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RIGHT? YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON. WELCOME TO THIS MEETING OF CITY OF GEORGETOWN CITY COUNCIL.
[1.A Parks and Recreation Cost Recovery Study Update ]
WE'RE GOING TO START ON OUR WORKSHOP AND WE'RE GOING TO GET START WITH OUR PARKS AND RECREATION COST RECOVERY STUDY AND OUR NEW PARKS AND REC DIRECTOR, ERIC NOONAN IS GOING TO LEAD US OFF. WE'RE GOING TO PULL IT UP FOR ME. YEAH, IT'S ALWAYS HARD. I TEND TO STILL SAY ASSISTANT, SO I HAVE TO CATCH MYSELF WHEN WHEN I'M INTRODUCING MYSELF. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT FOR ME. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GET STARTED. SO AGAIN, ERIC NOONAN, PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR. AND I'M HERE WITH ME AS WELL. WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF TAG TEAM THIS PROJECT. HE'S OUR PARKS RECREATION MANAGER AND HE'S BEEN WITH THE CITY SINCE DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR. I'M GOING TO JUMP OVER INTO OUR AGENDA. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF COST RECOVERY, AND THEN REVIEW THE CURRENT METHODOLOGY AND THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE UPDATED. THAT'S BASED OFF OUR 25 DATA. AND PART OF THAT IS A RESIDENT NON RESIDENT METHODOLOGY THAT INCLUDES A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WE IMPLEMENTED LAST YEAR, AS WELL AS SOME RESIDENT EXCUSE ME, AND NON RESIDENT DATA. AND THEN ULTIMATELY WE'D BE REQUESTING SOME FEEDBACK ON THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN. AND THAT INCLUDES OUR SERVICE CATEGORIES. THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY CONTINUUM, COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS AND OUR FEE AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY POLICY. AND WE'RE GOING TO MORE OF THAT IN DETAIL. BEFORE WE KIND OF GO INTO THE KIND OF BACKGROUND IN HISTORY. I FELT THAT IT'D BE IMPORTANT JUST TO TO RUN THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION STATEMENT AND OUR VISION STATEMENT. SO OUR MISSION STATEMENT IS TO PROVIDE POSITIVE AND WELCOMING EXPERIENCES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN OUR VISION STATEMENT IS THAT WE INSPIRE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, A PASSION FOR PARKS AND REC, PARKS AND RECREATION. EXCUSE ME. WE WE INSPIRE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES AND A PASSION FOR PARKS BY PROVIDING SAFE, THOUGHTFULLY DESIGNED AND WELL MAINTAINED SPACES, AS WELL AS INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY FOCUSED SERVICES. SO THAT MISSION STATEMENT WAS UPDATED IN 2023, AND WE CREATED THE VISION STATEMENT IN 2023 AS WELL. AND THAT WAS A PRECURSOR TO OUR CAPRA ACCREDITATION PROCESS THAT WE ACCOMPLISHED BACK IN 2025. AND THEY REALLY PROVIDE A LOT OF GUIDANCE TO OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT ULTIMATELY KIND OF HELP GROUND THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY PROCESS FOR US. SO KIND OF WITH THAT, OUR COST RECOVERY KIND OF ENDEAVOR STARTED IN 2012 WHEN WE DEVELOPED A RESIDENT NONRESIDENTIAL RESIDENT DIFFERENTIAL. AND THEN IN 2021, WE REALLY IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO COST RECOVERY. SO IN 2022, A STUDY WAS COMPLETED IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR PARKS AND RECREATION MASTER PLAN. AND THAT STUDY WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL IN JULY OF 22. AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, AT COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE DO ANNUALLY, HAS BEEN COMPLETED THROUGH THAT PROCESS SINCE 2021. AND THEN THE CONSULTANT THAT WE HAVE ON THIS PROJECT WITH US TODAY HAS COMPLETED THOSE ANALYSIS SINCE 2023. AND THEN LAST YEAR, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL THAT THERE WAS A COST RECOVERY UPDATE PRESENTED TO COUNCIL BACK IN JUNE. AND THAT WAS JUST A KIND OF A STATUS UPDATE ON WHERE WE WERE TO TEE UP THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TODAY, WHICH IS A DEEPER, MORE DETAILED STUDY UPDATE, WHICH AGAIN, WAS COMPLETED BY 110%. AND THAT'S A COMPANY, NOT A NUMBER. THAT CONFUSES ME SOMETIMES. ALL RIGHT, SO THE 110% FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY METHODOLOGY IS A KIND OF A PROCESS THAT FOCUSES ON THREE PILLARS, WHICH ARE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING, ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY. AND THEY'VE WORKED WITH ABOUT 200 AGENCIES ACROSS 45 STATES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. JUST TO GET SOME CONTEXT OF WHAT THEY DO. AND THEIR FOCUS IS PRIMARILY ON ASSISTING PARKS AND RECREATION AGENCIES WITH FINANCIAL RESILIENCY. SO WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF DIVE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AND KIND OF GO THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WE THAT WE'VE UNDERTAKEN. AND SO THAT THE SUSTAINABILITY PROCESS INCLUDES THREE STEPS, WHICH KIND OF BUILD ON OUR PRIOR METHODOLOGY THAT I KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THAT WAS DEVELOPED IN 2022, AND THAT INCLUDES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE CATEGORIES, DETERMINING BENEFICIARIES OF SERVICE AND COMPLETION OF COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS. AND WE'LL DIVE INTO THOSE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL[00:05:02]
IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES. SO FROM SERVICE CATEGORIES, THERE WAS A STAFF LED WORKSHOP IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR THAT CREATED 11 SERVICE CATEGORIES. AND THOSE ARE GROUPED BY LIKE PURPOSE. SO GROUPING BASED ON LIKE PURPOSE PURPOSE INSTEAD OF LIKENESS REMOVES THOSE CATEGORIES BASED ON SOCIAL VALUE, ALSO ELIMINATES ARBITRARY GOAL SETTING AND ENCOURAGES EQUITY BASED DECISION MAKING. SO AN EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE I CAN LEARN TO SWIM PROGRAM AND A COMPETITIVE SWIM PROGRAM. THOSE MAY BE LIKE AND THAT THEY'RE AQUATIC OR THAT THEY'RE YOUTH, BUT THEIR LIKENESS IS DISSIMILAR. AND SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SLIDE IS A LIKE PURPOSE, WHICH WOULD BE SENIORS INTRO TO FITNESS OR AQUATICS, WHICH WOULD BE LEARNED TO SWIM IN TEE BALL. THOSE HAVE LIKE PURPOSE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL ENTRY LEVEL PROGRAMS. THEY'RE NOT ADVANCED. SO WE'RE NOT COMPARING ADVANCED TO ENTRY LEVEL. AND THEN AS WE MOVE OVER TO THE SECOND LEG OF THE STOOL, WHICH IS A BENEFICIARY, A SERVICE MODEL, AND THAT PLACES THOSE 11 CATEGORIES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT ONTO A CONTINUUM. SO THOSE THOSE ARE CATEGORIZED BY COMMON GOOD WITH LOWER COST RECOVERY ON YOUR LOWER LEFT. AND AS YOU MOVE UP THAT CONTINUUM, THE RECOVERY INCREASES AND THE BENEFIT BECOMES MORE EXCLUSIVE. SO EXAMPLE OF THIS WOULD BE OPEN OPEN PARK SPACE WOULD BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTINUUM, JUST GOING OUT TO BE TO ENJOY A PARK. AND THEN AT THE TOP WOULD BE IF SOMEONE WERE TO PURCHASE A TOWEL AT THE REC CENTER OR NEED A RACKET RESTRUNG AT THE TENNIS COURT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT AT THE TOP OF THE CONTINUUM. AND THEN SO 110% LED STAFF IN OUR PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD THROUGH WORKSHOPS IN MAY THAT RANKED THOSE 11 CATEGORIES ON THIS CONTINUUM AND KIND OF HELPS DETERMINE WHAT THAT DID, WAS PLACED THEM BASED OFF OF COMMON GOOD UP TO THAT EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT. AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT'S INFORMS THAT FINAL CONTINUUM, WHICH WE'LL SHOW HERE SHORTLY. AND THEN THAT. SO NEXT WE HAVE THE COST OF SERVICE, WHICH IS A THIRD LEG. AND THIS IS WHERE OUR TEAM CONCENTRATES MOST OF THEIR TIME. BUT WHAT I WILL NOTE, THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE. THIS ISN'T OUR NUMBERS. IF YOU LOOK, IF OUR THE ITEM SUMMARY ATTACHMENT WILL INCLUDE SPECIFIC NUMBERS TO WHAT WE DO. AND THIS IS REALLY A SNAPSHOT IN TIME, WHICH PRESENT PROVIDES US THE ABILITY TO COMPARE. AS YOU CAN SEE, REVENUES, EXPENSES, DIRECT COSTS, INDIRECT COSTS, AND REALLY SEE YEAR OVER YEAR HOW OUR DATA, HOW WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS ON OUR COST RECOVERY GOALS. AND THEN AGAIN, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL THE, OUR PRIOR METHODOLOGY, WHICH WAS PRESENTED LAST YEAR AND WAS, WAS DEVELOPED IN 2021. IT'S A PYRAMID METHODOLOGY, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN A CONTINUUM, BUT THE PROCESS IS THE SAME, MOSTLY COMMON BENEFITS AT THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID. AND AS YOU GO, MORE INDIVIDUALIZED COST RECOVERY INCREASES AS YOU MOVE UP THAT PYRAMID. AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS UPDATED THAT AS WE TALKED ABOUT THE CONTINUUM, WHAT WE HAVE IS PLACE THOSE 11 SERVICE CATEGORIES ON THE CONTINUUM FROM COMMON GOOD TO EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS. SO YOU HAVE THAT OPEN ACCESS AT THE BOTTOM AND THE MORE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT UP TOWARDS THE TOP, WHICH WOULD BE MERCHANDISE OR LEGACY TYPE PURCHASES, THINGS THAT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE FOR THE COMMUNITY TO SUBSIDIZE. SO I'M GOING TO PAUSE THERE AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO SAJJAD, AND HE'S GOING TO COME UP AND TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS FOR WHAT WE RECEIVE FROM OUR STUDY FROM 2025. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL AND MAYOR, AS ERIC MENTIONED, MY NAME IS JOHN MEEHAN. I'M THE PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGER. SO I'LL BE DIVING INTO SOME OF OUR FY 25 NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT MORE WITH YOU ALL. SO THIS FIRST SLIDE THAT WE'VE GOT IS OUR OVERALL COST RECOVERY. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT AND STABLE SINCE 2021. SINCE 2021, WE'VE ALSO REMAINED ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, WHICH IS 26%. AND THIS NEXT SLIDE, WE CAN SEE THOSE 11 SERVICE CATEGORIES AS THEY FALL ON THE CONTINUUM FROM OUR LOWEST COST RECOVERY TARGET TO OUR HIGHEST COST RECOVERY TARGET. THIS ALSO SHOWS OUR ACTUAL IN COMPARISON TO THOSE[00:10:04]
TARGET COST RECOVERY GOALS, SOME OF THE VARIATIONS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE BETWEEN OUR ACTUAL AND OUR TARGET ARE PRIMARILY DUE TO SOME OF THE SHIFTS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN WHERE OUR SERVICES ARE CATEGORIZED, FROM OUR PRIOR METHODOLOGY TO OUR CURRENT METHODOLOGY. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION JUST IN A DIFFERENT VIEW. SO IN THIS VERSION, WE'RE LOOKING AT IT PRIMARILY FROM THE ACTUAL REVENUE VERSUS OUR ACTUAL EXPENDITURES. SO AS YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THOSE VARIATIONS IN OUR ACTUAL COST RECOVERY VERSUS OUR TARGET COST RECOVERY AND THOSE AREAS WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE GREATEST VARIATIONS PRIMARILY IN THE PRIOR SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE CATEGORIES REPRESENT A SMALL FRACTION OF OUR OVERALL EXPENSES AND OUR OVERALL REVENUE. AND IN THIS LAST SLIDE, WE'RE PRIMARILY JUST COMBINING THOSE TWO VIEWS TOGETHER. SO THROUGH COMBINING THE TWO PRIOR SLIDES, WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF SHOW THAT THE CATEGORIES WITH THE HIGHER EXPENDITURES ARE CLOSER IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR TARGET COST RECOVERY PERCENTAGE, WITH SOME OF THE SERVICES STILL REQUIRING SOME ADJUSTMENTS. OF COURSE, HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OF EXPENDITURES ARE FOCUSED IN AREAS THAT REALLY BEST ALIGN WITH THE PARKS AND REC MISSION AND VISION. ANY QUESTIONS? SO NOW I'LL BE TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE 100% COST RECOVERY METHODOLOGY, OR THE 100% PILOT COST RECOVERY NONRESIDENT FEE, ALONG WITH THE OVERALL RESIDENT NONRESIDENT PRICING METHODOLOGY. SO STARTING IN 2012, THE DEPARTMENT ESTABLISHED A RESIDENT NONRESIDENT DIFFERENTIAL, WHICH CONSISTED OF THE THREE DIFFERENT METHODOLOGIES FOR MEMBERSHIPS. THE ANNUAL RESIDENT RATE WAS TO BE 65 TO 85% OF THE NONRESIDENT RATE. FOR ALL OF OUR OTHER RATES, RESIDENT OR ALL OF OUR OTHER RATES RATES GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO $50. THE NONRESIDENT RATE IS TO BE A MINIMUM OF 25% HIGHER THAN THE RESIDENT RATE, AND RATES LESS THAN $50. THE NONRESIDENT RATE WILL BE A MINIMUM OF $10 GREATER THAN THE RESIDENT RATE. SO SOME OF THE UPDATES THAT WE'VE DONE SINCE 20 2012 TO PRIORITIZE OUR RESIDENT PARTICIPATION ARE BEGINNING IN 2025, WE BEGAN GIVING ALL RESIDENTS PRIORITY REGISTRATION ON ALL PROGRAMS. WE ALSO BEGAN THE PILOT PROGRAM FOR A 100% COST RECOVERY NONRESIDENT FEE. THOSE THREE PROGRAMS THAT WERE CHOSEN WERE GROUP SWIM LESSONS, CAMP AND YOUTH BASKETBALL. AND IN 2026 OR BEGINNING FALL OF 2026, TWO ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS WILL BE ADDED TO THAT PILOT PROGRAM, AND THOSE TWO WILL BE YOUTH SOCCER AND YOUTH VOLLEYBALL. SO IN THIS GRAPH, WE CAN SEE WHAT OUR CURRENT 100% COST RECOVERY PILOT PROGRAMS ARE, AND THEIR ASSOCIATED FEES FOR RESIDENTS AND NONRESIDENTS. PRIMARILY, WE CAN SEE THAT THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE A HIGH DEMAND, HIGH WAIT LIST. WE HAVE SEEN SOME NONRESIDENT REGISTRATION DROP SINCE INTRODUCING THE 100% COST RECOVERY PILOT. AND OVERALL, AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE FIVE PROGRAMS HAVE A PRETTY HIGH ATTENDANCE FOR OUR WAITLIST. WHEN REVIEWING OUR PARTICIPATION YEAR OVER YEAR, WE HAVE SEEN AN 8% INCREASE IN OUR RESIDENT PARTICIPATION IN PILOT PROGRAMS, BUT WE'VE ALSO SEEN A 13% INCREASE IN ALL OTHER PROGRAMS THROUGH IMPLEMENTING RESIDENT PRIORITY REGISTRATION. THIS REALLY HELPS TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE PRIORITY REGISTRATION HAS PROVEN TO BE A STRONGER METHOD TO GET RESIDENTS INTO OUR PROGRAMS THAN THE 100% COST RECOVERY[00:15:02]
DIFFERENTIAL. LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR FEES WHILE WORKING WITH OUR CONSULTANT 110%, WE WERE ABLE TO QUANTIFY WHAT THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR NONRESIDENT PARTICIPATION IS TO OUR PROGRAMS AND WHAT THAT IMPACT WOULD BE IF NONRESIDENT PARTICIPATION WERE TO DECREASE OR BE LOST COMPLETELY. SO IN THIS GRAPH, WE CAN SEE THE VARYING IMPACTS TO OUR MOST REGISTERED PROGRAMS, MOST OF WHICH ARE PRIMARILY IN THAT 100% PILOT PROGRAM TO MAINTAIN THE COST RECOVERY GOALS THAT WE HAD MENTIONED BEFORE, RESIDENT FEES WOULD HAVE TO INCREASE TO OFFSET IF NONRESIDENT PARTICIPATION WERE TO DROP. SO THIS GRAPH IS PRIMARILY JUST SHOWING WHAT THAT FEE INCREASE WOULD LOOK LIKE IF NONRESIDENT PARTICIPATION WERE TO DROP. IN THIS GRAPH, WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF SHOW WHAT SOME OF THOSE FLUX FLUCTUATIONS LOOK LIKE THROUGH THE 100% COST RECOVERY, NONRESIDENT FEE PILOT PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. SO YEAR OVER YEAR, WE CAN SEE THAT THESE FEES WOULD FLUCTUATE GREATLY IN SOME CASES, PRIMARILY DUE TO STAFFING, AVAILABILITY, REGISTRATION EXPENSES, AND JUST A VARIATION OF OTHER FACTORS THAT COULD BE AT PLAY. SO AS WE CAN SEE IN YOUTH SWIM LESSONS FROM 2026 TO 2027, IF WE CONTINUED TO UTILIZE THE 100% COST RECOVERY NONRESIDENT FEE, THE FEES WOULD JUMP TO $249 FROM $76. THIS IS PRIMARILY DUE TO STAFFING AVAILABILITY, BUT WE CAN ALSO SEE THAT FOR CAMP GOODWATER, FOR EXAMPLE, THROUGH ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED IN FY 26, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR PARTICIPANTS, AND BY DOING SO, THAT WOULD HAVE CREATED A $141 FEE, RATHER THAN $283 FEE FOR NONRESIDENTS. SO OVERALL PILOT PROGRAM HAS INCREASED OUR RESIDENT PARTICIPATION, BUT HAS PROVEN TO BE A LESS EFFECTIVE METHOD TO GET RESIDENTS INTO OUR PROGRAMS THAN PRIORITY REGISTRATION. OUR NONRESIDENT REVENUE IS ALSO VERY PIVOTAL TO ENSURE THAT OUR RESIDENT FEES REMAIN AFFORDABLE, AND TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GET AS MANY RESIDENTS INTO OUR PROGRAMS. OUR PILOT PROGRAM FEES YEAR OVER YEAR CAN LEAD TO DRASTIC VARIATIONS, WHICH WOULD AFFECT NOT ONLY THE CUSTOMERS, BUT STAFF BEING ABLE TO MANAGE THOSE DRASTIC VARIATIONS. WHAT WE WOULD PROPOSE IS A A DIFFERENTIAL GREATER THAN THE COMPARABLE RESIDENT RATE THAT WOULD ALLOW STAFF TO REMAIN FLEXIBLE TO THE PRICE TO PRICE HIGH DEMAND PROGRAMS, NONRESIDENT RATES TO BETTER ALIGN WITH THE MARKET. AND I WILL PASS IT OFF TO ERIC NOW. YEAH. SO SO THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION. BUT REALLY, FROM A FEEDBACK STANDPOINT, WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING IS WHETHER COUNCIL SUPPORTS WHAT WE'VE PRESENTED AND THE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AS IT'S PRESENTED, WHICH INCLUDES OUR SERVICE CATEGORIES. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CONTINUUM AS WELL AS OUR COST OF SERVICES, COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS, AND ULTIMATELY THE FEE AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY POLICY. THANK YOU. ERIC, I'LL START ON JAKE.FEEDBACK QUESTIONS. YEAH. SO AND THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I DISAGREE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION, BUT IS THERE A WHAT I'M HAVING A HARD TIME FIGURING OUT FROM THE PRESENTATION IS, IS THERE A DROP OFF IN. I KNOW THERE'S AN INCREASE IN, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. IS THERE A DROP OFF IN NONRESIDENTIAL PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS THAT'S, YOU KNOW, NOT OPTIMIZING. THE COST RECOVERY? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE SAYING OR NOT NECESSARILY. IN OTHER WORDS, IS, IS I THINK WE'VE MET ONE OF OUR GOALS, WHICH WAS TO INCREASE RESIDENT PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAMS. CORRECT. I THINK ANOTHER GOAL, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THAT I HAD, IS WE WANT TO
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MAXIMIZE THE COST RECOVERY TO, TO MEET OUR MODEL. IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE NOT QUITE THERE, BUT BUT ARE WE ARE WE GOING THE OTHER WAY? WITH THE INCREASE IN PARTICIPATION OF RESIDENTS, THAT A LOWER RATE IS THAT QUESTION MAKE SENSE? NOT TO ME. I'M SORRY. HOW DO I SAY THAT A DIFFERENT WAY? I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT, MAYBE THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE NOT CONCERNED, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE FACTORED IN WAS IF WE HAVE MORE RESIDENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM AND LESS NONRESIDENTS PARTICIPATING IN OUR PROGRAM, THAT WILL IMPACT REVENUE, WHICH IT COULD IMPACT COST RECOVERY OR COST RECOVERY GOALS. AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE KIND OF GETTING AT. YEAH. SO NOT VERY WELL. HAVE YOU SEEN THAT? HOW ARE WE GOING TO BALANCE THAT AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO STILL MEET OUR COST RECOVERY GOALS WITH THE CHANGE IN OUR, OUR PRACTICES, WITH ENCOURAGING MORE ACCESS FOR RESIDENTS? RIGHT. SO I THINK WITH THAT, AS I SAID, WE'VE KIND OF WORKED THROUGH THAT COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS SINCE 21. AND WE WE'VE USED 110% SINCE. 23. AND WITH THAT, THEY WENT BACK AND UPDATED SOME OF OUR OLDER DATA TO WHERE WE CAN COMPARE THE NEW TO THE, TO AT LEAST LAST YEARS. SO WHAT THAT'S GOING TO ALLOW US TO DO BECAUSE, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE SERVICE CATEGORIES MOVED, THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT THE LOWER FROM THE PYRAMID METHODOLOGY, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN LOWER. AND SOME OF THOSE BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, REEVALUATION, THEY MAY BE HIGHER. AND SO WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO NOW IS REALLY DIG INTO THOSE SENSORS 11 INSTEAD OF FIVE, WE CAN REALLY DIG IN AND MAKE MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THOSE AS NEEDED IN WHAT WE KNOW IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'RE, WE HAVE WORK TO DO ACROSS THE CONTINUUM, RIGHT? BUT WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ABOVE MIDPOINT OF THE CONTINUUM. THAT'S WHERE WE START TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPENSE AND LESS REVENUE. SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS REALLY DIG INTO THAT OVER THE NEXT YEAR. WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON OUR 26 COST OF SERVICE ANALYSIS RIGHT NOW. WE'RE STARTING ON THURSDAY. SO THAT'LL GET US THAT'LL GET US DATA TO WHERE WE CAN KIND OF SEE OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS. AND WE'RE WHAT, WHAT WE HOPE IS TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO WHERE WE CAN MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS AND WE'LL MAKE THOSE CONSISTENTLY. WE PRESENT FEES ANNUALLY TO COUNCIL, AND WE MAKE THOSE MICRO ADJUSTMENTS, AND WE DON'T WE'RE NOT GOING TO RAISE A FEE IF, YOU KNOW, THE CONTINUUM AND THE STUDY DOESN'T SHOW THAT WE NEED TO, BUT WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THOSE MICRO ADJUSTMENTS AND TO, TO GET PROGRAMS AND CATEGORIES WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR SURE IN CERTAIN CERTAIN AREAS. YEAH. AND I THINK YOU'LL GET THERE QUICKER IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO COME TO US EVERY YEAR, YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR IT. SO I WOULD SUPPORT GIVING YOU THE, YOU KNOW, DISCRETION THAT YOU NEED TO TWEAK THOSE FEES ACCORDINGLY TO MEET OUR TO KIND OF MAKE THAT BALANCE. RIGHT. THANKS. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION QUESTION. SO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY. SO BECAUSE WE GIVE PRIORITY TO OUR RESIDENTS, DID OUR RESIDENTS THEN FILL THOSE CLASSES AT A LESSER RATE AND THEREFORE NOT AS MANY NON RESIDENTS THAN CAME IN THAT PAID THE HIGHER RATE? IS THAT IS THAT THE CAUSE OF WHERE THE COST DIFFERENTIAL WAS THERE? IS THAT A FAIR WAY TO SAY THAT? YEAH. SO I THINK IT VARIED GREATLY DEPENDING ON THE SERVICE. SO WHAT WE SAW WAS IT WASN'T NECESSARILY A 1 TO 1 RATIO. WE HAD SOME INSTANCES WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE OR A LOT OF RESIDENTS FILL THOSE SPOTS.BUT WE ALSO HAD INSTANCES WHERE RESIDENTS OPTED NOT TO FILL THOSE SPOTS BECAUSE THEIR CHILD WASN'T IN THAT SPECIFIC AGE RANGE, OR THEY WEREN'T IN THAT ABILITY LEVEL. SO WE SAW THAT A LOT IN SWIM LESSONS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR EVEN IN OUR YOUTH SPORTS WHERE THE AGE RANGE IS VARIED. OKAY, SO WERE WE WAS THERE A TIME LIMIT THAT RESIDENTS SO RESIDENTS HAVE UNTIL X DAY? AND THEN AT THAT POINT IT OPENED UP TO EVERYONE ELSE? IS THAT THAT HOW THIS WORKED IN THE PILOT? YEAH. SO THE RESIDENTS WOULD HAVE THEIR REGISTRATION OPEN ON MONDAYS AT, I BELIEVE IT WAS 8 A.M. AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE ALL THE WAY UNTIL TUESDAY AT 8 A.M.
WHEN NONRESIDENTS WOULD OPEN. OKAY, SO WHAT DO WE THINK DIDN'T WORK? WELL, THERE IS WHAT I'M IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO. LIKE WAS IT THEN THE NONRESIDENTS WERE LIKE, WELL, WE'VE MOVED ON AND FOUND SOMETHING ELSE. DID WE MISS BEING ABLE TO FILL WITH NONRESIDENTS OR OR WHAT WAS HAPPENING THERE? I THINK IT WORKED WELL. I MEAN, I THINK WE STILL HAVE I THINK WE'RE IT WOULDN'T HAVE WORKED WELL IS IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO FILL OUR PROGRAMS UP. OKAY. AND SO THE PROGRAMS ARE FULL. OKAY. IT WAS JUST THE DIFFERENCE IN THE RESIDENT'S RATE VERSUS THE NONRESIDENT RATE. GIVING THE ACCESS EARLY SHOWED THAT. I THINK YOU CAN PULL THAT SLIDE UP, GIVING EARLY ACCESS, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE NOT
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EVERYONE'S NOT EVERY ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS IS IN THAT PILOT PROGRAM WITH THE 100% COST RECOVERY. AND SO WHAT WE FOUND WAS, IS THAT BY GIVING THE EARLY REGISTRATION FOR RESIDENTS, THAT ACTUALLY MOVED THE NEEDLE OF MORE OF OUR RESIDENTS HAVING THE ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROGRAMS THAT THAT ARE BOOKED UP, COMPLETELY BOOKED UP. SO I THINK IT WORKED. AND WHAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING IS, AT THE SAME TIME, OBVIOUSLY, MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO, TO, TO ALL PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY THE HIGH DEMAND PROGRAMS. AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE BALANCING TO MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING OUR COST RECOVERY GOALS, RECOGNIZING THAT THE REALITY IS A PORTION OF THE NONRESIDENTS THAT ARE USING THE PROGRAM, THEY DO PROVIDE BENEFIT TO US TO KIND OF FILL IN, RIGHT, FILL IN GAPS TO, TO, AND HELP WITH COST RECOVERY GOALS. RIGHT. I GUESS I WAS JUST WONDERING, IS THERE LIKE, WAS THERE SOMETHING WE NEEDED TO DO AS FAR AS TWEAKING THE TIMES OR SOMETHING? IT SEEMS LIKE THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD, BECAUSE I AGREE, ONE OF OUR GOALS WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT RESIDENTS HAVE PRIORITY TO THESE PROGRAMS, WHICH THAT SEEMED TO WORK. THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS THAT THEN, YOU KNOW, WE EITHER DIDN'T FILL THE PROGRAM OR THEN, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T FILL IT WITH THE NONRESIDENT RATE, WHICH WAS THE HIGHER RATE. IS THAT SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE SWEET SPOT THERE IS TO DO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. IS THAT FAIR? YEAH. SO I THINK FOR THE MOST PART, RESIDENTS WHO WANTED THESE PROGRAMS WERE FILLING ALL THE SPOTS. WE DID HAVE SOME RESIDENTS WHO WERE HITTING THE WAITLIST ON THAT FIRST DAY, PRIMARILY, ONCE AGAIN, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEIR AGE GROUP WAS ALREADY FILLED OR THAT ABILITY LEVEL WAS FILLED. SO WE ARE PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON SERVING THOSE RESIDENTS. AND WE DO SEE SOME NON OR RESIDENTS HITTING THE WAITLIST JUST BECAUSE OF THOSE FACTORS, BUT WE ARE GETTING A GOOD AMOUNT OF NONRESIDENTS AS WELL WHO ARE OPTING TO FILL THE OTHER SPOTS AS WELL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I WAS CLEAR ON THAT. CAN YOU QUICKLY TO SLIDE 17? JUST ONE QUESTION ON THE SPECIAL EVENTS. I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED BY THAT NUMBER THAT THEIR EXPENSES ARE 102 AND OUR REVENUE IS $10,000. ERIC. WHAT WHAT SPECIAL EVENTS ARE THOSE? AND THAT'S THAT ONE'S A LITTLE CONCERNING TO ME. I WOULD SAY THAT ONE, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE DATA. TWO CAUGHT MY EYE. AND THAT'S, I THINK ONE THING THAT'S THAT WE FELT IMPORTANT AND WE DID THE SAME THING LAST YEAR TOO, IS JUST TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT WITH, YOU KNOW, WE COULD WORK REALLY HARD ON A CATEGORY. AND, YOU KNOW, THE OVERALL, THE EXPENSES AND REVENUE WAS PRETTY SMALL IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, RIGHT? BUT WHAT THOSE, WHAT THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS ARE, ARE BASICALLY TARGETED, DESIGNED, SPECIFIC NICHE PROGRAMS THAT MAYBE HAVE A SHARED INTEREST, BUT THEY'RE NOT MORE THEY'RE NOT LIKE A GLOBAL CITY OR COMMUNITY TYPE EVENT. SO WHAT THOSE WOULD BE WOULD BE LIKE, MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU LIVE ON THE LAWN AT GAREY PARK, WHICH ARE CONCERT TYPE. THAT'S A CONCERT. IT'S SMALL IF YOU WANT. I MEAN, THERE'S SOME BENEFIT, RIGHT? BUT IT'S, IT'S MORE INDIVIDUAL BENEFIT. SO THEY'RE USUALLY SMALLER AND THEN SINGING SPLASH, SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT HAVE AT A POOL. WHEREAS THOSE COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR US, WHICH ARE LOWER ON THE CONTINUUM ARE EXAMPLES WOULD BE LIKE CUPID'S CHASE, OKAY, OR UPCOMING TRICK OR TREAT TRAIL. SO THOSE, THOSE ARE THOSE USED TO BE TOGETHER, RIGHT? OKAY. SO WE SEPARATED THOSE. SO WE, WE FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE ONUS FOR A FEE FOR THE LIVE ON THE LAWN. THERE IS A FEE FOR THAT. WELL, MAYBE WE NEED TO CHARGE A LITTLE MORE. IS THAT GARY HOUSE. SO CAN WE RECOVER A LITTLE BIT MORE THERE AS OPPOSED TO COMMUNITY TYPE EVENT? OKAY. WELL, THAT WAS ONE THAT DEFINITELY YEAH. I THINK WE NEED TO WORK A LITTLE BIT THERE TO, TO TWEAK THE, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S VALUABLE TO THOSE PEOPLE, THAT'S WONDERFUL. BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME COST ADJUSTMENT THERE ON THAT. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THAT DIP IS BECAUSE THOSE WERE PROBABLY IN TIER TWO BEFORE. AND NOW THEY'RE UP AT THAT SEVEN NOW. SO THEY'VE MOVED UP THAT CONTINUUM OR UP THAT PYRAMID. SO NOW WE KNOW SINCE THEY'VE MOVED WE'VE GOT SOME WORK TO DO TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS. OKAY, PERFECT. AND I THINK IT'S VALUABLE TO BREAK THOSE TWO OUT AND UNDERSTAND WHAT. BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING IF IT WAS LIKE, IS THAT THE CUPID'S CHASE AND SOME OF THESE LARGER EVENTS, BUT THAT'S HELPFUL. OKAY, SO IN YOUR FEEDBACK, YEAH, I AGREE. YOU KNOW, I SUPPORT THE, THE PLAN AND AGAIN, GIVING YOU ALL THE FLEXIBILITY TO, TO CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THIS MODEL AND TWEAK THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO, TO, TO MOVE SERVE OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR NONRESIDENTS, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COST RECOVERY. WE'RE DOING WELL ON THE COST RECOVERY SIDE. APPRECIATE IT. THANKS.THANK YOU. SO, YEAH, I HAVE A LOT OF SIMILAR QUESTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ASKED. SO ON THE PRIORITY, WE'RE ONLY GIVING THEM 24 RESIDENTS 24 HOURS PRIORITY. THEY IF YOU MISS YOUR WINDOW, THEN IF YOU ARE OUT OF TOWN THAT WEEKEND OR THAT MONDAY OR WHATEVER DAY IT IS, AND YOU COULD LOSE OUT FOR GETTING YOUR SON SIGNED UP. BECAUSE THE NEXT DAY THE NON
[00:30:04]
RESIDENTS COME IN. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND HAVE WE GOTTEN ANY FEEDBACK SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR RESIDENTS? OR IS EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH SAYING, HEY, WE GOT IT. WE'RE ON IT. WE I THINK WE'VE DONE ENOUGH TO WHERE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT'S, THAT'S THE WINDOW. AND REALLY, THAT'S FOR THOSE HIGH DEMAND PROGRAMS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, FIVE OF WHAT DO WE HAVE 3000 ISH PROGRAMS. SO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE PROVIDE IS PLUS 3000 TYPES OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. SO THOSE FIVE, YES, THE RESIDENTS KNOW THAT THOSE ARE SUPER POPULAR. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO REGISTER, WE NEED TO BE ON IT ON MONDAY. ARE THEY TOLD LIKE TWO WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME WHAT DAY YOU CAN SIGN UP OR ARE THEY JUST GIVEN ON FRIDAY, YOU'LL SIGN UP ON MONDAY. THEY GET PLENTY OF NOTICE. WE HAVE A HAVE A LARGE EMAIL LIST SERVE, IF YOU WILL, THAT ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND PRIOR PARTICIPANTS ARE PART OF.SO WE CONTINUALLY PROVIDE THAT DATA TO THEM WHEN REGISTRATIONS ARE UPCOMING AND WHEN REGISTRATION IS DUE TO PREPARE THEM FOR THAT UPCOMING REGISTRATION PERIOD. OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THEN FOLLOWING UP ON AMANDA, COMMUNITY EVENTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS, I SEE THAT WE SPEND MORE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS AND COLLECT LESS, BUT IT'S A LOWER PRIORITY THAN WE DO FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS OR COMMUNITY EVENTS. WE'RE ONLY SPENDING ABOUT $88,000, BUT SPECIAL EVENTS ARE SPENDING OVER 100. BUT WE'RE ONLY COLLECTING ONE FOURTH. THE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THOSE. SO JUST LOOK AT THAT. I UNDERSTAND WE'VE CHANGED SOME THINGS. I JUST THAT JUST SEEMS WAY OUT OF BALANCE. SO I'D ASK YOU TO LOOK AT THAT. SO PART OF PART OF THAT I CAN EXPLAIN BRIEFLY IS THAT IT'S WHERE THOSE PROGRAMS ARE HELD. SO AS I MENTIONED. LIVE ON THE LAWN IS AT GARY HOUSE, WHICH EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH GARY HOUSE, BECAUSE IT'S A FACILITY, ARE QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN AN OPEN PLAY FIELD THAT A COMMUNITY EVENT MIGHT BE LIKE. THE TRICK OR TREAT TRAIL IS OPEN GREEN SPACE IN SAN GABRIEL PARK. THE COST OF THAT ISN'T QUITE AS MUCH AS IT WOULD BE IF IT WAS HELD AT A FACILITY, SO PART OF IT IS WHERE IT'S HELD BECAUSE THOSE COSTS ARE GREATER. SO SO AGAIN, I'D ASK THAT YOU LOOK MAYBE WHERE YOU HOLD HOLD THESE EVENTS THAT IF IT'S GOING TO COST TOO MUCH TO HOLD IT IN THIS SPOT, MAYBE THAT'S NOT WHERE WE NEED TO HOLD IT, BUT JUST LOOK AT THAT. SO ON SLIDE 21 AND 24, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED HERE. YOU HAVE LIKE GROUPS, SWIM LESSONS, THE $85 IN THE FAR RIGHT COLUMN FOR SWIM IS $85. FOR FY 27. BUT IF YOU GO TO CHART 24 AND 85 WOULD BE IN LINE WITH THE 7576. BUT YOU ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU SHOW. 249 FOR SWIM LESSONS IN NONRESIDENT FY 27. SO I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT. AND THEN THE SAME WITH THE CAMP AND THE THE BASKETBALL. IT SEEMS LIKE THAT SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS WOULD BE BETTER IN IN A DIFFERENT COLUMN, BUT I MAYBE I'M JUST NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT EACH ONE REPRESENTS. YEAH. SO IN THIS GRAPH THAT WE'RE SEEING IN SLIDE 24, IT'S PRIMARILY LOOKING AT WHAT THESE FEES WOULD BE IF WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT 100% COST RECOVERY MODEL IN FY 27, WE HADN'T GOTTEN THE COST OF SERVICE DATA BACK YET. SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE OPTED TO KEEP OUR FEES WHERE THEY WERE. BUT IN REVIEWING THE DATA, IF WE HAD LOOKED AT WHAT THE 100% COST RECOVERY WOULD HAVE BEEN, THIS IS PRIMARILY SHOWING WHAT THOSE FEES WOULD HAVE JUMPED UP TO AFTER WE HAD RECEIVED THAT DATA. AND THAT, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IS DUE TO STAFFING CHANGES, PARTICIPATION LEVEL DROPPING OR INCREASING. SO A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FACTORS IMPACTED WHAT THOSE COSTS WOULD BE FOR THE 100% COST RECOVERY, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE 100% COST RECOVERY AND JUST SET A DIFFERENTIAL SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE FOR OUR OTHER RATES. OKAY, I THINK I UNDERSTOOD THAT. SO LOOKING AGAIN AT THIS CHART UNDER CAMP GOODWATER, THE NONRESIDENT FEE FOR 2027 FOR 100% RECOVERY IS $141. BUT IF WE GO BACK TO CHART 21, WE ARE CHARGING IN FY 27 FOR RESIDENTS $175. NOW, I UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A GRANT. ARE WE GOING TO REDUCE THIS PRICE? NO, WE ARE NOT REDUCING THE PRICE. SO WE
[00:35:03]
ARE. SO WE'RE GETTING MORE THAN 100% RECOVERY FROM RESIDENTS IN THIS PROGRAM. FOR THE RESIDENT FEE. THE RESIDENT FEE IS NOT IMPACTED BY 100% COST RECOVERY. THAT $141 THAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT IS, IF WE WERE TO ESSENTIALLY SAY THAT ALL OF OUR PARTICIPANTS FOR THE PROGRAM WERE NONRESIDENTS, WHAT WOULD WE CHARGE THEM? THAT $175 IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE WHERE WE NEED IT TO BE, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE FOCUSED ON NOT INCREASING OUR FEES IN THOSE AREAS. WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO REDUCE OUR FEES BECAUSE WE HAVE EXPECTED REVENUE AND ARE LOOKING TO INCREASE IN OTHER AREAS. BUT FOR THAT AREA, WE NOW KNOW THAT WE'RE SOLID FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF YEARS WITH OUR EXPENSES BARRING ANY LARGE INCREASES. AND I THINK I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING TO LOOK AT ON THIS TOO, IS WE'RE I MEAN, WE ARE LOOKING AT EACH INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM, BUT THEN WE NEED TO ALSO STEP BACK AND SEE AS WE GROUP THESE PROGRAMS TOGETHER, ARE WE MEETING OUR COST RECOVERY GOALS TOGETHER? DOES IT MAKE SENSE? SO IT'S NOT.AND WE WE DO WANT TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, BUT NOT SUCH DRAMATIC SWINGS.
GIVEN THE 100% COST RECOVERY METHODOLOGY FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ONE THAT WE'RE CREATING A KIND OF A REAL UNPREDICTABLE SITUATION FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAMS, I THINK THAT'S OUR GOAL. YEAH. OKAY. SO CHART 21 IS THE ACTUAL WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ACTUALLY CHARGING IN. 27 CORRECT. AND CHART 24 IS WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF WE HAD FOLLOWED THE THE GUIDELINES FROM BEFORE. OKAY. I THINK I UNDERSTAND THAT AND IT. I WOULD THINK THAT OUR GOAL IS TO HIT THE POINTS WITH 100% RESIDENTS. AND IF WE HAVE SPACE LEFT OVER, THEN WE WOULD CHARGE NONRESIDENTS WHATEVER IT COSTS TO RUN THE PROGRAM TO FILL THE OTHER SLOTS, BECAUSE WE WANT ALL THE SLOTS FULL. AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD. AND THIS SEEMS TO BE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION. SO I'M SUPPORTING IT. NOW. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD. I'M SUPPORTIVE OF IT MOVING FORWARD. ANYTHING AS WE'RE PROGRESSING AFTER IT'S IMPLEMENTED, IF THERE'S ANYTHING OUT OF WHACK, OBVIOUSLY BRING IT BACK TO US AND LET'S TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN. ABSOLUTELY. THANKS, ERIC. SO I'M ALL FOR FLEXIBILITY. I'M NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR ON THE TERMINOLOGY. I GUESS THE BEST WAY I WOULD DESCRIBE IT IS I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME LIKE DYNAMIC PRICING ON THE NONRESIDENT SIDE, MEANING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'D LIKE TO FILL UP AS MANY SLOTS AS WE CAN WITH RESIDENTS AND THEN WHATEVER'S LEFT, IF IT'S NOT, IF THERE'S SPOTS OPEN AND IT'S A HIGH DEMAND, OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD BE A SURGE PRICING.
IF IT'S SLOTS OPEN, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DEMAND. THEN IT WOULD GO DOWN EVEN TO THE RESIDENT RATE JUST TO FILL THOSE SLOTS, BECAUSE IT'S NOT COSTING US ANYTHING MORE AT THAT POINT. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO THAT. THAT'S JUST A GOOD IDEA. FERRY THAT KIND OF FLEW OVER, BUT THAT'S, I THINK, WHERE IT WOULD MAXIMIZE THE REVENUE AND THE RESIDENT PARTICIPATION. AT THE SAME TIME, I SIMPLY WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND THE PRESENTATION. IT REALLY MAKES ME FEEL GOOD TO KNOW THAT PARKS AND REC IS LOOKING AT DATA AND INFORMATION, GIVEN SOME REAL THOUGHT TO THE FACT THAT AS A GROWING COMMUNITY, DEMAND IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE THERE, PARTICULARLY IN THAT SWIM LESSON CATEGORY. I MEAN, IT'S IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS. AND I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING. AND I SUPPORT THE FINANCIAL STABILITY PLAN. AND THE, THE, THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE, I GUESS, HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER ARE WE WHEN THEY OPEN UP TO RESIDENTS, CAN RESIDENTS FILL UP 100% OF THAT, OR DO WE HOLD BACK SOME FOR NONRESIDENTS BECAUSE THEY SUBSIDIZE THE PROGRAM AT A HIGHER RATE? NOW, THEORETICALLY, THEY COULD FILL UP THE PROGRAM 100%. OKAY. YEAH, WE DON'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK FOR THAT NONRESIDENT OPPORTUNITY.
SO CAMP IS A PRETTY GOOD EXAMPLE. CAMP GOOD WATER. IT GENERALLY FILLS UP WITH RESIDENTS AND CITY EMPLOYEES PRIOR TO THE OPPORTUNITY FOR NONRESIDENTS. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE SOME SOME CONSISTENCY IN THAT PRICING BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS ALMOST ALWAYS 100% RESIDENT. SO, SO EVERYTHING COULD THEORETICALLY FILL WITH RESIDENTS. PERFECT. WELL, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS LOOKING AT IT FROM A DATA ANALYTICS STANDPOINT. AND AGAIN, LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THIS CHANGES OVER THE YEARS. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU
[1.B Customer Care Annual Update ]
ALL VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT SETH, YOU'RE UP BUD. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND[00:40:02]
COUNCIL. SETH GIBSON, CUSTOMER CARE DIRECTOR. I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY ON OUR ANNUAL UPDATE FOR CUSTOMER CARE, WHICH IS OUR UTILITIES AND SGT CONTACT CENTERS. HERE'S JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING TODAY. PART OF THESE GROUPS I DID WANT TO JUST START OFF WITH OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO. YOU ALL HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT SGT, BUT THIS IS A COMPREHENSIVE CUSTOMER CARE UPDATE. AND SO I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT CUSTOMER CARE IS ACTUALLY TWO CONTACT CENTERS. WE HAVE OUR UTILITY GROUP WHICH FOCUSES ON UTILITY BILLING ACCOUNT QUESTIONS, MOVES, GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT UTILITIES, UPDATES RELATED TO THAT. AND THEN WE HAVE THE SECOND CONTACT CENTER, WHICH IS OUR SGT GROUP, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON EVERYTHING OUTSIDE OF UTILITIES. SO GENERAL CITY INFORMATION AND QUESTIONS, COORDINATING WITH DEPARTMENTS AND FOLLOW UPS ON THINGS, ASSISTING WITH SOME UTILITY RELATED CALLS, LIKE MOVE CALLS THAT ARE A LITTLE EASIER TO GO THROUGH. SOME OF THESE GROUPS, THEY DO HAVE SOME INFORMATION THAT OVERLAPS, BUT THEY DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF COORDINATING TO BETTER SERVE THE CUSTOMER. JUST TO KICK OFF, WE LOVE DATA.WE HAVE LOTS OF DATA WITHIN THE CUSTOMER CARE GROUP. SO I WANTED TO START WITH THAT. THIS IS FROM THE UTILITY SIDE OF THE CONTACT CENTER. SO OVERALL THIS PAST YEAR WE HAVE MANAGED AND HANDLED ABOUT OVER 123,000 OR ABOUT 123,000 INTERACTIONS WITH RESIDENTS FOR FY 26. THAT IS DOWN A LITTLE BIT. FY 25, WE HAD ABOUT 130,000, BUT PART OF THAT IS DUE WITH SGT TAKING OVER SOME OF THOSE MOVE RELATED CALLS TO PULL THOSE OUT OF OR TO PULL THOSE OUT OF OUR QUEUE.
AVERAGE HANDLE TIME IS IS A BIG DEAL FOR US. SO THIS IS THE TIME, BASICALLY THAT A CUSTOMER IS ON THE PHONE WITH THE CSR, ANSWERING QUESTIONS, TALKING WITH THAT PARTICULAR CUSTOMER, AND IN ANY WRAP UP THAT'S NEEDED RELATED TO THAT INTERACTION. SO ANY CASE NOTES, SERVICE REQUESTS OR SERVICE ORDERS THAT ARE BEING ENTERED INTO THE SYSTEM. WE'VE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AT ABOUT SEVEN MINUTES PER INTERACTION, WHICH IS BETTER. ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, WE AVERAGED ABOUT 8.5 MINUTES. SO WE'VE BECOME MORE EFFICIENT WITH THOSE CALLS AND WITH THE CUSTOMER'S TIME. ANOTHER METRIC I WANTED TO POINT OUT WAS OUR DROPPED CALLS. SO THIS IS THE GRAPH AT THE VERY BOTTOM THERE, SHOWING KIND OF A TREND OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. AND WE'VE MADE SOME REAL GOOD IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS. IT DOES FLUCTUATE QUITE A BIT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR DEPENDING ON ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
BUT BEFORE IN 24 WE HAD A PRETTY HIGH DROPPED CALL RATE. AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS SOMEBODY IS CALLING IN TO THE CONTACT CENTER AND EITHER THE CALL IS DISCONNECTED OR THEY HANG UP BEFORE THEY GET CONNECTED WITH THE CSR TO BE HELPED IN THAT WAY. SO THIS IS A BIG THING FOR US THAT WE WANT TO REDUCE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO WE'VE GOTTEN IT AS LOW AS 10% ON A MONTHLY BASIS THIS YEAR. IN FY 26, YOU WILL SEE IT TREND UP A LITTLE BIT. WE'VE HAD A FEW CHALLENGES WITH SOME STAFFING THAT OCCURRED OVER OUR PEAK SUMMER TIMES. SO THAT'S WHERE THAT TICKED UP A BIT THERE. BUT WE'RE ON THE DOWNWARD TREND WITH THAT AS OF RIGHT NOW. SO WHICH IS WHICH IS POSITIVE. AND WE'RE WORKING TO CONTINUE TO REDUCE THAT OVERALL REAL QUICK IS THE SEVEN MINUTES, THE AVERAGE TIME ON THE CALL, WHETHER TALKING OR IS THAT WHOLE TIME. CAN YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME? SORRY, IS THE SEVEN MINUTES? IS THAT THE AVERAGE TIME THAT THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER, OR IS THAT THE WHOLE TIME TO GET TO A PERSON? YEP. THAT IS JUST THEM INTERACTING WITH THE CSR AVERAGE QUEUE TIME IS WHAT WE CALL IT. SO THE TIME THAT THEY'RE WAITING WHEN THEY CALL IN BEFORE THEY GET TO A CSR IS NINE MINUTES ON AVERAGE PER MONTH. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME TIMES WHERE THOSE SURGE UP TO 30 TO 40 MINUTES DEPENDING ON THE DAY OF THE WEEK. USUALLY MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS ARE THE LARGEST WITH THAT. AND THAT'S. AND THAT'S WHY THE. SO WHY DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT THE CALLBACK FEATURE THAT WE HAVE AS WELL? WE'VE IMPLEMENTED SO. SO WHAT RESIDENTS DO HAVE THE OPTION TO DO IS WHEN THERE'S ANY TIME THERE ARE MORE THAN FIVE PEOPLE IN QUEUE AT A TIME, RESIDENTS ARE OFFERED A CALLBACK FEATURE. SO THEY'LL SAY, HEY, WE HAVE WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE IN QUEUE, YOU CAN GIVE US A PHONE NUMBER AND WHEN IT'LL HOLD YOUR SPOT WITHIN THAT, WITHIN OUR QUEUE, AND WHEN THAT SPOT COMES UP, THE SYSTEM WILL AUTOMATICALLY CALL THEM BACK AND CONNECT THEM WITH CSR. SO WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF UTILIZATION FROM THAT AS WELL.
DOES THE UTILITIES HAVE ANY SORT OF LIKE MESSAGE BOX OR, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE WE DO HAVE AN IVR SYSTEM. SO WHEN IT COMES IN, RESIDENTS HAVE A FEW OPTIONS. SO IT'S LIKE, DO THEY THEY NEED TO REPORT AN OUTAGE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO THOSE IMMEDIATELY GET PULLED OFF AND SENT TO OUR OUTAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. OR DO THEY HAVE A GENERAL CITY CONVERSATION OR QUESTION? THEN THOSE ARE MOVED TO SGT OR IS IT UTILITY RELATED? IS IT MOVE RELATED? SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO WE TRY TO PARSE PEOPLE OUT. SORRY ABOUT THAT TO THE RIGHT GROUP EARLY ON. AND THEN WE HAVE MARKETING MESSAGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT RELATED TO LIKE PEOPLE CAN CONTACT US VIA EMAIL OR WE TALK ABOUT RESOURCES THAT ARE ON OUR WEBSITE, OR THEY CAN DO PHONE PAYMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE TRY TO, TO PUSH THOSE
[00:45:02]
OTHER OPTIONS AS WELL. AND THEY'RE HEARING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE TIME. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE DROP CALLS. YES, SIR. YOU TALKED ABOUT DISCONNECTED WHERE THE PERSON HANGS UP BECAUSE THEY WAITED TOO LONG OR SOMETHING ELSE CAME UP OR WHATEVER. WHAT REALLY GETS ME IS WHENEVER I WAIT FOR 20 MINUTES AND IT FINALLY SAYS, OKAY, WE'RE ABOUT TO ANSWER YOUR PHONE AND YOU HEAR THE THING RING, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT GOES SILENT. ARE THOSE COUNTED IN THIS, OR DO WE KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THE OPERATOR PUSHED THE WRONG BUTTON AND DROPPED SOMEBODY UNINTENTIONALLY OR WHATEVER? SO I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON IF THEY WERE DROPPED UNINTENTIONALLY, BUT THOSE WOULD BE IF THEY'RE NOT CONNECTED WITH THE CSR, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT INTERACTION.THEY ARE COUNTED AS A DROP CALL WITHIN THIS INFORMATION. SO IF THERE IF THERE IS SOMETHING, IF THERE IS SOMETHING FROM A CONNECTION STANDPOINT, AND THEY ARE TALKING WITH THE CSR AND THERE IS A DISRUPTION THERE, THAT ONE IS NOT COUNTED AS A DROPPED CALL. MOST OF THE TIME I HAVE THE PROBLEM. WHENEVER THEY SAY, OKAY, WE'RE ABOUT TO CONNECT YOU AND THEN IT'S DEAD SILENCE. AND THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT IS SOMETIMES THAT WHEN YOU GET PASSED TO THE NEXT PERSON, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. OKAY. AND HOW CAN WE FIND THAT OUT IF WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING THEM PROPERLY CONNECTED, OR IF WE'RE DROPPING THEM WHENEVER THE CONNECTION GOES FROM THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC TO ACTUALLY BEING ABLE TO TALK TO A PERSON, THAT IS SOMETHING I WILL LOOK INTO. WITH OUR CISCO PHONE SYSTEM, WE CAN SEE ALL OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL JOURNEYS BY SPECIFIC PHONE NUMBER. AND SO WHAT I'LL DO IS WE'LL DIG INTO THOSE AND SEE HOW MANY TIMES THAT'S HAPPENING AND SEE IF WE CAN PINPOINT KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. OKAY.
THANK YOU. SURE. SETH, ONE OTHER QUESTION ON THAT. WHEN YOU ARE CONNECTED TO SOMEONE, I KNOW SOME OPERATION SYSTEMS WILL IMMEDIATELY THE OPERATOR, YOU'RE SPEAKING TO SOMEONE AND THEY WILL ASK, CAN I HAVE YOUR PHONE NUMBER IN CASE WE GET DISCONNECTED? DO WE DO THAT? WE IN SOME INSTANCES, YES. ALL OF THE PHONE NUMBER OR EVERYONE THAT'S CALLING IN ACTUALLY POPS UP. OKAY, THERE'S A SCREEN POP THAT WILL SHOW THE NUMBER THAT THEY'RE CALLING ON, AND IT WILL ACTUALLY, IF THAT PHONE NUMBER IS ASSOCIATED ON THE UTILITY ACCOUNT, IT WILL POP UP THAT ACCOUNT INFORMATION AS WELL. WILL THEY CONTACT THEM BACK? SO THEN IF, IF IT IS JUST A DISCONNECT FOR WHATEVER REASON, WILL THEY CALL BACK IF THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE IT, WE WILL TRY TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THAT PARTICULAR CUSTOMER. OKAY, GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY. AS I DID MENTION, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CHALLENGES ON THE UTILITY SIDE THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS YEAR, SOME HIGHER, HIGHER STAFFING TURNOVER THAT WE'VE SEEN DURING OUR PEAK SUMMER TIMES, BUT ALSO JUST A KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT STANDPOINT. ON THE UTILITY SIDE, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF INFORMATION THAT CHANGES PRETTY RAPIDLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND SO MANAGING THAT AND MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS UP TO DATE ON THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE. SO WE HAVE FOCUSED ON SOME FOUNDATIONAL RESOURCES TO HELP MITIGATE SOME OF THAT. WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A NEW KNOWLEDGE BASE SYSTEM WITH SOME AI CAPABILITIES TO MAKE THAT EASIER. SEARCHING AND MANAGING FROM OUR CSR STANDPOINT AND FROM FROM OUR TEAM STANDPOINT, TO MAKE THAT CAPABILITY A LITTLE EASIER FOR FOLKS, WE'VE TRANSITIONED OUR EMAIL PLATFORM TO ALSO OUR PHONE PLATFORM, WHICH IS THROUGH CISCO. SO NOW WE'RE ABLE BETTER ABLE TO SEE A CUSTOMER JOURNEY, HOW MANY TIMES SOMEBODY HAS INTERACTED WITH THE CITY AND WHAT CHANNELS THEY'VE INTERACTED WITH US ON, WHETHER THAT'S EMAIL OR PHONE, ETC. AND WE CAN SEE THEIR FULL JOURNEY ON EACH OF THOSE INTERACTIONS, WHICH IS EXCITING. WE'VE LAUNCHED A FORMAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM AND HIRED A QUALITY ASSURANCE COORDINATOR. SO WE'RE ACTIVELY REVIEWING CALLS AND EMAILS EVERY SINGLE MONTH AND HAVING SOME COUNSELING WITH ALL OF OUR CSRS AND BUILDING SOME TRAINING PLANS AROUND THEIR SPECIFIC STRENGTHS AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THAT, WITH THOSE QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEWS. SO WE'VE ALSO DONE SOME ADJUSTING FROM JUST THE STAFFING STANDPOINT. WE GET SURGES RIGHT AROUND THAT LUNCHTIME ERA AREA. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN BEST MOVE OUR FOLKS AROUND SO WE CAN ACCOMMODATE AS MANY CALLS WHEN, WHEN OUR CUSTOMERS ARE TRYING TO INTERACT WITH THE CITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND THEN LASTLY, JUST COMPLETELY LOOKING AT OUR ONBOARDING PROCESS AND EVALUATING THAT TO MAKE SURE OUR FOLKS ONE, WE CAN GET THEM ON THE PHONES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT THEY'RE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND THEY'RE SUPPORTED IN THE ROLE AND THEY CAN BEST SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS THERE. LASTLY, WE DIDN'T REALLY FOCUS JUST ON INTERNAL BUT ALSO EXTERNAL. AND SO WE REALLY LOOKED AT OUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND HOW WE INTERACT WITH ALL OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY TO BUILD BETTER RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION IS UP TO DATE WITHIN OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE. AND OUR TEAMS ARE PREPARED TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. ONE REALLY COOL THING THAT WE STARTED THIS YEAR, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS STAFF INITIATED FROM OUR CSRS AND IT IS OUR CARD PROGRAM. SO WITH OUR CSRS, THEY'RE
[00:50:05]
INTERACTING WITH FOLKS IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT MANNERS. AND MANY TIMES FOLKS ARE HAVING SOME LIFE. THEY'RE GOING THROUGH SOME LIFE EVENTS WHEN THEY'RE TALKING WITH THEIR CSRS, MAYBE THEY'RE BUYING THEIR FIRST HOME, MAYBE THEY'RE BRINGING HOME THEIR FIRST BABY, OR MAYBE THEY'VE HAD A RECENT DEATH IN THE FAMILY. AND SO WE HAVE CREATED A CITY OF GEORGETOWN CARD. AND WHEN ONE OF OUR CSRS HAS A CALL OR A SITUATION LIKE THAT IS OCCURRING, THEY ACTUALLY SEND THEM A HANDWRITTEN NOTE FROM THEM. AND THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN, JUST SHARING CONGRATULATIONS OR CONDOLENCES AND TO KIND OF JUST SHARE THAT LOVE AND SUPPORT AND THE CARE THAT WE KNOW THAT GEORGETOWN HAS. NEXT UP, SGT. SO STARTING OFF WITH SOME NUMBERS THERE, YOU'VE ALL HEARD A LOT ABOUT SGT, BUT AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND IT REALLY CONTINUES TO GROW FOR THE. AND HELP THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN. I WILL SAY THE NUMBERS IN YOUR PRESENTATION ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THIS. THESE ARE THE MOST UPDATED NUMBERS AS OF RIGHT NOW. SO WE HAVE HANDLED ALMOST 20,000 CALLS WITHIN OUR FISCAL YEAR 26, WHICH IS EXCITING. A PORTION OF THOSE ARE THOSE CALLS THAT WE'VE HELPED FROM THE UTILITY SIDE, WE HAD ABOUT 47, JUST OVER 4700 CITIZEN INITIATED REQUESTS. SO THOSE ARE FOLKS LIKE NOTHING THAT STAFF DID. THESE ARE ALL FROM OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FOLKS THAT HAVE SUBMITTED EITHER ONLINE OR CALLED IN OR REACHED OUT TO US. ALSO, THE APP IS GROWING. THIS NUMBER IS NOW WRONG. I JUST CHECKED EARLIER TODAY AND WE'RE AT 5100 DOWNLOADS, WHICH IS PRETTY EXCITING FOR JUST BEING BEING HERE A YEAR AND A HALF. SO AND THAT MOBILE APP IS ABOUT, I GUESS, 16 MONTHS OLD AS OF RIGHT NOW. HERE. ONE OTHER THING TO BE PROUD OF IS OUR AVERAGE TWO DAYS CLOSE. SO THIS IS AVERAGE OVER ALL OF THE REQUESTS THAT WE'VE SEEN COME IN. AND SOME REQUESTS DO TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER. SOME REQUESTS DO TAKE LONGER THAN TWO BUSINESS DAYS. JUST BECAUSE THEY MIGHT MIGHT BE WHETHER THEY MIGHT BE RESOURCES, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT ON AVERAGE, ACROSS ALL OF THEM, WE'RE CLOSING THEM PRETTY FAST AND GETTING BACK TO THE CUSTOMER THERE. THIS IS ANOTHER CHART JUST I'M REALLY PROUD OF. AND THIS SHOWS THE ENTRY POINT INTO SGT. SO HOW ARE PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH OUR GROUP? THE YELLOW LINE IS WEBSITE. SO THAT'S THAT'S PRETTY POPULAR.IT'S OUR IT'S OUR BIGGEST AND PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR ACROSS ALL THE PLATFORMS THAT WE SEE WHEN WE COMPARE SGT TO OTHER CITIES. BUT ONE THING I REALLY WANT TO POINT OUT IS THIS PURPLE LINE THAT YOU SEE CLOSER TO THE BOTTOM, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY OUR SECOND ENTRY POINT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. AND THAT'S OUR MOBILE APP. SO WE'RE SEEING THAT REALLY GROW AND EXCITED TO SEE MORE PEOPLE USE THAT AND JUST KNOW THAT IT'S NOT JUST TO ASK QUESTIONS OR REPORT CONCERNS, BUT REALLY, IT'S A CITY OF GEORGETOWN APP THAT HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT PARKS AND REC, CIP PROJECTS, CVB, AND REALLY GOOD INFORMATION ABOUT CITY OF GEORGETOWN THAT PEOPLE CAN INTERACT WITH. ARE THESE SO THAT THAT LINE GRAPH THERE, DOES THAT REPRESENT REQUESTS? OR IF I WENT ONLINE AND I DID A SEARCH WITH A SELF. FOR KNOWLEDGE BASE. YEAH. SO THIS IS JUST A REQUEST. JUST REQUEST. JUST REQUEST. RIGHT. OKAY.
THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE, WE DO TRACK PAGE VIEWS FOR KNOWLEDGE BASE. AND SO WE HAVE SEEN QUITE A SURGE UP TO LIKE 50,000 VIEWS IN A MONTH. I WILL SAY THAT DIGGING INTO THAT, THERE IS SOME BOT TRAFFIC IN A PART OF THAT. SO LIKE 20 TO 30% OF THOSE VIEWS ARE BOTS FROM EASTERN EUROPE, WHICH IS PRETTY INTERESTING WHEN WE REALLY DUG INTO IT. BUT IT'S STILL A RESOURCE THAT LOTS OF FOLKS ARE USING AND GETTING SOME VALUE BEHIND. SURE. WILL YOU GIVE A LITTLE MORE BACKGROUND JUST ON WHICH, WHICH WAS THE MOST ACTIVELY VIEWED? SO THE MOST ACTIVELY VIEWED IS HOW TO FIND SOMEBODY IF THEY'VE BEEN RECENTLY ARRESTED OR PUT IN JAIL. THAT'S BEEN THE TOP ONE. AND DOING BUSINESS IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY, GETTING A DBA, THAT'S ANOTHER BIG ONE. AND THEN DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF YEAR, IF YOUR ELECTRICITY GOES OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG CAN IS YOUR FOOD STILL GOOD? WITHIN THE REFRIGERATOR IS ANOTHER IS ANOTHER BIG ONE. SO HOW DO YOU FIND OUT IF YOUR FRIEND GOT ARRESTED? I'M ASKING FOR A. IT'S JUST IT'S A QUICK DATABASE SEARCH. HONESTLY, WITH THE COUNTY, YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT NOW, I'M SURE. RIGHT? PARDON? YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IT. YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT NOW I. YES, YES, WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND DEFINITELY FIGURE THAT OUT. SO CAN YOU PUT OUT LIKE A TOP TEN SEARCH RESULTS LIKE BY THE MONTH JUST SO WE CAN SEE IT. YEAH. OKAY. LET'S SEE, NEXT UP, I ALSO JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE HOW ORIGINALLY SGT WAS SET UP. I KNOW YOU ALL, MOST OF YOU ALL WERE HERE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. BUT HOW SGT KIND OF HANDLES REQUESTS. THERE'S THREE OPTIONS THAT WE KIND OF WORK THROUGH. ONE IS A DIRECT ANSWER. SO THAT'S LIKE SIMPLE QUESTIONS LIKE WHAT ARE LIBRARY HOURS WHEN FOLKS CALL IN OR EMAIL? WHAT ARE PARKING
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REGULATIONS DOWNTOWN, THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE CAN QUICKLY ANSWER, SEND A KNOWLEDGE BASED ARTICLE AND ANSWER THAT PERSON'S QUESTION. THE NEXT ONE IS A DEPARTMENT ACTION. SO THIS IS YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF THESE WITH PUBLIC WORKS. SO THEY'LL COME IN AS TICKETS. THEY'RE ROUTED TO DEPARTMENTS. THE DEPARTMENT WORKS THAT PARTICULAR TICKET EITHER AND UPDATES THE CUSTOMER AND CLOSES IT OUT ONCE RESOLUTION IS THERE. THESE ARE A LOT OF ADA RELATED INTAKE. QUESTION PARKS AND REC TICKET CODE ENFORCEMENT CODE, COMPLIANCE VIOLATIONS, THINGS LIKE THAT. MOST OF THOSE ARE HANDLED FROM A DEPARTMENT ACTION STANDPOINT. AND THE THIRD OPTION IS A COORDINATED HANDOFF. SO SOME OF THESE ARE LIKE WE'LL SEE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO FOLKS WILL MAYBE SHARE ABOUT AN ABANDONED VEHICLE OR NOISE ORDINANCE.THOSE WILL GO INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY'LL ENTER IT INTO THEIR CAD SYSTEM. FROM THAT, THEY'LL CLOSE THAT OUT. THEY'LL ALSO DOCUMENT WHETHER THE CUSTOMER WANTS A CALL BACK OR NOT. AND THEN THAT POLICE OFFICER WILL DO THE FOLLOW UP BASED ON THE TICKET THEY SUBMITTED. WITH THAT, WE'LL ALSO SEE THAT WITH SOME OF OUR UTILITY QUESTIONS THAT MAY COME IN. WE WILL REPORT ON BEHALF OF THE CUSTOMER AND THEN SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE CUSTOMER. WE'VE REPORTED THESE WORK ORDERS AND THEN PROVIDE THE INFORMATION WHERE THEY CAN FOLLOW UP ON THEM LATER ON. ANOTHER POPULAR ONE WE'RE COORDINATED HANDOFFS HAPPEN ARE IF IT'S OUTSIDE OF GEORGETOWN. SO SOMETHING THAT IS REALLY RELATED TO WILLIAMSON COUNTY OR TEX-DOT WILL AGAIN REPORT THAT ON BEHALF OF THE CUSTOMER AND THEN SHARE IN THE FUTURE WHERE THEY CAN REPORT THOSE TYPES OF THINGS AND FOLLOW UP. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE COORDINATED HANDOFF. WHENEVER ASKED GTX COORDINATES, THE HANDOFF DOES ASK GTX, CONSIDER IT CLOSED BECAUSE THEY HANDED IT OFF, OR DO THEY GET FEEDBACK FROM WHOEVER THEY HANDED IT OFF TO THAT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT IT'S BEEN FOLLOWED UP ON NOT JUST THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY HAVE IT, BUT FOLLOWED UP ON. SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHENEVER WE HAND THAT OFF TO THE CUSTOMER AND WE'VE REPORTED THAT WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THAT TICKET, IT'S CONSIDERED CLOSED. AND THEN WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH THAT PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT IF IT'S NECESSARY.
LIKE FOR A CONSERVATION PIECE, THEY HAVE AN INTAKE FORM ONLINE. SO WE'LL FILL THAT FORMAT ONLINE. AND THEN CONSERVATION WILL GET THAT SPECIFIC NOTICE THROUGH THEIR PARTICULAR PROCESS. BUT FROM A CUSTOMER STANDPOINT, WE WILL CLOSE THAT OUT THAT WE SELF-REPORTED AND THEN SHARE CONSERVATIONS INFORMATION. SO THEN THEY CAN FOLLOW UP IF THERE'S ANY NEED TO IN THAT PARTICULAR INSTANCE. SAME WITH THE WITH THE COUNTY OR TXDOT. WELL, IF WE REPORT ON BEHALF OF THEM, LIKE FROM A TXDOT ROAD, WE WILL WE WILL REPORT THAT AND THEN SHARE THAT.
HERE IS TEXTS, INFORMATION. IF THERE ARE ANY FOLLOW UPS OR IF THEY NEED TO REPORT LIKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THE FUTURE AS WELL. BUT I WILL SAY THIS, THAT IN A YEAR AND A HALF, NOTHING IS PERFECT AND WE ARE CONSTANTLY WORKING TO REFINE AND MAKE IT BETTER. WE DON'T WE DON'T DO IT PERFECTLY. AND SO WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE HAVE REALLY TWO FOCUS AREAS RELATED TO SGT. AND ONE OF THOSE IS QUALITY ASSURANCE. SO CURRENTLY WE'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT ALL OF THE REQUESTS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO, AND WE'RE DOING AN EVALUATION OF THE PROCESS THAT THEY WENT TO, LIKE HOW MANY TIMES THEY WERE REDIRECTED, HOW MANY TIMES, IF THERE WERE ANY CHANGES WITHIN THE SPECIFIC REQUEST TYPE, HOW WHAT'S THE QUALITY OF THE RESPONSE? IS THERE JARGON? ARE WE POINTING PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? IS THERE ENOUGH INFORMATION? ALL OF THOSE THINGS. WE'RE COMPILING THAT BY DEPARTMENT, AND THEN WE'RE MEETING WITH THEM AND SHARING WITH THEM. AND WE HAVE WE USUALLY MEET WITH THE DEPARTMENTS ONCE A QUARTER ON AVERAGE, TO JUST TALK ABOUT ALL THE REQUESTS THAT HAVE COME IN AND ALSO SHARING THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THOSE REFINEMENTS IN THE FUTURE AND GIVE A BETTER RESPONSE BASED ON KIND OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND WHAT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN GIVEN, SO WE CAN PROVIDE BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THOSE FOLKS. THE OTHER PIECE TO THAT IS ALSO JUST ADDING SERVICE AREAS, LOOKING AT WHERE IT MAKES SENSE FROM A NOT NOT ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE WITHIN SGT AS OF RIGHT NOW, BUT LOOKING AT DATA THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM CALLS AND REQUESTS THAT COME IN, WHERE DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO EXPAND TO THOSE PARTICULAR DEPARTMENTS THAT AREN'T CURRENTLY IN SGT AT THE TIME? SO FROM AN EXPANSION STANDPOINT, WE'VE DONE QUITE A FEW THINGS OVER THIS PAST YEAR. WE HAVE INTEGRATED INTO OUR FIRST SECONDARY SYSTEM WITH OPENGOV, WHICH IS OUR PUBLIC WORKS ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. WE'VE ALSO WORKED ON SEVERAL PROJECTS WITH A FEW DEPARTMENTS ON CHANGES IN PROCESS OR CHANGES IN POLICY.
SO WE'VE WORKED ON SUPPORTING THE UDC UPDATES AND HELPING FOLKS, GIVING RESOURCES RELATED TO THAT, OR TRANSITIONING THOSE FOLKS TO PLANNING IF THEY HAD QUESTIONS. THE GOGURYEO TRANSITION ALSO COLLECTING FEEDBACK ON IMPORTANT POLICIES AND PRODUCTS LIKE OUR TWO STEP IN OR PROJECTS OR BUDGET, AND ALSO EXPANDING AND USING SGT AS AN ADA INTAKE SO FOLKS CAN MAKE THOSE REQUESTS THROUGH THAT SYSTEM. AND THEN THEY GO DIRECTLY TO THOSE FOLKS, AND THEN THEY CAN MANAGE THOSE REQUESTS THAT DO COME IN. AND WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'VE EXPANDED TO THIS YEAR AS WELL, BOTH FROM AN INTERNAL REQUEST SIDE AND AN
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EXTERNAL REQUEST SIDE. SO THERE'S ALSO SOME INTERNAL FUNCTIONALITY THAT WE CAN USE CROSS DEPARTMENTALLY TO MAKE SOME OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS EASIER THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH AS WELL. ALSO, FROM AN SGT STANDPOINT, OUR WELL, WE'VE BEEN ACTIVE A YEAR AND A HALF.IT'S STILL YOUNG, SO WE'RE STILL CONSTANTLY WORKING TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. WE'RE CONTINUING TO TO DO TRADITIONAL THINGS LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA, DOING PRINT ADS AND BE LOCAL AND THINGS LIKE THAT, GOING TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE HIT 70 IN THE PAST YEAR, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING, BUT WE'RE ALSO DOING SOME REALLY FUN THINGS, LIKE A RED POPPY FLOAT THAT WE DID EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE SAW OUR BIG BILLBOARD ASK US ANYTHING ON I-35, WHICH IS EXCITING TO SEE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX A LITTLE BIT MORE. WE'VE ALSO. SO THOSE HAVE REALLY YIELDED SOME IMPROVEMENTS AND YIELDED SOME REAL FRUIT FROM THAT. WE'VE SEEN CONTACTS AT EVENTS, WE'VE SEEN DOWNLOADS, WE'VE SEEN VIEWS INCREASE. WE'VE ALSO SEEN IMPRESSIONS WITH GOOGLE SEARCH QUERIES AND IMPRESSIONS INCREASE AS WELL. SO THAT'S REALLY EXCITING TO SEE. SO WE'RE SEEING SOME GROWTH THERE. KIND OF WHAT THAT TRANSLATES INTO FROM AN IMPACT STANDPOINT IS TOTAL USERS HAVE INCREASED ALMOST 400%. THESE ARE UNIQUE USERS FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. SO WE HAD 2000 LAST OCTOBER AND NOW WE'RE AT 9500. AND THEN OUR REPEAT USERS, WHILE THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGE HAS GONE DOWN, THE NUMBER HAS GROWN OVER 200% FROM 380 REPEAT USERS AS OF LAST YEAR TO JUST TO ALMOST 1200 THIS YEAR. AND TO KIND OF WRAP UP AN ENGAGEMENT PIECE OF IT. SO BEFORE WE LAUNCHED SGT, WE DID A FLASH VOTE IN 2022. AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT ON THIS SLIDE. SO GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO THINK OR TO LOOK THROUGH IT AS WELL. BUT WE WANTED TO DO A FOLLOW UP FLASH VOTE TO SEE KIND OF WHAT THE IMPACT HAS BEEN FROM AN SGT STANDPOINT, AND ALSO JUST TO CONFIRM WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO OUR RESIDENTS AND HOW, HOW RESIDENTS REALLY WANT TO INTERACT WITH US. AND SO WHAT WE'VE SEEN FROM, FROM THIS PARTICULAR FLASH FORWARD IS WE GOT REALLY GOOD COMMENTS BACK ON SGT, BUT ALSO THE UTILITY SIDE AS WELL. SO WHICH IS HELPFUL THAT IT IMPACTS BOTH OF THOSE GROUPS. SO SOME OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS THAT WE SEE HERE. OUR RESIDENTS SEEM TO BE ENGAGING MORE WITH THE CITY IN 2022. 38% OF RESIDENTS HAD NEVER CONTACTED THE CITY, AND EARLIER THIS YEAR THEY REPORTED THAT 25% HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE CITY. SO WE SAW A 13% DECREASE IN THAT, WHICH IS. WE SAW THAT CUSTOMERS. THEY PREFER TEXTS AND EMAILS AS FAR AS COMMUNICATION STANDPOINT AND HOW THEY WANT TO BE NOTIFIED FROM THAT. WE CONFIRM STAFF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, WHICH WE WE ALSO THINK IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. AND THEY WANT THE ABILITY TO CALL A PERSON. SO WHILE SELF-SERVICE OPTIONS ARE VERY HELPFUL AND FOLKS ARE, THEY WOULD LOVE TO USE THEM. IF THERE IS AN OBSTACLE OR A CHALLENGE THEY HAVE, THEY WANT TO TALK WITH SOMEBODY ABOUT RESOLUTION. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE PROVIDE. THEY ALSO SHARED SOME GAPS THAT THAT WE'RE AWARE OF AND THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND SO THAT'S LIKE RESOLUTION, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENT UPDATES WITH ITEMS THAT THEY SUBMIT TO THE CITY. SO THOSE ARE IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ALSO THINGS LIKE AREAS WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO GROW AND TO SHOW AND GIVE SOME MORE FEEDBACK OR SORRY, EXCUSE ME, AREAS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT EXPANDING IN THE FUTURE. ONE OF THOSE IS CHAT CHAT ABILITY. SO 5% OF OUR FOLKS SHARED THAT THEY WANT AN AI CHAT OF SOME KIND, BUT THEY ALSO SHARED, OR 32% SHARED THAT THEY WANT A LIVE AGENT CHAT OF SOME KIND. SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
THAT LIVE AGENT INTERACTION IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR OUR RESIDENTS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND. AND, AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THE ENGAGEMENT, LOOKING AT THE, THE FLASH FORWARD INFORMATION THAT WE SEE THAT'S REALLY HELPED US FRAME KIND OF WHERE WE WANT TO, WHERE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND WHERE WE'RE IMPROVING THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE. AI IS A BIG PART OF CONTACT CENTERS AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN INTERACTING FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND WITH SOME OTHER CITIES IS THAT WE NEED TO BE. WE DON'T JUST WANT TO PUT SOMETHING UP. WE REALLY WANT IT TO BE A VALUE ADD FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE AI JUST TO HAVE AI.
WE REALLY NEED IT TO BE SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL UTILIZE. AND NOT JUST TO SAY THAT WE HAVE IT. SO WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING WITH FROM AN AI PERSPECTIVE IS WE ARE TESTING A BOT WITH CATALYST. IT'S ONLY INTERNAL AS OF RIGHT NOW, BUT THE POINT OR THE GOAL OF THAT IS TO MAKE INTAKE OF THAT EASIER AND SEARCHABILITY OF OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE A LOT EASIER FOR OUR RESIDENTS. ALSO MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE FROM THE UTILITY SIDE HAS SOME AI FUNCTIONALITY TO MAKE THOSE INTERACTIONS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS A LOT EASIER SO THAT WE CAN LOCATE THAT INFORMATION WHEN WE'RE HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH CUSTOMERS FASTER. LET'S SEE SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY WORKING ON. WE ARE IN THE EARLY STAGES FROM A CHAT FUNCTIONALITY STANDPOINT. CISCO IS OUR PHONE SYSTEM. AS OF RIGHT NOW. IT HAS CHAT
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AVAILABILITY, SO THAT WILL BE ANOTHER MEDIUM THAT WE CAN ADD IN AND WE CAN TRACK THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY. SO WE CAN NOT ONLY SEE EMAIL PHONE, BUT ALSO CHAT POTENTIALLY IN THE FUTURE, BUT THEN HOW CAN WE MAN THAT AND MANAGE THAT FROM A LIVE AGENT AND EVEN POSSIBLY ADDING SOME AI INTO THAT CAPABILITY AS WELL? AND THEN FROM AN AFTER HOURS STANDPOINT, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND WE'RE WORKING WITH CMO ON A PROJECT ON THAT TO, TO BETTER COORDINATE AFTER NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS AND WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE AND HOW WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT CUSTOMERS THERE. AND THEN LASTLY, JUST CONTINUE OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH STANDPOINT, BOTH FROM AN SGT AND POTENTIALLY FROM A UTILITY SIDE AND HOW WE CAN EXPAND THOSE, THE USE OF THOSE PLATFORMS AND THEN BETTER SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS. WITH THAT. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. SETH, ON THIS SIDE. I'M SORRY, YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS? BUT JUST A BASIC QUESTION IN TERMS OF YOUR CONTACT CENTERS, HOW MANY AGENTS STAFF, EACH OF THEM. SO RIGHT NOW SGT HAS SIX AND THE UTILITY SIDE HAS 12 ON PHONES AND ONE SENIOR. SO A TOTAL OF 13. PERFECT. YEAH.THANKS FOR ALL THE DATA HERE. I'D LOVE TO SEE IT. AND I'D LOVE TO SEE HOW YOU'RE GROWING, ESPECIALLY IN THE AI AREAS AND HOW WE CAN UTILIZE THAT TO BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU. MY FIRST QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE, HOW MANY FOLKS ARE IN YOUR PARTICULAR DEPARTMENT THAT'S DOING ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE DESCRIBED, AND I THINK YOU JUST ANSWERED THAT, BUT WHAT IS THAT TOTAL UP TO THAT TOTAL? EVERYONE IN THERE THERE IS. 23. 23 SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS, AND THEN OUR QUALITY ASSURANCE COORDINATOR AND OUR SYSTEM ADMIN FOR THE CATALYST SIDE. AND MY SECOND QUESTION, AND THIS MAY BE ONE THAT WE DON'T WANT TO ANSWER AND WE MAY NOT HAVE AN ANSWER. BUT IN AN EARLIER SLIDE, YOU INDICATED THAT STAFFING HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE AND TURNOVER HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE. IS THAT COMING THROUGH FRUSTRATION ON THAT PART OF THAT INDIVIDUAL? THIS IS JUST MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH. WE'VE HAD SOME FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN OFFERED OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE OF GEORGETOWN, AND THEY'VE TAKEN THEM, AND THEN SOME OF THEM HAVE JUST NOT BEEN THE RIGHT FIT. SO SOME ON THE UTILITY SIDE ESPECIALLY, THEY GET SOME TOUGH CALLS. AND IT DOES TAKE A SPECIAL PERSON IN ORDER TO DO THAT. YES IT DOES. AGREED. YEAH.
I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF ASSET. I'VE TRIED TO PROMOTE AS MUCH AS I CAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONSTITUENTS ARE ASKING QUESTIONS. MY ONLY QUESTION ON SLIDE SIX YOU HAVE A. IN JULY, ABNORMALLY HIGH NUMBER OF REQUESTS. IS THAT DUE TO ELECTRICITY OR ACTUALLY THAT NUMBER ISN'T MINE SAYS 692 FOR JULY OF 26. JULY OF 26. SORRY, CAN YOU SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME? WELL, ON MY SLIDE ON SLIDE SIX THERE. YES. SO THE SLIDES ARE DIFFERENT. SO I APOLOGIZE. THE SLIDE THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET HAS INCORRECT INFORMATION. THIS IS THE MOST UP TO DATE DISREGARD.
I'M GOOD BECAUSE SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS ACTUALLY INCLUDE SOME OF THE INTERNAL REQUESTS THAT COME IN. AND THAT'S WHY THOSE SITES ARE A LITTLE HIGHER. HOW OFTEN ARE THEIR CALLS TO ASK FOR UTILITIES OR CALLS TO CUSTOMER CARE THAT ARE REALLY ASKED GTE CALLS? HAS THAT HAPPEN PRETTY REGULARLY OR. I WOULD SAY WHAT HAPPENS MORE IS THEY WILL CALL INTO THE UTILITIES OR CUSTOMER CARE OR UTILITIES OR SGT, AND THEY'LL ASK MULTIPLE QUESTIONS. AND SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ONE GROUP, BUT THEN REALLY NEEDS TO BE PASSED TO THE OTHER TO HELP HELP THEM WITH THAT. I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF THAT TIME HAPPENS WITH SGT BECAUSE OF THOSE MOVE CALLS. SO WE'LL ANSWER SOME SIMPLE QUESTIONS AND GUIDE SOMEBODY THROUGH MOVES, BUT THEN THEY'LL HAVE A MORE A DEEPER QUESTION ABOUT MAYBE A PREVIOUS ACCOUNT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT THEN WILL PASS THEM BACK OVER TO THE UTILITY SIDE TO HELP WITH. AND IS THE IDEA OF HAVING THE DEPARTMENTS SEPARATE BECAUSE OF, I GUESS THERE'S A LITTLE MORE TECHNICAL THAT'S NEEDED FOR THE UTILITY SIDE FROM THE BILLING AND ANALYZING THAT AND TALKING TO TALKING TO RESIDENTS VERSUS GENERAL CITY INFORMATION. YEAH.
IT'S REALLY, IT'S REALLY RELATES TO JUST THE BREADTH OF INFORMATION. LIKE THE UTILITY SIDE CAN GO VERY DEEP AS FAR AS LIKE, FROM A USAGE STANDPOINT AND LOOKING AT PATTERNS AND ALL OF THAT TYPE OF THING. SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT ONLY LOOKING AT THEIR ACCOUNT, BUT THEY'RE LOOKING AT USAGE INFORMATION FROM LIKE CENSUS DATA AND TRYING TO ANALYZE IF THEY HAVE LEAKS OR KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT. AND THEN AS SGT SIDE, ALL THAT MORE GENERAL INFORMATION, IT'S LIKE A MILE A MILE WIDE, BUT AN INCH DEEP. SO IT'S JUST REALLY THE BREADTH OF THAT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS HOW CAN WE BEST OPTIMIZE THE DEPARTMENT BASED ON ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE TRYING TO COVER? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FROM A, HOW CAN WE GET PEOPLE THROUGH THE QUEUE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT ALSO GET THEM THE INFORMATION THEY NEED? AND IS THAT IS THERE SOME ESCALATION TRAINING OR SPECIALTY TEAMS THAT REALLY SPECIALIZE IN SOME OF THOSE TOPICS SO THAT WE CAN GET THOSE MORE COMPLICATED CALLS OUT OF THE QUEUE INTO THOSE GROUPS AND HANDLED IN A DIFFERENT WAY? GOT IT. OKAY. I KNOW WE DID THAT LITTLE RIDE AROUND WITH SGT REPORTING STUFF. I THINK
[01:10:07]
COMMUNITY IMPACT I THINK ARE THE SON. SOMEONE WAS WITH ME THAT ONE DAY. I KNOW AMANDA DID IT. YOU SAID I BELIEVE THE NUMBER ONE REQUEST WAS THERE'S A DEAD DEER IN THE ROAD OR DEAD DEER IN MY YARD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IS THAT STILL THE THE TOP OF THE LIST? IT'S STILL VERY POPULAR. YES, STILL VERY POPULAR THERE. IS THERE A SEARCH? CAN YOU FEED DEER IN GEORGETOWN? IS THAT A POPULAR SEARCH? PARDON. IS THERE A POPULAR SEARCH ON OUR ON OUR SEARCH FUNCTION OF CAN YOU FEED DEER IN GEORGETOWN? THERE'S NOT A THERE'S NOT A POPULAR SEARCH FUNCTION AT THIS TIME. NO, IT IS ALL JUST REGULATED LIKE HERE. HERE THEY ARE ALPHABETICAL KIND OF BY DEPARTMENT. YEAH. BUT IT HAS NOT HINDERED ANYONE FROM REPORTING THAT. THANK YOU SETH.SO IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. I APPRECIATE THAT. ONE OF THE THINGS IS ON SLIDE 13, MORE RESIDENTS ARE ENGAGING. THERE IS TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THAT. ONE IS THEY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN TALKING TO US AND WE'RE LEARNING WHAT THEY'RE THINKING. THE OTHER ONE IS, ARE THEY HAVING MORE PROBLEMS THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS? SO DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, THAT CAN BE A GOOD STATISTIC OR A BAD STATISTIC ON AI VERSUS PERSONS. A LOT OF CALLS THESE DAYS, YOU GET A BOT TO TALK TO ON THE OTHER END, AND THEY'RE GETTING PRETTY GOOD. BUT WHAT IS FRUSTRATING IS WHENEVER YOU CAN'T COMMUNICATE YOUR QUESTION AND THEY KEEP GOING IN A CIRCLE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT US USE MORE AI ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS, BUT A QUICK PHASE OUT THAT THE BOT WOULD ACTUALLY SAY WE MAY NOT BE COMMUNICATING WELL.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK TO A LIVE PERSON AND QUICKLY SWITCH THEM OVER INSTEAD OF HAVING TO SPEND WHEELS AND SAYING, I WANT TO TALK TO AN AGENT? OH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW? I WANT TO TALK TO A REAL PERSON. SO THAT'S WHERE I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAD. I DON'T KNOW IF AI IS THERE YET OR IF WE CAN AFFORD THE AI THAT IS THERE, BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE IT GO. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND THAT'S SOMETHING JUST TALKING INTERNALLY THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE SEE THE BEST, BEST OPTION FOR GEORGETOWN IS HAVING THE AI ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUICK THINGS. BUT WE REALLY NEED THAT TRANSITION FROM AN AI BOT TO A LIVE PERSON AND MAKE THAT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE. AND OUR RESEARCH KIND OF EVEN WE WENT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND LOOKED AT HOW THEY WERE DOING DIFFERENT THINGS WITH AI. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE BENEFITS OF THAT IS THEY WERE USING AI REALLY TO, TO MAKE THOSE TRANSITIONS A LOT EASIER AND MAKING SURE SOMEBODY WASN'T HAVING TO REPEAT THEIR SAME STORY TEN DIFFERENT TIMES.
SO THAT'S WHERE THEY FOUND A LOT OF VALUE IN IT. SO THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. I LOVE THIS PROGRAM. I WAS JUST LOOKING A LITTLE BIT AT THE APP AND I CANNOT SAY TO ENOUGH PEOPLE, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE APP. IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE MEETING TODAY, IT IS SO EASY TO USE AND YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS I, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CALL A PERSON AND TALK TO THEM TOO, AND DEFINITELY WANT OUR RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT. I THINK ONCE THEY FIGURE OUT HOW EASY THE APP IS TO USE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST HOW IT GENERATES, YOU KNOW, I FIND IT SO EASY WHEN YOU'RE SOMEWHERE AND YOU SEE A PROBLEM AND YOU CAN, YOU'RE STANDING THERE AND IT GPS IS DIRECTLY WHERE YOU ARE. AND THEN YOU CAN SEND A PICTURE IN IF IT'S AN ISSUE AND THEN IT SENDS YOU A MESSAGE BACK THAT SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECEIVED YOUR INFORMATION AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS. AND SO I'M HEARING GREAT THINGS ABOUT THAT. SO PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE APP AND AT LEAST GIVE IT A SHOT TO, YOU KNOW, TO HELP WITH, YOU KNOW, THAT ACCESSIBILITY, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A GREAT OPTION. ONE THING THAT I AM WONDERING IS, ARE WE GETTING MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE USING THE APP AND CALLING IN JUST WHEN THEY HAVE LIKE A CONCERN OR NEED TO GET SOMETHING ANSWERED VERSUS LIKE WHEN I LOOK AT THE APP, LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S REALLY ASK GEORGETOWN ANYTHING. SO IN OUR PARKS AND REC, YOU COULD, I JUST LOOKED AT THE CLICK ON THE PARKS AND REC AND YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR A CAMP OR YOU CAN SIGN IT, YOU CAN RESERVE A PAVILION.
YOU CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS WITH THE WITH THE RIDE GBT, YOU CAN SCHEDULE A RIDE, YOU CAN DO ALL THOSE THINGS. SO IT'S, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT YOU CAN DO WITH THE APP. BUT ARE MOST PEOPLE STILL JUST USING IT TO, YOU KNOW, DICTATE THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM OR, YOU KNOW, GET SOMETHING ANSWERED? OR ARE THEY USING IT FOR THOSE SERVICES AS WELL? THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE LOOKING TO DIG INTO MORE IS SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME MORE DETAIL ON HOW FOLKS ARE INTERACTING WITH IT RIGHT NOW. IT'S VERY SIMPLE, AND I CAN JUST REALLY SEE DOWNLOADS AND REDOWNLOADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING. JUST ANECDOTALLY, IT IS KIND OF IT'S REPORTING THOSE ISSUES OR EVEN THE KNOWLEDGE BASE PIECE OF IT. THOSE ARE THE TWO LARGEST PIECES. OKAY. WELL, THAT'S I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO CONTINUE TO DRILL DOWN IN THAT DATA. AND THEN AS YOU ALL ARE OUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH GREAT COMMUNITY OUTREACH, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO, TO DO OTHER THINGS WITH IT, THAT THAT IS A ONE STOP SHOP TO BE ABLE TO, TO DO SO MANY SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN. ON YOUR. SLIDE 14, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO IT. THE AFTER
[01:15:01]
HOURS SUPPORT. I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD BE ONE THAT I'M GLAD THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT AS UPCOMING. I THINK THOSE ARE QUESTIONS I GET A LOT IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS GREAT. DURING THE DAY, WE UNDERSTAND HOW TO TO GET SERVICES DURING BUSINESS HOURS. WE'RE STILL A LITTLE CONFUSED WITH WHAT TO DO AFTER HOURS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF TIMES I THINK THOSE ARE MORE EMERGENT ISSUES. I KNOW EVERYBODY FEELS SOMETIMES THAT THEIR ISSUES, YOU KNOW, AN EMERGENCY. BUT I DO WANT US TO HAVE A DIRECT LINE WHEN THERE TRULY IS, YOU KNOW, A TRUE EMERGENCY. I MEAN, A MEDICAL OR SAFETY EMERGENCY. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO IN THOSE SITUATIONS. BUT MORE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A MAJOR WATER LEAK IN MY AND IT'S MIDNIGHT. AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. SO LOOKING AT THAT AFTER HOURS SUPPORT, I THINK IS IMPORTANT.AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I APPRECIATE YOU ALL YOU WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM TO, YOU KNOW, DEFINE AND ALSO ENHANCE THEIR ABILITY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, NOT THERE'S NOBODY IN THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN EXCEPT FOR MAYBE DAVID MORGAN WHO CAN ANSWER EVERY SINGLE QUESTION. BUT, YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE, THESE PEOPLE ARE TASKED WITH A REALLY HARD JOB, AS RON SAID, YOU KNOW, TO THEY GET PEOPLE THAT ARE UPSET, THEY GET PEOPLE THAT ARE IN A, YOU KNOW, AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE IN A DIRE SITUATION. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY NOT KNOW EVERY ANSWER.
AND IT'S OKAY TO SAY, I DON'T KNOW THAT ANSWER. LET US GET BACK WITH YOU. BUT ALSO, I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT Y'ALL ARE GOING BACK AND DOING SOME TRAINING, I'VE HAD SOME SITUATIONS, JESSICA, AND I'VE WORKED ON SOME OF THOSE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE CUSTOMER DIDN'T RECEIVE THE ANSWER THEY WERE HOPING FOR. BUT IN GOING BACK AND WORKING WITH AND EDUCATING YOUR PEOPLE ON, ON HOW TO DO THAT A LITTLE BETTER, I THINK IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND EVERYBODY HAS A LEARNING CURVE AND THAT'S OKAY. SO APPRECIATE YOU CONTINUING TO WORK WITH PEOPLE AND TRAIN THEM AND, AND GET THEM TO BE AS CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRIC AS WE CAN BE HERE IN THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN. THANKS. LOVE THIS PROGRAM. YEAH, I ECHO THAT LAST SENTIMENT. I LOVE THIS PROGRAM TOO. I THINK IT'S HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL. I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I KIND OF SHARE SOME OF AMANDA'S THOUGHTS TOO, THE TIMES THAT I USE AT GBT IS USUALLY ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN I'M CRUISING AROUND. AND SO I THINK THE AFTER HOURS SUPPORT, AND THAT MAY BE A REALLY GOOD APPLICATION FOR AI INTEGRATION AS WELL AS LIKE JUST, YOU KNOW, WEEKEND SUPPORT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THAT'S, THAT'S USUALLY THE TIME THAT I'VE GOT GOT TIME AND BANDWIDTH AND JUST CRUISING AROUND TO, TO ASK GBT STUFF.
BUT IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. I LIKE IT. SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU. ONLY THING I WANT TO SAY, I REALLY LOVE THAT IDEA. LIKE THE HANDWRITTEN NOTES. I MEAN, WHEN WE'RE DOING ALL THIS AI STUFF, WHICH IS WONDERFUL AND GREAT FOR FOLKS TO GET, YOU KNOW, A PERSONAL TOUCH ON, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY IT'S MORE GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES. BUT, YOU KNOW, I REALLY LIKE THAT IDEA. AND I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY A LOT OF WORK, BUT I BET YOU FOLKS APPRECIATE IT. SO ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANKS. APPRECIATE IT. UNLESS WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE,
[Executive Session ]
WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO COVER SECTIONS 551.071072087 AND* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.