Commissioner, so you know I'm gonna start turning the mics on, just so you guys know.

I'm gonna start turning the mics on just so you guys know.

I see one think about it, so you're definitely there.

Ouch.

I'm glad you're able to be here with us tonight.

As I just said, and we it truthfully we've kind of run out of performance.

Oh, there you go.

Something on the scale.

Yeah, in our women, yeah.

Like I think we want to do that.

Which is good.

Are you guys good to go?

Yep.

Commission, we have reached five thirty, so I'm gonna go ahead and call the community relations commission meeting for December eleventh to order, and we can start with a roll call.

Commissioner Barrero?

Present.

Commissioner Bravo.

Absent.

Commissioner Brown?

Present.

Commissioner Crote?

Present.

Commissioner Garwick?

Absent.

Commissioner Call.

Present.

Commissioner Martin?

Commissioner McDowell?

President.

Commissioner Paquela?

Present.

We have a quorum.

Thank you.

Next thing we do.

All right.

That was me.

Sorry.

I'm always a problem.

So the next thing on our agenda is the acceptance of the Journal of Proceedings for the Community Relations Commission held on November thirteenth, twenty twenty-five.

We have a motion to approve.

So move.

And um all in favor?

Say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

That uh has been approved.

The next thing on our agenda, we have public speakers tonight.

Um so I'm gonna invite uh Stephen McMaster to the microphone.

I will turn it on and um, according to this sheet of paper in front of me, have five minutes to address the commission.

And the folks over there will time you and let you know when that five minutes is up.

Thank you.

Uh I appreciate that.

Uh, thank you for letting me the opportunity to speak here tonight.

Uh my name's Stephen McMaster.

Some of you may have started to recognize me a little bit more.

Um I am doing my best as just a community member to be more involved in my community.

Um coming to commissions and board meetings uh both at the city level and at the county level.

Um I have not gone to any state or or federal meetings yet, but we're working on that.

Gotta gotta build my way up.

Um I've realized, just being in most communities that I've lived.

I I born and raised in DeKeld, Illinois, joined the Army, ran away for you know a decade or so, and now I'm back in Rockford.

Um family has moved up here and and this is home now.

Uh and Rockford does some incredible things.

Uh obviously we just passed the budget recently, and there's some awesome things in that budget.

Uh the the ability to as somebody who's had experiences being both low-income and relatively high income ambulance service, being able to be provided to the community if anybody is in in needs that um that that's incredible.

And that that will absolutely save lives in in this area.

Umfortunately, there's obviously some other aspects of the budget that that got a little bit heated.

Um I after the last meeting here concluded, I spoke to uh a few of you afterward and learned that the regrow grant um had previously been filtered through this this committee, and um I I think that's awesome.

Um I I'm a big fan of the regrow program.

Um I I understand that's possibly intended where that 3% cannabis sales tax was supposed to be sent towards.

Um, regardless of the politics associated with that.

Uh I hear we have $850,000 uh of regrow grant money that has been approved for next year.

And that's awesome.

Uh I hope that now is an opportunity to kind of build back some of those community relations that might have been lost um over the the budget debates because hey, it's set in stone now.

This is this is what we're working with, whether we like it or not.

Um so I I would really like an opportunity to learn from you guys or from partner organizations or other people uh what we intend to do with that that money.

Um I think that's a great opportunity to really build some of those community relations and and I would really like to know more about the grant programs that we intend to offer.

Obviously, this has been a thing that we've had for five years, but only kind of done twice.

So um learning more about where that would go would be would be great, and um I I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to listen to you guys and and be more engaged in the community.

I just went to the uh R1 planning meeting that happened a couple hours ago and learned that we have some awesome data at our fingertips.

If uh for those who who may not be familiar, if you go to the R1 planning website, they have I I don't know I don't know if I'm allowed to have visual aids, but they have um some options for you to search by uh high school graduation rates, by um income levels, and try to get a better understanding of just the flow of the community itself and and where people who may, for instance, the regrow money may benefit those those lower income communities, those communities that have been more affected by the war on drugs.

Um there's some great sources of data that we have access to, and uh I'm very excited to see where that goes in the future.

But once again, thank you for your time.

And it I am always in the back corner of every city council meeting and every other meeting that happens in this chamber that I have access to.

So if anybody is wishes to discuss anything or have any conversations, I I sincerely welcome that.

Thank you for all you do.

I realize you don't get a lot of thank yous.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Do you want to be on the commission?

We're we're working towards understanding where my my skill set might be best utilized by uh the big community.

Are you involved with any of our community organizations?

Not directly, only only as a participant um at this time, but I'm certainly more than interested in in learning more opportunities where I can help bridge gaps if there are gaps or help spread messages if there are good messages to spread.

Where do you currently do?

Are you um uh college at Elgin Community College is my I was in the military, so I'm kind of taking advantage of that GI Bill benefits of not having to necessarily have a normal 9 to 5 if I can complete my classes uh appropriately.

Starting towards anything specific?

Uh computer science, that's where my military experience was.

I've been a professional for 10 years in that in that field, but uh don't have the piece of paper to prove it.

So here's an opportunity to kind of get some cash on the back end and and be more involved in my community as I as I take advantage of that system.

Absolutely, please.

I'm I'm all ears.

Cool.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So uh commission, the next thing that we will move to is um a discussion of our 2025 annual report.

As you all know, at the end of each year, we are tasked with uh sending a report of the things that we have worked on to the mayor and to council.

So you all have in front of you a draft version of that.

We are not voting on that tonight.

It's more just an opportunity uh to talk about what things need to be added, what are things that we want to be more specific about?

Are there things that you want to add to the report?

Uh the idea would be that in January this will be on our agenda for approval.

There anything as you all are looking through it now that tonight we want to talk through, or and if not, if there are things that come to you in the next few weeks or you know anything like that, feel free to reach out and let me know, and I'm happy to add to the next order.

Well, I think you mentioned a lot of things that needed to, you know that came forth out of all the things that all the listening sessions that we've had.

So when we make our uh calendar for next year, that we should find a place to answer some of these things, some of these needs or of the community or cries of the community that um we can look over what you put here, and instead of just stating what we're seeing, what uh what can we do as a commission to build build that bridge or or fill that gap, not just know what's going on, but how can we bring some answers to the table.

Yep, agreed completely, and I think that's the idea behind some of the strategic planning discussions that we're having moving forward too.

That you know, we're taking the things that we've really learned over the last two years and and putting that into action.

Um also see, just to highlight specifically, I know that regrow has been a topic of discussion that was addressed in the report um and then addressed in a way that it would have been nice for earlier communication with the community relations commission.

Uh obviously we did get some communication.

You all saw the emails that went out, um, kind of explaining some of the rationale, but we are here to help communicate to the community what is happening.

So I I I did put in there that we would like to see that, and I also I know there's been some conversation about us as commissioners wanting to be more involved in the evaluation of programs, and and and I think that's more so that we can help communicate to city staff and to the aldermen.

This is the great things that are happening in our community.

This is where those funds are going.

So that is is mentioned as well.

And like I said, if there's anything else that uh is not in here that you want to make sure is in here, let me know, and uh we will approve it January.

Before I move to the next agenda item, is there anything related to this that I want to talk about?

It's actually related to regrow uh the chair.

Um so I know we throwing around this number of eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

We never use utilize eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars with the regrow program.

I think the the largest amount we've ever used were five hundred thousand.

That's because of two years we didn't we didn't do it.

So just for clarity purposes, um, when we go into and this might be for city staff, um when it's time for uh distribution of funds uh for the next phase of this, what is the total the total alignment?

Um I do know as of right now it is on the December 15th agenda for city council.

I'm not I haven't seen the documents, I'm not exactly sure how much, um, but I do not think it would be the whole 850,000.

Um those funds can be used, it's not just regrow that those cannabis funds are used for.

The the regrow is coming out of the cannabis funds, so I don't anticipate it being the whole hundred and a whole eight hundred and fifty thousand.

Okay.

And also uh, and this is for our commission.

I think that when we when it's time for us to look at applications, that we have a very strong scrutiny on how we how we are looking at these applications.

Um the original plan for the regrow was to uh make sure that uh and I hate to use this term mom and pops, um, but newer organizations that's affected or impacted in these communities would do it.

And I know over the previous years we've given money to the YMCA, we've given money to other large organizations, and with the new passing of the budget and decreasing the money that's coming through, we want to, I think as a commission, we need to be very strategic to make sure that the right people that's doing ground roots uh programming will get it, will get it.

And the reason why I'm bringing this up is because I've had several individuals from our last meeting contact me in regards of programming that will be impacted and effect and affected because we're pulling funds out.

And so I want to make sure that uh as a commission when we're looking at these these new applications that um we're very intentional on making sure that we present to uh city council um uh individuals that's actually doing the work.

Secondly, I would um recommend that um in year 2026 is that we um as a commission, I think we brought this up uh hold individual accountable and receive reporting on individuals that have received the funding.

So we did receive this year um a report um that was very fluid and very a waste of time in relationship to the reporting, and I think that we need to make sure that if the city is getting taxpayer dollars that we have accountability on all individuals that are getting the funding to make sure um that we're um taking care of that.

Um I think uh for this report I'm done.

Thank you.

Uh Pastor Martin, I I think you're right, right?

I I think that um one of the things that we can we can put in this report is that it is the commission's recommendation that the funds be focused on the grassroots organizations or that there's some sort of prioritization, right?

We can put that language in there and then leave it up to the folks that develop that program to decide what to do with that.

Um and I'd agree with you on the uh accountability as well.

Um I know a couple of us have had the conversation about uh signing some of the uh funded programs, a commissioner who can go and check things out and talk to them about what's going on and then how they're using those dollars to uh best impact the community.

So I I I think that we need to have more of a role.

You're correct.

I think I've said this before, and I'll say it again because it directly addresses both of those issues is in the application.

I really think we need to require an itemized budget and a functional schedule for how those funds are going to be dispersed.

Not just, hey, I'm gonna do this and give me $10,000 and all you put it to something.

An itemized budget and a functional schedule should be required because that will give them a benchmark for accountability.

Eric, may I share something?

Um just speak to that a little bit.

I've been in the process uh and just finalized it, uh, a sub-recipient or grant process that formalizes all of those items.

Um so it would be a lot more clear, like for a reporting schedule, all of those types of things, doing a risk assessment with the agency, all of those types of things.

Um one of the things I wanted to mention as well was I think that would be a great topic for our strategic planning, and going back through the application and what worked with the rubric, what did not work, because I know I had concerns about it.

I know you all shared some concerns, um, and we can really tailor that to what it is that the commission is wanting um to look at.

And I I definitely think there's a lot of improvement that could be had.

We had we had talked about that after the last round, and some things that we could do.

So I'd love to bring that to you guys as part of the strategic planning.

Uh we can review what the program requirements are, what the application is, the the grade the scoring rubric, all of that stuff.

Um so that way you guys um can have a voice in what we're asking, what we're getting, and how we're scoring.

I apologize if we've ever discussed this before.

Um, but it seems to me like we we don't probably don't need to reinvent the wheel.

There are probably other communities our size uh uh that have similar type programs, grant programs that are tailored for uh as as pastor says, the the sort of more mom and pop type operations for for which our current application for the grant is pretty detailed.

Um I struggled with it, and I spent a career as a writer uh and and somebody evaluating uh you know a lot of information, and and it's it's um uh it's a little forbidding the process.

So so again, I think we probably don't need to reinvent the wheel.

I would think that other communities probably have these sorts of programs that are giving grants out to again the non sort of professional, the not the non um uh you know the the the smaller nonprofits that um or organizations that don't have the resources and the writers and the people with the the grant verbiage uh at the ready so we could look at more like a risk component instead as well.

Our city process um for sub-recipients, we're looking at a risk rather than determining if you're getting the money or not.

I think that that should be in the program itself, what they're doing, and you guys can decide on how that is scored, right?

Um or awarded, but the component from the city perspective would just be determining that level of risk, so that that way we are we can focus on the grassroots agency.

They're not getting deducted points like you're not gonna get money because you're a grassroots agency.

It's just maybe you're a higher level of risk because you don't have as much experience, so we're gonna offer a little bit more TA technical assistance.

Um so that's kind of the focus that the city process has taken to make sure that we are not eliminating grassroots agencies and we're helping them still and just focusing more on the risk component and how we can help out.

So if that I think that helps to answer Mary's concern.

So I my my thoughts too is um each bullet point that you have, Eric, can we take it and each month look at it so that we're not spending so much time on what it is that is here because we've heard from so many different organizations, but then that goes back to council um within a timely matter that we're not waiting until the end of the year to try to figure everything out.

We are able to address what we've already heard because we're two years in of hearing from people over and over again, but we've never taken the time to address and maybe even us focusing on something.

We've heard a lot, but being able to focus on at least each month, saying, okay, this is what we're doing for that month, and we have a plan at the end.

So maybe a strateg like you saying, a strategic plan to be able to go back to council.

These is this is what's happening, and then at the end of the year, we we we've already hit every bullet point that's on here.

Yep.

I think that's a great idea.

Well, the chair also it my my only concern is in regrow, and again, we've done this um for quite some time, is that I don't want to I I I hear what City is saying about risk.

But also we need to make sure that we're focusing in on the individuals that have the money and have the grant writers.

And I think what we've done in the in the previous years is that we've looked at the professional grant writers, um, and we've we've graded them high, which ultimately pushed the grassroot organization because they don't have that.

And I I think that moving forward into 2026, only because of the budget um of that was approved, that we need to be very strategic and intentional on who we're looking at and who we are presenting onto city council because there's a lot of organizations um that may not have a grant writer, but they're doing the work and they've been doing the work without the money.

And any any uh individual that knows anything about the southwest side, west side or west end, there are many organizations that's doing the work without city help.

And and when we have presented to us organizations uh such as the YMCA that gets funding and other large organizations that have professional grant writers, um, it pushes those individuals out.

And I just want to make sure that going into 2026 that we don't say make the same mistakes that we've done in the past.

Um we've given large organizations um funding when we have grassroots that can do the work as well.

And that's not just that, these smaller uh groups know what they know because they live there or they experienced it for themselves.

And so that I think that's important uh because we can give like the why that gets monies from everywhere, you know, and give them some of that money, but how about the needs for mental health?

Um how about the training?

How about the the English language teaching?

All these things are the present needs of the area, of the area.

We can have a why that can have some of those things, but they need it in their neighborhood.

They need it in that area, so I think that that that's very important that we have to look at that aspect because I know that when we did the regrow last time, I see some I know uh a lady that is working with teens in mental health, and uh she didn't get much money.

You know, a bigger place got it, which you know, she she's in the cutting edge because she's been trained now, not someone that's been trained 20 years ago, but trained now how to work with youth.

And so I think that's one of the aspects that we have to hone in on as well that these smaller no uh places know what's up.

They know what's needed.

Maybe that's part of the uh reevaluating the rubric.

I think what has happened though too is some of the larger organizations were doing new programs.

Okay.

And that's the way they were coming through as it was a new program in a new area.

So we got a lot of that that happened.

But it was like uh another new program that they were adding on, so that's why they were coming through with different names as we were looking at it, and then we discovered it at the end.

It was all of those points are are valid, and I and I think what we're hearing from city staff is we have time during our strategic planning that let's reimagine what this looks like and present it to council and say this is what we want regrow to look like.

I'm sorry, Brother Chair, just as for uh city.

Um just for clarity, the and on the December meeting, um, that's when city council is gonna approve the what the funding would be for cannabis or it's being referred to committee on Monday.

So Monday's council and then um then it'll go to committee, but the prog regrow program itself is being referred to committee.

Okay.

So it will be a few weeks before they actually make a yes.

I don't think final approval and this could get laid over.

I'm not sure, you know.

Um that would be a great opportunity to talk to your aldermen um for that, but um final approval wouldn't be until 2026 based on the council schedule.

Okay, thank you.

So if there's no other um thoughts there, and then and I think let's move into the next year's strategic planning.

Let's let's rethink all of these things and and write them in the way that we've always wanted them to look.

So um the next thing on our agenda is to approve the uh 2026 regular meeting schedule.

You will all will see in your packet um that there are dates for 2026.

Any of those dates cause concern for folks, or do we have a motion to approve uh those dates?

Do we have a second?

We have any discussion.

All in favor of the 2026 meeting dates?

Any opposed?

No.

The next thing that we want to think about is our strategic planning discussions.

Um so you all know that we got uh some emails from city staff asking what our availability looks like in the next uh few months to to sit down and do some strategic planning.

It looks like January 17th would be the best day for most.

Um we have not set a time for that yet.

Could really be any time eight to noon, nine to one.

Um as people are thinking about their calendars, is there a certain time of day that would work best?

The idea would be to do it here in chambers.

I don't know if you want to add anything to Yeah, I want to schedule it at a time that works for for you all.

So um if you want to do first thing Saturday morning, we can do that.

Um but January 17th was the day that every other day had three or four people that couldn't make it.

I'm happy we could push it out too if we don't want to do it January 17th.

Um I'm happy to do it on an afternoon during the work week if that people could accommodate their schedules to that.

Um but uh for the initial doodle poll, it was Saturday, January 17th was the most available for everybody.

I know I I would rather do it sooner than push it out, especially if we're going to be having conversations related to what we want regrow to the plate.

Um I think those decisions need to happen so that we can share with council what our perspectives are.

So do we what time do we want to do?

Do you all want to be here at 8 a.m.?

Do we want to do a nine to what what I agree?

Nine to one?

I'll bring donuts or bagels.

We'll get calendar invites sent out to everyone just to uh get us all here and then uh Michaela, you're coming up with an agenda where we can maybe work together on an agenda.

Yeah, absolutely.

I'll sc I'll schedule something for us.

Okay, sounds good.

We have reached the end of our agenda for tonight, and the only thing left is commissioners' reports.

So I will actually start on the side with Pastor Martin.

Do you have a report?

I mean I mean if I'm over there, you start over there.

Uh so this is not so it's a couple of things.

One, um, our church is celebrating the seven eighth year church anniversary coming up this uh this Sunday.

Um and I've I've celebrated um or acknowledged seven years of my pastoralship.

Um not only pastoring church and being in the city at the same time.

Um but there's a couple of things that um community individuals have have really been kind of asking questions about, um particularly on the southwest west side, um, particularly with uh snow removal.

And so we've had a lot of individuals that went uh to the east side, and you could take your shoes off and walk um and not have any snow on your feet.

Um but when you come to southwest west sides of Rockford, even to tonight, um, there's still so much ice.

Um and I thought the ice hogs only uh played at BMO, but it looked like they play on the west side as well.

Um so we had a lot of individuals that's concerned about uh one the question was how much money does the city uh pay for snow removal because we do understand that the city uses uh public works to do the main thoroughfare, but then we obviously sublease or subcontract to whatever, whomever, to do it, and it's it looks like uh the West Southwest and West Sides are not being treated.

So that's that's one.

Um the second thing was, and we know the budget was approved, um, but um I've had several individuals call me um in regards to was there any consideration for I know that the mayor uh has promised no property tax, but when we look around to all of the other municipalities, such as Elgin and DeCal.

Um, I mean it's a good political point that we haven't raised taxes.

However, because of the city deficit, um has was that ever a discussion to possibly raise property taxes?

That was number one.

Uh number two, um, were there any other discussion in regards to raising uh things such as uh public parking?

I've noticed that when ice hawks play downtown normally uh the parking is nine dollars.

Uh when ice halls come in or anything is it drops down to five dollars.

I think if we continue to raise our prices on public parking, that'll kind of notch uh put a dent of some of that.

Also, have we ever considered uh raising prices or the tax for uh parking?

So the parking fines is low.

And so I understand that it's good to have uh to to keep a flat line on property tax.

Um however, if we're gonna flatline that, um what was were there any other discussions in regards to getting funding?

Because sooner or later if we keep pulling funds from these areas, we're gonna run out of funds.

And eventually they're gonna have to be funds, you know, brought in.

So is that property tax, is that parking fees, what you know, and I just so that the the the individual wanted to know um were there any discussion?

Was there any hard discussion, or was it just an easy way out to just take money from REGRA?

And that would be probably for and I I think Pastor Run and City can answer, but do we want to specific to your first point with snow removal?

Do we want to bring someone from public works in a future meeting so that they can share and answer those questions?

Do we you know?

Yeah, possibly so because it's been it's been a lot, and and again, you know, I I I know I I pastor, so doing this, you know, we all do this volunteer, um, but I've had several within this just within the past uh two weeks.

So we had a snowstorm probably about what was that two Sundays ago, two Saturdays in a row.

So the first Saturday was a major complaint because they were dumping uh in downtown Rockford, they were just dumping the snow anywhere and blocking all the property, all of that.

The second snowstorm, which just happened this past Saturday, um, was that it was the clearing of the snow east of the river, and it looked like no one ever even touched the snow uh west of the river, southwest, west, and west end.

And so the concern is is that you know, if if we're paying, and again, I don't know how the city functions in relation to you know how we is it city trucks, you know, subleased or how it is.

The the concern is not how it's removed, it's just will it be removed?

And even today, um coming from my parking lot from from my church on Holland Street, is it's it's nothing but a sheet of ice.

And majority of the individual on the southwest west side um are long-term registr residents and older individuals.

Um, and I think we need to to really deal with with that as well.

And maybe maybe we get city staff to reach out to public works in the next few days so that we can get some answers, and then maybe we'll bring them in at the next meeting to to ask more of those specifics.

Yeah, I'd be happy to schedule public works to come and present um at the January meeting.

And um I could even get a memo as well as to what they're doing to correct, like we did with Carrie about the budget um to kind of what they're doing to correct some of the issues that we've had with the first couple of snowfalls.

Um I mean, we do have a new director, and um it's been the first time we've gotten snow, I feel like in a couple of years, so it's it's working through that process, and I know that there's a lot of growing pains right now, but I'd be happy to to get public works to come.

Um we could do a memo too, unless you prefer that in person presentation.

If you don't want to wait that long, because I know we have more bad weather coming, there's a polar vortex this weekend, I believe.

Um, I can ask for them to do a memo like our finance director did.

Is there a preference?

I think in commission, if you have other thoughts, but my preference would be a memo so that we can answer the questions now as they're coming in, and then we also bring them into a future meeting to have a more in-depth conversation.

I can do that.

I do have a Facebook page that they alert what areas they're doing.

So we could you could look at that too to see when they're saying they're going to that area, but um, and I believe the city of Rockford also reposts that from that department of when they're doing it, what time they're doing it, and I know they're using uh like contractors for certain areas too, you know, and using the big trucks for the bigger this bigger streets.

So that's something that we can also look at too as well.

This is an issue that um I've been listening to for 20 some years, and it's a huge issue.

People want to complain every time it snows, and some of the a vast majority of the complaints are because they don't understand the complexity of the problem.

I I get the inside scoop of what the city does.

But one of the issues I I do have of all of these complaints are here, and it goes directly to the private contractors.

I don't think we have the proper accountability and protocols for the job they do.

The city trucks do a great job, and they're out timely, and the main drags are are dealt with really well.

The private contractors, if you get a good one, he hits the neighborhood, you got two lanes of traffic, he clears the intersections, cars can get through.

You have a bad contractor, he goes this way through an intersection, this way through an intersection, is squared off one lane of traffic, and if it freezes, all that ice that's in the intersection or snow turns to ice.

So I really think some of the issues that would reduce a lot of our our uh constituents' complaints would be if we had better accountability of the private contractors.

I think so too.

I think something probably broken down broke down with these last storms, and I'd be curious to find out maybe what it is, and that's something that our public uh works person could could probably address.

Um I am wondering if there is any interest in the commission uh to address to address another another issue.

Uh I don't know if anybody ran into problems with pickup of yard waste.

This last yard waste pickup.

Um it involved frozen leaves and how uh they apparently were not picked up unless they were in paper bags.

Well, I like a lot of people use my own garbage cans with an X on them.

Put them it was missed one week, which I understand happened across the city, um, that was missed on on not the last yard waste pickup, but the the weekend the week before.

So I put it out again.

They were not picked up.

That was of course the last one.

Um, and I was told by Rock River Disposal uh from the dispatcher there that they will absolutely not tap cans to get to get yard waste out.

So I actually put all these leaves in paper bags so that they will come back and pick them up.

I was told by city staff that there was something on the website on the city's website that said use paper bags if there's going to be freezing temperatures.

I never knew that.

I know a lot of my neighbors did not know that.

I think what we might have here is a little bit of a communication problem.

The reason I the reason I bring this up, and it would be nice to have city staff if where there's interest in in yard waste and the whole issue of waste in general.

We have ten years left on our landfill.

We have the biggest landfill uh here in Winnebago County, we have the biggest landfill in the state of Illinois.

If we run out of space in that landfill, which we're rapidly uh heading that way, it's going to be much more expensive for our city residents to have their uh to have their waste picked up.

Um we have a 50% rejection rate of our recyclables.

That's not acceptable.

That's almost twice for comparable cities.

Again, I think these are these are issues that I would love to hear from city city staff because I think we're again we're rapidly reaching a situation that is going to be a big problem for uh if not this administration and uh you know down the road.

So I don't know.

Again, I'm just throwing that out there.

If I'm the only one then, do we want to have if we're bringing city staff in to talk about the snow and ice?

Do we want to also at the same time have them talk about yard waste?

Garbage in general, waste waste reduction.

January, do we want to do all of those conversations?

If if possible, yeah, if they're available to do that.

Yes, I can get that scheduled for January and make sure that we have somebody to come in and speak to that.

I was just asking if you want it in January, because if not, we could figure that out as part of our strategic planning for what our calendar looks like.

Yeah, I I think I'm sorry to cut you off, but I think that because I just looked at the schedule.

I think because the the meeting, our meeting would be January 8th, and our strategic planning meeting would be the 17th.

So we may have to push it back to February to make sure that we get all of it together just so that we that we don't sign page.

But that's just that's just me.

I can do whatever the commission would prefer.

Uh do you want a January or February?

I think February would be good.

Okay.

January, yes.

Okay.

Yeah.

And then we'll still do the memo though for the snow.

Yes, let's do the memo.

There any other commissioners' reports.

I do.

Um Saturday, Northwest Community Center is having breakfast with Santa.

So if you definitely have any younger ones come out and have breakfast with Santa, they're having pancakes and Santa will be there to take pictures.

You don't have enough hair.

But you don't have the hair.

Any other commissioners?

And if not, I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Oh we have a second?

Second.

All right.

See you all next week.

Happy holidays.

Congratulations to you and your congregation as well.

That's wonderful.