Statements by Fred A. Neil
1,535 statements from meeting recordings, newest meeting first.
Machine transcript. Statements are matched to this official by machine and can be wrong. Check the recording.
Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you, Kay. And go ahead move ahead and and uh if if uh Mr. Lewis has has a question we can uh deal with it offline. So the next group is the next presentation is Finance, our controller treasurer, Ms. Marney, and you're on.
Play from 1:24:04Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Any questions? You have a question, Mr. Anderson? Okay. All right.
Play from 1:27:46Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Okay, what's next? Human Resources. Naomi, this is your your opportunity.
Play from 1:27:56Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Good morning. Go.
Play from 1:28:02Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yep, Mr. Rocha.
Play from 1:30:54Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
All right. We will get...
Play from 1:35:01Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
All right. So, Lewis, did you have a question, sir?
Play from 1:35:02Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Dr. Sudler?
Play from 1:36:40Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you. So no other questions, we will move forward. What? Does David have a question? I'm sorry.
Play from 1:38:09Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I'm not very good at this, obviously. [laughter]
Play from 1:38:12Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yeah, thank you, Mr. Rocha. Uh, I'm going to follow up on Mr. Lewis's, uh, question. I hope that if somebody's
Play from 1:41:30Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
is coming in now or in the future with a paper document of employment, that they will not sit. Because some people will do that, they will probably still deal in paper. So they need the same courtesy that he was referring to, to be able to act swiftly. I look at several things, because we now have a report coming to us on a regular basis of the job openings, and basically when they were put in, what happen- there's one I think that still exists from 20- 23, that is still open at this time. I also look at diversity, and there's not too much change in that, and that I think is sig- significant to be able to become more diverse in terms of that hiring process with qualified people, people have to be qualified. And throughout my Cliff Notes that I have here are the problems of filling those positions, and the pressure it puts on where you have to do more with less. So it is vital in terms of the recruitment process, and if there's problems that we are causing to that are that are causing people not to come, we need to know that too, if it's our fault. What do we need to do it? Now we've had some people who have mentioned that when they were working for the city, that they had very low increases each year. Is is is the problem with the amount of money that we pay, or are there other problems that we have in order to keep and fill those ranks? Because that's morale for the people who have to do double duty to get the job done. So that's something that I would say as a caution in terms as we go forward, and I yield.
Play from 1:41:34Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Are there questions about IT that um Mr. Mr. Lewis, I'll start with you this time.
Play from 1:51:59Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Mr. Anderson.
Play from 1:59:45Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I thank you, um Mr. Hugg. Uh first off, bravo on using the interns. What a marvelous, marvelous program, and I absolutely uh adore the fact that that's happening, that we're training people, helping to train people, and it helps us at the same time.
Play from 2:01:38Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Now basically you talked about leases. Uh now are we buying equipment or are we leasing equipment? A lot of the uh police department uh programs that are we were considering, what have you, are strictly on leases. I mean, you you have it for three years and it costs so much so much. Uh is it costing us more or less? Are the leases going up or leases going down in terms of what we deal?
Play from 2:01:50Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I hate to interrupt you, but we need to keep moving forward. Is uh um do you have Dr. Sudler, do you have a question?
Play from 2:04:11Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I yield.
Play from 2:04:17Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I hate to interrupt you, too. I hate to choose this, but we've got to move forward. Um then, it's certainly an issue we will take a look at as we put our budget together.
Play from 2:06:45Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yeah, well, we'll have we'll have a chance to talk a little bit after lunch, but—
Play from 2:07:10Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I I under I understand and you're correct. We need to somehow get better communications with I know. I I appreciate that, sir. Thank you very much. And we do have we we will be doing, are doing Uh oh don't take care of them, please. Uh Okay, who's next?
Play from 2:07:58Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Oh, I'm sorry. Can we go ahead and do it? Who's got a question?
Play from 2:08:10Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yes.
Play from 2:08:14Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yeah, definitely. Okay, this next is uh who we got? Library? Um. All right. Yay.
Play from 2:09:03Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Do you have questions? Anybody? Yes, ma'am.
Play from 2:10:40Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Okay. Well, we got another Okay.
Play from 2:10:47Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
All right. Thank you, Brian. Let's move on. Who's next? Parks and Recreation, okay.
Play from 2:11:36Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Good morning.
Play from 2:15:11Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
No, I'm going to sort reserve my remarks because we have a guest that is going to be presenting to us and I do not want to interfere with that.
Play from 2:17:45Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you.
Play from 2:28:07Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Uh thank you, uh Mr. Uh Trey, we have a serious problem uh based on a broken justice system that has affected you directly and is direct- affects us. We're not being able to uh take care of people who cannot take care of themselves because of addiction, mental illnesses, what have you. They can't help themselves, and we can't hold them acc- uh accountable for what their actions are, which are basically destroying properties uh that are affecting the tax base. Uh as uh people are worried about uh these people coming in, using their porches, using our streets for toilets and other things. I know you're aware of it, but that's something that has to be addressed at the uh legislative level uh because if it isn't, then we cannot do what we have to do to expand our tax base because it's being destroyed on a continual basis. And a lot of our people who are coming here don't realize that what we have to do to have it done. Uh we've already talked about, I've sent you information on housing which we will not discuss. I will also be reaching out to you uh on a program that I hope that we can work out a match from the city and maybe the county. I was hoping to have information now, but I don't. But I'll send that to you as soon as I have that on a program that will help people who are coming out of prison and actually put them to work to help us in the cleanup that has to come on now. So, I leave that with you in terms of what can we do to fix this this uh justice system that permits people to continually go over and over again doing the same kind of damage that they're doing now even though they can't help themselves. What about this? I yield.
Play from 2:28:08Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Well, thank you. Uh, we know this is a long-term thing. I think one of the biggest problems is that the people who come here do not understand the full uh impact of everything that's happening, because people are not being held accountable. They do it again. And so therefore, in order to preserve, and in order to get the new tax base which is going to help us, which I'll talk about a little bit later uh to the group. But again, thank you for what's happening. We'll keep-
Play from 2:37:17Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
keep you informed, because we definitely need that Move It Forward, because it the impact could not come on our citizens. When I look at the records of how much we've spent, and the fact that in three years we have not raised the property tax rate is utterly amazing. And they're asking us, and don't do it again, even though our commitments are far exceeding already what what that money is is going to bring in if if we don't do that. But I thank you very much. You have been a hero and a champion to the city. Thank you, sir.
Play from 2:37:17Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I yield.
Play from 2:37:53Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Well, basically I'm going to reiterate what you've already heard, and that is number one, what a fantastic job your people have done.
Play from 2:54:00Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Please thank them for us. They're heroes. They've gone out in this bitter, bitter cold and have worked hard for doing it. And they did not get two days off when the rest of us were at home working, cuz I don't think there's any head of a department that wasn't doing something when they were at home that was actually working from home. But they were working. But your guys were out there doing it, and thank you again. I yield.
Play from 2:54:06Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I think maybe people can smell the food or something. All right.
Play from 3:04:20Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Good morning, Deputy Chief.
Play from 3:04:31Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Well, basically, Chief, um I presume that every I attend the graduations and they're uh all the throughout the entire uh state. We have uh trainees that are coming to us, and they do pay a fee to the city for that purpose.
Play from 3:06:06Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
And so those figures will be included.
Play from 3:06:24