* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] MAKE SURE I, GOOD MORNING [CALL TO ORDER] AND WELCOME TO THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING. MY NAME IS KATIE SCOTT AND TODAY IS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH, 2026, AND IT IS 8:01 AM WE ARE MEETING IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 4 0 1 EAST VIRGINIA STREET, MCKINNEY, TEXAS. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT ARE JILL BARNES, PATRICK MCGUIRE, BRIAN MEDINA, KEITH GALL, JANIE PENA, CAROL SULLIVAN, AND MYSELF. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT PATRICK COTTIER, CITY STAFF. WE HAVE PAUL GRIMES, MIKE KOWSKI, AND ERIN WERNER AND DEBORAH BRADFORD. FROM VISIT MCKINNEY WE HAVE ALICIA HOLMBERG, SARAH TING, EMILY MYRICK, AND PAULA MARTIN. WE WILL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON POSTED AGENDA ITEMS. THERE ARE NONE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CONSENT ITEMS. [CONSENT ITEMS] WE'LL NOW VOTE ON CONSENT. UH, AGENDA ITEM TWO SIX DASH NINE THREE MINUTES OF THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEETING FROM AUGUST 25TH, 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION? BRIAN MEDINA MAKES A MOTION MOTION BY BRIAN MEDINA. MAY I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? WHERE'D THAT COME FROM? CAROL SULLIVAN. FROM YOU. FROM ME. SECOND BY CAROL, PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION PASSED. MOVING [26-0931 Board and Liaison Reports City of McKinney MEDC MCDC McKinney Main Street / MPAC McKinney Parks and Recreation Visit McKinney Finance Report Visit McKinney Marketing Report] TO REPORTS. AGENDA ITEM TWO SIX DASH 9 3 1. BOARD AND LIAISON REPORTS, UM, FROM THE CITY MCKINNEY, PATRICK COIE. HEY Y'ALL. UM, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THIS IS GONNA BE KATIE'S LAST MEETING. I KNOW WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THAT AND IT'S JANIE'S LAST MEETING. UH, I'VE BEEN I THINK, A LIAISON HERE SINCE I STARTED ON COUNCIL FIVE YEARS AGO. AND I THINK Y'ALL WERE HERE. YOU'RE RIGHT HERE. AND MAN, Y'ALL HAVE DONE SO GREAT. THIS WHOLE BOARD IS SO GREAT. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU DO SO MUCH HEAVY LIFTING, UH, FOR HELPING WITH TOURISM. YOU'RE SUCH GREAT ADVOCATES, BUT YOUR LEADERSHIP HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS AND I, UH, AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE MOVING ON TO EDC AND JANIE, YOU'VE BECOME, UM, A REALLY VALUED FRIEND FOR ME AND I SO APPRECIATE YOU AND YOU'VE GOT MY DIGITS IF YOU NEED ME, RIGHT? GOT IT. SO, OKAY. UM, A FEW UPDATES FOR THE CITY. UH, I'LL JUST TOUCH ON THIS. THE, UH, THERE IS A RECALL ON SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEY DID GET THE, WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE, UH, REQUIRED NUMBER OF SIGNATURES. AND SO THIS CITY IS GOING TO BE AUDITING THOSE TO MAKE SURE THEY ALL COMPORT. THAT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE. AND I THINK THAT, UM, CITY MANAGER GRIMES MAY SAY THE SAME THING, BUT I THINK WE'RE TARGETING MID-NOVEMBER FOR BEING ABLE TO SEE IF THAT THING IS A THUMBS UP OR THUMBS DOWN BASED ON THE, IF THE SIGNATURES ARE HONEST OR NOT, THEN THAT WILL TRIGGER A RECALL ELECTION IF THAT HAPPENS. UM, WE HAVE A REALLY BUSY AGENDA NEXT WEEK. UM, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I WANNA MENTION THAT ARE ON THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA AND ON, AND SOME OF THE THINGS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. DO Y'ALL REMEMBER ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE HAD, UM, THREE, UH, NEW ORDINANCES WE PUT IN THAT WERE TO MITIGATE VAGRANCY. THEY WERE NO SLEEPING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, UNLESS YOU'RE THE PROPERTY OWNER, YOU CAN'T SIT ON SIDEWALKS DOWNTOWN. AND THEN, UM, ANOTHER ONE THAT IS ESCAPING ME AT THIS MOMENT, BUT THOSE SUNSET IT AFTER A YEAR. AND SO WE ARE TAKING THOSE UP AGAIN NEXT WEEK, BUT THEY'RE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT, UM, MY IMPRESSION IS THAT I'VE TALKED TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE BASICALLY BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND SO I HAVE AN APPETITE TO CONTINUE THEM FOR ANOTHER YEAR. BUT THAT'S ON THE AGENDA. NEXT WEEK WE'LL ALSO BE, UH, VOTING ON A PARKING VENDOR, UH, KIND OF A PARKING COMPANY FOR THE AIRPORT AND A CONCESSIONS VENDOR AT THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE FLIGHTS COMING UP IN NOVEMBER AND FOUR NEW CITIES WERE ANNOUNCED, UH, DENVER, NASHVILLE, ATLANTA, AND NEW ORLEANS. SO, UM, BACHELOR AND BACHELORETTE PARTIES. I THINK WE'RE GONNA CORNER THAT MARKET. I THINK MAYBE, UM, WE HAD OCTOBER FEST HERE. AND, UM, THE OTHER THING, THE ONLY OTHER THING I'LL MENTION IS THAT IT WAS CAME UP IN MAIN STREET A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT, UM, OUR LONG CONSTRUCTION ISSUES DOWNTOWN ARE GONNA BE MITIGATING SOON, NOT ELIMINATED, MITIGATED, UH, BECAUSE THE END OF THE YEAR WE'LL HAVE THE IMPACT OPEN AND WE WILL HAVE THE LIBRARY OPEN, UH, BY NOVEMBER 11TH. WE WILL HAVE THE CONSTRUCTION FENCING DOWN AROUND THE IMPACT, I BELIEVE, EXCEPT FOR THE EAST SIDE WHERE ALL [00:05:01] THE WORKERS COME IN. BUT WE NEED TO GET THAT CHRISTMAS TREE THERE ON THE WEST SIDE SO WE CAN HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT, AND I WILL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT, ANYBODY? I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. THANK YOU. RECORD OFFICER, CITY MANAGER OF PAUL GRIMES, AND BOY, DID HE FORGET A BUNCH. NO, , I'M JUST KIDDING. HE ACTUALLY COVERED IT VERY WELL. SO THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CLAUDIER, UH, UH, MADAM, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS PAUL GRIMES, CITY MANAGER. I WANNA ALSO THANK YOU JANIE EXPRESS OUR THANKS FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE AS WELL AS KATIE. I KNOW KATIE, YOU'RE GONNA BE TRANSITIONING ONTO A DIFFERENT, UH, UH, BOARD, UH, AND WE WILL BE VERY GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON THAT BOARD AS WELL. BUT, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE THANK YOU, UH, VISIT MCKINNEY. SO, OKAY, COUPLE OTHER THINGS. JUST TO ADD, PATRICK MENTIONED, UM, THE CONSTRUCTION DOWNTOWN. UM, AND YES, IT WILL BE MITIGATED, BUT WE ARE ALSO GONNA BE GETTING STARTED FAIRLY SOON ON SOME OTHER ROAD AND INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION OFF OF, UH, HUNT LAMAR, UM, AND TENNESSEE STREETS VERY IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE. WE WANNA GET THAT GOING AND GET IT OUTTA THE WAY. FRANKLY, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE AND IT'S, IT'S JUST THE WAY CONSTRUCTION WORKS. UM, BUT WHEN WE REDEVELOP THE OLD CITY HALL SITE, THERE IS NO OLD CITY HALL ANYMORE. IT IS VACANT, UH, AND THE OLD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES BUILDING, WHICH IS NEARING THE END OF ITS ALL DEMOLITION AS WELL. UH, WE WANT TO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE WHEN WE START REDEVELOPMENT. SO, UM, THERE WILL STILL UNFORTUNATELY BE CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT THAT'S, UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, 175 YEARS OLD OR WHATEVER. SO IT'S, UH, 150 YEARS OLD IN SOME PLACES. SO, UM, IT'S TIME TO UPGRADE SOME OF THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO, PARTICULARLY WITH INFRASTRUCTURE. A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS TO SHARE WITH YOU. WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING NEXT MONDAY, UH, THAT COUNCIL INCLUDED ALLUDED TO, BUT IT'S MONDAY, NOT TUESDAY, AND THAT'S THE ONLY TIME OF YEAR WE DO THAT. UH, WE DO THAT BECAUSE TUESDAY IS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, AND THAT'S A KIND OF A STATEWIDE THING IN TEXAS. THEY, IT'S TUESDAY, THEY DO IT IN OCTOBER IN TEXAS BECAUSE IT'S SO HOT IN AUGUST, MOST OF THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, THEY DO IT IN AUGUST. UM, BUT IT'S A GREAT EVENT. WE HAVE BLOCK PARTIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, MAYOR, MYSELF, SOME SENIOR STAFF. WE GO OUT AND WE, WE HIT AS MANY OF THESE BLOCK PARTIES AS WE CAN, UH, NEXT TUESDAY NIGHT. SO WE MOVE THE COUNCIL MEETING UP TO OCTOBER 5TH. SO JUST MAKE A NOTE OF THAT IN CASE YOU DECIDE TO TUNE IN OR ATTEND. UM, WE WILL ALSO, UM, UM, WE ARE WORKING, UH, ON OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. LEGISLATIVE SESSION STARTS IN JANUARY, UH, HERE IN TEXAS. AND SO WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY ON GETTING OUR STATEWIDE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES IN PLACE AS WELL AS OUR FEDERAL PRIORITIES FOR THE YEAR. WE'LL BE BRINGING THAT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, PROBABLY LATE OCTOBER, UH, FOR SORT OF A THUMBS UP. AND THEN WE, WE TUCK THOSE UNDER OUR ARM AND WE, WE MEET WITH OUR, UH, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOLKS AND OTHERS, UH, IN OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATIONS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHAT OUR LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES ARE. UH, AND THE ONLY OTHER THING I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU IS WE HAVE, UM, LAST, UH, SPRING WE HAD A VERY SUCCESSFUL HOUSING, UH, SUMMIT, UH, THAT WAS ORGANIZED BY OUR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, UM, FOLKS, UM, UH, MARGARET LEE AND HER TEAM, AND IT WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED, VERY SUCCESSFUL. WHAT WAS REALLY NEAT ABOUT IT WAS WE, WE BROUGHT, AND WE SOME FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE INDUSTRY WITH INNOVATIVE WASTE TO BUILD HOMES WITH A DIFFERENT PRODUCT OR A DIFFERENT METHODOLOGY FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. HOMES WERE BUILT WITH, AND THEY STILL ARE WHAT WE CALL WOOD STICK, RIGHT? I MEAN, JUST WOOD, WOOD CONSTRUCTION. AND IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR TO BUILD A HOUSE. NOW, THERE'S TECHNOLOGIES OUT THERE USING, UH, 3D PRINTER TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY, WHICH ALLOWS HOMES TO BE BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS, WHETHER IT'S PREFAB OR CONSTRUCTED ON SITE USING SOME OF THIS MACHINERY. VERY INTERESTING, MUCH FASTER, SOMETIMES CHEAPER. UH, SOMETIMES THE HOMES, UM, ARE EVEN BUILT WITH MORE, YOU KNOW, LIKE MASONRY, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT 3D PRINTER, THAT'S, THAT'S A MASONRY TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION, WHICH IS VERY SOLID CONSTRUCTION. THE POINT IN SAYING ALL OF THIS IS THAT THERE ARE TECHNOLOGIES OUT THERE, AND WE TRY TO MARRY THOSE FOLKS WITH THOSE IN THE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, IN THE DEVELOPMENT WORLD, SO THAT WE CAN FIND AND EXPLORE NEW WAYS OF CONSTRUCTING HOMES FASTER AND CHEAPER. AND BECAUSE HOUSING IS AN ISSUE, IT'S A NATIONWIDE ISSUE, AND WE TRY TO DO WHAT WE CAN DO IN OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD. SO HAVING SAID THAT, THEY HAVE A FOLLOW UP TO THIS CALLED THE BEYOND THE SUMMIT, UH, BUILDING HOUSING PARTNERSHIPS EVENT. AND THAT IS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH, AND THE AT GATHER, UH, RIGHT DOWN ON THE SQUARE FROM EIGHT TO 10:00 AM ON OCTOBER 15TH, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH. IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN THAT OR IF YOU KNOW FOLKS WHO WOULD BE HAVING INTEREST IN THAT, THEY CAN LOOK THAT UP. IT IS, UM, MCKINNEY TEXAS.ORG/HCD FOR HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HCD EVENTS. THEY CAN GO THERE AND FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. THAT IS ALL I HAVE. I WILL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS, ANYONE? OKAY. OKAY. THANKS SO MUCH. [00:10:03] WELL, THIS IS A FUN ONE TO SAY FOR MEDC, AARON WARNER, . GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR, INTERIM DIRECTOR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. AARON WARNER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AT MEDC. AND YES, IT IS STRANGE TO BE ON THE SIDE OF THE CHAMBER. I'LL START CRYING. , PLEASE DON'T, PLEASE DON'T. . UH, MADAM CHAIR, UH, UH, I WANNA START WITH YOU. UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM MAY NOT EVEN BE AWARE, BUT WHEN I WAS HIRED, UH, FOUR AND A HALF YEARS AGO OR WHATEVER IT WAS, UH, IT WAS A, IT WAS, I WAS CHOSEN BY, UM, THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD. ONLY BOARD MEMBERS WERE PRESENT IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS. AND TODAY, UH, YOU ARE, UH, THE LAST BOARD MEMBER STANDING FROM, UM, MY INTERVIEW PANEL, UH, WHEN I WAS BROUGHT IN. AND SO, UH, THE FACT THAT YOU WERE THERE AND YOU ENTRUSTED ME WITH THE ROLE FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU, UH, THAT I WAS THERE, IT, IT'S ALWAYS A VERY SPECIAL THING TO ME. UH, YOU WERE THE CALL THAT I MADE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS, AND, AND I JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, FOR GUIDING US THROUGH THIS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF, UH, OF GROWING UP AS A, AS A DESTINATION. WE TOOK A LOT OF STEPS TO, UM, TO SHINE A LIGHT ON MCKINNEY AND, AND MAKE IT A BRIGHTER, AND, UH, A LOT OF THAT WAS, UH, MOST OF THAT IN FACT WAS, UH, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP AS CHAIR. AND SO I JUST, UH, I'M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP WITH AND WORKING WITH ME. UM, JANIE, SAME TO YOU. UH, UH, THE TENURE THAT WE HAD, UM, I CAN'T, I CAN'T COUNT ON TWO HANDS THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT YOU, UH, WHEN YOU CALLED AND YOU, YOU TALKED ME THROUGH, UH, TOUGH MOMENTS AND, UH, AND TOUGH TIMES OR BIG DECISIONS. AND, UM, UH, I'LL ALWAYS THINK ABOUT YOU AS ONE OF THE, MY BIGGEST CHEERLEADERS, UM, AND THE WAY THAT YOU, UH, ARE SO UPLIFTING AND, AND I'M, I'M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOU. AND SO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, YOU ARE HEADING OVER TO EDC, SO I GUESS, UH, WE COME AS A PACKAGE DEAL AROUND HERE, AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SO, . UM, SO, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. UM, I HAVE ONE WEEK UNDER MY BELT AT, UH, MEDC. UH, IT FEELS LIKE MANY, UM, AND MY BOSS IS IN THE ROOM, SO I'M, BE CAREFUL WHAT I SAY. UM, BUT THE, THE NEAT THING THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNEW GOING OVER THERE, BUT IT BECAME EVIDENT IN THE FIRST WEEK, IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ROLES ARE VERY SIMILAR IN THAT WE'RE ALL SELLING MCKINNEY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MCKINNEY'S NOT A, NOT A, A HARD THING TO SELL. WHEN YOU GET OUT THERE AND YOU START TALKING ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY, IT'S SUCH A WONDERFUL PLACE, AND WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO BE HERE? WHETHER THAT'S TOURISM OR, UH, UH, A COMPANY LOOKING AT MOVING THEIR BUSINESS. AND SO, UM, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY NOW TO SPEAK AT TWO EVENTS. UH, INNOVATION UNWIND. WE HAD A HUNDRED PEOPLE ATTEND THAT EVENT. UM, AND THEN WE WERE THE TITLE SPONSOR AT A BIZNOW GOLF TOURNAMENT. AND SO I WAS ABLE TO WELCOME THEM, UM, TO MCKINNEY. AND SO, UH, THAT'S TWO, I THINK I HAVE 30 MORE TO GO. SO, UH, MIKE IS READY, READY FOR ME TO TAKE THAT ON. ALSO, OVER THE PAST, REALLY, UH, TWO WEEKS. UM, 'CAUSE I, I TOOK ON A COUPLE, UH, MEETINGS EARLY. UM, OUR TEAM HAS HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS THAT, UM, STOOD OUT TO ME. UH, ONE OF THEM WAS WITH THE HOUSTON ASIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHO CAME TO MCKINNEY, THEIR DELEGATION, AND WE HOSTED THEM AT THE EDC OFFICE FOR A COUPLE HOURS, UM, SHARING THE MCKINNEY STORY. ANOTHER WAS A TAC BROKERAGE ASIA BUS TOUR. UM, PRESIDENT KOWSKI AND I GOT ON THE BUS AND, UH, DROVE THEM ALL AROUND MCKINNEY, SHOWING THEM, UM, A HUGH FILE. UH, A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF OF THE COMMUNITY FROM A QUALITY OF LIFE STANDPOINT, BUT ALSO, UH, SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN SEEING, UM, FIRSTHAND, UH, MANY OF THEM, THEY WANTED TO GET OUT AND TAKE, UH, SELFIES IN FRONT OF THE SIGNS THAT WERE IN MCKINNEY TO SHOW, UH, THAT THEY WERE HERE. UM, AND THEN WE ALSO WENT DOWN TO DALLAS, TO THE DALLAS, UM, CONVENTION CENTER, TO THE TAIWAN EXPO. AND AS ALL THESE THINGS LINED UP, WHAT BECAME EVIDENT TO, TO BOTH OF US ON OUR WAY BACK FROM THAT TRIP IS THAT, UM, FROM THE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF LIGHTON AND MCKINNEY, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S A NEW SPOTLIGHT ON MCKINNEY, UH, IN THIS COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE PLACED TO DO BUSINESS, UM, THAT WE ARE, UM, ATTRACTIVE, UH, FOR THAT TYPE OF, UH, HIGH TECH, HIGH, UM, PAYING JOB ENVIRONMENT. AND, UM, THEY'RE LIKE, WE WALKED AROUND WITH MCKINNEY ON OUR NAME TAG AND, AND PEOPLE JUST CAME TO US. WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THEM. AND SO, UH, IT'S ANOTHER SIGN THAT IT'S MCKINNEY'S TIME. IT'S MCKINNEY'S TIME IN THE COMMUNITY TO SHINE. OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE HAD THEIR MOMENT AND NOW IT'S, UH, NOW IT'S OURS. AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT COMES FROM THAT. UM, AND, AND I BELIEVE THERE IS MORE TO COME. AND LASTLY, JUST A BIT OF NEWS FOR YOU. THERE WERE FOUR PRIVATE COMPANIES THAT WERE, UH, RANKED AMONG THE TOP 100 IN DFW, UH, POGUE AT NUMBER 11. AND THERE WAS STONE HOLLOW HOMES, CUSTOM HOMES OF TEXAS AND FALCON. SO, UM, AGAIN, SOME REALLY NEAT, UH, NEWS COMING OUTTA MCKINNEY FOR FAST GROWING, UH, BUSINESSES. AND WITH THAT, I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS? GOOD? NOBODY? OKAY. WONDERFUL. THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR MCDC, DEBORAH BRADFORD. GOOD [00:15:01] MORNING. MORNING, MADAME CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO YOU, KATIE, AND ALSO TO JANE, JANIE, I'M SORRY. SO, AT LEAST FOR THREE OR FOUR TIMES, I'VE BEEN THE LIAISON TO THE VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD, AND YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN HERE BOTH TIMES. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE WORKING WITH BOTH OF YOU ALL. AND SO, UM, ONE NOTE ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUMMIT. SO I ALSO SERVE ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE, THE MCKINNEY FRONT PORCH, WHO HAS ALSO BEEN A PART A, UH, A, UH, PART OF THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING SUMMIT AND ALSO THE FOLLOW UP. SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UH, EXCITED THAT THAT'S GOING ON, AND ESPECIALLY THE FOLLOW UP THAT WE CAN SEE, UH, WHAT WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF THE INITIAL SUMMIT AND EXCITED ABOUT WHAT MARGARET LEE AND HER TEAM HAS PUT TOGETHER AND THE WAY THEY'RE GONNA FOLLOW THIS UP. SO IF Y'ALL CAN ATTEND IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD. SO IN TERMS OF, UH, RETAIL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT AND PROMOTIONAL GRANTS. SO THE RETAIL INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS, YOU'LL SEE THE REPORT ATTACHED. THEY WERE BOTH, THERE WERE TWO OF THEM. THEY WERE BOTH, UM, APPROVED FOR THE FULL AMOUNT. UH, EXCITED ABOUT SHORTY'S AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING. AND ALSO THE HOPE HARDWARE SHOULD BE A REALLY COOL, UH, SUSHI AND STEAK PLACE. SO I'M A FAN OF SUSHI AND STEAK . IT'S KOREAN STYLE, SO HOPE YOU GUYS WILL CHECK THAT OUT. GO AHEAD AND CHECK OUT THE, UH, MCDC NEW WEBSITE DESIGN. IT'S, UH, VERY FRIENDLY, USER FRIENDLY, AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AS WELL. IN TERMS OF THE, UH, PROMOTIONAL AND COMMUNITY AGRA, UH, PROMOTIONAL AND COMMUNITY EVENT GRANTS, THE OPEN ON NOVEMBER THE FIRST, ACCEPTED THROUGH THE 30TH. AND THEN PRESENTATIONS WILL BE MADE BY THE BOARD AT THE DECEMBER 17TH MEETING. UH, ALSO ON THE PROJECT GRANTS, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE REPORTS FOR THAT AND THE PROMOTIONAL. SO ON THE PROJECT GRANTS, WE HAD QUITE A FEW. THEY'RE ACCEPTED THROUGH JUNE 30TH. HEARINGS WERE, UH, AUGUST THE 27TH, AND THEN WE VOTED ON THE APPLICATIONS ON AUGUST THE 27TH. AND SO A FEW OF THE, UM, EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP THAT WE'VE SPONSORED, OF COURSE, THE ASIAN FOOD, UH, AND ART FESTIVAL IS ALWAYS A HIT. GREAT FOOD, GREAT COMRADERY, THE, UH, ROOTED IN RHYTHM. WE GOT DIA DE LOS MTOS AND THE MILLHOUSE MAKER'S MARKET. AGAIN, ALL INFORMATION IS ATTACHED TO YOUR REPORTS, AND GLAD TO SERVE YOU GUYS. AND AT THIS TIME, I STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS? NO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VISIT MCKINNEY FINANCE REPORT WITH ALICIA HOLMBERG. ALL RIGHT, I'LL JUST DO IT FROM HERE. UM, CAN YOU CLICK IT FOR ME? THANKS, EMILY. EMILY. OKAY. SO LET'S SEE. WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, THE MONTH OF JULY HERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, UP AT THE TOP CORNER. AT THAT POINT, WE WERE 83% COMPLETE THROUGH OUR FISCAL YEAR. UM, UH, EVERYTHING WAS ON TRACK. ONE THING OF NOTE, I THINK I TYPICALLY BRING IT UP IS OUR, UH, STORE REVENUES. YOU CAN SEE THERE THAT WE WERE ALREADY, UM, HIT OUR MARK FOR THE YEAR BACK IN JULY, UH, WHICH IS, UH, PRETTY EXCITING. OUR STORE HAS BEEN DOING GREAT. UM, I, I'LL NOTE AGAIN, AS I HAVE, WE ARE ABOUT TO DO SOME RENOVATIONS, UM, AND EVEN THIS PAST MONTH OR WITH SOME CLOSURES. SO WE ARE HAPPY THAT WE HAD ALREADY EXCEEDED, UM, OUR MARK FOR THIS YEAR. UM, SO LOOKING AT THE OCCUPANCY FOR JULY, ANOTHER GOOD STRONG MONTH. UM, THERE YOU'LL SEE AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR. WE HAVE, UM, BEEN UP EVERY SINGLE MONTH. SO AGAIN, ANOTHER MONTH THAT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, OVER OUR, OUR, UH, YEAR BEFORE. SO OVER 5% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. UM, SO THAT IS A STRONG INCREASE FOR THE WHOLE FISCAL YEAR. THERE WE'RE UP, UM, OVER ALMOST 11%. SO GOOD NUMBERS, LOOKING TO SEE STRONG NUMBERS FOR THE WHOLE YEAR AGAIN, UM, AS WE DID LAST YEAR. UM, HERE ARE THE NUMBERS FOR THE OCCUPANCY FOR, FROM OUR STAR REPORT. SO, UH, SOME, AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE POSITIVE NUMBERS HERE, TRENDING UP 74, UM, 0.5% IN OCCUPANCY UP OVER LAST YEAR. UM, SEEING THAT A DR AND THE REVPAR, AGAIN, CLIMBING, THOSE ARE THE, THE NUMBERS THAT WE WANNA KEEP SEEING. THAT'S THE IMPORTANT NUMBER, UM, TO SEE THAT TRENDING UP. SO WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT THAT OCCUPANCY OVER YEAR, SLIGHTLY DOWN. UM, BUT STILL STRONG NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOARD. UM, AS I MENTIONED THOSE OTHER NUMBERS IS REALLY WHAT WE WANNA SEE GROWING THE OCCUPANCY, I MEAN, I'M SORRY, THE REVPAR AND THE A DR. HERE'S OUR COMPETITIVE SET. UM, YOU CAN SEE EVERYONE EXCEPT GEORGETOWN HAD AN INCREASE, BUT, UM, OUR OCCUPANCY AS USUAL, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, LEADING THE WAY FOR OCCUPANCY. UM, BUT STILL STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT ON THAT, ON THAT A DR, BUT YOU CAN LOOK AND SEE FOR THAT REVPAR, EXCUSE ME, WE WERE, UH, SLIGHTLY ABOVE, [00:20:01] UM, PLANO, THIS, THIS OR THAT IN JULY. SO THAT WAS GOOD TO SEE. HAPPY TO SEE THAT NUMBER CONTINUING TO GROW. AND THEN, UM, FOR OUR PROPERTY, UM, COLLECTIONS, UH, AS USUAL, THE AIRBNB IS OUR BIGGEST COLLECTOR AND THEN THE SHERIDAN IS UNDER THAT. FOR LAST MONTH, I DID REACH OUT TO THEM AND ASK IF THERE WAS ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR. UM, THIS IS FOR, IT'S COLLECTED IN JULY, SO IT'S FOR THE SALES OF JUNE. THEY HAD A VERY HIGH OCCUPANCY AT 96.8%. UM, THEY DID NOT GIVE ME ANY REASONING WHY, UM, BUT IF I DO HEAR BACK FROM THEM AS TO WHY, I WILL CERTAINLY LET EVERYONE KNOW. BUT REGARDLESS, WE'RE HAPPY TO SEE THAT THEY WERE THAT FULL. UM, BUT STRONG NUMBERS FROM, YOU CAN SEE THOSE TOP FEW, THEY'RE ALL IN THE 70 AND 80% HIGH SEVENTIES AND 80%, UM, FULL. SOME OF THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DUE TO THAT TRANSIENT, UM, WORLD CUP TRAVEL. UH, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SAY IT WAS, WAS ATTRIBUTED TO. BUT AGAIN, IT'S ALWAYS TOUGH TO REALLY NAIL THAT DOWN WHEN IT'S A TRANSIENT GUEST. UH, AND I THINK, IS THAT MY LAST SLIDE? I THINK THAT IS MY LAST SLIDE, AND I WILL SIT FOR ANY QUESTIONS. ANYBODY? PATRICK, YOU ? I THINK WE COVERED IT A COUPLE, A FEW DAYS AGO. OKAY. THANK YOU. VISIT MCKINNEY MARKETING REPORT, SARAH ING AND EMILY MYRICK. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. GOOD MORNING. UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE AUGUST MARKETING REPORT. UM, OUR WEBSITE AND VISIT WIDGET, OUR APP, THEY BOTH STAYED PRETTY FLAT FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST. FROM JULY, UH, WE SAW A SLIGHT DIP IN THE VISIT WIDGET DUE TO US NOT HAVING A CHALLENGE GOING ON. 'CAUSE IN JULY, IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, WE HAD THE AMERICA TWO 50 CHALLENGE, AND THAT DROVE A LOT OF PEOPLE TO THE VISIT WIDGET. BUT WE STILL HAD A PRETTY STRONG MONTH. OUR TOURS WERE STILL OUR MOST VISITED, UM, THING ON THE APP. AND THEN ON THE WEBSITE, THE EVENTS AND RESTAURANTS, UH, TOOK IT HOME AS WELL AS OCTOBER FEST. PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR THAT INFORMATION. WE DIDN'T ADD A LOT OF NEW CONTENT TO THE SITE IN AUGUST BECAUSE WE WERE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON OUR NEW WEBSITE. UM, SO THAT IS ANOTHER REASON WHY IT STAYED PRETTY FLAT. AND THEN FOR OUR EARNED MEDIA, WE HAD SIX PLACEMENTS ON THREE PITCHES. WE PITCHED TO THE MEDIA ABOUT, UM, ART AND MCKINNEY. AND THEN, UM, WE HAD ONE PICKUP, A STORY JUST ABOUT TRAVELING TO MCKINNEY IN GENERAL, AND THEN THE CIPHER LOUNGE GRAND OPENING. AND FOR SOCIAL, EVERYTHING WAS UP YEAR OVER YEAR. UH, CANNOT COMPETE WITH THE CRAZINESS. THAT WAS JULY. BUT OVERALL, REALLY STRONG NUMBERS. WE HAD 380,000 SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS AND, UH, EXCUSE ME, 163,000 VIDEO VIEWS, WHICH IS UP 156% FOR INSTAGRAM. UM, AND THEN BASICALLY AUGUST WAS REALLY HEAVY ON PARTNER, UH, CONTENT. WE HAD A LOT OF PARTNERS REACH OUT TO US, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING TO SEE. UM, ASKING IF WE COULD FEATURE THEM ON OUR ACCOUNTS, WHICH I HOPE IS A NEW TRAJECTORY FOR KIND OF VISIT MCKINNEY'S REPUTATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AND WITHIN THE ECONOMIC SPACE. GREAT QUESTIONS, GOOD QUESTION. SO THE MIGRATION, WHAT KIND OF LESSONS LEARNED DID YOU GET FROM WORKING WITH OUR PARTNER ON THAT? AND WHAT WOULD YOU, UH, AND THEN WHAT IS SOMETHING REALLY COOL THAT YOU WANT US TO CHECK OUT? WELL, I THINK YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT THE WHOLE WEBSITE , EVERY SCHOOL PAGE. UM, I THINK THE BIGGEST LEARNINGS FOR US WAS JUST THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH CONTENT AND JUST FINDING A WAY TO GET THE INFORMATION TO THE VISITORS AND EVEN THE RESIDENTS, UM, AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO FIND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY'RE WANTING. UM, IT WAS REALLY COOL TO WORK WITH OUR NEW PARTNER, STEEPLE. UM, HE'S A LOCAL FOUNDER. HIS NAME IS CHAD, AND HE WAS JUST REALLY GREAT TO WORK WITH. HE'S REALLY QUICK TO RESPOND, AND HE REALLY HELPED US CREATE A NEW SITE THAT IS MUCH MORE CUSTOMIZABLE. AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEW FEATURES THAT YOU CAN CLICK AND CHANGE BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. IF YOU'RE COMING WITH YOUR PET TO MCKINNEY FOR YOUR TRIP, OR YOU HAVE KIDS, OR YOU WANT A FAMILY TRIP, OR MAYBE IT'S A COUPLE'S VACATION, YOU CAN KIND OF CUSTOMIZE WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE SITE NOW. UM, I THINK MY FAVORITE PAGE IS THE AIRPORT PAGE. I THINK THAT ONE'S SUPER COOL. IT SHOWS ALL THE NEW ROUTES AND JUST A FUN PAGE TO BE ON. GREAT. MY FAVORITE PAGE IS THE TURKEYS , OF COURSE. UH, BUT YOU CAN INFLATE YOUR OWN INFLATABLE TURKEY. IT'S VERY CUTE, . JUST MUCH MORE INTERACTIVE AND I THINK USER FRIENDLY AS WELL. GREAT. GOOD JOB. THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ON THE AGENDA [26-0932 Interim Director’s Report] IS ITEM TWO SIX DASH 9 32. INTERIM DIRECTORS REPORT PRESENTED BY ALICIA HOLMBERG. UH, OKAY, SO WELL, UM, TO PIGGYBACK ON EMILY, UH, THE TURKEYS, WE ARE COMING UP ON, UH, FALL. HOPEFULLY THE WEATHER SEEMS TO BE TURNING CLOSER TO FALL. UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO BE PLACING A 20 FOOT INFLATABLE TURKEY IN MITCHELL PARK. UM, WE, WE TALKED TO, UH, AMY KINCAID FROM PARKS TO GET PERMISSION TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE OKAY WITH US DOING THAT, AND SHE WAS, UM, ON BOARD AND HAPPY TO, TO HAVE THAT. SO IT'LL BE, UM, [00:25:01] GOING UP, I THINK NOVEMBER, RIGHT IN THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER. UM, OUR PARK STAFF IS GONNA HELP WITH THAT, AND THEN THERE'LL BE A LARGE KIND OF MONUMENT SIGN SAYING THAT WE ARE THE INFLATABLE TURKEY CAPITAL OF TEXAS. SO, UM, SO LOOK FOR, I DON'T THINK YOU'LL MISS IT IF YOU'RE COMING INTO DOWNTOWN, UM, BUT KEEP AN EYE OUT WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING IN PAST MITCHELL PARK. UH, SO THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY COOL, UH, COMING UP. UM, SOME OTHER THINGS I MENTIONED EARLIER WAS OUR, UH, OFFICE CLOSURES. WE, UH, HAD SOME CLOSURES, UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH. WE GOT A NEW ROOF ON OUR BUILDING. AND THEN WE'LL BE, UM, STARTING SOME OF THE OTHER WORK HAPPENING INSIDE. SO AGAIN, WE'RE ING HERE AT CITY HALL, BUT IF YOU ARE GOING TO OUR STORE, JUST KIND OF KEEP AN EYE OUT ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, CHANNELS. WE'LL LET EVERYONE KNOW IF THERE IS, UM, SOME INTERMITTENT CLOSE CLOSURES THERE. UM, WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON, UM, A BOARD OR NEXT BOARD MEETING IS JULY 27TH. UM, WE WANNA SEE EVERYONE THERE IF THEY CAN MAKE IT. WE'RE GONNA BE DOING HEAD SHOTS AND GROUP SHOTS AFTER THAT, AND WE'LL SEND MORE INFORMATION OUT TO EVERYONE LATER. UM, AND THEN JUST A NOTE, THERE'LL BE NO COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN OCTOBER BECAUSE WE'LL BE CHOOSING NEW COMMITTEES, UM, AT THAT FIRST MEETING. UH, SO MAKE A NOTE OF THAT. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO HAVE A CHANCE TO THANK AARON. UM, DURING HIS LAST MEETING, OBVIOUSLY HE, HE SAID HIS, UM, YOU KNOW, FAREWELL AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. BUT FROM ALL OF US, UH, ON THE STAFF, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE. YOU'VE, YOU'VE HIRED EVERYONE THAT'S HERE NOW, YOU'VE CHANGED HOW VISIT MCKINNEY DOES BUSINESS, HOW WE REPRESENT WITHIN THE CITY. UM, YOU'VE KIND OF ELEVATED US, UH, A LOT HERE. UM, SO WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU AND PROUD TO SEE YOU OVER AT EDC. WE'VE ALREADY HAD A CHANCE TO COLLABORATE WITH AARON AND HIS, UH, NEW TEAM OVER THERE, UM, THIS WEEK ON SOMETHING. SO WE KNOW THAT THAT IS GONNA BE A GREAT, UM, PARTNERSHIP, YOU KNOW, WITH THE STATE, IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM. SO I THINK IT'S GREAT TO HAVE SOMEONE OVER THERE THAT REALLY KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE DO TO HELP, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US, ERIN. UM, AND WITH THAT, ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, YOU GET TO GO AGAIN. I KNOW I'M GONNA GO DOWN THIS TIME. MOVING ON [26-0933 2025 - 2026 Visit McKinney Year in Review] TO REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS. UH, ITEM TWO SIX DASH 0 9 3 3 20 25 TO 2026. VISIT MCKINNEY YEAR IN REVIEW. GOOD MORNING AGAIN, EVERYONE. . SORRY, IT'S A LOT OF TALKING FROM ME TODAY. ALRIGHT, SO WE FIGURED IT'S THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR. WE WOULD JUST KIND OF GIVE A QUICK LITTLE RECAP OF WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR. UM, NOT TOO MANY NUMBERS BASED, WE JUST KIND OF WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, STAFF DID AND THAT YOU ALL WERE INVOLVED IN. UH, SO WE WILL JUST QUICKLY RUN THROUGH THIS FOR YOU. SO WE STARTED OUR YEAR WITH SOME NEW FACES. WE GOT CAROL AND TARYN, WHO ISN'T HERE TODAY, UM, BUT AS NEW BOARD MEMBERS. AND THEN A LITTLE LATER IN THE YEAR, TONY, WHO'S ALSO OUT SICK TODAY, UM, ADDED, UH, TO OUR TEAM AS OUR NEW SALES MANAGER, WHICH WAS AN EXCITING THING FOR US TO BRING THAT POSITION HERE IN-HOUSE AFTER OUR FORMER MANAGER RETIRED. UM, SO IT'S BEEN, UH, A GREAT THING TO HAVE SOMEONE HERE IN MCKINNEY ON THE GROUND, GETTING OUT TO SEE ALL OF OUR HOTELS. SO A HUGE ADDITION TO OUR TEAM AND TO OUR BOARD WITH ALL OF THOSE NEW FACES. UM, NEXT UP WE HAD OUR NEW MARKETING CAMPAIGN. I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR, BUT THE, WE WORKED WITH OUR, UM, AGENCY OF RECORD. WE ARE STEWART, AND THEY CREATED, UH, THIS CAMPAIGN WITH THE, IF YOU KNOW, YOU GO AND THEN THE SUB CAMPAIGN OF, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, NOTHING TO SEE HERE. SO IT WAS KIND OF A PLAY ON SOME, UM, FUN, CHEEKY WORDS, UH, GETTING OUT THERE. THEY CAME AND VISITED. WE GOT BRAND NEW BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHY, A NEW MARKETING, UM, VIDEO. AND WE'VE BEEN PLACING THIS IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SARAH AND EMILY HAVE BEEN PUSHING IT OUT THERE. AND THEN WE, THIS, UM, LAST MONTH WE WENT TO OUR INDUSTRY CONFERENCE, UH, WITH DESTINATIONS, TEXAS. AND THAT CAMPAIGN WAS AWARDED SECOND PLACE FOR, UH, LEISURE TOURISM PROMOTION, TURKEYS, AGAIN. SO SELF-DECLARED, UH, INFLATABLE TURKEY CAPITAL OF TEXAS. THIS WAS A HUGE, UM, CAMPAIGN FOR US. IT WAS KIND OF, IT WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF EMILY AND THEN SHE AND SARAH WORKED ON IT TOGETHER. UM, AND IT BECAME REALLY, REALLY FUN. AND I THINK THE CITY EMBRACED IT. WE HAD HOPED EMILY AND TARA HAD HOPED MAYBE WE'LL GET ABOUT 30 PEOPLE THAT WILL PLACE THEIR TURKEY THAT THEY PUT ON THEIR LAWN BY WRITING RIGHT ON OUR MAP, BY WRITING A STORY AND GIVING IT A NAME. AND WE ENDED UP WITH OVER 400 AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. UM, THE LAST SEASON WE HAD PEOPLE FROM OTHER CITIES TRYING TO SLIP THEIR TURKEYS ON OUR MAP. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO SAY, SORRY, NO, [00:30:01] IT'S MCKINNEY ONLY. UM, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS A HUGE THING. WE HAD, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS, UH, LET'S SEE, OVER 10 MEDIA PLACEMENTS. ALL OF THE NEWS CHANNELS PICKED UP ON THIS FUN LIGHTHEARTED STORY. UM, SO IT WAS JUST A GREAT WAY TO GET MCKINNEY OUT THERE, UM, KNOWN FOR SOMETHING FUN, UM, AND COULD KIND OF UPLIFT EVERYBODY. WE HAD EVEN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL USE IT AS A WRITING EXERCISE FOR THEIR STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT A TURKEY. UM, SO WE OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, AND WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THAT AGAIN. AND THEN, UM, AGAIN, ANOTHER AWARD. SO TIO, WHICH IS THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPAL INFORMATION OFFICERS. UM, IT WAS AWARDED THE, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA, BEST SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN PLANNED. SO THAT WAS A VERY EXCITING WIN. AND EMILY, I THINK WENT DOWN AND RECEIVED THAT AWARD. SPORTS SPORTS HAS BEEN HUGE FOR US OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. I THINK BEFORE AARON'S TIME, UH, HERE WITH VISIT MCKINNEY SPORTS REALLY WASN'T ANYTHING THAT WE, UH, LOOKED INTO, UM, EXCEPT FOR THOSE BIG ONES THAT WERE HERE, THE BYRON, UM, NELSON. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULDN'T, WE DIDN'T REALLY FOCUS ON SPORTS. UM, SO WE'VE KIND OF PI PIVOTED A LITTLE BIT, AND LIKE THAT HAS BEEN BE, THAT HAS BECOME A HUGE THING FOR, FOR VISIT MCKINNEY. SO NCAA HAS BEEN HERE FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. THERE. WE HAD ANOTHER STRONG YEAR, STRONG ATTENDANCE. UM, VISIT MCKINNEY TOOK A, UH, A LARGER ROLE, UM, WITH THAT THIS YEAR. UM, WE HELPED, UH, WE KIND OF TOOK OVER SOME OF THE VOLUNTEERS, UH, DECIDED THAT THEY WANTED TO STEP AWAY. SO OUR STAFF HELPED WITH THAT TAKING OVER, WELCOMING, BEING A TEAM HOST, UM, JUST KIND OF ORGANIZING SOME OF THAT, TAKING A LITTLE BIT OFF OF THOSE VOLUNTEERS PLATES. UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR. THAT'S KI KIND OF RAMPING UP RIGHT NOW. UH, PPA TEXAS OPEN, UH, SECOND YEAR FOR THAT THIS YEAR DID REALLY WELL. VERY, VERY STRONG ATTENDANCE THIS YEAR. UM, UH, AND THEY ARE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, MCKINNEY IS ONE OF THEIR TOP TIER EVENTS. UM, AND WE ARE IN TALKS RIGHT NOW TO HAVE A THIRD YEAR HERE BACK AT THE, UH, COURTS OF MCKINNEY INTERNATIONAL GIRLS CUP. IT WAS THE SECOND YEAR FOR THEIR SOCCER TOURNAMENT OUT AT THE, UM, OUT AT THE NEW FIELDS THAT WE HAVE. THERE, AGAIN, STRONG, STRONG NUMBERS, THEY INCREASED THE PLAYERS AND TEAMS STRONG ROOM NIGHTS FROM THEM. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO THEM HAVING THEIR THIRD YEAR COMING UP IN, IN, UM, THE SPRING, UH, CJ CUT BYRON NELSON, THEY, UH, DECIDED TO EXTEND THEIR CONTRACT WITH THE CITY THROUGH AT LEAST 2030. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THEM THERE. AND AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE, UM, VISIT MCKINNEY HAS A, A LARGE 30 BY 30 BOOTH OUT THERE. AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS OUT THERE TO, TO SHOWCASE MCKINNEY AND WELCOME ALL THOSE VISITORS THAT COME IN THROUGH, UM, THAT EVENT. AND THEN THE DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL, IT WAS THEIR FIFTH YEAR HERE IN MCKINNEY. THEY HAD NINE CORES THIS YEAR COMPETING. AND THAT'S ALWAYS A FUN DIFFERENT KIND OF SPORT, UM, TO, TO WELCOME. AND THEY PERFORM EVERY YEAR AT, UM, THE MCKINNEY ISD STADIUM. UH, WE HAD A LARGE SPORTS CONFERENCE COME THROUGH THIS YEAR. SO WE HOSTED THE SPORTS, THE INVITATIONAL, UM, BACK IN MAY. SO THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS, UM, UH, HAD BEEN WORKING ON FOR MULTIPLE YEARS. UM, AARON AND OUR FORMER SALES MANAGER, MARIE WOODARD, WENT TO A CONFERENCE A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND MET WITH THE, UM, UH, THE ORGANIZERS. AND WHILE THEY WERE THERE, THEY WERE LIKE, WE, WE THINK THAT KINNEY COULD HOST THIS EVENT. SO THEY, UM, KIND OF WOOED THEM. AND WE HAD THEM COME OUT HERE FOR A SITE VISIT, AND THEN THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CHOOSE US FOR THEIR, UM, LOCATION FOR 2026. UH, SO THEY BROUGHT MULTIPLE, UH, SPORTS PLANNERS HERE AND THEN OTHER, UH, FACILITY, UH, UH, AND CITIES CAME TO MEET WITH ALL OF THESE SPORTS PLANNERS. THAT'S TONY THERE WITH ONE OF THE PLANNERS. UM, SO WE HOSTED THEM AT THE SHERATON. AND THEN WE ALSO, BECAUSE WE WERE THE HOST CITY, WE HAD A WELCOME KICKOFF PARTY FOR THEM OVER AT TS. UM, I THINK KATIE, YOU WERE THERE, UH, AND WE BROUGHT OUT SOME DIFFERENT THINGS SO THEY COULD ENJOY. THERE WAS THE, UM, CIGAR ROLLING, UH, FROM THE ONE OF THE SILO BUSINESSES AT TUFTS. THAT GENTLEMAN CAME OUT AND ROLLED CIGARS. WE HAD A GOLF SIMULATOR THERE. UM, WE HAD SOME LOCAL ARTISTS COME OUT, UM, AND IT WAS, THEY DO 62ND BAD PORTRAITS AND DREW EVERYONE'S PORTRAIT. AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. IT KIND OF MADE US TURN OUR WHEELS ON WHAT WE COULD DO FOR WELCOMING GROUPS. IF PEOPLE WERE ASKING ABOUT WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT CAN WE BRING OUT? UM, SO IT KIND OF PUSHED US TO THINK LIKE OUT OF THE BOX. UH, SO IT WAS A GREAT TURNOUT FOR THE TOURNAMENT. I MEAN, I'M SORRY FOR THE CONFERENCE. UM, AND THE WELCOME PARTY WAS GREAT. WE HAD A GOOD TIME. UM, SO WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE FROM START TO FINISH THAT CONFERENCE COME THROUGH, UM, OUR OFFICE. SO WE HAD SOME SPRING AND SUMMER PROMOTIONAL EVENTS, THE MCKINNEY HALF MARATHON, [00:35:01] UM, SO YOU CAN SEE SOME OF YOU GUYS UP THERE IN THAT PHOTO. SO WE HOSTED THAT HALF MARATHON HERE BEFORE IT STARTED BACK IN DECEMBER. UM, OUR TEAM WENT OUT AND DID A TABLING EVENT FOR THE FULL DALLAS MARATHON, UM, AT KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON. AND WE WERE SURPRISED. AARON AND I WERE THERE THE FIRST DAY AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. AND IT, WE WERE KIND OF BLOWN AWAY ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE SO INTERESTED IN COMING OVER TO OUR TABLE. THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN, UM, THE MCKINNEY HALF. UM, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE BROUGHT WERE GONE IN MINUTES. UH, SO WE HAD TO KIND OF REEVALUATE FOR THIS YEAR WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. UM, BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS REALLY, REALLY EXCITED AND WHICH SHOWS BY HOW GREAT THE, UM, MARATHON DID. THEY HAD OVER 4,000 PARTICIPANTS. UM, THEY HAD PEOPLE FROM 28 STATES AND FOUR COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE. IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING INTO MCKINNEY. UM, A LOT OF EXPOSURE FOR US. SO THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING INTO MCKINNEY AND SEE PEOPLE ENJOYING WHAT WE HAVE HERE, UM, DURING THAT EVENT AND WANT THEM TO THEN SAY, OOH, I WANNA COME BACK AND DO SOMETHING ELSE. UM, BUT THEN, UH, MANY OF YOU WERE GRACIOUS. SOME OF YOU RAN, WE SAW KEITH RUN, UM, AND THEN SOME OF THE REST OF YOU WERE OUT THERE WITH US AT 5 45 IN THE MORNING IN THE DARK, UM, STIRRING UP GATORADE AND POURING WATER GLASSES AND HANDING THEM OUT. UM, I THINK THE PREP WAS LONGER THAN THE RUN, AND THEN WE WERE LIKE, OH, IT'S OVER. UM, FOR OUR PART. BUT IT WAS A, A LOT OF FUN AND WE APPRECIATE THE PARTICIPATION FROM OUR BOARD BEING OUT THERE TO SUPPORT. UM, WE HAD SOME TEAM MEMBERS, AARON AND EMILY THAT ALSO RAN. SO IT WAS FUN TO CHEER THEM ON AS THEY WENT BY. UM, SUMMER OF SOCCER WAS HUGE. THE WORLD CUP WAS, UH, HERE IN THE DALLAS AREA. UH, AND WE PARTNERED WITH, UM, TS AND THEN SOME OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, MEDC, UH, ME, MCDC AND MAIN STREET, UM, TO, UH, PUT TOGETHER A HUGE FUN EVENT. TS DID A GREAT JOB. THEY FOUND ALL KINDS OF FUN INFLATABLES AND DIFFERENT THEME IDEAS, FOODS AND DRINKS TO CELEBRATE SOCCER AND HAVE THAT BE THE HUB OF WHERE PEOPLE WOULD GO AND WATCH THE GAMES. THEY SHOWED EVERY SINGLE GAME DURING THE ENTIRE WORLD CUP. UM, SARAH WAS THE ONE THAT MADE THE, THE GRAPHICS FOR THEM, THE MCKINNEY EXPERIENCE, SUMMER OF SOCCER. UM, AND IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL EVENT ACROSS THE BOARD FOR, FOR TS AND FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED. UH, AMERICA TWO 50, I THINK SARAH MENTIONED IT BEFORE, WAS, UM, CELEBRATING OBVIOUSLY OUR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA. AND IT WAS DECIDED TO DO A CHALLENGE COIN AND IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. UM, THE, WE HAD ONLY JUST 250 COINS THAT WE GOT, AND THERE WAS THREE WAYS THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO GET THEM, WHETHER YOU SIGNED UP AND DID A HISTORY TOUR. SO I BELIEVE WE HAD THREE OUT OF OUR OFFICE. AND IF YOU CAME AND DID THE HISTORY TOUR OF DOWNTOWN, UM, GUIDED BY OUR HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE, YOU RECEIVED A COIN OR, UM, THERE WAS A, UM, WE HAD AN APP CHALLENGE ON OUR, ON OUR APP WE HAD WHERE IF YOU WENT, I THINK THERE WAS SEVEN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS. SO IT WAS TRYING TO GET PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT AND LEARN ABOUT MCKINNEY. AND IF YOU WENT TO ALL THOSE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND CHECKED IN ON THE APP AND THEN CAME BACK, THE LAST LOCATION WAS THE VISIT MCKINNEY STORE SHOWED US THAT YOU COMPLETED IT, YOU WOULD ALSO GET A COIN. AND THEN THERE WAS THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE, WHICH EVERY DAY IN JULY, A COIN WAS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY HIDDEN SOMEWHERE. UM, AND THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO JUST GO AND SEE IF YOU WERE THE FIRST ONE TO FIND IT. AND IT WAS AMAZING HOW FAST PEOPLE FOUND IT. THERE WERE DAYS WHERE WE'RE LIKE, IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHILE. , NO, IT WAS LIKE, THEY WERE LIKE, WE FOUND IT IN LIKE FIVE MINUTES, WHICH I GUESS SAYS A LOT THAT PEOPLE REALLY DO KNOW. MCKINNEY THEY RECOGNIZED WHERE THE, THE VIDEOS WERE BEING FILMED QUICKLY AND GOT OUT THERE AND THAT THEY JUST REALLY WANTED THE COINS. THEY WERE REALLY POPULAR. UM, SO THAT WAS A FUN, DIFFERENT, UNIQUE WAY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED AND OUT AND ABOUT AND SEEING WHAT MCKINNEY HAS TO OFFER. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, OUR STORE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR STORE DID GREAT THIS YEAR. WE HAD AN INCREASE IN SALES OF 23%, UM, OUR GROSS SALES OVER $52,000. UM, AND THEN SOME OF OUR BIGGEST SELLERS THERE IS THAT, UM, HEATHER GREEN SWEATSHIRT AND THE MCKINNEY, UM, UH, TILE THERE THAT'S CREATED BY A LOCAL ARTIST, LINDA, LINDA KINGSLEY. UM, BUT IT'S A FANTASTIC STORE. PAULA AND OUR STAFF ASSISTANTS, UM, THEY'RE DO THE MAJORITY OF FINDING ALL OF THE PRODUCT, WELL, THEY DO ALL THE FINDING OF THE PRODUCT, UM, AND THEN BRINGING IT INTO THE STORE, UM, AND SETTING EVERYTHING UP AND MAKING IT LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL. UM, AND IT'S SUCH A GREAT, GREAT WAY TO GET PEOPLE IN THE DOOR AND, AND LOCALS TO, UM, BE PROUD AND WEAR SOMETHING THAT SAYS MCKINNEY ON IT AND VISITORS TO TAKE A PIECE OF MCKINNEY HOME WITH THEM. UM, KATIE WAS A HUGE HELP IN, IN, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE STORE, 'CAUSE NOBODY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. SO SHE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, SHE REALLY GUIDED THE TEAM ON HOW TO START A RETAIL STORE. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. BUT, UM, IT'S BEEN A GREAT JOB AND, UM, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR GETTING THROUGH THIS LITTLE LITTLE BUMP IN THE ROAD WITH FINISHING OUR, UH, OUR RENOVATION AND GETTING BACK OPEN. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S A GREAT WAY [00:40:01] TO GET PEOPLE TO DISCOVER MCKINNEY. UM, AND LASTLY, I THINK, UH, SOME THINGS WE'RE DOING, HOW WE'RE INVESTING IN HOW WE WORK. SO WE STARTED DOING QUARTERLY HOTELIER MEETINGS THIS PAST YEAR. WE STARTED THEM IN NOVEMBER, SO WE'RE COMING UP ON A FULL YEAR OF HOSTING THEM. UM, ON AVERAGE WE'VE HAD ABOUT 30 OR 35 PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN ATTENDING FROM OUR HOTELIER COMMUNITY. UM, AND WE'VE GOTTEN REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK. IT'S HELPED US, UM, BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS. IT'S HELPED THE HOTELS, UM, LEARN, UM, SORRY, MEET WITH EACH OTHER AND, AND KNOW WHO EACH, WHO EACH OTHER, UH, ARE. UM, SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE DOING THOSE. UM, I ALREADY MENTIONED OUR OFFICE RENOVATION. WE ARE, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT, UH, COMPLETED. SO THAT'S MORE SO IN OUR BACK OF OUR OFFICE, JUST RE REORGANIZING HOW THE OFFICES ARE GONNA BE LAID OUT, GIVING US A LITTLE MORE SPACE, SOME ROOM TO GROW, MAKING SOME, UH, YOU KNOW, CHANGES AND, AND HOW WE WILL, OUR OFFICES WILL OPEN TO THE FRONT OF THE STORE AS WELL. UM, AND THEN OUR NEW WEBSITE, SARAH MENTIONED IT, UM, IT IS LIVE. WE PUSHED IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC, UH, YESTERDAY. YESTERDAY, YES, YESTERDAY, UM, UH, WITH SOME, UM, PR RELEASES AND THINGS. UM, SO STEEPLE AS, AS SARAH MENTIONED, IS THE COMPANY. IT'S A LOCAL MCKINNEY COMPANY THAT AARON KNEW OF, THE FOUNDER CHAD. UM, SO I THINK AARON KIND OF BROUGHT THE IDEA TO, TO SARAH AND THEY WORKED WITH CHAD ON THIS. IT'S VERY, UM, IT UTILIZES AI TECHNOLOGY. IT'S MORE STREAMLINED, USER FRIENDLY AND INTERACTIVE AS SARAH MENTIONED. UM, I BELIEVE NEXT MONTH YOU'LL GET A BIG, SARAH'S GONNA PRESENT, UH, TO ALL OF YOU AND GIVE YOU AN, UH, A LITTLE SHOWCASE OF EVERYTHING THAT IT CAN DO. SO, BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GO CHECK IT OUT RIGHT NOW. IT'S REALLY EXCITING. I THINK IT'S GONNA, IT'S KIND OF ON THE FOREFRONT OF, UM, TOURISM AS FAR AS WEBSITES. MOST CITIES DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THIS, SO WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, ADDING TO IT AND CHANGING TO IT BECAUSE OF THE EASE, UM, THAT IT HAS OF MAKING THOSE CHANGES QUICKLY. AND I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR YOU AND I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES OF THAT HALF MARATHON. MORNING . I DON'T THINK I'VE, IT WAS NEXT TO YOU. I'VE NEVER SCREAMED WATER SO MANY TIMES. , IT WAS LIKE WATER, WATER, WATER. IT WAS, IT WAS CRAZY. IT WAS SO FUN THOUGH. YES. SO IT WAS A GOOD MEMORY. YEAH, IT WAS FUN. ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING? IT WAS COLD TOO. IT WAS, IT WAS COLD. IT WAS COLD. IT WAS VERY CHILLY. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY, I'M GOING TO DEFER THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM TO VICE CHAIR BRIAN MEDINA. THANK YOU. UH, THE NEXT AGENDA [26-0934 Recognition of Outgoing Visit McKinney Board Members] ITEM IS, UH, 26 DASH 0 9 3 4 RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING VISIT MCKINNEY BOARD MEMBERS. UM, SO AT THIS TIME, I'M JUST GONNA RECOGNIZE, YOU KNOW, SOME BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE PLAYED KEY ROLES, YOU KNOW, WITH THIS, UH, THIS TEAM HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE LOSING THREE PEOPLE. TARAN CAN'T BE HERE TODAY, BUT, UM, SHE DID SUCH A GOOD JOB THAT THEY'RE PLUCKING HER OVER TO THE, UH, THE PARKS BOARD. YOU KNOW, SHE WAS A GREAT LIAISON HERE. SHE WAS HERE FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT WE'RE REALLY PROUD THAT SHE'S MOVING ON OVER TO THAT BOARD. UH, IN ADDITION, JANIE, YOU KNOW, YOUR YOUR, YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM AND ALL THAT YOU BROUGHT TO THIS, UH, BOARD AND THE CULTURE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU DO AROUND TOWN. I MEAN, YOU HAVE ME, KENNY, IN YOUR HEART, AND WE JUST REALLY CAN'T SAY ENOUGH TO THANK YOU AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU'VE DONE AROUND TOWN, OTHER BOARDS SERVING ON THIS ONE AS SECRETARY, TREASURER. I MEAN, YOU DID SO MANY THINGS AND WE JUST CAN'T THANK YOU. NOT ENOUGH. AND WE REALLY, YOU'RE GONNA MISS YOU. BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE HERE AND YOU CAN BE, YOU CAN COME OUT TO THE NEXT MARATHON EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH US IF YOU WANT. YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE JUST GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU AS OUR FRIEND AND BE A PART OF THIS BOARD. SO THANK YOU. AND KATIE, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN WE SAY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE'RE JUST A, YOU CAME AT A TIME WHEN THERE WAS JUST A LOT OF CHANGE GOING ON HERE AND YOU, UH, JUMPED RIGHT IN YOUR, YOUR, YOUR BACKGROUND, YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY AS A BUSINESS OWNER, UH, LEADERSHIP MCKINNEY, THE CONNECTIONS YOU HAVE IN TOWN, AND TO BE A PART OF A, A PANEL, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THE TEAM TOGETHER HERE, BUILDING THAT CULTURE, ADDING YOUR ADVICE ON RUNNING A RETAIL STORE. WE JUST HEARD THAT. AND JUST, YOU KNOW, HAVING A LEVEL HEAD. WE'VE TALKED BEFORE AND WE'VE COLLABORATED ON THINGS JUST 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN TOWN AND WE TRY TO KEEP AN EVEN KILL. WE TRY TO BE DIPLOMATIC WITH WHAT ALL'S GOING ON. AND YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAS A GREAT HEART AND A FOUNDATION FOR THIS TOWN. AND, UH, AGAIN, WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOUR OPPORTUNITY GOING OVER THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD. YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, A TREND HERE. I THINK WE'RE THE FARM SYSTEM FOR, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE KIND OF TAKING PEOPLE. AARON, YOU'RE ON THAT, THAT TEAM TOO. BUT, UH, IT'S ALL ABOUT KATIE HERE AND WE JUST CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY. AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE ON THE BOARD WANTS TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT KATIE, UH, BUT WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU AND JUST ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING IF I, IF I COULD. UM, I JUST WANTED, KATIE ALWAYS HAD US, UH, WONDERING WHAT WAS COMING NEXT [00:45:01] BECAUSE SHE'S CREATIVE, SHE'S THOUGHTFUL, SHE'S COMMITTED, AND THAT'S A GREAT LEADER. AND, UH, I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP. YOU TOOK US A LONG WAY. UH, AND IF I COULD JUST ONE QUICK MOMENT. I DO WANNA THANK, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY I HAD TO, UH, TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD. IT WAS, I WAS NEW TO MCKINNEY, I WAS COMMITTED TO LEARNING MCKINNEY. SO I THOUGHT, WELL, I'LL JUST SEE IF I CAN GET ON A COMMITTEE, . AND SO I, I CERTAINLY WANNA THANK MY COUNCILMAN, UH, AND, UH, WHO, WHO WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE AND CITY MANAGER WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE AND SO FRIENDLY AND OUTGOING, WHICH IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MCKINNEY. ONE OF THE MANY THINGS. BUT GUYS, THIS YOUNG MAN RIGHT HERE, HE HAD THE VISION THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT AND HE HIRED PEOPLE LIKE ALICIA WHO GOT US IN ORDER. YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN WHAT OUR FINANCIAL REPORTS LOOK LIKE BEFORE SHE TOOK OVER. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE. BUT SHE, SHE AND, AND SARAH AND YOUR TEAM, I MEAN, YOU GUYS ARE CREATIVE, UH, AND, AND WONDERFUL. AND YOU'VE TAKEN US TO THAT NEXT LEVEL. AND ERIN, YOU CAN FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT AND YOU GUYS CAN FEEL REALLY GOOD ABOUT THAT. AND AS FAR AS OTHER, UH, MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD, I'M SURE I'LL BE WORKING ON SOMEONE'S, UM, CAMPAIGN. UH, THERE'LL BE PEOPLE HERE THAT WILL RUN FOR OFFICE, I'M SURE. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T CONSIDERED IT, YOU SHOULD BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF TALENT HERE AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALL, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND DON'T, YOU KNOW, DON'T STOP ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE, EVEN IF IT'S FOR A BRIEF TIME. UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE MOVING TO MCKINNEY, BY THE WAY, WHO ARE HERE BECAUSE THEIR GRANDMAS AND GRANDPAS AND BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE NEAR THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND THEY'RE COMING FROM PLACES LIKE PENNSYLVANIA. YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S A BIG CHANGE, BUT THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, NEVER STOP LEARNING IS MY BEST ADVICE AT ANY AGE, YOU KNOW? SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR EVERYTHING TO ALL OF YOU. APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH. I'M GONNA, UM, JUMP ON BOARD WITH THAT. SO, UM, IN 2021, I KIND OF DID A RESET ON LIFE AND SAID, I WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN MY COMMUNITY. I, I, I LIVE, I WORK, I BREATHE HERE, THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO. SO I, UH, I APPLIED FOR BOARDS NOT THINKING I STOOD A CHANCE. I HAD PURPLE AND BLUE HAIR AT THE TIME. UM, I'M A LITTLE, LITTLE MORE ECCENTRIC THAN, I DUNNO. THIS IS, THIS IS ALL SELF DISCRIMINATORY. I'M, I KNOW. BUT, UH, THIS IS WHAT HOW I FELT ABOUT MYSELF AT THE TIME. AND I GOT, I GOT PUT ON THIS BOARD AND I WAS SO SHOCKED AND I WAS SO THANKFUL. AND, UM, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE ERIN. I MEAN, I WAS SO FORTUNATE TO SEE IT FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END. I FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY A, A, A BOOK IN KIND OF SITUATION BECAUSE I GOT TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEFORE WE GOT TO BE A PART OF THE HIRING PROCESS FOR ERIN. UM, THE BEST THING WHEN I, WHEN I GET ASKED, LIKE, I, I THINK ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I EVER WAS A PART OF WAS HIRING YOU. UM, YOU WERE SO IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY AND THIS, THIS WHOLE ORGANIZATION HAS CHANGED. UM, YOU BUILT IT BRICK BY BRICK. IT IS JUST SO COHESIVE, SO HEALTHY. UM, THE MORALE IS SO STRONG. AND TO SEE THAT IS JUST, IT'S JUST BEEN SUCH A BLESSING. SO THANK YOU TO YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND, AND KIND OF GOING OFF OF WHAT YOU SAID, THAT'S WHAT I, I WANTED TO, TO LEAVE EVERYONE HERE WITH IS TO, UM, ENCOURAGE OTHERS. UH, MAYBE I DIDN'T HAVE QUITE HAVE THAT BELIEF IN MYSELF, BUT MAN, I TELL YOU WHAT, AS SOON AS I WAS ON HERE, WHITNEY NASH WAS LIKE, YOU NEED TO DO, YOU NEED TO DO LEADERSHIP. AND THEN I DID A LEADERSHIP, AND THEN IT'S JUST BEEN THIS TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT OF LIKE, ALL OF THESE THINGS, ALL OF THESE DOORS OPEN WHEN YOU START BELIEVING IN YOURSELF. OTHERS BELIEVE IN YOU. AND SO ENCOURAGE OTHERS. LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN OTHERS, LOOK FOR THE POTENTIAL, AND JUST CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE. UM, THAT IS, THAT'S REALLY, REALLY ALL I WANNA SAY. UM, AND JUST THANK YOU. I'M GONNA MISS EVERYBODY. PAULA, STOP CRYING. . . I HAVEN'T CRIED YET. UM, YEAH, I'M JUST, I'M REALLY GONNA MISS IT HERE. BUT WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU. I, I LOVE EVERYONE AND THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR EVERY EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME. SO I APPRECIATE YOU. YEAH. AND PAUL, THANK YOU. UM, THAT'S ALL. ALRIGHT, ANYBODY ELSE? I WON'T GIVE A LONG SPEECH 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DETRACT FROM WHAT YOU TWO SAID, BUT, UH, UH, YOU'VE, IT'S BEEN GREAT WORKING WITH YOU. IT'S, I THINK JANIE, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WERE ON THE BOARD WHEN I STARTED OR IF YOU JOINED AFTER. I THINK I WAS ON WHEN OKAY. YOU WERE YOU AND KATIE. I KNOW YOU WERE, UH, THE FIRST ONE THAT I MET FROM THE BOARD AND I WISH YOU BOTH ALL THE BEST. THANK YOU. [00:50:01] THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WELL SAME FROM STAFF. QUICKLY, WE JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU AS WELL AS TN WHO, WHO CAN'T BE HERE TODAY. BUT WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU BOTH HAVE DONE FOR US, UM, ALL OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR SERVICE TO US. I THINK, I DON'T THINK I CAN SAY BETTER THAN WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS ALREADY SAID, BUT WE, UM, ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THIS BOARD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO I GUESS I GET TO CLOSE IT OR BETTER? DO YOU WANNA CLOSE IT? I THINK YOU SHOULD CLOSE IT. I'LL, I'LL CLOSE IT. THAT'S, THIS IS MY LAST CLOSING. I AGREE. . OH, THIS IS MY LAST CLOSING. OKAY. SO WE WILL, WE WILL NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON MATTERS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA THERE. I'M GONNA ADD ONE THING THOUGH. OH. [BOARD AND INTERIM DIRECTOR COMMENTS] LET'S SAY HI IS SOME TWO FUTURE BOARD PEOPLE. KATHY BLANK AND JESSICA RATTON AND WE THINK, OH, DID I JUMP THE GUN? NO, YOU, YOU'RE TOTALLY FINE. TOTALLY FINE. THAT WAS GONNA BE A BOARD AND INTERIM DIRECTOR COMMENTS. BUT YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE YOU'RE RIGHT ON IT ALREADY MESSING UP. CONTINUE. 'CAUSE WE WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE. OKAY, WELL JUST, WE GOT SOME NEW FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA BE ON THE BOARD AND WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE Y'ALL IN THE AUDIENCE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. UM, OKAY. SO MOVING ON TO BOARD AND INTERIM DIRECTOR COMMENTS, , ANYBODY ELSE? UM, I ALWAYS END WITH THANKING OUR STAFF. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO. UM, THIS IS THE LAST TIME I GET TO THANK YOU IN THIS POSITION, BUT I WILL BE GRATEFUL FOREVER. THANK YOU. THERE IT GOES. EVERYONE'S GONNA CRY. HEY, DON'T EVERYBODY DON'T LEAVE. WE NEED TO TAKE PHOTOS AND STUFF, SO DON'T RUN AWAY. OKAY. AFTER WE'RE ADJOURNED. , MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING? I'LL MAKE A MOTION. MOTION BY PATRICK. MAY I HAVE A SECOND? BRIAN MEDINA. SECOND. SECOND. BY MEINA BY MEDINA, BY BRIAN . PLEASE CAST YOUR VOTE. MOTION PASSED. MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 8:53 AM. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.