* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] I'M GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER [ATD 1. Call to Order] AT EXACTLY 5:00 PM. AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TAKE IT TO ROW PROGRESS. CHARIOT. RAYEZ IS NOT PRESENT TONIGHT. VICE-CHAIR GUIDO. I AM PRESENT TRUSTEE COMO TRUSTEE COOPER HERE, TRUSTEE, KEVIN NIA HERE, TRUSTEE MARNE HERE, TRUSTEE MALONE, TRUSTEE, MATTHEWS, TRUSTEE, PEDIS, AND TRUSTEE TO WILL. ALL RIGHT, JEFF, ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? I HAVE NO ANNOUNCED THE CITIZENS TO BE HURT. [ATD 3. Citizens to be Heard] MR. CHAIRMAN FOR THE ATD MEETING, WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN TO BE HEARD. HE HAS SIGNED IN ONLINE. WE HAVE NOW COME TO THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING. THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN HEARING THE COMMENTS AND CONCERNS FROM OUR PATRONS AND CITIZENS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AND BEAR COUNTY AREA QUESTIONS THAT MAY ARISE DURING THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING REGARDING PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, OR SERVICE ISSUES MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT CEO AND OR HIS STAFF. THIS PROCESS WILL ENSURE OR ASSURE THAT VIA IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW THE VIA BOARD TO DELIBERATE MATTERS THAT ARE NOT ON THE AGENDA THIS EVENING. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVED THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION OR CONCERN. THANK YOU, AND VIA APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EFFORT AS YOU SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US THIS EVENING. WE'LL MCCLOUD. GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, VIA A BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BOARD CHAIR FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS WILLOW MCLEOD OR MINING THE A 64 AND ROUTE TO DOWNTOWN VEHICLE 3 79. UM, I GUESS I WAS CODE OF CONDUCT IS NOT BEING ENFORCED OR YOUR MASK. IT'S A DRIVER LOOKING FOR FIVE O'CLOCK AND PAYDAY. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. UM, ALSO, UM, IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE DOWN YOUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBLE SERVICE BECAUSE DON'T FAIL ON THAT ON MINI KICKOFF ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THIS MORNING, WHEN I WAS TRYING TO AFFORD THE 5 34, I SPOKE WITH, UH, UH, WHAT WAS HER NAME, CINDY, AND, UH, I FEEL YET, AND A FAILURE DECIDED TO WANT TO BE ARGUMENTATIVE, UH, ABSTINENT OPPOSITIONAL. AND SHE GOES OUT OF LINE. SHE, WE ASK A QUESTION, UH, WHO DO THEY WORK FOR? AND THEY WERE FIVE WEEKS. LET'S JUST SAY, WHO FUNDS BE IT? WE DO THE TAXPAYER STUDENT. AND IF SHE CANNOT ANSWER SIMPLE QUESTIONS, SHE SHOULD NOT BE WORKING. UH, ALSO, UH, I HAVEN'T GOT A RESPONSE TO WHAT HAPPENED LAST MONTH. UM, JUST SAID THE MATTER HAS BEEN DEALT WITH, HOW HAS IT BEEN DEALT WITH, UH, DO I HAVE TO CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH PUBLIC RECORDS, REQUESTS, PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, AND YOU GUYS OWE ME $8 BECAUSE I HAD TO TAKE UBER TO GET TO MY JOB BECAUSE Y'ALL DECIDED THAT GETS CUTE TO RUN YOUR BUS SERVICE 15 MINUTES LATE SO WE CAN MISS THE CONNECTION EGO TRANSCEND. NO THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN. IF YOU PLAN YOUR ROUTE, YOU KNOW, LIKE PAIRING THE 5 34 WITH THE SIX 20, THAT MAKES SENSE. I WENT ON HERE. WHY IS NOT, NOT BEEN TAKEN CARE OF? UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE THAT MATE RUN A SPACER, PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR UBER'S BECAUSE Y'ALL, DON'T WANT TO SHOW UP ON TIME, YOUR SIX, 18 ROUTES SUPPOSED TO BE PART INGRAM CHANCE CENTER AT 35 AFTER 40, AFTER NOT 41 AFTER, BUT 35 AFTERS WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT. ALSO, I STILL HAVEN'T GOT A RESPONSE AS REGARDS TO, UH, OH, Y'ALL Y'ALL Y'ALL MOVING THE BUS STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITHOUT GIVING ANY PATRON ANY NOTICE WHATSOEVER. UM, I'M I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BUS STOP ON FORD NACADOCIOUS AND OAK LEDGE NACADOCIOUS [00:05:01] AND THERE WAS ONE ON HONEYSUCKLE FOR 10 Y'ALL NEED TO HAVE BETTER STOP SPACING. Y'ALL START SPACING AS PATHETIC. UH, THINK ABOUT THAT NEXT PORTION. THERE ARE NO MORE, THIS NEEDS TO BE HEARD FOR ATD MEETING. OKAY. THANK YOU NOW TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, [ATD 4. Consent Agenda] OUR CONSENT AGENDA TRUSTEES, READY TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION. SO MOVED MR. CHAIR COMA. IT'S BEEN MOVED READY FOR A SECOND. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECOND ALL IN FAVOR, LETTING ME KNOW BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY NAYS? THE I'S HAVE IT. THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. MOVING ON TO ITEM [ATD 5. Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement between the Advanced Transportation District and Bexar County] NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS AN AMENDMENT TO THE INTER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENDA AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ADVANCED TRANSIT DISTRICT AND BAYER COUNTY, MR. ALLOWAY, OR DR. ALLOWAY. THANK YOU, MR. SECRETARY. I BELIEVE MR. HERRERA WAS GOING TO OFFER SOME WORDS BEFORE WE GOT INTO THE PRESENTATION. OH, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, UH, I WOULD JUST GOING TO INTRODUCE THIS AT THE TABLE, MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, ABOUT THIS ITEM, UM, AS IT CONNECTS TO ONE YEAR AGO, UH, OUR VOTERS IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA, AS WE KNOW, APPROVED THE 180 3 ALLOCATION OF SALES TAX THAT WILL START HAPPENING IN 2026. A VERY IMPORTANT STEP TO THAT IS INTER LOCAL AGREEMENTS THAT WILL BE HAPPENING, UH, BETWEEN, UH, BEAR COUNTY AND HOPEFULLY THE CITY SAN ANTONIO, UH, TO, UH, FOR FUNDING RELATED TO THE KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVIE PLANT. SO, UH, UH, LEROY IS GOING TO WALK US THROUGH SOME OF THOSE DETAILS AS IT RELATES TO THIS AND, UH, GET TO, UH, UH, THIS ITEM UP FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, UH, BY THE ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT COMPLETE. RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HOP THROUGH THIS. SO AGAIN, JUST AS WAY OF BACKGROUND TO REMIND EVERYONE TRANSIT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS OF THE LARGER URBAN AREAS IS FUNDED PRIMARILY BY SALES TAX. IN THE CASE OF VIA, WE WERE THE FIRST MTA CREATED IN THE STATE AND VOTERS APPROVED A SALES TAX OF A HALF CENT BACK IN 1977. THE OTHER HALF CENT HAS BEEN USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES WITH, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. IN 2004, VOTERS WERE ASKED IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO AGREE TO THE CREATION OF AN ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. AND WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. THE ATD AS PLACED IN STATE LAW REQUIRES A SPLIT OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT COMES IN 50% OF THE RECEIPTS COME THROUGH THE ATD BOARD TO VIA TO SUPPORT PUBLIC TRANSIT OPERATIONS. 25% GOES TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN THIS CASE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY PARTICIPATING MUNICIPALITY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ATD. AND THEN THE LAST 25% GOES TO A LEVERAGE FUND THAT IS REQUIRED TO ADD ADDITIONAL FUNDING BEYOND JUST THE ATD TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT FUNDS. NOW OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT THAT LEVERAGE POT, BEING MORE OF THE COUNTY FUND. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS UP TO THIS POINT. BEAR COUNTY HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY USER OF THAT LEVERAGE POOL WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, ACCELERATING A NUMBER OF ROAD PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AS MR. HERRERA MENTIONED, AND AS THE BOARD IS VERY WELL AWARE, LAST NOVEMBER, 2020 VOTERS WERE ASKED ON THE TOPIC OF REALLOCATING ONE EIGHTH OF A CENT OF SALES TAX, STARTING JANUARY 1ST, 2026, TO FOCUS ON ADVANCED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, OPERATIONS, INNOVATIVE, ADVANCED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES OR OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MOBILITY ENHANCEMENT PURPOSES. 68% OF VOTERS APPROVED THAT PROPOSITION A FOR THE ATD SO THAT WHEN IT'S SENT MOVES FORWARD, STARTING JANUARY 1ST, 2026 TO THE BENEFIT OF THE DISTRICT, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS IS WHAT OUR SALES TAX WILL LOOK LIKE STARTING JANUARY 1ST, 2026. AGAIN, THE HALF-CENT FOR THE VIA MTA TAX REMAINS THE SAME, THE QUARTER CENT THAT WAS APPROVED BY VOTERS IN 2004 FOR THE INITIAL ATD AUTHORIZATION REMAINS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS PRE-K FOR ESSAY PROGRAM RECEIVED A SEVEN YEAR AUTHORIZATION IN 2020. SO IT WILL BE STILL IN EFFECT IN 2026. AND THEN THE CITY IS READY TO WORK PROGRAM WE'LL STOP COLLECTING FUNDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, AT WHICH POINT THAT ONE EIGHTH OF A CENT COMES TO THE ATD THAT IS TO SUPPORT THE KEEP ESSAY MOVING PROGRAM. NEXT [00:10:01] SLIDE, PLEASE, IN ALL THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY PRIOR TO THE ELECTION, THE BALLOT ITSELF, AND THEN LISTENING AND TALKING WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THE CONSENSUS HAS BEEN THAT THE KEEP ESSAY MOVING FRAMEWORK AND PLAN NEEDS TO UTILIZE THE FULL ONE EIGHTH OF A CENT OF SALES TAX. INDEED, THE PLAN ITSELF IS BASED ON THE FULL 40 MILLION A YEAR AND 20 $20 BEING AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT ART NORTH SOUTH INNOVATION ZONES, BETTER BUS AND IMPROVED OVERALL TRANSIT OPERATIONS. TO BE ABLE TO REALIZE THAT THOSE SHORT OF A CHANGE IN STATE STATUTE, WE DO NEED TO HAVE MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING AND LOCAL AGREEMENTS EXECUTED WITH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ON THE USAGE OF THE NEW ONE EIGHTH OF A CENT COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026. WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO LAST TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7TH COMMISSIONER'S COURT TOOK THE FIRST STEP IN APPROVING THE SIXTH AMENDMENT TO THE EXISTING INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ATD AND BEAR COUNTY IN THAT AMENDMENT, THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AGREED THAT THE ATD SHOULD KEEP ALL THE REVENUE GENERATED BY THE REALLOCATED TAX. AT THAT THE LEVERAGE PORTION THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN UTILIZED BY BEAR COUNTY WOULD BE BETTER SERVED GOING TO PROJECTS THAT ARE USING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT MOBILITY ENHANCEMENTS THAT THIS DOES REQUIRE ATD VIA TO HAVE COUNTY CONCURRENCE ON THE INNOVATIVE PROJECTS FUNDED. OTHER DISCUSSIONS TO THIS POINT WITH COMMISSIONERS HAVE BEEN ON THIS FUNDING BEING PRIMARILY DIRECTED PORT VIA LINK AND THOSE INNOVATIVE TYPE SERVICES, WHICH IS IN LINE THE DIRECTION WE'VE HEARD FROM JUDGE WOLF AND MEMBERS OF THE COURT, AS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT TO NOTE, UH, THIS AGREEMENT DOES NOT IMPACT THE 2004 ATD ELECTIONS. SO THE SPLIT THAT WAS IN EFFECT FROM THE 2004 ELECTION IS NOT ADDRESSED IN THIS AMENDMENT. UM, THAT HAS BEEN A CONCERN FROM, FROM SOME OVER THE LAST YEAR AS THIS DISCUSSION HAS PROGRESSED. SO I DO WANT TO REASSURE EVERYONE. THIS IS LOOKING AT THE ONE EIGHTH SET COMING IN, STARTING JANUARY 1ST, 20, 26. WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. AND WITH THAT, AS COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS APPROVED THIS AS OF LAST WEEK, STAFF DOES RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THIS, UH, IN OUR LOCAL AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU. YES, TRUSTING MARTIN. I WOULD MOVE THAT. WE APPROVE THIS INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT. I HAVE A FIRST, BUT I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION BEFORE WE GET TO THE SECOND TRUSTEE COMO. WELL, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SECOND THAT, BUT I DO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION. THE QUESTION IS THE ATD IS ONLY IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THAT'S THE ONLY TAX PAYER IS PAYING INTO THE APD. UM, SO WHEN WE AGREE TO THIS WITH THE COUNTY, WILL THAT PORTION BE SPENT ONLY ON PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OR WILL IT BE SYSTEM-WIDE MR. KIMO? THE WAY THIS IS, THE ATD WAS STRUCTURED, IT'S COLLECTED IN SAN ANTONIO. IT DOES BENEFIT THE ENTIRE VIA SYSTEM AND SERVICE AREA. OKAY. AND THOSE MUNICIPALITIES THAT CURRENTLY PAY INTO VIA DO NOT PAY THIS EXTRA APD FUNDING, IF THEY HAVE CAPACITY FOR ADDITIONAL SALES TAX, UH, IS IT POSSIBILITY THAT THEY WOULD HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO ATD THAT WHERE THEY COULD, UH, TAX THEMSELVES MORE MONEY AND HAVE VIA DO SOMETHING WITHIN THEIR BOUNDARIES, UH, UH, FUNDED BY THEIR, UH, THEIR EXTRA MONEY? IS THAT A POSSIBILITY I'LL TAKE A STAB AT IT, BUT I I'LL BE GLAD TO DEFER TO MR. ORANGE OR DUMBEST ELDER IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND IN MORE DEPTH ON THAT ONE. UH, Y I THINK THE SIMPLEST ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS THAT THE ATD DOES ALLOW FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL CITIES TO JOIN. THEY WOULD HAVE TO AGREE, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO AGREE TO HAVE AN ATD ELECTION IN THAT MUNICIPALITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THEY HAVE AVAILABLE TAX TO HANDLE THAT. THANK YOU. DO YOU WANT THEM, THANK YOU, TRUSTEE COMO TRUSTEE MAHER, [00:15:02] WITH THE EXCEPTION OF POSSIBLY LIVE OAK. I WOULD SAY THAT THE MAJORITY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF CITIZENS OF SUBURBAN CITIES PAY MOST OF THEIR SALES TAX IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IF, UH, PEOPLE AT SHADOW PARK, UH, DO NOT HAVE THE SUPERMARKET IN SHAVANO PARK PEOPLE IN SHAVANO PARK, UM, YOU KNOW, GO TO RESTAURANTS ALL OVER SAN ANTONIO, JUST AS PEOPLE IN OUT WHITES GO TO RESTAURANTS IN SAN ANTONIO, JUST LIKE PEOPLE IN CASTLE HILLS AND SO ON AND SO ON. SO ALTHOUGH THOSE ARE TAXES, THEY'RE SALES TAXES, AND, UM, IT'S NOT IT'S IT'S OF THOSE SALES THAT HAPPEN IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BUT MOST OF THE PEOPLE, ALL, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE TOURISTS, UM, THAT STAY DOWNTOWN AT HOTELS AND EAT AT RESTAURANTS, PAY TAXES IN SAN ANTONIO. AND, AND, UM, THE MAJORITY, IF NOT ALL OF THE SUBURBAN CITIES ARE, UH, ARE ALREADY AT THEIR EIGHT IN, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALREADY AT THE MAX SALES TAX ALREADY. SO THERE WOULDN'T BE A SPOT THERE. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MINE. SO I HEARD A FIRST AND A SECOND BY TRUSTEE COMA. JUST WANT TO VERIFY YES. BY TRUSTEE MARTIN SECOND BY TRUSTEE COMA. YES. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NAY. THE AYES HAVE IT, MS. ELDER, IS THERE A LEGAL BRIEFING? ALL RIGHT. CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? THE ATD VIA BOARD MEETING? SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSES. ALL RIGHT, GREAT. WE ARE ADJOURNED FROM THE ATD AND WE NOW ENTER THE [1. Call to Order] VIA BOARD MEETING AND I CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT EXACTLY FIVE 17. MR. CEO, ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? [2. Announcements] YES. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ANNOUNCEMENTS TODAY. I THINK HAVING JUST COME THROUGH THANKSGIVING AND THEN INTO THE HOLIDAY SEASON, AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE SEE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF KIND OF GROUP APPRECIATIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, WRAP UP THE YEAR WITH, BUT WE'VE ALWAYS START WITH OUR STAR OF THE QUARTER. AND SO OUR STAR ADMINISTRATOR OF THE QUARTER IS VIAS, UM, MANAGER OF FACILITY MAINTENANCE SERVICES. DARREN SCHIMEK DARREN HAS BEEN WITH VIA FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS AND CONSTANTLY PERFORMS HIS RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE. AND THEN SOME HIS COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO DUTIES, KEEP ALL OF OUR FACILITIES AND EXCELLENT WORKING CONDITIONS. EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE BUILDINGS ARE MORE THAN 75 YEARS OLD, HIS EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CONTINUOUS EXCELLENT DEMEANOR HAVE EARNED HIM THE RESPECT AND THE ADMIRATION OF HIS FELLOW COLLEAGUES THROUGHOUT THE AGENCY. IN FACT, AARON SUPERVISOR OFTEN REFERS TO HIM AS THE PERFECT EMPLOYEE, WHICH IS PRETTY HIGH PRAISE. AND I CAN'T THINK OF A FINER PRAISE THAN THAT. AND THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY, DARREN, I REALLY PERSONALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE AGREED TO NOT DISCUSS RETIREMENT FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT 10 YEARS. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO DEREK DARREN, NEXT UP. SO WE'VE HAD STORIES BEFORE ABOUT BUS OPERATORS, FOR EXAMPLE, HELPING PEOPLE ALONG THEIR ROUTE, BUT THIS IS A CASE OF ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEE ON THEIR WAY TO WORK, WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR. SO I'D LIKE TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO A COMMENDATION ISSUED BY OUR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROCUREMENT. DIANE SAMSON DV IS MANAGER OF PURCHASING TODD . TODD CAME INTO WORK A LITTLE LATE ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 14TH AND WAS COMPLETELY APOLOGETIC, BUT HE HAD STOPPED TO HELP A NEIGHBOR WHO HAD FALLEN IN THE STREET WHILE CLEANING HIS SIDEWALK, TAKE HIS GARBAGE PINNED TO THE CURB. TOM WAS VERY CONCERNED FOR THAT MAN'S SAFETY AND HE CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE, GOT THE MAN SAFELY BACK TO HIS HOME. AND THEN ON HIS WAY HOME FROM WORK THAT NIGHT, HE STOPPED TO CHECK IN IT. DIANE WORKS WITH TODD DAILY. SHE RECOGNIZES THAT IT IS IN HIS CHARACTER TO BE KIND HELPFUL AND A GOOD SAMARITAN AND A GOOD REFLECTION ON VIA. AND SO NOW WE HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU, TODD. NEXT. UH, I'M GOING TO HAVE A FEW GROUP RECOGNITIONS. SO I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT NOW AT THIS END OF THIS SECOND YEAR OF COVID UNFORTUNATELY, AND RECOGNIZE THE TEAM THAT HAS BEEN LED BY TRACY MANNING, WHO WAS THE MANAGER OF SERVICE PLANNING, UH, THROUGH FEBRUARY OF 2021 MARICELLA D AS WELLS WHO WILL PRESENT SHORTLY [00:20:01] AND SCOTT BIBLE FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN MONITORING SERVER'S PERFORMANCE AND PREPARING PLANS AND SCHEDULES AND WORK ROSTERS ANSWERING CUSTOMER ASSISTANT FORMS AND SUPPORTING BUS OPERATIONS DURING SIGN-UPS THE TEAM ACCOMPLISHED FIVE SERVICE CHANGES IN JUST 19 MONTHS AND PROVIDED THE NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE INFORMATION FOR ALL THE SURFACES. THEY SUPPORTED OUR KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING PLANNING WORK AND IMPLEMENTED NEW BASH DASHBOARDS TO MONITOR AND IMPROVE THE FIXED ROUTE SERVICE ON 81 ROUTES. SO WE OFFER OUR GRATITUDE FOR A JOB WELL DONE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, MARCEL IS ON THE, ON THE LIST, SANTIAGO HOW-TO MEAL, DEL POSEY, RUBEN MARTINEZ, REGINA ROMINA IS SCOTT BIBLE, RICHARD AYA. UH, RAQUEL RAY IS EVELYN BRINKLEY AND TRACY MANNING WHO IS STILL, UH, COME BACK TO HELP US OUT. SO THANK ALL OF YOU BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN PUT IN A HUMANS JOB OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. THE NEXT GROUP IS FOR, UH, THE STATION FOREMAN AND BUS OPERATORS, GROUP RECOGNITION, AND THAT THEY WORK TIRELESSLY AND WITH VERY LIMITED RESOURCES, AS WE KNOW, TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO THE TSA FOOTBALL GAMES AT THE ALAMODOME. SO AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, OUR MANPOWER IS REALLY STRETCHED, BUT THEY STILL MANAGED TO COVER A SERVICE FOR YOU. TSA ROADRUNNERS, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, HAD AN AMAZING SEASON THIS YEAR, THE EXCITEMENT OF THE GAMES WAS EVIDENCED BY THE LARGE CROWDS THAT ATTENDED EACH ONE. AND THOSE CROWDS GREW WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE GAME TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THOSE FANS, OUR BUS OPERATORS, FIELD SUPERVISORS, AND DISPATCH TRULY WENT THE EXTRA MILE, AT LEAST EXTRA MILE TO HANDLE THE FIVE UTS ROADRUNNER FOOTBALL GAMES WITH LIMITED MANPOWER AVAILABILITY AND RESOURCES WORKED CLOSELY WITH UTS AND ASSISTED THEM WITH THEIR BUS SHORTAGE AS WELL. THEY RAN SERVICE FROM THE CAMPUS AND WE RAN SERVICE FROM THE PARKING LINE. UH, AND SO THAT WAS ALSO, WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HELP THEM OUT AT THE TIME IN WHICH THEY NEEDED SO SPECIAL APPRECIATION ARNALDO PEREZ, ROBERT BRUTON, MICHELLE GARZA, AND CHARLES BRUNE. NEXT UP NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO TO TRAINING. SO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DPS, UH, IMPLEMENTED THE TEXAS COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE OR THE CDL THIRD-PARTY SKILLS TESTING PROGRAM IN APRIL OF 2017 TO AUTHORIZE QUALIFIED COMPANIES, TO BE CERTIFIED BY DPS TO ADMINISTER THE DRIVING SKILLS EXAM TO APPLICANTS, SEEKING TO OBTAIN A CLASS B CDL CERTIFIED PROVIDER ADMINISTERED CDL SKILLS TEST TO THE STUDENTS AND OUR EMPLOYEES. THANKS TO CONTINUOUS EFFORTS BY VIAS LEGAL TEAM AND BY THE MANAGER OF TRAINING TO LEARN ZELLE HARPER. WE CAN NOW ANNOUNCE THAT FOR SAFETY AND TRAINING SYSTEMS, SECURITY SUPERVISORS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE STATE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM AND THEY ARE ANDREW FLORAS, JOSE DELGADO, CHRISTOPHER RUBIO, AND MARK JORDAN. THIS NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT GIVES VIA THE SCHEDULING ADVANTAGE AND THE ABILITY TO CONDUCT EMPLOYEE CDL, QUALIFICATION TESTING WITHOUT ENCOUNTERING LENGTHY WAITS EXPERIENCED AT DPS TESTING FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE. THIS HAS BEEN QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR US AS A TRANSIT SYSTEM, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENT AS WE TRY TO RAMP UP WITH OUR BUS OPERATORS. SO THANK YOU. AND CONGRATULATIONS. I WANTED TO SHARE, TAKE A MOMENT AND SHARE A SHORT LETTER THAT WAS SENT TO US BY A COUPLE THAT REES RECENTLY VISITED OUR CITY, KATHY AND TED HAY OF SPOKANE WASHINGTON CAME TO SAN ANTONIO IN NOVEMBER, AND THEY VISITED VIAS DOWNTOWN INFORMATION CENTER TO ASK HOW THEY CAN TAKE THE BUS TO THE AIRPORT. THEY WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY RECEIVED THAT. THEY TOOK THE TIME TO COMPOSE A THANK YOU NOTE AND MAILED IT TO US AFTER THEY RETURNED HOME. AND THE PART THAT I WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY CALL OUT, WE WERE IN YOUR BEAUTIFUL CITY AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CORRECT IF THEY BEAUTIFUL CITY LAST WEEK AND ENJOYED OURSELVES VERY MUCH. WE WENT TO YOUR OFFICE ON NOVEMBER 10TH AT 9 20 21 ON COMMERCE STREET TO INQUIRE ABOUT BUS SERVICE TO THE AIRPORT. WE WERE GREETED BY A VERY NICE WOMAN WHO WAS SO GRACIOUS AND HELPFUL, AND WE HAD VERY GOOD BUS SERVICE AND HELPFUL EMPLOYEES. AND SO WE WILL BE BACK. AND IT'S NICE TO THINK THAT WE'RE A PART OF KEEPING, MAINTAINING AND GROWING OUR, UH, OUR BASE OF TOURISM. UH, SO VERY PROUD OF THAT ENDORSEMENT OF OUR TRAINING PROGRAM AND OUR EXTRAORDINARY EMPLOYEES. WE'RE VERY MUCH FORTUNATE THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS IN THAT WAY AND NOW SURPRISE. AND NOW WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION AND OUR CONGRATULATIONS GO OUT TO VIA VIA BOARD SECRETARY, A KANE BROWN, WHO RECENTLY COMPLETED HIS STUDIES AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY TO SECURE HIS MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP. [00:25:01] THIS IS A SECOND POSTGRADUATE DEGREE IN ADDITION TO A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PUBLIC POLICY FROM NEW YORK UNIVERSITY AND SECRETARY BROWN IS ALREADY PROVING TO BE A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH HIS FOUNDING OF THE ESSENCE PREPARATORY CHARTER SCHOOL AND HIS SELECTION FOR THE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS. JOURNAL'S 40 UNDER 40 LIST AND MAN OF THE YEAR, AND HAVING BECOME A NEW FATHER, ALL THOSE THINGS. SO TOTALLY IMPRESSED TO COMPLETE A DEGREE IN THE MIDST OF ALL THAT I CAME. AND NOW WITH HIS DEGREE IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, HE IS WELL-EQUIPPED, I'M GOING TO, I'M NOT GOING TO SAY, WELL IT QUICK, I THINK YOU ALREADY WERE WELL-EQUIPPED, BUT EVEN BETTER EQUIPPED TO ADD TO YOUR SUCCESSES. SO CONGRATULATIONS THAT CAME IT'S FANTASTIC SO MUCH. AND FINALLY, WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT. UH, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO NOTE THE PASSING OF TRUDY FIELDS RECTOR, WHO WAS A FORMER, FORMER VIA TRUSTEE, WHO WAS APPOINTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IN 1994 AND SERVED TWO YEARS ON THE BOARD. SHE WAS A VOICE FOR HER PEOPLE AND EVERYTHING SHE STOOD FOR. SHE CONSIDERED HER TITLES TO BE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, POLITICAL ACTIVIST, AND ADVISOR CAMPAIGN MANAGER, POLITICAL STRATEGIST, AND THEN ALSO A PUBLIC SERVANT, UH, SERVING ON THE VIA BOARD. SHE WAS A FIGHTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND VOTER RIGHTS, AND SHE WORKED WITH CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. SHE WAS TRULY A BEAUTIFUL SERVANT LEADER THROUGHOUT HER LIFE. AND OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SO WE'LL PAUSE JUST A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE OUR FORMER TRUSTEE AND THAT MY REPORT. THANK YOU, MR. ART. I WANT TO, UM, SEND MY CONDOLENCES MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. I KNOW I CAN SAY THAT ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HERE AT VIA METROPOLITAN IN TRANSIT TO THE FIELDS AND RECTOR FAMILY, UH, AND ALSO IN THIS TIME, THANK HER FOR HER SERVICE. UM, AND, AND, AND SENDING MY THOUGHTS TO THE FAMILY WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ENTIRE STAFF, UH, WHO WERE AWARDED OR COME COMMON DAY OR NIGHT, UM, AND COMMENDED ON ALL OF THEIR GREAT WORK THAT THEY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OVER THIS YEAR AND TIME HERE AT VIA. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SERVICE, YOUR HARD WORK, UH, AND YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS, UH, THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. THOSE WHO WERE ACKNOWLEDGED JUST FOR, UM, THEIR GREAT ACTS OF KINDNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HEAR FROM TOURISTS, UH, SHOUTING OUT VIA SOWS. THANK YOU, MR. ARN FOR PRESENTING THAT. UM, I BELIEVE WE DO EVERYDAY KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING, BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HEAR FROM THOSE WHO ARE COMING TO SAN ANTONIO AND HEARING ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING IT AND, AND, AND GIVING US THAT GRATITUDE, UH, WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO [3. Citizens to be Heard] MOVE TO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. ARE THEY ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD? WE HAVE FOUR CITIZENS TO BE HEARD BOTH ONLINE AND IN-PERSON ALL RIGHT. WELL, I'VE READ THE STATEMENT IN THE LAST SESSION. DO I HAVE TO READ THAT STATEMENT AGAIN? ARE WE GOOD? OKAY. I BELIEVE WE ALL UNDERSTAND WHERE WE STAND THERE. ALL RIGHT. WE CAN START WITH THE FIRST CITIZEN. WELL MCCLOUD. ALL RIGHT, WELL, MCLEOD BACK AGAIN. UM, I DON'T WANT TO COMMENT A LITTLE BRIEFLY ON THE, UM, NOT ONLY THE MISSING BUS STOPS, BUT, UH, YOU HAVE A BRIEFING ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE, INVESTMENT AND JOBS, UH, FOR INFORMATION DISCUSSING REGARDING THE RECENT CONGRESSIONAL PACKAGE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT TO POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR B UH, AS A RESULT OF THIS NEW LEGISLATION. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD IT BECAUSE GAS HAS GONE UP SHELVES ARE EMPTY SUPPLY SHORTAGE, UM, BECAUSE YOUR PRESIDENT PRECEDENT, BRANDON BIDEN DECIDED TO, UM, Y'ALL VOTED FOR HIM. AND, UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, UM, THAT, UH, INFLATION STUFF, SUPPLIES ARE, ARE DOWN. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T REALLY BUILD, THANK YOU. UH, YOU CAN'T REALLY BUILD A BACK BETTER. YOU'RE ACTUALLY BUILDING BACK BROKE. UM, AND THEN ALSO, UH, AGAIN, THIS DEMANDING, I'M GLAD TO SEE HIM THAT, BUT HE NEEDS TO RIDE THESE BUSES. HE NEEDS TO GET ON HIS TRUCK. NOW RILEY'S BUSES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS LATE 64 TO 64 BUS. I JUST GOT OFF FOOD, UM, HAS A LEAST 20 SOMETHING PASSENGERS. AND YET YOU RUN IT HOURLY. IT NEEDS TO BE RUN AT LEAST 30 MINUTES. NOW I KNOW THERE'S A DRIVER SHORTAGE, BUT YOU NEED TO PULL SOME, SOME, UM, OPERATORS [00:30:01] FROM SOME LOW PERFORMING ROUTES AND SARS ROUTE SUSPENSIONS AND SERVICE CHANGES, UM, HAS HOW HAS VIA REQUESTED A WAVIER FROM THE FTA TO KEEP SOME OF THESE ROUTES SUSPENDED INSTEAD OF ELIMINATED, SUCH AS THE FIVE 50 ON THE 54 SOUTH ALAMO, UH, THAT SEEMS TO BE A, A ROUTE WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT RIDERSHIP AS LONG AS WELL AS, UH, THE 3 0 1, UH, DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR. UM, THE REST I CAN AGREE WITH WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FOUR BLOSSOM AGAIN, WHY ISN'T THE, WHY NOT? YOU PAIR THE 6 48 WITH THE FOUR, LIKE YOU DID ON THE BROADWAY. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE AREA OF TOWN. YOU DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE BUS SERVICE. YOU WANT TO SPEND $60,000 ON A PARKING RIDE. NO ONE'S USING BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE CONNECTIVITY THERE. UM, THAT WOULD BREED CONNECTIVITY. ALSO. I'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, THE 5 34 PAIRED WITH THE SIX 20 AND THE 6 0 9 PAIRED WITH THE SIX, 10 THAT'S, UH, TO, UH, UH, PROVIDE TRANSFER OPPORTUNITIES. NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO END THIS MEETING EARLY BECAUSE I, CPS ENERGY WANTS MORE MONEY AND THEY DON'T DESERVE. AND SO I HAVE TO MAKE MY CASE TO THEM. THANK YOU. AND I YIELD BACK. WILLIE MAY PLAY WILLIE MAY CLAY, MS. CLAY, WE CANNOT HEAR YOU. OH, OKAY. HAS THAT BETTER? OKAY. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN HEAR YOU PERFECTLY. THANK YOU, MS. CLAY, UNMUTE YOURSELF, PLEASE. OKAY. I'M GOING TO STOP TALKING. LISTEN. MY COMMENT TODAY HAS BEEN WITH PARATRANSIT. I WOULD, UH, IT'S ABOUT USING M BAIT. I AM DISTURBED ABOUT, UH, THE DRIVERS WHO HAD THEIR, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR SAFETY BELTS POSITIONED, UH, IN FRONT. THEY'RE PULLING THEIR BELTS IN FRONT OF PERSON, BODY PARTS. I DON'T LIKE IT. UH, THEY CAN, THERE ARE SOME DRIVERS WHO ARE CORRECTLY SECURING THEIR BELTS ON THE SIDE OF INDIVIDUALS. SO I AM STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DRIVERS. UM, THE, THE, THE POSITIONS OF THEIR BELTS BE MONITORED, AND THAT THE DRIVERS BE TRAINED TO CONNECT THE BELTS, THE SHOULDER, AND THE LAP BELTS IN A WAY THAT WHEN THE BELTS ARE SECURED, THEY WILL BE TO THE SIDE OF THE INDIVIDUAL, NOT IN FRONT. AND LASTLY, I WANT TO SAY THAT THE DRIVERS NEED TO BE ENCOURAGED TO CLOSE THE HATCHBACK. I CAREFULLY AND NOT PURPOSELY SLAM IT BECAUSE I AM A WHEELCHAIR USER. AND I'M SITTING IN THE REAR PART OF THE VEHICLE. AND THE DRIVERS OFTENTIMES WILL SLAM THAT DOOR. AND THE RESPONSE THAT THEY WILL GIVE IS TO SLAM IT, TO LOCK IT. WHILE EACH TIME I GET ON THE BAN, I SAY, PLEASE DON'T SLAM THE DOOR. WELL, THEY SLAM IT. AND IF THEY DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'VE SAID, I FEEL THAT THEY SLAM IT TO RETALIATE. SO THE DRIVERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE THAT SLAM IS HARMFUL, AND THEY BEING TO SECURE THE DOOR WITHOUT PURPOSELY SLAMMING IT. NOW, I HOPE YOU WERE ABLE TO HEAR ME. I'VE ENDED MY COMMENTS ABOUT SECURING THE SEATBELTS TO THE SIDE OF BEING INDIVIDUAL [00:35:01] AND CAREFULLY LOCKING THE DOOR WITHOUT SLAMMING IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ROBERT KENYATTA SAYS , UM, EVER SINCE THE STEROID WRITING BEER, I HAVEN'T WROTE IT FOR ALMOST 30 OR 40 YEARS. I SEE A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT, A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT THERE. UM, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, FIRST OF ALL, A LOT TOO. UM, WHEN OTHER DRIVERS TO BE RECOGNIZED BECAUSE THEY, THEIR TRAINING IS PERFECT. IT'S VERY EXCELLENT. UM, AS I, AS I GO, UM, IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, I SEE A LOT OF OBSTACLES TO GET IN FRONT OF HIM. UH, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THERE'S A TRAIN TO KEEPS THEM FROM GETTING THERE IN TIME. ALSO, THOSE ARE, AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE IN DOWNTOWN, WHEN WE'RE IN DOWNTOWN, YOU HAVE THIS BICYCLE RIDERS TAKING THEIR TIME WHEN THEY SHOULD JUST GET ON THE SIDE AND UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE ON THE STREET, BUT WE ARE NEEDS TO MOVE LIKE, UH, LIKE YEAH, ONE OF THEM THE MOVE, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN. THERE'S A LOT OF OBSTACLES GOING ON. UM, ALSO THIS IS EVERY DAY, EVERY TIME I GET ON THE BUS, UM, THOSE CARS TRIED TO GET IN FRONT OF HIM RIGHT AWAY. AND THESE ARE VERY CLOSE CALLS. A BUS CANNOT START IN TIME. THIS IS LIKE A TRAIN. IT WON'T STOP IN TIME. IT'S GOING TO HIT AND THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. THESE CARDS, THEY JUST RACE TO GET VERY IN FRONT OF THE BUS. AND THESE ARE THE APARTMENTS THAT THE DRIVERS ARE GOING THROUGH. I'M PRETTY SURE THEY GO THROUGH A LOT OF STRESS. NOT ONLY THAT YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT GO IN THERE, IMPOSSIBLE. I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE, THEY SHOULDN'T BE, IT'S VERY DANGEROUS. SOME ARE ON DRUGS. UM, PEOPLE JUST LIKE TODAY, WHEN I GOT ON THE BUS, THERE WAS A COUPLE THAT ARGUED, BUT THE BUSH DRIVER SAID, HEY, GET OFF. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT HERE. BUT THE BUS IS RIGHT ABOUT THAT. WHEN THEY PUT UP WITH IT, THEY NEED TO GET THAT PERSON OUT. EVEN ONE WAS MAD. HE DIDN'T WANT TO PUT A MASK, YOUR TONGUE GET OUT. SO YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE, UH, BUS DRIVERS ARE GOING THROUGH. I MEAN, THEY'RE ALL GOOD. I MEAN, I ALWAYS TELL THEM, DO YOU DRIVE BETTER THAN A TAXI DOES? AND THAT'S A GOOD, THEY ARE. UM, WE NEED SECURITY IN THE BUS. IF THEY HAVE IN THE AIRPLANES, THEY SHOULD HAVE IT OVER HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE TRANSPORTING PEOPLE. AND I'M SPEAKING FOR THE SENIOR CITIZENS. THEY NEED TO FEEL THEY'RE PROTECTED. I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS OFFICER HERE AND SEE KOREA THERE. WE NEED SECURITY FOR THE SENIOR CITIZENS ONE MINUTE OF MY TIME. SO, MR. WELL, HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE TIME'S UP, SIR? OH, OKAY. UM, LIKE I SAID, WE NEED A PROTECTION AND WE NEED POLICE OFFICERS OR YOUR SECURITY AND THE BUS NOW. AND THEN, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON, ESPECIALLY CHRISTMAS. SO I HURT YOU TO, TO, TO THINK ABOUT IT. UM, AS FAR AS CITIZENS, AS FAR AS SENIOR CITIZENS AND VL IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO. THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU, TONY REESE FOR A TOTAL OF TWO MINUTES. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY THANKING MR. KIANNA'S FOR COMING DOWN HERE AND SPENDING HIS TIME TO COMPLIMENT THE GOOD WORKS OF VIA, UH, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, I DO HAVE SOME SERIOUS ISSUES. I'D LIKE YOU TO ADDRESS. I APPRECIATE YOU HEARING THE CITIZENS. UH, YOU HAVE SOME SERIOUS ISSUES WITH YOUR SECURITY PROCEDURES, UH, AS WELL AS YOUR SECURITY OFFICER'S ACTIONS. UH, THERE ARE SOME POLICY ISSUES [00:40:01] THAT NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION. UH, ONE IS THAT YOUR OFFICERS, UH, HAVE ALL STATED THAT THEY BELIEVE IT IS THEIR DUTY TO TELL PEOPLE FILMING IN PUBLIC, THAT THEY NEED TO GET WRITTEN PERMISSION TO DO THAT. THAT IS NOT YOUR POLICY. UM, MS. BENEVIDEZ, RACHEL BENEVIDEZ, I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW WHO SHE IS. UH, GOT BACK WITH ME AND TOLD ME THAT IT'S NOT VIA POLICY, BUT YOUR SECURITY TEAM, UH, CONTINUES TO DO THAT. THAT RESTRICTS THE CITIZENS RIGHTS. UH, IT MAKES THE CITIZEN FEEL LIKE THEY ARE UNDER THREAT OF ARREST OR ABUSE. IF THEY DON'T DO THAT. WHEN IN FACT THE GUARDS STAND IT, THEY STATED THAT IT'S THEIR POLICY, BUT IT'S NOT VIAS POLICY. SO HOW DID IT BECOME THE GUARD'S POLICY TO DO THAT? UM, YOU HAVE MULTIPLE OFFICERS WHO'VE DONE THAT YOU HAVE VIA VEHICLES PARKING IN THE CENTRAL HUB AT NIGHT IN THE FIRE ZONE. THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR FOUR MONTHS. I'VE BEEN CONTINUALLY REPORTING IT TO PEACE OFFICERS. THEY TELL ME THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE EVEN IF THEY CITE THEM THAT THE CITY WILL DISMISS THE TICKET, WE ALL KNOW THAT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. IF SECURITY WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR VEHICLES, PARKING AND FIRE LANES, I'M SURE MY VOICE HERE, WE'LL GET BACK DOWN TO VEHICLE MAINTENANCE. AND THAT IS AT THE 1 23, UH, MEDINA HUB. AND AGAIN, IT HAPPENS EVERY NIGHT AND WHEN I TRUST YOUR EMPLOY, HE FLIPPED ME THE BIRD AND THEN WENT AND COMPLAINED YOUR SECURITY OFFICERS AND ASKED THEM TO THROW ME OFF THE PROPERTY. THAT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME. I WILL NOT TOLERATE THAT. I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T WANT IT. THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO MORE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. AND THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE ON TO [4. Consent Agenda] ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA. READY FOR A MOTION HAS BEEN MOVED. WE HAVE A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. HAS BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY. SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR. LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NAY. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED. ITEM FIVE, [5. Proposed January 2022 Service Revisions] PROPOSED JANUARY, 2022 SERVICE REVISIONS. MS. DIAZ, WELLS. YEAH, AFTERNOON SECRETARY BROWN AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UH, MY NAME IS MARTY SELLER. THE S WELL, SOME MANAGER OF SERVICE PLANNING. I'M HERE TODAY TO PROPOSE FOR ACTION AND DISCUSSION THE RETIREMENT OF NINE ROUTES AND EIGHT ROUTE SEGMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID. UH, SAME AS LAST WEEK, DR. LEE, ROY ALLOWAY, CHIEF GOVERNMENT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER WILL GIVE A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT UPDATE AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE HAVE PRESENTED THESE PROPOSED SERVICE RETIREMENTS TO YOU AS INFORMATION AND FOR DISCUSSION ONCE IN AUGUST AND TWICE IN NOVEMBER. AND THEN WE PRESENTED AGAIN LAST WEEK. UH, TODAY WE ARE ASKING YOU TO TAKE ACTION ON THE PROPOSED RETIREMENT OF NINE ROUTES AND A ROUTE SEGMENTS WITH AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF JANUARY 10TH, 2022. THESE ROUTES AND ROUTE SEGMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 19 MONTHS. UH, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WAS CONDUCTED DURING AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, AND NOVEMBER. AND AGAIN, DR. ALLOWAY WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE AT THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION. AND AS WITH EVERY SERVICE CHANGE, OUR CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM WILL EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, UH, PRECEDING THE EFFECTIVE DATE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THERE ARE SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION. WE'RE PROPOSING TO RETIRE NINE ROUTES AND EIGHT ROUTE SEGMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID. UM, SINCE APRIL, 2020, UM, THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION CONSIDERS THIS LENGTH OF TIME AS A PERMANENT, UH, SERVICE CHANGE TO THE NETWORK. SO WE MUST TAKE SOME ACTION, MEANING THAT THESE ROUTES SHOULD NOT STAY SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY. UH, THESE TYPES OF SERVICE CHANGES REQUIRE FOR APPROVAL, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY. AND WE ARE USING THE WORD RETIRE. AND TO CLARIFY WHAT THAT MEANS RETIRING AROUND MEANS THAT THE AREAS, THE ROUTES AND ROUTE SEGMENTS SERVED PRIOR TO COVID COULD BE CONSIDERED IN SUBSEQUENT SERVICE CHANGES. MOST OF THESE ROUTES HAD UNDERLYING ALTERNATE SERVICE BEFORE COVID THAT IS STILL ACTIVE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I WILL NOW REVIEW EACH OF THE NINE ROUTES THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT IN SERVICE THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR RETIREMENT AND BEGINNING WITH ROUTE 11 VIVA CULTURE. [00:45:01] UH, THIS IS ONE OF THREE VIVA ROUTES. IT WAS DESIGNED TO TRANSPORT TOURISTS FROM DOWNTOWN TO CULTURAL DESTINATIONS. THIS ROUTE HAD LIMITED WRITERS SHOULD BE FOR COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS IS ANOTHER, THE BEAVER ROUTES. ROUTE 40 VIVA PERMISSIONS WAS DESIGNED TO CONNECT DOWNTOWN TO SAN ANTONIO MISSIONS. UH, THE ROUTE HAD LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY FOR MUCH OF THE ROUTE AND THREE OF THE FIVE MISSIONS ARE SERVED TODAY, AND WE PLAN TO CONTINUE TO REEVALUATE THE SERVICE TO MISSION SAN JUAN AND MISSION SAN FRANCISCO DEVICE SPA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS IS A 3 0 1. UM, THE CENTRAL OPERATED AS A DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR AND THAT'S SERVICE POPULAR DOWNTOWN DESTINATIONS. UM, THERE'S ALTERNATE SERVICE AVAILABLE TODAY TO REACH THESE SAME DESTINATIONS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE'RE AT 16 JBSA FORT SAM HOUSTON EXPRESS OPERATED BETWEEN THE U S SO DOWNTOWN TO FORT SAM HOUSTON. AND IN SPEAKING TO THE BASE, THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT DEMAND AT THIS TIME THAT WOULD SUPPORT THIS SERVICE. AND IN ADDITION, THE USO, WHICH WAS THE PRIMARY DOWNTOWN DESTINATION HAS SINCE MOVED OUT OF DOWNTOWN AND RELOCATED ON BASE. AND THERE ARE NO PLANS TO RETURN TO DOWNTOWN. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE AGAIN, IN SPEAKING TO THE, OH, I'M SORRY, THIS IS ABOUT 65 JBSA LACKLAND EXPRESS. UM, AND IT OPERATED ALSO BETWEEN USO DOWNTOWN AT FORT SAM HOUSTON. AND IN SPEAKING TO THE BASE, THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT DEMAND AT THIS TIME THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE SERVICE AND THE USO IS NOW LOCATED ON BASE AND HAS NO PLANS TO RETURN TO DOWNTOWN. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ROUTE 48, I H 35 EXPRESS PROVIDED WEEKDAY PEAK SERVICE ONLY BETWEEN DOWNTOWN AND KINGS HILL. THIS ROUTE HAD VERY LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE. COVID NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, 54 SOUTH ALAMO OPERATED BETWEEN DOWNTOWN AND CULBERSON AVENUE NEAR SOUTH SOME WATER STREET. THIS ROUTE HAD LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, ROUTE 70, UH, CESAR CHAVEZ OPERATED BETWEEN LOS BAMA SHOPPING CENTER AND CENTRAL PLAZA. THIS ROUTE HAD LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE, 6 31 SUNRISE SUMMERFEST PROVIDED SERVICE BETWEEN RANDOLPH PARK AND RIDE AND SUNRISE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, THIS ROUTE HAD LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THAT COMPLETED THE NIGHT NINE ROUTE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THESE NEXT THREE SLIDES WE'LL COVER THE EIGHT ROUTE SEGMENTS. THIS LIGHT HAS THREE SEGMENTS THAT OPERATED AS BRANCHES DURING PEAK TIMES ONLY. THESE SEGMENTS INCLUDE 30 BRIGGS B EXTENSION TO CHINA GROVE AND ST. HEDWIG 36 SOUTH PRESA EXTENSION TO ELMENDORF 42 ROOSEVELT EXTENSION TO LOW SOYA. THE SEGMENTS EXPERIENCE LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID. AND THERE IS A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CURRENTLY UNDER EVALUATION THAT REQUESTS SOLUTIONS TO COVER THESE TRIPS IN THE FUTURE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, THE TWO SEGMENTS, ROUTE FOUR, EXTENSION FROM NORTH STAR TO BLOSSOM ACTIVITY CENTER AND A ROUTE FIVE 15 EXTENSION ON WALTERS. BOTH SEGMENTS HAD LIMITED RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID AND ALTERNATE SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TODAY. WE PLAN TO CONTINUE TO REEVALUATE SERVICE ON WALTERS AS THE WORKFORCE BECOMES AVAILABLE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, FOR THE FIRST TWO SEGMENTS ON THIS SLIDE, A 25 EAST COMMERCE ROUTE SEGMENT AT HONEY AND 26 MARTIN LUTHER KING ROUT SEGMENT AT ST. PHILLIPS. THERE IS ALTERNATE SERVICE AVAILABLE FOR 66 THAT ARE A ROUTE SEGMENT ON U S 90. THERE WAS ZERO RIDERSHIP BEFORE COVID NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS IS A SUMMARY OF ALL OF THE ROUTES AND ROUTE SEGMENTS AND FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, UH, WE ARE REQUESTING APPROVAL TO RETIRE SERVICE THAT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED SINCE APRIL 20, 20, UH, INCLUSIVE OF NINE ROUTES AND EIGHT ROUTE SEGMENTS FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF JANUARY 10TH, 2020 TO APPROVING THIS RECOMMENDATION WILL NOT IMPACT CURRENT VIA TRANS REGISTERED CLIENTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND, UH, DR. ALLOWAY, THANK YOU, MR. . UH, MR. SECRETARY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AS WE PROVIDE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF TIMES, WE PRESENTED THIS ITEM. WE DID START OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 21, UH, REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS, AS WELL AS NOTIFICATIONS SHARED WITH ALL OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT MEMBERS OR MISSILE MEMBER GOVERNMENTS. [00:50:04] UH, WE HAVE ALSO IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AT THE BOARD'S ENCOURAGEMENT PLACED NOTICES IN BOTH THE EXPRESS NEWS AND LA PRENSA ON THE WEEKENDS TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY THAT THESE ROUTES THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED FOR RETIREMENT HAVE ALSO NOT BEEN RUNNING FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS. UM, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED LAST WEEK, THE COMMENTS WE HAVE HAVE EITHER BEEN VERY LARGE IN NATURE, LOOKING AT THE SYSTEM OVERALL, OR VERY SPECIFIC IN THE CASE OF THE VIVA CENTRAL UNVIABLE CULTURAL ROUTE, BUT THESE ARE THE SAME COMMENTS WE'VE RECEIVED. UM, WE HAVE RECEIVED BACK IN AUGUST. AND SO WE ARE BRINGING THIS FORWARD FOR YOU TODAY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO MISTY AS WELL AS DR. LOE. ALL RIGHT, WELL, THANK YOU, DR. ALLOWAY. THANK YOU, MISTY, AS WELL AS A TRUSTEE COMO, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATIONS THAT Y'ALL HAVE MADE AND A MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT STAFF RECOMMENDATION. ALL RIGHT. AND HAS BEEN MOVED. WE ALSO HAVE TRUSTEE MODERN, ARE YOU, UH, QUESTIONING OR SECOND? YEAH, I WILL SECOND. AND, UM, THE, THE HAND WAS RAISED FOR A QUESTION. SO NOW THAT WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ENSURE THAT ALTHOUGH THE USO HAS CLOSED AND THERE'S NOT A NEED TO GO TO THE U S OH, THERE IS, I BELIEVE A NEED FOR PEOPLE ON BASE TO GO DOWNTOWN. SO THAT, THAT SOMEONE COORDINATE WITH SOMEONE FROM THE BASIS, THE POST IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICE TO MILITARY MEMBERS IN MILITARY CITY USA. SO, ALTHOUGH I CONCUR SINCE THIS ROUTE WAS ALREADY NOT BEING RUN, THE FACT THAT IT WAS ELIMINATED BECAUSE THERE'S NO USL, THERE, THERE IS A POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON POSTS WHOM STILL WOULD LOVE TO GO DOWNTOWN, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM ON VIA BUSES. SO WITH THAT, I HAVE SECONDED, UH, REVIEWED THE PROPOSAL AS, AS PRESENTED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MAREN. UH, IT HAS BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECOND TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED JANUARY 22 SERVICE REVISIONS. UM, ALL IN FAVOR BY SAYING, AYE, AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NAY. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE PROPOSED JANUARY SERVICE REVISIONS ARE APPROVED. ALL RIGHT, ITEM SIX. [6A. Election of Board Vice Chair] I AM GOING TO TURN THE MEETING OVER TO TRUSTEE COOPER WHO WILL PRESIDE OVER ITEM SIX, WHICH IS THE FIRST OR ITEM A OF ITEM SIX, WHICH IS OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES, ELECTION OF THE VICE CHAIR, MR. TRUSTEE COOPER. THANK YOU, SECRETARY BROWN. UM, I'M HONORED TO, UM, TO LEAD THIS PART OF OUR MEETING TODAY. SO THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS AGENDA ITEM SIX, A THE ELECTION OF THE BOARD, VICE CHAIR OF THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR ONE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2022, OR UNTIL HIS OR HER SUCCESSOR HAS BEEN ELECTED AND QUALIFIED TO HOLD OFFICE. THE NOMINATING PROCESS FOR THE ELECTION OF DIA'S BOARD, VICE CHAIR WAS INITIATED ON OCTOBER 25TH, 2021, PRESTIGE KING BROWN WAS NOMINATED AND EXPRESS INTEREST IN SERVING AS THE BOARD VICE CHAIR. ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR FOR BOARD VICE CHAIR? OKAY. THERE BEING NO FURTHER NOMINATIONS FOR THE BOARD. VICE CHAIR. MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO CLOSE THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE BOARD? VICE CHAIR. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND ALL IN FAVOR. AYE. ANY OPPOSED MR. TEMPORARY CHAIR? UH, BILL COOPER IN THE SPIRIT OF VOTING TWICE, I WOULD LIKE TO VOTE TWICE FOR A KEY BROWN. OKAY. WE'LL GET THAT PART IN A MINUTE. UH, THIS WAS JUST TO CLOSE THE, UH, THE POSITION. OKAY. SO NOW SINCE THE I'S HAVE IT, WE WILL NOW I'D LET THE BOARD VICE CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS PLEASE PREPARE FOR A ROLL CALL FOR THE ELECTION OF CANDIDATE, UH, KANE BROWN TO SERVE IN THE POSITION OF BOARDS OF BOARD VICE CHAIR. OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO DO A ROLL CALL. UM, WELL LET ME JUST SEE ONE HERE. I THINK THAT, LET ME, BEFORE WE DO THAT, IT'S THIS [00:55:01] ISN'T REQUIRED, BUT IF A KEEN IS BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE POSITION AS BOARD VICE CHAIR WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT, ANY COMMENTS TO THE BOARD, THIS WOULD BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME. I WOULD BRIEF YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING? I WOULD THANK YOU SO MUCH. TRUSTEE COOPER. UH, I WOULD BRIEFLY JUST STATE THAT I'M TRULY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THESE YEARS. HAVING SERVED WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, SOME OF YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE RECENT THAN OTHERS, BUT I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM, FROM EVERY ONE OF YOU. AND I'VE LEARNED THAT YOU ALL ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT TRANSIT. YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE CITY AND MEETING THE NEEDS OF YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, OTHER SAN ANTONIANS. AND SO I AM JUST GRATEFUL THAT YOU WILL BESTOW THIS HONOR BEFORE ME AND ALLOW ME TO SERVE YOU AS THE VICE CHAIR. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT CAME. THAT WAS GREAT. SO NOW WE WILL NOW LET THE BOARD VICE CHAIR BOARD MEMBERS PLEASE PREPARE FOR A ROLL CALL FOR THE ELECTION OF CANDIDATE AQUIN BROWN TO SERVE IN THE POSITION OF BOARD VICE CHAIR. SO I'LL START THE ROLL CALL WITH PRESTIGE YES. OKAY. TRUSTEE COMO. OKAY. TRUSTEE COOPER. WHAT DO YOU THINK? UH, TRUSTEE COOPER SAYS YES. TRUSTEE MATTHEWS. YES, YES, YES. TRUSTEE MARNE. IT IS A PRIVILEGE AND A DISTINCT HONOR TO CAST A SUBURBAN REPRESENTATIVE VOTE FOR TRUSTEE, HAKIM BROWN AS VICE CHAIR. THANK YOU, SIR. TRUST HIM ALONE. YES. TRUSTEE TWILL. YES. AND I GUESS WE GOT ASKED TRUSTEE BROWN WHAT HE THINKS TRUSTEE BROWN. YES. OKAY. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT TONIGHT. IS THAT CORRECT? IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY MORE BOARD MEMBERS? THAT'S CORRECT. MR. MR. CHAIR. THAT'S GREAT. OKAY. WELL NOW I CAN SAY MR. BROWN HAS MR. KIM BROWN HAS BEEN ELECTED BOARD, VICE CHAIR BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF PRESTIGE. CONGRATULATIONS OF KING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL TRULY DO. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM [6B. Election of Board Secretary] OF THE AGENDA, WHICH IS THE ELECTION OF BOARD SECRETARY. AND THIS IS TO ELECT A BOARD SECRETARY FOR THE TERM BEGINNING OF JANUARY 1ST, 2022 AND ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2022, UH, SORRY, 2022. I DON'T KNOW WHY I THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 23 AND WITH THAT, OR UNTIL HIS OR HER SUCCESSOR HAS BEEN ELECTED AND QUALIFIED TO HOLD OFFICE. THE NOMINATING PROCESS FOR THE ELECTION OF VEERS BOARD SECRETARY WAS INITIATED ON OCTOBER 25TH, 2021 TRUSTEE ETHYLENE MALONE WAS NOMINATED AND EXPRESSED INTEREST IN SERVING AS THE BOARD SECRETARY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR FOR THE BOARD SECRETARY BEING THAT THERE ARE NO FURTHER NOMINATIONS FROM THE BOARD SEC FROM THE FLOOR FOR THE BOARD SECRETARY, MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND TO CLOSE THE NOMINATIONS FOR BOARD SECRETARY HAS BEEN MOVED THEM PROPERLY SECOND. AND ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT REQUIRED, UH, IF THE NOMINEE FOR THE POSITION OF BOARD SECRETARY WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ANY COMMENTS TO THE BOARD THIS TIME AT THIS TIME, IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. TRUSTEE MALONE. DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS JUST TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME IN HOLDING THIS BOARD, UM, THIS OFFICER POSITION ON THE BOARD AS SECRETARY, I HAVE WORKED WITH MANY OF YOU, UH, FOR A WHILE NOW AND DESPITE ANYTHING, DESPITE ANY PROBLEMS OR WHATEVER, WE ALWAYS COME TO A CONSENSUS AND WE ALWAYS FIND A WAY, AND THAT IS WHAT I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THROUGHOUT THE REST OF OUR TERMS. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE NOMINATION. THANK YOU, TRUSTEE MALONE. WE WILL NOW ELECT THE BOARD SECRETARY BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE PREPARE FOR A ROLL CALL FOR THE ELECTION OF THE CANDIDATE. TRUST THE ATHELETE MALONE TO SERVE IN THE POSITION OF BOARD SECRETARY TRUSTEE, COMO, PROBABLY SUPPORT ATHLETE FOR THIS POSITION. TRUSTEE COOPER. ABSOLUTELY. WHEN MY HONOR, UM, I SAY YES, TRUST THE CAMPANIA. [01:00:01] YES, TRUSTEE MODERN AS A FORMER SECRETARY OF THIS BOARD. IT IS A GREAT HONOR TO, UH, TO VOTE FRANKLIN AND TRUSTEE MATTHEWS AND TRUSTEE TO WELL, YES. AND SECRETARY BROWN SAYS, YES. WELL, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. TRUSTING MALONE. I AM REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU AS OUR SECRETARY WITH THAT. WE WILL HAVE, WE HAVE ELECTED OUR BOARD SECRETARY BY MAJORITY VOTE BY THE VIA BOARD OR THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES. AGAIN. CONGRATULATIONS, SECRETARY MALONE. THANK YOU. OKAY. DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING MISS ELDER FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, THE LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR? WE DO NOT. IT IS THE LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR. AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WANT TO SAY TO YOU ALL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THOSE ARE TWO MOST UNUSED WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS TO UTILIZE IN YOUR SERVICE TO THIS COMMUNITY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. THIS, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN TOUGH LIKE THE YEAR BEFORE IN THE YEAR BEFORE THAT IT JUST KEEPS GETTING TOUGHER, BUT YOU GUYS KEEP WORKING AND WORKING HARDER. AND SO AS A, AS A COLLEAGUE AND AS A PEER, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND WISH YOU ALL A GREAT, GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. AND WITH THAT, WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN HAS BEEN MOVED. WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND IT'S BEEN MOVED DOWN TO THE HOLIDAYS. WE WILL PROBABLY SECOND TO ADJOURN ALL IN FAVOR AS BE KNOWN BY SAYING, AYE, AYE, ANY NAYS OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS? WE ARE ADJOURNED. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE GRADUATIONS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.