-26, EVEN LOWER THAN WHAT WE RECEIVED IN 24-25. NOW, MAYBE THERE'LL BE AN UPTICK THAT WE'LL SEE FROM THE WORLD CUP. BUT THE, SO FAR, THE HOTEL MANAGERS ARE TELLING US THAT THEY'RE NOT SEEING A WHOLE LOT OF ACTIVITY AS A RESULT OF WORLD CUP, BUT THEY ARE THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS HAVE COME, ARE COMING IN STRONGER THAN EARLIER IN THE YEAR.
AND THAT'S JUST RELATED TO OTHER EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES.
BUT AGAIN, JUST BEING VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH 26-27 AND AGAIN, WE'LL MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT IN THE REVISED IF THAT NUMBER IF, HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. BUT SHORT TERM RENTALS GENERATES UP THAT 1.4 OR $1.5 MILLION, ABOUT $200,000 IS GENERATED BY SHORT TERM RENTALS SUCH AS VRBO, AIRBNB, HOMEAWAY, ETC..
DO WE KNOW IF ALL THE CHANGES AT CDC HAVE CONTRIBUTED? BECAUSE I KNOW. IT HAS, THEY'VE LOST CONFERENCES AND OTHER CONFERENCES AND OTHERWISE TRAVEL BY CDC EMPLOYEES. WE DO HAVE A TAD NUMBER ONE THE DECATUR DISTRICT THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2015. AND SO THAT SET THE BASE DIGEST AMOUNT TAXES GENERATED OVER DUE TO VALUE HIGHER THAN THAT, THAT THOSE TAXES GO INTO THE TAD FUND AND CAN ONLY BE SPENT WITHIN THAT DISTRICT AND WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF THE TAD AND THE. WE DO HAVE A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH NORTHWOOD RAVEN FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS TO THAT PROJECT. AND ONCE THEY GET THEIR CEO OR TEMPORARY CEO EVEN WE'LL START ANNUAL PAYMENTS TO THEM NOT TO EXCEED ABOUT $5.3 MILLION.
AND THAT WILL BE PAID OUT OF THE TAD FUND BALANCE.
THAT OVER THERE, YOU SEE, IT'S GREATLY, GREATLY NEEDED.
THE SPLOST 1 FUND THINKING WAY BACK THAT CAME INTO EFFECT IN 2018 THE SALES TAX WAS COLLECTED THROUGH MARCH OF 2024. WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BRING IN 20 20,500,000.
[01:30:01]
WE BROUGHT IN CLOSE TO 20 WELL BROUGHT IN PLUS INTEREST, STILL GENERATING A LITTLE BIT OF INTEREST.SO CLOSE TO $23 MILLION CAME IN. THE PROJECT THAT'S NOT LISTED HERE YOU KNOW, THAT WAS FUNDED.
THE BIG PROJECT WAS THE HOWARD, WEST HOWARD AVENUE TRAFFIC CALMING THAT JUST WRAPPED UP.
AND ALSO THERE WAS SOME, SOME MONEY ALLOCATED TO SOUTH COLUMBIA DRIVE MULTI USE PATH.
BUT THE MONEY THAT'S REMAINING IN THIS ACCOUNT WE HAVE OUR MATCH FOR THE RES BUILD GRANT FOR SCOTT BOULEVARD ALSO AT THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS AT EAST LAKE AND PARKWOOD. AND THEN WE HAVE $4 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR THE ATLANTIC AVENUE RAILROAD CROSSING PROJECT.
IS THAT ANY CLOSER TO HAPPENING IN THIS CENTURY? I KNOW IT'S COMPLICATED. THERE IS WORK GOING.
DAVID, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A WORK SESSION AT SOME POINT, BUT WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? COME, COME, COME. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT $4 MILLION AT THIS POINT WOULD EVEN BE, WOULD EVEN BE ADEQUATE.
IT'S BEEN YEARS. BUT WE HAVE MOST RECENTLY BEEN PROVIDING GDOT WITH ALL THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION THAT GOT US TO WHERE WE WERE AT, BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD SOME INTERNAL POLICY CHANGES ON HOW THEY'RE MANAGING OR OVERSEEING STATE ROUTE PROJECTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ALL LOCAL, THESE ARE LOCALLY FUNDED. AND SO WE PROVIDED THEM ALL THE DOCUMENTATION, JUST KIND OF WAITING FOR THAT FINAL KIND OF STAMPED APPROVED SET OF PLANS AND PERMIT FROM THEM.
WHERE ARE WE WITH THEM. EVERYBODY'S KIND OF WAITING ON EVERYBODY ELSE, RIGHT? SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE ONCE WE GET ONE, THEN WE TAKE IT BACK TO THE OTHER AND THEN THEY'LL GO THROUGH A FINAL REVIEW PROCESS AS WELL.
BUT I THINK WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE WITH CSX.
ONCE GDOT COME. WE SHOULD ASK THEM TO FIND IT.
IT WOULD IMPROVE THEIR EFFICIENCY AT THAT INTERSECTION.
GENERATED BY SPLOST 2 THAT WENT INTO EFFECT APRIL OF 24 THROUGH MARCH OF 2030.
WE EXPECT TO GET ABOUT 30,500,000. AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE KIND OF LIKE RIGHT ON TRACK TO DO THAT.
MOST OF THE EXPENDITURES IN 26-27 ARE RELATED TO DEBT SERVICE.
YOU RECALL THAT SLIDE A LONG TIME AGO TONIGHT.
ABOUT 1.9 MILLION. AND THEN ALSO THE DEBT SERVICE FOR THE SQUARE PROJECT.
BUT THAT ALSO THAT DEBT SERVICE IS BAD, BAD FOR SIX YEARS.
SO THAT'LL BE PAID OFF PRETTY QUICKLY. AND THEN YOU SEE THE OTHER PROJECTS YOU ALL SIGNED OFF ON THE EXTRA TEEN AREA BUILD OUT ARE MATCHED TO THAT GRANT OF ABOUT 750,000. AND THEN, SO AND THEN THESE OTHERS ARE ROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT OF WORK OVER AT THE LEGACY OF THE GYM. AND SPEAKING OF LEGACY WE DO HAVE A BUDGET OR A FUND FOR THE PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY. AND MOST OF THAT BUDGET IS THE DEBT SERVICE FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE PARKLAND.
AND THAT DEBT SERVICE IS JUST A TRANSFER FROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FUND, SO THAT THE MILLAGE RATE FOR CAPITAL FUND, A PORTION OF THAT RAISES THE REVENUE NEEDED TO PAY THE DEBT SERVICE FOR LEGACY, AND THAT IS FOR THE BONDS THAT WERE ISSUED BY THE PUBLIC FACILITIES AUTHORITY, AS WELL AS A LOW INTEREST LOAN FROM GEFA FOR THE 77 ACRES, 22 ACRES WAS FINANCED THROUGH THIS THROUGH A GEFA LOAN AND AS A LOW INTEREST, I THINK IT'S LIKE 1.7% FOR THE GEFA LOAN. AND THEN FROM THERE WE DO BUDGET YOU KNOW, 500, $600,000 A YEAR FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS TO THE FACILITIES ON THAT PROPERTY.
AND IF THERE WAS MORE MONEY, WE COULD BUDGET A LOT MORE MONEY FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS ON THAT PROPERTY.
IT WILL BRING IN JUST SHY OF $7 MILLION FOR TAXES.
[01:35:05]
OTHER REVENUE THAT WE'RE BUDGETING IS FOR THE SOLAR AND BATTERY PROJECT AT THE RECREATION CENTER THAT WAS FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVE, NIKEMA WILLIAMS. AND THEN ALSO SENATOR JON OSSOFF.BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO A $500,000 MATCH FOR THAT.
IN SOME YEARS, YOU MAY RECALL THAT WE WOULD MAKE A TRANSFER FROM THE GENERAL FUND, AND THAT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT RECOMMENDING. THAT WAS WHEN WE WOULD INTENTIONALLY DRAW DOWN ON FUND BALANCE AND MOVE IT OVER TO CAPITAL, THE CAPITAL STANDING ALONE. AND WE WILL WE HAVE A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE THERE OF ABOUT $2 MILLION.
THE PROJECTS OF COURSE ARE LISTED IN THE BUDGET, BUT JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE PROJECTS OR THE VARIETY OF PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, THE TENNIS COURT RESURFACING, WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S TAKE HOME CAR PROGRAM, EV CHARGING STATIONS.
WE'RE GETTING OUR OWN THERMOPLASTIC SPREADER SO WE CAN DO SOME OF OUR THERMOPLASTIC PAINTING.
WHAT IS THAT? WE COULD DO. SO THINK ABOUT THE, WE USE THERMOPLASTICS FOR THE CROSSWALKS.
SO AGAIN, THE PAINT THAT'S GOING TO LAST A WHOLE LOT LONGER.
TELEPHONE SYSTEM FOR THE CITY IS BEING REPLACED.
AND IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE HAD A NEW PHONE SYSTEM, A TERESA AND RUSS ARE WORKING ON THAT.
WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT AT THE RETREAT ABOUT THE WEBSITE UPGRADE AND THEN JUST LOTS OF FACILITY MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, ROOF REPAIRS, PAINTING. YEAH, PROVIDING MORE DETAIL.
CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE ALSO SPREAD THROUGHOUT VARIOUS FUNDS.
AND SO WE WERE BUDGETING ABOUT $1 MILLION FOR WHAT WE CALL LMIG, BUT THAT'S THE REPAIR AND PAVING.
AND NORMALLY WE CAN GET ABOUT A MAYBE A MILE WITH THE MILLION DOLLARS THAT INCLUDES NORMALLY ABOUT 200, $220,000 FROM GDOT. THAT NUMBER HASN'T CHANGED FOR 30 YEARS.
WHAT'S OUR MATCH? DO WE HAVE TO MATCH OR. WE DO HAVE TO MATCH? AND I WANT TO SAY IT'S LIKE 20% OR 30%. AND LET'S JUST SAY WE GO WAY ABOVE THAT, BECAUSE THEY ONLY GIVE US ABOUT $220,000 EVERY YEAR. AND THAT WOULD GET US. NOT VERY FAR.
NOT VERY FAR. I HAVE A QUESTION. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE EAST LAKE PROJECT WILL THAT FALL UNDER, THAT WILL FALL UNDER THIS NEW FISCAL YEAR? YES.
OKAY. WE VOTED ON IT IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. YES.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE SPORTS PROJECTS PLUS ONE PLUS TWO.
BUT YOU SEE THAT WE HAVE WE HAVE VARIOUS BUCKETS OF FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS.
AND THE SCHOOL ZONE CAMERA FUND. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.
YES. NEXT TIME I'LL MAYBE I'LL START WITH THIS.
SO OUR GOAL, WE JUST WANT THESE CAMERAS IN PLACE SO PEOPLE WILL SLOW DOWN.
AND SO OUR KIDS AND PARENTS AND CROSSING GUARDS WILL BE SAFE.
I HAD WELL, I DON'T HAVE. SO WE'RE ESTIMATING REVENUES OF ABOUT $1.8 MILLION EXPENDITURES, $2.3 MILLION. THAT WILL STILL LEAVE US WITH THE FUND BALANCE OF $500,000.
I, ACTUALLY WE BUMPED UP EVEN IN THE REVISED BUDGET, THE ESTIMATED REVENUES BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN MY MIND, I ANTICIPATED THAT THOSE REVENUES WOULD START GOING DOWN, YOU KNOW, MONTH AFTER MONTH, BUT THEY'RE REMAINING REALLY FLAT. TO A 200,000 TO $220,000 EACH MONTH COMING IN. AND SO, BUT WE ARE ABLE TO, WE ARE ABLE TO ENHANCE PUBLIC SAFETY IN A WAY THAT OR AT A SPEED THAT THAT WE OTHERWISE REALLY IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT.
I KNOW YOU'RE RUBBING OFF ON ME. AND SO, I MEAN, JUST THE FACT THAT WE CAN SAY THAT THIS BODY WAS ABLE TO SAY, YES, YOU KNOW, WE WILL COMMIT TO A GRANT MATCH FOR GDOT FOR $300,000 FOR THE WEST POINT SPEED MANAGEMENT PROJECT OR,
[01:40:01]
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, SAFE STREETS FOR ALL GRANT MATCH.AGAIN, THESE ARE AND THIS, THESE EXPENSES WOULD OTHERWISE BE EXTREMELY TAXING.
ON OUR, ON OUR CAPITAL FUND BUDGET. AND SO YOU KNOW, TAXING DOES NOT TAX DOLLARS.
BUT THERE'S A GREAT DEAL THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO BECAUSE OF THE REVENUE FROM THIS FUND.
DID YOU ALL HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS FUND? I THINK MR. YOUNGER NEEDS TO DO ANOTHER VIDEO IN FRONT OF THE SAFETY CAMERAS, THE SCHOOL CAMERAS, AND JUST SAY, JUST SLOW DOWN. WE DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY.
SLOW DOWN. WHAT WAS THE LEGISLATION THAT PASSED IN THE STATE IN THIS LAST SESSION? YES. SO LEGISLATION IS PASSED, AND ACTUALLY THE CHIEF AND I JUST SPOKE A FEW HOURS AGO ABOUT THAT.
AND HE MET WITH BLUE LINE, OUR VENDOR EARLIER TODAY.
SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL SIGN WITH LIGHTS AROUND IT.
AND THAT'S JUST THE. GDOT. THEY'RE COMING IN JULY.
SO WE'LL HAVE ALL THE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE FLASHING LIGHTS WILL BE IN PLACE AND THE SCHOOL ZONE, BUT BLUE LINE WILL BE PUTTING IN AN ADDITIONAL SIGN AS A RESULT OF THAT LEGISLATION.
AND SO YOU HAD SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE DEKALB COUNTY THAT WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE.
AND SO NOW IT WILL BE UP LIKE, YOU KNOW, ANY JURISDICTION, SAY ANOTHER CITY COULD, COULD PUT THIS IN THEIR SCHOOL ZONE WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT. SO THAT'S A CHANGE AS A RESULT OF THAT LEGISLATION.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE REQUIREMENT FOR IF THERE'S A, IF A CURRENT AGREEMENT FOR THE FOR THE CAMERAS IS RENEWED. AND THIS IS AFTER JULY 1ST OF 2027.
YES. YES. I SHOULD HAVE LED WITH THE REFERENDUM.
DOES THAT APPLY IF WE EXTEND? I DON'T THINK SO.
THAT'S WHAT WE DISCUSSED THIS MORNING. THAT SEEMS. AND MAYBE IT'S A LOOPHOLE. AND MAYBE THE LEGISLATORS WILL TRY TO, YOU KNOW, CLOSE THAT LOOPHOLE TO, BUT NONETHELESS, WE CLEARLY WANT. DISTRICTS. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT.
RIGHT. AND IT WORKS. AND AGAIN, THAT'S AND I APOLOGIZE.
I DON'T HAVE THAT. THAT'S ONE THING I DIDN'T BRING WITH ME.
BUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID PROVIDE ME WITH A REPORT, YOU KNOW, SHOWING THE REDUCTION OF THE SPEED OF REDUCTIONS IN THESE ZONES BECAUSE OF THE CAMERAS. WE DO HAVE A COMMUNITY ENERGY FUND OR CLEAN ENERGY FUND, AND THAT WAS RECOMMENDED BY OUR CLEAN ENERGY PLAN THAT THIS BODY ADOPTED IN 2022.
AND THAT FUND IS FUNDED BY A PERCENTAGE OF THE, OF UTILITY RELATED REVENUE THAT COMES INTO THE GENERAL FUND, WE TAKE 10% OF THE FRANCHISE FEES.
SO THE GEORGIA POWER FRANCHISE FEE, THE NATURAL GAS FRANCHISE FEE, THE ENERGY RELATED FEES.
AND THIS ALSO SHOWS SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S BEING PERFORMED.
AND PART OF THAT PROGRAM IS BEING FUNDED BY YOU KNOW, THE MONEY'S COMING OVER FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME LARGE PURCHASES THAT WILL COME OUT OF THAT
[01:45:07]
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES AND ENERGY EFFICIENT.JUST TRYING TO, I CAN'T EVEN LIKE, HVAC SYSTEMS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.
SYSTEMS INSTEAD OF TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS. AND ARPA.
SO ARPA IS DONE. AND JUST AS A REMINDER THOUGH, THIS CITY RECEIVED ALMOST $9.6 MILLION IN THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDING.
AND YOU CAN SEE HOW EVERY PENNY OF THAT WAS SPENT.
SO WE COULD GO VIRTUAL WITH COURT RECORDINGS OR COURT SESSIONS.
$21,000 COVERED ALL OF OUR TESTING SUPPLIES DURING THAT TIME.
$23,000 WE HAD A PANDEMIC PREMIUM PAY. ONE TIME, A $513,000 FOR ALL EMPLOYEES.
AGAIN, ANOTHER HYBRID AV SYSTEM FOR THE REC DEPARTMENT.
THE LARGEST EXPENDITURE WAS FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE SOUTH HOUSING VILLAGE, $3.8 MILLION.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE TRACK AND FIELD OVER AT LEGACY WE PUT IN $3.5 MILLION, AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ALSO PUT IN $3.5 MILLION FOR THAT SHARED FACILITY.
AND I SAY INCURRED BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF THAT CHECK WAS CUT YET THIS WEEK, THE FINAL CHECK.
BUT THE SOUTH COLUMBIA DRIVE MULTI-USE PATH WAS THE FINAL PROJECT THAT DEPLETED THE FUNDS IN ARPA.
IS THAT THE END OF THE MULTI-USE PATH? IS THAT IT, IS THAT THE LAST PHASE? YES. IT WAS. YEAH. SO IT'S ALL CONNECTED. AND THEN THE SPECIAL EVENTS FUND AS IF I NEED A REMINDER OF HOW MANY DAYS. TIK TOK THAT I DID.
SO THE SPECIAL EVENTS FUND AND ITS SPECIAL EVENTS, BUT REALLY IT'S JUST THE WATCH FEST 26 FUND.
THE CITY CONTRIBUTES. THE TOURISM BUREAU CONTRIBUTES.
THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CONTRIBUTES.
THE SCHOOL ZONE CAMERA FUND CONTRIBUTES TO ALL SECURITY RELATED COSTS.
IN PARTNER TODAY I SAW EMORY, I GUESS. SO, AND THEN JUST ALL THESE THINGS THAT I'VE SAID AND THESE NUMBERS THAT YOU LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT TRANSLATE? WHAT DOES IT TRANSLATE INTO? AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS HELPFUL TO YOU WHEN PEOPLE SAY WHAT'S UP, WHAT'S REALLY IN THE BUDGET? AND WE CONTINUE TO I KEEP THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE IN THERE.
IT'S, THAT'S GOING TO WRAP UP. WELL, WE HAVE ANOTHER PHASE EVEN AFTER, WHEN WATCH FEST IS DONE, WE HAVE ANOTHER PHASE WITH THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE TRANSFORMATION.
AND OUR FIRST ELECTRIC FIRE ENGINE IS DUE TO BE DELIVERED NEXT MONTH.
SO THAT'S VERY, VERY EXCITING. WE HAVE A GLENLAKE TENNIS ACADEMY.
WE HAVEN'T, WE DIDN'T DIVE INTO PARKS AND RECREATION IN THIS SESSION.
BUT THAT'S ALSO JUST A NEW OFFERING FROM PARKS AND REC FOR SPECIALIZED ACADEMY.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING THE UNHOUSED. THAT'S ME. THE UNHOUSED TASK FORCE APPOINTMENT BY THIS BODY, AND THAT WILL HAPPEN THIS FALL. I MEAN, AGAIN, JUST IN THEIR, YOU KNOW, INTERNAL, YOU KNOW, THEIR INTERNAL PROJECTS AS WELL. I MENTIONED THE, THE PHONE SYSTEM UPGRADE AND OUR IT NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WHICH I'M SURE WILL RESULT IN SOME CHANGES WITH OUR IT PROGRAM.
AGAIN, JUST TO NAME A FEW. AND LET'S NOT LOOK, LET'S NOT PUT THE PAST BEHIND US TOO QUICKLY.
JUST A FEW THINGS TO HIGHLIGHT THAT HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED OVER THE PAST FISCAL YEAR.
COMPOST NOW PARTNERSHIP SO MUCH SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE AND CONSTRUCTION.
[01:50:04]
WE ADOPTED A NEW CITY CHARTER. WEST HOWARD AVENUE, TRAFFIC CALMING AND BIKE LANES, THAT PROJECT WAS COMPLETED.THAT'S ONGOING. THIS BODY CREATED A BEACON HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT.
AND BEYOND THE DESIGN FOR AN ACTIVITY, YOU, YOU'VE AWARDED THAT CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT.
WE'RE CARRYING OUT PROJECTS IN THE SAFE STREETS SAFETY ACTION PLAN.
PHASES I AND II OF THE SOUTH HOUSING VILLAGE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, AND THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM WAS REESTABLISHED IN THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR. THIS BODY WASTED NO TIME AND HAVING A RETREAT WITH THE DDA AND THEN THE DOWNTOWN SQUARE.
AND THE BUDGET WILL GO INTO EFFECT ON JULY 1ST.
AND THERE'S THE LINK HERE, AND WE'LL HAVE THIS POSTED TO OUR WEBSITE.
BUT ALSO PEOPLE CAN SEE THE LINK TO PROVIDE US FEEDBACK THROUGH THE POLL ON POLLCO.
AND THEN OF COURSE, DON'T FORGET THE BUDGET AS ART COLLECTION.
ACTUALLY THE INSTAGRAM VIDEO ABOUT THE ART. IF WE HAVE A FEW MINUTES, WE GOT TO SWITCH.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A COUPLE OF LINE ITEMS WHICH I KNOW WILL HAVE TO BE TAKEN AWAY.
THERE ARE. SO THERE ARE TWO LINE ITEMS FOR BOTH FIRE AND PD, ONE IS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND ONE IS OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THOSE COMPRISE OF. THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT, FOR FIRE AND PD AS FAR AS WHAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED FOR THOSE LINE ITEMS. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. SERVICES. AND CONTRACTUAL.
OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, THAT'S RIGHT. EACH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS. YES, PLEASE. ABSOLUTELY.
WE CAN DO THAT. I'VE GOT A REQUEST. TO EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU. DO YOU HAVE AN EXCEL WORKSHEET FOR THAT CREATED PAGE 39.
PAGE 71. IS THERE A SEPARATE WORKSHEETS THAT EXCEL WORKSHEETS.
SURE. THAT'S NO PROBLEM. I HAVE A QUESTION. THIS MAY BE DIRECTED TO MR. ROARK. I WAS LOOKING AT OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND OUR NATIONAL CITIZEN SURVEY RESPONSE.
IT'S 17%. 40%. YES. THAT IS NOT UNUSUAL. THAT IS JUST THE NATURE OF RESPONDING TO SURVEYS IN GENERAL ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
I MEAN, EVEN THE SURVEYS WE'VE PUT OUT FOR OUR MASTER PLANS HAVE HAD VERY LOW PARTICIPATION RATES.
AND BECAUSE IT DOES SO, WE CAN MAKE SURE WE ARE SURVEYING THE PEOPLE PAYING TAXES.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ACCOUNT WITH POLCO. AND I THINK THAT TURNS FOLKS OFF BECAUSE THEY DON'T TRUST WHERE THEIR DATA IS BEING EITHER BEING STORED OR HOW CAN WE FIGURE OUT WHO GAVE US THE UNACCEPTABLE? AND THE ANSWER IS NO.
POLLCO HAS THAT DATA. WE DON'T SEE THAT SIDE OF IT.
BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT. SO THE, IT HAS BEEN PROGRESSIVELY TRENDED LOWER AND LOWER, BUT THEY WERE OVERALL OKAY WITH THAT RESPONSE RATE BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF NOW THE NEW. THE NEW NORMAL. THE NEW NORMAL. I JUST WONDER, IS THERE A DIFFERENT WAY THAT WE CAN MAYBE ASK SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS, RIGHT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, AND I SEE THIS HUGE DROP OFF, LIKE THAT'S SIGNIFICANT, AND THEN IT STARTS TO MAKE A LOT OF THE THINGS WE DO.
I QUESTION, ARE THEY STATISTICALLY VALID? RIGHT.
AND SO I GUESS THE CHALLENGE FOR ME IS I LOOK AT THOSE PERFORMANCE METRICS.
HOW DOES THAT EQUATE TO THE JOB THAT WE DO EVERY DAY? ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING? BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT, IF WE'RE ONLY HEARING FROM 17% OF THE PEOPLE OR THE OTHER 83%, I THINK.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, I GUESS, A QUESTION FOR THIS ENTIRE, YOU KNOW, BODY THAT IS THAT INFORMATION SOMETHING THAT'S RELEVANT GOING FORWARD? DO WE NEED TO ASK THE QUESTION A DIFFERENT WAY OR TRY TO GET THE INFORMATION A DIFFERENT WAY? IT IS A DATA POINT. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A DATA POINT.
[01:55:03]
THEN THERE'S THE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.THERE'S PEOPLE THAT WE TALKED TO, WE TALKED TO AT SUCH A BUDGET OR TOUCH A TRUCK.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE TAKE ALL THAT, SYNTHESIZE IT AND THEN MAKE THESE BUDGET DECISIONS? BUT THE FULL REPORT OR PART OF THE REPORT IS APPENDIX F, I THINK IN THE SO YOU'RE SITTING THE IN THE DEPARTMENTAL LINE ITEM SECTION, BUT A REPORT AND WE WILL GO INTO DETAIL, I THINK, AT A WORK SESSION, EITHER IN JULY, THE JULY MEETING MAY BE THE WORK SESSION OR IT'LL BE THE FIRST ONE IN AUGUST. SHOULD THIS BE REAL QUICK? OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU FOLKS.
AND NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN YOUR FIRST WORK SESSION IN AND YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT MAY COME UP, MAY NOT, BUT YOU KNOW THAT YOU ALWAYS KNOW WHO TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS TO, AND THEY TYPICALLY WILL GET THOSE ANSWERED REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY. BUT I THANK YOU FOR TAKING A COUPLE HOURS OUT OF YOUR DAY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO COME JOIN US.
AND WE'LL SEE EVERYBODY IS HERE ON FRIDAY AT 5:15.
05:00, 5:00 FOR A. NO, FRIDAY AT THE 5TH IS AT 6.
IT'S LIKE THE. 5TH AT 6. THE 5TH IS 6. YEAH, I THINK, BUT THE RIBBON CUTTING ITSELF, THE, IT ALL Y'ALL CAN BE HERE A LITTLE BIT EARLY, BUT IT WILL START AT SIX.
OKAY. AND OTHERWISE WE WILL SEE YOU HERE MONDAY AT 6 FOR.
WORK SESSION. PUBLIC HEARING FOR PUBLIC HEARING. WE ARE ADJOURNED AT 7:12.
THANK YOU. AND I'M AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH EACH ONE.
I'LL STILL BE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.