[I. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER: ] [00:00:04] GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR MAY THE 4TH, 2026. MADAM CITY CLERK, ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER. HEMMING. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER FREELY PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER. ATKINS. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER. ZIEGLER WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE. COUNCIL MEMBER. CUMMINGS. COUNCIL MEMBER MITCHELL. COUNCILMEMBER CALDWELL, PRESENT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS. MAYOR CHAPMAN, WE HAVE A QUORUM. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. DO WE HAVE AN INVOCATION FOR TONIGHT? ANYONE HERE TO. OKAY, COME ON UP. SO WE'LL HAVE THE INVOCATION FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. THANK YOU. AND WHAT'S YOUR NAME, SIR? MICROPHONE, PLEASE. PASTOR MICHAEL CULBREATH IMPACT CHURCH. OKAY. WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET US PRAY. O GOD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE PRAISE YOU FOR THIS. ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY HERE IN EASTPOINTE, IN METRO ATLANTA. WE COME BEFORE YOU TODAY SEEKING YOUR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM AND SUPPORT AS THE EASTPOINTE CITY COUNCIL BEGINS THIS MEETING. GOD HELP THE COUNCIL TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION. I PRAY THAT OUR CITY LEADERS WILL LEAD WITH INTEGRITY, HONESTY, AND FAIRNESS. MAY THEY SEEK JUSTICE, GRACE, AND MERCY AS THEY SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. I PRAY GOD THAT YOU WOULD GRANT THE CITY COUNCIL WISDOM AS THEY DEAL WITH THE VARIOUS ISSUES OF OUR CITY. HELP THEM TO WORK IN HARMONY EVEN WHEN THERE IS DISAGREEMENT. I THANK YOU, GOD, FOR OUR MAYOR, THE CITY MANAGER, THE CITY STAFF, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, ALL WHO MAKE UP THE CITY COUNCIL. I PRAY THAT YOU WILL BE GLORIFIED THROUGH THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE THIS EVENING, AND MAY THE COUNCIL WORK FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF THE CITIZENS OF EAST POINT. AND THEN, GOD, I PRAY FOR WISDOM, STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE CITIZENS OF EAST POINT. AND WE THANK YOU NOW FOR EVERYONE PRESENT FOR THIS COUNCIL MEETING. LEAD, GUIDE AND DIRECT THE COUNCIL SO THAT YOU MAY BE GLORIFIED AND YOUR WILL WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED. IT IS IN YOUR HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS NAME THAT WE PRAY. AND LET ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN SAY TOGETHER. AMEN. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. [V. ANNOUNCEMENT OF SERGEANT-AT-ARMS - Capt. Robinson] AND OUR SERGEANT TONIGHT IS CAPTAIN ROBINSON. [VI. ADOPTION OF THE COUNCIL AGENDA] NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE ADOPTION OF THE COUNCIL AGENDA. IS THERE A MOTION, MADAM MAYOR? YES. I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE COUNCIL AGENDA AS PRESENTED THIS EVENING. SECOND FOR DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION? YES. YES. THANK YOU. BUT I WANTED TO SAY IS I KNOW THAT PRESENTATION NUMBER ONE. PERHAPS WE SHOULD SWITCH THE ORDER SO THAT THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT CAN GET IN AND OUT. I THINK THAT HE HAS A POSSIBLE ACTION ON AUTHORIZING AN ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION. SO I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW, WHAT THE LENGTH OF TIME IS GOING TO BE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THIS STRATEGIC REALIGNMENT. BUT IF THE MAKER OF THE MOTION WOULD CONSIDER MOVING THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT UP FIRST BEFORE THAT PRESENTATION. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION TO MOVE THE PRESENTATION BY PARKS AND RECREATION UP TO. BUT BEFORE THE PRESENTATION, MADAM MAYOR. YES, SIR. YOUR MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRINTED, WHICH WAS THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR. YOU GOT A SECOND FOR THAT? THE ITEM THAT COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS IS SAYING YOU WOULD EITHER NEED TO TAKE IT AS AN AMENDMENT TO THE CURRENT MOTION ON THE FLOOR. OKAY. OR AS CHAIR, YOU CAN ORDER THE AGENDA AS YOU SEE FIT. OKAY. WELL, WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE AGENDA. IT LOOKS LIKE HE. YES, MADAM MAYOR. YES. I'M COMFORTABLE ACCEPTING COUNCILMAN COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGER'S REQUEST TO MOVE THE AGENDA ITEM BEFORE THE PRESENTATION. [00:05:03] BUT ONLY THAT AGENDA ITEM, PLEASE. YES. OKAY. SO WE HAVE WE HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGENDA. SO THERE HAS TO BE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT TO THE AGENDA AND THEN VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION. THAT'S CORRECT. RIGHT. SO IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION TO ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT? SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. WITH THIS CHANGE. NOW DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA WITH THE AMENDMENT TO MOVE THE ITEM UP? YOU ARE YOU ALREADY HAVE THAT MOTION. SO YOU JUST NEED AN ALL IN FAVOR ON THE MAIN MOTION THAT INCLUDES THE AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A ALL IN FAVOR FOR THE MOTION? THE THE MOTION THAT INCLUDES THE AMENDMENT I. OKAY. OKAY. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE EYES HAVE IT. OKAY. SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. [VII. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MINUTES] IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS? MINUTES. OKAY. SECOND, WE HAVE A IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY. SECOND, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR ALL THOSE OPPOSED. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HAVE BEEN ADOPTED FOR THE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING FOR 20TH APRIL 20TH, 2026. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANY NO. PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE FOR TONIGHT. WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION. [IX. PUBLIC COMMENTS] OKAY. FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION, THE PUBLIC MAY SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION OF THE AGENDA. THE CITY CLERK SHALL MAKE THE PUBLIC COMMENTS FORM AVAILABLE IN THE CITY HALL LOBBY PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING. ALL SPEAKERS MUST COMPLETE A COMMENT FORM AND PROVIDE A COMPLETED COMMENT FORM TO THE CITY CLERK BETWEEN 6 P.M. AND 6:25 P.M. PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING. SUBJECT MAY INCLUDE ANY SUBJECT OF CHOICE. THERE WILL BE THREE MINUTE A THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT FOR EACH SPEAKER SHOULD THE SPEAKER DESIRE TO GIVE HIS OR HER, OR TO HIS OR HER TIME TO ANOTHER SPEAKER, HE OR SHE MAY DO SO BY NOTING WHAT SPEAKER SHALL RECEIVE THE TIME ON HIS OR HER COMMENT FORM, PROVIDED THAT THE SPEAKER, GIVEN HIS OR HER TIME, HIS OR HER FORM, THAT HE OR SHE GIVES ALL OR PART OF HIS OR HER TIME UP TO THREE MINUTES TO ANOTHER SPEAKER FOR A TOTAL OF SIX MINUTES OF SPEAKING TIME. SPEAKERS MAY ADDRESS THE COUNCIL ONLY ONCE DURING THE TIME OF THE AGENDA, SPEAKERS MUST IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN THEIR ADDRESS PRIOR TO SPEAKING. QUESTIONS FROM THE SPEAKER MAY NOT BE ADDRESSED DURING THE PUBLIC SPEAKING SESSION SESSION OF THE AGENDA. PRIOR TO SPEAKING, QUESTIONS FROM THE SPEAKERS MAY NOT BE ADDRESSED DURING THE PUBLIC SPEAKING SECTION OF THE AGENDA. EASTPOINTE RESIDENTS HAVE PRIORITY OVER OTHER SPEAKERS. THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF NOT MORE THAN 60 MINUTES FOR THE PUBLIC SPEAKING SECTION OF THE AGENDA. SPEAKERS MAY ONLY ADDRESS THE PRESIDING OFFICER. SPEAKERS MAY OBSERVE, SHALL OBSERVE, OBSERVE ALL RULES OF DECORUM. NO DEBATE, DISRESPECT OR OBSCENITIES MAY BE TOLERATED. THE PRESIDING OFFICER SHALL RULE ANY SUCH INDIVIDUALS OUT OF ORDER THAT FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THE FOREGOING. DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS TONIGHT? YES. AT FIRST WE HAVE MR. WILLIE JACKSON. THANK YOU. MICROPHONE, PLEASE. YES, SIR. PLEASE TURN YOUR MIC. HELLO. HI. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. FIRST AND FOREMOST, CAN YOU STATE YOUR ADDRESS, PLEASE? I AM, YES. YES, MAYOR. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE MOST OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ALREADY KNOW ME FROM PREVIOUS APPEARANCES BEFORE YOU. I'M WILLIE JACKSON AND I LIVE AT 24, 24 GREENWOOD CIRCLE IN EAST POINT, GEORGIA. I WAS HOPING THAT I DIDN'T NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER APPEARANCE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST THANK THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL FOR SUCH A RAPID RESPONSE TO MY LAST APPEARANCE HERE THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER I APPEARED BEFORE YOU. THE CITY AND THE LANDSCAPER SHOWED UP AT MY PROPERTY. THEY WERE SOMEWHAT EMBARRASSED AS WELL AS ALARM. EVIDENTLY. IT GOT WORSE. IT GOT BACK TO THEIR DEPARTMENT ON WHATEVER COMMENTS I HAD MADE AT THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL [00:10:04] MEETING. WELL, I SPOKE WITH THEM AND SHOWED THEM HOW MY PROPERTY LOOKED AS A RESULT. THEY HAD PROMISED ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND REPLACE MY ZOSIA GRASS UPON COMPLETION OF THE STORMWATER PROJECT ON MY PROPERTY. WELL THE THAT MISSION WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND THEY, THE, THE DEPARTMENT OF RESTORATIONS. THEY SHOWED UP TWICE AND ASSURED ME, OH, MR. JACKSON, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU THINK YOUR PROPERTY LOOKING THE SAME AS IT DID BEFORE ALL OF THIS OCCURRED? NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE GRASS THAT THEY REPLANTED WAS SOME TYPE OF WEED TYPE GLASS, AND I HAD MY LAWN MOWER TO GO AHEAD AND CUT IT AND SEE IF HEY, IT'LL RESPOND. ACTUALLY IT DIDN'T. IT DIDN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE MY GRASS PREVIOUSLY, NUMBER ONE. EVERYONE ON GREEN CIRCLE, PARTICULARLY THOSE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE RIGHT ADJACENT TO MY PROPERTY, WE ALL HAVE ZOYSIA GRASS AND WE KEEP UP OUR PROPERTY. WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY I, AFTER HE CUT. TRIED CUTTING IT THE LAST TIME AND IT DIDN'T RESPOND. THE GRASS BELOW OR WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GRASS IS DEAD. IT NEVER GREW, BUT THE WEEDS DID. THERE IS A NAME FOR THIS AND I APOLOGIZE, BUT IT CAN BE LOOKED UP. IT'S A WEED TYPE GRASS AND I'M NOT BEING NITPICKY. I LET IT GROW AND IT'S APPROXIMATELY NOW ABOUT THREE THREE FEET. IF ANY OF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TOMORROW WHEN YOU'RE COMING INTO WORK, PLEASE JUST PASS BY MY PROPERTY AND LOOK AT IT AND YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY CONCERN. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON. OH. IN ADDITION, I DID GET THEIR NAMES OR AT LEAST THEIR FIRST NAMES. THEY WERE RELUCTANT TO GIVE ME THEIR FULL NAMES. THAT IS THE LADY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTING THE CITY AND THE LANDSCAPER. BOTH OF THEM WERE THERE WITH THEIR WHITE TRUCKS AND. AND. I HAD SOMEONE THAT GAVE ME THEIR THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU. WHAT'S YOUR NAME, MA'AM? OKAY. IF I MAY CONTINUE. IN ADDITION, THE NAMES THAT THEY GAVE ME, WHICH WERE THEIR FIRST NAMES, WHICH I'M AT LIBERTY TO SAY. THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CITY WAS NAMED MARGARET. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT SHE TOLD ME. AND THE LANDSCAPER WAS NAMED NACHO. LIKE WHAT? YOU EAT AND YOU CAN. AND THEY GAVE ME TELEPHONE NUMBERS, WHICH I RESPONDED AND CALLED TO THE CITY OR SUPPOSEDLY THE CITY. THEY NEVER HEARD OF MARGARET. AND IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT. IN ADDITION THERE WAS A LADY BY THE NAME OF MISS HOOD THAN ANSWERED, AND VANE WAS. OH, WELL, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ETC. OKAY. SO I KIND OF LIKE SAID, WELL, I WOULD GO AHEAD AND BRING THIS BACK TO THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FROM THE INITIAL SINKHOLE THAT APPEARED ON MY PROPERTY SINCE DECEMBER 5TH OF 2024. SO FOR A FULL YEAR UP UNTIL PRESENT. I'VE BEEN BACK AND FORTH. SOME OF YOU ON THE COUNCIL MAY ALREADY KNOW ME AND HAVE SEEN ME ON OTHER OCCASIONS. ONLY THING I WANT IS MY PROPERTY TO COME BACK TO WHAT IT WAS. AND I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE ASSISTANCE THAT YOU'VE GIVEN ME IN TERMS OF TRYING TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A WRONG. RIGHT. I'M NOT A CRYBABY, BUT RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG. AND RIGHT NOW IT JUST SEEMS LIKE I'M GOING IN CIRCLES OR BEING TOSSED BACK AND FORTH. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE OR FURTHER ASSISTANCE THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FOR ME. AND IN ADDITION TO GET MY PROPERTY BACK SO THAT MY NEIGHBORS WILL STOP LOOKING AT ME CROSS-EYED AGAIN. 24. 24 GREENWOOD CIRCLE. IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, I WANT TO HAVE MY LAWN MAN, BECAUSE IT'S HIDEOUS. [00:15:02] COME BACK OUT THIS WEEK AND CUT IT. BUT IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS, JUST DRIVE BY AND LOOK AT IT. THAT'S 24. 24 GREENWOOD CIRCLE. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THIS RESOLVED SO I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE UP YOUR TIME AND KEEP APPEARING BEFORE YOU. I SEE THERE'S A COUPLE OF EMPTY SEATS. I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO AHEAD AND HELP FILL ONE OF THOSE SEATS IF NECESSARY. NECESSARY? OH, I DO HAVE A DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING OR HAVE DONE FOR ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE MR. ANTHONY DERUBEIS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. ANTHONY DERUBEIS 3171 EAST POINT STREET. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS. SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WORKING DILIGENTLY REVIEWING THE BUDGET. I'VE SPENT A LOT OF MY COMMENTS TO THE FULL COUNCIL AND THE CITY MANAGER AND HIS STAFF. JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. MR. CITY MANAGER, I KNOW YOU DIDN'T CREATE THIS PROBLEM, BUT I CERTAINLY KNOW IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GET MAKE IT BETTER AND RESOLVE THINGS. YOUR BUDGET LINE ITEMS UNDER THE DETAIL, A LOT OF THEM HAVE, SOME OF THEM HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION. SOME OF THE LINE ITEMS HAVE NO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IN THE FUTURE. GET AS MUCH INFORMATION INTO EACH LINE ITEM AS YOU CAN SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE LARGE DOLLARS ARE GOING. ALLOCATIONS IS ANOTHER ITEM. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FLOW BACK AND FORTH FROM FUNDS GENERAL FUND TO ENTERPRISE FUND. ENTERPRISE FUND BACK TO GENERAL FUND. WHEN YOU HAVE AN ALLOCATION OF $1 MILLION FOR IT, SIR. YES, MA'AM. YOU CAN DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE COUNCIL AND. OH. I'M SORRY. WELL, I KNOW, I KNOW, IT'S HARD. NO, NO, I DO THE SAME THING. SORRY. NO. THAT'S FINE. WHEN YOU HAVE $1 MILLION LINE ITEM AS AN ALLOCATION, I WOULD HOPE THERE'S SIGNIFICANT JUSTIFICATION AND EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT THAT MILLION DOLLARS COVERS. NOT SAYING THE NUMBERS ARE WRONG. I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE INAPPROPRIATE, BUT IT'S MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU HAVE AN EXPLANATION TO GO WITH IT. FINALLY, WITHIN THE BUDGET THERE'S I'M HAVING A LITTLE TROUBLE WITH THE FLOW OF THE MONEY. RIGHT. SO WE TALKED. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE TWO MEETINGS YOU'VE HAD DISCUSSING THE BUDGET. BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CITY PAYING THE UTILITY BILL FOR THE ELECTRICITY THAT IT USES, THAT'S UNDER ONE LINE ITEM. AND I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN THE ENTERPRISE FUND A LINE ITEM OF EQUAL VALUE. I UNDERSTAND IT COMES FROM THE GENERAL FUND, AND A TRANSFER FROM ONE TO THE OTHER OF 1,000,006 MIGHT COVER THAT. BUT IF IF WE PAID 3000 $300,000 OF ELECTRICITY TO THE ENTERPRISE FUND, THERE SHOULD BE A REVENUE LINE ITEM OF CITY ELECTRICITY IN THE ENTERPRISE FUND. FINALLY, I UNDERSTAND AT THE LAST MEETING, THE COUNCIL DID NOT APPROVE THE SUMMER RATE INCREASE. YOU'RE WAITING ON A RATE STUDY. I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE. YOU DON'T HAVE A RATE PROBLEM. YOU HAVE AN OPERATIONAL BUDGET PROBLEM. THE RATE THAT WE ASKED FOR IN THE ORDINANCE COVERS THE COST OF UTILITIES FROM MIYAGI. THE SHORTFALL COMES IN THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET, AND THAT IS JUST AN ACCOUNTING EXERCISE PAYING ELECTRICITIES OF GEORGIA AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN TO DO RATE STUDIES THAT ARE NOT NEEDED AS A WASTE OF TIME AND A WASTE OF MONEY. JUST DO A SIMPLE ACCOUNTING EXERCISE, RAISE THE BASE RATE, GET RID OF THE POWER COST ADJUSTMENT THAT'S NOT NEEDED ANYMORE, REDISTRIBUTE THE MONEY AND COME UP WITH A NEW BILL. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. UP NEXT, WE HAVE MISS DEBORAH HARGROVE. GOOD EVENING, HONORABLE MAYOR CHAPMAN, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY MANAGER JONES. IT IS MY HOPE THAT YOU CAN RECALL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WHEN THIS ROOM WAS PACKED TO CAPACITY WITH STANDING ROOM ONLY IN SUPPORT OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM THEY REPRESENT REPRESENTED THE CITY OF EAST POINT IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA. THIS TRIP NOT ONLY TOOK FINANCIAL SACRIFICES, BUT SERIOUS COMMITMENTS FROM THE FAMILIES. THAT MOMENTOUS OCCASION IS WHAT BRINGS ME HERE TONIGHT. FOR I SAW FURTHER THAN THE DEPTHS OF THIS ROOM. THIS ROOM WAS FILLED WITH GREATNESS. IT WAS FILLED WITH GENERATIONAL TALENTS AND ABILITIES AND COMMUNITY PRIDE. [00:20:09] TO THINK THAT EAST POINT YOUTH WON A WORLD CUP TITLE IN QUADRUPLE OVERTIME WITH THE GAME WINNING POINT AT THE BUZZER IS AN AMAZING VICTORY. THAT IS A MOMENT THAT WILL GO DOWN IN EASTPOINTE HISTORY AND THE HISTORY OF THE GAME. THAT'S GREATNESS. AND LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, GREATNESS SHOULD BE REWARDED. IN THE LAST 3 TO 4 YEARS, PARKS AND RECS DEPARTMENT HAS COME BEFORE YOU WITH SOME PHENOMENAL VICTORIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS, INCLUDING THE ACQUIRING OF GRANTS TO REFURBISH OUR PARK FACILITIES. THIS IS MONEY THAT DID NOT COME OUT OF THE BUDGET. HOWEVER, I SEE FAR BEYOND THAT. I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU THE IMPACT EASTPOINTE YOUTH SPORTS HAS HAD ON MY SON. HE STARTED WITH TEE BALL, THEN BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, TRACK TEAM FOOTBALL AND SOCCER. WHAT'S SO AMAZING ABOUT THAT IS THAT MY SON IS NOW COACHING HIS SON'S YOUTH SPORTS TEAM AFTER HIS FULL TIME JOB. THAT'S TWO GENERATIONS THAT EAST POINT YOUTH SPORTS HAVE IMPACTED POSITIVELY, AND THAT IS THE PICTURE THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU RIGHT HERE. THAT'S MY SON AND GRANDSON. THE POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODELS GO A LONG WAY IN SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLDS, WHICH WE MOST LIKELY HAVE FROM THE ROOM FULL OF FAMILIES, POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODELS DEMONSTRATING CHARACTER, DISCIPLINE, TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP, AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION GOES A LONG WAY BEYOND THE FIELDS OF SPORTS. SO WHAT IS THE PRIORITY OF EAST POINT PARKS AND RECS WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET? IS IT A LOW PRIORITY? I WILL SAY THAT THE FUTURE OF EAST POINT IS A PRIORITY NOW. PLEASE FUND OUR FUTURE. INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF EASTPOINT. NOW FOR A LOWER CRIME RATE, BETTER LABOR FORCE AND PRODUCTIVE FAMILIES, AND A BETTER EASTPOINT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UP NEXT, WE HAVE MISS ANNIE DAVIS. GOOD EVENING. I'M ANNIE DAVIS. I LIVE AT 1467 BRYAN AVENUE IN JEFFERSON PARK, AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY FRONT PORCH REBUILT FOR TWO YEARS. I'VE TALKED TO OVER HALF A DOZEN CONTRACTORS. NO ONE IS WILLING TO WORK WITH THE CITY OF EASTPOINT PERMIT DEPARTMENT. EVERYBODY THAT MY NEIGHBORS HAVE RECOMMENDED TO ME, I HAVE REACHED OUT TO, AND THEY'VE MOSTLY DONE BACK PORCHES WHERE THEY DON'T TELL YOU GUYS THEY'RE REBUILDING THEM BECAUSE THEY WON'T PERMIT IT. BUT IT'S MY FRONT PORCH. I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE BUT TO PERMIT IT. I CAN'T. LIKE I SAID, I'VE SPOKEN TO OVER HALF A DOZEN CONTRACTORS. I FINALLY HAVE ONE WHO IS WILLING TO WORK WITH ME, BUT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO HIM FOR LIKE OVER A YEAR AND IT'S SUPER SLOW MOVING, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS WERE AWARE THAT NOBODY WANTS TO WORK IN OUR CITY, ON OUR HOMES. THAT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING. NOT JUST BECAUSE I WANT MY HOUSE TO LOOK NICE, BUT BECAUSE ALSO I WORK IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION. I WORK IN LOCATIONS. SO WE'RE THE FOLKS WHO PERMIT IT WHEN WE'RE OUT AND ABOUT. WE DON'T EVEN SCOUT IN THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE ANYMORE BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH YOUR PERMIT OFFICE. THAT'S THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT COULD GO NOT JUST TO THE CITY, BUT ALSO TO OUR RESIDENTS. THAT'S A LOT TO WALK AWAY FROM. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. LASTLY, WE HAVE OLA HARPER. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS OLA HARPER. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF EASTPOINTE FOR 45 YEARS. WHEN I CAME THIS WAY. I GOT RIGHT OFF OFF THE FREEWAY AT EASTPOINTE BECAUSE I WAS IN THE MILITARY AND I HAD TO REPORT TO FORT MCPHERSON. THIS WAS IN 1970, 78. RAISED TWO KIDS, THREE KIDS, ONE OF MY OWN AND TWO OF SOMEONE ELSE'S RIGHT HERE WALKED THE PAVEMENT TO GET TRI CITY HIGH SCHOOL. FIRST IT WAS RUSSELL AND WE WALKED THE PAVEMENT TO GET IT, WALKED THE PAVEMENT TO GET A LOT OF THINGS HERE IN EASTPOINTE. [00:25:04] I WITNESSED THE FIRST BLACK FIRE PRIOR PERSON, A FIRE WORKER TO WORK WITH EASTPOINTE WHEN I MOVED HERE, THERE WAS NONE OF US. SITTING UP THERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE. NOT EVEN A POLICE OFFICER. BUT I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME. I HAVE WORKED HERE AND, LIKE I SAID, RAISED MY CHILDREN, WENT TO SCHOOL HERE LEFT, CAME BACK TO THE SAME PLACE RIGHT DOWN HERE ON STAUNTON ROAD. I HAVE OWNED TWO HOUSES, TWO HOMES IN EASTPOINT, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO DOWNSIZE, MOVE TO A SENIOR COMMUNITY AS IT WAS ADVERTISED. IT WAS THAT WE WOULD HAVE A NICE SENIOR PLACE FOR US TO LIVE. IT DID NOT EXPLAIN TO US THE CONCEPT OF WHAT THEY HAD IN MIND. THEY COULD JUST PUT A DECEPTION UP THERE OF WHAT IT WAS. I WATCHED HIM TEAR DOWN THE OLD BUILDING AND BUILD A NEW ONE. IT LOOKED GREAT, LOOKED WONDERFUL. I MOVED IN THERE AND IT'S BEEN CHAOS EVER SINCE. IT'S BEEN IT'S JUST NOT BEEN A GREAT CONCEPT OF SENIOR LIVING. A LOT OF THINGS I'VE EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY BY THE MANAGEMENT SOME OF IT, THEY FILED COMPLAINTS AGAINST ME AND THEN I WENT AND DEFENDED MYSELF WITH THE CITY OF EAST POINT. THEY SENT EAST POINT. EAST POINT CAME OUT, TOLD THEM I WAS IN GOOD. I WAS IN A GOOD PLACE. I WAS IN GOOD STANDARDS THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH WHAT THEY COMPLAINED ABOUT ME. AND THEN IN THE OTHER INSTANCE, THEY WERE THE ONE THAT WAS THAT WAS VIOLATED IN VIOLATION. AND EAST POINT IN TURN YOU KNOW, RESPONDED TO THAT. SO I, AS I SAY, WHEN I CAME TO ATLANTA, THIS AREA, THERE WAS NOTHING BUT PROJECTS EVERYWHERE. ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN TORN DOWN, AND ALL THESE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN BUILT UP TO MAKE IT LOOK, YOU KNOW, LOOK NICE AND EVERYTHING. BUT I THINK THAT THE WAY THAT THIS THIS APARTMENT BUILDING WHERE I LIVE DOWN HERE, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS UP FOR 60 PLUS YEARS OF AGE 62, I THINK, AND UP. THAT'S NOT THE CASE. THEY NEVER TOLD ME WHAT THE THE POPULATION OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE THERE. SO I DO HAVE A COMPLAINT OF A LITTLE FURTHER THAN THAT, BUT MY TIME IS OUT, BUT ALL I ASK IS THAT IF Y'ALL ARE NOT CAN HELP US WITH OUR, OUR SITUATION OF LIVING DOWN THERE, THAT YOU COULD POINT US IN THE DIRECTION OF WHO WOULD BE THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD HELP US TO GET THE QUALITY OF LIVING THAT WE WAS PROMISED AS A SENIOR CITIZEN AND SO MUCH OF IT. I CAN'T TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT HOPEFULLY I'LL GET TO TELL SOMEBODY AGAIN ONE DAY. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THOSE ARE ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENTS WE HAVE THIS EVENING. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND NOW WE WILL MOVE TO COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL. [X. COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL] OKAY. NO COMMENTS. NO. OH HOLD ON. YES. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO JUST THANK ALL OF THE CITIZENS WHO'VE COME OUT TO SHARE THEIR EXPRESSIONS REGARDING ANY CONCERNS OR ANYTHING THAT THIS BODY NEEDS TO TAKE UNDER CONSIDERATION. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT AND SHARING THAT. I DO HAVE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT THIS EVENING. I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR THE CITIZENS OF EAST POINT TO KNOW THAT AEROTROPOLIS ATLANTA ALLIANCE, THEY WILL BE HOSTING THEIR ANNUAL JOB FAIR THIS SATURDAY MAY 19TH FROM 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AT THE GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER AND WOULD JUST LIKE FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT LAST YEAR THEY BOASTED OVER 650 JOB SEEKERS, HAD MORE THAN 40 COMPANIES AND RESOURCE PARTNERS AVAILABLE, AND 370 JOB SEEKERS WALKED AWAY WITH ON SITE HIRING LAST YEAR. SO I KNOW THAT THE JOB MARKET IS VERY TOUGH. FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR JOBS TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN. THEY CAN GET THEIR ENDS TO MEET. SO IF THAT IS YOU AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A JOB OR YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS, PLEASE SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THEM. AGAIN, AEROTROPOLIS ATLANTA ALLIANCE, THEIR JOB FAIR THIS SATURDAY, MAY 9TH AT THE GEORGIA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER FROM 9 A.M. TO 2 P.M.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS THAT CAME OUT AND SPOKE TONIGHT. [XII. COMMITTEE REPORTS] I DO HAVE A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK THE RIGHT HAND FOUNDATION FOR HOSTING A BEAUTIFUL BLOOM GALA THIS WEEKEND. THEY ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK IN THE EASTPOINTE COMMUNITY, SUPPORTING SINGLE MOTHERS AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. [00:30:09] I ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE KICKOFF OF NATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK TODAY. RIGHT OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL. THEY HAVE A GREAT LINEUP OF ACTIVITIES ACTIVITIES THAT'S HAPPENING ALL WEEK. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO VISIT EASTPOINTE.ORG. SO W W W VISIT EASTPOINTE.ORG FOR DETAILS TO ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE COMING UP. AND THEN LASTLY, I WANTED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE AN UPCOMING SURVEY TO HELP NAME THE MICROSOFT POCKET PARK IN WARD D. WE WANT THE COMMUNITY'S VOICE TO BE HEARD IN SHAPING THIS SPACE. SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THAT SURVEY SO THAT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN HEMMING. GOOD EVENING. I FIRST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE MISS HARPER. THANK YOU. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THE CONDITIONS WHERE YOU'RE LIVING, AND I WANTED TO SHARE PUBLICLY THAT EASTPOINTE CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 60% OF OUR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN EASTPOINTE LIVE IN SOME FORM OF A RENTAL HOME. AND I THINK IT'S BEEN VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE NOT INVESTED IN PROPER MANAGEMENT AND EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT MINIMUM LIVING STANDARDS LOOK LIKE. AND YOU HAVE MY COMMITMENT TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THIS CHALLENGE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PATH FORWARD LOOKS LIKE, BUT I AM DOING THE RESEARCH NOW TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN HOLD THESE LANDLORDS, ESPECIALLY THE CORPORATE LANDLORDS, MORE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CONDITIONS OF THEIR PROPERTIES. ALSO, MISS DAVIS, I NOTE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE PERMIT OFFICE, AND I HOPE THAT IN THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BUDGET, THAT THE CITY MANAGER WILL SHARE WITH US SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT HE IS PUTTING FORTH TO IMPROVE OUR PERMITTING PROCESS. AND THEN FINALLY, MR. DERUBEIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE HOURS THAT YOU'VE POURED INTO POURING OVER THE BUDGET AND TRYING TO DIGEST IT. THAT SAID, I WANT TO TRANSITION TO A LARGER CONVERSATION WITH THE SUPREME COURT DID LAST WEEK BY GUTTING THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT WAS A TRAVESTY. AND AS MISS HARPER SAID, MANY OF THE THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE GAINED AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A POPULATION ARE BEING STRIPPED FROM US. AND SO WHAT I'M ASKING EVERYBODY IN THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE TO DO IS TO VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION, EVERY TIME WE HAVE A CURRENT PRIMARY GOING ON FOR THE FOR SEVERAL SEATS TO INCLUDE WHO'S GOING TO END UP ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. BUT ALSO WE HAVE SOME IMPORTANT JUDGE POSITIONS. THESE POSITIONS SHAPE WHAT WE AS A CITY COUNCIL ARE ABLE TO DO. THEY INTERPRET THE LAW FOR US. THEY ALLOW US TO BE IN COMPLIANCE OR NOT WITH THE LAW. SO I AM IMPLORING UPON THE CITY THAT EVERYONE MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION AND EVERY ELECTION, BECAUSE THEY ARE EXTREMELY CONSEQUENTIAL. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT'S ON YOUR BALLOT. THERE ARE LITERALLY DOZENS OF ITEMS THIS TIME AROUND BY GOING TO MVP.SOS.GA.GOV. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE CURRENT TIME THAT IS BEFORE US. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS THANK YOU. THANKS, RESIDENTS, FOR COMING OUT. ONE THING ABOUT ME, I'M GOING TO DO MY RESEARCH TO ENSURE THE BEST DECISIONS ARE MADE. ON APRIL 17TH, MY NAME WAS BROUGHT UP DURING A DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING. TWO COMMENTS FROM THAT MEETING STOOD OUT. THERE WAS AN OVER PROJECTION IN THE LAST BUDGET AND THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO BE HUNGRY. THOSE ARE HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. THE QUESTION IS, WHO IS HE REFERRING TO? RESIDENTS OR EMPLOYEES? EVEN MORE TROUBLING IS THE NARRATIVE BEING PUSHED THAT FOR YEARS THE CITY HAS MISMANAGED ITS FINANCES. THE CITY HAS RECEIVED THE HIGHEST HONORS IN FINANCIAL REPORTING. IN 2023, THE CITY REPORTED AN INCREASE IN FUND BALANCE OF OVER 6.5 MILLION, WITH AN UNASSIGNED GENERAL FUND BALANCE EXCEEDING 26 MILLION. LET'S BE CLEAR. CLAIMS OF LONG TERM MISMANAGEMENT IMPLICATE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS, STAFF AND EVEN MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL. AND WHEN THOSE CLAIMS ARE MADE WITHOUT EVIDENCE, THEY RISE TO THE LEVEL OF DEFAMATION AND NEGLIGENCE AGAINST THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED THIS CITY. THERE WAS A FORENSIC AUDIT DONE IN 2025 WITH NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. I'VE ALSO REVIEWED INDEPENDENT AUDITS FROM 2021, 22 AND 23. AGAIN, NOTHING INDICATES SYSTEMATIC FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT. THE ISSUE IS ACCOUNTABILITY. THE ISSUE IS GOVERNANCE. THE ISSUE IS THAT DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE WITHOUT FULL TRANSPARENCY. ACTIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN WITHOUT COMING BEFORE THE FULL BODY OF COUNCIL AND ONLY FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO PROVIDE DIRECTIVES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. RESIDENTS, I'M ENCOURAGING YOU TO CAREFULLY REVIEW THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK IN FINDINGS WITH THE MAYOR AND ALL OF COUNCIL. [00:35:06] WE ARE ELECTED TO SERVE WITH INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO CAME OUT AND VOICED YOUR CONCERNS. MOST DEFINITELY, WE WILL TAKE THOSE ALL INTO CONSIDERATION TO DO THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD. SO AGAIN, CONTINUE TO KEEP US, KEEP TO REMAIN ENGAGED AND HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE FOR THOSE THINGS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO EXTEND A CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS IS MUNICIPAL CITY CLERK'S WEEK. SO KUDOS TO OUR CITY CLERK AND HER STAFF AND ALSO FOR TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK. AND WE HAVE A MEMBER ON COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER. LATONYA MARTIN ROGERS. SAME. AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO GIVE A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MY CHURCH ON THIS MORNING, OUR WORD OF FAITH LOVE CENTER. WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO BRIARWOOD BRIER BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THIS MORNING AND SERVE THE TEACHERS AND STAFF THERE. SO AGAIN, I'M HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK AND MUNICIPAL CITY CLERK WEEK. I YIELD. THANK YOU. AND I JUST LIKE TO SAY I'M GOING TO SUMMARIZE AND SAY THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN SHARED TODAY FROM OUR RESIDENTS HAS NOT FALLEN ON DEAF EARS FROM YOUR MAYOR OR YOUR COUNCIL, AND WE WILL WORK EXTREMELY HARD TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THESE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE SAID AND BROUGHT FORWARD TONIGHT WILL BE ADDRESSED IN A TIMELY MANNER. AND SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO BE ENGAGED AT EVERY LEVEL. I ALSO WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR CHIEF, CHIEF BUCHANAN. HE WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE 100 BLACK MEN OVER THE WEEKEND. HE WAS PINNED AS A PART OF THAT ORGANIZATION. SO WE WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND ACKNOWLEDGE HIM FOR HIS EFFORTS AS WELL. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR PLAYING ATLANTA AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR HOSTING AN EVENT THIS THIS WEEKEND AT THE PAUL D WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL, FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN STEM AND SO THAT THEIR EFFORTS CAN CONTINUE TO HELP US AT THIS LEVEL TO MOVE OUR CITY FORWARD AND ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE EAST POINT AND COLLEGE PARK. MEMBERS OF THE DELTA SIGMA THETA INCORPORATED ORGANIZATION FOR THEIR HOSTING THEIR TRIBUTE TO MAMA COCO, WHO IS A STORYTELLER TELLER AND IS A RESIDENT OF EAST POINT. WE PRESENTED A PROCLAMATION TO HER THIS THIS THIS WEEKEND AND I WILL END THERE. BUT AS I SAID BEFORE, THE CHALLENGES IN THE ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE BROUGHT FORTH TONIGHT WILL DEFINITELY BE ADDRESSED AND CONSIDERED. AND WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. AND WE'D LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD NOW TO THE, PRESENTATION. SO WE HAVE DO WE HAVE PARKS AND RECREATION? I'M SORRY. COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS, YOUR PRESENTATION. NO, THE AMENDMENT WAS TO THEN NEXT GO TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON AUTHORIZING [XIII.2. Council Discussion and Possible Action on Authorizing the Acceptance of a Donation from Tronus Footwear for the Benefit of the City's Girls Flag Football Club.] THE ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION FROM TORONTO'S FOOTWEAR FOR THE BENEFITS OF THE CITY GIRLS FOOTBALL CLUB. SO I MOVE THAT WE OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION. SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I ACTUALLY WANT TO GIVE A FEW SHOUT OUTS. A COUPLE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE, MISS ANNIE DAVIS SITS ON OUR PARKS ADVISORY COMMISSION. I DID NOT KNOW I WOULD HAVE A FAN IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, BUT I WANT TO ALSO THANK MISS DEBORAH HARGROVE FOR HER KIND WORDS ABOUT WHAT OUR TEAM HAS BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST DECADE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. AND IRONICALLY ENOUGH, TONIGHT I'M PRESENTING ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT WE RECEIVED FROM A YOUNG LADY NAMED CYNTHIA ROBLES. SHE'S AN ENTREPRENEUR BASED OUT OF CONYERS, GEORGIA. HER AND HER DAUGHTER OWN A PERFORMANCE RECOVERY SPORTS LOT. OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE WON THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WE GOT TO KNOW A LOT OF NOTORIETY, OBVIOUSLY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE TAGGING OUR PROGRAM AND THOUGHT WE WOULD BE A GREAT FIT TO WEAR AND DON HER SHOES. SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING BACK AND FORTH WITH MISS ROBLES AND HER DAUGHTER. I GOT WITH MISS WIGGINS TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THEY WERE WANTING TO OFFER OUR GIRLS. SHE'S AGREED TO GIVE ABOUT 60 PLUS PERFORMANCE SPORTS LIVES TO OUR YOUNG LADIES TO WEAR WHAT I LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL IF YOU WANT TO CALL IT A PARTNERSHIP. HER FOCUS IS ON RECOVERY FOR ATHLETES. IF ANY OF YOU, YOU ALL HAVE CHILDREN JUST PLAY HIGH COMPETITIVE SPORTS. THESE TOURNAMENTS CAN BE VERY DEMANDING. THEY PLAY 3 TO 4 GAMES A DAY. A LOT OF THE FLAG TOURNAMENTS ARE IN WARM STATES, OBVIOUSLY FLORIDA BEING ONE OF THE PRIMARY HUBS FOR FLAG FOOTBALL COMPETITION. [00:40:08] IN JULY WE WIN SOME OF THESE SUPER REGIONALS. WE'LL BE UP IN OHIO. AND IF YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THAT REGION, IT'S VERY HOT COME JULY. SO THEY DO A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL TRAINING ABOUT RECOVERY AND HYDRATION TO MAKE SURE OUR ATHLETES ARE PERFORMING AT AN OPTIMUM LEVEL. BUT TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT THIS RESOLUTION THAT MISS WIGGINS AND HER TEAM DEVELOPED FOR US TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE AT NO COST TO PERFORMANCE SLIDES FROM MISS ROBLES COMPANY. THANK YOU. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOU'RE ASKED TODAY IS FOR THE DONATION TO FOR THE COUNCIL TO ACCEPT THE DONATION. AND IS OKAY. SO MY QUESTION IS, HAS THIS. BEEN ON THE DOES THIS HAVE TO GO TO THE WORK AGENDA. NO WORK SESSION. IS THERE A MOTION. DO WE KNOW HOW MUCH IT IS. DO WE HAVE ANY DETAILS ABOUT ITS ZERO COST TO THE PROGRAM. OKAY. IT'S ZERO COST TO THE PROGRAMS. SO YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR ACTUAL DONATION OR AND MAYBE MISS WIGGINS CAN HELP ME OUT WITH SOME OF THE TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY. YES, MADAM MAYOR, SO THERE'S NO COST TO THE CITY. THIS IS AN ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION. I FELT IT WAS APPROPRIATE THAT THE COUNCIL ACCEPT THE DONATION AS OPPOSED TO DOING IT ON THE STAFF LEVEL, BECAUSE THEN THERE'S FULL TRANSPARENCY, OBVIOUSLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY IS NOT ACCEPTING A DONATION FROM A COMPANY THAT HAS ANY PENDING BUSINESS BEFORE THE CITY. OR SOME OTHER ISSUES THAT THE CITY WOULD NOT WANT TO ASSOCIATE ITSELF WITH STATE COMPANY. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL PASS THROUGH IF THE CITY DOES APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION THROUGH THE PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT TO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE FLAG FOOTBALL PROGRAM TO RECEIVE THE SLIDES, YOU'LL NOTE IN THE RESOLUTION THAT THERE'S NO RESPONSIBILITY BY THE CITY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, TO ENDORSE THE COMPANY, THE SLIDES COMPANY, I BELIEVE IT IS WE ARE WAIVING ANY LIABILITY IF THE SLIDES BREAK OR ANY OF THAT. IT IS SIMPLY ACCEPTING THE DONATION SO THAT THE SLIDES CAN PASS THROUGH TO THE YOUNG ATHLETES. THANK YOU. AND WE HAVE SOME. THANK YOU, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY. WE HAVE SOME COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. I WAS THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I WAS GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE DONATION FROM CORONA'S FOOTWEAR FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CITY, THE CITY'S GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL TEAM. THAT DONATION WOULD BE GIVEN TO OUR PARKS AND REC DEPARTMENT TO BE PASSED ON TO THE ATHLETES. SECOND. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION. YES, YES. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, WITH THOSE THINGS THAT YOU JUST MENTIONED, SHOULD THERE BE AN AMENDMENT TO SAY THAT IN ACCEPTING THIS PARTICULAR DONATION, THAT WE ARE ACCEPTING NO LIABILITY AND THAT WE FURTHER DO NOT MAKE ANY ENDORSEMENTS OR COMMITMENTS TO THIS PARTICULAR COMPANY? JUST SO THAT THAT IS A PART OF THE OFFICIAL RECORD, OR WILL YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THOSE THINGS AS THEY'RE RECORDED AS A PART OF THE MINUTES SUFFICE? ACTUALLY, IF THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION. IT SAYS ALL OF THAT. THERE'S A RESOLUTION IN YOUR BOOKS. OKAY. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION. IT JUST SAYS TO APPROVE THE DONATION AND IF SHE GOT IT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO AMEND MY MOTION TO ACCEPT THE DONATION FROM THE FOOTWEAR FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CITY'S GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL CLUB, ALONG WITH THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS DRAWN UP BY THE CITY, THE CITY ATTORNEY. MY SECOND STANCE. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? OKAY. I'M SORRY. YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION FROM YOUR DOCTOR. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND PLEASE TELL HER THANK YOU FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP. SHE'S A KNOWN ATHLETE. SHE PLAYED FLAG FOOTBALL, PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL AND DECIDED TO OPEN UP HER OWN SHOE COMPANY. SHE'S ACTUALLY THE FIRST AFRICAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN WITH A SHOE COMPANY. SO ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND ALSO WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, JUST THANK YOU FOR THIS PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN ATKINS. OH, NO. SO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS TO APPROVE. THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE DONATION. TO ACCEPT THE. [00:45:05] I'M SORRY. OH, TO ACCEPT THE DONATION AND APPROVE THE RESOLUTION. WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAD A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA C WE'RE GOING TO OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD NOW WITH THE PRESENTATION OF STRATEGIC REALIGNMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS [XI.1. Strategic Realignment of Cultural Affairs & Housing for Community Impact & Growth ] AND HOUSING FOR COMMUNITY IMPACT AND GROWTH. COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. AT OUR APRIL 6TH MEETING WHEN I ORIGINALLY MADE THIS PRESENTATION, COUNCIL MADE TWO MOTIONS. ONE OF THOSE MOTIONS WAS FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO PROVIDE A STAFFING ANALYSIS RELATED TO THE CREATION OF THE TWO DIVISIONS THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING. ONE WAS FOR CULTURAL AFFAIRS, ONE WAS FOR HOUSING STABILIZATION. OUR SECOND MOTION WAS THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY PROVIDE A LEGAL OPINION REGARDING THE PROPOSED ACTIVITIES AND THEIR ALIGNMENT WITH FEDERAL AND STATE LAW. AND SO IF IT'S APPROPRIATE, MADAM MAYOR, I WOULD ASK THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY PROVIDE US SOME UPDATES BASED ON THE MOTIONS THAT WE MADE ON APRIL 6TH. YES. GO AHEAD. COUNCILWOMAN OKAY. MR.. YEAH. CITY MANAGER. YES. JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE THE FLOOR. SO JUST IN RESPONSE TO THAT REPORT. SO THERE IS THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION. AND EMPOWERMENT THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT REALIGNING THIS PROPOSAL WITH, AND SO THAT INVOLVED A NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT I HAD TO DO SOME REVIEW. SO JUST FOR THE PUBLIC TO KIND OF GET THEM UP TO, UP TO SPEED, JUST TO REMIND THEM THAT THE OFFICE OF EQUITY INCLUSION AND EMPOWERMENT WAS INITIALLY CREATED BASED ON THE FEDERAL FUNDING THROUGH ARPA, ALSO KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT. THAT WAS IN RESPONSE TO IMPACTS OF COVID 19, PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING AND SUPPORTING. VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO COVID 19. AND SO THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION WAS FUNDED BY BY THAT. IT WAS INITIALLY NEVER INTENDED TO BE A FULL TIME POSITION WITH ONGOING RESOURCES. IT WAS ALWAYS LIMITED TO THAT FUNDING. AND THAT FUNDING HAS, HAS EXPIRED OR PLANS TO EXPIRE IN DECEMBER. AND SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE NEW NEW BUDGET CYCLE, WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT CONTINUED FUNDING OR MODIFICATIONS OR EVEN INTEGRATING THE PERSONNEL INTO OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO TRY AND CREATE SOME EFFICIENCIES IN CONTINUING WITH SOME OF THE KEY AND MOST IMPACTFUL ELEMENTS OF THE WORK THAT WAS BEING DONE. SO WITH, WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING AND WITH THE, THE CONVERSATION AND THE PROPOSAL THE FIRST STEP WOULD BE TO LOOK AT THE EXISTING EMPLOYEES AND HOW THAT REALIGNMENT OR, OR INTEGRATION COULD, COULD, COULD LOOK AND COULD TAKE PLACE. AND SO WE'VE DONE SOME, SOME WORK AND HAD SOME MEETING WITH EMPLOYEES AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY FIND LOCATIONS WITHIN OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT MAKE SENSE AND ALSO ASSISTED WITH OUR ABILITY TO BALANCE OUR BUDGET AS THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET THAT'S PRESENTED TO COUNCIL. SO THOSE POSITIONS THERE WAS A TWO HOUSING POSITIONS ONE HOUSING POSITION INCLUDED A HOUSING MANAGER. THAT POSITION WILL BE ASSUMED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE OTHER POSITION IN HOUSING WOULD BE TRANSITIONED INTO BUDGET ANALYST POSITION, WHICH IS BEING RECOMMENDED AS FTE IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THE POSITION ALSO INVOLVED TWO COMMUNITY RESOURCE SOCIAL WORK TYPE OF POSITIONS. ONE WOULD BE CONSUMED BY WELL ACTUALLY THOSE TWO WOULD BE CONSUMED [00:50:05] BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ONE BEEFING UP THE RESPONSE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF FOIA PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS TO RESPOND TO WHICH WILL ALSO BE ALSO SUPPLEMENTED WITH A PART TIME. EMPLOYEE AS WELL. TAKE ON THOSE THOSE ENDEAVORS. AND THE OTHER POSITION WAS WELL AND ACTUALLY DID A NUMBER OF TRAINING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AS IS WORKING IN DE-ESCALATION AND WORKING WITH CALLS WHERE PD GETS PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS OR MENTAL DIFFICULTIES. AND SO IN THOSE NONVIOLENT NON-CRIMINAL KIND OF CALLS, THIS PERSON WOULD ASSIST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN MANAGING THOSE. SO THERE WAS ANOTHER POSITION THAT WASN'T FILLED THAT WAS VACANT. AND THAT THAT POSITION WOULD GO AWAY. SO THAT WAS THE PHASE ONE OF, OF LOOKING AT THE PERSONNEL THAT WAS INVOLVED. PHASE TWO WAS THE OTHER POSITIONS AS BEING SO ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW CREATION AND HOW THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE, MR. CITY MANAGER. I JUST WANTED TO BRING THE SLIDES BACK UP SO WE COULD CONFIRM THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE PROPOSAL. SO I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE ALREADY MADE SOME ACCOMMODATIONS BASED ON IT, BUT MADAM CITY CLERK, IF YOU COULD SCROLL, I THINK IT'S SLIDE EIGHT WHERE I DESCRIBE WHAT THE DIVISION OF. I THINK IT'S ONE SCROLL A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE'RE IN. OKAY. YEAH. SO THE DIVISION THAT I WAS HOPING WOULD BE DISCUSSED WAS AROUND SOME OF THE FUNCTIONS THAT YOU MENTIONED. AND I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WERE SOME PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAD TO ADDRESS. BUT MADAM CITY CLERK, IF YOU COULD SCROLL ONE MORE SLIDE, PLEASE. MAY OKAY, SO HERE IT WASN'T JUST LOOKING AT THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND POWER AND INCLUSION. IT WAS A BIT OF A MORE HOLISTIC PROBLEM THAT I WAS HOPING WE COULD THINK ABOUT AND MAKE PROMINENT IN THE CITY. WE FACE SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE RELATED TO HOUSING STABILIZATION. AS YOU HEARD ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS COMMENT TODAY ABOUT KIND OF THE HOUSING CONDITIONS. SO WHAT I WAS HOPING WE COULD DO AND I KNOW THAT COUNCIL DID NOT VOTE ON THIS. AND SO I RECOGNIZE THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE A DIRECTIVE FROM COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH THIS DIVISION, BUT I WANT THERE TO BE SOME CLARITY ABOUT WHAT THE DIVISION WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. SO IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BOTH ADDRESS BLIGHT AND RECOMMEND HOW WE COULD REDUCE SOME OF THE VACANT AND UNSAFE PROPERTIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS RETURNING THE PRODUCTIVE SOME, SOME, SOME HOUSES TO PRODUCTIVE USE. IT ALSO WAS SUPPOSED TO, AS PREVIOUSLY DONE THROUGH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT INCLUSION. THINK ABOUT OUR HOUSING OPTIONS TYPES AND STOCK ACROSS INCOME LEVELS, AND THEN ALSO SUPPORT THE ACTIVE ACTIVATION OF UNDERUTILIZED AND CITY OWNED PROPERTIES. AND THEN THE FINAL THING, WHICH I THINK MOST CLOSELY ALIGNS TO THE THE SERVICES THAT YOU CALLED SOCIAL WORK THROUGH THE OFFICE OF EQUITY EMPOWERMENT INCLUSION, WAS TO CREATE A COORDINATED NETWORK OF PARTNERS SO THAT WE COULD BE MORE RESPONSIVE TO SOME OF THE ONGOING AND PERSISTENT CHALLENGES THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE FACING RELATED TO KIND OF THE MACRO ECONOMIC ISSUES THAT WE ALL KNOW HIGHER PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT CAUSE INSTABILITY IN MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES. AND THEN, MADAM CITY CLERK, IF YOU COULD SCROLL ONE MORE, THE RECOMMENDATION THAT AGAIN, THE COUNCIL DID NOT ADOPT THIS RECOMMENDATION, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LAY OUT KIND OF WHAT THE ORIGINAL VISION WAS. IT WAS TO HAVE A STAFFING WITH DIVISION MANAGERS THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO THOSE THREE PRONGS, AS WELL AS A PROGRAM SLASH DATA COORDINATOR. AND WE WANTED TO, OR I WANTED TO AS PROPOSED TO. COUNCIL EXPLORE WHERE THE EXISTING STAFF WERE THAT THEN MIGHT SUPPORT THE CREATION OF THE DIVISION. SO THAT WAS ONE DIVISION THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING. AND THEN I KNOW I'M CAUSING A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION HERE, BUT MADAM CITY CLERK, IF YOU CAN NOW SCROLL BACK TO THE TOP, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL DIVISION THAT WE HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS THE DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ARTS. SO IF YOU RECALL FROM THE PRESENTATION AND I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE COMMENTS, THE COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY THIS EVENING, WE HAVE RICH CULTURAL ASSETS AND ALSO PROXIMITY TO THE CREATIVE ECONOMY. MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITY OF EAST POINT ARE ARTISTS AND ARTISANS OF MANY DIFFERENT TYPES, [00:55:06] AND THE HOPE WAS THAT WE WOULD ESTABLISH A MORE PROMINENT DIVISION THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO HOW WE ACTIVATE ARTS AS A POTENTIAL CURRENCY IN THE CITY. AND MADAM CITY CLERK, IF YOU COULD SCROLL TO THE SLIDE WHERE I DESCRIBE WHAT THE THE FUNCTIONS ARE KEEP GOING. OKAY, HERE WE GO. SO THE STAFFING FOR THIS MODEL WOULD HAVE ASKED YOU TO LOOK AT KIND OF OUR EXISTING STAFFING IN THE CITY RELATED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS. I'M ONLY AWARE OF ONE RIGHT NOW THAT HAS THIS PRIMARY FUNCTION, BUT THE CURIOSITY WAS AROUND. IF THERE WERE OTHER PLACES IN THE CITY THAT WERE DOING CULTURAL ARTS AFFAIRS RELATED ACTIVITIES THAT WE COULD THEN COMBINE AND CREATE A MUCH MORE VISIBLE FOOTPRINT RELATED TO THIS TOPIC. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF HOW YOU ADJUSTED AND ACCOMMODATED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE ONE OFFICE? BUT I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY HERE IS FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THE THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF ESTABLISHING THESE TWO DIVISIONS. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY WERE THERE ANY THE REASON WHY I'D ASKED YOU TO KIND OF LOOK AT THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS, AND WE TOOK THE MOTION WAS IN RESPONSE TO, IS OUR CITY ABLE TO DELIVER ON THESE ITEMS ALIGNED WITH SOME OF THE OTHER CONCERNS WE'VE HEARD ABOUT GRATUITIES, ETCETERA? YES. SO WE DID RESEARCH. THE QUESTION ABOUT GRATUITIES AND WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ANY PITFALLS IN PROVIDING SOME OF THE ITEMS, MORE SO UNDER THE HOUSING STABILIZATION, NOT UNDER CULTURE AFFAIRS. I THINK THAT ONE IS PRETTY CLEAR AND DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS AS THE OTHER DIVISION. AND THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH DETAILS THAT YOU CAN USE CITY EXPENDITURES TO SERVE A VALID PUBLIC PURPOSE, RIGHT? THAT IS IN OUR GEORGIA CONSTITUTION AT ARTICLE NINE, SECTION TWO, PARAGRAPH THREE. OBVIOUSLY, THE FUNDS CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A GRATUITY TO ANY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT A CLEAR GOVERNMENTAL OBJECTIVE. AND THAT'S WHEN YOU GET INTO MAKING SURE THE PROGRAM, THE PLAN, THE CRITERIA IS NARROWLY TAILORED TO MEET WHATEVER THE GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST IS. IT CAN'T BE RACE BASED, RIGHT? IT CAN'T BE GENDER BASED. IT CAN'T BE AGE BASED. YOU HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM ANY OF THOSE RELIGIOUS BASED, ANY OF THOSE PROTECTED CLASSES, OR ELSE WE DO RUN THE RISK OF BEING IN VIOLATION OF NOT ONLY OUR GEORGIA CONSTITUTION, BUT ALSO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. SO ANY PROGRAM THAT IS GOING TO DO ASSISTANCE IN THE HOUSING. EXCUSE ME, CITY ATTORNEY. YOUR MICROPHONE IS OFF, I THINK. NO, THE RED LIGHT IS ON. OH, I'M SORRY, I THOUGHT THE MICROPHONE. SORRY, I DIDN'T SEE THAT. MY APOLOGIES. THAT'S OKAY. ANY PROGRAM THAT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE PUBLIC MONIES IN ASSISTANCE, WHETHER IT BE RENTAL ASSISTANCE, I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE CONVERSATION WHEN WE FIRST TALKED ABOUT THIS. UTILITY ASSISTANCE, THOSE KIND OF THINGS WHILE THEY'RE NOT ILLEGAL ON THEIR FACE WITHOUT SOME TYPE OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, SOME OBJECTIVE STANDARDS AND A DEMONSTRATED PUBLIC BENEFIT. RIGHT. THEN WE WILL HAVE SOME LEGAL PROBLEMS WITH THOSE TYPE OF PROGRAMS. OKAY. I YIELD TO HEAR THE DISCUSSION FROM MY COLLEAGUES. BUT AFTER I HAVE, I'D LIKE TO GO IN FOR A SECOND TIME. OH. YOU'LL BE. YEAH. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS. YES. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT THIS AND WROTE DOWN SOME OBSERVATIONS THAT I WANT THE RECORD TO REFLECT. FROM THE INITIAL PRESENTATION, IT WAS SHARED THAT THESE WERE ALREADY DIVISIONS OF THE CITY. COUNCIL MEMBER CUMMINS AND I BOTH SHARED THE HISTORY AND THE BENEFITS, AND MR. JONES WAS DIRECTED TO COME BACK WITH A SCOPE OR SOME SORT OF INFORMATION, AND HE NEVER DID. WHAT HE DID COME BACK WITH WAS THE DISMANTLING OF THE OFFICE OF EMPOWERMENT, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. AND THAT HAS PROVEN RESULTS OF HELPING OVER 1000 EASTPOINTE RESIDENTS WITH HOUSING, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE CITY OF EMPLOYEES WITH HOUSING, I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO EVERYONE [01:00:10] WHO WAS NEW ON COUNCIL TO GO BACK AND REFER TO THE SOUTHERN EQUITY REPORT, DATING BACK ALL THE WAY TO 2020. IT'S THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE, EQUITABLE GROWTH AND INCLUSION STRATEGIC PLAN. AND IN 2021, COUNCIL VOTED TO SUPPORT ALL ASPECTS OF THE PLAN UNANIMOUSLY. WHO SAID THAT IT WAS LIMITED? EVERY DECISION THAT IS MADE IS NOT MADE BY THE CITY MANAGER, BUT WE HAVE A COUNCIL CITY MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S OFTENTIMES WHERE I'M FALLING SHORT BECAUSE DISCUSSIONS ARE BEING HAD, PRESENTATIONS ARE BEING MADE AND IT'S SHOWING UP IN DOCUMENTS. BUT LET ME CONTINUE. MR. JONES JUST PROVIDED US A REORGANIZATION AND DISPLACEMENT OF PEOPLE'S JOBS. THAT'S WHAT HE JUST SAID. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME BACK WITH SOMETHING IN WRITING ON APRIL 20TH, AND TODAY IS MAY 4TH. HE JUST GAVE US A REORGANIZATION BASED UPON THE COUNCIL MEMBERS PRE PRESENTATION BACK IN APRIL. SO REORGANIZATION. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE 50 WORST PROPERTIES. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT BACK IN 2024. I WENT AND FOUND THE MINUTES FOR IT BECAUSE JANICE ELIAS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, REVIEWED THE BUDGET OF THE PROGRAM. SHE STATED THAT A SMALLER BUDGET WAS BROUGHT FORWARD FOR FY 25 AND THIS WILL TAKE CARE OF SERVICES NEEDED. COUNCIL MEMBER CUMMINGS MOTION TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF BUILDING OUT A 50 WORST PROPERTY DEPARTMENT. COUNCIL MEMBER DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS PROVIDED THE SECOND. THIS ISN'T NEW. IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, OVER $300,000 WAS ALLOCATED TO THE 50 WORST PROPERTIES, IT PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED THEN IN THIS BUDGET IS SHOWING THREE EMPLOYEES. WHEN I WENT ON RECORD AND SAID THAT THIS WAS A TOTALITY. IT'S A SYSTEM. YOU HAVE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE ENTITIES, THE SOLICITOR'S OFFICE, THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BRING SOMETHING BACK AND NEVER DID. AFFAIRS. THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ARTS DEPARTMENT, OVER 1 MILLION HAS BEEN PROPOSED FOR THE CITY EVENTS AND OVER 400 K FOR COMMUNITY CONCERTS, CONCERTS, CONCERTS, WHICH GIVES ME REASON FOR PAUSE. WEDNESDAY WIND DOWN WAS A CONCERT SERIES IN. FOUR MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL HAVE EXPRESSED STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE WEDNESDAY WIND DOWN CONCERT SERIES THAT WAS A SIGNATURE EVENT FOR EASTPOINTE, THE OPPOSITION EXTENDED BEYOND DISCUSSION, WITH ACTIONS THAT INCLUDED ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO CALL THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN REACHING OUT TO SPONSORS, ASKING THEM NOT TO SPONSOR IT. GIVEN THE HISTORY OF THE CONCERT SERIES, WHY IS FUNDING FOR A CONCERT SERIES EVEN IN THE BUDGET, ESPECIALLY IN A BUDGET THAT LACKS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR RESIDENTS? 300 K $0. EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS $0. COUNCIL'S EDUCATION AND TRAINING BUDGET $8,000. THIS DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE IN ALIGNMENT. IN FACT, IT REFLECTS THE OPPOSITE. AND FOR THE RECORD, THE APRIL 17TH CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT MEETING IS AVAILABLE THROUGH AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST. ALSO IN THAT MEETING. EMPLOYEES WERE ADVISED TO KEEP THEIR PHONES ON FOR POTENTIAL LAYOFFS. THIS PRAISE. THIS PRESENTATION IS WELL INTO OPERATIONS, AND MR. JONES DID THE EXACT OPPOSITE. SO I WANTED TO GO ON RECORD WITH THAT. THAT AS THIS IS REFLECTED TODAY, I AM NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS WITH SO MANY SLASHES TO OUR BUDGET WITH SO MUCH MISINFORMATION. WE HAD $27 MILLION IN A DEFICIT THAT WENT TO 14 MILLION, THAT WENT TO 10 MILLION. SO NO, AS THIS CURRENTLY STANDS, HE DID NOT FOLLOW THE DIRECTIVE THAT HE WAS GIVEN TO GIVE US SOMETHING IN WRITING IN ONLY ONE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DISPLACED. SO AS IT STANDS, I'M NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY MORE COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL ON THIS MATTER. [01:05:01] OKAY. OKAY. SO I APPRECIATE DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS, YOUR COMMENTS BECAUSE I AGREE WITH YOU THAT WHAT WE WERE PRESENTED DOESN'T MATCH THE DIRECTIVE. AND I ALSO STILL WOULD LIKE US TO EXPLORE. I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THESE DEPARTMENTS EXCUSE ME THAT SOME OF THESE FUNCTIONS EXIST. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THESE FUNCTIONS AS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME IN VERY VARIOUS SETTINGS, ARE NOT COORDINATED. THEY'RE NOT UNIFIED. THERE'S NOT CLEAR EXPECTATIONS AND MEASURABLE OUTCOMES. AND SO MY PRESENTATION IS NOT ABOUT TO CREATE THESE DEPARTMENTS. MY PRESENTATION IS ABOUT US UNDERSTANDING HOW WE ORGANIZE THE CITY IN A WAY THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT YOU'VE OUTLINED. I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT COUNCIL RESERVES THE AUTHORITY TO DEFINE, AMONG MANY THINGS, THE PERSONNEL AND STAFFING LEVELS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO FUND TO TO ALLOW THE CITY TO FUNCTION, AS WELL AS TO DEFINE DEPARTMENTS. AND SO I APPRECIATE THE FEEDBACK. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT ALL OF THE DETAILS, BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT WE COULD CONTINUE EXPLORING THIS AS WE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED. AND I WANT TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR FOR THE RECORD THAT I MADE NO ASPERSIONS TO HAVE THE CITY MANAGER TO ACT ON THESE OTHER THAN THE MOTIONS THAT WE TOOK ON APRIL 6TH. AND SO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL MOTION AND HOPE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO RESPOND TO AN ACTUAL POLICY SO THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THINGS. AND THE EMOTION HERE IS FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED BY THIS BODY THAT ESTABLISHES AND CLEARLY ORGANIZES A DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ART THAT REPORTS DIRECTLY TO THE CITY MANAGER AND ALIGNS WITH THE PRESENTATION AND PROPOSAL THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO COUNCIL AND DISCUSSED AT THE APRIL 6TH MEETING. THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS. I THINK THAT I NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARIFICATION. YOU HAVE TWO MOTIONS ON THE FLOOR NOW OR YOU HAVE ONE MOTION. I ONLY HAVE ONE. OKAY. SO THE MOTION IS TO WHAT IS YOUR MOTION ASKING FOR? AGAIN, DIRECT THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE THAT DEFINES A DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ART THAT REPORTS TO THE CITY MANAGER. SO YOU WANTED TO DRAFT IT. YOU WANT HER TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE? YES. OKAY. DO YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE? I JUST WANT, LIKE, A IT'S A LOT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING EVERYTHING. SO YOU WANTED TO DRAFT A CITY ORDINANCE THAT ESTABLISHES THE DIVISION OF. WELL, I DON'T WANT TO SAY ESTABLISHES THAT COULD ESTABLISH IF THE COUNCIL WERE TO ADOPT IT. RIGHT NOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO GET THE COUNCIL TO ADOPT ANY CHANGE. WE NEED A POLICY TO RESPOND TO. SO I'M ASKING FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE THAT ESTABLISHES THE DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC ART THAT REPORTS TO THE CITY MANAGER. OKAY. AND TO BRING THAT ORDINANCE BACK TO US FOR CONSIDERATION AT A MAY AT THE MAY 11TH WORK SESSION. OKAY. SO MY QUESTION TO THE CITY ATTORNEY IS, IS THAT HELP ME OUT? IS THAT A MOTION THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE OR CAN THAT BE? OKAY. SO WE HAVE OR THAT CAN, CAN WE REQUEST THAT THAT GOES TO THE WORK SESSION AUTOMATICALLY SINCE IT HASN'T ALREADY BEEN THERE. SO IT CURRENTLY SHE WOULD NEED TO MAKE THE MOTION AS SHE DID. YEAH, SHE. I'M SO SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD NEED TO MAKE THE MOTION AS HAS BEEN MADE. GET A SECOND AND IF IT PASSES, THEN IT WILL GO ON THE MARCH. MARCH. MAY 11TH WORK SESSION WITH THE DOCUMENT ATTACHED. OKAY, SO NOW WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO DIRECT THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH THE DIVISION OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS UNDER THE CITY MANAGER FOR COUNCIL TO REVIEW DURING THE MAY 11TH WORK SESSION. THAT IS THE MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? THERE IS NO SECOND. WE HAVE A DISCUSSION. OKAY. BUT WE NEED TO WE NEED TO. WE DIDN'T HAVE A SECOND. SO. RIGHT. I WAS GOING TO MAKE A SECOND. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING. I WAS GOING TO MAKE A SECOND TO THE MOTION. OKAY. SECOND AND WE HAVE SOME. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS IN FOR DISCUSSION AND COUNCILMAN ROGERS AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. YES. AND MY ISSUE WITH THIS AGAIN IS THE BUDGET AS PRINTED, HAS OVER $1 MILLION IN EVENTS [01:10:09] TAKEN OUT OF THIS BUDGET IS HOME REPAIR FOR SENIORS, WHICH WAS ONCE 300,000 TO $0, EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR RESIDENTS, WHICH WAS 300,000 $0. EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS $0. OUR COUNCIL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IS NOW $8,000 AND. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH MOVING FORWARD WITH ANYTHING UNTIL WE HAVE AN APPROPRIATE BUDGET. SO I AM NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS. I DON'T KNOW HOW ANYONE CAN SUPPORT THIS WHEN WE AREN'T EVEN HELPING RESIDENTS JUST GET BASIC HOME REPAIR FOR THAT MATTER. AND THIS IS A TOTAL REORGANIZATION THAT WAS PRESENTED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER AND CARRIED OUT IN OUR BUDGET, WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE GOING TO BE DISPLACED. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE INTENTION WAS OR IT DOESN'T MATTER. WE HAVE A BUDGET WHERE ONE DEPARTMENT THAT WAS SET UP TO HELP THE RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY IS NO LONGER, BUT NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FOR ORDINANCE FOR $1 MILLION IN EVENTS. NO, I'M NOT GOING TO SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. SO AND I I'M TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M I'M CLEAR ON EVERYTHING I KNOW. COUNCIL MEMBER HEMMINGS, SHE HAD HER, HER PRESENTATION AND WHAT SHE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE NEW DEPARTMENTS LOOK LIKE. AND THE CITY MANAGER, WHEN YOU DID YOUR BUDGET PRESENTATION ON LAST WEEK AND I ATTENDED, I KNOW YOU KIND OF MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS, BUT I, I NEED TO SEE THEM SIDE BY SIDE SO I CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT WE'RE GIVING, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE GIVING UP, WHAT WE'RE CREATING. AND THEN TWO, FOR COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS, UNTIL WE HAVE SOME SORT OF BUDGET TO SEE, BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW TO EVEN IF WE PUT THIS TOGETHER, DO WE BUDGET WISE? I MEAN, CAN WE EVEN IS THIS EVEN IN THE BUDGET TO EVEN DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR WHAT IT IS THAT I MEAN, I, I SEE WHAT SHE'S ASKING, I SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE, BUT STILL, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO SEE WHAT, WHAT DOES THE BUDGET SAY THAT WE CAN DO? RIGHT. DID YOU WANT HIM TO? IF HE CAN ANSWER IT. I MEAN, WE GOT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, RIGHT? AND THEN WE HAVE THE BUDGET THAT'S IN THE RIGHT. SO THE BUDGET IS GOING TO HAVE TO SUSTAIN WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE DECIDE TO DO. SO I JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE EVEN HAVE THE BANDWIDTH TO DO. I KNOW YOU'VE MADE SOME SUGGESTIONS, BUT LIKE I LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS SAID, WHAT IS THE BUDGET SAYING THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO AT THIS POINT? OKAY. DO WE WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM NOW OR JUST I KNOW WE HAVE A BUDGET DISCUSSION LATER. GO AHEAD. I JUST DIDN'T WANT. OKAY. WELL, THEN IF IT COMES IN IN THE BUDGET DISCUSSION PORTION, THEN THAT'S FINE. BUT I MEAN, I DON'T, I DEFINITELY DON'T WANT US TO JUST KIND OF JUMP OUT HERE AND MAKE A DECISION ON SOMETHING AND WE FIND OUT THAT, THAT THE BUDGET WON'T SUSTAIN WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. SO I, I, I NEED TO, I NEED SOME MORE. OKAY. DO YOU EAT POTATOES ON THIS? I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. I WOULD IT BE OKAY IF WE JUST LET HIM AND THEN WE AT THAT. OKAY. OKAY. SO YOU NEED MORE CLARIFICATION ON THE BUDGET ONCE WE GET THROUGH ALL THE ROUNDS OF DISCUSSION. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I GET YOU. OKAY. OKAY. WE HAD COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. AND THEN. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WE HAVE COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL, WE HAVE COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL, COUNCILMAN ATKINS, AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS WILL BE ON HER SECOND ROUND. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GETS IN ON THIS ROUND. SO. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. SURE. THANK YOU. SO I GUESS THERE'S A LITTLE CONFUSION ON MY PART, AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON'T GET INTO THE OPERATIONS OF THINGS, BUT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ESTABLISH AND CREATE POSITIONS, I GUESS, WHERE THE CONFUSION IS COMING IN. A LOT OF THE FUNCTIONALITY THAT IS MENTIONED UNDER THE CULTURAL PROGRAM AND UNDER THE PEACE AROUND HOUSING. THESE ARE ALREADY FUNCTIONALITIES THAT ARE HANDLED BY THE CITY TODAY, RIGHT? SO CULTURAL ENRICHMENT, WHICH LIVES UNDER PARKS AND RECS HANDLES A LOT OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED TODAY. SO THAT'S WHERE IT'S GETTING A LITTLE CONFUSING BECAUSE OPERATIONALLY THESE ARE ALREADY IN PLACE. AND SO TO MAKE A SUGGESTION ON A CHANGE IS WHAT'S COMING UP AS FAR AS CONFUSION. [01:15:07] SO I GUESS I WOULD NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHY THERE WOULD NEED TO BE SOMETHING REESTABLISHED THAT'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER. YEAH. SO I MEAN, IF SHE COULD ANSWER THAT. OKAY. I'LL WAIT UNTIL. OKAY. COUNCILMAN ATKINS YES. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. MY QUESTION AROUND THAT IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR. AND COUNCILMEMBER HEMMING, I THINK SHE'S GOING TO SPEAK AFTER ME AND SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TO ASSIST WITH THIS. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE THE NEW DIVISION, TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE TASKS THAT ARE OUTLINED IN THE PRESENTATION BY COUNCIL MEMBER HEMMING. AND I KNOW THAT CITY MANAGER JONES HAS PROVIDED SOME REALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, BOTH DOLLARS AND HUMAN WITHIN CITY GOVERNMENT. DO WE HAVE TO HAVE AN ORDINANCE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT? OR COULD IT BE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER JONES, CITY MANAGER JONES, BASED ON THIS PRESENTATION, SAYING, IF THIS BODY HAS THE WILL TO CREATE THESE DIVISIONS OR THE DIVISION TO DO THESE TASKS AS IT IS LAID OUT IN THIS PRESENTATION, THIS IS HOW THIS CAN HAPPEN WITHIN THIS BUDGET WITHOUT CHANGING ANY OF THE BOTTOM LINE, BECAUSE IT'S A ZERO BALANCE BUDGET. OR DO WE HAVE TO HAVE AN ORDINANCE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT TO GIVE HIM THE ABILITY TO DO IT? SO I THINK THERE'S A I'M SO SORRY, MADAM MAYOR. IS IT APPROPRIATE IF I RESPOND NOW OR WAIT? RIGHT. SO YOU CAN RESPOND TO THAT AND THEN REMOVE THIS CITY MANAGER AND. YES. GO AHEAD. OKAY. I THINK THERE ARE MULTIPLE APPROACHES. MAYBE JUST TWO. ONE IS WHAT YOU DESCRIBED. ONE IS WHAT YOU DESCRIBED, WHICH IS MAYBE THE MICROPHONE IS TOO FAR. PULL IT CLOSER MAYBE. SO THE ONE APPROACH IS THE DIRECTIVE THAT YOU GIVE THE CITY MANAGER TO CREATE THIS DIVISION IN THE BUDGET. AND THE DIVISION THEN IS FUNDED. YOU HAVE THE POSITIONS THERE UNDER THAT WOULD SUPPORT THIS DIVISION. AND WHEN YOU APPROVE THE BUDGET, YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY APPROVING THE CREATION OF THIS DIVISION, THE, THE POSITIONS UNDERNEATH THE DIVISION AND THE MONIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DIVISION, SALARIES, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER ELSE THEY NEED. ANOTHER APPROACH IS A SEPARATE ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION. I WAS LOOKING IN THE CHARTER TO SEE IF YOU GUYS STATE WHETHER IT HAS TO BE CREATED BY ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION, SPECIFICALLY AT SECTION 1-103 OF YOUR CITY CHARTER, THAT GIVES THE POWER TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL TO CREATE, ALTER OR ABOLISH DEPARTMENTS, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND AUTHORITIES OF THE CITY AND TO CONFER UPON SUCH AGENCIES THE NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY FOR CARRYING OUT ALL POWERS CONFERRED UPON IT. SO THEN, MY SECOND APPROACH WOULD BE CREATING IT BY WAY OF RESOLUTION OR ORDINANCE. THAT GIVES IT THE WORDS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE BUDGET USUALLY DOES NOT HAVE. THE PURPOSE, THE FUNCTIONS, THE DELIVERABLES, THE OUTCOMES, AND ALL OF THAT OTHER STUFF. AND SO YOU COULD CREATE IT BY ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION. AND THEN IF IT PASSES, OBVIOUSLY IT WILL THEN BE ADDED TO THE BUDGET TO PUT THE MONEY WITH IT. OKAY. AND SO THE AND MAYBE COUNCILMEMBER HEMMING CAN PROVIDE CLARIFICATION ON THIS. SO THE DOCUMENT THEN WOULD, IN ESSENCE, THE BUDGET WOULD BE THE NUMBERS, BUT THE ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION WOULD BE THE NARRATIVE THAT TALKS ABOUT WHAT THAT DIVISION IS SUPPOSED TO DO BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT'S PRESENTED IN THE PRESENTATION BY COUNCILMEMBER HEMMING. AND SO IF THIS BODY DECIDES THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE, WE'VE GOT A DOCUMENT THAT SAYS THAT THIS DIVISION IS CREATED, AND IT IS TO DO X, Y, AND Z, OR THIS DIVISION IS CREATED TO DO X, Y, AND Z. AND SO THEN THE BUDGET NUMBERS WOULD THEN SUPPORT THAT. WHATEVER IS IN THAT DOCUMENT. RIGHT. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, NOT ONLY FOR THE COUNCIL TO KNOW, BUT FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO KNOW, BECAUSE TO COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL'S POINT, YOU GUYS DON'T GET INTO OPERATIONS. SO HE WOULD HAVE TO STAFF THAT DIVISION. HE WOULD HAVE TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT SKILLS HE'S LOOKING FOR TO, YOU KNOW, HEADED UP TO CARRY OUT WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE STATED IS THE VISION OF THE CITY TO HAVE THIS [01:20:06] DIVISION. OKAY. SO THE, THE MEAT AND POTATOES, IF YOU WILL, I HEARD THAT EARLIER TODAY WOULD BE NEEDED. SO THAT THE CITY MANAGER COULD CARRY OUT YOU GUYS POLICY AS YOU HAVE APPROVED IT IN THAT DOCUMENT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE HAVE COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS. YOU WANT TO RESPOND TO THAT AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN. SO WE'RE IN OUR SECOND ROUND. SO. COUNCILWOMAN. CUMMINGS ALSO HAS A FOLLOW UP AS WELL, SO WE WILL CALL ON HER AFTER. COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS RATHER THAN JUST RESPONDING. I WAS CURIOUS, MR. CITY MANAGER AND SINCE I'M THE PRESENTER, I THINK THE RULES ALLOW ME TO CLOSE THE DEBATE, IF YOU WILL. SO I'LL DEFER MY RESPONSES TO COUNCIL THEN. BUT MR. CITY MANAGER, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE OUR DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION WHO IS IN THE ROOM, AND I'D BE CURIOUS IF YOU WOULD ALLOW HIM OR YOURSELF TO SPEAK ON HOW HAVING MORE INSIGHTS INTO KIND OF WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE OF COUNCIL TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH A DIVISION WITH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE IMPLEMENTED IN THE CITY, HOW THAT COULD HELP IMPROVE YOUR OPERATIONS, IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING FOR YOUR DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO SPEAK BEFORE COUNCIL. JUST TO CLARIFY, BECAUSE I'M NOT REALLY FOLLOWING EXACTLY, YOU'RE LOOKING FOR CLARIFICATION ON HOW A CULTURAL A CULTURAL DIVISION WOULD HELP. HOW WOULD HELP CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT THIS FUNCTION IS AND WHAT IT WOULD DO, AND HOW COUNCIL WOULD EXPECT TO SEE THINGS OPERATIONALIZED. YEAH, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS REGARDING GUARDING THAT. AND I WOULD, I WOULD TEND TO LIKE TO VISIT WITH THE DIRECTOR BEFORE EXPOSING THEM TO MAKING COMMENTS IN PUBLIC. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. SORRY. THIS QUESTION WOULD BE, I GUESS, FOR THE CITY MANAGER AND THE CITY ATTORNEY AS FAR AS WHAT THIS PROCESS LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW WE KEEP WE TALK ABOUT WE DON'T WANT TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE. COUNCIL. WE'RE GETTING INTO OPERATIONS. I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE AND I AND I DON'T. SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO, TO GET THIS ACCOMPLISHED THAT I GUESS A LITTLE BIT, EVERYBODY GETS A LITTLE BIT OF SOME OF WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT. BECAUSE IT'S COMING. WE, WE PUT THE PRESENTATION UP. THIS IS WHAT WE LIKE TO SEE. BRING IT BEFORE US. WE SAY, OKAY, YEAH, THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO. AND THEN NOW IT'S KIND OF PLACED ON YOU TO SAY THAT THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT BECAUSE THIS IS THAT'S PRETTY MUCH YOUR WHEELHOUSE AS FAR AS HOW STUFF IS SUPPOSED TO BE ORGANIZED. SO I THINK I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T WE DON'T BLUR THOSE LINES AND, AND GET INTO OPERATIONS. BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS THAT COUNCILMEMBER HEMMING WHAT SHE'S WANTING TO DO, BUT WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THIS DONE? I THINK BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE SOME MEETINGS OF THE MINDS OF HOW THIS NEEDS TO GO ABOUT. AND I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO JUST I DON'T WANT US TO JUST GET OUT HERE AND JUST KIND OF WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. SO REALLY, WHAT'S GOING TO WORK BEST FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO TRY AND GET SOME OF THIS DONE? IF NOT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO HAVE A MEETING OF THE MINDS. AND I DON'T I DON'T WANT US TO JUST LIKE JUST PUT STUFF ON THE AGENDA. WE VOTE ON IT AND THEN WE CHARGE YOU TO DO IT. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE DONE. MAYBE NOT THIS BUDGET CYCLE. SO. WELL, I APPRECIATE IT. SO I WANT TO GO, GO BACK TO A TOOL THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS USED THAT I THINK IS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL IN HELPING STAFF PUT TOGETHER THE BUDGET, WHICH IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ONE ON ONE MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE SET UP FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. FRANK, FRANKLY, THESE KIND OF NUANCES RIGHT NOW, ON THE SURFACE DOESN'T APPEAR THAT IT HAS A BUDGET IMPACT. BUT THEN I ALSO RECALL NEW FEES BEING INTRODUCED, WHICH WOULD WRITE AND I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHERE THE ENHANCEMENTS COME FROM, FROM THE ADJUSTMENTS. AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S A CRITICAL PART OF UNDERSTANDING HOW TO REPRESENT AND PRESENT A BUDGET. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF, OF, OF THINGS STATED THIS EVENING THAT'S NOT TOTALLY ACCURATE, BUT STAFF HADN'T HAD A CHANCE OR BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE SURROUNDING INFORMATION THAT WOULD SHOW WHERE SOMETHING MIGHT [01:25:02] HAVE BEEN MOVED TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT TO HAVE THAT FUNDING, FUNDING THAT MIGHT APPEAR TO BE GONE IN ANOTHER DEPARTMENT BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT ARE BEING REALIGNED. THAT'S PART OF THE REALIGNMENT. BUT BUT AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY OF SITTING DOWN AND EXPRESSING WHAT THOSE QUESTIONS ARE. IT'S A LOT EASIER TO DO THAT SO THAT STAFF CAN THEN RESPOND. AND THEN WHEN WE GET TO A MEETING, BE PREPARED TO PRESENT A COURSE OF ACTION. THAT MAKES SENSE. RIGHT. THANK YOU. CITY MANAGER AND COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. OKAY. WE'RE I THINK WE'RE AT THE END OF TIME. THIS IS CITY BUSINESS. SO DO YOU WANT TO KNOW THIS IS CITY BUSINESS? I'M ASKING FOR COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. YEAH. SO WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY IS, I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE BUDGET CONVERSATION. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION WAS DISPERSED AND THOSE PEOPLE HAVE MOVED INTO OTHER ROLES. AND NOW WE'RE CREATING SOMETHING THAT HAS SIMILAR FUNCTIONALITY. IT DOES SEEM LIKE WE'RE GETTING MORE INTO THE OPERATIONAL SIDE OF IT. I'LL RESERVE MY COMMENTS AROUND THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION UNTIL WE GET TO THE BUDGET, BUT IT MAY BE HELPFUL TO SEE, SEE US KIND OF FINISH OUT THE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE BUDGET BEFORE WE MOVE INTO THIS PIECE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I CAN SPEAK NOW ABOUT KENT. OKAY. SO MY ONLY QUESTION WITH COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS AND THE PROPOSED BUDGET. I'M HAPPY TO CLOSE THE PRESENTATION, MADAM MAYOR, AND AND WITHDRAW MY MOTION. I THINK PART OF THE CONCERN HERE, I DO HAVE THAT ONE. GO AHEAD. OKAY. MADAM MAYOR, I'M HAPPY TO CLOSE THE PRESENTATION AND WITHDRAW MY MOTION. I THINK PART OF THE CONCERN HERE IS THAT ABSENT ANY SORT OF DIRECTIVE OR ORDINANCE, CHANGES DID HAPPEN. AND THEY'RE BEING CONFLATED WITH THE PRESENTATION THAT I MADE. AND THEN ALSO DIRECTLY TO THE CITY MANAGER RESPONSE ABOUT COUNCIL TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. I KNOW THAT I CERTAINLY HAVE ON MANY OCCASIONS TALKED TO HIM ABOUT SOME OF THESE PRIORITIES. AND SO MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE'S A CONFLATION OF TWO ACTIVITIES RIGHT NOW. AND I THINK THE MORE PRESSING CONVERSATION TO HAVE IS ABOUT THE BUDGET. SO I'M HAPPY TO CLOSE THE PRESENTATION AND WITHDRAW MY MOTION, BUT I'D LIKE TO BE. I'D LIKE IT TO BE CLEARLY STATED THAT THIS COUNCIL MEMBER MADE NO DIRECTIVES OF THE CITY MANAGER TO CHANGE ANYTHING TO ABOLISH, DISPERSE, AMEND. WHAT THIS COUNCIL MEMBER DID WAS ASK FOR A COUNCIL DECISION TO PROVIDE MORE CLARITY TO BOLSTER TWO FUNCTIONS IN THIS CITY, ONE AROUND COMMUNITY STABILIZATION AND ONE AROUND CULTURAL AFFAIRS. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO CLOSE THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE DID HAVE WE HAVE I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS ON THIS ROUND BECAUSE SHE HASN'T HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THIS ROUND. SO. COUNCILWOMAN MARK RODGERS ALL RIGHT. AND SO THANK YOU. AND LET ME GO ON RECORD AGAIN THE DIRECTIVE. THERE WAS A DIRECTIVE GIVEN AND IT WAS NOT FOLLOWED. PAGE 16. SECTION 15 CLEARLY STATES IN THE BUDGET DISPERSE THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION WITH 2 MILLION OFFICES RUN BY FOR EMPLOYEES BUDGET AND TAXPAYERS DOLLARS AND CHANGES THAT WILL IMPACT THEM SHOULD BE DONE PUBLICLY AND NOT ONE ON ONE. THESE ARE THEIR DOLLARS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO REFLECT TWO SECTION 2-401 ROLE DELINEATION OF OUR CHARTER, SUBSECTION NUMBER FOUR. THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL IS ELECTED OFFICIALS. SELF POSSESS. SELF SHALL POSSESS FUNDAMENTAL OVERSIGHT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITH RESPECT TO ALL OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION OF CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE CITY MANAGER SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE IN DUTY BOUND TO FACILITATE THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL'S OVERSIGHT FUNCTION. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. I JUST HAVE A QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION. I BELIEVE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS JUST READ FROM THE PROPOSED BUDGET, PAGE 16. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. OKAY. SO IF THIS IS A PROPOSED BUDGET, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU SAID THIS WAS A DIRECTIVE. AND SO. NO, NO. EXCUSE ME. WHAT I SAID WAS THERE WAS A DIRECTIVE GIVEN RIGHT ON APRIL 16TH. SO YOU CAN RESPOND TO THE QUESTION. SO I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT IT WAS A DIRECTIVE THAT THE. I SEE IT HERE ON PAGE 16 THAT DISPERSED THE OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION, AND I AM NOT AWARE THAT THAT HAS HAPPENED ALREADY. I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A PROPOSED BUDGET TO HELP BALANCE THE BUDGET AND GET TO A ZERO BALANCED BUDGET, [01:30:05] BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT WAS A DIRECTIVE FROM THIS COUNCIL TO DO THAT. IS THAT CORRECT, MR. CITY MANAGER? YES. TO BE CLEAR, THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY DIRECTIVE AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY DISBURSEMENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND I'D LIKE TO RESPOND. WHAT I WAS SAYING WAS IN OUR FIRST MEETING, THAT THERE WAS A DIRECTIVE GIVEN TO THE CITY MANAGER THAT HE DID NOT COME BACK WITH. THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYING. SHE READ THE THE COMMENTS OF OUR FIRST MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SEEING NO MORE DISCUSSION ON THE FLOOR FOR THIS ITEM. WE HAD A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. THERE WAS A SECOND. WE HAD DISCUSSION, SO I'M GOING TO CALL ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. SHE WITHDREW IT. OKAY. SO WE DON'T THE MOTION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN AND WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. [XIII.3. City of East Point 2024 Audit Update and Timeline of Completion ] ITEM IS THE CITY OF EAST POINT 2024 AUDIT UPDATE AND TIMELINE COMPLETION. DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS YES, I'D LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR WITH A MOTION TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON OUR AUDIT, THE 2024 AUDIT. THANK YOU. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. AYES HAVE IT DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS YES THANK YOU. I HAVE THIS ITEM ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE I DID ATTEND A BUDGET MEETING IN WHICH IT WAS STATED THAT WE HOPE TO HAVE ALL OF OUR AUDITS COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE YEAR. SO I AM ASKING FOR THE CITY MANAGER AND OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. I'D LIKE THEM TO COME AND ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO OUR 2024 AUDIT. AND I ONLY HAVE THREE QUESTIONS. SO WE DIDN'T NEED A MOTION FOR THAT. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. THERE'S TALKING, I CAN'T HEAR. I'LL WAIT. MR. CARTWRIGHT. GOOD EVENING. HOW ARE YOU DOING? YES, MISS CARTWRIGHT. MY FIRST QUESTION IS. I KNOW THAT ON APRIL 14TH, WE DID HAVE A MEETING IN WHICH I MADE A MOTION TO RECEIVE CERTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT OUR AUDIT, BECAUSE AUDITS ARE IMPORTANT TO A CITY, BUT IT WAS NOT SUPPORTED, WHICH IS FINE. I ALSO SENT NUMEROUS EMAILS AS TO WHERE THE CITY STANDS. SO I JUST HAVE THREE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR TONIGHT IN HOPES THAT YOU COULD HELP US ANSWER THEM. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, HAS THE 2024 AUDIT BEEN COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED? IT HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED. OKAY. MY NEXT QUESTION IS, DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN THAT AUDIT IS GOING TO BE COMPLETE? NO, MA'AM, NOT RIGHT NOW. WE HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN A TIMELINE. DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS FAR AS NOW WE HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE AUDIT FOR 2024. MY QUESTION IS HOW IS THAT GOING TO IMPACT THE CITY'S CREDIT WORTHINESS? SO AS LONG AS WE DON'T GET THE WELL WE'VE ALREADY LOST OUR CREDIT RATING WITH S&P. SO SO WE HAVE LOST THE CITY HAS LOST THEIR CREDIT RATING WITH S&P. CORRECT. WHEN WERE YOU NOTIFIED THAT THE CITY LOST THEIR CREDIT RATING? TO TO BE CORRECT, JUST TO BE CAREFUL WITH THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE USING. WE HAVEN'T LOST OUR CREDIT RATING. WE'VE BEEN DROPPED BY S&P. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE. HOW FAR HAVE WE BEEN DROPPED FROM S&P? WHAT IS A CREDIT RATING NOW PLEASE. WE GOT DROPPED ON APRIL AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE TO NOT USE THE WORDS CREDIT RATING. CREDIT RATING AGENCY THAT DID OUR LAST BOND ISSUANCE WAS S&P. THEY BASICALLY GAVE US A TIMELINE TO HAVE OUR AUDITS COMPLETE. WE COULDN'T MEET THAT. AND SO THEY HAVE DROPPED US. THEY'VE AGREED TO REVISIT ONCE OUR AUDITS ARE COMPLETE. FOR 2024. THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO YOU SEVERAL TIMES. NO IT HAS NOT. IT HAS. I'M NOT I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO DEBATE THE ISSUE. [01:35:01] THAT'S WHY IT'S BEING TO BE CLEAR PUBLICLY FOR THE PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. SO THE WAY THAT AUDITS ARE DONE THEY INCLUDE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SAMPLINGS. THE SAMPLING COULD GENERATE OTHER SAMPLINGS. AND SO THE TIMELINE, WHICH IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE A SET NORMAL TIMELINE BECAUSE AUDITS GO AS DEEP AS THEY GO BASED ON WHAT THEY FIND. NOW, THE INITIAL TIMELINE THAT WE HAD INITIALLY GAVE YOU, WHICH WAS THE END OF MAY, THAT'S THE TIMELINE. THAT'S THE BEST THING WE CAN GIVE YOU, BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA IF THEY FIND SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE MORE TIME. WE'VE BEEN SAYING THIS MORE THAN ONCE OVER SEVERAL EMAILS. THANK YOU. MISS CARTWRIGHT, YOU YOU ALL SAID, I THINK THAT THERE WAS MISCOMMUNICATION. THIS AUDIT WAS DUE ON APRIL 4TH. THE CITY THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD 90 DAYS OR UNTIL THE END OF MAY, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY DUE ON APRIL 4TH. THAT WAS WHAT WAS STATED IN THE EMAIL. BUT LET ME GO AHEAD AND READ THIS INTO THE RECORD. THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE RECEIVED A SIGNIFICANT BOND RATING INCREASE TO TRIPLE A THREE FROM MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE IN APRIL 2018. THE RATING WAS UPGRADED DUE TO IMPROVED FINANCIAL STABILITY, STRONG RESERVES, AND A GROWING TAX BASE. ADDITIONALLY, S&P GLOBAL RATINGS RAISED THE CITY'S RATING TO DOUBLE A IN AUGUST 2022. KEY HIGHLIGHTS REGARDING THE BOND RATING INCREASES 2018 UPGRADE MOODY'S UPGRADED US IN 2022. WE GOT AN UPGRADE FROM S&P. THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE HAS HISTORICALLY RECEIVED THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING FROM THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION GFOA FOR ITS ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORTS, FORMERLY CAFR. THIS AWARD REPRESENTS THE HIGHEST RECOGNITION IN GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING. FISCAL 2023 HIGHLIGHTS. THE CITY REPORTED AN INCREASE IN FUND BALANCE BY 6.5 MILLION AND A TOTAL GENERAL UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE OF 26 MILLION. ADDITIONALLY, THE STATE HAS REVIEWED AND ACCEPTED ALL PRIOR AUDIT SUBMISSIONS. THE ONLY OUTSTANDING AUDITS ARE FOR THE MOST RECENT TWO FISCAL YEARS, WHICH ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. THIS IS DISAPPOINTING NEWS, AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS HOW DOES A CITY'S CREDIT WORTHINESS OR THEIR BOND RATING OR CREDIT WATCH RATING? HOWEVER, WHATEVER SPIN THAT WANTS TO BE PUT ON THIS. HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE CITY? WITH OUR AUDITS BEING UP TO DATE. IT HINDERS THE CITY'S ABILITY TO GO OUT AND DO BOND ISSUANCE. THIS HAS ALSO BEEN IN SEVERAL EMAILS THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED. THANK YOU. IS THAT DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? COUNCILWOMAN. I'LL YIELD FOR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL THANK YOU. SO THE ONE THING I WANT TO SAY IS IT HASN'T BEEN VERY CLEARLY ARTICULATED THAT OUR BOND RATING HAS BEEN LOST. SO I DO WANT TO SAY THAT. AND IF YOU DO HAVE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE EXACT COMMUNICATION FROM S&P, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. SO THAT WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY'VE COMMUNICATED TO US. THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO SAY WITH THE. I WANT TO USE THE RIGHT TERMINOLOGY. YOU SAID IT. WE HAVEN'T OUR CREDIT OR THE RATING HAS BEEN DROPPED OR WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE. SO THERE'S THERE'S SEVERAL BOND RATING AGENCIES MOODY'S, STANDARD AND POOR'S. FITCH. THERE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THEM. OKAY. THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T INTERMINGLE. SO MOODY'S CANNOT GIVE YOU AN UPGRADE FOR STANDARD AND POOR'S RATINGS, VICE VERSA. AND FITCH CAN GIVE YOU UPGRADES FOR ANY OF STANDARD POOR'S OR, OR MOODY'S. SO TO CONFLATE THOSE THOSE ISSUANCES DOESN'T MAKE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. AS I HAD STATED IN IN, IN EMAILS PREVIOUS, THAT RATINGS ARE BASED ON PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOU CARRY THAT RATING UNTIL YOU DO ANOTHER PROJECT. WE HAVE NOT DONE A PROJECT IN QUITE SOME TIME. RATING AGENCIES DON'T CONTINUE TO HOLD THAT. IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER ANALYSIS OR INFORMATION TO BASE THEIR PREVIOUS RATINGS, [01:40:09] AND SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN UP TO DATE ON OUR AUDITS SINCE 2023. WE'VE JUST GOT 2023. LAST YEAR IN NOVEMBER. AND WE'RE PRESSING TO GET 24 DONE AT THE END OF MAY, WHICH THEN WILL TURN AROUND AND PRESS ON 25 AND THEN 25 AFTER THAT, WE WOULD NEED TO DO 26. SO ORDINARILY, IF I CAN JUST FINISH IF ORDINARILY IN A NORMAL YEAR. ONCE YOU CONCLUDE YOUR FISCAL YEAR IN JUNE, AT THE END OF JUNE, YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR TO GET THAT PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR THAT YOU JUST CONCLUDED, WRAPPED UP AND CONSIDERED TO BE CURRENT. SO IF WE CAN BASICALLY GET 24 DONE, GET 25, HOPEFULLY WITHOUT MAJOR ISSUES THAT REQUIRE GREATER DETAIL AND IN DEPTH, WHATEVER RESEARCH, THEN LIKELY WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET CLOSE OR VERY CLOSE TO WRAPPING UP 26 AT THE END OF THE YEAR. SO MY QUESTION IS MORE AROUND THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING TO US RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU CAN BE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, BUT AT SOME POINT WHEN YOU GET TOO FAR BEHIND, IT STARTS TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOU. TODAY, OUR ABILITY TO PURCHASE THINGS, EVEN, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WE NEED TO PURCHASE VEHICLES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. HAS IT IMPACTED OUR ABILITY TO DO THAT TODAY? ALSO, THERE ARE CERTAIN GRANTS THAT REQUIRE UP TO DATE AND NOT COMPLETELY UP TO DATE, BUT AT LEAST UP TO A CERTAIN POINT OF, OF AUDITS. HAS IT STARTED TO IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO COLLECT ON GRANTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN AWARDED? THE MAJORITY OF THE IMPACT HAS WITH LARGER PROJECTS, SMALLER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS LIKE THE VEHICLES YOU MENTIONED, IT WOULD NOT IMPACT. BUT IF WE GET INTO THE POINT WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF FUND BALANCE TO MAKE THOSE KIND OF PURCHASES, AND WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE LEASE, LEASE PURCHASE POLICIES AND THINGS THAT ARE MUCH BIGGER THAT COULD HAVE SOME EFFECT, BUT THOSE ARE NOT THE THINGS THAT WE ANTICIPATE THOSE. THIS IS MOSTLY FOR BIG PROJECTS LIKE OUR PARKS AND RECREATION CENTER POTENTIALLY OUR, OUR OLD, OLD CITY HALL BUILDING. THOSE TYPE OF PROJECTS, WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE THOSE AUDITS DONE. IF WE DON'T HAVE THOSE DONE, THERE'S NOT INFORMATION THAT A RATING AGENCY OR FINANCIAL INSTITUTION CAN BASE. IT'S LIKE TRYING TO PURCHASE A HOUSE WITHOUT GIVING, GIVING THEM YOUR TAX INFORMATION FOR SEVERAL, FOR SEVERAL YEARS. YOU GOT TO HAVE THAT BEFORE YOU CAN GET FINANCING. SO I GUESS MY LAST QUESTION IS AT WHAT POINT DO WE SOUND ALARMS? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE BROUGHT THIS UP BEFORE WE ASKED WHAT WE COULD DO IF THERE'S A NEED FOR EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT. THE ANSWER WAS NO, WE DON'T NEED ANY HELP. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE CONTINUOUSLY MOVING TOWARDS THE LINE OF. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SECURE BONDS FOR A LOT OF THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE TO THE COMMUNITY, AROUND RECREATION, AROUND OUR COMMONS PROJECT, AROUND AUDITORIUMS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND TO BE HONEST, WHEN WE GET INTO THE BUDGET DISCUSSION, THERE IS A NEED FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. OTHERWISE WE WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO PASS OVER INCREASED COSTS TO RESIDENTS. SO AT WHAT POINT DO WE SAY WE NEED TO SOUND THE ALARM? WE NEED TO THINK OF ANOTHER STRATEGY. WE NEED SOME HELP WITH THIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A DATE WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE DONE. WELL, I, I THINK THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE IN OUR BUDGET REQUESTS. SO THE NEW POSITION OF A BUDGET ANALYST WILL HELP IN THAT AREA. THE POSITION OF AN INTERNAL AUDITOR WILL HELP IN THAT AREA. I. DO BELIEVE THAT IT COULD BE APPROPRIATE TO LOOK AT ADDITIONAL SOURCES THAT THAT COULD GO INTO HELPING SOME OF OUR AREAS THAT WILL HAVE SOME IMPACT IN HELPING WITH AUDITS, BUT IT WON'T BE DIRECTLY IT WON'T BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO AUDITS. [01:45:04] SO WHAT I'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN IN THE PAST IS THAT WHEN AN AUDIT, WHEN AN AUDITOR OR AUDITING FIRM GOES AND DO SAMPLING, THAT SAMPLING CAN GO INTO A WHOLE LAYER OF DIFFERENT COMMUNICATIONS AND DIFFERENT TYPE OF RESEARCH THAT NEEDS TO BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THE, THE STRING OF TRANSACTIONS SO THAT THAT AUDITOR IS COMFORTABLE AND MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS NEXT PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT IT ANALYZES, GETTING THE RECORDS AND TRACKING. THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF AUDIT FINDINGS. DESPITE. COMMENTS MADE EARLIER THAT TALKED ABOUT JOURNAL ENTRIES NOT BEING KEPT UP TO DATE. THAT'S A FINDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAVING JOURNAL ENTRIES NOT BEING UP TO DATE OR NOT BEING SUBMITTED MEANS IT'S HARD TO TRACK TRANSACTIONS. AND IF A AUDITOR REQUIRES A PARTICULAR TRANSACTION AND THAT CAN'T BE FOUND, THEN IT HAS TO BE ALMOST RE-ENGINEERED. GOING BACK TO A HISTORIC, SOME HISTORIC POINT WHERE IT SHOWED A BALANCE OR IT SHOWED SOME KIND OF RECONCILIATION. AND THEN IT HAS TO BE BUILT FROM THAT POINT FORWARD TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE TRANSACTION THAT THAT AUDITOR IS LOOKING AT AT THAT MOMENT HAS BEEN APPROPRIATELY HANDLED. SO YOU JUST NEVER KNOW, AS THIS IS WHY I'VE CONSTANTLY BEEN SAYING YOU JUST DON'T KNOW BASED ON WHAT THE AUDITORS FIND. HOW LONG IT MAY TAKE. THEY GIVE US A GENERAL IDEA. WE TRY TO RESPOND FAST. ON RETURNING THOSE ITEMS WHEN THEY ASK FOR THEM. WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB IN THAT. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT SPEEDS UP THEIR ANALYSIS OF THAT INFORMATION. CAN I JUST MAKE ONE MORE COMMENT? I'LL BE DONE. FARROW IF IF THERE IS A CHANGE, WE WE WOULD LIKE A FORMAL COMMUNICATION THAT SOMETHING ELSE HAS HAPPENED. LIKE IF IT IS IMPACTING OUR ABILITY TO SECURE LOANS TODAY, NOT A FUTURE DATE TODAY. THEN WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD KNOW THOSE. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE COMPLEX ISSUES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS TO KIND OF NAVIGATE THROUGH, BUT WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THROUGH THOSE COMPLEX ISSUES, BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THIS. AND WE CANNOT HAVE A, A DROP BOND RATING OR, OR NO CREDIT RATING OR NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO SECURE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN. YES, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE FOR THE RECORD THAT ON MONDAY, MARCH EXCUSE ME, MARCH 23RD, 2026 AT 10:56 P.M., COUNCIL RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM CITY MANAGER REDMOND JONES TITLED S&P GLOBAL RATINGS EAST POINT, GEORGIA AND FISCAL 2020 FISCAL 2024 AUDIT. THE VERY FIRST LINE IS, I WANT TO PROVIDE YOU WITH AN IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING THE CITY'S AUDIT STATUS AND RECENT COMMUNICATION FROM S&P GLOBAL RATINGS. HE THEN GOES ON TO DESCRIBE WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING AND ATTACHES DOCUMENTS FOR OUR REVIEW. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL EMAILS. I CAN'T COUNT THEM ALL DISCUSSING THIS AUDIT. THESE AUDIT CONCERNS. SO I DO TAKE ISSUE WITH THE CHARACTERIZATION THAT THE COUNCIL HAS NOT BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS, BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE. I ALSO WANTED TO GO. I ALSO WANTED THE CITY MANAGER TO CONFIRM. BUT I UNDERSTAND WHEN I WAS A RESIDENT OF THE CITY THAT THE AUDITS WERE BEHIND SEVERAL YEARS IN. IN YOUR EARLIER COMMENT, YOU SAID THAT IT WAS BEHIND 2023, BUT FROM MY RECOLLECTION, WE STARTED FALLING BEHIND ON AUDITS IN 2020. IS THAT ACCURATE, MR. CITY MANAGER? THAT IS AND I, I JUST SAID THAT WE'VE BEEN IN A RUSH TO GET THOSE UPDATED AND TAB AND TAB JUST WRAP THAT UP. 23 LAST NOVEMBER. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND ALSO WE'VE HAD A FORENSIC AUDIT. AND IN THAT FORENSIC AUDIT, ONE OF THE PRIMARY CONCERNS WAS INTERNAL CONTROLS. WE ALSO HAVE A POSTED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE FINANCIAL SUMMARIES. THE LAST SUMMARY THAT I CAN FIND IS FROM FISCAL YEAR 2023. AND IT ALSO MADE SOME MENTIONS OF OF INTERNAL CONTROLS BEING A CONCERN. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION TO YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER, IS VERY SUCCINCTLY, HAVE THESE PROBLEMS PERSISTED BEYOND THIS CURRENT MOMENT THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN. THEY. THEY HAVE. AND I, I HAVE TALKED ABOUT A, A LITTLE BIT OF THE GENESIS OF THAT IN MY BUDGET PRESENTATION. AND WE WE DO HAVE ANOTHER BUDGET PRESENTATION, WHICH IS ONLINE THIS SATURDAY. AND I WILL BE PRESENTING TO THIS, TO THIS COUNCIL AND PUBLIC MEETING THOSE CHALLENGES. THAT GIVES A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT ON HOW THEY'VE PERSISTED. AND SO THESE ARE SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES THAT ARE A LITTLE DEEPER THAN UNDER THE HOODS THAN SOME OF THE PREVIOUS STATEMENTS THAT [01:50:08] WERE MADE BEFORE WITH REGARDS TO BOND ISSUANCE IN THE PAST OVER OVERALL. THOSE ARE ALL CAN BE ALL TRUE. BUT YET IF YOU GO UNDER THE HOOD, THERE'S BEEN SOME SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES THAT HAVE NOW KIND OF COME TO FRUITION THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH. OKAY, THANKS. AND I HAVE PULLED IN FRONT OF ME. AND SO THAT THE CITY. SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN UNDERSTAND HOW TO GET TO IT. IF YOU GO TO THE EAST POINT GA.GOV HOME PAGE, CLICK ON DEPARTMENTS AND THEN CLICK ON FINANCE. ONCE YOU CLICK ON FINANCE, YOU ARE ABLE TO GO MIDWAY THROUGH THE PAGE AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE PROPOSED BUDGETS AND FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS OF THE CITY. IMPORTANTLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORTS, YOU CAN PULL UP ALL OF THE AUDITS FOR YOUR OWN REVIEW AND YOU CAN CLICK ON FISCAL YEAR 2023, WHICH INCLUDES ON PAGE 14. ELECTRIC FUND OPERATING REVENUE INCREASED BY 2,739,739, 300 $313, AND OPERATING EXPENSES INCREASED BY $5 MILLION. SO YOU CAN SEE FROM JUST THAT ONE SENTENCE THAT THESE THESE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED HAVE NOT NECESSARILY BEGUN IN THIS MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE FINANCIAL SUMMARIES THAT HAVE DOCUMENTED THESE SYSTEMIC ISSUES. YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S BEEN AN IMBALANCE IN SOME OF THESE FUNDS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND SO WHAT I'M OFFERING TO THE PUBLIC IS THAT YOU CAN CONFIRM FOR YOURSELF WHERE THE CITY'S FINANCIAL POSITION HAS BEEN BY REVIEWING SOME OF THESE SUMMARIES. SO I DO IMPLORE AND HOPE THAT THE CITY MANAGER WOULD CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH US ABOUT THE AUDIT STATUS, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THIS. I ALSO ENCOURAGE, BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT COUNCILMEMBER CALDWELL SAID, THAT WE ARE MADE AWARE OF HOW IT IMPACTS CURRENT DECISIONS. BUT I REALLY DO PUSH BACK AGAINST THE CHARACTERIZATION THAT, ONE, THIS COUNCIL HAS NOT BEEN MADE AWARE OF THESE AT ALL BECAUSE THE DOCUMENTS EXIST HISTORICALLY AND THEY EXIST IN COMMUNICATION DIRECTLY FROM THE CITY MANAGER. I YIELD. CAN I MAKE A CORRECTION TO THAT SINCE I STATED IT? I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. SO I WANT TO MAKE A CORRECTION. WHAT WE ASKED AND THE QUESTION THAT WAS POSED IS WHERE IS THE CURRENT CREDIT RATING? YES, WE'VE BEEN MADE AWARE THAT WE HAVE NOT COMPLETED AND THAT IS WHAT THE EMAIL STATES. I JUST PULLED IT UP MYSELF THAT WE HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE AUDIT, BUT IT DOES NOT GIVE US INFORMATION AS TO WHERE WE STAND AS FAR AS THE CREDIT RATING. AND SO THAT IS THE QUESTION THAT CONTINUOUSLY IS ASKED. AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS ANSWERED TONIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS AND I THINK THE BEAUTY OF ALL OF THIS IS IF WE REFLECT BACK TO OCTOBER 25TH, 2025, OPEN RECORDS REQUEST, THERE WAS AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST. SO, YOU KNOW, WE GET ON, WE TELL PEOPLE WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION, DO AN OPEN RECORDS, REQUEST RESIDENTS TO SEE WHO'S FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT FOR YOU AND PROBABLY WHO ISN'T ON THE SAME PAGE. NUMBER ONE, WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION FROM S&P. WHAT WE RECEIVED WAS A MEMORANDUM FROM THE CITY MANAGER WITH HIS INTERPRETATION. THE NEXT THING THAT WE RECEIVED WAS S&P GLOBAL RATINGS RATING DIRECT. IT WAS A DRAFT. IT GAVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE S&P RATINGS. IT DID NOT SAY WHERE THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE STOOD. SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS INFORMATION IS COMING FROM. NUMBER TWO, IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AUDIT IN 2025, ONE PERSON WAS REMOVED OUT OF THE POSITION AND YOU RECEIVED THE POSITION, MRS. CARTWRIGHT. AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE CORRECT INFORMATION. IT WAS A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP. NUMBER THREE IS YES, WE DID HAVE A FORENSIC AUDIT COMPLETED. AND YES, THERE ARE CHALLENGES ON THE INSIDE OF THE HOUSE, BUT FOR US TO SIT HERE AND PRETEND LIKE WE SAW THE INFORMATION FROM S&P, IT WAS A LONG, DETAILED LIST. YOU ALL GOT IT CONFUSED. THE AUDIT WASN'T DUE IN 90 DAYS. IT WAS DUE ON APRIL 4TH AND TODAY, MAY 4TH. THE AUDIT HAS NOT BEEN SUBMITTED IN APRIL 2025. WE MET AND I ADVISED THE CITY MANAGER WHAT THE PRIORITY WAS FOR THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE. YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR ONE YEAR AND FIVE MONTHS AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE 2024 AUDIT. SO I'M GOING TO PUSH BACK. THE CITY MANAGER IS THE HIGHEST PAID CITY MANAGER IN EAST POINT'S HISTORY. WE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE AUDIT FOR 2024 BY NOW. AND LASTLY, AT THE APRIL 13TH MEETING, WE TRIED TO DO AN EMERGENCY PROCUREMENT BASED UPON WHAT YOU SAID FOR YOUR OFFICE, [01:55:02] A BUDGET ANALYST. YOU ALSO NAMED SOME MORE PEOPLE AND THEN IT FELL THROUGH. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S TRYING TO BE CONVEYED CONVEYED HERE, BUT DO AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST. IT'S ALL IN THE RECORD. PEOPLE CAN SEARCH ONLINE. YES, I HAVE ASKED THESE QUESTIONS, BUT TO SIT HERE AND PRETEND LIKE WE GOT AN ACTUAL LETTER FROM S&P. WE DID NOT. WE GOT A DRAFT RATINGS ON VARIOUS US PUBLIC FINANCE ISSUERS PLACED ON THE CREDITWATCH NEGATIVE ON LACK OF TIMELY INFORMATION INSERT AND WE ALSO RECEIVED THE CITY MANAGER'S MEMORANDUM. I YIELD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN HEARING. YES, I HAVE A QUESTION, MR. CITY MANAGER, ON THAT DOCUMENT, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS IS REFERRING THE RATINGS ON VARIOUS U.S. PUBLIC FINANCE ISSUERS THAT YOU SENT US ON MARCH 23RD. IT SAYS THAT THE CURRENT. FROM MARCH 6TH. SORRY. IT SAYS THE CURRENT RATING. AND THEN IF YOU SCROLL DOWN TO EASTPOINT SAYS DOUBLE A NEGATIVE. IS THAT FROM IS THAT WHERE WE CURRENTLY ARE OR WHERE WE WILL MOVE TO IF THESE AUDITS ARE NOT BROUGHT UP TO DATE OR EXPLAIN WHAT THAT MEANS? SURE. THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK PEOPLE CONFUSE IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN YOUR PERSONAL CREDIT RATING. YOUR PERSONAL CREDIT RATING IS, IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN TEST AND LOOK AT. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME PLACES EVEN HAVE THOSE LITTLE COMPANIES THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE TO SEE WHAT YOUR RATING IS. BUT EVEN, EVEN WHEN YOU, YOU DO THAT, IT HAS TO BE REDONE WHEN YOU GO BUY A CAR OR YOU GO BUY A HOUSE, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S JUST KIND OF AN ESTIMATE, IF YOU WILL, IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL RATING BECAUSE IF IT WAS, THEN YOU COULD JUST GO IN AND SOMEONE WOULD GIVE YOU A LOAN JUST BASED ON THAT AND NOT HAVE TO DO ANY FURTHER ANALYSIS. WELL, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED. BUT FOR A CITY, WHEN WE GO INTO OUR BOND BOND RATINGS, WE'RE ONLY AS GOOD AS OUR LAST ITEM THAT WE GOT FUNDED THROUGH A BOND RATING. AND THAT RATING IS WHAT CITIES TYPICALLY CELEBRATE. NOW, IF YOU'RE A VERY ACTIVE CITY, YOU'LL YOU'LL HAVE BOND RATINGS EVERY YEAR AND EVERY YEAR YOU'LL HAVE A VERY GOOD INDICATOR OF WHAT YOUR BOND RATING IS. WE HAVEN'T HAD WE HAVEN'T HAD MUNICIPAL BONDS SOLD IN QUITE SOME TIME. AND SO THE LAST TIME THAT WE DID THAT IT WAS A DOUBLE A MINUS. IT WAS A DOUBLE A MINUS WHICH IS A STANDARD AND POOR'S DESIGNATION. MOODY'S DOESN'T USE DOESN'T USE THAT SAME RATING. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT ONE. SO YOU'LL HEAR TRIPLE A SOMETIMES WITH MOODY'S OR TRIPLE A THREE OR OR THOSE KIND OF THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS AFTER THEIRS. STANDARD POOR'S TYPICALLY USE PLUS AND MINUS DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. THEY JUST HAVE THEIR OWN SEPARATE THINGS. AND THEY REALLY, THEY EVEN TELL YOU THEY DON'T TRY TO MAKE EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN BECAUSE THEY REVIEW AND LOOK AT DIFFERENT THINGS TO MAKE THEIR JUDGMENTS. AND SO WHEN WE HEAR DOUBLE A MINUS, IT DOESN'T OR THAT WE DON'T HAVE ONE RIGHT NOW, WHAT THEY'RE REALLY SAYING IS LIKE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO GIVE YOU ANYTHING. WE DON'T BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE AUDITS DONE. SO WHILE YOU MIGHT HAVE A GREAT HISTORY, WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION TODAY ON ON THE DATA SETS THAT THEY LOOK AT. AND SO FOR THAT REASON, THAT'S WHY STANDARD EMPLOYEE SAYS WE WILL HAVE TO DROP YOU BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY ESTIMATION TO SAY YOU'RE DOING GOOD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT. WE'RE JUST WE'RE JUST BE HAPPY TO REEVALUATE YOU WHEN YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION UP TO DATE. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT THAT'S WHAT THAT, THAT EMAIL FROM THEM. THEY DON'T WRITE EMAILS TO, TO PEOPLE SAYING WHAT WE GOT IS WHAT THEY TYPICALLY DO, WHICH IS SAYING, YEAH YOU, YOU MISSED THOSE DEADLINES. YOU DON'T HAVE THESE AUDITS DONE. AND WHAT YOU GAVE US, WHICH WE GIVE CREDIT TO MOODY'S AND JENKINS BECAUSE THEY ATTEMPTED, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT OUTSIDE THEIR TIMELINES. THEY ATTEMPTED TO PROVIDE SOMETHING AND IT WAS REVIEWED, AND IT WASN'T ENOUGH DATA FOR S&P TO MOVE FORWARD. SO EVERYBODY'S PUTTING THE GOOD FAITH EFFORT HERE. AND TO, TO BE CLEAR, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN CHARACTERIZED, I THINK INAPPROPRIATELY IS THAT WE WERE TOLD 90 DAYS AND BASED ON FURTHER QUESTIONING FROM THE CITY, TO BE CLEAR, THEN THE 90 DAYS TURNED INTO 60 DAYS. BUT THE 60 DAYS WASN'T THROWING OUT THE 90 DAYS. IT WAS JUST SAYING INTERNALLY FROM THEIR STANDPOINT, THEY NEEDED TIME TO ANALYZE, TO TRY AND HAVE THINGS DONE BY THE 90 DAYS THAT THEY GAVE US [02:00:02] INITIALLY. SO ONLY BY US ASKING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS THAT THAT TIMELINE EVER CHANGE. AND IT WAS MORE OF AN INTERNAL TIMELINE THAT THEY HAD VERSUS AN ETERNAL VERSUS THE TIMELINE OF US MEETING THE NEEDS OF GETTING THE AUDIT WRAPPED UP. THANK YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER. I STAND FIRM THAT WE NEED TO GET THE AUDIT COMPLETED. I ALSO STAND FIRM THAT HAVING ACCURATE INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY. AND I WANTED TO ASK DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS, IS THERE AN ASK OF COUNCIL TONIGHT SO THAT WE CAN SUPPORT OR VOTE ON WHATEVER YOUR ASK IS? THERE IS AN ASK, AND THE ASK IS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM S AND P IN WRITING, WHEN DID OUR BOND RATING CHANGE AND WHAT IS IT NOW? AND TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION SENT TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND ALSO THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF NOT HAVING A BOND RATING. SO DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS, ARE YOU ASKING FOR A MEMO THAT IS DRAFTED DIRECTLY BY S&P, WHICH WE'RE NOT SURE IF THEY'D BE WILLING TO ACCOMMODATE. WOULD YOU BE COMFORTABLE WITH SOME SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FROM S&P. BUT THE MEMO COME FROM OUR STAFF, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK WE CAN COMPEL AN OUTSIDE ENTITY TO GIVE US A MEMO, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN HAVE OUR STAFF DRAFT A MEMO WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION ON WHAT'S IN THE MEMO, ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THIS IS THIS AS WAS STATED EARLIER BY MY WARD MATE, THIS IMPACTS EVERYTHING THE CITY'S CREDIT WORTHINESS TO BUILD BUILDINGS, TO HAVE POOLS, TO HAVE EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED. THE CITY'S CREDIT WORTHINESS IS NOW AT STAKE. SO I'M NOT SURE THAT I REALLY WANT A MEMORANDUM. I'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S AND P CAN PROVIDE AS FAR AS WHERE THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE STANDS, BECAUSE WE'VE RECEIVED MEMORANDUMS BEFORE AND IT'S SOMEONE ELSE'S INTERPRETATION VERSUS WHEN I TOOK A DEEPER DIVE AND LOOKED AT WHAT'S. AND P SENT, I WAS ABLE TO DECIPHER THAT NO. THIS AUDIT WAS DUE ON AUGUST 4TH, SO I'M. WHATEVER SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS CAN BE PROVIDED IN REFERENCE TO THE CITY'S BOND RATING RIGHT NOW. CREDIT BOND RATING AND THEN ALSO, HOW LONG WILL REEVALUATE RE REEVALUATION TAKE, BECAUSE THE CITY WILL HAVE TO TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS TO GET BACK TO THE RATING THAT WE ONCE HAD. SO THERE'S TWO THINGS. SO ARE WE ASKING FOR TWO THINGS? AND ARE WE ASKING THE CITY MANAGER TO PROVIDE TWO THINGS IN THE NEXT MEETING OR. YES, IT SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. SO WE'RE ASKING WITHIN THREE BUSINESS DAYS. OKAY. CAN WE PROVIDE MEETING? OKAY. SO WE'LL HAVE THAT NEXT MEETING. OH, YES. NO, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A MOTION TO VOTE. MADAM MAYOR. I'M SORRY. COUNCILWOMAN ATKINS HAD WAS IN FOR COMMENT. YES. THANK YOU. I'M NOT REALLY CLEAR OF THE THE MOTION. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN RODGERS IF YOU'VE MADE IT. BUT I KNOW THAT YOU STATED THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR DOCUMENTATION AND NOT NECESSARILY A MEMORANDUM, BUT I JUST WANT TO GO BACK TO WHAT HAS BEEN STATED BEFORE. THIS BODY CAN'T COMPEL AN EXTERNAL PRIVATE ENTITY OR EVEN A PUBLIC ENTITY TO PROVIDE US WITH ANYTHING. BUT WHAT THIS BODY CAN DO IS PROVIDE A DIRECTIVE TO THE CITY MANAGER TO REQUEST CERTAIN THINGS. SO IS THAT THE ASK? BECAUSE IN THREE DAYS, I MEAN, STANDARD AND POOR'S, WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE WORKING ON. AND THEY'RE JUST LIKE, THIS IS NOT A PRIORITY TO US FOR THREE DAYS. SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU ASKING? BECAUSE WE CANNOT COMPEL THEM TO PROVIDE THAT. WE CAN COMPEL OUR STAFF AND DIRECT OUR STAFF TO DRAFT A MEMO TO REQUEST CERTAIN THINGS. SO I'M NOT CLEAR OF THE THE MOTION. IF YOU COULD CLARIFY THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YES. THE MOTION IS TO HAVE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FROM S AND P AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY'S BOND. THE CURRENT CITY'S BOND RATING IN THE HISTORY OF OUR BOND RATING. OKAY. AND YOU HAD A TIME CERTAIN TO THAT YOU AT ONE POINT SET THREE DAYS. SO IF IT'S NOT A DOCUMENT THAT OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING. THE THIRD COUNCIL MEETING. YES, MY THANK YOU. MY POINT. THANK YOU FOR STATING THAT BECAUSE I HEAR YOU NOW NOT SAYING THREE DAYS, BUT REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. BUT MY POINT STILL REMAINS THE SAME. S&P MAY NOT GET IT TO US, BUT FOR TEN DAYS. RIGHT. SO. WOULD IT I'M SORRY. WOULD IT BE A YOU IF YOU DON'T IF YOU DON'T GET IT THROUGH YOUR TIMELINE, CAN YOU GET IT? ARE YOU ASKING FOR AN UPDATE AT LEAST ON THEY DIDN'T RESPOND OR I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SUPPORT THEM. [02:05:05] I THINK THAT THE BETTER MOTION IS FOR US TO DIRECT OUR. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. DIRECT REPORT TO MAKE A REQUEST FROM S AND P FOR X NUMBER X DOCUMENTS AND TO PROVIDE THOSE TO US AS SOON AS FEASIBLY POSSIBLE. SO THE MOTION. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE MOTION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD ON IS TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO ASK SMP TO PROVIDE AN AUDIT UPDATE WITHIN BY THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING ON THE LAST MEETING IN MAY OR BEFORE THEN. AT THAT TIME? NO. OKAY. SO THE LAST MEETING, MAYBE WE HAVEN'T DECIDED THE TIME YET. NO. SO WE STILL ARE MAKING THE REQUEST TO HAVE SMP TO HAVE THE CITY MANAGER REQUEST FOR SMP TO PROVIDE US WITH AN UPDATE ON THE TIMING FOR THE AUDIT. IS THAT RIGHT? NO. S&P DOESN'T ISN'T INVOLVED IN THE AUDITS SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FROM WHOM? FROM OUR RIGHT FROM TODAY. AND I CAN READ IT. SO YOU WANT TO HAVE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION FROM S&P ABOUT THE CURRENT BOND RATING AND THE PAST BOND RATING OR AS WELL AS AN UPDATE. AND YES, HOW LONG ARE WE REEVALUATION? OKAY. SO THE MOTION IS TO HAVE S&P PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE CURRENT BAR RATING AND HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO GET A FULL EVALUATION. YES. THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR. YES. SO SECOND WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE. I JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING AS A CLARIFYING POINT IN JUST THE SENSE OF URGENCY, IS MORE OF THE IMPACT THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAVE, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT FUNDING, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GRANTS, IF THIS IS GOING TO HAVE AN IMPACT TO IT, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND AT WHAT POINT DO WE PRIORITIZE IT. WE'VE ASKED SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS. IT'S BEEN VERY NONCHALANT ON THE RESPONSES. AND SO THAT'S WHY THIS MOTION IS GOING INTO PLACE, IS JUST TO HAVE A REALLY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET BACK IN GOOD STANDING. RIGHT. AMEN. COUNCILMAN ATKINS. YES. COUNCILMAN CALDWELL. I UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF IT. MY INABILITY TO SUPPORT THE MOTION IS THAT THE MOTION COMPELS AN OUTSIDE ENTITY TO DO SOMETHING, AND WE DON'T HAVE THAT POWER. OUR POWER COMES IN DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO DRAFT A MEMO, A LETTER, AN EMAIL THAT REQUESTS THE THINGS THAT WE WANT. BUT THE MOTION SAYS FOR S&P TO DO X, Y, AND Z. WE CAN'T TELL S&P WHAT TO DO. I UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU MENTIONED THE MULTIPLEX, THE OLD CITY HALL, THE LIBRARY, THE AUDITORIUM, ANY OF THE OTHER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND ASSETS THAT WE WANT TO EITHER BUILD OR UPDATE OR RENOVATE OR RESTORE. I GET ALL OF THAT, BUT THIS MOTION IS A DIRECTIVE TO S&P AND WE CANNOT COMPEL AN OUTSIDE ENTITY. WE CAN COMPEL OUR CITY MANAGER TO DRAFT A DOCUMENT TO REQUEST CERTAIN THINGS. BUT THAT'S NOT THE MOTION CORRECTION. KNOW THAT. SO THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT WAS TO CREATE A MEMO OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT SHE ASKED FOR AND TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, BECAUSE S&P IS GOING TO RESPOND WITH HERE THE SAME SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION THEY'VE PROVIDED BEFORE. WHAT THE MOTION IS SAYING, WE DON'T NEED THE MEMO. WE JUST WANT THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WHATEVER DOCUMENTATION S&P PROVIDES IS WHAT SHE'S LOOKING FOR. AND SO THE DIRECTIVE IS FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO MAKE THAT REQUEST TO S&P FOR THIS DOCUMENTATION TO PROVIDE BACK TO THE COUNCIL. YES. WHICH IS SO. YES. SO WHAT I STATED, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A MEMO. IT COULD BE AN EMAIL, IT COULD BE WHATEVER. BUT OUR DIRECTIVE AND THE MOTION SHOULD BE TO THE CITY MANAGER AND NOT TO S&P. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT IS. THERE MAY BE SOME CONFUSION AS TO WHAT WAS SAID, BUT THEY'RE NOT HERE TO TAKE THE DIRECTIVE. I THINK THAT THE I THINK THAT MOTION TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO COMMUNICATE. YES. HOWEVER YOU DO IT, YOU WANT TO SEND AN EMAIL. I MEAN, HOW TO COMMUNICATE TO S&P REQUESTING DOCUMENTATION IS IN IS WHAT THE MOTION IS FOR FOR YOU. THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR. AND MY QUESTION IS, IS THAT THE MOTION. DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION. WELL, I'M IN FOR DISCUSSION BECAUSE I THINK THAT TONIGHT'S CONVERSATION CLEARLY OUTLINES THAT THERE ARE SOME GENUINE CONCERNS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ABOUT THE CURRENT STATUS OF OUR BOND RATING. [02:10:07] THERE ALSO SEEMS TO BE SOME WORK THAT THE CITY MANAGER WAS TRYING TO DO TO CLARIFY WHAT A BOND RATING IS AND WHAT IT MEANS, AND HOW DIFFERENT BOND BONDING AGENCIES WOULD ASSESS THE CITY'S FINANCIAL POSITION. SO I THINK IF WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO CLARITY FOR COMMUNITY TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, I WOULD I WOULD REQUEST DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR MOTION, ONE THAT DOESN'T JUST ASK FOR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS THAT ARE THEN NOT ABLE TO BE KIND OF REVIEWED IN CONTEXT, BUT I BELIEVE WE NEED A FULL REPORT REVIEW AND THE HISTORY OF OUR AUDITS, THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO BRING OUR AUDITS ONLINE, WHAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET AROUND BRINGING THOSE AUDITS UP TO DATE? EIGHT. THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING ON OUR FINANCIAL DECISIONS TO FUND THE CITY PLEX AND OUR BONDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET IN COMPLIANCE. AND IF AND HOW OUR CURRENT STATUS IS CHANGING OR NOT. SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED A PIECEMEAL BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, IF WE'RE GETTING PIECEMEAL RESPONSES AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO VIEW THIS IN FULL CONTEXT, WE MIGHT BE BACK HERE WHEN WE GET THE S&P REPORT. SO I WOULD LIKE US ALL TO HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF INFORMATION TO YOUR POINT, WHICH I WAS TO YOUR POINT, THERE ARE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS ON BOARD. OKAY. AND SO THE AUDITS AND THE FINANCIAL CONTROLS AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY DO REQUIRE SOME EDUCATION, DO REQUIRE SOME UPDATING, SOME BACKGROUND. SO I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD JUST DO THIS ONE. ASK FOR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS. LET'S MAKE THE RECORD FULLY CLEAR SO WE CAN ALL BE SPEAKING TO AND FROM THE SAME CONTEXT OF INFORMATION, RATHER THAN HAVING TO DO OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS. TO REVERSE ENGINEER THIS OURSELVES. THE MEMO, AS I'VE DESCRIBED AND THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS WOULD BE MY SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO YOUR INITIAL MOTION OR MY MY PREFERRED AMENDMENT TO YOUR INITIAL MOTION. CAN WE HAVE THIS? I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CUMMINGS IS IN. CAN THE CITY CLERK REREAD WHAT THE ASK WAS ADDED TO? THANK YOU. MY AMENDMENT TO YOUR MOTION, MADAM. CITY CLERK ASKED ME. SHE. SHE SAID SHE'S NOT PREPARED. WELL, I DON'T NOT LIKE THAT. IT'S A IT'S A LENGTHY. IT'S A LENGTHY DOCUMENT, SO I DON'T WANT TO CAST THAT. I APOLOGIZE, MADAM CITY CLERK, A SUBSTITUTE TO DOCTOR MARTIN ROGERS. MOTION WOULD BE A FULL REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION. TO PROVIDE A HISTORY OF OUR AUDITS. RECOMMENDATION TO BRING THESE AUDITS UP TO DATE, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT HE'S PUT TO THIS ACTIVITY. YEAH, THE PROPOSED FINANCIAL MONEY, WHAT HE'S PUT, WHAT HE'S INVESTED TO BRING OUR AUDITS BACK UP TO DATE. RECOMMENDATIONS TO BRING THE AUDIT BACK UP TO DATE. ANY STEPS THAT WE NEED TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH S AND P S RATINGS. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION ABOUT WHAT OUR CURRENT STATUS IS AND IF ANYTHING IS CHANGING WHAT THOSE IMPACTS ARE TO OUR. FINANCIAL DECISIONS TO INCLUDE BONDS AND ANY OTHER DEBT SERVICES THAT WE MIGHT NEED FOR PROJECTS THAT THIS COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING AND THAT REPORT BE FURNISHED TO THIS BODY. SO WE ALL HAVE THE SAME INFORMATION AT OUR MAY 18TH COUNCIL MEETING. SECOND. YOU GOT TO TAKE IT ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? PLEASE. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? SUBSTITUTE MOTION. SO IT'S A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. TREATED LIKE THE REGULAR MOTION. OR DOES IT HAVE TO BE STATED THAT IT IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. LIKE FOR THE RECORD. JUST TO MAKE SURE I HEAR YOUR QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. ONE SECOND. SO FOR THIS MOTION. SO THERE'S DISCUSSION FOR THIS PART OF THE SUBSTITUTE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ATTORNEY. WE BECAUSE THERE IS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION ON THE FLOOR. [02:15:03] THERE IS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTE. OKAY. DISCUSSION BEFORE THE VOTE. BUT YOU JUST TOOK THE VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION. TO WITHDRAW. YOU DID JUST CALL FOR ALL IN FAVOR. RIGHT. AND WE HAVE SOME EYES. OKAY. THAT WASN'T ANYBODY IN THERE. COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS, ORIGINAL MOTION. YOU DIDN'T REALLY HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSION ON IT ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION? THAT WAS NOT BECAUSE WE VOTED ON THE SECOND ONE. SO SHE'S ASKING IF WE HAVE TO WITHDRAW THE FIRST MOTION, IF SHE WANTS TO WITHDRAW THE FIRST MOTION. AND THEN IN THAT CASE, THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION IS STANDING RIGHT NOW WITH DISCUSSION. SO THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION I BELIEVE, PASSED. I HEARD SOME EYES. I DIDN'T HEAR ANY NAMES. RIGHT. WE DID. OKAY. RIGHT. SO IF IT WAS POSED AS A SUBSTITUTE MOTION IT REPLACES THE ORIGINAL MOTION. OKAY. SO WE HAVE EYES. WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY NAMES. RIGHT. AND THERE WAS NO CALL ON THAT. OKAY. SO IF YOU WERE COMFORTABLE THAT YOU RECEIVED FIVE YEAS ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION, IT REPLACES THE ORIGINAL MOTION. OKAY. SO SO THERE IS NO MORE VOTING. OKAY. THAT'S THE MOTION. OKAY. THAT'S THE THE RULE. NOW FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THAT SUBSTITUTE MOTION SAID TO DO. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CAN WE HAVE. IS IT CONFIRMED THAT IT PASSED? OKAY. I DIDN'T HEAR ANY NO'S. OKAY. MOTION PASSED. MADAM MAYOR, I MOVE THAT WE OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION ON THE CITY OF EASTPOINTE. PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026. SORRY TO MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT. COUNCILWOMAN. DO WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION TO OPEN UP SINCE WE ADOPTED THE AGENDA? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M. THAT HAS BEEN. YOU GUYS PRACTICE. IT'S ON THE AGENDA AS DISCUSSION. [XIII.4. Discussion on the City of East Point, Georgia Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 ] OKAY. SO FEEL FREE TO JUST GO INTO DISCUSSION. OKAY. WE CAN MOVE TO DISCUSSION. GO AHEAD PLEASE. YES. AND I AM GOING TO BE BRIEF. THANK YOU. THIS ITEM IS PLACED ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN TWO COMMUNITY MEETINGS IN WHICH THE BUDGET OR ASPECTS OF IT HAVE BEEN SHARED WITH RESIDENTS, AND IT HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETELY SHARED ON THE RECORD IN PUBLIC FOR OUR RESIDENTS AT HOME. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MR. CITY MANAGER AND THE INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR. THANK YOU. MR.. OH, MRS. CARTWRIGHT, THANK YOU. YOU CAN SPEAK. SO IS THERE A QUESTION OR. NO, NO, NO. THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE ON THE DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION ON THE CITY OF EAST POINT, GEORGIA. PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 THROUGH 2027. IT SHOULD BE THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU ALL HAVE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. SO THERE'S BEEN A BUDGET SCHEDULED THAT I BELIEVE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO CITY COUNCIL. AND BASED ON THAT SCHEDULE THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR THE 18TH OF MAY. YEAH. SO THOSE THAT SCHEDULE IS ALREADY SCHEDULED IN LINE. AND SINCE WE HAVEN'T BEEN COMMUNICATED ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM, WE JUST ASSUMED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. BUT I GUESS FOR ME, THIS HAS BEEN PUT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AS IF COUNCIL IS SUPPORTING THE CURRENT DOCUMENT AS IS. SO I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO SHARE WHAT HAS BEEN SHARED OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IN FRONT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS. THAT'S WHY THIS ITEM HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE AGENDA. IT'S BEEN OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY. I'VE GOTTEN SEVERAL TELEPHONE CALLS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT IT, BUT THERE'S YET TO BE A PRESENTATION BEFORE A COUNCIL, AND IT'S CONCERNING, ESPECIALLY ALL THE SLASHES IN THE BUDGET. SO THE EXPECTATION WAS THAT YOU ALL WERE GOING TO PRESENT WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED IN THOSE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND I'LL YIELD FOR OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. YEAH. AGAIN, WE, WE WEREN'T PREPARED NOR GIVEN ANY HEADS UP THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. [02:20:07] SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS OR ANY OBSERVATIONS THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE. I KNOW THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT ISN'T TOTALLY ACCURATE. SO WE CAN WALK THROUGH THOSE. OKAY. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL, YOU'RE IN, SIR. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO I WILL SAY I THOUGHT THAT THERE WOULD BE A PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL BECAUSE WE DO HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS. AND SO WE RECEIVED OVER 400 PAGES TO REVIEW OURSELVES. IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE THOUGHT PROCESS AROUND THEM AND HAVE FURTHER EXPLANATION FOR US. VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID WITH THE RETREAT. WE HAD A MEETING SPECIFICALLY FOR COUNCIL, AND WE INVITED THE COMMUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE DISCUSSION. BUT BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO APPROVE THE BUDGET, I WOULD THINK THAT WE WOULD HAVE A DIRECT COMMUNICATION. WELL, NOT AS IS, BUT WE'LL VOTE TO APPROVE OR ADOPT THE BUDGET. I WOULD THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE A DIRECT PRESENTATION TO US. I WILL PERSONALLY SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET HAS BEEN PRETTY HARD TO FOLLOW. AND SO FOR ME, YOU KNOW, MY CONFIDENCE IN MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION FOR THE RESIDENTS IS NOT THERE BASED OFF OF WHAT I'M READING, SO THIS DIRECT CONVERSATION WOULD BE HELPFUL. I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT WE HAD MEETINGS WITH THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE HADN'T HAD A CONVERSATION AS A COUNCIL. AND SO I DO THINK I KNOW THAT YOU'VE OFFERED SOME ONE ON ONE SESSIONS, BUT I DO THINK THAT THESE CONVERSATIONS SHOULD HAPPEN IN A PUBLIC SETTING JUST FROM TRANSPARENCY STANDPOINT. BUT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I NOTICED IN THE BUDGET OR JUST THINGS THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, ONE, THE DEFICIT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN HEARING THAT THERE'S A $27 MILLION DEFICIT OR SOMETHING TO THAT TUNE. I'M PERSONALLY NOT SEEING THAT IN WHAT WAS PRESENTED. I DID SEE A A $4.4 MILLION GAP FOR FY 26 AS FAR AS WHAT WAS AMENDED. DIDN'T SEE ANY BUDGET AMENDMENTS. I DON'T KNOW WHEN THAT WAS ACTUALLY PRESENTED TO COUNCIL. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE BEING COMMUNICATED TO THE COMMUNITY AROUND A LARGER DEFICIT, AND JUST KIND OF HELP ME GET UP TO SPEED AS TO WHAT IS IT? ARE WE EXPERIENCING A $27 MILLION SHORTFALL DEFICIT? WHATEVER THE TERMINOLOGY IS? AND CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THAT BECAUSE I DID NOT SEE THAT. I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. OKAY. SO UNFORTUNATELY THAT ISSUE OF THE $27 MILLION DEFICIT HAD BEEN LEAKED INTO THE COMMUNITY BASED ON A CONVERSATION FROM MY DEPARTMENT HEADS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS GOTTEN TWISTED IN INTERPRETATION KIND OF GOING BACK TO THE WHOLE WHEN YOU'RE IN KINDERGARTEN AND YOU, YOU, YOU GIVE A MESSAGE. AND BY THE TIME IT GETS BACK TO YOU, IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT. SAME, SAME SITUATION THAT THIS IS APPARENTLY HAD PLAYED OUT. SO OUR DEPARTMENTS AREN'T USED TO HAVING THEIR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS BEING PRIORITIZED BASED ON ANNUAL PROJECTIONS, ACTUAL PROJECTIONS. AND I WANT TO GO TOO MUCH INTO THE WEEDS THERE, BUT WE HAVEN'T BEEN USING PROJECTIONS IN A WAY THAT PRIORITIZES OUR, OUR WANTS AND NEEDS BASED ON ACTUAL ESTIMATES ON WHAT FUNDS WE ACTUALLY HAVE COMING IN. SO BASED ON A TRUE PROJECTION AND AND LOOKING AT OUR, OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH FOR, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ALSO DID A FIVE YEAR OUTLOOK. BUT WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AT THE FIRST YEAR OF CAPITAL OUTLAY FOR ALL OF OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. AND THAT'S WHAT ALL THE DEPARTMENTS REQUESTED. BASED ON THAT REQUEST, THERE'S AN IMBALANCE OR A DEFICIT OF 27 MILLION. SO THEN THE NEXT, THE HARD TASK NEXT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PRESENT A BALANCED BUDGET. AND THAT REQUIRES TO PRIORITIZE WHAT WAS BEING REQUESTED TO BE FUNDED TO A POINT WHERE WE ACTUALLY [02:25:01] CAN BALANCE WHAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN A REASONABLE AND RESPONSIBLE PROJECTION TO WHAT REQUEST COMES IN. SO THAT'S A NORMAL PROCESS OF EVERY BUDGET. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT GOT OUT WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORKING. CONVERSATION GOT OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND GOT MISCOMMUNICATED TO THE POINT WHERE I THINK THERE WERE SOME EVEN RUMORS TALKING ABOUT LAYOFFS WERE HAPPENING THAT WEEKEND, WHICH WAS ABSURD. BUT THAT BEING SAID, THAT'S WHAT THAT COMMUNICATION IS. SO IN THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU WILL BE GETTING NEXT CYCLE, I THINK THAT'S WHEN IT'S SCHEDULED TO HAPPEN. IT'S, WE HAD A BUDGET SCHEDULE. THERE WAS A MOMENT WHERE WE GOT OFF SCHEDULE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE LEAGUE OF CITIES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND THERE WAS A COUPLE BUDGET FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS THAT GOT PUSHED, PUSHED OFF OR SOMETHING. BUT OUTSIDE OF THAT, WE'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING HARD TO TRY AND ADHERE TO THE SCHEDULE, WHICH WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE AT THE ONSET PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF ELECTIONS AND STARTING A NEW PROCESS. WAS, WAS A VERY AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE HAD SCHEDULED. AND SO TYPICALLY, YES, WE TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH CITY COUNCIL FIRST, BUT WE ALSO TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CITIZENS BECAUSE WHEN WE RELEASE THAT INITIAL RECOMMENDED PROPOSED BUDGET, THAT'S EVERYBODY IS LOOKING AT IT. AND IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A FINAL DOCUMENT AT THAT TIME. SO WE'RE STILL SHUFFLING AROUND AND TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING. THE BIG NUMBERS CAN'T CHANGE, BUT LITTLE THINGS IN THE MIDDLE THAT DOESN'T HAVE DIRECT BUDGET CHANGES OVER OF THE OVERALL BUDGET. THERE'S STILL MOVEMENT GOING ON FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. SO THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE EARLIER WASN'T 100% ACCURATE BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN MOVEMENT TO OTHER BUDGETS TO FEEL FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES AND THINGS THAT MIGHT BE SMALLER OR SHORTER OR CUT IN ONE SIDE OF THE BUDGET. IT REFLECTS IN ANOTHER SIDE OF THE BUDGET. SO THAT'S WHY HAVING THOSE BUDGET ONE ON ONE MEETINGS ARE CRITICAL SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S ON BOARD AND THAT WE ARE ON BOARD WITH WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, WHAT YOU'RE WANTING TO SEE. AND SO WE CAN WALK YOU THROUGH THOSE KIND OF THINGS AS WE BEGIN TO MARCH TOWARDS A GREATER AND MORE ROBUST PUBLIC CONVERSATION. I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU. CITY MANAGER. I'M SORRY. I OKAY, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I CLARIFIED THAT FOR THE PUBLIC, SINCE THEY'RE LOOKING AT AT THIS AS WELL. AND I, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LOT OF MISCOMMUNICATION OUT THERE, RIGHT? SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I GET THAT POINT CLARIFIED. THANK YOU SIR. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS GOING ON HERE. AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CAPTURING THAT FOR NEXT STEPS. AND I'M SORRY, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CAPTURING WHAT WE WANT TO DO FOR NEXT STEPS WITH THE QUESTION, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I'M TRYING TO SUMMARIZE. IF WE'RE. WHAT ARE WE TRYING. SO ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION, CAN CAN I I'M JUST TRYING TO BE CLEAR WHAT WE'RE ASKING. SO HERE'S HERE'S THE ISSUE BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN COMMUNITY MEETINGS OVER AN HOUR OR TWO HOURS LONG. WE A COUNCIL MEMBER HAD TO PUT THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR US TO HAVE A PUBLIC DISCUSSION ABOUT IT, AND IT FEELS RUSHED. I STILL HAVE AT LEAST 4 OR 5 QUESTIONS AFTER REVIEWING THE BUDGET THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHY I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A MEETING WITH JUST WITH COUNCIL. WE CAN INVITE THE COMMUNITY OUT TO IT, BUT WE HAVE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED. AND, AND HONESTLY, WHEN YOU'RE IN FRONT OF THE COMMUNITY, THAT SHOULD BE THEIR TIME WITH YOU TO BE ABLE TO ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY HAVE WHEN THEY REVIEW THE BUDGET. SO I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A SEPARATE MEETING FOR US. MAYBE TONIGHT ISN'T THE NIGHT, BUT WE WE WE HAVE QUESTIONS AS WELL. AND THAT WAS JUST ONE. OKAY. IS IT THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL TO HAVE A RETREAT OR A SPECIAL CALL MEETING BETWEEN NOW AND THE MAY 18TH DATE? IS THAT THE NEXT TIME WHEN WE GET TOGETHER OR WHEN YOU HAVE TO PRESENT MRS. CARTWRIGHT? YES. THAT WOULD BE FINE FOR US TO DO ONE IN BETWEEN SO THAT WE CAN DO A RETREAT. WELL, THAT WILL HAVE TO EITHER BE. I THINK WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THIS ITEM SOMEWHERE ON THE AGENDA AT SOME POINT IN TIME, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT I'M ASKING FOR IS EITHER A MOTION OR A OPPORTUNITY ON BETWEEN NOW AND OUR NEXT REGULAR [02:30:03] MEETING TO COME TOGETHER AND CREATE A COME TOGETHER ON A DATE THAT WE CAN ALL MEET TOGETHER AND COLLECTIVELY DISCUSS THIS BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SILOED COMMUNICATION AND THE SILO COMMUNICATION IS CAUSING A BREAKDOWN IN CONFIDENCE TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE BUDGET AND HOW WE THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN THAT BUDGET. AND IT'S ALSO AFFECTING THE COMMUNITY. IMPACT. SO WHAT I'M ASKING NOW IS, IS THERE CAN, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THE SCHEDULE A MEETING BETWEEN NOW AND MAY 18TH FOR CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY AND CITY MANAGER AND MYSELF TO REVIEW THE BUDGET AND POSSIBLY ASK FOR THE, HAVE THE CITY COME IN AND REVIEW THAT FOR DISCUSSION? I'M JUST ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION BECAUSE I'M. THERE'S A LOT OF COMMENT. OKAY. COUNCILWOMAN AND THEN COUNCILMAN ATKINS AND COUNCILMAN CALDWELL. SO ARE YOU. I DID HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT I KNOW, I KNOW, I GUESS WE NEED TO GET A CONSENSUS. DO WE WANT TO DO THIS NOW OR DO WE WANT TO HAVE A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION? A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT LENGTHY OF A DIALOG. WHERE IS THAT? CONSENSUS. I WAS STILL IN FOR DISCUSSION, BUT I AM I, I WILL SUPPORT A SPECIAL CALL BUDGET MEETING BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT AS A BODY, WE DO NEED TO DISCUSS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IN THIS BUDGET. I'VE HEARD VARIOUS CONCERNS FROM MEMBERS FROM MY COMMUNITY, AND I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN THIS BUDGET. I MEAN, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO EDUCATION, TRAVEL AND TRAINING, LIKE I HAVE CONCERNS. SO IF WE WANT TO ARE WE LOOKING AT A SPECIAL BUDGET MEETING FOR WHEN I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU. COUNCILMAN. COUNCILMAN. COUNCILWOMAN. YES. COUNCILMAN ATKINS AND COUNCILMAN. MADAM MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT I HAVE WEIGHED IN QUITE HEAVILY ON THE BUDGET VIA EMAIL. I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. COUNCIL MEMBER CALDWELL, WHICH IS A PUBLIC DISCUSSION, AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. I THINK ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAVE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET TIMELINE IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE A DOCUMENT THAT IS IN ITS MORE FINAL CONDITION. SO AT ONE OF THE TOWN HALLS THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND THE INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR PUT ON, COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS WAS THERE AS WELL. I OVERHEARD THAT THE INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR WANTS TO PREPARE A NEW BUDGET BOOK TO PRESENT TO US. AND SO TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION BASED ON A PRIOR BUDGET BOOK. AND THEN I ALSO RECEIVED A VERY NICE AND DETAILED RESPONSE. MR. CITY MANAGER FROM YOU, WHICH I APPRECIATED ADDRESSING SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT I RAISED. I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR ME RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS WHY I SUPPORT WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING, WHICH IS A MEETING AFTER THIS NEW BOOK IS PREPARED AND DEVELOPED. I ALSO CAN TELL YOU THAT I'VE GOTTEN RESIDENT FEEDBACK. I HAVE, YOU KNOW, SO THERE HAS BEEN SOME, I WILL SAY. CONSIDERATIONS OF WHAT HAD BEEN PROPOSED, BUT WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU, MR. CITY MANAGER WITH THE INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR, ARE WORKING ON A NEW VERSION. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE INTENDING TO PRESENT TO US. AND THAT'S HOW WE DON'T HAVE A PRESENTATION TONIGHT. IS THAT AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF WHAT'S HAPPENING OR WHAT WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? WELL, I HAVE TO GO BACK. I DON'T HAVE THE BUDGET SCHEDULE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I DON'T THINK TONIGHT WAS THE NIGHT TO HAVE A BUDGET PRESENTATION. SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, THE COUNCIL WAS GOING TO BE NEXT MEETING. NOW I'LL, I'LL GO BACK AND LOOK AND SEE IF I'M INCORRECT THERE. BUT THIS, THIS CAME ON THE AGENDA WITHOUT ANY PHONE CALL TO ME OR, OR THE INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR AS FAR AS I KNOW. AND ESSENTIALLY WE HADN'T BEEN GIVEN ANY KIND OF HEADS UP ON WHAT IS BEING REQUESTED. I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS HAD A FORMAL PRESENTATION, IF YOU WILL, THAT THIS COUNCIL HASN'T RECEIVED. WHEN ULTIMATELY WE CARRY THE FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY OF VOTING UP OR DOWN ON THIS. SO I CAN APPRECIATE THAT YOU HAD A TIMELINE. I THINK THAT PART OF THE CONCERNS THAT ARE BEING RAISED IS THAT MAYBE THERE WAS SOME MISALIGNMENT IN THE TIMELINE, [02:35:02] AND THAT'S WHAT COUNCIL IS EXPRESSING. BEYOND THAT, I STILL WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHATEVER MORE FINAL PROPOSED BUDGET, WHATEVER THAT MORE FINAL DOCUMENT, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE. I WOULD LIKE US TO HAVE A PRESENTATION BASED ON THAT ONE, AND IS THE EXPECTATION THAT MAY 18TH IS GOING TO BE THE MORE FINAL VERSION OF YOUR PROPOSAL. YEAH, SURE. SO YES. COUNCILWOMAN. I AM WORKING ON A NEW BUDGET BOOK. WE HAVE SOME ISSUES WITH THE DOWNLOADS FOR GRAVITY. AND SO THAT PRESENTED A LOT OF ISSUES WITHIN THE BUDGET BOOK. AND SO I'M ACTUALLY RECREATING IT RIGHT NOW SO THAT IT IS MORE FRIENDLIER TO READ. AND YOU'LL FIND A LOT OF THE INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE CONDENSED TO THE DEPARTMENT. AND SO EVERYTHING WILL BE IN THERE FROM SIPS TO THE DETAIL LINE. SO IT IS GOING TO BE A FRIENDLIER VERSION TO READ AND UNDERSTAND. I ALSO THEN WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IF WE'RE GETTING A NEW VERSION, EVEN IF THE NUMBERS STAY ROUGHLY THE SAME IF WE'RE GETTING A NEW VERSION. WE DO OWE IT TO THE PUBLIC TO FOLLOW OUR ORDINANCES AND OUR OF OUR SECTION FIVE. I DON'T KNOW THE THE THE THE ADDRESS AT THIS MOMENT, BUT SECTION FIVE DETAILS A PROCESS BY WHICH THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ENGAGED IN THE BUDGET. AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN DOING THAT, WHICH IS THROUGH THESE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WHICH I THINK ARE GREAT. I'VE BEEN DOING TOWN HALLS GREAT, BUT ALSO PUBLIC HEARINGS SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN WEIGH IN ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET IN ITS TOTALITY, LIKE WE'VE BEEN GETTING FEEDBACK, BUT THE PUBLIC HEARING IS REQUIRED BY LAW. THE LAW IS VERY PRESCRIPTIVE. FROM THE TIME THAT THE BUDGET IS IS PUBLISHED IN ITS FORMAT, IT THEN NEEDS TO BE PLACED IN OUR LEGAL ORGANS SO THAT RESIDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR WATCH THESE MEETINGS CAN HAVE ACCESS TO READ IT, TO KNOW WHERE THEY CAN GO TO READ IT. NOT LESS THAN 14 DAYS FROM THAT PUBLICATION IS WHEN WE NEED TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. THE PUBLIC HEARING HAS TO ALLOW FOR THE PUBLIC TO ENGAGE THOUGHTFULLY IN THE DISCUSSION. AND SO I KNOW YOU HAVE A TIMELINE, BUT I WOULD ASK THAT YOU REVISIT THE TIMELINE IN CONNECTION WITH THE ORDINANCE AND REVISIT THE ORDINANCE IN WHATEVER DRAFT YOU'RE ABOUT TO BRING FORTH, BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME PIECES THAT WERE MISSING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT COMPLETED IN FISCAL YEAR 26. THERE HAS TO BE AN ACCOUNTING IN FISCAL YEAR 27 FOR THE COMPLETION OF THOSE PROJECTS. SO MY ASK IS SIMPLY THIS REVIEW THE ORDINANCE AND PROPOSE A BUDGET THAT'S BASED ON WHAT OUR LAW REQUIRES THAT FOLLOWS OUR LAW SO THAT PUBLIC SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN APPROPRIATELY PARTICIPATE. THAT'S MY ONLY ASK. IT'S NOT A DIRECTIVE. THE LAW GIVES THE DIRECTIVE. I DON'T NEED TO. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL DOING THIS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION. MADAM MAYOR, CAN I HAVE COUNCILMAN. ATKINS, I THINK THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY HAS A QUESTION OR WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING, AND I'M VERY HAPPY I DID. IF IT'S THE TIME IS APPROPRIATE. YES. I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THANK YOU FOR THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HEMMING ABOUT THE ORDINANCE. BUT THERE'S ALSO A STATE LAW THAT GOVERNS BUDGETS, AND I PROVIDED THAT TO MISS CARTWRIGHT AND MR. JONES. SO I WANT TO ADD THAT IF YOU'RE GIVING A NEW BUDGET, RIGHT, WITH THE NEW FORMAT AND IT LOOKS DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT IS ON DISPLAY CURRENTLY WITH THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, THEN YOU WILL NEED TO RE-ADVERTISE BECAUSE OUR ORDINANCE DOESN'T ADDRESS THAT PORTION. STATE LAW THEN GOES A LITTLE FURTHER AND REQUIRES THAT THERE BE ADVERTISEMENT DONE THE SAME WEEK THAT THE BUDGET IS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL. SO I DON'T ALWAYS PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE PUBLICLY. I SEND EMAILS, WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS, WE HAVE PHONE CALLS. AND SO MISS CARTWRIGHT AND HER TEAM ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF THE STATE LAW THAT GOVERNS MUNICIPAL BUDGETS. MICROPHONE, PLEASE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. DOES THAT APPLY IF THE NUMBERS DO NOT CHANGE? I WOULD SAY THAT IF THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE FORMATTING, A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE INTO WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PRODUCED TO ON THE SIDE OF COMPLIANCE, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THERE BE AN ADDITIONAL ADVERTISEMENT TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC NOTICE AND WHATEVER DATES THOSE HEARINGS, THE PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE REQUIRED. PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN. THE VOTE ON THE BUDGET, ALL OF THAT CAN BE IN ONE. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO MULTIPLE ADVERTISEMENTS. YOU CAN PUT IT ALL IN ONE. YES, MA'AM. DID YOU [02:40:09] FINISH YOUR. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. SO I'M GLAD THAT I ALLOWED THE CITY ATTORNEY TO TO YIELD TO THE CITY ATTORNEY COULD SPEAK. SO MY QUESTION THEN IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. MR. CITY MANAGER YOU PROVIDED US WITH A SCHEDULE IN JANUARY BUDGET TIMELINE. AND IT IS WHAT I CIRCULATED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AS I WENT AROUND TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THEIR ENGAGEMENT IN THE PROCESS. YOUR MAY BUDGET ACTIVITIES, THERE ARE FIVE ITEMS ON THAT. AND NUMBER THREE IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON A PROPOSED BUDGET. SO BASED ON WHAT THE CITY ATTORNEY JUST STATED AND TODAY BEING MAY 4TH, AND THIS IS FOR A MAY 18TH BUDGET HEARING. IT SEEMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO REVISE THIS SCHEDULE IN ORDER TO MEET THE STATE LAW AND TO BE IN COMPLIANCE, BECAUSE IF IT REQUIRES A NOTICE OF 14 DAYS, THEN I DON'T KNOW IF THE NEW BUDGET IS READY FOR THAT. DO WE HAVE TO POST THE BUDGET? MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, AND NOTICE AT THE SAME TIME. ALL RIGHT, LET'S BREAK THIS DOWN. SO YOU'VE GOT THE BUDGET PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION CHAPTER IN SECTION 5-101 OF YOUR ORDINANCE. AND THAT PROVIDES THAT ON OR BEFORE THE SECOND REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL. DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL OF EACH YEAR, THE CITY MANAGER SHALL SUBMIT TO THE CITY COUNCIL A BUDGET FOR THE ENSUING FISCAL YEAR. AN ACCOMPANYING MESSAGE. SO THAT'S A MY INTERPRETATION OF A IS TO ALSO FOLLOW. LET ME GO BACK TO THE STATE LAW, THE STATE LAW REQUIREMENT THAT SAYS. A STATEMENT ADVISING THE RESIDENTS OF THE LOCAL UNIT OF THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE PLACED IN A NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION OF THE AVAILABILITY OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET. THE NOTICE SHALL BE PUBLISHED DURING THE WEEK IN WHICH THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY. SO OUR LOCAL LAW SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THAT AT A MEETING IN APRIL. THE STATE LAW FOLLOWS TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE TO ADVERTISE THAT YOU'RE DOING THAT DURING THE SAME WEEK, YOU GIVE IT TO THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY. YOU SHOULD ALSO ADVISE THE RESIDENTS THAT A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HAD, AT WHICH TIME ANY PERSONS WISHING TO BE HEARD ON THE BUDGET MAY APPEAR. AND THAT'S AT LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT WHICH ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET, ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION WILL BE CONSIDERED. THERE MUST BE THAT PUBLIC HEARING WHERE PEOPLE MAY BE HEARD. THERE'S ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN STATE LAW. THAT THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE BUDGET HEARING REQUIRED IN THE SECTION I JUST READ. I'M SORRY. SHALL BE AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE THE BUDGET HEARING IS HELD. AND FURTHER AND LASTLY, IT SAYS THAT ONE STATEMENT THAT SAYS ALL OF THIS CAN INCLUDE THE WEEK THAT THE BUDGET IS GIVEN TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THE PUBLIC HEARING DATE AND THE ADOPTION DATE. I THINK YOUR QUESTION IS WHETHER THIS TIMELINE THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS ALREADY PUT TOGETHER FOLLOWS THIS. I WOULD NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN, BUT I DON'T THINK IT DOESN'T. I THINK THAT THE TIMELINE CAN BE MET. BUT FOR THE FIRST ONE, AND HE'S ALREADY SAID THAT THEY GOT A LITTLE OFF SCHEDULE THAT SECOND ON OR BEFORE THE SECOND REGULAR MEETING DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL. THAT ONE MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONE THAT MAY BE OFF. BUT THAT IS A LOCAL ORDINANCE, NOT A STATE LAW. AND THE CONSEQUENCE IT'S OF NO CONSEQUENCE. OKAY. SO WITH THAT, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW, PARTICULARLY, BUT ALSO WITH OUR LAWS BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST READ AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE COULD HAVE ONE NOTICE WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS IN IT. MR. CITY MANAGER, CAN YOU PROVIDE US AN UPDATE? BECAUSE FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, MISS CARTWRIGHT IS WORKING ON A MORE DIGESTIBLE VERSION, SAME CONTENT, BUT EASIER TO DIGEST OF THE BUDGET FOR BOTH US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC, BOTH OF WHICH ARE VERY IMPORTANT. SO CAN YOU JUST TAKE YOUR TIMELINE THAT YOU PRODUCED AND THAT WE AGREED TO IN JANUARY AND MAKE SURE THAT IT [02:45:08] MEETS ALL OF THE STATE REQUIREMENTS AND SO THAT WE CAN BE CLEAR TO MISS COUNCILMEMBER CALDWELL'S POINT, SO THAT WE ALSO KNOW WHEN THE OTHER HEARINGS. I KNEW THAT SOME OF THE OTHER HEARINGS. WELL, I KNEW WHEN ALL THE OTHER HEARINGS CAME UP. I ATTENDED THE ONE AT THE ANNEX. BUT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL AWARE AND WE CAN HEAVILY PROMOTE THAT TO GET AS MUCH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AS POSSIBLE. CERTAINLY, I CERTAINLY CAN, AND I WILL ALSO CHECK WITH GMA. BECAUSE I HAVE NOT SEEN A BUDGET THAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS RIGHT ON. THERE'S ALWAYS SOME CHANGES AND FINAGLING WITH PROPOSED BUDGETS. AND WHILE I DO AGREE WITH BEING A CAUTIOUS AND ERRING ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION, I DON'T KNOW IF THE TIMELINES ARE STRICT WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE CHANGING, BUT I WILL, I WILL DEFINITELY CHECK JUST IN JUST IN CASE HOW GEORGIA GOES ABOUT MAKING THOSE KIND OF CHANGES BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE GIVE IT TO THE COUNCIL FOR A REASON SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE FEEDBACK. AND SO THE IDEA THAT I WOULD HIT EVERYBODY'S DESIRE ON THE FIRST OUTING, WHICH SEEMED TO BE ODD FOR ME. SO I THINK THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME, SOME, SOME, SOME LEEWAY IN WORKING THROUGH A PROPOSED BUDGET, ESPECIALLY IF THE NUMBERS DON'T CHANGE. BUT WE'LL WE'LL CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT. AND I TOTALLY DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH ADVERTISING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK AT THAT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT REGULATORY REQUIRED. MISS CALDWELL. MISS CARTWRIGHT. WITH THE NEW VERSION WHEN ARE YOU ANTICIPATING THAT YOU WILL HAVE THAT COMPLETE JUST TO LEVEL SET EXPECTATIONS? YES. SO THE LATEST WILL BE NEXT MONDAY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I YIELD. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS HAD MY HE ASKED THE QUESTION. I WAS ASKING ABOUT THE TIMELINE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WOULD BE COMPLIANT WITH THIS. AND YOU SAID BY MONDAY OF NEXT WEEK THE THE NEW VERSION OF THE BUDGET, BECAUSE I WAS JUST LOOKING AT WHAT GMAI WAS LISTENING TO WHAT CITY. MADAM CITY ATTORNEY AND WHAT GMA HAS LISTED WITH REGARDS TO TIMELINES. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT AT THE 25TH HOUR TRYING TO APPROVE A BUDGET. SO IF YOU AND I'M JUST TRYING TO JUST GET SOME ROUGH DATES, IF IT'S READY ON NEXT MONDAY, WE WOULD, YOU WOULD HAVE THAT PUBLISHED AND THEN DO THE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, IT WOULD BE PUBLISHED. OKAY. I WOULD PUT IT IN THE ON THE WEBSITE, PUBLISH IT, AND THEN SEND IT TO YOU ALL AS WELL AND PRINT A COPY FOR A FEW OF YOU THAT LIKE THE COPIES PRINTED. OKAY. THAT WAY YOU AT LEAST HAVE A WEEK TO LOOK AT IT AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. SO THAT GIVES US A WEEK. SO NEXT MONDAY THAT WILL BE OUR, WOULD YOU SAY, WORK SESSION. I'M TRYING TO LOOK AT A TIME THAT RESIDENTS WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON IT. SO MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GOOD WITH THESE DATES. AND I DON'T THINK BECAUSE THE THINGS I DON'T THINK THAT WE NECESSARILY NEED TO HAVE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING OR RETREAT OR WHATEVER. IF IT'S GOING TO BE AT THE WELL, IF IT'LL BE AT THE MAY 18TH, WILL THAT THAT BE ENOUGH, SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TIME FOR RESIDENTS TO COME IN? THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR BECAUSE, I MEAN, NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS FOR THE NEW BUDGET BOOK, CORRECT? THE NEW BOOK THAT YOU'LL BE PRESENTING. SO THE MEETINGS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS START ON MAY 18TH. OKAY. AND THEN THE ADOPTION ON JUNE 1ST. SO THIS BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING A NEW BUDGET BOOK, DOES THAT THROW THOSE DATES OFF? THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING BECAUSE NOW IT'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING. WELL. NOT NOT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER SUCH PUBLICATION. RIGHT? SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO RUN IT OR IF YOU TAKE MR. JONES'S POSITION, WHICH THAT'S FINE, THAT YOU'VE ALREADY RUN IT BECAUSE I THINK YOU'VE ALREADY RUN IT NOT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT PUBLICATION. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO IF YOU SO IF WE'RE I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN THAT TIMELINE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT RAN. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT. DO YOU KNOW THE DATE THAT THE PUBLICATION OF THE BUDGET RAN TO TELL RESIDENTS? [02:50:02] OKAY. AND DID THAT PUBLICATION STATE THE PUBLIC HEARING DATE? THAT'S RIGHT. SHE SENT IT TO ME. LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND IT. OKAY. WE HAVE. I THINK SHE'S TRYING TO. YOU MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, CAN WE TAKE A QUESTION WHILE YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT? I CAN. NO, NO, NOT YOU. BUT WE HAVE TO. THIS WAS DIRECTED TO THE CITY MANAGER. YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO PRESENT SOMETHING TO US NEXT WEEK. SO WHAT DATE WAS THAT? 11. THAT'S. IS THAT THE 11TH? IS THAT THE WORK SESSION? 11TH IS THE WORK SESSION. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. WELL, I DON'T KNOW. IS. YEAH, I WAS UNDER. OKAY. I FOUND THE ADVERTISEMENT SO WE CAN BE CLEAR. THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY 18TH AT 630. SO THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS. IF THE ADVERTISEMENT DIDN'T CHANGE FROM WHEN SHE SENT IT OUT ON APRIL 23RD, YOU GUYS HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING AS BEING ON THE 18TH. OKAY, SO I CAN CERTAINLY BE PREPARED ON THE 11TH TO DO A PRESENTATION. BUT AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE MY CALENDAR IN FRONT OF ME, SO I'M A LITTLE. YEAH. SO WE MIGHT NEED TO, TO REVISIT AND HUDDLE UP AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE CATCH ALL THE TIMELINES THE RIGHT WAY. I HAVE. ARE YOU DONE? NO, I WAS WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM CITY MANAGER. WERE YOU PRESENTING AT THE WORK SESSION? SO I WAS I WAS JUST SAYING THAT I CAN PRESENT NEXT MONDAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HUDDLE UP WITH MY TEAM TO MAKE SURE ALL THESE TIMELINES ARE BEING WITNESSED AND HANDLED APPROPRIATELY. BUT, BUT FOR BEING PREPARED TO GIVE A PRESENTATION, I CAN CERTAINLY BE READY FOR FOR MONDAY AND I CAN DO IT AGAIN THE NEXT WEEK AFTER THAT. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. I THINK WE CAN HAMMER INTO SPECIFICS IF THERE'S LITTLE ITEMS THAT YOU GUYS WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH, WE CAN WORK THROUGH THOSE THINGS. THE, THE BIG PICTURE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. THE NUMBERS ARE THE SAME. THE BUDGET IS BALANCED AS OF TODAY. SO THAT PART THAT PART WE CAN TALK ABOUT THERE IS THERE IS FOR ELECTRIC POWER, I SHOULD SAY A REQUEST FOR FUNDS TO BALANCE THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE COULDN'T BALANCE IT ANY OTHER WAY, BUT WE CAN WALK THROUGH THOSE ITEMS. THAT'S ALL BEEN IN THE BUDGET AND PRESENTED. SO IT, IT'S, IT'S THERE AND WE'RE, WE'RE READY AND OPEN TO SIT DOWN AND WALK THROUGH ANY ITEMS YOU WANT AS A GROUP OR INDIVIDUALLY. OKAY. WE HAD COUNCILWOMAN HEMMINGS AND THEN COUNCILWOMAN. MARTIN ROGERS. YES. THANK YOU. AND I'D LIKE TO SAY. OH, I'LL JUST BE VERY BRIEF. AND I'M ASKING MY COLLEAGUES TO CONSIDER THIS. I RECOGNIZE WHAT'S BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE REGISTER AS A PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 18TH. BUT GIVEN WHAT WE JUST LEARNED, THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET A NEW BUDGET BOOK THIS UPCOMING MONDAY, THIS UPCOMING MONDAY TO MAY 18TH IS NOT I DON'T THINK IT'S 14 DAYS, SO MAYBE SOMEBODY CAN COUNT. SO EVEN IF THE POLICY SETS, EVEN IF THEY HAVE ALREADY MET THE LETTER OF THE LAW BY THAT ONE. NOTICE I HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS BECAUSE THAT THE WAY THE WAY THAT THE BUDGET CURRENTLY READS IT IS, IT IS IT IS VERY, VERY CHALLENGING TO READ. SO I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. THERE USED TO BE A TABLE THAT LISTED OUT EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS, AND IT WOULD SAY THE DEPARTMENT NAME AND THE DEPARTMENT NUMBER. SO THEN WHEN YOU FLIP TO THE BACK OF THE INFORMATION, YOU COULD FIGURE OUT, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PARKS AND RECREATION OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SANITATION? YOU'D BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH EASILY BY THAT NUMBER. I KNOW BECAUSE I ADVOCATED FOR THAT TABLE, THAT TABLE DOESN'T EXIST. AND SO WHEN RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT TO ME, THEY'VE BEEN ASKING ME TO PROVIDE THEM THAT INFORMATION IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DECIPHER IT. SO I'M ASKING FOR MY COLLEAGUES TO, TO, TO BASICALLY HERE NOW MAKE A VERY CLEAR DIRECTIVE THAT EVEN IF THE LAW HAS BEEN MET, THAT IS NOT IN GOOD SPIRIT OF PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. SO I WOULD ASK THAT WHENEVER WE GET THE NEW BUDGET BOOK, WE COUNT 14 DAYS FROM THERE AS REQUIRED BY OUR ORDINANCE FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, [02:55:05] WHETHER THERE ARE SANCTIONS OR NOT LISTED THEREIN. WE CAN MAKE A DIRECTIVE AT THIS MOMENT THAT WE FOLLOW OUR OWN ORDINANCES THAT DON'T VIOLATE THE STATE BY ANY MEANS, BUT THEY CERTAINLY ALLOW FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO HAVE THE MOST UPDATED VERSION OF THIS BUDGET SO THEY CAN, FROM THE SAME PLACE OF INFORMATION, BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE THEIR CONCERNS AND FEEDBACK. SO THAT'S I'VE TALKED MYSELF INTO A MOTION. COLLEAGUES, I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THIS MOTION. ONCE WE RECEIVE THIS UPDATED VERSION WHENEVER IT COMES, WE THEN COUNT THE 14 DAYS FROM THAT DATE AND SET THE PUBLIC HEARING TO MEET THAT MINIMUM 14 DAY WINDOW. WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS. BUT WE STILL NEED TO HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING. THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON THAT WITH THE UPDATED INFORMATION. SO THAT'S MY MOTION. NOBODY'S GOING TO SECOND ME. IS THERE A SECOND? I'VE BEEN IN FOR THE FIRST DISCUSSION. I'VE BEEN IN FOR THE FIRST TIME. I HAVEN'T BEEN IN COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS. SO IF THERE'S NOT A SECOND. SECOND, THAT'S WHERE YOU SECOND IT. WE CAN SECOND FOR DISCUSSION. SHE MADE A MOTION TO SAY WHEN WE GET THE FINAL BUDGET MICROPHONE. WE FOLLOW OUR ORDINANCE, THAT WE FOLLOW OUR ORDINANCE AND WAIT 14 DAYS TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. AND I SECOND THAT. AND SHE HAS DISCUSSION. YES. AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO SAY IS, NUMBER ONE, MADAM CITY CLERK, PLEASE ENSURE THAT MY SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE AGENDAS. I COME TO YOUR OFFICE. WE MAKE COPIES, AND I JUST HAVE A LEVEL OF EXPECTATION THAT I NEED MY SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ALIGNED WITH WHAT I HAVE PLACED ON THE AGENDA. NUMBER TWO, MR. JONES MENTIONED RUMORS APRIL 17TH AT YOUR CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING. IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD. YOU STATED. I THINK IT IS, MA'AM, JUST BECAUSE YOU I DID. I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. I HAVE THE FLOOR. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I HAVE THE FLOOR. I HAVE BEFORE. THANK YOU. APRIL 17TH AT THE CITY MANAGER'S DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING. IT IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD. I DID AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST FOR THE MEETING. YOU STATED THAT YOU OVERPROJECTED THE BUDGET AND ALSO HAVING THE VOTES NOT TO DO A RATE STUDY. YOU DISCUSSED IT IN THE MEETING. THANK YOU MA'AM. I BELIEVE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HEMMING. I BELIEVE THAT I JUST CAN'T KEEP ON LETTING YOU GIVE FALSE INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE, THIS IS NOT CORRECT. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. CITY MANAGER, PLEASE, FOR ONE SECOND. COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN RODGERS, PLEASE STATE YOUR POINT OF ORDER. YES, THE POINT OF ORDER. I CAN REFER TO RULE NUMBER SEVEN. MEMBERS RECOGNIZED. I HAVE THE FLOOR. HOLD ON FOR A SECOND. LET'S GO TO RULE NUMBER SEVEN SO WE CAN READ WHAT THAT RULE IS. WHAT? IT'S NOT TRUE. IT'S NOT. I'M SHARING INFORMATION. IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD. RULE NUMBER SEVEN IS MEMBERS RECOGNIZED. HOW IS THAT APPLICABLE TO THIS? ARE YOU RECOGNIZED BECAUSE YOU'RE SPEAKING? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE CALLING? YES, MA'AM. THE RULES DO NOT ALLOW FOR THE DEBATE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A RULING ON HER POINT OF ORDER. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. WHAT THE RULE IS FOR COUNSEL. NUMBER. RULE NUMBER SEVEN IS APPROVAL OF AN HOUR. CAN YOU HELP ME? CONFIRM, BECAUSE I HAVE RULE NUMBER SEVEN. MEMBERS RECOGNIZED. THAT'S THE RULE NUMBER SHE SAID. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. APPROVED. OKAY. THANK YOU. I BELIEVE THE CODE SECTION THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HEMING WAS REFERRING TO WAS MISS CARTWRIGHT. CODE SECTION 5-101. HERE ARE MY ISSUES RELATED TO THE CURRENT BUDGET. AS PRINTED TRAVEL AND TRAINING HAS BEEN CUT IN ALL DEPARTMENTS TO $0. COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE $8,000 IN THEIR TRAVEL AND TRAINING BUDGET, WHICH DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH ME. YOU SPEND $8,000 IF YOU ARE MEMBERS OF BOARDS, YOU TRAVEL WOMEN IN LOCAL MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES A CUT FOR WHAT THE CITY PAYS FOR ELECTIONS FROM 200 K TO 50 K. [03:00:01] I'M SURE THAT FOR ELECTIONS, THE FULTON COUNTY, FULTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ELECTIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF THE CLERK WAS REFERRED TO AS TO WHY THIS WAS SUCH A DRASTIC CUT, BUT THAT DEALS WITH FULTON COUNTY ELECTIONS, AND THERE'S NO RHYME OR REASON AS TO WHY IT WENT FROM 200 K TO 50 K. HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES. HOME REPAIR FOR SENIORS 65 AND OVER WENT FROM 300 K TO $0. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE WENT FROM 300 K TO $0. COMMUNITY CONCERTS 940 K TO 443,000 AND OVER 1 MILLION IN EVENTS, BUT NOTHING TO HELP THE RESIDENTS. WARD D SOUTH COMMERCE PARK 1.4 MILLION WAS REQUESTED $0. PLANS FOR THIS PARK WERE ALREADY APPROVED AND ARE UNDERWAY. THERE IS NO RECREATION IN WARD D PERIOD BESIDES THE INCOMING POCKET PARK FROM MICROSOFT. AND THESE ARE ALSO OBSERVATIONS THAT WARD D RESIDENTS HAVE SHARED WITH ME AS WELL. WE'VE BEEN DIALOGING ABOUT THIS BUDGET FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS. JOHN D MILNER PARK, THE SPORTS COMPLEX, 350 K RECOMMENDED $0. I BELIEVE THAT THAT 350 K WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE POOL. THE SWIMMING POOL, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS REQUESTED 2.4 MILLION. AND THE RECOMMENDATION IS FOR 487,000, A LITTLE OVER 487,000. THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL RECREATION CENTER. THE REQUEST WAS FOR 3.5 MILLION. THE RECOMMENDATION WAS FOR 1 MILLION. LAST YEAR IT WAS 40 MILLION. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT 126 K. FOR VEHICLES. THE RECOMMENDATION WAS FOR 80 K FOR TRAFFIC CYCLES. IN THE PAST, THERE WAS AN ISSUE RELATED TO WHAT IT WAS LIKE. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THERE WASN'T ENOUGH POLICE CARS TO PATROL THE CITY. SO SOME BACKGROUND, SOME HISTORY DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE DONE AND NOT THESE CUTS. AND NOT TALKING TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OVER THESE DEPARTMENTS. FIRE STATION NUMBER TWO, THE RENOVATIONS DRASTICALLY REDUCE. THAT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THERE WAS ALSO A REQUEST THAT EACH DEPARTMENT CUT THEIR BUDGETS BY 10% WHEN I REQUESTED VIA EMAIL TWO TIMES THE RATIONALE AND WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE, NO ONE EVER GOT BACK TO ME. WHAT DOES 10% IN A DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, ESPECIALLY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WE DON'T EVEN HAVE THAT INFORMATION. I SENT AN EMAIL TO MR. JONES AND ALSO YOU, DUE TO THE DEPARTMENT CUTS, TO INQUIRE IF YOU INTERACTED WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. AND AS OF MAY 1ST YOU RESPONDED BACK. DIRECTORS WERE NOT PROVIDED A COPY OF WHAT WAS PRESENTED IN THE BUDGET. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW THAT COULD HAPPEN. BUT MAY 1ST IT'S A MATTER OF WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION AND AN EMAIL. WE RECEIVED COPIES ON THE 20TH AND THERE HAVE BEEN TWO COMMUNITY SHARES OF THE BUDGET. ALSO, IN THIS BUDGET, WE KNOW WHAT THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE IS FACED WITH. WITH OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS, I AT LEAST EXPECTED TO SEE TWO PEOPLE HOUSED IN HER OFFICE JUST TO WORK WITH OPEN RECORDS. REQUEST. PAGES 160 TO 316 IS A COPY OF PAGES 318 THROUGH 398. I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS MENTIONED. THE TABLE OF CONTENTS DOES NOT MATCH. AND THEN THE DEPARTMENTS ARE NOT NAMED THIS BUDGET IN ITS CURRENT FORM. I CANNOT SUPPORT IT AT THIS TIME. AND THE RESIDENTS THAT REPRESENT ME DO NOT WANT ME TO SUPPORT IT AT THIS TIME. SO I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT THERE WILL BE A REVISION OF THE BUDGET, BUT I HAD TO GO ON RECORD WITH THEIR CONCERNS BECAUSE THEIR CONCERNS ARE MY CONCERNS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCILMAN ATKINS. OKAY. YES. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE, THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. COUNCIL MEMBER HEMMINGS'S MOTION. BUT BEFORE I GO TO THAT, I JUST WANT TO JUST JUST STATE THAT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS JUST MENTIONED, THOSE THINGS ARE NOT ETCHED IN STONE. THIS IS THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET TO US, AND IT IS OUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO, AS COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS SAID, HEAR FROM OUR PUBLIC, FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS, AND ALSO HAVE A SENSE OF THE NEEDS OF THE CITY AND REPROGRAM THOSE THINGS BY WAY OF AMENDMENT TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET. [03:05:03] THE CITY MANAGER DOES NOT GET THE FINAL SAY IN THE BUDGET. THE CITY MANAGER AND THE STAFF HAS JUST PRESENTED US WITH THEIR PROPOSED BUDGET, AND OUR JOB IS TO TAKE ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT COUNCILMEMBER MARTIN ROGERS AND OTHER CITIZENS HAVE STATED INTO CONSIDERATION, AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE BEST REPROGRAM THOSE DOLLARS AS LONG AS WE END UP AT A ZERO BALANCED BUDGET. IS THAT NOT CORRECT? THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. AND I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO PUT THIS POINT OUT AS WELL. WHILE WE WENT THROUGH THE BUDGET TO GIVE OUR BEST RECOMMENDATION, WE HAD TO LOOK AT ALSO HOW PROJECTS ACTUALLY GET DONE. SO IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WERE SOME PROJECTS THAT PUT OUT THERE ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY WAS PUT IN THEM. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO PUT 40 MILLION IN A PROJECT WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET DESIGN DONE IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. SO WE WENT THROUGH PROJECTS, UNDERSTANDING LOGISTICALLY WHAT CAN BE DONE AND WHAT'S THE APPROPRIATE FUNDING SOURCE FOR THE TYPE OF WORK THAT CAN BE DONE TOWARDS IT, TOWARDS A OVERALL PROJECT. JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION BECAUSE IT SOUNDS REAL GOOD WHEN YOU MAKE THESE THESE BULLET POINTS OF TALKING POINTS OR WHATEVER, BUT IT REALLY THE DETAILS ARE IN SITTING DOWN AND WORKING WITH STAFF TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THESE PRIORITIES STILL ADDRESSED WHILE DEALING WITH LIMITED RESOURCES. THE, THE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY ABOUT THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR, BECAUSE WE'RE IN DISCUSSION ON THAT ALSO IS COUNCIL MEMBER WITH YOUR MOTION, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING UNTIL THE 25TH OF MAY, 14 DAYS AFTER THE MAY 11TH DAY, A HOLIDAY. SO I'M NOT SURE. 26 SO LIKE THE 26TH. YES. SO THE REASON MY CONCERN WITH THAT IS THAT ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE THAT MR. CITY MANAGER CITY MANAGER JONES PRODUCED WERE TO HAVE A FIRST PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 18TH OF MAY. AND SO MY POSITION IS THAT BASED ON ALL OF THE THINGS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ROGERS STATED, I AM IN FAVOR OF CONTINUING WITH THAT SCHEDULE. AND IF WE HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON THE 26TH TO DO THAT AS WELL, BUT NOT TO FOREGO THE ONE ON THE 18TH, BECAUSE THAT GIVES THE CITIZENS EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK TO THIS BUDGET. BUT YOUR MOTION WOULD THEN GET RID OF THE ONE ON THE 18TH. I'M IN FAVOR OF KEEPING THE ONE ON THE 18TH, AND WE COULD ALSO HAVE ONE ON THE 26TH, SHOULD WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION IN ANTICIPATION OF A VOTE IN EARLY AT OUR FIRST MEETING IN JUNE? I'LL ACCEPT A SUBSTITUTE MOTION IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT. THANK YOU. WHAT IS THE SENTENCE? COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN ATKINS, COULD YOU STATE YOUR SUBSTITUTE MOTION SO I CAN SUBSTITUTE MOTION? IS THAT WE CONTINUE ON THE SCHEDULE THAT WOULD PROVIDE THAT. WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 18TH OF MAY. THIS MOMENT. THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION ALSO TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT INTERIM FINANCE DIRECTOR CARTWRIGHT HAS STATED THAT SHE WOULD HAVE THE NEWLY FORMATTED BUDGET. STILL ZERO BALANCED BUDGET. SAME CONTENTS. REFORMAT IT TO US BY THE 11TH. THAT WOULD GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY AND THE CITIZENS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND TO PREPARE AS BEST THEY CAN AND BE KNOWLEDGEABLE BY THE 18TH. AND THEN WE WOULD THEN ALSO HAVE A FOLLOW UP ON THE 26TH OF MAY IN ANTICIPATION OF A VOTE IN THE BEGINNING OF JUNE. SO TO CONFIRM, BEFORE I ACCEPT COUNCILMAN COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS, THE PROPOSAL IS FOR TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS, ONE TO OCCUR ON THE 18TH AS PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED AND SCHEDULED, AND AN ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARING TO OCCUR AFTER WE ARE PRESENTED WITH THE NEW BUDGET FOR 14 DAYS AFTER WE'RE OKAY. I WILL ACCEPT THAT. THAT'S CORRECT, BECAUSE WE'RE, I THINK, ALREADY IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE 14 DAYS, BUT I THINK MORE IS OKAY. WE CAN HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS TO GIVE THE CITIZENS AN AND OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE FLOOR. ANY DISCUSSION? I THINK THAT CALDWELL MADE THE SECOND TO THAT SUBSTITUTE. YEAH. I SECOND. SHE DID. OKAY. OKAY. I JUST DID. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. OKAY. AND CAN WE JUST CONFIRM? ALL RIGHT. SO DO WE HAVE. [XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION] THANK YOU. COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE ANY ITEMS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION? YES, MA'AM. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. LET ME JUST GET TO MY LITTLE EXECUTIVE SESSION PAGE SO I CAN MAKE THIS. OKAY. OKAY, MADAM CITY ATTORNEY, I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE. [03:10:11] OKAY. I'M SORRY. I CAN'T HEAR YOU. ONE, TWO. OKAY. COUNCILWOMAN CUMMINGS. COUNCILMAN ATKINS. TWO PERSONNEL. SO YOU HAVE ONE REAL ESTATE. CITY MANAGER COUNCILWOMAN MARTIN ROGERS, ONE PERSONNEL. OKAY. COUNCILWOMAN CALDWELL. NONE. OKAY. WHEN SHE SAID NONE. NO. FROM COUNCILWOMAN. NONE. OKAY. COUNCILWOMAN. HEMMING. ZERO. COUNCILMAN. NONE. OKAY. SO, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I'M SORRY. CITY MANAGER. I ALWAYS FORGET. THAT'S OKAY. I THOUGHT YOU WERE READING MY MIND BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ANY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. MY APOLOGIES. OKEY DOKEY. SO THE. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION WITH FOR LEGAL. TWO REAL ESTATE AND FIVE AND FIVE PERSONNEL. SO SECOND. OKAY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO RECONVENE THE MEETING? OKAY. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. SECOND, SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES. SO MOVED. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT. WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. NO, WE HAVE MOTION, MADAM CITY. SORRY, MADAM MAYOR. YES. YES, SIR. I DID, DIDN'T WE HAVE ONE ITEM TO MAKE A PUBLIC VOTE ON, OR DID WE NOT? WE PUT THAT WE DECIDED TO HOLD UNTIL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WAS NOT REGARDING VIDEO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY MOTION. SO, MADAM MAYOR, I MOVE TO ADJOURN TONIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? THANK YOU. THE MOTION HAS A GOOD NIGHT. EASTPOINTE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.