All right, good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you for joining us at our newly scheduled uh finance audit and budget committee time.

Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer.

Uh appreciate the the switch up.

And we actually have a pretty light agenda today, so we'll just jump right in and of course uh joined by myself, Commissioner Tethery, the Chair, Commissioner Presiding Officer Shakira Johnson, and then uh Commissioner Mr.

Long Spears, I think we'll be here shortly.

She's just taking a call, I think.

So um we will just jump right into the meeting minutes first for the last meeting, February 25th, which is our special call meeting.

And I'll uh take a motion for that item.

Move to approve item ending in 0492.

Just the minutes.

Yes.

Second.

All right.

Motion.

Second.

All in favor is against aye.

Aye.

Chair votes.

Motion carries.

All right, let's do our purchasing item first.

Item 0316, change order number one to contract number 200316, statewide contract.

Long number there, end user computing per use by the Marshall's office.

Contract consists of the purchase of laptops, service package bundles, and related accessories.

The request seeks to increase contract funds awarded to Panasonic Connect North America Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America.

C O ProLogic ITS LLC amount not to exceed 107,286.30 cents.

And um I know this is for the Marshall's office.

Um did I did IT work on this at all?

No, it's certainly separate.

Okay, all right.

Um, so I mean the Marshall, this is for their laptops in their vehicles, I guess.

Or I think we've done this before, so here's the uh agenda item.

Okay.

I think I feel like we budgeted this already, didn't we?

So this is expected.

I apologize to the second.

Oh, that we are this is already in the budget, wasn't it?

I believe so.

And this looks like it's talking about uh purchasing lap stocks, service bundles related accessories.

Ruggedized computing, as if there's like the topics, yeah.

Okay, so this is basically for the field.

Okay.

All right, um, commissioners, any questions, comments?

No, I'm good with it.

Okay, open the floor for motion.

Motion to approve.

Second.

All right, all in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All right.

Motion carries.

All right.

So um we're not gonna do financial statements today.

Um, Director McNabb, I think you'll be ready at the next um meeting.

Um we're trying to trying to close the books out on 2025.

So we'll um we come back, we'll do uh a 2025 uh financial statement review.

And then really the rest of the agenda, Commissioners, committee members, is just to talk about our um goals for the committee this year.

And so this is really just free discussion, so we can just kinda you know take it whoever wants to go first with ideas or thoughts.

Yes, Commissioner Johnson.

Sure.

Um, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

So I think one thing I'd like us to work on.

Um it's gonna be more than what we can do in one year, but I really would like us to see what it would take to start approving the budget by December 31st.

Since that is the end of our fiscal year.

I think that's a might be a heavy lift for our finance department.

TJ just shook it as head and said yes, no problem.

This it wasn't a question, it was a state.

It was uh a hope and a dream.

A hope and a dream that we're gonna do it.

To have the budget approved before the end of the year.

Before the end of the year.

Okay, he'll think about it.

Again, I understand that's a heavy lift because processes and policies, things would have to change.

So it would be a multi-year process to get to that point.

And then I was also wondering when we are in the budget approval cycle.

I know we get our draft budget in mid-December.

Maybe we can start scheduling the constitutionals even in January.

We felt a little rushed this year.

I feel like we it wasn't as rushed last year, so just be a little more proactive.

Um that we're have giving time to everyone to hear all their concerns.

Those are top of mind for me.

I yield.

Okay, great.

Yes, totally, totally agree with both of those statements.

Um, Commissioner Long Spears.

Thank you very much.

Um hopefully we can continue this conversation into the next meeting.

But I do have some just um off remarks just off the top of my head.

The first one is I do agree with Commissioner Johnson.

I think it would be awesome, excellent, and so much simpler for everyone.

If we could approve our budget by December 31st and get off to a good start in January.

Um, a part of the reason I feel so strongly is we per the org act are unable to spend some of our appropriations until the budget has been approved.

So we're able to spend from our office budget, but not from our discretionary funds or our reserve.

Reserve, thank you, our reserve until the budget's been approved.

And then the finance department, I believe it's finance or perhaps it's the budget department.

You guys want us to complete all of our appropriation spending by the second meeting in September.

So you can count the months.

That's March, April, May, June, July, August, and let's say most is September.

So we have seven months to spend 12 months of funding.

So if we were able to move back the deadline, vote and approve the budget by the end of the year or the last meeting of the year, whether it's a special called or a standing meeting, I think it would help us to get off to a good start.

Now, all that being said, the org act is really what dictates what our budget process is.

The Charter Review Commission recommendations, one of their primary key recommendations is that we do start the process earlier in the year so that we can start January with a new operating budget.

So what Commissioner Johnson said aligns with what is in the Charter Review Commission recommendations.

So I am certainly in support of that.

Number two, just to piggyback, um, hearing the constitutionals earlier is an excellent idea, as a matter of fact.

Um, because one, there's a lot of them, and two, I did feel it was rushed, and I think we should just you know give them the due respect and the time that they need to really kind of talk through what the needs of their their um their respective offices are, such as the tax commissioner, you know, or our DA, but give them I think sufficient opportunity to um you know have a more of the rationale behind what they're requesting, and then as we push back, give them the opportunity to really defend their budget.

So I'm in agreement with both of those.

Um another thing, or a couple of other suggestions, and I'll think about it and be ready at the next fab for follow-up, is that um our CIP process.

We were initially supposed to discuss the CIP back in December, and then that has been punted.

Now I've heard it's not until summer.

So, in essence, we're having to wait six months to discuss discuss our CIP.

Um, I have a very specific project that I need movement on yesterday, and I have been holding this is a project that relates to the city of Brookhaven, and council member funny has been gracious with us and patient.

But again, I keep telling him we haven't discussed the CIP last list.

And I believe that I was looking the org act up is because I was expecting the financial statements first, but I was looking the org act up.

But there is a statement in the BOC responsibilities is that we as a commission prioritize our capital projects.

And I think that we just need a more structured, consistent way of approaching what those needs are.

The next recommendation I have is I feel like it's been quite some time, and then even previous to that it was sporadic with receiving the financial statements on a consistent basis.

And so I would like to recommend that we either review them once a month, once a quarter, every other month, but consistent so that we have the opportunity to see where the variances are at, you know, or vacancies are at, or whatever it might be.

Part of the reason I bring this up is that the administration is recommending a half mill rate increase.

We began that process in May, we vote on it in July, and I committed from the Dais during past discussions is to review our operating budget, look for efficiencies and ways that we do not, I'll state that again, that we do not have to pursue a half mill rate increase.

I believe if we really rolled up our sleeves, pin to paper, look through departments that we could find efficiencies.

Now, I did read the operational assessment that was provided to us last summer.

It was this thick, it was it was a lot.

I'm actually in the midst of rereading it right now with a lens of anything that the consultants pointed out that we could identify as an efficiency where we could potentially cut that fact from the budget and then not have to consider, I don't even want to say pursue, consider a half-mill rate increase in July.

So Mr.

Chair, for now, those are my recommendations, but I will certainly think between now and the next meeting on others, thank you, yield back.

Okay, great.

Thank you, Commissioner.

And um, yeah, and then we can I mean we don't have to have them all like figured out now.

I think what I was trying to do for our committee and hopefully the other committees is we kind of get where the committees want to focus on, and then maybe by the time we kind of put a retreat together, the committees kind of have already like done a little bit of talking, you know, and brainstorming.

So when we get to that retreat, we're sort of already a few steps ahead.

Yeah, go ahead.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Uh follow-up.

So the year before last, and I don't recall in my first or second year, but in no no, my not my I don't recall my first year.

In my second year, um, one of the exercises that all of the committees went through was providing their budget recommendations on behalf of the ops committee, for example.

And I don't know that that occurred last year.

I found it to be very useful when I was chairing the PECS committee that we had the opportunity as a committee to discuss some of the needs that you know we had been hearing, especially some of the ongoing needs over and over again, and then package up a budget request from the PECS committee, so not individual commissioners, but the committee as a whole.

So I think that that's also a good exercise that we should try to advance net or this cross our fingers.

How about this?

Later this year, if we're able to move it up where we can begin our budget planning process in October instead of December.

But as our current order act reads, the CEO drops it on the 15th.

We have until before March 1st to vote on it.

So I think really if we're going to move it forward, um, we'd have to adopt that charter review commission.

And second, the CEO would need to be on board and what that means to her this year, is she would have to vary and all the department heads, you know, know that they have a three month almost a three-month jump on what they did this past year.

So just a thought on that as well.

Thank you, yield back.

Yes, and I I do um when I first came on the board, and I I think Zach, you remember this, um uh usually the goal would be for each committee of jurisdiction to kind of go through the budget, sort of make any proposed amendments or changes or additions from the committee forwarded to the fab committee, and then we kind of all just sort of talked about all of the amendments, um, and so we took into account the committee.

So I think we're a little we're the time ran short this year.

Um but um but yes, I would be very much in favor of the individual committees sort of doing their departments, you know, make their recommendations, bring it to Fab.

Um I think the Fab committee is more just sort of like you know the final recommend recommender.

So we did try to, you know, talk about a few of the budgets um that committees couldn't get to, um, but it did mean we had to do two special calls, um, as well as because with the constitutionals were later as well, so that's that's what prompted that.

Um got the committee and then the um cost containment, uh financials quarterly.

Um and actually um Diane, when in your just since you've been here for several years, what was the was it usually quarterly or was it monthly?

What's the best sort of what's the gonna be the best information time period for us?

I think quarterly is probably gonna be the best.

Um what we we had intended, we were trying to do it monthly back when Jeff Rader was had a fab and fab got just got too busy.

Oh right.

So we would kind of we would be on the agenda and then it would just get deferred and deferred and deferred.

Yes.

That's the easiest part to define.

Yeah, and we're gonna be we're gonna be busy this year.

So I think in some in past years sometimes Fab maybe didn't have as much on the agenda, so financials were kind of like you know, an easy, straightforward thing to do that, you know, usually takes like 10-15 minutes um Diane to go through them-ish.

So um, but if if quarterly makes sense to you, um, commissioners, is that okay to start off with?

Um and so we'll so thank you for recommending that.

So we'll plan to just do um next one that will be.

We're gonna we're gonna try to do the year-end ones next meeting.

Okay.

Um we're still, as as I have mentioned before, we have a hard time getting all the invoices in from all the departments to be able to close out the year.

Right, I understand.

Um, and so uh hopefully we'll have them all in and we'll be able to generate.

Okay.

I'll tell you what, why don't you just give us the four meetings this year that you think would make sense?

Sure.

And I think we have all the committees mostly mapped out, so just let Jessica know.

Okay.

And then we'll just have it already on the calendar and we'll know what to expect.

Okay.

Okay, great.

Um and then um Zach, in terms of the the budget, um I'm gonna propose something radical here.

TJ listening.

Um in theory, the CEO has this this requirement to present the budget to the BOC by December 15th.

Um and then approval by March 1st.

Those are the bookends.

Um do you see any issue with in essence just tr like aside from a charter change, do you see any issue with us starting that work earlier voluntarily and with the potential thought that the last meeting in December, which I believe would be after the 15th, is usually that we actually could be in a position to approve a budget for next year.

Here's what I would say.

I don't know in terms of the CEO changing her charter required date to submit, right?

But something you actually did, I'm pretty sure this past year, um, which is solely in the purview of the board, which is start having conversations in terms of board priorities that could help inform the budget.

Of course, it's still up to the CEO whether or not to include those things, but by starting those early, I think it helped, if nothing else, once we framed the entire budget as to what we were able to fit in.

Um I think that as an approach through the individual committees and through FAB may serve to just provide the information.

Okay, but if you look at it, the budget, the enhancements in the budget primarily from the commission or the constitutionals, they weren't from the various departments.

Yeah.

Okay, Commissioner Johnson.

Yeah, I think that kind of framed a question or a thought.

So maybe we need to find out what work as the Board of Commissioners, as the committees um that we can do to make sure that the preliminary budget we receive on December 15th is a pretty complete budget, and then we can work to approve it faster prior to the end of February.

Maybe that's part of what we work on as well.

Um it's gonna take both sides to get it accomplished.

And I don't think each challenge done in one year.

Between December 15th and the end of the year, how many committee meetings do you want to have?

You know, who's available?

I mean, just looking at schedules, and I think that's you know something that the board would have to reconcile.

Well, but Zach, crazy idea here.

Crazy idea.

What if we had the committee meetings before December 15th?

And then when the CEO recommended the budget, we've already worked out all the details.

That's possible, right?

Because at the end of the day, all we're really talking about is right the committee.

Executive branch, legislative branch coming to an agreement.

Right, right.

The committees are with enough transparency for the public to see what we're agreeing to.

Right, right.

The committees certainly could prior to the 15th, say here are our priorities, you know, that you would like for the CEO to consider.

And you you did a variation of that this past time at you know the middle of the case.

You know, of commissioners.

And we had one list of you know, committees didn't vet to say, well, these four things.

We really took everything.

But I think that is actually the point I was trying to get to as well.

We can do some work to make that a little easier on the CEO side as well.

We can take that on at as committees.

So if that means we have to buckle down on our each of our committees to make sure we are ready to give budget recommendations earlier than that, I think that would help.

Okay.

So Zach, uh, let's talk about more sort of the strategy on this, because that this would be something for later this year, but something that's important to talk about now.

And it might be a period where we can kind of already have the departmental, here's what we think the priorities are, and then maybe that kind of expedites some of the discussions that Commissioner Consumer's on it.

Right.

When the instructions are sent out to departments, when you do that, August typically, do you say?

August, September.

Yeah.

But you know, late late summer uh departments start working on their budget.

Um so you know, conceivably committees could start you know coming up with here some things that we are thinking of at that at that same time.

Okay.

And that is the time frame coming from a city who was approving a much, much, much smaller budget.

But we did approve it by December 31st, and that's about the time frame we would start the conversations.

Yep, yeah, absolutely.

Um then the who's who's been working on the oh Manson was working on it.

So does the charter review did ops did we already discuss the budget date changes?

I feel like we talked about moving it a month up, right?

I don't remember.

We did.

I think that conversation was had in ops, but I don't remember.

We had that conversation when Commissioner Bradshaw was still on the board.

Yeah, but it's there's a recommendation in the charter zone.

It was talked about with Bradshaw with ops, but I don't know that it's been brought up since.

I don't recall.

So I believe one of the charts I don't remember the date though, but I believe one of the charter review committee recommendations is modifying that date.

Oh, it absolutely is.

Yeah, and so I believe Commissioner Marita Davis Johnson in the ops committee, she may have already gotten to that section.

I just don't recall the recommendation.

Was it one month?

I mean they should be made.

Is Mr.

Manson?

So um they did review it.

And we made a recommendation of having the budget submitted by November 1st with approval by the end of January.

So basically shifting things up, really the submission to the board by a month and a half and the approval by one month.

Interesting.

Okay.

Yeah, I think that's totally fine.

So I mean now I'm just wondering um maybe just for y'all's purposes, um, would it be helpful if the board through the committee process worked through our recommendations by November 1st?

And then y'all kind of have where we're at, and then maybe by December 15th, you're like we took everyone's into account and we got in a good place.

Yeah, so if the committees made a commitment or we collectively made a commitment that the committees would have recommendations by November 1st, that would help inform the discussion.

It's still of course up to the purview of the CEO, you know, what what goes into uh her recommended budget.

But that does a lot of homework up front, what you just described.

Okay.

Because I know I mean part of the dil, I mean, I think part of the delay was that there were changes from December 15th by the time we got into so I I guess maybe helping to understand y'all's process.

Um if everyone kind of put forward everything that's important in terms of the budget earlier, right?

Like at least from our side and maybe the other parts that aren't under the per CDO's purview, maybe that would help expedite some of the processes.

Right.

I would think that then what is presented on the 15th by the CEO would be much less likely to be modified by the CEO.

You know.

Right.

And if the committees have already done most of the work, then we probably could even approve it in January.

Right.

I think even end of January would be a month would be fine.

Right.

The earlier the better.

Right.

We would all agree on the yeah.

Yeah, I think yeah, Commissioner Long Spears point, the earlier the better.

So to the extent that by the time we the CEO presents her proposed budget to f December 15th, whether it incorporates all of the committee recommendations or some of the committee recommendations.

Regardless, if the committees have come up with this is what we want.

Because on December 16th, it becomes the board's budget.

Yeah.

And at that point you could add it all in if you chose.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Yes, Commissioner Longspires.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um couple of other or one other idea to explore is another charter review recommendation.

See, section 20A, I believe this is an old document I'm looking at from October of 2024.

Um that section states the CEO is to draft for BOC consideration and adoption of purchasing ordinance by April 1, 2025.

Obviously, that's in the rear view mirror.

But Mr.

Fab Chair, would you consider that being an agenda item we can talk through in FAB is development of an ordinance, a purchasing ordinance?

All right, thank you for that consideration.

I think that would now wouldn't that have to be a legislative agenda item.

I think that was something we talked about in the past.

Um but I mean I think the committees are at liberty to talk about legislative agenda items.

You know, whenever preferably earlier since I know we've been trying to get the legislative agenda done in the fall before the um session.

So um so yeah, let's um we'll add that to the um why not?

Jessica, we'll have like a kind of like a legislative priority section of our goals.

Also, um, just as a follow-up to a previous um statement is that section nine powers and duties of the commission 14 to determine the priority of capital improvements.

So as we revisit what the CIP process is, I think that you know we might need to be just a little bit more engaged on underscoring the word priority.

Yes.

And then lastly, um it is actually outlined in the org act related to the role of the finance director and the department.

So it does state in here is that one moment prepare and issue quarterly financial reports of the operations of all county funds.

Ms.

McNabb, is that something that you do perhaps internally and that you could share these past quarterly reports with us, say for 2025, and then moving forward, and then I'll go down to where it actually does dictate the dates as well.

Are the are you speaking of the financial statements as a whole?

Um I'm just reading what's in the org act, what it's stating that the finance department is supposed to be doing.

So prepare and issue quarterly financial reports of the operations of all county funds.

So what is your interpretation of that?

Uh that is the financial statements that we do.

Okay.

So you okay, so then you go down a little bit further into section 11 B.

The director of finance shall certify to the chief executive and to the commission on March 31, June 30th, September 30th, and December 30th of each year's statement of county finances, which shall reflect the overall county financial position by individual funds, as well as a comparison of cash revenue collections by source with the budget estimates of cash reviews by source, and also a comparison of department departmental expenditures with budget appropriations.

The chief executive shall cause the June 30th and December 31 statements to be published in the official organ of DeCab County one time and a copy posted on the county courthouse bulletin board within 30 days of each date.

So that was a whole bunch of mouthful of a whole lot of stuff, I guess that's within the um accountability and authority of the finance department are so I think the dates that we just discussed are actually stated to us here.

And I know you can't do, or maybe you put it on March 31st and we talk about it at the next FAB meeting, but I think that we really should comply with what's in the org act in terms of those deadline dates.

And then um where it says that it has to be published in the official organ of DeCab County.

Are we doing that?

Which champion?

Say again, I apologize.

That's okay.

The chief executive shall call so June 30 and December 31 statements.

So two of the four statements that per our org act, the finance department is supposed to provide in writing to the executive and the legislative branches to be published in the official organ, which is the champion of DeCab County one time and a copy posted on the county courthouse bulletin board within 30 days of each date.

So in effect, the way I interpret that is two times per year, our financial should be one appearing in the champion and two be posted at the courthouse.

Have we been doing that?

No.

Okay.

Would you consider um doing that moving forward just so we comply with our org act?

Um I will just say that posting a line.

We put it online.

Yeah.

But posting a 300-page document in the champion is might be a little bit more.

Well, might I suggest instead you could post um put it in the champion.

I I I don't think we get to cherry pick what we follow in our org act.

I think we really do need to comply with our enabling legislation, but you make a great point.

So perhaps instead, is that we have the use of the cool QR codes?

Is that you know we comply with posting the QR code in the champion twice a year, and then the website and telling people what it is.

This is what you'll go to.

This is in response to what's written in our enabling legislation that we're required by law to do two times per year.

And then I don't even know where this bulletin board is in the courthouse, and it's probably you know, 30 years ago they had one, but again it's in here.

But it's something again, you just put a poster, a couple posters with a QR code, and then we're completely compliant with our enabling legislation.

Sure.

Unfortunately, I wasn't asked to comment on the org act.

Um I would have probably made a lot of suggestions related to the case.

I know you've been around a minute.

I just don't know you've been around since when that was done.

Well, it's uh but anyways, just my point is is that the dates for those quarterly reports is already um it's prescribed to us in the org act.

So I would say if again, by that first date, which is March 31st, I would say by March 31st, we'll post the prior quarter.

June 30th, the previous quarter and and how's that?

Perfect.

Thank you.

I think that would work.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate it.

Uh-huh.

Okay, great.

Thanks for bringing that up.

Um and Attorney Welch, just from maybe two points of if you don't mind, could you just read that section of the org act and make sure like that the right department knows exactly what is required.

But then also if y'all if the finance department has any recommendations on how that section might be tweaked for modern day, you know, amenities.

Um presumably posting a QR code it will suffice, but you know, maybe it needs to say like digital link or something.

So it just seems like maybe that part's a little bit out of date.

I mean, I think the transparency is fine because we'll still produce the report, share with the commissioners, we'll have the quarterly um discussions at Fab.

Um, but now that's Commissioner Long Spears has read a portion of the org act that I don't remember reading.

Now we know.

Of course, and uh I don't have it in front of me, but my recollection is that the recommendations from the Charter Review Commission include modernizing that and including posting that on the website, uh which is sort of the modern equivalent of uh your county bulletin board.

Uh but yeah, we'll look at that language and we'll certainly uh speak with the relevant departments as long as that uh language is in place, we should be doing our our best to comply.

Though I I share Ms.

McNabb's concerns, I don't know what it would do to the budget to uh to to publish 300 pages in the champion.

So there's got to be a better way to do that.

We would make their budget year probably special edition.

Yeah, so but yes, of course, we'll look at that, no problem.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right.

Um and then uh just back to the sort of the budget discussion, uh, chief of staff may um did you have anything that you wanted to add?

Any thoughts on kind of like the pacing and scheduling of how we can be proactive on the budget?

Yeah, I I think it's the mic there.

There you go.

First time here, right?

Thank you, Mr.

CO.

Um, I I do think um it's a um it's a good conversation to have.

Um of course it's not a new conversation.

Um I do think that um as you're having that conversation um that we ought to consider planning out far enough so that the administration kind of in their processes and their scheduling and calendaring can kind of do all the things that is necessary with their development of the budget in time, and of course, for the board as well as you are um um going through planning your schedule on going through the budget so it's not condensed, so it's not rushed, so you feel like you're not really making that much of an impact as well.

And uh and so yeah, I've read the charter review uh their discussions and kind of their area of consensus.

Uh and um and I think yeah, if if uh this is going to be one of the priorities of the FAB committee that we can work together to kind of plan out the schedule for what it will take to get from here to there.

Um honestly, could we get it done by 2027?

Maybe a bit of a challenge, but let's shoot for that.

Let's plan out that schedule and and try and work and and of course it's never a good response to say, well, we've always done it like that, so why change it?

I think we look to improve and and I think this committee can be the um the head of that.

So awesome, thank you.

And I guess maybe just um and chief of staff and residing officer.

Um if I know we when we do our retreats or kind of our sort of sessions that are more geared towards planning, we do a lot on policy, um, but maybe we could just kind of fold in budget sort of naturally into that, and maybe that kind of helps us talk through those buckets of things that we're concerned about, and that keeps it on the top of the agenda.

I think uh I was having the thought and during this conversation that when we do get to the retreat, um I think that would be a good time to really talk this through with all the committee chairs and kind of work out what we're thinking and how that would look for each committee.

And I so I think the retreat would be a good place to do that.

Okay, cool.

All right, that sounds good.

Um Zach, let's go back to the CIP prioritization.

So we did go through kind of the CIP request um in at August FAB, and we know what we sort of acknowledged we were gonna y'all were the administration was doing sort of the internal CIP request review.

Um that we were talking about it, you know, after the budget uh approved.

So what's what is your timeline right now on CIP discussions?

So we're in well discussions here.

Uh yeah, I mean we'll we'll where y'all are at and then you want when you would like to bring forward.

Right.

So I'm gonna have a recommendation.

Better handle um before the next fab meeting.

As a matter of fact, we're meeting tomorrow um to talk through where we are internally.

Um we've had a number of opportunities while we were building the budget to take a look at the requests that we had as well as new requests that came in during the budget uh cycle.

Um so tomorrow will be our first opportunity to really reconvene and take a look at quite frankly a number of the items that maybe constitutionals brought up, some that uh commissioners brought into the budget discussion.

Um but our hope um well let me let me after tomorrow's meeting um so at the next fab, give you the best update or between now and then.

Okay.

Um because I know that we have said summer, and I'm going to see if we can push for something a little faster than that.

Okay.

All right.

So um Jessica, let's just plan for the next fab, we'll just get a CIP update and timeline.

We'll just kind of put that as a placeholder.

Perfect.

And um because I imagine that part of the CIP prioritization to Commissioner Longspears point in the org act is you know obviously y'all are gonna be putting forward your recommendations.

It's just like yeah, we we see it.

The committees like there'll be different CIP priorities for different departments, which are under different committees.

Sure.

So to me it seems to make sense that if there's something for parks, okay, PEC should talk about those priorities.

We've we've always looked at the that just like the budget.

You know, the administration provides here's our recommended um uh order of priority for uh investing in in capital improvements, and then ultimately the board either agrees, modifies, or disagrees with it.

So are y'all okay if we just sort of the process that we do the budget where the committees talk about the individual CIP request, prioritization, recommendations, we do the final sort of omnibus, if you will, and fab, and then that comes out.

I think that makes sense.

Um I I don't know, I'm just thinking in the past where we've done uh stormwater or water and sewer CIPs.

I don't know that the actual investment, the projects have come back to FAB where they could.

Of course, the financing has come back.

But you know, um we want to talk about that.

Yeah, but it seems like the if it correct me if I'm wrong though, I think the CIP list y'all are putting together is sort of outside, it's not like just enterprise funds.

I mean I would argue that the enterprise funds are kind of very specific, but the one you're talking about kind of has a lot more going on.

Right.

Right, right.

Because yeah, the system is much better designed, quite frankly, that for the water and sewer, those single department or single use uh things.

Right.

What I'm focused on now and what we'll be meeting about tomorrow is the broader CIP that will be everything from computers to jails.

Yeah.

Yeah, buildings, parks, other facilities.

Yeah.

And there's Sploss components to that as well.

Right, that's a fun I mean funding source.

Okay.

Um and then as part of y'all's CIP, because this is a uh the plan is to have a five-year CIP.

That's that the goal.

That's okay.

And I guess I guess we have a financial analyst now, but I guess maybe we'll we're doing that RFP.

So it will there be a financial uh analysis component of it, splost debt services, other things.

Absolutely.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh any other thoughts on the CIP?

Yeah.

Okay.

Um I'll throw a couple of my priorities, Commissioners.

Um so we've already kicked off the discussion on the diversion center.

And so, you know, I think Zach, the goal there is to um see if we can you know advance a little bit more information on the efficacy of a diversion center with an emergency receiving facility as presented by the uh uh uh Kareem Martin from the jail, uh the sheriff's office at the jail, and then Fabia a Claritel to you know just try to get the committee members more information on sort of what this might look like.

Um so you don't have the response, more just we're just talking about priorities.

So we'll continue working on diversion center.

Um because Judge Beryl Anderson, our magistrate court chief judge brought it up, the um eviction court, one of the things that they had announced at the last BAB was that they're gonna open up an eviction uh information center.

Um but she did stress that they can't offer legal advice, which I think is probably the biggest need in the eviction court system.

And so um Zach, I think this is where when I met with Director Ferguson, I think you talked a little bit about it at one of the committee meetings, that the the housing fund writ large had lots of different components to it, uh trying to prevent people from losing housing as well as building new housing.

So to me, this that that seemed like a good opportunity if the magistrate court is sort of building up information and resources within their court, then the logical next step would be to figure out you know, how can we uh fund some legal counsel to help people navigate um a system that for the most part I think the statistics are like 91% of tenants don't have a lawyer in that court, and then it sort of ends up always mostly always going to the um the landlord with a eviction on their record and their credit, and then and then we have the families living in extended state hotels, and then they ask us, you know, then that now they're now we're spending more money to help them get back into housing um when we could have prevented that in the first place.

Um something also did come up from Judge Jacobs.

Um it's related to cash bail bail commissioners.

So this the legislature passed, I guess a law two years ago, I think it was that sort of added a lot more infractions to the required cash bail.

And I think in the past, some of these misdemeanor like I guess criminal trespass maybe didn't have a cash bail component.

Um because Judge Jacobs basically described how he's been giving folks who are sort of in some of those lower level categories like a dollar bail, because they're required to have some cash bail, but they can't have no uh cash bail.

So someone emailed the other day and said, how do I go and pay someone's bail if I wanted to?

I got a dollar, and I think between the sheriff and maybe the judge, it wasn't clear who had who keeps the list of who's there for and who's what their bail is set at.

So um I'd like to kind of dive a little bit into that.

Uh one to see if there is in essence sort of a public roster of you know who's can be bailed out in essence and what their bail amount is, because it did seem like there might have been some grassroots energy to helping fellow decap citizens out that if they had a dollar could could be out of jail.

Um that we pay for every person in the jail, you know, every day.

Um if an individual doesn't need to be there and there's another place or a better situation, then it might just be a win-win.

So that's one thing.

And then the final thing is just continuing talking about water assistance.

Um so I think Jessica will want to plan to get probably a quarterly update from Urban League.

Um so probably the next meeting or two, let's get an update from Urban League.

Um, any updates from the watershed customer billing advisory board, which is having their meeting, of course, tomorrow.

So just kind of stay in tune with the water programs, water assistance.

Um I told Director McNabb that I would still want to figure out the the best policy practice for you know low to moderate income individuals who might have past debt but might have trouble paying off bad debts, and what's the best approach to help folks pay their past bills but not go broke or just default at some point um through it.

So we're gonna keep looking at those programs that say there's potential uh uh solutions, Diane.

Um so we'll follow up on that.

Um questions, thoughts about any of those policies or priorities?

Sounds like a good idea.

Okay.

We did have another question on that stuff.

Yep, I think that's that's it for me.

So yeah, go ahead.

So Zach, um we had been talking, I think it's been a few months about the assessment updates that each committee would be getting based on the the assessment, the department assessment that we've got.

Malden and Jenkins.

On the way?

The operational that's not what I heard.

Oh, we're okay.

Thank you.

Almost like what?

Uh-huh.

Yes, Malden and Jenkins.

Yes, ma'am.

Where do we stand on those?

So I believe the next cycle of meetings will be doing updates.

So we've been working with uh um the various uh uh central staff as well as Ms.

CISA to get everything scheduled.

So I think literally the next cycle of meetings will have updates.

Perfect.

Thank you.

That's all.

Okay, yeah, thanks for mentioning that um, Commissioner, because I think yes, this is the audit committee also.

So, Zach, anything that's like the operational audit or the uh momentum firm that's related to you know that topic.

Um yeah, I would love to kind of just as you got information or recommendations or things that are important to discuss, um can you bring them forward to the committee and we can present on and talk about it?

Yep, yep.

Thus far we had planned based on the um departments that are in each of the committees.

Um but maybe because I don't know if there's any specific off the top of my head for Fab, we can just provide a summary.

A summary.

Okay, gotcha.

Okay, perfect.

Um and then the one thing I did you reminded me of, Commissioner, is the Office of Independent Internal Audit.

So um Jessica, I think usually um I think usually Director Campbell sort of puts together his annual work plan.

So I guess maybe if we could just engage with him now and say if he wants to present anything about what his annual plan I think he usually tries to do that at the fourth quarter.

So he might already have his plan for this year sort of set.

So let's just invite him to come and you know present what they'll be working on this year, um, and then I think we'll probably schedule some check-ins throughout the year as well with OIIA.

Okay.

Any ideas?

Finance, audit, or budget related.

Or constitutional um I appreciate the question.

Uh give me a few moments and uh at our next meeting I'll have a dance.

Yes, we'll we'll keep the the line open for the next couple of meetings.

I think the goal was to um going into a retreat with some kind of so I think we'll you know we got a lot to work with Jessica, so let's kind of put all these together on one document and we'll um uh draft up a work plan um that we could present at the retreat um when it becomes uh available.

Okay, all right.

I think we cover everything, but again, commissioners, if there's anything else that comes up in the next two weeks, um feel free just to email Jessica so she can capture it and then we can talk about it again, and then I think we'll be on the right track for a very productive 2026 move we adjourn.

All right, second all right, all in favor is answered.

Chair Bozign.

Thank you very much.