[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:09]
EVERYBODY. IT IS 9:00. SO WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND GET ROLLING. I WANT TO WELCOME EVERYBODY TO OUR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 2025. AND THE SECOND COURT OF THE BEAUTIFUL NEW COURTHOUSE. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, ASK IF YOU'RE ABLE. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A PRAYER AND FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGES. WHO WANTS TO? THE PLEDGES, MR. SMITH? AS YOU JOIN ME IN THE LORD'S PRAYER, OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME. THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US. AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY FOREVER. AMEN.
CHRIST, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
THANK YOU. PRAY. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THEE. TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE INDIVISIBLE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO UP FIRST IS NUMBER ONE, APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA, MOTION OF MOTION. SECOND TO APPROVE THE AGENDA. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OPPOSED. AGENDA IS APPROVED.
THAT WILL BRING US TO PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY CURRENTLY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. DOES ANYBODY MAY COME IN LATE OR MISS THE SIGN IN SHEET THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT? NOBODY. DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? I JUST SAY ONE THING. LAST WEEK A LOT OF OUR LOCAL FFA KIDS WENT TO THEIR FIRST DISTRICT COMPETITION FOR THE LEADERSHIP GUYS. WE SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF THOSE YOUNG FOLKS. THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB. A LOT OF THEM WERE FIRST AND SECOND PLACE AT DISTRICT, AND THEY ARE ON THEIR WAY TO AREA THIS MORNING, SO
[CONSENT AGENDA]
WISHING THEM LOTS OF LUCK. FANTASTIC GROUP AND NOBODY ELSE HAS ANYTHING. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA BEFORE I HAVE A MOTION. WE ARE GOING TO WITHDRAW NUMBER 29. MOTION. THE MOTION SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH NUMBER 29 BEING WITHDRAWN. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OPPOSED. THE CONSENT AGENDA IS[ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT]
APPROVED. THAT WILL BRING US TO NUMBER 40. WILL BE A PRESENTATION AND UPDATE BY THE WALLER COUNTY. MR. YOAKUM. GOOD MORNING. TO YOU. TODAY IS GOING TO START OFF WITH THE BIG AND KIND OF WHAT TO DO. I DIDN'T MEAN TO. DO WITH EVERYBODY ON THE FIRST SATURDAY NIGHT. BUT THIS IS NOT GOING. IF YOU HEARD ABOUT A. POPULATION ESTIMATES RIGHT NOW AROUND 70,700, A POPULATION OF 977, IN 2002, TO CELEBRATE IN THAT YEAR. THE HERE IS THE FACT THAT WE'RE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS, RIGHT. WE'RE HERE TO HELP PEOPLE'S QUALITY OF LIFE. AND SO WE'RE SEEING A RISE IN THE HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN 2023. ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE, HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR WALLER COUNTY WAS 86,135. I FORECASTED THAT FORWARD TO 2025 AND ESTIMATED TO BE SOMEWHERE AROUND $91,000 FOR FEDERAL FOR HOUSEHOLD INCOME. WHICH MEANS PEOPLE ARE MAKING MORE MONEY. HOPEFULLY THEY'RE MAKING MORE MONEY FROM COMPANIES IN WALLER COUNTY, BUT IF THEY'RE WORKING OUTSIDE THE COUNTY, GREAT. ANOTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS. I PULLED THIS TOGETHER. I'M ALWAYS RESEARCHING THE COST OF LIVING, AS IT WERE, AND HOUSEHOLD AND HOUSEHOLD. THAT'S THE WRONG TITLE UP THERE. I DIDN'T CHANGE THE TITLE, BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY THE HOUSEHOLD PRICES, HOUSE HOUSING PRICES FROM THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS THROUGH, I BELIEVE IT'S LIKE OCTOBER OF 25. THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU'RE SEEING A DECLINE NOW. THIS DOESN'T CAPTURE EVERY TRANSACTION, BUT IT IS THE TRANSACTIONS THAT HAPPEN THROUGH HOUSTON ASSOCIATION REALTOR. SO IT SHOULD BE INDICATIVE OF A DOWNWARD TREND IN HOUSING COSTS, WHICH MEANS IF THAT'S THE CASE, RISING HOUSEHOLD INCOME, DECREASE IN HOUSEHOLD COSTS, WE MIGHT HAVE PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO BUY MORE HOMES. IN TERMS OF OUR PROJECTS THIS YEAR, OBVIOUSLY, TESLA BEING ONE OF THE HEADLINE PROJECTS WE DID, WE PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF BROOKSHIRE TO DO THIS PROJECT. THEY'RE BIG MEGA FACTORY DOWN IN THE SOUTH END OF THE COUNTY IN BROOKSHIRE SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL HOPING BY Q2, MAYBE Q3 OF NEXT YEAR. T MIKE, ANOTHER GREAT PROJECT. WE DID HAVE TWO MANUFACTURING FACILITIES HERE IN THE COUNTY,[00:05:02]
AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THE T AND T MIC STANDS FOR TOSHIBA AND THE M STANDS FOR MITSUBISHI. SO THIS IS A TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI PARTNERSHIP FOR THESE TWO PARTICULAR MANUFACTURING FACILITIES, WHICH MEANS WE NOW HAVE ACCESS TO TWO OF THE BIGGEST GLOBAL COMPANIES ON THE PLANET FOR FUTURE EXPANSION AND POSSIBLY EVEN ADDITIONAL FACILITIES IN THE AREA. ANOTHER GREAT PROJECT. OUR FRIENDS AT A LEGACY IN WALLER, THEY HAVE ATTRACTED AND HAVE A FACILITY NOW FOR PEERLESS PUMP. PEERLESS IS ONE OF THE BIGGER MANUFACTURERS OF PUMPS IN THE COUNTRY. ANOTHER GREAT PROJECT WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THE CITY OF BROOKSHIRE GRUNDFOS HAS EXPANDED, IS EXPANDING THEIR MANUFACTURING CAPABILITIES HERE AT THEIR FACILITY IN BROOKSHIRE. AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THE BROOKSHIRE FACILITY IS THEIR WORLD HEADQUARTERS FOR THEIR WATER DIVISION, AND GRUNDFOS IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF WATER PUMPS. ONE OF OUR GREAT PARTNERS, URBAN COMPANIES, THEY HAVE DONE THREE PROJECTS WITH A TOTAL OF ABOUT 15 NEW SPEC BUILDINGS. THEY'VE TAKEN A LOT OF ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPEC BUILDING PROGRAM AND TWO HAVE JUST COMPLETED. THEY HAVE ANOTHER ONE COMING UP IN THE HERITAGE PARK, AND THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER IN HELPING US GET SPEC BUILDINGS ON THE GROUND, WHICH MAKES US MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE AND OTHER WHEN WE'RE ACTUALLY COMPETING WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES. ANOTHER SPEC PROJECT FROM GAVI DOWN THE WOODS ROAD JUST SOUTH OF ROSS. THREE BIG, LARGER BUILDINGS HERE TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY 550,000FT■S THAT ARE GOING IN RIGHT NOW ON WOODS ROAD. ANTONIO IS COMPLETING ONE OF HIS FOUR PHASE ONE BUILDINGS, APPROXIMATELY 150,000FT■!S, I BELIEVE WHEN THEY'RE ALL IN OR THIS MAY JUST BE THE FIRST PHASE, AND BUILDING FIVE IS ON THE ON THE HORIZON TO BE DONE SOON. ALL THIS TOGETHER MEANS WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 24 NEW SPEC BUILDINGS INVENTORY THAT WE CAN NOW PRESENT TO PROSPECTS COMING TO LOOK INTO THE COUNTY. WE'RE DEFINITELY SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE HELPING US MOVE THAT FORWARD. IN TERMS OF OUR PROJECT ACTIVITY, OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO HAVE AS DIVERSE OF AN ECONOMY AS POSSIBLE. WE THINK THAT'S A STRONG WAY TO BUILD AN ECONOMY, AND SO WE'VE HAD A LOT OF NATURAL INTEREST IN DISTRIBUTION ALONG INTERSTATE TEN AND SO FORTH. SO WE'VE TURNED A LOT OF OUR ATTENTION TOWARDS MANUFACTURING. YOU CAN SEE THE PROJECT RESPONSES THAT WE'VE RESPONDED TO THIS YEAR.OF THAT, 22 OF THEM WERE MANUFACTURING THAT. THAT REMAINS OUR FOCUS. WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE LEGACY, WHO'S GOT ANOTHER MANUFACTURING COMING OUR WAY.
WE'VE HAD TWO OTHER MEETINGS, TWO OTHER MANUFACTURING COMPANIES. SO MANUFACTURING IS PICKING UP. SO WHEN YOU ADD THAT IN IN A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES TO ANYTHING FROM OIL AND GAS TO TECH, AND SO WE'RE SEEING A DIVERSITY NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION BUT WITHIN MANUFACTURING. JUST OUR LEAD BREAKDOWN. I PRESENT THIS JUST BECAUSE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE MONEY YOU SPEND IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH TRANSLATES TO A LOT OF MARKETING MONEY, HAS RESULTED IN 15 DIRECT CONTACTS WITH US FOR INFORMATION OR PROSPECTS LOOKING TO LOOK IN THE AREA. THE STATE CONTINUES TO BE A HUGE SOURCE OF LEADS. THEY'VE HAD 16 OF THOSE THIS YEAR AS WELL THAT WE PROCESSED AND WORK THROUGH. SO THIS YEAR AS A 2025, WE ESTIMATE THE TAXABLE REVENUE FROM OUR ACTIVITIES TO THE COUNTY IS APPROXIMATELY $11.6 MILLION. THE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS, I SUPERIMPOSED THE THE GDP GRAPH OVER THE TOP OF IT AS BEST I COULD. AND YOU CAN SEE A DEFINITELY A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN OUR ACTIVITY AND AN INCREASE IN THE GDP. THIS SPEAKS VERY WELL OF THE COMPANIES THAT WE HAVE HERE. WE'RE A SMALL POPULATION, BUT YET WE'RE PRODUCING QUITE A BIT.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO ADD MORE MANUFACTURING, THIS NUMBER IS ONLY GOING TO INCREASE THE GDP THIS YEAR. THE TAXABLE VALUE OF OUR PROJECTS WAS APPROXIMATELY $2.1 BILLION, WHICH COMPRISED 13.4% OF THE TOTAL CURRENT VALUATION OF $16 BILLION FOR THE COUNTY. THAT'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT. THAT'S JUST THIS YEAR, THE ACCUMULATED TOTAL TAXABLE VALUE OF ALL OF OUR PROJECTS THROUGHOUT OUR CAREER IS $12.25 BILLION. IT HAS A TOTAL CONTRIBUTION, INCLUDING OTHER THINGS WE'VE GIVEN TO THE COUNTY IN TERMS OF OUR TIME AND OTHER PROJECTS. AND TAX REVENUE HAS BEEN 69 MILLION TOTAL PAYMENTS TO DATE 2.4 MILLION, WHICH MEANS FOR EVERY DOLLAR YOU SPENT, YOU GET BACK $28.67 FOR ALL TAXING UNITS, ALL OF OUR PROJECTS. AND THIS IS JUST OUR PROJECTS. THIS DOESN'T COUNT THE ONES THAT HAPPEN AFTER WE DO OUR PROJECTS. THINGS COME AFTER WE DO OURS. WE FEEL LIKE A LOT OF THE PROJECTS, THE BIG NAMES WE'VE LANDED HAS AN INDIRECT IMPACT, AND ADDITIONAL THINGS ARE HAPPENING AS A RESULT OF THAT. BUT THESE ARE JUST THE ONES WE DID, JUST OURS. WHEN YOU COUNT EVERYTHING, IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY MORE. AND TO ALL THE TAXING ENTITIES, TAX REVENUE SO FAR FOR OUR PROJECTS, $327 MILLION. SO I'M HAPPY TO REPORT WE'RE CONTINUE TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF OUR ATTRACTING THE QUALITY COMPANIES, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF RETURN TO THE COUNTY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU TO DANIEL FOR AND FOR MAKING THIS SO MUCH EASIER JUST TO PLUG IN A COMPUTER NOWADAYS. SAID THAT 327 MILLION. YES, SIR.
HOW MUCH OF. THAT'S FOR EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE. TOTAL. YEAH. I THINK WE STARTED
[00:10:06]
TRACKING IT SOMEWHERE AROUND 2006 OR 9. SOMEWHERE IN THAT, IN THAT RANGE. SO FROM NINE TO NOW OR SIX FROM NOW. YEAH. GIVE OR TAKE. YES, SIR. YEAH. NO, I MEAN AND I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT AND I REMEMBER TALKING WITH YOU SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DO HAVE THAT DIVERSITY. SO IF ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET AND OIL AND GAS TAKES A HIT AND THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE. I MEAN, LOOK AT WEATHERFORD, YOU KNOW, AND NOW THEY'RE GONE. AND SO MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THE ECONOMY GOES UP AND DOWN AND MARKETS CHANGE, THAT, WE'RE STILL IN A GOOD SPOT. AND THE MANUFACTURING IT JUST PROVIDES, YOU KNOW, GOOD PAYING JOBS. I MEAN, IT'S YOU CAN CREATE JOBS. BUT IF THERE ARE MINIMUM WAGE JOBS IT DOESN'T DOESN'T HELP VERY MUCH. AND SO YOU KNOW I KNOW AND TESLA IS HIRING I SAW THAT. SO IF ANYBODY'S LOOKING FOR A GOOD JOB I MEAN THEY'VE GOT A TON OF SALARIES THAT ARE SIX FIGURE SALARIES. AND SO THAT'S PROVIDING GOOD JOBS NOT JUST JOBS. SO ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT WILL BRING US TO NUMBER 41 MOTION A MOTION SECOND TO DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT WITH THE WALLER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP FOR 2026 THROUGH 2028. ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. FOR THE COUNTY AND FLOWS THAT ALSO. THANK YOU FOR STANDING BY TO MY EMAIL WITH MORE. I GUESS MY QUESTION WOULD BE HOW COULD THE COUNTY DO A BETTER JOB IN ASSISTING WHAT YOU DO? DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED EXTRA HELP OR ANYTHING WITH THAT? YEAH. GOOD QUESTION. I MEAN, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT OUR STRUCTURE, WE HAVE PHENOMENAL PARTNERS. AND WHENEVER WE LOOK FOR SPECIFICALLY TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT FOR PROJECTS AND JUST UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF THINGS, REACHING OUT TO THEM HAS BEEN GREAT. YES, WE DO NEED ADDITIONAL HELP. THIS OFFICE SHOULD PROBABLY RUN FOR PEOPLE, BUT WE NEED AT LEAST THREE MINIMALLY TO RUN. AND SO WE DID REQUEST ADDITIONAL FUNDS, WHICH IS IN THE CONTRACT, WHICH WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO FILL ANOTHER POSITION PRETTY SOON. TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE WITH SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE THAT'S AT MY LEVEL, GIVE OR TAKE OR SOMEONE CLOSE, THAT MAYBE WE COULD MENTOR UP, BUT THEY NEED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE IN THE IN THIS FIELD OR BUSINESS FOR US TO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE, YEAH, WE ARE DEFINITELY NEEDING HELP IN THAT INTERNALLY FOR SURE. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
OPPOSED. IT IS APPROVED THAT WORK. AND THEN NUMBER 42 IS GOING TO BE A PUBLIC HEARING ON ADOPTION OF THE WALLER COUNTY TAX ABATEMENT GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA. I SAW AN EMAIL, VINCE, YOU WANT TO GO OVER JUST KIND OF WHAT THE CHANGES WERE. SURE. THANK YOU. SO FIRST, I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO LAUREN WINDSOR, WHO DID A FANTASTIC JOB OF PULLING THIS ALL TOGETHER. SHE AND I WORKED TOGETHER OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS TO KIND OF PUT TOGETHER WHAT WE FEEL LIKE IS A GOOD SET OF POLICIES. SO WHEN YOU SEE THE WHEN YOU SEE THE NEW POLICY, THERE'S A LOT OF FORMATTING CHANGES AND STUFF THAT MAY AND ORGANIZE.
REORGANIZE MAY LOOK LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF CHANGE THAT REALLY DIDN'T AFFECT THE CONTENT. SOME STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS WERE ADDED TO THE POLICIES. THESE WERE THINGS THAT WERE ALWAYS ENFORCED. BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE STATUTORY, STATUTORY, ADDING THEM TO THE GUIDELINES JUST MAKES IT EASIER. REFERENCE. AN EXAMPLE WOULD THAT BE THE CITIES HAVE TO CREATE THEIR OWN REINVESTMENT ZONES? THE LANGUAGE WAS CHANGED FROM REQUIRING AN INCREASE IN TAXABLE VALUE TO A REQUIRED MINIMUM INVESTMENT. IT'S DIFFICULT WHEN WE'RE NEGOTIATING WITH CLIENTS WHO ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH THEIR PROJECT PARAMETERS TO COME UP WITH A TAXABLE VALUE, BUT THEY STILL NEED TO PROVE THAT THEY'VE DONE THE WORK THEY'RE GOING TO DO. SO THE COMMITMENTS NOW CHANGED FROM PROVING THAT IT'S A TAXABLE VALUE TO JUST SIMPLY SAYING THEY INVESTED IT, THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT WILL WILL APPRAISE IT HOWEVER THEY WANT TO APPRAISE IT, WHATEVER THAT VALUE IS. BUT WE'RE CHANGING THAT, WHICH MAKES, I THINK, A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR COMPLIANCE AND ESTIMATING THE FUTURE VALUE OF THE PROJECT.
WE'VE ALSO ADDED REQUIREMENTS THAT AN APPLICANT MUST OR PROSPECT MUST FILE THE APPLICATION FOR AN ABATEMENT OR INCENTIVE AFTER RECEIVING A PROPOSED TERM SHEET, WHICH COMES TO THE COMMISSIONERS FOR APPROVAL. WE'VE PUT A TERM ON THAT. IF YOU DON'T DO IT WITHIN 30 DAYS, IT STARTS OVER. EVERYTHING STARTS OVER. WE'VE HAD SO MANY PROJECTS LANGUISH FOR MONTHS, SO WE TIGHTEN THAT UP. AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SIGNING AGREEMENTS FROM A CURRENT USER OWNER TO ANOTHER ONE. THE APPLICATION ALSO REQUIRES A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLYING COMPANY FORMATION DOCUMENTS, OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OUTSTANDING TAXES, ANY ONGOING LITIGATION, ETC. HAS TO BE HAS TO BE DISCLOSED IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS. NOW, WE'RE ALSO GETTING A LOT MORE DETAIL
[00:15:01]
ABOUT THE OWNERSHIP AS A WAY TO TRY AND ENSURE THAT WE WE SUPPORT THE PROPER COMPANIES COMING IN. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A POLICY ABOUT NOT SUPPORTING COMPANIES FROM COMMUNIST COUNTRIES, AND TRYING TO FERRET THAT OUT NOWADAYS IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH INFORMATION UP TOP AND WORK WITH AS MANY INDUSTRIES. I MEAN, RESOURCES WITHIN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TRY TO HELP US ASCERTAIN THOSE THINGS. WE NOW HAVE SPECIFIC, DOCUMENTED SOURCES THAT WE'RE GOING TO USE TO DETERMINE WHETHER WE BELIEVE A COUNTRY HAS POOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THAT WOULD BE A COUNTRY THAT WE WOULD NOT SUPPORT.SHE'S ADDED A COMPLIANCE FORM. THAT'S ALSO THAT WE HAVE OUR INTERNAL COMPLIANCE FORM THAT'S BEEN ADDED TO IT, IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT HAS TO USE TO DO COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE. WE ALSO CLARIFIED PROJECT TYPES, MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT CURRENT AND SUPPORT OF CURRENT AND FORMER MILITARY. WE HAVE IN OUR PROVISIONS RIGHT NOW THAT THEY CAN QUALIFY AT A LOT LOWER THRESHOLD OF INVESTMENT THAN A NORMAL, IF I CAN SAY IT THAT WAY, OTHER NONMILITARY BUSINESS AND WE ARE ALSO REQUIRING THE CITIES TO DO THEIR PRELIMINARY ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS FOR ANY PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY.
SO WE DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE. THAT'S IT. THIS HAS BEEN A PRETTY DECENT MAKEOVER. I THINK IT'S REALLY PUT US IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE FOR MOVING FORWARD.
GOTCHA. AND THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT. SO IF THERE'S ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC WANT TO MAKE COMMENT OR FEEDBACK. HEARING NONE. IT IS 917. THE PUBLIC COMMENT IS CLOSED. THAT WILL BRING US TO THE ACTUAL RESOLUTION NUMBER 43 TO HAVE A MOTION. MOTION A MOTION. SECOND, TO DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION. TO ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TAX ABATEMENT AGREEMENT AND APPROVE THE WALLER COUNTY TAX ABATEMENT GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. GLAD THAT YOU'VE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GOTTEN INTO IT AND INVESTIGATE MORE MORE THAN JUST THE FINANCIAL SIDE, THE COMPANY THAT'S COMING IN, YOU HAVE QUALIFYING COMPANIES IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT. LAUREN DID A GREAT JOB FINDING THE WEBSITES AND STUFF THAT WE COULD USE TO ACTUALLY PUT A CLEAT IN THE GROUND THAT SAYS, IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE ON THIS LIST, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH YOU. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY SHOUT OUT TO LAUREN FOR PROVIDING US WITH A SYNOPSIS, VERY DETAIL ORIENTED. SO APPRECIATE IT. VERY GOOD HEARING. NO OTHER DISCUSSION. ALL IN FAVOR OF 43, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. ANY OPPOSED IT? 43 IS APPROVED. THANK YOU VINCE, THAT WILL BRING US TO NUMBER 44
[COUNTY ENGINEER]
IS GOING TO BE A PUBLIC HEARING ON PETERSON ROAD BUSINESS PARK, THE SECOND REPLAT. THE AMENDMENT WILL CREATE FIVE COMMERCIAL RESERVES BY OWNER IU HERITAGE LP. IT IS 918 AND THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPEN. SIR. MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. YEAH, THIS IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, BUT THIS IS THIS WILL BE A REPLAT TO DIVIDE THIS INTO FIVE COMMERCIAL RESERVES. I DO WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THE LOCATION OF THIS. SO JUST TO THE WEST IS SHURTLEFF ROAD ADJACENT TO THAT. THAT WILL BE ONE OF OUR ROAD BOND PROJECTS. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, AT THIS POINT IT'S JUST A PUBLIC HEARING. THERE'S NO ACTION ITEMS THIS WEEK, BUT HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ANY. SO THIS WON'T AFFECT OUR OUR ROAD EXPANSION IN THE FUTURE. SIR, IT'S GOT 100 FOOT RIGHT OF WAY TO THE WEST AND ACTUALLY DON'T COMMENT ALLOWS US TO. SIR, I SAID BY THEM COMING. EVEN IF IT DID, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO RESERVE THAT RIGHT AWAY. RIGHT. ACCESS TO THESE WOULD BE THROUGH AN INTERNAL ACCESS DRIVE, AND ONE DRIVE WOULDN'T BE COUNTY MAINTENANCE ON THAT ON THAT ROAD. SEE, WE'RE ON A SLIP ROAD.IT IS. SO JUST TO THE NORTH OF 90. OKAY. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE BELOW GRANGE. RIGHT BELOW WHAT? GRANGE. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. SOUTH OF GRANGE B. JUST JUST NORTH OF. ESPECIALLY WITH THE OLD WEATHERFORD PLANT. WAS THERE ON 90. YEAH, THAT WAS WEATHERFORD RIGHT THERE BY.
WHAT'S THE YOU GREW UP DOWN THERE? IT'S RIGHT THERE NEXT TO THAT CHRIST CLINIC BUSINESS PARK. YEP. YES, SIR. GOTCHA. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE COMMENT FROM THE PUBLIC? MY ONLY COMMENT IS, ROSS, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY DUCK HUNTING WITH COMMISSIONER BECKENDORFF WHEN HE WAS A KID. I KNOW, LOTS OF FUN. ALL RIGHT. IT IS 920 IN THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CLOSED. THAT WILL BRING US TO 45. MOTION. SECOND MOTION, SECOND NUMBER 45 I FORGOT I DON'T HAVE TO READ THEM ALL. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE ON THE THE REPLAT OF WATERFORD RUN AND PRECINCT TWO. COMMISSIONER, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS I DON'T OKAY. ALL RIGHT. HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
[DISTRICT ATTORNEY]
[00:20:04]
OPPOSE 45 IS APPROVED. THANK YOU. ROSS. THAT'LL BRING US TO NUMBER 46, 47 OR 4646. MOTION.SECOND. MOTION. SECOND FOR 46. THAT'S GOING TO BE A PAID INTERNSHIP AT THE DA'S OFFICE.
MORNING, COMMISSIONERS. HOW ARE YOU ALL? NUMBER 46 IS ABOUT CREATING A PAID INTERNSHIP AT THE DA'S OFFICE. THIS WILL BE PAID ENTIRELY FROM DA DISCRETIONARY FUNDS, NOT FROM COUNTY FUNDS. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY IMPACT FOR Y'ALL OR FOR THE TREASURER'S OFFICE.
THEN WE MIGHT PAY THEM THROUGH THE TREASURER'S OFFICE, BUT I'LL BE CUTTING A CHECK TO THE TREASURER TO COVER IT. THE IDEA IS TO BRING IN SECOND AND THIRD YEAR LAW STUDENTS TO WORK IN OUR OFFICE, HELP, YOU KNOW, INCREASE THE INTEREST AND AND PROSECUTION, WHICH IS SEVERELY DIMINISHED IN NEW LAW STUDENTS COMING OUT OF LAW SCHOOL. IT'S VERY HARD TO GET PEOPLE INTERESTED IN BEING PROSECUTORS THESE DAYS. IT'S NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS WHEN I CAME OUT WHEN EVERYBODY WANTED TO BE A PROSECUTOR, TO GET TRIAL EXPERIENCE. THAT'S NOT THE WAY THEY SEE THINGS ANYMORE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO INCREASE THE INTEREST IN PROSECUTION SO WE GET BETTER CANDIDATES WHEN IT COMES TIME TO HIRE. SO HOPEFULLY, HOPEFULLY THEY THEY LIKE IT AND WANT TO STAY FOR A LONG TIME. RIGHT. ARE YOU WORKING WITH ANY SPECIFIC SCHOOLS? MAINLY U OF H AND SOUTH TEXAS, JUST BECAUSE THEIR PROXIMITY AND I'M HOPING TO ALSO GET STUDENTS DURING SCHOOL, NOT JUST DURING THE SUMMER SESSIONS. I MEAN, WE'LL OPEN IT MORE IN THE SUMMER TO OTHER SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT TEXAS. BUT THE IDEA MAINLY IS TO FOCUS ON THOSE TWO SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEIR PROXIMITY VERY GOOD. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR JOHN? SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD IDEA TO ME BECAUSE IT IT ALSO MAKES THAT PERSON MORE VALUABLE WHEN THEY BECOME FULL TIME EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCAL AREA THAT THEY HAVE, AND THE REAL BENEFIT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE THIRD YEARS UNDER TEXAS LAW, THEY CAN GET A TEMPORARY LICENSE TO PRACTICE SO WE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE THEM WORKING ALONGSIDE ADAS ON MISDEMEANOR CASES. AND THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, LEARN BY DOING. OKAY. SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HOPE TO BE A SUCCESS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. NONE OPPOSED. 46 CARRIES. THAT WILL BRING US TO 47 MOTION.
[GRANT MANAGER]
SECOND. MOTION. AND SECOND. NUMBER 47. COMMISSIONER JIMMY. OH, BROOKE. GOOD MORNING.COMMISSIONERS. COMMISSIONER JONES, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS UP AND DISCUSS THIS TODAY, OR WOULD YOU PREFER TO DEFER IT UNTIL THE NEXT ONE OR LATER DOWN THE ROAD? WE HAD $50,000 GRANT THAT CAME FROM SETH. WE ALSO PARTNERED UP AND WELL SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION WITH $12,000 GOING TO MISS TANYA FOR A SEPTIC SCHOLARSHIP KIND OF DEAL. AND THEN WE HAD, I WANT TO SAY 8000 FOR SENIORS BUS KIND OF SET UP DEAL. AND THEN I WANT TO SAY 30,000 FOR AN INITIATIVE PARK DEAL. WALLER COUNTY GO GREEN. TWO OF THOSE INITIATIVES, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET ANY TRACTION. I THINK WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT WALLER COUNTY GO GREEN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WAS READY OR IN A PREDICAMENT TO BE ABLE TO DO SO.
I KNOW THAT PROBABLY OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WE'LL PROBABLY PICK UP PARKS AGAIN PRETTY STRONGLY, BEING THAT WE HAVE SOME LAND THAT IS COMING ON BOARD. AND THEN WITH THE $8,000, WE RAN INTO AN ISSUE AS FAR AS, YEAH, IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU TO NECESSARILY HAVE A BUS TO BE ABLE TO TRANSPORT SENIORS, BUT DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF RED LINE PAPERWORK AS FAR AS INSURANCE, HOW YOU PAY YOUR DRIVER, AND ALL THOSE KIND OF DIFFERENT THINGS IN WHICH I HAVEN'T DONE ENOUGH HOMEWORK TO BE ABLE TO THE TO COME BACK TO THE COURT ON THAT INITIATIVE.
SO I DID SHARE EMAIL WITH BROOKE. AS FAR AS WE HAVE OUR WALLER COUNTY SEAT SEASON CITIZENS, IN WHICH SOME OF THAT MONEY WAS ALREADY GOING TO INITIATIVE TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SENIORS. SO I WAS LIKE, HEY, MAYBE IN PRECINCT FOUR, THEY HAVE A DEAL THAT BASICALLY BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND HARRIS COUNTY. SO I LIKE TO DO SOME HOMEWORK ON ON THOSE INITIATIVES AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO YOU ALL. BUT THE MONEY IS ALREADY THERE FROM FROM I DON'T KNOW I KNOW WE HAVE A DEAL WORKED OUT GOING BACK TO YOUR YOUR THE BUS IDEA WITH COLORADO COUNTY, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DO OUR OWN. COULD WE
[00:25:06]
ALLOCATE SOME OF THAT TO WHERE MAYBE THEY INCREASE THEIR ROUTES IN WALLER COUNTY? THAT MIGHT BE. I DON'T KNOW IF THE GRANT WOULD ALLOW US TO TO USE THAT TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION, BUT IT'S JUST A THOUGHT BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE THE BUSSES, THE TRANSPORTATION. BUT IF WE COULD GIVE THEM A PORTION OF THAT TO INCREASE THEIR PRESENCE, OR BECAUSE MAYBE THEY THEY'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR REGULAR ROUTE. CORRECT. WE ALSO HAVE A DEAL WHERE THEY, YOU KNOW, IF A SENIOR NEEDS TO GO TO THE DOCTOR, THEY YOU CAN CALL AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT AND THEY'LL COME OUT. I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN IMPROVE ON THAT OR MAYBE INCREASE THE THE ROUTE.SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. YEAH, POTENTIALLY. I KNOW IT'S A VERY FLEXIBLE GRANT PROGRAM. SO I WOULD DEFER TO THE COURT AS TO WHAT Y'ALL WOULD WANT TO DO. THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD PROBABLY RECOMMEND IS IF WE DID DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, JUST AN INTERLOCAL OR AN MOU, JUST SO THAT THERE ARE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE. I THINK WE ALREADY HAVE ONE BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY GIVEN. WE ALREADY HAVE AN MOU WITH COLORADO AND WE ALREADY GIVE THEM, I DON'T KNOW, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT YEAH, WE GIVE THEM ABOUT TEN EVERY YEAR, 10 TO 15,000. YEAH. SO MAYBE WE COULD JUST INCREASE THAT WITH PART OF THIS. BUT I MEAN COMMISSIONER I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE I MEAN IF WE INCREASE COLORADO COUNTY JUST IT'S A ONE TIME DEAL BECAUSE WE GOT 50,000. RIGHT. SO THEN WE WOULD WE WOULD NEED THE COURT WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER AFTER WE SPENT THAT MONEY IF WE WANTED TO KEEP IT THERE OR BRING IT DOWN. SO SO THAT'S WHY I SAID I WANTED TO DO SOME HOMEWORK, BECAUSE WHATEVER WE DO, LIKE THE SEPTIC DEAL, THEY KNEW THAT THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING. IT'S LIKE, HEY, YOU CAN'T JUST COME AND ASK FOR HELP ON YOUR SEPTIC DEAL FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. WELL, WE'VE BEEN WE'VE BEEN HAVING THE MONEY FOR, I WANT TO SAY, SINCE 2022. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. IS THERE A TIME FRAME THAT, HEY, YOU KNOW, OKAY. NO KNOWLEDGE? NO. OKAY. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. DID WE HAVE A MOTION? NO. WELL, YEAH, BUT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ANY PROJECTS, SO I WITHDRAW MY MOTION. MOTION NUMBER 47 WILL BE WITHDRAWN. COMMISSIONER. IN MORE DETAIL. YES, SIR. I'LL KEEP IN CONTACT WITH YOU, SIR.
[FIRE MARSHAL]
THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NUMBER 48 IS GOING TO BE DISCUSSION ON THE BURN BAN FOR WE HAVE A MOTION. WE'LL LET OUR FIRE MARSHAL GIVE US AN UPDATE. BUT UNLESS IT'S BEEN RAINING EVERYWHERE, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY THAT THE MIST HELP DAMP THE GROUND. JUST ENOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO BURN. YEAH, I'M TRYING TO WORK THIS THING OUT HERE. THIS IS PRETTY. YEAH, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S WORKING. ALRIGHT, SO THE GRAPHICS THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, JUST A DESCRIPTION TO THE COURT. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. WHAT WE HAVE IS FROM THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE. YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST TWO ON THE RIGHT. YOU LOOK THAT ARE CBDE CBDC VALUE IS BETWEEN OUR LOW IS 590, OUR HIGH IS 685 AND OUR AVERAGE IS 630. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT CONTINUES TO REMAIN HIGH. THE THIRD GRAPHIC IS OTHER COUNTIES THAT ARE IN A BURN BAN. YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE REMAINING IN THE BURN BAN. ALSO THE FOURTH GRAPHIC IS SHOWS THAT WE'RE STILL IN SEVERE DROUGHT. AGAIN YOU SEE THE KBD INDEX. AND THEN ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE STILL PRETTY BUSY AS WELL. IT LOOKS LIKE OUR RECOMMENDATION GONE DOWN. SO IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GET THE THE WORD OUT THAT WE CAN'T BURN. MAYBE IT'S GETTING BETTER. THE STATS ARE PROBABLY LOWER BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GIVING YOU TWO WEEK STATS. OKAY, I'M GIVING YOU ONE WEEK STATS. VERY GOOD. SO YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO KEEP THE BURN BAN ON, CORRECT? YES, SIR.ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT I THINK IT'S PRETTY. PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY. YEAH. WELL CROSS YOUR FINGERS. WE GOT A CHANCE OF RAIN THIS WEEKEND, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE QUITE A BIT. THAT WORK TO GET. TO ASK YOUR HELP. I BELIEVE THAT'S ANOTHER. OH, I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT WITHOUT IT BEING APPROVED BY THE COURT. I REMEMBER IN THE PAST WE HAD APPROVED FOR YOU TO DO THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A ONE TIME THING. IT HAS TO BE ON RAIN BECAUSE WE SAW RAIN COMING. IS WHAT DECEMBER FROM NOW? YEAH, WE MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER THAT IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO DO IT. YEAH. BUT I THINK IT HAS TO BE ON THE AGENDA. IT WOULD HAVE TO BE ON THIS AGENDA TO DO THAT. SO AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE'RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT THREE WEEKS. MORE THAN THREE WEEKS.
BRING THE GRASS BACK. Y'ALL CAN TAKE ACTION ON THAT IF YOU WANT TO. THERE'S ENOUGH LEEWAY ON THE WORDING. IF YOU WANT TO DELEGATE THAT FOR THIS BURN BAN, YOU CAN DO THAT. GOOD SUGGESTION IS THAT WE CONSIDER DOING THAT. IS THAT A MOTION? SO MOVED MOTION. SECOND TO ALLOW THE FIRE MARSHAL AT HIS DISCRETION, TO LIFT THE BURN, BAN THIS PARTICULAR BURN ON
[00:30:06]
THIS BURN BAN. CORRECT. SECOND MOTION SECOND. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OPPOSED? 48 IS APPROVED. THANK YOU. MARSHAL. NOW WE'RE ALL[TREASURER]
GOING TO JUST SAY WE'LL TALK TO THE FIRE MARSHAL. THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. SO ON WE COULD DO A MOTION FOR 49 THROUGH 52. THERE IS ONE CORRECTION ON 52. THAT DATE NEEDS TO BE DECEMBER THE 7TH OF 2025, NOT NOVEMBER. AMENDED MOTION. SECOND, HAVE A MOTION SECOND TO APPROVE 49 THROUGH 52. JOAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON ANY OF THESE? YES, SIR. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CHANGES I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF ON OUR AUTO LIABILITY AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE POLICIES.THEY HAVE INCREASED THE DEDUCTIBLE, AND THAT IS A DIRECT RESULT OF OUR INCREASE IN CLAIMS FOR AUTO AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE. OKAY, LIABILITY AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE. SO NOW THE DEDUCTIBLE FOR LIABILITY WILL BE 1000. AND THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE DEDUCTIBLE WILL GO FROM 1000 TO 2500. OKAY. WHAT WAS IT? YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS IT BEFORE THIS CHANGES LIABILITY. THERE WAS NO DEDUCTIBLE. AND NOW IT'S 1000. AND FOR PHYSICAL DAMAGE, THERE WAS A $1,000 DEDUCTIBLE.
AND NOW IT'S 2500. SO THAT COULD AFFECT BUDGETS IF DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF CLAIMS THAT THEY HAVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. OKAY. EVERYTHING'S GOING UP. WHERE ARE THE OCCURRENCES HAPPENING. WHICH WHICH DEPARTMENTS? NATURALLY IN THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE THE MOST EMPLOYEES. SO IT'S IT'S TYPICALLY ROAD AND BRIDGE AND THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT. AND THIS INVOLVES COUNTY OWNED VEHICLES THAT ARE IN ACCIDENTS. YES. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 294 VEHICLES ON LIABILITY COVERAGE AND 256 ON PHYSICAL DAMAGE. THAT'S TEACHING DRIVER'S ED WHERE YOU GET A CAR. WELL, I MEAN, JUST THE NATURE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, THOUGH. I MEAN, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE ISSUES. SO I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT. WELL, I'M GUESSING THOSE BIG SUBURBANS AREN'T REAL CHEAP DEPENDING ON THE DAMAGE. SO. OKAY, ANYTHING ELSE ON ANY OF THAT? JOE, CAN YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME? 80. THAT'S GOING TO TAKE ME A MINUTE. YOU'LL GET YOUR TEN YEAR HABIT. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON 49 THROUGH 52 HEARING NONE. ALL IN
[DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES]
FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OPPOSED? THOSE ARE APPROVED. THAT BRINGS TO 53 MOTION.SECOND MOTION, SECOND ON 53. GOING TO BE ON THE THIRD FLOOR EXPANSION. ELKO HERE AND DANNY ROTH. COMMISSIONERS WE'RE STILL LEARNING THE TECHNOLOGY HERE. WE'LL GET THE PRESENTATION UP.
WE ARE HERE THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS THE FINISH OUT OF THE THIRD FLOOR. AND I WANT TO MAKE A FEW QUICK COMMENTS ON IT BEFORE I TURN THIS OVER TO RUSS. FOR STARTERS, I WANT TO THANK VFW AND RYAN MCLEMORE BACK HERE AND HIS TEAM. WE'VE PROBABLY MET 25 TIMES ON THIS BUILDING.
PROBABLY I'M ON THIS FLOOR, CHANGED IT 30 TIMES, MET WITH JUDGE MATHIS AND JUDGE DUHON AND THE D.A. AND EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED ON THE FLOOR. AND I THINK WE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO CRAM 15 POUNDS IN A 10 POUND BUCKET AND MAKE IT EFFICIENT AND MAKE IT WORK. SO I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE FLOOR PLAN THAT RYAN IS GOING TO PRESENT TO YOU IN A LITTLE BIT. WE ARE SETTING UP THE THIRD FLOOR FOR TWO JUDGES AND THEIR CHAMBERS AND THEIR STAFF AND THE SECURITY FOLKS THAT GO ALONG WITH THEM, THE DEPUTIES AND THE BAILIFFS. WE HAVE A FULL BLOWN COURTROOM ON THE THIRD FLOOR. WE'LL HAVE A FULL BLOWN COURTROOM, THIRD FLOOR THAT HOUSES ABOUT 100 PEOPLE, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A SECONDARY COURTROOM THAT HOUSES ABOUT 20 FOR SMALLER COURT AFFAIRS. AND THEN WE BRING IN OVER THE CIVIL DIVISION OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OVER TO THE THIRD FLOOR AND HOUSING FIVE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S PERSONNEL. THERE WILL BE A SMALL OFFICE THERE FOR LIZ PIRKLE AND A COUPLE OF CLERKS AND SO FORTH. AGAIN, IT'S VERY EFFICIENT, VERY LIKE IT A LOT. I THINK WE WILL BE LOOKING AND HOPEFULLY IF YOU APPROVE THIS TODAY, WE CAN PROBABLY FINISH THIS BY JUNE OR JULY OF NEXT YEAR AND HAVE IT OPERATIONAL.
AND I THINK THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT TO SAY ABOUT IT. I'M GOING TO TURN THIS OVER TO RUSS FOR HIS PRESENTATION. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. CARLOS GARZA. OUR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, IS GOING TO PASS OUT SOME HARD COPIES OF WHAT I'M GOING TO PRESENT. SO YOU CAN HAVE THAT. I'M JOINED TODAY NOT ONLY WITH RYAN MCLEMORE WITH DSW ARCHITECTS, BUT ALSO CLINT MCELWAIN, WHO'S OUR PROJECT MANAGER, WHO WHO BUILT THIS
[00:35:03]
COURTHOUSE, WHICH WE'RE VERY PROUD OF. SO WE WANT TO JUST KIND OF RECAP AND GO THROUGH REAL QUICK THE TIMELINE. I THINK I DEVELOPED A NARRATIVE FOR DANNY THAT I THINK HE PASSED YOUR WAY IN ADVANCE OF THIS PRESENTATION, AND I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS RELATIVE TO THAT. BUT I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF RECAP THE TIMELINE OF EVENTS. BACK IN JULY, THE COURT ISSUED A CHANGE ORDER TO THE COURTHOUSE PROJECT FOR US TO BEGIN THE DESIGN AND THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS TO INCORPORATE THE THIRD FLOOR SHELL AREA INTO SOME NEW COURTROOMS, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY NEED OF THE COUNTY RIGHT NOW WITH THE CURRENT WORKLOAD. AND BS ARCHITECTS WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THOSE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS ON OCTOBER 1ST. ON OCTOBER 28TH, WE SOUGHT TRADE CONTRACTOR PROPOSALS FOR THAT, AND TODAY WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT OUR GMP ON THAT. A COUPLE OF SIDE NOTES THAT RELATIVE TO THAT ONE IS, THE FINISH OUT OF THE THIRD FLOOR IS MORE THAN WE ANTICIPATED WHEN WE TALKED IN JULY, PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL OF FINISHES WE'RE PUTTING IN IT. AND I THINK IT'S IN CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'VE DONE HERE, AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO SERVE THE COUNTY WELL FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. WE DID GET A FAVORABLE RULING FROM TEX-DOT REGARDING THE DETENTION AND RETENTION OF SOME STORM WATER RELATIVE TO THE PARKING LOT, SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE PARKING LOT DONE AND THIS FINISH OUT COLLECTIVELY WELL WITHIN THE BUDGET WE HAD ESTABLISHED FOR BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. SO WHILE THE FINISH OUT IS MORE THE PARKING LOT WAS LESS. IT ALL SEEMS TO BALANCE OUT RIGHT. SO TODAY WE'RE HERE TO PRESENT A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE OF $5,910,000, $333. THAT WOULD BE INCLUSIVE OF THE FINISH OUT, INCLUDING SOFT COSTS FOR FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS AND THE THINGS THAT THE COUNTY WOULD FURNISH OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTRACT TO TO FINISH OUT THE AREA. THAT INCLUDES THE ALTERNATE ONE PARKING, I THINK.IS THERE ANY QUESTION ABOUT WHERE THE PARKING IS GOING IN THE COMMISSIONERS MINDS? I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS IT'S GOING EAST OF THE CHURCH BUILDING IN THAT PARKING LOT AREA. AND SO I'LL LET RYAN KIND OF WALK THROUGH THE DESIGN PIECES AND WE CAN DIG INTO ANY DETAILS REGARDING THIS PRICE AS WE GO A LITTLE FURTHER, SIR. OKAY. SO FOR THE CONTRACT FOR THIS BUILDING, THE ONLY PARKING THAT WAS INCLUDED IS JUST THERE WHERE THE TAX OFFICE IS, RIGHT? YES. SO THIS 448,000 IS FOR ACROSS THE STREET. THAT IS CORRECT. YES. THE PARKING BY THE TAX OFFICE IS CURRENTLY IN CONTRACT. IN FACT, WE'RE GETTING READY TO GEAR UP FOR IT.
THIS WOULD BE ADDITIONAL PARKING TO THAT. THE ADDITIONAL PARKING WAS REQUIRED BECAUSE IT MAY NOT BE NEEDED OR WHAT. PARDON ME. WHY IS IT LABELED AS ALTERNATE? IS THERE A. WELL WE ISOLATED THE PRICE OF IT IN OUR JUST IN THE WAY WE PUT OUR BID TOGETHER, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T SURE WHERE THE DETENTION WOULD GO AND WHETHER IT WOULD GET A LIFE OF ITS OWN. AND WE MAY NEED TO CONSIDER SOMETHING ELSE, AN ALTERNATE IN THE SENSE THAT WE CAN SAY, DON'T DO IT. IT'S JUST IT IS REQUIRED. IT'S REQUIRED ELEMENT OF THE WORK. IT'S ADDITIONAL PARKING, AS REQUIRED BY THE CITY OF HEMPSTEAD TO MEET THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS. WHEN WE FINISHED OUT THE THIRD FLOOR. YES. SO LOUD. THE CITY IS NOT ALLOWING US TO USE THE STREETS IN OUR PARKING COUNT. SO WE REQUIRED, BECAUSE OF THE JURY SELECTION DAY, COULD BE UPWARDS OF 100 CARS. WE'RE REQUIRED TO ADD THIS ADDITIONAL PARKING IN THIS PARKING LOT, QUESTIONING THE NEED FOR IT. I'M JUST ASKING. YEAH, THIS IS AN ALTERNATE TELLS ME. WELL, MAYBE WE DON'T DO THE ALTERNATE, BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE. IT'S REALLY A REQUIRED ELEMENT. IT'S AN ALTERNATE. JUST BECAUSE WE DEVELOPED THE PRICING THAT WAY. YEAH. IT'S GOING TO SAVE US A LOT NOT HAVING. HAVING THE TECH STOCKS. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR ON OFF ON THAT.
YEAH. BECAUSE THAT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT HAVING TO DO DETENTION FOR THAT. SO APPRECIATE IT TAKES UP STEPPING UP ON THAT. ABSOLUTELY RYAN YOU WANT TO WALK THEM THROUGH THE FLOOR PLAN. SURE CAN. SO GOOD TO BE HERE. AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS PLACE IS MUCH NICER THAN JULIO'S. I OKAY. SO THIRD FLOOR RIGHT? RIGHT NOW Y'ALL GOT A SHELF SPACE. THE I GUESS DARKER GRAY OR THAT GREENER COLOR IN THE MIDDLE. THAT WOULD BE YOUR CORE. IT'S ALREADY BUILT OUT TO A CERTAIN LEVEL. SO THAT'S KIND OF OUR STARTING POINT. THE REST OF IT'S A BLANK CANVAS. YOU GOT YOUR BALCONIES THERE IN GREEN TWO. WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE THOSE ALONE. THOSE ARE GOING TO REMAIN. BUT WHAT WE GOT ON THE BASICALLY THE PLAN WEST SIDE IS THE JUDGE'S CHAMBERS. WE GOT SPACE FOR TWO JUDGES AND WE'VE GOT IN THE MIDDLE. YOUR PRIMARY COURTROOM HOLDS ABOUT 100 FOLKS. IT'S GOING TO BE A SPACE KIND OF LIKE THIS, BUT WE'RE TAKING IT AND WE'RE ROTATING IT WHERE THAT'S THE BACKDROP INSTEAD OF THIS. SO IT'S GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF ITS OWN CHARACTER. YOU CAN SEE THE THE DAIS POSITION THERE AND THE LAYOUT IS VERY SIMILAR IF NOT REPLICATES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER AT THE 506,
[00:40:04]
WE DON'T WANT TO REINVENT THE WHEEL. WE DON'T WANT YOUR JUDGES BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN BOTH FACILITIES, HAVING TO LEARN TECHNOLOGIES AND HOW THE SPACE WORKS. WE WANT IT TO WORK THE SAME AND BE A UNIFORM WORKING SYSTEM BETWEEN THE TWO OF THE BUILDINGS. IN THE JURY BOX AREA, WE HAVE A SPACE FOR 14 AND ONE OF THE TURRET THAT WOULD BE THERE. BEHIND THAT MEETING ROOM DOOR, THERE'S A WOULD BE A JURY ROOM WITH SPACE FOR 14. TWO OF THOSE WOULD BE ALTERNATES. AND WE'RE UTILIZING THE FEATURE STAIR HERE AS AS AN EMERGENCY EXIT OR ENTRANCE TO THE REALLY IT WOULD JUST SERVE AS AN EMERGENCY EXIT. IN ADDITION TO THE PRIMARY COURTROOM, WE'RE PROVIDING A REDUCED CAPACITY COURTROOM. IT COULD SERVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS. WE ARE BUILDING IT TO A LEVEL WHERE IT CAN, OVER TIME, BE REPURPOSED OR DEMOLISHED. THE LEVEL OF FINISH IN THAT SPACE WILL BE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE LEVEL OF FINISH THAT IS IN THE MAIN COURTROOM. SO THAT WOULD BE LIKE A MEDIATION SITUATION, OR COULD BE A MEDIATION CASE WHERE IT'S REALLY UNCONTESTED AND A JUDGE NEEDS TO HEAR IT AND PRONOUNCE IT DONE. IT COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. QUICK WEDDINGS. IT MAY EVEN SERVE AS A CHILD TYPE COURT SETTING IN THE FUTURE, BUT YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY WITH HOW THAT REDUCED CAPACITY COURTROOM COULD WORK IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER THERE. WE'VE GOT SOME SPACE FOR THE DA'S OFFICE. WE'VE GOT ABOUT SIX, FIVE OFFICES THERE FOR FOR DA. AND THAT'S REALLY IT FOR THE FLOOR PLAN. BUT AS DANNY MENTIONED, I MEAN, THIS HAS BEEN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, RIGHT? WE'VE GONE BACK AND FORTH MULTIPLE TIMES, MULTIPLE VERSIONS. WE'VE MET WITH JUDGE MATHIS. WE YOU KNOW, WE MET WITH IT AND WE MET WITH THE FACILITIES. AND AGAIN, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL BETWEEN WHAT WAS DONE AT THE 506. WE REALLY WANT TO TRY TO REPLICATE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS SPACE. SO THIS DOES NOT REPLACE THE CURRENT DA SPACE, RIGHT? YOU WOULD STILL MAINTAIN THE OFFICE YOU HAVE. THIS YEAR.AND I HAVE A TECHNICAL QUESTION HERE ON THE LOWER RIGHT HAND SIDE WHERE THEY HAVE THE STAIRWELLS. WHAT ARE THOSE TWO LINES THAT PROJECT OUT FROM THERE REPRESENT? I THINK THOSE ARE JUST GRAPHIC LINES THAT OUR TEAM LEFT ON THERE. I DON'T THINK THEY SERVE ANY PURPOSE.
JUST CURIOUS, BUT GOOD. I, I GUESS JUST I KNOW YOU'VE WORKED WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, BUT I THINK, YEAH, JUDGE MATHIS, YOU'RE OKAY WITH THIS, THIS DESIGN. YES, SIR, I THINK OKAY. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN NAMING THE. CONTRACT AND BUILDERS AND ARCHITECT, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY HAD TO COME UP WITH IS A GREAT USE OF SPACE. I THINK ANYTHING BUT SPACE FOR THE CHIEF OF ALL THE NEIGHBORS. YEAH. IN OUR OWN OFFICE OVER THERE. SO WE'RE WE'RE ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO UPGRADE SOME OF THIS STUFF AND SUPPLEMENT OTHER THINGS THAT WERE NEEDED ON THE OTHER THREE FLOORS ON. THIS THIRD FLOOR. SO AND I AGREE, THE THE SMALL COURT ROOM, THAT WAS MY SUGGESTION. AND THE FIRST FLOOR WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE AND DO THAT NICELY. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO. BUT I REALLY THINK THAT THAT SMALLER IS GOING TO BE MORE OF A MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM. AND ALSO AS WE GROW AND THE COUNTY FINANCES WILL ALLOW THE TO BUILD A LARGER COURT ONLY BUILDING. MY IDEA WAS TO LEAVE THAT WHERE IT WOULD BE LATER CONVERTED TO MORE OFFICES. SO IT WAS MY REQUEST NOT TO HAVE THE SMALLER FORWARD. THE ON SUCH A CUSTOM LEVEL AND ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT WE'RE SETTING THAT UP A LOT. SOME OF THE CASES YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SECOND. PERSON JURY OR SOME PERSON TO QUELL THAT SET ASIDE FOR A SIX PERSON TO HANDLE A SIX PERSON JURY, PLUS THE 30TH BIRTHDAY, IF THE COURT WILL RECALL, YOU BUDGETED FUNDS IN THE 2020 BUDGET FOR THE JUDGES TO HIRE AN. ASSOCIATE. BUT OUR IDEA IS THAT WHOEVER HE OR SHE WILL BE, AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF GOOD OPTIONS FOR THAT, THAT THIS WOULD BE THEIR FOR THEIR PRIMARY COURTROOM. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE COUNTY JUDGE ALSO CURRENTLY TAKES CARE OF ALL THE CONTESTED ISSUES WITH THE PROBATE. COURTS, PROBATE WILL GUARDIANSHIPS THOSE ARE THINGS YOU DON'T NEED A LARGE
[00:45:02]
COURTROOM FOR THAT. SO THIS IS A SMALLER COURTROOM FOR THE COUNTY JUDGE, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE IN THE FUTURE. IF THEY WANT TO CONDUCT PROBATE OR JUVENILE DETENTION HEARINGS, OR EVEN IF ONE OF THE JUSTICES OF THE PEACE NEEDED A PLACE TO HAVE FOR HERE, THIS IS JUST GOING TO BE A MULTI-PURPOSE. OKAY, OKAY. YEAH, OKAY. THERE YOU GO. NO, IT'S ONE OF THOSE SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE. YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT ONCE IT'S STARTED. AND SAME QUESTION TO YOU, SEAN. YOU'VE LOOKED OVER THE OFFICE LAYOUT AND YOU'RE GOOD WITH IT. YES, I THINK IT'S A GOOD SPACE. I, HELEN AND I HAVE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT HOW WE COULD UTILIZE THE THE EXTRA SPACE OF THE COURTROOM, AND I THINK THAT WHAT HE JUST SAID IS EXACTLY RIGHT, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO SMALLER HEARINGS IN THERE. YOU CAN HAVE MISDEMEANOR JURY TRIALS IN THERE, AND YOU DON'T NEED A LOT OF SPACE TO 25 PEOPLE. 20 YEP. SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE BEING EFFICIENT WITH WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT. SO ALL RIGHT GO AHEAD. LET'S JUST TAKE A TAKE A LOOK AT THE LOOK OF THIS THING. SO WE GOT SOME RENDERINGS HERE.SO YOU KNOW FOR THE LOOK OF IT. YOU KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE ESTABLISHED SUCH A NICE LEVEL OF FINISH WITH THIS BUILDING. AND SO IT WAS KIND OF A BALANCE BETWEEN BUDGET AND REALLY HONORING WHAT WE'VE DONE AT THIS BUILDING. YOU KNOW, THE GOAL WAS WE DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE GLAMOR OF THIS COMMISSIONER COURT. WE REALLY KIND OF WANTED TO TREAT THIS COURTROOM AS MAYBE LIKE THE BABY BROTHER, WHERE IT STILL HAS SOME OF THE SAME FEATURES AND LOOK AND FEEL, BUT MAYBE HAS A CHARACTER OF ITS OWN. AND SO, I MEAN, RIGHT OFF THE BAT, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE GREENS HERE. SO WE SAID, OKAY, WELL WHAT IF THIS WAS BLUE. SO WE INTRODUCED A BLUE COMPONENT TO AGAIN GIVE IT ITS OWN IDENTITY. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THIS WONDERFUL STAINED GLASS CEILING HERE. WE SAID, OKAY, WELL WHAT IF WE BROUGHT IN, YOU KNOW, THAT AS AN ELEMENT TO THE BACKDROP. AND SO WE HAVE, WE'VE WE'VE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE LITTLE BROTHER. IT IS JUST AN ELEMENT ACROSS THE TOP. AND I THINK KIND OF THE IDEA OF THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANTED TO KIND OF DO A NOD TO, YOU KNOW, THE FARMERS AROUND HERE AND THAT THE STAINED GLASS WOULD KIND OF TAKE ON THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE DIFFERENT CROPS THAT ARE GROWN IN THE REGION. AT LEAST THAT'S THE STARTING POINT OF THE CONCEPT. WE'RE STILL DEVELOPING THAT IDEA. THE YOU CAN SEE IN THE BEHIND THE DAIS, THE BACKDROP TO THE JUDGE. WE'RE TRYING TO BRING THIS STONE BACK INTO THE EQUATION. I UNDERSTAND DANNY'S GOT ABOUT TEN LEAVES STILL SITTING IN STORAGE. WE WANTED TO USE ALL OF THEM. DANNY WOULDN'T LET US DO THAT. SO WE USED ENOUGH TO JUST CREATE A BACKDROP WITH THE COUNTY SEAL BEHIND THE JUDGE. THERE A LOT OF WOOD TONE WOOD FINISH THROUGHOUT. NICE WOOD WAINSCOT, BUT SAME LEVEL OF DETAIL. THE CEILING. YOU KNOW, WE HAD A MUCH GRANDER VERSION OF THE CEILING. WE'VE REDUCED IT SLIGHTLY AND INTRODUCED MORE ACOUSTICAL CEILING PANEL AND THAT JUST THAT HELPS WITH THE BUDGET, BUT ALSO HELPS WITH THE ACOUSTICS. AND AGAIN, IT GIVES IT JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT LOOK THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN HERE. WHAT IS THE HEIGHT OF THAT CEILING. HEIGHT OF THAT CEILING IS ROUGHLY 12FT. UP ROUGHLY 12FT. SO THAT THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 506 AND WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. THE 506 HAS A MUCH TALLER CEILING. AND SO THE CHALLENGE YOU HAVE WITH THAT IS WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL YOUR ITAV STUFF WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE CEILING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LARGE SCREENS? SO WE WE DID HAVE TO WORK AROUND THAT. AND THAT WAS KIND OF THE CHALLENGE FROM THE STANDPOINT. JUST A DIFFERENT LOOK HERE FROM THE FROM THE SIDE. BUT AGAIN YOU CAN SEE THE BLUE TONES, YOU KNOW, AGAIN THE BACKDROP TO THE TO THE DAIS THERE. AND. AND JUST LOOKING STRAIGHT ON HERE. THE IDEA TOO IS WITH THESE CLEAR STORY LIGHTS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO BLOCK THIS LIGHT, BUT WE'RE LETTING THAT NATURAL LIGHT COME THROUGH AND REALLY ILLUMINATE THAT STAINED GLASS, SIMILAR TO THE EFFECT THAT YOU HAVE HERE IN YOUR CEILING. AND THEN HERE'S, YOU KNOW, FROM THE JUDGE'S BENCH POSITION, LOOKING BACK. AND AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE ACOUSTICAL TREATMENTS ON THE BACK WALL. SO THE ACOUSTICAL FUNCTION OF THE SPACE WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU HAVE NOW. AND THEN.
YOU KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT REDUCED CAPACITY COURT. RIGHT. SO THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LEVEL OF FINISH BETWEEN THE TWO. THIS IS A MUCH SMALLER COURT. BUT YOU CAN SEE WE'VE WE'VE DOWNPLAYED IT RIGHT. IT STILL FUNCTIONS. WE STILL HAVE AN ELEVATED DAIS POSITION.
YOU KNOW WE STILL HAVE THE WELL AND THE AUDIENCE SEATING BUT BUT A MUCH SMALLER
[00:50:04]
CONFIGURATION. AND AGAIN IT CAN BE REPURPOSED TO MULTIPLE THINGS. IT THE STRATEGY IS NOT TO BUILD IT OUT TO THIS LEVEL. YOU CAN SEE EVEN THE CEILING ITSELF IS MUCH SIMPLER. AND THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY BY DESIGN. AND THAT'S REALLY IT. I MEAN, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU GUYS A RUNDOWN OF LIKE THE PRIMARY SPACE SO THAT YOU CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE MAIN COURTROOM. THE REST OF THE OFFICE SPACES ARE GOING TO BE VERY MUCH WHAT YOU HAVE HERE.ACTUALLY, THAT'S EXACTLY HOW WE DIRECTED THE BUDGETING PROCESS, WAS THAT WE'RE USING THE SAME TYPES OF FINISHES. IT'LL BE THE SAME LOOK AND FINISHES AS THE OTHER FLOORS. AND SO AGAIN, TRYING TO REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WHAT YOU HAVE NOW. AND SO THIS PRICE IS THE ALL IN.
THAT'S FURNITURE. YOU KNOW. AND IT'S READY TO MOVE IN. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY OTHER COST.
SOFT COST IS BUILT INTO THIS PROJECT FOR THE FURNITURE AND SO FORTH. OKAY. WE CAN DIG A LITTLE DEEPER IF YOU WANT TO DO EVERY LINE ITEM WITHIN THE BUDGET, BUT THAT'S AT THE COURT'S DISCRETION. I MEAN, I WANT TO COME BACK. OH, WE NEED ANOTHER MILLION FOR SOMETHING.
YOU KNOW, BENCHES MAKE SURE THAT'S THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IT MIGHT CHANGE A TINY BIT, BUT AS LONG AS THERE'S NO DRASTIC COST. AND SO THEN I GUESS THE OTHER QUESTION IS, IS, WELL, I KNOW WE HAD BUDGETED FOR A LITTLE BIT LESS. ARE WE STILL GOOD ON OUR, OUR OUR BUDGET? WELL, IF THE COURT REMEMBERS WE ISSUED TAX NOTES THIS YEAR AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE DID THAT WAS IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS COMING TO FRUITION AT THE TIME. AND WE WE SET ASIDE WHEN WE ESTIMATED HOW MUCH TO BORROW, 5 MILLION WAS, I BELIEVE, WAS WHAT WE ISSUED, WHAT WE HAD FOR THE COURTROOM, THE THIRD FLOOR. SO IF YOU IF YOU IT'S I THINK IT'S 5.9. WE'VE GOT THAT PLUS WE'VE GOT SOME SAVINGS THAT THAT I THINK EVERYBODY SPOKE ABOUT. IS THAT RIGHT. SOMETHING NEW. IT'S NOT BEEN ON THE AGENDA, BUT WE WE ANTICIPATE BRINGING A CHANGE ORDER THAT WE WILL PROVIDE ABOUT $1 MILLION OF COMMITTED COST SAVINGS TO THE COUNTY RELATIVE TO THE DESIGN OF THE JUDICIAL TOWERS AND THE MAINTENANCE. WE'VE COMPLETED ALL THE DESIGN WE'RE GOING TO DO THERE UNTIL THE COURT SAYS, GO BUILD IT, AND THEY AUTHORIZE US TO DO THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. SO THERE'S SOME SAVINGS IN WHAT YOU HAVE AUTHORIZED THAT WE INTEND TO BRING BACK. AND AND THERE WILL BE SOME SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PROJECT. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL FILL THAT GAP BETWEEN THE FIVE AND AND THE THAT'S THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY MIKE AND I HAVE BEEN APPROACHING IT. GOTCHA. SO I WOULD SAY SET ASIDE FOR WE SET ASIDE FIVE. OKAY. BUT TO PAY FOR THE REST OF IT, THE THE COURT COULD UTILIZE THIS, YOU KNOW, THE SAVINGS WE COULD WE WOULD WE WOULD FIND THE MONEY AND CAPITAL OUTLAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT FROM NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. BUT IF WE COULD UTILIZE THE SAVINGS, THAT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S UP TO YOU. SAVINGS IN FROM THE SENSE THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING IT. THAT'S CORRECT. IT'S IT'S A REDUCTION OF COMMITTED COST.
YEAH. THAT'S RIGHT. WE'RE EVENTUALLY GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE IT WHEN WE CONTINUE WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO. WELL WHAT WILL THE NEXT STEP OF THOSE. YEAH THE NEXT STEP OF THOSE PROJECTS WOULD BE TO GO TO CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT WE'RE JUST DEFERRING IT UNTIL THE TIME THAT WE NEED THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS, THE SAVINGS OF TOTAL SAVINGS IS SAVINGS OF CASH TO APPLY TOWARDS. WE'RE JUST REALLOCATING THAT. YEAH, I'M JUST CLARIFYING. YEAH. IT'S DEFERRING THE COMMITMENT UNTIL YOU SAY GO ON THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND THEN COME UP WITH THAT MONEY IN THE FUTURE. THE BALANCE IS THERE NOW IS NOT ENOUGH TO DO THAT. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET IT OFF THE COMMITTED AND COST AND RIGHT OKAY. SO YOU KNOW WE'RE WE'RE CERTAINLY INTERESTED. WE WE DID LOOK AT SOME COST SAVINGS IDEAS. QUITE FRANKLY WE DIDN'T THINK THEY MADE ENOUGH OF A MATERIAL IMPACT COST WISE. AND THEY ACTUALLY TOOK AWAY FROM THE DESIGN. SO WE'RE NOT RECOMMENDING, AT LEAST FROM OUR STANDPOINT, THAT WE EVEN ENTERTAIN THOSE. IF THE COURT IS READY TO PROCEED, WE'D LIKE TO GET A CHANGE ORDER EXECUTED TO COMPLETE THE THIRD FLOOR FINISH OUT IN THE PARKING. SO, OKAY. ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? MY MY COMMENT. I KNOW IT'S NOT POPULAR, BUT HEY. WE HEARD A STATEMENT TODAY THAT SAID THIS WILL HELP US GET BY HOPEFULLY FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, WHICH I THINK WE ALL AGREE THAT IT'S NEEDED. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO START THINKING AND RELYING AND START. I'M LOOKING AT YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SAVES US. YOU MIGHT, BUT WE HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AS YOU HAVE BIGGER DOCKETS. AS WE JUST TALKED
[00:55:06]
ABOUT PEOPLE, THE BACKLOG OF OUR COURTS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE LONG TERM AND START HAVING SOME CONVERSATIONS AS FAR AS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE LONG TERM. IF RIGHT NOW THE COUNTY IS NOT OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, AND THE PREDICAMENT TO DO ANYTHING OVER 100 MILLION OR SO FOR US TO POSSIBLY LOOK AND START EVEN HAVING, FINISHING DESIGN DOCUMENTS FOR A POSSIBLE JUSTICE TOWER CENTER, WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT APPETITE LOOKS LIKE AND HOW THE FUTURE MAY LOOK, RATHER THAN SAYING, HEY, WHAT WE DOING TODAY IS VERY GOOD. AND IT IS, IT IS NEEDED. BUT ALSO WE STICK AROUND AND WE WAIT ANOTHER FOUR YEARS KNOWING AND HEARING THAT, HEY, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE US FOR YEARS WITHOUT IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, CREATING A PLAN OR WHAT THE NEXT THING LOOKS LIKE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL HAVE READ OR HEARD WHAT OUR GOVERNOR HAS SAID ABOUT PROPERTY TAXES AND DIFFERENT THINGS OF THAT SUCH, BUT THAT CHANGES HOW A BOND EVEN LOOKS. AS FAR AS A 50 PLUS ONE VOTE TO 66%, HOW DO A GROWING COUNTY LIKE US PUT OURSELVES IN A PREDICAMENT FOR NOT ONLY FOR OUR CITIZENS, OUR EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO OUR JUDGES TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM? AND SO I JUST WANT US TO HAVE THAT IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND THAT, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD THING THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. AND WE JUST HEARD FOUR YEARS. IT TAKES HOW LONG TO BUILD A BUILDING, DENNY? 3 TO 4 YEARS. SO YOU'RE BASICALLY SAYING, EVEN IF WE STARTED TODAY OF WHAT? KNOWING WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE, THAT WE WILL HIT CAPACITY BEFORE EVEN WALKING INTO THAT NEW BUILDING. AND SO JUST WANT US TO START THINKING ABOUT SOME IDEAS AND SOME CREATIVITY OF, OF OF WHAT WE COULD DO, WHAT WE FEEL LIKE WE COULD STOMACH FOR RIGHT NOW. BUT THEN THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT 2027 EVEN LOOKS LIKE WHEN THE STATE LEGISLATION GET TOGETHER IS, IS PRETTY ALARMING, I SHOULD SAY.SO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I HAVE A COMMENT. SOMETHING I LEARNED FROM US.
BEING OVER IN THE ANNEX WAS THAT WHEN THERE'S CONSTRUCTION GOING ON. OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM, IT IMPACTS OUR MEETINGS. WHAT KIND OF STEPS, IF ANY, WILL WE BE TAKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE'RE HOLDING COMMISSIONERS COURT SORRY ABOUT THAT. YOU DON'T HEAR NOISE? WELL, WE DON'T HEAR. YEAH. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE ALREADY DONE IS ALL THE UNDER FLOOR PLUMBING THAT WOULD BE IN THE CEILING OF THE SECOND FLOOR AND ALLEN'S AND AND JONES SPACES. WE'VE TAKEN CARE OF THAT ALREADY BEFORE THEY MOVED. SO I'M NOT SAYING WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO GET INTO ONE OF THEIR CEILINGS FOR SOME REASON, BUT AT LEAST IT'S NOT FOR WEEKS AT A TIME. SO WE'VE DONE THAT. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, ON WEDNESDAY MORNINGS, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS A QUIET DAY ON THE FLOOR. THEY'RE NOT USING A JACKHAMMER OR SOMETHING. WE'LL WE'LL COORDINATE THOSE KIND OF EFFORTS TO KNOW THAT THERE'S CERTAIN DAYS THEY SHOULDN'T BE MAKING NOISE. I CAN'T GUARANTEE THERE WON'T BE NOISE. SOMEBODY DROPS A HAMMER OR SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT WE WILL TRY TO MINIMIZE NOISE. I KNOW ONE OF THE NOISIEST THINGS IS DRYWALL. INSTALLATION. RIGHT? SO THE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE PROVISIONS RIGHT NOW TO WORK EVENINGS OR WEEKENDS BECAUSE THAT IS MORE EXPENSIVE. WE ARE TRYING TO WORK DURING BUSINESS HOURS, BUT WE WILL WE WILL TRY TO WORK HOURS EVERY TWO WEEKS TALKING ABOUT WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO ACCOMMODATE THE COURT WHEN WE'RE DOING THAT, AND I THINK WE'RE PREPARED TO DO THAT. NOT A PROBLEM. BUT IT IS REGULAR HOURS. IT'S WHAT WE BASE THE PROPOSAL ON. OTHERWISE I THINK WE WOULD HAVE SEEN A PRICE INCREASE FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE TO WORK NIGHTS AND EVENINGS AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO GET THIS ONE, TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS AN IMPACT. YES, SIR. AND YOU MIGHT TALK ABOUT MAYBE DOING THAT PARKING LOT EARLY ON.
THAT WAY, IF THERE'S CONSTRUCTION PARKING OUT HERE, WE STILL HAVE THAT OVERFLOW PARKING. SO YOU MIGHT LOOK AT HOW THAT IS GOING TO FALL ON THE TIME FRAME. THAT ONE FINISHED BY APRIL. RIGHT. SO THIS THIS PARKING LOT OVER HERE IN THE PARKING. YES. SO WE'RE GOING TO PARK ACROSS THE STREET FOR CONSTRUCTION PARKING ACROSS BUSINESS 290 AND THE TAX PARKING LOTS FINISHED IN JANUARY. SO JANUARY, EARLY FEBRUARY WILL HAVE THE TAX
[01:00:01]
PARKING LOT AVAILABLE. WE MAY HAVE THIS OTHER PARKING LOT DONE PRETTY QUICKLY THEREAFTER.YOU KNOW, WITH THE APPROVAL OF THIS CHANGE ORDER, WE CAN GET A LOT OF THOSE ACTIVITIES DONE AT THE SAME TIME. SO I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPEDITE THIS PARKING AS WELL. YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S THERE'S NO WAY TO DO THIS WITHOUT HAVING SOME DISRUPTIONS. BUT IF WE CAN MINIMIZE THOSE, THAT'D BE AWESOME. SO YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON NUMBER 53? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. DON'T OPPOSE 53 APPROVED. ALL RIGHT,
[MISCELLANEOUS]
GENTLEMEN, YOU'LL GET THE GREEN LIGHT. GENTLEMEN, TO WORK. ALL RIGHT, NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO DO 54 MOTION, SECOND MOTION, SECOND TO APPROVE AND TAKE ACTION TO APPOINT LYNN SPENCER TO SERVE AS THE PRIMARY REPRESENTATIVE ON THE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION. HAVE WE TALKED TO HER TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE WANTS THIS JOB? WE KNOW SHE REACHED OUT TO US.NOMINATION, SO. OKAY, THAT'LL WORK. ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. OPPOSED. 54 IS APPROVED. WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DISCUSS? WE HAVE NO THINGS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION SO WE CAN WITHDRAW. 55, 56, 57, 58. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING? A MOTION, SECOND TO ADJOURN. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND.
MEETING IS ADJOURNED. WE WILL NOT CHECK THE WEBSITE. WHEN IS COURT CLOSED? NEXT WEEK FOR HOLIDAY SCHEDULE. OKAY, SO THE COURT, THE COURTHOUSE WILL BE CLOSED WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOR THANKSGIVING. I HOPE EVERYBODY ENJOYS THE
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.