Okay, let's start this while we've got quorum.

Good morning and welcome to your Fort City Council work session.

I'll call our meeting to order and turn it over to Jay Choppa.

Good morning, Mayor and Council.

Under upcoming and recent events, we don't have anything specific.

Um, organizational updates and employee recognitions.

I'd like to call Dave Lewis up to introduce his new uh deputy directory.

Good morning, Madam Mayor, City Council, Mr.

City Manager.

I am extremely excited to introduce our new deputy director.

She's gonna have to change it when she gets up here.

But uh Teresa Thomason, she is joining us with a wealth of experience in other municipalities in North Texas in the park and recreation field, including stops in Keller, Allen, and McKinney.

Uh, she is also currently finishing her second master's degree in uh public affairs at the uh University of Texas at Dallas, and she will be overseeing the park operations and the planning and resource management division.

We've kind of been calling it the two joels, and so she's in charge of the two jewels, so give her lots of grace with that.

But uh please join me in welcoming Teresa Thomason.

Thank you, Dave.

Um, hello, council and mayor.

I have had the opportunity to meet some of you in the Capitol Project Updates that we've done, and I'm looking forward to meeting those that I haven't had the opportunity to yet, and I'm looking forward to being part of the team here at Fort Worth and serving our community.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Uh, next, I'd like to bring up Jessica Rogers to introduce her new economic development assistant director.

Okay, my excitement definitely exceeds Dave's because I'm super excited.

Um let me introduce you, Council Brianna Brown.

She is our new assistant director of economic development.

She'll be overseeing our business attraction and retention team.

Um Brianna's actually originally from Bedford, so she's coming back home.

Um, and she spent the past two decades in Lubbock, but we won't hold it against her.

Um last 10 she spent um with economic and uh in the economic and business development.

She's actually worked both on the city side and on the um economic development corporation side there in Lubbock.

She has a bachelor's and a master's from Texas Tech.

Um, and her last position as the business development director with the city of Lubbock.

Um she is married to a Bobby, and she is a bonus mom to two sons, Caden and Logan.

They have a lot of fun with the teenage boys and a dog mom to Charlie, of which I have already received pictures of Charlie playing in the snow.

Um, and so we're very excited about that.

Good morning, Mayor and Council.

I'm Brianna Brown.

I'm excited to be here, excited to meet and get to know all of you.

Um gracious and thankful to be back home in the city of Fort Worth near my family that I haven't been uh close to for quite some time.

So appreciate the opportunity.

Looking forward to getting to work with you.

Congratulations.

Welcome.

And next, I'd like to call up Lauren Preer to recognize some award winners from her department.

All right, good morning, Mayor and Council.

I'm pleased to share that our department received multiple honors at the 2026 American Public Works Association Public Workshop held here in Fort Worth earlier this month.

These recognitions highlight the dedication, innovation, and professionalism of the employees who serve our residents every day.

First, our stormwater operations dashboard received the management innovation award.

So this tool is improving real-time data access, streamlining field operations, and strengthening our decision making across the organization.

Our concrete also earned the Project of the Year in the structures category for exceptional craftsmanship and quality in public infrastructure.

So their work reflects long-term value and community benefit.

We're also proud to recognize Paul Oliah, recipient of the Field Excellence Award.

So Paul was honored for outstanding customer service, innovation in the field, and measurable gains in productivity and cost savings.

Jimmy Kersey is named.

You just got pointed out, Paul.

There's Paul.

And then last but not least, as you are mowing your lawns this summer, I want you to think about Kevin Stone.

Kevin Stone can do it better and faster than you.

Kevin has represented the city of Fort Worth with distinction, earning second place in the zero-turn competition at this year's road.

Now you say second place.