[00:00:01]
[ATD 1. Call to Order]
ATD BOARD MEETING.PRESENT ASSISTANT SECRETARY COOPER.
ALRIGHT, NEXT THING IS WE'RE GOING TO
[ATD 2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements]
STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THE US TEXAS FLAG.I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
I PLEDGE A WITNESS TO BE TEXAS.
ONE STATE, STATE UNDER GOD AND ONE BE INDIVISIBLE.
UH, WE HAVE, LET'S SEE, ATD, RIGHT? YEAH.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? I HAVE NO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR MEETING.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD FOR THE ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT? WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
[ATD 4. Consent Agenda]
AGENDA ITEM TRUSTEES.ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MOVE ADOPTION.
THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVED.
MS. ELDERS, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR, WE DO NOT.
WE'LL REACH THE END OF OUR MEETING.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING? SO, OKAY, SECOND.
[1. Call to Order]
AND I'D LIKE TO CALL THE ORDER THE OCTOBER 24TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES.[3. President/CEO Report]
ITEM TWO PRESIDENT AND CEO REPORT, MR. ARN.I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO, UH, BEGIN A MEETING WITH ANNOUNCING OUR STARS OF THE QUARTER AND THIS, THIS MONTH, OUR OPERATORS OF THE QUARTER.
SO WE HAVE TWO, UH, THIS MONTH WE RECOGNIZE PART, PART-TIME, RETIRED BUS OPERATOR, LARRY TORRES.
LARRY, ARE YOU HERE? IF YOU'D STAND, THERE WE GO.
SO GENTLEMEN, I'M GONNA READ A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU AND WE'LL DO A PICTURE WITH YOU AND THE BOARD, UH, AS, AS I COMPLETE THE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
IT WON'T BE THAT LONG, I PROMISE YOU COULD, BUT YOU CAN BE SEATED FOR NOW.
SO LARRY'S BEEN PART OF THE VIA FAMILY SINCE 1981 AND HAS PROVIDED SAFE AND DEPENDABLE SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS FOR 42 YEARS.
HE'S DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP IN THE AREAS OF SAFETY, ATTENDANCE, AND QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE.
RICHARD HAS BEEN SERVING VIA HIS PARATRANSIT COMMUNITY SINCE 1994.
SO BOTH VERY SEASONED OPERATORS.
HE IS TO BE COMMITTED FOR BEING EXAMPLE TO ALL IN HIS DEDICATION TO PROVIDE FRIENDLY AND SAFE TRANSPORTATION TO OUR PATRONS.
SO LARRY AND RICHARD, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU BOTH ON BEHALF OF THE STAFF, THE BOARD, AND OUR CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND LIKE I SAID, WE'LL HAVE YOU COME UP FOR FOR A PHOTOGRAPH, UH, SHORTLY.
SO THIS EVENING WE HAVE SEVERAL NEW MEMBERS OF THE VIA FAMILY TO INTRODUCE.
I WILL START WITH SUSAN TAYLOR.
SHE WAS RECENTLY HIRED FOR THE POSITION OF PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE MAINTENANCE DIVISION.
IN THIS CRITICAL ROLE, SHE'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AS THEY SAY, MYRIAD ESSENTIAL TASKS RANGING FROM TRACKING AND REPORTING OUT OF ALL DIVISION PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS, TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH STAFF ON DEVELOPMENT AND FINAL PRESENTATIONS FOR ALL BOARD AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT ITEMS. SO SHE'S IMPORTANT, VERY IMPORTANT TO THE BOARD BECAUSE SHE'S
[00:05:01]
GONNA BE THE ONE WORKING ON PROVIDING THE INFORMATION.UH, SHE HOLDS A CERTIFICATE IN PROJECT ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT AND IS PURSUING A BACHELOR'S OF ART DEGREE.
WELCOME ALSO TO DANIEL AL, OUR NEW MANAGER OF STRATEGIC PLANNING.
DANIEL HOLDS A MASTER'S DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING AND HAS MORE THAN TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELDS OF COMPREHENSIVE AND STRATEGIC PLANNING, URBAN DESIGN, TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT.
UH, HE BRINGS VALUABLE SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF QUARTER PLANNING, TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, LAND USE AMENDMENTS, AND MUCH MORE.
LESLIE CHASNOFF HAS JOINED THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM AS INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR.
IN HER ROLE, LESLIE WILL LEAD US IN BUILDING A ROBUST INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM THAT WILL BETTER CONNECT, INFORM, AND ENGAGE OUR EMPLOYEES WITH NEWS AND INFORMATION ABOUT VIAS PROGRAMS, INITIATIVES, SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY AND EACH OTHER.
LESLIE HOLDS A BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN COMMUNICATIONS, DIANE FROM TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY AND HAS A WEALTH OF DIVERSE EXPERIENCE SPANNING TECH, THE ARTS AND GOVERNMENT.
SO WELCOME ABOARD LESLIE THIS YEAR.
OKAY, THIS YEAR'S VIA EMPLOYEE ART EXHIBIT MARKED THE 11TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE ARTISTIC TALENTS OF VIA EMPLOYEES, RETIREES, AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.
IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL ARTS PROGRAM, THE EMPLOYEE ART EXHIBIT HAS SHOWCASED MORE THAN 1400 PIECES, SPANNING A DECADE OF ART.
THIS YEAR'S BEST OF SHOW WINNER IS SHOP REPAIRMAN AND PAINTER MARIO QUINTANILLA.
AND THERE'S MARIO AND HIS WORK, UH, WITH HIS SCULPTURE TITLED ULAS LOVE A FOND TRIBUTE TO THEIR FAMILY PET MARIO HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE ART EXHIBIT FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS, HAVING WON FIRST PLACE LAST YEAR WITH HIS COLLECTION OF VIA ACTION FIGURES, WHICH ARE, LET ME JUST SAY EXTREMELY MEMORABLE.
I
THE JUDGES FROM THE UTSA SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ARTS WERE SO IMPRESSED BY MARIO'S ENTRY LAST YEAR THAT INSPIRED A NEW CLASS AT UTSA SOUTHWEST CALLED CUSTOM ACTION FIGURES, WHICH THEIR YOUTH PARTICIPANTS HAVE EMBRACED.
MARIO'S NOW INSPIRED A NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS AND HAS DEMONSTRATED THE REACH THAT VIAS ART EXHIBIT HAS ON OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW IF MARIO'S HERE, OH, WELL, MARIO, CONGRATULATIONS.
UH, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COME THROUGH THE GRAND TO TAKE A LOOK AT AT THE ART EXHIBIT AND EVERYONE IS IMMEDIATELY DRAWN TO YOUR PIECE.
I'M PROUD TO SHARE THAT VIA HAS ACHIEVED A RECERTIFICATION TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OR ESMS AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.
ESMS PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES ALLOW US TO ANALYZE, CONTROL, AND REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF VIAS, ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES, WHILE OPERATING WITH GREATER EFFICIENCY AND CONTROL.
THE PROGRAM BENEFITS ARE MANY, INCLUDING IMPROVED EMPLOYEE AWARENESS AND RISK IDENTIFICATION CAPABILITY, REINFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES IN PLACE, PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT OF ANY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, COST SAVINGS THROUGH REDUCED CONSUMPTION OF MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES, AND THE REDUCTION IN WASTE EMISSION OF POLLUTANTS, ALL FOR THE GOOD.
SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING AND CONGRATULATING VIAS FLEET AND FACILITY TEAM, UH, SAM MARA, DARIEN LOWRY, AND THEN THE PEOPLE WHO DID THE REAL WORK.
KEVIN SCOTT AND, AND ELLEN, A ARWINE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT.
IF YOU'RE OUT THERE, PLEASE STAND UP.
WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE A MEMBER OF OUR TEAM SELECTED TO REPRESENT VIA IN THE SOUTH TEXAS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP, LEAD SOUTH PROGRAM WEBSITE AND DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER, RAUL A FLORES.
WE'VE SEEN HIM AROUND QUITE A BIT, RIGHT? HAS BEEN ACCEPT ACCEPTED INTO THIS PROGRAM, WHICH WAS FORMED TO CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS TO STUDY THE CHANGING DYNAMICS OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
BUILD STRONGER TIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND WORK TOGETHER TO ENHANCE ITS FUTURE.
DURING THE EIGHT MONTH PROGRAM, LEAD SOUTH PARTICIPANTS ARE EXPOSED TO A WIDE ARRAY
[00:10:01]
OF VENUES, KNOWLEDGEABLE SPEAKERS, AND EDUCATIONAL TOURS.PARTICIPANTS DEVELOP GREATER PERSONAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS TO USE AND TAKE BACK TO THEIR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT AND THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
RAUL, ARE YOU OUT? RAUL, IF YOU'D STAND HE'S NOT HERE.
WELL, WE'RE STILL PROUD OF YOU, RAUL, IF YOU'RE WATCHING
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LEADING IN PUBLIC TRANSIT.
THE PANEL FEATURED LEADERS ON THE SUBJECT, INCLUDING OUR OWN BOARD SECRETARY ATLE MALONE.
THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE IMPORTANT AND KEY TO KEEPING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROVIDERS INFORMED AND ENGAGED WITH THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
VIA AS PROUD TO PROVIDE OVER 1 MILLION VIA TRANS PARATRANSIT TRIPS PER YEAR AND OFFER SPECIAL SERVICES AND AMENITIES TO THOSE WITHIN THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OFFERS SAFE, RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE CONNECTIONS TO PLACES AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER MOST TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
MORE THAN THAT, IT OFFERS A MEAN OF MEANS OF INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM THROUGH MOBILITY.
SO THANK YOU SECRETARY MALONE FOR REPRESENTING US WELL AND HELPING TO EDUCATE OUR INDUSTRY.
I KNOW IT'S NOT FAIR TO DO THIS AT DINNERTIME, BUT WE'RE GONNA TALK NOW ABOUT GRILLS GIVING CONGRATULATIONS TO THE KEEP SA GRILLING TEAM, NUMBER ONE AND TEAM NUMBER TWO WHO CAP, WHO CAPTURED FIRST AND THIRD PLACE OVERALL IN THE CHICKEN CATEGORY AT THE ANNUAL CPS ENERGY GRILLS GIVING CHALLENGE ON SATURDAY.
THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR IN THE COMPETITION.
UH, THE BARBECUE COOKOFF VOLUNTEER TEAMS COMPETING IN THE COMMUNITY-WIDE EVENT HELP SUPPORT THE REAP UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH UTILITY BILLS.
SO THE GREEN INCLU, THE, THE GRILLING TEAM INCLUDED LESLIE BLAYLOCK, TRAMMELL BROWN, BRAD DAVIS, LESTER JOHNS, TOMMY JOHNS, JOE POLITO, P PALEO, AND ALBERT TOVAR.
AND I KNOW SEVERAL ARE HERE, SO PLEASE AND ALBERT STANDING ALREADY STAND.
THE UH, THIS ALSO WAS A DEBUT OF GRILLING, WHICH IS A CUSTOM BUILT 14 FOOT GRILL FASHIONED AFTER OUR NEW GIL GIL EGG BUSES.
AND I HAD ACPS EMPLOYEE WHO TOLD ME THAT THEY WISHED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A, AN AWARD FOR THE BEST GRILL, TO WHICH I SAID WE'LL CREATE ONE.
UH, THIS CREATION IS A TRUE TEAM EFFORT BY VIAS MAINTENANCE TEAM WHO DESIGNED AND BUILT THIS GRILL FROM SURPLUS AND REUSE, REUSE MATERIALS.
THE RESULTS OF THIS RESOURCEFUL VISION ARE REALLY PHENOMENAL.
WE'RE EYE-CATCHING DEFINITELY THE MOST EYE-CATCHING SETUP UP ON, ON ON THE, UH, FACILITY ON SATURDAY.
WE KNOW THE FULL TEAM COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT, BUT WE'RE PLANNING TO AWARD EVERYBODY WITH A RECOGNITION CEREMONY IN THE COMING DAYS.
THE GRILLING WILL BE USED FOR EMPLOYEE EVENTS AT THE BUS VAN MAINTENANCE RODEO, VARIOUS EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION AND RECOGNITION EVENTS, AS WELL AS CUSTOMER COMMUNITY FACING EVENTS MOVING FORWARD.
HASHTAG TEAM VIA IS EXCITED TO BE A SUPPORTING PARTNER OF HASHTAG GRILLS.
GIVING REAP IS THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, BEXAR COUNTY AND CPS AND OUR MONEY HELPS, HELPS ADD TO THAT, THAT FUNDING.
UM, SO AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM.
I JUDGE CHICKEN AND I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING.
I NEVER REALIZED HOW DIFFERENT CHICKEN CAN TASTE
NO, THERE WERE EIGHT DISTINCT KINDS OF CHICKEN AND LESLIE BLAYLOCK HAD THE BEST IN THE BUNCH.
ALL I KNOW IS LESLIE SAT THERE AT HER GRILL AND SAID, I JUST DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS GONNA BE ANY GOOD.
AND THEN SHE TOOK FIRST PLACE
ALRIGHT, WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER WINNING CONGRATULATIONS TO V'S.
OFFICIAL MASCOT BUSTER THE BUS FOR TAKING FIRST PLACE IN THE INAUGURAL FIESTA SAN ANTONIO TASTE OF FIESTA CITYWIDE MASCOT DANCE OFF ON SATURDAY.
[00:15:03]
BUSTER WALTZED AWAY WITH THE DISCO BALL TROPHY PROVING VIA BUSES REALLY KNOW HOW TO MOVE.TO QUOTE THE EVENT, MC MICHAEL QUINTANILLA THE TROPHY WENT TO THE MASCOT WITH THE FASTEST FEET IN THE WEST WITH A GYRATING HIPS THAT CAN, CAN RIVAL THE SPIN OF CYCLE ON YOUR WASHING MACHINE AND WITH A BOOGIE THAT KNOWS HOW TO WOOGIE.
UH, AND I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT.
UH, WHILE BUSTER COULD NOT BE HERE TONIGHT AT 43 YEARS OLD, A DANCE OF A NIGHT OF DANCING REQUIRES A WEEK OF RECOVERY.
SO PERHAPS NEXT MONTH HE CAN WANDER BY, BUT WE DO THANK HIM AND SEND HIM CONGRATULATIONS FOR THIS WELL EARNED AWARD AND KEEP ON DANCING BUSTER, I'M GONNA CLOSE OUT, UH, WITH AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR VIA AND OUR ONGOING MISSION TO CONNECT OUR COMMUNITIES AND TO CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITIES AND THEIR MEMBERS WHO SELFLESSLY SERVE ALONGSIDE OF US.
TODAY WE THANK THE MEMBERS OF THE VIA TRANSIT COMMUNITY COUNCIL VTCC AND RECOGNIZED THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND A CONFIDENCE THROUGHOUT THE CURRENT COUNCIL SESSION THAT BEGAN IN 2020.
THE VTCC BROUGHT TOGETHER TRANSIT ENTHUSIASTS, ADVOCATES, AND CHAMPIONS TO MOBILIZE A VOLUNTEER EFFORT THAT SERVED IN A RECIPROCAL CAPACITY TO HELP INFORM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT VIAS PROGRAMS, OUR SERVICES, OUR INITIATIVES, WHILE COLLECTING AND REPORTING IMPORTANT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK QUESTIONS AND SEND 'EM OUT ABOUT THOSE ACTIVITIES.
INVESTMENTS COUNCIL MEMBERS MET TO DISCUSS AND PRIORITIZE ISSUES AND TOPICS THAT HELPED INFORM CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.
THEY ORGANIZED OUTREACH PLANS TO HELP ENGAGE PEOPLE ON BROAD TOPICS, INCLUDING THE KEEP SA MOVING PLAN.
AND THEY SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH STAFF AND BOARD.
AND OF COURSE, THE KEEP SA MOVING PLAN WAS BEHIND THE, THE PLAN ITSELF WAS WHAT WAS BEHIND THE SUCCESSFUL VOTE IN NO NOVEMBER OF 2020 TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO US BEGINNING IN 2026.
SO WE HAVE WITH US TODAY DAX MORENO, WHO SERVED AS THE B-T-C-B-T-C-C CHAIR, AND PAULO FERNANDEZ FROM UTCC ALSO IS PRESENT LENDING EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE TO THIS DYNAMIC GROUP.
SO AS THE LEADER, DAX, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
WE HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BE A, A CHANCE A CHAMPION, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO HOPE 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL AND WE NEED PARTNERS LIKE YOU TO KEEP US MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
AS THIS COUNCIL SESSION CLOSES, WE'RE MOVING TOWARD THE REIMAGINED COUNCIL, THE COMMUNITY TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING FROM WHICH WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS THROUGH THE, UH, OCTOBER 27TH.
SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THAT COUNCIL, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE@KEEPSAMOVING.COM SLASH COMMUNITY TO APPLY TO SERVE ON THE COUNCIL THAT IS DEDICATED TO INFORMING AND ENGAGED IN COMMUNITY ON PLANS AND PROGRAMS OF VIA KEEP SA MOVING PLAN.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA ASK THE BOARD, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL DO A, UH, AND DEX IF YOU'LL COME FORWARD, WE'LL DO A PICTURE WITH DEX AND THEN WE'LL DO A PICTURE WITH OUR TWO STAR OPERATORS, LARRY TORRES AND RICHARD SEGOVIA.
BEFORE WE GO, I JUST WANT TO FIRST, FIRST THANK, UH, MR. TORRES AND RICHARD SEGOVIA FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO FOR VIA, UH, AS I'VE ALWAYS SAID, YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES ON THE FRONT LINE MEETING OUR CUSTOMERS AND AND YOU'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE VIA GREAT.
UH, AND TO EVERYBODY ELSE THAT WAS RECOGNIZED TODAY, THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE TEAM AND BEING PART OF THE TEAM.
UH, WE HOPE YOU HAVE SUCCESS IN WHATEVER YOU DESIRE TO DO.
[00:22:37]
DAX.I, UH, DAX, I'D LIKE TO OFFER YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME UP AND, AND SPEAK BRIEFLY TO THE BOARD ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND SO THAT WE CAN BE SURE WE FULLY RECOGNIZE YOU.
A LITTLE IMPROMPTU, BUT, UH, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER WITH THE VTCC.
IT WAS, UH, CHALLENGING AT TIMES, STARTING RIGHT, KIND OF RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT, UH, A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE GOT BROUGHT TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WERE SEEING IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND, UH, I THINK TO A PERSON, THE VTCC FELT VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT THEY HAD A VOICE AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEND THEMSELVES WHAT THEY WERE HEARING FROM THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, AND THE OTHER FOLKS AROUND THEM TO TALK ABOUT WHAT VIA TRANSIT SERVICES SERVICES MEAN TO THEM COULD MEAN TO THEM.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP THAT.
SO, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF BRINGING US TOGETHER TO WORK ON THAT AND ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF, UM, THE, THE FUNDING THAT WE'RE ALL TRYING TO GET TO FOR THE FUTURE OF VN FOR SAN ANTONIO TRANSIT, UH, CITIZENS.
[4. Citizens to be Heard]
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS REGISTERED TO SPEAK? MR. CHAIR? WE HAVE FIVE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
UH, LET ME READ THIS STATEMENT THEN.
WE HAVE NOW COME TO THE CITIZEN BUREAU PORTION OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING.
THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN HEARING THE COMMENTS AND CONCERNS FROM OUR PATRONS AND CITIZENS IN SAN ANTONIO BARD COUNTY AREA.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT AND CEO AND OUR STAFF.
THE PROCESS, THIS PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVED THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR REQUEST AS OUR CONCERN.
AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE WITH US TODAY.
[00:25:33]
GOOD AFTERNOON.MR. REYES VIA BOARD, MR. ARN AND VIA STAFF.
MY NAME IS DAVID BENAVIDES, PRESIDENT OF THE ATU 6 9 4 RETIRED CHAPTER.
WITH ME, WE HAVE SYLVIA ENRIQUE, EEO RETIRED OFFICER, AND WE ALSO HAVE WILLIE HERNANDEZ.
HE'S OUR SECOND VICE PRESIDENT.
I MEAN, I'M FIRST VICE PRESIDENT.
FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE VIA BOARD, MR. ARNT AND VIA STAFF FOR KEEPING THE HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUM STABLE FOR TWO YEARS, 23 AND 24.
SECONDLY, WE AS RETIREES APPRECIATE VERY MUCH YOUR VIA BUDGET APPROVAL OF A ONE-TIME SUPPLEMENT OF 3.5% OF OUR ANNUAL PENSION.
WE ARE THANKFUL THAT THE SUPPLEMENT WILL BE INCLUDED IN OUR NOVEMBER 1ST CHECK.
IN CONCLUSION, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THESE ACTIONS FOR VIA RETIREES.
IT'S REALLY GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Y'ALL HAVE YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING RIGHT, MS. SYLVIA ENRIQUEZ? UH, GOOD AFTERNOON VIA BOARD CHAIR MR. FERNANDEZ REYES.
JEFF ARN, PRESIDENT CEO, DEPUTY CEO, TREMMEL BROWN, AND VIA MANAGEMENT TEAM.
I AM SYLVIA RODRIGUEZ VIA RETIREE WITH 40 AND A HALF YEARS OF SAN ANTONIO TRANSIT AND VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SERVICE.
FURTHER, I HAVE 10 YEARS AND SIX MONTHS OF RETIREMENT.
I DO NOT REPRESENT ANY GROUPS OR ORGANIZATION, BUT I SPEAK THIS AFTERNOON ON BEHALF OF ALL THE RETIREES TODAY, I AM HERE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU FOR YOUR LISTENING AND WORKING WITH US, WITH EACH OF YOU AND WITH US SINCE 2017.
SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN WITH US SINCE TILL TODAY.
AND PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS ALSO AND CHAIRS LIKE HOPE ANDRA.
SHE ASSISTED US AT THE BEGINNING IN 2017 FOR ASSISTING US AND ADVISING US TO CONTINUE OUR PASSION TO HELP ALL VIA RETIREES, PLUS MANY EMPLOYEES STILL INVESTING THEIR DOLLARS TO THE DEFINED BENEFIT RETIREMENT PLAN.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF SOME OF OUR ACTION ITEMS. THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO 2024 PUBLICLY.
I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE RETIREE TEAM AND VIA A STAFF THAT MADE 2023 A SUCCESSFUL YEAR.
DAVID BEDA, ATU RETIREE PRESIDENT AND HIS OFFICERS, WILLIE HERNANDEZ, JUAN HUERTA AND ANDREW AVILA.
AND, AND MEMBERSHIP, PREVIOUS PRESIDENT ALSO OF THE ATU RETIREE GROUP.
AND THEIR OFFICERS ALSO ALONGSIDE WITH ADMINISTRATION MYSELF, IS YOGI CRUZ.
SHE WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND TODAY THE MEETING.
SHE'S A RETIREE ALSO OF ADMINISTRATION SIDE, FORMALLY THE VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES ALSO.
FURTHERMORE, AND LASTLY IS VIA STAFF MEMBERS THAT HELPED US A LOT DURING THE 2023 DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD.
KATHY DE YOUNG, YVETTE VASOS, LAUREN HERRERA, MARCUS PEOPLES, CHARLES GUTIERREZ, JEFF ARN, TRAMELL BROWN, JOHN, GARY HERRA, AND MANY OTHER VIA EMPLOYEES.
I THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL.
UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, VIA BOARD.
UH, I PUT 39 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH, UH, VIA AS A BUS OPERATOR.
I AM CURRENTLY THE VICE PRESIDENT OF, UH, AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION, 6 9 4 RETIREE CHAPTER.
WITHIN THE PAST YEAR, I'VE BUMPED INTO A LOT OF, UH, PAST, UH, BOARD MEMBERS FROM VIA BOARD MEMBERS.
AND I'VE SPOKEN TO THEM ABOUT OUR MEETINGS WITH Y'ALL AND, UM, JUST AS, AS THEY AS Y'ALL DO ARE DOING, THEY, THEY WOULD LISTEN TO US AND JUST LIKE Y'ALL DID, YOU LISTENED TO US.
[00:30:01]
AND, AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.AND AS JEFF SAID A COUPLE OF TIMES, UH, EARLIER IN THE MEETING, HE MENTIONED THE WORD FAMILY.
AND THIS IS WHAT, WHAT VIA IS ALL ABOUT.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH FUTURE BOARDS.
WE THANK YOU AND WE THANK THE PAST BOARDS.
AND ELIA ENRIQUE SAYS THERE'S SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITHIN THE VIA FAMILY THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH THANKS FOR, FOR HELPING US ALONG.
AND UH, AGAIN, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HELLO, UH, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE SPACE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY.
I AM AN ORGANIZER WITH THE PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION.
UM, I COME TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE CONCERNS AND THE DEMANDS FROM THE COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING THE SCOBY COMPLEX, WHICH YOU'VE RECENTLY ACQUIRED.
I'VE PERSONALLY GONE THROUGH THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND TALKED TO THESE PEOPLE.
UM, SO I WANNA BRING, GIVE THEM, UH, REPRESENTATION HERE.
THE WAITING LIST FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING CURRENTLY STANDS AT 98,000 FAMILIES, A NUMBER THAT HAS TRIPLED FROM PRE PANDEMIC NUMBERS.
MEANWHILE, WE CONTINUE TO SEE PRIVATE OR PRIVATE SLASH PUBLIC DEVELOPMENTS THAT ONLY OFFER MARKET RATE HOUSING A RATE THAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE TO MANY WORKING CLASS FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO.
RECENT PARTNERSHIP WITH DREAM ON TO BUILD WHAT YOU ARE CALLING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLE OF A HOUSING SCAM THAT DOES NOT SERVE THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THE WEST SIDE SPECIFICALLY, THUS SURROUNDING THE OLD SCOPEY COMPLEX.
THE QUESTION FROM THE COMMUNITY IS THIS.
IF VIA HAS ALREADY PURCHASED THE PROPERTY, WHY NOT DIRECTLY GIVE BACK TO THOSE COMMUNITIES WHOSE MONEY YOU USED TO PURCHASE PRIVATE PROPERTY IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHY NOT PRO? WHY NOT PARTNER WITH OPPORTUNITY HOME SAN ANTONIO OPPORTUNITY HOME CAN BUILD A PUBLIC HOUSING COMPLEX THAT WILL SERVE LOW INCOME AND WORKING CLASS PEOPLE.
THE WEST SIDE DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER GENTRIFIED DEVELOPMENT TO BRING IN WEALTHY PEOPLE FROM OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY, OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, AND PUSH THEM OUT.
AT THE SEPTEMBER 9TH STAKEHOLDERS MEETING, THE COMMUNITY SPOKE, UH, UP ABOUT THE URGENT NEED FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, HEALTHCARE, CHILDCARE OPTIONS TO NAME A FEW OTHER PRIORITIES WE HEARD ABOUT IS VIA GOING TO LISTEN TO THOSE COMMUNITIES OF THE WEST SIDE IS VIA GOING TO LISTEN TO THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THIS PROJECT.
THE COMMUNITIES OF THE WEST SIDE ARE WAITING, WAITING FOR ANOTHER STAKEHOLDER'S MEETING AS WAS PROMISED.
IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO MONTHS SINCE THE LAST MEETING AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO UPDATES.
THE 98,000 FAMILIES ON THE WAIT LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING DO NOT HAVE MONTHS TO WAIT.
THE KOPY COMPLEX HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERVE THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY IN A ZIP CODE WITH MANY VERY LOW INCOME RESIDENTS.
SOME BE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.
INSTEAD OF SERVING THOSE LOOKING TO MAKE PROFIT OF A COMPLEX PAID FOR WITH TAXPAYER MONEY, THE COMMUNITIES OF THE WEST SIDE DEMAND TO BE LISTENED TO AND THAT VIA CANCEL THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH DREAM ON TURNS THE SCPI PROJECT INTO A 100% PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT.
UM, I GREW UP IN THE IMPOVERISHED COLONIALS OF STARK COUNTY AND NOW I AM A PROUD SAN ANTONIAN AND I WORK IN THE FIELDS OF RESEARCH AND ANALYTICS.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I LOVE MY COMMUNITY AND I BELIEVE YOU LOVE IT TOO.
I'M ALSO AN ORGANIZER WITH THE PARTY FOR SOCIALISM AND LIBERATION.
AND I AM HERE TO ASK YOU TO REALLY STOP AND REEVALUATE YOUR FEASIBILITY AND PROJECTION STUDIES.
AND THIS TIME USE MORE EVIDENCE-BASED MEASUREMENTS WITH REAL WORLD, WORLD TESTED APPROACHES AND ASSIGN VALUE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE LIVES THAT WILL BE DISPLACED FROM THIS PROJECT.
YOU HAVE A GREAT PLAN ON PAPER, BUT THE NUMBERS ARE VERY MISLEADING.
AND THE APPROACHES PRIORITIZE HYPOTHETICAL EXCESS PROFITS AT THE COST OF HUMAN AND COMMUNITY DISPLACEMENT.
MULTI-DECADE MULTI-DECADE EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT HELPING ROOTED COMMUNITIES AND CREATING STABILITY FOR FAMILIES CREATES REAL LONG-TERM VALUE IN CITIES.
[00:35:01]
DATA THAT IS, THAT USES EXTREMELY OUTDATED METHODOLOGIES TO PRODUCE NUMBERS THAT ARE THREE TIMES THAT OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.USING THESE NUMBERS GUARANTEES DISPLACEMENT.
ANOTHER WORD FOR IT IS GENTRIFICATION.
WHY WOULD WE USE THESE NUMBERS WHEN WE HAVE MORE LOCAL AND COMPREHENSIVE DATA THAT WILL GIVE YOU BETTER RESULTS WITH THE COMMUNITY YOU WANNA WORK WITH? ALSO, BRINGING IN RICHER PEOPLE DOES NOT MAGICALLY MAKE EVERYONE RICHER.
THE ONLY REASON THIS HAPPENS IS NUMBERS, IS BECAUSE THE FAMILIES THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE THERE ARE EVENTUALLY LOSE THEIR HOMES.
ANECDOTALLY, IT WASN'T RICH NEIGHBORS THAT HELPED ME BREAK OUT OF POVERTY.
IT WAS STABLE HOUSING, IT WAS FOOD, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, AND IT WAS, UH, LIVABLE WAGES AND SUPPORT.
YOU COULD STILL MAKE A PROFIT WHILE PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
YOU COULD STILL MAKE A PROFIT BY PROVIDING PUBLIC HOUSING.
YOU CAN CREATE LONG-TERM VALUE IN YOUR COMMUNITIES BY USING LOCAL INCOME AFFORDABILITY METRICS.
IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY, YOU SHOULD CHOOSE EVIDENCE-BASED AND ETHICAL VALUE CREATION OVER THE SPECULATIVE EXCESS PROFITS THAT ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO MATERIALIZE, BUT THEY ARE GUARANTEED TO DISPLACE THE FAMILIES IN THE WEST SIDE.
THAT ENDS CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
[5. Consent Agenda]
FIVE, CONSENT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS AN ACTION ITEM.TRUSTEES, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MOVE ADOPTION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
[6. Production and Installation of Navilens Signs]
ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS, UH, MR. FLORES AND MS. S WILL NOW PRESENT ITEM SIX, PRODUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF NCE SIGNS.MR. CHAIR, I HAD ASKED THAT THIS BE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA LAST WEEK.
UH, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S A NECESSITY FOR, UH, UH, FOR A PRESENTATION ON IT, BUT I DO WANT TO INTRODUCE PEOPLE WHO WERE, ARE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, IF THEY COULD COME FORWARD.
UM, AND I DO WANNA THANK ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN PROCUREMENT AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHO WERE VERY, VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING THIS DETERMINATION.
WHEN I SAW THE PROCUREMENT ITEM MONTHS AGO, I POINTED IT OUT TO MY FRIEND, MY EX BROTHER MEMBER OF MY CHURCH, JOHN BRITTON, THE GENTLEMAN WITH THE WHITE HAIR HERE.
HE'S THE FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY BEING RECOMMENDED AS A LOW BIDDER.
I DID NOT KNOW IF HE WOULD BE INTERESTED, BUT HE THOROUGHLY, HE THOUGHTFULLY COSTED OUT AND PRESENTED WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE LOWEST OF THE SEVEN REPRESENTATIVE RESPONSIVE BIDS.
HIS COMPANY'S REPUTATION IS SUCH THAT OTHER FIRMS WANTED TO PARTNER WITH HIM ON THIS PROJECT.
I WANT YOU TO MEET JOHN BRITTON, RETIRED FROM THE ARMY AS A LIEUTENANT COLONEL, INCLUDING FOUR YEARS AT THE PENTAGON, A WEST POINT GRADUATE IN ENGINEERING.
EXACTLY THE DISCIPLINE CREDENTIALS NEEDED TO CREATE AND AFFIX THE OVER 6,000 SIGNS FOR NETHERLANDS.
JOHN WILL BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE DAY-TO-DAY INSTALLATION, AND I'LL BET IT DOESN'T TAKE HIM 10 MONTHS.
BY THE WAY, HIS SHOP IS DIRECTLY BEHIND OR IN NORTH SAN, UH, PEDRO GREEN LINE OFFICE.
HIS DAUGHTER CASEY IS NOW THE CEO OF THE COMPANY AND HIS NEPHEW RUBEN, AN AIR FORCE VETERAN, IS THE OPERATIONS MANAGER.
I THINK YOU'LL AGREE THAT WE'RE IN GOOD HANDS AND THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKED AS DESIGNED.
THANKS STAFF FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
BY THE WAY, BRITAIN EMPLOYEES ENJOY HEALTHCARE BENEFITS INCLUDING A MONTH PATERNITY LEAVE SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK.
JOHN PROVIDES LUNCH FOR HIS CREWS.
I'M PROUD TO MOVE THAT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION OF BRI LIFT AND INSTALLATION SERVICES LLC BE AWARDED A CONTRACT IN THE AMOUNT OF $631,803 FOR A PERIOD OF 10 MONTHS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? SECOND, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? OKAY.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
[7. VIA Hall of Honor Policy]
SEVEN, THE VIA HALL OF HONOR POLICY.PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE ITEM SEVEN A AND SEVEN B ARE BOTH ACTION ITEMS. THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED AND VOTED ON SEPARATELY.
WE WILL BEGIN WITH ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, A REVIEW, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE VIA HALL OF HONOR POLICY.
MS. ELDERS, GOOD EVENING BOARD
[00:40:01]
MEMBERS, YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING A POLICY AS DISCUSSED AND REVISED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.THERE IS A REVISED MEMO IN FRONT OF YOU INDICATING THAT THIS IS THE, UM, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE VERSION THAT YOU WILL BE SEEING TODAY, NOT THE VERSION THAT WAS PROPOSED BY, UH, BOARD MEMBER CUOMO.
IN A PREVIOUS MEETING AT THE WORK SESSION LAST WEEK, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HALL OF HONOR POLICY.
AND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THAT DISCUSSION, THE BOARD INDICATED A DESIRE TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE VERSION OF THE POLICY PROPOSED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
THE PROPOSED HALL OF HONOR POLICY ESTABLISHES THE HALL OF HONOR AND RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS WHO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AND THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THE PROPOSED POLICY OUTLINES THE ELIGIBILITY FOR INDUCTION, UH, OUTLINING THAT BOARD MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF VIA STAFF, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY COULD BE, UH, SUBMITTED FOR INCLUSION AND INDUCTION INTO THE HALL OF HONOR.
IT OUTLINES THE SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS, UH, INCLUDING ITEMS SUCH AS THE, THE SUBMISSIONS WOULD BE MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD REQUIRING A BIOGRAPHY, AN ACCEPTANCE, UH, STATEMENT FROM THE POTENTIAL INDUCTEE IF THEY ARE AVAILABLE, MEANING THAT THEY ARE A LIVING INDUCTEE BECAUSE THE POLICY DOES ALLOW FOR A POSTHUMOUS INDUCTION.
AND IT ALSO, UM, OUTLINES THE PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE BOARD, IF PASSED.
THE ATTACHED POLICY WOULD SUPERSEDE ANY PREVIOUS POLICIES RELATED TO NAMING OF BUILDINGS OR PORTIONS OF BUILDINGS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE MARCH, 2021 BUILDING AND FACILITY NAMING POLICY.
SO I AM AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE POLICY AS PRESENTED, WHICH AGAIN, IS THE POLICY VERSION THAT WAS DISCUSSED WITH THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AT THEIR MEETING.
OKAY, TRUSTEE, THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION, NEED A MOTION? OKAY.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY, OH, DISCUSSION.
UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF AMENDMENTS THAT I'M PASSING OUT RIGHT NOW THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, LAST WEEK AT OUR BOARD WORK SESSION, WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION.
AND SO THE AMENDMENTS WOULD BE VOTED ON FIRST AND THEN THE, UH, THE, UH, OVERALL POLICY IF IT IS AMENDED.
AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUES WILL, WILL, UH, SUPPORT ME ON THESE AMENDMENTS.
UH, AND I WANNA THANK THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT FOR ITS ASSISTANCE IN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
'CAUSE I THINK WE HAVE A, A POLICY THAT, UH, WILL WORK FOR, FOR, FOR NOW AND FOR IN THE FUTURE.
AND I'M GONNA READ THESE TWO, UH, THE FIRST AMENDMENT FIRST, IT'S RELATED TO A PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION.
IN ADDITION TO THE HALL OF HONOR INDUCTION, AN INDIVIDUAL MAY ALSO BE RECOGNIZED WITH AN HONORARY PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION PLACED ON VIA PROPERTY, HONORING THEIR EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE METRO VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT.
THIS IS A SEPARATE INDEPENDENT HONOR THAT MAY BE RECEIVED BY AN INDIVIDUAL.
IN ADDITION TO THE INDUCTION INTO THE VIA HALL OF HONOR, THE SUBMISSION MUST NUMBER ONE, INDICATE A REQUEST FOR AN HONORARY PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION.
TWO, INCLUDE A STATEMENT RATIONALE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TO BE HONORED WITH THE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION.
AND THREE, IDENTIFY A PROPOSED LOCATION FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THE HONORARY PLAQUE VIA RESERVES.
THE RIGHT TO PLACE THE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION IN AN ALTERNATE LOCATION.
ONLY ONE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION WILL BE PLACED WITHIN UPON ANY VIA FACILITY.
WHILE THERE IS NO OBLIGATION TO ACT ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, UP TO TWO INDIVIDUALS MAY BE HONORED WITH THE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION IN A CALENDAR YEAR.
IF THIS AMENDMENT IS ADOPTED, THEN THIS WILL BE PART OF THE, UH, BE INCORPORATED INTO THE POLICY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON IN A FEW MINUTES.
AND THAT CALLS FOR A THREE STEP PROCESS.
NUMBER ONE, THAT IT GOES BEFORE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
FIRST OF ALL, IT GOES TO THE CEO AND THEN TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND THEN TO THE FULL BOARD, AND THEN TO A PUBLIC HEARING.
[00:45:02]
SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE, UH, HONORING JUST ANYBODY.
UH, IT'D BE HONORING ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAD SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS.
SO, UH, IS THIS SOMETHING WE SHOULD TAKE UP ONE AT A TIME ON THESE AMENDMENTS? YOU CAN TAKE, YOU CAN TAKE THEM ONE AT A TIME OR JOINTLY.
THAT IS MR. CHAIR, WHAT IS YOUR PRO PLEASURE ON THAT? I THINK JUST GO AHEAD INTO 'EM JOINTLY RIGHT ON, ON THIS, ON THE, ON THE AMENDMENT.
DO BOTH OF THEM, 'CAUSE THERE'S TWO OF THEM, RIGHT? A AND B.
YES, THERE'S AN A AND AB AMENDMENT.
YOU CAN DO THEM SEPARATELY ARE JOINTLY.
THEN I WILL READ, UH, NUMBER, NUMBER B UH, AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE HALL OF HONOR NOMINATIONS FOR 2024 CALENDAR YEAR.
EACH MEMBER OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES MAY NOMINATE ONE MEMBER FOR THE VIA HALL OF HONOR FOR THE 2024 CALENDAR YEAR FOLLOWING THE 2024 CALENDAR YEAR HALL OF HONOR NOMINATIONS WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO NOMINATIONS PER YEAR AS OUTLINED IN E NUMBER TWO, PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERATION AND RECOMMENDATION OF PROPOSED HONOREE.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THAT AMENDMENT IS THAT IN THE 45 YEARS THAT WE HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE EARNED THEM A SPOT IN A HALL OF HONOR.
AND, UM, UH, SOME OF MY TRUSTEE BROTHERS AND SISTERS HERE MAY NOT KNOW OF SUCH AN INDIVIDUAL, BUT I'M SURE THAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO YOU ON WHO DESERVES TO BE IN HERE TO EN ENABLE YOU TO MAKE A, A, UH, A RECOMMENDATION.
UH, SO THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS SO THAT WE DO NOT EXCLUDE PEOPLE WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS WERE GREAT.
UH, BUT SINCE WE DID NOT HAVE THIS POLICY, SINCE WE DID NOT HAVE THE ALL OF HONOR, UH, I DO NOT WANT THEM TO BE EXCLUDED.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, UH, FELLOW TRUSTEES, I ENCOURAGE YOUR VOTE ON BOTH OF THESE AMENDMENTS OR IF THEY'RE TAKEN UP JOINTLY, THAT'S OKAY WITH ME, BUT TO BE INCORPORATED, UH, IN THE OVERALL PRESENTATION OF THE OVERALL POLICY.
AND I THINK, UH, ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HELPING TO PUT THAT TOGETHER, AND I HOPE WE CAN GET CLOSURE ON THIS TONIGHT.
SO, SO TO BE CLEAR, THAT'S A MOTION FOR AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE A SECOND YES.
I, I, I MOVE THAT THOSE AMENDMENTS BE INCORPORATED INTO THE, THE, THE BODY THAT WAS ALREADY PRESENTED.
SO WE WOULD NOW BE VOTING ON THE AMENDMENT AS PRESENTED.
NOW WE GO INTO DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, AND THEN WE'LL VOTE RIGHT ON THE AMENDMENT.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENTS? YES, SIR.
BOY, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THIS
UH, I AM PERSONALLY HESITANT TO CHANGE A POLICY WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON YET OR AMEND IT.
NOW, IT'S NOT ABOUT TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER INDIVIDUALS SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T BE HONORED.
IT'S TRYING TO DECIDE A FAIR SUBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE PROCESS THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL SHOULD BE HONORED.
UH, I KNOW THAT, THAT BOB HAS HAD A TRUE HEARTFELT DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT MARILYN JONES IS HONORED.
UH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE DO IT IN THE RIGHT WAY.
UH, I'M GONNA HAVE A HARD TIME NO, SEE IT PLAINLY.
I CAN'T ACCEPT ALL OF THESE AMENDMENTS.
UH, WHAT I WOULD ACCEPT, UH, IS, AND MAYBE THIS COULD BE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT FROM YOU, BOB, IS THAT IF THIS NEW POLICY PASSES, THAT WE AMEND IT AND HAVE THE FIRST AMEND, AMEND IT TO ALLOW MARILYN JONES TO BE THE FIRST INDUCTEE AND AMENDED AMEND AMENDMENT, AMEND IT.
BUT HERE'S MY ENGLISH
IN OTHER WORDS, THAT'S, THAT'S THE BACKGROUND CHECK, THAT'S THE SELECTION PROCESS, THAT'S THE PUBLIC HEARING, BECAUSE I CAN PRETTY MUCH ATTEST THAT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
AND, AND I KNOW THAT THE FAMILY HAS BEEN WAITING A LONG TIME TO, TO HAVE RECOGNITION.
UH, AND AS I SAID, I WANT, I INDIVIDUALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE
[00:50:01]
THIS PERSON.UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THAT FROM A PROCEDURAL STANDPOINT.
I GUESS, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS I WOULD ACCEPT AN AMENDMENT LIKE THAT.
I'D, I'D VOTE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WHAT I WON'T VOTE FOR THOUGH, IS THE AMENDMENT AS IT'S WRITTEN RIGHT NOW.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SO, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, WE WOULD, IF, IS THAT A SEPARATE AMENDMENT THEN I'M, I'M ASSUMING TO MAKE THAT AMENDMENT UNLESS BOB WANTS IT'S
LET, LET, LET ME, LET ME RESTATE, AND I'M HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFICULTY HEARING.
SO, ALL RIGHT, LET ME, LET ME BE VERY CLEAR.
MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE NEW POLICY PASSES, I WOULD AMEND IT RIGHT NOW ONE TIME ONLY TO, UH, SUSPEND ITEM NUMBER THREE IN REGARDS TO THE NOMINATION OF MARILYN JONES.
SO THAT WE AS A BOARD AND AS AN ENTITY CAN MOVE FORWARD AND HONOR THIS INDIVIDUAL THAT I THINK WE ALL WANT TO HONOR.
UH, BUT THEN VOTE ON THE REST OF THE AMENDMENT AS IS.
AND ON A GO FORWARD BASIS, THOSE ARE THE RULES WE PLAY BY.
IN OTHER WORDS, I'M SAYING SUSPEND TO THAT RULE NUMBER THREE THAT, YOU KNOW, GOES THROUGH A PARTICULAR NOMINATION PROCESS AND A PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS AND A VETTING PROCESS.
BECAUSE I THINK FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, THAT'S REALLY BEEN DONE IN REGARDS TO MARILYN JONES ALREADY.
UH, CAN, CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION, WHICH IS MARILYN JONES IS SPECIFICALLY THE NEXT ACTION ITEM.
SO PERHAPS IT WOULD BE BETTER TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE AH, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
AS OPPOSED TO IN THE POLICY INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE CONSIDERATION OF MARILYN JONES.
HOW'S THAT? I, THAT, THAT MAKES EVEN MORE SENSE TO ME.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS I'M NOT GONNA BE VOTING FOR THIS
HE, HE'S ASKING WHETHER OR NOT AFTER WE CAN, CAN WE, WHEN WE VOTE ON THE NEXT ITEM, CAN WE HOLD AN ABEYANCE NUMBER THREE SO THAT WE CAN MOVE MARILYN JONES FORWARD IMMEDIATELY? YES.
SO WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING, BASED ON THE COMMENT THAT WAS JUST MADE BY MR. ARNT, THEN WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, MS. JONES WOULD BE PROPOSED AS THE INDUCTEE.
AND WE WOULD SUSPEND THAT SECTION, THAT SECTION SPECIFICALLY FOR HER, HER INDUCTION.
CONSIDERING THE MULTIPLE TIMES THAT THIS BOARD HAS HEARD AND DISCUSSED, IT'S BEEN ON THE AGENDA.
AND IF SOMEONE WANTED TO SPEAK TO IT, SOMEONE COULD HAVE DONE THAT.
SO, SO, YES, MR. CUOMO, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION IN THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM RELATED TO MS. JONES AND SUSPEND THE PUBLIC HEARING COMPONENT IN THE OTHER MATTERS.
BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AND VETTED THROUGH ALL OF THE, WE'VE RECEIVED THE DOCUMENTATION AND ALL OF THE OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO HER SUBMISSIONS.
SO I'LL, I'LL REMOVE MY AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT.
UH, AND WE CAN, WE CAN JUST VOTE ON BOB'S AMENDMENT.
IT PASSES, OR IT DOESN'T PASSES.
AND WE'LL BRING UP, YOU'LL REASSERT YOUR, YOUR YES.
AT THE NEXT FOR SEVEN B, CORRECT? YES.
NOW, IF I COULD ASK, WOULD YOUR INTENT BESIDES, UH, PLACING MARILYN JONES'S NAME AUTOMATICALLY INTO THE HALL OF FAME, WOULD THAT ALSO INCLUDE A PLAQUE ON THIS BUILDING? M THAT'S WHATEVER THE POLICY SAYS.
NO, NO, I'M, I'M NOT GONNA BE WILLING TO, I'M NOT GONNA BE WILLING TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE IN THIS POLICY THAT THEORETICALLY WILL BE IN EFFECT GOING FORWARD SO THAT HE HENCE FORTH AND FOREVERMORE, NOBODY WOULD BE WORTHY OF HAVING A PLAQUE APPLIED WITHIN THE VIA CONFINE.
I TAKE A LITTLE ISSUE AT THE TERM WORTHY.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WORTHY OF A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT AS FAR AS US HAVING A PROCESS AND A PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW, THEN THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS NO ONE WOULD BE ELIGIBLE.
UH, BEFORE THAT LAST PART, I WANTED TO GO BACK.
UM, SO, AND MAYBE, UH, A LITTLE BIT FURTHER EXPLANATION, BONNIE.
[00:55:01]
WE DO THE, UH, THE REGULAR, UH, HONORARY, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT ARE CALLING IT NOW? HALL OF HONOR WITH PEOPLES HALL? HALL OF CALL, HALL OF HONOR.HALL OF THERE IS GONNA BE A PLAQUE.
THAT WOULD BE, I MEAN, I'M, I'M TRYING TO VISUALIZE ALL THIS STUFF 'CAUSE I HAVE A HARD TIME WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, A PLAQUE THIS BIG A PLAQUE, THE SIZE OF TV, YOU KNOW, BUT, SO THERE'S GONNA BE, IF MARILYN IS ON THERE, THERE'S GONNA BE A PLAQUE BELOW HER NAME.
IT'S A SEPARATE, HOW, HOW WAS THE PLAQUE THAT WE, OR I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THE RIGHT TERM IS PLAQUE, BUT HOW DOES SOMEONE GO SEE MERLIN'S NAME AND THEN UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE DID FOR VIA? SO, AS WE CURRENTLY ENVISION IT, AND IT CAN CHANGE, BUT IF, IF YOU IMAGINE A, A RECTANGLE AT THE TOP OF THE RECTANGLE WOULD BE A PICTURE OF, OF THE HONOREE.
AND BELOW THAT THERE WOULD BE A PLAQUE THAT WOULD DESCRIBE, YOU KNOW, THIS PERSON SERVED AS A CHAIR FROM WHATEVER AND IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO GETTING THE FUNDING.
YOU KNOW, SO THE WORDING WOULD ALL BE ONE WITH THE PLAQUE OR WITH THE PICTURE.
AND IT'S ONE AND, UH, ONE INSTALLMENT, I GUESS.
AND BOB IS, SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS IN ADDITION TO THAT, YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PLAQUE? WELL, I THINK IF ANYBODY WERE DESERVING OF A PLAQUE, IT WOULD BE MARILYN JONES.
AND AS I STATED LAST WEEK, RIGHT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THIS ROOM IS A PLAQUE, UH, DEDICATING THIS ROOM TO THE MEMORY OF TERRY, UH, ESKRIDGE.
UH, AND AS I MENTIONED LAST WEEK, READING WHAT I READ ABOUT HIM AND, AND HOW HIS COLLEAGUES FELT SO MUCH, YOU KNOW, LOVE AND ADMIRATION FOR HIM, THAT THEY WANTED TO NAME THIS, UH, FOR HIS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE.
UM, NOWADAYS YOU HAVE ALL KINDS OF CAPABILITIES THAT WE DID NOT HAVE BEFORE.
AND MARILYN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE SO GREAT THAT I CAN SEE HAVING A PLAQUE IN THE HALL OF HONOR, NOT JUST FOR MARILYN, BUT FOR ANY OTHER INDUCTEES INTO THE HALL OF HONOR, TO NOT ONLY HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A LIKENESS OF THEM AND WHAT THEY DID, BUT TO HAVE A QR CODE IN A CORNER THAT A PERSON COULD CLICK ON AND ACCESS A FLIP BOOK THAT WOULD TELL ALL OF THE DIFFERENT QUALIFICATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULDN'T PUT IN A, IN A PLAQUE 'CAUSE IT COST YOU A FORTUNE.
BUT IT WOULD TELL YOU ABOUT THAT INDIVIDUAL AND WHY THAT INDIVIDUAL IS WORTHY OF THIS HONOR AND RECOGNITION.
OF COURSE, WE HAVE OUR PROFESSIONALS HERE WHO I THINK, UH, COULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE VERY, VERY WORTHY TO HONOR, UH, THE PERSON DESERVING OF THE HONOR.
UM, SO, UM, I WOULD BE VOTING FOR THIS AMENDMENT WITH WHAT YOU STATED, ALTHOUGH I DO, I, I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT IT DOESN'T RISE TO A HIGHER LEVEL FOR THE HANDFUL OF PEOPLE, UH, LIKE, LIKE A, UH, MARILYN JONES AND HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, HOPE UNDERWRITING WHO CERTAINLY ARE DESERVING OF THE HONOR THAT I HAVE, I HAVE RAISED, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA, WHEN I ORIGINALLY HIT MY CALL BUTTON, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HOPE, UM, SUNDAY EVENING.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT HOPE DOESN'T LIKE IS IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, SHE WANTS EVERYTHING TO BE SMOOTH, LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.
AND I THINK IF WE'RE ABLE TO COME UP TONIGHT WITH SOMETHING THAT'S SMOOTH AND EVERYONE COULD DO, I'D LIKE TO ADD HOPE'S NAME ALONG WITH IF IT DOESN'T COMPLICATE THINGS.
'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA, ALONG THAT HOPE AND MARILYN HAVE ALREADY BEEN VETTED THAT UP TO THAT LEVEL AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOPE THAT WE CAN GET HER, MY HOPE IS THAT WE GET HOPE TO SO SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING.
BECAUSE I THINK THOSE TWO HAVE BEEN PRETTY WELL VETTED AND I COULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT IF, IF HOPE IS ON BOARD.
SO WOULD YOU, ARE YOU SAYING, BOB, THAT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE WITH MARILYN'S NAME AS A HONOREE WITH A PLAQUE AND, AND MAYBE A QR CODE TO THE LINKS THAT YOU'D BE OKAY WITH THAT? WE'LL APPROVE.
I'M NOT TRYING TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, I'M JUST TRYING TO MOVE THIS THING FORWARD.
BUT IF I COR, IF I'M CORRECT, IT'S NOT ONE PLAQUE, ONE BUILDING OR ONE PLAQUE, ONE WHATEVER.
IT CAN BE A GROUP OF PLAQUES RIGHT.
OF PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING RECOGNIZED.
THAT'S WHAT THE HALL OF OVER TIME.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE HALL OF FAME, I, YOU KNOW YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I THINK, UH, WE HAD DISCUSSED.
WELL, THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PLAQUES.
MM-HMM,
[01:00:01]
A SEPARATE PLAQUE THAT WOULD BE PLACED MAYBE AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUILDING.AND THAT'S THE BUSINESS ABOUT ONE PLAQUE, ONE BUILDING.
SO, SO, AND, UH, IN THEORY, A PERSON COULD BE BROUGHT FORWARD FOR ONLY THE HALL OF FAME, OR THEY COULD BE BROUGHT, BROUGHT FORWARD FOR BOTH UNTIL WE DON'T HAVE BUILDINGS LEFT.
CHAIR, I, I THINK WE SHOULD CALL FOR THE QUESTION ON THE AMENDMENT BECAUSE DEPENDING ON WHETHER IT PASSES OR DOESN'T PASS, YEAH, WE'LL DETERMINE WHAT WE DO ON, ON THE NEXT PIECE.
UH, IT MIGHT BE EASIER FOR US ONCE WE GET THERE.
SO THE NEXT THING WE NEED TO DO THEN IS VOTE ON THE, UM, UH, THE AMENDMENT.
ARE WE GONNA VOTE ON, ON A OR SEVEN, SEVEN A.
THIS IS SEVEN A MOTION AND SECOND ON THE FLOOR FOR THE AMENDMENT TO THE POLICY ON ITEM SEVEN A.
SO ITEM A WOULD HAVE MARILYN'S NAME.
I JUST WANT TO GO WITH MARILYN RIGHT NOW SO I UNDERSTAND.
AND THERE MIGHT BE OTHER HONOREES LATER ON.
AND THEN THERE WOULD BE NO B IS IS MARILYN.
THE NEXT ITEM HAS TO DO WITH THE PEOPLE.
THIS HAS TO DO WITH SEVEN B IS A POLICY ONLY DISCUSSION.
AND SEVEN B WE'LL, WE'LL DISCUSS INDIVIDUALS.
WILL WE BE VOTING ON AMENDMENT A AND B SEPARATELY OR IN CONJUNCTION WITH EACH OTHER? WHAT? SEPARATELY? I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR.
SO A IS THE POLICY THAT CAME OUT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE? NO.
SO WAIT, WAIT, LET ME, LET ME BE CLEAR.
SO SEVEN A, THE AGENDA ITEM IS FOR THE POLICY DISCUSSION.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT SEPARATELY, THEN WE NEED TO BIFURCATE THEM TO VOTE ON THEM SEPARATELY.
MR. CHAIR, I WOULD LIKE TO SEPARATE THESE, UH, AMENDMENT AND POLICY DISCUSSION.
SO AT THIS JUNCTURE, ARE YOU ALL AGREEING TO VOTE ON SEVEN A THE AMENDMENT, WHICH WOULD BE AMENDMENT, AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE PLAQUE? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING? YOU WANT TO SEPARATE THE AMENDMENT VOTE? YES.
SO THERE WOULD BE, WAIT, WE'RE NOT SEPARATING THE AMENDMENT VOTE, WE'RE SEPARATING IT FROM THE INITIAL INTENT.
AS I UNDERSTOOD IT WAS THE AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY TRUSTEE CUOMO WAS GONNA BE VOTED ON TOGETHER.
AND SO THAT'S SEPARATE FROM WHAT IS, UH, ON OUR AGENDA AS SEVEN A AND B.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE CONFUSION'S COMING IN TOGETHER.
SO LET, LET ME CLARIFY AND RESTATE, BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE TO CHANGE THE AMENDMENT.
THE AMENDMENT AS PRESENTED BY MR. CUOMO, WAS TO VOTE ON SEVEN A TO VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT A AND B TOGETHER.
ONE IS RELATED TO THE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION AND THE OTHER IS RELATED TO THE HALL OF HONOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2024 CALENDAR YEAR.
IF YOU VOTE ON THEM TOGETHER, WHICH IS AMENDMENT A AND B PLACED BEFORE YOU, IF IT WOULD MAKE THINGS A LOT EASIER, LET'S VOTE ON THEM SEPARATELY.
I I'M GETTING LOST AND I REALLY GET LOST IN THINGS.
ARE, IF WE'RE GOING TO SEPARATE THINGS OUT, ARE WE SAYING LET'S VOTE ON THE POLICY? NO.
AND THEN LET'S VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT.
THAT WAS ALREADY A GIVEN THOUGH, KEVIN.
SO WE'RE VOTING WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THIS PAGE HERE, RIGHT? SEPARATING A AND B.
SO WE WOULD TAKE A VOTE AT A AND THEN TAKE A VOTE FROM A CORRECT.
THAT'S WHAT WHICH WOULD AMEND THE POLICY.
THE POLICY WE HAVEN'T VOTED ON, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
EITHER AND BOTH BECAUSE THE WAY THE MOTION WAS BROUGHT UP, THAT IS THE PROCEDURAL WAY WE WOULD BOTH ON THE MOTION.
THAT'S THE, THE MOTION, THE ORIGINAL MOTION WAS TO ADOPT SEVEN A OFF YOUR POLICY THEN MR. COA MADE AN AMENDMENT, BUT HIS AMENDMENT WAS BOTH SEVEN A AND SEVEN B.
MY UNDERSTANDING BY BOARD MEMBER HAKEEM, HE WANTS TO BIFURCATE THOSE SO THAT WE ONLY VOTE ON THE SEVEN A AMENDMENT AT FIRST, THEN THAT IS APPROVED OR NOT.
THEN WE WOULD VOTE ON SEVEN A, THE POLICY, THE BOARD POLICY THAT WAS BROUGHT BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THEN WE WILL DO B.
SO THEN WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON SEVEN AB
SO CAN I, CAN I MAKE, CAN I MAKE, CAN I MAKE A CLARIFICATION? THE AMENDMENT THERE'RE GONNA VOTE ON THE SEVEN AMENDMENT.
THINK THERE'S DISCUSS ON AMENDMENTS A AND B.
AND THERE'S DISCUSSIONS ON, ON AGENDA ITEM A AND B.
BUT WE'RE ON A BUT WE'RE ONLY ON,
[01:05:02]
WE'RE ONLY AMENDMENT.WE'RE ONLY DISCUSSING AGENDA ITEM A.
THE QUESTION THAT MR. BROWN RAISED WAS WHETHER WE COULD DISCUSS AMENDMENT A SEPARATE FROM AMENDMENT B.
AND IF THAT IS THE DESIRE, AND MR. CUOMO IS ACCEPTING THAT SINCE HE RAISED THE ORIGINAL AMENDMENT MOTION WILL BE CLEANER TO WITHDRAW YOUR MOTION AND MAKE A MOTION FOR, UM, AN AMENDMENT OF SEVEN A AMENDMENT.
I'LL MAKE THAT, I'LL MAKE THAT, UH, CHANGE THAT WE VOTE ONLY ON AMENDMENT RELATED TO PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION.
SO THE AMENDMENT BEFORE YOU WOULD BE TO AMEND THE POLICY WITH AMENDMENT A AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE PLAQUE OF RECOGNITION ON THIS PIECE OF PAPER.
SO YOU WOULD BE VOTING ONLY ON THIS AMENDMENT, MR. CHAIR PROCEDURAL.
YOU, YOU NEED A SECOND TO HIS.
YOU DO AND I AM SECONDING THAT.
SO WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND ON AMENDMENT A OF NUMBER TWO.
SO LET'S, LET'S, UH, LET'S GO FOR A VOTE.
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO SEVEN A, RIGHT? YEP.
WE'RE GONNA GO TO AMENDMENT B OH, AMENDMENT B OKAY.
OKAY, SO THEN WE NEED A FIRST AND A SECOND TO NO, WE HAVE THAT.
OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON B.
WHICH HAS TO DO WITH EACH TRUSTEE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NEXT YEAR.
SO WE WOULD NEED, WE WOULD NEED A MOTION FOR THE AMENDMENT B.
HE WITHDREW, HE WITHDREW HIS ORIGINAL MOTION AND MADE A MOTION.
SIMPLY FOR WE DON'T AMENDMENT A, WE DON'T DISCUSS B.
HE HAS ERT UNLESS YOU, YOU CAN MAKE ANOTHER, BRING IT BACK TO LIFE.
BUT DID WE APPROVE THE SEVEN EIGHT POLICY? NO.
WE, THE ONLY THING THAT HAPPENED IS THE AMENDMENT FAILED.
YOU STILL HAVE NOT APPROVED SEVEN, EIGHT.
THAT'S STILL, NO, THAT'S, YOU HAVE NOT, SO THIS WOULD MODIFY THE SEVEN A POLICY.
AGAIN, SEVEN A IS THE ONLY THING CURRENTLY PENDING THEY WOULD HAVE SINCE THE SEVEN A AMENDMENT FAILED, THEY WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON SEVEN A, A POLICY THEN WHEN WE GET TO B, THAT WOULDN'T THAT COME UP THE, THE AMENDMENT TO B THAT HE PROPOSED? WELL, NO, WE TOOK B AND A SEPARATELY.
YEAH, BB IS INDEPENDENT OF A, SO MAYBE CLEAR 'CAUSE I AM FOLLOWING THIS.
YEAH, WE ALL AGREED TO THAT BEFORE WE TOOK THAT VOTE.
MR. MR. CUOMO WITHDREW HIS ORIGINAL MOTION TO HAVE THEM CONSIDERED JOINTLY.
SO WE JUST VOTED, WHICH FAILED FOR THE AMENDMENT.
HE COULD AT THIS JUNCTURE REASSERT HIS AMENDMENT B, THE SECOND ONE, WHICH WOULD AMEND THE POLICY THAT YOU WILL THEN VOTE ON SEVEN A THE POLICY.
SO DO SO BRING FORTH AMENDMENT RELATED TO THE HALL OF HONOR DOMINATIONS FOR 2024.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR FOR, UH, AMENDMENT B.
WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA DO A ROLL CALL HERE REAL QUICK.
UH, VICE CHAIR? NO, UH, LET'S SEE.
OKAY, TRUSTEE, I MEAN, UH, I MET HIM MIGHT BE AMENDMENT B PASSED AMENDMENT A FAILED.
SO NOW WE WILL MOVE FORWARD AND VOTE ON SEVEN A, THE POLICY, WHICH AT THIS JUNCTURE
[01:10:01]
WOULD THEN INCLUDE AMENDMENT B TO THE POLICY.SO I NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ALL REALLY WANTED.
UM, AND I HAVE A BETTER PICTURE OF THINGS, BUT I DO WANNA REMIND FOLKS, I WAS ON THE BOARD WHEN THIS POLICY WAS VOTED FOR, AND THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME WAS HOPE ANDRADE.
I'M JUST GONNA DROP THE MIC RIGHT THERE.
I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
SO AGAIN, SHE'S HONESTLY FOR THIS POLICY, WE HAD A VERY DEEP DISCUSSION.
SHE WAS, SHE WAS, I REMEMBER US HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
JEFF, I SEE YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD.
NO, I THINK HIS NO WAS THIS POLICY HAS NEVER THIS POLICY, NOT THIS PARTICULAR POLICY.
WE'RE GETTING READY TO CANCEL IF WE FOCUS.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING IT THAT WAY.
SO THE POLICY THAT WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT THIS ONE, NO HOPE WAS NOT A PART OF THAT.
THE ONE THAT WE WILL BE REMOVING WITH THIS WAS SUPPORTED BY HOPE ANDRADE.
I HAVE MOTION TO APPROVE THE POLICY.
SO WE'RE ON THE MAIN MOTION NOW, RIGHT? WE'RE MOTION.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION, MOTION AS AMENDED A MOTION BY MR. WOLF AND A SECOND BY MS. KEVIN? YES.
FOR THE POLICY TO BE APPROVED AS PRESENTED WITH THE AMENDMENT, BE THAT THE BOARD JUST PREVIOUSLY APPROVED.
SO I THINK WE GOT THROUGH THAT ONE.
WE, ONE COMMISSIONER WOLF SHOULD HAVE VOTED ON IT PRIOR.
NOW WOULD IT IT BE IN OUR ORDER FOR COMMISSIONER WOLF TO MAKE HIS, HIS, UH, MOTION? OH.
YOU HAVE APPROVED A POLICY TO HAVE A HALL OF HONOR WITH A SECTION B, WHICH ALLOWS FOR, FOR THE YEAR 2024, EACH BOARD MEMBER TO SUBMIT A POTENTIAL INDUCTEE, PROCEDURALLY YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PERSON THAT MADE THE MOTION LIKE MYSELF OR THE SECOND, WITHDRAW THAT MOTION, REMAKE THE MOTION, AND INCLUDE WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
AND THAT'S HOLDING SECTION THREE IN ABEYANCE IN REGARDS TO MARILYN JONES.
A SEPARATE ITEM? NO, BECAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO GO INTO SEVEN B.
WHICH IS THE SPECIFICALLY, WHICH IS SPECIFICALLY TO NAME MARILYN JONES.
THEN WE'RE DONE, THEN WE'RE DONE.
WE ARE ALMOST THERE AT THE WHEEL SEVEN B.
SO, AGENDA ITEM SEVEN B IS TO PRESENT TO THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THE NOMINATIONS OF MARILYN JONES.
IF THERE'S ANOTHER PERSON, THERE'S A BLANK FOR THAT TO CONSIDER FOR CONSIDERATION AND INCLUSION IN THE HALL OF HONOR, PURSUANT TO THE HALL OF HONOR POLICY AS ADOPTED UNDER AGENDA ITEM SEVEN A.
IF THERE IS A MOTION, MR. WOLF, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE RELATED TO THIS, THIS WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE TIME.
I, I MOTION TO APPROVE WITH THE AMENDMENT THAT HOPE ON FRIDAY'S NAME BE ADDED TO IT, AND THAT WE HOLD IN ABEYANCE THE POLICY WE JUST PASSED SECTION THREE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IMMEDIATELY WITH THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS.
ANY DISCUSSION? I, SO I, SO ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE POLICY IS THAT THE POTENTIAL INDUCTEE HAS AGREED TO BE CONSIDERED BY THIS BOARD.
IF, IF WE HAVE THAT, THEN WE ARE FINE.
IF WE DON'T, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD BRING BACK NEXT MONTH.
AND I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT AT ALL.
I'M JUST RAISING THAT, THAT MATTER.
I THINK WE HAVE ONE, A DEFINITE ANSWER ON ONE MARILYN, RIGHT.
CAN WE HAVE, CAN WE HAVE PENDING US UP THEN, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD? LEMME CHANGE MY MOTION TO SAY PENDING ACCEPTANCE ON BEHALF OF YES.
NOT SO IT WOULD PUT HER IN A
WE HAVE, AND I HAVE A QUESTION.
WOULD THIS ALSO FOREGO THE NECESSITY FOR A PUBLIC HEARING? YES.
[01:15:01]
CORRECT? YES.NOW I'M, I'M OH, YOUR LIGHT, YOUR LIGHT'S ON.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON ACCEPTING THE TWO CANDIDATES, RIGHT? UH, AND THAT'S BEEN AS AMEN.
FIRST AND, AND SECOND AMENDED.
SO NOW CAN WE HAVE A YES, BUT YOU SAID THAT THE SECOND CANDIDATE HAS TO ACCEPT RIGHT? PENDING EXCEPTION.
SO THE MOTION, IT'S THE MOTION AS IT RELATES TO THE CANDIDATE HOPERA WOULD BE PENDING HER, EXCEPT I'LL WORK ON ONE THING THAT I'M NOT CLEAR ON, AND MAYBE YOU ALL ARE, BUT I'M NOT.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE'RE GOING TO PUT A PLAQUE ON ONE BUILDING FOR ONE PERSON OR IS IT NO, NO, NO, NO.
OR IS IT GONNA BE A WALL OF HONOR WITH ALL THE NAMES OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE FEEL SHOULD BE HONORED? SO THE, THE WAY THIS IS CONTEMPLATED IS THAT THERE'LL BE A HALL OF HONOR, WHICH WILL BE A WALL WITHIN A ROOM THAT WILL HAVE A, A PLAQUE PER PERSON WITH THEIR LIKENESS AND AN OVERVIEW OF THEIR, UH, SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO VIA AND TRANSPORTATION IN THIS COMMUNITY.
I IT'LL BE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S CLEAR TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT OKAY.
SO DO WE NEED TO VOTE ON THAT ONE? NO.
WE DO HAVE TO VOTE ON THAT, YES.
YOU HAVE A MOTION ON THE SECOND ON THE FLOOR, THE TWO HONOREES.
LIFTING THE SECTION OF SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FULL POLICY FOR THOSE TWO FEET.
SO WE'RE VOTING ON TWO INDIVIDUALS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ITEM SEVEN B.
DO I HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND? YES.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE? I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THIS, UH, BUT YOU OUGHT TO NOT MAKE AN OLD GUY WORK SO HARD,
[8. May 2023 Customer Experience Survey]
IS, UH, ITEM NUMBER 8 20 23, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE SURVEY.MR. HERRERA AND MS. GONZALEZ, MR. CHAIR, WHILE THEY COMING UP, I KNOW THE MEMBERS OF THE JONES FAMILY IS WALKING OUT.
I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A POINT IN PRIVILEGE IF YOU ALLOW ME.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK THEM FOR STICKING IT THROUGH WITH US.
UM, PLEASE KNOW THAT I CAN SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MY COLLEAGUES.
THE WAY THAT THIS PROCESS WORK IS NOT, IT WASN'T INDICATIVE TO YOUR MOM'S PROGRESS.
YOUR MOM HAS DONE A FANTASTIC, OR HAD DONE A FANTASTIC JOB TO GET US TO THE POINT OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND, UM, I WILL SAY PERSONALLY, I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR HER SERVICE AND HER HARD WORK.
I'M SORRY IT TOOK US SO LONG, BUT THIS IS A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION.
SO, TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE CUSTOMER SURVEYS.
UM, THIS PAST YEAR WE CONDUCTED TWO DIFFERENT SURVEYS.
ONE WAS A FIXED ROUTE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY THAT'S CONDUCTED BI-ANNUALLY, AND WE ALSO DID A TRANSPORTATION SURVEY, WHICH WAS LAST CONDUCTED IN 2021.
IN BOTH CASES, THE RESULTS OF THESE SURVEYS ARE USED TO INFORM DECISIONS WITHIN THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AND TO UNDERSTAND THE BROADER COMMUNITY SENTIMENT.
SO OVERALL, WHAT WE SAW WAS THAT FIXED ROUTE SHOWED AN INCREASE IN OVERALL SATISFACTION OF OUR SERVICES FROM THE LAST SURVEY CUSTOMER, UM, RATED FARES ON TIME PERFORMANCE AND HOURS OF OPERATION AS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR THEM, FOLLOWED BY TRAVEL TIME, ROUTE COVERAGE, AND HELPFUL DRIVERS.
SO IN REGARDS TO SATISFACTION, WE'RE SEEING, UM, THAT WE'RE EXCEEDING IN, IN SATISFACTION IN MOST OF THE, UH, FACTORS, BUT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE WITH ON-TIME PERFORMANCE AND HELPFUL, UH, DRIVERS, WHICH IS PART OF REFERRING BACK TO WHAT THEY FEEL IS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM,
SO IF WE TAKE INTO, UM, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER LOOK INTO ON TIME PERFORMANCE,
[01:20:01]
THEY SAW THAT AS, UM, 76% OF THE RESPONDENTS AGREED THAT THE BUS USUALLY ARRIVES ON TIME, AND WE, UM, THEY ARE WILLING TO WAIT ONE TO FIVE MINUTES FOR THE BUS PAST ITS SCHEDULED ARRIVAL TIME.SO OVERALL, THIS, UM, VERY BUSY CHART SHOWS OVERALL ALL THE KEY DRIVERS AND WHERE THEY ARE IN IONS TO, UM, OUR OPPORTUNITY TO MAINTAIN THAT WE'RE DOING WELL AND THAT THEY APPROVE OR AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY.
SO WHERE WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON IS ON THE RIGHT HAND BOTTOM AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY.
WHILE WE FIND ALL OF IT IMPORTANT, THIS IS A SECTION THAT WE FEEL THAT WE CAN IMPACT THE CUSTOMER, SEE, UH, PUSH TO MAKE SOME, SOME CHANGES, AND HOPEFULLY THEY SEE IT AND THEN CONTINUE TO, TO SEE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE SERVICES OVERALL AND THAT WE ARE LISTENING TO THEM.
LAST THING WE WANNA DO IS ASK THEM QUESTIONS AND THEN NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
SO OVERALL, UM, ONE OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS IS WHAT IS THE VALUE THAT VIA BRINGS TO THE COMMUNITY? UM, AND OVERALL, EXCUSE ME, OVERALL, THEY FELT THAT VIA PROVIDES VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY, SUPPORTS BUSINESSES, AND ALSO HELPS THE COMMUNITY BE A HEALTHIER PLACE.
SO HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO, UM, THE NET PROMOTER SCORE? UM, THIS IS CALCULATED BY TAKING THE PERCENT OF THE PROMOTERS AND SUBTRACTING IT BY THE DETRACTOR.
SO HAPPY VERSUS UNHAPPY, LIKELY TO RECOMMEND VERSUS NOT LIKELY TO RECOMMEND VIA.
SO ALL IN ALL, THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE IS AT A 29%.
UM, THE NICE THING ABOUT THIS IS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXCEED THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE, UM, SINCE WE'VE BEEN, UM, TESTING AND TRYING TO GET OUR SCORE OF NPS.
SO WE'RE EXCEEDING IN THAT CATEGORY AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT SCORE.
SO OVERALL, WHAT DOES THE NET PROMOTER SCORE MEAN TO US? IT MEANS THAT 80, 87% OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SATISFIED WITH, UM, OUR SERVICES.
88% BELIEVE THAT VIA BRINGS VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY.
83% OF THE CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THAT VIA SUPPORTS, UH, COMMUNITY BUSINESSES, AND 87% OF THE CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THAT VIA MAKES THE COMMUNITY A HEALTHIER PLACE.
SO, UM, REALLY QUICK, UM, FACTS ABOUT OUR RIDER.
95% IS DEPENDENT ON VIA AS THE PRIMARY METHOD OF TRAVEL.
AND THIS IS RIDERS THAT ACTUALLY TOOK THE SURVEY.
64% OF THE, UH, RIDERS EARN LESS THAN 25%, UH, 25,000 HOUSEHOLD INCOME CHOICE RIDER, UM, USE OUR SERVICES PRIMARILY BECAUSE IT'S AFFORDABLE.
75% OF OUR RIDERS USE VIA FIVE DAYS OR MORE A WEEK.
AND, UM, THE MOST TRAVEL TIME ON OUR, UH, SERVICE IS BETWEEN 6:00 AM AND 9:00 AM AND 4:00 PM AND 7:00 PM.
UM, 61% OF OUR RIDERS ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 25 TO 54, AND 50% OF OUR RIDERS HAVE BEEN USING VIA, UH, FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS.
AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S THAT DIP, UM, WHICH WE WOULD REFER TO AS THE PANDEMIC DIP, WHERE, UM, WE DID LOSE SOME RIDERSHIP.
SO, UM, WHAT DID WE DO WITH THE RESULTS OF THIS SURVEY? WHAT WE DID IS WE USED THESE, UH, TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, GETTING TO WORK, SCHOOL AND HEALTHCARE APPOINTMENTS WERE ON THE TOP OF THE LIST.
SO WHAT WE USED IS WE USED THAT INTEL TO DEVELOP OUR COMMUNITY VALUE CAMPAIGN, UM, AND WE REALLY WANTED TO HELP, UH, PROMOTE OUR COMMITMENT TO SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS, INVESTMENTS INTO FORWARD THINKING SERVICES AND GROWING THE WORKFORCE.
UM, THE CAMPAIGN THAT WE DEVELOP IS TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY THAT VIA IS COMMITTED TO KEEPING SAN ANTONIO MOVING.
THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS WE CONTINUE GAINING SUPPORT FOR RAPID, OUR NEW LINK ZONES AND FUTURE INNOVATIVE PROJECTS.
THE CAMPAIGN, UH, THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING OR HAVE LAUNCHED WILL, UH, DRIVE THE AUDIENCE TO THE WEBSITE AND GENERATE POSITIVE SENTIMENT WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH WILL REFLECT IN OUR NET PROMOTER SCORES AND INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF V'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY BY GETTING PEOPLE TO WORK, SCHOOL, HEALTHCARE, UM, AND OF COURSE, OUR VIA TRANS SERVICES.
WE WANTED TO REINFORCE OUR MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE MOVING TOGETHER.
AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PHYSICALLY TAKING PEOPLE FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
UM, IT'S ABOUT TAKING THEM BEYOND, UM, TAKING THEM FURTHER TO WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.
IT'S UNLOCKING THE POSSIBILITIES THAT PAVES THE WAY FOR SUCCESS
[01:25:01]
SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP LIVING THEIR LIFE TO THE FULLEST.UM, WE MADE SURE THAT THIS, UM, CAMPAIGN AND THE TALENT THAT WE USED REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HANDED OUT TO YOU ALL OF ONE SHEETER.
THAT'S JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CAMPAIGN.
FRONT SIDE GIVES YOU SOME KEY HIGHLIGHTS ON THE BACKSIDE, SHOWS THE CREATIVE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY LAUNCHING, AND WE ALSO PRINTED LARGE FORMATS ACROSS BEHIND ME SO THAT YOU CAN TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR CAMPAIGN THAT WE, UH, LAUNCHED, UM, IN AUGUST OF 2023.
SO NOW WE'LL PASS IT TO JOHN GARY.
SO WHAT WE, WHAT WE JUST HEARD WAS A REFLECTION AND, AND INFORMATION THAT'S COMING FROM OUR CUSTOMERS.
SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BROADER VIEW AND A BROADER LOOK NOW AT THE COMMUNITY.
UH, THOSE THAT DON'T TAKE OUR SERVICE, UH, BUT INCLUDED IN THERE WILL BE FOLKS THAT INDEED TOOK OUR, UH, TAKE OUR SERVICE ON, ON A DAILY BASIS OR, OR ONCE IN A WHILE.
SO AS WE, UH, AS WE BROADEN, UM, THE SCOPE OF THE SURVEY, WHAT WE FIND, UH, TO ASSESS THE GENERAL ATTITUDES ABOUT VIA, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
GOOD NEWS THERE AS WELL IS THE NAME RECOGNITION AND IMAGE OF VIA REMAINS STRONG AND POSITIVE.
WE, WE HAVE DONE THIS TYPE OF SURVEY WITH THE COMMUNITY, AS WE CALL IT A COMMUNITY SURVEY, UH, ABOUT ONCE EVERY 18 MONTHS, MAYBE ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS.
WE HAVEN'T DONE THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR, UH, IN ABOUT TWO YEARS.
UH, BUT IT'S GOOD TO SEE OUR STRONG CONTINUING TO HAVE A STRONG RECOGNITION AND IMAGE.
NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME BULLET POINTS THAT COME OUT OF THIS IS OUR PARTICULARLY 89% POSITIVE OF THOSE WHO TAKE OUR SERVICES.
SO WHILE THE COMMUNITY HOLDS US IN HIGHER REGARD, THOSE THAT TAKE OUR SERVICES EVEN HAVE A HIGHER REGARD, UH, FOR OUR NAME AND IMAGE.
UM, 77% POSITIVE AMONG THOSE WHO SEE OR READ OR HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT VIA, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT ASPECT THAT MARKETING USES TO MONITOR AND SEE HOW THEY'RE HEARING ABOUT VIA AND WHERE ARE THEY CONSUMING AND WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE CONSUMING AND MESSAGES.
THE NEXT LINE ITEM KIND OF GIVES YOU A SENSE OF HOW STEADY, UH, WE'VE BEEN OVER THE YEARS SINCE, UH, JUNE, 2020 WITH SOME OF THESE, UH, SIMILAR RESULTS.
WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AS WELL.
THIS IS JUST KIND OF, AGAIN, BREAKING OUT THOSE THAT ARE HEARING ABOUT VIA AND THOSE THAT AREN'T HEARING ABOUT VIA.
WE ALSO THREW IN THERE THOSE THAT ARE HEARING ABOUT KSS AM AND THOSE MAY NOT BE HEARING ABOUT KSS AM.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT ASPECTS THAT WE KEEP TRACK OF, UH, TO, TO, UH, TO JUDGE, UH, FOR OURSELVES.
WHAT TYPE OF VOLUME OF INFORMATION IS OUT INTO THE, UH, INTO THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND MESSAGING.
UM, SO WHILE WE HAD THE COMMUNITY AND WHILE WE, UH, THOUGHT WE WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SURVEY IS WE, WE ALSO WANTED TO DETAIL AND GO DEEPER INTO, UH, UH, ART AND IN PARTICULAR OUR, OUR VIA RAPID PROPOSAL THAT WE HAVE, UH, AND THAT WE'RE MORE THAN A PROPOSAL, UH, VIA RAPID PROJECT THAT WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WHAT WE DID INITIALLY IS ASK THE, THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY, AGAIN, NOT NECESSARILY OUR, OUR CUSTOMERS, WHAT THEY THINK OF THIS CONCEPT, WHAT THEY THINK OF THIS PROJECT AND, AND, AND DELIVERY POINT THAT WE'RE GIVING.
AGAIN, 76% OVERALL, EITHER SOMEWHAT OR VERY STRONGLY SUPPORT.
UM, THIS CONCEPT OF IMPROVING TRANSIT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S A FOUR, UH, ALMOST A FIVE TO ONE, UH, RATIO OF THAT, UH, PROPOSITION AND SUPPORT.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS THEN WE START INTRODUCING WHEN YOU HAVE A COMPLEX ITEM AND A COMPLEX PROJECT, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA START IDENTIFYING WHICH ITEMS AND WHICH MESSAGES TEND TO RESONATE MORE WITH THE COMMUNITY OR RESONATE MORE WITH, UH, CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHICS.
THESE ARE THE AREAS THAT WE TEST.
THIS IS JUST A, A SNAPSHOT OF THAT.
WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND SHOW YOU.
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF THAT GOES INTO THIS TYPE OF, OF SURVEY, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT WE COME OUT WITH IS, IS WHAT TYPE OF MESSAGES WILL REALLY DRILL DOWN AND MAKE SENSE TO THE COMMUNITY? AND THOSE ARE THE MESSAGES THAT WE GET BEHIND AND REALLY AMPLIFY IN OUR MESSAGES TO THE COMMUNITY.
ONCE WE DO THAT, THEN THEIR POSITION OF, OF SUPPORT FOR ART EVEN INCREASES.
SO THAT'S ALSO A, UH, A VERY IMPORTANT PART THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY RESONATING WITH THE MESSAGES OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY EVEN BRINGING SOME OF THOSE THAT OPPOSE IT, UH, OVER TO THE SUPPORT POSITION.
SO THAT'S, UH, A GREAT INDICATOR INDICATOR FOR US, UH, ON HOW STRONG SOME OF THESE MESSAGES MIGHT WORK.
AND WE'LL BREAK THAT DOWN INTO A SUMMARY, UH, OF A MATRIX OF UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THIS COMMUNITY.
WE ARE VAST AND DIVERSE, AND SO IS OUR MESSAGE MATRIX OF WHAT MESSAGING PARTICULARLY MIGHT BE WORKING IN SOME PARTS OF THE CITY VERSUS OTHERS.
BUT OVERALL IT IS MESSAGING TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE AND INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT OUR ART SYSTEM.
[01:30:01]
UH, WE THREW THIS IN THERE 'CAUSE PARTICULARLY I KNOW THE BOARD HAS BEEN, UH, VERY, UM, INTERESTED IN OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH.WE ASKED HOW IMPORTANT IS PUBLIC OUTREACH? AND AS YOU SEE, UH, A HIGH PERCENTAGE, 71 PLUS 24 ARE SAYING SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT OR VERY IMPORTANT, UH, THAT PUBLIC OUTREACH AND THAT THE PUBLIC HAVE AN, AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE ABOUT, UH, THESE TYPE OF PROJECTS.
AND I THINK WE'RE GOING TO THE LAST SLIDE.
THIS WILL SUMMARIZE AGAIN WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN HERE.
UH, VERY PROUD THAT OUR, OUR IMAGE IN SAN ANTONIO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUES TO CLIMB.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CANNOT TAKE FOR GRANTED.
UH, IT IS SOME OF THE HIGHEST, UH, RESULTS THAT THIS IN PARTICULAR SURVEY GROUP HAS SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UH, THAT IS AGAIN, SOMETHING WE DO NOT WANT TO ARREST ON OUR LAURELS ABOUT, UH, WHICH LEADS RIGHT INTO THIS TYPE OF CAMPAIGN THAT WE, UH, JESSICA HAD DESCRIBED TO US EARLIER.
A BRAND CAMPAIGN WILL COME HELP AND REINFORCE, UH, SOME OF THESE KEY FINDINGS THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UH, WITH THAT WE'LL END, UH, THE PRESENTATION.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, SIR.
MR. TRUSTEE, UM, JESSICA, UH, JOHN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, RIDERSHIP, UH, 64% OF OUR RIDER, UM, WERE IDENTIFIED, UH, LOW INCOME.
DID THAT NUMBER MOVE FROM COVID PERIOD? WAS THAT NUMBER HIGHER AT ONE POINT, JOHN, OR WAS IT ALWAYS THAT? IT'S BEEN PRETTY, BEEN PRETTY STEADY.
UM, WHEN WE GOT DOWN TO OUR CORE GROUP, I, I THINK WE SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN DURING THE MYTH OF COVID, IT, IT MAY HAVE DIPPED A BIT, BUT NOT BY MUCH.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I'M INTERESTED IN, FIRST OF ALL, LIKE OUR, YOU'RE RIGHT JOHN, RIGHT? THE, THE KEY FINDING IS OUR IMAGE IS POSITIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
THAT, THAT IS A STANDING OVATION, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
UM, I ALWAYS HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT CAN WE DO MORE OF? AND WHAT I LOOKED AT WAS THERE'S SOME CORRELATION AND JUST A SMALL FRAGMENT OF OUR SCORES OR OUR SCORES BEING LOWER WHEN IT CAME TO BUSINESS.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT CAN WE, AND THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN PART OF YOUR MESSAGING, RIGHT? WHEN YOU SHOWED THOSE DIFFERENT MESSAGES THAT YOU PUT OUT THERE, WHAT CAN WE DO TO IMPROVE THAT PARTICULAR PERCEPTION? I MEAN, WE'RE 83, 80 7% COMPARED TO OTHER BASE, RIGHT? BUT HOW CAN WE BRING THAT UP? UH, A BIT IS ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I'M NOT LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER, JESSICA, I KNOW YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING ON IT, BUT I JUST WANNA SEE MORE OF THAT BECAUSE THEN WHEN I LOOKED AT IT ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHAT DO YOU USE OR HOW DO YOU USE VIA, I USE IT TO GET TO WORK.
THOSE NUMBERS WERE SHOT AND UP OUT THE SKY.
AND SO IF WE CAN CONNECT THAT TO THE BUSINESSES, RIGHT? YOUR, YOUR FOLKS GET HERE FROM US OR WITH US.
AND SO THIS IDEA THAT WE ARE NOT SUPPORTING BUSINESS OR HELPING BUSINESS GROW WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE TRUE, RIGHT? IF WE, IF WE COMMUNICATE THAT IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN BEGIN TO GRASP THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS TO THAT, JESSICA.
I THINK THAT BUSINESSES KNOW THAT WE PROVIDE SERVICES.
WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK ON MAKING SURE WE COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE CUSTOMERS AND TO THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WHEN THEY DO GET SURVEYED, THEY CAN SAY, YES, MY EMPLOYER, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
SO I THINK THAT'S THE KEY MESSAGE THAT I WILL GET WITH THE TEAM.
I THINK IT'S BOTH THE BUSINESS, THE EMPLOYER, AND LIKE YOU SAID, THE CUSTOMER, RIGHT? IF WE COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE COMMUNITY, I THINK IT'S A LIKE, JUST SHOWING THAT, HOW DO I USE VIA, I USE IT TO GET TO WORK AT A VERY LARGE LEVEL, RIGHT? RIGHT.
AND, AND, AND I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, CREATIVELY AS WELL, UM, MY HAT'S OFF TO JESSICA AND HER TEAM OF, OF BRINGING THIS TOGETHER AS MUCH AS, AS WHAT WE CAN DELIVER AS MESSAGES TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
ABSOLUTELY WE CAN DO MORE, BUT FROM CLASSROOMS TO CAREERS, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE THERE'S A CERTAIN SNAPSHOT THAT WE TAKE OF OUR, OF OUR RIDERS TODAY.
AND IF THEY'RE, AND WE GOT QUITE A FEW OF, OF OUR RIDERS THAT ARE GOING TO SCHOOL WELL, THAT SNAPSHOT OF THAT INDIVIDUAL TODAY IS A, YOU KNOW, GETTING AN EDUCATION AND THEN TURNING THAT INTO A CAREER.
SO THAT BECOMES THAT PIPELINE FOR BUSINESSES AS WELL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION TO, BECAUSE THEN THAT DRIVES THE ECONOMY AS WELL.
SO IT'S, IT'S ALL OF THOSE COMING, COMING TOGETHER.
SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GIVE THE MARKETING TEAM, ALL RIGHT, GO OUT AND SHOW US HOW TO DO THAT
AND THEY, THEY'VE COME TOGETHER AND PUT TOGETHER SOME INNOVATIVE IDEAS OF, OF BRINGING THOSE KIND OF MESSAGES TOGETHER.
BUT BECAUSE ART IS OUT INTO THE MARKETPLACE AND KEEPS ANTONIO MOVING IS OUT TO THE MARKETPLACE, IT'S IN PARTICULAR THAT THE BUSINESSES ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THEIR IMPACT DIRECTLY FOR SURE.
UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE ON THE CORRIDORS.
[01:35:01]
THE NEXT VERSION OF THESE MESSAGES THAT YOU SHOULD BE SEEING FROM OUR CASE, A TEAM LOOKING AT JOHN TEMAN HERE, THAT, UH, IT'S GONNA BE JUST AS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW THAT'S GONNA IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS, BUT THEY ALSO WANNA UNDERSTAND HOW IT WILL IMPACT THEIR BUSINESS MAYBE DURING CONSTRUCTION.UM, SO BUSINESS IS DEFINITELY SOME, UH, A PLACE THAT WE GOTTA DO MORE OF AND WE APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF JEFF, YOU WERE MAKING A COMMENT.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN PICKING ON YOU TODAY.
I'M SORRY,
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD, UH, JESSICA REAL QUICK, 76%, UH, YOU QUOTED 76% ON THAT LAST SLIDE.
THAT MIGHT'VE BEEN YOUR SLIDE, SORRY, JOHN, GARY, AROUND EAST, WEST LINE, UM, AND FOLKS BEING WILLING TO, OR INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD TAKE, USE THE, THE ROUTE IF IT WAS LESS THAN A MILE OR AT LEAST A 10 MINUTE WALK, WAS THAT COMPRISED OF FOLKS WHO'VE NEVER RIDDEN VIA BEFORE AND FOLKS WHO RIDE VIA CURRENTLY? IT'S BOTH.
AND, AND, AND I WILL POINT OUT THOSE ARE HIGHER, UH, SUPPORT NUMBERS THAN WE SAW ON THE GREEN LIGHT.
I WANT TO DISTINGUISH THAT AS WELL.
WELL, JUST SAYING THAT, I'M GONNA SAY THAT PROUD OF MY EAST WEST, NO, THAT, THAT REALLY EXCITES ME BECAUSE WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS INFORMING THEM ONE AROUND THAT COMING.
RIGHT? I'M SURE THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SURVEY, BUT TWO, JUST GETTING THAT FEEDBACK REALLY, REALLY EXCITES ME.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
THE ONLY COMMENT I WANTED TO ADD IS JUST TO MAKE SURE WE, WE KEEP THE PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS THE REASON WE CAN SHARE THESE COMMENTS AND GET POSITIVE RESPONSES BACK IS BECAUSE OUR FRONTLINE PEOPLE ARE DOING THEIR JOB AND THAT SOMETIMES GETS LOST IN ALL THIS.
SO I HAVE TO COME BACK TO THAT ALL THE TIME.
UM, IS THERE ANY WAY WE COULD GET, UH, STATISTICS ON CITIES OUR SIZE AND WHAT THEIR, UH, UH, SYSTEMS, HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR SYSTEMS? I KNOW WE SAID WE GET, WHAT, 81%, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER COMPARABLE CITY OF OUR SIZE AND SEE WHAT THEIR TRANSIT SYSTEM IS, IS LIKE? SO WE, WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE FIRM, UH, TRANS PRO, THAT THEY ARE INDEED, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER A DASHBOARD THAT'S GONNA GIVE A COMMUNITY LOOK THE VALUE, THE COMMUNITY VALUE LOOK, UH, OF LIKED SYSTEMS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO THEN WE WOULD ACTUALLY THEN HAVE SOME OF THESE NUMBERS PUT UP AGAINST SOME OF THE OTHER TRANSIT NUMBERS, UH, THAT OTHER SYSTEMS AS WELL.
SO WE CAN KIND OF LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, SEE WHERE STRENGTHS ARE, SEE WHERE OPPORTUNITIES ARE, AND, AND GO AND EXPLORE, UH, THOSE AS WELL.
CAN YOU REMIND ME, UH, ON THE, THE CHART IT TALKS ABOUT WHAT THE AVERAGE TRANSIT PROPERTY NET PROMOTER SCORE IS AND WHAT IS THAT? UH, 29.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT UH, TRANS PRO, WHO IS OUR CONSULTANT GO ACROSS THE COUNTRY TALKING ABOUT THE VALUE OF THIS AND ALWAYS POINT OUT THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS THE HIGHEST NET PROMOTER SCORE OF ANY SYSTEM THAT THEY MEASURE.
OKAY, TRUSTEES, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, IF NOT MS. ELDERS, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR, WE DO NOT.
WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION A SECOND TO ADJOURN? MOTION? SECOND.
ANY OPPOSED? I MEAN, I'M SORRY.