[00:00:05]
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, GOOD EVENING, IT'S TUESDAY, FEB FEBRUARY 15TH, 2022, AS AUTHORIZED BY A 51.07 WITHIN OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE THIS MEETING CAN BE CLOSED TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. THE CITY OF ROWLETT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RECONVENE
OR IN ORDER TO EARNIN >> IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE COMMENT FOR A MEETING IF YOU ARE NOT ATTENDING IN PERSON, SEND AN E-MAIL BY 3:30 THE DAY OF THE MEETING AND SPEVENGSLY STATE WHETHER YOUR COMMENT IS REGARDING A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM OR A GENERAL COMMENT AND THEN YOUR COMMENT WILL BE READ INTO THE RECORD WITHIN A 3 MINUTE TIME RECORD.
(INDISCERNIBLE) >> WE HAVE EXECUTIVE ITEMS TONIGHT WHICH WILL FOLLOW THE REGULAR MEETING. SO, WE'RE START OFF WITH OUR WORK SESSION ITEMS. AND DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC INPUT ON WORK SESSION ITEMS?
[3A. Presentation of the City of Rowlett’s AARP Age Friendly Livability Action Plan. (30 minutes)]
>> I DON'T HAVE ANY CARDS IN PERSON.
>> WE'RE STARTING WITH PRESENTATION OF THE CITY OF
ROWLETT AARP ACTION PLAN. >> WELCOME.
>> HELLO. >> GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. I'M AARON, FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR. TO MY LEFT, THIS IS KENNETH WILLIAMS, THE CHAIR FOR THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD AND WE HAVE SOME SENIOR ADVADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS WELL AS STAFF TO CHEER US ON AND
PROVIDE ANY INPUT. >> WITH THAT BEING SAID.
>> I START WOULD THIS GROUP. >> SHE DID.
>> SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE WILL TONIGHT, YOU GUYS WILL HEAR WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH OVER THE LAST YEAR AND-A-HALF. A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE, TIME AND COMMITMENT THAT EVERYONE HAS PUT IN, NOT ONLY STAFF, BUT THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD AND VOLUNTEERS. JUST SO YOU GUYS KNOWIOUS THERE ARE 494 COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE THAT ARE AARP LIVABLE CITIES. THERE ARE EIGHT IN TEXAS. THAT INCLUDES US. SO, IT'S KIND OF A COOL THING TO BE YOU KNOW IN THAT GROUP. SO, NICE. SO, HERE WE GO. THIS IS WHAT A LIVABLE COMMUNITY IS. I'M NOT GOING TO READ IT TO YOU, BUT IN A NUT SHELL, THIS IS WHAT AARP IS ALL ABOUT. THEY GENERALLY START WITH A LIVABILITY RECOGNITION AT THE STATE LEVEL. AND THEN THEY WORK WITH THE CITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS AND VOLUNTEERS TO HELP ENHANCE AND HELP PROMOTE THE LIVABILITY PROCESS. SO, THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE GOT INVOLVED WITH IT. WE'RE SUPER EXCITED. HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS WILL BE TOO AFTER OUR PRESENTATION. THAT'S THE GOAL ANYWAY. SO, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, YOU GUYS WILL SEE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO AND WHAT IS INVOLVED WHAT THE ACTION PLAN WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT. SO.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE CHART ON THE LEFT, IT SHOWS THAT CURRENTLY THERE ARE ROUGHLY 46-49 MILLION PEOPLE 65 YEARS-OLD AND OLDER. THEY'RE PROJECTING BY 2030, ROUGHLY 73-77 MILLION PEOPLE WHICH IS ONE OUT OF EVERY FIVE PEOPLE WILL BE 65 AND OLDER. SO, VERY, VERY -- TIMES ARE CHANGING, WHICH IS REALLY GOOD FOR US TO CONTINUE TO PUT THIS ACTION PLAN INTO PLAY. BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH WITH THE ACTION PLAN BECAUSE THINGS ARE CHANGING. AS TIMES GOES ON THINGS CHANGE. PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WANT THEIR COMMUNITIES TO BE SAFE. THEY WANT TO GROW UP AND GROW OLD THIS IN THESE COMMUNITIES, THEY WANT A PLACE TO CALL HOME. THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES, THEY WANT TO DO THINGS, THEY WANT SAFE TRANSPORTATION, THEY WANT YOU KNOW, RELIABLE ORGANIZATIONS TO A CYST WITH THEIR NEEDS. SO, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THOSE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THE BUSINESSES. IT'S A TWO-WAY
[00:05:05]
STREET. WHAT MAKES A COMMUNITY A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE? EIGHT DOMAINS. SO, WHAT AARP DID WAS POLLED THE UNITED STATES AND ASKED WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES FOR YOU, WHY DO YOU LIVE IN A CITY, WHAT MAKES YOU STAY THERE, WHY DO YOU WANT FAMILY MEMBERS TO STAY THERE, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY, AFFORDABLE. PROTECTION, AND SO, WHAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTE SUNSHINE THE DOMAINS THAT THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT FOCUSED ON. CITY ARE ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT DOMAIN THEY WANT IT FOCUS ON, THEY CHOSE THERE, BUT WE'LL GET INTO THAT IN A MINUTE. THIS IS THE CHART THAT SHOWS THE ENTIRE PROCESS THAT IT TAKES, IT'S TYPICALLY, FIVE YEARS, YOU TAKE THE YEAR ONE ENROLLMENT AND JUMP INTO THE SURVEY LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTES. YEAR TWO, WHERE WE'RE NOW IS CREATING THE ACTION PLAN.THE GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES WHICH WE WILL DIVE INTO. IMPLEMENTATION, AND PROGRESS AND STATUS UPDATE.
WE'RE NOT ONLY JUST GOING TO ROLL IT OUT, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE EVALUATIONS AND MEETINGS, JUST SO THAT WE ARE STAYING UP TO SPEED WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON. SO, WHAT HAS BEEN DONE UP TO THIS POINT? AS YOU KNOW, JANUARY 2020 IS WHEN WE WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE AARP AGE FAMILY NETWORK, IT WAS PROVIDED TO CITY COUNCIL AND A PRESS RELEASE WAS MADE. WE DID A SURVEY ONLINE. A LOT OF PEOPLE OPTED TO DO IT ONLINE BECAUSE OF COVID. WE REVIEWED THE SURVEY RESULT FROM JUNE TO AUGUST AND COMPILED THOSE RESULTS, WHICH AGAIN, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND. AND IN JANUARY, 2021, WE HELD TWO LISTENING SESSIONS, ONE IN THE MORNING AND ONE IN THE EVENING TO TRY AND HIT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WORKED IN THE MORNING OR AT NIGHT, SO WE HAD TWO DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR THEM.
FEBRUARY, 2021, WE DEVELOPED THE MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS.
I DIDN'T INCLUDE THEM IN THE SLIDES BUT THEY ARE IN THE PACKET. THAT WAS PARENT AND IT HELPED US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE WERE DOING AS WE MOVED FORWARD. MARCH OF 2021, WE PRESENTED TO THE VARIOUS BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND THEN WE DEVELOPED OUR STAKEHOLDER TEAMS. OUR STAKEHOLDER TEAMS CONSISTED OF EMPLOYEES FOR OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS, THERE WERE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBER WHO IS PARTICIPATED AS WELL.
DART AND LOCAL BUSINESSES TO HAVE A VERY DIVERSE AND WELL VERSED GROUP OF BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS. PEOPLE WHO HAVE STRENGTHS IN TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AND THAT'S WHAT WE LOOK IT FOR AND THEN WE BUILD EVERYBODY ELSE IN. SO, MAY 2021, THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED OUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, AND WE HELD THEM MONTHLY FROM MAY UNTIL ROUGHLY OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, AND THEY WERE ABOUT AN HOUR A PIECE AND THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED TO PICK APART AND SET THE ACTION PLAN AND THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND THE STRATEGIES, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS COMPRISED OF THE P ACTION PLANS. THESE ARE THE RESULTS FROM BOTH THE LISTENING SESSIONS AS A RESULT THE SURVEY. YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE 97% LIVING INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS OF ROWLETT AND 45 AND OLDER. AND IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE A LITTLE LESS THAN 65 YEARS-OLD, BECAUSE, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT A FEW MINUTES AGO, THEY'RE GETTING OLDER. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SEE AND WHAT IS YOUR VISION WITHIN THE NYEARS.
THE AND SO, THE ACTION PLAN IS BASED ON THE RESULTS IDENTIFYING THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID. WE TOOK A SURVEY THAT AARP ESTABLISHED AND WE USED THAT. SO, THAT WAS A BIG HELP FOR US TO SET UP TO GET THESE RESULTS AND RECRUIT THOSE INDIVIDUALS FOR THE SURVEY AND THE LISTENING SESSIONS.
>> IS THAT STAT CORRECT? OR IS THAT BACKWARDS?
>> SO, THAT WAS A SUMMARY THAT WE USED FOR...
>> IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WHO FILLED OUT THE ACTUAL SURVEY.
[00:10:04]
>> WELL, I UNDERSTAND, BUT, I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THERE WAS ONLY 24%. THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
>> I CAN FIND OUT. >> I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU
HAD IT BACKWARDS. >> MAY BE. I CAN DOUBLE HE CAN COM. AND I WILL TELL YOU IN THE ACTION PLAN THAT YOU GUYS HAVE THE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE INCORRECT, BUT HOWEVER IT WAS FIXED AND IF WE NEED TO MODIFY THIS, WE CAN BEFORE WE FIGURE THIS OUT.
>> VERY INTRIGUING WITH THE RESULTS THAT YOU SEE HERE. SO, WE TALKED ABOUT THESE WE EVEN, IF OUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, BROKE OUT THE INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS AND WENT OVER THOSE AND TALKED ABOUT THEM IN THOSE MEETINGS AS WELL. AS I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, THESE WERE OUR COMMENTS THAT WE MADE FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL DOMAIN. I THINK THIS IS JUST TWO OF THE THREE. I DIDN'T WANT TO TRY AND SQUEEZE THREE OF THEM ON THERE BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE IT. SO, WE TOOK THOSE RESULT FROM THE LISTENING SESSIONS AND THE SURVEYS AND SAID, WHAT ARE WE HEARING? WHAT ARE THE CITIZENS HEARING? WHAT DO THEY WANTING, WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT. THEN WE BROKE IT DOWN TO, WHAT DO WE HAVE? WE HAVE TRANSPORTATION. WE HAVE YOU KNOW, A SOCIAL PARTICIPATION PROGRAMS, WHAT ELSE DO WE NEED TO DO. AND THEN REENVWE ENVISI THAT'S WHEN WE GOT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS 20 YEAR FROM NOW? FOR INSTANCE, HELIPADS. THIS IS WHAT WE USED AS FAR AS HOW WE BASED OUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
WE UTILIZED WHAT WE ENVISIONED, WHAT WE HEAR AND WHAT WE HAVE TO HELP GUIDE US TO THOSE POINTS. SO T THESE ARE THE THREE DOMAINS THAT WE CHOSE, HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, AND SOCIAL PARTICIPATION. LIKE A CITY, EACH CITY IS ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANTED TO CHOOSE, AND WE FELT THESE THREE WERE THE MOST SUITABLE FOR US. SOME CITIES DO ALL EIGHT, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO ALL EIGHT. SO, THIS IS WHY WE CHOSE THOSE THREE PROGRAMS. HOUSING DOMAIN, THIS IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSING DOMAIN FROM THE POLICY BOOK.
BASICALLY WE WANT TO WORK TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES NOT ONLY FOR 65 AND OLDER.
WE WANT TO ADDRESS AFFORDABLE. AND OVERALL, MAKE THE COMMUNITY MORE LIVABLE. TRANSPORTATION, AND RE AS YOU GUYS KNOW, DART IS HERE AND THEY ARE A BIG PLAYER IN THIS, THERE'S ACTUALLY REPRESENTATIVES FROM DART ON MY BOARD. THEY PROVIDED A LOT OF GOOD INPUT WHAT THEY'VE SEEN AND WHAT THEY'VE HEARD SO IT WAS NICE, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK FOR US.
AND BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WITH TRANSPORTATION IS PROVIDING SAFE, AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS THAT ARE USER-FRIENDLY. THAT IS ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAD STATED WE WOULD WORK TOWARDS. AND THEN, FINALLY, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION, BASICALLY WE WANTED TO ENSURE INCLUSIVE PROGRAMS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WE LEARNED THROUGH THIS PROCESS AS A DEPARTMENT WAS, WHAT IS IT THAT SENIORS WANT? DO THEY WANT MORE TRIPS? DO THEY WANT MORE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES WHERE THEY COME IN AND DO A BOOK CLUB OR A WRITING CLUB OR THEY COME AND PLAY GAMES. SO, IT WAS NICE FOR COLIN, WHO IS OUR SENIOR PROGRAMMER TO HEAR THAT THEY WANT. SO, AGAIN, OFFERING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS FOR SOCIAL ASPECTS. SOME OF THEM DON'T HAVE SPOUSES, SO, THEY WANT TO GET OUT THERE AND INTERACT, THEY WANT TO PLAY PICKLE BALL OR BRIDGE OR WHAT NOT. SO, DEFINITELY, AGAIN, WAS NICE TO HEAR. YOU ASKED WHAT IS INCLUDED IN AN ACTION PLAN? THREE MAJOR TOPICS, ONE IS THE FORMAT WHICH IS THE COVER PAGE,
[00:15:01]
THE GUTS OF EVERYTHING, THE TABLE OF CONTENTS, COMMUNITY PROFILES, THE MAYOR'S LETTER, THE INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN.AND THEN, THE ACTION PLAN ITSELF. SO, IT'S BASICALLY YOUR BOOK AS YOU WILL. THE CONTENT OF THE ACTION PLAN, INCLUDES THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, THE STRATEGIES, TARGET DATES, WHOSE INVOLVED, WHAT OTHER DEPARTMENTSIOUS WHAT OTHER BUSINESSES DO WE NEED TO INCLUDE IN YOUR RESEARCH AS WE MOVE FORWARD OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND LASTLY, THE MONITORING, OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE NOT JUST GOING TO THROW IT OUT THERE AND NOT MONITOR IT, AND KEEP IT UP TO SPEED AND UP TO PAR. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, AS CITIES CHANGE, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE WHAT WE'RE DOING AS WELL TO ADAPT WITH THAT. SO, WE'RE TRACKING THAT PROGRESS TOWARDS THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE ACTION PLAN ITSELF, SOME PEOPLE SAID, WHY DO AN ACTION PLAN? WELL, IT WILL HELP TO GUIDE US AS WE MOVE ALONG. IT'S OUR DAY-TO-DAY CHECK LIST OF WELL, WE NEED TO DO THIS NEXT, IT'S BASICALLY A TOOL THAT WE'LL USE. THE PLAN AGAIN IS BASED ON THE NEEDS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THOSE SPECIFIC DOMAINS THAT WE CHOSE THAT WILL HELP US TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT WE WILL BE DOING WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS. THE PLANNING AIMS FOR A FIVE-YEAR PROCESS, THE FIRST TWO YEARS SPENT ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY WITH THE SURVEYS AND LISTENING SESSIONS, ONCE THE PLAN IS ADOPTED, WE'LL IMPLEMENT IT AND CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND CARRY OUT FROM YEARS 3-5 AND ONCE THOSE FIVE YEAR SUNSHINE UP, WE DO IT AGAIN. IT'S A CONTINUING PROGRAM, SO THAT WILL BE NICE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FELT WAS IMPORTANT IN DEVELOPING THE ACTION PLAN WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONNECTED WITH THE ROWLETT STRATEGIC PLAN, WE WANTED TO STAY IN LINE WITH WHAT OUR STRATEGY PLAN IS, ENHANCE, QUALITY OF LIFE WHICH FELL INTO SOCIAL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION. INVEST IN TRANSPORTATION AROUND INFRASTRUCTURE WAS THE TRANSPORTATION DOMAIN AND THEN THE STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOOD LIVABILITY WAS THE HOUSING DOMAIN. SO, IN THE 2018 SURVEY, FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN, ONE RESULT IDENTIFIED WAS SENIOR SERVICES AND AMENITIES NEEDED TO BE FOCUSED ON IN THE FUTURE, SO, THAT WAS ONE OF THE KEYS THAT WE PROVIDED AS WE MOVED FORWARD WITH CREATING THAT ACTION PLAN.
THESE ARE JUST ACTION PLAN SAMPLES. YOU'LL SEE THAT AT THE TOP IS EACH GOAL, SO, I DIDN'T COPY ALL OF THE GOALS FOR EACH DOMAIN, I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE SAMPLES. AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE GOAL AND THE STRATEGY AND THE ACTION NEEDED. BY WHOM, IS IT THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD? IS IT STAFF OR DART OR SOMEBODY ELSE WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP INITIATE THOSE TALKS AND CONVERSATIONS. AND THEN THE DUE-BY-DATE. YEAR 2, YEAR 3, YEAR 5. NEXT STEPS, HOPEFULLY, FOLLOWING TONIGHT, WE'LL RECEIVE FEEDBACK, WE GET CONSENSUS FROM YOU GUYS AND SUBMIT THE FINAL ACTION PLAN TO AARP WHERE THEY WILL ADVERTISE IT ON THEIR WEBSITE, AND WE WILL HAVE OUR OUTLETS AS WELL THAT WE UTILIZE ONCE WE GET A FINAL DOCUMENT AND CAN PROVIDE IT TO THEM. WE'RE GOING TO BE RESTARTING OUR MEETINGS, PROBABLY TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH IF NOT SOMETIME IN MARCH. JUST TO TALK ABOUT ASSIGNING TOPICS AND FOLLOWING UP ON ANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS WHILE THE PLAN IS IMPLEMENTED. SO, WE'RE READY TO GO. WE'VE GOT OUR SYSTEM SET AND WE'RE READY JUST TO KEEP MOVING ON THIS. SO, EACH YEAR WE WILL PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE SO THAT THEY'RE STAYING UP-TO-DATE WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS THE CONSENSUS FROM COUNSEL TO PROCEED WITH THE AARP AGE FRIENDLY ACTION PLAN. IF YESSIOUS THE APPROVED PLAN WILL BE SUBMITTED TO AARP FOR APPROVAL AND POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE AND AGAIN, ANY OUTLET THAT WE USE. AND IF NOT, WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COUNSEL MAY HAVE FOR CHANGES.
>> THANK YOU. >> YOUR WELCOMED.
>> SO, WHAT SURPRISED Y'ALL? KENNETH, BOARD, WHAT SURPRISED
[00:20:01]
Y'ALL ABOUT THIS PROCESS. >> WHAT SURPRISED US?
>> YES. >> WELL, I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SURPRISES US IS THAT THERE SEEM TO BE AMONG THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN ROWLETT, A LACK OF AWARENESS OF SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS ALREADY AVAILABLE. MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE HAD PARDON ME, I'M USED TO CALLING IT DART ON CALL, THEY DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A TRANSPORTATIONAL OPTION THAT DOES DOOR TO DOOR TRANSPORTATION, WE HAD PEOPLE WHO WORK DOWNTOWN IN DALLAS WHO DON'T EVEN CONSIDER USING THAT SYSTEM IN ORDER TO GO TO WORK. SO, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND MOST SURPRISING IN OUR GATHERING OF DATA.
>> I JUST THOUGHT THAT IT WAS, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY HARD DATA (INDISCERNIBLE)
>> BUT, I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS SO EXCITED TO GET TO BE INVOLVED IN ON THIS AND HEAR, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE DIFFERENT SENIORS, BUT THEN TO BE ABLE TO SHAPE AND FORM WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO AND HOPEFULLY WITH YOU ALL'S APPROVAL.
>> AND IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE MUCH BIG ARE THAN JUST THE SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD? IT WAS THE SENIOR COMMUNITY, IT FELT
>> YES. >> QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
>> BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR, I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND SULLY
>> YEAH. >> FOR PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER. SHE LISTENED TO US RAMBLE AND TALK ABOUT WEIRD THINGS AND SHE PUT IT INTO WORDS AND IT CAME OUT GOOD.
>> I REALLY LIKED THE WAY THAT Y'ALL SEPARATED OUT THE STRATEGY ACTION ITEMS. I THINK THAT SIMPLIFIED IT, SEPARATING THE YEAR BY COLOR IT'S JUST EASY TO REFER BACK TO AND KNOW WHAT YOU
(INDISCERNIBLE) >> I WILL SAY, I'M SORRY. I WILL SAY THIS, I THINK WE DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH WORK IT WAS GOING TO BE. AND, TO BE HONEST, I'M VERY PROUD OF THE BOARD AND THE STAFF FOR TAKING ON, BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE, ONE DAY WE WERE ALL SITTING DOWNSTAIRS AND WE WERE LIKE "THIS IS A LOT". WHAT DID WE GET OURSELVES INTO?
>> AND THERE'S PROBABLY THE REASON WHY THERE'S ONLY EIGHT IN
TEXAS. >> BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU DO LEARN A LOT OF STUFF AS YOU GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. YOU KNOW, THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECT IS LIKE, HUH. OKAY.
>> THIS IS ONE OF THOSE, I GOT A REALLY GOOD IDEA OF THINGS.
>> IT BECAME OVERWHELMING BECAUSE AT THE TIME WE ALSO HAD A SMALL BOARD AND SO, WE ONLY HAD LIKE TWO PEOPLE ABLE TO GO, YOU KNOW, FOR EACH THING. AND SO, IT WAS VERY, THE PLANNING PART WAS VERY TEDIOUS AND, A LOT OF TIME ON THEIR PART. BUT IT'S BEEN EXCITING HAVING DIFFERENT PEOPLE INVOLVED.
>> I WAS THINKING ABOUT RESIGNING FROM THE BOARD.
>> BECAUSE THERE WAS TOO MUCH WORK? I WAS LIKE, I'M RETIRED,
WHAT'S GOING ON. >> IT WAS LIKE BEING IN COLLEGE
>> I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE CITY OF ROWLETT. IT REALLY INCREASED MY AWARENESS OF THINGS.
>> IT'S KIND OF CRAZY WHAT GOES ON HERE, ISN'T IT?
>> THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT WE DO IN THE CITY OF ROWLETT.
SO, DOES IT FEEL ATTAINABLE? DOES IT FEEL WITHIN REACH? DOES IT FEEL DIFFICULT? WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE?
>> I THINK IT'S REACHABLE. >> IT MAY BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES, BUT, I FEEL AND I THINK EVERYONE ELSE DOES THAT IT'S IN
REACH. >> I THINK WE ALREADY DID THE
HARDEST PART. >> I THINK THAT YOU ARE RIGHT,
VIRGINIA. >> I BELIEVE THAT WE COULD
REACH IT. >> EVEN IF Y'ALL ACCOMPLISH A FEW OF THESE THINGS, IT'S ALL VERY BIG. TO, GOOD JOB ON THIS.
>> FOR MY LITTLE PIECE THAT I HAD, WAS THAT WE MADE SURE THAT IT INTERGREATED WITH THE 2018 STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THIS BECOMES A LAYER ON THAT TO INTEGRATE ALL OF THOSE EFFORTS TOGETHER.
>> THERE'S SO MUCH GREAT DATA IN THIS, I WOULD KEEP IT ALL AS A REFERENCE. FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO THE COMP PLAN, IT JUST
[00:25:05]
HAS SO MUCH GOOD INFORMATION IN HERE THAT I'LL DEFER TO IT A LOT. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU GUYS DID>> AND I THINK THAT CAN HELP US BE BETTER AND BETTER AND JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK. WOW, MASTERFUL.
>> I DIDN'T DO ALL OF THAT. >> [LAUGHTER] .
>> Y'ALL DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB AND YOU TOOK A LOT OF DEEP DIVE DATA AND MADE IT DIGESTIBLE IN THIS FORM AND LIKE I SAID, I WILL BE KEEPING THIS WITH MY OTHER REFERENCE MATERIAL THAT I LOOK AT WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS.
>> Y'ALL DID AN AWESOME JOB. THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, FOR THE PRSENTATION. I THINK WE'RE IN FULL SUPPORT.
>> SOLDIER ON, TELL US WHAT YOU NEED SOMETHING. AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO EXTEND THOSE TO THE YOUTH PROGRAMS.
>> YEAH, THAT'S GOING TO BE FUN.
>> I MEAN, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YOU KNOW.
>> NOW I'M IN THE GROUP OF 45 PLUS.
>> YOU MADE IT. >> THANK YOU, VERY MUCH.
THANKS EVERYBODY, GOOD TO SEE Y'ALL. YOU'RE MORE THAN
WELCOMED TO STAY. >> CAN WE STAY A LITTLE BIT?
>> YOU COULD STAY AS LONG AS YOU WANT.
>> I WANT TO STAY UNTIL THE RECEPTION.
[3B. Discuss a proposed charter for the Internal Auditor and proposal to hire Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P. to develop an internal audit risk assessment. (30 minutes)]
>> ALL RIGHT, MOVING TO ITEM 3D, DISCUSS AND PROPOSE CHARTER FOR THE INTERNAL AWEDER AND PROPOSAL TO HIRE WEAVER AND TIDWELL LLP TO DEVELOP AN INTERNAL AUDIT RISK ASSESSMENT.
>> I'LL START US OFF. SO, I THINK NINE YEARS AGO, WHEN I GOT ON THIS COUNSEL, I SAID, HE WITH DON'T HAVE AN INTERNAL AUDITOR? IT ONLY TOOK NINE YEARS. SO, THANK YOU TO THE FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR AWHILE.
MARTHA AND BLAKE AND MYSELF ARE ON THAT COMMITTEE. YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD INCREDIBLE RESULTS WITH OUR EXTERNAL AUDITS. WE HAD A HUGE AMOUNT OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ND TRANSPARENCY AND WE'RE GETTING PRETTY BIG. AND THERE'S RISKS OUT THERE THAT WE'RE NOT ASSESSING FROM AN IMPARTIAL SOURCE I ALWAYS THOUGHT WE NEEDED AN EXTERNAL AUDITOR. I THINK WE'RE THERE NOW. BUT, EVEN, TOOK IT TOO TOR, I DO WANT TO ADDRESS THIS, BECAUSE THE PUBLIC MAY BE GOING, WE VOTED THAT DOWN. WHAT WAS ON THE BALLOT THE LAST ELECTION WAS PUTTING A REQUIREMENT FOR AN INTERNAL AUDITOR IN THE CHART AND THE PUBLIC VOTE THAT HAD DOWN BUT THAT DOES NOT PRECLUDE US FROM PUTTING IN PLACE AN INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION IT'S JUST THAT IT'S NOT REQUIRED IN THE CHARTER. I DIDN'T SUPPORT IT BEING REQUIRED IN THE CHARTER, I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT IS DETERMINED BUT, NOT NECESSARILY REQUIRED BY THE CHARTER. SO, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESSED THAT FOR THE PUBLIC. SO, ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WE'VE HAD YOU KNOW THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF GETTING THIS MOVING IS IT'S HARD TO START AN INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT FROM SCRATCH. AND WE'VE BEEN A LITTLE TOO SMALL TO HAVE A FULL-TIME POSITION BUT TOO BIG NOT TO HAVE AN INTERNAL AWUDITO.
AND WE TRIED GOING DOWN THE ROAD WITH A PART-TIME AUDITOR, AND IT JUST WAS NOT WORKING. AND WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT
[00:30:04]
DOES AN INTERNAL AUDITOR REPORT TO? THEY REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL WHICH IS A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION, SO, HOW DO YOU GET THAT STARTED. WHAT WE HAVE IS A PROPOSAL FROM THE INTERNAL AUDIT COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER HIRING THE AUDIT FIRM, IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT GROUP WITHIN THAT AUDIT FIRM TO HELP US TO ESTABLISH A RISK ASSESSMENT AND KIND OF A FRAMEWORK FOR AN INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT AND PROCESS. AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY CAN'T HAVE OUR FINANCE PEOPLE DOING. BECAUSE INTERNAL AUDIT IS AUDITING OUR FINANCE>> YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT FOR A CITY COUNCIL PERSON OR PEOPLE OR COMMITTEE, AUDIT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE TO DO ALL OF THIS, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE OR THE TIME. SO, WE WENT DOWN THIS ROAD OF MAY BE WE HIRE AN EXTERNAL FIRM TO HELP US GET THIS ESTABLISHED. SO, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CONSIDERING RIGHT NOW.
>> SO, UM, LET'S SEE, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS PROPOSING TO HIRE WEAVER IF YOU ARE SO INCLINED TO AGREE WITH THAT TO CONDUCT AN INTERNAL AUDIT RISK ASSESSMENT. IT'S A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO INCLUDE RISK ASSESSMENT, INTERNAL AUDIT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, DATA ANALYTICS, ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND BUSINESS IMPROVEMENTS. THE MAIN GOAL IS TO HELP PREPARE AN AUDIT CLAIMANT AND A STRATEGY FOR AN INCOMING AUDIT THAT WE MAY HAVE. SOME CITIES, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INTERNAL AUDITORS ARE IN-HOUSE, ANYBODY KNOW? WE'RE JUST PROPOSING ONE FULL-TIME POSITION WITH THE HELP OF AN EXTERNAL FIRM TO HELP GET THE RISK ASSESSMENT DONE AND THE FRONT-END PLANNING DONE SO WE COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH INTERNAL AUDIT. IF WE WENT DOWN THIS ROAD, AND THEY DID THE RISK ASSESSMENT AND Y'ALL WOULD BE VERY INVOLVED BECAUSE IT'S A COUNCIL FUNCTION. YOU KNOW. ANALYZING THE RISK ASSESSMENT, DETERMINING THE HIRE OF THE INTERNAL AUDITOR, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, HELPING TO GUIDE AN AUDIT PLAN. FOR LIKE YEAR ONE, YEAR TWO, THREE, I THINK THE LION'S SHARE OF THE WORK WOULD BE DONE BY THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE BUT IT WOULD ABSOLUTELY COME TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR THE APPROVAL OF A PLAN FOR AN AUDIT PLAN FOR THE YEAR. I'LL STOP THERE, MARTHA,
BLAKE, WHAT AM I MISSING? >> I THINK YOU GAVE A GOOD
SYNOPSIS FOR COUNCIL. >> AS YOU KNOW, WEAVER IS THE COMPANY THAT DOES OUR AUDIT. AND WE'VE USED THEM FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, GREAT COMPANY. AND SO WHEN WE REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE A COMPANY HELP US DEVELOP THE FRAMEWORK FOR OUR INTERNAL AUDITOR TO WORK IN, THEN WE TURNED TO WEAVER AND REALLY VERY PLEASED WITH THE PLAN THAT THEY PUT TOGETHER FOR US AND JUST THE DETAILS THAT THEY GAVE US AND HOW THEY WILL WORK TO ANALYZE AND GIVE US A CUSTOMIZED FRAMEWORK THAT OUR INTERNAL AUDITOR CAN THEN COME IN AND BEGIN WORKING UNDER. AND SO, IT WAS QUITE A PROCESS TO GET THERE AS WAS SAID, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WE TRIED TO LALAUN THIS AND DISCOVERED QUICKLY THAT WE NEED THAT HAD FRAMEWORK AND IT WOULD BE MUCH MORE LABOR INTENSIVE THAN ANY OF US WOULD HAVE THE TIME OR BAND WIDTH TO PUT TOGETHER. WE NEEDED SOMEONE WITH INTERNAL AUDIT EXPERIENCE.
NOT JUST DEGREES IN ACCOUNTING, BECAUSE IT'S A VERY SPECIALIZED FIELD AND IT TOOK US A BIT OF A LEARNING CURVE IN PUTTING THINGS
[00:35:04]
OUT THERE TO CRAFT THAT JOB DESCRIPTION TO GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR IT. BUT AS THE MAYOR SAID, I THINK WE'VE GOT THAT WORK DONE NOW AND WE'RE READY TO LAUNCH THIS WITH THEAPPROVAL OF COUNCIL. >> SO, I CAN SPEAK TO THE SUBJECT FINANCIAL BUDGET. THE IMPLICATIONS, THE ASSESSMENT IS EXPECTED TO COST BETWEEN $28,000 AND $38,000. ONCE COMPLETE, THE CITY WILL HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TYPE OF PERSON WE'RE LOOKING FOR TO SERVE AS THE INTERNAL AUDITOR.
THE CITY BUDGETED $30,000 FOR A 1 TIME AUDIT AND THE ANNUAL SALARY IS BUDGETED AT $59,000 $133. HIRING OF THE POSITION.
>> YEAH. >> I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A CONCERN OF GOING TO WEAVER FOR THIS, BUT THEY'RE NOT PERFORMING INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTIONS AND IT DOESN'T IMPAIR THEIR ABILITY TO AUDIT US. THEY KNOW US BETTER THAN ANYONE. AND THIS IS A ONE-TIME RISK ASSESSMENT WHICH IS RIGHT UP THEIR ALLEY. AND THEY GOT A LOT OF HISTORY TO HELP THEM WITH THAT. AND THEN THEY TOTALLY REMOVED THEMSELVES FROM THE PROCESS. AND IT BECOMES, YOU KNOW, A DIRECTED PROCESS BY COUNCIL TO THE INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT WORKERS.
>> IS THIS SOMETHING, SINCE IT'S WITH THE PRICE IT'S GOING
>> HOW DO YOU GET AROUND THE PURCHASING PROCESS?
>> WE'RE NOT GETTING AROUND THE PURCHASING PROCESS.
>> WELL, MAYOR, IF YOU DON'T MIND?
>> PLEASE. >> ONE THING I WAS GOING TO SAY IS I STILL GET ASKED FROM PEOPLE WHY WE'RE HIRING AN INTERNAL AUDITOR WHEN WE HAVE AN EXTERNAL AUDITOR.
>> WHY ARE WE HIRING AN INTERNAL AUDITOR WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A REALLY GOOD RESULTS ON AN EXAMPLE THAT WE PUT IN HERE - AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO COVER THIS IS THAT THEY'RE REALLY TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. THE EXTERNAL AUDITOR FOCUSES THEIR ATTENTION LIKE ON ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, THEY DETERMINE REALTIME PAYMENT ARE LEGAL, FOLLOW CITY POLICY AND THEY ASK THE QUESTION ARE THE TRANS ACTIONS CORRECTLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE FINANCIAL RECORDS. THE INTERNAL AUDITOR FOCUSES ON COMPLIANCE, BUT THEY ASK THE QUESTION ARE OUR ACCOUNT'S PAYABLE PROCESSES MANAGED EFFICIENTLY, AND IF NOT, ARE THERE IMPROVEMENT THAT IS COULD BE MADE TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE AND OR DO SO MORE COST EFFECTIVELY. SO, IN A WAY, IT'S A DIFFERENT FOCUS, BUT ULTIMATELY, OUR GOAL IS TO STILL HAVE BETTER FINANCIAL PROCESSES, AND HAVE OUR ACCURATE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. AND SO, AGAIN, EACH ONE HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FOCUS, BUT, I DO THE ONE THING I WAS GOING TO SAY IS THAT, I THINK DOING THIS ASSESSMENT AHEAD OF TIME LIKE THAT WILL PUT YOU IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION OF HIRING THIS PERSON BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR AND A LOT OF TIMES WHEN PEOPLE APPLY FOR THESE JOBS, THEY'RE THINKING, YEAH, I'VE DONE AUDIT WORK AND I CAN DO AN INTERNAL AUDITING JOB AND THEY HAVEN'T DONE THIS PART OF IT. SO, AND THEN, HAVING THE PROCESS IN PLACE OR THE PLAN ALREADY IN PLACE WILL ALSO BE A LOT EASIER. YOU COULD ACTUALLY ASK QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU DONE THIS KINDS OF AUDITS, AND HAVE YOU LOOKED A THIS. ANYWAY, THOSE WERE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU.
>> I APPRECIATE IT. >> IT MAKES COMPLETE SENSE TO
>> WHAT IS THE TIMING LOOK LIKE ON THIS THEN?
>> SO, I THINK THEY CAN DO THIS PRETTY QUICKLY IF IT'S APPROVED TONIGHT AND WE HAVE THE JOB POSTING ALREADY. AND SO, IT'S STILL HARD TO FIND PEOPLE. WE ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH ONE ROUND OF RESUMES AND DIDN'T INTERVIEW ANY OF THE CANDIDATES. SO, I THINK THAT'S SMART TO POST IT WHEN WE POSTED IT, WE MIGHT GET LUCKY WITH A GOOD CANDIDATE NOW, IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE LONGER.
BUT, I THINK THIS PROCESS IS FROM START TO FINISH PROBABLY
[00:40:08]
BEST AS FAR AS DOING THE RISK ASSESSMENT AND DOING THE REPORT.BUT, THERE'S GOING TO BE WORK BY COUNCIL TO LOOK AT THAT RISK ASSESSMENT TO FIGURE OUT OUR TUN ONE YEAR PLAN, TWO YEAR PLAN, OR
THREE YEAR PLAN. >> AND WHAT WE DO IF WE DON'T
GET A GOOD ROUND OF APPLICANTS? >> WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF RISK
>> BUT WE GOT TO START SOMEWHERE.
>> WITH COUNCIL MANAGING IT. >> RIGHT.
. >> THAT WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFICULT. BUT IT'S TIME TO DO IT. IT'S PAST TIME TO DO IT.
>> ALL RIGHT. >> QUESTIONS? CONCERNS?
>> ALL RIGHT. >> THAT ITEM IS ON THE AGENDA
TONIGHT. >> THAT ITEM IS ON THE AGENDA
TONIGHT. >> RIGHT, IT'S ON THE CONSENT
>> SO, WE'RE DONE, WE HAVE 35 MINUTES TO DO WE WANT TO DO ONE,
DO WE WANT TO DO 2A? >> SURE, IF YOU WANT TO.
>> DO WE WANT TO TRY AND DO THAT, COUNCIL?
>> YEAH, IF WE COULD DO THAT IN 30 MINUTES.
>> I GUESS WE COULD ALWAYS RECESS AND COME BACK WHEN WE
WANT TO. >> ARE WE GOOD WITH THAT?
>> I'M GOOD WITH THAT. >> HE'S PROBABLY WATCHING.
>> HE'S PROBABLY RUNNING OVER. >> HE'S PANICKING. NO, I'M NOT
READY. WAIT. >> IS THERE ANYTHING THAT NEEDS
TO BE PULLED OFF OF THE CONSENT? >> THANK YOU. GOSH, IT'S LIKE I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING ANYMORE.
. >> YES, I WANT TO PULL OFF THE
AGENDA 5F. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ANYBODY WANTS TO BRING INTO CONSIDERATION?
>> IS THIS WHERE WE COULD ASK FOR SOMETHING TO BE TAKEN OFF OR
ADDED TO THE CONSENT AGENDA? >> NO.
>> THE AGENDA STAYS AS IT IS. >> OKAY.
>> JUST YOU HAVE TO COMMUNICATE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THE AGENDA'S POSTED 72 HOURS IN ADVANCE.
>> I LOOKED AT THAT AND I MENTIONED TO THE CITY SECRETARY, I CALLED TODAY, ABOUT NUMBER ONE BUT I HAD SOME LANGUAGE THAT I WANTED TO REMOVE, SO THERE COULD BE A CORRECTION TO ITEM 3C.
FROM THE 21, WORKING SESSION. >> THAT'S NOT EVEN ON THIS
AGENDA. >> THAT'S THE MINUTES, THERE'S NO ITEM ON THE AGENDA TO DISCUSS THAT. ARE YOU SAYING THE
MINUTES ARE INCORRECT? >> YES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD AND CHANGE IN THE MINUTES IN 3C.
>> I DON'T KNOW. >> SORRY, CAN WE DO THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> I DON'T KNOW IF I NEED TO BE
PRESENT INSIDE. BUT I CAN BE. >> SO, I DIDN'T PRINT ANYTHING.
BUT I COULD GO BACK AND PRINT THEM.
>> MAYOR, I DID NOT PRINT THEM THIS TIME BECAUSE BRIAN SAID HE
DIDN'T THINK IT WAS NECESSARY. >> AND I HAVE A POWER POINT.
>> >> Y'ALL THAT ARE HERE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK YOU TO LEAVE, BUT STICK AROUND IF YOU
[2. EXECUTIVE SESSION]
>> THANK YOU. >> ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO ITEM 2 A, THE CITY COUNCIL SHALL CONVENE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551 HA
ALL RIGHT. >> 7:03 WE COMPLETED ITEM 2 A IN OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE'RE GOING TO
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.