[Departments]
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>> 10:07 AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE MAY 22, 2024 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT TO ORDER.
WE DO HAVE ONE ITEM THAT REQUIRES MINOR CHANGES DUE TO AN ERROR. ON PAGE 2, ITEM 1 REMOVE THE APOSTROPHE FROM HAWAII AND SO THE WORD IS SPELLED HAWAII IN. THERE IS ONE ITEM THAT REQUIRES NO ACTION ON PAGE 4. ITEM 22 AN AGREEMENT WITH ORACLE THE UNIVERSAL SERVICES HAS REQUESTED NO ACTION. I RECOMMEND WE TAKE UP ALL SPEAKERS NOW TO ALLOW THEM TO ADDRESS THE COURT AND WE CAN EITHER GO ITEM BY ITEM OR DISCUSS OR MENTION WHICH ITEMS FOLKS WOULD LIKE FOR DISCUSSION WITH ITEMS THREE AND FOUR BEING TAKEN AFTER 10:30. DO WE HAVE
ANY SPEAKERS? >> THE SPEAKER HAS NOT SHOWN
UP. >> LET US KNOW WHEN THEY SHOW UP AND FOR NOW WE WILL START WITH THE AGENDA. FOLKS, WE GOT A COUPLE OF EMAILS. ITEM 3 REQUESTED WE WILL TAKE IT WITH FOUR AFTER 10:30. ITEM 4 REQUESTED PRECINCT 2. ITEM 5, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY REQUESTED THAT ONE ACTUALLY. ITEM 6 REQUESTED BY PRECINCT 3. I DON'T KNOW THERE WAS A DISCUSSION LIST SENT AROUND TO LET ME KNOW IF THAT'S ALL WE DISCUSS OR YOU WANT ME TO GO ITEM BY ITEM.
>> GOT IT . >> NOW NEED 24. OKAY. ANYTHING
ELSE? >> I WOULD SUGGEST IF WE KNOW I WOULD BE HAPPY TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE OTHER ITEMS.
>> OKAY, LET ME CONFIRM HERE, WE HAVE GOT THREE, FOUR, DO WE NEED FIVE? OKAY THREE, FOUR, SIX , 17 AND 24.
>> QUESTION. WILL ITEM 5 NEED TO BE TAKEN WITH THREE OR FOUR?
>> WELL I MEAN YOU CAN HAVE THAT DISCUSSION, ITEM 3 AND FOUR, THE REASON WE HAVE TO WAIT IS FOR POSTING REASON. IF YOU WANT TO WAIT AND TAKE ALL FIVE TOGETHER YOU CAN.
>> SINCE ACCESSING WILL BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION SHOULD WE
WAIT ON FIVE? >> SURE, UP TO THE COURT.
>> OKAY WE WILL WAIT ON FIVE. SIX? I HAVE SIX. OKAY ITEMS THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, 17 AND 24 PULLED FOR DISCUSSION. IS THERE A MOTION FOR ALL ITEMS ONE THROUGH 24 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DISCUSSION ITEMS JUST LISTED? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS ALL IN FAVOR? ANY A POST? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. WE NEED TO WAIT UNTIL 10:30 ITEMS THREE AND FOUR SO LET'S START WITH
ITEM 5. >> DO WE NEED TO WAIT UNTIL
10:30 ON THAT ONE? >> JUDGE, COMMISSIONER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ON THAT ONE BUT COMMISSIONER GARCIA SUGGESTED HOLDING IT TOGETHER SO WE CAN WAIT ON FIVE UNTIL
10:30. >> SO WE HAVE SIX. I THINK COMMISSIONER RAMSEY FLAGGED THAT ONE.
>> THIS IS AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSULTING GROUP IN THE AMOUNT OF 57,800 AND APPARENTLY THERE IS GOING TO BE AN ASSESSMENT EVALUATION TO CONSIDER ADJUSTING COUNTY POLICIES FOR EMPLOYEE COMP AND VACATION PAY OUT. WHAT INITIATED THIS
REQUEST? >> COMMISSIONER THIS IS THE
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COUNTY BUDGET DIRECTOR. TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. THERE ARE TWO SCOPES. ONE IS THE BULK OF IT WHICH IS THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN, WHEN YOU AND YOUR STAFF A FEW TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS IS BEING FINALIZED. WE RAN OUT OF HOURS SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR LAST-SECOND FOLLOW-UPS. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PRECINCTS MIGHT HAVE ET CETERA AND THE SECOND PIECE OF IT IS AND I THINK IT IS PERTINENT FOR TODAY'S CONVERSATION AROUND THE COMP TIME AND OVERTIME RELATED TO EMERGENCIES. WHEN WE LOOKED WE SAW THERE WERE SOME INEFFICIENCIES WITH HOW WE DELIVER LEADS SO WE WANT TO EXPLORE, DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR CERTAIN CLASSES OF EMPLOYEES TO GO STRAIGHT OVERTIME INSTEAD OF COMP? THINK OF DETENTION OFFICERS MANY OF THEM LISTED MANDATORY OVERTIME AS A DETERRENT FOR STAYING ON THE JOB OR IF THEY WENT TO OVERTIME IT MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT DEAL AS OPPOSED TO ACCRUED COMP TIME.WHERE THEIR LIMITED IN THE ABILITY TO TAKE IT BECAUSE OF STAFFING ISSUES AT THE JAIL. WE WANT TO EXPLORE THINGS LIKELY BUYBACKS WE ARE PUTTING MONEY IN PEOPLE'S POCKETS TODAY AS OPPOSED TO HAVING THEM ACCRUE AND THEN US CONTINUING TO HAVE A LARGE LIABILITY AT THE END AT THE VERY END.
>> CONSULTING GROUPS TO DO THAT?
>> THAT WAS ONE OF THE FOLLOW-UPS COMING OUT OF THE
FIVE-YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN. >> YOU NEED THEIR ASSISTANCE TO
>> THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE.
>> OKAY COMMISSIONER ELLIS , WE HAVE A MOTION AND I WILL SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BRIONES. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY POST? OKAY THOSE ITEMS SIX, MOTION CARRIES 4-1. BEFORE I FORGET I MEANT TO SAY AT THE BEGINNING, TODAY AT 2:00 LEAD FEMA WILL BE PROVIDING A WEBINAR TO ANY EMPLOYEES LISTENING. FOLKS RECEIVED AN INVITATION ALL COUNTY EMPLOYEES RECEIVED INVITATION TO THIS WEBINAR, THE VERY FIRST TIME FEMA IS DOING A WEBINAR LIKE THIS AND IT IS TO HELP AFFECTED EMPLOYEES OR REALLY ANY EMPLOYEES THAT WANT TO SPREAD THE WORD TO LEARN HOW THEY CAN APPLY FOR INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE FROM FEMA AND SBA LOANS FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. SO THIS WILL BE THE WAY TO HELP FOLKS WHO ARE NOT COMPUTER SAVVY AND WE WILL RECRUIT YOUR SUPPORT IN SPREADING THE WORD. THAT IS 2:00 P.M. TODAY WHICH IS WEDNESDAY THE 22ND AND CHECK YOUR INBOX FOR INFORMATION.
MOVING ON ITEM 17. >> I WILL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ALL PAYMENTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CONSULTANT.
>> SECOND. >> MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY
OPPOSED? >> THIS IS WITH THE EXCEPTION? I'M SORRY I'M ON BOARD WITH THAT.
>> MOTION AND SECOND AND THIS MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. DO WE HAVE A MOTION FOR THE CONSULTING SECTION? MOTION BY
COMMISSIONER ELLIS. >> I CANNOT VOTE UNTIL WE PLEASE HAVE AN UPDATE FROM THE AUDITOR AND COUNTY ATTORNEY ON THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT. THAT WE HAVE ASKED WITH REGARDS TO DEMA. DO WE HAVE ANY UPDATES ?
>> GO AHEAD, JOHN. CAN YOU HEAR US?
>> YES I WAS GOING TO LET MIKE SPEAK FIRST. ON THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT NOT CONCLUDED MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE INVOICES THAT ARE SLATED TO BE APPROVED WILL BE FOR WORK THAT DOES FALL UNDER THE EXISTING CONTRACT, BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT IS AUDITOR QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD BE PAID OUT.
>> CAN YOU EXPAND ON THAT? AS OPPOSED TO WHAT KIND OF WORK?
>> THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT QUESTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE AUDIT. ONE IS WHETHER THE INVOICES SLATED TO BE PAID OUT FALL UNDER THE EXISTING CONTRACT AS OPPOSED TO THE AMENDED CONTRACT NEVER APPROVED BY THE COURT SO WHETHER OR NOT THOSE CAN BE PAID OUT IS A SEPARATE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER
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CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THAT BILLING WAS DONE, THAT'S THE THING OR ONE OF THE ISSUES COVERED BY THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT THAT IS ONGOING. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THE INVOICES CAN BE PAID BUT THEY COULD BE SUBJECT TO CLAWBACK IF LATER THE AUDIT TURNS UP INFORMATION THAT THOSE INVOICES WERE NOT SUPPORTED BY ADEQUATEDOCUMENTATION. >> YES COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> WHILE WE'RE WAITING IS DIRECTOR ROBINSON ON? I WANT TO GET A SENSE OF THE IMPACT IF WE DON'T PAY DOES IT END THE PROGRAM? OR DO YOU KNOW? OKAY THERE SHE IS.
>> GOOD MORNING JUDGE , COMMISSIONERS, COUNTY ATTY., BARBIE ROBINSON.
AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD IS IF THEY DON'T RECEIVE THE PAYMENT THEY WILL NO LONGER CONTINUE OPERATIONS AND HAVE ALREADY BEEN UNABLE TO PAY STAFF FOR WORK THAT THEY ALREADY
COMPLETED. >> SO YOU WOULD EFFECTIVELY, IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAM WHETHER OR NOT EXPANSION GOES FORWARD THIS ONE IN THE PROGRAM THAT IS IN OPERATION NOW.
>> YES, AS I UNDERSTAND IT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS IN THE FIRST INITIAL STAGE PRECINCT 1.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE TO GET AN ANSWER.
>> COMMISSIONER THIS IS DWIGHT. I TALKED WITH THE DEPUTY ASSISTANT, SHE IS COMING DOWN THE ELEVATOR NOW. SHE SHOULD BE
THERE IN A SECOND. >> THANK YOU. WHICH PROGRAM IS THIS AGAIN? DIRECTOR ROBINSON?
>> THIS IS THE INITIAL PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN PRECINCT 1.
>> OKAY AND THEN, THE , AS FAR AS THE , I THOUGHT I HEARD JOHN SAY THAT IN THEORY WE COULD APPROVE THESE INVOICES FOR WORK ALREADY DONE AND CLAW THAT BACK IF AN ISSUE IS FOUND. IS THAT
WHAT YOU SAID? >> THAT'S WHAT I SAID I WANT TO SEPARATE THE LEGAL MATTER VERSUS THE AUDITING MATTER. THE QUESTION IS TO THE CONTRACT REQUIRE INVOICES TO BE PAID THE ANSWER IS YES SUBJECT TO THE AUDITOR DECISION AS TO WHETHER THEY COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACT. NOW THE COURT COULD MAKE A POLICY DECISION IF IT WOULD LIKE THAT IT WANTS TO WITHHOLD THOSE AMOUNTS BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT COULD HAVE CONSEQUENCES. THE AUDIT THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE AUDITS, THE AUDITOR AND THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT APPROVED BY COURTS AT THE LAST SESSION. DOES HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED, IF ONE IS COMPLETED THOSE ARE BILL THAT THERE WERE ISSUES GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND THAT EVEN THOUGH THE PAYMENTS WERE PROPERLY DOCUMENTED, THE WORK WAS NOT DONE, THERE WERE OTHER ISSUES WE COULD CLAW THOSE AMOUNTS BACK.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE THE MOTION IN THIS CASE WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE APPROVING THE DEMA SUBJECT TO THE AUDITOR DECISION ON WHETHER IT COMPLIES IN WHICH CASE , WHICH COULD REQUIRE US TO CLAWBACK THE MONEY. SO WHAT I'M HEARING IF THE AUDITOR HAS NOT COMPLETED THE AUDIT YET THEN WE COULD DO AN INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY THING. IF THEY ARE GUILTY WE WILL GET OUR MONEY BACK. I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M HEARING RIGHT.
>> I DON'T THINK YOU NEED THAT LANGUAGE IN THE MOTION BECAUSE UNDER CONTRACT WE WOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO THAT. THAT GOES FOR ANY CONTRACT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE VENDOR.
>> MAYBE JUST FOR THE RECORD. COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> I APPRECIATE THE CONCERN, BUT HOW HOW WE HANDLE INSTANCES LIKE THIS IN THE PAST? WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN THE PAST HOW IS IT NORMALLY HANDLED? DO YOU KNOW?
>> THE QUESTION IS FOR OUR OFFICE I'M NOT AWARE OF AN ISSUE LIKE THIS NOT IN RECENT MEMORY. AGAIN I WOULD ASK THE AUDITOR TO COMMENT ON WHETHER THAT HAS COME UP BEFORE WHERE THEY HAVE APPROVED THE PAYMENT AND THEN LATER IT IS TURNED OUT THROUGH AUDIT OR THROUGH SOME OTHER SOURCE OF INFORMATION THAT THE PAYMENT WAS NOT PROPER UNDER THE CONTRACT WHETHER OUR OFFICE OR THEIR OFFICE HAS BEEN ABLE TO CLAW THE MONEY BACK.
>> MAYBE I WOULD SUGGEST WE HAVE THE ITEM COME BACK MAYBE
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THE END OF PROGRAM WHEN WE HAVE OPTION TO CAUGHT IT BACK BUT IAPPRECIATE THE CONCERNS. >> I HAVE A MYRIAD OF QUESTIONS FOR THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE WHEN THEY ARRIVED. ONE LAST QUESTION FOR SAKE OF ABUNDANCE OF CLARITY, HAS THE INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY AUDIT THAT WILL BE MANAGED BY THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, HAS IT BEGUN AND IF NOT WHEN WILL IT BEGIN?
>> WE ARE SELECTING A VENDOR AND IT WILL BEGIN AFTER THAT.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME AND COOPERATION FROM THE VENDOR SO WE WILL NOT HAVE THAT ANSWER, NOT IN TIME FOR TODAY AND I GUESS IT WOULD TAKE A COUPLE MONTHS FOR THAT TO BE
>> JOHN, THESE FOLKS SEEM TO BE GOING DOWN IN FLAMES PRETTY QUICKLY. THEY HAVE PULLED OUT OF CALIFORNIA I THINK THE LAST FOLKS HAVE WALKED OFF THE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED ON THE CLAWBACK ISSUE BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW AND WE DON'T KNOW MUCH UNTIL YOUR AUDIT GETS COMPLETED BUT BASED ON WHAT WE DO KNOW THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO FALL BACK ON. IS THAT THE POSSIBILITY?
>> I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT COMPANY'S ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AND WHAT THIS CONTRACT OR THEM WALKING AWAY FROM ANY OF THE CONTRACT WOULD DO. CERTAINLY IF THEY DON'T HAVE MONEY AND WE CANNOT CLAW THE MONEY BACK.
>> WHAT YOU MEAN THEY ARE GOING UP IN FLAMES?
>> LOOKING AT THE SONOMA COUNTY REPORTS.
>> I AM REALLY ASKING THE QUESTION IS THERE SOMETHING LIKE THEY ARE ABOUT TO GO BANKRUPT?
>> THAT'S THE PERCEPTION I'M GETTING.
>> I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THIS WITH THE EMERGENCY STUFF. I KNOW THEY ARE ACCUSED OF SOMETHING IN SONOMA COUNTY.
I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT BEING SENT TO BANKRUPTCY BUT I CAN GOOGLE
IT. >> APPARENTLY THE ARTICLE COMMISSIONER GARCIA IS REFERRING TO, THE EMPLOYEES HAVE LEFT THE JOB FOR LACK OF PAYMENT. SO THAT'S THE NEWS ARTICLE. YOU TALK ABOUT A CLAWBACK AND THE POINT IS MADE YOU CAN CLAWBACK BUT IF THERE'S NOTHING TO CLAW BACK THAT MONEY IS GONE. THERE IS PLENTY OF EXAMPLES AND PAYMENTS THE COUNTY HAS MADE TWO COMPANIES THAT ARE NO LONGER OPEN OR ARE NOT THERE. THAT MONEY THEN GOES DOWN WITH THAT
COMPANY. >> IF I MADE FOR THE COURT, THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES. THERE IS DEMA TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA JUST FOR THE RECORD .
>> FOR THE RECORD DEMA TEXAS IS USING MY POD AS AN ADDRESS.
>> I'M SORRY? >> MY TEAM FOUND THAT.
>> TO THE LAST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THEY HAD NOT PAID WORKERS IN CALIFORNIA. THERE ARE SERIOUS OPEN QUESTIONS ABOUT PRACTICES OF THIS COMPANY SO I HOPE IN THE AUDITOR OFFICE AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS WELL OVER A MONTH SO THEY HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO DIG INTO THE ISSUE. OVER A YEAR AGO WE APPROVED EXPANSION INTO PRECINCT 4 AND THE 24/7 EXPANSION. I LOVE THE PROGRAM, IT WOULD BREAK MY HEART AND IN GOOD FAITH WITHOUT THESE QUESTIONS ANSWERED I CANNOT VOTE.
>> SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE CLEAR. WE ARE ENDING THE PROGRAM IS THAT CORRECT? IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE?
>> YES, WITHOUT PAYMENT WHAT WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED IS THAT THIS WOULD DE FACTO END THE PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY ARE UNABLE TO MAKE THEIR PAYROLL AND PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES.
>> SO LET'S TALK WITH THE AUDITOR. MAYBE MOVE ONTO THE NEXT ITEM WHILE LESLIE MAKES HER WAY DOWN HERE. I THINK WE ALL HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE AUDITOR. DO YOU GUYS WANT TO TRY TO -- OR TO SEE IF THEY CAN HOP ON. THE NEXT ONE WAS 24.
>> JUDGE WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS THAT HAVE SHOWN UP FOR 24.
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>> OKAY GREAT LET'S TAKE THE SPEAKERS.
>> GOOD MORNING JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US THIS MORNING. SHOULD GO AHEAD?
>> SAY YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD BY THE WAY.
>> THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING AGAIN MY NAME IS AMANDA MCMILLAN PRESIDENT AND CEO UNITED WAY OF GREATER HOUSTON AND PROUD RESIDENT OF PRECINCT 1. WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE SEVERE WEATHER AND RECOVERY FUND WHICH IS HERE TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY AND RECOVER FROM DISASTER. FIRST WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE ON THE COURT, ALL OF YOUR TEAMS FOR INCREDIBLE EFFORTS GOING BACK TO THE HORRIBLE FLOODING THAT COMMISSIONER RAMSEY HAS HAD TO DO WITH AN CONTINUING THROUGH THE HORRIBLE STORMS THAT TORE THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD LAST WEEK. WE KNOW WE HAVE 14% OF HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS THE REGION STRUGGLING ON INCOMES BELOW THE POVERTY LINE AND 31% OF HOUSEHOLDS ARE ABOVE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE , WORKING HARD AND STRUGGLING TO COVER THE BASICS MONTH TO MONTH AND WE KNOW WHEN
DISASTER STRIKES. >> YOU CAN CONTINUE BRIEFLY.
>> WE KNOW WHEN DISASTER STRIKES THESE ARE THE THE NEIGHBORS HIT HARDEST FACED WITH UNEXPECTED HOME REPAIRS, FOOD REPLACEMENT AND OTHER ITEMS THEY DON'T HAVE SAVINGS TO COVER. THAT IS WHY THE GREATER HOUSTON DISASTER LINES WAS LAUNCHED A YEAR AGO TO MOBILIZE QUICKLY AND PROVIDE EIGHT TO THE COMMUNITY EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY AND EQUITABLY. WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THE RECOVERY FUND WITH SUPPORT OF THE COUNTY AND CITY OF HOUSTON THAT WILL LIFT UP THE MOST VULNERABLE AND PROVIDE THEM WITH EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, HOME REPAIRS AND NAVIGATION IN ASSISTANCE AS THEY WERE TO ACCESS FEMA AND SBA FUNDING THAT YOU ALL DID AN AMAZING JOB HELPING TO ALIGN AND DELIVER. FUNDS WILL BE DELIVERED TO TRUSTED NONPROFITS WITH A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND IT CAN HELP GET HELP TO THOSE WHO
NEED IT MOST NOW. >> GOOD MORNING, I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION. I WANT TO ADD MY THANKS. I WILL TRY TO BE REALLY BRIEF AND SKIP OVER A FEW THINGS. DISASTER RECOVERY OFFERS OR REQUIRES MULTIPLE AVENUES OF ASSISTANCE SO THIS FUND IS MEANT TO COMPLEMENT FEMA AND SBA FEDERAL ASSISTANCE SO WE ENCOURAGE IMPACTED FAMILIES TO APPLY FOR THAT ASSISTANCE NOW. THE FUND WILL SERVE RESIDENTS OF HARRIS, MONTGOMERY AND WALLER COUNTY , AFFECTED BY SEVERE FLOODING, STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WIND, AND THE TORNADOES, THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED BETWEEN APRIL 26 AND MAY 17. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR FRIENDS FROM CENTERPOINT AND COMCAST EACH DONATING $500,000 TO HELP JUMPSTART EFFORTS TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS TO RECOVER. DIFFICULT TIMES ARE WHEN WE SEE THE STRENGTH OF COMMUNITIES AS NEIGHBORS FACE THE NEXT STEP IN A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY TO ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO CAN TO SUPPORT SEVERE WEATHER AND RECOVERY FUND. ANY AMOUNT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. TO MAKE DONATION VISIT DERECHFUND.ORG, THAT IS
DERECHFUND.ORG. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING. WILL YOU BE COORDINATING WITH THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON?
>> THIS IS INCLINATION WITH THE COUNTY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE ARE DOING IT WITH THEIR SUPPORT ENDORSEMENT AND
ALIGNMENT. >> DO YOU PLAN TO ENGAGE THE
OTHER FOUNDATIONS? >> WE WILL BE TAKING ANY AND ALL DONATIONS AND WE HAVE A GRANT MAKING COMMITTEE WHICH INCLUDES FOUNDATION REPRESENTATION SO WE CAN MAKE SURE WE HAVE GOT THE EXPERTISE AND SUPPORT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. GETTING FUNDS OUT WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST.
>> WE ARE IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION. FOR OTHER FOUNDATIONS IF THEY ARE DOING DIRECT RESPONSE WE WILL HAVE COMMUNICATION AND THEY WILL KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING.
>> WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
>> FIGURE SO MUCH. WONDERFUL TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS.
I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE DOING SO MUCH , SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
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SECURING THOSE AND I HOPE THAT GETS THE NEWS OUT AND GETS PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE. IS THIS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVEACTIVATED THE NEW SET UP? >> SINCE THE DISASTER ALLIANCE LAUNCHED BEFORE HURRICANE SEASON THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS THE END OF THE MONTH SO THIS IS THE FIRST FUND ACTIVATED BY THE FORMAL ALLIANCE BUT WE HAVE PARTNERED ON FUNDS FOR COVID AND THE WINTER STORMS JUST FOR PROGRESS IN THAT PARTNERSHIP.
>> A FEW MONTHS OR YEARS IN THE MAKING TO BRING THESE ENTITIES TOGETHER. IT USED TO BE SEPARATE, SO WE HAVE THIS VENUE WHICH ACTIVATES WHEN WE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DAMAGE. SO COMMISSIONER RAMSEY WHEN THE FLOODS TOOK PLACE AND DID NOT HIT THE THRESHOLD, NOW WE KNOW THEY DO THE CORONATION IS SORT OF ON PAPER INSTITUTIONALIZED AND IT IS A GREAT MODEL. SOUNDS LIKE IT HAS ALREADY BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH THE FUNDS YOU HAVE RAISED SO THIS WILL BE REALLY NEAT TO SHARE WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED SO MUCH HELP. JUST YESTERDAY AT THE FEMA SITE, THE STORIES ARE INSANE, THEY NEED
HELP NOW. >> WE DEPLOYED 211 TO THE SITE
IMMEDIATELY. >> DEFINITELY HAVING THEM AT ALL THE FEMA SITES BECAUSE THERE WERE PEOPLE WALKING AWAY AND IN TERMS OF ITEM 24 J. THERE WERE PEOPLE WAITING AND SIGNING UP. THEY HEARD THERE IS FEMA IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE, TURN DOWN IMMEDIATE IS A MISNOMER WHICH IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE WERE TWO LADIES WITH BABIES. FIVE MONTHS OLD WITH NOWHERE TO STAY AND CRAZY HEAT AND THEN A WOMAN, OLDER WOMAN MAY BE 80S OR SOMETHING, A TREE HAD FALLEN IN THE MIDDLE OF HER HOUSE. SOUNDS LIKE YOU GUYS CHATTED ABOUT THIS. THEY SAID I'LL GET HELP IN SEVEN DAYS WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? A MAN NEEDING DIALYSIS, A WOMAN NEEDED OXYGEN. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE OFFICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH MISS WILKES GARCIA.
>> LESLIE WILKES GARCIA FIRST ASSISTANT COUNTY AUDITOR. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING HERE WHEN YOU ARE ASKING QUESTIONS.
CAN YOU ASK, WHICH SPECIFIC QUESTION OR DO WE WANT TO
START? >> WE WANTED AN UPDATE ON THE AUDIT BECAUSE WE ARE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT, YOU KNOW IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR US TO APPROVE FUNDING FOR DEMA. ARE YOU DONE WITH THE AUDIT AND THEN THE ISSUE OF THESE ARE FUNDS THAT FOR THE WORK ALREADY DONE SO WE SAY WELL, COULD WE AWARD THE FUNDS AND THE AUDITOR CLAWBACK IF NECESSARY, THEN COMMISSIONER GARCIA BRINGS UP THE POINT THAT IN A CALIFORNIA COMPANY, THAT VERSION OF DEMA. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PAYING EMPLOYEES OR SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ARE AWARE OF THAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND IT ONLINE. DO WE HAVE THAT CONCERN HERE?
>> AS FAR AS CONTRACT COMPLIANCE THAT IS IN PROGRESS.
I UNDERSTAND WE ARE GETTING COOPERATION FROM DEMA IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE TIME TO GET TO THOSE PROCEDURES. THE INVESTIGATION WHICH WAS , THEY WERE LOOKING INTO BASICALLY THE PRACTICES, AT THIS POINT THIS HAS BEEN INCONCLUSIVE. MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE AUDITOR 'S THEY ARE CURRENTLY WRAPPING UP DOCUMENTATION SO THEY CAN GET COMMUNICATION OUT TO ALL OF YOUR OFFICES ON THAT. AGAIN, DEMA IS COOPERATING, IT'S JUST THAT THE DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT THE ITEMS IS NOT THERE.
>> ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT SHOULD TAKE?
>> LAST I HEARD, A COUPLE WEEKS.
>> SO THESE PAYMENTS ARE FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2024?
>> THAT'S CORRECT. >> WE WERE ABLE, THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE TEAM WAS ABLE TO TAKE THOSE FEES AND TIE THEM BACK TO THE CONTRACT RATES. PUBLIC HEALTH DID RECEIVING INDICATING THOSE SERVICES HAD BEEN PERFORMED . AGAIN OUR TEAM WENT BACK TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE BEING BILLED AT THE RATES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT CONTRACT.
>> SO PAYMENTS FOR TWO MONTHS I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MUCH
MONEY IS INVOLVED. >> THOSE TWO MONTHS ARE SHORT PAY FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. ANYTHING BILLED ON THE INVOICE IS NOT ALIGNED WITH THE CURRENT CONTRACT REMOVED.
>> MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW IF DR. ROBINSON IS ON THE LINE MAYBE
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SHE DOES , HOW MUCH MONEY OVER TALKING ABOUT FOR TWO MONTHS? DO YOU KNOW DIRECTOR ROBINSON.>> I BELIEVE IT IS CLOSE TO $270,000.
>> I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT WOULD BE THE ALTERNATIVE? SO IF WE DON'T MAKE THE PAYMENTS WE ARE SHUTTING DOWN THE PROGRAM OVER THE POSSIBILITY OF IT BEING SOME OVERBILLING ON $270,000. I ASSUME SOME OF IT IS CORRECT.
ESSENTIALLY WE WOULD BE SHUTTING DOWN THE PROGRAM OVER
THAT. >> THE PORTION ON THIS LIST
TODAY IS CORRECT. >> ESSENTIALLY YOU HAVE AUDITED THE 270,000. WHAT YOU ARE NOT DONE DOING IS CONFIRMING THAT OVERALL, DEMA HAS APPROPRIATE ACCOUNTING PRACTICES. SO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE APPROVING THIS 270? THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL,
THANK YOU. >> CAN I ASK YOU ? WHEN DID THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE GET CONTACTED? BECAUSE I BELIEVE I WAS TOLD THAT THE SONOMA COUNTY AUDITOR OR THE COURT HAD REACHED OUT TO THE AUDITOR TO ASK FOR HELP WITH THEIR ISSUER DEMA IN SONOMA COUNTY. WHEN WE ARE CONTACTED?
>> THAT'S CORRECT BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DATE WAS.
>> APPROXIMATELY? >> I DON'T KNOW.
>> THREE MONTHS AGO, SIX MONTHS AGO?
>> I DON'T THINK IT WAS AS FAR BACK AS SIX MONTHS AGO. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MONTH OR TWO. I'M NOT SURE.
>> SO WHEN ISSUES STARTED TO BE RAISED WE COULD'VE BEEN LOOKING AT WHETHER OR NOT WE NEEDED A BACKUP PLAN.
>> MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE INTERNAL AUDITORS WERE MADE AWARE. I AM ON THE ACCOUNTING SIDE AND I APOLOGIZE I CANNOT SPEAK FOR THE INTERNAL AUDITOR.
>> IF WE KNEW ISSUES WERE EMERGING WITH THIS THAT SHOULD'VE RAISED CONCERN FOR SOMEONE, IT SHOULD'VE BEEN BROUGHT TO COURT SO WE COULD HAVE BEEN MAKING A DECISION ABOUT PROTECTING THE PROGRAM ITSELF. NOT NECESSARILY THE VENDOR, BUT WE COULD'VE BEEN DOING SOMETHING WITH THE INFORMATION FROM A MONTH OR TWO MONTHS AGO. THE COMMUNICATION MAYBE GOES BACK THREE OR FOUR MONTHS. NOW WE ARE AT RISK OF HURTING THE PROGRAM, WHICH IS GREAT . FOR A LACK OF STRATEGIC
THINKING. >> IS THERE SOMEONE IN THE AUDITOR OFFICE AND WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND HELPING TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN COME ABOUT WHEN UNDERSTANDING IT WAS TWO-PRONGED. ONE, SONOMA COUNTY REACHED OUT TO HARRIS COUNTY FOR DOCUMENTATION BECAUSE OF DOUBLE BILLING SO THEY WERE REVIEWING HARRIS COUNTY DOCUMENTS. MEANWHILE HARRIS COUNTY GOT A DIRECT FRAUD WASTE AND ABUSE COMPLAINT SO BOTH WITHIN TRIGGERPOINTS WHICH I KNOW IT'S BEEN MONTHS IN THE MAKING. I'M CURIOUS WHERE EACH COMPONENT OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT IS , BECAUSE TO ME AS A LAWYER AND FORMAL JUDGE THEIR INTER-RELATED FOR POTENTIAL FRAUD SO IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DISASSOCIATE ONE SMALL SEGMENT FROM THE TOTALITY OF THE CONTRACT, THE WORKFORCE, THE BILLING PRACTICE. ESPECIALLY GIVEN CONCLUSIONS THAT SONOMA COUNTY ULTIMATELY HAD WHICH IS TO CEASE WORKING WITH THE VENDOR. ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR OFFICE WHO COULD AUGMENT THE UPDATES YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE?
>> I CAN TRY TO GET INTO CONTACT WITH MIKE POST. I KNOW HE WAS UNAVAILABLE THIS MORNING. IF I CAN GET WITH HIM TO UPDATE AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. I KNOW THIS IS A COMPLEX ISSUE SO UNTANGLING THOSE COMPONENTS HAS PROVEN DIFFICULT AND TIME-CONSUMING. AT THE END WE WANT TO COME BACK WITH FACTS AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO SO WE DON'T WANT TO SAY ANYTHING IF WE DON'T HAVE THE FACTS. SO I KNOW FROM THE INVESTIGATION TO THE BILLING PRACTICE AS I MENTIONED IT'S JUST THE DOCUMENTATION DOES NOT EXIST.
>> IN THIS CASE TO GO OVER THE FACTS . THE PROGRAM IS THE HOLISTIC ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM. DEMA HAS AN ISSUE PROBABLY AT LEAST PR IF NOT A REAL ONE WHERE WE ARE INVESTIGATING. THAT'S A FACT. DEMA DID TWO MONTHS OF WORK AT A COST OF $270,000 FOR THE HOLISTIC ASSISTANCE RESPONSE
[00:35:02]
TEAM WHICH IS ABOUT SENDING TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO NONVIOLENT CALLS LIKE MENTAL HEALTH CALLS SO WE DON'T HAVE THE KIND OF TRAGEDIES WE HAVE HAD IS THAT CORRECT?>> YES MA'AM. >> OKAY, THAT WORK WAS ALREADY DONE. SO THE EMPLOYEES WILL NOT WALK OFF THE JOB BECAUSE THEY ALREADY DID THE JOB. RIGHT? IS THAT RIGHT? AND DIRECTOR
ROBINSON? >> IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU DO THE WORK AND THEN THE PAYCHECK COMES SO THE TIMING OF THE PAYMENT, MY UNDERSTANDING , THEY DID THE WORK NOW THEY ARE
WAITING FOR THE PAYCHECK. >> DO WE NEED TO CONFIRM THAT MS. WILKES GARCIA? OKAY, SHE IS CHECKING. I DO WANT , I DON'T WANT TO INTERMINGLE ON PURPOSE OR ON ACCIDENT BOTH ISSUES.
THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A BROAD PROBLEM, BUT IF EVERYTHING IS OKAY WITH THIS PROGRAM THERE IS NO REASON WE NEED TO NOT PAY FOR IT. SO, THEY DID THE WORK?
>> THAT'S CORRECT FOR WHAT'S BEING BILLED TODAY.
>> THAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE SO IS THE CONCERN ABOUT EMPLOYEES WALKING OFF THE JOB LIKE THEY ALLEGEDLY DID IN CALIFORNIA? NO BECAUSE THEY ALREADY DID THE WORK. I HAVE YET TO FIND A CREDIBLE SOURCE ON THAT. IN TERMS OF THE BILLING PRACTICE WHICH SONOMA COUNTY REACHED OUT TO US WITH CONCERN YOU GUYS ARE INVESTED GETTING STILL CORRECT? HOWEVER, AS THIS CONTRACT PERTAINS YOU THE INDEPENDENT COUNTY AUDITOR ARE DONE
INVESTIGATING. >> FOR THE AMOUNTS ON THIS, YES. WE DETERMINED PUBLIC HEALTH IS STATING THOSE PROCEDURES WERE DONE AND THEN WE CHECKED THEM BACK TO THE CONTRACT THAT IS CURRENT AND THEY ARE BILLED AT THE
APPROPRIATE RATES. >> SO ESSENTIALLY YOU HAVE AUDITED THE POTENTIAL BILLING ISSUES FOR THE AMOUNT CURRENTLY IN COMMISSIONERS COURT AND YOU AS A PROFESSIONAL AUDITOR FEEL
IT IS GOOD TO GO? >> THAT'S CORRECT.
>> THOSE ARE THE FACTS, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE PROFESSIONAL AUDITORS THAT DO NOT REPORT TO ANY OF US THERE INDEPENDENT. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM. I DON'T SEE
WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. >> IF YOU COMPLETE THE CONFERENCE OF AUDIT OF THE PROGRAM? HAVE YOU COMPLETED
YOUR ENTIRE AUDIT? >> WE HAVEN'T .
>> EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY NOT BE ISSUES ON THIS PAYMENT, THERE MAY BE ISSUES ON OTHER PAYMENTS WE DON'T KNOW. THE ANSWER TO
THEM. >> WE ARE ONLY APPROVING THIS PAYMENT , THAT'S THE THING. SO YOUR COMMENTS ARE NOT LOGICAL.
>> MY COMMENTS ARE EXTREMELY LOGICAL.
>> ARE WE APPROVING ALL THE PAYMENTS OR JUST THIS ONE? FOR
APPROPRIATE. >> IT'S ONE THING TO NOT
SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS. >> WE SHOULD HAVE THE QUORUM ARE WE FOLLOWING THE RULES POINT OF ORDER?
>> ONE AT A TIME. LET THE JUDGE RECOGNIZE IT TO SPEAK.
>> THAT'S THE LACK OF FOLLOWING, YES COMMISSIONER
ELLIS. >> HERE IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER. WE KNOW IF THEY DON'T GET PAID FOR THESE TWO MONTHS, I HEARD YOU SAY DIRECTOR ROBINSON, THEY WOULD PROBABLY STOP WHICH MEANS WE WOULD END THE PROGRAM FOR THESE MONTHS IF THEY DON'T GET PAID FOR THE WORK DONE.
>> I DO HAVE A COMMENT. DOUBLE BUILDING WAS CONFIRMED, BUT THE CONTRACT DOES NOT PROHIBIT EMPLOYEES FROM WORKING FROM HARRIS COUNTY AND SONOMA COUNTY. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE RUNNING INTO THE COMPLEXITIES. IF THIS IS SOMETHING BEING DONE REMOTELY WE DO KNOW THERE IS BILLING ON THE SAME DAY FOR THE SAME PERSON, BUT THERE IS NOTHING IN THE CONTRACT THAT SAYS THEY CAN'T DO THAT IF THEY DEDICATED SO MANY HOURS TO SONOMA COUNTY AND SO MANY TO HARRIS COUNTY. THAT'S THE
PIECE THAT IS TIME-CONSUMING. >> SO YOU ARE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE SOMEBODY IS WORKING REMOTELY AND THEY BILL THREE HOURS FOR SONOMA, FOUR HOURS AT HARRIS COUNTY, THAT THEY DID WORK FOR EACH OF THOSE ENTITIES.
>> CORRECT. >> SO YOU ARE PULLING EMPLOYEE
[00:40:04]
TIME CARDS? >> YES AND FOR THE HOURLY EMPLOYEES ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE. IT IS IN THE SALARY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT REQUIRED.
>> COMMISSIONER RAMSEY DID REQUEST TO SPEAK AFTER
COMMISSIONER ELLIS. >> SO THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR DOUBLE BUILDING ON PREVIOUS PAYMENTS. THAT WE HAVE NOT
CONFIRMED. >> DOUBLE WILLING EXISTS ON THE ONES WE ARE HOLDING BECAUSE TWO COURTS AGO AT THAT POINT THERE WERE 669,000 BEING HELD AND THAT IS STILL BEING HELD BECAUSE WE WERE NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WITH THE CONTRACT THAT THOSE POSITIONS WERE BEING BILLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT PROJECT. THEY WERE NOT ALIGNED.
>> I NEED CLARIFICATION ON THAT. I AM HEARING YOU SAY, THERE WAS DOUBLE BILLING BUT YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE CONTRACT RIGHT NOW IN FRONT OF US WHERE THE WORK WAS PERFORMED. CAN YOU CLARIFY THAT? ARE THOSE TWO OPPOSITE THINGS? DOUBLE BILLING TO ME HAS NEGATIVE CONNOTATION THAT'S IN THREE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF IN SONOMA COUNTY. THE ONLY SOURCE I CAN FIND ON THIS IS PRESS DEMOCRAT ONLINE , ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS? I DON'T KNOW THAT , THAT WEBSITE AS A CREDIBLE SOURCE. SO I AM WONDERING THIS WHOLE EMPLOYEE WALKING OFF THE JOB SO, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS?
>> WHEN I REFER TO DOUBLE BILLING. SONOMA COUNTY AND HARRIS COUNTY RECEIVED A BILL FOR SERVICES ON THE SAME DATE.
WHAT WE NEED TO DETERMINE WAS IN OH NOTHING IN THE CONTRACT SAYS THEY CAN'T DO THAT WE JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS. MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THUS FAR WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SEE ANY DOCUMENTATION.
NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT COOPERATING, BUT IT DOES NOT EXIST WHEN A SELLER PERSON IS NOT REQUIRED TO KEEP A
TIMESHEET. >> SO, RIGHT NOW THE ONLY PAYMENT ON THE COMMISSIONERS COURT IS A $270,000 PAYMENT FOR THE WORK BEING DONE IN THESE TWO MONTHS. THE ONLY WEBSITE I CAN FIND ABOUT THEM NOT PAYING MONEY THAT THEY CALL BACK IS PRESS DEMOCRAT WHICH LOOKS LIKE CLICK BAIT SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S REALISTIC RIGHT NOW. SO YOU KNOW, ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH , YOU THE AUDITOR FEEL COMFORTABLE APPROVING 270,000 FOR THE WORK ALREADY DONE?
>> ANYTHING WE WERE UNABLE TO TIE BACK TO THE CONTRACT WHICH IS 669,000 WE ARE NOT PAYING THAT'S BEING HELD WE CALL THAT
SHORT DAY. >> FOR WHATEVER REASON YOU MADE A MISTAKE WHICH YOU DON'T TEND TO DO AND THE CLAWBACK SOME PAYMENT , WE CAN DO THAT. UNLESS THEY ARE OUT OF BUSINESS OR NOT PAYING EMPLOYEES WHICH HAS BEEN SAID BUT I CANNOT FIND A SOURCE BEYOND PRESS DEMOCRAT WHICH I HAD NOT HEARD ABOUT UNTIL AN HOUR AGO. SO I THINK WE CAN JUST MOVE THIS. IT IS UP WITH THE PROGRAM OR YOU DON'T. YES, COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> FOR A SECOND I WANT TO ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO CONSIDER , THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE DO WORK REMOTELY , THERE MAY BE ENGINEERING FIRMS OR LAW FIRMS THAT DO WORK FOR US IN HARRIS COUNTY. AND PEOPLE WORKING REMOTELY, THEY MAY DO WORK FOR HARRIS COUNTY AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND SONOMA COUNTY. SO THE TERM DOUBLE BILLING ONLY HAS A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION IF SOMEBODY WAS BILLING COMPANY A FOR THE WORK THEY DID NOT DO AND THEY WERE BILLING COMPANY B FOR THAT WORK. AT THE SAME TIME. DOUBLE BILLING IN THIS AGE OF REMOTE WORKING DOES NOT ME THE SAME CONNOTATION IT NORMALLY HAD. I CAN COUNT THE VOTES. SO I WANT TO ASK YOU TO CONSIDER , DO WE REALLY WANT TO END WHAT I THINK EVERYBODY VOTED FOR , MOST PEOPLE SAY THEY THINK IT'S A GOOD PROGRAM. I DON'T WANT TO JUST END THE PROGRAM IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME WILL HAPPEN.
NOW IF THIS WAS 2.7 MILLION OR 270 MILLION , BUT OVER $270,000 I WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER IF THE OTHER 600 SOME THOUSAND MADE REFERENCE TO, THAT MEANS WE ARE HOLDING THE MONEY. THOSE ARE BILLS WE ARE HOLDING. I WANT TO ASK, I DON'T WANT TO
[00:45:02]
GET INTO THE EMOTION OF IT BUT OKAY TO END A PILOT PROGRAM AND I THINK A VERY GOOD ONE. I THINK WE ALL SUPPORT THIS OVER 270,000. I COULD HAVE EGG ON MY FACE, IF YOU AGREE AND IT COMES BACK I DON'T KNOW. I WOULD HATE TO COME OVER AN ALLEGATION. I HAVE GOT A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE OF SONOMA COUNTY. I HAVE NOT REACHED OUT TO ANY COMMISSIONERS BUT IF WE DO THIS WE SET THE PRECEDENT. IF SOMEBODY FROM ANOTHER COUNTY RAISES SOME ISSUE UNTIL WE KNOW THE FACTS SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU. WITH THAT SAID IF AN WE WILL LIVE WITH IT, BUT TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND THINKABOUT THAT. >> I SEE IT MORE AS A PAUSE. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR SEVERAL COURTS. THE FACT THAT WE STILL DO NOT HAVE CLEAR ANSWERS ON SOME KEY COMPONENTS AND I UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY. THERE WAS A SONOMA COUNTY DIRECT OUTREACH TO THE COUNTY, PLUS THE FRAUD WASTE AND ABUSE DIRECTLY TO THE COUNTY. WE HAVE NOT MADE MARKED PROGRESS AND WE ASKED FOR THE INDEPENDENT AUDIT AND WE STILL HAVE NOT STARTED THAT MEANWHILE, MY TEAM, WE HAVE TALKED WITH PUBLIC HEALTH ASKING WHAT'S THE CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS SO YOU PLAN B AND C READY TO GO BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THE ONLY CONTRACTOR IN THE WORLD WHO CAN PROVIDE THE SERVICES. AM DEEPLY INVESTED IN THE PROGRAM AND DEEPLY INVESTED IN BEING A STEWARD OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS. IF YOU DIG INTO SONOMA COUNTY FAX AND THE FORMER JUDGING ME I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE WITNESSES, I WANT THE EVIDENCE WHICH IS WHY MY TEAM HAS BEEN REACHING OUT THESE, LET'S EXPEDITE. I DON'T WANT TO HOLD UP THE PROGRAM IF WE HAVE CONCLUSIVE FACTS BUT YOU KEEP SAYING IT'S INCONCLUSIVE. HOLDING OVER 600,000 BECAUSE WE HAVE SEEN QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES, BUT NOT THESE.
THERE'S A LOT OF OPEN QUESTIONS AND A LACK OF INFORMATION. I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ARDUOUSLY AND YOU HAVE OTHER PROJECTS, BUT TO ME THE FACTS ARE HIGHLY RELEVANT SO I KNOW WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO REQUEST PUBLIC HEALTH DEVELOP CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS FOR HOW TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM IN THE EVENT THE CURRENT VENDOR IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE THE WORK IN
THE FUTURE. >> I WOULD SECOND.
>> JUST A SECOND. >> FIRST OF ALL, WE CAN SALVAGE THE PROGRAM BY HAVING THE HARRIS CENTER TAKE IT OVER.
FROM A MANAGERIAL STANDPOINT, I AM CONCERNED THAT IT IS A VENDOR KEEPING THE PROGRAM ALIVE. IT SHOULD OF BEEN IN PLACE. WE SHOULD OF HAD A CONSULTANT COME TELL US HOW THE PROGRAM OPERATES AND LET EMPLOYEES RUN IT. WHY WE LEFT THIS ON THE BACK OF VENDORS IS BEYOND ME SO THE HARRIS CENTER CAN TAKE THE PROGRAM OVER NOW AND I WOULD ALSO MAKE A MOTION
WE TRANSITION. >> JUDGE, QUICK THINGS. ONE, ON THE SUGGESTION. THIS IS A LIMITED ITEM RELATED TO PAYMENT SO ANYTHING OUTSIDE SPECIFIC TO THE FRAMEWORK WE CANNOT DO TODAY THAT'S ONE. TWO, I KNOW EVERYONE IS REANIMATED AND WANTS TO SPEAK ON THIS, BY VIRTUE OF THE WAYS THE RULE AND PROCESS WORKS I WOULD ASK IT WOULD BE EASIER TO GIVE A RECORD OF WHO IS SPEAKING TO PLEASE HAVE THE JUDGE RECOGNIZE YOU FIRST BEFORE SPEAKING BECAUSE IT DOES CREATE PROBLEMS
FOR THE TRANSCRIPT. >> YES COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> SINCE WE CAN'T GO INTO WHETHER OR NOT HARRIS CENTER CAN DO IT, WE HAVE TO CHAT WITH THEM. MAYBE YOU HAVE, BUT WE HAVE TO CROSS THAT BRIDGE AND SEE WHAT IT WOULD COST. FROM MY STANDPOINT I DO WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M BEING FAIR TO MY CONSTITUENTS. I KNOW THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE TABLE IT MAY NOT HAVE A SECOND. LOOK, I UNDERSTAND HOW IT WORKS IF IT GOES DOWN, BUT AT LEAST I THINK VERY STRONGLY WE OUGHT TO APPROVE THIS 270,000 AND EVEN IF WE STOPPED THERE AND GO AND DEVELOP A PLAN MOVING FORWARD I KNOW WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH SOME KIND OF RFP PROCESS OR COME UP WITH SOME KIND OF LOCAL AGREEMENT TO FIGURE IT OUT BUT AT LEAST TO BE FAIR TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE BENEFITING IN MY PRECINCT FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD I DON'T WANT TO LOSE IT IN THIS COMPANY WOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO SUE US TO GET THE 270,000 IF SOMETHING COMES UP
[00:50:04]
WITH THE 600 SOMETHING THOUSAND THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE. SO EMOTION ON THE TABLE IF IT GOES DOWN I CAN LIVE WITH IT THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENS BUT THAT'S A SECOND I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AROBINSON A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT DESCRIBING THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR. CAN YOU REMIND US WHAT THE PROGRAM DOES AND WHAT THESE FOLKS HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS AND CONFIRM IF WE DON'T APPROVE THIS THESE FOLKS WILL NOT GET PAID FOR WORK THAT THEY ALREADY DID.
>> YES, WHEN I ARRIVED IN THE COUNTY I WAS DIRECTED BY COURT TO STAND UP THIS PROGRAM VIA RFP PROCESS. WE WERE NOT ASKED TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM. I BELIEVE WE WERE WELL ON THE WAY WHEN WE CAME IN IN TERMS OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS WITH PURCHASING AND THAT IS THE ROUTE WE TOOK. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO FREE UP LAW ENFORCEMENT TO HANDLE THOSE FUNCTIONS THAT ARE INHERENTLY WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW. THEY CANNOT BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE, SO NONVIOLENT 911 CALLS, THE TEAM, THEY RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS AND PROVIDE RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO RESIDENTS IN CRISIS. WORKING WITH EMTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, MENTAL HEALTH FOLKS, SO IT'S NOT JUST MENTAL HEALTH CALLS. IT IS WELLNESS CALLS, FAMILY DISPUTES THAT ARE NONVIOLENT ET CETERA SO LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN RESPOND TO OTHER MORE PRIORITY CALLS IN THEIR TRADITIONAL
FUNCTION. >> WHAT IS EXACTLY THE WORK THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THAT THEY WILL NOT GET PAID FOR?
>> YEAH. YES. >> THE $669,000 CANNOT BE PAID WITHOUT A CONTRACT AMENDMENT AND THAT WAS ON THE AGENDA SEVERAL MEETINGS AGO. THE PROCEDURES WE ARE GOING THROUGH WITH THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE IS ONE THING. IT IS ABSENT OF THE
CONTRACT AMENDMENT. >> OKAY. WE CAN TALK ALL DAY AND NIGHT ABOUT THE MONEY. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS HAVE THE AUDITOR LOOK AT THIS. THIS PAYMENT IS GOOD TO GO. I ASSUME THAT THE VOTES ARE NOT THERE. I CANNOT HELP BUT EXPRESS FRUSTRATION TO PUT IT KINDLY ON THE BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY. WE REQUIRE EVIDENCE. AND WITNESSES AND WHEN WE DON'T LIKE SOMETHING, SOME OF THE COLLEAGUES HIDE BEHIND CASE IN POINT. THERE WAS AN INCREASE GIVEN TO THE
AUTHORITY DIRECTOR . >> ARE YOU GOING TO ENFORCE SOME OF THE RULES OR ALL OF THE RULES?
>> I WILL ENFORCE ALL OF THE RULES.
>> ARE YOU GOING TO CALL A POINT OF ORDER ON THIS?
>> YOU HAVE TO CALL THE POINTS OF ORDER.
>> THERE ARE NO WITNESSES. SEE, THEY TRY AND SHUT ME DOWN. MY POINT IS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE THE AUDITOR SUPPORTING THIS.
THESE ARE SMART PEOPLE. ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES, YOU ARE SMART.
IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE IT BE ON PURPOSE OR AN ACCIDENT PRETEND LIKE THIS IS ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW IT IS NOT. THAT IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST, WHETHER THERE WERE WITNESSES OR LAWYERS OR THIS OR THAT.
>> WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS.
>> IT IS HARD FOR ME TO FOLLOW WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE
TALKING. >> I WANT THIS TO BE SAID. IF YOU LOOK AT THIS, IT IS SO CLEAR. A JUDGE, A LAWYER, THIS AND THAT, ALL OF THESE SMART PEOPLE ARE OKAY WITH HAVING NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST VOTE, NO SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND THEY KNEW ABOUT IT. EVEN THOUGH THE AUDITOR RECOMMENDS IT. NOW IT IS ALMOST $70,000 AND WE NEED EVIDENCE AND WITNESSES AND PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING. LOOK, I AM UPSET ON BEHALF OF THE COMMUNITY. ON BEHALF OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE NOT GOING TO GET THE RIGHT LAW-ENFORCEMENT RESPONSES. I HAVE KNOWN OF PEOPLE. IT HAPPENS. FIRST OF
[00:55:08]
ALL, WE NEED THEM TO FOCUS ON VIOLENT ISSUES, NOT NONVIOLENT.SECOND OF ALL, WHICH WE PROMISED THAT WE WOULD DO, TO FREE UP THEIR TIME. THIS IS HOW TRAGEDIES HAPPEN. ANYWAY. IF WE ARE GOING TO VOTE ON SOMETHING, WE HAVE A DUTY TO BE DIRECT ABOUT WHAT THE ISSUE IS. THIS LAYS BARE ALL OF THE CONCERNS THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT UP THAT ARE INCONSISTENT AND ILLOGICAL GIVEN WHAT WE ARE HEARING WHICH HAPPENS WAY TOO OFTEN.
>> CAN I MAKE A BRIEF CLOSING COMMENT ON THE MOTION?
>> HOW SHOULD WE VOTE ON THIS ITEM TODAY? I HEARD PRETTY STRONG SUPPORT FOR A PROGRAM SIMILAR TO THIS. I THINK THE EXPERTS HAVE CONVINCED US. I'M HOPING THAT ON THE NEXT COURT, SOMETHING IS ON THE AGENDA IF IT IS SOMEWHERE ELSE OR SOMETHING ELSE. IF IT COST MORE MONEY TO DO IT, WE WILL CROSS
THAT BRIDGE. >> THERE IS A MOTION AND A
SECOND. GO AHEAD. >> BEFORE WE VOTE, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT SUPPORT THE PROGRAM, SOMETHING WILL HAVE TO BE DONE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THIS VENDOR THAT DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PROGRAM. THERE ARE ISSUES WITH THE VENDOR. THE SOONER YOU GET ON WITH ADDRESSING THE ISSUES AND HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE. COMMISSIONER GARCIA ALLUDED TO A GREAT SOLUTION.
IT'S BETTER TO GET ON WITH THE SOLUTION AND NOT GET ALL
WRAPPED UP IN THE VENDOR. >> IF THAT IS THE CASE, WE NEED TO DO WITNESSES AND LAWYERS AND ALL THAT. YES, COMMISSIONER
GARCIA. >> IS THIS ITEM BROAD ENOUGH TO
MAKE A SUBSEQUENT MOTION? >> THIS ITEM, AS I UNDERSTAND IS RELATED TO THE PAYMENT OF THIS. IF YOU WANT TO DO A SUBSEQUENT MOTION, I THINK THAT WOULD BE OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF IT. IN THE NEXT MEETING, WE CAN PUT THAT ON AND WE ARE HAPPY TO
HELP WITH THAT. >> I WILL PUT IT ON THE AGENDA.
>> JUST A REMINDER THERE IS A MOTION AND SECOND ON THE ITEM AND WE ARE WELL PAST 10 MINUTES ON DISCUSSION.
>> LOOK, I VOTED SINCE IT WAS BROUGHT TO COURT. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE ARE LIKELY TO BE PAYING. I HOPE WE ARE NOT. THE AUDIT AND ALL OTHER INVESTIGATIONS WILL RUN THEIR COURSE. SO BE IT. I FEEL VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF PAYING GOOD MONEY BEHIND THAT. I SUPPORT HEART AND FOR THAT REASON I WILL NOT VOTE AGAINST THIS AND I WILL NOT
>> OKAY, YES, A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ALL IN
FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? >> ABSTAIN. IT IS 2-2.
>> JUDGE, CAN WE TAKE A FIVE-MINUTE BREAK, THE MIC IS NOT WORKING WELL.
>> IT IS 11:16 A.M. >> I THINK THAT WAS VOTED ON.
>> WAS NOT FINISHED. >> THEN WE WILL MOVE ON TO
DISASTERS. >> FOR CLARITY, CAN YOU REPEAT
THE MOTION? >> WAS NOT ITEM SIX? ITEM 17.
IT IS ABOUT PAYING THESE FOLKS FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DID. WE APPROVED THE CLAIMS EXCEPT FOR THE PAYMENT OF THIS WORK. FOR THE WORK PERFORMED AND AUDITED. THESE ARE THE MOTIONS TO APPROVE THE PORTION OF THE AUDITED CLAIMS. WHICH HAS BEEN AUDITED. COMMISSIONER ELLIS MADE THE MOTION, ALL IN FAVOR?
[01:00:03]
>> I WILL ABSTAIN PENDING THE CONCLUSION OF THE FULL AUDIT.
>> A FEW BOWLS ABSTAIN, IT IS 2-1 AND IT PASSES?
>> THE VOTE WOULD BE TWO IN FAVOR, ONE, SO IT FAILS.
>> IT FAILS. OKAY. >> I THOUGHT EARLIER -- GREAT.
THAT IS THAT. THANK YOU. LET'S MOVE ON TO THE EMERGENCY ITEMS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ADDRESS EARLIER. THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE.
>> JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, THERE ARE SEVERAL ITEMS AND WE HAVE SEVERAL STAFF, DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT CAN WEIGH IN ON PARTS OF THESE ISSUES. TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE OVERTIME PAY ITEMS AND THEN WE HAVE A COUNTY ENGINEER ON THE LINE ON HIS ISSUES . IT IS A PRETTY BROAD DISCUSSION I'M SURE. DIRECTOR RAMOS IS ALSO ON, HE CAN ADDRESS ANY FUNDING ISSUES. SHANE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START?
>> YES. >> THIS IS SHANE, THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT, ITEM NUMBER THREE, IS FOR THE EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE MOST RECENT FLOOD AND WINDSTORM EVENTS. TO ESSENTIALLY GO BACK AND CASH OUT COMP TIME THAT THEY HAVE EARNED FOR WORKING THE EVENT THROUGH MAY 31ST ON THE AGENDA ITEM. I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS
ON THAT ITEM. >> ANY QUESTIONS?
>> COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND THEN COMMISSIONER GARCIA.
>> QUICKLY, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAD PEOPLE WORKING THIS DISASTER THAT WERE CHARGING TIME, THAT TIME HAS BEEN BOOKED TO MY COMP TIME. ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH GOING BACK AND REVISITING WHAT THE ORIGINAL COMP TIME CHARGES WERE AND COMPARING IT TO THIS
PROCESS? >> YES SIR. I HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AUDITORS OFFICE, IT WILL TAKE A FEW WEEKS TO GET IT DONE. I THINK WE CAN GET IT DONE.
>> THANK YOU. >> SIMILARLY, THIS WILL CASH OUT EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE WORKED OVER 40 HOURS IN THIS
PARTICULAR DISASTER? >> YES, IT WILL.
>> GOOD DEAL. IT WILL TAKE A FEW WEEKS FOR THAT TO WORK OUT.
WILL HE GO TO THEIR PAYCHECK OR A SEPARATE CHECK?
>> I SHOULD GO TO THEIR PAYCHECK. THE ISSUE IS THAT THE WINDSTORM HAPPENED AT THE END OF THE PAY PERIOD AND MANY HAD TURNED IN THEIR TIME SHEET. IT WILL TAKE A CYCLE TO PICK THOSE UP BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO GO BACK AND AMEND.
>> WE DO NOT HAVE A POLICY, RIGHT? ON THIS?
>> NO, COMMISSIONER, THAT IS ITEM NUMBER FOUR. IN THE PAST THESE ARE LARGE DISASTERS WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL COME IN AND DECLARE THEM. THE SMALLER EVENTS, THIS IS WHERE THE COMMISSIONERS COURT HAS TO MEET AND REVIEW THESE TYPES OF PAYMENTS FOR OVERTIME. THAT IS WHAT NUMBER FOUR IS TRYING TO
>> GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHAT HAS BEEN THE STANDARD PRACTICE IN THESE EVENTS? WE TELL EMPLOYEES TO RUN UP THE COMP TIME AND THEN WHEN THEY GET OVER 40 THEY HIT OVERTIME?
>> FOR DISASTERS, IF IT IS IN THE PAST, IT IS LARGE DISASTERS THERE IS USUALLY EMERGENCY COURT AND THESE THINGS ARE DONE AT THAT TIME. FOR THESE SMALLER EVENTS , I DON'T WANT TO MINIMIZE AND SAY SMALLER EVENTS. FOR THE FLOOD, THERE WAS NOT EMERGENCY COURT. WE WILL HEAR A LOT ABOUT OVERTIME PAYMENTS. WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND CASH OUT THE COMP TIME.
>> GOOD DEAL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS, SHANE. AND
[01:05:05]
MR. RAMOS, THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT THIS. WE WILL GET TO ITEM FOUR FOR THE POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF THIS. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES, THE OEM EMPLOYEES FOR PARTICULAR. A LOT OF EMPLOYEES, BECAUSE OF THEIR HEART, THEY DO THE WORK AND MAY NOT HAVE BEEN COMPENSATED APPROPRIATELY. I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO HARRIS COUNTY. I SAW LORI HERE EARLIER AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE. STAFF IS ALWAYS ON THE BALL. I WANT TO THANK JEFF, HE WAS CALLING ME AT THE MOMENT THAT THE WIND WAS DEVELOPING IN HIS CAR. THIS THING CAME IN INCREDIBLY FAST. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED, ALL OF THE RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF THE COUNTY FOR NOT HAVING THOUGHT OF A POLICY. THERE IS NO POLICY INVOLVED AND I AM SURPRISED THAT NOBODY ELSE CAUGHT IT. I'M GLAD THAT WE ARE FINALLY ADDRESSING IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH.>> COMMISSIONER, AND THEN COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> I ECHO THE SENTIMENTS. IT IS DEEPLY MOVING, THE EMPLOYEE IS FROM OEM AND FLOOD CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ARE PRECINCT WORKERS, OCA, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS BEEN ALL HANDS ON DECK SINCE THURSDAY EVENING. THANK YOU.
I'M SO HAPPY WE WILL HAVE A POLICY NOT ONLY FOR THIS STORM BUT GOING FORWARD. WE NEED TO GET THIS MONEY IN THE TEAM MEMBERS POCKETS SOONER THAN LATER. MY QUESTIONS, I AM HIGHLY SUPPORTIVE. WE NEED TO FIND WAYS TO DO MORE. CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH, AND ANY EMPLOYEES THAT MIGHT BE LISTENING, PAYING OUT COMP TIME, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT ANY THRESHOLDS THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED AND THE PAYOUT WOULD BE THE OVERTIME RATE AND HOW DO THREE AND FOUR INTERSECT? CAN YOU WALK ANYONE THROUGH MIGHT BE LISTENING?
>> ITEM THREE, SPECIFICALLY, IN REGARDS TO THE CURRENT EVENT, I WILL CHARACTERIZE IT. ESSENTIALLY, EMPLOYEES WILL GO IN AND RECORD THEIR TIME ON THEIR TIME SHEET LIKE THEY NORMALLY WOULD AND DESIGNATED TO THE PROPER PROJECT CODE.
THAT IS HOW WE CAN GET REIMBURSED FOR IT. THEN WE WILL LEARN COMP TIME. AT TIME AND A HALF. EXEMPT EMPLOYEES WILL GET STRAIGHT TIME. THEN WE WILL GO AND CASH OUT THAT TIME AND A HALF ON IF THEY ARE EXEMPT OR NOT. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR
QUESTION? >> YES. IN TERMS OF TIMING OF THE CASH OUT. THE FEMA CODE WILL BE USED. WHAT WOULD BE THE TIMING OF THOSE PAYMENTS TO THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL
DISTRICT TEAM MEMBERS? >> WE WILL PAY THIS OUT BY PAY PERIOD. THE MOST RECENT WINDSTORM THAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY TURNED IN THEIR TIME SHEET, FOLKS WILL HAVE TO GO BACK IN AND DO AMENDED TIME SHEETS FOR ALL OF THE WORK. FOR THAT PROJECT. PART OF THAT WILL GO INTO LATER IN JUNE. I DO NOT HAVE MY PAYROLL SCHEDULE IN FRONT OF ME. IT MIGHT TAKE A FEW PAY CYCLES TO GET THAT ON THERE.
>> MY LAST QUESTION, IN REGARDS TO A LASTING POLICY, THE LANGUAGE HERE SEEMS VERY TAILORED TO THIS DISASTER RESPONSE. I JUST WANTED TO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING ON A POLICY THAT WILL COVER US GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN BE JUST AND TIMELY WITH THE WAY THAT WE ARE REWARDING AND COMPENSATING OUR TEAM MEMBERS. THERE WILL BE A MACRO POLICY AND THEN WHEN WILL IT COME BEFORE US?
>> SHANE, LET ME TAKE A CRACK AT THIS ONE. WE ARE WORKING WITH SHANE AND HR AND THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
NATALIE AND HER TEAM ARE LOOKING AT ALL OF THE HR POLICIES INCLUDING THE HANDBOOK AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR GAPS AND AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO MODERNIZE THOSE POLICIES FOR CURRENT SITUATIONS. ALL OF THAT IS IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW. THAT JUST GOT AHEAD OF US. WE ARE WORKING QUICKLY TO GET ALL OF THAT WITH THE RULES FOR HR POLICIES. THAT WAY EVERYBODY
[01:10:11]
HAS CERTAINTY ON WHAT TYPE OF EMPLOYEE THEY ARE, ESSENTIAL WORKER WERE NOT, WHAT ARE THEIR DUTIES, SO THAT IT IS EASIER MOVING FORWARD AS THINGS CHANGE WITH OUR ENVIRONMENT.>> THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT. I AM THRILLED ABOUT THIS. THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE HARD-WORKING TEAM MEMBERS WE HAVE HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. THE HUSTLE AND THE HIGHER STANDARDS. COMMISSIONER ELLIS?
>> I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT EIGHT PEOPLE LOSING THEIR LIVES AND 800,000 PEOPLE BEING WITHOUT POWER. EMPLOYEES HAVE SEEN PEOPLE AT THE TABLE APPEAR THAT JUST GOT THEIR POWER TURNED BACK ON. THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR DID LET US FOCUS ON THE ISSUE LIKE THIS THAT HAD NOT BEEN TAUGHT BEFORE. YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATION
IN TERMS OF A MOTION TODAY? >> THERE IS AN ITEM NUMBER FOUR THAT WAS SHARED WITH ALL OF THE COURT OFFICERS THIS MORNING WITH SHANE. AND THEN ON ITEM NUMBER THREE, THE AUTHORIZATION, IT IS TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED.
>> I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SECOND AND MAKE A MOTION.
>> DO WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM SEPARATELY?
>> YOU CAN MAKE THEM TOGETHER. WHAT IS THE WORDING FOR ITEM
FOUR? >> HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD -- DO
YOU WANT ME TO READ IT? >> IT IS A MOTION AUTHORIZING OVERTIME ACCRUAL FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING ON THE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY OF THE DISASTER UNDER CHAPTER 418 OF THE TEXAS
GOVERNMENT CODE. >> MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, ITEM THREE IS APPROVED, ITEM THREE IS PRESENTED. WE HAVE A MOTION? EMOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ITEM FIVE, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, WE NEED
TO LEARN ABOUT THE FUND. >> DANIEL IS ONLINE. DANIEL?
>> AS OF TODAY, WE HAD $192 MILLION IN THE PICK FUND AND WE ARE DETERMINING THE COST OF THIS EMERGENCY. IT WILL BE BETWEEN 5 MILLION AND 15 MILLION. FOR AUTHORITIES TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT AND GET ALL OF THE RESPONSE DEPARTMENTS
INTO THE PICK. >> YES, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY.
>> THIS PARTICULAR ITEM IS MUCH NEEDED. WE HAVE HAD TWO DISASTERS AND THE PRECINCT WAS AFFECTED IN BOTH. EMPLOYEES HAVE QUIT DOING THEIR NORMAL JOBS TO DEAL WITH THE DISASTER.
THAT IS ON ONE SIDE OF THE EXPANSE. ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE ARE MATERIALS AND ASSETS NECESSARY TO RESPOND. THIS IS MUCH NEEDED WITHIN THE PRECINCT. IT WAS NOT IN THE BUDGET TO DEAL WITH TWO SEVERE DISASTERS IN ONE MONTH. I WILL
MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. >> ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. DIRECTOR RAMOS, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU, DOES THE 15 MILLION INCLUDE THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REFUND OR IS THAT BEFORE THE REFUND?
>> BEFORE THE REFUND. IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN THAT. THAT IS NOT
A HARD NUMBER. >> AND THEN THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE. STOP ME IF THIS IS OUT OF SUBJECT HERE. WE TALKED ABOUT -- THE ASSISTANT CHIEF, WE HAVE ONLY RECEIVED A PARTICULAR PART OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. SECTION B INSTEAD OF A AND I JUST WANTED TO PASS THAT ON THAT WE ARE ADVOCATING FOR THE OTHER ONE.
ASSISTANT CHIEF MILLER FELT POSITIVE ABOUT IT. I DON'T KNOW
[01:15:02]
EXACTLY WHERE THE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE REIMBURSABLE OR NOT. I DO NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO AND I DON'T REMEMBER. WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THAT.>> WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE WILL KEEP TRACK.
>> ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED IN TERMS OF ME REACHING OUT TO FEMA AGAIN AND WHATNOT, I AM HAPPY TO DO THAT. SHE SAW THE DAMAGE TO THE PUBLIC STRUCTURES.
>> JUST CURIOUS, IN THE PAST, HOW LONG DOES IT NORMALLY TAKE FOR US TO KNOW IF WE WILL GET THE FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT? WE HAVE TO PUT ALL OF THE PAPERWORK IN ORDER, DO YOU HAVE SENSE OF HOW LONG THIS WILL TAKE?
>> THIS IS SHANE, THE COUNTY HAS TO MEET A THRESHOLD. IT IS 20 MILLION. WE ARE SUBMITTING ALL OF THE DAMAGES AND OVER
TIME. >> IT IS 20 MILLION. WITH ALL OF THE ENTITIES INSIDE OF HARRIS COUNTY. AND ALL OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND OTHER PUBLIC ENTITIES. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. FEMA DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TEAMS HAVE HIT THE GROUND THIS MORNING. WE HAVE THEM OUT WITH DEBRIS OPERATIONS. TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE DAMAGED WITH BUILDINGS. THEY ARE ON THE GROUND THIS MORNING. MY EMPLOYEES ARE OUT THERE WITH
>> THAT WAS ITEM FIVE. OKAY, ITEM 24. I DO HAVE SOME ITEMS HERE REQUESTED BY THE DEPARTMENTS. AND OF COURSE, ANYTHING ELSE WEATHER-RELATED THAT MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE
TO DISCUSS? >> I'M SORRY, THE FINAL SPEAKER FOR ITEM 25 HAS ARRIVED. OKAY, WE WILL HEAR
FROM THEM. >> SARAH, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE.
>> GOOD MORNING, I AM A SENIOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. WE ARE LOCATED IN THE SCREEN BRANCH AREA. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT OF RESPONSE AND RECOVERY. SPRING BRANCH WAS HIT PRETTY HARD. WE CREATED A COOLING SENTRY AT THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER AND WE GOT SUPPORT FROM THE LOCAL ORGANIZATION AND REPRESENTATIVE PENNY SHAW. THROUGH THIS, I JUST WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER. TO INCLUDE SPRING BRANCH , ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS IMPACTING US, THERE WERE SENIOR ASSISTED LIVING CENTERS THAT WERE ABANDONED DURING THIS DISASTER WHICH IS DEPLORABLE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE HOPING FOR IS THAT WHILE YOU TALK ABOUT POLICY AND COMPENSATING EMPLOYEES TO INCLUDE STAFF THAT WILL STAY THERE WITH THEM. ESPECIALLY IF THEY NEED OXYGEN IF THEY NEED EMERGENCY HELP. ESPECIALLY IF THEY NEED OXYGEN, AIR CONDITIONING, POWER, AND REALLY DEPEND ON EMERGENCY PLUGS. THE OTHER THING I WILL POINT OUT, AS WE TALK ABOUT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY OFFICE THAT WAS CREATED, TO TALK AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN THE LANGUAGE THAT PEOPLE ARE MOST HAPPY RECEIVING. I JUST WANTED TO COME AND SPEAK TO YOU TODAY
>> THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN. YESTERDAY, WHEN WE WERE MEETING WITH MAYOR WHITMIRE AND TALKING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS, SHE MADE A STRONG POINT ON THE LANDLORDS. I WILL ASK IF SHE WILL FOLLOW UP ON THAT REMARK, YOUR POINTS AND HERS, BRING TO MIND THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS NOT BEEN SPOKEN ABOUT VERY MUCH. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE TO ADDRESS IT AND NOT LET IT FALL
ON DEAF EARS. >> YES, WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH YOU. WE LOVE WORKING WITH YOU ALL. THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE KNOW HOW DEEPLY AFFECTED EAST SPRING BRANCH WAS AND WE STILL DO NOT HAVE POWER IN OUR RESPECTIVE CENTERS. WE PARTNER WITH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AND THEY DID NOT HAVE POWER BUT THEY DID HAVE A BETTER PARKING LOT SO WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. WE KNOW THERE ARE SO MANY APARTMENTS.
THERE WERE 900 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE WITHOUT POWER.
WE CAN GO THROUGH ALL THE NUMBERS, WE KNOW HOW UNDERSERVED IT IS. WE HAVE TRIPLED DOWN. WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER. I AM WORRIED ON MULTIPLE LEVELS. ONE OF THEM IS LANGUAGE ACCESS. WHEN WE WENT AND MET WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR,
[01:20:06]
THERE WERE ONLY TWO SPANISH SPEAKERS. CAN YOU BRING MORE REPRESENTATIVES THAT SPEAK MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. AND IN TERMS OF THE LANDLORDS WORKING WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BECAUSE THERE ARE LANDLORDS THAT HAVE ABANDONED THE PROPERTY. THAT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND ILLEGAL. WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER. NO ONE SHOULD BE PRAYING ON THE MOST VULNERABLE, EVER. ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE SUFFERING SO DEEPLY. LET US CONTINUE CONNECTING. WE ARE ALL IN, 1000% ON PARTNERING.>> THANK YOU FOR GIVING VOICE TO SPRING BRANCH. I LIVE IN SPRING BRANCH NOT FAR FROM WHERE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. I HAVE SPENT MANY DAYS THERE THE LAST WEEK. MANY OF US DID NOT GET POWER UNTIL YESTERDAY. WE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. PLEASE REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE. DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS? IT IS EASY TO GET A HOLD OF US THERE. WE WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE. I WOULD CONSIDER WHAT YOU BROUGHT UP TODAY IS THE FIRST CONVERSATION ON WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO IN SPRING BRANCH. LET'S CONTINUE
THAT CONVERSATION. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE WILL FOLLOW UP HERE. YOU REMIND ME OF SOME FOLKS THAT I VISITED YESTERDAY AND THEY ARE HELPING AND LOOK SO ENERGIZED. I KNOW IT IS HARD TO EXPERIENCE ALL OF THESE TRAGEDIES VICARIOUSLY. THANK YOU FOR BEING OUT THERE AND DOING THIS WITH POSITIVITY. WE WANT TO HELP AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
>> I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR MAKING REFERENCE TO THE INEQUALITY GAP. I SAW A STUDY THAT CAME OUT FROM RICE UNIVERSITY AND IT SAID BETWEEN 1999 AND 2013, NATURAL DISASTERS INCREASED INEQUALITY GAPS BY $87,000. IT REFERENCED THE LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION. WITH RESIDENTS IN HIGH INCOME AREAS RECEIVING $60,000 OF ASSISTANCE. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THOSE THINGS GOING FORWARD THAT DISASTERS LIKE THIS DO EXACERBATE THE INEQUALITY GAPS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. THANK YOU FOR MAKING REFERENCE TO THAT.
>> THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? I HAVE A MOTION FROM ENGINEERING AND ONE FROM CSD.
THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE AND INCREASE THE HAULING EFFORT FROM $5 MILLION INCREASED BY $23 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $28 MILLION. AND INCREASE IN THE MONITORING EFFORT. INCREASED BY $4 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $7 MILLION.
>> I HAVE A QUESTION. >> YES, COMMISSIONER GARCIA.
>> WE HAD AN ITEM THAT I RAISE THAT I THINK WAS AT THE LAST COURT. THAT THEY HAD CUT THE MWB GOAL FROM 20% TO 10%, I THINK IT WAS. WE LEFT IT AT 8%. HAVE WE DONE ANY WORK TO REINSTATE THAT GOAL? BECAUSE THAT WAS MY CONCERN. THE CONTRACT HAD NOT BEEN ACTIVATED. THANKFULLY WE DID NOT HAVE ANY EVENTS AT THAT TIME. WOULD THAT GOAL STILL HAVE STOOD? HAD THEY NOT MAKE THE CHANGE ON IT?
>> COMMISSIONER, GOOD MORNING. I AM A COUNTY ENGINEER. FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, THE GOAL IS A STEADY CONTRACT GOAL WHICH IS 9%. THEY GO ABOVE AND BEYOND. AGAIN, FROM THE ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE WE HAVE A COUNTY CONTRACT.
>> CAN WE REINSTATE THAT 20%? >> COMMISSIONER, I HATE TO DEFER TO THE EEO , THEY WILL HAVE TO INCREASE IT BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF TRUCKERS. THEY ARE SUBCONTRACTED. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT. WE JUST RENEWED AT 9%. IF THEY WANT TO RAISE IT, THEN WE CAN LOOK AT IT. THE 9% PROVIDED BY THE D.O.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? >> SHE MAY NOT HAVE POWER
[01:25:03]
EITHER. >> DO WE KNOW SHE IS ON THE
LINE? >> WELL WE FIND HER, LET ME ASK YOU. DO WE HAVE ONE CONTRACTOR CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN THE DEGREE RECOVERY? ONE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE?
>> THAT IS RIGHT, COMMISSIONER. THE CONTRACTOR IS DEPLOYED.
>> DO WE NEED ADDITIONAL HELP? CAN WE ENGAGE ANOTHER
CONTRACTOR IN THIS? >> COMMISSIONER, THERE ARE SUDDEN RISKS IN ENGAGING THE SECONDARY CONTRACTOR. THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS AT THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. CURRENTLY, WHAT WE SEE ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW, THE PRIMARY VENDOR IS TELLING US THAT THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT CONTRACT. I WILL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RISK OF REIMBURSEMENT.
>> THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO COUCH THE IDEA OF CAPACITY VERSUS CAPACITY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. WE DO NOT WANT ALL OF THIS DEBRIS HANGING OUT IN NEIGHBORHOODS FOR 3-6 MONTHS. PEOPLE ARE ALREADY COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DEBRIS OUT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. I AM GRATEFUL TO THE RECOVERY BEING DONE AND THE REMOVAL BEING DONE AT THIS POINT. I AM GETTING PRESSURE FROM MY CITY NEIGHBORHOODS AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE. MAYBE WE CAN PARCELING OUT TO WORK IN SOME KIND OF STRATEGIC WAY WHERE THERE IS NO RISK OF HAVING THE DOUBLE BILLING LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE CONTROL THAT. I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF SOMETHING THAT IS FAST AND IMMEDIATE VERSUS HAVING CAPACITY. WE NEED TO GET THIS DONE QUICKLY. WE ARE ON NINE
VERSUS 20%. >> YES, COMMISSIONER, APOLOGIES, REMIND ME WHICH CONTRACT THIS WAS.
>> THE DEBRIS REMOVAL. >> THAT WENT TO COURT LAST COURT SESSION WITH A REVISED GOAL OF 9%.
>> CAN WE REINSTATE THE 20%? >> I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO OUR DIRECTOR. WE REDID THE UTILIZATION PLAN. I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE ANY ISSUES WITH HAVING TO PUT IT OUT AGAIN BECAUSE SOME OF THE VENDORS MIGHT SAY IF THEY SAW THE ORIGINAL GOAL THEY WOULD'VE BID OR BEEN ABLE TO BID.
>> WE CAN'T. JAY OR DWIGHT, GUIDE ME ON THIS, CAN WE NOT PUT THE 20% BACK IN PLACE BASED ON WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY ON THE
CONTRACT? >> COMMISSIONER, FROM OUR STANDPOINT, THIS IS A BID THAT WE DID THAT WAS 20% FOR THE CONTRACTORS. BASED ON THE PREVIOUS DIRECTOR AND RESET THAT GOAL. IT WAS RE-EVALUATED. THAT IS WHEN IT WAS RE-EVALUATED AT 10%. AS FAR AS REBIDDING, I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY CAN DO THAT. YOU WILL HAVE TO REFER TO DEO WITH THE AVAILABILITY THAT I SPOKE TO EARLIER. THE ORIGINAL BID WAS 20%. IF JAKE AND SAY, HEY, THE AVAILABILITY IS THERE, WE CAN
ADD THAT BACK. >> WE CAN ASK THEM TO PUT IT
BACK IN. >> I JUST WANT TO ADD , FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION. FOR THAT ONE, WE HAD CHALLENGES MEETING THE 20% GOAL. WE GOT BROUGHT INTO LOOK AT IT AGAIN.
NONE OF THE VENDORS WERE ABLE TO MEET THAT. THAT BECAME AN ISSUE. WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT IT, WE SAW IN THE ORIGINAL ASSESSMENT OF THE 20%, IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS HIGH. THERE WAS ADDITIONAL WORK THAT WAS LOOKED AT. THE TEAM DID DO A REVIEW AGAIN. THEY HAVE A METHODOLOGY, THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT AVAILABILITY OF THERE ARE THREE VENDORS WILLING TO DO THE WORK. THERE IS ACTUALLY A FORMULA THAT THEY USE. THAT IS HOW THEY ASSESS. WHEN THEY DID THE A REASSESSMENT, THEY GOT TO THE 9%. THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE NOT HAPPY TO LOOK AT IT
[01:30:01]
AGAIN AND SHARE METHODOLOGY TO SEE IF WE ARE MISSING ANYTHING.WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT. I WANT TO SHARE MORE ABOUT HOW
THE PROCESS WORKS. >> I WOULD ASK THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS IMMEDIATELY. I WOULD LIKE A SIX-MONTH STUDY ON THIS, OF COURSE. IF WE SET THE 20% GOAL AND THE CONTRACT FOR THE MOST PART WAS NOT ACTIVATED, THAT IS WHERE SOME OF THE CONCERN CAME IN TRYING TO DO THE 20% WHEN IT WAS ACTIVATED. IT WILL CAUSE A TIMELINE ISSUE. NOW THAT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF WORK IN FRONT OF US. I JUST FEEL VERY FRUSTRATED THAT WE CANNOT USE THE ORIGINAL GOAL THAT WAS ESTABLISHED BY YOUR OFFICE. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE EFFORT MADE TO
REINSTATE THAT 20%. >> I SHARE THAT CONCERN AND COMMITMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. I WANT TO RETURN TO THE OTHER POINT BECAUSE THIS IS WEIGHING HEAVILY ON ME. SEEING THESE TIME FRAMES. I KNOW THAT MY TEAM HAS BEEN IN ACTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH YOU. I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSIVENESS. IT IS WEIGHING ON ME IN TERMS OF SEEING 60-90 DAYS FOR COMPLETION, NUMBER TWO, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS ENOUGH DEBRIS TO FILL NRG. WE KNOW WE ARE ABOUT TO START HURRICANE SEASON AND WE ARE FALLING OFF TWO STORMS. AND WE ARE HEADING INTO HURRICANE SEASON. I KNOW ON MAY 7TH WE PASSED THE CONTRACT. THE 5 MILLION DEBRIS HAULING AND IT IS THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY FRAMEWORK THAT WE DISCUSSED.
THAT BEING SAID, MY QUESTION, THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL REPORTING AND TRACKING TO MAKE SURE WE ARE GETTING EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR AND REIMBURSEMENT. THIS IS WHAT THESE CONTRACTORS DO. MY STRONG PREFERENCE WOULD BE TO ACTIVATE ON PARALLEL TRACKS, THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY DRC SO THAT THEY CAN BE USING IT PARALLEL TO GET THIS WORK DONE SOONER. WE ARE GETTING NUMEROUS CALLS. BRIDGE CREWS ARE HELPING AS MUCH AS THEY CAN. WE NEED TO TRIPLE DOWN. I AM ALSO WORRIED BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS SLIGHTLY LESS DEBRIS AND THEY HAVE ALREADY ACTIVATED THREE CONTRACTORS TO WORK IN PARALLEL. THEY HAPPEN TO BE THOSE WHICH ARE THE SAME ONES THROUGH THE BIDDING PROCESS THROUGH PROCUREMENT PROCESS THROUGH THE LOW BID. GIVEN THE CAPACITY RESTRAINTS THAT MIGHT EXIST GIVEN THE VOLUME OF DEBRIS, NUMBER ONE.
THE EXACERBATED NEED-BASED ON HURRICANE SEASON COMING UP. WE HAVE APPROVED A CONTRACT THAT IS READY TO GO, PLUS THESE VENDORS ARE ALREADY THE SAME ONES WORKING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. MY WORRY IS THE CAPACITY CHALLENGE. THE TIMING CHALLENGE AND ALL I CARE ABOUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IS MAKING SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED ME TO SERVE THEM HAVE THE DEBRIS REMOVED IN A TIMELY FASHION AND THAT WE GET REIMBURSED EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR. IT WILL REDUCE OPERATIONAL WORK. EACH OF THOSE COMPANIES, THAT IS PART OF WHAT THEY ARE HERE TO DO. I WANT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD NOT WANT TO ACTIVATE TO GET THE PEOPLE'S WORK DONE SOONER WHEN THE CONTRACT HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED AT PAST COURTS.
>> COMMISSIONER BREANNA, I WILL START WITH THE FIRST CONVERSATION WE HAD ABOUT BEING ABLE TO DO 9% VERSUS 20%. WE HAD THE INFORMAL CONVERSATION WITH A DIFFICULT VENDOR AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY CAN HIT THE 20%. EVEN THOUGH WE DO NOT
HAVE A CONTRACT OBLIGATION. >> THEY TOLD ME THAT YESTERDAY WHEN I VISITED THE CERTIFICATION SITE. I WISH IT
WAS CONTRACTUAL. NEXT QUESTION? >> I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION FROM THE COURT. ESTIMATING 1.14 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF DEBRIS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OUT AFTER THIS EVENT JUST TO BENCHMARK SOME OF THE PAST EVENTS. WE PICKED UP 1.2 MILLION CUBIC YARDS. JUST FOR
[01:35:01]
THAT VOLUME INFORMATION. I WANT TO GO BACK AND DISCUSS ABOUT THE CONTRACT AND THE EXPECTATIONS. THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE, COMMISSIONER. IS IF WE EXCEED ANY TIME OVER 500,000 CUBIC YARDS. THE VENDOR HAS TO PICK UP THE DEBRIS WITHIN 90 DAYS. THE FIRST PASS WILL HAVE TO BE DONE WITHIN 40 DAYS. SO SINCE WE HAVE MORE THAN 500,000 CUBIC YARDS, THEY HAVE 40 DAYS TO MAKE ONE PASS IN EVERY HARRIS COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD.THEY DO HAVE AN INCENTIVE CLAUSE IN THEIR FOR EVERY DAY.
IF THEY DO IT EVERY DAY THEY GET A $10,000 INCENTIVE. THEY CLEAR IT IN 30 DAYS, WE HAVE TO PAY THEM $100,000. THAT IS EXPECTATION WISE WHAT WE HAVE CONTRACTUALLY. THE VENDOR AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE 24 TRUCKS THAT WE HAVE PICKED UP ALL AROUND THE COUNTY. WE HAVE NOT GUARANTEED HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN THERE. I DO HEAR YOUR CONCERN. EVEN DURING THE HIGHLY ACTIVE SEASON, OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS OR FOUR WEEKS, SOME OF THAT DEBRIS WILL BE PILED UP AND WE WILL GO BACK TO THE STREETS. THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT IS WORKING WITH THE PRECINCT TO PRIORITIZE THE HIGH-VOLUME AREA FIRST. WE WILL DO ANYTHING THAT THE COURT DIRECTS US IF WE HAVE TO MOBILIZE A SECONDARY VENDOR, WE HAVE NO PROBLEM MOBILIZING THEM. WE HAVE A LOGISTICAL ISSUE WHICH WE WILL BE HAPPY TO FIGURE IT OUT. I DO HEAR YOUR CONCERN. I WANTED TO SHARE THE GENERAL INFORMATION WITH THE COURT.
>> HELP ME TO BETTER UNDERSTAND. MY TEAMS SEND ME THE INFORMATION. DRC IS PRIMARY. AND THAT IS THE CONSULTANT THAT DOES THE MONITORING. JUST FOR FACTUAL MONITORING, THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO SAY. GOING BACK TO THAT, CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE PROS AND CONS OF ACTIVATING THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY IN PARALLEL SO THAT WE CAN GET THE WORK DONE MORE QUICKLY FOR THE PEOPLE WE ARE SERVING? WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS AS YOU SEE THEM?
>> COMMISSIONER, THE PROS I WOULD SAY, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PICK UP QUICKER THEN DEPLOYING ANOTHER VENDOR. HOW QUICK, WE DON'T KNOW. A LOT OF THE TRACKS ARE SHARED. THEY ARE COMING IN. WE CAN EXPECT IF WE HAVE TWO VENDORS, WE CAN CORRECT IT QUICKER. THE CONS, I SEE COMMISSIONERS, THE QUESTION IS ARE CONTRACT, DO WE HAVE A GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL GET REIMBURSEMENT FROM FEMA? THAT IS A QUESTION THAT I WOULD NEED HELP TO ANSWER. WE ARE HAPPY TO DEPLOY THE SECONDARY VENDOR IF
NEEDED. >> COMMISSIONER, I CAN ADDRESS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE ACTUAL CONTRACTS WITH YOUR TEAM AND OTHERS. THE WAY THAT IT WAS BID BASED ON FEMA GUIDELINES, WE AWARDED IT. WE COULD'VE CALLED A BID ONE, BID TWO, BID THREE.
YOU MUST AWARD TO THE LOWER BIDDER. THAT IS DRC. WE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL BIDDERS TO BE LINED UP, LIKE THE COMMISSIONER SAID, COMMISSIONERS FOR THE TIME THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THE WORK DONE SO WE WOULD HAVE OTHER BIDDERS LINED UP. THE WAY THAT I HAVE READ IN THAT I ASKED THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK IS THAT DRC IS A LOW VENDOR. IF WE ACTIVATE WE WILL BE PAYING THEM A HIGHER FEE AND A LOWER BIDDER. I DON'T KNOW IF FEMA WILL REIMBURSE YOU IF WE DON'T HAVE PROOF TO SHOW THAT THEY CAN MEET THE TIMELINES THAT WE WANTED. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE ASKED TO BILL BY CASE.
>> THAT MAKE SENSE. >> PARDON ME. THANK YOU FOR
[01:40:01]
THAT EXPLANATION. WHAT ARE THE TOUCH POINTS FOR THE TIMELINE AND THE MILESTONE METRICS OF PICKUP THAT WE WILL THENPOTENTIALLY BE ABLE TO TRIGGER? >> I THINK THAT IS OUR CONCERN.
THE CONCERN IS FEMA WILL NOT GIVE US A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT CUTOFF POINT WILL BE IN THE CAPACITY ISSUE. THAT IS A RISK ON OUR PART. OKAY, WE HAVE 1 MILLION CUBIC YARDS WE WANT DONE IN FOUR WEEKS AND THEY MIGHT SAY IT IS NOT A REASONABLE REQUEST. THE MAYOR MAY NOT APPROVE IT. I CANNOT GIVE THAT ANSWER BECAUSE I CAN NEVER GET AN ANSWER FROM FEMA ABOUT HOW WE CAN CUT THOSE TIME FRAMES OFF. THE DIFFERENCE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE COST WOULD BE AT RISK IF WE ACTIVATE MULTIPLE ONES AT THIS TIME. JUST FOR RECORD, I DID SPEAK TO THE COURT AND THEY HAVE ACTIVATED TWO CONTRACTORS. AGAIN, THEY PICK THEM ON THE CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. THAT IS SOMETHING. I COULD NOT GET SOMETHING IN WRITING FROM THEM WITH THE
JUSTIFICATION AS WELL. >> THANK YOU. I KNOW THEY ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO PICK UP THE DEBRIS. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE ON THE JOB WORKING HARD. AND I WOULD PLEASE ASK, WE DO NOT WANT TO TAKE ANY RISK. REIMBURSEMENT IS PARAMOUNT. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE DOING THINGS EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY AND NOT LEAVING ANYTHING ON THE TABLE WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES. IF WE CAN STAY ATTUNED INTO THE PROGRESS AND TIMELINE SO THAT WE ARE MAKING SURE WE ARE GETTING EVERYTHING DONE FOR THE PEOPLE BEFORE THE NEXT STORM HITS.
>> I'M CURIOUS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT RATES DID THE CITY GET? IT IS PUBLIC BY NOW. THEY HAVE THE SAME TWO VENDORS THAT WE HAVE.
THE RATES ARE $8.24. ARE THEY THE SAME?
>> I DON'T KNOW, I CAN GET THOSE ANSWERS FOR YOU. THE CONCERN I WOULD BRING UP, IF YOU ARE PAYING A MUCH LOWER RATE THEY MIGHT BE INCLINED TO DO MORE WORK FOR THE CITY. I DO
NOT KNOW HOW THAT WORKS. >> THE CONTRACT IF WE PICKED TWO AND FEMA REQUIRES YOU TO GO TO THE LOWEST BIDDER, THE CONTRACT WOULD NOT LET US PAY THEM THE SAME AMOUNT? WHY WOULD
YOU PICK THE LOWEST BIDDER? >> YES, COMMISSIONER, FROM THE BIDDING PROCESS, J CAN SUPPORT ME ON THIS OR NOT. I CANNOT GO BACK AND NEGOTIATED AT THIS POINT, THE RATES. THOSE ARE THE RATES THAT WE LOCK IN. WE CAN NEGOTIATE THAT AHEAD OF TIME TO SEE IF FEMA WILL LET US NEGOTIATE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR
MULTIPLE VENDORS. >> HOW LONG IS THE CONTRACT?
>> IT IS A YEAR-BY-YEAR CONTRACT.
>> JUST A SUGGESTION. IF I WAS RUNNING A COMPANY AND I HAVE THE LOWEST BID AND THEN YOU BROUGHT IN SOMEBODY ELSE AND YOU ARE GOING TO PAY THEM MORE, AND YOU PUBLICLY TRADED, THEN YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO IT. HOW WILL IT WORK WITH THE TARGETS THAT THEY PUT IN DURING PICKUP? DO YOU HAVE A ROUGH IDEA, IF WE DID NOT GET REIMBURSED?
>> I THINK I GOT A NUMBER EARLIER THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN COST. WITH THE DRC, IT WOULD BE 4.1 MILLION AND 500 CUBIC YARDS ARE 5.9 MILLION.
>> JUST THINK ABOUT IT. A PRACTICE TO CONSIDER WOULD BE IF AT SOME POINT YOU BROUGHT THE OTHER ONE IN, YOU ALREADY HAVE THEM SAYING THAT THEY WILL LET YOU WIN AT THE RATE FOR THE LOWEST BID. THEN WE PUT OURSELVES IN POSITION TO GO UP AND IF I WAS THE PERSON, I WOULD SAY, ON THE ISSUE, I KNOW WE ALL COMMITTED TO IT. THERE IS A LOT OF LITIGATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A LOT OF IT COMING FROM FOLKS FROM HOUSTON WHO NATIONALLY ADORE IT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO THE DIRECTOR, MAKE SURE, AND THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR WHO USED TO BE IN THIS SPACE, YOU KNOW THE ENVIRONMENT. MAKE SURE IF YOU CHANGE IT, THAT YOU CAN BACK IT UP. THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING TO FILE A LAWSUIT. THEY CALL ALL OF US WHO WANT TO GET IN. YOU HAVE TO HAVE EMPIRICAL DATA. IT IS NOT A FRIENDLY
[01:45:04]
ENVIRONMENT IF WE END UP IN COURT.>> I RECOMMEND THAT WE NOT SET ASIDE.
>> IF WE DO, MAKE SURE SO THAT WE CAN DOCUMENT HOW WE DID IT.
>> NONE OF US WANT TO BLOW UP THE WHOLE THING. SINCE WE WOULD'VE LAST URBAN COUNTY TO SET UP A PROGRAM, I WOULD HATE FOR US TO BE THE LAST TO GET IN AND THE FIRST TO GET KICKED
OUT. I WANT TO BE SENSITIVE. >> COMMISSIONER RAMSEY.
>> CLEARLY, THIS IS COMPLICATED. I AM TALKING TO CONSTITUENTS EVERY DAY. THEIR CONCERN IS THAT THEY HAVE DEBRIS PILED UP HIGHER IN THE CEILING THAT IS SITTING IN THEIR FRONT YARD. THE NUMBER REFERENCED EARLIER, I WILL REPEAT THAT NUMBER. LIKELY IT WILL BE ENOUGH DEBRIS TO FILL NRG SO WE HAVE A BIG ISSUE ON THE TABLE. WITH A VERY COMPLICATED PROCESS OF REMOVING THE DEBRIS. AND AT THE SAME TIME, BEING SURE THAT WE GET REIMBURSED BY FEMA ARE BOTH EQUALLY IMPORTANT. WE DO NOT WANT TO PUT THE COUNTY'S ASSETS AND RESOURCES AT RISK SINCE HURRICANE SEASON DOES NOT START UNTIL JUNE 1ST, WE HAVE A MONTH JUMP ON IT, UNFORTUNATELY. WHEN I LOOK AT THE TWO CONTRACTS, I KNOW THAT DRC IS ORGANIZED, I'VE BEEN TO THE SITE AND I SEE WHAT IS GOING ON THERE.
WHEN YOU SAY THAT THERE ARE SIX NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE ARE WORKING IN IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA, HOW WE WILL WORK TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I HAVE A MOTION RELATED TO THAT IN A MINUTE. I WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF THE PAPERWORK.
AND THAT WE GET THE ASSETS REMOVING THE DEBRIS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. BECAUSE I'M GETTING TEXT RIGHT NOW FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, IF YOU HAVE DEBRIS PILED UP IN YOUR FRONT YARD THE HEIGHT OF THE CEILING, YOU DO NOT EXPECTED TO BE THERE FOR 60 DAYS. THAT IS NOT IN EXPECTATION THAT ANY OF US. WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT, I WOULD EXPECT OUR PROFESSIONALS, DWIGHT, MILTON, ALL OF OUR TEAM, MARK, THE ENTIRE TEAM, TO LOOK AT WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND MAXIMIZE THAT WITH CONTEXT OF WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND BRING ON AN ADDITIONAL CONTRACTOR WHICH HELPS US TO BE SURE THAT WE GET THAT DEBRIS LOCATED. ONCE YOU GET THE DEBRIS IN A TRUCK, YOU HAVE TO GET IT SOMEPLACE.
FINDING SOMEPLACE DO DEPOSIT DEBRIS TEMPORARILY IS COMPLICATED. THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT IT TAKES TO REMOVE DEBRIS DEPENDS ON HOW LONG IT TAKES YOU TO GO FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE AREA. A VERY LARGE DEBRIS TRUCK WENT DOWN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA. ONE AREA. IT WENT DOWN ONE STREET AND ONE AREA. THAT TRUCK WAS FILLED UP IN HALF A BLOCK. HALF A BLOCK. FOLKS, WE HAVE A BIG ISSUE ON THE TABLE. WE NEED TO BE REAL SMART. I DEPEND GREATLY ON OUR EXPERTS TO TELL US THE RIGHT THING TO DO. NO ONE IS SITTING HERE EXPECTING THAT WE WILL TAKE 90 DAYS TO HAVE DEBRIS SITTING IN SOMEBODY'S YARN. I NEED A PLAN. IF WE BRING SOMEBODY ON BOARD TO HELP US BE SURE. MAYBE YOU ARE SITTING OVER HERE IN THE BULLPEN, YOU ARE A CONTRACTOR, YOU ARE ON CALL. WE WILL CALL YOU WHEN WE GET OUR PLAN TOGETHER IN TERMS OF WHAT WE DO. I NEED SOMEBODY TO DEAL WITH THAT. I KNOW THAT IS IN THE CONTRACT. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US. THAT IS CONTRACTUAL. I DO TRY TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS OF OUR CONSTITUENTS. I TRY AND TELL THEM THAT WE HAD A STORM LAST THURSDAY NIGHT AND IT HAD NOT EVEN BEEN A WEEK AND THEY
[01:50:03]
ALREADY HAVE DEBRIS PILED UP AND THERE IS DEBRIS BEING REMOVED FROM SOME AREAS. I THINK THE RESPONSE AT THIS POINT HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY. GOOD JOB BY EVERYBODY IN TERMS OF MAKING THAT HAPPEN. WE HAVE TO GO FORWARD. CITIZENS WANT TO KNOW, IN TWO WEEKS WHEN THAT IS SITTING IN PEOPLES FRONT YARDS, I WILL BE TAKING A LOTTO PHONE CALLS, JUSTIFIABLY SO FROM PEOPLE THAT NEED RESPONSE. I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE ACTIVATION OF THAT CONTRACT. WE NEED TO DO THAT TODAY. IF IT IS A BACKUP THEN THAT IS FINE. WE DO NOT MEET EVERY DAY, IF WE NEED TO MAKE A DECISION TODAY, LET'S MAKE A DECISION. THE OTHER ITEM THAT I WILL MAKE A MOTION ON RELATES TO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.>> CAN WE FINISH THIS ONE FIRST?
>> YES, THANK YOU. WE KNOW THIS IS A CONTRACT NOW THAT WE ARE IN THE FOUR CORNERS OF, WE WILL COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS. AND HOW CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS. IT IS NOT SITTING WELL. IF THE CITY OF HOUSTON ESTIMATES 1 MILLION CUBIC YARDS. THEY HAVE FOUR QUALIFIED VENDORS. THEY HAVE ACTIVATED TWO ALREADY TO DO THE WORK. THEY HAVE MORE FORCES. IT IS THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONTRACT. MAYBE THAT IS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY WHEN THIS GETS REBATED AND HOW WE WILL STRUCTURE A. WE LIKE TO BE NIMBLE BECAUSE WE ARE GETTING HUNDREDS OF CALLS AROUND THE CLOCK. IT IS HARD TO TELL PEOPLE. I WOULD RATHER SAY THAT HERE WE GO, WE ARE MOVING FULL FORCE WITHIN THE CORNERS OF COMPLIANCE RULES AND REGULATIONS. MAYBE WE ARE BOXED IN. WE SHOULD USE IT AS A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY. I WAS SEEING THAT THIS IS A COMPARABLE AMOUNT TO MATT HARVEY. THAT IS STAGGERING. THERE IS GOING TO BE MORE. I WORRY. IT IS THE SAME PLAYERS ON THE COUNTY SIDE AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IF I WAS RUNNING A BUSINESS, I KNOW THE WORK I WOULD PRIORITIZE. THE ABOUT WHAT THE CAPACITY IS. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED YESTERDAY. I RECOGNIZE CAPACITY IS CAPACITY.
WHO'S RUNNING POINT IS IT? IS A YOU AND YOUR TEAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MR. SLOAN EACH DAY. THEY WILL DEPLOY THE TRUCKS EACH DAY BASED ON THE UPDATED DATA? CURRENTLY THE FOUR TRUCKS WERE DIVIDED EVENLY. WE KNOW THAT DEBRIS IS NOT DIVIDED EVENLY. WHO IS COORDINATING THE ONGOING
MANAGEMENT? >> OUR OFFICE IS DEALING WITH THE ONGOING MANAGEMENT OF DEBRIS. THE REASON IS THAT WE ONLY HAVE FOUR TRUCKS. WE DO HAVE 24 TRUCKS. DIVIDED BY THE VOLUME THAT WE HAVE. IT WILL NOT BE DIVIDED BY FOUR.
>> PERFECT. >> TRULY WE ARE GETTING CALLS 24 HOURS A DAY. I WANT TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE UPDATING CONSTITUENTS ACCORDINGLY.
>> I DO WANT TO GET A WORD IN EDGE WISE HERE. WE DO HAVE ANOTHER MOTION FROM CSD THAT COMMISSIONER RAMSEY WANTS TO MAKE. I WANT TO MAKE MY COLLEAGUES AWARE OF THAT. WE ARE STILL ON THE ENGINEERING MOTION.
>> I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS A FAIR QUESTION FOR YOU. HOWEVER IT IS FOR, PLEASE SPEAK UP. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE CAPACITY OF DEBRIS REMOVAL. DOES OUR INTEREST TO GET THAT DONE, DOES THAT CREATE AN ISSUE ON THE MONITORING SIDE? DO WE NEED MORE CAPACITY ON THE MONITORING SIDE?
>> COMMISSIONER, IF WE ARE TO DEPLOY ANOTHER VENDOR TO MAKE
[01:55:07]
THIS OPERATION FASTER, WHICH WE CAN EXPECT. WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE MORE ON THE MONITORING SIDE. THAT IS THE VOLUME THAT IT GOES IN. BUT WE ARE ALREADY LOOKING INTO THE ADDITIONAL SITES WHERE WE CAN OPEN IT. WE HAVE FOUR ACTIVE SIDES. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IF WE DEPLOY AN ADDITIONAL VENDOR WE WILL LOGISTICALLY WANT TO OPEN UP TO THE DMS SIDE.>> YOU WILL, AS YOU WORK ON THIS, MAKE IT A TOTAL PACKAGE?
>> YES. >> COMMISSIONER ALICE?
>> IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHAT THE RATES ARE THAT THE CITY IS PAYING BECAUSE IT IS PUBLIC. TO EVEN KNOW WHAT THE RATES ARE. YOU CANNOT RENEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT. IT IS WHAT IT IS. IF WE BRING IN IF WE HAVE ANY LIABILITY. IF YOU CAN GO IN AND ASK ALL OF THE VENDORS ON THE SAME TERMS. I DON'T KNOW WHY ONE WOULD COME IN IF YOU HAVE THAT RATE. YOU WOULD GO TO WHEREVER YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE THE MOST MONEY.
THERE IS NOT ANOTHER EVENT IN THE REGION AND COUNTRY RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE PULLING IN TRUCKS OF FOLKS TO DO THIS, NOT JUST LOCALLY BUT FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE. THEY COME IN. IS THAT
HOW IT WORKS? >> COMMISSIONER, OUR CONTRACT WITH OUR DEBRIS VENDOR, THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH US BEFORE
THEY GO ANYWHERE. >> THEY ARE LOCKED IN EVEN AT A
>> THANK YOU, EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS, THE MOTION WAS TO APPROVE THE HAULING EFFORT BY $5 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF 28 MILLION. AND AN INCREASE IN THE MONITORING EFFORT, $3 MILLION INCREASED BY $4 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $7 MILLION. IS THERE A
MOTION? >> MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. THIS MOTION, IF YOU WILL ALLOW ME, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, THIS WILL ALLOW HARRIS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT TO PREPARE WITH CAO AND EXECUTE DATASHARING WITH FEMA, SBA AND APPROVED THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTORS TO SUBSTANTIATE THE NEED FOR FEDERAL AID. ESPECIALLY SUPPORT OF THE LOW TO MODERATE INCOME RESIDENTS. THIS COULD INCLUDE INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS REGISTERING AND ASSISTING DATA IN AREAS IDENTIFIED BY THE COUNTY AS MOST IMPACTED AS A RESULT OF THE MAJOR DISASTERS. THE DATA WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO AUTHORIZED USERS OF HARRIS COUNTY AND THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTORS FOR SECURE AND ENCRYPTED NEEDS. DRIVE A MOTION? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS UNANIMOUS,
>> I HAVE A NOTE, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY HAS ITEMS AS WELL OR
POSSIBLY THE SAME ONE. >> CHAPTER 18? YES.
>> WHAT WE DISCOVERED IS INTERESTINGLY THAT AS WE TRIED TO PARTNER AND DO THINGS IN RESPONSE TO ISSUES IN SPRING BRANCH AS A GOOD EXAMPLE, WE COULD NOT DO THAT BECAUSE THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY DO NOT HAVE A LOCAL AGREEMENT. 33 CITIES IN HARRIS COUNTY. WE HAVE LOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH THEM, WE DO NOT HAVE ONE WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. MY MOVE IS TO AUTHORIZE THE COUNTY JUDGE TO AUTHORIZE THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE, POLICE PROTECTION SERVICES, PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE SERVICES AND OTHER
[02:00:01]
FUNCTIONS AS AUTHORIZED BY THE COUNTY JUDGE OR OTHER DESIGNATED HARRIS COUNTY OFFICIALS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER 418 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.>> MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA. I'M A QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY OR IN TERMS OF CHAPTER 418. FOR THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. DURING AN EMERGENCY WHAT WERE WE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT WE ARE NOW ABLE TO DO. THIS HAS BEEN NECESSARY FOR A LONG TIME, I WANT TO BE AWARE OF IT.
>> FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT IS SPECIFIC, WHEN WE TRY AND HELP IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA AND WE SHARE THAT THE SPRING BRANCH AREA IN PARTICULARLY, REFERENCED BY THE SPEAKER EARLIER, WHEN WE TRY AND GO IN THERE AND HELP, I CANNOT PICK UP DEBRIS WITH COUNTY TRUCKS ON THAT P HAS IT IS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOCAL AGREEMENT. I AM RISKING BEING ABLE TO BE REIMBURSED BY FEMA.
IT IS A VERY APPROPRIATE AND NECESSARY WAY WHERE WE CAN GO IN AND PROVIDE DIRECT ASSISTANCE AND BE IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE COMMON PARTS OF A IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN THE COUNTY. I AM SHOCKED, FRANKLY, THAT WE HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL OF THESE DISASTERS AND THERE IS NO LOCAL AGREEMENT. I WILL GET INTO THAT.
>> THAT IS HELPFUL. WHAT I AM PUZZLED BY, IS THE WAY THAT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WORKS IS IF YOU NEED HELP WITH SOMEONE IN THE PAST, I AM REMEMBERING THE CITY LET US USE SOME SORT OF TRUCK THAT DID THE AIR MONITORING. THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO DO. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND FROM MARK ON THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, WHAT CAN WE DO NOW THAT WE COULDN'T, WHY IS IT THAT COMMISSIONER RAMSEY COULD NOT GO IN THERE WITH A COUNTY TRUCK IF THE CITIES AIR MONITORING TRUCK AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS, WE HAVE USED IN THE PAST. IF INDEED THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT, WHY WAS THERE
NOT ONE BEFORE? >> THIS IS MARK. CAN YOU HEAR
ME? >> YOU ARE A LITTLE BIT FAINT, IF YOU CAN GET CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE, THAT WOULD BE
>> THAT'S GOOD. >> I'M THE COORDINATOR FOR HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THE TOPIC OF THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING DISCUSSION FOR MULTIPLE YEARS AND THEY HAVE NOT EXECUTED THE AGREEMENT THAT WE PUT ON THE TABLE. I ASKED THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND SCOTT PETTY TO REDRAFT THAT WITH A NEW ADMINISTRATION. WE WILL PURSUE EXECUTING THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UNDER THE JURISDICTION, WE CAN REQUEST THROUGH THE STATE OF TEST DAYS WITH ASSISTANCE INTO THE JURISDICTION FROM A JOINING JURISDICTION AS NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS. THAT COMES FROM THE ASSISTANCE.
WE HAVE EXECUTED THE MUTUAL AID REQUESTS ALREADY TO ENGINEERING TO HAVE SUPPORT AND DEGREE MANAGEMENT. I HAVE ASKED OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON IF THEY NEED OUR ASSISTANCE TO HELP WITH THE DEBRIS HELP UP WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I AM AWAITING A RESPONSE FROM THE CITY ON THAT REQUEST TO GIVE IT TO US IN WRITING TO PUT A STAR REQUEST IN. IF THEY DO ASK FOR THAT, THE FIRST 12 HOURS IS ON US. WE OBSERVED THAT COST AT 100%. WE WILL INVOICE THE JURISDICTION FOR OUR SERVICES. AND THEY WILL PAY US. WORKING WITH AUSTIN APPLETON IN ENGINEERING, WE ARE
[02:05:03]
DOING OUR BEST TO HELP FACILITATE THAT. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY ANSWERS BACK YET FROM THE CITY.>> I KNOW THAT WE DO STAR REQUEST IN THE JURISDICTION. I HAVE HAD SO MANY DISASTERS THEY ARE GOING TOGETHER. BEFORE WE SIGN THIS MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT, YOU ALREADY WERE WORKING ON THE STAR PROCESS, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THIS MAKE? COULD THEY HAVE SENT THEIR TRUCKS. YES OR NO? AND THEN WHAT ADDITIONAL WORK
WILL THIS ALLOW US TO DO? >> IF WE HAVE A MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT, THAT IS NOT NECESSARY, THEY CAN ASK US FOR MUTUAL AID. THIS IS NEEDED TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE WITHIN THEIR
JURISDICTION. >> WHAT IS USUALLY THE
TURNAROUND? >> IF THEY ASK FOR OUR ASSISTANCE, ONCE THEY SUBMIT THAT, THE STATE WILL NOTIFY US TO PROCEED WITH EXECUTING DEBRIS PICK UP WITH THE
COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE. >> ANYTHING ELSE, COUNTY
ATTORNEYS? >> A COUPLE OF THINGS, THE AGREEMENT MAKES THE PROCESS FASTER. THAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE. THAT EXPEDITES THE REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS. WE HAVE MUTUAL ASSISTANCE AGREEMENTS, WITH EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE CITY. WHEN HE WAS MAYOR OF SPRING VALLEY, HE WAS WITH THE COUNTY. FOR WHATEVER REASON, WE HAVE NEVER HAD ONE WITH THE CITY. THERE ARE SOME ISSUES IN THE PAST. IT IS A GOOD THING TO HAVE. OUR OFFICE HAS HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH CITY LEGAL AND THEY ARE VERY MUCH ON BOARD. WE HAVE DRAFTED A PRELIMINARY AGREEMENT THAT WE ARE SENDING OUT THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS WILL GIVE US THE OPTION WITHOUT REQUESTING ANY OTHER
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS. >> THIS IS GREAT. THANK YOU TO THE CITY AND MAYOR WHITMIRE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A WHILE. I WANT TO MAKE CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT RESPONDING IN AN IRRESPONSIBLE MANNER OR THAT THERE WAS NO WAY FOR THEM TO GET AID. OBVIOUSLY, THEY HAD NOT SIGNED IT. IT WAS
NOT ON OUR END. >> WE ARE DOING THE STAR REQUEST. FOR THE ASSETS. THAT IS COMING.
>> THIS IS ALSO NEWS. THANK YOU GUYS. I THINK THIS IS WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO CHAT. CHATTING WITH COMMISSIONER ELLIS, HIS PRECINCT IS IN THE CITY. HE REMAINS OPEN. AS WE DO COME UP WITH OTHER IDEAS LIKE THIS ONE. I'M GLAD THAT MY COLLEAGUES WERE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. I'M GLAD THAT THE MAYOR HELPED. I'M GLAD THAT THIS IS GOOD OVERALL.
TO BE CLEAR, IT'S NOT THAT THE WAY BEFORE WAS INAPPROPRIATE OR LACKING. COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND THEN COMMISSIONER ELLIS.
>> THANK YOU FOR CATCHING THIS. I DO WANT TO GO OVER TO MARK. I COMMENTED EARLIER. I WANT TO TELL YOU WHILE YOU ARE ON THE SCREEN. YOU ARE NOT TOLD THANK YOU OFTEN ENOUGH. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR THE PHENOMENAL JOB THAT YOU GUYS DO, TIME AND TIME AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR US AND THANK YOU FOR GUIDING US ON THESE VERY COMPLICATED ISSUES. PLEASE CONVEY TO YOUR ENTIRE TEAM, JEFF TO NOT BE LEFT OUT ON THE PHENOMENAL WORK. YOU ARE AN EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, THANK YOU FOR CATCHING THIS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF OUR NEIGHBORS, NO MATTER WHAT JURISDICTION THEY ARE IN. I AM GLAD TO SEE THIS AND I AM HAPPY TO SECOND DAY.
>> JUDGE, THIS WILL COME BACK TO US. WE WILL LOOK AT IT. THIS WILL GO TO THE COURT FOR THE FINAL VOTE.
>> IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, THIS ALLOWS HER TO EXECUTE. WE CAN BRING IT TO THE COURT AFTER SHE SIGNS IT. IF WE WAIT UNTIL
[02:10:02]
JUNE 4TH, WE WILL NOT HAVE AN AGREEMENT.>> THANK YOU COMMISSIONER RAMSEY.
>> THANK YOU. I ECHO COMMISSIONER GARCIA'S COMMENTS. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE YOU. FROM THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JUMPING ON THIS AGREEMENT. I CANNOT WAIT TO HAVE THIS IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN BE NIMBLE AND I WANT TO THANK MAYOR WHITMIRE. YOU'VE BEEN INCREDIBLE PARTNERS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. AS WE WORK ON THE INCREDIBLY AFFECTED AREAS TOGETHER. HE HAS BEEN WONDERFUL TO WORK WITH. THANK YOU TO THE LEGAL TEAM. I LOVE THIS TEAM,
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, YOU SPARKED A THOUGHT. I CANNOT REMEMBER THE GENTLEMAN'S NAME WHO WAS HEAR FROM YOU AT YOUR OFFICE, PROPOSING TO HIM A QUESTION ABOUT THE CALL THAT WE WERE GETTING JUST AS MUCH AS PICKING UP THE DEBRIS. THE OTHER QUESTION WE WERE GETTING, CAN YOU HELP ME TAKE THIS TREE OFF OF MY HOUSE AND WE COULD NOT DO THAT. I WANT TO SAY RIGHT NOW, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO THE MANY LOCALS OF ORGANIZED LABOR THAT WENT OUT AND CLIMBED ON ROOFS AND DID DANGEROUS WORK AND PHENOMENAL WORK ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. THEY COULD AND WE COULDN'T. AT LEAST IN MY PRECINCT, THEY CLEARED 100 HOMES OF MAJOR BRANCHES AND TREES ON PEOPLE'S PROPERTIES. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ORGANIZED LABOR FOR THEIR PHENOMENAL WORK AND SUPPORT IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT TIME OF NEED. THANK YOU.
>> MARK, I AM LOOKING AT THE TIME WHEN I CAN CALL YOU WHEN YOU DO NOT ANSWER THE PHONE. UP UNTIL 11:00 AT NIGHT, I WILL TRY 3:00 IN THE MORNING JUST TO SEE. IT MEANS A LOT. WE DO NOT NORMALLY CALL YOU UNLESS WE ARE IN A DITCH. ONE OTHER CALLOUT.
WHILE WE ARE TAKING A FEW MINUTES. PAUL LOCKE AND WHAT HE HAS DONE TO GET CENTERPOINT AND THE WHOLE TEAM, THEY HAVE BEEN GREAT. PAUL, HE IS A 3:00 IN THE MORNING GUY ANSWERING THE PHONE. IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHEN THERE ARE 900,000 PEOPLE WITHOUT POWER AND YOU LOOK AT THE SITUATIONS THAT THEY ARE IN , THEY HAVE HAD AN EXTRAORDINARY RESPONSE AND IT CONTINUES. GIVE THEM A SHOUT OUT AS WELL.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER GARCIA.
>> RAMSEY, SECOND, GARCIA. DO YOU HAVE THE MOTION?
>> I WILL TAKE IT AS READ BY COMMISSIONER RAMSEY.
>> AND YOU POSED? >> THANK YOU AGAIN, COLLEAGUES.
THIS WAS AWESOME. AND ALSO THE RESPONSE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
LET ME SEE IF I HAVE ANYTHING ELSE. NEED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE DECLARATION ENDS ON MAY 23RD. THIS IS THE TIME TO SHARE THAT. IN TERMS OF REQUEST, ANY RESEARCH REQUESTS FROM THE DEPARTMENT NEED TO GO THROUGH -- THE STATE AS THE COORDINATING BODY. THEY WILL SENSE IT ONCE THIS IS RESTORED.
RESPONDING TO THE DISASTER, AND PEOPLE KNOW THAT. I WANT TO EXTEND A QUICK THANK YOU. AND AMANDA MCMILLION FROM THE UNITED WAY FOR STANDING UP FOR THE DISASTER ALLIANCE. IN TOTAL, WE HAVE $1.25 MILLION IN THE DISASTER FUND. IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. THAT IS ALL I HAVE, COLLEAGUES, ANYTHING
ELSE? >> NO. I ECHO. THANK YOU TO THE LABOR PARTNERS. THEY ARE ALWAYS HELPING AND STEPPING UP.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.