[00:00:01]
          ALL RIGHT. WE'LL CALL TO ORDER THE APRIL 21ST,
2026 MEETING OF THE EDC. 
          [ A. CALL TO ORDER]
IT IS 6:11 P.M. AND I'LL START WITH ROLL CALL. 
          MIKE THOMPSON PRESENT. SESAME MORRISON. PRESENT. 
          JOSHUA HARRELL. PRESENT. ALBERT LOTT. PRESENT. 
          JAMES MILLER. PRESENT. DESHAWYNA WALKER. PRESENT. 
          ALAN RASQUINHA. PRESENT. AND WE'LL MOVE TO THE INVOCATION. 
          SORRY. GRACIOUS GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER IN SERVICE TO THE
CITY OF PRINCETON. 
          WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AS WE DISCUSS MATTERS THAT AFFECT OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. 
          GRANT US WISDOM IN OUR DECISIONS, PATIENTS IN OUR DISCUSSIONS,
AND UNITY IN OUR PURPOSE. 
          WE ALWAYS ACT WITH INTEGRITY AND IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THOSE WE SERVE. 
          AMEN. AMEN. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 
          AND WE'LL MOVE TO PUBLIC APPEARANCE. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE ALLOWED 3 MINUTES TO SPEAK. 
          THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS UNABLE TO RESPOND OR TO DISCUSS ANY ISSUES THAT
ARE BROUGHT UP DURING THIS SECTION THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA, OTHER THAN TO MAKE STATEMENTS OF SPECIFIC FACTUAL INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO A PUBLIC
INQUIRY, OR TO RECITE EXISTING POLICY IN RESPONSE TO A PUBLIC INQUIRY. 
          MR. CHAIRMAN, BEFORE YOU START, THE CITY HAS CHANGED POLICY TO 5 MINUTES. 
          ALL AGENDAS MOVING FORWARD WILL SHOW 5 MINUTES,
BUT THIS ONE DIDN'T GET ON THERE, SO IT'S FROM NOW ON, THE PUBLIC APPEARANCE IS A 5 MINUTE TIME LIMIT. 
          OKAY. AND WE DO NOT HAVE ANYBODY. CORRECT. OKAY. 
          AND WE'LL MOVE TO MOVE TO PUBLIC REPORT ITEMS. 
          [F. PUBLIC REPORT ITEMS]
THE NEXT REGULAR PEDC MEETING IS TUESDAY, MAY 19TH,
2026 AT 6 P.M. 
          THE NEXT REGULAR PCDC MEETING IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH AT 2026 AT 6 P.M.. 
          NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS MONDAY, APRIL 27TH,
2026 AND THEN MONDAY, MAY 11TH, 2026, BOTH AT 6:30 P.M. 
          AND THEN BOARD REPORT ITEMS. EDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS REPORT ABOUT ITEMS OF COMMUNITY
INTEREST IN WHICH NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN. 
          [G. BOARD REPORT ITEMS]
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING? OKAY. AND WE'LL MOVE TO STAFF REPORT ITEMS. 
          [H. STAFF REPORT ITEMS]
CEO OPERATIONAL UPDATE PRESENTED BY OUR CEO IM WEHMEIER [LAUGHTER] CEO,
CEO REPORT. 
          SALES TAX BUILDING PERMITS WILL GO THROUGH THE APRIL BUILDING REPORTS AND THEN THE AGENDA
PACKET AND THEN BUILDING PERMITS AS WELL. 
          AND THEN THE FINANCIAL REPORT. JIM WILL COVER THAT CDC FINANCIALS,
BUDGET REPORT, BALANCE SHEET, BUDGET REPORT AND BALANCE SHEET AS WELL. GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. FIRST OFF, AND WE'LL GET MORE IN DEPTH INTO THIS ON A FUTURE AGENDA
ITEM. 
          BUT IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHO IS JOINING ME IN THE BOX TONIGHT,
IT'S COURTNEY GOODMAN MORRIS. 
          SHE'S WITH NICHOLS JACKSON LAW FIRM. THEY ARE THE INTERIM LAW FIRM FOR THE CITY AND THE
TWO CORPORATIONS. 
          WHILE WE DECIDE WHAT WE WANT TO DO MOVING FORWARD WITH LEGAL REPRESENTATION. 
          ON BEHALF OF THE CITY AND THAT FIRM. SO SHE'S BEEN GOOD ENOUGH TO TO JOIN US THIS EVENING, SO YOU ALL BEHAVE. ADDITIONALLY IF YOU WOULD MARK DOWN APRIL 30TH AND I DON'T HAVE A TIME YET, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW WE ARE TRYING TO HAVE AN ALL
BOARDS AND COUNCIL LEGAL ONBOARDING ON THE 30TH. SO WE JUST LEARNED ABOUT THAT. 
          THAT IS A DATE WE'RE SHOOTING AT. I THINK THEY'RE STILL CONFIRMING IT WITH ALL OF THE
COUNCIL MEMBERS. BUT THAT IS A DATE THAT RIGHT NOW SEEMS TO WORK WITH THE ATTORNEYS AND THAT WILL BE PUT ON BY ONE OF THE PARTNERS AT NICHOLS JACKSON DOING THE ONBOARDING. 
          ON THE LEGAL SIDE OF IT, THERE'S KIND OF 3 AS JEFF,
THE CITY MANAGER PUTS IT, 3 BUCKETS OF ONBOARDING. 
          1 IS IT YOU DID THAT TONIGHT, YOU GOT YOUR IPADS,
SIGNED YOUR EQUIPMENT OUT. 
          THEN THERE IS THE LEGAL SIDE OF IT GOING OVER RUNNING A MEETING,
THE CITY BYLAWS, OUR BYLAWS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND THEN THERE'S MORE SPECIFIC TRAINING THAT THE EXISTING BOARD
MEMBERS WENT THROUGH WITH ME LAST YEAR. 
          THAT IS MORE SPECIFIC TO WHAT IS OUR MISSION? WHAT, WHAT LAWS REALLY SET OUR COURSE FOR THIS BOARD. 
          WHAT SHOULD WE BE FOCUSING ON? THAT TYPE OF THING AND THAT I PLAN ON DOING IN THE MONTH OF
MAY. 
          SO IF YOU JUST JOT THAT DATE DOWN, JUST SO YOU HAVE IT PENCILED DOWN AND THAT'S ALL YOU
NEED TO DO WITH IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT FINAL, 
          [00:05:06]
BUT THAT IS ONE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. 
          I'M NOT GOING TO READ THE ENTIRE REPORT AS I DON'T DO ANY MONTH,
BUT I WILL HIT ON A NUMBER OF DOCUMENTS. 
          BRIE, IF YOU COULD. AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ON THE
WRITTEN REPORT IF YOU COULD PUT UP SALES TAX. 
          GOOD NEWS ON THE SALES TAX UP 13% OVER THE SAME MONTH PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          I BELIEVE I EXPLAINED, I KNOW DESHAWYNA KNOWS,
ALAN. 
          WHEN WE DO SALES TAX, WE LOOK AT SAME MONTH PREVIOUS YEAR,
WE DON'T LOOK MONTH TO MONTH BECAUSE IT'S CYCLICAL. 
          SO YOU'LL HAVE THE SAME BIG MONTHS EVERY YEAR,
THE SAME SLOWER MONTHS EVERY YEAR. 
          SO AS WE COMPARE, I'VE GOT A 5 YEAR SPREADSHEET. 
          WE'RE ONLY SHOWING 3. WE LOOK AT SAME MONTH PREVIOUS YEAR. 
          WE'RE UP 13%. BRINGS US UP 5% YEAR TO DATE. YOU KNOW,
I THINK UNTIL SOME OF OUR LARGE RETAIL DEVELOPMENTS OPEN AND START BRINGING IN ADDITIONAL MONEY, OUR SALES TAX SHOULD KIND OF TRACK WITH OUR POPULATION
GROWTH. 
          YOU KNOW, IT JUST MAKES SENSE. YOU'VE GOT THE SAME PLACES TO SHOP,
YOU'VE GOT MORE DISPOSABLE INCOME COMING INTO YOUR COMMUNITY. 
          SO THEY SHOULD BE AT CLOSE TO THE SAME RATE. AND SO,
BUT ANYWAY, POSITIVE NEWS, THE ONLY DOWN MONTH WE'VE HAD WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS A, AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE MONTH THE YEAR BEFORE IN DECEMBER. 
          AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF A, AN AUDIT THAT THREW THAT NUMBER OFF. 
          SO THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE, WE'RE 5% UP. IT'S LEVELING BACK OUT,
BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT. 
          THE NEXT ONE, THE NEWS IS EVEN A LITTLE BIT MORE EYE OPENING. 
          ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? OKAY. BRIE, CAN YOU PUT THE BUILDING PERMITS UP,
PLEASE? SO IN THE BUILDING PERMITS, WE WERE DOWN A LITTLE BIT LAST YEAR. 
          OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THE PREVIOUS YEAR WAS OVER 1900. 
          LAST YEAR WAS 1603 I BELIEVE. STARTED OUT THIS YEAR DOWN 33%. 
          REBOUNDED UP 68% THE SECOND MONTH. BUT AS YOU LOOK AT THE THIRD MONTH WE'RE ACTUALLY UP
204%. 
          WE WENT FROM 95 TO 194. AND SO A BIG BOUNCE BACK THAT PUT US 24% UP YEAR TO DATE. 
          IF WE FINISH THE YEAR 24% UP YEAR TO DATE, WE'LL BE RIGHT UNDER THAT 2000 MARK ON SINGLE
FAMILY BUILDING PERMITS. 
          AND JUST TO REMIND YOU, THE WAY WE FIGURE THE POPULATION,
OUR AVERAGE PEOPLE PER DWELLING UNIT IS 3.07. 
          SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT OVER 6100 NEW RESIDENTS THIS YEAR. 
          IF WE END UP JUST RIGHT AROUND 2000 BUILDING PERMITS,
THAT'S WITH 100% ABSORPTION. 
          NOW, KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE THESE RUN IN ARREARS A LITTLE BIT,
THESE ARE PERMITS, THESE AREN'T HOUSES READY TO MOVE IN. 
          BUT SO YOU LOOK AT THE LAST YEAR'S WORTH OF PERMITS,
AND WE'VE GOT PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN MOVING IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS OF LAST YEAR. 
          SO AS WE FIGURE THE POPULATION WE DO IT BY WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE MOST ACCURATE WAY TO DO IT. ANY CENSUS IS KIND OF A GUESS BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THE
DOOR, YOU DON'T GET COUNTED. BUT THE WAY WE DO IT AND SOME,
SOME CITIES WILL COUNT WATER METERS. 
          WELL, WE'VE GOT A SYSTEM WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO COUNT ACTUAL ACTIVE WATER ACCOUNTS AND
RESIDENTIAL UNITS. 
          SO WE HAVE A MUCH MORE PRECISE NUMBER BECAUSE NOT EVERY METER IS GOING TO BE ACTIVE. 
          SO WE TAKE THAT NUMBER TOTAL NUMBER OF ACTIVE RESIDENTIAL METERS AND MULTIPLY IT BY THE
3.07. 
          AND THAT'S HOW WE AND I'LL DO THAT USUALLY TWICE A YEAR. 
          WHEN I DID IT IN DECEMBER, IT WAS 48,325 IN POPULATION. 
          SO I'M SURE WE'RE ALREADY OVER 49 IF WE WERE TO DO IT AGAIN. 
          BUT I'LL PROBABLY DO IT AGAIN IN JUNE HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR AND THEN DO A YEAR END. 
          SO WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO 50,000 PEOPLE,
BUT OBVIOUSLY VERY HEALTHY HOUSING MARKET. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF DEVELOPERS THAT ARE OPENING NEW PHASES. 
          AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME FAIRLY LARGE NUMBERS,
I THINK. 
          DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER,
WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS, BUT IT'S ALSO SAD NEWS. 
          AND I'M GOING TO LET HER SPEAK IN A MOMENT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOSING BRIE. 
          SHE HAS ACCEPTED A POSITION. SHE IS MOVING TO BOULDER,
COLORADO TO LIVE BY HER SISTER AND HAS ACCEPTED A REALLY EXCITING POSITION IN BOULDER. AND SO, BRIE, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SAY TO THE BOARD? I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED THIS PAST TIME WORKING WITH
YOU ALL AND WORKING WITH JIM AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE LEARNED, AND GETTING TO SEE ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY DONE IN THE SHORT AMOUNT
OF TIME THAT I'VE HERE, 
          [00:10:03]
I'VE BEEN HERE, AND Y'ALL ARE REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE CITY AND PASSIONATE ABOUT SEEING
IT GROW. 
          AND IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT I'VE REALLY VALUED GETTING TO BE A PART OF AND GETTING TO BE
A PART OF WITH JIM. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT ELSE PRINCETON CONTINUES
TO DO, EVEN THOUGH I MOVE ON. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO SDR LOOKING FOR SOME INTERIM HELP, AND THEN I WILL GET WITH THE BOARD AS WE HAVE MORE FIRM PLANS MOVING FORWARD. 
          IF YOU COULD GO TO THE FINANCIALS, PLEASE. NOT A BIG MONTH ON THE FINANCIALS. 
          AGAIN, MOST OF IT IS FOR WAGES AND BENEFITS. AGAIN THE COLUMN YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IS
PERIOD ACTIVITY. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THE VERY BOTTOM TRANSFER OUT THAT'S JUST PART OF OUR CONTRACT WITH THE CITY
FOR RENT OFFICE EQUIPMENT ACCESS TO OTHER EMPLOYEES, FINANCE, DOING OUR BUDGET. THAT'S FULFILLING THAT MARKETING. 
          WE ARE DOING A $1,500 BUSINESS EDUCATION SERIES SPONSORSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER. 
          AND THEN THERE'S A FEW HUNDRED OTHER DOLLARS. 
          OH, YEAH. WE HAD SOME COMMUNITY PROFILES PRINTED UP. 
          BUT OTHER THAN THAT, NOT A LEGAL SERVICES, OBVIOUSLY THAT GOES WITHOUT EXPLANATION. 
          SO A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD MONTH ON THE FINANCIALS. 
          I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON THOSE. JIM I THINK I ASKED MAYBE LAST TIME WHERE IS
OUR TRAINING AND TRAVEL LINE ITEM. DO WE STILL HAVE THAT? NO, BUT THAT IS PART OF THE MARKETING LINE ITEM. 
          IT'S ALL UNDER THAT 1. OKAY. 1 CATEGORY. THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT. SO GOING TO THE BALANCE SHEET. MORE GOOD NEWS. OBVIOUSLY VERY HEALTHY. 
          THE BALANCE SHEET IS SHOWING $12.3 MILLION. HOWEVER WE'VE GOT AN ADDITIONAL $1.3 MILLION
ENCUMBERED FOR PROJECTS IF YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE. 
          AND SO THE REAL TOTAL IS RIGHT AT $11 MILLION. 
          THERE ARE A COUPLE PROJECTS COMING UP THAT THAT I WILL BRIEF THE BOARD NEXT MONTH AND
EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WILL USE PART OF THAT. 
          BUT WE'RE STILL IN A VERY HEALTHY POSITION, WHICH IS WHERE YOU WANT THE EDC AND CDC TO BE. 
          YOU WANT TO HAVE A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE BECAUSE NOTHING WE DO SAY IF IT'S AN
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A CHEAP INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT. 
          IF WE HAVE A BIG GAME CHANGING PROJECT OR A LARGE LAND ACQUISITION PROJECT,
OBVIOUSLY THAT TAKES SIGNIFICANT ASSETS. 
          SO BUT WE DO SIT IN A GOOD POSITION TO PURSUE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. 
          AND I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT. 
          NONE. IT LOOKS IT LOOKS GOOD. THANKS FOR BREAKING THAT OUT TO ME IN MY MIND. 
          AND YOU'RE RIGHT. AND IT'S WE TRIED TO GET IT BROKEN OUT IN OUR FINANCE SYSTEM AT THE
CITY, AND IT JUST WASN'T WORKING RIGHT. AND SO BRIE BROKE IT OUT AT THE BOTTOM AND THEN DID IT
BY HAND TO SHOW YOU THAT. 
          AND ONCE WE GO INTO TO REMIND THE BOARD, MIKE HAD ASKED TO,
TO SHOW ALL THE ENCUMBRANCES FOR PROJECTS THAT THE BOARD HAS APPROVED BUT HAS NOT MOVED FORWARD WITH YET. ON THE PROJECTS THAT WE KNOW,
THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY EXPENDITURE THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          FINANCE DOESN'T WANT TO DO A BUDGET AMENDMENT AND SHOW IT NOW. 
          THEY WANT TO PUT IT INTO THIS NEXT BUDGET. SO YOU'LL STARTING AND WE'RE GOING TO BE
STARTING, THAT'S THE LAST THING IN MY REPORT IS BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
WE'RE STARTING THE BUDGET PROCESS. 
          AND IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IT'S ABOUT A 5 MONTH PROCESS. 
          SO WE SPEND HALF THE YEAR BUDGETING AND HALF THE YEAR TAKING A SHORT BREAK FROM BUDGETING. 
          AND THEN WE'RE BACK BUDGETING AGAIN. BUT ANYWAY,
THOSE PROJECTS WILL BECOME LINE ITEMS IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, BUT IN THE INTERIM, WE WILL AT LEAST SHOW YOU THE AMOUNT THAT IS ENCUMBERED SO WE CAN GIVE
YOU A BETTER IDEA. 
          REAL QUICKLY. JUST ANOTHER THING TO MENTION IS WE DID WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE CORPS
OF ENGINEER PARKS AND THE ANNEXATION. 
          WE'VE HAD SOME TURNOVER IN OUR STAFF, AND SO IS THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS. 
          THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS AND MYSELF WERE FINALLY ABLE TO TRACK DOWN THE
CORRECT PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH, 
          [00:15:02]
WITH THE CORPS TO GET THAT RESTARTED AND MET WITH THEM LAST WEEK,
HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING. 
          THERE ARE A SERIES OF OPTIONS THAT THE CITY CAN LOOK AT TO LEASE THOSE PARKS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, THERE MAY BE SOME INTERIM STEPS BEFORE WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE SIGN
AN ACTUAL LEASE WHERE WE COULD, I DON'T WANT TO SAY CONTROL, BUT SOMEWHAT CONTROL AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MAINTAINED
AND, AND THAT TYPE OF THING. BUT WE FINALLY HAVE THAT BALL ROLLING. 
          AND IN RELATION TO THE ANNEXATION, HE BELIEVES THE ONLY THING THAT WE'RE WAITING ON TO GET
STARTED IS THAT WE NEED THE ACTUAL LEGAL DESCRIPTION. 
          WE KNOW WHERE ON THE SHORELINE WE'RE GOING TO ANNEX,
BUT FOR THE ANNEXATION DOCUMENTATION, WE NEED A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF ALL THE PARCELS. 
          WELL, 90% OF THOSE PARCELS IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN GO OUT AND SURVEY IT. AND SO BUT THE PERSON WE MET WITH THE CORE
BELIEVES THEY HAVE THAT DOCUMENTATION AND HE'S TRYING TO TRACK IT DOWN FOR US. AND ONCE HE HAS THAT TO REMIND THE BOARD,
I WOULD FORESEE IT BEING PROBABLY A 5 YEAR PROCESS. 
          BY LAW, THE CITY CAN ONLY ANNEX A PERCENTAGE OF OUR CURRENT LAND MASS PER YEAR. 
          PLUS THERE'S SOME IF WE HAVE AN ANNEX FOR A FEW YEARS,
WE CAN MAKE UP FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SPREAD IT OUT OVER 5 YEARS PURPOSELY FOR A COUPLE REASONS. 
          NUMBER 1, BECAUSE OF THAT LAW. BUT SECONDLY,
ONCE WE ANNEX IT, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, FOR POLICE AND FIRE. AND WE WANT TO GIVE OUR POLICE AND FIRE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RAMP UP AND
MAKE SURE THEY'RE COMFORTABLE COVERING THOSE AREAS. 
          BECAUSE WHEN WE BRING THE SHORELINE IN TO REMIND,
THE BOARD WILL ALSO BRING IN ABOUT 8.5MI² OF ETJ THAT'S NOT CURRENTLY IN OUR ETJ. 
          AND SO IT'LL HAVE SOME OTHER EFFECTS. BUT THAT IS THAT IS BACK IN THE PROCESS AFTER BEING
DORMANT FOR A LITTLE WHILE. 
          SO PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I THINK THAT'S NOT A BIG DEAL SHORT TERM,
BUT LONG TERM, I THINK IT IS A BIG DEAL. 
          BOTH THE ANNEXATION AND THE 3 PARKS, I THINK COULD BE VERY IMPORTANT. 
          AND WITH THAT, I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SHUT UP OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          JIM, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. IN YOUR REPORT TO THE BOARD YOU WERE DISCUSSING A 5 YEAR
PROJECTED BUDGET. YES. SO I JUST WANTED TO KNOW GOING FORWARD DURING OUR BUDGET SESSION,
WILL, WILL WE BE APPROVING A 5 YEAR NO BUDGET? OKAY. SO WE'LL STILL BE APPROVING A YEARLY DETAILED BUDGET. 
          GREAT QUESTION AND THANK YOU. BECAUSE THAT THAT'S AN ENTRE BECAUSE I NEGLECTED I WROTE IT
DOWN, BUT I DON'T READ MY ENTIRE REPORT, SO YOU REMINDED ME TO COVER THIS. 
          BUT BECAUSE OF OUR RAPID GROWTH RATE, OUR VERY LOW TAX RATE THOSE DON'T ALWAYS MATCH ITS,
YOU KNOW, GROWTH IS EXPENSIVE ON THE FRONT END. AND, AND THE EXPENDITURE ALWAYS COME 2 YEARS AHEAD
OF THE INCOME. 
          YOU SPEND MONEY ON INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THEN IN THE NEXT 12,
15 MONTHS YOU BUILD THE HOMES AND START GETTING VALUE 2O YEARS LATER. 
          BECAUSE OF THAT, WE ARE STARTING TO DO A 5 YEAR BUDGET. 
          AND SO WE WILL WHAT YOU'LL BE APPROVING IS A ONE YEAR BUDGET,
BUT IT WILL COME WITH AN ADDITIONAL 4 YEARS OF A PROJECTION. 
          AND SO EVERY YEAR AS WE COME BACK, YOU'LL ONLY BE APPROVING THAT YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          BUT EVERY YEAR AS WE COME BACK, YOU'LL SEE THE ADDITIONAL 4 YEARS PROJECTION. 
          AND THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE. BUT, BUT IT'LL GIVE EVERYBODY A POINT OF REFERENCE TO KEEP OUR
EYE ON THE BALL MOVING FORWARD, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO MY MY ESTIMATION. AND I'M I'M NOT A WORLD RENOWNED ECONOMIST,
BUT WE'RE GOING TO SEE SOME PRETTY FINE MARGINS. 
          I MEAN, THE BUDGET'S GOING TO BE TIGHT. IT JUST IS GROWING AT OUR RATE. 
          IN OUR SITUATION, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS AS A CITY. 
          NOW WE'RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. WE HAVE OUR OWN INCOME STREAM AND WE CAN MANAGE THAT MUCH
EASIER. 
          I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT POLICE AND FIRE AND,
YOU KNOW, STAFFING ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WE DO, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT EASIER. 
          BUT YOU KNOW, ALONG WITH THOSE BUDGET THINGS AND THIS,
THIS IS NOT UNUSUAL. 
          THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS IN [INAUDIBLE] PRETTY EARLY ON. 
          YOU KNOW, I BASICALLY HAD TO TELL THE BOARD,
YOU KNOW, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, WE'RE GOING TO ESSENTIALLY BE AN INFRASTRUCTURE CORPORATION BECAUSE WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. YOU CAN'T DEVELOP THAT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SAY
YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          I DON'T THINK IT'S TO THAT POINT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE ASKED TO DO SOME INFRASTRUCTURE,
AND I THINK THAT THAT IS A PHENOMENAL USE OF OUR MONEY. 
          IT'S A GREAT WAY TO BRING IN DEVELOPMENT AND OWN THE ASSETS ON THE GROUND AND GET
SOMETHING THAT IS VERY SOLID FOR IT. 
          SO DESHAWYNA, THANKS FOR REMINDING ME. WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING A 5 YEAR BUDGET,
BUT DON'T BE CONFUSED. 
          YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO BE ACTUALLY APPROVING THE YEAR THAT WE'RE GOING INTO,
BUT YOU'LL BE SEEING WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING OUT IS, 
          [00:20:08]
IS BOTH REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY,
I CAN APPRECIATE THAT IT'S GOING TO HELP US, YOU KNOW, PLAN FOR PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE SO WE CAN KNOW YOU KNOW,
MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT OVEREXTENDING OURSELVES. 
          AND SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY GOOD. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT. 
          YEAH. BRIE, COULD YOU GO BACK TO THE BUDGET REPORT ACCOUNT SUMMARY PAGE,
PLEASE? JIM, 2 QUESTIONS AND FORGIVE ME IF I MISSED THIS. 
          FIRST OF ALL, DOES OUR FISCAL YEAR RUN CONSISTENT WITH CALENDAR YEAR? NO, SIR. OH IT DOESN'T. OKAY. OUR FISCAL YEAR. 
          GOOD QUESTION. OUR FISCAL YEAR IS THE SAME AS THE CITY AND IT'S OCTOBER 1ST THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 30TH. 
          OKAY, GREAT. SECOND QUESTION I HAVE, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS VERY POSITIVE WHEN I LOOK AT THE
VARIANCE OR THE SURPLUS, RIGHT AROUND 1.719 MILLION, DO THOSE FUNDS EXPIRE OR CAN THEY ROLL OVER? THOSE FUNDS ARE OURS BY LAW. THEY HAVE TO ROLL OVER. 
          THEY CAN'T EXPIRE. THEY CAN'T GO TO THE CITY. 
          THEY CAN'T GO TO ANY OTHER USE. AND THAT THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. 
          IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE COVERING WHEN I DO THE THE SPECIFIC ONBOARDING TO OUR
BOARD, AND I APOLOGIZE. WE PLANNED ON DOING THAT PREVIOUSLY. 
          THEN WE HAD AN ISSUE WHERE WE LOST OUR ATTORNEY. 
          THEY WANTED TO WAIT AND DO IT KIND OF IN A SEQUENCE. 
          SO WE'VE WE'VE DELAYED THAT A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE MONEY THAT COMES IN FOR THIS CORPORATION
IS A SALES TAX. 
          IT'S A HALF CENT OF THE SALES TAX. THE CITY GETS $0.01,
WE GET A HALF CENT WITH THIS BOARD. 
          AND THEN THE CDC ALSO GETS A HALF CENT. THE EDC AND CDC MONEY BY LAW,
STAYS WITH THOSE CORPORATIONS AND CAN'T BE USED OUTSIDE OF THOSE CORPORATIONS. AND THESE BOARDS ARE THE FISCAL,
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE ENTITY FOR THOSE FUNDS. 
          NOW, IF YOU APPROVE, ONCE YOU APPROVE A BUDGET,
THE COUNCIL HAS TO CONFIRM THE APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET. 
          ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE COUNCIL CAN APPROVE OUR BUDGET. 
          UNTIL YOU DO, IT HAS TO COME THROUGH YOU FIRST. 
          IF THE BOARD SAYS YES TO AN EXPENDITURE ON A PROJECT,
THE COUNCIL CAN SAY NO, BUT IT CAN'T BE VICE VERSA. 
          IF YOU SAY NO. IT DOESN'T EVEN GO TO COUNCIL. 
          THEY CAN'T. THEY CAN'T SAY YES. AND THEY DID THAT BECAUSE WHEN THEY CREATED THESE
CORPORATIONS, THEY CREATED THEM FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE AND THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM TO BECOME CITY MANAGER
SLUSH FUNDS. 
          THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM TO JUST BE PULLED INTO THE GENERAL FUND IF YOU HAD A TIGHT BUDGET
YEAR. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHY THEY BUILT SOME OF THESE PROTECTIONS,
I GUESS, IN. 
          AND SO THE BOARD HAS A LOT OF LATITUDE ON THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. 
          SO YOU'LL ALSO SEE ON HERE THAT IT SHOWS ALMOST 92% OF BUDGET REMAINING. 
          A COUPLE THINGS I GENERALLY, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT,
WE'RE NOT THROUGH THE YEAR, WE'RE ONLY ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR, BUT WE STILL HAVE WAY MORE THAN 50% REMAINING. 
          SOME OF THESE EXPENDITURES ARE LARGE DOLLAR AMOUNTS. 
          WE BUDGETED 1.5 FOR LAND ACQUISITION. WE DIDN'T HAVE A PIECE OF LAND FOR 1.5 THAT WE WERE
READY TO. 
          IT WAS JUST A BUDGET NUMBER. ALSO THE OTHER SECOND LARGEST ONE IS BUSINESS RELOCATION,
THAT WASN'T SPECIFIC TO A PROJECT. IT WAS A POOL OF MONEY FOR BUSINESS RELOCATION,
THAT WAS BUDGETED ESSENTIALLY. 
          AND SO A DON'T EXPECT TO SPEND ALL THE BUDGET,
BUT, BUT B WHEN WE DO HAVE EXPENDITURES, THEY TEND ONCE THE BOARD APPROVES THEM, THEY TEND TO BE PRETTY LARGE. THE BOARD HAS APPROVED. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BALANCE SHEET,
THAT 1.3 MILLION. 
          THAT REFERS TO 2 PROJECTS THAT THE BOARD HAS APPROVED. 
          AND SO JUST WITH 2 PROJECTS, THAT'S THAT'S A BIG NUMBER. 
          DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO SO WHAT HAPPENS IS ANY MONEY THAT IS NOT EXPENDED BY THE BOARD
GOES INTO THE FUND BALANCE, WHICH IS WHAT THAT BALANCE SHEET SHOWS. THAT IS A FUND BALANCE OF UNEXPENDED FUNDS FOR THE
LAST 20 YEARS. 
          I THINK THIS CORPORATION IS 18 YEARS OLD OR 20 YEARS OLD. 
          I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE IS 18 AND WHICH ONE'S 20,
BUT SO, SO THAT'S HOW IT WORKS. 
          SO IT'S NOT A USE IT OR LOSE IT. THE MONEY IS THIS BOARD'S TO MANAGE OR THIS BOARD'S TO
DEDICATE AND I GUESS ME TO MANAGE ON YOUR BEHALF OR US TO MANAGE TOGETHER. SO. YEAH. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. 
          I APOLOGIZE LONG ANSWERED A SHORT QUESTION, BUT IT LED INTO SOMETHING WHERE I'M LIKE,
OKAY, THIS IS OUT OF THE TRAINING AND I KIND OF HAVE TO GO INTO IT A LITTLE BIT. 
          ANYTHING ELSE? NO, THANK YOU JIM. BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE CONSENT AGENDA I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. YOU DID A GREAT JOB THE TIME YOU WERE HERE. 
          [00:25:02]
I WISH YOU WERE GOING TO BE HERE LONGER, BUT BOULDER IS REALLY NICE,
SO YOU'LL ENJOY. 
          AND WE'LL MOVE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALL CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS LISTED ARE CONSIDERED TO BE
ROUTINE BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND WILL BE ENACTED BY 1 MOTION. 
          [I. CONSENT AGENDA]
THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OF THESE ITEMS UNLESS A BOARD MEMBER,
SO REQUESTS IN WHICH EVENT THE ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED IN ITS NORMAL SEQUENCE ON THE AGENDA. WE HAVE OUR MINUTES AND OUR FINANCIAL STATEMENT THAT
WE NEED TO APPROVE, AND WE'LL JUST NEED. IF EVERYBODY'S IN FAVOR OF THAT,
WE'LL NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE. 
          AND A SECOND. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH THE MINUTES AND
FINANCIAL STATEMENT. 
          SECOND. 
          AND THAT IS APPROVED 7-0 SO WE'LL MOVE TO THE REGULAR AGENDA ITEM 2026-005 ELECT VICE
CHAIR. 
          [ J. REGULAR AGENDA]
AND CONSIDER DISCUSSION AND ACT ON ELECTING A NEW VICE CHAIRMAN. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE ALBERT LOTT FOR THIS ROLE,
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SECOND. 
          MY OWN AND I WOULD LIKE TO. SECOND. 
          THAT WE ONLY HAVE 3 VOTES. I WAS STARTING TO WORRY BECAUSE I'M LIKE,
ALBERT, YOU DIDN'T VOTE FOR YOURSELF. 
          WHAT'S GOING ON, MAN? IT SAYS BOLT CLOSED. IT PASSES 6-0. THEN WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM. 
          CONGRATULATIONS BY THE WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SERVING. 
          AND OUR NEXT ITEM IS 2026-006. UPDATE ON ONBOARDING HERE. 
          AN UPDATE AND DISCUSSION OF ON BOARD TRAINING FOR THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS. 
          AND THIS WILL BE JIM. THIS WILL BE VERY BRIEF SINCE I KIND OF COVERED IT IN MY REPORT,
BUT IT BREAKS DOWN INTO THOSE 3 DIFFERENT SECTIONS. 
          YOU'VE ALREADY DONE YOUR IT IF YOU HAVE NOT,
THERE IS A REQUIRED CYBERSECURITY TRAINING THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THAT THE CITY HAS EITHER ALREADY SENT YOU AN EMAIL OR WILL SEND YOU AN EMAIL. 
          IT'S TEXAS STATE LAW. YOU HAVE TO DO IT. IF YOU HAVE A CITY DEVICE,
YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE THIS ONCE A YEAR. 
          I HAVE TO DO IT. EVERY STAFF MEMBER, EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER AND EVERY BOARD MEMBER NEEDS TO
DO IT. 
          I'M GUESSING SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT EQUIPMENT TILL TODAY,
THAT WE PROBABLY ALL DIDN'T DO THAT. 
          SO IS THERE A. SO YOU'LL BE GETTING AN EMAIL AND YOU'LL HAVE A PERIOD OF TIME TO COMPLETE
THAT, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. 
          AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF INTERESTING. 
          A LOT OF TIMES THOSE ARE PRETTY DRY, BUT THAT IS PRETTY GOOD TRAINING. 
          THEN THE LEGAL ONE, AND THAT'S THE ONE THAT WE'RE HOPING WE'RE ABLE TO PULL OFF APRIL
30TH. 
          I THINK THAT THE INTENDED AND HOPED FORMAT IS TO HAVE ALL BOARDS AND CITY COUNCIL GO
THROUGH THAT AT THE SAME TIME. 
          IF I UNDERSTOOD THE CITY MANAGER CORRECTLY. AND THEN THERE'S ONE SPECIFIC TO US. 
          I HAD ORIGINALLY HAD IT SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST MEETING IN APRIL. 
          THEN AFTER CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED WITH OUR
ATTORNEY, IT WAS PUSHED BACK TO REGROUP, TRYING TO DECIDE THE BEST WAY TO DO OURS. 
          AND I'M A LITTLE SPLIT ON THIS, QUITE HONESTLY,
BECAUSE AND THE CDC, THE 2 NEW MEMBERS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE PROBABLY MORE PRODUCTIVE TO DO IT WITH JUST ME AND THE 2 NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND A CONFERENCE ROOM
WHERE WE DIDN'T THE ENTIRE BOARD DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME THING YOU WENT THROUGH LAST YEAR, AND IT'D BE EASIER TO ASK QUESTIONS AND BE MORE INTERACTIVE. 
          THEN THERE'S A THOUGHT, WELL, IT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY TO GO BACK THROUGH IT. 
          THE ONES THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY HERE, WELL, AS WELL AS DESHAUNA,
SHE WAS JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DAIS. 
          THE ONE WE DID LAST YEAR WAS 3, 3.5 HOURS LONG. 
          I WOULD MAKE THAT MUCH QUICKER. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED TO,
YOU KNOW, IF WE, IF WE DID IT FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD, MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO DO IT DURING ONE OF YOUR REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETINGS,
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME ON A DAY YOU WOULDN'T NORMALLY GO. IT WOULD JUST BE A LITTLE 
          [00:30:06]
LONGER MEETING AND HOPEFULLY WE WOULDN'T HAVE A REAL FULL AGENDA. 
          SO STILL WORKING THROUGH THAT, BUT I DO NEED TO GET THAT DONE ASAP. 
          I'D BE MORE I'D LOVE TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK OF THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS ON HOW YOU THINK YOU
WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT DONE AND ANY OF THE REGULAR BOARD MEMBERS, DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK THROUGH THE TRAINING PART OF THAT? WE ALSO TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STRATEGIC PLANNING LAST YEAR,
THAT WE'LL DO THAT SEPARATELY. 
          WE'VE ALSO PUT THAT ON HOLD BECAUSE WE WANT TO DO THAT WITH THESE 2 BOARD,
WITH BOTH BOARDS AND CITY COUNCIL AT THE SUGGESTION OR REQUEST OF THE MAYOR. 
          SO WE'RE IN THE WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO SCHEDULE THAT MAY,
MAYBE EARLY JUNE, HOPEFULLY MAY AT SOME POINT IN TIME. 
          BUT I DON'T HAVE A DATE. BUT ARE THERE ANY THOUGHTS ON THE ONBOARDING? I THINK DEFINITELY 3.5 HOURS WILL BE PAINFUL,
RIGHT? I TUNE OUT AFTER ABOUT 30, AND SO IF WE CAN EITHER BREAK THAT UP OR FIRST REDUCE IT. 
          SO WE COVER THE HIGH THE WAVE TOPS. ABSOLUTELY. 
          BECAUSE PUT ME IN FOR 3.5 HOURS. YOU GIVE ME ABOUT 30 TO 35 AND THEN I'LL JUST GIVE YOU. 
          BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I GET TIRED OF TALKING TO. 
          I KNOW IT'S HARD FOR YOU GUYS TO BELIEVE, BUT I DO GET TIRED OF TALKING. 
          AND COUNCILMAN JOHNSON. I SAW THE LOOK. I SAW THE LOOK WHEN I SAID THAT. 
          SO DO YOU. DO YOU A DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO IT IN A REGULAR BOARD MEETING WITH THE
ENTIRE BOARD? THE EXISTING BOARD. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GOT YOUR ARMS AROUND WHAT IS NEEDED OR WHAT
THE, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE OF THIS BOARD AND WOULD YOU RATHER ME JUST DO IT WITH EITHER
JUST ALAN OR ALAN AND DESHAWYNA. 
          I MEAN, DESHAWYNA YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THIS YOU WENT THROUGH IT WITH ME AND YOU WENT
THROUGH IT BEFORE I EVEN GOT HERE. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT EVERYBODY WILL BE GETTING IS AN UPDATED ONBOARDING PACKET THAT THE
CITY. 
          I'VE ALREADY DONE ALL MY UPDATES TO IT. THE CITY MANAGER AND ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER ARE
PROOFING IT, AND THEN THE CITY SECRETARY IS GOING TO RESEND THAT OUT TO EVERYBODY. 
          AND THAT'S THAT IS ALSO A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION. 
          IT'S GOT BYLAWS. IT'S GOT ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDERS. 
          IT'S GOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOT OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES,
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES. 
          SO THAT'LL BE HELPFUL AS WELL. SO IT'LL COME,
IT'LL COME THROUGH MULTIPLE MEDIUMS. IT MIGHT BE GOOD IF WE AT LEAST GAVE EVERYBODY THE OPTION,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE AN AGENDA. 
          SO THEY COULD KIND OF SEE IF THERE WERE TOPICS,
YOU KNOW, THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THIS IS WHAT I NEED TO BRUSH UP ON AND MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE 30 MINUTES, BUT, BUT I WANT TO, I WANT TO CATCH THIS OR I WANT TO CATCH THAT. 
          AND I'LL TELL YOU PART OF THE REASON IT WAS SO LONG LAST YEAR I HAD JUST GOTTEN HERE. 
          I WASN'T REALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE BOARD. THEY WEREN'T FAMILIAR WITH ME AT THAT POINT. 
          EVERYBODY HAS KIND OF A DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING THINGS. 
          SO I THINK PART OF THAT WAS JUST KIND OF GETTING THE EBB AND FLOW AND GETTING USED TO ONE
ANOTHER. 
          SO I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT I CAN SQUEEZE THAT 3 AND A HALF DOWN TO MAYBE AN HOUR AND A HALF
OR. 
          AND EVEN IF WE, IF, OBVIOUSLY, IF WE NEED TO BREAK IT UP INTO SMALLER SESSIONS AND
MULTIPLE DATES, THAT'S AT LEAST FOR ME, THAT'S FINE. I DO LIKE THAT IDEA OF BREAKING IT UP. 
          I THINK THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT FACETS TO BEING ON THE BOARD AND MAYBE WE CAN DO
DIFFERENT SERIES MAYBE PARLIAMENTARY YOU KNOW, TRAINING. ALSO I KNOW JEFF BROWN WITH BROWN AND HOFMEISTER,
HE WORKS FOR TEDC. 
          HE WORKS WITH THE STATE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. 
          HE ACTUALLY HELPS TO WRITE THE EDC AND CDC BYLAWS. 
          I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO MAYBE HAVE HIM COME IN AND DO A SESSION WITH US. 
          JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE ARE AWARE OF. WHO WE ARE AS A BOARD AND WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. 
          AND YOU KNOW, AS A BOARD, WE'RE NOT JUST A BOARD,
WE ARE AN ACTUAL CORPORATION. 
          AND I THINK TO BE ABLE TO STRESS THAT AND HAVE THE PERSON THAT COMES IN AND WRITES THE
ACTUAL LAWS IN US AND GUIDE US, I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT ONE? I THINK THE OTHER PART OF THAT, YOU MENTIONED THE STRATEGY SESSION,
AND I UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE PROCESS OF GETTING THE BOARDS AND CITY COUNCIL TOGETHER, BUT IT WOULD BE GOOD, I THINK, FOR US TO SPEND SOME TIME AS A GROUP TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS
THROUGH SWOT ANALYSIS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO WE'RE PREPARED VERSUS WALKING IN THERE AND JUST GETTING,
YOU KNOW. 
          RIGHT. THINGS DICTATED AND NOT HAVE ANY PREPARATION,
AT LEAST FOR IDEAS, BECAUSE WE SHOULD, 
          [00:35:02]
WE SHOULD BRING SOME VALUE TO IT AND SOME IDEAS TO THE TABLE. 
          YEAH, THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN. AND, AND I WILL BOUNCE IT OFF THE CITY MANAGER. 
          AND HE SEEMED TO THINK THAT THE, THE WISH WAS THAT WE STARTED OFF AT THE STARTING LINE ALL
TOGETHER INSTEAD OF DOING IT SEPARATE THAT WAY. 
          SO I WILL, I AGREE, I THINK IF NOTHING ELSE,
IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SHOW UP AT A MEETING PREPARED WITH NOTES TO AT LEAST GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED. SO I, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL TALK TO HIM AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. 
          ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT? THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT ON THAT ONE. 
          THAT'S NOT AN THANK YOU SIR. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 2026-007. 
          PRINCETON LOWRY CROSSING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE UPDATE AND PRESENTATION OF THE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE ON CURRENT SPONSORSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND CONSIDERED DISCUSSION AND ACTION POSSIBLE CHANGES. 
          ACT ON POSSIBLE CHANGES. SORRY, BETH. GO AHEAD. 
          NO. YOU'RE PERFECT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING,
MR. CHAIR. AND NEWLY ELECTED MR. VICE CHAIR AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. 
          BETH WILLHITE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE PRINCETON LOWRY CROSSING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY THIS EVENING TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL WHAT YOUR CHAMBER HAS BEEN
UP TO OVER THE PAST YEAR. 
          I'M GOING TO TRY THIS AGAIN THIS THIS EVENING. 
          SO ONE THING THAT WE ARE STRIVING TO DO IS BE A LITTLE MORE OUTWARD FOCUSED AND A LITTLE
MORE GIVING BACK AND SERVING IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THIS MONTH, WE'RE DOING A HYDRATION DRIVE FOR THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT IN LOWRY
CROSSING, AND IN MAY WE WILL BE DOING THE SAME. HYDRATION OR NOT THE SAME,
BUT HYDRATION DRIVE FOR THE PRINCETON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO GET THEM READY FOR THE NICE WEATHER WE HAVE IN THE SUMMERTIME. 
          WE ALSO PARTNER WITH THE CITY AND THE VFW THAT WE HAVE HERE IN PRINCETON FOR THE DAY OF
PURPOSE THAT'S COMING UP ON MAY 2ND. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE NOT FILLED OUT YOUR VOLUNTEER WAIVER,
I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO DO THAT SO YOU CAN BE A PART OF THAT DAY AS WELL. 
          JUST SERVICE PROJECTS AROUND THE CITY. AND I THINK THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THAT ARE
GOING TO BE HAPPENING THAT DAY AS WELL. 
          BUT IT'S JUST GOOD TO, I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE THE ONE PICKING UP TRASH ALL OVER THE CITY BY
MYSELF, BUT WHEN WE COME IN TOGETHER, WE CAN REALLY MAKE A DENT IN WHAT WE'RE DOING TOGETHER. 
          WE ALSO HONOR OUR VETERANS BY PLACING FLAGS AT THE PRINCETON CEMETERY BOTH MEMORIAL DAY
AND VETERANS DAY WEEKEND. 
          THIS YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA WITH THE CEMETERY THERE IN
LOWERY CROSSING. 
          WE ALSO ATTEND THEIR SERVICES THAT THEY HAVE BOTH VETERANS DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY AS WELL,
BECAUSE WE APPRECIATE WHAT OUR VETERANS HAVE DONE FOR US, AND WE'D LIKE TO PARTNER WITH THEM WHEN WE CAN. 
          YOUR CHAMBER IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE LIONS CLUB WHICH PROVIDES THE GLASSES FOR KIDDOS IN
OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE BIGGEST FUNDRAISER THAT WE HAVE IS THE ONION FESTIVAL,
WHICH IS THIS SATURDAY. 
          SO IF YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, WE'D LOVE TO SEE YOU AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          STARTING AT 10, UNLESS YOU ARE A 5 K WALKER OR RUNNER AND THEN THAT IS EARLIER. 
          THERE'S GOING TO BE TONS OF VENDORS, FOOD TRUCKS,
THERE'S ALL KIND OF THINGS THAT GO ON THAT DAY, A GOOD FAMILY EVENT. 
          AGAIN, ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THE LIONS CLUB ALSO RUNS THE PRINCETON GIVES PROGRAM,
WHICH WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS ANGEL TREE. 
          THAT'S WHERE WE PROVIDE GIFTS AND FOOD BOXES FOR FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          NOT ONLY DID THE CHAMBER ADOPT SOME KIDDOS, BUT WE ALSO HELP SHOP. 
          SO THERE'S A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL GIVE MONEY TO THE PROGRAM,
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A BODY GO OUT AND SPEND THAT MONEY, WHICH IS A LOT OF FUN TO SPEND OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. 
          BUT JUST TO HELP SOME FAMILIES IN OUR AREA THAT MAY HAVE A ROUGH TIME AROUND THE HOLIDAY
SEASON. 
          WE'RE ALSO A DROP FOR TOYS FOR TOTS AS WELL. AND THIS YEAR WAS THE BIGGEST YEAR WE'VE HAD
SINCE I'VE BEEN A PART OF THE CHAMBER. 
          AND WE HAD LISA'S FJ LOADED UP WITH TOYS AND I APOLOGIZE,
MY ASSISTANT IS HERE THIS EVENING. 
          THIS IS LISA BRADLEY. IF YOU'VE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HER LAST TUESDAY WAS HER 1
YEAR WORK AVERSARY WITH THE CHAMBER AND WE'RE STILL GOING STRONG. SO SORRY ABOUT THAT, LISA. BUT VERY BLESSED TO TO HAVE HER BY MY SIDE. 
          WE ALSO THIS YEAR DID HOLIDAY CARDS FOR THE PRINCETON MEDICAL LODGE FOR EASTER. 
          WE DID THOSE AT A BUSINESS AFTER HOURS. SO WE CAN COMBINE A NETWORKING EVENT WITH KIND OF
A SERVICE PROJECT. 
          THAT NIGHT WE MADE 135 CARDS FOR PRINCETON MEDICAL LODGE. 
          WE HAD A CHAMBER MEMBER THAT MADE THE DIE CUTS FOR US,
AND ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS GLUE AND STICK AND MAKE THE CARD. 
          [00:40:03]
SO EVERYBODY THAT WAS THERE MEN, WOMEN, WE HAD A FEW KIDS THAT CAME PARTICIPATED,
IT WAS A GOOD NIGHT OF NETWORKING. 
          THEY TALKED THIS MORNING AT BREAKFAST. THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT AGAIN AT CHRISTMAS. 
          WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE CDC AND PRINCETON ISD FOR THE MAYOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. 
          WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THOSE. WHAT ARE WE DOING. 
          AWARDING THE APPRENTICESHIPS. YES, IT'S BEEN A DAY. 
          THANK YOU GIRL. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE DOING THOSE INTERVIEWS AND I JUST WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW
YOU HAVE SOME HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN YOUR CITY THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. THEY HAVE GREAT DREAMS AND GOALS. I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU ALL TO MEET THEM. 
          I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THEY DO THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. 
          SO JUST KNOW YOU'RE, YOU HAVE HOPE AND YOU HAVE A FUTURE IN YOUR CITY. 
          AND IT'S VERY EXCITING TO SEE WHO'S GOING TO BE FOLLOWING IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS. 
          SO IT'S AN EXCITING PROGRAM THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF THAT. 
          BETH, HOW MANY APPLICANTS DID YOU END UP WITH? OVER 35. I DON'T EVEN KNOW FOR SURE. THERE'S 15 FUNDED APPRENTICESHIPS. 
          AND SO IT'S ALREADY HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, WHICH WAS THE GOAL. 
          VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A PHENOMENAL PROGRAM. 
          I AGREE. WE ALSO STARTED THIS YEAR CHAMBER 101. 
          THIS IS KIND OF AN ONBOARDING FOR NEW MEMBERS OR CURRENT MEMBERS THAT WOULD JUST LIKE A
LITTLE UPDATE ON WHAT THEIR MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS ARE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE RECEIVING THE BEST BANG FOR THEIR BUCK, THAT THEY'RE USING THEIR MEMBERSHIP THE BEST THAT THEY CAN. 
          WE HAD NINE ATTEND OUR FIRST SESSION. 2 HAD BEEN CHAMBER MEMBERS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. 
          AT THE END OF OUR SESSION, EVERYONE SAID THEY LEARNED SOMETHING SO THAT LET ME KNOW. 
          THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT WE DEFINITELY NEED TO KEEP GOING. 
          JUST TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND,
AND DOING THE BEST THAT WE CAN WITHIN OUR CHAMBER WITH YOU ALL. 
          IT WAS ALREADY MENTIONED SPONSORING THE BUSINESS TOOLBOX. 
          THIS IS A NEW SERIES THAT WILL KIND OF COME THROUGH MORE THE FOUNDATION THAN THE CHAMBER. 
          BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE IT IS WHAT IT
IS AND IT'S A BEAR. 
          AND SO WE HAVE A CHAMBER MEMBER THAT DOES THIS FOR A LIVING. 
          SO SHE'S GOING TO COME IN AND KIND OF HELP US LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO DO A QUICKBOOKS CLASS,
THINGS LIKE THAT, SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUR SMALL BUSINESSES TO BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE AND JUST STRENGTHEN THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          THROUGH THE CHAMBER FOUNDATION, WE DO HAVE THE BUSINESS CENTER. 
          THAT'S WHERE THE CHAMBER OFFICE IS, AS WELL AS 6 OTHER BUSINESSES THAT ARE SMALLER,
BUT THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE OFFICE SPACE. 
          WE HAVE THE PRINCETON ISD STUDENTS THAT DO THE ARTWORK THAT HANGS THERE HANGS THERE FOR A
YEAR AND THEN IT IS SOLD THAT GOES BACK INTO ALL OF THAT MONEY GOES BACK INTO THE SCHOOL. IT WAS GOING INTO THE ART DEPARTMENT. 
          THEY'RE LOOKING AT POSSIBLY TURNING THAT INTO A SCHOLARSHIP FOR ONE OF THE ART STUDENTS. 
          IF YOU ARE EVER OUT AND ABOUT MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF EIGHT AND FOUR
I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO STOP IN AND LOOK AT IT. 
          EVERY YEAR HE BRINGS THE ART TEACHER BRINGS IT. 
          I'M LIKE, THIS IS MY FAVORITE. THIS IS AMAZING. 
          BUT IT'S SO GOOD. OUR, OUR, AGAIN, THE STUDENTS THAT YOU HAVE HERE IN OUR CITY ARE VERY
TALENTED. 
          AND ALL THE STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO COME, THEY TOOK THEIR CLASS TIME AND BROUGHT THEM UNTIL
THEY GOT TO SEE THEIR ARTWORK HANGING IN THE BUSINESS CENTER. 
          SOME OF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS CAME WITH THEM AS WELL,
AND WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW HOW PROUD OF THEM WE ARE, AND THAT THIS IS A BIG DEAL TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR ARTWORK HANGING IN OUR OFFICE. 
          JIM AND BRIE STOPPED BY THE OTHER DAY AND GOT TO SEE IT. 
          SO AGAIN WE'D LOVE TO SHOW IT OFF. WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          YEAH. YOU SHOULD TRY TO GO BY. I MEAN THIS THESE KIDS ARE TRULY TALENTED. 
          THIS STUFF IS LEGIT, IT'S NOT GOOD FOR YOU. IT'S GOOD. 
          IT'S NOT. OH YEAH. IT'S A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. 
          THEY DID A PRETTY GOOD. YEAH. SOME OF THE STUFF IS JUST REALLY IMPRESSIVE. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET A CHANCE, STOP BY AND SEE IT. 
          AND THEN THE FINAL THING THAT THE FOUNDATION DOES IS THE BACK TO SCHOOL BASH. 
          WHICH WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. 
          NETWORKING EVENTS LAST YEAR, WE DID OVER 100 NETWORKING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS A
CHAMBER MEMBER. 
          ANY OF THOSE EVENTS, YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO ATTEND. 
          WE HAVE MONTHLY ANNUAL QUARTERLY EVENTS. SOME ARE EARLY IN THE MORNING. 
          OUR BUSINESS AND BREAKFAST THIS MORNING WAS AT 7:.30. 
          WE HAVE A LUNCH AND LEARN. OCCASIONALLY WE HAVE A BUSINESS AFTER HOURS. 
          BUT AS A CHAMBER MEMBER ANY OF THOSE EVENTS THAT YOU ALL CAN ATTEND,
WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU. 
          JUST SO YOU KNOW, OUR CHAMBER MEMBERS DO NOTICE THAT YOU ARE A CHAMBER MEMBER AND IT DOES
MEAN A LOT TO THEM TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH US, WITH THEM AS WELL. SO WE APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THAT. 
          [00:45:03]
YOUR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP WITH US,
LIKE I SAID, DOES MEAN A LOT. 
          WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL VERY MUCH. LAST YEAR YOU DID SUPPORT THE BACK TO SCHOOL BASH WHICH I
DID WANT TO SHOW YOU A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          BECAUSE THAT OUR GOAL, OUR RAISING MONEY GOAL IS,
IS GOING UP A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR. 
          BUT IN THE PAST, WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THE DRAWSTRING BAGS. 
          AND WE SAY IT'S A BACKPACK. COME AND GET YOUR BACKPACK. 
          WELL, THIS IS NOT A BACKPACK. LAST YEAR WE DID GO TO ALMOST ALL GRADE LEVELS BEING A CLEAR
BAG. 
          A LOT OF EVENTS THAT YOU ATTEND NOW HAVE A CLEAR BAG POLICY,
SO WE WANTED THEM TO USE THE BAG FOR MORE THAN JUST GRABBING THEIR SUPPLIES AND GOING HOME. BECAUSE WE ALSO AREN'T JUST PRINCETON PANTHERS ANYMORE. 
          SO WE JUST PUT THE PRINCETON P THAT WAY. ALL THE SCHOOL DISTRICT,
ALL THE SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT CAN USE THE BAG AS WELL. 
          THIS YEAR WE WOULD LOVE TO USE A BACKPACK. SO IT'S A CLEAR AGAIN,
SO THAT THOSE THAT GO FROM SCHOOL TO MAYBE A SPORT EVENT AT THE STADIUM, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THEIR BACKPACK IN
INSTEAD OF LEAVING OUTSIDE JUST FOR WHOMEVER TO GO THROUGH IT. 
          IT DOES HAVE A LITTLE PLACE THEY CAN PUT A WATER BOTTLE. 
          BUT THEN THIS IS ACTUALLY A BACKPACK THAT THEY WILL GET. 
          AND WE'RE EXCITED. NOW, THIS COST ALMOST MORE THAN DOUBLE OF THIS. 
          BUT WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A GOOD MOVE. IF OUR GOAL IS TO HELP OUR KIDDOS BE READY,
THEN WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS A DIRECTION WE NEED TO GO. 
          WE'RE ALSO KIND OF REEVALUATING THE ITEMS THAT WE'VE CHOSEN BECAUSE WE TRY TO DO SO MANY,
YOU TRY TO KEEP THE COST DOWN AND WELL, HOW CAN WE GET THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK? BUT IF OUR GOAL IS TO BE HELPFUL,
THEN WE NEED TO REEVALUATE WHICH ITEMS WE ARE PURCHASING. 
          AND SO WE AGAIN HAVE ALL THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES LIST TRYING TO SEE HOW CAN WE BETTER BENEFIT
OUR FAMILIES. 
          AND WE ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THE QUALITY OF ITEMS WE PUT IN THE BAG ARE GOOD. 
          LITTLE THING ABOUT ME I'M A CRAYON SNOB. WE ONLY USE CRAYOLA AT MY HOUSE. 
          IT'S A REALLY BIG THING. AND SO LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE PACKING THESE BAGS AND I DON'T EVEN
KNOW WHERE WE'RE GETTING THESE CRAYONS FROM, I WAS LIKE, WE'RE NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE. IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS TO HELP OUR FAMILIES,
THEN WE'RE GOING TO USE PRODUCTS THAT ARE BENEFICIAL AND GOOD FOR THEM. 
          THAT IS A PERSONAL PREFERENCE OF MINE. I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT CRAYOLA IS ALSO MORE
EXPENSIVE THAN EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          WE DO WAIT TO START SHOPPING UNTIL AFTER JULY 4TH WHEN THE PRODUCTS GO ON SALE,
BUT THEY'RE STILL MORE EXPENSIVE. 
          BUT AGAIN, IF OUR GOAL IN THIS PROJECT IS TO BE HELPFUL AND BENEFICIAL TO THOSE IN OUR
COMMUNITY, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO DO WHAT WE DO WITH EXCELLENCE AND BE HELPFUL. 
          SO OUR GOAL THIS YEAR FOR THE BACK TO SCHOOL BASH IS $30,000. 
          I CANNOT DO THIS ALONE. BUT AS A COMMUNITY, WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN. MY WORD, I DIDN'T CRY LAST TIME. 
          JUST GOING TO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO STOP. SO I KNOW YOU ALL HELPED AND IT WAS GREATLY
APPRECIATED. 
          I WOULD LOVE TO ASK FOR YOUR HELP AGAIN THIS YEAR. 
          WE ALREADY STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT WITH THE CHAMBER ITSELF THIS MORNING. 
          LETTING PEOPLE KNOW AGAIN, I CAN'T DO IT ALONE,
BUT WHEN WE COME TOGETHER AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS ON AND PUSH AT THE CHAMBER THIS YEAR. AND AS LONG AS THEY LET ME BE A PART OF THIS,
THIS CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY WE'RE NOT CREATED TO DO THIS ALONE. 
          AND SO TO THINK WE CAN DO ANY OF THIS BY OURSELVES IS INCORRECT. 
          AND SO COMING TOGETHER AND BEING ABLE TO DO THIS WE CAN,
I KNOW WE CAN. 
          DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I'M SORRY, I SAW. I WAS GOING TO ASK JIM,
WHAT DID WE PARTICIPATE? WHAT'S THE LAST YEAR? AND THEN WHAT? FOR YOU TO KNOW,
SIR. 
          WHAT'S THE DEADLINE FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY'S DOING? WELL, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND TELL YOU THIS. 
          I HAD TO GO AHEAD AND PLACE THIS ORDER. SO THIS IS IN FAITH. 
          I WENT AHEAD AND PLACED THIS ORDER IN FAITH THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS. 
          I, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ALL THE MONEY BY THE END OF JUNE TO BE ABLE TO START SHOPPING AS
SOON AS THE SALES HIT IN JULY. 
          BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE ACTUALLY TOOK ACTION WITH THE CDC BOARD ON A SPECIFIC AMOUNT,
SO. 
          NO, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WE CAN DO THAT IN MAY. 
          OKAY. FOR AND DO YOU REMEMBER THE CDC DID A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THIS BOARD DID LAST YEAR? 
          [00:50:05]
DID THIS BOARD DO SEVEN AND CDC DID 10. THIS BOARD DID 5. 
          THIS BOARD DID 5. AND THEY MAY HAVE TALKED ABOUT YOU AT THE CDC. 
          I WAS LIKE, I WAS GOING TO SAY. NOW, AS THE CEO,
I WOULD ASK YOU NOT TO GET INTO A BIDDING WAR WITH EACH OTHER BECAUSE I HAVE TO REPRESENT BOTH AND IT'S GOING TO DO NOTHING. BUT. WE HAVE AMPLE FUNDS. 
          AND IN OUR PROMOTIONAL ACCOUNTS, I MEAN, WE COULD WE DO. 
          AND THIS IS WE CAN DO IT BECAUSE IT'S A CHAMBER. 
          THROUGH OUR PROMOTIONAL ACCOUNT, WE DO. THE ONLY PEOPLE SUPPORTING THIS ARE US IN THE
SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          AND WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          THEY SEE US DOING IT, THEY KNOW WE'RE SUPPORTING IT. 
          THAT DOES GET A LOT OF TRACTION. I WAS SEMI JOKING ABOUT GETTING INTO A BIDDING WAR,
OBVIOUSLY. 
          I MEAN, SEEING HOW MUCH BETH CARES ABOUT IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT,
QUITE HONESTLY. 
          I MEAN, THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK AND QUITE HONESTLY WE'RE FUNDING THE APPRENTICESHIP
PROGRAM. 
          BUT BUT SHE'S THESE 2 ARE DOING THE LION'S SHARE OF THE WORK ON THAT AS WELL. 
          SO CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT. AND THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM. 
          WE ARE NOT CONSIDERED A WEALTHY COMMUNITY. THERE ARE A LOT OF KIDS THAT LOOK TO THIS TO
HELP WITH, WITH THEIR EXPENDITURES. SO I THINK, BETH, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT LAST YEAR'S GOAL WAS 25. 
          AND THIS YEAR'S IS 30 OR 35. IT'S 30 BECAUSE AND THAT'S WHY CDC DIDN'T MAKE A DECISION
LAST WEEK, BECAUSE I SAID, WELL, WE BACKED OFF THE AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES WE PUT IN THERE BECAUSE I WAS
TRYING NOT TO JUMP UP SO MUCH. 
          AND THEY TOLD ME NOT TO DO THAT, BUT TO COME BACK WITH,
OKAY, IF WE LEFT OUR SUPPLY LIST THE SAME, HOW MUCH WOULD WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET THE ITEMS WE WANT TO GET,
THE QUALITY WE WANT TO GET AND MOVE FORWARD? AND SO WE'RE HAVING TO KIND OF REWORK A FEW THINGS AND KIND OF GO BACK AT THE LIST AND
LOOK, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WE DO PICK THE LESSER EXPENSIVE BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A BIG
UNDERTAKING. 
          WE ARE, WE ARE NOT GOING UP ON THE NUMBER OF BACKPACKS THIS YEAR. 
          WE'RE STAYING AT 2000. WE DID NOT GET RID OF ALL OF THEM AT THE EVENT. 
          THE CITY PARKS AND REC SORRY, HAD AN EVENT THAT NEXT WEEK,
SO WE TOOK SOME BAGS THERE. 
          AND THEN WE ASSIST WITH THE TEACHER LUNCHEON THAT THE CHRISTIAN MINISTERIAL ALLIANCE DOES
OR WE SUPPORT THAT. 
          SO WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE SOME THERE TO FOR THE NEW TEACHERS THAT COME INTO THE DISTRICT. 
          AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO THAT EVENT,
WE ALSO DO FREE HAIRCUTS, FREE VISION SCREENINGS, AND DIFFERENT BUSINESSES CAN SET UP THEIR BUSINESS BOOTH AT THE BASH. 
          IT WILL BE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE OUTGREW EVERY OTHER SCHOOL. 
          SO I WAS LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO THE BIGGEST ONE WE'VE GOT. 
          SO PARKING WON'T BE A PROBLEM. BUT IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN,
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME. 
          IT'S A 2 HOUR EVENT. AND WE HAVE CLOSE TO 2000 PEOPLE THAT COME THROUGH THAT DOOR,
THOSE DOORS IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. 
          SO SOME OF THEM, SOME OF THEM HAVE STARTED LEAVING THEIR KIDS AT HOME. IF THEY'RE NOT
GETTING THE HAIRCUT OR THE VISION SCREENING BECAUSE IT'S JUST, IT'S IT'S CRAZY. 
          THEY JUST GRAB THE BAGS AND, AND GO, BUT THEY ARE,
WE ARE DOING 5 DIFFERENT 4 DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS. 
          SO LIKE, IF YOU HAVE YOUNGER KIDS, THOSE SCHOOL SUPPLIES WILL OBVIOUSLY BE DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT THE HIGH SCHOOL, THE HIGH SCHOOL IS GETTING. SO. WELL, I APPLAUD YOU FOR STEPPING UP THE QUALITY. 
          I AGREE THAT AND DESHAWYNA KNOWS THIS ABOUT ME,
EVEN ABOUT SWAG. 
          IF YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND ANYTHING ON IT, GET SOMETHING USEFUL. 
          AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WANT IT TO BE SOMETHING THAT TWOFOLD TO ME THAT KIND OF HAS A SPECIAL
PLACE IN MY HEART. 
          A, I WANT IT TO BE USEFUL, LIKE YOU SAID, AND B,
I DON'T WANT THE KIDS THAT NEED THIS STUFF TO BE TO ME TO BE USING LESSER SUPPLIES THAN THE OTHER KIDS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THEM TO BE EMBARRASSED. AND,
AND HAVE TO FIGHT THROUGH THAT. 
          SO I APPLAUD YOU. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE YOU'RE GETTING THE BETTER STUFF. 
          AND DO YOU YOU DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER YET. Y'ALL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE THAT YET. 
          NO, SIR. WE'RE BECAUSE EVERY SCHOOL HAS THEIR OWN LIST. 
          IT'S NOT LIKE ALL THE ELEMENTARY USES THE SAME LIST,
SO IT JUST IS GOING TO TAKE US A LITTLE TIME TO WORK THROUGH THAT. 
          THAT'S WHY I SAID WE'RE STARTING AT LEAST AT 30. 
          JIM, WHY DON'T WE JUST LOOK AT SPLITTING IT THAT WAY KAREEM CAN'T TALK TRASH. 
          WE WERE HERE LAST YEAR. MISS WALKER, BASED ON WHAT DESHAWYNA IS SAYING,
THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED. 
          BUT DO WHAT? THAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED AT THE MEETINGS. 
          IT IT WAS A THING. ALL RIGHT. SO WE SPLIT IT. 
          THEN WE'RE EVEN STEVEN. 
          [00:55:06]
HOW DO YOU GO HIGHER? WE JUST GO TO MY. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU KIND
OF TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. 
          WHAT I WOULD PROBABLY RECOMMEND DOING RIGHT NOW,
YOUR GOAL IS BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS SUPPLEMENT IT. 
          IF YOU DID 5 LAST YEAR, SAY YOU WANT TO DO 10 THIS YEAR AND GO AHEAD AND COMMIT TO THAT SO
SHE CAN SHE KNOWS SHE'S AT LEAST GETTING 10 AND SHE CAN START ORDERING THOSE THINGS. AND WHEN SHE COMES BACK, IF WE NEED TO ADD A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM EACH BOARD, WE CAN DO THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. 
          YOU CAN. THE ONLY THING I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU NOT TO DO IS SAY,
WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT THIS YEAR. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD BE BAD, BUT BUT I THINK WE OUGHT TO GIVE HER AT LEAST A NUMBER THAT YOU
GUYS ARE COMFORTABLE WITH STARTING OUT. 
          AND THEN IF SHE'S A LITTLE BIT SHORT, SHE CAN COME BACK. 
          YEAH. IF WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE 30, THOUGH,
WE SHOULD AT LEAST GO 15 AT LEAST YOU'RE THE CHAIRMAN. 
          IF EVERYBODY'S GOOD AND I CAN, I CAN HEAR HER SMILE RIGHT NOW WITH YOU SAYING THAT. 
          WAIT. QUICK QUESTION. WHAT DAY DID YOU SAY THE BADGE WAS ON? IT IS. IT SHOULD BE. WHAT DATE OF THE BADGE? YEAH. 
          IT'S ON THEM. OH, OKAY. THE. I'M SORRY. THE BACK TO SCHOOL BASH IS THE LAST SATURDAY OF
JULY, SO JULY 25TH. AND LIKE I SAID, WE START SOME OF THE SUPPLIES. 
          WE CAN GO AHEAD AND START ORDERING IN THE MIDDLE OF JUNE. 
          THE ONES THAT GO ON SALE, WE TRY TO WAIT TILL AFTER JULY 4TH. 
          ASSEMBLE ALL THE SUPPLIES AND THEN WE'LL START PACKING THE BAGS. YOU READY? I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION BEFORE I MAKE MY MOTION. 
          THAT 30,000 WAS BEFORE YOU SPOKE TO THE CDC. CORRECT. 
          THAT WAS KIND OF SCALING BACK ON SOME OF THE BRANDS AND AND ALL OF THAT. 
          SO THE 30,000 WAS NOT SCALING BACK ON THE BRAND,
BUT SCALING BACK ON THE AMOUNT. 
          BECAUSE LIKE THE CRAYONS, WE USUALLY PUT AT LEAST FOUR BOXES IN THE BAG THOUGH THE SCHOOL
SUPPLY LIST ASKED FOR LIKE 6 OR 8. 
          SO WE SCALED THAT BACK A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE AGAIN,
CRAYOLA IS LIKE TWICE. 
          AND I KEEP USING CRAYONS BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGER THINGS,
BUT THEY'RE LIKE TWICE AS MUCH AS OTHER. 
          YOU DO 2 BOXES INSTEAD OF 4 OR WHATEVER, RIGHT? IN KIND OF COMING UP WITH OUR NUMBER BECAUSE IT JUST JUMPING THAT MUCH JUST IS JUST A LOT. 
          BUT I'M KIND OF WITH THE CDC. I MEAN, THIS IS FOR THE BABIES,
RIGHT? AND IF WE CAN BE OF HELP TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE WHATEVER THEY NEED WHILE THEY'RE
LEARNING AND GOING TO SCHOOL, THEN WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT. AND,
YOU KNOW, SCALING BACK ON THE NUMBER PROBABLY NEED TO NOT DO THAT. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET THOSE NUMBERS, BUT I WILL MAKE A MOTION IF MR. CHAIR WILL ALLOW. OKAY. MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE $15,000 FOR THE BACK TO SCHOOL BASH. SECOND. 
          AND THAT'S APPROVE 7-0. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. IT WAS GOOD TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT STUFF. 
          IT'S IT'S INTERESTING AS I LOOK AT IT, HOW MANY THINGS I'VE BEEN TO,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS HAVEN'T BEEN TO. SO THIS 2026 GOAL. 
          WELL, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU ANYTIME. SO ANY OF YOU. 
          SO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. 
          AND WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA 2026-008. 
          OUR WEBSITE PROPOSAL CONSIDER, DISCUSS AND ACT UPON APPROVING A CONTRACT FOR A NEW WEBSITE
DESIGNER. 
          AND THAT WILL BE MR. [INAUDIBLE]. SO BETWEEN MY MYSELF AND BRIE AND AARON,
MOODY AND MALLORY IN THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT, WE NEED A NEW WEBSITE. AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS MULTIPLE TIMES
WITH THE BOARD. 
          WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE POINT NOW TO WHERE WE'VE PUT IT OUT TO BID. 
          WE'VE LOOKED AT WHAT'S OUT THERE, INCLUDING OUR CURRENT VENDOR,
OUR CURRENT VENDOR. 
          [01:00:04]
THEY HAVE CHANGED TECHNOLOGIES AND WE'RE STILL KIND OF STUCK ON THEIR OLD TECHNOLOGY. 
          AND YOU HAVE TO BUY THE NEW TECHNOLOGY AND TO RE-UP. 
          AND SO IT'S A PERFECT TIME FOR US TO LOOK AT THIS. 
          AARON BROUGHT ME AND I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THIS GROUP,
BUT I'VE NOT PERSONALLY USED IT. 
          THERE'S A GROUP CALLED GOLDEN SHOVEL THAT SPECIALIZES IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITES. 
          THEY, THEY HAVE AN EXTREMELY ROBUST SERVICE PACKAGE FOR THEIR WEBSITES. 
          AND IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN I JUST GAVE YOU A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE MARKETING BUDGET,
I HAD BUDGETED 3000 FOR EACH CORPORATION. 
          AND AGAIN, THE GOAL TO REMIND EVERYBODY IS WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS HAVE A COMMON LANDING
PAGE WHERE BOTH CORPORATIONS, IF YOU TYPE THEM IN, THEY'LL GO TO THE SAME LANDING PAGE AND THEY'LL HAVE BOTH LOGOS AND A
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT EACH CORPORATION DOES FOR A COUPLE REASONS, BUT THE BIGGEST REASON IS IT'LL DOUBLE OUR TRAFFIC. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO SEE THAT WE HAVE BOTH CORPORATIONS,
BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM HAVE AN EXCITING STORY TO TELL, AND THEY BOTH SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. SO THEN YOU JUST
CLICK ONCE AND YOU'D GO, IF YOU'RE THERE TO SEE THE EDC, YOU CLICK THROUGH AND IT GOES TO THE EDC HAS ITS FULL
BLOWN SITE, FAR MORE FUNCTIONAL THAN THE ONE THAT IS THERE TODAY. 
          A LOT MORE ROBUST GRAPHICS AS WELL. BUT THE OTHER THING IT DOES IS IF THEY'RE GOING TO SEE
EDC SITE AND THEY SAY, WHAT IS THE CDC? THEY CAN CLICK ON THAT AND SEE THE EXCITING PARKS,
PROJECTS AND ALL THE STUFF GOING ON, BECAUSE QUALITY OF LIFE IS A BIG THING IN WHAT WE DO,
AND IT SUPPORTS WHAT WE DO. 
          AND SO IF THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE, WE'VE GOT AN ENTIRE CORPORATION DEDICATED TO THAT SEGMENT
OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO HELP RECRUIT CORPORATIONS, I THINK IT'D BE HELPFUL ANYWAY. AARON AND I WERE BOTH EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH THIS GROUP. 
          THE VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS PARTICULARLY NOW AFTER YOU JUST TRIPLED YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE
CHAMBER'S PROGRAM. 
          I AM EXCITED TO TELL YOU THAT THE WEBSITE FOR THE FIRST YEAR INSTEAD OF 30 WILL BE ABOUT
16,000. 
          THE CDC IS A LITTLE BIT LESS BECAUSE ONE OF THE FUNCTIONALITIES THAT THIS CORPORATION DOES
IS MARKETING, ELECTRONIC MARKETING AND TRACKING. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE EDC NEEDS THAT THE CDC
DOESN'T REALLY NEED. 
          IT'S A SMALL CHARGE, BUT IT'LL BE ABOUT $16,000 FOR THE FIRST YEAR,
ONGOING CHARGES, 13,000. 
          AS THIS COMPANY UPGRADES THEIR TECHNOLOGY, IT IS AUTOMATICALLY PART OF THE PACKAGE. 
          THEY UPGRADE YOUR SITE AUTOMATICALLY AS SOON AS THEY DO IT WITHOUT US REQUESTING IT. 
          AND WITH THIS CONTRACT, IF WE STAY WITH THIS COMPANY FOR FOUR YEARS. 
          WE GET A FREE, COMPLETE WEBSITE REDO FOR BOTH CORPORATIONS FREE OF CHARGE. 
          IT'S JUST PART OF OUR ANNUAL MAINTENANCE AS WELL. 
          SO THE BACK END IS FAR EASIER TO USE. PLUS AND THIS IS FROM AARON THAT THE CURRENT, WHAT THEY CALL BACK END TO GO IN AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO OUR WEBSITE
RIGHT NOW IS NOT VERY USER FRIENDLY. 
          AND IT TAKES A LOT OF OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM'S TIME. 
          THIS IS FAR MORE USER FRIENDLY, BUT ALSO AS A PART OF OUR PACKAGE,
WE GET A FULL TIME COPYWRITER AND ALSO A MAINTENANCE PERSON. 
          ONE PERSON TO GO TO THAT WILL IF WE NEED TO UPDATE COPY,
THEY'LL HELP US WRITE COPY, THEY'LL CHANGE GRAPHICS, THEY CAN DO ALL THE MAINTENANCE ON OUR BEHALF,
BUT THEN THEY'LL ALSO TRAIN AARON AND MALLORY. 
          IF WE'VE GOT SOMETHING REAL QUICK AND WE DON'T NEED TO BUG THEM WITH,
THEY CAN LOG IN AND DO IT THEMSELVES. 
          SO WE BRING THAT TO YOU TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT IT IS IN YOUR FOLDER. 
          THE TOTAL CONTRACT IS 32,000 AND CHANGE. BUT THAT SPLIT BETWEEN THE 2 CORPORATIONS AND THE
CDC DID APPROVE THEIRS LAST WEEK. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          IT'S IT'S A THICK PACKET. I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE THING UNLESS YOU MAKE ME. 
          I ALREADY TALKED TOO MUCH. HEY, JIM. SO I HAVE 2 QUESTIONS. 
          YES, SIR. SO IS A 4 YEAR CONTRACT THE ONLY OPTION? AND THEN WHO IS OUR CURRENT VENDOR? OUR CURRENT VENDORS? [INAUDIBLE]. AND GOOD QUESTION, BECAUSE I THINK I SAID SOMETHING THAT'S CONFUSING. 
          WE'RE ON A YEAR TO YEAR CONTRACT. IT'S NOT A 4 YEAR CONTRACT,
BUT IF WE STAY WITH THEM FOR 4 YEARS, THEY ESSENTIALLY GIVE US A FREE WEBSITE REDO FOR JUST BEING WITH THEM THAT PERIOD OF TIME. 
          SO DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SORRY. YEAH. JUST TO CLARIFY,
IT'S ONLY A ONE YEAR CONTRACT. 
          WE'RE ONLY COMMITTING. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS CONTRACT IS ONLY FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. 
          WE'LL BRING IT BACK IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR. IT'LL BE PART OF THE BUDGET,
BUT WE'LL ALREADY BE WILL ALREADY BE ON THE PLATFORM, SO YOU WON'T NEED TO APPROVE IT. IT'LL JUST BE PART OF THE MARKETING BUDGET. IS HE GOING
TO START LOOKING THE SAME OR ARE WE GOING TO REDESIGN EVERYTHING? 
          [01:05:08]
WE'RE GOING TO REDESIGN EVERYTHING. OKAY. AND YEAH,
EVERYTHING. 
          IT'S IT'S GOING TO WE'LL WE'RE GOING TO ADD VIDEO TO IT. 
          WE'VE ALREADY CONTRACTED AND IT'S BEEN CONTRACTED SINCE BEFORE I GOT HERE WITH A GROUP
THAT DOES DRONE VIDEOS OF COMMUNITIES. 
          THEY CAN DO A LOT OF CREATIVE THINGS INCLUDED IN THAT. 
          THEY CAN SHOW SPECULATIVE BUILDINGS ON SITES,
THEY CAN SHOW NEW ROADS THAT ARE GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTED. 
          THEY'LL LITERALLY SHOW THE, THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LOOP AND ALL THAT STUFF TO HELP TELL
THE STORY. 
          WE'LL STILL HAVE THE PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE FOR SALE IN THERE AND EVERYTHING ATTACHED. 
          GOOD. YES. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE WEBSITE? PRETTY EXCITED. IT'LL TAKE ABOUT 3 MONTHS TO PUT TOGETHER. 
          THEY WILL. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP OURS LIVE THAT ENTIRE TIME. 
          AND THEN ONCE IT GETS READY, WELL, WE WILL TRANSITION OVER A LOT OF THE CONTENT. 
          I MEAN A LOT OF CONTENT IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. 
          IT'S JUST GOING TO LOOK DIFFERENT. AND SO OUR CURRENT SITE WILL STAY LIVE UNTIL
EVERYTHING'S READY TO SWITCH OVER. 
          THEN THEY'LL FLIP A SWITCH. THE SAME URL WILL JUST GO TO A NEW WEBSITE. 
          YOU'LL SEE A, YOU KNOW, SO THE USER WON'T NOTICE ANYTHING EXCEPT IT'S A MUCH NICER
WEBSITE. 
          WHAT'S THE MARKETING LOOK LIKE? CAN YOU EXPLAIN SOME OF THAT WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT?
DID THEY GO OUT AND MARKET PRINCETON AND ARE THEY DO. 
          AND IT IS LIKE THE THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DO. 
          THEY WILL LOOK AT TARGET MARKETS THAT WE LOOK AT,
THEN THEY'LL SPECIFICALLY GO AFTER THOSE. 
          THE OTHER THING THEY DO IS THEY'VE GOT A TRACKING MECHANISM BUILT INTO THEIR WEBSITE THAT
NOT ONLY WILL IT SHOW WHO VISITED YOUR SITE, BUT IT'LL ACTUALLY GIVE YOU A CONTACT NAME. MOST PEOPLE DON'T DO THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO
SUBSCRIBE AND PAY A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO BE ABLE TO GET THE BACK END EITHER FROM DUN AND BRADSTREET OR SOMEBODY LIKE THAT. 
          IF IT'S, IF IT'S A CORPORATE USER, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET THAT INFORMATION,
BUT EVIDENTLY THEY CAN. 
          AND SO THAT WOULD BE THEY WOULD DO A CAMPAIGN LIKE QUARTERLY. 
          AND IT'S VERY INEXPENSIVE. IT'S LIKE IT'S LESS THAN $500 PER CAMPAIGN. 
          SO WITH THE WITH THE ABILITY TO DO THE CEO, THE DIFFERENT CLICKS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF,
ARE THEY ABLE TO GENERATE LEADS FOR US IN REGARDS TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE LAND, FOR EXAMPLE? OH, YES. DEVELOPER THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          SO THEY'RE ABLE TO DEVELOP LEADS FOR CORRECT DIFFERENT ENTITIES,
WHATEVER. 
          OKAY. AND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT GO TO YOUR WEBSITE THAT,
AS YOU KNOW, ARE LEADS. 
          I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST CURIOUS AND, YOU KNOW, LOCAL RESIDENT WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON OR
WHATEVER. 
          BUT IF YOU KNOW, IF THEY TRACK ONE OF THE, THE,
THE VISITS FROM COCA COLA COMPANY, OKAY, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING. AND SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CAPTURE SOME OF THAT DATA. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I SAY THAT YES, THEY CAN UNTIL I SEE IT,
NONE OF THAT STUFF TO ME IS PERFECT. 
          YOU NEVER CAPTURE EVERYTHING. BUT THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF GOOD TESTIMONIALS FROM PEOPLE
SAYING THAT THIS STUFF WORKS. 
          AND TO YOUR POINT, THEY DO THE OPTIMIZATION AND THAT WHOLE THING IS PART OF IT. 
          ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IF NOT, I JUST NEED A APPROVAL,
A MOTION TO APPROVE AUTHORIZING ME TO EXECUTE THE CONTRACT. MR. CHAIRMAN, IF I'M IN ORDER,
I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APPROVES THE CONTRACT FOR THE WEB PAGE FOR THE EDC. SECOND. SECOND. 
          I SECOND. AND THAT'S APPROVED. 7-0. THANKS. THANK YOU. 
          JIM. WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA. 
          IT'S 2026-009. NEW ATTORNEY FOR EDC. CONSIDER,
DISCUSS AND ACT ON PURSUING A NEW CORPORATION ATTORNEY TO REPRESENT THE PRINCETON EDC. SO EVERYBODY KNOWS AT THIS POINT THE,
THE LAW FIRM THAT REPRESENTED THE CITY AND THE CORPORATIONS HAS RESIGNED. AS A MATTER OF FACT,
I BELIEVE THEIR RESIGNATION TO THE CITY WAS ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE I EVEN GOT THE LETTER RESIGNING FROM THE 2 BOARDS. SO THAT'S WHY YOU GOT MY FORWARDED EMAIL AFTER IT HAD ALREADY
BEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          [01:10:04]
THE ORIGINAL SOCIAL MEDIA WAS THE CITY'S CONTRACT. 
          OURS CAME LATER AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BEEN ON THERE,
BUT REGARDLESS WE'RE IN A PLACE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR A NEW LAW FIRM AGAIN. NICHOLS AND JACKSON IS AN INTERIM LAW FIRM. 
          WHEN WE PUT IT OUT TO BID, THEY MAY VERY WELL BID. 
          WE MAY END UP WITH THEM, BUT THEY THEY MAY NOT BID OR WE MAY NOT END UP WITH THEM,
BUT THEY I WOULD LIKE TO SAY AND I SAID IT AT THE CDC MEETING TO COURTNEY, KEVIN, WHO IS THE OTHER THAT IS HELPING REPRESENT US. 
          THANKS FOR STEPPING IN. I MEAN, THEY THEY TOOK ON THE WORK IMMEDIATELY WITHIN A WEEK AND
OR FILLING THE HOLES. SO THAT AND THEY, THEY'RE A,
WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH QUALIFIED LAW FIRM NOT ONLY TO HAVE A LAW FIRM STEP IN, BUT TO HAVE SUCH A GOOD ONE. I'M FAMILIAR WITH THEM HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS. 
          THEY'RE ONE OF THE BIG ONES THAT DOES MUNICIPAL AND CORPORATION. 
          SO THANKS TO COURTNEY AND HER FIRM FOR STEPPING IN AND DOING THAT. 
          SO THE CONVERSATION HAS BEEN, AND IT'S LEGITIMATE CONVERSATION WHETHER WE,
THIS BOARD HAD A SEPARATE WE USE THE SAME ATTORNEY AS THE CITY DID, BUT WE HAD A SEPARATE CONTRACT THERE HAD. I HAVE WORKED IN CITIES WHERE THE EDC OR CDC HAD
A SEPARATE ATTORNEY THAN THE CITY. 
          I'VE WORKED FOR CITIES THAT THEY SHARED THE SAME ATTORNEY. 
          MOST OF THE TIME IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER. THERE RARELY WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A
CONFLICT BETWEEN A CITY AND A CORPORATION. THEY MAY HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON,
ON SOMETHING MOVING FORWARD. 
          SO IT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT. I BRING THAT UP TO SAY IT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT HAVING A
SEPARATE ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD, THEN THE CITY PICKS. I'M GOOD EITHER WAY. I'VE SEEN IT DONE BOTH WAYS. I'VE SEEN IT DONE WELL BOTH WAYS. 
          AND I'VE SEEN HICCUPS BOTH WAYS. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECT SITUATION. 
          BUT IF IF WE DECIDE TO GET A SEPARATE ATTORNEY OR THE SAME ATTORNEY,
REGARDLESS, ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE CDC BOARD DID IS AUTHORIZED ME TO START RESEARCHING WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE OUT
THERE, WHETHER IT BE. AND WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER AND SEPARATE FROM THE CITY. 
          I MEAN, I'M GOING TO SHARE ALL MY INFORMATION WITH JEFF,
AND HOPEFULLY HE'LL SHARE HIS INFORMATION WITH ME AS TO WHO HE'S PUTTING THINGS OUT TO BID WITH. AND THEN THE BOARD CAN MAKE A DECISION AT THAT POINT WHAT DIRECTION WE WANT TO GO. 
          BUT I DID WANT TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR CONVERSATION BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THE CONVERSATION
MULTIPLE TIMES GENERALLY IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, THIS IS NOT AN ITEM THAT WE NEED TO REALLY DISCUSS AND EXACT WHEN WE GET DOWN TO SPECIFIC
DIFFERENCES AND FIRMS THIS AND THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING, WE MAY HAVE SOME CONVERSATION IN EXEC, BUT JUST TO GET SOME INITIAL THOUGHTS FROM THE
BOARD. 
          REGARDLESS, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WE GET A SEPARATE CONTRACT. 
          WE ALREADY ARE GOING TO HAVE A SEPARATE BILLING. 
          SO RIGHT NOW WITH THE INTERIM ATTORNEY, WE'RE,
WERE ACTING UNDER THE CITY'S CONTRACT WITH THEM, BUT THEY'RE BILLING US COMPLETELY SEPARATE FOR ALL OF OUR WORK. SO THE EDC GETS A BILL,
THE CDC GETS A BILL, AND THE CITY GETS A BILL. SO EVERYBODY'S PAYING THEIR OWN WAY. 
          AGAIN, THE EDC HAD A SEPARATE CONTRACT WITH BOYLE AND LOWRY THAT HAS BEEN TERMINATED. 
          AND SO JUST FOR THE BOARD TO THINK, YOU KNOW,
DO WE WANT TO SEE WHAT THE CITY DOES? AND A, SEE IF THEY'RE WILLING TO BRING ON 2 MORE CORPORATIONS,
NOT ONLY THE CITY'S WORK, BUT THE 2 CORPORATIONS WORK MOST OF THE GOOD LAW FIRMS AND I KNOW NICHOLS AND JACKSON HAS LIKE THAT. THEY DON'T CHASE A LOT OF BUSINESS. 
          IT'S THEY PROBABLY SPEND MORE TIME CHASING ENOUGH ASSOCIATES TO DO THE,
TO DO THE WORK. 
          AND THAT'S HOW IT WAS A BOYLE AND LOWRY AS WELL. 
          AND, AND BROWN, HOFFMEISTER AND [INAUDIBLE]. I MEAN,
THERE'S THERE'S A NUMBER OF THEM THAT DO IT. 
          BUT ANYWAY, I THAT THAT IS IT TO KIND OF JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IS IT WORTH PURSUING
A SEPARATE ATTORNEY? DO WE WANT TO HAVE ME DO SOME RESEARCH,
SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE AND BRING THEM BACK? AND WE MAKE THAT DECISION LATER, WHICH I THINK IS PROBABLY WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND. 
          [01:15:01]
BUT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO GET SOME FEEDBACK AS TO,
YOU KNOW, WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON HOW TO HANDLE THE ATTORNEY SITUATION. 
          PERSONALLY I CAN SEE THE PROS AND CONS FROM,
FROM BOTH OPTIONS. 
          YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY THAT ALIGNS WITH THE BOARDS AND ALSO
DOES COUNCIL WITH THE CITY AT LEAST BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE IN THE KNOW, BUT ALSO WE'LL FALL IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE IN NOW,
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE AN ATTORNEY TO, YOU KNOW, DISCUSS QUOTE UNQUOTE SENSITIVE ITEMS,
ESPECIALLY LIKE EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          SO I'M KIND OF, I'M KIND OF TORN ON THAT ONE,
I GUESS. 
          AND THAT'S LEGITIMATE BECAUSE THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A WRONG ANSWER. 
          THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A BAD ANSWER. THE 90 PLUS PERCENT OF THE TIME IT WORKS FINE EITHER
WAY. 
          GENERALLY, IF THERE IS A CONFLICT, IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE USING THE SAME ONE. 
          BUT THAT'S FAIRLY RARE. I'VE BEEN DOING THIS 26 YEARS AND I'VE RUN INTO IT 3 TIMES. 
          SO BUT IT'S STILL A THING WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT STILL HAPPENS. 
          ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? I DON'T UNLESS I'M COMPLETELY MISSING IT. 
          I DON'T SEE THE ADVANTAGE TO HAVING 2 SEPARATE ATTORNEYS. 
          I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ADVANTAGES TO HAVING ONE,
IF IT'S THE RIGHT ONE. 
          SO YOU HAVE OBVIOUSLY PROPER COHESION. YOU HAVE A LOT LESS DUPLICATION. 
          AND LIKE IF ANYBODY'S FOLLOWING ANYTHING ABOUT ATTORNEYS,
AI IS COMING ON STRONG AND ATTORNEYS CAN BE THE FIRST, RIGHT? THE LEGAL FIELD IS BY FAR GOING TO BE,
IN MY OPINION, IMPACTED ALONG WITH DATA ANALYTICS, UNLESS I'M COMPLETELY MISSING IT. CAN YOU EXPLAIN,
JIM, WHAT WOULD BE THE BENEFIT TO HAVING 2 SEPARATE ATTORNEYS THERE? I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE FROM ANOTHER MARKET THAT I WORKED IN IS WE WERE GOING TO AN
EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THE CHAIRMAN, AND WE ACTUALLY HAD THE MAYOR AND ONE OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AT THE BOARD
MEETING THAT WERE EX OFFICIO. 
          THEY WERE REALLY THEY WERE INVITED TO ALL THE BOARD MEETINGS,
BUT THEY WEREN'T VOTING BOARD MEMBERS. 
          AND THE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD LITERALLY STOPPED AND SAID,
BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER, ARE YOU HERE REPRESENTING THE CITY OR THE EDC TODAY? AND HE SAID BOTH. HE SAID, WRONG ANSWER. 
          YOU NEED TO LEAVE THE ROOM BECAUSE FROM TIME TO TIME,
THERE ARE ISSUES THAT COME UP WHERE THE CITY AND THE EDC BOARD ARE NOT IN AGREEMENT ON THE FRONT END OF IT, AND THE ATTORNEY NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT THE BOARD
WITHOUT CONFLICTING OUT. 
          NOW, ULTIMATELY, ANYTIME WE ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING,
BOTH PARTIES ARE GOING TO BE IN ALIGNMENT AT THE END, BUT THEY DON'T ALWAYS START THERE AT THE BEGINNING. AND SO THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR CONFLICT FOR AN ATTORNEY TO BE KIND OF CONFLICTED OUT IF IT'S THE CITY ATTORNEY AND THE BOARD IS ASKING FOR A PIECE OF ADVICE
THAT IS COUNTER TO WHAT THEY KNOW THE CITY WANTS AT THAT POINT IN TIME. 
          HE CAN'T GIVE THAT. HE CAN'T REALLY GIVE THAT ADVICE BECAUSE HE WORKS FOR THE CITY
COUNCIL. 
          OUR ATTORNEY WORKS FOR US. AND SO BUT AGAIN,
THAT'S FAIRLY RARE. 
          AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF YOU HAVE 2 ATTORNEYS,
THEY'RE GOING TO END UP WORKING TOGETHER. 
          I'LL TELL YOU THAT IN THIS SMALL WORLD, THEY'RE GOING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. 
          AND SO IT'S JUST KIND OF A PERSONAL PREFERENCE THING. 
          AGAIN, I'VE SEEN IT WORK WELL BOTH WAYS, BUT I'VE ALSO SEEN SOME UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS
WHERE THERE IS A PERCEIVED CONFLICT WHERE ME AS A STAFF MEMBER IS KIND OF SITTING THERE GOING, I HOPE THIS SMOOTHS OUT IN A HURRY. 
          SO THINK ABOUT IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION. 
          WHAT I WILL DO WHAT I WOULD ASK THE BOARD TO DO IS JUST GIVE ME DIRECTION. 
          YOU DON'T EVEN REALLY HAVE TO TAKE IT. I WOULD TAKE A VOTE. 
          TAKE A VOTE TO JUST HAVE ME DO THE RESEARCH ON LEGAL LEGAL OPTIONS FOR THE BOARD TO BRING
BACK IN A FUTURE MEETING. IF YOU WOULD, DON'T SAY WHICH MEETING BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT WILL
TAKE. 
          HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE VERY QUICK. BUT WE DO HAVE REPRESENTATION NOW. 
          WE'RE NOT WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. SO IT MIGHT,
I MEAN, IT MIGHT TAKE A COUPLE MONTHS. 
          MR. JIM, IT'S 2 CONTRACTS, SAME ATTORNEY. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IN THE END,
THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR MAKES THE FINAL DECISION ANYWAY. 
          RIGHT. ON PROJECTS, ONCE YOU APPROVE THEM, YES,
THEY HAVE TO CONFIRM THEM. 
          [01:20:03]
BUT THAT'S IT'S NOT. THIS BOARD HAS A LOT OF AUTHORITY,
A LOT OF AUTHORITY. 
          YOU ARE THE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE BOARD FOR $12 MILLION. 
          AND AGAIN, THE CITY COUNCIL CAN SAY NO TO SOMETHING YOU SAY YES TO,
BUT THEY CAN'T SAY YES TO SOMETHING YOU SAY NO TO. 
          YOU GET THE FIRST BITE AT THE APPLE. IT HAS TO COME TO YOU FIRST. 
          BYLAWS HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD FIRST,
THEN THEY'RE CONFIRMED BY COUNCIL. 
          AND SO THE 2 I THINK THE 2 CONTRACTS IS A SMART THING JUST TO OUTLINE FOR OUR CORPORATE
DOCUMENTS THAT IF THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN OPPORTUNITY, BOYLE AND LOWRY COULD HAVE CANCELED ONE CONTRACT
AND KEPT THE OTHERS. 
          THEY THEY DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT. BUT BUT THEY COULD HAVE. 
          AND SO I WOULD RECOMMEND FOR EACH OF THE CORPORATIONS TO SIGN A CONTRACT. 
          NOW I ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP THE LAST MEETING. 
          IS IT MORE EXPENSIVE TO GET 2 SEPARATE ATTORNEYS. 
          WELL, NOT NECESSARILY. THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD CHANGE IS IF THE ATTORNEY WE WANT HAS A
HIGHER, HIGHER HOURLY RATE THAN THE ATTORNEY THAT THE CITY GETS BECAUSE WE PAY ALL OF OUR OWN
BILLS 100%. 
          AND SO WE DON'T GET A DISCOUNT NECESSARILY BECAUSE WE'RE ON THE CITY'S CONTRACT. 
          WE GET THE SAME RATE THAT THEY GET. BUT SO THAT THAT IS NOT REALLY,
YOU KNOW, THE CHANGING AN ATTORNEY, THE BIGGEST THING WILL BE THE, I THINK THE BILLS WILL GO UP A LITTLE BIT ON THE FRONT END
BECAUSE QUITE HONESTLY, WE'VE GOT TO GET IN SYNC WITH EVERY ATTORNEY HAS THEIR OWN STYLE AND THEIR OWN STYLE TO DO
CONTRACTS. 
          AND WE HAVE OUR, WE I HAVE MY STYLE AND WHAT I LIKE TO SEE IN A CONTRACT AND HOW I LIKE TO
SEE IT LAID OUT. 
          I'M A LESS IS MORE KIND OF PERSON. I'M NOT A 20 PAGE CONTRACT KIND OF PERSON. 
          I LIKE TO BE CONDENSED THE MOST POSSIBLE. SO I MEAN,
IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO KIND OF. 
          ONCE YOU DO A COUPLE OF DEALS, YOU'LL HAVE SOMEWHAT OF A TEMPLATE THAT YOU CAN PLUG THE
DETAILS IN IN THE FUTURE AND YOU JUST GET ON DOWN THE ROAD. 
          BUT THE FIRST COUPLE OF CONTRACTS, BUT WE'RE TALKING NOT A BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          BUT THAT AND WE'RE CHANGING ATTORNEYS REGARDLESS. 
          SO THAT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHATEVER WE DO,
THAT'S GOING TO APPLY. 
          OKAY. AND ONE LAST ONE LAST POINT. JUST IN TERMS OF THE OPTICS OF IT,
I'M SAYING THAT WHAT WE WANT TO PROJECT, IT SEEMS TO ME, IS THE CITY AND THE BOARDS WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. 
          OKAY. WE DON'T WANT TO, IT SEEMS TO ME GIVE ANY,
YOU KNOW, THROW OUT ANY, I GUESS WHAT? YEAH. SIGNS OF SEPARATION OR SIGNS THAT THE CITY OF PRINCETON IS NOT WORKING TOGETHER AS A
COHESIVE UNIT TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD. 
          SURE. OKAY. THAT'S THAT'S A VALID POINT. I THINK THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT,
AND I'M NOT I'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU. 
          WHAT I'M JUST SAYING FLIPPING THINK BOTH OF THESE BOARDS ARE DESIGNED TO BE SOMEWHAT
AUTONOMOUS. 
          THERE. YOU'RE UP THERE FOR A REASON. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A YES PERSON FOR CITY
COUNCIL OR ANYBODY ELSE. 
          NOW THEY PUT YOU UP THERE. AND WHAT'S THE OLD SAYING? YOUR MAMA SAID I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD. I CAN TAKE YOU OUT,
THEY CAN TAKE YOU OFF THE BOARD. 
          BUT. BUT YOU'RE THERE FOR A REASON. AND IT'S A SERIOUS REASON. 
          YOU'RE THERE TO USE YOUR OWN BEST JUDGMENT. YOU'RE THERE TO MAKE YOUR OWN. AND SO SOME
PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THE BOARDS BE A LITTLE AUTONOMOUS. 
          BUT ALONG WITH YOU, THE WHOLE REASON WE'RE HERE IS FOR THE CITY. 
          I MEAN, WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOALS. WE WE BETTER ALL HAVE THE SAME GOALS OR IT DOESN'T
WORK AT THE END OF THE DAY. 
          SO THE ANY REASON TO HAVE SEPARATE ATTORNEYS IS MORE OF A FUNCTIONAL THING. 
          THE VISUAL, I MEAN, I LIKE BEING IN LOCKSTEP PERSONALLY. 
          YOU KNOW, THE AUTONOMY WE ENJOY, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING TO ME WE NECESSARILY HAVE TO
MARKET. 
          WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'VE BEEN IN SEVERAL SEVERAL UGLY SITUATIONS BECAUSE WE HAD A
CONFLICTED ATTORNEY AND I JUST DIDN'T ENJOY IT VERY MUCH. 
          I MEAN, THEY'RE THEY'RE TOUGH TO DEAL WITH. AND ONE LAST POINT THAT I SWEAR THIS IS MY
LAST COMMENT. 
          OKAY. IN RECOGNITION OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE THAT MUTUAL,
THAT WE WANT MUTUAL RESPECT AND RECOGNITION, AND WE'RE WORKING TOWARD A COMMON GOAL, AND THAT IS TO MOVE THE CITY OF PRINCETON IN A
POSITIVE DIRECTION. 
          I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, AND I THINK WE BOTH BUY INTO THAT. 
          AND I'M SURE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL RESPECT THIS BOARD AND VICE VERSA. 
          SO THEREFORE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. I THINK IN A PERFECT WORLD WE WOULDN'T HAVE
PROBLEMS. BUT WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THAT WE CAN HAVE PROBLEMS. 
          [01:25:03]
AND I THINK IT WOULD BEHOOVE US TO HAVE JIM DO THE DUE DILIGENCE FOR US AND BRING BACK OUR
OPTIONS, WE ARE IN A PLACE WHERE WE ARE. WE HAVE A CLEAN SLATE RIGHT NOW. 
          WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN THE BEST OF THE BEST ATTORNEY. 
          EVEN IF IT COSTS US A LITTLE BIT MORE, WE ARE THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN THE COUNTRY. 
          WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO MOVE LIKE WE ARE STILL AT WHATEVER THE SIGN SAYS. 
          WHEN YOU FIRST COME INTO THE CITY, WHAT WAS IT? 19,000? 17,000. 17,000. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO MOVE LIKE THAT. 
          AND GETTING OUR OWN ATTORNEY FOR THE EDC AND CDC DOES NOT SEND A MESSAGE OF DIVISIVENESS,
BECAUSE WE STILL WANT TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH WHATEVER THE CITY'S GOALS ARE. 
          IT JUST SAYS WE ARE A SEPARATE CORPORATION AND OUR INTERESTS AND OR PROJECTS OR WHATEVER
THAT LOOKS LIKE MAY BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. 
          AND WE NEED SOMEONE WHO AT ALL TIMES DOES NOT HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICE OF WHETHER THEY ARE
REPRESENTING US OR REPRESENTING THE CITY. 
          AND THE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO PROCURE OUR OWN ATTORNEY. 
          JUST MY CENTS. AND I WILL SAY THERE'S ALSO A HYBRID OPTION. 
          AND I BROUGHT THIS UP RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING WITH THE CDC,
AND I DIDN'T WITH OUR GROUP, BUT WE CAN WE CAN. 
          THE OTHER HYBRID OPTION IS TO HAVE SEPARATE ATTORNEYS,
BUT HAVE THEM BE SEATED AT THE SAME FIRM BECAUSE THERE ARE FIRMS THAT DO THAT, TOO. THEY'LL HAVE 1 ATTORNEY, DO CITY, 1 ATTORNEY,
DO THE CORPORATIONS. 
          YOU CAN HAVE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW,
LAW FIRMS. I MEAN, THERE'S 3 WAYS TO HANDLE IT. I'M NOT ADVOCATING FOR ANY OF THE 3. 
          AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I'M TOTALLY FINE WITH ALL 3 OF THE OPTIONS. 
          I'M JUST LAYING THEM OUT FOR Y'ALL. BUT IF I DO THE RESEARCH,
YOU CAN MAKE THAT DECISION WHEN IT COMES BACK AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE THINK IS THE BEST, BEST OPPORTUNITY. QUESTION. SO SO WE SAY TONIGHT. 
          OKAY. MOVE FORWARD. JIM. FIND AN ATTORNEY. RIGHT. 
          SO WHAT IS THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS? I'M SURE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE 1 ATTORNEY. I'M SURE
IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, 3, 5, 7, WHATEVER. SO WHAT DOES THE DECISION PROCESS LOOK LIKE OF SELECTING A EDC CDC ATTORNEY? YEAH, I WILL I WILL GET THERE. I'LL MEET WITH THEM. 
          I'LL GET THEIR RESUMES. I'LL GET A PROPOSAL FROM THEM ON HOW THEY'RE GOING TO HANDLE THE
RATES, ALL THAT TYPE OF THING. I WILL DO SOME VETTING AND THEN I WILL COME TO YOU AND I'LL SHOW
YOU ALL OF THEM. BUT MOST LIKELY, YOU KNOW ME. I'LL PROBABLY COME WITH A RECOMMENDATION. 
          BECAUSE I'VE A, I KNOW MOST OF THESE LAW FIRMS AT THIS POINT,
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS 26 YEARS. 
          SO I'VE HAD DIFFERENT ONES WORK FOR ME AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN MY CAREER. 
          AND AGAIN, THEY'RE ALL GOOD. I MEAN, THERE ARE GOOD OPTIONS OUT THERE. 
          THERE'S NOT A LOT OF I HAVEN'T HAD A REAL ISSUE WITH AN ATTORNEY. 
          I'VE HAD ONE. BUT IT'S STILL A GOOD FIRM. AND IT'S NOT,
IT WASN'T WITH THIS ONE, I CAN TELL YOU, I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT ONE. SO, YOU KNOW,
I'LL DO THE HOMEWORK, I'LL BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD. 
          PROBABLY MAKE A RECOMMENDATION WE CAN DISCUSS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. 
          THERE MAY BE SOME SENSITIVE STUFF THE BOARD WANTS TO TALK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES BEFORE WE
MAKE A DECISION. 
          AND THEN IT'LL BE UP TO YOU AT THAT POINT. HOPEFULLY BY THAT POINT WE'LL KNOW WHAT
DIRECTION THE CITY IS GOING. 
          WE MAY OR MAY NOT. AND SO THAT MAY BE A SITUATION WHERE IF WE PICK AN ATTORNEY BEFORE THEY
DO, THEY MAY END UP PICKING THE SAME ONE WE DO. I MEAN,
WE DON'T CONTROL THAT. 
          BUT OR YOU COULD THE BOARD CAN SAY, WELL, DO THE RESEARCH,
WE'LL WAIT AND SEE WHO THE CITY PICKS AND THEN WE'LL PICK OURS. 
          THAT'S FINE TOO. WE'RE GOING TO BE COVERED BY LEGAL ASSISTANCE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. 
          THANK YOU. AND FIRST OFF DESHAWYNA. WELL SAID. 
          BUT I AGREE THAT WE WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ISSUES RECENTLY THAT WE,
I THINK WE PROBABLY WOULD BENEFIT US FOR HAVING A SEPARATE ATTORNEY. 
          IT'D BE GOOD. WE JUST WOULD NEED TO MAKE A MOTION TO,
TO GO AHEAD AND LET JIM START, START THE SEARCH. 
          MAKE A MOTION TO ACT ON 26-009 NEW ATTORNEY FOR EDC. 
          TO ALLOW OUR CEO TO PURSUE A SEARCH FOR A NEW ATTORNEY. 
          SECOND. AND THAT'S APPROVED 7-0. 
          THANK YOU. AND WE'LL MOVE TO 2026-010 HDL. UPDATE,
HEARUPDATE AND DISCUSS HDL SERVICES FOR 
          [01:30:05]
PEDC AND MR. CHAIRMAN THANK YOU. SO HDL BOARD MEMBER WALKER HAD ASKED TO DISCUSS. THERE'S THERE'S A NUMBER OF FIRMS OUT THERE THAT DO SALESTAX ANALYTICS. 
          DESHAWYNA HAD MENTIONED ONE OF THEM, BIZARRELY ENOUGH,
ABOUT 10 DAYS BEFORE SHE BROUGHT IT UP. 
          THE CITY JUST SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH A SEPARATE ONE. 
          THEY DO. THEY'RE ALL A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT,
BUT THEY DO THE SAME THING. 
          HDL IS A CONTRACT THAT WE CAN PIGGYBACK ON THE CITY AND IT'S BASICALLY FREE TO US. 
          AND, AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY'LL DO A NUMBER OF THINGS. 
          AND I PUT A PAGE IN YOUR PACKET THAT EXPLAINS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DO. 
          THEY DO WHAT BASICALLY WHAT THEY CALL AN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY PROFILE TALKING ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, WHERE'S YOUR SALES TAX COMING FROM? THE NICE THING IS PART OF THAT IS,
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE ALWAYS GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT OF PLEASURE OUT OF IS THAT WE OPERATE ON SALES TAX, NOT PROPERTY TAX. SO A LOT OF THE MONEY THAT FUNDS OUR CORPORATION
ISN'T EVEN COMING FROM OUR CITIZENS. 
          IT'S COMING FROM FARMERSVILLE AND LAVON AND SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORING CITIES THAT SHOP
HERE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR MONEY FROM. SO I ALWAYS KIND OF GOT A KICK OUT OF WHEN I
WAS SAYING, WHEN I WAS IN MCKINNEY, A BUNCH OF THE PEOPLE THAT FUNDED OUR ORGANIZATION WERE OUR 2
BIGGEST COMPETITORS, WHICH WERE FRISCO AND ALLEN AND PLANO. THEY'D BE SHOPPING IN MCKINNEY,
SO I'D ALWAYS THANK THEM WHEN I RAN INTO THEM. 
          BUT IT IT'LL ALSO GET A LIST OF THEIR SALES TAX THAT THE RETAIL LOBBY IS VERY STRONG IN
AUSTIN. 
          SO ALTHOUGH SOMEBODY CAN GO ON THE CAD AND LOOK AT EXACTLY WHAT YOU AND I PAY IN PROPERTY
TAXES, WE CAN'T SEE WHAT WALMART PAYS IN SALES TAX EVERY YEAR. 
          IT IS CONFIDENTIAL. THERE HAS TO BE A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST DONE WITH THE CONTROLLER
TO GET THAT INFORMATION. 
          WHEN YOU DO GET THAT BY THE CITY, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PUT OUT ANYWHERE. 
          WE CAN USE IT INTERNALLY. WE SIGN A DOCUMENT ALLOWING THIS COMPANY TO ACT ON OUR BEHALF TO
GATHER THAT DATA. AND THEN THEY DO SALES TAX ANALYTICS WITH IT. 
          YOU KNOW WHO ARE YOUR TOP 10 SALES TAX PROVIDERS? I THINK IT SURPRISED EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM TO SEE THAT,
THAT ONE OF OUR, OUR TOP 5 SALES TAX PROVIDERS IS AMAZON. 
          THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE A FACILITY HERE, BUT THEY DELIVER HERE. 
          THE SALES TAX FOLLOWS THEM. THEY'RE THEY'RE IN 2 DIFFERENT PLACES ON OUR SALES TAX LIST. 
          YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER. I THINK THEY'RE NUMBER 3. I DON'T THINK IT'S ANY SURPRISE. 
          WALMART'S NUMBER 1. BUT ANYWAY, IT IT THAT THAT IS A BIG PIECE OF OUR ECONOMIC PUZZLE THAT
WE ANALYZE CONSTANTLY TO SEE, ARE WE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? ARE WE GOING TO START LOOKING INTO SALES TAX IS
GREAT, BUT IT'S BY FAR THE MOST VOLATILE FUNDING. IT'S WAY MORE VOLATILE THAN PROPERTY TAX. 
          IT'S MORE VOLATILE THAN PERMITTING FEES AND OTHER FEES THAT COME INTO THE CITY. 
          BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN COVID STARTED,
IT BLEW THE BOTTOM OUT OF A LOT OF CITY BUDGETS FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST WEREN'T GOING OUT AT ALL. AND IF THEY WENT OUT,
THEY'D ONLY GO TO THE GROCERY STORE. 
          AND THAT'S NONTAXABLE. AND SO IT HELPS YOU LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          BUT IT ALSO BRINGS UP SOME OTHER THINGS THAT WILL TELL YOU A LOT MORE ABOUT YOUR MARKET, WHAT IT WILL THEY, THEY GO BEYOND THE SALES TAX AND LOOK AT DISPOSABLE INCOME. 
          THEY LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THEY USE, SOME OF THE SAME SOURCES. 
          I'M A. I'VE GOT A SUBSCRIPTION TO ESRI, WHICH GIVES US A LOT OF DEMOGRAPHICS. 
          THEY USE ESRI, NOT ONLY DO THEY DO SALES TAX,
DEMOGRAPHICS, SALES TAX ANALYTICS, EXCUSE ME, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE OTHER DATA SOURCES THAT THEY PULL DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION TO SUPPORT
WHAT WE'RE DOING FROM I HAVE NOT DEALT WITH THEM. 
          WE HAD A CALL AND THEY SHOWED ME SOME OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLUG IN STUFF THAT THEY
DO IN ADDITION TO THE CITIES THING. 
          WHICH IS HELPFUL. IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. IT'S STUFF THAT WE DO THROUGH OTHER METHODS
RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO INFORMATION IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS SOURCE. 
          YOU ALWAYS WANT TO LOOK AT INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES TO KIND OF AVERAGE IT OUT. 
          SO WHAT AND DESHAWYNA, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO DISCUSS ON THIS,
YOU CAN, I DON'T WANT TO GO TOO DEEP INTO IT, BUT MY, MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO, TO LET'S GET INTO THIS CONTRACT. 
          WE, WE'VE NOT EVEN STARTED REALLY, WE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE OUR FULL ONBOARDING ON IT YET. 
          LET US GET INTO IT, SEE HOW IT FUNCTIONS. AND THEN IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT
THAT'S NOT PART OF THIS, WE'LL GO FIND IT. BUT I THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO START. 
          [01:35:02]
AND IT'S AN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SOURCE. AND WITH THAT,
I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. 
          JIM, WHEN YOU SPEAK TO THEM, CAN YOU SEE IF THEY OFFER THE COMPONENT WHERE THEY'LL DO AN
ASSESSMENT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COLLECTING SALES TAX. THEY DO FROM THEY DO. OKAY. 
          AWESOME. AWESOME. THAT'S PART OF THE CITY'S THAT'S NOT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
BUT THAT IS PART OF THEIR SERVICE. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. AND THAT'S JUST AN UPDATE ITEM. 
          THERE'S NO ACTION NEEDED. WELL THANK YOU. AND WE'LL SIMPLY NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN IN A
SECOND. 
          SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? THANK YOU ALL.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.