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STATE OF THE CITY HELPS OUR COMMUNITY[State of the City 2020]
COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS MEANINGFUL TOPICS.AND THIS YEAR IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER FOR US TO BE TOGETHER AND TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE AND THE VISION OF OUR CITY.
TODAY, WE HAVE A PANEL OF GUESTS THAT EACH PROVIDES A UNIQUE MCKINNEY PERSPECTIVE.
SO PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME MAYOR GEORGE FULLER, MCKINNEY CITY MANAGER, PAUL GRIMES, COLIN COLLEGE, PRESIDENT DR.
AND PLEASE NOTE, DUE TO CONFLICTS, DR.
MCDANIEL, UH, WITH MCKINNEY ISD IS NOT ABLE TO JOIN US IN PERSON.
MCDANIEL, UH, WILL PROVIDE SOME MISD INSIGHT TO A PREVIOUSLY RECORDED INTERVIEW.
LET'S BEGIN WITH A VIDEO FROM THE CITY OF MCKINNEY.
SO, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS CERTAINLY BEEN A CRAZY YEAR AND NOT ONE THAT ANY OF US COULD HAVE EXPECTED.
UM, LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE BACK IN, IN 2019 AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED AND THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON IN THE CITY, A COMPLETE STOP OF THE COUNTRY WAS NOT ANYTHING WE ANTICIPATED.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID IS ESTABLISH THE MCKINNEY STRONG PROGRAM AND IT WAS A SMALL GRANT PROGRAM.
UM, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UH, THAT WE, WE SET UP FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND, UM, IT JUST TO HELP PAY THE BILLS, UH, ON THE FRONT SIDE.
UM, AND WE DID THAT IMMEDIATELY.
ONE HEART MCKINNEY WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT WITH NONPROFITS AND RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, THE CITY AND THE CHAMBER, UM, COMING TOGETHER, RAISING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WHEN THE FEDERAL MONEY CAME THROUGH THE $10.1 MILLION TO THE CITY OF MCKINNEY CITY COUNCIL MADE 5.6 MILLION OF THAT AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESSES UP TO $25,000 FOR QUALIFYING SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND WE PARTNERED WITH SOME NEIGHBORING CITIES TO MAKE THAT MONEY AVAILABLE.
AND THOSE CHECKS STARTED GOING OUT THE DOOR FOR THE BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM IN EARLY JULY.
AND THAT WAS REALLY A WAY IN WHICH YOU SAW YOUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, YOUR REGIONAL OR COUNTY GOVERNMENT AND YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS RESPONDING VERY QUICKLY AND TURN IT OVER AND THROUGH ALL OF THIS, THE CITY OF MCKINNEY MAINTAINED ITS ESSENTIAL SERVICES FROM PARKS.
UH, OUR, OUR ESSENTIAL WORKERS STAYED ON THE JOB AND DELIVERED EVERY SERVICE THAT OUR RESIDENTS NOT JUST EXPECTED EARLY OR MID MARCH.
WE STARTED REACHING OUT ON A DAILY BASIS TO ALL THE LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES WITHIN THE CITY OF MCKINNEY STARTED ASSESSING THEIR NEEDS, STARTED, UH, PROVIDING SUPPORT AS NEEDED OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER PROVIDED SUPPORT AS FAR AS ORDERING PPE PLANNING, ET CETERA.
I COULDN'T TELL YOU OR BEGIN TO ESTIMATE HOW MANY LIVES HAVE PROBABLY BEEN SAVED BECAUSE OF THE EFFORTS OF THE MEN AND WOMEN AT THE MCKINNEY DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT PROVIDES MANY ESSENTIAL SERVICES, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING SAFE, DRINKING WATER, COLLECTING THE WASTEWATER, MAKING SURE THE STREETS ARE DRIVABLE AND PASSABLE.
WE ALSO SAW AN INCREASE IN OUR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE PICKUPS.
AND SO THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE BECAME EVEN MORE CRITICAL OR MORE ABUNDANTLY USED DURING THE TIME OF THIS PANDEMIC AND, AND STAYING AT HOME QUARANTINING BECAUSE MORE CITIZENS WERE AT THEIR RESIDENCES HERE IN MCKINNEY, AND WE'RE USING OUR SERVICES EVEN MORE THAN THEY HAVE DURING NORMAL TIMES.
AND OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES ARE, WE HAVE A FLEET DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE TO KEEP OUR EMERGENCY VEHICLES RUNNING FOR THE FIRE AND POLICE AND PUBLIC WORKS.
WE HAVE, UM, OUR DRAINAGE CREWS THAT ARE OUT THERE WORKING.
AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN PUBLIC WORKS AND WE CAN'T STOP WORKING BECAUSE OUR CITIZENS NEED ALL OF THOSE SERVICES.
24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AT THE START OF COVID-19, WE RECOGNIZED PRETTY QUICKLY THAT OUR PARKS CONTINUE TO SERVE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAD TO MODIFY AND EVEN SHUT DOWN SOME PARTS OF OUR PARK SYSTEM, WE WERE STILL ABLE TO COMPLETE MANY GREAT PROJECTS.
FOR INSTANCE, WE'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY CHANGE OUT AND REPLACE THREE FULL PLAYGROUNDS IN THE CITY OF MCKINNEY.
WE HAD SOME EMPLOYEES, THEY WERE FURLOUGHED.
SO WE PIVOTED OVER AND HAD SOME OF THOSE FOLKS, UH, WORKING THE PHONE BANKS AND THEY CROSS-REFERENCED WITH UTILITY BILLING INFORMATION.
AND THEY WENT ABOUT TO CALL EVERY SINGLE SENIOR.
WE HAD THE INFORMATION FOR, UH, TO CHECK IN ON THEM AND OUR FOLKS SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH THEM AS THEY COULD SPEND, UH, SPEAKING WITH THEM AND SHOWING THAT THEY CARED AND THAT THE COMMUNITY CARES.
AND, UH, WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS.
WE KNEW WHEN WE SHUT DOWN, PEOPLE WERE GOING TO LOSE THAT TETHER TO THEIR NEIGHBORS AND TO THEIR, THEIR CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS A LITTLE BIT.
AND SO WITH OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, WE'VE ALLOWED THEM TO AT LEAST MAINTAIN THREAD HOLDING TOGETHER.
CURBSIDE SERVICE WAS ALMOST AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS.
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ONCE PEOPLE REALIZE THEY COULD STILL GET ACCESS TO THE MATERIALS SAFELY, YOU KNOW, THE PHONES WERE RINGING OFF.THE FIRST DAY WE OPENED, UH, STAFF TOLD ME THAT WE HAD A MOM IN TEARS OF JOY THAT SHE COULD GET OUT OF THE HOUSE WITH HER CHILDREN AND GO SOMEWHERE THAT WASN'T THE GROCERY STORE OR THE STORE, UH, AND HAVE THEM BE ENTERTAINED AND EDUCATED, BUT ALSO BE OUT IN A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.
WE DON'T JUST SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
WE ACTUALLY BUILD COMMUNITY IN THE LIBRARY.
AND EVEN WITH THE CHALLENGES THAT THIS PANDEMIC HAS BROUGHT, OUR COMMUNITY HAS STILL EXPERIENCED GREAT SUCCESSES.
THE BYRON NELSON GOLF TOURNAMENT.
WE HAVE SECURED THAT FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THAT WILL BRING TREMENDOUS VISIBILITY TO OUR COMMUNITY, NOT TO MENTION THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT THAT WILL HAVE, UM, ENCORE WIRE.
ONE OF OUR LARGEST, IF NOT OUR LARGEST CORPORATE PARTNER IS EXPANDING IN A LARGE WAY IN OUR COMMUNITY, OUR INNOVATION FUND, WHICH HAS HELPED A NUMBER OF NEW BUSINESSES LOCATED HERE TO MCKINNEY, BLOCK IT IN V ENGINE SOFT AND CORE MED.
THESE ARE ALL COMPANIES THAT HAVE COME TO MCKINNEY DURING THIS PANDEMIC THAT ARE POISED FOR SUCCESS AND TUFTS BREWERY AND MCKINNEY HOMEGROWN BUSINESS, WHICH HAS TAKEN THE CRAFT BEER BUSINESS BY STORM IS EXPANDING.
AND THEY'RE EXPANDING IN A WAY THAT WILL SERVE AS A CATALYST PROJECT FOR OUR EAST SIDE.
IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING GOING ON IN THE WORLD, JUST KNOW THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS STILL HERE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
WE HERE AT THE LIBRARY ARE STILL OUT WORKING FOR YOU.
WE'RE HERE PROVIDING THE SERVICES THAT YOU NEED.
THE HOUSING, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO HELP.
IF YOU NEED US, GIVE US A CALL.
LIKE YOUR SHIRT PROJECTS, KEEP MOVING, YOU KNOW, TIMES LIKE THIS SCENARIO IN OUR HISTORY, WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH IT, IT'S HARD TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT THE OTHER END, BUT ONCE YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH IT, YOU LOOK BACK.
THERE'S ALWAYS A LESSON THAT WE LEARNED AND THERE'S ALWAYS STRENGTH THAT WE GAINED.
AND I WOULD SAY TO ALL OF THE RESIDENTS IN MCKINNEY AND ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES IN MCKINNEY, WE ARE MCKINNEY STRONG.
IT'S NOT JUST THE NAME OF A PROGRAM.
AND WE HAVE PROVEN THAT WE HAVE GREATNESS IN OUR FUTURE.
SO MR. MAYOR, DESPITE THE CHALLENGES IN 2020, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN SEEN ALL OVER THE WORLD AT MCKINNEY HAS WELCOMED SEVERAL EXCITING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS.
SO CAN YOU TALK WITH US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE UPCOMING COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND, UH, IT REALLY HAS BEEN AMAZING BECAUSE ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED DURING THIS YEAR.
UM, AND AT THAT TIME WHEN YOU WOULD THINK THAT WOULD BE ALMOST NEAR IMPOSSIBLE, UM, KAIZEN IS OUR, UH, FIRST, UM, CLASS, A MULTI-TENANT OFFICE BUILDING, UH, THAT WILL BE LOCATED IN DISTRICT ONE 21, A CATALYST PROJECT, UM, A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING AND CATALYST, AS I SAID FOR, UH, RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL IN THAT AREA.
SO THAT'S FANTASTIC ENCORE WIRE, A GREAT COMMUNITY PARTNER STARTED IN 1989 AND MCKINNEY A HANDFUL OF EMPLOYEES NOW OVER 1200, A BILLION DOLLARS IN REVENUE A YEAR.
AND THEY'RE EXPANDING WITH A 720,000 SQUARE FOOT OF FACILITY, WHICH IS AGAIN, JUST TREMENDOUS TO SEE THEIR GROWTH, UM, TUFTS BREWERY, WHICH WE JUST SAW IN THE VIDEO, UM, A HOME GROWN BUSINESS AGAIN AND MCKINNEY FROM 2015 TO TODAY.
THEY'RE NOW THE 16TH LARGEST CRAFT BREWERY IN TEXAS AND SIX IN THE, UH, IN NORTH TEXAS.
AND THEY WILL SERVE AS A CATALYST PROJECT AS THEY BUILD A WONDERFUL NEW FACILITY, UM, OVER ON THE EAST SIDE OF MCKINNEY, UH, RPMX CONSTRUCTION.
UM, WE, WE SNATCH THEM LITERALLY FROM THE DRAWS, A PLAINTIFF, THEY HAD ALREADY BOUGHT PROPERTY.
THEY WERE READY TO LOCATE THERE.
UM, WE, WE GOT A HOLD OF THEM, UH, MAYBE USE A LITTLE FORCE AND DRAGGED TO MCKINNEY AND THEY WILL BE LOCATED IN THE, UH, CRAIG RANCH CORPORATE CENTER.
SO IT JUST, JUST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY THAT WE'VE HAD AN INNOVATION FUND PROJECT WAS MENTIONED.
MIDC A REAL FOCUS FOR THAT, UH, FOR OUR GROUP, UM, 12, 12 DIFFERENT COMPANIES HAVE, HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, RELOCATED OR EXPANDING HERE, UM, 27,000 OR SO SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE THAT THEY'RE OCCUPYING, UH, 682 NEW JOBS.
REALLY GREAT STUFF, INCREDIBLE STUFF FOR MCKINNEY.
AND SO THINKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE EAST SIDE, UH, MR. GRIMES IS PART OF A RECENT BOND ELECTION VOTERS PASSED FUNDING FOR A NEW CITY HALL AND MUNICIPAL COMPLEX.
UM, SO CAN YOU TALK WITH US ABOUT THE PLANS FOR THE LOCATION OF THE NEW FACILITY, ALONG WITH OTHER DEVELOPMENTS, UH, OCCURRING EAST OF HIGHWAY FIVE? WELL, THANK YOU, AMY.
YES, THAT'S THAT IS SORT OF THE, UM, ALL WITH ALL THE ACTIVITY GOING ON.
THAT'S THE BIG, HAIRY, THE BIG, HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL IS TO TAKE, UM, A, A, AN INDUSTRIAL OLD INDUSTRIAL AREA.
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OF OUR TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT AND CREATING SOMETHING NEW, AUTHENTIC DIFFERENT.UM, AND OUR COUNCIL FORTUNATELY HAS, HAS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF THE VISION, UH, FOR CREATING A WHOLE NEW DISTRICT EAST OF HIGHWAY FIVE, SORT OF ADJACENT TO OUR TOWN SQUARE, WHICH IS OUR BELOVED SQUARE, WHICH IN MANY RESPECTS GIVE ME, GIVES ME KENNY OF THE CHARACTER THAT HAS, UM, UH, TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW DISTRICT, UM, UH, AROUND THE FLOUR MILL, IF YOU WILL.
SO THE TUFTS BREWERY PROJECT, WHICH IT'S NOT JUST A BREWERY, RIGHT? IT'S A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO AND SOCIALIZE AND HANG OUT AND IT CREATES A PLACE WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS.
AND SO WHEN YOU COUPLE THAT WITH YOU SEE LOCAL YOKELS, JUST DOING GREAT OVER THERE.
UM, AND THEN CITY HALL LOCATED JUST TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE FLOUR MILL AND THE SILOS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF VIRGINIA.
UM, THE VISION FOR THAT, UH, IS TO CREATE A CIVIC CENTER.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PROPERTY OWNER WHO OWNS A LARGE AMOUNT OF THE PROPERTY IN AND AROUND THAT AREA OBVIOUSLY WANTS TO SEE HIS PROPERTY DEVELOP, BUT IT'S CITY HALL, THE TUFTS PROJECT, UH, LOCAL YOKELS, AND SOME OF THE OTHERS, THOSE ARE CATALYSTS FOR A REALLY, REALLY COOL, UM, A DISTRICT THAT'S FORTHCOMING THAT WE, WE THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU WERE TO ASK FOLKS OR THEY WERE TO SAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE, WELL, KIND OF COMBINE A LITTLE BIT OF DEEP ELLUM MAYBE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, UM, TRINITY GROVES AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GET THAT AUTHENTICITY.
THAT'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING REALLY UNIQUE TO MCKINNEY AND DRAW AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE WERE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
UM, SO MR. MAYOR, UH, AFTER THE RECENT RECALL OF DISTRICT ONE COUNCIL MEMBER SHIM, WELL, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR THE CITY? UH, SO THE NEXT STEPS WILL BE, UH, THIS COMING COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY NIGHT.
UH, THE COUNCIL WILL, UM, UH, DELIBERATE OVER THE PROCESS OF HOW DO WE FILL THAT SEAT? YOU KNOW, THE NEXT ELECTION IS NOT UNTIL MAY.
UM, WE ALL FIRMLY BELIEVE OF COURSE, THAT WE NEED REPRESENTATION FROM DISTRICT ONE WEEK THAT SEAT COULD STAY VACANT.
UM, BUT THAT'S NOT OUR INTENT AT ALL.
SO WE WILL, WE'LL TALK TUESDAY NIGHT ABOUT HOW, HOW WE GO ABOUT THAT PROCESS WANTING TO BE OF COURSE, TREMENDOUSLY TRANSPARENT, UM, AND, AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, APPOINT SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO REPRESENT THAT DISTRICT, WHICH IS AGAIN, A TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT IT'S OUR HERITAGE, THAT'S, THAT'S OUR, OUR HERITAGE AREA IN THE CITY OF MCKINNEY.
WE'LL PROBABLY WITHIN THE NEXT, UM, TWO MEETINGS.
WE'LL, WE'LL ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEBODY APPOINTED.
UH, MR. GRIMES, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS IDENTIFIED WORKFORCE HOUSING AS A CHALLENGE FOR RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF TALENT.
SO RECENTLY THE CITY COUNCIL INITIATED A DIVERSIFIED HOUSING STUDY TO UNDERSTAND, AND TO ANALYZE THE NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY WITH THE RESEARCH COMPLETE, WHAT ARE COUNSEL'S NEXT STEPS AND CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE DIVERSIFIED HOUSING PROCEDURES CAN BE BUILT THE QUESTION BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY PARTS AND LAYERS TO THAT, BUT, UH, THANK YOU.
SO, UM, THE COUNCIL DID, UH, IT LAST YEAR, UH, ADOPT A PRIORITY.
ONE OF THE PRIORITIES IS WE NEED TO GET, WE NEED TO DO A STRATEGIC VIEW OF OUR HOUSING STOCK IN THE COMMUNITY AND ALL LEVELS.
UH, WE KNOW THAT ANECDOTALLY WE HEAR FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THAT BOY WE NEED, WE'VE GOT AN ISSUE WITH WORKFORCE HOUSING.
WE ACTUALLY KNOW THAT'S A NATIONAL ISSUE RIGHT THERE.
WE'RE SEEING THIS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS A CHALLENGE.
WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE OUR FINGERS ON THE NUMBERS.
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS STUDY.
WE, WE HIRED A COMPANY CALLED ROOT POLICY RESEARCH.
THEY LOOKED AT THE CENSUS DATA, THEY LOOKED AT AN AWFUL LOT OF DATA, UH, THE PERMIT DATA, AND THEN THEY PROJECTED OUT OUR POPULATION AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE US, HERE ARE THE NUMBERS, HERE'S WHERE YOU ARE, UM, WITH RESPECT TO, UH, DIFFERENT LAYERS.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WHETHER YOU'RE AFFORDABLE LEVEL HOUSING, WORKFORCE HOUSING, UM, YOUR, YOUR MID-LEVEL HOUSING, OBVIOUSLY YOUR HIGH-END HOUSING.
AND, UH, NOT SURPRISINGLY, WHICH WE ALL KNOW ANECDOTALLY WE'RE SHORT OF HOUSING, UM, FOR CERTAIN INCOME LEVELS.
SO IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE IN A 50 TO $75,000 RANGE, UM, IT GIVES THE, THEY OUTLINE WHAT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF HOUSING YOU COULD AFFORD.
UM, WE ARE, UH, FOR OWNER UNITS, WE'RE ABOUT 1100 SHORT.
UM, AND, AND, AND THAT'S PROJECTED FOR 2025.
SO WE'RE PROBABLY A LITTLE LESS SHORT THAN THAT.
NOW, MAYBE A THOUSAND UNITS, THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO GROW.
IT'S GOING TO GROW TO OVER 2000 BY THE YEAR 2030.
SO THAT POLICY CHALLENGE THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT DATA FOR OUR DEVELOPERS, OUR CITY COUNCIL, TO HAVE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO SAY, OKAY, THAT'S OUR BOGEY.
WE GOT TO TRY TO GET THESE NUMBERS OF THESE UNITS IN THE COMING FIVE TO 10 YEARS TO TRY TO KEEP UP, WHY DO WE WANT TO DO THAT? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T WORK UNTIL, OR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, YOU ALL STUDIED MICROECONOMICS, PROBABLY IT'S LAND, LABOR AND CAPITAL, RIGHT? LAND, LABOR, AND CAPITAL THAT'S ECONOMICS, ONE OH ONE, YOU DON'T HAVE LABOR.
AND YOU LABOR BY HAVING A SAFE, SUITABLE HOUSING STOCK FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN.
AND IT'S NOT ALL GOING TO BE HIGH END LABOR.
WE'RE, WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO GET GOOD HIGH-END ENTREPRENEURIAL LABOR,
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AND WE'VE GOT THE INNOVATION PROGRAM AND SOME OTHERS TO DO THAT, BUT SOME OF THE LABOR IS GOING TO BE SERVICE-ORIENTED.WE NEED SERVICE WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THESE SERVICES.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
THAT IS SORT OF GOING TO SERVE AS THE DATABASE, THE MIND WE WILL MINE THAT DATA.
AND WE WILL COME TO THE COUNCIL WITH POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEM TO CONSIDER AND HOW TO BE ABLE TO MEET SOME OF THESE TARGETS.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION MR. GRIMES.
UM, SO IN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MAYOR, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ALONG WITH OUR PANELISTS.
AND SO NOW LET'S LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MCKINNEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS THROUGH A VIDEO AND A PRERECORDED INTERVIEW.
UH, THIS VIRTUAL EVENT, WE HAVE ALL OF THESE TYPES OF OPTIONS.
UH, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND SEE THE VIDEO FROM MISD, PLEASE.
UH, THERE WILL BE A QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD AT THE END OF THE, UH, LIVE OR THE, THE PANELISTS INTERVIEWS FOR YOUR ZOOM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SING
LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH COLLIN COLLEGE.
UM, SO HIGHER EDUCATION CALL-IN COLLEGE IS DELIVERING BRIGHTER FUTURES, UH, FOR STUDENTS IN COMMUNITIES AND IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR INNOVATION AND IMPACT.
MATKIN, UM, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, TOO, I'M GETTING A LITTLE INFORMATION THROUGH MY COMPUTER AND THROUGH MY PHONE AND HAVE MY QUESTIONS HERE.
SO, UM, I'M JUGGLING JUST A LITTLE, LITTLE SOFT SHOE FOR YOU TODAY, BUT, UH, COLLIN COLLEGE IS GROWING.
SO WE HAVE ADDITIONAL CAMPUSES ARE HERE.
THANK YOU TO A SUCCESSFUL BOND ELECTION.
SO CAN YOU FILL US IN ON THE TYPES OF FACILITIES THAT ARE OPENING AND WHAT ARE THE NEXT PLANS FOR EXPANSION, AMY? THANKS FOR GREAT QUESTION.
UH, WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE GROWTH WE'VE HAD OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND THIS CORONAVIRUS SITUATION.
WE WEREN'T EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT LATER, I THINK, BUT WE DID OPEN TWO FACILITIES.
THIS FALL, WE OPENED TWO, 340,000 SQUARE FOOT CAMPUSES, ONE IN WILEY AND ONE IN ALLEN, THE TECHNICAL CAMPUS, AND ALLEN, BOTH CAMPUSES ARE ABLE TO HANDLE BETWEEN 5,570 500 STUDENTS.
AND WE'RE OFF TO A RUNNING START, BUT YOU KNOW, A TRULY NOT JUST ABOUT PHYSICAL BUILDINGS, IT'S ABOUT BEING RELEVANT TO THE COMMUNITY AND MAKING SURE WE'RE OFFERING PROGRAMS THAT STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM.
SO WITH COLLIN COUNTY BEING ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN THE NATION, THAT ACCESS POINT, HAVING CAMPUSES CLOSER TO WHERE STUDENTS LIVE IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US.
BUT THE BIG DEAL IS IF YOU'RE NOT DOING SOMETHING THAT SOMEBODY WANTS TO DO OR GET TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OR TRANSFER TO A FOUR YEAR FROM THEN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE STUDENTS, NO MATTER HOW CLOSE YOU ARE TO THEM.
SO WE'VE FOCUSED NOT ONLY ON THE PHYSICAL BUILDING PORTIONS, BUT ALSO IN THE PROGRAMMATIC COMPONENTS.
I'M PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT DESPITE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, UH, WE HAVE ENJOYED OUR FIFTH YEAR OF GROWTH.
SO IT'S AN EXCITING TIME TO BE AT COLLIN COLLEGE.
SO WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT COVID-19 AND THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAD ON ALL ASPECTS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, CAN YOU TALK WITH US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW COVID HAS AFFECTED YOUR STUDENT POPULATION AND THE COLLEGE'S OPERATIONS? AMY, THANK YOU.
AND I'D BE HAPPY TO, AND THIS IS GOING TO SOUND LIKE A NON-SEQUITUR, BUT IN THIS SEGMENT OF OUR PROGRAM, I CAN'T HELP, BUT THINK OF JEFF FOXWORTHY AND THIS WHOLE, YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK IF, AND THAT WHOLE, HE REPEATS IT OVER AND OVER.
AND THE REASON IT COMES TO MIND IS I'M GOING TO REPEAT A PHRASE OVER AND OVER AGAIN, IN MY ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.
AND IT'S THE PHRASES I AM SO INCREDIBLY PROUD.
I'M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF A FACULTY, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION THAT IN A TWO WEEK TIME PERIOD, AN EXTENSION OF OUR NORMAL SPRING BREAK, WE TOOK EVERY SINGLE CLASS ONLINE.
AND WE DID THAT BY THE WAY, AND STAYED WITHIN 20 STUDENTS OF OUR DROP RATE AT THE PREVIOUS YEAR WHEN THERE WAS NO PANDEMIC.
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INCREDIBLY PROUD I AM OF THE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT CAME TOGETHER.THEY OPERATED OUTSIDE OF THEIR PAY SCALES AND THEIR EXPECTED HOURS, AND THEY MADE IT HAPPEN.
I'M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF A BOARD OF TRUSTEES, A SOFT FIT, THE KEEP, EVERYONE WHOLE WHO INSISTS ON KEEPING EVERYONE WHOLE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PERSON WHO COULD WORK OR NOT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S A PART-TIME EMPLOYEE, A FACULTY MEMBER, OR A PART-TIME STUDENT, UH, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AUTHORIZED THE COLLEGE TO CONTINUE PAYROLL AS IT HAD BEFORE THROUGH JUNE 1ST, WHICH WAS A BLESSING TO SO MANY AS THEY WERE DEALING WITH THE EARLY IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC.
AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE KNOW TODAY.
SO I'M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE PUT POLICIES IN PLACE AND PUT PROCEDURES IN PLACE THAT ALLOWED STUDENTS TO COME BACK DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PANDEMIC.
AND RATHER THAN LOSE THEIR SEMESTER, THEY COME BACK AND FINISH THEIR HANDS ON TRAINING AND ALL OF OUR MEDICAL PROGRAMS AND ALL OF OUR TECHNICAL PROGRAMS AND THINGS THAT REQUIRED PHYSICAL LABS LIKE BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE.
AND, UM, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I'M SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF PROTOCOLS THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE.
AND WHEN WE REOPENED THE CAMPUSES FOR THE FALL SEMESTER, WE HAVE STUDENTS FACE TO FACE.
WE HAVE STUDENTS AT A DISTANCE AND WE HAVE STUDENTS IN BLENDED CLASSES AND WE WORKED HARD TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE.
AND AS A RESULT, OR ONE OF ONLY TWO COMMUNITY COLLEGES THAT I KNOW OF IN THE STATES SAW AN INCREASE THIS FALL.
AND I'M EXTRAORDINARILY PROUD OF OUR FOLKS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
WE'VE WORKED HARD TO MAKE, KEEP OUR CAMPUSES SAFE.
THE BOARD ALSO APPROVED ONE OF THE THING THAT I WANT TO MENTION, AND THAT'S A MASSIVE INVESTMENT.
WELL, OVER $2 MILLION TO IMPROVE THE AIR HANDLING THROUGHOUT OUR ENTIRE CAMPUS FACILITIES TO KILL CORONAVIRUS AND REMOVE THOSE PARTICLES, EVEN FROM THE AIR.
SO IF THIS SHOULD HAPPEN TO US IN THE FUTURE, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE EVEN THAT MUCH MORE SAFE AND THAT MUCH BETTER PLACE TO WORK.
SO, UH, IT'S BEEN A TOUGH SLOG.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE GOT SOME LONG HOURS, ONE PERSON ASKED ME, THIS IS DR.
WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED AS A RESULT OF THE CHROME OF OURS WHEN WE WERE ALL WORKING FROM HOME? AND I SAID, I'VE NOTICED THAT I GET CALLS ON SATURDAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND SUNDAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE EVENING WHEN PEOPLE DON'T EVEN REALIZE THAT IT'S A WEEKEND, I LOST MY WEEKENDS TO THIS.
SO IT'S, I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THE GROUP AND THE COLLIN COLLEGE TEAM AND A GO-TEAM COLLIN OUTSTANDING GO TEAM COLLIN, FOR SURE.
SO AFTER YEARS OF ADVOCATING FOR A FOUR YEAR DEGREE PROGRAM FOR NURSING, UM, COLLIN COLLEGE NOW OFFERS THIS DEGREE.
UH, SO HOW'S IT GOING? AND WHAT OTHER FOUR-YEAR DEGREE, UH, OPTIONS ARE THERE AT COLLIN COLLEGE? WELL, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CALL UP APPRAISES FOR ONE CONGRESSMAN VAN TAYLOR, WHO LED US IN THE PLEDGE EARLIER, WHO WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US ACHIEVE THAT GOAL.
AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, WE STARTED OFF IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR WITH ABOUT 25 STUDENTS AND OUR BACHELORS OF SCIENCE AND NURSING AND OUR BACHELOR OF APPLIED TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY.
AND WE'VE DOUBLED THOSE NUMBERS THIS FALL, AND WE ANTICIPATE THEY'RE GOING TO CONTINUE DOUBLING UNTIL WE REACH WHATEVER CAPACITY THERE IS.
UH, WE GRADUATE OUR FIRST CLASS OF BACHELORS OF SCIENCE AND NURSING, A HUGE SHORTAGE THROUGHOUT THE NATION, THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTY.
WE'RE ABOUT 1400 NURSES SHY EVERY YEAR IN COLLIN COUNTY AND IT DRIVES COST UP.
IT MAKES MEDICAL CARE MORE DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE, AND WE'RE GOING TO GRADUATE OUR FIRST CLASS 19.
IT'S NOT A HUGE NUMBER, BUT WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD TO HAVE OUR FIRST GRADUATING CLASS FOR BACHELOR OF NURSING.
WE'RE LAUNCHING IN THE NEXT YEAR, UH, A BACHELOR'S IN CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND WE'RE STARTING TO HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ABOUT A DIFFERENT FUTURE BACHELOR'S DEGREES THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO GET AUTHORIZATION FOR THE LEGISLATURE FOR.
BUT SO FAR IT'S BEEN A GREAT VALUE.
WE'RE NOT, UH, ROBBING STUDENTS FROM UNIVERSITY PARTNERS.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN OUR PROGRAMS ARE FOLKS THAT ARE NOT MOVING OUT OF THE COMMUNITY THAT MAY HAVE FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES OR A PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES ARE CARING FOR ELDERLY PARENTS.
AND THEY'RE COMING BACK TO SCHOOL TO FINISH A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE AND AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE OTHERWISE CALLED ENJOYS THE LOWEST TUITION IN THE STATE.
AND FRANKLY, THE QUALITY THAT WE GIVE FOR THAT TUITION IS JUST AMAZING.
AGAIN, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW PROUD I AM.
SO, SO FAR A BIG SUCCESS STORY AND KUDOS TO THE NURSING TEAM, KUDOS TO THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOLKS, THE CYBERSECURITY DEGREE.
AND WE'RE VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
AND IT'S ALREADY GOTTEN A LOT OF GREAT INTEREST AND WE HAVE SOME FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY WHO WERE PART OF OUR, UH, OUR ADVISORY GROUPS FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. SO THANK YOU.
SO HOW DO YOU WORK WITH BUSINESSES TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT TYPES
[00:25:01]
OF SKILLS ARE NEEDED AND TO DEVELOP PROGRAMMING AND CURRICULUM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY? AMY, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVEN'T HEARD THE PHRASE RE-SKILLING, BUT FOLKS GET TO A CERTAIN POINT IN THEIR LIFE AND THEY, THEY COME TO THE CONCLUSION AND I'VE GOT MY WIFE AND I HAVE THREE SONS AND OUR MIDDLE SON HAD WORKED IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.
HE WAS HELPING THEM TO KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD, DOING SOME THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND LO AND BEHOLD, HE SAID, DAD, I GET OFF EVERY NIGHT AT TWO IN THE MORNING, I MISS ALL KINDS OF FAMILY EVENTS.
I GOT TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND SO HE HE'S TAKING ADVANTAGE OF PROGRAMS AND THE COLLEGE IN HIS AREA AND IS GOING THROUGH AND A RE-SKILLING FOR ANOTHER CAREER AND HIS EARLY THIRTIES, BECAUSE HE'S WANTS TO MAKE A CHANGE.
SO COLIN PREPARES THAT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS WE HAVE OF COURSE OUR CREDIT PROGRAMS, BUT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT OUR NON-CREDIT PROGRAMS. THEY COME IN TWO FLAVORS, WE HAVE OUR CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT COVERS EVERYTHING FROM PHLEBOTOMY, UH, TO PHOTOGRAPHY, YOU NAME IT, JUST ANY KIND OF A SKILLS CLASS, SOFT SKILLS CLASS YOU CAN IMAGINE.
BUT WE ALSO PARTNER WITH INDUSTRY THROUGHOUT COLLIN COUNTY AND WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED THE COLLIN CORPORATE COLLEGE AND WHAT THAT IS.
AND IT'S LED BY A GENTLEMAN NAMED ROGER WIDMER AND DR.
WHITMER MEETS WITH INDUSTRIES AND BUSINESSES AND CUSTOM DESIGNS CLASSES THAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES TO MEET THE NEXT LEVEL FOR WHATEVER THEIR BUSINESS REQUIRES.
SO THOSE ARE TWO OF THE BIG AREAS.
OF COURSE, WE ARE FOCUSED VERY MUCH ON HELPING FOLKS THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS CIRCUMSTANCE AND FOLKS HAVE BEEN HARD HIT.
SO WE DO HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST OF FOLKS WHO ARE TRYING TO GET NEW SKILLS OR LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES AND MAYBE GO INTO CAREERS.
THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED OTHER WONDERFUL WELL, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE OUTSTANDING WORK OF COLLIN COLLEGE.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM A VIDEO, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR A VIDEO FROM MISD 2020 WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE AND SIGNIFICANT YEARS IN THE HISTORY OF THE MCKINNEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OUR DISTRICT CONTINUES TO ENDURE A PANDEMIC, BUT BECAUSE MCKINNEY ISD REMAINS DEDICATED TO EXCEPTIONAL STANDARDS AND EXCELLENCE.
ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE MILESTONES WAS MOVING INTO YEAR FOUR OF THE 2016 BOND PROGRAM.
90% OF THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS APPROVED BY VOTERS FOR THAT BOND HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
AND THE ENTIRE PACKAGE WILL BE FINISHED DURING THE REMAINDER OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
THE $220 MILLION BOND PROGRAM INCLUDED ADDITIONS AND RENOVATIONS TO SIX CAMPUSES.
PERHAPS THE MOST UTILIZED LANDMARK PROJECT FROM THE 2016 BOND IS THE MCKINNEY ISD STADIUM AND COMMUNITY EVENTS CENTER.
THIS ONE OF A KIND MULTIPURPOSE FACILITY HAS BEEN USED TO HOST EVENTS RANGING FROM SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY BANQUETS TO TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS, AS WELL AS NATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND CONFERENCES,
THE COLLEGE BOARD RECENTLY RECOGNIZED NEARLY 900 MCKINNEY ISD STUDENTS FOR THEIR EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENTS ON ADVANCED PLACEMENT TESTS.
58 OF THOSE STUDENTS EARNED THE PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AP SCHOLAR AWARD, THE MCKINNEY BOYD HONORS CONSORTIUM ORCHESTRA, AND THE MCKINNEY HIGH SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA EARNED THE MARK OF EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCES IN THE NATION, BY THE FOUNDATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION IN APRIL,
[00:30:01]
US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RELEASED ITS 2020 RANKING OF THE BEST HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.OVER 24,000 HIGH SCHOOLS WERE EVALUATED ON COLLEGE READINESS, READING AND MATH PERFORMANCE, COLLEGE CURRICULUM, GRADUATION RATES, AND OTHER CRITERIA MCKINNEY ISD, ACADEMIC SUCCESS MET ITS GREATEST CHALLENGE THIS PAST YEAR AS OUR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS EXPERIENCED EDUCATION IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC.
UM, ONLY SIX THAT I COULD SAY MCKINNEY ISD SCHOOLS WERE CALLED UPON TO OPEN THE YEAR WITH 100% OF THE STUDENTS LEARNING VIRTUALLY.
SO THIS IS ENGLISH ONE WITH MRS. HARWELL AND MRS. KIRKLAND.
YOU'LL SEE A GREEN BUTTON AT THE TOP OF YOUR BROWSER FROM HOLD IT DOWN.
IT'S GOING TO TURN ONE SIDE OF THE SCREEN LIGHT BLUE, DEPENDING ON WHICHEVER SIDE YOU HAVE IT ON MCKINNEY ISD BECAME ONE OF THE ONLY DISTRICTS IN DFW TO DISTRIBUTE A LAPTOP TO EVERY STUDENT IN THE DISTRICT, PROVIDING TECHNOLOGY ACCESS AND ONLINE LEARNING TO ALL FAMILIES.
NEW HEALTH GUIDELINES IN CONJUNCTION WITH COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS WERE IMPLEMENTED ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AS WELL AS IMPROVED CLEANING PROCEDURES IN ALL FACILITIES.
MOST SIGNIFICANTLY TEACHERS WERE ASKED TO DELIVER INSTRUCTION IN NEW AND CHALLENGING WAYS.
WE HAVE THE LAPTOP, WHICH IS KIND OF RUNS THE ZOOM PROGRAM, WHICH IS HOOKED UP TO A PROJECTOR SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE STUDENTS.
WE ALSO HAVE AN EXTERNAL MIC, SO THAT KIND OF PICKS UP THE SOUND OF THE BAND SO THAT YOU CAN HEAR THE BAND.
AND YOU CAN ALSO HEAR ME DOING THE STUFF.
IT COULD BE ARGUED THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME WHEN TEACHING HAS BEEN MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT IS TODAY.
MCKINNEY ISD TEACHERS WITH SUPPORT FROM PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY ARE DETERMINED TO CONQUER THESE ADVERSITIES.
STUDENTS ARE SAFELY PARTICIPATING IN ACTIVITIES.
TEACHERS ARE USING TECHNOLOGIES IN WAYS.
CAMPUSES ARE FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO UPLIFT STUDENTS, CONTINUE TRADITIONS AND MAINTAIN HIGH ACADEMIC STANDARDS.
AND PARENTS ARE COLLABORATING WITH THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATORS.
AS SOME HOMES CONTINUE TO BE VIRTUAL LEARNING CLASSROOMS. WHILE THIS YEAR HAS BEEN MARKED BY SEVERAL OBSTACLES, WE BELIEVE THE LASTING LEGACY OF 2020 WILL NOT BE DEFINED BY THESE CHALLENGES, BUT RATHER BY OUR ABILITY TO COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, WE WON'T BE WORSE OFF BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTIES WE FACED IN 2020, WE WILL BE BETTER WITH DR.
MCDANIEL FROM MCKINNEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
UM, HE WAS NOT ABLE TO JOIN US FOR THE IN-PERSON, UH, PORTION OF THIS, OF THIS PANEL, BUT WE HAVE SOME PRERECORDED INTERVIEWS, UH, VIA ZOOM.
SO, UH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE WITH US, DR.
MCDANIEL VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
SO COVID-19 HAS HAD FAR REACHING IMPACTS ON ALL ASPECTS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOOLS WERE CHALLENGED OVERNIGHT, UH, TO CHANGE TEACHING METHODS, INCLUDING A VIRTUAL LEARNING IN THE SPRING OF 2020 AND A VIRTUAL OPTION IN THE FALL OF 2020.
SO TALK WITH US ABOUT HOW MISD WAS ABLE TO MEET THOSE NEEDS AND CONVERT THE WAY INSTRUCTION WAS CONDUCTED.
WELL, LET ME JUST START BY SAYING THAT, UH, WE HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
WE HAVE, UH, ALSO A GROUP OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS IN OUR DISTRICT AND IF EVER, UH, PARENTS HAVE APPRECIATED, UH, TEACHERS AND STAFF MEMBERS.
I THINK THEY, THAT THEIR APPRECIATION, IT HAS TO HAVE GROWN FROM LAST SPRING TO THIS FALL BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO, TO TURN TO VIRTUAL LEARNING, UH, IN THE SPRING ON A DIME AND THAT REQUIRED A TON OF WORK.
AND A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WOULD JUST THINK THAT YOU CAN FLIP A SWITCH AND GO TO VIRTUAL LEARNING.
NOW WHAT WE DELIVERED IN THE SPRING WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE.
WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IN THE FALL WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE'D PLANNED FOR AND HAD TIME TO, TO GET THE PROPER TRAINING FOR OUR TEACHERS AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAD THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEEDED TO TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR AND RECEIVE A FIRST-CLASS EDUCATION.
SO I I'M SUPER PROUD OF OUR DISTRICT AS A WHOLE.
I'M SUPER PROUD OF LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS TO HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT THEY NEED TO GO TO VIRTUAL LEARNING.
AND SO, UM, WE, WE WERE ABLE TO TRANSITION, UH, AS SMOOTH AS ANY DISTRICT I KNOW OF IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
NOW IT WASN'T WITHOUT ITS GLITCHES.
I'LL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT, UH, TECHNOLOGY TURNING TO JUST STRAIGHT TECHNOLOGY TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR WAS NOT A SIMPLE ENDEAVOR, BUT
[00:35:01]
WE'VE GOT TREMENDOUS STAFF AND WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING IT HAPPEN RIGHT NOW.UM, MISD BOARD IS LOOKING TO TAKE A BOND PACKAGE TO THE VOTERS.
SO WHAT TYPES OF ITEMS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS BEING PART OF THE PACKAGE? WELL, AS YOU KNOW, WE START WITH THE FACILITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY CONDUCTED.
WE HAD OUR FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING THIS PAST MONDAY, AND THAT'S A COMMITTEE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE RUN ALL OF OUR FACILITY NEEDS BY AND LET THEM KIND OF GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT WHAT OUR PRELIMINARY THINKING IS.
SO LET ME JUST START BY SAYING THE ITEMS I'M ABOUT TO MENTION ARE CERTAINLY PRELIMINARY.
THERE'S NOTHING SET IN STONE UNTIL THE BOARD ACTUALLY CALLS THE ELECTION, WHICH WILL OCCUR IN JANUARY.
AND THEN THE ACTUAL ELECTION IS IN MAY, BUT ALL THAT TO SAY, WE FORESEE A NEW ELEMENTARY COMING TO THE TRAINING FALLS AREA AND POSSIBLY ANOTHER, UH, IN THE NORTHERN SECTOR OF OUR, OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOME ADDITIONS ABOUT FINE ARTS AND CLASSROOMS, SCOTT JOHNSON, MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE ALSO HAVE TO CONTINUE THIS TECHNOLOGY, UH, INFUSION INTO OUR DISTRICT THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO THERE WILL BE SOME TECHNOLOGY NEEDS ON THERE AS WELL AS OUR CONTINUED REFRESH OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, WHICH WE STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 2016 BOND ONCE THAT WAS APPROVED.
SO WE'VE GOT A LONG LIST OF VIALS.
THAT'S JUST A FEW OF THE MAJOR ONES AND NOTHING THAT WE SEE IS, UH, TWO CONTINGENTS ON THERE.
THESE ARE ITEMS THAT OUR DISTRICT CERTAINLY NEEDS TO MOVE FORWARD OR TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A FIRST-CLASS EDUCATION FOR ALL.
UM, SO PREVIOUS STUDENT POPULATIONS HAVE HELD STEADY OR DECLINED, PARTICULARLY IN THE PRIMARY YEARS.
WHAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS DO YOU THINK MAY IMPACT THESE NUMBERS? WELL, I THINK RIGHT NOW, AS I LOOK AROUND THE STATE AND I'VE STUDIED THIS EXTENSIVELY, UH, MOST OF THE DISTRICTS AROUND US ARE, ARE DOWN.
ENROLLMENT IS SHARING WHERE FROM THREE TO 4%.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT I BELIEVE HAS TO DO WITH THE PANDEMIC THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH.
OBVIOUSLY A NUMBER OF PARENTS CHOSE TO KEEP THEIR KIDS HOME.
UH, SOME THAT WERE SCHEDULED TO START KINDERGARTEN, OPTED TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR AND HOLDERS THEIR CHILDREN BACK AND START WITH KINDERGARTEN NEXT YEAR.
UH, OTHERS CHOSE TO DO SOME HOMESCHOOL, WHICH IS FINE.
UM, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT I DO BELIEVE IN MY HEART OF HEARTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO REBOUND.
UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN THE UPCOMING FIVE TO 10 YEAR PERIOD.
SO IT WAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THE NCAA D TWO CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WILL RETURN TO MCKINNEY TO MCKINNEY STADIUM FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, BEGINNING IN 2021.
SO WHAT TYPE OF ECONOMIC IMPACT DOES THIS HAVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY? WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO REALLY PUT AN EXACT NUMBER ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND REALLY THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING MORE THAT THE CITY COULD TALK ABOUT.
AND I'M TALKING ABOUT MR. GRIMES AND OUR MAYOR, MR. FULLER.
HOWEVER, I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY OUTSIDE OF MAYBE THE BYRON NELSON THAT GIVES OUR COMMUNITY, UM, COAST TO COAST, UM, EXPOSURE LIKE THE NCAA DIVISION TWO CHAMPIONSHIP.
UH, WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT THAT, THAT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE CITY AND BETWEEN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND WE'RE FORTUNATE THAT WE'VE GOT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL OF THOSE ENTITIES IN OUR DISTRICT THAT CAN MAKE THIS THING POSSIBLE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE EXACT ECONOMIC IMPACT, BUT I KNOW THIS WHEN PEOPLE LOOK ON THAT SCREEN AND SEE MCKINNEY ISD ACROSS THE STAIN, IT LOOKS AS NICE AS OURS AND THEY GET TO SEE THE OTHER PARTS OF OUR CITY.
IT CERTAINLY WOULD, UH, SUGGEST THAT PEOPLE MIGHT WANT TO COME TO THIS AREA AND LIVE HERE.
AND SO I'M PROUD OF OUR COMMUNITY AND ALL THAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON.
THIS IS JUST A PIECE OF IT, BUT IT CERTAINLY TAKES TO ALL OF US TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND I'M EXCITED AND IT'S COMING BACK HERE.
UH, THE LEGISLATURE GOES INTO SESSION IN JANUARY OF 2021 AND LAST SESSION, THEY APPROVED ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION.
SO WHILE THIS WAS GOOD NEWS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION, ONE CONCERN ADDRESSES THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE SOLUTION FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE, WE'LL SEE IN THE UPCOMING SESSION AS LAWMAKERS LOOK TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE DEALING WITH A FULL $4.6 BILLION DEFICIT.
WELL, THAT'S A, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WE KNOW THAT THEY DID ADDRESS PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH SOME INFUSION OF MONEY AND ALSO DECREASE THE AMOUNT THAT WE HAVE TO SEND BACK TO THE STATE IN TERMS OF RECAPTURE.
UH, AND WHILE THAT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, I THINK I MENTIONED THIS LAST YEAR AT THIS THING, CITY, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S SUSTAINABLE.
AND THE ONLY WAY THAT THAT HAPPENS IS IF THE LEGISLATURE DECIDES TO ADJUST THE FORMULA, WHICH WILL, UM, ADD SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY INTO, UH, TO WHAT WE
[00:40:01]
ANNUALLY RECEIVE FROM THE STATE.SO LOOKING BACK ON THIS PAST YEAR, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM MISD? I'LL TELL YOU WHY AS I LOOK BACK TO THE SPRING AND THE BE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL THIS YEAR, UH, THE THING THAT I'M MOST PROUD OF IS THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, TOUGH TIMES BRING OUT TOUGH PEOPLE IN OUR, OUR STAFF, OUR FACULTIES ACROSS THE DISTRICT ARE JUST SO RESILIENT.
IT'S LIKE THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO DO THINGS THAT TEACHERS HAVE NEVER BEEN ASKED TO DO BEFORE.
AND IT IS ALREADY A HARD JOB BEFORE YOU THROW IN THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE VIRTUAL LEARNING AND ALL, ALL THAT GOES WITH THAT.
AND I GUESS I'M, I HAVE TO SAY I'M MOST PROUD OF OUR FACULTY AND STAFF.
I MEAN, WE ARE, WE ARE BLESSED IN THIS DISTRICT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PAY THEM WHAT THEY DESERVE, BUT ACTUALLY NOT WHAT THEY DESERVE BECAUSE THEY DESERVE MUCH MORE, BUT AS HIGH AS ANYONE IN OUR AREA.
AND WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEIR EFFORTS.
AND I JUST HOPE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE APPRECIATED.
UH, I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF THEIR EFFORTS.
I KNOW WE'VE GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF US HERE, BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH IT AND WE'LL STICK TOGETHER AND WE'RE GOING TO BE BETTER ON THE, ON THE BACKSIDE OF THIS PANDEMIC, FOR SURE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE TAKING SOME TIME TO TALK ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS FOR STATE OF THE CITY.
I COULDN'T BE THERE TODAY, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU HAVING ME ON, UH, I LOVE OUR DISTRICT.
UH, I LOVE OUR CITY AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A RIGHT FUTURE.
SO, SO SAID, AND SO WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER.
THIS IS THE 2020 STATE OF THE UNION, UM, AND STATED THE CITY'S NOT STATE OF THE UNION.
THAT'S PRETTY BIG TOO, BUT, UH, ANYWAY, SO WE HAVE OUR LIVE VIP AUDIENCE AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, PLEASE TAKE A NOTE CARD AND JOT DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS.
WE'RE GETTING LOTS OF FABULOUS QUESTIONS COMING IN ONLINE VIA ZOOM.
UM, SO PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE FOR YOUR QUESTIONS.
UH, SO THINKING ABOUT COAST TO COAST EXPOSURE, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENTS, UH, IN 2020 FOR MCKINNEY IS THE BYRON NELSON GOLF TOURNAMENT.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE VIDEO.
SO THE BYRON NELSON GOLF TOURNAMENT WILL BE HERE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
UH, CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT HOW THE TOURNAMENT WAS OR HOW MCKINNEY WAS SELECTED FOR THE TOURNAMENT? WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT THAT, THAT STARTED LITERALLY, UH, OVER 15 YEARS AGO WITH A MAN NAMED DAVID CRAIG, RIGHT? THAT'S UH, WE WOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT THE BYRON NELSON, IF IT WASN'T FOR DAVID AND DAVID'S VISION, DAVID'S TENACITY, UM, YOU KNOW, DAVID'S DRIVE TO, UH, TO CREATE, OF COURSE EVERYONE KNOWS CRAIG RANCH IN A, IN A GREAT MASTER PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MCKINNEY.
UM, BUT PART OF THAT WAS A, UH, TPC GOLF COURSE.
AND FROM THE VERY, VERY BEGINNING, UH, DAVID CRAIG SAID THAT WE'RE BUILDING THIS AND WE'RE GOING TO HOST THE BYRON NELSON.
THAT'S, UH, THAT'S HOW IT CAME TO FRUITION.
UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED ON, UH, UH, MEETING WITH THE, WITH CLUBCORP WITH THE SALESMANSHIP CLUB, UM, DAVID CRAIG, HIS TEAM, UH, MILES AND JAMES CORPORATE PARTNERS LIKE DAVID BROOKS OF INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL BRIAN LOCKED MILLER, RIGHT? MAYOR BRIAN LOCKED MILLER WAS A INSTRUMENTAL PART.
UM, COUNCILMAN RICK FRANKLIN AND, UH, AND REALLY ALL THE REST OF COUNCIL WHO SUPPORTED THIS EFFORT, BUT THEY SELECT MCKINNEY, UH, ONE BECAUSE WE'RE THE GREATEST CITY TO LIVE IN AND TO VISIT IN THE, IN THE WORLD.
UM, AND, AND IT WAS TOUGH THOUGH, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN 76 YEARS THAT THE TOURNAMENT WILL BE, UH, PLAYED OUTSIDE OF DALLAS COUNTY.
SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG DEAL.
AND IT'S GOING TO HAVE ABOUT A $50 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY.
[00:45:01]
WILL GIVE US INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE.I MEAN, THE BYRON NELSON'S A MAJOR GOLF TOURNAMENT WATCHED, UM, BY, BY VIEWERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
SO, UH, IT WAS, UH, IT WAS A GREAT WIN.
UM, AND AGAIN, WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED THOUGH WITHOUT, WITHOUT THAT BEGINNING VISION AND TENACITY OF, OF DAVE.
AND I JUST CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HIM.
UM, AND LAST I'LL SAY IS, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HEARD FROM RICK, UH, MISD AND, UM, INDEPENDENT FINANCIALS.
I SAID, DAVID WAS IN THAT FIRST MEETING HELPING SELL THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY PARTNERED WITH US AND HELPED US, UH, MITIGATE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT THE BYRON HAD PARKING FOR EXAMPLE.
AND SO MISD CAME THROUGH WITH, UH, OF COURSE THE STADIUM AND JUST EVERYONE CAME TOGETHER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
UM, THE NEXT QUESTION IS FOR MR. GRIMES.
SO EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE CITY WORKED THROUGH SOME CHALLENGES IN GETTING THE NEW FBO, UH, AT THE MCKINNEY NATIONAL AIRPORT BUILT.
SO CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW UPDATES ABOUT THE PROJECT AND MAYBE A TIMEFRAME FOR COMPLETION? SURE.
UM, SO THE FBO IS DELAYED, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS.
UM, THE PROJECT WAS GOING TO BE COMPLETED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE PARTNER WHO WAS, UH, THE, THE CITY PARTNERED WITH, UH, RAN INTO SOME FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND WENT BANKRUPT, DECLARED BANKRUPTCY AS ANYBODY WHO'S FAMILIAR WITH THE BANKRUPTCY PROCESS, IT TAKES A WHILE TO, TO SORT OF NAVIGATE THAT AND GET THROUGH IT.
OUR OBJECTIVE, ALL ALONG, WE HAD A VERY, VERY GOOD CONTRACT PROTECTED THE CITY.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY YOU STILL HAVE TO GET THROUGH THE BANKRUPTCY PROCESS ONCE THAT GETS DONE.
UH, THEN WE, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA PIVOT AND GET THE PROJECT BACK ON THE RAILS, WHICH IT IS.
IN FACT, WE ARE BRINGING AN ITEM TO THE COUNCIL NEXT TUESDAY, UH, TO WORK WITH A COMPANY, UH, WE'LL BE BRINGING IT FORWARD.
THEY THEY'RE ALREADY DOING A PROJECT AT MCKINNEY NATIONAL AIRPORT.
THEY HAVE DONE OR ARE DOING AN FBO IN ADDISON.
THEY KNOW HOW TO DO IT, THEY'RE GONNA RESUME OR CONTINUE THE CONSTRUCTION.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO GET THE FBO TERMINAL DONE AND COMPLETED BY THE BYRON NELSON.
AND OUR REAL OBJECTIVE FROM MY STANDPOINT IS TO TRY TO GET THE PROJECT DONE.
AND WE'RE NO WORSE OFF FINANCIALLY THAN WE WOULD HAVE BEEN OTHERWISE THAT WE'RE NOT OUR OBLIGATION IS NOT GOING TO BE ANY MORE THAN WHAT IT WAS, UH, UNDER THE PREVIOUS ARRANGEMENT, BUT SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
UH, THE GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE A GREAT CONTRACT PROTECT THE INTEREST OF THE CITY, AND IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE TIME TO BREAK, CALL IT THE BRAIN DAMAGE OF HAVING TO GO THROUGH THAT.
BUT, UH, THAT PROJECT'S GOING TO BE BACK ON THE RAILS IMMINENTLY.
SO THIS QUESTION IS BOTH FOR MAYOR FULLER AND MR. GRIMES.
UM, THE, OF 2020 IS COVID AND THE WAYS THAT IT IMPACTS BUSINESSES AND OUR ECONOMY.
SO PART OF THE CITY'S INCOME COMES FROM SALES TAX AND DESPITE THE DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY, THE CITY DID NOT SEE ANY DECLINE IN SALES TAX REVENUES.
SO WHY WAS THERE AN INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR AND WHAT DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY ARTS, THERE ARE ANY LONG-TERM VIEW REGARDING WHAT SALES TAX PREDICTIONS MIGHT BE IN MCKINNEY? WELL, UM, WE'VE ASKED OURSELVES THE SAME QUESTION WHERE, W WHY DID, WHY DID THE SALES TAXES GO UP WHEN, WHEN WE WERE SEEING SUCH ECONOMIC WRECKAGE, UH, IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF, UH, 2020, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY A, KIND OF A CONFLUENCE OF SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.
UH, NUMBER ONE, WE STARTED COLLECTING AT THE STATE LEVEL STARTED COLLECTING INTERNET SALES TAX, UH, REALLY STARTED RAMPING UP THIS PAST YEAR.
AND I THINK SOME OF THAT INCREASE WE'RE SEEING IS JUST UNCOLLECTED SALES TAX THAT IS NOW BEING COLLECTED.
WE'RE STILL A GROWING COMMUNITY, OUR BIG BOXES, THE, OUR COSTCO COSTCO IS JUST DOING AMAZING.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE KILLING IT, UH, FOR, FOR, FOR THE CLASSICAL EXPRESSION.
UH, THEY'RE KILLING IT, UH, WITH THEIR SALES, UM, HOME DEPOT LOWE'S, UM, THE BIG BOXES HAVE DONE VERY WELL NOW BECAUSE THE ONLINE SALES TAXES, THE AMAZONS AND THE OTHERS WERE COLLECTING THE SALES TAX FOR THOSE, WE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS SHOPPING ONLINE.
AND SO WE'RE SEEING THE BENEFIT OF THAT.
I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT LEVEL OF INCREASE NEXT YEAR, BUT I DO THINK THAT WE WILL STILL SEE MODEST INCREASE IN THE FORWARD IN THE COMING YEARS BECAUSE WE'RE GROWING AS A COMMUNITY AND WE ARE GETTING MORE, UM, UH, BUSINESSES, TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT GENERATE SALES TAX.
YEAH, I JUST WOULD ADD A SLIGHT TWIST TO THAT.
UM, MY WIFE JUST SHOPPED THROUGHOUT COVID AND I WANT TO CREDIT HER FOR KEEPING SALES TAX DOLLARS UP.
UM, SO I DON'T WANT TO, I MUST GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
UH, BUT YOU KNOW, AND PAUL STATED AS THE INTERNET SALES TAX, WHICH IS CERTAINLY TRUE.
UM, BUT THAT OF COURSE WAS FOR EVERY COMMUNITY AND YET MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND US, IF NOT ALL COMMUNITIES AROUND US SAW A DECREASE.
SO I THINK, UH, CERTAINLY THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF IT, BUT ALSO JUST THE RESILIENCY OR THE TENACITY.
AGAIN, I HATE TO USE THE WORD AGAIN, BUT OF OUR, OF OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, WE PUT OUT A PLEA EARLY ON, UM, HEY, WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE EASY TO SHOP ONLINE AND, AND, AND DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, THERE'S A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES THAT ARE OPEN OFFERING CURBSIDE SERVICE, LET'S
[00:50:01]
GET OUT THERE, LET'S HELP THEM RESTAURANTS, UH, ADAPTED WITH, UH, DELIVERY AND CURBSIDE SERVICE AND OUR COMMUNITY, UH, RESPONDED IN SUPPORT OF THEM.SO I THINK IT'S COMBINATION OF ALL THOSE THINGS.
AND WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST COMMUNITIES TO RESPOND, UH, ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE CITY'S RESPONSE TO COVID OF, YOU KNOW, AS IT WAS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO, UM, THE MOMENT, UH, THAT WE, WE KNEW WHAT WAS COMING, UM, AND I SAY, WE KNEW WHAT WAS COMING OF.
THAT'S CHANGED MULTIPLE TIMES FROM BEGINNING TO NOW, BUT, UH, WE RALLIED AND AS A COUNCIL, WE GOT TOGETHER AND DETERMINED THAT, UH, OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALL THE TIME.
I TALKED ABOUT A NUMBER OF PROJECTS, UM, BUT A, OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY WAS, UH, PROTECTING THE PEOPLE AND COMPANIES AND BUSINESSES THAT HAD MADE AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT IN MCKINNEY.
SO WE IMMEDIATELY GOT TOGETHER AND PUT TOGETHER A FIRST, A SMALL GRANT BUSINESS PROGRAM.
WE FORMED ONE HEART MCKINNEY, UH, BOTH FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND INDIVIDUALS.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE ONE OF THE FOUR CITIES THAT, UH, UH, IN, IN, IN THAT, THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE CARE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT ON THE BUSINESS SIDE, UM, DISTRIBUTED FUNDS AGAIN, WE HAD AS A CITY, UH, A LOT OF FUNDS AVAILABLE TO US FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT WE COULD HAVE USED TO OFFSET EXPENSES, BUT WE PUT MOST OF THAT MONEY, UH, OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES.
SO WE, WE FROM DAY ONE, UM, THAT WAS OUR PRIORITY.
WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO INVEST IN THOSE WHO HAVE INVESTED IN US.
AND THANK YOU, MR. GRIMES, DR.
UM, SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE DEDICATION AND THE COMMITMENT OF OUR LEADERS, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS, THIS TIME, AND NOW WE'RE MOVING INTO THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SEGMENT.
SO QUESTIONS HAVE COME IN, UH, VIA ZOOM AND I HAVE A LIST OF QUESTIONS HERE ON MY COMPUTER.
I KNOW WE ALSO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS IN THE ROOM FROM OUR VIP AUDIENCE.
UM, AND SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND START OFF.
UM, ONE MOMENT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND START OFF.
AND THIS IS FOR ALL OF OUR PANELISTS, UM, JUST ABOUT THE PRIORITIES OF 2021.
SO WE KNOW THAT 2020 HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR, BUT AS WE'RE THINKING IN THE FUTURE, WHAT ARE PRIORITIES, UH, FOR 2021, BOTH FROM THE COLLIN COLLEGE SIDE AND FROM THE CITY OF MCKINNEY SIDE? WELL, FROM WHAT THE COLLIN COLLEGE SIDE, WE ALWAYS HEAR ABOUT THE NEW NORMAL AND HIGHER EDUCATION, WHAT'S IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE YOU BUILT THESE FACILITIES? ARE PEOPLE GOING TO STILL WANT TO COME IN LOOKING AT NATIONAL SURVEYS? WE KNOW THAT STUDENTS STILL VALUE FACE-TO-FACE INSTRUCTION, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR OWN LINE.
AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS WE HAD PLANNED TO LAUNCH IN FALL OF 2021, THREE NEW CAMPUSES.
NOW, MOST OF YOU ONLY HEARD ABOUT TWO NEW CAMPUSES FOR THAT TIME PERIOD, AND IT WAS SELENA AND FARMERSVILLE, BUT THERE'S BEEN A THIRD CAMPUS IN THE WORKS.
NOW FOR MANY YEARS, IT'S CALLED I COLLIN IT'S OUR VIRTUAL CAMPUS AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS.
WE PUSHED THAT LAUNCH UP DRAMATICALLY ON DEMAND, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A LOT OF THE BUGS AND PIECES TRYING TO MAKE ONLINE EDUCATION, A VALUABLE EXPERIENCE.
SO FOR 2021, THOSE THREE CAMPUSES ARE A PRIORITY FOR US AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEW NORMAL.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, UH, YOU THINK OF, UH, SILVER LININGS AND CERTAINLY THE CORONAVIRUS HAS BEEN A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, AND WE MOURN THE DEATHS OF THOSE WHO'VE PASSED FROM IT.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE LEARNED SOME THINGS.
FOR EXAMPLE, OUR FACULTY TO MAINTAIN CURRENCY IN THEIR FIELDS, GO TO MULTIPLE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
AMAZINGLY, WE FOUND THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO MORE IN THE ONLINE VIRTUAL CONFERENCES AND 10 MORE CONFERENCES FOR LESS MONEY AND GAIN GREATER INSIGHTS AND KNOWLEDGE THAN SOME OF THE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES DIDN'T EXPECT THAT.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO GO TO THOSE BEST PRACTICES AND THOSE LESSONS LEARNED, TAKE US INTO 2021 IN A POSITIVE WAY.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, OUR PRIORITIES, UM, ARE, ARE GOING TO STAY CONSISTENT WITH WHAT THEY'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT YEAR, UH, WITHOUT COVID, UM, TWO IS GREAT TO EXTEND AS THAT WILL BE, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS A CITY, UM, WE, WE PUT A BIG FOCUS, HEAVY FOCUS ON COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT? WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO, UM, DEVELOP THAT COMMERCIAL INCREASE, THAT COMMERCIAL BUSINESS TAX BASED OFFSET, UH, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAXES.
I THINK OUR, OUR YEAR OVER YEAR GROWTH, UM, OF BUSINESS GROWTH AND MCKINNEY DOUBLED THIS LAST YEAR, UH, OUR TAX RATE.
NOW THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE'VE EVER HAD A NO REVENUE, UM, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.
UH, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN STRIVING FOR THAT.
UM, FOR YEARS, UH, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE HAD A, A RATE LOWER THAN I THINK, UH, COMPARED TO EFFECTIVE OVER THE LAST 20 COMBINED.
[00:55:01]
SO WE WE'VE REALLY WORKED HARD ON THAT AND IT, IT COMES, IT COMES AT THE, AT THE HANDS OF FANTASTIC STAFF.UM, AND, AND I KNOW I'M NOT REALLY ANSWERING THE QUESTION, BUT I HAVE TO TAKE WITH THIS NEXT STATEMENT, BUT I GOT TO SAY IT HERE WE ARE WITH THE NO REVENUE, NO NEW REVENUE TAX RATE.
AND YET WE HAVE, UM, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT PROVIDES A SAFEST CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS TO LIVE.
WE HAVE A FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS THE HIGHEST RATING THAT CAN HAVE.
WE HAVE A, UM, CITY MANAGER, HIS DEPARTMENT IN EVERY DEPARTMENT IN OUR CITY, UM, THAT COMPARED PER CAPITA TO EVERY CITY AROUND US, UM, ARE DOING, UH, MORE WITH LESS.
AND SO IF PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW HOW WE ACHIEVED THE NO REVENUE TAX RATE, UM, IT'S OUR, IT'S OUR STAFF IT'S, UH, AND IT'S OUR STAFF EXCELLING.
IT'S NOT BEEN AT THE EXPENSE OF ANYTHING.
AS I SAID, WE, WE RATE ABOVE EVERYONE AROUND US, EVERYONE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
NOW I WOULD JUST FOLLOW UP WITH, FIRST OF ALL, MY PRIORITY IS GOING TO BE WHATEVER THE COUNCIL TELLS ME.
UM, BUT I, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU MAYOR.
UM, WE DO HAVE A TERRIFIC STAFF, THE CITY.
UM, SO ONE OF MY PRIORITIES OBVIOUSLY IS TO CONTINUE TO DO WHAT I HAVE TO DO AND THAT'S TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE REALLY TALENTED STAFF AND A GREAT TEAM, AND THAT WE'RE TRYING TO INNOVATE AND EVOLVE AND GET BETTER AT WHAT WE DO.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT PERFECT.
WE HAVE WORK TO DO THERE, BUT, UH, MAN, I I'D STAND OUR, OUR FOLKS UP ALONGSIDE, UH, IN TERMS OF THE TALENT AND THE DEDICATION AND THE COMMITMENT.
UM, AND W FEW MAY GET FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE ANOTHER COMMUNITY WIDE SURVEY.
SO THE NEXT ONE IS GOING TO START THIS NEXT WINTER.
UM, AND, AND FEEDBACK WE ALWAYS GET FROM THE RESIDENTS.
AND I EXPECTED AGAIN, IS THAT OUR STAFF, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE GREAT, GREAT EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCES IN DEALING WITH A CITY STAFF, UM, YOU KNOW, CITY HALL, BIG PRIORITY.
WE HAVE A $350 MILLION BOND PACKAGE.
WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA GET THIS THING ROLLING.
WE ALREADY ARE, BUT IT'S GOING TO REALLY START KICKING INTO HIGH GEAR THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR.
UM, WE, THEY, THE CITY COUNCIL JUST APPROVED A FIRST PHASE, THE FIRST PART OF A DESIGN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AGREEMENT, UM, WITH A FIRM WHO IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE TOP FIRMS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE PEARL IN SAN ANTONIO, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE AUSTIN CENTRAL LIBRARY, THEN THAT'S WHO WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH AS OUR ARCHITECT, AGAIN, THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, HAS TO, THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE VISION.
THEY HAVE TO SEE, WOW, THAT THAT'S A REALLY IMPRESSIVE FIRM.
SO THEY'RE SETTING A MARKER, RIGHT? UM, EARLY, UH, IN THIS PROCESS, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY WITH THE PANDEMIC AND DEALING WITH HOW WE, AS STAFF HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO DELIVER SERVICES, AMY, YOU'RE DEALING WITH IT YOURSELF AND DEALING WITH, UM, UH, MAIN STREET AND, UM, THE IMPACT AND WHAT CAN WE DO.
UM, AND THEN THIS NEXT YEAR, UH, WE'RE ALL HOPEFUL THAT THE VACCINES ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN EFFECT AND, AND, AND BY MID-YEAR, HOPEFULLY BY THE BYRON NELSON, WE'RE ALL MASKS OFF AND, AND FAR MORE CONFIDENT IN WHAT WE DO.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE'VE GOT TO WORK AROUND THAT.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST BUILDING ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND, AND, AND FOCUSING ON HOUSING, UH, WORKFORCE HOUSING, WE GOTTA CONTINUE THE PLAN THAT IS, OR THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE BY THE ROOT FOLKS THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, THAT IS A BIG PRIORITY OF OURS IS TO COME UP WITH A COGENT POLICY FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL TO LOOK AT IT AND SAY, YES, THIS IS OUR GAME PLAN GOING FORWARD, OUR STRATEGY, AND WE'RE GONNA, UM, MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
SO THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT I WOULD SAY FROM MY STANDPOINT.
AND TO SEGUE OFF OF THAT, UH, ONE OF THE COMMENTS FROM ZOOM, UM, REFEREE REFERENCES, POPULATION GROWTH, UM, AND NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS AND HEARING THAT, UM, THERE'S A DESIRE FROM PEOPLE TO RELOCATE FROM MORE URBAN ENVIRONMENTS TO MORE SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENTS.
UM, WE, WE SEE THAT WITH, UH, REGISTRATION NUMBERS AND ENROLLMENT NUMBERS IN OUR SCHOOLS AND IN OUR CALLING COLLEGE, CAN YOU ALL SPEAK TO JUST KIND OF THAT GROWTH? AND DO YOU SEE MCKINNEY, UM, I MEAN THE, THE REAL ESTATE MARKET, WHAT, WHAT TYPES OF THINGS ARE YOU SEEING FROM YOUR END ABOUT GROWTH? WELL, UM, I'M NOT IN THE REAL ESTATE MARKET PER SE, BUT I KNOW WHAT I READ AND THE MARKET'S HOT RIGHT NOW.
UH THERE'S UM, IT IS A, THERE'S A LOT OF DEMAND FOR SUBURBAN, UH, UM, HOMES.
AND I THINK PART OF IT IS A COUPLE OF TRENDS.
IT'S THE SORT OF THE, UH, D DENSITY.
I SAY D DENSIFYING BECAUSE WE HAVE DENSITY THAT WE'RE BUILDING HERE, BUT IT'S GETTING AWAY FROM THAT URBANIZED ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU'RE RELIANT UPON CERTAIN THINGS, MAYBE MASS TRANSIT, ET CETERA, PEOPLE WANT TO GET AWAY FROM THAT.
THEY CAN, WE'VE CLEARLY SHOWN THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT OUR WORK FOR THE MOST PART THROUGH REMOTE MEANS.
WE DON'T WANT TO KEEP DOING IT FOREVER, BUT I THINK SULLIVAN IS GOING TO BE HERE TO STAY.
AND I THINK WE'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT SO PEOPLE NOW ARE SAYING, WELL, I CAN LIVE IN THE SUBURBS NOW.
I DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE OFFICE DOWNTOWN DALLAS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, SOME OF THE CIVIL UNREST THAT WE ALL SAW AND SOME OF THE, UH, PROBABLY THE POLICY POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY SOME CITIES, THAT'S PROBABLY SCARED.
SOME FOLKS SAY, I'M NOT GOING TO
[01:00:01]
STAY HERE.I'M NOT GOING TO KEEP MY INVESTMENT HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO A SUBURB, SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENT.
I THINK THOSE THINGS HAVE ALL CONTRIBUTED TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE TREND.
AND I'LL, I, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT THESE GUYS PROBABLY SEE SOME THINGS THEIR OWN WAY, TOO.
THERE'S NOT MUCH I'D REALLY ADD TO THAT.
I MEAN, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S SPOT ON.
UM, AND, AND OF COURSE, JUST FOR MCKINNEY, UH, IT GETS BACK TO, UH, WHY WOULD WE BE THE AREA TO, TO RELOCATE FOR SUBURBAN LIVING? IT GOES BACK TO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, OUR, OUR SAFETY, UH, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, OUR, OUR, UM, WHO WE ARE AS A COMMUNITY, WHAT WE OFFER, WE'RE SUCH A DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE A CULTURAL ARTS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A MAGNET FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF QUALITY.
I TALKED ABOUT GROWTH EARLIER, AND WE'RE CERTAINLY SEEING GROWTH.
THERE IS AN ASPECT OF, UH, OF THE TIME PERIOD THAT WE'RE IN, THAT'S CONCERNING.
AND THAT'S THE STUDENTS AGED 18 TO 22 COLUMN ACTUALLY SAW 20, A 10% REDUCTION IN THAT AGE GROUP, 2018 AND 22.
AND A LOT OF OUR UNIVERSITY FRIENDS ARE THE REPORTED THE SAME.
WE SAW A BIG INCREASE IN DUAL CREDIT STUDENTS AND A BIG INCREASE IN FOLKS COMING FROM REESE FOR RESKILLING AND THEIR FORTIES AND FIFTIES, AS WELL AS A TRANSFER IN GROUP FOLKS THAT STAYED HOME FROM UNIVERSITY BECAUSE THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS SITUATION.
SO I DO THINK I'M A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED RIGHT NOW.
WE ARE STILL SEEING GROWTH OR PREPARING FOR GROWTH.
WE THINK IT'S COMING AS RICK MCDANIELS REFERRED TO EARLIER, BUT WE DID LOSE SOME FOLKS WHO ARE INCOME DEPENDENT ON RETAIL AND RESTAURANT JOBS, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT INCOME STREAMS. THERE WERE SEVERELY DISRUPTED.
SO WE'RE A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT RECAPTURING THOSE STUDENTS AND MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A PLACE AT THE TABLE.
UM, THIS IS MORE OF A CITY OF MCKINNEY SPECIFIC QUESTION, UH, BUT THINKING ABOUT THE EXCITEMENT INVOLVED WITH THE BYRON NELSON, UH, THE QUESTION ASKS ABOUT THE RESORT STYLE HOTEL IN A TIMELINE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BYRON NELSON, ANY UPDATES ON THE RESORT HOTEL.
YOU KNOW, I, UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE BYRON IS, IS, UH, IS AN EVENT THAT WILL REALLY REQUIRE MORE, UH, MORE HOTELS IN OUR AREA.
AND I KNOW THE, UM, THAT THE RESORT, OBVIOUSLY I THINK ALL HOTEL DEVELOPMENT KIND OF PAUSED RIGHT AS, AS COVID HIT, UH, AND THAT BUSINESS HAS SUFFERED 90% DECREASES IN AND BUSINESS.
SO IT'S CERTAINLY PAUSED FOR THAT REASON, BUT IT'S, UM, IT IS ON THE HORIZON AND, AND CERTAINLY, UM, IN IMMEDIATE PLANS.
AND ALTHOUGH IT WON'T BE OF COURSE, HERE FOR THIS COMING BYRON, UH, WE EXPECT THAT IT WILL BE COMPLETE AND FULLY OCCUPIED BY THE NEXT YEAR.
MACKIN, UM, COULD YOU MAYBE TALK WITH US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU MAY BE FACING WITH COLLIN COLLEGE IN 2021? WELL, YOU KNOW, THE COLLEGES JUST CELEBRATED HIS 35TH ANNIVERSARY, AND AS YOU AGE, YOU HAVE A LARGER NUMBER OF RETIREMENTS.
WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, TREMENDOUSLY LONG-TERM EMPLOYEES.
I, ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS SUCCESSION PLANNING.
I KNOW THE FALL OF THE FOLKS WHO REPORT DIRECTLY TO ME, I'M LOOKING AT FOUR OF THEM THAT HAVE TERMINATION OR NOT TERMINATION, BUT EXPIRATION DATES OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING.
AND IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE TO FIND ADEQUATE STAFFING, ADEQUATE FACULTY, ESPECIALLY IN A GROWING AREA WHERE THE COST OF LIVING PERHAPS IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN SOME OF THE MORE RURAL AREAS.
SO THAT'S CERTAINLY A BIG CHALLENGE FOR US.
AND I THINK THE OTHER, UH, OTHER CHALLENGE WE CONTINUE TO FACE IS AS WE EXPERIENCED GROWTH IN THE COUNTY IS AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT THE COURSES ARE ACCESSIBLE AND THAT WE'RE, UH, WE'RE MEETING THE STUDENTS WHERE THEY LIVE AND WITH WHAT THEY NEED.
AS I'D MENTIONED EARLIER, THAT THE STAFFING ISSUE IS ONE THAT, UH, PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT AND HAVING A TOP QUALITY STAFF, TOP QUALITY FACULTY AND A GROWING ENVIRONMENT IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE AND SOMETHING THAT WE THINK A LOT ABOUT AND WE'RE PLANNING, PLANNING FOR.
THIS IS MORE OF A SPECIFIC, A CITY SPECIFIC QUESTION, AND IT'S IN REGARDS TO IMPACT THE CHANGES, UM, AND THE DEVELOPMENT CODE THAT'S BEING UPDATED.
WHAT TYPES OF CHANGES MAY COME WITH IT? MR. GRIMES, CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE TO THE IMPACT FEE CHANGES? SO, UM, EVERY NUMBER OF YEARS, FIVE TO 10 YEARS, YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT YOUR IMPACT FEES AND ASSURE THAT THEY ARE IN LINE WITH THE MARKETPLACE.
AND THAT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY'RE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS THEY'RE GOING TO BE NEEDED FOR THAT DISTRICT.
SO A LITTLE LITTLE ONE OH ONE LESSON, YOUR IMPACT FEES ARE BASICALLY USED TO AUGMENT, UM, THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT THAT'S NEEDED TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR ROADWAYS, UM, OR OTHER UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, AND THEY SPREAD THAT OUT SO THAT THE, YOUR, YOUR RATE, YOUR TAXPAYERS, AREN'T
[01:05:01]
HAVING TO PAY TWICE.THEY'VE ALREADY PAID WITH THEIR HOME, FOR EXAMPLE, OR THEIR BUSINESS.
IF THEY'RE OPERATING ONE IN THEORY, THEY'VE THEIR COST OF THEIR HOME ALREADY HAS THOSE COSTS BAKED IN.
AND IF THEY HAVE TO ISSUE BONDS TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY'RE DOUBLE PANE WHERE WHAT YOU'RE IS, YOU'RE BASICALLY SAYING TO THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BUILD SOME OF THAT CAPACITY YOURSELF.
UM, AND THAT IS, IT SORT OF SHARES THOSE COSTS, BUT WE HAVE TO, IT'S, IT'S A VERY, VERY COMPLICATED PROCESS.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT, UM, UM, THE, THE GROWTH IN THAT AREA.
YOU GOTTA LOOK AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DEFEND IT.
UM, SO WE SPEND AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME AND WE HIRE CONSULTANTS TO WORK WITH US ON DETERMINING WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE GOING TO BE.
AND THEN YOU SORT OF HAVE A FORMULAIC APPROACH TO WHAT THOSE IMPACT FEES ARE.
AND WE REVISIT THOSE FROM TIME TO TIME.
THEY'RE NEVER POPULAR WITH THE DEVELOPERS.
I PROMISE YOU, WE'VE GOT SOME HERE.
THEY WOULD IN ONE RIGHT NEXT TO ME.
IT'S TRYING TO BE A FAIR WAY OF, OF SPREADING OUT THE COST OF INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND THEN ONCE THE COMMUNITY GETS BUILT OUT, YOU DON'T NEED IMPACT FEES ANYMORE.
IT'S REALLY BECAUSE WE'RE A GROWTH COMMUNITY.
THEIR, OUR IMPACT FEES ARE WHERE THEY ARE, BUT THAT CHANGES OVER TIME.
AS YOU BUILD OUT, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE, WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THAT, THAT TAKES A WHILE.
WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS IN UPDATING AND STREAMLINING OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE.
OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE IS BYZANTINE AT BEST.
UM, AND FOLKS HAVE TO LIKE TRY TO FIGURE IT OUT.
I CAN'T MAKE MAKE SENSE OF IT.
UM, AND IT'S BECAUSE IT'S BEEN STITCHED AND COBBLED TOGETHER OVER THE YEARS, UM, AND COUNCILS COME AND GO AND THEY MAKE CHANGES.
AND IT'S WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO IS KIND OF BREAK IT AND REBUILD IT AND STREAMLINE IT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE DOING.
BUT WE ANTICIPATE THAT PROBABLY IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, WE WILL BE DONE.
WE WILL HAVE THE DEVELOPMENT CODE MODERNIZATION, IF YOU WILL, FAR EASIER TO READ FAR, FAR MORE USER-FRIENDLY FOR FOLKS, YOU CAN GO ONLINE, GET IT AND UNDERSTAND IT MUCH MORE EASILY.
SO WE THINK THOSE ARE ALL CHANGES THAT WE JUST NEED TO HAVE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
IT'S BEEN LOUD AND CLEAR IN MY EAR FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT, UH, THE MAYOR HAS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH IT AND OTHERS, AND WE'RE, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE RESOURCES THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT TO IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. GRIMES.
UH, AND FINALLY, MR. MAYOR, THIS QUESTION IS FOR YOU, UH, WE KNOW THAT 2021 IS THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
AND SO WHAT DOES THE CITY, UM, HOPE, WANT TO SEE FROM AUSTIN? WHAT ARE ANYTHING THAT THE CITY WANTS TO SEE COME OUT OF AUSTIN IN 2021? UM, YEAH, COMPLETE, UM, SHIFT IN PHILOSOPHY.
UH, QUITE FRANKLY, UM, YOU KNOW, LAST, LAST SESSION WAS VERY, VERY TOUGH.
UH, THE LEGISLATIVE BODY, UH, WAS LED TO, TO REALLY BE STATE CENTRIC AND, UM, TAKE AWAY, UH, AUTHORITY AND, AND NOT JUST AUTHORITY FROM CITIES.
AND, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE HEARD, OF COURSE IT WAS IN THE NEWS WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE SAID BY OUR FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AND, AND OTHERS, UH, THAT THERE WAS REALLY A, UH, A DESIRE TO, TO, UM, MAKE THINGS TOUGH ON CITIES.
SO FOR US, A HUGE PARTY WILL BE TO MAINTAIN, UM, TO MAINTAIN OUR ABILITY TO BE A HOME RULE CITY AND, AND GOVERN HERE, ORDINANCES AND, AND, UH, AND WHATNOT, EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, EVERYONE IN THIS CITY HAS DIRECT ACCESS, UH, TO, TO THIS BODY, THIS COUNCIL BODY.
UM, AND IF SOMETHING IS ON YOUR MIND, OR YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH SOMETHING, YOU CAN WALK DOWN TO CITY HALL AND YOU CAN SPEAK TO IT, AND YOU HAVE GREAT ABILITY TO AFFECT, UM, AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT'S, THAT'S OF COURSE, MUCH TOUGHER.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GO DOWN TO AUSTIN AND HAVE ANY TIME YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO.
SO WHAT WE HOPE IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS, IS TRULY WORKING WITH THE CITIES A LOT MORE.
UM, AND, AND RESPECTING THE FACT THAT THERE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NEEDS OF MCKINNEY, TEXAS ARE, ARE VERY DIFFERENT IN SOME REGARDS TO MIDLAND, TEXAS, OR HOUSTON, TEXAS.
AND, UH, AND SO THAT'S WHAT I REALLY HOPE IF ONE THING, UM, ONE THING COULD CHANGE, IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE THAT A GREATER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE AND, AND CITIES AND COUNTIES.
UM, AND THIS IS, UH, ANOTHER QUESTION FOR THE WHOLE PANEL, UH, AND SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME FEEL VERY PROUD AS A MCKINNEY RESIDENT, UM, IS OUR ONE HEART MCKINNEY AS, SO CAN YOU ALL SHARE JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE HEART MCKINNEY, UH, WHAT IT IS, HOW PEOPLE CAN BE INVOLVED, UH, AND WHAT IT'S DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY? I I'LL START IT.
THE MAYOR I'M SURE IS GOING TO HAVE HIS PERSPECTIVE, BUT, UM, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT HAVING TO HAVE THE GOVERNMENT.
THIS IS A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION THAT WAS CREATED BY, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR VISION, UH, OUR ORGANIZATIONAL VISION THAT WE, WE TELL FOLKS IS BUILDING A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITY THROUGH THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS.
AND IT WAS THOSE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE CALLED ON WHEN WE CREATED ONE HEART MCKINNEY, LITERALLY THAT WEEK OF THE FIRST, UH, LOCKDOWN, UH, DURING THE, THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PANDEMIC, THE MAYOR.
AND I TALKED TO HIM AND, UH, PASTOR TERMAN, UM,
[01:10:01]
UH, WHO HAS BEEN VERY, VERY ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY.WE, HE HOSTED THE CHURCH, HOSTED THE FIRST MEETING, AND THAT WAS THE LAST MEETING WE HAD IN PERSON.
EVERYTHING ELSE WAS ZOOM FROM THAT POINT ON, BUT, UH, THE MAYOR AND I WERE ABLE TO SORT OF SAY, LISTEN, LET'S, LET'S CONVENE THIS GROUP.
SO THAT'S THE ONE THING THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE MAYOR AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
AND THE GOVERNMENT IS WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE A CONVENIENT AUTHORITY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE THE ONES PROVIDING THE SERVICES.
WHAT HART MCKINNEY CAME TOGETHER IS A GROUP OF FOLKS THERE CROSS DIFFERENT ENTITIES IN THE OREGON, UH, UH, IN THE CITY, UM, FROM HEALTH PROVIDERS FOR, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER.
UM, WE HAD, UH, THE HOPE CLINIC.
WE HAD A SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, OUR FIRE OR POLICE OR EMERGENCY MANAGER IN, AND WE, WE, WE CONTINUED TO THIS DAY, WE HAVE A WEEKLY MEETING AND THE WHOLE POINT IS HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY A ONE PLACE? THEY CAN GO ONE HEART, MCKINNEY.COM IF YOU WANT TO HELP, IF YOU NEED HELP IN BASICALLY ACROSS FOUR AREAS, UM, BASICALLY HEALTHCARE, SCHOOL, EDUCATION, UH, JOBS, WORK, AND HOUSING.
UH, WE WANT FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR HOUSE, WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO HELP YOU ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
WE'RE GOING TO PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH ONE OF OUR NONPROFIT.
WE RAISED A BUNCH OF MONEY IN A REALLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, AND I'LL LET THE MAYOR TAKE IT FROM THERE, BUT YEAH, YOU, YOU PRETTY MUCH COVERED IT.
WE, WE RAISED A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IMMEDIATELY, AND AGAIN, THAT WAS THE EFFORT OF, UM, NONPROFITS, UH, BUSINESSES, INDIVIDUALS, UM, YOU KNOW, RICK WELLS WAS INVOLVED IN THAT GROUP, BUT MY WIFE WAS INVOLVED IN THAT GROUP, MEG, UM, MEGAN, UM, THE WORKS WITH RICK WHO WAS JUST A ROCKSTAR IN HELPING WE HAD A WEBSITE UP, UH, I DUNNO IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES, UM, FROM THE MOMENT WE TALKED ABOUT IT AND IT WAS ABOUT PROVIDING FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR SURE.
UH, BUT ALSO AS PAUL SAID, UH, A KIND OF A CLEARING HOUSE FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO, UM, PROVIDE INFORMATION ON WHAT THEY COULD DO TO HELP.
CAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WANT TO HELP, RIGHT? I WOULD GET CALLS AND EMAILS, HEY, WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP? THIS IS WHAT I DO AS A BUSINESS.
UM, I THINK THAT CAN BE BENEFICIAL AND PEOPLE COULD USE OUR SERVICE AND WE WANT TO DONATE.
WE WANT TO HELP AND ABLE TO DIRECT THEM TO ONE HEART MCKINNEY AND THEY WOULD PUT THOSE THINGS THERE.
AND, UH, AND THEN OF COURSE WE WOULD BROADCAST OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, GO TO ONE HEART MCKINNEY, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, HELP THAT YOU CAN FIND, UM, AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO THE COMMUNITY ABSOLUTELY JUST CAME TOGETHER AND, UM, IT WAS REALLY, IT'S A PROUD, IT'S A PROUD TESTAMENT TO WHO WE ARE AS, AS A CITY.
I'D LIKE TO SAY THE ONE HEART MCKINNEY NAME CAME FROM SOMETHING REALLY INTERESTING AND THOUGHTFUL, FRANKLY, IT CAME FROM RICK WELLS.
UM, WE, WE MET, WE HAD OUR MEETING.
WE, WE DIDN'T REALLY CALL OURSELVES ANYTHING, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY TRYING TO FIGURE TO DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCY SITUATION AT HAND.
BUT RICK WELLS SAYS, YOU KNOW, I, THE SEED FOUNDATION, HE HAS THE SEED FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A CHARITY.
HE SAID, WE'VE GOT THIS WEBSITE ONE HART, MCKENNEY.COM.
AND WE SAY, I SAID, RICKY, I THINK YOU JUST NAMED OUR ORGANIZATION.
SO, UM, IT REALLY WAS A GREAT INSTANCE OF AGAIN, THE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER TO BUILD A MORE RESILIENT RESPONSE TO THESE TYPES OF EMERGENCY.
AND I THINK THAT MESSAGE, UH, REALLY, UH, REPRESENTS THAT TOGETHER.
WE ARE BETTER, UM, THE THEME OF OUR 20, 20 STATE OF THE CITY, UH, BEFORE WE WRAP UP, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU ALL WOULD LIKE TO ADD? ANYTHING THAT WE DIDN'T GET TO TALK ABOUT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO JUST FINAL THOUGHTS? DR.
MACKIN, I'D LIKE TO JUST SAY THAT COLLIN COLLEGE HAS A HUGE FOOTPRINT IN MCKINNEY.
WE HAVE OUR ORIGINAL CAMPUS HERE IN MCKINNEY.
WE HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER THAT'S OPENED IN 2018 AND A GREAT COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITIES OF MCKINNEY AND THE CITY OF ALLEN.
WE HAVE OUR COLUMN HIGHER-EDUCATION CENTER, ALSO LOCATED IN MCKINNEY.
IT'S THE HEADQUARTERS OF OUR, OUR DISTRICT OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS BEING A PARTNERSHIP THAT BRINGS BACHELOR'S MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREES AND FIVE UNIVERSITY PARTNERS IN THE CITY OF MCKINNEY.
WE TALK ABOUT IN A UNIVERSITY PRESENCE AND MCKINNEY, IN ADDITION TO OUR OWN BACHELOR'S DEGREES.
NOW THAT WE'VE WE'VE STARTED, WE HAVE NUMBER A NUMBER OF BACHELOR'S DEGREES.
THEY'RE OFFERED FROM UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS TEXTED THEM COMMERCE, TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY, AND TEXAS TECH RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF MCKINNEY.
SO WE FEEL VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WITH MCKINNEY AND OUR COLUMN.
ONE HEART IS TO SAY, THANK YOU FOR YOU GUYS.
IT'S BEEN A GREAT, GREAT PARTNERSHIP.
NOW I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, UH, JUST, I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE TIMES WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW AND VERY SPECIFICALLY THESE DAYS, RIGHT? FROM NOVEMBER 3RD, UM, THROUGH, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN YET.
AND, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S JUST SO MUCH TENSION IN THE COUNTRY AND OF COURSE WE EXPERIENCED IT HERE.
THERE'S BEEN RACIAL TENSION AND WE'VE SEEN SOME OF IT HERE.
UH, AND WE WE'VE, UM, IT'S SO EASY TO GET, TO GET LOST AND WRAPPED UP IN THESE IDEALS AND, AND, UH, AND START THINKING, MAN, IF IT HAPPENS THIS WAY, THINGS ARE GOING TO THE SKY IS GOING TO FALL IN.
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UH, MCKINNEY IS GOING TO BE A FANTASTIC COMMUNITY TO LIVE IN, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS ELECTION.UM, WE, UH, WITH, WITH REGARD TO RACIAL UNREST, WE AS A COMMUNITY HAVE ALREADY PROVEN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, HOW WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND REALLY PUT, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST BRING US TOGETHER AND, AND STOP THAT DIVISIVENESS.
SO ALL I WOULD, I WOULD TAKE MY LAST MINUTE TO SAY AND PLEAD WITH EVERYONE OUT THERE TO REMEMBER THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THE, THE ESPOUSE HERE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE LIVING YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR, YOUR FRIENDS, UM, AND, UH, AND, AND WE CAN HAVE DISAGREEMENTS AND WE CAN EXPRESS OUR OPINIONS, BUT THERE'S A WAY TO DO IT IN A MUCH BETTER WAY THAN WE'VE SEEN.
AND I THINK WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO OUR CHILDREN, BUT THE GREATEST EVERYONE ALWAYS ASKS ME, UH, WHEN I SPEAK TO CLASSES OR WHATNOT, THE KIDS WILL ALL SAY, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF BEING A MAYOR? AND MY TRUE ANSWER IS SPEAKING TO YOU.
AND BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THESE LITTLE, THESE KIDS ARE OUR FUTURE AND, AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE 15, 16 YEAR OLD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, OR THEY'RE THEIR EIGHT YEAR OLD FIFTH GRADERS OR WHATEVER NEAR AGE GROUP, THIRD GRADERS.
AND, UH, AND WE HAVE A, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BE BETTER EXAMPLES THAT MAYBE WE HAVE BEEN AS A COUNTRY.
AND, UH, AND SO I JUST URGE EVERYONE TO KIDS WATCH WHAT WE DO ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THEY WATCH WHAT WE, HOW WE INTERACT WITH FRIENDS AND THEY WATCH HOW WE INTERACT WITH FAMILY MEMBERS WHEN WE DON'T AGREE, DO WE ACT LIKE FAMILY MEMBERS OR DO WE ACT SOMETHING MUCH, MUCH, MUCH LESS? AND SO I JUST URGE EVERYONE TO REMEMBER THAT SORT OF PLAYING OFF OF THAT.
I, I, ALL I WOULD FINISH THIS BY SAYING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING I READ AND ALL THIS STUDY, I'M A KIND OF A HISTORY GUY.
AND THE ONE THING THAT REALLY SETS THIS COUNTRY APART AND MAKES US SUCH A GREAT COUNTRY IS THAT WE BUILD A GREAT COUNTRY, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME.
WE ARE, UM, WE, WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, MANY RESPECTS FROM MCKINNEY.
BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN BUILD A BETTER COMMUNITY.
AND WE DO THAT THROUGH THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS.
WE DO IT THROUGH STRONG FAMILIES, HOWEVER YOU DEFINE FAMILY, UM, AND, AND, AND BUILDING THOSE BONDS, UH, THAT'S WHAT MAKES AMERICA GREAT.
WE, UH, WE ADAPT, WE, WE, WE MOVE WITH THE, WITH THE CHANGES OF TIME, UM, AND REALLY THAT'S ALL WE CAN FOCUS.
THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD FOCUS ON AND MAKE A BETTER COMMUNITY AND NOT LET ALL THE OTHER NOISE GET US TOO STRESSED OUT.
UM, WELL, THIS IS JUST COMING IN, QUICKLY OVER, UH, MY COMPUTER AND MY PHONE.
I THINK WE MAY BE MAKING HISTORY TODAY.
UM, THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME THAT A STATE OF THE CITY IS ENDING LIKE RIGHT ON TIME, RIGHT.
OR MAYBE EVEN A MINUTE EARLY, UH, VERY EXCITING.
UH, THE MAYOR RIGHT NOW, WHAT A, WHAT A FANTASTIC CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD TODAY.
AND SO, UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME OUR MCKINNEY CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CHAIR, BRIAN MANCY FROM PROSPERITY BANK.
UM, HE'S GOING TO COME UP FOR OUR CLOSING STATEMENTS.
SO THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS AND OUR MODERATOR TONIGHT, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EVENING, ESPECIALLY WASTE CONNECTIONS OF TEXAS AND ALL THE GOLD AND BRONZE AND PLATINUM SPONSORS THAT WE'VE HAD A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO LISA AND THE STAFF OR THE PIVOTS, UH, TO THE ONLINE PLATFORM.
UM, AND ALL THAT THEY'VE DONE THIS YEAR FOR OUR BUSINESSES LOCALLY THROUGH THE CHALLENGE THAT WE'VE HAD FOR THE YEAR, UH, STAYED IN GUILT, STILL GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT THERE.
IF YOU ENJOYED THE INFORMATION THAT YOU RECEIVE, PLEASE LOOK TO THE CHAMBER FOR OTHER INFORMATION OR OTHER PROGRAMMING, ALONG WITH THE GOVERNMENT, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, AND MANY OTHER THINGS THAT CHAMBERS AND SPA SPONSORS ALONG THE WAY.
AND AS WE LOOK TO AUSTIN IN THE SPRING, AS WE GO, ALSO KEEP IN MIND, STAY SAFE, BE VILLA VIGILANT, AND STAYING SAFE AS WE KEEP OUR FIRST RESPONDERS IN MIND AND WORK THROUGH THIS CHALLENGE TO GET OUR BUSINESSES BACK TO NORMAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.