* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [1. CALL TO ORDER – 3:30 PM] [00:00:05] GO FIRST. WE'RE GONNA CALL TO ORDER THIS QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE VISIT BERNIE ADVISORY BOARD. PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS 3:30 PM IN THE AFTERNOON AND THAT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN UP FIRST AND FOREMOST TO ANY, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR VISITORS AND GUESTS TO ADDRESS THE ADVISORY BOARD ON ANY ISSUE. UH, THE BOARD MAY NOT DISCUSS WHATEVER ISSUE YOU BRING UP, BUT WE DO WANT TO OPEN IT UP FOR JUST GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS IF THERE ARE ANY TO BE OFFERED AT THIS TIME. I SEE NONE. ALRIGHT. WELL, CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE FOLKS SPEAKING ON THE DIFFERENT, UH, AGENDA ITEMS AND SO THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITY THERE AS WELL FOR BACK AND FORTH. SO I WOULD LIKE FOR US ALL TO COW. WHAT'S THAT? HIS FACE POPPED UP ON THE SCREEN. YOU JUMPED . WOW. [3. MAKE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS OR INTRODUCTIONS] MR. BRAD WILSON, WHO HAS SERVED THIS BOARD AND THIS COMMUNITY APTLY DEEPLY DEEP OF HEART. HE'S BROUGHT HIS WISDOM TO BEFORE THIS BOARD AND FOR THE CITIZENS OF BERNIE AND FOR THE BUSINESSES THAT OPERATE AND HELPING GENERATE THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX AND FOR THE MANY VISITORS THAT HAVE COME HERE. YOU HAVE BEEN HERE HOW MANY YEARS, BRAD? SIX. SIX YEARS. SIX, SIX YEARS. VERY FAST YEARS. YES. AND WE ARE EXTREMELY THANKFUL BOTH AS A BOARD AND AS MEMBERS OF NOT JUST BARNEY, BUT THE GREATER KENDALL COUNTY COMMUNITY FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR SERVICE HEART IN SERVICING THIS, THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST MEETING FOR THE TIME BEING . THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT'S BEEN A SO BRAD WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AND GRATEFUL FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE BOARD AND OUR, UH, VISITOR CENTER IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE LOVE BERNIE AND IT'S JUST, UH, REALLY BEEN A BLESSING FOR US TO GET TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. SO THANK YOU. SO ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHOSE HEARTS YOU HAVE TOUCHED, WHO YOU HAVE SWEATED AND WORRIED FOR AND FOR THE MANY MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY, I WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT TOMMY. THANK YOU. I ONCE SPOKE BEFORE A GROUP OF 500, UH, INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AT AN EVENT I WAS AT AND I ASKED HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SERVED IN AN ELECTED POSITION OR AN APPOINTED POSITION. AND IT WAS SHAMEFUL HOW FEW HANDS WENT UP IN THE ROOM. AND IN TALKING WITH THOSE PEOPLE, IT'S BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEE THE TIME VALUABLE ENOUGH TO PUT THEIR TIME AND ENERGY INTO THE COMMUNITY. AND YOU'VE DONE THAT. THE ORGANIZATIONS WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM TODAY ALSO DO THAT. THEY PUT THEIR TIME AND THEIR HEART AND THEIR SOUL AND ENERGY INTO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO, UH, THIS IS A REALLY, A GREAT PLACE TO BE, A GREAT PLACE TO HELP WITNESS THAT. SO THANK YOU. WITH THAT, I WILL NOTE THAT WE DO HAVE ONE BOARD, RECUSAL TODAY. ROSS WILL BE, UH, ROSS PARTLOW WILL RECUSE HIMSELF WHEN WE TAKE UP THE ITEM NUMBER EIGHT B, THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD. AND SO WHEN WE GET TO CONSIDERATION OF THAT GRANT REQUEST, UM, ROSS WILL BE STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DIOCESE AND INTO THE, UM, INTO THE ROOM. SO, ALRIGHT, APPROVAL OF MINUTES. [4. APPROVE MINUTES] WE HAVE MINUTES THAT WERE PREPARED FROM THE JANUARY 16TH MEETING. WE'VE RECEIVED THOSE. ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS, DELETIONS TO BE OFFERED FOR CONSIDERATION? I HAVE NONE THERE. BEING NONE. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? MOTION TO APPROVE FOR SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THE OPPOSED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'LL NOW TURN THE FLOOR [5. EXPLANATION OF HOT FUND GRANT MEETING PROCEDURE - LARRY WOODS] OVER TO LARRY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ARE, UH, NEXT IS THE EXPLANATION. WE'RE JUST GONNA GO OVER REAL QUICK, THE EXPLANATION OF THE, UH, HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX, UH, LAWS. AND JEANETTE IS VERY, VERY INVOLVED IN THIS ON A STATE LEVEL AND TEACHES IT AND STUDIES IT ALL THE TIME. BUT THIS IS BASICALLY IT. THERE'S A TWO PART TEST FOR EVERY EXPENDITURE OF LOCAL OCCUPANCY, TAX USAGE. NUMBER ONE, FIRST, EVERY HOTEL TAX EXPENDITURE MUST DIRECTLY ENHANCE AND PROMOTE TOURISM AND A CONVENTION AND HOTEL INDUSTRY. NUMBER TWO, EVERY EXPENDITURE OF THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TASK MUST CLEARLY FIT INTO ONE OF THE NINE PROVIDED CATEGORIES FOR EXPENDITURE OF LOCAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. AND ON THE NEXT PAGE YOU WILL SEE THOSE NINE CATEGORIES AND, UH, WON'T GO THROUGH THEM ALL, BUT, UH, YOU'RE PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. AND, UH, WE WILL HAVE COPIES FOR YOU IF YOU WANT. BUT, UH, YOU'VE GOTTA FIT INTO ONE OF THOSE CONVENTION CENTER VISITOR CENTER, WHICH IS CONVENTION REGISTRATION, PROMOTIONS, ADVERTISING, PROMOTION OF THE [00:05:01] ARTS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, SPORTING EVENTS, EXISTING SPORTING FACILITIES, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND SIGNAGE TO GET FOLKS INTO A TOURISM AREA OR A HISTORIC DISTRICT. SO THOSE ARE THE NINE CATEGORIES THAT YOU HAVE TO FIT IN. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? NOPE. OKAY. NO, SIR. WELL DONE. THANK YOU. SO OUR FIRST PRESENTATION [a. Hill Country Mile Rod Run - Josh Mazour] WE'D LIKE TO RECEIVE IS FOR MR. JOSH ZU. JOSH, WHAT'S FOR THE HILL COUNTRY MILE ROD RUN. YEP. HOW'S, HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING? GOOD. IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY. IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK. UM, I DIDN'T, UH, PREPARE TOO MUCH, BUT I JUST WANNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, OUR GOAL AND, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST AND WE LOOK, WHAT WE LOOK FORWARD TO DOING IN THE FUTURE, UM, IS CLEARLY IT'S TURNING INTO SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, MORE FAMILY ORIENTED, WHICH IS THE GOAL FROM THE, FROM THE GET GO. RIGHT? UM, AND WE'VE ALREADY SEEN, AND, AND JUST IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR I THINK WENT VERY, VERY WELL. UH, THE ATTENDANCE WAS GREAT AND WE CLEARLY WANT TO, EVERY YEAR WE WANT TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, POSITIVE SAY, AND I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY THIS YEAR AND THEN THE NEXT YEAR WE'RE NOT GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE VERY END OF MAIN STREET. AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE'LL DO DIFFERENTLY, YOU KNOW, GET MUSIC UP AND DOWN THE ROAD TO MAKE IT MORE ACTIVE SO IT'S NOT SUPER QUIET AND THIS AND THAT. UM, BUT ULTIMATELY I THINK IT WENT VERY WELL THIS LAST YEAR. UH, SOME THINGS THAT WE DID IN THE SQUARE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD DIFFERENT FOOD VENDORS IN THE SQUARE, WHICH I THINK WAS REALLY GOOD. UM, BUT ONE THING THAT WE WANT TO DO, UH, IS CONTINUE TO GROW THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYING IN BERNIE. UM, AND NOT JUST DO THAT ON SATURDAY NIGHT FOR THE FOLKS TO COME OUT ON SATURDAY AND TRY TO HOPE THAT THEY STAY THE NIGHT ON SATURDAY AFTER THE EVENT'S OVER. UM, IT'S FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SO WE LEARNED LAST YEAR WAS WE DID A, UM, A FRIDAY NIGHT EARLY CHECK-IN, UH, IN THE SQUARE. AND WE CLOSED, UH, OLD SAN ANTONIO, SAN ANTONIO. UM, AND WE HAD MUSIC OUT THERE, UH, AND IT WENT REALLY, REALLY WELL. UM, SO WELL THAT I SUSPECT FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, FRIDAY COULD BE JUST AS POPULAR AS SATURDAY. UM, BECAUSE EVERYBODY WANTED TO COME OUT WITH THEIR CAR. YOU COULD PARK IN THE STREET, PARK WHEREVER IT'S FREE, FREE MUSIC, YOU KNOW, BRING A LAWN CHAIR AND LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC. UH, SO THIS YEAR WE HAVE TWO BANDS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. UM, WE'LL HAVE MORE LIGHTS OUT THERE AND MORE SECURITY OUT THERE. UH, AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A HIT. IT'S JUST, IT'S A GREAT USE OF THE SQUARE. UM, AND EVERYBODY LOVES OLD CARS ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. SO, UM, ADDITIONALLY, UH, SUNDAY IS TURNING OUT TO BE A REALLY POPULAR THING AND WHICH WILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STAY ON SATURDAY BECAUSE SUNDAY WE DO OUR, OUR BIG RIDE AROUND THE HILL COUNTRY. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE MAP DETAILS, BUT, UH, IT'S REALLY FUN. IT'S GONE WELL. UH, AND PEOPLE STICK AROUND FOR IT. I WAS, I WAS, I, I DON'T HATE TO SAY SURPRISED, BUT I WAS, UH, THIS LAST YEAR, JUST ALL, YOU KNOW, AT 9:00 AM ALL THE CARS LYING AROUND THE SQUARE. UH, PEOPLE WHO I'VE NEVER MET BEFORE, UH, READY TO GO ON A, A RIDE THROUGHOUT THE HILL COUNTRY. SO WITH CONTINUING TO GROW FRIDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUING TO GROW, UH, SUNDAY AFTERNOON, I ALREADY KNOW THAT SATURDAY IS GOING TO, IS GONNA GROW EXPONENTIALLY. IT JUST, IT IS ITS OWN BEAST NOW. THE SHOW ITSELF IS JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO TAKE OFF AND DO WELL. SO I WANNA BOOKEND THAT SHOW WITH THINGS THAT HELP GET BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, I THINK WE'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. UM, MY FEEDBACK FROM, UH, THE FEEDBACK'S POSITIVE, YOU KNOW, FROM YOUNGER PEOPLE MY AGE, BUT, UH, I'M ALSO REALLY SENSITIVE. I WANNA HEAR WHAT THE OLD GUARD THINKS. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE ROD RUN FOR, YOU KNOW, 30 YEARS, UH, AND THEIR FEEDBACK HAS BEEN GREAT. UM, SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD DO BETTER, UM, FOOD, BUT WE'RE ALREADY ON THAT. UM, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK WE'RE JUST DOING A GOOD JOB AND THINGS ARE GOING REALLY WELL, FORTUNATELY. SO. UM, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? UM, SO OUR, THE FUNDS, YOU KNOW, THE LION'S SHARE OF THE FUNDS GO TO SECURITY, RIGHT? UH, EVERY STREET THAT'S CLOSED NEEDS TWO SECURITY OFFICERS, UH, AT, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE $55 AN HOUR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF STREETS THAT ARE CLOSED, SO THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE MONEY GOES. UM, PORTA-POTTIES OBVIOUSLY, UH, COST US QUITE A BIT. UM, AND THEN ALL THE OTHER ANCILLARY THINGS, BUT, UH, OH, SORRY, ONE MORE THING. I'VE BEEN WORKING IN THE YARD ALL DAY IN THE SUN, SO THAT'S RIGHT. UM, WE WILL SWITCH TO A NONPROFIT THIS NEXT YEAR. NOT THIS BROAD RUN, BUT THE FOLLOWING ONE WHERE THIS MONEY WOULD GO TO HELP. UH, IT'LL BE GOING, UH, 5 0 1 C3. SO, UH, MORE BENEFICIAL TO THE COMMUNITIES AS WELL. THE 2,500 PARTICIPANTS YOU'VE HAD LISTED. UH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO TRY TO SECURE THAT? MAKE SURE YOU AT LEAST IT DOESN'T SHRINK AND HOPEFULLY TO GROW? UH, I THINK IT'S JUST PRESENCE, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, GOING OUT TO CAR SHOWS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT GO OUT TO DIFFERENT CAR SHOWS AROUND THE STATE AND [00:10:01] ARE HANDING OUT FLYERS, MAKING PEOPLE AWARE OF IT. UM, YOU KNOW, I GO TO AUSTIN, GO TO SOME CAR CLUBS EVENTS OUT THERE. UM, BUT THE WORD'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ALREADY, I ALREADY CAN TELL THAT IT'S KIND OF CATCHING ON. SOME PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE A YEAR OR TWO YEARS, UH, OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE CAN DO BEFORE THEY REALLY COMMIT TO IT. UH, BUD NICK WHEELS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO'S FROM BURNING, A GUY WHO LIVES IN CALIFORNIA NOW. UM, AND THEY LIKE WHAT THEY HEAR. SO I THINK, UH, IT'S TURNING INTO AN EVENT THAT PEOPLE WANNA BE PART, THEY DON'T WANNA MISS OUT ON IT, WHICH IS A GOOD PLACE TO BE, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM . HAS EXPANDING THE, UH, YEARS THAT CARS ARE AVAILABLE TO SHOW. HAS THAT HELPED JOHN? YEAH. AND WE'LL EXPAND IT MORE SO THIS YEAR. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER WILL BE YET. I'M, I'M PUSHING FOR 1980 AND BELOW. UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT WAS AT 49 AND BELOW, THEN WE DID 72 AND I THINK WE DID 77 LAST YEAR. BUT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF COOL STUFF UP TO 1980, SO. WELL THAT JUST MAKES PEOPLE FEEL OLD. THANKS, . WELL, I MEAN, I'M STARTING TO FEEL OLD THESE DAYS TOO, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IT'S A GREAT EVENT. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR TAKING AND CHAMPIONING THIS FOR THE COMMUNITY. I MEAN, EVERYBODY LOOKS FORWARD TO THIS. THANK YOU. UH, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, I WANNA DO THIS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. I'VE BEEN GOING TO THIS SHOW FOR FOREVER. UM, SO I DON'T PLAN ON STOPPING, YOU KNOW, JUST WANNA COME BACK, JUST MAKE IT BIGGER AND BIGGER EVERY YEAR, SO I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. WELL, THERE'S, AND THERE'S FEWER AND FEWER OF THAT OLD GUARD THAT HELPS START IT. SO IT'S GOOD THAT YOU STILL STAY IN CONTACT WITH THOSE FOLKS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. GET THEIR FEEDBACK. 'CAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE LEGACY AND BEAUTY OF THE, WELL THAT'S PART OF THE CAR CULTURE TOO, YOU KNOW, LIKE IS FOR CAR PEOPLE. LIKE, I MIGHT AS WELL BE A KID, YOU KNOW, THEY STILL, YOU KNOW, I STILL GOTTA CRACK THE SHELL SOMETIMES FOR CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, BORROW CAR PARTS OR WHATEVER. SO, UH, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE WILLING TO LISTEN . OKAY. WELL IT'S ALSO VERY HELPFUL THAT YOUR, UH, PROJECTED HOT FUNDS, UH, TEND TO GET EXTREMELY CLOSE TO WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU GRANT, WHICH CREATES A SELF LOOKING ICE CREAM CONE, WHICH WE ALWAYS LIKE. YEP. THAT'S NICE. SELF LOOKING ICE CREAM CONE I LIKE, WHICH I LIKE . ALRIGHT, ANYTHING ELSE? ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU GUYS. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANKS, JOSH. [b. Living Church of God - Larry Woods on behalf of Gary Stein] YOU READY? YES, SIR. LET'S MOVE RIGHT ALONG. UH, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD, GARY STEIN, WE'VE HAD THE PLEASURE AND PAUL HAS REFUSING HIMSELF. NEXT SLIDE. TORY, UH, LIVING CHURCH OF GOD, UH, THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AT THIS TIME, THE WEEK THAT THEY COME HERE HAVE, UH, 12 TABERNACLES. THEY MEET ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT'S THEIR PIECE OF TABERNACLES FOR, SO THESE FOLKS THAT COME HERE, THIS IS THEIR VACATION EVERY YEAR. THEY COME HERE FOR 10 OR 11 DAYS. THEY'RE VERY ACTIVE. THEY HAVE SINGLES, MIXERS, KID CORNER DEPARTMENT, HEAD LUNCHEONS, FAMILY DAY PICNICS AT THE PARK, TEEN AND FAMILY BIBLE STUDIES, FAMILY DINNERS AND DANCES, SENIOR LUNCHES. THEY NOT ONLY USE HOTEL ROOMS, BUT THEY USE OUR TOWN. THEY LOVE COMING TO BERNIE, TEXAS. WE STARTED WORKING WITH THEM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THAT'S IT. OKAY. UH, IN 20, UH, 2011 WHEN WE HAD THE COMMUNITY CENTER, AND THEN THEY MET WITH US THERE UNTIL 2015 AND THEY OUTGREW US AND WE, WE WERE HOPING AND KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA GET A NEW HOTEL. AND WHEN THE BABY WAS BEING BUILT, WE HAD THEM. THEY WERE ONE OF THE FIRST FOLKS TO COME LOOK AT THE HOTEL WHEN IT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND SAID, WE'LL BE BACK. THEY CAME BACK IN 2019 THROUGH 2024. UH, THEY WILL NOT BE WITH US THIS YEAR. AND, UH, AND TO NO FAULT OF THE BEVY AND NO FAULT OF OURS, UH, GARY STEIN HAS BEEN IN CHARGE OF PUTTING THIS TOGETHER FOR THE CHURCH FOR ALL THIS PERIOD. AND THE, UH, HEAD OFFICE, UH, BACK IN, I BELIEVE TENNESSEE DECIDED TO PUT SOMEBODY ELSE IN CHARGE. AND HE SAID IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE. THEY'RE GOING WAY UP NORTH TEXAS SOMEWHERE, AND WE ARE ALREADY HEARING THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA LIKE IT. THE NEAREST FOOD STORE'S 15 MILES AWAY AND IT'S KIND OF REMOTE. SO WHEN THEY WERE LEAVING LAST YEAR, I TOLD JEANETTE, I, I CAN'T LET THEM LEAVE WITHOUT TRYING TO GET 'EM BACK. AND I MET WITH GARY STEIN AND HIS WIFE, AND I SAID, WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET YOU BACK? AND HE SAID, WE LOVE THE BEVY, THE LOVE COMING TO BERNIE. WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS OUR HOME. SO I GOT WITH THE BEV, UH, THE BEVY, AND I DON'T QUOTE RATES AND I DON'T NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS, BUT I SAID, IF I CAN GET YOU HOT TECHS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR COSTS, WILL YOU COME BACK? AND HE ACCEPT ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE IT'S GETTING A LITTLE BIT TOUGH FOR SOME OF THESE FOLKS TO COME HERE. SO THEY'RE GONNA USE SOME MONEY FOR, UH, UH, AN ARRAY OF THINGS AT THE HOTEL. SO THEY HAVE SIGNED THEIR CONTRACT FOR 26 AND 27. I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH THEM LAST FRIDAY, WORKING ON 28 AND 29. WE WANNA KEEP 'EM COMING BACK TO BURNING TEXAS. THEY, THEY LOVE IT. AND, UH, NEXT I, THAT'S IT. THAT'S IT. I WOULD, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY PICK UP, LAST YEAR THEY PICKED UP, UP THROUGH THE CITY, 139 ROOMS FOR 10 NIGHTS, 1,395 ROOMS [00:15:01] WHERE AVERAGE RATE WAS 1 35. THAT EQUATES TO $187,000 IN HOTEL ROOMS. NO FOOD, JUST HOTEL ROOMS. AND THAT EQUATES, IF YOU TAKE 7% OF THAT, IT'S JUST UNDER, UH, $14,000. SO THEY COME HERE, THEY SPEND THE MONEY, THEY LOVE IT. AND I'M GLAD THAT, UH, THE BEVY WAS ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND, AND NEGOTIATE THE PRICES. AND I'M HAPPY TO OFFER THE MONEY THAT THEY'RE ASKING TO HELP 'EM COME HERE. UH, THEY USE ALL THE HOTELS. THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE AT MOTEL SIX, THEY'LL BE AT ALL THE OTHER HOTELS. THEY USE A GREAT NUMBER OF BED AND BREAKFAST WITHIN THE CITY AND THEY JUST LIKE COMING HERE. SO, UH, THAT'S WHY WE WANT THEM BACK. THAT'S IT. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. AND NOW MOVING RIGHT ALONG MR. WOODS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'RE GONNA SPEAK TO US ABOUT [c. Texas Corvette Association Open Car Show - Larry Woods on behalf of Glen Leonard] THE TEXAS CORVETTE ASSOCIATION. YEP. TEXAS CORVETTE SHOW. THIS IS THEIR 25TH YEAR IN BERNIE, TEXAS. UH, THEY ARE THE ONLY SANCTIONED FIESTA EVENT OUTSIDE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. IF THEY EVER LEFT HERE, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CARRY THAT TO ANOTHER CITY. UH, THEY'VE BEEN HERE SINCE, UH, 79. THAT GIVES A 32ND YEAR OVERALL, UH, 320 MEMBERS. UH, THEY HAVE, UH, THEY'RE WORKING ON AS, UH, JOSH SAID, BEEFING UP THEIR FRIDAYS. MOST OF 'EM COME IN ON FRIDAY, AND THEY'RE NOW HAVING A FRIDAY EVENT. THEY USUALLY HAVE A BARBECUE SOMEWHERE. THEIR EVENT ENDS ON, UH, SATURDAY. AND, UH, THEY'RE STARTING TO GET MORE AND MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYING OVERNIGHT. THEY'RE, THEY, AND THEY HAVE A, A, A RUN AS WELL THROUGH THE HILL COUNTRY. NEXT, NEXT ONE, UH, THEY ADVERTISE A LOT AND, AND A HUNDRED PERCENT OF WHAT THEY MAKE GOES TO ST. JUDE HOSPITAL. THEY'RE A BIG, BIG SUPPORTER OF ST. JUDE. AND, UH, NEXT AND I HAVE, YEAH, JEANETTE'S GONNA PASS OUT SOME COLLATERAL MATERIAL THAT THEY JUST WANTED YOU TO SEE. WE'RE JUST GONNA PASS IT AROUND AND LET YOU HAVE IT. UH, THEY, UH, THEY PICKED UP 400 AND SOME ODD HOTEL ROOMS LAST YEAR. IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT, THEY'RE RIGHT UNDER WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ROD RUN, THE CORVETTE SHOW, YOU KNOW, THEIR, UH, HERITAGE EVENTS HAVE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME. UH, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE 'EM. WE WANNA KEEP 'EM AND MAKE IT GROW. AND EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO MAKE THEIR EVENTS BIGGER AND BETTER TO KEEP MORE PEOPLE HERE. SO, UH, THEY'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. THEY'RE, THEY'RE EXCELLENT TO WORK WITH. AND EVERYTHING THEY PUT OUT, YOU'LL SEE AS, AS THE CITY OF BERNIE OR BERNIE VISITOR CENTER AS A SPONSOR. AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THAT. SO, UH, THAT'S THEM. THAT'S THE CORVETTE SHOW. THEY'RE EXCITED TO BE COMING BACK AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. HEY, LARRY, I'VE GOT A QUESTION. YES, SIR. YOU, UH, MENTIONED 400 ROOMS AND I'M JUST, I'M SURE THIS IS ME. UH, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE MODELING OF WHAT WE HAVE HERE, IT'S 196 ROOMS FOR, THEY, THEY, YOU TAKE BOTH NIGHTS AND THEN THE BED AND B WE DIDN'T COUNT BED AND BREAKFAST IN HERE, DID WE? NO, WE DID NOT. SO YOU WERE SAYING 400 ROOM NIGHTS TOTAL. TOTAL TOTAL NIGHTS. OKAY. OKAY. THEY USED QUITE A FEW BED AND BREAKFASTS. THEY, I THINK ON FRIDAY NIGHT THEY HAD ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS. AND THEN, UH, OVER THE, OVER THEIR PERIOD HERE, THEY'LL, THAT'S RIGHT, OVER 400 ROOMS. THANK YOU, MA'AM. ONE MORE QUESTION. YES, SIR. FOLLOW UP ON THAT. HISTORICALLY, UM, I THINK WE, UH, THE SHOW HAS HAD A BIG MAYBE FRIDAY NIGHT, AND THEN A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LEAVE ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AND THERE WAS SOME WORK, I THINK, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO TRY TO KEEP PEOPLE HERE WHO HAD BROUGHT THEIR CARS IN THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND TO, TO HAVE THAT TONIGHT, FRIDAY THEY SHOW UP ON FRIDAY AND THEY HAVE AN EVENT NOW ON FRIDAY EVENING THAT THEY REALLY ENCOURAGE THE MEMBERSHIP YET THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA BE HAVING A, A DINNER, A CATERED DINNER AT AN ESTABLISHMENT ON MAIN STREET SATURDAY. EVERYBODY SHOWS UP AND THEY HAVE REALLY BEEN ENCOURAGING AND TRY TO GET PEOPLE TO STAY SATURDAY NIGHT BECAUSE THEIR SHOW ENDS AROUND FOUR O'CLOCK AFTER THEY GET UP TO AWARDS. BUT THEY'RE NOW DOING A RUN THROUGHOUT THROUGH THE HILL COUNTRY ON SUNDAY MORNING. AND THAT'S GETTING MORE POPULAR. ALRIGHT, GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. [d. Tour de Boerne, Inc. - David Beck, Richard Menenes] ALRIGHT. DAVID BECK AND RICHARD TOUR TO BERNIE CAME ON. FELLAS, COME ON. COME ON UP. I'M BRUCE ANDERSON. I WAS HERE LAST YEAR ALSO. YES, SIR BRUCE. GOOD TO SEE YOU. YEAH, GOOD TO SEE YOU GUYS. . OKAY. MY NAME IS RICHARD MINES. SO GO. SO GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, I AM ONE OF THE ORIGINATORS OF THE, TO THE BERNIE [00:20:01] GROUP. UH, THIS CAME OUT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE HISTORY. YEAR ONE, THIS CAME OUT OF, OF A CONVERSATION WITHIN OUR MEN'S ACT RETREAT AT ST. PETER'S CHURCH. SO SOME, SOME, UH, FELLOWS AND I, WE WERE TALKING IN, IN THE MORNINGS DISCUSSING ADVOCATIONS, WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? WHAT'S YOUR HOBBIES AND SUCH? UH, TWO OF US, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT LIKING TO RIDE BIKES. THE OTHER GUY WAS MORE OF A HARDCORE CYCLIST THAN I AM. BUT NEVERTHELESS, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THAT AND WE REALIZED THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS HILL COUNTRY ROUTES THAT, THAT ARE OUT HERE ARE BEAUTIFUL. THEY'RE, UH, CHARMING AND THEY'RE A WORKOUT. AND SO, UM, WE DECIDED THAT, UH, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR BERNIE TO HAVE A, A CYCLING EVENT THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD, UH, UH, PROMOTE THE, NOT ONLY BERNIE, BUT ALSO THE HILL COUNTRY. AND SO WE, WE APPROACHED OUR, UM, VOLUNTEER GROUP FROM OUR CHURCH, WHICH IS THE HEIGHTS OF COLUMBUS. AND WE APPROACHED THEM WITH THE, WITH THE IDEA OF, OF HAVING THIS AS A FUNDRAISER FOR, FOR THE NY OF COLUMBUS. THESE GUYS ARE TALENT. AND I'M ONE OF THE MEMBERS, BY THE WAY. BUT THESE GUYS ARE TALENTED FOLKS. THEY'RE, THEY, THEY KNOW HOW TO PLAN, ORGANIZE, AND EXECUTE. AND SO WE, WE DEVELOPED OUR FIRST, UM, RIDE AND WE WANTED TO, AND WE MADE IT TO WHERE IT WOULD RIDE THROUGH BERNIE, DOWNTOWN BERNIE. THAT'S WHY WE CALLED IT TOWARD THE BURNING. AND SO, UM, IT WAS A SUCCESS 'CAUSE WE HAD 263 BIKES OR CYCLISTS COMING, UH, FORMING AT THE CHURCH THROUGH BERNIE GOING AROUND THE HILL COUNTRY AND BACK. UM, THAT WAS YEAR ONE. YEAR TWO, WE REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO BECOME A, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT WE WERE GOING TO GROW. SO WE SEPARATED OURSELVES FROM THE EISNER COLUMBUS CREATED A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, AND THEN WE, WE WENT FROM THERE. SO NOW, UH, TOILET BURN IS A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. UH, WE PROMOTE THE, THE, UH, HILL COUNTRY STYLE, UH, UH, RIDING, UH, RIDES THROUGH THE, UH, THROUGH ALL THE, UH, COUNTRY, UH, COUNTY ROADS. AND WE START OUR RIDE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AT, UH, DOWNSTREAM'S RANCH. AND SO, UH, WE'VE HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF, UH, ACCOLADES FROM OUR RIOTERS THAT THE RIDE IS CHARMING, THAT THEY TELL US THEY LIKE OUR, THE LITTLE SHOPS, THE QUAINT SHOPS HERE IN BURN. THEY LIKE THE RESTAURANTS. AND IT'S ALL IN ALL, MOST OF OUR RIDES, UH, RATHER, MOST OF OUR CYCLISTS COMING FROM OUT OF, OUT OF TOWN, NOT FROM BERNIE. AND SO, UH, HOWEVER, UH, OUR RESOURCES AND OUR VENDORS ARE PRIMARILY LOCALLY OWNED. UM, AND THEN, UH, OUR VOLUNTEER BASE, 100%, UH, VOLUNTEERS, UH, NOBODY GETS PAID. AND SO WE'RE GOING INTO OUR SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY YEAR AND WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING A LOT OF HEADWAY HERE. UH, WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL THIS MONEY? WELL, LAST YEAR WE ACTUALLY MADE $70,000 AND WE GAVE TO THE ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN OUR BERNIE, WITHIN OUR BERNIE COMMUNITY, BLESSINGS AND A BACKPACK, THE CUB SCOUT PACK NUMBER 18 IN BERNIE COATS FOR KIDS. WE, WE GAVE QUITE A BIT OF MONEY TO THEM, WHICH IS A GREAT ORGANIZATION FOR ALL OF, NOT ONLY WITHIN BERNIE, BUT OUTSIDE OF THE BERNIE AREA, UH, FIELD COUNTRY BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, OPEN TRAIL RANCH. WE EVEN GAVE TO IT THE LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS. THAT WAS GREAT. I THOUGHT, MAN, 'CAUSE THESE GUYS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO HAVE, UH, EVENTS TO, TO RAISE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES. SO WE HELPED THEM ALONG, BUT IN, IN TOTAL $70,000. SO I THINK FROM YEAR ONE, FROM AN IDEA AT AN NEXT RETREAT TO WHERE WE ARE THIS LAST SIX YEARS, WE HAVE REALLY DONE A LOT OF GOOD FOR OUR, FOR THE, FOR THE, UH, UH, THE LOCALS IN BERNIE, FOR THE BUSINESSES IN BERNIE AND FOR THE TOURISM OF BERNIE. AND WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN THIS OVER TO BRUCE ANDERSON. UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, UH, UM, WE DO TO, UH, UH, TO, UH, GET, UH, LOCAL INVOLVEMENT ON THE THING IS WE HAVE A JERSEY CONTEST. AND, UM, UH, THIS YEAR'S WINNER, YOU CAN SEE THE DESIGN THERE. IT'S, IT'S, WE CALL IT AN ARMADILLO MEDALLION. IT'S GOT AN ARMADILLO, AND THEN IT, UH, HAS TOUR DE BERNIE AROUND, AROUND THAT. WE'RE GONNA ACTUALLY HAVE PARTICIPATION, UH, AWARDS THIS YEAR. AND SO THAT, THAT'LL BE A MEDALLION THAT THEY RECEIVE AS WELL AS OUR JERSEYS HERE. WE ALSO GET THE, UH, THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS INVOLVED ON THAT. AND SO WE GOT DESIGNS FROM THEM. UH, LAST YEAR'S DESIGN WAS ONE FROM, UM, FROM BERNIE, UH, BERNIE HIGH SCHOOL. UH, THIS YEAR WE HAD, UH, UH, WE AWARDED, UH, FOR DESIGNS [00:25:01] THAT CAME FROM A STUDENT FROM BERNIE HIGH AND, AND ALSO FROM, UH, BERNIE CHAMPION. WE CHOSE A DIFFERENT DESIGN, BUT WE GET THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN IN THAT AS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ON THE THING. SO, OKAY. JUST, UH, UH, GENERAL INFORMATION, UH, ON THE, UM, UH, WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR TO, TO BRING PEOPLE IN, INTO THE BERNIE AREA. OUR RIDE EVENT IS, UH, AGAIN, THE LAST WEEKEND IN, IN JUNE. UH, SO JUNE 28TH. UH, WE'RE PLANNING TO HAVE IT AGAIN, UH, AT THE SAME TIME, UH, IN, UH, IN 2026. UM, THE, UH, EVENT LOCATION IS DON STRANGE RANCH. IT'S, UH, UM, ONE OF NEXT YEAR WE MAY CHANGE LOCATIONS, BUT OUR MOST LIKELY LOCATION WOULD BE JOSHUA SPRINGS. SO WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT BASICALLY THE SAME ROUTES AND SAME AREA ON THAT. UM, UH, THEN WE DO, UH, PACKET PICKUP ON, ON FRIDAY NIGHT. UH, AND, AND THE BE'S BEEN, UH, UH, HOSTING THAT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, UH, ON THAT. SO THEY'LL DO IT AGAIN THIS YEAR. UH, SO THAT BRINGS, UH, RIDERS IN, UM, CLOSE TO 40% OF OUR RIDERS. UH, I BELIEVE IT IS, UH, PICK UP THEIR PACKETS ON, ON THAT FRIDAY NIGHT. SO WE'RE, UH, GOT QUITE A FEW OF THEM THAT, THAT COME IN EARLY ON THE THING. UM, THERE ARE 10 OF US THAT ARE, UH, FULL-TIME OR YEAR ROUND VOLUNTEERS ON THE THING. AND THEN ON THE, UH, EVENT DAY, WE, WE HAVE 200 PEOPLE THAT COME OUT THERE AND HELP, UH, TO MAKE THIS EVENT, UH, AN ENJOYABLE EVENT FOR THE RIDERS ON THE THING. UM, AND, UM, SO THEY'RE, UH, LOCAL PEOPLE FROM THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AROUND HERE. UM, GROUPS LIKE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AND, AND SO FORTH ALSO, UH, PROVIDE A LOT OF SUPPORT ON, ON THAT. UH, AND THEN AS RICHARD MENTIONED, UH, THE MONEY THAT WE, UH, HAVE ON HERE GOES BACK TO, UH, UH, THE, UH, BERNIE AND HILL COUNTRY AREA CHARITIES TO SUPPORT THEM. SO, UH, YOU'VE GOT THE STATISTICS THAT ARE, THAT ARE HERE. UM, I THINK THE KEY THING, UH, AND I GUESS IT WAS ON THE PAGE BEFORE, AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT WE HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN RIDES. UH, WE ACHIEVED A THOUSAND RIDERS LAST YEAR. AND, UH, AND THIS YEAR DUE TO THE, UH, UH, CIRCUMSTANCES THAT DON STRANGE RANCH, OUR GOAL IS AGAIN, A THOUSAND RIDERS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CONFIDENCE TO ACHIEVE THAT, WE'RE CONFIDENT BECAUSE WE'VE DONE IT. AND THIS YEAR OUR REGISTRATIONS ARE TRACKING WELL AHEAD OF OUR PAST. IF WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, HAVE MORE CAPACITY IN THERE, I'M SURE WE WOULD, WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO, TO DO MORE THAN THAT. UH, 40% OF THESE ARE, ARE REPEAT RIDER, UM, THAT, UM, UM, COME IN. SO WE ARE GETTING NOT ONLY REPEAT RIDERS, BUT WE ALSO GET A LOT OF GOOD WORD OF MOUTH AND, AND TURNOVER, UH, UH, OF OTHER PEOPLE THAT, THAT COME IN THERE. AND NOT SURPRISINGLY, 90% OF THEM ARE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE, OF THIS AREA. THE VAST MAJORITY OF 'EM ARE FROM TEXAS, BUT WE DO OCCASIONALLY GET SOME PEOPLE FROM OUT OF STATE, UH, THAT ARE ALSO IN HERE. SO, UM, OUR GOAL FROM, UH, AS A NONPROFIT, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO DISTRIBUTE ALL THIS TO CHARITY, BUT THE BEST WAY OF DOING THAT IS TO HAVE AN EVENT THAT, THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO COME TO. AND SO WE MAY, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT A, A WEEKEND EVENT. WE HAVE A, UH, PACKET PICKUP ON, ON FRIDAY NIGHT. THE, UH, RIDE STARTS VERY EARLY ON ON SATURDAY, UH, AFTER THE RIDE, UH, WE HAVE BARBECUE LUNCH OUT THERE AT DON STRANGE'S RANCH. AND THEN IN THE AFTERNOON THEY'RE, THEY'RE FREE. UH, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO, UM, STAY AROUND IN, IN BERNIE ON, ON SATURDAY. AND, UM, AGAIN, ONE OF THE DRIVERS, IT'S NOT A REAL STRONG DRIVER, BUT ONE OF THE DRIVERS OF HAVING IT ON THAT WEEKEND IS IT GETS CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND THAT IT, UH, GIVES SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO LOOK AND STAY, STAY A LITTLE BIT LONGER, UH, WITHIN THE AREA. SO, UM, SEE, I THINK ONE MORE, UH, LET'S SEE. UM, HOTEL, UH, TAX CALCULATIONS ON HERE. YOU CAN SEE ALL, ALL THE DETAILS ON, ON HERE. UH, THE KEY THING IS WE HAD, UH, 450, UH, 450 ROOMS THIS LAST YEAR. UH, SO HOPEFULLY DO ABOUT THE SAME. UH, IF, IF THEY STAY A LITTLE BIT LONGER ON THE THING, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO, TO, UH, GENERATE, UH, ABOUT $10,000 WORTH OF, UH, UH, A TAX INCOME ON THAT. SO, ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH. ONE QUICK QUESTION. UH, TRACKING ALL THE RIDER AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE, THEIR HOTELS ARE GOING BACK TO YOUR CREDIT. UH, I KNOW THE, I THINK WE SET UP SOMETHING KIND OF DRAMATIC LAST YEAR IN ORDER TO GET SOMETHING. I'M JUST CURIOUS. YEAH. HOW, 'CAUSE WE SPREAD ALL OVER TOWN. SO HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO CAPTURE ALL THE WRITERS AND UH, UM, WE DID IT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS. I KNOW VERTICAL, THE REGISTRATION WAS AT THE BE, SO OUR STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WERE THERE. EVERYBODY THAT CAME IN, THEY HAD SAID, WELL, WHERE YOU FROM? WHERE YOU STAYING? HOW MANY NIGHTS ARE YOU TODAY? SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE GENERATING THE ACCIDENT. IT WORKS. SO THEY HAVE GUN RIGHT HERE, AND WE GOT A REALLY GOOD NUMBER. I I KNOW YOU DID. I WAS JUST KINDA CURIOUS OUT OUTSIDE OF THAT ONE REGISTRATION. 'CAUSE YOU, YOU DIDN'T SAY IT WAS A HUNDRED PERCENT REGISTRATION ON THE FIRST NIGHT. SO, WELL, AGAIN, WE ALSO BACKED UNTIL, [00:30:01] WE ALSO DID, I CALLED EVERY HOTEL AS WELL TOO. OKAY. SO I CALLED EVERY HOTELS AFTER THE EVENT AND THEN TALKED TO EACH HOTEL AND ASKED THEM ABOUT HOW MANY HOTELS WERE THAT THEY SOLD FOR THE, UH, FOR THE EVENT. AND SO BETWEEN THAT, BETWEEN THE REGISTRATION AND THAT, THAT'S HOW WE CAME ON BOARD. SO WE HAVE, UH, TWO, TWO REGISTRATION, UH, OPTIONS. ONE IS A FRIDAY NIGHT PACKET PICKUP. THE OTHER ONE IS SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE THE RIDE THAT STARTS AROUND FIVE 30 IN THE MORNING. AND THAT'S WHEN THE OTHER PERCENTAGE OF FOLKS COME IN AND THEY, THEY REGISTER. AND THAT'S A GOOD PERCENTAGE, BUT DIFFERENT PERCENTAGE OF THESE. AND THEN ON REGISTRATION AS WELL TOO, WE ASK SPECIFICALLY IF THEY'RE GONNA BE STAYING AT HOTEL. TRY TO TRACK IT FROM YEAH. SO THERE'S CERTAINLY, WE ASK, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK WHERE THEY'RE FROM. OF COURSE IT'S A, IF THEY'VE RIDDEN THAT THEY ARRIVED BEFORE, AND THEN ARE THEY STAYING AT A HOTEL? AND THEN HOW MANY NIGHTS DO THEY EXPECT TO STAY AT A HOTEL? SO WE TRY TO GET AS MUCH DATA AS WE CAN. OKAY. ARE ARE THE, THE, THE TOOL WE USE FOR REGISTRATIONS IS, IS, IS RACE RACE ENTRY.COM. AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY'S HAD ANY EXPERIENCE ON THAT THING, BUT THEY, THEY DO A GOOD JOB JUST INTERNALLY, UH, ON, UH, TRACKING, DEVELOPING HEAT MAPS AND SO FORTH OF, OF WHERE THE RIDERS ARE FROM AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF TOOLS THERE. PLUS WE GET ALL THE DATA AND I'M ONE OF THOSE DATA MANIPULATORS, SO I CAN LOOK AT IT TOO. SO , THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'VE GOT, ACTUALLY I HAVE, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS. I, I NOTICED YOU, IT'S, IT'S AWESOME TO SEE THE GROWTH OF THE EVENT. I MEAN, TO START WITH A HUNDRED AND NOW YOU'RE AT A THOUSAND AND WE'RE NOT EVEN 10 YEARS IN. IS IS SUPER IMPRESSIVE. YOU, YOU MENTIONED IN THE PACKET THAT IT WAS A THOUSAND RIDERS AND MAYBE 500 PLUS FAMILIES AND OTHERS. ARE THERE ANY OTHER THINGS THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AS PART OF THE EVENT THAT WOULD BE FAMILY ORIENTED OR FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NON RIDERS? OR IS IT JUST SPECIFIC TO THE RIDERS? WELL, ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT, SO WHAT WE TR WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO THERE IS, SO WE HAVE BARBECUE AS, AS WELL. AND THEN WE HAVE A BAND PLANE, WHICH YES, WE'RE GONNA HAVE LIVE BAND SUNDAY'S PLANE. YES. YEAH. SO WE HAVE A LIVE BAND THAT BE PLAYING AT THE, AT THE EVENT AS WELL. SO WE TRY TO KEEP 'EM, WE TRY TO HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO HAVE SOME, A FEW VENDORS AT THE DON STRANGE RANCH, UH, THE NOT THE DAY OF THE EVENT AS WELL. AND SO IT'S A BIG PICNIC AS WELL. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THEIR DAUGHTER OR THEIR, OR THEIR HUSBAND OR OR WIFE THEY RIDE, BUT THEY JUST SIT THERE AT DON STRANGE RANCH AND THEY JUST ENJOY, YOU KNOW, BEING OUTSIDE. SURE. BEING IN THE HILL COUNTRY, WE, WE GET SEVERAL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ACTUALLY FROM, UH, FROM UH, UH, THE, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING ALONG WITH THE RIDERS TOO. SO, SO THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, GET ENGAGED, UH, IN, IN VOLUNTEERING. UH, AND WE HAVE SEEN OUR, OUR NUMBERS, UH, WE, UH, YOU KNOW, SELL EXTRA MEAL TICKETS AND SO FORTH ON THAT. WE'VE SEEN THOSE NUMBERS, UH, CONTINUING TO TREND UP, WHICH IS GIVING AN INDICATION THAT, THAT, UH, OTHER PEOPLE ARE COMING ALONG WITH THE RIDERS AND, AND, UH, STAYING FOR THAT, UH, THAT PART OF THE EVENT THERE. AND, UH, HOPEFULLY THAT MEANS THEY'RE ALSO, UH, UM, WHEN THEY'RE COMING INTO TOWN, IT'S NOT JUST THE RIDER HOTEL ROOM, BUT THEY'RE BRINGING THEIR FAMILIES TOO. SURE. YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN. YEAH. WELL, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT. YOU GUYS HAVE DONE AN AWESOME JOB. I LOVE THE GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY PART OF IT. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE STARTED IN A BIBLE STUDY, SO THAT'S PRETTY COOL TO HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF GOOD THINGS. I LOVE THAT IT'S GROWING A THOUSAND PEOPLE IS REALLY AWESOME. AND THE, THE MANTRA FOR THAT, FOR THAT, FOR THAT, UH, FOR THAT WEEKEND WAS GO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YEAH. AND SO WE DID. WELL, IT'S ALSO UNIQUE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A UNIQUE, UH, THING TO DO IN BERNIE, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY COOL. SO THANK YOU GUYS. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. WELL DONE. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. SO WE'RE GETTING [a. Discussion and recommendation of best practices for Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund Grants] READY TO HEAD INTO THE DISCUSSION BEFORE WE DO. LET ME SHARE SOME INFORMATION, UH, WITH YOU. UH, TOMORROW BY FIVE O'CLOCK, WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR BUDGET IN FOR NEXT YEAR. UH, AS WE STARTED OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR, WE ARE THE, UH, DIRECTIVE FROM, UH, CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE WAS, YOUR BUDGET CANNOT GO UP NEXT YEAR. YOU HAVE TO REMAIN THE SAME, WHICH, UH, MAKES IT TOUGH BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO MORE ADVERTISING AND STILL GET THE WORD OUT. THE PRI THE PRICE AND COST OF, UH, ADVERTISING IS, IS HAS GONE UP. SO WE WERE HAVING TO GET VERY, VERY CREATIVE. UH, IF YOU AWARD THE MONEY TONIGHT, THIS WOULD BE THE HIGHEST THAT WE'VE EVER GIVEN. AND WE HAD PARAMETERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO STAY IN. UH, SO, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR BEST TO, TO STAY WITHIN WHAT WE'VE DONE AND WE HAVE TO. SO, UH, AS, AS I SAID EARLIER, SOME OF YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR STARTED OUT A LITTLE BIT SLOW. UH, SO WE REALLY HAD TO KICK A LOT OF ADVERTISING AND MARKETING AND GEAR TO GET THINGS GOING. AS I SAID, TORY WAS IN HOUSTON ON TUESDAY ON OUR TELEVISION SHOW THAT'LL BE RUNNING. SO WE'VE, WE'VE STARTED DOING SOME, UH, REAL QUICK MARKETING AND ADVERTISING, UH, TO, TO BRING BUSINESS IN. AND I THINK, I THINK WE'LL PICK UP, BUT [00:35:01] JUST GOING INTO THIS AND WITH OUR BUDGET, WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE BUDGET THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. WE CANNOT GO UP. SO, OKAY. KEEP THAT IN MIND. THANK YOU. SO COSTS HAVE, COSTS HAVE GONE UP. SO IN MEETING [7. CONSIDER / ADOPTION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR HOT FUND GRANTS] IN PREPARA WITH LARRY IN PREPARATION TO THIS E TO THIS MEETING, UM, HE AND JEANETTE AND I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THAT. AND I ASK THAT I, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN BE ADDED. AND WHAT I'D LIKE FOR THE BOARD TO, UH, CONSIDER TODAY AND DISCUSS IS IRRESPECTIVE OF ALL THE FIRST ALL, LEMME BACK UP EVERYTHING FOR THIS MONEY, THIS YEAR'S EVENTS THAT MONEY HAS BEEN FUNDED. SO THESE ARE PROSPECTIVE, THESE ARE FOR NEXT YEAR'S EVENTS. SO WHAT WAS ALREADY GRANTED WAS ALREADY GRANTED, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE US CONSIDER LOOKING AT A $10,000 CAP ON ANY GRANTS THAT WE HAVE, PARTICULARLY WHILE, WHILE STAFF'S WRESTLING WITH, AND, AND THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE IN THE ELECTORATE IS FOR SMALLER GOVERNMENT FOR US TO BE A LITTLE MORE PRUDENT AND STUDIOUS WITH THAT MONEY. AND THAT'S, SO I I THROW THAT OUT FOR A DISCUSSION AMONGST US UP HERE. SO, UH, INSTEAD OF GOING FOR A $10,000 CAP PER SE, UH, YOU SHOULD ALSO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE HOT FUNDS THAT ARE GENERATED CONSISTENTLY BY EACH ORGANIZATION AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN JUSTIFY THEIR EXISTENCE THROUGH THE HOT TAX GENERATION. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE IN PARTICULAR IS ALREADY BEYOND THAT, BOTH ON WHAT THEY GENERATE AND WHAT THEY'RE REQUESTING. RIGHT. AND THERE ARE OTHERS THAT ARE REQUESTING AN ADDITIONAL SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE FROM WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST, WHICH IS BELOW $10,000, BUT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE WHAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THEIR OWN GENERATION. SO I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT, I I APPLAUD AND I AGREE IN PRINCIPLE, BUT IN PRACTICE WE, WE COULD PROBABLY BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC AND, AND I DON'T NECESSARILY DISAGREE WITH YOU ON THAT GUY. I WOULD JUST SAY, ALL RIGHT, IF THAT'S THE PATH THAT WE ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO GO AS A BODY, AS A DELIBERATIVE BODY, THAT, THAT THERE'S GOTTA BE A TRUE UP AT SOME POINT AND WE RECEIVING INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, TRUST WOULD VERIFY KIND OF THING KIND OF THING. SO, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEST WAY WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH PUBLIC MONEY TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE APPROVE SOMETHING, I THINK IT, IT HAS TO, IT IT OUGHT TO BE, MY IDEA IS THE BEST PRACTICE IS IT OUGHT TO BE CONTINGENT ON, ALRIGHT, THIS IS YOUR GOAL, THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, HOW DID YOU ACTUALLY DO, HERE'S WHAT GOES ON YOUR APPLICATION. AND THEN THERE'S WHAT WE CAN VERIFY OUTSIDE OF THAT MM-HMM . SO, UM, IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S THE ROUTE THE BOARD WISHES TO GO, THEN I'D OFFER THAT FOR CONSIDERATION AS WELL. BUT I'D LIKE TO GET EVERYBODY'S, SO YOU'RE SAYING MAKING SURE THAT THE NUMBER OF ROOMMATE NIGHTS WERE ABLE TO ACCURATELY TRACK THAT THEY'VE GOT, LARRY'S GOT SOME CAPACITY. I MEAN, WE JUST HEARD ONE KNOW EXAMPLE OF THE TOUR TO BERNIE, HOW THEY GO VERIFY THAT AND LARRY, YOU KNOW, CROSS VERIFY SOME OF THAT. I'D LIKE TO HAVE US LOOK AT THAT FOR ANY REQUEST THAT COMES IN. SURE. SO WE'RE, WE'RE SAYING, ALL RIGHT, IN 2026 WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU X, LET'S SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WHEN YOU COME IN WITH YOUR NEXT REQUEST FOR, FOR THE FOLLOWING, ASK PROLOGUE, I MEAN THERE'S ALL THESE YEAH, WE'VE GOT IT. EVERY ONE OF THESE HAVE HAD CONFIRMED, OF COURSE ALL THE, YOUR, UH, PROJECTED HOT FUNDS THAT ARE FROM THE PAST, THOSE ARE FAIRLY ACCURATE, YOU WOULD SAY. YEAH. SO WE COULD ACTUALLY USE THAT AS A JUDGMENT OF WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY COME, IF NOT BASED ON THE POST REPORT THAT WAS SUBMITTED. SO BE THE, THE POST REPORT. CORRECT. SO BASED ON THE POST REPORT THAT WAS SUBMITTED BY THE, IS THAT, IS THAT OUR BEST MEASURE OF SUCCESS FOR THESE EVENTS, THE HOT FUNDS GENERATED DURING ANY ONE OF THESE EVENTS? WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEE BY WHY THEY, WHAT THE HOTELS DID OCCUPANCY WISE, AND WHAT THE AVERAGE RATES ARE. MM-HMM . WE, WE CAN TELL, AND THERE'S SOME FLUCTUATION AND IT'S, IT'S HARD TO TRACK SOME OF THEM UNLESS, UH, I, ONE OF, ONE OF THE GROUPS HAS AT THE HOTEL HAS A, UH, A CODE NUMBER. WHEN YOU MAKE A RESERVATION, USE THIS CODE NUMBER AND THEY TRACK THEM THAT WAY AFTER AN EVENT. I HAVE V MY HOUSE GENERALLY CALLED THE HOTEL AND SAY, HOW MANY ROOMS WOULD YOU PICK UP THE, SO, SO AND SO, SO, SO IT'S NOT AN EXACT SCIENCE, BUT IF WE CAN LOOK BACK, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN LIVING CHURCH OF GOD IS HERE OVER THOSE DAYS, OCCUPANCY GOES AWAY IF WE HAVE 135 ROOMS UP 565 ON TOP OF TRAIN ROOMS, ON TOP OF WEDDINGS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO WE DO VERY MODELS, SHORT TERM MODELS, SHORT TERM LOANS, THE HARD TRACK, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIND AN ORGANIZATION THAT CAN HELP US DO IT BETTER. THIS IS, THERE'S [00:40:01] THE INFORMATION WE GET FROM THE APPLICANT. WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT'S THAT'S WONDERFUL AND, AND THEY OUGHT TO BE FOCUSING ON THAT. BUT I'D LIKE FOR US TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER METHODS DO WE HAVE TO VERIFY THAT AND TRUE THAT UP. IF WE'RE NOT GONNA JUST PUT A CAP, IT'S CLEANER IF WE JUST PUT A CAP AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME AND ENERGY ON THAT . BUT YOU PUT, YOU PUT A CAP ON. I'M, SO, I, I'M NOT OPPOSED TO A CAP. I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S BAD, TOMMY. I THINK THE CHALLENGE WITH THAT IS THAT YOU HAVE SOME EVENTS THAT BRING IN A LOT OF PEOPLE TO GUY'S POINT, YOU HAVE OTHER EVENTS THAT, THAT ARE GOOD EVENTS, BUT MAYBE THEY DON'T BRING UP, BRING IN AS MANY. SO DO YOU GIVE 10 GRAND TO THE GUY THAT IS BRINGING IN, YOU KNOW, FIVE GRAND OF EVERYBODY'S FUNDS UP TO THAT LEVEL? YEAH. AND OR DO YOU BETTER ENABLE THE ONES THAT ARE GENERATING, I I WOULD ALMOST RATHER SEE IF, IF OUR MEASURE OF SUCCESS IS THE HOT FUNDS GENERATED, WHICH HISTORICALLY THESE FUNDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT HEADS AND BEDS. RIGHT. AND GETTING PEOPLE TO STAY HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S THE CASE, I I ALMOST WOULD SAY MAYBE NOT A CAP, BUT NOT TO EXCEED WHAT IS PROJECTED IN TERMS TOTAL BUDGET. LAST IN TERMS OF, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, $30,000, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. AND ALL THESE COMBINED TOGETHER THIS YEAR IS WHAT, 38,000? 38? SO AT A MINIMUM WE NEED TO TRIM $8,000 IF WE WANNA STAY TRUE TO LAST YEAR. DOES THAT SOUND REASONABLE? 30 35. 35. 35. BUT WE SHOULDN'T, TO FINISH MY POINT, WE SHOULDN'T, UH, I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD FUND IN EXCESS OF WHAT WE ARE EXPECTING BACK FROM A OCCUPANCY TAX AGREED BACK. IT'S GOTTA BE RIGHT THERE AT THE LINE. A DOLLAR A LITTLE HERE A LITTLE. THERE'S NOT, I THINK THE HARD LINE DOESN'T ENABLE THAT. UH, POSSIBLY OR MAYBE IT'S A, YOU KNOW, NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OR SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW. BUT WOULD IT BE A REALISTIC GOAL GOAL, LARRY, TO TRY TO STICK WITHIN THE 30,000 RANGE? WOULD THAT HELP YOUR BUDGET? BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE ROOM THIS YEAR. 'CAUSE IF WE'RE LOOKING AT ZERO GROWTH, OKAY. UM, AND ZERO IS PROBABLY OPTIMISTIC. YES. SHE'S TOLD ME UP LAST YEAR. OKAY. GIVE YOU THE EXACT NUMBER. AND I ALSO DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY HANDCUFF US. 'CAUSE FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN JOSH WAS GETTING THINGS KICKED BACK OFF, WE BUMPED HIM UP TO HELP GIVE HIM A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA PUSH. SO I STILL WANT US TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY FOR CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THAT, BUT IT CAN'T ALWAYS CONTINUE TO ULTIMATELY MOVE UP BECAUSE NO ARGUMENT THERE. YEAH. THAT'S WHY IF WE LOOK AT THE BUDGET AS A WHOLE AND THEN HAVE TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL CHOICES, I GUESS LACK OF BETTER TERMS, PICK SOME WINNERS AND LOSERS. MM-HMM . WELL WHAT WE JUST NEED TO HAVE IS WE NEED TO HAVE THIS OPEN CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. IT'S, IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING TO DO. NO ARGUMENT. WE ARE WAITING ON INFO, WE'RE DOING MATH INSTEAD OF . SO FOR 2024 POST EIGHT. SO FOR THIS COMING YEAR, 25 WE'RE AT 35. 35. SO 35 IS KIND OF WHERE IS WHAT WE CAN THE 2026 IS CURRENTLY AT 38. OKAY. SO WE'RE ONLY 3000 OVER WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR. SO WE NEED TO BE PROBABLY ARGUABLY AT 35 OR BELOW. OKAY. WHICH WE SHOULD BE ABLE. 'CAUSE I, I WAS JUST FLIPPING THROUGH EVERYBODY'S REQUESTED FUNDS VERSUS THEIR PROJECTED, UM, FUNDS GENERATED. AND UM, THERE'S, THERE'S ONE THAT'S ASKING A LOT MORE, BUT IF WE KEPT IT, THERE'S TWO ACTUALLY THEY'VE KIND OF FALLEN. OKAY. OH, I DIDN'T GET TO THE LAST ONE THEN I MISSED THAT ONE. BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, IF WE, IF WE GRANTED BASED ON WHAT THEIR PROJECTED FUNDS GENERATED ARE AND CAP IT AT THAT THIS YEAR, THEN WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE UNDER THAT NUMBER. SO WOULD IT, WOULD YOU, UM, IN THAT SCENARIO, WOULD IT BE THE, THE LESSER OF THE FUNDS REQUESTED OR THE FUNDS GENERATED? SO WE YES, WE'D GRANT FUNDS BASED ON THEIR PROJECTED FUNDS GENERATED COR, CORRECT. YES. AS LONG AS IT'S WITHIN LINE OF THEIR PAST THAT MAY BE A, THEY GET OVER [00:45:01] A WAY TO GET INTO THE SHALLOW END OF THIS AND JUST GET STARTED WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, A AND TO ME IT'S WHAT THEY'RE PROJECTING THEY'RE GONNA MAKE ANYWAY, SO. RIGHT. BUT, BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY TOMMY IS, UH, I I IT'S ALMOST LIKE A NOT TO EXCEED THAT AMOUNT. I, I DON'T THINK IT'S THE LESSER OF TWO AMOUNTS. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD NECESSARILY HANDCUFF THE BOARD AND SAYING IT'S EITHER OR. I THINK IT'S UP TO US TO SAY WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT MEANS BASED ON THE APPLICATION, WHAT THAT IS. AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS WE HAVE IN THE PAST AWARDED INCREMENTAL, UM, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SURPLUS, UH, FUNDS THAT WE'VE HAD TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE EITHER STARTING OFF OR ONES THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY PARTICIPATING IN THIS AND SAID, HEY, I'M GONNA ASK FOR, I'M JUST GONNA ASK FOR MORE THIS YEAR AND SEE IF I CAN GET IT. AND SO IT SHOULD GET PUSHED BACK TO THE APPLICATION AND WHAT'S THE REQUIREMENT AND WHAT'S THE NEED AND THEN WHAT'S OBVIOUSLY THE RETURN BASED ON THE OCCUPANCY TAX THAT WE'LL GENERATE FROM THAT. SO THAT, THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION, I GUESS. SO DO WE HAVE A, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF IDEAS OUT ON THE TABLE. SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE NARROWING IT DOWN. DOES, UM, IS THERE, IS THERE A CON IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN HAVE, WE HAVE CONSENSUS ON BEFORE WE GO INTO TAKE ACTUAL ACTION? I MEAN, IS THERE A CONSENSUS POSITION WE HAVE BEFORE WE, WE CONSIDER THESE FOUR APPLICATIONS? WELL, EACH ONE IS UNIQUE, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, THERE'S NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL. NO, I, AND, AND THE GOAL HERE IS WHAT'S GONNA BE OUR BEST, WHAT'S OUR BEST PRACTICE? WHAT DO WE WANT TO ADOPT FOR DEALING WITH THE FINANCIAL, THE, THE, THE OTHER THOUGHT MAYBE TO COMPLICATE THIS MORE , AND THIS IS PROBABLY MORE OF A QUESTION TO LARRY, BUT HISTORICALLY WE HAVE NOT HAD A RESERVE. YOU KNOW, DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR US TO SET ASIDE AS AN EXAMPLE, 10%? I I DON'T KNOW IF THAT I HAVE NO, I'M JUST SAYING THAT FOR EASE OF MATH THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, DO WE HAVE REQUESTS OF HEY THIS IS A GREAT EVENT, WE'D LOVE TO HELP THEM OR INCUBATE AS THEY ARE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING COOL IN BERNIE THAT WE CAN ASSIST OR AT LEAST SHOW OF GOOD FAITH FOR THEM. WE DONE THAT. WHAT, WHAT THAT THAT 70 YEARS AGO IT WAS THE TOUR TO BERNIE THAT WE HELPED. AND THERE'S ANOTHER THING THAT'S COMING UP. IT'S A, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE, THAT WE AT MOMENT, I MEAN WE ALL HAVE UH, AWARDED THE GROUPS THAT COME IN. WE DON'T SETTLE A RESERVE. BUT IF A, IF A ORGANIZATION OR AN EVENT COMES UP AND WE FEEL LIKE IT'S A VIABLE EVENT, INSTEAD PICK UP ROOMS WHAT HAVE YOU, WE WILL WORK WITH THEM. THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WANT MONEY ONE THE MARKET AND ADVERTISING MY BUSINESS AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO REACH SO MANY PEOPLE AND DO SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS WHERE IT COSTS THEM ABSOLUTE. SO, BUT SO IN PUTTING THE BUDGET TOGETHER, WE ARE ON A ZERO BASED BUDGET. WHAT WE START WITH, WHAT WE END WITH HAS TO BE ZERO ZERO. SO THE ONLY ITEM THAT WE CONTROL ARE OUR OPERATING EXPENSES. PART OF THAT OPERATING EXPENSES IS HOT FUND CONTRACT. SO THE WAY THIS COMING FISCAL 2026 IS GOING TO WORK IS THAT HOT FUND GRANTS IS GONNA BE ONE LINE, ONE LINE ITEM WITH ONE TOTAL. EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY THAT APPLIES IN THAT YEAR COMES OUT OF THAT TOTAL. IS IT THAT TOTAL? SO EVERY YEAR AT ONE LINE, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR ADVERTISING BUDGET IS THIS MUCH, EVERYTHING WE DO OVER ADVERTISING COMES OUTTA THAT LINE GOING FORWARD. EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT TO A HOT UM, GRANT OUT ONE LINE ITEM, THERE'S ONE AMOUNT AND WE'VE GONE ON. UM, THERE'S NEVER, WHEN YOU SAY THERE, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A SAVINGS ACCOUNT THAT WE CAN SAVE MONEY FOR NEXT YEAR, EVERY YEAR WE START WITH THAT SAME AMOUNT UNLESS WE CHOOSE TO PUT MORE MONEY IN THAT FUND EACH FISCAL YEAR. SO IF WE SAID OUR HOT FUND GRANT AMOUNT WAS 35,000, EVERYTHING'S GOTTA COME OUT OF THAT AND THEN MAKE SURE WE SAY, OKAY, THAT WASN'T ENOUGH. WE'RE GONNA PUT IN 40 BUT WE HAD EXCESS. BUT AGAIN, THAT GETS TOUGH 'CAUSE EVERY THAT COMES OUTTA OUR OFFERING EXPENSES. GIMME EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR, TWO YEAR, 24 HOUR BUDGET, 2,000,001, WE DID 1,000,002. DO YOU THINK WE GOT A HUNDRED MONEY LAYING AROUND? IT GOES INTO A FUND BALANCE THAT WE CANNOT USE, CAN ONLY BE USED FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES [00:50:01] BY CITY WORKERS. WE CAN'T TAKE THAT MONEY AND ADVERTISE WITH IT, GET ANOTHER EMPLOYEE OR WHAT HAVE YOU. THAT IF WE HAVE ACCESS IT GOES INTO A FUND BALANCE. IT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES. WE CAN'T. SO TO BRAD'S QUESTION ABOUT HAVING A RESERVE, IT WOULD ONLY BE DURING THAT OPERATING BUDGET YEAR IT WOULDN'T ROLL OVER. THAT'S RIGHT. IT IS LIKE A RAINY DAY FUND OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S, IT'S BY STATUTE OR, OR ORDINANCE HAS TO GO, OKAY, WELL IF WE'RE ZERO BASED BUDGET IS WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, IT IS WHAT'S BEEN REQUESTED FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. WE HAVE $35,000 THAT'S WAS USED WHAT WE USED LAST YEAR AND WE NEED TO ANSWER THESE REQUESTS TO THAT. IF WE GO IN EXCESS OF THAT NUMBER STAFF'S GONNA HAVE TO MAKE THAT UP SOMEWHERE ELSE OUTTA THE OPERATING BUDGET. UNDERSTOOD. THAT'S JUST THE REALITY OF IT. SO, UM, SO WHAT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD CONSIDER THESE AS REQUESTED ONE BY ONE OR DO IT UNDER A, A LIMIT OF OF A FLAT ZERO BASED BUDGET OF 35,000? YES SIR. WELL I THINK OUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO HIT AT LEAST 35 OR BELOW BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE HERE. AND MY MATH IS CORRECT, WE ONLY NEED TO TRIM UP THREE TO 5,000 OUT OF THIS GROUP. WELL YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH ONE LINE, RIGHT? SO WE RECORD. YEAH. SO WE DID NOT SO THAT LAST, MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE GO FROM THE, THE ONE THAT HISTORICALLY IS ASKING FOR MORE MONEY THAN IT HAS A LOWER PROJECTED RATE AND WE START THERE AND WORK BACKWARDS. I THINK IF WE DO THAT, THEN THAT GETS US WHERE WE NEED TO BE. I AGREE. I AGREE. SO TELL THAT AGAIN GOD 'CAUSE I'M NOT TALKING ALRIGHT, TO, TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, WE'LL START WITH THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD. LET'S DO THAT. OKAY. UH, THEY'RE REQUESTING 8,000 UH, IN THE PAST THEY'VE REQUESTED FIVE. BEYOND THAT THERE'S BEEN 2 3 3. SO THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT THAT IS NOT WHAT THAT IS. SO THEY'VE ONLY COME BEFORE THE BOARD TWICE. OKAY. THEY CAME BEFORE THE BOARD LAST YEAR AND THEY ASKED FOR FIVE, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME OUT TO HELP WITH EXPENSES AND THEN THEY, AND THEY WERE GRANTED THE FIVE BUT THEN THEY DID NOT KEEP THE UH, THE CONFERENCE IN RNA DID. I SEE. SO WE DID NOT FUND THAT. THE NUMBERS THAT YOU SEE BELOW, THOSE ARE THE HOT FUND THAT THEY HAD GENERATED JUST FROM THE BEVY IN YEARS PRIOR. OKAY. BEEN HEAR THOSE SIX YEARS PRIOR. SO I LISTED OUT THERE WHERE, WHEN THEY WERE HERE HOW MANY ROOMS THEY PICKED UP AND OVER AGAIN JUST ROOMS FROM THE, THAT DIDN'T INCLUDE SHORT TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES. IF YOU LOOK AT THE ASKED THIS YEAR, YOU SEE WHAT THE HOTEL A TAX IS GONNA GENERATE SHORT TERM RENTAL GENERATE AND WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S AN ACCURATE I AS MATTER WE DO, WE DO HAVE A REASON TO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S ACCURATE. YES. THE NUMBER ROOMS, THEY'RE HERE FOR NINE, 10 DAYS. THEY PICK UP 50 ROOMS, HOTEL AND THEN THEY PICK UP ANOTHER 79 ROOMS AT NIGHT NIGHT. SO THEY PICK UP A LOT OF ROOMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY FOR THAT NINE DAYS. TODAY THEY'RE ALSO OUT OF TOWN. THERE'S NOBODY IN TOWN THAT ATTENDS THIS EVENT AND THEY'RE REQUESTING LESS THAN WHAT THEY EXPECT TO GENERATE. OKAY. THE ONE, THE ONE I, TO BE BLUNTLY , THE ONE THAT I WAS NOTICING WAS THE TEXAS CORVETTES. THE CORVETTE. YEAH. THAT ONE STANDS OUT AS WELL. YEAH, BECAUSE THEY'RE REQUESTING 5,000, NEARLY 800. UH OH NO, THAT'S HOW MUCH THEY GENERATED WAS UM, BETWEEN FIVE AND 6,000. BUT THEY'RE REQUESTING 10 AND IF WE GIVE THEM JUST WHAT THEY, OR APPROXIMATELY WHAT THEY'RE EXPECTING TO GENERATE. YEAH. SO 6,000 REQUESTS WOULD TRIM 4,000 FROM THE BUDGET IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND WOULD PUT US RIGHT IN THE MONEY BRACKET THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET IN. ALRIGHT. SO AND IF WE STAY AT THE SAME FUNDING LEVELS AS WE DID LAST YEAR, THEN WE'RE WITH THESE FOUR WHERE THAT PUT 'EM AT SEVEN OUTSIDE. 'CAUSE WE GRANTED AN ADDITIONAL THREE. SO IF WE LET THE THREE GO AND KEEP IT AT SEVEN, THAT'S A REDUCTION OF NO, WE'RE AT 35,000 IF WE STAY WITH LAST YEAR'S LEVELS. NO, I'M SORRY. YOU'RE RIGHT. YEAH, BECAUSE WE GRANTED ADDITIONAL THREE, THE ADDITIONAL THREE TO JOSH, I MEAN TO THE HILL COUNTRY. WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO 35. [00:55:01] YEAH. THIS IS THE TOTAL REQUESTED, RIGHT? 43 LIKE TOTAL. THAT'S THE THE REQUEST FOR ON THE REQUEST, YEAH. 2026. YEAH. AND WHAT'S BEEN GRANTED FOR THIS YEAR IS 38, RIGHT? 35. NO, 38. YOU CAME UP WITH 43 ADDING THESE 3 43 BASED ON THE REQUESTS, JUST ON THE REQUEST. IT'S REALLY EIGHT. SO THAT DOESN'T GIVE US WHAT WE NEED. IT'S REALLY EIGHT GRAND. THAT'S KIND OF WHY I ADDED OFF THE BUDGETS. 35 MATH IS BETTER. RIGHT. OUR BUDGET'S 35, IT'S, IT'S 38, IT'S 40. WHAT'S WE GRANTED FOR 2025 IS 38,000. CORRECT? CORRECT. TOTAL ASK IS 43 BETWEEN THE 4 25. THIS 20 WE'RE DOING 26 NOW. RIGHT, RIGHT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WHAT THE BASELINE IS. 'CAUSE IF YOU'RE ZERO BASE, WE GRANTED IN 20 25, 30 $8,000. I SAID 35 A MOMENT AGO. 38. 'CAUSE THAT DID NOT CONSIDER THE ADDITIONAL THREE THAT WE DID FOR THE HILL COUNTRY MILE ROAD RUN. AM I COR, AM I CORRECT? IT'S 38 AND THE TOTAL ASK FOR THIS YEAR IS 43. OKAY. SO THAT'S EIGHT I I STAND CORRECTED. OKAY. THAT'S CORRECT. WELL, IF WE'RE TRYING TO, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO, IT'S 38, NOT 35. SO WE NEED TO SHARE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR 5,000 TO YEAH. RIGHT. SO THE, THE CORVETTE SHOW ONLY GETS US, IF WE CAPPED IT AT HOW MUCH THEY'RE PROJECTED TO GENERATE THEN THAT ONLY, WE'RE STILL, WE'D STILL NEED TO CUDDLE. WE'RE STILL A MORE SOMEWHERE ELSE. WELL, IN THE, THE, IT'S PRETTY CLOSE THOUGH. THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD IS THE ONLY ONE THAT WE HAVE SHORT TERM RENTALS INCORPORATED INTO THAT. AND THAT'S 60% OF WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING BACK AS PART OF THAT CONTRIBUTION. SO, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY IT LOOKS LIKE LAST YEAR IT WAS FOUR GRAND. THIS YEAR WE'RE SAYING 10, BUT SIX OF THAT IS COMING FROM SHORT TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES. IT'S THE ONLY APPLICATION WE HAVE THAT HAS THAT INCLUDED IN IT. SO I'M NOT SURE IF WE'RE APPLES TO APPLES. WELL, IT'S ALSO RELATIVELY UNPROVEN AT THIS LEVEL TOO, WHICH IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY CONCERNS. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LONG TIME FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO BE HERE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD POINT. UM, BUT MAYBE THERE'S A LITTLE TRENDING THERE BASED ON THE REQUEST THAT WE CAN COME OFF OF THAT SOME STILL ENABLE THEM, YOU KNOW, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE CORVETTE SHOW I THINK STANDS OUT AND THEN WE HAVE TWO, YOU KNOW, GROWING, UM, IMPORTANT BERNIE COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT I THINK WE WANT TO ENABLE IT. AGREED. SO THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION. I THINK WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THIS. LET'S, LET'S TAKE 'EM UP IN ORDER AND SEE WHERE WE, WHERE WE GO. I THINK IT, I, I THINK IF I, IS IT FAIR FOR ME TO SAY WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS MM-HMM . TO THE REQUEST AND WHETHER WHAT WE BASE THAT ON WILL, WILL GO BY, UH, ONE ITEM AT A TIME. [a. Hill Country Mile Rod Run] SO THE FIRST ITEM UP FOR CONSIDERATION IS 2025 DASH 14. IT'S THE GRANT REQUEST FROM THE HILL COUNTRY MILE RUN RUN IN THE AMOUNT OF $15,000 FOR THE 2026 CAR SHOW. 2026 HOT FUNDS REQUESTED FOR THE CAR SHOW DISCUSSION BASED ON PAST SUCCESS AND HOW WELL THEY'VE DONE IN THEIR, THEIR GROWTH RATE. I, I WOULD RECOMMEND, UH, GRANTING THEIR REQUEST AT 15002ND. ALRIGHT. THERE'S A, IS THAT A, CONSIDER THAT AS A MOTION. MOTION EXCEPT THAT AS A MOTION AND AS A SECOND DISCUSSION ALONG THOSE LINES. SECOND, I SECOND THE MOTION. WHAT WAS THE ADDITIONAL THREE ABOUT? UM, UM, OH, THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL. IT IS AT THE REQUEST OF 15. YOU OKAY. JUST COMPARED TO THAT. OKAY. NO, YEAH, I'M GOOD WITH IT FOR SURE. SO I'D SUPPORT THAT. ALL RIGHT. THERE BEING NO DISCUSSION. I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. THOSE IN FAVOR VOTE BY SAYING AYE A AYE AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AND THEN THE MOTION CARRIES. WE VERIFY THE MOTION. I MADE THE MOTION. YEAH. IT'S BRAD SECOND IT THUMBS UP. YES, IT'S, IT'S VERIFIED. SO IT'S AT 15. THE, UH, WE GRANT THE 15,000 AS REQUESTED AND [b. Living Church of God] THEN ITEM 2025 DASH [01:00:01] 1 48, THE LIVING CHURCH OF GOD'S REQUEST FOR FUNDS. AND LET THE RECORD NOTE THAT ROSS, MR. PARLOW HAS RECUSED HIMSELF FROM THE DIOCESE FOR THE VOTE. SO THE REQUEST IS FOR $8,000. LAST YEAR'S GRANT, OR THIS YEAR'S GRANT IS, UH, WAS FOR $5,000 AND PROJECTED HOT FUNDS GENERATED ARE A LITTLE OVER $10,000. THOUGHTS OF THE BOARD OR WHAT'S HER NUMBER? 38 OR 35 38. OKAY. THANK YOU. I DID THE MATH AND WE ARE ON, IF, IF ON THE, UM, CORVETTE ASSOCIATION WE, UH, LIMIT IT TO THEIR PROJECTED FUNDS, UM, WE ONLY GO OVER BY $765. SO IF WE SUBTRACT THAT FROM THE 8,000, WE COULD APPROVE FOR $7,235 AND THEN WE HIT THE EXACT RIGHT AMOUNT. . THAT'S RIGHT. I WAS AT SEVEN. THAT'S, YEAH, I WAS AT SEVEN AS WELL. I WAS AT SEVEN FOR CORVETTE. YEAH, I WAS LOOKING AT SEVEN FOR A CORVETTE AND POTENTIALLY SEVEN FOR LIVING CHURCH OF GOD AS WELL. I HAD 6,500, BUT YEAH, 7 65 MM-HMM . BUT SEVEN'S GOOD TOO FOR THAT. I WAS ALSO THINKING ROD RUN HAD MORE THAT WE COULD GIVE, BUT IF THAT'S THAT WORSE, I THINK WE'RE OKAY FOR NOW. YEAH, THAT'S GOOD. HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR WILL BE BETTER. RIGHT? ? SO, AND THEN TO WHATEVER, SOMEBODY WANNA OFFER A MOTION OR IT A SEVEN OR WE MOTION THAT WE OR SIX FIVE? I'M LIKE SIX FIVE. SIX FIVE. SIX FIVE. IT'S AN INCREASE. 6,500. CORRECT. SO YOU MOVE I'LL, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE LIVING GOD OF CHURCH $6,500 AND THE FUNDS. I, YEAH. THERE SECOND. I'LL SECOND. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION ALONG THOSE LINES? I THINK WE JUST DID THERE BEING NONE. I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. THE, UH, THE MOTION IS FOR APPROVAL OF $6,500 IN GRANT TO THE GRANT. AND ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AND THE MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM FOR [c. Texas Corvette Association Open Car Show] CONSIDERATION IS 25 DASH 1 49. THE TEXAS CORVETTE ASSOCIATION, UH, THE OPEN CAR SHOW, A LONG TIME EVENT HERE IN BURNING AND THEIR REQUEST IS FOR, GIMME ONE MOMENT. 10,000. $10,000. LAST YEAR'S GRANT WAS $10,000. THE PROJECTED HOT FUNDS IS, UH, JUST ON THE SHORT SIDE OF $5,800. AND HISTORICALLY IT HAS BEEN IN, IN THAT RANGE IN HISTORICALLY LAST YEAR'S. ADDITIONAL ADS. WE WERE EXTRA GENEROUS LAST YEAR. WE CAN, WE JUST PULLED BACK THAT GENEROSITY AND KEEP IT AT 7,000. I THINK THAT GETS US WHERE WE NEED TO BE. IS THAT CORRECT? I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ALRIGHT. DO YOU OFFER THAT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION? WELL, I SUPPOSE I CAN. ALRIGHT. GUY OFFERS IN THE FORM OF A MOTION $7,000 TO MATCH WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. ALL RIGHT. EMILY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. A AYE. AND THE OPPOSED. AND THE MOTION CARRIES AT $7,000. [d. Tour de Boerne, Inc.] AND THE FINAL ITEM IS THE TOUR OF BERNIE. THE REQUEST IS FOR $10,000 AND LAST YEAR'S AWARD WAS $10,000. PROJECTED HOT FUNDS ARE JUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF $10,000. AROUND TEN THREE HUNDRED NINETY FIVE. THERE'S A PROJECTED AMOUNT, WHICH IS SLIGHTLY UP FROM LAST YEAR. AND THAT WE KNOW THAT THAT EVENT'S ON A NICE GROWTH TRAJECTORY. MM-HMM . SO WHAT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD? I MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION TO APPROVE THE REQUEST FOR $10,000. MM-HMM . FROM EMILY. I'LL SECOND THAT. WE'RE ALSO SECONDED THAT ARE YOU SERIOUS? WHAT'S THAT? DID OUR MATH, OUR OUR OUR, OUR NEW MATH IS $500 OVER. YEAH, WE'RE 38 5 GUYS. WE'RE 38 5. YEAH, I THINK WE CAN LIVE WITH THAT. WE CAN LIVE WITH FIVE. OH, WE CAN LIVE WITH, WE CAN LIVE WITH. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ONE LESS MAGAZINE THAT WE GET. UM, ALRIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ANYONE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. AND THE MOTION CARRIES. [01:05:03] GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU ALL. CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR THE, YOUR SERVANT'S HEARTS AND THE WORK THAT YOU DO. WE, WE APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. [9. RECEIVE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING DATES FOR 2025] IF YOU'LL LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, IT'S JUST OUR SCHEDULED MEETINGS. UH, SO PLEASE COME JOIN US. JEANETTE, [10. COMMENTS FROM BOARD AND STAFF] DO YOU HAVE ANY HOUSEKEEPING NOTES? UH, NO. UH, WELL NEXT WEEK. SO THAN THAT, WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND THE PAST YEAR. IT WAS A GOOD YEAR. GOOD BOARD. THANK YOU, BRAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ENJOYED WORKING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. YES. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ALL RIGHT, THEN THERE NOTHING ELSE FOR CONSIDERATION. WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? HEY GUYS. ROSS. I'M NICOLE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.