[00:00:06]
ALRIGHT, LET'S GET HER GOING SO WE'RE NOT GETTING TOO LATE HERE.[1. CALL TO ORDER]
LIKE TO, UH, CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER LIVE WEBCAST.THE MEETING MAY BE VIEWED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
THE NOTICE AGENDA AND INFORMATION ON THE CITY OF NASHVILLE CITY'S WEBSITE INFORMS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT THEY MAY SUBMIT A GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OR A PUBLIC COMMENT ON A SPECIFIC AGENDA ITEM IN A NUMBER OF WAYS IN PERSON, EITHER THROUGH THE, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER BY SUBMITTING ONE OF THESE SALMON COLORED SPEAKER SLIPS, EMAILING NO LATER THAN FOUR HOURS OF THE MEETING.
AND IF YOU'RE WATCHING THE, UH, UH, VIA, UH, ZOOM OR IN OUR CONFERENCE ROOM VIEWING IN THE SPANISH VERSION OF THE MEETING, INTERPRETER INSTRUCTIONS WILL APPEAR IN THE CHAT BOX AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN.
FOR THOSE WHO PREFER TO SIT IN THE CHAMBER, HEADSETS ARE AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE LIVE SPANISH TRANSLATION, PLEASE SEE THE CITY CLERK TO CHECK OUT A WEBSITE.
ALL WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL PRIOR TO THE MEETING AND PUBLISHED ON THE CITY WEBSITE IF RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE.
WITH THAT, IF WE COULD HAVE ROLL CALL PLEASE.
COUNCIL MEMBER MOLINA PRESENT.
AND WE'LL NOTE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER BUSH IS ABSENT.
WITH THAT, IF WE COULD PLEASE STAND FOR THE, UH, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND I'LL ASK, UH, MEMBER RODRIGUEZ, IF YOU PLEASE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND OVER YOUR HEART.
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.
[4. PUBLIC COMMENT]
AT THIS POINT WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.UM, DO WE HAVE WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE ON ZOOM FOR THIS, DO WE? NO.
I DIDN'T THINK WE HAD ANYONE SET UP WITH THAT ONE.
WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER.
I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE WHOLE THREE MINUTES JUST 'CAUSE I FEEL REALLY GENEROUS.
NO, IF THE NEXT PERSON COMES IN, I TAKE THAT BACK.
I MAY, I MAY BE A LITTLE MORE THAN THREE MINUTES, BUT IT WON'T BE MORE THAN FIVE
UH, I WILL TRY TO SQUEEZE IT IN.
GOOD EVENING, COUNCIL MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND UH, STAFF.
I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL CITY FIREFIGHTERS.
I'M HERE TONIGHT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL, WHICH YOU WILL SEE IN CLOSED SESSION.
AND WE ARE IN AGREEMENT ON ALMOST EVERY ITEM ON THE PROPOSAL.
YOU'LL SEE BEFORE YOU THE ONE STICKING POINT IS PAY AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE TO OUR MEMBERS WHEN WE PULLED THEM.
SO YOU WILL SEE THAT IS WHY WE ARE STANDING STRONG IN OUR POSITION.
WE HAVE SOFTENED THE FIRST YEAR 'CAUSE WE SEE THAT IS THE BIGGEST HURDLE FOR YOU TO GET OVER.
AND IN YEAR TWO AND THREE, WE HAVE PUT GUARDRAILS IN PLACE THAT PROTECT YOU AND US.
WE BELIEVE THE CITY HAS THE ABILITY TO AGREE TO THE PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF YOU FINANCIALLY BECAUSE WE HAVE LOOKED TO THE PAST.
YOU'LL GET A HANDOUT AFTER WHEN YOU GO INTO CLOSED SESSION.
I WENT AND PULLED THE NUMBERS OUT OF THE CAFFER, THE ACTUALS GOING BACK TO 2005 AND I CHARTED THEM OUT FOR YOU.
AND YOU'LL SEE EXPENDITURES UNDER REVENUES ALMOST EVERY YEAR EXCEPT FOR A FEW.
AND IT BOUNCES BACK IN THE YEAR AFTER THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GO BROKE IN THREE OR FIVE YEARS BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA USE THE UNFUNDED LIABILITY BECAUSE YOUR REVENUES ARE OUTSPENDING.
YOUR EXPENDITURES OR YOUR EXPENDITURES ARE OUTSPENDING YOUR REVENUES.
IT JUST HASN'T HAPPENED SINCE 2005.
THAT'S HOW YOUR ACTUAL SITUATION IS.
WHEN WE LOOK AT YOUR UNFUNDED LIABILITY OR YOUR UNFUNDED UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, UTILIZING YOUR 10% POLICY, THIS IS YOUR UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
USING THAT POLICY GOING BACK TO 2005, IT ALSO HASN'T DWINDLED AWAY.
IT HASN'T DISAPPEARED OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD BECAUSE WE WERE OUTSPENDING OUR REVENUES.
ADDITIONALLY, IN THAT TIMEFRAME, WE CREATED NEW FUND BALANCES, NEW SAVINGS ACCOUNTS.
WE HAVE A VEHICLE REPLACEMENT FUND, WE HAVE A ECO ECONOMIC CONTINGENCY RESERVE FUND.
WE NOW HAVE FIVE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS.
WE USED TO HAVE ONE WE WERE DEPENDENT ON.
YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THE ENDING BALANCE OF THE GENERAL FUND.
NOW WE'RE NOT IN OPPOSITION OF, OF YOU MANAGING THE FUND THIS WAY.
WHAT WE'RE IN OPPOSITION IS UTILIZING THIS FEAR OF WE'RE GONNA BE OUTSPEND OUR REVENUES IN THREE YEARS OF NOT COMPENSATING YOUR EMPLOYEES FAIRLY.
[00:05:01]
SLIDE TO BETWEEN 15 AND 18 OUT OF 18.IN YEAR TWO OF OUR CONTRACT, ALMOST IN EVERY CONTRACT WE SIGN SOME CONTRACTS WE GET TO THE AVERAGE ARE CLOSE IN YEAR ONE AND THEN WE JUST SLIDE.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU'LL SEE THE LANGUAGE THAT IS IN OUR PROPOSAL.
SPEAKING TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
USING THE PRESENTATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS ABOUT THE BUDGET, IT SHOWED NUMBERS FROM JULY TO APRIL.
ACTUALS IN FY 23 AND 24 ACTUALS IN THOSE YEARS SHOWED A $5.5 MILLION DEFICIT IN 23, A $3.3 MILLION LIFT DEFICIT IN 24.
WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP THE YEAR IN 23 WITH A $5.3 MILLION SURPLUS IN 24, A $5.1 MILLION SURPLUS.
EVEN THIS YEAR, 2025 THROUGH APRIL SHOWED $7.7 MILLION DEFICIT.
IT'S ALREADY RECOVERED TO 3.3 FROM WHENEVER THIS REPORT WAS MADE.
I HOPE IT RECOVERS TO ZERO OR A SURPLUS BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
OKAY, I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO SUMMARIZE.
I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE BY REMINDING YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT NEGOTIATING FOR A CAR.
THIS ISN'T A NEGOTIATION WHERE GETTING THE LOWEST PRICE WINS THE DAY.
THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE, FIREFIGHTERS, YOUR FIREFIGHTERS, YOU SHOULD BE IN THERE FIGHTING FOR THEM, FOR ALL OF YOUR EMPLOYEES TRYING TO COMPENSATE THEM AT THE LEVEL AT WHICH IS RESPECTABLE.
MANY TIMES WE'RE HERE ASKING FOR JUST THE AVERAGE.
IN NO PART OF YOUR LIFE ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE AVERAGE.
BUT WE UNDERSTAND WHERE WE WORK.
WE'RE A CLASS ONE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE RESPOND UP AND DOWN THE STATE, BUT THEN WE'RE HAPPY WITH CAN WE JUST BE AVERAGE.
SO YOU'LL SEE OUR GOAL IS TO BE JUST ABOVE THE AVERAGE.
AND WE BELIEVE YOU CAN DO THAT.
[5. CLOSED SESSION]
WITH THAT, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF ITEMS FOR CLOSED SESSION.I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR CITY ATTORNEY.
UH, TWO ITEMS FOR CLOSED SESSION ARE, UH, FIRST A WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIM.
THE CLAIMANT IS RICHARD FLORES VERSUS THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY.
THE SECOND ITEM INVOLVES CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS AND THE EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED ARE THE MEA, NATIONAL CITY FIRES FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION AND POLICE OFFICER ASSOCIATION AND THE UNREPRESENTED GROUPS.
ALRIGHT, WE ARE NOW IN CLOSED SESSION.
I'D LIKE TO CALL THE MEETING BACK TO ORDER.
UM, WE ARE, WE'VE COME OUT OF CLOSED SESSION AND, UH, WITH THAT, THE MEETING, THE CLOSED SESSION MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
AND WE'LL BE REPORTING OUT AT THE END OF, UH, COUNCIL MEETING.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE ABOUT A FIVE MINUTE BREAK, GET OUR PAPERWORK TOGETHER, AND THEN GET THE MEETING STARTED.