Remarks by Bruce Guyton
618 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 20 of 25
“NEW SPEAKER VICE CHAIR SPIRITUS AND MAYOR LAWSON.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman Lanier. Nice, very pertinent question. Mayor Lawson.”
“Thank you, Mayor. With Amos, you're in a very challenging position Your recommendation impacts people's livelihood, whether they get a contract or not. That's going to create emotions for those who may not be recommended. That's going to generate, I don't want to say enemies, adversaries because you didn't recommend somebody or they thought you should have did something a different way. So I don't envy your position because it's a position where you're going to get a lot of criticism and you have been getting that. Whether it's valid or not, that's still in question. I don't think most of it…”
“And I don't think that we have enough data collection software in place. And that's to not only the employee's disadvantage, it's to the resident's disadvantage, too.”
“So we need to move beyond just talking about it. And from here, my colleagues, I think at least we should have a report from UNIT. When is our next meeting? If we're going to move in this year's budget, We got to have it by the time we started voting on these ordinances to approve the budget. You're about to say something. I'm about to end, but go ahead.”
“I'm asking with the approval of my colleagues to get with IT and bring us back what you and IT think would be the best way to collect the data that we're asking you to collect. You and IT, I'm not asking you about outside sources, people who may have a job that they They do this from a distance. I want people working in the industry like IT and you to get together and bring us some information back with some numbers so we can consider it in this budget that would collect the data that the mayors want and also have our departments communicating better, especially regarding who our local…”
“We need numbers. If that's the company or whatever UNIT come up with, we need numbers, though, to consider to see if we can work it into the budget. But we cannot keep identifying problems and keep kicking the can down the road. And our residents and employees are working in an environment that is not best for efficiency. Enough of that. This is 2026. We have to get our priorities together. If any of my colleagues have any opposition to what we're requesting, so speak or forever hold your peace. We're not voting on it right now, we're requesting information so we can make a rational decision…”
“ABSOLUTELY. I AGREE. And this is just to retrieve information and it's been emphasized for IT to be involved as well as procurement. Yes.”
“Okay. Thank you for your comments. Thank you very much. And let me just say that you're never going to be able to satisfy everybody. They're going to criticize you, but I know that you'll be getting calls from industry colleagues for your opinion to come speak. They heard about a program that you had up here, how to do it in their area. I see your colleagues recognizing what you're doing up here and they're trying to implement it in some of their areas. So don't let the haters get you down. Keep doing what you're doing. Good job. Okay. Next slide.”
“I did not know that you were the IT guy, to be honest. I'm new around here. Good to meet you.”
“So wait, two-fifths of the council didn't know who you are.”
“Shirley said she did. I mean, Councilwoman Lanier said she did. You've seen it. So that's three-fifths. But go ahead. It's glad to meet you.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“I mean, training. Training required. And we'll get with the city manager. Required training. I wasn't here, but everybody know that we have gotten hiked and paid a large amount. And we need to be prepared as well as we can to try to mitigate and diminish that possibility to ever happen again.”
“Okay. The other thing that we regularly get training on, too, is active shooter training. Do we have that?”
“at something similar to the fishing training um with the active shooter training it always happened at a place that doesn't expect it and i feel that we should be prepared for the unexpected no matter where it may happen that um on one of these um city-owned properties And if it happens and we have no training, nothing, I think it could be more devastating than it needs to be. So, um, I will hope that you take a look at that. We, um, I'm a planner and they require us to do it too at the county. Yes, everybody is required. We need to know what to do, where to go, who to call. Um, We even get…”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“To determine whether what is coming back to us would sufficiently do what we're trying to do.”
“Okay. That's all I have. Anybody else? Councilwoman Lanier.”
“Oh, OK. Let me just say that, you know, as we make our request, all of the colleagues know this. But for the residents, we're required to do a balanced budget. We don't have an option. So as staff bring us an initial budget and we start telling them we want this, this, this and that, they've got to go somewhere and eliminate something to make sure that they can bring us back what we're asking them to. So we need to be prepared to understand that we're going to lose something when we're asking for something. So we have to prioritize But we still want you to do what we're asking when I say you…”
“Nobody disagrees. That is in process, ma'am.”
“Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. IT. Next.”
“Chair. Vice Chair Spiridus, then Councilwoman Lanier. And I heard somebody over here. And then Mayor Lawson.”
“Okay. ACM, is someone taking notes of the request that the council is making to bring us back some numbers on?”
“it's also taking copious notes but i'm i'm jotting down notes okay because um again we have to have a balanced budget something else is going to have to be cut and we just need to know and be realistic about how we're moving and realize that something else is going to have to be cut in order to get what we want and get that balanced budget so Each department is going to have to take another look that we've made a request from to see what other things can be cut in order to do what we want them to do.”