[CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:06]
          EVERYBODY. WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CALL TO ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT. IT IS 9 A.M. ON TUESDAY, MAY 26TH HERE IN THE COMMISSIONERS COURTROOM. 
          WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY JOINING US THIS MORNING. I WILL NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT ARE PRESENT, AS WELL AS OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS, NECESSARY FOR TODAY'S BUSINESS. I'M GOING TO ASK EVERYBODY TO PLEASE RISE FOR THE INVOCATION. PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR THE PLEDGES. LORD, WE COME BEFORE YOU HUMBLY AND THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO GATHER IN YOUR NAME. WE PRAY, LORD, THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION AS WE DEAL WITH THESE MATTERS. AND WE THANK YOU THAT WE LIVE IN A FREE COUNTRY WHERE WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT. WE THANK YOU, LORD, FOR THE SACRIFICES OF THOSE THAT HAVE KEPT THIS, A FREE COUNTRY THAT WE CELEBRATED YESTERDAY AND HONOR THEIR MEMORIES. WE PRAY, LORD, FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS. WHERE WE FAIL YOU AND YOUR SON'S HOLY NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE JOIN US. PLEDGE FOR THE FLAGS. 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. HONOR THE TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE. THANK YOU. 
          YOU CAN BE SEATED. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE CITIZENS PARTICIPATE IN EASY. 
          MOST OF US ARE HAPPY. HAPPY TO SEE CITIZENS PARTICIPATING IN ATTENDING COMMISSIONERS COURT. 
          I KNOW IT'S HARD TO GET DOWN HERE DURING THE WORK DAY, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL JOINING 
          [PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS (Part 1 of 2)]
US. WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT THIS MORNING, ITEM P ONE, WHICH IS ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REGARDING COUNTY AND PRECINCT EVENTS. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS MORNING? I JUST WANT TO TAG OFF OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID IN REGARDS TO OUR CITIZENS BEING HERE TODAY. YOU KNOW, AND WE RECEIVED THROUGH MISS VANDERLYN'S OFFICE, BASICALLY, IT WAS A REQUEST FOR 911 ADDRESS. AND ON THE APPLICATION, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WERE THINKING WHAT THEY WERE DOING, BUT THEY WROTE ON THEIR DATA CENTER. SO CALL WENT TO THE JUDGE. HOW DO WE HOW DO WE WANT TO ADDRESS THIS AND BE BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT ANY OF THESE ISSUES THAT COME INTO THIS COUNTY. SO THE JUDGE PUT IT IN THE PAPER THAT ONE HAD CAME AND DID AN APPLICATION. NOW, HAS IT GONE ANY FURTHER THAN THAT? I DON'T KNOW. MISS VANDERLYN IS GOING TO HAVE SOME WORDS REGARDING THAT, BUT THE THOUGHT AND THE AND THE HOPE IS THAT THIS. THIS WILL BE RECEIVED IN THIS MANNER. WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS MEETING UP HERE TODAY AND THEN TELL YOU ABOUT IT. WE TOLD YOU ABOUT IT AHEAD OF TIME, THAT THIS WAS A. THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE OUR PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR ON THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT DIRECTION ALL THIS IS GOING TO GO WHEN THE LEGISLATURE CONVENES, BUT WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD SUSPICION. BUT WE ARE JUST LIKE YOU GUYS. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR WELFARE AND OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY, OUR WATER, OUR POWER GRID. I JUST WANT TO ECHO THE SAME SENTIMENTS THAT MOST COURTS ACROSS THIS STATE, AND THERE ARE MANY THAT ARE WRITING RESOLUTIONS AND ASKING FOR A PAUSE FROM THE GOVERNOR AND FROM THE STATE TO LET LOOK AT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH THAN JUST PUTTING THIS ON US IN OUR, IN OUR IN OUR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. WE ALL LIVE HERE. WE'RE GOING TO LIVE AND DIE HERE. SO BUT WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT BECAUSE WE RUN OUT OF WATER AND WE DON'T WANT TO FREEZE TO DEATH IN THE WINTER BECAUSE OF ANOTHER AREA AND THERE'S NO POWER. SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU GUYS GOT THE WORD BEFORE THIS MEETING, AND I'LL STOP AND PAUSE WITH THAT. I'LL JUST TURN IT BACK TO YOU, JUDGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS MORNING? I DO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING OUR GRANDVIEW LADY, ZEBRAS, LADY ZEBRAS SOFTBALL TEAM. THERE WILL BE PLAYING IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IN AUSTIN ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. I WANT TO CONGRATULATE THEM AND WISH THEM GOOD LUCK. THEY'LL BE UP AGAINST OUR PARK THERE IN AUSTIN AT THE MCCOMBS FIELD IN AND AT 4:00 ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. SO WISH FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATE THEM FOR THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TRIP TO THE STATE FINALS AND WISH THEM LUCK DOWN IN AUSTIN AND UP AGAINST IOWA PARK. SO AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK FROM OUR COURT. SO GOOD. THANK YOU. YEAH, YEAH. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FOR SHARING. GRANDVIEW CONTINUES TO PUT JOHNSON COUNTY ON THE MAP. WE ARE GOING TO MOVE SLIGHTLY OUT OF ORDER. I WANT TO GET OUR CONSENT AGENDA TAKEN CARE OF 
          [00:05:04]
THIS MORNING. IT'LL TAKE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. AND THAT'S HOW WE PAY OUR BILLS. AND I'D LIKE TO 
          [CONSENT AGENDA]
START THE PROCESS UPSTAIRS OF THEM SENDING MONEY OUT THE DOOR TO PAY OUR BILLS. SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. TODAY'S CONSENT AGENDA CONSISTS OF ITEM C ONE THROUGH C 29. THESE ARE ITEMS THAT ARE NOT TYPICALLY DISCUSSED INDIVIDUALLY, BUT ARE ORDINARY HOUSEKEEPING MEASURES TO KEEP THINGS MOVING FORWARD. ANY ITEMS NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. THIS MORNING. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO BE REMOVED BUT COMMENT ON ONE. YES SIR. JUST LIKE CA16 REAPPOINTMENT OF DOCTOR ROBERT SHAW, M.D. AS THE JOHNSON COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR A TWO YEAR TERM, JUST LIKE TO PUBLICLY THANK HIM FOR HIS SERVICE SERVING AS OUR COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITIES. THIS IS PROBABLY HE STARTED RIGHT BEFORE COVID. YEAH, WE DRAFTED HIM RIGHT BEFORE THAT. ALL ALL HIT US. AND HE'S BEEN SERVING US WELL AND APPRECIATE HIS SERVICE. JUST WANT TO THANK HIM. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. AND THAT WAS DURING COVID. THERE WAS MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS FOR HIM. I KNOW, AND A LOT OF PAPERWORK. 
          YES, SIR. A LOT OF PAPERWORK. I THINK HE STAYED UP NIGHTS RETURNING ALL THAT PAPERWORK ON THE COVID ISSUE. AND THAT'S A HE VOLUNTEERS FOR THAT. THERE'S NO COMPENSATION. HE IS PAID. HE IS AN ANNUAL RETAINER, BUT IT'S NOT NEARLY WHAT HE'S WORTH. YEAH. WELL, HE HE SAVED A LOT OF LIVES DURING THAT TIME. THAT NEEDS TO BE NOTICED AND RECOGNIZED. YES. YEAH. HE ALSO DOES INSPECTIONS FOR MASS GATHERINGS AND WHERE WE USED TO NOT HAVE ANY OF THOSE. NOW WE HAVE ONE EVENT THAT HAPPENS ABOUT 25 TIMES A YEAR. AND HE WRITES REPORTS FOR THOSE AND ATTENDS OUR HEARINGS. HE CHECKS OUT THE SITE. HE HE DOES A LOT OF WORK AND HE DOES GOOD WORK FOR THE COUNTY. HE'S BEEN A FIXTURE OF JOHNSON COUNTY FOR A VERY LONG TIME, VERY LONG TIME. 
          WE APPRECIATE HIM, APPRECIATE HIM VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER ITEMS NEEDED, ANY SPECIAL ATTENTION? ALL RIGHT. THEN I WOULD CALL FOR A MOTION ON THE CONSENT AGENDA MOVE TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED. SECOND, I'VE GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WHITE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE, AYE. ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN. AND THE CONSENT AGENDA 
          [PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS (Part 2 of 2)]
CARRIES IN ITS ENTIRETY UNANIMOUSLY. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO BACK UP TO OUR PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS ITEM PA2 UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF MAJOR TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS BY JENNIFER VANDERLYN, OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR. MRS. VANDERLYN JUDGE COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE DO HAVE TWO DIFFERENT AVENUES OF INFORMATION THAT WE WANT TO PROVIDE TODAY, ONE BEING DEVELOPMENT RELATED AND THE SECOND BEING TRANSPORTATION RELATED. THE DEVELOPMENT RELATED ITEMS, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, ARE SPECIFIC TO DATA CENTERS. I DO HAVE AT THIS TIME NOW TWO DIFFERENT PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO THE COUNTY IN DIFFERENT MANNERS. THE FIRST PROJECT WE HAVE RECEIVED AN ADDRESS REQUEST THAT SAID IT WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR A DATA CENTER ALONG WITH A PERMIT APPLICATION. IT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 200 ACRES. THAT'S DISTURBED. THAT'S WHAT'S SHOWN ON THE APPLICATION. THERE ARE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES AND A CHURCH IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. I CAN PROVIDE THE LOCATION. IT'S ON HIGHWAY 171 BETWEEN COUNTY ROAD 1202 AND COUNTY ROAD 310. TXDOT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS WITH THIS APPLICANT SO THAT THE TRANSPORTATION RELATED ACCESS ISSUES ARE PERMITTED CORRECTLY. I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION RIGHT NOW. AS FOR THEIR SOURCE OF WATER OR ELECTRIC, OR THE DEMAND THAT WILL BE PLACED ON THE SYSTEM. BECAUSE OF THIS PROJECT, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IN THE AREA, ACCORDING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION, THAT UNITED COOPERATIVE SERVICES IS THE PROVIDER IN THE AREA AND THAT WHILE THERE IS NOT PUBLIC WATER AVAILABLE ON THE MAJORITY OF THIS PROPERTY, THERE ARE MULTIPLE PUBLIC WATER SOURCES NEARBY OR ADJOINING. PARKER CREST AND JOHNSON COUNTY SPECIAL UTILITY DISTRICT ARE A FEW WATER PROVIDERS. AGAIN, THAT PERMIT APPLICATION HAS COME THROUGH AND IS JUST FOR. 
          THEY SAY, GRADING. THEY HAVE PROVIDED A SITE PLAN THAT SHOWS FUTURE BUILDINGS. THE BUILDINGS ARE NOT LABELED AS DATA CENTERS. HOWEVER, THE ADDRESS REQUESTS THAT CAME IN SAYS THAT'S WHAT THE ADDRESS IS FOR. THE APPLICATION. INCLUDES INFORMATION FROM THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER, AS WELL AS A COMPANY THAT WOULD BE THE ONE COMPLETING THAT WORK. IF A PERMIT IS ISSUED, THIS PERMIT APPLICATION IS STILL IN THE REVIEW PROCESS. OUR COUNTY ENGINEER AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ARE COMPLYING WITH ALL OF THE REQUIRED TIMELINES SET FORTH BY THE STATE, SO THOSE ARE BEING REVIEWED. NO PERMIT HAS BEEN ISSUED, BUT AN 
          [00:10:05]
APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT HAS BEEN RECEIVED. THE SECOND PROJECT. WE RECEIVED AN ADDRESS REQUEST AGAIN THAT SAID THAT THIS WOULD BE FOR A DATA CENTER, AND WE HAVE RECEIVED A WORKING SITE PLAN, SO WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A DEVELOPMENT PERMIT APPLICATION FOR THIS PROPERTY, BUT WE HAVE RECEIVED A SITE PLAN THAT DOES SHOW BUILDINGS AND SERVICES LABELED FOR A DATA CENTER THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 1800 ACRES SHOWN ON THEIR SITE PLAN. THERE ARE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES THAT THAT WILL BE AFFECTED. THIS IS ON HIGHWAY 67 NEAR COUNTY ROAD 1120 AND COUNTY ROAD 1120 A. I DO NOT KNOW IF TXDOT HAS BEEN REACHED OUT TO BY THE APPLICANT. I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION. THIS IS THE MOST RECENT COMMUNICATION THAT I'VE RECEIVED ON THIS PROJECT, SO I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION. SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT TXDOT. 
          AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION FOR WHO THEY PLAN TO USE FOR THEIR WATER OR ELECTRIC SOURCE, OR THE IMPACT THAT WILL BE PLACED ON SERVICES. I CAN TELL YOU THAT PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION SHOWS THAT UNITED COOPERATIVE SERVICES IS THE ELECTRIC PROVIDER IN THAT AREA, AND THAT THERE IS NO PUBLIC WATER PROVIDED IN THAT AREA. AGAIN, THE INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN RECEIVED IS NOT BY THE PROPERTY OWNER, IT'S BY A COMPANY THAT IS WORKING OUT SOME OTHER AGREEMENT WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER. SO IN NEITHER OF THESE SITUATIONS HAVE WE BEEN CONTACTED BY THE APPLICANT, IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ONE WHO IS COMPLETING THE PROJECT. THEY HAVE TO HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH THAT PROPERTY OWNER TO BE ABLE TO SEND US PAPERWORK. BUT AGAIN, NO PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED AND ONLY ONE PROJECT HAS APPLIED FOR PERMITS. I WILL SAY FOR THE BENEFIT, NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE COURT BECAUSE YOU'RE AWARE, BUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOME OF OUR PUBLIC THAT ARE HERE AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE LISTENING OR WATCHING THIS VIDEO, THAT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE PERMITS, PERMITS FOR DEVELOPMENT RELATED ACTIVITIES, WHICH IS NOT JUST FOR BUILDINGS AS WELL AS SEPTIC PERMITS. SO WHAT WE WHAT WE REVIEW, ALONG WITH THE COUNTY ENGINEER, ARE THAT THE PERMIT REQUIREMENTS ARE MET BY THE AUTHORITY THAT'S GIVING, GIVEN TO US BY FEDERAL REGULATIONS, AS WELL AS STATE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, WATER AND HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE. ALL OF THOSE THINGS GO INTO OUR REVIEW. PERMITS ARE PROCESSED BY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, AND IF ALL OF THE REQUIREMENTS ARE MET, THEN THOSE PERMITS ARE ISSUED BY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES VERY SELDOMLY. DO I HAVE TO BRING VARIANCE REQUESTS TO THE COURT FOR A DEVELOPMENT PERMIT PERIODICALLY? THAT DOES HAPPEN. USUALLY IT'S RELATED TO ACREAGE OR ROAD FRONTAGE, BUT PERMIT APPLICATIONS ARE NOT PRESENTED TO THE COURT. IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THAT THE COURT HAS TO APPROVE. WE KEEP YOU APPRIZED OF WHAT APPLICATIONS WE RECEIVE AND WHAT PROJECTS ARE PROPOSED IN YOUR PRECINCTS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC KNEW PLATS COME TO COURT FOR APPROVAL. VARIANCES COME TO COURT FOR CONSIDERATION, BUT PERMIT APPLICATIONS DO NOT COME TO THIS COURT. NOR IS THE COUNTY A UTILITY PROVIDER. JOHNSON COUNTY GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ISSUE WATER METERS OR ELECTRIC METERS. WE'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THOSE SERVICES. WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE SURE THAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE. BUT SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, JOHNSON COUNTY SPECIAL UTILITY DISTRICT IS A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM JOHNSON COUNTY GOVERNMENT. JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS JOHNSON COUNTY IN THE NAME DOES NOT MEAN THAT THIS COURT OR MY DEPARTMENT IS ISSUING ANY OF THOSE SERVICES OR PERMITS FOR THOSE. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT EITHER OF THOSE PROJECTS? I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS TO CLARIFY FOR THE PUBLIC MORE THAN ANYTHING. BUT YOU MENTIONED ON BOTH OF THESE PROPOSALS THAT WE DON'T KNOW THE SOURCE OF WATER OR ELECTRICITY. I KNOW THAT'S TYPICALLY INFORMATION THAT IS INCLUDED IN A PLAT. SO CAN YOU IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. WE CAN REGULATE ACREAGE AND FRONTAGES DEPENDING ON WHAT THE WATER PROVIDER IS. AND INFRASTRUCTURE HAS TO BE COMPLETE BEFORE CERTAIN THINGS FOR LOTS CAN BE CONVEYED OR PERMITS ISSUED ON A PERMIT APPLICATION. IT DOES ASK WHO THE WATER PROVIDER IS. AGAIN, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME ACREAGE MINIMUMS DEPENDING ON IF IT'S 
          [00:15:04]
RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL AND WHAT PERMIT THOSE PROPERTIES WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR. AND BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY RECEIVED THE ONE APPLICATION FOR THE ONE PROJECT, AND BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT APPLYING FOR BUILDINGS RIGHT NOW, THEIR SITE PLAN SPECIFICALLY SAYS GRADING, THEY'VE NOT GIVEN US THAT INFORMATION. THAT IS SOMETHING WE WILL ASK BEFORE A PERMIT IS ISSUED, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE PROVIDED ON THE APPLICATION. BUT AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL IN THE REVIEW PROCESS, THERE MAY BE OTHER ITEMS ON THOSE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE NOT COMPLETED YET. THAT WILL BE BEFORE WE ISSUE A PERMIT. IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT THESE PROJECTS WILL NOT GO THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS? BECAUSE UNDER STATE LAW, PROPERTIES DO NOT NEED TO BE PLATTED. IF THEY'RE MORE THAN TEN ACRES, THEY'RE CORRECT. THE STATE HAS SET FORTH WHAT REQUIREMENTS WOULD APPLY IF A PLAT IS NECESSARY, AND WHEN A PLAT MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARY. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THOSE REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE NEITHER OF THESE PROJECTS IS SUBDIVIDING IN A MANNER THAT WOULD TRIGGER THOSE REQUIREMENTS. THEN OUR SUBDIVISION RULES AND REGULATIONS WON'T APPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PLATTING. SHOULD THE PROPERTY OWNERS CHOOSE TO PLAT, THEN THOSE REQUIREMENTS WOULD COME INTO PLAY. AND THEN ON THE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT SIDE, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE CONFLATE, YOU KNOW, IN CITIES YOU HAVE BUILDING PERMITS, AND THAT COMES WITH INSPECTIONS AND A HOST OF BUILDING REQUIREMENTS IN THE COUNTY, IN YOUR OFFICE DEVELOPMENT PERMITS. YOUR AUTHORITY IS DERIVED PRIMARILY FROM FEMA AND FLOOD CONTROL. IS THAT FAIR? YES, SIR. THAT IS CORRECT. BECAUSE OF THE FLOODPLAIN ORDERS THAT JOHNSON. LOOK AT THE STORMWATER RUNOFF FLOOD MITIGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT PROPERTIES AND PROJECTS ARE REASONABLY SAFE FROM FLOODING, AND THAT THEY DO NOT ADVERSELY IMPACT THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES, WHETHER THAT'S UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM. 
          WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR RIGHTS OF WAY, THAT TRANSPORTATION WON'T BE INTERRUPTED BECAUSE OF WATER RUNOFF, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. YOU ARE RIGHT. LEGISLATIVELY, WE DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT BUILDING INSPECTIONS. WE CAN CONDUCT SEPTIC INSPECTIONS WHERE WASTEWATER IS CONCERNED, AND WE CAN COMPLETE INVESTIGATIONS IN OTHER MATTERS. BUT WE DO NOT COMPLETE BUILDING INSPECTIONS. JUST LIKE LEGISLATIVE. WE LEGISLATIVELY WE DO NOT HAVE ZONING CONTROL OR LAND USE CONTROL. THANK YOU, MISS VANDERLINDE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? DO WE KNOW IF THE APPLICANT ACTUALLY IS THE OWNER OF THE REAL PROPERTY, OR ARE THEY ACTING PRIOR TO ANY TYPE OF REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION, OR ARE THEY THE OWNER? I CAN TELL YOU ON PROJECT NUMBER ONE FOR SURE THAT THE PERSON THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH ON THE SITE PLAN IS NOT THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER. THEY HAVE AN AGREEMENT THAT PROPERTY HAS NOT BEEN CONVEYED. AND IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, THEY WILL NOT CLOSE UNTIL THEY KNOW IF A PERMIT COULD BE ISSUED. SO THEY'RE ACTING AS AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER. ON THE SECOND PROJECT, THAT COMMUNICATOR HAS STATED THAT THEY ARE NOT THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER, BUT THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION AS WELL, THAT THEY ARE ACTING AS AN AUTHORIZED AGENT. SO WHOMEVER THE CURRENT PROPERTY OWNER IS, DOES HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN THE TRANSACTION FOR A PERMIT, EITHER APPLYING FOR THE PERMIT THEMSELF OR AUTHORIZING WHATEVER OTHER AGENT OR COMPANY TO, TO COMPLETE THOSE DOCUMENTS. 
          I WILL SAY ALSO THAT OUR COUNTY ENGINEER, MR. FRIEDRICH, HAS LOOKED OVER ALL OF THE PLANS. 
          SO IF YOU HAVE ANY PLAN, SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, THEN HE CAN HELP ANSWER THOSE. AND I'VE GOT ONE MORE FOLLOW UP THAT RELATED TO THE CONVERSATION YOU AND I HAD WHEN WE BECAME AWARE OF THIS APPLICATION. I'VE REQUESTED THAT YOUR OFFICE REACH OUT AND ASK FOR POWER USAGE INFORMATION, WATER USAGE INFORMATION, WASTEWATER DISCHARGE INFORMATION, AND TO SEE IF THE APPLICANT IS WILLING TO HOST A PUBLIC MEETING SO THAT THEY CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT I'M SURE THE PUBLIC HAVE THAT WE HAVE ABOUT THIS PROCESS. HAVE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS, OR HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY KIND OF RESPONSE AT THIS POINT? YES, 
          [00:20:01]
SIR. I HAVE EXTENDED AN INVITATION TO BOTH REPRESENTATIVES ASKING IF THEY WOULD BE AVAILABLE OR INTERESTED IN COMING AND MAKING A PRESENTATION TO THE COURT, SIMILAR TO WHAT SOME OTHER PROJECTS HAVE PROVIDED TO OUR COMMUNITY. I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE FIRST PROJECT. THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED AT ALL TO MY INQUIRY. THE SECOND PROJECT HAS STATED THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANY ACTIVITY OR COMMENCING ANY WORK ON THE GROUND, THAT THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT'S NECESSARY RIGHT NOW. I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY WOULD NECESSARILY DECLINE WHEN THEY'RE FURTHER INTO THE PROCESS. I FEEL LIKE THAT ONE PROBABLY IS COMPLETING SOME DUE DILIGENCE AT THIS POINT, AND MAYBE THAT'S WHY THEY ARE NOT MAKING THEMSELVES A LITTLE MORE AVAILABLE. BUT I HAVE EXTENDED THE INVITATION AND MADE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE PLANNING. THANK YOU, MISS VANDERLINDE. IF I MAY JUDGE A COUPLE OF COMMITTEES THAT I'M WORKING WITH IN REGARDS TO ALL OF THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE STATE, WORKING WITH THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, IT'S A LOBBYING GROUP OUT OF AUSTIN, AND THE CONCERNS ARE BEING RAISED NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE REALIZING THAT THESE HUGE INVESTMENTS FOR THESE MUD DISTRICTS THAT ARE COMING IN ACROSS THE STATE, WHERE THEY'RE BUILDING TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF OF ROOFTOPS AND COMMUNITIES, THEIR INVESTMENTS ARE BEING CHALLENGED BY THESE DATA CENTERS. AND, AND THE VERY, THE VERY THOUGHT THAT YOU BUILD 5000 HOMES AND YOU GET THEM SOLD AND PEOPLE LIVING IN THEM, THEN A DATA CENTER MOVES IN NEXT DOOR. THEY'RE STARTING TO GET THE GET THE PICTURE. SO THE, THE STRONG OPPOSITION TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN REGARDS TO MUD DISTRICTS IS THE TIDES ARE TURNING A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEY REALIZE THAT THEIR PROFITS AND THEIR SUCCESS IS BEING CHALLENGED AS WELL. SO THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE, MORE CONVERSATION IN THIS GROUP BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN THE SESSION BEGINS. BUT THEY TOO ARE ARE STARTING TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE, THEIR PROPERTIES ARE GOING TO BE IN JEOPARDY. AND THE LIVELIHOODS AND THE, AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE IS REALLY GOING TO BE IN QUESTION IN THESE, IN THESE DEVELOPMENTS. SO AS SLOW AS THE WHEEL OF GOVERNMENT TURNS AND THE DIRECT IMPACT THAT THAT LEGISLATION HAS HAD ON LOCAL. THE LAST TWO SESSIONS, WE REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO DOMINATE GOING FORWARD IN THIS SESSION, ESPECIALLY REGARDING PLANNING AUTHORITY. 
          BUT NOW THE, THE, THE, THE, THE FEAR OF, OF WHAT THIS MEANS TO THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND WHAT THIS MEANS TO 1700 1800 ACRES OF, OF, OF USABLE DEVELOPMENT SPACE AS OR FARMLAND, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO ADDRESS IT. IT'S BECOMING MORE OF A, MORE OF A REALITY BECAUSE NOW YOU'VE GOT COMPETITION, YOU GOT COMPETITION FOR LAND, YOU'VE GOT COMPETITION FOR PROFIT. SO WHERE YOU GOT THE BILLIONAIRES PLAYING WITH THE DATA GAMES? SO DO YOU HAVE THESE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE TRYING TO BUILD THEIR THEIR WEALTH AS WELL. SO IT'S GOING TO BECOME A STRUGGLE AND A POWER PLAY. AND IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING SESSION. BUT I JUST FELT LIKE IT. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST US AND THESE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE COMING IN LOOKING FOR ALL OF THIS HIGH GROUND. THEY'RE IN COMPETITION NOW WITH THIS. AND, AND HERE WE ARE HEARING ABOUT TWO TODAY. 
          BUT THE RUMOR HAS BEEN SEVERAL AROUND FOR FOR MONTHS, BUT NOBODY'S CAME FORTH UNTIL LAST WEEK TO ACTUALLY FILL OUT AN APPLICATION THAT DECLARED IT WAS GOING TO BE POSSIBLY A DATA CENTER. AND TO COMMISSIONER WOOLEY'S POINT, A LOT OF THESE PROPERTIES ARE BEING BOUGHT UP LIKE THIS, WITH THE HOPES THAT SOMEBODY WILL COME IN AND PURCHASE THEM. SO THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THERE'S GOING TO BE ONE BUILT THERE. IT'S JUST THAT'S THE IDEA. IF THEY CAN PROVIDE ALL OF THE RESOURCES, THE WATER AND THE POWER, IF THEY CAN FIGURE THAT OUT AND GET ALL THE HOMEWORK DONE AND SOMEBODY COME IN THERE AND BUILD A SMALL DATA CENTER BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE, THAT'S WHAT MOST OF THEM ARE LOOKING FOR. IT'S THE SAME THING WITH THESE DEVELOPERS, BUT THESE HYDROLOGY STUDIES WHERE YOU GO AND CIRCUMFERENCE OUT, AND I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THE DISTANCE IS, BUT IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SUSTAIN 5000 HOMES AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WATER IS THERE, THAT'S GREAT IF IT'S THERE. BUT NOW YOU GOT THAT DATA CENTER MOVING IN NEXT DOOR AND WHAT'S THAT DRAWDOWN RATE GOING TO BE ON IT THEN THAT'S THE MESSAGE THAT THAT THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO RELAY FROM THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION TO THE GOVERNOR AND SOME OF THAT. AS FAR AS THE HIGH USE CONSUMPTION AND WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN TO ALL OF US, EXISTING PROPERTIES AND FUTURE PROPERTIES THAT ARE WANTING TO BE BUILT IN THIS COUNTY. WE'RE ABOUT 22225 NOW IN POPULATION 225,000. BALLPARK. 
          [00:25:08]
WE'RE PROJECTED TO BE 375 000 PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY. ALL THOSE HOMES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE BUILT. ALL OF THAT COMPETITION IS IN JEOPARDY IN ALL OF THAT. AND ALL OF THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE THOSE PLANS ARE BEING CHALLENGED NOW. SO SO IT'S A GAME CHANGER. AND IT MAY BE TO ALL OUR BENEFITS THAT THAT THAT ACTUALLY GETS FOUGHT OUT AND LAID OUT BEFORE THE BEFORE ALL THE LEGISLATORS IN THIS NEXT SESSION. I JUST WANT TO PUT IT OUT THERE. I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE RAY OF HOPE HERE, BUT THERE'S NO GUARANTEE IN IT UNTIL WE GET TO THAT, TO THAT POINT. SO I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT WITH ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU. I WANT TO I WANT TO JUST FALL BACK. JUST A MINUTE. COMMISSIONER BAILEY MENTIONED, BUT EARLIER, COMMISSIONER WOOLLEY, WHEN HE ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER THIS WAS ACTUALLY THE LANDOWNER APPLYING FOR THE PERMIT OR SOMEBODY ELSE, AND THEN COMMISSIONER BAILEY MENTIONED AGAIN HOW THESE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, ARE PURCHASED OR BOUGHT OR TRADED. 
          AND THIS IS REALLY JUST FOR, I GUESS, FOR PUBLIC INTEREST. A LOT OF THESE DATA CENTERS, I'M REALLY SURPRISED THAT THEY EVEN PUT DATA CENTER ON THE PERMIT. AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE SO, I DON'T KNOW, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, SNEAKY, SECRETIVE, NOT TRANSPARENT. AND A LOT OF TIMES THERE MAY BE 5 OR 6 DIFFERENT. YOU MAY HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A CONSTRUCTION FRONT MAN, YOU KNOW, THEN HE'S WORKING FOR AN LLC AND LLC IS OWNED BY THIS CORPORATION. AND THAT CORPORATION IS SPLIT INTO SIX PIECES. AND THEY, THEY DILUTE WHO THE ACTUAL OWNERSHIP IS SO FAR THAT IT'S REALLY HARD A LOT OF TIMES TO EVEN TELL. AND THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF, OF THE EARLIER TALK ABOUT DATA CENTERS COMING IN, DATA CENTERS COMING IN SIMPLY BECAUSE A PIECE OF REAL ESTATE CHANGES HANDS AND AUTOMATICALLY. AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY PEOPLE SHOULD KIND OF WORRY ABOUT IT BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS. THEY SEND SOMEBODY OUT, BUY THE PROPERTY UP, THEN THAT PROPERTY GETS, LIKE I SAID, IT GETS IT GETS SO DILUTED IN THE LLCS AND THE CORPORATIONS AND THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. AND FINALLY, AT THE VERY END, WHEN YOU SEE THEM OUT THERE WITH BULLDOZERS, SOMEBODY SAYS, YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK THAT'S A DATA CENTER. AND THAT'S REALLY LITERALLY A LOT OF TIMES THE ONLY TIME PEOPLE KNOW UP FRONT WHAT'S GOING IN. AND LIKE I SAID, I'M SURPRISED THAT THEY WERE WILLING OR BRAVE ENOUGH TO PUT DATA CENTER ON THE PERMIT APPLICATION. WELL, AND TO BE FAIR, THE FIRST PROJECT DID NOT PUT IT ON THEIR APPLICATION. THEY PUT IT WITHIN THEIR ADDRESS REQUEST. SO YOU ARE CORRECT. A COMPANY WITH A GENERIC NAME, THEY DON'T PUT DATA CENTER IN THE NAME OF THEIR COMPANY. SO IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO TELL, EVEN IF IT'S ANY OTHER MANNER OF PROJECT. A COMPANY NAME IS SHOWN AS THE OWNER ON A DEED OF RECORD. THAT'S WHAT'S LISTED ON AN APPLICATION. IT'S A COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. 
          THEY CAN SAY IT'S A GENERIC NAMED BUSINESS AND THAT THEY'RE GOING TO LEASE OUT SPACE, WHATEVER MANNER OF INFORMATION THEY WANT TO PROVIDE US. I CAN'T APPROVE OR DENY PERMITS BASED ON THOSE THINGS, WHAT THE NAME OF THE PROJECT IS, OR THE TYPE OF PROJECT I HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY FALL WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF WATER RUNOFF AND THE THINGS THAT HAVE VERY SPECIFICALLY BEEN LAID OUT FOR US. SO AGAIN, BECAUSE THE FIRST PROJECT LISTED DATA CENTER IN THEIR ADDRESS REQUEST, THEN IT WAS VERY CLEAR WHAT THE INTENTION WAS. OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS, YEAR, HOWEVER LONG IT HAS BEEN, WE HAVE HAD OTHER ENTITIES OR COMPANIES REACH OUT AND ASK QUESTIONS. WE'VE HEARD PEOPLE REFER TO THEM AS TIRE KICKERS BEFORE, WHERE THEY JUST WANT TO KNOW IF A PROJECT GOT FAR ENOUGH ALONG, WHAT WOULD THE REQUIREMENTS BE? WE DON'T BRING EVERY ONE OF THOSE QUESTIONS TO THE COURT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS INQUIRING WHETHER IT'S AN RV PARK OR A MANUFACTURED HOME RENTAL COMMUNITY OR SELF-STORAGE. WE DON'T. BUT BECAUSE THESE ARE OF GREATER IMPACT AND CONCERN BECAUSE THEY'VE MADE IT THIS FAR INTO THE PROCESS, AND WE FEEL LIKE THEY MAY HAVE THE FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY MEET OUR PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. AS YOU STATED, COMMISSIONER BAILEY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT SPECIFICATIONS THEY LOOK FOR TO TARGET AREAS WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO PLACE THEIR PROJECTS, BUT WHATEVER THOSE ARE, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE TARGETED JOHNSON COUNTY, AND WE'RE DOING OUR BEST UNDER THE AUTHORITY THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT 
          [00:30:01]
THEY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO IMPOSE ON THEM. I WANT TO ADD A FINAL COMMENT TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT THE COUNTY HAS BEEN DOING TO THIS POINT. I THINK THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT WE HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DO AT THIS POINT, AND THEY'RE BOTH IN IN PROGRESS. 
          ONE IS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE HAVE CREATED A FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE AND THEN BEGUN THE PROCESS OF CREATING A FIRE CODE. NOW, THAT IS NOT A IT'S NOT A MAGIC WAND THAT MAKES UNWANTED DEVELOPMENTS GO AWAY, BUT IT DOES HOLD DEVELOPERS ACCOUNTABLE TO A HIGHER STANDARD. LAST YEAR, THE COMMISSIONERS COURT INSTRUCTED THE FIRE MARSHAL TO GO FORWARD TO BEGIN WORKING ON A PLAN AND HIRED A CONSULTANT TO ASSIST HIM WITH THE DRAFTING PROCESS SO THAT WE COULD DRAFT FIRE CODE AND BRING IT BACK TO THE PUBLIC SOMETIME THIS YEAR. IT'S NOT BEEN DONE YET. IT HASN'T BEEN BACK TO THE COURT SINCE THEN, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE SEEN OTHER COUNTIES HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH EITHER DELAYING OR ELIMINATING OR MODIFYING SOME OF THESE KINDS OF PROJECTS. THE OTHER THING THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, AND COMMISSIONER BAILEY HINTED AT, WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, WITH OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, WITH ANYBODY THAT WE CAN TALK TO ABOUT HOW TO PRESERVE LOCAL CONTROL FOR LOCAL ISSUES LIKE THESE. HELEN KERWIN, OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, HAS BEEN A CHAMPION ON THIS MATTER. SHE WAS IN OUR COURTROOM LAST MONTH AND SUPPORTED A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR ENHANCED LOCAL REGULATION. AND IF YOU ALL RECALL THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ASKING FOR, THE THINGS LIKE BEING ABLE TO REQUIRE PUBLIC HEARINGS OF DEVELOPERS THAT BUILD THESE KIND OF PROJECTS, AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OF POWER AND WATER AND DRAINAGE REQUIREMENTS OF WHERE ARE THEY GETTING THE WATER AND WHERE ARE THEY SENDING IT DOWNSTREAM IF THEY ARE SENDING IT DOWNSTREAM, THOSE THINGS HAVE TO CONTINUE. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH OUR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO TRY TO CREATE A FRAMEWORK THAT PROTECTS OUR CITIZENS. I FIND IT VERY UNLIKELY THAT THE STATE IS GOING TO COME OUT AND AUTHORIZE MORATORIA ON THESE KIND OF DEVELOPMENTS. THE STATE HAS BEEN VERY PRO DATA CENTER TO THIS POINT. AS OF NOVEMBER, GOVERNOR ABBOTT WAS CHAMPIONING A $40 BILLION DEVELOPMENT BY GOOGLE IN AI DATA CENTERS WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO I FIND IT UNLIKELY THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO SUPPORT COUNTIES ISSUING A MORATORIUM. WHEN HOOD COUNTY FLIRTED WITH THE IDEA OF ISSUING A MORATORIUM TWO MONTHS AGO, THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED BY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE STATE SENATE THAT THEY WOULD BE SUED BY THE STATE IF THEY MOVED FORWARD WITH IT, AS WELL AS SUED BY THE DEVELOPER, WHICH COST YOU GUYS TAX DOLLARS. AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CONSIDER AS WE MOVE FORWARD. WE WANT TO TAKE EVERY LEGAL MANNER TO PROTECT OUR EXISTING HOMEOWNERS AND THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO FEEL OUR WAY THROUGH THIS. THIS IS A SEA CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS IN THE COUNTY, THE SAME WAY THAT WE SAW A CHANGE IN DIRECT DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTY. WHEN ANNEXATION RULES CHANGED ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO. SO PRIOR TO THAT, ALL THE BIG NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALL THE BIG DEVELOPMENTS WERE BUILT IN CITY LIMITS, AND COUNTIES DEALT WITH LARGE PROPERTIES, RANCHES AND ESTATES. WHEN THE RULES CHANGED AND WE HAD TO ADAPT QUICKLY AND WE WORKED WITH THE STATE, WE WORKED WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WE CREATED OUR SUBDIVISION, UPDATED OUR SUBDIVISION RULES AND RESPONDED TO THAT. I THINK IT'S GONE WELL. AND I THINK THIS IS A CHANGE OF A SIMILAR SCOPE THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN 1800 ACRE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS TRYING TO PLANT IN THE COUNTY BEFORE. WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTS. AND SO NOW WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. AND I THINK STATE LAW DOESN'T COVER ENOUGH TO TO PROTECT US FROM THESE KIND OF DEVELOPMENTS, BECAUSE IT WAS UNFORESEEN 2 OR 3, FIVE YEARS AGO, WE NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT $1 BILLION DEVELOPMENT. LANDING IN JOHNSON COUNTY WASN'T REALLY ON OUR RADARS. AND NOW WE'RE TRYING TO ADAPT TO THAT. SO I WANTED TO ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON THIS. WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS. WE'RE NOT GOING OUT ROGUE AND TRYING TO REINVENT THE WHEEL, AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITHIN THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK THAT THE STATE HAS CREATED FOR COUNTIES, WHILE WORKING WITH THE STATE, TO IMPROVE THAT LEGAL FRAMEWORK MOVING FORWARD TO PROTECT ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. THIS IS POTENTIALLY THE FIRST AND SECOND OF MANY. WE DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF THESE THINGS WILL ACTUALLY BE BUILT OR NOT. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THERE'S A PRETTY HIGH FAILURE RATE. EVEN ONCE YOU GET TO THE PERMITTING SECTION PORTION OF THE PROCESS. 
          BUT HERE WE ARE. AND THIS IS FARTHER THAN WE'VE BEEN WITH ANY THAN WITH ANY OF THESE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PAST. AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR PART. AND PART OF THAT WAS ANNOUNCING THIS MEETING PUBLICLY AND HAVING A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT HERE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES COURT ACTION. THERE WON'T BE ANY COURT ACTION TODAY ON THIS BECAUSE WE'RE POSTED FOR A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. BUT WE DO THINK IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS DESERVE TO KNOW ABOUT AND DESERVE TO KNOW THAT IT IS IN THE WORKS. WITH THAT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE ANYONE LISTENING AND ANYBODY OUT THERE THAT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY GET INVOLVED WITH THE WITH SENDING LETTERS TO SENATOR KING OR ANY OTHER 
          [00:35:04]
REPRESENTATIVES. IF IF THESE INDEED ARE THE PATH THAT THEY ARE GOING TO ACQUIRE A BOND UP FRONT OF THESE DEVELOPERS THAT IF IN FACT IT FAILS FROM EITHER FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY OR LOSS OF RESOURCES, OR JUST IS TOO SMALL AND DOESN'T KEEP UP WITH THE GROWTH THAT THAT BECAUSE THIS WILL BE A COMPETITION AS WELL AT SOME POINT THAT IT JUST NOT END UP BEING THERE AS AN EYESORE OR A PUBLIC HAZARD WITH LITHIUM STORAGE, OR WITH ANY OF THE CONTAMINANTS THAT WILL BE WITHIN THAT FACILITY AND NOT REQUIRE COUNTIES TO ABATE THESE FACILITIES. TO ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN, THE STATE NEEDS TO TAKE THE STAND AND PROTECT ALL OF US UP FRONT WITH REQUIRING THAT BOND MEASURE PERIOD. SO I WOULD ASK ALL OF YOU TO ENCOURAGE YOU, IF WE CAN'T STOP THEM FROM COMING, AT LEAST STOP THEM FROM MELTING DOWN AND DETERIORATING AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU. AND FORCING THE COUNTY TO HAVE TO PAY TO CLEAN IT UP. 
          THAT'S RIGHT. TAXPAYERS. EXACTLY. SPEAKING OF OUR RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED A WHILE BACK, THERE'S ABOUT RIGHT AT 20 COUNTIES THAT HAVE DONE A SIMILAR RESOLUTION AT THIS POINT, WITH MORE EXPECTED THIS WEEK. SO THAT HAS GAINED SOME MOMENTUM. AND. THEY ALL SAY BASICALLY THE SAME THING. SLOW THIS THING DOWN. YOU KNOW, ESTABLISH A STATEWIDE MORATORIUM, PROVIDE MORE STUDY AT THE STATE LEVEL AND GIVE COUNTIES MORE AUTHORITY. AND SO IF YOU KNOW, IF THAT TREND CONTINUES, THAT WILL HAVE A BIGGER IMPACT. AS WELL AS THE WEST TEXAS REGION, WHICH IS OVER 100 COUNTIES, HAS ALREADY ADOPTED A RESOLUTION FROM THEIR ASSOCIATION. OUR NORTH AND EAST REGION 74 COUNTIES WILL ADOPT A SIMILAR RESOLUTION IN JULY, AND THEN THE SOUTH TEXAS REGION WILL CONSIDER ONE NEXT MONTH IN JUNE, AND ALL OF THOSE WILL BE CONSOLIDATED INTO A STATEWIDE RESOLUTION. AT OUR STATE ASSOCIATION MEETING IN OCTOBER. 
          SO AS FAR AS THAT WOULD BASICALLY SEND A MESSAGE FROM ALL 254 COUNTIES THAT WE NEED WE NEED HELP FROM THE STATE. WE NEED THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE STUDY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, 3 OR 4 YEARS AGO, WE'D NEVER HEARD OF A DATA CENTER. AND TEN YEARS AGO WE NEVER HEARD. WE NEVER HEARD OF COVID. AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED. AND THERE'S GOT TO BE MORE, MORE TIME SPENT AT THIS AT MULTIPLE LEVELS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MISS VANDERLIN. I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION. YES, WE DO HAVE A SECOND ITEM ON A TRANSPORTATION RELATED NOTE THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE. I'LL INVITE COUNTY ENGINEER MR. FRIEDRICH UP TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION. HARD TO FOLLOW THAT, BUT I DO HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS IN REGARDS TO THE TRANSPORTATION BOND PROGRAM. THE FOUR PROJECTS THAT WE AUTHORIZED FREESE AND NICHOLS TO BEGIN WORK ON HAVE STARTED ON, HAVE STARTED WORK. THEY BEGAN COLLECTING TRAFFIC DATA A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, RIGHT AFTER THE TASK AUTHORIZATION WAS APPROVED. THE THREE THERE'S TWO TWO FEASIBILITY STUDIES, AND THOSE SHOULD BOTH BE COMPLETED BY EARLY NEXT YEAR, FEBRUARY OF 27. THE. AND THAT IS THE GODLY. GODLY IMPROVEMENT. BASICALLY, HOW TO IMPROVE, HOW TO OPTIMIZE THE TRAFFIC FLOW AROUND GODLY. WITH THOSE TWO ROADS COMING IN AND INTERSECTING INTO HIGHWAY 171 ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS. THE OTHER ONE IS THE 35 AND 67 FEASIBILITY STUDY THAT IS LOOKING AT WHAT TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE, WHAT IMPACTS SOME SOME OTHER IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED WILL WHAT THE EFFECTS OF THOSE WILL BE AND HOW MUCH IMPROVEMENT WE CAN SEE OUT OF THAT. THAT SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. WE HAVE THE COUNTY ROAD 11, 19 AND 67 REALIGNMENT INTERSECTION. THAT SHOULD BE DONE EARLY NEXT YEAR, FEBRUARY, WITH SOME BUFFER BUILT IN, AND THEN THE ONE THAT WILL END UP TAKING THE LONGEST, BECAUSE THAT DOES HAVE A CONSTRUCTION ASPECT, IS THE RENFRO WIDENING REHAB PROJECT. 
          BUT THOSE ARE ALL UNDERWAY AND WE EXPECT TO SEE SOME PROGRESS ON THOSE SOON. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. MR. FRIEDRICH. I WOULD ADD I EXTENDED AN INVITATION TO FRIESEN NICHOLS LATE LAST WEEK 
          [00:40:06]
TO COME GIVE A FULL UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF THE BOND PROJECT, KIND OF AN FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF ACTUALLY FUNDING THE BOND THAT WILL OCCUR SOMETIME THIS SUMMER. AND I'VE WORKED WITH THEM ON. 
          WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM CURRENTLY. MR. FRIEDRICH IS WORKING WITH THEM CURRENTLY TO NAIL DOWN A DATE WHEN THEY CAN COME GIVE A FULL UPDATE TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE COURT. YEAH. 
          [PUBLIC PARTICIPATION]
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. FRIEDRICH. ALL RIGHT. WE ARE GOING TO MOVE TO PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. I'LL REMIND ALL MEMBERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN PUBLIC PARTICIPATION THAT YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE COURT. THE COURT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO COMMENTS MADE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ACTION POSTED ASSOCIATED WITH ANY ITEMS OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. THERE IS A TIMER BEHIND ME THAT I BELIEVE MR. MILAM IS ABOUT TO START. WE WOULD ASK YOU TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THAT TIME. IF IT HITS ZERO, FINISH YOUR THOUGHT. 
          YOU DON'T HAVE TO CUT OFF AND WALK AWAY IMMEDIATELY, BUT WE DO NEED TO SAVE TIME. I'VE GOT SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT THAT WANT TO SPEAK, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY GETS THEIR TIME TO DO SO. THE FIRST PERSON I HAVE SIGNED UP IS A MISS LAUREN DUCOMMUN. GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS LAUREN DUCOMMUN AND I LIVE ON A MULTI-GENERATIONAL RANCH IN GRANDVIEW, TEXAS. MY FAMILY HAS FARMED ALONG FM 916 FOR OVER 150 YEARS. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE SHARED SO FAR. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT. I'M HERE TODAY JUST TO ASK IF THESE PERMITS ARE APPROVED TO CONSIDER A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT IN JOHNSON COUNTY. UNTIL PROPER STUDIES AND STANDARDS CAN BE PUT IN PLACE, THESE DEVELOPMENTS ARE OFTEN PRESENTED AS LOW IMPACT AND BENEFICIAL. BUT IN RURAL AREAS LIKE OURS, THEY CAN PERMANENTLY ALTER THE LANDSCAPE AND PLACE MAJOR DEMANDS ON COUNTY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES BEFORE PROJECTS OF THIS SCALE MOVE FORWARD, I BELIEVE JOHNSON COUNTY DESERVES TIME TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON OUR WATERWAYS. VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, LIKE YOU'VE MENTIONED, YOU'RE DOING ROADS, AIR QUALITY WILDLIFE AND THE WELL-BEING OF NEIGHBORING PROPERTY OWNERS. PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER HOW THIS WOULD IMPACT FAMILIES FINANCIALLY. LARGE CORPORATIONS CAN TAKE RISKS THAT MANY RURAL FAMILIES IN JOHNSON COUNTY CANNOT. RISING UTILITY COSTS, INFRASTRUCTURE STRAIN AND INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION AFFECT REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT THEIR HOUSEHOLDS AND KEEP THEIR LAND. OUR RANCHES, FARMS, PRAIRIES AND PASTURES ARE A PART OF OUR COUNTY'S ECONOMY, HERITAGE AND IDENTITY. LARGE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WOULD PERMANENTLY CHANGE THAT. THE LOSS OF GRASSLAND, INCREASED LIGHT POLLUTION, CONSTANT NOISE AND POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FROM THESE DEVELOPMENTS WOULD NOT BE EASILY REVERSED. OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTY. HILL COUNTY HAS INTRODUCED A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT TO ALLOW TIME TO COMPLETE THESE STUDIES AND TO SEE THE IMPACTS ON THEIR NEIGHBORS. WITH THE JOHNSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, PLEASE CONSIDER DOING THE SAME OR CONSIDER FORMING. I'VE HEARD OF A 391 COMMISSION, AND YOU CAN FORM THAT WITH LIKE HILL OR COUNTIES OR OTHER INTERESTED COUNTIES. I AM NOT FULLY AGAINST DATA CENTERS, BUT I WANT TO ENSURE THAT IF THEY HAVE TO COME TO JOHNSON COUNTY, THEY ARE BUILT RESPONSIBLY, LIKE YOU GUYS ARE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT, WITH PROPER PLANNING AND PROTECTIONS IN PLACE BEFORE IRREVERSIBLE DECISIONS ARE MADE AROUND MY AREA. AS FARMERS ARE RETIRING, THE LANDS ARE COMING UP FOR SALE AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE CHANGING HANDS REAL FAST AS THEY RETIRE, INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY. SO WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE AND WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT LIKE TEXAS AG COMMISSIONER SID MILLER IS ADVOCATING FOR A STATEWIDE PAUSE ON DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. AND I'VE HEARD LAWMAKERS IN WASHINGTON ARE INTRODUCING LEGISLATION CALLING FOR TEMPORARY PAUSE ON CERTAIN EXPANSION EFFORTS AS WELL. SO THE CONVERSATION SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND IF WE HAVE A MORATORIUM, IT WOULD COMMUNICATE TO THE STATE POTENTIALLY THAT, HEY, THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH THEM. SO YOU'RE CONSTITUENTS ARE HERE BECAUSE WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF JOHNSON COUNTY LIKE YOU DO. AND I WANT FUTURE GENERATIONS TO STILL, STILL SEE RANCHES, LIVESTOCK, BIRDS, PRAIRIES, AND HAVE FARMLAND AND CLEAN DRINKING WATER HERE 150 YEARS FROM NOW. AND I THINK WE ALL DO. WE NEED TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS WISELY AND BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THE LAND THAT WE LIVE ON, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO DO THIS RIGHT, AS YOU ALL ARE CONSIDERING ALREADY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU MA'AM. CHRIS OLDHAM. GOOD MORNING, JUDGE AND COMMISSIONERS. I'VE WRITTEN A SPEECH THIS MORNING I WANTED TO GIVE TO YOU, BUT I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE COMMENTARY THIS MORNING. THE ACTIVITY HERE. AND I'VE DECIDED I DON'T WANT TO DO IT. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY I'M HIGHLY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COURT'S APPROACH TO THIS TRANSPARENCY. THIS MORNING WAS AMAZING. I'M REALLY GLAD THAT YOU CAME FORTH, TOLD US SOME ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING, PARTICULARLY THE PERMITTING PART OF IT WAS VERY INTERESTING. I'M A CANDIDATE FOR DISTRICT 58, 
          [00:45:07]
HOUSE DISTRICT 58, AND THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. AND I THINK IN OUR COUNTY AND OUR DISTRICT, THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FROM DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES IS, IS FRIGHTENING. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. I GUESS IN LIEU OF MY SPEECH, WHAT I REALLY WANT TO SAY IS I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING. I HOPE THAT YOU'RE SUCCESSFUL IN AT LEAST PAUSING OR SLOWING DOWN THESE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTS UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THE IMPACTS OF THEY THEY ARE ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY WATER AND ELECTRICITY. JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND JUST KNOW THAT IN THE LEGISLATURE, I'M GOING TO BE FIGHTING, WHETHER ELECTED OR NOT, TO INCREASE COUNTY POWER IN TERMS OF REGULATING THESE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENT. IT'S ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO ME THAT COUNTIES HAVE A VERY LIMITED POWER TO ENFORCE WHAT THEIR CONSTITUENTS WANT THEM TO ENFORCE. SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE WE WE MUST CHANGE. WE NEED TO PUT THE SKIDS ON THESE KINDS OF DEVELOPMENTS MOVING SO QUICKLY THAT WE'RE NOT EVEN AWARE OF WHAT THE FUTURE IMPACTS WILL BE. 
          APPRECIATE THE TIME TODAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. NEXT I HAVE A PATRICIA HARTIS. I'M DEFINITELY NOT TOGETHER LIKE THEY ARE. THEY WERE VERY GOOD. MR. BAILEY. 
          I AM THE MOTHER OF THAT LITTLE GIRL THAT ASKED YOU TO PLEASE HELP US WITH OUR DRIVEWAY IN 1986, I BELIEVE IT WAS. AND ALL WE ASKED FOR THEN WAS ANY DIRT AND GRAVEL YOU COULD JUST THROW ON THAT ROAD. IT WOULD HELP US OUT. AND WE WERE TOLD NO. AND HERE WE HAVE THESE MILLIONAIRES COMING IN HERE AND ASKING FOR ABATEMENTS FOR MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND SO THE ONLY THING I'M ASKING TODAY IS JUST SAY NO TO ABATEMENTS, BECAUSE THOSE ABATEMENTS IS WHAT'S DRAWING THEM INTO THESE COUNTIES. I MEAN, I KNOW SCHOOLS AND THINGS THEY SAY ARE GOING TO BENEFIT THAT, BUT WE DON'T NEED THEIR HELP. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR SCHOOLS AND WE TAKE CARE OF OUR ROADS. THEY MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT, BUT WE KIND OF LIKE OUR OUR WAY OF LIFE HERE. 
          AND I KNOW THAT ONCE THOSE DATA CENTERS COME IN, OUR WAY OF LIFE IS GONE. I'VE GONE TO TO ABILENE AND I SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN THERE. I WENT TO WHITNEY AND I SEE THE I MEAN, THE DESTRUCTION THAT IS GOING ON. AND THIS DATA CENTER OVER ON 67, ARE THEY GOING TO USE THE LAKE TO GET RID OF THEIR WATER? YOU DON'T KNOW, BUT THEY'RE ALWAYS BUILDING ON LAKES AND WATERWAYS. SO THEY CAN JUST THROW THEIR STUFF IN THERE AND GO ON, BECAUSE NOBODY'S REALLY GOING TO BE WATCHING THEM. AND WHAT IS A FINE TO THEM? THEY'VE GOT MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. THEY DON'T CARE IF YOU FIND THEM. AND I ALL I ASK IS DON'T GIVE THEM ABATEMENTS. TAKE CARE OF US. WE ARE YOUR PEOPLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          MA'AM, I THINK I CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE THE COURT HAS NEVER GRANTED AN ABATEMENT TO A DATA CENTER, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANY ACTION RELATED TO THAT ON THIS OR ANY FUTURE AGENDA AS OF THIS TIME. I THINK THAT'S ALL I CAN GET AWAY WITH SAYING BECAUSE WE'RE IN PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          I DIDN'T COME INTO OFFICE TILL 2009, SO I'M NOT SURE WHO SAID NO. ALL RIGHT. SORRY. THANK YOU COMMISSIONER. ALL RIGHT. JERRY FINLEY. SORRY, I HATE TALKING IN PUBLIC. I'M NOT A RANCHER. 
          I'M JUST A CITIZEN. SPENT 43 YEARS IN THE GOVERNMENT. AND SAD TO ADMIT THAT, BUT I RETIRED FROM THE NAVY IN CALIFORNIA, GOT PRICED OUT, CAME BACK TO TEXAS, WHERE I WAS BORN AND RAISED, AND DECIDED THIS IS WHERE I WANTED TO DIE. NOW I'M LOOKING AT MOVING AGAIN BECAUSE NOT YOU PERSONALLY, BUT WE'RE ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN. NOW. THAT DATA CENTER THAT'S 200 ACRES IS LITERALLY THREE MILES FROM MY HOUSE. THAT AREA RIGHT THERE, IT'S MARTY CHARLEY'S PROPERTY. 1 TO 5 MILLION GALLONS A DAY IS WHAT A 200 ACRE DATA CENTER USES. I HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING WATER TO MY HOUSE NOW FROM JOHNSON COUNTY, LET ALONE LETTING 
          [00:50:02]
SOMEBODY COME IN AND TAKE 1 MILLION GALLONS A DAY, DEPENDING ON A CLOSED LOOP OR OPEN LOOP SYSTEM. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THAT'S ABOUT 23MW OF POWER THEY'RE GOING TO NEED EVERY DAY. 
          JOHNSON. I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT ELECTRIC COMPANY HERE, BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY COMPANY THERE IS. I'M JUST ASKING YOU GUYS, AS OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO PLEASE TAKE CARE OF US. I RELY UPON THE PEOPLE THAT I VOTE FOR TO BE ACTUALLY MY REPRESENTATIVE. 
          I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU'RE NOT, BUT I WANT TO BELIEVE IN EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL HAVE. I'M LOOKING FOR MR. WILLIE. WHO'S MR. WILLIE? OKAY, MR. WILLIE'S MY GUY. I, I LEFT CALIFORNIA, LIKE I SAID, ON A BAD TASTE BECAUSE I, I DID GET PRICED OUT. AND LIKE I SAID, NOW IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. MY TAXES KEEP GOING UP. EVERYBODY'S TAXES ARE GOING UP. I WANT TO STAY HERE. 
          BUT MY WIFE, WHO IS THE BOSS, IS SAYING THAT WE'RE LEAVING IF THIS HAPPENS. SO PLEASE, I'M ASKING THAT YOU GUYS TAKE CARE OF US. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. FONZY BUSTILLO. HELLO, EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TODAY. SO I'M ONE OF THE LAST THAT WAS BORN AT THIS OLD HOSPITAL RIGHT DOWN THE STREET. THIS IS MY HOMETOWN. THESE ARE MY PEOPLE THAT ARE STANDING BEHIND ME. AND EVERYBODY THAT'S UP HERE. WE HAVE VOTED FOR YOU GUYS TO STAND HERE AND SPEAK FOR US, FOUGHT FOR US, AND DEFEND US. ONE, WE'RE SAYING NO, JUST FLAT OUT NO. IF SOMEBODY CAN'T COME AND STAND AND LOOK AT YOU IN YOUR EYE, MY GRANNY HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY'RE A LIAR. 
          THEY'RE LYING. IF THEY CAN'T LOOK YOU IN THE EYE. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY QUESTIONS THAT SHE WAS ASKED AND SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO BECAUSE THEY DON'T TELL HER WE NEED THEM ANSWERS. WHATEVER IT TAKES TO CONTINUE TO DRAW THIS OUT FOR ETERNITY, DRAW IT OUT. 
          WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE WATER CONSUMPTION IS GOING TO BE WHAT THEY SAY. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS. AND AND WE'RE ALREADY RESTRICTED WITH WHAT WE HAVE HERE AND THEN TRYING TO BUY FROM OTHER PLACES. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO GO ON WITH OUR ELECTRIC GRID. WE DON'T HAVE IT. AND OUR BILLS CONTINUE TO GO UP ALONG WITH WHEN THIS IS BUILT, WHEN THE OTHERS ARE BUILT, WHAT DO YOU THINK'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO PROPERTY TAXES? DO YOU THINK OUR PROPERTY TAXES ARE GOING TO GO DOWN BECAUSE OF THAT? NO, EVERYTHING IS GOING TO RAISE. 
          SO ONE. WE'RE SAYING NO FLAT OUT, BUT TWO, IF THIS IS ALLOWED SOMEHOW. THEY'RE PAYING FOR IT. THEY'RE PAYING FOR EVERYTHING. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING IN PLACE TO MAKE IT WORTH OUR WHILE FOR WHAT THEY'RE FIXING TO DO TO US. THEY NEED TO PAY FOR ALL OF OUR PROPERTY TAXES FOR LIFE. THEY HAVE THE MONEY FOR IT. IF THEY HAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO COME IN AND BUILD ALL THESE, THEY CAN PAY OUR PROPERTY TAXES TO MAKE IT WORTH WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO US TWO? WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS WATER THAT'S COMING BACK OUT OF THESE FACILITIES? WE DON'T BELIEVE, EVEN FOR A SMALL AMOUNT, THAT IT'S SOMEHOW NOT GOING TO AFFECT OUR OWN RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. I DO HAVE ONE OF THE OLDEST FARMS IN THIS AREA. IT'S IT'S NOT BIG, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST FARMS IN THE AREA. AND THEN I THINK WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY ANIMALS, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE GRASSES, THE HAY FIELDS? WE'VE ALREADY SEEN ALL THIS GOING ON. AND THIS IS A SMALL TOWN. THIS IS A SMALL FARMER RANCHER TOWN. WE DON'T WANT TO SEE IT WITH ALL THESE DATA CENTERS ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND WE DON'T WANT TO ANNEX WHERE SOMETHING LIKE THIS CAN EVEN BE BUILT THERE. IT'S FARMLAND, NOT EVEN RESIDENTIAL TOP LAND. SO THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BUT WE THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING, NO, THANK YOU. BRANDON FINLEY. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. AS IT PLEASES THE COURT, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRANSPARENCY WITH US AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS. I, I AM A LICENSED WATER WASTEWATER OPERATOR IN OUR AREA, AND THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE. WE DO NOT HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN MOST OF OUR SYSTEMS TO HANDLE 1 TO 5 MILLION GALLONS A DAY. I ASK THAT WE SPEAK TO THE HOOD COUNTY COUNCIL AND COURT, AND KIND OF WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THEM ON MOVING FORWARD AND PAUSING THE CONSTRUCTION OF ALL DATA CENTER PERMITS. AND I 
          [00:55:01]
WOULD JUST LIKE TO THE CONTINUED TRANSPARENCY. THIS IS VERY GREAT, I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. JOSHUA RENDON. GOOD MORNING JUDGE. GOOD MORNING COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SERVICE AND TIME TODAY AND YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND LISTENING TO THE CITIZENS AND LISTENING TO THE PROS AND, AND THE CONS AND, AND WHAT NOT. BUT MY NAME, JOSHUA RENDON. I'M A NEWLY ELECTED CITY COUNCILMAN IN ALVARADO, SO I'M HERE TO VOICE THE CONCERNS FOR A LOT OF THE CITIZENS OF OUR TOWN THAT I'VE MET PERSONALLY AND TALKED TO RECENTLY CAMPAIGNING, TALKING TO FARMERS, TALKING TO PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. AND IT SEEMS LIKE THE CONSENSUS HERE AND AMONGST THE CITIZENS IS LIKE THIS GENTLEMAN SAID. AND THAT'S THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, MOTIVATES AND DRIVES THE CITIZENS TO, TO HOPEFULLY GET MORE INVOLVED. AND A LOT OF THEM WAS LIKE, WHY ARE YOU HAVING A 9:00 MEETING WHEN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EITHER USE YOUR PTO TO BE AT THIS MEETING OR PTO TO BE WITH YOUR FAMILY OR SOMETHING. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL THEM TO THAT, BUT IT IS POSTED, YOU KNOW, IN ADVANCE. AND I JUST WANT TO COMMEND YOU GUYS ALSO FOR TAKING THE STANCE AGAINST THE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHEN YOU ASKED IF THEY COULD COME AND PRESENT AND NO ANSWER. IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, TAKING EVERY LEGAL LOOPHOLE THAT THEY CAN TO JUST KIND OF, YOU KNOW, PUSH IT TO THE SIDE, NOT BE TRANSPARENT AND NOT COMMUNICATE. AND THAT IS A BIG SIGN AND A BIG RED FLAG RIGHT AWAY. RIGHT. A QUESTION I HAD WHEN YOU WERE SAYING THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATE IN A IN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A FORUM LIKE WE HAD, WHAT, TWO WEEKS AGO OR SOMETHING? IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD GET SOME TYPE OF REPRESENTATIVE FROM A DATA CENTER OR IN HERE THAT SIDE SO WE CAN, YOU KNOW, TRULY KNOW MORE THE DETAILS FROM EXPERTS, RIGHT? IS THAT WOULD THAT BE A POSSIBILITY? I THINK YES, I THINK THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. I THINK WE HAVE, THROUGH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, EXTENDED THAT APPLICATION TO THE TWO DEVELOPMENT OR POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS THAT SHE REFERENCED. BUT ABSOLUTELY, I THINK THIS IS A PUBLIC FORUM FOR FOR THESE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS. IN OUR RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED, WE BASICALLY HAVE MADE THAT A REQUIREMENT FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AS WELL. YET THAT STILL GOT, YOU KNOW, AS COMMISSIONER WOOLLEY WAS REFERRING TO ALL THE DIFFERENT REGIONS AROUND THE STATES. WE WERE ALL ADOPTING A RESOLUTION THAT SAYS WE ARE IN OPPOSITION, AND THESE ARE THESE ARE THE GUIDELINES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO TO SEE. YEAH. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOING TO TAKE ALL OF US, IT REALLY WILL TO, TO, TO, TO MAKE ANY KIND OF AN IMPACT DURING THE SESSION TO GET SOME SORT OF REPRESENTATION. YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT THAT COMMENT AND I'VE, AND I'VE HAD, I'VE HEARD FROM OTHERS AND I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SAY THIS, THE, THE REALITY IS, IS WE'VE HEARD ALL THE NEGATIVE. ARE WE READY FOR THE FACTS? BECAUSE THE FACTS MAY DIFFER COMPLETELY FROM WHAT ANYBODY WANTS TO HEAR. SO I'VE BEEN TOLD BY ONE, ONE PERSON THAT COULD COME AND TALK, BUT HE SAYS THAT HE TRIED THAT ONE PLACE. I WON'T TELL YOU WHERE IT WAS LOCALLY. AND HE DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WAS GOING TO GET OUT OF THERE ALIVE. HE WAS VERY, VERY CHALLENGED BECAUSE BASICALLY HE DID NOT SAY WHAT THE PEOPLE WANTED HIM TO SAY. SO. SO I WOULD JUST TELL YOU THIS WHEN AND IF THAT DAY COMES, A NEUTRAL REPRESENTATIVE, SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, HOPEFULLY IS WHAT WE WILL HAVE BECAUSE THEY ARE COMING. NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THAT. WE CAN PUT UP MORATORIUMS. WHICH HILL COUNTY IS ALREADY BEING CHALLENGED. HOOD COUNTY WAS CHALLENGED, BUT THEN THE BRA GOT INVOLVED WITH HOOD COUNTY. SO IT'S A DIFFERENT ANIMAL. WE DON'T HAVE THAT HERE. SO BUT THERE'S SO MANY SO MANY UNKNOWNS. WE ALL WANT FACTS. WE ALL, WE ALL ARE ARE NERVOUS AND SCARED ABOUT WATER AND, AND THE POWER. EVERYBODY ON THIS COURT, WE LIVE HERE TOO. WE THIS, THIS. I NEVER SEEN MYSELF SITTING HERE YEARS AGO. I LIKE YOU, I 
          [01:00:04]
GOT I GOT CONCERNED ABOUT THINGS IN THIS COUNTY. AND SO HERE WE ARE. BUT WE'RE STILL CONCERNED. AND WE HEAR YOUR VOICES LOUD AND CLEAR BECAUSE WE'RE ONE OF THEM. BUT THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IS WITH YOUR HELP IN AUSTIN. AND THAT MEANS WRITING THOSE LETTERS. BECAUSE COMING UP, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOUR MESSAGE DOWN. BUT BELIEVE ME, PEOPLE, IT COMES BETTER FROM THE CITIZENS THAT ELECT THIS MAN HERE OR MISS HELEN KERWIN OR MR. KING, PHIL KING, SENATOR, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR YOUR VOICES. COMING HERE IS GREAT. TAKING THE TIME TO COME IN AT 9 A.M. THAT'S WHEN IT'S BEEN POSTED HERE. I HEAR THOSE ARGUMENTS FROM PEOPLE, TOO. THEY WOULD LIKE US TO HAVE LIKE, LIKE THE CITY COUNCILS IN THE EVENING. THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES ON HERE, OF COURSE, BUT BUT BUT THIS IS THIS IS THE PLATFORM THAT WE HAVE HERE. NOW, I WILL JUST I WILL JUST ECHO. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME HERE BECAUSE MISS VANDERLINDE IS GOING TO IS GOING TO SAY, HEY, CAN YOU COME AND TALK TO US? WE NEED YOU TO COME AND TALK TO US. AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO PROBABLY GIVE THAT PERMIT UNTIL WE GET SOMEBODY UP HERE. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE CHALLENGED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T JUST JUMP THROUGH HOOPS TO DO THIS. I'M GOING TO STOP THERE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET NEGATIVE BACK TO WHERE WE'RE AT. WE NEED POSITIVE RESULTS. WE NEED WE NEED FACTS. WE'RE ALL LIVING IN FEAR OF THIS, BUT WE DON'T NEED FEAR DRIVEN PRESENTATIONS. WE NEED NEUTRAL PRESENTATIONS. WE NEED SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS THE BUSINESS, THAT KNOWS THE PROS AND THE CONS, WHAT THE CLOSED LOOP REPRESENTS, WHAT THE FAILURE RATES ARE, BUT THAT THOSE ARE THE MESSAGES THAT WE'RE TAKING, AND THOSE ARE THE MESSAGES THAT WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT ALL OF YOU ON WHAT WE DO. EXACTLY, I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          THANK YOU. AND I GUESS JUST IN CONCLUSION, I KNOW THAT THE SECOND PROPOSED SITE, DID YOU SAY 1100 ACRES, 1800 ACRES, 1800 ACRES, AND THAT'S OFF 67 KNOWN AS THE HOMESTEADS, IS THAT OR NO, THAT. OKAY, SO 1800 ACRES OFF 67. I GOT YOU. OKAY. WELL, THAT'S A FEW OF OUR CONCERNS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO TO WORK TO MOVE THINGS FORWARD. I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS TIME AND YOU ALL ENJOY THE DAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, STEVE NUNLEY. 
          GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALLOWING US, THE PEOPLE, THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK OPENLY WITHOUT RESERVATION. AS WE KNOW, THE DATA CENTER SITUATION IS A SERIOUS MATTER. AND NOT ONLY HAS IT BECOME A LOCAL ISSUE OR STATE ISSUE, BUT ALSO A NATIONWIDE ISSUE. TAKE FOR INSTANCE UP IN UTAH, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE CONSIDERING A 67 SQUARE MILE DATA CENTER COUPLED UP WITH A 67 SQUARE MILE SOLAR FARM? THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW? IT'S ON HOLD FOR THE TIME BEING. SO GOING BACK TO THE BASICS, THE LOGISTICS, OKAY, WHEN WE LOOK AT IN A AND I APPRECIATE YOU, JUDGE BITTAKER FOR MENTIONING, OH, THIS PARTICULAR PROPOSED DATA CENTER IS IN UNITED ELECTRIC CO-OPS DISTRICT. 
          THERE'S MANY OF US IN THIS COUNTY THAT ARE ON UNITED ELECTRIC CO-OP, MYSELF INCLUDED, PROBABLY A LOT OF FOLKS HERE IN THE ROOM. I'M PERSONALLY FAMILIAR WITH ONE OF THE ENGINEERS THAT WAS IN CHARGE OF THE MAIN GENERATION STATION. HE HAD EVERYTHING WORKING BACK IN ICE MAGEDDON AND IT FAILED. AND TYPICALLY WHEN YOU, AS WE ALL KNOW, WHEN YOU TRY TO PULL TOO MANY WATTS FROM A GENERATOR THAT CANNOT PRODUCE THOSE WATTS, THEN YOU HAVE A BIG PROBLEM. 
          WHERE IS THE MEGAWATTS GOING TO COME FROM? UNITED DOESN'T HAVE. NEITHER DOES BRAZOS ELECTRIC. 
          THEY DON'T HAVE THE GENERATION CAPACITY. IT'S NOT THERE. WATER. ANOTHER LOGISTICAL PROBLEM. YOU KNOW, BETHESDA, WE'VE GROWN SO MUCH. NOW THEY HAVE A PIPE GOING FROM EAGLE MOUNTAIN LAKE THAT SUPPLIES THE BETHESDA WATER WELLS. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WATER IN THE GROUND TO SUPPLY SOMETHING LIKE THIS. LOGISTICALLY, THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S A GOOD FIT. THAT'S JUST MY THINKING. YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS, YOU'RE THE COMMISSIONER COURT. BUT I'M JUST ONE OF MANY 
          [01:05:06]
HERE IN THE COUNTY. I HAVE RESERVATIONS WHEN WE LOOK AT. LOCAL VERSUS STATE, YOU KNOW, WHO WHO HAS THE UPPER HAND HERE? THE FINAL SAY LOCAL OR STATE IS A STATE GOING TO DICTATE TO THE LOCAL. I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THAT MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK AT FEDERALISM, YOU KNOW, THAT HAS BEEN MADE ILLEGAL IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. YOU KNOW, IS IT RIGHT FOR THE STATE TO TELL US, THE LOCAL WHAT TO DO WHEN IT AFFECTS US? JUST A THOUGHT. 
          WHEN WE LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THESE DATA CENTERS, WHAT'S THE REAL MOTIVE? I'M JUST ASKING. 
          I'M NOT SURE. IN CLOSING, YOU KNOW, AN OLD REALTOR TOLD ME MANY YEARS AGO AND OTHER AGENTS, AND IT WAS A FARM AND RANCH BROKER. HE SAID, GUYS, IF IT DON'T FIT, DON'T JAM IT. THAT IS THE COMMENT THAT I'D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH YOU. FURTHERMORE, IS THE JUICE REALLY WORTH THE SQUEEZE HERE? IS IT REALLY JUST A THOUGHT? THAT'S MY $0.02 WORTH OR WHATEVER IT'S WORTH. 
          BUT WHO'S GOING TO PAY? IS OUR ELECTRIC BILL GOING TO GO UP? IS OUR WATER BILL GOING UP? GOING UP. I MEAN, ALREADY OUR ELECTRICITY IS WAY TOO HIGH. ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THOSE ARE ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL PARTICIPATING. I WILL NOTE FOR ANYONE THAT COULDN'T BE HERE BECAUSE WE ARE DURING THE WORK DAY, OR IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY THAT COULDN'T BE HERE, ALL THESE MEETINGS ARE RECORDED. THEY'RE BROADCAST LIVE ON OUR WEBSITE. THEY'RE ALSO STORED ON OUR WEBSITE. SO YOU CAN GO BACK AND WATCH OUR MEETINGS AT ANY POINT AND JUMP TO HERE INFORMATION ON ANY OF THE ITEMS THAT WE COVER HERE AT ANY TIME. 
          [ACTION ITEMS (Part 1 of 2)]
WITH THAT, WE ARE GOING TO WE HAVE ALREADY CONCLUDED OUR CONSENT AGENDA. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO OUR ACTION ITEMS. WE'LL BEGIN WITH ITEM A ONE CONSIDER AND APPROVE BILL RUN FOR COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEYS FEES. I HAVE RECUSED MYSELF FROM THIS ITEM. COMMISSIONER BAILEY, DO YOU MIND? YOU BET. GUYS. ACTION ITEM A1 CONSIDER. APPROVE. BILL, RUN FOR COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEY FEES. CAN I GET A MOTION? MOVE TO APPROVE. MOTION BY COMMISSIONER HOWELL. SECOND. 
          SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WHITE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. JUDGE ABSTAINS. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM A2. CONSIDER AND AUTHORIZE PURCHASING AGENT TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS AND PROPOSALS. MR. ANDERSON. ANYTHING TODAY? NOTHING TODAY, JUDGE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL TAKE NO ACTION ON ITEM A2. I KNOW WE HAVE MISS RICKMAN JOINING US FROM HOLMES. MURPHY. I'M GOING TO ASK HER TO GO AHEAD AND COME START SETTING UP. AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK. NO 
          [WORKSHOP]
ALL RIGHT. WE ARE BACK FROM OUR BREAK. WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP WITH WORKSHOP AND MOVE TO ITEM W. S THREE PRESENTATION ON JOHNSON COUNTY EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFIT PLANS. BUDGET UPDATE AND REVIEW BY JULI RICKMAN. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. 
          IT'S WAY TALLER THAN ME, ISN'T IT? OKAY, THERE WE GO. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. THANKS, COMMISSIONERS AND JUDGE FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK THIS MORNING. TODAY I'M JUST GOING TO DO THAT MICROPHONE CLOSER TO HER OR CLOSER. YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT. TAKE IT OUT AND HOLD IT. 
          I CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT LOUDER TOO. DOES THAT HELP? PUSH PUSH PUSH PUSH THE PODIUM. YEAH. YOU GOT TO DO A BETTER JOB THAN THAT. OKAY. IS THAT BETTER? BETTER. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. 
          USUALLY I'M NOT ACCUSED OF BEING TOO QUIET, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S JUST THE SHORTNESS IS NOT HELPING ME AT ALL. I HAVE A COUPLE COURTS THAT I GO TO THAT THE PODIUM IS ALMOST AS TALL AS ME AND THAT'S WAY MORE DIFFICULT. OKAY, SO TODAY WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MARKETPLACE WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH PLANS AND HEALTH PLAN PERFORMANCES. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PHARMACY, HOW YOUR PLAN IS CURRENTLY PERFORMING, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KEY INDICATORS, MEANING HOW THE HEALTH OF YOUR POPULATION IS REALLY RUNNING, AND JUST SOME NEXT STEPS. THERE'LL BE ADDITIONAL MEETINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN SOMETIME THIS MONTH. ACTUALLY, JUNE, THIS MONTH IS ALMOST OVER TO DO A FINALIZATION OF BUDGET AND ALL OF THAT. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE COURT AN UPDATE ON HOW YOUR PERFORMING. SO YOU'RE NOT SURPRISED WHEN WE COME BACK TO YOU AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR RATES OR THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR FOR PLAN CHANGES. A FEW THINGS REALLY THAT'S GOING ON IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY. PHARMACY IS REALLY BECOMING A TOP DRIVER OF A LOT OF COSTS. AND WE HAVE A FEW THINGS THAT I'LL SHOW YOU ON YOUR PARTICULAR PLANS AS WELL. THERE'S A LOT OF MEDICATIONS THAT ARE COMING TO MARKET THAT TREAT VERY SPECIFIC CHRONIC CONDITIONS OR VERY SPECIFIC DISEASE STATES, AND IT'S A SMALL SUBSECTION OF THE POPULATION, AND IT DOES A WHOLE LOT FOR QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. BUT IT COMES WITH A PRICE TAG BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED BY THOSE DRUGS. GLP ONE MEDICATIONS CONTINUE TO BE 
          [01:10:03]
A TOP MEDICAL DRIVER. YOUR PLAN DOES NOT COVER GLP ONE FOR WEIGHT LOSS, BUT GLP ONES ARE COVERED FOR DIABETES. AND SO JUST THAT'S ANOTHER COST THAT WE SEE AS AN INCREASE AS WELL. 
          LOTS OF IMPACT FOR HIGH COST CLAIMANTS, CANCERS, CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, THESE PARTICULAR TYPES OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS. NOT ONLY ARE WE SEEING A PREVALENCE OF THOSE JUST OVERALL FOR THE ENTIRE HEALTH CARE MARKETPLACE, BUT THEY'RE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THEY USED TO BE. PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE MEDICATIONS. 
          PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY THAT ARE EXPENSIVE. WHEN THEY FIRST START, OFTENTIMES WE SEE EFFICIENCIES HAPPENING WHEN WE START TO SEE SOMETHING THAT'S NEW IN THE MARKET, IT'S EXPENSIVE TO START OFF WITH, AND THEN IT STARTS TO GET EFFICIENT AND TAPER DOWN A LITTLE BIT. BUT WE'RE IN A LITTLE BIT OF A GROWING PAIN WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THOSE PIECES. VENDOR PARTNERS, OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOUR CURRENT VENDOR PARTNERS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE RIGHT COST IMPACT. WE HAVE THE RIGHT PLAN DESIGNS, WE ARE INTEGRATING EVERYTHING AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND SIMPLIFYING EVERYTHING FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES. AND THEN I KNOW IT SAYS POLICY AND PEOPLE ERISA, WE WE DON'T NECESSARILY DOESN'T APPLY TO US HERE, BUT MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTH, EQUALITY, EQUITY, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF YOUR PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND THE RIGHT KINDS OF HEALTH CARE WHEN THEY NEED IT. SO A LITTLE BIT OF THINGS ON THIS AS WELL. SO HEALTH CARE TREND, I'M SURE THIS IS NOT A SURPRISE TO YOU BEFORE PLAN DESIGN CHANGES. AND WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT BEFORE PLAN DESIGN CHANGES. BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT PLANS, SOMETIMES SOMEONE WILL BLOW UP THEIR PLAN DESIGN AND CHANGE EVERYTHING ON IT. RAISE DEDUCTIBLES, CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT, GO TO HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLANS. THEY'LL DO A LOT OF CHANGES. AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD INDICATOR AS TO HOW HEALTH PLANS ARE REALLY OPERATING. SO BEFORE HEALTH PLAN CHANGES, THE PLAN DESIGNS ARE INCREASING. HEALTH CARE TREND IS ABOUT 6% TO ALMOST 8% FOR 2025. AND THIS IS JUST INDICATIVE OF WHAT WE SEE ACROSS THE MARKET. YOUR HEALTH CARE TREND ROSE 0.3% IN 2024 TO 11.8% IN 2025. THERE'S A FEW INDICATORS FOR THAT, AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT THOSE ARE. AND THE SAME THING FOR YOUR EMPLOYER. SPEND 2024 PLAN YEAR YEAR AROUND 14,200 2025 PLAN YEAR. YOU'RE CLOSER TO 19,400. 
          THERE'S A FEW REASONS FOR THAT. AND I'LL SHOW YOU SOME SOME OTHER PIECES TOO. IT'S NOT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM, I PROMISE YOU THIS TIME. I KNOW I'VE DONE THAT TO YOU IN THE PAST, BUT I PROMISE IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT COULD BE. A FEW THINGS ON HERE TO YOUR DEMOGRAPHICS. THIS IS FROM PRIOR PLAN. YEAR PERIOD IS BASICALLY THE YEAR OF 2024. THIS IS SHOWING YOU YEAR OF 2025. YOU CAN SEE THAT YOU'VE HAD A 12% INCREASE TO THE NUMBER OF ENROLLED EMPLOYEES AND AN 18% INCREASE TO THE MEMBERS. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY TRIED TO DO WHEN WE DID THE PLAN, CHANGES THAT WE HAD BEFORE, WHERE WE HAD CONTRIBUTION INCREASES FOR OR COUNTY CONTRIBUTION INCREASES FOR FAMILY PLANS. SO WE'RE SEEING A LOT MORE CHILDREN COME ON THE PLAN, WHICH IS GREAT BECAUSE IT HELPS, KEEPS OUR COSTS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, LOW. 
          YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR AVERAGE FAMILY SIZE IS 1.5 VERSUS THE BENCHMARK AT 2.0. BUT I THINK MOST OF YOU MIGHT RECALL A FEW YEARS AGO, I THINK WE HAD FOUR DEPENDENTS ON THE PLAN. AT ONE POINT IT WAS REALLY LOW. SO THAT WE'RE SITTING HERE NOW IS REALLY GOOD. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR MEMBERSHIP RELATIONSHIP, OUR MEMBER RELATIONSHIPS, 26% OF THE FOLKS ON OUR PLAN ARE CHILDREN. THAT'S GREAT. WE LIKE TO SEE A LOT OF CHILDREN ON THE PLAN BECAUSE AGAIN, GENERALLY SPEAKING, CHILDREN ARE LOWER COST, HEALTHIER POPULATION. AND THEN YOU HAVE 7% OF SPOUSES, 67% FOR EMPLOYEES, YOUR AGE BAND, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE ACROSS THE BOARD, YOUR AVERAGE AGE IS NOW 35. I THINK AT ONE POINT WE WERE SITTING AROUND 46. 
          SO THAT'S DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AVERAGE AGE AT 35, THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN. SO IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A ONE YEAR OLD, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S GOING TO HELP OFFSET THOSE COSTS OR THE AGE BAND QUITE A BIT. AND THEN 46% OF YOUR POPULATION IS MALE. THE BENCHMARK, OUR BENCHMARK FOR HOMES, MURPHY'S BOOK OF BUSINESS IS AT 52%. A COUPLE OF THINGS JUST ON THE AVERAGE CONTRACT SIZE. SO THIS IS REALLY A SPEND PLAN BY OUR SPEND DETAIL BY PLAN. SO YOU HAVE THE THREE PLAN DESIGNS. AND YOU CAN SEE THE AVERAGE CONTRACT SIZE FOR PPO IS 1.79. THAT MEANS YOU HAVE MORE FAMILIES GRAVITATING TOWARDS THAT PPO PLAN. THAT'S NOT SURPRISING. OFTENTIMES WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILIES, THEY WANT TO HAVE THE BROADEST NETWORK. THEY WANT TO HAVE SET COPAYS. THEY WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THAT PLAN WORKS. YOU CAN ALSO SEE IT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLAN WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT MEDICAL PER EMPLOYEE PER MONTH COST AT 1600. YOU CAN SEE OUR HMO IS AT 817. AND THEN OUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN IS AT 1000. THERE'S NOT AS MUCH VARIANCE IN THE PHARMACY WHEN IT COMES TO THE HMO AND HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN, BUT CERTAINLY THE PPO PLAN IS MORE EXPENSIVE. SO IT JUST MEANS THAT OUR HIGHER COST CLAIMANTS ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS OUR PPO PLAN, WHICH OFTENTIMES MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE BROAD NETWORK, THEY'RE ABLE TO, 
          [01:15:02]
AGAIN, PAY THEIR COPAYS OR COINSURANCE OR DEDUCTIBLES, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GRAVITATING TOWARDS. A. FEW THINGS THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP ON COST SHARE ON FINANCIALS SPECIFICALLY, AND THIS IS FOR 2025. SO THIS IS FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT THE COUNTY PAYS OUT FOR YOUR HEALTH CARE COSTS, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THAT DOLLAR DO MEMBERS PAY RIGHT NOW YOURS IS SITTING AT 9% FOR MEMBERS 91% PLAN PAID. GENERALLY SPEAKING, MOST EMPLOYERS WILL SIT MORE AROUND THAT. 8515 SO JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, YOUR PLAN IS VERY GENEROUS WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT IT'S PICKING UP VERSUS WHAT THE MEMBERS ARE PICKING UP WHEN IT COMES TO COST SHARE. 
          JOHNSON COUNTY'S CURRENT PEPM. THIS IS KIND OF A BLENDED AVERAGE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR MEDICAL AND PHARMACY IS RIGHT AROUND 1200, ALMOST $1,300. AND YOU CAN SEE OUR BENCHMARK IS 1250. SO WE'RE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN BENCHMARK WHEN IT COMES TO THE PLAN PAID PER EMPLOYEE PER MONTH. BUT AGAIN, THAT COST SHARE IS DEFINITELY THERE'S A A DIFFERENCE IN THAT COST SHARE WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE PAYING OUT OF POCKET VERSUS WHAT THE COUNTY IS PAYING OUT OF OUT OF THEIR POCKET AS WELL. SO A COUPLE THINGS ON THIS. SO THIS IS DATA THROUGH FEBRUARY. FEBRUARY IS KIND OF CUT OFF. ON THE END OF THIS PARTICULAR CHART. WE WILL HAVE DATA THROUGH THE END OF APRIL SOMETIME THIS WEEK. AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A SECONDARY CONVERSATION WITH THE FINANCE FOLKS WITH HR TO BE ABLE TO TALK THROUGH HOW YOUR PLAN IS PERFORMING. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH YOUR ROLLING 12 DATA, SO THIS IS GOING BACK THROUGH ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL CLAIMS SINCE 20TH MARCH OF 22. 
          ACTUALLY, IT'S FEBRUARY OF 2022. YOU CAN'T SEE IT ON THAT SIDE EITHER. THROUGH FEBRUARY OF 2026, YOUR HISTORICAL AVERAGE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR TREND IS 7.9%. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT LITTLE BLUE LINE IS KIND OF AVERAGING OUT THE PURPLE. THE PURPLE IS ACTUALLY WHERE YOUR CLAIMS HAVE FIT. THE BLUE LINE IS THE ONE IS HOW YOU'RE TRENDING. IF WE JUST KIND OF LEVEL THAT ALL OUT OUR ROLLING 12 MEDICAL TREND THROUGH DECEMBER WAS 2.3%. AND THEN ADDING A COUPLE EXTRA MONTHS OF DATA, IT WAS 1.7%. SO YOU'RE TRENDING A LITTLE BIT BETTER. 
          YOU CAN SEE YOU CAN PROBABLY BARELY SEE ON THE SCREEN. THERE'S A STRAIGHTER LINE THAT'S KIND OF TRAJECTORY DOWN FROM FROM FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR. THAT'S WHERE YOUR 12 MONTH ROLLING 12 TREND IS. SO YOUR TREND IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR MEDICAL PERFORMANCE IN GENERAL. THIS, THIS, THE DE-IDENTIFIED HIGH COST CLAIMANTS, THOSE CLAIMS THAT ARE CIRCLED IN THE OR THAT ARE SQUARED OUT IN THE YELLOW BOXES. WHAT THIS DOES IS IT SHOWS YOU. SO I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF CLAIM NUMBER ONE. THAT WAS AN INDIVIDUAL ON YOUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN. THE COLOR OF THOSE LITTLE BOXES ON THERE, THE DARK COLORS, THOSE ARE MONTHS WHEN THAT INDIVIDUAL HIT QUITE A BIT OF CLAIMS ACTIVITY. SO THAT'S A VERY LARGE CLAIMANT THAT WE HAVE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL IT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL MEDICAL CLAIMS. NOW THEIR PHARMACY CLAIMS IS 197. 
          OFTENTIMES THAT HAPPENS ONLY BECAUSE THEY'RE RECEIVING MEDICATION IN A HOSPITAL SETTING. SO KNOW THAT THEY'RE PROBABLY RECEIVING MEDICATION. IT'S JUST NOT COMING OVER TO YOUR PHARMACY PAID CLAIMS. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT FOR EXAMPLE NUMBER, WE'LL GO TO NUMBER NINE. 
          NUMBER NINE ON HERE YOU CAN SEE IS REALLY NOTHING. THEY HAD A HIT THAT HAPPENED AND THEN NOTHING THE NEXT MONTH. SO THIS GIVES US AN IDEA. WE HAVE A LOT MORE DETAIL IN THIS THAT WE DON'T SHOW THE COURT, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE PROTECT YOUR EMPLOYEES PRIVACY. 
          BUT IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF LIKE, WHEN WE'RE TRACKING THIS INFORMATION, WE CAN SEE IF THERE'S SOMEONE THAT'S GOING TO BE INDIVIDUALLY TRACKING FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. YOU HAVE STOP LOSS INSURANCE, YOUR STOP LOSS WILL OBVIOUSLY IMPACT THOSE INDIVIDUALS. SO FOR THAT FIRST PERSON ON THE TOP, THAT HAS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT STOP LOSS REIMBURSEMENT. AND THEN YOU'LL NOTICE ON THOSE HIGHLIGHTED ONES IN YELLOW, THOSE ARE REALLY PRETTY MUCH JUST PHARMACY CLAIMS. SO WE HAVE THREE INDIVIDUALS ON YOUR PLANS THAT ARE JUST STRAIGHT PHARMACY CLAIMS. THEY'RE NOT REALLY MEDICAL AT ALL. THIS IS USUALLY WHEN SOMEONE HAS MAYBE A, A HIGH COST MEDICATION, A SPECIALTY MEDICATION TO TREAT A VERY SPECIFIC ILLNESS, BUT IT'S UNDER CONTROL ENOUGH THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. SO IT GIVES THEM AGAIN, A QUALITY OF LIFE, KEEPS THEM WORKING, KEEPS THEM HEALTHY, BUT THEY'RE NOT DOING A WHOLE LOT OF MEDICAL CLAIMS. IN GENERAL, OUR POPULATION OF EMPLOYEES IS GROWING AS THAT STOP LOSS IS GOING TO BE A NEED TO BE LOOKED AT FOR ADJUSTMENT AT ANY TIME OR WE PRETTY GOOD. 
          YOU'RE GOOD IN YOUR STOP LOSS HEARING. WE LOOK AT YOUR STOP LOSS EVERY YEAR. SO WE DO A MARKET CHECK SLASH MARKETING, COMPLETE MARKETING DEPENDING ON HOW YOUR PLAN HAS BEEN RUNNING. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE KNOW THAT THIS HIGH COST CLAIMANT ON THE TOP IS GOING TO BE ON THE PLAN FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR AND FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, THEN WE MAY MARKET COMPLETELY OUT TO THE MARKET TO SEE IF WE CAN EITHER LASER OUT THAT INDIVIDUAL, DO SOMETHING SPECIFIC WITH THAT PERSON. SO WE EVALUATE EVERY YEAR BASED ON YOUR SIZE, BASED ON YOUR THE 
          [01:20:04]
COST OF WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR YOUR COVERAGE AND ALL OF THAT. SO WE LOOK AT THAT EVERY YEAR. 
          AND THE OTHER THING YOU'LL NOTICE IS THAT YOU'LL SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE SPREAD ACROSS THE BOARD WHEN IT COMES TO WHERE FOLKS ARE AT YOUR HIGHEST COST CLAIMANTS, YOUR TOP THREE ARE IN YOUR HIGH DEDUCTIBLE HEALTH PLAN. AND SO IT IS SPREAD ACROSS THE BOARD, WHICH IS GREAT. MOST OF THESE ARE ACTIVE EMPLOYEES. SAME KIND OF LOOK BACK WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR PHARMACY. NATIONAL TREND FOR PHARMACY IS 11%. YOU'RE ROLLING 12 FOR PHARMACY THROUGH DECEMBER WAS 30.6%. IT'S GOING BACK TO THAT PRIOR CHART THAT IS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, BECAUSE OF SOME VERY LARGE SPECIALTY MEDICATIONS THAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN ON. AND SO WE SEE THAT HAPPENING HISTORICALLY. YOU'RE YOU'RE AGAIN, YOU'RE AT 27.9%, YOU'RE ROLLING 12 IS AT 25.3% IN THIS PARTICULAR CHART. SO JUST KNOW THAT IT'S GETTING BETTER. YOU WERE AT 30.6 DOWN TO 27.9. AND THEN THE ROLLING 12 WITH FEBRUARY'S DATA IS 25.3. SO IT IS GOING DOWN A LITTLE BIT. I THINK WE HAD SOMEONE THAT DROPPED OFF, SO WE SHOULD SEE SOME IMPACT TO THAT. BUT JUST KNOW MEDICAL WE'RE TRENDING REALLY WELL. PHARMACY WE'RE TRENDING HIGH HIGHER THAN WHAT THE MARKET IS. MEDICAL ARE TRENDING LOWER THAN WHAT THE MARKET IS. SO HOPEFULLY THAT GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO OR A LITTLE BIT OF BUFFER OR WIGGLE ROOM TO BE ABLE TO OFFSET RISING COSTS OF YOUR HEALTH PLAN IN GENERAL. PHARMACY JUST IN GENERAL, THESE ARE JUST WHAT YOUR FOLKS ARE USING MEDICATIONS FOR. SO CNS AGENTS, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE MORE OF YOUR ANTIDEPRESSANTS, ADHD MEDICATIONS, EVEN PAIN MEDICATIONS, ANYTHING THAT REALLY IMPACTS THE BRAIN, THOSE ARE WHAT THOSE MEDICATIONS ARE. WE KNOW WHAT DIABETIC AGENTS ARE. THOSE ARE GOING TO OFTENTIMES IN THIS CASE, BE GLP ONES. THAT'S WHY THERE'S EXPENSIVE. AND THIS GIVES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF THE CURRENT, WHICH WAS. WE TALK ABOUT THIS AS THE PRIOR PLAN YEAR OR PRIOR YEAR OF 2024. AND THEN THE CURRENT IS 2025. SO WE GET A SNAPSHOT OF HOW THESE PARTICULAR THINGS ARE GROWING. JUST IN GENERAL, THE VASODILATORS, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE YOUR ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS YOUR ARTERIES. SO USUALLY BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND THEN ANTINEOPLASTICS ARE GOING TO BE YOUR CANCER MEDICATIONS. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE THINGS ARE SITTING ON HERE. THIS DOES GIVE ME SOME THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR FUTURE OF HOW OUR HEALTH PLAN IS GOING TO RUN. IF YOU RECALL A FEW YEARS AGO, MOST OF YOU SITTING UP THERE, WE HAD OUR MEDICAL PENALTY THAT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GO, JUST GET ONE PCP VISIT A YEAR, GET YOUR ANNUAL PHYSICAL. 
          AND I KNOW IT WAS WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE TO DO. BUT WE CAN IMPACT SOME OF THESE MEDICATIONS ON HERE. IF WE GET PEOPLE IN CHECK AND AT LEAST HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER. SO AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TALK THROUGH WITH THE COMMITTEE AT SOME POINT, BUT I WOULD LOOK AT SOME OF THESE CONDITIONS AND THINKING THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO IMPACT PEOPLE POSITIVELY AND STEER PEOPLE TOWARDS THE RIGHT CENTERS FOR CARE. I QUESTION THIS DIABETIC AGENTS NUMBER HERE. WHEN YOU SAY THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT USED FOR WEIGHT LOSS. G MANIPULATED TO GET TO THAT NUMBER? SO IN PARTICULAR INSTANCE, SO ANTI ARE THE DIABETIC MEDICATIONS, THE GLP ONES THAT ARE DIABETIC SPECIFIC STILL ARE ABOUT $1,000 A MONTH. 
          SO THEY'RE AN INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE MEDICATION WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT THEY'RE COSTING THE PLAN. IT'S GENERALLY NOT MANIPULATED BECAUSE THE WAY YOUR PLAN WORKS ON BLUECROSS BLUESHIELD, IT CAN'T BE PRE-DIABETIC INDICATOR. YOU HAVE TO BE A TRUE DIABETIC TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE MEDICATIONS. SO THERE IS A STOP GAP IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE TAKING THEM FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT SPECIFICALLY FOR DIABETES. I WILL SAY THAT A LOT OF THOSE GLP ONES HAVE HAD SOME APPROVALS FOR THINGS LIKE SLEEP APNEA AND A FEW OTHER THINGS. THOSE ARE NOT APPROVED ON OUR PLAN EITHER. THOSE ACTUALLY WILL IMPACT YOUR REBATES IF YOU START TO ADD THEM IN. AND I WILL TELL YOU FOR THOSE, I HAVE TWO CLIENTS THAT COVER WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATIONS, INCLUDING GLP ONES. IT'S INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE, AND THE TRAJECTORY OF THAT SPEND INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY. AND IF WE LOOK AT THIS ONE, YOU CAN SEE IT'S A IT IS AN INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR TO THE CURRENT YEAR. BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE GLP ONE FOR DIABETES INDICATORS HAVE REALLY LEVELED OFF OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THEY HAD THE BIG POP UP WHEN PEOPLE RECOGNIZED THAT THEY WERE REALLY EFFECTIVE. AND THEN ONCE PEOPLE ARE ON THEM, THEY JUST STAY ON THEM. SO YOU MIGHT HAVE SOMEONE COME OFF OR ON YOUR PLAN. BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE'RE NOT SEEING GIANT INCREASES IN GLP ONES FOR DIABETES INDICATORS NOW, AS WE WOULD HAVE A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE GLP ONES FIRST STARTED COMING ON THE MARKET AND BEING POPULAR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? OKAY, JUST A COUPLE OTHER THINGS. SO THIS IS SHOWING A REFORECAST OF WHAT YOUR 2024 FISCAL YEAR VERSUS YOUR 2025 2026 FISCAL YEAR. THIS WAS SPOKEN TO WITH YOUR COMMITTEE AND YOUR FINANCE TEAM PRIOR. 
          THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS OF DATA, WHICH WE WILL AGAIN PRESENT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR EVERYONE. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR ORIGINAL PROJECTED COST 
          [01:25:05]
VERSUS WHAT THE NEW PROJECTIONS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT FIRST COLUMN, IT'S THE ORIGINAL COST THAT WE WERE PROJECTING. THE NEXT IS THE ACTUAL COST. THE NEXT AFTER THAT IS WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR. AND THEN PROJECTION FOR THE 2025 2026 FISCAL YEAR. SO YOU CAN SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE OF WHAT YOUR 2020 425 FISCAL YEAR IS, IT'S ABOUT A 2%, 2.3% OVERAGE TO WHAT WE PROJECTED. WE DO KNOW THAT THERE'S THE VARIANCE BETWEEN THE PROJECTION AND THE COUNTY BUDGET IS FUNDED THROUGH FUND BALANCE. YOU HAVE A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE WHEN IT COMES TO THIS, WHICH IS GREAT. AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT YOUR BUDGET FOR THE 2526 FISCAL YEAR, YOU CAN SEE THAT RIGHT NOW THE PROJECTION IS ABOUT A 1.4 TO 1.6 INCREASE, DEPENDING ON IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT GROSS OR NET COSTS. SO NOT SIGNIFICANT WHEN IT COMES TO OVERALL COST CONSIDERING MARKET TREND AND ALL OF THAT AS WELL. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE TO THE THE COUNTY BUDGET AT THAT, THAT BOTTOM CORNER. AGAIN, THE VARIANCE BETWEEN OUR PROJECTION COUNTY BUDGET IS GOING TO BE FUNDED THROUGH THAT FUND BALANCE. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE COUNTY BUDGET ON THE FAR CLOSE TO THE FAR RIGHT HAND SIDE, THE SECOND COLUMN FOR THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROJECTION VERSUS COUNTY BUDGET. BUT AGAIN, THE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE FUND BALANCE CURRENTLY. SO WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT SOMETHING WHERE WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DRAW OUT OF A GENERAL FUND. GOOD. OKAY. AND THEN REALLY THIS THAT KIND OF THE NEXT STEP WE HAVE BUDGET UPDATE WILL BE THIS YEAR OR THIS, THIS UPCOMING MONTH THAT WILL INCLUDE MARCH AND APRIL DATA. AND THEN WE'LL FINALIZE OUR BUDGET FOR THE PLAN YEAR. WE HAVE COMPLIANCE MEETINGS THAT WE'LL BE TALKING THROUGH IN JULY. AND THEN WE'D LIKE TO START TALKING ABOUT WELLNESS PIECES. I DON'T INCLUDE THAT ON THERE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL KNOW, I THINK MOST OF YOU KNOW IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. SO THAT'S THE NEXT THINGS. SO THAT'S IT. THERE'S NO ACTION ON THIS. BUT DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? GOOD. 
          IT'S A GOOD REPORT. ALL RIGHT. PERFECT. THANK YOU. I KNOW THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE WE'RE JUST IN SHOCK, THAT'S ALL. YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME PLANS THAT ARE REALLY PERFORMING VERY, VERY POORLY. THIS IS NOT I MEAN, WHEN I'M LOOKING AT HOW YOU'RE PROJECTING, THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT I THINK ARE GOING TO DROP OFF YOUR HIGH COST PAYMENTS, WHICH WILL BE HELPFUL, ALTHOUGH SOME OF THEM HAVE HIT STOP LOSS. SO THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, BUT IT WILL IMPACT OUR STOP LOSS BUDGET WHEN WE BUDGET. BY THE WAY, FOR YOUR UPCOMING PLAN YEARS, WE DO HAVE A STOP LOSS IMPACT IN THERE. SO IT'S USUALLY 15 OR 20% WHERE WE SAY, WE KNOW THAT NOW WE'RE GETTING WHERE I WAS GOING. YEAH. OH YEAH, WE ALREADY, WE ALREADY PROJECT THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE AN INCREASE FOR STOP LOSS. STOP LOSS MARKET IS A LITTLE BIT, IT'S INTERESTING AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THERE'S SOME CARRIERS THAT ARE VERY STRONG IN RESPONDING RIGHT NOW AND OTHERS THAT ARE VERY NOT SO STRONG IN RESPONDING. BUT I WILL SAY THERE'S SOME SOME DIFFERENCES. THERE COULD BE SOME OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME SAVINGS IN STOP LOSS. I USUALLY DON'T IF WE CAN HELP NOT RAISING YOUR DEDUCTIBLE, IF IT MAKES SENSE NOT TO, THEN WE GENERALLY WOULD NOT. BUT WE MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER CARRIER OR THIRD PARTY THAT WE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN CARVING OUT. THERE COULD BE ANY, ANY, ANY NUMBER OF SCENARIOS, BUT WE ACCOUNT FOR AN INCREASE EVERY YEAR BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE IN STOP LOSS. SAME THING FOR ADMINISTRATIVE FEES. WE INCREASE, WE HAVE A BUDGET IN THERE AS WELL, WHERE WE KNOW WHAT THE INCREASE IN ADMINISTRATIVE FEES WILL BE. SO WE'RE ACCOUNTING FOR THAT AS WELL. OKAY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE WILL TAKE NO ACTION ON ITEM WS3. 
          LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE CARE OF OUR OTHER TWO WORKSHOP ITEMS. WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM WS2. DISCUSS PLANNING PROCESS FOR FUTURE PRECINCT THREE SUB COURTHOUSE INCLUDING POTENTIAL CREATION OF A SITE PLAN. I BELIEVE MR. DURHAM WHO WE'VE RETAINED TO DO A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SITE PLAN, HAS BEEN MEETING WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS. I THINK HE'S ABOUT DONE WITH THOSE MEETINGS, BUT WAS NOT DONE WITH THE ANYTHING TO COME SHOW THE COURT. SO WE PUSHED HIM BACK TO JUNE. HE'S GOING TO COME PRESENT WHERE HE IS AND THEN WE'LL PICK UP THERE. 
          THERE'S NOT REALLY A LOT OF DISCUSSION AT THIS POINT UNLESS ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, BUT HE WILL COME BACK AND WE'LL ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH HIM AND WITH THE PROPOSALS. WHEN WE GET A LITTLE MORE WORK DONE. ALL RIGHT. THERE'S NO ACTION RELATED TO THAT ITEM EITHER. MOVE TO ITEM WS1, THE ARPA UPDATE, DISCUSS PROPOSALS AND PROJECTS FOR THE ARPA FUNDING WITH POSSIBLE CONSULTATION WITH GRANTWORKS. 
          I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY UPDATES ON ARPA. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY AT THIS TIME. ALL 
          [ACTION ITEMS (Part 2 of 2)]
RIGHT. WE'LL TAKE NO ACTION ON ITEM WS1. WE'RE GOING TO BACK UP TO OUR ACTION ITEMS. WE'LL MOVE INTO OUR ACTION AGENDA AND ITEM A THREE CONSIDER AND APPROVE COMPOSITION DRAWING AND APPOINTING OF A SALARY GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE. PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 152 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CONSISTING OF THE SHERIFF, TAX ASSESSOR, COLLECTOR, TREASURER, COUNTY CLERK, DISTRICT CLERK, COUNTY ATTORNEY, AND THREE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. SO THIS 
          [01:30:02]
IS OUR VERY OFFICIAL MANNER OF RANDOMLY DRAWING NAMES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE TO SERVE ON THAT COMMITTEE. THESE WILL BE THE PUBLIC MEMBERS. I WILL DRAW THREE NAMES AND THEN WE'LL DRAW SOME ALTERNATES AS WELL. AND I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PULL THESE OUT. ALL RIGHT. NAME NUMBER ONE IS MARK LEE CHRISTOPHER OF BURLESON. NUMBER TWO IS TERRENCE PATRICK TREACY OF BURLESON. AND NUMBER THREE IS. LATOYA NICOLE TOM THOMAS OF BURLESON. SO THOSE ARE THE THREE DESIGNATED MEMBERS OF THE SALARY GRIEVANCE. THE PUBLIC CIVILIAN MEMBERS OF THE SALARY GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE. WE WILL ALSO DRAW SOME ALTERNATES IN CASE THEY ARE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO SERVE. THOSE ALTERNATES WILL BE. MARGARET ADELIA DAVIS OF BURLESON. TONY MARIE YOUNT OF JOSHUA. RODNEY ALLEN GADDIS OF BURLESON. KAREN DAWN DAVIS OF GODLEY. ANNE MARIE MAYHEW OF BURLESON. ROGER CLARK HAHN OF CLEBURNE. TRACY LEE LOPEZ OF VENUS. SEAN E DOBBINS OF CLEBURNE, AND. FABIOLA BERNICE BAUTISTA OF VENUS. SO THAT IS THREE MEMBERS AND NINE ALTERNATES THAT SHOULD GIVE MY OFFICE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FIND THREE, HOPEFULLY WILLING AND ABLE MEMBERS TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE, IN ADDITION TO THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, AS DESIGNATED BY CHAPTER 172. I DO NEED A MOTION ON THIS ITEM TO APPROVE AND DESIGNATE TO THE THREE PUBLIC MEMBERS, WITH THE REMAINING NINE DESIGNATED AS ALTERNATES. AS A REMINDER, THE THREE PUBLIC MEMBERS ARE MARK LEE, CHRISTOPHER TERRENCE, PATRICK TRACY, AND LATOYA NICOLE. THOMAS. AND I WOULD CALL FOR A MOTION AT THIS TIME. JUDGE, I'LL MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THESE MEMBERS OR THESE PUBLIC TO SERVE ON OUR GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE MARK LEE, CHRISTOPHER, TERRENCE, PATRICK, CHRISSY AND NICOLE THOMAS. ALL RIGHT. I'VE GOT A MOTION. AND, COMMISSIONER, IS YOUR MOTION TO ALSO DESIGNATE THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE. I'M SORRY FOR THE ADDITIONAL NINE ALTERNATES AS WELL, THE NINE ALTERNATES. AND THEN ALSO TO DESIGNATE THE ELECTED OFFICIALS AS READ OR AS INCLUDED IN CHAPTER 152, AS THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE. IS THAT ALL INCLUDED IN YOUR MOTION? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HOWELL? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN ITEM A3 CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. ONE MOMENT TO. MEMBERS. YOU SAID THAT. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO ITEM A4. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING CONSIDERING APPROVE ORDER 2026-43. ORDER APPROVING REVISION TO A PLAT PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO. 32.009 C OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF THE RETREAT PHASE 27, LOTS 32 AND 33, BLOCK 103 TO CREATE LOT 32 R BLOCK 103, LOCATED IN PRECINCT ONE WITH TEXAS WATER UTILITIES PROVIDING THE WATER. MISS VANDERLINDE JUDGE COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS AGAIN IS JUST COMBINING TWO LOTS TO MAKE ALMOST A HALF ACRE. THEY ARE ON A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AS WELL. WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY, THEY'VE MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. ASK THAT THE COURT APPROVED THE PLAT REVISION AS PRESENTED. ALL RIGHT. BECAUSE THIS IS A PLAT REVISION, IT REQUIRES A PUBLIC HEARING. I WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. 
          AT THIS TIME. IT IS 10:43 A.M. IF ANYONE HERE WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COURT ON THIS PROPOSED REPLAT IN THE RETREAT, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE PODIUM. YOU CAN SPEAK IN FAVOR OR IN OPPOSITION. THE FLOOR IS YOURS. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NOBODY MAKING THEIR WAY FORWARD, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? JUST GROWTH AND RETREAT. THIS IS THE WAY THEY DO IT. SURE. MOVE TO APPROVE. ALL RIGHT. I'VE GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BAILEY. SECOND. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WHITE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE AYE. ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN. AND A FOUR CARRIES. UNANIMOUSLY. WE MOVE TO ITEM A5 PUBLIC HEARING. CONSIDER AND APPROVE ORDER 2026-44 ORDER APPROVING REVISION OF PLAT PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO. 32.009 C ONE OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE 
          [01:35:01]
OF THE HOMESTEADS. PHASE ONE, LOT THREE, BLOCK FIVE R TO CREATE LOTS THREE, R ONE AND THREE R2. BLOCK FIVE ARE LOCATED IN PRECINCT THREE WITH TEXAS WATER UTILITIES LP PROVIDING THE WATER. MISS VANDERLIN JUDGE COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU AGAIN. THIS IS A PREVIOUSLY PLATTED LOT BEING DIVIDED INTO TWO PIECES THAT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS. WE ASK THAT YOU APPROVE THE PLAT REVISION AS PRESENTED. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS ALSO A PUBLIC HEARING. IF ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WISHES TO ADDRESS THE COURT ON THE REPLAT IN THE HOMESTEADS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE PODIUM. I'LL NOTE FOR THE RECORD, THE TIME IS 10:44 A.M. AND MISS VANDERLIN, WHILE WE'RE WAITING TO SEE IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEAK, DID YOU SAY THAT EACH OF THE TWO NEW LOTS WILL COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS? THAT IS CORRECT. THANK YOU. HOW HOW BIG WAS YOUR ORIGINAL PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT YOU'RE SPLITTING? I DIDN'T PULL THE ATTACHMENT UP, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT WAS LIKE, IF I REMEMBER, IT WAS 3.389 ACRES. THEY'RE DIVIDING IT INTO A ONE ACRE PARCEL OR ONE ACRE LOT. 
          AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE 2.389 ON THE SECOND LOT. AND BOTH OF THEM HAVE 150 FOOT. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. SEPTIC. YEAH, THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR SEPTIC PERMITS WITH THE ACREAGE PROVIDED SINCE THEY ARE ON PUBLIC WATER. ALL RIGHT. I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. IT IS 1045. I DO NOT SEE ANYBODY MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE PODIUM. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE COURT? ALL RIGHT. THEN I WOULD CALL FOR A MOTION. MOVE TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED. SECOND, I GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WHITE, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BAILEY. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN. AND A FIVE CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. 
          MOVE TO ITEM A6. CONSIDER AND APPROVE ORDER 2026-45. ORDER ADOPTING WILD BERRY ACRES, PHASE ONE AND PHASE TWO MUSTANG, GRAPE LANE, BERRY GROVE LANE, ARBOR VINE TRAIL, VINTNER TRAIL, LAUREL LANE AND WILDHORSE LANE. LOCATED IN JOSHUA JOHNSON COUNTY, TEXAS. IN PRECINCT ONE INTO THE COUNTY ROAD SYSTEM FOR COUNTY MAINTENANCE. COMMISSIONER BAILEY. WELL, THIS IS THE LAST PHASE OF OF THIS DEVELOPMENT THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. AND WE TOOK A LOOK AT IT BEFORE IT DETERIORATES. YOU KNOW, BEYOND RECOVERING IT, WE THOUGHT IT'D BE BEST BECAUSE WE BASICALLY HAVE ADOPTED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THIS IS A THIS IS A CITIZENS AND TO TAKE CARE OF IT AT THIS TIME, I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE. SECOND, GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER BAILEY, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER HOWELL. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. 
          ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN ITEM A6 CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. WITH THAT, WE HAVE COMPLETED 
          [EXECUTIVE SESSION]
OUR ACTION AGENDA AND OUR WORKSHOPS. WE WILL MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE HAVE TWO ITEMS. WE'LL GO BACK ON ITEM ES ONE GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551.071 CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY PENDING LITIGATION. JAMES FARMER ET AL. VERSUS UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ET AL. CAUSE NUMBER 24 CV 01654 IN THE US DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND ES TWO GOVERNMENT CODE, SECTION 551.087. DELIBERATIONS REGARDING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS THAT CONCERN COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM OR THE OFFER OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE MADE TO A BUSINESS PROSPECT SEEKING TO LOCATE OR EXPAND IN OR NEAR THE TERRITORY OF THE COUNTY AND WITH WHICH THE COUNTY IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS. PROJECT BLUEBIRD. 
          ALL RIGHT. WE ARE BACK FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION ON ITEM ES ONE. THERE IS NO ACTION ON ITEM ES TWO. I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ACTION OR NOT. I WILL SEE IF THERE'S A MOTION. JUDGE IN REFERENCE TO TAX INCENTIVE REQUEST FROM THE PROJECT BLUEBIRD PROJECT, I MOVE TO DENY ANY KIND OF TAX INCENTIVE FOR THAT PROJECT. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. I'VE GOT A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER WILLEY. SECOND BY COMMISSIONER WHITE. ALL THOSE. AND THAT IS TO DENY ANY TAX INCENTIVE ON THAT PROJECT BLUEBIRD. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF DENYING A TAX INCENTIVE SAY I. 
          AYE. ALL OPPOSED BY THE SAME SIGN. AND THAT WILL CARRY UNANIMOUSLY DENYING ANY TAX INCENTIVE ON PROJECT BLUEBIRD. WITH THAT WE HAVE CONCLUDED ALL
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.