Uh work session for September Sulk of our screen.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, so this goal, uh, once of our goals, you know, have one or two staff liaisons.

This one, you get the full meal deal.

You get uh public works director Peter Pasarelli, assistant city manager Joseph Relio, and finance director Michael Osborne.

Um Byrd, um, our development project manager also provides a ton of support um on the housing related items here.

Um Michael is out celebrating, I believe it's 20th anniversary.

Um, so he's in better places than we are.

But uh we are here to give kind of an update.

You've now been through several of these, so you'll you'll remember we usually start with the staff uh recap.

So what has we have we accomplished over the past quarter, and then a look ahead, and then we will turn it over to the goal, um, the council goal lead who is counselor closer abody, and he will talk about on the council side accomplishments in the last quarter and the path forward.

Hi, we just started to turn missed the intro.

You can look at these people.

I love the shirt.

It's a good that was a good design this year.

Really, really well.

I mean, other years have to also get great.

This one really rocked hard block.

So looking back um at our accomplishments, we're gonna actually cover a couple quarters here because then this is our third goal.

We're kind of at the end of a quarter.

Looking at Q2, uh, what did we accomplish?

So on the utility side, and I'll kind of speak to utility action.

Note that we'll speak to housing action.

Peter will correct everything I say working correctly on the utility side.

How does that sound?

Um so on the utility side, just kind of refreshing your memory.

Um, we talked about solid waste rates and uh updated those um in June.

Uh, there is another solid waste um discussion coming up this fall.

That's going to be more about the future of the franchise agreement.

Remember, we have to start a 10-year clock if we want to end that, and we need to do before the end of the year, so that's coming up soon.

It's on the forecaster.

We also um reviewed and updated our fee schedule a couple times now as part of our financial stability strategy, and we will continue to do that um based on the rate study work that um that Peter can share more about and that you've heard about at previous budget committee meetings.

Um and that's kind of the last one you see up there, Peter.

Uh, under the leadership of Peter, we've begun work with a consultant on utility cost of service rate design for water and wastewater.

That's in process.

That's a very iterative process of sharing data, um, sharing sometimes expected as unexpected things that come up on the capital side, um, but they can kind of help us forecast that and also uh taking into account the feedback you all gave about affordability at our budget committee, which we'll we'll summarize later in the presentation.

Peter, anything you want to say there?

Well, I I would I would say one of the things that has the word delay, like the recommendations is related to capital on the water side specifically.

And you know, as we've gone through the evaluation, uh the assumptions that the rate consultant may didn't incorporate some of the some of the funding scenarios that we might be able to use for our sort of two buckets of funding available um the state that we're looking at right now.

I think I mentioned it to the safe drinking water revolving loan, which is uh a low interest loan and has opponent, and there's two sort of buckets of that loan.

One is safe drinking water, and then one is related to urgent community for the completed feasibility study.

My understanding we had a call weeks ago with them uh visiting uh business maybe the work in business business working uh who managed that program for OHA and they said we're eligible for the plain the vanilla one.

I'll call it the Crick and War of the Bowl and Fund.

Six million dollars with about three million of it being for doable, and then uh and we'll be eligible for a low interest rate.

So maybe the zone work can be more and then the other piece we have to wait to complete our feasibility study before working on the console.

And it looks like there's about six million dollars there available.

Uh that can only be used for like the very narrow treatment focused work.

Um that I believe comes from the community that's was like all of the principal can be forgiven.

Um interest rate.

So we've got to work with the consultant now to put that sort of pitch into the rate, the rates and the booking.

And this is work that we're gonna be doing over the next three to four years.

So that's sort of what's complicated that that piece there.

Um they say um, you know, a bunch of it can be forgiven.

Uh is that once it's built and they see that you've done what you're saying you were gonna do, then they decide to forgive it.

Or you don't well, I think once the application is approved.

But we're gonna we're in the application in the first one.

We're gonna have this, we're gonna work on submit the principal that's forgiven once and done.

You don't pay until you're done with the work.

Um you just pay the interest piece on the principal.

And so the funding is it is it general fund that's allocated by the governor under business organ?

It's it's uh say drinking water funding that comes from the federal government.

Um they're still still coming, and they have funds available.

How long has that been the is it something that we anticipate will weather the storms in the federal government?

I think so.

Yeah, but I mean that programs for not under attack this week.

But just so it's clear this is a different fund and it reminds everything we discussed other week about that logic.

There's the drinking water, and then there's the clean water revolving logic different, and then on the wastewater on the wastewater side now.

That's the other piece that we're incorporating studies.

Yeah.

Okay.

And then um, this is again this is Q2.

So is it back?

Um April June.

Um, Joseph, you want to say briefly.

Yeah, so uh the action here is just draft affordable housing code um during those months, which is obviously done council has looked and reviewed and voted on that package as two weeks ago.

Um, and so then we're in Q3, we're kind of at the tail end of Q3.

Oh, but we've been on the utility side, just a couple things to kind of know are coming up.

We've scheduled an annual update with Wes, so great guys with Wes will be here on October 21st to answer all your Wesie questions.

Um we also um are working to schedule a presentation with PGE's executive team.

There's a new government affairs rep at PGE, who I've been very um impressed with.

She's very proactive and very eager to get uh the exec leadership in front of council.

So we're working to schedule that um targeting November.

And then a couple things in motion.

Um Peter talked about this, but continue that work on the cost of service study um and the rate design work.

So we'll next a real big update on that will be in November at the QuAC and BC meetings.

I do think Peter Kirk, if I'm saying this wrong, at next week's CIP update, we were gonna try to give a little flavor of some of the wastewater pieces related to that sewer project.

Is that right?

Um yes, I think you're right, but I don't think that being said.

Oh, that's okay.

Okay.

So is that follow-up in no number of that means it's complete, the studies complete, or is that a general report?

Well, it it will be their draft recommendations at that time, and then you know, if there are questions or things that we want it will be it actually won't be the rate design, it will be the recommended rate increase.

So and you can make adjustments to different components of the rate, the rates that we have.

So it should like much additional revenues.

And I and just kind of to the dominoes that fall between now and budget adoption.

We've got November, where we we kind of debut and discuss CIP and this rate study.

You've got February where we bring you the final draft CIP and really look for your approval, because then we're bringing it back to you in April and May to vote on it's really all the rates for the CIP and the budgets all proposed.

It's really all kind of fun.

The rates connect with the CIP and the budgets all proposed.

I think what in the way that we've handled it, I think in the past is we in those meetings we we've said like we're gonna need a lot of just use an example two and a half percent increase on water in terms of revenues.

It doesn't necessarily mean that's two and a half percent across all the different customer classes because we've we've found over time that different uh customer classifications are maybe oversubsidized or undersubsidized if we make adjustments to the fixed fixed customer charges and the consumption for me.

A couple other things to get on your horizon.

I'm really looking forward to next Tuesday's study session.

So half of that will be CIP update and a little bit of CIP looking forward to it to follow up on some of these um wastewater questions from the last time we met.

But we're also gonna do kind of a utility billing 101 and introduce you to our fantastic utility billing technician, um Amy Francis.

Amy is the person who takes the call, the desk meeting, the the emails from anyone with utility billing questions, and she is just phenomenal.

And I think it will be a really helpful overview of just her day-to-day flow.

You hear us say a lot, like we could definitely consider that though will be an administrative component, and I think talking to Amy will help kind of illuminate what that really means, how that looks like behind the scenes.

Um, and and frankly, she'll have insights that that we probably don't on what are the questions people are asking, what are the external resources of um utility relief that she points people to that seem great and which ones are not that helpful?

So um looking forward to that.

That's on September 9.

Then the following um uh meeting, uh, the work session on September 16th.

Peter and Michael will be back.

Um, we've got some uh code cleanup we need to do around our utility billing code.

It's a very prescriptive code in terms of the day of the week, the bills go out and just some things that frankly I think are are hindering rather than helping um the city.

So just a little bit of cleanup that we're gonna be previewing for you there.

And then um, and Amy will talk more about this next week too.

But you know, we have um 6,000 7,000 utility billing customers in the city, and she has been doing yeoman's work to really audit those accounts, make sure all the classifications are accurate, um, their characteristics are right, and you've heard us talk too as we brought up the public safety fee, both the advantages and the disadvantages of some of our methodologies.

So, like safe using trips.

Um, you can set that rate once, but then who's auditing it to make sure that's still the right number um down the road?

So we'll talk about that, and we're gonna do that work behind the scenes to make sure our utility billing system is as accurate and efficient as possible.

Okay, Joseph, talk to us about Sparrow.

Thank you for your patience here.

Um this took a little bit longer.

We were supposed to have a launch, at least the RFP in June, we wanted to, but there was some um some issues with a lot description on the deed.

It's not work that need to be to clean up as well as a replac, the property.

So it's more administrative stuff, but still things that require survey and engineering recordation.

So um that took a little bit longer than we'd like.

But good news is that we launched the RFB uh this last month, August 15th.

Uh we did have a neighborhood meeting last week.

Umly one person showed up, but really wow.

Um that's representing the ADA on the evaluation selection committee.

Um, she lives in one of those houses right there.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, uh, yeah, so this is on the screen if you want to get a sense of uh what the schedule is.

And so you by the end of the year we'll hopefully be back in front of council with the developer that runs it for approval to go into the negotiation.

So I mean it's early days, it's only been two weeks and there's been a holiday, but I mean, do you sense a lot of interest?

Um I can't do a sense of like a lot, but I I will say that yes, so far there's actually been more interest than I thought.

There's a few developers that have reached out and said, Yeah, we're definitely gonna submit something.

Um, we're definitely gonna have something to look at.

And we'll have a better sense uh forget what the data is for the next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday.

Next Tuesday we have requirement for mandatory uh site visit with any interesting after Tuesday.

We'll know for sure.

It's part of if you're wanting to apply, then you have to show them a sense of serious interest last week.

Can you clarify why do you think we're seeing more interest than you expected?

Or I guess why do you not think we'd see much interest in what things?

I think I'm just a little bit of SMS, maybe I think a lot of people are cheerleaders until the rubber meets the road, and then it's like you gotta put mission together.

Uh conceptuals together.

Um so seeing folks actually put the work in if you're so home.

I think I was just editing that that's sure.

Um so somebody doesn't see it until after Tuesday, they're out of look.

Yes.

Okay.

That seems to be uh it's it is typical.

Is it typical?

Yeah, you want folks actually participating show and ask questions.

Well if they show up on like video, so they have a representative technically.

I think maybe they make it.

I don't know.

All of them show up at the same time.

Yes, interesting.

Some showing a house and everyone shows up at the same time.

Yeah.

Keeping the low turnout at the um at the walkthrough, and I know there were um small counselors who wanted to be there.

Um, and do we think we could do like another island station NDA meeting or some other kind of neighborhood outreach?

That might be better than the walkthrough.

More people would be there.

Of course, it was also hot.

It's not a great week to do that side stuff for us.

I do think it's more helpful to show up when you have RMPs or when you have tangibles.

I was talking to some folks in the island station uh fun painting eventually.

We were talking about this project.

One thing to talk about it in the abstract, like CD's RPs, I think that will be yes.

Yeah, and you created a great one pager.

Uh, if anyone's interested, that's what we're intending to hold out with to your point.

Council president is to have something at least to look at even better if we can look at it and then walk the site so they get a sense of the constraints.

But most of the ending is well, and then part of that is also you know, addressing or looking to address some of the infrastructure issues that they brought up in conjunction with the project to help.

We were hoping to get some feedback on the things that we don't see in the buttons might be better.

Um I will say the NDA meetings you know tend to be pretty small, but on the 20th this month, they have the picnic, which is the place to hit a lot of people.

Um I get it.

If you guys don't want to work a Saturday, but at least maybe get a stack of those one pagers.

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll I'm sure I'll be there for part of it too.

It's whole block from my house.

So it's done.

Any other questions about the schedule or I might have missed this, but between the release of the RFP and when the proposals are due, are you offering a bidder's conference?

Like for for folks to come together after they had a chance to read the RFP and ask questions, or are you just soliciting those via email?

Yes.

So okay.

We're hoping that next week the on-site eventually meeting is essentially that.

Everybody actually questions together.

If anyone doesn't have any questions right now, they have to submit through our bonfire RFP program so that everyone else gets to see the same questions they're asked and also see our responses back.

So you have to register through that to be able to see the questions and responses.

Yes.

Is there a way for the public to register through that, or is there a way for us to post the questions and the responses publicly?

What's a new question?

I'm not sure.

Do you want it?

Can you see answers if you're not registering?

You have to do registering.

I can check with our procurement team on FSS setting we can enable.

That's good.

Okay.

That's awesome.

Maybe.

Okay, so what's coming up on the SAP staff side?

Um, so something one thing you'll see in um uh action plan, which was appended to the uh packet.

We we there's a lot, there's a lot crammed into this goal.

So we've tried to separate things out that are actions that are sort of general affordability, utility actions, and housing actions.

So if you see those headers, I hope that that helps organize um the unwieldy action plan a little bit more.

So that's gonna I think help generally, yes, for this goal, but frankly, for all of our goals.

We are still planning to conduct the biannual community survey this fall, um maybe early winter, but uh Joseph and I will leave that.

Um, and uh just to kind of uh bring your brain back when we were talking about solid waste rates.

One of the things that came up was could we actually get some baseline data about who knows that they can compost?

Um, who knows about bulky waste because those have a rate impact and knowing uh actual utilization and awareness is gonna be really important.

Um so uh we'll we'll share more updates coming soon on the survey.

I suspect those will be two very different numbers.

I bet I mean I think most everybody knows about bulky waste or the composting, maybe not so um and then on the utility side, what we're gonna work on over this next quarter.

So we had to reschedule the quack meeting.

Um from it didn't happen in August.

So September 15th.

Um as a kind of a follow-up from the great discussion we have the budget committee meeting.

We're gonna pin down kind of a short list of some rebate or discount or exemption ideas um that have been floated around, things like a tree bait, things like a um uh and an increase to the low water usage uh rebate or a or a high water usage uh search march, something like that.

And create that short list of ideas so that we can do kind of a cost benefit analysis and share that with you in the November quack and BC meetings because that's all connected to that, getting a little closer to setting new rates in the in the next budget.

We're updating our stormwater impervious surface area data.

So this again, you'll learn a lot more from um Amy next week behind the curtain.

But we have we have the updated impervious surface data.

We have to put that into the utility billing system so that our our customers are being charged accurately for the impervious service that they have.

Um and then um uh we we've currently scheduled two work sessions on these proposed code changes for utility building efficiency.

We may not need it if after uh the 16th of September you guys feel good to go.

We can change that to a vote, but there is a work session on November 18th to continue that discussion.

Peter, anything you want to add?

No, I think it's gonna be asked a question, sure.

Or the charges for impervious surface, is that um something that would impact residential or commission or commercial or both commercial and multifamily?

Okay, so it are our sailing residential and our flat flat feet, so that's an equivalent surface area unit.

I think it's 276 square feet of impervious surface area.

And then all of the other multi-family and commercial properties are based off of that.

So depending on how much they have it comes to mind for me as maybe an intersection with the ECDEM priority area because there are um commercial tenants who pay utility on behalf of the landlord for their properties, but don't have the ability to modify their impervious service.

So it might be something that we could collaborate on.

I think it should be something that we collaborate on.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

I didn't know that.

Okay.

And then Jessica, do you want to preview what's coming up on housing?

Yes.

Um it's not here, it's as I mentioned earlier, is the adoption of the horrible housing code, which is um conduct work session.

Sorry, conduct work sessions to discuss increase identity housing capacity as part of the housing production strategy.

That's um set for work session on October 21st to help scope that with the council wants that to be want it to include so your items then or a mural be here to help discuss that.

Uh the second one is conduct work session to discuss the landmaking strategy.

That's on November 18th.

So I'll be coming to that meeting with some ideas of what the what that should look like and could look like for the council and obviously always also be open to whatever recommendations you all have.

It could look like for council and obviously always also be open to whatever recommendations you all have.

And others if you do that, some are excited about that.

So that person may then hopefully the end of that quarter, we'll be adopting or at least selecting an affordable housing developer for a pretty big quarter actually.

And um, I mean it's not well, there's a little bit of affordable.

Um our session with Dr.

Balluri is October.

It fits right into it.

Yeah, it's good to have that before uh yeah.

So yeah.

And then do you know if we have a follow-up conversation with Metro about their hopes around sustainability strategy in the industrial area?

That's a great question.

I don't believe we do have anything on an agenda, but I could reach out and get something scheduled.

It might be helpful.

I don't know if others feel like that would be helpful, but when they were here and they were talking about, you know, their interest in putting together a um like a reuse small.

Yes.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like a reuse small or you know, I want to say like it's all it's like a step before a transfer station, really.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like a recycling depot.

Yeah.

And as we're talking about bulky waste day, and we're talking about composting and things like that.

I was I was dropping some things off and picking some more things up.

But um high school rubbish sale this weekend.

So it was the Rummage Sale benefited the um theater program and the arts program at Ma.

And um, they're able to collect donations, like really as soon as school ends, all the way up until when they do the rummage sale, which I thought, you know, that's a really great opportunity, and people might not know, like maybe you know, they could align that with their prep for multi-waist day or or a reuse mall if that's in the future.

So maybe I don't know.

Um I know we only have like we only have uh unlimited amazing staff.

You know it.

Something that just kind of stays on my mind about that conversation with Metro.

And if that's well, and the horizon Metro does have openings right now on there.

We all got an email from uh they have openings on their waste management committee committee, whatever.

So some of you have expressed an interest in that in the past.

So yeah, I would interested as well as a monthly meetings.

I was interested in the last second.

What are we talking about every month?

I should probably wait that well.

We can talk about that in the next section.

Uh council strategy.

Um, we could talk about this a little more.

So October 7th is our next solid waste franchise discussion.

You know the franchisees will be here.

Um we could see if Metro is available then to kind of just give a quick update or at least in the packet about there's something in the planet.

Okay, that would be really good.

That'd be great.

Great.

Yeah.

And I don't think a conversation would be much, you know.

It's another whole study session.

Wonderful.

I will reach out.

Thank you.

Yeah, of course.

Okay, now I hand it over to Councillor Costarabati to run through the council side of things.

Thank you.

Uh and I just appreciate staff uh all the work you guys have done so far.

It's it's uh I know it's a heavy lift, especially with the times that we're in.

Uh we're fighting some pressure right now, but I appreciate everyone hanging in there and and fighting back, not not to not bending the knee, so to speak.

Um so first off, some of the quarter two council accomplishments, um, general actions.

We completed our goal action plan.

Uh we align the city's action plan with the CAV strategic plan, which is nice.

Um, and then updates on can we add updates on committee assignment work related to affordability, which I know not all of us may have a uh committee assignment that's related to that, but I know that there is some overlap in some of the committees that we do have.

Um April through June.

We fill it to be selected and appointed a new budget slash community utility advisory committee.

So uh we got a quack, we got members to fill that, and we filled the vacancies on the budget committee as well.

Um adopted the fee schedule, advocated with Metro just talking about that as well.

Regional waste advisory committee for the solid waste rates um design transparency, Councilor Massey, thank you.

Uh, and then obviously advocating with West for wastewater treatment rate design transparency.

Um that one as well.

It's that's also in conjunction with what West is working on in terms of expanding their uh low income discounts and trying to figure out how to get more people not only enrolled in the program, but to how to get that over to renters.

And we talked about that where they are gonna have a meeting with PGE to see if they can uh put that discount on the electric bill for renters.

Um has Wes completed its rate setting?

No, yeah, no.

Uh uh this month, I think we're November or I think it might be this month or next month, actually.

I have an email on that.

We get something like every April though, and yeah, it's like an update point at least one rates are going to be flat.

Yeah, because uh uh just some number correctly, there's bonds that have that have gone away that were Milwaukee's impact.

So even though there's increases to other customers' arms are flat three to be so the debt servicing that's like the term that I always hear.

Um housing actions, we held a study session on affordable housing models.

Um just to better understand uh opportunities and constraints.

Quarter three, uh council plans, which are now, and I know this quarter is a little bit tricky.

One of my committee assignments, the cab, like we were like off on the summer.

Um, so a lot of a lot of I know some of that stuff gets pushed back.

We're gonna have our first meeting in two months uh tomorrow, Wednesday or Thursday.

So I think it's tomorrow actually.

Um general actions, your updates on the committee assignment work related to affordability.

Speaking of that, what I did uh for an update real quick, I did meet myself and Tracy Carroll, who is the new um director of social services for the county.

Uh we did have a meeting with uh Congresswoman Dexter's office.

Um Tom Crawford from our office actually reached out uh and asked for a meeting because they are looking for they're trying to put together some financial policies.

Um so we were able to meet with them for about 30, 45 minutes um last week, actually.

Um, or the week before, I should say.

And it was great uh just to discuss some of the issues that are facing not just Milwaukee, but our county as well, and and what the federal government can do, what they shouldn't do also, uh, in order to help alleviate those issues.

So we are planning on having continued conversations with our office, uh, Congresswoman Bynum, if you're listening.

Um utility actions, discuss council's affordability priorities and principles.

Uh we did that on the last uh budget committee meeting.

Our next slide, we kind of have a recap of what that was.

I want to make sure we got it right, but we'll come back to that.

Uh obviously the general rebate discount exemption ideas, we are still working on that.

Um we we do have some ideas already in place that we've we've tossed around and that have been talked about, but I think it's a lot of them more it's become a lot more put to paper.

I think we're starting to get ready to crystallize exactly what those programs are gonna be.

Not necessarily how we're gonna do that because we still have a long way to go for that, but uh exactly what we're trying to implement.

Um housing actions, uh we there was a walking meeting with the one neighbor.

Um so thank you for that, Seth.

Um hopefully we'll we'll we'll get more out of the NBA meeting that we schedule.

Uh we did vote for the affordable housing code incentives last council meeting.

Uh we are gonna hopefully pass that tonight, and then um hold the work session also on tenant screening fee limits, which is happening as soon as I get done talking.

Two more slides after this one.

Uh yeah, just recapping as as the city manager say we're said um from the budget committee meeting.

I I thought that was a pretty great meeting.

I thought there was a lot of good discussion in that meeting, and I and I think that we really we're blessed where our not just our values as as council members and staff, but the values of our community are when it comes to affordability and what they'd like to see.

Um of the big things was not restricting, you know, that the the discounts or whatever we do to help out into the affordability ocean just be restricted to greatest need.

It should be able to be uh afforded to all customers as well.

Um especially that you know the the middle class families in Milwaukee who have been battered um uh the most recently.

Uh the shitty the this excuse me, city should afford to expand in existing utility and census programs before looking to deepen you to uh utility relief discounts.

We heard that as well because we do have a low number of people enrolled in our current discount programs, um, and trying to figure out why.

able to be uh afford it to all customers as well um especially that you know the the middle class families in milwaukee who have been battered um uh the most recently uh the shitty the this excuse me city should afford to expand in existing utility census programs before looking to deepen you to uh utility relief discounts we heard that as well because we do have a low number of people enrolled in our current discount programs um and trying to figure out why if it's if it happens to be a barrier with what we're what we're calling it then maybe we need to change it to something else other than low income maybe we should think about changing the name to financially constrained um whatever those barriers are uh you know we need to find out what those are and and work on on expanding and getting more people enrolled in that um and then what the strategies that we're agreed on again review and potentially sets maximums for reserves I was talking about our water funds you know hitting a certain amount and not just having uh an uh increased amount sitting there uh for seven plus years until a project we like comes along and I know that's not necessarily what we're doing I know a lot of it has to do with waiting on oh dot or waiting on you know union Pacific and the railroad stuff but still there should be a maximum um so our our ratepayers get some relief as well uh again realistic capital budgeting plan that that that should be a big one um cutting down on some of the projects that may be a little bit out of scope right now in terms of what we're capable of uh and really starting to deliver on some of those longer delayed projects that community has been waiting for uh expand incentives disincentives based on consumption behavior that's that's the the the water you know uh preserving discount I guess you would call it something like that conservation discount um where if you you know if you were to come under a certain unit of water you can have a portion of your bill weighed uh and then also again uh the tree bay program and and and those things that are hopefully later down the line but these are some these are things that I feel that are something in our purview that doesn't create a doesn't rely on us creating a whole bunch of new things that we can just take foundation the structure and foundation that we have now and expand on it and hopefully increase our reach as well.

What's strategies BC uh budget committee yeah sorry budget strategy budget committee but okay that was like the name of uh that's a consultant that's that's bureaucrat bad bad behavior we should not use acronym did I see something in the packet or somewhere that there's a survey going out trying to get at why people are not using the low income did I get we did there was something in this in the utility bill or something I'm not recalling that I know it was one of things we wanted to ask for the community survey was are you aware of the Z flow income utility assistance program but maybe Amy and Mike I'll talk to you about something we did that was a conversation I feel like that was the conversation here um about including something in the utility uh I thought yeah is it quite a question or maybe it was to go back to Michael and I feel like it might also have been in the conversation that Amy has she's actually supposed to ask them on the phone.

Yeah I recall something on that note I mean I would really encourage you all and then you'll obviously get the packet with the staff report but think ahead I mean no ask all the questions you want next week when Amy's here you know about yeah what are love conversations like what are the what's the feedback you hear and also like if like from her perspective if we were to make a something more complicated water a tiered water use discount or surcharge program like what does that what she think about that I we'll make sure she's prepped and we'll go over there to back her up but I think that she'll be really a great um resource to to ask a bunch of questions to next week.

Yeah I think what I'm remembering kind of related to that might be not what you were thinking actually so let me just say real quick um I believe we were going to have Amy asking someone is we gonna be needing the city or like service asking them more about affordability where are you leaving um why are you just gonna think questions to see if there's a affordability component if they're like making moves based on it's too expensive here.

Well I mean we keep seeing these statistics about 40% of you know about the percentage that are under the Alice or the percentage that are um rent burdened and it's not matching up with the number of people who are applying for these programs.

So yeah yeah that was actually one thing we mentioned to uh representative dexter was pushing Congress to update damn the poverty valley lines again come on right like we talked about Alice and we explained what that is and how that factors in how that's a lot more realistic as to what people are facing right now is as opposed to what they've done knows how many years ago.

So yeah.

They I think, or maybe before that bill, they laid on all the people in uh human sort of that manage the lying program, the low income program that we used about that too.

Uh through electrical bill.

Yeah, uh Tracy Gerrell, the the director, she mentioned that to them too, and talked extensively about that and how important that is.

So yeah, hopefully we'll see.

Um clarifying here, if you go back to our agreements.

The BC, the last bullet point.

I thought it was a little bit more broad than just behavior.

I think it was I don't think that tree date would fall under consumption behavior.

That is just behavior flat out.

I think we were talking about incentives more broadly.

Tree bait I just mentioned tree as another incentive program.

Yeah.

That has to do with consumption.

But yeah, this one is specific to that's I guess why I asked should we strike the word consumption is that stats understanding now?

That's a help.

I I think I was kind of thinking of tree bait as a way to reduce your consumption of some water.

So but I I take your point.

I think it's it's broader.

I think I think the ones that we really heard you on is water use.

So low water use and high water use.

That'd be an incentive and a disincentive, uh discount and the surcharge.

Tree bait.

Um then the cat.

And the cat, I think so.

Really, it's kind of those two pieces.

I think what we did, we we this is the second bullet up there.

We heard that at this stage, you're not looking it is a higher priority for us to try to increase subscription to the utility assistance rather than to deepen the discounts or tier the discounts.

We can look at that further down the road once we feel like we have reached the people we need to reach.

Right.

Well, and I think too, with what we offer already.

Um, I think that's great.

The the consumption, you don't want to you don't want one to have to fill the other, so to speak, right?

So or double dip, I guess.

And I guess the other kind of piece that we we daylighted at the budget committee meeting, it's really hard not to crack.

Maybe West will crack it for us, is what do we do with renters?

You know, what do you do with folks who don't maybe have the ability to access those kinds of levers um because of how they are billed?

Um is there any kind of magic tool to support them?

Yeah, we're trying to figure that out at the CAP too.

Um there's a way to because the county has its own discounts that it offers as well, and trying to get that to renters and the county did try to have an agreement with landlords and have them sign like affidavits, you know, that they would reduce the rental, the rent if they were to offer that none of the lands was landlords took them up on that.

Um yeah, that that's the trickiest one, but that one would probably have the most impact.

I think um the one thing that I would say is you know, there's there's a shipping of cost from one consumer to the other.

So the more we've been sending people safe like that safety and they do it.

So you know, we we discount wealthy family in many cases, even though not necessarily the consumptive behaviors different, right?

Yeah, so and that's just the cost to single family residents.

Yeah, it's gonna have to we're gonna have to threaten the needle.

It's not gonna be easy.

I know that for sure.

Um, and I don't want to, you know, my optimistic uh sense.

I don't want to you know fool anybody or pull wool over anybody's eyes, right?

But I mean it's gonna take hard work and um but I have every bit of confidence that we're gonna get this right.

Uh oh, yeah, last slide.

Um looking at quarter four October to December, uh again, continue to share the updates on our committee assignments.

Um Counselor Massey with with the with what's come up with NICWIC, um, that's gonna be important as well.

That that overlap there because obviously in our last discussion we did see that that could potentially have an impact on what we're trying to accomplish.

So that's gonna that's gonna be something that we're gonna have to not only just pay attention to, but uh um it's gonna have to be both I think more than one discussion when it comes to that and maybe a discussion between you know a couple staff lead two council liais wants to sit down with uh Nick Wick along with staff to try to make sure that everyone's on the same page communication-wise and really hash out to see how this gonna work because the last thing I would want is a program that was intended for to be paid for by grants, be paid for by this.

I mean, that that would be difficult, but we'll swallow.

And just as a follow-up there, counselor, I did talk to counselor massey today.

I I think we would love to do uh um two with the green space and the affordability lead and Joseph and I have an uh internal rebirth, so we can strategize on next steps.

We'll be setting that up and report back.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean the analytic and logic from Councillor Massey, I tell you.

Love it.

Um ladder gets you every time I really appreciate meeting.

I know where's everybody's red head?

Uh uh tour clock in the service center.

Um when is that uh it's not scheduled yet, and this is in in my court, but I'll uh counselor Staven George has given me the conductivos for Celeste, and so I'll be down.

Everything you'll see that go on.

Well that's literally the least thing I can well thank you.

Thank you.

Uh utility actions again provide direction on the utility billing code updates and utility rates relief strategies um to include budget development based on cost benefit analysis at the November budget committee meeting.

That's gonna be a big one.

And then housing actions again.

Uh next step with increasing high density housing capacity and then the land bank strategy, which Joseph had talked about before.

The land bank strategy.

I know that I have had some conversations with Councillor Anderson on some ideas.

Um Justin may not be happy with them, but uh uh I think there's a possibility that we could make a board.

Um yeah, so that that's that's uh we got a lot to look forward to and and we gotta we got a heavy lift ahead of us folks.

Excited.

It's the fastest goal update we've ever done.

Um 52 minutes.

Are we done?

That's it for our slide.

Last slide what are there any you know discussion or questions before we hand it over to the blue jacket twins to talk about our next item?

I think you know with affordability, one thing we probably do is it interspers the into the full workcaster and her geocouncil encouraged you.

So you'll see a lot of you know this this I think could go quick because it's kind of a wrap-up, and you're gonna see a lot of affordability related discussions in the coming.

So I was just saying our other goals have kind of closed with big questions for us, and there's no big questions for you.

Not a big question at the budget committee meeting, which is great.

Um, and I think we're teeing up a lot of big question moments in these coming work sessions.

Um there's any big questions you have for us, you let us know.

But uh Yeah, I would say the same thing.

I mean, we're you know, we're probably gonna have a lot of them in this next quarter.

Yeah.

Pretty good.

I mean, that's that's really where the the heavy list's gonna come.

Um but we've also been pretty we've been very specific about what we want to do, right?

So I think that helps too.

Um there's quite a bit of infrastructure already in place in some of these areas.

So yeah.

Do we still have a liaison to the um community center?

Milwaukee community center.

I mean, board or oh, well, yeah, uh, well, we I don't know.

I can't remember.

I mean, we years ago, we appointed Wilda Parks to their board.

She's actually the chair.

Yeah.

So maybe that's what I'm remembering that there were some community members who were kind of.

We were supposed to have an appointment on their board, I think.

Uh and I guess Wilda's still holding that.

Well, because it brings to mind, you know, trying to get out some of this information more widely, maybe how we could use that partnership better.

Um, because I know we do get like the annual update on how things are going, but that's really just kind of high-level, you know, program of familiarity and awareness.

But it seems like maybe a conversation with them about can we put information about relief programs?

You know, maybe it's already there.

I and I have noticed it.

And maybe they can send something out in their newsletter to get I was gonna say, yeah, I mean, they have a newsletter, they also just have you know, table.

I mean, they have tables of info when people come in there for lunch and stuff.

So there's ways to reach people who there's a couple of um, you know, basically social workers on their staff, I think, who haven't been cut.

So um it would be good to increase our level of communication with them though, just especially with what's you know, we're still trying to figure out those on wheels and those cuts and everything else that's coming down.

Yeah, so and it also um brings to mind for me the um there's a school district team that's embedded at the Wichita Center that does outreach with students and they they manage like food basket pickups and things like that at different schools.

They were amazing during the conversations with the collect and the service center about getting housing resources out.

Um, and they already had a list of you know families that they had identified that could definitely need, you know, like we can we can sign up families for this, this, this, this other family needs this and this.

They they already had sort of a case management, you know, yeah, pool that we could tap into.

So it seems like maybe that would be a good team to come up with it.

Yeah, I wonder if that would also help in getting more people enrolled in our programs.

Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm kind of just in terms of like an outreach strategy that could be fun.

That would be great.

That's definitely more.

I'll live right by them.

I can walk there, I could do it.

Their team is awesome.

Yeah, they really are.

They do a lot of great things out there.

I will make sure that next week's at our study session.

Um, Amy and Michael, any collateral we already have about um the utility assistance program, lower your expectations.

I don't think it's gonna be the most beautiful, but we can have a conversation that maybe about what collateral would we like to have.

We can create that and then be bringing that out to the community center, Wichita Center, school district partners, those kinds of things.

So yeah.

Because I I see that as part of our role in you know, removing barriers for people to have you know have less on their plates to find more successes, but then also getting the word out, you know, that might help boost some of the hard work that that um staff are already working on.

But just in that extra like move.

I have uh sort of a question that relates to the this uh low uh enrollment issue and um just provide authentication for someone to enroll, do they have to go they do not?

Um I I believe we have a paper application and can work uh over the phone or at the counter with our utility bill.

Okay, I was just gonna sort of was that there was a digital barrier there uh knowledge or access to technology or whatever.

But if that's not the case, then there may their language access though may be uh that's another point.

Okay.

No other questions or comments.

I appreciate everyone's help and work on this very much council staff if you guys have all been tremendously.

Yeah, we're half hour ahead.

So you have plenty of time to talk about your agenda item, which is tenant screening.

All the time in the world.

I'll pass these up to each of you.

I've sent it digital copies and thought as well.

Okay.

Um I put together in one pager after some conversations of propaganda.

This session he introduced to Bill Hospital 3974 that would limit screening fees across the state of Oregon to earlier in the session to just remove all screen, not allow any screening fees.

So this $20 was more of this compromise proposed to be introduced later on.

Part of what inspired me to do this that I think about the other is good.

Um keep it up on that.

Yeah, what's the bill number?

Uh 3974.

Um City of Eugene.

Oh City of Eugene was the first city in the state of Oregon to limit screening fees.

They set their limit at $10 as a part of their like a collection of tenant protection policies that they passed.

And I think this was one of the more complicals.

Um they got challenged up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court upheld that they are able to set these screening fees.

One of the reasons, like state supreme court.

Yep.

Um, a few other states have similar proposals.

What they do is they require that landlords accept uh portable tenants screening reports.

So basically, I can go to a third-party vendor, I can say, Zillow, will you screen me?

And for the next 30 days, because it's dependent on your credit score.

I have a portable screening report that I can take anyone and say, I've screened myself.

So a few other states require landlords to take that.

On the flip side, as all of these screening fees and caps have been put in place, a lot of developers and managers of multifamily housing have been really upset with these proposals.

And a big reason, I included in this table here, is the actual cost of doing a screening fee is higher than what the caps are.

So in Eugene, the $10 cap is about half of what the lowest estimate is for what it would cost to do a screening report.

And this table has all of the different components that might go into a screening report.

I don't know why Robert, your home state of Tennessee, it charges $65 for a criminal record search there, which is far outside any other.

So I don't know why anyone would screen for a criminal records report there.

But if you do all of these things, it ends up costing.

I will never screen Robert's criminal record after this.

But the big thing is you could have a screening cost that is far outside the cap.

So it's an interesting policy question.

The challenge that Gamba and proponents are trying to solve is if you're applying to a lot of different renters, the rentals, it's a big barrier to have to pay $50 at every rental that you're doing.

And it makes it really hard to find a place to live.

Multifamily Northwest would come back and say most renters only apply to one spot, 98% of renters according to one of their sources that they use.

The numbers are a little bit up in the air, but even assuming that people only are applying to just one, I think there's a real barrier to apply to more because it's so expensive to apply in the first place, it discourages applications and it makes it a good idea.

Yep.

So this is a trade association.

I met with a trade association as I was thinking about doing a screening fee here.

I thought it would be helpful to meet with them, even if they dislike the proposal, just to bounce ideas off of them to see what something more powerful would be.

Which is kind of how I got to what three strategies you could adopt.

The first is as a city, if we could identify, work with multifamily Northwest and maybe just go out on our own to identify one to three city approved portable tenant screening reports.

We could create like a clear defined pathway.

If you want these portable reports, here's where you can go.

And require landlords accept those screening reports.

Now, some landlords are vendors who are doing that now.

There are a few vendors.

The three that I found are um Robert really read the one page requirement.

Uh, Transusans Union Smart Move, My Screening Report, and Zillow all over offer some sort of feature there.

So I think you can require either landlords accept a portable screening report, or if they are not willing to accept a portable screen report, they have their own report that they want to run, limit them to $10.

So they still have the flexibility to say a portable screen report is not something that I want.

But if they do that, they cannot charge so much that it's a cost burden on people who say for these portable screening reports.

Those ones are around $20 to $50, depending on how many inclusions you have there, too.

So I think it the reality is the challenge of a $10 screening fee cap or a $20 screening cap, is these services are expensive and they're more expensive than the $10 cap would allow.

But what's kind of like inefficiency in the system is you're running one report, and if you have to go to multiple places to run the same report on you, there's a lot of inefficiency done there.

So if we require that type of efficiency, if we say the tenant can on their own get this screening report and submit to the landlord, that creates efficiencies that an individual tenant could go forwards.

And we also still allow the flexibility.

If people do not want to accept those tenant self-screening reports, they can check the fee of $10.

So what is this the uh third-party screening report?

Is it a score?

Or is it is it a yes no, maybe uh it's the same screening report as you would get normally.

So what this does is it's a summary of your criminal background, it's a summary of your credit score and a summary of I think there are a few other components.

It also includes references back to past housing.

So they'll call through your references as well.

But I think this is why it's important that the city, as opposed to saying, like some states, you're required to accept a tenant screening report by identifying one to three vendors, we kind of create there, there are a bunch of different portable reports that you can do.

And I think if we found reports that multifamily providers would actually use or find trustworthy, I think that that's a more reasonable solution.

Because you could find a there was a really cheap one I found online, $20 that just is a criminal background check and a credit score.

But you can see here the types of screens that some people do are much more expensive than just that.

And so I think working with multi-family Northwest to say, listen, we're gonna require this of you, but at least tell us what type of portable screening report would be most amenable to you.

We could identify one to three options.

And then my thought is in the same way that we require home sellers to list and their home sales their energy score.

We could have some type of requirement on landlords who post their um rental units on the market to include uh just description of what their screening process is.

If we add this layer of complexity, I think it's important for a landlord to advertise you can self-screen for this, and here's the self-screening tool that we allow.

So that was the thought there.

I think here is the big caveat, and here's why maybe I say put a pin in all of this.

We're gonna be talking in mid-October about our um middle housing responses.

We're also gonna be talking about our increasing capacity for high density housing and what have you.

And I think I think after the middle housing town hall, it's irresponsible to just look at increasing the high density capacity without thinking about like what are all those limitation things.

And we heard a lot about mitigation for um middle housing, but there are all sorts of other housing types that are coming on the market, and rental housing is something that we'll see more in Milwaukee.

And so I think this might be a separate component of that.

So maybe the ask after all of this is we take something like this, we fed it to staff.

Um, while we talk about middle housing remedies and talk more broadly about how we can accommodate growth and make sure that growth is not a burden on residents.

This is some strategy that we also include.

But I'll pause questions on components of this, or even does this approach seem reasonable to the four of you?

Well, I gotta I I yeah, I kind of like decided the third part screening because it sort of sort of answers what the landlords want.

They're they're using these as a risk reduction strategy because they don't want to be in a situation where they have to have fixed.

Yeah, so they want to know who they're gonna rent the place to, and they want to say this person is a low risk to me.

Uh but I like the idea, you know, you pay it once and it can be you know, uh used multiple times.

So I do like that.

Um I I would just caution that even if this becomes part of the code, uh, I would say output these three in the code.

They're just some, you know, we just review this on an annual basis, you know, or every two-year basis or whatever, and you identify a minimum of three, a maximum of five, or whatever, uh, but you don't want to get, you know uh these companies, you know, uh looking up the code because you're just gonna that that you know that would just change your code will be uh day, yeah.

Um did the didn't your discussions with multifamily Northwest did they have any experience using any of these, and did they have any express any preferences or anything like that?

They didn't.

So I think that's kind of what I've identified as our next step.

If this is something that we would be interested in, I think the direction to staff, or I could go off and do it is communicate with multi-family northwest to identify what those one to three or however many options we provide are based on what actual landlords find it metable in Oregon, um, and include those.

And I think the other challenge, as I was looking independently, it can be difficult to navigate where you go for an independent screening.

And so I think that's also why it's important to have the like communication reporting requirement.

You need to see on the application event where you can self-screen into that process, looks like so.

I all that to say multifamily has opinions about this.

I don't know their specific opinions, but they did afterwards, they followed up with like here's an example report back from a screening company that we have.

Here are some companies that we use the self-screening, I don't know.

I'm gonna I'm gonna try to resist to get too much of the details now.

I am concerned about relative to the consequences, and that is uh what do you do if a landlord doesn't want?

Yeah, this is what are the and what are the you know what are the you know what are the results when you found somebody who's doesn't complain because we've already said it to ourselves that we're really not compliant very well with the energy score.

Right.

Yeah exactly.

Uh what Eugene does for theirs is you can submit a written complaint to the city and they'll basically agree to get that.

I think they have some type of fee that they levy on the rental provider if they're not compliant.

And so we go through our code enforcement process.

And I think all of this, we've talked a lot about code enforcement and a desire to see more support for a code for this would be part of the conversation.

Yeah.

That's fine.

I think it's also my old take about the enforcement for the energy score and this rentable provision is I think it's challenging to have staff that are dedicated to proactively looking at all these listings.

I think it's more if we will have a city more size to have a report back opportunity where if someone is in out of compliance, they can bring it to us.

That's maybe a better use of RMT.

So it would have to be somebody that somebody would have to complain to the city then.

Yeah.

One and two things would happen.

Someone says I was charged a screening fee of over $10 for a non-third party um screening report.

Or I was looking to apply to this rental unit and they didn't include the fee.

Or they didn't include information about how I could do screening.

Can you say are you is this are you proposing that they also have the option of a screening in lieu of the third party?

I was saying yeah.

So if you would like to, I think that there I could imagine a world in which some landlords do not like the approved vendors that they have.

And so I think to continue to allow flexibility, they can have their own separate, they can choose to opt out of our one to three vendors.

But if they don't allow for a third-party screening, that screening that they charge is capped at $10.

So we are controlling then the price of what the screens are.

Yeah, I I say the your rationale, I'm just thinking simplicity, you know, yeah, use a screening, third-party screening option.

Yeah, I you know, there's well, I think it's important to, I mean, I guess yeah, I think conceptually I like it.

Um I do think that there's a lot of uh things unclear to me in terms of yeah, who these are these third party screening options, you know, easily, I guess if they're transunion and zillow, they're probably usually easily findable.

But um, you know, uh I think you know, sort of what they do and what they do for what amount of a fee and how that compares with the fees that landlords are charging is one question, and the landlord the landlords trust in them.

Um I guess the other thing we've got to keep in mind is we've got all variety of landlords.

They're not all seven acres and axle tree.

You know, we've got people with a fourplex or you know, we've got people with small things who are not professional, you know.

Um or not big operations.

So I think I do see kind of a uh uh potential uh code enforcement, you know, heavy lift here, and and again, yeah, like Robert Messi said, I am you know we aren't we aren't enforcing our home energy score, and um, so I'm worried about creating another one of those, but but it's I think it's worth it's worth exploring more for sure.

Yeah, would it be what it would be easier just to say that tenants are allowed to provide their own screening, period?

Like the landlords can do their their screening if they wanted to, but the but if but like because not maybe maybe there's a renture that's like what I'll just go through the landlord company, like I'll just list seven acres do my screening, right?

Because you know, like it's it might be easier for them or they don't want to have to put in all that info, whatever they might be, but just saying, like, hey, you also have an option where the renter can bring their own screening, and it and I think that's kind of where counselor massey was going that if we designate these three three companies, whatever.

I would just say like they just provide their own screening and then each each landlord is gonna have to show low on the corners that's up the screening operation.

I mean, how is that not?

Well, I mean, it's it's a lot harder to set up, you know, you can't just be Joe Blow and set up people's background screenings.

It doesn't work that way.

You're talking about people's data births, social security, all that information.

It's not as simple as just somebody putting up a court on the corner and saying, hey, I'll do a screening for you.

It doesn't work that way.

Well, but I mean it's if nobody's verified how they do their screenings, then how why would a landlord what how can we expect a landlord to take?

But if you're doing a background check, how is that unverified?

If the code actually outlines um a capped screening fee, and or the third-party screening options must be available at the time of application.

So that way the landlord is responsible for determining which of the third-party screening tools they will accept.

And then the applicant uses those tools to provide their own background.

Is that acceptable?

That's fine.

I think it's nice it ships the personality.

Yeah, yeah.

And it removes the the likelihood of us identifying any businesses in our code, which I agree is not a good idea.

Yes, yeah, absolutely.

I like the idea of is there a um, you know, the the landlord gets a like uh trade union, then the other person goes to the next apartments as well.

I like my screen.

So then you have a double payment that you just sort of kind of that is possible, but I don't know how you would attain the uniformness of that screening tool without the city being in the role of dictating or providing that third-party resource.

And then that begs another question that I have.

If part of this process, it seems like this is a piece of a of a larger package that would be appropriate for us to maybe ask um city staff to consider in addition to this particular strategy, things like um a rental registration.

The city of Gresham has a rental registration, and that fund pays for the city capacity to be able to administer some of these code enforcement type um like duties.

And I I think it's minimal.

Um, and perhaps it could actually be you know, something that that we you know talk with landlords about.

And I'm wondering um if the proposed code change would just be across the board, regardless of the size of the landlord, how many properties they manage.

I'm also curious um about the physical location of the owner.

So if it's a large um corporation and they have properties across the whole country, they're headquartered in say Florida.

Um, but their property is located here.

Is the the code does the code affect that particular property, or they're exempt because their headquarters don't exist in Milwaukee?

Yeah.

And you don't have to answer now.

I'm just I'm wondering if like these are things that come up in in like the betting conversation.

Yeah.

Counselor, could you just restate again your I want to make sure I get maybe not sure.

Um I'm interested to look at um Gresham's model for rental registration.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, we have rental registration.

How much have that through our business registration?

We we are working we are working on a business registration code update, and as part of that, I would like to look at some clearer differentiation because right now it's yeah, it's just the business.

It's just the business, yeah.

So like I pay a business registration fee.

Um, but if I were a landlord, you know, and and I knew that not only were there protections for my tenants, but there were also thoughtful protections and maybe even accommodations for me as a landlord as part of this program, then I'd be happy to pay an additional fee for uh for rental registry.

Um we might be able to gather some slightly different information than we do on the business registration application.

And then I'm interested in the implementation of it and how that applies to the size of property ownership, uh-huh, number of property owner owner's owned, I guess.

Um, and then the location of a corporate office for larger landlords.

And just going back to what you said, you were like, What when you use it?

Can I offer uh another way of thinking about this?

It was that the landlord would be required to provide at the point of application, okay.

So someone goes to um the main office, yeah, and you get an application fee, and then you're you say, you know, yeah, well, we have to do a background check, and then there's there I think this would come with more clear guidelines from the city about how we interact with rental properties in general, right?

And then there's there I think this would come with more clear guidelines from the city about how we interact with rental properties in general, right?

And we've been kind of you know hands off with that regard.

Um, but it seems like we're interested in being more hands-on.

So um they would say, you know, um here in Milwaukee, we're required to give you this piece of paper.

And then on that, and and we are also required to um tell you that third-party screening options are available for your background check.

Um, these are the ones that we recommend.

I would just add that there's a possibility that you know there could be either a trade association or a renters advocacy group that has some sort of standard for these third-party screening options, and if they meet some revenue standard, then that makes it easy to choose people, I think.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, that's what yeah, community alliance is one of the big ones.

So I think that would be a great one for the council president to chat with while he's chatting with multifamily northwest.

Yes.

There would be a yin yin yang there would be a definite organization there.

Um and I think that might be part of this larger conversation of what is the suite of strategies that we want to build out here because there are cities who contract with community alliance of tenants, there are counties that are that contract with them to provide um tenant support and resource in their jurisdiction, and it might be something that we're interested in looking into.

Part of a rental registration fee could pay for them.

Those are good ideas.

I like um I think Robert, you raised if you want to have unanimity across the city for what you accept with third-party screening, it can be hard if you a landlord to go.

Flip side is landlords, are then doing the hard work of identifying that.

Perhaps it's like a staff resource.

We could say as a city, we might recommend these three companies.

Landlords you say what you approve, but I think even acting of us putting some of the early lift of like identifying a few companies in our recommendations or guidance for landlords as we set these rules, could create some standardization.

I think that what I'm hearing though is interesting idea.

Let's talk about this more.

Let's continue to engage with partners.

When we talk about managing growth, that might a component of that conversation might also include how we support tenants and make sure that they're protected as we see those options by the city.

Is that fair to say?

Yeah, and I mean, I think even if we didn't have another new apartment building, we would still this is still something worth pursuing.

I don't think I don't see it as time to growth.

Yeah, yeah.

Absolutely.

Council president, can I just clarify?

So the idea of requiring landlords to um provide third-party screening options, that has not been tested by the courts at all, right?

That has you you're saying that the happened and other safe, yeah, but the you mean case was specifically about this the the cap.

There's not been any litigation yet around the requirement to provide.

Not that I know of as well.

Yeah, okay.

Do you know if Eugene is stuck to their guns with the ten dollar cap to spike?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

And do you know how they enforce?

Uh aside from this, they have a report back.

So if you find someone out of compliance, someone's charging more than $10, you can go right to the city.

And they prescribe in their code kind of like a remedy process, but they're like, you identify this.

You should first talk to your landlord.

If your landlord doesn't fix it, right to the city and provide these documents.

So they have a process, but it's not the city proactively looking at are you charging $10 a month.

Are there other are there staff actions you'd like us to take?

Um, I counselor Stavanger, I heard your request that we explore a rental registration and steps to be taken there, and I think that can be folded into our current look at the business registration code update.

Um, but are there other concrete steps you're you would like to direct staff to do?

Um I don't think I'm seeing other concrete steps.

I think that registration and a larger conversation that we have about protecting renters is something that we're interested in.

Um take that 30,000 foot guidance as you will.

I love it.

We can get some of that programmed into the affordability.

Yeah, I'm noticing that Justin is up and pacing, and I don't know if this is related to the topic of conversation.

Yeah, I'm guessing not.

I have some thoughts on it.

I'm sure you do.

I noticed that you were standing up, and then you oh that's because my battery.

And then I'm also curious where you got the snappy letterhead.

Snappy letterhead can a little bit.

I'll copy the last one here that I said and got one format.

Copy paste.

Definitely the real color palette.

No, it was the same, yeah.

Yeah.

I'll admit L was the fine color palette before.

I don't buy your handouts.

So much candle.

Um yeah, I think it's a really it's it's definitely something to explore.

I guess I do I do wonder if it's uh you know a complaint driven process.

It'd be interesting to hear what Eugene's experience has been with that.

Uh I can see people like being not willing to complain.

They're just like, I'm gonna go on to the next apartment building.

If you're looking for a place to live, it's not gonna be real high.

It's not yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

I think it's also enforced uh enforcement aside.

I think that if you're a rental company, you do not want to violate the law, and I think that hopefully this alone incentivize good behavior.

Well, um if there if we were able to get to a point where there are third party screening options that uh that landlords in the city would be open to.

Um I don't know.

I mean, I'm not even sure if we can get to that point.

Then I wonder if it could be almost like you know how if you're shopping for a car, um, you kind of want to get those pings like all close together.

I wonder if one of those screening reports could be, you know, it's good for 30 days, as many uh you know, applications as you want to put in.

I don't know the the mechanics of the third party options, but it seems like some education around that for council would be helpful.

Um, and if we go that path, then it seems like education for the landlords and the tenants would be important.

You're saying to make the reports good for 30 days?

Yeah, well, I mean that's kind of where he started.

Yeah.

Most companies do like your report is at least valid for 30 days until they have to run your credit score again.

Yeah, that's usually.

Yeah, that's I do appreciate you bringing up the enforcement part because I don't want it to be like the uh energy code, but it's ridiculous.

Okay.

We're 30 minutes early.

Okay.

We are 30 minutes early.

Do people have council reports they want to go ahead and do now?

You want the um I will say, well, I have one thing I sent everybody, and it's in their packet for the regular session is uh an invitation from Johnson Creek Watershed Council to tour the work they're doing in the mouth of the creek that we have the presentation on.

I didn't know if I I want to do that.

I didn't know if other people wanted to do that or not.

Uh so I wanted to kind of get a head count of who's interested in that.

Um, because we'll have to notice it as a meeting if uh more than two of us do it.

Um they were suggesting mid to late September.

Um so we don't have a specific date at this point.

But see how many people are interested in doing that.

What is it?

Mid to late September.

Going down into the mouth of Johnson Creek to look at what they're doing with the logs and the rocks and the stuff they're doing in the mouth of Johnson Creek.

Cool, they've got diver equipment.

You can see you can see some, you can see a fair amount from Line Point looking down, but I think they would take us down through the Mota parking lot and down to the is my sense to actually walk us down along the side of the creek.

Um if I can swing, I'll do it.

There's no day.

If you're generally interested, then I'll put you on a list and we'll find a day.

I'm generally interested.

Okay.

Me as well.

Me too.

You're gonna take pass on the I'm I'm happy to get the report.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

I will post a big early on.

I will follow up with a noodle or some kind of poll to get tell them that we have four, and um we'll try to get to a date, and then I'll let Scott know so he can notice it as a council.

Okay.

Other things people have council report.

I'll give you a council report.

We uh we actually uh the PARP event um August wave and uh we had a really good meeting.

Um so we kind of trial and error agreed on the on the location, sorry the date and the time will be the third Wednesday, yeah, of each month.

And um so we brought the uh all the members up to date on where we were with the negotiations with the C there.

You know, just because we did that public form here, you know, a couple weeks ago, I might want to do that with it.

You know, especially since we had a lot of new members.

It took a while to go through that.

Um we uh adopted the bylaws, new bylaws, and uh basically gave interest in uh uh the various officer positions, so we'll have the elections on the officers in the September meeting.

Um it was uh nice tight meeting, and uh thought it went pretty well.

And the new members are feeling yeah, yeah.

The first meeting was a little bit we just had kind of too much going on, transition and that kind of thing.

So felt like uh we need to get on a more straight and narrow uh you know meeting.

So we prepared for that meeting.

Yeah, and and Adam executed, so I appreciate his uh efforts.

Yeah.

While we're on parts, I might just chime in.

Um this was the mayor's suggestion to let you all know about this, and we can write an email too.

But this Sunday in City Hall from 11 to 2 is the next uh workshop as part of the Metro um community choice France program.

I admitted to the mayor that I I somebody a little unclear exactly how that process works, and I find the metro information a teeny bit opaque, but I I think the people who've been to the first round of workshops found them really engaging, and I think this will be another interesting one.

So it's really good turnout.

Yeah.

Well, the first round was sort of gathering all the ideas, and uh, and so it was just like what do you what are your ideas?

Where do you want?

And so you could throw anything in the hat, and now the hat is full, and it's sort of like sorting through them.

And it's um, yeah, it'll be interesting to see what it is.

But um, but Adam Moore had sent an email that um kind of outlined the process, and I don't think the whole council got it, so we need to get it out to the whole council so that everybody sees that.

Um I have two transportation eating reports.

Um it was a busy Labor Day weekend, but the Oregon House has passed the transportation package.

I think the big change from the packages presented when we talked about it, uh it's that they're sunsetting the payroll tax in uh January 1st, 2028.

Um and so that will be a big discussion to the legislature.

Primet still, I was in a meeting with TriMet where they were saying even with this 0.1% increase, you would uh have to cut back a trimath um two-thirds of the service cuts they proposed would still have to go into effect.

So they proposed some pretty sweeping service cuts, two-thirds of those still have to happen.

It's about like a hundred and forty million dollars, the gap that they would have after this point one percent increase happens.

So they're then gonna scale back up by one percent because it's a challenging there.

Uh flip side that I didn't find quite maybe positive.

Um if you make about 40,000, your point one percent payroll tax increase would calculate out to about um $4 over the course of a year.

Um two TriMet rides.

So I think the call to action is if you go on TriMet twice sometime in the next month or in the next year, you're contributing what would be a tax increase.

That was a helpful way to think about it.

Um factor to state income tax rates automatically goes for it.

Yeah, okay.

Yeah.

It's not like the mayor.

Now they just SHS no SHS is in this is payroll, which is slightly different.

Um file and put the one.

Um that's transportation updates.

Um the second piece is the TSPAC and planning commission projects are coming to City Council, though.

I think we're talking about on the 16th.

Um there were some amendments in the TSPAC, there were some further amendments in the planning commission.

I think all of that is really good work.

Excited to talk about that.

Um I think the reason why I put a marker down is some of the incoming funds from the transportation package might impact what those numbers look like in the uh TSP process we budgeted for over the next 20 years, having 27.5 million dollars, and the increase annually is about $600,000 the city of Milwaukee.

And so over the course of 20 years, it was about $9 million extra funds that we would have to spend on top of 27 million.

On top of 27.

That doesn't assume like that 9 million dollars might a portion of it go to maintenance operations and all sorts of other things, but it does, I would imagine that some amount of that nine million dollars get eaten up into the project list and give us more potential there.

Um and I know that both the TSPAC and planning commission amendments right at uh 27.5 million dollar line.

So some things to be thinking about there.

We'll talk about this more when we talk about the PSP.

Um, but for all the TSP members who are listening, who is for the work that you all have put in on this, I think the project list is that alone is a labor of love, and then all the work you did after that was a lot.

So the House has adopted the transportation bill.

Yep, now it's just off to the Senate.

And the Senate was supposed to be a meeting this week, but now it sounds like it's gonna be put off a couple of years.

They include paper money.

They're having trouble getting it.

It's gonna be put off till mid-September.

Um the TSP that's coming is the project list, but is the whole TSP package coming or just the project list?

Just the project list.

I think this is our last.

I know for the TSPAC.

This was our last meeting until we had the full finalized TSP.

So I think this is our last check-in before a full thing.

Great.

All right.

Council reports.

Two things about counselors go through.

Seeing any.

Well, the first one, um, this is kind of tucked into my last citywide wrap-up.

Um, we in conjunction with Rotary are sponsoring a table at their boots and crystal event uh this year.

So we've got a table if um and we can fill it with staff and council members.

So that's October 17th, 6 p.m.

at Gray Gables Estates.

Um, I have not been to one uh Adam, have you been to I actually went last year?

Did you wear boots and crystal?

I do not own boots.

But I did go with a lot of fun, and everybody else looked great.

Yeah.

So October 17 p.m.

If you can let me know if you are interested, we gotta fill up our, I think it's eight first table.

Um and then did you want me to talk about the food policies now?

Sure.

Why not?

And Scott, I might ask you to join this then, if you don't mind.

Could it give us a bigger break, but yeah.

I think uh, and I understand that this is gonna be fast.

Don't cut into my little pick there.

Okay.

Um so I bet you guys uh uh early in August uh example of the um policy that like us wigo has to allow them to have council meals, have meals at meetings at their committees and et cetera, et cetera.

Um there's been some chatter that the meal, the whole meal conundrum created by Oregon Government Ethics Committee has even passed out on the Clackamas City's dinner.

Um so are on the city's ability to pay for people to attend this out of our budget to attend the Clackmaster dinner.

So I just thought I've seen now through the mayor's email list, a lot of cities have done um ordinances, have done policies or ordinances to address the you know food is not compensation.

Um I'm like all done, let's just let's just do it and get it over with, and why reinvent the wheel?

So uh but Emma told me that Scott thinks we may not need to do anything that we may be covered.

Well, my my observation is in the last six years the city have spent time talking about this.

Uh, my remember the 2019 point council compensation discussion that led to a jury, and it led some recommendations.

I was just reviewing that language um to prepare with this.

It's pretty vague, but there was a specific conversation that your predecessors mayor maybe you were on council at the time, specifically called out, including meals and council compensation.

Um so it is fairly broad, and perhaps considering a new policy in light of the ruling this year, might be more specific about it, but uh my general observation has been that we have as a community had this conversation in recent years, and there was some chain language that was stopped at a resolution specifically calling out meals.

So I feel like council this is my you know non non-legal uh perspective.

We have talked about it.

Um council wanted to be more articulate about it.

Another thing that I think came out of that discussion was you know, every two years council reviews a budget that includes compensate funding revenue dedicated towards uh this group spending money on food.

So every two years, council by adopting the budget is essentially reviewing that idea and then getting feedback from a budget committee that includes citizen members too.

Um so you've been adopting that policy sort of indirectly.

Does the budget call out food?

It does.

There's a line that says under the city council, there's a there's a food and education and uh yeah, there's a line.

It's not just about food when you're at a an outside event, it's just gender generally to have food.

Okay.

It's again fairly vague language, but I do know that I presented that budget at least three times, and I always mention you spend money on food council.

Yeah, uh I feel like we're covered.

I feel like I've seen the chatter and the policies playing around on the reporter of the terms too.

Yeah.

So there is there is we don't have to read about a wheel necessarily, and I would again not speak for city attorney or any legal counsel that might come and I and I know that we have not thoroughly looked at any newsroom uh policies flying around, but the other piece, so so Scott's right.

There, there's been code action taken related to council compensation.

That's codified.

Additionally, we have a um an administrative policy that's been adopted and was most recently updated in 2024 and vetted with with legal review um that really clarifies its meals and taxable fringe benefits, and so it clarifies you know, meals for employees and other compensated officials provided by the city are not taxable, and you guys are considered compensated officials, but it also talks about meals for uncompensated officials and volunteers, which would cover our boards and committees, and it talks about um you know defines what de minimis means, and so it's keeping that under $600 a year.

So again, I think we're pretty papered over in terms of policy coverage here.

Um so I I think your staff recommendation is probably that we're okay.

Don't need to take action, we don't need to do anything.

So if we wanted to go back to having pizza, we could.

I'm not saying we do, but we could.

If we want to go to Clackamas City's dinner, the city can pay for that.

That's not a problem.

Okay.

You can use city funding.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

And things like our leadership academy and what the committees that we feed.

There's a lot that's covered by our both the de minimis um and frequency provisions and our adopted administrative policy about.

Okay.

So we think we're fine.

We agree with you, Mary.

Well, the only hobby on top of that is that those were answers to questions before this particular question was posed by the OGEC.

So none of our language or any of that suite of actions that we've taken is not as direct as some of the policies that we've all seen pass in all the cities, right?

Um would that sustain, you know, uh if the OG EC came after us, we'd have to figure that.

Yeah, council wanted us to be more direct uh and actually adopt something that you know there's model provisions out there.

Again, we don't need to reinvent the wheel.

We could certainly do that.

In my history here, and I'm quite certain city attorneys for decades in the state when the staff wants to provide a meal for a commission, they don't come by the city attorney's office and ask me to sign off on it.

Right.

So this is all kind of new, and as everybody knows it kind of upset the apple part, right?

Um, I'm also curious whether that opinion might get changed legislatively at some point at state level.

Who knows what's gonna happen?

Um we can answer the question more specifically.

I can't imagine, but you can't imagine OGEC coming to sue us, frankly.

That seems to be a very low risk proposition.

Well, are there other people who I didn't I don't know that it's a lawsuit type thing?

This is the ethics commission, right?

So while we do have budget documents that have line items for food, that's the city paying for the food.

That's not the elected official accepting, which is where the ethic violence violation comes in.

Right.

I I don't think that the current uh direction uh you know is in conflict with what you know recent guidance, but I'm kind of in favor of just sharpening the sphere a little bit because if the ethics committee wants to look at these things, they just won't you know they're just gonna be looking at your documentation and your in your code that means the ethics committee rules so I just say scratch that edge and let's move on.

So you're saying let's do a copy of the money.

I don't think it's a heavy lip to change.

Yeah.

And you know, give them what they want and put their name in it.

That's the entire reason why I step.

And our our pencil is not as sharp as it could be.

It doesn't mean it doesn't write.

It just means it's not as sharp as it could be.

Yeah, if there's consensus direction, we can get that on a forecaster, and we can yeah, we won't reinvent the wheel.

We'll we'll pick up what one of our sister cities has done and move that forward.

I know the legislature is considering I think OGA fits bill uh for this and some other rulings recently.

And so um whatever we write, also doesn't hamstring us at this point.

And I I think when this initially came out, Scott and Emma and I put our heads together and we we went through all of the things somewhat in a variety of conversations that Scott went through.

Uh and we you know we also said that wow, when something an opinion like that comes out, there's always a clarification, or there's always something that happens because that was a big foot that dropped.

Um and so far we've had some cities have reacted to it.

I think we we kind of took the tack tactic.

We had these other recent considerations of our policies that we were probably okay and let's let it shake out a little bit.

Do I have at least three who want to sharpen the pencil?

Sure.

Okay, yeah, look at that schedule.

And for CCA just going around uh organizers are checking, and it does not like the next schedule one is last in October, and they got a couple months for folks around the county that they're gonna need to go.

Okay, keep an eye out for it, maybe here soon button in the folks.

Okay.

They haven't done one in years and years, so well, I'll have to try.

Last time that was golf.

You're thinking of happy valley or something.

Oh, the Camilla Children's Works.

Oh, didn't we have one down by the river?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I didn't go to that one.

Okay.

I guess I have no idea.

Yeah, well, we'll survey like what we don't have a Washington Accounting water.

Okay.

So with that, we will adjourn the work session and reconvene at 6 30.

And you've got a little extra time run the McDonald's.

Okay.