JASON. JASON. WE. IT IS 1:31 P.M., AND I AM CALLING THE 
          [1. DECLARATION OF A QUORUM AND CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
          [00:00:10]
MEETING. THE JOINT MEETING FOR THE COUNCIL TO ORDER OUR JOINT MEETING WITH THE PARK BOARD
. 
          WE DO HAVE A QUORUM HERE, BUT IF YOU COULD HAVE A ROLL CALL. 
          MAYOR BROWN. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER BROWN. PRESENT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER PORRETTO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAWLINS. 
          HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBB HAS NOT ARRIVED YET,
AND COUNCIL MEMBERS LEWIS AND FINKLEA ARE ABSENT TODAY. 
          VERY GOOD. WE'LL HAVE FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT AT THIS POINT IN TIME. 
          AND THEN COMING UP SHORTLY, WE'LL HAVE FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT. 
          JASON? SURE. SO AT 1:32, WE'LL CALL THE PARK BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING TO ORDER ON
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16TH AT GALVESTON CITY HALL. AND WE'LL HAVE OUR ROLL CALL. 
          JASON HARDCASTLE. HERE. GERALD WILSON. HERE. BOB BROWN. 
          HERE. BOB BULLWINKEL. HERE. BILL CLEMENT. HERE. 
          CARLO GUERRA. HERE. BARRY WILLEY, MICHELLE BECKWITH AND ROBERT QUINTERO WILL NOT BE IN
ATTENDANCE TODAY. 
          VERY GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST SOME HOUSEKEEPING CHORES. 
          COUNCIL AND I'M SURE THE TRUSTEES NOTICED WE HAVE AN END TIME ON OUR MEETING TODAY AT 4:30
P.M. 
          DUE TO SOME CONFLICTS THAT INDIVIDUALS NEEDED TO LEAVE BY. 
          SO THAT GIVES US THREE HOURS TO GO THROUGH THESE PROJECTS. 
          ALSO, WE HAVE A VERY LONG TABLE HERE TODAY FOR THE SAKE OF THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THOSE
AROUND THE TABLE, IF YOU'LL SPEAK UP WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR THOUGHTS KNOWN TO EVERYONE,
THAT WILL BE HELPFUL TO EVERYONE COMING UP HERE ON THAT. 
          I WANT TO WELCOME THE COMMUNITY THAT MAY BE WATCHING THIS. 
          I KNOW A LOT OF YOU ARE GETTING YOUR POPCORN TOGETHER. 
          YOUR DIET COKE AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE DURING
THIS TIME. 
          SO WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US ON THIS AFTERNOON MEETING OUR JOINT MEETING WITH THE
PARK BOARD . 
          LET'S GO TO OUR FIRST MEETING. OUR FIRST ITEM,
PLEASE, JANELLE. 
          [3.A. Discussion Of Goals For Fiscal Year 2025 - 2026 ]
ITEM THREE, A DISCUSSION OF GOALS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 TO 2026. 
          JASON, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE START GETTING COUNCIL'S THOUGHTS ON THEIR
GOALS FOR THIS YEAR? SURE. SO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE TODAY. 
          AND I THINK BEFORE WE START TALKING ABOUT THE 25,
26 GOALS IT'S GOOD TO GIVE IT CONTEXT. 
          AND WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO IS SHOW SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE ON OUR PAST
GOALS. 
          THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED BY CITY COUNCIL AND FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS. 
          BUT FOR THE PRIMARY REASON FOR THAT IS SO THAT WE CAN SHOW YOU THAT WE DO TAKE YOUR
DIRECTION SERIOUSLY. 
          AND WHEN WE ARE PROVIDED DIRECTION, WE HAVE A VERY PROFESSIONAL APPROACH AND A MAXIMUM
ABILITY TO EXECUTE. 
          SO STARTING WITH OUR WEBSITE AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TONY UP RIGHT NOW TO TAKE US THROUGH
THAT, BECAUSE PART OF THE DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL IN THE PAST HAS BEEN TO LOOK AT WAYS TO
APPEAL TO VISITORS FROM FURTHER AFAR THAT WILL COME TO GALVESTON AND STAY LONGER, OF COURSE, SPEND MORE MONEY,
AND THEN ALSO REFER THEIR FRIENDS AND THEIR NETWORKS TO TO TRIPS WHEN THEY ARE MAKING THEIR FUTURE ITINERARIES AS WELL. 
          SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO TONY NOW SO HE CAN TAKE US THROUGH THIS EXPOSITION. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MR. MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ,
TRUSTEES. 
          TONY LYLE, I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF VISIT GALVESTON,
WHICH IS THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF THE PARK BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
          HOW AM I GOING TO MOVE THE PRESENTATION FORWARD? THAT LOOKS WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO BRIEFLY I'M GOING TO ASK BRYAN AND MELODY TO COME UP. WE'VE KIND OF DIVIDED AND CONQUERED. 
          I REALLY WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU SOME HIGH LEVEL ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE PAST YEAR. 
          FIRST OF ALL, STARTING WITH OUR WEBSITE. SO OUR MOST VALUABLE MARKETING ASSET THAT WE
HAVE, WE DRIVE MOST TRAFFIC AND ADVERTISING TO THIS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE FURTHER AND ULTIMATELY
CONVERT TO A BOOKING. 
          IT'S GONE THROUGH A REFRESH IN MARCH. IF YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED IT OUT YET,
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO SO. 
          AND I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE NEW FEATURES ON THE WEBSITE. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ANY TOURISM RELATED BUSINESS ON THE ISLAND IS ENTITLED TO A
FREE PARTNER LISTING, 
          [00:05:01]
SO WE GET ALL THAT TRAFFIC AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE EYEBALLS ON PEOPLE'S BUSINESSES. 
          WE SCRAPE THE WEB, WE SPEAK TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE ABOUT LOCAL EVENTS. 
          SO WE HAVE AN EVENT CALENDAR. THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT TOURISM RELATED SPECIAL OFFERS
ON THE WEBSITE, AND THERE'S PHOTOS AND VIDEO ASSETS FOR OUR PARTNERS TO USE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. 
          PLUS, WE GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY AND I'LL TALK ABOUT 360 TOURS IN A MOMENT,
BUT WE CAN SEND A CREW TO A TOURISM RELATED BUSINESS TO CAPTURE 360 INTERNAL WITHIN THE BUSINESS VIDEOS THAT WILL THEN FEATURE ON THE WEBSITE. 
          THE WEBCAMS REMAIN THE NUMBER ONE VISITED PAGE ON THE WEBSITE. 
          THEY RUN 24 OVER SEVEN 365 REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER,
PEOPLE WANT TO BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT AND SHOW PEOPLE REALLY EXACTLY WHAT THE CONDITIONS ARE, EITHER IN THE PORT, DOWNTOWN OR ON THE SEAWALL. 
          A NEW FEATURE, AND IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THIS WITHOUT PLAYING WITH IT. 
          IT'S ON THE HOME PAGE OF THE WEBSITE. THIS CANVAS,
THIS IMAGE IS A 360 DRONE SHOT, AND WE HAVE THEM ALL OVER THE ISLAND FROM TIP TO TIP, FROM EAST TO WEST, FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. 
          AND YOU CAN HOP BETWEEN EACH DRONE SO YOU CAN VIEW THE ISLAND ALL THE WAY AROUND. 
          BUT THEN ON THE GROUND, WE'VE TAGGED AND PINNED OUR THRESHOLD 360. 
          THESE ARE THE 360 TOURS I WAS TALKING ABOUT. SO IT'S A COMPLETE MASH UP OF ANY KIND OF
MEDIA YOU LIKE ON THIS CANVAS THAT YOU CAN HOP AROUND FROM DRONE TO DRONE. THIS IS CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY. 
          IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND PLATFORMS MASHED TOGETHER. 
          AND IT REALLY HASN'T HAPPENED IN THE COUNTRY BEFORE. 
          SO THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST WHERE YOU HAVE ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY TOGETHER. 
          WE'VE JUMPED ON THE AI BANDWAGON AS WELL. ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE,
WHEN YOU'RE ON THE WEBSITE YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE A LITTLE BELL, CONCIERGE BELL. IF YOU CLICK THAT IT OPENS UP OUR AI CONCIERGE. 
          THIS AS YOU WILL SEE ONLINE, YOU CAN ASK ANY QUESTION YOU LIKE IN ANY ONE OF 90 LANGUAGES, AND IT WILL THEN RESPOND TO YOU IN THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU TYPED IT IN. 
          IT'S TRAINED WITH THE CONTENT THAT WE'VE, GIVEN IT TO TRAIN ON. 
          AND FOR EXAMPLE, HERE I WROTE IN WHAT, IN ITALIAN WHAT'S A GOOD RESTAURANT FOR FAMILIES? AND IT'S COME BACK WITH RIONDO'S AND KATIE'S SEAFOOD [INAUDIBLE] CAFE AGAIN IN IN ITALIAN
ALSO ON THE WEBSITE. 
          WE'VE GOT A NEW ECONOMIC IMPACT AND TRAVEL INDICATOR DASHBOARD. 
          WE SUBSCRIBE TO A DATA WAREHOUSE, AN AGGREGATOR THAT HELPS US VISUALIZE ALL THE DATA THAT
WE'VE GOT. 
          IT'S EXPANSIVE AND DIFFICULT TO READ UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. 
          SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS SIMPLIFIED IT. IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ANYBODY ON OUR WEBSITE,
AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE ADDRESS IN A MOMENT. 
          BUT THIS IS THE PAGE BROKEN UP INTO SECTIONS. 
          RIGHT AT THE TOP. THIS IS A STATIC. THIS IS NOT INTERACTIVE. 
          AND THIS IS FROM 2023. SO IT GIVES YOU HIGH LEVEL VISITATION SPEND. 
          AND THE LIKE WE'RE WORKING ON 2024. AND WE SHOULD HAVE THAT UP WITHIN THE NEXT 4 TO 6
WEEKS. 
          AS YOU SCROLL DOWN, THIS IS WHERE WE GET TO THE INTERACTIVE SECTIONS. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP YOU HAVE DIFFERENT BOXES. 
          YOU CAN CHOOSE THE MONTH, THE PERIOD AND THE CHANGE,
WHETHER IT'S ON YEAR ON YEAR. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TEND TO DO IS COMPARE THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 
          SO THIS IS LOOKING AT FEBRUARY ON A MONTHLY BASIS. 
          PREVIOUS YEAR. AND IT LETS US LOOK AT LODGING OCCUPANCY LODGING DEMAND WHICH IS HOW MANY
ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE. 
          WE LOOK AT AIR THROUGHPUT FROM THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM AND ALSO CRUISE PASSENGERS. 
          MY EYESIGHT IS NOT SO GOOD HERE FROM THIS DISTANCE. 
          BUT THEN IT'S LOOKING AGAIN ON A HEAT CHART THERE AS WELL. 
          SO YOU CAN LOOK AT THE MONTHS OVER THE PREVIOUS SIX MONTHS FOR THE SAME CATEGORIES. 
          SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE START LOOKING AT LODGING. 
          THIS IS LOOKING AT OCCUPANCY. WE ALSO LOOK AT ADR WHICH IS THE AVERAGE DAILY RATE. 
          AND WE ALSO LOOK AT REV PAR WHICH IS REALLY THE PROFIT WHICH IS REVENUE PER AVAILABLE
ROOM. 
          SO AGAIN THIS IS LOOKING AT FEBRUARY. AND WE CAN LOOK AT HOTELS. 
          AND WE ALSO BREAK OUT SHORT TERM RENTALS. I SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE FURTHER. 
          WE START LOOKING AT LODGING COMBINED WITH STRS AND HOTELS. 
          AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT THE SAME DATA,
VISUALIZING IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. 
          AND THEN WE GET TO CRUISE. CRUISE? THIS IS ACTUALLY WE GET SUPPLIED THIS DATA SET. 
          [00:10:03]
IT'S ACTUALLY THE CAPACITY OF EACH OF THE SHIPS. 
          IT'S IT'S PEOPLE GETTING ON AND OFF, SO IT'S DOUBLE THE AMOUNT. 
          BUT THIS IS REALLY GOOD FOR PLANNING. SO YOU CAN LOOK AT A CALENDAR AND UNDERSTAND WHEN
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PEOPLE COMING IN AND DEPARTING AS WELL. 
          SO THAT KIND OF HELPS US INFORM WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT PRE AND POST AND PEOPLE BEING
PREPARED FOR AN INFLUX OF PASSENGERS COMING ONTO THE ISLAND. 
          IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THAT DASHBOARD IT'S CHANGED TO BLUE. 
          IT'S IN THE ABOUT US SECTION OF THE WEBSITE AND IT'S CALLED TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT. 
          WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO ASK BRYAN TO COME UP. 
          BRYAN IS OUR DIRECTOR OF SALES AND SERVICES,
AND THIS FALLS UNDER HIS DEPARTMENT. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TRADE AND OUR CRUISE INITIATIVES. 
          ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. AS TONY SAID,
BRYAN KUNZ, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND SERVICES HERE AT THE PARK BOARD . 
          ON THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT SIDE. SO JUST WANT TO KIND OF WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF
MARKETS THAT WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          SO STARTING WITH TRAVEL TRADE AND CRUISE. SO WHY HAVE WE INVESTED IN THIS? WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WANTING TO ATTRACT PEOPLE FROM FURTHER AWAY WHO
STAY LONGER AND WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY, THIS IS ONE OF THE PRIME WAYS. SO TRAVEL TRADE CONSISTS OF,
YOU KNOW, THIS IS YOUR TOUR OPERATORS, YOUR TRAVEL ADVISORS, YOUR INBOUND TOUR OPERATORS THAT ARE INVITING FOLKS FROM ACROSS THE
POND OR INTERNATIONALLY TO VISIT GALVESTON. 
          SO A BRAND NEW MARKET FOR US. WE HAVE NOT. IT'S BEEN SORT OF HAPPENING ON ITS OWN,
BUT WE'VE REALLY, SINCE 2024, PUT A STRONG EFFORT INTO THIS, PROMOTING GALVESTON AS A AS A DESTINATION. 
          SO HOW WE STARTED MARKET RESEARCH, WHERE DO WE FIND WHERE DO WE FIT IN THE MARKET ALREADY? WHERE DOES OUR PRODUCT ALREADY EXIST. SO WE WENT OUT AND LOOKED AT YOU KNOW,
WHOLESALERS OF TRAVEL AND FIGURED OUT WHERE GALVESTON'S PRODUCT ALREADY EXISTED. 
          AND REALLY, IT WASN'T THAT MANY PLACES, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. 
          SO REALLY INVESTED HEAVILY IN IT BY HIRING, ADDING A FULL TIME POSITION. 
          GOT THAT PERSON UP AND RUNNING AND REALLY JUST HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. SO REALLY WORKED ON
DEVELOPING OUR PRODUCT MIX AND OUR PARTNERSHIPS. 
          SO WE WORKED WITH TRAVEL TRADE READY PARTNER NETWORKS TO BUILD A TRAVEL TRADE READY
PARTNER NETWORK. 
          THAT MEANS OUR PARTNERS ON THE ISLAND AND REGIONALLY EDUCATING THEM ON WHAT THE TRAVEL
TRADE IS AND HOW TO HOW BEST TO GET IN FRONT OF THEM. 
          SO HAD A COMPANY COME IN AND GIVE US SOME AMAZING TRAINING ON THAT. 
          BEEN BUILDING SINCE THE MAY OF 2024 A REALLY STRONG NETWORK OF TRAVEL TRADE CONTACTS. 
          SO WE'VE GOT THOUSANDS OF THEM NOW IN OUR PIPELINE THAT WE'RE JUST HAMMERING ON A DAILY
BASIS TO INFORM THEM ABOUT GALVESTON. 
          SO THE NEXT THING WE DID WAS KIND OF WORK ON LOOKING AT OUR ASSETS AND WHAT WE HAD AS FAR
AS MARKETING ASSETS. 
          SO WE DEVELOPED AND DISTRIBUTED TRAVEL TRADE COLLATERAL,
INCLUDING DESTINATION, DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS, DOCUMENTS LIVE AND WEB BASED PRESENTATIONS THAT WE DO FREQUENTLY AND WORKING ON A
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER AS WE SPEAK. 
          AND THEN WE LAUNCHED AN ALL NEW THIS WAS FROM THE GROUND UP,
A TRAVEL TRADE SECTION ON VISITGALVESTON.COM SO. 
          I HAVE A QUESTION. SO YOU WEREN'T GOING AFTER THE TRAVEL TRADE UNTIL 2024? NOT HEAVILY. IT WAS A SECONDARY FOCUS, BUT NOT HEAVILY SO. 
          IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE HAD ON THE RADAR. 
          BUT FINALLY WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DEDICATE. 
          WELL, ON THE GROUP SIDE, IT WAS ON OUR SIDE FROM SALES. 
          SALES STANDPOINT, IT WAS ALWAYS YOU KNOW, GROUPS,
MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS, TRADE SHOWS, SPORTS, THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO AND THEN WE DID, OF COURSE INTERACT WITH THIS MARKET PREVIOUSLY,
BUT IT WASN'T A HEAVY FOCUS OF OURS. 
          SO AND PART OF THIS IS DUE TO THE DIRECTION THAT WE GOT FROM CITY COUNCIL ,
WE LEARNED OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT US TO PRIORITIZE. 
          SO WE TOOK THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND REPRIORITIZED OUR GOALS AND ELEVATED THIS UP TO A
TOP TIER PRIORITY, I WOULD THINK. WELL, I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS,
AND WE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT GOING AFTER PEOPLE WHO WOULD STAY MORE IN HOTELS THAN DAY TRIPPERS. I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU WERE RECEIVING THAT FOCUS. 
          WELL, WE ANTICIPATED THAT. SO THAT'S WHY WE PUT TOGETHER THIS PRESENTATION. 
          AND I KNOW I HAVE CERTAINLY TALKED ABOUT ADVERTISING AND HUB AIRPORTS BECAUSE WE'VE HAD
THAT CONVERSATION MULTIPLE TIMES. 
          RIGHT. OKAY. SO I JUST WANT TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT HOW WE HAD THE ACTIVITIES WE'VE BEEN
DOING IN THESE MARKETS TO REALLY ENGAGE THEM. 
          SO I BROKE IT UP INTO LEISURE AND CRUISE BECAUSE THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT MESSAGES. 
          [00:15:02]
SO LEISURE MARKET THAT'S EVERYTHING BUT CRUISE RIGHT. 
          THESE ARE YOUR TOUR OPERATORS, YOUR TRAVEL ADVISORS THAT KIND OF THING. 
          SO WE HAVE ATTENDED THESE SIX TRADE SHOWS THAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          AND WHEN I TALK ABOUT TRADE SHOWS, WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT WE'RE ALONGSIDE THESE
MAJOR CITIES, RIGHT. GALVESTON, TEXAS GALVESTON ISLAND, TEXAS IS ALONGSIDE,
YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO, AUSTIN, DALLAS, MIAMI, THESE MAJOR CITIES WHEN WE GO TO THESE TRADE SHOWS. 
          SO IT'S VERY ENCOURAGING TO SEE THE INTERACTION WE GET THERE. 
          WE HAVE HOSTED SEVERAL SITE VISITS AND FAMILIARIZATION TOURS. 
          A COUPLE I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT BRAND USA. THEY ACTUALLY HAD THEIR TOP 10% OF THEIR
OUTBOUND TOUR OPERATORS THAT SELL TO US DESTINATIONS. THEY HAD THEM ON A BIG TOUR,
AND GALVESTON WAS ABLE TO BE A BIG PART OF THAT. 
          SO THAT'S THE THE FOLKS YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT THERE AT MOODY GARDENS. 
          INDELIBLE TRAVEL THAT'S AN INTERNATIONAL GROUP. 
          WE HAD A GROUP OF PRODUCT MANAGERS FROM THE UK COME IN FOR FOUR DAYS,
SPEND SOME TIME HERE, AND THEY'VE ALREADY ADDED GALVESTON TO THEIR TO SOME OF THEIR ITINERARIES. 
          SO EXCITING THERE. AND THEN GO WEST SUMMIT. THIS IS ACTUALLY AN EVENT THAT WE IT'S ONE OF
THE PREMIER INDUSTRY EVENTS FOR FOLKS WHO BOOK TOURS AND THINGS IN THE WESTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES. 
          SO THESE ARE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL BOTH. 
          WE ACTUALLY ARE BIDDING TO HOST THAT SUMMIT IN GALVESTON FOR 2027. 
          SO CROSSING OUR FINGERS THERE, THAT WOULD BRING 4 TO 500 OF THESE TRAVEL ADVISORS AND TOUR
OPERATORS TO GALVESTON. 
          SO WE'VE ATTENDED THAT THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND WE'RE BIDDING TO HOST ON IT HOSTING IT IN
2027. 
          SO SOME SALES MISSIONS. WE'VE DEVELOPED REALLY GREAT PARTNERSHIPS WITH BRAND USA,
TRAVEL TEXAS, SOME OF THE BIG NATIONAL AND STATE LEVEL GROUPS IN THIS MARKET. 
          SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PARTNER WITH BRAND USA TO TRAVEL TO THE UK FOR UK TRAVEL WEEK. 
          SO THERE WE WERE ABLE TO MEET WITH ABOUT 50 OR 60 TRAVEL ADVISORS WHO BOOK TOURS INTO,
THE UK, INTO THE US FROM THE UK AND INTO TEXAS SPECIFICALLY. 
          SO EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES THERE. AND THEN SAME THING WITH MEXICO,
RIGHT? MEXICO OUTSIDE OF OF COURSE, DOMESTIC MEXICO AND CANADA ARE,
OUR STRONGEST INBOUND DESTINATION. 
          SO GREAT SALES MISSION THERE. AND IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO SWITCH OVER TO CRUISE. 
          SO YOU KNOW, CRUISE PRE AND POST CRUISE OBVIOUSLY IS A BIG TOPIC HERE. 
          WE'VE GOT SO MANY PEOPLE COMING IN FOR CRUISES,
HOW CAN WE BEST INFORM THEM AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME EARLY OR STAY LATE? SO HERE'S SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IN THAT MARKET. TRADE SHOWS WE'VE ATTENDED CRUISE
LINE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS CRUISE 360 FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY THERE. CRUISE WORLD AND THEN ACTUALLY SEA TRADE LAST WEEK IS NOT ON HERE,
BUT TED, NOT TED, TONY WAS WITH THE PORT OF GALVESTON AT SEA TRADE LAST WEEK PROMOTING GALVESTON. 
          SO GREAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE AGAIN, SITE VISITS AND FAMILIARIZATION TOURS. 
          WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HOST CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES,
MSC THEY BOTH BROUGHT A BUNCH OF THEIR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS AND TRAVEL ADVISORS IN TO DESTINATION, AND WE JUST SHOWED THEM A GREAT TIME AND SHOWED THEM ALL WHAT GALVESTON
HAS TO OFFER. 
          IF YOU LOOK ON THE RIGHT, THAT WAS ABOUT 80. I THINK THERE WAS 89 TRAVEL ADVISORS AND
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS FROM CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES, SO WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A FANTASTIC TOUR WITH THEM IN GALVESTON. 
          AND THEN WE'VE DONE SHIP INSPECTIONS. SO WE GO ABOARD THESE SHIPS. 
          WHEN THEY BRING NEW SHIPS IN, THEY WILL BRING ALL THEIR TRAVEL ADVISORS DOWN THERE. 
          BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS WILL GO MAKE PRESENTATIONS IN FRONT OF THEM TO TALK ABOUT
ENCOURAGING THEIR FOLKS TO BOOK PRE AND POST CRUISE STAYS IN GALVESTON. 
          SO AND THEN TONS AND TONS OF THESE IN-PERSON AND WEB BASED TRAINING PRESENTATIONS. 
          I TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, BUT I WORKED WITH CLIA ON THAT TELE TRAVEL VISIT
USA'S PERU OFFICE. 
          BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I LEARNED I LEARNED SOMETHING ON THAT ONE. PERU ARE HEAVY,
HEAVY CRUISERS, SO THEY TYPICALLY GO OUT OF FLORIDA. SO WE THIS WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO GET IN FRONT OF
THEM AND SAY, HEY SAIL OUT OF TEXAS. THERE'S BENEFITS. SO AND THEN TONS OF OTHER VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS
TO OTHER CRUISE LINES AND AGENCIES AROUND THE WORLD. SO LOTS OF GREAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE. 
          LET'S TALK ABOUT KIND OF WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE'RE AT NEXT. 
          SO AGAIN, MORE TRADE SHOWS, MORE SITES AND FAMS REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP THIS
SUMMER AND THIS FALL FOR SOME YOU KNOW, WITH MSC COMING ON BOARD. AWESOME OPPORTUNITY THERE. 
          THEY ARE VERY MOTIVATED TO MAKE GALVESTON THEIR BUSIEST HOMEPORT. 
          SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HELP THEM OUT WITH THAT. GOING TO CALIFORNIA TO HAVE DIRECT DESK SIDE
SALES MISSION THERE AND THEN CONTINUING THAT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT. WE'VE GOT TRAFFIC PRO,
THIS NEW PLATFORM THAT'S COMING ON BOARD. 
          [00:20:03]
IT'S A DESTINATION TRAINING TOOL THAT WILL TEACH OUR PARTNERS AND OUR YOU KNOW,
HOTEL RESTAURANT ATTRACTION PARTNERS HOW TO SELL GALVESTON SPECIFICALLY TO THE TRAVEL TRADE PROGRAMS. MARKET. SO EXCITING STUFF THERE. 
          LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS A WANTED TO SHOW THIS IF WE COULD GET IT TO PLAY. 
          BUT THIS IS A 32ND CRUISE COMMERCIAL. YOU KNOW HOW TO GET IT TO PLAY? IT WILL. IT MAY NOT. I DON'T. OKAY. CAN YOU DESCRIBE IT TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY? WHAT WE WOULD BE ENVISIONING. THIS IS GEARED TO SHOW PEOPLE WHAT GALVESTON HAS TO OFFER,
SPECIFICALLY AS A PRE AND POST CRUISE DESTINATION. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING IN OUR IT'S ISLAND TIME,
RIGHT? IT'S TIME FOR CRUISING. IT'S TIME FOR, YOU KNOW FOR YOUR TO COME TO GALVESTON BEFORE OR
AFTER YOUR CRUISE. 
          SO IT'S AN EXCITING PRODUCT. TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. 
          BEAUTIFUL. THAT'S ON THAT MARKET. WE DID ALSO WANT TO TALK ABOUT SPORTS TOURISM. 
          UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVEL TRADE. 
          I'LL MOVE ON. ALL RIGHT. SO SPORTS TOURISM. BIG TOPIC IN GALVESTON AGAIN IDENTIFIED THIS. 
          I PROVIDE A LITTLE BACKGROUND HERE JUST BECAUSE IT TELLS A STORY,
RIGHT? WE STARTED IN ABOUT 2017-16. WE SAID, HEY, WHY ARE WE NOT FOCUSING MORE? WE'VE GOT SO MUCH TO OFFER FOR THESE FAMILIES. 
          WHY ARE WE NOT FOCUSING MORE ON THE SPORTS MARKET? IT WAS SORT OF AN AFTERTHOUGHT FOR US. SO ALONG WITH CITY OF GALVESTON STAFF,
ALONG WITH THE GEDP, ALONG WITH UTMB, TEXAS A&M, SEVERAL PARTNERS ON THE ISLAND,
WE CAME TOGETHER AND SAID, OKAY, HOW DO WE HOW DO WE DO THIS? RIGHT, RIGHT. SO REALLY DEVELOP SOME LONG TERM STRATEGIES AND
PUT SOME TIME INTO IT AND CREATED A FULL TIME SALES POSITION FOR SPORTS. SO THAT WAS IN 20,
STARTED IN 2017, IN EARNEST. 
          SO IF YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS THERE AT THE BOTTOM,
THOSE ARE HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS BOOKED OR LODGING ROOM NIGHTS BOOKED FOR SPORTS GROUPS FROM 2016 BEFORE WE STARTED 5700. AND THEN LAST YEAR,
LAST FISCAL YEAR FOR US OVER 29,000. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE A TREMENDOUS UPWARD SWING THERE. 
          WITHOUT THAT LITTLE MASK YEAR IN THERE. WE WOULD HAVE CONTINUED THAT KIND OF ONWARD UP
SLOPE THERE. 
          AND THE OTHER THING WE FOUND WITH SPORTS IS THAT IT'S SORT OF RECESSION PROOF. 
          IT WAS COVID PROOF A LITTLE BIT. RIGHT. THE REST OF OUR MEETINGS,
MARKETS JUST COMPLETELY TANKED IN THAT FISCAL YEAR 20. 
          SPORTS WAS STILL ABLE TO REMAIN, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY STRONG. 
          SO AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE IT KIND OF LEVELED OFF THERE IN 22 AND 23. 
          THAT'S WHEN WE HAD HALF OF A SALES PERSON BASICALLY DEDICATED TO THAT MARKET. 
          SO WE REINVESTED IN THAT BY HIRING A FULL TIME POSITION ADDING A FULL TIME POSITION AGAIN
TO REALLY TAKE THAT MARKET ON. 
          AT THE END OF 23. AND YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS THERE FOR 24 ALREADY. 
          SO IN THAT 29,000 NUMBER, ARE YOU COUNTING. AND LIKE ALL THE TOURNAMENTS OUR ART
DEPARTMENT BRINGS IN [INAUDIBLE] MOST OF THEM THAT IF WE'RE INVOLVED IN IT AT ALL,
THEN WE WOULD WE WOULD COUNT IT. 
          WE'RE INVOLVED IN MOST OF THEM, BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT DOES
BRING IT ON THEIR OWN THAT THAT REALLY DON'T INTERACT MUCH. 
          BUT DOES THAT INCLUDE STR NIGHTS TOO? YES, THAT IS IT. 
          THESE NUMBERS ARE BASED EITHER UPON CONTRACTED NIGHTS AT HOTELS OR THEY'RE BASED UPON. 
          WE HAVE AN INDUSTRY CALCULATOR THAT WE USE THAT TAKES HOW MANY PEOPLE COME FROM X NUMBER
OF MILES AWAY, AND WE COUNT THEM AS AN OVERNIGHT. LIKE A ROOM BLOCK? YES. 
          THERE ARE THEY REQUIRED PEOPLE REQUIRED TO GET ROOMS? THEY ARE, YES, SOME. BUT PROBABLY A THIRD OF OUR GROUPS DO THAT WHERE THEY'RE REQUIRED TO
STAY IN HOST HOTELS. 
          BUT WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK THEM THROUGH ZIP CODES AND OTHER,
OTHER METHODS. WHY DO WE REQUIRE THEM TO DO ROOM BLOCKS. 
          WE DON'T. WE DON'T. THE TOURNAMENT PROMOTERS MAY. 
          RIGHT? OKAY. SOMETIMES THE TOURNAMENT PROMOTER WILL SAY,
HEY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO REGISTER FOR MY TOURNAMENT, YOU'VE GOT TO STAY IN THE HOTEL ROOM BLOCK THAT I'VE GOT OR VACATION RENTAL BLOCK OR WHATEVER IT IS. 
          BUT THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE TRACK,
THOSE ROOM NIGHTS. 
          BUT. GOTCHA. YOU KNOW, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY HERE GOING FORWARD. 
          SO JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          LIKE I SAID, WE ADDED A FULL TIME POSITION LAST YEAR AND THEN HIRED A NEW PERSON WHO
STARTED JUST IN JANUARY. 
          SO JUST SINCE JANUARY, SHE HAS COMPLETED OVER 400 PROSPECTING ACTIVITIES. 
          SO SHE'S REALLY HIT THE GROUND RUNNING, JUST DIGGING UP ANY AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT
WOULD WORK IN GALVESTON. 
          SO WE'VE HOSTED TWO SITE VISITS SO FAR THIS YEAR WORLD WAKE SURF ASSOCIATION. 
          SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOSTING POTENTIALLY A WORLD WAKE SURF CHAMPIONSHIP IN 26 OR 27,
AND THEN A BIG 7 ON 7 FLAG FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT THAT WE'RE HOPING TO HOST 
          [00:25:03]
IN FEBRUARY OF 26. AGAIN, LIKE, LIKE WITH TRAVEL TRADE,
WE'VE REALLY BEEN DEVELOPING OUR MARKETING ASSETS HERE. 
          SO CREATED A SPORTS FACILITIES PAGE ON VISITGALVESTON.COM. 
          AND WE'VE GOT A PLATFORM CALLED PLAY EASY, WHICH IS BASICALLY A LEAD GENERATION PLATFORM
WHERE TOURNAMENT PROMOTERS CAN TYPE IN, HEY, I NEED A YOU KNOW, I'M LOOKING FOR A COASTAL DESTINATION WITH FIVE SOCCER FIELDS FOR
A, YOU KNOW, FOR A SOCCER TOURNAMENT. AND THEN THAT MATCHES THEM UP WITH OUR DESTINATION. 
          SO REALLY GREAT, GREAT LEAD GENERATION PLATFORM THERE FOR US. 
          AGAIN WORKED ON SOME OF THAT COLLATERAL MATERIALS BASEBALL,
SOFTBALL FACT SHEET AND DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS. 
          AND SO FAR, AGAIN, JUST SINCE JANUARY, WE'VE BOOKED SIX DEFINITE BOOKINGS WITH ABOUT 8000
ROOM NIGHTS. 
          AND THAT THOSE BOOKINGS ARE EXPECTED TO WELCOME OVER 25,000 VISITORS AND GENERATE ABOUT 6
MILLION IN DIRECT SPENDING FOR GALVESTON. 
          SO YOU LOOK AT THAT NUMBER AND YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR WITH 29,000 ROOM
NIGHTS. 
          SO A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES STILL REMAINING IN THE YEAR. 
          WE'VE GOT A GREAT PIPELINE, 24 GROUPS THAT ARE SORT OF IN THE WHAT WE WOULD CALL THE
VERBAL DEFINITE STAGE, OR THEY'RE GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY'VE SAID THEY'RE GOING TO HAPPEN. WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR
NUMBERS OR THEY'RE RIGHT ON THE CUSP OF SIGNING CONTRACTS, THAT KIND OF THING. AND THEN ANOTHER 15 GROUPS THAT ARE IN WHAT WE CALL OPPORTUNITY STATUS
THAT WE WOULD EXPECT MAYBE PROBABLY HALF OF THOSE OR MORE TO COME IN THIS YEAR. SO REALLY STRONG PIPELINE. AGAIN WE'VE SCRATCHED THE SURFACE. 
          WE FEEL LIKE IN THIS MARKET. SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT HOW WE SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY
INVESTMENT OBVIOUSLY AROUND THIS TABLE, A VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC WITH THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN GALVESTON ISD'S INVESTMENT IN THE
LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, HANDFUL OF YEARS IN LOCAL SPORTS FACILITIES. SO JUST KIND OF WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF
THE GROUPS THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ALREADY THAT CAN HELP YOU KNOW SUPPORT THAT BY PROVIDING DIRECT REVENUE THROUGH RENTALS AND ALSO BY STIMULATING THE ECONOMY. 
          SO IN THE DEFINITE STATUS OR STRONG TENTATIVE STATUS,
WE'VE GOT A BIG, FAST PITCH TOURNAMENT THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BRING IN 1500 KIDS IN THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY. WE'VE GOT ANOTHER BIG BASEBALL TOURNAMENT A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE THAT. 
          WE'VE GOT 4 TIER SPORTS AGAIN, BIG SOFTBALL. YOU'VE GOT HOUSTON TENNIS CLUB. 
          THEY'RE COMING IN IN OCTOBER TO PUT ON A TOURNAMENT UTILIZING THE CITY'S AND POTENTIALLY
THE CITY'S FIELD FACILITY, AS WELL AS THE GISD'S NEW TENNIS FACILITY. SO AND THEN FLAG FOOTBALL,
YOU KNOW, JUST IT'S ALL OVER THE BOARD. 
          BUT WITH SANDHILL CRANE COMING ON BOARD, WE JUST FEEL LIKE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE ARE
ENDLESS. 
          TO REALLY FOR US TO HELP, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IN THOSE FACILITIES AND
GISD'S INVESTMENT IN THOSE FACILITIES. 
          SO GOOD STUFF. WHAT'S NEXT? SAME KIND OF THING. 
          MORE, MORE TRADE SHOWS. ALL OF WHAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR IS LITERALLY COLD CALLING AND
RESEARCH AND EVERYTHING. 
          AND THEN CALLING LISTS THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED AND CLIENTS WE'VE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS.
BUT JUST NOW, KARISSA, THIS WEEK, WHO IS OUR SALESPERSON IN THAT MARKET IS IN TULSA,
OKLAHOMA AT THAT THAT SPORTS SYMPOSIUM GENERATING LEADS FOR GALVESTON. 
          SO EXCITING STUFF. AND THEN WHAT WE'LL DO NEXT IS CONTINUE THAT MARKETING RESEARCH
DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NEW FACILITIES THAT ARE COMING ON BOARD THAT'S, YOU KNOW, VIDEO AND PHOTOS AND THE WHOLE NINE YARDS TO HELP PROMOTE THAT,
THOSE FACILITIES. 
          AND THEN DO SOME YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE DONE A REAL STRATEGY DIVE ON
THIS. 
          SO RELOOK AT WHAT GALVESTON STRENGTHS ARE AND DEVELOP STRATEGY AROUND PROMOTING THOSE
STRENGTHS IN THAT MARKET. 
          SO EXCITING STUFF. AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE SCRATCHING THE SURFACE ON THIS MARKET AND LOOK
FORWARD TO FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THERE. 
          SO THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT I BELIEVE. YES. VERY GOOD. 
          THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. MR. CHAIR WE'VE GOT TWO MORE ITEMS TO UPDATE YOU ON. 
          I'M GOING TO ASK MELODY SMITH TO COME UP. SHE'S OUR SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING. 
          THANK YOU. HOW ARE YOU, MELODY? I'M GOOD. HOW ARE YOU DOING? THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US TO GIVE SOME UPDATES HERE. 
          SO NOT TO NOT TO GO BACKWARD, BUT I DID WANT TO REASSURE COUNCIL AND THE TRUSTEES THAT WE
HAVE BEEN WORKING ON TRYING TO ATTRACT AND ENGAGE. WE CALL IT A MORE ENGAGED VISITOR. SO IT'S SOMEONE WHO STAYS OVERNIGHT,
WHO SPENDS MORE IN THE DESTINATION. 
          SO I KNOW THAT QUESTION WAS BROUGHT UP. THE TRAVEL TRADE IS A NEW POSITION,
AND THAT'S LOOKING MORE AT GOING AFTER TOUR OPERATORS AND TRAVEL AGENTS FOR THAT PURPOSE. 
          BUT I DID WANT TO WANT TO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT. 
          AND THEN ALSO WITH THAT CRUISE COMMERCIAL, THAT'S ACTUALLY A PAID ADVERTISEMENT THAT WE
HAVE RUNNING THROUGH STREAMING, THROUGH BROADCASTS, THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, DIFFERENT THINGS AS WELL. 
          WE'RE ALSO WORKING THE PORT HAS HIRED A NEW COMPANY CALLED ONBOARD MEDIA. 
          IT'S VERY EXCITING FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS DEVELOPING SOME
ADVERTISING PACKAGES WE GET ASKED ALL THE TIME, 
          [00:30:04]
HOW CAN WE REACH THAT CRUISE? YOU KNOW THE CRUISE TRAVELER FROM YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES. 
          SO THEY'RE DEVELOPING ADVERTISING PACKAGES, AND THE PORT HAS ASKED FOR ANY LOCAL BUSINESS
TO GET A MAJOR DISCOUNT. 
          SO WE'VE INVITED THEM TO COME TO OUR TOURISM SUMMIT NEXT MONTH TO GIVE AN UPDATE,
BECAUSE I THINK THAT WILL HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES PARTNER WITH WITH THE CRUISE INDUSTRY. 
          SO SORRY TO GO BACKWARDS. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL WERE AWARE OF THIS. SO LET'S
TALK TRASH. 
          WASHED ASHORE. IF. OH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THESE SCULPTURES ALL OVER THE ISLAND. 
          WE PARTNERED WITH A COMPANY CALLED WASHED ASHORE. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY ARTULA PROJECT IS WASHED ASHORE. 
          SO WHAT THIS IS, IT'S TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT OCEAN POLLUTION. 
          AND PEOPLE LOVE THESE SCULPTURES. SO IT WAS BACK IN AT THE FIRST EXHIBIT LAUNCHED IN
DECEMBER OF 2022. 
          WE HAD OVER 20 EXHIBITS AND WE STRATEGICALLY PLACED THEM AROUND THE ISLAND. 
          WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP? IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE EVER DONE IT IN THE
U.S. 
          THAT IT WASN'T BEHIND A PAY GATE. SO IT'S BEEN AT SIX FLAGS,
IT'S BEEN AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. 
          IT HAD BEEN EVEN IN THE HOUSTON ZOO. BUT WE WANTED PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE AND APPRECIATE
IT FOR FREE. 
          SO WE STRATEGICALLY PLACED THEM AROUND THE ISLAND TO INCUR,
AND THEN DID SOME DRIVING TOURS AND THINGS FOR PEOPLE TO GO SEE THEM. 
          IT REACHED OVER 5.2 MILLION PEOPLE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW,
MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE. 
          IF YOU SAW I ALWAYS LOVE WATCHING PEOPLE. THEY IF YOU'VE GONE UP TO THEM,
THEY'RE POINTING THE CHILDREN. 
          THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIND THE ITEMS THAT ARE LISTED. 
          SO IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. SO WHAT'S NEXT IS PHASE TWO. 
          SO PHASE TWO IS HOW CAN WE GET A GALVESTON SCULPTURE SINCE ALL OF THOSE PLASTICS WERE FROM
THE OREGON COAST. 
          SO OUR COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CREW, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO REMOVE PLASTICS OFF THE
BEACH. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR WHO WOULD GO AND CLEAN THEM. 
          A BIG PART WITH WASHED ASHORE IS THERE'S NO COLOR,
SO THEY YOU CAN'T DYE THEM. 
          THOSE ARE ALL NATURAL COLORS. SO THERE'S A PROCESS THERE. 
          SO THEY TAUGHT OUR OUR TEAM HOW TO DO IT. THEN ALSO HIRED AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. 
          SO WE WANTED A LOCAL ARTIST ARTIST TO LEARN HOW TO CREATE THESE SCULPTURES. 
          AND IF YOU SAW ROSA THE BALD EAGLE AT PIER 21,
YOU KNOW, HER WINGSPAN WAS LIKE 17FT. 
          THE NORTH WINDS WHEN THEY COME IN IN JANUARY. 
          IT'S PRETTY HARSH. I MEAN, THEY CAN GET UP TO 80 MILES AN HOUR,
SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THESE THINGS ARE STURDY. 
          SO IT ALL STARTS WITH AN WITH AN IRON FRAME. SO TEACHING THE LOCAL ARTIST HOW TO MAKE
THESE THINGS AND MAKE THEM LAST. 
          SO OUR NEXT PHASE WILL BE TO HOST COMMUNITY EVENTS TO HELP BUILD THIS THIS GALVESTON
SCULPTURE. 
          SO YOU'RE READY FOR THE BIG UNVEIL, IF ANY OF YOU YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY HEARD THIS,
BUT THE BIG UNVEIL IS THE GALVESTON SCULPTURE WILL BE A REDDISH EGRET. 
          SO THERE WAS A POLL THAT WAS SENT OUT TO SOME OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS TO
FIND OUT WHAT ANIMAL THEY WOULD LIKE. 
          AND THE REDDISH EGRET, THAT IS OFFICIAL BIRD OF GALVESTON. 
          THAT WAS THE WINNER. SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE,
THAT WAS THE UNVEILING. 
          SO WE HAVE BRAD PARKS WITH WASHED ASHORE, KIMBERLY DANESE,
OUR CEO, AND THEN EVAN, WHO IS THE LOCAL ARTIST AND RESIDENT. 
          AND THEN TO THE RIGHT IS THE FRAME. SO THE FRAME HAS BEEN BUILT. 
          SO NEXT WEEKEND THEY WILL BE AT FEATHER FEST ON SATURDAY AND THEY'RE GOING TO START
BUILDING KABOBS. 
          SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE SOME OF THE PLASTIC. THEY'RE GOING TO PUT THEM
ON A PUT THEM ON A STRING. AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO ATTACH THEM TO THE TO THE STRUCTURE. 
          ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT. IT'S A FUN BEEN A FUN AWARENESS PROJECT. 
          SO NEXT TOURISM WAYFINDING. AND FORGIVE ME IF YOU'VE HEARD SOME OF THIS INFORMATION BUT
JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT. 
          FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A TASK FORCE,
INCLUDING SOME CITY STAFF MEMBERS DAVID SMITH AND CATHERINE GORMAN, JASON HARDCASTLE, TREY CLICK, MARTY MILES, WILL WRIGHT AND LISA SHAW. 
          WE PARTNERED WITH THE COMPANY. THERE WAS A WHOLE SEALED BID PROCESS. 
          THE DESIGN FIRM WHO WON WAS NAMED CORBIN DESIGN,
AND WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THOSE TASKS. 
          SO THERE WAS AN ANALYSIS THEY CAME IN TO LOOK WHAT SIGNS ARE HERE DEVELOPING THE THE THE
SYSTEM. 
          WHERE DO WE WANT TO STRATEGICALLY PLACE THAT? THEN DOCUMENTING ALL OF THAT BECAUSE YOU NEED ENGINEERING STUDIES. 
          YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT FITS. FROM YOUR DEALING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE,
AND THEN THE IMPLEMENTATION. 
          SO WE'RE CURRENTLY SO CLOSE TO GETTING INTO FABRICATION. 
          WITH THAT, A LOT OF TIME WAS SPENT ON DEVELOPING THE DESIGN. 
          SO WANTED SOMETHING. HOW DO YOU PROMOTE A HISTORIC BEACH TOWN. 
          AND THE PURPOSE IS REALLY TO HELP ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE. 
          SO THROUGH NAVIGATION, BUT ALSO IT JUST ELEVATES A DESTINATION WHEN YOU DRIVE IN AND YOU
SEE THESE NICE SIGNS AND YOU GET THAT YOU WANT 
          [00:35:06]
TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE THE AUTHORITY TO BE ABLE TO DIRECT PEOPLE. 
          AS WE ALL KNOW, YOU USE GOOGLE MAPS, YOU USE WAZE. 
          THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE CONSTRUCTION THINGS. SO THIS IS A
THIS IS A NICE WAY TO DIRECT PEOPLE WHERE WE WANT THEM TO GO. 
          SO THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE HITTING THE
MAJOR, THE MAJOR ARTERIES, YOU KNOW, HARBORSIDE DRIVE,
BROADWAY, SEAWALL. 
          AND THEN WHAT ARE THOSE, MAJOR STREETS. SO. BUT WITH THE DESIGN,
WE WANTED TO TAKE IT A NEXT STEP FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORIC ELEMENTS. 
          SO THE TOP THAT'S FROM A BOAT, A NAUTICAL THEME. 
          SO THE SEAWALL, THAT'S THE THE AREA MARKER, THEN THE WAVES THAT MATCHES WHEN YOU COME OVER
THE CAUSEWAY, THE WAVES ON THE CAUSEWAY. WE'VE ALSO INCORPORATED THAT ELEMENT ON OUR NEW WEBSITE,
THE AT THE BOTTOM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES ON SOME OF THE VICTORIAN HOMES. 
          AND THEN WE WANTED TO ADD A LITTLE ELEMENT OF MARINE AND YOU KNEW YOU WERE AT THE COAST. 
          SO WE HAVE SIX DIFFERENT ANIMALS, FROM DOLPHINS TO BIRDS TO FISH,
PELICANS, DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          SO WE WANTED IT TO BE, YOU KNOW, ATTRACTIVE,
BE INFORMATIVE, BUT ALSO PRETTY. 
          YOU KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT PUBLIC ART FOR YEARS. 
          HOW CAN WE MAKE A SIGN YOU KNOW ATTRACTIVE. SO ON THE BACK SIDE THESE ARE ACTUALLY THREE
DIMENSIONAL DESIGNS. 
          DEPENDING ON THE SIGNS SOME WILL BE JUST ON THE BACK,
SOME WILL BE A 3D, A 3D ELEMENT. 
          WE HAVE SEVERAL DESIGN TYPES AND THESE WILL BE PLACED AGAIN THIS IS A TOURISM WAYFINDING
PROJECT. 
          SO I SAY THAT IT'S IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO A BUSINESS SPECIFICALLY,
IT'S SUPPOSED TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO AN AREA. 
          SO WE DIVIDED THE ISLAND INTO DIFFERENT DISTRICTS. 
          THERE'S A PORT DISTRICT, A DOWNTOWN DISTRICT. 
          EAST END SEAWALL AND WEST END. SO FOR YEARS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE WHERE THEY,
YOU KNOW, THEY GO DOWN 61ST. THEY TAKE A RIGHT, THEY GO TO THE WEST END. 
          DO THEY KNOW WE HAVE A HISTORIC DOWNTOWN? SO WHY DON'T WE START TELLING PEOPLE? SO STARTING AT, YOU KNOW, NEAR SEA ISLE, IT SAYS HISTORIC DOWNTOWN,
22 MILES, WE WANT TO START HITTING PEOPLE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER THINGS TO SEE AND DO ON THE ISLAND. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST THE DIFFERENT,
DIFFERENT DESIGN TYPES. 
          EVERYTHING FROM AT THE BOTTOM ARE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SIGNS. 
          SO WE'LL START THE PROGRAM AS SOON AS THEY HIT THE ISLAND. 
          DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY. YES, SIR. WHEN WE DID A SIGN PROJECT AT UTMB,
WE PUT QR CODES ON SOME OF THE MAPS. 
          DO YOU ALL PLAN TO USE ANY OF THOSE? IF YOU LOOK TO THE SIGN TO THE RIGHT,
THOSE ARE PEDESTRIAN KIOSKS. 
          AND WHAT I LOVE WITH THESE MAPS. SO WE WILL HAVE MAPS ALONG SEAWALL AND WE WILL HAVE MAP
PEDESTRIAN MAPS ON SEAWALL AND PEDESTRIAN MAPS IN THE HISTORIC DOWNTOWN AREA. 
          THOSE WILL HAVE QR CODES AND THAT WILL BE MORE OF A MAP OF THE AREA. 
          AND AT THE TOP, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE HOW MANY MINUTES TO WALK. 
          BECAUSE WE TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE THINK DOWNTOWN COULD JUST BE THE STRAND. 
          HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO WALK TO POST OFFICE? IT WILL SAY POST OFFICE TWO MINUTES. 
          YOU KNOW HOW FAR TO WEST MARKET. BUT YES, THERE WILL BE QR CODES. 
          AND ON THE BACK SIDE WE CAN TELL WE HAVE SIX DIFFERENT DESIGNS THAT WE CAN PUT EVERYTHING
FROM, YOU KNOW, TELLING THE STORY OF THE PORT TO BEING THE BIRTHPLACE OF JUNETEENTH. 
          SO WE HAVE SOME REAL ESTATE ON THE BACK SIDE AS WELL. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THAT EVERYTHING? TONY? BRYAN. MR. [INAUDIBLE]? YEAH, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE. 
          OKAY, EXCELLENT. WELL, I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT AND SUMMARIZE IN A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS. 
          THIS IS I THINK THAT ALL OF THIS WORK PROVES THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ATTRACT TOURISTS
FROM FURTHER DESTINATIONS THAT WILL STAY LONGER AND ALSO SPEND MORE MONEY WHILE THEY'RE HERE. I THINK THAT IT ALSO SHOWED THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED ALL
OF OUR PEERS AND WHO WE WANT TO BE IN THE TOURIST DESTINATION MARKET, AND SHOWS THAT WE ARE NOW COMPETING WITH THEM AS WELL. 
          IT SHOWS THAT WE'VE TAKEN THE DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL TO GO AHEAD AND WORK WITH THE
PORT AND TO ATTRACT MORE TOURISTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CRUISE TERMINALS AS WELL. AND IT'S SHOWING THAT WE HAVE DECIDED TO TAKE THE
DIRECTION TO FOCUS ON THE HERITAGE TOURISM THAT IS AVAILABLE HERE ON THE ISLAND AS WELL. AND THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT ESPECIALLY WITH
RAISING THREE DAUGHTERS HERE ON THE ISLAND, IS THE SPORTS TOURISM OPPORTUNITIES AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT EXIST THERE AS WELL,
AND THAT WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO DEVELOP THAT MARKET, TOO. SO I HOPE THAT THIS DOES GIVE YOU FAITH THAT WHEN YOU ARE DETERMINING WHAT OUR GOALS
SHOULD BE FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, THAT WE CAN EXECUTE ON THEM AS WELL WITH THE EXPERTISE OF OUR STAFF. 
          VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN PORRETTO. DO YOU HAVE A SLIDE ON LEGISLATIVE GOALS,
YOUR LEGISLATIVE GOALS FOR THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR? 27 IT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE FOR THIS YEAR. BUT NO,
I DON'T HAVE IT. 
          [00:40:04]
I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT LEGISLATION TO, YOU KNOW,
REMOVE THE CITY AND THE FUNDS GO DIRECTLY TO THE PARK BOARD . 
          I DON'T THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY OR SOMETHING THAT SOMETHING
HAS COME FROM THE STATE. DON'T YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE, ALEX? WELL, IT CAME FROM THE STATE, BUT I WAS THERE WITH BRYSON AND KIMBERLY AND THE MAYOR AND
DON AND SHEILA AND BRYSON AND KIMBERLY SAID THAT THEY ARE THANKFUL TO SENATOR BIRDWELL FOR AND THEIR STAFF FOR WORKING WITH THEM. 
          AND I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. AND THESE ARE GREAT THINGS. 
          AND I YOU KNOW, I SEE YOU HAVE GOOD. GOOD EMPLOYEES WORKING AND,
YOU KNOW, GETTING THINGS DONE. 
          BUT I FIND IT HARD TO TRUST BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE A PUBLIC TRUST HAS BEEN BLOWN HERE. 
          WHEN THE PARK BOARD STAFF WENT UP TO AUSTIN AND TRIED TAKING THE STATUTORY AUTHORITY. 
          AND THEN YOU TOLD THE PAPER YESTERDAY THAT YOU RAISED THESE CONCERNS IN OCTOBER,
AND I WENT AND GOT THE TRANSCRIPT FROM THE OCTOBER MEETING, AND NOT ONE OF THESE CONCERNS WERE RAISED. 
          AND I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND A CORRELATION BETWEEN WHY WE'RE HAVING TO DEFEND OURSELVES
WITH THREE BILLS. 
          I DON'T I MEAN, I DON'T TRUST THING. SO JUST ONE SECOND. 
          WE HAVE SOME AREAS THERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE GOALS NOW. 
          AND I APPRECIATE YOU GIVING THE INPUT ON THE WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL'S
DIRECTION FROM LAST YEAR. 
          LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS YEAR AND NEW GOALS. AND I THINK THIS WOULD POSSIBLY FIT INTO THAT IN
SOME WAY. 
          YEAH. THIS IS I MEAN, WE NEED TO I'M GOING TO MAKE SOME THOUGHTS,
GIVE SOME THOUGHTS ON THE GOALS, AND THEN I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL. AND ALEX,
YOU CAN EXPAND ON THAT IF YOU WOULD LIKE. 
          I WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE YOU CONTINUE TO EXPAND ON YOUR TOURISM,
CULTURAL AND MEDICAL TOURISM HERE ON THE ISLAND IN SPORTS TOURISM, AS I MENTIONED, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTINUED TO EXPAND ON THAT. 
          AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS EAST END LAGOON COME TO FRUITION. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS,
BUT IT JUST LANGUISHES OUT THERE. 
          WE GOT MONEY AT THE PARK BOARD , I THINK, ON THE HORIZON THING,
WE GOT MONEY FOR THIS, AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD IN SOME WAY AND PUT A LOT OF ATTENTION. IDC, MONEY THAT WENT THROUGH THAT. 
          WE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME ITC MONEY, I MEAN, SOME IDC MONEY ON THAT. 
          YES, SIR. ON THAT NOTE, AND I TOTALLY AGREE,
I THINK THAT IS AN AREA WE LOVE GOING PADDLE BOARDING IN THAT AREA. 
          IT'S BEAUTIFUL TO PADDLE BOARD AND SEE THE BIRDS AND EVERYTHING ME AND MY WIFE,
WE ENJOY IT A LOT. BUT MY BIGGEST CONCERN ON THAT IS THAT THE THE CITY OF GALVESTON, ON THE STREET THAT I DROVE IT LAST NIGHT FROM BODDECKER TO PARK,
AND THE CABLES THAT ARE BLOCKING THE AREA TO PARK TO BE ABLE TO WALK AROUND THE EAST AND ARE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE PICTURES WHERE IT COMES ALMOST TO THE GROUND. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE THAT'S DETERIORATING THE THE TOURISM THAT WOULD WALK OVER TO THAT
AREA BECAUSE THERE'S NO STREET AT CERTAIN POINT IT'S JUST SAND. AND I THINK THE PARK WAS BEEN TRYING TO MAINTAIN IT TO A
CERTAIN LEVEL, BUT I THINK THAT FALLS INTO THE CITY OF GALVESTON TO MAINTAIN THAT STREET AND TO MAKE SURE
THOSE CABLES ARE NOT THERE. 
          SO WE CAN ACTUALLY GO IN THERE, PARK AND WALK THE TRAILS AROUND EAST LAGOON. 
          LET'S START THAT DIALOG THEN. YEAH, LET'S GET THAT GOING TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER ON
THIS, BECAUSE THIS EAST END LAGOON IS A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH OUT THERE. 
          AND WE'VE GOT MONIES FROM THE HORIZON THING AND WE JUST HAVE NOT MOVED FORWARD. 
          SO IF IT'S SOMETHING HOLDING THAT UP, LET'S SIT DOWN AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          MAYOR. YES. THE FUNDING FOR THE EASTERN LAGOON IS NOW IN THE US TREASURY WAITING FOR
APPROVAL. 
          ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. WOULD YOU KEEP US UPDATED ON THAT,
PLEASE? ABSOLUTELY. WHAT ABOUT THE PAST IDC FUNDS? WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT? I'M NOT SURE. WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT. JANELLE,
WOULD YOU MAKE A NOTE TO LOOK INTO THE IDC FUNDS AND THE STATUS OF THOSE AS IT APPLIES TO EAST END LAGOON. THANK YOU. AND MY LAST. MY LAST. 
          GO HERE AND THEN WE CAN SEE WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS I WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON COUNCIL MEMBER
PORRETTO'S THOUGHTS ON THIS. 
          THE PARK BOARD NEEDS TO SIT DOWN, AND THEY NEED TO VISIT WITH THIS STAFF HERE AT THE CITY. 
          AND YOU NEED TO IF YOU'VE GOT CONCERNS THAT YOU FEEL THAT ARE CONCERNS WITH THE FINANCIAL
INVOLVEMENT IN THE RAPPORT THAT THE PARK BOARD HAS 
          [00:45:04]
WITH THE CITY, YOU NEED TO SIT DOWN WITH THE CITY AND LET'S LOOK AT THESE. 
          THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO COME TO THE CITY AND TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          I'M TALKING ABOUT THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE ALLEGED SHORTFALL FOR 2023. 
          I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT. NOW, IT MAY HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN PASSING AT SOME OF THESE
MEETINGS. 
          IT WAS. IT WAS NOT. I GOT THE TRANSCRIPT. IT WAS NOT I WAS NOT AWARE OF THAT. 
          I'M CHECKING WITH CITY STAFF. THEY WEREN'T REALLY AWARE OF THAT EITHER. 
          THE OTHER THING IS THE MANAGEMENT OF THE REVENUE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE PROJECTED AMOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR. 
          WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. I THINK THE PARK BOARD FEELS THERE'S A CAP ON THE REVENUE THERE,
AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING THEIR FULL PERCENTAGE AND PERCENTAGE POINTS OF THE THIS. IF THAT'S THE CASE LET'S ADDRESS THAT. LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          SO ONE OF MY GOALS IS I WANT THE PARK BOARD TO SIT DOWN WITH THE CITY. 
          I WANT THEM TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS ON THIS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND SOME OF THESE ISSUES WHERE
THE PARK BOARD IS FEELING THEY'RE NOT GETTING ALL OF THEIR ALL OF THEIR FUNDING PROPERLY. I'LL BE HONEST IN SAYING, THOUGH, THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT THAT WELL TO REALLY
RENDER A DECISION ON IT. 
          BUT I DO NEED TO HAVE THE PARK BOARD SIT DOWN WITH CITY STAFF,
PARK BOARD STAFF INVOLVING OUR FINANCE PEOPLE. 
          WE NEED TO GET THESE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN DRIVING SOME OF THE CONCERNS AT THE STATE LEVEL
WITH THESE BILLS. 
          I WANT THESE OUT IN THE OPEN AND TALK ABOUT THOSE. 
          BETWEEN THE PARK BOARD AND THE CITY. AND IF WE NEED THE TRUSTEES AND CITY COUNCIL TO WEIGH
IN, WE NEED TO DO THAT SOONER THAN LATER. ALEX. MAYOR. 
          THERE ARE THREE BILLS THAT ARE BRACKETED AND TARGETED SPECIFICALLY AT GALVESTON REGARDING
HOT TAX. 
          IN THE MEETING THAT JASON SAID IN OCTOBER, WE HAD. 
          JASON WAS TALKING ABOUT THIS IS 15 MINUTES IN OUR LEGAL COUNSEL'S INTERPRETATION THAT
THESE TAX DOLLARS COULD BE HELD AT ANY ACCOUNT DESIGNATED BY THE CITY IF THE CITY AGREED TO DESIGNATE OUR ACCOUNTS AS AN APPROPRIATE ACCOUNT IN A CONTRACT AND IN A CONTRACT
NEGOTIATION. 
          OF COURSE, THEN THAT WOULD BE FINE TO HOLD IN THOSE ACCOUNTS. 
          SO FAR, THIS SEEMS TO BE OPERATING, IN MY OPINION,
NOT AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT WE CAN LIVE WITH IT. 
          IT'S A VIABLE OPTION FOR US AT THIS TIME, BUT IT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING. 
          I FELT LIKE IF WE WERE COMPELLED TO DO BY ORDINANCE THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE OTHERWISE
AGREED TO DO. NOW. 
          WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS YOU SAY THAT AND YOU PAY LIP SERVICE TO IT. 
          YOU'RE PAYING LIP SERVICE TO COUNCIL, AND YOU'RE NOT BEING HONEST. 
          YOU'RE LYING AND DECEIVING THE PUBLIC. I MEAN,
THIS IS A BLOWN TRUST. 
          I MEAN, WHEN WE SIT HERE, WE ALL SAID BEAU TALKED ABOUT WE NEED A CHANGE IN OUR
PHILOSOPHY. 
          BOB BROWN LAID OUT HOW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          IN APRIL, WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR GOALS,
WHICH WE'RE DOING NOW, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MARCH. 
          AND SHARON LEWIS SAID, YOU KNOW, HISTORY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF WE DON'T REMEMBER
HISTORY, IT'S GOING TO REPEAT ITSELF. AND I'M EVEN SAYING,
YOU KNOW, HEY, LOOK, WE HAD A WE HAVE A BROKEN A BROKEN RELATIONSHIP HERE AND WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD. WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD. AND AND,
YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANT OUR STAFFS AND US TO WORK BETTER COHESIVELY TOGETHER. 
          AND I DON'T THINK GOING TO LEGISLATION, THE SENATOR AND SPENDING TIME ON IT BEHIND
COUNCIL'S BACK IS APPROPRIATE. AND I DON'T THINK THAT IS TRUST BUILDING. 
          I MEAN, ALL THE WAY AT THE AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL GIVE CREDIT TO BILL BECAUSE HE DID HAVE A
PRETTY LONG DISSERTATION ABOUT I FELT LIKE HE UNDERSTOOD IT AND HE HAD A CONCERN. 
          HIS CONCERN WAS THE WAY IT'S COLLECTED. IT COMES IN MONTHLY. 
          AND YOUR COLLECTIONS ARE LOWER IN THE WINTER MONTHS BECAUSE OF JUST THE WAY IT'S
COLLECTED. 
          WELL, WHEN SHEILA CAME UP AND GAVE US THE PRESENTATION,
SHE STATED, WE FRONT THREE THREE MONTHS. 
          SO IN JANUARY YOU GET JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH,
YOU GET IT FRONTED AT 95%. 
          SHE ALSO SAID 95% WAS A GOOD APPROACH BECAUSE IN 24 IT WAS LOWER. 
          SO THE TRUE UP PROCESS WAS EASIER. NOW AGAIN,
SHE SAID IT TWICE. 
          YOU GET MONEY. IT'S ALL CONTINGENT ON THE OCTOBER HOT CONTRACT. 
          YEAH, THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TIME CRUNCH. 
          AND OUR STAFF DID GIVE YOU THREE DAYS. THEY GAVE YOU ALL THREE DAYS TO REVIEW A HOT
CONTRACT, WHICH WAS A BIT OF AN ISSUE. SO WE CAME BACK ON OCTOBER 24TH AFTER THAT HOT CONTRACT GOT
DONE. 
          AND YOU KNOW, WE YOU YOU GUYS APPROVED IT UNANIMOUSLY AND SO DID WE. 
          THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TIME TO BRING UP WHETHER YOU HAD PROBLEMS. IF I WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE PARK BOARD AND I WASN'T BEING FUNDED 100% OR DIDN'T FEEL I HAD
ENOUGH FUNDING, I'D BE RAISING HOLY HELL. BUT WE'RE HAVING TO DEFEND OURSELVES AT THE CAPITOL. 
          [00:50:07]
OVER WHAT? YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GETTING THE MONEY AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. 
          THAT'S THAT'S THAT'S BLOWN TRUST. I MEAN, SO I WAS READING THE TRANSCRIPTS OF THE OF WHAT
WAS DONE AT THE, AT THE STATE CAPITOL, AND I DON'T NONE OF THE INFORMATION BRYSON OR. 
          THEY SAID WAS RECEIVING WAS NOT MISREPRESENTING THE FACTS. ALL THE INFORMATION CAME FROM THE CITY FISCAL YEAR NUMBERS FOR 2023 AND 2024. 
          THE MONEY THAT IS BEING HELD THERE IS BEING HELD THERE. 
          YOU CAN SEE IT IN YOUR IN Y'ALL'S PAPERS. SO WHAT THEY SAID WAS NOTHING THAT YOU GUYS
DIDN'T KNOW. 
          SO WHERE WAS THE MISLEADING PART? WITHHOLDING FUNDING. 
          THEY DIDN'T SAY WITHHOLD. IT SAID YOU'RE WITHHOLDING. 
          THEY DID. I WATCHED. IN THE BILL. SO IT SAYS YOU HAVE YOU HAVE 675,000 WITHHOLDING IN YOUR
ACCOUNTS OF THE NOURISHMENT. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? IF YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD US THAT WE'RE WITHHOLDING FUNDING FROM YOU. 
          IT'S IN YOUR IT'S IN YOUR IT'S IN YOUR. BUT DON'T WE DON'T AIR OUT OUR MUNICIPAL SPATS OR
MUNICIPAL PROBLEMS. A LEGISLATURE. WHAT YOU DID WITH EAST BEACH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED AT THE TABLE. 
          WE HAVE A PROBLEM. EAST BEACH. I'VE GOTTEN COMPLAINTS ABOUT EAST BEACH DRIVE,
TOO, BUT, LIKE, WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THESE THINGS. HEY,
IF YOU WOULD HAVE SAID TO US YOU OWE US $767,000 OR 2.1 MILLION, AND YOU SAID IT AND YOU GAVE US THE CALCULATIONS,
DO YOU THINK WE WE WOULD HAVE WITHHELD THAT? LIKE, DO YOU REALLY THINK WE WOULD HAVE WITHHELD THAT? I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW
IF YOU HAD IT IN YOUR FISCAL YEAR AND WE'RE GIVING AND YOU SAID WE WERE NOT WITHHOLDING, YOU GUYS DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU GUYS WERE WITHHOLDING IT. BUT YOU'RE WE
APPROVED YOUR BUDGET. 
          YOU GIVE US WHAT? AND BILL SAID IT TOO, YOU KNOW,
I THINK THAT WE CAN WE CAN WITH THIS BOARD, YOU KNOW, WE CAN KEEP IT. WE CAN. WE'RE GOING TO FIT OUR BUDGET. THIS WAS NOT A BIG,
BIG CONCERN THAT WOULD HAVE GRANTED GOING TO A STATE SENATOR. MAYOR, I THINK WE CAN VOLLEY THIS ISSUE BACK AND FORTH. 
          WE CAN, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MOVE FORWARD FROM THIS FOR THE SAKE OF US HAVING A
PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION. 
          FIRST AND FOREMOST I DON'T THINK IT'S PRUDENT FOR US TO SAY INFORMATION COMING FROM THE
PARK BOARD LEADERSHIP WAS LIP SERVICE OR THAT THEY WERE LYING. I THINK LOOKING AT THE TESTIMONY THAT I READ CERTAINLY LOOKING AT
WHAT CALLERS HAD MENTIONED ARE THESE NUMBERS FACTUAL? I DON'T KNOW THAT I DON'T KNOW. 
          ONLY THE CITY SIDE KNOWS THAT. BUT I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD WARRANT A PRIVATE
CONVERSATION, NOT AN OPEN CONVERSATION HERE. QUITE FRANKLY,
IT WAS IT WAS IT WAS ON THE CAPITAL. 
          IT WAS ON THE FLOOR OF A SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING THAT. 
          EXCUSE ME FOR INTERRUPTING, GENTLEMEN AND LADIES,
HERE. 
          THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS. THIS IS THE PEOPLE. 
          THIS IS THE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THAT. LET ME JUST MENTION THIS. 
          THIS NEEDS TO BE AN OPEN SESSION. THIS IS NOT AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM. 
          THIS NEEDS TO BE AN OPEN SESSION BECAUSE IT'S BEEN AN OPEN SESSION WITH THE COMMUNITY,
WITH THE PAPER, WITH THE STATE LEGISLATURE. IT'S AN OPEN SESSION ITEM. 
          SECOND OF ALL, HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING ON OUR GOALS AS WE'RE PURSUING OUR GOALS FOR 25-26. 
          I'M REQUESTING ON THOSE TWO ITEMS THAT I JUST MENTIONED THAT WE'RE DRIVING,
APPARENTLY, CONCERNS AT THE PARK BOARD THAT THEY SIT DOWN WITH STAFF AND LET'S UNDERSTAND THESE ITEMS AND LET'S MOVE FORWARD AND DEVELOP A PATH FORWARD TO ADDRESS
CONCERNS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          AND THOSE THAT DON'T, WE WON'T, BUT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WORKING BETWEEN US,
THE PARK BOARD AND THE CITY TO DO THAT. 
          THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. I WOULD SAY ALSO, I THINK WHAT I HEAR SOME OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS
SAYING, IF THERE'S CONCERNS THAT THE PARK BOARD HAS,
LET'S BRING THEM FORWARD TO COUNCIL. 
          NOW, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW COUNCIL WILL RESPOND TO THOSE,
BUT I CAN TELL YOU WE NEED TO GIVE THE CITY A CHANCE FOR THEM TO SIT DOWN AND WORK OUT A SOLUTION TO THIS, IF IT'S APPROPRIATE TO DO THAT. 
          OKAY. AND AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT. AND I CERTAINLY WASN'T SAYING THAT WE SHOULD
TABLE THIS ITEM. 
          I THINK WE SHOULD DISCUSS IT. I THINK LET'S DISCUSS WHERE HAS BEEN THE BREAKDOWN IN
TRANSPARENCY OR THE BREAKDOWN IN TRUST, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE START TO BEGIN A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION. 
          SO IF YOU FELT THE BREAKDOWN DISCUSSED WAS WHEN THE INFORMATION WAS SHARED AT THE SENATE
FLOOR AND AUSTIN AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          BUT IF WE FELT THAT THE INFORMATION BASED ON THE LAST OR PREVIOUS JOINT MEETING THAT
YOU'RE READING, 
          [00:55:03]
SOME OF THE TRANSCRIPTS AND SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE READING TODAY,
YOU FELT IT'S COUNTER TO WHAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE SENATE FLOOR. 
          THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. SO I WHEN I READ THAT IN THE PAPER,
I QUESTIONED BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT BE WRONG. I FELT LIKE I MIGHT BE WRONG,
AND I REREAD IT AND I'M NOT SHEILA. 
          SHEILA. SHEILA GAVE WE APPROVED THE CONTRACT. 
          WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THE CONTRACT WAS, HOW THE MONEY WAS DISTRIBUTED. 
          WE UNDERSTOOD AT THE TIME BECAUSE IT WASN'T APPROVED IN SEPTEMBER WITH YOUR BUDGET. 
          IT WAS NOT BEING FUNDED. BUT WE WORKED AND THERE WERE SOME ISSUES THAT BOB RAISED,
SOME ISSUES WHERE WE RAISED SOME ISSUES ON BEHALF OF YOU, THE PARK BOARD , BECAUSE STAFF GAVE IT THREE DAYS TO REVIEW IT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I SAT BACK AND SAID, YEAH, THAT'S A LITTLE PROBABLY INAPPROPRIATE TO GIVE
THEM THREE DAYS, BUT WE GOT IT PASSED. Y'ALL APPROVED IT UNANIMOUSLY. 
          THAT'S HOW THE FUNDS GET TRANSFERRED. SO AGAIN,
WE YOU KNOW, WE PUT OUT OUR BUSINESS. 
          IT'S EMBARRASSING. IT'S EMBARRASSING. YOU PUT OUT OUR BUSINESS TO THE STATE SENATE TO A
SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING. 
          AND KIMBERLY WAS IN THE PAPER SAYING WE HADN'T SEEN BIRDWELL'S BILL,
BUT YET THEY'RE THANKING THEM FOR WORKING WITH THEM. 
          SO OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE THE ONES THAT I'M CERTAIN THAT IT'S YOUR TAXPAYER LOBBYIST WHO IS
THE ONE WHO WROTE THE BILL IN COORDINATION WITH YOU. AND BRYSON HAD VERY CLEARLY SAID, THANK YOU,
SENATOR BIRDWELL AND ALL HIS STAFF FOR WORKING WITH US TOGETHER TO WRITE THIS. AND MIGHT I ALSO NOTE SOMETHING THAT BIRDWELL SAID,
AND IT WAS THE FACT THAT THE FUNDS SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE MUNICIPALITY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WHAT? HOT TAX IS A MUNICIPAL TAX AND WE ARE THE MUNICIPALITY. 
          HOT TAX IS NOT A PARK BOARD TAX. CONTRARY TO THE MISINFORMATION THAT WAS GIVEN ABOUT THE
LEGISLATURE. 
          WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE LEGISLATION GOES THROUGH. 
          WELL, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW IT'S ABOUT. OH,
IT'S ABOUT TO. 
          OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. YEAH. JUST ASKING IF IT HAPPENS,
WHAT WOULD WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? SO IT'S ABOUT TO. SO YOU YOU KNOW. NO, I'M JUST ASKING. 
          NO, I'M JUST WONDERING BECAUSE THAT STATEMENT IS IT'S ABOUT YOU. I'M ASKING. 
          I'LL TELL YOU WHERE I PERSONALLY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH TRUST. 
          IF I HAD A FAMILY MEMBER THAT WENT AND DISCUSSED MY BUSINESS,
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THAT LEGISLATION. 
          EXPLAIN THAT. LET'S. OKAY. LET'S GET COUNCILMAN RAWLINS THOUGHTS OUT,
AND THEN I'LL EXPLAIN THAT. 
          YES, SIR. I PERSONALLY FEEL THAT WE HAD TO ME,
WE HAD AN OCTOBER MEETING THAT THINGS WERE THERE WERE GOOD AND BAD. THEY WERE AIRED. 
          THERE WAS AN UNDERSTANDING AND THERE WAS MISUNDERSTANDING. 
          BUT I TOOK AS A WHOLE THAT THAT MEETING WAS. AGREED UPON. 
          IT WAS THE DISCUSSION, THE TRANSCRIPTS, THE DIALOG BACK AND FORTH. 
          I SAW THAT THERE THERE WASN'T. IF IT WAS AN ISSUE BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE TO THE STATE,
I FELT LIKE IT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN DISCUSSED THAT DAY. ALSO, TO ME, I WASN'T, YOU KNOW,
AS FAR AS THE TRUST ISSUE, PERSONALLY, I DIDN'T REALLY GIVE RISE UNTIL I HEARD BIRDWELL'S STATEMENT OF I REALLY APPRECIATE THE
TIME THAT THE PARKS BOARD OF GALVESTON SPENT IN PUTTING THIS BILL TOGETHER. THAT IS WHERE I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT ASSIGNMENT
COULDN'T BE TAKEN AS BEHIND OUR BACKS. HOW CAN THAT BE TAKEN BEHIND OUR BACK,
NOT BEHIND OUR BACKS? PLEASE ALLOW ME TO ALLOW SOME CLARIFICATION THERE. 
          THE SENATOR BIRDWELL HAS HAD A LONG TERM INTEREST IN HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. 
          THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIS OFFICE AND THE PARK BOARD AND PARK BOARD HAS BEEN VERY LONG
TERM. 
          WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR PARTNERS ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY,
INCLUDING THOSE IN THE LEGISLATURE, WHEN THEY CALL US AND ASK US QUESTIONS, WHEN THEY CHECK UP ON THINGS WHEN THEY WANT TO SEE
HOW WE OPERATE WITH HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. 
          IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING WE WE TAKE THOSE MEETINGS,
WE TAKE THOSE CALLS. 
          WE DO HAVE AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARTNERS HERE IN GALVESTON THAT
HAVE STAKEHOLDERS, THAT ARE STAKEHOLDERS HERE IN GALVESTON, AND THAT INCLUDES HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX ADVOCATES,
WHICH SENATOR BIRDWELL, TO MY UNDERSTANDING, WOULD HE'S AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD. 
          HE'S AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD. SO THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
YEARS THAT HAVE GONE ON WITH HIS HIS OFFICE. 
          [01:00:01]
NOW, I DON'T HAVE THE INFLUENCE OVER SENATORS. 
          I DON'T TELL THEM WHAT TO DO. THESE ARE NOT MY BILLS. 
          THESE IMPLICATIONS ARE INACCURATE THAT ARE BEING MADE. 
          THESE ARE COMING STRAIGHT OUT OF SENATORS OFFICES BECAUSE THE STATE GOVERNMENT IS
INTERESTED IN THE WAY THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT HERE IN GALVESTON OPERATES. 
          SO I VALUE THOSE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM. 
          WHEN WE ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE CONVERSATIONS IN A TESTIMONIAL HEARING, WE ACCEPT THOSE INVITATIONS. WE DO NOT TELL STATE SENATORS. 
          NO. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERYONE WHO WAS THERE SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THESE BILLS. 
          EXCEPT FOR ONE PERSON WHO WAS NEUTRAL. THERE WASN'T ANY OPPOSITION TO THESE BILLS. 
          SO AS VOLUNTEERS WHO'VE BEEN APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL ,
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE. 
          WE'RE GETTING THESE ACCUSATIONS, WHY WE'RE GETTING YELLED AT. 
          WE WERE ALL IN AUSTIN SUPPORTING THESE BILLS ALONG WITH BABE SCHWARTZ'S SON,
ALONG WITH PAUL GUIDO, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE OR WROTE LETTERS OF SUPPORT IN THESE BILLS. 
          BECAUSE IN MY UNDERSTANDING, WITH THE LIMITED CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD ABOUT THESE BILLS,
THEY DO A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          ONE, THEY PUT GUARDRAILS ON HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX BEFORE WE CAN DISCUSS THE EXPANSION OF THE
USE OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. 
          AND NUMBER TWO, THEY ALSO PROTECT THE TAXPAYERS BECAUSE THEY ARE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THAT
HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX ISN'T BEING USED FOR GENERAL FUND PURPOSES, AND THEY ARE STAYING WITHIN THEIR STRICT REQUIREMENTS OF HOW
THEY'RE USED. 
          THAT IS WHAT I WAS TOLD BY THE SENATORS. I WAS NOT THERE IN AUSTIN. 
          I HAD VERY LITTLE INVOLVEMENT ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT. 
          IT'S ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THESE RELATIONSHIPS. 
          I NEVER INTENDED FOR ANYONE TO BE BLINDSIDED BY THIS. 
          I ASSUMED, INCORRECTLY, THAT YOU ALL HAD KNOWLEDGE OF THIS BECAUSE THESE ARE OUR LOCAL
REPRESENTATIVES AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT. SO YOU ASSUMED THAT WE HAD KNOWLEDGE OF IT BECAUSE Y'ALL
ARE SO TRANSPARENT THAT WE GOT KNOWLEDGE OF IT. 
          NO, ALEX, I FEEL LIKE YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A SOLID
RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR SENATOR, WITH OUR REPRESENTATIVE, THAT YOU CAN FEEL IT. 
          BIRDWELL. HEY MARIE. 
          JASON, YOU'VE BEEN IN OUR POSITION, RIGHT? YOU'VE BEEN IN OUR POSITION AS A COUNCIL
MEMBER. 
          YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. HOW WOULD YOU HAVE FELT? HOW WOULD YOU HAVE FELT IF THAT'S HOW YOU FOUND OUT THROUGH BASICALLY,
YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE FACT OF THE AGENDA OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE INSTEAD OF THERE BEING A COLLABORATION OR
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN. 
          LET'S GO BACK TO Y'ALL FEELING THAT THE MONEY WASN'T DEPOSITED THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE
BEEN. 
          YOU AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE QUESTIONED THAT. 
          I WOULD HAVE DONE THE EXACT SAME THING THAT WAS DONE AND GONE TO AUSTIN AND SUPPORTED
THEM. 
          WELL, I WANT TO SPEAK FOR A SECOND. THE ONLY REASON I SPOKE FOR IT WAS BECAUSE THE MAYOR
SOMEHOW MADE THE DECISION WITHOUT READING A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE TO GO FOR IT. ALEX, YOU SEEM REALLY ANGRY. 
          NOW YOU'RE ATTACKING THE MAYOR. I MEAN, I DIDN'T WANT TO BREAK RANKS. 
          WELL, I'M ATTACKING THE MAYOR. SAY THIS. JASON. 
          I'M NOT ANGRY. I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED. YELLING AT ME AS YOUR VOLUNTEER WHO WAS
APPOINTED TO THIS POSITION? I'M YELLING. LET ME LET ME SAY THIS. THIS IS. 
          THIS IS CHILDISH. THIS IS CHILDISH. I AGREE. I WOULD REALLY GO GOING TO THE SENATE TO AIR
OUT A GRIEVANCE. 
          AND HERE WE GO. AND I DON'T BELIEVE A WORD YOU'RE SAYING. 
          I REALLY DON'T. BUT I'M DONE. YOU TOLD THE MAYOR THEY'RE GOING UP. 
          YOU KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. AND THEN NOW YOU'RE TELLING US THAT. 
          WELL, WE DO HAVE RELATIONSHIPS. AND THE THINGS I DID HEAR FROM THE SENATORS. 
          SO WHAT IS IT? IS IT YOU KNEW? I STAND BY WHAT I SAID. 
          WHICH IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. NO, I TAKE ISSUE BECAUSE I'M NOT YELLING. 
          OKAY. I HAVE I HAVE YOU SEEM UPSET. I MEAN, WOULDN'T YOU BE? LET ME SAY THIS. 
          LET ME LET ME SAY THIS HERE ON THIS. WE DID NOT KNOW THESE BILLS WERE BEING FILED. 
          WE HAD WE KNEW ABOUT IT AFTER THE BILLS WERE BEING FILED. 
          SO I CAN'T SPEAK FOR OUR, REPRESENTATIVES AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE,
BUT I CAN SAY WE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL THE BILLS 
          [01:05:03]
WERE FILED AND WE FELT THAT, I'LL BE HONEST,
WE FELT THAT THE PARK BOARD WAS AN IMPETUS BEHIND THESE BILLS. IT HAS TURNED OUT THAT THE PARK BOARD WAS INVOLVED WITH
KNOWING ABOUT THESE BILLS, AND I WAS TOLD THAT AHEAD OF TIME, AS THESE BILLS WERE BEING PUT TOGETHER AND SO FORTH AND
SO ON. 
          I FEEL THAT IF WE HAVE A CONCERN THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THESE AREAS ARE FINANCIAL
RIGHT HERE. 
          LET'S SIT DOWN AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THEM. LET'S BRING THEM TO THE CITY COUNCIL . 
          LET'S BRING THEM TO STAFF FIRST AND GET THOSE ISOLATED AND SEE WHAT WE WANT TO DO. 
          THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I FEEL WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF MINING MAINTAINING A
COLLABORATIVE ATMOSPHERE HERE. 
          HOW DO WE SATISFY THE COUNCIL'S CONCERNS ABOUT THIS? BECAUSE THIS COULD CERTAINLY CONSUME THE GREATER PART OF THE REST OF THE MEETING. 
          SO HOW WOULD WE HOW WOULD YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT WE SATISFY THE COUNCIL'S CONCERN? ARE YOUR CONCERNS RELATIVE TO THIS DISCOVERY? TO A START, GET THE BILLS KILLED YESTERDAY. OKAY,
I'M NOT SURE I THAT'S THAT'S A START. 
          ONCE AGAIN, I'LL REITERATE. WE DO NOT HAVE THAT CONTROL TO PRODUCE THESE BILLS,
TO PASS THESE BILLS, OR TO RESCIND THESE BILLS FROM STATE SENATORS OR STATE REPRESENTATIVES. 
          AND WE ALL SPOKE AND WE ALL SUPPORTED THEM, INCLUDING YOU,
ALEX. 
          WELL, LET'S BE LET'S BE BE CLEAR ON THIS. THE BILL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY I THINK IT WAS
2532, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER FOR SURE. 2779 WELL, THERE'S TWO BILLS I'M GOING TO SPEAK ON 2532
FIRST, THAT BILL WAS DESIGNED TO CLARIFY SOME ISSUES THAT APPARENTLY THE PARK BOARD HAD,
BUT THE BILL ALSO, IN OUR ESTIMATION, WAS PUNITIVE TO THE CITY OF GALVESTON. 
          AND SO IT WENT BEYOND CLARIFYING CONDITIONS WITH THE PARK BOARD . 
          IT BECAME A PUNITIVE BILL TO US IN OUR FINANCIAL STABILITY HERE. 
          WHICH ONE WAS THAT? THAT WAS 2532. WHICH ONE? WHO. WHICH WAS THE SENATOR THAT ISSUED THAT ONE? MIDDLETON. OKAY. SENATOR MIDDLETON AND SO WE VISITED WITH SENATOR MIDDLETON. 
          WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH SENATOR MIDDLETON. 
          WE VISITED WITH HIM AND WE OFFERED AMENDMENTS TO THAT BILL. 
          WHAT WE WERE SPEAKING OF IN FAVOR OF WAS THE AMENDMENTS TO THAT BILL. 
          THE PARK BOARD DID NOT SPEAK TOWARDS THE AMENDMENTS OF THOSE BILLS,
AND I UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THEY HAD NOT SEEN AND SEEN IT IN WRITING. 
          THEREFORE, THEY WERE NOT GOING TO SUPPORT OR NOT THAT PARTICULAR,
BUT THEY SUPPORTED FOR IT. 
          BUT BUT THEY WENT ON TO SAY THAT THEY ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE BILL,
I THINK, AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY DONE. 
          THAT WAS A PUNITIVE BILL TO THE CITY OF GALVESTON,
AND THAT CONCERNED US. 
          WE AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE SUPPORTED THE BILL. THAT WAS THE ACCOMPANYING BILL FROM
REPRESENTATIVE TERRI LEO-WILSON THAT HAD THE CITIES RECOMMENDATION AMENDMENTS IN IT. WE STATED OUR SUPPORT FOR THAT BILL. 
          IT WAS NOT. WELL, IT'S A IT'S A SEMANTICS, BUT YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT YOU COULD NOT SPEAK
FOR OR AGAINST THAT BILL SINCE YOU HAD NOT SEEN IT IN WRITING. 
          BUT BUT THE MATTER OF THE FACT IS I WANT TO GET BACK TO WHAT I MENTIONED. 
          I THINK THE PATH FORWARD AS GERALD MENTIONED,
I THINK THE PATH FORWARD, FORWARD IS OF COMING FORWARD. 
          AND IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN WITH ANYTHING THAT THE PARK THAT THE COUNCIL OR THE CITY IS
DOING, LET'S SIT DOWN AND LET'S TALK ABOUT IT. NOW,
IF THAT DOESN'T WORK OUT AND MEET YOUR AGREEMENT, THEN OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE DECISION TO MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION YOU WANT. 
          BUT WE NEED TO GET BACK AND TALKING THESE THINGS OUT. 
          I'M NOT I WHEN IT WAS MENTIONED ABOUT THE 2023 AMOUNT THAT WAS NOT PROPERLY FUNDED,
THE PARK BOARD , IT WAS NEWS TO ME. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. 
          IF THAT IS THE CASE, WE NEED TO MAKE THAT CORRECT. 
          BUT IF IT'S NOT THE CASE, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. 
          BUT I THINK THE ONLY IN THE I SHOULDN'T SAY THE ONLY,
BUT THE BEST WAY IS TO WORK TOGETHER. 
          AND I AGREE WITH THAT IN A COUPLE OF ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I THINK THAT WE HAVE HERE IS A
MISUNDERSTANDING OF PROCESS BECAUSE THESE ARE CONTRACTUAL NEGOTIATIONS. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THIS IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN OUR
STAFFS. 
          YES, SIR. YES, SIR. THAT'S ONE REASON NOT ALL THESE CONTRACTUAL ISSUES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
UP AT THIS TABLE, 
          [01:10:02]
BECAUSE WE ARE TRUSTING OUR STAFFS TO WORK TOGETHER ON THESE THINGS. 
          I KNOW THAT IN THE PAST, I'VE ALSO SAID THAT I'D LOVE TO REVISIT THE 2019 INTERLOCAL,
THAT THAT DOCUMENT NEEDS MASSIVE IMPROVEMENTS, AND WE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET ANY GROUNDS MADE ON THAT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE, SO I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF IT. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT I'VE STATED SEVERAL TIMES IS THAT THE HOT CONTRACT. 
          I DISAGREE WITH NEGOTIATING IT EVERY SINGLE YEAR,
AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE NOW. 
          WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO INCORPORATE HOT CONTRACT LANGUAGE INTO AN INTERLOCAL CONTRACT BY THIS
TIME. 
          THEREFORE, WE DON'T HAVE TO NEGOTIATE AND REOPEN THESE WOUNDS EVERY SINGLE YEAR. 
          HAVE THESE SAME PROTESTS MADE EVERY SINGLE YEAR? HAVE THE TYPOS THAT DEFUND THE PARK BOARD , THAT ALSO HAVE THE SAME REMOVAL OF BEACH
NOURISHMENT ALLOCATIONS AS WELL EVERY SINGLE YEAR? THESE ARE THE THIS IS THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT NEED TO
BE OCCURRING BETWEEN OUR STAFFS AND ARE NOT OCCURRING. 
          THAT IS CORRECT. AND I'VE ALWAYS FELT WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INTERLOCAL COUNCILWOMAN
ROBB WANTS TO MAKE A COMMENT. 
          BUT QUICKLY, WHEN WE'RE WORKING ON THE INTERLOCAL OR THE HOT CONTRACT,
THE WAY MY MIND WORKS IS THAT STAFF SIT DOWN AND WORK OUT THE DETAILS AND NEGOTIATE HOW? WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR BOTH ENTITIES MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT
CONTRACT? THERE WILL BE PORTIONS OF THAT THAT THEY PROBABLY CAN'T COME TO A MUTUAL DECISION ON. 
          IF THAT'S THE CASE, THOSE PARTICULAR PORTIONS OF THE CONTRACT NEED TO COME TO COUNCIL. 
          I FIND THAT USUALLY ON THE LOCAL CONTRACT, THE MAJORITY OF THAT CONTRACT IS AGREED UPON BY
STAFFS. 
          BUT IF THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE NOT, SUCH AS YOU FEEL THAT THERE MAY BE SOMETHING OR
HAVING THESE HOT CONTRACTS SIGNED FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME THAN A YEAR, THEN THAT'S SOMETHING LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT. 
          AS A COUNCIL. WE CAN GIVE DIRECTION ON THAT,
AND AS TRUSTEES YOU CAN. 
          AND SO ON THAT NOTE, WHEN SENATORS OR REPRESENTATIVES REACH OUT TO US AND CONTACT US AND
SAY, WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS? WE HAVE NOTHING TO REPORT. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO COMMENT HERE,
SO LET'S BE CLEAR. 
          YOU KEEP SAYING REACH OUT TO YOU. YOU HAVE A TAXPAYER LOBBYIST. 
          TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYIST WHO WORKS FOR YOU UP IN AUSTIN. 
          HE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH SENATORS AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES,
AND HE CONNECTS YOU WITH THEM. 
          AND HE'S UP THERE ON JUST ABOUT A FULL TIME BASIS. 
          FULL TIME BASIS? YES. WORKING ON THAT. SO YOUR RELATIONSHIP,
THE QUESTIONS AND I'VE SEEN SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WAS ACTUALLY INCORRECT. LET'S TALK ABOUT ON MAYES' BILL AND MAYES' BILL WAS INCORRECT. 
          THE LANGUAGE ON MAYES' BILL WAS INCORRECT. YEAH. HE'S ALREADY AMENDED IT. 
          HE'S ALREADY AGREED TO AMEND. IT WAS INCORRECT. 
          IS THAT WHAT WE SUPPORTED? WELL, YOU DID NOT. 
          YOU DID NOT SUPPORT OUR DENIAL ON THAT. YOU NEVER,
NEVER CAME FORWARD ON THAT. 
          WELL, MAYES' BILL HASN'T ACTUALLY GONE TO A HEARING. 
          SO BUT THERE WAS LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT WAS INCORRECT AND IT WAS DRIVEN BY YOUR TAXPAYER
FUNDED LOBBYIST. SO HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? BECAUSE YOU COULD TELL. 
          HOW DID YOU TELL? WELL, HOW COULD YOU TELL WHEN IT WAS READ THROUGH BY STAFF? HIS STAFF. HIS STAFF. BY MAYES' STAFF. OKAY. WAS INCORRECT. 
          SO I MADE THE STAFF, CORRECTED IT. MAYES' STAFF. 
          THEY AGREED TO AMEND IT. YES. I'M GLAD. GOOD. 
          YEAH. SO TO SAY, WHEN THEY REACH OUT TO YOU,
IT'S. 
          YOU HAVE A MAN, A TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYIST. WHAT TAXES FUND THEM? HOT TAX, WHICH IS ILLEGAL, BY THE WAY. BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER. 
          EXCUSE ME. NOW, NOW, LET'S LET'S STAY ON. OH,
NO. 
          HOLD ON. HOT PAID BY TOURISTS ARE PAYING A LOBBYIST TO PROMOTE TOURISM? YES. ANYWAY, YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT YOUR DECISION TO MAKE. 
          IT IS THE. IT IS THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNING BODY TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION IN THE FIRST
INSTANCE. 
          THAT'S FROM A GREG ABBOTT OPINION. GA 0124 OUT OF 2003. 
          [01:15:01]
AND WHAT DOES IT SAY IN THE FIRST INSTANCE? THE GOVERNING THE GOVERNING MUNICIPAL BODY IS
THE ONE WHO MAKES THE DETERMINATION WHETHER IT'S APPROPRIATE USE OF HOT TAX FUNDS. I WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO OUR LEGAL TEAM ON THAT. 
          SO IF YOU WOULD SHARE THAT WITH THEM, THEN HE'S GOT HE GOT THE NOTE. 
          AND THAT'S THAT'S A GOOD POINT, THAT THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING THAT WE NEED TO TALK OUT. 
          WE NEED TO TALK THAT OUT NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING INPUT AT THE CITY,
AS COUNCIL MEMBER PORRETTO MENTIONED ABOUT THE USE OF HOT TAX FOR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT. 
          THE STATE LAW READS HOT TAX CAN BE USED TO ATTRACT CONVENTIONS TO A CONVENTION CENTER. 
          IT CAN BE USED TO PUT HEADS IN BEDS. IT'S VERY SPECIFIC AS TO WHAT IT CAN COVER AND IT'S VERY SPECIFIC IN WHAT AREA IN OUR CITY HAPPENS TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF
THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS DONE THAT COVERS SOLELY BEACH NOURISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 
          AND THAT DOES NOT ALLOW MONEY TO COME OUT OF IT FOR TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYISTS. 
          BUT I MEAN, IT'S UNDER, WHAT, 351. NO, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IF I'M SAYING. 
          I'M CLAIMING HERE COULD HAVE FAR REACHING EFFECTS ACROSS OTHER DESTINATION MARKETING
ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL. 
          TO ME, WHAT I SAID, I JUST NEED CLARITY ON WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY. 
          IF YOU'D STOP TALKING, I COULD CLARIFY. TAXPAYER. 
          BEFORE I FORGET. OH MY LORD, SAVE US. NO, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE. 
          NO ONE CAN USE. NO, THAT ISN'T WHAT I SAID. I SAID IN 351 IT VERY CLEARLY STATES HOT TAX CAN BE USED FOR LOBBYISTS THAT ARE ATTRACTING CONVENTIONS,
THAT ARE ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO COME IN FOR CERTAIN EVENTS THAT ARE THERE'S YOU COULD GO IN AND READ
IT IN 351. 
          IT JUST SAYS HERE, IF LOBBYISTS EFFORTS ARE TIED TO LEGISLATION OR FUNDING THE ADVANCES,
THESE USES, SUCH AS ADVOCATING FOR STATE BEACH NOURISHMENT FUNDS OR PROMOTING TOURISM INITIATIVES,
THAT EXPENDITURE IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED LEGAL. 
          THE USE OF TO TO PAY FOR LOBBYISTS. AND WHAT ARE YOU READING FROM? TEXAS LAW LAW CHAPTER 351, TAX CODE. COMMISSION. 
          YOU KNOW, THE FUNNY THING ABOUT I KNOW BOB, I APOLOGIZE. 
          FUNNY THING ABOUT TAXES WE'VE RUN INTO IT TRIES TO COVER A LOT OF THINGS,
BUT A LOT OF THINGS IT DOESN'T COVER. 
          AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT SOMETIMES THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY PLAYS A ROLE IN DETERMINING IN
THEIR PARTICULAR LOCATION WHAT'S PERMITTED. 
          BOB. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S BECOME PRETTY CLEAR AFTER,
I GUESS, THE LAST HOUR OF DISCUSSION THAT WE GOT A PROBLEM RELATED TO HOW THE CITY AND THE PARK BOARD BOTH HANDLE LOBBYISTS AND LOBBYING IN AUSTIN. 
          AND I THINK WE'VE ESTABLISHED IT THAT WE TALK THIS ALL OUT,
NOTWITHSTANDING WHETHER HOT IS LEGAL OR NOT. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING I WOULD DEPEND ON OUR LEGAL EXPERTS TO HELP US,
HELP COUNSEL US ON. 
          BUT I AGREE WITH THAT. THE BIGGER PROBLEM, THE BIGGER PROBLEM IS THAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER
COORDINATION OF OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, MUCH LIKE THE CITY ALREADY DOES. NOW, WHEN SALLY COMES TO US AND DESCRIBES WHAT THE
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA IS FOR THE YEAR, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE COULDN'T JUST HAVE THE PARK BOARD AT THE SAME TIME AND COORDINATE
THOSE TWO THINGS, SO THAT THE CITY AND THE PARK BOARD BOTH UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE
FOR THE COMING YEAR. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S JUST I'M JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD,
BUT THERE MAY BE BETTER SOLUTIONS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE KIND OF ESTABLISHED THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM THERE. AND IT'S KIND OF IT'S
BORNE OUT OF INSUFFICIENT COLLABORATION AND TRUST. 
          AND SO WE NEED TO WE NEED TO FIX THAT. WELL,
I THINK A STEP FORWARD BACK TO GERALDS CONCERN. 
          THE FIRST STEP FORWARD. THOSE ISSUES, AND THEY WERE DESCRIBED TO ME AS THE 2023 SHORTFALL
IN FUNDING AND HOW WE HANDLE WHEN THE PROJECTED WHEN WHEN THE ACTUAL COLLECTIONS OF HOT COMES IN MORE THAN THE
PROJECTED AMOUNTS. 
          HOW WE HANDLE THAT OVERAGE THAT NEEDS TO BE. WE NEED TO SIT DOWN AND WORK THAT OUT. 
          I THINK WE CAN. I THINK THERE'S A WAY OF DOING. 
          IN THE OCTOBER MEETING WE HAD, AND I GET THAT WHATEVER YOUR STATS MIGHT BE FEARFUL,
BUT WE. 
          STATS ARE WHAT? FEARFUL IF THEY'RE IF THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO BRING FORTH THAT STUFF TO US
IN A IN A. 
          [01:20:08]
BUT THEY CAN STILL TALK TO US. WELL, AND EVERY TIME I'VE REACHED OUT TO YOU OR KIMBERLY
NOW I HAVE NOT GOTTEN A MEETING, SEND AN EMAIL, DIDN'T GET GOT GOT A CALL. CALLED BACK. 
          I HAD TO MEET WITH YOU AND KIMBERLY TOGETHER. AND I COULDN'T GET A CALL. 
          I DIDN'T GET A CALL BACK. I GOT SENT TEXTS. NOTHING. 
          YEAH. THAT'S TRUE. AND FROM YOU? YEAH. I THINK THE SITUATION IS SUCH THAT I THINK YOU
UNDERSTAND. 
          I THINK WE BOTH UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH COMMUNICATION HERE. 
          AND IF WE HAVE A CONCERN, I AS FAR AS LONG AS I'M MAYOR,
IF WE HAVE A CONCERN WITH THE PARK BOARD , WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO UP TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND WITHOUT THE PARK BOARD 'S KNOWLEDGE
AND START PASSING BILLS ON THIS THING, WE NEED TO. I GOT TO CLARIFY, THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. 
          OKAY. BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO, IF WE HAVE A CONCERN,
WE NEED TO COME TO THE PARK BOARD AND VICE VERSA. 
          IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN, PLEASE COME TO US. I THINK THAT WE CAN HANDLE PERSONALLY. 
          I THINK WE CAN HANDLE THESE THINGS BETWEEN EACH OTHER. 
          I THINK THESE TWO ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION. 
          I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE HANDLED HERE ON A LOCAL BASIS. 
          AND I THINK IT'S ALSO YOU ARE CORRECT. EXACTLY. 
          IT SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, HATCHED BETWEEN THE FAMILY,
LIKE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK THE SAME THING SHOULD GO TO WHAT IS LEAKED TO THE NEWS BECAUSE WE FOUND OUT THINGS
THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT HAS BEEN COMING TO THE NEWSPAPERS BEFORE WE EVEN HAD NOTICED. 
          SO THAT SAME THING SHOULD BE GOING THE OTHER WAY. 
          I WOULD, I WOULD AGREE, I CUT THE NEWSPAPER A LITTLE SLACK BECAUSE SOMETIMES. 
          THEY DO THEIR BEST. BUT SOMETIMES THE RESULTS TURN OUT TO BE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE KNOW,
BECAUSE WE KNOW THE DETAILS SO, SO CLEARLY. AND IT'S SOME OF THESE SUBJECTS ARE VERY HARD TO GET A HANDLE ON,
ON THAT. 
          BOB, YOU WERE GOING TO SAY NO, I WAS JUST PART OF WHAT MY POINT OF WHAT,
MY EARLIER COMMENT WAS THAT WE WE AGREE THERE'S A PROBLEM. 
          WE AGREE WE NEED TO WE NEED TO GO FORWARD IN A LITTLE DIFFERENT WAY. 
          AND WE GOT A BIG, LONG AGENDA RIGHT HERE. AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN TO THE FIRST. I WOULD
AGREE, I WOULD SAY THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM. 
          WE'VE IDENTIFIED SOME ACTION. LET'S LET'S GO ON TO THE GOALS. 
          AND AND AS I MENTIONED, IF WE COULD GET STAFF,
PARK BOARD STAFF TO TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR STAFF AND LET'S UNDERSTAND THE TWO ISSUES THAT I THINK WERE OF A CONCERN THAT WAS KIND OF BEHIND SOME OF THESE BILLS. 
          LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO RESOLVE THOSE FOR YOU. 
          MOVING ON WITH THE. YES. MOVING ON WITH THE GOAL SITUATION HERE. 
          ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS , ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON GOALS FOR THE PARK BOARD COMING UP HERE? YES. WELL, WE'VE GOT THE ONES THAT YOU SAID I THINK ARE VERY GOOD ONES. 
          SOME OTHER, OTHER THINGS. I THINK THAT THE ESTABLISHING THE MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR BODDECKER
LANE IS CRITICAL BECAUSE IT'S, LIKE IT OR NOT, IT'S A MAIN ARTERY OUT THERE TO EAST BEACH. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I GUESS AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE PARK BOARD GOES OUT THERE WITH A WITH A PIECE
OF MACHINERY AND CLEARS THE SAND EVERY NOW AND THEN. 
          THAT'S NOT THAT'S NOT A SOLUTION. THAT'S NOT A STRATEGY. 
          THAT'S JUST RESPONDING TO YOU KNOW, JUST SOME SYMPTOMS. SO WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO PAY A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION TO THAT AND ARRIVE AT SOME WAY THAT
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT ROAD A LITTLE MORE USEFUL. 
          AND AND FOR THAT MATTER, I THINK THAT WHOLE AREA BETWEEN THE END OF THE SEAWALL AND 10TH
STREET IS ALSO SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF OF MAINTAINING IT AND MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO IT SO IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A WASTELAND LIKE IT DOES RIGHT NOW. 
          I RODE MY BIKE DOWN THERE ALL THE TIME. THE SIDEWALK IS JUST TORN UP AND IT'S FULL OF
GLASS. 
          I KNOW THERE'S FIVE LANES OUT THERE. DOES IT REALLY NEED TO BE FIVE LANES? I DON'T KNOW, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AREA BECAUSE IT'S IN MY MIND,
IT'S A IT'S AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE. 
          YOU'VE GOT GORGEOUS VIEWS TO THE WETLANDS OVER THERE. 
          AND IT'S THE PATHWAY TO THE EAST BEACH. IT'S THE PATHWAY TO EAST END LAGOON. 
          IT'S A PATHWAY TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE GOING THERE,
AND IT'S PERFECTLY NEGLECTED AND HAS BEEN SO IN MY MIND, THAT'S ANOTHER PLACE WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT BODDECKER LANE AND THEN THAT AREA TENDS TO
BE THE SEAWALL. 
          THE OTHER THING IS ADDRESSING FOCUSING ON GALVESTON'S NATURAL RESOURCES IN TERMS OF OUR
TOURISM ADVOCACY. 
          I THINK WE CAN DO A WHOLE LOT MORE. THAT'S THE TOURISM I THINK IS KIND OF WELL KNOWN,
REALLY, THAT THAT'S THE TOURIST THAT STAYS LONGER AND SPENDS MORE MONEY. AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT WOULD SERVE TO FUNCTION TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AS THEY ARE AN ECONOMIC
DRIVER. 
          ANOTHER THING IS THAT I THINK THE PARK BOARD HAS ALREADY STARTED THIS,
AND I JUST BECAME AWARE OF IT JUST WHEN I ATTENDED THAT THEIR MUSIC COMMITTEE MEETING TO TO PUT A LOT MORE FOCUS ON LOCAL MUSIC AND LOCAL MUSICIANS AS PART OF OUR EFFORT TO TRY TO
BRING MORE ART RELATED 
          [01:25:01]
PEOPLE IN TOURISM BECAUSE THE FOCUSING ON THE LOCAL MUSIC NOT ONLY BRINGS OTHER PEOPLE IN
TOWN, IT ALSO SUPPORTS LOCAL LOCAL MUSICIANS AND THAT WHOLE INDUSTRY. 
          SO THOSE ARE THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT. 
          AND ONE MORE THING. I UNDERSTAND THE PARK BOARD IS GOING TO BE ENGAGING IN A STRATEGIC
PLANNING SESSION HERE WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO. 
          AND I'VE SAID THIS AT A PARK BOARD MEETING, WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE THE CITY AS A
STAKEHOLDER IN THIS BECAUSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATING AND COLLABORATING STRATEGIC PLANS FOR THE PARK BOARD GOING FORWARD. 
          I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO THAT. EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THAT,
AND WE'RE ON BOARD COLLABORATING AND AND COMMUNICATING TO THIS BEFORE TOO MUCH PLANNING HAPPENS. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON GOALS FOR THE PARK BOARD ? YES, SIR. I'M ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE ATTRACTING LOOKING AT WAYS THAT WE CAN SEE WE
CAN IMPLEMENT THE STRATEGY THAT WE USE TO ATTRACT SPORTS, TOURISM, CRUISE TOURISTS AND HERITAGE TOURISTS IN APPLYING THOSE SAME PRINCIPLES THAT WE
HAVE LEARNED IN ENHANCING THEM FOR ECOLOGICAL TOURISTS. 
          BECAUSE I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. I FEEL LIKE THAT WE HAVE SO MANY CROWN JEWELS HERE
ARE FROM THE EAST END OF THE ISLAND AT EAST BEACH AND EAST END LAGOON, TO ARTIST BOAT TO THE GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK. 
          ALL THE BEACHES AND EVERYTHING. ALL THE LITTLE INLETS ON THE BAY THAT WE CAN REALLY
CAPITALIZE ON THAT AS WELL. 
          AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALSO BROUGHT UP THE POTENTIAL FOR GALVESTON AS A MUSIC DESTINATION. 
          THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT OUR TEAM IS WORKING ON THAT IS LOOKING ON HOW TO WORK WITH
THROUGH THE GALVESTON MUSIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE, LOOKING ON HOW TO WORK WITH PROMOTERS TO DEVELOP THIS AS A PREMIER TEXAS MUSIC
DESTINATION. 
          AND IT'S GREAT THAT WE GOT THAT CERTIFICATION HERE RECENTLY. 
          AND ALSO, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THE RESULTS OF THIS WORK,
TALKING TO OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS HERE IN GALVESTON THAT HAVE VENUES FOR MUSIC AND EVERYTHING, IS THAT WE ARE EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE FOR THE ENTIRE
GREATER HOUSTON AREA THAT MUSICIANS LOVE TO COME DOWN HERE. 
          LOVE OUR HISTORIC VENUES LIKE THE GRAND. ALSO SOME OF THE HOTELS THAT HAVE VENUES AS WELL. 
          THE OLD CHURCHES THAT HAVE BEEN CONVERTED OVER. 
          THE A QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE. THESE ARE ALL PREMIER MUSIC DESTINATIONS. 
          AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND THINK THAT THAT'S ALSO HIGHLY WORTHY. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO SAY, I KNOW WE RUN INTO A COUPLE FESTIVALS OFF THE ISLAND,
AND I THINK THERE'S I KNOW BEFORE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU OWN IT AT THE TIME THAT THAT PIECE OF LAND OVER FIVE YEARS AGO,
THEY HAD A BIG FESTIVAL. 
          IT WAS A BIG, BIG EVENT, I THINK ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. 
          THREE YEARS AGO, 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO. I THINK THERE'S THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING OUTSIDE
THE ISLAND BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT MUCH EFFORT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY IS EXCITED, WOULD BE EXCITED TO,
TO TRY TO BRING THOSE BIG FESTIVALS. 
          YOU, ENJOY THOSE FESTIVALS AS MUCH AS I DO, AND I'M MORE THAN HAPPY THAT INSTEAD OF
DRIVING ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY, I DID THE SAME ISLAND. THAT'D BE MUCH, MUCH BETTER,
I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING EXCITING. 
          ABSOLUTELY, YES. AND I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO DIGRESS,
BUT I THINK IT'D BE PRUDENT FOR US TO IF THERE ARE ANY LEGISLATIVE GOALS OR INTERESTS, THAT WE BRING THOSE FORWARD AND WE SHARE AND PARTNER WITH THE CITY ON THAT. 
          SO AND CERTAINLY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. WELL,
I SHOULDN'T SAY WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING BUT THE BILLS THAT ARE ALREADY 25 32 THAT YOU MENTIONED, MAYOR AND 2779 AT THIS POINT, THEY'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. 
          BUT ANYTHING GOING FORWARD, ANY NEW LEGISLATIVE GOALS OR INTERESTS THAT WE PARTNER WITH
THE CITY? I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD SUMMATION ON THAT. 
          THANK YOU. SO I WANT TO ON ONE OF MY GOALS WAS TO VISIT,
VISIT THE MISSION STATEMENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT TOURISM ON GALVESTON ISLAND IN ORDER TO FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ESTABLISHES A GREAT
PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND VISIT. SO FOR ME, USING THAT, AS YOU KNOW,
WE'RE YOUR STARTING POINT IS I THINK THE VISIT PART, Y'ALL DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB AND CONTINUE TO DO. 
          I, I WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH WHAT'S GONE ON WITH THE WEBSITE AND SEEING WHAT'S BEEN POSTED
ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE THERE AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE SUPPORT AND FOCUS THAT YOU PUT ON THERE IS PHENOMENAL. 
          THE TWO AREAS THAT I WOULD LOVE TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO,
THAT'S MENTIONED IN YOUR MISSION STATEMENT IS TO LIVE AND WORK, WHICH TO ME INVOLVES ME IN US AND US AS TAXPAYERS. 
          YES, IT'S A HOT TAX. AND YES, YOU KNOW, TO ME,
THE ENTIRE FOCUS FROM THIS BILL TO EVERYTHING 
          [01:30:02]
THAT'S KIND OF BEEN DISCUSSED. IT REALLY, YOU KNOW,
TO ME IS 95% ON THAT VISIT PART, BUT THE LIVE AND WORK PART TO ME HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN. AND I THINK WHAT WE ALL NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WE'RE
ALL VOLUNTEERS. 
          WE'RE ALL DOING OUR BEST TO POSITION OURSELVES AND TO BASICALLY SHOULDER WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE THAT PEOPLE THAT PUT US HERE. 
          BUT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE WAY THAT THAT MONEY IS SPENT AND,
YOU KNOW, TO ME, CAN REALLY EQUATE TO BRINGING UP THAT LIVE AND WORK PART. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS A REALLY BIG GOAL OF
MINE, NOT JUST COUNCIL, BUT COLLABORATING WITH THE PARKS BOARD SO THAT THAT'S NOT FORGOTTEN. 
          BECAUSE WE ALL LIVE HERE AND WE ALL HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE DEPENDING ON US TO MAKE SURE THAT
THAT'S PROMOTED AS WELL. 
          AND A LOT OF THIS MONEY THAT'S SPENT TOWARDS THE VISIT PART,
KEEPING IN MIND THE LIVE AND WORK PART, YOU KNOW, TO ME IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. SO AND THAT'S YOUR MISSION STATEMENT. 
          AND I AGREE. AND I REALLY SAY THIS PUBLICLY BECAUSE OF THE ATTENTION THAT IT GETS,
BECAUSE OF THE RESTRICTED USES OF HOT. BUT THAT IS A CONSIDERATION,
A PRIMARY CONSIDERATION OF OUR EXPENDITURES. 
          HOW DOES IS IT GOOD FOR RESIDENTS? AND WE HAVE TO A LOT OF TIMES FOCUS THAT ON THE TOURIST
PART. 
          BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING IT. 
          AND WE'LL BE MINDFUL OF THAT GOING FORWARD. YES. 
          AND ALSO FOR OUR BUSINESSES, WE DEFINITELY WANT THIS TO BE A POSITIVE PLACE. 
          WE WANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE WANT THE TOURISM SECTOR TO TO FEEL COMFORTABLE INVESTING
HERE AND CREATING JOBS HERE AS WELL. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO THAT, WILL WE? I PROMISE YOU,
WE WILL CONSIDER AND WILL MAKE A BETTER EFFORT. 
          I MEAN, THE SIGNS ARE A PERFECT EXAMPLE THAT THAT SERVES NOT ONLY PEOPLE HERE THAT
VISITING HERE, BUT IT SERVES AS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY,
YOU KNOW, JUST JUST LIKE THE LIGHTS ON 25TH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T JUST SEE THAT AS, OH,
THAT'S FOR THE TOURISTS. THEY SEE THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY SEE THAT AS A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S NO DIFFERENT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SIGNAGE EXAMPLES,
I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT GIVES PRIDE. 
          YOU KNOW, OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY WILL SHARE IN THAT PRIDE,
NOT JUST PEOPLE THAT COME AND VISIT. 
          I MEAN, THOSE ARE THOSE ARE DIFFERENCES WE CAN MAKE TOGETHER. 
          AND THE MONEY CAN BE SPENT TO WHERE THE THE RESIDENTS SEE SOMETHING IN RETURN AS WELL. 
          ABSOLUTELY. I SINCERELY APPRECIATE THAT. AND I AGREE WITH YOU. I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST
THINGS, NOT BEING A BOY COMING FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY DIRECTLY,
LITERALLY, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS IS THE JOINT, THE PART WHERE I TRY TO BECOME. WHEN I TRIED TO JOIN THE PARK BOARD WAS BECAUSE I WANT TO
BE A PROUD OF LIVING IN THE ISLAND. 
          MY OFFICE IS OFF THE ISLAND, AND I WAS PROUD OF. 
          I ALWAYS SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE BEST KEPT SECRET THERE. 
          AND I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE NOTICED FOR FOR PEOPLE TO LEAVE IF WE HAVE
BETTER PLACES, YOU KNOW, BETTER LIVING PLACES, THAT MEANS THAT THEY HAVE PEOPLE HAVE A JOB AND THEY CAN
PLAY FOR A PLACE TO LIVE HERE IN THE ISLAND. 
          AND THAT MEANS THAT YOU GUYS WILL HAVE EMPLOYERS WILL HAVE BETTER EMPLOYEES,
YOU KNOW, MORE CAPABLE. 
          BECAUSE I'VE BEEN HEARING, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT SAY,
OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, ONCE I GRADUATE, I'M OUT OF THE ISLAND, I'M OUT OF THE ISLAND. 
          AND WE ALWAYS THOUGHT, WHY I ENJOY SO MUCH THE ISLAND AND WHY THESE KIDS WANT TO GRADUATE
AND WANT TO LEAVE THE ISLAND. 
          AND YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KIND OF HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE IT A
BETTER PLACE SO WE CAN KEEP OUR YOUNGERS. 
          YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT GRADUATE AT UTMB OR A&M AND THEY JUST THINK,
OH, WELL DONE. 
          SEE YOU. NOT LIKE OTHER COLLEGE PLACES THAT THEY I MEAN,
ALL THESE THINGS WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY, THAT'S THAT IS THAT EQUALS OPPORTUNITY. SO YEAH,
I JUST THAT WAS ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS TO CONVEY. 
          AND I SEE THAT WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE THERE. 
          SO THANK YOU. BILL, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP. AND YOU KNOW,
BEAU I AGREE WITH YOU WHEN I, WHEN I FIRST INTERVIEWED A LITTLE LESS THAN OR A LITTLE. 
          YEAH, LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO I ASKED, I WAS ASKED SOME QUESTIONS IN THAT AREA,
AND I MADE THE STATEMENT AT THE TIME THAT I SAW THAT AS AS THREE MAJOR CONSTITUENCIES FOR THE PARK BOARD . 
          OBVIOUSLY, THE TOURISM TOURISTS ARE ONE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY TAX PROPERTY OWNERS WERE
TWO AND SMALL BUSINESSES WERE THREE. AND THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT TOURISM BECAUSE THAT'S IN THE NAME OR IN THE MISSION
STATEMENT. 
          IT'S BEEN A BIG PART. BUT BY FOCUSING ON SOME OF THE OTHERS AND THEY HAVE BEEN ONE REASON
I ASKED TO BE CHAIRMAN OF THE PARKS AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE 
          [01:35:06]
WAS BECAUSE WE CAN CREATE PARKS THAT DRAW VISITORS IN. 
          YOU'VE HEARD ME IN THIS MEETING SAY WE NEED TO GET STUART BEACH MOVING,
BECAUSE THAT'S THE BEACH THAT LOCALS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS VIA A HOTEL, A MOTEL, SOME PLACE THEY'RE STAYING ON THE BEACH. 
          HAVE TO GO. AND THAT'S THE THING I HEAR MOST OFTEN FROM. 
          AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS. 
          AND WE MADE SOME CHANGES ABOUT A YEAR AGO. AND WHO WAS GOING TO DEVELOP THAT MASTER PLAN. 
          AND I AGREED WITH THAT, THAT REDIRECTION. BUT THAT'S FELT LIKE WE'RE MOVING IN QUICKSAND
AT TIMES. 
          SOME OF THE OTHER PARKS ARE AIMED MORE AT TOURISTS. 
          BUT IN THOSE AREAS, WE'VE LOOKED AT CREATING SITUATIONS FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES TO BE
VENDORS. 
          VINCE'S FOLKS HAVE DEVELOPED A TREMENDOUS PROGRAM FOR ALLOWING THESE FOLKS TO GET
PRE-APPROVED SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH THE HOOPS OVER AND OVER AND OVER. 
          AND SO THAT WE EMPHASIZE THE LOCAL BUSINESS IN TERMS OF WHO IS SELECTED OR WHO'S AVAILABLE
FOR SELECTION AS A, AS A VENDOR. AND SO I'M SORRY THAT THAT'S NOT BEEN REALLY OBVIOUS TO,
TO COUNCIL. 
          I THINK WE TEND TO TALK ABOUT ATTRACTING TOURISTS AND GETTING THEM TO RETURN. 
          AND THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND HAVING PARKS THAT ARE WELL DEVELOPED ARE TWO BIG TOURIST PARKS
FOR JUST INDIVIDUAL TOURISTS COMING IN, OR SEAWOLF PARK, WHERE 95 PLUS PERCENT OF THE VISITORS ARE NOT
GALVESTON ISLAND RESIDENTS. 
          AND DELLANERA WHERE IT'S OBVIOUS. AND ANYBODY THAT'S EVER HEARD ME TALK ABOUT DELLANERA,
I TALKED TO RESIDENTS ABOUT HOW THAT'S A HIDDEN GEM, BECAUSE YOU CAN GO TO THE BEACH OUT THERE AND HAVE ACCESS,
BUT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB WITH. 
          BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID OF PROMOTING THOSE AREAS THAT SUPPORT THE LOCAL TOURISM,
THE LOCAL RESIDENTS, AND THAT OUR EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES. 
          YOU HEARD THEM TALK ABOUT THE WAY WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING LOCAL BUSINESSES,
AND WE'LL SEND A CREW IN AT PARK BOARD EXPENSE TO CREATE THE VIDEO. 
          SO I'M AFRAID THAT TOURISM AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT ARE WHAT ALWAYS GETS THE HIGHLIGHT,
BECAUSE FRANKLY, THOSE ARE THE GLAMOR PIECES, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WILL. 
          BUT THE STAFF, I THINK, IS WORKING AT LEAST EQUALLY HARD BEHIND THE SCENES TO CREATE PARKS AND BEACHES AND OTHER PLACES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE LOCALS TO USE. 
          SEAWOLF PARK, FOR EXAMPLE, IS FREE TO RESIDENTS. 
          MAYBE IT'S JUST A LACK OF INVITATIONS. I THINK IT IS,
AND I THINK IN TERMS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, THE COMMUNICATION HAS STARTED. I HEAR FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES NOW,
HEY, THIS IS A GREAT THING YOU'VE DONE, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP ALL THREE IN FOCUS. 
          BUT THE THING I SAID THEN, AND I STILL BELIEVE IT IS IF ALL THREE ARE EQUAL,
THERE'S ONE TO ME THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE EQUAL, AND THAT'S THE LOCAL RESIDENTS. CRAIG'S NODDING HIS HEAD BECAUSE I THINK HE'S THE ONE THAT
ASKED ME THE QUESTION WHEN I FIRST INTERVIEWED AND WHO'S THE MOST IMPORTANT? AND I ANSWERED HIM. 
          THEY'RE ALL EQUALLY IMPORTANT, EXCEPT MAYBE THE THE RESIDENTS ARE A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANT. 
          SO I THINK THAT AGAIN, WE'RE BACK TO THE COMMUNICATION ISSUE. 
          WE'RE BACK TO THE PROBLEM THAT THE COUNCIL AND THE TRUSTEES HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER AND HAVE
TO GET OVER THIS ROAD BUMP WE'VE HIT AND WHAT WAS BECOMING A PRETTY HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND WE HAVE TO GET OUR STAFFS TO WHERE THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND DON'T FEEL AND DON'T
HAVE AN ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP. 
          AND IF WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS, THEN THE REST OF THIS IS GOING TO FALL IN PLACE. 
          WELL, THAT STARTS WITH US. YEAH. AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT I THINK. 
          I'M SORRY FOR THIS. I JUST WANT TO. WE'LL WIND THIS UP. 
          I JUST WANT TO TAG ON WITH YOU A MOMENT HERE,
JUST FOR A MINUTE. 
          YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD, IN ALL THESE PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES THAT WE COLLABORATE WITH THE
PARK BOARD ON, WE SHOULD BE ASKING OURSELVES FOR EVERY ONE OF THESE. 
          HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE? AND I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT HOT TAX. YOU KNOW,
YOU CAN TALK ABOUT HOT TAX AND HOW IT REDUCES THE LOCAL TAX BURDEN A LOT, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT MORE FUNCTIONAL WAYS THAT IT THAT IT BENEFITS THE THE RESIDENTS
HERE. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU COULD ASK THE QUESTION IF IT'S GOOD FOR TOURISTS,
IS IT GOOD FOR RESIDENTS. 
          IT'S GOT TO BE GOOD FOR BOTH OF THEM. AND I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION TO HAVE
EVERY TIME WE TALK ABOUT PRIORITIES. 
          [01:40:05]
THE SECOND THING WAS I WAS GOING TO WAIT FOR THE KPI ON THIS ONE. 
          BUT WE THE PARK BOARD DOES A RESIDENT SENTIMENT SURVEY. 
          AND THAT REALLY IS A GOOD MEASUREMENT OF HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE IN SERVING THE PEOPLE WITH
OUR TOURISM EFFORTS. 
          YOU KNOW, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE MAY EVEN LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF A KPI TO SEE HOW WE'RE
DOING IN THAT, SO WE CAN HAVE SOME KIND OF MEASURE OF HOW SUCCESSFUL WE'RE BEING DOING WITH ADDRESSING
RESIDENTS NEEDS WITH OUR TOURISM EFFORTS. 
          ALL RIGHTY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ON. 
          JASON, IF YOU DON'T MIND, WE'RE. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET TO CERTAIN TOPICS IN THE
TIME WE HAVE ALLOTTED. 
          I'M GOING TO KIND OF JUMP AROUND A LITTLE BIT IF THAT MAKES YOUR APPROVAL. 
          SURE. I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO ITEM THREE, DISCUSSION OF THE CURRENT STATUS OF PLANS FOR STUART
BEACH PARK, 
          [3.E. Discussion Of The Current Status Of Plans For Stewart Beach Park ]
TO LET YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT COUNCIL'S BEEN DISCUSSING AND WHAT STAFF'S BEEN
DISCUSSING. 
          WE HAVE DUDLEY ANDERSON, OUR ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER HERE AT THE CITY,
AND HE'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS DILIGENTLY. 
          AND I'M GOING TO LET DUDLEY KIND OF GIVE YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE AT THAT
POINT. 
          YES. DUDLEY ANDERSON, CITY'S ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS MANAGER,
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IS BASED UPON THE WORKSHOP AGENDA FROM LAST MONTH. 
          WE'VE DEVELOPED AND CONTINUED TO DETAIL METHODOLOGY OF MOVING FORWARD. 
          THAT'S COMING TO YOU THURSDAY FOR YOUR APPROVAL. 
          ONCE WE DO THAT, THEN WE'RE OFF. NOW, WE LOOKED AT IT FROM A STANDPOINT. 
          DUDLEY, IF YOU WOULD GET INTO THE WEEDS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MASTER DEVELOPER,
MASTER PLANNER. 
          THE OPTIONS THAT WAS PRESENTED TO COUNCIL AND IT WAS CONSENSUS. 
          IT WAS NOT A VOTE. SO THIS IS THE CONSENSUS I TOOK FROM IT. 
          SO IT'S NOT REAL UNTIL YOU GUYS ACTUALLY SAY IT'S REAL. 
          BUT WE WERE TAKING THE 2020 ROGERS MASTER PLAN AND UPDATING IT WITH A COUPLE OF PEOPLE
ABOUT DOING THAT VERY THING. 
          WE'RE TAKING THAT UPDATING THE MASTER PLAN AND INCLUDING AN INVESTMENT PROSPECTUS WITH
THAT EFFORT THAT WILL THEN GO TO DEVELOPERS TO HOPEFULLY HAVE A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO ACTUALLY DEVELOP THAT FOR STUART BEACH . 
          AND WE'RE USING THE ROGERS PARTNERS. THAT IS THE BASIS OF IT. 
          WE HAVE SOME MODIFICATIONS WE WANT TO DO BASED UPON WHAT THE COUNCIL HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY
WOULD PREFER TO SEE THERE. 
          THAT IS WHERE THEY HAD SOME VERY GOOD IDEAS IN THERE. 
          IT'S JUST UPDATED, AND I THINK WE CAN USE SOME OF THE DATA FROM THE VISIT GALVESTON SITE
THAT I WAS SHOWN EARLIER TO HELP US WHEN WE GET THAT PROSPECTUS TOGETHER. NELLIE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. THAT DOES INCLUDE THE BEACH PATROL HEADQUARTERS
WITH THAT. 
          AM I CORRECT IN THAT OR NO? THAT'S THE INTENTION,
YES. 
          OKAY. NOW, I CAN'T TELL YOU IT DOES UNTIL IT HAPPENS. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE INTENTIONS THAT COUNCIL SUGGESTED AND YES,
SIR. 
          AND IF I COULD URGE COUNCIL TO MOVE AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE AS WE CAN ON THAT BEACH
PATROL PORTION, BECAUSE I WAS IN THE I'VE BEEN IN THE TRAILER SEVERAL TIMES,
AND I DON'T WANT ANY FRIED OR BROILED LIFEGUARDS DOWN THERE BECAUSE THOSE TRAILERS GOT OVERHEATED. 
          THEY'RE PRETTY CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT FOR THEM TO WORK IN THE SUMMER. 
          THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE DO. AND THEY'VE SAID THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE DO. BUT WE NEED TO AS
MUCH AS WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT PORTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT IN SUPPORT OF THOSE HARD WORKING KIDS. COUNCIL IS VERY AWARE OF THAT,
WANTING TO MOVE AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT WE WANT TO BE EXPEDITIOUS IN HOW WE MOVE FORWARD ON THIS. 
          IT'S ON OUR AGENDA EVERY MEETING. WE'RE NOT LOSING TRACK OF THIS. 
          AND WE'RE. CAN YOU GIVE US A ROUGH TIMELINE? DUDLEY? WELL, WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THE ENTIRE EFFORT DONE TO GET A DEVELOPER ON BOARD
WITHIN 12 TO 13 MONTHS. 
          OKAY. SO IT'S GOING TO BE. THAT'S ALL THE APPROVALS,
ALL OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS, ALL OF THE ADVERTISING AND SEARCHING FOR THAT PARTICULAR DEVELOPER. OKAY. JUST TO CLARIFY FOR ME WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE BRINGING TO THE NEXT
COUNCIL MEETING IS, IS A DRAFT OF THE REQUEST, THE METHODOLOGY OF HOW WE'RE PROCEEDING. 
          YOU CAN BRING THE ACTUAL RFP, SOME MORE DETAIL IN IT THAN JUST THAT. 
          BUT YES. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE DRAFT OF THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION PROPOSALS. 
          I THINK THAT WILL COME AFTER THE MASTER PLAN IS UPDATED AS PART OF THE REQUEST FOR
PROPOSALS. 
          OKAY. SO THAT WILL BE ADDED INTO THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS THAT WE SEND OUT. 
          SO YOU'RE GOING TO BRING TO US METHODOLOGY FOR FOR APPROVAL. 
          YEAH. IT SEEMS LIKE A SOME KIND OF ITERATION OF THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WOULD BE,
I THINK, 
          [01:45:03]
VERY GOOD TO HAVE AS PART OF THAT PROCESS THAT YOUR METHODOLOGY. 
          I THINK THERE'S SOME DESCRIPTIONS IN THERE THAT YOU MAKE CLARIFY THAT AT THE CURRENT
MOMENT, YOU ALL ARE IN CHARGE OF VENDORS ON STUART BEACH AND THE BEACH PARKS. 
          I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THE LONG STANDING STUART BEACH VENDOR,
JOHNS BEACH SERVICE IS GIVEN SOME SERIOUS CONSIDERATION FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO OPERATE THERE. IT'S EXPENSIVE. THEY'VE BEEN THERE SINCE THE 40S. 
          WHAT'S THE NAME? JOHN'S BEACH SERVICE. YEAH,
HE'S BEEN THERE FOR. 
          GOSH. YEAH, A LONG TIME. I WOULD REQUEST TO BE OUR LIAISON. 
          THE PARK BOARD . SO THAT WE KEEP THE PARK BOARD UPDATED AND GET THEIR FEEDBACK. 
          JASON, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO GET A REPORT FROM BOB ON AN UPDATE OF WHERE WE ARE WITH STUART
BEACH ON YOUR MEETINGS AND HAVE IT STRUCTURED WHERE WE CAN GET FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALSO. PLEASE, SIR. ABSOLUTELY. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN KIND OF DOING THAT DE FACTO,
BUT I THINK AN AGENDA ITEM WOULD PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA. 
          STANDARD AGENDA ITEM. YEAH. SO WE'LL BE VOTING ON THE METHODOLOGY BUT THEN WE WILL SEE
SUBSEQUENT TO THAT I GUESS WE'LL SEE THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. 
          ONE THING I WOULD ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO CONSIDER AT THIS MOMENT IS THE PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT. 
          WHO YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE INVOLVED IN THAT. HOW WE WOULD GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE
PUBLIC IS OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVES. 
          I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE THEIR INPUT, LOCAL PEOPLE, STAKEHOLDERS INTO WHAT HAPPENS OUT THERE. 
          THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. HOW ARE WE DOING? EXCUSE ME? HOW DO WE DO IT IN THE PAST? HOW DO WE GET THE PUBLIC'S OPINION? [LAUGHTER] SO WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. I THINK KIMBERLY MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. 
          OH, THAT WAS PART OF THE MASTER PLANNING PROCESS [INAUDIBLE] MR. WILSON IN THE PAST, WHEN WE WERE LOOKING TO DEVELOP,
WE DID A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS FOR THAT. 
          WE HAVE THAT DATA. WE CAN SHARE IT. WE DO HAVE IT. 
          I THINK DUDLEY HAS IT. YEAH, BUT IT'S FIVE YEARS OLD. 
          SURE. WE WANT TO GO THROUGH IT AGAIN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DOCUMENT IT,
AND EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT COMES OUT OF IT. 
          BEAU. SO THIS KIND OF FEEDS BACK INTO THE THE LIVE AND WORK. 
          AND ALSO WITH THE DEVELOPER. TO ME IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE WE TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY TO
SOME HOUSE CLEANING. 
          I THINK WE NEED TO DO OUT THERE IE THE DRAINAGE AND THE DRAINAGE DITCH,
LAGOON, WHATEVER, WHATEVER IT IS GOING TO BE CALLED. HER HUSBAND CALLED DO YOU ALL HAVE I MEAN,
IN OTHER WORDS, TO ME, A DEVELOPER IS GOING TO COME AND LOOK AROUND OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 15 MONTHS OF THIS
PROCESS. 
          IN THE MEANTIME, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A BEACH THAT IS CUT INTO THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAVE RESIDENTS ON ONE SIDE THAT ARE PRETTY UP IN ARMS ABOUT IT. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE THE SAME SITUATION WITH PEOPLE THAT VISIT THAT BEACH. 
          AND WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE SEVERAL TIMES HAVE EITHER HIGH TIDE OR RAIN. 
          DO Y'ALL HAVE THAT? AS FAR AS THE HOUSE CLEANING INTENTION OF DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT
IS, YOU KNOW, A TO BRING IN DEVELOPERS THAT ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THE SITE THAT IS GOING TO
NEED A LOT OF WORK AND BE SO THAT IT CAN BE UTILIZED. 
          IN THE MEANTIME, AS A VIABLE BEACH THAT DOESN'T CONSTANTLY HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE SLEW
THAT GOES IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. 
          I'M ASKING YOU ALL THAT. CAN I BE RECOGNIZED. 
          MAYOR BROWN YES, SIR. BY ALL MEANS. FIRST OF ALL,
THAT QUESTION WAS DIRECTED TO DUDLEY. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? OH. I'M SORRY. NO, NO, NO, IT WAS DIRECTED. 
          NO, IT WAS DIRECTED TO WHOMEVER. OKAY. COME FORWARD. 
          YES, SIR. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ME,
I'M JIM BYRAM. 
          I'M COUNSEL FOR THE PARK BOARD . AND I THINK THAT WITH ALL DUE RESPECT COUNCILMAN RAWLINS, WHEN THAT ISSUE IS BROUGHT UP, THERE IS A PENDING LAWSUIT CURRENTLY OVER DRAINAGE ISSUES. 
          BOTH. ONE PARTY IS THE CITY. ONE PARTY IS THE PARK BOARD THAT IS IN AN ACTIVE LAWSUIT AT
THIS POINT. 
          AND FURTHER LAWSUITS MAY COME. I DON'T KNOW BUT AT THIS POINT,
I DON'T THINK I'M GOING TO INSTRUCT MY CLIENTS NOT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT BE THINKING ABOUT DOING OR HOW WE MIGHT DO IT FOR THAT REASON. 
          IT VIOLATES THE ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE AND THE LITIGATION PRIVILEGE. 
          SO DON, YOU WANT TO COMMENT? WELL, I HAD SPOKEN TO THE MAYOR ASKING THAT DRAINAGE ON
STUART BEACH BE ELIMINATED FROM THIS AGENDA. I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T SEE. 
          NO, NO, NO, NO. YOU'RE FINE. I TRY TO FOLLOW HIS LEAD. 
          [01:50:03]
[LAUGHTER] WELL, WOULD DON HAD REQUESTED AFTER WE POSTED. 
          SO I HAVE A SCHEME. A PLAN? TO WHICH YOU'VE AGREED TO WORK THROUGH OUR RESPECTIVE TRIAL COUNCIL. 
          SET UP A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT [INAUDIBLE] OUR ATTORNEY IS BILL HELFAND. 
          BILL SAYS HE'LL SET IT UP WHENEVER WE'RE READY. 
          WE HAVE TO GET OUR SIDE READY. I'D LIKE THIS ISSUE BUTTONED UP BY SEPTEMBER. 
          OKAY. THAT'S MY GOAL. OKAY. YOU GOOD WITH THAT? I'M FINE WITH MAKING THAT ATTEMPT. WHETHER THAT WILL WORK OR NOT,
I CAN'T SAY. 
          BUT CERTAINLY I'M. I GUESS I'M MAKING THAT. YOU KNOW,
CALL ME IGNORANT ON THIS ISSUE, BUT I JUST WANT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. 
          I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT. I GUESS, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S A LAWSUIT INVOLVED. 
          I'VE BEEN HERE ALL MY LIFE AND BEEN A PART OF THAT BEACH SINCE I. 
          YOU ARE WITNESSING A RARE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNSEL FOR THE CITY AND THE COUNSEL FOR
THE PARK BOARD. 
          THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT. [LAUGHTER] I WOULD NEVER CALL YOU IGNORANT. 
          YES. YEAH. YEAH. ANYWAY, I JUST I APPRECIATE THAT,
Y'ALL. 
          I GOT IT. LET'S LET'S HOPE THAT IT GETS FIXED. 
          THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU. AND WHILE WE'RE ON THAT PARTICULAR SUBJECT,
ITEM THREE, I ON THE DRAINAGE SITUATION, 
          [3.I. Discussion Of The History And Current Concerns Of Drainage At Stewart Beach Park ]
WE'LL EXCLUDE THAT FROM OUR AGENDA TODAY AT REQUEST OF OUR COUNCIL FOR THE CITY AND FOR
THE PARK BOARD . 
          YES, SIR. YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING BACK TO WHAT BEAU WAS TALKING ABOUT LIVE AND WORK HERE IN
THE ISLAND. 
          WE'RE ABOUT TO RECEIVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF J1 B VISAS. 
          EMPLOYEES THAT COME IN EVERY EVERY SUMMER. I HAVE A DEAL A LOT WITH THEM,
AND AND I'VE SEEN I WOULD REQUEST THE CITY COUNCIL TO TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE LEAVING A PLACE WHERE THEY TAKE. 
          ARE THEY'RE NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE BY RENTERS. I'VE BEEN TO THEIR PLACES WHERE THEY
SOMETIMES STAY. 
          IT HAS HAPPENED . AND THE ROACHES ARE AROUND. 
          THEY DON'T CARE BECAUSE THEY WANT TO WORK. IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THOSE,
I WOULD LIKE TO LET US KNOW BECAUSE I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN WHEN IT WAS UKRAINIANS. 
          I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE. SO I WOULD LIKE YOU GUYS TO STAY WITH ME ONE SUMMER AT THE
HOUSE. 
          I KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING. I'M SAYING. BUT I'VE SEEN IT,
LIKE WHAT HAS HAPPENED. 
          SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING. I KNOW IT'S IN THE CITY,
JUST LIKE YOU SAID I LIVE AND WORK HERE IN THE ISLAND. 
          THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WOULD. I WOULD ASK CITY CITY COUNCIL TO LET US KNOW IF
THERE'S ANY ISSUES. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON STUART BEACH ? ANY COMMENTS FOR DUDLEY ANDERSON? DUDLEY. THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO ITEM 3 G PLEASE JANELLE. 
          [3.G. Discussion Of Transfer Of Management Of Seawolf Park And Dellanera Park To The City Of Galveston. ]
ITEM 3 G DISCUSSION OF TRANSFER OF MANAGEMENT OF SEAWOLF PARK AND DELLANERA PARK TO THE
CITY OF GALVESTON. 
          JASON, THIS IS A TOPIC THAT I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF. 
          WE'VE DISCUSSED AT CITY COUNCIL , THIS HAS COME UP LOOKING AT OUR ENTIRE PARK SYSTEM,
INCLUDING THOSE PARKS MANAGED BY CURRENTLY BY THE PARK BOARD AND OUR IN OUR EXISTING CITY PARKS. AND THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT MOVING THE
MANAGEMENT OF SEAWOLF PARK IN DELLANERA PARK TO THE CITY OF GALVESTON. I WANT TO OPEN THAT TOPIC UP. 
          I THINK COUNCILMAN PORRETTO WAS KIND OF THIS WAS A CHAMPION OF THIS. 
          GO RIGHT AHEAD. DO YOU KNOW, DID YOU GET THAT EMAIL FROM THE REQUEST I SENT TO THE PARK
BOARD ? THE THREE QUESTIONS I HAD. SO NO RESPONSE. GOTCHA. 
          WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND,
YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY AND THE HISTORY MY FAMILY'S HAD WITH THE PARK BOARD IN THE 60S WHEN IT WAS CREATED,
IT WAS NOT DESIGNED TO COMPETE WITH SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          I DON'T THINK GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IS TO COMPETE WITH SMALL BUSINESS OR PRIVATE BUSINESS. 
          AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH THE TRANSFER OF SEAWOLF PARK
AND DELLANERA PARK BACK TO THE CITY, INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE CIRCLE AND SAYING THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND WASTE YOUR TIME AND WASTE OUR TIME ABOUT THESE THINGS. BUT I THINK JUST WHERE I SIT RIGHT NOW,
I THINK THE CITY MIGHT BE BETTER MANAGED TO TAKE OVER THOSE PARKS. 
          THE EVIDENCE IS ABOUT POCKET PARKS. WE'VE DONE BETTER WITH THE POCKET PARKS. 
          WE'VE ESTABLISHED A FUND BALANCE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO THE SAME WITH SEAWOLF AND
DELLANERA WITH SPECIFIC TO SEAWOLF PARK. 
          [01:55:05]
YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE HAD THE PAVILION OUT THERE,
AND I TALKED TO OLD GALVESTON GUYS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF BEAU WENT TO ANY OF THE LUAUS OUT THERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, USED TO BE A LOCAL SPOT TOO,
WHERE THEY DO LUAUS. 
          THINGS LIKE THAT. EVENTS. AND SEVERAL. SEVERAL PROBABLY. 
          YEAH. BUT I'M JUST MORE COMFORTABLE RIGHT NOW,
GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WITH MOVING THE MANAGEMENT OF SEAWALL PARK AND DELLANERA TO THE CITY OF GALVESTON, WHERE WE ARE TRUSTEES, PARK BOARD TRUSTEES HERE AT COUNCIL. 
          WE'RE IN A DISCUSSION PHASE, NOT ONLY TODAY,
BUT AT OUR SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL OR I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU,
JASON, FOR TRUSTEES. 
          I THINK BOB HAD ONE. WELL, GO AHEAD JASON. I'LL GO AHEAD. 
          I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING AT THIS TIME. OKAY. WELL,
I JUST KIND OF WHEN WE'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS IN THE PAST, I WANT TO REITERATE WHAT I'VE SAID BEFORE IS I'M NOT AGAINST MOVING THE MANAGEMENT OF THESE PARKS TO SOMEWHERE ELSE,
BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BURDENING THE CITY WITH SOMETHING UNDUE IN A TIME WHEN WE HAVE HIRING FREEZES AND BUDGET CUTS. 
          YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT BURDENING THE CITY WITH SOMETHING THAT
THEY'RE NOT PREPARED TO HANDLE. AND AND THAT MEANS I WOULD I WOULD PREFER TO SEE SOME KIND OF BUSINESS PLAN, YOU KNOW, THAT SHOWS HOW THEY'RE GOING TO STAFF IT. 
          HOW MUCH TIME IS GOING TO GO INTO IT, WHAT KIND OF REVENUE THEY'RE GOING TO GENERATE,
JUST ANY KIND OF BUSINESS PLAN THAT COMPARES APPLES TO APPLES, I GUESS. THAT COMPARES THE PARK BOARD 'S CURRENT BUSINESS PLAN FOR THESE AND THE CITY'S
BUSINESS PLAN. 
          JUST SO I HAVE A LEVEL OF COMFORT THAT WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT FORCING SOMETHING ON THE CITY
THAT IS GOING TO GET THEM UNDERWATER FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME, YOU KNOW, INCLUDES WHAT KIND OF TRANSITION PERIOD WILL THERE BE AND WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS
OF THAT? SO LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT AGAINST IT. I JUST WANT TO SEE I JUST WANT TO SEE,
YOU KNOW, THE BUSINESS CASE FOR ALL OF THAT. 
          AND I'M NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT COMPETING WITH PRIVATE RESIDENTS OR NOT. 
          I THINK THAT'S KIND OF A CASE BY CASE ANALYSIS. 
          YOU KNOW, THE CITY CURRENTLY RENTS OUT EVENT SPACE IN [INAUDIBLE] AND THE WATERWORKS
BUILDING. 
          THEY THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE IN TOWN WHO DO THAT THEY ALSO CHARGE FOR FISHING ON THE FISHING
PIER. 
          THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE IN TOWN THAT DO THAT. SO I THINK THIS COMPETING ISSUE IS MORE,
I THINK, REQUIRES A LITTLE MORE ANALYSIS THAN A BLANKET SAYING WE'RE NOT EVER GOING TO COMPETE WITH
ANYBODY ELSE. THAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE CREATION OF THE PARK BOARD IS NOT TO COMPETE WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS. SOME OF THESE THINGS I DON'T BELIEVE ARE COMPETITION. IF,
FOR INSTANCE, YOU SET OUT AN RFP LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO TAKE OVER SOME ACTIVITY OR ANOTHER, AND THERE ARE NO RESPONSES OR THERE'S INSUFFICIENT RESPONSES,
I THINK AT THAT POINT WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT WE'RE NOT COMPETING AND LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. THAT IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. I'M JUST THINKING IT NEEDS A LITTLE DEEPER ANALYSIS. 
          I ALSO WANT EVERYONE AND EMPLOYEES AT THE PARK BOARD TO KNOW THAT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES
WILL THOSE PARKS BE TRANSFERRED IF THE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, AND I GUESS, ON A BASIS OF THE SEASONAL EMPLOYEES,
WILL BE LEFT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION OF BEING MOVED OVER TO THE CITY, SO I UNDERSTAND, BUT I. GOT A QUESTION. I WAS JUST GOING TO JUST TACK ON BOB. 
          I COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF. GERALD. 
          I LIKE BOB, AND I FEEL THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE LONG TERM PLAN FOR BOTH OF THE PARKS. 
          TYPICALLY, WHEN THERE'S AN INTEREST TO MOVE A CERTAIN ENTITY OVER TO ANOTHER THERE IS A
LACK OF EFFICIENCY OR A LACK OF REVENUE SHARE OR SOME OF THOSE THINGS. AND LIKE BOB HAD TALKED ABOUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN AT
LEAST I HAVE NOT HEARD, A BUSINESS PLAN OR A STRATEGIC PLAN FROM THE CITY TO DO THAT. 
          I HAVE NOT HEARD OR SEEN A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO SHOW THERE'S GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. 
          I HAVE NOT SEEN A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FROM THE CITY TO SAY THIS IS WHAT WE HAD PLANNED TO
DO 3 TO 4 YEARS AGO OR ETC. 
          AND LOOKING AT THE OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF BOTH OF THOSE PARKS FROM AN INDUSTRY STANDARD
STANDPOINT FOR PARKS, TYPICALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT PAYROLL VERSUS REVENUE,
IF YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE 30 TO 40 PERCENTILE, THEN THOSE PARKS, THE OPERATION OF THOSE PARKS WILL BE CONSIDERED SUCCESSFUL. 
          AND DELLANERA PARK IS OPERATING AT A 25% REVENUE VERSUS PAYROLL,
WHICH IS A 75% RETURN ON INVESTMENT. WHICH TO ME WOULD BE VERY EFFICIENT. 
          WHEN YOU CONSIDER SALARIES, YOU CONSIDER OVERTIME AND YOU CONSIDER REVENUE THAT'S
PRODUCING FROM THAT PARK. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT SEAWOLF PARK, IT'S RIGHT AT ABOUT 47%,
WHICH IS A 53% RETURN ON INVESTMENT WHEN YOU LOOK AT SALARIES OVERTIME 
          [02:00:02]
VERSUS REVENUE. SO THERE IS NO LACK OF EFFICIENCY. 
          I THINK THOSE PARKS ARE RUNNING RELATIVELY TIGHT. 
          AND IF YOU LOOK AT HISTORICALLY THE REVENUE YEAR OVER YEAR OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. 
          AND I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY GO BACK FURTHER. I THINK VINCE IS PREPARED TO GO BACK FURTHER. 
          BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE REVENUE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS,
THEY'VE BEEN RELATIVELY SUCCESSFUL CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF STAFF THAT WE HAVE OPERATING THOSE. AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT IN SEAWOLF. 
          AND CERTAINLY A GREAT DEAL OF IMPROVEMENT. BILL CAN SPEAK TO THIS EVEN AT DELLANERA. 
          SO I GUESS TO SUMMARIZE MY POINT, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING THOSE TWO PARKS,
IT HAS TO BE BASED ON WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER A LACK OF EFFICIENCY FROM BOTH OR A LACK OF MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK AT DO WE DO
SOMETHING MORE WITH THE REVENUE SHARE FROM THOSE PARKS? BUT I THINK LOOKING AT HOW THE PARK BOARD HAS MANAGED THOSE TWO PARKS. 
          I THINK IT'S BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS BASED ON THOSE NUMBERS,
THAT DATA. 
          SO OKAY, WE HAD AND COUNCILWOMAN ROBB WANTS TO SAY A FEW WORDS. 
          JUST A THOUGHT. EXCUSE ME, GERALD, ON THAT. THOSE FIGURES THAT YOU CITED,
COULD YOU GET THOSE TO JASON? JASON, COULD YOU SEND THOSE TO JANELLE? THOSE ARE SOME OF THE FIGURES I REQUESTED
WEDNESDAY LAST WEEK. 
          ALEX THAT'S WHY WE'RE ADDRESSING THEM NOW. THAT'S WHY I MEAN,
I WOULD HAVE APPRECIATED THEM AHEAD OF TIME BECAUSE. WE WANTED THE PUBLIC TO GET IT AS WELL. AND THAT WAS GOING TO BE PART OF THE RECORD BECAUSE I SAID,
SHARE IT TO EVERYBODY, PLEASE. SO, JASON, CAN WE GET THOSE TO JANELLE AND HAVE THEM DISTRIBUTED TO COUNCIL IF WE COULD? SURE. OKAY. FOLLOWING ON WITH WHAT TRUSTEE WILSON I'D SAY LOOKING AT THOSE TWO PARTICULAR
PARKS, TAKING TAKING SEAWOLF PARK AND I'VE BEEN FAIRLY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE PARKS. 
          I TRY TO VISIT THOSE TWO IN PARTICULAR AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH AND TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT
ARE THERE. 
          AND I SEE SEVERAL THINGS THERE THAT THAT HELP US MEET THE MISSION OF PROMOTING TOURISM,
BECAUSE ONE OF THE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN TOURISM IS NOT JUST ATTRACTION, BUT REPETITION,
DRAWING THEM BACK. 
          DELLANERA CERTAINLY DOES THAT, ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WHERE YOU'VE GOT FOLKS THERE. 
          I TALK TO CAMPERS AND RVS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT COME EVERY WINTER,
AND THOSE FOLKS COME IN AND SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES AND PROVIDE THAT. AND THE PARK BOARD THERE HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB OF
IMPROVING THE FACILITIES, OF FOCUSING, FOCUSING ON THE TOURIST. AND THAT IS PRIMARILY A TOURIST PARK. 
          AND SO WHETHER YOU'RE USING UP THE BEACH USER FEES,
WHICH WE GET SOME FROM THAT GO BACK INTO THAT OR WHETHER WE'RE USING HOT TAX FOR THAT DEVELOPMENT,
WE'RE PROMOTING TOURISM THERE. 
          AND THOSE TOURISTS ARRIVE IN A 300 TO $500,000 MINIMUM MOTOR HOME OR RV AND STAY FOR
MONTHS AT A TIME. AND THOSE FOLKS DON'T COOK EVERY NIGHT IN THOSE SMALL UNITS. 
          THEY GO OUT AND THEY VISIT THE ATTRACTIONS. THEY DO THAT AND SPREAD THE WORD THROUGH THE
THE COMMUNITY. 
          AND TO ME, I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR ABOUT THE CONSIDERATION BECAUSE I VIEWED THOSE THAT
PARK IN PARTICULAR AS TOURIST ORIENTED AND THAT BEING THE MISSION OF THE PARK BOARD ,
WHEREAS I SEE THE MISSION OF BARBARA SANDERSON'S ORGANIZATION IS TO PROVIDE PARKS FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS WITH REGARD TO SEAWOLF PARK. 
          AT THE PRESENT TIME, A LITTLE OVER 95% OF THE VISITORS COME FROM OUTSIDE OR OFF THE
ISLAND. 
          AND WE KNOW THIS BECAUSE EXACT NUMBER, BECAUSE OF THE WAY WE CHARGE FOR ACCESS. 
          VISITORS GET ON THE ARE GIVEN FREE ADMISSION TO THE PARK. 
          VISITORS FROM THE ISLAND. AND THAT MAKES THE FISHING LESS EXPENSIVE. 
          VISITORS FROM OFF THE ISLAND, I.E. NOT RESIDENTS ARE CHARGED A HIGHER RATE. 
          THAT'S THE ABILITY TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE THOSE ARE NOT COVERED UNDER THE GLO AND THE
MANDATE THAT EVERYBODY BE CHARGED EQUALLY. 95% OF THOSE VISITORS ARE TOURISTS. SO IN LOOKING AT THAT PARK,
I STARTED TALKING BACK LAST YEAR IN THE PARKS AND AMENITIES COMMITTEE ABOUT THE IDEA OF DEVELOPING THE THE
SMALL RV 
          [02:05:04]
PARK THAT THERE WAS AVAILABLE IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO BUILD A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO BUILD PAVILIONS AND AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THIS. 
          AND VINCE HAS DEVELOPED A TREMENDOUS BUSINESS PLAN OF HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT. 
          THE IDEA OF THOSE PAVILIONS AND AMENITIES WOULD BE TO DRAW LOCAL GROUPS TO SEAWOLF PARK
FOR THE DAY. 
          ONE OF THE BEST COMPANY PICNICS I'VE HAD WAS WITH MLS BCC,
WHICH IS THE CARNIVAL CRUISE PORT AGENT SUPPLIER HAD THEIR ANNUAL PICNIC THERE AND EVERYBODY LOVED IT AND HAD A BLAST. 
          AND THE MAJORITY OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE EITHER FROM ON THE ISLAND OR THE NEAR AREA BECAUSE
THEY COME TO WORK THERE. 
          SO FRANKLY, THOSE TWO PARKS TO ME ARE THE EPITOME OF A TOURIST ORIENTED PARK. 
          THE REVENUE THEY PRODUCE HAS BEEN UNDER SOME DISCUSSION. 
          ORIGINALLY, WHEN I STARTED TALKING TO VINCE ABOUT THIS,
THE REVENUE FROM CREATING AN RV PARK WAS GOING TO BE USED FOR A SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT. 
          I UNDERSTAND NOW THAT THAT THE CITY'S PROCEEDED WITH DOING THAT,
SO THAT BECOMES KIND OF A MOOT POINT. 
          BUT LAST SUMMER AND ONE OF THE INITIAL BUDGET MEETINGS,
COUNCILMAN PORRETTO, I BELIEVE, ASKED THAT WE LOOK INTO WAYS TO SHARE ADDITIONAL REVENUE. 
          AND THAT'S WHEN IT SEEMED THAT THE FOCUS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT TO CREATING THE RV PARK AND
THE FISHING TO GENERATE REVENUE. 
          SO IF IF WE WANT TO REFOCUS THAT TO WHERE THE REVENUE IS MORE TOURIST ORIENTED OR MORE
ORIENTED TO PROVIDING ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR OUR RESIDENTS. THAT MEETS MY GOAL OF OF PERSONAL GOAL OF SUPPLYING
THIS KIND OF RECREATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO OUR LOCALS. AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK COUNCIL DIRECTION COULD
HELP US. 
          BUT THE IDEA OF TAKING THESE SUCCESSFUL PARKS AND MOVING THEM IS JUST KIND OF I DON'T
UNDERSTAND IT. 
          IT'S FRANKLY. AND THAT'S WHERE I GUESS ALEX AND I WILL AGREE TO DISAGREE,
BUT WE'VE DONE THAT SUCCESSFULLY IN THE PAST. 
          AND, AND SOMETIMES WE RESOLVE IT AND SOMETIMES WE DON'T,
BUT THAT'S OKAY. 
          YEAH. AND ALSO LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE TRANSFER OF ONE PARK TO OTHER IS BASED ON
THE IF IT'S GOING TO COST LESS, IT'S GOING TO COST MORE. THE COST WE AREN'T ONLY SAYING,
WE AREN'T ONLY SEEING IF IT'S GOING TO BE BETTER MANAGED. 
          ALSO, IS THE CITY ABLE TO ALSO PROVIDE THEM THE PENSION THAT THE CITY EMPLOYEES ARE HAVE
THAT WE DON'T WE DON'T HAVE? AS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PLAN. 
          RETIREMENT PLAN, WHICH IS COST LESS COMPARED TO BE COMPARED TO A PENSION PLAN. 
          IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THEY ABSORB THOSE
EMPLOYEES, OR ARE THERE GOING TO BE LEFT WITHOUT ANY JOBS? COMING BACK TO LIVING AND WORKING IN THE ISLAND,
PLUS THE I THINK JUST SEAWOLF PARK HAS SINCE 2019 TO NOW IT'S GIVING PROVIDED TO THE REVENUE TO THE TO THE CITY,
$1.6 MILLION THAT COMES DIRECTLY TO UNRESTRICTED FUNDS, THAT COMES TO TO THE CITY. JUST LAST YEAR, I THINK IT WAS 300,000,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT IT COMES FROM. 
          AND THAT KEEPS IT KEEPS THE PARK IN THE RED. THAT NOT ONLY TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT
ALSO SOME OF THESE PARKS MIGHT HAVE SOME LIABILITIES THAT THEY'RE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THOSE THINGS WHEN THEY WANT TO ABSORB THEM. 
          BECAUSE WHEN YOU TAKE OVER A BUSINESS, YOU TAKE THE GOOD AND THE BAD,
RIGHT? SO THAT'S I THINK THEY NEED TO BE MORE OKAY. HOW HOW IS IT GOING TO BE TAKEN AND HOW IS IT
GOING TO BE DONE BETTER WHEN BOTH PARKS ARE BEING MANAGED VERY, VERY EFFICIENTLY IN THE NATIONWIDE STATE TYPE OF IF YOU IF
YOU COMPARE IT TO OTHER PARKS, SIMILAR TO WHAT THIS PARK IS. COUNCILWOMAN. I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT WHO OWNS BOTH THE
PARKS? THEY'RE BOTH OWNED BY THE CITY. THE CITY OUT THERE. 
          YEAH, YEAH. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALWAYS WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR TAXPAYERS. 
          SO I MEAN, I THINK THAT WILL DRIVE THE DECISION THAT'S MADE ULTIMATELY. 
          I TOTALLY AGREE AND I TOTALLY AGREE. AND I THINK RIGHT NOW WITH THE NUMBERS THEY'RE
SHOWING, THE TAXPAYERS ARE GETTING A BUCK FOR THE DOLLAR. 
          [02:10:01]
SURE. I AGREE THE CITIES PROPERTY, THE CITY COULD DO WHAT THEY WANT. 
          I THINK IT'S PREMATURE BASED ON WHAT BOB AND GERALD AND BILL AND CARLO HAVE JUST SAID. 
          I MEAN, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT A PLAN, A LONG TERM PLAN OF HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT. 
          WHAT IS IT GOING TO AFFECT THE COST OF IT? AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT WHY YOU'RE DOING IT FOR
EFFICIENCY PURPOSES OR OR JUST IMPROVED MANAGEMENT IS THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT THE COSTS INVOLVED. AND
LIKE CARLO SAID, YOU MAY END UP RIGHT NOW YOU'RE GETTING 1.6 MILLION WITH NO COST ASSOCIATED. 
          YOU NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE TO YOU IF YOU HAVE TO PAY THE COST. 
          WELL, THERE'S NO DOUBT. NO QUESTION. NO, I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT. 
          TO DO IT. I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT TO OUR CITIZENS THAT THE CITY OWNS BOTH OF THE
PROPERTIES. 
          I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. I DON'T THINK OUR CITIZENS KNOW THAT. 
          I KNOW IT'S YEAH. YOU'RE RIGHT. I MIGHT NOT KNOW IT. 
          ALL RIGHT. ANY FURTHER COMMENTS ON THIS? YES,
SIR. 
          I'LL JUST SAY THAT I ECHO WHAT THE TRUSTEES AND BOB HAVE SAID AS WELL. 
          I HAD A LOT OF NOTES WRITTEN DOWN HERE TO DISCUSS,
BUT WELL DONE. 
          YOU'LL COVER THEM SO I DON'T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING ON THIS. FANTASTIC. 
          GOOD TO HEAR. LET'S MOVE TO ITEM 3H, PLEASE,
MA'AM. 
          [3.H. Discussion Of Moving The Collection Of Hotel Occupancy Tax To The City Of Galveston ]
ITEM 3 H. DISCUSSION OF MOVING THE COLLECTION OF HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TO THE CITY OF
GALVESTON. 
          THIS IS ANOTHER TOPIC THAT COUNCIL HAS DISCUSSED. 
          I THINK WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT MOVING SHORT TERM SHORT TERM RENTALS REGISTRATION OVER TO THE
CITY. 
          I THINK THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE PARK BOARD BEFORE,
AT LEAST IN MY MIND. 
          THAT'S A CONCEPT THAT I THINK WE KIND OF ARE IN AGREEMENT ON THAT THAT MIGHT BE A BETTER
PLACE TO HAVE THE REGISTRATION OVER AT THE CITY, MAINLY FROM AN ENFORCEMENT STANDPOINT, COLLECTION OF DATA FOR OUR OFFICERS AND AND THINGS
LIKE THAT. 
          THIS IS THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTION, THOUGH. 
          THIS WAS BROUGHT UP. ALEX. SO THIS KIND OF GOES OFF THE HEELS OF YOU KNOW,
WE TALKED ABOUT THE INEFFICIENCIES AND THE MULTIPLE TRANSFERS. AND SO I PUT SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT INTO THAT,
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WEIGHED INTO IT. 
          I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE ONE PERSON DOING THE COLLECTIONS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF HOT TAX. 
          I THINK MOVING IT OVER TO THE CITY, TO CITY TAX. 
          CITY COLLECTS IT JUST ONE DISBURSEMENT WITH HOT CONTRACT THAT I HOPE WE CAN ALL AGREE ON. 
          AND IT SHOULD JUST MAKE IT A MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS. 
          IT'S OVERHEAD THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT. YOU KNOW,
I SAID, YOU KNOW, SHARON SAID THE SAME THING. 
          YOU KNOW, HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF IF WE DON'T REMEMBER WHY. 
          2014 RENO'S WHEN THERE WAS ISSUES WITH OUR FINANCE,
WHEN I COULDN'T BALANCE THE BUDGET FOR THREE YEARS. 
          I THINK WE'VE BUTTONED UP A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES. 
          AND I THINK IT'S GROWN BEYOND ITS ORIGINAL NUMBERS. 
          IT'S DOUBLE. WE HAVE SHORT TERM RENTALS, TOO. AND IF WE'RE MOVING THE REGISTRATIONS,
IT HELPS CROSS-REFERENCE THAT GLENN HAS DEVELOPED A REALLY GOOD SYSTEM FOR AUDITING HOT. IT'S GOING TO GO, YOU KNOW, FORWARD WITH HIM LEAVING AND 14 MONTHS OR SO. 
          AND I THINK IT JUST WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO HAVE THE THE COLLECTION OF THE CITY HOT TAX
MOVED TO THE CITY. 
          VERY GOOD. OH. YES, MA'AM. GO RIGHT AHEAD. WELL,
MY COMMENT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE WE HAVE IS ORDINANCES AND ISSUES, AND IT MAKES NO SENSE HAVING A CALL IN LINE HERE AND THE POLICE OVER HERE. 
          AND I'LL GO BACK TO ONE OF THE MEETINGS, WHATEVER. 
          LAST YEAR MAY HAVE BEEN LONGER THAN THAT. AND IT WAS LIKE BIKER WEEKEND. 
          AND NOT THAT I'M OPPOSED TO BIKER WEEKEND, BUT IT WAS LIKE,
HOW MANY CALLS DID THE HOTLINE GET? AND THEY GOT 30. WELL, I GOT CLOSE TO 100. SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A DISCONNECT THERE AND IT
JUST MAKES SENSE. 
          I THINK WE WOULD ALL AGREE TO HAVE IT UNDER ONE ROOF. 
          OKAY. FOR THE SHORT TERM RENTAL. ABSOLUTELY. I REMEMBER SITTING HERE AND SAYING YEAH. 
          AND. AGREEING OR INITIATING. I DON'T RECALL THE EXACT ORDER IT WAS,
BUT I REMEMBER THAT THAT WAS A CONCEPT THAT WE THOUGHT COULD BE MORE EFFICIENTLY HANDLED OVER HERE BECAUSE OF THE MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE ENFORCEMENT ISSUE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT IS, STILL IN OUR PLANS,
IN THE HOLDING PATTERN, WAITING TO SEE HOW TO TRANSITION THAT OVER. 
          JUST BECAUSE I FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT SHORT TERM RENTALS DOESN'T MEAN I FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT
HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. 
          [02:15:03]
BUT I DIDN'T HAVE MY HAND RAISED, SO SAW SOME OTHERS UP. 
          SO I HAD MY HAND RAISED. WOULD YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION? SO AND I WAS GOING TO ASK ALEX OR MARIE, HAS THIS BEEN A HISTORY OF INEFFECTIVENESS OR
LACK OF EFFICIENCY IN THE CURRENT PROCESS, OR WE JUST FEEL THAT IT'S BETTER STREAMLINED IF WE MOVE FORWARD WITH IT ON THE CITY SIDE. 
          ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ALL HOT TAX OR NO HOT TAX? WELL, OKAY. FROM THE CREATION OF THE PARK BOARD THE CITY COLLECTED TAX. 
          IT WAS ONLY. I WAS ON COUNCIL 12 TO 14, AND WE HAD A CITY MANAGER THAT WAS VERY MUCH OVER THAT WHO BROUGHT IN A FINANCE PERSON WHO WAS EVEN MORE OVER HER HEAD. 
          AND THERE WERE CONCERNS. SO IN 2015 WAS WHEN IT WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE,
TO THE PARK BOARD . 
          AND I JUST AS SENATOR BIRDWELL POINTED OUT IN HIS TALKING YESTERDAY IT'S BETTER HAVING THE COMPTROLLER IS USED TO TRANSFERRING CONTACTS TO A MUNICIPALITY, AND WE ARE THE MUNICIPALITY,
SO I SUPPORT THE COLLECTION OF HOT TAX COMING TO THE CITY AS IT'S HISTORICALLY DONE. UNTIL THAT ISSUE IN 2015 THAT YOU REFERRED TO. 
          OKAY. AND FOR ME, IT'S YOU KNOW, WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE THE CONSTANT TRANSFERS. 
          YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO I DON'T LIKE TO TRANSFER,
TRANSFER, TRANSFER. 
          IF WE COLLECT IT, IT'S ONE TRANSFER. IF THERE'S A SHOW UP ABOUT TRANSFERRING BACK OR
TRANSFERRING OVER, IT'S A SMALLER AMOUNT. YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING WAS THE,
YOU KNOW, GLENN SENDS OVER THE AUDIT REPORTS FOR THE SPECIFIC STR. I'M GLAD HE LET US KNOW WHEN THAT WAS HAPPENING. 
          BECAUSE THERE'S A I'M SURE WE I MEAN, WE ALL TALKED ABOUT IT. 
          THERE'S A SIX MONTH TIME FRAME OR THREE YEARS. 
          STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. THERE WAS A SIX MONTH TIME FRAME WHERE THE COLLECTIONS WEREN'T
BEING SENT OUT. 
          AND ONCE IT GOT BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PARK BOARD STAFF. 
          IT WAS DONE VERY QUICKLY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY. I LOOKED THROUGH THE REPORTS WHEN THEY WERE
SENT OVER AND IT WASN'T THEY WEREN'T SENT OVER IN ONE BIG STACK. 
          IT WAS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE SHORTEST TIME PERIOD WAS THREE DAYS BETWEEN EACH OF THOSE. 
          AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S ONE PERSON WHO DOES IT,
YOU KNOW, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD BY MANAGEMENT, BY BRYAN AND DAN THAT THAT PERSON WHO DOES IT WOULD BE OFFERED A JOB AT THE CITY BECAUSE
THEY HAVE AN EXPERTISE IN DOING IT. 
          IT WOULD BE BOLSTERED AND IT WOULD BE JUST, AGAIN,
A PART OF A FUNCTION OF THE CITY, AND IT WOULD MOVE OVER, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY BEING PART OF THE CITY PENSION PLAN AND THOSE THINGS THAT I AM
CONSIDERATE OF WHEN TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYEES. 
          I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A JOB AND IT'S JUST TO BE MORE EFFICIENT. 
          IT'S EFFICIENCY TO ME. THIS IS A SUBJECT ALSO TRUSTEES,
THAT IS IN THE DISCUSSION PHASE AT COUNCIL'S LEVEL AT THIS POINT. 
          ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS? YES. I WAS GOING TO KIND OF GO BACK TO A PREVIOUS COMMENT
THAT, AGAIN, I'M NOT NECESSARILY AGAINST THIS. THAT'S THE WAY IT STARTED. 
          BUT I WOULD REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND IN MORE DETAIL THE IMPACT ON PARK BOARD AND THE
IMPACT ON THE CITY. 
          YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES? I JUST DON'T HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THAT YET. 
          SO I GOT A COUPLE IN. I AGREE WITH WHAT BOB SAID. 
          I THINK WE HAVE TO MAKE DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS. 
          AND LOOKING BACK ON THE SUCCESS AND THE GROWTH OF HOT COLLECTIONS,
THE DATA DOESN'T TELL ME THAT ANYTHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. 
          ALSO, WE'RE INCENTIVIZED TO DO IT WELL BECAUSE IT'S THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR ORGANIZATION. 
          AND I'M YET TO HEAR ANY OF OUR TAX COLLECTORS,
WHEN WE BE SPECIFIC ON WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. 
          HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX TAX PAID BY TOURISTS. THE TAX COLLECTORS ARE THE BUSINESSES. 
          I AM YET TO HEAR OF ANY THAT ASK FOR ANY TRANSITION OF IT. 
          AND IF THERE ARE, IF THERE'S A GROUNDSWELL OF PEOPLE IN THE HOTEL BUSINESS AND SHORT TERM
RENTAL BUSINESS WHO WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THE HOT OVER FROM THE PARK BOARD TO THE CITY. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM THEM. 
          AND THEN ALSO, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO WAIT TO SEE HOW THESE BILLS GO,
AND WE CAN'T MAKE ANY DECISION TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THESE BILLS THAT ARE IN THE SENATE AS WELL. 
          WELL, SO LET'S SEE HOW THOSE ARE. IT ACTUALLY ALREADY HAS BEEN AMENDED TO GO TO THE
MUNICIPALITY. 
          IF YOU READ THE AMENDMENTS TO BIRDWELL, AGAIN,
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS. 
          [02:20:03]
LET'S WAIT AND SEE HOW THESE BILLS. WELL, THERE'S ANOTHER BILL THAT I MEAN,
I WANT TO GET SOMETHING DONE, BUT THEN THERE'S ANOTHER BILL THAT TREATS HOT TAX,
WHICH I'M REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF AS EVEN THE CITY HOT AS IT GOES TO THE COMPTROLLER. 
          THE COMPTROLLER DISTRIBUTES IT TO THE MUNICIPALITY AND THEN WE DISTRIBUTE IT. 
          IT WOULD SAVE EVERYBODY A HEADACHE FROM DOING THAT. 
          BUT THIS LEGISLATURE, WE CAN'T WE CAN'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THEIR MINDS AND WE DON'T HAVE THE
INFLUENCE TO INFLUENCE THEM. 
          I AGREE. SO I AGREE WITH YOU. LET'S WAIT AND SEE HOW. 
          NO, NO, I DON'T WANT TO WAIT. I DIDN'T SAY I WANT TO WAIT. 
          I SAID THAT I WANT TO MOVE THE FUNCTION OVER,
BUT WE CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS. 
          I MEAN, THE LAW DOESN'T TAKE EFFECT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 31ST,
WHEN THEY GENERALLY PASS IT. 
          30TH, 31ST. YEAH. VERY GOOD. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS SUBJECT? I WANT TO MOVE TO FIRST OF ALL, I WANT HOUSEKEEPING. 
          [3.F. Discussion Of Beach Vendor Agreements, Reimbursement Policies And A Path Forward To Address The Concerns Associated With The Question Of Private Ownership of Beachfront Land ]
ITEM THREE IS ON THE JANELLE READ THAT IF YOU WOULD PLEASE. 
          3F? YES, MA'AM. DISCUSSION OF BEACH VENDOR AGREEMENTS,
REIMBURSEMENT POLICIES, AND A PATH FORWARD TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THE QUESTION OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF BEACHFRONT LAND. 
          I HAVE A CONFLICT ON THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          DON, YOU HAD ADVISED US. I THINK, JIM, WOULD YOU COME FORWARD? I YOU HAD GIVEN INPUT ON THIS SUBJECT MIGHT BE ONE THAT WE WANT TO DISCUSS AT A LATER DATE
DUE TO POTENTIAL LITIGATION, IS THAT CORRECT? I RELATED TO YOU THAT BECAUSE,
MR. BYRAM, SOME HEARTACHE DOES NOT CAUSE ME AS MUCH AS FOR HIM. 
          BUT I TOLD HIM I WOULD RELATE THAT ISSUE TO YOU DOING SO. 
          THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL ISSUES. WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE NEED FOR LITIGATION. 
          LITIGATION IS POSSIBLE. I THINK PICK IT UP. IT'S THE SAME THING I SAID BEFORE. 
          I WILL AGREE WITH MR. GLYWASKY ON THAT. THERE'S. 
          BOTH IN TERMS OF, OF LEGAL ADVICE THAT'S BEEN GIVEN AND IN TERMS OF,
OF THE LEGAL CHOICES THAT WE NOW ARE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE. 
          I THINK IT'S I WOULD HAVE TO ADVISE MY CLIENTS NOT TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND WAIVE THEIR
PRIVILEGES AT THIS POINT. 
          ONE DAY. YEAH I AGREE. PERSONALLY, I'M IN FAVOR OF THAT COUNCIL IF WE CAN MOVE ON. 
          I'M VERY OPEN TO DO THAT. FINE WITH ME. YEAH. 
          VERY GOOD. LET'S MOVE. LET'S MOVE TO ITEM THREE,
PLEASE. 
          [3.D. Discussion Of The Approval Process For Special Projects And Capital Improvement Projects ]
EXCUSE ME. SHOULD WE GET ALEX? YEAH. HE I'LL GET HIM. 
          I DON'T 3D IF WE COULD. DISCUSSION OF THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS AND
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. 
          JASON, I WOULD LIKE. OR MAYBE BRYSON, I'D LIKE TO HAVE YOU OUTLINE THE WAY YOU UNDERSTAND
THE APPROVAL. 
          WE WE'VE TABLED THAT DISCUSSION. YEAH. IF YOU COULD OUTLINE THE WAY YOU UNDERSTAND IT ON
THE APPROVAL FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE ON THIS. 
          IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WHEN THE BUDGET IS APPROVED,
APPROVED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS CAN BE DELAYED AND TAKEN OUT OF THE BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS, WHICH REQUIRES SPECIFIC APPROVAL LATER ON. 
          WHAT IS THE WHERE THAT COMES TO AN ISSUE IS AN ISSUE OF EFFICIENCY. 
          WHEN WE SEE HOW MUCH INFLATION CAN BE SO COSTLY IN EVERYTHING,
WE FEEL LIKE THAT WE NEED AN UP OR DOWN DECISION WHEN IT'S QUICKER THAN WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW FROM COUNCIL ON THAT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT KIMBERLY, ALSO ADVISING ONE OF YOU ALL MAY BE ABLE TO EXPAND ON IT A
LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE DETAILS ON HOW THAT IS AFFECTING OPERATIONS. OKAY. HEY, BRYSON. GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          COUNCIL. MR. CHAIR. MAYOR. THERE. SO FOR US,
ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE RAN INTO WHEN WE STARTED DOING THE BUDGET CONTRACT WAS EXACTLY WHAT JASON SAID, THE APPROVAL OF THE OPERATING BUDGET. 
          BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, A MONTH, TWO MONTHS, THREE MONTHS LATER,
YOU HAVE APPROVAL OF THE CAPITAL BUDGET OR SPECIAL PROJECT BUDGET. 
          WHEN YOU TAKE A QUARTER OUT OF THE EQUATION,
IT REALLY PUTS A HAMPER ON US ACTUALLY EXECUTING THOSE PROJECTS. 
          SOMETIMES IT WILL CAUSE THEM TO EITHER NOT BE EXECUTED OR DELAYED AND SPILLED INTO ANOTHER
FISCAL YEAR. 
          SO, SO JUST FROM AN EFFICIENCY STANDPOINT, FROM A PLANNING STANDPOINT,
FROM AN INFLATION STANDPOINT, IF WE COULD DEVELOP A PROCESS WHERE THOSE ARE GETTING REVIEWED AND APPROVED RIGHT AT THE
SAME TIME THAT THE OPERATING BUDGET IS GETTING REVIEWED AND APPROVED, IT WOULD ALLOW US TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPEDIENT WHEN IT COMES TO EXECUTING THOSE
PROJECTS. 
          [02:25:02]
VERY GOOD. SO JUST TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND, CAN YOU GIVE ME SPECIFICS LIKE SPECIFIC PROJECTS
THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO THAT HAVE BEEN DELAYED OR THIS THE QUICKER DECISION, ISN'T HAD A CAUSE AND EFFECT. 
          YEAH. NO. ABSOLUTELY. SO IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE CAPITAL AND I'M SORRY,
I DON'T HAVE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAD LISTED IN THERE,
THERE WERE SOME OF THOSE THAT I DON'T THINK GOT APPROVED UNTIL IT WAS DECEMBER, I BELIEVE IT WAS. AND THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN 24. I COULD BE COMPLAINING 24 AND 25. 
          BUT THERE'S A COUPLE OF INSTANCES WHERE THAT'S ABSOLUTELY HAPPENED. 
          WE'VE HAD YOU KNOW, THIS ISN'T THE BEST EXAMPLE BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL
DISCUSSING AT THIS TABLE HERE, BUT THE RV PARK IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE BUDGET AT SEAWOLF FOR SEVERAL YEARS. 
          IT JUST ALWAYS SEEMS TO GET TAKEN OUT AND DELAYED. 
          WHICH IS FINE. THAT'S THAT'S COUNCIL'S PREROGATIVE. 
          IT'S THEIR PROPERTY. BUT THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. 
          I'D HAVE TO PULL THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN IN FRONT OF YOU TO LIST SPECIFIC PROJECTS,
BUT THERE'S BEEN A HANDFUL. CAN YOU GET CAN YOU HELP US? I MEAN, AT LEAST HELP ME TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO MAKE THAT MORE EFFICIENT BY GETTING US A
LIST OF SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY AFFECTED. WAYFINDING WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IN 2024. 
          SO THE WAYFINDING PROJECT WAS DELAYED. WE WEREN'T ABLE TO KICK IT OFF. AND SO WE HAD TO
DELAY THAT AND MOVE THAT INTO THE 2025 BUDGET, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO DO CONTRACTING AND CONTRACTING TAKES A COUPLE OF MONTHS. 
          SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE WEREN'T ACTUALLY ABLE TO BEGIN EXECUTING ON THAT PROJECT UNTIL HALFWAY
THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR. 
          SO WE HAD TO MOVE THAT INTO 2025. AND AS FAR AS THE IMPROVEMENTS GO,
I THINK WE CAN I DON'T THINK WE'RE ASKING FOR ANYTHING THAT'S EXCEPTIONAL. I THINK IT'S JUST MAYBE MEETING WITH COUNCIL A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ON THE
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND THE BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS SO THAT YOU HAVE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON IT. YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS,
US MEETING WITH STAFF EARLY ON IT SO THAT WHEN WE GET TO THE TIME FOR YOU TO VOTE IN SEPTEMBER, YOU'VE GOT ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED THAT HOPEFULLY WE WOULD BE ABLE TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE ON OCTOBER 1ST. 
          NOW, CERTAINLY IF THERE ARE ITEMS ON THERE COUNCIL MEMBER RAWLINS THAT YOU ALL AREN'T IN
APPROVAL WITH, OR YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE
GOING TO BE DELAYED. 
          BUT THE SOONER THAT WE CAN START WITH, THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR IS JUST A LITTLE
BIT MORE EFFICIENT FOR US IN TERMS OF KNOCKING THOSE THINGS OUT. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR OPERATIONS BEING SO SEASONAL,
SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE SUPER CRITICAL THAT WE START THEM IN THE FALL AND IN THE WINTER INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR APPROVAL IN DECEMBER. AND THEN WE'RE BUTTING UP ON THE SPRING,
AND WE HAVE CONSTRUCTION POSSIBLY HAPPENING IN A PARK OR ON A BEACH FRONT THAT REALLY IT COULD HAVE BEEN MANAGED IN THE SHOULDER SEASON,
AND WE DON'T WANT TO IMPEDE THE TRAFFIC THERE. AGAIN, I'M NOT IN NO WAY AM I LIKE YOU KNOW, INTERROGATING. IT'S JUST SIMPLY A QUESTION. 
          I MEAN, SURE, IF EVERYONE KEEPS IN, YOU KNOW,
IN CONSIDERING YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO BASICALLY 13 MONTHS AGO, YOU KNOW, BEAU RAWLINS WASN'T HERE,
AND I'VE ONLY GOT TWO YEARS, RIGHT? THAT'S GUARANTEED THAT I'M HERE UNLESS I REALLY SCREW UP,
WHICH I DON'T PLAN ON IT. 
          BUT I'M SAYING LIKE SO YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'S POTENTIALLY A TURNOVER EVERY TWO YEARS. 
          AND SO TO ME IT'S A, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF A DOUBLE. 
          I'M GONNA USE THAT WORD. I'M KIND OF SICK OF IT. 
          COLLABORATION. BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS LIKE IF,
IF WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION EARLIER, I MEAN, I THINK BOTH SIDES CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT. 
          ME, I CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT JUST SIMPLY IN UNDERSTANDING. 
          AGAIN, IN A PROCESS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE GOT IN HERE AND WE,
WE HIT THE LEARNING CURVE QUICK. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, LIKE I'M SAYING, LIKE Y'ALL, Y'ALL BEEN HERE A WHILE,
RIGHT? Y'ALL, BEEN IN THIS PROCESS A WHILE, AND SOME OF US,
WE'VE BEEN HERE A YEAR. 
          SO, I MEAN, WE'RE JUST LEARNING EACH OTHER. REALLY,
ALL, YOU KNOW, IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT. 
          AND SO I'D LOVE TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN EVERY WAY TO SAVE THE TAXPAYERS DOLLAR. 
          AND. BUT I'VE GOT TO BE NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE SUBJECTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
SPECIFICALLY, SO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND IT IN A WAY THAT, OKAY,
HERE'S A PROJECT. 
          I KNOW IT'S WHATEVER THE PROJECT MAY BE TO GET A VISUALIZATION THAT,
OKAY, I'M UNDERSTANDING THE LENGTH OF TIME, THE PLANNING PROCESS, THE IMPLEMENTING PROCESS,
MOBILIZATION UNTIL THE FINAL, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S PRODUCED FINAL. 
          SO JUST TO HELP US AND JUST TO KEEP IN CONSIDERATION,
YOU KNOW, HEY, THIS GUY'S BEEN A COUPLE OF GUYS. 
          THREE GUYS HAVE BEEN HERE ONE YEAR AND WE'RE JUMPING IN AND WE'RE TRYING TO MEET
EFFICIENCIES AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR, YOU KNOW, PERFORM OUR FIDUCIARY DUTIES TO THE TAXPAYER AND ALL THE ABOVE. 
          SO AGAIN, I THINK IT'S MORE OF A COMMUNICATION THING. 
          THE QUICKER YOU HAVE A PLAN, THE QUICKER THAT YOU ALL HAVE AN IDEA,
EVEN IF IT'S IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE BEGINNING STAGES, STAGES OF JUST TALK, YOU KNOW,
LIKE THAT'LL HELP US BE MORE EFFICIENT. 
          [02:30:06]
UNDERSTOOD? AND WE GO AHEAD. IF I COULD, MR. MAYOR. 
          AND AS YOU RESPOND, BRYSON, COULD YOU ALSO ADDRESS. 
          WHAT DO YOU MEAN EARLIER? WHAT'S THE EARLIEST THAT YOU COULD COME FORWARD? SO THAT WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING I WAS GOING TO MENTION. BASED OFF OF COUNCILMAN RAWLINS
COMMENTS THERE, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ACHIEVE. WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON OUR DRAFT
BUDGETS RIGHT NOW. 
          THE PROCESS IS ALREADY BEGUN. CAPITAL IS OBVIOUSLY A PART OF THAT PROCESS. 
          WHAT I'M THINKING COULD POSSIBLY BE A SUGGESTION. 
          JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. HERE IS THE TRUSTEES LOOK AT THE FINAL BUDGET BEFORE IT GOES
TO COUNCIL AND PUTS THEIR STAMP OF APPROVAL ON IT IN JULY. 
          I'M WONDERING IF AT SOME POINT, AT THAT POINT,
WE COULD ALSO MAYBE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM ON COUNCIL WHERE WE'RE JUST PRESENTING. 
          HERE'S WHAT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS WHAT'S BEING
CONSIDERED BY THE TRUSTEES. 
          THERE'S POSSIBILITIES TO START THAT PROCESS IN JULY. 
          THAT WAY THERE'S A GOOD 60 DAYS BEFORE FINAL APPROVAL IN SEPTEMBER. 
          AND ABSOLUTELY, WHEN WE DO FINALLY PRESENT OUR FIRST DRAFT OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PLAN, WHICH WILL HAPPEN IN MAY. MAYBE EVEN JUST GETTING A DRAFT SENT TO YOU GUYS. 
          MAYBE NOT A COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM, BUT JUST A DRAFT FOR YOU TO LOOK AT,
AND THEN A COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM IN JULY WHERE WE CAN JUST PRESENT IT. 
          IT'S NOT A CONSIDERATION ITEM, IT'S JUST PRESENTATION BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSED. 
          SO AT LEAST THERE'S A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME WHERE YOU ARE ASKED TO VOTE ON IT. 
          I THINK WE COULD MAKE THAT HAPPEN ON OUR END. 
          AND I WANT TO. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND SPECIAL
PROJECTS? ARE THEY DIFFERENT? ABSOLUTELY. SO THAT'S ACTUALLY A REALLY GOOD POINT TOO. I THINK ONE OF
THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS COUNCILMAN RAWLINS, IS WHAT PROJECTS ACTUALLY NEED TO BE APPROVED. 
          RIGHT, RIGHT. I'M SURE IF WE'RE GOING TO BUY A $20,000,
YOU KNOW, VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC DIAGNOSTICS MACHINE, I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH TIME YOU GUYS WANT TO SPEND ON THAT,
BUT IF WE'RE DOING A BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT OR SOMETHING, I'M SURE THAT WOULD BE OF MORE INTEREST. SO I THINK DEFINING WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS DO YOU GUYS EVEN WANT TO SEE? WOULD BE USEFUL. WE HAVE THE 2019 LOCAL AS A GUIDE. 
          I THINK IT'S PROJECTS 120 OR 135,000 OR MORE. 
          YEAH, BUT OPEN TO, YOU KNOW, NEW GUIDELINES AND STUFF LIKE THAT I THINK WOULD BE A REALLY
GOOD START. 
          BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MR. MAYOR, CAPITAL PROJECTS FOR US IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING
THAT, YOU KNOW, IS EITHER AN IMPROVEMENT TO THE LAND A MAJOR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT,
SOMETHING THAT HAS A VALUE OF $5,000 OR MORE AND A USEFUL LIFE OF MORE THAN A YEAR, OR ANY SORT OF IMPROVEMENT. OF COURSE, THAT WOULD BE ANY BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT,
ANYTHING LIKE THAT IT'S GOING TO ABSOLUTELY BE CONSIDERED CAPITAL. A SPECIAL PROJECT IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN NATURE. A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT WOULD BE THE TRAVEL
TRADE PROJECT THAT WE HAD THAT WE PRESENTED ON EARLIER. 
          WAYFINDING IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT, ALTHOUGH THERE'S SOME CAPITAL TYPE STUFF,
BUT THERE TOO, WHEN YOU'RE FIXING SIGNS TO THE GROUND AND STUFF. 
          BUT THOSE WOULD BE TYPICALLY MORE YOUR SPECIAL PROJECT TYPE STUFF. 
          IT'S NOT IT'S NOT AN IMPROVEMENT TO AN EXISTING STRUCTURE OR EXISTING LAND. 
          IT'S NOT EQUIPMENT. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN NATURE. 
          VERY GOOD. BOB ON OUR END. BOB. AND THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT APPROACH TO ME,
YOU KNOW, TO PUT THESE, THESE SPECIAL PROJECTS AND CAPITAL PROJECTS IN A LITTLE BIT IN ADVANCE OF
THE BUDGET BECAUSE THAT'S THAT'S WHERE WE'RE REALLY GOING TO APPROVE ALL THIS STUFF. 
          AND I THINK THAT ALSO HELPS US TO GET A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD WITH IMPROVING OUR
COLLABORATION AND BUILDING TRUST BY BEING MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT ALL THAT. 
          THAT SEEMS TO WORK WITHIN THE BUDGET FLOW, WHICH IS REALLY DRIVING EVERYTHING WE DO. 
          BUT ALSO, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THERE MAY COME UP PROJECTS DURING THE YEAR THAT ARE IN EXCESS
OF $125,000. 
          YOU CAN'T THINK OF EVERYTHING A YEAR OUT. AND SO SOME OF THESE MAY COME UP. 
          AND SO WE WOULD BE COMING BACK OR THE PARK BOARD WOULD BE COMING BACK TO CITY COUNCIL WITH
THOSE FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL. 
          RIGHT. WE REALLY HAVE THAT HAPPEN. WELL, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. 
          IF YOU'RE APPROVING A PROJECT CONCEPTUALLY, IF COUNCIL WANTED US TO BRING SOMETHING BACK
WHEN IT WAS TIME TO, YOU KNOW, SHOVEL IN THE GROUND, WE COULD BRING IT. 
          YEAH. BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW WELL DEVELOPED. 
          EVERY ONE OF YOUR PROJECTS IS GOING TO BE IN JULY. GOTCHA. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE OR SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, BUT BUT IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO REVIEW THOSE PROJECTS AGAINST OUR GOALS THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED AT MEETINGS LIKE THIS. AND,
YOU KNOW, OUR MISSION AND ALL THAT. 
          SO WE CAN RELATE ALL THAT BACK AND IN A TIMELY FASHION. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST IN CASE, JUST THEORETICALLY,
IF ANY OTHER PROJECT CAME UP DOWN THE ROAD THAT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT, DID NOT TALK ABOUT, THEN THAT WOULD AUTOMATICALLY COME BACK TO COUNCIL FOR DISCUSSION IF IT EXCEEDED $125,000. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. ONE OF THE THINGS IF I. OH,
SORRY BEAU. 
          PIGGYBACKING ON WHAT BOB SAID AND BEAU, I HAD THE SAME KIND OF THOUGHTS MYSELF. 
          IT'S GOING TO BE INCUMBENT ON OUR STAFF TO TRY TO HAVE THAT PROJECT ACT AS CLEAR AND
CONCISE AND DEFINED AS POSSIBLE WHEN WE PRESENT IT. AND THEN WE WOULD ASK YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL ,
TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO GO AHEAD AND APPROVE IT WITH THE BUDGET, 
          [02:35:09]
SO THAT IF THERE HAVE BEEN SOME SEEMS TO ME THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CASES WHERE PROJECTS THAT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN APPROVED HAD WE DONE A LITTLE BIT BETTER JOB OF EXPLAINING AND YOU DONE A LITTLE BIT BETTER JOB OF INVESTIGATING. 
          SO I THINK THE MAJOR FOCUS IS THIS IS TO HAVE BOTH SIDES COMMIT TO COMING WITH A,
WITH A WELL DEFINED PRESENTATION AND THEN COUNCIL TAKING A VERY THOROUGH LOOK AT IT AT THE TIME IT'S
PRESENTED, AND SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE IT TAKES YOUR TIME AND STAFF TIME FOR US TO COME
BACK, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL TIMES. SO IF WE CAN PREPARE THIS IN ADVANCE,
HAVE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND MAKE THAT ONE PRESENTATION, IT'S GOING TO SAVE CITY STAFF, PARK BOARD STAFF,
AND THE COUNCIL AND TRUSTEES ALL SOME TIME BY CUTTING THE AGENDA. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE REALLY ASKING FOR? YEAH. AND WE CAN GET THAT. THERE'S NO DOUBT WE CAN PUT THAT ON THE JULY AGENDA FOR COUNCIL
TO HAVE A PRESENTATION ON YOUR SPECIAL PROJECTS AND CIP. 
          OKAY. MAYOR, MAY I ASK, IS IT THE INTENTION THAT THE PARK BOARD WOULD GO DIRECTLY TO CITY
COUNCIL WITH THEIR PROPOSAL, OR WOULD THEY BE WORKING WITH CITY STAFF AHEAD OF GOING TO COUNCIL? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, DON. PERSONALLY, I THINK AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE TIMING ALLOWS
THIS FOR YOU TO VISIT WITH CITY STAFF AND BRING THEM UP TO SPEED ON THESE PROJECTS BEFORE THEY COME TO US IN JULY. 
          ABSOLUTELY. LAST YEAR, EVERY TIME WE HAD A COMMITTEE MEETING AND WE REVIEWED THE BUDGET,
I SENT THAT INFORMATION OVER TO CITY STAFF. 
          BUT THEY'RE REALLY BUSY WITH THEIR BUDGET TOO. 
          DURING THAT TIME FRAME, IT'S AN INCREDIBLY BUSY TIME FOR BOTH ME AND MY STAFF AND SHEILA
AND HERS. 
          BUT MAYBE THERE'S A WAY THAT WE COULD WORK ON THAT BEFORE WE ACTUALLY BRING IT TO COUNCIL
AS AN AGENDA ITEM. 
          THAT WOULD BE GOOD. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE MOVING RIGHT ALONG HERE. 
          I'M GOING TO PUT THIS TO BED TOO 3J, PLEASE. 3J DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS OF THE PARK
BOARD 'S CURRENT CONFLICT OF 
          [3.J. Discussion Of The Findings Of The Park Board’s Current Conflict Of Interest Audit ]
INTEREST AUDIT. COUNCILMAN PORRETTO. I'M GOING TO DEFER. 
          I GUESS. OKAY. I DON'T IF ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO SAY ANYTHING ON IT. 
          I DON'T HAVE ANY BUT COUNCIL. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT ITEM? OKAY. YEAH. NONE HERE. ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE TO THE. 
          WE'RE MOVING BACKWARDS NOW. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO GO TO ADJOURNMENT. [LAUGHTER] I WAS
GOING TO SAY YOU WERE GETTING CLOSE. 
          TWO MORE ITEMS. 3C IS OUR UPDATE. I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. 
          [3.C. Update And Discussion Of The Interlocal Agreement ]
JANELLE. UPDATE AND DISCUSSION OF THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT. 
          IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING STAFF IS WAITING FOR DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL ON SOME OF THESE ISSUES
THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING AGAIN ON APRIL 24TH, 24TH, BEFORE REALLY AN INTERLOCAL CAN BE FINALIZED ON WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE
WANT TO DO. 
          SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING FROM STAFF THAT WE'RE WAITING. 
          THEY'RE WAITING TO GET DEFINITE VOTING APPROVAL FROM COUNCIL ON WHERE WE WANT TO GO WITH
THESE PROJECTS OR WITH THESE TOPICS WE'VE DISCUSSED, AND THEN THEY WILL GET WITH YOU TO FINALIZE THE INTERLOCAL. 
          OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? THERE? YEAH. YES SIR. 
          WHERE IS THE PARK BOARD ON THEIR REVIEW OF THE INTERLOCAL AND WHATEVER KIND OF
MODIFICATIONS MIGHT BE MADE? I BELIEVE IT WAS FEBRUARY. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. 
          THERE WAS A COPY OF THE INTERLOCAL CONTRACT. THE CURRENT ONE THAT WAS CREATED IN 2019. 
          WAS SENT OUT AND FOR REVIEW OF THE TRUSTEES,
BUT THAT IS, THAT'S IT. 
          BECAUSE IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT PARK BOARD STAFF IS WAITING ON CITY OF GALVESTON STAFF
TO GET THEIR DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL . 
          OKAY. VERY GOOD. ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE TO ITEM. 
          THIS IS OUR LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA ITEM 3 B AS IN BOY. 
          [3.B. Discussion Of Key Performance Indicators For 2025 - 2026 ]
ITEM 3 B DISCUSSION OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR 2025 AND 2026. 
          THIS IS AN ITEM THAT I'M JUST GOING TO RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE TO TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. 
          SO THAT'S ANY? SURE. I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP BRYSON FRAZIER. 
          WE DID ANOTHER DIRECTION THAT WE TOOK FROM COUNCIL WAS TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MEASURE
SUCCESS, IF IN FACT, WE ARE ACHIEVING SUCCESS. AND BRYSON HAS PUT TOGETHER SOME IDEAS,
ALONG WITH THE INPUT OF TRUSTEES, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN THE THE ISSUE OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 
          [02:40:08]
WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THESE ITEMS CONSIDERED THAT WE REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL ON A ROUTINE
BASIS. 
          SOME OF IT WOULD BE MORE FREQUENT THAN OTHERS. 
          BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE THINK DEMONSTRATE THAT WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR
RESPONSIBILITIES. 
          AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO BRYSON. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MR. MAYOR AND TRUSTEES AND COUNCIL MEMBERS . 
          SORRY I HAVE TO BORE YOU GUYS WITH THE VERY LAST ITEM WITH A BUNCH OF DATA FIGURES. 
          BUT WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS WHAT WE PUT TOGETHER. 
          WE'RE LOOKING AT 23 AND 24. I UNDERSTAND THE AGENDA ITEMS FOR 25 AND 26,
BUT WHEN WE MET IN OCTOBER, COUNCIL'S DIRECTION WAS THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE,
SOME KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FROM THE PARK BOARD THAT WE WANT TO SEE ON A SEMI-REGULAR BASIS INDICATING YOUR PERFORMANCE. SO WHAT WE DID IS WE STARTED OUT AT OUR COMMITTEE
LEVEL, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. THEN WE TOOK IT UP TO THE BOARD. AND THESE WERE THE KPIS THAT WE
THOUGHT WOULD BE OF THE MOST INTEREST TO COUNCIL IN THE PUBLIC. 
          BUT OF COURSE, WE'RE OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS. 
          THERE'S SOME FINANCIAL KPIS, THERE'S SOME TOURISM DEVELOPMENT KPIS. 
          AND OF COURSE THERE'S SOME OPERATIONAL KPIS. FROM THE FINANCIAL STANDPOINT,
OF COURSE, TOTAL HOT COLLECTIONS AND THE PERCENTAGE OF SHORT TERM RENTALS IN TERMS OF HOT COLLECTIONS, I KNOW IS A DATA THAT I PRESENT PRETTY REGULARLY. 
          SO I FIGURED IT WOULD BE SOMETHING YOU GUYS WOULD WANT TO SEE. THE OTHER THING THAT WE
ALSO HAVE IN HERE IS THE PAYMENTS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM AIRBNB AND VRBO. 
          SINCE THE ORDINANCE CHANGE WENT INTO EFFECT IN AUGUST OF 21,
YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME SAY IT A BUNCH, THAT I THOUGHT THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT MOVE BY COUNCIL WHEN THEY DID THAT. 
          IT'S GENERATED ALMOST $6 MILLION A YEAR IN ADDITIONAL HOT COLLECTIONS. 
          SO I DO TRACK THOSE AND I DO LIKE TO PRESENT ON THOSE. 
          OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE REVENUE SHARING ITEM HERE TOO. 
          NOW, THAT INCLUDES STRAIGHT REVENUE SHARE, LIKE THE ADVERTISING REVENUE AND THE REVENUE
FROM THE PARKS. 
          IT ALSO INCLUDES THE NON TRADITIONAL, LIKE THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY'S MAINTENANCE AND
CAPITAL RESERVE FUNDS FROM, SAY, THE PARKING TRANSACTIONS ON SEAWALL URBAN PARK. 
          SO THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE PUT IN THERE. THERE'S ALSO TOTAL EXPENSES. 
          SO YOU GET TO SEE TOTAL EXPENSES FOR THE PARK BOARD ,
BROKEN DOWN BY SEVERAL CATEGORIES CAPITAL, FEMA GRANTS, DEBT AND LEASES, SPECIAL PROJECTS. 
          REVENUE SHARING AND CONTRIBUTIONS, MATERIAL SERVICES AND SUPPLIES AND PERSONNEL. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT. 
          ON THE NEXT PAGE, YOU SEE SOME TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL KPIS ON THE
ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE. 
          BEACH CLEANING. THE CLEANUPS AND PARTICIPATION RANK THE INDICATOR SHOWING NUMBER OF
ORGANIZED CLEANUP EVENTS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. 
          EVENTS. THERE'S THE BEACH TOY BOX PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE. 
          SO WE'RE LISTING HOW MANY OF THOSE BOXES WE HAVE. 
          THEN, OF COURSE, THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT WE MONITOR,
LIKE THE USE OF EQUIPMENT AND THINGS THAT ENHANCE VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND PROMOTES THE SUSTAINABLE BEACH ENVIRONMENT. RIGHT. WE WANT PEOPLE TO TO TAKE CARE OF THESE BEACHES AS
MUCH AS WE LIKE TO CLEAN THEM AND MAINTAIN THEM. 
          WE HAVE COASTAL SCIENCE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE IN THERE. 
          RIGHT. SO THERE'S THE WOMEN IN COASTAL SCIENCE AND THOSE EVENTS AND ENGAGEMENTS THAT WE
HAVE REINFORCING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. 
          THERE'S THE UP TO U METRICS. THAT'S THE UP TO U BAG AND BOX UTILIZATIONS,
REFLECTING PUBLIC USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY TOOLS THAT WE PROVIDE ALONG THE BEACHFRONT. THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE. 
          FROM THE PARK'S COASTAL ZONE AND BEACH PATROL KPI STANDPOINT,
THERE'S THE OPERATIONAL METRICS. 
          THERE'S THE SEAWALL URBAN PARK, THAT'S SEAWALL URBAN PARK. 
          THAT'S THE NUMBER OF PARKING TRANSACTIONS. ON THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT SIDE. 
          IT SHOWS TOTAL CONTACTS WITH MARINE WILDLIFE. 
          SOMETIMES OUR STAFF DOES ENGAGE WITH MARINE WILDLIFE OR HAVE CONTACT WITH THEM. 
          THEY ARE TRAINED ON ON WHAT TO DO IN THOSE SITUATIONS. 
          OF COURSE, THERE'S THE TRASH AND DEBRIS COLLECTION. COLLECTION? STRAIGHT UP POUNDS OF TRASH BEING PICKED UP OFF THE BEACH. I THINK THAT'S ALL A METRIC
THAT BOTH THE PUBLIC AND MEMBERS OF THESE TWO BODIES WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING. 
          ON THE BEACH PATROL SIDE, THERE'S PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS THAT WE TAKE. 
          AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE SAFETY OUTREACH. THOSE ARE TRACKING MEASURES RELATED TO
MAINTAINING PUBLIC SAFETY AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, INCLUDING WATER SAFETY TALKS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIONS. 
          NOT ONLY DOES OUR BEACH PATROL GO OUT AND SAVE PEOPLE,
BUT THEY ALSO DO WATER SAFETY TALKS IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AREAS, INCLUDING AT SOME LOCAL SCHOOLS, TO TRY TO GET PEOPLE AWARE OF HOW TO BE SAFE ON THE BEACH
BEFORE THEY EVEN GET HERE. 
          THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL METRICS THAT INCLUDE THEIR MEDICAL CALLS,
HOW MANY MEDICAL CALLS THAT THEY HAVE TO RESPOND TO, THE ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS THAT THEY TAKE, WATER RESPONSE,
AND TOTAL OVERALL PATROL HOURS. 
          THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME OUT THERE ON THE BEACH DOING THEIR PATROLLING ACTIONS. 
          [02:45:04]
ALL THESE THINGS ARE VITAL FOR ENSURING SAFE AND ENJOYABLE BEACH EXPERIENCES. 
          SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING. 
          SEAWOLF PARK VISITATION AND OF COURSE THE CALENDAR YEAR TOURISM KPIS. 
          SO WHEN IT COMES TO SEAWOLF VISITATION, THERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF THE VISITATION,
BOTH FROM A RESIDENT FISHING AND RESIDENT PARKING STANDPOINT TO A NON RESIDENT FISHING AND PARKING. AND WE ALSO ADDED IN TOTAL VISITORS TO THE SEVEN SHIP MUSEUMS THAT ARE OUT THERE. 
          SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE FOR 23. AND THEN 24 IS A NONRESIDENT PARKING. 
          I'M JUST CURIOUS, HOW DID THAT GO DOWN? BY 40,000 IN A YEAR? MAYBE A MISPRINT. OH THAT'S A THERE'S A PRICING CHANGES. 
          SO WHAT WE DID IN FY 24 IS WE'RE CHARGING LESS FOR PARKING. 
          AND IF YOU ACTUALLY GO TO FISH YOU PAY FOR FISHING. AND THEN PARKING IS INCLUDED. 
          SO IT'S NOT SEPARATELY CHARGED FOR IS THE PRICING MODEL CHANGES? GOOD QUESTION THOUGH. 
          WHEN IT COMES TO THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT KPIS,
YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE OCCUPANCY RATES, AVERAGE DAILY RATE AND THE REV PAR THAT YOU CAN SEE THERE FOR 23 AND 24. THOSE ARE GOING TO BE ON A FISCAL YEAR BASIS,
OR AT LEAST THEY WERE HERE WHEN WE PUT THIS KPI SHEET TOGETHER. 
          AND THEN YOU HAVE KPIS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR. THIS IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY THAT WE DO
EVERY YEAR. 
          YOU'LL SEE FY 24 WE DON'T HAVE. WE HOPE TO HAVE THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU IN MAY. 
          BUT YOU CAN SEE TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS TOTAL NUMBER OF ROOM NIGHTS BOOKED THROUGH VISIT
GALVESTON. 
          AVERAGE SPEND FOR JUST THE DAY VISITOR. THE DAY TRIPPER. 
          AVERAGE SPEND FOR YOUR OVERNIGHT VISITOR. AVERAGE SPEND PER CRUISE VISITOR. 
          AND OF COURSE, ESTIMATED SALES AND PROPERTY TAX GENERATED FROM TOURISM. 
          AND WITH THAT, MR. MAYOR. I'LL STOP TALKING. THIS IS EXTREMELY GOOD. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THIS IS THIS IS VERY,
VERY GOOD. 
          THE ONLY THING I'D LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO THAT IF YOU'RE DOING IT FOR THAT YEAR OF YEAR
REPORT, I'D LIKE TO GET AN OVERVIEW RESPONSE ON YOUR RESIDENTS SENTIMENT SURVEY YOU INCLUDED IN
THIS. 
          AND ALSO, I THINK YOU DO A SURVEY OF THE TOURISTS AND THEIR OPINION OF GALVESTON AND SO
FORTH. 
          I'D LIKE TO SEE AN OVERVIEW, KIND OF A SYNOPSIS OF THAT. 
          ALSO GREAT SUGGESTIONS. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THAT'S WHAT I MENTIONED EARLIER IN ONE OF
OUR OTHER AGENDA ITEMS. I MENTIONED IT BEFORE TOO. MOST OF THIS DATA IS NOT ONCE A YEAR DATA. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF IT COME IN MONTHLY. SOME OF IT I DON'T KNOW MORE OFTEN THAN ONCE A YEAR
ANYWAY. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO AND I THINK THE POINT TO TO INCLUDE RESIDENT SENTIMENT SURVEY IS A
REALLY GOOD ONE. 
          BUT IF THAT'S ONCE A YEAR, WE PROBABLY NEED WE NEED TO GET A LITTLE MORE ROBUST RESIDENT
FEEDBACK TOOLS THAT ARE THAT ARE MORE THAN OFTEN THAN ONCE A YEAR, I THINK. BUT I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO TRACK TO,
TO BECAUSE IT'S EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TODAY, BASICALLY. AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I'D ALSO LIKE FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER IS HOW
OFTEN YOU WOULD LIKE THIS DATA. 
          I MEAN, SOME OF IT'S ANNUAL COMPARISON, BUT SOME OF IT CAN BE DONE MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          WE DON'T WANT TO BURDEN YOU WITH A BUNCH OF EXTRA DATA AND EVERYTHING,
BUT THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE TO CONSIDER. 
          ON THAT NOTE, QUESTION. SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT AND YOU SAY 8.9 MILLION,
HOW DO YOU SEPARATE OUT OF THAT? THAT PERSON WHO'S JUST DRIVING HERE AND PARKING FOR THE CRUISE SHIP
TERMINAL? THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT THE THE FIRM THAT WE HIRE COMES IN AND DOES AND
DIFFERENTIATES IS STILL HERE. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY A QUESTION THAT WE GET QUITE A BIT. 
          THEY'RE ABLE TO DO GEOFENCING AND THEY'RE ABLE TO TRACK MOVEMENT BASED ON CELL PHONES. 
          SO IT'S MORE IT'S A SNAPSHOT. IT'S NOT A PER COUNT OF A HEAD. 
          IT'S MORE OF A SNAPSHOT THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HAVE
THEIR LOCATION SERVICES TURNED ON, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY'RE COMING OVER THE CAUSEWAY. 
          A LOT OF PEOPLE DO WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, SAY YES WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD THE WEATHER APP,
YOU'RE SAYING, YES, TURN ON MY LOCATION SERVICES. BUT NOT EVERYBODY DOES THAT. 
          SO IT LOOKS FOR TRENDS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MIGHT PULL OUT IS THAT IF
IT SEES THAT CELL PHONE DATA COMING BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE ISLAND MORE THAN 30 TIMES IN A YEAR, THEY WON'T COUNT THAT, BECAUSE THAT COULD BE SOMEBODY WHO LIVES HERE PART TIME,
OR IT COULD BE SOMEBODY WHO COMMUTES HERE ROUTINELY. 
          SO IT'S REALLY MORE OF A TREND THAN IT IS A HARD NUMBER. 
          SO THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY LOOK AT AND THEY MEASURE. SO SOME OF THE CRUISE DATA
MIGHT BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT THEY, THAT THEY DON'T THAT THEY, THEY MAKE SURE THEY DON'T DUPLICATE. BECAUSE WE DO COUNT CRUISERS AS VISITORS TO THE
ISLAND. 
          WE CONSIDER THAT VISITATION. WHILE YOU'RE ARGUING THAT MY OTHER QUESTION WOULD BE THE
AVERAGE SPEND OF A DAY VISITOR. I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE. 
          [02:50:04]
WE USE CREDIT CARD DATA FOR MOST OF THAT AND SOME SALES DATA AS WELL. 
          BUT AGAIN, THEY'RE TRENDS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT,
AND WE'RE PAYING A GROUP TO COME IN AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. 
          YEAH. THESE ARE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE EXTRAPOLATIONS AS BEST AS YOU
CAN FROM DATA. 
          AND NOTHING'S GOING TO BE PERFECT. THEY FORMULATE THAT NUMBER. 
          SURE. THE NEXT TIME THAT WE HAVE THEM COME IN AND GIVE US THE RESULTS OF THE ECONOMIC
IMPACT STUDY. 
          WE'D BE HAPPY TO SEND AN INVITE TO COUNCIL IF YOU WANT TO COME. 
          THEY TYPICALLY PRESENT AT TDAC AND THOSE WOULD BE EXCELLENT QUESTIONS. 
          IF YOU WERE ABLE TO JOIN US THAT YOU COULD ASK FOR CERTAIN. 
          IT'S SCARY WHEN THEY PRESENT IT ABOUT HOW MUCH INFORMATION THEY GET FROM YOUR CELL PHONE.
ISN'T IT. [LAUGHTER] AND JUST USING IT. KIMBERLY, WHAT DOES THAT RESIDENT IMPACT SURVEY COST US? I DON'T REMEMBER. OH, GEEZ. I MEAN,
IT'S LESS THAN $20,000 A YEAR. 
          IT'S NOT. IT'S WHAT? YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT BETTER. 
          YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT FREQUENCY, AND I WAS LIKE 14 TO 17 SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE. 
          YOU WERE ASKING ABOUT FREQUENCY, MAYOR. AND I JUST THOUGHT IT MIGHT HELP YOU GUYS THINK
ABOUT HOW FREQUENT YOU WANTED THAT DATA. 
          IF YOU KNEW WHAT IT. THERE COULD BE OTHER, OTHER TOOLS TO GET THAT DATA BESIDES THE
RESIDENT SURVEY. 
          I THINK WE JUST NEED TO THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW,
MAYBE POINT OF SERVICE SURVEYS OR ANYTHING. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET THAT IN ORDER TO IT WOULD BE GOOD TO DO THAT
ANYWAY, TO TRIANGULATE YOUR DATA. WELL, AND TONY PRESENTED TO YOU ALL VERY I KNOW IT'S BEEN A
WHILE. WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS. BUT TONY PRESENTED TO YOU EARLIER ON THE DASHBOARD. AND THE DASHBOARD HAS A LOT OF THESE METRICS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT
ARE ON THE DASHBOARD. 
          AND YOU CAN PULL DOWN. I WANT THE LAST MONTH OR I WANT THE LAST SIX MONTHS,
OR I WANT THE LAST QUARTER, OR I WANT THE LAST YEAR, OR I WANT THE LAST THREE YEARS. 
          AND IT ALLOWS OUR RESIDENTS AS WELL AS YOU AS WELL AS OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS,
TO GO IN AND REALLY PULL THIS DATA, AS QUICKLY AS IT CAN BE PUT INTO THE SYSTEM. SOME OF THE THINGS THE RESIDENT SENTIMENT
SURVEY, BECAUSE OF THE COST, BECAUSE OF THE THE PROCESS OF DOING IT, WE WON'T DO THAT ANNUALLY. WE MIGHT DO THAT EVERY THREE YEARS,
FOR EXAMPLE. 
          BUT SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO UPDATE,
IF NOT DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY AND IT MIGHT BE A BETTER USE OF EVERYONE'S TIME TO USE THAT TOOL THAT WE'RE ALREADY PAYING FOR THAT EXISTS ON THE WEBSITE. 
          AND FOR US TO TAKE THIS AND REFINE, WHAT ARE THOSE ITEMS THAT YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO FIND IN
THAT DASHBOARD OR THAT ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU TO RECEIVE? BUT WE CAN WE CAN WORK ON THAT. 
          THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY. SOUNDS GOOD ALEX. SO SOME OF THESE ARE TRUE KPIS,
AND SOME OF THESE SEEM TO BE LIKE STATS. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, BEACH PATROL, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WEIGHTED THOSE,
YOU KNOW, TWO, TWO INPUTS INTO A COMMON DATA SET CAN KIND OF GIVE YOU A, YOU KNOW, A KPI LIKE, YOU KNOW, PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS BASED ON HOW MANY LIFEGUARDS WE HAVE, SO TO SPEAK. YOU CAN FIND A TARGET GOAL FOR EACH LIFEGUARD HAS WHAT I MEAN,
150, 200 ISH PER, YOU KNOW, AND SAY, OKAY, WELL, WE WANT TO BUMP THAT UP OR SO YOU KNOW. 
          SO THAT'S KIND OF SOMETHING I WANT TO SEE PLAY AROUND WITH THE DATA MORE. 
          IT'S KIND OF. THERE'S ALSO COUNCILMAN THERE MIGHT EVEN BE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO DO SOME
COMPARATIVE DATA TOO, WITH THE USLA STATISTICS AND SEE WHAT SOME OTHER. 
          YEAH. AND THEN ANOTHER THING THAT I KIND OF WANTED TO SEE THROUGH THIS. 
          AND THANK YOU ALL FOR PUTTING THESE TOGETHER. 
          BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO SEE WAS MAYBE IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. 
          AND AGAIN, I'M JUST KIND OF GOING OUT ON A LIMB HERE,
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WEEKLY, MONTHLY, WHAT HAVE YOU. 
          BUT IT'D BE GOOD FOR BUSINESSES ON THE ISLAND WHERE IF THEY HAD AN EXTRA STAFF MEMBER THAT
THEY KNEW. 
          OKAY, THIS WEEKEND LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A HIGHER OCCUPANCY RATE. I'M NOT SURE
HOW I KNOW. 
          THAT'S KIND OF A WEIRD THING WITH HOTELIERS ABOUT OCCUPANCY RATES,
BUT IF HEY, LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO EXPECT A HIGH INFLUX, OUR OCCUPANCY RATE IS GOING TO BE MUCH HIGHER THIS WEEKEND THAN LAST WEEKEND. 
          YOU KNOW, KIND OF GIVE AN INDICATOR TO A BUSINESS. 
          MAYBE I NEED THE EXTRA STAFF, OR MAYBE I NEED THAT EXTRA WAITER SO THAT WE'RE NOT ALL IN
THE WEEDS HERE WHEN, YOU KNOW, BARTENDING OR GIVING SERVICES. SO WHEN IT COMES TO THE HOTEL DATA THAT WE GET,
IT'S TYPICALLY ABOUT A WEEK OLD. 
          SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OLDER. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO MAYBE IS HAVE SOME LIKE WHAT YOU SAW ON THE
DASHBOARD. 
          THE ABILITY TO COMPARE MONTHS OVER MONTHS, YEARS,
OVER YEARS, WEEKS, OVER WEEKS, AND AT LEAST GIVE SOME PEOPLE SOME LOOK AT SOME TRENDS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT TOO, THAT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WAS IN MY MIND ABOUT WHAT I KIND
OF WAS DEVELOPING A PRODUCT TO SEE THIS WEEK. 
          USUALLY FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE GET A LOT OF VISITORS. 
          I THINK IT HELPS EVERYBODY SAY, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO EXPECT,
YOU KNOW, MORE TRASH THIS WEEKEND. MAYBE FOUR MINUTES. WHEN WE HAVE. I WILL BE VERY QUICK WITH THIS. MR. MAYOR, I APOLOGIZE. TONY LYLE PUTS OUT MONTHLY A TOURISM INSIDER NEWSLETTER
THAT GOES SPECIFICALLY TO OUR PARTNERS, AND IT TALKS ABOUT THESE ARE THE MAJOR GROUPS THAT WE HAVE COMING IN. THESE ARE THE MAJOR
EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THE ISLAND. HERE ARE THE DATES. SO ANYBODY WHO HAS SIGNED UP 
          [02:55:02]
AS A PARTNER CAN RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION FOR FREE. 
          THAT'S GREAT INFORMATION, I GET THAT. IF YOU COULD LET JANELLE KNOW. 
          JANELLE, WE NEED TO GET ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS REGISTERED ON THAT. 
          IF WE COULD. WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO OUR END TIME. 
          JASON, I'M GOING TO LET YOU GO AHEAD AND CLOSE YOUR MEETING. 
          SURE. SO AT 4:26 P.M. ON APRIL 16TH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE OUT THE MEETING OF THE PARK
BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
          VERY GOOD. IT IS 4:27 P.M. COUNCIL WE HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL OF OUR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. 
          I WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL. I WANT TO THANK THE PARK BOARD ,
STAFF AND TRUSTEES FOR ALL YOU DO. 
          I PERSONALLY THINK WE GOT ONE OF THE BEST PARK BOARD TRUSTEES GROUP OVER THERE WE'VE HAD
IN A LONG TIME, SO I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING AND THE TIME THAT YOU SPEND. 
          AND IT WAS A GOOD MEETING. I THINK WE'VE LEARNED A LOT AND WE'RE BOTH ON. 
          I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO THE SAME POINT THAT IS GETTING EVERYBODY GETTING THIS
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED BY TOURISM. 
          BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT THE RESIDENTS COME NUMBER ONE. 
          AND BY THE WAY, WE HAD NO BLOODLETTING. SO I'M VERY HAPPY. 
          WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.