* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. , [00:00:01] LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, [1. Call to Order] BEING FIVE O'CLOCK, WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. MY NAME IS LEO GOMEZ, I SERVE AS VICE CHAIR AND WE'LL BE CHAIRING TODAY'S MEETING. WE WILL BEGIN WITH ROLL CALL, STARTING WITH CHAIR CABILLA, WHO WE KNOW IS ABSENT. VICE CHAIR GOMEZ. I THINK I'M HERE. . SECRETARY MALONE. HERE. SECRETARY COOPER. HERE. TRUSTEE ALUA. HERE. TRUSTEE REYNA. TRUSTEE TO WILL HERE. TRUSTEE DE LEON. HERE. TRUSTEE HOWARD. WE HAVE A QUORUM. SO WE'LL BEGIN WITH THE MEETING NOW. UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A MOMENT OF REFLECTION. SO WE'LL HAVE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. EVERYBODY, PLEASE STAND. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEAD ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXT. ONE STATE UNDER GOD, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU LADIES [3. Citizens to be Heard (Part 1 of 3)] AND GENTLEMEN. NOW TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE IS CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. LET ME SHARE WITH EVERYONE THAT IN THE INTEREST OF GETTING TO THE ACTION ITEMS, WE ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO THOSE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD THAT HAVE SIGNED UP SPECIFICALLY ON THE BUDGET FIRST. AND THEN WE WILL LISTEN TO THE OTHERS AFTER WE TAKE THE ACTION ITEMS INTO CONSIDERATION. OKAY? SO DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON THE BUDGET AT AT THIS TIME WE HAVE NO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD FOR THE BUDGET. NO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON THE BUDGET. THANK YOU. HAVING HEARD THAT WE WILL MOVE ON TO, UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA. ANYONE WHO'S PREPARED TO MAKE A MOTION ON THAT, I'D BE GLAD TO RETAIN NOW, MR. CHAIR, MR. CHAIR FOR CLARIFICATION. SINCE WE DI WE ARE NOT LISTENING TO CITIZENS ON THE BUDGET. I MEAN WE HELD A PUBLIC HEARING FOR CITIZENS ON THE BUDGET. WE HAVE TO TAKE THE BUDGET FIRST, THEN WE HAVE TO HEAR OTHER CITIZENS BEFORE WE GET TO CONSENT, AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS. SO, SO I CAN I MAKE THE MOTION TO GO AHEAD SINCE WE'VE HAD TWO BRIEFINGS ALREADY AND EVERYBODY THAT WANTED A PRIVATE BRIEFING BRIEFING HAS GOTTEN ONE. CAN I GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE MOTION [7. Proposed FY26 Operating Budget and the Proposed Fixed Route Service Changes January 2026] TO APPROVE THE BUDGET NOW? GLAD TO CONSIDER THAT MOTION, SIR. SO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM TRUSTEE AL. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND. OR TRUSTEE COOPER, ANY DISCUSSION? I THINK Y'ALL DID A GREAT JOB. MM-HMM . SAME. RIGHT. HEARING. NO DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE BUDGET, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. THE PA MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. UH, HERE WE'LL DO, NOW IT WOULD BE BACK TO CITIZENS BE HEARD AND OR DID YOU HAVE LIKE TO DO THE AT BUDGET, THE CAPITAL PROGRAM [8. FY26-30 Capital Program] AS PART OF THE BUDGET? IT'S NUMBER EIGHT. SO ONTO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, THE CAPITAL PROGRAM. DO Y WANNA DO THAT? SAME. SAME. OKAY. TRUSTEE ALUA. ALL RIGHT. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS THE FISCAL YEAR 26, UH, 2026 TO 2030 CAPITAL PROGRAM. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND BY SECRETARY MALONE. THANK YOU, MA'AM. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED FOR DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE A. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. SHOULD I DO THAT? ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE MOVING ALONG HERE. MR. CHAIR, JUST A QUESTION FOR, UH, LEGAL COUNSEL. DO WE NEED TO GO TO A TD? WE CAN PAUSE THIS MEETING, GO TO THE A TD MEETING AND DO THE EXACT SAME THING THAT WE DID. WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS FOR A TD, THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK. THEN WE CAN TAKE ACTION ON THE BUDGET, MOVE FORWARD AND THEN WE CAN GO BACK TO THE, UH, REGULAR VIA BOARD MEETING. WHERE ARE WE HERE? SO RECESS, THE, IF WE WILL RECESS, WE'LL NEED TO RECESS THE BOARD MEETING VIA BOARD MEETING. THANK YOU. AT THIS POINT ON THE AGENDA, WE WILL RESEARCH RECESS THE VIA MEETING AND CALL TO ORDER THE [ATD 1. Call to Order] A TD MEETING IN ORDER TO APPROVE [00:05:01] THE A TD BUDGET WHILE WE HAVE A QUORUM. ONCE THE A TD MEETING IS CONCLUDED, WE WILL RETURN TO THE VIA MEETING. SO THE A TD ACTION ITEM [ATD 5. Proposed FY26 Operating Budget] THAT IS NEXT IS THE BUDGET. MR. BASAL, TRUSTEE BASAL, DO YOU HAVE A MOTION? SURE. A MOTION TO APPROVE THE A TD BUDGET THIS FISCAL YEAR. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. THANK YOU TRUSTEE TO WILL. ANY NEED FOR DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE BUDGET, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. A. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. THAT MOTION PASSES NOW THE CAPITAL PROGRAM ITEM. SO AGAIN, TRUSTEE ALUA, WOULD YOU HAVE A MOTION? OKAY. , I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO SUPPORT THE CAPITAL PROGRAM, UH, PORTION THE, THE CAPITAL PROGRAM AS IT, UH, PERTAINS TO THE A TD. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY NEED FOR DISCUSSION? TRUSTEES? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO NOW THANK THE LEGAL TEAM. UM, MY RECOMMENDATION IS WE CONCLUDE THE A TD MEETING BEFORE WE GO BACK INTO THE REGULAR MEETING. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE NO CITIZENS WILL THE AT D MEETING AT D OR FOR ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS THE CONSENT [ATD 4. Consent Agenda] AGENDA FOR A TD? FOR THE A TD, WE CAN CONCLUDE THIS ENTIRE MEETING AND JUST GO BACK TO, THERE YOU GO. DID I ALREADY CONCLUDE THE A TD MEETING? NO. ALL RIGHT, GOOD. THAT'S GOOD NEWS. WE HAVE ITEM NUMBER FOUR, THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR A TD. DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. WE HAVE A MOTION? DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE, PLEASE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. THAT MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. YOU ORDER, FRANK, YOU WOULD ADJOURN THE A TD ADJOURN THE MEETING. GET OUT. OKAY. WE ARE NOW GOING TO ADJOURN THE MEETING OF THE A TD AND RECONVENE THE MEETING OF THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES. CITIZENS BE HEARD. CITIZENS TO [3. Citizens to be Heard (Part 2 of 3)] BE HEARD, YES. SINGLE. YES. WE DO HAVE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD THIS EVENING. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO OUR FIRST, UH, SPEAKER WILL BE MARK NOOK AND KATIE WA WORNER HAS, UM, ABDICATED HER THREE MINUTES TO MR. NOOK. OKAY. CAN WE GO TO THE PUBLIC HEARING IN BETWEEN? OKAY. HELLO, I'M, UH, MARK NOACK AND I LIVE IN, UH, THOUSAND OAKS ON TURKEY POINT. AND I'M HERE TO, UH, OPPOSE THE, UH, ROUTE 66 48 EXTENSION THAT'S NOW RUNNING UP AND DOWN OUR STREET, UH, 32 TIMES A DAY. UM, I'VE LIVED ON THE, UH, THE HOUSE I'M IN FOR 33 YEARS. I'M RETIRED, UH, SHIP OFFICER AND MASTER. AND, UH, ABOUT OVER A MONTH AGO THEY STARTED RUNNING THE, UM, ROUTE 6 48, WHICH NORMALLY RUNS ON HENDERSON PASS. AND THEY, THEY CYCLE IT DOWN TURKEY POINT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO A NEW, UH, BUS STATION ON RAW OAK. AND THEN IT TURNS AROUND, COMES UP QUAIL OAK AND BACK UP OUR STREET. AND MOST OF THEM RUN REALLY FAST. I'VE GOT VIDEO ARCHIVES LAST 60 DAYS SHOWING YOU HOW FAST THEY RUN WELL OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, IN MY OPINION. AND I'VE SENT THE CLIPS TO VIA TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SPEED OF THE BUSES. BESIDE THAT, UM, I'M ALSO A HOST OF A EMAIL GROUP IN OUR SECTION. WE DON'T HAVE AN HOA, BUT WE HAVE A 64 HOMEOWNER EMAIL GROUP, WHICH I HOST. SO I GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND I'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BUSES. WE'RE AN OLDER NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S BEEN THERE ALMOST 50 YEARS, BUT WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF NEWER FAMILIES THAT ARE MOVING IN WITH YOUNGER KIDS AND THE KIDS RIDE BIKES. WE GET A LOT OF JOGGERS FROM THE NEARBY YMCA OFF OF HENDERSON PASS, AND WE GET A LOT OF DOG WALKERS, WHICH I'M ONE. I WALK AT LEAST, UH, TWICE A DAY. AND THESE BUSES, UH, BARRELING UP AND DOWN OUR STREET, UH, ARE REALLY ADDING TO THIS THE, UM, [00:10:01] TO THE DANGER OF BEING ON THE STREET. THE, UH, WE'VE HAD TWO SPEED BUMPS INSTALLED YEARS AGO WITH PETITIONS TO TRY TO SLOW DOWN THE TRAFFIC ON TURKEY POINT, WHICH IS THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE, UH, THOUSAND OAKS, UH, SUBDIVISION. AND THAT'S STILL, THAT DOESN'T STOP SLOW DOWN THE BUSES AT THE LARGE TRUCKS. THEY, THEY GO FULL SPEED OVER THE SPEED BUMPS THAT WE'RE GONNA PETITION FOR ADDITIONAL SPEED BUMPS OR SPEED TABLES. UH, WE WERE SORT OF PERTURBED THAT WE DIDN'T GET ANY RESIDENTIAL, UM, QUERY ABOUT THIS NEW BUS ROUTE. THE NEW BUS STOP. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHY THE BUSES STARTED RUNNING DOWN THE STREET. AND, UH, WE DID INQUIRIES, WE SUBMITTED COMPLAINTS TO VIA, DIDN'T GET ANYTHING BACK, JUST FORM LETTERS. AND, UH, FINALLY ONE OF THE RESIDENTS, UH, OLGA HOFFMAN, SHE WENT THROUGH DISTRICT 10 COUNCILMAN. AND HE FOUND OUT FROM, UH, TIFFANY COVINGTON OF, UH, VIA THE REASON THE BUS STOP WAS ADDED WAS FOR THE, THE EX DRISCOLL MIDDLE SCHOOL, WHICH WAS CHANGED OVER TO THE ACE, UH, HIGH SCHOOL, THE ACADEMY OF CREATIVE EDUCATION. AND THEY, SHE SAYS IN AN EMAIL HERE ON 3RD OF SEPTEMBER THAT THE, UH, THE BUS STOP WAS TO ENSURE IS THAT ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF ATTEND PROGRAMS AT THE CAMPUS NOW HAVE ACCESS TO VIA SERVICES. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS BUS 6 48 DOESN'T RUN DOWN JONES MALTSBERGER EXCEPT WAY DOWN BY BLOSSOM. IT DOESN'T RUN PAST THE SCHOOL. THERE'S NO DIRECT CONNECTION FROM OUR SUBDIVISION TO JONES MALTSBERGER OR TO THE SCHOOL. AND THE, UH, WE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ADDED A BUS STOP IN OUR SUBDIVISION. WE THINK IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S A RADIUS REQUIREMENT FOR THE, YOU KNOW, LINE OF SIGHT WITH 2000 FEET FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE BUS STOP. BUT THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN GET THERE WITHOUT DRIVING SEVERAL MILES AROUND OUT OF THE SUBDIVISION. SO WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER NEIGHBOR WHO LIVES DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET ON ROUGH OAK FROM THE BUS STOP. SHE SAID SHE'S NEVER SEEN ANYBODY DROPPED OFF OR PICKED UP AT THAT BUS STOP IN THE MONTH, IN THE OVER MONTH THAT SHE'S OBSERVED. SO DO YOU ALL DO SURVEYS ON THE ACTUAL RIDERSHIP OR, OR USAGE OF THESE BUS STOPS? 'CAUSE IT WAS ADDED, BUT THERE'S NOBODY USING IT FROM WHAT WE CAN SEE. UH, SO I ALSO SURVEYED, I MEAN, I SUGGESTED ON MY COMPLAINT THAT THEY COULD BRING THE BUS DOWN ROUGH OAK FROM HENDERSON PASS INSTEAD OF DOWN OUR STREET AND GOING BACK UP OUR STREET. UH, ROUGH OAK IS A DOUBLE WIDE STREET THAT PASSES ALL THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND IT'S, IT WOULD BE MORE SUITABLE FOR LARGE BUS TRAFFIC IN, IN MY OPINION. AND WE DON'T, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION AND THAT'S THE REASON WE'RE GETTING BED AND BREAKFAST IS ADDED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROCEDURE IS FOR ADDING BUS STOPS AND, AND NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS. THE QUESTION, DO Y'ALL HAVE TO GET APPROVAL FROM THE RESIDENTS OR DO Y'ALL CAN JUST DE FACTO ADD IN AT WILL? I'M, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT. AND, UH, I ALSO WANTED TO, AS FAR AS, UH, CONTACTING VIA TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS, THE, UH, I, IS IT OKAY IF I CONTACT THIS T UH, TIFFANY COVINGTON? IS THAT, IS THAT A GOOD CONTACT TO, TO SPEAK WITH AND CONVERSE VIA EMAIL? OKAY, WELL THAT'S GOOD. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF, UH, YOUNGER FAMILIES MOVING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE, THE OLDER ORIGINAL RESIDENTS, WE STILL HAVE SOME ORIGINAL RESIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, ALMOST 50 YEARS. AND THEY'RE MOVING OUT. THEY'RE, THEY'RE DYING OFF AND WE'RE BECOMING A YOUNGER NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THESE BUSES BARRELING UP AND DOWN OUR STREET. SO, AND THAT'S, UH, BASICALLY ALL I GOTTA SAY. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. THANK YOU AGAIN. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARIA GAR. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. UM, YES, THANK YOU. JESSICA . ALRIGHT. AND WHAT IS YOUR NAME, MA'AM? OLIVIA CRUZ. AND SHE HAS TIME CONTRIBUTED TO HER BY MS. OLI, OLIVIA CRUZ. SO SHE'LL HAVE SIX MINUTES. READY, SET, GO. YES. OKAY. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. [00:15:01] UH, MY NAME IS MARIA ANTON CARDENAS, AND I'VE BEEN HERE MANY TIMES, ONLY ONCE TO COMPLIMENT ALL THE OTHERS WERE CONCERNS. AND THE REASON I'M HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE ON THE 18TH I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE IN A MV I THOUGHT OF ALWAYS TO GO IN AN ENVY. I HAD A 1 45 PICKUP TIME FROM VIA, BUT WE KNOW THAT'S NOT REALISTIC. SO I CALLED AFTER THE 20 MINUTE WINDOW. YOU WANT ME TO WAIT FIVE MINUTES, BUT I HAVE TO GIVE YOU 20. AND I'M IN THE HEAT. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE HEAT. I TAKE A LOT OF MEDICATIONS, SO CALLED AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT. THEY'LL BE THERE AT ONE. AT, UM, TWO 15. I SAID TWO 15, MY APPOINTMENT AT, AT WHERE I'M GOING IS AT TWO 30. WELL, I SAID, WELL, WHY IS THE BUS LATE? WELL, WE DON'T KNOW. WELL CHECK YOU HAVE PHONES. AND I SAID, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO RIDE 'EM UP AFTER THE 20 MINUTE WINDOW. THE PERSON AT NO CLUE AS TO WHAT I WAS SAYING. SO ANYWAY, THE PERSON CAME THE LITTLE WHITE MBS, WHICH TO BE HONEST, AND I'VE MADE THIS PRESENTATION BEFORE, I DON'T LIKE, AND SO, UH, SHE GOT THERE AT 2 25. AND MIND YOU, I HAD A 30, A TWO 30 APPOINTMENT DOWNTOWN. SO SHE HOOKS ME UP, ET CETERA, AND PROCEEDS MY PROVIDER WAS GOING WITH ME. SO SHE PROCEEDS TO DRIVE, TAKES A RIGHT AND ON BUENA VISTA, GUESS WHAT SHE DID? SHE JUMPED THIS HUGE CURB, THE ONES FOR YOUR NEW BUSES. SHE JUMPED IT AND THE CAR ALMOST WENT SIDEWAYS. I SCREAMED, I, I DON'T SCREAM, BUT I SCREAMED LOUDER THAN I CAN REMEMBER WHEN I WAS ON A ROLLER COASTER AND I THOUGHT, OH MY GOD, I'M GONNA DIE IN THIS VIA THING. I DON'T WANNA DIE HERE. AND SO SHE CORRECTED HERSELF, PULLED OVER, CALLED HER OFFICE AND SAID, I OVERESTIMATED THE CURB. MY GOSH, IT'S ALMOST AS TALL AS THAT DESK ABOUTS. SO SHE PROCEEDED TO TAKE ME TO APPOINTMENT AND OF COURSE SHE'S ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET. SO SHE GO ALL THE WAY AROUND DURING FIVE O' WELL AFTERNOON TRAFFIC TO GET ME ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BUILDING. AND WE GOT OFF. MY PROVIDER HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OFF AND I WAS SCARED. AND SO THE DRIVER, JUANITA ASKED MY PROVIDER, DO YOU WANT AN AMBULANCE? SHE SAYS, WELL, I'M WITH HER. I'M TAKING CARE OF HER. THERE'S NO OTHER PERSON TO COME TAKE CARE OF HER. SO, UH, SHE DID THE RIGHT THING. SHE'S A PROFESSIONAL. SHE STAYED WITH ME. WHEN WE CAME OUT FROM THE MEETING, THERE'S THREE VIA VANS, JUANITA'S VAN, ANOTHER VAN, AND THE SUPERVISOR. AND THE SUPERVISOR SAID THAT CAR'S GOING TO THE SERVICE TO THE GARAGE BECAUSE IT HAS A NAIL. UHUH, THE TIRE WOULD'VE BEEN FLAT, IT PROBABLY GOT OFF THE RIM, OR I DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT A MECHANIC. BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY, NOTHING'S BEEN DONE. MY PROVIDER HAS NOT BEEN BACK TO WORK. SHE'S IN A LOT OF PAIN. SHE WILL BE STARTING, UH, THERAPY. AND YOUR SUPERVISOR TOLD HER, BECAUSE YOU DENIED THE AMBULANCE, YOU HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. AND I SAID, WAIT A MINUTE. SHE WAS FINE UNTIL THAT WOMAN JUMPED THAT HUGE CURB. NO. AND SHE DID THE RIGHT THING. SHE STAYED WITH ME AND SHE SAID SHE [00:20:01] CAN'T OPEN DOORS, PUSH BUTTONS, WRITE ANYTHING. THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE. AND SO NOW WHAT? I NEED TO KNOW HOW THAT WOMAN MISSED SUCH A HUGE CURB AND WRIST OUR LIVES. I, I THOUGHT THAT WAS IT FOR ME. AND LIKE I SAID, MY PROVIDER IS HAVING BACK PAINS. AND NOW WHAT I WANT TO SEE THE FILM, I WANT A COPY OF THE FILM. I WANNA SEE HOW MANY TIMES I SCREAMED AND I WANT A COPY OF THAT. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO TELL ME IN WRITING. I'M OLD SCHOOL. I LIKE PAPER, SO NONE OF THIS TEXT OR WHATEVER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING AND YOUR SERVICE. AND AGAIN, PLEASE TAKE CARE OF THIS. THANK YOU, MS. CAR. THANK YOU PRISCILLA. WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK FROM THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD TO GO INTO THE PUBLIC [4. 5:00 p.m. Public Hearing] HEARING THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR TODAY. SO WITH THAT, UH, WE'RE ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR. AND STAFF WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION RELATED TO OUR PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF EASEMENT AND OR FEE. SIMPLE TITLE TO THE PROPERTIES IDENTIFIED BELOW BY EMINENT DOMAIN LOCATED WITHIN VIA SERVICE AREA TO EXPAND THE TRANSIT PURPOSES AND USE THIS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SYSTEM. MRS. KENNISON. GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS RELATED TO PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF THE FEE SIMPLE TITLE AS PROVIDED BY SECTION 4 51 0.059 OF THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY IN SUPPORT OF VIA PROJECTS. FIVE PARCELS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR ACQUISITION. FOUR ARE CONTIGUOUS TO THE VIA HEADQUARTERS AT 10 21 SAN PEDRO. AND ONE IS ALONG FREDERICKSBURG ROAD, ADJACENT TO THE PRIMO CORRIDOR AND SEVERAL OF THE BUSIEST BUS STOPS OUTSIDE OF DOWNTOWN. THE ADDRESSES ARE 9 0 3 SAN PEDRO, 9 25 SAN PEDRO 1 0 5 DUFFIELD, 1 0 7 DUFFIELD, AND 1 0 7 MARY LOUISE. ALL PROPERTY OWNERS HAVE BEEN CONTACTED AND NOTIFIED OF VIAS INTEREST IN ACQUIRING THEIR PROPERTY. SURVEY AND APPRAISALS ARE ALSO UNDERWAY TODAY. THE BOARD WILL ALSO CONSIDER A SEPARATE ITEM AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO NEGOTIATE THE ACQUISITION OF THESE FIVE PARCELS. SHOULD AGREEMENT ON VALUE AND OR PRICE NOT OCCUR AND AN IMPASSE IN NEGOTIATION ARISE AS A LAST RESORT VIA A PROCEED INTO CONDEMNATION FOLLOWING BOARD ACTION NEXT MONTH TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY INTEREST NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF VIA PROJECTS VIA REAL ESTATE. STAFF WILL FOLLOW ALL PROVISIONS OUTLINED IN THE UNIFORM ACT AS WELL AS THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE AND THE TEXAS PROPERTY CODE. WHEN ACQUIRING AND NEGOTIATING THE ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 4 51 0.059 OF THE TRANSPORTATION CODE, THE BOARD MAY EXERCISE ITS POWER OF IMMINENT DOMAIN 30 DAYS AFTER CONDUCTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MATTER. THE RESOLUTION WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION AT ITS BOARD MEETING ON OCTOBER 28TH, 2025. AT THIS TIME, VICE CHAIR GOMEZ WILL READ HIS STATEMENT. IT IS NOW 5:24 PM AND IT'S PUBLISHED IN THE HEARTBEAT. ON SEPTEMBER EIGHT AND 15TH, THE MEAL VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL NOW CONSIDER PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF FEE. SIMPLE TITLE AS PROVIDED IN THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE AS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPANDING VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SYSTEM OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION FUNCTIONS. AT THIS TIME, I OPEN THE PUBLIC MEETING. DO WE HAVE CITIZENS REGISTERED TO SPEAK? WE DO HAVE ONE CITIZEN TO BE HEARD NAMED MICHAEL VALDEZ. MR. VALDEZ, IS IT FOR THIS PARTICULAR? IT'S ON A SPEAKER SO I CAN GET OUTTA HERE. IS IT FOR BUT IS IT ON THIS ITEM? IT'S NOT ON THIS ITEM. WE NEED A SPEAKER. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS FOR THIS ITEM ONLY. I JUST WANT TO SPEAK IF I CAN SPEAK IN THE BEGINNING. 'CAUSE I HAVE PLACES TO GO. OKAY, WELL THIS, HE WANTS TO SPEAK, BUT IT'S NOT FOR THIS ITEM, FOR THIS PUBLIC HEARING, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA COME BACK TO GENERAL, UH, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR PROPERTY ASSOCIATED ON SAN PEDRO HERE WITH THIS [00:25:01] PROPERTY. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE HERE TO DISCUSS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU'RE GONNA CALL ME? UH, IT'S GONNA BE HERE AT ANY MOMENT. THANK YOU, SIR. WOULD THAT IS, IS THERE ANY MS. KINISON? NO, NO FURTHER INFORMATION. ANY QUESTIONS BY TRUSTEES? TRUSTEE COOPER? UH, THANK YOU CHAIR. MS. KENNON, IS THERE A WAY WE COULD SEE A MAP OF THESE PROPERTIES SO WE KNOW, 'CAUSE TO ME, I I MIGHT HAVE MISSED IT 'CAUSE I MISSED A MEETING OR TWO, BUT DID WE ALREADY GO OVER ALL THESE IN A PREVIOUS MEETING? WE HAVE, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY PRO PROVIDE YOU THAT INFORMATION. THAT'D BE GREAT. THIS DEFINITELY, YEAH. AND I'M SORRY I MISSED THE MEETING. NO, I'M SURE Y'ALL DID IT, BUT, OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU TRUSTEE COOPER, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NONE. WELL THEN AT THIS TIME I CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. THANK YOU. AND WE'RE DONE. THANK YOU MS. KENNISON. OKAY, NOW BACK TO, NOW WE'RE BACK TO [3. Citizens to be Heard (Part 3 of 3)] CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. MR. VALDEZ, CORRECT? YES SIR. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU FOR WAITING. HELLO, MY NAME IS MICHAEL VALDEZ. I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT AND I ATTEND UTSA. UH, MY PLAN WAS NOT TO COME HERE TODAY AT THIS MEETING 'CAUSE UH, I DID TRUST, UH, AND Y'ALL THAT, UH, WE WOULD HAVE SERVICE WITHOUT CROWDED BUSES, BUT THAT WAS WRONG. UM, I WAS ON THE, I WAS AT THE CROSSROADS TRYING TO GO TO THE UTSA MAIN CAMPUS, BUT, UH, THE BUS SAID IT WAS OUTTA SERVICE AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE BUS WAS CROWDED ALREADY. UM, BUT THERE WAS THREE OF US THAT HAD PLACES TO GO, BUT WE COULDN'T GET ON THE BUS BECAUSE IT WAS TOO CROWDED. UH, VIA SHOULD REALLY BE FOCUSING ON INCREASING THE FREQUENCY BECAUSE WE SHOULD NOT HAVE SITUATIONS WHERE STUDENTS CAN'T EVEN GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE ON TIME. WE HAVE STUDENTS TRAVELING FROM DOWNTOWN TO THE MAIN CAMPUS AND THEY'RE RIDING THE SAME REGULAR BUS ROUTES THAT SERVE OUR PUBLIC. UH, THAT'S A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH UTSA AND VIA, UM, THE 93. AND THAT MEANS THE BUSES ARE FULL AND STUDENTS ARE LEFT BEHIND. LIKE TODAY, UH, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON FIXING THIS. AND MAYBE IF THAT MEANS INCREASING THEIR FREQUENCY SO STUDENTS CAN HAVE A RELI RELIABILITY TO GET TO CLASS WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHOUT BEING STRANDED OR JUST, MAN, WE JUST MERGED WITH UT HEALTH MAKING US THE THIRD LARGEST INS, UH, RESEARCH BASED INSTITUTION IN TEXAS. UM, SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE AS A CITY. UM, AND IT'S NOT O THIS IS NOT THE ONLY TIME WHERE THE BUS IS CROWDED. IT'S CROWDED VERY FREQUENTLY IN SEVERAL PARTS OF THE, THE DAY. UM, AND IT GIVES LIKE STUDENTS ANXIETY. UM, I ALSO THINK IT'S OVERCROWDED, UM, THAN WHAT THE CAPACITY SHOULD BE. UH, 'CAUSE WE'RE STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, REALLY STANDING UP, HOLDING ON, UH, FOR OUR LIVES. UM, AND IT'S NOT OUTTA SERVICE. UH, SO IF Y'ALL CAN HAVE ANOTHER MESSAGE SAYING THE BUS IS FULL, UH, TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT, UM, AND PEOPLE RELY ON VIA TO GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO, UM, WE REALLY RELY ON YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. ANY OTHER? YES. OKAY. YES. WE NOW HAVE MS. BARBARA STOCK FORD. JUST KEEP IT STRAIGHT. I HAVE TO HIT THE BUTTON. NO, I GOT IT. HELLO EVERYBODY. HELLO. UH, MY QUESTION IS IN OUR AREA WE USE THE VIA LINK. ONE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE WERE WONDERING WHAT CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO VIA LINK FOR LOCATIONS IN THE FUTURE, LIKE IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR. THAT WAS THEIR QUESTION TO ME TO ASK BEFORE THE BOARD. AND SO, UH, DO YOU KNOW OF ANY FUTURES THAT ARE COMING UP? CAN WE, I'M SORRY. WE'LL GO AHEAD, CINDY. RIGHT. WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY VISIT WITH YOU OFFLINE HERE, MA'AM. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, RIGHT? YEAH. I'LL MAKE IT. OH, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS, UM, IS LETICIA SANCHEZ. MS. SANCHEZ. ALRIGHT. LETICIA SANCHEZ. OH, HERE SHE IS. [00:30:12] THANK YOU. DO I NEED TO PRESS SOMETHING? NO. OKAY. HI, UH, MY NAME IS LETICIA SANCHEZ AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE HISTORIC WEST WEBSITE RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION TO SUPPORT RIDER LIKE, UH, MISS MARIA CARDENA, WHO MUST RELY ON VIA TRANSFER TRANSPORTATION. OUR RESIDENTS MAKE UP A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF VIA RIDER, YET IT SEEMS THAT OUR REQUEST CONTINUE TO BE OVERLOOKED FOR OTHER PROJECTS THAT VIA DEEMS MORE IMPORTANT, LIKE THE SILVER LINE PROJECT. WE'VE COME BEFORE YOU ASKING FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE SERVICES PROVIDED TO SENIOR AND DISABLED USERS AND FOR BETTER PROTECTION FROM THE ELEMENTS AT OUR BUS STOPS. YET INSTEAD OF SEEING IMPROVEMENTS, THINGS SEEM TO SEEM TO BE GETTING WORSE. RESIDENTS USING VIA TRANS SPEND MANY HOURS EITHER WAITING FOR PICKUP OR WRITING, UH, WITH OTHERS WHEN TRYING TO GET TO THEIR APPOINTMENTS. AND SEVERAL OF 'EM HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAVE MISSED THEIR APPOINTMENTS AND HAD TO RESCHEDULE. UM, THE, UH, THE DOCTORS DON'T CARE THAT YOU MISS THAT, THAT YOU'RE LATE. I MEAN, THAT, THAT IT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION. YOU JUST HAVE TO RESCHEDULE. UM, INSTEAD OF SEEING IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR RESIDENTS, WE HEAR THAT RESIDENTS WHO LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE REGULAR VIA SERVICE AREA CAN GET UBER-LIKE SERVICE USING VIA LINK. THOSE RESIDENTS DON'T HAVE TO WAIT OR SPEND HOURS IN TRANSIT TO GET TO THEIR APPOINTMENTS. AND THIS IS UNFAIR TO OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR RIDERS WHO RE RELY ON VIA TRANS. UH, ONE OF THE, UH, RIDER THAT WHO SPOKE TO ME, ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS SAID SHE'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE SCHEDULING THAT SHE'LL BE IN A BUS WITH THE OTHER RIDERS. AND, UH, THEY ALL SAY THEY HAVE, WHEN THEY CALL IN FOR SCHEDULING, THEY'RE ALL GIVEN THE EXACT SAME TIME TO WAIT FOR THE BUS. SO ALL OF THEM GET, ARE TOLD, BE READY AT 7:00 AM AND THEY ALL KNOW THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, AS THEY'RE SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER, THAT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, RIGHT? THAT YOU SCHEDULE EVERYBODY AT THE SAME TIME. SO MAYBE LOOK INTO YOUR SCHEDULING. WE'VE ALSO REQUESTED THAT VIA PROVIDE BETTER SHELTERS IN OUR SERVICE AREAS TO PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS FROM EXPOSURE TO SEVERE HEAT CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, WE HAVEN'T SEEN, WE'VE YET TO SEE ANY NEW SHELTERS IN OUR SERVICE ROUTES. YOU CONTINUE TO STATE THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO INCREASE RIDERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE CITY, BUT WE ARE HERE TO SAY THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE CURRENT RIDERSHIP THAT HAS NO OTHER OPTION FOR TRANSPORTATION. YOU NEED TO DIRECT FUNDS TO THE SERVICES THAT RIDER HAVE BEEN DEMANDING FOR YEARS INSTEAD OF DIRECTING THOSE FUNDS TO ATTRACT NEW RIDER. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LACK OF BUS DRIVERS IN, UM, THAT A LACK OF BUS DRIVERS IS ONE REASON FOR THE LONG WAIT TIME, UH, OF OUR RE VIA TRANS RIDERS. SO AGAIN, WE ASK THAT, UH, YOU PUT FUNDS INTO MAKING THE SALARIES AND BENEFITS MORE ATTRACTIVE TO BRING IN MORE DRIVERS. YOU'VE PUSHED THE SILVER LINE PROJECT AS SOMETHING NEEDED IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YET NONE OF THE RIDERS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE EXISTING ROUTES ON COMMERCE AND BUENA VISTA. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU MS. SANCHEZ. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RA PRISCILLA. PRISCILLA, IF I MAY, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS, UH, LEFT THAT WANNA SPEAK ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM? WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS LEFT. ONE ON ROUTE FIVE 20. NO, BUT ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM, NONE ON, NO. OKAY. OKAY. SO GENERAL COUNSEL, DO WE STILL NEED TO TAKE ACTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? WE, WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT SPEAKER IS HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT. OKAY. WE HAVE ONE SPEAKER THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS, RIGHT. SO LET'S HEAR THE SPEAKER. SURE. ELLI HERRERA. HELLO, MS. HERRERA. UM, WHEN, WHEN I START THIS, UH, SAYS, UM, [00:37:18] OUR LAST SPEAKER IS MR. DAVE DUN, UH, DUNLOP. ALRIGHT, MR. DUNLOP. YES. WELCOME SIR. HI. WELCOME EVERYONE. SO, I, I GENERALLY TAKE THE 5 22 AND AFTER YOU GUYS, UH, ROTATED OUT, I GUESS DRIVERS ON JANUARY 1ST, THE SERVICE HAS BEEN EXCELLENT. AND I FREQUENTLY SEND EMAILS TO CUST SERVICE@VIAINFO.NET. I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF TIME IT'S FOR COMPLIMENTS BECAUSE WITH ARTHRITIS IN MY KNEES, I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO LET THE TELL 'EM TO PUT THE BUS DOWN TO GET OFF. BUT GETTING ON IS FINE. BUT BEFORE JANUARY 1ST IN THE FALL, ACTUALLY IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BUT IN THE FALL I HAD A SURLY BUS DRIVER, UM, THAT I SENT THE EMAILS TO AT CUSTOMER SUPPORT. I NEVER GOT A RESPONSE, , AND HE AND I WOULD ARGUE FREQUENTLY, AND I GUESS IT CAME TO A HEAD ONE TIME WHERE I JUST WOULDN'T GET OFF THE BUS TILL HE LOWERED IT AND WE JUST DROVE AROUND. UM, BUT, SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS ONE, WHY DOES NOBODY EVER RESPOND TO THAT EMAIL? AND TWO, WHEN YOU DO HIRE BUS DRIVERS, I WOULD THINK THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE A CUSTOMER SERVICE BENT, UH, AS OPPOSED TO A TRUCKER MENTALITY. UH, THAT'S MY COMMENTS AND I'M FINISHED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ACTUALLY, I DO HAVE TO SAY THE SERVICE IS GREAT. I REALLY LIKE IT. UM, BUT I LIVE NEAR THE MEDICAL CENTER, TRANSFER CENTER AND GOOD JOB. I LIKE IT. I LOVE THE HUNDRED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. THERE ARE NO OTHER CITIZENS TO BE HEARD. THANK YOU PRISCILLA. WITH THAT, I BELIEVE WE STILL NEED TO APPROVE THE, OR CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR THE VIA MEETING. OKAY. WITH THAT, [6. Consent Agenda] WE ARE GOING TO CONSIDER THE CONSENT AGENDA [00:40:01] FOR THE VIA CHAIRMAN. A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. ADAMS? THANK YOU. WE HAVE A MOTION. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? NO DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? THAT MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. ARE WE ON TO ACTION ITEM NUMBER [9. Proposed Expansion of VIA Link Service] NINE NOW? YES. OKAY. SO NUMBER NINE WILL BE FOR INFORMATION, UH, ONLY AT THIS POINT. UM, SANDEEP, ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO GIVE US A, A QUICK PRESENTATION? OF COURSE YOU ARE. YES. SO WE WILL HEAR THE PRESENTATION AND ACTION WILL BE CONSIDERED AT THE OCTOBER MEETING. THAT THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. YES. YEAH. THIS ONE. THIS IS A SOUTHEAST ZONE. GOOD AFTERNOON, VICE CHAIR AND THE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE. I AM SANDEEP SEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF SERVICE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING, AND I AM HERE TO PRESENT THE PROPOSED EDITION OF THE NEW VIA LINK SOUTHEAST ZONE FOR INFORMATION, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION BY THE VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEE FOR IMPLEMENTATION ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2025. SO IN TODAY'S AGENDA, I WILL PRESENT THE PROPOSED NEW VEING ZONE AND TALK ABOUT TIMELINE AND THE NEXT STEPS. THE NEW VEING SOUTHEAST ZONE COVERS THE SOUTHEAST AND BROOKS PORTION OF OUR SERVICE AREA. SERVICE HOURS FOR THE SOUTHEAST ING ZONE IS FROM FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO 11 O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. EXPECTED WAIT TIME, 20 MINUTES OR BETTER. WILL REMOVE ROUTE EXTENSION ON ROUTE 25 ON JANUARY 12TH, 2026. NO CHANGE TO UNDERLYING VIA TRANS SERVICE. THERE WILL BE SATELLITE STOP IN SANDY OAKS AND SERVICE WILL OPERATE FROM SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING. ON WEEKDAYS ONLY OTHER SOUTHEAST ZONE SATELLITE STOPS ARE MISSION SAN JUAN, MISSION ESPADA, MISSION NATIONAL PARK, THE STINSON AIRPORT, THE SHOPS AT SANDY OAKS, THE LONE STAR BAKERY IN CHINA GROUP, LAKESIDE COMMUNITY CENTER, HEB ON THE WW WHITE. SO GOING OVER THE SERVICE CHANGE, PUBLIC COMMENT PROCESS OUTREACH. AFTER THE VEING SOUTHEAST ZONE WAS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD IN AUGUST, WE HAD PUBLIC COMMENT AND INPUT PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 1ST TO SEPTEMBER 19TH. NOTICE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE HEARTBEAT AND CONNECTION ON SEPTEMBER 1ST. PUBLIC HEARING WAS DONE AT THE VMC BOARDROOM ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, WE HAD TWO ATTENDEES ATTEND THIS PUBLIC HEARING. THERE WERE 12 COMMENTS RECEIVED. SUMMARY OF THE SERVICE CHANGE AND GENERAL SERVICE COMMENTS ARE DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. WE ARE PRESENT HERE TODAY FOR THE, UH, JUST, UH, FOR, FOR INFORMATION PURPOSE. WE'LL COME BACK IN OCTOBER, UM, FOR THE BOAT TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS ING SERVICE. SO PRE-LAUNCH, UH, THERE WILL BE A LIST OF THINGS WE'LL BE DOING. UM, SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WHICH I WILL MENTION WE'LL BE DOING ON THE PRE-LAUNCH. THERE WILL BE A COMING SOON WEBSITE. WE'LL BE DEVELOPING THE FAQS, TARGETED SOCIAL, DIGITAL, AND DIRECT MAIL. WE'LL HAVE OUTREACH TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. THE LAUNCH DATE IS NOVEMBER 3RD. SO SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WE'LL BE DOING, THERE ARE A LIST OF THINGS WE'LL BE TAKEN CARE OF. BUT SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WE'LL BE DOING ON THE LAUNCH DATE IS COMMUNICATING ON SITE WITH [00:45:01] THE CUSTOMERS WILL REFRESH MESSAGING TO NOW HERE, COUNCIL TO KEEP SAN MOVING. THERE WILL BE COMMUNICATION SPREAD OUT ABOUT THIS NEW SERVICE ON THE POST-LAUNCH. WE'LL CONTINUE EDUCATING, UH, THE PUBLIC ON SITE, UH, RAC CARDS, POSTERS, IN TRANSIT CENTERS, THROUGH ALL THOSE, UH, MEANS AND ALSO WILL CONTINUE, UH, EDUCATING THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION. GOING OVER THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE, I PRESENTED, UH, THE SERVICE CHANGE FOR THE VING SOUTHEAST ZONE FOR INFORMATION AT THE AUGUST, UH, BOARD MEETING, PUBLIC OUTREACH AND COMMENT PERIOD. STARTED FROM THE AUGUST BOARD MEETING. I AM HERE IN SEPTEMBER. UH, FOR THE BOARD, UH, IT'S NOT FOR ACTION, BUT WE'LL TAKE THE ACTION IN OCTOBER JUST FOR INFORMATION. PUBLIC AWARENESS WILL START AFTER THE SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING. NOVEMBER 3RD, UH, WILL IMPLEMENT THE NEW VIA LINK, UH, SERVICE ON JANUARY 12TH. WE'LL REMOVE ROUTE 25 EXTENSION. THE NEXT STEPS, UH, ARE TO LAUNCH THE ING SOUTHEAST ZONES ON NOVEMBER 3RD, 2025. WE'LL CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS WITH THE COMMUNITY PRIOR TO DURING AND POST LAUNCH SESSION. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION IN MIGHT TAB. THANK YOU. SANDED. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I HAVE ONE. THE ROUTE 25 THAT WILL BE DISCONTINUED. DOES THAT HAVE HEAVY RIDERSHIP? HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE NOTIFIED? SO, ROUTE 25, UH, THE SMALL PORTION, UM, ON THE EAST SIDE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY RIDERSHIP. IT GOES THROUGH LOT OF MT PIECE OF PROPERTY. SO THAT'S A REASON WE THOUGHT WE CAN USE THAT RESOURCES FOR THE OTHER FIXED ROUTE. WE USE THOSE BUS AND THE OPERATORS AND, UM, THAT WILL BE REPLACED BY THE VIA LINK SERVICE. SO WE ARE DOING MORE LIKE THE REPLACEMENT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU SANDY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. AND AGAIN, UH, THIS WAS FOR DISCUSSION ONLY AT THIS TIME. AND WE WILL CONSIDER IT FOR ACTION INTO THE OCTOBER MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER [10. VIA Hall of Honor] 10 VIA HALL OF HONOR FOR SO MR. PRESIDENT? YEAH. MR. MR. VICE CHAIR. WHAT, WHAT I'LL DO HERE IS THERE'S A PROCESS THAT THE BOARD HAS SET UP FOR THE, UH, PROCESS OF CONSIDERING FOLKS HERE IN THE HALL OF HONOR. PART OF THAT PROCESS REQUIRES, UH, THE STAFF TO DO SOME DILIGENCE ON THE NOMINEES THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED BY THE BOARD. THIS REPORT TODAY IS TO LET THE, THE BOARD MEMBERS KNOW THAT THE PROCESS CONTINUES BECAUSE THE DILIGENCE HAS BEEN COMPLETED WITH NO ISSUES, UM, TO REPORT TO THE BOARD. SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. WE WILL BRING, UH, THE TWO NAMES TO THE BOARD IN OCTOBER, UH, FOR Y'ALL'S FULL CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION. AND THEN WE'LL LOOK FOR DIRECTION FROM THERE. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE NOMINATIONS. WHY SOME TRUSTEES, TRUSTEE TOW COOPER, YOU, YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT YOUR NOMINEES AT THIS POINT? OR DID YOU WANNA GO FIRST? NO, I THINK SHE DID. OKAY. I ACTUALLY, 'CAUSE I LOVE BOTH THESE GUYS. UM, THE CHAIR, LAURA ASKED ME IF I COULD READ HER LETTER AND THEN I'M GONNA READ MY LETTER ABOUT JEFF, IF YOU WANT THAT AT THIS MEETING, SIR, OR IF YOU WANNA WAIT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S UP TO, TO YOU BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE THE NEXT MEETING. NEXT MEETING FOR Y'ALL'S ADOPTION. WHY DON'T WE JUST WAIT AND THEN LAURA CAN SIR SAY HER COMMENTS AS WELL? THANK YOU. TRUSTEE COOPER. TRUSTEE KAIL. YEAH, AND, AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, I JUST WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, POSTPONING THIS AS WELL. UM, IT'S A REALLY EMOTIONAL DAY, SO, UH, AND, UM, HE WOULD'VE BEEN PROUD. HIS BIRTHDAY IS ACTUALLY IN FIVE DAYS, SO IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A BELATED BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR HIM, UH, IN HEAVEN. SO, UM, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. I REALLY, AND, AND IT ALL WORKED OUT. MY DAD ACTUALLY GOT IN A CAR ACCIDENT THIS AFTERNOON, SO , HE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE HERE. BUT THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. I, I TOLD TRUSTEE TWI THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAD THIS HONOR TO READ THIS LETTER FROM LAURA TONIGHT, BUT I NEVER GOT TO MEET HER GRANDFATHER. AND I SURE WISH [00:50:01] I HAD BECAUSE EVERYTHING I'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS MAN FROM EVERYONE I'VE SPOKEN TO, HAS SAID GREAT AND WONDERFUL THINGS ABOUT HIM. AND WHEN YOU GET TO HEAR, YOU KNOW, WHAT HE'S DONE FOR SITTING, HOW HE LEFT HIS MARK HERE, HE'S VERY WELL DESERVING OF THIS HONOR. HE'S GOT A GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER TO CAME OUT OF THIS PROCESS AS WELL. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU TRUSTEE COOPER AND TRUSTEE TAWI WITH YOU. ALRIGHT, AGAIN, UH, NOT TAKING ACTION TODAY. UH, WE WILL BE TAKING ACTION AT THE OCTOBER BOARD MEETING, UH, BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT. ON ITEM NUMBER 10, TRUSTEES, UH, NOW I THINK WE MOVE ON TO THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT. [5. President & CEO Report] WE ARE THANK YOU MR. WHICH IS NORMALLY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. BUT THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR UNDERSTANDING, UH, OUR EXERCISE AND HURDLES TODAY. BUT, UH, PRESIDENT'S REPORT, MR. ELLA, ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU'ALL FOR, FOR YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND ABILITY TO, TO PIVOT, UM, WITH, WITH THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAD TODAY. UH, BUT OUR PRESENCE REPORT. WE'RE EXCITED TO, UH, TO DELIVER SOME, SOME GREAT, UM, MOMENTS HERE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON SEVERAL KEY AREAS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE EXCELLENCE OF OUR TEAM AND OUR V AND V'S GROWING INFLUENCE ON THE NATIONAL STAGE. WE WILL CELEBRATE OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE RECOGNITIONS, DISCUSS OUR TEAM'S ENGAGEMENT AT OUR RECENT APP TO TRANSFORM CONFERENCE AS WE PREPARE FOR EXCITING CONVERSATIONS FOR OUR UPCOMING, YOU KNOW, UM, WELL ACTUALLY WE ADOPTED THE, THE PROPOSED BUDGET ALREADY. WE BEGIN BY CELEBRATING VIAS MOST VALUABLE ASSET OUR PEOPLE. AND WE'RE GONNA DO SO WITH HONORING A COUPLE STAR AWARD HONOREES. DRUM ROLL, MAYBE . I'M PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE TWO OUTSTANDING TEAM MEMBERS AS OUR LATEST STAR AWARD HONOREES THEIR EXCEPTIONAL DEDICATION AND SERVICE. FIRST, WE RECOGNIZE MARIO ANO. MARIO D ARE YOU HERE? THERE HE IS. THERE HE IS. THERE YOU GO. MARIO, PLEASE STAND UP. UH, THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU FOR STANDING. MARIO IS OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS SPECIALIST. MARIO LED A FOUR PERSON GRASSROOTS OUTREACH TEAM FOR THE GREEN LINE AND SILVER LINE CORRIDOR OUTREACH PROJECTS. HIS TEAM, HIS HIS TEAM'S INCREDIBLE EFFORT RESULTED IN KNOCKING ON OVER 8,400 DOORS ALONG THE GREEN LINE AND OVER 6,300 DOORS ALONG THE SILVER LINE. THIS DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN BOOSTING COMMUNITY AWARENESS, SHARING PROJECT UPDATES, AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN OUR MEETINGS. MARIO, CONGRATULATIONS AND, AND WELL DESERVED HONOR. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. NEXT, DO WE HAVE, UH, JOEL PUENTES? JOEL JOELLE. THERE WE GO. ALRIGHT. SAY, DANNY, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT HERE. ABSOLUTELY. A BUSINESS INTELLIGENT ANALYST, JOELLE SINGLE-HANDEDLY REDESIGNED OUR WORK FAILURE PROCESSING SYSTEM WITHIN JUST TWO WEEKS. HE CREATED A REAL TIME ATTENDANCE TRACKING TOOL TRAINED STAFF ON HIS USE, AND PRODUCED A COMPREHENSIVE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. HIS WORK HAS ALREADY LED A MORE ACCURATE AND TIMELY DATA, WHICH IS CRITICAL FOR OUR OPERATIONS. PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING JOEL FOR HIS GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT. THANK YOU, JOEL. CONGRATULATIONS. SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT A FAN CLUB BACK THERE, . THAT'S AWESOME. SO AS WE, AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE, WE, OUR, OUR INFLUENCE EXTENDS BEYOND OUR REGION. WITH OUR LEADERS CONTRIBUTING TO THE NATIONAL INDUSTRY STANDARDS, I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT SANDEEP SEN, OUR VICE PRESIDENT OF SERVICE PLANNING AND SCHEDULING, HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM PROJECT PANEL. THE TCRP IS AN EXTENSION OF THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD, WHICH SELECTS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO SERVE AS PANEL MEMBERS ON CRITICAL TRANSIT PROJECTS. SANDEEP WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE PANEL ON MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF BUS TRANSIT NETWORK REDESIGNS. BOY IS THAT TIMELY. UH, SANDEEP IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT HERE AS WELL. THIS EFFORT DOCUMENTS BEST PRACTICES AND EVALUATES KEY OUTCOMES, INCLUDING METRICS LIKE AVERAGE TRANSIT, TRAVEL TIME, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN JOBS ACCESSIBLE VIA FREQUENT SERVICE AND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN HIGH FREQUENCY ROUTES. SANDEEP, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR APPOINTMENT AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. WE ALSO HAVE THE HONOR OF NOMINATING ONE OF OUR OWN FOR A PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE THAT MANGER, ALKA VIA MAJOR CAPITAL PROGRAM OFFICER HAS ELECT, HAS [00:55:01] BEEN SELECTED FOR THE LEADERSHIP APTA CLASS OF 2026. LET'S, LET'S, LET'S, UH, HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE ON THAT ONE RIGHT THERE. MANGER, AS OUR MAJOR CAPITAL PROGRAM OFFICER MANGER LEADS AN EFFECTIVE TEAM THAT MANAGES SOME OF THE MOST COMPLEX AND SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE. NOT ONLY THAT WE HAVE TODAY ENVY'S HISTORY AS WELL. I MAY ADD. HER LEADERSHIP IS ESSENTIAL TO DELIVERING THE FUTURE OF OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM. THIS ACCEPTANCE TO THIS PROGRAM REFLECTS HER EXCEPTIONAL CAPABILITIES AND THE HIGH REGARD TO WHICH HE HAS HELD BOTH WITHIN VIA AND ACROSS THE INDUSTRY. AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS MANGER. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. WE ALSO PROUD TO RECOGNIZE OUR GENERAL COUNSEL, BONNIE PROSSER. ELDER BONNIE WAS JUST RECENTLY HONORED THIS PAST AUGUST BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN AT ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FOR HER LEADERSHIP IN PROVIDING ACCESS TO VACCINES FOR THE ELDERLY AND UNDERSERVED. AS CO-FOUNDER OF THE COVID COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECT, BONNIE LED A 100% VOLUNTEER EFFORT THAT PARTNERED WITH THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM TO FACILITATE OVER 5,000 VACCINATIONS ACROSS SAN ANTONIO'S EAST AND WEST SIDES. THIS REFLECTION, THIS RECOGNITION REFLECTS BONNIE'S SELFISH DEDICATION TO COMMUNITY AND THE HIGH REGARD IN WHICH SHE HAS HELD BOTH HERE AGAIN AT VIA AND ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE VERY PROUD TO CELEBRATE THIS IMPACT WITH HER. BONNIE, CONGRATULATIONS. SO, THIS MONTH ALSO PROVIDED A VALUE OPPORTUNITY FOR A NUMBER OF US TO CONNECT WITH PEERS, ENGAGE WITH NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AT THE APTA TRANSFORM, UH, CONFERENCE IN BOSTON. THIS RAN FROM SEPTEMBER 14TH TO 17TH, OUR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR BEING PRESENT WITH US FOR MANY OF THE EXCITING AND CRITICAL ACTIVITIES. DURING THE TRIP. THIS EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER OVER 3,200 ATTENDEES, 150 EXHIBITORS AND TRANSIT AGENCIES FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. A KEY, A KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THAT CONFERENCE WAS A CLEAR MOMENTUM ACROSS THE INDUSTRY AND MULTIPLE FRONTS, INCLUDING ALL OF US COLLECTIVELY, UH, FOCUSED ON GROWING OUR RIDERSHIP. THE EVENT BROUGHT THE, THE SESSIONS COVERED WIDE RANGE OF CRITICAL TOPICS, INCLUDING TRANSFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATIVE FINANCING, SAFETY, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE MANAGEMENT OF MEGA PROJECTS. ALL THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE LOCALLY, KEYNOTES FROM THE AFTER LEADERSHIP AND EVEN THE KEYNOTE FROM THE FDA ADMINISTRATOR, REINFORCED A STRONG SENSE OF OPTIMISM AND PRAGMATISM ABOUT THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT. THIS CONTEXT VALIDATES OUR WORK HERE AT HOME AND UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR INVESTMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WITH THAT, I CONCLUDE THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT, MR. VICE-CHAIR. AND APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THIS WELL. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT, AND I'M SURE THE TRUSTEES JOIN ME. AND AGAIN, UH, THANKING, RECOGNIZING ALL THOSE THAT WERE RECOGNIZED THIS EVENING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. YOUR EXAMPLE, UH, PEOPLE IS INDEED WHAT MAKE THINGS WORK. MAKE THEM GO. AND WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING. AND, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING THE TEAM LEADERS THAT YOU ARE THROUGHOUT THE AGENCY. GRACIAS OKAY WITH THAT, UH, MS. ELDER, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR. WE DO NOT. NO LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR. OKAY. THEN, UH, I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A MOTION. MAYBE I, UH, I THINK I'M READY TO ACCEPT THE MOTION TO ADJOURN. DON'T NEED A MOTION. FRANK IS REMINDING US. DON'T NEED A MOTION. DON'T NEED A MOTION. BUT MR. BUT TRUSTEE COOPER WANTS TO, I WANNA GIVE YOU A MOTION. SO PLEASE GO AHEAD, SIR. I MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN THE MEETING. WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? TRUSTEE DE LEON. THANK YOU. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, THE MOTION SIGNIFIED BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. WE STAND ADJOURNED. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.