Feb 09, 2026 City Commission Meeting

[00:00:02]

FOR THIS MEETING OF

[ Call to Order by Mayor Roll Call Invocation by Commissioner Gawrys Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag by Vice Mayor Little]

UNFORTUNATELY, COMMISSIONER TRAVIS COULD NOT JOIN US.

WE CERTAINLY HOPE HIS, UH, SAFE IN HIS TRAVELS.

SO TONIGHT WE'LL START OUT WITH INVOCATION BY COMMISSIONER GARRIS.

OKAY.

OKAY.

OUR DEARLY FATHER, WE ARE THANKFUL FOR ALL THAT TH'S GIVEN US.

WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOMS, AND WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THIS COMMUNITY WE LIVE IN AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK HERE AND MAKE THIS SUCH A WONDERFUL CITY.

UM, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR OUR POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND THE EMS AND ALL OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, AND WE ASKED YOU TO WATCH OVER THEM AND PROTECT THEM.

ALSO, PLEASE WATCH OVER THEIR FAMILIES AND, UM, PROTECT THEM AND WATCH AFTER THEM AS THEY SERVE AND PROTECT US.

UM, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR, UM, ALL OF THE, THE SAFETY AND, UM, DURING THIS RECENT STORM AS THEY SERVED THAT, UM, EVERYONE STAYED SAFE.

AND WE ASK THEE TO BLESS ALL OF THOSE, UH, THAT WERE IMPACTED AND AFFECTED BY THE STORM.

PLEASE HELP THE FAMILIES THAT ARE REBUILDING THEIR HOMES AND THEIR LIVES AND PUTTING THEM BACK TOGETHER, HELP THEM FEEL OUR PRAYERS, AND, UM, WE ASK THESE THINGS AGAIN.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THAT TH HAS GIVEN US.

IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN.

AMEN.

IF YOU WILL FACE THE FLAG, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

[1. Public hearing for Ordinance 2026-01 - AN ORDINANCE AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 78 TO AMEND TECHNICAL STANDARDS OF PERSONAL WIRELESS SERVICE FACILITIES]

WE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR ORDINANCE 2026 DASH OH ONE.

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING VARIOUS SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 78 TO AMEND TECHNICAL STANDARDS OF PERSONAL WIRELESS, WIRELESS SERVICE FACILITIES.

DO WE HAVE ANYONE HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK ON THIS ORDINANCE OR FOR THIS HEARING? ANYBODY.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WITH THAT, WE WILL, UH, CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING THERE.

[4. Approval or Correction of Minutes]

DO WE HAVE A MOTION? SO, MOVE, UH, MOTION.

COMMISSIONER PIPPEN.

SECOND.

SECOND.

COMMISSIONER DONAHUE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MINUTES, SAY AYE.

AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED? ABSTAIN.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS.

INDIVIDUALS MAY COMMENT ON ANY ITEM INCLUDED IN THE CONSENT OR THE REGULAR AGENDA, OR ANY OTHER MATTER REGARDING THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD.

ALL COMMENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND CITIZENS WHO WISH TO REQUEST AN ITEM BE MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO THE REGULAR AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION.

SHOULD MAKE THAT KNOWN.

AT THIS TIME, DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGN IN? NOPE.

I DO NOT HAVE TO SIGN IN TO SPEAK.

WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO APPROACH THE MICROPHONE AND ADDRESS THE COMMISSION TONIGHT? I SEE NONE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

OR EXCUSE ME, THE, UH, COMMENTS.

ALRIGHT, THAT TAKES THIS TIME TO REPORT

[ Report from City Manager Report from the City Attorney Reports and comments by Commissioners and Mayor]

GOOD EVENING.

WELL, WE HAVE, UH, FORTUNATELY TRANSITIONED FROM RESPONSE TO OUR WINTER ICE STORM TO RECOVERY.

AND AS YOU KNOW, THAT RECOVERY FOR THE MOST PART ENTAILS, UH, PICKING UP LIMBS AND RELATED BRUSH THROUGHOUT THE, UH, COMMUNITY.

AND WE HAVE A LOT OF IT.

WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YET, BUT WE KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF IT.

UH, WE WERE VERY HAPPY, UH, TO, UH, BEGIN THAT, UH, LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY.

AND SO A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY SEE LARGE TRUCKS WITH A DARK WALL, REALLY TALL WALLS, AND, AND THOSE ARE, THEY'RE NOT MILITARY.

I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THEY'RE NOT MILITARY, BUT THOSE ARE, UH, TO, TO HOLD A LOT OF LIMBS.

AND SO THOSE ARE OUR CONTRACTORS.

WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT CONTRACTORS LATER, BUT THOSE ARE OUR CONTRACTORS.

UH, OUR PUBLIC WORKS IS ALSO DOING IT.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO SEE HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET THESE LIMBS OUT OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, HOPEFULLY IN TIME FOR SPRING.

UH, BUT, UH, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

UM, RIGHT NOW, JUST SOME KIND OF, SOME DETAILS.

WE'VE GOT, AS I MENTIONED, OUR CREWS AND, AND THE, AND THE CONTRACTED CREWS ARE WORKING SIMULTANEOUSLY, BASICALLY IN FOUR DIS DISTINCT AREAS OF THE CITY.

THOSE SAME AREAS THAT WE TYPICALLY WOULD USE FOR LEMON BRUSH REMOVAL.

UH, THEY ALL HAVE ROUTES WITHIN.

THERE'S A TOTAL RIGHT NOW OF, UH, 16 CREWS.

SO WE HAVE FOUR IN EACH LOCATION.

NOW, WE WILL LOOK TO SEE IF WE CAN EVEN ADD CREWS IF, IF WE CAN KEEP, UH, UP WITH THE GRINDING ON SITE WHERE THE WOOD IS DELIVERED.

AND, UH, WE HAVE MULTIPLE SITES AND, UH, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE GRANNY WHITE PARK IN JUST A MOMENT, BUT WE HAVE MULTIPLE SITES TRYING TO KEEP THEM AS CLOSE TO THE PICKUP AREAS AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT SAVES TIME AND MONEY, UH, ON THE DELIVERY OF THE LIMBS SO THAT THEY CAN GO RIGHT

[00:05:01]

UH, SO THEY'RE WORKING, UH, UH, ROUGHLY 6:30 AM 5:00 PM MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAYS UNTIL THE PROJECT IS DONE.

UH, WE'LL SEE WHERE WE ARE AS WE GET A LITTLE FURTHER.

IF WE NEED TO SPEED UP.

WE'LL TRY TO FIGURE THAT OUT.

HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ON THE PACE THAT WE EXPECT TO, UH, TO BE.

UM, SO IF, UH, ONE THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TOO IS THERE MAY BE SOME, WE, I'VE NOTICED A LOT OF LIMBS OUT EARLY, BUT THERE MAY BE SOME PROPERTY OWNERS THAT CAN'T GET THEIR LIMBS OUT IN TIME BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING ON, UH, LIMB TREMORS, TREE TREMORS TO GET THOSE OUT FOR THEM.

THAT'S OKAY.

WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY ONCE, AND WE'RE GONNA GO BACK THROUGH A SECOND TIME.

SO FOR THOSE WHO, UH, CANNOT HA FOR WHATEVER REASON, CAN'T GET THEIR LIMBS OUT IN TIME, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE THAT SECOND OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.

AND SO, UH, WE KNEW THAT WAS GONNA BE A NEED, AND THAT'S WHY WE PLANNED THAT.

UM, THERE'S, I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL THE REQUIREMENTS.

WE, WE CONTINUE TO PUT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LIMBS OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT THE, THERE'S, THE BRIEF PART OF IT IS, IS AT THE ROAD, UH, 14 FEET, NO LONGER THAN 14 FEET, WHICH IS LONGER THAN WE NORMALLY ALLOW.

AND WE'RE GLAD WE'RE ABLE TO ADJUST THAT NO DIAMETER LIMIT BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THESE AREN'T THE SAME LIMBS THAT YOU TRIM JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT.

SO, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY FLEXIBLE WITH THAT.

AND LIKE I SAID, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED.

AND AS WE GET, I, I HOPE A WEEK TO TWO WEEKS IN, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT OUR PACE AND START TO DO SOME MORE ESTIMATING, UH, OF TIME COSTS AND SOME OTHER THINGS.

SO, UH, ONE OF THE LIMB PICKUP LOCATIONS IS GRANNY WHITE PARK, AND WE SURE TRIED NOT TO USE GRANNY WHITE PARK, UH, AND WE HAD AN ALTERNATIVE SITE, BUT IT JUST, IT DOESN'T WORK FOR THE CIRCULATION OF THE TRUCKS AND THE PILES OF LIMBS AND SO FORTH.

UM, SO WE DO NEED TO USE THE PARKING LOT AT GRANNY WHITE PARK, UNFORTUNATELY.

UH, AND WE, WE THINK THAT'LL BE ROUGHLY 10 WEEKS.

AND AS I MENTIONED, AS WE GET FURTHER IN, WE'LL KNOW MORE, UH, BUT, UH, UH, THERE'S, SO THE PARK IS CLOSED EXCEPT FOR, UH, THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS WHERE THEY USE THE FIELDS THROUGH THE HIGH SCHOOL.

AND WE ARE MAKING THAT, THOSE, THOSE FIELDS WILL STILL BE ABLE TO BE USED.

UH, IT'S JUST THAT PARKING AFTER 3:00 PM WILL BE AT THE, UH, BRENTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL'S NORTH PARKING LOT.

SO, SO THOSE PLANNED AT, UH, UM, THE PLANNED USE BY THE SCHOOL OF THOSE FIELDS IS STILL, UH, BEING ALLOWED.

IT'S JUST THE GENERAL USE OF THE PARK.

THERE'S JUST REALLY NO WAY WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT.

AND, AND AROUND THE TYPE OF ACTIVITY THAT WE HAVE THERE, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS TO HAVE KIDS AND OTHERS AROUND.

SO WE DO HOPE TO, AND AGAIN, WE'LL KNOW MORE LATER, BUT WE HOPE THAT AS WE GET FURTHER INTO THIS, PERHAPS, UH, IF WE GET A CHOICE ON CLOSING ONE OF THESE LIMB, UH, DELIVERY LOCATIONS, UH, FIRST THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE.

WE CERTAINLY WILL LOOK AND TRY TO DO THAT.

UM, SOME GOOD NEWS.

UH, WE'RE ABOUT TO KICK OFF THIS YEAR'S BUDGET PROCESS WITH OUR INITIAL MEETING COMING UP SOON, BUT WE'RE CELEBRATING LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.

UH, WE RECENTLY LEARNED, AS YOU'RE AWARE, THAT, UH, WE RECEIVED THE GOVERNMENT AND FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION OF US AND CANADA, UH, THE DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION AWARD FOR, UH, LAST BUDGET.

UH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE RECEIVED MANY TIMES.

IN FACT, 34 CONSECUTIVE YEARS, IT'S A BIG DEAL.

AND WE TAKE PRIDE IN THAT.

AND BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT THEY LOOK AT, IT'S NOT HOW GOOD YOUR FI WHAT KIND OF SHAPE YOUR FINANCES ARE IN, WHICH WE'RE PROUD OF THAT AS WELL.

YOUR FINANCES ARE IN GOOD SHAPE, AS YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S ABOUT HOW THEY'RE PRESENTED, UH, SO THAT THE, UH, PUBLIC CAN CAN LOOK AT THOSE AND, AND HOPEFULLY UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MONEY GOES, UH, AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO EXPLAIN AS WELL.

SO WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

UH, A LOT OF KUDOS TO OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENTS.

THEY, THEY DO ALL THE WORK.

WE DON'T, THE REST OF US, WE KIND OF HANG OUT A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, UH, AND CONGRATULATE 'EM AND, AND GIVE 'EM ALL THAT SUPPORT WE NEED.

BUT THEY REALLY DO ALL THE WORK ON THIS, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A 34 YEARS.

I MEAN, WHAT CAN YOU SAY? UH, YOU HAVE A QUITE A TRACK RECORD THERE.

UH, THIS COMMUNITY DOES, THE CITY DOES OF, OF HAVING, UH, THIS AWARD.

SO THAT'S MY REPORT.

BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

SO YOU MENTIONED WITH THE, UH, THE PARK AND STILL HAVING SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.

I KNOW SOFTBALL SEASON IS COMING UP, AND I BELIEVE THEY USE SOME OF THOSE FIELDS FOR THAT.

DO WE HAVE ADEQUATE, UM, SIDEWALKS OR OTHER ACCESS WHERE THEY CAN GET IN AND OUTTA THERE SAFELY? OR DO WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING TO TRY TO ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE PARKING AT THE SCHOOL AND THEN WALKING INTO THE PARK AND AVOIDING THE PARKING LOT? THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE SITE.

I'LL SEE IF, UH, YES, SIR.

THE, THE ACCESS IS ADEQUATE.

WE LOOKED AT THAT BEFORE WE OKAY.

AND WE TALKED WITH THE PRINCIPAL, UH, AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, AND, UH, THEY CHECKED WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THEY SAID, YEAH, ANY WAY WE CAN HELP, WE WILL.

AND SO AFTER 3:00 PM THEY AGREED WE COULD USE NORTH PARKING LOT.

IT'S PRETTY EASY TO GET TO AND FROM.

VERY GOOD.

YEAH.

I JUST KNOW THAT, UH, THESE, THESE SPORTS AND THESE ACTIVITIES AND THAT, THAT PARK IS A, A HUGE PART OF, OF, OF LIFE IN BRENTWOOD IN THE SPRINGTIME.

SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THE ACTIVITIES THERE, WE CERTAINLY DO.

BUT I DO, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S GRACE AND UNDERSTANDING AS WE WORK THROUGH, UH, A FOR REAL DISASTER, YOU KNOW, QUESTION.

MM-HMM .

I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL RENT THE PAVILION OVER THERE FOR EVENTS.

I PRESUME IF

[00:10:01]

YEAH, I BELIEVE SO.

YES, THEY HAVE.

OKAY, GOOD.

THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT NOW TO OUR REPORT FROM OUR CITY ATTORNEY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MAYOR.

NO REPORT TONIGHT.

VERY GOOD.

ALRIGHT, NOW WE, UH, MOVE THERE TO REPORTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS.

UH, COMMISSIONER DONAHUE, YOU WANNA LEAD US OFF? YES.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO REPORT FROM THE LIBRARY.

WE HAVE NOT HAD A LIBRARY BOARD MEETING SINCE I LAST MADE A REPORT, BUT JUST UPDATE YOU IN TERMS OF THE STORM.

UH, THE LIBRARY WAS VERY FORTUNATE.

NO, UH, EXTERNAL DAMAGE.

THERE'S SOME TWIGS OUTSIDE, SOME, SOME BRANCHES AND ALL, UH, NO WATER DAMAGE INSIDE.

NO DAMAGE TO THE CONTENT.

SO THAT WAS GREAT.

UH, THEY WERE VERY HAPPY TO REOPEN AS QUICKLY AS THEY DID.

SO THANK YOU TO ALL IN THE CITY THAT MADE THAT POSSIBLE.

UH, THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY IS ACTUALLY GONNA BE CLOSED FOR THE NEXT TWO OR THREE WEEKS THAT STARTED YESTERDAY FOR WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE LIBRARY WAS BUILT.

THE CARPET IS BEING REPLACED IN THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY, AND YOU CAN STILL ORDER BOOKS ONLINE THROUGH THE RESERVATION SYSTEM OR CALLING THE CIRCULATION DESK TO ORDER A BOOK.

UH, THEY WILL BRING IT TO THE FRONT DESK AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PICK IT UP AT THE FRONT DESK.

SO THE BOOKS ARE STILL AVAILABLE.

AND I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A GRACE PERIOD IF YOU HAVE SOME BOOKS THAT ARE ALREADY OUT.

UM, MOVING ON TO THE CITY, I JUST WANT TO ADD MY THANKS, UH, THAT YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UH, THAT I THINK THE CITY WAS AS PREPARED AS IT COULD BE.

I THINK WE WERE SHOULD BE AN EXAMPLE TO EVERYONE ELSE ON HOW WELL OUR CITY WAS PREPARED.

I MEAN, WE HAD A, WE HAD A PLAN GOING IN.

IT SEEMS LIKE IT WORKED.

UM, AND SO I WAS JUST REALLY GLAD TO BE A BRENTWOOD BRENTWOOD RESIDENT.

THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF ALL THE DEPARTMENTS.

UH, I WANNA CALL OUT THOUGH THE, UM, ESPECIALLY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, THEY WERE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK, STAYING AWAY FROM THEIR OWN FAMILIES WHO WERE IN COMMUNITIES WHERE THERE WAS NO POWER AND NO WATER.

UH, BUT THEY STAYED HERE IN BRENTWOOD AND, AND KEPT THE ROADS OPEN.

UM, ALSO THE, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AS KATHLEEN REY TOLD US, COMMUNICATIONS, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, UH, CHARLES BOOTH OVER THERE, WHO WAS THE PIVOT POINT FOR OUR COMMUNICATIONS, UH, POLICE AND FIRE.

EVERYONE JUST DID A WONDERFUL JOB AND SACRIFICED, I THINK, A LOT FOR THE COMMUNITY.

UM, THE ONE THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT, UH, THAT I NOTICED WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR ELECTION, AND ONE OF THE, THE POINTS THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT REALLY DROVE ME HOME IS WE REALLY NEED A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE CITY WITHIN THE CITY BETTER BECAUSE THERE IS A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER.

SO THERE ARE SOME EMAIL ADDRESSES THAT CHARLES HAS, BUT THERE ARE LESS THAN 10% I THINK, OF THE PEOPLE ARE SUBSCRIBING TO IT.

UM, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A WAY, AND EVEN THOUGH EVERYBODY USES TECHNOLOGY, I DON'T THINK EVERYBODY'S FIRST THING TO DO WHEN THEY'RE A PROBLEM IS TO, UH, CHECK THE WEBSITE SO WE CAN PUT THINGS ON THE WEBSITE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT WASN'T BEING CHECKED LIKE IT SHOULD.

SO I WOULD LIKE TO JUST SUGGEST THAT AT SOME POINT WE EXPLORE THAT AS A COMMISSION, AS A BOARD, WHETHER IT'S A EMAIL OR I MEAN A TEXT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM.

IF THERE'S A WAY TO HAVE A BETTER EMAIL, UH, EMAIL BOOK OF ADDRESSES, UM, OR EVEN USING ONE OF THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS. I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THOSE RULES ARE, BUT LIKE THE NICKEL SYSTEM THAT WE HAD, OR EVERBRIDGE OR WHATEVER.

EVEN THE, IF THE MESSAGE IS JUST CHECK THE WEBSITE, UM, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO START AND SO THEY JUST WOULD CALL THE CITY OR, OR EMAIL THE CITY OR THE COMMISSIONER.

SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY SPIEL.

WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT OVER THE YEARS.

UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WARY ABOUT THE CITY HAVING THEIR EMAIL ADDRESSES.

I MEAN, THEY JUST ARE.

OKAY.

AND, AND THAT'S THEIR CHOICE, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, UH, I FOR ONE THINK EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD'S GOT MINE.

YOU KNOW? I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN STOP IT EVEN IF YOU WANT TO, BUT THAT HAS BEEN ONE DRAWBACK.

RIGHT.

AND, UM, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, UH, LIKE I MENTIONED TO YOU TODAY ABOUT ONE I GOT OFF OF BECAUSE I WAS GETTING NOTIFIED ABOUT EVERYTHING AND EVERY COMMUNITY ALL HOURS OF THE DAY.

SO IT'S, IT'S NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS.

RIGHT? SURE.

UH, AND, AND WE ARE AN EDUCATED COMMUNITY AND, AND I, THIS IS MY TEACHER VOICE, WHEN I TAUGHT SCHOOL, PEOPLE AS EDUCATED AS WE ARE, OUGHT TO REALIZE YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE AND CHECK THINGS, .

YES.

I, THEY REALLY SHOULD.

RIGHT? YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T, THEY'RE THEY'RE BRIGHT PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE.

YES, THEY ARE.

BUT IT, IT SEEMED NOT TO BE THE REFLEX.

WELL, I KNOW, BUT WE CAN'T ALWAYS TRUE BE THE BACKUP FOR SOMEBODY THAT RIGHT.

ISN'T DOING WHAT IS THE LOGICAL THING TO DO.

SURE.

AND I KNOW THAT.

SO THERE'LL BE 10,000 PEOPLE SAY, I'M NOT VOTING FOR YOU 'CAUSE YOU SAID THAT.

BUT, BUT THAT'S THE TRUTH AS, AS I SEE IT.

SO THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE IT.

AWESOME.

THAT'S ALL.

ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONER PIPPEN, I DON'T HAVE A TREE REPORT

[00:15:01]

UH, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA SAY ADD MY THANKS TO, UH, DIRECTOR, UM, UH, DALE BACK THERE.

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN UNBELIEVABLE IN YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS AND THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TEAM.

IT'S JUST BEEN, IT'S LIKE WATCHING A FINE VALET.

HAS ANYBODY EVER USED THAT TERM WHEN, WHEN DESCRIBING YOU, OKAY.

, BUT IT WAS, 'CAUSE THERE WAS A, THERE WERE A LOT OF TIMES, THERE WERE A LOT OF CALLS, THERE WERE A LOT OF EMAILS, THERE WAS A LOT, A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, FRUSTRATED OBVIOUSLY.

AND, AND, UH, AND BEGGING FOR CLARIFICATION ON A LOT OF THINGS.

AND I THINK WHEN ANY S WOULDN'T ANSWER THEM, THE, THE WATER DID GET A LITTLE MUDDY.

AND SO THEY WERE LEANING ON US AND I HOPE WE WERE ABLE TO COME THROUGH FOR SOME OF THOSE WE RESPONDED TO.

BUT THANKS TO THE TEAM OUT THERE, IT WAS JUST, IT WAS, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL THING TO WATCH.

AND, UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

AS FAR AS THE TREE, UH, BOARD GOES, LIKE I SAID, WE WERE NOT MEETING, UH, JUST YET.

IT'S A LITTLE LATER ON THE MONTH, UH, BUT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING, UM, SURVEYING THE TREES AND ALL THE ARBORETUMS AND, UH, WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION.

I'VE SHARED THAT WITH OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT AND, UH, EVEN COPIED, UH, OUR PUBLIC WORKS ON THAT FROM TIME TO TIME.

AND YES, THAT WILL HAPPEN AND WE WILL MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S, ALL THOSE TREES ARE, ESPECIALLY OUR NATIVE SPECIMENS ARE, ARE TAKEN CARE OF AND LOOKED AT AND REPLACED IF NECESSARY.

BUT, UH, SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.

ONE MORE THING, UH, ARBOR DAY'S COMING UP, UH, THAT'S MARCH 28TH AND MARCH 21.

WE WANT EVERYBODY OUT THERE WITH THEIR RUBBER GLOVES AND BOOTS ON AT THE SERVICE CENTER HELPING US BAG THOSE TREES.

'CAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BUNCH OF THEM AND OBVIOUSLY SOME NEW PLACES TO PUT THEM.

.

YEAH.

SO THAT'S IT FOR ME, MARY.

THANK YOU.

AND, UH, WITH THE, UH, VARIETY OF TREES, I KNOW MOST YEARS WE HAVE BOTH, UH, LARGE AND SMALL VARIETIES.

YES.

IS THAT, UH, TRUE AGAIN THIS YEAR? I DON'T KNOW.

I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ACTUAL INVENTORY.

OKAY.

YEAH.

WELL, AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'VE LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE LATELY OF GETTING THE RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT SPOT, RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AND HAVING, UH, LARGE TREES FOR OPEN AREAS AND SMALL VARIETIES FOR NEAR POWER LINES, FOR INSTANCE.

YES.

SO I JUST WANNA ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY.

I I, I WOULD HATE TO SEE BRENTWOOD LOSE ITS ENTHUSIASM FOR OUR CANOPY.

RIGHT.

AND, UH, BUT I'D LIKE TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, MAYBE IMPROVE OUR CANOPY A LITTLE BIT AND, AND GET THINGS IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

I WONDER, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY, THEY GIVE OUT SO MANY FREE TREES THAT ARBORDALE, YOU MIGHT NEED TO DOUBLE THAT ORDER THIS YEAR.

I MEAN, THERE MIGHT BE PEOPLE THAT WANNA REPLACE, OF COURSE.

THEY MIGHT WANNA START WITH A BIGGER VARIETY THAN YOU GIVE OUT, I BELIEVE.

YEAH, I BELIEVE SINCE WE ORDERED A SPECIFIC QUANTITY, WE ALSO GOT A BONUS AMOUNT.

AND I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER ON IT.

DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU KNOW DALE OR NOT? NO, THAT'S A PARKS QUESTION, I GUESS.

YEAH.

AND DALE'S HAD SOME STUFF GOING ON LATELY.

YEAH.

, UH, COMMISSIONER DUNN.

THANK YOU.

NOW, UH, MAYOR, UH, YEAH, I I WAS VERY PLEASED THAT OUR INFORMATIONAL MEETING THE OTHER DAY TO HEAR HOW THE CITY ON A FAIRLY REGULAR BASIS PRACTICES ITS EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN THE HOPES THAT THEY'LL NEVER NEED ONE.

BUT THERE IS A PLAN, AND PART OF THE PLAN IS, DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'VE GOT A GOOD PLAN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE PEOPLE THAT STEP UP WHO CAN EXECUTE IT.

AND OUR FOLKS DID THAT.

I MEAN, WE REALLY DID HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPONSE FROM THE STAFF.

EVERYBODY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO, WHEN TO DO IT, HOW TO DO IT FROM, UH, GETTING TREES OUT OF THE STREET TO TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE VARIOUS UTILITY COMPANIES, WITH THE RESIDENTS TO ASSISTING IN OPENING UP SHELTERS, WHICH, UH, WE DID NOT HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE USING THEM IN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE NEED THEM IN CASE THERE'S EVEN TWO PEOPLE THAT NEED THEM.

SO EVERY, EVERY ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS JUST DID A, A TERRIFIC JOB.

AND, AND, AND WE CAN NEVER SAY ENOUGH GOOD ABOUT 'EM.

'CAUSE YOU DON'T MEASURE PEOPLE BY HOW THEY DO ON A REGULAR BASIS.

I DON'T, IT'S LIKE A RESTAURANT.

THEY'LL SAY, WELL, WE WERE BUSY TODAY.

WELL, THAT'S HOW I MEASURE YOUR SERVICE.

HOW ARE YOU WHEN YOU'RE BUSY? NOT WHEN IT'S AN EASY DAY.

THEY WERE GOOD WHEN THE, WHEN THE GOING WAS TOUGH.

THEY DID THEIR JOBS AND THEY DID 'EM WELL.

SO I I IT'S JUST SO APPRECIATED.

NOT JUST BY US, BUT WE GET SO MANY EMAILS IN RETROSPECT SAYING, NOW THAT THIS IS ALL OVER, I WANT TO THANK YOU KNOW, ALL THESE EMPLOYEES FOR ALL THEY DID.

I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE HISTORIC SITES.

UH, WE REALLY GOT LUCKY THERE.

I THINK SO.

UM, AND I THINK WE, AS A CITY, THIS IS ONE TIME WHEN I'M SO GLAD THAT WE DO HAVE

[00:20:01]

WELL, INITIALLY FOR ALL ASPECTS OF THE SERVICE, UM, MY, OUR INITIAL REALLY, REALLY ROUGH GUESS WAS ANYWHERE BETWEEN PROBABLY TWO AND A QUARTER MILLION TO 3 MILLION.

NOW, WE'LL KNOW MORE HERE IN A COUPLE WEEKS, BUT WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF TREES IN OUR COMMUNITY, SO IT COULD EXCEED THAT.

BUT, UH, WE'LL KNOW MORE IN A FEW WEEKS WHEN WE CAN BETTER ESTIMATE.

YEAH.

AND HOPEFULLY FEMA WILL REIMBURSE US, BUT IN THE EVENT THEY DID NOT, WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE THAT KINDA SURPLUS SITTING THERE THAT WE CAN HANDLE IT AND, AND GO OUT.

AND, UH, BECAUSE ONCE, LIKE IN OUR PARKS AND THINGS, WE MAY HAVE TO REPLACE THINGS, YOU KNOW, TO RECREATE THE LOOK THAT WE'VE GOT AND VALUE SO MUCH.

AND I, I DO, I FEEL LIKE AS A CITY, WE ARE SO BLESSED, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN LIVING IN AN AFFLUENT COMMUNITY, AND WE TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED.

I MEAN, OUR FOLKS, A LOT OF 'EM WENT TO HOTELS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO GO TO HOTELS.

SOME PEOPLE COULDN'T BECAUSE OF PETS AND, AND ILLNESSES AND THINGS.

THEY, THEY JUST COULDN'T LEAVE THEIR HOME.

SO THEY WERE STUCK OR THEY WERE HAD FAMILY THAT THEY COULD GO TO.

I, I THINK THAT WE DON'T REALIZE HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY SUFFERED DURING THIS, THAT THAT IS BEYOND SOME OF OUR UNDERSTANDING.

WE ARE EMPATHETIC, BUT WE DIDN'T EXPERIENCE IT THE WAY MANY PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE.

AND I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THAT EVERY DAY.

AND, UH, I, I LIKE TO THINK OUR NEIGHBORS WOULD STEP UP IF WE, WE HAD ANYBODY THAT WAS IN DIRE STRAITS AND NEEDED US TO BE THERE, THAT WE WOULD BE.

BUT I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND WITH SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.

WE CAN STILL STEP UP AND HELP THEM AT TIMES BECAUSE EVERY COMMUNITY'S NOT AS BLESSED AS WE ARE.

AND THAT'S WORKING TOGETHER.

I THINK THAT MAKES MIDDLE TENNESSEE SUCH A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, TO BE AWARE OF, OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND, AND, AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS MIGHT BE.

AND I KNOW THAT OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES DO THAT ALL THE TIME.

SO, ANYHOW, AND I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU AND MAYOR, I WANT TO COMPLIMENT YOU.

YOU WERE JUST OUTSTANDING IN YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS, KEEPING US INFORMED AND EVERYBODY INFORMED.

AND I THOUGHT, I REALLY DON'T THINK WE WERE VIOLATING THE SUNSHINE LAW AT ANY POINT WHEN YOU WERE TRYING TO KEEP US INFORMED OF WHAT WAS GOING ON.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

WELL, YOU DESERVE A LOT OF PRAISE AND YOU'VE BEEN GETTING IT FROM THE COMMUNITY TOO.

I WANT YOU TO KNOW, SO COMMISSIONER GUERRE, THANK YOU.

UM, I AGREE.

AND SECOND, UM, ALL THE PRAISE AND THANKS.

I WISH THERE WAS A WAY TO TAKE ALL OF THE COMPLIMENTS THAT, UM, I'VE HEARD AND SEND 'EM OUT TO ALL OF YOUR GUYS.

UM, LIKE AT THE PUBLIC WORKS AND FOR THE, UM, THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND JUST THE, THE PRAISE.

UM, IT'S, IT'S REMARKABLE AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO TAKE THE TIME TO, TO LET US KNOW, UM, HOW HAPPY THEY ARE.

UM, EVERYTHING FROM GRINDER PUMPS, BEING TAKEN CARE OF TO, UM, LIKE YOU SAID, CLEARING THE TREES AND, UM, AND JUST MAKING THE CALLS AND HAVING PEOPLE.

THEY WERE REALLY, UM, A A LOT OF PRAISE, ESPECIALLY FOR GOING DOOR TO DOOR AND CHECKING ON THE FOLKS THAT Y'ALL DID.

AND, UM, FOLLOWING UP WITH PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE POWER.

UM, I THINK A LOT OF THEM FELT VERY FORGOTTEN AFTER ABOUT THE FIFTH OR SIXTH DAY .

AND, UM, I THINK IT WAS JUST, IT, IT MADE THEM REALIZE LIKE, WE HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN.

AND FOR YOU GUYS, THE, THE POLICE AND THE FIRE TO GO OUT AND ACTUALLY CALL OR CHECK ON THEM, THAT WAS A, A HUGE THING.

AND I, I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE TIME THAT Y'ALL SPENT TO DO THAT, SO THANK YOU.

UM, AND AS FAR AS THE PARKS GO, UM, I DO KNOW, AND I MIGHT GET THIS WRONG, SO SOMEBODY IN THE PARKS, UM, JAY OR CHARLES MAYBE, UM, I WAS TOLD THAT CROCKETT PARK IS OPENING UP MORE OF THEIR COURTS FOR TENNIS.

SO WE'VE HAD SOME COMPLAINTS THAT TENNIS IS NOT BEING, UM, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWING THE TENNIS COURTS UNTIL THREE.

WELL, THEY HAVE OPENED UP MORE OF THE COURTS AT CROCKETT.

THEY'RE, WE GET PRIORITY, I GUESS, BEFORE THE COUNTY.

IS THAT RIGHT? RESIDENTS? OKAY.

SO, UM, SHARE THAT WITH ANY OF YOUR TENNIS FRIENDS SO THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN GO TO CROCKETT AND GET PRIORITY THERE.

UM, BECAUSE APPARENTLY, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMMODATE THAT THEM AS WELL AS THE SOFTBALL BASEBALL TEAMS AT, UM, GRANNY WHITE, THEY WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.

LIKE, UM, UH, UM, LIKE, UH, CITY MANAGER GAGE JUST EXPLAINED.

UM, ALSO, UH, THE BRENTWOOD MOUNTAIN BIKE CLUB IS DOING A CLEANUP DAY ON FEBRUARY 21ST.

IT'S FROM NINE UNTIL 12.

THEY WELCOME ANY AND ALL HANDS THAT WOULD LIKE TO BE OUT THERE, AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO, UM, UM, I'M, I'M

[00:25:01]

DO I SAY JAY OR SITTING? UM, MR. EVANS SITTING, MAN, , I'M CONFUSED WHAT I CALL YOU IN A PUBLIC MEETING BACK TO ASSISTANT.

OKAY.

ASSISTANT.

SORRY, I JUST WENT QUICK.

I KNOW, I WAS LIKE, THAT FEELS WRONG.

I'M SORRY.

ANYWAY, BUT, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR SIGNING UP TO BE THERE TO HELP OUT.

UM, THEY, THEY WERE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU THERE WITH, UM, A CHAINSAW AND HELPING OUT.

SO, UM, SPREAD THE WORD TO, UM, TO HELP OUT AT SMITH PARK ON THE 21ST.

UM, BECAUSE APPARENTLY THERE'S A LOT OF CLEANUP AND, UM, WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.

AND SO, UM, THEY'RE PUT, THEY'RE HOSTING THAT.

AND, UM, ONE OTHER THING, THE E-BIKE, UM, WE ARE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT ON MARCH 19TH.

WE KNOW SPRING BREAK IS COMING UP AND WE WANTED TO, UM, HAVE MORE RESIDENTS AVAILABLE TO HAVE INPUT.

AND SO THAT'S BEEN PUSHED A TO MARCH 19TH.

SO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKING ABOUT THAT AT THAT TIME.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MAYOR.

VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU.

UH, VICE MAYOR LITTLE.

ALRIGHT.

I WOULD LIKE TO START BY THANKING KAREN HARPER FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE TO BRENT WOOD AND MENTIONING THAT AWARD ON FINANCIAL PRESENTATION EVERY YEAR THAT KAREN HARPER HAS BEEN HERE, BOTH AS ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR AND FINANCE DIRECTOR.

WE HAVE WON THAT AWARD.

UM, AS A COMMISSIONER, OUR BUDGETS ARE SO IMPORTANT AND OUR BUDGET MATERIALS ARE SO EXCELLENT THAT IT, THAT IT MAKES MAKING DECISIONS ON BUDGETS THAT ARE ACTUALLY FAIRLY LARGE TO RUN A MUNICIPALITY, UH, EASY.

AND WHEN WE HAD TO DECIDE FOR EMERGENCY EXPENDITURES, KNOWING WE HAVE RESERVE BALANCE IS, IS JUST CRITICAL.

AND THAT'S WHERE THAT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IS ABSOLUTELY SO IMPORTANT.

BUT THANK YOU, KAREN.

AND, UH, I KNOW THIS IS YOUR LAST OFFICIAL MEETING, EVEN THOUGH I SUSPECT YOU WILL BE BACK WITH US FOR OTHER THINGS.

UM, AFTER SO MANY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC, UH, DURING THIS CATASTROPHIC ICE STORM, UM, THE ONE THING THAT REALLY HAS JUST STOOD OUT TO ME AS PEOPLE LOST POWER FOR DAYS AND, AND HAD SO MANY HARDSHIPS AND THERE WERE BLOCKED ROADS INITIALLY AND EVERYTHING IS BRENTWOOD CONTINUED TO HAVE THAT SPIRIT THAT IT'S HAD FOR GENERATIONS OF JUST, UH, KEEP ON AND CARRY ON AND WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS.

AND SO I WANT TO THANK THE BRENTWOOD CITIZENS FOR YOUR PERSEVERANCE AND YOUR PATIENCE, UH, BOTH NOW IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.

AND AS WE GO THROUGH THE RECOVERY.

AND, UH, I, I WAS JUST AMAZED AT PEOPLE I WAS WITHOUT POWER SEVEN OR EIGHT DAYS, BUT THEY, UH, WERE STILL CHEERFUL.

AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT BLESSINGS OF, WELL, I WAS BLESSED IN THIS WAY AND I WAS BLESSED IN THAT WAY.

SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK THE CITIZENS FOR THAT.

AND OF COURSE, IT'S ONE THING TO BE EXCELLENT WHEN TIMES ARE EASY, AND THAT IS WONDERFUL.

ANY ORGANIZATION, TEAM, IT'S ANOTHER THING TO BE EXCELLENT WHEN YOU'RE IN A DISASTER.

AND OUR STAFF IS AMAZING AND IT IS AMAZING TO, TO CARRY ON THAT EXCELLENCE.

AND SO I WANNA THANK ALL THE STAFF AND, AND ALSO GO AHEAD AND PRE-THINK YOU, BECAUSE THERE'LL BE SEVERAL MORE WEEKS OF RECOVERY AND EXTRA WORK AND EXTRA HOURS AND EXTRA BURDENS AND EXTRA STRESS.

AND SO THANK YOU AHEAD OF TIME.

AND I WANNA THANK OUR MAYOR ANDREWS, UM, FOR HANDLING THIS CRISIS IN A WISE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE WAY, UM, FOR HIS ADVOCACY FOR THE BRENTWOOD RESIDENTS DURING THE STORMS AND THE AFTERMATHS.

UM, AND AS MENTIONED EARLIER, GREAT COMMUNICATION, UM, ALWAYS TELLING WHAT HE DID KNOW, BUT ALSO MAKING CLEAR WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW.

AND THAT IS SO IMPORTANT IN A LEADER.

AND HE ALSO WAS SUFFERING WITHOUT POWER AT HIS HOUSE FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

UH, AND I KNOW SOME OF THE BUSINESS HURDLES THAT HIS BUSINESS PROBABLY WENT THROUGH DURING THIS STORM, BEING A BUSINESSMAN MYSELF.

AND SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVANT LEADERSHIP.

AND THEN I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS.

THESE ARE MY THOUGHTS.

THESE DO NOT BELONG TO THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THEIR VIEWS.

THEY HAVE THEIR OWN VIEWS.

BUT I DO HAVE MY THOUGHTS ON WHAT I CONSIDERED A VERY POOR RESPONSE BY NES, WHO SERVES PROBABLY HALF OUR POPULATION IN BRENTWOOD, BOTH BUSINESS AND AND COMMUNITY.

I THINK THE LINEMEN DID THEIR JOBS TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY IN VERY DANGEROUS AND HARD CIRCUMSTANCES.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE NOT A, UH, CRITICISM OF THE PAST.

WE CAN'T CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, BUT GOING FORWARD, THIS NEED NOT HAPPEN AGAIN DURING A DISASTER.

AND A NICE STORM IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE IS

[00:30:01]

UH, AS FAR AS ITS, UH, DEVASTATION ON UTILITIES, UM, I, I JUST, THERE'S ABOUT FOUR POINTS.

THERE'S SEVERAL OTHERS AND I'VE COMMUNICATED THESE TO DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, UH, IN GOVERNMENT AS WELL.

BUT, UM, I FEEL LIKE IF NES IS GOING TO BE A UTILITY FOR A LARGE SECTION OF BRENTWOOD, THEN BRENTWOOD NEEDS SOME SORT OF REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD OR SOMEHOW WHERE WE HAVE KNOWLEDGE.

UH, IT'S REALLY HARD AS A CITY TO SERVE YOUR RESIDENTS WHEN YOU'RE GETTING MORE INFORMATION ON THE EVENING NEWS THAN YOU ARE THROUGH CHANNELS.

AND WHEN YOUR CITIZENS CANNOT EVEN COMMUNICATE WITH THAT UTILITY.

UM, I FEEL LIKE THE UTILITIES IN THIS GO STATEWIDE BECAUSE THERE'LL BE OTHER DISASTERS IN THE STATE.

THAT'S ONE THING THAT'S FOR SURE JUST FROM WEATHER.

BUT OTHER THINGS WILL HAPPEN.

THERE MAY NEED TO BE BETTER PLANNING, FUNDING AND EXECUTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, CONSTANT PREPARING AND MAINTENANCE FOR DISASTERS AND MAINTAINING THE SYSTEMS. UM, I'M NOT A UTILITY EXPERT.

I DO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME GUIDANCE ON THAT FROM WHATEVER LEVEL IT NEEDS TO BE.

AND I ASSUME IT'D BE THE STATE SINCE THEY OR THE MAIN CONTROLLER.

UM, THIS ONE, I WON'T BELABOR THE POINT, BUT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION.

AND THEN SOME STORMS AND DISASTERS ARE SURPRISES.

WE GO TO BED AT NIGHT, IT SEEMS CALM.

THEY'VE PREDICTED A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A DRE OR A HORRIBLE TORNADO.

AND IT'S A TOTAL SURPRISE ON EVERYBODY.

BUT SOME DISASTERS, SOMETIMES WHEN WE HAVE FLOODS, SOMETIMES WHEN WE HAVE THESE ICE STORMS ARE HUGE WINTER STORMS, ARMS, THE FORECAST IS PRETTY CONFIDENT 3, 4, 5, 6 DAYS OUT.

AND IN THOSE SITUATIONS, THEY'RE DEFINITIVELY JUST LIKE YOU WERE PREPARING FOR BATTLE.

IF YOU SEE YOUR ENEMIES COMING TO YOUR BORDERS, YOU STAGE YOUR TROOPS RIGHT THERE AT THE READY AT THE, AT THE FRONTIER.

AND I'M NOT SURE THAT WAS DONE, AND WE CAN'T GO BACK, BUT THIS WAS A DEVASTATING STORM, BUT IT WAS MADE MORE DEVASTATING BY A HUGE ORGANIZATION THAT REALLY SHOULD HAVE PLANNED BETTER.

AND LIKE I SAID, I DO NOT WANNA CRITICIZE NOW, BUT I WANT WHAT I SAY, AND I HOPE OUR LEADERS IN OUR STATE WILL TAKE THIS TO HEART SO THAT THESE THINGS ARE BETTER PREPARED FOR, WE WILL FACE DISASTERS.

NOTHING WILL EVER WORK OUT JUST ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, BUT I JUST REALLY FEEL LIKE, UM, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED BETTER AND THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A LOT LESS DEVASTATION TO THE PUBLIC IF IT HAD BEEN HANDLED BETTER.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UH, THANK YOU VICE MAYOR.

AND, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE, THE KIND WORDS ON PEOPLE'S, UM, PART ON MY BEHALF.

I HAVE TO TELL YOU, UH, IT IS JUST A PLEASURE TO BE ABLE TO STAND AND REPRESENT THE STAFF HERE AT THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD IN A TIME LIKE THIS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK A STORM AND A SITUATION LIKE THIS IS, IS KIND OF A MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE, HAVE, HAVE MENTIONED.

AND I THINK, UH, I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE GRATEFUL FOR FOLKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, CITY MANAGER, AGE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, EVANS, YOU KNOW, DALE, BIGGER STAFF LEADING HIS PUBLIC WORKS TEAM, YOU KNOW, CHIEF COLLINS, UH, CHIEF COLVIN.

UM, I MEAN, REALLY, WE'VE GOT SO MANY GREAT LEADERS IN BRENTWOOD.

AND JUST LIKE COMMISSIONER DUNN SAID, THE MOMENTS OF TRUTH DON'T COME WHEN THINGS ARE NORMAL.

UH, THE MOMENTS OF TRUTH COME WHEN THINGS ARE WAY OUT OF THE NORMAL AND PEOPLE STILL STEP UP.

AND I THINK, UH, VICE MAYOR LITTLE DID A A VERY GOOD JOB COVERING AN AREA THAT WE DID NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HAD MORE INFLUENCE OVER.

UM, SO I'M GONNA TAKE, UH, TAKE HIS COMMENTS AND JUST, UH, I GUESS SECOND THEM.

BUT I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS I THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DID.

AND THIS IS GONNA BE KIND OF A LONG LIST IF YOU'LL BEAR WITH ME.

BUT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WENT RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE PROFESSIONALISM AND THE QUALITY AND THE CHARACTER AND THE WORK ETHIC OF OUR STAFF AT THE STATE OF BRENTWOOD.

UH, WHEN THIS STORM STARTED, WE HAD PUBLIC WORKS CREWS THAT WERE OUT THERE AND THEY CLEARED

[00:35:01]

AND NOT ONLY THAT, WHILE DOING THIS, THEY ADDRESSED MORE THAN 300 DOWNED TREES IN, IN ACROSS THE CITY THAT WERE BLOCKING ROADWAYS.

SO THIS ISN'T TREES AND YARDS, THIS IS TREES STOPPING TRANSPORTATION.

WELL, THAT WAS GOING ON.

THEY ALSO PLOWED ADDITIONAL ROADS SO CELLULAR COMPANIES COULD ACCESS THEIR EQUIPMENT, UH, FUEL THE GENERATORS AND MAINTAIN SERVICE.

AND I'LL TELL YOU, I MEAN, IF, IF I DON'T THINK WE'VE EVER HAD A BETTER TEST CASE FOR WHY CELLULAR VOICE AND DATA IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE UP AND RUNNING WHEN YOUR, YOUR WIFI AND YOUR COMCAST IS DOWN IN SOME CASES FOR WEEKS, UM, STAFF ISSUED RADIOS TO THE DEPARTMENT HEADS TO IMPROVE THE SPEED OF MUSIC, UH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.

UM, SO REALLY THE COORDINATION, I THINK THE COORDINATION AMONG THE STAFF REALLY SHOWED, UH, CREWS PROVIDED GENERATOR POWER TO CITY TRAFFIC SIGNALS TO MAINTAIN SAFE TRAVEL CONDITIONS, EVEN WHEN THE POWER WAS OUT.

SO, UH, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE RAN INTO A COMPLETE BL, YOU KNOW, BLACK INTERSECTIONS, BUT NOT IN BRENTWOOD.

OUR TEAM WAS OUT THERE AND THEY WERE PREPARED.

WATER AND SEWER STAFF WORKED IN THE FIELD TO SUPPLY GENERATOR POWER TO RESIDENTS WITH GRINDER PUMPS, HELPING TO PREVENT SYSTEM OVERFLOWS, PARKS, PERSONNEL, WINTERIZED PARK FACILITIES, AND HISTORIC SITES TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE.

AND, UH, NONE WAS REPORTED AND REMOVED HAZARDOUS DEBRIS FROM PARK TRAILS TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMISSIONERS, I MEAN, OUR HISTORIC SITES, OUR LIBRARY, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THROUGH A DEVASTATING STORM THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE THAT WOULD BE VERY HARD TO RECOVER FROM.

OUR FIRST RESPONDER TEAMS, UH, SAFELY TRANSPORTED 63 SENIOR CITIZENS TO A LOCAL CHURCH AFTER THEIR ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY LOST POWER AND HEAT.

UH, FIRST RESPONDERS ALSO CONDUCTED WELFARE CHECKS ON NES CUSTOMERS WHO WERE WITHOUT POWER.

DURING THE OUTAGE.

UH, BETWEEN JANUARY 25TH AND 28TH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 176 INCIDENTS, AVERAGING 44 CALLS A DAY.

DURING THE PEAK STORM PERIOD, DURING THE WEEK OF JANUARY 25TH, CREWS HANDLED A TOTAL OF 232 INCIDENTS FROM UH, 7:00 AM JANUARY 25TH TO 7:00 AM JANUARY 26TH.

FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO 76 INCIDENTS, INCLUDING THE STRUCTURAL FIRE.

UH, ONE SHIFT RESPONDED TO 115 INCIDENTS ACROSS JANUARY 25TH AND 26TH.

AND JAN, JANUARY 25TH AND 26TH, MULTIPLE CREW FIRE CREWS, ASSISTED PUBLIC WORKS WITH ROADWAY TREE REMOVAL, HELPING TO CLEAR ACCESS FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND THE CITY.

UM, GOING FORWARD, AS WE GET THROUGH, BY THE WAY, TO PUT SOME CONTEXT, WHEN KATHLEEN WAS HERE EARLIER, SHE MENTIONED, UM, THAT THE CALLS TO THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DISTRICT WAS WELL OVER 150% OF NORMAL.

AND IN THE CASE OF THE YEAR AVERAGE, UH, A 246% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CALLS FOR, UH, 9 1 1.

SO, I MEAN, THEY WERE HOPPING.

SO THEN LOOKING FORWARD, AFTER THIS DEVASTATING STORM, THE CITY HAS TEMPORARILY WAIVED BUILDING PERMIT FEES FOR REPAIRS RELATED TO WINTER STORM DAMAGE THAT OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT HAS CREATED, UH, TWO NEW OBJECT CODES TO ACCURATELY TRACK DISASTER RECOVERY EXPENSES IN CASE THEY'RE REIMBURSABLE.

AND THE CITY HAS DEVELOPED A DEBRIS MANAGEMENT PLAN, INITIATED CONTRACTS TO SUPPORT IMMEDIATE STORM DEBRIS REMOVAL.

SO, I MEAN, THIS HAPPENED WELL OVER A WEEK AGO AND THIS EMERGENCY STORM DEBRIS REMOVAL STARTED LAST FRIDAY.

LAST FRIDAY, LAST THURSDAY, THURSDAY, LAST THURSDAY.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE ON IT WHILE WE'RE STILL TRYING TO RESTORE POWER, THEY'RE LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD AND GETTING THESE THINGS HANDLED.

SO I JUST WANNA COMPLIMENT, YOU KNOW, JUST THE INCREDIBLE QUALITY OF OUR CITY AND THE STAFF HERE FOR GETTING AHEAD OF THESE THINGS AND THINKING THROUGH A PLAN LIKE TRUE DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS.

'CAUSE I THINK IT REALLY SHOWS HOW COMMISSIONER DUNN THE, UM, ASSISTED LIVING PLACE THAT WAS EVACUATED, HOW MANY RESIDENTS WERE INVOLVED.

THAT THAT'S A REMARKABLE FEAT WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT LAST WEEK, I THOUGHT I WOULD LOVE TO GET MORE DETAIL ON THAT WHEN WE GET TIME, BUT THAT WAS SO IMPRESSIVE.

YEAH.

THE NUMBER I HAVE IS 63.

UM, THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.

THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.

AND PROBABLY NOT ALL AS MOBILE AS, UH, RIGHT, EXACTLY.

MY HUSBAND, THE LAST YEARS OF HIS LIFE, HE WAS MOBILE, BUT HE WAS ON A WALKER.

I CANNOT IMAGINE TRYING TO GET HIM OUT SAFELY ON ICE AND THAT TYPE OF THING THAT I'M JUST SO IMPRESSED BY HOW THAT, HOW THAT WORK WENT.

MM-HMM .

KUDOS TO Y'ALL.

KUDOS SO ELSE.

AND TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF CALLS WE'VE HAD AS A COMMISSION, BUT TALKING TO THE STAFF HERE AT THE CITY, JUST MANNING THE REGULAR PHONES, THERE ARE A LOT OF CALLS HERE AT THE, AT CITY

[00:40:01]

AND, UH, AND AS Y'ALL PROBABLY KNOW, ALL THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE OUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND OUR FOR REAL PHONE NUMBER ON THE CITY WEBSITE.

SO WE ARE ACCESSIBLE.

SO IF SOMEBODY WASN'T HAPPY, HAPPY, YOU KNOW, WE'D HEAR ABOUT IT.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, I I GUESS KINDA WRAPPING THAT UP, I HAVE TO SAY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE SOME KIND WORDS ABOUT LEADERSHIP, BUT BEING THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF THE BRENTWOOD IS A GREAT JOB.

AND IT IS A GREAT JOB BECAUSE OF THE GREAT STAFF HERE AND, UH, AND MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS.

SO, UH, AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF Y'ALL.

YOU MENTIONED THE COMMUNICATION, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST A, A CONSTANT STREAM AS DIFFERENT COMMISSIONERS TALKING TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN AND SHARING INFORMATION ON WHO HAD POWER, WHO HAD ROADS, WHO COULD MOVE AROUND, WHAT WAS GOING ON.

AND IT WAS A STEADY STREAM OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ALL OF US AND WITH CITY MANAGER GAGE, WHO THEN ALSO TOOK THE PERTINENT PARTS OF IT AND SHARED THAT WITH NES AND OTHER SUPPLIERS AS WELL AS CITY STAFF TO TRY TO MAKE SURE WE GOT RESOURCES TO BRENTWOOD.