WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.680 You. It more than likely will matter to the city. I'm just saying 2 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:07.839 your responsive government there correct might not be able to do anything about it, 3 00:00:07.879 --> 00:00:11.640 but it will certainly matter all right at manage your familey, take it away 4 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:15.160 and more. Tom, How are you. I'm doing okay. Limping out 5 00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:17.359 of the weekend and end of the week. Oh yeah, you know how 6 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:20.679 it goes. You know, you live like a madman for Saturday and Sunday 7 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:22.719 and money. You come back with what's left of you. You know, 8 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:27.000 got time change and all you gotta pay for your weekend. Oh buddy, 9 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.960 oh yeah, time change don't remind me. For some reason, my dogs 10 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:35.000 went the opposite way. They got them earlier, not later. Everybody's dragging 11 00:00:35.039 --> 00:00:38.280 in. You know, dogs don't wear watches. They just know it. 12 00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:42.920 I'm hungry, whereas it's done, wake up their so yep, that's it. 13 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:47.679 It was a w w in the bed in the morning. Well, 14 00:00:47.719 --> 00:00:51.320 we we had a bit of sad news over the last couple of weeks. 15 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:58.159 We are our fire chief Chief David Topping has been with the City of Bartlesville 16 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:02.679 for thirty five years in the fire stir us and he will he'll be hanging 17 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:06.879 it up in June of this year, so just wanted to take a moment 18 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:11.280 first off and wish him well and to announce that publicly. This was this 19 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.280 man has been a huge part of our fire department for his entire thirty five 20 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:21.959 year career. It I actually first met him during negotiations on the other side 21 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:25.879 of the table. He was actually he was in union leadership for years and 22 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:30.799 years and years, and then eventually in leadership in the department working for administration. 23 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:37.000 And again he has he has had a huge influence on our department for 24 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:40.480 his entire career. We certainly will miss him. He's the guy that came 25 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:44.040 back from the army just to run into burning buildings. That's it. That's 26 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:49.040 our man. Served served I believe six years in as an army ranger and 27 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:53.719 then came back and got into the fire service. So he is more grateful 28 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:57.519 to him. We'll miss him, but we also are anytime something like this 29 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.920 happens, you you kind of look forward of the future. You know what's 30 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:02.480 next, what can we do, how can we get a little bit better. 31 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:07.840 So we'll be uh, we'll be entertaining our search for our next fire 32 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:12.400 chief. Obviously we'll be looking at internal candidates, but we're also going to 33 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:15.800 entertain some external candidates. The last time that we did this, in fact, 34 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:20.759 when we hire Chief Topping, we brought in external candidates and and he 35 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:23.960 was still the best one out there. And so I think that when we're 36 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:29.439 doing positions like this, it behooves us to look both in and out and 37 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.759 to select the best, the best person for the job. So looking forward 38 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.560 to it, but at the same time, a little bit sad. It's 39 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:40.240 a sort of a bittersweet, bittersweet moment, but we certainly wish Chief Topping. 40 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:44.879 Well, he's got he's got a couple of months left, and he's 41 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:46.919 promised me he's going to get a bunch of stuff done. Is you got 42 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:53.639 wait around till you do fire truck shows up that I'm just asking for a 43 00:02:53.719 --> 00:03:00.240 friend to get a fire truck, just like a just like a three year 44 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:02.400 old. You get a fire truck on the cake, you'll make them happy. 45 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:07.120 I thought was that when mister Bank, when Cheap Banks returned, there 46 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:08.439 was a lot of cake going. There was a lot of cake there. 47 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.319 We decided we just gonna taste something. It was pretty good too, wasn't 48 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:15.840 it. Fire? Trust me, firefires can cook that's one thing they can 49 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:21.719 cook. So but yeah, So so that announcement was made at the city 50 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.400 council meeting, which of course was last Monday, had several other things. 51 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:30.840 Actually had a pretty pretty weighty meeting. Had a lot of small items that 52 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:34.240 were of interest, but we had some fairly significant items as well. So 53 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:39.439 now one of those is that we are beginning our water our wastewater reuse pilot 54 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:44.680 uh. And so for anybody who doesn't know what that means, essentially it 55 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.719 is sort of a it's like a pallet test. They bring them in in 56 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:52.479 a box, uh, and you you test these different processes and you measure 57 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:55.680 the outputs to ensure that what you've proposed to do on a full scale is 58 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.240 accomplishing what you had intended it to. And so we'll be doing that that 59 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:02.599 will run all the way through the summer. You have to run them in 60 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:09.159 different seasons with different flows and different water chemistries to ensure that the water that 61 00:04:09.159 --> 00:04:12.280 we're putting out from our wastewater plant meets the standard that we need it to 62 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.439 before we enter into the reuse project. So this is not we have not 63 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.920 turned on the reuse project. I know there were some people who were confused 64 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:24.000 about that we haven't turned it on. It is Oh. They were swearing 65 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:28.279 up and down that yeah, there are some people that are convinced. I 66 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.199 assure you that's not the case. It is all run on site. It 67 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:35.160 discharges in the same location it always has. This is just a pilot of 68 00:04:35.319 --> 00:04:41.639 a new process that's essentially tacked onto the backside of our wastewater. That's it 69 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:46.399 just creates sampling. So and this is necessary to ensure the safety for the 70 00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:48.560 future. So when we do the reuse project, we know what we intend 71 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:53.319 to do, but we have to prove it to Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality 72 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:59.800 that it will it will perform as promised. So reuse water is stuff that 73 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:02.720 we used and we dump it back into the river after it's been treated. 74 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:06.279 Yes, and it's reused again. So when it enters the river, it 75 00:05:06.399 --> 00:05:10.839 is cleaner than what it was when we pulled it out of the river time, 76 00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:16.000 much cleaner. And don't want anybody getting nervous out And there are some 77 00:05:16.439 --> 00:05:24.360 so there are some upcoming rules dealing with chemicals of emerging concern or constituents of 78 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.800 emerging concern, and so that's really a lot of what this focus is is 79 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:30.959 on those how do we treat for those and we don't even have it, 80 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.879 So we're really trying to build this to a standard that will treat to rules 81 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:38.040 that haven't even been passed yet. So I don't think that we could do 82 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:42.160 this any safer than what we are. And again, it meets a tremendous 83 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:46.199 need in our community, which is water security. The good news is that 84 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.879 we have water right now. So both Hewlet Lake and Hudson Lake are over 85 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:53.800 one hundred percent full. Kopan Lake is now up. I believe it was 86 00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:58.959 up to sixty six percent this morning. That was after reaching a load down 87 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:02.839 in the thirty percent. I was getting kind of weird weary watching him fish 88 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.199 train to walk. It was, it was. It was pretty frightening for 89 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:11.319 the fish, getting little headed curve. The fish and the town of Copan, 90 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:15.160 we're both equally concerned. That was so for the city of Artlesville. 91 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.000 Of course, we don't get much of our water out of Copan Lake, 92 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:23.439 and what we do get comes down the river to us, so it doesn't 93 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:27.160 have as great an impact on our water security, but it has a tremendous 94 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.319 impact on our neighbors to the north. So we were we were certainly worried 95 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:32.879 for them, but that's fortunately seems to be turning in the right direction. 96 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:38.199 Hopefully spring will fill everything up without flooding us. But we know that mother 97 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:44.240 nature is she's a fickle beast. Mother does what mother so. But that's 98 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.120 so, so that's the ongoing right now. We will run that. It'll 99 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:53.319 still we're probably still a couple of years away from getting the final go ahead 100 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:58.079 on this because we also have to build, uh the rest of the improvements 101 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.319 to our wastewater treatment plant. So that was another item that was on the 102 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:08.519 council meeting. Actually was essentially to get the process started for a loan application 103 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:14.000 through the Oklahma Water Resources Board. And this is for essentially to completely renovate 104 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:17.519 our existing waste work treatment plan. And this is not something that we want 105 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:20.879 to do. This is something we have to do. And so this is 106 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:26.680 a consent order from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. We have been working 107 00:07:26.839 --> 00:07:31.079 our way through these for I don't know, for decades, working through these 108 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:35.199 consent orders from ODEQ. Yeah, as long as I've been here, and 109 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:41.680 pre dates all of us. So this will be well, this will be 110 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:45.439 the final phase of our existing consent order. However, if you all have 111 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:50.839 experience with ODEQ, there is typically another there's typically another thing waiting on the 112 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:55.920 other side of any completed project. So this will be a huge project. 113 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:01.319 However, it will likely be the largest capital improvement in the City of Bartleswill's 114 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:03.639 history. Up to this point, our largest one was our water plan. 115 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:07.600 It was about forty three and a half million dollars. Last night or on 116 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:13.839 Monday night, the council approved a loan for up to eighty three point two 117 00:08:13.879 --> 00:08:18.800 millions. Say. This is a huge investment, and that is just for 118 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:22.800 the wastewater treatment plant. We are not ready to begin construction on this, 119 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:28.480 so it won't construction actually won't start till twenty twenty six. The purpose of 120 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:33.600 this is to cap the rates. The uncertainty in interest rates in the future 121 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:37.440 had led us to believe that it's probably best that we get a cap this. 122 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:41.240 Once we get this approval, it will cap the rates, but we 123 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.759 can still actually get a lower rate, and so it was kind of a 124 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:46.200 no brainer for us. It won't go any higher, but it could go 125 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:48.679 that's it. So it was kind of a no brainer for us that we 126 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:54.080 needed to do this. The amount of interest on a sixty plus million dollar 127 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:58.679 loan is enormous, and so even a half point makes a huge differences, 128 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.240 more than all of us make it a year, Yes, sir by, 129 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:07.440 quite a bit, so if we will likely not draw this entire eighty three 130 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:11.200 point two million dollars, But because we're still a couple of years from construction, 131 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:15.399 we wanted to ensure that we had an approval up to an amount that 132 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:20.320 was sufficient to cover it, because you just don't know. Our latest estimates 133 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.799 are showing us probably in the sixty million dollar range by the time we do 134 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:26.759 this, but we have approval up to eighty three point two so we can 135 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:30.879 cover it no matter what happens, because we simply don't have a choice. 136 00:09:30.879 --> 00:09:35.759 We have to build this Westbot Trend Treatment Plan improval improvement. So and one 137 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:41.159 other thing before I turn this over to these guys, This is upcoming in 138 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:45.679 April, during your regular election time, there will be a charter election for 139 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:50.159 the City of Barlsville. This is We've been talking about this for a while, 140 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:52.480 but the actual date is coming up, so we wanted to make sure 141 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.720 that everybody was as informed as possible about this. It will this is one 142 00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:03.679 again April election date'll be charter election. There are three really main components to 143 00:10:03.720 --> 00:10:09.399 the charter elections that will actually be about There's about ten questions, but if 144 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:13.639 I remember right, six of those ten were just cleanups of language that's no 145 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:18.960 longer valid when we made our last charter change back in two thousand and twenty 146 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:22.120 ten. I guess we met our last charter change in twenty ten and included 147 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:26.679 some one time language that had dates specific to that conversion and all those things. 148 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:31.600 So about six of the questions will really just be removing that old language. 149 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:35.120 But there are three really important components. One of them is the election 150 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:41.519 dates. We're proposing to move the city council elections from November to April for 151 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:46.799 the future, and the reason being is that November, as you all have 152 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:52.240 undoubtedly noticed, is very very busy election time. I figured somebody at the 153 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:56.639 radio might have noticed that there are a lot of things happening in November, 154 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:03.120 whether it is during a government a governor's election, or during a presidential election, 155 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:07.960 either of those. The amount of money spent on campaigns, even locally 156 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:15.039 is astounding, and so it's very difficult for someone who is running a local 157 00:11:15.120 --> 00:11:20.720 campaign as a volunteer to compete with that and actually to be heard to get 158 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:24.480 enough recognition to be elected. So we wanted to move that back to April, 159 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:30.440 when that is when local elections are happening. That's when statutory towns and 160 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:33.080 I think all of the towns and cities around us are doing their elections in 161 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:37.080 April. It is also a time at which school boards have their elections. 162 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:41.679 They have actually have two election dates because they have a general that's it. 163 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:46.320 So that was the point of the April is to make that let's put the 164 00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:50.399 focus on local elections in April so that we're not kind of getting lost in 165 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.639 all of the noise that happens in November. So that will be part of 166 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:56.320 it. One of the other parts is that we are looking to move council 167 00:11:56.480 --> 00:12:01.519 terms. They are currently two years. This would move their terms to three 168 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:03.200 years. In the past, we'd had a four year term. It was 169 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.399 a little bit too long, and so during that charter election process there was 170 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.600 a debate between three and two years. We have found now in the last 171 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:16.080 thirteen years that two years is a little too short, so we would like 172 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:18.480 to extend that to three years. And then that also allows us to stagger 173 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:22.960 the council terms so that in any year you never have more than two council 174 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:28.320 members up for elections. It introduces some stability into our election, our local 175 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:33.919 election cycle. So we really believe that both of those are great changes, 176 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:37.240 and so we are suggesting those to the voters, But ultimately it is up 177 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:39.519 to the voters to decide whether this is how they want to be governed or 178 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:46.840 not. There is another section dealing with recall provisions, and our current recall 179 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:50.440 provisions. They are essentially untested, but as we began to review them, 180 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:54.039 there was a couple of things that cause concern. One of them we have 181 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:58.600 our city clerk sitting here. One of them is that our current charter gives 182 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:03.759 the city clerk ten days to review all of the signatures and to certify that 183 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:07.440 that petition. So you have an army I would need that, yes, 184 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.720 And so we could be facing over a thousand signatures and our city clerk would 185 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:15.919 have ten days to verify that they're all valid. It was a big ask. 186 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:18.399 So what we're asking is that the voters extend that to thirty days. 187 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:22.759 It doesn't change anything about it, It just gives the city clerk more time 188 00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:26.919 to do his job. And then the other thing is is that there's no 189 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:33.559 the current provisions aren't time bound, so if you want to obtain signatures for 190 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:37.799 a recall petition, you can take years to do it. What we're proposing 191 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:41.240 is is that all signatures would have to be attained in one hundred and eighty 192 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:46.519 day period. And this is not intended to make recall provisions impossible. It's 193 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:50.360 not at all. If a council member needs to be recalled, me, 194 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.559 of all people, I want that person to be recalled, right then it 195 00:13:54.559 --> 00:14:00.200 shouldn't take years to accomplish that. If someone has committed an act degree just 196 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.080 enough to be recalled, let's do it. Let's get on it. Within 197 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:07.480 that gives people six months to attain signatures than the amount of signatures necessary, 198 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.879 and then it gives the city clerk thirty days. So that was one of 199 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:15.480 the others. The final one is really just sort of an internal thing. 200 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:18.559 It deals with our purchasing procedures. Right now, if you want to purchase 201 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:22.960 a car, or if you want to purchase a building or land or a 202 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.519 box of pins, you use the same procedures. However, if it seems 203 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:28.440 to affect the clerk, an awful lot. It's all about the clerk here, 204 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:33.279 isn't it. It varies over there going yeah, that's good. Good, 205 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:37.919 And so that's true on all of our purchases, with the exception if 206 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:41.600 there's a contract, and so it doesn't matter whether that contracts for twenty five 207 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.879 dollars or for two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It has to go to 208 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:50.360 council to be approved. So what we're proposing is is that the contract purchasing 209 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:56.360 would resemble or be identical to all of our other purchasing. That's it. 210 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:58.360 It will be much more consistent. We have a good set of controls already. 211 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:03.279 It's up to twenty five hundred dollars. The directors are authorized to make 212 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:09.960 purchases anything over that there are increasing levels of responsibility for them, including getting 213 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:15.679 quotes and reporting them to the clerk or the finance director both in this case 214 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:22.440 that same guy. So those are the major changes. So really looking at 215 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:26.360 change in election date, change to the council terms, some tweaks to the 216 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:31.240 recall provisions, and then some clean up within our purchasing. So when is 217 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:33.799 this election to change the election tickets? So the election to change the election 218 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:37.399 will be at your normal election in April. Whatever day that is, is 219 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:46.320 that April I don't remember it's anyway, whatever, the first, the fifth. 220 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:48.559 I think it's the first Tuesday, right, the first Tuesday in April. 221 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:54.399 So April fifth will be the day. And of course I'm pretty sure 222 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:00.679 it's the first Tuesday, and it's April fifth, and so the there will 223 00:16:00.679 --> 00:16:06.120 of course be absentee ballots and in person absentee. It's very convenient for me 224 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.320 and for a lot of people who work downtown. If you want to cast 225 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:12.960 your vote early and don't want to wait till Tuesday, then April second, 226 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:18.799 second, April second, sorry, April second, and the in person No, 227 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:23.559 Larry says, hang on, I think Larry was looking at the that's 228 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:27.159 the that's the wrong year. I think I think it is. Oh, 229 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:33.159 there did April second? Okay, so April second, way off. So, 230 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:37.879 by the way, if you want to vote early and you go upstairs 231 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:41.519 there at City Hall, it's deceptively you're going to put on take your little 232 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:45.159 tracking device for your steps. Huh. It doesn't look like a big offers. 233 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:48.720 It's pretty good signing. Yes, you will get a nice workout, 234 00:16:48.759 --> 00:16:52.759 but you'll be out of there in about to all those people if they're in 235 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:56.639 shape, I'm telling you, since building I'm not. This is that is 236 00:16:56.679 --> 00:17:00.679 where I That is where I do all of my my voting. I do 237 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:03.519 it in person, absity. It doesn't matter what the election is. So 238 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.759 come on over to City Hall. It's up on the fourth floor and it 239 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:10.000 is not a city function. This is actually a function of your county government, 240 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:12.920 our local election board. They lease some space from us up on the 241 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.920 fourth floor City Hall. So come on over. Take the elevator up. 242 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.359 It's a smooth price. You will be You will be in and out in 243 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:22.240 about two minutes. Miss takes care of you. Well, yes, sir, 244 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:26.839 she does. So all right, what's that said? I'm not kicking 245 00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.039 over to Jason who came He has come to reign on our parade. Okind 246 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:34.920 and give us our about our only bad sales text. It's a result for 247 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:38.759 this year bad at face value, you're not really bad. So a little 248 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:41.319 bit of mixed news. It is. It's a it's down almost nine percent, 249 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:45.039 eight point eighty six percent, which is about one hundred and sixty two 250 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.799 thousand. But when you dive into the numbers, and historically it would actually 251 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:53.240 be our second highest collection in March today by almost one hundred thousand dollars. 252 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:56.559 So it's less about this year and more about how last year. Last year 253 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:00.799 it was monstrous. So like, in context, this is pretty dark. 254 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:04.039 Good. Yeah, if you look at the five year average, we're over 255 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:07.960 the five year average. If you look at the twenty two number, we're 256 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:11.240 one hundred thousand dollars over the twenty two number, but we're one hundred thousand 257 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:15.400 over the twenty three under the twenty three. Yeah, behind, So last 258 00:18:15.480 --> 00:18:21.079 year was just so well looking at the data, I mean, it's still 259 00:18:21.119 --> 00:18:23.880 lower than our February marches, lower than our April, which usually is, 260 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:27.680 but it wasn't by much last year, and usually it's several hundred thousand dollars. 261 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:32.359 March is usually a relatively slow that's when it comes to these, it's 262 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:34.960 it's pretty small. That's because mother nature can't make up our mind. And 263 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.079 you're coming right off the Christmas season, the shopping season. We're all broke 264 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:45.000 broken, so so yeah, and that then by April you've made peace with 265 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:51.400 it, just accept it. So and for the year that puts us we're 266 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:53.960 pretty flat. We're about thirty three thousand dollars ahead of where we were last 267 00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.000 year, so I would say that flat. But we budget very conservatively, 268 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:03.759 so we're still too point two percent above our budget expectation, which puts US 269 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:07.839 about three We budgeted for about a two percent degree. So even if we 270 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:10.759 finished the year even was last year, we'll be ahead of budget. Yes, 271 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:15.079 and so that's hopefully this is just a one month slump. We won't 272 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:18.319 know. Obviously, one month does not make a trend. No, I 273 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:21.480 mean looking at historically, if we go back, it was actually a really 274 00:19:21.480 --> 00:19:26.720 good month. Last year was up sixteen sixteen percent, and this year's down 275 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:32.079 eight down eight percent over, so so we're really probably more in line with 276 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:34.119 what last year should have been, but we still have to compare back to 277 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:37.079 it. So it is what it is. We'll keep an eye on it 278 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.599 and keep looking forward. Use tax. We've got brand news tax. We 279 00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:45.640 finally have. We finally got something compared to thirteenth month. Thirteenth month, 280 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.039 but comparing to the first year of any kind of new tax like that is 281 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:55.480 not a real apples to apples because you got what mister Dave Francis, our 282 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.440 go to at the Tax Mission said, this could be up to a month 283 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:00.799 and a half in your first one, we got a because you have all 284 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:03.319 these estimates people are making and paying to you see, not really certain way 285 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:07.079 that's going to fall. So this one actually failed twenty five percent below where 286 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:11.720 last year's did, but not knowing what the actual was a full month, 287 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.799 we don't know what it has. The true comparatives are going to come from 288 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:18.240 this point forward. Let's wait till next month. This month, you fall 289 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:22.480 in line with about how last year ended, so it seems it seems relatively 290 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:26.759 normal and stable, but you know, was stre twenty thousand dollars would be 291 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:32.079 our lowest month collected, but kind of it falls kind of the pattern of 292 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:36.119 sales tax. It's usually March sales tax's one of the lowest months collected, 293 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:40.000 right, and generally kind of reflects that it does now because it is it 294 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:45.079 is a sales tax now essentially so. And so it's however, even at 295 00:20:45.079 --> 00:20:48.000 three hundred and twenty, how much did we expect to get two hundred and 296 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.440 eight? So we're still one hundred and twelve over the monthly anticipation. So 297 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:55.039 that's the good news is we came into this very cautiously because frankly, we 298 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:56.839 weren't sure what use tax is going to be, just shot in the dark, 299 00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:02.559 and so we we anticipate did very very low numbers and we've exceeded those 300 00:21:02.559 --> 00:21:04.920 literally and everything every month. So that's that's the good news. It has 301 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:08.839 performed better than we thought that would uh. And that is a good sign 302 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:12.160 because we're actually going into budget, which is when we're gonna have to start 303 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:17.079 making decisions about what the next year looks like where we think we're gonna lay 304 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:21.400 in and obviously we'll take a conservative approach at that and make sure that we're 305 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:26.680 in a good financial stable environment. And I want to I want to expect 306 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:30.640 to spend more than we think we're gonna tract. That's right. We definitely 307 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.400 it's better to better to be under than it is to be over when it 308 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.000 comes to budgets. So all right, well, thank you, Jason. 309 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:37.960 I appreciate that, and we'll look forward to hearing more on it as we 310 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:42.599 get into the actual budget season. And with that, I'm gonna kick this 311 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:45.480 over to Larry. And I guess I didn't even introduce these guys. I 312 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.839 expect everybody to know them just like I do. That's Jason Monager. He's 313 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:53.240 our finance director, city clerk treasure. I missed something, but that's nice. 314 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:59.559 There you go. But that covers it. And this is Larry Curtis. 315 00:21:59.559 --> 00:22:03.440 Of course. Curtis is our community development director and on this instance a 316 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:08.920 project manager over something that doesn't follow community development. You were looking for something 317 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:11.640 interesting, Well here we are. No, no, no, this is 318 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:14.640 great. And you know, been here for now over a years, so 319 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:18.079 very excited and you know, feel more and more like a barsh and everything 320 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:22.559 that getting there, getting there. So the hajing work, that's good. 321 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:26.720 So some exciting stuff going on in the city, for sure, is that 322 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:32.559 the City of Barsville is looking to obtain some qualified organizations to submit to our 323 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:37.000 recent RFQ or a request for qualifications to manage our soccer fields within the city. 324 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:41.519 So those would be our robin Wood soccer fields, Daniel Soccer Fields, 325 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:44.559 and our Virginia fields that we have over on the west side. And so 326 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.839 this is a really exciting opportunity is that the city hasn't done this before with 327 00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:52.160 our soccer fields, but we have with our baseball fields this past year, 328 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:55.160 which has gone exceptionally well. We do have a model there with the baseball 329 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:57.240 fields. We do we do and a lot of cities do this, so 330 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:00.519 you know, city like Broken Ourrow, loss of Genes, they kind of 331 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:03.440 do this as well. And so the whole opportunity here is to provide an 332 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:11.839 opportunity to open those up to experience organizations and leagues so that they can have 333 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:15.160 those that have experienced with these leagus and tournaments can help also manage these fields. 334 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:21.599 So the responsibilities of these organizations would include administrating soccer leagues, managing field 335 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:26.400 maintenance, providing concession services, and ensuring overall facility upkeep. Importantly, no 336 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:32.079 monetary compensation is going to be expected or acquired as a part of these Instead, 337 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:37.319 organizations will be expected to make improvements to the facilities using revenues obtained through 338 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:41.720 their use. So that way, I think that's a really important point, 339 00:23:41.799 --> 00:23:45.359 is that we're not expecting a lease payment for someone to use these fields. 340 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:48.640 We want it to be successful, we want it to be as affordable to 341 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:52.519 our citizens as possible, but at the same time, we want to continue 342 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.279 to see these facilities improved. So instead of a lease fee, what we 343 00:23:55.319 --> 00:23:57.799 ask them to do is to continue to make improvements to our fields exactly. 344 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:02.279 And so you know, it's kind of gets, you know, government out 345 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:04.160 of the way to let the private sector really do what the private sector does 346 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:11.799 excellently is provide excellent service. So interested parties should submit detail qualifications including organizational 347 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:15.400 information, experience, financial statements, scope of service to the city. The 348 00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:19.319 deadline for those submissions will be eleven twenty am in March twentieth, twenty twenty 349 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:23.160 four. And of course if anybody has any questions, they can reach out 350 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:29.079 to me directly. They can email me at Larry R. Curtis at cityatbarswel 351 00:24:29.119 --> 00:24:33.240 dot org, or they can just call our me and city number and ask 352 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:34.960 for me and be able to hopefully answer a lot of those questions. But 353 00:24:36.359 --> 00:24:40.519 again, this is a really exciting opportunity to provide not only our citizens with 354 00:24:40.920 --> 00:24:44.839 an excellent company to help manage those facilities. But of course our kiddos will 355 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:48.920 be really going to be the ones that'll be affected by that this is and 356 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.920 we've been really happy with the way this worked over our baseball fields, so 357 00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:56.319 we're hoping that we will get a lot of qualified applicants at our baseball facility. 358 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:00.160 We actually received applications from trying to think of where it was, but 359 00:25:00.200 --> 00:25:03.559 it was in Missouri, there is a company there that that's Springfield, Missouri. 360 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:08.000 That was what they did was they ran leagues there and ran turn us 361 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:11.079 and actually owned their own fields there. So they were they were interested and 362 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:17.440 I'll be really curious to see. We've got some great local organizations that I'm 363 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:25.000 sure will be interested in this. But the it's an interesting opportunity. The 364 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.279 deadline one more time is March twenty ninth through yeah, March twenty ninth, 365 00:25:27.319 --> 00:25:33.119 March twenty four by eleven twenty eight, So we definitely want we want as 366 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:36.640 many of these as possible so that we can review them. We will put 367 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:41.319 a panel together, we'll review these and then ultimately we'll negotiate with the successful 368 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:48.480 proposer. And it's a this is it is. It's an interesting process to 369 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:52.200 go through. The contract that the city has I think is a very good 370 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:57.039 one and it is a model that's worked very well around the around the Tulsa 371 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:02.039 Metro in particular, And like every year, you know, we'll be analyzing 372 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:06.680 these these this organization will be required to provide you know, updates to the 373 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:10.839 city and you know, we'll be analyzing how their finances are doing and everything 374 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:14.759 on those lines to ensure that the public interest is being kept at the same 375 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:18.279 time being sure they're being successful too. We that's this is we ideally we 376 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:22.640 hope that this will be operated similar to a business, So there is uh, 377 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:26.279 there is an employee. That's one of the things that we're looking for. 378 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:30.720 We would prefer to see it rather than just being run by a group 379 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:33.960 of volunteers. That changes. We would like that group of volunteers to employ 380 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:38.039 someone that would be ideal ye. Uh And and with before F at our 381 00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:44.200 baseball fields, that was what happened. It is still it is still a 382 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:48.680 nonprofit organization. However, there are employees. Uh. And again it was 383 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:52.279 I don't believe it was perfect last year, but I think it went much 384 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.960 better than it had the year before. And I think that it will continue 385 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:59.400 to improve. As with anything, they'll be growing some growing pans associated with 386 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:03.200 it, but it'll it'll be hopefully in the end better than and in fact, 387 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:07.640 for F expanded this year. That was the there was an opportunity. 388 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:11.759 So so part of this is that the y m c A who had been 389 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:15.400 managing our fields for us for years, my gosh, for years and had 390 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:21.000 done a great job and was a very valuable partner to us. This field 391 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:25.240 management didn't align with their strategic direction anymore, and so they had they had 392 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:27.119 given us notice and they were great to work with. They allowed us to 393 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.319 pick the date that they exited that worked the best for us UH, and 394 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:34.240 in this instance, it was it allowed us to they'll they'll manage it through 395 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:40.359 this final season and then our new our new contractor will manage it beginning with 396 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:42.279 the next socker. Yeas, our goal is to definitely have that handshake of 397 00:27:42.440 --> 00:27:45.839 you know, from one an organization to another, so it is easy drop. 398 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:48.599 Yeah, there's going to drop the ball and hopefully someone picks it up. 399 00:27:48.839 --> 00:27:55.160 That's right. One other thing if I may talk about is that if 400 00:27:55.400 --> 00:28:00.000 you know, mister Greg Collins, our special projects manager, would be very 401 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.960 upset with me if but I did not remind the public about our comprehensive plans 402 00:28:03.000 --> 00:28:07.200 going on right now. You know, our surveys continued to go on. 403 00:28:07.200 --> 00:28:10.200 We had our public means last months which went exceptionally well. We got a 404 00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:15.079 lot of great information from our citizens. But our organization still has the UH 405 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:18.599 survey available online. In addition that we actually also have an interactive map program 406 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:22.799 now so that people can actually click on the map and provide information, like 407 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:26.960 they know of an intersection that needs to be looked into santest or there's an 408 00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:30.160 area that maybe that's they have concerns about, they can click on that and 409 00:28:30.160 --> 00:28:33.559 add information to that as well. So if our citizens want to go to 410 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:37.720 the Citybarsbille dot org website, go to that website and click on the Conferhensive 411 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:40.799 Plan link. From there, they can provide the information that way. So 412 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:45.720 there is there is essentially a portal in there that is related to this UH 413 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:48.920 and there are there are a lot of different ways to provide input and we 414 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:52.480 would like as much as is humanly possible from ours. So far we have 415 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:56.039 had over seven hundred and ten respondents, it's Winster Collins told me this morning, 416 00:28:56.039 --> 00:29:00.000 which is fantastic for coning our size. But as always, the more 417 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:03.759 information we get, the better our community can be. So that's what's one 418 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:07.480 yes, So but we look forward to that. This is a process that 419 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:11.200 will continue on through I believe we had slated it all the way through October. 420 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:15.440 October this year we get we are very much looking to getting that wrapped 421 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.559 up so that way we can move forward with the other projects. Again, 422 00:29:17.640 --> 00:29:21.039 this is part of the Endeavor project. So are the projects called Endeavor? 423 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:26.279 But they were five and you know the vision that we have for the city 424 00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:26.759 moving forward. So yeah, Oka