* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. HERE WE GO. WE [00:00:01] TOGETHER. HERE Y'ALL WORK AGAIN. OKAY. [Call to Order] I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR REGULAR COMMISSIONER COURT MEETING. HERE IT IS, UH, SEPTEMBER THE 29TH, AND WE ANNEX AS USUAL. WE'RE GONNA BEGIN WITH OUR, UH, INVOCATION AND THE PLEDGES IF YOU JOIN ME. AND STAND PLEASE, LORD, PRAY. LORD, THANK YOU FOR SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY. AND LORD, THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN THAT WE'RE HOPING WE'RE GETTING FROM YOU. AND KEEP EVERYONE SAFE, UH, TO KEEP OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, ALL OUR COFFIN, COUNTY EMPLOYEES AND OUR PRAYERS. AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU GET US. AND KEEP IN COURT TODAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. CHRIST, COME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. THE PLEDGES PLEDGE, THE AMERICAN FLAG ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY, JUSTICE TO THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE, STATE ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU MR. CLIFF. YES, SIR. OKAY. ROUTINE [1. ROUTINE CORRESPONDENCE] CORRESPONDENCE. UH, JUDGE, I WOULD LIKE TO HONOR, I BELIEVE THIS WEEKEND IS, WE HAVE ANNOUNCED IT LAST WEEK, BUT, UH, CLEANUP'S GONNA BE THIS SATURDAY THE THIRD AND AT THE, UH, FORNY LOCATION. YEAH. SO RAIN. I HOPE SO. I HOPE SO. SO WE HAVE, UH, THE OTHER ONE THAT I HAVE IS THE FARMER'S MARKET WILL BE THIS SATURDAY TO SHOW GROUND COME RAIN OR SHINE. SO THERE'LL BE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OR BOTH. AND SO, UH, MS. EARLY JUDGE WILEY, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WAS GONNA BE HERE THIS MORNING. MIKE HERE, YOU'LL COME INTRODUCE OUR NEW, UH, EMPLOYEE. ABSOLUTELY. MY PLEASURE. NEW EMPLOYEE. MIKE, COME ON UP. COME ON. DON'T GET PICKED UP THERE. LIKE CLIFF, WE CAN. YES. . THAT'S ON. GOOD MORNING. MORNING JUDGE. COMMISSIONERS. WE ARE SO PROUD. AND MIKE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE SHELTER BOARD. SO HE'S HERE. HE PROBABLY CAN TELL YOU MORE ABOUT DALENE 'CAUSE THEY HIT IT OFF RIGHT AT THE VERY BEGINNING. BUT SHE IS THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE AFAR NORVILLE CENTER, KAUFMAN COUNTY CHILDREN'S SHELTER. AND WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE HER. AND I SAID, I CALLED JUDGE LAST NIGHT AND HE SAID, WELL, YOU NEED TO BRING HER TO COURT. AND INTRODUCED HER TO EVERYBODY. YEP. SO WE BROUGHT HER TO COURT. SO ALL THESE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW THE MONEY. YOU'VE ALREADY MET THE SHERIFF THAT'S HELPED YOU OUT WITH SECURITY, HR BACK HERE, PURCHASING. BUT THESE ARE THE GUYS. AND WOULD YOU, MIKE, YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? ALL I TALK TO MIKE, TALK TO MIKE BECAUSE LAURA'S IN THE BACK. SORRY. ALL I CAN SAY IS, UH, I THOUGHT I KNEW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CHILD ABUSE IN THAT WORLD, SO I WASN'T REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THIS INTERIM PIECE UNTIL WE FOUND A NEW DIRECTOR. BUT I'VE BEEN TAKEN TO SCHOOL ON THIS AND, AND SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT A LADY THAT SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE. THERE'S NOTHING SHE HADN'T SEEN. SHE'S BEEN IN THIS LINE OF WORK FOR HOW MANY YEARS? 15 BLACK, 50. YEAH. OVER 15 YEARS. SHE LOOK BLACK THAT SHE HAS. YEAH. AND THE BEST PART IS SHE'S FROM, UH, OUTSIDE OF NAUS OUT IN THE WOODS OF LOUISIANA. SO SHE SPEAKS OUR LANGUAGE. OH, OKAY. SHE'S GONNA FIT RIGHT IN. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED. NO CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TOO THEN, RIGHT? HEY, DELINA, DO YOU WANNA SAY THANK YOU MS. HARRIS? ABSOLUTELY. MM-HMM . THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME. I AM JUST HONORED TO BE HERE. UM, IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO SEE AND WALK INTO THAT SHELTER AND HEAR THE HISTORY. UM, AND I AM GLAD I'LL BE ABLE TO FULFILL THOSE SHOES AND, AND THOSE AND THAT LEGACY, THAT THAT YOUR MOM LEFT, UM, WALKING INTO THERE AND SEEING HOW THE NORMALCY IS SET AND TO IMPLEMENT SOME NEW CHANGES AND SOME GROWTH IS GONNA BE WONDERFUL. UM, THE SETTING IS WONDERFUL AND I WAS MORE SO GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A BROCHURES . SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, WORKING WITH EACH OF YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO ENGAGING TO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO GROW, UH, TO BENEFIT THE SHELTER AND OUR KID, OUR KIDDOS THAT NEED THE SERVICES. UH, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I CAN IMPLEMENT AND YOU GUYS HAVE THE TIME AND THE PATIENCE TO TAKE, TO LISTEN TO ME, I'M OPEN TO THAT. AND YOU KNOW, I, I HAVE AN OPEN DOOR POLICY, UH, AND I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE THE SAME. WE WILL. AND WE, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND ANYTHING YOU NEED, UH, CALL HER. CALL HIM . THEY HAVE BEEN GREAT. THEY HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL. AND I'M GONNA TURN AROUND AND CALL Y'ALL. SO I LOVE THE WAY HE SAID THAT. HE'S SUPPOSED TO SAY CALL ME. HE MOVE THAT HE MOVED THAT QUICK, DIDN'T HE? WELL, YEAH, HE DID, DIDN'T HE? YOU CAN CALL ME THEN. I'LL CALL THEM. YEAH. . OKAY. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. YES. HAVE A GREAT MEETING. Y'ALL DON'T NEED ANY THANK YOU HANDS. YOU BET. NICE TO MEET YOU. GLAD TO HAVE YOU. AND THANK YOU SHARON. THANK YOU. OKAY. IT'S HOMESTEAD DAYS TO THE FARMERS'. S STILL THE SAME KIND OF STUFF THERE. SO SHOW UP, BE BE SUPPORTIVE. OKAY. CONSENT [2. CONSENT AGENDA] AGENDA. WE HAVE THE FIVE ITEMS THERE. YOU HAVE ALL SEEN THOSE? ANY CORRECTIONS? [00:05:02] NO. ANY CHANGES? I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR YOU. MR. PHILLIPS MAKES A MOTION TO APPROVE TO HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. MR. CROW MAKES SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR CI. AYE. A MOTION CARRIES NUMBER THREE. MR. TOMMY RIGGS, DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND APPROVE THE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT PLAN. MORNING, TOMMY. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, WE ARE ASKING APPROVAL OF THE, UH, SUBMITTING MATERIALS, THE, UH, FSA OR FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT PLAN. UM, THIS PLAN WILL ALSO, UH, SERVE AS OUR SECTION 1 25 OR CAFETERIA PLAN. UM, IT PROVIDES THE PROVISIONS FOR US TO PROVIDE TO OUR EMPLOYEES PRE-TAX BENEFITS. UH, AND SO IT OUTLINES WHAT IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE IRS IN KIND OF GENERAL TERMS THAT WE HAVE MORE SPECIFIC THINGS IN OUR OWN POLICIES THAT WOULD, UH, ARTICULATE OUT WHAT WE DO AND WHAT OUR PRACTICES ARE. BUT THESE ARE THE GENERAL DOCUMENTS THAT THE IRS WOULD EXPECT US TO HAVE IF, UH, WE ARE GOING TO PROVIDE PRE-TAX BENEFITS. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN THIS BECAUSE WE DID ADD THE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTS, UM YEP. THIS OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD. AND SO WE HAD TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN THAT PLAN. UM, THE GROUP ADMINISTERING, UH, OUR SERVICES, UH, WAS INVOLVED BECAUSE THIS IS THEIR BUSINESS IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THIS IN TERMS OF A TEMPLATE FOR IT AND FILLING OUT BASED ON THE INPUT OF THE BENEFITS THAT WE HAVE AND WE OFFER. UM, AND SO, UH, THOSE ARE, UH, THE ITEMS THAT I WOULD TELL YOU IN TERMS OF OVERVIEW. UH, WE'RE REQUESTING APPROVAL OF THE PLAN SO THAT WE WOULD HAVE THIS ON FILE. HAVE YOU HAD ANY EMPLOYEES INQUIRE ABOUT IT YET? NOT SPECIFICALLY THE PLAN, BUT WE DO HAVE APPROXIMATELY, UH, 40 EMPLOYEES THAT WENT THROUGH THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCESS, UH, THAT DID CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. AND A TOTAL OF ABOUT $30,000 THAT WILL BE REDIRECTED FROM WHAT WAS TAXABLE INCOME INTO PRE-TAX DOLLARS. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT AN ESTIMATE OF, UH, 20 TO 25%, THAT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $6,000 IN THIS FIRST ROUND THAT WE'VE OFFERED DEATHS. THAT'S, UH, REDUCING TAXES, UH, FOR PEOPLE IN INCREASING THEIR, UH, AFTER TAX INCOME. UH, I THINK AS THEY GET MORE ACCUSTOMED TO IT, KNOW MORE ABSOLUTELY. PARTICIPATE IN THE FUTURE. YEP, FOR SURE. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. ANY QUESTIONS, TOMMY? NO. NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THEN? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MR. LANE MAKES A MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. COMMISSIONER MOORE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, [4. Monique Hunter: Discuss/Consider/Approve amendments to section 1.09 Figure A and Figure B of the Subdivision and Land Use Regulations.] MS. MONIQUE, SHE WANTS TO DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND APPROVE AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 1.09, FIGURE A AND FIGURE B OF THE SUBDIVISION LAND USE REGULATIONS. GOOD MORNING, MONIQUE. GOOD MORNING. OKAY, SO LET ME BE CLEAR. NOTHING'S CHANGED. I JUST MADE IT PRETTIER. OKAY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE VERY FIRST PAGE OF THE PACKET, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO READ ON THE FLOW CHART. YEAH. YEAH. THIS ONE. YES. YEAH, YOU COULDN'T EVEN READ THAT. THAT'S HOW IT CAME TO US WHEN WE, UM, BUILT THOSE NEW REGS, UM, IN 2019, PEOPLE WERE HAVING TROUBLE FOLLOWING ALONG. SO THE SECOND PAGE IS WHAT WILL BE, SO IT'S A LITTLE CLEANER, EASIER TO FOLLOW AND, UM, AND, UM, EASIER FOR THE PUBLIC. OKAY. AS WELL AS THE NEXT SECTION. SECTION 1 0 9 A, THE SAME THING. JUST A BUNCH OF WORDS THAT NOBODY UNDERSTOOD REALLY. YEAH. IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THEM. SO THE NEXT PROPOSED PAGE IS VERY OUTLINED ON WHAT IS THE PROCESS TO DO A DEVELOPMENT IN OUR OFFICE. WE ALSO, UH, THIS ONE DID, UM, ADD THE, UH, STORM WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION THAT WE NOW REQUIRE PRIOR TO, UH, RELEASING FOR CONSTRUCTION TO SHOW THAT THEY ARE GONNA DO BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES PER THEIR CONSTRUCTION SITE. OKAY. SO THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT WAS ADDED. EVERYTHING ELSE FOLLOWS THE REGS AS THEY WERE. I JUST NEEDED TO CLEAN IT UP BECAUSE PEOPLE COULDN'T READ IT. SO IT'S JUST A CLEANUP. THIS IS MUCH EASIER FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND. IT'S YES, IF THEY CAN FOLLOW ALONG, THEN THAT'S LESS THEY CAN DO. IT'S BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT FOR US THAN US HAVING TO KIND OF DECODE IT FOR THEM. WELL, YOU, YOU SPEND A LOT OF EXTRA TIME TRYING TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO THEM. EXACTLY. SO TO CLEAR IT UP, IT JUST MADE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO FOLLOW ALONG. AND IT'S BETTER FOR MY STAFF NOT TO FILTER PHONE CALLS CONSTANTLY. YES. ON WHAT THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE. WELL, THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. I KNOW THE, THE PEOPLE COMING IN ARE GOING TO APPRECIATE IT, THAT'S FOR SURE. YES. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY MOTION TO APPROVE THEN I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MR. LANE MAKES THE MOTION. I HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. COLE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU MONIQUE, FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO. THANK YOU. MS. LORENA. DISCUSS, CONSIDER AN AWARD RFP 2026 DASH 0 1 0, THE ANNUAL CONTRACT HVAC SERVICES FOR COUNTY BUILDINGS BASED ON THE EVALUATION OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS. GOOD MORNING. [00:10:05] THANK YOU. SO GOOD MORNING JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. SO WE DID RECEIVE FIVE PROPOSALS FOR THE HVAC SYSTEM FOR THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. TWO OF THOSE WERE DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE AND THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T SUBMIT ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. AFTER EVALUATING THE UM, ALL PROPOSALS, WE ARE RECOMMENDING AWARDING PRECISION ERROR. NOW THEIR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE COST IS 9,000 4 25 PER QUARTER, 37,700 ANNUALLY. AND UM, YOU HAVE THE COMPARISON IN FRONT OF YOU AND YOU COULD SEE THE HOURLY LABOR RATES, OVERTIME RATES, MARKUP, TRIP CHARGES. SO OVERALL PRECISION AIR PRICING WAS MORE COMPETITIVE ACROSS THE BOARD. ANY QUESTIONS? NO. I ASSUME THAT IT'S KIND OF IN LINE WITH OUR BUDGET LINES. THAT'S CORRECT. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT IT WAS LAST YEAR. VERY CLOSE. VERY CLOSE. OKAY. NOT THAT MUCH OF AN INCREASE THERE. NO. AND YOU'LL SEE I DO BELIEVE THAT I PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION YEAH. ON THAT FORM. JUST WANNA MAKE IT KNOWN. MM-HMM . THE FOLKS LISTING IN. YEAH. I THINK I ALSO INCLUDED THE FIRST PROPOSAL ON THAT FORM FOR YOU TO LOOK AT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. GOOD JOB. NOTHING ELSE? NO. NEED SOMEONE TO MAKE A MOTION? DO WE ACCEPT? I'LL MAKE A MOTION PLEASE. MR. PHIPPS MAKES THE MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. MR. CROW MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVORS SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. NUMBER [6. Lorena Diaz: Discuss/Consider/Award RFP: 2026-011 Annual Contract: HVAC Services- Justice Center/Justice Center Annex/Courthouse based on the Evaluation Committee's recommendation.] SIX. MR. MARINA, ONCE AGAIN DISCUSS. CONSIDER AWARD RFP 2026 DASH ONE ONE ANNUAL CONTRACT. HVA SERVICES FOR THE JUSTICE CENTER JUSTICE CENTER ANNEX THE COURTHOUSE BASED ON THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION. SO WE RECEIVED FOUR PROPOSALS FOR THE HVAC SYSTEM, FOR THE JUSTICE CENTER, JUSTICE CENTER, ANNEX, AND THE COURTHOUSE ONE PROPOSAL WAS DEEMED NONRESPONSIVE AND THAT WAS AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE ALL THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. AFTER EVALUATING THEIR, UH, PROPOSAL, WE'RE RECOMMENDING INFRA SOLUTIONS, THEIR PREVENTATIVE CALLS CAME IN AT 15,860 WITH 21 CENTS PER QUARTER, 63,440 WITH 84 CENTS ANNUALLY, WHICH INCLUDES A 24 7 UH, REMOTE MONITORING. YOU HAVE THE PROPOSALS IN FRONT OF YOU AND I MEAN, IT'S VERY CLEAR INFRA PRICING THAT CAME IN MORE COMPETITIVE ACROSS THE BOARD. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY CONCERNS? NO. ANY A MOTION TO APPROVE THEN I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. MR. MOORE MAKES THE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. LANE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, CI A A MOTION CARRIES MR. LONO, ONCE AGAIN DISCUSS, UH, CONSIDER AN APPROVE THE EXECUTION AND PURCHASE OF UKG TELESTAFF AND UKG READY MODULES FOR PAYROLL, HR MANAGEMENT, TIMEKEEPING, BENEFITS, AND ADDITIONAL MODULES FROM UKG KRONA SYSTEM LLC UTILIZING OMNIA CONTRACT 24 6 8 3 3. OKAY, SO YOU HAVE THE AGREEMENTS IN FRONT OF YOU, JUDGE. THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE AGREEMENTS, UM, THAT WE'RE TAKING BEFORE THE COURT FOR APPROVAL AND EXECUTION. THE FIRST ONE IS UKG READY, WHICH IS UM, WILL COVER THE PAYROLL, THE HR TIMEKEEPING AND BENEFIT FUNCTIONS. THE SECOND ONE IS UKG TELESTAFF, WHICH IS USED FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SCHEDULING. AND, UM, UKG READY HAS ESTIMATED FIVE, HAS AN ESTIMATED FIVE YEAR BASE CONTRACT, APPROXIMATELY 1.1 MILLION AND THE TELESTAFF IS APPROXIMATELY 8 180 3000. BOTH AGREEMENTS HAVE AN INITIAL FIVE YEARS WITH A, AN ADDITIONAL THREE YEAR RENEWAL TERM. OKAY. I KNOW CLIFF, YOU'VE LOOKED OVER THE CONTRACTS, Y'ALL HAD DISCUSSION WITH THEIR LEGAL? WE HAVE. YES, WE HAVE. WE HAVE NO ADDITIONAL CHANGES OR CLARIFICATIONS. OKAY. CHUCK, DO YOU WANT COMMENT OR SHERIFF, DO YOU WANNA COMMENT? GO AHEAD CHUCK. YOU COULD BE. THIS AFFECTS BOTH OF YOU GUYS. IT'S JUST BEEN A LONG ROAD . HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOME, UH, SOFTWARE HERE SOON THAT WILL, UH, MAKE PAYROLL MUCH EASIER FOR US TO DO. UH, SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T AD FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. UH, UKG HAS, UH, REALLY BEEN BEAT UP PRETTY GOOD BY US TO GET WHAT WE WANT OUT OF THIS. AND UH, THEY'VE MADE A LOT OF AGREEMENTS THAT, UH, AREN'T, YOU KNOW, NORMAL, UH, WAYS THAT THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS. SO THEY'VE MADE A LOT OF CONCESSIONS [00:15:01] AND I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN TO A POINT WHERE WE'VE GOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK WITH. BUT WE COULD NEVER GET THIS THROUGH TYLER. I MEAN, AFTER YEARS, THREE, FOUR YEARS, WE COULDN'T GET ANYTHING NOPE. REALLY ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THEM. NOPE. WE NEVER COULD GET THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. YEAH. AND I THINK THE BIG THING AFTER WE'VE HAD OUR MEETINGS WITH THEM BEFORE WHEN WE SWAPPED OVER TO TYLER, UH, FROM THE OTHER, UH, IS WE ALL KNOW WE HAD TRAINING ISSUES. NOBODY WANTED TO TRAIN NOBODY. I MEAN, WE ALL FAILED AT IT. UH, ESPECIALLY OUR SUPERVISOR STAFF TRYING TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE IN LINE. SO THAT'S BEEN A PROBLEM. TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE TIME AND GETTING THEM SUBMITTED TO CALL IN TIME HAS BEEN REALLY ROUGH. UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH MANUAL TIME THAT YOU GOTTA DO WITH THIS SYSTEM. I JUST THINK IT'S GONNA BE A LOT BETTER. UH, IF IT DOES EXACTLY AS IT SAYS IT'S GONNA DO. AND WE'VE TALKED TO SOME REFERENCES, IT'S GONNA HELP US, ESPECIALLY ON OUR SIDE ON STAFFING. 'CAUSE MINIMUM STAFFING IS A BIG THING TO US. UH, WHAT IT'S GONNA DO, INSTEAD OF US HAVING TO CALL SOMEBODY IN, WE HAVE ONCALL STATUS. THIS AUTOMATICALLY SEND A TEXT, AUTOMATICALLY CALL 'EM. SO IF WE DON'T MEET THAT MINIMUM, THE PEOPLE ON CALL, IT'S GONNA CALL THEM AND IT'S GONNA HELP US WITH OUR COMP TIME AND GETTING THAT STUFF MOVING SINCE SOMEBODY'S SITTING AROUND. SO I THINK IT'S GONNA HELP US OVERALL REALLY WELL. ESPECIALLY IN THIS SCHEDULING ASPECT. 'CAUSE THAT'S A BIG THING FOR US. SCHEDULING IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US AND IT WILL CUT OUT THE COMP TIME ALMOST. UNLESS THE SUPERVISOR HAS TO, WILL HAVE TO SIGN OFF ON ANYTHING IN THE FUTURE. AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIG THING. THERE'S SOME GOOD, GOOD CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT WE DON'T HAVE NOW THAT WE NEED, SO, OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS, GUYS? DID, UH, DID YOU GET THE WARRANTY ISSUES WORKED OUT? YEAH. THERE, THERE WAS NO ISSUE ON THAT 90 DAY WARRANTY. THAT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING. OKAY. SO, UH, IT IS A LIFETIME WARRANTY FOR THE LIFE OF CONTRACT. FANTASTIC. YEAH. IT'S, IT'S, IT IS PERMANENT IN THERE. MAINLY THE 30 DAY THING THAT'S OVER. JUST, JUST IF WE DON'T TURN IT INTO RIGHT. IN WORDS, YOU CAN'T WORK WITH SOMETHING THAT'S BROKE AND NOT TELL 'EM ABOUT IT. . THAT'S RIGHT. AND I THINK THE, WE WERE JUST MISUNDERSTANDING IT, NEGOTIATE IT TOO FROM 8% TO 4%. CORRECT. SO, YEAH. SO THAT'S, I MEAN, HE WAS BEATING THEM LAST NIGHT AT SEVEN O'CLOCK. . YES, WE WERE BACK AND FORTH. I WAS STILL DOING THE SAND LAST NIGHT. OKAY. SO I THINK IT'S IS A GOOD PROGRAM. I THINK WE, IT'S DEFINITELY NEEDED AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA WORK FOR EVERYONE AND HELP THE COUNTY IN THE LONG RUN. IT'S NOT CHEAP, BUT TO HELP CARLA A LOT. YEAH. SHE'S BEAT UP. THAT'S, THAT'S THAT'LL BE GOOD FOR HER. OKAY. SHE NEEDS, I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR YOU. MR. PHILLIPS MAKES THE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. COLE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU LORENNA. THANK YOU CHUCK. THANK YOU CLIFF. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, I'M GOING TO SKIP EIGHT FOR JUST A MOMENT FOR THE WORKSHOP. I WANT TO MOVE ON TO NUMBER NINE. [9. Judge Allen: Discuss/Consider/Approve the Official 2027 Holidays for Kaufman County.] THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE. WE HAD ONE JUST A LITTLE BIT OFF AND WE GOT THAT FIXED AND WE'LL GET THAT PUBLISHED. YOU SENT THEM A COPY OF THAT HOLIDAY SCHEDULE? YES SIR. EVERYONE DOES. OKAY. THE ONLY THING WE CHANGE IS THE JULY 4TH TO A MONDAY INSTEAD OF A FRIDAY. AND PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WE DO EVERY YEAR. YEAH, EVERY, EVERYBODY SEEMED TO BE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT 'CAUSE IT'S ALMOST ALL OF 'EM ARE ON FRIDAY AND MONDAY. YEAH. SO CAN'T BEAT THAT. NOPE. ALRIGHT, IF ALL, ALL OKAY WITH THAT. NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE, THEN I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MR. COLE MAKES A MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. PHILLIPS MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. A MOTION CARRIES [10. Auditor: Discuss/Consider/Approve the annual Audit Engagement Letter with Pattillo, Brown & Hill, LLP for the fiscal year ending 9/30/2026 and authorize the County Judge to sign and execute all related documents.] MS. AUDITOR, UH, DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND APPROVE THE ANNUAL AUDIT ENGAGEMENT LETTER WITH PATILLO BROWN AND HILL LLP FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING 9 30 26. AND AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO SIGN AND EXECUTE ALL RELATED DOCUMENTS. YES MA'AM. YES SIR. SO THIS IS THE OUTSIDE AUDIT FIRM THAT WE'VE BEEN USING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. UM, AND THEY, THEY DO A GREAT JOB. WE'VE HAD NO FINDINGS. UM, SO WE ASK FOR THE COURT'S APPROVAL TO CONTINUE USING THEM. WE'VE USED 'EM FOR A LONG TIME. MM-HMM . OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY MOTION TO APPROVE? I'LL MAKE THE MOTION. MR. MOORE MAKES THE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. LEE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVORS SAY AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, MS. A WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND [11. Auditor: Discuss/Consider line item and budget transfers/corrections.] DO LINE ITEM AND BUDGET TRANSFERS. OKAY. UM, WE DO HAVE UH, SEVERAL LINE ITEM TRANSFERS AND BUDGET AMENDMENTS. MOST OF IT IS CLEANUP FOR YEAR END AND WE ASK FOR THE COURT'S APPROVAL. OKAY. YOU GOT THESE LAST WEEK? YEP. QUESTIONS? I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR YOU. MR. PHELPS MAKES THE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. KROLL MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. MR. ARTHUR [12. Auditor: Discuss/Consider claims for payment and/or Financial Information as provided by the County Auditor.] CLAIMS FOR PAYMENT. SO THIS WEEK WE [00:20:01] DO HAVE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE INVOICES, MOSTLY MADE UP OF EQUIPMENT AND, UM, ROAD EXPENDITURES. WE ALSO HAVE JURY PAYMENTS AND WE HAVE A REGULAR PAYROLL AND WE ASK THE COURT'S APPROVAL TO PAY THERE. AGAIN, YOU'VE HAD THOSE. ANY QUESTIONS? ANY MOTION TO APPROVE? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MR. LANE MAKES THE MOTION TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. MOORE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, LET'S GO BACK [8. Workshop: To discuss updating and amending the current Kaufman County tax abatement policy.] TO THE WORKSHOP TO DISCUSS AMENDING OR CURRENT COUNTY TAX ABATEMENT. NOW WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY FINAL DECISIONS TODAY. WE'RE GONNA DO THIS IS JUST DISCUSSION ONLY WHAT IFS AND THAT SORT OF THING. I KNOW WHAT SOME OTHER COUNTIES DO AND THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW, BUT I DON'T WANNA BASE WHAT WE DO ON WHAT SOME OTHER COUNTY DOES. 'CAUSE NOT EVERYTHING FITS SAME COUNTY. I DO THINK, AND STUART'S HERE AND I ASKED HIM TO COME IF HE WANTS TO, UH, OF COURSE WHAT THE CITIES DO, WHAT WE CAN DO TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THEY GET A LOT OF EXTRA FEES THAT WE DON'T GET TO GET AND THEY CAN MAKE DEALS THAT WE CAN'T MAKE. AND SO LITTLE DIFFERENCE THERE. BUT STILL WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER 'CAUSE WE WANT THE BUSINESS 'CAUSE IT BENEFITS ALL OF US, THE CITY AND AND, AND THE COUNTY. SO YOU KEEP THAT IN MIND. SO IF YOU LOOKED OVER WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE YOU, IF I HAVE TIME TO LOOK AT THAT. SO WHERE DO YOU STAND ON WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE CHANGED TO THAT RECOMMENDATIONS? OUR MINIMUMS ARE REALLY LOW. SO WHAT YOU THOUGHT ON THE MINIMUMS? OKAY. YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD AND START ON EV YOU WANNA START DOWN THERE OR YOU WANT ME TO START TERRY? WELL JUST, WE'RE 1, 1, 1 THING I DID, I, UH, WHOEVER WROTE ABATEMENT PRO PROGRAM BEFORE I WAS HERE DID A GOOD JOB. UH, I DID TAKE IT AND I GOING OVER EVERYTHING IS VERY TECHNICAL. A LOT OF IT'S ATTORNEY TYPE VERBIAGE IN IT. SO I DID DROP IT INTO THE AI SEARCH DEAL TO REVIEW WHAT THIS POLICY WAS LIKE AND IT COME BACK FAVORABLE SAYING IT'S A VERY FAIR POLICY. UH, PARAGRAPH THREE, UH, STEWART AND I HAD MET AS WELL TO GET SOME MORE INSIGHT AND EDUCATION ON THIS. AND STUART EVEN BROUGHT IT UP THAT IN PARAGRAPH THREE UNDER THE GENERAL PURPOSE OBJECTIVE GIVES US A WIDE OPEN, UH, NEGOTIATION RANGE WHERE WE COULD CHANGE IT. SO, AND IT GAVE US THE BASELINE, BUT IT COME BACK WITH GOOD REVIEWS ON FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. NOW IT SAYS THAT IF, UH, IF WE STRUCTURE IT TOWARDS LIKE ELLIS COUNTY OR ROCKWALL COUNTY, UH, THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE WOULD MAKE AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE STANDARD ABATEMENT FOR US IS 10 TO 60%. UH, THE ELLIS COUNTY'S 35 TO 70%, UH, PROPERTY UP TO 50%. AND THEN ROCKWELL'S FULLY NEGOTIABLE UP TO A HUNDRED PERCENT. SO TO CONTEND WITH THOSE TWO COUNTIES ON GROWTH, IT SAID THAT IT, IT RECOMMENDED A CHANGE IN SOME OF OUR PERCENTAGES TO COMPETE WITH THAT, BUT IT WOULD NOT BE FAVORABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESS. SO, UH, WHAT I GOT OUT OF MY STUDY WAS, IT'S NOT A BAD POLICY. PARAGRAPH THREE OF THE GENERAL PURPOSES GIVES US THE OPTION TO DO EVERYTHING ELLIS OR ROCKWELL COUNTY'S DOING. SO IT DID RECOMMEND LIKE SOME OF THE NUMBERS THAT THE JUDGE RECOMMENDED TO BRING THOSE UP A LITTLE BIT. SO, BUT OVERALL IT, IT DIDN'T, IT'S NOT LIKE OUTDATED OR ANYTHING COME BACK WITH, IT'S REALLY NOT OUTDATED, IT'S JUST THAT WE'RE REALLY LOW ON WHERE WE START. YES. AND SO MY MY QUESTION IS WHERE DO WE START? YOU KNOW, $3 MILLION DOESN'T BUY YOU MUCH TODAY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION. IT JUST, IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER OF FACT. WHEN WE WAS GONNA BUILD THE, UH, THE BUILDING FOR MAINTENANCE AND FOR ELECTIONS, THEY WERE ALL OVER $3 MILLION A PIECE AND THEY WERE JUST 7,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDINGS. YOU KNOW, SO YOU SEE WHAT BUILDING COST IS. SO, AND WE NEED TO KEEP IT, UH, UH, FLUID WHERE WE CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. AND SOME PEOPLE, THERE'S SOME COMPANIES ARE GONNA COME ANYWAY. SO I THINK THERE'S SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T BENEFIT THE COUNTY IF THEY'RE OUT IN THE COUNTY. IT HAS TO BENEFIT US TO GIVE A TAX BREAK AND IN ORDER IN MY THINKING NOW TO GIVE 'EM A TAX BREAK, WHAT'S IT GONNA BRING TO THE TABLE FOR US, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND FOR THE TAXPAYERS? 'CAUSE IT'S GOING TO AFFECT THEM AT SOME POINT IN TIME. I KNOW I MET IN AUSTIN TWO WEEKS AGO WITH THE ATTACK AND, AND UH, THE LEGISLATOR, UH, ABOUT ABATEMENTS AND THEIR QUESTION WAS, WHY DO YOU GIVE ANY AT ALL? YOU HAVE TO BE COMPETITIVE. AND THEY SAID, WELL THEY'RE GONNA COME ANYWAY. WELL, MAYBE NOT. WE DON'T KNOW THAT. UH, THE, THE ONE THAT WAS COMING TO [00:25:01] CRANDALL WAS ALMOST A MILLION SQUARE FOOT. WELL WE THOUGHT WE HAD IT SOLD UP BUT IT WENT TO KENTUCKY 'CAUSE THEY DID BETTER. SO WE GOTTA HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY. WHATEVER WE DO WELL, WE HAVE TO HAVE A STARTING POINT. SO WHEN SOMEONE COMES IN AND LOOKS AT KAUFMAN COUNTY, ABATE OUR ABATEMENT SHEET AND THEY'RE GONNA SAY, WELL WE KNOW IF IT'S UNDER X, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GIVE US ANYTHING. BUT IF IT'S FROM HERE TO HERE, THEN WE HAVE HOPE TO NEGOTIATE. SO WHERE DO WE START? THAT'S MY QUESTION. WHERE IS THE BASE BOTTOM LINE? CAN I, FROM A $1 FROM $10 UNDER, YOU GET ZERO. WHAT'S THAT NUMBER? STUART? DOES CITY HAVE ANYTHING OF MINIMUM? YOU GOT THREE MINUTES. , HE USED A HALF GOING AROUND. I'LL TALK FAST. UH, GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONER STUART MCGREGOR, UH, KAUFMAN, EDC DIRECTOR 2 0 9 SOUTH WASHINGTON KAUFMAN. UM, WE MIRROR CURRENTLY AT THE CITY OF KAUFMAN, Y'ALL'S POLICY AS FAR AS THOSE MINIMUMS GO. UM, BUT WE ALSO, UH, KIND OF RELY ALSO ON THAT ONE CLAUSE THAT SAYS WE CAN NEGOTIATE. IT'S OUTSIDE OF THAT. UM, I DID YESTERDAY AS I WAS GETTING READY FOR THIS MORNING, I DID PLUG INTO A CPI CALCULATOR, WHAT $10 MILLION REPRESENTED BACK IN 2016 AND WHAT THAT IS TODAY, UM, THAT'S ROUGHLY $14 MILLION TODAY. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, ON, AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S UP TO Y'ALL. AND, UM, AND WHAT YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH, I WILL, I'VE TALKED TO COMMISSIONER MOORE WHEN HE STOPPED BY MY OFFICE AND I KIND OF SHOWED HIM THE DEAL FLOW SHEET OF THE PROSPECTS THAT I SEE COMING IN. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEM IT'S GONNA BE 20 MILLION AND UP THAT THEY'RE WANTING TO INVEST IN SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, NOW OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERATIONS THAT Y'ALL MAKE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME LOCAL INDUSTRIES HERE THAT MAY BE DOING SOME SMALLER EXPANSIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, IS THAT A $5 MILLION NUMBER Y'ALL WANNA START AT, OR OR $10 MILLION NUMBER YOU WANNA START AT? UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME MERIT TO, YOU KNOW, HONORING SOME OF THOSE EXISTING LEGACY COMPANIES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE IN THE COUNTY OPERATING FOR A LONG TIME THAT PAID THEIR WAY IN, IN TAXES TO THE COUNTY. UM, BUT ALSO TOO, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA THINK AS WELL AS AT, I THINK THAT THE M AND O FOR THE COUNTY IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 27, 20 8 CENTS PER HUNDRED. AND SO IF YOU'RE DOING THAT ON A MILLION OR $3 MILLION INVESTMENT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, HOW MUCH MONEY IS THAT ACTUALLY SAVING SOMEBODY IF IT'S A PORTION OF THAT AND HOW MUCH MONEY Y'ALL GETTING BACK ON IT? AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SO FOR SOME OF THOSE SMALLER THINGS, WOULD THIS NATURALLY HAPPEN HERE? MAYBE, MAYBE NOT. UM, BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS THAT, IS THAT MAKING, MAKING SURE IT'S COMMISSIONER MOORE SAID THAT Y'ALL MAINTAIN THAT FLEXIBILITY WITH THAT CLAUSE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE LOOKING AT OKAY, WHERE'S THE CPI BEEN? DO WE NEED TO MAYBE BUMP IT MAYBE THE, THE UPPER ONE TO, TO 20 MILLION AND THEN BRING THE 3 MILLION UP TO 10 MILLION AND BRING THE 1 MILLION UP TO 5 MILLION. YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, GRADUATING THAT UP POTENTIALLY? THAT I THINK IS, ARE SOME OF THE THINGS Y'ALL NEED TO CONSIDER AS PART OF THAT? WELL I THINK KEEP YOU WITH WAY COST AND TIMES MOVE AND WITH THE ECONOMY MOVING, WE HAVE TO BE FLUID IN WHAT WE DO, BUT YET WE CAN'T GIVE AWAY THE, THE WHOLE CANDY STORE EITHER. RIGHT. AND, AND WE CAN'T DO THAT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS TOO THAT I DO, 'CAUSE I KNOW LAST TIME WE MET ONE OF THE CONVERSATION TOPICS THAT CAME UP WAS, YOU KNOW, THE CITIES ARE ALWAYS COMING TO US, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT PROJECTS ARE COMING IN AND WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING AND THEY'RE COMING TO US, WHAT THEIR ASK AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THIS, THIS IS MY APPLICATION FOR INCENTIVES THAT I HAVE ANY PROSPECT FILL OUT THAT I'M WORKING WITH THAT GIVES ME THE ENTIRE 360 DEGREE VIEWPOINT AS TO WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO IN THE IMPACT. SO I MEAN, I'M ASKING IN THEIR QUESTIONS FROM, UM, NOT JUST THE THE BUSINESS BUT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE COMPETING SITES FOR THIS? WHAT KIND OF JOBS? WHAT'S THE WAGES? WHAT KIND OF BENEFITS DO YOU PROVIDE YOUR EMPLOYEES? WHAT KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS ARE YOU MAKING? UM, YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE YOUR FINANCING DONE? HOW IS THAT ARRANGED? AND ASKING FOR REFERENCES AS WELL. AND SO WHEN IT COMES TO VETTING OUT THESE PROJECTS, AND I KNOW, I KNOW MY COUNTERPART IN IN TERRELL CARLTON TIDWELL AND, AND UM, OBVIOUSLY MIKE SLY AND CRANDALL AND UM, AND JUSTIN WEISS OVER AND FA AND FORNEY ARE DOING VERY SIMILAR THINGS WHENEVER THOSE PROJECTS COME ALONG AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE OPEN BOOKS WITH Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER WE'RE WORKING WITH Y'ALL ON PROJECTS FOR THAT TO, YOU KNOW, SHOW THESE, SHOW THIS INFORMATION TO YOU. JUST KINDA LIKE WHAT WE DID WITH THE AGILE COLD STORAGE PROJECT ON THAT. YEAH. AND, AND WE, IT IS TO BE A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WHEN WE HAVE THAT. WE WANT TO KEEP THAT. DEFINITELY. BECAUSE IT BENEFITS US BOTH. ABSOLUTELY. BOTTOM LINE. SO, UH, THOUGHTS, CLIFF, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND ANYWHERE WHERE YOU'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH THESE SITUATIONS? UH, NO SIR. OKAY. TYPICALLY THEY, UH, THEY, THEY UH, ES ESSU, UH, ANY TAX ABATEMENTS [00:30:01] WHATSOEVER. MM-HMM . OKAY. OKAY. JUDGE, I CAN, I PUT A COUPLE LITTLE EXAMPLE MODELS BECAUSE I SHARED 'EM WITH STEWART AS WELL. THIS IS JUST SOMETHING I COME UP WITH WITH ITS IMPACT. BUT LIKE ONE OF THE THINGS FOR LIKE A MA MEGA, WHAT THEY CONSIDER MEGA PROJECT OR HIGH IMPACT FACILITY BY ADDING THE 25 MILLION TO THAT, YOU KNOW, RAISING IT TO THE 25 MILLION MARK ON THE TAX ROWS, UH, WITH A MINIMUM OF 50 PERMANENT JOBS ADDED TO THAT. TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE WHAT THIS MODEL SHOWED, IT WAS SHOWING YEAR 180% YEAR TWO 70, YEAR 360, 50, 40, 30 YEAR SEVENS, 20 YEAR EIGHT, NINE AND TENS LIKE 10, 10 10. AND THAT WOULD, TOTAL ABATEMENT WOULD BE OVER 10 YEARS WOULD BE 3 80, 300 80%, WHICH I NEVER UNDERSTOOD PERCENTAGES OVER A HUNDRED, BUT AS AN ARGUMENT FOR ANOTHER DAY. BUT, UH, THEN ALSO ON, UH, IF YOU DID A TIER TWO, LIKE FOR A MID-SCALE FACILITY OR UH, FOR A MAJOR EXPANSION, UH, IT THREW IT IN THERE FOR JUST FIVE YEARS FOR THAT ONE INSTEAD OF GETTING THE 10 YEARS. BUT IT'D BE AT THE 50 40, 30 20 AND 10. SO FOR THE SMALLER BUSINESS, THEY'D GET LESS FROM US. THEY WOULDN'T GET THE 10 YEAR FULL ABATEMENT. BUT UH, ONLY THING THAT DOES GIVES US A COMPETITIVE LEVERAGE, UH, AS KAUFMAN COUNTY TO GO TOE TO TOE WITH LIKE ROCK WALL'S 10 YEAR OFFERING ON THE TIER ONE ANCHORS TO ENSURE THAT SMALLER SUB 5 MILLION ENTITIES WILL PAY THEIR FULL TAX RATE. SO IT GIVES LESS TO THE SMALLER BUT BIGGER I GUESS IT'S DEPENDS ON WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. FOR SURE. SO ANYWAY, I JUST BASIC WHAT THING I'LL DO FOR YOU. YEAH, I LOVE IT. IT'S GOOD, IT'S GOOD. IT'S QUICK INFORMATION. ONE OTHER, UM, CONSIDERATION Y'ALL MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT TOO IS, YOU KNOW, UP IN KIND OF THE FORTER MARKETS PARTICULARLY THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATIVE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN BUILT UP THERE FOR INDUSTRIAL THAT ARE SITTING VACANT. AND SO OBVIOUSLY AS TENANTS COME INTO THOSE BUILDINGS OR THEY'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, DO WE OCCUPY THIS BUILDING IN FORNEY OR DO WE OCCUPY, YOU KNOW, THIS BUILDING IN ALLIANCE AND WHERE DO WE NEED TO GO FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? YOU KNOW, THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT SMALLER JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE BRINGING IN EQUIPMENT OR MACHINERY, IT COULD BE REALLY HIGH TOO. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SOME OF THOSE CONSIDERATIONS TOO, IT'S NOT JUST A GREENFIELD PROJECT THAT UH, THAT'S A GROUND UP DEVELOPMENT THAT'S COMING IN AS WELL. YEAH. AND THEN WE TOO HAVE TO CONSIDER ARE THEY IN A TURS AREA? SURE. YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE'RE REALLY TAKING A BEATING OVER THOSE THINGS. SURE. YOU, YOU GET THE BPP, BUT YEAH, THE REAL PROPERTY GETS TIED UP IN THE TUR HEARING THAT. OH YEAH. YEAH. AND THAT'S, I THINK WE PRETTY MUCH AGREED IT COULD BE GETTING BLOOD OUTTA TERM TO GET, DO THAT AGAIN BECAUSE WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ACRES AND WELL, I MEAN, IT IT IT IS, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A GOOD CONCEPT FOR COUNTIES, ESPECIALLY LEGISLATOR COMING UP AND MAKE CHANGES THE RULES ON WHAT KIND OF INCREASE YOU YEAH, I THINK WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT. WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR RESIDENTIAL APARTMENTS, CONDOS, TOWNHOUSES. YEAH. AND IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR TAX ABATEMENT POLICY, WE SPECIFICALLY SAY IT'S FOR COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL. WE DO NOT, OH YES. WE DO NOT DO TAX ABATEMENTS IN THE CITY OF KAUFMAN FOR RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS. UNFORTUNATELY THEY HAVE DONE THAT HERE. SO. AND ONE, ONE OTHER THING I'LL MENTION IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE A CASE EXAMPLE OF WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE AGILE COLD STORAGE, UM, TAX ABATEMENT, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD'VE QUALIFIED AT THE SEVEN YEAR MARK ON OUR POLICY, THE 60, 50, 40, 30 WHEN I STARTED LOOKING AT THEIR CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHICH WAS LIKE $46 MILLION. AND I STARTED KIND OF THINKING ABOUT, I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THOSE LAST TWO YEARS AT 10% ARE GONNA BE SO NOMINAL FOR THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT TO HAVE TO APPLY THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST DO FIVE YEARS, 50%, JUST KEEP IT CLEAN, IT'S SHORTER, GET 'EM IN, GET 'EM OUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEN GET IT BACK ON THE TAX ROLLS. IT WAS, I THINK JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE SEVEN YEAR POLICY, BUT YOU KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF APPLES AND ORANGES. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT QUICKER, THE TIMELINE TO GET ON THERE AND JUST MADE IT A LITTLE BIT CLEANER AND EASIER FOR US AT THE SEA TO HELP BUDGET ON SOME OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO THAT'S WHY, AND I THINK THAT SIMPLY WE MAKE IT FOR THEM TOO. YEAH. AND ONE UNDERSTANDS WHERE WE ARE. RIGHT. AND, AND I LIKE THAT. NOW WE'VE GOT SOMETHING COMING UP. UH, ONE, ONE IS RUN ITS COURSE THEY WON'T EXTEND IT LONGER. WHAT'S THE CITY'S VIEW ON THAT? UM, OUR, OUR CITY IS OPEN TO THOSE TYPES OF NEGOTIATIONS, UM, AND EXTENDING IT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT A PROJECT. YOU KNOW, UM, ONE IN PARTICULAR IS, YOU KNOW, UM, SPECIFIC KIND OF TAX LAWS THAT, UM, THAT CREATE A, UM, UH, OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CAPTURE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT CAPTURING THAT HAS NO IMPACT. UM, AND SO HAPPY TO HAVE MORE OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT KIND OF WHERE OUR COUNCIL IS ON THAT OFFLINE. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DEFINITELY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO THE WAY THE STATE OF TEXAS STRUCTURES SOMETIMES A, UM, A SPECIFIC WAY TO, TO EITHER SOURCE [00:35:01] THINGS OR, UM, PUT THINGS ON THE TAX ROLLS THAT I THINK DO MERIT CONSIDERATION FOR, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL EXTENSIONS WHEN NEEDED FOR STUFF LIKE THAT. OKAY. AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE HAVING A DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK ON. OKAY. I WILL, IF IF Y'ALL NEED ME BACK, I'M HAPPY TO BE BACK. ANYTHING ELSE? NO, I MEAN MY BIGGEST THING IS THAT COUNTY CAN'T LOWER PROPERTY TAX WITHOUT THAT BUSINESS. YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE PROBLEM. AND IF YOU GIVE IT AWAY ON THE BUSINESS, THEN WE CAN'T LOWER THE PROPERTY TAX. AND THAT'S THE ONE THING I HATE IS PROPERTY TAX ON HOMES. YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHY 15 I MADE THAT WAY. IT WAS, AND IT'S THE LOWER PROPERTY TAX. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, IF YOU GIVE IT AWAY AND THEN IN 10 YEARS, JUST LIKE WHATEVER IT IS, GOOD YEAR, FIRE STOLEN, WHATEVER THEY ARE, WHEN NURSE RAN OUT, THEY MOVED THE FOR AND GOT A WHOLE NEW ONE. YOU KNOW, SO I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T WANT PEOPLE MOVING 10 TO 10 YEARS. SURE. AND YOU DON'T WANT TO JUST AUTOMATICALLY GIVE IT TO 'EM. IT DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT THE FIRST ONE WAS FOR, TO GET 'EM STARTED. NOW YOU'RE KIND OF ROLLING AND IF YOU, IF YOU'RE NOT COOPERATING WITH THE AGREEMENT NOW YOU'RE JUST SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE A FOOTBALL GUY HAS A 10 YEAR CONTRACT AND SECOND YEAR HE HAS A GREAT YEAR. AND THEN WHAT DOES HE DO? HE DOESN'T COME TO PRACTICE BECAUSE HE WANTS A NEW CONTRACT. 'CAUSE HE'S SO MUCH BETTER. I'M NOT, I'M NOT THE GUY THAT'D BE INTERESTED IN THAT. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I MEAN, SO YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL OF THAT. AND TO YOUR POINT, COMMISSIONER, UM, UH, ON THE, ON THE AGILE COLD STORAGE PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WE DID THAT AT 50%. UM, THE CITY'S GETTING THE WHOLE VALUE OFF OF THE, UM, BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY ON THAT, WHICH IS ABOUT 19 MILLION. AND THEN WE'RE GETTING HALF OF THE REAL PROPERTY ON THAT. AND SO THAT BECAME OUR NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER THREE PROPERTY TAX VALUE, EVEN WITH THOSE ABATEMENTS IN PLACE. UM, AND BASICALLY THAT REVENUE THAT THE CITY NETTED FROM THAT THIS NEXT YEAR ALLOWED THE CITY TO NOT HAVE TO RAISE THE PROPERTY TAX RATE AS, AS WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME CHALLENGES THAT HAPPENED WITH THE LEGISLATURE PUTTING IN THAT $125,000 SMALL BUSINESS, UM, PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION THAT Y'ALL HAD TO PLUG THAT OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAD TO PLUG. AND SO THANKFULLY WE WERE, UM, IN A POSITION TO NOT HAVE TO RAISE. WE ACTUALLY, THE COUNSEL ACTUALLY LOWERED IT, UM, 0.005, UH, SINCE, AND YOU CAN ALSO, I BELIEVE I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY AND SO DON'T TAKE MY, UH, ADVICE AS LEGAL ADVICE, TRUST THIS GUY INSTEAD. BUT UM, UH, YOU CAN WRITE INTO THOSE AGREEMENTS, YOU KNOW, HEY, IF WE'RE DOING THIS FOR YOU FOR 10 YEARS, THEN WE NEED YOU TO STAY HERE FOR X NUMBER OF YEARS FOLLOWING THAT TO UH, MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT JUST COMING HERE TO PULL THE WOOL OVER EYES AND PUT A BUILDING HERE AND THEN 10 YEARS LATER SAY WE'RE GONNA MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE OUTSIDE THIS COUNTY. THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE YOU RARELY THINK ABOUT. YEP. BECAUSE THEY WILL JUST LIKE GOODYEAR, THEY JUMP AND GO THAT YEAH, THE TAX BACK LIKE CALIFORNIA SAY WHEN YOU MOVE, YOU GOTTA PAY THE TAX NEXT 10 YEARS IF YOU MOVE, MOVE OUTTA CALIFORNIA. WAIT A MINUTE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU HAVE TO PAY TAX, BUT, UH, OKAY. ANYWAYS, OKAY. YEAH. WELL I LIKE TO HAVE THIS WRAPPED UP BY THE, UH, END OF NOVEMBER. SO WHEN PEOPLE START LOOKING THE FIRST OF YEAR, THEN THEY'VE GOT A WHOLE MONTH OF DECEMBER TO NOT TO LOOK AT IT AND WE CAN GET IT TO, UH, MONIQUE AND, AND IT'D BE ONLINE. SO WE HAVE, UH, EIGHT WEEKS ABOUT REALLY, 'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE OUT SOME TIME FOR HOLIDAYS, BUT THEY'LL GIVE US TIME TO GET IT FINALIZED. SO BE PUTTING YOUR THINKING CAPS ON AND WE'LL GET WITH, UH, LEGAL TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, IS LEGAL AND, UH, WE'LL HAVE BUSINESS STEWARD AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. SO WHEN WE GET TO IT, HAPPY TO SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR Y'ALL. AND, UM, JUST ABOVE ALL, JUST KEEPING THAT FLEXIBILITY OF, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE THIS POLICY BUT IF WE NEED TO KNOW TO NEGOTIATE OUTSIDE OF IT, WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY, WE HAVE TO DO THAT. YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A MUST. OKAY. THANK YOU STUART. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT GUYS, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO, I KNOW NOTHING FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY IN GOOD SHAPE. , DON'T MISS THE A SIR. ALRIGHT, I NEED A MOTION TO, I'LL ADJOURN. MAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. HAVE A MOTION FOR COMMISSIONER PHIPPS TO HAVE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. MR. COLE MAKES A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.