[1. Call to Order] [00:00:08] JAMES VALADEZ: GOOD MORNING. I'D LIKE TO CALL THE WORK SESSION OF THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO ORDER. THE TIME IS 1:130 ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 2023. WE ARE CONDUCTING THIS MEETING AT TCAD HEADQUARTERS, LOCATED AT 850 EAST ANDERSON LANE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND A QUORUM IS PRESENT. [2. Establishment of Quorum] WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THIS MEETING THROUGH ONLINE BROADCAST AS A COURTESY. THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE [3. Workshop on District Budget Preparation and Possible Direction to Staff on Budget Priorities.] WORKSHOP ON DISTRICT BUDGET PREPARATION AND POSSIBLE DIRECTION TO STAFF ON BUDGET PRIORITIES. THE BOARD WILL NOT MAKE ANY FINAL DECISIONS REGARDING THE DISTRICT BUDGET AT THIS MEETING. MARYA CRIGLER: THANK YOU. SO WE'LL GO OVER JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS, AND I'LL LET LEANA TALK ABOUT MOST OF IT, BUT THIS IS JUST A BUDGET WORKSHOP, JUST SOME PRELIMINARY INFORMATION TO YOU, AND THEN GET SOME FEEDBACK, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK. I THINK JUNE 12 IS THE DATE THAT WE WILL HAVE FOR OUR ACTUAL APPROVAL OF THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET. AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN OVER TO LEANA AND I'LL PIPE IN AS NEEDED. LEANA MANN: THE 2024 PRELIMINARY BUDGET HAS AN INCREASE OF SEVEN AND A HALF PERCENT. THE MAJORITY OF THAT IS JUST DUE TO INFLATIONARY COSTS THAT HAVE BEEN PUSHED DOWN FROM OUR VENDORS. WE DID ALSO INCLUDE SOME UNFUNDED MANDATES THAT COULD HAVE A POTENTIAL IMPACT ON OUR BUDGET. WE'LL KNOW MORE AS WE GET GET THROUGH JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LAND ON THOSE BUT IF ALL OF THE UNFUNDED MANDATES WERE TO PASS, WE WOULD BE AT ABOUT 17 AND A HALF PERCENT INCREASE ON OUR BUDGET, OF COURSE, WILL REVISE THAT BEFORE PROPOSED TO ONLY INCLUDE THOSE THAT ARE ACTUALLY STILL IN IN THE WORKS. FOR PERSONNEL, WE ARE PROPOSING TO INCREASE STAFF BY THREE. IT WOULD BE ONE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT IN OUR BPP APPRAISAL DEPARTMENT, A COMMUNICATION SUPPORT SPECIALIST IN OUR ADMIN DEPARTMENT WHO WOULD ALSO SERVE AS THE POTENTIAL SUPPORT TO THE TAXPAYER LIAISON THAT IS IN A PROPOSED BILL, AND THEN A SENIOR HELP DESK TECHNICIAN IN OUR IT DEPARTMENT. WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED AN ANALYSIS FOR EACH DEPARTMENT THAT HAS EACH LINE ITEM THAT YOU CAN DIG THROUGH. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT A LINE ITEM, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THOSE. JAMES VALADEZ: I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION IN REVIEWING A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, BUT ONE QUESTION AT THIS TIME FOR THE LEGAL SERVICES LINE ITEM, AS A PERCENTAGE, I SAW A FAIRLY LARGE INCREASE THERE. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO THAT, AND ANY ONGOING CONCERNS THAT THE BOARD SHOULD BE AWARE OF THAT COULD BE PLACED ON IT AS A RESULT OF WHAT I'M PRESUMING IS EITHER PASS THROUGH COSTS OR PERCEIVED OR PENDING LITIGATION THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE NEEDED. LEANA MANN: AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, WE WENT OVER OUR ANNUAL REPORT LAST MEETING, BUT THE LITIGATION AND THE NUMBER OF LAWSUITS HAS INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. WE'RE SEEING THOSE COSTS COME IN NOW. SO THESE NUMBERS IN OUR 2024 WERE BASED, WE DID A ZERO BASED BUDGETING WHERE WE LOOKED AT 2023, 2022 ACTUALS, EXCUSE ME, AND THEN BUDGETED BASED ON THAT. THIS INCREASE DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR ANY OF THE UNFUNDED MANDATE, THOUGH THAT COULD INCREASE IT EVEN MORE WITH THE COST OF POTENTIAL ATTORNEYS FEES INCREASING. JAMES VALADEZ: THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS, ON PAGE 12, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE BALANCE IN 850 EAL HOLDING AND REFRESH THE BOARD WITH THE OUTSTANDING LIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE BUILDING AND KIND OF WHERE WE STAND ON PAYING THAT DOWN? LEANA MANN: YES. 850 EAL HOLDING CORP WAS OUR HOLDING CORPORATION. WE CREATED FOR THE BUILDING PURCHASE THE IN 2022 WE PAID DOWN JUST OVER 6 MILLION AND OUR LIABILITIES, SO OUR WE'RE SITTING RIGHT AT ABOUT 3 MILLION. AND WHAT'S BUDGETED IS JUST OUR QUARTERLY PAYMENTS. THAT'S PART OF OUR NOTE. SO IN TOTAL, IT'LL BE $748,838. WE'RE SCHEDULED TO PAY OFF THAT NOTE IN 2027. JAMES VALADEZ: JUST ONE FOLLOW UP ON THAT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE ADJUSTABLE NATURE OF THE RATE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE IN AND, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, FOR GETTING TOO FAR DOWN THE WEEDS IN REAL ESTATE, I DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN THAT PATH, BUT ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN SPEAK TO OR STAFF IS COGNIZANT OF THAT COULD BE OVERLY BURDENSOME IN AN ADJUSTABLE RATE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, PLAN ACCORDINGLY TO ENSURE THAT THOSE EXPENSES ARE MITIGATED AS MUCH AS THEY CAN BE. [00:05:01] LEANA MANN: SO, FORTUNATELY FOR US, WE HAVE WE'RE GOING THROUGH OUR AUDIT RIGHT NOW, BUT WE HAVE A LEASE LIABILITY IN OUR NOTES PAYABLE THAT WE HAVE TO KIND OF BE CONCERNED WITH RATES OUR NOTE PAYABLE. WE CAN'T TAKE OUT A TRADITIONAL LOAN BECAUSE WE'RE A SPECIAL PURPOSE GOVERNMENT. SO WE USED A COMPANY, AND THEY ACTUALLY PURCHASE BONDS ON OUR BEHALF TO THEN TAKE OUT THE DEBT. SO WE'RE LOCKED IN ON OUR RATE. THEY RECASTED OUR NOTE BACK WHEN WE PAID THE 6 MILLION TO ADJUST THE TERM, BUT THE RATE, WE WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN OUR 4.19% THAT WE WERE PAYING PREVIOUSLY, AND THEN OUR LEASE LIABILITY IS SIMILAR. WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE A NOTE TO SECURE THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO TAKE THE PRESENT VALUE OF THE COST OF THE LEASE, AND WE USE A AN ADJUSTABLE RATE THERE. WE USED 5% THIS YEAR, SO IT WOULD INCREASE OUR LIABILITY ON OUR FINANCIALS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY. JAMES VALADEZ: AND CAN YOU SPEAK TO SOME OF THE VACANCIES THAT I THINK WE HAD HAD ONGOING, AND WHERE WE STAND ON FILLING SOME OF THOSE I KNOW WE HAD WORKED REALLY HARD AT SHORING UP THOSE POSITIONS IN ADVANCE OF PROTEST SEASON AND MAKING SURE WE WERE STAFFED AS ADEQUATELY AS WE COULD. CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHERE WE ARE ON THIS? MARYA CRIGLER: YEAH, WE HAVE THE SAME STRUGGLES A LOT OF GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES HAD COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC WITH WITH FILLING OUR VACANCIES, WE'VE DONE A LOT BETTER IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO FILL OUR VACANCIES. WE CURRENTLY HAVE HOW MANY VACANCIES? WE CURRENTLY HAVE, SEVEN VACANCIES LEFT, AND THOSE ARE PRIMARILY IN CLERICAL POSITIONS. SO WE FIND THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF ROTATION WHERE WE'LL FILL IT, AND THEN THEY'LL LEAVE FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, AND THEN WE RECREATE THAT VACANCY. BUT WE ARE, WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD. WE DO THANK THE BOARD LAST YEAR FOR GIVING US THAT SALARY INCREASE, WE PROBABLY NEED TO LOOK AND MAKE SURE THAT WE REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THOSE CLERICAL FIELDS SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT AND MAINTAIN AND RETAIN THE CLERICAL POSITIONS. BUT IT'S AN ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR ALL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES IN THE CLERICAL REALM. BLANCA ZAMORA GARCIA: ARE YOU ABLE TO KEEP THE PEOPLE THAT YOU HIRE? BECAUSE I KNOW IT WAS A ROTATING THING. MARYA CRIGLER: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS WHERE WE SEE THE CHURN. WE DO LEVERAGE TEMPORARY AGENCIES TO HELP FILL THE VACANCIES UNTIL WE CAN FIND SOMEBODY FULL TIME OR HAVE THE TEMPORARY STAFF MEMBER ON STAFF LONG ENOUGH TO TURN THEM OVER AND CONVERT THEM INTO A FULL TIME EMPLOYEE. BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THAT ONE OF THOSE CLERICAL AREAS WHERE WE SEE THE LARGEST VOLUME OF CHURN. BLANCA ZAMORA GARCIA: YEAH, I HAVE, I'VE SEEN IT WHERE THEY DON'T RESPOND. BRUCE ELFANT: WHAT DID WE WHAT DID WE INCREASE THE MINIMUM PAY TO? I CAN'T REMEMBER. LEANA MANN: SO THE BUDGET, THE PROPOSED 2024, WOULD BRING EVERYONE UP TO THE LOWEST HOURLY RATE WOULD BE $20 BRUCE ELFANT: WE'RE AT 20. WHEN WE DID THAT AT THE COUNTY, WE'RE SEEING WAY MORE APPLICATIONS AND HIGHER QUALITY OF APPLICATIONS. I HOPE Y'ALL ARE SEEING THE SAME, MARYA CRIGLER: YEAH LEANA MANN: AND WE'VE KIND OF TAKEN THAT APPROACH THIS YEAR ALREADY. FOR NEW STAFF COMING IN, WE ARE BRINGING THEM IN AT A HIGHER RATE, AND WE ARE SEEING THE SAME THING, MUCH HIGHER QUALITY OF APPLICANTS. SO IT'S BEEN GOOD SO FAR, BUT WE'D LIKE TO ADJUST EVERYONE IN OUR CURRENT SALARIES TO MEET THAT SAME STRUCTURE. NICOLE CONLEY: LEANA, DO YOU? THIS IS NICOLE CONLEY. I'M SORRY I'M NOT ABLE TO BE IN PERSON, BUT THE POTENTIAL UNFUNDED MANDATES, I THINK THE BUDGET ITSELF IS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE UNFUNDED MANDATES AND THE IMPACT ON THE BOTTOM LINE. DO YOU? I KNOW LAST NIGHT THERE WAS A LOT OF BILLS, HURT, YOU KNOW, FEVER, TRYING TO, IF, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEM THROUGH TO POTENTIALLY GET IN FRONT OF CONFERENCE. BUT OF THE TWO POINT ALMOST 6 MILLION, IS THERE LIKELIHOOD THAT MAYBE HALF OF IT MIGHT WE HAVE TO REALIZE AN IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENT FOR OR DO YOU HAVE ANY? I MEAN, I KNOW THIS IS BASIC AS A POINT IN TIME WHEN WE INITIALLY GOT THESE DOCUMENTS, BUT AFTER MAKING PROGRESS THROUGH HOUSE AND SENATE BILLS, AS OF LAST NIGHT, IS THIS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF MOST OF THESE BUDGET DOLLARS BECOMING NECESSARY? MARYA CRIGLER: NO NICOLE CONLEY: IN YOUR MIND MARYA CRIGLER: SOME OF THESE, AND PARTICULARLY THE THE LARGEST LINE ITEM IS A BILL THAT PROCEDURALLY HAS, HAS PASSED ITS ITS DATE. I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY POTENTIAL THAT IT COULD BE AMENDED ON TO ANY OTHER BILLS. SO, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST HALF OF IT WILL GO AWAY. THE OTHER HALF THERE'S, THERE'S STILL A LIKELIHOOD, OF PROBABILITY THAT THEY MAY, IN SOME FORM, STILL CONTINUE ON. WE DON'T KNOW IF SOME OF THESE WILL [00:10:01] GET PICKED UP IN SPECIAL SESSION EITHER. IF PROPERTY TAX RELIEF AND REFORM BECOME A SPECIAL SESSION ITEM, THEN SOME OF THESE OTHER ITEMS, PARTICULARLY SURROUNDING APPRAISAL DISTRICT LITIGATION, MAY RESURFACE. BUT AT THIS TIME, THE LARGEST LINE ITEM, ONE THAT WE SAW, WAS THE TCDRS LIABILITY, AND I THINK THAT ONE HAS GONE AWAY. NICOLE CONLEY: OKAY, GOOD, GOOD. AND THEN, AND LAST, SO THE NEXT QUESTION I HAVE IS, ONCE WE SORT OF HAVE THIS INITIAL DISCUSSION AROUND THE BUDGET, WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO TALK TO THE TAXING ENTITIES? AND IS THERE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGETS ARE GOWING UP. THEY'RE DEALING WITH INFLATIONARY FACTORS THEMSELVES, BUT MAY NOT BE FULLY FUNDED. SO I WORRY BETWEEN THE SEVEN AND A HALF TO THE, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY 15% JUMP, AND SO NOW IT PROBABLY BE MORE ALONG THE LINES OF MAYBE A 10 TO 12% JUMP, YOU KNOW, BASED UPON LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS. AND I'M JUST WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS OUR PROCESS FOR INVOLVING THE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES AND GETTING SOME KIND OF FEEDBACK FROM THEM ON THE POTENTIAL LEVEL OF INCREASE THAT WE'RE CONTEMPLATING? MARYA CRIGLER: THAT'LL USUALLY HAPPEN IN JUNE, ONCE WE PASS OUR PRELIMINARY BUDGET. THEN WE SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE TAXING UNITS AND LET THEM KNOW JUST A PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF WHAT THEIR LIABILITY WOULD BE TO THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND THEN WE HAVE ANY CONVERSATIONS THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO HAVE WITH ANY OF THEM THAT MAY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT AT THAT TIME. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AND NICOLE, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, THAT TAX UNITS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISAPPROVE THE BUDGET THEY HAVE ISSUE PROBLEM WITH IT. SO THERE IS A MECHANISM FOR THAT. MARYA CRIGLER: AND OUR FINAL ADOPTION WON'T OCCUR UNTIL SEPTEMBER. NICOLE CONLEY: BUT I'M JUST SAYING INITIALLY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY SORT OF, WE HAVEN'T READ THAT. WE DON'T HAVE ANY SORT OF INITIAL FEEDBACK OR READING THE TEA LEAVES. I MEAN, I CAN CERTAINLY, I MEAN, I CERTAINLY CAN SPEAK WITH A FEW OF MY COUNTER POINTS THERE. BUT JUST WONDERING, HOW YOU KNOW THE LEGISLATIVE I KNOW SOMETIMES SOME OF THE TAXING ENTITIES HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME REALIZING THE IMPACT OF SOME OF THE LEGISLATION, AND SO JUST TRYING TO GET GET A SENSE AS TO WHAT COULD BE REASONABLE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING SO BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. I NOTICED ON THE WHICH PAGE THIS IS, PAGE FOUR, THE APPRAISAL SERVICES. ONE ITEM GOES FROM AN ACTUAL OF 200,752 A PROPOSAL, 350,000 COULD YOU TELL US WHAT UPON? WHAT THAT IS BASED? LEANA MANN: WE'VE BUDGETED TO HIRE ANOTHER CONTRACTOR APPRAISAL SERVICE, LIKE WE DISCUSSED LAST MEETING, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY LEANA MANN: THAT'S BUILT INTO THE BUDGET, CORRECT. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AND THEN UNDER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, THERE'S A SLIGHT INCREASES THAT. COULD YOU TELL US WHAT THAT THAT WAS ABOUT? LEANA MANN: IT'S ADDITIONAL COST FOR OUR CAMA SOFTWARE THROUGH TRUE PRODIGY. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD HAS TO DO WITH THE APPRAISAL REVIEW BOARD, THE BUDGETED AMOUNT. THE PROPOSED BUDGET AMOUNT IS A 9% INCREASE WITH 100 MEMBERS, I RECALL THAT WE APPROVED 74 IS IS THAT CORRECT? I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS THERE. IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THAT PLEASE. MARYA CRIGLER: WE ARE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW WITH HAVING SUFFICIENT ARB MEMBERS TO STAFF, EVEN THE 74 POSITIONS, WE WERE JUST NOTIFIED WE HAD PLANNED THAT WE WOULD HAVE 20 PANELS THE FIRST WEEK OF HEARINGS. AND WE'RE TOLD THAT THEY'RE NOW FALLING FOR PANELS SHORT BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS. SO WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH WITH THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF ARB MEMBERSHIP TO HANDLE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I DON'T KNOW WHY, IF WE CAN'T GET 74 WHY DO WE THINK WE CAN GET 100. MARYA CRIGLER: YOU KNOW, IT IS ALWAYS A STRUGGLE. IF WE CAN GET MORE APPOINTED, AND WE LOSE SOME DURING THE SEASON, MAYBE WE WIND UP AT THE SWEET POINT OF 74 IT'S AN ONGOING STRUGGLE. DEBBIE, I'M OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE WITH, HOW CAN WE HANDLE THIS? DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WELL, I DON'T KNOW. I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT THE BUDGETING ASPECT, YEAH, BUT I MEAN, IF WE PROBABLY BUDGET FOR 100 WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN GET 74 IS MY MY INQUIRY. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT. I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TROUBLE GETTING APPOINTED, APPOINTED MEMBERS, AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FACILITATE THAT, AND I TOO, DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT. I KNOW THERE WAS AN EFFORT THROUGH LEGISLATION TO EXPAND THAT NUMBER, BUT I ASSUME THAT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. MARYA CRIGLER: OUR SENATE BILL, 361, WHICH WOULD ALLOW TEACHERS TO SERVE ON THE ARB IS ACTUALLY IN THE GOVERNOR'S HANDS. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OH MARYA CRIGLER: SO WE'RE WAITING. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: CONGRATULATIONS, MARYA CRIGLER: ON THAT BILL. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: SO IN CONCEPT, WE MIGHT HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT YEAR MARYA CRIGLER: POTENTIAL THAT WE'VE GOT A WHOLE REALM OF TEACHERS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE AVAILABLE TO SERVE AS ARB MEMBERS DURING THE SUMMER THAT WOULD NOW BE ELIGIBLE WHERE THEY WEREN'T ELIGIBLE BEFORE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AGAIN, I JUST I DON'T KNOW WHY WE NEED TO [00:15:02] BUDGET FOR 100 WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN GET 74 IT'S MY QUESTION. AND I JUST WONDER IF WE SHOULD BUDGET FOR THAT FULL AMOUNT TO ADD A 9% INCREASE OR NOT. LEANA MANN: I THINK PART OF THEIR CHALLENGE IS THAT THESE ARE GENERALLY RETIRED INDIVIDUALS, AND SO THEY HAVE WEEKS THAT THEY HAVE VACATIONS PLANNED OR DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS, AND SO GETTING A CONSISTENT 74 MEMBERS HAS BEEN CHALLENGING, BUT THEY DON'T FALL IN THAT ATTENDANCE POLICY WHERE WE COULD HAVE THEM REMOVED, BECAUSE THEY DO STILL SHOW UP. THEY JUST HAVE OTHER THINGS THEY HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF ALSO, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AGAIN, IT'S JUST A BUDGETING QUESTION. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE ATTENDANCE ISSUE. BLANCA ZAMORA GARCIA: I, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN INTERVIEWED, AND THESE ARE VERY COMPETENT FOLKS. MARYA CRIGLER: YOU KNOW, A LOT CHANGED WHEN IT WAS TAKEN OUT OF THE HANDS OF OUR BOARD AND GIVEN AND PUT IN THE HANDS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE. AND YOU KNOW, WHEREAS WHEN OUR BOARD HAD THAT RESPONSIBILITY, WE COULD BE A LOT MORE FLUID AND REACTIVE, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FELL SHORT, WE COULD QUICKLY GET NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED. NOW THAT WE'VE GOT A WHOLE NOTHER PROCEDURE AND PROCESS, WE'VE GOT SOME VACANCIES THAT WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE JUDGE TO FILL, AND WE'VE MADE MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR THAT. JAMES VALADEZ: LEANA, CAN YOU JUST LAY THAT OUT ONE MORE TIME? SO WE'RE BUDGETED FOR 100 IN THE BUDGET, BUT WE'RE HAVING STRUGGLE FILLING THE ALLOTTED NUMBER AS IT STANDS TODAY, YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF WE CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE 100 AT SOME POINT THROUGH ATTRITION, WE POTENTIALLY COULD END UP LANDING AT A SWEET SPOT. SO AS A IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A BLENDED AVERAGE. COULD END UP BEING SOMEWHERE AROUND 75 ISH, LEANA MANN: I THINK IT WOULD BE SAFE TO BUDGET FOR 75 MEMBERS WITH THE IDEA THAT MAYBE WE REQUEST 100 APPOINTMENTS AND THEN WE AVERAGE SOMEWHERE AROUND 75 DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: THAT'S WHAT I'M BASICALLY SAYING. SHOULD WE ADJUST THE BUDGET TO REFLECT WHAT WE ANTICIPATE? WE CAN TRY TO GET 100 BUT IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE WILL EVER ACHIEVE THAT, THAT GOAL, JAMES VALADEZ: BUT SO LONG AS WE I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, SO LONG AS WE GIVE THE JUDGE THAT LATITUDE TO FIND THE 100 WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE BELIEVE WE CAN BAKE IN SOME DEGREE OF ATTRITION, WE WILL STILL HAVE THE ALLOTTED BUDGET THAT'S NEEDED. RIGHT? LEANA MANN: THAT IS CORRECT. JAMES VALADEZ: YEAH. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I THINK THEY PROPOSED 2024, BUDGETS BEFORE US. YOU PEOPLE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB AND QUITE EXPLICIT, AND IT'S A JOB WELL DONE, BUT I HAVE SOME AREA FOR CLARIFICATION. NUMBER ONE, SPOKE ABOUT NUMBER OF VACANCIES YOU HAVE. I THINK I DON'T KNOW I STAND TO BE CORRECTED. I THINK IT OUGHT TO ALSO HAVE REFLECTED IN A DOCUMENT LIKE BECAUSE I JUST OVERHEAD YOU ASK SOMEBODY AND SAY, SEVEN, YOU HAVE SEVERAL CLERICAL POSITIONS FILLED, AND THE CASE MAY BE SO YOU DON'T HAVE ANY POSITION APART FROM THAT, MARYA CRIGLER: I THINK WE HAVE ONE VACANCY LEFT IN THE COMMERCIAL DIVISION, BUT THE BULK OF OUR VACANCIES TEND TO BE CLERICAL. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: VERY GOD. OKAY, THEN ON PAGE 15, UNDER TRAINING AND EDUCATION, MAYBE THAT'S IT CONCERNS ME A LOT ON THAT TRAINING EDUCATION, I BELIEVE THAT FOR YOUR STAFF TO BE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE, THEY NEED TO BE TRAINED AND RETRAINED. AND WHAT HAVE YOU WHAT WAS THE BUDGET LIKE FOR 2022 OR 2023 WHAT WAS THE BUDGET LIKE UNDER TRAINING YEAR EDUCATION, UNDER THE PREVIOUS BUDGET, PLEASE. LEANA MANN: SO FOR TRAINING FOR 2023 WE BUDGETED 120,790 FOR ALL AND FOR 2024 WE'RE PROPOSING 151,790 WHICH IS A 25% INCREASE IN TRAINING. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: 100 HOURS. LEANA MANN: SO PAGE 15 IS JUST ONE DEPARTMENT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE THREE, IT GIVES YOU THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: OKAY, UNDER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, PAGE 17, YOUR BUDGETED 3752 LEANA MANN: YES, RIGHT? YOU'D HAVE TO ADD UP EACH DEPARTMENT [00:20:04] TO GET THE TOTAL. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: YEAH, I KNOW. I KNOW, ADDING UP THE EACH DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M LOOKING AT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. WHY IS IT SO LOW? LEANA MANN: THEY DON'T HAVE A THE REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL APPRAISER DESIGNATION, SO THAT REQUIRES CERTAIN CLASSES THROUGH TDLR THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN. SO OUR APPRAISAL DIVISIONS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER COST FOR TRAINING THAN IT AND ADMIN. MARYA CRIGLER: WE'RE ALSO ABLE TO LEVERAGE A LOT OF ONLINE TRAINING THAT IS LESS EXPENSIVE FOR OUR IT STAFF. NICOLE CONLEY: I WILL DENOTE HERE A HIGHLIGHT IN THE BUDGET. I THIS IS THE FIRST ORGANIZATIONAL BUDGET THAT I'VE SEEN WHERE SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE COSTS ARE ACTUALLY GOING DOWN. SO APPARENTLY, WHATEVER WE'RE DOING INTERNALLY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THESE INCREASES IN SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE FEES AND COSTS, THAT'S A THAT'S A GOOD THING. SO I'M ASSUMING THAT'S RELATED TO, RELATED TO SORT OF TAKING ON CERTAIN SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS AND REDUCING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SOME VENDORS, BUT EVERY OTHER BUDGET SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE IS GOING UP. MARYA CRIGLER: WE'VE DONE AND SPENT A LOT IN DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE NOW TWO YEARS IN IT, SO WE DON'T HAVE QUITE AS MUCH CODE DEV, ALTHOUGH THERE'S STILL A LOT OF LEGISLATIVE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE MAY NEED TO DO. NICOLE CONLEY: YEAH, WELL, THAT'S A GOOD THING. IT REALLY SHOWS THAT YOU'VE BEEN AHEAD IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE IMPLEMENTING EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE REALLY EFFECTIVE AND TAKING HOLD, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE COST BURDENS SOFTENING OUT OVER TIME. SO I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THE FOCUS EFFORT THAT WE'VE MADE ON MAKING IT IN TECHNOLOGY AN IMPORTANT ENDEAVOR, AND MAKING OUR OPERATIONS, THE OPERATIONS OF THE DISTRICT, MORE EFFICIENT. THANK YOU. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: ON PAGE 18, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WHICH PAGE? I'M SORRY. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: PAGE 18. 18 18, YEAH. BOOKS PUBLICATION, SUBSCRIPTION, LETTER B6, 100. WHY? LEANA MANN: FOR OUR GIS DEPARTMENT, THEY DON'T HAVE VERY MANY SUBSCRIPTIONS THAT THEY PARTAKE IN, SO THAT WOULD JUST COVER AND OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: YOU DON'T HAVE BOOKS. THEY DON'T HAVE BOOKS BETWEEN THE GIS. LEANA MANN: THIS IS MAINLY FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS. SO LIKE AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO A GIS TRAINING SOFTWARE, RIGHT? IT WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, NOT NECESSARILY BOOKS, OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: NOT NECESSARILY YOU BUY BOOKS LEANA MANN: RIGHT. YEAH, MOST IT'S ALMOST ALL ONLINE. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: OKAY, SO, BECAUSE YOU TAGGED IT AS BOOKS HERE, I THOUGHT MIGHT BE YOU TRY TO GET SOME HARD COPY OF BOOKS. LEANA MANN: NO, IT'S BOOK SUBSCRIPTIONS, DATABASES, ANYTHING THAT WOULD FALL INTO THAT OKAY, LINE ITEM. JAMES VALADEZ: I ALSO THINK THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO POINT OUT THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY GOING DOWN AS A RESULT OF THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CYCLOMEDIA AND THE SYNERGY THERE. SO BUDGET SAVINGS KIND OF ALL OVER. LEANA MANN: WE WERE ABLE TO DECREASE OUR PICTOMETRY OR EAGLE VIEW CONTRACT BECAUSE CYCLOMEDIA HAS TAKEN ON, WE'VE GOT MUCH BETTER IMAGES THAN WE EXPECTED. SO WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE OUR QUALITY OF AERIAL IMAGERY AND DECREASE THE COST JAMES VALADEZ: INCREASED FREQUENCY, OR SAME, SAME GENERAL LEANA MANN: SAME FREQUENCY OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: I'M SORRY I STILL NEED EXPLANATION ON PAGE 15. PAGE 15, LEGAL SERVICES. LEANA MANN: THAT'S WHAT WE WERE. MR. VALADEZ ASKED ABOUT EARLIER. SO THE CALL, THE NUMBER OF LITIGATION CASES THAT WE'VE HAD IS INCREASED OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: SO HIGH, IT'S TOO HIGH. 1,000,005 25 MARYA CRIGLER: 10, YEARS AGO, WE ONLY HAD 174 LAWSUITS. LAST YEAR, WE HAD 1789 OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: WOW. MARYA CRIGLER: SO THE VOLUME OF LITIGATION THAT WE DEAL WITH ON AN ANNUAL BASIS CONTINUES TO INCREASE, AND IT INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY. SO, YOU KNOW, EVERY LAWSUIT THAT'S FILED, WE HAVE TO FILE ANSWERS, WE HAVE TO DO DISCOVERY, LOTS OF INVOLVEMENT WITH OUR ATTORNEYS, HAVING TO DEAL WITH THAT VOLUME OF LITIGATION. JAMES VALADEZ: I THINK THIS ALSO TIES IN WITH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND APPRAISAL APPRAISAL SERVICES, BECAUSE THERE ARE CERTAIN INSTANCES IN WHICH WE GO TO ARBITRATION OR LITIGATION WITH EXPERT REPORTS. HAVE EXPERT REPORTERS, AND WE THOSE COSTS ON THE FRONT SIDE, EVEN IF THERE'S A NO SHOW IN THE HEARING. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE NEW FOLKS HERE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD DESCRIBE THE LAW FIRMS THAT WE HAVE ON CONTRACT TO DO THIS, BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THAT. MARYA CRIGLER: YEAH. SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE AN INTERNAL COUNSEL THAT [00:25:04] HELPS MANAGE JUST THAT VOLUME OF LITIGATION, AND THEN WE ALSO ENGAGE SEVERAL OUTSIDE LOSS FIRMS THAT HELP US ACTUALLY HANDLE THE CASES, PREPARE FOR TRIAL, AND DO A LOT OF THAT OTHER WORK THAT'S DONE WITH SO WE'VE GOT LOW SWEENEY AND EVANS, WE CONTRACT OUT WITH OLSON AND OLSON, WE CONTRACT OUT WITH EVERTON AND SANCHEZ. I THINK THERE'S ONE OTHER VERY GOOD ALLEN. ARE ALL OUTSIDE FIRMS THAT HELP US HANDLE ALL OF THAT VOLUME OF LITIGATION. AND SO WE WE TAKE THE INITIAL RECEIPT OF THE LAWSUITS. AND THEN ONCE WE TAKE RECEIPT OF THE LAWSUIT, THEN WE FARM IT OUT TO THE DIFFERENT LAW FIRMS FOR HANDLING DISCOVERY AND OTHER ITEMS AS IT COMES UP MEDIATION. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU USUALLY DISTRIBUTE THEM BASED ON QUALIFICATION, NOT QUALIFICATIONS, BUT AREAS OF EXPERTISE, YES, AMONG THE DIFFERENT FIRMS, YES, MARYA CRIGLER: YEAH, WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE MORE WELL VERSED IN HANDLING HOMESTEAD AND THOSE KIND OF INVESTIGATIVE ITEMS ANOTHER FIRM WILL DEAL WITH, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE'VE GOT INTRIGUING EXEMPTION ISSUES, AND THEN ANOTHER FIRM THAT WILL DO THAT HANDLES A LOT OF OUR JUST GENERAL, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OUR COMMERCIAL, COMMERCIAL LITIGATION. YEAH, IT'S MORE DIFFICULT, YEAH. OSEZUA EHIYAMEN: WELL, STAY ON PAGE 16. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PROVIDING EXPLANATION. WELL, IT IS MY FIRST TIME OF ATTENDING YOUR BUDGET PRESENTATION, I NEEDED TO GET SOME CLARIFICATION. I'M SEEING BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 30,500 CAN YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN? LEANA MANN: OUR BOARD MEETINGS WHEN WE ORDER LUNCH. IT'S ALSO FOR WHEN OUR BOARD MEMBERS ATTEND CONFERENCES. SO LIKE THE TAAD CONFERENCE THAT YOU WENT TO EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT COMES OUT OF THAT BUDGET LINE ITEM. MARYA CRIGLER: SO INCLUDES THEIR THEIR ATTORNEY, RIGHT? LEANA MANN: IT DOES WHEN WE HAVE TO HAVE AN ATTORNEY COME TO THE BOARD MEETINGS, IT INCLUDES HER COST AS WELL. BLANCA ZAMORA GARCIA: I WAS GONNA SAY, YEAH, WE HAVE AN ATTORNEY JUST FOR THE BOARD. JAMES VALADEZ: LEANA, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE TIMELINE ON THE BUDGET APPROVAL? I THINK YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT THE COMMENT WINDOW FOR THE BOARD AND WHEN APPROVAL WOULD END UP BEING SCHEDULED. I THINK YOU SAID SEPTEMBER, LEANA MANN: OF COURSE. SO JUNE 12 WILL PRESENT A PROPOSED BUDGET TO THE BOARD BY JUNE 15, OR BEFORE JUNE 15, WE HAVE TO SEND IT TO THE TAXING ENTITIES. THEY HAVE FROM JUNE TO SEPTEMBER TO CONTACT US, ASK QUESTIONS, AND THEN FINAL APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET IS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 15. AND THEN, OF COURSE, LIKE DEBBIE STATED, THE TAXING ENTITIES COULD DISAPPROVE A BUDGET IF THEY DON'T AGREE TO JAMES VALADEZ: I THINK THAT'S A THAT'S A FANTASTIC POINT THAT YOU KNOW ALL THE COMMENTARY HERE IS WELL TAKEN AND RECEIVED, BUT YOU KNOW EVERY JURISDICTION IS GOING TO END UP GETTING THE REPORT, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE COMMENT ON IT AS DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WELL. I REALLY LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU'VE TAKEN OUT UNFUNDED MANDATES, POTENTIAL LEGISLATION ISSUES, SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THOSE AS A SEPARATE MATTER. I KNOW WE HAVE TO EVENTUALLY FUND IT, BUT HOPEFULLY BY JUNE, THAT AMOUNT WILL BE DOWN TO A MILLION DOLLARS OR LESS, OR MAYBE ZERO. BECAUSE YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT A 17% INCREASE VERSUS THE 7% IN CHANGE INCREASES VERY SIGNIFICANT, AND ONE THAT I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH, BUT, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO SOMETHING IF THESE THINGS PASS, AND SO WE'LL KNOW BETTER BY JUNE, EXCEPT FOR THE SPECIAL SESSION THAT I SUPPOSE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, MARYA CRIGLER: I WOULD HOPE THAT WE DON'T HAVE SPECIAL SESSION. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WHAT IS THE STATUS ON THE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF BILLS? DO YOU KNOW MARYA CRIGLER: THEY ARE, AS FAR AS THEY KNOW, THEY'RE STILL AT AN IMPASSE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY, MARYA CRIGLER: I KNOW THE THE HOUSE INCORPORATED THEIR PLAN INTO SENATE BILL THREE, AND HAVE SENT THAT BACK OVER AND APPROVED IT THROUGH THE HOUSE. SO DOES THAT MOVE FORWARD OR NOT? I DON'T KNOW. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IF THEY DO DO IT IN A SPECIAL SESSION. WHEN DOES THAT SPECIAL SESSION OCCUR? AND WHEN DO WE GET THE FINAL RESULTS OF THAT? BECAUSE A LOT OF THAT WAS FOR IMPLEMENTATION THIS YEAR, AND THE FURTHER OUT IT GETS DELAYED, THE MORE BURDEN IT IS TO GET THE PROGRAMMING NEEDED DONE TO IMPLEMENT THEM, AND IT WOULD HAVE SOME IMPACT ON THE DATA THAT WE HAVE TO EXCHANGE WITH THE TAX OFFICE, AND HAVING THAT KNOWING WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND ENOUGH TIME TO GET A PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN GET IT TO THE TAX OFFICE TIMELY IS A CONCERN THE [00:30:04] MORE THAT IT GETS DELAYED DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: HAS A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BEEN APPOINTED? MARYA CRIGLER: NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF. NICOLE CONLEY: I WILL JUST SAY THAT HB 100 WAS WHICH INCLUDED THE VOUCHERS AND LANGUAGE, PASSED THE HOUSE LAST NIGHT, AND THEN, OF COURSE, SENATE PASSED HB, SB NINE AND MARYA'S RIGHT I GUESS CONFERENCE COMMITTEES ARE THE NEXT STEP, BUT I DON'T KNOW IT. YEAH, IT LOOKS LIKE SPECIAL SESSION COULD BE IMMINENT. IT'S, YOU KNOW, YEAH, JAMES VALADEZ: ANY OTHER COMMENT ON THE BUDGET? OKAY. WITH THAT, [4. Adjournment] WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN TO HAVE A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT, MOVED BY MISS CARTWRIGHT AND SECONDED BY BLANCA. WITH THAT, THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS WORK SESSION WILL STAND ADJOURNED AT 12:01. THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.