[00:00:01]
[ATD 1. Call to Order]
EVERYONE, AND WELCOME.IT IS 5:00 PM AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE ORDER THE NOVEMBER 19TH, A TD BOARD MEETING.
LET'S BEGIN WITH THE ROLL CALL VICE CHAIR CABILLA.
I THINK SHE'S RUNNING A LITTLE BIT LATE.
UH, TRUSTEE BEDU IS GONNA BE OUT.
PRESENT TRUSTEE GONZALEZ IS GONNA BE OUT.
OKAY, WE'LL GIVE HIM TIME TO GET HERE.
OKAY, WE HAVE A TORN THANK YOU.
[ATD 2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements]
NEXT, UH, PLEASE JOIN ME IN RECITING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE US AND THE TEXAS FLAGS.I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AMERICA, THANKS TO THE REPUBLIC, WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL HONOR TEXAS FLAG.
I HAVE PLEDGE TO ALLE THIS TO BE TEXAS.
ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AN INDIVISIBLE.
UH, NEXT, MR. R, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? I DO NOT.
WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR A TD MEETING.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD? MR. CHAIR? THERE ARE NO CITIZENS FOR THE A TD BOARD MEETING.
[ATD 4. Consent Agenda]
FOUR.ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? SO MOVED, MR. CHAIR.
ANY OPPOSED? NAY THAT CONSENT THAT YOUR ITEM IS APPROVED.
MS. RIDGES, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR, WE DO NOT.
TRUSTEES, WE'LL REACHING END OF OUR MEETING.
I HAVE AN MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
SECOND, SECOND, FIRST, AND THE SECOND.
ANY FOLKS? NA COUNCILMAN CURTIS.
[1. Call to Order]
5:03 PM AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE ORDER THE NOVEMBER 19TH VIA BOARD MEETING.ITEM TWO WAS ADDRESSED AT THE A TD MEETING.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE,
[3. President/CEO Report]
UH, PRESIDENT, CEO REPORT.SO IN OCTOBER, WE, UH, DEFERRED THIS REPORT AND WE'LL HAVE, THEREFORE WE WILL HAVE THREE DIFFERENT STAR EMPLOYEES.
UH, WE'LL RECOGNIZE EACH OF YOU, AND ONCE WE COMPLETE THE THIRD RECOGNITION, THEN THE BOARD WILL COME FORWARD AND WE'LL TAKE PICTURES WITH EACH OF YOU INDIVIDUALLY RATHER THAN BACK AND FORTH THREE TIMES.
SO, UH, LET US START WITH OUR STAR OPERATOR OF THE QUARTER FOR OCTOBER, I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE OUR BUS OPERATOR OF THE QUARTER FOR JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER PERIOD, WE'RE RECKONING RECOGNIZING SANTOS REYES FOR HIS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE OPERATOR.
REYES, IF YOU'RE HERE, PLEASE STAND UP SO WE CAN, THERE WE GO.
AND WHEN I FINISH HERE, YOU'LL WANT TO CLAP FOR HIM AGAIN.
I, I'M GONNA TELL YOU, UH, OPERATOR REYES, UH, HAS BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN A 90% ON TIME FOR PERFORMANCE RATING THROUGHOUT THE QUARTER AS AN EXTRA BOARD OPERATOR.
AND I THINK MOST OF US HERE, WE'VE TALKED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ON THE EXTRA BOARD.
THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT, PARTICULARLY FOR EXTRA BOARD OPERATORS BECAUSE THEY FACE MANY CHALLENGES OUTSIDE THEIR, THEIR CONTROL AND OUTSIDE.
REALLY WHAT A NORMAL OPERATOR'S RUN WOULD, WOULD BE INCLUDING REGULARLY DRIVING NEW OR DIFFERENT ROUTES, SOMETIMES EVERY DAY, NAVIGATING TRAFFIC AND DETOURS.
AND I THINK ALL OF US KNOW ABOUT DETOURS, RIGHT? SO IT'S A TREMENDOUS THING TO BE ABLE TO STAY ON TIME ON ALL THOSE ROUTES DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY.
WITH ALL THOSE CHANGES THAT YOU HAVE TO MANEUVER THROUGH.
OPERATOR REYES HAS GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO ENSURE THAT HIS PATRONS GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE, BOTH ON TIME AND SAFELY.
HE'S DEMONSTRATED RELIABILITY, CONSCIENTIOUS SERVICE, AND A CUSTOMER FOCUS.
HE IS A STELLAR EXAMPLE OF ALL OF V'S CORE VALUES AND HE TRULY IS A SUPERHERO.
NEXT, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TREMENDOUS WORK OF RUBEN RODRIGUEZ,
[00:05:01]
OUR STAR PARATRANSIT OPERATOR FOR THE QUARTER.RODRIGUEZ IS ONE OF ONLY TWO PARATRANSIT OPERATORS WHO IS ON A WINNING TEAM FOR THE OPERATOR'S FANTASY LEAGUE.
UH, HE RECEIVED 10 COMMENDATIONS DURING THE CO COMPETITION PERIOD AND GOING BEYOND AND AND ABOVE AND BEYOND DELIVERING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THE PARATRANSIT CLIENTS WHO DEPEND ON OUR SERVICES.
HE HAS CONSISTENTLY ALSO HELD A 95, 90% ON TIME PERFORMANCE RECORD FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
PLEASE, PLEASE STAND SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU.
AND NOW THIS MONTH WE HAVE A STAR MAINTAINER OF THE QUARTER, PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE AS OUR STAR MAINTAINER OF THE QUARTER FOR NOVEMBER YARD CLEANER, JONATHAN LOZANO.
JONATHAN IS A RECIPIENT OF THIS AWARD BECAUSE OF HIS EXCEPTIONAL WORK ETHIC.
HE'S KNOWN FOR STAYING LATE AND ARRIVING EARLY.
I LIKE HOW THESE WORDS COME IN THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
HE HAS PRODIGIOUS THAT MEANS REGULARLY AND A GREAT INTENT AND SUCCESS.
UH, HE HAS PRODIGIOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS AND AWESOME PERSONALITY AND A GREAT ATTITUDE WHEN DOING THE JOB AT HAND.
HE IS HIGHLY RESPECTED BY COWORKERS AND IS A, AN ASSET TO VIET.
LET'S ALL CON CON, UH, CONGRATULATE YET ANOTHER SUPERSTAR.
AND SO NOW, NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD.
WE'LL MOVE THE BOARD TO THE FRONT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE EACH OF YOU COME UP INDIVIDUALLY.
YOU CAN LINE UP IN THE CENTER AISLE AND WE'LL ROTATE THROUGH FOR PICTURES WITH THE BOARD.
ALL, ALL THREE OF OUR STARS, PLEASE.
[00:10:51]
I HAVE A FEW MORE.WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT MICHAEL REYES HAS BEEN APPOINTED AS THE NEW MANAGER OF TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY AT VIA.
MICHAEL BRINGS A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE OPERATIONAL TECHNO TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF TRANSIT.
HE EARNED HIS BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN INFRASTRUCTURE ASSURANCE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO, A DEGREE THAT'S PROVIDED HIM WITH A STRONG FOUNDATION IN BOTH BUSINESS AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. MICHAEL'S CAREER AT VIA BEGAN AS A BUS OPERATOR.
SO HERE AGAIN, WE SEE THAT THERE IS A SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY WHEN YOU START THAT YOU CAN MOVE THROUGH THE ORGANIZATION.
HE THEN MOVED INTO THE ROLE OF A SERVICE PLANNER, SCHEDULER, SCHEDULE ANALYST, AND MOST RECENTLY SERVED AS TRANSPORTATION APPLICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR IN OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION DEPARTMENT.
WITH HIS DIVERSE BACKGROUND, MICHAEL IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO LEAD THE TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY TEAM.
MICHAEL, PLEASE BE RECOGNIZED.
NEXT, UH, CARINA PINTO COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND FEDERAL COMPLIANCE RECENTLY OBTAINED A CERTIFICATION AS A BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL MASTER EXCELLENT BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FROM THE LONDON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.
AND THAT IS A LONG NAME FOR THAT TITLE, BUT IT, I'M SURE IT WAS ALSO EQUALLY DIFFICULT TO ATTAIN.
CORINA'S SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE COMPLIANCE TEAM'S ABILITY TO HELP ENSURE THAT OUR DPE COMPLIANCE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT ON CONTRACTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT, GREEN LINE AND SILVER LINE, AND ANY OTHER FEDERAL PROJECTS, SHE'S VISIONARY, WHOSE ACTIONS TRANSLATE ADVOCACY INTO POWERFUL CHANGE, UPLIFTING AND EMPOWERING THOSE AROUND HER.
CORINA, ARE YOU HERE? CONGRATULATIONS.
THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, OR THE GFOA HAS AWARDED THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING TO VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT FOR ITS ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, OR A CAF R FOR THE FISCAL YEAR THAT ENDED SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2023.
THE REPORT HAS BEEN JUDGED BY AN IMPARTIAL PANEL TO MEET THE HIGH STANDARDS OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDE DEMONSTRATING A CONSTRUCTIVE SPIRIT OF FULL DISCOURSE TO CLEARLY COMMUNICATE FINANCIAL STORY AND MOTIVATE, MOTIVATE POTENTIAL USERS AND NON-USERS AG AGREE GROUPS TO READ THE REPORT.
THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF RECOGNITION IN THE AIR OF GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL REPORTING.
AND ITS ATTAINMENT REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENT BY A GOVERNMENT AND ITS MANAGEMENT.
THANK YOU TO STEVE LANGE, TO ALL OF ONB AND TO GENERAL ACCOUNTING FOR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IN ENSURING WE MET THOSE REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS SET FORTH BY THE GFOA.
AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERY YEAR I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, ACHIEVED THAT AWARD.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING ATTORNEY ALBERT TOVAR FOR HIS SELECTION TO LEADERSHIP SAN ANTONIO, CLASS 49.
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS PROGRAM KNOW THAT IT'S AN INCREDIBLY ENRICHING AND FUN EXPERIENCE THAT GIVES PARTICIPANTS A CHANCE TO EXPLORE OUR CITY, MAKE LASTING CONNECTIONS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I'VE BEEN PLEASED TO BE PART OF LSA AS A CLASS MEMBER AND ALSO STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER AND AS A CO-CHAIR.
AND I THINK WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHER FOLKS AT THIS TABLE THAT HAVE BEEN IN THOSE ROLES.
I KNOW OF AT LEAST TWO FORMER CO-CHAIRS ALONG WITH ME.
[00:15:01]
UM, IT'S A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE AND I, I THINK, ALBERT, YOU ARE GONNA BE AN IDEAL PARTICIPANT.I'D ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT SIDNEY WOLF, WHO IS THE DAUGHTER OF TRUSTEE KEVIN WOLF, WAS ALSO ACCEPTED INTO THIS YEAR'S COHORT IN SPITE OF HER FATHER
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALBERT AND TO SIDNEY.
I HOPE YOU BOTH ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH LSA AS MUCH AS I DID.
ALBERT OVER THERE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.
SO, MR. CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO JEFF ARN, WHO THIS MONTH HAS, HAS AWARDED THE HEART OF THE CITY AWARD BY VISIT SAN ANTONIO.
THE AWARDS HONORS JEFF'S MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE VISIT SAN ANTONIO BOARD AND OUR GREAT CITY AND REGION.
IT IS ONE OF JEFF'S MANY ACCOLADES AND ONE THAT SYMBOLIZES HIS MANY CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR COMMUNITY.
CONGRATULATIONS, JEFF, ON A WELL EARNED HONOR.
SO MANY OF THESE HONORS REPRESENT THE FACT THAT, UH, FOLKS ARE TELLING ME, HEY, YOU DID A GOOD JOB.
IT'S NOW TIME TO LET OTHER PEOPLE TAKE, TAKE THE HELM.
BUT, UH, IT'S VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
UH, NOW I'D LIKE TO OFFER WARM CONGRATULATIONS TO THREE NEWEST INDUCTEES TO VIAS HALL OF HONOR.
ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, WE CAME TO INDUCT AND CELEBRATE THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO TRANSIT AND SAN ANTONIO, MADE BY GLEN HARTMAN, ROBERT THOMPSON AND NELSON WOLF HARTMAN, A CITY, UH, SAN ANTONIO CITY, COUNCILMAN ANNE THOMPSON, A TRANSIT AND LABOR CHAMPION, WHO WAS ALSO A V EMPLOYEE, WAS HONORED, WERE HONORED POSTHUMOUSLY, FORMER BEXAR COUNTY.
JUDGE WOLF ACCEPTED THE RECOGNITION AND APPLAUDED VIA FOR FORGING AHEAD TO PROVIDE MORE TRANSIT OPTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY.
THE CEREMONY WAS A REMINDER THAT OUR COMMUNITY'S BEEN FIGHTING FOR BETTER MOBILITY OPTIONS SINCE THE AGENCY'S INCEPTION.
AND WE, FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR TO OUR MOST RECENTLY HIRED BUS OPERATOR, ARE ALL CONTINUING TO LEAN INTO THAT WORK AND STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF THESE GIANTS TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING.
HERE IS A BRIEF VIDEO OF THAT SPECIAL DAY.
WELCOME AND THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING TO HONOR THREE NEW INDUCTEES TO THE VIA HALL OF HONOR.
ANY ORGANIZATION, THE PAST IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE FUTURE BECAUSE THE PAST LAID LAID OUT THE PATH AND THE OPPORTUNITY.
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ALL REMEMBER THE PEOPLE THAT CAME BEFORE US AND UPON WHOSE SHOULDERS AS THEY SAY WE STAND.
AND SO IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS HALL OF HONOR TO REMIND US OF PEOPLE BOTH PAST AND PRESENT WHO HAVE MADE VIA POSSIBLE AND HAVE MADE, UH, THE IMPROVEMENTS OF VIA POSSIBLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND TODAY WE WILL BE, UH, INDUCTING THREE ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO THAT HALL OF HONOR, GLENN HARTMAN, ROBERT THOMPSON.
AND OF COURSE WE HAVE THE ROBERT THOMPSON TRANSIT CENTERS OF HIS NAME IS ALREADY OUT THERE.
AND THE JUDGE NELSON WOLF, GLENN HARTMAN IS A PART OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN STORY FROM, FROM ITS FOUNDING TO THE AGENCY'S MODERN MISSION AND VISION, UH, TO CONNECT OUR COMMUNITY.
WHERE VIA PLAYED A BIG ROLE ON THIS IS, I KNOW IT DID IN HIS LIFE, BECAUSE THE FACT THAT MANY TIMES WE WOULD TALK ABOUT WHAT HE FELT WERE HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
AND I'D OFTEN ASK MY DAD WHAT WAS THE THING IN HIS LIFE THAT WAS OF MOST SIGNIFICANCE TO HIM.
AND ONE OF THE TOP THREE THINGS, HONESTLY, WAS THE CREATION OF BIA.
HE TALKED ABOUT BIA ROBERT, BOB THOMPSON.
MR. T REMAINED IN SAN ANTONIO AFTER HIS AIR FORCE DUTY AND TOOK A JOB AS A BUS OPERATOR BEFORE VIA WAS CREATED WORKING FOR SAN ANTONIO TRANSIT SYSTEM.
HE ROSE IN THE RANKS TO BECOME A TU 6 94 PRESIDENT AND RALLIED HIS MEMBERS, SOME OF WHOM ARE HERE TODAY, WHO SUPPORT THE CREATION OF VIA.
IN THE 1978 REFERENDUM, HE STOOD AGAINST HIS OWN INTERNATIONAL UNION AND THOUGH HE WAS NOT AN ATTORNEY, HE SUCCESSFULLY ARGUED IN FRONT OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT THAT OVER TIME PROVISIONS SHOULD APPLY TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
HIS VICTORY AFFECTED OVER 5 MILLION WORKERS AT THE TIME, MANY MORE TODAY, WHO BENEFITED FROM HIS VISION, HIS COURAGE, AND HIS TENACITY.
OVERWHELMING AND MEMORABLE BECAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK SO MANY
[00:20:01]
MEMORIES, NOT JUST OF MY LATE HUSBAND, BUT THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE HONORED HERE TODAY.IT IS MY HONOR TO OFFICIALLY INDUCT COUNTY JUDGE NELSON WOLFE TO THE VIA HALL OF HONOR.
JOSH WOLFE HAS BEEN A LONG LONGTIME FRIEND TO ME AND A FRIEND TO VIA AND THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE TOGETHER, LIKE GLENN HARTMAN AND BOB THOMPSON WHO SHARE THIS DAY.
AND OUR THANKS NELSON IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF VIAS STORY.
AND MY FATHER HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HUGE PROPONENT OF WORK HARD, WORK HARD AT EVERYTHING.
I'M VERY PROUD OF WHAT VIA HAS DONE IN THE LAST, UH, SEVERAL YEARS.
THEY'VE BEEN INNOVATIVE, THEY'VE USED TECHNOLOGY.
SO YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT ROUTE WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
YOU'RE GIVING SOME FLEXIBILITY IN HOW PEOPLE CAN USE PUBLIC TRANSIT, MAKING IT OPEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS, UH, RECOGNITION AND UH, KEEP IT UP AND LET'S GET THE JOB DONE.
OKAY, SO ALSO IT'S PLEASE HELP ME OFFICIALLY WELCOME OUR NEWEST TRUSTEE ADRIAN RENA.
TRUSTEE RENA, WHO FILLS TRUSTEE CUOMO SEED AT THE LA AS THE LABOR REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
RAYNA IS AN AWARD-WINNING US HISTORY TEACHER IN HIS 14TH YEAR WORKING IN THE SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
HE IS SERVING A SECOND TERM AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO ALLIANCE AND IS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF PODER, P-O-D-E-R PO PO OKAY, PODA, THE SOCIAL JUSTICE CAUCUS OF THE ALLIANCE.
HE ALSO SERVES ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE SAN ANTONIO, A-F-L-C-I-O, CENTRAL LABOR CO LABOR COUNCIL.
AS A UNION LEADER AND LABOR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE VIA BOARD, RENA SAID HIS FOCUS WILL BE ON WORKING WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO CENTER THE VOICES AND LISTEN TO THE VOICES AND NEEDS OF WORKING CLASS SAN ANTONIANS AND THE WORKERS WHO MOVE VIA AND SAN ANTONIO FORWARD.
HE HOLDS DEGREES IN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF, OF, UH, TEXAS AND AUSTIN, AND SPENT TWO YEARS AS A LEGISLATIVE AIDE FOR THEN STATE SENATOR LETICIA VAN DEBUT BEFORE RETURNING TO SAN ANTONIO TO TEACH IN HIS HOMETOWN.
HE ALSO EARNED A MASTER'S IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP FROM TRINITY UNIVERSITY.
AND FINALLY, IF BOB CUOMO, BOB, WOULD YOU COME ON UP AND SIT HERE AT THE FRONT COUNCIL AT, AT THE FRONT HERE, BRING JOAN.
WELL, IF JOANNE WANTS TO, UH, BEAR THE RISK OF THE FLYING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING BOARD TRUSTEE BOB CUOMO FOR HIS SERVICE AS HE RETIRES FROM THE SEAT ON THE VIA BOARD.
I'M SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU TO STAND, BUT I HAD YOU COME UP SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU.
TRUSTEE CUOMO BEGAN HIS SERVICE ON THE BOARD IN 2017 AND HAS BEEN PART OF SEVERAL KEY INITIATIVES THAT HAVE PUT V ON THE ROAD TO A BRIGHTER, MORE MOBILE FUTURE AS THE LABOR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD APPOINTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
BOB HAS ALSO BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP US MOVING.
ALL OUR WORKERS AND EMPLOYEES, MANY OF WHOM ARE A TU MEMBERS.
WE JUST WATCHED A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT PART OF BOB'S LEGACY ON THE VIA BOARD, THE CELEBRATION OF OUR VIA HALL OF HONOR, WHICH HE CHAMPIONED AND HAS NOMINATED TWO OF THE FIVE INDUCTEES IN IN THE INAUGURAL YEARS HERE.
OF ALL HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR BOARD, OUR AGENCY AND COMMUNITY.
BOB'S GREATEST GIFTS HAVE INCLUDED HIS KINDNESS, HIS GENEROSITY, HIS GUIDANCE, AND HIS DEEP COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THOSE WE SERVE.
HE HAS ALSO BEEN A VERY STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE STAFF, ATTENDING PUBLIC MEETINGS, ATTENDING EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION EVENTS, TIRELESSLY.
I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT I THINK THERE AND THERE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE TWO BOARDS THAT REALLY GO DOWN IN HISTORY.
BUT THE BOARD OF 2020, OF WHICH WE STILL HAVE THREE PEOPLE SITTING HERE, RIGHT.
[00:25:01]
WERE BOLD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH AN ELECTION FOR AN INCREASE TO OUR FUNDING IN THE MIDDLE OF COID WHEN SOME SAID THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD SUCCEED AND WE HAD A 68% APPROVAL RATING.AND WITHOUT THAT BOARD WE WOULD NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
AND SECONDLY, ON THE BOARD OF 2024, THIS BOARD RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THIS BOARD, BECAUSE OF THE ACTION OF THE BOARD IN 2020 WILL WE BELIEVE VERY SOON BE BRINGING HOME THE LARGEST FEDERAL GRANT THAT SAN ANTONIO HAS EVER SEEN FROM THE FEDERAL TRANS ADMINISTRATION.
BOB, YOU WERE ALL PART OF THAT.
YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD AND WE ARE SO THANKFUL.
UH, I'M GONNA THANK YOU ON A TRIP BACK THE LAST EIGHT YEARS IN TIME AND I'VE SO ENJOYED IT WITH YOU, JEFF, WITH TRAMMELL, WITH BONNIE, WITH DEBORAH WHO MAKES THINGS HAPPEN AND ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT I'VE HAD A, THE PLEASURE TO SERVE WITH.
THANK YOU FOR THE HONOR AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, BRIEF IS NOT A WORD IN MY VOCABULARY, SO I BEG YOUR INDULGENCE IN ADVANCE.
IT'S A GOOD THING YOU HAVE A SHORT AGENDA TONIGHT.
I'VE JUST COMPLETED 100 MONTHS OF A 96 MONTH OPPORTUNITY.
I'VE TRIED TO BE FAITHFUL TO THE SCOUT LAW TO DO MY DUTY TO GOD AND MY COUNTRY.
I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW QUICKLY EIGHT YEARS COULD PASS, BUT THE LESS LESS SAND LEFT IN THE HOURGLASS, THE QUICKER IT SEEMS TO EMPTY THE MARK OF ANY GREAT TEAM, IS HOW THEY REACT TO A CRISIS LIKE THE GREEN BAY PACKERS BLOCKING A LAST SECOND FIELD GOAL THAT WOULD'VE BROKEN THEIR 10 GAME STREAK AGAINST THE BEARS VIA WEATHER.
DURING BY TIME AFTER COUNCIL MEMBER RAY SAW DONYA SECURED $10 MILLION IN NEW FUNDING FROM THE CITY, WE WERE ABLE TO ENACT JEFF'S MANTRA OF FREQUENCY, FREQUENCY, FREQUENCY.
THE STRATEGY WAS WORKING, OUR RIDERSHIP WAS ON THE ASCENDANCY.
WE LOST A FEW VALUED TEAM MEMBERS TO THE DREADED VIRUS AND A NUMBER OF OPERATORS RETIRED EARLY OR RESIGNED TO PROTECT VULNERABLE FAMILY MEMBERS.
WE HAVE NOT RETURNED TO FULL EMPLOYMENT AND IT HAS HURT OUR ABILITY TO RESUME THE PRE COVID OPERATIONS.
BUT VIA PERFORMED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL SPACING PASSENGERS WIPING DOWN BUSES AT TRANSIT STATIONS, GETTING RIDERS TO THEIR VITAL JOBS AND APPOINTMENTS, NO ONE CONTRACTED THE DISEASE ON VIA VEHICLE.
WE TAKE PRIDE IN THAT DARKEST OF OURS VIA SHINED.
THE SECOND CRISIS WAS WINTER STORM EARLY BECAUSE OF THE VISION OF OUR LEADERSHIP VIA IDENTIFIED WHICH DIALYSIS CENTERS WERE OPEN AND MATCHED THEM WITH VIA TRANS RIDERS SO DIALYSIS PATIENTS COULD GET TO THEIR LIFESAVING PROCEDURES.
IT IS WONDERFUL TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN ORGANIZATION THAT SOLE VALUES ARE RIDERS, THAT THEY WERE SO PROACTIVE IN THEIR CONCERN.
UH, MR. PRESIDENT AND MR. CHAIR, FELLOW TRUSTEES AND ALL OF VIA TEAM, IT'S BEEN A HIGH HONOR SERVING WITH YOU AND SERVING THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO.
I'M ESPECIALLY PLEASED THAT COUNCILMAN JOHN COURAGE IS HERE TONIGHT 'CAUSE HE HAS BEEN VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ME IN ALL OF MY ENDEAVORS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVICE.
THE TEAM AND YOUR PREDECESSORS MADE GREAT STRIDES FOR TRANSIT IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS.
FIRST, HOW DID I GET HERE? I'M HERE BECAUSE OF MY FABULOUS WIFE, JOANNE.
JOANNE, IT'S BEEN MY ROCK ALWAYS.
BUT ESPECIALLY AFTER MY SPINAL CORD INJURY, RAUL BOTTON TRAINED HER ON HOW I COULD ZOOM IN FROM MY HOSPITAL BED.
AND I HAD EIGHT MEETINGS, FROMTO OAK METHODIST HOSPITAL IN THE 54 DAYS I WAS THERE.
SHE HELPED ME GET TO THE VIA TRANS VAN LATER TO THE BUS STOP WHEN MY MOBILITY IMPROVED.
NEVER A COMPLAINT, ALWAYS SUPPORTIVE.
AND SHE SHOULD BE HONORED HERE AS WELL.
I COULD NOT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING WITHOUT HER BY BY SIDE.
YOU AND I THINK THE MANY OF YOU WHO HELPED WENT OUTTA YOUR WAY TO HELP TAKE ME HOME AFTER LATE NIGHT MEETINGS TO SAVE JOANNE, A TRIP TO THE BUS STOP ON THE SECOND OR THIRD DAY AFTER I RETIRED.
JOANNE, WHO HAD RETIRED SIX YEARS EARLIER TO TAKE CARE OF GRANDKIDS, SAT ME DOWN AND SAID, YOU HAVE A COMPULSION TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING EVERY DAY.
[00:30:01]
DON'T.SHE SAID, GO GIVE YOUR TO-DO LIST TO SOMEONE ELSE.
AND JEFF, YOU WERE THE BENEFICIARY.
WE TOOK THAT TO-DO LIST AND WE DID A LOT WITH THE HELP OF THIS AND PREDECESSOR BOARDS.
AND I WILL CHRONICLE SOME OF OUR BOARDS ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
20 DAYS AGO IN MY VERY LAST OFFICIAL DUTY I MET HELPED MAKE THE MOST DIFFICULT BUT IMPORTANT DECISION OF MY TENURE.
AND THAT WAS SELECTING JOHN GEARY HERRERA AS JEFFS REPLACEMENT.
I'M GLAD THE BOARD GAVE HIM A UNANIMOUS VOTE.
THE OTHER CANDIDATES MADE OUR CHOICE VERY DIFFICULT AND I SALUTE THEIR TOTAL COOPERATION WITH THIS CHAIN CHANGE IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND.
I HAVE TOLD MANY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THAT JEFF ARNT AND JACKIE CALLANAN ARE THE TWO MOST OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVANTS I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE TO WORK WITH.
AND I SALUTE YOU AND WISH YOU WELL IN YOUR RETIREMENT.
VIA CREATED THE LARGEST C AND G STATION AFTER ACQUIRING OUR FLEET OF COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS BUSES, WHICH HAS REDUCED OVER 95% OF THE NOX GASES OF THE DIESEL FLEET.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS LED US TO PARTNER WITH CPS ENERGY TO CAPTURE M METHANE GASES CREATED BY LANDFILL DECOMPOSITION, WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE ESCAPE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE WITH DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS.
VIA IS RUNNING BUSES AS UH, AS THIS IS INJECTED INTO THE NATURAL GAS SYSTEM AND VIA OPERATES EIGHT FULLY ELECTRIC BUSES.
AS A LABOR REPRESENTATIVE ON THE VIA BOARD, I FELT IT WAS MY DUTY TO FAITHFULLY REPRESENT THE INCREDIBLE MECHANICS, BUS AND VAN OPERATORS AND ALL VIA EMPLOYEES UNION OR NOT.
AND ALSO VIA RETIREES ON WHOSE SHOULDERS WE STAND.
AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR MEETINGS TO GIVE AWARDS TO THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT THE ENTIRETY OF OUR WORKFORCE.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING.
I WISH ALL WERE UNION MEMBERS, BUT THAT'S NOT MY JOB.
I ALSO FELT IT WAS MY DUTY TO REPRESENT ALL SAN ANTONIO WORKERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO DEPEND UPON VIA TO GET THEM TO WORK EACH DAY.
THE REASON WE EXIST, AS WELL AS THE OTHER WORKERS WHOSE SALES TAXES KEEP THE BUSES RUNNING ON MY WATCH.
NOT ONLY WAS THERE ARE NO INCREASE IN FARES VIA ELIMINATED FEES FOR TRANSFERS, CREATING A MORE EQUITABLE TRANS TRANSIT SYSTEM AND SAVING RIDERS MONEY ON MY WATCH.
THERE WAS MINIMAL INCREASES IN THE WORKERS' SHARE OF MEDICAL PREMIUMS WITH VIA ABSORBING THE VAST INCREASES.
WE PROTECTED RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS AND SECURED A MINIMAL SUPPLEMENT FOR RETIREES.
LONG BEFORE THE UNION BEGAN ASKING FOR PAY INCREASES DURING THE PANDEMIC, I WAS SEEKING SALARY IMPROVEMENTS, NOT ONLY BECAUSE WORKERS NEEDED MORE AND DESERVED MORE, BUT VIA NEEDED TO ATTRACT MORE MUCH NEEDED BUS OPERATORS AND MECHANICS.
I HAD SUCCESSFULLY RUN FOR VICE CHAIR TO HELP PASS THE ONE EIGHTH CENT SALES TAX, BUT AN UNANTICIPATED INJURY WAYLAID THOSE INTENTIONS SIX MONTHS TO THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ELECTION.
SO I STAYED ON THE BOARD BUT VACATED THE VICE CHAIR POSITION SINCE I WAS UNABLE TO FULFILL MY REASON FOR RUNNING.
BY THE WAY, OUR BOARD WITHSTOOD, AS JEFF MENTIONED WHILE AGO, OUR BOARD WITHSTOOD INCREDIBLE PRESSURE TO WAIT OUR TURN.
AND WE HAD BEEN WAITING SINCE 1978.
A COMMUNITY GROUP THREATENED TO HAVE ME KICKED OFF THE BOARD.
I TOLD THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I'D BEEN APPOINTED TO REPRESENT THE BEST INTEREST OF SAN ANTONIANS, ESPECIALLY TRANSIT WRITERS.
AND I WOULD BE FAITHFUL TO THAT CHALLENGE.
AND THAT I HAD BEEN FIRED SIX TIMES FROM JOBS THAT ACTUALLY PAID ME MONEY
SO I WOULD NOT SUCCUMB TO THOSE THREATS.
OUR BOARD MEMBERS WITHSTOOD THOSE PRESSURES ENABLING HOPE ANDRATI TO NEGOTIATE A COMPROMISE.
AND NOW VIA IS RECEIVING MEGA BUCKS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T BEND THE TAX REFERENDUM ENABLED VIA TO OBTAIN HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FTA FUNDING.
THOUGH WE HAVE YET TO REALIZE THE FIRST DOLLAR FROM OUR SALES TAX INCREASE, WE ARE RECEIVING THESE FUNDS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF THE REFERENDUM, WHICH PASSED WITH 68% VOTER SUPPORT.
OUR FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS ARE COMING HOME AND CREATING THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND EVEN MORE OPPORTUNITIES.
THE GREEN LINE AND SILVER LINE WILL BE TRULY TRANSF TRANSFORMATIVE.
AND I TOTALLY SUPPORT THESE PROJECTS.
THOUGH WE ARE THE MOST UNDERFUNDED TRANSIT AGENCY, WE ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT AND RATED HIGHEST IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK VIA TEAM.
OTHER THINGS I'M PROUD OF THAT HAPPENED ON MY WATCH REQUIRING ALL TRUSTEES, NOT JUST OFFICERS TO TAKE AN OATH, IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
CREATING A HALL OF HONOR AND INDUCTING MARILYN JONES, HOPE ANDRATI, ROBERT THOMPSON, GLENN HARTMAN,
[00:35:01]
AND JUDGE NELSON WOLFE.TO HONOR THOSE WHO SACRIFICES MOVED VIA FORWARD.
THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE WHO SHOULD BE ON THAT WALL COME JANUARY FOUR FIRST THE BOARD CAN NOMINATE TWO NEW HONOREES.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO NAME OUR LONGEST SERVING AND MOST TRANSFORMATIVE PRESIDENT AND CEO, JEFF ARNT TO THAT WALL CHAIRING THE ACCESSIBLE TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND MAKING IT A TRULY REPRESENTATIVE AND FUNCTIONING COMMITTEE.
ONE FORMER CRITIC SERVES ON ATAC AND NOW PROVIDES VALUABLE INSIGHTS IN MAKING VA BETTER AND IS NOW A VALUE VALUED ADVOCATE.
OPENING DOORS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH CHALLENGES TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD OF WORK THROUGH THE SUMMER EARN AND LEARN PROJECT SEAL WITH FUNDING FOR FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS, A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL WIN-WIN PROGRAM.
AND I THINK ELL FOR HIS ROLE IN IN HELPING WITH THAT, WE CREATED THE U PASS PROGRAM TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF OF MOST AREA COLLEGES WITH THE URGING OF CHAPLAIN, GINGER TRAINER INSTALLING ONE PILL KILL SIGNS IN ALL VEHICLES TO HOPEFULLY SAVE LIVES FROM THE DISASTROUS OPEN OR OPIOID FENTANYL EPIDEMIC.
AT THE URGING OF CHURCH AND COMMUNITY-BASED GROUP CALLED VISTA COLLABORATIVE ON WHICH I SERVE.
WE REDUCE THE COST OF DAY, WEEK, AND MONTH PASSES WHEN PURCHASED IN BULK.
SO CHURCHES AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS CAN PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO THEIR POOR AND NEEDY CLIENTS.
SOME 107 AGENCIES PARTICIPATE.
AND PRISCILLA TOLD ME A WHILE AGO THAT ABOUT TWO NEW AGENCIES PER WEEK ARE COMING ABOARD.
SOME 107 AGENCIES PARTICIPATE AND HAVE PROVIDED SEVERAL THOUSAND PASSES, RESULTING IN MANY THOUSANDS OF BOARDINGS.
THIS INCREASES OUR RIDERSHIP AND THE BULK RATE PROGRAM ENABLES THE CHURCHES AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS TO STRETCH THEIR BUDGETS.
BY PROVIDING EVEN MORE PASSES, OUR BUSES CAN ALWAYS ACCOMMODATE MORE RIDERS.
PARTICIPATED WITH LAUREN WITH THE VIA CARES PROGRAM, HELPING WITH SOME OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS AT MORGAN'S WONDERLAND AND DELIVERING ACA MEALS TO VETERANS OPENING OF OUR SECOND FACILITY, THE PARATRANSIT FACILITY ON FREDERICKSBURG ROAD IN THE RECENTLY COMPLETED NAVAL IN SYSTEM, ENABLING ALL TO UTILIZE AN APP TO INSTANTANEOUSLY NEED.
KNOW WHEN THE NEXT BUS IS ARRIVING IN WHATEVER LANGUAGE YOUR PHONE IS PROGRAMMED FOR.
WHAT A BENEFIT FOR VISUALLY CHALLENGED AS WELL AS LOCALS AND TOURISM ONCE THE COMMUNITY REALIZES THE BENEFITS.
THE ONE ISSUE THAT CAUSED ME THE GREATEST ANGST WAS THE CREATION OF AL INC.
BECAUSE OF THE STRONG OPPOSITION OF MY UNION BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
SO I SPENT A WHOLE DAY RIDING THE TWO LINES AS THE ONLY PASSENGER FOR 99% OF THE TIME ON THE TWO HOUR, TWO ONE HOUR ROUTES.
I FOUGHT TO ENSURE THAT V LINK WOULD ACCOMMODATE THOSE WITH MOBILITY ISSUES AND THOSE WHO UTILIZED BICYCLES FOR THEIR FIRST MILE LAST MILE.
WE ALSO HAD TO DEFINE THE AGE AT WHICH UNACCOMPANIED MINORS COULD USE A NEW FORM OF TRANSIT.
SO MY RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CITY THAT APPOINTED ME AND TO THE RIDERS THAT NEEDED A BETTER TRANSIT SOLUTION PROPELLED ME TO SUPPORT THIS INNOVATION, WHICH HAS PROVEN TO BE POPULAR AND SUCCESSFUL.
WITH A MILLION NEW RESIDENTS COMING OUR WAY, WE NEED TO ENGAGE ALL SOLUTIONS TO GET VEHICLES OFF OF OUR STREETS.
I'M PROUD TO HAVE SERVED AS A LABOR REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
I'VE BEEN A UNION MEMBER FOR 56 YEARS, SOMETIMES A MEMBER OF THREE UNIONS AT THE SAME TIME.
SO I DEFINITELY BELIEVE WORKERS, ALL WORKERS DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
FROM DAY ONE, I FELT I WAS APPOINTED TO FOSTER GOOD LABOR MANAGEMENT RELATIONS.
I MET WITH UNION REPRESENTATIVES EVERY TIME THEY REQUESTED A MEETING AND INITIATED SEVERAL MEETINGS TRYING TO FACILITATE AGREEMENTS.
THE POSITION IS NOT TO MAKE UNFOUNDED, UNWARRANTED, UH, ACCUSATIONS ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF UNION BUSTING.
BELIEVE ME, I WOULD'VE BEEN SCREAMING TO HIGH HEAVENS IF I THOUGHT THAT WAS A OCCURRING.
AND OVER MY LONG CAREER, I HAVE WON HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN BACK PAY SETTLEMENTS FOR WORKERS WHOSE LABOR RIGHTS WERE VIOLATED.
I KNOW AN UNFAIR LABOR PRACTICE WHEN I SEE ONE AND I SAW NONE ON MY WATCH.
I ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
PRIOR TO CID TRUSTEE AMANDA MERCK.
AND I ADVOCATED FOR HAND SANITIZER TO BE INSTALLED ON BUSES.
SHE FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, ME AS A FREQUENT WRITER, I THINK WE SHOULD BRING BACK HEALTH SANITIZERS IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
I'M GLAD THERE'S AN EMPHASIS ON THE USE OF SOLAR ON NEW FACILITIES, BUT WE COULD DO MUCH BETTER AS A COST SAVINGS AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARD.
WE NEED TO EXPAND OUR SERVICE AREA TO BECOME A TRUE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY.
A LONG-TERM GOAL THAT WILL REQUIRE SKILLED POLITICAL ACUMEN
[00:40:01]
COVERING MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHO ARE NOT CURRENTLY WITHIN OUR SERVICE AREAS.FINALLY, AS THE LAST TRUSTEE TO HAVE VOTED TO PURCHASE SUCO BUILDING IN THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF MY SERVICE ON THE BOARD, LET ME SAY THAT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN THIS PROJECT AND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
I'VE BEEN, I'VE SEEN SUCCESSFUL TOD PROJECTS IN OTHER PLACES.
IT CAN HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO WITH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.
COVI AND THE DEATH OF A KEY PARTNER HELPED DERAIL THE PROJECT.
COMMUNITY MEMBERS RAISED VALID QUESTIONS WHICH MUST BE ADDRESSED TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD IN AN ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE WAY.
THIS BOARD AND OUR PREDECESSOR BOARDS COULD NOT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ANY OF THESE THINGS WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF DEBORAH LONGORIA AND JESSICA CONTRERAS AND LAKITA ADAMS IN THE EARLY YEARS.
YOU'RE TERRIFIC IF ONE OF THE TOP EXECS IS OUT, THINGS CONTINUE TO RUN SMOOTHLY.
BUT IF THESE ADMINISTRATIVE PROFO PROFESSIONALS ARE OUT, WELL, NOT SO MUCH
YOU STARTED OUT AS COLLEAGUES, BUT NOW I CALL YOU FRIENDS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.
OUR EIGHT YEARS WERE THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND PROGRESSIVE.
BUT THE NEXT FIVE WITH THE GREEN LINE AND THE SILVER LINE WILL REALLY MARK THE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN SAN ANTONIO.
AVOID THE PITFALLS OF PAST CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
UH, AVOID, UH, I MEAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS.
THERE ARE MORE IN FAVOR THAN THE NOISEMAKERS TRYING TO MAKE POLITICAL HAY BY SOWING SEEDS OF DISCORD.
NO OMELET WAS EVER MADE WITHOUT CRACKING A FEW EGGS.
SO JEFF, I'M GONE AND YOU'LL BE OUT OF HERE IN SIX WEEKS.
I'M SURE YOU WILL MISS MY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT EMAILS.
I TOLD YOU TO WAIT TILL MONDAY MORNING.
SO ONCE AGAIN, FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES, IT'S BEEN A HIGH HONOR SERVING WITH YOU AND SERVING THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRIVILEGE.
YOU, MR. CUOMO, YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE UP.
I, UH, AS I WAS LISTENING TO YOU, BOB, I REMEMBER MY FIRST DAY AT A BOARD MEETING.
YOU CALLED ME THAT NIGHT AND TOLD ME WHILE I WAS THE YOUNGEST BOARD MEMBER, THAT YOU ARE EXTREMELY PROUD TO SERVE ALONGSIDE ME.
I CURRENTLY SERVE AND THIS IS ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.
BUT I CURRENTLY SERVE ON 12 BOARDS, AND THAT WOULD MEAN COUNTLESS PEOPLE SERVE ALONGSIDE ME ON THOSE BOARDS.
I DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH ANY OF THOSE.
AND I'M SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT IT.
ANY OF THOSE BOARD MEMBERS LIKE I HAVE HAD WITH YOU.
I'VE CALLED YOU WHEN I WASN'T SURE ABOUT A VOTE.
I'VE CALLED YOU TO NAVIGATE ISSUES OUTSIDE OF V YOU HAVE REALLY BEEN A BIG BROTHER TO ME, BOB.
UM, EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS RIGHT, 100% RIGHT.
AND NOT THAT YOU NEED MY AFFIRMATION, BUT AS YOU WERE JOGGING THAT MEMORY, I REMEMBER SITTING IN THIS BOARDROOM AND HEARING YOU FIGHT FOR ALL OF THOSE THINGS PASSIONATELY.
WE HAVE NEVER DISAGREED ON A ITEM.
UM, I CAN'T SAY THAT ABOUT EVERYBODY.
I CAN SAY THAT YOU ALWAYS DID YOUR HOMEWORK.
YOU CAME TO THE TABLE PREPARED AND READY.
AND YOU HAVE PROVIDED GUIDANCE AND ADVICE TO ME FOR ANY BOARD THAT I SERVE, ON ANY ROLE THAT I PLAY IN TO BE BOLD, TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER DECISION I'M MAKING, THERE'S SOMEBODY ON THE OTHER END THAT'S BETTER OFF.
YOU TAUGHT ME THAT WE'VE MADE HARD DECISIONS AND THE ONE THING I COUNT TO BEFORE I I STOP IS THIS IDEA THAT IN 2020 WHEN WE WERE MAKING ONE OF THE HARDEST DECISIONS, AND YOU AND I LOST SOME PERSONAL POLITICAL CAPITAL, GOING OUT THERE AND FIGHTING AGAINST MANY OF OUR COLLEAGUES WHO DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO GO FOR IT.
YOU STOOD BY ME EVEN WHEN FOLKS JUST CALLED ME THIS YOUNG WHIP OF SNAPPER FROM NEW YORK WHO WAS TRYING TO CHANGE SAN ANTONIO TO NEW YORK.
YOU REMEMBER THOSE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE.
YOU VOTED ALONGSIDE ME EVERY SINGLE TIME.
BOB, I AM IN DEBT TO YOUR SERVICE.
[00:45:01]
ARE THE SHOULDERS IN WHICH I STAND.I'M EXTREMELY PROUD TO HAVE SERVED WITH YOU.
AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS EVERY FIGHT THAT YOU TAKE HERE ON OUT, KNOW THAT I'LL BE RIGHT THERE BESIDE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, MY BROTHER.
S WILL, I'M DOING THIS FIRST BECAUSE I KNOW I'M GOING TO END UP CRYING EVEN MORE.
I'VE KNOWN BOB FOR MOST OF MY LIFE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER MY LIFE WITHOUT HIM.
I REMEMBER YOU SHOWING UP AT MY GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG.
MY PASSION FOR TRANSIT CAME FROM MY GRANDFATHER.
BUT I ALSO KNOW IT WAS FROM MY CONVERSATIONS WITH YOU, I KNEW I ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK IN SOCIAL JUSTICE IN SOME FASHION.
I, AND I'M SO THANKFUL, I'VE GOTTA THANK YOU SO MUCH EVEN MORE.
AND I'M NOT A CRIER, BUT MY GRANDFATHER PASSED AWAY IN 2021.
YOU WERE THE VERY FIRST PERSON FROM THE BOARD THAT CALLED MY GRANDFATHER WAS MY ANCHOR.
AND I FELT LIKE I HAD LOST AND I HAD BEEN LOST AT SEA.
BUT IT WAS THROUGH MY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU THAT I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ANCHOR.
I ALWAYS LOOK TO OUR OLDER GENERATIONS FOR GUIDANCE, FOR WISDOM.
'CAUSE I LOVE CONTEXT AND I LOVE SEEING HOW THINGS WERE DONE.
AND I LOVE LOOKING AT PUZZLES AND FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN SOLVE SOLUTIONS JUST BY 1%.
I WENT INTO EDUCATION AFTER HAVING A LONG DISCUSSION WITH YOU ABOUT BEING PASSIONATE ABOUT EDUCATION.
WHEN I SAID THAT I WAS READY TO LEAVE, YOU SAID, OKAY, WHAT'S YOUR NEXT PLAN? AND TO HAVE IT SERVE THE PEOPLE.
BOB, I CAN'T THINK, AND I'M JUST, NO OFFENSE, MRNA, YOU HAVE REALLY BIG SHOES TO FILL BECAUSE BOB TRULY IS HOW I LEARNED HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE, TO LOOK AT SOMEBODY WHO DISAGREES WITH ME AND TO FIND THAT COMMON GROUND.
BOB AND I SHARE ONE LAST THING.
I MEAN, WE SHARE MANY THINGS, BUT YOU AND I BOTH SHARE OUR FAITH TOGETHER.
AND YOU AND I BOTH HAVE THE SAME ROUTINE AS WE WALK IN HERE.
YOU AND I OFTEN TELL EACH OTHER, MAKE ME A CHANNEL OF YOUR PEACE.
AND I REALLY HOPE THAT I CAN STILL STAY ON THIS CHANNEL WITH YOU ALONG THE WAY.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I AM GONNA MISS THE HECK OUT OF YOU.
BUT I ALWAYS KNOW THAT I ALWAYS HAVE A PHONE CALL WAITING FOR YOU ONCE A WEEK.
HER GRANDFATHER, ROCKY ARONDA, SERVED ON THE FIRST VIA BOARD SIDE BY SIDE WITH LINDA RAMIREZ, WHO'S NOW LINDA CHAVE THOMPSON.
AND HER GRANDFATHER BELONGS ON THAT HALL OF HONOR, BUT SHE DID NOT, SHE FELT IT WAS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR HER TO NOMINATE HER GRANDFATHER.
SO ANYBODY LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY TO NOMINATE? HMM.
TRI COOPER? WELL, BOB, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CALLS TOGETHER,
BUT I JUST WANNA TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I GUESS I'M THE NEXT OLDEST ONE ON THE BOARD, UM, WHICH MY TIME IS CLICKING AWAY.
BUT STILL GOT MORE TIME THAN YOU
NO, I GOT ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR LEFT.
I MEAN, YOU'VE TAUGHT ME A GREAT DEAL, UM, OF THINGS THAT I SHOULD BE LOOKING AT AND LOOKING AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY.
AND I'VE ALWAYS APPRECIATED YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT.
I'VE ENJOYED TALKING TO YOU ABOUT EVERY KIND OF ELECTION.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS GONNA WIN? AND YOU GIVE ME ALL THE ANSWERS OF WHY.
WHY YOU, YOU, AGAIN, LIKE EVERYONE SAID, YOU DID YOUR RESEARCH, YOU KNEW IT, AND YOU HAVE TO BE RESPECTED FOR THAT.
AND I HAVE THE UTTERMOST RESPECT FOR YOU AND I WILL KEEP OUR FIN FRIENDSHIP LONG AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR ME AND THANK WHAT YOU'VE DONE FOR VIA AND OTHER TRUSTEES.
I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE WITH YOU, UH, OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
'CAUSE I'VE BEEN HERE NOT AS QUITE AS LONG AS SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS.
UH, BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK WITH YOU AND TO SIT ON AND, AND TO HEAR YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY.
UH, DID I AGREE WITH ALL TIME? MAYBE NOT, BUT WE HAD A GOOD DISAGREEMENT.
UH, BUT WE WERE CORDIAL EACH OTHER, RESPECTED EACH OTHER, AND, AND THAT'S, I THINK IF ANYTHING FROM THE BOARD, WE NEED TO LEARN THAT
[00:50:01]
NO MATTER WHAT OUR BELIEFS ARE, NO MATTER WHAT WE FEEL, WE NEED TO RESPECT EACH OTHER BECAUSE WE ALL GIVE UP OUR TIME AND EFFORT TO BE HERE.AND, UH, WE COULDN'T HAVE A BETTER EXAMPLE AS YOU BOB.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND TO YOUR WIFE, I AGAIN FOR, FOR LETTING US SHARE YOU WITH, WITH HER, UH, THROUGH THIS TIME.
AND, UH, BELIEVE ME, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE PART OF YOU AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED.
A PICTURE IF YOU WANT TO, YEAH, LET'S GO.
BUT BEFORE, BEFORE WE DO THE PICTURE, I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE THE OTHER MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE.
UH, BOB IS, IS IS A EXCELLENT INDIVIDUAL THAT'S BEEN WITH SERVE MANY TIMES OF THE BOARD, BUT ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE OUR FRONTLINE OPERATORS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
THEY DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC EVERY DAY BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS HAD, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT MAKE THE WHAT IT IS.
UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT DEAL WITH OUR, OUR CUSTOMERS.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT DEAL WITH OUR CITIZENS.
AND OF COURSE EVERYBODY ELSE BESIDES THAT, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU'RE ON THE FRONT LINE WITH SOMEONE, YOU GOTTA RESPECT WHAT THEY'RE DOING FOR, FOR VIA AND FOR ALL OF US.
UH, BUT YOU ALL DESERVE A GREAT APPLAUSE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE IT TAKES A TEAM TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
WE CAN DO IT INDIVIDUALLY AND, UH, WE AND JEFF, YOU'VE PUT TOGETHER A GREAT TEAM AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU TOO AND A LITTLE BIT.
UM, SO, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL ALL GO HAVE A, I GUESS WE HAVE BOARD, UH, MEETING IN
ONE FINAL THING, IF YOU TELL ME WHAT DAY IT IS IN MARCH FOR TO HONOR THE, UH, THE BUS OPERATORS.
I KNOW IT'S GONNA BE THE COLDEST AND THE WINDIEST DAY OF THE YEAR,
UH, IF THAT, UH, I THINK CONCLUDED THAT PART OF OUR AGENDA.
[4. Citizens to be Heard ]
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION.UH, DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZEN TO BE HEARD, MR. CHAIR? WE HAVE THREE CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
[00:55:04]
SO YOU READ A SECTION, OH, I'M SORRY,UH, WE HAVE NOT 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 THE SAN ANTONIO BEXAR COUNTY AREA.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS CONCERNING THE PUBLIC BUSINESS OR POLICY OVER WHICH THE BOARD HAS SUPERVISION AND CONTROL MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT, CEO AND OUR STAFF.
THIS PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVED THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONCERN.
AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US THIS EVENING.
WE HAVE CHRISTOPHER HERRING AND STELLA BUSTOS AND TOGETHER THERE WILL BE ACTUALLY THREE YES AND THERESA HERRING AND INDIVIDUALLY YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
EACH DO WE SIT, DO WE STAND? HOW DO WE DO THIS? EITHER.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL CHAMBER SAN ANTONIO.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE SO MANY FRIENDS.
I WAS ON THE VIA STREETCAR, UM, ADVISORY YEARS AGO, SO I UNDERSTAND THIS ROOM AND THE NUANCES OF IT.
ALSO, I'M THANKFUL FOR BOB CUOMO.
BOB WAS MY, IS MY MENTOR AND SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY, UH, LED A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN, UH, FOR ME BACK IN THE DAY.
SO I'M THANKFUL I'M HERE TODAY TO, UH, TALK ABOUT KNEE BACK, UH, PILLOW, WHICH IS A COMPANY, UH, THAT MANUFACTURES, UM, THESE PILLOWS THAT I THINK THAT WILL CHANGE THE, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE FOR, UH, YOUR DRIVERS.
UM, AS A RETIRED VETERAN, UM, AS SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, AN ORGANIZATION CAN EITHER BE, UH, PROACTIVE OR REACTIVE.
AND IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, AS YOU HAVE DISPLAYED TODAY THAT YOU LOVE YOUR EMPLOYEES AND YOU CARE ABOUT THEM, THAT A KNEE BACK PILLOW, WHICH STELLA BUSTOS, UH, A GOOD FRIEND HAS CREATED AND MANUFACTURES THIS PILLOW HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
I JUST THINK THAT IT'S A BLESSING TO BE ABLE TO KNOW HER, TO KNOW HER TENACITY, AND THEN TO, UH, SEEK THE ADVICE OF SOME OF YOU TO BRING THIS AMAZING PILLOW TO SAN ANTONIO'S VIA EMPLOYEES.
UH, THIS PILLOW, IF I WAS LOOKING AT IT FROM AN HR PERSPECTIVE, IT COULD BE USED, UM, FOR RECOGNITION OF YOUR EMPLOYEES AS YOU DID TONIGHT.
IT COULD ALSO BE USED TO GIVE AWAY, UM, THESE KNEE BACK PILLOWS TO THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH YOU SERVE, UH, AT VARIOUS, UH, TRADE SHOWS AND SO FORTH.
UH, I JUST KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MANY USES, BUT, UH, AS A SERVICE DISABLED VETERAN WHO HAS BEEN INJURED, WHO HAS BACK INJURY, UM, THIS PILLOW HAS ACTUALLY DONE SOME GREAT THINGS FOR ME.
SO I'M VERY THANKFUL TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT, UM, THE GLOBAL CHAMBER OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, OUR DISABLED VETERANS.
AND, UH, INTRODUCE TO YOU MY FRIEND STELLA BUSTOS OF KNEE BACK PILLOW.
MY NAME IS STELLA BUSTOS, FOUNDER OF THERA PILLOWS COMPANY AND THE INVENTOR OF THE KNEE BACK PAIN RELIEF SOLUTION PILLOWS.
I'M CERTIFIED BY THE S-C-T-R-C-A AS A SMALL MINORITY WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, AS WELL AS A DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AIRPORT CONCESSIONAIRE.
I'M HERE TONIGHT TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN ADDING THERAPEUTIC DECOMPRESSION SUPPORT KNEE BACK PILLOWS TO THE LIST OF ITEMS INCLUDED UNDER THE REQUISITION UNIFORM ALLOWANCE.
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE NO ITEMS ON THIS LIST THAT ADDRESS SPINAL ALIGNMENT, THERAPEUTIC BACK SUPPORT, OR DECOMPRESSION FOR IMPROVED POSTURE AND ADDED COMFORT WHILE DRIVING OR SITTING FOR EXTENDED PERIODS.
I INTRODUCED THESE PRODUCTS TO VIA OPERATORS IN 2012 WHEN I WAS INVITED BY JUSTIN KRUEGER TO ATTEND YEAR ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR.
WHEN I DEMONSTRATED THE KNEE BACK PILLOWS TO SEVERAL OPERATORS, THEY SUGGESTED THAT I GET THE PRODUCT INCLUDED ON THE UNIFORM ALLOWANCE LIST.
I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DO THAT EVER SINCE.
I'VE CONTINUALLY ASKED TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EMPLOYEE HEALTH FAIR TO INTRODUCE MY PRODUCT SINCE MY INITIAL INVITATION IN 2012 WITHOUT SUCCESS.
AND THIS YEAR, ALTHOUGH I BEGAN ASKING IN MARCH TO ATTEND THE HEALTH FAIR THAT TOOK PLACE TWO WEEKS AGO, I WAS AGAIN TURNED DOWN AND INFORMED THAT ONLY PARTNERED VENDORS COULD ATTEND.
HOW CAN I BECOME A PARTNERED VENDOR? I'M A REGISTERED VENDOR WITHIN YOUR SYSTEM, AND I HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST YEARS RE-REGISTERING MY COMPANY AGAIN IN MAY, 2023.
OVER THE PAST 12 YEARS, I HAVE MET WITH TODD ONG AND HIS TEAM, ANNA RIVAS, ROSA AL, MR. SMA RIVAS, RICHARD MARTINEZ, AMER MOVA, ANA JARVIS, THERESA DAVILA IN HR BENEFITS SPOKEN
[01:00:01]
TO MR. TREMMEL BROWN.AND LAST MONTH I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO MEET WITH CURTIS COLBERT, RAQUEL REYES, ARNOLD EZ, AND ROSADO GONZALEZ.
DURING MY MEETING WITH MR. COLBERT AND HIS TEAM ON OCTOBER 10TH, I DEMONSTRATED HOW THE KNEE BACK PILLOWS CAN BE USED AS A THERAPEUTIC SOLUTION FOR AVERTING SPINAL COMPRESSION, NECK, BACK, AND SCIATIC PAIN.
ALTHOUGH MR. COBER LEFT BEFORE THE MEETING ENDED, HE WAS GIVEN A KNEE BACK PILLOW TO USE AND SAMPLE.
MS. REYES INDICATED THAT A SECOND MEETING WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT WAS TO BE ARRANGED FOR A SAFE SAFETY EVALUATION.
SHE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT A STRAP COULD BE ADDED TO THE KNEE BACK PILLOW FROM FALLING OUT OF THE SEAT.
AS YOU CAN SEE, A STRAP HAS BEEN ADDED, BUT NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION FROM MR. COLBERT'S OFFICE HAS BEEN RECEIVED IN SPITE OF SEVERAL FOLLOW-UP EMAILS BACK IN 2016, I MET WITH THE A TU EXECUTIVE BOARD AND I ACKNOWLEDGED MR. BRIDGE ALMANZA PRESENT OF THE A TU LOCAL 6 94 HERE IN THE ROOM WHO ALLOWED ME TO MAKE A PRESENTATION.
THEY BETA TESTED MY PRODUCTS FOR THREE WEEKS AND PROVIDED TESTIMONIALS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE USING THE KNEE BACK PILLOW.
THEY EVEN MADE SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW PRODUCTS THEY FELT WOULD HELP SEAT THEIR SEATED COMFORT, WHICH I HAVE SINCE PRODUCED AND INCLUDE IN MY PRODUCT LINE.
I GAVE THEM KNEE BACK PILLOWS TO USE AND STARTED EFFORTS TO GET THEIR PRODUCTS ON THE UNIFORM ALLOWANCE LIST.
I HAVE THEIR TESTIMONIALS AND SOME DATA HERE FOR YOUR REVIEW, WHICH YOU'LL SEE TOMORROW.
I KNOW YOU LOVE SAN ANTONIO AS MUCH AS I DO, AND I WANT TO KEEP AND WANT TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY MOVING SAFELY TO ENJOY OUR UNIQUE CULTURE, FESTIVE CELEBRATIONS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MOST IMPORTANTLY, GETTING PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY WANT AND NEED TO GO ON TIME.
YOUR BUS OPERATORS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THIS MOVEMENT, AND WITHOUT THEM, SAN ANTONIO STOPS BREATHING.
YOU CAN SHOW YOUR LOVE TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE OPERATORS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH THIS ADAPTIVE HEALTH AID THAT WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE THEIR POSTURE, KEEP THEM IN SPINAL ALIGNMENT, IMPROVE THEIR CIRCULATION AND SEATED COMFORT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, OFFER THEM A PRODUCT THAT COULD REDUCE ABSENTEEISM DUE TO A VARIETY OF DISEASES BORN OUT OF A SEDENTARY JOB THAT INCLUDES REPETITIVE MOTION, WORN OUT SEATS, STRESS, EXCESSIVE VIBRATION, SPINAL COMPRESSION AND EXTENDED STATIC SEATING BY INCLUDING THE KNEE BACK PAIN RELIEF SOLUTION, PILLOWS ON THE REQUISITION UNIFORM ITEMS LIST.
YOU'RE GIVING THE OPERATORS THE OPTION TO USE A VARIETY OF THERAPEUTIC CUSHIONS THAT WILL HELP THEM KEEP THEM COMFORTABLE AND SMILING FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF THEIR DAILY ROUTINES.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR TIME.
HELLO, MY NAME IS, UH, THERESA.
I AM AN EDUCATOR FOR THE MED SPA AT EVOLV MEDICAL GROUP.
I AM A DISTRIBUTOR AS WELL FOR MY GOOD FRIEND HERE, UM, ELLA BUSTOS.
AND I'M JUST HERE IN SUPPORT FOR HER AND I'LL LEND YOU THE REST OF MY TIME.
YES, THERESA HAS BEEN, UH, VERY HELPFUL IN, UH, OPENING UP ANOTHER CHANNEL OF DISTRIBUTION FROM MY PILLOWS IN THAT BECAUSE SHE IS AN AESTHETICIAN AND SHE WORKS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF HEALTH AND BEAUTY, UH, TREATMENTS.
UH, MYPILLOW IS VERY HELPFUL IN THE USE DURING HER TREATMENTS TO KEEP HER PATIENT, HER CUSTOMER'S CLIENTS, UH, COMFORTABLE WITH BACK SUPPORT, NECK SUPPORT, AND ALSO SEATED SUPPORT.
UH, I'VE ALSO INTRODUCED IT TO THE, UH, MED SPA, TO THEIR, UM, MASSAGE THERAPY DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY ALSO HAVE BEEN USING MY PILLOW FOR THAT PURPOSE TO KEEP THEIR, UH, PATIENTS COMFORTABLE WHILE THEY, WHILE THEY GET THEIR TREATMENT.
SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT THERESA AND CHRIS HAVE BEEN, ARE HERE TODAY TO SUPPORT MY PRODUCT AND BELIEVE IN IT.
AND MOST OF ALL, I'M GOING TO LEAVE THREE PILLOWS HERE FOR YOU TO TEST, TO FEEL, TO SQUEEZE, TO PUSH, TO SIT ON, TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO TO IT, BECAUSE I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT WHEN YOU USE IT CORRECTLY ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE PACKET, YOU WILL FEEL A MAJOR DIFFERENCE.
AND FROM THE GLOBAL CHAMBER, WE SEE THIS KNEE BACK PILLOW AS BEING REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE AROUND THE WORLD.
SO GLOBAL CHAMBER, UH, AT GLOBAL CHAMBER.ORG, UH, BASICALLY IS A CHAMBER THAT, UH, TALKS TO THE HEART OF SAN ANTONIO TO 525 MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE A WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS THAT'S ABLE TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT THAT'S EMBRACED BY VIA, IT ENABLES US TO TAKE SAN ANTONIO ON THE ROAD.
UH, THIS, YOU KNOW, HER TESTIMONY IS ONE OF PERSEVERANCE.
UM, I JUST KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM HAVE THE WILLPOWER TO EMBRACE THE KNEE BACK AND TO BRING THIS TYPE OF, UH, QUALITY PRODUCT TO NOT ONLY THE MEN AND WOMEN HERE WITH VIA, BUT ALSO LIKE I SAID TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, SHE'S AN EXCELLENT PERSON, SERVANT LEADER, AND A WOMAN OF FAITH THAT WE'VE JUST ENJOYED, UH, GETTING TO KNOW.
I LOVE HER HUSTLE, HER TENACITY.
UM, BOB TOLD US TO TAKE CERTAIN STEPS TO COME HERE TONIGHT.
AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EACH OF YOU.
THIS ENDS OUR CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
UH, WE'LL NOW ADDRESS ITEM NUMBER
[5. Consent Agenda]
FIVE, CONSENT TO DENY ITEM, WHICH IS AN ACTION ITEM.TRUSTEES, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENTED GENIAH THAT PRESENTED? SECOND, SECOND, SECOND.
[01:05:01]
SAY AYE.CONSIDER THE AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVED.
[6. VIA Organizational Assessment Overview]
UH, A BRIEFING ON ITEM SIX REGARDING THE VIA ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT.MR. CLAMP, BEFORE, UH, JOHN SPEAKS, I THOUGHT I'D DO A LITTLE INTRODUCTION.
SO, UH, AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET, THIS WAS A SPECIAL ITEM THAT WE ACTUALLY ADDED TO THE DRAFT BUDGET, WHICH, WHICH IS TO HAVE A ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW IN CONCERT WITH A COMPENSATION OVERVIEW THAT WAS ALREADY SCHEDULED.
SO WE TOOK AN RFP, WE MODIFIED IT, WE BROUGHT IN RSM, UH, THEY PUT US ON A FAST, FAST TRACK SO THAT WE COULD GET TO THE END OF THEIR WORK ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS BUDGET THIS YEAR.
UM, THEY'VE LAID OUT A FRAMEWORK FOR, I THINK, UH, AN ORGANIZATION THAT WILL OFFER GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, FOR EMPLOYEES, FIRST OF ALL TO APPLY THEIR SKILLS AS MOST PRODUCTIVELY, AND ALSO TO HOLD EACH OTHER UP AND TO SET FORWARD A CAREER PATH FOR THEIR FUTURE.
SO IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY ACTUALLY FOR OUR EXISTING EMPLOYEES.
GREAT WORK WAS DONE, DETAILED WORK WAS DONE, UM, BY BOTH JOHN CLAMP AND O-O-O-M-B WITH AUDREY TAKING THE LEAD.
UH, AND WE HAD THEN THE ADVISORY PANEL, WHICH WAS TRAMEL AND I, UH, WOULD MEET REGULARLY.
THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME IN WHICH I BELIEVE I SPOKE WITH THESE LADIES AS MUCH AS I DID ANY OF MY FAMILY, WHICH IS SAD FOR MY FAMILY, BUT
BUT NONETHELESS, UH, I WILL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE SANTOR IS NOT, SORRY I DID THAT.
SANTOR HAS NOW PICKED UP THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND IS PUTTING TOGETHER A WAY TO, UH, IMPLEMENT THEM, TO MOBILIZE THEM.
AND, UH, THAT MOBILIZATION IS ACTUALLY KIND OF BEING KICKED OFF WITH THIS.
AND WE'LL SEE THE FIRST PHASE IMPLEMENTED IN JANUARY.
BUT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY, MORE THAN ANYTHING AFTER ALL THAT IS THAT RSM HAS BEEN PERHAPS THE BEST ORGANIZATION WITH, WITH WHOM I HAVE WORKED IN OVER 45 YEARS IN THIS INDUSTRY.
THEY DOGGED US TO KEEP ON SCHEDULE
SOMETIMES I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DID IT BETWEEN THAT MEETING AND THAT MEETING, BUT THEY DID, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL WAS THERE.
UH, THEY LISTENED, THEY INTERVIEWED SO MANY EMPLOYEES.
AND SO, UH, BEFORE THEY START THE PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO JOHN TO INTRODUCE EVERYBODY, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY AGAIN PUBLICLY THAT I THINK YOU GOT, YOU ARE DID A FANTASTIC JOB.
I SO RESPECT YOUR PROFESSIONALISM.
YOU'RE BEING SO THOROUGH, YOU'RE WORKING WITH US, AND AS I SAID, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO BE YOUR REFERENCE IN ANY CASE.
SO, JOHN, WITH THAT
UM, THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY, UM, SUPERB TO WORK WITH AN EXCELLENT GROUP, ALWAYS PREPARED, AND, AND THEY GOT US THROUGH A, A, UH, A VERY, UM, A GOOD SCHEDULE IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE, UH, THE TEAM HERE.
AND THE FIRST ONE CLOSEST TO ME IS ANTOINETTE THOMPSON, AND SHE'S WITH RSM HALEY KNIGHT, UH, KIND OF THE TEAM LEAD WITH RSM AND YOU KNOW, UH, AUDREY RIVERA AND, UH, SATORI SAM, UH, ARE ACTING VICE PRESIDENT OF HR.
AND ALSO THERE'S OTHER GROUPS WITHIN, UH, VIA THAT HAVE HELPED TREMENDOUSLY.
ANGELICA I KNOW IS HERE, UH, PEOPLE ON OUR TEAM.
IT WAS A GROUP EFFORT, UM, AND IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO WORK WITH THIS GROUP.
SO WITH THAT, HAILEY, OKAY, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROJECT, IT WAS A PARTNERSHIP.
THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HANDED OVER AND IT'S A CHECK IN THE BACK EXERCISE.
EVERY PERSON THAT WE WORKED WITH ACROSS VIA WAS A PARTNER WITH US AND PROVIDED INFORMATION.
AND NOW I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WE'RE GONNA START TODAY BY TALKING THROUGH JUST A GENERAL PROJECT OVERVIEW.
I THINK PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, SOME ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECT THAN OTHERS, SO WANNA MAKE SURE WE LEVEL SET AND THEN REALLY TALK ABOUT THE PATH FORWARD IMPACT AND COMMUNICATIONS AND HOW WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT THE AGENCY, BUT ALSO ALL EMPLOYEES AS WE GO THROUGH THIS CHANGE AND RECOGNIZING THAT IT'S A, IT IS A JOURNEY.
AND THEN GO THROUGH AND I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOUR INTERNAL TEAM TO REALLY TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS AND HOW WE'RE GONNA PASS THIS AND MOVE IT FORWARD.
SO JUST A LITTLE BACKGROUND AROUND RSM.
SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH US THAN OTHERS.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT EY, YOU KNOW, DELOITTE, THE BIG FOUR, WE'RE KIND OF A BIG FIVE, UM, UNDERNEATH IT.
AND WE HAVE A GLOBAL REACH, BUT ALSO A LOCAL PRESENCE.
AND WITHIN RSM, WE HAVE A GROUP OF HUMAN CAPITAL CONSULTANTS AND WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION PRACTICE, WHICH I LEAD,
[01:10:01]
WHICH REALLY SUPPORTS ANY QUESTIONS WITH REGARDS TO PEOPLE.DO WE HAVE PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACES? HOW ARE WE GOING TO CAREER PATH? ARE WE STRUCTURED EFFECTIVELY TO SUPPORT OUR GROWTH? WHICH WAS REALLY A BIG DRIVER IN OUR CONVERSATIONS.
AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, THERE WOULD BE, THERE WAS FOUR OF US THAT WE WORKED WITH DAY TO DAY, BUT HOWEVER, THERE WAS A TEAM AROUND US THAT WE REALLY PULLED IN FOR DEEP SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE, WHETHER THAT WAS IN PROCUREMENT OR FINANCE.
AND SO OUR TEAM WAS A LOT LARGER THAN THE FOUR THAT WERE REALLY ON THE GROUND DAY TO DAY.
SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL AND COMPENSATION ASSESSMENT, THOSE CAN BE SCARY WORDS TO PEOPLE.
PEOPLE RIGHT AWAY GO TO COST CUTTING.
THAT WAS NOT OUR OBJECTIVE BY ANY MEANS.
IT WAS AROUND HOW DO WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE STRUCTURED TODAY? HOW DO WE DEAL WITH SOME INEFFICIENCIES, ROLE AMBIGUITY, ANY INCONSISTENCIES WITH TITLE OR MISALIGNMENT, AND SET US UP PROPERLY FOR THE FUTURE.
HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DELIVERING THE BEST SERVICE, YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY TO OUR EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS, BUT ALSO INTERNALLY AS AN AGENCY.
SO WE HAD TWO MAINSTREAMS OF THIS PROJECT, THE FIRST BEING THIS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND BUSINESS PROCESS REVIEW.
SO THE FIRST GOAL OF THAT WAS REALLY AROUND HOW DO WE DRIVE THAT ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS FROM A COST EFFECTIVENESS PERSPECTIVE.
WHERE DO WE, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE'RE INVESTING IN THE RIGHT AREAS? HOW DO OUR CORE BUSINESS PROCESSES MAYBE NEED TO CHANGE AND ADAPT TO SUPPORT OUR FUTURE GROWTH? AND THEN WHAT IS THE RIGHT STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT NOT JUST OUR CURRENT, BUT OUR FUTURE BUSINESS NEEDS? HOW DO WE GROW? YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NEXT OBJECTIVE, REALLY AROUND ASSESSING AND DETERMINING THE RIGHT OPTIMAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION GROUP.
SO OUR PROJECT FROM AN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN PERSPECTIVE WAS REALLY FOCUSED JUST ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS.
AND THEN FINALLY, FROM A SKILLS PERSPECTIVE, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT SKILLS AND CAPABILITIES FOR THE FUTURE? WHERE ARE OUR SKILL GAPS? WHERE DO WE NEED TO INVEST INTERNALLY? WHERE DO WE MAYBE NEED TO LOOK EXTERNALLY TO CLOSE SOME POTENTIAL GAPS? AND I'LL PASS IT DOWN, TONITA, WHO WILL TALK A BIT ABOUT OUR OBJECTIVES OF OUR COMPENSATION STUDY AND JOB CLASSIFICATION.
SO SOME OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPENSATION AND JOB CLASSIFICATION EVALUATION IS JUST LOOKING OVERALL AT VIAS JOB GROUPS TO DETERMINE, UM, WHAT A COST EFFECTIVE MEASURE WOULD LOOK LIKE FROM A COMP FOR A COMPENSATION PROGRAM.
AND HOW DO WE SUSTAIN THAT PROGRAM FOR FUTURE STATE, UM, NEEDS AS VIA CONTINUES TO GROW.
UM, THE SECOND OBJECTIVE, OR THE SECOND GOAL, IT WAS TO ASSESS, OH, MY APOLOGIES, WAS TO ASSESS AND ANALYZE THE CURRENT STATE PROGRAM, UM, TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOU'RE POSITIONED TODAY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR THE MARKET FOR THE FUTURE.
THE THIRD OBJECTIVE WAS JUST TO IDENTIFY ANY INEQUITIES, UM, AMONGST THE INDIVIDUAL JOB GROUPS, UM, AND RECOMMEND ANY PLAN FOR REMEDIATION, WHETHER IT WAS JOB TITLES, MAKING SURE THOSE WERE CONSISTENT, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT, UM, COMPENSATION LOOKS LIKE FOR THOSE JOB GROUPS AS WELL.
SO FROM A PROCESS PERSPECTIVE, WE WENT THROUGH FOUR KEY PHASES WITH REGARDS TO OUR ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND BUSINESS PROCESS REVIEW.
OUR FIRST PHASE WAS A VERY DETAILED CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT.
SO NOT ONLY DID WE REVIEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND REALLY EVERYTHING WITH RE WITH REGARDS TO YOUR PEOPLE TODAY, BUT WE DID 40 OVER 40 DISCOVERY INTERVIEWS WITH EXECUTIVE AND FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP.
THE OBJECTIVE OF THOSE INTERVIEWS WAS REALLY TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT STATE, HOW THINGS WERE FUNCTIONING, WHERE THERE WERE AREAS THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO SUSTAIN, WHAT WAS WORKING REALLY WELL, BUT THEN WHERE AREAS WHERE THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM A SKILLS CAPABILITIES, BUT ALSO FROM A PROCESS PERSPECTIVE.
WE SUMMARIZED ALL OF THAT ALONG WITH OUR EXTERNAL BENCHMARKING RESEARCH.
SO WE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, COMPARISON TRANSIT AUTHORITIES.
WE LOOKED THROUGH SOME OF OUR PROPRIE, SOME OF OUR DATABASES, WHETHER THAT WAS GARDNER OR ERI, WE TALKED TO DIFFERENT SES ACROSS AND THEN HAD A CURRENT STATE REPORT.
AND THAT CURRENT STATE REPORT LOOKED AT EVERYTHING FROM ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES, SPAN OF CONTROL AND PROCESS.
ONCE WE ALIGNED ON THE CURRENT STATE REPORT, REALLY WHAT WAS WORKING AND WHAT WE, WHAT, WHERE WERE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT, WE WENT TO THE ANALYZE AND CONCEPTUAL DESIGN.
I KNOW THAT CAN SOUND A LITTLE HRE REALLY, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, FOR EACH GROUP, WHAT DO THEY OWN? WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS THAT NEED TO BE UNDERNEATH THEM? HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN HOW WE OPERATE TODAY? FOR EXAMPLE, DO WE NEED TO MAYBE INVEST IN AN AREA WHERE IT WASN'T THAT IMPORTANT WHEN WE WERE A SMALLER AGENCY? ONCE WE ALIGN FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WE WENT INTO OUR DETAILED DESIGN.
DETAILED DESIGN WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ROLE LEVELS.
SO WHAT ARE THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS? HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT A MANAGER IS A MANAGER, IS A MANAGER ACROSS THE ENTIRE ENTITY?
[01:15:01]
WE DID A RESOURCE MAPPING EXERCISE WHERE WE LOOKED AT OUR CURRENT SKILLS AND FUN, UH, FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND LOOKED AT HOW OUR EMPLOYEES MAPPED TO OUR FUTURE STATE STRUCTURES.AND WE'RE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH SOME OF THAT ACTIVITIES TODAY.
WE ALSO DID AN IN DEPTH COST ANALYSIS AND THEN PULLED TOGETHER THOSE DETAILED DESIGN REPORTS.
THOSE DETAILED DESIGN REPORTS AREN'T JUST A LONG TERM STRUCTURE.
WE'RE LOOKING IN THE SHORT TERM, WHAT, WHERE DO WE NEED TO GO AND WHERE DO WE NEED TO INVEST? AND THEN WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THIS TALENT AND TRANSITION PLANNING.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THROUGHOUT, YOU KNOW, THIS ENTIRE PROJECT, WE'RE SUPPORTING EVERY EMPLOYEE THAT THIS TOUCHES.
SO EVEN SOMEONE WHO'S GOING THROUGH NO CHANGE, THERE IS SOME CHANGE AROUND THEM.
SO WE INVESTED A LOT OF TIME IN THIS TALENT AND TRANSITION PLANNING.
SO THAT'S OUR PROCESS AND PROCESS AND STAKEHOLDER PIECES.
MAKING SURE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL WE UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF CHANGE THROUGH THEM, AND THEN ALSO MAKING SURE OUR LEADERS ARE EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT OUR TEAMS THROUGH THOSE CHANGE.
AND WE'LL TALK THROUGH THAT IN A BIT MORE DETAIL GOING FORWARD.
THE OTHER PIECE WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE WE LEVEL SET ON JUST THE IN SCOPE GROUPS FOR THIS TEAM, LIKE WE SAID, IT WAS THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION.
SO EVERYTHING FROM HR, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AND FISCAL MANAGEMENT AND PROCUREMENT.
SO FOR THE COMPENSATION AND JOB CLASSIFICATION EVALUATION WORK STREAM, THERE WERE FOUR PHASES, WELL, FIVE PHASES ACTUALLY THAT WE WORKED, UM, THROUGH.
SO THE FIRST PHASE ALIGNED WITH, UM, HALEY AND TEAM ON THE ORG AND BUSINESS PROCESS REVIEW PHASE, WHERE WE'RE GOING THROUGH ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT DISCOVERY INTERVIEWS, OUR DISCOVERY INTERVIEWS.
UM, WE SAT IN A LOT OF THEM THROUGH ORG DESIGN TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHERE COMPENSATION MAY HAVE BEEN AFFECTED THROUGH THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS OR DIFFERENT JOB GROUPS.
AND THEN WE ALSO, UM, CONDUCTED DISCOVERY INTERVIEWS WITH, UM, HR JUST TO UNDERSTAND CURRENT PROCESSES FROM HIRING PERSPECTIVE, UM, PROCESSES FROM, UH, COMPENSATION, HOW VIA DETERMINES WHAT MERIT INCREASES OR SALARY INCREASES LOOK LIKE, UM, HOW PROMOTIONS ARE PROVIDED, ET CETERA.
WE MOVED FROM THE PLANNING PHASE AFTER WE DEVELOPED THE CURRENT STATE REPORT, AND WE REVIEWED THAT, UM, WITH THE KEY EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM INTO THE ASSESSMENT PHASE, WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING THROUGH WHAT DOES A PHILOSOPHY LOOK LIKE? HOW DOES VIA WANNA COMPETE IN THE MARKET FOR TALENT? UM, HOW DOES VIA ATTRACT TALENT? WHAT IS YOUR RESPECTIVE MARKET? WHEN WE LOOK AT ATTRACTING TALENT, DO YOU JUST LOOK ACROSS PUBLIC SECTOR? DO YOU LOOK ACROSS PRIVATE AND PUBLIC, UM, COMPANIES, THE INDUSTRY THAT YOU COMPETE IN, ET CETERA.
AND WE HAD TO LOOK AT THAT, UM, THROUGH ALL OF THE JOBS.
UM, THERE ARE ROLES THAT ARE, UM, KIND OF CROSS-FUNCTIONAL WHERE YOU CAN RECRUIT FROM ANY INDUSTRY.
SO WE ALSO HAD TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AS WELL.
WE HAD VARIOUS IN-DEPTH CONVERSATIONS, UH, PERTAINING TO VS.
AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT WE APPROVED AND HELPED WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING HOW WE WANT TO CON THE STRATEGY THAT WE WERE GONNA USE TO MARKET PRICE ALL OF THESE JOBS FOR THE JOB GROUPS THAT WERE IN SCOPE.
AND AS YOU SEE, OUR IN SCOPE GROUP WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE ORG DESIGN PIECE, BUT, UM, THE SECURITY TRANSPORTATION SECTIONS WERE IN SCOPE FOR US AS WELL AS FLEET AND FACILITIES.
WE MOVED FROM THE ASSESS PHASE INTO THE DESIGN PHASE WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, DESIGNING OR RECOMMENDING A FORMAL JOB ARCHITECTURE.
SO LOOKING AT, UH, THE DIFFERENT LEVELS WITHIN VIA TODAY, UM, TO SEE HOW CAN WE INCORPORATE CAREER PATHS INTO THE STRUCTURE? HOW DO, WHAT DOES THOSE LEVELS LOOK LIKE FROM ENTRY LEVEL ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH, UM, THE HIGHEST LEVEL WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, AS WELL AS YOUR CURRENT COMPENSATION RANGES.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE ONCE WE'RE DONE WITH THE COMPENSATION, UH, BENCHMARKING EXERCISE? DO WE NEED TO REDESIGN OR RECOMMEND ADDITIONAL, UM, SALARY STRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT VIA IS BEING COMPETITIVE IN THE MARKET? FROM THERE, WE TAKE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION AND THEN THE FINAL STEP IS TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN ASSIST VIA WITH SUSTAINING WHAT THOSE PROGRAMS LOOK LIKE.
SO HOW DO WE SET SALARIES, HOW DO WE SUSTAIN OUR PROGRAMS AND ALIGN THEM WITH OUR HIRING PRACTICES? SO THOSE, UM, ITEMS THAT WE HELP TO RECOMMEND SHOULD HELP SUSTAIN VIAS PROGRAMS FOR FUTURE STATE.
UM, FROM THERE WE ASSIGNED THE INSCOPE JOBS TO A SALARY, A RECOMMENDED SALARY RANGE THAT WE DESIGNED, UM, AND APPLIED THOSE EEO CLASSIFICATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE ALIGNED AS WELL IN PHASE FOUR, PHASE FIVE.
THAT'S MORE SO THE IMPLEMENTATION AND POST-IMPLEMENTATION PHASE, WHERE WE'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMPENSATION STILL ALIGNS, THAT WE'VE RECOMMENDED ANY CHANGES OR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ORG, UM, AND PROCESS BUSINESS REVIEW PHASE,
[01:20:01]
THAT IT STILL ALIGNS ANY NEW FUTURE STATE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE JOBS ARE STILL, AND THAT THERE'S INTERNAL EQUITY AS WELL.SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE MAINTAINED, UM, SO THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS MAKE SENSE.
SO NOW WE'RE GONNA DIVE DEEPER INTO SOME OF OUR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO THROUGH OUR CURRENT STATE FINDINGS AND ASSESSMENT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS GREAT AND WE DON'T ALWAYS GET WHEN WE PARTNER WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES IS, YOU KNOW, NEW LEADERS THAT REALLY WERE EXCITED ABOUT CHANGE.
WE PARTNERED, YOU KNOW, FOR A LOT OF THE WORK WITH JOHN CLAMP, HAVING HIM WAS VERY CRITICAL IN, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE SHIFTING THE ORGANIZATION FROM BEING TRANSACTIONAL IN CERTAIN AREAS TO BEING MORE OF THAT STRATEGIC BUSINESS PARTNER.
SO HOW WE WORK INTERNALLY TOGETHER, HOW THE AGENCY PARTNERS IN DIFFERENT GROUPS, AND HOW DO WE CREATE MORE FOCUS AND EFFICIENCIES, PARTICULARLY WITH HR AND WITHIN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
AS WE'VE, YOU KNOW, HEARD TODAY AROUND THE ROOM, THERE'S A LOT OF CHANGE THAT'S GOING ON AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY EFFECTIVELY? AUTOMATION.
SO AS YOU KNOW, WE WERE IN OUR PROJECT IN FOUR DID GO LIVE.
SO HOW DOES AUTOMATION CHANGE THE WORK THAT WE DO? HOW DOES IT ADDRESS SOME OF THE INEFFICIENCIES THAT WE HAVE? AND THEN ALSO CHANGING SOME THRESHOLDS WITH REGARDS TO GOVERNANCE.
WHERE DO WE NEED TO GIVE PEOPLE MORE AUTHORITY TO GIVE, TO DRIVE MORE EFFICIENCY? SO WE DON'T HAVE THE ROADBLOCKS THAT SOME OF THE GROUPS AND SOME PEOPLE WE'RE RUNNING INTO TODAY.
UM, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE AREAS THAT WERE REQUIRING THE MOST AMOUNT OF BUSINESS PROCESS CHANGE AND PARTNERSHIP CHANGES, IT REALLY WAS AROUND THE HR, PROCUREMENT AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
YOU WON'T HEAR AS MUCH ABOUT PROCUREMENT 'CAUSE WE DID PAUSE THAT WORK UNTIL WE GOT THE NEW LEADER IN WHICH NOW HE IS IN PLACE.
SO WE ARE WORKING TO GET, YOU KNOW, THAT GROUP UP TO SPEED WHERE THE OTHER GROUPS ARE.
THE OTHER PIECE THAT WE IDENTIFIED WERE SOME SIGNIFICANT SKILL GAPS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARDS TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT, DATA ANALY, DATA ANALYSIS AND REPORTING.
A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, JUST NOT HAVING THE SYSTEMS IN PLACE TO COLLECT THAT RIGHT DATA.
HOW DO WE SHIFT HOW WE'RE WORKING? YOU KNOW, THE BREADTH OF PROJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THE AGENCY IS WORKING ON HAS GROWN SO MUCH OVER THE LA OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW.
SO REALLY INVESTING IN THAT ANALYTICS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT AREAS ARE GONNA BE UNBELIEVABLY IMPORTANT.
AND THEN ALIGN WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE LOOK AT OUR CURRENT PROCESSES? SOME OF THEM WERE VERY OUTDATED AND REALLY UPSKILL THEM, YOU KNOW, TO BE, TO WORK IN THE NEW WORLD THAT WE'RE WORKING FROM A CAPITAL PROJECTS PERSPECTIVE.
REALLY RESTRUCTURING THAT GROUP TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH AND THEN DEALING WITH SOME OF THAT INCONSISTENT TITLING AND THE LACK OF CAREER PATHING.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEAR AND WHAT NEW STUDIES ARE COMING OUT ARE, ARE REALLY AROUND THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREER PATHING BEING AS IMPORTANT OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE.
AND WHEN WE GO THROUGH OUR NEXT FEW SLIDES, YOU'LL SEE, BUT ONE OF THE BIG PIECES THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN IS, YOU KNOW, CONSISTENT JOB LEVELS AND TITLES TO GIVE PEOPLE THAT DELINEATION BETWEEN ROLES SO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT CAREER PATH AND TO DEVELOP THEIR CAREERS AT VIA, SO SOME OF THE CURRENT STATE FINDINGS FOR THE COMPENSATION AND JOB CLASSIFICATION, EVALUATION WORK STREAM.
SO JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO BASICALLY JUST TRANSFORM THE APPROACH TO COMPENSATION.
WE WANNA THINK ABOUT COMPENSATION FROM A STR STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE.
SO INCORPORATING A METHODOLOGY, SO WHEN YOU RECRUIT FOR TALENT, THAT TALENT UNDERSTANDS WHERE V'S COMPETITIVE POSITION IS IN THE MARKET, AS WELL AS INTERNALLY WHAT YOUR COMPETITIVE POSITION IS AND HOW YOU'RE RETAINING AND YOUR ATTRACTING YOUR TALENT.
THE SECOND, UM, FINDING THAT WE WENT THROUGH WAS JUST BEING CONSISTENT AROUND CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
UM, TO HALEY'S POINT, ONE THING THAT WE DID DO IS JUST RECOMMEND A JOB ARCHITECTURE WITH THAT CAREER PATHING, UM, TO ENSURE THAT EMPLOYEES AND OVERALL RIGHT ORGANIZATION-WIDE AND AGENCY-WIDE EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU MOVE FROM ONE LEVEL TO THE NEXT AND THE SKILLS THAT WOULD BE NEEDED, UM, AND THE SCOPE OF WHAT THAT ROLE IS IN ORDER TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
UM, THE THIRD OBSERVATION THAT WE, UM, OUTLINED WAS THE MISALIGNMENT BETWEEN WHAT THE JOB MATCHES WERE INTERNALLY TO THE EXTERNAL MARKET.
SO A PART OF COMPENSATION IS UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MATCH ROLES, UM, AS BEST AS WE CAN, RIGHT TO THE EXTERNAL MARKET TO ENSURE THAT THE PAY FOR THE EXTERNAL MARKET IS EQUIVALENT TO WHAT THE ROLE AND THE SCOPE OF THE ROLE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.
SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE IDENTIFY, UM,
[01:25:01]
THE BEST TO OUR ABILITIES, RIGHT? WHAT THOSE APPROPRIATE MATCHES LOOK LIKE SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE'RE PAYING PEOPLE APPROPRIATELY.NUMBER FOUR, JUST THE OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE PROCESSES.
A LOT OF THE PROCESSES WERE OUTDATED, SO HOW DO WE ALIGN THEM WITH FUTURE STATE OBJECTIVES VIA AND ALIGN THEM WITH YOUR HIRING PRACTICES GOING FORWARD.
AND THEN THE LAST, UM, OBSERVATION WAS JUST, UM, REALLY WE HEARD A LOT OF EMPLOYEES WANT SOME FORM OF MERIT PAY PROGRAM ESTABLISHED, AND CURRENTLY TODAY THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A PERFORMANCE, UM, PROGRAM IN PLACE.
SO HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO MOTIVATE THOSE EMPLOYEES, KEEP THEM ENGAGED, UM, AND HOW DO WE TIE, YOU KNOW, OUR SALARY INCREASES TO PERFORMANCE TO DRIVE, UM, SOME OF THAT ENGAGEMENT? CAN I, CAN I STOP YOU RIGHT THERE AND ASK YOU FOR JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
WHEN YOU IDENTIFIED ALL THOSE AREAS, ARE YOU SAYING THOSE THINGS ARE NOT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW WITHIN INDIA? YEAH.
SO FROM A COMPENSATION PERSPECTIVE, SOME THINGS MAY HAVE BEEN HAPPENING, BUT THE PROCESSES WERE OUTDATED.
AND THEN WHERE THINGS WERE NOT HAPPENING, THOUGH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE TO INCORPORATE THOSE ITEMS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DRIVE TOWARDS THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAM AND ALIGN THEM STRATEGICALLY.
SO THE PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, WHAT, WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD YOUR EVALUATION BE? SO FOR TODAY, SO NUMBER FIVE WOULD BE TYING PERFORMANCE TO SALARY INCREASES JUST TO ENSURE THAT EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND IF I PERFORM WELL, I GET A SALARY INCREASE, OR MY PERFORMANCE IS TIED TO WHATEVER MERIT INCREASE OR PAY INCREASE THAT I RECEIVE TODAY, THAT'S NOT BEING DONE.
UM, THERE ARE SALARY INCREASES, BUT PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY A FACTOR IN PROVIDING WHAT A SALARY INCREASE MAY LOOK LIKE ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO WHAT DID YOU FIND AS FAR AS WHAT IS BEING DONE? I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
'CAUSE YOU'RE TELLING ME IT'S NOT HAPPENING YET.
WE'RE DOING PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS, WE'RE DOING MERIT PAY, BUT I WANNA HEAR WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME IS THAT WE WE'RE NOT DOING IT OR WE'RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT, OR NO, ALL OUR, ALL OUR PAY INCREASES ARE ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO IT'S, I WOULD SAY IT'S ALMOST LIKE, WE DON'T CALL THEM COST OF LIVING, BUT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IT AS MANY EMPLOYERS WOULD SAY, OH, THIS IS A COST OF LIVING.
WE'VE, WHEN WE, WE ARE RAISE, OUR RAISE RAISES ARE ABOUT A 3% RIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND SO WE'VE NEVER PUT ANY EXTRA MONEY INTO THE BUDGET TO COMPENSATE LIKE HIGH PERFORMERS.
RIGHT NOW IN THE, IN THE PROGRAM, LOW PERFORMERS DIDN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS GET THE MERIT PIECE.
I WILL SAY THAT IF YOU WERE ON PROBATION, YOU DIDN'T GET, GET THE MERIT OR THE, I'M SORRY, THE NON MERIT ACROSS THE BOARD PIECE.
BUT WE'VE NEVER HAD A MERIT PROGRAM.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IF VIA EVER DID.
MAYBE, MAYBE AT SOME POINT THEY DID, BUT YEAH, WAY, WAY BACK.
SO WHAT SHE'S SAYING IS, RIGHT NOW ALL UH, ALL EMPLOYEES UNION AND NON-UNION, IN FACT GOT THE SAME RAISE THIS, THIS PAST YEAR.
THEY GOT THE SAME RAISE, APPLIED, APPLIED TO BASE, NOT TIED TO PERFORMANCE.
AND THEY'RE RECOMMENDING THAT WE HAVE A MERIT PROGRAM.
MAYBE WE HAVE THAT KIND OF PROGRAM, BUT WE HAVE A MERIT PROGRAM THAT PERHAPS WOULD, UH, UH, AWARD ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION BASED UPON STRONG PERFORMANCE, FOR EXAMPLE.
THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO DO A MERIT PROGRAM.
AND WITH, AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS APPLIED CONSISTENTLY ACROSS THE AGENCY.
SO IT WAS MORE UP TO THE MANAGER AROUND WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW PEOPLE WERE PERFORMANCE MANAGED OR THE PROCESS THAT THEY WENT THROUGH IT MORE OF A CHECK OF THE BOX VERSUS A WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE AND RECOGNIZE PERFORMANCE.
AND SO THIS PROGRAM WOULD THEN, HOW, HOW WOULD IT IMPACT THE MANAGER? SORRY, I MISSED THE, HOW WOULD IT IMPACT THE MANAGER MANAGERS DECISION TO PROMOTE OR GIVE A MERIT? WELL, THAT WILL BE A PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION.
THEY HAVE MADE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, RIGHT? THEY'VE NOT DESIGNED A MERIT PROGRAM.
THAT IS WHAT JOHN AND HIS PEOPLE WILL THEN TAKE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS IS AND TRANSLATE THEM INTO YES.
A MERIT PROGRAM, HOW THAT MIGHT, I GUESS THIS IS THE POINT THAT OUR, THIS IS LEADING US TO A MERIT PROGRAM.
THIS IS A LAYOUT OF, OF SOME CHANGES WE CAN MAKE.
THERE ARE A LAYOUT, IF YOU WILL, A ROADMAP, RIGHT? YES.
A ROADMAP WITHOUT THE SPECIFIC DESIGN OF ALL THE PAVEMENT.
YES, THERE ARE HR THINGS THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE WE, BEFORE A MERIT PROGRAM COULD BE IN, IN PLACE.
SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A VERY DEFINED, IF THERE IS A DECISION TO GO FOR A PAY FOR PERFORMANCE CULTURE IN A CERTAIN WAY, THEN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE VERY CLEAR AND CONSISTENTLY APPLIED ACROSS, OR ELSE YOU MAY END UP WITH INEQUITIES AMONG PEOPLE.
SO THAT, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED WITH.
SO THAT, BECAUSE THAT PROGRAM IS
[01:30:01]
NOT IN PLACE YET, THAT WOULD BE A DEPENDENCY BEFORE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE COULD BE PUT IN PLACE.SO WHEN WE LOOK AT FROM AN ORGANIZATIONAL, UH, ASSESSMENT PERSPECTIVE, THERE WERE A FEW THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, BECAME REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE NEEDED BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE, YOU KNOW, SERVICE ORIENTATION EFFICIENCIES, PARTICULARLY WITHIN AREAS LIKE PROCUREMENT OR, AND MATRIX SUPPORT.
WHAT WE MEAN BY MATRIX SUPPORT IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE JUST A LITTLE TRANSIT ACTIVITY, UM, PROVIDING SUPPORT ACROSS OUR DIFFERENT AREAS.
SO IF WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, A PROJECT MANAGEMENT FUNCTION, IT'S NOT JUST PUB PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT NEEDS PROJECT MANAGEMENT, PROCUREMENT MAY NEED PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
SO HOW ARE WE DEVELOPING THAT STANDARD? AND THEN PROVIDING SUPPORT ACROSS, THERE'S A RECOGNITION THAT CAPABILITY AND SKILL BUILDING NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT'S INGRAINED IN FROM A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE RECOGNIZE IT'S A GREAT THING.
IT'S GONNA HELP EVERYONE'S CAREER, YOUR DEVELOPMENT, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AS WE WERE JUST TALKING TO.
AND THEN HOW DO WE DESIGN AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS SCALABLE AND CAN EVOLVE, AS YOU KNOW, THE AGENCY AND THE COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE.
SO THROUGH THAT, SOME OF THE KEY IMPROVEMENTS IN THE, YOU KNOW, PROPOSED FUTURE STATE STRUCTURE INCLUDE CLEAR DELINEATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES ACROSS FUNCTION, IMPROVED SPAN OF CONTROL.
SO WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORKING MANAGERS TODAY.
SO HOW DO WE ACTUALLY CREATE SPAN OF CONTROL AND LEVERAGE SO OUR MANAGERS CAN MANAGE THAT.
WE HAVE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS THAT ACTUALLY DO WORK VERSUS HAVING PEOPLE MANAGING 10 DIFFERENT PEOPLE, 12 PEOPLE, UM, ENHANCE CAREER PATHING AS I TALKED TO EARLIER, INCREASE COLLABORATION AND CUSTOMIZED SUPPORT THROUGH THOSE MATRIX SUPPORT.
SO WHETHER THAT'S THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, GROUP PROCUREMENT IN PARTICULAR COMMUNICATIONS, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE GROUPS ARE GETTING THE RIGHT SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED? IMPROVE PROJECT AND RISK MANAGEMENT.
UM, AND THEN ENHANCE RESPONSIBILITIES TO SOME OF THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE ROLES THAT PROVIDE GREATER PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT SO THAT OUR LEADERS HAVE THE RIGHT ADMINISTRATIVE HELP TO DO THEIR JOBS AND THINK, YOU KNOW, AND WORK MORE STRATEGICALLY.
AND THEN ALSO ENHANCE ABILITY TO MANAGE DATA END TO END AND USE THAT DATA TO DRIVE MORE DATA DECISIONS.
UM, USE DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING.
SO INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING, I FEEL THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT THING, HAVING THE RIGHT DATA TO DRIVE THOSE DECISIONS.
THE OTHER PIECE, NOW I'M GONNA PASS IT TO ANTOIN, IS THIS JOB LEVEL AND HIERARCHY.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CAREER PATHING, THIS IS REALLY THE PIECE.
IT'S NOT, YOU WON'T SEE TITLES ATTACHED TO IT, SO YOU WON'T SEE ANALYSTS HERE.
BUT HAVING SOMETHING IN PLACE LIKE THIS ACTUALLY ALLOWS THOSE CAREER PATHS THAT, YOU KNOW, CLEAR JOB HIERARCHY AND ALSO ADDRESSES SOME OF THOSE ISSUES WITH INCONSISTENT TITLING.
SO THE JOB ARCHITECTURE RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN, WE LOOKED AT VIA FROM AGENCY WIDE, JUST TO UNDERSTAND THE ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOARD OF TRUSTEES, JUST TO SEE WHERE THOSE JOBS LEVEL OUT APPROPRIATELY AND WHERE THEY LEVEL ACCORDINGLY.
AND THEN BUILDING OUT WHAT LEVELING CRITERIA MAY LOOK LIKE FOR EACH LEVEL FROM ENTRY LEVEL ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH A CEO.
UM, THAT LEVELING CRITERIA INCLUDES RECOMMENDED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE LEVELS AS WELL AS THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN EACH LEVEL OF A ROLE.
AND SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN IS JUST OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ENTRY LEVEL AT THE DIFFERENT JOB CATEGORIES, UM, UP THROUGH, AGAIN, CEO BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THOSE LEVELS COINCIDE.
AND HOW THE JOB ARCHITECTURE WORKS IS IF YOU HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ROLE IN AN ENTRY LEVEL ROLE, IF AN INCUMBENT IN ONE OF THOSE ROLES AT THE ENTRY LEVEL WAS THINKING OF BEING PROMOTED, ET CETERA, IF THEY WANTED TO GO INTO A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL, ENTRY LEVEL ROLE, THAT WOULD BE THE SECOND LAYER FOR THEM.
SO IT'S NOT AN EQUAL ACROSS THE BOARD FOR AN ADMINISTRATIVE PERSON ROLE TO MOVE INTO, LET'S SAY A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.
SO THAT'S HOW THE JOB ARCHITECTURE WORK.
IT GIVES A VISUAL, UM, HOW THE JOBS ARE LAID OUT FOR, FROM A CAREER PATHING PERSPECTIVE TO SHOW HOW EACH LEVEL OR EACH ROLE PROGRESSES THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION AT EACH LEVEL.
SO THIS SLIDE IS JUST OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON SALARY STRUCTURE.
SO AS PART OF THE WORK STREAM FOR COMPENSATION, WE LOOKED AT THE CURRENT, UM, SALARY STRUCTURE THAT'S IN PLACE THAT
[01:35:01]
HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED OR REDESIGNED IN SOME TIME.UM, AND BASED ON ALL OF THE MARKET DATA THAT WE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED, WE DID DESIGN A NEW, UM, AND RECOMMEND A NEW SALARY STRUCTURE.
WHAT WE'RE TARGETING AND WHAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS, IS TO TARGET THE 25TH PERCENTILE OF THE MARKET.
AND THAT'S HOW WE BUILT THE JOB, UH, THE SALARY STRUCTURE FOR THE DIFFERENT JOB LEVELS.
UM, THERE WERE GREAT CHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS AS PART OF THE REDESIGN OF THE SALARY GRADE STRUCTURE.
UM, BUT INTERNALLY THOSE ARE BEING REVIEWED JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE CONSISTENT IN, AGAIN, ALL OF THE WORK THAT IS STILL GOING ON WITH THE ORG PROCESS REVIEW ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, UM, FLSA AND PAY EQUITY AS PART AS, AS PART OF OUR WORK STREAM, WE WERE, UM, WE DID CONDUCT A PAY EQUITY ANALYSIS.
UM, AND AGAIN, THOSE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BEING REVIEWED INTERNALLY.
UM, THE CURRENT FLSA, UH, RULING WAS JUST STRUCK DOWN THIS PAST WEEK.
UM, BUT INTERNALLY VIA IS REVIEWING WHAT ANY, UM, DISPARITIES OR ANY REVIEWS MAY LOOK LIKE AS PART OF THE COMPENSATION WORK STREAM.
SO SOME OF THE SUMMARY INVESTMENTS AS PART OF THE COMPENSATION AND ORG DESIGN WORK STREAM, THE BUDGET HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR, UM, CERTAIN ACTIVITIES AS A RESULT OF THIS.
SO YOU'LL SEE, UM, THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION FOR 4% SALARY INCREASE.
UM, THE BUDGET THAT WAS APPROVED ALSO INCLUDES, UM, FOR PROMOTIONS, ANY, YOU KNOW, ORG CHANGES, NEW HIRES, ET CETERA, AS A RESULT OF THE ORG DESIGN CHANGES, AS WELL AS COMPENSATION CHANGES THAT MAY BE WARRANTED AS PART OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WERE MAKING, UM, FOR THE PROJECT.
AND THEN AGAIN, ADDRESSING ANY, YOU KNOW, PAY EQUITY, UM, AND FLSA, UM, DISPARITIES THAT MAY BE, THAT MAY HAVE COME OUT OF THIS WORK STREAM.
SO OUT OF ALL THESE PIECES, WE HAVE A RECOMME, A RECOMMENDED ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN.
AND THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS POSITION REVIEW, MAKING SURE ALL JOB DESCRIPTIONS ARE UPDATED.
AND THEN THIS COMMUNICATION PIECE, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT EMPLOYEES MAY BE FALLING INTO, WHETHER THAT'S NO CHANGE AT ALL, UH, NEW ROLE, THE SAME ROLE WITH A NEW TITLE.
SO FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CHANGE SCENARIOS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, ENSURING THAT THE TEAM HAS ENOUGH SUPPORT TO DEVELOP DETAILED COMMUNICATION SO EVERY EMPLOYEE KNOWS WHAT'S CHANGING, WHEN IT'S CHANGING, IF NOTHING'S CHANGING AT ALL.
AND THEN OVER THE NEXT FEW QUARTERS, THE AGENCY WILL BEGIN ROLLING OUT THOSE CHANGES AND THEY'LL BE ROLLED OUT IN A VERY PURPOSEFUL WAY.
THE OTHER PIECE THAT I DON'T THINK I HIT ON ENOUGH IS, AS WE WENT THROUGH THIS ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT, IT WAS, WE DID NOT HAVE FINDINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZATION WAS VERY BLOATED OR ANYTHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
REALLY, WE NOW HAVE A STRUCTURE THAT'S GONNA PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THE INTERNAL TEAM WILL TALK A BIT LATER AROUND WHAT THEY'RE DOING TO MAP EMPLOYEES TO THE FUTURE STATE RULES, MAKING SURE EMPLOYEES HAVE THE RIGHT SUPPORT TO GROW INTO THOSE ROLES IF THERE ARE ANY SKILL OR CAPABILITY GAPS TODAY.
AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAY SAY, HEY, WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE A CHANGE YET.
WE WANNA GET IT, UH, THE RIGHT LEADER IN PLACE SO WHEN WE MOVE PEOPLE OVER, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT SUPPORT TO GROW.
AND THESE CHANGES WILL HAPPEN OVER, LIKE I SAID, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.
THERE ARE A BUNCH OF INTERDEPENDENCIES.
AND THEN FOR THE FIRST SET OF CHANGES TO GO LIVE, HOPEFULLY AT THE END OF JANUARY, FEBRUARY, DEPENDING ON ALL THE REVIEW AND THOUGHTFUL REVIEW THAT'S GOING THROUGH IT.
I JUST POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IS THERE A METHOD TO THE REASON FOR THE TIERED, UM, BULLETS? OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT COULD IDEALLY, I GUESS I'M JUST ASKING LIKE, WHICH ONE GOES FIRST? IS IT IF THIS THEN THIS? OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE ALMOST LIKE A CASE BY CASE SCENARIO? SO, UM, WHAT, LIKE THOSE, YEAH, LIKE THEY'RE STA I WAS JUST WONDERING IS IT JUST A STYLING ISSUE? LIKE A STYLING CHOICE? NO.
SO THOSE S ARE ALL INTER, THERE'S INTERDEPENDENCIES BETWEEN, SO THERE'S A FEW THINGS.
THERE'S AN INTERDEPENDENCIES WITH REGARDS TO ANY CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING.
SO WE MAY SAY, HEY, WE WANNA POST A POSITION, WE WANNA GET SOMEONE IN THE ROLE, WE WANT THEM TO HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THREE MONTHS IN THE ROLE, AND THEN WE MAY MOVE PEOPLE OVER.
BUT REGARDLESS, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ROLLING OUT THE CHANGES, AND I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S ABOUT A FEW HUNDRED LINES OF INFORMATION BELOW EACH OF THESE BULLETS, BUT
[01:40:01]
WE WANNA MAKE SURE ALL OF OUR, YOU KNOW, SENIOR LEADERS ARE AWARE.WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL EMPLOYEES ARE AWARE OF THE FUTURE.
IS THIS, LIKE, MY QUESTION IS LIKE, IS THE FIRST BULLET LIKE THE FIRST PRIORITY, SECOND PRIORITY THIRD? OR ARE THEY JUST, LIKE I SAID, LIKE THEY'RE INTERCHANGEABLE? LIKE MAYBE SOMETHING IS A, IS MORE OF LIKE A PRIORITY RIGHT NOW, AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE COMING UP WITH THESE BEGIN ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES, SO LIKE WHEN WE DO THE CONDUCT ONE-ON-ONE, CHANGE MEETINGS WITH EXECUTIVES AND FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP, WILL THAT BE GOING ON CONCURRENTLY AS THE TOWN HALL? OR DOES ONE HAVE TO OCCUR BEFORE THE NEXT THING TO GET TRIGGERED FOR, FOR THESE BULLETS, ONE HAS TO OCCUR.
CAN I, UH, UH, MAYBE I, YEAH, THESE ARE NOT BULLETS.
THERE ARE MILESTONES, RIGHT? MILESTONES, YES.
SO THE, BASICALLY THE LITTLE WHERE THE LITTLE BULLET IS IT, IT'S RELATED TO A TIME.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF IT WAS LIKE, IF IT HAD TO, IF THEY WERE ALL ALIGNED, LIKE, THIS IS ALL GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY OR IF IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE PURPOSEFUL, STAGGERED.
MY APOLOGIES FOR THE CONFUSION.
SO TO ASSIST WITH THE TRANSITION OF THE PROJECT, UH, FROM RSM TO VIA, WE HAVE ASSEMBLED AN IMPLEMENTATION TEAM, WHICH INCLUDES THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATION OFFICER, ACTING VP OF HR, DIRECTOR OF, UH, MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, OUR DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, AS WELL AS OUR MANAGER OF HRS AND COMPENSATION.
WE DO ANTICIPATE, LIKE JEFF SAID, TO BEGIN IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE CALENDAR YEAR FOR 2025.
UH, WE DID, AS YOU SAW, UH, BUDGETED FUNDING FOR TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION IN FYF FISCAL YEAR 25.
HOWEVER, WE WILL BE ASSESSING THE LONG-TERM BUDGETARY IMPACTS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE FISCALLY SOUND, WE REMAIN FISCALLY SOUND.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE AS A TEAM, WE ARE TAKING A THOUGHTFUL AND METHODICAL APPROACH TO ENSURE THAT ALL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED AND ALIGNED WITH THE AGENCY'S STRATEGIC GOALS.
WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE SEMT MEMBERS TO REVISE AND DEVELOP JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND SALARY STRUCTURES FOR THE NEW ROLES THAT WILL EMERGE FROM THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE WORKING WITH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ON COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT A SMOOTH TRANSITION, ENSURING THAT ALL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING EMPLOYEES, ARE INFORMED AND SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO REVIEW THE RECOMMENDATIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF EEO STANDARDS, MAINTAINING OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION.
AND FINALLY, OUR ASSEMBLE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT VIA, WITH CLOSING OUT REMAINING ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN DECISIONS AND PROVIDE SUPPORT THROUGH TRANSITION AND PRELIMINARY IMPLEMENTATION PREPARATION.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AHEAD OF US.
WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO REVIEW, ASSESS AND IMPLEMENT WITH CARE PRECISION AND TRANSPARENCY.
SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION TRUSTEE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? TRUSTEE WOLF? THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.
UM, LOOK, WHEN WE STARTED DOWN THIS ROAD, UM, WE KNEW THAT WE WOULD GET BACK A LEVEL OF REPORT THAT WOULD SUGGEST A NUMBER OF ACTIONS BE TAKEN.
WHAT WE JUST GOT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, BEFORE YOU CAN GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, YOU GOTTA KNOW WHERE YOU'RE STARTING FROM.
OKAY? THIS IS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR ESSENTIALLY SETTING THE STAGE OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND GIVING A PATH OF HOW TO GET TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE TOMORROW.
UM, NOW THROUGH MY OWN EXPERIENCE, I WILL ALSO TELL YOU THAT THIS IS, UH, THERE IS NO EASY PART TO THIS, BUT THIS WAS THE EASY PART.
OKAY? AND, AND YOU SAW IN THE SLIDE IN 2025 ALL THE, ALL THE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT HAVE TO BE COVERED, UH, IN ORDER TO REALLY ACHIEVE WHAT THIS PUT OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO TALK ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.
IT'S ALL A GREAT MENTAL EX EXERCISE THAT EVERYBODY CAN SIT AROUND AND NOD THEIR HEAD THAT YEAH, THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO.
BUT ONCE YOU REALLY ACTUALLY START TO MAKE THESE CHANGES IS, IS WHEN WHEN THE PAIN BEGINS.
OKAY? AND I DON'T CARE TO, YOU KNOW, HALEY MADE SOME COMMENTS IN REGARDS TO SOME, SOME INDIVIDUALS WON'T BE AFFECTED AT ALL DIRECTLY.
OKAY? SOME WILL BE AFFECTED DIRECTLY.
ALL OF THEM WILL FEEL SOME LEVEL OF IMPACT
[01:45:01]
AND PAIN.ALRIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THIS WAS IN MY MIND NOT EASY, BUT IT'S THE EASY PART.
WE'VE, WE'VE GOT EXPERTS THAT HAVE LOOKED AT US FROM ACROSS THE BOARD IN TWO VERY CONNECTED AND HUGE AREAS OF WHAT IT IS WE NEED TO DO.
UH, NOW, YOU KNOW, JEFF IS, YOU KNOW, GETTING OFF REALLY LUCKY 'CAUSE HE GETS TO RUN OUT THE SIDE DOOR.
AND JOHN, GARY NOW HAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS.
UM, AND THERE ARE TWO CONCERNS THAT I WALK AWAY WITH EXCITEMENT FIRST, LET ME SAY THAT, BUT I WALK AWAY WITH TWO CONCERNS.
ONE, THE BUDGETARY, LIKE, JOHN, I'M GONNA BE ON YOU.
MY FAMILY USED TO SAY WHITE ON RICE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE ANYMORE,
WE'RE STARTING TO CREEP INTO THIS NEW REVENUE STREAM.
AND I'VE LEARNED JUST IN MY SHORT STINT AS A CEO, MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS. AND SO AS WE BEGIN TO EXPAND, WHICH IS NEEDED, RIGHT? I'M NOT ARGUING THAT THIS CHANGE IS NOT NEEDED.
WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE PROCESS AND HOW WE'RE FINANCIALLY BUDGETING THIS OUT.
THE SECOND CONCERN IS NEXT STEPS.
SO WE SAY WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO REVISE DEVELOPMENT OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS, CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT QUESTION.
HAVE WE POSTED ANY JOB DESCRIPTIONS AS OF TODAY THAT ARE RELATIVE TO THIS PARTICULAR STUDY? YEAH.
THERE, THERE'S A FEW THAT WE ANTICIPATE, ESPECIALLY THE DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT, WHICH IS KEY TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS, UH, PROJECT AND PROGRAM.
SO WITH THAT, IS THAT SOMETHING, AND MAYBE I'M OVERSTEPPING, BUT IS THAT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THIS TABLE FOR THE BUDGET? 'CAUSE THAT WASN'T APPROVED IN OUR RECENT BUDGET.
THAT POSITION WAS NOT APPROVED.
SO I LOVE THIS PRESENTATION, BUT BEFORE WE GO OUT HERE AND START POSTING POSITIONS, I THINK THAT IT IS APPROPRIATE THAT AGAIN, BECAUSE OF MY FIRST CONCERN, THAT WE'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING FINANCIALLY BEFORE WE START OPENING THE GATE TO MORE POSITIONS.
I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT POSITION YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THERE WAS A LINE ITEM SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT AS A LINE ITEM TO, UH, TO, UH, PAY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PLAN.
AND THAT'S THE $4 MILLION, RIGHT? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
SO THAT LINE, I'M LINE ITEM WAS TO INCLUDE, UH, FTE.
IT WAS WHAT? YES, IT WOULD INCLUDE POTENTIALLY FTES.
IT WOULD INCLUDE COMPENSATION CHANGES.
BASED UPON, UH, RE REORGANIZATION BASED UPON, I'LL GO BACK AND TAKE MY, MY ADVICE FROM BOB AND DO MY HOMEWORK.
I DON'T, I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING A FTE CALLED OUT IN TRUSTEE BROWN.
AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT.
TRUSTEE BROWN, THE IMPORTANT THING IS THERE IS A BUDGET, RIGHT? BUT OF COURSE YOU WANNA MAKE, MAKE THAT WE FOLLOW THE BUDGET IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE HAVE.
AND THAT'S EASY FOR ME TO SAY RIGHT NOW.
SO FOR ME, NEXT STEPS I WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO AND I AM GONNA PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THOSE NEXT STEPS ARE BECAUSE I WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT TIPPING THE BOAT BEFORE BECAUSE BOB STATED IT, RIGHT? BOB'S STILL IN THE ROOM.
WE WORKED HARD TO GET TO THE POINT THAT WHERE WE ARE TODAY, WE CANNOT TIP OVER TOO FAST, FOLKS, WE CAN'T.
AND EVERYONE'S WATCHING US AS WE BRING IN THIS NEW REVENUE STREAM.
SO WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT HOW WE'RE DOING THIS.
THAT'S ALL I WANNA STATE, BUT I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
DO NOT TAKE MY COMMENTS AS A PESSIMIST.
I'M AN OPTIMIST, BUT IT IS MY ROLE AS A MEMBER OF THIS BOARD TO PROTECT THE AGENCY.
JOSEPH CABIA, THANK YOU AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE.
AND I KNOW IT'S BEEN A ARDUOUS, UM, TASK TO HAVE ALL THESE MEETINGS, UH, THE ONE OH ONES AND, UH, AND PUT THIS PLAN TOGETHER.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FRAMEWORK THAT YOU LAID OUT AND THE PROCESS THAT YOU IMPLEMENTED TO COME TO THE CONCLUSIONS THAT YOU ARE HERE TODAY.
A A COUPLE OF KEY QUESTIONS AND I ECHO, UH, TRUSTEE BROWN'S CONCERN ABOUT BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, I KNOW WE DID, UH, HAVE SOMETHING IN THE BUDGET AND I, AND I DO RECALL THE CONVERSATION OF US HAVING THAT DURING OUR BUDGET WORKSHOP, UM, BECAUSE THAT WAS A KEY CONCERN OF MINE, IS WHAT YOUR STUDY WAS GOING ON CONCURRENTLY AND WHAT WERE WE GOING TO, UH, BE DOING IN TERMS OF, UH, ALLOWING US SOME SPACE
[01:50:01]
TO, UM, PROGRAM, UH, SOME IMPLEMENTATION OF IT.I'D LOVE TO SEE A MANAGEMENT REPORT, UM, COME THROUGH ON A, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, UH, TO THE, TO THE BOARD TO SEE HOW THIS IS GONNA BE IMPLEMENTED.
UM, UH, NUMBER TWO IS, UH, REPORTING AND DATA ANALYSIS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE KEY FROM A TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVE.
UM, THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN KEY ON FROM THE BEGINNING IS HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO, UM, SUPPORT OUR TECHNOLOGY KNOWING THAT THOUGH WE HAVE TO STAY WITHIN OUR BUDGET AND WHAT IS THE PRIORITIZATION OF THESE CHANGES? SO IT'S GONNA BE CRITICAL.
JOHN GARY, AS YOU COME THROUGH, IS IDENTIFYING THE PROCESS AND THE PRIORITIZATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS.
UM, AND I'M VERY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT THAT'S GONNA BE LAID OUT AS BECAUSE YOU'RE PRESENTING, UM, MILESTONES IN Q1, WHICH IS PRETTY QUICKLY, UH, APPROACHING.
AND IF YOU HAVE A PLAN ALREADY, UH, LAID OUT, UM, JEFF, UH, JOHN AND, AND JOHN GARY, YOU KNOW, THAT'D BE HELPFUL EVEN IF YOU SHARE IT.
UM, ONE-ON-ONE WITH US, SO WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESSES MOVING FORWARD IF IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A WORKSHOP.
BUT I THINK, UM, HAVING SOME, UH, COMMUNICATION WITH THE BOARD AS YOU IMPLEMENT, THIS IS GONNA BE KEY.
UM, YOU YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT? NO, ABSOLUTELY.
IT, IT, THE BEAUTY OF WHAT, NOT ONLY WAS IT A GREAT PRESENTATION, BUT THE BEAUTY OF WHAT WAS DESIGNED HERE IS WITH COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY, UH, WE HOLD THE LEVERS, UH, TO THE IMPLEMENTATION.
WE HOLD THE LEVERS THAT ARE GONNA IMPACT OUR FINANCIAL, UH, RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY AS WELL FROM THIS, UH, THIS GOING FORWARD.
SO IT IS INDEED THAT KIND OF FLEXIBILITY THAT WE HAVE IN THIS PLAN WHERE WE CAN THEN PRIORITIZE CERTAIN AREAS THAT WE WANNA ATTEMPT TO GO IN FIRST, SEE HOW THAT GOES, COME BACK, REPORT HOW THINGS ARE GOING, AND THEN COME BACK AND ASSESS, RIGHT? UM, IT'S NOT AN ALL OR NOTHING SCENARIO HERE EITHER, BUT IT IS INDEED A LOT OF THE HOMEWORK HAS BEEN DONE.
UM, SO WE KNOW THE PATH THAT WE NEED TO HEAD DOWN AND, AND SOME OF THOSE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE GO.
BUT AGAIN, I'LL ASSURE YOU THAT WE HOLD THE LEVERS, UH, FOR THIS APPROACH SO IT DOESN'T GET AWAY FROM US.
AND, AND JUST TO TRUSTEE WOLF'S, UM, WORK, HE KNOWS HIS BEST, RIGHT? 'CAUSE THAT'S HIS PROFESSION.
I DON'T, BECAUSE WE'RE A PUBLIC AGENCY, I DON'T WANT US TO ALSO DRAG THIS OUT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING THROUGH SO MANY ITERATIONS AND CONVERSATIONS.
THIS IS A BUSINESS, IT'S JUST OUR TAX ID ESSENTIALLY, RIGHT? SO WE GOTTA THINK ABOUT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
UM, SO THERE IS SOME HASTE AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE TO BE JUDICIOUS ABOUT THE PROCESS.
THE OTHER THING IS BECAUSE NOW THERE IS THIS COMPENSATION FRAMEWORK IN PLACE, IT'S A LOT EASIER TO LOOK AHEAD TO SAY IF WE ADD THESE TWO PEOPLE AND WE HAVE ALL THAT, YOU KNOW, FOUNDATIONAL PIECES, YOU KNOW, WITH AUDREY TO SAY IF WE ADD THESE TWO PEOPLE, IT WOULD COST US EXACTLY THIS AMOUNT.
SO NOW I FEEL STRONGLY YOU HAVE ALL THESE FOUNDATIONAL PIECES WORKING WITH EACH OF THESE GROUPS.
THEY'VE ALL SAID THESE ARE OUR THREE OR FOUR PRIORITIES AND THESE ARE THE INTERDEPENDENCIES BETWEEN GROUPS ACROSS THE AGENCY AS WELL.
AND ALL OF THOSE PIECES ARE NOTED AND THE MAP THAT WE'VE HANDED OVER, WE MAY SAY, HEY, THIS IS Q2, NOT Q1.
AND THEN ALL THOSE INTERDEPENDENCIES WILL MOVE ALONG WITH THEM.
YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT DESCRIPTION.
AND IN FACT, THAT'S THE NEXT PART, RIGHT? IS OUR, UM, TRUSTEE WORKSHOP, BOARD RETREAT, UM, AND PREPARATION FOR PRIORITIZATION AND BUDGET COINCIDING WITH OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.
UM, AND, AND JUST DEMONSTRATING THAT WE ARE PRUDENT IN, IN OUR FISCAL, UH, MANAGEMENT OF THE PROCESS IMPLEMENTATION AND UPDATING OUR EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE, THE SYSTEM ITSELF.
UM, TWO QUESTIONS THOUGH FOR YOU GUYS.
UH, I DID NOTICE THERE WAS, UM, ON SLIDE, UH, I THINK ONE OF THE PREVIOUS SLIDES, TWO SLIDES BACK, Y'ALL REFERENCED, UH, USING THE 25 PERCENTILE OF EXTERNAL MARKET AND THEN, UH, YOU ALSO, UM, DID AN ANALYSIS ON 700 EMPLOYEES.
CAN YOU JUST SPEAK TO THOSE? WHY 700 ONLY? IS THAT JUST ADMINISTRATIVE? UH, IS THERE MORE THAN THAT? OR, OR, AND THEN, UH, WHY THE 25TH, UH, PERCENTILE.
SO WHAT WAS IN SCOPE FOR THE PROJECT WAS JUST THE ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS.
UNION WAS NOT IN SCOPE FOR THE PROJECT.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THE 700 ROLES CAME IN.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, THE COMPENSATION PIECE, WHAT WAS THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION?
[01:55:01]
WHY THE 25TH? OH, THE 25TH PERCENTILE OF THE MARKET.SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAID, OH, DO WE WANNA GO TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE OF THE MARKET? BUT WE ALSO WANNA BE REALISTIC.
AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT WHERE WE WERE, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA WAS LET'S GET EVERYONE TO THE 25TH PERCENTILE AND THEN WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PAY FOR PERFORMANCE MAYBE IN A YEAR, TWO, TWO YEARS, WHEN WE GET EVERYONE TO THAT 25TH PERCENTILE, THEN DO WE WANNA IMPLEMENT MAYBE A MERIT, YOU KNOW, PAY FOR PERFORMANCE CULTURE AND GET US BETWEEN THE 25TH AND 50TH PERCENTILE.
IF WE'RE TRYING TO GO TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE RIGHT NOW, NUMBER ONE, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY, BUT ALSO THAT'S A BIG JUMP FROM WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
SO LET'S TAKE THE STEPS THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, MAKE OUR EMPLOYEE GROUP HAPPY, BUT ALSO THAT ARE REALISTIC FOR THE AGENCY AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
AND I'M NOT ADVOCATING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR THE RATIONALE AND BEST PRACTICES.
WE RAN NUMBERS FOR EVERYTHING.
ALSO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF BENEFITS BEYOND COMPENSATION WHEN YOU WORK FOR VIA, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO IT'S NOT, IF YOU WORK FOR, YOU KNOW, A CONSULTING AGENCY, MAYBE WORKING A MILLION HOURS.
SO WHAT IS THAT BALANCE? AND PART OF THE 25TH PERCENTILE CHOICE WAS RESOURCE BASED
WHAT CAN WE REALLY AFFORD? CAN WE REALLY AFFORD TO PAY FULL MARKET OR DO WE HAVE TO BACK OFF BECAUSE OF OUR LEVEL OF RESOURCE? SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO THE 50TH PERCENTILE, WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE FULL MARKET OR AVERAGE MARKET.
WE'RE BACKING DOWN BECAUSE WE DIDN'T FEEL THAT WE COULD AFFORD TO GO TO 50% AT LEAST RIGHT AWAY.
WE LOOK AT AT, AS I SAID, WE LOOK AT A A, A MERIT PAY PROGRAM PERHAPS ON TOP OF THE, THE STANDARD RAISE AND PEOPLE START MOVING ABOVE THE 25%.
BUT IF THAT WILL ALL BE MERIT BASED AS OPPOSED TO JUST PUSHING PEOPLE THERE.
AND, AND AS PART OF THIS PROCESS RIGHT HERE WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SEE THE FORECAST IN A TWO, THREE YEAR.
UH, I WAS GONNA ASK A MORE QUESTION.
BUT THE STAFF IS PAINFULLY AWARE OF OUR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND OUR FISCAL LIMITS BECAUSE WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PUT SERVICE ON THE STREET.
YOU RECALL FROM THE BUDGET, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR EXPENSES, THAT WHAT, WHAT PERCENT GOES TO SERVICE ON THE STREET, THE OPERATIONS PIECE OF THE WHEEL? YEAH.
IT WAS ABOUT 90, 92 90 90 2% OF OUR DOLLARS GET SPENT ON SERVICE AND 8% GETS SPENT ON ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS VERY LOW AND VERY LOW COMPARED TO OUR PEERS.
SO WE ARE PAINFULLY AWARE OF THAT.
PART OF THE REASON WE'RE SO LOW IS BECAUSE WE BRING PEOPLE IN BELOW THE 25% AND THEN BECAUSE WE GIVE FLAT RAISES, IF YOU WILL, OR FLAT INCREASES, THEY NEVER CAN GET UP UNTIL THEY CAN GET PROMOTED AND THEN THEY START MOVING, WHICH IS WHY THE CAREER PATH PIECE IS SO IMPORTANT AND YOU START SEEING HOW THIS ALL MELDS TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
IS THIS GONNA BE PRESENTED IN TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE, UH, INCLUDING BENEFITS, SALARY, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, EXTRA BENEFITS THAT, UH, THE EMPLOYEE RECEIVES, UH, VERSUS JUST A SALARY? YES.
THAT THIS WILL BE PART OF THE WHOLE COMPENSATION PACKAGE FOR THE ENTIRE AGENCY? YES.
SO THEN EMPLOYEES WILL SEE BOTH RIGHT.
ELEMENTS OF WHAT THE TOTAL COMPENSATION WILL LOOK LIKE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT THEIR SALARY IS? ABSOLUTELY.
AND AND WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON SOME OF THAT TODAY AS WE SPEAK.
ESPECIALLY FOR THE OPERATIONAL SIDE.
YEAH, WE, WE'VE GOT ANNUAL REPORT THAT'S, UH, THAT SHOWS THE FULL VALUE OF WHAT WE'RE RECEIVING FROM VIA, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A POSITION THAT THAT'S CONFIGURED IN HR THAT'S CALLED TOTAL REWARDS, RIGHT? THAT'S THE NAME OF THAT POSITION FOR THAT VERY PURPOSE.
SEE, I DID PAY ATTENTION
IN FACT, THAT THAT IS ONE THING WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING IS THE TOTAL REWARD SIDE BECAUSE IT'S SO VERY IMPORTANT AND, UH, WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB AT THAT.
JOHN, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR LEADERSHIP WORKING WITH JOHN GARY ON THIS.
UH, I, I KNOW HE'S COMING AS A NEW CEO AND UH, I HOPE YOU GIVE HIM THE SUPPORT THAT HE NEEDS TO PUT THIS TOGETHER 'CAUSE THIS REALLY IMPACTS OUR EMPLOYEES AND WE GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER PROGRAM WE PUT OUT THERE, THAT IT'S FAIR AND EQUITABLE TO ALL OF THEM.
[7. *Legal Briefing]
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, LEGAL BRIEFING, WHICH IS A CLOSED SESSION ITEM.I'LL START WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT.
CLOSED SESSION STATEMENT TODAY IS NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024
[02:00:01]
AND THE TIME IS NOW UH, 7:00 PM AND THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL OFFICIALLY GOING TO CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION AS PERMITTED UNDER THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT.THE ITEMS WE WILL DISCUSS DURING THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION AS FOLLOWS, SEVEN, I'M SORRY, ITEM SEVEN POINT A ENTITLED LEGAL BRIEFING, A SECURITY POLICY POLICE UPDATE, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07.
ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 ENTITLED PERSONNEL AND ITEM NUMBER SEVEN B ENTITLED LEGAL BRIEFING B, HUMAN RESOURCE LEADERSHIP UPDATE, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07.
ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 ENTITLED PERSONNEL, ALL PERSONS WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO ATTEND THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE SMALL CONFERENCE ROOM.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT ATTEND OR MONITOR THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IN ANY MANNER.
OKAY, IT IS NOW 7:52 AM OR PM PM AND WE ARE OFFICIALLY COMING OUT OF CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING AGENDA ITEM SEVEN POINT A AND SEVEN POINT B.
NO DELIVERIES OF PUBLIC POLICY OR VOTE TAKING OCCURRED DURING THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER EIGHT.
TRUSTEES, WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
I HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND TO ADJOURN THE VIA MEETING.
SECOND, I HAVE A FIRST AND SECOND.
ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE.