[FY 2023 Budget Workshop: General Services]
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GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.IT IS 10 O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY, MAY 17TH.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND BUDGET PRESENTATIONS FROM VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AND LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE.
COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON, DISTRICT B COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, DISTRICT C COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY, VICE CHAIR EDWARD J. POLLARD, DISTRICT J STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL ASH'S OFFICE.
MICHAEL KNOX, MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM, CARLOS CISNEROS, AND AMY PECK.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S AND PLUMBER AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S OFFICE AND PLUMBER AND PLUMBER.
ALL BUDGET WORKSHOPS WOULD BE CONDUCTED IN PERSON ONLY.
PUBLIC SPEAKERS HAVE THE OPTION TO COMMENT IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE START OF ALL WORKSHOPS.
ALL PRESENTATION MATERIALS ARE UPLOADED TO SHAREPOINT AND HARD COPIES ARE DELIVERED TO EACH COUNCIL OFFICE.
ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO PROVIDE WRITTEN RESPONSES WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE CONCLUSION OF THEIR PRESENTATION.
20 QUESTIONS POSTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SHAREPOINT BUDGET.
SCHEDULE IS POSTED ON THE BFA WEBSITE.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN BE UPLOADED AT ANY TIME DURING THE BUDGET WORKSHOP PROCESS.
THE EARLIER THE BETTER, ALLOWING THE DEPARTMENTS PLENTY OF TIME TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS.
ALL PUBLIC SPEAKERS SHOULD BE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP, PLEASE SIGN UP AT THE FRONT TABLE FACING OUR LEFT, YOUR RIGHT BUDGET.
23 TEMPLATE HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO SHAREPOINT AND MAYOR TURNER, AS WE KNOW, SENT OUT A MEMO TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OFFICES TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
AND ALL AMENDMENTS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY, MAY 25TH.
TODAY WE WILL HEAR FROM GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT PROMPTLY ON TIME, AS ALWAYS, PARKS AND RECREATION AND THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AS A REMINDER, ONLY PEOPLE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY ARE THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL GET TO THEIR QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS AND AFTER.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE CONCLUDED.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME DIRECTOR CJ MESSIAH AND MR. RUSSELL LEE TO PROVIDE THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT BUDGET.
AND I SEE YOU HAVE YOUR DEPARTMENT MEMBERS WITH US.
Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB DAY IN AND DAY OUT, SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 BUDGET FOR THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
I HAVE THREE PRINCIPLES THAT I SHARE WITH OUR GSD TEAM, AND THAT'S INTEGRITY FIRST SERVICE BEFORE SELF AND EXCELLENCE IN ALL WE DO.
WITH ME TODAY IS MY SENIOR STAFF, WHICH INCLUDES CHIEF OF STAFF, ENID HOWARD, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IN REAL ESTATE.
RICHARD VALA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, ERIC ALEXANDER, DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SECURITY MANAGEMENT, ROBERT MANSOL, OUR TRAINING DIVISION MANAGER, DARNISHA DAVIS COLLIER, MY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT LEVON DE DONAHUE, SENIOR STAFF ANALYST, SHELLY CARTER, WHO MANAGES THE ENERGY RESILIENCE AND EFFICIENCY PROGRAM.
AND TO MY RIGHT, UH, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND DIVISION MANAGER, RUSSELL LEE, WHO WILL BE ASSISTING ME IN ANSWERING ANY FINANCIAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE FISCAL YEAR 23 PROPOSED BUDGET.
GSD OPERATIONS ARE DIVIDED INTO FOUR CORE PROGRAMS OF SERVICE.
ONE, PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, TWO, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE SERVICES.
THREE, SECURITY MANAGEMENT AND FOUR, ADMINISTRATIVE FINANCIAL AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH THE PRIMARY GOALS OF REDUCING COSTS AND CONTINUING TO IMPROVE OUR LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.
OUR CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE SHOWS OUR TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE GENERAL FUND TO BE JUST OVER $42.1 MILLION WITH 154 FTES.
THE PROJECT COST RECOVERY FUND HAS A PROPOSED BUDGET OF $6.8 MILLION WITH 51 FTES.
ALL EXPENSES IN THIS FUND A CHARGE BACK TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN OR CIP BOND FUNDS.
THE FTES IN THIS FUND PROVIDE CIP PLANNING MANAGEMENT, MANAGE THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FACILITY FACILITIES
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FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS EXCEPT THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM.MANAGE THE CIP CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AND FACILITATE TENANT MOVES AND IMPROVEMENTS.
BY MID-SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE COMPLETE WITH THE ALE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER AND THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONAL COSTS ARE INCLUDED IN OUR FY 2023 PROPOSED BUDGET.
THE MAINTENANCE, RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT OR MRR FUND HAS A PROPOSED BUDGET OF $30.77 MILLION AND 76 FTES.
THIS FUND PROVIDES FOR THE MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, AND REPLACEMENT OF BUILDING SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS FOR MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, HVAC, LIFE SAFETY, SECURITY MONITORING, STRUCTURAL AND ENERGY SYSTEMS. NEXT, IN OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE BUDGET, THERE'S AN INCREASE OF $29,000 DUE TO AN ESCALATIONS ON RENTS THAT GSD COLLECTS AND AN INCREASE OF $19,000 DUE TO AN INCREASE IN PLANNED PROJECTS THAT WILL BE CHARGED BACK TO THE FLEET DEPARTMENT AND PARKING MANAGEMENT.
GENERAL SERVICES WILL CONTINUE TO CHARGE BACKS AS PERSONNEL COSTS FOR OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC WORKS FACILITIES.
THERE IS A DECREASE IN MISCELLANEOUS RES REVENUE AS WE DO NOT BUDGET FOR POSSIBLE RECOVERIES AND REFUNDS.
NEXT, OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE IS BUDGETED AT 3.9 MILLION WITH CHANGES AS DISCUSSED IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
OUR PROJECT RECOVERY FUND REVENUE IS BUDGETED AT JUST UNDER $6.8 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF $1.6 MILLION DUE TO THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL PROJECT MANAGERS AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL.
OUR IN-HOUSE RENOVATION GROUP BUDGET WAS DECREASED TO ZERO DUE TO THIS GROUP BEING DISSOLVED AND FTES BEING MOVED TO THE GENERAL FUND OR MRR FUND.
OUR MRR REVENUE IS BUDGETED AT $29.8 MILLION, WHICH IS THE SAME AS THE FY 22 ADOPTED BUDGET.
THE INCREASE OVER FISCAL YEAR 21 IS PRIMARILY DUE TO FINANCE, REDUCING THE REVENUE TRANSFERRED INTO THE FUND IN FY 21 TO ASSIST WITH THE FY 21 BUDGET DEFICIT.
FOR FY 23, WE ARE PROPOSING AN EXPENDITURE BUDGET IN OUR GENERAL FUND OF $42.2 MILLION.
THE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS INCLUDE SERVICE CHARGEBACK ACCOUNTS FOR ITEMS SUCH AS FUEL, ELECTRICITY, IT ACCOUNTS, ET CETERA.
THE TOTAL PROPOSED BUDGET FOR ALL FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023 IS $79.6 MILLION.
IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE $28.3 MILLION NON-PERSONNEL COSTS MAKE UP ROUGHLY 67% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS REPRESENT ROUGHLY 38% OF THE TOTAL NON-PERSONNEL COSTS.
THE REMAINING NON-PERSONNEL BUDGET IS FOR SERVICES SUCH AS JANITORIAL SERVICES, SECURITY MANAGEMENT, SEWER SERVICES, REAL ESTATE RENTALS, AND LANDSCAPING.
NEXT, THE PROJECT COST RECOVERY FUND IS PER PERSONNEL COSTS MAKE UP 97% OF THE BUDGET WITH RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS AND MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES MAKING UP THE REMAINING 3%.
NEXT, IN THE MRR FUND, THE $23.7 MILLION IN NON-PERSONNEL COSTS MAKE UP 77.2% OF THE BUDGET.
OF THIS $21.2 MILLION OR 89.6% IS BUDGETED FOR SERVICES, AND $2.4 MILLION OR 10.4% IS BUDGETED FOR SUPPLIES.
NEXT, GSDS FISCAL YEAR 22 ADOPTED BUDGET WAS $41.9 MILLION.
WITH THE FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS, OUR PROJECTED PROJECTED CURRENT GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS NOW $41.6 MILLION.
IN THE GENERAL FUND, WE ARE PROPOSING AN FY 2023 EXPENDITURE BUDGET OF $42.1 MILLION.
AS NOTED ON THE EXHIBIT, THIS INCLUDES THE ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE OPENING OF THE ALE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER AND CONTRACTUAL AND OPERATIONAL ADJUSTMENTS.
NEXT, THIS GRAPH SHOWS THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS BUDGETS COMPARED TO OUR PROPOSED FY 23 BUDGET.
THE INCREASE IN THE BUDGET FROM FY 22 TO 23 IS DUE TO THE 3% HOPE INCREASE, AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL BUDGET FOR OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE
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OF THE NEW A EAF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER.THIS CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATIONS.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YES, SIR.
AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE'LL START OFF WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN.
GOOD MORNING DIRECTOR, AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM.
UM, YOU ALL ARE OFTEN BEHIND THE SCENES, BUT WE CAN'T GET ANYTHING DONE IF WE DON'T HAVE THE, UM, STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY TO DO SO.
UM, DIRECTOR, TWO, UH, THREE QUICK QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
ONE, CAN YOU PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE TO US? UM, I, I KNOW WE'RE, YOU KNOW, GETTING GOING ON CONSTRUCTION FOR THE ANNEX TUNNEL, THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT DAMAGES SUSTAINED DURING HARVEY.
WHERE ARE WE IN THAT RECOVERY PROCESS FOR OUR, FOR OUR BUILDINGS RIGHT NOW? SO, AND I'LL SPEAK FIRST ON CITY HALL AND CITY HALL ANNEX, WHICH YOU SEE EVERY DAY AND YOU'VE SEEN SOME SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE CITY HALL BASEMENT.
SO I'LL START WITH THE TUNNEL.
SO THE TUNNEL, IF YOU'VE NOTICED ON THE BAGBY STREET SIDE, THERE'S A LOT OF DIGGING AND POURING TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE WATER INTRUSION INTO THE TUNNEL.
ONCE WE FIND THAT AND THE TUNNEL IS SEALED TO KEEP THE WATER FROM INTRUDING, THAT PART OF THE HARVEY DAMAGE WILL START TO BE DONE.
AND CITY HALL, WE'RE WAITING FOR A CALL TODAY FROM THE CEILING TILE CONTRACTOR, AND WE'RE KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED.
AS WITH EVERYTHING IN THE NATION, COVID AND THE WAR IN THE UKRAINE HAS PUT A DAMPER ON RECEIVING MATERIALS.
WE WERE INITIALLY TOLD THE CEILING TILES FOR THE HALLWAY, AND THE MAYOR'S CONFERENCE ROOM WOULD BE ABOUT A 12 TO 16 WEEK LEAD TIME.
THE CONTRACTOR IS WAITING ON A CALL.
WE BELIEVE WE GOT THAT DOWN TO THREE OR FOUR WEEKS.
IF THAT IS TRUE, WE WILL BE COMPLETE WITH THE BASEMENT BY THE END OF JUNE.
UM, KINDLE LIBRARY IS ANOTHER, UM, IT'S ON TRACK TO BE FINISHED SOMETIME SOON.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WE DID RUN INTO DELAYS, UH, WITH COVID AND THEN THE WAR IN UKRAINE.
NO, AND I, I BRING THAT UP, UH, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PURPOSES FOR PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE IN TERMS OF WE'RE STILL WORKING ON EVERYTHING FROM HARVEY.
AND IT'S BEEN SLOW WITH UKRAINE, AND I KNOW Y'ALL ARE WORKING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT EVEN ON CITY PROPERTIES, WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH ADDRESSING A LOT OF THOSE CHALLENGES.
AND YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT MUNICIPAL COURTS.
UM, WE ARE DEALING WITH, WELL NOT OUR OFFICE, BUT FINANCE AND, UH, MR. COSTELLO'S GROUP ARE DEALING WITH FEMA FOR THE FUNDING TO REPLACE MUNICIPAL COURTS.
AND IT'S, UM, FIVE YEARS LATER, UH, BACK IN QUEUE, PLEASE.
THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO STATE SHE HAD ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
OH, I, NO, NO, NO ONE ELSE IS IN QUEUE.
UM, SECONDLY, UH, DIRECT, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE ASKING.
I'M, I GOT TWO MORE QUESTIONS.
AND I, I WAS HOPING YOU COULD SHARE WITH US, UM, THE, THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN TERMS OF HEALTHCARE COVERAGE FOR OUR SECURITY PERSONNEL.
UM, AND JUST ALL OF THE EFFORTS THAT YOU, YOU AND YOUR TEAM MADE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE DOING RIGHT BY OUR, OUR SECURITY PERSONNEL.
AND IF I CAN, I'LL TELL A LITTLE STORY ON HOW THIS CAME ABOUT.
SO, COUNCIL MEMBER MC CAYMAN, WHO TALKS TO THE SECURITY OFFICERS I, I HEAR ON A DAILY BASIS NOTICED THE SECURITY OFFICER, UH, WITH A LIMP.
AND THEY TALKED ABOUT GOING TO SEE A DOCTOR AND THE SECURITY OFFICER TOLD HIM THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE 'CAUSE IT WAS TOO HIGH.
SO THE COUNCIL MEMBER CONTACTED MY OFFICE AND WE LOOKED INTO IT AND WE FOUND A HUGE DISCREPANCY WITH THE CONTRACTOR AS FAR AS MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PAY OR PLAY.
WE DISCUSSED THE DISCREPANCY, AND THAT WAS ALL STARTED IN DECEMBER BY, I THINK IT WAS END OF FEBRUARY OR MARCH.
UH, WE HAD 199 SECURITY OFFICERS ON THE CONTRACT WORKING HERE AT CITY HALL.
OF THAT 199, ONLY 33 OF THEM WERE VERIFIED TO HAVE ANY TYPE OF INSURANCE COVERAGE.
WITH THE HELP OF THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND US GETTING THEM WITHIN COMPLIANCE, THEY MOVE THAT UP TOTALLY WITH THEIR INSURANCE OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF INSURANCE UP TO 162.
SO IT, WE THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO US BECAUSE IT ALSO DISCOVERED SOME DISCREPANCIES WE HAVE NOT ONLY GSD, BUT DEALINGS WITH SPD AND
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OBOE ON MAINTAINING THE COMPLIANCE OF, UH, PAY OR PLAY, WHICH WE'RE WORKING WITH THOSE OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THE CONTRACTORS ARE WITHIN COMPLIANCE.UM, AND AGAIN, I I, I CREDIT YOU AND YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE ON THAT, UH, I SIMPLY ASKED A QUESTION, BUT THE CREDIT LIES WITH YOU ALL AND BRINGING THEM UP.
FINALLY, DIRECTOR, UH, I'M ASKING EVERY DEPARTMENT DUE TO THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS THAT, UH, NOT ONLY COUNCIL IS FACING, BUT THE CITY AS A WHOLE IS FACING.
WHAT ARE THE NEEDS, UM, THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING MET BY THIS BUDGET? AND WHAT ARE THE FORESEEABLE NEEDS IN THE NEAR FUTURE? SO WHAT I'VE NOTICED IN, YOU KNOW, MY NOW ALMOST SIX YEARS OF SITTING IN THIS CHAIR, AND IT'S NOT JUST THIS ADMINISTRATION, BUT IT'S PAST ADMINISTRATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND WHERE WE ARE WITH DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BILL OF $594 MILLION.
AND THE ONLY SECTOR WE CAN COMPARE OURSELVES WITH IS THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR TELLS US THE CITY SHOULD BE GIVEN OR PUTTING X AMOUNT OF MONEY INTO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND X AMOUNT OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO, UH, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
WE RECEIVE LESS THAN HALF OF WHAT THEY SAY WE SHOULD, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO IT WHAT WE CAN.
BUT IT IS THE, THE FUNDING IS, IS NEEDED.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, AT BEING A RETIRED POLICEMAN, I TELL CHIEF FINNER, YOU KNOW, I I'M 100%, IF YOU CUT ME, I STILL BLEED BLUE.
AND I TELL CHIEF PENA, WAIT A MINUTE, IT'LL TURN RED
BUT, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, UM, THOSE, UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE JOB THEY DO, NOT MANY PEOPLE WILL DO IT, AND THEY DESERVE WHAT YOU GIVE THEM.
BUT WE CAN'T FORGET ABOUT THE FACILITIES THEY HAVE TO WORK IN.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE, OUR BIGGEST FEAR THIS YEAR WITH THE, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT SHIPMENTS BEING DELAYED, IS THAT WE HAVE HVAC SYSTEMS THAT FAIL THAT CANNOT BE FIXED AND HAVE TO BE REPLACED, AND THEN THERE'S A EIGHT TO 12 WEEK LEAD TIME TO GET THAT EQUIPMENT HERE, AND THEN WE HAVE TO RENT TEMPORARY EQUIPMENT.
WELL, WHAT WE FOUND IS WHEN WE RENT THAT TEMPORARY EQUIPMENT FOR THREE OR FOUR MONTHS, WE COULD HAVE BOUGHT TWO UNITS THAT WE'RE REPLACING.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT'S WHAT HAMSTRINGS US, US.
UH, I NEGLECTED TO WELCOME, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HOFFMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS AND COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON.
THEY ARE HERE AT THE HORSESHOE.
COUNCILMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS.
UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND I KNOW THE GSD IS DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN WITH, UH, THE DELAYS DIRECTOR, AS YOU MENTIONED, WITH THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN MATERIAL SHORTAGES, CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES, COST INFLATION, AND THE LIST GOES ON, I GUESS, UM, IS A BIT OF A PREVIEW.
I KNOW COMING UP ON A TTI COMMITTEE MEETING AHEAD IS, IS SOME REVIEW OF OUR, UH, DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ON SOME OF OUR FACILITIES THAT ARE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO.
SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY EXTRA BUDGETARY, UH, QUESTION.
BUT SOMETHING THAT I'D LIKE, MAYBE SOME COMMENT FROM YOU ABOUT THE OVERALL, UH, IMPACT OF THE DELAY IN THE GLOBAL SUPPLY, UM, SET OF CONDITIONS WITH, WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, HOW YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO PRIORITIZE THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE, AND WHAT CONSEQUENCES WE AS A CITY MAY BE SUFFERING IN TERMS OF A DELAY ON PRIORITIZE PROJECTS THAT YOU'VE HAD.
SOME OF US HAVE HAD IN OUR, UH, YOU KNOW, HOPED FOR LIST OF PRIORITIES FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY.
SO WE, THERE WAS A TIME HERE AT CITY HALL IN THE RECENT PAST WHERE WE HAD AIR HANDLER UNITS ON THE CORNER OF WALKER AND BAGBY BECAUSE WE HAD A AIR HANDLING UNIT IN THE BASEMENT FAIL, AND WE WERE GIVEN SOME SERIOUS LEAD TIME.
AND WE HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX BEING, UM, FORMER MILITARY.
I TELL MY GUYS, JUST BECAUSE A COMPANY SAYS THIS, THEY'RE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES THAT MAKE THIS STUFF.
WE HAVE TO USE WHATEVER WE CAN TO SPEED THE PROCESS UP.
WE'VE BEEN LUCKY SO FAR THAT MOST OF, MOST OF THE LEAD TIMES WE'VE BEEN GIVEN, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE BY LOOKING ELSEWHERE.
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UM, THE IMPACT TO THE CITY THAT THIS WILL HAVE IF WE MEET, RUN INTO THESE LONG DELAYS IS WE PAY EXTRA TO KEEP A BUILDING COOL OR WARM.THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IS HVAC SYSTEM FAILURE.
WE HAD AN FCA DONE AS YOU KNOW, IN 2012, WHICH IS OUTDATED, AND WE HAVE A CURRENT ONE THAT SHOULD BE WRAPPED UP, UH, HOPEFULLY NEXT MONTH THAT'S GONNA GIVE US A NEW LIGHT ON WHERE OUR FACILITIES STAND.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT ANY BETTER THAN IT WAS IN 2012.
UM, LET ME SAY, I APPRECIATE THAT LAST COMMENT, ESPECIALLY ABOUT HVAC AND SOME OF WHAT OUR BUILDINGS NEED TO DO FOR AN UPGRADE.
UM, IT'S ALSO, IN ADDITION TO THE COSTLINESS OF IT FOR OUR BUDGET, IT'S ALSO INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT.
WHAT WE'RE DOING TO NOT UPGRADE OUR FACILITIES IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST DEGREES IN WHICH WE'RE, UH, FALLING SHORT OF SOME OF OUR CLIMATE ACTION GOALS AND, UH, GOALS TO ALIGN OURSELVES WITH THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PROGRAM.
AND THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE REASON WHY, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO ADMINISTRATION TO ASK TO START A ENERGY EFFICIENCY SECTION IN GSD, WHICH IS ONE PERSON NOW, SHELLY CARTER, WHO'S DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB, UM, WITH THE, I THINK YOU'RE AWARE OF THE CCO UH, LOAN AND THE CCO PROJECT THAT WE ABOUT TO KICK OFF, WHICH IS THE LOW HANGING FRUIT OF LED LIGHTING IN FIVE FACILITIES TO START, I'LL SAY START TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
AND I KNOW WE'LL GET AN UPDATE OF THAT AT THE UPCOMING TTI COMMITTEE MEETING.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION.
I KNOW I'M ON MY, UH, NINTH YEAR HERE ON COUNCIL, AND EVERY YEAR I DO, UH, LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN OF THE, UH, DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
I'D LIKE TO, UH, UH, GIVE YOU, UH, KUDOS IN REGARDS TO THE BREAKDOWN HERE ON THE EMPLOYEES, UH, IN, IN, IN THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, BUT I WOULD ALSO ASK IF YOU CAN GIMME A BREAKDOWN ON THE, UH, MANAGEMENT OF YOUR DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
UH, I, I'D LIKE TO REVIEW THAT IF, IF, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
DIRECTOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU TO YOUR ENTIRE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
UM, IF YOU HAD TO PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT, LET'S SAY WE COULD USE SOME ARPA DOLLARS, UH, TO GO TOWARDS DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND THINGS THAT, UH, WOULD DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE THE STATE OF OUR BUILDINGS AND MAINTENANCE, WHAT, WHAT WOULD THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT BE? A REASONABLE, A REASONABLE NUMBER? YOU SAID DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE
THERE ARE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE.
I HAVE ONE COMMENT AND THEN A QUESTION.
THERE IS NO DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT I INTERACT WITH AND PROBABLY MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS INTERACT WITH ON A DAILY BASIS.
YOUR DEPARTMENT IS PHENOMENAL, AND I KNOW A LOT OF THIS IS UNDER MY FRIEND E ERIC ALEXANDER, BUT THE JANITORS THAT WE HAVE THAT DO THE HARD WORK DAY IN AND DAY OUT ARE ALWAYS THERE WITH A SMILE AND A CAN DO SPIRIT.
I MISS, MISS ANNA, CAN YOU GET A BACK ACROSS THE STREET
AND JOHN JUST DOES A GREAT JOB.
AND I REMEMBER WHEN NEIL WAS A SECURITY GUARD AND WE HIRED HIM AT GSD NEIL WAS THE MOST RESPECTFUL.
POSITIVE SPIRIT WORKS HIS BUTT OFF.
UH, HE, HE EX JUST EXEMPLIFIES THE EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND, UM, IT, IT ALL, YEAH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A FAMOUS SAYING, FISH ROTS FROM THE HEAD.
SO WHEN THERE'S A GOOD HEAD, THE REST OF THE EMPLOYEES WILL DO A GOOD JOB.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE EXECUTIVE STAFF I'M LOOKING AT HERE.
AND, UH, THANKS FOR DOING EVERYTHING AND DOING THE HARD WORK.
UM, THOSE PEOPLE ARE A JOY TO BE AROUND.
THEY MAKE MY LIFE BETTER TODAY.
IT MAKES ME REALIZE HOW LUCKY THAT I AM PERSONALLY.
AND, UH, JUST KUDOS TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR AREA THAT DO THE, THE TOUGH JOBS DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
I KNOW IT'S NOT A A, A SEXY JOB, BUT GOD, THEY DO FANTASTIC WORK.
MY QUESTION IS WRAPPED AROUND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.
WHAT IS OUR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BACKLOG? NOW, I KNOW WE DID THAT STUDY A WHILE BACK.
WHAT IS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT? I KNOW YOU GAVE A $250 MILLION.
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594 MILLION.IT'LL STAY PRETTY FLAT FOR NEXT YEAR OR TWO, BUT 2024 IT WILL GO UP TO 600 MILLION PLUS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY TO PUT INTO.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY DAY WE HAVE PEOPLE WORKING ON OUR ELEVATORS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THINK BIG OR GO HOME.
AND I LOOK AT THE LAND THAT WE HAVE THAT ISN'T IN MUCH USE NEXT DOOR TO US TRANQUILITY PARK.
IS IT A GOOD PARK? YEAH, IT'S OKAY.
IT'S NOT ONE OF THE BETTER ONES.
I'D LOVE TO SEE US BUILD A NEW FACILITY OVER THERE.
BLOW UP, UH, LANIER, UH, THE BUILDING.
YOU KNOW, THIS BUILDING HAS, ITS, ITS ISSUES, BUT IT'S AN ART DECO BUILDING AND, AND IT'S PROBABLY HAS A GREAT HISTORICAL MEANING TO IT.
BUT THE POLICE BUILDING NOW, THE HORRIBLE BUILDING.
I KNOW WE LOOKED AT SOMETHING, THE OLD EXXON BUILDING, GOD, THIS IS PROBABLY FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO.
UM, CAN THE RECORD REFLECT THAT THE CHAIR HAS APPRECIATED HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE? I'D LIKE TO
BUT DON'T YOU THINK WE NEED TO ONE DAY LOOK AT A LONG-TERM PLAN AND, AND, AND BEGIN THAT SO WE GET AWAY FROM THIS DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND DO SOMETHING WITH BUILDING A NEW FACILITY.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WRAPPED AROUND THAT.
SO THERE, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND FOR MANY YEARS.
THERE IS A PLAN, OR THERE HAS BEEN TALK TO RENOVATE SIX 11 WALKER TO DO SOMETHING TO, UM, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT TRANQUILITY PARK.
IT'S IN THE ROUGH STAGES, BUT THERE'S TALK ABOUT DOING EXACTLY THAT, SIR, DO YOU THINK IT'S A OPTIMISTIC PLAN OR A REALISTIC OR A PESSIMISTIC PES NO ONE ELSE IS IN QUEUE, SO I'M GONNA
THAT THAT'S A TOUGH ONE BECAUSE THE, THE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE IS GONNA KEEP CLIMBING, UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, AND THE PRICES ARE GONNA KEEP GOING UP.
SO I WOULD, UM, I WOULD BE ON THE PESSIMISTIC SIDE.
OKAY, WELL, WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, BUT I ALWAYS SORT OF KID MAYOR TURNER, I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A YEAR AND A AND A HALF.
WHAT IS YOUR LEGACY, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
I'D LOVE TO SEE THE SYLVESTER TURNER BUILDING RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM US HOUSE IN A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT NEED A NEW PLACE TO BE HOUSED.
SO I'LL KEEP AFTER 'EM AS LONG AS YOU KEEP AFTER 'EM.
BECAUSE I THINK THERE AS A PLAN COMES.
ACTUALLY, THERE IS A, UH, MASTER PLAN FOR TRANQUILITY PARK AT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NO MONIES, UH, FOR THIS MASTER PLAN.
UH, BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UM, I HAD SEEN WAY BACK WHEN, WHEN, UH, UH, UH, FORMER DIRECTOR, UH, TURNER WAS THE, UH, PARKS DIRECTOR.
AND, UM, IT'S A REALLY NICE, REALLY NICE, UH, PLAN.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S NO MONIES.
UH, BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOU IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, FOUNTAINS THAT ARE THERE AT TRANQUILITY PARK.
I UNDERSTAND WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO REPAIR THOSE ONCE AGAIN.
UM, BUT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, I I, IN MY OPINION, I THINK THAT'S JUST A LOT OF MONEY BEING WASTED.
'CAUSE UH, THEY'VE, THEY'VE TRIED FIXING THAT SEVERAL TIMES AND, AND, AND THEY JUST KEEP BREAKING.
UH, SO, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN COME UP WITH A, A MASTER PLAN OR SOMETHING THAT, THAT WILL SAVE THE CITY MONEY INSTEAD OF USING IT TO REPAIR SOMETHING THAT CONSTANTLY KEEPS BREAKING.
SO BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, YESTERDAY, WE LET PUBLIC SPEAKING GET A LITTLE BIT AWAY FROM US.
WE'D LIKE ALL THE QUESTIONS TO BE DIRECTED TO COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE'LL DO THE BEST TO TRY AND ANSWER 'EM.
IF WE NEED SOME INPUT FROM STAFF, WE'LL DO THAT.
BUT, UM, WE WANT THE DIRECTORS TO, UH, BE FOCUSED ON, ON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PUBLIC SPEAKERS TO BE FOCUSED ON, ON US AS WELL.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WILL ASK YOU TO EXIT STAGE, RIGHT.
AND, UH, WE'LL CALL ON OUR FIRST PUBLIC SPEAKER.
AND THAT IS, UM, SABA BLANDING.
AND IF I CAN ADD ONE THING, WE ARE GSD.
WE ARE LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX FOR FUNDING.
WE ARE ACTUALLY, UH, MEETING WITH BILL KELLY AND HIS STAFF TO SEE IF WE CAN TAP INTO SOME OF THE BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, BILL, UH, FUNDING FOR OUR, UH, TOWARDS ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
AND, AND MS. BLANDING DIRECT THE QUESTIONS TO US AND WE WILL FIELD THE QUESTIONS FROM HERE.
I AM, UH, A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT I, SO COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS DISTRICT.
[00:30:01]
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES IN ASBESTOS SLASH LEAD SLASH MOLD SLASH SOIL REMEDIATION, UM, ARE YOU ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ON YOUR CURRENT BUDGET? 17 MILLION SEEMS FAIRLY LOW FOR SUCH AN ESSENTIAL SAFETY WORK FOR PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT.UM, WHAT ARE THE COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON? WHAT RESOURCES, UM, WOULD THIS DEPARTMENT NEED TO EXPAND TO ADDRESS THE, UH, FULL NEEDS OF THE CITY? UM, AND WHAT ARE EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THESE SERVICES ARE ADDRESSED EQUITABLY ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON? SO THAT'S, I MEAN, WE JUST TALKED ABOUT DEFERRED MAINTENANCE A MINUTE AGO.
WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, YOU HEARD IT A HEAVY BILL ON DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.
KEEPING A BUILDING LIKE THIS UP TO SPEED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY ISSUES IS, IS REALLY A TOUGH TASK.
UM, I THINK THE DIRECTION THAT WE SHOULD HEAD WOULD BE TO BUILD A, UM, LEAD PLATINUM TYPE FACILITY THAT HAS ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANT FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL STANDPOINT, UH, AND THEN HOUSE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.
WE TRIED TO DO THAT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN WE WERE IN, IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE FOLKS WHO OWNED THE OLD EXXON BUILDING DOWN THE STREET.
BUT WE HAD A NUMBER OF ISSUES WITH IT BECAUSE OF, UM, THE ACCESS TO IT UNDERGROUND AND HAVING THE TUNNEL SYSTEM, UM, WORK.
BUT, UH, WE DON'T DO A VERY GOOD JOB WITH, WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE BECAUSE OF THE AGE OF THE BUILDINGS AND THE CONDITION OF THE BUILDINGS.
AND I THINK THAT'LL COME, UH, WITH OUR ABILITY TO POSSIBLY DO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS WAS TALKING ABOUT.
AND THAT IS TO DO A, A, A NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL HOUSE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY.
I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE ANY, YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL DEFER TO MY BLACK CAPE, A BLACK CAPE ARCHITECT, DAVID ROBINSON, WHO'S IN QUEUE RIGHT NOW.
WELL, I, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
I THINK THERE'S JUST, UH, LOTS TO BE DONE WITH, WITH OUR EXISTING FACILITIES, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO MENTION TO THE DIRECTOR SOME OF THOSE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.
BUT, UH, I THINK THIS BLANDING RAISES AN IMPORTANT POINT, NOT ONLY FOR, UH, THE ISSUES ALREADY DISCUSSED WITH THE COST OF, UH, THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, THE UPGRADE AND THE COST TO THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO JUST, UH, THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF ALL THE USERS.
SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE CONCERNS THAT LAYER INTO HOW I BELIEVE WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE THE FACILITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, UH, THINK ABOUT THAT CAREFULLY BEFORE WE EMBARK ON ANY NEW PROGRAMS AND, UH, NEW CONSTRUCTION.
BUT I, UH, SHARE YOUR FEELING CHAIR ABOUT TRANQUILITY PARK, AND I KNOW THERE ARE SOME PLANS THAT ARE COMING FORWARD.
I BELIEVE THE, THE MAYOR'S GOT A FEW ON HIS DESK THAT HE'S CONSIDERING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T SEE JASON TODAY, SO WE'RE MISSING HIM.
WHAT'S THAT? HE'S RUNNING A LITTLE LATE.
UH, MY NAME IS LAUREN JOHNSON AND I WANTED TO ASK WHICH SPECIFIC ENTITIES ARE RECEIVING THE $29 MILLION FROM THE CHAPTER THREE 80 AGREEMENT, UM, AND HOW MUCH EACH OF THEM ARE RECEIVING, AND HOW DOES, HOW DO THOSE GET APPROVED? IS IT CITY COUNCIL THAT APPROVES THOSE? YES, IT RUNS, IT RUNS THROUGH THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UH, 3 8 3 80 AGREEMENTS ARE REIMBURSEMENTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, DOES NOT, IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WITHIN CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTS.
AND THAT THREE 80 GOES BACK TOWARDS PAYING THOSE DEVELOPMENTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN ON BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO LIKE YESTERDAY, WE WENT THROUGH OUR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, UH, PRESENTATION.
IN, IN THAT PRESENTATION YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A DOTTED LINE AROUND THREE 80 THAT ALSO GOES BACK TO PAYING OUR DEBT.
SO OUR PAY AS YOU GO PROGRAMS AND ALL OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS. AND SO THOSE ARE ALL REIMBURSEMENTS.
AND, AND MANY TIMES THEY ARE, THE DEVELOPERS DON'T GET TO A POINT WHERE WE REIMBURSE THEM A PENNY.
AND WE HAVE MANY DEVELOPERS LIKE THAT, BUT WE REIMBURSE 'EM OVER A PERIOD OF TIME INSTEAD OF TAKING THE, THE WORK AT THAT POINT IN TIME AND SPENDING THE MONIES UPFRONT.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY GOOD PROGRAM THAT WORKS TO OUR ADVANTAGE.
ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS, UM, ANSWERS ON THAT? OKAY.
MS. JILL, ROCHELLE, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN THIS MORNING.
APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING HERE AGAIN ON SECOND DAY.
THANK YOU FOR THE WELCOME BACK.
I WILL SAY I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT, UM, THE, THE, UH, YOU ASKED THE PEOPLE THAT GAVE THE BUDGET TO WALK OUT YESTERDAY, IT WAS GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THEM AND, AND, UH, LET THEM KNOW HOW, HOW MUCH WE LIKE WHAT THEY DO, AND WE'RE PROUD OF WHAT THEY
[00:35:01]
DO.AND SO I WAS SAD TO SEE THEM LEAVE.
UM, YESTERDAY WE HEARD A COMMUNITY GROUP SPEAK ABOUT THE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE EXPOSED DRAINAGE IMPACTING THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND THE NORTH SIDE OF HOUSTON, THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF HOUSTON, EXCUSE ME.
THEY WERE DIRECTED THAT MIGHT BE A CIP ISSUE.
UM, WHAT CAN WE DO TO PRIORITIZE THESE IMPORTANT PROJECTS WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT? THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, JUST AS SOME BACKGROUND, UM, I KNOW I CAN ONLY SPEAK TO OUR COMMITTEE, BUT WE HAD, UH, BEEN ASKED A STANDARD PROCEDURE FOR ALL COMMITTEES WHEN THE DIRECTORS, AFTER THEY PRESENT, SOMETIMES PUBLIC COMMENT CAN GO ON FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND THEY ALL NEED TO GO BACK TO, TO WORK.
SO THAT, THAT IT'S NOT, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I JUST ALSO WANT TO PROVIDE CONTEXT THAT IT'S, UH, MORE SO THAT GENERAL RULE FOR ALL COMMITTEES.
IT'S NOT THE EXCEPTION DURING THE BUDGETARY PROCESS.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, CIP IS A ROLE IN THREE YEAR PROCESS.
SO EVERY PROJECT WE HAD IN FISCAL YEAR 22 SHOULD BE COMPLETED AND ROLLS OFF.
GENERALLY NOT THE CASE BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE PROJECTS THAN AVAILABLE FUNDING.
AND THEN 23 ROLLS ON, AND THEN WE ADD ON THE BACKSIDE, IT'D BE 20 FISCAL YEAR 27.
SO WE GO FISCAL YEAR 23 TO 27.
SO THEN WHEN WE FINISH, THE ONES ON 23, THEY ROLL OFF AND WE ADD 20, UH, EIGHT ON BOARD.
SO THE TOUGH THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT MANY OF US ARE ON HERE FOR JUST ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF, AND WE WON'T SEE THE, THE WORK OF OUR, OUR OFFICE STAFF AND WHAT WE DID IN THE CIP THAT'S GONNA COME UP LONG AFTER WE ARE HERE OR WE DISAPPEAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT, IT SEEMS TO WORK, BUT THE PROBLEM WE ALWAYS HAVE IS IT'S UNDERFUNDED AND WE NEVER DO ALL OF THE PROJECTS.
UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, WE PUT IN THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
SO EACH OF US HAVE AN ALLOCATION OF DOLLARS THAT WE CAN USE TOWARDS PROJECTS THAT WE THINK ARE EMERGENCY TYPE PROJECTS.
AND WE ALL DO A REALLY GOOD JOB OF IDENTIFYING THE PROJECTS WITHIN OUR AREA.
WE FIRMLY BELIEVE NOBODY KNOWS OUR DISTRICT BETTER THAN OURSELVES BECAUSE WE'RE IN 'EM EVERY DAY AS LONG.
AND I INCLUDE THE AT LARGES AS WELL.
I KNOW I JOKE AROUND A LOT, A LITTLE BIT TOUGH ON YOU, BUT, UH, Y'ALL ARE ALWAYS PRESENT AT OUR MEETINGS AND ALWAYS CONCERNED, UH, ABOUT OUR AREA.
BUT CI P'S A TOUGH ONE BECAUSE THEY'RE, IT'S UNDERFUNDED AND WE HAVE TOO MANY NEEDS AND WANTS TO REALLY FULLY FUND IT.
BUT, UM, WORKING THROUGH COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS AND, AND NOW WITH THE SWAT PROGRAM, WE HAVE EXTRA MILLIONS GOING IN THAT AND MAYBE, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A DIFFERENT ALLOCATION WHEN WE LOOK TOWARDS, I BELIEVE IF YOU, THIS BUDGET IS BASED ON NO INCREASE ON SALES TAX REVENUE, I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN SALES TAX REVENUE BECAUSE IT'S PREDICATED UPON THE PRICE OF GOODS TODAY.
AND EVERYBODY WHO'S BEEN IN A GROCERY STORE OR BOUGHT ANYTHING KNOWS THAT THE PRICE CONTINUES TO GO UP.
THUS, UNFORTUNATELY, OUR SALES TAX REVENUE GOES UP.
SO I THINK WE'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO CREATE MORE AND FUND BALANCE AND MAYBE USE SOME OF THAT FUND BALANCE FOR EXACTLY WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
AND I WOULD JUST REAL QUICK, WOULD YOU, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT, THAT THE, THE NORTHEAST PROJECT IS AN EMERGENCY? COULD THAT GO INTO THE EMERGENCY BUCKET? SO I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON TO DECIDE WHAT'S AN EMERGENCY IN HER AREA AND NOT, BUT I'VE, I LIVE IN KINGWOOD AND I'VE BEEN IN DISTRICT B MORE TIMES THAN I'VE BEEN ANYWHERE BECAUSE IT'S NEAR MY HOUSE.
I GO UP THERE QUITE, QUITE OFTEN.
BUT IT WAS, UM, I, I LOOKED AT THOSE PHOTOS AGAIN THIS MORNING.
BUT THEN AGAIN, MY AREA LOST 5,000 HOMES AND 500 BUSINESSES DUE TO FLOODING.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THE NEXT HURRICANE COMES, UH, WE DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THAT FLOOD WATER AGAIN.
I'M SURE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, AMY PECK WILL SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT HER DISTRICT, BUT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY, ABBY CAYMAN, ESPECIALLY MEYERLAND AND, AND WHAT WE'VE HAD TO DO THERE, I MEAN, IT'S WHEN YOU LIVE AT OR JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOVE SEA LEVEL, UH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THOSE TYPES OF SITUATIONS POP UP AND, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU CALL IT, WHETHER YOU CALL IT GLOBAL CHANGE OR GLOBAL WARMING, UH, THE TORNADOES ARE COMING MORE RAPIDLY AND THE HURRICANES HAVE MORE FORCE TO 'EM.
COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY THOMAS, THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN PUBLIC COMMENTS.
BUT JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
UM, IMAGINE WHO WE COULD BE AS A CITY IF WE ACTUALLY RECEIVE FLOODING DOLLARS FROM THE GLO.
RIGHT? IMAGINE THE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IN QUEUE FOR CYCLES THAT ARE SCHEDULED BUT NOT FUNDED.
IMAGINE WHO WE COULD BE IF THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDS, WHERE THERE A DIRECT ALLOCATION TO THE CITY VERSUS AN APPLICATION PROCESS.
UM, BECAUSE IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR HURRICANE HARVEY IN THIS REGION, THOSE DOLLARS WOULDN'T BE AVAILABLE.
[00:40:01]
THAT.AND THEN, UM, WORKING THROUGH THE FEDERAL PROCESS TO, UH, SCHEDULE PRIORITY PROJECTS IN ANY NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY'RE ALL PRIORITY, RIGHT? UM, AND, AND LET ME SAY, I, I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT I LOST MY HOME DURING HARVEY.
AND SO I GET IT, BUT I ALSO KNOW HOW PRIVILEGED I AM IN THAT WE WERE OKAY.
AND I, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THERE WERE MANY OTHERS THAT WEREN'T.
AND THAT'S WHERE MY HEART GOES OUT.
BUT HERE'S, BUT HERE'S MY POINT, IS THAT WE ARE, UH, LIMITED WHILE ALSO BEING CONSTRAINED.
WE WE'RE CONSTRAINED BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT, THE FUNDING FROM THE STATE.
WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THE PROCESS FEDERALLY.
AND SO WHAT WE HAVE AS A A LOCAL CITY, WE'RE DOING THE VERY BEST.
AND IT'S NOT AS FAST AS WE WOULD LIKE.
UM, I HAVE AT LEAST FIVE UNSCHEDULED FUNDED PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A WHILE.
SO, I MEAN, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, BUT JUST THE, FOR THE PUBLIC THAT'S LISTENING, THE LARGER, UM, ISSUE IS THAT HOUSTON HAS BEEN MISSING OUT.
AND WE HAVE A SERIOUS ISSUE AROUND FLOODING AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF ANOTHER STORM WILL COME, IT'S WIND AND IT COULD RAIN FORWARD 30 MINUTES IN THE CITY AND YOU HAVE TWO INCHES OF WATER IN YOUR DRAIN.
LIKE THE STORMS ARE THAT INTENSE.
AND SO WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THAT.
AND THEN ALSO LOOK AT THE PLANS THAT WERE DESIGNED PRE HARVEY OR RIGHT AFTER HARVEY.
NOW LOOKING AT OUR NEW RESILIENCY STANDARDS, NOW LOOKING AT THE NEW DATA AND CITY MODELING AND WHAT DOES IT TAKE IN TERMS OF DRAINAGE.
SO THERE'S SOME WORK WE HAVE TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PLANS MEET THOSE STANDARDS.
'CAUSE WE DON'T WANNA OFFER YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR ANY NEIGHBORHOOD OR PROJECT JUST TO SAY, WE DID A PROJECT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE COME IN AND OFFER A PROJECT THAT YOU FEEL SAFE KNOWING THAT THOSE DRAINS WORK, THOSE STREETS WILL CLEAR AND THAT YOU WON'T BE IN THE, A DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THIS PROCESS OF, OF RAISING THIS ISSUE.
AND, AND THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THAT INFORMATION TO US AND KEEPING IT ON OUR RADAR.
COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON.
UM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS FOR THAT.
UM, ALSO, UM, AS COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS SAID, WE HAVE SWAT PROJECTS, BUT THEN ALSO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE REVENUE CAP.
YOU KNOW, I'M HEARING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE FROM YESTERDAY, THE ISSUE IS MONEY.
WHERE ARE WE GETTING THE MONEY? AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS THE REVENUE THAT THE CITY HAVE.
BUT THERE IS REVENUE THAT WE COULD HAVE THAT WE DON'T HAVE BECAUSE OF A REVENUE CAP.
SO, BUT I MEAN, EVEN IF WE JUST HAD GOT RID OF THE CITY CAP, WE WOULD HAVE MORE RESOURCES TO DO A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS.
SO, UM, THE FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS, WE HAVE 14 PROJECTS ON THE BOOKS, UM, FOR DISTRICT B AND, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL TO KIND OF MITIGATE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS.
SO PROJECTS ARE MOVING FORWARD.
UM, WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS ON THE BOOKS FROM, UM, 2011.
UM, THESE ARE, UM, UM, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
SO JUST KNOW THAT WE NEED DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, AND SO, AND THE DOLLARS IS OUT THERE, BUT WE JUST NEED TO, LIKE, IDENTIFY WAYS TO GET IT.
AND THE REVENUE, REMOVING THAT REVENUE CAP IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN GET SOME DOLLARS TO DO PROJECTS THAT WE NEED, THAT WE DE DEFINITELY NEED WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
THANK YOU FOR, UM, PARTICIPATING IN OUR, AND THANKS AGAIN MS. ROCHELLE.
UM, WE'LL, I SEE MR. OLIVER SHOWED UP, SO IF YOU PRESENT YOUR TARDY SLIP TO THE PRINCIPAL, WE'LL ALLOW YOU, YOU HAVE YOUR ONE MINUTE.
SO I JUST, I JUST CAME IN AND I TALKED ABOUT THIS A BIT YESTERDAY, BUT IT'S, I, I THINK IT FALLS SPECIFICALLY UNDER GENERAL SERVICES.
SO, UH, THE SECURITY, RIGHT? I TRIED TO USE MY HARRIS COUNTY ENHANCED LIBRARY CARD ID TO GET IN, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED, UH, EITHER A STATE ID OR DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PASSPORT TO GET IN.
AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN HOUSTON.
WE HAVE QUITE A, A FEW PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT HAVE THOSE FORMS OF ID.
UH, SO THINKING ABOUT WHO IS ABLE TO COME IN HERE AND PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, SOMEBODY BEHIND ME YESTERDAY HAD FORGOTTEN HIS, HIS LICENSE AND WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING IN A STAFFER.
UH, ONCE A COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON STAFFERS HAD TO COME DOWN AND VOUCH FOR HIM, RIGHT? SO, LIKE THAT WE, WE REALLY NEED TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THIS IS MORE ACCESSIBLE IN THAT WAY.
I, I JUST THINK TRANSLATION IS A, UH, IS A BIG DEAL, ESPECIALLY FOR CITY DOCUMENTS, THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE ON BUDGETARY DOCUMENTS AND THEN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT DOCUMENTS, BECAUSE THESE AFFECT THE ENTIRE CITY.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE AND, AND KIND OF URGE THAT AS WELL.
CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
UH, UM, WHEN YOU WERE SAYING THAT YOU TRIED TO GET IN WITH THE NEW HARRIS COUNTY ID, THEY DIDN'T ACCEPT IT.
I TRIED IT YESTERDAY ON THE, LIKE FIRST FLOOR AND THEN TODAY IN THE, IN THE BASEMENT.
[00:45:01]
YOU BROUGHT THAT TO, TO MY ATTENTION.'CAUSE I'VE MET WITH MAYOR TURNER, UH, TO SEE IF WE WILL ACCEPT THE HARRIS COUNTY, UH, THE NEW HARRIS COUNTY ID.
UH, AND I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT, GREAT ASSET.
UH, HOPEFULLY IT, IT, UH, CAN YOU TELL ME IF THAT ID HAS A CHIP ON IT? I DON'T THINK IT HAS A CHIP.
UM, YEAH, IT DOESN'T, IT JUST HAS THE CARD AND THEN PHOTO, UM, ADDRESS AND THEN GENDER AND BIRTH, RIGHT, BECAUSE I KNOW THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT ACCEPTS IT, UH MM-HMM
I KNOW MAYOR TURNER'S LOOKING AT HPD TO SEE IF HPD WILL ACCEPT IT.
UH, AND I'M HOPING THAT, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE USED FOR METRO, UH, SOMETHING THAT CAN BE USED FOR THE B CYCLE STATIONS, UH, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY A UNIVERSAL HARRIS COUNTY ID, UH, THAT HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS CAN USE.
SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT TO MY ATTENTION, AND I'M HOPING, UH, THE MARRIAGE ADMINISTRATION IS LISTENING TO THIS AS WELL.
I ALSO WANTED TO ECHO MY APPRECIATION FOR FLAGGING THE ISSUE AND COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS FOR THE UPDATE IN TAKING THE CHARGE, ESPECIALLY, UM, GIVEN THE, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STATE'S PHOTO ID LAWS, UH, THE ADDITIONAL HURDLES THAT GO INTO PLACE, RIGHT.
THAT MAKE IT THAT MUCH HARDER FOR AN AVERAGE PERSON TO GET THAT STATE ISSUED DRIVER'S LICENSE OR PHOTO ID, UM, WILL BE CRITICAL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF SECURITY AND SAFETY THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE AT THE CITY.
COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS.
TH THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN.
THIS IS AN ID THAT I THINK CAN BE USED, UH, FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS THAT NEED AN ID, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE, ARE, ARE COMING OUTTA JAIL THAT DON'T HAVE AN ID.
UH, SO THAT WAY HOPEFULLY THEY CAN FIND A JOB AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M HOPING WE CAN, WE CAN WORK WITH THE, UH, HARRIS COUNTY AND, AND HAVE IT AS A UNIVERSAL ID FOR HARRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS OR WHO LOSE THEM IN FLOODS THAT ARE SO RARE IN, YOU KNOW, IN, IN HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR GENERAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET WORKSHOP.
UH, WE WILL NOW TRANSITION TO PARKS AND RECREATION.
SO WE'LL ALLOW A COUPLE OF MINUTE TRANSITION AND WE'LL GET RIGHT INTO IT A LITTLE BIT EARLY, WHICH WE COULDN'T SAY AT ALL YESTERDAY.