* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] WELCOME [1. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 PM] EVERYONE. IT IS OFFICIALLY 6:00 PM ON TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH FOR THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR THE CITY OF BURNING TEXAS. WOULD YOU PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF PRAYER, GRACIOUS AND LOVING GOD, WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR THIS GLORIOUS DAY AND FOR THIS GLORIOUS COMMUNITY THAT WE GET TO BE A PART OF AND ALSO GET TO SERVE. LORD, I ASK THAT YOU WOULD OPEN OUR HEARTS AND MINDS THIS EVENING AS WE DISCUSS WITH THE BUSINESS OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, THAT WE DO IT WITH CLEAR THINKING AND CLEAR HEARTS THAT WE DO WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT LIVE HERE IN BURN. CONTINUE TO GUIDE US, BLESS OUR COMMUNITY, AND BLESS EVERYONE OF THOSE THAT SERVE THIS GREAT CITY. YOUR PRECIOUS SON'S NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. AS YOU JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IN THE TEXAS FLAG, I PLEDGE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO, TO THE REPUBLIC, WHICH IT STANDS. WE A NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD. ONE AN INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU. YOU MAY BE SEATED. MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST THIS EVENING? NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM [3. 2026-093 RECOGNIZE LARRY WOODS AND HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.] NUMBER THREE, WHAT YOU CAN'T RETIRE. LARRY, UH, GENERAL ITEM 2026 DASH NINE THREE. RECOGNIZE LARRY WOODS FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE, OUR COMMUNITY, BEN MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. UH, THANK YOU, DIRECTOR WOODS. LARRY, IF YOU'LL COME UP, YOU'RE UP FRONT. WE WANNA RECOGNIZE YOU, YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL, YOU GUYS ARE AWARE. NEXT WEEK WE WILL MARK, UH, HIS UNOFFICIAL RETIREMENT. HE'S STILL WITH US FOR A FEW MONTHS, UH, AS, UH, AS NEEDED. BUT, UH, UH, HIS LAST DAY, THE OFFICE WILL BE NEXT WEEK. WE'LL HAVE A RECEPTION WITH HIM NEXT TUESDAY HERE AT CITY HALL. YOU ALL ARE WELCOME. BUT WE DO WANNA, AS WE AS CUSTOMARY, WE RECOGNIZE OUR DIRECTORS WHO ARE RETIRING HERE IN THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT LARRY IS, YOU MIGHT BE HAVE READ, HE'S DONE. HE'S GIVEN 17 YEARS TO THE CITY OF BERNIE, ALMOST A 55 YEAR KIND OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM CAREER. HE'S, YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT HE ACTUALLY STARTED AT THE AGE OF 13 DOWN AT THE RIVER WALK ON THE RIVERBOATS. ALRIGHT? THAT'S WHERE HE GOT HIS FIRST START IN THIS INDUSTRY. AND, UH, AND THE, THE VISIT, BERNIE ON MAIN STREET'S BEEN SHAPED DRASTICALLY BY HIS VISION AND HIS LEADERSHIP. AND OF COURSE, HE HAS HIS WIFE, MARY, WHO WORKS WITH US HERE. HIS TEAM, UH, JEANETTE, VAL AND TORI ARE THERE AS WELL. UM, HE'S BROUGHT A DEEP LOVE OF HOSPITALITY, A DEEP PRIDE TO THE BURNING COMMUNITY AND THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND ON ALL HE DOES. RECENTLY, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SITTING WITH LARRY AT A, UH, A LOCAL CON, NOT A LOCAL CONFERENCE, WHICH STATEWIDE CONFERENCE THAT WE HOSTED AT THE BEVY. AND WE TALKED ABOUT TOURISM HERE IN BERNIE AND, AND HOW WE WORK TOGETHER, BOTH WITH, UH, THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND ALSO, UH, SUPPORTING, UH, DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AND LOCAL ECONOMIES. AND, AND IT WAS JUST REALLY STRONG TO ME HOW MUCH THE STATE OF TEXAS RECOGNIZES AND APPRECIATES LITERARY, UH, EXPERIENCE AND WHAT HE'S GIVEN TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND THEIR TOURISM, UH, DEPARTMENTS. AND HE MENTORS PEOPLE. HE, HE, HE'S LED BOARDS, STATEWIDE BOARDS IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY. AND HE'S DONE A GREAT WORK STATEWIDE, BUT REALLY ALSO HERE. HE HELPED TRANSITION SEVERAL THINGS WITH THE CITY OF BERNIE. FIRST CAME TO WORK IN 2008 AND, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, HE WAS DOWN IN THE OLD HOUSE IN FRONT OF WALMART AND, UH, AND MOVED OVER INTO OUR NEW CENTER IN 2019. BUT ALSO IN 2022, UH, HE, WE, HE REBRANDED, UH, THE CVB AS IT WAS THEN THE CONVENTION VISITORS BUREAU TO VISIT BERNIE TO BE MORE OF A DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS THE TREND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND SO HE'S DONE A LOT OF GREAT, UH, THINGS. HE UNDERSTANDS MARKETING, HE UNDERSTANDS, HE TELLS, UH, HOW TO WORK WITH THEM. AND WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, BENEFITED GREATLY FROM HIS EXPERIENCE IN LEADERSHIP. SO, LARRY, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR SERVING THIS COMMUNITY SO WELL, BEING A PART OF OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM. UH, I'M SURE, UH, THE FORMER CITY ADMINISTRATION, UH, WOULD ECHO THESE SAME SENTIMENTS. WE WANNA WISH YOU, UH, ALL THE BEST IN YOUR NEXT CHAPTER, UH, AS YOU MOVE ON. I KNOW HE, HE AND I WENT TO LUNCH YESTERDAY. HE COMMITTED TO STILL ASSISTING US WHENEVER WE NEED HELP. 'CAUSE HE HAS SUCH A STRONG NETWORK, UH, NATIONWIDE. AND SO, UH, WE'RE APPRECIATIVE OF YOU AND, UH, JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THIS RETIREMENT. AND THANK YOU. WISH YOU ALL THE BEST, UH, MAYOR, UH, COUNSEL, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LARRY TO SAY A FEW THINGS. IF YOU AND YOU GUYS, IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS YOU WANNA SHARE AFTERWARDS, AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE THEM, WE GOT THE CUSTOMARY KEY TO THE CITY, WE'LL GIVE YOU, AND WE'LL COME UP HERE AND GET A PICTURE. SO, LARRY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THE LAST 17 YEARS HAS BEEN, UH, [00:05:01] A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY. IT'S, I TELL PEOPLE I'VE HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE. WHEN YOU HAVE A PRODUCT LIKE BERNIE, TEXAS SELL IT, IT WORKS VERY, VERY WELL. PEOPLE LOVE COMING TO BERNIE. UH, YOU KNOW, WE GET COMMENTS ALL THE TIME. JUST TODAY, A COUPLE CAME IN FROM CANADA AND JUST COULDN'T, COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW CLEAN THE CITY WAS, HOW NICE EVERYBODY WAS. THEY LOOK YOU IN THE EYE HOW, UH, SERVICE ORIENTED, UH, PEOPLE WERE. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, IT'S THE EXPERIENCE THAT PEOPLE REALLY LOVE. UH, WHEN RON BOWMAN ASKED ME ABOUT THIS JOB, I TURNED HIM DOWN, I THINK TWICE. I SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONLY SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT INTERESTED IN DOING . AND, UH, WHEN I, WHEN I GOT MY FEET WET IN IT, 'CAUSE I HAD NEVER BEEN A DMO OR CBB PERSON BEFORE. I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. AND THE, AND THE, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH SOME FOLKS YESTERDAY. THE THING I'M GONNA TAKE AWAY AND THE THING I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING IS TELLING PEOPLE WHAT A GREAT ORGANIZATION THIS IS, HOW WELL RUN THE CITY OF BERNIE IS. HOW BEN AND CHRISTIE AND DANNY HAVE, UH, AND THE DIRECTORS THAT ARE HERE, EVERYBODY HERE JUST REALLY WORKS TOGETHER AND HAS THE SAME GOAL, SAME STRATEGY, AND, AND THE SAME, UH, UH, DESIRE TO JUST HELP PEOPLE. SO IT'S, UH, IT'S BEEN A BLESSING FOR ME AND MY WIFE TO BE HERE. WE LOVE IT. UH, LIKE BEN SAID, I'M STILL GONNA BE AROUND, SO GIMME A HOLLER IF YOU NEED SOMETHING, UH, FREE OF CHARGE. OF COURSE. SO , WELL, NOT REALLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, CONSULTING CAN BE IN YOUR NEXT JOB. YEAH, YEAH. REALLY. BUT NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE AND A PLEASURE TO DO THIS. I'M LEAVING BEHIND PRETTY GOOD TEAM. UH, THEY'RE GREAT. THANK YOU, MARY. THAT'S MY SISTER DONNA. SHE'S A LOT SMARTER AND FUNNIER THAN I AM. SMARTER. SMARTER. BUT NO, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH, BEN. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR ME. I ADMIRE WHAT YOU'VE DONE HERE, UH, YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE. I LOVE IT. I WAS, IT WAS VERY WELCOME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. MAYOR, COUNCIL, YOU HAVE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS? ANYTHING GONNA SAY ? WELL, I COME FROM A TOURIST HEAVY TOWN, AS YOU KNOW IN MY BACKGROUND, AND YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. FOR A SMALL TOWN LIKE THIS TO HAVE DEVELOPED THE TOURIST CULTURE THAT IT HAS IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, A LOT OF OUR, UH, RETAIL AND, AND THE FOOD SERVICE BUSINESSES REALLY RELY ON THAT EXTRA INCOME MM-HMM . TO HELP THEM STAY AFLOAT, WHICH IS WHAT WE ALL WANT. SURE. AND PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING LOCAL. WELL, WE DO, BUT IT, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THOSE PEOPLE COME FROM OUT OF TOWN, OUTTA STATE, OUT COUNTRY TO, UH, TO SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. AND I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE UN UH, RECOGNIZED GEMS IN MANY CASES OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. EVERYBODY SAYS TEXAS. I SAY, OH, BERNIE, THAT'S THE PLACE. AND THEY, UH, IT IS. THANK YOU, SIR. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF IT. THANK YOU. YEAH. I THINK YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. DON'T, AS A LIFELONG BERNIE RESIDENT, AND I'VE REALLY SEEN DURING YOUR TENURE, THE THE GROWTH IN BERNIE HAS A DESTINATION SPOT. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON THAT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WAS, I THINK HE'S MADE OUR TOWN A MUCH BETTER PLACE. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, MR. WOODS, I APPRECIATE, UH, UH, LIKE YOU SAID, PEOPLE THAT COME TO BERNIE, THEY JUST FALL IN LOVE WITH IT. AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR VISION AND YOUR SERVICE FOR, YOU KNOW, SPEARHEADING THAT POSITIVE OPINION FOR OF BERNIE PEOPLE THAT COME TO VISIT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR THANK YOU, SIR. YEARS OF SERVICE. YEAH, LARRY, WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR SEVEN YEARS, WHICH IS WILD. UM, IT'S BEEN GREAT, YOU KNOW, SINCE I'M IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY AND TOURISM'S OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT TO OUR BUSINESS. UM, IT'S BEEN FUN TO SEE THE TRANSITION AND, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE WHEN YOU STARTED IN THE BEGINNING, YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW YOU WOULD NEED TO DO SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFLUENCERS. I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN THAT 10 YEARS AGO EITHER, RIGHT? AND SO TO TRANSITION INTO, UM, HAVING TO DO THAT AND TO BE OPEN TO DO THAT AND HAVE YOUR TEAM DO THAT, I THINK, UM, SPEAKS VOLUMES TO YOU TO BE READY TO BE ADAPTABLE TO WHAT'S NEW AND WHAT'S NECESSARY. UM, BEING OPEN TO THE BEER IDEA, YOU KNOW, WITH THE GUILD, I THINK THAT WAS HUGE. I, I DON'T, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T REALIZE THAT, BUT BEING THE FIRST, UM, CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TO BE PART OF THAT GUILD, UM, BEER CITY THING WAS HUGE. SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOU, EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND WE'LL SEE YOU AROUND TOWN LISTENING TO MUSIC AND, UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, SO OUR PATHS CROSSED A COUPLE TIMES, BUT WE GOT INTENTIONAL ABOUT SITTING DOWN LAST YEAR AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY AN OPEN DOOR POLICY. AND HE LIVED UP TO IT AND INVITED ME INTO HIS OFFICE AND KIND OF SHARED HIS HISTORY FROM THE RIVER WALK, UM, INTO HOSPITALITY, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FASCINATING. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR SHARING SOME OF THOSE EXPERIENCES AND, UM, YEAH, YOU'LL BE MISSED. APPRECIATE IT. IT WAS A PLEASURE KNOWING YOU. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA THANK CHRISTY, UH, WHO, UH, I, [00:10:01] I'M SURE I CAUSED A COUPLE OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS THROUGH ALL THIS, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN GRACIOUS AND KIND TO ME. THANK YOU. SAME THING. DANNY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH DANNY FOR A GOOD WHILE, AND, UH, HE HAS A HEART OF GOLD. THANK YOU, DANNY. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND BEN AGAIN, THANK YOU. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. LARRY, I MEAN, 17 YEARS HERE AT BERNIE, BUT 55 PLUS YEARS IN, IN A HOSPITALITY, UM, THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF, ESPECIALLY IN THE INDUSTRY WHERE THAT'S GROWING AND CHANGING, LIKE TY SAID, SO, SO FAST AND, AND WHAT YOUR ABILITY TO ADAPT AND CHANGE, UH, BUT MOSTLY, UM, YOU'RE OPEN DOOR PLUS YOU'RE WELCOME. I MEAN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE EPITOME OF WHAT BERNIE IS. UM, AND IT SHOWS THROUGH VISIT BERNIE AND MULTIPLE TIMES I'M DOWN MAIN STREET OR WHATEVER, I, I SEE PEOPLE FROM CANADA OR YOU KNOW, MEMPHIS OR TENNESSEE OR WHEREVER. I MEAN, THEY COME FROM ALL AROUND BECAUSE BURN BERNIE IS SUCH A GREAT PLACE, BUT IT'S BECAUSE YOU HAVE VITALIZED VISIT BERNIE AND MADE IT A DESTINATION PLACE, AND THAT'S PART OF YOUR VISION AND PART OF WHO YOU ARE. SO THAT'S GONNA BE SURELY MISSED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. BUT I'M SURE YOU GOT A, A GOOD FOLLOWER. UM, AND WE WERE GONNA KEEP YOU ON SPEED DIAL FOR SURE. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU. I'M, I'M LEAVING THREE WONDERFUL LADIES THAT, UH, ARE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO. AND A COUPLE YEARS AGO I SAID, I WANT, MY GOAL FOR Y'ALL IS TO BECOME INDUSTRY LEADERS. AND THEY ARE THERE, LIKE BEN AND, UH, THE OTHER FOLKS IN, IN THIS ROOM THAT ARE DIRECTORS, UH, BERNIE'S RECOGNIZED BY THE CLASS WAY THAT IT'S RUN AND, AND THE MANAGEMENT AND WHAT WE DO. SO THESE FOLKS, FINE FOLKS, JEANETTE, TORY AND VAL, THEY GET CALLS ALL THE TIME. HOW DO YOU DO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA? HOW DO YOU DO THAT? SO THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO RAISE THE BAR. IF NOT, I'LL COME BACK AND TALK TO 'EM. SO WE'LL SEE WHERE AT . BUT THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. ALL THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. WELL, LARRY, LET ME INVITE YOU AND MARY UP HERE. WE GOT, UH, KEY TO THE CITY. WE'LL GIVE, WE'LL GET A PICTURE AND THEN COUNCIL, IF YOU'LL STAND UP HERE, WE'LL, THAT KEY DOESN'T REALLY OPEN ANYTHING, SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. . PERFECT. , MY MARION COUNCIL A SMIDGE THIS WAY ABOUT RIGHT THERE. PERFECT. MY FRONT ROW A SMIDGE THIS WAY. OKAY. I, NO, EVERYBODY SMILE BIG IN 3, 2, 1, 3, 2. OKAY. YEAH, I WANNA, NO. OH, YES, YES. HERE. SEE, YOU'RE STILL DIRECT. . FRONT ROW TEAM IS THIS WAY, RIGHT? PERFECT. EVERYBODY SMILE BIG IN THREE, TWO. PERFECT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, , 1, 2, 3. THANK ONE THING, UH, MAYOR, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME SAYING, THIS GROUP RIGHT HERE LOVES AND HOW THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WHAT YOU FIGURED OUT THAT NO WAS DOING. HE'S ALWAYS THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PUBLIC COMMENTS. NOBODY SIGNED UP, BUT IF SOMEBODY COME IN LATE, I'LL GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME FORWARD TO STEP PODIUM AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE WE HAVE ANY LATE INCOMERS. SO WE'RE MOVING ON [5. CONSENT AGENDA] TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS, COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN, ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ON CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS? CAN I GET A MOTION, UM, TO APPROVE AGENDA ITEMS FIVE A AND FIVE B CONSENT AGENDA. MAYOR, I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MOTION FROM AGENDA COUNCILMAN BUNKER. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN WILLISON, PLEASE VOTE. YEAH, I, I MOVE THAT WE PROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS A AND B IS A PRO. JUMP IN AGAIN, ALL SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN WILSON. NOW VOTE. JOE THREW ME OFF. [00:15:02] I WAS LIKE, CONSENT. AGENDA PASSES. FIVE ZERO. THANK YOU EVERYONE. MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEMS [6.A. 2026-055 RECEIVE THE CITY COUNCIL WINTER WORKSHOP STRATEGIC REFLECTION SUMMARY.] SIX A, UH, 2026 DASH FIVE FIVE, RECEIVE A CITY COUNCIL WINTER WORKSHOP, STRATEGIC PERFECTION SUMMARY PRESENTING. BEN, BEN, YES, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, TWO WEEKS AGO AT OUR LAST COUNCIL MEETING, I HANDED OUT THIS, UH, REPORT. IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE AT YOU, AT YOUR, UH, PLACE TONIGHT. THIS IS A SYNOPSIS OF THE WINTER WORKSHOP WE HAD BACK IN FEBRUARY. AND SO THE PURPOSE OF TONIGHT IS JUST TO RECEIVE THE REPORT, ALSO, UH, RECEIVE ANY FEEDBACK. IF YOU HAVE ANY TONIGHT, WE CAN CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION. UM, BUT THIS IS JUST TO BE, BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT THE STRATEGIC, UM, CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD THROUGH THAT SPOT EXERCISE. WE WANNA PRESERVE THE WORKSHOP INPUT AND THEN TEE UP A DISCIPLINED, VERY DELIBERATE DISCIPLINE AND INTENTIONAL REVIEW OF OUR STRATEGY MAP. SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS REPORT DOES THREE THINGS. IT DOCUMENTS THE SPOT INPUT THAT YOU GAVE US BACK IN FEBRUARY. IT PROVIDES RESIDENT SURVEY CONTEXT AND FRAMES THE NEXT STEP, WHICH IS THE STRATEGY MAP REVIEW. SO TONIGHT'S ACTION IS SIMPLY RECEIPT, AND THEN YOU CAN BEGIN REVIEWING THE REPORT IN PREPARATION FOR ANY DIS DIS POSSIBLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MAP YOU'LL RECALL IN YEARS PAST. WE ALWAYS BRING FORWARD THE 10 YEAR ROLLING MASTER PLAN, WHICH ALSO KIND OF, UH, FORMALIZES THAT STRATEGY MAP. THAT STRATEGY MAP HAS BEEN A PART OF IT THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. AND SO IF WE DO WANNA MAKE ANY EDITS TO THAT MAP, THAT'S THE TRIGGER, WHICH WE'LL DO THAT. UM, AND SO WE DO HAVE SOME TIME TO, TO, WE CAN GET WHATEVER INPUT YOU HAVE TONIGHT, OR YOU CAN SEND THAT TO ME VIA EMAIL DOWN THE ROAD, AND WE CAN HAVE THE CONVERSATION WHEN WE'RE READY TO BRING THAT TENURE ROLLING MASTER PLAN FORWARD. NEXT SLIDE. I DO WANT TO GO OVER FOR THE PUBLIC'S, UH, GENERAL KNOWLEDGE IF THEY'RE VIEWING OR WATCHING THIS, JUST WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT, UH, THAT WORKSHOP BACK IN FEBRUARY. AT A HIGH LEVEL, YOU EXPRESSED STRONG CONFIDENCE IN CORE SERVICES, ESPECIALLY PUBLIC SAFETY, UTILITIES, GOVERNANCE, ALONG WITH BERNIE'S QUALITY OF LIFE AND IDENTITY. THERE ARE REOCCURRING TENSIONS WITH MOBILITY TRAFFIC, NOTHING THAT'S SURPRISING TO US. UH, INFRASTRUCTURE TIMING, DOWNTOWN ACCESS AND WALKABILITY AND GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS. OPPORTUNITIES CENTERED ON MOBILITY, INVESTMENTS, PARKS, DOWNTOWN VITALITY PARTNERSHIPS, WATER RESILIENCE, ARTS AND CULTURE, AND PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION. KEY LONG-TERM RISKS INCLUDED WATER AVAILABILITY, STATE LEGISLATIVE CONSTRAINTS, COST ESCALATION, AND MAINTAINING COMMUNITY IDENTITY AS GROWTH CONTINUES. NEXT, ONE OF THE THINGS I THOUGHT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE IS TAKING YOUR FEEDBACK FROM THAT EXERCISE AND THEN ALSO PAIRING IT UP WITH THE LAST THREE COMMUNITY SURVEYS AND SEE, JUST SEE WHERE THAT TOOK, TAKES US. AND SO WE, WE DID THAT. WE, WE PAIRED YOUR SPOT THEMES WITH THE 20 21, 23 AND 24 SURVEYS. OVERALL, SENTIMENT REMAINS STRONG, BUT THE CONSISTENT PRIORITY CLUSTER OF MOBILITY, GROWTH MANAGEMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY, AND WATER PLANNING ARE ALIGNED IN BOTH EXERCISES. WE ALSO SEE RISING EXPECTATIONS FOR TRANSPARENCY AND PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION, ESPECIALLY AROUND DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ACTIVITY. AND DIRECTOR SHADROCK IS MINDFUL OF THAT AND HAS HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE ON HOW TO GET MORE OF THAT OUT THERE. IF COUNSEL WOULD LIKE, WE CAN ADD A ONE PAGE NUMERIC SURVEY, TOP LINE SUMMARY TO THIS SECTION FOR QUICK REFERENCE. BUT, SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WE CAN EVEN ADD, UH, TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC'S, UM, UH, FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE. IN REVIEWING THIS, IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, AS YOU REVIEW THE REPORT, SIMPLE LENS IS CONFIRM, CLARIFY OR CONSIDER AMENDING OR ADDING. AND WITH CONFIRMATION, THE THEMES ARE ALREADY WELL PR REPRESENTED AND WE FOCUS ON EXECUTION ON EXECUTION AND MEASUREMENT. SO, YOU KNOW HOW WE USE THIS STRATEGY MAP. IT IS PART OF EVERYTHING WE DO FROM BUDGET FORMATION TO CITY COUNCIL PRESENTATION TO EVEN TOMORROW'S LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE IN OUR HR DEPARTMENT WITH OUR UP AND COMING MANAGEMENT MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS. WE TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGY MAP AS, AS THE GUIDING TRUE NORTH COMPASS OF EVERYTHING WE DO. UNDER CLARIFY, IF THERE ARE THEMES THAT ARE PRESENT, BUT WE MAY NEED SHARPER LANGUAGE, CLEARER OWNERSHIP, OR MORE VISIBLE MEASURES, JUST LET US KNOW. MAYBE WE DO WORDSMITH OR CHANGE SOME THINGS, OR MAYBE THERE'S THEMES THAT SURFACE STRONGLY ENOUGH TO WARRANT DISCUSSION ABOUT MAKING THEM MORE EXPLICIT. MAYBE WE NEED TO AMEND SOME THINGS ALTOGETHER OR [00:20:01] COLLAPSE SOME, SOME, UM, OBJECTIVES. HOWEVER, THE NEXT STEP WITH THE STRATEGY MAP REVIEW IS, IS VERY SIMPLE. IT'S NOT, UM, REINVENTION, IT'S REFINEMENT BECAUSE I THINK THIS TOOL'S BEEN WORKING FOR US VERY, VERY WELL. UH, WE OFTEN GET ASKED ABOUT IT BY OTHER COMMUNITIES AROUND THAT, HEAR ABOUT HOW THIS IS WOVEN INTO OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO, UH, I AM INTRIGUED BY, UH, ANY FEEDBACK THAT YOU HAVE IF YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO READ THIS REPORT ALREADY. NEXT SLIDE. SO AGAIN, THE SEQUENCE FOR TONIGHT IS JUST RECEIVE THE REPORT. WE CAN BEGIN DISCUSSING THE FIT IF YOU'D LIKE. WE DON'T HAVE TO TONIGHT, BUT IF YOU DO HAVE SOME GENERAL FEEDBACK, WE'D LOVE TO RECEIVE IT. AND THEN WHATEVER WE RECEIVE, WE WILL START FORMULATING, WE'LL ASSESS IT WITH THE MAP. I'LL WORK WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM TO SEE IF WE HAVE A, A, A VERSION THAT MAKES SENSE IF WE, OUR EDITS ARE NEEDED. BUT HERE ARE SOME, UM, KEY QUESTIONS TO KEEP IN MIND. UM, ARE THERE ANY ELEMENTS OF THE MAP THAT SHOULD BE CLARIFIED OR EMPHASIZED BASED ON WHAT YOU READ IN THE REPORT OR REMOVED? I'M OPEN TO REMOVING THINGS TOO, IF YOU FEEL LIKE WE'VE DONE ENOUGH EMPHASIS IN A CERTAIN POINT AND WE NEED TO MAYBE PAUSE ON THAT AND ADD SOMETHING ELSE IN ITS PLACE. THAT IS FINE. ARE THERE ANY MEASURES OR OWNERSHIP OF AREAS THAT COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO SEE STRENGTHENED? MAYBE THERE'S AN AREA WE ARE TOUCHING ON, BUT THERE'S NOT ONE EMPHASIZE OWNERSHIP GROUP, UH, A DEPARTMENT OR, OR JUST A GOAL THAT NEEDS TO, TO HELP ELEVATE THAT AREA OF FOCUS. LET'S HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. LET RIGHT NEXT. SO THAT CONCLUDES, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL OVERVIEW. AGAIN, I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO RECEIVE THIS REPORT AS A DOCUMENTATION OF THE EXERCISE THAT TOOK PLACE IN FEBRUARY. UH, YOU KNOW, HOW I FEEL ABOUT MASTER PLANS AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION BEING, UH, FORMALLY APPROVED. UM, AND AGAIN, IF YOU WANT TO BEGIN HAVING A CONVERSATION TONIGHT, WE'RE HERE TO LISTEN AND YOU TAKE NOTE AND, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE. ALRIGHT. THANKS BEN. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? COME COMMENTS? WATER. WATER. NO, SERIOUSLY. I, IS THAT A QUESTION OR A STATEMENT? NO, I, I THINK THAT THE UM, WATER RESILIENCE IN MY OPINION IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT'S GOING TO DEAL WITH THE GROWTH OF THIS COMMUNITY OR THE SURVIVAL OF THIS COMMUNITY OVER THE LONG TERM. AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT. SO I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY ARE. SO IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC WITH THE, RELATED TO THE STRATEGY MAP YOU'D LIKE TO SEE AS VERY SPECIFIC WATER LANGUAGE OR MORE STRONGER ENVIRONMENTAL? WELL, WE HAVE TO DISCUSS, WE HAVE TO DISCUSS HOW WE'RE GOING TO FINANCE AN EXPANSION OF THE WASTEWATER PLAN AND HOW WE'RE GONNA FINANCE THE INTRODUCTION OF POTABLE WATER FACILITATION THROUGH THAT, UNLESS THERE'S SOME OTHER PLAN FOR WATER. WELL, AND I'LL TELL YOU, I'VE ALREADY HAD CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR BRINKMAN IN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS WHERE HE'S IDENTIFIED THAT AS A, UH, PRIORITY HE WANTS TO PURSUE AS HAVING A MASTER PLAN FOR WATER RESILIENCE AND MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH THE REUSE SYSTEM. ANY QUESTIONS, COUNSEL? I AGREE WITH JOE. I'M CURIOUS IF JUST SOME OF THE VERBIAGE DOES PLAY INTO THAT INDIRECTLY, RIGHT? SO EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T SPEC SPECIFICALLY SAY WATER, WE SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS, WHICH INDIRECTLY IMPLIES THAT THEY NEED WATER. SO DO YOU NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE? MAYBE YOU DO. I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU. I'M A HUNDRED PERCENT WATER IS TOP PRIORITY. WELL, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING, IT'S MORE OF A SPECIFIC GOAL THAN JUST WATER. AND I MEAN, NO WATER IN GENERAL, BUT I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO LAY, I'LL TELL YOU THE MAP AS YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT, IT, IT LENDS ITSELF TO A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY AND CONNECTION. BUT I AM ALL IN FAVOR OF, THERE'S VERY POINTED, SPECIFIC VERBIAGE YOU WANT IN THERE TO HELP COMMUNICATE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND LET'S, IT COULD BE LIKE RESILIENCY, JUST IN GENERAL, COMMUNITY RESILIENCY, HOWEVER, SOME VERBIAGE RELATED TO THAT. OBVIOUSLY WATER WOULD BE IT, BUT IT WOULD GO BEYOND THAT, RIGHT? WATER IS THE ONE WE TALK ABOUT, BUT IT SHOULD BE COMMUNITY RESILIENCY IN GENERAL IS IMPORTANT, RIGHT? YEAH. OBVIOUSLY WATER IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT WOULD BE MORE THAN THAT IN GENERAL. SO SOMETHING AROUND THAT COULD BE, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. SOMETHING TO LOOK AT. I AGREE. ALRIGHT, OTHER COMMENTS? NO, I, I THINK I WOULD AGREE, I THINK THE BROADER, YOU PUT THAT CATEGORY THAT ENCOMPASSES SOME OF THE PRIORITIES LIKE WATER, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WOULD DEFINITELY ACCOMPLISH THAT AND WORTHY OF A CONVERSATION. SO I I'D AGREE WITH THAT. THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT STUCK WITH JUST EVEN THOUGH AGAIN IMPORTANT IT COVERS MORE GROUND. YEAH, WELL I THINK EVERY ONE OF THESE TENANTS THAT ARE ON HERE IS WHAT THE CITY'S DOING ALREADY FROM THE GET GO. AND, YOU KNOW, WATER'S ALWAYS GONNA BE A PRIORITY. [00:25:01] UM, SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT WHAT'S ON THERE IN THE, IN THE UNDERLYING STATE STATEMENTS, I THINK IT PRETTY MUCH CLARIFIES EVERYTHING THAT WE WANNA MOVE FORWARD DIRECTLY AS A CITY. SO I DON'T THINK THERE'S TOO MUCH TO MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE TO THAT. BUT IN THE MASS RULING MASTER PLAN, LIKE JOE SAID, YEAH, WATER RESILIENCY IS GONNA BE OUR NUMBER ONE FOCUS. OKAY. SO LET, LET ME GO BACK AND I'LL LOOK AT HOW, WHAT THE BEST WAY TO FIT THAT IN. IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS, IF YOU DON'T MIND EMAILING ME OR LET ME KNOW. WE'LL, UH, WE'LL DO OUR REVIEW AT THE DIRECTOR LEVEL WITH THE MAP WITH THIS REPORT AND WE'LL FOLLOW BACK UP WITH YOU AT ANOTHER COUNCIL MEETING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANKS MAN. ALRIGHT. CAN I GET A MOTION? COUNCILMAN WILLERSON MAYOR, I MOVE THAT WE RECEIVE THE CITY COUNCIL WINNER WORKSHOP, STRATEGIC REFLECTION SUMMARY REPORT. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN MACALUSO, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. PAUSE ZERO. THANK YOU EVERYONE. MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM [7.A. 2025-533 RECEIVE BIDS AND CONSIDER RESOLUTION NO. 2026-R16; A RESOLUTION AWARDING THE CONTRACT FOR CITY OF BOERNE MOWING FISCAL YEAR 2026 TO ______________ IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $_______; AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO MANAGE AND EXECUTE THE RELATED CONTRACT.] 7 8 20 25 DASH 5 33. RECEIVE BIDS AND CONSIDER RESOLUTION NUMBER 2026 DASH R 16 A RESOLUTION AWARDING THE CONTRACT FOR THE CITY OF BERNIE MOWING FISCAL YEAR 20 26 2 IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO MAN THESE EXECUTE THE RELATED CONTRACT PRESENTER, JEFF CAROL, JEFF EVENING MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UM, HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR MOWING CONTRACT, WHICH TIES BACK TO OUR STRATEGY MAP IN A HANDFUL OF WAYS. UH, FISCAL ESCAL, ESCAL EXCELLENCE, EXCUSE ME. AND INVESTING IN MAINTAINING HIGH QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS. UM, AS YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS PERFORM MOWING, UM, BUT REALLY STREETS AND PARKS DEPARTMENT ARE THE TWO THAT HAVE THE MOST AREAS TO MOW, UM, STREET DEPARTMENTS. SEVERAL YEARS BACK, FISCAL YEAR 23, WE STARTED USING CONTRACT MOWING SERVICES, UM, FOR OUR RIGHT OF AWAYS AND DRAINAGE AREAS. AND THEN BACK IN FISCAL 25, WE ADDED PARKS AND CITY BUILDINGS INTO THIS CONTRACT AS WELL. UM, CONTRACT MOWING HAS REALLY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR THE CITY IN MANY WAYS. IT REALLY ALLOWS OUR CITY CREWS, LIKE FOR MY STREET CREWS, IT ALLOWS MY STREET CREWS TO WORK ON STREETS INSTEAD OF SPENDING TIME MOWING. UM, SAME WITH PARKS. IT ALLOWS US TO DO OUR CORE RESPONSIBILITIES. IT INCREASES EFFICIENCY INSTEAD OF A CREW THAT MOWS EVERY NOW AND THEN. WE CAN HAVE PRIVATE CONTRACTORS COME OUT WHO MOW EVERY SINGLE DAY. THEY COME OUT, THEY MOW, THEY KNOCK IT OUT REAL FAST. UM, MOWING IS A SEASONAL TASK. DOESN'T, WE DON'T HAVE TO MOW YEAR ROUND. SO WE CAN HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO COME IN AND MOW THE TIMES WE NEED TO BE MOWING. UM, BUT ALSO IT LIMITS OUR CITIES. WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BUY MOWERS AND CONSTANTLY BE REPLACING MOWERS, SO IT REALLY HELPS EQUIPMENT. UM, AND IT ALLOWS US TO, BY BIDDING THESE OUT, WE GET A GOOD COMPETITIVE COST STRUCTURE. SO WE'VE STANDARD, THIS WAS OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND, SO WE DID STANDARD BIDDING PRACTICES. WE ADVERTISED IN THE BURNING STAR JANUARY 18TH AND 25TH. UH, WE ALSO USE A ONLINE BID PORTAL CALLED CIV CAST FOR ALL OF OUR BIDS. WE RECEIVED TWO BIDS IN FEBRUARY 10TH. UM, ONE WAS 300 145 AND THE OTHER WAS 604 0 0 4. SO PRETTY BIG SPREAD, UH, BETWEEN THE TWO. BUT THE LOW BID CONTRACTOR IS THE YELLOWSTONE LANDSCAPE WHO WAS OUR MOWING CONTRACTOR TWO YEARS AGO. AND WE HAD, UH, GOOD PERFORMANCE FROM THEM. WE WERE HAPPY WORKING WITH THEM. UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING TO RECOMMEND USING THEM AGAIN. UM, FOR THIS YEAR, UH, OUR DUE, OUR CONTRACT LANGUAGE DOES HAVE, UM, PROVISIONS IN THAT, THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY RENEW THAT CONTRACTOR IN FUTURE YEARS. UM, THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR, WE HAD THAT LANGUAGE IN THE CONTRACT AS WELL, BUT WE DO NOT WANT TO RENEW WITH THAT CONTRACTOR, SO WE PUT IT OUT TO BID AGAIN. UM, AND THE CONTRACT ALSO HAS MANY PROVISIONS IN THERE WHERE WE CAN REDUCE SCOPE AND LOCATIONS OR FREQUENCY OF MOWING AS NEEDED. I MEAN, HOPEFULLY WE ALL WANT IT TO RAIN MONEY MANY TIMES, BUT IF IT DOESN'T RAIN, WE MIGHT NOT HAVE TO MOW AS MUCH. OR IF WE DECIDE THERE'S CERTAIN AREAS THAT WE DON'T NEED TO MOW, UM, WE CAN JUST TAKE THAT OUT OF THE CONTRACT AS WELL. SO, UH, THIS IS KIND OF A MAXIMUM CONTRACT, BUT WE DO ALWAYS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REMOVE STUFF BACK DOWN IF IT'S NOT NEEDED. SO WE'RE ASKING TO, UH, RECEIVE THAT CONTRACT AND ALLOW CITY MANAGER TO MOVE FORWARD. SO WITH THAT LANGUAGE IN THERE, SO IT'S 300,000 1 45, BUT IF WE DECIDE THAT IT DOESN'T RAIN, WE DON'T NEED MOW THAT. WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT JUST PAYING THE CONTRACT. THEY'RE GONNA CHARGE US APPROPRIATELY. EXACTLY. SO THE CONTRACT IS SET UP THAT THERE'S A HUNDRED SOMETHING AREAS. IF I GO BACK TO MY MAP HERE, THERE'S, THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION, HUNDRED SOMETHING LITTLE AREAS DEFINED THAT WE HAVE FREQUENCIES AND AREAS TO MOW. AND SO IF WE CHANGE IT ALL OUT, IT'S LITTLE LINE ITEMS. SO IF I GO, I THINK I ADDED A TABLE IN HERE. YEAH. SO HERE'S ONE PARTICULAR TABLE OF JUST SEASONAL MOWING. SO WE HAVE ALL THESE AREAS CORRESPOND TO SOMETHING ON THE MAP WHERE WE HAVE AN AREA AND WE SHOW, HEY, IN MAY WE'RE GONNA MOW TWO TIMES OR ONE TIME, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER. SO WE CAN EASILY SUBTRACT AREAS BACK OUT IF WE DON'T NEED TO MOW PARTICULAR, PARTICULAR TIMES OR AREAS. SO DOES THAT MEAN [00:30:01] YOU CAN ALSO SWAP, LIKE IF THIS AREA NOT ON HERE, THAT POTENTIALLY WE'D HAVE TO GET A PRICE FROM THE CONTRACTOR? 'CAUSE WE DON'T, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE, I'M JUST SAYING SAY THERE'S AN AREA THAT DOESN'T NEED TO BE DONE. CORRECT. YEAH, WE COULD ALWAYS ASK THE CONTRACTOR FOR A NEW AREA, UM, AND THEN SUBTRACT OUT OTHER AREAS. YES. SO I'LL ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR DOING IT, OR FOURTH, FOURTH, FOURTH, FOURTH. SO WE'VE LEARNED QUITE A BIT ON HOW TO MANAGE THIS CONTRACT AND, AND WE PUT IN ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE AREAS WE'D LIKE TO SEE MOWED ON A, AT A MORE FREQUENT SCHEDULE KNOWING THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA PURSUE THAT. UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, AS IT RAINS OR DOESN'T RAIN, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ADD AND CHANGE THAT SCHEDULE. AND SO THIS WAS KIND OF A WISHLIST. WE PUT IT UP THERE, WE GOT THE, GOT THE BID FOR 300,000. UH, SO AS JEFF SAID, WE WE'RE NOT, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEED 300,000, IT'S BASED ON THE PRICE PER TIME THEY GO OUT AND, AND MOW AND EXACTLY AS I MENTIONED, SEASONAL, LIKE FOR THE STREET CREWS, THE SUMMERTIME IS WHEN THE STREET CREWS ARE BUSIEST DOING STREET REPAIRS AND OTHER TYPE THINGS. SO IF WE CAN HAVE THIS MOWING CONTRACTOR HELP HERE, BUT MAYBE IN THE FALL COME LATER SEPTEMBER, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER STREET CREW MIGHT HAVE SOME MOWING CAPACITY SO WE COULD, SAME DEAL STREET GUYS COULD GO DO SOME MOWING AND WE CAN TELL THE CONTRACTOR. SO THIS IS, GIVES US OPPORTUNITIES AND CHANCES IF WE NEED MOWING CONTRACTOR TO COME AND HELP US. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO THROW A WISHLIST AND GET IT ALL FROM ONE OF THE ONLY TWO BIDDERS AND HAPPENED TO BE THE LOWER BID. I MEAN, WE'RE JUST , YOU KNOW, THE OTHER, THE OTHER BID WAS TWICE AS MUCH, SO I DON'T KNOW WHY, UM, THAT'S EVEN A CONSIDERATION. BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION AROUND YELLOWSTONE. THAT'S CORRECT. MM-HMM . UM, YOU SAID WE USED THEM TWO YEARS AGO AND THEN STOPPED USING 'EM. DO YOU RECALL WHY WE STOPPED USING THEM? SO LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE ADDED A RENEWAL PROCESS INTO IT. SO TWO YEARS AGO WE DIDN'T HAVE RENEWAL LANGUAGE IN THE CONTRACT, SO WE WERE JUST PUTTING A NEW BID EVERY SINGLE YEAR. UM, SO THAT WAS SOMETHING WE'VE LEARNED IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS IS TO START ADDING AN OPTION FOR RENEWAL. UM, BUT WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE IT IN PLACE. AND THEN LAST YEAR THEY WERE NOT, THEY BID LAST YEAR, BUT THEY WERE NOT THE LOW BIDDER LAST YEAR. GOT IT. BUT THEN OUR LOW BID CONTRACTOR DID WAS NOT IDEAL LAST YEAR. GOT IT. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. JEFF, CAN I GET A MOTION FOR COUNCILMAN BUNKER PLEASE? YEAH, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE RESOLUTION NUMBER 2026 R 16, A RESOLUTION OF AWARDING THE CONTRACT FOR THE CITY OF BI MOWING FISCAL YEAR 2026 TO YELLOWSTONE CAT LANDSCAPE FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,145 IN AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO MANAGE AND EXECUTE THE RELATED CONTRACT. SECOND FROM COUNCILMAN MACALUSO, PLEASE VOTE. MOTION PASSES. FIVE ZERO. THANK EVERYONE. THANKS JEFF. WE KNOW UNDER AGENDA [8.A. 2025-658 MONTHLY PROJECTS UPDATE.] NUMBER I EIGHT A 2025 DASH 6 5 8 CITY MANAGERS REPORT. BEN YES, MAYOR MAY GIVE YOU THE MARCH CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE REPORT. I EMAILED THIS OUT TO YOU EARLIER. I HAVE JUST A FEW ITEMS TO HIGHLIGHT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC ITEMS, LET ME KNOW AND I'LL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER THOSE. WE ALSO HAVE THE DIRECTORS WHO CAN COME FORWARD ON THE MOBILITY SLIDE. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO HIGHLIGHT. IF YOU'LL GO NEXT, I DO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT, UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T DRIVEN BY PLANT AVENUE, BY THE PARKING LOT, THAT'S, THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION, IT'S GOING, HOPEFULLY THAT'LL BE SOMETHING WE'LL CELEBRATE ITS, UH, COMPLETION NEXT MONTH. I DID GET A QUESTION C COUNCIL MEMBER MICKELSON ASKED ME ABOUT SIDEWALKS AND THE SIDEWALK PLAN AND HOW WE PURSUE SIDEWALKS AND I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE BEST FOR US TO REVISIT THE, THE SIDEWALK MASTER PLAN AND HOW WE IDENTIFY THOSE PRIORITIES. DIRECTOR CAROL'S DONE THAT PRESENTATION IN THE PAST, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY BEEN A COUPLE YEARS. I'M NOT EVEN SURE COUNCIL MEMBER BUNKER IF YOU'VE SEEN THAT PLAN. SO I HAVE NOT, SO HALF THE COUNCIL PROBABLY NEEDS TO SEE THAT, SO WE'LL HAVE THAT COMING FORWARD. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW NEXT UNDER THE INFRASTRUCTURE, IT WAS A FANTASTIC, UH, UH, EVENT LAST MONTH WHERE WE CELEBRATED FIELD SIX AND SEVEN UPGRADES IN THE DARK SKIES LIGHTING, THIS ISN'T SPECIFICALLY DARK SKIES LIGHTING, BUT WE DID, UH, IT MAKE SOME MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS TO FIELD SIX AND SEVEN AND QUAD TWO AND WE KEEP GETTING A LOT OF GREAT COMMENTARY. I'M STILL OUT THERE AS A COACH IN LITTLE LEAGUE AND, UH, GETTING COMMENTS EVERY TIME I'M OUT THERE, HOW GREAT THAT THOSE FIELDS ARE. AND SO I WANNA THANK DIRECTOR JIMENEZ AND HER TEAM FOR THAT. WE HAVE MORE FIELDS THAT THEY'LL BE PURSUING, UM, SOME IMPROVEMENTS ON IN THE, AFTER THIS SEASON, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FALL, UH, SUMMER AND FALL SEASON. ALRIGHT, IF YOU GO BACK NEXT, NEXT ON THE DEVELOPMENT SIDE, WE WILL BE, UM, HAVING OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT UDC UPDATES TONIGHT. RIGHT AFTER THIS MEETING, WE'LL GO, UH, MEET WITH THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION TO TO HEAR A GREAT PRESENTATION FROM DIRECTOR CRANE WHO WILL SPEAK VERY HIGH LEVEL ON THE THINGS. UH, WE NEED TO, TO AMEND THOSE FRICTION POINTS THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING, THAT WE LIKE TO ADDRESS. AND THEN OTHER [00:35:01] THINGS YOU GUYS HAVE BROUGHT UP AS WELL AS P AND Z, UH, TO STRENGTHEN, UM, OUR CODE. NEXT. WE HAD GOT OUR AUDIT DONE. YOU HEARD THAT REPORT LAST COUNCIL MEETING, SO WE WERE ABLE TO CHECK THAT OFF THE, THE LIST. OKAY, NEXT, NEXT I THINK THERE'S A FEW UNDER OTHER. JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT WITH DIRECTOR WOODS RETIREMENT, I'M PAUSING THIS, UM, INITIATIVE. WE'LL, WE WILL RE-LOOK AT THAT NEXT YEAR ONCE WE, UM, ONCE WE, UH, WORK ON THE WORK PLAN FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR AFTER WE, UH, GET RESITUATED THERE. THE PARTS COMMUNITY SURVEY, I'M ABOUT 75% DONE WITH THAT DRAFT QUESTIONNAIRE. I'LL SEND THAT OUT TO YOU TO GET YOUR OPINIONS AND FEELINGS ON IT BEFORE WE SEND THAT OUT. I DO HOPE TO GO LIVE WITH THAT IN APRIL. SO NEXT MONTH THEY'RE WORKING, UH, DIRECT, UH, A CM STARK AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR, UM, SURVEY CONSULTANT ON THAT. AND OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE ALYSSA'S, UM, FEEDBACK ON, ON THAT AS WELL. UH, I WANNA CONGRATULATE, UH, DIRECTOR CAROL. THIS HAS BEEN, THIS THE LASER FISH PROGRAM, THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, UM, IS, IS A VERY COMPLEX THING. I THINK TODAY WE GOT A RECORDS REQUEST FOR, FROM AN INDIVIDUAL NEEDS THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF EMAILS. AND SO, UH, DIRECTOR CAROL AND CHAZ, THEY'RE TRYING TO MODERNIZE OUR PROGRAM TO WHERE WE CAN BE A LITTLE MORE PROACTIVE ON THE FRONT END AS, AS WE COLLECT RECORDS, WE HAVE THOSE DIGITIZED RIGHT AWAY. SO IT'S A LOT EASIER TO TO FIND AND RETRIEVE THOSE RECORDS. ALRIGHT, GO BACK. I BELIEVE THAT IS EVERYTHING I HAVE FOR YOU THIS MONTH. ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE? A CARBON FILTRATION STUDY? I'M JUST LOOKING AT THIS AS ASKING IT STARTED IN 10 OF 24, THAT'S 20 MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE STUDY. I'M JUST ASKING WHAT IS IT? WE'RE, GO BACK TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE SLIDE. WHAT IS THE HOLD UP ON THE STUDY? IT SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME FOR A STUDY. GO BACK TO ME JUST ASKING. I'M SURE THERE'S A REASON, BUT ALL RIGHT, SO DIRECTOR BRINKMAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE UP TO SPEED OR MAYBE TERRY, IF YOU WANNA COME UP, YOU CAN SPEAK TO THE CARBON FILTER DESIGN, BUT IT DOES LOOK LIKE WE'LL BE THE, THE, THE, ACCORDING TO THIS UPDATE, THE STUDY'S COMPLETE. NOW WE'LL BE GOING OUT FOR, UH, BIDS HERE THIS SUMMER. SO YOU REMEMBER WE HAD TO DO A, IS THIS PART OF THAT PILOT STUDY WITH THE PLANT PILOT THAT TOOK ALMOST TWO YEARS? THE MAYOR COUNCIL, UM, THE STUDY'S COMPLETE AND WE WERE, UH, SOLICITING, UM, DESIGN SERVICES, UH, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, ULTIMATE CONSTRUCTION OF THAT PROJECT. SO, UH, THAT HAS BEEN SELECTED. IT'S SLATED, IT WAS GONNA GO TO THIS BOARD'S, UH, THIS COUNCIL SESSION, BUT IT'LL GO TO THE NEXT COUNCIL SESSION FOR AWARD OF DESIGN SERVICES. AND, UH, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO MOVE FORWARD ON THAT. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER ONE OF DIRECTOR MANN'S LAST PRESENTATIONS. HE GAVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL, HEY, THIS IS WHAT THAT, THAT STUDY CAME BACK AND IT'S TELLING US WE OUGHT TO LOOK AT THIS INFRASTRUCTURE, THIS PIECE. AND SO THIS IS, I'M SURE THERE ARE. I JUST, YOU KNOW, I'M READY TO GET IT DONE. YEAH, , THANK SAME HERE. THANK YOU. UM, ON THE ADLER, UM, DRAINAGE ON CURRY CREEK, I KNOW JEFF CARROLL GAVE A UPDATE ON IT. I, UM, I DO THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL FOR COMMUNICATIONS TO DO LIKE AN ACTUAL UPDATE ON IT. I KEEP GETTING QUESTIONS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT, I THINK PEOPLE GOT CONFUSED ABOUT UTILITY RELOCATION WITH THE ACTUAL PROJECT. SO I THINK IN THEIR MIND THEY THOUGHT THE UTILITY RELOCATION WAS THE TIMELINE FOR THE ACTUAL WHOLE PROJECT. AND SO THEY THOUGHT THAT SHORT TERM WAS THE LONG, LIKE, SO THEY'RE LIKE, EVERYONE THINKS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE LIKE THIS. WHICH IF YOU LOOK AT THE BRIDGE, IT'S LIKE, WELL, THERE'S NO WAY THAT BRIDGE WOULD'VE DONE THAT FAST. I KNOW SUSAN DEALS WITH IT EVERY DAY. SO, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A PAIN, BUT I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROJECT, IT'S OBVIOUS IT WAS GONNA BE LONG, A LONG PROJECT, BUT I THINK THAT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL. YEAH, THAT'S, UH, GOOD FEEDBACK. WE'LL DEFINITELY JUMP ON THAT. BE HELPFUL FOR ME. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. IT'S NOT IN YOUR DISTRICT OR ANYTHING. TY, ANY QUESTIONS FOR BEN? I, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, THANKS BEN. WE'LL, UH, BEFORE WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT SESSION, [9. COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL – No discussion or action may take place.] ANY COMMENTS FROM COUNSEL? AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE, TY, JUST A COUPLE UPDATES. UM, HAD AMPO MEETING YESTERDAY. IT WAS THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE EXPANSION, UM, SO THE JUDGE WAS THERE. UM, SO THAT WAS COOL HAVING HIM THERE. UM, ALSO THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR WHEELER IN CHARGE. UM, INTERESTING JUST TO HEAR HIS KIND OF VISION FOR WHAT HE'D LIKE TO SEE FROM AMPO SPECIFICALLY JUST TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LOOKING AT THE REGION AS A WHOLE, UM, WHICH I KNOW WE'VE DONE AS A CITY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THOROUGHFARE MAPS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOW THE, THE REGION'S GONNA GROW. [00:40:01] AND SO I THINK JUST, YOU KNOW, IF ANY OF Y'ALL READ MY POST ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE, JUST AGAIN, YOU GOT, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO LOOK, LOOK AT THINGS AND HOW WE'RE GONNA GROW IN THE FUTURE AND NOT JUST DRAW LAND IN THIS, DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND. SO I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT AMPO TOO IS, FEELS THE SAME, SAME WAY. AND THEN I'M GLAD TO HAVE THE JUDGE THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER, OBVIOUSLY HE'S GOT AN ELECTION, SO WE'LL SEE WHERE THAT GOES. BUT REGARDLESS, NICE TO HAVE HIM THERE. AND THEN SECOND, UM, DID MY MEALS ON WHEELS, UH, DRIVE TODAY, WHICH I ALWAYS LOVE. IT'S LIKE SO, UM, HEARTWARMING TO JUST GO OUT THERE AND I MEAN, JUST HONESTLY, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE MEALS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE OR EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AND, UM, IT WAS ALL IN MY DISTRICT OVER IN THE FAB APARTMENTS. UM, AND IT, YEAH, IT WAS, IT WAS JUST GREAT. UM, AT LEAST THREE OF THE PEOPLE WERE SUPER CHATTY AND, UM, THE PERSON I RODE ALONG WITH WAS AWESOME. SO IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS A GREAT HOUR AND A HALF AND I WOULD RECOMMEND IF ANYONE HAS THE TIME TO GO, GO DO IT. IF YOU GOT AN HOUR, GO DO IT. AND I THINK YOU'LL FEEL LIKE A BETTER PERSON. SO YES, I AGREE. EXCELLENT. ALL RIGHT, THANKS SIR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL? NOPE, NOT THIS WEEK. NOT THIS WEEK. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM [10. EXECUTIVE SESSION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE:] 10, A EXECUTIVE SESSION 2026 DASH 1 0 1 SECTION 5 51 86 OF LIBERATIONS CONCERNING MUNICIPALITY OWNED UTILITIES, SPECIFICALLY GAS METER RATES. AND THEN 10 B 2026 DASH 1 0 2, SECTION 5 51 0 7 1. CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY LITIGATION LAURA HANEY VERSUS CITY OF BERNIE CO. CASE NUMBER 24 DASH 6 2 2. A LAWSUIT PENDING FOUR 51ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT. WE'LL OFFICIALLY ADJOURN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AT, DON'T HAVE A CLOCK HERE. 6 41 6 ALL THE WAY IN FRONT OF ME, 6:42 PM THANK YOU EVERYONE. WE WILL OFFICIALLY [11. RECONVENE INTO OPEN SESSION AND TAKE ANY NECESSARY ACTION RELATING TO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.] RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION AT 7 31. NOTHING FURTHER. WE WILL OFFICIALLY ADJOURN OUR REGULAR CITY COUNSEL MEET AT 7:31 PM THANK YOU EVERYONE THAT STAYED. * 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.