[00:00:07]
[1. Executive Session]
COUNSEL. 551.072 TO DISCUSS THE PURCHASE, EXCHANGE, LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY AND 551.074 TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS.THE CITY COUNCIL IS NOW RECESSING AT 12:35 P.M..
[1. Citibus - Route Study Presentation]
HELLO, EVERYBODY. CITY COUNCIL IS NOW RECONVENING IN OPEN SESSION AT 2:11 P.M, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONDUCT A WORK SESSION AT THIS TIME, AND I'M GOING TO CALL ON CHRIS MANDRELL TO COME FORWARD AND GIVE US A PRESENTATION ON CITIBUS.THANK YOU CHRIS. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
PROBABLY FOR YOUR BENEFIT, I'M NOT GOING TO BE THE ONE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY.
I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO JASON MILLER.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JASON MILLER TO TAKE YOU THROUGH IT.
THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY.
SO AS CHRIS MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN MANY YEARS IN THE MAKING.
THERE WAS A TRANSIT MASTER PLAN, A FIVE YEAR PLAN DEVELOPED IN 2019, FINALIZED IN 2019, AND THEN NOT ADOPTED AT THAT POINT BECAUSE RIGHT ON THE RIGHT AHEAD OF COVID AND THE PANDEMIC.
SO THAT'S GIVEN US A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, THOUGH IN RECENT YEARS, THIS PROJECT, WE STARTED IN 2023 TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE POST-COVID TRAVEL PATTERNS AND DEVELOP AND BASE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DID IN THAT 2017 THROUGH 19 ERA, BUT UPDATE IT BASED ON ON CURRENT CONDITIONS. SO THIS PLAN, YOU KNOW, LARGELY IS NEEDED TO MODERNIZE CITIBUS.
IT IMPROVES SERVICE WHERE IT'S NEEDED THE MOST.
IT RESPONDS TO RECENT LAND USE PATTERNS AND CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN LUBBOCK.
MICRO-TRANSIT OR CITIBUS ON DEMAND WAS IMPLEMENTED IN RESPONSE TO COVID.
CITIBUS MOVED QUICKLY TO IMPLEMENT IT.
WE WANT TO RETOOL THAT THOUGH AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT.
ALL OF THE PLAN IS BASED AROUND GROWING RIDERSHIP IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SERVICE OVERALL REALLY TAKING FIXED ROUTE AND HAVING IT BE A MUCH MORE IMPORTANT PART OF THE SERVICE, KIND OF LIKE IT WAS BEFORE, AND SERVE SOME OF THOSE NEW DESTINATIONS.
THE APPROACH WE'VE TAKEN HERE HAS BEEN BASED ON UNDERSTANDING THOSE CURRENT CONDITIONS TODAY THROUGH DATA, AS WELL AS PUBLIC OUTREACH, AND REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE DEMAND IS AND WHERE THE NEEDS ARE AND HOW THE CURRENT SYSTEM CAN BE ADOPTED THROUGH THIS FIVE YEAR PLAN, ADAPTED THROUGH THIS FIVE YEAR PLAN TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE AND BUILD RIDERSHIP.
WITHIN THIS PLAN, WE REDUCE RELIANCE ON THE DOWNTOWN TRANSFER CENTER, THE OLD SYSTEM OR THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT IS REALLY LEGACY AT THIS POINT IS BASED ON ALL ROUTES PULSING OUT OF THE DOWNTOWN TRANSFER CENTER.
WE WANT TO UPDATE THAT, INTRODUCE SMALLER DISTRIBUTED MOBILITY HUBS, CONNECTION POINTS IN IN POINTS THROUGHOUT TOWN, STILL USING THE DOWNTOWN TRANSFER PLAZA AS A MAJOR CONNECTION POINT, BUT JUST NOT AS MUCH FOCUS AS IT HAS TODAY.
AS I MENTIONED, RETOOL MICRO-TRANSIT TO WORK WITH FIXED ROUTE AND NOT AGAINST.
OUR STUDY SHOWED THAT THERE WAS REALLY A DUPLICATION IN THE WAY MICRO-TRANSIT IS OPERATED TODAY, AND THE WAY FIXED ROUTE IS OPERATED AND REALLY MAKE THOSE FIXED ROUTES OPERATE BETTER.
SO THIS IS JUST A LOOK AT OUR ENTIRE PLAN TOGETHER.
I'LL BREAK THIS DOWN INTO ITS VARIOUS COMPONENTS, BUT OVERALL FIXED ROUTE SERVICE IS INCREASED.
WE ALSO HAVE NEW ROUTES, SO WE RETOOLED EXISTING ROUTES IN MANY CASES, BUT WE ALSO ARE INTRODUCING ENTIRELY NEW ROUTES AS WELL, AND WE'RE PULLING BACK MICRO-TRANSIT TO REALLY PROVIDE MORE LOCALIZED, SHORTER DISTANCE TRIPS IN AREAS THROUGHOUT TOWN IN THE SHADED ZONES THAT YOU SEE, AS OPPOSED TO A CITYWIDE FOOTPRINT THAT MICRO-TRANSIT HAS TODAY.
[00:05:04]
IN LOOKING AT JUST THE FIXED ROUTE SERVICE, I MENTIONED SOME OF THOSE NEW CONNECTIONS ONE FAR TO THE SOUTH, THERE TO THE HEB ALONG A NEW ROUTE ALONG QUAKER.WE ALSO HAVE A NEW EXPRESS ROUTE THAT UTILIZES MARSHA SHARP TO MAKE EFFICIENT CONNECTIONS FROM THE CENTER OF LUBBOCK TO THE SOUTHWEST, BUT WE HAVE BASICALLY A NEW HIERARCHY OF ROUTES WHERE WE HAVE EXPRESS ROUTES MAKING FAST CONNECTIONS BETWEEN KEY POINTS.
SO WE ARE TODAY CITIBUSSES OPERATING THE SAME FREQUENCY ON ALL THE ROUTES.
WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING IN THIS SERVICE PLAN IS, IS MORE TIERED SERVICE THAT APPROPRIATELY MATCHES DEMAND MAKES CITIBUS OPERATE MORE EFFICIENTLY OVERALL. 30 MINUTES IS IS THE GOAL FREQUENCY ON MANY OF OUR ROUTES RUNNING RUNNING EVERY 30 MINUTES WITH THOSE DIRECT EAST WEST CONNECTIONS, NORTH, NORTHEAST CONNECTIONS, SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST CONNECTIONS.
I MENTIONED THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONES.
THIS SHOWS ALL OF THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONES.
YOU CAN TRAVEL ANY TWO POINTS WITHIN THESE ZONES, AND THEY'RE REALLY DESIGNED TO PROVIDE THAT LOCALIZED TRAVEL, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, CONNECT FROM THESE ZONES TO FIXED ROUTE SERVICES WITH FIXED ROUTE, MAKING LONGER DISTANCE TRIPS ACROSS ALL OF LUBBOCK.
THE PARATRANSIT ZONE IS IS PULLED BACK.
IT'S MORE SIMILAR TO 2019 AS A RESULT OF PULLING BACK MICRO-TRANSIT.
SO THIS PROVIDES SOME SOME EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE OVERALL SYSTEM BUT IS THAT THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE SURROUNDING ALL OF THE ROUTES.
WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT WHAT EXISTED PRIOR TO COVID IN 2019 WAS A CITYWIDE ZONE AN EXTENDED ZONE.
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT WHEN IT COMES TO IMPLEMENTATION.
WE'RE LOOKING TO BALANCE THE EXISTING RESOURCES WITHIN OUR GOAL SCENARIO, BUT THE BALANCING OF FIXED ROUTE HOURS COMPARED TO ON DEMAND PARATRANSIT COMBINED, WHICH IS VAN SERVICE COLLECTIVELY BETWEEN ON DEMAND PARATRANSIT.
IT USED TO BE IN THE 7040 RANGE PRE-COVID AND HAS KIND OF INVERTED MORE RECENTLY, AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO REESTABLISH THAT WITH A HIGHER INVESTMENT IN FIXED ROUTE AND A MORE SIMILAR INVESTMENT IN PARATRANSIT TO WHAT EXISTED PRE-COVID AND MAINTAINING THAT ON DEMAND SERVICE, BUT AT A MORE REASONABLE LEVEL.
WE ENVISION IMPLEMENTING THIS OVER TIME.
THIS THIS WILL BE FROM A ROUTE STRUCTURE STANDPOINT, IMPLEMENTED AT A SINGLE POINT IN TIME, BUT IT WILL BE IMPROVED UPON OVER THE FIVE YEARS OF OUR PLAN.
WE DO HAVE MANY SUPPORTING RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
YOU KNOW, WITH A NEW STRUCTURE, A NEW REFRESH TO THE WHOLE SYSTEM, WE THINK IT COULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REBRANDING, INVESTING IN MORE MARKETING AND OUTREACH AND THEN CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OVER TIME TO HELP UNDERSTAND UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
LOTS OF DIFFERENT PRE-LAUNCH ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD COME AHEAD, AND LIKELY IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO 12 MONTHS TO REALLY GET READY FOR THIS, THIS IMPLEMENTATION, AND WITH THAT, WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I HAD ONE IF YOU WANT IF YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR MAP.
I'M JUST THINKING WITH THE ONCE THE LEPRINO PLANT IS COMPLETED ON 19TH STREET OUTSIDE THE LOOP, IS THERE GOING TO BE A ROUTE THAT WOULD CONNECT TO THAT? ANY CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO THAT? YEAH. I THINK ONE THING TO MENTION IS THAT THIS PLAN STARTED IN JANUARY OF 23.
LUBBOCK IS A VERY DYNAMIC PLACE WITH A LOT OF CHANGE GOING ON.
[00:10:03]
TO. OKAY.THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? I'M NOT SEEING MY AND I DON'T CHRIS IF YOU WANT TO.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS THE PROJECTED IMPACT ON CITIBUSSES OPERATING BUDGET AFTER FULLY IMPLEMENTING YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS? FULL IMPLEMENTATION.
IF WE WERE TO GET TO OUR STRETCH SCENARIO, FOR EXAMPLE.
THIS IS AN INVESTMENT OF ABOUT 500 TO $600,000 MORE TO GET TO THAT FULL IMPLEMENTATION.
TO GET TO OUR INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION, WE ARE BALANCING THE RESOURCES THAT EXIST FOR CITIBUS TODAY.
ONE THING TO NOTE THOUGH, IS THAT COSTS HAVE GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY, LIKE LIKE IN MANY BUSINESSES, AND THAT'S A FACTOR THAT NEEDS TO JUST BE REFINED IN HERE.
I THINK IT'S ABOUT 30% OVERALL COST INCREASES ACROSS THE BOARD OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS FOR CITIBUS.
SO WE NEED TO RECONCILE THAT, BUT OUR GOAL FOR THE INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN BEEN TO BE NEUTRAL FROM A RESOURCE STANDPOINT, AND YOU SAY THAT THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE ABOUT A 500 TO $600,000 INVESTMENT, AND YOU USE THE WORD INVESTMENT.
THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY, BUT NOT INVESTMENT IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE PURCHASING SOMETHING TANGIBLE.
I MEAN, IT'S AN INVESTMENT IN TRANSPORTATION FOR THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT'S THE NET COST PER PASSENGER FOR CITIBUS CURRENTLY? THE NET COST.
IT BREAKS DOWN DIFFERENTLY BY SERVICE.
THAT IS TOTAL AND NOT NET OF ANY FARE REVENUE.
CORRECT. SO FARE REVENUE IS NETTED OFF OF THAT.
I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU OFFHAND, AND THEN ON THE ON DEMAND PARATRANSIT SIDE IS 36, 37, $37 PER PASSENGER COST.
THAT'S PER BOARDING, I SHOULD SAY, IS AN EASIER WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
THE COST PER PASSENGER COULD STAY THE SAME.
IT'S THAT WE WHAT WE ANTICIPATE IS THAT A SHIFT FROM MICRO-TRANSIT TO FIXED ROUTE WOULD OCCUR JUST BY THE WAY THAT WE'RE RETOOLING THE SERVICE.
SO YOU WOULD HAVE MORE PEOPLE TAKING FIXED ROUTE, LESS TAKING MICRO-TRANSIT.
IT'S LIKELY THE COST PER PASSENGER MIGHT STAY CLOSE TO THE SAME.
BECAUSE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AVERAGED BY THE AMOUNT OF SERVICE.
SO IT LIKELY STAYS THE SAME, BUT YOU'RE MOVING MORE PEOPLE THROUGH A LOWER COST OPTION WHEN WE MOVE TO FIXED ROUTE, AND YOU SAY IT'S LIKELY THAT IT MIGHT STAY THE SAME, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE SPECIFICALLY MODELED UNDER A SET OF ASSUMPTIONS, OR IS THAT MORE OF LIKE A HUNCH EXPECTATION? WELL, WE'VE TRACKED THE COST PER RIDER AND COST PER HOUR.
OVER TIME, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS TODAY, AND WE KNOW HOW THE SYSTEM SHOULD PERFORM FROM A RIDERSHIP STANDPOINT BASED ON RIDERSHIP MODELING. SO THAT'S THE MODELING THAT WE'VE DONE.
WE CAN'T PREDICT FUTURE COSTS.
WE DO THINK THAT CITIBUS CURRENT COSTS HAVE STABILIZED IN, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR THEY HAVE SEEN THAT 30% INCREASE IN COSTS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS.
SO IT'S HARD TO MODEL LIKE WHAT INFLATION MIGHT DO.
IS THERE A VOLUME OR A FARE RATE THAT WOULD HELP CITIBUS BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IN ITS OWN OPERATIONS? UNLIKELY, BECAUSE AS YOU RAISE FARES, YOU PUSH AWAY RIDERSHIP, AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY THE INELASTICITY ASSOCIATED WITH FARE INCREASES.
THE FARE INCREASES DO PUSH AWAY RIDERSHIP.
SO YOU LIKELY, YOU KNOW, COULD NET MORE PER PASSENGER, BUT YOU'RE LOSING PASSENGERS.
SO SO THAT'S A REAL CHALLENGE IN PUBLIC TRANSIT BROADLY.
[00:15:02]
CHRIS COULD PROBABLY SPEAK TO THAT BETTER THAN I COULD.SO FOR A COST CONTROL, WE DON'T TYPICALLY UTILIZE THEM.
WE WILL UTILIZE THEM ON SPECIAL SPECIAL OCCASIONS.
SOMETIMES FOR ELECTIONS AND THINGS, WE'LL USE A PARTNER WITH THEM TO DO OVERFLOW TRIPS THAT WE CANNOT PROVIDE, BUT FOR FISCAL REASONS, WE DON'T UTILIZE THEM BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A CEILING OR A CAP ON WHAT COULD BE OUT THERE, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE STAY WITHIN THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE ALLOWED.
SO WE TRY TO ONLY DO THOSE OR WE DO ONLY DO THOSE FOR LIKE SPECIAL OCCASIONS, AND SO IN THAT SITUATION, SOMEBODY TELL ME HOW A PASSENGER WOULD, WOULD GET A RIDE THROUGH CITIBUS ON A PLATFORM LIKE UBER OR LYFT.
YEAH. SO IT'S ALL DONE THROUGH.
IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO A TO AN APPLICATION ON A PHONE OR A DESKTOP AS YOU WOULD LIKE AN UBER LYFT.
RIGHT. SO THEY WOULD GO THROUGH THAT AND IT'S THROUGH CITIBUS OR A VENDOR THAT WE WORK WITH THAT THEY WOULD BOOK A TRIP EXACTLY LIKE YOU WOULD ON ANY OTHER TNC PLATFORM, BUT THE THING IS, IS IF THEY'RE BOOKING THROUGH, THROUGH OUR SERVICE TO BE ABLE TO GO OFF ONTO AN UBER, LYFT OR ANOTHER TNC, THEY HAVE TO OPT IN, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY'RE BASICALLY ACCEPTING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND THE BIG ONE IS THAT THE DRIVER OF THAT OTHER VEHICLE IS NOT A DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTED DRIVER, AND SO IF THEY OPT IN OR SAY, YES, WE ARE OKAY WITH DOING THOSE RIDES ON THOSE INSTANCES, IF WE CAN'T RESPOND TO A RIDE WITHIN 25 OR 30 MINUTES, THEN IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY PUSH THAT OFF TO THE TNC PROVIDER.
THAT'S CORRECT, AND WHAT BALLPARK.
WHAT WOULD THAT BE? SO TODAY WE JUST RUN.
SO IF IT WERE OUTSOURCED OUT THEY WOULD JUST PAY THE $2 AND THAT'S IT.
REGARDLESS OF THE LENGTH OF THE TRIP OR THE COSTS INCURRED BY CITIBUS.
IT COULD. SO IN THEIR PLAN THEY HAVE A FARE MODEL THAT THEY ARE SUGGESTING THAT WE CAN CHANGE TO.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH FARES TO DO THAT.
THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH AND KIND OF DONE SOME SUGGESTIONS ON FARES, BUT AT THIS POINT WE HAVEN'T LIKE MADE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SENT THOSE IN YET SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE POTENTIALLY GETTING INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH UBER AND LYFT ON A CONSISTENT BASIS.
SO WE JUST DON'T HAVE THOSE FINALIZED YET.
IS THERE ANY LIMITATION ON WHERE YOU CAN MOVE WITHIN THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, IS IT DESIGNED JUST TO GET YOU TO THE NEAREST MAIN LINE OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? YEAH.
SO JUST GOING BACK ONE QUESTION BEFORE I ANSWER THAT ONE THE FARES THAT WE PRESENT IN OUR FIVE YEAR PLAN ARE FOR THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONE ARE DISTANCE BASED.
SO THE FARE INCREASES FOR LONGER DISTANCES WITHIN THE PLAN AND THE CHANGE TO MICRO-TRANSIT, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE WITHIN THE SMALLER ZONES TODAY.
MICRO-TRANSIT IS CITYWIDE AND IN MANY WAYS DUPLICATES FIXED ROUTE CONNECTIONS.
IN THE SMALLER ZONES, YOU COULD CONNECT TWO POINTS WITHIN THE ZONE AT A HIGHER FARE.
YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MOVE BROADLY ACROSS USING MICRO TRANSIT ACROSS TOWN, USING MICRO TRANSIT, AND CAN WE GO BACK TO THE MAP OF THE MICRO TRANSIT ZONES? BECAUSE I NOTICED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN SOME CORE AREAS OF THE CITY, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THIS CORRIDOR ALONG QUAKER, IT'S NOT COVERED BY A MICRO TRANSIT ZONE.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT AND SOME OF THE REASONING BEHIND THE BOUNDARIES? YEAH, I THINK IT'S RESOURCES.
YOU KNOW, THE, THE REASON THAT WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THESE ZONES BUTTING UP AGAINST EACH OTHER IS BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO GET THESE TO WORK WELL WITH FIXED ROUTE AND NOT NECESSARILY COVER ALL PARTS OF TOWN.
SO WE'RE PRETTY SENSITIVE TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE WERE LOSING A LITTLE BIT OF SERVICE WITHIN OUR EXISTING COVERAGE WITH ROUTES, MAKING SURE THAT THERE WAS A ZONE IN PLACE FOR THAT, AND THEN NOT INTRODUCING SERVICE WHERE WE DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS A HIGH NEED FOR DEMAND BECAUSE MICRO-TRANSIT IS, YOU KNOW, THE MOST EXPENSIVE SERVICE
[00:20:04]
THAT CITIBUS OPERATES.SO THAT'S THAT WAS THE THINKING THERE.
YOU COULD CERTAINLY THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE ZONES COMING TOGETHER AND BEING ADJACENT AND COVERING, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE SAME AREA THAT THE UPDATED FIXED ROUTE SYSTEM COVERS, IT JUST COMES AT A COST, AND THAT'S KIND OF MY CONCERN FROM A POLICY DECISION THAT SOMEBODY WHO LIVES OFF OF INDIANA IS GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO A MICRO-TRANSIT ZONE, BUT SOMEBODY WHO LIVES INSIDE THE LOOP OFF OF QUAKER WON'T, AND YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING VERY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER GEOGRAPHICALLY ARE GETTING VERY DIFFERENT ACCESS TO RESOURCES.
YEAH, THAT IS A CONSIDERATION.
YEAH. THOSE ARE ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW.
I JUST WANTED TO ASK REAL QUICK.
REMIND ME, WHAT IS THE FARE? IT'S STILL $2, RIGHT, CURRENTLY? THAT'S CORRECT. YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
IT'S BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE YOU ALL WENT UP ON FARES, RIGHT? YEAH. SO BACK IN, I WANT TO SAY WAS EARLY, IT WAS BEFORE MY TIME.
MAYBE 2010 ISH TIMEFRAME, THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN FARE, AND WHILE IT DID BRING IN MORE FARE REVENUE, WE ACTUALLY LOST PASSENGERS, PROBABLY TEN, 12% PASSENGER REDUCTION ON THAT.
WELL, BEING SOMEONE THAT HAS UTILIZED THE THIS PARTICULAR TRANSIT SERVICE.
IT IS VERY APPRECIATED WHAT YOU DO, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT, AND THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IT AT A FARE, YOU KNOW, FEE FOR INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, WORKING PEOPLE, IF YOU WILL, AND I KNOW THERE WAS A MENTION ABOUT HOW WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE, BUT LUBBOCK IS ALSO SEEN A LOT OF GROWTH, AND WE NEED TO CALL OR ANSWER TO THE CALL OF GROWTH, AND I THINK YOU GUYS ARE DOING THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THE LEPRINO, AND ALSO, I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE FOLKS FROM GOODWILL ARE HERE, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON A FACILITY THAT WILL BE IN EAST LUBBOCK THAT IS GOING TO GIVE EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITY TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THOSE THAT CHOOSE TO RIDE THE BUS, BECAUSE IT IS A VERY CLEAN AND GOOD SYSTEM, AND I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
YES, MA'AM. MR. COLLINS. THANK YOU.
THE CREATION OF MOBILITY HUBS, WILL THAT REQUIRE ADDITIONAL LAND, ADDITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR WHAT I'M ASSUMING IS A PLACE WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE A LONGER WAIT.
YEAH. IDEALLY YOU KNOW, A MOBILITY HUB WOULD INCLUDE YOU KNOW, SHELTER COVERED WAITING AREA OTHER AMENITIES TO PROVIDE COMFORT AND SAFETY TO PASSENGERS, BUT TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION POINT OR MOBILITY HUB REALLY REQUIRES, YOU KNOW, AT A MINIMUM, CURB SPACE AND SOME RIGHT OF WAY TO MAKE, TO MAKE THAT WORK JUST SO THAT MULTIPLE VEHICLES CAN, CAN CONNECT.
IT'S GOING TO BE STRATEGIC OR IT'S GOING TO BE OPPORTUNISTIC RELATIVE TO THESE DIFFERENT SITES.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT MIGHT BE AN AGREEMENT WITH, YOU KNOW, PRIVATE LANDOWNER TO UTILIZE PERHAPS AN EDGE OF A PARKING LOT, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THERE'S ALREADY SOME EXAMPLES OF THAT TODAY.
OR, YOU KNOW, IF AS RESOURCES ALLOW AND THEY'RE YOU KNOW, ARE SOME FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO ESTABLISH MOBILITY HUBS THE ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PROPERTY ITSELF.
HAS ANY OF THAT PROCESS BEEN THOUGHT THROUGH OR STARTED AT THIS POINT? YEAH, WE HAD DONE A MOBILITY HUB STUDY AS PART OF A BROADER FACILITY STUDY IN 2021 THAT IDENTIFIED SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES, JUST, AGAIN, AT A PRETTY HIGH LEVEL.
SO NO WORK IN TERMS OF LIKE GETTING LAND OR ACQUIRING THAT.
YEAH, I THINK INITIALLY IT'S JUST MORE ABOUT HAVING THE CURB LINE AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, PUTTING SHELTERS AND THINGS AT THE CURB LINE TO MAKE IT TO IMPROVE IT TO BE MORE THAN JUST A STOP.
OKAY. WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
WE APPRECIATE IT. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL? THANK YOU BOTH. APPRECIATE IT.
[1. Invocation]
COME FORWARD AND LEAD US IN OUR INVOCATION, FOLLOWED BY MAYOR PRO TEM LEADING US IN OUR PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE.[00:25:01]
WOULD YOU PLEASE JOIN US ALL IN STANDING? OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE.BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD, THE PEOPLE HE HAS CHOSEN AS HIS OWN INHERITANCE.
SOME TRUST IN CHARIOTS AND SOME IN HORSES, BUT WE TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD.
LORD GOD, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY.
GOD, WOULD YOU WATCH OVER THEM AND PROTECT THEM? GOD, WOULD YOU BE WITH EACH AND EVERYONE GOD AND THEIR FAMILIES? GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE SET BEFORE US.
LORD, MAY WE BE FOUND FAITHFUL IN WHAT YOU HAVE CALLED US TO DO.
GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOODNESS AND YOUR MERCY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, AND LORD, MAY YOU BE HONORED AND GLORIFIED.
GOD WE. JUST SAY THANK YOU AND ASK THAT YOU WOULD CONTINUE TO GUIDE THEM AND LEAD THEM.
LORD, WE PRAY OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY, FOREVER AND EVER.
IN JESUS NAME, AMEN AND AMEN IF YOU WILL NOW FOLLOW ME IN THE RECITING OF OUR PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE.
[2. Pledges of Allegiance]
THANK YOU. PASTOR.BEFORE WE GET STARTED, JUST HOPE EVERYBODY'S GONE OUT AND VOTED TODAY.
JUST TO ENCOURAGE YOU ALL, AS WE'RE SITTING UP HERE AND PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE TO OUR FLAG, I THINK ALL OF US ARE GLAD WE'RE NOT UP FOR ELECTION TODAY, AND SO BUT THAT'S IMPORTANT, AND SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY, IF YOU'RE HERE OR YOU'RE WATCHING AND YOU HAVEN'T VOTED YET, YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO GO OUT AND VOTE.
WHAT WE DO UP HERE MAY SEEM RATHER MUNDANE AT TIMES, BUT IT'S REALLY A PRIVILEGE.
WE HAVE AS CITIZENS OF A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC.
SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO VOTE TODAY.
AS WE ALWAYS DO, WE BEGIN WITH CITIZEN COMMENTS.
[3. Citizen Comments - According to Lubbock City Council Rules, any citizen wishing to appear in-person before a regular meeting of the City Council, regarding any matter posted on the City Council Agenda, shall complete the sign-up form provided at the meeting, no later than 2:00 p.m. on November 5, 2024. Citizen Comments provide an opportunity for citizens to make comments and express a position on agenda items. ]
SO ACCORDING TO LUBBOCK CITY COUNTY RULES, ANY CITIZEN WISHING TO APPEAR IN PERSON BEFORE A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING ANY MATTER POSTED ON THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA SHALL COMPLETE THE SIGN UP FORM PROVIDED AT THE MEETING NO LATER THAN 2 P.M.CITIZEN COMMENTS ALWAYS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR CITIZENS TO MAKE COMMENTS AND EXPRESS A POSITION ON ANY AGENDA ITEM, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE FOUR CITIZENS WANTING TO COME FORWARD TODAY, AND AS I CALL YOU, IF YOU'LL COME FORWARD, STATE YOUR NAME, YOUR ADDRESS AND WHAT AGENDA ITEM YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO, AND BEGINNING WITH THIS, AMANDA MCAFEE, PLEASE COME FORWARD.
THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
AMANDA MCAFEE WITH LUBBOCK AREA UNITED WAY AND PRESIDENT AND CEO, AND I AM AT 5612 17TH STREET.
SO, MR. COLLINS, I'M OVER IN YOUR AREA JUST POINTING THAT OUT.
I JUST WANT TO COME AND IT WORKS WELL THAT WE'RE COMING RIGHT AFTER THE WORK SESSION BECAUSE WE WANTED TO JUST SHARE UNITED WAY SUPPORT FOR THE EXPANDED ROUTES AS WELL AS THE MICRO ROUTES.
YOU GUYS HAVE ALL HEARD US TALK ABOUT ALICE.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T, THAT STANDS FOR ASSET LIMITED INCOME CONSTRAINED EMPLOYED.
49% OF OUR COMMUNITY, ACCORDING TO THE LAST DATA, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FOLKS THAT HAVE REALLY GOOD JOBS IN OUR COMMUNITY BUT ARE STILL STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET, AND WE REALLY SEE THIS AS A WORKFORCE ISSUE MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALICE, MAJORITY OF THOSE FOLKS ARE WORKING IN RETAIL OR ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES, HEALTH CARE, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHERE THOSE JOBS ARE BECOMING AVAILABLE IN LUBBOCK, THEY'RE IN THE SOUTHWEST, AND SO IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE JOBS, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET TO WORK.
[00:30:02]
I GREW UP IN LUBBOCK. WE'RE A CAR TOWN.I'M SORRY, CHRIS, BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW I USE THE LINES OCCASIONALLY.
WE'RE A CAR TOWN, AND I GET THAT, BUT WHEN THE CAR GOES OUT, HOW DO I MAKE SURE I MAKE IT TO WORK ON TIME? THAT'S THE QUESTION.
IF AND WHEN WE CAN SEE THIS BACKED UP IN OUR 211 DATA.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH 211.
WHICH CITIBUS VERY REGULARLY PROVIDES MANY OF OUR AGENCIES WITH THOSE BUS PASSES.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO CALL AND ASK FOR TRANSPORTATION, BUT IT IS A NEED THAT WE DO HEAR OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON OUR END, OUR SERVICE END, AND MY COLLEAGUE ROBIN RAINY AT GOODWILL IS GOING TO TALK TO YOU GUYS IN A MINUTE AND SHARE SOME OF WHAT THEY SEE ON A REGULAR BASIS ON THAT.
WE'RE VERY MUCH IN SUPPORT, I THINK ALSO ADDING A LINE OUT TO LEPRINO IS A GREAT IDEA AS WELL, AS WE CONSIDER THIS A MOVING FORWARD, BUT ALSO POINTING OUT, I THINK AS WE LOOK AT THAT (794) 247-9423 AND 79413 ARE THE HIGHEST SERVED ZIP CODES BY OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
NOW I'M GOING TO CALL FORWARD JASON POTTER.
MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AND FELLOW RESIDENTS.
JASON POTTER I AM AT 3815 66TH STREET IN COUNCILMAN ROSE'S DISTRICT THERE.
OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I HAVE SERVED ON THE PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVISORY BOARD.
MOST RECENTLY, THE PAST TWO YEARS AS THE BOARD CHAIRMAN.
OUR CURRENT DESIGN, WHILE NOT COMPLETELY USELESS IN ITS CURRENT FORM, WAS DESIGNED FOR A CITY THAT'S AT BEST THREE QUARTERS OF THE SIZE IT IS NOW, AND DESIGNED FOR A DIFFERENT POPULATION THAN WHAT IT CURRENTLY DESERVES OR WHAT IT CURRENTLY SERVES, AND AS I'M SURE YOU UNDERSTAND, WE NEED TO EVOLVE ALONG WITH OUR GROWING CITY.
WE'LL ALSO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY IN THIS DESIGN, BY USE OF TRANSFER STATIONS OR THE MOBILITY HUBS AS WE'VE PREVIOUSLY DESIGNED, OR AT LEAST ILLUSTRATED AND ALSO UTILIZING PROVEN SYSTEMS LIKE MICRO-TRANSIT THAT HAVE SHOWN SUCCESSES IN AREAS OR METROPOLITAN AREAS SUCH AS AUSTIN, DALLAS, AND TULSA.
DECREASING OUR HEADWAYS WILL LEAD TO IMPROVED COMMUTE TIMES FOR OUR RIDERSHIP, AND ALSO IT WILL BE THE EFFICIENT USE OF OUR ASSETS AND APPROPRIATE USE OF OUR VEHICLES AS WE'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMMODATE WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW FLEET ONTO OUR ONTO OUR SYSTEM, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE USING THOSE VEHICLES APPROPRIATELY.
SO WITH THIS STRATEGY AND WITH OTHER COMPLEMENTARY SOLUTIONS, WE URGE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER THIS THIS SOLUTION TO GREATLY IMPROVE OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT AND OUR SERVICE TO OUR CITIZENS AND GUESTS IN OUR CITY.
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING MY COMMENTS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. POTTER. NEXT JESSE MENDOZA WILL PLEASE COME FORWARD.
GOOD AFTERNOON, JESSE MENDOZA, 4801 96TH STREET.
I'M CURRENTLY THE CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC TRANSIT HERE IN LUBBOCK.
I STARTED SERVING, CHRIS DIDN'T KNOW THIS, BUT I.
I WAS A CITIZEN HERE, A KID USING THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN LUBBOCK 20 YEARS AGO.
THE COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED AND WE STILL HAVE THE SAME PLAN.
SO I'M HERE TO ADVOCATE FROM THE HEART TO TELL YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE.
I KNOW THERE'S A REDESIGN HERE, AND THERE'S SOME EFFICIENCIES HERE THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
[00:35:01]
RIGHT? THERE'S A BUDGET, THERE'S CITIBUS, THERE'S A COMMUNITY OF CITY, AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BALANCE AND BRING ALL THOSE TOGETHER IN A SYNERGY.THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MENDOZA. ROBIN RAINY, IF YOU'LL COME FORWARD NOW, PLEASE.
I'M ROBIN RAINY, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF NORTHWEST TEXAS.
GOODWILL RECOGNIZES A TREMENDOUS IMPACT THAT CITIBUS HAS ON OUR OWN GOODWILL EMPLOYEES.
WE HAVE 275 EMPLOYEES WITHIN OUR REGION, MANY OF WHOM LIVE WITHIN ALICE.
THAT'S ASSET LIMITED, INCOME CONSTRAINED EMPLOYED.
OUR GOODWILL DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION BUSINESS EMPLOYS PREDOMINANTLY INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AND THEY ARE TOTALLY DEPENDENT UPON CITIBUS, AND THEY HAVE BEEN SERVED WELL AS THE MAJORITY OF THESE EMPLOYEES UTILIZE THE CITIBUS ACCESS APP, PUBLIC ACCESS TO ALL GOODWILL LOCATIONS ARE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED WITH NEARBY ACCESS TO A BUS STOP, INCLUDING OUR CAREER RESOURCE CENTER.
WHEN WE MOVED INTO OUR CURRENT CAREER RESOURCE CENTER TWO YEARS AGO AT 6520 UNIVERSITY, WE REACHED OUT TO CHRIS AND HIS TEAM TO EVALUATE THE BUS ROUTE.
BECAUSE WE WANTED TO BE HIGHLY ACCESSIBLE, CHRIS AND HIS SENIOR LEADERS HOPPED ON A BUS, RODE THAT BUS ROUTE, AND MADE A CHANGE SO THAT IT STOPS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OUR BUILDING, WHERE WE SERVED OVER 1100 PEOPLE LAST YEAR IN IMPROVING THEIR JOB SKILLS AND INCREASING THEIR EMPLOYABILITY.
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT CITIBUS ADVERTISES AT NO CHARGE, THE CAREER RESOURCE CENTER ON EVERY BUS, AND ALLOWS US TO CHANGE THAT ADVERTISEMENT QUARTERLY.
WE PROVIDE, AT THE EXPENSE OF GOODWILL BUS PASSES TO POTENTIAL CLIENTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH US ON THEIR JOB SEARCH AND IN GAINING GAINING, GAINING JOB SKILLS AND PROVIDE BUS PASSES TO OUR CLIENTS AT NO CHARGE TO THEM.
WE WERE SO PLEASED TO PARTNER WITH CHRIS AND HIS TEAM TO CONSIDER WHAT FREE TRAINING WE MIGHT OFFER TO THEM, AND THE MOST RECENT TRAINING THAT WE'VE OFFERED WAS TO CITIBUS DRIVERS ON DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES.
SO WE ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT CITIBUS AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN UPDATED PLAN.
ALL RIGHT. THAT CONCLUDES OUR TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
[5. Minutes]
8TH. SO MOVED.GOT A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ANY CHANGES? I HEAR NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
I HEAR NONE. THE MOTION IS APPROVED.
[6. Consent Agenda - Items considered to be routine are enacted by one motion without separate discussion. If the City Council desires to discuss an item, the item is removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately.]
CITIBUS ISSUE HAS BEEN PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA, AND THAT'S THE ONLY PULL WE HAD.SO I WILL CERTAINLY ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.
WE HAVE TODAY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEM 6.13, IS THERE A MOTION? SO MOVED. SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION? I SEE NONE, ALL IN FAVOR OF THE APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEM 6.13.
PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
AYE. ANY OPPOSED? SAY NAY. I HEAR NONE, SO THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
OKAY, LET'S TAKE UP ITEM 6.13.
[13. Resolution - Public Transit Services: Consider a resolution authorizing the Mayor to approve the Citibus Route and Network Redesign Five-Year Plan that includes a fixed route restructure reaching into new areas of the city, incorporates express routes, and establishes micro-transit zones.]
WE'VE ALREADY HAD A STAFF BRIEFING.I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED ADDITIONAL BRIEFING ON IT, BUT, MR. MANDRELL, YOU WILL BE PRESENT IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DURING THIS TIME.
SO I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM 6.13.
SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND FROM MR.
[00:40:01]
COLLINS. ALL RIGHT.OKAY, SO LET'S TAKE UP THE DISCUSSION OF THAT ITEM.
I WANT TO START BY SAYING THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE ON THIS PLAN.
I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD START, AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THE WORK TO EVALUATE THE NEEDS OF CITIZENS VERSUS THE SERVICE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PROVIDING, AND MY CRITICISM OF THE PLAN, AS PROPOSED, THOUGH, IS THAT IT'S PROVIDING UNEQUAL SERVICE TO CITIZENS ACROSS THE CITY.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEBODY WHO LIVES ON THE EAST SIDE OF AVENUE Q IS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICES WHO LIVES JUST ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE ON THE WEST OF AVENUE Q? SAME WITH SOMEBODY WHO LIVES IN 50TH IN INDIANA.
THEY COULD ACCESS THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONE.
SOMEBODY WHO LIVES AT 50TH AND QUAKER DOESN'T, AND I THINK THIS IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR PARATRANSIT, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT THEY STILL NEED THE MOBILITY OR THE TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE THAT CITIBUS PROVIDES, AND THESE SORTS OF GOVERNMENT FUNDED PROGRAMS ARE OFTEN JUSTIFIED ON EGALITARIAN PRINCIPLES, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S PARTICULARLY EGALITARIAN TO CUT OUT SECTIONS OF THE CITY THAT ARE NOT GOING TO RECEIVE THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE CONSIDER THAT EVERYONE'S PAYING FOR THESE SERVICES TO SUPPORT CITIBUS, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICES AS THEIR NEIGHBOR.
IT'S EASY TO SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO EXPAND CITIBUS'S BUDGET RIGHT NOW, BUT WE FACE VERY DIFFICULT DECISIONS WITH LESS MONEY EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND I THINK THAT WE WOULD BE DOING CITIBUS AND THE CITIZENS WHO RELY ON IT A REAL DISSERVICE TO GREENLIGHT A PLAN TODAY THAT EXPANDS AND CHANGES SERVICE WITHOUT HAVING SOME REAL THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT ARE THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS? HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE THE ENDS MEET ON THIS? BECAUSE YOU GET HALFWAY THROUGH A PROJECT AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE THE BUDGET COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A WORSE CASE SCENARIO THAN TAKING THE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT ON THIS END.
SO LIKE I SAID, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD START.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE POSSIBLY THAT WE EITHER DISAPPROVE THIS AGENDA ITEM TODAY AND ALLOW MORE TIME TO WORK ON IT, OR POSTPONE IT TO A DATE CERTAIN. TO MAKE THAT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION, OR DO YOU WANT TO HOLD A MOTION ON THAT FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION? WHAT DO YOU WISH TO DO AT THIS TIME? DISCUSSION. OKAY. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT, MISS MARTINEZ-GARCIA.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR A GREAT PRESENTATION.
HOW LONG HAS THIS PARTICULAR STUDY? HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN DONE? IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS GOING, RIGHT? SO SO THE CURRENT STUDY, WE STARTED ON THIS CURRENT STUDY IN JANUARY OF 2023 AND IT CULMINATED IN FEBRUARY OF 2020 OR THIS PAST FEBRUARY WHEN WE TOOK IT TO OUR BOARD FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL THEN, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH FEHR AND PEERS ON VARIOUS STUDIES BEGINNING BACK IN 2018-19, AND SO THAT STUDY THEN WE WERE SCHEDULED TO BE IN PUBLIC, PUBLIC COMMENT AND PUBLIC SESSIONS IN MARCH OF 2020 WHEN EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THINGS SINCE ABOUT 2018, 2019 TO GET US TO THIS POINT, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS OVER THE YEARS ON HOW THE PROCESS WAS OR THE DESIGN WAS BEING DONE AND WHATNOT, AND WE WERE ALWAYS ABLE TO WORK.
IS THAT ISN'T THAT CORRECT? I MEAN, IT'S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE SINCE THAT HAPPENED, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M THINKING ON THE SAME LINES.
YES, MA'AM. SO EVERY WE'VE DONE I THINK THIS LAST THIS THE CURRENT STUDY WE DID PROBABLY 8 TO 10 VARIOUS PLACES IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE WE WENT UP AND SETUP IN LIBRARIES AND DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THESE.
WE HAD A SURVEY THAT WE BLASTED OUT VIA ALL METHODS WE HAD AND SO WE'VE BEEN THROUGH EVERY STUDY WE'VE DONE, WE'VE BEEN EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE, WE'VE GONE OUT AND DONE PUBLIC INPUT, PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SESSIONS TO TRY TO GATHER AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS WE CAN FROM THE COMMUNITY.
DID YOU HAVE A REAL SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE FROM, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE PUBLIC INPUT.
[00:45:01]
DID YOU HAVE.NO. I MEAN, IT WAS ALL VERY POSITIVE FOR THE MOST PART, JUST SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO CONNECT IN PLACES IN THIS COMMUNITY WHERE TODAY THEY CANNOT GET TO, AND SO FOR THE PREDOMINANT THING WAS, IS A VERY POSITIVE.
SO IT DOES HAVE THAT IMPACT, AND THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF GRUMBLING ABOUT THAT, BUT THEY STILL HAVE ACCESS TO IT, AND THEY, THEY CAN GET WITH THE PLAN, THEY CAN GET PLACES QUICKER, BUT IN MORE PLACES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IN ROLLING OUT AND DISSEMINATING INFORMATION, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN FOR THOSE THAT WILL BE INCONVENIENCED BY A BLOCK OR A FEW BLOCKS? YEAH. SO AS WE GET INTO IMPLEMENTATION, WE WILL.
SO ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IS AND WE PARTNER WITH DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT.
THEY DID A BIG NETWORK REDESIGN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND THEY HAD THE THEY HAVE A TOOL THAT THEY BUILT THAT ALLOWS FOLKS TO GO TO A WEBSITE OR SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY CAN SEE CURRENT SERVICES, AND THEY CAN PLAN CURRENTLY, BUT THEN TOGGLE THE BUTTON, IT'LL ALLOW THEM TO PLAN THAT SAME TRIP WITH THE NEW SERVICE LEVEL.
SO OUR WE'VE ALREADY HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM ABOUT BRINGING THAT HERE AND PUTTING OUR SERVICES INTO THAT SO CITIZENS CAN QUICKLY GO TO A COMPUTER AND LOOK AT THAT, AND THEN WE'LL ALSO BE IN, YOU KNOW, THE PLAN WILL BE TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THOSE MORE EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TO US AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT EXACTLY HOW TO DO THAT, AND PARDON MY NAIVETE, BUT YOU'RE NOT SHUTTING OFF ONE SECTION OF TOWN AND JUST YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE CONNECTIONS.
IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT. I MEAN, PEOPLE WILL STILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS AND YOU'RE JUST MAKING IT A LITTLE BIT MORE USER FRIENDLY IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, BUT THEY'LL STILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
THAT'S CORRECT. YEAH, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE ZONES THAT WE HAVE SET UP AND EVEN SOME OF THE ROUTES, AS MENTIONED ABOUT THE LEPRINO PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS PLAN, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, CHANGES IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO OUR GOAL IS TO GET, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IMPLEMENTED BY THIS HOPEFULLY, MAYBE THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, AND THEN WE BEGIN GATHERING THE DATA AND THE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY, BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY LISTENING TO WHAT FOLKS ARE SAYING, AND THEN WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE ROUTES, TO THE ZONES THAT BETTER SUIT WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAYING ONCE WE GET THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD.
SO WE'RE NOT CLOSED TO RECOMMENDATIONS, SUGGESTIONS, WE'RE JUST BUILDING, AND IT'S A FIVE YEAR PLAN, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO WE HAVE TIME, AND AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW, WHICH WE'VE SEEN AND WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE UNITED WAY FINDINGS WITH ALICE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING SERVICES TO THOSE ZIP CODES, BUT IT'S GROWING, AND SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY HERE.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THANK YOU, MR. MANDRELL, FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
JUST FROM THE FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, WILL YOU CLARIFY? SO WE'RE THINKING IT'S AN ADDITIONAL 500 TO 600,000 PER YEAR.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR ON WHAT THE FINANCIAL ASK WOULD BE MOVING FORWARD, WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WERE VERY AWARE WE HAD A VERY CONTENTIOUS BUDGET CYCLE THIS LAST SEASON, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR WHAT THE MONEY PART LOOKS LIKE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM.
I KNOW YOU GUYS GET MONEY AND FUNDING FROM DIFFERENT BUCKETS AS WELL.
SURE, I'LL TAKE A STAB AT THIS, AND IF I NEED TO BRING JASON BACK UP TO, TO ANSWER ANY, ANYTHING.
SO THE, THE 500,000, 600,000 THAT'S GOING TO BE AT YEAR FIVE.
SO THIS PLAN ESSENTIALLY IS LAID OUT, A PLAN FOR US TO COME BACK TO YOU ALL AND ASK FOR WHATEVER IT IS TO TAKE THAT NEXT STEP, BUT THERE'S NOTHING HARD AND FAST IN THE PLAN THAT SAYS, WE MUST DO THIS.
THE SERVICES TO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT INITIALLY IS GOING TO BE BASICALLY AS MUCH BUDGET NEUTRAL AS WE POSSIBLY CAN BE, GIVEN THE COST INCREASES THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE YEARS. SO WE HAVE WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, WITH JASON AND HIS TEAM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT BEST, WHAT THE BEST SERVICE ON THE STREET IS TO MEET TODAY'S BUDGET
[00:50:04]
COME THE END OF THE IMPLEMENTATION TO APPROXIMATELY 12 MONTHS FROM NOW, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE'LL HAVE THAT AS A ROADMAP TO BE ABLE TO THEN BECOME COME TO YOU GUYS AND ASK FOR THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND THEN LET THAT GO WHERE THAT MAY BE.I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION.
IT DOES. MY NEXT QUESTION IS WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FARES, YOU KNOW, FOR TRIPS.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE FARE SCHEDULE WAS CHANGED, INCREASED OVER THE I MEAN, HOW OFTEN IS THAT LOOKED AT AND THEN INCREASED AS NEEDED TO HELP TRY TO COVER SOME OF THE COSTS THAT INCREASING WITH JUST INFLATION IN GENERAL AND, YOU KNOW, COST OF EQUIPMENT AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
SURE. SO WE I THINK THE LAST TIME AN ACTUAL FARE INCREASE WAS DONE FOR CITIBUS WAS BACK, I THINK IT WAS, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 2009, 10, 11-ISH TIME FRAME, AND THEN THAT FARE STAYED INTACT THROUGH TO 2020 WHEN THE PANDEMIC OCCURRED.
SO WE WENT FARE FREE FOR SIX MONTHS, AND THEN BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE REDUCED OUR SERVICE TO MEET THE, YOU KNOW, THE LESS DEMAND ON THE STREET AND THE LESS MOVEMENT, AND THEN ABOUT 6 OR 7 MONTHS, I THINK IT WAS END OF 2020, WE REINSTITUTED FARES, BUT WE DID IT AT A LOWER RATE.
SO THAT'S WHY PRE-COVID, OUR DAILY PASS IS $1.75 OR $3.50 FOR AN ALL DAY PASS.
TODAY IT'S $1 FOR A SINGLE TRIP OR $2 FOR AN ALL DAY PASS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN KIND OF RUNNING OFF OF SINCE THEN, SINCE WE'VE BEEN STILL RUNNING A LITTLE BIT LOWER SERVICE, BUT IN THE PLAN THAT THEY'RE CREATING THAT THERE WILL BE A DIFFERENT FARE STRUCTURE IN PLACE BY THE TIME THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN IN ANY FACET OCCURS.
OKAY. YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE IS TO HELP OFFSET SOME OF THAT COST.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO SEE FARE SO INCREASE THAT WE LOSE CUSTOMERS AND THAT IT'S NOT REASONABLE, BUT I DO THINK IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO, YOU KNOW, INCREASE BUDGET, EXPAND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT MY UNDERSTANDING AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT PART OF THIS REDESIGN WAS AN ATTEMPT TO REDUCE THE ON DEMAND PART OF IT, WHICH IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE, CORRECT PART OF IT? YES, SIR. OKAY, AND IF YOU TO MR. GLASHEEN'S QUESTION ABOUT HOW DID WE DESIGN THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONES, WHAT KIND OF WAS IT DATA-DRIVEN? I REMEMBER, I THINK ATTENDING THE MEETING WHERE YOU FIRST PRESENTED THIS PROGRAM, AND I THINK I UNDERSTOOD THE CONCEPT, BUT IF YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN AS TO HOW YOU DESIGN THOSE MICRO TRANSITS TO INTEGRATE WITH THE FIXED NOT FIXED ZONES, BUT FIXED LINES, COULD YOU JUST DISCUSS THAT, PLEASE? YEAH.
THE APPROACH THERE WAS TO USE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT DATA SETS.
ONE IS DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW NATIONALLY AND CERTAINLY HERE IN LUBBOCK THERE ARE THERE'S HIGHER PROPENSITY TO TAKE TRANSIT AMONG CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, BY INCOME, AGE, MOBILITY.
SO WE COMBINED ALL THOSE INTO A PROPENSITY INDEX TO LOOK AT WHERE THOSE AREAS EXIST, WHERE THE HIGHEST DEMAND FOR TRANSIT IS, SO THAT'S ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE. THE OTHER PIECE THAT WE USE WITHIN THIS STUDY WAS BIG DATA UTILIZING CELL PHONE DATA, ANONYMIZED CELL PHONE DATA THAT WE'RE ABLE TO PURCHASE.
WE'RE ABLE TO DRAW CUSTOMIZED ZONES AND UNDERSTAND TRAVEL WITHIN LUBBOCK USING MORE RECENT DATA POST-COVID TO REALLY SEE HOW TRAVEL PATTERNS HAVE CHANGED, HOW THEY'VE EVOLVED, AND TRY AND MATCH UP THE DESIGN OF NOT JUST THE FIXED ROUTE, BUT THE MICRO-TRANSIT ZONES TO REFLECT THOSE CHANGES THAT WE SAW IN THE IN THE DATA.
SO WE KIND OF HAVE TO MARRY THOSE TWO DATA SETS.
ONE MORE PIECE TO ADD ON TO THAT WOULD BE JUST THE DATA WE GET FROM CITIBUS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY'RE PERFORMING WELL AND WHERE THEY'RE NOT PERFORMING SO WELL RELATIVE TO THE RIDERSHIP DATA THAT THEY COLLECT.
ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'S YOUR ABILITY TO CONNECT TO OTHER AREAS.
[00:55:03]
OKAY. THAT'S THE WAY I UNDERSTOOD IT OKAY.WELL, I FEEL LIKE THAT MR. GLASHEEN HAS MADE SOME VERY GOOD POINTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME OF THE MISSING COMPONENTS IN THE PLAN.
I ALSO THINK THAT WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT A REVISION IS NECESSARY, AND SO I COMMEND YOU FOR STARTING.
I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR IMPLEMENTATION IS SCHEDULED FOR 8 TO 12 MONTHS, AND SO I GUESS I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE TRY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH YOU GUYS GETTING STARTED AND THEN BE ABLE TO COME BACK TO US IN JULY, PERHAPS, AND GIVE US A SYNOPSIS OF WHERE YOU THINK YOU ARE. CAN YOU EXPAND THESE MICROSOMES AS MAYBE AS NECESSARY? WHAT DO YOUR FIXED ROUTES LOOK LIKE? WE TALK ABOUT A NEED FOR A NEW FIXED ROUTE OUT TO LEPRINO OR.
WE MAY HAVE TO SAY, WELL, WE CAN'T DO THIS OR OR HEY, LET'S DO THIS AND THAT, BUT IF WE SIT HERE TODAY WITHOUT ACTION, WE HAVE NO ACTION, AND I THINK ACTION IS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AT THIS POINT FOR YOU GUYS.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY COMMENT AND SUGGESTION FOR THE GROUP IS THAT WE ALLOW THEM TO GO ABOUT THEIR WORK, MAKE THE CHANGES NEEDED, AND THEN COME BACK AND TELL US HOW THEY'RE GOING TO WORK.
MAYOR. I SEE NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
I WILL NOW CALL FOR THE VOTE ON THIS RESOLUTION.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
SEE, THESE PEOPLE ALWAYS ARE COUNTING FOR ME AND EVERYTHING.
SO, 5 TO 1, PLEASE LET THE RECORD NOTE 5 TO 1, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WONDER WHERE MR. HARRIS IS, HE'S STILL RECUPERATING.
ANYBODY WHO'S HAD THAT KIND OF SURGERY BEFORE.
SO PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYERS.
HOPEFULLY HE'LL BE BACK WITH US SOON.
[1. Resolution - City Secretary: Consider a resolution casting the City Council's votes for candidates to the Lubbock Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.]
RESOLUTION CASTING THE CITY COUNCIL'S VOTES FOR CANDIDATES TO THE LUBBOCK CITY APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IN THE WORLD THAT MEANS, WE'RE GOING TO CALL ON THE CITY SECRETARY TO EXPLAIN THAT TO US AND PROVIDE A STAFF BRIEFING ON THIS ITEM.THANK YOU, MAYOR. BACK IN SEPTEMBER, Y'ALL NOMINATED CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS TO BE REAPPOINTED SONNY GARZA, BRADY GOEN, GREG JONES, BOBBY MCQUEEN, AND NOE REYNOLDS. THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF STAGGERING THEIR TERMS, AND TODAY Y'ALL GET TO CAST YOUR 1178 VOTES.
HOW YOU SEE FIT, AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THIS IS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE ARE DOING HERE, THE POSITIONS.
ALL RIGHT, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ANYBODY HAS? WELL, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION NOW IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION.
I MOVE TO CAST THE CITY OF LUBBOCK'S 1178 VOTES FOR THE FIVE CANDIDATES AS FOLLOWS, THEREBY DISTRIBUTING VOTES AS EVENLY AS POSSIBLE.
SECOND, A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION? I SEE NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
[2. Public Hearing - Business Development: Hold a Public Hearing for the City Council to receive input concerning the participation by the City of Lubbock in the Texas Enterprise Zone program, pursuant to the Texas Enterprise Zone Act, possible incentives to be offered to projects, and nominating United Supermarkets, L.L.C., located at 5801 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Lubbock, Texas, to be considered for a state designated Enterprise Project. ]
PROGRAM, WHICH WE ARE GOING TO BE NOMINATING UNITED SUPERMARKETS LLC, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 5801 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.BOULEVARD IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS, TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A STATE DESIGNATED ENTERPRISE ZONE.
[01:00:06]
AS A REMINDER, THIS PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS TO HEAR FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC REGARDING THIS AGENDA ITEM, AND WHILE THE COUNCIL MAY ASK QUESTIONS DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING, THE COUNCIL WILL NOT DISCUSS THE MERITS OF THE AGENDA ITEM DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING.SO I'LL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE AGENDA ITEM 7.2.
AT 3:10 P.M, AND I'M GOING TO CALL ON OUR CITY DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, MR. BILL HOWERTON, TO COME FORWARD AND PROVIDE OUR STAFF BRIEFING.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
I THINK YOU SAID EVERYTHING THAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY.
WE'RE GOING TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING FOR TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE NOMINATION.
YOU SAID IT WAS FOR THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER FOR UNITED OUT ON 5801 MLK.
I WANTED TO MAKE SOME REAL BRIEF POINTS ABOUT WHAT THE PROGRAM IS AND DOES.
I WANTED THE FIRST ONE I WANTED TO MAKE WAS THIS IS A STATE SALES AND USE TAX REFUND PROGRAM.
THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE LOCAL TAXING ENTITIES WHATSOEVER.
SO THIS IS ONLY WITH THE STATE.
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS, THE BUSINESS MUST MEET MINIMUM INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS, AND YOU'LL SEE IN A MINUTE THAT UNITED HAS DONE THAT AND IS WILLING TO DO THAT.
WHEN THEY DO THAT, THEY ALSO NEED TO EMPLOY A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE EITHER ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED OR LIVE IN THE EMPOWER , THE ENTERPRISE ZONE.
I'M GETTING MY TWO PROGRAMS MIXED UP, OR THEY'RE VETERANS, AND IN ORDER TO ACTUALLY NOMINATE, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS NOMINATING THEM FOR AN APPLICATION TO SEE IF THEY CAN GET THIS PROGRAM.
WE HAVE TO PASS A NOMINATION ORDINANCE, WHICH WILL BE ITEM 7.3, AND WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST A REAL BRIEF INFORMATION ON THAT ONE.
YOU SEE A LIST OF THE POTENTIAL POSSIBLE INCENTIVES.
THESE ARE AVAILABLE INCENTIVES.
THESE ARE NOT ITEMS THAT BY TAKING THIS ACTION THAT YOU WILL BE REQUIRING THE CITY TO PROVIDE.
JUST DRAWING ATTENTION TO THE FIRST AND THE LAST BULLET.
THE FIRST ONE STATES THAT THE CITY IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH CHAPTER TWO 2023 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, AND REALLY, ALL THAT MEANS IS THAT THERE IS A SET STATE.
DESIGNATION OR THE ACTIVITY THAT THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW.
EXCUSE ME, AND THEN THE CITY IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THAT.
THE NEXT ONE, THE LAST ONE THERE AGAIN IT'S AT 35% RULED THAT SINCE THEY'RE NOT LOCATED WITHIN THE ENTERPRISE ZONE, THAT THEY HAVE TO HIRE 35% OF THE NEW HIRES FROM THE CURRENT BOUNDARIES OF THE ENTERPRISE ZONE.
THAT TRANSLATES TO TEN NEWLY CREATED JOBS AND 490 RETAINED JOBS FOR AN ANNUAL PAYROLL AMOUNT OF 32 MILLION.
OUR NEXT STEP IS TO HOLD THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AFTER THAT, WE WILL CONSIDER THE FIRST READ OF THE ORDINANCE FOR THE NOMINATION ORDINANCE, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SO FAR. AT THIS POINT, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. HOWERTON? ALL RIGHT.
YES, SIR. I'LL NOW OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON ITEM 7.2.
IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT TODAY WISHING TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM IN FAVOR OF IT?
[01:05:03]
ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF IT, PLEASE COME FORWARD.IS THERE ANYONE PRESENT TODAY WISHING TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THIS MATTER? SINCE THERE IS NO ONE COMING FORWARD TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION OR IN FAVOR, I'LL NOW CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON ITEM 7.2 AT 3:15 P.M.. SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO TAKE UP ITEM 7.3.
[3. Ordinance 1st Reading - Business Development: Consider an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Lubbock, Texas, ordaining the participation by the City of Lubbock in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, pursuant to the Texas Enterprise Zone Act, Chapter 2303, Texas Government Code; nominating United Supermarkets, L.L.C., located at 5801 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to the Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism through the Economic Development Bank as an Enterprise Project; providing tax incentives; designating a liaison for communication with interested parties; directing staff to submit an application in conjunction with nomination; designating the effective period for the Enterprise Project; providing a savings clause; and providing for publication. ]
I THINK WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED THE STAFF BRIEFING, BUT LET ME JUST GO AHEAD AND WE'LL TAKE A MOTION AND A SECOND, AND AFTER THAT WE CAN HAVE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION IF WE NEED TO. IS DO I HAVE A MOTION ON ITEM 7.3? SO MOVED. SECOND.ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? I JUST WISH TO MAKE CLEAR WHAT MR. HOWERTON MADE CLEAR AS WELL, THAT THIS DOES NOT INVOLVE CITY MONEY OR TAXPAYER MONEY.
THIS IS MONEY THAT IS COMMITTED BY THE STATE THROUGH THE SALES TAX THAT THE STATE COLLECTS.
SO IT'S A PROGRAM THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ALL TO ENTITIES ALL ACROSS THE STATE, WHICH OUR LOCAL ENTITY UNITED SUPERMARKETS IS WISHING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AND ALL THE CITY IS DOING IS NOMINATING THEM FOR THIS PROCESS, WHICH IS REQUIRED.
THE NOMINATION IS REQUIRED, AND WE HAVE TO STATE THAT WE FULFILL CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AS A CITY FOR THEM TO BE AVAILABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT, BUT NO CITY FUNDS ARE BEING USED FOR THIS PROGRAM.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
AYE. ANY OPPOSED? SAY NAY. HEARING NONE.
ALL RIGHT. NOW WE GET TO ITEM 7.4, MY FAVORITE ITEM OF THE DAY.
[4. Resolution - City Manager: Consider a resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute a Real Estate Sales Contract, for the purchase of real property located in Sections 4, 9, 11, 14, 18, 20, 21, and 24, Block S. Lubbock County, Texas, by and between the City of Lubbock and the Arnett Family Partnership, LP, Mary Jane Holmes, Karen Dreyer, Abby Quinn, and Abby Quinn, as Guardian of the Estate of William Flygare, and related documents, for the purpose of developing a future water supply for the City of Lubbock. ]
I'M GOING TO CALL ON OUR CITY MANAGER, MR. ATKINSON, TO BRIEF US ON THIS ITEM.THANK YOU, MAYOR. CITY COUNCIL.
COUNCIL, THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS A PURCHASE CONTRACT FOR APPROXIMATELY 1471 ACRES THAT ARE NEEDED FOR LAKE SEVEN. THE MAP ON THE WALL.
THE SHADED AREAS SHOW YOU THE FUTURE LAKE SEVEN.
THE YELLOW BOUNDARIES SHOW YOU THE 1971 ACRES INCLUDED IN THIS PURCHASE.
THE CONTRACT THAT YOU HAVE TODAY IS TO IMPLEMENT THAT TERM SHEET.
SO THE SURFACE THE MINERALS RELATED.
WE DO HAVE A CLOSING DATE OF ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025, AND THIS SINGLE PURCHASE REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 85% OF THE NON-CITY OWNED LAND THAT NEEDS TO BE ACQUIRED TO SUPPORT LAKE SEVEN.
COUNCIL, YOU'VE TAKEN ACTION TWICE ON THE FUNDING FOR THIS CONTRACT ONCE IN YOUR CURRENT BUDGET, THE BUDGET THAT STARTED OCTOBER 1ST AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT IN YOUR ITEMS, ESTABLISHING THE PARAMETERS FOR THE ISSUANCE OF WATER REVENUE BONDS, AND OF COURSE, WE WILL ALSO BE APPLYING ARPA DOLLARS.
THE PURCHASE PRICE IS $15.1 MILLION.
I'LL SPEAK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT LAKE SEVEN ITSELF.
LAKE SEVERN, AS YOU WELL KNOW, IS THE NEXT WATER SUPPLY AND IT IS THE KEY PROJECT IN FRONT OF US TODAY FOR THE STRATEGIC WATER SUPPLY PLAN, OR WHAT WE CALL THE 100 YEAR PLAN.
CONSTRUCTION AND ULTIMATE DELIVERY OF WATER FROM LAKE SEVERN DOES REQUIRE TWO DIFFERENT PERMITS.
THAT IS THROUGH THE UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
WE DID NOT MOVE EXTREMELY QUICK ON PURPOSE.
WE DO INTEND TO HAVE THAT SUBMITTED IN ITS FINAL FORM IN EARLY 2025.
THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THIS DAM COMPLETED, WATER IN THE LAKE, AND READY TO PUMP OUT IN 2032.
LAKE SEVEN, IN TERMS OF LAKES, IS VERY UNIQUE IN THAT IT WILL BE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO A PERPETUAL WATER SUPPLY, AND THEN HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? THERE ARE GUARANTEED DAILY INFLOWS INTO THIS LAKE EACH AND EVERY DAY, AND THOSE INFLOWS WILL GROW AS LUBBOCK GROWS.
[01:10:07]
THIS ALSO INCORPORATES THE DEVELOPED STORMWATER FLOWS.SO THINK BACK TO THE EARLY 2000.
LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY SPENT IN LUBBOCK TO ALLEVIATE FLOODING AND TO CHANNEL THOSE STORMWATER FLOWS INTO THE CANYON LAKES FOR WHICH THE CITY SECURED WATER RIGHT PERMITS WHICH NOW WILL ASSIST IN FILLING LAKE SEVEN.
SO YOU'LL HAVE THOSE DEVELOPED STORMWATER FLOWS, THE STREAM QUALITY EFFLUENT, A PROJECT THAT WASN'T KNOWN WHEN THIS STARTED BUT IS A BONUS IF YOU WISH, IS THE RETURN FLOWS THAT WILL COME FROM THE LEPRINO OPERATION.
SO REMEMBER THAT LEPRINO WILL TAKE ROUGHLY 1.3 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER A DAY INTO THAT PLANT, AND THEY WILL SEND BACK TO US OVER 2 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
COUNCIL, THIS IS A LONG TERM PROJECT.
THE FIRST PERMIT APPLICATION FOR THE STATE WATER RIGHT PERMIT WAS MADE IN 2007.
YOU RECEIVED THAT FINAL VERSION IN MAY OF 2024.
TODAY IS OBVIOUSLY A KEY AND A MAJOR STEP IN THE PROJECT.
CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION.
AS I CLOSE JUST ON A SIDE NOTE, STILL RELATED TO WATER.
LAKE ALAN HENRY, AS OF YESTERDAY MORNING WAS 100% FULL WITH WATER GOING OVER THE SPILLWAY AGAIN.
THAT'S THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR.
WITH THAT MAYOR, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. ATKINSON? THIS HAS BEEN A LONG PROCESS, AND WE'VE GOT TO BE THANKFUL TO PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE ANY OF US WERE UP HERE FOR THINKING OUT INTO THE FUTURE, AND ALSO JUST FOR HOW WE'VE INTEGRATED ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF THINGS WE HAVE TO DO IN THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF OUR STORMWATER, BUT ALSO ARE NOW USING THAT TO HELP PREPARE US FOR HAVING A PERPETUAL LAKE, PERPETUAL SUPPLY CONSTANT LEVEL LAKE, PRETTY MUCH PRETTY CLOSE TO BEING CONSTANT LEVEL, AS CLOSE AS ABOUT AS YOU CAN GET FOR A LAKE OF THIS SIZE.
IT'S BEEN AN AMAZING PROJECT, AND FOR ALL THE CITIZENS WHO AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE DO TALK ABOUT THE DEBT THE CITY HAS, BUT I JUST ASK THOSE PEOPLE TO CONSIDER HOW MUCH OF OUR DEBT IS COMPOSED OF PROVIDING FOR OUR WATER NEEDS FOR THIS CITY.
WITHOUT WATER, THIS CITY DOES NOT EXIST.
OR, AS I HEARD SOMEONE SAY TODAY, WE'D BE TAHOKA, AND THAT'S NOT A KNOCK ON TAHOKA AT ALL, BUT LUBBOCK COULD NOT EXIST AS THE CITY THAT WE ALL ENJOY IT TO BE, WITHOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE BEFORE US AND WE TODAY ARE TRYING TO PREPARE FOR WATER, FOR THE CITY, FOR THE FUTURE, AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, OUR CITY HAS A ROLLING 100 YEAR WATER PLAN, SO WE ARE LOOKING WAY OUT INTO THE FUTURE 100 YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING WATER IN THIS LAKE IS ANOTHER LEG ON THAT STOOL THAT WILL SUPPORT THAT GROWTH FOR THIS CITY IN THE FUTURE.
SO WITH THAT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I KNOW WE ALL FEEL THE SAME WAY.
ALL RIGHT. WELL, THEN I WILL TAKE A VOTE.
ALL IN FAVOR? I HAVE TAKEN THE MOTION.
WE HAVE THE MOTION? YES. WE DON'T HAVE A MOTION YET.
NO MOTION YET. OKAY. I NEED A MOTION, THEN.
ALL RIGHT. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT, ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
HAVING EXHAUSTED ALL ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED, AND PLEASE
TURN OFF YOUR MICROPHONES.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.