Remarks by Amanda Rodriguez
219 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 9
- Play at 1:51:40
“Okay, so within our software, it would be possible to have payment plans for adult residents without a family. Yes. Am I correct? Absolutely. Is that something we can, I think it just would help me, you know, be able to support this a lot more when there's a monthly payment plan available for somebody who maybe they still want to go, but that's, it's just too much, that increase on top of all the other rates we just applied. Um, is that something perhaps mayor that we can get some consensus on from council to see if anybody would be interested in something like that? Um, so the question is…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:52:53
“Right, so I guess what I'm asking is for it to apply to yes, the other categories aside from just the family, so the youth, the senior, and the adult. It's not changing the proposed fee, it's just allowing more flexibility to be able to pay.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:53:23
“And then you also mentioned the silver sneakers and Optum Fitness. Can you explain the difference between those? I took notes because I thought you might ask.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:00:35
“Yes, ma'am. I actually was going to come in with a proposal specifically about the special events. I had asked a question on the message board if whether or not the current fee proposals account for the most recent block party hosted on the downtown square, particularly whether they accounted for the demand and staff, police, fire, and the like, and wanting to make sure that this conversation is as comprehensive as possible. I know that there was a suggestion about potential tiers and I just think that to do this without addressing that, I think we would be remiss.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:02:40
“Well, for mine, I just want to make sure that for special events, staff has enough time to comprehensively look at this. Hayden, sorry to throw a wheel.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:03:41
“Right, and I know our committee was supposed to get a comprehensive update regardless. Yep, you're right. Okay.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:05:00
“You're right, you're right, you're right. Yeah, this will be the first year we've done that. Let me get my calendar.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:06:20
“And Mayor, for that discussion, could we potentially, I don't know how much work it would be for staff, but could we potentially have The data further disaggregated in terms of peer city reviews to include poverty rates and how they differ between the ones listed.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:14:22
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:22:20
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:28:01
“Oh, yes, ma'am. So just for, I guess, procedural purposes, did the city formally vote on these incumbents or you're just saying because they're in place? Did we formally cast votes for these people?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:28:29
“I'm going to abstain for this. To your point you made earlier, you just don't know. That's fine.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:28:55
“And maybe if this comes to us again, correct? Oh, that's not consent. That's right. Because I was going to say maybe staff could answer the question if council had previously.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:30:01
“All right. I understand the item's been disposed of, but I think the motion was for the incumbents, correct? Yes. Am I misreading that place three does not have an incumbent?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:30:55
“I'm sorry, Mayor Houston, who seconded it?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 49:45
“Yes, ma'am. For the sake of the conversation, could we pull up that?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 50:12
“So I know mayor, we've typically stuck to the 3% every three years. Correct. Am I correct on that?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 50:31
“So I saw your question on the message board, uh, as it related to cap a potential cap. And then I saw, obviously given it's based on impervious cover and that a cap may not necessarily be feasible. If you're interested though in entertaining perhaps I mean, while ideally I would be totally okay with a 5.8 given the capital investment that's necessary for some of these massive projects that are very critical, I can hear how given all of the other increases that we've made in terms of rates, this could be a sticker shock for some of these businesses. Are you interested in perhaps a potential…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 53:47
“So, Mayor, I know on a couple slides prior to this one, there was the rate adjustment scenarios that provided scenario one, I believe, was the 0% of what we're at, the 1%, 1.9, and 3.8. I know we have one, 1.9, 5.8.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 54:12
“Right. And I was particularly interested, you know, if, if council's not amenable to a 5.8%, I'm seeing on the previous slide, uh, the 3.8% would generate an additional $368,000 in revenue, revenue compared to the 561,000 under the 5.8%. Um, mayor, are you more amenable to a 3.8 versus a 5.8? Like, are you trying to find somewhere in the middle? Just trying to see what, you know, where the interest lies?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 59:18
“Yeah, and Mayor, you know, this one, as all of the other rates, like we talked about the last time, these are not easy discussions that we have. They're not easy decisions that we have. But, you know, to the point my colleague just made, but also... The critical nature of this infrastructure that this fund specifically funds is actually saving us money long term should we have a major flooding event. A major flooding event doesn't just cost a municipality considerably, it also costs businesses considerably should there be damage. And so in terms of potential return on investment or return on…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:00:48
“From my colleague that wasn't here, the discussion at that time, while I think we all can understand, given especially state legislative action, the financial strain that school districts are under, I think without understanding, though, at the same time, that when Texas State chose to pull out, THAT COST US. THAT COST US SIGNIFICANTLY. THEY WERE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS FUND. AND I WANT TO SAY, AND I KNOW SAVAS IS HERE, I THINK WE WERE PROVIDED AT THAT TIME WHERE THE DISTRICT LIED ON THE LIST OF TOP CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS FUND. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CREATING A POTENTIALLY MASSIVE HOLE IN A…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:22:24
“I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of 65.15 cents, which is effectively a 2.5% increase On the tax rate. Is it in the tax rate or just grammar? Is the state set in?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:22:42
“Thank you. It just feels grammatically incorrect, but okay.”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:39:14
“And just for, so I'll second, thank you for the sake of discussion. Um, I believe it was all encompassing of the things that were inverse and that I had flagged. Right. Um, but this isn't necessarily a substantive in the sense of you're changing the amount and it's just fixing the formatting. Am I correct?”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026