Strategy & Budget

>>MAYOR: EVERYONE WELCOME, THANK YOU FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE HERE THIS AFTERNOON.

TURN ON THE MICROPHONE, I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. SO GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME, EVERYONE TO OUR MEETING.

TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE THE MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET PRESENTATION, WHICH OUTLINES THE

PLANS FOR ADVANCING THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES ADOPTED AND

APPROVED BY COUNCIL THCHLT PRESENTATION PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INVESTMENTS

PLANNED THAT WE HAVE, FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND OUR CITY. TONIGHT, IS JUST THE

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPOSAL. AFTER TONIGHT, WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW AND

INQUIRE AND TO BE PREPARED FOR MAY 13th BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING.

FOR MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO US TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK

AS WELL ON THE BUDGE. SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED, IF YOU WISH, IF YOU'RE WATCHING US NOW AND YOU WISH TO SPEAK ON THE

BUDGET, ON THE 13th OF MAY, PLEASE CALL THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE AND SIGN UP.

YOU CAN DO THIS ONLINE OR BY PHONE. FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING, THE COUNCIL WILL CONVENE ON MAY

20th FOR THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS MEETING, WE HAVE AN ENTIRE PROCESS THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AND THE

PROCESS PRIMARILY INCLUDES ASKING FOR THINGS THAT MAY NEED TO BE ADDED OR CHANGES, AS A RESULT OF THE BUDGET.

AND WE DO THAT BY BASICALLY HAVING VOTES AND MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AS WE MAKE THOSE

VOTES. SO STRAW VOTES, REALLY, REALLY MEAN AT SOME POINT AS YOU GET SIX VOTES, IT'S IN THE BUDGET,

AND WITHOUT SIX VOTES, IT'S NOT. SO I WANT TO LET EVERYONE --

REMIND EVERYONE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE TO ADOPT OUR BUDGET, NO LATER

THAN JUNE 30th BY STATE LAW AND THE BUDGET ADOPTION HERE -- I'M SORRY, BY THE END OF THE YEAR,

AND FOR US, THAT WILL BE THE BUDGET ADOPTION VOTE IS SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 10th.

I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT MEANINGFUL CHANGE REQUIRES DEDICATED

INDIVIDUALS COMMITTED TO PUBLIC SERVICE, AND I WANT TO THANK EVERY PERSON THAT TOUCHED THIS

BUDGET, EVERY DEPARTMENT AND THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MAKE THAT POSSIBLE FOR THE MANAGER,

TO HAVE THIS RECOMMENDATION TO US TODAY IS TRULY SOMETHING THAT

WE RECOGNIZE AND ARE REALLY GLAD THAT YOU'RE PARTICIPATING IN.

BUT BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO THE MANAGER, WE'LL GO AROUND AND HAVE INTRODUCTIONS.

AND WE -- WE'LL START HERE WITH OUR DEPUTY CLERK. >> AERIAL SMITH, LEAD CITY

CLERK. >> GOOD EVENING, RENEE JOHNSON, I'M HONORED TO REPRESENT DISTRICT 4. >> GOOD EVENING, MARJORIE M

MOLINA, DISTRICT 5. >> DIMPLE AJMERA AT-LARGE. >> DANTE ANDERSON, MAYOR

PRO TEM, DISTRICT 1. >> VI LYLES, MAYOR. >> MARCUS JONES, CITY MANAGER --

MALCOLM GRAHAM. >>TARIQ BOKHARI: TRIKT BOKHARI,

DISTRICT 6. >> LAWANA MAYFIELD, COUNSEL MEMBER AT LARM. >> PATRICK BAKER CITY ATTORNEY.

>> CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. >> AND WE KNOW THAT THE MANAGER IS HERE, BUT I'D LIKE TO CALL ON

ED DRIGGS, FOR A -- >>ED DRIGGS: GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY, MY NAME IS ED DRIGGS,

DISTRICT 7, I WANTED TO LET MY COLLEAGUES ON COUNCIL KNOW WE'RE NOT HAVING COMMITTEE REPORT OUTS

NTPD, WE DID DISCUSS THE TEXT AMENDMENT ON CONSERVATION THAT THE STAFF HAS PROPOSED TO US,

AND ON WHICH THEY WANT TO HAVE A VOTE ON THE 20th. YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE ZONING COMMITTEE ACTUALLY DEFERRED ANY

ACTION ON IT, SO WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO PROCEED WITH THAT DATE ON THE 20th, AND

THE -- I THINK UNANIMOUS OPINION IT WASN'T A VOTE BUT THE UNANIMOUS OPINION OF THE GROUP

WAS THAT WE SHOULD PROCEED IN ORDER TO STOP THAT UNINTENDED DEVELOPMENT. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS

ABOUT IT, OR DON'T FEEL THAT YOU WOULD BE READY ON THE 20th, PLEASE TALK TO ALYSON OR ME AND JUST BE AWARE THAT THAT'S

COMING. THAT'S REALLY ALL I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW, THANK YOU. >>MAYOR: WITH THAT LAST

REPORT, AND THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED, NOW, IT IS TIME FOR US TO TURN THIS OVER TO THE CITY

MANAGER, FOR HIS PRESENTATION. MR. JONES. >>MANAGER: THANK YOU, MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.

SO I'M GOING TO GO INTO A LITTLE DIFFERENT TERRITORY, JUST TO START OFF WITH BEFORE I GO INTO

THE PROPOSED BUDGET THAT I WILL RECOMMEND TO YOU TONIGHT. I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

TO RECOGNIZE WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN OUR CITY OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST WEEK.

AND FOR US TO REMEMBER THE FOUR MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT

COMMUNITY THAT WE'VE LOST. SAM, WILLIAM ELLIOTT, JOSHIA

EYER AND THOMAS WEEKS, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR EIGHT YEARS AND IT'S

NOT THE FIRST TIME AS A MANAGER THAT I'VE LOST ONE OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, I'VE NEVER

SEEN THE CITY PULL TOGETHER LIKE CHARLOTTE. AND SO WHAT I JUST WANT TO SAY IS ACKNOWLEDGE THE FAMILIES

TODAY, AND TOMORROW, AND THE NEXT DAY AND THE NEXT DAY AND THE NEXT WEEK AND THE NEXT MONTH AND THE NEXT YEAR AND LET'S NOT

FORGET. THE CHIEF AND I TALKED THIS MORNING, AND JUST THE OUTPOUR OF SUPPORT, THE RESILIENCE OF THE

CITY, THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND, THE FESTIVAL, SOCCER

GAME, THE KNIGHTS GAME AND JUST HOW SO MANY FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY CAME OUT TO SAY THANK YOU AND WE SUPPORT YOU.

AND SO I JUST LOVE THIS CITY. LOVE OUR 9,000 EMPLOYEES, AND

HOW WE HANG TOGETHER AND I'M JUST PROUD TO BE THE CITY

MANAGER. SO CHARLOTTE IS -- I WOULD SAY A UNIQUE PLACE. WHEN YOU START TO REALLY THINK

ABOUT OUR CITY, WE'RE THE SECOND FASTEST GROWING SECOND IN THE

COUNTRY, WHILE WE'RE THE 15th LARGEST, WE'RE THE SECOND-FASTEST GROWING CITY FROM

A 2020-2022 TIME PERIOD. SO WE GO AND VISIT CITIES BUT WE'RE GOING FASTER THAN PHOENIX,

THAN AUSTIN, THAN DENVER. SOMEWHAT UNIQUE IN THE SENSE

THAT MANY OF THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS THAT ARE A PART OF THE CITY ARE NOT NECESSARILY PARTS

OF CITIES IN OTHER PLACES. IN OTHER WORDS, THE AIRPORT, THE

WATER SYSTEM, OR THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. THESE ENTERPRISE FUNDS PROVIDE

SERVICES TO THE REGION, NOT JUST TO CHARLOTTEANS AND MECKLENBURG COUNTY. AND WE DO ALL OF THIS WITH THE

HIGHEST BOND RATINGS AND STRONG FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, SO KUDOS TO THIS UNIQUE CITY AND THIS

WONDERFUL TEAM. WE'VE MANAGED THROUGH CHALLENGES AND UNCERTAINTY, AND I WILL SAY THAT SOME OF THE PRESSURES THAT

WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN STABILIZING THE WORKFORCE. IT'S GREAT TO SO MANY OF THE

EMPLOYEES IN THE ROOM TONIGHT. HISTORIC INFLATION, AND A GROWTH TACKLING THAT AND MEETING

SERVICE EXPECTATIONS, AND WE'VE DONE A LOT. ORGANIZATIONAL REDUCTIONS AND

REALIGNMENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SIX YEARS, RESULTEDED IN $40 MILLION OF SAVINGS, I

BELIEVE WE USED THE FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS, THE CARES AND THE ARPA FUNDS BETTER THAN ANY CITY IN THE COUNTRY, MAYINGING

SURE THAT WE USED THEM FOR ONE-TIME AS OPPOSED TO HAVING PROBLEMS ONCE THESE FUNDS DRY UP

AND ONE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT IS WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT THE REVENUE THAT COMES IN, ABOUT 70% OF ALL OF THE REVENUE WE

COLLECT IN THE GENERAL FUND IS RELATED TO PROPERTY TAXES AND SALES TAX. AND THOSE ARE PLACES AND SPACES

THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY VENTURED INTO OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW YEARS. I DO WANT TO SET THE STAGE AND

TALK ABOUT THE 12 LARGEST CITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA. AND HOW WE COMPARE AND WE

BENCHMARK OURSELVES AGAINST THOSE CITIES. SO IN THE LIGHT BLUE, YOU'LL SEE THE CITIES WITH A POPULATION

MORE THAN 250,000 PEOPLE. AND WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE, WE ARE

THE LOWEST OF ALL OF THESE CITIES, 13 INCLUDING, US, BY A

MILE. AND WHEN YOU START TO LOOK AT THIS, WE HAVEN'T RAISED TAXES,

PROPERTY TAXES IN THE LAST FIVE YEAR, WHERE YOU HAVE RALEIGH, WHO'S RAISED THEM THEY TIMES,

WINSTON-SALEM, FOUR TIMES AND DURHAM THREE TIMES AND I KNOW WE'RE NOT THOSE CITIES BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SET THE

STAGE FOR HOW WE'VE MANAGED THIS CITY, WITH THE STRONG RATINGS

AND BEEN ABLE TO KEEP OUR TAX RATE LOW. WHERE I'M GOING TO START WHERE I ENDED LAST YEAR, AND WE TALKED

ABOUT WE WERE AT THIS INFLECTION POINT IN THE CITY. AND HOW DO WE GO ABOUT BEYOND

FY24? WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DECLINE IN SERVICES, TO KIND OF

KEEP CHUGGING ALONG WHERE WE ARE, OR ARE WE ABLE TO THINK ABOUT PROVIDING MORE, GIVEN THE

CONSTRAINTS WE HAVE AROUND THE REVENUE SNSS? YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN GREAT, EACH

JANUARY WE HAVE THE ANNUAL STRATEGY MEETING AND YOU SET THE STAGE, IT'S THE PLAYBOOK, IT'S THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO

YOU AND YOU'VE BEEN CONSISTENT WITH THESE KEY INITIATIVES LIKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, OUR

CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY, SAFE CHARLOTTE, MOBILITY, WHAT WE DO AROUND THE ARTS AND CULTURE,

SMALL, MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND THE SEAP AND THE 2040 PLAN,

AND WHAT WE'VE DONE IN RETURN IS YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THESE KEY

INITIATIVES ARE, AND WE LOOK AT THIS AS REALLY THREE BUCKETS, WE DEVELOP, WE INVEST AND THEN WE

IMPLEMENT. AND SO TWO KEY INITIATIVES THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT OVER THIS NEXT YEAR ARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGY, AND OUR SMALL BUSINESS STRATEGY, BOTH OF WHICH SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THIS CALENDAR

YEAR. BUT AS WE ARE STARTING DOWN THE PATHWAY ON THOSE TWO AREAS, YOU'LL SEE AS WE GO TO THE

IMPLEMENTATION, THAT SOME OF THE OTHER AREAS, LIKE SAFE CHARLOTTE, AND OUR CORRIDORS OF

OPPORTUNITY, WE ARE FAR BEYOND JUST THE INITIAL PHASE. AND OKAY. SO THIS BUDGET ALL IN IS A $4.2

BILLION BUDGET. WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH I'LL FOCUS

ON, FOR MOST OF THIS PRESENTATION, WE'LL BOOKEND IT WITH THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, I'LL

DO IT AT THE END ALSO. JN FUND GROWS ABOUT 7.7%.

AND THAT'S WHERE OUR STARTING POINT IS. EACH YEAR, WE HAVE BUDGET

PRINCIPLES AND WE HAVE NOT DEVIATED FROM THOSE BUDGET PRINCIPLES IN THIS PROPOSED BUDGET.

SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE A TWO-YEAR LENS, WE JUST DON'T START WITH FY25.

LOOK AT FY25 AND FY26 BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO DO THINGS IN FY25 THAT CAUSE US A LOT OF PAIN IN

FY26. SO THE BUDGET THAT I'M PRESENTING TO YOU TONIGHT IS STRUCTURALLY BALANCED, ONGOING

REVENUE AND ONGOING EXPENDITURES, FY26, WHICH IS

ENDS JUNE 30 OF -- TWO YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS

THAT ABSENT A SALARY INCREASE, THAT'S A STRUCTURALLY BALANCED BUDGET ALSO.

SO WE ALWAYS START WITH OUR EMPLOYEES, THAT'S THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR SUCCESS.

AND IT'S IMPORTANT WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEES, IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE HAVE ALMOST THREE WORK STREAMS, WE HAVE

PUBLIC SAFETY, WE HAVE OPERATIONS, WE HAVE ADMINISTRATION -- ADMINISTRATIVE. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PUBLIC

SAFETY, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TO DO WERE AROUND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, THE

PAID PLAN STRUCTURE CHANGES AND ANY NEW INCENTIVES, WE HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH THE

PUBLIC SAFETY PAY PLAN MEMBERS, INCLUDING TODAY, OPERATIONS, YOU KNOW, A BIT DIFFERENT.

WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH OUR EMPLOYEES THAT ARE IN THE

OPERATIONS, AND THEY HAVE CERTAIN OTHER CHALLENGES AROUND INCREASING MINIMUM PAY, CAREER

PATH OPPORTUNITIES AND NEW INCENTIVES AND FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, A LOT TO DO WITH FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED,

FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CAREER GROWTH IN THE

CITY, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WE TALKED ABOUT A SPECIAL ASSISTANT AROUND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THE FRUITS

OF THAT LABOR ALREADY. WE'RE STARTING TO COMBINE WHAT WE DO INTERNALLY SO WE CAN BE

STRONGER INTERNALLY AS WELL AS EXTERNALLY, SO WE'RE CONTINUING THE PREPAID TUITION ASSISTANCE

AND CAREER COACHING, AND PREPAID TUITION ASSISTANCE IS SO IMPORTANT.

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO BEGIN WITH, IT DOESN'T HELP YOU TO GET REIMBURSED FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE TRUST OUR EMPLOYEES AND AS THEY WANT UPWARD MOBILITIED MOBILITY, WE

HAVE CONTINUED THE PREPAID TUITION AND CAREER COACHING ASSISTANCE, IN ORDER, JUST TO GIVE A SHOUT-OUT TO ANGELA

CHARLES, WE HAVE SO MANY FOLKS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING, WE CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE SYSTEM.

AND WE ALSO HAVE ALMOST 20 APPRENTICESHIPS CITYWIDE. SO COMPENSATION INCREASES, WHAT

WE'RE DOING FOR THIS BUDGET, AND AGAIN, I WANT TO START OFF BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHAT WE'RE

DOING NOW AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO IN THE FUTURE, OUR EMPLOYEES, YOU MAY RECALL, IN

FY23, 8% INCREASE AND IN FY24, A

6% INCREASE. IN THIS BUDGET, I'M PROPOSING A 5% INCREASE IF OUR HOURLY

EMPLOYEES ON TOP OF THE 8 AND THE 6, BUT ALSO, A MINIMUM OF

$3,280 FOR OUR LOWEST PAID EMPLOYEES, WHAT THAT REALLY DOES IS IT ALLOWS OUR LOWEST PAID

EMPLOYEES TO GET CLOSER TO A 7% INCREASE AND WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS THEY'RE ABOUT 1200 EMPLOYEES

THAT WILL GET 6% OR ABOVE, SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO JUST LOCK INTO THE 5%, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS

SOMETHING SIMILAR TO LAST YEAR, AND IT HELPS US WITH COMPRESSION. OUR SALARIED EMPLOYEES, WHAT WE

HAVE IS A 4% POOL LIKE THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, AND WE CONTINUE TO -- WE CONTINUE TO

HAVE ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES SUCH AS 2.5%, IF YOU HAVE A CDL

LICENSE, RELATED TO YOUR JOB FUNCTION AS WELL AS WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A FEW YEARS AGO,

SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL PAY OF 2.5% OF SECOND AND THIRD.

SO THAT'S WHETHER IT'S THE BOSS BUS OR THE TRAIN, SOMETHING THAT WOULD COST OVER 1400, YOU GET

$32, NOT $32 A MONTH, BUT $32 FLAT. I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE INCREASE THE MINIMUM PAY TO $23

AN HOUR. AND IF WE START TO GO BACK TO 2018, OUR MINIMUM PAY WAS 13.50.

$28,246. THAT'S REAL TOUGH TO TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND UPWARD MOBILITY IF WE'RE NOT LOOKING

INTERNALLY AND HOW WE PAY OR EMPLOYEES, SO THIS IS A 70%EN CREASE FROM THAT PERIOD OF TIME,

WHERE OUR MINIMUM PAY FOR OUR 40-HOUR A WEEK EMPLOYEES WILL BE

$23 AN HOUR. WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE 47,840 A YEAR.

AND I WILL SAY THAT AS WE ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMPRESSION ISSUES, AND HAVE THAT BARE

MINIMUM, WHAT YOU'LL FIND IS THAT OUR EMPLOYEES THAT ARE WITH US TODAY, WITH THOSE

ADJUSTMENTS, THEY'LL MAKE JUST UNDER $50,000 A YEAR BY NOVEMBER.

SO THOSE ARE OUR LOWEST PAID EMPLOYEES, MADE CLOSE TO $50,000 A YEAR, BY NOVEMBER.

FOR THOSE 40 HOUR-WEEK EMPLOYEES SO, COMPENSATION IS IMPORTANT BUT ALSO, THERE'S ACCESS TO

INFORMATION. SO WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM OUR EMPLOYEE SNS THEY WANT FINANCIAL SUPPORT, SO WE HAVE A

COORDINATOR TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE, WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT INCENTIVES OR PROGRAMS THAT ARE IN THE CITY

AND OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. WE'RE ADDING NEW FINANCIAL PLANNING RESOURCES, AND PROVIDES

EMPLOYEES ACCESS TO CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER. AND WE'RE HAVING FOR THE FIRST TIME AN EMERGENCY LOAN PROGRAM,

YOU DON'T WANT SOMETHING LIKE A VEHICLE REPAIR OR SOMETHING IN YOUR HOUSE TO CAUSE YOU TO FALL

BACK AS IT RELATES TO TRYING TO KEEP UP IN TERMS OF UPWARD

MOBILITY. AND WE'RE HAVING THE EMPLOYEE ADVOCATE, AND THIS EMPLOYEE ADVOCATE WILL HAVE A ROLE, A

FORMAL ROLE INVOLVED IN WORKPLACE COMPLAINT RESOLUTION AND PRETERMINATION HEARINGS.

ALSO, WHAT WE HEARD FROM OUR EMPLOYEES, IS THEY WOULD LOVE TO LIVE IN THE CITY, SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE

OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO LIVE IN THE CITY. WE'VE HAD THE HOUSE CHARLOTTE PROGRAM, WHICH PROVIDES $30,000

IN ASSISTANCE CITYWIDE. BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, WE'RE DOUBLING DOWN ON THE HOUSE

CHARLOTTE PLUS, WHICH PROVIDES $80,000 FOR ASSISTANCE, AND

PURCHASING A HOME, ANYWHERE IN A CORRIDOR. AND WE'RE SETTING ASIDE FUNDS FOR NOT ONLY CITY EMPLOYEES, BUT

COUNTY EMPLOYEES AS WELL AS CMS, AND THAT'S PART OF THE NEST

COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS. WE'RE ALSO LAUNCHING A NEW INITIATIVE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CMS, WHERE WE WANT TO CREATE A

PIPELINE OF STUDENTS WHO CAN GRADUATE AND THEN COME WORK FOR THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE.

AND I WOULD HOPE THAT OTHER EMPLOYERS COULD DO THE SAME. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 17 CMS

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES COME RIGHT INTO THOSE CITY JOBS, STARTING AT $47,480.

UPON GRADUATION. WE'RE LEVERAGING OUR ARPA FUNDS, WE -- YOU HAVE APPROVED 4.1

MILLION, PREVIOUSLY, AND WE HAVE $5 MILLION THAT ARE REMAINING IN ARPA FUNDS THAT ARE AROUND

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WILL BE FINISHED THIS

YEAR. THIS CALENDAR YEAR. REMEMBER, WE TALKED ABOUT, WE

HAVE SALARY EMPLOYEES, FOLKS THAT ARE HOURLY AND LET'S TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND SPECIFICALLY POLICE.

WE KNEW THAT 2021-2023 WERE GOING TO BE CHALLENGING.

BECAUSE IN THE EARLY 90s, THERE WAS AN INFLUX OF POLICE OFFICERS IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

AND WHEN THEY GOT TO THAT 30-YEAR MARK, THEY RETIRE.

SO NOT ANYTHING THAT WE DID THAT WAS NOT GOOD, BUT WE JUST KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO LOSE A

BUNCH OF POLICE OFFICERS. CHIEF JENNINGS FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORY, AND WE'RE FORTUNATE THAT HE IS NOT RETIRING.

SO WHAT DID WE DO? WHAT WE DID IS WE HAD A SERIES

OF COMPENSATION CHANGE, WE CHANGED RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND WE ADDED ANOTHER RECRUIT CLASS,

SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE, THE KEY HERE IS THAT AS WE WERE LOSING MORE

OFFICERS THAN WE WERE BRINGING IN, FOR EXAMPLE, NEGATIVE 28

OFFICERS THAT LEFT THE SYSTEM VERSUS COMING IN, 22 MINUS 52,

23, WHICH WAS THE PEAK OF RETIREMENTS, 91. WE HAD, YOU KNOW, MINUS 8, WHAT

WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW, IS THROUGH ALL OF THESE EFFORTS, IS THAT IN 2024, WE BELIEVE THAT

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE THAN 200 NEW OFFICERS COME IN, TWICE AS MUCH AS WHAT WE WOULD HAVE

HAD IN 21 OR 22 AND WE SEE THAT

SAME GOING FORWARD IN 25 AND 26. SO WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WE HAVE

NOW GOTTEN PAST THAT 30-YEAR MARK, WITH THE FOLKS WHO CAME IN THE EARLY 90s.

BUT WE'RE CONTINUING WITH THAT PLAN. AND FOR THE PAST TWO BUDGETS, WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO, WHICH

YOU APPROVED, WAS TO INCREASE POLICE OFFICER PAY. AND THERE WAS A PART OF RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

PROGRAM, THE LAST TWO YEARS, STARTING PAY INCREASED BY 23%. AND TOP PAY OVER THE LAST TWO

YEARS INCREASED BY 14%, SO TOP PAY FOR A POLICE OFFICER TODAY

WITH A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE IS

99,811. AND STARTING PAY FOR A POLICE OFFICER WITH A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE IS 62,911.

WHAT WE'RE DOING ON TOP OF THAT, WE ARE INCREASING BETWEEN 5-7.5%

INCREASES FOR POLICE OFFICERS ON TOP OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.

AND MAYBE SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN FAMILIAR WITH, BUT BACK IN THE 2011, AS A

BUDGET SAVING INITIATIVE, POLICE MOVED FROM A 14-DAY PAY CYCLE TO

A 28 DAY PAY CYCLE. IT'S BEEN ONE OF THEIR TOP ISSUES FOR A WHILE.

I AM RECOMMENDING THAT WE MOVE BACK TO THAT 14-DAY PAY CYCLE.

BECAUSE THE BUDGET SAVINGS BACK IN 2011 DOESN'T REALLY VIBE WITH

WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TODAY WITH OUR SWORN. BUT WE ARE ALSO DOING MORE THAN JUST COMPENSATION, WE'RE

INVESTING IN REDUCING THE WORKLOAD OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS, THE SAFE CHARLOTTE INITIATIVE,

TALKED A LOT ABOUT AREAS SUCH AS CARES TEAM, AND CIVILIAN CRASH

INVESTIGATORS AND THIS BUDGET, THERE'S FUNDING FOR BOTH. SO WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT THE CIVILIAN CRASH

INVESTIGATORS, WHICH ARE 16 OF THEM, WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO IS BASICALLY ALLOW

OUR SWORN TO GET BACK TO OTHER AREAS OF POLICING AND THE VALUE OF THAT IS ABOUT 25,000 HOURS

PER YEAR WITH A EQUIVALENT OF 12 FULL TIME POLICE OFFICERS, WE'RE ALSO TAKING THE CARES TEAM AND WE ARE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL TEAM

AS WELL AS EXPANDING THE HOURS, AND A NEW GEOGRAPHY. AND WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT

RESPONSES TO CALLS, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, ACTUALLY, OCTOBER OF

2022, WE HAD A NUMBER OF ISSUES, WITH TRYING TO ADDRESS 911 CALLS

WITHIN THAT FIRST TEN SECONDS. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'VE

DONE A LOT TO HELP WITH THIS COMPENSATION WITH THE PAY THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT ACTUALLY

RECRUITING TECHNIQUES, AND WE HAVE REALLY GOTTEN THAT CALL

RESPONSE CLOSE TO 85% OF ALL OF THE CALLS ARE ANSWERED WITHIN 10

SECONDS. A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THAT, 9, BUT VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHERE WE WERE IN OCTOBER OF 2022.

WE BELIEVE BY ADDING 15 TELECOMMUNICATORS AND BUILDING OUT THE CALL CENTER WITH

RENOVATIONS THAT WE CAN GET BACK TO THAT 90% OF THE CALLS BEING

ANSWERED, 90% WITHIN TEN SECONDS, THE SAME THING WITH FIRE, ALL OF THE FIREFIGHTERS IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, RECEIVE

BETWEEN 5-8% IN TERMS OF A COMPENSATION INCREASE, AND

COUNCIL DURING THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS MADE SURE FOR SIMILAR ROLES IN POLICE AND FIRE, THAT THERE WAS NO MORE

THAN A 5% SEPARATION TERMS OF COMPENSATION. AND IN FY25, WE'RE GOING TO BUILD ON THAT.

AND HAVE UP TO 7.5% COMPENSATION INCREASE FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS,

BUT WE'RE ALSO ADDING 72 POSITIONS, 57 FIREFIGHTERS, BECAUSE AS WE'RE BUILDING THESE

STATIONS, COMING ONLINE, AS WE ARE ADDRESSING THE GROWTH, WE NEED TO STAFF OUR FIRE ALSO, WE

TALKED ABOUT INSPECTIONS LAURA HARRIS -- LAST YEAR, WE'RE

ADDING 12 INSPECTORS AND 3 CIVILIAN, I ALSO -- EVERY EMPLOYEE FOR THE CITY OF

CHARLOTTE IS IN THE NORTH CAROLINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT RETIREMENT SYSTEM, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FIRE.

SO FIRE HAS ITS OWN INDEPENDENT RETIREMENT SYSTEM. WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IN THIS

BUDGET IS TO PUT MORE INTO THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM THAN WHAT WE HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED BECAUSE I

HAVE A BIT OF CONCERN ABOUT THE FUNDING STA STATUS, BUT ALSO RECOMMENDING IN THIS BUDGET THAT

WE HAVE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CFRS BOARD OF TRUSTEES WORK WITH THE STAFF TO SEE HOW WE CAN COME

UP WITH A FUNDING STRATEGY TO RAISE THAT FUNDING STATUS FOR

FIRE. WE HAVE $107 MILLION OF FIRE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM.

AND THAT INCLUDES NEW INFILL STATIONS AND REPLACEMENT STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

THE CAPITAL PLAN THAT I'M PRESENTING TONIGHT HAS $58.5

MILLION FROM FY25-FY29, TO HELP FINISH BUILDING OFF THESE

STATIONS, YOU MAY REMEMBER FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO, THERE WAS POLICE STATIONS THAT WE WERE

BUILDING AND NOW WE'RE BUILDING A NUMBER OF FIRE STATIONS AS IT HELPS US RESPONDING TO CALLS.

I WILL SAY THAT I BELIEVE WE HAVE CREATED A CULTURE AND AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE CHARLOTTE IS A GOOD PLACE TO WORK AND THAT

THAT'S IMPORTANT WHEN YOU START TO FOCUS ON YOUR EMPLOYEES. NOW, YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF KEY INITIATIVES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT

DURING THE ANNUAL STRATEGY MEETING. AND I WANTED TO COVER THEM JUST

QUICKLY. AND SOME SPECIFICALLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ARTS AND CULTURE, CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY,

MINORITY WOMEN AND SMALL BUSINESS, STRATEGIC ENERGY ACTION PLAN AND SAFE CHARLOTTE.

SO LET'S START OFF WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE LAST THREE BOND CYCLES, WE'VE HAD

MORE FUNDS IN THE LAST THREE BOND CYCLES THAN WE HAD IN THE PREVIOUS NINE BOND CYCLES.

SO IF YOU START TO THINK ABOUT THIS, 150 MILLION FROM 2018,

2020 AND 22 BDD CYCLES VERSUS 1

WHICH IS ROUGHLY 2000 UP TO THE 2016 BOND CYCLE. AND IN THAT, THESE LAST THREE

BOND CYCLES, WE'VE CREATED 6,500 UNITS AND SHELTERING, SO WE

THINK THAT WE HAVE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB WITH THE TRUST FUND.

AND TO THE POINT WHERE NORMALLY WE HAVE A SPRING RFP, BUT WE HAVE RUN OUT OF MONEY.

SO THAT LEADS ME TO RECOMMENDING THAT WE INCREASE THE BOND IN

2024 TO $100 MILLION. AND IN THAT, WE'VE SHOWN THAT WE CAN DO 15 MILLION WE'VE SHOWN

THAT WE CAN DO 50 WHEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR COMES IN AND ADDS 50 TO IT ALSO, I THINK WHAT'S

IMPORTANT IS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, AND THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE NEST COMMISSION, THERE'S A LOT THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE HOUSING, AND

COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMISSION, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAXIMIZING THE USE OF THESE FUNDS AND WE'RE

ABLE TO GET MORE THAN JUST HOUSING BUT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR UPWARD MOBILITY WITHIN OUR

COMMUNITY. WE ALSO, AS ONE OF YOUR KEY AREAS, KEY INITIATIVES HAS BEEN

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAYBOOKS FOR THE SIX CORRIDORS AND I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW,

EVEN THE WEST BOULEVARD CORRIDOR, PREDATES MANY OF THE

CORRIDOR PLAYBOOKS BECAUSE IT WAS JUST AN IDEA, AND THEN THE IDEA WAS ALSO EMBRACED BY THE

OTHER FIVE CORRIDORS. SO WE'RE FINALLY TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE ALL OF THE

PLAYBOOKS DONE AND SO IT'S TIME TO ACT. WE HAD $10 MILLION PLANNED IN

THE FY25 BUDGET FOR OUR CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY, I COULD TELL FROM THE

CONVERSATIONS DURING THE ANNUAL STRATEGY MEETING AND SUBSEQUENT BUDGET MEETINGS THAT THIS WAS

NOT GOING TO FLY SO, WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IS TO TRIPLE THAT AND $30 MILLION IN THIS BUDGET

FOR OUR CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY. 25 MILLION OF IT BEING RELATED

TO THE CIP AND 5 MILLION IN WHAT WE CALL PAY-GO AND WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH THESE

INITIATIVES IN THE PAST. ALSO, SUPPORTING ARTS IN OUR

ECOSYSTEM, THIS GOES BACK TO 2021 WHEN THE MAYOR PUT TOGETHER AN AD HOC COUNCIL COMMITTEE AND

IT WAS IN RESPONSE TO INSTABILITY IN THE LACK OF FUNDING IN THE ARTS AND CULTURE

ECOSYSTEM. WORKPLACE GIVING HAD GONE DOWN PRERECESSION PEAK WAS $10.7

MILLION. FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS. BY THE TIME WE WERE AT 2021 THAT, 10.7 WENT DOWN TO $4.3

MILLION, SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE. MAINLY BECAUSE OF A LOT OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE IN FACILITIES

IN WHICH WE HAVE DEBT ON, AND THAT WE PAY DEBT ON THESE FACILITIES AND WE COULDN'T LET THE LIGHTS GO OUT.

SO WE STARTED OFF WITH A REQUEST THAT IF THE CITY PUT IN 4

MILLION, COULD THE PRIVATE SECTOR ALSO PUT IN 4 MILLION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, I GUESS, TOOK

OUR OPENING BID AND RAISED IT BY 2. AND CAME IN WITH 6 MILLION OVER

3-YEAR PERIOD FOR 18 MILLION. CITY COUNCIL MATCHED THAT 18 MILLION AND WE HAD $36 MILLION

TO PUT IN TO THE ECOSYSTEM. OVER THREE-YEAR PERIOD, ACTUALLY PRIVATE THE SECTOR CAME IN WITH

AN EXTRA $5 MILLION, SO IT BECAME AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE

CITY TO DEVELOP A PLAN, WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR, TO SEE WHAT WE

WOULD DO AFTER THAT THREE-YEAR PERIOD, WE'RE AT THE END OF THE THREE-YEAR PERIOD AND MY

RECOMMENDATION IS TO HAVE $11 MILLION, WHICH IS THREE TIMES THE CITY'S PRECOVID AMOUNT PUT

INTO ARTS AND CULTURE. SO THAT WE CANNOT ONLY STABILIZE THE ECOSYSTEM, BUT TO MAKE THE

ECOSYSTEM GROW. SO WE'RE CARRYING FORWARD THE PREVIOUS ASC AND INFUSION FUND

ORGANIZATIONS. WITH LIMITED EXCEPTIONS. THERE ARE FEWER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY

THAT WOULD BE FUNDED BY THE COUNTY. AND WHAT WE WOULD DO IS ADD $9

MILLION TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS, MUCH LIKE IT HAS BEEN DONE IN

THE PAST. THERE'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY, THAT THEY, TOO, MAY BE ABLE TO

FUND SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS.

SO THAT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE WOULD NOT ONLY JUST STABILIZE THE ARTS AND CULTURE ECOSYSTEM,

BUT NOW, HAVE A PATHWAY FORWARD FOR THEM TO GROW. AND THEN WHAT WE FOUND ALSO IS THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND

ORGANIZATIONS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE ECOSYSTEM, TOO. SO WE WOULD -- I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE SET ASIDE $2 MILLION OF

THIS 11 FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHEN ALL OF THE DUST SETTLES, AND WE

SEE THE CITY'S CONTRIBUTION AND THE COUNTY'S CONTRIBUTION THAT

YOU WILL SEE IT'S SOMETHING GOOD THAT IS FOR WHAT WE CALL THE BIGS, THE SMALLS, THE MEDIUMS,

THOSE THAT -- THE GROUPS AS WELL AS THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.

AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE WANTED WHEN YOU SAID LET'S CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF

ARTS AND CULTURE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE ALSO VERY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF BLOOMBERG AMERICAN

SUSTAINABLE CITIES, ONE OF 25 CITIES NATIONWIDE THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN, REPRESENTS ABOUT 10

MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND A BLOOMBERG HAS BEEN VERY

CLEAR, IT IS HOW CAN WE START SUPER CHARGE THREE OF THE EXISTING FOCUS AREAS? SO THE CONCEPT IS HOW MIGHT WE

DELIVER ON THE MOST EQUITABLE, SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT IN

CHARLOTTE'S HISTORY, WHILE BUILDING BLACK WEALTH? MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT IS HOW

THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US WITH AN INNOVATION TEAM WITH THREE STAFF

AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. ALSO IMPLEMENTED THE MW/SBE

POLICIES AND PROGRAMS, RECENTLY, WHEN THE CITY PUT $2 MILLION IN

TO LAUNCH CHARLOTTE SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH FUND, THAT ACTUALLY HELPED PULL IN ANOTHER

$38 MILLION SO THAT $40 MILLION OVER FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, ARE GOING

TO HELP 2,000 BUSINESSES WITH 70% OF THOSE BUSINESSES BEING ESTIMATED TO BE BUSINESSES OF

COLOR. THE CHARLOTTE BUSINESS AND INCLUSION, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS FOCUSING ON MW/SBE SUBCONTRACTOR TS, TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET THEM

TO BE PRIMES AND IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AMP UP AND NEXT

CHARLOTTE, THAT IS GRADUATING COMPANIES AND WE'RE SEEING SOME WONDERFUL THINGS HAPPENING IN

OUR ECOSYSTEM. I WOULDN'T BE A BUDGET PRESENTATION WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT SEAP, A FABRIC OF OUR

ORGANIZATION, SOMETIMES YOU LOOK INTO THE BUDGET AND TRY TO FIND A LINE THAT SAYS SEAP, I DON'T

THINK THAT'S THE WAY WE LOOK AT IT ANYMORE, IT'S LIKE THE CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY, IT'S WHAT WE DO. AND WE'RE STARTING TO GET

ACCOLADES, RANKED IN THE TOP 20% BY THE AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT ECONOMY.

AND WE HAVE AN A MINUS IN, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES YOU DON'T WANT AN A MINUS, BUT FOR DISCLOSURE

INSIGHT ACTION FOR A SUPERIOR SUSTAINABLE, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS A B, SO I'LL TAKE

THAT A MINUS ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. WE'RE ALSO IMPLEMENTING THE

EXISTING PLAN WHILE ADDING A NEW FOCUS TO SAFE CHARLOTTE. MUCH OF THE WORK IS BEING DONE

IN THE REFERRAL PROCESS, THE EMPHASIS ON AGE 17 AND BELOW. PROPERTY AND VIOLENT CRIME AT

RISK YOUTH, FIRST-TIME OFFENDERS AND REPEAT OFFENDERS, AND SO THIS BUDGET SETS ASIDE $3.5

MILLION FOR THE WORK THAT WILL COME OUT OF THE COMMITTEE. AND IT SHOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH

WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE? BUT WE'RE ALSO HA

PORTUNITIES TODAY IN OUR CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY WITH

OUR MAYORS YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, WHERE WE'RE HAVING 150 MY UP INDIVIDUALS IN THE

CORRIDOR THIS YEAR, A THREE-TIME INCREASE FROM THE SUMMER OF 2023, AS WELL AS NEW

PARTNERSHIPS WITH TEACH FOR AMERICA, AND OUR CORRIDORS, AS WE START TO TALK ABOUT ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE AS WELL

AS OUR HOSPITAL-BASE VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM, WHICH WE

CALL BOOST, WE'RE FINDING THAT FOR EVERYONE -- EVERY $1 THAT

THE CITY INVESTS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND I WOULD HAVE TO SAY KUDOS TO

REPRESENTATIVE ALMA ADAMS, FOR BRINGING HOME SIGNIFICANT DOLLARS AS IT RELATES TO OUR

ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE, AND ALSO, FOR THE RECENT AWARD FROM

ATRIUM TO THE BOOST PROGRAM, THAT IS THE HOSPITAL-BASED INITIATIVE. WE TALK ABOUT SAFETY AND YOU

CAN'T TALK ABOUT SAFETY WITHOUT HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN UPTOWN. WE USED TO ALWAYS LOOK TO THIS

AS A THREE LEGGED STOOL OR A THREE PILLARS, THE QUALITY OF LIFE, THE PUBLIC REALM, AND

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN UPTOWN, AND I -- KUDOS TO CHIEF JENNINGS AS THEY HAVE BEEN

ABLE TO REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME, CERTAIN PROGRAMS, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS $5

MILLION INVESTMENT AS WE START TO THINK ABOUT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, ALSO, AND QUALITY

OF LIFE THAT WE HAVE IN UPTOWN. AND SO I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST

TO READ FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, WHICH ALWAYS CONFUSES ME WHEN SHE DOES THAT. BUT THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE BEEN

WITH MOBILITY. AND IF YOU START, JUNE, 2022, WE

HAD OUR STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN AND I THINK THAT THE ROOM MORE OR LESS SAID, WHERE'S THIS THING

GOING? AND THEN A YEAR LATER, WE HAD THE STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, THE

BLUEPRINT, THAT REALLY STARTED TO TALK ABOUT AREAS. AND THEN MOST RECENTLY, APRIL

2024, WE HAD A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT AREAS WHERE WE STARTED TO TALK ABOUT THOSE 16

BUNDLES, AND IT ALMOST BECAME I GUESS, A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW WE TALK ABOUT OTHER GROWTH ISSUES

THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY. SO IT TOOK US A WHILE, BUT WE FEEL WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE, IF

WE START TO TALK ABOUT THE FEBRUARY BUDGET WORKSHOP, WE HAD A STEADY STATE OF $210 MILLION

IN EACH BOND CYCLE. WE DID THAT, YEARS AGO, BECAUSE WE WANTED SOME CERTAINTY IN WHAT

WE COULD AFFORD, AND WHAT WE COULD AFFORD MAY BE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE WANTED. BUT IT DID ALLOW US TO HAVE THIS

FISCALLY CONSTRAINT OPPORTUNITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND IN THE ANNUAL STRATEGY MEETING, WE CAME

BACK AND SAID, WELL, THAT CAPACITY HAD GROWN FROM 210 TO 228, BUT ALSO, THERE WAS SOME

PULLS ON THAT CAPACITY BECAUSE OF INFLATION. AND AS I HAVE, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WHEN WE START TO

TALK ABOUT THIS BLUEPRINT AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IN MOBILITY, WE HAVE THESE 16 FOCUS AREAS AND WE

CALL THEM THE STRATEGIC INVESTMENT AREAS. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE CORRIDORS

OF OPPORTUNITY. SO WHILE THIS IS JUST A BUNCH OF BUBBLES, THAT YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW, I THINK HERE'S THE KEY WITH

IT. WE NEED TO BE -- MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON INVESTMENTS

THAT CAN MAXIMIZE WHAT WE INVEST, MAKE SURE IT'S SCALEABLE, MAKE SURE IT'S

MEASURABLE AND ADAPTABLE. YOU GUYS FELL IN LOVE WITH SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO VISITED US DURING THE ANNUAL STRATEGY

MEETING, WELL, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THEM ON THE CONTRACT, AND THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLY THIS.

WE'RE GOING TO PUT $2 MILLION ASIDE TO LOOK AT INNOVATION PILOTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND

THAT IS MICROTRANSIT, MOBILITY HUBS, VEHICLE TO INFRASTRUCTURE

COMMUNICATIONS, TRANSPORTATION DEMAND STRATEGIES, HOW CAN WE TAKE TECHNOLOGY AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT? AND MAYBE MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW

CAN WE GET PROJECTS SHOVEL READY SO THE COMMUNITY CAN SAY, OKAY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUT SOMETHING

ON THE SHELF. AND WAIT FOR 6-8 YEARS. SO AGAIN, AS COUNCIL MEMBER

BOKHARI WOULD SAY, WHAT'S THE PUNCH LINE? OKAY, SO IF WE LOOK AT THIS, WE CAN STAY WHERE WE ARE AT THE 210

MILLION, 228, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU FEEL YOU HAVE AN APPETITE FOR

SOME OF THINGS THAT I'VE SHOWN YOU UP TO THIS POINT. SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS,

I STILL BELIEVE WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT A TRANSPORTATION

INITIATIVE, THAT'S BOLD, IT'S FOR THIS REGION, I DO BELIEVE THE SALES TAX IS THE BEST WAY TO

GO. WHEN YOU START TO THINK ABOUT THE SALES TAX, 30% OF THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY PAY THE SALES TAX

DO NOT LIVE IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY SO THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS THAT SALES TAX COULD BENEFIT ALL

OF US, BUT WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AS A REGION TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. TODAY I'M SUGGESTING A ONE-TIME

INFUSION THAT'S NOT SALES TAX RELATED. SO MY PROPOSAL IS TO TAKE THAT

210 MILLION DOLLAR PLAN BOND AND HAVE IT MOVED UP TO $400 MILLION. AND WE DO THAT A COUPLE OF WAYS.

ONE IS I CALL IT PULLING FORWARD CAPACITY. REMEMBER, WE HAVE $228 MILLION

OF CAPACITY IN EACH BOND FOR THE NEXT 10-20-30 YEARS SO PULL SOME

OF THAT CAPACITY FORWARD. AND ADD SOME REVENUE INTO IT. AND LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR

THIS UPCOMING BOND TO SHOW THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE READY TO DO MORE. SO WHAT'S IN THIS UPCOMING BOND?

THE 400 MILLION? THE CORRIDORS OF OPPORTUNITY AS I MENTIONED EARLY WHYIER, WE HAD

-- EARLIER, WE HAD 10 MILLION PLANNED, ADD 15 MILLION TO THAT, THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR

CORRIDORS BOND. I MENTIONED THAT HOUSING, 50 IS WHAT'S PLANNED, I'M RECOMMENDING THAT IT DOUBLES

TO 100, AGAIN, THE HIGHEST ON RECORD. AND THEN, FOR THE

TRANSPORTATION, WE HAD 115 MILLION PLANNED. I'M RECOMMENDING THAT WE MOVE IT UP TO 238 MILLION, WHICH IS 123

MILLION MORE THAN PLANNED. AND THAT 238 MILLION WILL BE THE

HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR ANY TRANSPORTATION BOND. LET'S DO A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT'S GOING ON.

SO IF WE GO AND COMPARE THAT 210 TO WITH WHERE WE'RE GOING AT

THIS 400 MILLION, BICYCLES WAS AT 8 MILLION. WE'RE CONTINUING THAT 8 MILLION.

CONGESTION MITIGATION WAS AT 10 MILLION, WE'RE CONTINUING IT AT THAT. BUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IS AS WE

START TO THINK ABOUT THE VISION ZERO, WE HAD 400 PLANNED, I'M RECOMMENDED 20 MILLION, SO

THAT'S WHERE THIS 210 IS GROWING, TO THE 400. WE THINK THAT VISION ZERO IS A

GREAT INVESTMENT. AND THIS WILL BE FIVE TIMES MORE THAN WHAT WAS PLANNED. SAME CONCEPT WITH SIDEWALKS,

SIDEWALKS, WE ONLY HAD $20 MILLION PLANNED. I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE MOVE THAT BACK UP TO 50 MILLION, WHICH

MATCHES THE HIGHEST THAT'S ON RECORD. AND THAT'S 2.5 TIMES WHAT WAS PLANNED.

AND THE NEW PROGRAM, SETTING ASIDE $55 MILLION, RECOMMENDING FOR THE STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

AREAS. THOSE 16 AREAS, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAY COST YOU ANYWHERE FROM $20-25 MILLION FOR

ANY AREA, BUT IF YOU PUT THAT ON TOP OF SIDEWALKS, AND ON TOP OF

CONGESTION MITIGATION AND WHAT WE HAVE SET ASIDE FOR THE CORRIDORS, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT

WE CAN MOVE SOME PROJECTS FORWARD FASTER, AND WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE

DELIVER PROJECTS. LOOKING AT FUTURE BOND CYCLES, FOR THE 2026 BOND CYCLE, I'M

RECOMMENDING 243.5 MILLION, THE SAME FOR THE 2028, PULLING SOME

OF THAT CAPACITY FORWARD, BY THE TIME WE GET OUT OF THESE LAST THREE BOND CYCLES, WE GO BACK TO

SOMETHING THAT IS CLOSER TO THE 210, BUT NOT 210, A LITTLE BIT MORE, 220 MILLION IN PERPETUITY.

SO HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT THE VISION? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT AND WE DID THIS AT THE

RETREAT, THAT I BELIEVE THERE'S GREAT VALUE FOR OUR RESIDENTS, BECAUSE THE COST OF SERVICE AND

THAT IS WHEN YOU TAKE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY SERVICES COMBINED, THEIR TAXES, THE WATER

SEWER, STORMWATER, VEHICLE FEES, SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLE, CHARLOTTE IS $1500 LESS THAN THE

NEXT LARGE CITY ON THAT LIST. SO THERE'S VALUE FOR THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. AND AGAIN, WE'VE ALREADY TALKED

ABOUT OUR PROPERTY TAX HISTORY AND WHERE WE ARE. SO WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IS A

1.5 CENTS PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, O OKAY? NINE TENTHS OF THAT WILL BE IN

THE -- NINE TENTHS OF THE PENNY, NINE TENTHS OF THE PENNY WILL BE IN THE GENERAL FUND.

AND VIRTUALLY ALL OF THAT IS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. WE'VE GONE BACK AND LOOKED AT A

PUBLIC SAFETY INCREASES OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, THIS WILL BE THE LARGEST, AND THIS IS HELPING

FUND THAT. AND THEN THERE IS A .3 CENT INCREASE THAT WE'RE MOVING RIGHT

INTO THE CIP. AND PULLING SOME FUNDS FORWARD.

OR PASS FORWARD. AND A .3 CENT FOR ARTS AND CULTURE FOR A TOTAL OF 1.5, SO

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT'S ROUGHLY $4.48 A MONTH.

FOR THE TYPICAL HOMEOWNER. OR ROUGHLY ABOUT $54 A YEAR.

ALSO, THERE'S $7 MILLION LEFT IN ARPA INTEREST. THAT IS NOT PROGRAMMED IN THIS

BUDGET WHATSOEVER. MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT AS THE COUNCIL DECIDES ON HOW TO USE

THIS REMAINING $7 MILLION OF ARPA INTEREST, THAT IT CONTINUES TO BE FOR ONE-TIME ISSUES, AND

NOT ONGOING. AND SERVING OUR REGION, BOOKEND,

HOW UNIQUE WE ARE AS A CITY, SOMING THINGS, YOU KNOW THESE THING, WE START TO THINK ABOUT

AVIATION AND WE HAVE -- IT'S WORTH 5% OF THE STATE'S GDP,

IT'S THE SEVENTH BUSIEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD, AND WE HAD 53 PLUS

MILLION PASSENGERS IN 2023, IT'S NOT A SMALL THING. WATER AND STORMWATER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE SERVE

MORE THAN 1 MILLION CUSTOMERS PER DAY IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS. IT SERVES FOUR COUNTIES AND FOUR

CITIES. IT'S NOT JUST THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE SO THANK YOU, ANGELA THERE.

AND THEN, I DON'T KNOW IF BRENT IS IN THE ROOM, BUT THE CHARLOTTE AREA TRANSIT, I GIVE

KUDOS TO BRENT CAGLE, FOR STEPPING IN, 12 MILLION PEOPLE THAT ARE SERVED ANNUALLY,

RELIABILITY IS UP, A YEAR AGO, YOU KNOW, 10% OF THE TRIPS WERE

MISSED. LESS THAN 1% OF THE TRIPS, IN TERMS OF VACANCIES, VACANCIES HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF.

RECRUITMENT IS UP. COMMUNICATIONS BETTER. MORALE IS BETTER.

AND TO HAVE ENTERPRISE FUNDS LIKE THESE THAT ARE OPERATED BY THE CITY THAT ARE EXCEPTIONAL, I

THINK THAT'S KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE TEAM. THE FEES AS WE LOOK AT THE FEE

INCREASE, SOLID WASTE FEE IS GOING TO GO UP BASICALLY 78 CENTS A MONTH.

THE WATER FEE ROUGHLY $4.30 A MONTH. AND STORMWATER 47 CENTS A MONTH.

SO WHILE THIS IS AN INFUSION IN THE 2024 BOND, I THINK IT'S

PUTTING US ON THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY, THIS 1.5 CENT

INCREASE. AND THIS COMES AT A TIME NOW, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WHERE I TURN THIS OVER TO YOU.

IT'S YOUR BUDGET. WE STAND READY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE OVER THE

NEXT WEEKS, AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK TEAM CHARLOTTE, ALL OF THE

ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND THE ALL OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, ESPECIALLY OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR, RYAN BERGMAN, AND OUR CFO,

TERESA SMITH, IT'S ALMOST A YEAR AROUND ENDEAVOR TO PUT A BUDGET TOGETHER, AND WE BELIEVE WE HAVE

CAPTURED THE ESSENCE OF SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION OVER THE LAST YEAR, SO MAYOR, WITH THAT SAID,

IT'S YOUR BUDGET. AND I APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT YOU'VE GIVEN ME TONIGHT. >>MAYOR: THANK YOU VERY MUCH,

MR. JONES. -- THIS IS OUR PROCESS FOR NOW. YOU WILL GET A COPY OF THE DECK.

FROM THE BUDGET OFFICE. AND SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT KIND OF KEEPING THE DECK AND THE SLIDES WERE.

BUT I THINK WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT HERE IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US A TON OF

INFORMATION. AND SO MUCH OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, YOU'RE GETTING THE BUDGET BOOKS NOW.

BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE SOME TIME TO READ, ABSORB, REVIEW, AND INQUIRE, AND

THE INQUIRY IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT IF WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS WORK, AND

START THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND ACCOMPLISH, WE WILL HAVE MEETINGS AND YOU CAN

SEE THAT WE'LL HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE 13th. BUT THERE WILL BE MEETINGS FOR

THE COUNCIL AT ANY POINT IN TIME FOR REVIEW OF THE BUDGET. AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH OUR --

YOUR -- WHAT DO THEY CALL -- GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT SCHEDULE OUR LIVES FOR US, IT'S

CONSTITUENT RELATIONS WILL GET TOGETHER WITH BUDGET AND WE'LL HAVE THESE MEETINGS.

THEY ARE OPEN AND PUBLIC MEETINGS BUT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY AS YOU BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET

AND WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, I FIND THAT IT'S REALLY, REALLY GREAT -- HELPFUL IF YOU HAVE A CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE.

THAT YOU GET THE STAFF TO WORK WITH YOU ON HOW TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.

MAKING SURE THAT IT'S CONSISTENT WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE. SO THAT'S WHAT I THINK IS OUR

NEXT STEP. SO WE'VE GOT SOME TIME. OUR BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING, HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC, BEFORE

WE MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS IN BETWEEN THAT SO

WE'LL HAVE TIME FOR THE MEETINGS WITH THE BUDGET TEAM AND THE MANAGER AS WELL. SO WITH THAT, MR. JONES.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO -- AND AMPLIFY YOUR COMMENTS TO HAVE ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT WORK

IN OUR COMMUNITY, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, HERE TODAY TO HEAR WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY -- I ALWAYS KIND OF REMIND PEOPLE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THIS

ROOM ARE ALSO OFTEN OUR CONSTITUENTS. AND SO IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU COME IN, I THINK YOU'RE GREAT

AMBASSADORS FOR WHAT WE DO AND WE TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT, ESPECIALLY I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE GROUP THAT WORKS ON

THIS. RYAN, YOUR TEAM, AND TERESA, YOU YOU ARE TEAM, TERRIFIC, AND SO WITH THAT, WE WILL TAKE THIS

DOCUMENT, WE'RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CALLS AND

COMMENTS WITH THE TEAM THAT'S PUT THIS TOGETHER. AND WITH THAT, WE ARE ADJOURNED ON THE BUDGET PRESENTATION

MEETING. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, EVERYONE, AND LOOK FORWARD TO MAY 13th IS OUR NEXT

OPPORTUNITY. MR. JONES, THANK YOU. [ MEETING ADJOURNED AT 6:55 ]