Harrisburg City Council - Work Session 06/02/2026

for your patience. The time is 5:35 p.m.

I would like to call our work session to

order.

>> Mr. Trudale, could you please call the

role?

>> Miss Davis,

>> present.

>> Miss Green.

>> Mr. Jones,

>> here.

Mr. Lolen

>> here.

>> Miss Rolls

>> present.

>> Mr. Rodriguez

>> present.

>> Miss Hill

>> present. Thank you.

We will begin our committee business

this evening uh with the administration

committee. We have two resolutions for

discussion. We will begin with

resolution 49 of 2026. Mr. Trudale,

could you please read it into the

record? Resolution 49 of 2026, a

resolution confirming the appointment of

Mr. Isaac S. Gaylord, esquire to serve

as assistant city solicitor for the city

of Harrisburg.

>> Thank you. Mr. Gaylord is present. Um,

if you wouldn't mind taking a few

moments to, let's say, reintroduce

yourself.

>> Thank you, President Hill. Um, as

stated, my name is Isaac Gaylord. I uh

am an attorney and previously worked for

the city of Harrisburg from 2019 through

2022

um and left here to pursue an

opportunity at the state. I've been

working in government and municipal law

for 10 years now and I'm happy to be

back with the city.

>> Excellent. Thank you. Welcome back.

>> Thank you. Um, I guess if you wouldn't

mind speaking on some of the work that

you've previously done with the city of

Harrisburg

and maybe what you have now caught up on

or look forward to working on um, as you

return.

>> Sure. Yeah. When I was initially hired

by the city, I was brought in as the

contracts attorney. So, I was handling

most uh, procurement and contracting

matters. Um, over the course of my time

with the city, I also took on some land

use matters, building code enforcement,

um,

and, uh, legislation for this body. Um,

and, uh, any other duties that happened

to pop up that needed to be covered. Uh

since coming back I've mostly been

focusing on litigation and that is

likely going to be the bulk of my work

going forward for the law bureau unless

the there are changes of course and then

it's other duties as assigned.

>> Excellent. Thank you. Um I don't have

any questions. Um it was a pleasure

working with you before so I look

forward to working with you again. I'm

going to open the floor to my colleagues

who may have some additional questions

for you. I'd like to begin to my left

with Councilwoman Davis. Do you have any

questions?

>> Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Gaylord,

and thank you for your willingness and

dedication um for to serve the residents

of this city again. And welcome back.

>> Thank you, Member Davis.

>> Thank you, Councilman Rodriguez. Any

questions?

>> Thank you, Madam President. Um Isaac,

always a pleasure to see you. I too had

the opportunity to briefly work with you

upon my arrival at council earlier. Um,

no questions. I guess well, one, if I

had to kind of pry, um, what what would

be the main reason, if you can say, why

you wanted to come back, leaving the

state position?

>> Um, I really enjoyed my time at the

state, but, uh, state government is a

little less hands-on than local

government. Um, I was spending more and

more of my time in an office shuffling

paper around and I wanted to move back

to a role where I had more direct

interaction with people and projects

where you can sort of make more of a

direct impact on day-to-day life.

>> Awesome. Thank you for that and uh,

thank you for your willingness to come

back and be a part of the team.

>> Thank you, council member.

>> Absolutely.

>> Councilwoman Ross, any questions?

>> Good evening. Um, I too had a brief

stint of working with you when I first

came on council. So, I'm um happy to see

you back and I agree interaction with

people is um the fun part of your day.

So, um thank you for for coming back and

I look for look forward to working with

you again.

>> Thank you, council member. I look

forward to it as well.

>> Thank you. Thank you, Vice President

Jones. Any questions?

>> Uh let me see.

Yeah, I have one question. It's just one

more of an integral question. Um, if you

see something wrong um that is happening

within the city, how uh far as this

legislation, something that isn't

correct, how do you respond?

>> Uh, obviously that's going to depend on

the situation. I can't give you a

blanket answer for everything, but um,

>> but just something that's wrong and

that's not right. uh in general uh you

know as a member of the law bureau the

first step is going to be bringing uh

that issue up with the solicitor uh

solicitor Grover um and working to

correct whatever the issue is. Um I

don't think being an attorney is a role

where you can let things are wrong slide

by. You have an a duty to report that

and in in the cases the assistant

solicitor would be reporting it to the

city solicitor.

All right. Thank you for that. Um,

that's all I had. President Hill.

>> Thank you, Council Member Jones.

>> Thank you, Councilman Lawson. Any

questions?

>> Yes. Thank you, President Hill. Um,

one uh well, first I want to say thank

you and for uh coming back and, you

know, we look forward to having the

opportunity to work with you. I know

that there's a lot that makes it through

the the law brew and having someone

there to help take the the load off is

is great. And looking at your

experience, I think you've been working

in in areas that would be helpful for

the city. Um, one thing that I'm looking

at, and I'm not asking you to give me

ideas right now, but I seen that you uh

as a clerk were looking into like

mechanic leans and the like of that. And

where I'm my my hope is that we could

figure out ways to um

let's say approach these absentee

landlords and and ways that we can

affect change in the city. Um, so I

guess it's not really a question, but

it's more of a statement of I I'd be

looking to you to find like maybe some

creative solutions um to how we can try

to tackle that that problem here in in

the future so that um you know, it's

something that we can address as a body

here to maybe get the uh some of these

homeowners become a little bit more um

responsive to uh the needs of the

community.

>> Yeah, that's something I'd be happy to

work on. And uh I actually have a

meeting set up with the director of

codes enforcement on Friday to help

improve the legal process in that

department uh already scheduled for this

Friday. So

>> all right, I'm I'm late to the game.

Thanks. Appreciate it.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you. Are there any other questions

for attorney Gaylord? Seeing and hearing

none, there's no further discussion. I

move to add resolution 49 of 2026 to our

next legislative session agenda for a

formal vote. Thank you.

>> Thank you, President Hill.

>> Next, we have resolution 50 of 2026. Mr.

Trusel, could you please read it into

the record? Resolution

50, 2026, a resolution implementing

technical corrections required by the

Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System

related to the passage of resolution 34

of 2026, which ratified an adoption

agreement for the non-uniform municipal

employees retirement system with the

Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System

to extend the superanuation retirement

known as the rule of 80 effective

January 1st, 2026.

Thank you.

Solicitor Grover, could you please

provide an overview of resolution 50 of

2026?

>> So, resolution 50, this agreement, this

document might seem very familiar to us

because you just voted on it. Um, the

one you voted on did not have the signed

page on the back. Uh, it's the agreement

that was provided to us by PRS, the

exact agreement. And when it went sent

over to them with the signature, they

said that signature wasn't in front of

city council, so we can't accept it

because it wasn't on the resolution. So,

they're basically making us do it again.

>> So,

>> the substance remains the same.

>> Absolutely. Yes. Okay. We we're not

allowed to change a word of their

contracts. That's how that works.

>> Okay. Just wanted to Yep.

>> clarify. Um I don't have any questions.

Then I'll open the floor. I'd like to

begin with Councilman Lawson. Do you

have any questions on resolution 50?

>> Thank you, President Hill. I have no

questions.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. Any

questions?

>> Yeah. What year was this?

>> No questions.

>> 1903 when I was first born. So,

>> thank you. [snorts] Councilwoman Ross,

any questions?

>> No, I don't have any questions.

>> Thank you. Councilman Rodriguez, any

questions?

>> Thank you, Madam President. So listen

Grover, if you wouldn't mind just for

those um in attendance and watching the

rule of 80 is when their actual age

meets the years of service and equates

to 80 pretty much

>> there when if your years of service plus

your age if you are a member of um ask

me add to 80 that gives you a multiplier

you can use that goes into your

retirement. Um, and so, uh, it used to

be 85 and it was changed to 80 as a

temporary. It's pretty much become

permanent now. It's been in the last

five versions, I think, of the

contracts. Um, but because it was

originally 85, they're very picky about

it not reverting back.

>> Thank you.

>> Sure.

>> Nothing further, Madam President.

>> Thank you, Councilwoman Davis. Any

questions?

>> Thank you, President Hill.

I understand that the resolution did not

specifically state or re or reference

the 2.5%

multiplier for plans A and B members and

this is the reason for revisiting

to implement technical corrections only.

>> Yeah. And and but the document attached

to the resolution that you were

approving was that reference of 2.5.

>> Thank you.

>> Yes.

Okay, thank you. If there are no further

questions or discussion, I move to add

resolution 50 of 2026 to our next

legislative session agenda for a formal

vote. This concludes the business of the

administration committee. Next, we have

the budget and finance committee. I will

defer to our vice president, budget and

finance committee chair, vice president

Jones to lead discussion.

>> Thank you, President Hill.

We have um resolution 46 of 2026. Mr.

Trudale, can you please read that into

the record? Resolution 46 of 2026, a

resolution authorizing the city of

Harrisburg to enter into a professional

services agreement with Mard Diesel PC

for the purpose of providing audit

preparation services to the city of

Harrisburg.

>> Thank you. Someone here from the

administration to Mr. McCutchen,

come on down.

Price is right.

Yeah, we'll see.

So, if you don't mind, sir, uh

introducing yourself and please give us

a small brief uh overview of resolution

46.

>> All right, got the green light. Uh good

evening, city council members. Uh Brian

McCutchen, accounting manager. Uh thank

you, President Hill and uh Vice

President Jones for this opportunity to

review resolution 46

which represents again uh Myer Dussel's

um services for our 2024 audit

preparation. Um and as their engagement

letter is part of the uh resolution,

it's it's been uh distributed and

attached. Uh you can see it includes 10

areas of the audit preparation phase for

2024.

Uh the most significant pieces of that

include uh the refugees disposal

receivables that uh relate to the

neighborhood services fund. Um several

liability accounts that are on an

acrruel basis, not cash, including

compensated absences.

uh the other postemployment benefit

calculations and valuations or OPED uh

the city's pension uh both assets

liabilities for all three pension plans

um the related uh interfund accounts

that are still in effect between the

city and capital region water and uh

also the uh acred uh workers

compensation liability those are the

more significant areas that that are

listed among the 10 and uh I I reached

out to u our audit partner contact at

Myer Ducel to give her the opportunity

but unfortunately she had a prior uh

board meeting commitment this evening.

So I'm going through this and I I'll do

my best to answer all questions but just

uh if if I don't answer anything to your

satisfaction we can uh follow up with

the partner at at at Myer Ducul. Um

lastly for for for that firm uh you may

recall they also are very familiar with

the city from their past experience as

the independent auditors. Uh they also

in do involve work with capital region

water. They're very familiar with uh

their that entity and they also audit

the city's police pension plan on

pension plan on on an annual basis.

And um the I I'll go to the the the fee

that's being proposed is is quite

comparable to uh previous years of

service they've provided, which in this

engagement letter is is a not to exceed

fee of $25,500.

>> Yeah. Thank you.

>> All right. Thank you for that uh

explanation. Um I really don't have any

questions. out just, you know, for the

public's uh references. Um, you know,

this is very similar to the one we just

did in 23. Um, this is something that

typically happens, excuse me, that

typically typically happens every year.

Um, and um, we are behind a couple and

go ahead.

>> Yeah. Yes. It's it no it it's quite

meaningful in in in that respect as

we're wanting to uh fasttrack or push

the progress of the 2024 audit to to get

that completed uh prior to the end of

the current year uh along with sight set

on moving forward with uh the 2025 audit

for the the fiscal year that just that

previously ended

>> and yeah

>> go ahead but but that but um that's

that's that's the summary but again not

only fasttrack try fasttracking but but

utilizing my reducal's experience uh w

with the city's uh various accounts and

and also their staff that they have uh

prior experience.

>> Yes, sir. Um like I said, I don't really

have any questions. I was able to sit in

with the committee and go over at least

23s and uh you know, I'll definitely be

attentive um with these as we go forward

um making sure that the books are are

are pretty much balanced in that regard.

So, with that, um, I'll open the floor

up and I'll go to my, um, far left and

I'll start with Councilwoman Davis.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. No

questions for me,

>> Councilman Rodriguez. No questions for

me,

>> woman.

Good evening, Mr. McCutchen. No

questions for me.

>> President Hill,

>> good evening. I don't have any

questions. Thank you. Right.

>> Thank you.

Councilman Lawson.

>> Good evening. Thank you, Vice President

Jones and Mr. McCutchen. The only

question that I really have is is just

on experience. It says a fee not to

exceed 25,000. Do we basically work up

to that fee or or is it usually a little

less, but you know, they have a buffer

for extra.

>> That That's correct. Yeah, they they of

course they they they honor honor that

and recognize that, but but typically it

it gets to u very close to that total if

not the actual total when when they do

uh their progress billings.

>> Okay. Thank you. That was more just out

of curiosity and that's it. Thank you.

>> Sure.

>> All right. If anybody Oh my goodness.

I'm I apologize. Councilwoman um Green,

I did not know you were there. I

apologize. [snorts]

Thank you. Uh, no worries. I don't have

any questions regarding this. It's a a

pretty simple contract, something we

usually do. So, I don't have any

questions.

>> All right. Thank you. Does anyone else

have any questions or concerns? Thank

you, Mr. McCutchen.

>> Okay.

>> Yes. Very good.

>> Yep. I would ask that uh resolution 46

of 2026 be moved to our next legislative

session, and I would ask that my

colleagues support. Thank you.

>> Thank you.

All right. Resolution 48 of 2026. Mr.

Trudale, can you please And he's still

here. [laughter]

>> Can you please read resolution 48 into

the uh record, please? Resolution 48 of

2026, a resolution authorizing the city

of Harrisburg to negotiate and enter

into a professional services agreement

with Ber and Ritter LLC to perform the

city of Harrisburg's annual audit and

financial reports for the year ending

December 31st, 2024.

>> Thank you. Uh Mr. McCussen, can you give

us an overview of resolution 48?

>> Uh yes, s certainly. Thank thank you

again. So of course this is it's like a

tag team sort of uh scenario here is we

just went through the audit prep phase

uh w with uh for for my ducul. So Ber

and Ritter have been the city's

independent auditors starting uh really

with a 2019 audit which uh which the

audit committee is very close to and in

developing it back at that time uh an

RFP process and there was a three-year

RFP with the option to extend such for

two additional one-year periods. So, we

just completed uh the the second

one-year period with the 2023 audit

and recently the audit committee

convened uh back in in miday uh and and

took in Ber and Ritter's presentation of

of the city's financial audit and also

uh reviewed and u put forth a a vote

among its members to see if they would

be good with having Ber and Ritter

perform our 2024 audit.

uh which they were able to do with

getting subsequent confirmation from

members of the audit committee and they

they voted to uh approve them again for

2024. And of course they work um in in

in supplying this council this

information at at this council's

pleasure for for this financial uh

service and information.

Uh the the audit includes the the city's

annual financial report uh with the

involve basic financial statements

um and footnote disclosures

and we we also prepare as part of that

report um a a management and discussion

analysis which leads uh ahead of the

auditor's opinion and it's a it's a

financial report but then they also

prepare the city's single audit report

which relates to its federal

expenditures. As you know, the city has

various programs and initiatives that

that involve federal funds and and the

expenditure of such.

And then at the tail end uh one of the

one of the final pieces is uh through

the department of community and economic

development uh on their municipal

statistics site there is a a DCEED

annual uh financial and audit report

that gets filed

which comes after the completion of of

the financial audit. So that's that's

included the single audit and and the

DCED report are included uh within uh

this proposed engagement letter.

Um, and I mentioned uh the the audit

committee met recently on on the 2023

and they they were comfortable with um

the engagement letter and and the fee

that's being [snorts] proposed at this

time for the 2024 fiscal year which is

$137,500

uh for them to perform this services. Um

the they've maintained a very consistent

lead partner or principal uh who's very

familiar now with uh the audits that

we've done and and also his staff have

have maintained uh consistency and uh

they're quite uh familiar and helpful

when it comes to moving through the uh

related phases of the audit.

Um but that's it's it's quite a large

engagement letter. it it it's grown over

time through the years, but that's

that's the main u uh the main highlights

of this proposal.

>> Yeah. Um thank you. And again, I was

able to sit in with with this firm as

well and um they did a a pretty thorough

job. Um the price tag of $100,000. Um I

think we are getting a bang for our

buck. Looking at making sure that our

our books are balances are balanced

through these um through these years um

is one thing. Um, so for me, um, I just

like the reporting part on when you guys

will be able to come back and make sure

that we can report out to the community

so that we can make sure that, um, they

are understanding that we are fiscally

sound in some areas and and if we're

not, we can address those as well.

>> Okay.

>> All right.

>> Great. And I I mentioned the reports. Uh

I mean what's I I appreciate you you

mentioning that because as as part of

their audit not only do they do the

reporting they follow up with uh a

review of prior year findings or or

comments findings at the single audit

level. So they uh we we we put forth uh

intended uh remedies or corrective

action on those findings and we always

follow up for the auditors to show them

or demonstrate that we're able to remove

some or or if not most of those audit

findings. Uh that's at the single audit

level. And then they also produce uh

what is called a management letter which

is not they don't classify those as

findings but they represent

opportunities for management to improve

uh certain areas. uh mainly to improve

upon already established internal

controls because from their perspective

they can they can step back and and see

uh from their review of the information

and their understanding whether or not

there there still is room for

improvement in in various areas.

>> And and just again just so that the uh

the public is is is pretty clear on this

and how how these things work. Um can

you uh share with the with the community

with the public um who's at the table

when these audits are taking place?

far as ICA, you know?

>> Yes. Uh well, it right. It it it

involves really all city uh stakeholders

to some degree at at various points in

time. Um we we we keep uh communications

open with uh of course the u the mayor,

the business administrator

uh to review uh whatever financial

uh either either statements or or

reports that that that come to pass. Uh

we also work closely and and let them

know of of our close working

relationship with both the city

controller and city treasurer's offices

uh for both both sides of the equation,

revenue and expense. And then uh you

know, Vice President Jones, you

mentioned the AA. Uh they meet

periodically throughout the year and are

always mindful of of the city's progress

when it comes to not only the

performance of the audit um but but it

relates to the reports that we do for

the A for updating their um their their

city's um uh financial plan.

>> Yeah.

>> Periodically. And and the only other

thing that I will um get you to u not go

so deep into but there's a difference

between some of the audits that we that

we're having now and one because you

know it was asked several times um even

being the price tag for this audit at

100,000. So if we were to do a forensic

audit, it would have be much more

expensive to do for the prior years.

>> Uh it can vary. Uh really the the annual

audit is the is conducted you know by

the independent auditor which the city

contracts with to do that. The a

forensic audit would have to arise out

of some uh event or occurrence or

special need that that would be advised

where there's a there's a concern about

uh

financial transactions or or just that

would be more focused on internal

controls. I I believe uh if if any

department or office would have a

concern about a particular area,

>> right?

>> It's not the norm, but it's certainly it

would be available or or or put out

there for consideration if need be.

>> Yes, sir. Thank you.

>> Sure.

>> Um going to open the floor up and this

time I'm going to go to my media left

and President Hill.

>> Thank you. Um, thank you for your

thorough um, explanation and analysis of

the um,

work that is done. Um, I appreciate it.

I don't have any questions. Thank you.

>> Okay. Thank you, Councilwoman Ross.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. Um, my

question was asked and answered. It was

also about the forensics um, audit. uh

what that procedure was or why would one

be called or just I just had the same

questions that President I mean vice

president Jones had. I'm sorry. So

that's it for me. Thank you.

>> Okay, Councilman Rodriguez,

>> thank you. Uh thank you for joining us.

Uh, Director McCutchen, um, I could be

ignorant to the fact, but, uh, it it

just appears that there's a redundancy

by having, um, Meer Dussel do the audit

prep and then Ber and Ritter actually

engage in annual audit and financial

report. Would there be any way to maybe

consolidate services so we could perhaps

save some money on the back end for

taxpayers or

>> on the legal side? No. So the difference

between the two in front of you is Merl

Doozel is uh hired by the administration

to assist in its work.

>> Boyer Ritter is a is a is an auditor

retained through the council through the

because because the uh the audit

committee is purely appointed to the

council and purely answers to the

council so that there's not a crossing

of those lines. Finance works very close

with all the auditors because they're

they have the information. But that's

why they are to be separate and that's

what makes them an independent audit

because they're not from the

administration. They're the ones that

>> so they'd both be conducting independent

audits in preparation for

>> it. It's really more of the pre- audit

paperwork that the first one's helping

with that finance would do by itself if

they had a bigger staff. Got

>> you know and then but but then they

determine where and re the scope of the

audit they're doing. It's not identical

every time.

>> Gotcha. It just reads and it it would

appear as it's like there's a redundancy

there. It's like just trying to figure

out if there was any way to kind of save

the taxpayers some dollars on the back

end. But thank you for that explanation.

Absolutely. Nothing further.

>> Councilwoman Davis.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. Good

evening, Mr. McCutchen. Thank you for

being here. You pretty much answered all

of my questions. I do have a couple.

Will the audit uh un will the audit

review help the help city council to

understand the true financial picture

including liabilities

so that we can make informed policy and

budget decisions

in the future.

>> It it will to a certain extent. Um but

um the uh the budget process during the

year uh relates to

I I don't want to limit it to just say

simple cash basis but a big part of what

we do when we uh work within the

confines of the budget is is is look at

just that our revenue that actually is

received versus expenses that are uh

dispersed. Um,

not to get into the weeds, but we do

have we've talked about incumbrances and

how commitments are are realized on on

commitments that haven't been paid but

are still committed on the books. That

is part of our budget process. So, there

is a bit of a you know an ongoing a

liability that that lives throughout the

year on any particular incumbrance.

when it comes to the audit uh the

auditor is looking at not only that but

then acrruels at at the end of the year

where something is receivable we haven't

received it yet or on the flip side

something is payable we haven't paid it

yet so that in in in a summarized way

that's that's the that's the extent or

the difference they look at what our

full liabilities are for example I

mentioned the the audit prep services

the the the OPB the acred workers comp

uh or comp and compensated absences, the

pension liabilities,

those are are acrruel based. We we don't

really we don't budget for those during

the year. Um you might recall OPED, for

example, is such a huge liability on uh

on on on the medical op side. And we

don't pay that of course at its full

level in any one year. It's just as as

we go. Um and then the auditors also

take a look at uh what's what's

important are our federal expenditures

which it's it's a it's an increased

level of scrutiny on uh federal

expenditures because of the uh the

single audit requirements because of the

amount of federal money that the city

receives and and how much of it expends

throughout any particular year. So it's

it it it does help uh they they do look

at our budgeting process. Um and in in

the audit report that I mentioned there

is a a particular statement that

reflects the general funds budget uh

comparisons to budget activity during

the year. So they do look at that. Um

they haven't really come back and and

made any um management level

recommendations about our budgeting

because they review our process

throughout the year. uh you know when we

get to that point of the year and they

they understand it to the point that

it's it's it's reasonable in their eyes.

But but at any time uh any anytime any

any one of you would have questions that

that would you would want to rise to to

that level for their uh their specific

understanding or comments we can

certainly do that.

>> Thank you for that clarification.

One more question. Will there be a final

report uh that's sent to council

with recommendations for improving that

we can review

or

>> we once we do get the final signed off

uh reports from our auditors, we we do

distribute them uh to to all city

stakeholders and uh and offices

including city council. Um there there's

usually the reports I mentioned are

usually included in that in that

distribute distribution just making them

available uh for for everybody's

awareness including this body. Um and um

but we also have those on file in our

offices so we we can make them uh

available as well anytime.

>> Yeah.

>> Thank you very much. I don't have any

other questions.

>> All right. Uh, Councilwoman Green,

>> I don't have any questions regarding

this. Thank you,

>> Councilwoman. I mean, Councilman Lawson,

>> I haven't made any changes. I I have no

question. Thank you.

>> Okay. Thank you.

>> I would ask that resolution uh 48 be

moved to our next legislative session

and um ask my colleagues to support.

Thank you.

>> Okay. Very good. Thank you very much,

everybody.

>> All right.

All right. The next resolution would be

resolution 40 of 2026. Mr. Trudale, can

you please read it into the record?

>> Resolution 40 of 2026, a resolution

approving the third proposed 2026 budget

reallocation.

>> All right. I see there's several groups

here, so I'm going to call them as they

are on the agenda. Um, so I see for the

civic club, we have Mrs. Katrina

Baltimore.

Okay. And just just for a note for the

record, uh Mr. Williams for the housing

authority won't be able to attend this

evening, so we'll have to double back

with him.

Um yeah, that's the etc.

So, if you can um briefly introduce

yourselves and um give us a brief

overview of

Yeah.

>> Good evening,

members of city council. Thank you for

having us. Um this is Tracy Verono.

She's a board member and she will be

doing some reflections on helping you to

understand why Junth meets Carninal Bell

is relevant. And this is um Natalyia

Jones who is our house director. And as

you see up on there, she'll be doing a

presentation for so for time's sake,

it'll just be me starting off with a

presentation, opening up and then we'll

move straight to the presenter for

Natalyia and then some quick reflections

and then if you have any questions,

we're more than happy to go over that.

So, I am Katrina Baltimore and I'm the

president of the Civic Club of

Harrisburg, an organization with 128

years legacy rooted in education,

service, and civil responsibility.

I stand before you today in that

tradition,

not as a political voice, but as a

steward of culture, history, and

community engagement.

We are presenting the Junth meets

Carnival Bell, the first of its kind of

a cultural educational celebration in

our city.

This initiative was designed in honor of

freedom.

Elevate awareness and create a space

where history is not only remembered but

experienced.

Junth marks the emancipation of enslaved

Africans from America in the United

States.

But its meaning does not end there.

It is part of a larger truth across the

African diaspora.

A global story of displacement,

endurance, resilience, and a long

pursuit of liberty and dignity across

generations and across nations.

This festival brings a story into a

public space in a living way through

culture expression, music, storytelling,

shared community experiences. It is both

celebrated and an education. It is where

learning meets heritage and where

freedom is not only spoken, but it's

witnessed.

This presentation today is a part of a

newly implemented funding review process

for an award that has already been

approved. But we respect the city's

procedures and remain committed to

transparency,

accountability, and partnership in

serving the community. At the same time,

we are grounded in the belief that a

cultural work requires clarity in the

beginning so that organizations can

focus on service planning and the impact

without unnecessary confusions during

the process. The Civic Club of

Harrisburg has served this city over a

century.

Our mission has never shifted.

education, service and ci civil

responsibility.

This is what we bring into every

partnership,

every program and every public

initiative.

We support this city. We respect its

leadership and we remain committed to

working in good faith for the benefit of

the community that we all serve.

What we are building with Junth meets

Carnival is not just simply an event.

It is a moment of awareness,

unity,

culture,

truthtelling in this city. And we invite

you not only to support it, but to

understand it as part of a living

history of this community.

Thank you for your time, your

consideration, and your continued

service for the people of Harrisburg.

We are not just presenting a festival.

We are presenting what freedom looks

like when the community remembers itself

out loud.

So, we will move straight into the

presentation and then we'll have

reflections from Tracy and then we're

open to any questions.

Good evening.

>> Um, thank you. All right. Good evening

everyone to the city council members.

Thank you so much for inviting us, the

Civic Club of Harrisburg to come

together and explore the possibilities

of a diasporic celebration of freedom,

culture, and creative resilience.

So this year we will be celebrating

Junth meets carnival which is going to

be the inaugural Junth meets carnival

event. It is a vibrant, immersive

celebration presented through the Art

Unites the World Series in collaboration

with the city of Harrisburg and the

Civic Club of Harrisburg, connecting the

histories, cultures, and futures of

African descended communities across the

United States, the Caribbean, and the

African continent. At its core, this

event is about emancipation, honoring

the shared stories of freedom,

resistance, and resilience woven

throughout African-American, Caribbean,

and African immigrant communities. It

reflects the rich cultural diversity of

Harrisburg with deep roots in Puerto

Rican, Haitian, Jamaican, Dominican,

Nigerian, and Virgin Islands traditions,

and the list goes on. Blending the

spirit of Junth with the vibrant energy

of carnival, this experience brings

together two powerful expressions of

liberation. Through music, dance, art,

storytelling, and the unforgettable

flavors of the diaspora. The celebration

honors the past while embracing the joy,

pride, and unity of the present of who

we are today. Save the date, Saturday,

June 13, 2026, and join us in this bold

expression of culture and community.

Wave your flags, represent your

heritage, and celebrate alongside

neighbors from across the diaspora as we

come together in the spirit of

emancipated together.

The inclusion of Junth meets Carnival

Emancipated Together within the Art

Unites the World Series is both

intentional and meaningful. Creating

space to honor freedom, celebrate

cultural identity, and unite communities

through the arts. Here's why. Our shared

mission is honoring cultural diversity

through art. The Art Unites the World

Council is designed to uplift

multicultural expressions and use the

arts to connect people across

boundaries. This embodies the mission

bringing together African-American,

Caribbean, and African traditions

through music, dance, visual art,

storytelling, and fashion. This isn't

just a party, though. It's a living art

piece reflecting the diaspora's creative

resilience and shared fight for freedom.

So, why June 13th and the 13th

amendment? Why June 13th and the 13th

amendment matters in the story of

freedom? When we think about the end of

slavery in the United States, Junth,

which marks the date June 19th, 1865,

often comes to mind, and rightfully so,

that's the day that freedom was finally

announced in Texas, the last Confederate

state to hear the news. But just a few

days earlier, something just as powerful

happened on June 13th, 1865.

And it deserves to be remembered, too.

On that day, Congress passed the 13th

Amendment, officially moving to end

slavery everywhere in the United States.

So this wasn't just symbolic. It was the

critical next step to make emancipation

real under the law. The Emancipation

Proclamation issued by President Lincoln

in 1863 had only applied to Confederate

states in rebellion. It didn't free all

enslaved people, especially in places

like Kentucky or Delaware that hadn't

seceded. Passing the 13th Amendment on

June 13th sent a clear message that

freedom would be national and permanent.

A few months later, on December 6th,

1865, enough states ratified the

amendment and it became part of the

Constitution. The 13th Amendment finally

abolished slavery and gave Congress the

power to enforce that freedom. So why

remember June 13th? It marks the

official commitment by Congress to end

slavery for good. It shows that while

freedom can be declared, it must also be

secured through law. It reminds us that

the fight for justice both happens on

the ground and in the halls of power. By

honoring June 13th alongside June 19th,

we tell a more complete story, one that

includes both the moment freedom was

delivered and the moment it was truly

guaranteed,

amplifying the diasporic narrative and

Junth celebrating the freedom of Junth

and Carnival, bringing them together

rooted in Caribbean and emancipation

traditions. Both emerged from powerful

freedom movements shaped by survival,

resistance, and celebration. Bringing

these traditions together through the

art unites the world series creates

space to draw historic and cultural

parallels, highlight connections across

the African diaspora, celebrate and

elevate afrodiasporic artistry and

expression. Where Junth carries the

weight of remembrance, carnival embodies

the spirits of liberation. Their fusion

creates a vibrant community- centered

and human- centered tradition that

honors the past, celebrates the present,

and inspires future generations through

culture, creativity, and collective

freedom movements rooted in the arts.

So, our art unites the world. This

program uplifts and promotes

multicultural expression, fostering

community connections through artistic

storytelling and cultural connection.

with our art unites the world series. It

is a legacy of community and cultural

leadership built upon Harrisburg's

long-standing tradition of civic

engagement, cultural expression, and

community leadership through

collaborative programming and shared

partnerships. This celebration creates

space for emerging and established bipok

artists, intergenerational storytelling,

inclusive civic and cultural

celebrations. In a diverse city like

Harrisburg, Junth meets carnival

emancipated together brings neighbors,

artists, organizations, and community

leaders in shared pride and purpose.

More than entertainment, the celebration

stands as a powerful expression of

unity, resilience, culture, and

collective pride, honoring the many

histories and traditions that shape our

community today.

All right. For community engagement, we

have some different features here. So we

have flag Fridays, freedom threads,

partnering with schools, artists,

storytellers, different hashtags for our

Facebooks and other social media such as

colorcolors of freedom, hashtag

diaspora, and hashtag did you know

Junth. Uh flag Fridays invites community

members to post or tag their country of

heritage using #colorsof freedom.

Freedom Thread showcases traditional

dresses, carnival costumes, and cultural

attire, celebrating style as a statement

of identity and liberations.

Art and history collabs partnering with

different schools, libraries, and

museums for pop-ups, chalk art, oral

history booths, or interactive displays.

Youth and family art projects are also

involved, inviting families to co-create

flags, murals, or freedom themed crafts,

highlighting submissions online or in

our gallery.

being emancipated together across the

African diaspora. Freeda didn't come all

at once. Haiti was first established in

1804. The British Caribbean followed in

the 1830s and Junth marks when the world

word finally reached Texas in 1865 in

the United States. Brazil, the last of

the Americas, didn't abolish slavery

until 1888. Different places and

different timelines, but the fight was

always the same. Freedom, dignity, and

the right to be seen, valued, and heard.

Emancipated together is a reminder that

we're connected not just by history, but

by spirit. We may have been separated by

oceans and by time, but we've always

found ways to come together through

music, movement, memory, meaning, and

art. This celebration is a part of that

journey. It's about where we've been,

where we are, and where we're going

together.

for our project timeline for Emancipated

Together campaign and the main event

coming soon. We have phase one laying

the foundation, phase two, community

awareness and education, phase three

building momentum toward June 13th the

main date and the main event of course

Junth meets carnival. So in phase one we

begin by establishing the framework for

a high impact educational and cultural

campaign that explores the global arc of

emancipation. Develop campaign branding

under the theme Emancipated Together and

building strategic content calendar for

bi-weekly did you know series.

Recruiting and engaging community

stakeholders and leaders, cultural

historians, youth creatives and diaspora

voices all across design engaging a

visual and multimedia assets for social

media, our website and more activities.

And by phase four, we have a vibrant,

family-friendly celebration of black

freedom, cultural resilience, and

diasporic artistry. Diaspora color guard

professional is going to open the event.

We'll have live music, jazz, African

drums, inspired fashions, visual art,

youth showcases, and more.

So, we have several committed

international artists for the event this

year. Raining from Kingston, Jamaica to

Harrisburg, PA. We have Sister Nancy,

the queen of dance hall, bringing that

unmistakable global energy to our city.

And on Saturday, June 13th, right here

at the MLK government center, comes

alive as the energy builds, the drums

come in and the community will gather in

a way that feels both soulful and

momentous and with purpose. This is not

just a concert. It is something you're

going to feel. The music moves through

the streets. Carnival inspired fashion

is going to bring color and life. And

there is a real sense of freedom,

reflection, empowerment, and celebration

tied to Junth. With Sister Nancy

headlining, the night blends Caribbean

energy with African-American history in

a way that just feels right. And being

right downtown, you can feel Harrisburg

come alive. People are going to be

outside, businesses busy, the whole area

moving with a different kind of rhythm

and energy. It's one of those moments

where everything just clicks. culture,

music, movement, and you know, it's

something the city hasn't seen before. A

truly historic moment for Harrisburg, as

Sister Nancy has never performed and

never visited the city of Harrisburg

before.

It isn't just about visibility, it's

about being part of a real cultural

moment in our city. So, kicking off the

day is the Jazzy Tea Band, which is a

Nigerian band blending afro beats,

hip-hop, jazz, and juuji. Their sound is

rhythmic, vibrant, and impossible to

stand still, too. Bringing warmth,

movement, and a global pulse that draws

people in from the start. They don't

just perform, they create a feeling.

Music, culture, and community come alive

right in the essence of our city.

We also have Brian Batista. He is a

Puerto Rican and Dominican singer from

Brooklyn, known for his smooth

falsettto, warm tone, and genre blending

sound that fuses R&B, Latin rhythms, and

pop. A standout semi-finalist on season

10 of NBC's Emmy Award-winning The

Voice, he captivated audiences with an

eclectic mix of songs such as The

Weekends, The Hills, Beyonce's One Plus

One to Romeo Santos's Promise, and more.

His performances earned him number one

spots on the iTunes R&B charts, Latin

charts, as well as the Latin digital

downloads charts. And this year at Junth

meets Carnival, Brian brings a soulful

cross-cultural sound that brings Latin

rhythm and R&B emotion, adding another

powerful layer to our celebration rooted

in global connection, music, and

movement. We are excited to also feature

a special performance by the legendary

John the Boss Man Hall. A 40-year

veteran of the Philadelphia soul scene

and worldclass James Brown tribute

artist, Hall brings the same high octane

showmanship that has graced the stage of

the Apollo Theater. Support impact and

cultural legacy, aligning our brand with

a Philly icon who toured with the

godfather of soul and shares a lineage

with the stylistics.

high energy engagement, his explosive

choreography and powerhouse vocals are

guaranteed to be a major highlight,

drawing peak crowd participation, and

we'll all get to enjoy a performance

that perfectly bridges the history of

soul with our celebration of freedom.

This event places your brand, our brand

at the heart of the festival's most

electrifying soulful moments. And that's

all I have. So, thank you all so much.

>> Thank you. That was amazing. [applause]

Thank you so much council for letting us

present today. I also wanted to just say

that this is a a huge celebration and I

think it's an important one because it's

all about education. We all know that

many different people need to be

educated as to what Junth is. I think a

lot of people lose what this really

means for us for the culture. City of

Harrisburg is rooted in a lot of the

traditions that happened or not

traditions but the the events that

happened when we were emancipating

people when we were making sure that the

cultures were recognized and that we

were given your freedom that you re

really deserved and we need to make sure

that we're educating everybody and this

is going to be a great way to make sure

that people who are undereducated in

this area become educated and they honor

your culture. We honor that what is most

important to America because as soon as

we forget to honor your culture, we

forget to honor people. And it's

important to know that we don't want

that to die. So that's why this is so

important. And I stand before you saying

we need this to happen every year

because we cannot lose that education.

When we lose that education, we lose

humanity.

>> [applause]

>> So,

thank you. I would like at this time to

let you know where your um sponsorship

will be used um during the Junth. We are

very grateful for the $20,000 um

sponsorship.

>> Can I get a second before you get there?

>> Okay. Certainly. because this is what

this I'm actually glad you started to go

into that direction because I want

everybody here that's on this list to

understand why you're here and why we're

doing this. Um, you know, usually when

we we're giving uh funds to

organizations, um, I think it should be

a practice that, um, is transparent

where the community can see where these

dollars are going and how they can be

utilized. And if um some of those

dollars aren't utilized, we can leave

them in a in a in a in a line item for

someone else that may need these funds

that can help out in the community. So,

one of the things is [music] um that not

just bringing one, we need everybody to

to state their claim of why they need

these funds, how they're going to be

utilized. And before we get there, just

again just giving you a brief background

of why how we got to this moment, um I'm

going to allow uh President Hill to

share a few words.

>> Thank you. Um good evening again

everyone. Uh so we arrived here with

resolution 40 of 2026

um which we

took action on um during a legislative

session that was held um on May the

12th. Um during that time and throughout

long discussion, there was an amendment

that was agreed upon um by the mayor and

her administration and Harrisburg City

Council. Uh so it was around the use of

these this host fee funds that's where

um the funding will be coming from. So

we noted that um basically all of the

organizations that were outlined in

exhibit A, many of you are present this

evening. Uh shall be deemed the maximum

amount for the program or event listed.

Uh further providing that all awardees

must present before Harrisburg City

Council regarding their program or

event. further providing that the

administration may reallocate funds

between existing programs and events to

maximize the benefit to the community.

So, I just wanted to note why we were

here. I think it was mentioned earlier

that the funding's been approved and

yes, it has. Um, but

the request that you made um does not

mean that I guess it will be fulfilled

in its entirety if it's not needed,

right? say, I know that your request was

20,000. You received 20,000 um last year

as well uh for a Junth celebration. So,

we're just trying to figure out um if

there's funding available for other

organizations to um continue to educate

the community in various ways through

programming, events, um mainly those

geared toward our youth and families

within the city of Parisburg. So I just

wanted to note too uh similarly to Vice

President Jones how we arrived here and

what the goal um of our discussion

tonight is. Thank you.

>> Thank you. Yeah, we all value uh Junth

and all of the things that are happening

in the city um especially um Junth. I

think it's it's been I used to have to

go to New York to to participate in um

Junth activity activities. So, I'm I'm

glad that you and among other

organizations are um being able to bring

some of these things to life in real

time in our city. Um however, uh you

know, we this is something that we we

must do and so I hope no one is offended

by the line of questioning, but I think

this is the part that um you know, the

city wants to see itself just how we're

spending our funds. Um we're financially

tight, so we definitely want to put our

dollars where we're getting the most

bang for our buck. So, um that's how

we're here. you may continue to

>> thank you for um sharing that

information because I was it just

answered a lot of questions and that's

why I mentioned in the beginning part

like it was just a little weird getting

approved and then needing to explain why

I think that what you said is very

important there on the process everybody

should have a process um I mean we came

last year with this same presentation

and a proposal and So, um I think

everybody should do that moving forward

and it should be done in a proper way.

Um, so how our money is being spent that

you have um sponsored to us, it will go

to $10,000 towards one of the headline

entertainers and um equipment and rental

which is like the stage and the backline

that will come to um 8,200 and private

security will be 1,800. These are all

things that we used from last year even

though this year is way bigger um event.

So we do appreciate the sponsorship um

to help create this Junth meets Carnival

first time ever in this city. That's

something we really should be proud of

and I'm very proud to be partnering with

the city on something this huge.

>> Okay. So, we're gonna open up for

questions and I'mma have my own and I'll

pass it down to my colleagues. So, one

of them you already answered and um and

hopefully everyone else is listen

because I'm going to use the same line

of question for everybody. Um for the

most part, um did you receive funds last

year? Obviously, you did in the same

amount. Um and you I guess we can see

the numbers and you can tell us how you

utilize them. I know you may be using

them a little different this year, but

um there would be something that we

would definitely like to see prior to um

the legislative session next week if

that works for everybody. We want to be

able to see how you just explain it. So,

I'm I'm anticipating I'm believing that

you have line items.

>> Yes, we do. Um and I I and I thought

that that was already presented to you

last week, but I have no problem. Our

transparency, that's the way we move.

Again,

>> we're accountable.

>> Don't take this offensive cuz it's not

>> not at all.

>> Everyone's going to be asked the same

thing

>> and that's fair.

>> All right. So, so um I'm just asking

these question. This is I think

transparency is a part about us doing

this in the public and and asking those

questions openly so we can be um all on

the same page and making sure again that

we're not um pouring our dollars down

the drain. Not to say no one is in here

stealing, no one's in here faking this,

but there are organizations that do. Um,

so we want to make sure that we uh

everybody's on the same playing field.

So you you guys received um 20,000 last

year. So hopefully um and I I apologize

if you did see it, send it. I haven't

seen it. I'm not sure if my colleagues

have either um but I know I haven't seen

it and so I would that's something that

I would like to see how it was utilized

last year and again how it's intended um

to be used this year. So even though we

know you got the money last year. So

that's the I'll skip that question. My

next one is um um do you guys fund

raise? How do you how do you raise

funds? And if if if the city wasn't able

to contribute to you um this year, would

this event be able to go on?

>> Um we definitely needed it to complete

our budget, but we have um received

other funding through grants. We write

grants. Um people understand the culture

of what's going on, the um what we're

trying to present to and for the city.

So they are very happy to be a part of

the first time ever um Junth meets

Carninal Bell. So yes,

>> I would say we would have been able to

do a portion of this but not the full

spectrum of what you see.

>> Can you speak into the microphone please

for those watching on channel 20 or

viewing on YouTube?

>> We could definitely have presented part

of this but we would not have been able

to have the full carnival as as we were

shown. We would have had to have nixed

some of the acts that were being

presented

>> without the city funding.

>> Without the city funding, yes, we would

not be able to have the full spectrum of

of presenters and entertainers.

>> And so, as you guys

can almost imagine that you guys are

looking to expand and grow as as the

years go on. Um, and how do you attend

on um getting funds? Um, because I don't

know if every year we'll be able to give

you $20,000. So, I just want to be able

to make sure we can support this in some

kind of way. Um, but we we definitely

are financially strapped at this moment.

Um, so I hope you understand that and

it's not saying that you won't receive

these funds, but again, just to let you

know to be transparent where we are as a

city as well. Um, to make sure that you

guys understand that. Um, but I just

would like to see how um you guys intend

cuz your numbers are going to grow every

year if you if you continue to expand

and that means this number might

intentionally have to grow at some

point. So, we just want to make sure

that you're actually being able to raise

funds on your own and be able to carry

this just without solely

expecting this this these uh monies from

the city.

>> What I what I would like to share is we

are indeed um grateful for the

sponsorship and I would want to believe

in my heart that the city and the city

council and the leadership would want to

be a part of something so grand and so

spectacular. um whether whatever the

amount is that the city allows the

budget the budget allows to give we we

would appreciate that but this is

something bigger than all of us you know

so I would want all of us to be a part

of especially in the ground in the very

beginning part the ground floor so

and as an upcoming part of the executive

committee we will be continuing to do

grant writing we will be continuing to

raise funds. We will be creating a very

robust sponsorship form to go out to

people and every year we will be growing

this. So yes, we'll be looking for

co-unding and continuing to grow this.

We're not reliant solely on the city,

but it is a great partnership. So yes,

we will continue to grow that.

>> Absolutely. And so and as you guys do

move along and once you um I guess this

would be another measuring or litmus

test for um how this event goes for you

guys so you can have some more numbers

for next year. So, if you can get that,

again, if anyone that's looking to

receive funding from the city would

definitely have to be a part of our

budget. Um, so I mean, again, we're

doing another be uh budget reallocation

for some of these things. And I think I

just think that we're at too many of

them already, and it's five months into

the year. I think this will be our

fourth fourth reallocation. So, if if we

can get these informations um in

November, uh then that way we'll know

what we'll be able to have and and and

make sure that we can budget for that

for the next year, even if it's not the

20, but we definitely want to be able to

support activities as such. And with

that for me, oh, last question. Is this

a one-day event?

>> No, it's a three three-day series. We

have a pre um Junth party which is being

held at the Civic Club of Harrisburg. um

is sponsored by Art Unites the World,

which is a um art gallery that the Civic

Club has just um implemented. We'll be

celebrating our second anniversary in

August and then we will have the final

June well the large Junth meets Carninal

Bell celebration on the 13th and then we

have an additional third day um

celebration on the 27th

um and it is a carnival bell. So that

was something that um drew drew a lot of

attention to some of our sponsors, not

just the city, but other sponsors as

well, that it was more than a one-day

event. So the celebration continues on.

However, um the $20,000 that the city is

using is only for is only for the city

Jun 13th right here.

>> Okay, that's good. And the other thing

um I before I open up the floor to my

colleagues, the other thing is um um in

your title um where the carnival meets

uh Junth, we know that there's another

organization that's actually building up

the Junth uh build as well. So hopefully

at one day I'll hope that we can all get

under one umbrella and not divide these

monies and um we can split them up

underneath of that one umbrella. I think

it'll be great to see uh that type of

action so we can just come as one party,

one family and we can do it together.

That's something that I would love to

see.

>> Yes. And um just to your question there,

that has been brought before us before.

However, um if everyone is familiar with

the history of the Civic Club of

Harrisburg, it was at one time a very

exclusive

um organization. So when we do Junth, we

are a standalone signature um event

because it means so much to us to have

arrived at this point that we as the

Civic Club of Harrisburg are now

celebrating

um the history of African-Americans.

So that at one time we're not even

allowed to be in the building. So this

is very dear and near to my heart. Not

to say that we cannot collaborate or

that we cannot partner with other things

that are going on. That's another reason

why we are very mindful when we set our

celebration to kick it off and not be um

in conflict being in a conflict with

other things that are going on during

the week. We um support all of those

things that are going on during the

week. We want to see the city celebrate.

Really, a week is never enough, you

know, for all that we have endured as

being enslaved. So, I love the idea of

what you're saying, but I just wanted to

be clear on

>> I get it to us.

>> Everybody wants to stand alone and it

doesn't mean getting under this

umbrella. I'm just far as when I let me

be clear about when I'm saying that. Um

because if again you're saying Carnival

meets Junth for the first time. So

there's another organization hold

hosting the Junth act Junth itself,

right? They're hosting activities. So

you're saying these two are meeting and

hopefully we can get under the tent and

meaning just for the monies your your

event will still be yours. You can still

publicize it as yours but as we shell

out these monies I would love to see it

coming into one one form especially when

it's the the events are pretty much the

same

>> other than the carnival and then the

activities. So you definitely can stand

out on your own. Um there's no problem

and it's very understandable. But again

that's just something that's just on my

wish list. It's nothing that's gonna

make or break this. Yes.

>> It's, you know, it's just on my wish

list. So, with that being said, I'm

gonna open up the floor to my

colleagues. This time, I'm gonna go

directly to my right and go with

Councilwoman. She's off. So, uh,

Councilman Lawson.

>> You got the man right this time, right?

Okay. [laughter] Good. Good. Just making

sure. All right. Thank you. I um count

uh vice president Jones actually asked

uh many of the questions that that I

would have had. Um but I thank you guys

for indulging us um with bringing this

presentation. We believe it's important

because there is a discussion that uh

many nonprofits receive money and

there's no accounting for where that

money goes and

not everyone is as great with their

books as we would like to see and we

want to make sure that the money is

being spent responsibly. We know that

the Civic Club has been a great um

partner with the city as far as being a

a great steward for what you do and and

what you've presented through the entire

history and especially now that we see a

once segregated club under um uh black

leadership. We think that's impressive

and we we do not take that lightly. But

we we we believe that if we ask

>> someone else to to to present the their

paperwork, it's only right that we ask

you as well.

>> Absolutely.

>> Because then it it's not fair if we we

go to another organization and say we

need you to show your documents, but we

trust the civic club and and you know,

even though we do, but we we can't just

lead with that. I also share the

sentiment that um I believe a

collaboration, not necessarily being

under the same tent of what you're

doing, but I think that right now we

have two very impactful

um

events that are happening. And and I

love that you didn't make them conflict.

That's important because we don't want

to make people

>> make a choice. And I believe that the

person, the average person walking by

>> may not know that they're two separate

events anyways, but I think that there's

a way that you could pull resources even

if we're giving you two separate pots of

money.

>> There may be larger pools of money that

are out there when they just see this

huge complete week-long celebration of

Junth. Um, and that's what the outsiders

would see. And I think working in

collaboration would help um bring more

in into what we're doing. Um but again,

I love what you you've presented here.

It was very thorough. Um you have a

great future. I love the the way that

you present everything that we have

here. So keep her as you can.

>> She's under our wing.

>> Good. [laughter] Good. But but I do

appreciate that. But I just believe that

future collaboration would be great. I

think that you're right. We're we're

just at the baseline of what we have as

far as Junth in this city. Um what we've

seen over the last several years has

been growing year after year. And I I

just think if we pull it together, it's

it's already had some national

attention. We'll get more national

attention as we keep doing this. So, um

thank you very much for again indulging

us and and we'd love to see what you've

done in the past. Um that's going to

help us set a standard for everyone that

comes and sits before us. this is not a

just this year thing. We want to make

sure that we're doing this in the future

so that

>> people see that the money is not being

wasted and and that's that's the key.

That's what we want to make sure that we

we show people. So, thank you very much.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you, Councilman Lawson. Um yeah,

just again just make sure that you guys

understand as again for everyone that's

presenting that we do get those numbers

because um again there may be some

leftover and we want to be able to help

other people as well. So, um, if you can

get your line items over to us prior to

next week's, uh, vote, that would be

great. It will help us tremendously. Um,

President Hill,

>> thank you. Um, I just wanted to make

sure that I had the numbers correct. Uh,

so 10,000 for the headline entertainers.

>> Um, the equipment number I missed. I was

writing.

>> I have a paper for you. Okay.

>> Okay. Yeah. um with the equipment rental

is the stage and I'm learning now too

the back line that's like the musicians

um instruments so they don't have to

travel with their instruments they

already are here and we use that for all

of the um performers all of the

headliners okay

>> so they and and then the um private

security we always have that and it has

been with no incidents so that's very

important so we are able to have um a

result for why we do that, why we have

private security because it has shown

and yield no incidents. So, we're

grateful for that. And um I can I have

no problem with leaving this paper with

you for the budget line items that we're

going to be using the $20,000 for.

>> Okay. Thank you. I just wanted to make

sure I didn't miss something.

>> Thank you. Um, do we know approximately

how many people participated in last

year's program or the different phases?

>> We do have some of those numbers. I

don't want to say it off out loud, but

what I can say um it was hundreds and um

it was a rainy day, so we didn't have as

many folks as we anticipated, but the

streets were crowded. And then there was

another um the parade was going on at

the same time. So you know we still had

a huge crowd loofer still boo

you know so it's still like what we're

learning is that every year it is

growing and it's because of the city and

it's because of the love of what we have

for what we're doing for the city.

>> Okay. Um, I would just be curious

to note that. And then,

um, I guess

I don't want to sound like a broken

record, but I do, um, if I'm being very

honest, it has been

um, probably weighing on us a little bit

more than we have shared. um the fact

that one organization will receive

funding and another organization

likely will I don't know maybe receive

funding um for a celebration of Junth um

it's been a little difficult I in my

mind I wish that you know everybody

could just come together and it would be

all right everybody gets funding

everybody it's fair it's a fair process

right So, um I don't know what that

looks like and I don't know, um how to

maintain uh the independence, I guess,

of of the Junth meets carnival and the

weekl long Junth celebration. But I I I

am hopeful that we can try to figure

something out because like I said, it

it's really been weighing on us because

at the end of the day, it's like we are

withholding funding from another

organization. and that's not at all the

case.

>> So, I do have a question. I know with uh

Junth meets Carnival as well as the

block party, we came um with our

presentation that you're looking at and

we came with a proposal last year just

like we intend to do this year. We we're

not asking for funding the the year of

or a couple, you know, months before. I

I just didn't think that it worked that

way. I just thought that you had to ask

in in advance before the budget is

approved. And so I felt like we did our

due share our well you know being the

way that things run. I know with any

other grants that we ask for it is a

procedure and there are guidelines. So

we came last year for this year and soon

as this is over I hope you guys will

enjoy yourself because we'll be coming

back to see you know again next for next

year. It's always to me the year before

that you ask for what you need the next

year,

>> right? No. And and yes, that generally

is a process. I wanted to read and make

note of the amendment that was made to

resolution 40 just for everyone's

hearing because the um the fund that uh

these um awards will be coming from um

is basically

um an unearmarked fund that can be

utilized for community programs um and

events such as yours. So, it's it's um

it's a safe space that can be utilized

to assist community members and uh

programs, nonprofits. Um but yes, you're

right. Yes. Um and I don't know all of

what the other organizations have done.

I can't speak to that. Um but what I

what I do know is what's happening now.

And so that's why I'm hopeful that in

the future um I again I don't know what

that looks like but something has to

happen to ensure that everyone um is

able to celebrate Junth or any other um

cultural celebration within the city. So

I just wanted to note that I don't want

to be a broken record but I do want to

be honest that um it's been a little

heavy for us. So, just know that and if

you could provide um the budget and then

maybe some data on the numbers um I

think that will be helpful to us. Thank

you,

>> Councilwoman Rose.

>> Thank you. [laughter]

>> Um good evening to you all. Thank you

for being here. Thank you for your

wonderful presentation. and you are your

mother's child. And

I didn't know who you were at first, but

then as I I was like, "Oh, yes." Um, I

feel old just a little bit cuz I met you

when you were like 10. And to see you,

okay, cuz I still might be fabulous. U,

but to see you up here, I mean, you were

amazing. So, no, thank you. I just I can

say I know you. So, thank you.

>> Um, so now back to business. I'm sorry I

had to say that.

>> I had to say that. Yes. Um but no, thank

you so much for coming and the

presentation. I learned a lot especially

about June 13th itself which I did not

know. Um so um thank you, thank you,

thank you. Um

>> same sentiments. I just I was at last

year's event cuz I went after the um the

Junth parade. Um my daughter uh walked

in and she was part of the cheer

Harrisburg um cheerleaders um cougar. So

after she did the parade, we went over

to the civic um center um club, excuse

me. And I just loved how they

>> it almost as if they came together. Even

if you all didn't work together last

year, it looked as if you had um so I

really did love our comm seeing our

community come together. I feel like

we're always so separate.

>> Um we're always um

forgetting one another and bashing each

other instead of coming together. So, I

really really appreciated seeing the two

on that day. So, um I don't know what

happened this year. I don't need to

know.

>> Um I just hope that olive branches are

reached um and that next year can be

different.

>> Um so, just thank you again for your

presentation. I only have one question

and it was um a resident concern about

the funding um and the the carnival

piece of it. Um, there were some

concerns that the carnival or who you

were participating with was from

Carlilele. I believe they do a carnival.

So, they were wondering if you were

partnering with them to put on the

carnival event and is that where some of

your funding will be going? And if so,

is that funding coming from the city?

>> Yes, we are partnering with them, but

the $20,000 is not. The $20,000 that the

city has um sponsored to the Civic Club

goes to the city and those funds will be

used only on June 13th here in front of

the city. Yes.

>> Okay. Thank you.

>> Thank you for that question.

>> You're welcome. Thank you for that

breakdown. That answers my question, the

resident's question. And that is it for

me.

>> Thank you,

Councilman Rodriguez.

>> Thank you, Vice President Jones. Miss

Baltimore, it was a pleasure as always.

Um, great presentation by your team.

>> Um, I guess my piece just stands on the

reason we're here, right? When we talk

about the BIPO, uh, BIPO community, um,

black and brown community, Afro Latina,

Latina, Dominicana, Puerto Rican,

African-American coming together for

unity for the right purpose. Um it's

just unfortunate when you hear stories

like hey this is taken from this

organization this whatever the truth may

be. We do know YPC seven years in with

their Junth um celebration um 10 years

with the organization you guys have been

trucking away you know for since I was a

kid. Yeah. So um what what I encourage u

because I champion both um I've known

you for quite a while actually. I see

Mr. Baltimore in the back. Um, so you

know, I consider it family. So I know

where your heart is. I definitely know

where your heart is in the heart of the

civic club. But I kind of see it just

like every other event. When I think of

a logistical standpoint, let's say

Fourth of July, if we start contracting

for our fireworks, our vendors, they

still operate independently, but for

this event. So if we can open up the

process earlier, September, October,

whoever is going to be a part of the

Junth, whatever the titles may be this

year, then they can still have their

independent events. Just those monies or

finances can be delegated or allocated

to them appropriately. This way, no

organization is without. They can still

have them on their days according and

respectfully, and you know, no one's

felt like they're left out in the rain.

I think that would be the only way by

way of process. So, whatever that

process looks um by way of

administration, um I just don't know.

We're we're on the other side of that

curtain, but I would love for it to be

opened up a bit earlier and then let

everyone apply and let that be divvied

out, you know, in respect a bit earlier.

Um this way everyone can have, you know,

because of course what you're doing when

we talk about the story from Junth

adding the 13th amendment all the way

through, but then you have YPOC on the

opposite end of the perspective talking

about the Galveistston, Texas portion

where slaves were freed and they had no

idea, right? We didn't have social

media. We didn't have newspapers. And

they were still working even though

technically, you know, our people were

free. So I think the narrative shares

and and it can coincide, you know, side

by side. And if it tells the tale all

the way through, we just have to find a

place for it to live and live, you know,

and coexist. So I I highly appreciate

what you're doing. And um from the

council's perspective, we just want to

make sure the process is done, you know,

correctly, respectfully every year, so

these small instances never happen. Um

>> and I agree. Um I think that the what

I'm hearing from the council is called

like due process. So I I honestly feel

like we presented ours last year. So

I've my heart is good about what we've

done. And I think it should be fair for

everyone to come present their whatever

it is that they want to do this year for

next year

>> and not this year for this year. That's

>> absolutely

>> that's where I think some of the

confusion is coming from because funds

are already pretty much allocated by

now. You know, budgets like you said um

Honorable L um Lamont Jones things are

tight. So if you want to get in the

door, you got to get in the door. Yeah,

>> the correct way, you know, early and

due process. So,

>> because it would feel like this is a

formality right now because as you said,

it's pretty much been allocated. But how

do we get ahead of it? This way, things

are just done correctly and everyone's

in the know, the residents know what's

going on. Eyes are on, you know, the

purse and everyone knows that these

dollars are being allocated not only

correctfully, but respectfully. So, um,

I do appreciate you and your team

presenting and, you know, I'm going to

try to make it to both. uh all summer

camp will be starting that Monday, so

I'm tight for time. But you know, I love

what both organizations are doing and

all organizations are doing. But one

thing you said, Miss Baltimore, that's

very true. Um any organization that

wants to come and partner with the city

should come and present in your absence,

how can we advocate for that,

>> right? So, you know, anyone either on

this list or list to come in the future,

I think should go throughout the same

process. So, you know, that's just fair.

So, thank you all for your time and

incredible job.

>> Thank you. That's all I have. Vice

President,

>> thank you. Um, again, I I don't want to

get too far in the weeds with this

because this I don't want this seem like

this is separate or anyone's fighting,

you know. Um, we're we're working

collectively with the administration to

make sure that we do our best get the

best bang for our dollar for the city of

Harrisburg. So, um, yes, the process is

it and I think we are setting that

president right now by showing people

whoever's looking to come next year or

the year following, this is how you do

it. And I think that's all um we we talk

about uh working collectively together.

Let's stop talking about it in practice.

Yes, ma'am.

>> I just want to comment um I'm going to

be the incoming vice chair of the civic

club and sadly Miss Baltimore will be

retiring. Sadly for me, happily for her.

Um so yes, exactly. I agree. Um, and

Miss Mary Grace is going to be coming in

um, as the new chair of the civic club.

And Miss Mary Grace Majors for those who

don't know, and she's, I know, is going

to do the best job. But what I can say

to you is moving forward, we would love

to know what other events are going on.

We would love to be able to have a very

symbiotic relationship because it is

about the community. One of the things I

said to Katrina when we were talking

about this is, you know, when you look

at many different cultures, there's the

whole sitting on the porch thing. You

know, we all do that. You know, if you

think about many cultures, it's all

about us coming together, having the

Sunday dinner, having the Sunday

afternoon, the Saturday evenings where

we're all together. So, we love to have

that symbiotic relationship with other

organizations because it is about

presenting to the community. It's not

about an identity thing for just the

civic club. Although the event we're

building is the civic club's event, but

we want to have that community and make

sure that the community is being

educated. At the end of the day, that's

what's most important. So, we do welcome

and we hear all of your comments and

that will be something that we'll be

taking back and thinking about when we

make our presentation to you later this

early fall.

>> Yes. Thank you. Thank you for that. Um,

again, you know, we're we're just we're

just here trying to make sure that these

these processes go through uh properly

and and transparently for everyone to

see. Um, again, um there's things that

are happening that people don't know and

we just don't want to muddy the waters.

I think um um this this body and

administration are definitely we've had

some tur turbulent times and I think

right now we're at a space that it's not

about us as individuals. It's about our

community and again if we're practicing

working together I think everyone else

should be on the hook for it as well.

And thank you for the heads up for the

changing in leadership. However, the

process will not change. So thank you.

>> Uh

>> Crystal W. Oh uh Councilwoman Davis. So

much going on here. I almost called Mr.

Trudale to give comments. [laughter]

Thank you, Vice President Jones, and

thank you, Katrina, Miss Baltimore, for

being here. And

>> Councilwoman Ross just really opened my

eye. Is this your daughter? Your

daughter,

>> Katrina? No.

>> Oh, okay.

>> That's my daughter back there.

>> Oh, over there. Okay.

>> My name is Natalia Matis Jones. My

mother's over there. Dr. Natasha

Matthysse. Yes. [laughter]

>> Thank you. Because I was going to say I

know her daughters or her daughters were

raised together and I know her son.

Okay, there she is.

>> Your daughter.

>> Okay. Adopted.

>> No, but uh for sake of time um and

everything um thank you for the

elaborate presentation. I learned a lot

just by your presentation today. Um and

in my mind this is uh a business and

every so often we have to revisit our

budgets and try to um you know move

things over here and just make

adjustments. So uh I

agree with my colleagues. We, you know,

are trying to get ahead of this uh

process for the future and uh because

monies

are tight and

we can't give out so but so much you

know to organizations and there are

quite a few uh so with taxpayers dollars

we have to be careful. Um but again I'm

looking forward to showing up and being

supportive. I think um Juneen is needed.

Um the global aspect that you presented

was powerful to me. This is bigger than

Harrisburg. You know this is bigger than

us.

>> Absolutely.

>> So I appreciate what you brought today.

>> Um and for sake of time I'm going to go

ahead and just say thank you again. and

um hopefully we can move through this

process smoothly. But

>> thank you.

>> And if I may, I just want to um

recognize another board member. Um Asant

is in the back there. She's our

secretary. So we show up and support

each other and that's a beautiful thing.

You know, that's what it should always

look like, everybody coming together. So

I just turned around and saw your Santa.

Thank you.

>> All right. Thank you guys for your

presentation. Um, and I'm not going to

move this forward because this was

already voted on and this is hence why

I'm asking for those numbers so we can

see um, you know, how we just smooth

move the money around. That's all.

>> Thank you. Thank you. I just wanted to

really say really quick just thank you

to all of you. Thank you for inviting

us. We express our gratitude as an

organization. I personally thank you.

It's my first time being in front of

city council. Um, and with that being

said, we'd be willing, more than willing

to collaborate with any organization. Um

what we do at the civic club is lead

with civility and we're here to bring

community together on the strength of

this presentation. It's about freedom,

liberation, and community. And we want

to be a more united Harrisburg. So it

doesn't matter who you are, what you

look like. We'd be willing to partner

with you and we can't wait to see what

the future looks like together. So thank

you all for your time tonight.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> All right. Um, Pops House, we have the

CEO and founder, Shelby.

>> Yeah, you got to get

[laughter]

Oh man, I

I apologize. Uh go ahead and uh state

your name. Oh, I'm sorry. First of all,

oh, we already did that part. Yeah, go

ahead and state your name and give us a

a brief overview of of of uh the

activities that you're looking to

receive the funding for.

>> Good evening. Um, my name is Sharon

Battles. Unfortunately, Shelby Kierney

could not be here. I work with the

organization Pops House doing their

consulting as well as um, stage managing

some of their events. Um, what I have

brought for you this evening is a

compilation of last year's

five concerts music series of the

different events. you will be able to

see the audiences as well as the youth

performing as well as some of the

professional artists that we've been

able to bring in both locally as well as

nationally. So, if you could please

>> and I don't want to cut anyone short,

you know, again, the main reason we're

here is just to see how you spending the

money, but we will indulge.

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

>> the US Army,

the United States Coast Guard,

>> [music]

[singing]

>> I love you. [music]

>> Be with joy as we lift up the next

generation of Paris first talent.

>> [music]

>> people. [laughter]

>> I tried but it's turning me around.

[singing]

>> [music]

[music]

[screaming]

[music]

>> Oh

[music]

[music]

Jesus. [music]

>> [music]

[music]

>> You are so good.

You are [music and singing] so good.

>> [music]

[singing]

>> Hey, this is Zach Williams from 1A from

Philly. We are right here in Harrisburg

and I got a question for you. WHERE YOU

AT? YOU SHOULD be here. This is our

first time here. We are excited and

we're going to give you the full 1A

experience. I brought everybody. Lyd

everybody. Full bed, full choir. We got

a bus out there. It's going to be great.

It's going to be an amazing time. Yeah.

Heat.

[music]

>> [music]

[music]

[music]

>> All right. I didn't want to cut it

short. This is a 10-minute video. We

can't be here all night.

>> I understand. I understand.

>> Yeah. This was the um the the park

series was tremendous last year. It was

great. I saw it myself was there. But

>> and um before I go into a little more

detail, I also want to invite all of you

to any in all of the concerts and if

you'd like to make a presentation to the

audience, we would be more than happy to

accommodate you. So, please let Larry

Moore know. I'm just going to give you

um an idea. Um the her with the

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Scarlet

Rose will be performing. Um that is an

outreach into the community by the

Harrisburg Symphony and that's the role

that Pops House plays

with the orchestra. Then there's the

Mayor Williams rising star youth

showcase and we go into the schools. We

go into the different um NAACP AXO, the

different talent shows and ask the

children to audition. The first

rehearsal will be this um Monday, June

the 8th. They come in for rehearsals and

they learn arts education, stage

presentation. We review what they're

going to present to the audience. We

review their stage directions. Um we

also have it in full circle music

organization over below um in South

Harrisburg below Dair Street. Um so that

we are also working with the local

organizations

um from the rising star youth

performance. Um we also select and we

implemented this year Pops Health Youth

Jazz Ensemble which has been a

tremendous success. We developed a

14week curriculum that worked with the

students to present. They performed at

the mayor's inaugural ball. They

performed at Carile's Imani Festival.

They are going to perform at Mount

Gretina. They're also going to perform

during the youth showcase. Um

and they've also some of them will be

performing at the

uh jazz under the stars festival. The

next um we do a gospel night which is a

celebration of gospel music. It's not

asking anyone to join a church. It's

just sharing gospel musical history,

both the contemporary as the traditional

history with the community. This the

flagship program that we have is jazz

under the stars which has now grown into

a festival. People come. Last year we

had Naji performing. This year we're

going to have pieces of a dream. Um, the

young people in the Rising Stars Youth

Showcase are invited to watch the

rehearsal, tech rehearsals and talk to

the artists. We've also taken some of

those artists into John Harris High

School so that those children get a

lecture demonstration and be have the

opportunity to see a professional artist

up close. um the music programs get a

chance to also have a smaller

presentation with the national artists.

Last year it was Naji. Um I believe it's

going to be Art Sherard um this year. Uh

we also have the Afro Soul Latino

Festival in which we've collaborated

with the Latino organizations to present

a profession, a festival of their music,

of their food, of their cultural

traditions. And that is the end of the

fiveweek um festival. We have a very

large budget. Um we fund raise both with

the state foundations, the business

community as well as the city and I will

be able to get to the fiscal department

to let you know this year how they're

going to spend those funds. The uh

categories that we have in the budget

are the administrative which deals with

the videography and photography, the

insurance, the travel, food and lodging.

We have the artist fees of all of the

artists that come into the five concerts

except for the Harrisburg Symphony. We

have the production, the sound, the

lights, engineers, the logistics,

security, EMS, uh, police. Uh, we also

have a DJ. Um, as we're doing set

changes, there's music for the community

that is sitting on the lawns. Um, we

also have the marketing, the print, the

printing, the banners. There's a VIP

reception. They also sell t-shirts. So,

those are all the components of the

budget. Um, so at this point, I'm going

to kind of keep it short and ask you if

you have any questions.

>> Uh, thank you. Really no questions. Um,

that was the meat of the potatoes that

we were looking at. Um, again, thank you

for the presentation. Um, we have

already gone through that portion of it.

Again, this this was just purposely

seeing what what your budget look like

and specifically when you um do submit

your numbers, we just want to see how

you're utilizing uh the city's dollars

that's being asked. Um and and that's

really the the gist of all of this. So,

um when when you get the um I know

there's a lot of thing that's tied into

to these series. Um but just let us know

um how much you've gotten last year um

your ask this year and how you intend to

utilize. That's pretty much all we're

asking. Um I don't have any questions.

I'll open up the floor and I'll start

all the way down to Councilwoman Davis.

>> Thank you, Vice President Green. Thank

you for being here for your presentation

this evening. I don't have any questions

for you either. Thank you,

>> Councilman Rodriguez. No questions for

me. Thank you for being here.

>> Councilwoman Ross.

>> Hello. Yes. Good evening. Thank you for

coming and presenting today. I was just

wondering if maybe you could email us

the exact numbers like um Vice President

Jones had um said just about what you uh

received last year, how you spent it,

what you received this year, how you

intend to spend it. just I because I did

hear you um itemize what you would be

spending it on. I just wanted the

numbers to see how much for each item

>> and we'll make sure that that gets to

you. There is a fiscal office that

handles all of those numbers.

>> Okay. Thank you so much. I appreciate

that. No questions for me.

>> President Hill,

>> good evening. Thank you. I don't have

any questions. We have um previously

received video um of I guess past years.

the I think the past two years at least.

So, we are familiar of the robust um

series, but we would appreciate the

numbers. Thank you,

>> Councilman Lawson.

>> Thank you. Um I don't know that I'd seen

the video, so I definitely appreciated

what you what you'd shown and it was um

you know, very impactful and I and I

love what what you're doing here. seeing

the numbers would be great because again

on the other side of it is we want to

make sure that we're being good stewards

with the the money and we appreciate

your willingness to provide that

information and um thank you for uh

sitting in front of us.

>> Thank you. We look forward receiving

your information and good luck.

>> Thank you very much.

>> Yes, ma'am. Um I'm going to go with um

Mr. Patricia Robinson. Evolve youth

trades. Councilman Jones, uh, just a

question. How would we go about the HHA

pro project?

>> Well, uh, it's it's not unfair. Um,

because really they they were probably

the only presenters over the years to

come back and show us how they utilize

the money and I know that we are um,

giving them some money from that we

didn't uh, utilize. Well, we didn't fund

them before, right?

>> Yeah. The in I believe the invoice was

not received until this year for last

year. and um and it wasn't rolled

forward. That's why you just had that

last appropriation to pay for that. I

believe I haven't seen it that they

submitted a report. Uh

>> we haven't seen it yet either, but

>> I believe they did and they usually come

in and give you a whole presentation on

what it is. They're they're pretty

detail oriented. Yeah,

>> it just wasn't available today. So,

again, um you know, I don't want to see

Again, I'm glad you asked that because I

don't want nobody to feel that they were

slighted and we just went along with

this. This is an organization that

constantly comes in front of us,

especially for that amount of money. We

definitely need to see what's happening.

>> And I think I think you had a great

point as well as our previous speaker

where if we can't afford to fund this

next year, how will the program sustain?

And from my perspective, I just want to

ensure Harrisburg students are

benefiting from the program, not

Middletown or Le Moine or anywhere else.

That is a question that we ask when they

come before us and they're very clear on

the percentage of Harrisburg students uh

that participate whether that's um as

what is it like mentors in the program

like employees or as um just general

student population.

>> I've never seen those numbers. I'd be

>> Oh, they share the percent. They do.

They share the percentage. So they're

there.

>> We will reschedu at some other date, I

guess, when he is available to come.

>> Okay. Thank you. Perfect.

>> Yes, sir.

>> Just saying I would want him to

reschedule, too, just so we can ask him

about the graffiti program, too. I

wanted to see if they were going to do

that again. I had a few

>> I did speak with the director and they

the the graffiti the graffiti program is

now

>> inserted. Inserted. Okay, great. Cuz I

had some residents reach out. Yeah.

>> And they would like for them to come by

and clean up the graffiti. And I think

it's great that they're reaching out. It

means that it meant something last year.

So, I just wanted to get some um see if

they were going to still do it. So,

thank you. Okay.

>> Yeah. Cuz I think everybody of course

wants to do for the youth, but of course

listening to the conversations this

evening, I think we just have to be as

fair as possible on both ends.

>> Yeah. Hearing everyone's perspectives.

>> I agree with Councilman Rodriguez uh

that I'd like to see the housing

authority come in also and present to

us. Well, they will anyway, but you

know, they've again I just think today

they weren't able to make it, but we

will definitely accommodate the request.

Thank you.

>> Sorry.

>> All right. Um, yeah. How you doing? Uh,

do you mind introducing yourself and uh

giving us an overview of your uh project

and again for I don't want to say for