[District B Redistricting Town Hall and CIP Meeting]
[00:00:10]
WELCOME.WELCOME, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT MEETING, OUR DISTRICT B REDISTRICTING MEETING AND CIP MEETING TO LEARN ABOUT OUR CIP PROJECTS.
I KNOW THAT YOUR TIME IS VERY VALUABLE, SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO SEE YOU ALL HERE TONIGHT.
UM, FIRST, LET ME THANK THE MAYOR FOR BEING HERE.
OUR AMAZING MAYOR, Y'ALL GIVE HIM A HAND.
IT'S A BLESSING TO WORK WITH HIM EVERY DAY.
UM, ON CITY HALL, HE'S A TRUE ADVOCATE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OPEN DOOR POLICY.
YOU KNOW, WHATEVER I ASK FOR, HE'S LIKE, OKAY, COUNCIL MEMBER.
BUT, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE GET IT DONE.
SO THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR, YOU KNOW, YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
I SEE WE GOT DIRECTOR BROWN WALLACE BROWN, THANK YOU.
UM, WE HAVE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UM, 3 1 1.
THERE'S A LOT OF ORGANIZATION, UM, UM, SISTERS OUT THERE.
SO FEEL FREE, MAKE SURE THAT YOU VISIT THE TABLES.
UM, THROUGHOUT THIS MEETING, WE GOT OUR COUNCIL MEMBER AT LARGE ROBINSON, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
AND WE GOT OUR COUNCIL MEMBER AT LARGE, SALLY ALCORN.
THEY'RE GREAT PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, AND WE WAS DOING TOURS AND THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT LOOKING AT OUR PARKS TOGETHER.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, JUST YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND JUST WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE OFFICE.
UM, SO TONIGHT WE WILL BEGIN WITH OUR REDISTRICTING PRESENTATION.
AND SO THE PRESENTATION WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE CIP PRESENTATION, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
AFTER EACH PRESENTATION, YOU ALL WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE COMMENTS AND ASK QUESTIONS.
SO PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS TO THE CIP PROJECTS UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
AND THAT'S THE SAME THING WITH THE RE-DISTRICTING.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO ALSO TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE MEETING IS LANGUAGE ACCESSIBLE.
SO IF YOU NEED TRANSLATION EQUIPMENT TO A, A TRANSLATION TO SPANISH, PLEASE CHECK THE, CHECK THE BOX, AND THEN GO BACK TO THAT TABLE IN THE BACK AND THEY HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR YOU THAT'S IN SPANISH.
AND THAT'S THE PRESENTATION THAT WE'LL BE PRESENTING TONIGHT.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT, IF YOU KNOW FOLKS THAT ARE NOT, THAT ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND AND THEY WANT TO BE HERE, WE WILL HAVE A VIRTUAL REDISTRICTING MEETING ON MAY THE 25TH.
AND TO GET THE LINK FOR THAT MEETING, PLEASE EMAIL MY OFFICE OR CALL MY OFFICE.
WE ASK YOU TO SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER, YOU'LL GET THE LINK.
WE MAKE SURE YOU GET THE LINK.
WE, I REALLY WANT EVERYBODY TO BE PART OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROCESS.
I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET YOUR, GIVE YOUR INPUT BECAUSE THIS DON'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW? SO PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE FOR THAT, UM, THAT LINK.
SO TONIGHT WE WILL HEAR ABOUT THE PROCESS OF REDISTRICTING AND WHY THE CITY IS MANDATED TO DRAW THE MAPS.
UM, THEN YOU'LL GET A CHANCE TO GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK ON HOW YOU ENVISION THE NEW MAPS SHOULD LOOK.
AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP.
EVERYBODY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE AGAIN.
WE HAVING ANOTHER MEETING ON THE 25TH, AND HOPEFULLY WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE AFTER THAT.
AND AFTER THAT, NO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE
AND THEN, SO AFTER THAT, YOU GET A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
AND DURING THIS SEC SECTION, WE WILL DISCUSS THE PRO PROJECTS RECENTLY FINISHED, AND WE'LL ALSO DIS DISCUSS PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND OTHER PROJECTS THAT WILL BEGIN SOON.
OKAY? SO THAT'S WHAT THAT SECTION IS ALL ABOUT.
WE WON'T BE TALKING ABOUT LIKE NEW TODAY PROJECTS, BUT, UM, PROJECTS' MOVING FORWARD.
SO I VALUE YOUR OPINION, I VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK.
THE CITY VALUES YOUR FEEDBACK.
UM, I ENJOY THESE TYPE OF MEETINGS, JUST LIKE YOU, SOME OF YOU IN HERE, THIS IS MY FIRST REDISTRICTING MEETING FOR THE CITY, SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HEARING YOUR, YOU KNOW, HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
AND I HAVE SOME THINGS THAT I WANNA SAY, BUT IT'S VALUABLE.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GIVE YOUR FEEDBACK.
SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY SO THAT I CAN GO BACK AND ADVOCATE AND ASK THE MAYOR TO GIVE US THE THINGS THAT WE, THAT WE NEED AND THAT WE WANT.
UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UM, MY TEAM IS HERE.
WE ARE HERE TO WORK FOR YOU EVERY DAY.
YOU KNOW, WE ANSWER YOUR CALLS IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES.
UM, I WANT YOU TO JUST REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE, UM, STAFF THAT WE HAVE HERE.
DISTRICT B, UM, I'M GONNA INTRODUCE MY TEAM.
CAN Y'ALL COME RIGHT HERE SO THEY CAN SEE YOU? AND YANI, MAGEE, MAG, MAGEE AND YANI ARE CONSTITUENT SERVICE.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY, UM, QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY DEPARTMENTS, THEY HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH DUMPING, JUST WHATEVER ISSUES YOU MIGHT NEED, REACH OUT TO THEM AND THEY WILL HELP YOU.
AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE RAIN EATON, WHICH IS OUR CONSTITUENT SERVICE DIRECTOR.
I KNOW A LOT OF YOU GUYS KNOW RAIN, AND I'M SAD TO SAY THAT RAIN WILL BE LEAVING US TOMORROW, IS HER LAST DAY.
I KNOW, BUT SHE'S NOT GOING TOO FAR.
AND I GAVE HER MY BLESSINGS BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO COME BACK AND WORK IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT HERE IN ACRE HOMES.
SO, UM, SHE WILL STILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE OFFICE.
WE'LL HAVE MORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
[00:05:01]
GONNA PRAY, PRAY THAT EVENTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE GET SOMEBODY SIMILAR TO HER AND WE WILL, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE IN OUR DISTRICT.SO, UM, WE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO PLAY, REPLACE HER, BUT YOUR, YOUR NEEDS AND YOUR CONCERNS WILL BE ATTENDED TO.
SO CONTINUE TO CALL THE OFFICE, AND OUR OFFICE NUMBER IS 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 9.
AND LASTLY, BUT NOT LEAST, YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF MAYOR MARINO, UM, IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, REACH OUT TO HER AS WELL.
SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE OFFICE IS HERE, THE TEAM IS HERE.
WE, WE ARE HERE TO HEAR YOUR CONCERNS AND YOUR NEEDS.
SO, UM, TO MOVE ON, WE'RE GONNA BRING THE MAYOR UP AND HE'S GONNA GIVE YOU GUYS HIS, HIS SPEECH, OR I SAY WHAT HE HAVE TO SAY.
AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, THIS VERY IMPORTANT NIGHT.
LET ME, LET ME THANK THE, UH, YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER OF DISTRICT B IS, I WILL TELL YOU, IT'S BEEN A, IT IS BEEN A PLEASURE TO SERVE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER NATASHA JACKSON.
LEMME GET ALL OF YOU COMING IN.
YOU CAN COME RIGHT UP HERE TO THE FRONT.
JUST FOLLOW THE CITY ATTORNEY IN RIGHT
LET ME, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA BE CLOSE TO THE FIRE, OKAY? BUT LIKE, IT'S BEEN, IT IS BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON.
AS I'VE SAID SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE, SHE'S VERY HANDS ON, UH, VERY MUCH COMMITTED TO, TO DISTRICT B, KNOWS DISTRICT B, UH, VERY WELL.
AND DISTRICT B IS LIKE FROM, YOU KNOW, NORTHWEST OVER TO NORTHEAST.
SO IT COVERS A LOT, IT COVERS A LOT OF TERRITORY.
LEMME JUST SAY THIS, UM, AS YOU, AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER SAID, THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO, TO THE MEETING TONIGHT.
UH, ONE IS THE REDISTRICTING SEC PORTION.
UM, AND THAT'S WHERE PRI PRIMARILY, IT'S A LISTENING PORTION ON OUR PART.
SO, UM, UM, PLANNING, OF COURSE, WE'LL BE HEADING THE REDISTRICTING PORTION.
JERRY WOODS, THE DEMO FIRM, HE'S BEEN THROUGH THIS PROCESS SEVERAL, SEVERAL TIMES, AND WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT, UH, DISTRICT B.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE, IF YOU ARE LIVING, YOU COME RIGHT ONTO THE FRONT, RIGHT ON TO THE FRONT, RIGHT ON TO THE FRONT.
I'VE GOT A SEED OVER HERE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT.
IT'S GOT YOUR NAME ON IT CALLING FOR YOU.
SO IF YOU LIKE DISTRICT B, IF YOU LIKE BEING IN DISTRICT B WHERE IT IS, UH, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
UH, DISTRICT B IS, WHAT'S THE NUMBER OF THAT? IT'S UNDER? ABOUT IT IS, UH, IT'S WITHIN THE RANGE OF ACCEPTABLE, YEAH, SLIGHTLY UNDER.
BUT WITHIN THE RANGE OF ACCEPTABILITY, THERE ARE 11, UH, CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND BASED ON THE, ON THE LAST CENSUS, WE ARE TRYING TO, EVEN OFF THESE DISTRICTS, RIGHT AROUND 209,000, UH, PER DISTRICT, THERE ARE 11 OF THEM.
UH, THERE ARE SOME DISTRICTS THAT ARE ABOVE, UH, SO LIKE DISTRICT C UH, DISTRICT C IS ABOVE, UH, IT MAY BE, LET'S SAY 15% ABOVE.
UH, THEN THERE ARE SOME DISTRICTS THAT ARE BELOW.
DISTRICT H, FOR EXAMPLE, IS ABOUT 17% BELOW.
UH, AND SO THE GOAL IS TO KIND OF BALANCE OUT ALL 11.
DISTRICT B IS ABOUT RIGHT, PRETTY MUCH WITHIN THE MARGINS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE.
UH, BUT IF YOU MAKE CHANGES IN ONE DISTRICT, IT COULD REVERBERATE INTO THE OTHER DISTRICTS.
SO IF YOU LIKE WHERE YOU ARE IN DISTRICT B, UH, THEN WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU AND YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, LEAVE US WHERE WE ARE.
YOU KNOW, WE LIKE WHERE WE ARE, BUT IF YOU THINK FOR EXAMPLE, UH, UM, MAYBE A BETTER FIT SOMEWHERE ELSE, UH, THEN YOU, YOU KNOW, PLEASE INDICATE THAT AS WELL.
UH, SO IT'S, AND IT'S NOT JUST POPULATION, WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT COMMUNITY OF INTERESTS, UH, HOW CONTIGUOUS THE DISTRICTS ARE.
AND WE DO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE DIVERSITY OF OUR CITY.
SO WE WANT TO ALSO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE DIVERSITY WITHIN, WITHIN OUR CITY.
SO TONIGHT, UH, I KNOW PLANNING IS GONNA BE HANDING YOU SOME CARDS.
AND WHO'S HANDING OUT THE CARDS TONIGHT? OKAY, KA RAP HAS GOT THE CARDS.
AND SO, UM, PLEASE, AND YOU WILL PUT YOUR NAME ON THE CARD, AND THEN WE'LL CALL YOU UP TO SPEAK AT THAT MIC AFTER THE INITIAL PRESENTATIONS.
SO, ANY COMMENTS ON REDISTRICTING? I LIKE WHERE I AM.
I DON'T NECESSARILY PREFER TO BE HERE, BUT PUT ME SOMEPLACE ELSE.
UH, ALL OF THOSE TYPE OF THINGS ARE NEEDED BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING COPIOUS NOTES, AND WE'LL TAKE THAT INTO A, INTO ACCOUNT.
NOW, SOMEONE ASKED AT ONE, AT ONE MEETING, UH, DO YOU JUST COUNT PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN DRAWING THE LINE? THE ANSWER IS NO.
SO IF YOU ARE BARELY BREATHING, YOU JUST BARELY BREATHING, WE COUNT YOU.
[00:10:01]
OKAY? SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU ARE ONE DAY OR 100, WE COUNT YOU.SO WE COUNT EVERY LIVING SOUL WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING TO THAT 209, ALL YOUR, ALL THE, YOU COME ON THE LATE ONES, Y'ALL JUST COME ON AROUND, YOU KNOW, WE GOT, YOUR NAMES ARE ON THE CHAIRS.
SO, UM, AND THEN THERE'S SOME RIGHT HERE AT THE FRONT, GET CLOSE TO THE FIRE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, COME, COME, COME ON, GET CLOSE TO THE FIRE.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING.
EVERYBODY KIND OF GENERALLY UNDERSTAND.
AND THEN THE SECOND PART IS FOR THIS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, THE CIP.
AND THEN WE'LL TURN TO THE CIP AT AFTER WE DEAL WITH REDISTRICTING.
OKAY? HAVING SAID THAT, UH, SIR, YEAH, HAVING SAID THAT, LET ME ASK YOU TO TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THE VIDEO.
HELLO, THIS IS MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
HOUSTON, THE CITY WE ALL CALL HOME CONTINUES TO PROSPER AND GROW.
RANK THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE ARE A DYNAMIC COMMUNITY, RICH IN CULTURE AND DIVERSITY TOGETHER.
OUR PEOPLE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS HELP TO SHAPE THE GLOBAL METROPOLIS WHERE IDEAS, DREAMS, AND IMAGINATION ARE WELCOME AND CELEBRATED.
HOW WE CHOOSE TO GOVERN OURSELVES IS ESTABLISHED BY OUR CITY CHARTER, MUCH LIKE THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.
OUR CITY CHARTER IS THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S GOVERNMENT, AND FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR GOVERNMENT AND WE THE PEOPLE, ANY GOVERNMENT, WHETHER FEDERAL, STATE, OR LOCAL WORKS BEST WHEN IT REPRESENTS THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S WHY ADJUSTING THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS IS SO IMPORTANT.
OUR CITY ATTORNEY, ARTURO HEL, WILL NOW TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN THIS REDISTRICTING PROCESS.
THE CITY CHARTER, AS WELL AS STATE AND FEDERAL LAW, REQUIRE THAT WE ADJUST OUR CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS FROM TIME TO TIME IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE DIFFERENCE IN DISTRICT POPULATIONS IS NEVER MORE THAN 10% OF AVERAGE DISTRICT POPULATION.
THE LAST TIME THE CITY ADJUSTED CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, AN ACTION CALLED REDISTRICTING WAS 10 YEARS AGO.
SINCE THEN, OUR POPULATION HAS GROWN BY 9.8% AND IS MORE THAN 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE.
EACH OF THE 11 COUNCIL DISTRICTS EXPERIENCE POPULATION CHANGE AT DIFFERENT RATES.
AS A RESULT, ADJUSTMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR OUR CURRENT DISTRICTS BY CITY COUNCIL BEFORE THE NEXT MUNICIPAL ELECTION IN 2023.
THIS MEETING IS ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS IN THAT PROCESS.
ACCORDING TO THE 2020 CENSUS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DISTRICT WITH THE LARGEST POPULATION, DISTRICT C, AND THE DISTRICT WITH THE SMALLEST POPULATION, DISTRICT H IS OVER 66,000 PEOPLE.
THIS IS 31% OF THE AVERAGE DISTRICT POPULATION, FAR ABOVE THE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VARIATION.
OTHER DISTRICTS ARE ALSO ABOVE OR BELOW THE ALLOWABLE RANGE, AND WILL HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY.
THE GOAL OF REDISTRICTING IS TO RECONFIGURE OUR DISTRICTS TO ACHIEVE AN EVEN DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION IN EACH DISTRICT TO MEET REQUIREMENTS OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS.
STARTING IN 1964, THE SUPREME COURT RECOGNIZED THE PRINCIPLE OF ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE, AND THE APPLICABILITY OF THE EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE TO REDISTRICTING.
AND THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965 AS AMENDED ALSO SETS FORTH REQUIREMENTS THAT WILL AFFECT THIS PROCESS.
REDISTRICTING MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, OR MEMBERSHIP IN A PROTECTIVE LANGUAGE.
MINORITY GROUP CITY COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED A RESOLUTION THAT ESTABLISHES THE TIMELINE CRITERIA AND RULES THAT WILL HELP GUIDE THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.
THE SPECIFICS FOR EACH OF THESE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, AND CHINESE, CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE@WWW.HOUSTONTX.GOV.
OUR REDISTRICTING TIMELINE IS GUIDED IN PART BY THE DATES THAT RESULTS OF THE 2020 CENSUS BECOME AVAILABLE AND BY THE TEXAS ELECTION CODE, WHICH PROVIDES THAT CHANGES IN ELECTION BOUNDARIES.
EXAMPLE, COUNCIL DISTRICTS MUST BE ADOPTED MORE THAN THREE MONTHS BEFORE ELECTION DAY.
IT IS ALSO INFORMED BY THE 12 MONTH RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT ESTABLISHED IN THE CITY CHARTER.
AND THE CITY CHARTER ALSO REQUIRES THAT A REDISTRICTING ORDINANCE BE ADOPTED IN THE SAME YEAR AS THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION.
SO THE PLAN ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL IN THE FALL OF 2022 WILL BE RATIFIED BY CITY COUNCIL IN EARLY 2023, AND THE NEW BOUNDARIES WILL BE EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY 1ST, 2024.
[00:15:01]
WE HAVE ORGANIZED THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO HELP KEEP YOU INFORMED AND AWARE OF WHAT WE ARE DOING AT EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS.PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, YOUR PARTICIPATION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PROCESS, AND WE HOPE YOU'LL PROVIDE COMMENTS TO HELP GUIDE DECISIONS ABOUT THE CONFIGURATION OF OUR 11 COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
THESE MEETINGS WILL HAPPEN ACROSS HOUSTON THROUGHOUT THE MONTHS OF APRIL AND MAY.
IN JUNE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, DEMOGRAPHER AND LEGAL COUNSEL WILL PRESENT A DRAFT PLAN AND MAP TO CITY COUNCIL.
PUBLIC HEARINGS WILL BE HELD FOR CITIZENS TO COMMENT ON THE DRAFT PLAN AND MAP.
THE FIRST TWO HEARINGS WILL BE ON JULY 13TH, ONE IN THE MORNING, AND ONE IN THE EVENING.
AND THE THIRD WILL BE HELD ON JULY 20TH.
CITY COUNCIL WILL APPROVE THEIR REDISTRICTING PLAN ORDINANCE IN SEPTEMBER.
THE CRITERIA ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL, WHICH SHOULD BE FOLLOWED TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE, INCLUDE DISTRICTS SHOULD BE RELATIVELY EQUAL IN POPULATION WITH NO MORE THAN A 10% VARIATION FROM THE AVERAGE DISTRICT SIZE, THEREBY ENSURING THE VITAL STANDARD OF ONE PERSON ONE VOTE.
THEY MUST BE COMPOSED OF WHOLE COUNTY VOTING PRECINCTS, WHICH ARE DEFINED BY THE COUNTIES, AND SERVE AS THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.
WHEN PRECINCTS ARE SPLIT BY THE CITY LIMITS, ONLY THE CITY PORTION OF THAT PRECINCT WILL BE USED.
THEY SHOULD HAVE EASILY IDENTIFIABLE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES, SUCH AS MAJOR THOROUGHFARES OR BAS.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT NOT ALL COUNTY VOTING PRECINCTS FOLLOW CLEAR GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES, WHICH MAY MAKE IT NECESSARY FOR CITY COUNCIL BOUNDARIES.
TO DEVIATE FROM A PREFERRED BOUNDARY, THEY SHOULD MAINTAIN COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST.
THEY SHOULD BE COMPACT AND COMPOSED OF CONTIGUOUS TERRITORY, INCLUDING FUNCTIONAL AND GEOGRAPHIC CONTIGUITY.
THE FUNCTIONAL DIMENSION MAY TAKE ON ADDED WEIGHT IN SITUATIONS IN WHICH GEOGRAPHIC COMPACTNESS MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE, IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT SOME AREAS ARE ATTACHED TO THE REMAINDER OF THE CITY, ONLY BY RELATIVELY LONG AND NARROW STRIPS OF LAND.
FUNCTIONAL COMPACTNESS AND CONTINUITY INCLUDES CONSIDERING FACTORS SUCH AS AVAILABILITY OF TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION, EXISTENCE OF COMMON SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, AND OTHER SHARED INTERESTS.
THE ABILITY OF CITIZENS OF A COUNCIL DISTRICT TO RELATE TO EACH OTHER AND TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVE ON CITY COUNCIL, AND THE ABILITY OF THE COUNCIL MEMBER TO RELATE TO HIS OR HER CONSTITUENCY.
THEY SHOULD PRESERVE INCUMBENT CONSTITUENT RELATIONS BY RECOGNITION OF THE RESIDENTS, OF EXISTING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, AND THEIR HISTORY IN REPRESENTING CERTAIN AREAS.
THE PLAN SHOULD NOT FRAGMENT A GEOGRAPHICALLY COMPACT MINORITY COMMUNITY, OR PACK MINORITY VOTERS IN THE PRESENCE OF POLARIZED VOTING SO AS TO CREATE LIABILITY UNDER SECTION TWO OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THESE CRITERIA CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, AND CHINESE.
TO HELP US MANAGE THIS COMPLICATED AND LENGTHY PROCESS, CITY COUNCIL ALSO ESTABLISHED THESE IMPORTANT RULES.
THE CITY'S PLAN AND ANYONE ELSE'S PLAN SUBMITTED TO THE CITY FOR CONSIDERATION MUST BE IN WRITING, BE BASED ON THE 2020 FEDERAL CENSUS MUST REDISTRICT THE ENTIRE CITY CONTAINING PROPOSED BOUNDARIES FOR ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE CITY.
IF A PLAN DOES NOT REDISTRICT THE ENTIRE CITY, IT MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR COUNCIL TO ASSESS THE PLAN'S IMPACT ON ONE OR MORE PROTECTED MINORITY GROUPS.
THIS REQUIREMENT DOES NOT PRECLUDE CITIZENS FROM PROPOSING THAT PARTICULAR VOTING, PRECINCTS, NEIGHBORHOODS, OR LOCATIONS BE INCLUDED IN A SPECIFIC COUNCIL DISTRICT.
THE PLAN MUST CONFORM TO THE CRITERIA DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY AND BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 4:45 PM ON JULY 20TH, 2022.
TO RUPE KOSHI IN THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REGARDING YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR THE CONFIGURATION OF THE NEW COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
YOUR INPUT MAY SIMPLY BE REGARDING NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES, OR YOU MAY WANT TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE REDISTRICTING PLAN.
EITHER WAY, THERE ARE SEVERAL POINTS AT WHICH YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS, OPINIONS, OR PLANS, ONE HERE AT THIS OR OTHER SCHEDULED TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
TWO THROUGH OUR WEBPAGE@WWW.HOUSTONTX.GOV.
THREE DIRECTLY TO RUPE KOHI IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT THROUGH EMAIL AT RUPESH DOT KOHI, AT HOUSTON TX.GOV BY US POSTAL SERVICE, OR HAND DELIVERY TO KOHE OR FOUR AT ONE OF THE THREE PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT WILL BE HELD IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF CITY HALL 9 0 1 BAGBY STREET.
IF YOU WANT TO SUBMIT A PLAN OF YOUR OWN, IT IS VITAL THAT YOU FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES CRITERIA AND RULES FOR THE CONSIDERATION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
[00:20:01]
WE'RE READY TO HELP TO ENABLE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP AND SUBMIT THEIR OWN PLAN.A COMPUTER KIOSK WITH REDISTRICTING SOFTWARE WILL BE SET UP IN THE OFFICES OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ON THE SIX FOUR OF SIX 11 WALKER STREET, SEVEN SEVEN ZERO ZERO TWO.
PLEASE CALL 8 3 2 3 9 3 6 5 5 2 TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT SO A STAFF MEMBER CAN ASSIST YOU IN USING THE SOFTWARE.
AGAIN, ALL PLANS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN 4:45 PM ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 20TH, 2022.
NO MATTER HOW OR WHERE YOU JOIN THIS CONVERSATION, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES ARE AND WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO KEEP A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST TOGETHER.
HOUSTON WILL BE STRONGER AS A RESULT OF YOUR PARTICIPATION.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING IN THE CONVERSATION.
A A FEW THINGS BEFORE WE GET STARTED.
UH, LET ME INTRODUCE, I, I KNOW THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ALREADY INTRODUCED, UH, UH, THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE, UH, FOR THOSE WHO CAME IN AFTER THOSE INTRODUCTIONS.
LET ME DO THAT QUICKLY ONE MORE TIME.
COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROB ROBINSON AT LARGE, AND COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCO IN LARGE.
THEY HAVE BEEN WITH US AT MOST OF THESE TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
THIS IS NUMBER 12 OF 12, SO THERE'VE BEEN 12 TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
AND SO WE ARE ENDING UP, UH, RIGHT HERE IN, UH, THE HOME MONTE SERVICE, UH, CENTER, WHICH IS MY AREA.
UH, SO I COULD BE HOME TWO MINUTES AFTER THE MEETING IS OVER.
UH, THEN I ALSO, I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, SOME OF OUR, UH, DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS.
'CAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE MEETING IS FOCUSED ON REDISTRICTING AND CIP, WE BROUGHT SEVERAL OTHER DEPARTMENTS, PARKS, HEALTH LIBRARIES, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, YOU NAME IT ALL OUTSIDE.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, PLEASE FEEL FREE EITHER DURING THE COURSE OF THIS MEETING, AFTER THIS MEETING TO TALK TO THE REPRESENTATIVES.
UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE THE ASSISTANT, UH, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF WITH WALTER HAMBRICK IS HERE.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE, YEAH, LET ME, IN FACT, LEMME JUST ASK ALL THE DIRECTORS JUST STAND AND, AND KEEP STAND WHILE I INTRODUCE YOU.
THEN THE DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE IS MARK WILFORD IS RIGHT, IS RIGHT HERE.
UM, OF COURSE, THE, THE, THE PERSON, THE FAMOUS PERSON THAT'S UP HERE, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH DOING ALL THE TALKING, THAT'S THE CITY LEGAL ATTORNEY, THAT'S ARTURO MICHELLE, RIGHT THERE OVER COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
AND, UH, THIS AREA IS ONE OF OUR COMPLETE, ONE OF OUR 10 COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
SHANNON BUGS IS HERE, THE CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, LET ME ASK, UH, WHO AM I? MR. UH, PRIYA.
PRIYA, WHY DON'T, IS THAT PRIYA BACK THERE? PRIYA, WHY DON'T YOU MAKE YOUR WAY UP? PIER PRIYA IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
UM, YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM MICHAEL RETI JUST AS SOON AS THE REDISTRICT IS OVER.
MIKE IS ONE OF OUR EXECUTIVES WITH PUBLIC WORKS.
MIKE, YOU'LL BE HEARING DIRECTLY FROM HIM AS WELL.
DID I LEAVE OUT ANY, THE OTHER DIRECTORS? DID I MISS ANY? UM, I KNOW PARKS IS ALSO GONNA BE, OH, WELL, MARGARET, UH, DIRECTOR MARGARET WALLACE BROWN IS GETTING READY TO TALK.
UM, SO LEMME JUST, LEMME JUST SAY THAT.
UH, WHAT ELSE THOUGH? SOMETHING ELSE? I WAS GONNA MENTION THIS.
IT HAS SLIPPED MY MIND FOR RIGHT NOW, BUT WE DO WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
OKAY? SO, UH, AGAIN, REDISTRICTING IF YOU LIKE, WHERE THINGS ARE, JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT.
SO FOR THE RECORD, THAT'S OKAY.
FILL OUT THE CARDS, AND OF COURSE YOU'LL BE SPEAKING FROM THAT MIC.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IF YOU'LL PUT BACK UP HERE THE CHART AGAIN ON THE DISTRICT, ON THE POPULATIONS.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, DISTRICT B, DISTRICT B RIGHT NOW IS AT 200 AND LET'S SAY 206,500 PEOPLE.
SO DISTRICT B IS JUST 1% OVER.
SO, QUITE FRANKLY, DISTRICT B, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED COULD REMAIN THE SAME AND 'CAUSE IT, IT MEETS PRETTY MUCH WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
UH, BUT HOWEVER, IF YOU, BUT DISTRICT B IS UP HERE, SO DISTRICT B GOES FROM NORTH, FROM NORTHEAST TO NORTHWEST.
NOW, DISTRICT H, WHICH IS ALSO NEXT TO DISTRICT B, DISTRICT H IS 17% BELOW.
SO DISTRICT H IS LOOKING, IS NEEDING PEOPLE.
OKAY? UM, AND THEN I, AND THE SAME THING WITH I AND DISTRICT I IS DISTRICT I, AND DISTRICT I IS ALSO ABOUT, UH, 12% BELOW DISTRICT I IS LOOKING
[00:25:01]
FOR PEOPLE.SO IF WE, IF YOU START MOVING PEOPLE, THEN THE WHOLE MAP IN MANY WAYS CAN SHIFT.
OKAY? SO, UM, BUT, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KIND OF GET YOUR VIEWPOINTS.
UM, AND FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE WHO JUST WANNA STAY WITH THE LOVELY DYNAMIC, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SASHA JACKSON, YOU JUST SAY, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, JUST LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE AND GO AND GO LOOK FOR THOSE PEOPLE SOMEPLACE ELSE.
YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT, ALL OF THAT COUNTS.
AND THEN JUST AS SOON AS WE FINISH, THEN FINISH, WE'LL SHIFT OVER TO CIP, EVERYBODY.
NOW WE'RE GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR, UH, MARGARET WALLACE BROWN.
SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT.
I KNOW YOU'VE GOT LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TO DO TONIGHT, BUT BEING WITH US IS REALLY HELPFUL AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS READ THE NAMES OFF THE CARDS.
WE'RE GONNA ASK YOU TO GO UP TO THE MICROPHONE AND ACTUALLY, UM, GIVE US YOUR OPINION.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK AND WHAT YOU WANT.
JERRY'S GONNA BE TAKING NOTES, AND WE'LL USE THIS INFORMATION AS WE BEGIN TO DRAW, UM, THE BOUNDARIES FOR COUNSEL.
UM, MANY OF YOU HAVE CHECKED BOTH ITEMS ON THE CARD TODAY, SO I'M GONNA CALL YOU FOR REDISTRICTING ONLY IF YOU'VE GOT CIP QUESTIONS, IF YOU COULD HOLD THEM UNTIL MICHAEL'S UP HERE.
I KNOW IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING TWICE, BUT I APOLOGIZE.
IT'S THE BEST WAY FOR US TO KEEP THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
I DON'T HAVE ANOTHER CARD AFTER THIS.
ONE THING I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TOO, WE, WE HAVE NOT DRAWN ANY MAPS.
OKAY? UH, THE MAPS THAT YOU ARE SEEING ARE THE MAPS AT THE, AS THE DISTRICTS ARE CURRENTLY.
SO WE HAVE NOT DRAWN ANY MAPS AT THIS POINT.
WE WANTED TO LISTEN TO YOU FIRST.
IF WE HAD COME WITH SOME PROPOSED MAPS, THEN YOU WOULD'VE SAID, WHY DON'T YOU COME AND GET OUR OPINION BEFORE YOU START DRAWING.
THE MAPS THAT YOU SEE ARE THE MAPS OF THE DISTRICT AS THEY CURRENTLY ARE.
OKAY? UH, AND THEN AFTER WE GO FINISH THIS, UH, THESE MEETINGS, TOWN HALL MEETINGS, THEN MAPS, PROPOSED MAPS WILL BE DRAWN, AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO OPINE ON THOSE MAPS IN JULY.
AND THEN, UM, UM, WE WILL BE PRESENTING THE PROPOSED MAP TO THE MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR FOR THEM TO VOTE.
UM, THEY WILL VOTE ON THOSE MAPS IN SEPTEMBER.
ASHA FRANCIS, RIGHT HERE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, YOU KNOW, SHE MUST HAVE BEEN ASHA MUST HAVE BEEN WAITING ON UBER AND CAME HERE LATE, YOU KNOW, SO SHE'S GONNA STAY, YOU KNOW, UNTIL AFTER IT'S ALL FINISHED, YOU KNOW.
UH, BUT THEN, UH, COUNCIL WILL VOTE ON THE MAPS IN, IN SEPTEMBER, AND THEN PEOPLE WILL RUN ON THOSE MAPS NEXT YEAR IN 2023, AND THEN THEY'LL TAKE OFFICE IN JANUARY OF 2024.
KEVIN, COULD YOU ALSO PUT RU'S THE PAGE WITH RU'S, UM, CONTACT INFORMATION UP? OKAY.
THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT ADDRESS E TELEPHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS AS THE NIGHT GOES THROUGH.
SO IF YOU WOULD REMEMBER THAT FOR RUPESH, HE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU GET HOME.
AND WHY DIDN'T I ASK THIS CALL? RUPE.
OKAY, SO MR. MORENO AND THEN CHARLENE JOHNSON FOLLOWING HIM.
UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, UH, MAYOR TURNER.
I GO TO A LOT OF EVENTS WHERE YOU'RE THERE AND ADVOCATING FOR COMMUNITY PROJECTS, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT.
I'M FROM DISTRICT H, ACTUALLY, THAT'S WHERE MY HOUSE IS LOCATED.
I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 46.
MY SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD'S DIVIDED BETWEEN DISTRICT H AND DISTRICT B, SO WE HAVE BOTH.
UM, I WENT TO THE H MEETING AND ADVOCATED FOR, UH, MY NEIGHBORHOOD TO BE ALL H AND NOT B AT ALL.
NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM B, BUT WE ARE SHORT, UH, TO A CERTAIN DEGREE.
UM, AND I, UH, I GUESS MY QUESTIONS HAD TO DO MORE WITH, UM, LIKE, I GUESS I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE PLANS TO SUBMIT STILL.
I CAN, I WENT TO THE LAST ONE AND IT STILL SEEMS VERY DIFFICULT TO KIND OF TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO A MAP.
I HEARD SOMETHING TODAY THAT I DIDN'T HEAR LAST TIME, WHICH YOU MENTIONED THAT IT WAS DEPENDENT ON THE, UM, THE COUNTY VOTING DISTRICTS.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF, IF, WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE COUNTY VOTING DISTRICTS, DID THOSE CHANGE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFERENT NOW THAT, THAT, THAT THAT'S GONNA ULTIMATELY CAUSE B AND H AND OTHER DISTRICTS TO CHANGE? UH, THEY HAVE CHANGED.
UH, THEY CHANGE WHENEVER THERE'S A STATE REDISTRICTING OR A COUNTY REDISTRICTING, BECAUSE A POLLING PLACE CAN ONLY HAVE BE IN ONE DISTRICT AT A TIME.
THEY MAY HAVE, YOU MIGHT HAVE A POLLING PLACE THAT HAS, THAT'S DIVIDED BETWEEN TWO PRECINCTS, BUT, BUT A PRECINCT IS ONLY GONNA BE IN ONE PRE, UH, ONE DISTRICT AT A TIME.
SO THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES ON THE BOUNDARY OF DISTRICT H.
UM, SO, UH, THE, THE, THE SYSTEM THAT WE'VE GOT SET UP FOR PEOPLE TO USE IN THE OFFICE THAT
[00:30:01]
RUPESH CAN HELP YOU WITH, UM, HAS THE EXISTING 2022, UH, PRECINCTS IN IT.SO IT'S GOT WHAT WE'LL BE USING FOR, FOR AMALGAMATING INTO DISTRICTS.
AND, AND MY NEXT QUESTION HAD TO DO WITH LIKE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A, OF A DISTRICT.
AND I KNOW THAT I'VE HEARD LIKE CRACKING AND PACKING A LOT IN THE NEWS AND, AND HOW ALL THAT WORKS.
SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND LIKE WHAT CONSTITUTES PACKING, LIKE WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND LIKE RACE AND, AND LANGUAGE.
LIKE IS IT WHERE ONE, ONE DISTRICT CAN'T HAVE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF PERSON? OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? WELL, IT, IT'S A LEGAL QUESTION AND IT'S REALLY DETERMINED BY A, A JUDGE.
BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WHAT IT IS, IS AN ATTEMPT TO PLACE EVERY ONE OF A GIVEN ETHNIC GROUP OR A POLITICAL PARTY IN THE CASE OF A PARTISAN REDISTRICTING INTO A SINGLE DISTRICT IN ORDER TO REDUCE THEIR, UH, INFLUENCE, UH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, YOU PACK EVERYBODY INTO THAT ONE DISTRICT, YOU REACH OUT AND GET EVERY MEMBER OF THAT GROUP.
AND THAT WAY THEY'RE OUT OF THE WAY.
YOU JUST CONCEDE THAT DISTRICT AND THEY HAVE NO INFLUENCE OVER ANY OTHER ELECTED OFFICIAL.
WE ARE NOT, THAT IS NOT DOING THAT, THAT IS OBJECTIONABLE.
THAT'S, WE ARE NOT DOING THAT
OFTENTIMES THAT'S ASSOCIATED, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE STATE, OKAY.
ON THE CONGRESSIONAL LEVEL WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO SEPARATE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
AND SO THERE YOU, UH, SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE DRAW THE LINES, THEY'LL PACK ALL OF, UH, LET'S SAY PEOPLE OF COLOR, HISPANICS, BLACK, ALL TOGETHER WAY MORE THAN WHAT YOU NEED, UM, IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE CHANCES IN OTHER AREAS.
IN OTHER DISTRICTS, THERE ARE NO DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
OKAY? SO THAT ELEMENT DOES NOT EVEN EXIST.
UH, FOR US, WHAT WE ARE MINDFUL OF, UM, IS THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE WITHIN OUR DISTRICT.
AND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, WE TRY TO DRAW DISTRICTS, UH, TO, IN MANY WAYS, UM, KIND OF MIRROR, UH, BE SENSITIVE TO THE DIVERSITY WITHIN, WITHIN OUR, WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, MS. JOHNSON, AND THEN, UH, LETICIA GRANT.
HELLO, I'M PRESIDENT OF THE SHEPHERD PARK TERRA CIVIC CLUB, AND I PRESENTED THIS QUESTION TO OUR CIVIC CLUB MEETING AND THE CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE.
I LOOK AND SEE THAT DISTRICT B IS ONLY 1%, UM, AWAY FROM THE LEVEL, YOU KNOW, IS 1% OVER.
CURRENTLY WE DO LIKE OUR REPRESENTATION.
OUR CONCERN WOULD BE IF WE WERE MOVED TO A CI SEE C IS ALREADY OVERPOPULATED FROM LOOKING AT THE CHART.
SO WE DON'T WANNA BE WATERED DOWN THAT WAY.
AND WE ARE, OUR CONCERN IS, WOULD OUR PROPERTY, WOULD IT AFFECT, HOW WOULD IT AFFECT OUR PROPERTY VALUE IF WE WERE MOVED TO ANOTHER DISTRICT, WHAT SCHOOLS WOULD WE BE ZONED TO WITH? HOW WOULD THAT AFFECT, 'CAUSE WE WANT THAT TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL.
SO IF WE ARE, UM, WE LOCATED TO ANOTHER DISTRICT, WOULD IT CHANGE OUR ZIP CODE? IT, IT WOULD HAVE NO EFFECT ON YOUR, ON YOUR ATTENDANCE ZONES FOR SCHOOLS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
OKAY? IT IS ONLY HAS TO DO WITH REPRESENTATION ON CITY COUNCIL.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA AFFECT YOUR PROPERTY TAX RATE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND I, I DIDN'T HEAR WHEN HE ASKED, UM, WOULD IT CHANGE OUR PRECINCT? NO, YOUR PRECINCT IS SET BY THE COUNTY AND YOUR PRECINCT IS WHAT WE USE TO BUILD THE, THE DISTRICTS MM-HMM
IT, IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE WOULD BE CHANGING IN THIS PROCESS.
YOU'D STILL BE 365, YOU'D STILL BE VOTING THE SAME PLACE.
AND, UH, MY LAST QUESTION IS, OR MY LAST STATEMENT WOULD BE THAT WE DO LIKE OUR REPRESENTATION.
BUT I DO WANNA UNDERSCORE THE PROPERTY TAX.
'CAUSE WE, WE'VE BEEN ASKED THAT SEVERAL TIMES AT SEVERAL MEETINGS.
SO YOUR PROPERTY TAXES ARE, YOU KNOW, YOUR PROPERTY VALUES NOT GONNA BE AFFECTED BY WHETHER YOU STAY IN THIS DISTRICT OR MOVE TO AN ADJACENT ONE OR WHATEVER.
IT'S GOING, IT IS STILL, IT IS GOING TO BE THE SAME.
UH, SO LETICIA GRANT TO BE FOLLOWED BY JAMES RASMUS.
MY NAME IS LETICIA GRANT AND I'M THE ACRES ACRES HOME SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
FOR MA'AM, COULD YOU PLEASE SPELL YOUR FULL NAME, PLEASE? IT'S L-A-T-I-S-H-A GRANT, G-R-A-N-T.
AND I'M THE AKERS HOME SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT.
OUR MEETING WAS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED FOR TONIGHT, BUT DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS MEETING, I SENT OUT AN INVITE, SO HOPEFULLY ALL OF OUR MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HERE TODAY.
UM, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS, WILL WE DISCUSS IN FURTHER DETAIL THE IMPACT OF REDISTRICTING ON OUR, UM, DISTRICT IN A LATER MEETING IN THE EVENT WE ARE TO CHANGE THE LINE, BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY AT A 1% VARIANCE, SO I THINK THAT WE'RE FINE.
UM, HOWEVER,
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW IF WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DISCUSS ALL OF THE IMPACTS THAT THAT CHANGE
[00:35:01]
WOULD HAVE ON OUR PARTICULAR DISTRICT ONCE THE, ONCE THE MAPS ARE, ARE PROPOSED MAPS ARE DRAWN.YOU'RE GONNA HAVE I THINK, THREE OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, DISCUSS THOSE, THOSE PROPOSED MAPS IN JULY.
SO YOU WILL HAVE, THERE'LL BE, UM, TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS IN THE EVENING, IN THE EVENING, ONE AT ONE DURING THE DAY, SO A TOTAL OF THREE.
SO THERE'LL BE THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THOSE PROPOSED MAPS YES.
AND THE IMPACT THAT IT WOULD HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION IS, IN LOOKING AT THE MAP, BECAUSE OF COURSE I TRIED TO BLOW UP THE COLOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL MAP THAT YOU ALL SENT OUT ON THE SITE, AND IT, IT JUST BLURRED OUT ALL OF THE STREETS.
SO I WENT TO THE SITE AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL JUST TO MY DISTRICT AND WITH PULLING THAT, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MAP THAT WE HAVE, THE FULL MAP AND THE MAP THAT'S ON THE SITE.
SO I WANTED TO KNOW WHICH ONE WAS THE ACCURATE ONE.
MM, THIS ONE RIGHT HERE,
AND SO ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE IN, UM, IN THE TOP CORNER WHERE THE B IS WRITTEN AT THE, AT THE TOP RIGHT, THERE IS A LITTLE BREAK ON THE WEBSITE, BUT NOT A BREAK IN THERE, A WHITE AREA THAT'S NOT IN DISTRICT B.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT, LET US MAKE SURE THAT WE SEND TO YOU, UH, CIVIC CLUB, UH, THE EXACT MAP SO YOU CAN SEE IT.
SO IF WE NEED THAT 1%, WE'LL JUST TAKE IT FROM RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN, UM, I AM HAVING TROUBLE READING THIS, UH, LUNA ANTONIO SOTO.
AND WHILE YOU COMING, I'VE ALSO COMPLIMENTED THE COUNCIL MEMBER ON, ON THE REPRESENTATION FOR THE NIGHT.
IT IS A VERY GOOD REPRESENTATION.
SO, UH, LET ME THANK THE COUNCIL MEMBER, HAS STAFF REALLY COMING IN.
IF THERE ARE PEOPLE AT THE BACK, IF YOU LOOK AT MY SEATS, THERE'S SOME SEATS UP, UP HERE.
AND THERE'S SOME SEATS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GOT A SEAT THAT'S OPEN NEXT TO YOU, IF YOU JUST KIND OF PUT YOUR HAND UP, COUNCILMAN, YOU'RE FINE.
OKAY, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA, UH, THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.
AND, UH, I'M NOT GONNA LIE, I'M A VETERAN OF REDISTRICTING.
UH, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED OUT IN SHEPHERD PARK TOURS WHEN, UH, CITY COUNCIL DECIDED TO GO SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT, WE WERE PUT IN DISTRICT H, DISTRICT H UH, COMPRISED OF THE HIKES AND, UH, THAT, THAT TYPE OF AREA.
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE PERSON RAN FOR OFFICE AND TOLD A CERTAIN SECTOR OF PEOPLE, IF THEY VOTE FOR HIM, THEY WOULD GET THEIR OWN DISTRICT.
AND THIS IS HOW WE GOT INTO DISTRICT B.
AND I, AND I WILL SAY I WAS VERY, VERY ANGRY BECAUSE DISTRICT B IS ALMOST THE SIZE OF A CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, AND WE WONDERED HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT US WHEN IT TERM COMES TO, UH, CITY SERVICES AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
UH, OUR DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE CHANGED TREMENDOUSLY.
I'VE BEEN IN SHELBY PARK TERRA 43 YEARS, AND, UH, WE HAVE SEEN WHAT HAS HAPPENED, UH, WITH OUR NEIGHBORS, UH, ACRES HOMES AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
AND I'VE SEEN WHERE DEVELOPERS BASICALLY DO A LOT OF DOG WHISTLING, UH, LETTING, UH, PROSPECTIVE BUYERS KNOW WHAT SCHOOLS, UH, THAT THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD IS GONNA BE ZONED TO.
WHICH I DON'T THINK THAT WAS RIGHT IN A WAY.
I MEAN, LET IT, LET IT BE, LET IT BE.
UH, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THIS IS, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
I, I JUST, I JUST HOPE THAT THINGS ARE DONE IN A FAIR AND EQUITABLE WAY.
AND, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO'S THE MAYOR, THAT THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME.
UH, WHAT MATTERS TO ME IS THAT THINGS ARE GONNA BE DONE FAIRLY.
OKAY? SO WHEN THESE THINGS ARE DRAWN UP AND, AND, AND, AND WE LOOK AROUND AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS, 'CAUSE LIKE I SAY, DEVELOPERS, POLITICIANS, AND ALL OF THEM, THEY KIND OF WORK HAND IN HAND TOGETHER.
AND I'M NOT HERE TO DOWN ANYONE, BUT THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN SAY THAT I HOPE THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE PERSONS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, OH, LIKE I SAY, I'VE BEEN OUT HERE 43 YEARS AND I'M GETTING MORE PHONE CALLS NOW ABOUT WANTING TO BUY MY HOUSE THAN I'VE EVER GOTTEN.
BUT THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE THE DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE CHANGED.
SO I'LL JUST SAY TO THE MAYOR, I'LL SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN, THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS, DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THE RIGHT THING.
OKAY, SO JUAN, I'M SORRY, THAT WAS A J NOT AN L.
JUAN SOTO, UH, GOOD EVENING MAYOR, UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER AND EVERYONE ELSE.
[00:40:02]
JUAN SOTO.I'M, I'M HERE AS A MEMBER OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE AND ALSO, UH, AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, UH, IN GENERALLY SPEAK GENERALLY.
UH, SO ONE, UH, WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE, UM, SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICTS AND THE, UH, LARGE DISTRICTS.
UM, RECENTLY, OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, THERE HAVE BEEN THIS CHATTER BY A FEW, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, GROUPS ABOUT THEM WANTING TO ELIMINATE, UM, THE AT LARGE POSITIONS, WHICH I, UH, AM WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGAINST, UH, SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR GROUP HIJACKED A STUDY THAT I CO-AUTHORED IN OCTOBER OF 2021 WITH RISE UNIVERSITY, WHERE I HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A AT LARGE DISTRICT AND WHERE I COMPARED THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH SEATTLE AND, UH, BOISE, IDAHO, WHO HAVE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS, BUT YET THESE TWO CITIES HAVE BEEN FUNDAMENTALLY, UM, UH, SUCCESSFUL AT ELECTING AT LARGE LATINO COUNCIL MEMBERS INTO THEIR POSITIONS.
AND SO THIS PARTICULAR GROUP READ MY STUDY THAT I CO-AUTHORED IN OCTOBER AND DECIDED TO RUN WITH IT AND KIND OF TWIST IT AROUND AND PERVERSE IT, UH, TO THEIR OWN WILL.
SO, UH, FOR THAT POINT I AM SAYING THAT SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOOD TO READ THE FACTS BEFORE PEOPLE START GOING OUT THERE AND MAKING THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
UM, AND THE OTHER PART OF IT TOO IS THE, UM, UM, THE, WHAT WAS IT I GOING AT? OH, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES.
UM, THIS IS, I, I HOPE THAT THE CITY TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE'RE LOOKING AT REDISTRICTING, ALSO THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES THAT HAVE BEEN, QUITE FRANKLY, LONG OVERDUE.
UH, THESE BOUNDARIES HAVE BEEN EXISTENCE SINCE THE CREATION OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO I REALLY DO HOPE THAT THE CITY IS LOOKING INTO THAT AND ALSO RESTRUCTURING OR WORKING WITH THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, TO GET THE, THE, UM, THE TOOLS AND THE SUPPORT THAT THESE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS NEED SINCE THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS, AS MANY OF YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE, THEY'RE CODIFIED UNDER THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S CHARTER.
SO THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE PART OF THE C CITY HOUSTON'S CHARTER.
SO I'M HOPING THAT AFTER OR ALONG THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE, WITH, UH, REDISTRICTING, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, UH, HELPING THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS IN EITHER, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, BOUNDARIES OR WITH, UM, EVEN WITH, UH, UM, UH, PERSONNEL OR THE RESOURCES THAT THESE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE THE CREATION OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS AND SINCE 1999.
UM, DORIS BROWN AND THEN JAMES BYFORD.
MY NAME IS DORIS BROWN AND I'M IN DISTRICT B.
I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 54 YEARS, AND I DON'T THINK THAT NONE OF US THAT STAY IN DISTRICT B OVER THERE IN THE NORTHEAST SECTION WANTS TO MOVE.
WHAT WE WOULD LIKE THOUGH, IS GET A, UH, STOP FLOODING.
YEAH, THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY WANT.
AND WE ARE VERY WELL IN LOVE WITH TASHA BECAUSE SHE'S STEPPING UP AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN DISTRICT B HISTORICALLY.
MA'AM, COULD YOU JUST TELL ME THE NAME OF YOUR SUBDIVISION? CINDY WOODS.
UH, JAMES, COULD YOU SPELL YOUR LAST NAME FOR ME, PLEASE? YES, MY LAST NAME IS BURFORD, B-U-R-A-F-O-R-E-D.
I'M A CURRENT RESIDENT OF DISTRICT B.
THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER AND TASHA, FOR ALLOWING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
AND FRANKLY, A LOT OF MY QUESTIONS HAS BEEN ANSWERED WITH REGARD TO THE REDISTRICTING PART.
I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE CIB.
UH, BUT I DO, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK WHAT INITIATED THE REDISTRICTING OF, UH, DISTRICT B? I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH HOW WE ARE NOW WITH TODAY'S POLITICAL, POLITICAL SCENE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WHICH CONTROLS A LOT OF THE MONIES THAT WE HAVE.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, AND OBVIOUSLY I, I I, I'M OPPOSED TO WE REDISTRICTING, I THINK THINGS SHOULD BE LIKE THEY ARE, BUT MY CONCERN IS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE ARE INTEGRATED WITH SOMEBODY ELSE? AND OUR POLITICAL POWER IS, IS DECREASED ALSO,
[00:45:01]
UH, AS DARCY SAID, WE'VE BEEN TOTALLY NEGLECTED WITH REGARD TO FLOOD CONTROL AND SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES REGARDING, UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, TMI NEIGHBORHOODS, I GET CONFUSED WITH THAT.I'M A LONG TERM RESIDENT OF HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, YOU EITHER POOR OR YOU RICH.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE AN UNDERPRIVILEGED NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE OVERLOOKED.
AND I, MY CONCERN IS WITH THIS REDISTRICTING PROGRAM OF INITIATION THAT Y'ALL COMING UP WITH NOW, IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT US? BECAUSE WE SUFFERED ENOUGH FOR THE LAST HELL, I'VE BEEN OUT THERE SINCE 1974, SO I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS GOING TO DO.
AND MY CONCERN IS WHERE DID THIS COME FROM? LET ME, LET ME ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THAT.
EVERY 10 YEARS, UH, THE ENTIRE COUNTRY IS OBLIGATED TO, UH, GO THROUGH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS.
AS YOU CAN RECALL, UH, JUST A YEAR OR TWO AGO, WE WERE DOING THE CENSUS.
SO EVERY TIME YOU DO THAT CENSUS RIGHT AFTER THE CENSUS IS DONE AND THE NUMBERS COME OUT, THEN WE ARE OBLIGATED.
I HATE TO CUT YOU OFF, MAYOR, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CENSUS ARE NOT ACCURATE.
THEY DO NOT, THEY DO NOT REPORT EVERYBODY THAT'S IN I UNDERSTAND.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR WHATEVER REASONS.
LET ME, LET ME EXPLAIN THOUGH.
AND THAT IS, THAT'S WHY THE CENSUS BECOMES SO IMPORTANT.
THAT'S WHY WE, WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO FILL OUT THE CENSUS, FILL OUT THE CENSUS, FILL OUT THE CENSUS.
AND WE RECOGNIZE FOR MANY COMMUNITIES THAT THE CENSUS HAS AN UNDER COUNT.
THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NOT COUNTED FOR WHATEVER REASON, UH, THEY FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE CENSUS.
AND THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTS IN UNDER BENEFITS FOR THAT COMMUNITY.
I KNOW, BUT THE WAY IT WORKS FOR GOOD OR BAD, RIGHT OR WRONG, WE REDISTRICT BASED ON THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THE CENSUS.
AND SO AFTER, AFTER THE CENSUS, AFTER YOU FILL OUT THE CENSUS OF THOSE WHO DIDN'T, THEY THEN SENT OUT THE NUMBERS BASED ON THOSE WHO FILLED OUT THE CENSUS.
I HAVE SOME OPINIONS ABOUT THAT.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DISCUSS IT RIGHT NOW.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT I, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS.
AND SO ONCE THE CENSUS NUMBERS COME OUT FROM THE FEDERAL, FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THEN WE ARE OBLIGATED TO USE THOSE CENSUS NUMBERS.
WE CAN'T SAY THE CENSUS NUMBER WAS WRONG, THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN DISTRICT B AND MORE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT H, WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
WHAT CAN YOU CHANGE THAT THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE THOSE WHO YOU VOTE FOR ALL THE WAY UP TO.
YOU CAN, YOU CAN VOTE ME IN NUMBER ONE.
YOU CAN'T VOTE FOR ME ANYMORE ANYWAY, SO LEMME JUST SAY, LEMME, LEMME, LEMME JUST PLEASE SIT DOWN.
NOW, I'M, I'M I NUMBER ONE, HOW, ONE THING, I'M VERY CLEAR.
I'LL ALWAYS RESPECT YOU, BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS RESPECT ME.
RIGHT NOW, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU ARE OR WHO YOU ARE.
AND WE ARE GONNA BE RESPECTFUL OF ONE ANOTHER TONIGHT.
OKAY, SIR, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME YOU ASK THE QUESTION.
ONCE THE CENSUS NUMBERS COME OUT, WE ARE OBLIGATED TO USE THE CENSUS NUMBERS.
WE DO IT EVERY 10 YEARS CONSTITUTION.
AND YET IT IS A PART OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION BASED ON THOSE NUMBERS.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, IT TELLS YOU WHERE YOU FALL.
YOU GOTTA BE AROUND 209 THOU, RIGHT? ONE SECOND.
DONNA C AND THEN FOLLOWED BY RAIN, EATON AND RUPE.
DO YOU HAVE MORE? HELLO, I'M DR.
[00:50:01]
THE CIVIC CLUBS ARE BECOMING MORE ACTIVE AND WE JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THE BOUNDARIES WOULD BE.WHEN WOULD WE GET THAT INFORMATION OF WHERE OUR BOUNDARIES ARE SO THAT WE CAN DO MORE FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD? THAT'S ALL.
I'M HERE WITH, UH, THE PRESIDENT OF 5 76 AUBREY DAVIS.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, TASHA
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR YOUR CIVIC CLUB BOUNDARIES? YES, MA'AM.
UH, I BELIEVE, WELL, WE CAN ASSIST THAT.
FRA, UH, MR. DIRECTOR FRANCIS IS FRANCIS OVER THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, SO PLEASE SEE, UH, DIRECTOR FRANCIS, SHE CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT.
AND THEN, UM, ERIC HUDSON, THOMAS AND RAIN.
COULD YOU PLEASE CONFIRM THAT? IT'S E-A-T-M-O-N? YES, IT IS.
I DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO THE WHOLE SPIEL.
UM, WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE REDISTRICTING, DO YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY FUTURE ANNEXATIONS THAT THE CITY MIGHT DO? UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW SPACES ALONG 1960, AND THEN WE REACH FURTHER INTO SPRING.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS AS TO HOW DO YOU ALLOCATE ANNEXATIONS THAT THE CITY MAY WANT TO PURSUE, OR IF YOU HAVE ANY FUTURE ANNEXATIONS IN MIND FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, AM I CORRECT? THE ANSWER IS NO.
WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHERE THINGS ARE RIGHT NOW.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, BASED ON THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED, IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT NOW TO ANNEX IN THE FUTURE.
WELL THEN, UM, MY SECOND QUESTION IS, IS THAT, UM, AS WE START THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT DRAWING THE BOUNDARIES, I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO SOME OF THE PROVISIONS THAT YOU AND YOUR OFFICE ARE TRYING TO PUSH IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTERS OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
BECAUSE I DO KNOW, UH, WHEN WE HAVE CERTAIN CHANGES, I KNOW SPECIFICALLY FOR FIFTH WARD, WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT A BATTLE WHERE THEY'RE SLOWLY GETTING THEIR BOUNDARIES, RE RERA REDRAWN HISTORICALLY, AND THERE'S CER UH, PORTIONS OF IT IS STARTING INTO, UH, EAST END, AND IT'S NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE FULL HISTORIC ORIGINAL BOUNDARY OF FIFTH WARD.
SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE BEEN MENTIONING OR PUSHING, LIKE, UH, MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND, UM, UH, A MINIMUM SETBACKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SEE IF THAT PLAYS INTO THIS FACTOR.
YOU WANNA TAKE THAT? WELL, THAT'S, UH, THE, THE BOUNDARIES OF FIFTH WARD ARE TO BE DEFINED BY PEOPLE IN FIFTH WARD.
AND, AND THE BOUNDARIES THAT, THAT I HAVE USED IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE EXTENT I CAN WITH THE PRECINCTS, THE WAY THE PRECINCTS ARE DRAWN.
UH, AT ONE POINT, WHEATLEY WAS IN DISTRICT H AND WE GOT IT BACK INTO B UH, COUNCILMAN HOW WAS REALLY HAPPY THAT DAY,
UH, BUT, UM, SO THE, MY INTENTION IS IN DOING ALL OF THIS IS TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T VIOLATE THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD BOUNDARIES.
NOW AS FAR AS THE, THE PLANNING ASPECTS OF, UH, OF MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND THAT SORT OF THING.
NOT IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, NOT ANYMORE.
SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA TURN THAT BACK OVER TO GREG, DIRECTOR.
THOSE ARE ALL PROGRAMS THAT WE OPERATE THROUGH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THEM WITH YOU TO SEE WHAT, WHAT MIGHT FIT YOUR SPECIFIC CIVIC CLUB.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO FIND THE GENTLEMAN IN THE BACK OF, UM, DEVONTE, IS THAT YOU BACK THERE? OKAY.
THE GENTLEMAN HOLDING HIS HAND UP IS DEVONTE CALDWELL.
SO ERIC HUDSON THOMAS TO BE FOLLOWED BY ERICA HUBBARD.
UM, I'M PART OF THE GREATER FIFTH WARD COMMUNITY, UM, MAYOR TURNER, TASHA ACORN, AS WELL AS DAVID ROBERTSON.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE.
UM, DISTRICT B IS HUGE AND VERY DISJOINTED, BUT NOT AS DISJOINTED AS DISTRICT E.
UM, AND WE FORTUNATELY ARE WITHIN THAT FIVE, THAT PLUS OR MINUS 5% VARIATIONS FOR POPULATION.
SO THERE WOULD ACTUALLY BE NO NEED FOR US TO ACTUALLY, UM, GO THROUGH A REDISTRICTING PERIOD.
BUT WE ARE BORDERED BY TWO THIRDS OF THE DISTRICTS THAT ARE, UM, THEY HAVE LOST POPULATION, UM, BASICALLY DISTRICT I AS WELL AS H WHICH HAVE LOST AROUND 30,000 PEOPLE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
UM, SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, SINCE WE ACTUALLY ARE WITHIN THAT VARIANCE AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER TWO DISTRICTS THAT ARE AROUND US, UM, I'VE
[00:55:01]
ATTENDED TWO THIRDS OF THOSE MEETINGS AS WELL AS THE MEETINGS FOR DISTRICT C.AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE COME UP IN TERMS OF ANNEXATION AND MOVING OVER, ONE OF THE THINGS FOR DISTRICT H IS THAT SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR BORDERS ARE SECURE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY MENTIONED WAS ENSURING THAT INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS GET SWITCHED OVER TO DISTRICT FROM C TO ANOTHER DISTRICT, UH, AND AS WELL AS, UM, DISTRICT J, WHICH CAN BE MOVED OVER TO DISTRICT E.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT, UM, OUR ECONOMIC POWER IS ALSO GONNA BE SECURE WHEN IT COMES TO EAST RIVER.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS STAYS WITHIN OUR BORDERS.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IS THAT YES, WE ARE A BLACK HOLE TO SO MANY DIFFERENT RESOURCES, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S FOOD, GROCERY STORES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, THE EAST RIVER PROJECT IS GONNA BE BENEFICIAL TO DISTRICT B, AND HOPEFULLY IT CAN ACTUALLY BRING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND MINUS TO OUR DISTRICT SO THAT WE CAN EXPAND UP TO THE ACRES HOME AREA AND USE MONIES FOR THAT AS WELL.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED AT ONE OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS WAS, WHY ARE DISTRICTS OF CARLA LOSINGS RESIDENTS AND WHAT IS THE CITY DOING TO REVERSE THAT? UM, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I THINK WE'RE LOSING RESIDENCE IS THAT OTHER DISTRICTS ARE BUILDING WHETHER OR NOT IT'S APARTMENTS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND IF YOU LOOK OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, WE'RE GONNA BE BACK AT THIS SAME CYCLE ONCE AGAIN, WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE TRYING TO SECURE OUR BORDERS OR ANNEXED OR BEING ANNEXED BY SOMEONE ELSE.
SO FOR US, AND HOPEFULLY FOR THE CITY, HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN START IMPLEMENTING, UH, SOME TYPE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OR ENSURING THAT SENIOR CITIZENS ARE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR RESIDENTS WITH THE INFLATION OF HIGH PRICES.
SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, UH, I THINK WE'RE GOOD
AND I WILL TELL YOU WITH REGARDS TO SENIOR CITIZENS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WHAT COUNCIL WILL BE VOTING ON IN THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS IS A MEASURE THAT WE, WE WILL PRESENT TO THEM TO INCREASE THE TAX EXEMPTION FOR SENIORS FROM 160,000 TO 260,000.
THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY BENEFIT SENIOR CITIZENS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
ERICA HUBBARD TO BE FOLLOWED BY, OH MY GOSH, FRED, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SPELL YOUR LAST NAME FOR ME.
STARTS WITH A W LIKE TIGER WOODS.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF PROGRESSIVE FIFTH WARD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, AND I'M HERE TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT FIFTH WARD DOES NOT SUPPORT HAVING OUR BORDERS WITHDRAWN.
WE HAVE DEALT WITH DECADES OF NO INVESTMENTS STAGNATION.
FINALLY, AND THIS IS TO TAG ON TO WHAT ERIC SAID.
WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH EAST RIVER.
THE LAST THING WE WANT THIS TO DO IS TO SLIP OUT OF OUR HANDS.
SO I DO NOT SUPPORT THAT, BUT I DO SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE TO INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, MAYOR TURNER, WE HAVE BEEN PLAGUED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN FIFTH WARD.
WE DON'T HAVE THE SUPPORT FROM YOUR OFFICE IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS, YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
WHEN OUR COMMUNITY CALLS 3 1 1 AND SAYS, I HAVE ESTRANGED SMELL, IT SHOULD NOT TAKE FOUR DAYS FOR AN INVESTIGATOR TO COME OUT TO SAY, OH, I DON'T SMELL ANYTHING.
AND THAT THREE ONE ONE CALL NEVER MATRICULATES INTO A REAL ISSUE.
SO THIS IS WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU.
WE WANNA KEEP OUR BORDERS, BUT WE ALSO NEED THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE NEED TO HAVE SEWER, SIDEWALKS, ROADS, EXPANSION, ALL OF THAT TO SUPPORT THE GROWTH THAT ERIC WAS TALKING ABOUT.
WE NEED YOUR INPUT INTO THIS SO THAT WE DO NOT LOSE WHAT WE HAVE GAINED.
AND I, I APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR COMMENT, BUT LEMME RESPOND.
UH, PRIOR TO, UM, ME COMING INTO OFFICE, THERE HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS
[01:00:01]
NEGLECT OF COMMUNITIES, UH, IN HOUSTON FOR DECADES.NO, I DON'T THINK I BLAME YOU.
LEMME JUST RESPOND IN GENERAL WITH RESPECT TO THE EAST, UH, RIVER PROJECT THAT'S TAKEN PLACE NOW, THAT IS A WONDERFUL PROJECT.
WITH RESPECT TO A PROJECT THAT WE JUST VOTED ON YESTERDAY, UH, THE MEAL ART PROJECT, WHICH IS IN DISTRICT B, THAT PROJECT WILL ATTRACT ABOUT 750,000 PEOPLE ANNUALLY.
THAT'S A MAJOR ECONOMIC MULTIPLIER THAT'S TAKING PLACE IN DISTRICT B, UH, WITH REGARDS TO SANITARY SOIL OVERFLOWS WHAT WE HAVE WORKED OUT, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE EPA, IS THAT OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS, THIS CITY WILL BE SPENDING WELL OVER $3 BILLION TO ADDRESS THAT, THAT HAS OCCURRED UNDER THIS ADMINISTRATION AND WILL BENEFIT SEVERAL COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING FIFTH WARD, UM, A ACRES HOME AND OTHERS.
THAT'S A HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, PROJECT THAT'S TAKEN PLACE, UH, WITH RESPECT TO OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY DEALING WITH FLOOD AS, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVED $4.3 BILLION IN CDBG MID FUNDING.
UH, THE STATE, NOT THE CITY HAS NOT AWARDED ONE SINGLE DIME FROM THOSE CDBG MITIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS THAT WOULD BE BENEFITING COMMUNITIES THAT YOU SPOKE OF.
WITH RESPECT TO MY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IT'S BEEN VERY MUCH ENGAGED IN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND WE'LL ADDRESS, WE ARE ADDRESSING THAT.
SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERFUNDED WHERE INVESTMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN MADE OVER THE DECADES, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, VERY INTENTIONALLY TO ADDRESS THAT.
UH, BUT YOU'LL SEE SHINING BUGS, WHO'S IN IS IN HERE.
ALL MY COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, 10 NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY, WE HAVE DESIGNATED, AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THOSE INITIATIVES.
I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING ALL OF THOSE, THOSE INVESTMENTS UP TO ME AND LETTING THE AUDIENCE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MADE SOME INTENTIONAL INVESTMENTS OVER SINCE YOU'VE BEEN IN OFFICE.
AND I KNOW THAT THE ISSUES THAT IN, IN FIFTH WARD DID NOT START WHEN YOU BECAME THE MAYOR, BUT THIS ISSUE WITH YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS A REAL ISSUE.
NO ONE SHOULD CALL 3 1 1 AND SAY, UH, THE WATER IS BROWN, OR THERE'S A STRANGE SMELL IN THE AIR, AND THEN HAVE AN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INVESTIGATOR CONTACT THEM FOUR DAYS LATER.
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT ON YOUR LEVEL OF, AND THEN GIVE ME THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
GIVE ME, GIVE GIVE ME THE SPECIFICS IF YOU'LL GIVE IT TO WALTER HAMBRICK.
UH, HE'S MY DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF.
IF YOU GIVE IT TO, TO HIM, LET US, LET, LET US CHECK INTO IT.
AND IF THAT, IF THAT HAS OCCURRED, THEN, THEN WE'LL DEAL WITH IT.
WELL THEN GIVE IT, GIVE IT TO WALTER.
THANK YOU MR. WOODS TO BE FOLLOWED BY DANNY ASBURY.
I'M A RESIDENT OF NORTHWOOD MANOR.
UH, PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
UH, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING, AS SOMEONE ELSE SAID, WE LOVE OUR COUNCILWOMAN, SO NO NEED FOR CHANGE THERE.
I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT NO ONE LIKES CHANGE.
UM, BUT IF WE WERE TO CHANGE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT WE ADDRESS THE, UH, UN OR DIS CONTIGUOUSNESS OF OUR DISTRICT.
IT'S HARD TO HAVE COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER WHEN WE'RE IN THREE DIFFERENT DISTINCT AREAS.
SO, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY IF THERE WAS GOING TO BE ANY, UH, REDISTRICTING TO OCCUR, UH, TO INCREASE OUR NUMBERS, UH, I'LL TAKE A TOP OF H BECAUSE THERE'S PLENTY C TO GO AROUND.
UM, LASTLY, UM, AND, AND JUST TO, TO ECHO WHAT MR. RASMUS SO ELOQUENTLY SAY IT, WE TRUST YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
DANNY ASBURY TO BE FOLLOWED BY BILLY GUDA.
UM, I'M DAN ASBURY L IT'S NICE TO SEE EVERYONE.
IT IS NICE TO SEE EVERYONE TODAY IN, UH, GOOD HEALTH CONSIDERING, UH, YOU KNOW, COVID AND ALL OF THAT.
WE DON'T GOT, WE, WE'VE GOTTEN OVER ALL OF THAT.
[01:05:01]
SAY IS I LIKE TO KEEP, UH, DISTRICT B AS IT IS.UM, I THINK THAT WE CAN EMPLOY, UM, YOU KNOW, MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO THINGS LIKE THAT TO, TO PULL FROM DIFFERENT RESOURCES.
WE JUST DON'T NEED JUST THE CITY.
WE CAN HAVE MORE IF WE NEED, BUT ALSO, UH, I'M FROM NORTHWOOD MANOR AND, UM, AND I DO EXPERIENCE A LOT OF, UH, DISJOINTEDNESS.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DISTRICT B WIDE FESTIVALS MAYBE HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN IN OTHER CITIES AND IT LOOKS GOOD, RIGHT? BUT I JUST WANTED TO ALSO MENTION THIS, UH, ALSO WITH INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, I'VE EXPERIENCED SOME THINGS WITH, UH, THE FREEZE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE WAY THAT THE PLUMBERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE POPULATION, THEN, UH, IT REALLY WASN'T, UH, GOOD.
HOWEVER, WHEN ASKED, UH, WHEN PEOPLE ASKED THE CITY FOR HELP, UM, DURING THAT PARTICULAR TIME WITH THE FREEZE, UM, THAT WAS NO HELP.
THEY HAD TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR A LOT OF THAT OUT OF POCKET.
UM, CURRENTLY I'M A PART OF THE TEXAS GLO PROGRAM AND, AND THEY'RE DOING WHATEVER THEY'RE DOING WITH MY HOUSE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, I WOULD'VE LIKED A MORE REACTIVE CITY OR PROACTIVE CITY.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN NORTHWOOD MANOR.
AND I HAVE WATCHED US BE OVERLOOKED.
I HAVE WATCHED OUR, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, GET RIPPED AWAY FROM US BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST OF DEVELOPERS, UM, AND TEA AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER FACTORS, UH, THAT CREATED A PERFECT STORM TO, TO RIP OUR HISTORY AWAY.
I HAVE NOTHING TO TELL PEOPLE WHEN I HAVE PEOPLE VISIT FROM OTHER AREAS, UH, TO SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S MY, MY HISTORY, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE CATALYSTS OF ME CREATING SOLE INTERNATIONAL.
I HAVE A NONPROFIT BUSINESS WHERE, UM, WE EMPLOY ARTISTS.
I HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED IN THIS COUNTY.
I WAS THE FIRST TO CREATE AUGMENTED REALITY MURALS IN HOUSTON AND IN GALVESTON WE PUT GALVESTON ON THE MAP WITH JUNETEENTH.
UM, THAT WAS US, OUR TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN I TRIED TO REPORT THIS TO, UH, UM, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, HOUSTON CHRONICLE SAID, OH, THAT'S THE POLITICAL, WE CAN'T REPORT IT.
I MADE HISTORY AND THE FACT THAT I CAN'T GET THROUGH THE WALLS OF MY OWN CITY, BUT I CAN GO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN GALVESTON AND BAHRAIN AND BRAZIL AND ALL OF THESE OTHER PLACES, BUT CAN'T DO IT HERE.
SO I WAS, I SERVED IN THE MILITARY FOR SEVEN YEARS.
MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN ABOUT SERVICE.
I WAS A TEACHER FOR FIVE, FOR FOUR YEARS, AND NOW I'M PARTNERING UP WITH SHELLDON.
ISD I'M DOING A WHOLE LOT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR DISTRICT B.
I'M DOING SOMETHING FOR DISTRICT B.
BUT IT'S STRANGE TO ME TO WHERE I HAVE A COMPANY THAT DOES THE SAME THING AS THIS LARGE ART COMPANY THAT'S COMING IN FROM ANOTHER CITY.
I IMPLORE ARTISTS TOO, AND I HAVE THE CAPACITY MAY NOT HAVE THE SCALE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH RESOURCES AS THEY DO.
BUT WITH MY CITY BEHIND ME, THAT COULD BE A THING OF THE PAST.
I GOT TWO DEGREES, I GOT WHATEVER YOU NEED.
AND MY CLIENTELE IS MY, MY BOARD MEMBERS.
SO I'M JUST SAYING, I'M NOT TRYING TO AIR ANYBODY OUT.
'CAUSE I LOVE MY CITY COUNCILWOMAN.
I AIN'T TRYING TO AIR NOBODY OUT.
BUT BECAUSE OF THIS WHOLE COVID THING AND ALL OF THIS, I WAS ON A COMMITTEE, BUT SOME, SOME THINGS DID NOT MATERIALIZE.
BUT IT MAKES ME BURN UP A LITTLE BIT WHEN I HEAR OTHERS FROM OTHER PLACES GETTING OPPORTUNITIES WHEN I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE.
SO I'M GONNA GET OFF MY HORSE.
TARA, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
BUT I HAVE TO CALL OUT WHAT I HAVE TO CALL OUT PEACE.
IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANYTHING THEY WANNA SAY ABOUT REDISTRICTING, WOULD YOU PLEASE MAKE SURE WE GET A CARD? UM, RUPE IS RIGHT IN THE BACK WITH A GRAY SHIRT ON.
[01:10:01]
GOOD, GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.MAYOR, UH, I WANT START OFF BY SAYING THAT I, UH, I'M BILLY J GUEVARA, LONGTIME RESIDENT OF LAKEWOOD SUBDIVISION NORTHEAST HOUSTON, ALSO A CO-FOUNDER OF THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE.
I JUST WANNA, I JUST WANNA SAY REAL QUICKLY, UH, LOST MY SIGHT ABOUT, UM, 27 YEARS AGO, ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO.
AND THE LAST, UH, IMAGES I REMEMBER OF MAYOR TURNER IS WHEN HE WAS STATE REP.
AND LET'S JUST SAY, I'M GONNA KEEP THAT IMAGE IN MY F IN MY MIND RIGHT NOW.
SO, SAYING THAT, I JUST WANNA LET Y'ALL KNOW TASHA JACKSON, GOOD JOB.
I DO APPRECIATE, UM, EVERYBODY COMING TO THIS MEETING.
AND ALSO, UM, I'M FINE WHERE I AM WITH DISTRICT B AND THANK, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND EVERYBODY ON CITY COUNCIL FOR BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF FIXING OUR STREETS AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S LONG OVERDUE FOR REPLACING DRAINAGE, UH, ANTIQUATED DRAINAGE I MIGHT ADD.
AND, UM, SO IN SAYING THAT, I JUST WANNA HAVE ONE ISSUE.
UH, I AM A FORMER GUIDE DOG SEEING EYE DOG USER, AND I'M ALSO, UH, GONNA BE A CURRENT ONE WITHIN SEVERAL MONTHS FROM NOW.
BUT IN SAYING THAT, I JUST WANNA SAY, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE LOOSE DOGS THAT IS A PROBLEM IN EVERY ABSOLUTE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT IS A, IT IS A DANGER, UH, PRIMARILY FOR PEOPLE WHO USE SEEING EYE DOGS OR ANY KIND OF SERVICE ANIMAL.
UM, THE DOGS, THE LOOSE DOGS ARE A DISTRACTION.
I'M A MEMBER OF THE GUIDE DOG USERS INCORPORATED, UH, AND AFFILIATED WITH THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND.
AND WE, UM, HAVE, I HEAR COMPLAINTS ALL THE TIME IN HOUSTON ABOUT LOOSE DOGS.
I HAVE A SITUATION WHERE I HAVE CALLED ANIMAL CONTROL AND THEY LITERALLY WANT US TO CATCH THE DOG, PUT IT ON A LEASH, RESTRAIN IT, AND KEEP IT IN YOUR YARD.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOG CATCHER? NOW THEY WANT US TO DO THE WORK.
UH, 3 1 1 NEEDS A LOT OF WORK.
YOU, THEY, UM, GIVE YOU A NUMBER AND WITHOUT EVEN CONSULTING YOU, THEY CONSIDER THE CLAY CASE CLOSED.
OKAY? I DON'T LIKE TO USE BLACK AS A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION, BUT HEY, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, UH, I WANNA KNOW IF OUR LIBRARY, THE LAKEWOOD LIBRARY IS, UH, GONNA, IS ALREADY OPEN OR IS OPEN.
WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THE SCENIC WOODS LIBRARY? EVEN THOUGH I'M BLIND, I STILL USE THE LIBRARY FREE WIFI.
OKAY, SO IN SAYING THAT, LOVE WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.
DID I, DID I GET EVERYTHING? I THINK I DID.
I HAVE NO ONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK FOR REDISTRICTING.
GOING, GOING, OH, WAIT A MINUTE.
UH, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST.
I HEARD YOU SAY THAT, AND I'VE HEARD DIFFERENT PEOPLE SAY THAT.
SO I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST IS.
'CAUSE I, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE HERE.
SO IF I COULD JUST GET SOME CONTEXT ON, ON UNDERSTANDING WHAT A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST IS.
THAT'S, IT'S A VERY BROAD TERM.
AND SO, UH, AND IT IS THE SORT OF THING THAT, UH, WE GET TESTIMONY ABOUT.
SO FOR INSTANCE, WE MIGHT GET TESTIMONY ABOUT, UM, SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR ATTENDANCE ZONES.
UM, ALL OF, ALL OF THE WHEATLEY ATTENDANCE ZONE IS CURRENTLY IN DISTRICT B EXCEPT FOR THIS AREA.
AND WE FEEL LIKE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THIS AREA, WHICH IS PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF WHEATLEY'S ATTENDANCE ZONE.
SO IT'S ANY WAY THAT PEOPLE WANT TO DEFINE A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST AND PRESENT IT TO US, AND WE CAN DO OUR BEST TO TRY AND INCORPORATE THAT COMMUNITY OF INTEREST INTO THE PLANNING.
SO WHAT WAS THE ANSWER? WELL, IT, IT'S REALLY, IT'S KIND OF UP TO THE COMMUNITY TO DEFINE THEMSELVES AS A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST.
AND WHAT IS A COMMUNITY INTEREST SO THAT THEY CAN DEFINE A A, WELL, A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST MIGHT BE RACE, IT MIGHT BE ETHNICITY, IT MIGHT BE LANGUAGE, UH, USE.
[01:15:01]
UM, FOR INSTANCE, UH, ASIANS IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON MAY DEFINE THEMSELVES AS COMMUNITY INTEREST AND SAY THAT WE WANT ALL OF THE ASIAN, UH, INSTITUTIONS TO BE IN A SINGLE CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT.IT MIGHT BE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IT COULD BE THIRD WARD COULD, IT COULD CERTAINLY BE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT COULD BE THIRD WARD, IT COULD BE CASHMERE GARDENS, IT COULD BE M CLARK, IT COULD BE FORT BEND, IT COULD BE KINGWOOD, IT COULD BE CLEAR LAKE, IT COULD BE ACRES HOME.
THERE ARE VARIOUS WAYS THAT YOU CAN DEFINE COMMUNITY OF INTEREST.
WE FACTOR THAT IN, BUT IT'S NOT THE SOLE DETERMINANT.
SO IT'S POPULATION, IT'S COMMUNITY OF INTEREST IS WHETHER OR NOT THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER.
YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE DIVERSITY OF THE CITY.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, YOU JUST CAN'T USE SOLELY COMMUNITY OF INTEREST IF IT ENDS UP SHORT CHANGING, UM, UM, THE DIVERSITY ON CITY COUNCIL, SO TO SPEAK, OR THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
AND IF YOU SHIFT IN ONE AREA, YOU COULD LITERALLY SHIFT, SHIFT THE WHOLE MAP.
SO ANOTHER EXAMPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, DISTRICT B IS CLOSE TO KINGWOOD.
YOU PUT KINGWOOD AND PORTION OF DISTRICT B TOGETHER.
IT SHIFTS EVERYTHING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY.
YOU CAN PUT CLEAR LAKE, WHICH IS CLOSE TO DISTRICT D, YOU PUT CLEAR LAKE AND DISTRICT D TOGETHER, IT SHIFTS THE WHOLE MAP.
IT IS NOT, IT'S NOT A VERY SIMPLE EQUATION.
I SAW ONE MORE HAND UP IN A YELLOW SHIRT, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHIFT AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE, YEAH.
STEP OVER TO THE RIGHT, RIGHT HERE.
UM, YES, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE MAYOR AND TASHA JACKSON FOR BEING HERE.
UM, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO, TO, UH, REZONE.
UM, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN OUR CITY THAT NEEDS WORK, MAN.
AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BLAME MAYOR SYLVESTER, BUT WE'VE BEEN OVERLOOKED HISTORICALLY OUT HERE IN THIS AREA, MAN, I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 93 IN MY AREA, THE WHOLE NORTHEAST MAN, WE'VE BEEN HISTORICALLY OVERLOOKED.
AND 3 1 1 IS, MAN, I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT IT'S A JOKE BECAUSE I'VE CALLED IN AUGUST, JUST LAST WEEK, I GOT A RESPONSE.
SO YOU TELL ME, MAYOR SYLVESTER, HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THAT? WHEN YOU HAVE WATER COMING UP, FLOOD ISSUES, AND YOU SAY THAT YOU'RE RESPONDING TO IT, YOU SAY, WE HAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, BUT NONE OF IT REACHES THE COMMUNITY THAT I CAN HEAR OR SEE FROM OTHER PEOPLE.
NO, I SAID WE ARE GOING TO BE SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS.
NOT, IT'S NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS, THE COST OF FIXING THE SANITARY SEWER OVERCHARGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN THIS CITY IN CERTAIN COMMUNITIES, WHEN THERE'S A HEAVY RAIN, THOSE PROBLEMS ARE GOING, ARE, ARE BEING ADDRESSED.
BUT IT WILL, IT WILL TAKE 15 YEAR OVER A 15 YEAR TIME PERIOD, AND IT WILL COST SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS TO ADDRESS THAT.
IF THERE'S A PARTICULARLY ISSUE ON 3 1 1, IF YOU WILL GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT TOOK PLACE.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE FROM THE CITY, AND WE'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ADDRESS THAT.
AND, AND I'M SORRY, COULD I ASK FOR YOUR NAME, PLEASE? I DIDN'T CATCH IT.
BENJAMIN BROADWAY, SIR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
YEAH, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO TALK TO ANY OF MY PEOPLE, UH, FROM THE CITY THAT ARE HERE.
LET THEM KNOW WHAT THAT PARTICULAR CALL WAS WITH THREE ONE ONE AND THEN LET US, THEN LET US LOOK INTO IT.
UH, COULD YOU GIVE ME THAT CONTACT INFORMATION BEFORE I LEAVE TODAY? THEY ARE HERE TONIGHT.
LEMME SEE YOUR HANDS OF ALL CITY EMPLOYEES.
WE, WE, IF YOU I CAN'T SEE SIR.
WELL, THE CANE MAYOR, THE CANE, SIR, BUT IT'S OKAY.
THERE ARE MANY, THERE ARE MANY.
THERE ARE MANY CITY EMPLOYEES WITH SOME OF MY CITY EMPLOYEES.
YOU FIND, FIND THIS GENTLEMAN, UH, DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
IF YOU'LL FIND THIS GENTLEMAN, THEY WILL FIND YOU.
THEY WILL, THEY WILL COME TO YOU.
I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO MICHAEL NOW.
MICHAEL REDDY FROM PUBLIC WORKS.
WELL NOW, UH, TURN TO THE CIP PORTION OF THE MEETING.
[01:20:03]
MIKE.LEMME JUST GO TO THE LITTLE BOYS ROOM AND I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
UH, ON BEHALF OF DIRECTOR HADDOCK AND, UH, MY BOSS HERE, ERIC DARGAN AND 4,000 EMPLOYEES OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, 4,000 EMPLOYEES OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TODAY.
I PROMISE, I KNOW TIME IS CRUNCHING, SO I'LL TRY TO GO THROUGH THIS.
UH, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PROJECTS IN DISTRICT B, SO THAT'S A GOOD THING.
FIRST SLIDE IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT.
UH, THE CITY CONTINUES TO ADDRESS THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC.
HOUSTON WILL RECEIVE 607.9 MILLION FROM AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, UH, PASSED BY CONGRESS.
AND THIS MONTH, UH, THE OTHER HALF WILL COME.
AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO LET YOU KNOW THIS WEBSITE RIGHT HERE, HOUSTON TX.GOV/ARPA, UH, THERE'S A 22 QUESTION SURVEY.
PLEASE FILL THAT OUT AND IT WILL BE VERY HELPFUL FOR, FOR DECISION MAKING.
AND IT ALSO CONTAINS WHAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH THE OTHER HALF.
UH, ALTHOUGH I STAND HERE TODAY AS REPRESENTATIVE PUBLIC WORKS, THE CIP IS A LOT MORE THAN PUBLIC WORKS, UH, WHICH IS TRANSPORTATION, DRAINAGE, WATER, AND WASTEWATER.
IT ALSO INCLUDES THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT THAT IS, THAT DO THE VERTICAL, UH, CONSTRUCTIONS, THE MULTICENTER CENTERS AND LIBRARIES AND, UH, POLICE STATIONS AND ALL THAT STUFF.
AND ALSO PARKS AND RECREATION.
SO I'LL BE READING SOME OF THOSE HIGHLIGHTS OF, UH, PROJECTS.
SO IN ORDER TO START TODAY, UH, IF THERE IS ANYTHING I WANT YOU TO TAKE TODAY IS THE THREE RS.
WE SIMPLY CALL THEM REPAIR, REHABILITATE, AND RECONSTRUCT.
OKAY? THIS IS WHAT WE USE TO MAINTAIN AND OPERATE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
REPAIR IS WE, UH, WHEN YOU CALL 3 1 1, YOU ARE OUR EYES AND EARS.
SO WHEN YOU CALL THAT, WE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO COME AND REPAIR IT, BUT THAT MIGHT BE THAT IT MIGHT HAVE TO BE CALLED AGAIN AND AGAIN.
UH, SOMETIMES, UH, BECAUSE THESE INCLUDE THINGS LIKE POTHOLES, UH, UNPLUGGING, PLUGGED UP, STORM DRAIN OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S NOT THIS MAINLY DONE BY IN-HOUSE STAFF THAT WE GOT.
AND, UH, WE RESPOND TO THOSE THINGS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND IT IS ALL RIGHT TO CALL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND WE WILL, WE WILL, UH, ADDRESS ANYTHING THAT ELSE, UH, THAT HAPPENS WITH THAT.
THE, THE NEXT R IS REHABILITATE.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE NOT DONE IN THE PAST, BUT THANKS TO THE MAYOR STREET, UH, UH, REHABILITATION PROGRAM, THE STORM WATER ACTION TEAM AND THE LOCAL DRAINAGE PROGRAM, ALL THESE ARE A STRATEGY THAT IS CRITICAL TO OUR TOOL IN, IN MAINTAINING AND OPERATING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
BECAUSE NOW WE CAN DO LOCALIZED FIXES, UH, TO ADDRESS LOCALIZED PROBLEMS, UH, IN, IN A REASONABLE PRICE AND ALSO IN A REASONABLE TIME.
THESE ARE STRATEGIES THAT ACTUALLY EXTEND OUR SERVICE LIFE OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE FIVE TO 10 YEARS.
NOT JUST REPAIR, IT GETS CALLED ALL THE TIME, BUT IT JUST EXTENDS IT A LITTLE BIT.
FIXING OUTFALLS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS ONE EXAMPLE.
UH, OH, MILL AND OVERLAY OF STREETS.
THAT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE YOU CAN RESURFACE IT AGAIN AND IT'S MUCH SMOOTHER.
PANEL REPLACEMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THE OTHER R IS RECONSTRUCTION.
AT SOME POINT WE'LL REACH WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, WE CAN, WHERE WE CANNOT REPAIR IT, REHABILITATE IT ANYMORE.
AT THIS POINT, WE WILL JUST RIP IT OUT AND REPLACE IT AGAIN.
FIRST OF ALL, TAKES A LOT MORE PLANNING.
UH, TYPICALLY IT REQUIRES STAKEHOLDER COORDINATION WITH THE FLOOD CONTROL AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND ALSO MIGHT HAVE MAJOR UTILITY CONFLICTS, REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS.
SO IT'S VERY SLOW AND IT TAKES TIME AND IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OUR THREE STRATEGIES, ALL THESE ARE IMPORTANT TO US, BUT RECONSTRUCTION TYPICALLY IS NOW HAPPENING WHERE WE HAVE ACTUALLY LEVERAGE FROM OTHER SOURCES, WHETHER IT BE, UH, THE HUD FUNDING OR HGAC
[01:25:01]
OR FEDERAL FUNDING.THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF RECONSTRUCTION THAT WE ARE DOING.
SO NOW I'LL GOING TO HIGHLIGHT OF ALL THE IMPORTANT PROJECTS THAT, THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN DISTRICT B.
WE JUST COMPLETED A PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT ALONG LAURA COPY LAST YEAR.
THIS IS A $19 MILLION PROJECT REPLACING THE ROADWAY FROM HIRSCH TO HOMESTEAD.
THE COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT STORM DRAIN WATER, WASTEWATER LINES, SIDEWALKS, TRAFFIC SIGNALS.
WE ALSO ADDED NEW STORM WATER DETENTION POND TO ADDRESS FLOODING CONCERNS.
THIS CONSTRUCTION IS ONGOING FOR BONITA GARDENS DRAINAGE AND PAVING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.
THIS IS MORE THAN 9 MILLION HAS BEEN INVESTED TO MAXIMIZE THE DRAINAGE CAPACITY IN THE AREA.
WE'RE WIDENING ROADSIDE DITCHES, DRIVEWAY CULVERTS TO HOLD, CONVEY LARGER CAPACITY OF WATER.
THIS INCLUDES REGARDING MORE THAN 32,000 FEET OF DISHES AND ADDING 39,000 FEET OF STORM WATER DRAINAGE.
WE'RE INCORPORATING CITY COUNCIL AND, UH, UH, HUD APPROVED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FOR THIS FUNDING AND SO ANTICIPATED TO BE COMPLETED NEXT SPRING.
THEN ORS EAST TRANSMISSION LINE.
ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT NOTICEABLE THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING HARD ON THIS MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OUR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, WE ARE MAKING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS ON THIS 465 MILLION TRANSMISSION LINE.
THIS IS PART OF THE NORTHEAST WATER PURIFICATION EXPANSION.
ALL THAT WATER IS GOING TO THIS SIDE OF TOWN, UM, MORE THAN 60 MILES OF WATER LINE, UH, RANGING FROM 120 INCH TO 54 INCH DIAMETER LINES.
SO WE HAVE, UH, PATTERNED WITH SEVERAL MINI PARTNERED WITH SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES AND LOCAL WATER AUTHORITY, A COST SHARE, UH, WHERE WE ARE ACTUALLY SUPPLYING WATER HIRSH ROAD.
THIS IS A PROJECT THAT'S UPCOMING RE UH, IN, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THIS IS THE RECONSTRUCTION OF HERSCH ROAD.
UM, BETWEEN LAURA COPY AND CROSS TIMBERS, WE'LL SEE NEW PAVEMENT DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, ALSO ON WEAVER ROAD, WE WILL HAVE SOME EXTENSION OF WASTEWATER LINES TO ADD MORE CAPACITY TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, THIS WILL BE NEARLY 12 MILLION LIKE EVERY PROJECT THAT WE HAVE NOW WITH THE NEW DETENTION.
IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT, BUT WE ARE GOING TO WRAP UP THIS IN 2025.
THIS IS THE NEXT, UH, PROJECT THAT WE HAVE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR AS WELL.
UH, WE'LL START THE GREENS ROAD PAVING, UH, FROM 69 TO JFK.
WE JUST FINISHED ALDINE WESTFIELD TO JFK.
UH, THIS WILL BE A $30 MILLION DRAINAGE UPGRADE.
UTILITY, SIDEWALKS, DRIVEWAY, AND STREET LIGHTS WHERE, AND THIS IS A FUNDING THAT COMES THROUGH HOUSTON, GALVESTON, HGAC AREA COUNCIL AND ALSO THROUGH TDOT PROJECT IS CURRENTLY IN DESIGN FRENCHTOWN.
THIS IS 11 MILLION, HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR DRAINAGE UPGRADE THROUGH CDBG MID, UH, THE FRENCHTOWN AREA.
THIS INCLUDES JENSEN COLLINSWORTH, RUSSELL STREET, LIBERTY ROAD.
WE'LL SEE UPGRADES TO IMPROVE STORM WATER FLOW.
WE ARE USING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLACK GRANT FOR THIS.
UH, REHABILITATION OF PAYMENTS, STORM LINE AND REPAIR.
SIDEWALKS AND CONSTRUCTION IS SET TO BEGIN IN 2024.
THAT'S THE WHOLE AREA THAT YOU SEE IN THE BLACK BOUNDARY.
UH, WE ARE ALSO PARTNERING WITH HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT TWO TO LAY OUT THE PLANNING WORK, WHICH WE CALL THE DCR DESIGN CONCEPT REPORT TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THIS ROADWAY SEGMENT, UH, OF RECONSTRUCTION OF ALDI, WESTFIELD FROM SOUTH BELTWAY TO PINE TREE DRIVE.
ALDEN, I'M SORRY,
IT WILL TAKE PLACE IN TWO SECTIONS.
[01:30:01]
THAT'S THE PLAN FOR THIS IN PHASING.BUT AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, THE COUNTY PUT IN 800,000 FOR THE D FOR THE DESIGN CONCEPT REPORT.
AND WE WILL START THAT AT PRETTY SOON IN, IN, AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.
AND THIS PROCESS ACTUALLY TAKES A LONG TIME JUST TO GET IT TO INFORM, TO MAKE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL GRANTS.
UH, I'LL JUST NOTE THAT THE ENTIRE COST ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW FOR THIS SEGMENT IS IN THE 155 BILLION.
SO YES, WE DO NEED SOME OTHER FUNDING SOURCES,
SO, UH, I'M HERE JOINED WITH, UH, OUR, OUR, UH, DIRECTOR FROM TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE.
I KNOW SHE HAS WORKED A LOT ON THIS.
UH, VERONICA DAVIS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UH, THIS IS THE NORTHEAST AREA COMMUNITY DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THROUGH THE SWAT, WHAT WE CALL THE STORM WATER ACTION TEAM.
UH, HAS SEVERAL ONGOING ACROSS DISTRICT BNH.
THE LOCATIONS HIGHLIGHTED IN RED, REPRESENT COMPLETED, UPGRADED, AND, AND MAINTAINED.
THE GREEN SHELL PROJECTS ONGOING TODAY.
AND THE BLUE ARE PROJECTS WHERE UPGRADES, MAINTENANCE, AND REHABILITATION ARE IN DESIGN PHASE.
THERE IS DE DETAILED LIST OF PROJECTS ON A 30 PAGE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAVE UPLOADED ON ENGAGE HOUSTON.ORG.
OR THERE IS A TABLE OUT HERE WITH VALERIE OVER THERE.
BUT YOU CAN GO AND SEE ALL THESE PROJECTS AND THE DETAILS OF, UH, OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS AREA THROUGH THE STORMWATER ACTION TEAM.
AND AGAIN, THE COUNCIL MEMBER HAS A LOT TO DO WITH SELECTION OF THESE.
SO
ALL RIGHT, SO I'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, THIS IS THROUGH THE LOCAL DRAINAGE, UH, UH, PROGRAM PLAN THAT IS HAPPENING WITHIN THE NORTHEAST DRAINAGE.
AGAIN, UH, THERE IS OVER A THOUSAND ASSESSMENTS OF DITCH THERE THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
AND THAT IS HELPING THE TEAM TO SELECT WHICH ONES ARE TO BE RECOMMENDED FOR IMPROVEMENT, UH, FOR MAINTENANCE AND REHABILITATION.
THESE ARE REALLY A LITTLE BIT LARGER SIZE THAN THE SWAT, BUT DO SOME LOCAL DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL.
UH, THE BLUE PROJECTS ARE IN DESIGN, GREEN ARE ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION.
THE PURPLE ARE PROJECTS BEING SCREENED TO SEE WHAT'S NEED, UH, WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
AND THERE ARE SOME ORANGE HERE FOR FUTURE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS IS VERY HARD TO SEE ON THE SCREEN, BUT THERE ARE YELLOW DOTS HERE.
OKAY,
UH, SOME EXAMPLE COULD BE, UH, DEWALT, UH, FROM DEEP PRIEST TO WHITLEY AND JENSEN FROM EAST EGG TO CLINTON IS, IS PLANNED AS WELL FOR, FOR, UH, THIS YEAR.
SO THIS IS AGAIN, THE MILL AND OVERLAY AND PANEL REPLACEMENT.
AGAIN, THE COUNCIL MEMBER HAS A LOT, UH, SOME PORTION OF IT THAT, THAT YOU MAKE DECISIONS ON
ALL RIGHT, NOW I'LL GO TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS PARKS, WINDSOR PARK.
WINDSOR PARK REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT WILL BE OUT TO BID THIS SUMMER WITH A FULL CONSTRUCTION START.
THE PARK IMPROVEMENTS WILL INCLUDE ENTRY PLAZAS, MULTIPLE PLAYGROUND UNITS, PICNIC SHELTER, NEW WALKING PATH, OUTDOOR EXERCISE EQUIPMENT WITH SHADE, SAIL, LIGHTING, PICNIC TABLE, AND BENCHES.
THE PROJECT IS BEING FUNDED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK.
GRANT TUFFLEY PARK, ONE OF THE 50 50 PARK PARTNER SITES.
TUFFLEY PARK UPGRADES WILL INCLUDE NEW PLAYGROUND, OUTDOOR EXERCISE EQUIPMENT, WALKING TRAIL AND LIGHTING UPGRADES, BLEACHER PADS, NEW PICNIC TABLES AND BENCHES AS PART OF THE MAYOR'S LOVE FOR PARK INITIATIVE.
DULCE PARK WAS CELEBRATED LAST MONTH WITH AN UPGRADE.
BASKETBALL PAVILION, SOCCER, MINI PATCH, LIGHTING, UPGRADE, SITE FURNISHINGS, AND LANDSCAPING.
A NEW PLAYGROUND IS CURRENTLY BEING INSTALLED AND WILL BE COMPLETE LATER THIS MONTH.
[01:35:02]
VERDE FOREST PARK PLAYGROUND.THE VERDE FOREST PLAYGROUND, UH, WAS OLD AND THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
THE PLAYGROUND HAS BEEN REMOVED TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND NEW PLAYGROUND WILL BE INSTALLED LATER THIS SUMMER.
THE PLAYGROUND WILL HAVE VARIOUS SLIDES, CLIMBERS, AND SWINGS.
THE NEW DIXON TECHNICAL LIBRARY IS A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED TECHNICAL LIBRARY.
CONSTRUCTION OF A 2.2 MILLION PROJECT WAS COMPLETED IN 2021.
THE PROJECT WILL COMBINE THE SERVICE AREAS IN TRINITY HOUSTON GARDEN NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS FACILITY INCLUDES TECH LINK CONCEPT, OPEN MEETING SPACES, QUIET ADULT TEENS, AREA CHILDREN, AREA, PUBLIC COMPUTERS, MUSIC STUDIO, VIDEO AND RECORDING AREA, AND ADEQUATE STAFF SPACE.
THE NEW LIBRARY HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING SYSTEMS AND SIGNIFICANT SITE IMPROVEMENTS.
FIFTH WARD, MULTI-SERVICE CENTER RENOVATION.
THIS PROJECT IS TO REPAIR, TO REPAIR OFF AN AGED ROOF AND REPAIR OF FOUNDATION.
IT ALSO INCLUDES REFRESH OF INTERIOR, INTERIOR FINISHES ALONG WITH PAINTING OF EXTERIOR THAT TIES INTO THE SENIOR CENTER NEXT DOOR.
THE PAINTING WILL HAVE SUPER GRAPHIC SAYS FIFTH WARD.
THE NEW DYNAMIC MESSAGE SIGN WILL, WILL BE LOCATED FACING MARKET STREET THAT WILL FLASH FACILITY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
IT IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND WILL COMPLETE AND FALL OF THIS YEAR.
FIRE STATION 19 RENOVATION PROJECT.
THE PROJECT IS IN DESIGN AND WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN FULL 2022, SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN FULL 2023.
THE ORIGINAL STATION WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1938 AND WAS REPLACED IN 1979 WITH CURRENT FIRE STATION.
THE STATION WILL UNDERGO A MAJOR RENOVATION IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE MOTOR NEEDS OF THE STATION THAT SERVES SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.
PROJECT COST IS ABOUT 4.8 MILLION.
THE NORTH BELT POLICE STATION, TERRA 11 IS PARTNERING WITH HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT TO DESIGN AND BUILD A NEW 33,000 SQUARE FEET NORTH BELT, UH, POLICE STATION.
THE NEW STATION WILL BE ON THE SAME SITE AS FIRE STATION 84, CREATING THE CITY OF HOUSTON FIRST PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLEX.
THE PROJECT IS IN DESIGN AND SOON TO BE COMPLETED AND WILL BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN FULL 2022, SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN FALL 2023.
THE NEW POLICE STATION WILL BE CONSTRUCTED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING SYSTEMS AND LEAD STANDARDS.
ALL RIGHT, THIS, THIS IS MY LAST SLIDE.
AND, UH, I WOULD TELL YOU, THEY, WE DO HAVE THIS WEBSITE THAT WE HAVE ENGAGED HOUSTON FOR PUBLIC WORKS, AND THERE IS A CARD OUT THERE WITH THE QR CODE.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL, YOU CAN GO THERE ON YOUR PHONE AS WELL AND ASK US QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, YOU CAN HAVE ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER FOR ANY PROJECT THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN TO GET NOTICES AS CHANGE, UH, THINGS CHANGE FOR THE PROJECT.
THAT, UH, THAT TAKES CARE OF, UH, UH, MIKE, YOUR UNIVERSITY'S POINT OF VIEW.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE CIP, THIS WILL BE A GOOD TIME.
UH, IF YOU'VE GOT A CARD, IF YOU'LL PASS THE CARDS UP AND WE'LL TRY TO DO THIS JUST AS, UH, EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO MIKE, IF ONE, IF YOU'LL CALL OUT THE NAMES, LET'S GET STARTED.
UH, I'M FROM THE NAC NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE.
I'M A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF NORTHEAST HOUSTON.
AND, UH, ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS, YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF, UH, MAJOR THOROUGH AFFAIRS.
YOU KNOW, HERSCH ROAD,
UH, MY CONCERN IS IN THE, THE INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL AREAS, MY,
[01:40:01]
ME, MYSELF, I, I RESIDE IN, UH, THE LEGAL TERM IS GLEN MANOR, BUT THE, UH, WE CALL IT ROSEWOOD.UH, I SAW NOTHING ABOUT THE OPEN DITCHES.
THAT'S OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY.
AND I SAW NOTHING THAT ADDRESSES THE, UH, MAINTENANCE OF, OF THE OPEN DRAINING SYSTEMS IN HOUSTON.
THAT AFFECTS MY, MY, MY, MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, CONST LATER, TASHA, FOR SUPPORTING OUR BUDGET AMENDMENT.
WE HAVE SUBMITTED A BUDGET AMENDMENT, UH, FOR OPEN DRAINAGE MONIES TO ADDRESS THE, THE ISSUE THAT WE, THE HISTORICAL ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH IN THIS AREA WITH FLOODING.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT KNOWN.
AND MY CONCERN IS, AS I SAID, THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES THAT'S AFFECTED, YOU KNOW, ROSEWOOD, SCENIC WOODS, HENRY PLACE, AND ALL THOSE AREAS.
YES, WE DO HAVE, UH, THE, THE REHABILITATION AND, AND ALL THAT FOR, UH, DRAINAGE THAT GOES THROUGH THE SWAT AND THE LDP.
SO, UH, IT IS PERFECTLY ALL RIGHT FOR YOU TO CALL 3 1 1 FOR US.
YOU, YOU CAN CALL THAT AND, AND IT IS ALL RIGHT TO CALL IT OFTEN AS WELL.
BUT, BUT ALSO, UH, WE DO INVESTIGATE THESE, THESE DITCHES, UH, AND DO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, CLEARING OUT OR REGRADING ON A, ON A REGULAR BASIS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THAT WE CAN WITHIN THE LIMITED FUNDS THAT WE HAVE, SIR.
SO PLEASE, THERE'S, THERE'S A TABLE THERE, VALERIE, AND, AND LET US KNOW.
AND THEN ALSO MY OFFICE REQUEST THAT WHEN YOU DO CALL 3 1 1 AND THEY GIVE YOU THE REFERENCE NUMBER, REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE.
I THINK WE HAVE SOME POSTCARDS OUT THERE JUST INSTRUCTING YOU TO CALL THREE ONE ONE, THEN CALL OUR OFFICE WITH THE NUMBER AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP AND WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ISSUE IS GETTING TAKEN CARE OF.
AND IT'S BEEN WORKING VERY WELL.
SO JUST REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE.
THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER FOR HAVING ME.
MAYOR, I GOTTA ASK YOU A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT HUD MONEY? UH, NOW I KNOW WITH THE LAWSUIT, DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT, IF THE STATE IN EIGHT MORE DAYS IS ABLE TO PRESSURE, I'M SORRY, THE, UH, HUD IS ABLE TO PRESSURE THE STATE TO RELEASE MORE MONEY FOR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES FOR, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ILLS.
WE'LL BE MORE MONEY BE ALLOCATED TO OUR COMMUNITIES.
WE THINK THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS ENTITLED TO ABOUT A BILLION DOLLARS.
THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN, IN ADDRESSING FLOODING AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, PRIMARILY IN COMMUNITIES LIKE KMIR, UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THE CITY, ALL OVER, ALL OVER THE CITY.
BECAUSE I WAS ON M-S-N-B-C YESTERDAY ABOUT THIS.
AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW.
THIS LAWSUIT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR FUNDING FOR OUR, OUR REGION.
A LOT OF THESE SURROUNDING COUNTIES HAVE A BELIEF, A FALSE BELIEF THAT HOUSTON TAKES CARE OF ITSELF.
BUT WHAT THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT AS THEY IGNORE THE POOR IN THEIR COUNTIES, AND I'M NOT SAYING WE'VE BEEN IGNORED, BUT I'M SAYING THE FACT WE, THE, THE EQUITABLE FUNDING IS NOT THERE.
AND SO THAT BEING SAID, DO ANYBODY KNOW THAT GRAINGER, TEXAS USED SOME, SOME OF THAT MONEY FOR RECOVERY TO BUILD A PAVEMENT, WALK PAVEMENT DRIVEWAY TO WALMART FOR $4.3 MILLION TO SAY THE REASON WAS SO FIRST, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS CAN HAVE ACCESS TO CASE THE HIGHWAY IS CLOSED.
SO THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, MAYOR, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU.
AND YES, THANK YOU FOR AN UN ARTICLE AS WELL, UH, IN THE WASHINGTON POST ABOUT THAT.
SO YES, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FUNDING THAT WE ARE RECEIVING, IF IT'S, IF IF THEY'RE GOING TO ALLOCATE MORE MONEY, THEN THIS MONEY NEEDS TO BEEN B AND D AND WHATEVER TO IT ADDRESSES WHAT IT'S INTENDED TO ADDRESS ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS FOR THAT FELICIA LIGHT.
I JUST WANNA ADDRESS, UM, AND KNOW THERE'S NOTHING WRONG.
UM, 'CAUSE MAYOR, YOU'VE COME OUT, I'VE SEEN JEFF, BUT AT HIGHLAND PARK
[01:45:01]
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE ON THE 50 50, BUT EVERY TIME THAT IT COMES UP, WE SEEM TO KEEP GETTING PUSHED FURTHER AND FURTHER BACK.NO, HIGHLAND, HIGHLAND PARK IS, IS A PART OF, UM, MY 50 50 INITIATIVE.
AND THAT'S A PARK THAT'S GOING TO BE ATTENDED TO BETWEEN NOW AND NEXT YEAR.
SO HIGHLAND PARK IS, IS ON THE LIST.
MY THING IS, IS THAT WE'RE GETTING GRANTS FROM I, 'CAUSE I'M WORKING ON GRANTS.
SO WE GOT THE BUILDING REDONE WITH MEMORIAL HERMANN RIGHT.
AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHEN WE'RE CALLING 3 1 1.
'CAUSE I TAKE PICTURES EVERY MORNING WHEN I'M WALKING AND I'M SENDING THEM IN.
BUT I TALK TO PARK PARKS BOARD WHEN THEY COME OUT.
I SPEAK TO EVERYONE WHEN THEY COME OUT.
YOU'RE REFERRING TO HIGHLAND PARK? YES, SIR.
HIGHLAND PARK, JUST LIKE, UH, UM, HOBART TRAILER PARK, THERE ARE ABOUT FIVE PARKS THAT ARE A PART OF THE LIST.
AND THOSE, THOSE PARKS WILL BE ADDRESSED, UH, BETWEEN NOW AND I WOULD SAY THIS SPRING.
LIKE I SAID, I APPRECIATE, 'CAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE COME OUT AND I'VE, Y'ALL SEEN ME WALK IN IN THE MORNING WITH THE SENIORS.
IT'S JUST A SAFETY THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S GETTING DONE.
IT'S SLOWLY BUT SURELY GETTING DONE.
I WILL TELL YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW EVERYBODY'S GOT A LONG I HAVE, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THINGS.
I HAVE PERSONALLY ADDED, UH, HIGHLAND PARK TO THE LIST.
HI, TASHA JACKSON, COUNCIL MEMBER, ALL OF Y'ALL.
I'M JUST KIND OF PIGGYBACKING ON WHAT FELICIA SAYS BECAUSE, UM, PREVIOUSLY DESOTA PARK, THAT'S NOW HIGHLAND PARK, IT'S WORSE THAN CARVER PARK NOW WINDSOR PARK.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ON THE LIST OF THINGS TO GET DONE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE.
HUEY WILSON, DID I PRONOUNCE THAT RIGHT? SORRY? HUEY.
I THINK THEY CAN HEAR ME ANYWAY.
UH, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM IS MORE GRATEFUL FOR TASHA JACKSON THAN I AM BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK.
UH, SHE'S RECRUITED US ALL TO BE ON COMMITTEES AND INVOLVED IN THINGS THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN.
AND SO I MUST GIVE YOU KUDOS AND TO YOUR TEAM BECAUSE YOU SOUGHT US OUT AND SAID, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE BEEN ASKING FOR.
AND SO YOU'VE GOTTA WORK ON THEM.
BUT, UM, I, I DO HAVE AN ONGOING ISSUE.
I WAS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER TALKING ABOUT THIS.
I'VE TALKED TO TASHA'S OFFICE ABOUT IT.
THE 3 1 1 APP DOES NOT FUNCTION.
AND IN A COMMUNITY LIKE TRINITY GARDENS, AND I'M SORRY, I'M HUEY GERMAN WILSON.
I'M PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 48, WHICH IS TRINITY HOUSTON GARDENS.
IN A COMMUNITY LIKE OURS WHERE WE SEE A HUGE AMOUNT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING, WE'RE SEEING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, UH, ILLEGAL FENCES THAT ARE NINE FEET TALL METAL FENCES THAT ARE NINE FEET TALL, UH, NUISANCE ON PROPERTY.
WE'RE SEEING TRUCK YARDS AND PALLET YARDS GOING UP DAILY THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THAT, THAT ARE NOT PERMITTED.
AND NOT, AND NOBODY'S INVESTIGATING.
WE DO, WE HAVE NOTORIOUSLY DONE 2, 3 2 TO 303 1 1 REQUEST IN A MONTH.
WHEN WE DID THAT BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO DO IT ON THE APP, WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH 3 1 1 TO HELP THEM FLESH THAT APP OUT SO THAT IT WORKED WELL FOR US BECAUSE WE UNDERSTOOD FROM YEARS GONE BY THAT THE ONLY THING THAT WE GET OUT OF THE CIP IS WHAT'S PUT INTO 3 1 1 THAT YOU GUYS DIRECTLY ADDRESS US BASED ON WHAT COMES INTO 3 1 1.
WE'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING INTO 3 1 1 BECAUSE I CAN'T PUT 20 REQUESTS ON A PHONE CALL.
THE PEOPLE AT THREE ONE ONE ARE REAL NICE, BUT THEY'RE NOT TAKING 20 REQUESTS A DAY FROM ME.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY, SHOULD HAVE A 3 1 1 APP THAT DOESN'T WORK.
AND THEN YOU ASK US TO CALL IT, OR, AND SOME PEOPLE CAN CALL, THEY HAVE A ONE OF ISSUE, BUT WE HAVE 20, WE COULD EASILY HAVE 20 TO 30 ISSUES A DAY THAT I USED TO DRIVE AROUND WITH MY PHONE FLIP A COUPLE OF TIMES.
HOPEFULLY THE POLICE DIDN'T CATCH ME AND REPORT ON ISSUE
[01:50:01]
AFTER ISSUE AFTER ISSUE.AND THEN THERE'S STILL A MATTER OF CALLING TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOUR ISSUE, THAT YOU HAVE A GOOD NUMBER ON THAT ISSUE.
BUT FOR THE 3 1 1 APP TO NOT WORK IS A DISGRACE TO US.
AND CHAIRMAN WILSON, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST, IF YOU'VE GOT LIKE 20 AND 30 I WAS WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER TO TURN THOSE REQUESTS OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON AND THEN LET US WORK ON IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
BUT IF YOU, IF YOU'RE PUTTING IN THAT NOT THAT TYPE OF VOLUME TO 3 1 1 AND THEY'RE GETTING THOSE CALLS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY, THERE ARE ABOUT A MILLION CALLS THAT COME INTO 3 1 1 ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
SO WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND, IF YOU GOT THAT SORT OF LIST, TURN THAT OVER TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND THEN LET US WORK ON THOSE MATTERS WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER.
BUT WHEN THE APP FUNCTIONS, I CAN GO BACK TO THE APP VERY SIMPLY AND RUN A REPORT ON WHAT I'VE REPORTED ON.
I UNDERSTAND IT'S A ONE, IT'S A, IT'S A TWO STEP PROCESS.
WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SUGGESTING IS A THREE OR FOUR STEP PROCESS BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE CONTINUOUSLY CALLING RAIN AND MARY ASKING FOR AN UPDATE OR EMAILING PEOPLE ASKING FOR AN UPDATE WHEN WE HAVE A APP THAT SH AN APP THAT SHOULD FUNCTION FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND WE, AND WE ARE HEARING YOU AND WE ARE ROLLING OUT A NEW APP TO ADDRESS THAT.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I THINK WHAT'S THE END GOAL IS THE RESULT IS GETTING IT DONE AS WE ROLL OUT THE NEW APP, WE'VE HEARD YOU, I KNOW YOU WERE, YOU WERE BEFORE AS A CITY COUNCIL AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
BUT WHAT I WILL SAY, IF YOU'LL PROVIDE THAT LIST TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER OR PROVIDE YOUR LIST TO, TO ASHA FRANCIS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, THEN LET US WORK ON IT COLLECTIVELY TO ADDRESS THOSE MATTERS AS WE ROLL OUT, UH, THE NEW APP.
I JUST DON'T THINK THAT'S AN EFFICIENT USE OF MY TIME.
NO, I'M SAYING THAT NO, NO, NO.
AND AND WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED THAT, BUT IT'S JUST, WE, YOU PAY THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR AN APP AND IT DOESN'T FUNCTION IT THAT GRIPES ME AS A TAXPAYER.
BUT YOU HEARD WHAT I SAID, THAT WE ARE ROLLING OUT A NEW APP.
AND I, THEY TOLD ME IN JANUARY IT'D BE READY IN A FEW MONTHS.
AND WHEN I TALKED TO CHARLES JACKSON THE OTHER DAY, HE SAID IT'LL BE A FEW MORE MONTHS.
AND SO IN THAT TIME, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE MISSED THAT THE CITY HAS MISSED FROM US NOT BEING ABLE TO REPORT BECAUSE WE TRAINED PEOPLE ON HOW TO USE 3 1 1 IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SO THAT THEY COULD SIMPLY DO THE APP.
WELL, I'M SO, IT, IT'S DEFEAT US BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE TO RETRAIN OUR COMMUNITY TO USE A APP THAT IS TO THEIR BENEFIT, BUT IT DOESN'T WORK.
SO I, THAT'S MY COMMENT ON THAT AND, AND I I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR RESPONSE.
UH, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, TRINITY GARDENS PARK IS THE LAND GRANT PARK IN TRINITY GARDENS.
IT HAS NEVER SEEN ANY WORK DONE TO THAT PARK.
WE'VE HAD A FEW UPGRADES TO PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT AND WHATNOT, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO SEE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR LAND GRANT PARK.
IT'S A PARK ACROSS THE STREET FROM CASHMERE HIGH SCHOOL THAT COULD BE BETTER UTILIZED.
WE DIDN'T GET ANY REAL ATTENTION, UH, UH, AT, AT THE PARK UNTIL SOMEBODY WAS SHOT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.
UH, WE'VE ASKED FOR SAFE, WE HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS THERE BECAUSE THE STUDENTS, UH, GO TO THE PARK AND THEY NEVER MAKE IT TO SCHOOL.
AND SO WHEN WE CALL ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DON'T WANNA TOUCH IT.
UH, CONSTABLE ROSEN'S OFFICE DOESN'T WANNA TOUCH IT.
AND THEN ALL OF THAT AROUND, WE HAVE SENIORS AND COMMUNITY THAT COULD UTILIZE THAT PARK IF IT WERE IN SOME CONDITION FOR US TO USE.
BY THE TIME I GO THROUGH ONE GATE AS A SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR, THEY'RE GOING OUT THE BACK GATE.
SO WE NEED, WE, WE NEED SOME CON SOME ISSUES RESOLVED AT THE PARK.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT IMPROVE SO THAT WE CAN USE IT.
UH, IT'S RIGHT NEAR A RAILROAD TRACK.
AND UH, BUT WE'VE GOT LITTLE KIDS THAT COULD PLAY THERE.
WE'VE GOT THE KIDS FROM CASHMERE THAT COULD SPEND QUALITY TIME ON THE BASKETBALL COURT THERE, BUT EVERYBODY'S AFRAID OF THE PARK BECAUSE IT'S IN SUCH A DEPLORABLE CONDITION.
SO I'M ASKING CAN IT BE ADDED TO YOUR 50 50 PLAN SO THAT WE CAN SEE SOME REAL RESULTS AROUND THAT PARK? IT IS ON THE LIST.
'CAUSE I DIDN'T SEE IT ON THE THING, SO, ALRIGHT.
YEAH, IT'S ON THE
THAT'S NOT ALL, THAT'S WHAT YOU SAW TONIGHT ARE NOT ALL THE PARKS.
BUT THERE ARE 350 LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS IN THE CITY AND WE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS AS MANY AS WE CAN IN TERMS OF SIGNIFICANT
[01:55:01]
UPGRADES.BUT THAT ONE HAPPENS TO BE ALREADY ON THE LIST.
AND IN TERMS OF DRAINAGE, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING IN BONITA BAR IN BONITA GARDENS, WHICH IS PART OF DISTRICT B AND OUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, AND IF I, I'D, I'D LOVE TO DIG IN ON THE MAPS TO SEE WHAT OTHER WORK IS BEING DONE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR LIBRARY AND WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT LAURA COPY BEING COMPLETED.
AND SO TO HAVE THOSE DRAINAGE ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED IN A VERY, UM, UH, UH, AN AN EXPANSIVE WAY SO THAT IT, IT HELPS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY BECAUSE NO, TRINITY GARDENS DOESN'T FLOOD FROM NORMAL RAIN FROM HURRICANES.
WE, WE FLOOD FROM NORMAL RAIN EVENTS BECAUSE OUR CULVERTS ARE TOO SMALL OR THEY'RE COLLAPSED OR THE DITCHES HAVEN'T BEEN DREDGED OUT.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE ON THE, ON YOUR, IN, IN YOUR, ON YOUR RADAR AND BEING HANDLED.
SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THAT.
KYLE MARNER, MARK MARONEY, RIGHT? YES.
UM, I HAD, I DID HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
I WANTED TO KNOW, WHAT DOES THE, I I SAW THAT WHOLE RIGHT TO THE PARK WAS ON THE PLAN FOR THE 50 50 IMPROVEMENT.
50 50 IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THE PARKS.
I WANTED TO ASK, UH, WHAT DOES THAT IMPROVEMENT LOOK LIKE? UM, WHAT, WHAT WILL IT INCLUDE? UM, IN TERMS OF THE PLAN BEING IMPROVED? I MEAN, IN TERMS OF THE PARK BEING IMPROVED, UH, WE, WE GO OUT AND WE DO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EACH ONE OF THE PARKS THAT HAVE, THAT'S DESIGNATED, THAT'S CHOSEN, WE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY OUT THERE, THE PARKS REC DEPARTMENT, WORK WITH THEM ALONG WITH THE PARKS BOARD.
AND THEN WE PUT FORTH A PLAN TO MAKE THE IMPROVEMENTS.
EACH ONE, ALL THE PLANS ARE CUSTOMIZED FOR THAT PARTICULAR PARK.
AND I ALSO WANT TO PUT, UH, EXTRA ATTENTION ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF CITY GAS.
UH, THAT'S THE NEIGHBORHOOD I GREW UP IN AND THAT'S THE NEIGHBORHOOD I CURRENTLY RESIDE NEXT TO MY PARENTS.
UM, IT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS A 20 YEAR, UH, LIFE EXPECTANCY DIFFERENCE, UM, IN THE CITY, UH, I MEAN IN THE COUNTY OF HARRIS COUNTY.
SO, UM, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT CITY GAS IS ALL CONSIDERED WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WORD IS THROWN ON A LOT.
UM, BUT OFTENTIMES, UM, IT IS SOMETIMES SOMETHING THAT IS USED AS A PLACEHOLDER.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, IF IT DOESN'T START WITH CITY GAS, IF IT DOESN'T START WITH NORTHEAST HOUSTON, IF IT DOESN'T START WITH DISTRICT B, UH, THEN IT SHOULD BE SET.
UM, CITY GAS IS ALREADY ON THE LIST AND WE'RE WORKING WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER.
WHAT WAS THAT THE NAME? DONNA.
I JUST WANNA SAY I'M LOOKING AT MY MAYOR.
AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL I, I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO BE IN ALL YOU GUYS TO BE IN ALL OF OUR MEETINGS 'CAUSE WE HEAR A LOT OF GOOD STUFF IN THESE TYPE OF MEETINGS.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT CIVIC CLUB 5 76, UM, THERE'S AN AREA ON UM, TID WELL AND ROSLYN ON TID WELL, AND ROSLYN, THERE'S A LIGHT AND IN BETWEEN APRIL AND MAY, THERE HAVE BEEN LIKE FOUR ACCIDENTS.
THERE ARE HOUSES, NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT RIGHT THERE ON THAT CORNER.
UH, THERE'S A HOTEL THAT BELONGS TO, UH, OUR, UH, CIVIC CLUB.
AND CARS ARE ALMOST HITTING, ALMOST HIT THE HOUSE WHEN IT HAD THE ACCIDENT AND ALMOST HIT HIS HOTEL AS A MATTER OF FACT, BENT A BAR THAT'S RIGHT THERE, I THINK.
DID THEY HIT THE BUILDING? DID IT HIT YOUR BUILDING OR GOT COME CLOSE TO HITTING THE BUILDING? YEAH, WHAT HAPPENED WAS, UM, THERE'S A LIGHT ALREADY THERE AND WHAT WE NEED IS WE DID CALL 3 1 1.
THEY DID DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THEY PUT A SIGN UP THERE THAT JUST SAYS YIELD.
BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T, YOU KNOW, JUDGE CORRECTLY AND THEY HAVE AN ACCIDENT.
SO TO CAUSE THEIR, SO THAT THERE'S NO OTHER LOSS OF LIFE, WE WOULD LIKE THERE TO BE A SIGNAL, LIKE A, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ARROW, 'CAUSE THERE'S A SIGNAL THERE, BUT THE ARROW THAT SAYS WHEN TO TURN, NOT JUST TO YIELD, BUT SAYS WHEN TO TURN.
AND I KNOW THAT THEY'RE SAYING THERE'S NOT A LOT OF ACTIVITY THERE, BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CARS THAT GO UP AND DOWN TIDWELL EVERY DAY.
AND SO WE'D LIKE FOR THAT TO BE ADDRESSED ALSO.
GIVE US THE NAME, GIVE US THE STREET.
YEAH, THE STREET IS TIDWELL AND ROSALYN.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, WHAT WAS THE OTHER? UM, I DOWN
WE CALLED AND WE ASKED, UH, METRO TO PUT A
[02:00:01]
TRASH CAN OUT THERE.THEY PUT A BENCH OUT THERE NEAR THE, UH, THERE'S A, UH, ON ROSLIN ON THE CORNER OF ROSLYN TIDWELL THAT'S ALSO A BUS STOP.
AND JUST LIKE I SAID, THE THE HOTEL THAT'S THERE BELONGS TO UH, AUBREY DA DAVIS.
AND THE PEOPLE WHEN THEY GET ON THE BUS ARE THROWING TRASH ON THE GROUND.
HE'S HAVING TO USE HIS OWN PERSONAL TRASH CAN TO, YOU KNOW, SO WE WERE ASKING THEM TO PUT A TRASH CAN, JUST A TRASH CAN OUT THERE.
SO THEY PUT A BENCH OUT THERE INSTEAD.
BUT WE'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY GET THAT TRASH.
WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO DIRECTOR WILL FARK AND LET'S SEE IF HE CAN, MAYBE IT'LL WORK BUT WITH METRO, BUT DIRECTOR WILL FARK IS OVER SOLID WASTE.
SO WHY DON'T YOU GET WITH HIM? I APPRECIATE THAT.
I ALSO WANNA GIVE KUDOS TO RAIN.
WHO WORKS WITH MS. TASHA? UH, JACKSON.
I, WE REPORTED THAT THERE WAS SOME, SOME RESIDUE, UH, LOTS OF, YOU KNOW, TRASH AND STUFF ON A, ON A, A, A PARTICULAR BLOCK ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE MY DAUGHTER LIVES.
AND THE PEOPLE CAME THE NEXT TIME I WENT THERE, WHICH IS LIKE THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
SO I WANT, THIS IS RAIN RIGHT HERE.
SO I WANT TO SAY GETTING IN TOUCH WITH OUR
UH, I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO FOLLOW THAT
UM, JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, UM, WOULD YOU MIND EXPLAINING THE REASONING BEHIND, UM, DOING MORE WIDENING OF THE DITCHES RATHER THAN BUILDING OUT CURB AND GUTTER INSTEAD? OKAY, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
TECHNICALLY, ACTUALLY, DITCHES HAVE MUCH MORE WATER CAPACITY THAN IN LINE PIPES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WHEN YOU BUILD A CURB AND GUTTER, YOU HAVE TO PUT THE UNDERNEATH STORM FACILITY TO MATCH THE SAME CAPACITY THAT THE DITCH HAS.
SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO, INEXPENSIVE FOR THAT MATTER, TO PUT A STORM RAIN.
BUT IN GENERAL, ACTUALLY ROADSIDE DITCHES HAVE MORE WATER CARRYING CAPACITY DURING A FLOODING EVENT.
SO WE, WE MAINTAIN OUR DITCHES AND UH, UM, THAT'S HOW WE DO.
FIELDS NAME AGAIN? GWEN GWEN JONES FIELDS.
MAYOR TURNER, COUNCILWOMAN TASHA JACKSON, RAIN, ALL THE HEADS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON HERE TONIGHT, AS WELL AS MY COMMUNITY AND THE LEADERS.
I WANT TO BE IN ORDER AND I HAVE TO ASK FIRST FLOOR SPEAKING, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M NOT.
I WANT TO, UH, BRING ATTENTION TO SOMETHING THAT WE ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH AND THE YORKDALE COMMUNITY RIGHT OFF OF WEST TC JUST IN THE 6,300 BLOCK AND ALSO IT'LL FLOW DOWN TO WHITE OAK TERRACE COMMUNITY.
FOR THE LAST YEAR, I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD DISTRICT TO ASSIST WITH A DRAINAGE BEHIND OUR HOMES.
THAT DRAINAGE IS A WATER CHANNEL THAT LEADS OUT TO WHITE OAK BAYOU.
I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE RUNAROUND.
I UNDERSTAND HOW THE CITY AND THE HARRIS COUNTY AND ALL THESE ENTITIES WORK.
SO YOU BE PATIENT, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TOLD SO MANY UNTRUTHS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO.
FIRST I WAS TOLD THAT THE WATER CHANNEL BELONGED TO THE CITY, WHICH I TOLD HIM NO, THEY DO NOT.
THEY SENT ME TO PRECINCT ONE, SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE THERE.
THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY DO NOT DEAL WITH THE WATER CHANNELS.
THE PROBLEM THEY BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION AS I LIVE CLOSE AND I WALKED TO AS SHE WAS ADDRESSING HIGHLAND HEIGHTS PARK, WHICH WE ARE SAYING TO REVITALIZE IT AND DO ALL THIS, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO REVITALIZE AND DO IT WHEN IT EROSION.
WHEN IT IS FALLING INTO THAT WATER CHANNEL.
THE BOUNDARIES WHERE THE FENCE IS, THE LAND IS, IS ALL THE
[02:05:01]
LAND IS RIGHT THERE ON IT.WHERE DEEP SINK HOLES IS IN THE PARK.
SINKHOLE ARE BECOMING BEHIND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SOME OF THESE HOMES WAS BUILT IN 19 LATE SIXTIES AND THEY'RE ELDERLY.
SO THEY, THEIR FIGHT IS A LITTLE, IT IS NOT AS STRONG AS I THINK, I THINK I'M STILL A LITTLE YOUNG.
SO I'VE BEEN THERE FOR 21 YEARS AND I KNOW WHAT HARRIS COUNTY IS SUPPOSED TO DO, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING.
BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN MAINTAINING AS MUCH AS JUST TWO TIMES A YEAR MOWING.
BUT IT'S TREES THAT HAVE FALLEN ALSO IN WHITE OAK.
THEY DON'T EVEN DO THAT IN WHITE OAK IN THAT SUBDIVISION THAT UH, UH, WHAT'S THEY CALLED IT? UH, UH, THANK YOU.
CUL-DE-SAC DOWN AT THE CUL-DE-SAC DOWN THERE.
THE NEIGHBORS THERE HAVE FLOODED OUT AT LEAST THREE TO FOUR TIMES.
OKAY? AND WHEN YOU START INVESTIGATING, AND I'M LOOKING IN THE BACK, BUT OUT OF THE PARK IS A OUTFALL PIPE.
IT'S TWO OF 'EM THAT'S DRAINING.
ONE FROM A YARD DOWN RIGHT THERE THAT YOU CAN SEE 'EM, A TREE IF A TREE'S STANDING THERE AND IT LOOK LIKE YOU PUT THE TREE JUST INTO THE WALL AND ALL THE ROOTS AND IT'S FALLING OVER NOW.
IT'S A BRIDGE CAN THAT LEADS ACROSS TO THE PARK.
WHY I HAVE SOMEONE FOR PUBLIC WORKS COME OUT AND VISIT WITH YOU AND WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH, WE ENGAGE WITH THEM QUITE A LOT.
THEY DO HAVE A WIDE OAK IMPROVEMENT THAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
SO LEAVE ME YOUR CARD AND WE CAN GET YOU TO DEAL WITH, WE CAN ASSIST YOU.
UH, MAYOR, I WILL GIVE KUDOS AS A CITY WORKER.
YOU ALL, I KNOW THINGS IS DIFFERENT.
YOU KNOW HOW YOU SAY WITH 3 1 1 AND ALL THIS.
SO ON SOME THINGS IT TAKES A LITTLE PATIENCE.
'CAUSE I UNDERSTAND HOW BIG THE CITY IS AND THE NUMBER EMPLOYEES THAT WE DO HAVE THERE.
BUT PUBLIC WORKS HAS BEEN THERE, THEY'VE CAME OUT, THEY'VE TAKEN PICTURES, AND THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN, ENGINEERING CAME THE PLANNING, THEY CAME, THEY HAVE BEEN OUT THERE TRYING TO ASSIST ME WITH IT, BUT AS YOU SAY, WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD, UM, YEAH, BUT WHAT, WHAT I WANT THEM TO DO IS PUBLIC WORKS TO THEN GET IN TOUCH WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL AND LET THEM WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
SO I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN OUT THERE, BUT LET'S, LET'S HAVE PUBLIC WORKS WORK WITH THE HAR HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT TO GET THE MATTER RESOLVED.
SO SHOULDN'T BE JUST YOU, YOU CAN TURN IT OVER TO US AND MIKE ALREADY.
I'LL WORK WITH THEM AND WE'LL, THAT'S RIGHT.
WELL, YES, I'VE TURNED, I REPORTED IT TO, UH, MY COUNCILWOMAN, UH, RA TO ALSO TRY TO FOLLOW UP, BUT THEY JUST KEEP KICKING THE CAN.
SO, OH, CAN I HAVE A NUMBER OF A CONTACT SO THAT I, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT GET MIKE'S NUMBER? OKAY.
I'LL GIVE YOU MY CARD AS WELL.
FRED WOODS, WHAT'S THE LAST, OKAY, IF YOU HOLD ON, WE'LL BE WRAPPING IT UP IN A FEW MINUTES, OKAY? YEP.
AND OF COURSE, AGAIN, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, JACKSON.
I WANNA CLEAR UP ONE THING THAT YOU SAID, MIKE.
UH, WHAT'S YOUR LAST NAME? TI SAY IT AGAIN? TI TI YES.
MR. TI UM, THE CITY TODAY IS NOT IN CHARGE OF CLEANING DITCHES IN FRONT OF HOMES MM-HMM
DO, DO YOU AGREE THAT WAS A MISSTATEMENT THAT YOU MADE A FEW MINUTES AGO? DO YOU AGREE THE THE OWNER HAS A RESPONSIBILITY OF CLEANING UP AND MOWING AND MAINTAINING.
AND SO EVEN IF AN OPEN DITCH HAS GREATER FLOW OR, UH, CAN TAKE ON GREATER CAPACITY, I THINK THAT'S THE WORD YOU USED, UH, THAN A UNDERGROUND, UH, STORM DRAIN SYSTEM.
IF IT'S NOT CLEARED BY THOSE HOMEOWNERS, NOT THE CITY, THEN IT'S NOT GONNA DO VERY MUCH.
WILL IT? WELL, LEMME JUST, LEMME JUST PREFACE IT BY SAYING THAT MAY BE THE INITIAL RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WE ALSO AS A CITY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE WATER IS FLOWING AND THE DRAINAGE.
SO JUST LIKE SIDEWALKS FOR EXAMPLE, THAT'S RESPONSIBILITY OF HOMEOWNERS IN FRONT OF THE HOUSES.
BUT NONETHELESS, WE WILL STEP IN WHERE WE CAN TO GET THOSE THINGS FIXED.
SO IT MAY BE THE INITIAL RESPONSIBILITY, BUT WE'RE SIMPLY NOT GONNA LET THINGS BACK UP.
AND, AND WOULD THAT BE THROUGH THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM THAT YOU WOULD IDENTIFY THOSE ISSUES TO COME OUT? THAT'S ONE WAY OF DOING IT OR GETTING WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS? ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT, OR JUST CONTACTING,
[02:10:01]
UH, PUBLIC WORKS AS ANOTHER? CONTACTING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS ANOTHER.WELL, I, I WANT TO ECHO WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, UH, MR. MAYOR AND OTHERS, UH, FROM OTHERS.
UH, ONE RECOMMENDATION THAT I MIGHT HAVE IF THE APP ALREADY DOESN'T HAVE IT, BECAUSE I, I, I SAW SOME FRUSTRATION, UH, FROM YOU.
UH, GIVEN THE VOLUME OF CALLS THAT YOU GET, IS THAT DISPLAYED ANYWHERE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THE VOLUME OF CALLS AS WELL AS ANY METRICS FOR COMPLETION? UH, WHETHER IT BE DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY? GO AHEAD, SIR.
3 1 1 GETS MORE THAN A MILLION CALLS ANNUALLY, SO IT IS HEAVILY, HEAVILY USED.
NOW, WE HAVE HEARD SOME COMPLAINTS WHEN WE THOUGHT WE WERE UPGRADING 3 1 1, UM, BUT APPARENTLY THERE'S STILL SOME GLIT GLITCHES THERE.
SO WE ARE ROLLING OUT A NEW APP, UH, TO MAKE IT MUCH MORE FUNCTIONAL AND MUCH MORE EFFICIENT.
WILL THOSE METRICS THAT I I TALKED ABOUT BE DISPLAYED ON THE APP OR SOMEWHERE ONLINE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE VOLUME IN REAL TIME AS WELL AS THE CHECK COMPLETION RATE? CHECK? LEMME CHECK.
'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA GIVE YOU AN ERRONEOUS ANSWER THAT, THAT WOULD BE A RECOMMENDATION FOR ME.
UM, NEXT, I, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, BECAUSE DISTRICT B HAS, UH, ONE OF THE MAIN OR MAJOR AIRPORTS IN THE CITY, AND I NOTICED ON THE PROJECT LIST THAT THERE ARE SOME, UM, PROJECTS GEARED TOWARDS GETTING TO AND ALSO SERVICING, UH, THE AIRPORT AREA.
UM, WHAT, HOW DO YOU, UH, PRIORITIZE THOSE NEEDS VERSUS THE NEEDS OF NEIGHBORHOODS? THE AIRPORT IS A, IS PRETTY MUCH FUNDED THROUGH AN, THROUGH THE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S SEPARATE AND APART FROM THE CIP GOING HERE, THE AIRPORT HAS ITS OWN CIP SEPARATE AND APART FROM THE CIP WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT, IF, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT GREENS ROAD, THAT'S ONE IN THE CITY JURISDICTION, THAT'S THE CITY'S JURISDICTION.
AND SO I I WAS TALKING ABOUT, UM, PRIORITIZATION.
SO IF THERE'S A PROJECT ON A ROAD THAT'S OWNED BY THE CITY THAT LEADS TO THAT MAJOR AIRPORT, WHAT PRIORITY DO YOU GIVE IT VERSUS SAY, HOMESTEAD THAT LEADS TO A NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOODS? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND.
CAN YOU HELP ME THERE? NO, I MEAN, WE KIND OF LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS.
IT'S NOT LIKE THE AIRPORT, A STREET LEADING TO THE AIRPORT GETS HIGHER PRIORITY.
WE SIMPLY TAKE A LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE PROJECTS WITHIN EACH ONE OF OUR DISTRICTS, AND THEN WE MAKE A DETERMINATION BASED ON THE RESOURCES THAT EXIST.
SO IT'S NOT, IT'S, THE AIRPORT IS NOT GONNA GET, THE AIRPORT IS NOT GONNA GET PRIORITY BECAUSE THERE'S A STREET HEADING TO THE AIRPORT, LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.
SO, UH, A RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE THAT THERE BE SOME GREATER TRANSPARENCY TO PRIORITIZATION OF, UH, THE, THE PROJECTS.
IS IS THAT SOMETHING YOU CAN LOOK AT? WE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WE VOTE ON THE, UH, CIP EVERY, LET'S SAY LATE EVERY IN JUNE IS WHEN WE VOTE ON THE CIP PROGRAM.
I'M GONNA TACKLE ANOTHER AREA.
MIKE, UH, MR. SAY YOUR LAST NAME AGAIN.
TI TI MR. RETTI, UH, I NOTICED THAT ON YOUR SLIDE YOU TALKED ABOUT START AND COMPLETE A DATE, BUT THAT WAS TYPICALLY DEALING WITH CONSTRUCTION.
SO IT'S HARD FOR ME AND THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY.
IS THAT CORRECT? IF, IF YOU HAVE, THERE IS A LIST THAT IS ON THE TABLE OVER THERE YES.
THAT HAS THE LIST OF PROJECTS.
YOU CAN GO LOOK AT THOSE, WHICH HAS THE FISCAL YEAR AS WELL, BUT ALSO THE, THE BEST PLACE REALLY TO SEE EVERY PROJECT IS IN WITH THIS, THIS CIP IT IS ON THE WEBSITE.
THE CIP IS PUBLISHED ON THE WEBSITE EVERY TIME IT SHOWS WHERE THE FISCAL YEAR IS AT AND WHERE IT'S PROGRAMMED WITHIN THE FIVE YEARS.
SO I DON'T THINK YOU GOT MY QUESTION.
ON YOUR SLIDES, UHHUH, THE START AND END DATES OR STARTING COMPLETION DATES ARE ONLY ABOUT CONSTRUCTION.
CONSTRUCTION, IS THAT CORRECT? THESE, THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT WERE SHOWN HAVE BEEN DONE OR UPCOMING PRETTY SOON, BUT THE TIMELINE ONLY ENCOMPASSES CONSTRUCTION.
AND SO WHAT, WHAT I WOULD ASK IS THAT YOU ALSO ADD, BECAUSE IT'S VERY HARD FOR ME TO SEE WHEN THESE INITIAL, THESE PROJECTS WERE ACTUALLY PROPOSED AND OR SELECTED.
AND SO I HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW LONG A PROJECT HAS BEEN IN QUEUE VERSUS JUST CONSTRUCTION WHEN IT'S BEEN STARTED AND COMPLETED.
COULD YOU WE HAVE A FIVE YEAR CIP.
IT IS A FIVE YEAR CIP AND SO EVERY FIVE YEARS NOW, EVERY YEAR YOU WILL SEE THE PROJECTS FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
SO IT'S A FIVE YEAR PERIOD OF TIME.
NOW, SOMETIMES PROJECTS MAY COME IN WITHIN THE FIVE YEARS, BUT THEY MAY BE DELAYED.
FOR EXAMPLE, HURRICANE HARVEY 2017, HURRICANE HARVEY BECAME THE PRIORITY.
SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS, BECAUSE OF FUNDING GOING TO HARVEY, PROJECTS THAT WERE DAMAGED, WERE PUSHED FOR, UH, FORWARD.
BUT IT IS A, IT IS A FIVE YEAR CIP.
UM, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ECHO FROM MS. UH, MS. WILSON ABOUT OUR PARKS.
[02:15:01]
UM, REALLY QUICK, I, I, I HAVE A, A DAUGHTER WHO'S THREE, SHE'LL BE FOUR NEXT WEDNESDAY.I'D LIKE TO USE, I I LIVE IN NORTHWOOD MANOR.
I'D LIKE TO USE THE PARKS AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD OR IN MY COMMUNITY, BUT OFTENTIMES THEY'RE NOT SAFE FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.
AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO, UH, EITHER HELP THE POLICE OR SOME TYPE OF ENFORCEMENT, UH, TO, TO, TO GET NOT JUST THE EQUIPMENT, THE PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT, BUT THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THOSE PARKS ARE IN THE ENVIRONMENT WE ARE SPENDING ALREADY, WE ARE SPENDING ANOTHER $2 MILLION AND ADDING 15 ADDITIONAL PARK RANGERS ON TOP OF THE PARK RANGERS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE SPECIFICALLY FOR OUR PARKS.
UH, AND, AND, AND LASTLY, UH, MR. RETTI, I, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED IN ONE PROJECT THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
I KNOW FROM MY WORK WITH, UH, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS UNITED, UH, ALONG WITH, UH, UH, THE BAYOU CITY INITIATIVE, UH, WHOSE LEADERSHIP IS JIM BLACKBURN OUTTA RICE UNIVERSITY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED TO, AS A COMMUNITY, LIKE, UH, THE, THE PEOPLE IN THESE YELLOW SHIRTS TACKLE OUR OWN ISSUES WITH DRAINING AND COME UP WITH, UH, BEST PRACTICES OR SOLUTIONS.
BUT ONE, UH, PIVOTAL THING, AND AND YOU SAID IT, YOU WORK WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, YOU WORK WITH OTHER ENTITIES.
UH, THE LADY BEFORE ME MENTIONED WORKING WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT MM-HMM
THERE, THERE IS NO, UM, THERE IS NO GROUP, UH, THAT CROSSES OVER THESE ENTITIES THAT HAS THE COMMUNITY'S INPUT TOGETHER, OR, OR THAT WORKS TOGETHER WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE'RE HAVING TO GO INDEPENDENTLY TO PUBLIC WORKS.
WE'RE HAVING TO GO INDEPENDENTLY TO HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT.
AND FOR INSTANCE, YOU MENTIONED OUTFALLS.
BUT I KNOW FROM MY WORK WITH SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS UNITED AND FROM WALKING THE TRIBUTARIES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, THE COUNTY HAS TO GIVE YOU NOTICE THAT THERE'S AN ISSUE WITH OUTFALL.
WOULD THAT BE CORRECT? THE THE CITY DOESN'T GO DOWN THE COUNTY'S TRIBUTARY.
WE CANNOT WORK IN THEIR JURISDICTION.
SO YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE OUTFALL.
BUT, BUT WE WORK WITH THEM IN EVERY PROJECT WHEN WE HAVE TO OUTFALL.
I'M, I'M, I'M NOT DEBATING THAT YOU WORK WITH THEM OR HOW YOU WORK WITH 'EM TODAY.
I'M, I'M ASKING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY.
ONE QUESTION, BECAUSE WE, WE, YEAH, WE CAN'T BE HERE ALL NIGHT.
UH, BUT WHAT I'M ASKING FOR VERY SPECIFICALLY IS THAT THERE IS COMMUNITY INPUT AND THE CREATION OF SOME TYPE OF REGULAR MEETING THAT HAS BOTH CITY, COUNTY, AND ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE TACKLING THESE FLOODING ISSUES SO THAT YOU CAN GET MORE TRANSPARENCY AND MORE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.
HAVE MANY MORE QUESTIONS? OH, WE HAVE ONE MORE.
NEXT QUESTION AND THEN WE'RE GONNA BE WRAPPING IT UP.
WHO'S NEXT? CARLA WYATT, I'M SORRY.
SANDY, YOU CAN'T JUST JUMP IN FRONT OF ME LIKE THAT.
YES, I LIVE ON MANSFIELD STREET AND WE HAVE A BUILDER THAT BOUGHT A ON MY STREET AND HE FILLED IT UP OVERNIGHT WITH, WITH OUR SAND.
AND THE CITY SAID, YOU, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT REGULATES THE WHOLE AREA.
NOW WE ARE ALL FLOODING BECAUSE OF THIS.
THEN YOU NEED TO GIVE US YOUR, GIVE US THE ADDRESS.
WE, DID HE DO IT? DID HE DO IT RECENTLY? 5 0 1 AND ALREADY SAID HE HAD SENT AN EMAIL TO MY COUNCILWOMAN.
DID HE DO IT RECENTLY? I'M SORRY.
DID WHEN DID HE DO IT? THIS IS ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AND THE CITY TOOK HIM TO COURT LAST YEAR.
AND ACTUALLY SENT ME A REPORT ABOUT THAT, BUT WE NEVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED.
MAKE SURE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE IT AND LET US TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I DON'T HAVE A COMPLAINT, A GRIPE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, MAYOR, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE SCHOOL PARK PROGRAM WITH THE SPARK PARK PROGRAM.
SEVERAL OF YOUR STAFF MEMBERS WERE THERE THIS MORNING WITH ME AT A DEDICATION AND ON BEHALF OF THE LATE ELEANOR TINSLEY, UH, KATHLEEN OBE AND AS A SPARK PARK BOARD MEMBER, WE TRULY APPRECIATE ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING TO HELP CONVERT SOME SCHOOL PARKS TO PARKS WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN USE THEM OUTSIDE OF THE CITY PARKS.
WHAT'S, WHAT'S, WHAT'S YOUR NAME? THANK YOU, FRED.
UH, ONE, ONE THING, AND I'LL BE VERY BRIEF.
[02:20:01]
MEETING AND STARTED, NOT TO SAY THIS ONE SENTENCE, BUT MY GODMOTHER, MRS. CORA JOHNSON, TAUGHT ME TO SPEAK UP AND LOOK OUT BECAUSE I AM MY BROTHER'S KEEPER.I JUST WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING THAT IS CLOSE AND DEAR TO OUR STRUGGLE IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON.
FLOODING IS ONE OF THE MAJOR INEQUITIES.
I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT IN NORTHWOOD MANNA SINCE 1971.
I GREW UP IN CENTRAL GARDEN ON THE HEMPSTEAD HIGHWAY.
NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE, BUT THE WORST THING THAT I'VE, I'VE ENCOUNTERED THE P 1 25 FLOOD DITCH.
THAT'S THE MAIN TRIBUTARY FOR TRANSPORTING FLOOD WATERS OUT OF NORTHWOOD MANOR.
WE PARTNERED WITH SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS, FORMED THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE GROUP, AND WORKED CLOSELY WITH BCI BAYOU CITY INITIATIVES TO GET ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON WHY WE WERE FLOODING.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES, EITHER WITH THE CITY OR HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT BEING MADE MAINTAINED, THE TRIBUTARY HAD NOT BEEN DISTILLED.
AND THAT'S THE MAIN TRIBUTARY TAKING FLOOD WATERS OUT OF A NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS AND 2017, WHEN HARVEY CAME, THEN EMELDA, WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED LOOKING AND WE NEED YOUR HELP.
WE ARE ENTERING ANOTHER SEASON WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS HERE.
SOME OF THE DISTILLING HAS STARTED, BUT IF YOU DON'T CLEAR THE FLOOD CHANNEL ALL THE WAY THROUGH, CLEANING ONE SPOT, AND THEN THE NEXT BLOCK, THE FLOOD CHANNEL IS STOPPED UP WITH WHATEVER, WE DON'T WANT TO FLOOD AGAIN.
WE ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR THE ASSISTANCE AND THE CARE THAT YOUR OFFICE, AND ESPECIALLY CONGRESS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN TASHA.
WE ARE, WE ARE VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT.
WE HAVE TO COME DOWN OFF THE MOUNTAIN.
WE WILLING TO WORK, GO OVER AND BEYOND OUR CALL OF DUTY, BUT CLEANING OUR DITCHES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, CUTTING DOWN TREES OFF OF UTILITY LINES, TRYING TO GET, UH, ILLEGAL DUMPING OUT OF THE FLOOD CHANNELS.
WE NEED YOUR HELP MORE SO, AND ESPECIALLY SINCE OUR AREA OF TOWN, NORTHEAST AREA HAS NOT BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY.
WELL, IT'S, IT'S ALSO A BIGGER ISSUE WITH RESPECT TO THE FLOODING.
AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, CONGRESS APPROPRIATED $4.3 BILLION SPEC FOUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO MITIGATE FLOODING 4.3 BILLION.
BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE THE MONEY DIRECTLY TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO THE MONEY WENT TO THE STATE.
THE STATE AND HOUSTON HARRIS COUNTY EXPERIENCED HALF OF THE DAMAGES FROM HURRICANE HARVEY.
YOUR STATE LEADERSHIP HAS NOT GIVEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON ONE DIME OF THAT MONEY.
[02:25:01]
AND THAT'S WHY HUD HAS SAID TO THE STATE JUST RECENTLY, THEY, THEY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES SPECIFICALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR NOT ALLOCATING ONE DIME OF THAT 4.3 BILLION WITH THAT MONEY, A BILLION DOLLARS.WE COULD DO A, A LOT OF WORK IN PROVIDING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, SPECIFICALLY IN THE NORTHEAST AND IN OTHER COMMUNITIES.
THOSE ARE HIGH DOLLAR PROJECTS.
AND SO THOSE DOLLARS HAVE NOT COME TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO WE ARE HAVING TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN ON OUR OWN, BUT THE RESOURCES ARE NOT THERE TO REALLY DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MITIGATE THE RISK OF FLOODING.
AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE JOINING IN WITH HUD AND WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN TO SECURE THE DOLLARS THAT SHOULD BE COMING TO HOUSTON, SPECIFICALLY FOR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PRONE FOR FLOODING.
THE NORTHEAST HAPPENS TO BE ONE, BUT STILL WE FLOOD, BUT STILL WE FLOOD.
AND WE HAVE HOMES MAYOR THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN REPAIRED SINCE HARVEY.
AND, AND IT'S, IT'S NOT ONLY JUST THE FLOOD SEASON.
WE GET A HEAVY RAIN AND EVEN A LIGHT RAIN SOAR BACKS UP IN THE HOUSE.
YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR YARD FLOODS, YOUR VEHICLES FLOOD, YOUR FLOOD INSURANCE GOES UP, HOME INSURANCE GOES UP.
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AT SOME POINT IN TIME.
SOME IMPROVEMENTS NEED TO BE MADE OR SHOULD BE MADE IN COMMUNITIES WHERE HISTORICALLY THEY HAVE BEEN UNDERSERVED.
WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO PUT UP THE BIKE TRAILS AND THE BELLS AND WHISTLES WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE IN HOMES DYING.
IT, IT'S THE ONLY THING I'M ASKING, LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT I DO, BUT I DON'T WANT US TO BRUSH ASIDE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS MONEY THAT APPROPRIATED SPECIFIC WE NO, NO, NO.
BUT I DON'T WANT US TO BRUSH ASIDE THAT FACT.
SEE, I KNOW IT'S FRUSTRATING, BUT WHEN DOLLARS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED SPECIFICALLY FOR HOUSTON MM-HMM
SPECIFICALLY FOR, FOR, FOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PRONE TO FLOOD AND HAVE FLOODED IN THE PAST, WE JUST CAN'T JUST, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY'S APPROACHING THE CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU GOTTA APPROACH THE STATE TOO.
AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT WELL, BUT WE, WE ARE HOMES THAT ARE IN THE GLOW HOMES, UH, THE, UH, TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE ON THE WAITING LIST.
LET ME ASK JUST LIKE, JUST LIKE WHEN WE HAD THAT, THE GLO PROGRAM MM-HMM
IF THE CITY DIDN'T DO SOMETHING TO PUT US ON THE LIST, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO CALL THE SAME MEDIA ON THE STATE AND DON'T GIVE THEM A, THE ONLY THING I HEAR YOU.
AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING ON OUR PART.
AND THAT'S WHAT, WHAT I'M ASKING, JUST WHAT THE CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.
AND WE ARE GOING TO, WE HAVE GONE TO BAT IN OTHER MEETINGS WITH TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
WE HAVE HAD MEETINGS HELD IN THE CITY WITH HUD STAFF AND TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
WE HAVE ALSO WORKED WITH CITY OF HOUSTON.
WHEN WE INITIALLY HAD THE PROGRAM, WHEN THE MONIES WERE ORIGINALLY HERE, WE MET AND PUT IN OUR APPLICATION AND YOU APPLIED.
THEY DENY WE APPEAL, THEY DENY.
BUT WE JUST NEED TO SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT IT AND WHERE WE WANT TO ESTABLISH EQUITY BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S NO FUN.
MAYOR BEING IN THE HOUSE FLOODED.
UH, THE CAJUN ARMY DOESN'T, DOESN'T COME DOWN.
I'M, I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.
AND IT IS, IT IS HORRENDOUS TO BE IN A SITUATION AND LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT YOU KNOW IS PRONE TO FLOOD.
I'M, I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU.
[02:30:01]
ARE NOT EVEN IN THE FLOOD ZONE.BUT MS. SMITH, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THE STUDIES, THE H AND H STUDIES ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN, IN NORTHWOOD MATTER.
AND IT SHOULD BE COMPLETE ACCORDING TO PUBLIC WORKS, UM, THIS JUNE.
AND THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH, UM, THE OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, THE REPAIRS, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF 15 PROJECTS.
I MEAN, AND, AND THE MAJORITY OF OUR PROJECTS ARE IN, IN, IN STUDY STAGE RIGHT NOW.
SO AS YOU GUYS SAID, THERE WAS NO STUDIES DONE IN THE NEXT.
SO THE STUDIES ARE BEING DONE NOW, AND THEN ONCE THEY DONE, THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THE REPAIR.
SO THEY ARE, I MEAN, WE ARE WORKING.
I MEAN HE, WE HAD TO PULL SOME RESOURCES SOMEWHERE TO, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES.
AND THEN ALSO JUST TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION, I MEAN, I'M NEW TO THE CITY HALL, BUT I SEE THE CHALLENGES THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAVE WITH THE DOLLARS BECAUSE OF THE REVENUE CAP.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO WE ARE, AND THEN OF COURSE WITH THE GLOBE, NOT, NOT GIVING US THE RESOURCES WE NEED TO DO THE FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS, BUT WE'RE MOVING DOLLARS AROUND.
WE TRYING TO FIND RESOURCES EVERYWHERE.
WE'RE COLLABORATING CLOSE CLOSELY WITH HARRIS COUNTY AND JUST KNOW YOU HAVE AN ADVOCATE IN ME, I KNOW IN CITY HALL AND WE APPRECIATE.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA GET THESE PROJECTS DONE.
I, I'M, I'M WORKING BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN ON THE LIGHT POLE TOGETHER WHEN WE COULD NOT GET ANYBODY OUT FROM CENTER POINT TO REPAIR AN OUTAGE WHERE TREES HAD WRAPPED AROUND THE LIGHT POLE BEFORE THE STORM EVEN STARTED.
AND THE TREE AND THE LIGHT POLE HAD CAUGHT ON FIRE AND WE WERE PUT ON HOLD.
THIS HAPPENED BEFORE THE STORM EVEN CAME INLAND LIGHTS WENT OUT.
AND, AND OF COURSE THEN OF WE'RE WORKING TO CUT THOSE.
AND SO WE GOT, AND, UH, YOU CAME OUT MM-HMM
TO WORK WITH US ON THAT MM-HMM
AND WE DON'T EXPECT A MIRACLE.
PRAYER DOES CHANGE THINGS, BUT IT ALSO SAYS YOU MAKE ONE STEP, HE'LL MAKE TWO.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND REALIZE THAT YES, WE ARE DOING SOMETHING, BUT THE LIVELIHOOD OF WHATEVER OUR EFFORTS ARE IS DEPENDENT UPON HOW SERIOUSLY AND HOW SWIFTLY WE AMEND.
AND IF, AND IF THAT'S THE MAJOR TRIBUTARY, THE P 1 25 DITCH FLOOD CHANNEL THAT TAKES THE WATER OUT OF OUR AREA AND ALL OF THE OTHER LITTLE OPEN DITCHES, THE ORPHAN DITCHES WHERE CITY OR COUNTY DON'T OWN OR CLAIM THE ORPHAN DITCHES.
SO MANY THINGS, BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
AND I'M ASKING SOMEBODY TO SIT DOWN WITH THE COMMUNITY JUST BEING PRESENT OR COMING OUT AND WALKING AND LOOKING.
AND WE HAVE TWO DRAINS ON EVERY CORNER.
WE'VE TURNED IN THE 3 1 1 TICKETS, CHARLES AND JACKSON FROM THE 3 1 1 DEPARTMENT IN MONROE HAVE BEEN OUT TO DO THE 3 1 1 TICKETS FOR DRAINS, CLEARING OUT THE DRAINS ON THE CORNER.
AND MS. SMITH, WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU, UM, WE'LL GET WITH YOU AND WE'LL GO OVER ALL THE PROJECTS BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF PROJECTS.
AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE A, OUR DISTRICT BE BRIEFING ON SATURDAY.
WE'LL BE GOING OVER ALL THE PROJECTS.
WE'LL BE, YOU KNOW, RECAPPING THIS CONVERSATION AND THEN TALKING ABOUT MORE.
COME OUT ON SATURDAY AND IF NOT, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU NEXT WEEK.
I JUST WANNA SAY THIS RIGHT QUICK IN LIGHT OF WHAT SHE SAID, AND IN LIGHT OF WHAT THE MAYOR JUST SAID, WHAT IS THE APPROACH THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TOWARD THE STATE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THIS GRIEVANCE? TO BE ABLE TO GET THE MONEY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE? CAN YOU TELL US WHAT TO DO? YES.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE STATE GLO AND IN THIS CASE, THIS COMMISSIONER GEORGE BUSH.
HE IS, HE IS THE, OVER THE STATE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
THEY CONTROL THE $4.3 BILLION THAT THE FEDS SEND DOWN SPECIFICALLY TO MITIGATE FLOODING CAUSED BY, LET'S SAY FROM HARVEY.
[02:35:01]
SO YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE, YOU NEED TO REACH OUT TO THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.IT'S COMMISSIONER GEORGE BUSH AND ASK THAT THE DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROPRIATED FOR HOUSTON OKAY.
AND THAT'S APPROXIMATELY $1 BILLION FOR HOUSTON ALONE.
BECAUSE THESE PROJECTS COST, AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE DOLLARS, THEN YOU'RE JUST, YOU'RE JUST WAITING.
AND, AND I'M CO-FOUNDER OF NORTH.
WE, ALONG WITH TEXAS HIGHWAYS ARE A GROUP THAT FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE G UP OUT DISCRIMINATION.
WE ARE TRYING TO GET HELP AT HOUSTON AND THE COUNTY AND ALL THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
SO WE, THIS IS ALL ONGOING FIGHT.
WE GOING TAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE DEPART OF JUSTICE AFRICA.
AND THEN JUST A REMINDER, GUYS, WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING ON THE 25TH, SO YOU CAN ALWAYS COME OUT AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA DO THE SAME THING ON THE 25TH.
UM, WE GOT MISS COURTNEY, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA CLOSE OUT.
UM, I KNOW IT'S GETTING LATE AND I KNOW THE MAYOR NEED TO GO.
WE NEED TO GET SOME REST, SO, OKAY, GOOD.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF, UH, SUPER CLUB 5 76.
AND I KNOW THIS IS ABOUT REDISTRICT AND, UH, DISTRICT B, BUT MY QUESTION IS, THE CIVIC CLUBS, DO THEY COVER ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CIVIC CLUB? I MEAN, IT'S REALLY HARD TO GET THE CIVIC CLUBS BACK ACTIVE WHEN, UH, THERE'S SO MUCH NEED AND MAYBE THEY DON'T SEE ANY RESULTS.
AND THEN ANOTHER ISSUE IS, UH, THE ZONING.
HAVE THEY DEFINED THE ZONE, REDEFINED THE PRECINCT ZONES SO THAT THE CIVIC CLUB MEMBERS WOULD KNOW WHAT THEY BOUNDARIES ARE.
UH, THE LAST MEETINGS WE HAVE WITH MRS. RAIN, WE WERE COMING HERE MEETING, AND THIS HAS BEEN ON THE TABLE NOW FOR OVER SIX OR EIGHT MONTHS, WAITING TO GET SOME TYPE OF, UH, BOUNDARIES AND REFERENCES TO WHAT ENTAILS OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR PRECINCT.
AND WE HAVEN'T GOT THAT INFORMATION AS, AS OF YET.
WELL, WITH RESPECT TO YOUR CIVIC, UH, CLUBS AND YOUR BOUNDARIES, LET ME ASK YOU WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
THAT LADY RIGHT THERE, DIRECTOR FRANCIS, SHE CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR BOUNDARIES.
AND WE, WE, WE ARE IN A, UH, VASTLY DEVELOPING COMMUNITY THERE.
THERE'S ALL KIND OF BUILDING AND PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN AND WE DO REALLY DO HAVE A SERIOUS NEED FOR THE SAFETY AND THE WELFARE OF THE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, TIDWELL IS DANGEROUS WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE LEFT TURN IN FRONT OF HOMECOMING TRAFFIC, THE PINE MA, YOU CAN'T GET OUT IN THE MORNING BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE, UH, THERE'S NO TRAFFIC LIGHT DOWN THERE.
SO WE HAVE SOME NEEDS AND I THINK THAT WE CAN GET SOME OF THOSE ISSUES TAKEN CARE OF.
WE CAN HAVE A LOT BETTER PARTICIPATION WITH THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY WOULD.
UM, I COME HERE AND I'M REPRESENTING, UM, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 49 50.
UH, OUR VICE PRESIDENT, MS. UH, VICKI MARTIN JUST GOT HERE, BUT SHE ASKED ME TO SPEAK, UM, UH, JUST ABOUT SOME OF THE STREET LIGHTING.
UM, IN PARTICULAR THE STREET LIGHTING BETWEEN, UM, EAST LITTLE YORK AND NORTH WAYSIDE RIGHT THERE.
AND, UH, BEFORE YOU GET TO, OR THE HIGH SCHOOL OVER THERE, UM, NORTH FOREST HIGH SCHOOL, UM, STREET LIGHTING ON MESA FROM TIDWELL TO C KING WHERE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, EXPANDING AND STUFF.
UM, AND PRETTY MUCH JUST BASICALLY A MASTER PLAN FOR STREETLIGHTS, SIDEWALKS, AND BIKE LANES.
UM, ESPECIALLY ON TIDWELL RIGHT THERE BETWEEN, UM, MESA AND C KING, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO SIDEWALKS.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, RE STRIPPING OF THE INTERSECTION AND EXPLAN AND YELLOWING OF THE CURBS OVER THERE, OFF THE 4,500 BLOCK OF NORTH WAYSIDE TO THE 10,000 BLOCK OF NORTH WAYSIDE.
AND THAT'S, UM, SPECIFICALLY LIKE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD 49 50.
UM, AND SO I ALSO REPRESENT THE VERDE FOREST CIVIC CLUB.
I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT AND THERE WAS A PLANNING FOR THE CIP PROJECT FOR THE VERDE FOREST PARK.
UM, SO MY OPINION IS THAT, UM, WE NEED A MASTER PLAN FOR THAT PARK THAT INCLUDES THE COMPLETE RENOVATION OF WORKOUT AREAS, TABLES, IMPROVED SEATING, SHADING, AND UM, FAMILY AREAS TO REPLACE THE PLAYGROUND.
ONLY WOULD BE AN INCOMPLETE PROJECT OR PROPOSAL.
[02:40:01]
TO BE UPGRADED.UM, THE BENCHES ARE ERODED, THE WORKOUT EQUIPMENT IS BAD, THERE IS NO SHADING.
UM, AND THE, THE BROCK PARK ADVENTURE PARK, WHICH IS LIKE JUST ACROSS THE STREET, HAS, UM, 1, 2, 3, 4 PROPOSED PROJECTS.
TWO OF THEM ARE ALREADY IN, I MEAN, WELL, ONE OF THEM IS ALREADY COMPLETE.
SO WE'RE ASKING FOR EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF THE FUNDING IN THE AREA.
WE DON'T WANT JUST THE PARKS THAT ARE CONNECTED THROUGH THAT, THAT BEAUTIFUL, UM, THE BEAUTIFUL TRACK THAT THEY PUT THROUGH TO CONNECT ALL THE BAYOU.
WE DON'T JUST WANT THE PARKS ON THAT SIDE OF THE STREET THAT WILL BE CONNECTED THROUGH THAT PROJECT TO BE WORKED ON.
ALSO, WE HAVE A PARK AT NORTH WAYSIDE.
UM, IT WAS THE OLD Y IT WAS ACQUIRED IN 2018, AND THERE HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY NO RENOVATIONS DONE TO IT.
THEY JUST TOOK AWAY THE NEED FOR THE 13 FOOT EASEMENT.
WELL, THERE IS A 13 FOOT EASEMENT BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK AND THE PARK FENCE.
WE ARE AFRAID OF DOGS COMING FROM THE BACKYARDS.
THERE ARE PROPERTIES THAT ARE VACANT AND ABANDONED, LIKE HE SAID RIGHT HERE.
WE NEED SAFETY, WE NEED OUR PARKS TO BE SAFE.
AND SAFETY WOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE TRACKS THAT IS A PREDOMINANTLY SENIOR WALKED TRACK.
IT IS, IT IS ALMOST DISRESPECTFUL TO PUT A BEAUTIFUL BIKE TRAIL JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET, BUT TO NOT FIX THE BIG GIANT HOLES THAT ARE IN THE PARK THAT IS USED EVERY SINGLE DAY BY A WALKING CLUB OF SENIORS, OUR GRANDPARENTS.
I WOULD LIKE, AND, AND LIKE MS. MARY SAID, WE DON'T JUST WANT OUR PROJECTS PUT ON THERE.
OKAY? THE GUY FROM NORTHEAST ACTION, HE SAID IT BEST IF YOU CALL 3 1 1 2, MANY TIMES YOU GET BLACKBALLED AND BLACKLISTED.
YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW I HAVE BEEN BLACKBALLED AND BLACKLISTED.
I WAS TOLD TO START A CIVIC CLUB AND DO ALL THIS THING, P**S SOMEBODY OFF.
NOW THEY GO AROUND ME, THEY GO THROUGH ME, THEY DO EVERYTHING.
BUT WORKING WITH THE PERSON WHO'S MAKING THE COMPLAINT EVERY DAY, CALLING EVERY DAY, I REPRESENT MY ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD AS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF MY CIVIC CLUB.
NOT JUST ONE ME, BUT 2, 300, 400, HOWEVER MANY PEOPLE ARE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THAT'S JUST MY SENTIMENT FOR THAT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO BE INCLUDED, NOT JUST LOOKED AT.
I, I KNOW I DIDN'T PUT MY NAME IN AND I SEE HALF THE ROOM IS CLEARED OUT.
UH, SOME OF YOU MIGHT ALREADY BE, UH, FAMILIAR WITH THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE AND THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE ARE THE LIAISONS WHO ARE ASSIGNED TO EVERY AREA IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO HELP YOU ALL SOLVE A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HEARD TONIGHT.
SO WHETHER IT'S A CONSTITUENT AND WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE, RAIN, MANY OF YOU HAVE MENTIONED HER.
HOW MANY OF YOU ALL KNOW KELLY BRADFORD? HOW MANY OF YOU ALL KNOW A I? THOSE ARE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THAT OFFICE.
SO SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE THAT ARE NOT DIRECTLY ADDRESSED TONIGHT, CONTINUE, UH, REACHING OUT TO THEM SO THAT THEY CAN HELP YOU GUYS WORK THROUGH AND NAVIGATE THE PROPER CHANNEL THROUGH THE CITY SO WE CAN GET YOU SOME RESULTS AND SOME RELEASE.
SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT REMINDER FOR YOU ALL IN TONIGHT.
WELL THAT CONCLUDES OUR MEETING.
UM, JUST A REMINDER, WE WILL BE HAVING THIS MEETING AGAIN ON THE 25TH VIRTUALLY TO GET THE LINK.
REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE, SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER SO THAT YOU CAN GET THE LINK.
UM, AND HAVE A BLESSED NIGHT AND BE SAFE.