The Mayor's Mixtape-Episode 65

Episode 65 of the Mayor's Mixtape gives a recap of the City Council meeting from Monday, June 22. Mayor Graham shares the excitement of Ianne's Pizzeria earning the Local Historic Landmark designation. She also explains the loan agreement for Design For Recycle and the use of the $0.10 bag fee collected locally. Plus Mayor Graham outlines the agreement for MxV Rail and their commitment to Pueblo for the next 10 years, with the commitment for the City to retain jobs in the community.

Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

Haley Sue Robinson 0:07

Welcome to the 65th episode of the Mayor's Mixtape. I'm Haley Sue Robinson, Director of Public Affairs for the City of Pueblo.

Mayor, Heather Graham 0:14

I'm Heather Graham, City of Pueblo Mayor.

Brian McCain 0:16

Brian McCain, Chief of Staff.

Haley Sue Robinson 0:18

And I want to remind you, you can find us on Apple, BuzzSpot, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch us on local channel 17. If you have questions or topic suggestions, you can email us, mayor @pueblo.us. And Mayor, we missed you last week.

Mayor, Heather Graham 0:36

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson 0:36

It's good to have the mayor back on the mayor's mixtape.

Mayor, Heather Graham 0:39

It was an important one, though.

Haley Sue Robinson 0:40

Yeah, it was important. But we had a great, great week last week. Good turnout at the open house with the shelter. Yeah, lots of lots of good stuff going on.

Council Recap And Landmark Pizza

Haley Sue Robinson 0:53

Last night we actually kind of had a late night for city council. It was a long night. 16 ordinances. One was continued till July. So pretty long agenda. But we had some exciting things last night. One thing in particular, Ianne's Pizzeria is now a local historic landmark. I learned some things last night at council when Beritt was giving the staff report. They were one of the first restaurants to ever do takeout, served uh the CFNI steel mill. And I think one thing in particular is just the fact that they have that long-standing history. They've been there for as long as they have, and they're still there and still have the intentions to be there. So that was a fun, fun celebration. Sometimes we don't necessarily have like fun ordinances. Um and that one that one felt like a feel-good one. So that was cool.

Mayor, Heather Graham 1:53

It was interesting talking to the family after they disclose that they're seeing some um improvements.

Haley Sue Robinson 2:02

Yeah, I thought that was great.

Mayor, Heather Graham 2:03

Down in that area, and um yeah, that was good. Yeah, we don't always hear that, so it's good to hear that.

Haley Sue Robinson 2:11

Their son um has come back and been part of the family business for the last five years, and he said he's seen some improvement on Northern Avenue and excited to see some more changes coming.

Home ARP Funding For Shelter

Mayor, Heather Graham 2:22

Yep.

Haley Sue Robinson 2:22

Yeah. Um additionally, uh City Council approved the agreement for the shelter for ho uh $210,000 um for home ARP city funds. Um so that was from uh a grant that the city received in 2022 and we created the Home ARP Annual Action Plan. Um and so that's uh no hit to the general fund. Um is that correct?

Mayor, Heather Graham 2:51

Yes, and this funding, this is the last um piece that will come through City Council for this year to fund the shelter through 2026.

Haley Sue Robinson 3:01

Got it. Okay. Uh

Recycling Loan Using Bag Fee

Haley Sue Robinson 3:03

another project approved last night was the short-term loan for the regional recycling uh project with design for recycle. Um so they're actually gonna utilize the 10 cent bag fee um that the city has collected. So can you tell us a little bit about that project?

Mayor, Heather Graham 3:20

So actually that that project came through us through Advance Pueblo.

Haley Sue Robinson 3:23

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham 3:23

Um so when we first started our webpage um with our uh application, um, they applied wanting to know if there was any kind of assistance for um infrastructure or equipment for local businesses in the community. So we actually went out and did a tour. Um many of us went and looked and it's it's very interesting. They do really everything by hand. Um

Haley Sue Robinson 3:52

Yeah, they do like hand baling.

Mayor, Heather Graham 3:54

Yeah, not what you would well sorting. And then they have a couple balers on site, but this bailer um is going to help with the plastic. So uh they do the hospitals. They do uh the big orange bags if you see them out on uh curbs, that's them. They do all the city's recycling. Um and so they had received a grant from the state.

Haley Sue Robinson 4:20

Y eah, C D P H E.

Mayor, Heather Graham 4:22

Yeah, but they have to it's a reimbursable only, so um they'll get reimbursed the funds and then they'll reimburse the city um for purchasing the baler. And so it it didn't necessarily qualify for half cent sales tax dollars, but our director of finance was uh pretty clever and came up with um the opportunity to use our bag collections fee. So the city had a little bit over half a million dollars and we haven't spent that money. Um and what better way uh to spend the recycle bag fee on being able to um recycle plastic faster. Uh so what's gonna happen is they're gonna get reimbursed, um, and then they'll pay back the city for for the the money that we loaned them.

Haley Sue Robinson 5:09

And so they'll get the new baling machine and then it also helps pay for the shipping cost of it. And like you said, it's uh reimbursable grant that they received from the state, but they they have to front the money in order to be reimbursed.

Mayor, Heather Graham 5:24

Yeah, and uh they're the they're a regional um recycling uh center, so they do more than just Pueblo, um different areas in southern Colorado. So that grant was um I think about 1.5 million, and so they've bought other pieces of equipment already that they've been able to help uh with their process. Um so it's it was really cool. But yeah, that was um that was one of our very first projects that came through Advance Pueblo.

Haley Sue Robinson 5:53

Cool.

Mayor, Heather Graham 5:53

Um so being able to connect and figure out a way that we can help uh wouldn't say small, but um

Haley Sue Robinson 6:00

a local business.

Mayor, Heather Graham 6:01

A smaller local-er business, local-er or um they have ten employees there,

Haley Sue Robinson 6:06

okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham 6:07

And a dog. Um it's very important. Um so it was it was it was cool to see the the whole process come uh full circle last night.

Haley Sue Robinson 6:17

Great.

MXV Rail Deal And Job Guarantees

Haley Sue Robinson 6:18

Um also uh last item on the agenda was the uh employment agreement and the special warranty deed for 350 Keeler Parkway with MXV Rail. Um so they you know uh Kerry Gonzalez mentioned last night that it's it's really a performance guarantee contract. So um they guarantee that they're going to employ uh 200 jobs at a average salary of ninety-two thousand dollars a year for the next ten years, um or they owe the city um if they don't live up to their side of that contract. Um can you talk a little bit about that process?

Mayor, Heather Graham 6:58

Sure. So this was uh existing, so this is something more like we would call retention uh for the job. So they had received an economic development incentive package five years ago uh when TTCI turned to MXV rail. Uh they needed office space, they needed a building. Um they actually went in a building on Keeler that was um it was SAR, which was uh another economic development project that didn't work out, so the city had the building.

Haley Sue Robinson 7:31

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham 7:31

Um PDF had the building, it was our property, uh, but it was in PDF's name and they they managed the property. Um and so they they went above and beyond their job um requirements. And so they were able to hit that limit um of cash value much faster um than most people do because they have so many employees and they agree with their employees. So their lease was up, so they came to the city. Gosh, this had to be January. Um, I remember it was January, February ish it was around the state of the city. Um, you know, saying that they had heard that the city was going to be taking the property back and they'd like continue uh to work through some kind of agreement. And so we met with them several times um and found out that they had actually invested seven million dollars um into the city's property.

Haley Sue Robinson 8:30

Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham 8:31

Um so we went out and toured it. Um it's pretty impressive what they what they've done and the short time that they've done it.

Haley Sue Robinson 8:37

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham 8:37

Um they also have all of their rail lines out at Puebloplex, so um it's a it's a pretty vast footprint, not just inside of the city, but outside of the city. And so um their job numbers have gone up since the first incentive package, their pay has gone up, and so what better way to um retain a good employer in our community than to be able to help provide an incentive that they need a building. So um over the next 10 years they're gonna be required to meet that 200 um employees, which was forty additional employees to what their previous commitment was.

Haley Sue Robinson 9:13

Okay.

Mayor, Heather Graham 9:14

Um and I think twenty thousand dollars more, twenty two thousand dollars more in employee. I think it's at ninety-two thousand pre-benefit, um, which is those are really good paying jobs um for this community. And the building we had it appraised uh came back at a little over ten million. Um we had it appraised we knew what the appraisal value was before they were in there. I believe that was around five million. And so the the money that they have put in for infrastructure has increased the value, um, their value, right? And so what better way to um show appreciation to a good employer than to work through an economic development um agreement that benefits the community and benefits MXV Rail. So after 10 years, if they have kept these employee numbers, um that building will will go to them.

Haley Sue Robinson 10:05

Great. Okay. I think another thing that's pretty notable about MXV Rail is um not only do they employ uh at least 200 um individuals in the community, but they also bring a lot of folks into the community with their certification program. Um and so you know, there's times where you go down to the Riverwalk or you go to Brues or Angelo's or somewhere down here near the um convention center and you kind of look around and you're like, I don't know all these people. And um a lot of them are firefighters from other communities getting certification here.

Mayor, Heather Graham 10:39

So they spend a couple weeks here, they're out um staying in our hotels, eating, drinking.

Haley Sue Robinson 10:45

Yeah.

Mayor, Heather Graham 10:46

Um and so not only do they just have their full-time jobs um but all of the um classes that they bring throughout the year. It's yeah, it's pretty much.

Haley Sue Robinson 10:56

It's it's a really good benefit to the community and um they also have really great partnerships in the community um through CSU Pueblo, um with Central High School and District 60. They're they're really good community partners. So um yeah, just glad to see as as you mentioned, retention and investment in our community.

Mayor, Heather Graham 11:17

Yeah,

Haley Sue Robinson 11:18

with good community partners.

Mayor, Heather Graham 11:19

Yeah, and good paying jobs. I mean you know we previously have uh spoken a lot about Project Falcon. Um 300 job request from the city alone is sixty-eight million dollars in um cash land, right? Um this is two hundred continued jobs um at ninety-two thousand, so almost thirty thousand more give or take per job. Um no cash up front, no cash ever, uh a building that they have invested and maintained uh for the last five years. So um when you're kind of looking at the different types of incentive packages that the city has provided uh over the years, I feel very comfortable with this one. I think that this is a win for everybody involved.

Haley Sue Robinson 12:09

Sure. And I think um something you just pointed out though, too, is that there are different types of incentives that the city can put together. So it might not always be half cent sales tax funds, it might not um always be a building, it might be a loan or an investment.

Mayor, Heather Graham 12:26

Waivers.

Haley Sue Robinson 12:27

Yeah. We we saw it two weeks ago with the development on the west side um for wastewater fees. Um there are different levers, I guess, that we can pull to help incentivize developers or companies and folks who are investing in the community. So it's interesting all the tools and and assets that we have that you kind of don't necessarily think about off the top of your head. I think

Mayor, Heather Graham 12:53

or that people don't know that it's actually the city that you have to come from.

Haley Sue Robinson 12:57

Sure.

Mayor, Heather Graham 12:57

I mean uh uh all of the waiver fees, TAP fees, um, any kind of horizontal development, that's all through the City of Pueblo. Um so once those big fish are brought into the community, it's the City of Pueblo who gets it over the finish line by being able to uh connect and formulate those incentive packages and make sure that the developer or the prospect is um getting the value, the the top value of of every piece that we have to offer.

Haley Sue Robinson 13:32

And that it's also valuable to

Mayor, Heather Graham 13:35

valuable to the community, yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson 13:36

Yeah, absolutely.

Mayor, Heather Graham 13:38

It's weird, isn't it? It's like we kind of know what we're doing.

Haley Sue Robinson 13:44

Um anything else you'd like to talk about for our city council last night, Mayor?

Tension At Council And Voting

Mayor, Heather Graham 13:49

Oh, just uh it was long and dreadfully painful, especially towards the end. Um when you have a just one city council member who I mean would just publicly say that they're going to vote anything down that the mayor touches. Um it's not good. It's not good for the community. You can disagree with me, I can disagree with them. Um but to publicly state and vote down good projects, like the two of these, um like the uh the historical land, uh landmark in Bessemer for in Bessemer in his own district um for Ianne's. Um I just I can't make sense of that. So um last night was painful, but there was some wind and we got through it. Um Yeah.

Brian McCain 14:39

And

Veterans Recognition And 250 150

Brian McCain 14:40

it started off with a bang.

Mayor, Heather Graham 14:42

Oh yeah. Tell us about that.

Haley Sue Robinson 14:44

Yeah, I thought the start of council

Mayor, Heather Graham 14:48

President Aliff did a really good job of organizing and putting that whole thing together. He knew what he wanted.

Haley Sue Robinson 14:54

Yeah.

Brian McCain 14:54

Yeah. Yeah. It was the last regular meeting before the 4th of July. So we wanted to do a 250, 150 celebration, and we had the national anthem sing, got some vets in. What was really funny was when you asked when he asked him to come up and take a picture. There were more in the audience. They don't like to get up to take pictures.

Haley Sue Robinson 15:14

Oh, I I yelled at the city staff because uh Barb and Ben were sitting back, and Ben said, Barb's not going. I said, Barb, get up there. We have a lot of uh veterans who work for the city. Um, but they're really humble and don't want the recognition.

Brian McCain 15:30

Yeah, so it was really cool. It was a nice it was a nice way to start the night.

Haley Sue Robinson 15:35

Yeah, I agree. And it w anytime we can have um the honor guard, the national anthem, it just I don't know, it felt cool to start city council that we're gonna do.

Mayor, Heather Graham 15:44

Patriotic.

Haley Sue Robinson 15:45

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And it is I I think one thing that's super unique for us as Coloradans, you know, the 250-150 celebration, everyone is celebrating 250 um years of America, right? But it's pretty cool that we get to celebrate um 150 in Colorado and just unique things. Also, um, you know, last night with the church, 150 years.

Mayor, Heather Graham 16:12

Yeah.

Haley Sue Robinson 16:13

Uh I think July 12th is 150 years for them. I mean, just the history that we have in Pueblo, the history have we have in Colorado, it it was really cool. Yeah, it was a good way to start the night. Thanks for bringing that up, Brian. I appreciate it. Um anything else I'm missing?

Heat, Fire Risk, Fireworks Decisions

Mayor, Heather Graham 16:33

It's hot.

Haley Sue Robinson 16:34

It is hot. It's very hot.

Mayor, Heather Graham 16:35

Stay cool Puebloans.

Haley Sue Robinson 16:37

It's supposed to rain this week. Hopefully we get some moisture. I know everyone's worried about the heat and the dryness.

Mayor, Heather Graham 16:44

And the fireworks, and we're still taking that into consideration depending on if we get some weather this week. So there'll be some decisions made towards the end of the week.

Haley Sue Robinson 16:56

Mm-hmm. Lots of conversations with uh fire chiefs. Lots of conversations about you know, red flag warnings, what's appropriate. I I know it was a tough week for fires in southern Colorado. Um it's gonna continue to be tough with fires.

Mayor, Heather Graham 17:14

Yeah, so go out and do a rain dance. Is that what you're saying?

Haley Sue Robinson 17:17

Sure, why not? Let's do it. Yeah, that'd be great.

Open House And River Festival

Haley Sue Robinson 17:21

Um okay, a couple things that are coming up that I want to remind everyone. Uh City of Pueblo's hosting our public open house on Thursday, June 25th from 5 to 7 for the 24th Street Bridge over a BNSF Railroad and the transportation study to downtown. Uh meeting is at Centennial High School, which is located at 2525 Mount View Drive. Um that won't be live streamed because it's more of a one-on-one interaction. We want folks' uh feedback. So we have had a lot of folks asking, is there going to be a live stream? There's kind of nothing to live stream because there's not an actual presentation or um like a PowerPoint. Um also this weekend, join us for the Steel City Arkansas River Festival, Saturday, June 27th at Waterworks Park. Fun for the whole family. Build your own boat race, Generation Wild Adventure Alley, music, food trucks, community bike and paddle parade, uh, plus the rubber duck race. Uh that's from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at SCARF. Uh more information at pueblo.us / scarf or 719-553-2790. Um anything else I'm missing, Mayor?

Mayor, Heather Graham 18:35

There's so much. I don't know. I think we're good.

Haley Sue Robinson 18:38

There's always a lot.

Mayor, Heather Graham 18:40

Yeah. Just making sure we hit all the high points.

Haley Sue Robinson 18:42

Yep, absolutely. Okay.

Subscribe, Email, And Sign Off

Haley Sue Robinson 18:45

Well, um don't forget you can find us on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Buzzsprout, wherever you get your podcasts. Email us, mayor @pueblo .us. Uh tell your friends, like, share, subscribe, and we'll see you next week.