07.07.21 CEC Minutes ITOWN
Minutes
Community Engagement Committee
OF Council Chambers
PProsper Town Hall
p E R 250 W. First Street, Prosper, TX 75078
SVia Zoom
Prosper is a place where everyone matters. Wednesday, July 7, 2021
1. Call to Order/Roll Call.
The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.
Committee Members Present:
Rodolfo Sierra, Chair
Christine Strobush, Vice-Chair
Brent Kirby
Damon Jackson
Josh Carson
Maona Ngwira
Sekou Harris (arrived at 6:08)
Committee Members Absent:
Kim Loveland
Shy Tottress
D'Oyle Clark
Grant Mendeljian
Councilmembers Present
Councilmember Marcus Ray
Councilmember Amy Bartley
Councilmembers Absent
Councilmember Jeff Hodges
Staff Members Present:
Robyn Battle, Executive Director of Community Services
Haley Alsabrook, Community Engagement Specialist
2. Consider and act upon the June 2, 2021 Meeting Minutes (RB)
Brent Kirby made a motion and Josh Carson seconded the motion to approve the June 2,
2021 minutes. The motion was approved by a vote of 6-0.
3. Broadband Service Improvements (Craig Andres) [Inform/Discuss]
Deputy Mayor Pro-Tern Craig Andres presented information on the efforts the Town has
made toward improving broadband service in the community. Deputy Mayor Pro-Tern
Andres is a member of the Town Council Broadband Service Subcommittee, which was
appointed to study the issue and make recommendations to the Town Council. David
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Bristol, another member of the Broadband Committee and Prosper EDC President, was
also in attendance for the Broadband discussion. Mr. Andres reviewed some statistics
from the broadband survey that was conducted in 2019. Results indicated that 91% of
Prosper residents telework at least one day per week, yet only 52% of survey
responders reported that they were satisfied with their home broadband connection's
reliability. More than half of Prosper businesses reported that their current internet
connection does not meet their needs, and 85% reported that speeds were too slow.
Efforts the Town has made thus far include providing free mobile hot spots for checkout
for Prosper Community Library members, a help-desk concierge for residents to help
troubleshoot Internet problems, and Town Hall perimeter wi-fi.
Mr. Andres noted how broadband service improvements fit into the Town Council's
Strategic Goals, and the importance of broadband technology to attracting business and
future economic development opportunities. He reviewed local service providers' plans
to overbuild with fiber-to-the-home in certain areas of Prosper. He noted that Prosper is
home to many executives and entrepreneurs who primarily work from home and depend
on quality broadband services. Prosper's demographic, geographic location, and
density, however, are not conducive to receiving federal or state grants for broadband
improvements. The Town has four primary options for improving broadband service;
wait on traditional carrier plans and the market to improve service; engage with providers
to improve selected neighborhoods and leave it to neighborhoods to engage with
providers; facilitate an opportunity for a buildout provider to build a town-wide network,
and lease facilities back to providers; or, the Town become a service provider.
Mr. Andres asked the Committee to share their opinions and experiences regarding
broadband technology and to consider several proposed statements that would reflect a
technology vision for Prosper. Members discussed their individual experiences.
Committee members expressed some dissatisfaction with the reliability of service and
agreed that the Town should have a clear vision of what level of service the Town should
provide. The Committee inquired as to whether any benchmark studies have been done
of surrounding cities regarding their level of involvement in providing broadband service.
The Committee discussed whether the Town wants to be a leader in the tech
community, and if this is something residents want to be a part of the Town's identity. A
couple of members mentioned that although they pay for higher speeds, they don't
always get it, and the number of devices in their homes slow speeds even more. One
member inquired as to whether the Town could partner with Celina or other communities
to have more "buying power" when it comes to improving broadband service.
Committee members agreed that service improvements in at least some areas of Town
are needed, such as the legacy neighborhoods, and agree that those who telework need
reliable service. Students also needs reliable service. The real question is how much
those improvements will cost, and what residents are willing to pay. Committee
members discussed whether residents would agree to a possible bond election or tax
rate increase to fund broadband improvements. There may be some resistance, but the
Committee generally agreed that broadband improvements help the Town as a whole in
terms of the ability to work, go to school, do business, and as an economic development
tool. The Committee generally agreed that the Town should have a role in facilitating
improvements, but the Town should not pursue becoming a service provider. The
Committee felt that broadband service should be consistent across Town so that
residents and businesses can be confident that they will have good service and speed
no matter where in Town they are located. The CEC members recommended the
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Broadband Committee develop a draft Vision Statement for the CEC to review, and to
develop 2-3 options for how the Town could facilitate improvements, along with cost
estimates for each option. No further action was taken.
4. CEC Logo and T-shirts (Rodolfo Sierra) [Inform/Decide]
The Committee reviewed the proposed t-shirt logo and design.
Rodolfo Sierra made a motion and Sekou Harris seconded the motion to approve the
logo and t-shirt design. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0.
5. CEC Video (Christine Strobush) [Inform/Decide]
Christine Strobush reviewed the proposed plan to film a series of videos to introduce the
CEC to the residents. Tim Urban of Urban Creative introduce himself and went into
further detail about the video. CEC members were asked to review the draft video script
and begin thinking about their personal testimonial video.
Damon Jackson made a motion and Sekou Harris seconded the motion to approve the
video series message and concept. The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0.
6. 2021 Event Calendar(Shy Tottress) [Inform/Discuss]
This item was not discussed.
7. Inventory of Community Groups (Brent Kirby) [Inform/Discuss/Decide]
8. QR Handout& Promotional Items (Kimberly Loveland) [Inform/Discuss]
9. Discussion of CEC Vision and Outcomes (Rodolfo Sierra) [Inform/Discuss]
10. Discussion of Recent and Future Events [Inform/Discuss/Decide]
11. Discuss Future Agenda Items [Discuss]
Due to time constraints, the CEC decided to table all remaining items on the agenda
until the next meeting. The Committee decided to hold an interim meeting on July 21 to
discuss tabled items. Councilmember Bartley announced that Mary Ann Moon from the
Prosper EDC would like to attend the August CEC meeting to provide an update on the
Downtown Master Plan.
Brent Kirby made a motion and Rodolfo Sierra seconded the motion to table Items 7-11.
The motion was approved by a vote of 7-0.
12. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.
These minutes were approved on Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
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Rodolfo 1,.. ._,Sierra, ommittee Chair
Robyn Battle ecutive Director of ommunity Services
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