Course, if the changes in the in the city council committee committees.

Charter, I mean, it goes through through the ten committees that we actually represent the city through.

So it would be charter rules, and I see there's a little error here.

And we just want to have a more efficient and better representation of what we do.

I think the city and the council have both been growing a lot in the past few years, and we just need to make sure that we're reflecting those changes.

And you know, if what is there's one thing I learned from President Hudson, you know, is to be aligned with changes and making sure that we're you know uh walking side side by side to those.

So I um so what we're doing at this point, we are continuing to have 10 committee meetings or 10 committees at council, which to be able to do that, what we did was consolidate charter rules, procedures, RFP with intergovernmental services consolidation.

Instead of those being two separate uh meetings, uh committees, it will be a one committee.

That way we can keep 10 as usual.

Then we have economic development and opportunity, then we have education here, a little change here, education, human research resources, and we added community advancement, which all that is it's the to reflect so that we can see in a separate way the the allocations we do to the non-for-profits that come support our city programs or or that we support in with their programs so that we can have a better following of after the allocations, how that money you know has impacted our community, if if it creates if if there are improvements, we need to see some kind of reports of the money we're putting in our community's hands to do their work, which we gladly report um support.

Then we have finance taxation and assessment, and oh I'm sorry, I should have um distributed this.

I kept them all to myself.

Sorry about that.

Then we have neighborhood preservation, and I we just added house the the word housing support and redevelopment.

Uh because right now that I think that is a very important committee that needed to reflect the housing support and the redevelopment in the communities that we are engaging ourselves in in approvals and things of that nature.

Then we have the parks recreation, young youth programs and veteran affairs, that's the same.

We have public safety.

A small change that we're making is uh from DPW, public works, it you it used to be public works and transportation, and and then the public transportation was public transportation slash airport.

So what we're doing is we're gonna have a public transportation committee so that if there's anything from SMTC or or airport, which is things that we attend to, but we don't really have a say on, uh there will be canalized route public transportation, but it's mostly so that we can keep an eye on our local programs like BROs, uh rapid transit and those kinds of things and how wherever that grows, right?

And then the one thing that we're adding to to these committees is the technology and open and operational efficiency.

Why we're doing this committee is because present time the city is the transformation of the city in terms of its technology and how departments are now operating.

We've been receiving through different departments a lot of information that I think it would be best served if we canalize this through one committee so we can see the whole instead of the information diluted into different into different departments and and um presentations so that we can do more informed decisions so we can ask better questions, make sure we understand what we're approving or not.

So those are the committees.

I would entertain any questions.

I think uh councillor um I know traditionally that the the committees were sort of like uh aligned along departments.

So we the delineation of that would have to remain clear on my correct show.

Yes, yes, yes, they were.

And the reason um and the public transportation, which seems to come up quite a bit uh in my council district.

So in other words, our appointments to the central board, they would go through that committee.

Yes.

That's how you envision it.

Yes.

Okay, that's that's good.

Uh and then I also think that the now, as you mentioned in our previous conversation, um service consolidation.

Uh when I was chair of this committee back my first go around with the city council, we did have some, and I'm sure President Hudson remembers this.

We did have some meetings on some consolidation, some cooperation between the county and the city.

And we had like uh both sides of the county legislators, both the Republican and the Democratic side participated in that.

Um I'm not calling for any consolidation.

It did it did open up a lot of avenues that we could discuss as far as cooperation, especially with the parks department.

And to your point, uh, Councillor Hogan, I think, you know, through all that and all of the other committees as well, there are things that I'm learning that were part of things we used to do and somehow got diluted or just weren't at the table anymore.

And I think that you know, they are also important, and maybe we can, you know, we can figure out, like for instance, I'll give you an example.

I was meeting with somebody yesterday, and they were talking about the veteran affairs, parks recreation, youth programs and veteran affairs.

Uh, since I've been in council, unfortunately, we don't really do that much for veterans' affairs.

But in the past, I hear that there were events in the parks and activities related to the veterans uh in certain times of the year that the city would uh promote and um put out there.

And so those are things that I I think are you need me to those are things that I think um would be great to bring back to the table.

And it's since we have it in our committees, it's perfectly fine to do.

I think it's good to be flexible and uh and to sort of align some of these uh departments with what we envision for this future of the city.

I I think the education workforce and community advancement, I'm sure all the other counselors uh have the same concerns that I do about our workforce being prepared for what's happening going to happen in this community at large.

Correct.

Uh so that that would take a lot of, and I know we all have relationships with the city school district, but I mean it's really going to be important, whoever it chairs that committee.

And and also most importantly, you know, the the CDHR is going through a mayor payroll uh modernization that you know it's gonna be so important to have that very clear at the table.

So we need somebody strong to lead that.

And uh I think that by making these committees this way, that that would help us do that.

I think to what Councillor Hogan said too, with that community advancement.

If we, you know, if you turn on the news or you watch the newspaper, that we're seeing that the answer to all of our problems is going to be micron in this perfect world where they come in and sweep in and take care of everything.

But the um the the big question that is sitting out there is when we build micron, you know, 12 or 15 miles from here in clay, how are we going to get people out there?

Um how are we going to get people educated so they can accept the jobs at Micron, etc., etc.

etc.

Um I'm not sure that anybody uh is thinking about that in the way that they should be thinking about that.

So I think that community advancement piece, as well as what you said, uh Councilor Paniagua about getting reports from some of the nonprofits that we give money to every year.

I know that um TNT has been good about giving an annual report, but there are other organizations which we give what looks like small amounts, and I'm kind of beating President Hudson's drum here because she has always said this.

We need to know what you're doing with those little pots of money that we give you because we give it to you every year.

So um, and I'm not saying that they're not doing their job, but sure certainly focus and neighborhood watch and those ones that we are continuing to uphold and support.

Uh we would like to hear more from them.

So under that.

I mean, when you when you apply as a non-for-profit to a foundation, you need to issue a report at the end of the usage of the money.

So we would like to have that too.

And I I think what Council Manto says, uh, as a matter of fact, it's it that this has come came up at the county IDA quite a bit as far as the transportation.

I've seen the traffic models.

Public transportation not only will be important, but it'll be needed and might be somewhat exclusive up there because that's how much traffic's going to be generated by this.

And what I mentioned to you was that's been taught taught to quite a bit is we want to make sure those jobs coming in.

You know, and that's gonna be really important as far as uh, you know, the new steam school down the street.

Um so I mean, I I think you you've aligned a lot to the future here.

Um you know, the so these things, you know, we we vote on and we make sure that our residents and the people that listened to us are well informed, like like you like you said, fat when we met, and I totally definitely believe in that.

Um so one of the things to to that respect that we're working on as I started doing this, I I found out that there's really no committees descriptions of the work that committees do.

So we're right now working on those descriptions.

I didn't bring copies of that because they're not final, and this is something I want to run through council before at some point we made them final, so that there's a description of what these committees do, and we have we're aligning the departments, like you just said, and the departments and the work with the community and collaboration, so all of what that entitles to each of these committees.

But this is something that is a work in progress, and I would have to bring to counselors before we even um put it publicly.

So I'm waiting to say what I'm trying to think, what uh President Hudson might what do you think, President Hudson?

No, I think that realigning and and the way our city is going is a very good thing.

I think that we need to look at it in a holistic way.

Right.

So that we can actually cater better to our community.

So yeah.

So I I want to be transparent.

Yesterday I met with a gentleman from uh VO.

We had a very long discussion.

We were talking about transportation, and we talked about how we're gonna make it better, and I thought it was very fruitful.

Uh we've had our issues, and he's talking about how they want to expand it, and they've had uh a lot of mistakes and they want to work on it.

So I I talked with uh noel reed yesterday in the office for 90 minutes, and then uh I had a meeting with the Brownfield um opportunity area, uh pertaining to Erie Boulevard and the part of my district and the Holly Green area, and we had a lot of discussions where we're gonna expand, and again, transportation came up again.

Um another reason I want to mention is we expand with transportation.

I have mentioned this many times before.

How are we gonna work with Central?

Uh getting more bus services for those who have access to a vehicle, they can't afford an Uber.

We have the transportation center uh on the north side.

Again, I think that area is gonna be in need of improvements, extensions.

Um, and also what we're dealing with, Amtrak, uh the bridges or CNX.

Um they've had some damages being done.

So within the transportation, we really have to really uh expand to what was then and what is going to be.

And we are we're gonna have more uh opportunities, I hope, with VO, with central, with other organizations, dealing with transportation, how we're gonna expand to it though, and other areas of the city where they don't have central service in some of our areas on the north side where they have to walk two, three blocks.

We have to get central back into those areas that service the needs of our elderly people, and they're very close by in our community centers.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um have two things, but um one we've already spoken about, which was the um the technology um and operations, uh operational efficiency committee.

Um I guess having more uh details concerning that committee, um, because as when we spoke, it was it was uh recommendation for the council to have a um consultant in the technology um field, um, and not necessarily a committee.

Um so I guess having the like you just said, having more um defined terms on what that means, uh, because either way, anything that has to do with technology is gonna go to whatever department uh or committee that department works with.

So figuring that out, um I get I I guess I would my second thing would lead to what you just stated that having those roles defined before presenting this would have been would have been much better um so that a clearer understanding of you know I mean some of it is the same, just a little word change, right?

But then the you know, creating a new one um would be more or less where we need to have those definitions.

Um Petrona, to your point, you know the purpose of the committee is instead of having this come through all different departments diluted into many different other items.

We want to canalize all the departments will bring these items through technology and efficiency.

It's not that it's gonna still be, you know, presented through the departments.

We're trying to hone on that.

So is that something, Joe, that that would happen as far as um the way the letters come down from the departments.

If it goes to the from the departments, doesn't it go to the committee that works with those departments, or would it then be specific to the new committee, which is the IT committee, if it's for IT, but it's from a department that works with uh already established committee.

Yeah, uh Joe Barry, first assistant corporation counsel.

So just to maybe following up from Council Hogan's initial question and give a the legal overview is uh these committees are really the purview of the council, it's how under your rules you want to organize your business.

Uh though as council Hogan mentioned, custom and practice has been to align them with the departments.

There's no legal mandate to do that.

Uh so it's really the preference of the of the council how you want to structure the committees to ensure your oversight role with the departments.

As far as the uh request letters go, the the city clerk's office makes that decision based upon when the letter comes in and how best it matches up with the councillor that should be introducing it.

Which is how we do it now.

That's how we do it now.

Yeah.

So and actually I believe that this will also assist the clerk's office to canalize everything, you know, probably more efficiently or help with the decision making of where things should go or not.

I mean, it's it's all to be more effective and more defined in what we're doing.

I mean, we have how many pieces of software, how many different software contracts do we currently have in the city right now?

I think that number is it's a different answer every time we ask it.

But I think just the payroll modernization project alone would have kept this committee busy for probably the last eight years.

Exactly what Councilman said.

That's that's uh I mean, if you had a committee like this, they could ask how I mean every time we ask about licenses, I'm I practically fall off the chair.

Because every department seems to be act on its own as far as like and gets approval.

There's no, I mean, there's no rhyme or reason sometimes.

Well, because we we see it's so scattered, we sometimes don't really see it.

This way we're gonna have it all in the same place, and now we can evaluate things differently.

And there's nothing stopping the um Madam Clerk back there who just walked in um from putting it on two different committees.

So a large, I mean a large combination for sure.

I just I'm just uh you know weeding through um so that's my only thing that the descriptions you know would have been good to go along with the presentation of the committees.

Yeah.

Um so we're working on those, but those we maybe we'll bring in for January.

I think they could evolve too.

I mean, that's absolutely I think the things can evolve, you know, exactly just like counselor Jones Rouse brought up.

I mean, each of these committees, you know, whoever is the chair can say, yeah, I think that that's something we need to know, and then give it to the council.

Exactly.

Thank you.

Any other comments?

No.

Well, well, thank you for joining us.

Thank you.

So when do you you said the descriptions are gonna be put together by me?

Oh, probably next week.

Probably, yeah.

Okay, so that we can look at it together, and if anybody wants to add delete, make changes that we do that together as a team.

Okay.

Yeah, it's just a draft.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay.

Anything else?

Well, thank you everybody for joining.

Okay.

Motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

There we go.

Thank you.