* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] I AM GONNA CALL [Town Council Work Session on August 11, 2025.] THE REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL WORK SESSION FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 11TH TO ORDER. AND I, UM, BEFORE WE START OUR MEETING, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THE CLERK FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING. MADAM MAYOR, I MOVE THE COUNCIL APPOINT HILLARY ONG AS CLERK O TEMPURA FOR TONIGHT'S WORK SESSION. AUGUST 11TH, 2025. SECOND ROLL CALL. MAYOR CRO. YES. COUNCIL ED MAY MCCAIN? YES. COUNCILMAN INGRAM? YES. COUNCILMAN ? YES. COUNCILMAN LOC? YES. COUNCILMAN WOOD? YES. VICE MAYOR VILLE? YES. GOOD EVENING. I AM ATTENDING REMOTE TONIGHT FROM HOME, UM, DUE TO, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS MEDICAL STATUS. OKAY. SO THAT VOTE WAS TO APPOINT YOU AS CLERK FOR TONIGHT. AND THEN WE HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL FOR ATTENDANCE. SO NOT FOR ATTENDANCE. SAME THING. MAYOR . YES. HERE. I MEAN, CAMPAIGN. YES. COUNCILMAN INGRAM? HERE. COUNCILMAN ? HERE. COUNCILMAN SILA? HERE. COUNCILMAN WOOD HERE. VICE MAYOR . SHE'S ALREADY INDICATED THAT SHE'S NOW SHE SHOULD, SHE, SHE'S, SHE SHOULD NOW ADDRESS. AMBER, CAN YOU ADDRESS HERE? I AM HERE. I'M ATTENDING REMOTELY FOR MY HOME DUE TO APPOINT STATUS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO MOVING ON. SO FIRST AND THEN COUNCIL HAS TO, OH, COUNCIL, IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH CALL PARTICIPATING REMOTELY? YES. DO YOU HAVE, DOES SHE HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL FOR THAT TOO? JUST VOICE VOTE. YEP. ANYBODY OPPOSED? OKAY, GOOD. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT UP, NUMBER THREE, UM, MS. ELLEN ERS IS GONNA DO A PRESENTATION FOR DOWNTOWN FRONT. ROYAL, DO YOU WANNA JUST COME UP HERE? YEP. THAT'S PERFECT. I JUST SIT WITH YOU. OH, THAT ALLOWED. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. I JUST DON'T KNOW. AS LONG AS, AS LONG AS THEY CAN SEE. GO AHEAD. OKAY. THEY CAN SEE IN HERE. STOP OUT. OKAY. NOT A PROBLEM. SO, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I CAME TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT DOWNTOWN FRONT ROYAL, AND A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN. BUT I JUST WANNA, UM, REMIND YOU ALL THAT YOU DID, UM, APPROVE THE DOWNTOWN FRONT ROYAL ORGANIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE MOBILIZING MAIN STREET PROGRAM WITH VIRGINIA MAIN STREET, 18 MONTH COMMITMENT. UM, UH, BUILDING OUR, I GUESS OUR GROUNDWORK AROUND FOUR DIFFERENT POINTS. ECONOMIC VITALITY, PROMOTION OF OUR DOWNTOWN DESIGN, CREATING A SPACE THAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS TO BE A PART OF, AND THEN OUR OWN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. SO, UM, OUR FOCUS DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH TOURISM. WE ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING A DOWNTOWN THAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS TO COME AND SUPPORT AND BE A PART OF. SO IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME. I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU OF THAT. WE THREW A PARTY IN JUNE DOWN AT THE WARREN HERITAGE SOCIETY, AND THE GOAL OF THAT FUNDRAISER WAS TO RAISE FUNDS TO PUT A PERMANENT BEAUTIFUL SIGN AT THE COMMERCE END OF MAIN STREET. SO WE GROSS $50,000 OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT WITH THAT FIRST TIME FUNDRAISER, UH, WHICH I THINK IS A, A TESTAMENT TO HOW OUR COMMUNITY FEELS ABOUT DOWNTOWN GROWING AND MOVING FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION THAT IT IS GROWING NOW. UM, WE ALSO APPLIED FOR A COMMUNITY VITALITY GRANT. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME WE'VE APPLIED FOR THAT GRANT. THE FIRST TIME WE WERE AWARDED IT AND USED IT TO WORK ON OUR BYLAWS AND OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. THIS YEAR WE APPLIED FOR IT, UM, TO SUPPLEMENT THE FUNDRAISER FOR OUR SIGNED PROJECT. WE ARE NOW, I THINK, AT THE POINT THAT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA USE THE SPACE, UM, AT THAT END, HOW WE'RE GONNA ACQUIRE IT AND BE ABLE TO PUT THE SIGN THERE. SO THAT'S IN GEORGE AND JOE'S HANDS AND THEY'RE FIGURING THAT OUT FOR US. BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW, WE'RE STILL MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT PROJECT. SO THAT'S OUR LETTER FROM, UM, THE GOVERNOR TELLING US THAT WE WON THAT AWARD. SO I THINK THAT'S PRETTY COOL. UH, OUR FARMER'S MARKET IS STILL CONTINUING TO GROW EVERY WEEK. WE HAVE NEW VENDOR REQUESTS, UH, ON A WEEKLY BASIS. TO DATE, IT HAS GROSSED $9,000 AND WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO INTO THE SECOND HALF OF OUR SEASON, AND WE'RE GOING TO USE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS TO ACTUALLY ADVERTISE THE MARKET. SO, UM, I KNOW DANIELLE'S OUR MARKET MANAGER, DANIELLE HAAS, AND SHE'S BEEN TALKING TO THE RIVER ABOUT GETTING SOME SPOTS ON THE RADIO AS WELL AS THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER AND SOME ONLINE ADVERTISING WITH THE DAILY. JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW, WE'RE DOWN THERE ON SUNDAYS. [00:05:01] SO WE FEEL REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT THE MARKET. AND THE NEXT REALLY COOL STUFF THAT'S GETTING READY TO HAPPEN FOR US IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE'RE INTO OUR 18 MONTHS. WE'VE ALL BEEN GOING TO EITHER IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH THE OTHER EIGHT LOCALITIES THAT WERE CHOSEN, OR WE'VE HAD ZOOM MEETINGS ONCE A MONTH TO COVER ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT TOPICS. WE HAVE HOMEWORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO. MOST RECENTLY, WE COMMITTED, UH, OR WE COMPLETED A COMPLETE SURVEY OF ALL OF OUR DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES THAT INCLUDED THEIR NAMES AND THEIR BUSINESS OWNERS AND HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS AND HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY EMPLOY. SO THAT'S, UM, HOMEWORK WILL CONTINUE AND THOSE HUDDLES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE 18 MONTH CYCLE. AND WHAT STARTED NEW FOR US IN JULY IS MOVING FORWARD, WE WILL NOW HAVE TO DO MONTHLY REPORTING. AND I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL KIND OF AN IDEA OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST KIND OF FLUFFY STUFF AND THERE'S A REASON. SO IF WE ARE ABLE TO ADVANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL, THIS MONTHLY REPORTING WILL BECOME A REQUIREMENT THAT WE HAVE TO TURN INTO VIRGINIA MAIN STREET EVERY MONTH. AND IT REALLY GIVES US AN IDEA FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT OF WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE. SO WE'RE GETTING SOME PRACTICE IN RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE IT'S NOT TECHNICALLY REQUIRED, BUT STRONGLY SUGGESTED. AND IT'S BUILDING OUR SKILLSET ON WHERE DO WE FIND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND HOW DO WE GO ABOUT COLLECTING IT. SO FOR THE FIRST MONTH, I HAVE OBVIOUSLY ENLISTED LIZZIE'S HELP AND, UM, LAUREN IN OUR PLANNING ZONING ALSO, WE DO HAVE TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION COLLECTED FOR THE NEXT EXCITING THING THAT'S GETTING RIGHT TO HAPPEN. AND I'VE BEEN SITTING ON THIS FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS BECAUSE I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL BEFORE I SAID ANYTHING OUT LOUD. BUT BECAUSE WE ARE PART OF THE MOBILIZING MAIN STREET PROGRAM, MAIN STREET AMERICA IS COMING TO FRONT ROYAL AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. I DO NOT HAVE A DATE YET. UM, THEY'RE GONNA DO A TOUR OF OUR DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. YOU GET A FEEL FOR WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN HERE THAT IS GONNA BE FOLLOWED BY. UM, AND I ONLY MADE THREE COPIES OF THESE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT. THIS ARE EXAMPLES. THEY'RE GONNA DO, UM, A SURVEY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE WORKING RIGHT NOW TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA PUSH IT OUT. SO SIMILAR IN CONCEPT TO WHEN WE DID THE COMP PLAN. UM, THIS SURVEY IS GONNA HELP GIVE MAIN STREET AMERICA AN IDEA OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE IN A DOWNTOWN. ONCE THEY'VE COMPLETED THIS PIECE, THEY'RE DOING SOME RESEARCH THAT JUST KIND OF REALLY BLOWS MY MIND. THEY'RE USING TECHNOLOGY, AI GPS TO GET A FEEL FOR WHO'S COMING TO FRONT ROYAL, WHEN THEY'RE COMING, HOW LONG THEY'RE STAYING, WHERE THEY'RE GOING, WHEN THEY LEAVE. AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA HOLD THREE COMMUNITY MEETINGS. I THINK THEY WERE CALLED CHARETTES DURING THE COMP PLAN. MM-HMM . UM, THEY WILL BE FOR THE LOCALITY. SO FOR US, THE TOWN YOU ALL THE, THE GOVERNING BODY. UM, ANOTHER ONE WILL BE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS. AND THE THIRD ONE WILL BE FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO GATHER MORE FEEDBACK ABOUT WHAT OUR COMMUNITY AND YOU ALL WANNA SEE OUT OF OUR DOWNTOWN. AND AT THE END OF ALL OF THAT, THEY WILL HAND OVER TO DOWNTOWN FRONT ROYAL TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY. AND THAT IS DESIGNED TO SAY, BASED ON ALL THIS INFORMATION THAT WE'VE GATHERED, GATHERED ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY, THIS IS WHAT YOUR COMMUNITY IS TELLING US THEY WANT TO SEE DOWNTOWN. AND IT WILL GIVE US A PATH TO RUN ON, UM, THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON. CERTAIN TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT THE, THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE DOWNTOWN. THIS TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY. THIS IS ANOTHER COOL PART ABOUT MMS. WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE THAT TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN THE MAIN STREET PROGRAM. SO AGAIN, THIS IS GETTING US PREPARED TO BE READY TO APPLY FOR ACCREDITATION, SHOULD COUNSEL SUPPORT US TO DO THAT. SO, AND ALL OF IT'S FREE . THAT'S THE PART THAT JUST WAS, BECAUSE WE'RE A PART OF THIS, WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY OF THIS STUFF. AND I THINK IT'S ALL REALLY EXCEPTIONAL AND WONDERFUL. AND AS SOON AS I HAVE DATES, UM, FOR ALL OF IT, I WILL BE THE FIRST TO KNOW. I HAVE A MONTHLY, UM, ZOOM CALL WITH OUR VIRGINIA MAIN STREET PARTNER, AND THAT'S COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND HOPEFULLY SHE'LL HAVE MORE DATES FOR US BY THEN. SO, UM, ALAN, YOU SAID LIKE THE TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY, AND YOU SAID WE'D HAVE TO HAVE THAT TO MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL. DO THEY WANT YOU TO HAVE A ACCOMPLISHED ANY PART OF THAT TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL? OR IS IT JUST THAT IT NEEDS TO BE IN PLACE SO THAT YOU CAN START TO YEP. IT NEEDS TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE WE CAN START TO IMPLEMENT IT. SO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR US, FOR MAIN STREET AMERICA TO COME HERE AND DO ALL OF THAT, IS WE HAVE TO HAVE A WORK PLAN, WHICH WE ALREADY DO. OUR STRATEGIC PLAN WAS PUT TOGETHER WITH THE CBG GRANT LAST YEAR. SO WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN. OUR BUSINESS INVENTORY IS COMPLETE. NIKKI ALSO HELPED US WITH THAT. UM, A REALLY COOL, IT'S CALLED ASSET MAPPING. SOMETHING I'D CERTAINLY NOT EVER [00:10:01] DONE BEFORE, BUT THEY HAD ALL THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND YOU HAD TO ALIGN ALL OF YOUR RESOURCES IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT FELL IN THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. AND SOME OF IT WAS REALLY, I THOUGHT IT WAS HARD TO GRASP, LIKE THEY HAD A CATEGORY FOR OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. SO THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT ABOUT OBVIOUSLY WERE OUR RIVERS AND OUR MOUNTAINS AND THE GREENWAY. BUT THEY WENT ON TO ELABORATE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, A NATURAL RESOURCE COULD BE SOMETHING, BUT MAYBE THERE WAS A COFFEE SHOP HERE WHEN APTEX WAS STILL A VIBRANT EMPLOYER AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WORKED THERE WENT AND GOT THEIR COFFEE THERE BEFORE THEY WENT ON TO WORK IN THE MORNING. SO SOMETHING THAT'S INSTITUTIONAL THAT'S BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME COULD ALSO BE CONSIDERED AN ACTUAL RESOURCE. WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THAT. SO WORKING ON FILLING OUT THE MAPPING, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE. AND THEN, UM, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT YOU ALL ADOPTED, WE'LL ALSO HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED TO THIS. THAT VERY EXCITING. I KNOW. I'M REALLY EXCITED. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS A, I KNOW IT'S NOT ABOUT TOURISM, BUT IT'S LIKE SOME OF THAT ANALYSIS YEAH. MAKES ME THINK WHEN THEY SAY ABOUT LIKE, WHO'S COMING, HOW LONG THEY'RE STAYING, WHEN THEY'RE LEAVING, THAT, THAT, THAT'S GONNA BE GOOD INFORMATION. OH, IT'S TOTALLY BENEFICIAL FOR THAT TOO. I FEEL LIZ, DID LIZ HAVE THAT? DIDN'T SOMEBODY PRESENTED ON THAT? OH, QUITE A WHILE AGO. QUITE A WHILE AGO. DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU NOW THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE COMP PLAN? IT MAYBE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. IF YOU WITNESS COUNCIL, THEN WHEN THEY DID, UM, WHEN THEY HAD THE DMO AND SOME OF THAT INFORMATION THAT THEY GATHERED, IT WAS LIKE METRICS IS WHAT THEY CALLED IT. BUT YEAH, MAYBE THAT WAS THERE, BUT, BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THAT'S KIND OF, THAT WOULD BE OLDER. OLDER. THAT WOULD BE OLDER NOW. IT WOULD BE OLDER. AND IT WAS REALLY POST COVID, LIKE RIGHT. IMMEDIATELY POST COVID. I I'M SURE THINGS HAVE CHANGED BECAUSE QUITE HONESTLY OUR DOWNTOWN HAS CHANGED. YEAH. LIKE, I MEAN, MEAN THERE'S, THERE'S MORE, UH, THINGS GOING ON DOWN THERE, YOU KNOW, LARGER STORES AND, AND, UH, OR NOT LARGE STORES, BUT ANCHORS THINGS WHAT I CALL IT. BUT, UM, SO WAYNE'S WAYNE'S, UH, TRON WOULD BE A NATURAL FOOD SOURCE. TY KLEIN. SOMEBODY'S GONNA HAVE TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT STUFF 'CAUSE I SURE DON'T KNOW. YEAH. I'LL BE CONSULTING DEWEY ABOUT THAT. YEAH, THAT LITTLE BUILDING DOWN THERE WHERE OH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. WHERE YEAH. IS THAT WHAT THAT LITTLE BUILDING IS IN THE PARKING LOT? YEAH, THERE'S A SIGN. THERE'S A SIGN ON THE BUILDING. WELL, STOKES ANY OF THOSE, ANY OF THOSE, ARE THEY LOOKING FOR, SOMETHING'S STILL IN OPERATION, STILL OPERATION, RIGHT? YEAH. YES. FOR STOKES STOKES. THAT'S DEFINITELY, THAT'S, I WAS GONNA SAY THE 75 YEARS OLD. I MEAN, AND THAT STARTED AT THE, I MEAN, THAT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE TRAVEL FROM AWAY FROM HERE TO COME TO. SO WE HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW WITH FOUR ME TOMORROW, AND WE'LL BE WORKING ON COMPLETING SOME OF THIS STUFF TO GET IT ALL DONE. AND I'M SURE IT WON'T BE PERFECT, BUT IT'S JUST A START. DO THEY, SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE DONE BEFORE THEY COME AT THE END OF THE MONTH? ANYTHING? OH, I HAVE THE WORK PLAN, WHICH WE HAVE THE BUSINESS INVENTORY, WHICH WE HAVE THE COMP PLAN, WHICH IS ALREADY IN PLACE. AND THEN THE ASSET MAPPING EXERCISE, I STARTED IT AS PART OF OUR HOMEWORK AND THEN WE'LL FINISH IT TOGETHER, IS THE BOARD. SO THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE REALLY HAVE LEFT TO DO. MM-HMM . YES. MORE, RIGHT? YEAH. SEE, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE, I, I, WITHOUT, I WOULD SAY, I MEAN THE, WE CAN TELL YOU THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, LIKE WE ACTUALLY THAT THAT WE COULD DO. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CATEGORY THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, IF THEY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YEAH. I'M NOT SURE THAT WELL, LIKE, IF YOU'LL PROBABLY KNOW MORE, THE BANKS HAVE ALL CHANGED. SO OTHERWISE I WOULD SAY LIKE, PROBABLY WHEN ATECH STARTED, I'M GUESSING THERE WERE PROBABLY JUST A FEW BANKS CREDIT THEY'VE ALL YEAH. CREDIT UNION STARTED BECAUSE OF ATECH. RIGHT. THAT WHERE YOU, CAN YOU EXPLAIN, IS IT JUST MAIN STREET OR IS IT SO THAT CHESTER JACKSON, WE'RE WORKING ON THE MAP RIGHT NOW. OKAY. UM, I, WE'VE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE GOTTEN AS FAR UP AS, UM, VIRGINIA BUREAU, SO WE KNOW FOR SURE WE'LL INCLUDE THAT SECTION OF CHESTER STREET, THE STATE STREET YES. TO THAT LOT. UM, PROBABLY THEY WILL HELP US DETERMINE, BECAUSE THE, THE WAY THAT IT'S BEEN EXPLAINED TO ME IS WHEN YOU HIT A LONG STRETCH OF RESIDENTIAL BEFORE YOU GET TO SOMETHING ELSE. 'CAUSE I REALLY WANTED TO INCLUDE THE HERITAGE SOCIETY MM-HMM . ALSO. SO WE'LL GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM THEM BECAUSE THERE'S SEVERAL RESIDENTIAL UNITS IN BETWEEN PEYTON STREET UNTIL YOU GET TO THE HERITAGE SOCIETY AGAIN. SO WE'LL SEE. BUT I KNOW FOR SURE UP TO WHERE THE VIRGINIA BEER MUSEUM IS, WILL BE INCLUDED BECAUSE PAYTON STREET OBVIOUSLY IS PUBLIC PARKING. IT SUPPORTS PRIMARILY MAIN STREET. YEAH. YES. YEAH. PAYTON STREET ITSELF HAS [00:15:01] THINGS THERE TOO. YEAH. YEAH. AND THE FLIP SIDE WOULD BE JACKSON STREET. WOULD THAT, YOU INCLUDED IT OR NOT? I DON'T KNOW. WE'LL HAVE TO INVESTIGATE THAT A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, I REALIZE IT'S FOCUSED ON MAIN STREET, BUT YEAH. ANCILLARY PARKING. YES. SO THE LAST THING THAT I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH IS, UM, SINCE BECOMING A PART OF THE MOBILIZING MAIN STREET NETWORK, I CONSTANTLY GET EMAILS ABOUT ALL KINDS OF GRANT OPPORTUNITIES. I MEAN, THERE'S JUST SO MANY THAT IT BLOWS MY MIND WAY BEYOND THE $15,000 GRANT GRANTS FOR IMPROVING YOUR SIDEWALKS, GRANTS FOR BOLSTERING YOUR CROSSWALKS, GRANTS FOR REPLACING YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES. AND THEY'RE SIGNIFICANT AND THEY'RE ALL MATCHING GRANTS. SO MY ASK WOULD BE THAT MAYBE YOU CONSIDER A SMALL PART OF YOUR BUDGET WHEN THINGS LIKE THAT COME UP, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DO ME ANY GOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF A YEAR WHERE YOU'VE ALREADY APPROVED A BUDGET TO SAY, WE HAVE THIS GRANT OPPORTUNITY AND WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH IT. 'CAUSE YOUR BUDGET'S ALREADY SET. UM, AND I KNOW YOUR BUDGET IS ALWAYS TIGHT, BUT WE COULD BE PARTNERS AND WORK TOGETHER, UH, TO, TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. AND YOU ARE VERY GOOD, VERY WELL POSITIONED FOR ANY KIND, UM, MATCHING AS WELL WITH ALL THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE GOT INVOLVED. I MEAN, BUT YOU JUST, HOW ARE YOU? BUT YOU PROBABLY NEED SOME HELP TRACKING THAT I WOULD IMAGINE. DO YOU HAVE PRETTY GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TRACKING, LIKE ALL YOUR VOLUNTEER HELP, ALL THESE MEETINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING TOGETHER THAT TIME IS VALUABLE AND CAN BE USED AS MATCH? YES, IT CAN BE. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE HAD, WE USED THAT FOR THE LAST EG GRANT. YEAH. WE DEFINITELY USED THAT. VOLUNTEER HOURS WILL BE USED THAT WE GOT THE MONETARY MATCH. BUT WE LEARNED THAT IF WE CAN USE OUR VOLUNTEER HOURS, THEN THE MONETARY MATCH, WE DON'T HAVE TO USE THAT AS PART OF THE GRANT. WE CAN USE THE VOLUNTEER HOURS. LIKE WE COULD USE THAT MONETARY MATCH FOR SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE WANT TO IMPROVE. SO YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY TRACKING OUR VOLUNTEER HOURS FOR THAT. THERE CERTAINLY ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, SIDEWALL REPAIRS ON MAIN STREET. SO IF THERE ARE GRANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT PROBABLY BE ALL FOR THAT. DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA? I'M JUST CURIOUS 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE IN AUGUST, SO WE'RE ONLY A MONTH UNDER THIS BUDGET. BUT WHEN WE START TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET, WHICH WE ALL, YOU KNOW, THAT USUALLY HAPPENS BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, DOESN'T THE YES MA'AM. LIKE DO YOU HAVE, LIKE, IS THERE, DO YOU HAVE, DOES YOUR BOARD HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND OF LIKE, WHAT WOULD BE A I'VE BEEN TAKING ALL OF THE GRANT EMAILS THAT I GET AND SHOVING THEM INTO FOLDER BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF, WE DON'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES. RIGHT. SO I JUST, YEAH, I WANNA CRY WHEN I LOOK AT THEM AND SAY, WE COULD BE DOING THIS. SO, NO. SO I MIGHT SAY THE FLIP SIDE TO THAT, IF THERE'S AN IMPROVEMENT THAT YOU ALL ARE SEEKING TO DO, WE COULD COLLABORATE AND WE'LL FIND THE GRANT. I MEAN, I LEARNED THAT THE FRONT ROYAL IS ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT BECAUSE WE HAVE THE INLAND PORT AND MAIN STREET BROUGHT THAT TO ME AND SAID NO ONE EVER OBLIGES FOR THESE GRANTS. YEAH. SO YOU'VE, I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE ALL ASKED ME BEFORE, WHAT'S THE BENEFIT TO THIS IS THE BENEFIT, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE OUT THERE AND THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND UNDER INLAND PORT WOULD UNDER FAN PORT WOULD FUND SOMETHING THAT WAS AND I MEAN THE INLAND PORT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. IT'S JUST BECAUSE IT'S HERE. RIGHT. WHERE A PORT PORCH HOST COMMUNITY. YEAH. YEP. ABSOLUTELY. SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE OUT THERE AND UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A PROJECT THAT CONSIDER AS A PARTNER IN HELPING YOU INTEREST, IT'S THE OTHER THING THAT RECENTLY THAT I , I ATTENDED THE ZOOM MEETING WE'RE CALLED IS IT A GATE? WE'RE OH, WE'RE A NA WE'RE NATIONAL PARK GATEWAY. YEAH, WE'RE A NATIONAL PARK GATEWAY COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY COMMUNITY. NOT EVERYBODY IS, BUT WE LIKE, AND THEY'RE TRYING TO, A NATIONAL PARK IS TRYING TO, UM, THEY'RE ESTABLISHING MORE COMMUNICATION LIKE A MONTHLY KIND OF THAT'S GREAT. LIKE A MONTHLY THING WHERE THEY'RE, UM, HOLDING LIKE, NO, IT WASN'T MONTHLY, IT WAS QUARTERLY. RIGHT JOE. IT WAS LIKE QUARTERLY. AND ALL THE GATEWAY COMMUNITIES, UM, ARE, YOU KNOW, INVITED TO THIS, UM, QUARTERLY MEETING AND DISCUSS AND I MEAN, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT LIKE, THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO HELP US WITH THINGS. IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO DO WITH YOU, BUT I'M SAYING LIKE, GOOD, YOU HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT LIKE THE, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT CONNECTION THAT WE'RE ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO THAT. I WOULDN'T HAVE FELT THE IN REPORT WOULD'VE ME EITHER. SHE BROUGHT ME ALL OF THIS [00:20:01] STUFF. I'M LIKE, I MEAN I COULD SEE IT FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT ANYWAY, NOBODY'S USING IT. SO THAT'S WHY SHE GAVE IT TO ME AND SAID, YOUR TIME WOULD QUALIFY. SO WE STILL HAVE ALL PAPERWORK. YEAH, VERY. THAT'S VERY INTEREST. SO THAT'S THE UPDATE AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. SO WE HAVE ABOUT A YEAR LEFT TO FINISH THE MOBILIZING MAIN STREET WORK. UM, AND AT THAT POINT WE'LL COME BACK TOGETHER AGAIN AND, YOU KNOW, SEE WHERE COUNCIL IS AND SUPPORTING US MOVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL'S A MUCH. OKAY. AND YOU'RE GONNA LET US KNOW ABOUT, WELL AS SOON AS I HAVE THE DATE YOU'RE COMING IN'S, YOU THINK IT'S GONNA BE THE END OF AUGUST? THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TOLD THE END OF AUGUST FOR THE INITIAL VISIT. AND HOW LONG WILL THEY BE HERE? JUST THE DAY. JUST ONE DAY. AND THEN THEY'LL COME BACK IN, UM, LATE OCTOBER, EARLY NOVEMBER FOR THE THREE DIFFERENT MEETINGS. OKAY. BUT I DON'T HAVE SPECIFIC DATES YET, BUT I WILL GET THEM TO YOU ABOUT FESTIVAL KIND OF MAYBE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD LIKE, YOU KNOW, DO A MEETING. OH NO, I HAVE NOT ACTUALLY HAD CONTACT WITH THE MAIN STREET PEOPLE. IT'S ALL GOING THROUGH OUR VIRGINIA MAIN STREET REP. YEAH, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE COOL FOR THEM TO SEE. UM, ELLEN, ONE THING, UH, AND LIZZIE COULD TELL YOU A LOT MORE IN THE SPECIFICS THAN I, BUT UM, WE HAD THE VIRGINIA TOURISM PEOPLE HERE AND THEY TOURED AROUND IN A LOT OF THINGS, BUT THEN THEY VISITED DOWNTOWN AT NIGHT. WELL, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS A LOT OF THINGS, DEPENDING ON THE DAY OF THE WEEK, SOME PEOPLE AREN'T OPEN. SOME PEOPLE CLOSE AT FIVE AND THERE WAS MAYBE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNICATION WITH OUR BUSINESSES. HEY, WE'VE GOT THESE PEOPLE COMING YOU. OH, I HAVEN'T TOLD, I'VE TOLD YOU I HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE I BOARD THOSE. I HAVEN'T TOLD THE PAPER. 'CAUSE I FELT LIKE YOU ALL NEEDED TO KNOW FIRST. YES, THANK YOU. WE, IT'S ALREADY ON OUR RADAR TO GET A MEETING TOGETHER WITH OUR, UM, YEAH. WITH OUR MARK DOWNTOWN MERCHANT SO THEY KNOW TOO. OH, I, I MEAN THAT WOULD YEAH. BUT NOW YOU'RE HERE AND YOU'RE HEARING IT TOO. NO, THAT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN VERY COOL TO DO THAT WITHOUT POLICE LETTING YOU ALL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN YOUR TOWN, BRANDON. MAYBE HOW WE COME IN AND DO A LITTLE INTERVIEW WITH MIKE MCCO AND TELL HIM ALL WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR. HE WOULD LOVE YES, I KNOW HE WOULD. HE ASK ME ANYTIME I COME IN. ESPECIALLY THIS WOULD BE NEAT TOO. YEAH. SO IT'S ALL GREAT AND IT'S ALL FROM OUR COMMUNITY. SO POSITIVE. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF IT. SO YEAH. EXCITED FOR YOU. SO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY MONTH? EVERY MONTH. EVERY MONTH. YES. AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S LIKE COMPLETED, LIKE THERE'S GONNA BE SOME THINGS WE WILL HAVE NOTHING IN THEM, RIGHT? YEAH. BECAUSE IT COULD BE, UM, BUT THE I IS THE ENCOURAGEMENT THAT THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING, RIGHT? YEAH. I MEAN THE PO YES, YES. I WOULD SAY SO. YES. I'M SAYING IT PROBABLY YEAH. GIVES YOU MORE SCORES TOWARDS THINGS IF IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE DOING THINGS TOO. YEAH. BECAUSE THIS IS ALL, YES. THERE'S ANOTHER AVENUE THAT I HAVE TO REPORT OUT EVERY MONTH ALSO THAT ASKS OUR VOLUNTEER HOURS AND SIMILAR THINGS. BUT IT IS ONLY FOR VIRGINIA MAINSTREAM. OKAY. SO THIS IS THE BIG DOG RIGHT HERE. THIS IS THE A MAINSTREAM AMERICA THIS, RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. AND I THINK IT WILL, IT IT GOOD SNAPSHOT TO SEE WHAT IS COMING TO OUR TOWN. I MEAN, WHEN I DID THE BUSINESS INVENTORY, I WAS EVEN SURPRISED WHEN I GOT DONE WITH IT. I MEAN, I'M DOWNTOWN ALL THE TIME. AND WHEN I LOOKED AT YOU HAD TO CATEGORIZE THE BUSINESSES. AND WHEN I LOOKED AT ALL THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF BUSINESSES, THAT EVEN SURPRISED ME A LITTLE BIT. YOU JUST DON'T THINK ABOUT IT AS A WHOLE WHEN YOU'RE WALKING DOWN THAT THERE'S A PRETTY GOOD VARIETY OF THINGS DOWN THERE. AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THAT TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY MIGHT EVEN BE LIKE TO FIND OTHER, LIKE A VARIETY. YES. LIKE DIFFERENTIATE YOUR BUSINESSES IF YOU CAN. YES. OKAY. VERY INTERESTING. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ON HER SIDE? UM, I THINK, I THINK SHE SAID, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER YOU IRONING OUT THE OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPERTY. SO I'LL BE GIVING, I'M TALK I'M GOING TO THE MEETING TOMORROW TO TALK WITH ELLEN MORE ABOUT, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMISSIONER REVENUE STUFF. SO UNDER INVESTIGATION. OKAY. YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO THE SURVEY'S GONNA BE HANDED OUT BY MAIN STREET. WE'RE FIGURING OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA DISTRIBUTE IT. YEAH, I, I KNOW THAT WHEN THE ONE WAS DONE WITH THE COMP PLAN, UM, THE RESULTS WEREN'T AS POSITIVE AS COUNCIL AND PLANNING AND ZONING HAD HELPED. THERE WEREN'T AS NUMBER OF RESPONSES. YEAH, NOT AS MANY. SO WE'RE GONNA BE TRYING TO THINK OF SOME CREATIVE WAYS TO PUSH IT OUT, UM, SO THAT WE GET MORE RESPONSES. YEAH. I WILL SAY THAT THAT WAS DURING COVID. YEAH, IT WAS, WAS IN 2020. ABSOLUTELY. AND HONESTLY, I, I MEAN I KNOW I I THOUGHT THEY ACTUALLY HAD MORE, THEY HAD MORE THAN THAN WHAT EVERYBODY WAS THINKING. LIKE THEY KEPT BEATING [00:25:01] THE BUSHES AND BEATING THE BUSHES, TRYING TO GET IT OUT THERE. BUT AS SOON AS YOU KNOW THAT WE CAN PUT IT UP, WE CAN PUT SOMETHING IN OUR, UM, OUR NEWSLETTER. NEWSLETTER, OUR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER. WILL ANYBODY TAKING THE SURVEY OR JUST TOWN? JUST PEOPLE IN TOWN THAT USED DOWNTOWN FRONT ROW? IT COULD BE ANYBODY. I WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. BUT THERE'LL BE SOME MORE CLARITY ABOUT THAT. OKAY. SO ONE THING YOU CAN CONSIDER IS IF YOU CAN GIVE A SMALL INCENTIVE AND JUST SAY ANYBODY WHO COMPLETES THE SURVEY WILL BE PUT INTO A DRAWING OR WHATEVER. JUST A SMALL THING AS IT REALLY SURVEYS ARE, UM, PERCENTAGE WISE THAT AREN'T VERY GOOD FOR RESPONSES. BUT THEY DO GO UP IF YOU OFFER SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT'S NOT EVEN REALLY THAT BIG OF A THING. YEAH. OKAY. WE CAN SHOW YOU THAT. MAYBE JUST A LITTLE, MAYBE THERE WOULD BE A COUPLE DIFFERENT YEAH, JUST A COUPLE BUSINESSES IN DOWNTOWN FRONT OIL THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO ADD SOMETHING TO, WE JUST GAVE AWAY AN ENTIRE BASKET AFTER THE FIRST HALF OF THE FARMER'S MARKET FOR PEOPLE WHO CAME AND HAD THEIR LOYALTY CARDS FILLED OUT. SO YEAH. SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT FARMER'S MARKET GROSSED THAT? YEAH. IS THAT FROM THE MONEY THAT THE PEOPLE LIKE THE VENDORS PAY? YES. FOR THAT. OKAY. BECAUSE WE DON'T, THERE'S NO OTHER FEE THAT'S PART OF THE FARMER'S MARKET AS PEOPLE ARE COMING AROUND, THEY'RE PURCHASING IT, THE VENDORS. BUT THE VENDORS PAY TO SET UP THERE. YES. THE VENDORS. SO THAT'S WHAT THE MONEY, THAT'S WHAT THAT MONEY IS. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. I JUST WANTED CLARIFY. THERE WASN'T LIKE A CHARGE TO I KNEW THAT. I'M JUST SAYING . SO NO, UHUH. OKAY. THIS WAS THE FIRST SEASON WE HAD A LOYALTY CARD THOUGH AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY CAME AND GOT IT PUNCHED. OH WOW. AND THEY WANNA BASKET SCHOOL EXCEPT FROM ALL OUR RENDERS DOWN THERE. SO THAT'S GREAT. YEAH. AND DOING IT EVERY WEEK HAS BEEN, THAT'S BEEN GOOD. YEAH. SEEMS DISNEY EVERY SUNDAY. I GOT IT. IS BUSIER THAN LAST YEAR, I'M SURE. YEAH. YEAH. TO GO FROM TWICE A MONTH TO EVERY WEEK AND IT'S STILL BUSY. THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. YEAH, IT'S A GREAT TIME. . WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP US, BUT YEAH, IT'S GOOD. JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, ANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SET UP DOWN THERE HOMESTEADERS? I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF. YES. ARE THEY? SO, OKAY. JUST WAS CURIOUS. AT LEAST TWO OF 'EM THAT I TALKED TO, I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M FAMILIAR ENOUGH WITH THE FULL DEFINITION OF THAT TO KNOW THAT'S, WHETHER THAT'S CORRECT OR NOT, THEY'RE ALL THEY PROVIDE AS SUCH. OKAY. YEAH, BECAUSE I ASKED THEM AND I ASKED THEM ABOUT HOW IT WAS WORKING. YOU KNOW, YOU GO DOWN AND YOU WANT TO KNOW WE'RE PUTTING TIME AND EFFORT IN HOW THIS GOING FOR YOU? YEAH. YEAH. IT IS ALL PRETTY POSITIVE. AND TWO OF 'EM ARE HOMESTEADERS. ONE HAS A LANDLOCKED FARM, SO THEY HAVE NO ABILITY TO SET UP BY THE ROADWAY TO SELL. RIGHT. UH, PROJECT. SO THIS IS A NICE OUTLET THAT, THAT'S ACTUALLY WHY I WAS ASKING. 'CAUSE THERE'S ALL THIS TALK ABOUT, UM, HOMESTEADERS FARMERS MARKET OUT IN THE COUNTY AND I'VE OFTEN WONDERED WHY THEY WOULDN'T JUST CONSIDER, WE ACTUALLY EXTENDED AN INVITATION TO THEM TO COME DOWN AND JOIN US. I PERSONALLY REACHED OUT TO THE LADY IN CHARGE OF THAT AND YOU KNOW, JUST SAID GOOD LUCK AND YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME TO COME DOWN AND JOIN US. RIGHT. UM, SO THANK YOU. OKAY. GOOD TO THANK YOU. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LETTING ME GO FIRST EFFORT AND ENTHUSIASM. YEAH, YOU BET. ENTHUSIA. IT'S ALL SUPER EXCITING. HARD WORK. YEAH, IT'S GOOD. APPRECIATE IT. AND NOW THE WORD IS OUT THE SECRET. YEAH. . ALRIGHT, SO NEXT UP WE HAVE NEW BUSINESS. UM, AND MICHELLE IS THE FIRST TWO OF THOSE. SO CLARIFI LAUNDER COVERS FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT IS THE FIRST ONE. YEAH. UH, CAN I SEE NO ? I HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY UP AS LONG AS SHE DID HAVE THAT . I'M SURE I WON'T. UM, SO, UM, THIS REQUEST IS THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF TWO SECONDARY CLARIFIER LAUNDER COVERS, UM, INSTALLATION ASSISTANCE AND AN ADDITIONAL THREE YEAR WARRANTY FROM SHERWOOD LOGAN OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA AS A SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH V-P-P-V-P-P-A GUIDELINES IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,700. UM, PURCHASING RECEIVED THE REQUEST FROM THE WESTWATER TREATMENT PLANT REQUESTING THE PROCUREMENT OF THE CLARIFIER COVERS. INSTALLATION OF THE CLARIFIER COVERS WILL GREATLY INHIBIT ALGAE GROWTH, THUS IMPROVING AFFLUENT TUR TURBIDITY VALUES, SAVING COST OF THE PROCUREMENT OF POLYMER CHEMICALS AND REDUCING THE RECURRING DAMAGE TO THE UV DISINFECTION SYSTEM OUTSIDE THE ALGA SPRING. AND THAT, THAT REQUEST IS ALL THAT THE SAME. THAT REQUEST IS THURSDAY TOO. THIS IS GREAT. WHAT, YEAH. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS? NO. [00:30:01] SOUNDS LIKE A MUST DO TO ME. IT'S PROBABLY MORE A QUESTION. MR. WILSON. UH, THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN WILL PROVIDE A FY 26 BUDGET TRANSFER? CORRECT. SO THE, UH, UH, THEY'VE PROVIDED WITH A BUDGET TRANSFER, THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLAN'S BEEN DOING VERY WELL ON ITS EXPENDITURES LATELY, UH, BECAUSE OF ALL THE I AND I WORK WE'VE DONE. UH, SO THEY'RE GONNA BE TRANSFERRING SOMEBODY OVER FROM THE CHEMICALS ACTUALLY, UH, TO PAY FOR THAT. UH, WE'VE SEEN A DECREASE IN THE USAGE OF CHEMICALS AND ELECTRIC. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGETS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, YOU'LL SEE THAT TRENDING DOWN. SO THAT'S WHERE THERE'LL BE TRANSFERRED FROM. I MEAN, WE HAVE THE MONEY, I GUESS THING. WE HAVE THE MONEY THERE TO TRANSFER AND PAY FOR IT. WE'RE NOT LOOKING TO HAVE TO PULL IT FROM ANYWHERE ELSE. CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. IS EVERYBODY OKAY WITH PUTTING NOW CONSENT? YEAH. OKAY, GREAT. ALRIGHT, YOU NEXT IS, UM, EAST CRESCENT STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT ENGINEERING SERVICE. YES. SO COUNSEL IS REQUESTED. HMM. EAST PROSPECT STREET. WHAT DID I SAY? CRE? I DON'T THINK I DID, BUT YOU MIGHT. CRESCENT STREET DOESN'T HAVE A BRIDGE, SO I DON'T THINK I . I, I MEAN, WHO KNOWS. OKAY. UM, COUNSEL HAS REQUESTED TO APPROVE A TASK ORDER WITH MADDEN AND CRAIG FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES RELATED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF THE EAST PROSPECT STREET BRIDGE IN THE AMOUNT OF $135,700. UM, DETAILED SCOPE OF SERVICES OUTLINED IN THE PROJECT. THE PROPOSED WORK AND ASSOCIATED COST IS ATTACHED TO REFERENCE. THIS PROJECT IS PARTIALLY FUNDED THROUGH THE VDOT REVENUE SHARING PROGRAM WITH COST SHARED EQUALLY BETWEEN VDOT AND THE TOWN. STAFF WILL RETURN TO COUNSEL WITH A BUDGET AMENDMENT TO ALLOCATE THE NECESSARY FUNDS WHEN WE RETURN WITH A REQUEST TO AWARD A CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE. FUNDING HAS BEEN BUDGETED FOR AND AVAILABLE. UM, AND THE HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE BRIDGE REPAIRS ON, SO WE HAVE MONEY IN THE BUDGET. MM-HMM . YEP. 1,000,008 A HUNDRED THOUSAND 77 800. IS THAT RIGHT? IT SAYS, SO IT'S 50 50 FUNDING AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE BASICALLY 1.8 ON THIS 1.9 BETWEEN 10 AND B DO FUNDING. IS THIS SOMETHING WE HAVE MORE MONEY SET ASIDE FOR, OR WE'RE SETTING ASIDE MONEY EACH YEAR? WE'VE, UH, WE SET ASIDE MONEY EACH YEAR, UH, FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. WE, UH, WE ANTICIPATED ON DOING THE PROJECT, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO. UM, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS SET ASIDE FOR IT. UH, SO WE, UM, WENT BACK TO VDOT, REQUESTED MORE FUNDS FROM VDOT AND, UH, WE ALSO SET ASIDE MORE FUNDS, UH, PAST YEARS AND WE HAVE ENOUGH, ROUGHLY WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THAT MONEYWISE SET ASIDE. UH, BUT BASED ON THE, THE LAST ENGINEERING ESTIMATE, UH, WE WERE RIGHT ON PAR AT 1.8 MILLION. UH, WE NEED TO GET MATT AND CRAIG ON BOARD AND MAKE SURE WE'RE STILL GONNA BE WITHIN THOSE GUIDELINES. FINGERS CROSSED WE WILL BE, UM, YEAH, BE MUCH LIKE THE, A STREET BRIDGE THAT IF ONCE WE GET THE BDO FUNDING, THERE ARE 50 50 WITH US. THE ENGINEERING WORK LOOKS AT ALL THIS. AS I WAS READING THROUGH THERE, LOOKS AT ALL THIS AND MAKE SURE I GOT INTO THINGS ERIC TALKED ABOUT THE RIGHT OF WAY, BUT I WAS CONFUSED BY ONE THING, AND MAYBE THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BRING IT UP, BUT THEY WERE LOOKING AT THE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT, THE SAME, OBVIOUSLY THE SAME SPAN, BUT THE SAME WIDTH AS THE CURRENT ONE. UM, THE, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAD PLANS DONE UP ON IT AND AT THAT POINT IN TIME WE WERE JUST LOOKING AT, UH, UM, REPLACING THE BRIDGE WITH, UH, UH, THE SAME AS WHAT WE HAVE NOW. UM, WE WEREN'T LOOKING TO UPGRADE IT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. UM, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT IS STILL THE CASE. UH, WE'RE JUST, UH, WE WERE GETTING A LOT OF COMPLAINTS WITH THE, UH, THE NOISE, UH, FROM THE BRIDGE. WE PUT THE NEW PLANKS DOWN AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE OTHER THING WE HAD, WE PUT THOSE DOWN THAT, THAT QUIET IT DOWN QUITE A BIT SO IT'S NOT, UH, WE WEREN'T LOOKING TO UPGRADE THE BRIDGE. I I'M NOT SURE WHY WE WANT TO DO IT IF YOU'RE NOT UPGRADE. WELL, I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE I MEAN, THE FOUNDATIONS, THE, THE PLANKS AND ALL THAT, IT, IT LOOKS DECENT NOW. BUT I GOTTA TELL YOU, WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL, THAT WAS LIKE A HUGE, LIKE, WE WERE HEARING LOTS OF NIGHTS FROM THE FOLKS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THAT BRIDGE AND, AND I, THERE WERE CERTAIN UNDERSTANDING TRUCKS THAT WERE GOING, LIKE THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THEY DIDN'T WANT THEM GOING OVER IT. AND ACTUALLY THE WORK THAT WE DID WAS, AND WE'LL, I'M SORRY, WE'LL UPGRADE, IT'LL UPGRADE THE WEIGHT CAPACITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE IT WIDER. IT'S GONNA REMAIN ONE LANE BRIDGE, CORRECT. MM-HMM . I [00:35:01] GUESS I QUESTION THE WISDOM OF THAT, THE TWO LANE. 'CAUSE IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY ADD TO THE COST OF, AND, AND MAYBE, UH, AGAIN, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER. YOU LOOK AT PROSPECT AND WHAT IS THAT FRONT STREET? HOW, HOW YOU ALL ENGINEER. YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY I DON'T, I DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE RIGHT OF WAYS ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT OR NOT OBVIOUSLY OVER THE WATER, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT TO, TO MAKE IT WIDER. I DON'T KNOW. I'M NOT, THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD QUESTION. SHOULD BE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BRIDGE. IT SHOULD BE THE TOWN'S PROPERTY. YEAH. COMMERCE AVENUE. IT SHOULD BE OUR, THE OURS OR BEING OFF RIGHT AWAY. YEAH. BUT ON SIDE OF THE FRONT AND INTO THAT PARKING LOT. YEAH. REALLY. BUT I HAVE ON THE FRONT STREET SIDE, WE HAVE THE PATH THERE. I THINK THAT WOULD BE OURS TOO. WELL, THE PATH WOULD BE, BUT ON, ON THE, THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BRIDGE, I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHO OWNS THAT. WELL, THE DUMPSTER AND STUFF AT YEAH. LIKE WHERE YOU GO BACK INTO THE, LIKE TOWNHOUSE IS BACK THERE. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW. OH YEAH. ON THE . AND I, I WILL SAY ONE THING ABOUT THE ENGINEERING THING, I JUST HOPE IT'S STILL OUT AND OUT IN MY EXPERIENCE SINCE I'VE BEEN ON HERE. EVERY TIME WE'VE HAD EVEN THE STONEWALL, UM, STONEWALL BRIDGE, LIKE YOU, YOU GET ONE NUMBER AND BEFORE YOU CAN GET IT, BEFORE YOU CAN GET THE MONEY SECURED FOR IT, IT GOES UP. UM, BRIDGES ARE EXPENSIVE. YEAH. YEAH. YEP, YEP, YEP. UM, SO THIS WHAT IS BEFORE COUNSEL IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU GUYS WANT TO, UM, MOVE THIS FORWARD TO CONSENT OR BUSINESS, WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO, UH, TO, TO, UH, PROVE THE TASK ORDER FOR THE ENGINEERING SERVICES NEED TO GO AHEAD AND PUT ON CONSENT. 'CAUSE THE LONGER RELATE, THE MORE IT'S GONNA BE. YEAH. I MEAN, IT COULD BE ON CONSENT, IT CAN BE ON NEW BUSINESS OR A BUSINESS. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME. I JUST, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT ON NEW BUSINESS BECAUSE I THINK IT AFFECTS PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I THINK THERE WILL BE, AND I CAN BE WRONG, UM, PUBLIC INTEREST IN THIS SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S AN OLD STRUCTURE, UH, TRYING TO REVITALIZE THE AREA. I DON'T KNOW. I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT ON NEW BUSINESS SIMPLY SO THE PUBLIC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT IT. YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, 'CAUSE THE WHY IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULDN'T BE A PUBLIC HEARING, BUT IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE THEY MIGHT PAY MORE ATTENTION TO SOMETHING THAT'S WHEN NEW BUSINESS VERSUS UNDER CONSENT. AND SHE SAID SHE SECONDS IT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT REALLY WHAT YEAH, IT'S NOT REALLY A MOTION. BUT Y'ALL GOOD WITH PUTTING ON NEW BUSINESS? I KNOW IT SAYS NOT CONSENT. I SECOND THE SENTIMENT. RIGHT. I GOT YOU. NOT I KNOW. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT'LL BE ON NEW BUSINESS, NOT ON THE CONSENT AGENDA BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, THE GENERAL PUBLIC DON'T TEND TO PAY AS MUCH ATTENTION TO THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. AND THIS, THIS BRIDGE, YOU KNOW, ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE PREDATING MY TIME ON COUNCIL. AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE FORMER COUNSEL MEMBERS WHO REACH OUT TO ME STILL TO THIS DAY TO ASK WHAT THE STATUS AND UPDATE OF THAT IS. SO I THINK IT WOULD BRING MORE AWARENESS AND PUBLIC INPUT UNDER THIS ITEM. OKAY. SOHIL, YOU GOT THAT. AND SHAW, I THINK THAT'S, YOU'RE DONE RIGHT? I'M DONE. I TOLD YOU YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO STAND ROLL. THANK YOU. YOU MR. WILSON, YOU ARE UP NOW WITH ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SOFTWARE. ALRIGHT, VERY GOOD. SO, UH, ONE LINE WITH ME HERE. I HAVE ROSS, UH, WITH, UH, BARRY DUN ASSOCIATES, UH, BARRY DUN ASSOCIATES HAS HELPED US, UH, UH, WITH THIS PROCESS PROJECT. UH, THE ERP SOFTWARE, ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SOFTWARE IS, UH, THE SOFTWARE THAT WE USE FOR UTILITY BILLING, FINANCIALS, BUDGETING, PROCUREMENT, FIXED ASSETS, UH, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN ONGOING, UH, FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. UM, HAVE A, A BRIEF PRESENTATION HERE, UH, TO REVIEW THINGS AND THEN, UM, WE FOLLOW UP WITH ANY QUESTIONS AND, UH, WE REVIEW THE BENEFITS OF THE SOFTWARE. SO, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL JUST JUMP RIGHT INTO IT HERE. UH, SO I WILL CLICK, IT'S NOT WORKING. YOU MIGHT BE ON. THERE WE GO. ALRIGHT. UH, BRIEF AGENDA. THE THINGS, UH, WE'LL BE RE REVIEWING TODAY, GOING FROM THE BACKGROUND ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, UH, DOWN TO WHY VARUS. UH, VARUS IS THE, UH, SOFTWARE COMPANY THAT, UH, IS BEING RECOMMENDED, UH, FROM STAFF. SO CURRENTLY WE'RE ON, UH, CENTRAL SQUARE, UH, THE COMMUNITY PLUS FINANCE PLUS THAT'S FOR OUR, UH, UTILITY BILLING FINANCIALS. UM, THE SYSTEM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2003. IT'S GONE THROUGH SOME UPGRADES. UH, BUT, UM, MANY OF THE [00:40:01] THINGS THAT WE NEED, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT ABLE TO, TO DO A MI BEING THE BIGGEST, UH, PUSH FOR THIS AUTOMATED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR BOTH ELECTRIC AND WATER. UM, ELECTRIC BEING THE MAIN, UH, UH, COMPONENT THERE. UM, A LOT OF WHAT WE DO CURRENTLY, WE'RE DOING IT MANUALLY. WE HAVE TO TAKE THE INFORMATION OUT OF THE SYSTEM, PUT IT INTO EXCEL, OR IT'S MANUAL DOCUMENTS. WE'RE FEEDING PAPER BACK AND FORTH WHEN WE'RE DOING WORK ORDERS. WE'RE PRINTING OUT A WORK ORDER, WE'RE SENDING THAT WORK ORDER OUT WITH A, UH, WITH SOMEONE THAT'S COMING BACK SIGNED, UH, SIGNATURE. UH, SAME THING WITH OUR, UH, UTILITY ACCOUNTS. WHEN WE'RE OPENING UTILITY ACCOUNTS UP, IT'S ALL IN PERSON. UH, GOING WITH THE NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEM WILL BRING US INTO THE, UH, WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY AND ENABLE A LOT OF THESE THINGS TO BE DONE ONLINE. UH, THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, QUITE THE LONG PROCUREMENT PROCESS HERE. SO, UH, LAST MAY THROUGH JULY, UH, WE HAD PROJECT KICKOFFS. UH, VERY DONE. I DID A, UH, SURVEYS, UH, WITH ALL OF TOWN STAFF, UH, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. STILL DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. SO WE DID AN RFIA REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. SENT THAT OUT, UH, TO, UM, ALL VENDORS ON THE, UH, UM, UH, PROCUREMENT WEBSITE. WE PUSHED IT UP TO EVA. VIRGINIA'S PROCUREMENT WEBSITE IS VERY, AS WELL AS BARRY DUN PUSHED IT UP TO THEIR VENDORS AS WELL. AND WHAT THE RFI DID WAS KIND OF TOLD US WHAT WAS OUT THERE, WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP US OUT, WHAT FUNCTIONALITY, UH, IS IT THAT WE MIGHT BE WANNA LOOKING FOR FOR THE FUTURE. UH, SO WE GOT THE RFI BACK. UM, WE ACTUALLY, BARRY DUNN ACTUALLY CONDUCTED, UH, MEETINGS, UH, EXTENSIVE MEETINGS HERE ON SITE WITH STAFF. UH, AND SOME OF THE SESSIONS, UH, THIS CONFERENCE ROOM WAS FILLED UP WITH STAFF MEMBERS JUST PROVIDING FEEDBACK. WHAT DO WE DO? HOW DO WE DO IT? UH, WHERE CAN WE PROVE ON? UM, SO, UH, IN NOVEMBER WE RELEASED AN RFP, UH, THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS, UM, AS YOU SEE, THAT WAS OUT FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS. UH, THESE PROPOSALS ARE HUGE. UM, HUGE, HUGE DOCUMENTS. UH, THEY HAD TO BE, UH, FILLED OUT. AND IT, UH, UH, THE DOCUMENTS INCLUDED, UH, EACH AND EVERY MODULE, WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, WHAT WE WOULD LIKE FOR THE FUTURE. THE RESPONDENTS HAD TO, UH, RESPOND WITH, UH, IS IT A STANDARD FOR THEIR SERVICES? IS IT CUSTOMIZED, IT NOT AVAILABLE? WILL IT BE AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE? UM, AND A LOT OF READING THERE. UH, I SAID THE RFPS CLOSED IN JANUARY. UH, WE DID, UH, THREE A TOTAL OF THREE ROUNDS OF SCORING. UH, THE FIRST SCORING, UH, WAS SHORTLISTED, YOU KNOW, LOOK, READING OVER THE DOCUMENTS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO US, UM, LOOKED 'EM OVER, SEE WHO WE WANTED TO HAVE DEMONSTRATIONS FROM. UM, WE HAD SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATIONS IN MARCH. EACH ONE OF THE VENDORS CAME OUT HERE FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATED THE SOFTWARE. UH, SO WE SAW IT HANDS ON. IT WASN'T, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, LIKE WE WERE LOOKING AT IT VIRTUALLY. THEY WERE HERE, THEY WERE USING THE SOFTWARE. THEY WENT, THEY DRILLED DOWN THROUGH IT WITH US. UM, AND THEN, UM, THE, UH, LAST, UH, THE FINAL, UH, PART OF IT THERE, UH, WAS THE, UH, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKING FROM THE DEMONSTRATIONS AND, UH, GETTING INTO THE NEGOTIATIONS, UM, VARUS, UH, DID RISE TO THE TOP FOR US. UH, SO THEN WE BEGAN THE NEGOTIATIONS, UM, UH, IN JUNE. WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING ON CONTRACTS RIGHT NOW, UH, TO GET ALL THOSE, UH, NEGOTIATED OUT AND OR ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. I WAS HOPING TO HAVE THEM FOR THE MEETING THIS EVENING. UH, BUT, UH, WE WILL BE PUSHING UP TO, UH, THOSE COUNCIL AS SOON AS THEY'RE, UH, READY. SO THAT'S OUR PROCUREMENT PROCESS THERE. THE MODULES THAT, UH, VARUS OFFERS, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE YOUR REGULAR CHART OF ACCOUNTS, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE, RECEIVABLE, BANK RECONCILIATION. WE DO ALL THAT MANUALLY RIGHT NOW. WE DO NOT HAVE A PROGRAM THAT DOES A BANK RECONCILIATION. UH, $50 MILLION, 60,000 TRANSACTIONS YOU CAN IMAGINE. UH, WHAT OUR BANK RECONCILIATION LOOKS FOR, UH, BUDGET PREPARATION AND MANAGEMENT. UH, THE DOCUMENTS THAT I GIVE YOU GUYS ARE EXCEL DOCUMENTS. UH, THAT'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT A BUDGET. UH, SO THEY OFFER THAT, OF COURSE, CASH RECEIPTING, UH, CASH RECEIPTING WOULD, UH, WE HOPE TO BRING IN, UH, RIGHT NOW, UH, OUR STAFF IS RUNNING, UH, TWO SEPARATE CASH REGISTERS. ONE CASH REGISTER IS FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE TAXES. THE OTHER CASH REGISTERS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE, YOUR UTILITY BILLS, YOUR YARD SALE PERMIT, PERMITS, BUSINESS LICENSE, MEALS, TAX, LODGING TAX. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, UH, THE CASHIERS ARE ACTUALLY BALANCING TWO CASH FLOWS, UM, AND BRINGING THOSE BACK IN, HOPING TO BRING THOSE INTO ONE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT. AND WE ARE TRACKING THOSE THROUGH EXCEL. RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE A TRUE, UH, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT. UH, FIXED ASSETS IS A HUGE ONE. UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT ALL THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR QUITE, FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. I SAY FIXED ASSETS THAT WOULD TRACK, UH, YOU [00:45:01] KNOW, OBVIOUSLY YOUR PURCHASING, BUT IT TRACKS IT FROM PURCHASING, UH, DOWN TO THE MAINTENANCE THAT'S BEING DONE ON THE, UM, FIXED ASSETS. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH LABOR ARE WE SPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, FIXING, UH, VEHICLES, FIXING WATER PUMPS. UH, WE CAN, UH, UH, THIS ASSET MANAGEMENT WILL ALLOW US, UH, GIS SO WE CAN SEE THE WATER LINES, UH, SEWER LINES WHEN THEY WERE INSTALLED. UM, THE, UH, AND IT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, SHARED ACROSS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS. THAT'S THE OTHER BIG THING. UH, GRANT MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING. UM, CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE A GRANT MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING, UH, UH, MODULE. UH, WE DO HANDLE IT MANUALLY. UM, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, UH, THE, UH, THE REMARKS FROM THE AUDITORS THAT, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THE AUDITORS WOULD LIKE US TO HAVE. AND, UH, SAME WITH FIXED ASSETS, ACTUALLY. UH, SO, UH, BRINGING THOSE ON. UM, WE'VE GOT PROJECT ACCOUNTING. I CAN'T SEE WHAT'S BEHIND ROSS'S THERE. I CAN'T REMEMBER. LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT HERE. PROCUREMENT. OKAY, SO PROCUREMENT. UH, CURRENTLY ALL OF OUR PROCUREMENT'S, HANDWRITTEN, UM, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENT FILLS OUT A, UM, REQUISITION. UH, IT'S A MANUAL PROCESS. THEY HAVE TO COPY IT, SEND IT UP TO US. UH, THIS WILL ALLOW, UM, A WORKFLOW PROCESSING. SO MAYBE, UH, AN EMPLOYEE WOULD, UH, UH, REQUEST SOMETHING THE MANAGER HAS TO APPROVE AND IT GOES TO PURCHASING. UM, SO WE HAVE THOSE CHECKS AND BALANCES AS WELL AS, UM, MOBILE DEVICES. WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE MOBILE DEVICES FOR THE PROCUREMENT, UH, PROJECT ACCOUNTING RIGHT NOW. I'LL COME TO YOU GUYS WITH A LIST OF ALL OF THE PURCHASE ORDERS ONCE A YEAR. PROJECT ACCOUNTING WILL HELP US OUT IN THOSE ASPECTS. UH, THE REPORTING AND DATA ANALYTICS MUCH MORE ROBUST THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. UH, THE MOBILE I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT. AND A VENDOR SELF-SERVICE, UH, PORTAL, VENDOR, SELF-SERVICE. UH, SO WHEN, UH, WE'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH A VENDOR, THEY CAN SUBMIT THEIR INSURANCE, THE W NINE, THEY CAN SIGN UP. WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TO THE . WE CAN DO, UM, AUTOMATIC ACHS VERSUS SENDING THEM A CHECK. UH, SO, UM, YOU'LL NEED TO CLICK BACK ON THE POWER. CAN I CLICK THIS ONE? OH, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO NOW, UH, ON THE HR SIDE. SO, UH, HUMAN RESOURCE, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, EMPLOYEE MASTER, EMPLOYEE SELF-SERVICE, EMPLOYEE SELF-SERVICE, UH, WOULD, UM, GIVE US THE ABILITY, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GONNA PUSH SOME DOCUMENTS OUT TO THE EMPLOYEES THAT MAY, THEY MAY NEED TO LOOK UP OR THEY WANNA SEE BROCHURES ON THE INSURANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, UH, LEARNING MANAGEMENT, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE EITHER. UH, DEPARTMENTS WILL ACTUALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE THEIR OWN COURSES. SO IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, UH, NEW IN THE REFUSE DEPARTMENT AND NEEDS TO KNOW HOW THE, YOU KNOW, RECYCLING WORKS, WE CAN CREATE THOSE A ROUTE MAYBE IN, UM, IN SOLID WASTE. SO WE, EVEN FOR MY CASHIERS, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GET A NEW EMPLOYEE LEARNING HOW TO USE OUR CASHIER SYSTEM, UM, THE SYSTEM ACTUALLY HAS, OR, UM, VARUS HAS SOME OF THEIR OWN LEARNING MODULES, BUT WE CAN ADD ON TO IT TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT OUR OWN AND WE CAN CREATE WHATEVER WE'D LIKE FOR. UH, MAYBE IT'S A COURSE IN BUDGETING, YOU KNOW, UH, OF COURSE, PAYROLL, UH, EMPLOYEE TIME AND ATTENDANCE. UH, THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FOR ELECTRONIC TIMEKEEPING. UM, AND, UH, THAT'S A PRETTY ROBUST SYSTEM AS WELL. OF COURSE, REPORTING DATA ANALYTICS AND PAYROLL, EXCUSE ME. UM, SO THE, UH, LET'S SEE HERE. GOING MORE IN DEPTH HERE FOR THE UTILITY BILLING. UH, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE LIST OF, UH, KIND THE THINGS THAT I'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT WITH THE ENROLLMENT PORTAL. UM, ENROLLMENT PORTAL, MEANING THAT, UH, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO ALLOW CITIZENS, UH, OR ACCOUNT HOLDERS TO ESTABLISH UTILITY ACCOUNTS. ONE LINE RIGHT NOW, EVERYONE HAS TO COME IN. UM, THE FIELD MOBILITY JUST HAS SAID WITH THE WORK ORDERS THERE, METER DATA, DATA MANAGEMENT, THAT'S A HUGE ONE FOR, UH, A MI, UH, TO BE ABLE TO BRING IN THE READINGS REAL TIME. SO, UM, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO SEE HOW MUCH ELECTRIC THEY'RE USING TODAY OR UP TO THE 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS, THEY CAN GO ONLINE AND SEE THE GRASS, UM, AND SEE, OKAY, IT LOOKS LIKE WHILE I'M HOME, UH, OR MY KIDS ARE HOME, WE'RE USING MORE. OR MAYBE THE TEMPERATURE'S A HUNDRED DEGREES OUT, LIGHTER CONDITION'S GOING UP. SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE THINGS REAL TIME. UM, AS WELL AS WATER, UH, WATER USAGE AS WELL IS THE ONLINE PORTAL, JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, BUT I, MY KIDS HAVE RENTED PLACES IN THEIR COLLEGE TOWN. YOU COULD ACTUALLY GO ONLINE TO THE ONLINE PORTAL AND SEE YOUR BILL WHERE IT'S TRACKED. YES OR YES. YOU CAN STILL DO ALL THAT. WE HAVE, WE HAVE THAT ABILITY. NOW. AS FAR AS THE BILL, YEAH, WE HAVE ONLINE. YEAH, YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND LOOK AT YOUR BILL AND THE CONSUMPTION. UM, RIGHT NOW WHAT WE HAVE IS NOT REAL TIME. UM, BUT, UH, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK REAL TIME AT WHAT YOUR USAGE IS, UM, AND IT'LL, UH, DIRECT [00:50:01] YOU OVER THERE. SO, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, UM, FOR THE ONLINE, UM, CUSTOMERS WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, SET UP, UH, AUTO PAYS ONLINE, UH, PAY BY CHECK ONLINE, UM, THE, UH, UH, THE AUTO DRAFTS, UM, UH, DUE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS. UM, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF, YEAH, ACCESS THERE. UH, ASSET MANAGEMENT WORK ORDER, I'VE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THOSE AS WELL. UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE UP HERE IS THE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WORK ORDER. WE CAN ACTUALLY, IN THE SYSTEM, WE CAN ACTUALLY SCHEDULE IT. SO IF WE KNOW A PUMP NEEDS TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE PREVENTATIVE AND MAINTENANCE DONE WITHIN A YEAR OR THREE YEARS FROM NOW, WE CAN SCHEDULE THAT OUT. YOU CAN ACTUALLY ALSO, UH, SCHEDULE IT OUT TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN ASSIGN IT TO STAFF MEMBERS. UM, IT'LL SEND OUT REMINDERS. UM, AGAIN, UH, THE ESRI INTEGRATION IS OUR GIS SYSTEM, SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THOSE. THERE'LL BE A BARCODE THAT YOU CAN PLACE ON THE, UM, UH, ON THE ASSETS SCAN. IT BRINGS UP YOU THE INFORMATION, AND THEN YOU CAN GO IN THERE, ADDED AN OIL CHANGE ON IT. IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS THAT. UM, BUT, UM, TO BE ABLE TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, TRACK AND, UH, AND MANAGE OUR ASSETS. SO WHY VARUS ABOVE THE REST? UM, THE CAPABILITIES OBVIOUSLY, UH, ENHANCE OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS BY MORE TIMELY AND ACCURATELY COMPLETE, UH, INFORMATION AVAILABLE. UM, THERE ARE DASHBOARDS IN IT WHERE WE CAN SEE TRACK THINGS, UH, AS WE'RE MOVING ALONG. CURRENTLY, THE DEPARTMENTS ONLY GET FINANCIALS FROM ME ONCE A MONTH. I MEAN, THEY CAN REQUEST THEM FROM ME, AND OBVIOUSLY I'LL GIVE THOSE TO THEM. UH, BUT THEN WE ABLE TO TRACK THEIR, UH, EXPENDITURES REAL TIME. UM, THE, UH, UH, AND TO BE ABLE TO DRILL DOWN. SO WHEN I SAY DRILL DOWN, UM, IF THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE LINE ITEM, HEY, THAT LINE'S OVER BUDGET, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DRILL DOWN INTO IT. CLICK ON IT, AND YOU CAN GO ALL, GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE INVOICES AND SEE THE INVOICE, SEE WHO APPROVED IT, SEE WHERE IT ORIGINATED AT, AND THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, WHICH WILL MAKE MY LIFE A LOT EASIER WITH THE AUDITORS. UM, LET'S SEE HERE. UH, EXPAND ONLINE AND MOBILE SELF-SERVICE CAPABILITIES FOR THE EMPLOYEES AND CONSTITUENTS. KIND OF ALREADY TOUCHED ON THAT. UM, THE, IT'S INTUITIVE. UH, IT'S INTUITIVE BECAUSE THE, THE SYSTEM THAT UNIVERSE HAS IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, IN LOOKS AND HOW IT WORKS. SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE REINVENTING THE WHEEL, UH, BUT IT HAS A LOT MORE CAPABILITIES AND STREAMLINE, UH, UTILITY BUILD PROCESS. UM, RIGHT NOW I HAVE TWO PEOPLE, UH, IN FINANCE THAT, UH, HAVE TO, UH, MANUALLY LOOK THROUGH EXCEPTION REPORTS THAT KIND OF AUTOMATES THOSE PROCESSES. UH, SO IT'LL, UM, IF THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, A WATER IS LEAKING FOR SOMEONE, WE'LL HAVE BETTER, QUICKER NOTIFICATION AND HOPE IT'LL BE ABLE TO AVOID SOME OF THOSE HIGHER, LARGER BILLS. ENHANCED WORKFLOWS TO SUPPORT THE, UH, INCREASE AUTOMATION, UM, WORKFLOWS IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO FLOW. UH, EARLIER I USED THE EXAMPLE IN PROCUREMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE EMPLOYEE INITIATES IT, MANAGER APPROVES IT, THEN IT GOES TO PURCHASING. UM, THIS COULD ALSO WORK FOR, UH, THINGS LIKE BILL ADJUSTMENTS. UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE A, UM, IF THERE'S AN ADJUSTMENT DONE. UH, CURRENTLY WE'RE DOING A MANUAL PROCESS SIGNATURES ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LINE. UM, IT'LL TIMESTAMP IT WHEN THE EMPLOYEE, UH, MADE THE CHANGE, THE SUPERVISOR'S APPROVAL, AND, UH, MAKE IT, UH, MAKE IT SO THE, UH, AUDITORS ARE A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH OUR PROCESSES AND SHOW, TRULY SHOW, UH, THOSE PROCESSES. UH, ENHANCED, UH, ENHANCED POOLED CASH PROCESSING AND REPORTING. THIS IS ANOTHER BIG ONE FOR THE AUDITORS. UM, SO THE TOWN HAS A, UH, WE HAVE SEVEN, ACTUALLY. WE HAVE MORE THAN THAT. WHAT'S, UH, SEVEN DIFFERENT FUNDS, UH, ROUGHLY. UM, AND ALL OF THAT MONEY IS, YOU KNOW, LUMPED TOGETHER IN ONE BANK ACCOUNT. UM, WHEN IT COMES TIME TO, YOU KNOW, WHICH FUND GETS THAT AMOUNT OF INTEREST, UH, IT'S A BIG PROCESS TO FIGURE THAT OUT. UM, THE SYSTEM HERE WILL, UH, DOES IT AUTOMATICALLY, OR, UH, WILL DO IT AUTOMATICALLY, OF COURSE, INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY ELIMINATING REDUNDANCY AND UNNECESSARY TASKS. UM, AND ELIMINATES THE WORD, UH, FOR US USING, UH, MICROSOFT EXCEL. I MEAN, NOT ENTIRELY, BUT WE'RE USING EXCEL, EXCEL EXTENSIVELY, AND WE'RE DUPLICATING WORK. WE BRING THE INFORMATION OUT OF OUR CURRENT SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO MANIPULATE IT. LIKE IF WE'RE DOING A MAIL MERCH, UH, RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY. WE CAN DO IT RIGHT IN THE SYSTEM. IF WE WANTED TO DO A FLYER, UM, THE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE GRAPHICAL UTILITY BILLS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THOSE. UH, THERE'S NOT A PROBLEM TO DO THOSE. WE CAN PUT A GRAPH UP FOR ELECTRIC, A GRAPH UP FOR WATER. UM, IF WE WANT TO DO FOR DEMAND ON BUSINESSES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. UM, IF WE WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, PUT, UH, A [00:55:01] SMALL PORTION DEDICATED TO SOMETHING THAT NEEDS BETTER, WE'LL HAVE THAT ABILITY. UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO FULLY CUSTOMIZE THE BILL, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, UH, WHEN SOMEONE COMES INTO THE OFFICER TO PAY THEIR BILL. UM, THE, UH, UH, MY STAFF WILL BE ABLE TO SCAN THE BILL AND IT'LL BRING UP ALL THE INFORMATION RIGHT THERE. UM, UH, AND IT'S, UH, ALL IN, UH, ALL HOUSE WITHIN A SINGLE CONNECTED SOLUTION. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE THIS ACROSS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS AS MUCH AS THEY'D LIKE. THAT'S THE OTHER GOOD THING. UM, SO, UH, THE CORE REQUIREMENTS, UH, FULFILLED BY VARUS. I WON'T GO THROUGH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE. B UM, AS YOU SEE MOST OF THEIR, UH, ITEMS, SEE IF I CAN MOVE ROSS HERE AGAIN. SORRY, ROSS . ALL GOOD. BE DOWN HERE. I CLICK ON IT. THANK. OKAY. SO, UM, WE HAD, UH, NINE RESPONDENTS, UH, UH, RESPOND TO US. SORRY, ACROSS THE, YOU WANT ME TO STAND OVER THERE AND KEEP PULLING HIM DOWN? YOU COULD PROBABLY JUST HIT NO, THAT'LL BE OKAY. YEAH. UM, SO THE, UH, WE HAD NINE RESPONDENTS, UH, UH, RESPOND TO THE RFP. UH, THE, UM, PRICING WAS PRETTY WELL IN LINE WITH ALL THE RESPONDENTS. UM, ONE OF THE RESPONDENTS, UH, UH, TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, UH, ONE OF $1.5 MILLION, UH, JUST FOR UTILITY BILLING. UH, WE'RE UNIQUE 'CAUSE WE HAVE ELECTRIC AND WATER. UM, BUT, UH, JUST TO KIND OF LAY IT OUT HERE, UM, MAJORITY OF WHAT WE SEE IS THAT VARUS, UH, IS STANDARD OUT OF THE BOX AS MEETING MAJORITY OF OUR NEEDS. UH, WHERE YOU SEE THE CUSTOM ADDED THERE UNDER BUDGETING, UM, A LOT OF THAT'S COMING FROM, UM, OUR CURRENT SYSTEM HAS, UH, FOUR DIFFERENT, UH, VARIATIONS OF THE BUDGET. UH, I SAY VARIATIONS OF THE BUDGET. THAT'S, I WOULDN'T EVEN SAY THAT IT'S FOUR DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF LIKE, YOU HAVE A PENDING AND APPROVED, UM, AND ADOPTED, UM, UH, I THINK, UH, VARUS, UH, OFFERED ONE LESS. SO IT'S NOT A HUGE DEAL BECAUSE IT IS RIGHT NOW, I'M DOING EVERYTHING IN EXCEL, ASIDE FROM, UH, ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE FINANCIAL TRACKING, BUT BUILDING IT, UH, IT'S JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX THERE. A COUPLE THINGS FOR THE FUTURE. UM, GOING OVER HERE TO THE HR SIDE OF IT, UM, AGAIN, SAME THING. MAJORITY OF IT'S STANDARD RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. UH, SO WE'RE NOT DOING CUSTOMS, UH, RIGHT NOW WITH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM. UH, WE PROBABLY HAVE FOUR PAGES OF CUSTOMS 'CAUSE WE'RE AN ELECTRIC UTILITY. UM, BEING AN ELECTRIC UTILITY CREATES A WHOLE NOTHER GAMUT OF, UH, OF, UM, THINGS THAT WE NEED. UH, BUT, UM, UH, BUT AS YOU SEE RIGHT THERE, OUT OF THE BOX, UH, VARUS IS ON TOP OF IT. HERE'S UTILITY BILLING. UH, SO THERE ARE FIVE, UH, THINGS IN THE FUTURE THERE, BUT MAJORITY OF IT, AGAIN, NOT OUT OF THE BOX, WE'RE ABLE TO DO. UH, THE ONE CUSTOM THING ON THE UTILITY BILLING AND RATE CALCULATION IS ACTUALLY, UH, UNIQUE TO, UH, THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. IT IS OUR, UM, UH, DEREGULATION CONSUMER AND USE TAX. UM, I'M NOT GONNA BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS, BUT, UH, OUT OF ALL THE RESPONDENTS, NO ONE HAD SOMETHING THAT COULD, UH, ACCOMMODATE THAT RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. FIVE YEAR TOTAL COST, YES, THAT IS A BIG NUMBER, ALMOST $1.5 MILLION. UH, THE FIRST YEAR, UH, ALONE, UH, $622,000, $448,000 OF THAT IS THE IMPLEMENTATION FEE. WE GET A DISCOUNT. UM, AND THEN THE SUBSCRIPTION FEE OF $218 $996. UM, UH, UNIVERS HAS AGREED, UH, TO KEEP THAT, UH, FOURTH PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS FOR US WITHOUT A CPI, UH, INDEX OR INCREASE, UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION. THE TOWN'S NEVER BEEN TO THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. UH, WE'VE DONE, UH, SOFTWARE UPGRADES, UH, BUT WE HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY CONVERTED TO AN ENTIRELY NEW SYSTEM. UM, OUR AUDITORS HAVE, UH, UH, TOLD US SOME HORROR STORIES WHERE, UM, UH, SOME LOCALITIES, UH, STARTED THE IMPLEMENTATION AND THEY GOT TWO YEARS BEHIND ON THEIR AUDIT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FINISH THE IMPLEMENTATION, UH, BECAUSE IT IS VERY TIME INTENSIVE. UH, SO, UH, IMPLEMENTATION, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AFTER THIS ITEM, BUT IMPLEMENTATION IS A BIG THING. WE'RE GONNA BE TAKING OVER, UM, IN SOME CASES, 20 YEARS OF, UH, SOFTWARE DATA. UM, AND THE, UH, WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA'S, UM, REQUIREMENTS AS TO WHAT INFORMATION WE HAVE TO KEEP, NOT KEEP. UM, AND EACH SELECTION OF DATA HAS, HAS DIFFERENT CRITERIA. WE'VE DONE OUR BEST TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BRINGING OVER THE DATA THAT, UH, THAT, UM, OUR CUSTOMERS MAY NEED OR WANT. [01:00:01] UH, LET'S SEE HERE. SO NEXT STEPS IS IMPLEMENTATION. UM, OBVIOUSLY COUNT UPON COUNCIL'S APPROVAL. THAT IS, BUT WHAT IS, UH, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE? SO, THE IMPLEMENTATION, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, IMPLEMENTING, UH, SORT OF THREE DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, AS WE'RE GOING ALONG. UH, FINANCE, UTILITY BILLING, ASSET MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, THE ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPONENT. CURRENTLY, WE DON'T HAVE, I MEAN, THE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT DOES HAVE A LITTLE BIT, UH, THERE, BUT NONE OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE ANYTHING. SO WE'RE KIND OF BUILDING THAT FROM SCRATCH. UH, FINANCE AND UTILITY BILLING. UH, IF COUNSEL WERE TO APPROVE IT HERE IN AUGUST, WE WOULD START, UH, PREPARING HERE IN SEPTEMBER, UH, WITH, UH, VARIOUS TESTING, TRAINING DEVELOPMENTS AND THINGS GOING ON. BOTTOM LINE, THE GO LIVE DATE FOR FINANC AND UTILITY BILLING, UH, IS JULY OF 2026. SAME WITH ASSET AND MANAGE, UH, ASSET MANAGEMENT, JULY, 2026. HR, UH, FOR HUMAN RESOURCES, PAYROLL, UH, THOSE GOOD THINGS. UM, THAT WOULD FALL IN LINE WITH THE CALENDAR YEAR. THAT WOULD BE A GO LIVE OF JANUARY, 2027. UH, THE, UH, JULY, 2026, UH, DATE, UH, IS TO COINCIDE WITH OUR FISCAL YEAR, SO THAT WAY OUR AUDITORS ARE NOT DEALING WITH TWO SEPARATE BOOKS. UM, THEY'VE MADE THAT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY DON'T WANNA DEAL WITH TWO SEPARATE BOOKS. UM, SO, UH, IT WOULD, IT'S GONNA BE A, UM, UH, IT'LL BE HARD, BUT I THINK WE CAN GET IT DONE, UM, WITH THE, UH, PLANS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. AND THEN HUMAN RESOURCES THAT FALLS IN LINE WITH, UH, W TWOS. UH, SO THAT WAY WE'RE ALSO, AGAIN, NOT USING TWO SEPARATE SYSTEMS THERE. SO, I KNOW I COVERED A LOT. . HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. TALK ABOUT, CAN YOU GO BACK ONE QUICK? CERTAINLY. SO, BJ, WHEN WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT IMPLEMENTATION, IT, ARE WE GONNA BE RUNNING PARALLEL FOR A WHILE SO WE KNOW THAT IF WE'RE GETTING THE $0.5 MILLION IN THE UTILITIES, THAT THE NEW SYSTEM IS COLLECTING 0.5, THE CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT THE NEW SYSTEM IS WORKING AS WELL, OR BETTER THAN THE OLD SYSTEM? ABSOLUTELY. THERE'LL BE, UH, THERE'LL BE PARALLEL TESTING FOR EVERY MODULE THAT IT IS. WILL THEY, WILL THEY, UH, UH, I, I'VE BEEN THROUGH, UH, A NUMBER OF, UH, ERP IMPLEMENTATIONS IN, IN, UH, MY FIELD. AND, UH, SO, UH, THE QUESTION IS, UH, WILL, WILL YOU BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A SANDBOX YES. SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN SAY, I CAN PLAY WITH IT, NOT MESS IT UP, AND YEAH. NOTHING CRITICAL? ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL HAVE, UH, WE WILL HAVE, UM, I THINK, UH, IT'S AT LEAST THREE ENVIRONMENTS. UH, ONE WILL BE, UH, A TRAINING, ONE WILL BE TESTING, ONE WILL BE GO LIVE, UM, GO LIVE. OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE UNTIL JULY, SO WE'LL TRY TO BREAK IT IN MARCH, APRIL AND JUNE BEFORE WE GET TO JULY. UM, BUT YES, THE, UH, THERE ARE, UM, UM, AS WELL AS THERE'S, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH IN THE NEXT PART, THERE'S GONNA BE PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITH TESTING, AND THERE'RE GONNA BE CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT HAVE TO BE MET TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, MEETING THOSE, UH, THOSE CRITERIA AS WELL AS KEEPING US ON SCHEDULE. SO THEY WILL BE, UH, WILL, WILL, WILL SOMEONE BE HERE TO ASSIST PARTICULARLY, UH, ON SITE, ON SITE IMPLEMENTATION? THE IMPLEMENTATION. SO YES. UH, SOMEONE FROM YOU ASSET MANAGEMENT ASPECT, NOT EVERY DAY, BUT, UH, FOR CERTAIN ASPECTS OF TRAINING, ABSOLUTELY. UH, THEY'LL BE HERE ON SITE. UM, UH, THERE, IT'S ACTUALLY, UH, UH, LAID OUT IN THE, UH, HUGE CONTRACT DOCUMENT, THE, UH, UH, BUT YES, THERE, THERE WILL BE TIMES THAT THERE WILL BE HERE AT ONE SITE WITH BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UH, FOR TRAINING. OKAY. HOW ABOUT REGARDING, UM, A LOT OF THESE ERP SYSTEMS REQUIRE PATCHES AND UPGRADES AS YOU GO ALONG. UM, IS THAT INCLUDED IN SUBSCRIPTION? IT IS, IS THIS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT? I I, I BELIEVE AS WE GO THROUGH THE DOCUMENTS, OUR, OUR REPRESENTATIVE TELLS US MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES USE THIS ALREADY. ONE ON MY NOTICE WAS MANASSAS. I BELIEVE I SAW HER THERE. THAT'S ANOTHER ONE. I THINK, WELL, I'M THINKING MANASAS SIMPLY 'CAUSE WE HAVE A FRIEND OF MANASAS WHO PROBABLY LIVES AND BRIDGE OH, YEAH. EVERY DAY. HAVE WE? YES. HAVE WE TALKED TO HIM? WE DID AN EXTENSIVE REFERENCE CHECK ON A BARRY GUN, ACTUALLY. DID IT? UM, I NOT TALKED TO THAT FRIEND IN PARTICULAR. OKAY. UH, BECAUSE I JUST FORGOT ABOUT IT TILL NOW. BUT I WILL . OKAY. I MEAN, I LOOK THROUGH THAT. I MEAN, THAT'S, I'VE BEEN THROUGH SUCCESSFUL MORNING FIVE. FIRST. I'VE BEEN THROUGH A NON SUCCESSSFUL ONE. AND, UH, BOY, WHEN IT GOES SOUTH, [01:05:01] IT, IT'S NOT PRETTY. UM, WE'RE DOING THIS. IT IS GOT A BIG PRICE TAG. WHAT WE'VE HAD OUR SYSTEM SINCE 2003. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ALL THE WEAKNESSES, ALL THE MANUALS, THE, THE, THE SPREADSHEETS AND THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO DO TO MANIPULATE INFORMATION AND DATA SATISFY, UH, MANY DIFFERENT THINGS. HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU ULTIMATELY SEE US SAVING MONEY WITH THIS? UM, WELL, FROM THE, UH, TRACKING THE ELECTRIC AND WATER USAGE ALONE, UM, WE WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, LESS LOSS FOR OUR CITIZENS, LESS BAD DEBT. UH, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ADHERE TO THE, UM, UH, MORE TOWARD THE, THE NEW, UH, REGULATIONS THAT CAME OUT FOR, UH, SHUTOFFS, FOR INSTANCE. UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE WORKING, WE'RE NOT WORKING TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY BECAUSE THE, THE DRAWBACKS TO THE SYSTEM. UH, SO OUR BAD DEBT SHOULD HOPEFULLY BE INCREASED. UH, THE FIXED ASSETS, UH, COMPONENT. WE'LL BE ABLE TO TELL WHEN A, WHEN AN ASSET NEEDS TO BE, UH, REPLACED, YOU KNOW, UM, THEY'RE GOING OUT AND MAKING REPAIRS. IT MAY NOT SEEM A LOT, UH, BECAUSE MAYBE IT'S A 15 MINUTE REPAIR, BUT THEN WE FIND OUT THAT EVERY EMPLOYEE'S DOING IT FOR THAT DEPARTMENT, MAYBE IT'S TIME TO REPLACE THAT ASSET. UM, UH, THE, UH, UH, TRACKING OF THE ASSETS, UH, LIKE I SAID, THE, UH, THE GI UH, GI IS TRACKING, UH, BE ABLE TO LOOK ON, UH, THE SYSTEM AND SEE, OKAY, THIS WATER LINE WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST, UH, REPAIRED AND OR LAST REPLACED IN 1940. UM, THIS ONE WAS DONE IN 1970. SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK THOSE AND, YOU KNOW, PREVENT LEAKS FROM HAPPENING FROM, UH, LINES BUSTING. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT ONES, BUT I MEAN, OVERALL PROCESS DECIDE, UH, LET'S DO THIS STREET INSTEAD OF THAT ONE BECAUSE THE LINE'S OLDER, REPLACE THAT AND THEN REPAVE THAT INSTEAD OF PAVING OVER SOMETHING THAT WE MAY REGRET LATER. RIGHT. I MEAN, OUR WATERLINE, OUR, OUR PAVING PLAN DOES, UH, GO IN LINE WITH THE, UH, WATERLINE UPGRADE. SO THAT WAY WE'RE NOT, BUT IN THE SAME INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY BREAKS HAVE WE HAD ON THAT LINE? MAYBE JUST HAD TO REPAIR THAT ONE VERSUS THE ONE THAT IT WAS INSTALLED IN 1970. SO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, I WAS THINKING OF STAFF TIME, LIKE SO MANY THINGS THAT YOU SAID. I MEAN, EFFICIENCY IS ALWAYS GONNA IMPROVE YOUR STAFF. YEAH. MAYBE. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I, I, I'VE NEVER BEEN ONE THAT WANTS COMPUTERS TO TAKE OVER PEOPLE'S JOBS, BUT I'M SAYING THOUGH, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GONNA, UM, AND IT MIGHT, UH, LEAD DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME OF THESE POSITIONS THAT WE REQUESTED FOR THE FUTURE. MAYBE IT WOULD ALLEVIATE, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO GET THOSE POSITIONS BECAUSE NOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO AUTOMATE PROCESSES. WELL, THEY WON'T BE ANNOYED BY LITTLE PRO BY LITTLE PROCESSES THAT COULD, COULD BE DONE. LIKE, YOU KNOW, I THINK OF THE HUMAN RESOURCE ONES IN PARTICULAR ARE REALLY HELPFUL. YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WANTS THEIR W2 OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FOSTER W2 NEEDS TO GO GET IT, AND SOMEBODY WANTS TO GET A COUPLE PAY STUBS. YOU KNOW, ALL THAT STUFF IS TIME CONSUMING MANUALLY. WHEREAS, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON CAN JUST GET SELF-SERVE AND DO IT THEMSELVES. BUT, OH, AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, ELECTRONIC BILLING, I DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH ON THAT ONE. UM, SO ELECTRONIC BILLING WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE EM POSTAGE. WELL, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. WE LOOKED AT THE BUDGET AND YOU SAID WITH THE NEW SOFTWARE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GET IT VIA EMAIL, OKAY, MY BILL IS HERE, I'M PAYING MY CHECK. I DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT A THING. I JUST LOOK AT IT. IS IT HIGH? IS IT LOW? THEN I COULD GO IN AND SAY, OH MY GOD, THE KIDS MUST HAVE RAN THE AIR CONDITIONER . YEAH. YOU KNOW, BUT, UH, YEAH, IT ELIMINATES THAT. AND I, I WOULD SUSPECT ON DOWN THE LINE, AND, AND I HATE TO PUT A TIMEFRAME ON, BUT I WOULD THINK THAT THIS, A LOT OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW MANUALLY WILL GO AWAY. ABSOLUTELY. BUT ALSO KNOW AND ALSO KNOW AND SUPPORT THAT IN THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, YOU GOTTA HAVE PEOPLE THERE. 'CAUSE YOU, YOU HAVE THE HISTORICAL DATA THAT NEEDS TO BE UPLOADED IN THE SYSTEM FOR EVERYTHING TO WORK. SO IT'S NOT LIKE, WELL, WE'RE GETTING THIS NEW SYSTEM TO GET RID OF 10 PEOPLE. THERE'S A LOT OF WORK, PREP WORK AND THEN MAIN MAINTENANCE AND UPLOADING OF INFORMATION. BUT SOME STUFF CAN BE DONE VIRTUALLY TOO. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE, AT SOME POINT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, YOU'RE GONNA EXECUTE IT BECAUSE, UH, YOU'RE NOT EVEN, EVEN, EVEN WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO IMPLEMENT IT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU NEED TO FINE TUNE IT. YOU'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT. THAT'S JUST THE WAY THESE IMPLEMENTATIONS WORK. RIGHT. AGREE MORE. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD ELECTRONICALLY READ BOTH WATER [01:10:01] AND ELECTRIC METERS. UM, WE NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, WELL, WE, WE NEED THE ACTUAL METERS ON THE ELECTRIC SIDE AS WELL AS, UH, THE COLLECTION POINTS WHERE THE, UM, SO YOUR METERS WOULD RADIO BACK TO, UH, THE COLLECTION POINT, WHICH WOULD ULTIMATELY SEND IT INTO OUR SYSTEM. SO WE'LL NEED TO, UH, ON THE ELECTRIC SIDE, WILL THE METERS AND THEN THE, UH, THAT ACTUAL COLLECTION POINT, WHETHER IT BE ON THE WATER TOWER, IF WE HAVE TO LOOK AT SOME OTHER OPTION, UM, ON THE WATER SIDE, THOSE METERS ARE IN THE GROUND AND READY TO GO. WE JUST NEED THE COLLECTION POINT AND THE SOFTWARE TO BE ABLE TO. RIGHT. I NOTICED THAT'S THE DISC. IT'S ON ALL THE YES. CORRECT. MM-HMM . DO, DO YOU SEE, UH, USING, I MEAN, THIS IS LIKE THE, HAS ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES. UH, DO YOU SEE USING ALL, ALL THESE MODULES? YES. WE DEMONSTRATED THEM ACTUALLY WITH, VERUS IN PARTICULAR, WE DID A ONE WEEK DEMONSTRATION, UH, FOR ALL OF THE MODULES, UH, EXCEPT FOR FIXED ASSETS. AND THEY CAME BACK ON FOR A HALF A DAY, UH, JUST TO DEMONSTRATE FIXED ASSETS. UM, AND WHEN I SAY DEMONSTRATE, WE TOOK IT THROUGH THE TRIBES. I MEAN, THEY SHOWED US HOW TO BUILD, THEY HAD A, THEY HAD A TASK LIST AND THEY HAD TO RUN A RECEIPT, UM, AND ACTUALLY SHOW US, UH, AND UH, SAME, THAT EACH, EACH VENDOR HAD THE SAME EXACT TASKS THAT THEY HAD TO RUN THROUGH. OKAY. UM, SOME WOULD STUMBLE THROUGH SOME, AND YOU KIND OF KNEW, OKAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT AS SIMPLE. UH, EVEN THOUGH THEY MARKED THAT THEY COULD DO IT, WHEN IT COMES TIME TO SHOW, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T THAT SIMPLE. OH, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS. UH, BUT UNIVAR DID STAND ABOVE AND BE, WELL, AGAIN, YOU'RE PATTERNING AFTER MUNICIPALITY, WHICH THERE ARE MANY WE'RE NOT. IT IS NOT LIKE, UH, WE'RE REINVENTING THE WHEEL. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING, OH, IT'S DIFFERENT. I MEAN, OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING IT. WE MAY DO A LITTLE THING, A COUPLE THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND, UH, THAT, BUT IT IS BASED ON A PRODUCT THAT'S WORKING FOR MANY, UM, UH, CITIES, TOWNS, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT ENTITY. ABSOLUTELY. YES. AND NOT TO MAKE YOUR HEAD EXPLODE, BUT TO, I WANT YOU GUYS TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU'RE IMPLEMENTING IT DOWN THE ROAD, HOW THIS COULD BE USED TO TRAIN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND, UM, AS WELL AS NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, AND WORK WITH THEM. I MEAN, I, 'CAUSE I'M THINKING LIKE, WHEN WE DID OUR TOURS, AND I MEAN, I KNEW THERE'S A LOT, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT TO GO INTO VIDEOS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BUT AS YOU'RE CREATING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES, THINK OF WHAT COULD MAYBE, YOU KNOW, BE EXACTLY. BE CONVERTED FOR US AS WELL. VERY GOOD THOUGHTS. I'M, UM, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT IT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT THE FUTURE, BUT ONCE YOU GET INTO IT, YOU MAY MIGHT FIND SOMETHING TOTALLY ELSE THAT WE CAN USE IT FOR. ONE THING THAT PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ABOUT BEFORE, LIKE SOLA IF WAS YES, THIS CAN ACCOMMODATE NET METERING. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA, YES. UH, NET METERING. EVEN WHEN I WAS, EVEN WHEN I WAS DOOR KNOCKING LAST FALL, I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE ASK, LIKE, WHEN WILL THE TOWN BE, WHEN WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO, TO, TO DO THAT? REALIZE THE SAVINGS OF THE, UM, YEAH. MM-HMM. THAT'S PART OF OUR COST OF SERVICE STUDY THAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING RIGHT NOW FOR THE ELECTRIC SIDE. UM, AND IT SHOULD ROLL OUT, UH, WITH THAT COST OF SERVICE STUDY. SO IT WOULD BE EVEN BEFORE THE SOFTWARE IS IMPLEMENTED. UH, BUT THIS SOFTWARE WILL, UM, TAKE THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. AGAIN, REAL TIME. SO THIS WOULD, ONE THING I WAS LIKE, RIGHT NOW, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO PAY THEIR ELECTRIC BILL, THEY CAN COME HERE, THEY CAN SET UP, UM, AUTO DRAFT OR, YOU KNOW, OR THEY COULD CALL AND DO CREDIT CARD. RIGHT. UM, WELL, YOU CAN PAY BY CREDIT CARD ONLINE TOO, BUT YOU GET PAID, YOU GET, HAVE A FEE. WELL, YOU DO ANYWAY. IT YEAH. NO MATTER WHERE YOU, AND THIS WOULDN'T CHANGE FOR THAT EITHER, RIGHT? I THINK I STARTED CORRECT. IT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE EITHER WAY. THAT COULD YOU SET IT UP LIKE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR BANKING ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND THEY DO AN AUTOMATIC, WE HAVE THAT NOW, BUT WE HAVE TO LIKE GIVE THEM A CANCELED CHECK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YEAH. UH, AND ON THIS SYSTEM, THE, UH, THE CUSTOMERS WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT RIGHT ONLINE. THEY'LL BE ABLE TO, IF THEY WANT TO SET UP IT LIKE ANY OTHER EXACTLY. YEAH. IT WOULD BE LIKE AN ECHECK. WHEREAS NOW YOU, YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO COME IN, GIVE THEM CHECK, FILL OUT A MANUAL FORM. IF YOU WANNA CANCEL IT, YOU'VE GOTTA CONTACT US. IT'S BEAUTIFUL ONCE YOU DO IT, BUT, OH, YEAH, NO, I, I DO IT. I JUST WAS SAYING THAT, BUT I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHEN I, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE CREDIT CARD FEES, WE'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THIS ABILITY, BUT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, KNOW. AND I THINK, OR AT LEAST WHAT WE HAVE NOW, IS THE ABILITY TO SET IT UP SO THAT IT AUTOMATICALLY PULLS FROM YOUR ACCOUNT WHEN YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE DUE ON THE DUE DATE. AND YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU GET YOUR BILL AND YOU SEE WHAT IT IS OR WHATEVER, BUT IN THIS CASE, SOMEBODY COULD GO ONLINE AND DECIDE WHETHER [01:15:01] OR NOT THEY HAVE ENOUGH IN THEIR ACCOUNT TO DO A NEW CHECK OR NOT. YEAH, EXACTLY. AND THAT'S WHAT PREVENTS A, UH, SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS FROM SE UH, YOU KNOW RIGHT. SETTING UP ON THAT. YEAH. 'CAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW, AND THEY HAVE TO CONTACT US, THEN THEY GOTTA GO THROUGH THE PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN. YEAH. SO JUST, YEAH, YOU CAN ECHECK WITH NO, IN THIS SYSTEM YOU CAN ECHECK WITH NO EXTRA FEE. CORRECT. YEAH. . SO THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, THAT'S THE THIRD ITEM ON THE, WE'RE KIND OF JUMPING AHEAD THERE, BUT THE, UM, UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS, WAS ACROSS ALL THE, UH, ONES WE, UH, THAT, UH, INTERVIEWED, UM, WERE RESPONDED TO THE RFP. UH, THERE IS SOME SORT OF, OF, UM, UH, FEE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. UM, AND THAT GOES BACK TO THE, UM, THAT GOES BACK TO THE PRO, UH, THE PAYMENT PROCESSORS. UH, THE PAYMENT PROCESSORS, UH, FOR INSTANCE, UH, TWO OF THEM, I BELIEVE. ONE OF 'EM, I KNOW FOR SURE YOU ACTUALLY WERE REQUIRED TO USE THEIR MERCHANT SERVICES FOR PAYMENT PROCESSING. YOU HAD NO, IF YOU WANTED TO GO WITH THEM, YOU HAD TO DO THAT. THAT WAS, THAT WAS NON-NEGOTIABLE. UM, OTHERS REQUIRED YOU TO USE A SPECIFIC MERCHANT PROCESSOR. UM, VARUS DIFFERS. THEY'LL ALLOW YOU TO USE A DIFFERENT MERCHANT PROCESSOR. YOU MAY NOT HAVE ALL THE FUNCTIONALITY THAT THEY OFFER, BUT YOU CAN USE A DIFFERENT PROCESSOR. UM, BUT THAT'S STANDARD ACROSS THE BOARD. WHAT SOME LOCALITIES DO IS THEY ABSORB THE FEE, UH, FOR THOSE ECHECKS, WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE? 50 CENTS PER TRANSACTION. OH, WELL, THAT'S BETTER THAN A PERCENTAGE OF THAT'S FOR THE ECHECK. YEAH. LIKE I SAID, WE'RE TRYING TO JUMP ON THE AHEAD 'CAUSE THAT'S THE THIRD ONE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? BUT WE JUST KIND OF NEED TO GET A FEEL FOR WHETHER OR NOT YOU ALL ARE READY TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS AT THE END OF AUGUST. UM, YEAH, I'M OKAY WITH THE SENATE AGENDA AND ALL THE OTHER, ALL THE OTHERS WERE AROUND THE SCENE. UM, YES, THE, UH, THEY WERE RIGHT AROUND THE SAME, UH, SAME BALLPARK. UH, THERE WAS ONE THAT WAS, UH, UM, A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. UM, AND I'M, YEAH, I KNOW THAT'S NOT GONNA, THAT'S NOT GONNA FLY. UM, BUT YEAH, ALL OF THE RESPONDENTS WERE RIGHT AROUND THE AREA. UH, THE ONE THAT, UH, WAS LOWER, UH, IN GENERAL ONLY PROVIDED UTILITIES. THEY DID NOT PROVIDE FINANCIALS, PAYROLL, FIXED ASSETS, ANYTHING. HOW WE PREPARED FINANCIALLY, ARE WE, HAVE WE SET ASIDE MONEY? YES, WE HAVE, UH, YEAH, IN TOTAL, UH, WE'VE GOT ROUGHLY $993,000. UH, SO THIS, UH, UH, THIS WILL OBVIOUSLY CUT AWAY AT IT, AND THEN WE'LL BUDGET FUTURE FOR THE LICENSING. UM, AND WE'LL ALSO DROP OFF EVENTUALLY CENTRAL SQUARE. UH, WE'LL DROP OFF OF THERE FOR US, UH, FIRST YEAR, OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO RUN BOTH OF THEM. WE'VE GOT MAKE SURE THAT IT'S WORKING. AND, OKAY. ROYAL, WELCOME TO THE 21ST. UH, ROSS, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ADD? I'M SORRY. NO, NO. UH, I, I, I THINK YOUR, I THINK YOUR TELECOIL MADE A LOT OF GOOD POINTS. UM, Y'ALL, IT'S GONNA BE, UH, IT WILL, UM, DARE I SAY, UH, REVOLUTIONIZE THE WAY THAT PJ'S GONNA BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO YOU. UM, I BELIEVE TOO, COUNCILMAN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, UM, SOME OF THE ASSETS AND PLANNING AND, AND, UH, AND, AND FIXING OF ASSETS WITH THE, UH, WITH THE PRE PREVENTATIVE WORK ORDERS, THE, UH, PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, THAT'S, THAT COULD ALL BE REPORTED ON THROUGH DASHBOARDS. AND YOU CAN, BJ CAN BRING YOU THAT, UM, UH, SOME OF THOSE, UH, PRINTOUT STORY AND SHARE THEM ELECTRONICALLY. AND THAT COULD GO RIGHT INTO A CAPITAL BUDGET PRESENTATION. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S REALLY GONNA, UM, I THINK MAKE YOUR LIVES EASIER. UH, IT'S GONNA REALLY HELP YOU MAKE DATA D DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS. AND, AND I THINK YOU'LL ENJOY IT. SO, UM, BLESS YOU. DO YOU ALL WANNA PUT IT ON CONSENT? I MEAN, I KNOW SOMETIMES WE HAVE SET KIND OF LIKE A THRESHOLD FOR US TO NOT PUT THINGS ON CONSENT IF IT'S A LOT OF MONEY, SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, EXPLAIN IT. SO I KNOW WE'VE DONE THAT BEFORE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? VICE MAYOR AL, DO YOU WANNA WEIGH IN ON THIS TOO? I, UM, AM VERY HAPPY TO. UM, AND I THINK GIVEN THE AMOUNT IT BE A BUSINESS ITEM IN MY, I WOULD'VE, I'VE GOT, THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING. OKAY. [01:20:01] ALL RIGHT. SO WE'LL ADD THAT TO THE BUSINESS ITEM. AND THEN NEXT UP IS, UM, THE, UH, THANK YOU COMPAN A COMPANION PIECE TO THIS A LITTLE BIT, RIGHT? IT IS INDEED. UH, ROSS, I DON'T NEED TO KEEP YOU GOING HERE. MAY I THINK I GOT IT FROM HERE. EXCELLENT. HEY, THANKS EVERYONE. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. AND, UH, YOU HAVE A REAL SPECIAL STAFF THERE. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE WORKING WITH THEM. THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR. SO THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE, . ALL RIGHT. SO THE, UH, LET'S SEE HERE. NEXT PART OF THIS, UH, GONNA STACK PAPERS HERE. ALRIGHT, SO SEE, WE'RE ON RESOURCE, UH, UH, THE, NOT THE, THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO THE, UH, JUST AS VERY DONE, UH, HAS, UH, PROVIDED TO US THE, UM, THE HUGE RFP AND EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE, UH, GOING THROUGH THIS, BRINGING IN INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED. I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE WITH THEM FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT. UH, FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT. UH, BARRY DUNN, UH, IS OBVIOUSLY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECT. UM, THEY'VE, UH, UH, THEY SPECIALIZE IN SOFTWARE, YOU KNOW, FINDING THE NECESSARY SOFTWARE AS IMPLEMENTATION. THE PROJECT MANAGER, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T INCLUDE HERE. THE PROJECT MANAGER THAT WOULD BE ASSIGNED TO US ACTUALLY USED TO WORK FOR CENTRAL SQUARE. UH, SO THIS PROJECT MANAGER ACTUALLY KNOWS HOW CENTRAL SQUARE WORKS. AND, UM, UH, THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE DOING, HE HELPED US ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT. UM, SO, UH, BUT WITH THAT, UH, THEY WOULD OVERSEE THE PROJECT SCHEDULE, MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY ON TASK, UH, FACILITATE THE, UH, DATA CONVERSION PROCESS. AGAIN, THAT'S A LOT OF DATA THAT WE'VE GOTTA CONVERT OVER INTO THE NEW SYSTEM. UM, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, IDENTIFYING MITIGATING RISKS, OVERSEEING TESTING AND TRAINING. UH, THEY'LL NOT ACTUALLY BE GOING TO TRAINING, BUT THEY'LL BE MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE'RE COVERING ALL OF OUR BASES. AND, UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PARALLEL TESTING, UH, WE WOULD ACTUALLY TURN IN THOSE PARALLEL TESTING DOCUMENTS TO BARRY DUNN. THEY WOULD LOOK OVER AND REVIEW 'EM, UH, MAKE SURE THAT, HEY, THIS LOOKS THE SAME AS THIS, YOU KNOW, UM, AND HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN IMPROVE THAT ALSO, UH, HELP US IMPROVE ON OUR PROCESSES, UH, IN JUNE. UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, UM, WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO A NEW SYSTEM. WE KNOW WHAT IT, UH, WHAT WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING FOR, UH, BUT HOW TO INTEGRATE THOSE PROCESSES, BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE NOT ONLY, UH, NEW SYSTEM, BUT CHANGING OUR PROCESSES, HOW WE DO BUSINESS, UH, AS WELL AS PROVIDING GO LIVE SUPPORT. UM, I REMEMBER WHEN WE WENT LIVE ON, UM, SOFTWARE UPGRADES, HOW NERVE WRACKING THAT WAS. I COULDN'T IMAGINE DOING SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE WITHOUT SOME ADDITIONAL HELP. UM, BARRY DUN DID PROVIDE US, UH, WITH A, UH, UH, TWO PROPOSALS. UM, AND THE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEING RECOMMENDED, UH, UH, FOR THE AMOUNT OF $212,376, UH, IS TO PROVIDE, UH, FULL SERVICES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DURATION, UH, OF THE, UM, UH, THE PROJECT. UH, THE $150,000 THAT THEY HAD, UH, PROVIDED WAS ONLY, UH, UP TO, UH, ONCE THEY MET THAT THRESHOLD. AND THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE, UH, WHERE THEY WOULD ONLY PROVIDE SERVICES FOR ONE YEAR. THIS PRO PROJECT'S GONNA LAST A YEAR AND A HALF, UH, ROUGHLY. UM, SO COVERED A LOT THERE. HAPPY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. WILL YOU HAVE ACCESS TO LIKE AN ONLINE FORUM? UH, YES. WHEN, WHEN I, I MEAN, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THESE, ALL THESE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE LISTED, THE, OH, THE ONES THAT BARRY DUN YOU, UH, FACILITATED. IS THAT THE ONE YOU LOOKING AT? YES. UM, SO IS THERE LIKE A COMMUNITY FORUM? UH, SO THEY, UH, THEY, UH, HAVE PUT US IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF THE, UH, UH, WHEN THEY'VE DONE IMPLEMENTATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY IN THE PAST. THEY DID PUT US IN TOUCH WITH SOME, UM, BUT, UM, UH, THERE'S NOT, LIKE, PER SE A, UH, BARRY DUNN DOES NOT HAVE A FORM, BUT UNVERIS DOES HAVE A FORM, UH, WHERE YOU CAN ACTUALLY, UH, TALK TO THE, UH, YOU KNOW, YOUR PEERS AND PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING THAT YOU HAVE. AND, UH, WE'VE BUDGETED FOR THIS. YES. UH, THIS, UH, SO IN TOTAL, FOR THE, UH, FOR THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND THE SOFTWARE, WE'RE LOOKING AT $834,000. UM, IN TOTAL, UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE BUDGET IS $963,000. SO WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WIGGLE ROOM THERE IF SOMETHING WERE TO POP UP. BUT, UM, THOUGHTS, THOUGHTS ON THIS TOO? WELL, WE'RE GONNA DO THE OTHER PART OF THIS BUSINESS ITEM. [01:25:01] TWO DIFFERENT ITEMS. I JUST WANNA SAY, I KNOW HOW FRUITFUL YOU ARE AND HOW YOU LIKE FOR THINGS TO BE EFFICIENT. AND IF YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS A GOOD, THAT YOU'RE PLEASED WITH THIS. I, I, I TRUST YOUR JUDGMENT ON THIS. I'M EXCITED AND SCARED AT THE SAME TIME. EXCITED BECAUSE I KNOW, I KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA LEAD US TO, BUT I'M SCARED BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT'S GONNA TAKE US TO GET THERE, BE WORTH THE TRIP. AND I KNOW THAT. SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WHEN YOU'RE SPARE TIME? YEAH, DJ MORE TALK TO ME. TALK TO ME IN TWO YEARS ONCE WE GET OVER THIS HUNT , BECAUSE THE NEXT TWO YEARS, I'M, I'M GONNA, UH, I'M GONNA, YEAH, IT'S GONNA BE QUITE THE TASK. MM. UM, WE OKAY TO MOVE ON TO MERCHANT SERVICES? YEP. I'M GOOD. MM-HMM . YEAH. ALL RIGHT. SO THE LAST COMPONENT TO THIS MERCHANT SERVICES. I WAS TRYING TO BRING EVERYTHING TO COUNCIL AT ONE TIME. UH, SO YOU KIND OF KNEW ALL THE PLAYERS IN THIS GAME. UH, WE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT IT ALREADY. MERCHANT SERVICES IS LIKE THE, UH, UH, YOUR PAYMENT PROCESSOR, CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR, ECHECK PROCESSOR. UM, THE, UM, UH, THEY, UH, UH, SO UN UNRU IS SET UP TO WORK WITH PAIS. PAYMENTUS IS ONE OF THE LEADING, UH, MERCHANT SERVICE PROGRAMS. UM, WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO GO WITH PAYMENTUS. UM, IF WE WANT TO HAVE ALL THE OPTIONS THAT VARUS OFFERS, UM, WE DO NEED TO USE VARUS. UM, THE, UH, COOPERATIVE CONTRACTING, UH, WE WILL BE PIGGYBACKING OFF OF, I THINK IT'S HANDOVER HOLD. I HAVE IT HERE. SORRY, I DIDN'T GET THIS UNTIL JUST THIS AFTERNOON. UH, THE ONE THAT WAS UPLOADED FOR COUNSEL. THE ONLY, THE DIFFERENCE IS, UM, THAT, UH, THIS ONE ACTUALLY SHOWS THE COOPERATIVE CONTRACTING WON IT. UH, AND IT'S HANOVER COUNTY, TOWN OF CULPEPPER AND TOWN OF LEESBURG ARE USING THE SAME COOPERATIVE CONTRACT. UH, FOR THIS, UH, BOTTOM LINE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE 2.35%, UH, CREDIT CARD FEE, WHICH IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHAT WE'RE CHARGING OUR CITIZENS NOW. UM, RIGHT NOW, ACTUALLY, UH, HARTLAND IS CHARGING US A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 2.35%. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING IN THE HOLE A LITTLE BIT. UM, WE NEED, UH, ONCE WE GET OVER THIS HUMP, UH, WE'LL GET ON BOARD. WE SHOULD BE BACK IN LINE. UH, THERE WILL BE A DOLLAR, UM, A DOLLAR, UH, PER ITEM FEE. UH, I'M SORRY, I THOUGHT IT WAS 50 CENTS OVER HERE. IT'S 50 CENTS , 50 CENTS FOR A-C-A-C-H AND ECHE. UM, AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT THE CITIZENS, UH, UTILITY ACCOUNT HOLDERS WILL BE ABLE TO SIGN UP FOR ONLINE, UH, USING THIS, UH, WITH THEIR CREDIT CARDS. UH, IT'S 2.35% OF THE PAYMENT AMOUNT PER TRANSACTION. UH, THERE IS A MINIMUM, UH, UH, TRANSACTION FEE PER ONE, UH, OF $1. UM, WHICH WOULD EQUATE IF A UTILITY BILL WAS UNDER $42, UM, IT WOULD BE, UM, IT WOULD BE STILL BE THE DOLLAR BASICALLY WHERE IT WORKS. TO, UM, THE, UM, LET'S SEE HERE. WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? UM, ONE THING WE DID NOT COVER, UH, IS THAT, UM, WITH THE UNIVERSE'S SOFTWARE, HAVE THE ABILITY OR CUSTOMERS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGING. UM, MORE EMAILS FOR REMINDERS, UH, WITH THAT PAYMENT IS ACTUALLY OFFERS IT AS WELL. UM, IF WE, UM, FOR SOME REASON WANTED TO SEND OUT A MESSAGE, UH, FOR, UH, AN AD HOC MESSAGE, UH, FOR, UH, THOSE THAT HAVE MADE PAYMENTS, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT. UH, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THEY EVER SEE US, UH, TRULY USING. UH, BUT THE ABILITY IS THERE FOR US. UH, THE MAXIMUM PAYMENT AMOUNT, UH, PER CREDIT DEBIT, UH, TRANSACTION IS $50,000. UH, MAXIMUM PAYMENT AMOUNT PER A CH, UH, E CHECK TRANSACTIONS, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. OUR HIGHEST BILL, UH, THAT'S, UH, PAID VIA CREDIT CARD, UH, WAS $30,000 MONTHLY. THAT'S A REGULAR PAYMENT. UM, SO IT, IT IS, UH, COVER THIS. UM, UH, AND I CAN ONLY THINK OF ONE OR TWO, UM, INDUSTRIES THAT WOULD BE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. I THINK THIS WOULD COVER 99% OF OUR TRANSACTIONS. UM, AND THEN, UH, THE WAY THIS WOULD WORK IS THAT RIGHT NOW THE TOWN COLLECTS ALL THE CREDIT CARD FEES, AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAY THE CREDIT CARD FEES TO THE MERCHANT SERVICES PROVIDER. PAYMENTUS, UH, COLLECTS THOSE FEES UP FRONT SO THAT THOSE FEES DON'T ACTUALLY COME TO THE TOWN. UM, SO ACTUALLY THAT'LL BE ONE LESS ITEM WE HAVE TO GO IN FOR. UM, UH, IT'LL BE AGREED UPON, UH, RATE AS IT IS NOW. UM, AND WE WOULD ACTUALLY COME BACK TO COUNSEL IF THIS IS APPROVED TO REMOVE IT FROM OUR, UH, TOWN ORDINANCE. RIGHT NOW IT'S IN ORDINANCE THAT'S 2.35% FOR A CREDIT CARD TRANSACTION. WE WOULD REMOVE THAT. WE WOULD PUT DISCLOSURES UP ON THE, UH, WEBSITE ON THE BACK OF OUR BILLS IN THE LOBBY. JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW, UH, 2.35% DOES SEEM TO BE THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR, UH, GOVERNMENT, UH, CREDIT [01:30:01] AND DEBIT CARD FEES. UM, THE ONLY THING THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY NEED TO PURCHASE, UH, WOULD BE THE, UH, TERMINALS FOR DOWN IN THE LOBBY. IT'S A ONE TIME PURCHASE. THEY'RE $539 STUDENTS. UM, THAT'S A ONE TIME PURCHASE. THE ONE WE HAVE SITTING DOWN THERE RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY 12 YEARS OLD, LAST LONG TIME. SO THAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF THIS PUZZLE. I HOPE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UH, IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN ON THE HORIZON FOR A WHILE. UH, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT STAFF HAS PUT INTO THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE. UM, WE'VE, UH, PUT COUNTLESS HOURS INTO THIS. UM, THERE'S BEEN A, A CORE MEMBER OF US, ME, LAURA AND CHARLES, UH, GOING THROUGH THIS WHERE WE'VE HAD, UH, BIWEEKLY MEETINGS, UM, OTHER MEMBERS, UH, WE'VE PULLED THEM IN AT VARIOUS TIMES. UH, THE DEMONSTRATIONS WERE REALLY BENEFICIAL, BUT THEY WERE REALLY LONG . YOU WERE DOING THAT IN THE SPRING, WEREN'T YOU? MM-HMM . I FEEL LIKE THERE WAS A COUPLE TIMES I CALLED AND RAN. YEAH, THEY, UH, AND THEY STARTED AT 8:00 AM AND WE WOULDN'T FINISH TILL FIVE O'CLOCK. AND BARRY DONE KEPT 'EM ON TASK. THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAD TO DISPLAY IT. AND I MEAN, BARRY DUNN'S BEEN PHENOMENAL THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. THEY'VE, UH, UH, REALLY PUT SOME INSIGHT INTO IT. SO DO APPRECIATE THAT. SORRY, I GOT OFF TOPIC HERE. NO, NO, IT'S GOOD. I MEAN, JUST FURTHER, UH, SOLIDIFIES OUR FEELING TOWARDS WHAT THE HARD WORK YOU AND THE STAFF HAVE PUT IN, IN DOING THIS. A THOROUGH EVALUATION AND GETTING THE INPUT FROM ALL THE END USERS TALKING, PLUS BEING A, A GOOD SERVICE, A GOOD PRODUCT FOR OUR, OUR CITIZENS. AND THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING IS GOING INTO THIS PROCESS THAT I DIDN'T WANT, IS I DIDN'T WANT, UH, I DIDN'T WANNA BE IN A BOX. I DIDN'T WANT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE WAY FINANCE IS DOING IT. SO THAT'S THE WAY IT HAS TO BE DONE. I WANTED IT TO BE ALL INCLUSIVE LIST HERE AT ALL. IT ALSO CHECKS YOUR BOXES WITH YOUR, UH, AUDITORS TOO, RIGHT? IT CHECKS A LOT OF BOXES FOR THE OWNERS. A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL PERHAPS OR CAN'T DO WITH THE CURRENT SOFTWARE. YEAH. WELL NOW, AS I UNDERSTOOD EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO YES. AND IT SEPARATES SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT. I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS YEAH. UH, THE WORKFLOWS WITH TIMESTAMPS IS, WILL GO A LONG WAY JUST TO BE ABLE TO TELL, YOU KNOW, WHO MADE WHAT CHANGE AND HOW WAS IT AUTHORIZED? GO ALONG WAY. CORRECT. SO IS THE IDEA THAT SINCE THE OTHER TWO THINGS ARE ON BUSINESS, WE SHOULD PROBABLY KEEP ALL OF, KEEP THE, KEEP THE SAME, YOU KNOW, BE CONSISTENT. THE OTHERS DON'T GET APPROVED. THERE'S NO, NO POINT IN PROVING THAT. YEAH, NO, I KNOW. I I WAS JUST SAYING THAT IF WE PUT 'EM ALL IN BUSINESS, I MEAN, WE DON'T WANNA PUT 'EM ALL ON CONSENT AND YOU CAN'T PUT EM ONE ON CONSENT BEFORE YOU DO BUSINESS. SO, SO WE'LL HAVE ALL OF THESE ON BUSINESS. JUST REMEMBER ONE THING. TODAY'S GARBAGE THAT HAS BEEN PREACHED TO ME. UM, I THINK, UH, UH, VARUS AND THE MEMBERS OF BARRY DUN HAVE PREACHED THE SAME THING. WE'RE ALREADY STARTING TO WORK ON DATA CLEANUP JUST FOR THAT REASON. OH. BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM US WHICH OPTION, RIGHT. I MEAN, UM, THE, THE FIRST OPTION, UH, THAT'S ON THERE ACTUALLY IS NOT, UH, I WOULDN'T EVEN REALLY CONSIDER IT AN OPTION BECAUSE, UH, I THINK IT ONLY GOES UP TO, UM, SEVEN, $750. I MEAN, SO, UH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS YEAH, THAT'S NOT GONNA CUT. THAT'S WHAT I SAW TOO. THAT'S NOT GONNA CUT IT. YEAH, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE UP. YEAH. THE, UM, SO, BUT I, I MEAN, I KNOW 2.35 IS MORE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. SO I WAS FAVORING THAT WITH THIS OPTION ANYWAYS, JUST FROM WHAT I READ BEFORE. SO, UM, AND TO BE ABLE TO KEEP 2.35%, UH, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 17, 18 YEARS, I'D BE ABLE TO KEEP THAT. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PRETTY, UH, THAT'S PRETTY COMPETITIVE. MM-HMM . YEAH. ALRIGHT. SO WE'RE GOOD. THANK YOU, BJ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO NEXT UP IS THE, UM, AUTHORS MANAGER TO EXECUTE PARTICIPATION AND RELEASE. WELL, SHANA SAID FROM A FORM, I'M JUST CURIOUS. I, I GUESS RELEASE FORM. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I FELT RELEASE FORM FOR THE TOWN TO BE CONSIDERED FOR INITIAL PARTICIPATION, COMPENSATION STATEMENT, PARTICIPATION UNDER THE PURDUE DIRECT SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID RELATED CLAIMS. MR. SAUNA? YES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THE NEXT SENTENCE, JUST PARTICIPATION RATE OF LOCAL POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE IF PARTICIPATION IS SUFFICIENT FOR THE PURDUE SETTLEMENT TO MOVE FORWARD. AND VIRGINIA WILL RECEIVE THE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL PAYMENT. SO THIS IS PURDUE FARMER FARM, PURDUE PHARMA PART TWO, THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. UM, I THINK YOU'RE ALL AWARE THERE WAS A POTENTIAL [01:35:01] SETTLEMENT. IT FELL THROUGH, I THINK IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULARS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE, THE COURT THAT, UH, THE, THE JUDGE IN THE BANKRUPTCY COURT THAT DIDN'T ACCEPT THAT. I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW IT FELL APART. BUT ANYWAY, IT'S BACK. IT'S, UM, IT'S THROUGH THE BANKRUPTCY COURT, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK. UM, UH, WE GOT THESE DOCUMENTS WITHIN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO. I WANTED TO GET IT IN FRONT OF COUNSEL BECAUSE THE DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 30. SO JUST WANTED TO GET AHEAD OF IT. UM, THE POTENTIAL SETTLEMENT AMOUNT IS, AND I, I BETTER SAY THIS FIRST BEFORE I GIVE YOU THE AMOUNT. THE TOWN'S NOT GONNA GET ANY OF IT. THAT'S WHAT I WAS MOVING. $3,485,264,791 AND 64 CENTS GOES WITH. THAT'S THE PROPOSED POT OF MONEY. UM, FROM THE DOCUMENTS ARE READ AND IT'S EXTENSIVE. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA'S THE ONLY, UH, JURISDICTION THAT'S NOT ON BOARD POTENTIALLY. SO, UM, SO IN VIRGINIA, UM, THE MONEY WOULD FLOW TO THE COMMONWEALTH AND THEN BE DISTRIBUTED TO COUNTIES AND CITIES, NOT TOWNS. THEN WHY ARE WE PARTICIPATING? BECAUSE THERE'S A PROVISION WHERE THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM TOWNS OF 10,000 POPULATION OR MORE TO BE COUNTED IN THE PARTICIPATION RATE FOR THE COMMONWEALTH. UM, WE DID THE SAME THING THE LAST, I MEAN, WE HAD THE, I'M NOT SAYING WE DID THIS BEFORE, EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW, THAT THE COUNTY WOULD BE THE ONE TO, TO ACTUALLY RECEIVE AND MANAGE THE MONEY, I GUESS IS THE BEST WAY TO, FOR ME TO SAY THAT THE TOWN SHOULD HAVE A SAY IN HOW WARREN COUNTY USES IT. ALTHOUGH THE USES ARE VERY LIMITED. IT'S, IT'S LIKE LIMITED TO OPIOID REMEDIATION. IT'S NOT JUST COULD BE HERE'S MONEY. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH IT. SO ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD HAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE? I'M SAYING THAT WHAT IF THE SETTLEMENT GOES FORWARD AND IF THE MONEY, UH, SOME MONEY MAKES IT TO WARREN COUNTY, I THINK THE TOWN WOULD HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. WELL, WE DIDN'T THE LAST TIME A SEAT AT THE TABLE IN, IN DISCUSSING HOW BEST TO USE THE MONEY. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. WELL, AND I THINK, I MEAN, JUST TO GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY FUND A NUMBER OF NON-PROFITS WHO DO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF SUBSTANCE USE AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL GET THE MONEY. IT'LL PROBABLY GO TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S GO IN THAT REGARD BY PARTICIPATING, I'M SUGGESTING A RESOLUTION OF SOME SORT. RIGHT. NO, I KNOW, I I JUST, THE, I AGREE WITH YOU. I WISH WE HAD SOME, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST SOME INPUT ABOUT TALKING ABOUT IT. SO WHEN THE RECOVERY COURT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED THE DRUG COURT WHEN WE WERE SETTING UP THE DRUG COURT ALL THOSE MANY YEARS AGO, ONE OF THE THINGS AT THE TIME WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EXPENSE OF IT WAS THAT THERE WAS ANTICIPATION THAT, UM, THESE SETTLEMENTS THAT WOULD COME THROUGH AND THERE WOULD BE MONEY THAT, UM, COULD POSSIBLY HELP FUND, YOU KNOW, RECCO RECOVERY COURT OR SOME OF THE SERVICES OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT COME OUT OF THAT. UM, AND THEN WHEN THE FIRST SETTLEMENT DID COME THROUGH, 'CAUSE I ALSO SETTLE IN THE RECOVERY COURT FOR THE TOWN. UM, AND THEY SAID THAT THERE WERE SOME STIPULATIONS WITH THAT MONEY THAT IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING BASICALLY HAD TO BE SOMETHING THAT WAS NEW. IT COULDN'T BE SOMETHING THAT WAS ALREADY ESTABLISHED. AND BECAUSE WE HAD ESTABLISHED THE DRUG COURT, LIKE LITERALLY THE YEAR, WITHIN THE YEAR OF IT HAPPENING, THEY CONSIDERED, THEY, THEY SAID THAT, THAT THEY COULD, THEY WOULD, DIDN'T BELIEVE THEY'D BE ABLE TO USE THE MONEY FOR THAT, FOR ANYTHING WITH THE RECOVERY COURT, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY STUPID. WELL, YEAH, AND IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAD TO GO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF WE HAD KNOWN THAT, LIKE MAYBE IT WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD'VE HIT PAUSE A LITTLE BIT BEFORE YOU STARTED THE RECOVERY COURT. SO YOU COULD HAVE USED SOME OF THESE FUNDS, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T GO BACK. IT WAS ALREADY DONE DEAL. UM, SO, AND I AGREE WITH YOU. I'M SURE THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT THEY COULD, THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO USE. I JUST WANT, YOU KNOW, I'M WONDERING IF THIS SETTLEMENT WOULD HAVE THE SAME, UM, STIPULATIONS. STIPULATIONS AS THE PREVIOUS ONE. 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THE TOWN FUNDS WANNA SAY IT'S 50,000 [01:40:01] YOU CALL IT? I'M PRETTY SURE. DO YOU KNOW CHIEF? I THINK WE PUT IN LIKE 50,000 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT SOUNDS RIGHT. I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT WE WERE LIKE 50 AND THEY WERE 50 OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES TO BASICALLY GET IT STARTED BECAUSE AT THE TIME, YOU KNOW, IT WAS NOT GONNA BE SOMETHING THE COUNTY COULD HAVE AFFORDED TO DO ON THEIR OWN. AND WE, AND SOUNDS AS DIRECTLY BENEFIT FROM IT AS WELL. AND UM, SO I JUST WAS CURIOUS. WE DON'T, WE WON'T REALLY KNOW UNTIL THAT COMES OUT. RIGHT? WELL I THINK IT IS BURIED IN SOME OF THESE EXHIBITS TO THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL. UM, WHAT I WAS GONNA SUGGEST IS IF THIS GOES FORWARD AS ANOTHER BUSINESS ITEM, I CAN ADD SOME MATERIALS TO THAT, TO THE NEXT AGENDA. YEAH. AS FAR AS THE PROPOSED LIMITATIONS ON USE OF THE FUNDS, RIGHT. I MEAN I'M, I'M NOT, OBVIOUSLY I'M SUPPORT, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF A, OF A RESOLUTION BECAUSE I WROTE WHETHER WE, WHETHER AS LONG AS OUR COMMUNITY IS GONNA BE A PART OF THE RECIPIENT OF THESE FUNDS, I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, UH, CRUCIAL FOR US TO DO THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS. I JUST WAS CURIOUS IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THAT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN, SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A, UM, A PERFECT, YOU KNOW, UM, PERFECT PLACE FOR SOME OF THOSE FUNDS TO GO TO SUPPORT THE RECOVERY COURT. BUT, UM, ANYWAY, UM, SO READING FROM THE MATERIALS THAT, UH, WERE SENT TO US, PARTICIPATING TOWNS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE DIRECT SHARES FROM THE SETTLEMENT FUNDS. HOWEVER, THEY MAY BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR REQUEST OR RECEIVE FUNDS FOR OPIOID ABATEMENT PROGRAMS THROUGH THEIR COUNTY PARTICIPATION BY THESE TOWNS WILL HELP MAXIMIZE THE RECOVERY FOR ALL OF VIRGINIA'S COUNTIES, INCLUDING THE COUNTIES IN WHICH THEY ARE LOCATED. OKAY. AND I, UM, JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, UM, IF YOU ALL HAVE NOT READ UP ON THE HISTORY OF THAT FAMILY, THE SACKLER FAMILY AND PURDUE PHARMA, IT'S QUITE A DRAMA AND, UH, VERY INTERESTING. SO, SO THE PARTIES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SETTLEMENT ARE ALL THE DEBTORS IN THE BANKRUPTCY CASE, PLUS OTHER PARTIES TO INCLUDE THE SACKLER FAMILY. MM-HMM . SO, SO THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE, IT'S A RESOLUTION, RIGHT? THAT WE OH NO, JUST THE FORM. A MOTION, A RESOLUTION. YEAH. WHAT'S IT TO EXECUTE THE PARTICIPATION AND RELEASE FORM. AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO SIGN IT. IT'S IN THE PACKET, RIGHT? YEAH. SO IS EVERYBODY GOOD WITH, UM, I CAN, AS I SAID, I COULD SUBMIT MORE MATERIALS IN THE NEXT PACKET. NO, IT WASN'T THAT. AS FAR AS THE USE OF THE FUNDS, IF IT SETTLES, NO, I, I MEAN I, IF THEY SAY YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T. THAT'S ALL. I JUST KNOW THAT THAT ORIGINALLY WHEN THE, WHEN THE DRUG COURT WAS SET UP, THE TALK AT THAT TIME WAS, IS THAT WHEN THESE SETTLEMENTS CAME THROUGH, IT WOULD PROVIDE THAT, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, LIKE SEED MONEY TO GET THINGS STARTED. AND THEN THERE WERE GRANTS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WERE OUT THERE. UM, BUT THEN WHEN THE FIRST SETTLEMENT CAME ALONG IT WAS LIKE, NOPE, YOU CAN'T USE IT FOR THAT. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD STILL BE, BUT THERE'S CERTAINLY OTHER THINGS THAT RECOVERY COURT IS, YOU KNOW, IS DOING AND SUPPORTING WITH SERVICES AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT MAYBE, I MEAN, MAYBE THEY CAN, MAYBE THEY'D BE ABLE TO HAVE MORE PARTICIPANTS IF THEY HAD MORE RESOURCES FOR THE PARTICIPANTS, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. UM, YOU KNOW, MORE SUPPORT FOR THEM. SO, BUT I DON'T, IT'S ALL ABOUT US APPROVING HIM TO SIGN THIS. YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, DO YOU OR IS WE UNDERGOING CONSENT? YEAH, THAT COULD BE CONSENT. THAT'S, THIS ONE WAS A PERFECT CONSENT YEAH. ITEM. ALRIGHT. UM, NEXT UP IS CLOSED MEETING. MADAM MAYOR. I MOVE THAT TOWN COUNCIL CONVENE A CLOSED MEETING PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 AND 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 2 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSE. ONE, PURSUANT TO SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 1 A EIGHT OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA FOR CONSULTING WITH LEGAL COUNSEL, EMPLOYED OR RETAIN BY PUBLIC BODY REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS REQUIRING THE PROVISION OF LEGAL ADVICE BY SUCH COUNSEL, OR SPECIFICALLY A STORMWATER ISSUE ON WEST COMMONWEALTH TRIBE, AND B, CONTRACT WITH BLUE LINE SOLUTIONS LLC SECOND. OKAY. [01:45:02] COUNCILMAN WOOD? YES. COUNCILMAN OCK? YES. COUNCILMAN RAPPAPORT? YES. COUNCILMAN INGRAM? YES. COUNCIL DIEGO ? YES. VICE MAYOR AL? YES. OKAY, SO WE ARE NOW ENCLOSED. OKAY. THANK YOU. EVERY. * 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.