* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] JUNE 1ST, 2022. ITEM ONE, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF A RESIDENTIAL PARKING PERMIT AREA IN THE 1300 BLOCK OF MOY STREET PARK. 51 5200 BLOCKS OF ALLEN, 100 BLOCK OF AVONDALE, SOUTH SIDE 2200 BLOCK OF WHITNEY, 5,300 BLOCK OF ROADS, 31 TO 3,200 BLOCKS OF REBA. AND THEN THE 2000 BLOCK OF CONVERSE ITEM TWO, EXCUSE ME. RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $897,690 AND NO CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH HANCOCK POOL SERVICES, INC. FOR CONSTRUCTION SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH DENVER HARBOR POOL RENOVATION. ITEM THREE, EX ASYLUM DEWATERING SOLUTIONS, INC. FOR APPROVAL OF SPENDING AUTHORITY THROUGH THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR COOPERATIVE PURCHASING WITH HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL FOR THE PURCHASE OF SUBMERSIBLE TRASH PUMPS FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM FOUR, ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE CONTINUATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF ARTICLE SIX, A SECTION ONE OF THE CITY CHARTER AUTHORIZING CERTAIN TRANSFERS, MAKING OTHER PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT. ITEM FIVE. ORDINANCE RELATED TO THE FISCAL AFFAIRS IS THE CITY APPROVING THE ANNUAL BUDGETS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023. THIS ITEM SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED AFTER PASSAGE OF ITEM FOUR ABOVE ITEM SIX. ORDINANCE RATIFYING THE ADOPTION OF FISCAL YEAR 2023 ANNUAL BUDGETS RAISING MORE REVENUE FROM AOR AND PROPERTY TAXES DUE TO INCREASED PROPERTY VALUATIONS AND THE ADDITION OF PROPERTY TO THE TAX ROW THAN IN FISCAL YEAR 2022. SETTING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. THIS ITEM SHALL ONLY BE CONSIDERED AFTER PASSAGE OF ITEM FIVE ABOVE ITEM SEVEN, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING PAYMENT TO HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER LGC FULL FISCAL YEAR 2023. OPERATING EXPENSES PURSUANT TO INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER LGC. THIS ITEM SHALL ONLY BE CONSIDERED AFTER PASSAGE OF ITEM FIVE ABOVE ITEM EIGHT, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING PAYMENT TO HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER, INC. FOR FULL FISCAL YEAR 2023. OPERATING EXPENSES PURSUANT TO FIRST INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY AND HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER, INC. THIS ITEM SHALL ONLY BE CONSIDERED AFTER PASSAGE OF ITEM FIVE ABOVE ITEM NINE. ORDINANCE DECLARING LAND OF APPROXIMATELY ZERO POINT 2,600 ACRE LOCATED AT 800 STU MONTHS STREET, IDENTIFIED AS PARCEL NUMBER SY 22 DASH OH NINE THREE AND KNOWN AS STUDENT ONE SPACE AWAY AS SURPLUS APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING PURCHASE AND SALE AGREEMENT FOR SAID LAND BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND TECH, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS AS SELLER AND BKR MEMORIAL LLCS BAYER ITEM 10, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE METHODIST HOSPITAL OF HOUSTON DBA HOUSTON METHODIST FOR HUMAN CADAVER BASED SIMULATION TRAINING FOR HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. ITEM 11, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT FOR MOVING AND STORAGE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND A PMS OF HOUSTON, L-L-C-D-B-A. OUR POINTS MOVING AND STORAGE FOR THE HOUSTON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. ITEM 12, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OUR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC. APPROVED BY ORDINANCE NUMBER 2014 DASH OH 5 34 FOR OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE PURE OXYGEN PLANT AT 69TH STREET. WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY TO EXTEND CONTRACT TERM FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM 13, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING 176,606 $176,606,190 AND 86 CENTS OUT OF CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. TAX INCREMENT FUNDS FOR REINVESTMENT ZONES. ONE LAMAR TERRY ZONE TWO, MIDTOWN ZONE THREE MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE ZONE FIVE, MEMORIAL HEIGHTS, ZONE SIX, EAST SIDE ZONE SEVEN, SPANISH TRAIL, ALAMEDA CORRIDOR ZONE EIGHT GULF GATE ZONE NINE, SOUTH POST OAK ZONE 10, LAKE HOUSTON, ZONE 11, GREATER GREENSPOINT ZONE 12, CITY PARK ZONE 1306 WARD ZONE 14 FOURTH WARD ZONE 15 EAST DOWNTOWN ZONE 16 UPTOWN, ZONE 17, MEMORIAL CITY ZONE 18 FIFTH WARD ZONE 19. UPPER KIRBY ZONE 20 SOUTHWEST HOUSTON ZONE 21 HARDING NEAR NORTH SIDE ZONE 22. LELAND WOODS ZONE 23 HARRISBURG ZONE 24 GREATER HOUSTON ZONE 25 HIGHER CLARK FORD BEND ZONE 26 SUNNYSIDE ZONE AND 27 MONTREAL ZONE FOR PAYMENT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING COSTS. PAYMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES, PAYMENT OF PROJECT COSTS AND PAYMENTS TO CERTAIN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES AS PROVIDED HEREIN. ITEM 14, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $66,118,127 AND 72 CENTS OUT OF TAX INCREMENT FUNDS FROM REINVESTMENT ZONES. ONE LAMAR TERRY ZONE TWO, MIDTOWN ZONE THREE, MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE ZONE SIX, EAST SIDE ZONE SEVEN OH SPANISH TRAIL, ALAMEDA CORRIDOR ZONE EIGHT, GULF GATE ZONE NINE, SOUTH POST OAK [00:05:01] ZONE 10, LAKE HOUSTON, ZONE 11, GREATER GREENSPOINT ZONE 12, CITY PARK ZONE 1306 WARD ZONE 14 FOURTH WARD ZONE 15 EAST DOWNTOWN ZONE 16 UPTOWN ZONE AND 18 FIFTH WARD ZONE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES, PAYMENTS TO HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AM INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND PAYMENTS TO CERTAIN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES AS PROVIDED HERE IN ITEM 15. ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A 20 FOOT WIDE UTILITY CORRIDOR SITUATED IN THE ELMORE SURVEY. ABSTRACT NUMBER 51 HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS. ITEM 16 ORDINANCE. FINDING AND DETERMINING THAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY NO LONGER REQUIRE THE CONTINUED USE OF A MORE OR LESS 5,450 FOOT LONG PORTION OF HIGH ROCK STREET, EAST OF LOCK FIELD STREET LOCATED BETWEEN LOTS 27 THROUGH 44, BLOCK EIGHT AND LOTS ONE THROUGH 18 BLOCK NINE OF THE ROSALYN EDITION IN THE JOSEPH BAY SURVEY ABSTRACT 1 27 HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS ABANDONING THE STREET PORTION TO RES BINGA PARTNERS LP, THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER IN CONSIDERATION OF ITS CASH PAYMENT TO THE CITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $141,020 AND NO CENTS AND OTHER GOOD AND VALUABLE CONSIDERATION. ITEM 17 ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF 4,786 SQUARE FEET OF CITY FEE OWNED LAND LOCATED IN THE RICH RICHARD WILLIAMS SURVEY ABSTRACT NUMBER SIX 60 MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TEXAS SELLING THE PROPERTY TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TEXAS AS A PART OF A WIDENING PROJECT FOR FORD ROAD IN THE PORTER AREA BETWEEN HIGHWAY 59 AND WESTLAKE HOUSTON PARKWAY IN CONSIDERATION OF ITS PAYMENT TO THE CITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $15,815 AND NO CENTS AND OTHER GOOD AND VALUABLE CONSIDERATION. ITEM 18, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE NORTH CANAL HIGH FLOW DIVERSION CHANNEL. CHANNEL PROJECT COST SHARE IN THE LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT FOR THE PHASE ONE AND PHASE TWO NORTH CANAL HIGH FLOW DIVERSION. CHANEL CHANNEL PROJECT ITEM 19 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATED $843,990 AND NO CENTS OUTTA WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND APPROVING AUTHORIZING PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND RPS INFRASTRUCTURE INC. FOR GROUNDWATER REDUCTION PLAN CONVERSION WATER LINES GROUP C AND PROVIDING FUNDING FOR CIP COST RECOVERY FINANCED BY THE WATER AND SEW SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND ITEM 20 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZED SECOND AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HR GREEN INC. ITEM 21 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND RG MILLER ENGINEERS INC. ITEM 22, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $21,862,944 AND NO CENTS OUTTA WATER AND SEW SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED THE CONSTRUCTION FUND OR IN THE CONTRACT TO BOYER INC. ITEM 23 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $7,914,000 AND NO CENTS OUT OF WATER AND SEW SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND AWARD AND CONTRACT TO BRH GARVER CONSTRUCTION, LLC ITEM 24. ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $2,601,309 AND NO CENTS OUTTA WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND AWARDING CONTRACT TO SPECIALIZE MAINTENANCE SERVICES INC. THAT'S THE END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA MATTER. SEAL ITEM 25. REVIEW ON THE RECORD AND MAKE DETERMINATION RELATIVE TO THE APPEAL FROM THE DECISION OF THE SIGNED ADMINISTRATION ON DENIAL. 11 ON PREMISE. SIGNED AT 7,007 GULF FREEWAY FILED BY STEPHANIE STEWART ON BEHALF OF CHICK-FIL-A. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THIS WAS ITEM 34 ON AGENDA OF MAY 25TH, 2022. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL SESSION OF JUNE 1ST, 2022. STATE TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM IN THE WORDS OF OUR FORMER CITY SECRETARY, MS. ANNA RUSSELL. SHE ALWAYS SAID DRIVE SAFE, DRIVE FRIENDLY, AND HAVE A NICE DAY. IN THE WORDS OF OUR CURRENT CITY SECRETARY, PAT JEFFERSON DANIEL, I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH THIS. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS TREAT EVERYONE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. HAVE A BLESSED AND FANTABULOUS DAY. THANK YOU MADAM SECRETARY. THANK YOU. MY NUMBER ONE FAN. HAPPY JUNE TO YOU. THANK YOU. SAME TO YOU. HURRY. OKAY, THANK YOU. GOOD [9:00 AM - ROLL CALL] MORNING. IT'S NINE. OH, IT'S 9 0 5 ON WEDNESDAY. JUNE THE FIRST, 2022. I'M MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. DO ORDER. WE HAVE THREE MEMBERS WHO WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. IS THE SCREEN ON? OH, LET ME CHECK. THEY MAY NOT HAVE TURNED ON THE MONITORS. WHAT YOU LOOKING FOR? THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? DID THIS HIT? [00:10:02] NO, THIS? YEAH. OKAY. LET'S GET THE MONITORS TURNED ON FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WILL BE JOINING US REMOTELY. WELL, I SEE IT UP THERE. I JUST DON'T SEE IT HERE. YEAH, SHE WAS TRYING TO TURN THESE LINES ON THERE. THAT'S ALL. LEMME JUST SAY, UM, UM, SO I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO WATER. UH, WE HAVE THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WILL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY TODAY. UH, FOR THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST BE VISIBLE ON CAMERA, UH, WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING. AND PLEASE, UH, POST IN THE CHAT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REC RECOGNIZED. UM, AND THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WILL BE THE IMPLICATION AND PLEDGE. THE CHAIR REC RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON INVOCATION FOR THE INVOCATION. FORGIVE ME. I'VE BEEN SICK, SO FORGOT. UM, BOW YOUR HEADS. HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US HERE TODAY. LORD, KEEP OUR SPIRIT CALM WITH THE PEACE OF YOUR PRESENCE. LORD, REMIND US THAT YOU CALLED US TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. LORD, REMIND US DAILY THAT YOU ARE THE ONE THAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW. IN JESUS NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. IF YOU PLEASE RISE FOR THE, UH, PLEDGE. OUR PLEASURE LEADING TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE COMING. OKAY, THE FIRST ORDER, UH, LET'S SEE. UM, MADAM SECRETARY, YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE MAYOR TURNER. HERE. COUNCILMAN PECK. HERE. COUNCILMAN JACKSON? HERE. COUNCIL MC KAMATH? NO, NOT YET. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. HERE. COUNCILMAN MAR. PRESENT COUNCILMAN THOMAS? PRESENT. COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN? PRESENT. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS? HERE. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS? HERE. COUNCILMAN POLLARD? HERE. COUNCILMAN CASTEX TATUM. HERE. COUNCILMAN KNOX? HERE. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. HERE. COUNCILMAN KOSH? HERE. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER HERE. AND COUNCILMAN ALCORN. HERE NEED [ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING] A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF APRIL 27, 26 AND 27. CASTEX TAYLOR, MOVE MARTIN. SECOND. SECOND, ROBINSON. THANK YOU. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO ADOPT THE AMENDMENT. AMENDMENTS. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED. UH, JUST A FEW QUICK REMINDERS TO THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS BEFORE WE BEGIN, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS JOINING US VIRTUALLY, UH, IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE MEETING, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW, THEN YOU CAN PROCEED TO HANG UP. UH, STATE YOUR NAME WHEN MAKING TAGGING OR SECONDING A MOTION. AND THEN FOR THOSE JOINING VIRTUALLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE, UH, CHAT WINDOW. UH, AND IF WE FAIL TO SEE YOU, PLEASE SPEAK UP AND I'LL, I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO RECOGNIZE YOU. UH, WHEN WE GET CLOSER TO THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS, I'LL HAVE SOME COMMENTS WITH RESPECT TO THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, THIS MORNING. UM, LET ME MOVE NOW, UM, TO THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. UH, LET ME CALL UP. WE'LL BEGIN WITH, UH, UH, COMPTROLLER CHRIS BROWN. AND THEN, UH, THIS MORNING, PRESENTING, UH, FOR THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT WILL BE THE ASSISTANT, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR WILL JONES, [REPORT FROM CITY CONTROLLER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY including but not limited to, a revenue, expenditure and encumbrance report for the General Fund, all special revenue funds and all enterprise funds, and a report on the status of bond funds ] CHARLIE BROWN. GOOD MORNING. UH, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING APRIL. CAN'T HEAR ME. I NEED SOME VOLUME. MAYBE NEED TO TURN THAT ON. [00:15:01] WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THAT. CAN YOU HEAR? YEAH. THAT, THAT ONE'S MUCH BETTER. CORRECT. TRY THAT AGAIN. THERE WE GO. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING APRIL 30TH. IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 315.5 MILLION FOR FY 22. THIS IS $10 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 148.3 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5%. OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS INCREASED APPROXIMATELY 15.5 MILLION FROM THE MARCH, 2022 REPORT, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE FOLLOWING CHANGES. PROPERTY TAX INCREASED BY ONE, UH, BY 11.1 MILLION, AND THAT WAS DUE TO HIGHER THAN EXPECTED RECEIPTS. SALES TAX INCREASED BY 7 MILLION. UH, THAT WAS DUE TO LARGER RECEIPTS IN PRIOR MONTHS. AND ALSO ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FISCAL YEAR. INCREASES ARE OFFSET BY A DECREASE IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUES OF 2.6 MILLION. AND THAT'S DUE TO MUNICIPAL SERVICE FEES TO BE DEDUCTED FROM THE REVENUES. COLLECTED EXPENDITURES WERE UNCHANGED FROM THE MARCH, 2022 REPORT. AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS, UH, WE ARE PROJECTING NO CHANGES, UH, COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS MONTH. FINALLY, OUR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS, ALL OF OUR VARIABLE RATE DEBT IS WELL BELOW THE 20% THRESHOLD. AND THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, DEPUTY FINANCIAL DIRECTOR WILL JONES, WHY DON'T WE TRY IT AGAIN? LET'S, EXCUSE ME. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. UH, THIS IS THE TEMPLATE TWO FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING APRIL 30TH, 2022. FISCAL YEAR 2022. PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON 10 MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS AND TWO MONTHS OF PROJECTIONS. OUR REVENUE IN THE GENERAL FUND, OUR REVENUE PROJECTION IS 91.6 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET, AND 11.1 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE NINE PLUS THREE REPORT. THE VARIANCE FROM PRIOR MONTHS PROJECTIONS ARE PRIMARILY DUE TO A 13.7 MILLION INCREASE IN GENERAL PROPERTY TAX DUE TO HIGHER COLLECTIONS. UH, 2.6 MILLION DECREASE IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED TERRORIST UNI, UH, MUNICIPAL SERVICE FEES. UM, OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTION IS 33.3 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM THE NINE PLUS THREE REPORT. WE'RE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THE ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 325.6 MILLION, WHICH IS 58.4 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET, AND 14.6% OF ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. THE FUND BALANCE IS 158.4 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGETED 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PEGO ON THE ENTERPRISE. SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS WE'RE PROJECTING NO FORECAST CHANGES, UM, FOR THOSE FUNDS OTHER THAN WHAT WAS REPORTED IN NON PLUS THREE REPORT. UM, AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KOSH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, BECAUSE I'M NOT ABLE TO SEPARATE THESE ITEMS. YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN VOTING NO EVERY, EVERY MONTH FOR THE LAST, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG, UH, BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU CON UH, CONTROLLER BROWN. UH, ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT I I'M HAVING IS WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO GET AFFORDABLE HOUSING HERE IN HOUSTON, DO YOU EVER, UH, IS THERE A MECHANISM WHERE AFTER WE GIVE THESE, UM, HOUSING CREDITS, TAX CREDITS, THAT WE CAN GO BACK AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE, THESE ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED AND THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET RE THIS, THIS REDUCED HOUSING FEE AND THESE APARTMENTS? DO WE HAVE A, DO YOU EVER AUDIT THAT YOURSELF? WE HAVE, UM, AUDITED. CAN YOU HEAR ME? NO, STILL CAN'T HEAR THAT. UM, WE HAVE AUDITED, UH, THE TURS 24 0 9 AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUND. AND THAT'S, UH, MONEY THAT'S SET ASIDE. UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW FROM THE PETITION TOURS, UH, A THIRD OF THEIR INCREMENT IS SET ASIDE INTO A FUND. UH, WE DID DO A, A AUDIT ON THAT, UM, SOME YEARS BACK. UM, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA WITH THAT IS WE WANNA MAKE SURE, TO YOUR POINT, THAT THOSE DOLLARS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TOWARDS, UH, THE CREATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. UH, THERE WERE FINDINGS IN THAT AUDIT, UH, AND I THINK THERE WERE SOME, UM, YOU KNOW, REVISIONS MADE TO POLICIES THAT ENSURE THAT MONEY ISN'T GOING AS WE FOUND IN THAT AUDIT TOWARDS ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, NOT ACTUALLY GOING TOWARDS, UH, CONSTRUCTION OF, OF UNITS. UM, SO I THINK THAT, UH, ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE A BETTER JOB WITH THAT AS, UH, [00:20:01] RELATED TO THE TAX CREDITS. I'M NOT SURE I WOULD DEFER THAT TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT. UM, BUT I WOULD SAY WITH THE CURRENT REAL ESTATE MARKET AND, YOU KNOW, RISING RATES AND ALL THESE DIFFERENT INCREASES IN COST OF HOUSING, I, I DO THINK THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS A REAL CHALLENGE, NOT ONLY FOR HOUSTON, BUT FOR CITIES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WELL, I BELIEVE WHAT I'M REALLY TRYING TO SAY IS IF WE'RE GONNA GIVE THESE CREDITS AND, AND, AND HELP TO HELP THE, THOSE WHO NEED HELP, THEN I THINK SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY'RE REALLY GIVING THESE, UH, THESE OUT TO THE CITIZENS WHO ARE NEEDING THEM. THAT'S, AND, AND IF YOUR DEPARTMENT DOESN'T AUDIT IT AND CHECK INTO IT, UH, THEN I, I'LL LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . COUNCILMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU AND FOR THE CONTROLLER, UM, ON THURSDAY, I GUESS WE WERE NOTIFIED THAT THE, UH, CENSUS REPORT CAME IN LOWER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED. I DIDN'T HEAR THAT IN YOUR REPORT EARLIER. UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE IMPACT THAT'S GONNA HAVE ON THIS YEAR'S BUDGET? AND MAYOR, MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS THE BUDGET THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED HAS THE CPI, UM, HIGHER AND THAT'S GONNA BE ADJUSTED? YES. OKAY. IT IS RED LINED AND IT'S, I THINK IT'S A $6 MILLION, UH, REDUCTION. CORRECT. WE'RE GONNA DO THAT TODAY, BRIAN? YES. OKAY. AND CONTROLLER, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF THAT, UH, ON OUR BUDGET? WELL, SPECIFICALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT POPULATION GROWTH, UH, WE LOOK AT OUR LARGEST SOURCE OF REVENUE, WHICH IS PROPERTY TAXES. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE'RE UNDER A, A REVENUE CAP PROPOSITION, ONE REVENUE CAP. AND THAT CAP FORMULA IS, TAKES INTO EFFECT, UH, CPI PLUS POPULATION GROWTH. UH, I BELIEVE THE ARTICLE YOU'RE REFERENCING, WE LOST ABOUT 11,000 RESIDENTS, UH, INTERESTINGLY, UH, IN THE COUNTY AND THE ETJ OUTSIDE OF HOUSTON, THEY PICKED UP, UH, ALMOST 70,000. AND ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, QUITE A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE. UM, I, I THINK THE IN THE IMPACT WILL BE NOMINAL FOR US BECAUSE, AGAIN, YOU REFERENCED THE CPI NUMBER IS SO HIGH. UH, THAT FORMULA IS A CPI PLUS, UH, POPULATION, OR 4.5%, WHICHEVER IS LOWER. UH, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING OUR FINALIZED, UH, TOTAL ASSESSED VALUES FROM THE COUNTY. WHEN WE DO, WE'LL HAVE OUR PRELIMINARY PROP ONE AND WE'LL KNOW FOR SURE. I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE, UH, A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT. BUT I WOULD SAY OVERALL IT'S CONCERNING THAT, YOU KNOW, IN A PERIOD WHERE EVERYONE'S MOVING TO TEXAS, WE'RE NOT SEEING, UH, THE KIND OF GROWTH IN THE CITY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON TRYING TO GET RESIDENTS TO BE IN THE CITY AND NOT JUST LIVE OUTSIDE THE CITY AND, AND WORK IN THE CITY AND USE ALL OUR FACILITIES. DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT WHY THAT IS? I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT A FINANCE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT IF YOU WANT. NO, I JUST, VERY QUICKLY, I, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S COST OF LIVING. I THINK, UH, COST OF HOUSING INSIDE THE CITY IS PROBABLY SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER. UH, TO LOOP BACK MAYBE TO COUNCIL MEMBER ASH'S POINT IS HAVING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS IN THE CITY IS AN IMPORTANT THING. UM, SO PEOPLE ARE, ARE MOVING OUT TO THE COUNTY, UH, OR THE ETJ AND PROBABLY COMMUTING IN 'CAUSE IT'S LOWER COST OF HOUSING. RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHT. APPRECIATE THAT. MM-HMM . AND COUNCILMAN MINOX, UM, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THE BUDGET THAT'S BEFORE US, WE AN, WE PUT IN ZERO GROWTH TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT. OKAY. SO WE DID NOT, WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE ANY GROWTH AT ALL IN THIS. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE PASS SOMETHING ACCURATE, YOU KNOW. ALRIGHT. IT, IT WAS ZERO GROWTH IN THE BUDGET AND WE ARE GONNA RED LINE THE DIFFERENCE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS TO EITHER, EITHER OF THESE GENTLEMEN? UM, MAYOR, PRO CHAIR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT DATED APRIL 30TH, 2022 AS PRESENTED. SECOND CAST, THEN MOVED AND SECONDED. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED KOSH? NO. I'LL SHOW, UH, COUNCILMAN KOSH VOTED NO AND IS ADOPTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU BOTH VERY, VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. UM, LET ME, UH, WISH RESPECT TO THE [MAYOR'S REPORT] MAYOR'S REPORT, UH, THIS MORNING, THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, IN, IN, IN, IN, I ALWAYS IS HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE LAST WEEK'S SCHOOL SHOOTING IN VALDI, TEXAS. ON THE FIRST, A FEW ROWS. IN, IN THE, IN THIS CHAMBER COUNCILOR CHAMBER, THERE ARE 19 BACKPACKS, UH, TWO FLOWER BOUQUETS AND A PHOTO OF EACH PERSON WHO WAS KILLED. UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UH, CREATED THE TRIBUTE TO REMEMBER THE CHILDREN AND TEACHERS WHO DIED IN THEIR CLASSROOM AT ROB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WHEN AN 18-YEAR-OLD, UH, WITH AN AR, UH, 15 WALKED INTO THE SCHOOL. UH, HOUSTON WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT THE FAMILIES AND THE BODI COMMUNITY AS THEY TRY TO HEAL, UM, AND MAKE SENSE OF THIS UNTHINKABLE TRAGEDY. AND AS YOU KNOW, THESE FUNERALS WILL TAKE PLACE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF COUPLE OF WEEKS. I WOULD ALSO POINT OUT THAT, UM, OUR OWN DIRECTOR, CAROL HADDOCK, UH, GREW UP IN THAT [00:25:01] VALDI AREA AND ATTENDED THAT SAME ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. UH, SO, UM, IT'S VERY, VERY, UH, PERSONAL TO, TO HER. UH, BUT LET'S CONTINUE TO LIFT UP ALL OF THOSE FAMILIES, UH, IN THE DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS, AND YEARS TO COME. UM, YESTERDAY, UH, WE ANNOUNCED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN A YEAR, HOUSTON'S HOMICIDE RATE, UH, IS SHOWING A DECLINE. IN FACT, UH, THE NEARLY 3% DECLINE IN THE CITY HOMICIDE RATE IS AN INDICATION OF THE EFFICACY AND THE, AND THE IMPACT OF THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON INITIATIVE. A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN AIMED AT HOLISTICALLY ADDRESSING, AND IN SOME CASES, REBUILDING THE PUBLIC SAFETY ECOSYSTEM IN HOUSTON. AND YOU CAN JUDGE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INITIATIVE BY SUCCESS. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE, THERE ARE FEWER HOMICIDES, UH, THAN WERE IN 20, 21 YEAR TO DATE, AND WE ARE WORKING TO BRING, UH, THAT NUMBER DOWN EVEN MORE SO. SO I WANT TO GIVE A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT TO OUR, UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY, UH, BOTH AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS THEMSELVES, UH, FOR PARTICIPATING ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, UM, FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN. AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE USING $52 MILLION OF OPERA FUNDING, UH, ON, ON THIS HOLISTIC INITIATIVE. UM, AND THEN WE HAD THE CREDIBLE MESSENGERS PROGRAM WHERE GRADUATE, THAT GRADUATION TOOK PLACE A FEW WEEKS AGO. UM, THE KIND OF BUYBACK PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE IN JULY, UH, PUTTING MONEY INTO THE REENTRY PROGRAM, PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING OUT OF PRISON, UM, AND WORKING FOR THEM JOBS AND HOUSING. UH, IN FACT, THERE'S A BETTER SUCCESS ON THE, IN TERMS OF REDUCING RECIDIVISM OF THE HOUSTON PROGRAM THAN EVEN FOR THE STATES PROGRAM. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES THAT ARE TAKING PLACE, BUT WHAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR HOUSTONIANS TO KNOW, IS THAT, UM, IN JANUARY, YOU KNOW, UM, THE NUMBERS WERE UP AND IT WAS REPORTED THAT THEY WERE UP, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY. UH, NOW THE NUMBERS ARE DOWN, AND NOW IN ALMOST EVERY CATEGORY OF VIOLENT CRIME IS BELOW WHERE WE WERE A YEAR TO DATE. UM, SO AGAIN, NO ONE IS CLAIMING, YOU KNOW, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, JUST INDICATING THAT WE ARE TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP WORKING AT IT AND, AND, UH, WORKING COLLECTIVELY AT IT. SO THE COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, OUR CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS, MEHA, MENTAL, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES, HOMELESSNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, UH, THE GREATER USE OF TECHNOLOGY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UH, WILL, WILL HELP US TO, UM, TO DRIVE THESE NUMBERS DOWN. UH, HURRICANE SEASON BEGINS TODAY. UH, SO THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OF HURRICANE SEASON. I ENCOURAGE EVERY HOUSTONIAN TO HAVE A PLAN, AN EMERGENCY KIT FOR AT LEAST THREE DAYS. IN FACT, LET ME ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO HEAD ON AND, AND BUY SOME WATER NOW, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL A STORM IS, YOU KNOW, UH, IS, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX DAYS AWAY. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, EVEN WHAT I DO, YOU KNOW, ONCE A WEEK, JUST BUY AN EXTRA WATER AND KEEP IT ON HAND. UH, FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD, UH, FLOOD INSURANCE, I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO DO THAT. OKAY? UH, BUT GET PREPARED. WHATEVER YOU NEED, UH, GET PREPARED, GET PREPARED. NOW, UH, WE ARE EXPECTING AN ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON. UM, AND THEN, UH, FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. FREEDOM OVER TEXAS WILL BE BACK. UM, UM, UM, NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE CROWD FOR THIS YEAR. UM, SO, UM, THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE 4TH OF JULY. UH, CLAY WALKER, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON ON, UH, WILL BE, UM, WILL BE HEADLINING THAT, AND I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS CLAY, GREAT GUY. UH, REALLY COMMUNITY PARTNER ON SO MANY DIFFERENT FRONTS. UH, STEP RITO, UH, THAT ZYDECO GROUP WILL BE OUT THERE. UM, SO, UM, UM, PLEASE PLAN, PLAN NOW TO ATTEND, UH, FREEDOM OF A TEXAS EVENTS. AND OF COURSE, IN THE INTERIM, THAT WILL BE THE JUNETEENTH EVENT, UH, AT EMANCIPATION PARK WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON THAT SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, UH, FROM I THINK FOUR TO 10 EACH NIGHT. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF JUNETEENTH EVENTS. SO, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE NOTE THAT ON, ON YOUR, ON YOUR CALENDAR. COUNCILMAN KASH. MAYOR, I'M, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT OUR HOMICIDES GOING DOWN. UH, I'M, I'M REALLY PLEASED WITH THAT. UH, A FEW YEARS AGO, I, I ADDRESSED THE FACT THAT [00:30:01] OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING SUBJECTED TO A LOT OF THESE, UH, GAMES WHERE THEY'RE SHOOTING PEOPLE. AND MAYOR, I THINK THAT AFFECTS OUR, OUR, I BELIEVE THAT AFFECTS THESE YOUNG PEOPLE'S MINDS. I AGREE. AND, AND, AND MAYOR, WHEN, WHEN I, WHEN I WAS WATCHING NFL FOOTBALL THIS YEAR, UH, THE COMMERCIALS IN BETWEEN THE, THE BREAKS, UH, WERE WERE ALWAYS SOME TYPE OF, UM, UH, SHOOTING AND, AND RAPID FIRE WEAPONS. AND IT'S LIKE, IT'S GLORIFYING THAT. NOW, YOU KNOW, THERE CAME A TIME AND YOU, AND YOU AND I ARE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER, BUT THEY USED TO ADVERTISE, UH, CIGARETTES AND ALL, ALL OF US WANTED TO BE THE MARLBORO MAN, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, UH, THE HANDSOME GUY. WELL, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, WE EVENTUALLY BANNED ALL OF THAT. AND, AND I THINK THAT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, WE'VE GOTTA TAKE ON AN EFFORT TO BAN, UH, THE ADVERTISEMENT OF THESE, UH, VIOLENT, UH, ELECTRONIC GAMES THAT ARE, THAT, THAT ARE AFFECTING OUR, OUR CHILDREN. UH, MY LITTLE GRANDSON CAME TO SEE ME BACK ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, AND HE HAD THIS GAME THAT HE WANTED TO PUT ON OUR TV SET. SO HE DID. AND, AND I, AND I SAT DOWN AND WAS WATCHING HIM PLAY. I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE SAID, I'M STEALING THIS CAR AND I'M PICKING UP THIS HOLE. I SAID, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SO I, I TOOK THAT GAME AND I CRUSHED IT. AND, AND I THINK IT WAS CALLED GRAND THEFT SOMETHING, BUT, BUT THE THING IS, MAYOR, UH, IT'S AFFECTING OUR KIDS' MINDS, ALL OF THIS STUFF. AND, AND WHO WOULD THINK THAT AN 18-YEAR-OLD WOULD EVEN DO IT OR EVEN THINK ANYTHING LIKE THIS, RIGHT? AND IT'S HAPPENING MULTIPLE TIMES. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I WANT OUR, I WANT OUR, UH, HOMICIDE WRECK TO BE ZERO. JUST LIKE WE HAVE VISION ZERO FOR PEDESTRIANS BEING KILLED BY CARS AND, AND, AND BICYCLISTS BEING KILLED. I, I WANT THERE TO BE A VISION ZERO, UH, FOR HOMICIDES IN, UH, IN OUR CITY. GOD BLESS YOU. AND, UH, I, I, I WANNA SUPPORT EVERY EFFORT FOR THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I AGREE WITH YOU. WE DO HAVE LIKE, VISION ZERO FIVE OF STREETS FROM ROADS. UM, SAME THING. UH, FOR, FOR CRIME THAT NEEDS TO BE ZERO. THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOAL. BECAUSE I DON'T CARE HOW, HOW, HOW, HOW YOU DRIVE THE NUMBERS DOWN. IF ONE PERSON IS VICTIMIZED, THAT'S ONE PERSON. TOO MANY. BUT, SO FOR THAT ONE PERSON, IT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO KNOW, UH, IT TOOK A LOT OF HARD WORK ON BEHALF OF SO MANY PEOPLE TO GET US TO THIS POINT. THAT SAME COLLECTIVE EFFORT IS GONNA REQUIRE TO DRIVE THE NUMBERS DOWN EVEN, EVEN MORE. SO, UH, LET ME THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR THE COUNCIL FOR BEING VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ALL OF OF THOSE PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE. UH, ONE LAST NOTE. ON HURRICANE SEASON, LEMME REMIND OUR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, TO REGISTER FOR THE STEER PROGRAM. SO IF OUR SENIORS, THE CRITICAL CARE PATIENTS, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, PLEASE REGISTER, UH, FOR THE STEER PROGRAM, AND YOU CAN GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THE, UH, OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY, UM, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OVER THERE. SO, AGAIN, BE PREPARED FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON. I WISH THEY WOULD NOT COME, BUT, UM, WE ARE ANTICIPATING AN ACTIVE HURRICANE, UH, SEASON. SO LET'S GET, LET'S GET PREPARED RIGHT NOW, UH, TO BE READY. OKAY. HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, UM, UH, [9:30 AM - PUBLIC SPEAKERS] TIME NOW TO TURN TO THE PUBLIC, TO THE PUBLIC HEARING, UM, PUBLIC SESSION. LET ME, UH, LET ME JUST SAY THIS. IN ORDER TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER, YOU HAD TO SIGN UP WITH THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE BY 3:00 PM ON YESTERDAY. WE WILL CALL YOUR NAME IN THE ORDER THAT YOU SIGNED UP FOR TODAY'S CONSOLIDATED SESSION. PUBLIC SESSION WILL HAPPEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MEETING, WHICH IS NOW. UH, AND, AND SO WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, IF YOU ARE HERE IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM. UH, IF YOU ARE CALLING IN, PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. AND IF YOU'RE APPEARING ON CAMERA, CLICK ON THE MICROPHONE ICON AND THE CAMERA ICON. YOU WILL THEN HAVE ONE, TWO, OR THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. AND AFTER YOUR TIME, UH, AFTER YOU'VE SPOKEN, THE BELL WILL RING. AND PLEASE, WHEN THE BELL RING, YOU MUST BRING YOUR COMMENTS TO AN IMMEDIATE END. UH, YOU MAY ONLY SPEAK WHEN RECOGNIZED. AND PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU ARE SPEAKING DURING THE MEETING AND I HAVEN'T RECOGNIZED YOU, UH, WE WILL MUTE YOU. LET ME REMIND, UM, EVERYONE, UM, THIS IS BUDGET DAY. THIS IS BUDGET DAY, SO IT'S GONNA BE A LONG DAY. THERE ARE ABOUT 51, UH, PEOPLE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. SO LET ME ASK THAT YOU KIND OF GOVERN YOURSELVES ACCORDINGLY. OKAY? SO A LOT OF SPEAKERS HERE TO SPEAK, AND I WOULD ASK THAT YOU ALLOW THEM TO SPEAK AND THEN SO WE CAN GET TO THE NEXT ONE, AND THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON TODAY. HAVING SAID THAT, UM, OH, COUNCIL MEMBER PAT FOR PROCEDURAL FOR A PROCEDURAL MOTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD LACEY HALL TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE, UM, AGENDA LIST. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION BEEN A SECOND? ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE. MOTION IS GRANTED. LACEY HALL. [00:35:07] OKAY. OKAY. AND, UH, CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILMAN PALAMA FOR PROCEDURAL MOTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, UM, MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE OSCAR THOMAS AND KISSER RENEW, UM, BELOW LACEY HALL ON THE AGENDA LIST, THREE MINUTE LIST. OKAY. TO FOLLOW, TO FOLLOW LACEY HALL. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND. OSCAR THOMAS AND KISSER. . OKAY. AND I'LL BE ON THE THREE AFTER. BEEN SECOND IT SECOND. AND ANY OBJECTION? NONE. MOTION IS GRANTED. OKAY. UH, MADAM SECRETARY, IF, IF YOU RECALL THE FIRST MOTION, MAYOR, OH, I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN MCCOSH. UH, I MO MAYOR, I, I MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE MARTY LANGTON, UH, TO, UH, TO BE THE VERY FIRST SPEAKER OF THE DAY. HE HAS THREE MINUTES. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION. THREE MINUTES FOR THREE MINUTES. SECONDED? NO, I, SECOND. SECOND. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE, GRANITE. ANY OTHERS? OKAY, MADAM SECRETARY CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER. FIRST SPEAKER. THE FIRST SPEAKER. PATRICK LANGTON. THREE MINUTES. I SHOULD PUT HIM IN THE FIRST SPEAKER. YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR COUNCIL. MY NAME IS MARTY LENGTHEN, THE PROUD PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMBERS BUDGET AMENDMENT 4.08 TO PROVIDE $3,000 IN HAZARD PAY FOR EACH HOUSTON FIREFIGHTER. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER FOR WORKING WITH US. THANK YOU FOR ADVOCATING FOR ON BEHALF OF THE HARD WORK OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. I CAN TELL YOU OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS PANDEMIC FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS, APPRECIATE THIS NATIONAL EMERGENCY, BROUGHT NEW CHALLENGES TO AN ALREADY DANGEROUS PROFESSION, ALONG WITH A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN WORKLOAD THAT HAS COMPOUNDED ALREADY EXISTING PROBLEMS. THE MORALE IS THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN, AND ARE THE ISSUES RESULTING FROM UNDERSTAFFING AND ADEQUATE RESOURCES AND THE LACK OF A CONTRACT? WE ARE NOW NEARLY 500 FIREFIGHTERS SHORT. WE ARE BEYOND RAZOR THIN. MANY CITIES, COUNTIES, AND EVEN SEVERAL STATES HAVE ALREADY MOVED TO IMPLEMENT HAZARD PAY FOR THEIR FIRST RESPONDERS, RECOGNIZING THE ROLE THAT THEY HAVE PLAYED DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THIS WELL EARNED HAZARD PAY IN THIS AMENDMENT WOULD BE FUNDED THROUGH THE CITY'S RESERVE FUND. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S AMENDMENT WOULD INDICATE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE UNWAVERING DEDICATION OF OUR FIREFIGHTER. EMTS AND PARAMEDICS HAVE REMAINS STEADFAST IN THEIR SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON, ALL WHILE THEIR OWN FUTURES REMAIN UNDER ATTACK. ALL OF YOU ARE AWARE THE CITY CONTINUES TO FIGHT TO HAVE OUR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. THIS IS AN INJUSTICE, AND THE FIREFIGHTERS SUFFER BECAUSE OF IT. LAST FRIDAY, THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT SENT NOTIFICATION IT WILL HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS. IN THIS CASE, LATER THIS SUMMER, WE ANTICIPATE THE HIGH COURTS TO DECIDE IF IT WILL ALSO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN ANOTHER LAWSUIT, CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF A VOTER APPROVED MEASURE IN PROPOSITION B. PROPOSITION B WAS DECIDEDLY AND DECISIVELY PASSED BY THE VOTERS IN 2018. YET STANDING HERE TODAY, AND PLEASE LET ME BE CLEAR TO THE COUNCIL AND TO THE PUBLIC, AND TO THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE WATCHING STANDING HERE ON JUNE 1ST, 2022, HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS HAVE NOT RECEIVED A DIME OF THE PROPOSITION B, THAT THEY'RE OWED THESE YEARS OF WORKING HARD WITHOUT FAIR PAY, WITHOUT ADEQUATE BENEFITS OR WORKING CONDITIONS WITHOUT VOTER APPROVED, PROP B AND WITHOUT A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING CONTRACT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR EVERY HOUSTON FIREFIGHTER AND OUR FAMILIES. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S AMENDMENT PROVIDES YOU WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEND A VERY DIFFERENT MESSAGE FROM WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN HEARING FROM CITY HALL FOR MORE THAN FOUR YEARS, THE NEARLY NEGLIGIBLE COST OF APPROXIMATELY $11 MILLION THAT REPRESENTS JUST 0.1% OF THE OVERALL CITY BUDGET. AND ON BEHALF OF THE HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS AND OUR FAMILIES, I URGE YOU TO VOTE YES. I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S AMENDMENT 4.08. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK FOR YOUR TIME. COUNCILMAN KBA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MARTY, THIS, THIS IS A ONE TIME, THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT SAYS A ONE TIME PAYMENT OF 3000. SO THIS ISN'T EVERY YEAR, THIS IS JUST ONE TIME. IT, IT'S HAZARD PAY. AND MANY CITIES, [00:40:01] COUNTIES THAT WE ACTUALLY WORKED WITH THE CITY, UH, YEARS AGO TO IDENTIFY WHAT OTHER CITIES AND COUNTIES AND STATES WERE DOING TO RECOGNIZE WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE WAS TOLD TO STAY HOME. WE KNOW THAT HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS AND PARAMEDICS HAD TO GO TO WORK, UH, EVEN DURING COVID. THIS IS COMMON SENSE. WE BELIEVE IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS A, A GOOD SHOT IN THE ARM FOR OUR MEN AND WOMEN, UH, THAT ARE STRUGGLING. AND I THINK, UH, IT IS A COMMON SENSE ONE TIME HAZARD PAY SOLUTION. SO NO MATTER WHAT THEIR, THEIR RANK IS, NO MATTER WHAT, WHERE THEY WHAT THEY DO, THEY'D GET THE $3,000. YES. FIREFIGHTER IS ACTUALLY A STATE DEFINITION. SO THAT INCLUDES ALL RANKS AND CLASSIFICATIONS. SO IT'S FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU, MARTY. MM-HMM . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. DAVID DURHAM. DAVID DURHAM. YES. UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. I'M HERE TO, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK'S, UH, BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 FOR $25 MILLION FOR THE SPRINGSHOT OF SOUTH DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT PHASE TWO. THIS, THIS PROJECT, UH, INCLUDES PART OF SPRINGSHOT OF SOUTH AS WELL AS CAMPBELL WOODS. AND, UH, DID YOU ANY RATE? UH, IT'S A, IT'S A FIVE PHASE PROJECT THAT, THAT, UH, PHASE ONE HAS BEEN COMPLETED WITH THE HELP OF, UH, COUNTY COMMISSIONER KAGEL. THAT IS THE NEW ROAD DETENTION POND. UM, THE NEXT PHASE, THE NEXT PHASE IS PHASE TWO THAT WE NEED THE MONEY FOR. AND, UH, COMMISSIONER RAMSEY HAS AGREED TO DO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO HELP, UH, WITH THIS PHASE TWO. PHASE TWO WILL HELP PROTECT RIGHT AT 1600 TO 2000 HOMES FROM FLOODING, MANY OF WHICH, UH, THESE HOMES HAVE FLOODED SIX OR EIGHT TIMES OVER THE YEARS. UH, FLOODING HAS OCCURRED IN THESE HOMES. YES. FIRE. THANK COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER, PAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU MR. DURHAM FOR SPEAKING TODAY. UM, I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW SPEAKERS FROM DISTRICT A TO SUPPORT THESE, UH, TO SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT. SO I WON'T SPEAK AFTER EACH SPEAKER, BUT I JUST WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR SPEAKING TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, CHRISTOPHER RIVERA. CHRIS RIVERA IS HERE. THANK YOU. TODAY WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REDEFINE PUBLIC SAFETY BY INVESTING IN PROGRAMS LIKE HOUSING PARKS, DEBT RELIEF, AND YOUTH PROGRAMS, BECAUSE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS A CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN THE EXPANSION OF THE POLICE STATE. PLEASE, THIS IS A MOMENT WHERE COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN INCREASE FUNDING FOR DRAINAGE, DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS CRUCIAL DUE TO HURRICANE SEASON. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HOUSTON TO ESTABLISH THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT THAT HAS AN UNFETTERED FUNDING SOURCE SO THE CITY CAN PROVIDE HOUSING TO THOSE WHO ARE DENIED ACCESS. DUE TO FEDERAL GUIDELINES IN HUD GRANTS MONEY FOR PARKS PROGRAMS THAT ARE NOT TIED TO GOLF TOURNAMENTS, BUT HELP REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF A YOUNG PERSON BECOMING INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL INJUSTICE SYSTEM. THESE ARE THE TYPES OF PROGRAMS THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY. THE PROPOSED BUDGET DOESN'T REFLECT ONE THAT PROMOTES PUBLIC SAFETY. THE BUDGET PROJECTS THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN MAKING HOUSTON A POLICE STATE, NEARLY HALF OF THE GENERAL BUDGET IS GOING TO THE POLICE. PLEASE FREEZE THE POLICE BUDGET AND INVEST IN HOUSING, DRAINAGE, PARKS, DEBT RELIEF, AND ARTS, THANK TIME HAS EXPIRED, THINGS THAT DON'T CRIMINALIZE THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. MELISSA MARTINEZ. MELISSA MARTINEZ. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, MELISSA. OH, UNLESS MARTINEZ IS HERE. AM SORRY. YOU ARE UP HERE. YOU'RE OVER HERE. NO, IT'S OVER HERE. NO, TO THE, TO THE NEXT ONE. OH, YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT ONE RIGHT THERE. THERE YOU GO. YEAH. SORRY. OKAY. HELLO EVERYONE. UM, I HOPE, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK UP IN SOLIDARITY THAT I WANTED TO TELL THE CITY COUNCIL THAT I AM IN SUPPORTING OF AMENDMENT SEVEN POINT 16 BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND ALSO, UM, FOR PLUMBERS, UH, BATTERY INTERVENTION PROGRAM, AND WANTING TO REINSTATE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO RE TO INVEST IN COMMUNITIES WHILE, UH, FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO BE DIVE. UH, WE HAVE SEEN DIVESTMENTS SUCH AS PARKS AND RECREATION AND LIBRARIES AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD DEPARTMENT. AND TO HEAR DURING THE, THE [00:45:01] WORKSHOPS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY COLLABORATIONS INVOLVED BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENTS DUE TO BEING UNDERFUNDED. AND I WANT TO, AGAIN, BRING UP TO MY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT TO BE MINDFUL OF WHEN IT COMES TO APPROVING THESE BUDGET AMENDMENTS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES AND NOT JUST DIVESTING COMMUNITIES ALL INTO ONE SINGLE DEPARTMENT, SUCH AS, UH, HPD, AND THAT WE CAN, IF WE PUT OUR COMMUNITIES FIRST, WE CAN'T SEE A DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO CRIME PREVENTIONS AND STUFF. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, KAREN WALKER. KAREN WALKER IS HERE. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. IT'S CARINA WALKER. JUST FOR, AND THANK YOU AMY, FOR BRINGING US ALL OUT TODAY. I DID WANNA TALK TO, UH, YOU ABOUT THE DRAINAGE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, WE HAD A STORM IN JANUARY AND MY HOUSE ALMOST FLOODED IN JANUARY. IT'S NOT HURRICANE SEASON IN JANUARY. SO WE NEED A LOT OF ATTENTION. I MEAN, YOU AND I HAVE SPOKE BEFORE THAT WE SHOULDN'T LIVE LIKE THIS. WE LIVE IN A BAYOU CITY AND WE HAVE MORE STORMS THAN WE'VE EVER HAD BEFORE, SO WE HAVE TO DO THE DRAINAGE BEFORE WE DO ANY MORE CONCRETE ANYMORE BUILDING, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MITIGATE THE WATER BECAUSE I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DRY OUT MY GARAGE IN JANUARY. WE JUST, WE, WE JUST HAVE TO DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO FIRST FOR ANYTHING ELSE. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS VERY IMPORTANT. I DO NOT WANT TO MOVE. I DON'T WANNA MOVE OUTSIDE THE CITY AND COME BACK TO MAKE MONEY. I WANNA STAY WHERE I'M AT. I LOVE MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I LOVE THIS CITY, BUT WE'RE THE BAYOU CITY. WE'VE GOTTA TAKE CARE OF THE WATER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, MAA MAISA COPER MAISHA MAISHA COPER. IF YOU'RE PRESS STAR SIX. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MAISHA COTER. I'M ACTUALLY THE CEO OF A TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE, ALSO KNOWN AS ABDA. AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLUMBERS, UH, AMENDMENT 4.05. AB IS A NONPROFIT THAT HAS BEEN SERVING THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY FOR 41 YEARS. OUR, OUR MISSION IS TO END FAMILY VIOLENCE BY ADVOCATING FOR THE SAFETY AND SELF-DETERMINATION OF VICTIMS, PROMOTING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ABUSERS AND FOSTERING A COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A COMMUNITY PROBLEM REQUIRING A COMMUNITY SOLUTION. OUR AGENCY WORKS AS PART OF THE ANTI-VIOLENCE MOVEMENT ON A LOCAL, STATE, AND NATIONAL LEVEL TO CREATE AND MAINTAIN A COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. THIS RESPONSE SHOULD INCLUDE LAWS, POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS THAT INCREASE VICTIM SAFETY AND SELF-DETERMINATION, OFFENDER ACCOUNTABILITY, AS WELL AS COORDINATION OF SERVICES AND SYSTEMS RESPONSIBILITY. A VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BIP SERVICES TO, UM, WILL BE A VOTE TO CHANGE THE CULTURAL VALUES THROUGH EDUCATION AND INTERVENTION TO OVERCOME THE OPPRESSION OF AN INTIMATE PARTNER AND HELP CREATE ENVIRONMENTS THAT WILL NOT TOLERATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. B CLASSES ARE DESIGNED TO TEACH MEN AND WOMEN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF LEADING HEALTHY NONVIOLENT RELATIONSHIPS BY HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR PAST ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR. ABDA CURRENTLY PROVIDES THE LARGEST ACCREDITED B PROGRAM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, SERVING MORE THAN 1000 PARTICIPANTS ANNUALLY. PARTICIPANTS THAT COMPLETE A B PROGRAM HAVE A LOWER RECIDIVISM RATE FOR ALL CRIMES, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR FAMILY VIOLENT CRIMES. UM, THIS IS TRUE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS COMPLETED AN 18 WEEK PROGRAM AND THOSE THAT GO IN EXCESS OF 18 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS, PEOPLE WHO ARE REFERRED TO BIP, BUT DO NOT TAKE THE CLASSES, BUT INSTEAD CHOOSE JAIL TIME OR GET THEIR CASES DISMISSED, WILL HAVE INCREASED OUTCOMES FOR RECIDIVISM, FOR FAMILY VIOLENCE. CRIME LOWERING RECIDIVISM IS A MARKER FOR SUCCESS OF AN EFFECTIVE BIP PROGRAM. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO BE ENCOURAGED THAT EFFECTIVE BIP PROGRAM. ONE SECOND ONE. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER COUNCIL. I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER? NO, THANK YOU, MAYOR MA. MAGGIE, FOR MY TIME. SHE CAN FINISH YOUR COMMENT. YES. OKAY. MA, GO AHEAD AND FINISH YOUR COMMENT PLEASE. THANK YOU. WE JUST SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED THAT AN EFFECTIVE B PROGRAM ALSO INCREASES THE PARTICIPANT'S EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INCREASES THE VICTIM'S SAFETY. BECAUSE ACCREDITED B PROGRAMS REQUIRE VICTIM NOTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENTS AND [00:50:01] REFERRAL FOR ALL COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE. IF THE CITY COUNCIL IS COMMITTED TO DECREASING THE RATES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, THEN A VOTE IN FAVOR OF AMENDMENT 4.05 IS IMPERATIVE. COUNCILMAN PALM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU MAIA FOR, FOR COMING TODAY AND SUPPORTING THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. I THINK THIS GIVES US A DIFFERENT OP, DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND SO, UM, I'VE INCLUDED SOME INFORMATION IN YOUR PACKETS AS WELL. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILOR MCCAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, MAISHA. IT'S, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, AND I JUST ALSO WANTED TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO ABDA, UH, THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CITY, BUT ALSO THE LONGSTANDING WORK THAT ABDA IS CONTINUING TO DO IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND THE SPACE THAT YOU ALL PROVIDE IN THE COURT PROCESS AND PROTECTION, UM, OF THE MOST VULNERABLE. SO, JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU, UH, AND RECOGNIZE THE WORK OF ABDA. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. ALICE L. ALICE. LOU IS HERE. YES, MA'AM. RIGHT BEHIND THAT MIC. RIGHT BEHIND MS. LOU. STEP TO YOUR RIGHT. OH, OKAY. SORRY. GIVE ME A SECOND. YOUR TIME HAS STARTED. OKAY. THE NORTHEAST ASHTON COLLECTIVE IS HERE TODAY AT CITY HALL TO SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S SLATE OF AMENDMENTS, WHICH INCLUDE DEEPENING DITCHES, REPLACING CULVERTS, AND COMMISSIONING STUDIES. TO FURTHER ASSESS THE DRAINAGE NEEDS IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON, SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT AMENDMENT 7.16, WHICH PROPOSES ESTABLISHING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR REGULAR DRAIN MAINTENANCE IN DISTRICT B. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE HAS COME TO CITY HALL. FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS, MEETING WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND HOSTING PROTESTS. WE HAVE TO DO THIS, WE HAVE TO KEEP SHOWING UP BECAUSE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE NOT BEING PROTECTED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FROM AN INCREASING THREAT OF HOME AND STREET FLOODING. IN THE PAST, WHEN WE HAVE ENGAGED WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD TO CALL 3 1 1. BUT THE 3 1 1 PROGRAM HAS FAILED US SPECIFICALLY FOR OPEN DITCH DRAINAGE, WHICH IS CONCENTRATED IN BIPOC COMMUNITIES. UM, REGULAR DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE IS NEEDED, BUT THIS HAS NOT BEING PROVIDED BY 3 1 1, AND THIS IS NOT BEING PROVIDED BY PUBLIC WORKS OR THE DEPARTMENT OF DRAINAGE, WHICH IS SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S SLATE OF AMENDMENTS, UH, ADDRESSES SPECIFIC ISSUES IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON. AND THIS IS EXTREMELY NECESSARY, BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH. THE REASON THAT SHE HAS TO PROPOSE SO MANY DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS IS BECAUSE OVERALL DRAINAGE IS SEVERELY UNDERFUNDED, SPECIFICALLY IN BIPOC COMMUNITIES SUCH AS THOSE IN DISTRICT B AND NORTHEAST HOUSTON. UH, FLOODING, CLIMATE CHANGE AND DRAINAGE IS A HUGE ISSUE. UH, AND PASSING COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S AMENDMENTS, INCLUDING AMENDMENT 7.16 IS JUST THE BEGINNING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER, REBECCA SIAN. REBECCA CHEN. GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS BECKY CHEN. I'M THE OWNER OPERATOR OF THE CHICK-FIL-A RESTAURANTS ON 45 AND WAYSIDE AND 45 AND WOODRIDGE ON THE EAST END. I COME TO YOU TODAY AS A PROUD NATIVE HOUSTONIAN, A TAXPAYING CITIZEN, AN ENTREPRENEUR, AND A LONGSTANDING MEMBER OF THE EAST END CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I'M APPEALING TO YOU THIS MORNING TO ALLOW MY BUSINESS TO ERECT A LON SIGN THAT MATCHES THE HEIGHT OF MY NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES. MY NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES ALL HAVE SIGNS THAT STAND 42 FEET HIGH. ALTHOUGH OTHER BUSINESSES HAVE SIGNS THAT STAND OVER 50 FEET, I'M ASKING TO ELIMINATE THE DISPARITY OF A THIRD HEIGHT TO APPROVE A SIGN THAT'S EQUAL TO THE OTHER BUSINESSES IN OUR CENTER. THIS IS A SIGN THAT'S CONSERVATIVELY AND PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED, A TASTEFUL SIGN MARKETING MY RESTAURANT, AS WELL AS THE CENTER. THIS IS A SIGN THAT FOR 10 YEARS IN THE EAST END HAVE SIGNALED A PLACE OF REFUGE. A COMMUNITY PARTNER, CHICK-FIL-A RESTAURANTS NATIONWIDE HAVE ALWAYS DILIGENTLY MAINTAINED THE STRUCTURE AND AESTHETICS OF OUR SIGN. TO LIMIT OUR SIGN HEIGHT TO ONLY 31 FEET WOULD CREATE EVEN MORE VARYING HEIGHTS IN THAT SMALL AREA. THIS WOULD BLOCK EVEN MORE THE VISIBILITY THROUGH THE AREA. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE KIND OF SIGN NOISE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO AVOID. FINALLY, I BELIEVE THE LOWER SIGN WOULD HINDER THE VIEW OF MY RESTAURANT AND WOULD KEEP POTENTIAL PATRONS FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE THE RESTAURANT AND OTHER BUSINESSES DRIVERS WOULD [00:55:01] PASS THE RESTAURANT BEFORE THEY EVEN BECAME AWARE OF THE LOCATION. THIS WOULD IMPACT POTENTIAL SALES TO MY BUSINESS AND THE, AND THE SALES OF THE, UH, BUSINESSES IN MY CENTER. MY NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES AND CHICK-FIL-A ARE COMMITTED TO SUCCEED TOGETHER. I BELIEVE THE TALLER SIGN WOULD NOT ONLY BENEFIT MY BUSINESS, BUT ALSO THAT OF THE OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE CENTER. AS TO THE INCREASED TRAFFIC TO THE CENTER, WE HAVE COMMITTED SEVERAL NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS TO DIRECT DRIVERS. THESE OFFICERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRAINED TO CONDUCT TRAFFIC FLOW THROUGHOUT THE CENTER TO BENEFIT ALL OF THE BUSINESSES. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS AND APPROVE THE ERECTION OF A SIGN THAT MATCHES THE HEIGHT OF THE OTHER EXISTING SIGNS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. AND BEFORE I RECOGNIZE ANYONE, UH, TARA. MICHELLE, WHY DON'T YOU REMIND US AGAIN SINCE THIS MATTER IS BEFORE US ON RECORD FOR REVIEW, UM, WHAT, WHAT WE CAN CONSIDER. SO I WANT US TO BE VERY CAREFUL BEFORE WE PROCEED IN QUESTIONING. UM, OF COURSE, THE SPEAKER HAS THE RIGHT TO ADDRESS THE BODY AND THE BODY TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION, UH, ON THE RULING, YOU ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO CONSIDER WHAT IS IN THE RECORD, THE TRANSCRIPT AND THE EXHIBITS TO IT. THAT'S WHAT YOUR COUNCIL RULES PROVIDE. COUNCIL, MAYOR POLL. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. MS. CHEN, THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. WHAT WAS THE DATE, UM, THAT YOU AND YOUR COMPANY, UH, WERE ABLE TO GET A PERMIT TO START DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK-FIL-A? I'M GONNA ASK MY CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE PATRICK DAVIS. NO, ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER. NO, WE'RE NOT GETTING INTO THAT. NO, NO. I, I, UM, IF I'M CORRECT, AND I'M NOT A PART OF THOSE PROCEEDINGS THAT'S HANDLED BY OUR CORPORATE OFFICES, UM, I BELIEVE IT 2020 AND FEBRUARY. NO, I, I'LL RESERVE MY, I'LL RESERVE THE COMMENT THEN FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU AGAIN. YOU'RE, YOU ARE ONLY ENTITLED TO REVIEW WHAT IS IN THE RECORD, NOT ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED OUTSIDE OF THE RECORD. THAT DOES NOT APPLY YET. ONLY WHAT'S WITHIN THE RECORD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. HIN. THANK YOU. OKAY. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER COOK. KELSEY COOK KELSEY'S, UH, STAR SIX COOK KELSEY STAR SIX. UH, HELLO. HELLO. AM I ON? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. UH, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, AMIT FROM SANTA HOUSTON. AND, UH, UH, I WANTED TO JUST THANK YOU ALL THIS AIRPORT CORRIDOR, UH, DISTRICT, WHICH MS. PRESLEY WAS JUST SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, IN REGARD TO HER SIGN, UH, WAS THE PRODUCT OF, UH, KIND OF A YEARS LONG, UM, PROCESS, UM, LED BY MR. DAY AS WELL AS MANY PEOPLE FROM THE CITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, ET CETERA. AND THEY WENT TO ALL OF THE SIGN OWNER ASSOCIATIONS ALONG THE CORRIDOR, INCLUDING THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, THE EAST END DISTRICT, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTING THOUSANDS OF, OF PROPERTY OWNERS. AND IT'S, UM, EVERYBODY AGREE BASICALLY THE CORE OF IT, YOU KNOW, YOU REDUCE THE HEIGHT BY ABOUT 10 FEET AND THE, IT'S NOT PERFECT. I MEAN, WE WEREN'T THAT HAPPY WITH IT, BUT IT'S KIND OF KNOWN AS THE LEAST SCENIC GATEWAY, UH, IN, IN ALMOST ANY CITY. AND THE IDEA WAS ULTIMATELY JUST KIND OF FAIRNESS TO EXISTING SIGN OWNERS AND FAIRNESS TO FUTURE SIGN OWNERS SO THAT THEY CAN LOOK AT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, PERMITTING WEBSITE AND THE CHAPTER 46 AND SEE THAT THERE IS A RULE. SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS TO FIND OUT WHAT THE RULE IS. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IN GEN IN GENERAL, THIS, WE, WE WOULD CAUTION THE CITY, YOU KNOW, NOT TO OPEN UP SO THAT THERE'S NO RULE, UM, WHICH WOULD BE WORSE THAN BEFORE THE AIRPORT CORRIDOR DISTRICT. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S MY, OUR COMMENT. AND I, I, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE MANY YEARS OF WORKING WITH ALL OF THE SIGN OWNERS TO, TO COME TO THIS, UM, THIS RULE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. LACEY HALL. LACEY. HI THERE. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. SO, HI, GOOD MORNING. I'M STATE REPRESENTATIVE LACEY HALL, REPRESENTING TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 1 38, WHICH INCLUDES THE SPRING BRANCH AREA. I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01, WHICH INCLUDES FUNDING FOR TWO FLOOD MITIGATION AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS IN MY DISTRICT. I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER PECK FOR HER WORK IN LOCATING THE FUNDING FOR THESE PROJECTS AND ADVOCATING FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS IN DISTRICT A AND HD 1 38 WHO HAVE FACED REPEATED FLOODING EVENTS. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE FUNDS CAN ONLY BE USED FOR FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS SUCH AS THESE. THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT INCLUDES 25 MILLION FOR THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH PHASE TWO DRAINAGE AND PAVING [01:00:01] PROJECT, WHERE SOME RESIDENTS HAVE FLOODED EIGHT TIMES IN RECENT YEARS IN MAJOR AND NON-MAJOR FLOOD EVENTS. THIS WOULD ALSO INCLUDE 30 MILLION FOR SHERWOOD OAKS DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT. SHERWOOD OAKS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD ADJACENT TO THE ATTICS RESERVOIR, PHASE ONE OF THE SPRING SHADOWS PROJECT IS COMPLETE AND HAD AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH COMMISSIONER KAGEL AND COMMISSIONER RAMSEY, WHO WILL SOON REPRESENT THIS AREA, HAS AGREED TO DO ANOTHER INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR PHASE TWO. COMMISSIONER KAGEL ALSO AGREED TO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR THE SHERWOOD OAKS PROJECT. I ASK THAT COUNCIL SUPPORT BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 TO FUND BOTH OF THESE FLOOD MITIGATION AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS WITH OTHERWISE UNUSED FUNDS. AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO AMY PECK FOR LOCATING THESE FUNDS AND BRINGING THIS AMENDMENT TODAY ON BEHALF OF OUR SHARED CONSTITUENTS, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, REPRESENTATIVE HALL, UM, NEXT SPEAKER. OSCAR THOMAS. OSCAR THOMAS. OKAY. TRY THIS AGAIN. MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, DEAR MAYOR TURNER AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY NOT ONLY AS A UH, COMMUNITY LEADER OF THE TEXAS ORGANIZING PROJECT, UH, AND STAFF MEMBER OF TEXAS ORGANIZING HOUSING COMMITTEE AND COMPLETE, UH, SUPPORT OF COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER'S, APARTMENT INSPECTION, REFORM, BUDGET AMENDMENT, THE AIR PROGRAM. WE AT TOP, STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IT'S ONE WAY TO CREATE INITIATIVES ON THE DE CURRENT SYSTEM, TO HOLD LANDLORDS ACCOUNTABLE AND TO PROVIDE SAFE AND LIVABLE HOUSING AND A HEALTHY QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL HOUSTON TENANTS. I HAVE WITNESSED AND HEARD TESTIMONIES OF RESIDENTS OF THE DEPLORABLE LIVING CONDITIONS SUCH AS RAT AND MOLD INFESTATION, HOLES IN CEILINGS, RAW SEWAGE OVERFLOWS, AIR CONDITIONING, NOT OPERATING, ALL WHILE DEALING WITH LANDLORDS WHO IGNORE COMPLAINTS AND REPAIRS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO BE IN THESE UNHEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS. FURTHERMORE, WE BELIEVE DECENT HOUSING IS AS MUCH A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT AS IS HEALTHCARE. AND, AND YOUR CREDIT RATING SHOULDN'T BE AFFECTED BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO LIVE IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT PUT YOUR HEALTH AT RISK. THIS ISN'T A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY MAYOR. IN RESPONSE, WE URGE THAT THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENTS ARE CONSIDERED AND PRIORITIZED IN THE CITY BUDGET. NUMBER ONE, LANDLORD TRAINING PROGRAM. NUMBER TWO, OUR PERSONNEL. THREE, HOW BUILDABILITY INSPECTORS. AND FOUR, OUR OUTREACH. WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION AND STEPS TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FROM THE CITY BUDGET TO IMPROVE LIVING CONDITIONS OF HOUSTON TENANTS THROUGH THE AIR INSPECTION REFORM INITIATIVES. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. COUNCIL MEMBER PALMER, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, OSCAR, FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE BE SPEAKING TODAY, BUT I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO ATOP ALL THE, ALL THE VOLUNTEERS AND, UM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU ARE ON THE GROUND EVERY SINGLE DAY, UM, LISTENING TO RESIDENTS AND HOW THEY'RE LIVING. UM, SO IT'S SO UNFORTUNATELY IN OUR COM IN OUR COMMUNITIES. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS ITEM. QUITE COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND HELLO OSCAR. IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU AND THE FAMILY UP TOP. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY AROUND HOUSING ISSUES. UM, JUST WANTED TO JUST CONTINUE TO SAY THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR WORK. YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, MA'AM. OKAY, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, KISSER, RENEW, KISS OR RENEW, KISS, KISS OR RENEW. IS THAT IN PERSON? ONLINE, KISS OR RENEW? KISS OR RENEW? NEXT SPEAKER. STEPHANIE. STEPHANIE STEWART. IS THAT KISSER? I'M SORRY? IS THAT KISSER RENEW? IS IT KISSER? YEAH. OKAY. YOU CAN PROCEED. [01:06:11] YOU'RE GONNA YES. I, I'M JUST GONNA GO HER POINTS BECAUSE I COULDN'T CATCH THE ENTIRETY OF THE CONVERSATION. BUT, UM, UM, SHE WANTS TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT SHE'S A MEMBER FROM OF TOP AND, UM, SHE'S A WITNESS TO A FIRE THAT HAPPENED AT HER APARTMENT COMPLEX, AND SHE FEELS THAT THE APARTMENT MANAGEMENT IS NOT LISTENING TO HER CONCERNS. UM, THERE'S NO MAINTENANCE WHENEVER THEY MAKE REQUESTS FOR MAINTENANCE. SO SHE APPEARS TO HAVE A HABITABILITY ISSUE. UM, THERE'S NO, UM, REACTION FROM THE MANAGEMENT, UH, OTHER THAN TO ASK THEM TO MOVE, UH, FROM ONE APARTMENT TO ANOTHER. AND, UH, WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THE APARTMENT APPARENTLY HAD, UH, POOR CARPET AND AIR QUALITY, AND SHE HAS A CHILD THAT SUFFERS FROM AN AILMENT. UM, SHE'S ASKING THAT THE, UM, THAT THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ASSIST HER WITH THE, WITH HER TO MAKE HER QUALITY OF LIFE BETTER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS, MAYOR. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. STEPHANIE STEWART. STEPHANIE STEWART IS HERE. HI. I AM HERE AGAIN, OBVIOUSLY ON THE CHICK-FIL-A AT WOODBRIDGE. UM, WE'RE ACTUALLY A SIGNED COMPANY THAT IS REPRESENTING BOTH CHANDLER AND CHICK-FIL-A. OUR APPEAL IS THAT OBVIOUSLY THIS PROCESS STARTED BACK AT THE END OF 19, THEN, UH, STARTED AGAIN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER INTO MARCH OF 2020, RIGHT BEFORE COVID. COVID KIND OF HALTED EVERYTHING. THEN YOU HAD A SIGN CODE CHANGE. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN THE CLIENT BOUGHT THEIR PROPERTY AND WERE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, IT WAS UNDER THE OLD SIGN CODE. UM, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SIGNED ADMINISTRATION, YOU CANNOT EVEN APPLY FOR A SIGNED PERMIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A TEMPORARY CO. IT TOOK SEVERAL MONTHS, ACTUALLY, ALMOST 18 MONTHS, FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT TEMPORARY CO BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING GOING ON WITH COVID AND THE PERMITTING SITUATION WITH BUILDINGS AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN APPLY FOR SIGNAGE. SO THAT IS WHY WE ARE ACTUALLY ASKING FOR THE SPECIAL APPEALS. WE'RE ASKING JUST FOR THE HEIGHT, NOT THE SQUARE FOOTAGE. SO, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND IT'S A BEAUTIFICATION, BUT WE ARE ASKING JUST TO PLEASE CONSIDER 42 FEET OF HEIGHT BECAUSE YOU HAVE FIVE PYLONS RIGHT THERE, ALL WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED FEET OF EACH OTHER. AND SO HER PYLON IS REALLY GONNA STICK OUT AS SORE THUMB UNDER THE 42 FOOT SIX INCH RULE THAT IT WAS PRIOR TO THE SIGN CODE CHANGE IN 2020. SO THAT'S IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, PATRICK DAVIS. PATRICK DAVIS IS HERE. MORNING, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL, CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. SO, I'M PATRICK DAVIS WITH CHICK-FIL-A DEVELOPMENT, UH, HERE REPRESENTING CHICK-FIL-A AND OUR OWNER OPERATOR, BECKY, BECKY CHEN. FIRST BEFORE I START, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALSO THE CITY OF, UH, HOUSTON'S PERMITTING OFFICE. UM, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL DEVELOPMENT, UH, IN THE SOUTHWEST REGION, WHICH INCLUDES THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ALL THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSTON. AND WE, I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THOSE GUYS ARE DOING A GOOD JOB. UM, I HAVE A LOT OF INTERACTION WITH 'EM. HAD SOME TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. MR. CHRIS BUTLER WAS VENEZUELA AND I RESPECT THEM. BUT, UH, THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, ESSENTIALLY BEFORE WE START ANY DEAL, UM, I BRING MY TEAM IN TO MEET WITH THE CITY TO AVOID ISSUES JUST AS THIS. SO WE STARTED OUR, THIS PARTICULAR DEAL BETWEEN 19TH OF DECEMBER. UM, WE LATER CAME IN WITH OUR FULL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, SAT DOWN WITH THE CITY IN, UH, IN MARCH OF 2020, AND TO KIND OF GET THE OKAY FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE WERE DOING ONCE WE WERE, UH, CLEAR ON WHAT ALL THE ORDINANCES WAS, INCLUDING THIS SIGN ORDER, UH, OF, UH, FOR 42 FEET. WE THEN CAME BACK AND SUBMITTED PLANS IN MAY, JUNE OF 2020, UM, DURING COVID. AND THEN ESSENTIALLY WE WENT THROUGH ALMOST A 18 MONTH PERMITTING PROCESS. UM, AS STEPHANIE JUST MENTIONED, WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ACTUALLY SUBMIT FOR A, [01:10:01] A, A SIGNAGE PERMIT UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A BUILDING ERECTED. UM, SO OUR, OUR, OUR BUILDING, OUR SIGNAGE PERMIT WAS NOT SUBMITTED UNTIL, UM, NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER OF 2021. UM, AND ESSENTIALLY WE STARTED, UH, OUR APPEALS PROCESS IN FEBRUARY OF 2022, AND HAVE TAKEN US THIS LONG TO GET, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU ALL, UH, TO ACTUALLY RAISE THIS ISSUE AS THE APPEALS, UH, UH, TEAM WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON ACTUALLY SAID THAT THEY CAN ONLY VOTE, UH, VOTE ON THE CODE OR COMMENT ON THE CODE, AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO COME BEFORE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR FOR A SUBJECTIVE, UH, OPINION ON THIS. UH, BUT ESSENTIALLY THEY ALSO UNDERSTOOD WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM, BECAUSE, AGAIN, WE STARTED THIS PROCESS IN DECEMBER OF 2019. WE PURCHASED THE PROPERTY UNDER THE, THE, THE ORDINANCE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A 42 FOOT SIGN. WE STARTED AND SUBMITTED PERMITS IN, UH, MAY, JUNE OF 2020 BEFORE THIS. AND WE NEVER WERE TOLD THAT AN ORDINANCE WAS COMING THAT WOULD REDUCE THE SIGN HEIGHT TO 30 FEET. SO WE WERE CAUGHT COMPLETELY OFF GUARD, UM, IN, IN AUGUST WHEN WE BASICALLY HEARD OF THIS AND WERE IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND OBVIOUSLY ALREADY FULLY ENGAGED IN ACQUIRING THIS PROPERTY. COUNCILMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND MR. DAVIS, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. OKAY. COUNCILMAN KNOX. SO LET ME JUST PARAPHRASE HERE. YOUR, YOUR ARGUMENT IS THAT BECAUSE YOU FILED A BUILDING PERMIT IN 19 AND THEN 20 HAPPENED, AND THE GOVERNMENT NATIONAL TO LOCAL PUT DOWN, BASICALLY PUT EVERYBODY OUTTA BUSINESS FOR A WHILE, THAT CAUSED DELAY IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR BUILDING ABSOLUTELY. FOR 18 MONTHS. ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN, UM, THAT DELAY, YOU CAN'T FILE A PERMIT FOR A SIGN UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A BUILDING UP, AND IT TOOK 18 MONTHS TO GET THAT TO HAPPEN. RIGHT. IT, IT TOOK A LITTLE OVER 18 MONTHS TO GET, I MEAN, IT TOOK 18 MONTHS TO GET A PERMIT, BUT YES. AND BECAUSE OF THAT DELAY YES. CAUSED BY GOVERNMENT, CORRECT. THEN, UM, UH, THEN YOU FELL UNDER THE NEW ORDINANCE. THAT'S CORRECT. ALTHOUGH YOU HAD BEEN WORKING ALL THAT TIME TO GET THE BUILDING DONE. THAT'S CORRECT. AND, AND I'D ALSO JUST LIKE TO ADD, THERE ARE FOUR TO FIVE OTHER QSR DEVELOPMENTS THAT WERE ALL RECENTLY DEVELOPED WITHIN THE LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS. ALL OF OUR COMPETITORS WHO HAVE, AGAIN, THIS FOUR, TWO FOOT SIGN, AND THEY, WE WERE ALL STARTING THIS PROCESS ESSENTIALLY TOGETHER. WE WERE THE ONES THAT GOT CAUGHT. OKAY. MY SECOND BEFORE I RUN OUTTA MY TIME. MM-HMM . MY SECOND QUESTION IS, WOULD IT NOT BE ADVANTAGEOUS FOR YOUR SIGN TO BE LOWER SO THAT EVERYONE IT WOULD STAND OUT? NO, SIR. UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE LOCATION OF THE SIGN, UH, US FOUR, UH, HIGHWAY 45 IS, IS AN OVERPASS THERE. UM, WE, OUR, OUR OWNER OPERATOR WILL NOT BE SEEN ESSENTIALLY, UM, ONLY, SHE WILL ONLY BE SEEN BY PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY GETTING OFF OF THE EXIT. UM, SO THE 42, THE 42 FOOT SIGN IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF HER BUSINESS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN POLLACK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, MY QUESTION IS FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY, UH, IN THE RECORD, DOES THERE SHOW ANY NOTICE TO CHICK-FIL-A OF A POSSIBLE SIGN ORDINANCE CHANGE PRIOR TO THE, UM, OR AIRPORT CORRIDOR CHANGING THAT ORDINANCE? COUNCILMAN POLL. LET ME ASK YOU TO BRING THAT UP WHEN WE GET TO THAT ITEM. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION HERE. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. UM, MAY I PRETEND CAST TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MR. DAVIS, I'M CURIOUS, YOU SAID IN MARCH OF 2020 YOU HAD A MEETING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. DO YOU KNOW WHO WAS IN THAT MEETING AND WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SIGN ORDINANCE CHANGING OR BEING CONSIDERED? YES. YES, MA'AM. SO WE, WE HAD A MEETING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT, AS WELL AS THE OFFICE OF CITY ENGINEERS. UH, AGAIN, WE DO THIS ON EVERY DEVELOPMENT WE DO HERE IN THE GREAT CITY OF HOUSTON, WHERE WE OUTLINE ESSENTIALLY OUR DEVELOPMENT PLANS, BUILDING SIGNAGE. EVERYTHING IN THAT MEETING WAS, UM, LEMME TELL YOU REALLY QUICK. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, AND I WILL SAY, I, I, I, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NAME OF THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS REPRESENTING THE, THE SIGNAGE PORTION OF IT, UM, BUT IN THAT MEETING WAS HERE GO, SORRY, LOUIS LEWIS. VAL VALENZUELA, UH, VE AND AGAIN, I, I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE LEWIS, 'CAUSE HE'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS. MM-HMM . UM, SO DEFINITELY NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING BADLY ON THE, ON THE, ON THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. UM, MICHAEL LOCKE, AMANDA REESE, STEVEN SPIELMAN, THEN KATA, VENTURI, UH, GILBERT PORTILLO, NICK PARKER, UM, MY ENGINEER, [01:15:01] PYA AA, UH, JODY FOSTER, BRUCE LAMBRIGHT, AND WE WERE MEETING IN, UM, IN THE CITY OF HU, CITY OF HOUSTON CONFERENCE ROOM. SO THEY'RE ON THE LIST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER, FRANCIS DEIS. FRANCIS. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR TURNER. GOOD MORNING AND GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS FRANCIS CAST DEIS, AND I'M PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON EASTERN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AND I AM HERE TO ASK OF APPROVAL OF THE ITEM NUMBER 25, GIVING BECKY CHEN, OWNER OPERATOR OF THE CHICK-FIL-A ON 45 IN WOODRIDGE APPROVAL TO INSTALL THAT 42 FOOT PYLON SIGN THIS SEPTEMBER. UM, BECKY CHEN, DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANTS GRADUATE OF AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, WILL CELEBRATE 10 YEARS OF BUSINESS AT HER FIRST CHICK-FIL-A FRANCHISE AT 45 AND WAYSIDE. I WAS THERE THE DAY SHE OPENED HER RESTAURANT AND HAVE NEVER SEEN A HARDER WORKING OWNER OPERATOR WHO BELIEVES IN GIVING BACK AND LEADS BY EXAMPLE. OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, BECKY HAS PROVIDED HER TEAM MEMBERS, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, OVER 220 OF THEM TO BE EXACT. UM, IN 2022, THEY HAVE GIVEN ABOUT $24,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO, FROM CHICK-FIL-A AT THE WAYSIDE LOCATION. THREE OF THEIR, UM, EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN COLLEGE RECIPIENTS. TUITION REIMBURSEMENTS HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO OVER EIGHT OF THEIR EMPLOYEES. THEY HAVE GIVEN, UH, 35 PARTICIPANTS IN EACH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY ACROSS, UM, THE SCHOOLS OF ALMA SANCHEZ, AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL AND MOUNT CARMEL ACADEMY. SHE HAS GIVEN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN, IN KIND DONATIONS AND AM VERY ACTIVE IN OUR EASTERN COMMUNITY. SO I, I DO UNDERSTAND THE, THE NEW SIGNAGE ORDINANCE. UM, I, OF COURSE, THE CHAMBER WASN'T INVOLVED IN SOME OF THO THOSE REQUESTS BACK WITH SENA HOUSTON AND, AND BACK IN 2020. HOWEVER, UM, WE ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THAT SINCE SHE ALREADY HAD CONSIDERED THE SPECIAL APPEAL, SINCE SHE ALREADY HAS AN EXISTING SIGN AT 45 AND WAYSIDE, THAT SIGN HAS HELPED HER GROW HER BUSINESS OVER THE 10 PAST 10 YEARS AND HAS ALLOWED HER TO MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION. AND IT HAS ALSO ALLOWED HER TO FULFILL HER DREAM OF BEING A LONGSTANDING CONTRIBUTOR TO THE EAST END COMMUNITY. THE NEW 42 FOOT SIGN AT 45 AND WOODRIDGE, UM, AS MENTIONED, WOULD NOT BE AN EYESORE BECAUSE IT'S BETWEEN EXISTING SIGNAGE, UH, THAT ARE 42 FOOT, INCLUDING POPEYE'S, MCDONALD'S KING'S CHICKEN. SO I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S GONNA BE AN EYESORE. AND AGAIN, AS YOU HEARD THIS, THIS PROGRAM STARTED BACK IN 2019 AND THE PERMITTING CHANGED, UH, WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING. SO WE HOPE THAT, THAT YOU, OR I'M ASKING THAT EACH OF YOU CONSIDER THIS SPECIAL APPEAL TO GRANT HER THIS, UH, APPROVAL FOR THIS 42 SI SI FOOT SIGN, ALLOWING HER TO CONTINUE PAYING MORE TAXES AND CONTINUE TO HELP YOUTH AND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. THANK YOU. THANKS, FRANCIS. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, ELOISE MASON. ELOISE MASON, IF YOU PRESSED STAR SIX, GOOD MORNING. THIS IS ELOISE MASON FROM CAMPBELL WITH SUBDIVISION. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE AND LETTING ME SPEAK MY MIND. I, I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE FOR A PHRASE. WHAT IS THAT? A 6.01? THAT'S, THAT'S SPRING SHADOWS. I WAS A COUNCIL AT 2019 AND WAS ENCOURAGED THAT, THAT THE PHRASE ONE WAS STARTING, AND THEN PHASE TWO WILL BEGIN. HOWEVER, HERE WE ARE AGAIN. THIS FELL STARTED IN 1972, IS WHAT I HAVE THE DOCUMENT. THE LAST TIME IT RAINED, THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME, THE MEN RENTED PUMPS AND PUMPED US WATER. WE'RE OUTTA HERE. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT. IT'S THE CITY AND THE COUNTY'S JOB. IN THE MEANTIME, THE CITY KEEPS ITCHING, PERMITS FOR BUILDING RIGHT AT THE END OF MY STREET. YOU'VE JUST BUILT TOWNHOUSES. YOU GO UP OF THE APPRAISAL EVERY YEAR. WE PAY FLOOD INSURANCE AND WE PAY TAXES. WE NEED ACTION. IN 2015, WE FLOODED REAL BAD. WE HAD TO MOVE OUT OUR HOUSE FOR THREE MONTHS. OKAY, WE NEED ACTION. PLEASE REVIEW MY CONCERNS AND EVERYONE ELSE'S AND, AND FOLLOW THROUGH ON YOUR PROMISES. WE DO NOT NEED PROMISES. WE NEED ACTION. IT IS UP TO YOU AS A GOVERNMENT BODY TO CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS, NOT THE HOMEOWNER. I'M LOOKING FORWARD FOR THIS TO BE CONSIDERED A TOP PRIORITY. WE'RE ASKING [01:20:01] FOR HELP SO THAT WE CAN GO FORWARD WITHOUT, WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH THINGS THAT ARE FIXABLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. MASON. NEXT SPEAKER, ROBERT C***S. HI, I'M ROBERT C***S AND I'VE LIVED IN SPRING SHADOWS SUBDIVISIONS SINCE 1980. WE'RE A COMMUNITY OF ALMOST 2000 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES LOCATED NEAR HAMMERLY AND GASTER IN WEST HOUSTON. MY INVOLVEMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SPRING SHADOW STARTED IN THE MID 1980S, AND IN 2019, I SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE SPRING SHADOW CIVIC ASSOCIATION. TODAY I'M MERGING YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 FOR THE $25 MILLION FOR THE SPRING SHADOW. SOUTH PHASE TWO DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT. PROJECT WILL NOT ONLY HELP SPRING SHADOWS TO AVOID FLOODING, BUT ALSO CAMPBELL WOODS SUBDIVISION, WHICH IS ADJACENT TO AND DOWNSTREAM OF SPRING SHADOWS. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME 1700 ALTOGETHER, THERE ARE SOME 1700 HOMES THAT WILL BE FAVORABLY IMPACTED UPON COMPLETION OF ALL FIVE PHASES OF THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH PROJECT, PHASE ONE OF THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH PROJECT WAS RECENTLY COMPLETED ALONG NEWLANDS ROAD. PHASE ONE INCREASED THE DETENTION CAPACITY UNDER NEWAN ROAD BY 12.4 ACRE FEET. SO THE WATER FROM PHASES TWO THROUGH FIVE WOULD'VE A PLACE TO GO. PHASE ONE ALSO INCLUDED THE DETENTION BASIN, WHICH ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 1.8 FEET OF DETENTION. YOUR APPROVAL OF THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR PHASE TWO IS BADLY NEEDED. AS YOU'VE HEARD, SIGNIFICANT HOUSE AND STREET FLOODING HAVE TAKEN PLACE DURING EVERY NAME STORM THAT I CAN RECALL. FLOODING HAS ALSO OCCURRED FREQUENTLY, AS YOU'VE HEARD, DURING EVEN NON-MAJOR RAIN EVENTS. SO IT'S A RECURRING EVENT WITH SOME HOUSES FLOODED MULTIPLE TIMES. SO ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF SPRING SHADOWS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA, I'M MERGING YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. COMBS. NEXT SPEAKER, LEE DODEN. GOOD MORNING. MORNING. UM, MY NAME'S LEE DODEN. UH, I'M HERE AS THE PRESIDENT OF CAMPBELL WOODS SERVICE CLUB. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST HEARD, BASICALLY, IS FRANK SHADOW SOUTH ABOUT THE FLOODING. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS SINCE 19 OR 20, 20 16, 17 AND 18. THIS WILL BE THE FOURTH TIME WE'VE BEEN DOWN HERE AS CLUBS, UH, WITH BETWEEN CAMPBELL WOODS AND SPRING SHADOWS. UM, THE BACK IN HALL, JUST A QUICK SUMMARY HERE. HALL ENGINEERS IN 2016, THE CITY GRANTED THEM A, A STUDY OF THAT WHOLE AREA, AND THEY COME UP WITH FIVE DIFFERENT PROJECTS. THE FIRST PROJECT WAS NEWAN ROAD, UH, WHICH FINALLY GOT SOME ACTION WHEN YOU GUYS MADE A COMBINATION WITH THE COUNTY. THERE WAS COMMISSIONER KEGEL, UM, BEEN STARTED, AND, UM, DIRECTOR HADDOCK WITH THAT COMBINATION, THE WORK BEGAN. I TALKED, WE TALKED TO THOSE GUYS AND HAD 'EM OUT AT THE GENERAL MEETINGS. UM, AND WE PROMISED 2016 WHAT WOULD BE DONE. AND IT STARTED NEWAN ROAD STARTED IN 2020 AND FINISHED THIS YEAR. WE 22, BUT NOW, UH, HALL OF ENGINEERS BROKE THAT DOWN TO THE SIX PROJECTS. UH, NUMBER ONE WAS NEWAN ROAD NUMBER, AND NUMBER TWO WAS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW. CAMPBELL WOODS, IT'S INSIDE THAT CAMPBELL WOODS SOUTH, EVEN THOUGH IT'S CALLED, YOU KNOW, THE CAMPBELL WOODS SOUTH. BUT THAT PROJECT IS INCLUDED IN PROJECT TWO IS CAMPBELL WOODS. SO ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND VOTE. WE ALSO GOT THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE FOR PROJECTS FOR SPRING SHADOWS. SO THANKS FOR STILL CONSIDERING AND HAVING HYSTERIA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. DODEN. NEXT SPEAKER, BEN GILLIS. YES, GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS BEN GILLIS. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECKS DISTRICT, A BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 FOR $25 MILLION FOR THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH DRAINAGE AND PAINTING PROJECT. THESE FUNDS ARE COMING FROM THE CITY DESIGNATED DRAINAGE [01:25:01] FUNDS. UH, THIS IS A FIVE STAGE PROJECT. UH, ONE PHASE HAS ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. IT'D BE A SHAME NOT TO CONTINUE WITH PHASE TWO. ABOUT 1700 HOMES ARE AFFECTED BY THIS PROJECT, AND SOME OF THESE HOMES HAVE FLOODED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES. UH, I ASK YOUR SUPPORT. UH, WE DO HAVE SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTY. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY HAS AGREED TO DO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO HELP WITH PHASE TWO. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. I ASK AGAIN, ASK YOUR SUPPORT FOR BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. GILLIS. NEXT SPEAKER, GIA GROSS. WELCOME BACK. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, FIRST I WOULD LIKE TO PUT MY SUPPORT TO COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMBERS, UM, APARTMENT INSPECTION AMENDMENTS. AND, UH, 4.1 THROUGH 4.4, AND ALSO YOUR BATTER INTERVENTION REFORM 4.5. REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH THAT. UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO PUT MY SUPPORT TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND COUNCIL MEMBER PECK'S, UH, AMENDMENTS. AND, UH, I ALSO SUPPORT THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE DRAINAGE AND ISSUES AND FLOOD MITIGATIONS. AND LIKE CHRIS AND MELISSA AND ALICE AND OSCAR SPOKE, I SUPPORT, UM, ALL OF THEM AND WHAT THEY HAVE SAID. UM, I'M ALSO ASKING THE CITY TO PRIORITIZE THE IMPACTFUL WORK OF THE HOUSING HEALTH PARKS AND RECS, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND NEIGHBORHOODS AND LIBRARIES. UM, AND, UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE BILLION DOLLAR POLICE BUDGET AND, UH, SOME OF THE, THAT MONEY, UM, THAT HAS TO DO WITH POLICE UNIONS AND PENN SPENDING TENS OF MILLIONS ON PERKS THAT STEAL MONEY AWAY FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS. UM, I WAS HERE WHEN CHIEF SPINNER, WHEN CHIEF NER SPOKE, UH, ABOUT HIS BUDGET. AND CITY COUNCIL ASKED WHAT, WHAT Y'ALL COULD DO TO HELP HIM. AND HE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED, UM, THAT YOU ALL COULD HELP, UH, PUT MONEY TOWARD PROGRAMS THAT INVESTED IN YOUTH PROGRAMS. AND I FIRMLY SUPPORT THAT AS WELL. UM, AND I REALLY HOPE, I KNOW THERE'S MANY PEOPLE SPEAKING, UH, BEHIND ME, AND THAT YOU REALLY LISTENED TO THEM AND WHAT THEY SAY AND, AND PUT THOSE FORTH. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MS. ROCHELLE. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. MS. ROCHELLE. MS. ROCHELLE, SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. JUST REALLY QUICKLY, YOU WERE ONE OF THE FOLKS THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH AT EVERY SINGLE BUDGET MEETING. UM, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE LISTEN, BUT YOU WERE ALSO HERE. I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT, TAKING TIME, UM, INCLUDING ALL THE OTHERS THAT DID. BUT I KNOW YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE. I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TIME THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, HECTOR DE LA GARZA. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M HERE FROM THE SPRING BRANCH FROM, UH, CAMPBELL WOODS DIVISION. YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE FLOODING OVER THERE. UM, YOU'VE HEARD IT. WE, WE HAVE FIVE PHASES THAT WE NEED TO GET THROUGH. WE'VE GONE THROUGH PHASE ONE, WHICH ALREADY COST $18 MILLION. OKAY. BEFORE THAT PHASE WAS DONE, WE FLOODED THREE TIMES IN FOUR YEARS. THESE ARE NOT HURRICANE RELATED FLOODS. WE'VE, WE FLOODED 20 15, 20 16, AND 2019. THAT'S THREE TIMES IN FOUR YEARS. SO BETWEEN 2016 AND 2019, WE HAD HURRICANE HARVEY. WE DID NOT FLOOD HURRICANE HARVEY. I WENT AND GOT A BUNCH OF PUMP EQUIPMENT, WATER PUMP EQUIPMENT. WE WERE OUT THERE 72 HOURS AT THE END OF MY STREET. MY STREET IS RIGHT ON THE, ON THE INTERSECTION OF NEW ENDS. THIS WAS BEFORE NEWAN PROJECT PHASE ONE EVEN STARTED. WE PUMPED THE WATER 120 FEET FROM OUR STORM SEWER. I DROPPED THE, THE PUMPS IN THERE, PUMPED IT OUT TO NEW ONES, TO THE OFF-ROAD DITCH AND NEW ONES. 72 HOURS. I HAD A CARGO TRAILER. WE ALL GOT INSIDE THE CARGO TRAILER AND WE RAN THE PUMPS. 72 HOURS DURING HARVEY WHILE THE REST OF HOUSTON [01:30:01] FLOODED, WE WERE ABLE TO SAVE OUR STREET AND ALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEHIND US. 'CAUSE WE ARE THE LOWEST POINT. WE'RE ONLY, OUR STORM SHORE IS ONLY 120 FEET AWAY FROM THE, FROM THE NEWEST PROJECT. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S COMPLETED NOW. THIS WAS BEFORE IT WAS COMPLETED. IT'S COMPLETED NOW $18 MILLION LATER. AND WE FLOODED JANUARY 9TH OF THIS YEAR AFTER IT WAS ALREADY COMPLETED. SO EXPLAIN TO ME HOW $18 MILLION HELPED OUR STREET. I HAVE NEIGHBORS THAT HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR THIS FOR DECADES. I HAVE A NEIGHBOR IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW. SHE HAS HAD THREE HEART ATTACKS SINCE JANUARY. SHE HASN'T LIVED IN HER HOME SINCE 2019, THE LAST FLOOD BECAUSE SHE CAN'T HANDLE MOVING ALL HER STUFF, PICKING UP, REBUILDING HER HOUSE AGAIN. SHE'S DONE IT EIGHT TIMES. SHE'S DONE IT EIGHT TIMES. THAT'S HER HOUSE. THAT'S HER HOME. YOU KNOW, MY KIDS ASK ME EVERY TIME IT RAINS, DADDY, ARE WE GONNA FLOOD AGAIN? ISN'T IT, IT DON'T TAKE A HURRICANE. TODAY'S HURRICANE SEASON, WHATEVER Y'ALL PREPARE FOR, WHENEVER Y'ALL SEE THE, THE BIG RADAR GOING OFF, WE PREPARE FOR THAT. EVERY TIME IT RAINS, EVERY TIME IT GETS CLOUDY, IS IT GONNA RAIN? I DON'T KNOW. THE FORECAST SAYS NO. 30 MINUTES LATER, IT'S RAINING. HAS THANK MR. DE GARZA, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. THANK YOU HECTOR FOR SPEAKING TODAY. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HELP MITIGATE THAT FLOODING. BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THAT YOUR HOUSE FLOODED THREE TIMES AND OTHER HOMES HAVE FLOODED UP TO EIGHT TIMES. UM, IF NOT FOR THOSE PUMPS THAT YOU ARE DOING, THERE WOULD BE, EVEN THE NUMBERS WOULD BE EVEN HIGHER. UM, NO DOUBT IN MY MIND ABOUT THAT. AND NEWLANDS ROAD, YOU'RE RIGHT, $18 MILLION AND THEY'RE STILL FLOODING BECAUSE THAT WAS PHASE ONE TO INCREASE CAPACITY. BUT NOW PHASE TWO IS TO ACTUALLY GET THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATER TO NEW ONES. AND SO, UM, YOU'RE RIGHT, $18 MILLION, AND WE'RE STILL FLOODING. THAT'S WHY WE NEED PHASE TWO OF THIS PROJECT. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE DOING. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? I NOTICED THE MAYOR'S NOT HERE. IS THERE A SPEAKER? PARTICULAR REASON? NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU. THE NEXT SPEAKER. DORIS BROWN. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DORIS BROWN AND I LIVE IN CENIC WOODS, A SUBDIVISION IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON. I AM THE CO-FOUNDER OF NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE, NOT FOCUSES ON PROTECTING COMMUNITIES FROM FLOODING, IMPROVING SAFETY FOR OUR FAMILIES, EDUCATING NEIGHBORS ON HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN FEBRUARY. WE SPOKE AT CITY HALL LAST MONTH. WE SPOKE AT THE CIP AND PUBLIC WORKS BUDGET HEARINGS. TODAY, WE'RE HERE TO SAY IT'S TIME TO ACT AND APPROVE THE DRAINAGE AMENDMENTS PUT FORWARD BY TASHA JACKSON. THESE ARE FOR YEARS OF WORKING TO UNDERSTAND OUR PROBLEMS AND TAKE REAL STEPS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND SAFETY. IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A LOT OF AMENDMENTS, BUT THERE ARE TOTAL COST IS MUST LESS THAN THE GAP OF MONEY PUT INTO THE NORTHEAST OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WE KNOW THIS FROM TOP OF YOUR REQUEST. THE TRADITIONAL PROCESSES HAVE NOT PROVIDED ADEQUATE INVESTMENT OR DRAINAGE OR EQUAL DRAINAGE PROTECTION IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON. REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAS NOT HAPPENED FOR OVER 20 YEARS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. 3 1 1 ISN'T WORKING. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF SMELLING STAGNANT WATER THAT POSES A HEALTH HAZARD WITH NOWHERE TO GO. SAFE AND HEALTHY LIVING CONDITIONS ALSO INCLUDE APARTMENTS. IT INCLUDES SO MANY MORE AMENDMENTS. AND LETICIA PLUM HAS PUT FORTH A ERROR AMENDMENT THAT WILL ALSO HELP. [01:35:05] BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO START IN THE BIPOC COMMUNITIES THAT EQUITY DEMANDS. THANK YOU. INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS INJUSTICE EVERYWHERE. THANK YOU. COUNT. I'M, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND. MS. BROWN, MS. BROWN. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MS. BROWN AND THE, UM, NORTHEAST COLLECTIVE FOR COMING IN AND ADVOCATE FOR THE DRAINAGE PROJECTS. UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSTANT ADVOCACY FOR THE NORTHEAST AREA. UM, WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF NEED AND JUST KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR MYSELF, UM, WE'RE WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET SOME SOMETHING DONE IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. MS. DORIS, THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING HERE ALWAYS AND FOR SUPPORTING YOUR COMMUNITY AND ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. TIRELESSLY NOT GETTING PAID FOR IT, JUST BECAUSE YOU LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE. AND I WANNA JUST THANK THE ORGANIZATION AS WELL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, . SEE YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU NEXT SPEAKER. DAVID VAN BURGEN. DAVID VAN BERGEN. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, YOU CAN PROCEED. DAVID VAN BERG. MAYOR. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. MAYOR TURNER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, I AM DAVID VAN BERGEN, THE SPRING SHADOW CIVIC ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBER SINCE 2015, PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION IN 2017 AND 18 IN THE SPRING SHADOWS RESIDENT SINCE 1987. I COME BEFORE YOU TODAY IN FULL SUPPORT OF BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 AND THE AMOUNT OF $25 MILLION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF PHASE TWO OF THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT. THIS FIVE PHASE PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED IN 2012, AND FINALLY PLACED IN THE CIP PROGRAM IN 2016. JUST THIS YEAR, THE FIRST PHASE KNOWN AS THE NEW ONES PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT WAS COMPLETED. IT SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THE DETENTION CAPACITY NEEDED AND REQUIRED TO HANDLE THE DRAINAGE FROM ALL FIVE PHASES, WHICH INCLUDE CAMPBELL WOODS AND SPRING SHADOW SUBDIVISION SOUTH OF BUTTERMILK CREEK. A SHORTENED FLOODING HISTORY OF SPRING SHADOWS IS IN ORDER HERE IN MAY, 2007, 49 RESIDENCES WERE FLOODED ON APRIL 28TH, 2009. 143 RESIDENCES WERE FLOODED. AND MAY OF TWO FIVE 2015 32 HOMES WERE FLOODED ON APRIL 18TH, 2016, 37 HOMES WERE FLOODED. ON JUNE 4TH, 2017, A SHORT DURATION THREE INCH RAIN FLOODED 18 HOMES DURING HARVEY AND BELDA. MORE HOMES WERE FLOODED. THESE NUMBERS DO NOT INCLUDE RESIDENCES IN CAMPBELL WOODS. THE OLD AND UNDERSIZED STORM SEW SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN BOTH SUBDIVISION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED TO ALLEVIATE THE LONG SUFFERING OF RESIDENTS IN BOTH AREAS, AND IT NEEDS TO MOVE FORWARD. NOW, SPRING SHADOWS, CAMPBELL WOODS AND SHERWOOD OAK RESIDENCES RESIDENTS IMPLORE EACH OF YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF BUDGET AMENDMENT 6.01 SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND NOT WORRY THAT WE ARE GOING TO FLOOD EACH TIME IT RAINS AND DECREASE OUR PROPERTY VALUES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, SABA BLANDING. UH, GOOD MORNING. YES. I SAT THROUGH AND MADE PUBLIC COMMENT ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE BUDGET HEARINGS. I WANNA FIRST ASK THE CITY TO PRIORITIZE ACCESSIBILITY TO BUDGET DISCUSSIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENT. TO PRIORITIZE CITYWIDE SURVEYS AND OTHER EFFORTS TO ELICIT PUBLIC OPINION, WE SHOULD BE MOVING TOWARDS A PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROCESS. IN 20 11 4, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS LAUNCHED A PB PROCESS TO ALLOW RESIDENTS IN THEIR DISTRICT TO ALLOCATE PART OF THEIR CAPITAL DISCRE DISCRETIONARY FUNDS. THE PROCESS HAS GROWN TO INCLUDE A MAJORITY OF COUNCIL MEMBERS, GIVING COMMUNITIES DECISION MAKING OVER MORE THAN $35 MILLION IN TAXPAYER MONEY ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. IF NEW YORK CITY CAN DO IT, HOUSTON CAN DO IT. I'M ALSO ASKING THE CITY TO PRIORITIZE THE IMPACTFUL WORK OF THE HOUSING HEALTH LIBRARIES, PARKS AND RECREATION, OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC WORKS AND DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD DEPARTMENTS. THESE DEPARTMENTS DIRECTLY IMPACT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY THROUGH PREVENTION, PROGRAMMING, AND OTHER SERVICES. A COMMON REFRAIN IS THE MONEY IS NOT THERE. [01:40:01] HOWEVER, WITHIN THE BILLION DOLLAR POLICE BUDGET IS THE HBD COMMUNITY AFFAIRS. ESSENTIALLY REPLICATING THE WORK OF DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS 28 MILLION BUDGETED FOR TRAINING INCENTIVE PAY ON TOP OF PAID TRAINING IN OTHER FINANCIAL CUSHIONS. THESE DUPLICATIONS AND SERVICES PROVIDED AND OVER BUDGETING ROUNDING ERRORS IN THE POLICE BUDGET COULD LITERALLY DOUBLE THE ENTIRE HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUDGET. IT COULD SUSTAIN MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, IT COULD FULFILL THE 30 REQUIRED COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST POSITIONS. THE COST OF TWO CERT TEAMS COULD COVER THE COST OF THREE MCO T TEAMS, WHICH MEANS THE CITY WOULD BOTH BE CREATING BETTER COVERAGE AND SAVING TAX DOLLARS. THE CITY IS BUTCHERING DEPARTMENT BUDGETS TO FEED THE MEAT AND CONFER. HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO HAVE THEIR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. IT IS POSSIBLE TO WORK WITHIN THE CURRENT BUDGET CONSTRAINTS AND MEET AND CONFER AGREEMENT AND STILL BETTER FUND ESSENTIAL DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS. WE NEED TO SHED OUR SCARCITY MENTALITY AND EMBRACE THE REALITY OF ABUNDANCE THAT EXISTS WITHIN THE LINE ITEMS OF THE POLICE BUDGET. WE ALSO NEED PUBLIC NEGOTIATIONS OF A CONTRACT THAT OBLIGATE SUCH MONUMENTAL PERCENTAGE OF THE CITY BUDGET. I ALSO WANT TO VOICE MY SUPPORT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMBERS, UM, APARTMENT INSPECTION REFORM BUDGET AMENDMENTS, 4.1 THROUGH 4.4, WHICH DO AN EXCELLENT JOB OF ADDRESSING CRITICAL HOUSING NEEDS. I ALSO WANNA VOICE SUPPORT FOR HER BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR THE BATTERER INTERVENTION PROGRAM, BUDGET AMENDMENT 4.5. HOUSTON NEEDS MORE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND INTERRUPTION SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING. FINALLY, I WANT TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S, UM, BUDGET AMENDMENTS, ADDRESSING DRAINAGE NEEDS IN THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVES ASKS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, I ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER PECK AND YOUR BUDGET AMENDMENTS ADDRESSING DRAIN DRAINAGE IN ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS SPEAKING UP FOR THAT AS WELL. MAINTENANCE MUST BE THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY. NOT ONLY IS PROACTIVELY ADDRESSING DRAINAGE ISSUES AND FLOODING MITIGATION, THE MORALLY RIPENING, IT IS THE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE THING. HURRICANE SEASON IS UPON US, AND WE CANNOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE DAMAGE IS DONE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. MY COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN, ALL THAT PUBLIC TESTIMONY. YOU FI YOU GOT THE TIMING DOWN NOW. NAILED IT. . SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU SAAB AGAIN, UM, FOR SITTING THERE FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE BUDGET AMENDMENT AND ALSO, UM, HAVING, I'M PRETTY SURE THE YOUNGEST, UH, PERSON EVER TO TESTIFY AT BUDGET HEARINGS, YOUR DAUGHTER, WHO IS JUST AWESOME. SO PLEASE SEND HER OUR BEST. UH, WE, WE APPRECIATED HER, HER COMMENTS, BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'VE DEDICATED TO THIS. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, JASON OLIVER. JASON OLIVER, STAR SIX. JASON OLIVER. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS, MY NAME IS JASON OLIVER. I LIVE IN DISTRICT GI WANT TO, UH, REALLY, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT SABA OFFERED. UM, AND, AND I'LL DEFINITELY CIRCLE BACK TO SOME OF THAT. I WANNA VOICE SUPPORT FOR THE AMENDMENT, SEEKING TO ADDRESS MAJOR NEEDS IN TERMS OF DRAINAGE AND DITCH MAINTENANCE, UH, PARK IMPROVEMENT AND REHABILITATION, AND APARTMENT, APARTMENT INSPECTIONS, NINE ONE ONE CALL TAKERS AND COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. THESE INCLUDE 4.02, 4.05, 5.05, SIX POINT 10, AND SEVEN POINT 16. AND TODAY, ESPECIALLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF HURRICANE SEASON, UH, I, I SUPPORT THE, THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE, LIKE MS. BROWN, WHO JUST CAME UP, WHO'VE BEEN TAKING THE TIME UNDER THEIR BUSY DAYS TO EXPLAIN THE URGENT FLOODING ISSUES THEY'RE FACING IN HOUSTON WITH CLEAR ACTION STEPS AND THE PEOPLE IN DISTRICT A THAT ARE SPEAKING UP FOR, UH, IN, IN SUPPORT FOR FLOOD RELIEF. I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT THIS PROCESS, THIS BUDGET PROCESS NEEDS TO CHANGE. UH, WE DO NEED TO PRIORITIZE ACCESSIBILITY AND CREATE A CITYWIDE SURVEY FOR A BUDGET OF OVER $5 BILLION, A BILLION OF WHICH IS GOING TO HPD AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS, WHICH IS A PROBLEM OVER MORE TIME IS NEEDED FOR REVIEW, INPUT, AND REVISIONS. HOUSTON IS AN ANOMALY IN THE SHORT TIME THAT THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS RELEASED TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND CITY COUNCIL WITH THE SAME FISCAL YEAR. NEW YORK RELEASES A PROPOSED BUDGET IN JANUARY, PHOENIX AND MARCH. LA AND APRIL, RIGHT THERE, WE CAN DO MORE. ALSO, THE CITY IS BUTCHERING OTHER DEPARTMENTS, LIKE SABA SAID, TO FEED THE MEET AND CONFER. WE'RE SEEING HPD TAKE UP AN INCREASINGLY LARGE SHARE OF GENERAL FUND SPEND. THAT MEANS WE'RE LOSING PROGRAMS LIKE THE YOUTH DATING VIOLENCE PROGRAM UNDER THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND STRUGGLING TO RETAIN STAFF TO ENSURE OUR BUILDINGS ARE SAFE. THIS IS CORE PUBLIC SAFETY. AS WE APPROACH THE END OF, OF MERIT TURNER'S ADMINISTRATION, WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE SHIFTING THE, THE PRACTICES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE IN THIS ADMINISTRATION AND PREVIOUS ONES SO THAT WE'RE BECOMING MORE PROGRESSIVE AND HELPING CREATE MORE INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT THAT THE HOUSTONIANS NEED TO GET THE CITY THAT THEY, THAT THEY [01:45:01] DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. CHARLES CAVE. CHARLES CAVE IS HERE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, I HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT OF CRESTMONT PARK SUBDIVISION FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES. I HAVE BEEN AN ACTIVELY ENGAGED CIVIC MEMBER, AS WELL AS MEMBER OF THE CRESTMONT PARK CIVIC ALLIANCE LEADERSHIP FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS. CURRENTLY, I SERVE AS ITS PRESIDENT ALSO. I'VE SERVED SEVERAL YEARS ON THE BOARD OF KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL. AFTER I WAS APPOINTED BY FORMER DISTRICT D COUNCIL MEMBER WANDA ADAMS AND WAS CONFIRMED BY CITY COUNCIL, OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS HISTORICALLY KNOWN AS SOUTH PARK, IS LOCATED ALONG MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD, JUST SOUTH OF SIMS BAYOU. UH, OUR SUBDIVISION IS A DEED RESTRICTED COMMUNITY CONSISTING OF ABOUT 1300 HOMES AND FIVE APARTMENT UNITS. WE TAKE PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT WE ARE CIVICALLY ENGAGED THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. TODAY. I COME BEFORE YOU ASKING YOU TO APPROVE COUNCIL MEMBER LETICIA PLUMMER'S. BUDGET AMENDMENT NUMBER 4.07 IF APPROVED, THESE FUNDS WOULD PROVIDE BEAUTIFICATION IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND AROUND THE CMAR PARK COMMUNITY CENTER. BACK IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, MR. STEVEN JAMES WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, SHE'S OFFICE, AND I, ALONG WITH MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES, MET AT THE CRESTMONT PARK COMMUNITY CENTER TO CONDUCT A FACILITY ASSESSMENT. AS A RESULT OF THAT ASSESSMENT, WE COMPILED A LIST OF OVER 40 REPAIRS, MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENT ITEMS THAT WERE NEEDED. I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT SINCE THAT TIME, MOST OF THOSE, A LOT OF THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND SEVERAL OTHERS ARE IN PROGRESS. IT'S OUR HOPE THAT THE REMAINING ITEMS WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE UPCOMING MONTHS IF APPROVED. THIS BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT WOULD ACCENT AND ENHANCE OUR IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS. ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL LOTS OF WORK TO BE DONE TO COMPLETE OUR LIST, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE WHO HAS HELPED US THUS FAR. SPECIAL THANKS TO MR. KENNETH ALLEN, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR, MS. ONEIKA PETERS, AND MS. TISHA PERRY. ALSO ALONG WITH THE THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, UH, ALSO MS. UH, ELISE COFFEE AND MR. DESMOND ALLEN WITH THE SALT LAKE WASTE DEPARTMENT, DISTRICT D'S COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, EVAN SHABA, MR. STEVEN JAMES, AND THE DISTRICT D STAFF. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK MOTOR ROAD SOLUTIONS, ONE OF OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS WHO PROVIDED SEVERAL VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED DURING OUR, ONE OF OUR CLEANUP CAMPAIGNS. IN CLOSING, I RESPECTFULLY ASKED CITY COUNCIL TO APPROVE BUDGET AMENDMENT NUMBER 4.07. AND OUR THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER LETICIA PLUMMER AND MS. CC SCOTT IN HER OFFICE WHO HAVE HELPED TO BRING THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK COUNCIL TIME COUNCIL MEMBER MECK, EVAN SHIOBBAN. THANK YOU, MR. CAVE. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE. YOU ARE SO ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY AND SO, UH, HIGHLY REGARDED AND I DO APPRECIATE IT. I CERTAINLY, UH, WELCOME THIS PROJECT, UH, THIS BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT. UH, ALTHOUGH I, I, I DO WISH MY PARTNER WOULD HAVE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH ME PRIOR TO PUTTING THIS AMENDMENT FORWARD. I CERTAINLY WILL NOT DENY THAT IT IS NEEDED AND CERTAINLY, UH, WOULD APPRECIATE THE FUNDING AND I APPRECIATE YOU COMING FORWARD AS WELL. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PALMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. KAY, FOR COMING FORWARD. I REMEMBER THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU'ALL ASKED FOR LIKE THREE YEARS AGO. UM, AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER SHAZA WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AND, UM, I DID SEND THIS OUT PUBLICLY TO EVERYONE, BUT I SHOULD HAVE PULLED YOU ASIDE AND ASKED YOU ABOUT IT. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY CAME TO ME ABOUT, UM, THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO. AND, UM, AND, UH, I, HOPEFULLY WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. AND ONCE AGAIN, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AND, UM, I DON'T WANT TO FOREVER, YOU KNOW, THINK THAT I'M STEPPING OVER YOU. UM, BUT AS AN LARGE MEMBER, I DO LISTEN TO THE CONSTITUENTS TOO. AND I WANNA HELP OUT HELP YOU AND HELP YOUR DISTRICT AND HELP OUR COMMUNITY. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I WANT TO TAKE BOTH OF YOU AND YOU AND SEND YOU TO THE PARKS WHEN WE GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE. OKAY? ALRIGHT, . THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT, NEXT, NEXT. SPEAKER. SONYA CORRALES. SONYA CORRALES. UM, IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, SONYA CORRALES, STAR SIX. UH, UH, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MM-HMM . UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER FOR INVITING ME TO SPEAK TODAY. UH, MY NAME IS SONIA LES AND I SERVE AS THE DEPUTY CEO FOR THE HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER. I'VE WORKED IN THIS ANTI-VIOLENCE MOVEMENT SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE FOR OVER 30 YEARS. TODAY, I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF OUR PARTNER, A TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE AND AMENDMENT 4.05, WHICH WOULD IMPLEMENT BATTERY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS. UH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM, AND IT REQUIRES A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH THAT IS BOTH TRAUMA INFORMED AND VICTIM CENTERED. UH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS PREVENTABLE. UH, WE KNOW THAT IT'S A COMMUNITY PROBLEM AND IT REQUIRES A COMMUNITY APPROACH [01:50:01] TO HELP PREVENT IT. UM, YOU ALL KNOW THAT IT, IT TAKES US ALL. UM, FOR 45 YEARS, HAWK HAS BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES OFFERING SAFETY AND PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE LIFE-SAVING SERVICES TO SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND TRAFFICKING. WE ARE A MULTICULTURAL, MULTILINGUAL, FREE, AND CONFIDENTIAL, UM, ORGANIZATION THAT IS AVAILABLE, UH, TO EVERYONE. UM, THE MISSION OF THE TEXAS BATTERY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS, INCLUDING ABDA, IS TO PROMOTE OFFENDER ACCOUNTABILITY, PROMOTE THE SAFETY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR AND THEIR CHILDREN, AND TO HELP CREATE SOCIAL CHANGE NECESSARY TO ENDING BATTERING AND ALL OTHER FORMS OF ABUSE. UH, DURING THE 80TH LEGISLATURE, UH, SENATE BILL 44 THAT PASSED REQUIRED DIPS TO BE ACCREDITED, THERE ARE CURRENTLY 165 ACCREDITED BIPS IN TEXAS. UM, 25 OF THOSE ARE FUNDED BY THE STATE AID TO VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE IS THE ONLY STATE FUNDED BIP PROGRAM IN HARRIS COUNTY, AND IT'S ONE OF THE EARLIEST BIPS IN TEXAS WITH THE SOLID PROGRAMMATIC, UM, AUDIT. THE TEXAS COUNCIL FAMILY, THE TEXAS COUNCIL ON FAMILY VIOLENCE TELLS US THAT BIP IS A NATIONAL LEADER WITH 30 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO MAINTAINING PROGRAMS, FUNDING SERVICES, AND OVERSIGHT OF SERVICE DELIVERY. THERE ARE NATIONAL AND TEXAS BASED RESEARCH THAT DEMONSTRATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BIPS. UM, ONE THAT IS CONDUCTED, THAT WAS CONDUCTED HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY AND FOUND THAT ABDA BIP TO BE EFFECTIVE WITH 87% OF THE PARTICIPANTS THAT COMPLETED THE PROGRAM HAD NOT, DID NOT HAVE NEW ARRESTS FOR UP TO 24 MONTHS POST COMPLETION. UM, ABDA AND HAWK HAVE A LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP, AND WE WORK IN PARTNERSHIP TO CHALLENGE THE ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS OF THOSE USING ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR AND IN SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. UH, WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR FIRSTHAND, AND WE KNOW HOW TO INCREASE A VICTIM SAFETY AT THE HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER. UM, WE BELIEVE THAT, UH, IN A FUTURE THAT IS DEFINED BY SAFE RELATIONSHIPS AND CARE AND FAMILIES AND WHEN INTO OUR COMMUNITIES THRIVE, UH, FREE FROM VIOLENCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UH, COUNCILMAN PLUMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING ON BIP. I, UM, I REALLY WANT OUR COUNCIL TO LOOK AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. I KNOW WE ARE INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE AND I LOVE EVERYTHING THE HAWK DOES. UH, I THINK THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE IS LOOKING AT THE ACTUAL PERPETRATOR, THE PERSON WHO'S ACTUALLY DOING THE ABUSE, AND THE ONE THAT CONTINUES TO GO BACK AND DO IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO THIS ORGANIZATION, UM, IS SUPPORTED BY THE STATE. UM, IT'S INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE, AND I, AND I, UM, SUBMITTED ALL OF THIS INFORMATION TO COUNCIL. UM, IN ADDITION, I SENT ALL OF THE INFORMATION OUT LAST WEEK AS WELL, UM, FOR EVERYONE'S REVIEW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, COUNCILMAN KAMAN, SONYA, UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND ACKNOWLEDGE HAWK FOR, UM, ALL THE EXTRAORDINARY WORK THAT YOU ALL DO. UM, I THINK THE PANDEMIC MORE THAN, UH, OTHER TIMES IN RECENT HISTORY REALLY HAVE HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED. UH, AND Y'ALL HAVE BEEN THERE ON THE FOREFRONT, UM, EVERY SINGLE DAY WORKING WITH THE CITY, UM, TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. SO, AGAIN, MY APPRECIATION TO HAWK, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, CHERYL SOLOMON. CHERYL SOLOMON, IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, CHERYL SOLOMON, STAR SIX. CHERYL SOLOMON, NEXT SPEAKER. SHE, SHE'S RIGHT HERE. SHE'S TRYING TO UNMUTE. OKAY. IF YOU WILL UNMUTE YOURSELF, CHERYL. I'M THERE. I'M HERE. WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR TURNER, CITY COUNCIL, UH, MEMBERS, AND ESPECIALLY TO, UH, COUNCILWOMAN AT LARGE LETICIA PLUMMER AS A, UH, 53 YEAR RESIDENT OF THE CRESTMONT COMMUNITY. I'D LIKE TO SAY THE, THE VERY FIRST TIME I WAS ON, UH, SOUTH PARK BOULEVARD, COMING FROM BEAUMONT, TEXAS, I THOUGHT I WAS IN CALIFORNIA WITH ALL THE PALM TREES AND THE BEAUTY OF THE BOULEVARD. UH, SINCE LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, OVER 53 YEARS, I HAVE SEEN CHANGES THAT HAVE, UH, CONCERNED ME IN TERMS OF BEAUTIFICATION. SO, UH, AS THE LEAD BLOCK CAPTAIN FOR THE CRESTMONT CIVIC ALLIANCE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF CHARLES CAVE, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, UH, PLUMBER FOR, UM, SUGGESTING THE AMENDMENT TO BEAUTIFY, UH, AREAS IN OUR COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN LEAVE A LASTING, UH, IMPRESSION TO NOT ONLY FAMILIES, BUT CHILDREN AT, UH, WE TOO CAN DO SOMETHING TO BEAUTIFY OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UH, ON BEHALF OF THE 13 BLOCK CAPTAINS WHO SERVE, UH, WITH ME, UH, [01:55:01] TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET INFORMATION OUT, CERTAINLY WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE TIME THAT, UH, WE BEGIN THE PROJECT, AND YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT WE'RE GONNA DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO CONTINUE TO BEAUTIFY OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. ARIS BROWN. ARIS BROWN, RIS BROWN. HERE, ARIS BROWN. NEXT SPEAKER, BO JOHNSON. BO JOHNSON. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX BO JOHNSON, STAR SIX. DID YOU HEAR ME? HELLO? I BELIEVE, CAN YOU HEAR ME? BO JOHNSON? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. UH, SORRY ABOUT THAT. APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, UH, IN SUPPORT OF BUDGET AMENDMENT, UH, SIX POINT, UH, OH ONE TODAY. UM, PRESIDENT OF THE SHERWOOD OAKS PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, PROJECT TO REALLY GREATLY NOT ONLY HELP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT, UM, ALSO MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS AND AS WELL AS, UH, THE GREATER CITY. WE'RE DOWN JUST DOWNSTREAM OF ATTS RESERVOIR, AND THIS PROJECT WOULD, UH, INCREASE DETENTION DOWNSTREAM OF ATTS RESERVOIR, HELPING ALL THE CITY. UH, THERE IS AN UNUSED, UH, PUBLIC LIFT STATION THAT WOULD BE USED AS DETENTION AND A PARK AS PART OF THIS, UH, PROJECT. AND WE'RE ALSO THANKFUL THAT COMMISSIONER KAGEL HAS AGREED TO, TO DO IT INTERLOCAL AND, UH, HELP SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AS WELL. SO, UH, APPRECIATE ALL Y'ALL'S, UM, CONSIDERATION ON THIS, AND, UH, THAT'LL BE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, NEXT SPEAKER. KAREN VAZQUEZ VASQUEZ. KAREN VASQUEZ. VASQUEZ. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. ETHAN GANS. ETHAN GANS. HELLO? YES, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? YES. WE OKAY. HEY, Y'ALL. MY NAME IS ETHAN MICHELLE GANS, AND, UH, I'M A, UH, I, UH, LIVE IN MONTROSE AND I CAME TO SUPPORT DR. PLUMMER'S APARTMENT INSPECTION REFORM. UM, I PERSONALLY HAVE LIVED IN A LOT OF APARTMENTS THAT ARE SUBSTANDARD. I HAVE DEALT WITH ROACH INFESTATIONS, RAT INFESTATIONS. I HAVE HAD LEAKING ROOFS. UM, I HAVE HAD MY TOILET FALL THROUGH THE FLOOR ALMOST. UM, I HAVE HAD ALL KINDS OF STUFF HAPPEN IN, IN PLACES WHERE I HAVE RENTED. AND, YOU KNOW, AS A WHITE PERSON WHO LIVES IN AN UPPER CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW BAD IT IS IN AREAS WHERE, UH, THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF FLOODING, UM, WHERE THEY ARE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED, UM, EVEN MORE THAN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, UH, I AM SO HAPPY THAT DR. PALMER HAS DECIDED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BECAUSE SOMEBODY NEEDED TO. UM, I, I TALKED ABOUT THIS IN 2019 WHEN I RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL AND, UH, ABOUT, ABOUT NEEDING MORE INSPECTIONS AND, AND THE ISSUES WITH THE APARTMENTS AND STUFF, AND, UH, HAVING SOME KIND OF EQUITY, UH, FOR PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT, UH, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO I A HUNDRED PERCENT SUPPORT DR. PLUMMER, AND I THANK HER FOR DOING THIS. AND THAT'S ALL MY STATEMENT. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? UH, I, I THINK ETHAN MAY HAVE HUNG UP. I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE ETHAN, WHO CONTINUES TO ENGAGE, UH, NOT ONLY IN THE DISTRICT C COMMUNITY ADVOCATING ON ISSUES, BUT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SO APPRECIATE ETHAN'S VOICE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. [02:00:01] NOAH RATTLER. NOAH RATTLER. NOAH'S HERE. GET RIGHT BEHIND THE MIC. RIGHT BACK HERE? YES. MM-HMM . GOOD MORNING, MAYOR TURNER AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL PRESENT TODAY. UM, AS A LIFELONG MEMBER OF CRESTMONT PARK AND THE VICE PRESIDENT OF CRESTMONT PARK CIVIC ALLIANCE, I AM HERE IN SUPPORT OF COUNCILWOMAN LETICIA PLUMMER'S BUDGET AMENDMENT 4.07 TO DEPOSIT $50,000, DEPLOY $50,000 TO CRESTMONT PARK FOR BEAUTIFICATION. CRESTMONT PARK IS A MULTI-GENERATIONAL, SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITY ON THE SOUTHERN END OF MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD. BEING BORN THERE IN THE LATE SEVENTIES, GROWING UP THERE IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES, AND LIVING THERE IN THE 21ST CENTURY, I'VE SEEN THE CHANGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO THAT COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT MY LIFETIME. AND AS A MEMBER OF THE CRESTMONT PARK CIVIC ALLIANCE FOR 13 YEARS, I CAN ATTEST TO THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE TO MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT WE HAVE THERE. WE VOTE, WE PAY TAXES, WE SHOW UP. IN AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD, HOWEVER, NO ONE COMMUNITY CAN DO IT ALONE. NO ONE COMMUNITY CAN DO IT ALONE BECAUSE LARGER FORCES AFFECT SMALLER SPACES. AFTER THE PREVIOUS DEMOGRAPHIC FLED THE COMMUNITY, WE KEPT IT ALIVE AND VIBRANT. EVEN THOUGH MAJOR CHANGE LIKE KMART RICE LEFT WITH SMALLER BUSINESSES FOLLOWING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, THE LARGER COMMUNITY'S INVESTMENT IN US WANED OVER THE YEARS. YET WE WORKED WITH EACH OTHER AND THE CITY TO KEEP THE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFE THROUGHOUT CHANGES IN A CRIME RATE AND BEAUTIFUL. IN SPITE OF ALL THE DUMPING THAT YOU MAY HAVE ALL HEARD FROM US THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, BEAUTIFICATION ON THE SURFACE IS OFTEN THOUGHT OF AS JUST MAKING A SPACE PRETTY. BUT WE KNOW THAT IT'S DEEPER THAN THAT. BEAUTIFICATION IS, ESPECIALLY AS CALLED FOR IN THE AMENDMENT, BRINGS THE BEAUTY OF NATURE INTO A SPACE. AND WHEN WE BEAUTIFY OUR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS, WE POSITIVELY AFFECT OUR WELLBEING BY BRINGING THE BEAUTY OF NATURE INTO OUR LIVES. THE BENEFITS IN YOUNG PEOPLE INCLUDE INCREASED CONCENTRATION AND ATTENTION SPANS, REDUCE STRESS LEVELS, IMPROVE SOCIAL SKILLS, AND MORE. IN OUR MORE SEASONED COMMUNITY MEMBERS, IT'S BEEN LINKED TO BETTER MOODS, DECREASED CHANCE OF DEPRESSION, REDUCE STRESS LEVELS, AND IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION. AM I THAT'S, THAT'S, HOLD ON, I'M SORRY. OKAY. EVERYBODY'S MIC. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING, PLEASE MUTE YOURSELVES. IF YOU'RE LINE, IF YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING, PLEASE MUTE YOURSELVES. OKAY. OKAY. PROCEED. I'M SORRY. OKAY. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, EVERYONE FROM YOUNG CHILDREN TO OUR SENIORS USE THE COMMUNITY CENTER. AND THESE BENEFITS CAN BE BROUGHT INTO THEIR LIVES, UH, AS WELL AS ANYONE ELSE THAT DRIVES INTO AND OUT OF THE COMMUNITY VIA THIS MAJOR THOROUGHFARE. AND THE INVESTMENT THAT LEFT OVER THE DECADES HAS STARTED TO COME BACK RECENTLY, IT'S EVIDENT BY THE NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS THROUGHOUT THE AREA THAT WILL BRING MANY NEW FAMILIES TO OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, AS WELL AS THE WORK OF THE AREA MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS AND JERSEYS AS THEY PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. THE INVESTMENT CALLED FOR BY COUNCILWOMAN PLUMBER WILL NOT ONLY BENEFIT THOSE FUTURE RESIDENTS AS THEY MOVE INTO THE COMMUNITY, BUT IT WILL ALSO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF RESIDENTS THAT LIVE THERE TODAY. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION OF COUNCILWOMAN PLUMBERS AMENDMENT 4.07. I ALSO WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU, JUST LIKE WE DO IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, TO CONTINUE WORKING FOR THE BEST THAT HOUSTON CAN BE. NOT JUST FOR THE BUSINESSES THAT OUR CITY, YOUR TIME HAS MIGHT ATTRACT, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ALREADY HERE AND MADE IT WHAT IT IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, FELIX KAUR. FELIX KAUR. FELIX KAPO KA KAPO. HERE NEXT, THINK HE'S COMING UP HERE. UM, I WANTED TO PASS OUT THIS, UH, AMENDMENT PACKET IN SUPPORT OF 7.1. AND I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER PACKET THAT I WANTED TO PICK OUT, PASS OUT, UM, TALKING ABOUT WHY THE CITY BUDGET IS VERY UNDEMOCRATIC. UM, AND I WAS GONNA READ A PREPARED STATEMENT. I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR AND THE COUNSELORS FOR THEIR TIME AND ATTENTION TODAY. UM, AND TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF HURRICANE. AS WE ALL KNOW, MEMORIAL DAY FLOODS IN 20 15, 450 $9 MILLION OF DAMAGE, SEVEN DEATHS TAX DAY FLOODS IN 2016. $460 MILLION OF DAMAGE, NINE DEATHS HURRICANE HARVEY IN 2017. $125 BILLION OF DAMAGE, 68 DEATHS. TROPICAL STORM AMELDA IN 2019. $5 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE, SIX DEATHS. [02:05:01] ALL OF THESE NATURAL DISASTERS DEVASTATED HOUSTON WITH APPROXIMATELY $130 BILLION IN DAMAGE. 90 DEATHS AND APPROXIMATELY 170,000 HOMES FLOODED WITHIN A FIVE YEAR TIME SPAN. THAT'S ONLY, THAT DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE TROPICAL STORM BETA IN 2020 AND NICHOLAS LAST YEAR THAT WERE MORE NEAR MISSES TO THE REGION. THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON WHO SUFFERED THE MOST FROM THESE STORMS ARE THE SAME LOW INCOME BIPOC FAMILIES WHO ARE STILL LIVING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THE, OF THE DESTRUCTION LEFT BEHIND. WHEN WILL WE START UNDERSTANDING THAT WE LIVE IN A CITY THAT IS IN CONSTANT THREAT OF A NATURAL DISASTER, AND WE NEED EQUITABLE PREPARATION FOR ONE OF THE NEXT 12 STORMS TO COME HIT OUR REGION. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE AND WEST STREET RECOVERY, AS WELL AS RESIDENTS OF NORTHEAST HOUSTON LIKE MS. VERONICA, MS. WHITE, AND MS. ANN TO STRONGLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO PASS AMENDMENT 7.16, A PILOT PROGRAM FOR DRAINAGE MAINTENANCE IN DISTRICT B. DISTRICT B IS ONE OF THE MOST FLOOD PRONE AREAS AND HAS VERY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF BIPOC AND LMI PEOPLE, AS WELL AS PUBLIC HOUSING. OPENID DRAINAGE IS AN EXAMPLE OF SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL, UNEQUAL MAIN UNEQUAL RIGHTS THAT LEAVES OUR COMMUNITIES VULNERABLE. IT IS TIME TO ADDRESS THE HISTORIC LACK OF INVESTMENT IN, IN DRAINAGE IN BIPOC COMMUNITIES. THE NOAA IS FORECASTING 14 TO 21 NAMES, STORMS TO HIT OUR REGION THIS YEAR, AND THE GULF COAST IS SET TO RISE AS MUCH AS 18 INCHES IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS. ALSO, SEPARATE CAN NEVER BE EQUAL. AND FOR THE MOST PART, BIPOC COMMUNITIES HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DRAINAGE OPEN DITCH THAN WHITE COMMUNITIES DO. 88% OF ALL OPEN DITCH DRAINAGE IS IN MAJORITY BIPOC NEIGHBORHOODS. THE AREAS WITH OPEN DITCH DRAINAGE ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE A CONCENTRATION OF SEWAGE LEAKS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. AND ALSO THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. AND WE NEED TO CHANGE. WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT SERVES OUR COMMUNITIES BETTER. IT'S REALLY HARD FOR PEOPLE LIKE MS. DORIS, MS. ANN, MS. VERONICA, TO GO OUT AND MANAGE THEIR OWN CULVERTS, MANAGE THEIR OWN DITCHES. WE REALLY NEED A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CHANGE. OTHERWISE, HOUSTON'S GONNA SEE THE SAME NUMBER OF EVEN MORE NUMBER OF DEATHS AND BILLIONS DOLLARS OF DAMAGE COMING IN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER, ALL OMAR REED. OMAR REED. UH, SO OMAR HERE. OMAR REED. OMAR IS THIS HARD NEXT SPEAKER. ANTHONY FINE. ANTHONY FINE. ANTHONY FINEN. PHAN. ANTHONY. NEXT SPEAKER. VINCENT COLBERT. VINCENT. COLBERT. VINCENT. HERE. VINCENT COLBERT. NEXT SPEAKER TRAYVON NEIL TRAYVON. NEIL TRAYVON. NEXT SPEAKER, BRENDA GREEN LUCKETT. BRENDA GREEN LUCKETT. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, BRENDA GREEN. LUCKETT STAR SIX. BRENDA GREEN. LUCKETT STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER WILL HILL. WILL HILL, WILL. HERE. WILL, WILL. NEXT SPEAKER. WAYNE NUNLEY. WAYNE NUNLEY. WAYNE NUNLEY. WAYNE. NEXT SPEAKER. STACY FIELDS. STACY. STACY FIELDS IS HERE. HERE. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR TURNER. FIRST OF ALL, MAYOR TURNER, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING OUT TO 11TH STREET PROJECT. REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU SITTING THERE WALKING THE STREETS, LISTENING TO THE BUSINESSES AND THE RESIDENTS, AND HEARING THEIR CONCERNS ON THIS CONTROVERSIAL PROJECT. UM, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU LOOKING AT THE FACTS AND THE DATA THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND WHAT WE HAVE REQUESTED FROM THE CITY. THE DATA IS NOT CONCORDANT. SO ARTS, OUR ALLIANCE WOULD LIKE TO OFFICIALLY ASK FOR AN AUDIT. WE'D LIKE TO SIT DOWN WITH YOUR TEAM AND OUR ENGINEERS TO REALLY HASH OUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND SEE REALLY WHAT'S BEST. SO LET ME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE DISCORDANCE IF I COULD PLEASE. NUMBER ONE, MISLEADING INFORMATION IS THAT 11TH STREET IS SAFE. IS IS UNSAFE. WELL, THE FACT IS, 11TH STREET MEETS YOUR VISION ZERO GOAL, SIR. AND NOT ONLY THAT, ON THE 2020 PLAN, THE VISION ACTION PLAN, 11TH STREET WASN'T EVEN RECOGNIZED FOR THERE. MISLEADING INFORMATION. NUMBER TWO, THERE IS A SPEEDING PROBLEM ON 11TH STREET. THE TPD QUOTED THE SPEEDING AVERAGES AT 38.5. AND RECENTLY THE CHRONICLE OF CITY OFFICIAL CHRONICLE, UH, TOLD THE CHRONICLE THAT THE SPEEDS ARE 45 MILES PER HOUR. WELL, ACCORDING TO THE, UM, SPEED DATA AND THE DATA COUNTS, THAT IS FALSE STATEMENT. I WANT YOU TO SEE ON, ON PAGE TWO RIGHT HERE OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS. YOU SEE HERE THAT WHERE THEY ARE GETTING THEIR [02:10:01] DATAS FROM 2019 AND 2020, WHERE THEY QUOTED 85 PERCENTILE, 38.5 IS THE SPEED LIMIT. 85 PERCENTILE MEANS THAT 85% OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING UP AND DOWN 11TH STREET ARE GOING 38 OR LOWER. RIGHT? SO THE SPEED LIMIT Y'ALL IS 35, RIGHT? SO IF YOU REALLY WANNA DO A TRUE AVERAGE, YOU LOOK AT THE 50% SPEED SPEED COUNT, AND THAT IS 32.8. AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE A SPEEDING PROBLEM ON 11TH STREET. THE NEXT ONE, THE NEXT FACT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP, OR THE NEXT MISLEADING INFORMATION IS REDUCING LANE CAPACITY FROM A MAJOR THOROUGH FIELD WILL NOT CAUSE CONGESTION AND WILL NOT LEAD TO OVERFLOW. I HAVE GOT PICTURES RIGHT HERE ON THIS NEXT PAGE. YOU CAN SEE THE CONGESTION ON SHEPHERD RIGHT THERE GOING TOWARDS KROGER. HOW CAN SOMEBODY BE DOING 38.5 MILES IN THAT CONGESTION? I HAVE NO IDEA. THIS IS OUR STREET RIGHT HERE. YOU CAN SEE THE CARS LINED UP ON 10 AND A HALF IN BEVERLY. NOT ONLY THAT, THIS SCHOOL BUS, HE IS DIVERTING, HE CAN'T STAND THE CONGESTION EITHER. HE'S NOT CARRYING KIDS, BUT HE'S COMING DOWN THE STREET AND HE'S DIVERTING. WE DON'T HAVE A SPEEDING PROBLEM ON 11TH STREET. WE HAVE A SPEEDING PROBLEM ON THE INTERIOR STREETS, WHICH THAT IS WHY WE HAVE SIGNS CHILDREN AT PLAY SLOW DOWN. THIS IS NOT A RACETRACK, THIS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD. ANOTHER MISLEADING INFORMATION THAT I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE Y'ALL IS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO, UM, CORRECT THE 11TH STREET NICHOLSON PROJECT, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. COUNCILMAN KOOSH. THANK YOU STACY. UH, MAYOR, YOU SAID YOU WAS GOING TO GIVE THESE FOLKS A LOOK AT 11TH STREET AND YOU WAS GONNA COME BACK IN A MONTH. WILL YOU BE BRINGING THAT BEFORE COUNCIL AS WELL AND LET US KNOW, OR YOU JUST I WOULDN'T MAKE BE MAKING MY DECISION PROBABLY IN ABOUT A WEEK. ABOUT ANOTHER WEEK. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, STACY, WHAT ELSE WAS YOU GONNA, WAS YOU GONNA ADD SOMETHING ELSE TO THAT? WELL, I, I, I WAS GONNA FINISH BY SAYING WE ARE NOT AGAINST BIKE LANES. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN AGAINST BIKE LANES ARTS, OUR COMMUNITY. NEITHER IS THE COMMUNITY WE WANNA FIX TO 11TH STREET, NICHOLSON, WHICH CAN BE DONE BY BEACONS, BY PEDESTRIAN BEACONS. RIVER OAKS HAS 'EM RIVER OAKS HAS TWO OF THEM. I MEAN, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE, I DON'T WANNA DIS RIVER OAKS, BUT I THINK THE HEIGHTS IS BETTER . SO THAT'S MY PERSONAL OPINION, AND I THINK THAT WE COULD ELIMINATE THAT BIG CONCERN THAT YOU HEARD FROM ALL THOSE PEOPLE AT THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK. WE COULD IMPLEMENT THAT AND IT COULD SOLVE THAT PROBLEM. AND THEN WHAT WE COULD DO IS DO THE CITY MOBILITY PLAN AND TAKE 20TH STREET. YOU CAN SEE WHAT 20TH STREET LOOKS LIKE. IT'S AMAZING 20TH STREET. THE WAY THAT THAT MOBILITY PLAN HAS IT DESIGNED IS SO BENEFICIAL. THERE'S THREE ICE CREAM SHOPS THAT, THAT FAMILIES COULD GO RIDE THEIR BIKE TO THE ICE CREAM SHOP. PEOPLE AREN'T GONNA RIDE THEIR BICYCLE TO GO PICK UP A MATTRESS. WE'VE GOT TWO MATTRESS STORES. WE'VE GOT A NAPA AUTO PARTS. THANK YOU STACEY. I APPRECIATE YOU. YEAH, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. NEXT SPEAKER, NEXT SPEAKER. UM, CAMERON VASQUEZ. WE'RE GOING BACK UP TO HER. SHE WAS UNABLE TO MUTE. UNMUTE VASQUEZ. HOLD ON. [02:15:37] MAYOR, I'M GONNA SUMMARIZE WHAT SHE SAID. UH, SHE WENT REALLY FAST AND, UM, THE SPEAKERS AREN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT. OKAY. OKAY. UM, UH, MS. KAREN IS, UH, IS A MOTHER OF TWO. UM, SHE'S HAD A LONG, UH, HISTORY WITH HER APARTMENT, COMPLEX'S ABUSIVE PRACTICES. UM, WHENEVER SHE REQUESTS FOR HER CONCERNS TO BE FIXED, UM, SHE, THEY'RE NOT DEALT WITH, UM, HER ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE. THERE'S HEALTH CONDITIONS ON THE, AT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT ARE CAUSING HER KIDS TO BECOME SICK. UM, SHE HAS WR WRITTEN LETTERS OF CONCERNS TO THE APARTMENT COMPLEX, AND WHAT SHE GETS IN RETURN IS THAT IF SHE, UM, IS ASKING IF SHE OWES RENT. OKAY. UM, ANOTHER, UH, UH, ONE OF HER POINTS IS THAT, UM, SHE SPOKE TO HARRIS COUNTY AND IN REGARDS TO THE, UM, IN REGARDS TO A COLLECTION RECORD THAT WAS PLACED ON HER, ON HER CREDIT REPORT, AND SHE'S HAD TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY TO GET THAT OVERTURNED. UM, SHE, SHE'S ASKING THAT THE COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR, UM, AND THE PREDATORY PRACTICES OF CERTAIN APARTMENT COMPLEX MANAGEMENT COMPANIES AND, AND, AND OWNERS. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER, NOW, LANA SADLER. LANA SADLER. HELLO EVERYONE. NICE TO SEE YOU TODAY, MR. MAYOR. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH FIRST IS STACY JUST TOOK SOME OF MY MATERIALS, SO I'M GONNA BE, UH, A LITTLE BIT SHORT, BUT I HAVE ENOUGH TO TALK ABOUT. I FEEL TO FILL UP THIS THREE MINUTES. WHEN YOU WERE ON, UM, 11TH STREET, MR. MAYOR, I HAD URGED YOU TO WHEN YOU GOT READY TO LEAVE, TO GET IN YOUR MOTORCADE AND BASICALLY GO UP AND DOWN A FEW OF THE SIDE STREETS TO JUST SEE WHAT THE CONDITION IS AS FAR AS HOW MUCH ROOM THAT YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET CARS DOWN THOSE SIDE STREETS. AND IF YOU DID THAT, THEN YOU WOULD SEE THAT MOST OF THE STREETS THAT COME OFF 11TH AREN'T EVEN WIDE ENOUGH TO HAVE TWO SINGLE CARS PASS, MUCH LESS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE THE SIZE OF A FIRE TRUCK OR AN AMBULANCE. SO WHAT THIS PROPOSED, UM, 11TH STREET ADJUSTMENT IS, IS TAKING A FOUR LANE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, SHRINKING IT DOWN TO TWO WITH NO CENTER TURN LANE, NO SHOULDER. SO THERE'S NO WAY, ONCE YOU GET INTO THIS PROPOSED GAUNTLET, THERE IS NO WAY TO ACTUALLY PULL YOUR VEHICLE OVER IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE BEHIND YOU. SO YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T GET IN THE CENTER LANE TO PULL OVER. THEY CAN'T GET INTO A CENTER LANE TO ACTUALLY PASS YOU AND GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. ON THE HFDS WEBSITE, THE PUBLIC FACING THE MOST RECENT DATA WAS FROM 2017 REGARDING RESPONSE TIMES. THOSE RESPONSE TIMES TO GET SOMEWHERE THEY NEEDED TO GET TO PUT OUT A FIRE WAS ROUGHLY FIVE TO SIX MINUTES. NOW, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE HAVING TO TAKE THESE TRUCKS OR THESE EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND TRY TO FUNNEL THEM INTO THESE SIDE STREETS, THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN PASS TWO CARS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ONE PULLING OVER, YOU CAN SEE WHERE THERE IS GONNA BE A REDUCTION IN RESPONSE TIME TO EMERGENCY VEHICLE SERVICES. THIS REALLY ISN'T ACCEPTABLE. I LIVED THROUGH THE ARSONIST THAT WENT ON A RAMPAGE YEARS AGO IN THE HEIGHTS AND WAS ATTRIBUTED TO 20 TO 21 HOUSES THAT HE BURNED DOWN. WELL, SEVERAL OF THEM WERE ACROSS 11TH STREET FROM ME. I LIVE ON, UH, ASHTON 11TH. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS ASHTON 11TH GOES UNDERWATER. NOW IT FLOODS. SO IF YOU HAVE THIS GAUNTLET, WHAT I WANNA KNOW IS HOW RIGHT NOW THE CARS CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE FLOOD. THEY CAN WORK WITH EACH OTHER WITH FOUR LANES, GET TURNED AROUND, GET OUTTA THE AREA. IF YOU'VE GOT THIS BLOCKED OFF WITH THE LITTLE, UH, CURB STOPS ON STEROIDS, THAT ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE SOME [02:20:01] WEEP HOLES IN 'EM, THEY STILL CAN'T DRAIN THE SAME VOLUME OF WATER TO THE SIDES OF THE STREET. AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THERE'S GONNA BE AN ADDITIONAL WATER PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THERE'S GONNA BE A REDDIC, A REDUCTION IN RESPONSE TIME FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES. AND I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE DATA IS SKEWED THAT IS BEING PUBLISHED. UH, THE TRAFFIC COUNT THAT WAS DONE IN 2019. UH OH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MIN, COUNCILMAN MINOX. MS. SADLER, IF YOU GO AHEAD AND JUST FINISH YOUR COMMENTS, YOU CAN HAVE A FEW MINUTES. THANK, THANK YOU, SIR. THE 2019 TRAFFIC STUDY THAT WAS DONE, UM, THERE WASN'T EVEN A FULL 48 HOURS OF ACTUAL DATA THAT WAS COLLECTED VERY EARLY ON IN THE FIRST WEEK OF, OF JANUARY. AND PART OF THAT PROBLEM IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS ONLY LESS THAN 48 HOURS, UM, THERE'S A COLUMN ON THAT FORM FOR A SEVEN DAY AVERAGE. AND THERE WAS ACTUALLY A NUMBER PLUGGED INTO THAT SEVEN DAY AVERAGE. WELL, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FULL SEVEN DAYS, BUT YET YOU PLUG A NUMBER INTO A SEVEN DAY AVERAGE, THAT NUMBER'S GONNA BE LOW. AND THAT NUMBER BEING LOW IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. WHY WE COULDN'T GET A PEDESTRIAN LIGHT AT NICHOLSON, WHICH WAS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, THE SAFETY OF THE CROSSING AT NICHOLSON. SO IF YOU ACTUALLY DID THE AVERAGE, UH, THAT THE, THE RADAR WAS SET UP WITH THEN, AND YOU PULLED THAT OVER AND DIDN'T AVERAGE IT INTO SEVEN DAYS, WE DID HAVE THE VOLUME OF PEDESTRIANS AND THE TRAFFIC COUNT TO WARRANT THAT. SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT SPEAKER. AND, UH, WE HAD MR. NUNLEY, THAT WAS CALLED EARLIER. HE'S HERE, BUT HE DIDN'T HEAR HIS NAME. OR WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO MR. WAYNE NUNLEY. MR. NUNLEY, THERE HE IS. HOW ARE YOU, SIR? YES. HELLO. GOOD MORNING. OH, BIG CLOSER. AND THERE YOU GO. YES, GOOD ONE. THANK YOU. UH, SO ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I'M ON HOUSING AND, UH, APRIL 5TH OF THIS YEAR, UH, THAT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, UH, 3,800 GARRETT STREET, THE MANAGER WENT TO MY APARTMENT ILLEGALLY WITHOUT AN EVICTION NOTICE AND STOLE ALL OF MY PROPERTY OUTTA MY APARTMENT AND LOCKED ME OUTTA MY APARTMENT THIS YEAR. AND I MADE A POLICE REPORT ON TRAVIS STREET, BUT THEY DID IT INTENTIONALLY, INTENTIONALLY, LIKE IT WAS A MISDEMEANOR. AND IT DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE, UH, THE NAME OF THE MANAGER AND ASSISTANT MANAGER AND SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES AT CAREER RECOVERY WERE INVOLVED TOO. YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? YES, SIR. YES. SOME EMPLOYEES FROM CAREER RECOVERY AND THE MANAGER AND ASSISTANT MANAGER FROM FAT PROPERTY, 3,800 GAR STREET. THE, THE MANAGER, UH, SARAH MASSEE IS THE PERSON THAT WENT IN MY APARTMENT ILLEGALLY AND STOLE ALL OF MY PROPERTY OUTTA MY APARTMENT AND LOCKED ME OUTTA MY APARTMENT ON APRIL 5TH OF THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. AND EXCUSE ME, I SAID THANK YOU. WHERE I'M TRYING TO FIGURE, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE YOUR ASK. IT SOUNDS LIKE A LEGAL ISSUE TO ME, BUT NO, WHAT I'M SAYING IS THEY'RE DOING IT TO OTHER PEOPLE TOO ILLEGALLY. THEY'RE STEALING PEOPLE THINGS AND PUTTING IT IN, INTO, UM, INTO, UM, A STORAGE UNIT. THEY HAVE LIKE 10, BETWEEN 10 AND 13 STORAGE UNITS THAT THEY'RE STEALING PEOPLE'S THINGS OUTTA THEIR APARTMENTS ILLEGALLY. SO THEY COULD SELL IT LATER. AND WHAT IS THE ADDRESS OF THIS U COMPLEX AS WELL AS THE STORAGE UNIT AREA? THE YOUTH COMPLEX. WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE COMPLEX THEY'RE STEALING THESE THINGS FROM? NO. OKAY. MY APARTMENT THAT I HAD, IT DIDN'T HAVE A NAME ON IT. IT WAS JUST, UM, 49 17 BRADY STREET. AND YOU MADE OUT A POLICE REPORT AND HPE CAME? YES, BUT THEY, BUT THEY DID IT AS IF IT WAS A MISDEMEANOR. THAT'S NOT A MISDEMEANOR, THAT'S A FELONY. OKAY. AND THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY TREATED ME VERY DISRESPECTFUL, VERY, VERY DISRESPECTFUL. 'CAUSE I WENT THERE ON APRIL THE SEVENTH, THE EIGHTH AND THE NINTH. ONE TIME I WENT THERE BETWEEN THE EIGHTH AND THE 10TH. THE, THE, THE OFFICER WITH STRIPES, HE WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN. HE CAME OUT OF THE BOOTH AND HE TOLD ME TO LEAVE THE BUILDING. YES. JUST LIKE THAT. [02:25:01] JUST LIKE AS IF IT WAS IN A, AS IF WE WAS IN THE 1930S. RIGHT. LET US DO THIS. LET US PULL THE POLICE REPORT FOR 49 17 AND LOOK INTO THIS INFORMATION FOR YOU. SO SAY IT AGAIN. WE'RE GONNA PULL THE POLICE REPORT YOU MADE FOR YOUR RESIDENCE AT 49 17. YES, GRAVES. BUT, BUT I'M, I'M NOT SAYING THAT AND DO RESEARCH, BUT I'M NOT STAYING THERE RIGHT NOW. I'M AT ANOTHER APARTMENT NOW. OKAY. BUT THAT WAS WHERE THE INCIDENT WAS. WE'LL, YES. WE'LL TAKE A LOOK INTO IT. YES. THEY, SHE STILL HAVE ALL OF MY PROPERTY. SHE STOLE ALL OF MY PROPERTY OUTTA MY APARTMENT. EVERYTHING. WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. SO HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU ALL? DIDN'T, YOU DIDN'T LEAVE US ANY INFORMATION OTHER THAN YOUR NAME? AND, UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEAVE IT WITH RENEE, RENEE WILL GET YOUR NEW ADDRESS AND YOUR NEW PHONE NUMBER, AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP AFTER WE RECEIVE THE INFORMATION FROM HPD. BUT, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT BE DOING THIS. I MEAN, CAN Y'ALL PUT A STOP TO IT? WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO LET HPD LOOK INTO THAT. THAT'S THE ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AS FAR AS CITY COUNCIL, WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ON THAT, BUT WE WILL REVERT THAT OVER TO HOUSTON POLICE. BUT IF YOU GIVE THEM YOUR, WHAT'S HER NAME? WHAT'S HER NAME? IF YOU GIVE THEM YOUR ADDRESS AND YOUR PHONE NUMBER, WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS. THAT GO, THAT'S WHO I WANNA TALK TO. THAT'S HIM. YES. ? YES. YES, SIR. UH, SO HELLO, SIR. MR. YES? YES. I GOT YOU. I, I WAS, I WAS, I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. OKAY. YES. YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT IT. OKAY. SO HOW CAN, HOW CAN WE STOP IT? HOW CAN WE STOP THEM FROM STEALING PEOPLE'S PROPERTY? WELL, WE'RE WORKING, WE'RE WORKING ON IT. THAT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 3,800 GARY STREET. RIGHT? WE'RE WORKING ON IT, YES. ALL RIGHT. GOOD TO SEE YOU, SIR. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. TAKE CARE. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. POLICE. OKAY. SYLVIA BLAIR. SYLVIA BLAIR. SYLVIA BLAIRS HERE. I GUESS HE WAS GOOD TO SEE ME. WHAT? GOOD TO SEE YOU. NOT ME. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, MA. MAYOR TURNER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, I, TOO AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE 11TH STREET PROJECT, AND I, I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN. I GREW UP INSIDE THE LOOP, UH, IN WEST END, HAVE MY BUSINESS ON 11TH STREET AND ONE ON 43RD STREET. UM, AGAIN, I'M NOT AGAINST BIKE LANES OR BIKE BOULEVARDS. I THINK THEY'RE GREAT. I JUST DON'T THINK THAT 11TH STREET IS THE PROPER PLACE FOR THEM. AND THE SOLUTION TO SLOWING DOWN TRAFFIC ON 11TH STREET IS NOT PUTTING BIKE BIKE LANES ON THERE AND CHANGING IT FROM FOUR LANES TO TWO LANES, UH, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT A CENTER LANE. I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN SAID OVER AND OVER AND OVER FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU HAVE LISTENED AND YOU ARE GIVING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE PROJECT. AND I PRAY THAT ALL OF YOU WILL AGREE WITH HOW OUR POSITION IS PEOPLE. I LIVE A HALF A BLOCK FROM 11TH STREET, AND I ALREADY SEE ALL THE TRAFFIC COMING THROUGH 10 AND A HALF FROM STEW WOOD BECAUSE OF THE, UM, THINGS THAT THEY HAVE IN THE CENTER, THE ISLANDS. AND, UM, SO I'M HOPING THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND MAYOR, UM, THAT YOU RECONSIDER PUTTING THE BIKE LANES ON 11TH STREET AND RECONSIDER PUTTING, CHANGING FROM FOUR LANES TO TWO LANES. UM, I TOO AM CONCERNED WITH EMERGENCY VEHICLES, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT COMING DOWN. UH, WE'VE, MY HUSBAND STOPPED A, A ROBBERY FROM THE FROST BANK THAT JUST OPENED ON BEVERLY AND 11TH. AND THE, UH, POLICE OFFICERS THAT DID ARRIVE RATHER QUICKLY, UH, ALL CAME DOWN 11TH STREET FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS. SO I THINK SLOWING THAT DOWN IS NOT A GOOD OPTION FOR OUR STREET, UH, WITH ALL THE BUSINESSES THERE, UM, RESTAURANTS AND ALL THE OTHER BUSINESSES THERE. AND THAT'S REALLY KIND OF WHAT I'M, I KNOW THAT THEY'VE ALREADY, AND WE'VE MET AND TALKED, AND, UM, I'M HOPING THAT YOU WILL HAVE A NICE CHANGE OF HEART ON 11TH STREET. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL CAYMAN. SYLVIA, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR BEING OUT THERE WITH US IN THE HEAT, BUT IN WALKING WITH US, UH, TALKING, ENGAGING THE WAY THAT YOU DID, UM, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I APPRECIATE YOU TWO. ABSOLUTELY. AB THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SELIA. THANK, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, ERIC RIHA. ERIC REHA, UH, STAR SIX. ERIC REHA. STAR SIX. ERIC REHA, STAR SIX ERIC. NEXT SPEAKER, JONATHAN WAGON. JONATHAN WAGON IS JONATHAN HERE. JONATHAN. JONATHAN WAGON. [02:30:01] NEXT SPEAKER. MONICA PEREZ. MONICA PEREZ. ON THE SCREEN HERE, PRESS STAR SIX. MONICA PEREZ. STAR SIX. MONICA. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS MONICA PER, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. MY NAME IS MONICA PEREZ. I'M THE OWNER OF LIZ ENTERPRISES. I'M A CERTIFIED WOMAN-OWNED MINORITY BUSINESS. THE REASON WHY I'M HERE TODAY IS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD I I'VE EXHAUSTED ALL OF MY RESOURCES WITH THE OBO AND THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT. IT IS A SAD DAY WHEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON ALLOWS A LARGE BUSINESS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A SMALL MINORITY OWNED BUSINESS AND TERMINATE THEM WITHOUT COST. THE CITY DID NOT, UH, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AND CONTINUES TO DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PRIME CONTRACTORS. SORRY, I'M NERVOUS. . UM, I STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AS A SUBCONTRACTOR WITH HARMONY HOUSE AND ACCESS BUILDER L UM, LLCA PRIME CONTRACTOR WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. LAST YEAR, IN JULY, 2021, WE STARTED THE PROJECT WITH PAST INSPECTION, WE PERFORMED QUALITY WORK ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACT, AND WE WERE NEVER PAID ON TOP OF THAT, THEY DEVIATED ME WITHOUT CAUSE KICKED ME OFF OF THE JOB SITE ON DECEMBER 17TH, 2021. UM, WE, UH, WERE TREATED, UM, AS WE WERE IF WE WERE INCOMPETENT. ALREADY COMPLETED OVER $60,000 WORTH OF WORK. THAT'S INCLUDING THE INSURANCE THAT WAS REQUIRED TO COMMENCE THE PROJECT. WE HAVE NOT BEEN PAID A DOLLAR, AND IT HAS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR NOW. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO BE A WOMAN IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND EVEN HARDER WHEN BIGGER BUSINESSES DON'T PAY WHILE THEY SIT ON MILLIONS. AND, UM, AND WE LOSE THOUSANDS. UM, HOW CAN WE GROW AS MINORITIES AND WOMEN AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES? UM, I HAVE TURNED FOR HELP TO THE OBO AND THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO HELP IN ASSISTING ME. I HAVE PLACED A LIEN ON ACCESS BUILDERS BONDING COMPANY. AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THAT'S WHY I'M TURNING TO YOU GUYS. IF, UM, IF THERE ARE RULES SET IN PLACE AS A, UH, TO PROTECT SMALL BUSINESSES, WHY ARE THEY NOT ENFORCED? WHAT WILL THE CITY DO TO START PROTECTING WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES? ACCESS BUILDERS HAS COMPLETED THE PROJECT, USED MY WORK AS FREE LABOR. I FEEL THAT BECAUSE I'M A WOMAN IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, THEY HAVE TO ADVANTAGE OF ME. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO CARRY ON A CONTRACT IN THE INDUSTRY AS A WOMAN, UM, UH, INVESTING MY OWN MONEY, TRYING TO GROW, AND THEN THEY DON'T PAY ME AT THE, UM, AND THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE THERE TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF ABUSE. TURN A DEAF EAR TO MY CRYING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. AND, UH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ANY MORE INFORMATION, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I'LL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH OBO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. AND WE HAVE, ERIC RIHA IS HERE, SO WE'RE GONNA TRY CALLING. OKAY. BUT NEXT SPEAKER, RIGHT NOW. ERIC RIHA. ERIC REHA. PRESS STAR SIX. ERIC REHA. YEAH, WE CAN'T HEAR HIM. ERIC REHA. NEXT SPEAKER. I SEE HIM TALKING. NEXT SPEAKER. EMMANUEL THOMAS. EMMANUEL THOMAS. YOU PRESS STAR SIX EMMANUEL THOMAS STAR SIX EMMANUEL THOMAS STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. PHYLLIS MOSS. PHYLLIS. HELLO, PHYLLIS MOSS. HELLO, EMMANUEL THOMAS. WHO AM I SPEAKING TO? THIS IS EMMANUEL THOMAS. OKAY, YOU CAN PROCEED. OKAY. UH, ON 8 25 19 94. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR YOU. ON 8 25 19 94. CASE NUMBER 6 7 7 6 9 7 IN THE 337 DISTRICT HARRIS COUNTY COURT. CASE NUMBER, ONE FOUR DASH 4 8 9 CR SEXUAL ABUSE OR RAPE OF A CHILD WAS COMMITTED. AND THE, AND THE SUSPECT WAS GIVEN A 10 YEAR PROBATION SENTENCE WITH A $10,000 FINE. AND THE APPEAL WAS DISMISSED. ON 11 3 19 94, THAT PERSON THAT COMMITTED THAT CRIME COMMITTED THE CRIME AGAINST A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS, UH, A CHURCH MEMBER IN THE CHURCH WHO WAS, WHO HAD AUTHORITY OVER HER BY THE YOUTH MINISTER. THAT MINISTER WAS GIVEN THOSE CHARGES IN THE COURTS WAS FOUND GUILTY AND ASSESSED PUNISHMENT. [02:35:01] HERE IT IS, CLOSE TO 30 YEARS LATER IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, IN THE GREENSPOINT NEIGHBORHOOD, EDDIE ANDRE DECKARD HAS STARTED A NEW CHURCH, ALTHOUGH HE IS THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THIS RAPE AGAINST THIS LITTLE GIRL WHILE UNDER HIS CARE AS A MINISTER. NOW HE IS A MINISTER IN HOUSTON, TEXAS OVER THE GREENHOUSE INTERNATIONAL, WHERE HE IS OVER MANY CHILDREN. WE HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO, UH, THE ATTENTION OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE. UH, FOX 26 ON SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2015, DID A SPECIAL WHERE THEY WERE APPALLED THAT HE WAS DOING SERVICES FROM BAMO MIDDLE SCHOOL. HOUSTON'S VOICE FOR THE MISSING ON FACEBOOK ALSO DID ONE ON OCTOBER 15TH, 2019. UNDER THE MAYOR'S ONE SAFE INITIATIVE PLAN, WE WANNA FIND OUT WHAT ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO DO TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING? BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR CHILDREN ARE, ARE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF GOD AND THE AUTHORITY THAT GOD GIVE IS GIVEN TO THE MINISTERS. AND WHEN WE HAVE TO GO TO THE CHURCHES FOR MANY DIFFERENT THINGS, OUR LOVED ONES PASSING AWAY IN MANY GENERAL, UH, COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE SAFE FROM PEDOPHILES, BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THESE TYPE OF THINGS. WE WERE APPALLED TO SEE THAT THIS SAME MAN WAS THE MAN WHO PRAYED OVER HOUSTON DURING EASTER. UH, PARADE THIS, THIS YEAR. I WANT EVERYBODY TO IMAGINE IF THIS MAN HAD RAPED YOUR SON, YOUR DAUGHTER, YOUR NEPHEW, OR YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THIS MAN POPULARIZED ON THE TV STATION YOUR HAS FIRE? AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, OFFICIALS. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO? NEXT SPEAKER? NEXT SPEAKER. PHYLLIS MOSS. PHYLLIS MOSS. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX PHYLLIS MOSS. SIX PHYLLIS MOSS, STAR SIX PHYLLIS. NEXT SPEAKER. MARY EDWARDS. MARY EDWARDS. MARY EDWARDS. HERE I DON'T SEE MARY. NEXT SPEAKER. I MONTOYA RES. MR. REBUS, ONCE AGAIN, MIC CHECK. YES, ONCE AGAIN. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MAYOR TURNER. UH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, I STILL HAVE THE SAME SITUATION WITH, UH, MY LANDLORD. UM, THE SITUATION IS THE SAME AS MRS. UH VASQUEZ. I CONTACT ALSO THE, UM, THE US EMBASSY IN MEXICO CITY AND THE MEXICAN CONSULATE. I HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP. THEY'RE WILLING TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SITUATION. SO, UM, I HAVE BEEN DOING EVERYTHING, UH, ABIDE BY THE LAW. SO I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, KNOW WHAT MY RIGHTS ARE AND WHO DO I HAVE TO SPEAK WITH, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE SITUATION. I WILL HATE TO GO TO MEXICO CITY TO HAVE TO FILE A COMPLAINT ON YOUR, UH, CITY. AND IT WILL, UH, BASICALLY WILL, AT THIS POINT, IS INTERNATIONAL, BASICALLY, BECAUSE I HAVE COMPLAINTS SO MANY TIMES, MAYOR HAS BEEN IN THE MEXICAN CONSULATE. HE KNOWS, UH, HE TRAVEL AT ONE POINT TO MEXICO CITY. I DON'T KNOW IF HE MET WITH CARLOS SLIM OR CARLOS. LINA. ARI WITH SOME OF THE, UH, POLITICAL PARTIES. BUT HE'S AWARE OF, UH, INTER YOUR TIME HAS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. JACOB CLEMENTE. JACOB, JACOB CLEMENT. I DON'T SEE HIM. NEXT SPEAKER. AMIR. AND, SORRY AMIR. AND SORRY IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, AMIR. AND, SORRY. UM, I'M HERE. UH, I WANTED TO SAY I SUPPORT THE FIREFIGHTERS AND THE PENSION, BUT MY REASON IS I WANT THE BUILDING CODES AT BAGBY TO BE ENFORCED. THERE'S CAR ACCIDENTS. THE FENCE HAS BEEN MADE SOLID. HE DOESN'T HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY AT 45 0 5 WASHINGTON AT RARE. HE HAS NO CO HE'S CURRENTLY DOING WORK WITHOUT PERMITS. ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT TO ENFORCE THE CODES. THESE ARE THE PLANS. THIS IS WHAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH. I HEARD WHAT CHICK-FIL-A HAD TO GO THROUGH, BUT THIS GUY AT WASHINGTON AND AT BAGBY STREET DOES NOT HAVE TO ABIDE BY THE SAME RULES AS THE REST OF HOUSTON BECAUSE HE HAS TAMARA BELL AS A FIXER. ALL I'M ASKING IS TO ENFORCE THE BUILDING CODE. HAVE THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT MEET WITH ME. THEY HAVE PUT A HANDY, THEY'VE PUT A WALK-IN COOLER OVER THE HANDICAP PARKING SPACE. THEY'VE POINTED GUNS AT ME, TOLD ME THEY WERE GONNA KILL ME. ALL I WANT TO DO IS HAVE THE BUILDING CODES ENFORCED. MY COURT STUFF. ANDRE JOHNSON'S COURT STUFF, RAPE ACCUSATIONS, HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH BUILDING CODE. ENFORCE YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. ERIC REHA. [02:40:01] ERIC REHA. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. GREAT. UM, GOOD MORNING, UH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO PROGRESS THE RULES AND REGULATION FOR SLACK LINING WITHIN THE CITY PARKS OF HOUSTON. THIS REQUIRES NO MONETARY SUPPORT, JUST RECOGNITION AND INCLUSION INTO CHAPTER, UH, 32 OF THE MUNI CODE. SO, SLACK LINE'S RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY CONSISTING OF A LINE STRUNG UP BETWEEN TWO ANGER POINTS, USUALLY TREES. UH, THIS ACT, THIS ACTIVITY HAS NO IMPACT ON THE TREES OR THEIR BARK. UH, AS LONG AS THE TREE IS 12 INCHES IN DIAMETER OR GREATER. UH, WE'D LIKE COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE SLACK LINE, RECREATIONISTS AND THE PARK OFFICIALS, SO THAT BOTH PARTIES CAN OPERATE IN THE SAFETY OF PERSONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT WHILE PERMITTING US TO PRACTICE OUR SPORT WITHIN THE REGULATIONS. UM, WE'RE OFTEN TOLD TO STOP OUR ACTIVITY AND TAKE THESE LINES DOWN, MAINLY DUE TO A LACK OF, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF SLACK LINING AND SAFETY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME AREAS IN THE PARKS ARE PROTECTED AND NOT SUITED FOR SLACK LINING. UM, TREE PROTECTION AND SAFETY IS ADDRESSED WITHIN, UH, THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROPOSED TO BE ADOPTED. SO I'VE WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SLACKLINE ASSOCIATION, THE SOUTH FLORIDA SLACK LINE ASSOCIATION, AUSTIN SLACKLINE ASSOCIATION NOW HOUSTON SLACKLINE ASSOCIATION. WE HAVE CREATED RULES AND REGULATIONS, UM, TO BENEFIT BOTH THE CITY AND SLACKLINE RECREATIONISTS. I'VE EMAILED THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO MR. JEREMY BURGESS OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND CAN PROVIDE COPIES, OR I CAN READ THEM OFF QUICKLY, UM, TO THE COUNCIL IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE. UH, AND THESE RULES ARE BACKED BY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, UH, RELATED TO HEALTH BENEFITS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, WHICH I CAN ALSO PROVIDE IF YOU GUYS WISH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. COMPLETE THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PUBLIC COMMENT. THIS PERIOD. UH, NOW WE'LL TURN TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. YOU GO AHEAD, DO THE MOTION TO EXTEND PAST MEETING WHILE WE'RE AT YEAH, IF THERE'S A MOTION TO EXTEND PAST NOON. MOTION TO EXTEND PAST NOON, THEN SECOND IN THE OBJECTION, CHAIR. NONE GRANTED. OKAY, WE CAN PROCEED [CONSENT AGENDA] WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA. MARTIN'S RIGHT UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY. ITEM ONE NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM, MOVE MARTIN SECONDS THEN MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEM ONE. DISCUSSION. OH, ONE. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED UNDER THE ACCEPT WORK CATEGORY. ITEM TWO NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM MOVED. MARTIN. SECOND MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEM TWO. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED UNDER THE PURCHASING TABULATION OF BS CATEGORY. ITEM THREE NEEDS A MOTION CAST. T MOVE MARTIN SECOND, THEN MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEM THREE. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF POST GRANITE UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY SINCE YOUR LIST WAS DISTRIBUTED, ITEM 12 HAS BEEN RECEIVED. ITEMS REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. FOUR THROUGH EIGHT, 12 THROUGH 14. NEED OF VOTE ON THE BALANCE. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF POST GRANITE. [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] I IS REMOVE FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. I, OOPS. ITEM FOUR ISN'T ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM FOUR. ITEM FOUR. JUST I BUSY OVER HERE. THAT'S OKAY. IT'S JUST A COOLING OFF PERIOD. A COOLING OFF PERIOD. YOU GOT THAT RIGHT. SECOND. UH, WE ON ITEM FOUR, UH, IT'S BEEN, UH, DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION ON FOUR IN FAVOR OPPOSED GRANTING ON ITEM FOUR. ITEM FIVE IS AN ORDINANCE. SEE THE VOTE? WE ON ITEM . MAYOR, WE ON ITEM FIVE. LEMME TELL, LEMME TELL. YES, SIR. DUE TO ALL A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION. I, I THINK I MISSED HEARING THE VOTE ON FOUR. WHAT WAS I, I, I APOLOGIZE. THAT'S A CONTINUATION. WHAT WAS THE CONTINUATION IN CASE WE DIDN'T PASS ITEM FIVE. SO, SO BEFORE FOR PASS GET PAID, LET ME TELL YOU HOW WE'RE GONNA PROCEED ON ITEM FIVE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS THE BUDGET. UM, UH, CAN I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE [02:45:02] DRAWN OUT, WE, THE AGENDA AND ME BREAK CAME BACK. I TELL YOU WHAT, WHY DON'T WE, WHY DON'T WE DO THIS? UM, WHAT TIME WAS THE PIZZA GOING TO ARRIVE? I, I DUNNO IF IT'S HERE, IT'S NOT HERE. IT'S NOT YET HERE. WAIT FOR THE PIZZA CUP. LET'S, LET'S THE PIZZA. OKAY, WE'LL WAIT. OKAY. NO, NO. COUNCILMAN MCCOSH I THINK GOT ABOUT 10 PIECES COMING. CAN'T BE RUNNING ON. RIGHT. ALL, LET ME, LEMME JUST SAY, UH, WITH RESPECT TO ITEM FIVE, WHICH IS LET, LET THEM FINISH FIRST. MAYOR, YES. COUNCIL, MAY I, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO COMPLETE THE REMAINING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA BEFORE WE GO TO NUMBER FIVE? NO, GOTTA DO BUDGET. YOU CAN'T DO IT. OKAY. GOTTA DO THE BUDGET THAT WE COULD DO 12, WE COULD DO THE TWO TOURS ITEMS. NO, I WANT TO DO THE BUDGET. I WANNA DO THE BUDGET. UH, AND THE REASON BEING, YEAH, I'VE GOT A HARD STOP FOR ME. NO, BUT THIS IS TO GO DO 12. YOU KNOW, THE ONES AFTER THE, THE AGENDA ITEMS, THE AFTER THE BUDGET, AND THEN GO BACK TO DO THE BUDGET STOP. HE WANTS. WELL, LET'S, LET'S JUST DO THIS. 'CAUSE I MEAN, YOU ALL CAN DO THE OTHER ITEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I HAVE TO SC DOWN, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THE BUDGET. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. SO LET, LET ME, LET ME, OKAY, YOU GOT, LEMME EXPLAIN. UM, ON FIVE, WE'RE ON THE BUDGET. UM, AND BEFORE, 'CAUSE WE'LL BE TURNING FIRST TO THE AMENDMENTS, AND THEN WE'LL BE VOTING ON THE MAIN ITEMS. SO LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH RESPECT TO THE AMENDMENTS. I THINK YOU ALL HAVE SEEN THE MATRIX THAT WE HAVE SENT OUT. THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS, IF YOU ARE MOVING DOLLARS FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER, THAT'S A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. IF YOU'RE SHIFTING DOLLARS AROUND, UH, PULLING FROM ONE SECTION, GOING TO ANOTHER, THAT'S A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT, THAT'S A, SO THAT'S, THAT'S PERMISSIBLE. BUT IF, FOR EXAMPLE, IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE, IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE THAT IS NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT, BECAUSE IT'S NOT BEFORE, THE ORDINANCE IS NOT BEFORE US. SO IF THE AMENDMENT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE IN ORDER FOR IT TO TAKE EFFECT, THAT IS NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. AND I RULE THAT OUT OF, I RULE THAT OUT OF ORDER AND I RULE IT OUT OF ORDER AT THE VERY BEGINNING. UM, IF SOMETHING GETS DIRECTLY INTO THE ADMINISTRATION'S ROLE, THAT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. BUT PRIMARILY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT MANY OF THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND, THEY REQUIRE AN ORDINANCE. AND IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE, IT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. NOW, IN SOME CASES, UM, IN SOME, WE, IN LOOKING AT SOME OF THESE AMENDMENTS, I TRIED TO MAKE IT WORK. OKAY? SO I MAY HAVE MAY SUGGESTED SOME CHANGES IN ORDER TO MOVE IT FORWARD. BUT IF IT'S, UM, UM, AND IF IT'S JUST A BUDGET, IF IT'S A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT, UM, THAT I JUST THINK IT'S JUST TOO COSTLY, THEN I'VE SAID THAT, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY, WE'LL DEBATE THAT. BUT I JUST WANT US TO BE CLEAR ON, ON WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE, THEN THAT'S A SEPARATE, THAT'S A SEPARATE DEAL FOR A SEPARATE DAY, SEPARATE TIME. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT I'M OPPOSED TO IT, IT JUST MEANS THAT THIS IS NOT THE DAY TO DISCUSS THAT. OKAY? BUT IF IT TOUCHES UPON, UM, OF THE FINANCIAL MEANS, UM, IF IT'S FINANCIAL, WE CAN DISCUSS IT AND THEN YOU CAN GO FROM HERE TO THERE. SO I'VE TRIED TO MAKE IT WORK AS MUCH AS, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. MANY OF THE AMENDMENTS THAT I'VE RULED THAT HAVE PRESENTED THAT I RULE OUT OF ORDER PERTAINS TO WHERE AN ORDINANCE IS HAVING TO BE REQUIRED. OKAY. UM, SO I, I JUST WANT, I JUST WANT UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM NOW IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE GONNA PROCEED. WE'RE GONNA START WITH DISTRICT K AND WE ARE GONNA WORK OURSELVES BACK. OKAY? SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH DISTRICT K, UM, AND, AND TRY AND LET'S, UM, LET'S HAVE THE DISCUSSION, BUT LET'S TRY, TRY TO BE AS JUDICIOUS AS POSSIBLE. AND THEN WHEN THE, UM, UH, WHEN THE FOOD, UH, COMES FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF OUR BODIES, MINDS AND SOULS, THEN WE, THEN WE WILL, WE WILL TAKE A, WE'LL TAKE A BRIEF BREAK. OKAY? ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ON HOW I INTEND TO PROCEED? COUNCILMAN PLUMER, MAYOR TURNER. I, I RESPECT WHAT YOU JUST SAID. UM, THIS IS MY QUESTION. IF SOMETHING WAS PRESENTED LAST YEAR AND PROMISED TO HAVE DONE IN 90 DAYS, AND IT STILL ISN'T [02:50:01] COMPLETE, WHICH FORCED ME TO HAVE TO BRING IT BACK IN FRONT OF COUNCIL AGAIN, IN, IN THOSE SITUATIONS, WHAT ARE WE TO DO THEN, THEN GET WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, GET BACK WITH ME. JUST LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE, UH, ON THE MCO PROGRAM. OKAY. UM, WHERE WE SAID WE WERE GONNA, YOU, YOU WANT ADDITIONAL MOBILE UNITS, FOR EXAMPLE, WE END UP GETTING THAT DONE. SO IF SOMETHING WAS, IF, IF, LET'S SAY IF WE OBLIGATED OR COMMITTED OURSELVES TO DOING SOMETHING AND IT'S NOT DONE, ESPECIALLY IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE, THEN GET BACK WITH ME. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, LET ME JUST SPECIFICALLY POINT OUT WITH RESPECT TO, UM, YOUR INSPECTION PROGRAM DEALING WITH APARTMENTS. OKAY? WE DID THAT REQUIRES AN ALTERNATE, BUT TRY TO MOVE A PIECE OF THAT BY ADVANCING THE INSPECTORS. THAT'S JUST A STRAIGHT OUT FINANCIAL PIECE. AND THAT WE, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO. THE OTHER PIECE AS IT RELATES TO THAT REQUIRES AN ALTERNATE. SEE, IS, DOES THAT MAKE MAKE SENSE WHAT I DO? NO, IT DOES MEAN A TURNER AND I'LL I'LL DEAL WITH THAT SPECIFIC ISSUE WHEN WE COME TO IT, RIGHT? NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THE PROBLEM IS THAT I'M HAVING A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME DEALING WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. I CAN'T MOVE FORWARD. IT'S, IT'S REALLY CHALLENGING. THEN, THEN GET WITH ME. GET WITH ME. COUNCIL PLUM, COUNCILMAN PLUM, I MEAN, MAYOR TURNER. PEOPLE ARE DYING. LIKE I, THIS IS, THIS IS A PART, THIS WHOLE HABITABILITY SITUATION IS A REAL PROBLEM. I MEAN, PEOPLE, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN TO US. EVERYONE KNOWS IT AFFECTS EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S DISTRICT. I'LL TALK ABOUT WHEN I DEAL MY MEN, SO, OKAY, SURE. OKAY. BUT I'M JUST SAYING IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE, I MEAN, IT'S JUST, AND THE ORDINANCE, THERE'S NOT BEFORES. THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO WITH IT TODAY. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S THE POINT THAT I'M MAKING. OKAY. IT'S JUST NOTHING I CAN DO WITH IT TODAY IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. SO LET'S DO THIS. COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, VICE MAYOR, PORT TIM, CAST TATUM, LET'S START WITH YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THE FIRST AMENDMENT THAT I HAVE IS, UM, 16.01. OKAY. HOLD ON ONE SECOND BEFORE WE GET STARTED. UHHUH FOOD IS HERE. YES, FOOD IS HERE. ALRIGHT. Y'ALL LOOK HUNGRY. . OKAY. ARE YOU GONNA PRAY, MAN? YEAH. FATHER, GOD BLESS THIS FOOD FOR THE NOURISHMENT OF OUR BODIES AND PRECIOUS NAME. AMEN. AMEN. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA PAUSE UNTIL, LET'S COME BACK. AT, WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? 1150. 1150. 1150. LET'S COME BACK AT FIVE AFTER 12. FIVE AFTER 12. OKAY. 15 MINUTES. 15 MINUTES. FIVE AFTER 12. LET'S COME BACK. OKAY. IF EVERYONE WILL PLEASE RETURN. YES. YES. COMFORT ZONE. ALL RIGHT. LET ME COUNT. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. AND LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE ONLINE. AND CISNEROS IS ONLINE. AND COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS IS ONLINE. ROBINSON IS 12. AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, WE ARE READY TO PROCEED. OKAY. YEP. WE'RE GONNA, OKAY. WE'RE GONNA, UH, I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER, YOU IN THE QUEUE? HAVE A QUESTION. COURT. OKAY. OKAY, WE ARE READY. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE A, JUST A, UM, A QUICK QUESTION REGARDING, OKAY. THE GUIDELINES THAT WERE PROVIDED TO US ON THIS BUDGET, UM, BASED ON ROBERT SWELL ORDER, DO WE HAVE TO, DO WE ALL, AS A BODY HAVE TO AGREE TO THE WAY IN WHICH WE ARE DOING OUR BUDGET AMENDMENTS THIS TIME VERSUS LAST TIME? IS THAT A, A QUESTION TO LEGAL? [02:55:01] NO, NO. IF IT'S NOT A A, IF IT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT, IT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. BUT LAST YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO PRESENT THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY, THOUGH. I'VE, UM, I WAS SOMEWHAT LENIENT. I WAS SOMEWHAT LENIENT, BUT I MADE CLEAR TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ACCEPTING A NON BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. I MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO THE, I SAID IT SEVERAL TIMES. YEAH, NO, NO, NO. I KNOW, I KNOW. AND I FOLLOW. BUT, BUT MAYOR TURNER, RESPECTFULLY, I, I FOLLOWED, WAIT, I FOLLOWED THE GUIDELINES TO THE T MAYOR TURNER. I MEAN, WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE A HABITABILITY DEPARTMENT. I PUT MONEY ASIDE, SO I DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING OUTTA ARPA. LIKE I FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. RIGHT. BUT IF REQUIRE, BUT IF, IF IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE COUNCIL MEMBER, PLUM, IT'S NOT A BUDGET CHAIR MEMBER. WE'LL GET TO WHEN WE, WHEN WE COME THERE. OKAY. I'LL EXPLAIN IT. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, VICE MAYOR PERAM, CAST DISTRICT K 16. UM, COUNCILMAN, WHICH ONES, WHICH AMENDMENT THAT YOU ADVANCING ON? AMENDMENTS. OKAY. YES, CORRECT. UH, 16.01 MAYOR, THIS, UH, FIRST AMENDMENT, UM, IS, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON WOULD UTILIZE UP TO 10 AVAILABLE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER POSITIONS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD AS WEEKEND POSITIONS. UM, Y Y'ALL ALL KNOW THAT, UH, DISTRICT A IS 96 CIVIC CLUBS AND HOAS, BIG BEDROOM COMMUNITY AND ENFORCEMENT AND PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS IS CRITICAL FOR ALL OF OUR, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, IN OUR BUDGET HEARING THE DIRECTOR STATED, THERE ARE SOME VACANCIES THAT ARE CHALLENGING TO FILL. IT'S A TOUGH JOB IN HOUSTON'S WEATHER. UH, THE STARTING PAY IS AROUND $35,000. I, I BELIEVE THAT A WEEKEND POSITION CAN DO TWO THINGS. MANY OF THE VIOLATIONS THAT HAPPEN ON WEEKENDS, SPECIFICALLY ONE THAT I CAN, I CAN PINPOINT RIGHT NOW IS, UH, OUR BANDIT SIGNS ON FRIDAYS. THE PEOPLE WHO PUT OUT BANDIT SIGNS, THEY HIT ALL OF THE DISTRICTS ON FRIDAYS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THERE'S NO ENFORCEMENT ON THE WEEKENDS. LEMME JUST ASK. AND, AND I, AND I GOT IT. ARE YOU GOING WITH THE, WITH THE PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE, ARE YOU JUST STICKING WITH THE ONE AS, AS YOU PUT FORTH, THE, THE SUBSTITUTE SAYS THAT DON WILL EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL COST OF USING UP TO 10 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FOR A WEEKEND PROGRAM? YEAH, I MEAN, I MEAN, UH, I WOULD RATHER US JUST DO IT INSTEAD OF EXPLORING IT. AND THE REASON BEING, I, BUT THIS WITH THE STRETCH AND RESOURCES, I MEAN, I DON'T MIND DOING IT, BUT THEY NEED TO, INSTEAD OF JUST TELLING THEM TO, WE, WE, WE WE'RE FACING LIMITED STAFFING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE BOARD. RIGHT. AND MY POINT IS, IF WE MAKE A WEEKEND POSITION AVAILABLE, WE MAY ATTRACT PEOPLE. THE, THE, THE CONVERSATION WAS AROUND HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME TO FILL THE POSITIONS. I THINK THERE ARE 14 VACANCIES. OKAY. UM, BUT IF WE HAD A WEEKEND JOB AVAILABLE, SOMEONE WHO WORKS DURING THE WEEK MAY BE AVAILABLE TO PICK UP THAT ADDITIONAL JOB ON THE WEEKENDS. AND I THINK WE GET MORE COMPLIANCE ON THE WEEKENDS BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE AT HOME. I, I SEE IT AS A WIN-WIN. I'M FINE. I MEAN, I, I SUPPORT IT. I'M JUST, I JUST, YOU KNOW, SUBMITTING ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT, BUT NO, NO PROBLEM. I'M WITH IT. UH, COUNCILMAN CAYMAN? THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST TO CLARIFY, FIRST OFF, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, THANK YOU FOR CREATING AN AMENDMENT THAT ADDRESSES ALL OF THE DISTRICT'S NEEDS. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE HYPERFOCUSED ON THIS ISSUE IN YOUR AREA, BUT AGAIN, THAT IT APPLIES TO ALL OF US. UM, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, UM, THAT UNITY AND UNIFORMITY. UH, REALLY QUICKLY, JUST SO I UNDERSTAND FROM A FISCAL PERSPECTIVE, THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL COST BECAUSE WE'RE UTILIZING WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN BUDGETED AND, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT WE ALREADY HAVE VACANCIES THAT HAVE BEEN BUDGETED FOR. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KNOX. THAT WAS MY QUESTION. OKAY. COUNCILMAN KOSH. SO YOU WANT UP TO 10, BUT THERE'S 11 DISTRICTS. AND IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT KINGWOOD AND CLEAR LAKE, THAT'S 12. SO IT'S NOT SPECIFIC TO THE DISTRICT. IT IS, UH, 10 WEEKEND POSITIONS THAT WOULD BE CITYWIDE. LAST YEAR, MY BUDGET AMENDMENT WAS FOR ONE, FOR EACH DISTRICT, AND THAT SEEMED TO BE CUMBERSOME. UM, SO THESE 10 WEEKEND POSITIONS WOULD ALLOW FOR US TO HAVE WEEKEND ENFORCEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY, AND THEY'D BE ROVERS. RIGHT. OKAY. I'M SUPPORTIVE, BUT I JUST WANT US TO BEAR IN MIND IT'S SUBJECT TO PEOPLE WANTING, I MEAN, GETTING PEOPLE TO DO IT. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? I, I TOTALLY GET IT. I MEAN, WE'VE GOT VACANCIES AND IT, FROM THE PRESENTATION, IT SEEMED THAT WE HAVE A CHALLENGE HIRING PEOPLE FOR THE WEEKLY POSITIONS. UM, PARTLY BECAUSE THE PAY IS STARTING AT $35,000. BUT I [03:00:01] SEE A WEEKEND POSITION FOR SOMEONE WHO WORKS DURING THE WEEK THAT MAY WANT SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY. THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN A WEEKEND POSITION. I'M FINE. I'M WITH IT. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 1601. OKAY. 16.02, UH, IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON WILL ASSESS THE OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN FIVE ADDITIONAL PASSPORT OFFICES INSIDE THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDINGS. CURRENTLY, THE FIVE PASSPORT OFFICES AND LIBRARIES ARE GENERATING APPROXIMATELY 1 MILLION A YEAR. A PORTION OF THE FUTURE REVENUE CAN BE USED IN SUPPORT OF LIBRARY PROGRAMMING, UH, THE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT, UM, MAYOR WORKS. UM, I, I, I SEE THAT THERE WAS A ELIMINATION OF THE PORTION OF THE FUTURE REVENUE BEING USED FOR LIBRARY PROGRAMMING. MY THOUGHT WAS JUST THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO, THEY'D BE ABLE TO GENERATE MONEY THAT THEY COULD SUPPORT THEIR OWN PROGRAMMING. UM, SO I'M OKAY WITH THE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT. UM, IF WE CAN PUT A 90 DAY LOOK AT IT, UM, I KNOW THAT THE DIRECTOR AND I HAD THIS CONVERSATION WHEN I HAD MY MEETING WITH THE LIBRARIES. UH, THE PASSPORT OFFICES ARE EXTREMELY, UM, WELL RUN. THE FEEDBACK FROM THE PASSPORT OFFICES IS, UM, TREMENDOUS. UM, OUR TRAVELERS ARE ALMOST BACK AT PRE PANDEMIC, UM, ACTION NOW. AND SO I SEE US THIS AS ADDITIONAL WAY TO, UM, GENERATE REVENUE FOR THE CITY. OKAY. SO YOU'RE SUBMITTING THE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT, THE SUBSTITUTE SUB ON WHAT SHE DID FOR JUST STRIKING A, A PORTION, STRIKING A PORTION OF A FUTURE SENTENCE. OKAY. SO SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT. YOU JUST STRIKING THAT LAST LINE FROM HER ORIGINAL. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER. OH, ANYONE ELSE? ANY DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED ON THIS, ON 1602 AS SUBSTITUTED. OKAY. I THINK THAT'S IT FOR ICE MAYOR PRO TE. CORRECT. THE NEXT, UH, RETURNING TO, UH, COUNCILMAN POLL, ANY THAT YOU ARE PRESENTING THAT'S, THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR PRESENTATION CAPTAIN, CRYPTO CAPTAIN. CRYPTO CAPTAIN CRYPTO. I BELIEVE BASED ON INTERPRETATION AND BEING SUBJECTIVE, THAT THEY ALL CAN BE CONSIDERED, UH, FOR THE BUDGET. NOW, IF ANY OF THOSE THAT YOU HAVE SUBMITTED, UH, THEY ARE NOT, THEY ALL REQUIRE REQUIRING ALTERNATES 15.01. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT THAT'S RELATED TO THE CLUB SQUAD ONE YEAR PILOT. MY QUESTION IS, OVER FISCAL YEAR 2023, WILL ARPA DOLLARS BE INCLUDED IN ANY OF THE, OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET? UPPER DOLLARS ARE INCLUDED IN GENERAL FUND BUDGET AS A FORM OF REVENUE REPLACEMENT. UH, THERE'S AT LEAST 130 MILLION IN THIS EXISTING BUDGET, BUT IT'S REVENUE REPLACEMENT IS, DOES THE ARPA FUND MANDATE THAT THE DOLLARS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO CITIES BE ONLY USED FOR REVENUE REPLACEMENT? NO. IT CAN BE USED FOR OTHER THINGS, BUT UPPER DOLLARS ARE NOT BEFORE US TODAY. OTHER THAN THOSE DOLLARS THAT ALREADY EXISTED IN THIS BUDGET, UPPER DOLLARS ARE NOT BEFORE US TODAY. SO CAN WE MAKE A CONTINGENT BASED ON THE UPPER DOLLARS? WE CANNOT, OPERA DOLLARS ARE NOT BEFORE US. OTHER THAN THOSE DOLLARS THAT ARE FACTORED IN THIS BUDGET FOR REVENUE REPLACEMENT, THERE'S NO, THAT'S ANOTHER PROCESS FOR THE UTILIZATION OF OPERA DOLLARS. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT THIS ONE. SO IS IS THERE ANY AMENDMENT THAT, THAT, UH, THAT YOU HAVE THAT YOU'RE ADVANCING? 15.02. WE CAN MOVE TO THAT ONE. 15.02. THAT'S THE PRIVATE PUBLIC PURPOSE FUND THAT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE OUT OF ORDER. WE COULD, WE COULD CREATE THE ORDINANCE TODAY. NO, WE CANNOT NOT WITHOUT PROPER POINT OF ORDER. MAYOR, AN ORDINANCE HAS TO BE POSTED. YES. MAYOR DID, DID WE VOTE ON 15.01 OR DID HE WITHDRAW IT? IT'S OUT OF ORDER OUTTA ORDER. IT'S OUTTA ORDER. IT'S OUT OF ORDER. SO WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO VOTE OR WITHDRAW OR NOTHING ELSE. I JUST WANT, I JUST WANNA KNOW THE PROCESS BEFORE WE GET REALLY DEEP INTO THIS. RIGHT. DOLLARS THAT ARE NOT UPPER DOLLARS, FOR EXAMPLE, OTHER THAN DOLLARS IN THE REVENUE BUDGET ARE NOT ON THE TABLE. SO 15.01 IS OUT OF ORDER. SO THAT ONE'S NOT CONSIDERED 15.02. PUBLIC. PUBLIC PURPOSE FUND REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE AND NON, I WOULD REQUEST THAT, UM, WE REFER THIS OUT TO THE APPROPRIATE COMMITTEE AND SET A DATE TO DISCUSS. IT'S NOT EVEN BEFORE US. IT'S NOT BEFORE IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT BEFORE US. IT IS NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. AND IT'S NOT BEFORE ANY AMENDMENT THAT YOU'RE ADVANCING THAT'S ELIGIBLE FOR TODAY. YES. [03:05:01] WHICH ONE IS THAT? 15.05? PAY THIS OUT. THAT'S THE FOOD DEALER'S PERMIT. AND THAT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. 15.05 IS THE COUNCIL. COUNCIL CHAIR. OH, THE CHAIR. OH, CHAIR. OH, THE CHAIR. I, I SIMPLY REFERRED THAT TO, UH, TO GHD. UH, I'D RATHER TAKE A VOTE ON IT. ALRIGHT. UH, COUNCILMAN POLL ADVANCES 15.05. UM, DISCUSSION. DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY. OKAY. ON 15.05, COUNCIL MEMBER, THAT IS WHAT IS BEFORE IT'S 15.05 IS BEFORE US. OKAY. AND ANYTHING ELSE ON IT? COUNCILMAN POLLETT BEFORE I RECOGNIZE SOME OTHER PEOPLE. YOU COULD RECOGNIZE OTHER PEOPLE AT THIS POINT. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN ON 15.05. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. I APPRECIATE, UH, THIS AMENDMENT. I'M, UH, GONNA LISTEN TO THE REST OF THE DEBATE, BUT I WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY JUST TO, UM, EXPRESS HOW, UH, IMPORTANT, UH, OUR GSD FUNDING IS RIGHT NOW IN THE ANNEX. UH, OUR HVACS ARE OUT. UH, SO STAFF IS WORKING EITHER BEHIND CHAMBERS OR REMOTELY. UH, I APPRECIATE THEM PUTTING THE BLOWERS UP. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CHAIRS, I'M NOT NECESSARILY GONNA COMMIT TO, UH, DEDICATING MY OFFICE BUDGET TO THIS, BUT I WILL SAY I HAVE, UM, HOLES IN MY ARMCHAIR RIGHT NOW. UH, BUT AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE MORE, THERE ARE PRESSING ISSUES RELATED TO OUR CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND BUILDING. SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOU RAISING THE ISSUE, UM, ABOUT JUST THE STATE OF, UH, CITY BUILDINGS AS A WHOLE. BUT I THINK GSD DOES A PHENOMENAL JOB WITH THE LIMITED RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE. COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. THANK YOU MAYOR. LIKEWISE. I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT. UM, BUT I'M REALLY NOT IN THE HABIT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, VOTING OURSELVES SOME CREATURE COMFORTS WHEN WE HAVE SO MANY OTHER ISSUES IN THE CITY THAT WE NEED TO DEAL WITH. AND BESIDES THAT, I'VE JUST NOW GOTTEN MIND BROKEN IN. AND, UM, I DON'T WANNA HAVE TO BREAK IN A NEW CHAIR THE LAST YEAR THAT I'M IN OFFICE. SO, UH, I'LL BE VOTING NO ON THIS ONE. LEMME SAY, COUNCILMAN POLLEY, IF YOU LET ME WORK WITH GHD, WE MAY BE ABLE TO WORK SOMETHING OUT WITH US WITHOUT HAVING, JUST, UNLESS YOU JUST WANNA VOTE ON CAN YOU COMMIT TO IT. I COMMIT TO YOU THAT I WILL BE DISCUSSING THIS WITH CJ MESSIAH AND GHD BECAUSE THE, THE, THE AMENDMENT READS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL HAVE THE OPTION TO REACT, ALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS TO GSD. SO IT'S NOT LIKE I'M, I IT'S NOT LIKE GOT IT. AND THAT LARGE MEMBER HAS COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND THEN THE DISTRICT MEMBERS DON'T, AREN'T MANDATED TO. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE CONDITION OF THESE CHAIRS, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IN WHICH WE DO NEEDS TO BE TOP TIER. AND, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CONDITION OF THESE CHAIRS THAT WE HAVE TO SIT IN ON A, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, I JUST THINK THEY NEED SOME IMPROVEMENT. AND THE REASON I'M SAYING AS IT RELATES TO THIS CHAMBER, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF JUST ASSESSING A NUMBER OF THINGS AS IT RELATE TO THIS CHAMBER. UM, AND QUITE RESPECT, RESPECTFULLY, I WOULD SAY EVEN THE NAMING OF THIS CHAMBER, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE ARE TAKING INTO, I'M DEALING WITH GHD RIGHT NOW. YOU GONNA WORK WITH ME? YES. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. I, I, I COMMIT MYSELF TO WORKING WITH U-N-G-H-D WITHOUT YOU HAVING TO VOTE ON THIS ITEM. OKAY. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? ALRIGHT, I'LL WORK WITH YOU. OKAY. WILL YOU WITHDRAW? I WILL WITHDRAW. OKAY. THANKS MAYOR. I WAS IN THE QUEUE. YOU . WELL, WELL, MAYOR, THE, THE THING IS, IS I, I'M, I DON'T NEED A NEW CHAIR, BUT, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME NEW, NEW, UH, BLINDS SO THAT THE, THAT'S I'M SAYING WE'LL, WE'RE WORKING WITH JD AS IT RELATES TO THIS CHAMBER. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE LITTLE THINGS HERE THAT YOU PLUG YOUR PHONE INTO, ACTUALLY CHARGE YOUR PHONE. AND IT WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD A TV UP HERE INSTEAD OF WAY OVER THERE SO THE PEOPLE COULD LOOK UP AND SEE. SO, JUST A THOUGHT. OKAY. SO, UH, HEY, THAT'S MY BUDGET AMENDMENT. OKAY, . OKAY. WORK WITH ME ON IT. MAYOR TIM, YOU STILL IN? YES, I'M IN AT THE RISK OF OFFENDING ALL MY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND BEING A COUNTY NERD, THE WAY THE BUDGET PROCESS WORKS, YOU LOOK IN YOUR BUDGET BOOK AND I MOVE TO AMEND SECTION VI PAGE 15, GENERAL FUND CITY COUNCIL, WHICH HAS 13,000,985, $308. I WISH TO MOVE $75,000 OUT OF THAT BALANCE INTO, AND YOU LOOK UP THE APPROPRIATE GENERAL SERVICE SECTION AND ADD IT INTO THAT. SO YOU PULL MONEY FROM ONE FUND, 13,385 TO GET YOUR $75,000 AND REALLOCATE IT TO THE OTHER FUND. I READ THROUGH ALL THESE AMENDMENTS [03:10:01] AND NONE OF 'EM ARE FISCAL NOTES. SO I'LL BE A JERK. AND I'LL SAY THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS. BUT THAT'S THE WAY TO DO A BUDGET. YOU MOVE TO AMEND THE SECTION OF THE BUDGET BOOK IN THAT PARTICULAR ORDER AND THAT PARTICULAR AMOUNT, AND THEN ADD IT TO THE APPROPRIATE SECTION IN THE BUDGET BOOK OF THAT AMOUNT. AND THEN YOU HAVE A CORRESPONDENT BALANCE. I REST MY CASE, YOUR HONOR. THAT'S NOT ANY FUN. ALRIGHT. BUT NONE OF 'EM ARE LIKE THIS. COUNCILMAN MONO. THAT'S NOT ANY FUN. . AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WOULD TELL YOU, AND THAT'S WHERE I'M TRYING TO GET US TO UNDERSTAND OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, I'VE BEEN VERY LENIENT. BUT, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, ANYWAY, COSMAN POLL, WE YEAH. AND, UH, AS A RESPONSE TO THAT, WHEN, WHEN YOU SET A PRECEDENT THE YEAR BEFORE, ALL THOSE, THE MAYOR'S DISCRETION, YOU SET A PRECEDENT AND THEN THAT GIVES EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT COULD AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BUDGETARY PROCESS IS. BUT WHEN I, BUT WHEN I SEE THAT, WHEN I SEE THAT THAT LENIENCY BEING ABUSED, THEN I EXERCISE MY AUTHORITY. UNDERSTOOD. AND I AM SEEING IT BEING ABUSED. AND THAT'S WHEN I SAY, YOU'VE TAKEN MY KINDNESS AND MISUNDERSTOOD IT. AND SO NOW I AM CALLING IT AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED. I DO, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT THIS, THIS FORUM IN THE BUDGET PROCESS IS ONE OF THE ONLY FORUMS WHERE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY PUBLICLY TO PUT FORTH IDEAS THAT RE THAT DO RELATE TO THE BUDGET, EVEN THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE A, A DIRECT ALLOCATION. I KNOW, BUT IT WAS THAT, THAT, THAT IS ITEMIZED. SO I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND I RESPECT IT, BUT I, I DO WANT TO GIVE THIS PROCESS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AT TIMES TO BE ABLE TO PUT FORTH IDEAS AND NOT JUST HAVE THEM REJECTED. JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE WAY IN WHICH THINGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WHEN LAST YEAR WE WERE ALLOWED TO DO IT, WE HAVE, BUT IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS AT MAX, WE MAY HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH A TOTAL OF 40 AMENDMENTS TOTAL. AND THEN AFTER DISCUSSION AND WIDLED DOWN TO 17 THIS YEAR IT HAS BEEN ABUSED. AND I SAY, NO, I'M NOT GONNA BE HERE ALL NIGHT ON NON BUDGETARY AMENDMENTS. I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT. THE COMMITTEES AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU WANNA DO THAT. BE HERE ALL NIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. NOW WE ARE GOING TO COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR. ON 1401 AIMS TO PROVIDE SOLID WASTE WITH CONTROL OVER THE REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE ONE POINT $14, UH, PER ON CONTAINER LEASE FEE AND ANY FUTURE FEES. I UNDERSTAND FINANCE CURRENTLY ADMINISTERS, UH, THESE FUNDS FOR SOLID WASTE. A SPECIAL REVENUE FUND WOULD PROVIDE GREATER TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND IS CONSISTENT WITH HOW OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE HANDLED REVENUE GENERATED FROM FEES. UH, AND AGAIN, I'M, UH, WILLING, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND, UM, UH, UH, WITHDRAW THIS. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'LL BE TAKING A LOOK AT IT. YEAH. LEMME TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO BECAUSE THERE'S THE THOUGHT THAT WAS A SPECIAL FUND, BUT THE SPECIAL FUND IS FOR RECYCLING. MM-HMM . OKAY. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CREATE ANOTHER SPECIAL FUND JUST FOR THIS CONTAINER FEE. SO WE ARE GONNA DO THAT AND I'LL BE ADVANCING IT EITHER TO YOUR COMMITTEE OR TO COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCON'S COMMITTEE TO GET IT DONE. SO IF YOU WITHDRAW, WE'LL GET IT DONE DOWN THE ROAD. OKAY. GREAT. OKAY. HUFFMAN, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, I, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHERE DOES THE FEE GO NOW? TO THE GENERAL FUND? OKAY. YEAH. SO WE'LL CREATE A SPECIAL FUND JUST FOR THAT CONTAINER FEE. OKAY. SO 1401. UM, WHAT'S BEEN WITHDRAWN KNOX? COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. THANK YOU MAYOR SUMMARY. THIS WILL BE CREATED BECAUSE EVIDENTLY WE HAVE AN EXCESS OF MONEY IN THE CONTAINER LEASE FEES. NO, 1.4, 1.14 MILLION ASSESSED BY THE DEPARTMENT. REVENUES FROM FEES OFFERED BELOW SHALL BE DEPOSITED. SO WHERE'S THIS? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THIS MONEY'S COMING FROM. IT'S THE CONTAINER FEE THAT WE PUT IN PLACE. RIGHT? THE CONTAINER FEE. RIGHT. SO EVIDENTLY WE HAVE A LOT MORE THAN WE, WE ORIGINALLY, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, WE ORIGINALLY INSTITUTED THE CONTAINER FEE TO PAY FOR THE CONTAINERS. RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING. EVIDENTLY WE'VE BEEN PAYING FOR THE CONTAINERS AND WE HAVE EXTRA MONEY THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SIPHON. NO, NO. PEOPLE ARE JUST WANTING TO MAKE, PEOPLE ARE JUST WANTING IT TO GO TO A SPECIAL FUND. OH, SO THEY WANTED REDIRECT IT YES. INTO A SPECIAL FUND FOR THE CONTAINERS. OKAY. WELL I'LL, I'LL OPPOSE THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S OUR NOTION. SO 1401 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. NEXT COUNCILMAN? YEAH. IN, IN, UH, REGARDING 1402. THAT, THAT, UH, AGAIN, WE, WE'VE BEEN ASKED [03:15:01] TO HOLD ON A SECOND. YES. WHO'S IN THE QUEUE? POLL. COUNCILMAN POLL. I JUST WANT TO GET CLARIFICATION. ARE WE, ARE WE DISCUSSING CREATING A NEW FUND? 1401 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. I SAID I WOULD WORK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. JUST CHECKING. OKAY. OH, A NEW FINE. YEAH. ALRIGHT. 1402. YEAH. 1402 IS AGAIN, IS, UH, TRYING TO BE CREATIVE IN REGARDS TO HELPING SOLID WASTE. FIVE FINE REVENUE. AS YOU KNOW, THEY, UH, ON THIS ONE, COUNCIL MEMBER GGO, I'M SORRY. THIS ONE REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. SO THIS ONE IS, THIS ONE HAS TO BE RULED OUT OF, OR IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. THE 1402 REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. YEAH, IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. YEAH. 'CAUSE YOU'LL BE CREATING A FEE AND IT'S GONNA REQUIRE AN ARGUMENT. SO, SO CAN I, CAN I ASK THAT SOLID WASTE LOOK INTO THIS? YES. JUST COME, JUST COME VISIT ME. WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT. OKAY. OKAY. 4 14 0 3. UH, THIS AMENDMENT SEEKS TO DETERMINE THE CITY'S ACTUAL COST FOR SETTING UP TRASH SERVICE AT A NEW HOME OR FOR A NEW CUSTOMER. THIS ONE TIME ACTIVATION FEE WOULD BE SIMILAR TO THE ONE TIME ACTIVATION FEE RESIDENTS PAY WHEN THEY'RE SETTING UP FOR THEIR OTHER UTILITIES, INCLUDING CITY WATER. UH, WHICH COSTS SIX, $6 AND 10 CENTS TO SET THAT UP. THE ONE TIME SETUP FEE WOULD ONLY BE EXCESS IF A RESIDENT IS SETTING UP GARBAGE SERVICE WITH SOLID HOUSTON SOLID WASTE. BUT ALSO, IF THAT RESIDENT REQUIRES A NEW TRASH CONTAINER, THEN THEY WOULD ALSO NEED TO PAY 25.52 FOR THE DELIVERY OF A NEW TRASH CONTAINER. THIS CAN BE ELIMINATED IF THE SETUP FEE INCLUDES THE DELIVERY COST. REVENUE GENERATED FROM THE FREE FEE WOULD BE UTILIZED BY SOLID WASTE TO SUPPORT SERVICES AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS. LIKE MANY, LIKE MY PREVIOUS AMENDMENT, 1402, THIS AMENDMENT AIMS TO RECOUP A PORTION OF THE COSTS FOR NEW SERVICE. AND I'M FINE WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, SUBSTITUTING, UH, THE LANGUAGE FOR THIS. OKAY. COST MEMBERS I GAVE IS SUBMITTING THE SUBSTITUTE, UM, LANGUAGE FOR HIS AMENDMENT ON THIS, WHICH ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS COUNCILMAN KOSH MAYOR, UH, OVER 50% OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN HOUSTON, THEY RENT EITHER AN APARTMENT OR A HOME OR SOMETHING. AND, UM, HOW WOULD THIS AFFECT THEM? BUT BASICALLY THE WAY THE AMENDMENT, THE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT WILL READ IS THAT, UM, IT WILL BE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE ACTUAL COST TO ESTABLISH NEW, NEW RESIDENTIAL REFERENCE SERVICE, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE RENTERS AS WELL. SO THEY'RE GONNA STUDY IT OKAY. ON IN THE SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ON THE SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE FOR THE AMENDMENT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER GAGO? ANY DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED. OKAY. I OPPOSED, OH, I'M SORRY. SO COUNCILMAN MINX, OPPOSE AND HUFFMAN OPPOSES. AND HUFFMAN AND PECK ALSO. AND P AND POLLARD. AND POLLANT. OKAY. WE'RE JUST STUDYING IT. OKAY. NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE CARE OF THE SOLID. WE ISSUES ALL REMEMBER PASSES. MAYOR. OH, NEVERMIND. CAN YOU RESTATE THE, CAN YOU, CAN YOU RESTATE THE AMENDMENT FOR THE RECORD? OKAY. THE, IT'S IN THE, UM, IN THE MATRIX. IT'S IN THE MATRIX, UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON CELL STUDY AND DETERMINE THE CITY'S ACTUAL COST TO ESTABLISH A NEW RESIDENTIAL REFERENCE SERVICE AND RECOMMEND AN APPROPRIATE FEE TO RECOVER THE CITY'S CALLS FOR ESTABLISHING NEW SERVICE. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE MEMO, THE FIRST, ONLY THE FIRST PARAGRAPH RIGHT. THE REST IS, IS UM, STRUCK. OKAY. SO WHO'S OPPOSED TO THAT? OPPOSED, AGAIN, I HAVE TEXT FATHER, UF AND CO. AND KOSH AND KOSH. OKAY. ALL OPPOSED. OPPOSED. OKAY. OKAY. WANNA MAKE SURE YOU GOT MY NOTES? WE GOTCHA. OKAY. OKAY. THE AMENDMENT PASSES. OKAY. COUNCIL COUNCILMAN COOK GUY GO STILL WITH YOU. 1404 AIMS TO BALANCE CITIZENS' EXP EXPECTATIONS WITH REALITY EVERY MORNING SOLID WASTE CREWS START BEHIND SCHEDULE AND THAT'S THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. THE REALITY IS THAT WE HAVEN'T RIGHT SIZED THE DEPARTMENT OR ADJUSTED SERVICE LEVELS TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND. AS SUCH, IT'S BECOME COMMON FOR HEAVY TRASH TO BE COLLECTED TWO OR THREE WEEKS BEHIND SCHEDULE OR FOR IT TO BE ROLLED INTO THE NEXT MONTH. IRONICALLY, MANY HOUSTONIANS DON'T PUT HEAVY TRASH OUT EVERY SINGLE MONTH YET WE PROVIDE A MONTHLY SERVICE. MY OFFICE SURVEYED OUR COMMUNITY AND OF 312 RESPONSES, NEARLY HALF SAID THEY PLACE HEAVY TRASH LESS THAN SIX TIMES PER YEAR, WITH [03:20:01] 15% SAYING THEY PLACE HEAVY TRASH LESS THAN TWICE PER YEAR. SO 14.04 SEEKS TO FIND WHAT THE, WHAT THE RIGHT LEVEL OF SERVICE IS SO THAT IT IS MORE RELIABLE AND BETTER MEETS RESIDENTS NEEDS. AND I'M FINE WITH THE ADMINISTRATION SUBSTITUTING SOME LANGUAGE. OKAY. UH, AND COUNCILMAN GANG SUB, UM, UH, SUBMITS THE SUBSTITUTED LANGUAGE FOR THE AMENDMENT. DISCUSSION ON, UH, 1404 WITH THE SUBSTITUTED LANGUAGE DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED, GRANTED ON 1404 AS AMENDED. OKAY. COUNCILMAN GANGER STILL WITH YOU? 14.05 TH THIS AMENDMENT AIMS TO ENSURE WE'RE ASSESSING FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXTRA, EXTRA CAPACITY AND NON-RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION PROGRAMS. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS FOUND INSTANCES IN WHICH WE'RE NOT ASSESSING CERTAIN FEES AS ESTABLISHED UNDER ORDINANCE. SO THIS AMENDMENT WOULD REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO REVIEW ITS NON-RESIDENTIAL COLLECTION AND EXTRA CAPACITY PROGRAMS TO ENSURE WE'RE COLLECTING THE PROPER FEES FOR THOSE SERVICES. I'LL GO AHEAD AND WITHDRAW 1405, BUT ASK THAT THE DEPARTMENT THAT, UH, THAT, THAT AN UPDATE BE PROVIDED TO COUNSEL, UH, IN THE COMING MONTHS. OKAY. AND THEY, AND THEN WE, THEY CAN DO THAT. WE'LL DO THAT. OKAY. 1405 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. SOLID WASTES WILL BE REPORTING TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON WHAT IT'S DOING. COUNCILOR MEGO STILL WITH YOU, LIKE 1405, I'VE LEARNED SOLID WASTES OCCASION. OCCASIONALLY FINDS THAT WE'RE SERVICING SMALL APARTMENT COMMUNITIES OR CONDOS THAT ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR, UH, CITY TRASH SERVICE. UNDER ORDINANCE, SOLID WASTES CAN SERVICE COMMUNITIES WITH EIGHT UNITS OR LESS. ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT IS INELIGIBLE, BUT THE DEPARTMENT OCCASIONALLY FINDS WE'RE SERVICING COMMUNITIES WITH NINE OR MORE UNITS, WHICH TRIGGERS US TO NOTIFY TENANTS AND ASK THEM TO FIND A PRIVATE TRASH COLLECTOR. THIS AMENDMENT, HOWEVER, WOULD ALLOW US TO CONTINUE SERVICING THOSE SMALL COMMUNITIES, BUT CHARGING THEM FOR THE SERVICE RATHER THAN US BOOTING CUSTOMERS FROM THE SYSTEM. LET'S HAVE THE OPTION TO KEEP SERVICING THOSE SMALL APARTMENT CONDO COMMUNITIES. I APPRECIATE THE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT AND ACCEPT THE SUGGESTED SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE AND ASK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR SUPPORT AS WELL. OKAY. COUNCILMAN GALL, YOU SUBMITS THIS AMENDMENT AS, AS, AS AMENDED. UH, COUNCILMAN MAYOR, I'M CURIOUS, SO IF WE CHANGE THE ORDINANCE ABOUT WHICH APARTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE OR NOT, ISN'T THAT AN ORDINANCE CHANGE RATHER THAN A FINANCIAL AND THE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT? THE SOLID WASTE SAYS THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT SHALL STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF, BUT, BUT WE'RE VOTING ON HIS AMENDMENT, RIGHT? NO, THE SUBSTITUTE. THE SUBSTITUTE. JUST THE SUBSTITUTE. SO WE'RE ON THE, WE'RE JUST GONNA STUDY IT, RIGHT? 1406 AS AMENDED. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON 1406 AS AMENDED? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED FOR 1406 AS AMENDED. COUNCILMAN GGO? STILL WITH YOU? THANK YOU. 1407. THIS AMENDMENT. ONE. ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN. I'M SORRY. AFTER. AFTER. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN GGO. THIS AMENDMENT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR THE QUIET ZONE IN RAILROAD SAFETY PROGRAMS, WHICH HAVE BEEN UNFUNDED FOR YEARS. AS MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, WE'RE HAVING SERIOUS ISSUES IN THE EAST END DUE TO POOR FREIGHT RAIL MOVEMENT AND NOISE. IT'S IMPACTING PUBLIC SAFETY, MOBILITY AND OUR OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. WHILE THIS AMENDMENT DOES NOT DIRECTLY REDUCE THE BLOCKED CROSSING ISSUE, IT WILL FUND GREAT CROSSING REPAIRS AND WILL ALLOW THE EAST END TO ADVANCE THE PROCESS FOR THE EAST END TWO QUIET ZONE, WHICH WOULD DIRECTLY BENEFIT COMMUNITIES IN COUNCIL DISTRICTS I AND H AS WELL AS NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES IN DISTRICTS B AND C. UNDERSTANDING THIS, UH, ITEM MAY BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE CIP. I'LL GO AHEAD AND WITHDRAW TODAY, BUT AGAIN, I JUST WANNA POINT THIS OUT TO HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, UH, IN REFERENCE TO THE FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, UH, THAT THE, UH, EAST END TWO QUIET ZONE IS IN NEED OF 3.64, UH, TO MAKE THIS A REALITY. THANK YOU. THIS HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, I HAD ALREADY SHARED THIS WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. I WOULD JUST RESPECTFULLY REQUEST IN THE REVIEW OF THIS IN THE ALLOCATION OF FEDERAL DOLLARS, UH, IN DISTRICT C GARDEN OAKS. OAK FOREST. IT'S A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR PROJECT FOR A QUIET ZONE AS WELL. IT'S BEEN IN QUEUE FOR YEARS, UH, AND HAS ALSO GOTTEN NO ATTENTION BECAUSE THERE'S NO FUNDING. SO AS WE LOOK AT THE CITY AS A WHOLE AND THE NEEDS, UH, I FULLY SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS IN DEALING WITH THE EAST END. THE DANGERS THERE. I WOULD JUST ASK THAT WE ALSO, UM, INCLUDE IN THAT REVIEW, UH, IN DISTRICT C, GARDEN OAKS, OAK FOREST QUIET ZONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MEGOS STILL WITH YOU? ORDER I'LL BE WITHDRAWING 1408 SINCE IT IS BEING RULED OUT OF ORDER. BUT I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE WE'RE ENFORCING [03:25:01] EX EXISTING LAWS. THIS PARTICULAR ORDINANCE REQUIRES THE RAILROADS TO NOTIFY THE CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER ON OBSTRUCTIONS OF PUBLIC CROSSING WITHIN A WEEK. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS? I GOT THAT. AND, UH, LET'S HAVE A CONTINUING CONVERSATION ON IT AT ANOTHER TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT, SO, SO WE'LL, SO YOU'LL BE LOOKING AT IT. YEAH. 1408 IS OUT OF ORDER. SAME 1409. SO THE NEXT ONE IS 1410. SOUNDS GOOD. OH, 1410 OR 1409. UH OH YEAH. FOUR. YEAH. UH, I REQUESTED WITHDRAWAL ON 1410, SO IT WOULD BE, THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE ELEVENS OUT OF FOUR. WELL, I THINK THAT'S, IT'S, YEAH. . WHAT'S THAT? WELL, BECAUSE 14, 14 10, UM, WHAT CHIEF, WHAT CHIEF PEN PENA TOLD ME ON 1410 IS THAT HFD IS ALREADY REVIEWING THE FEES AND WE'LL BE PROPOSING CHANGES AND THAT WILL BE COMING IN THE NEXT COUPLE, NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. OKAY. AND THEN, AND THEN, UH, 1411. I KNOW THAT YOU HAD SAID THIS IS NOT A BUDGET AMENDMENT. UH, BUT AGAIN, UH, IN ORDER FOR US TO, UH, TRY TO KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE, UH, THIS IS JUST AN INCENTIVE, UH, ASKING THAT WE ALLOW THEM, UH, TO PARK AT CITY, UH, AIRPORT LOTS AT THE AIRPORT, 14 DAYS. LET ME WORK WITH YOU ON THAT ONE. OKAY, GREAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT BATTER UP IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MR. CIRO? YES. HELLO. THANK YOU BEAR. HELLO. I HAVE ONE AMENDMENT. UM, AND I PROVIDED A SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT, WHICH YOU SHOULD ALL HAVE IT BEFORE YOU. WITH OUR FOCUS ON THE BRUTAL SLAUGHTER OF CHILDREN AND TEACHERS IN NEW VALLEY, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT HORRIFIC MASS SHOOTINGS ARE ACTUALLY A SMALL ASPECT OF THE OVERALL PROBLEM. THE VAST MAJORITY OF KIDS KILLED BY GUNS ARE IN SMALLER DAY-TO-DAY INCIDENTS. GUNS ARE NOW THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES, EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING THESE PREVENTABLE GUN DEATHS. AND YES, THEY ARE PREVENTABLE, WILL TAKE A MULTI-PRONGED APPROACH. MY AMENDMENT SINGLES OUT. JUST ONE OF THOSE APPROACHES. AN APPROACH THAT INCLUDES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, A MORE INTENTIONAL FOCUS BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ON DELIVERING RESEARCH-BASED INTERVENTIONS THAT PREVENT FIREARM VIOLENCE, INJURY AND DEATH. THIS AMENDMENT REQUESTS THAT THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN KILLED BY FIREARMS BE INCLUDED AS ONE OF THE IDENTIFIED PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN THE ANNUAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUDGET. IN MY YEARS AS A TEACHER, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WHAT GETS MEASURED IS WHAT GETS TAUGHT. THE SAME WILL BE TRUE HERE, JUST AS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TRACKS STUDENT VISION OR DENTAL PARTICIPANTS OR FOOD ESTABLISHMENT COMPLAINTS OR PRIORITY DISEASE INVESTIGATIONS. SETTING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND TRACKING THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN KILLED BY GUNS WILL, WILL HELP IMPROVE THE OUTCOMES WE DESPERATELY NEED. YEAH. COUNCIL COUNCILMAN MR. CISNEROS? LET ME, LET ME, UM, NUMBER ONE, I DON'T SEE THIS AS A, AS A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT, AND LET ME JUST ASK THAT, UM, UH, THAT YOU AND DIRECTOR WILLIAMS KIND OF GET TOGETHER AND WORK THIS. I THINK, UH, IN MY CONVERSATION WITH HIM, HE'S ALREADY DOING SOME THINGS ALREADY IN THIS AREA. I THINK YOU MAY WANT TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC AS RELATES TO WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SO LET ME, LET ME JUST CONVENE A MEETING BETWEEN YOU AND DIRECTOR WILLIAMS ON THIS, ON THIS ITEM, IF YOU WILL. OKAY? OKAY. I AM, I AM WORKING FROM THE BUDGET BOOK AND ON PAGE V EIGHT IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT FISCAL, UM, YEAR 2023 BUDGET. IT LISTS ALL OF THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST AS THESE OTHER THINGS LIKE FOOD FACILITY INSPECTION AND DENTAL, YOU KNOW, UM, ENVISION SCREENINGS ARE LISTED ON HERE. I THINK THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN BACK UP KILLED BY FIREARM, WHICH PAGE IT IS, THE NUMBER OF DEATH CHILDREN SHOULD BE ON HERE TOO. WHICH PAGE ARE YOU READING FROM? UM, PAGE B EIGHT IN THE, IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, THE FISCAL 2023 BUDGET YEAR. AND IT'S TRUE THAT THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS LIKE, OKAY, I GOT YOU, I GOT YOU. MY BROTHER COOPER, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, ON PAGE, UH, V NINE, WHICH I GOT, YOU KNOW, DO TOUCH ON THIS. BUT, BUT I THINK UNTIL IT'S, THERE'S A FOCUS ON THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH OF CHILDREN THAT THE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE, IT'S JUST GONNA BE KIND OF TUCKED IN SOMEWHERE. AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO, WE NEED, WE NEED TO SHINE A LIGHT ON IT AND, AND, AND, AND IT WILL GET MORE ATTENTION AND, AND WE WILL SEE BETTER OUTCOMES. NO, I'M NOT DIS I'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOU. AND IF YOU I'M MODIFYING THE LANGUAGE THAT IS WITHIN THE EXISTING BUDGET BOOK, THEN I'M GOING TO ALLOW IT. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCCAIN. UM, [03:30:01] THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS, THANK YOU, UH, FOR RAISING THE ISSUE AND CONTINUING TO TALK ABOUT THIS. I WOULD ALSO SAY YOU'RE MORE, UH, WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU. THERE'S SEVERAL DATA, UM, AND HEALTH TRACKING INITIATIVES I KNOW THAT THE CITY IS WORKING ON AND, UH, TRYING TO LAUNCH. UH, AND I WOULD LOVE TO DISCUSS WITH YOU WHAT YOU SEE WITH THIS. I JUST, I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, SOME OF THIS WORK IS ALREADY BEING DISCUSSED AND WORKED ON SO THAT WE CAN GET IT OUT AND START UTILIZING IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. OKAY. THANK YOU. SINCE YOU, SINCE YOU'RE JUST CHANGING THE, SINCE YOU'RE JUST MODIFYING THE LANGUAGE IN THE EXISTING BUDGET BOOK, FINE. ANY, ANY OBJECTION TO THIS PARTICULAR AMENDMENT? ANY OBJECTION? I'M NOT CLEAR WITH YOU. WHAT'S THE ADD CATEGORY? SHE'S JUST ADDING THE CATEGORY IN THE EXISTING BUDGETARY BOOK ON, ON THE HEALTH. THAT'S ALL SHE'S DOING. OKAY. IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED, GRANTED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HOFFMAN, WHICH ONE ARE YOU ADVANCING? COUNCIL MEMBER HOFFMAN, UM, 12.01. I SEE ON YOUR NOTES HERE, YOU SAID THAT THE, THAT FUNDING IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE LIBRARY ACCREDITATION, BUT WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN THE ACCREDITATION? UM, UNLESS ADDITIONAL FUNDING, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU'RE, UH, TRANSFERRING $1 MILLION FROM THEM AND THEY'RE NEEDING, THEY'RE NEEDING EVERY ONE OF THESE DOLLARS FOR THEIR CERTIFICATION. SO UNLESS YOU'RE, UM, ADDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UM, I MEAN YOU CAN, YOU CAN PUT FORTH TO, TO, TO ADD THE QUESTION IS WHERE THE DOLLARS WILL COME FROM, BUT THE DOLLARS THAT THEY'RE BEING ALLOCATED NOW IS, THAT'S THE AMOUNT THAT'S NEEDED FOR THEIR ACCREDITATION, IS WHAT THE LIBRARY IS TELLING ME. AND I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LIBRARY MATERIALS, UM, THE ESTIMATE FOR 2022, IT FELL 64% BELOW THE FY 22 TARGET. HOWEVER, THE LIBRARY MATERIAL SERVICES IS BEING INCREASED BY NEARLY 2.9 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 20 THREES PROPOSED BUDGET. UM, IF WE'RE NOT MEETING OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES, UM, HOW ARE WE MAINTAINING, I THINK THE, THE, THE AMOUNT THAT'S BEEN THAT THEY, THEY ARE OPERATING WITH IS SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THEIR ACCREDITATION. IF WE REDUCE IT ANY FURTHER, THEN THE ACCREDITATION IS GOING TO BE JEOPARDIZED. AND I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PASSPORT, UH, SUPPORT. I WILL TELL YOU AND WHAT WE NOTED HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE MUNICIPAL COURTS ARE NOW OFFERING PASSPORT SERVICES. SO THEY HAVE REALLY RAMPED UP ON THAT ON THAT FRONT. UM, I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSFERRING ANY DOLLARS AWAY FROM THE LIBRARY THAT WILL IMPACT THEIR ACCREDITATION. WELL, WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE LIBRARY'S PAST BUDGET FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK YEARS, THERE WERE AT LEAST THREE YEARS IN A ROW THAT THE LIBRARY'S ACTUALS WERE TO THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THE EXACT SAME THREE YEARS IN A ROW. I JUST FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE ACTUALS ON, IN EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY WERE THE EXACT DOLLAR AMOUNT THREE YEARS IN A ROW. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GETTING ACCURATE NUMBERS FROM THE LIBRARY AND, UM, INCREASING THEIR BUDGET BY 2.9 MILLION IN 2023 WHEN THEY'RE NOT MEETING PERFORMANCE MEASURES. UM, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REQUIREMENT IS TO MAINTAIN THE ACCREDITATION. I WOULD ASK TO CALL FOR A VOTE ON THIS. OKAY. SO LEMME MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE, OKAY. SO, SO THIS AMENDMENT WILL BE TAKEN $1 MILLION AWAY FROM THE LIBRARY MATERIALS FOR PASSPORT SERVICES. IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING? YES. OKAY. WELL, IF WE'RE DOING THAT, THE ADMINISTRATION CAN'T SUPPORT, BUT, UM, AND, UH, MAYOR PRO TIM MARTIN? YES, A QUESTION. SO THE TRANSFER OF A MILLION DOLLARS FROM FUND 1000 304 0 0 3 TO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FUND WHERE THE PEOPLE RESIDE THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO PASSPORT SERVICES BECAUSE YOU'RE MOVING IT FROM THE MATERIAL INTO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THE PEOPLE HAVE TO RESIDE IN THEIR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IF YOU MOVE THE MILLION DOLLARS FROM ONE CATEGORY TO THE OTHER AND USE THAT MILLION DOLLARS TO CREATE PERSONNEL FOR THAT PARTICULAR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CATEGORY. SO MY QUESTION, IT'S, THIS WAS ACTUALLY A GOOD BUDGET AMENDMENT 'CAUSE YOU IDENTIFIED THE FUNDING SOURCE 3 4 0 0 0 3, AND YOU'RE GONNA PUT IT INTO THE OTHER ONE THAT HAS THE CAPTION OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, SINCE I DIDN'T LOOK AT THIS. [03:35:01] WHEN YOU WANT TO CREATE PASSPORT POSITIONS TO DO MORE PASSPORTS, DOES THE CREATION OF THOSE POSITION LIE IN THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BUDGET CATEGORY? I BELIEVE IT DOES. THEN THAT'S, THAT'S, YEP. SO THEN MY OPINION, THAT'S ACTUALLY A GOOD AMENDMENT WHETHER WE VOTE YAY OR NAY ON IT, THAT'S THE PROCESS. OH, IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD BUDGETARY AMENDMENT THAT I, I JUST DON'T KNOW IT, WE CAN'T JEOPARDIZE NO, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT IS A GOOD BUDGET. YEAH, IT IS A GOOD BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. THE QUESTION IS, IS IT THE RIGHT RIGHT MOVE, UH, TO MAKE ESCALATIONS TO THE LIBRARY OR WILL THEY BE COMING BACK TO US SUBSEQUENTLY AND ASKING FOR A MILLION DOLLARS BACK, UH, FOR THEIR MATERIALS? SEE, THAT'S, THAT'S MY CONCERN WHEN WE PASSED THE STUDY. YEP. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN. YEAH, THANK YOU. I, TWO QUICK QUESTIONS JUST FOR CLARIFICATION. THE FIRST BEING, DO WE KNOW THAT A MILLION DOLLARS IS REQUIRED TO STAND UP FIVE? LIKE, HAS THAT BEEN ASSESSED IN TERMS OF THE COST OF ACTUAL PASSPORT OFFICES? SO WHEN WE REACHED OUT TO LIBRARIES TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW FOR THEIR PASSPORT SERVICES, THIS WAS IN LINE WITH BEING ABLE TO DO IT, THE MILLION DOLLARS WOULD COVER IT. OKAY. AND I, AND I APOLOGIZE. I PRO I SHOULD HAVE APPROACHED YOU AHEAD OF TIME BECAUSE THIS TO ME LOOKED VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE ALREADY PASSED WITH VICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S AMENDMENT THAT LOOKS AT IT. AND, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER THIS AGAIN, I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY SIMILAR. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOUR HOPE IS THAT THE COST OF IMPLEMENTATION OF GETS RECOUPED EVENT, RIGHT? WE'RE MAKING MONEY OFF OF THE OFFICES. SO, UM, AND I THINK TO GET IT STARTED, WE MOVE THE MILLION, WE IMPLEMENT IT AND THEN, UM, WHEN WE START GENERATING REVENUES, THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS AGAIN. YEAH, I, AND AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT OF THIS. I THINK WE'RE ALL IN LINE AND IN FAVOR WITH EXPANDING THE PASSPORT OPPORTUNITIES. UM, I'M PROBABLY MORE COMFORTABLE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER WITH VICE MAYOR PRO TEMS AMENDMENT JUST SO THAT WE KNOW AND HEAR FROM THE LIBRARY DIRECTLY ON THE COST OF OPENING THOSE OFFICES UP. UM, BUT AGAIN, I I, I WANNA RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF, YOU KNOW, WELL THE LIBRARY RESPONDED TO THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE SUBMITTED, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH MONEY TO, TO FUND THIS. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT IS SIMILAR TO VICE MAYOR PRO TIM'S AMENDMENT, BUT THERE'S NO FUNDING SOURCE TO CREATE THOSE POSITIONS. I MEAN, OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO ALCO, THANK YOU, MAYOR, YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, YOU MENTIONED THAT ON SOME ACTUAL BUDGET NUMBERS, THAT THEY WERE THE SAME EXACT YEAR TO YEAR. AND I SOMETIMES SEE THAT TOO. AND, AND IT, IT DOES BEG THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, HOW COULD IT BE THE SAME EXACT NUMBER? SO WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN WE DO LOOK AT LINE ITEMS, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH ACCURACY IN THERE IS AS POSSIBLE. I UNDERSTAND IN THE BUDGETED NUMBERS, THOSE ARE GONNA BE DIFFERENT, BUT TO HAVE ACTUALS THAT ARE THE SAME. AND I THINK ANOTHER THING I THINK IN THIS CA IN THIS LINE ITEM WAS A SITUATION WHERE THERE WAS A, AND, AND I RUN ACROSS THIS IN THE LINE ITEMS TOO, WHERE THERE'S A, A HIGH BUDGETED, LET'S SAY ONE, ONE YEAR, NOT THIS PARTICULAR ONE, BUT ONE YEAR THEY BUDGET $500,000, THEY SPEND 250. THE NEXT YEAR THEY, THEY BUDGET 500, THEY SPEND 250. THE NEXT YEAR THEY BUDGET 500, THEY SPEND 250. SO THAT'S, I THINK KIND OF PART OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, IS THEY'RE CONSISTENTLY, UH, MAYBE OVER BUDGETING AND, AND NOT SPENDING TO THAT LEVEL. AND THAT WOULD BE, IS, IS THAT WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING? AND THAT WOULD BE THE MONEY THAT WOULD, THE EXCESS, THAT'S THAT OVER A PATTERN. I MEAN, IF THAT HAPPENS ONE YEAR, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, SOMETHING HAPPENED AND I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT IT. BUT IF IT HAPPENS OVER AND OVER IN A LINE ITEM, THEN THAT KIND OF DOES BEG, BEG THAT QUESTION. IS THAT THE SITUATION? YES. WITH THIS LINE ITEM. OKAY. WHAT I AM TOLD IS THAT FOR ACCREDITATION PURPOSES, WE ARE REQUIRED TO EXPAND A CERTAIN AMOUNT PER CAPITA BASED ON OUR POPULATION. ALL WE LOSE OUR ACCREDITATION. AND WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS THAT THE AMOUNT IN THAT LINE ITEM IS NEEDED FOR THEIR ACCREDITATION. SO IF YOU PULL IT FROM HERE, THEY'RE GONNA QUICKLY COME BACK AND ASK THAT YOU PUT IT BACK. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TELLING ME. THAT'S SO, YOU KNOW, WE MAY PULL IT, BUT THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK AND SAY, CITY COUNCIL, YOU ALL TOOK IT. AND IF YOU WANT THE ACCREDITATION TO BE INTACT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND THE MONEY AND PUT IT BACK. SO, UH, COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK, THANK YOU MAYOR. CAN, CAN YOU CLARIFY COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, WHAT EXACTLY FALLS UNDER LIBRARY MATERIAL SERVICES? UM, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I'M NOT SURE IT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET BOOK, IT HAD DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. UM, BUT I DON'T [03:40:01] KNOW EXACTLY WHAT ALL THOSE CATEGORIES WERE. OKAY. SO I WOULD, I JUST, UM, I WOULD BE HESITANT VOTING ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM UNTIL WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE PULLING FROM. THE LIBRARY IS ALREADY HAVING A REALLY DIFFICULT TIME. AND SO I WOULD JUST WANNA SEND YOU, OBVIOUSLY THE ACCREDITATION PIECE IS IMPORTANT, UM, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE FIRST, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT PUTTING ANY ADDITIONAL STRESSORS ON THE LIBRARY. OKAY. UM, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM CAST TATU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I THINK THAT, UM, WITH THE PASSAGE OF, OF MY BUDGET AMENDMENT TO STUDY THE ADDITIONAL FIVE PASSPORTS, WE CAN PROBABLY DO, UM, THE SAME THING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN MAY DESIRE AS WELL. UM, IN MY CONVERSATION WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY, UM, THE CONVERSATION WAS THAT THE STAFF CAN BE TRAINED TO OPERATE THE PASSPORT OFFICES. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO HAVE DR. LAWSON TO IDENTIFY, UM, THE FUNDING SOURCE IF ADDITIONAL FUNDING WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THOSE, UM, LIBRARIES. FOR INSTANCE, THE NEW DR. SHANNON WALKER LIBRARY IS COMING ONLINE. THERE IS A SPACE IN THAT LIBRARY FOR A PASSPORT OFFICE. SO THAT COULD BE ONE POTENTIAL PLACE FOR, UH, UH, A NEW PASSPORT OFFICE. SO SHE HAS A POTENTIAL PLAN FOR THE ADDITIONAL FIVE LIBRARIES. UM, AND IT WOULD BE PRUDENT FOR US TO INCLUDE HER IN THAT CONVERSATION. SO I THINK THE STUDY WOULD BE THE BEST AVENUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ADDITIONAL FIVE PASSPORT OFFICES. CAN, CAN THE TWO OF YOU WORK TOGETHER? UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND VICE MAYOR? ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE I MEAN, I, YOU ALL BOTH TRYING TO ACHIEVE THE SAME THING AND ONE AMENDMENT HAS PASSED AND CAN Y'ALL WORK TOGETHER? AND IF BY CHANCE WE FIND THAT THERE IS A GAP IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, THEN COME BACK, COME BACK AND VISIT WITH, WITH ME ON IT. SURE. YES, MAYOR, I'LL GO AHEAD AND WITHDRAW. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. OKAY. THIS AMENDMENT HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. COUNCILMAN CIRES, DO YOU STILL WISH TO, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON IT? UH, UH, YES. JUST GOING BACK TO YOUR POINT, IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST IMPORTANT THAT, THAT WE DON'T, UM, JEOPARDIZE THE ACCREDITATION OF THE LIBRARY. IT IS CRITICAL. WE, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR THEY, THE LIBRARY IS RIGHT ON THE EDGE. THEY GO RIGHT UP TO THE, THE MINIMUM THAT THEY HAVE TO, TO DO TO, TO MAINTAIN THAT ACCREDITATION. WE CANNOT HAVE A WORLD CLASS CITY WITHOUT HAVING AN ACCREDITED LIBRARY SYSTEM. SO, SO WE CANNOT MISS THAT. I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, OF THE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, WORKING TOGETHER TO STREAMLINE AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S GOOD ON THAT. BUT, BUT, BUT I'M, I'M JUST, IT'S ALARMING TO HEAR THAT WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE, THE LOSING ACCREDITATION. WE DON'T WANNA DO THAT AT ALL. THANK YOU, MA'AM. MAY I PUT DOWN, SO I, I TOTALLY GET WHERE COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN'S COMING FROM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET BOOK IN 21, THAT CATEGORY SPENT $5.7 MILLION, 22, 6 0.1, AND IN 23 THEY'RE GETTING ALMOST 9 MILLION. SO HER IDEA MAKES SENSE AND THAT IS, HOW DO YOU GO FROM SPENDING 5.7 TO SIX NOW UP TO 8.9 FOR A TWO POINT, YOU KNOW, ALMOST $3 MILLION DIFFERENTIAL. I WANNA TAKE A HUNDRED THOUSAND, A MILLION OF THAT, OF THAT 3 MILLION IN DESIGNATED TO THE SAME CATEGORY AND DO PASSPORTS VERSUS ALL THAT. BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'RE GONNA NEED ALL NONILLION DOLLARS. SO THEORETICALLY IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. MY PROBLEM IS I DON'T LIKE DICTATING TO DEPARTMENT HEADS HOW THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY. SO MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO POINT THIS OUT AND TO SAY, WHY CAN'T WE DIVERT PART OF THAT 3 MILLION INTO THIS CATEGORY AND CREATE THOSE ADDITIONAL PASSPORT OPPORTUNITIES. I THINK MY OPINION, THAT'S A BETTER WAY TO DO IT BECAUSE YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON WITH THAT BECAUSE IT IS A BIG, YOU MOVE 300,001 YEAR AND THEN THE NEXT YOU GO INTO 3 MILLION. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY IN THAT CATEGORY. AND THAT'S WHY I WOULD RECOMMEND IF, IF THE TWO OF YOU GET TOGETHER, GIVE IT THE LIBRARY. ABSOLUTELY. AND IF YOU SEE WHERE THERE'S, UM, A GAP THERE, JUST COME BACK AND WE'LL ADDRESS IT. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MCCAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I ALSO JUST WANNA, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO THE LIBRARY, LIKE ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS, THOSE FISCAL YEARS CITED PREVIOUSLY, WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC. UM, SO COSTS ARE ALSO LOWER. UM, AND I, I RECALL WHEN WE ASKED, YOU KNOW, I ASKED THE STANDARD QUESTION OF WHAT DEPARTMENTS NEED IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE. UM, AND CONNECTIVITY CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THOSE. SO I, I APPRECIATE THE CONVERSATION. I JUST WANTED TO FLAG IN TERMS OF REFERENCING THOSE PRIOR FISCAL YEARS. IT WAS ALSO A PANDEMIC WHERE SERVICES WEREN'T NECESSARILY REQUIRED. GOTCHA. COUNCILMAN MAYOR. OUTGOING. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN FOR BRINGING THIS UP. I DID [03:45:01] ASK THE QUESTION IN THE LIBRARY MATERIAL SERVICES, NON-CAPITAL EQUIPMENT ITEM, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST JUMP, UM, FROM 3.4 MILLION TO 6.1 MILLION FOR NON-CAPITAL LIBRARY BOOKS AND THE INCREASES DUE TO ONE TIME FEMA INSURANCE PROCEEDS OF 1.69 MILLION FOR KENDALL LIBRARY BOOKS AND MATERIALS DAMAGE DUE TO HURRICANE HARVEY, AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE OF A MILLION DOLLARS. SO THAT WAS A BIG PART OF THE JUMP. SO, UH, IN, IN THAT CATEGORY. SO I THINK, UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE OPENING OF, OF ALE AND THE OPENING OF, UH, THE, THE DR. WALKER, BECAUSE THAT WAS, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM THAT DID JUMP OUT AT ME TOO. THAT THAT WAS A BIG INCREASE. BUT THAT'S WITH THE, WITH THOSE LIBRARIES. THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THAT HAPPENED. BUT I DO APPRECIATE MY, MY, MY APPRECIATION FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS, IS REALLY LOOKING AT THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE THE SAME AND, AND REALLY QUESTIONING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUALS VERSUS THE BUDGETING ON OUR PATTERN. SO THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN STILL, UH, 12.01 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN STILL WITH YOU. CONST MEMBER HUFFMAN ON 12.01 I I'VE WITHDRAWN AT 12.02, RULED OUT A ORDER, RIGHT? 12.03. I WITHDRAW 12.04, I WITHDRAW ON 12.05. I WOULD STILL LIKE TO, UM, BE HEARD ON THIS. UM, I RULE THIS ONE OUT OF ORDER. UM, 'CAUSE BASICALLY IT IS, IT'S A FEE TO INSTALL FIXED LIKE SOMEPLACE, REALLY TECHNOLOGY IN THE CITY RIGHT OF WAY, UM, TO BE WEIGHED. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, THAT THAT IS GOING TO REQUIRE AN ORDINANCE AND THAT'S WHY I DEALT WITH THAT. AND I I THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION. CAN WE PLACE IT ON THE NEXT AGENDA? ? . OH, YOU'RE LEARNING VERY QUICKLY. I LIKE, WHEN WILL THAT BE PLACED? OKAY. PUBLIC WILL YOUR SAFETY, WILL YOU COME AND VISIT WITH ME? YES. OKAY. OKAY. AT 12.06, COUNCIL, COUNCIL PALM YOU IN QUEUE. YEAH. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFIN FOR, FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WITH THE LICENSE PLATE READERS, WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM OUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS THAT IT WOULD, IT WOULD REALLY HELP EXPEDITE AND BE MORE EFFICIENT IF THEY COULD WAIVE THOSE FEES SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO GET THOSE, UH, HAVE TO TAKE SUCH A LONG PROCESS OF GETTING THOSE LICENSE PLATE READERS. AND WE'RE, WE ARE DEPENDING ON THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS TO SUPPLEMENT THE, UH, CAMERAS THAT WE NEED IN OUR DISTRICTS THAT WE CAN'T FUND JUST THROUGH OUR COUNCIL RESEARCH FUNDS. COME, COME VISIT WITH ME ABOUT PUTTING IT ON THE AGENDA NEXT WEEK. COME, COME VISIT WITH ME, . ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. COME, COME VISIT WITH ME. YOU MISSED ALL THE, ALRIGHT. STILL WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER , UH, 12.06. THIS IS ONE THAT I'VE CO-AUTHORED WITH, UH, KIN JACKSON. AND SO I CAN WITHDRAW THAT AND WAIT FOR OKAY. FOR, FOR THEM TO DISCUSS. ALRIGHT. IT'S GOING TO BE OPPOSED WHENEVER IT COMES UP BY WHOMEVER IT COMES UP WITH, BUT THAT'S BEEN WITHDRAWN FOR RIGHT NOW. OKAY? YES. AND SAME WITH 12. AND SAME THING WITH 27. YES. OKAY. UM, I WITHDRAW 12.08 OKAY. 12.09. AND THAT'S COMING UP BY BOTH YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCO. RIGHT? ADMINISTRATION DOES SUPPORT YOU DO OR I DO. I I'M SUPPORTING 12 0 9, 12 0.09 AND 12.10. I WANNA DEAL WITH THAT NOW, MAYOR. SURE. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS, HUFFMAN AND PECK AND ROBINSON AND, UM, GALLEGOS. I KNOW YOU, YOU WERE GONE, BUT YOU HELPED US OUT LAST YEAR. UH, MAYOR, I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT ON BOTH OF THESE. WE ARE UP 43% IN PLANS AT HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER. WE'RE DOWN 33 EMPLOYEES OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. UM, WHATEVER WE CAN DO IN BOTH OF THESE AMENDMENTS, UM, I THINK THAT WILL REALLY BE APPRECIATED. I WAS AT A, THE GHBA, UH, MEETING ECONOMIC FORECAST LAST WEEK. SOMEBODY ASKED ABOUT, UH, WHAT CAN WE, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO, TO LET YOU HELP, YOU KNOW, INCREASE THE NUMBER, THE AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT'S OUT THERE. AND THEY JUST SAID SPEED, SPEED IT UP. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO SPEED IT UP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. MAY I, MARTIN? SO I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. AND MY REASON IS YOU'RE CREATING, YOU'RE ASKING FOR 500,000, WHICH IS A FINITE NUMBER TO BE ACHIEVED FROM AN EXPEDITE EXPEDITED REVIEW SERVICE, OF WHICH YOU MAY HAVE $0 [03:50:01] OR YOU MAY HAVE $2 MILLION, YOU'RE MOVING TO A FINITE NUMBER WITH AN IN FINITE REVIEW SERVICE REVENUE STREAM. SO I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU CREATE AN EXPEDITED REVIEW SERVICE AND ALL OF THE MONEY ON AND CATEGORY X DASH 55 HPW BUILDING INSPECTION SPECIAL FUND GOES TO THAT SPECIAL FUND. SO WHATEVER THE REVENUE IS, WHETHER IT'S A DOLLAR OR $20 MILLION, YOU MOVE ALL THE FUNDS THAT ARE CREATED FROM THE EXPEDITED REVIEW SERVICE INTO THIS FUND. SURE. ABSOLUTELY. AND, AND 500,000 WAS AN ESTIMATE, RIGHT? AND IT'S BASED ON WHAT, UH, BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT'S DONE IN TWO WEEKS. THEY MADE FOUR, UH, OR NOW IT'S I THINK THREE WEEKS OLD AND THEY'VE MADE $60,000. YOU EXTRAPOLATE IT OUT, IT'S LIKE A MILLION BUCKS A YEAR. SO I JUST, I SAID 500,000 AS JUST AN ESTIMATE. RIGHT. BUT ABSOLUTELY, I'LL ACCEPT THAT AMENDMENT, UM, TO MAKE IT, UH, TO MAKE IT THE, UH, ALL REVENUES, UH, RECEIVED FROM THE, UH, OCE EXPEDITED FEE GOES INTO THE BUILDING INSPECTION FUND FOR OKAY. YOU ACCEPT THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT? YES. THEY, THEY BOTH, THEY BOTH, THEY'RE BOTH THE SAME, RIGHT? I ALSO ACCEPT, YES. OKAY. OKAY. SO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE SAME. THE AUTHOR ROBINSON AND PAT, THE AUTHOR, ACCEPT THE AMENDMENT. OKAY. SO THAT, FOR THE RECORD, CAN WE RESTATE WHAT THE YES, I CAN RESTATE THE AMENDMENT. AMENDMENT NUMBER 5.011 WOULD BE INCREASED REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES IN THE BUILDING. SPECIAL. HOLD ON ONE SECOND BECAUSE WE ARE 12.09, WHICH IS THE SAME. IT'S THE SAME. GOTCHA. OKAY. 12.09, MY BAD. L 12.0 9.1, INCREASE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES IN THE BUILDING INSPECTION SPECIAL FUND BY CREATING AN EXPEDITED RESU REVIEW SERVICE. AND ALL REVENUE GOES INTO CATEGORY X 55, WHICH IS THE EXACT FUND YOU WANTED, WHICH IS THE HPW BUILDING SPECIAL INSPECTION FUND UNDER THE LINE ITEM OF REVENUE. OKAY. AND THAT'S THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT, WHICH IS ACCEPTABLE BY BOTH SECOND ROBINSON. CAN WE GET THAT? YEAH. I'LL, I'LL WRITE IT UP FOR YOU. OKAY. YEAH. WOULD YOU, YOU'VE HEARD THE, THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT ON 12.09, DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED. AND NOW ON 12.09 AS AMENDED, DISCUSSION ON THAT AS AMENDED DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED ON 12.09 AS AMENDED. NOW WE ON, ON 12 POINT, UH, 10, WHICH THE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS ANY DISCUSSION ON 12.10 12, WHICH IS ALSO THE SAME AMENDMENT BEING OFFERED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER. SHALL HAVE COUNCIL, WE'RE TAKE ON BOTH AT THE SAME TIME, MAAM. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT ON 12.10. OKAY. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 12.10, WHICH WOULD BE THE EQUIVALENT OF FIVE POINT. I'LL HAVE TO LOOK AT IT. 5.01, I THINK IT'S 5.02. RIGHT? SO IN PASSING 12.09 AS AMENDED, THAT WILL BE THE SAME AS 5.01 AS AMENDED AND 5.02. UM, BOTH OF THOSE ARE NOW PASSED. OKAY. UH, COUNCILOR HUFFIN, I THINK THAT DOES IT FOR YOU. FOR YOU. OKAY. UM, THE NEXT BATTER UP. EVAN SHABBAT. YES. CHURCH SECRETARY. UM, YES. NOW WHAT SONG ARE YOU SINGING TODAY? ? WELL, MAYOR, LET ME START OUT AND FIRST SAY THAT A CLOSED MOUTH NEVER GETS PAID. RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. M COUNTY SHABBAT. AND SO I WANT TO READ THE AMENDMENT FIRST AND AMENDMENT 9.01 PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR 50% REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE FUND BALANCE TO EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT THAT UTILIZES THEIR CDSF TO PROVIDE A HOT TEAM TO ADDRESS ILLEGAL DUMPING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. UH, EQUALITY MEANS THAT EVERYONE RECEIVES THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT EQUITY LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD. AND THERE ARE SIX DISTRICTS THAT HAVE TO PAY WORKERS AND EQUIPMENT. UM, AND WE HAVE TO DO BASICALLY WHAT EVERY OTHER DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER DOES, PLUS EMPLOY, IN MY CASE, FOUR WORKERS, TWO TRUCKS AND TWO TRAILERS TO PERFORM A SERVICE. AND SO I, I BROUGHT THIS AMENDMENT FORWARD, UM, REALIZING THAT IT MAY NOT PASS, BUT THERE MAY BE SOME SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW THERE CAN BE SOME CHANGES TO THE, MAYBE THE FUNDING SOURCE OR AS WE SPOKE, UH, MAYBE A RECOMMENDATION TO IMPLEMENT THE SERVICES. AND BEFORE YOU SPEAK MAYOR, I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT A CLOSED FIST NEVER GETS BLESSED. AND SO THANK [03:55:01] YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THIS AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT WE ARE, WE ARE SPENDING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE, UM, IN SOLID WAYS, UH, TO COMPLIMENT WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, UM, IN YOUR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE. UM, SO IN FACT, THERE, THERE'S THERE, THERE, THERE WILL BE SOME CONTRACTS THAT WILL BE, UH, COMING BEFORE YOU SOON. UH, THAT, UM, MARK AND SOLID WASTE ARE DOING SEVERAL LITTLE ABATEMENT, LITTLE ABATEMENT, HOMELESS INITIATIVE, ILLEGAL, UH, DUMPING. THOSE ARE COMING. SO THOSE ARE BIG TICKET ITEMS. AND, UH, THIS WOULD JUST, I WOULD, I I WOULD JUST ASK NOT TO DO THIS. I MEAN, I DID NOT, UM, TOUCH YOUR COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND AT ALL. WE KEPT THAT THE SAME. OH, I KNOW. AND, UH, SO I WOULD JUST ASK FOR US NOT TO INCREASE IT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THIS ITEM. THAT'S WHY I ASKED WHAT I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE DOING, BUT I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN WORK WITH YOU TO ACHIEVE THE SAME OBJECTIVES WITHOUT INCREASING THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND. OKAY. WELL, I CAN TRUST THAT I, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST WANTED TO BRING IT TO THE FOREFRONT BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW THAT THERE ARE, I BELIEVE, SIX, SIX DISTRICT, UM, DISTRICTS THAT HAVE TO PAY ADDITIONAL MONEY. AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE TO SPEND A THIRD OF YOUR BUDGET, THEN THAT KIND OF PRECLUDES YOU FROM BEING ABLE TO DO SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT OTHERS DO. AND WE DO. I KNOW THE SAME THINGS THAT THEY DO. I KNOW. SO I THANK YOU. I, I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO BRING IT TO THE FOREFRONT SO THAT WE COULD ADDRESS IT IN, IN SOME OTHER WAYS. AND SO, BUT Y'ALL HAVE SPOKEN ON VERY CLEARLY, SO I WILL WITHDRAW THAT. YEP. Y'ALL HAVE SPOKEN ON VERY CLEARLY AND THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL CONTRACTS THAT WILL BE COMING BEFORE YOU REAL SOON. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER MCCAMMON. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WANTED TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, EVAN SHABAZZ FOR RAISING THE ISSUE IN TERMS OF, UM, THE UNIQUE NEEDS THAT DIFFERENT DISTRICTS HAVE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN DISTRICT C, UM, WE HAVE, WHILE WE DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A HOT TEAM, WE HAVE OVER 77 0 NEW CONSTITUENT CASES A WEEK THAT COME DIRECTLY TO MY OFFICE ALONE. SO IN TERMS OF MY CBSF FUNDING, WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS WORK WITH DEPARTMENTS TO FUND ADDITIONAL CONSTITUENT SERVICES NEEDS, FOR EXAMPLE. SO I JUST WANNA BRING TO THE FOREFRONT THAT, UM, I RECOGNIZE THE NEEDS THAT EACH DISTRICT HAVE AND, UM, APPRECIATE THE WITHDRAWAL IN TERMS OF DISTINGUISHING CERTAIN DISTRICTS OVER OTHERS WHEN ALL OF US HAVE VERY UNIQUE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE CERTAIN NEEDS. UM, FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW I MENTIONED CONSTITUENT SERVICES. UH, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT FLOODING. UH, DISTRICT C HAS, UH, MULTIPLE WATERSHEDS, BRAISE, BUFFALO, WHITE OAK. UM, I'LL, I CAN GO THROUGH THE NUMBERS OF HOMES FLOODED IN DISTRICT C. UH, SOME OF THE OLDEST INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN DISTRICT C, FRIEDMANS TOWN, UH, HEIGHTS, UH, WEST ALABAMA, WHICH IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THEY'RE FINDING PIPES FROM THE 1920S, UH, WHICH IS DELAYING EVEN MORE CONSTRUCTION AND REQUIRING ADDITIONAL NEEDS. SO COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, I KNOW YOU HAVE THE SAME ISSUE IN TERMS OF HOW OLD YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS. SO AGAIN, I'M JUST SPOTLIGHTING THAT EACH DISTRICT IS UNIQUE. EACH DISTRICT HAS NEEDS. AND I APPRECIATE THAT THE DEPARTMENTS ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH EACH OF US TO TRY TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS. COUNCIL, . AND I JUST WANNA SAY ME, I AM STANDING DOWN. I THINK I COULD GET THE VOTES, BUT I'M GONNA WORK. LET YOU WORK WITH ME. THANK YOU. THERE, THERE WAS NO QUESTION THE VOTES WAS THERE. SO I'M, I'M VERY , SO I'M GONNA LET YOU RIGHT. THANK YOU. WORK WITH ME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, AND 9.01 HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. OKAY. UH, NEXT BATTER UP. , YOU NEED TO LOOK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, NATE, SHE BROKEN EVERYTHING. OKAY. LEMME TAKE A LOOK. MM-HMM . JACKSON, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? I'M BLESSED. HOW YOU DOING? YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU'RE LOOKING AT MY AMENDMENT, SO I'LL GIVE YOU A STORY. THIS, UM, PAST SATURDAY I WAS RIDING MY BIKE AND, UM, I HIT A CURB AND COUNCIL MEMBER DIEGO'S DISTRICT, IT WAS COVERED WITH GRASS. AND COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS A CURVE AND I FLIPPED OVER AND BUST MY LIPS. SO IF I'M TALKING FUNNY, I HAVE A FEW SCRATCHES, BUT I'M OKAY. THANK GOD FOR HELMETS. I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO WEAR YOUR HELMETS. THAT'S WHAT PROTECTED ME. UM, BUT I'M DOING A LOT BETTER. SO I WAS A LITTLE COAT INCOHERENT TODAY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN UNDER MEDICATION. WELL, WE CAN UNDERSTAND, BUT I'M GOOD. I GOOD. NOW LET ME, UH, SO AS WE TURN, AS WE TURN TO YOUR AMENDMENTS, AND LET, LEMME JUST START OFF BY SAYING NUMBER ONE, UM, I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. SO LET ME, LEMME JUST BE VERY CLEAR WITH THAT. UM, AND THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT WE NEED MORE CIP DOLLARS, WE NEED MORE INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS. UM, WE NEED THE BILLION DOLLARS FROM, [04:00:01] UH, THE CDBG MI, WHICH WOULD HELP, WHICH WOULD GO A LONG WAY WITH ALL OF THIS. THE, UM, THE PROBLEM THAT, THAT, UH, THAT HAVE WITH, WITH THESE AMENDMENTS IS THAT IT IS PULLING FROM THE FUND BALANCE. UH, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ISSUE AND THAT'S THE REASON FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OPPOSING THIS. UM, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, FROM WHERE THE ADMINISTRATION IS, UM, TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. BUT, UM, BUT IN ALL OF THESE AMENDMENTS, THEY ARE PULLING FROM THE FUND, THE FUND BALANCE. AND, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT MAYOR AND I KNOW THAT, UM, EACH DISTRICT ON SWAP PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, WE GET A EQUAL AMOUNT AND OF COURSE WE KNOW WE'RE SPENDING ABOUT $20 MILLION ON SWAP. RIGHT. AND SO, UM, A LOT OF THESE PRO, IN FACT, I WAS GONNA WITHDRAW 7 0 1 THROUGH 7 0 9 BECAUSE IT'S CURRENTLY UNDER STUDY, UM, WITH, UM, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. AND THEY'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY GOOD WITH MY OFFICE, LIKE OKAY. IDENTIFYING PROJECTS, UM, AND OF COURSE WORKING WITH THE NORTHEAST COLLECTIVE. AND SO THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB ON THAT. UM, SO THESE PROJECTS ARE ALREADY IN, UM, STUDY PHASE THROUGH OH NINE, BUT 17. SO 7.01 THROUGH 7.09 HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN. YEAH. BUT SEVEN 10 THROUGH SEVEN 15. IT'S JUST THE TWO B DETERMINED. AND WE ALL KNOW LIKE HURRICANE SEASON IS LIKE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. AND THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, THERE HAVE BEEN NO STUDIES DONE ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SOME OF THESE REQUESTS ARE FOR STUDIES SO WE CAN IDENTIFY WHAT'S CAUSING THE FLOODING. AND, UM, YEAH. SO I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PUT THIS UP FRONT AND JUST TRY TO IDENTIFY THE RESOURCES. I MEAN, 'CAUSE THESE NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE MANY OTHER ACROSS THE DISTRICT, BUT DISTRICT B NORTHEAST FLOODS A LOT AND WE NEED TO LIKE REALLY ADDRESS THE FLOODING ISSUES. WELL YOU CAN I ASK YOU TO CONGEST TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH PUBLIC WORKS. I KNOW I'M SITTING DOWN AND TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IN THE NORTHEAST, UH, QUADRANT AND NORTHEAST SECTOR. MM-HMM. UM, AND I WOULD ASK THAT, UH, YOU CONTINUE TO WORK WITH, WITH US THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, AS I WORK WITH MY OWN DEPARTMENT WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND DIRECTOR HADDOCK ON HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. UM, YOU KNOW, MANY, SOME OF THESE ARE SWIPE PROJECTS OR SOME OF THEM ARE CIP PROJECTS, SOME OF THEM INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. UM, BUT TO PULL FROM THE FUND BALANCE IS, IT'S JUST NOT, IT'S NOT THE WAY TO GO. 'CAUSE OTHERWISE, IF WE START DOWN THIS ROAD, THEN EVERYBODY CAN START PULLING CERTAIN PROJECTS FROM THE, FROM THE FUND BACK. SO LET US AS YOU, AS YOU INDICATED IN THE, IN 7.01 THROUGH 7 0 0 9 0 9, WORKING WITH US, UH, WORKING WITH YOU. LET US, AND I COMMIT TO CONTINUING TO WORK YOU WITH YOU ON THESE, ON THESE INITIATIVES AND MAYOR AND THESE WHAT? 7 0 1 TO 7 0 9. AGAIN, THEY'RE IN STUDIES, SO THERE'S NO DOLLAR AMOUNT ON WHAT IT'S GONNA COST. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THE STUDIES. NO, I'M WORKING WITH THEM. OKAY. I, I CAN ASSURE YOU IT IS A PRIORITY OF MINE. OKAY. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER KUVAN, I SEE YOU IN THE QUEUE. MAY I WAS, I WAS IN THE QUEUE WHEN SHE WAS ON 7.01 AND IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, YOU OPPOSED IT AND THEN YOU WITHDREW IT. 7.01 THROUGH 7.09. I WITHDRAWING FOR RIGHT NOW. WELL, I'M BACK ON 7.01 I GUESS. AND, UH, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING PAST 7.02. UH, IT'S ANOTHER, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT HER MEMO. OKAY. IT'S ANOTHER SHEET. UH, BUT I WOULD'VE CERTAINLY SUPPORTED YOUR 7.01. I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THE COST OF IT WAS ABOUT 1.4 MILLION WAS AS FOR THE TOTAL COST. YEAH. FOR THE, UM, SEVEN. WE REALLY NEED TO DO SOMETHING OUT IN THAT UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU AND THAT'S WHAT I, AND TO BE, I DON'T WANT TO OPPOSE RIGHT. IT'S JUST THAT IT'S PULLING FROM THE FUND BALANCE. AND SO I, I COMMIT TO WORK. THERE'S NO QUESTION IN THAT NORTHEAST SECTOR, THERE'S A LOT REQUIRED MM-HMM . THERE'S A, THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL AREAS WHERE WE CAN DRAW DOWN FUNDING, WHETHER THERE'S THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS FROM THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT WE CONTINUE TO WAGE OUR BATTLE TO GET THE BILLION DOLLARS FROM CDBG MID FUNDING, WHICH WOULD GO A LONG, LONG WAIT IN ADDRESSING MANY OF THESE NEEDS. SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT, AT EVERY POSSIBLE SOURCE. UM, BUT WHEN YOU'RE COMING FROM THE FUND BALANCE, IT'S, IT IS JUST, I JUST CAN'T SUPPORT THAT ONE. SO YOU'RE SUGGESTING I WITHDRAW? I'M, I'M, I'M RESPECTFULLY ASKING YOU TO DO THAT. THAT WITHDRAW, BUT MAKING THE COMMITMENT THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH YOU ALONG WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS. OKAY. AND I CERTAINLY DO WANNA MAKE MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT IN THE NORTHEAST SECTOR ALONG BY MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON. OKAY. SO I WILL WITHDRAW, UM, 7 0 1 [04:05:01] THROUGH 7 1 5. AND THESE ARE LIKE SWAT PROJECTS, UM, AND PROPOSED SWAT PROJECTS. AND THEN FUND BALANCE, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT 16, AND THEN ON SEVEN, THAT TAKES US TO SEVEN 16. OKAY. SO NUMBER 16 IS THE AMENDMENT TO REESTABLISH A DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, I LEARNED THAT THE CITY RECENTLY, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY HAD A DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM YEARS AGO. UM, IN 2001, MARYLEE BROWN, HE SHIFTED THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE RESIDENTS AND THAT CAUSED A PROB PROBLEM. AND I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE HAD A DIRECT CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR HADDOCK AND WE ARE LOOKING AT REVERSING THAT AND WHEN, BUT I TALKED TO THE, UM, PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. IN FACT, UM, THEY BASICALLY SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO MANAGE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO MANAGE THE DITCHES TO DO THE PROGRAM THEY'RE DOING. I KNOW THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK, THEY'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE NORTHEAST COMMUNITY, BUT WE WANNA ESTABLISH SOMETHING THAT'S CONCRETE. I ALLOW ME THE TIME TO TALK WITH MY OWN DEPARTMENT. YES, SIR. OKAY. TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ON THE SAME PAGE WITH ME. ALRIGHT. SO, AND THEN I WOULD, I'M SORRY. COUNT COUNCILMAN MCCAIN. NO, I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I, I ECHO, UM, THE NEED IN TERMS OF DITCH MAINTENANCE. I KNOW THAT THE, BASED ON THE AMENDMENT THAT WE PASSED LAST YEAR, THE ALLOCATION, AND I APPRECIATE IT, MAYOR. UH, WE'VE ALREADY INVESTED OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DITCH MAINTENANCE THROUGH OUR DISTRICT TEAMS. BUT THAT CAN'T, YOU KNOW, IT ONLY GOES SO FAR. SO I APPRECIATE IT. BUT I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, RECOGNIZE WE ARE MAKING SOME HEADWAY WITH THE DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS AS WELL, THE CDSF RELATED DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS. AND I'LL TELL YOU, WE WOULD, I COMMIT TO COMING BACK WITH YOU REAL SOON ON THAT DITCH MAINTENANCE INITIATIVE. OKAY. AND I, AND I COMMIT TO YOU SOME OF MY DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS TO CREATE SOMETHING WHERE SENIORS THAT ABSOLUTELY, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN EMERGENCY CASE TO WHERE WE CAN GO OUT. BUT OF COURSE IT'S A HUGE ISSUE. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF DITCHES IN OUR, IN OUR DISTRICT. AND SO, UM, WE, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IS NOT GONNA MANAGE THAT. WELL, IF YOU'LL GIVE US, GIVE, IF YOU'LL GIVE, UM, THE ADMINISTRATION, IF YOU GIVE US LIKE ABOUT 30 DAYS TO COME BACK WITH YOU JUST ON, ON THAT PARTICULAR INITIATIVE. OKAY. YES SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER . THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, FOR THE DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE IN DISTRICT A WITH THE SERVICE FUNDS RIGHT NOW, WE ARE USING THAT MONEY TO HELP MAINTAIN CITY DITCHES. AND WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO START ANOTHER PROGRAM TO HELP PEOPLE WHO CANNOT MAINTAIN THEIR OWN DITCHES AS WELL. AND WE'VE RUN INTO SOME PROBLEMS WITH TRAIN, WITH GETTING THAT PROGRAM GOING. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT, IF YOU COULD ALSO HELP US TO PUSH THAT FORWARD, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED HELP, UM, WITH THEIR OWN DITCHES AS WELL. AND THAT WOULD REALLY GO A LONG WAY WHEN IT COMES TO FLOODING. THAT, THAT, THAT THE DITCH MENTION THIS PROGRAM IS SOME, IS A CONVERSATION I'M ALREADY HAVING WITH PUBLIC WORKS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. AND THEN THE LAST ONE ON 17, SO SHE WITHDRAWN. SO I, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU, OH, OKAY. SO I WITHDRAW. OKAY. NUMBER SEVEN AND, AND THEN SEVEN 17. AND THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE ALLOCATED TO DESIGN AND REBUILD THE SWIMMING. AND WHAT I WOULD ASK THEM THIS, SINCE I KNOW CONGRESSWOMAN, FOR EXAMPLE, SHEILA JACKSON LEE HAS MADE THAT AS A PART OF HER COMMUNITY PROJECTS ON, ON THE FEDS, UH, THE 5 MILLION THERE. AND I'VE TALKED WITH, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON, WHO IS COMMITTING TO GETTING ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FROM THE STATE FOR THE, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE POOL AT TIDWELL PARK. UM, LET US SEE WHAT MATERIALIZES THERE AND IF THERE'S SOME SORT OF A GAP, I'LL BRING IT BACK. AND WE ALSO HAVE ALANI LOOKING INTO IT AS WELL TO GET SOME ON IT IF I JUST DON'T WANT IT TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACK OH, NO. THAT YOU ALL HAVE MADE, Y'ALL HAVE MADE IT. I'M . NO, NO. SO IF YOU'LL, IF YOU'LL LET, SEE HOW THESE PIECES COME TOGETHER AND THEN WE CAN COME, WE CAN COME, WE'LL REVISIT, UH, JUST AS SOON AS THOSE PIECES ALIGN. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. I RESPECTFULLY WITHDRAW. AMENDMENT NUMBER 17. OKAY, MAYOR, THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR PRO TO MARTIN, JUST A SUGGESTION BASED ON EXPERIENCE, YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, SENATOR REPRESENTATIVE DUTTON IS ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE. HE CAN EASILY GET YOU THIS MONEY ALLOCATED. I'LL TELL YOU HOW. THANK YOU. AND I KNOW, UM, UM, STATE REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON, SHE GOT SEVEN POINTS. BOTH. YEAH, BOTH. AND, AND NOW THAT I KNOW THEY CAN GET DOLLARS APPROPRIATED, BELIEVE ME, I'M ON THEIR PHONES AND LETTING THEM KNOW WHAT I NEED. BUT THAT'S HOW THE SWIMMING POOL AT THE, UM MM-HMM . UH, THE, UH, IS IT THE HAC COMMUNITY CENTER IN FIFTH WARD? UH, HESS. HESS. HESTER HOUSE. HESTER HOUSE. MM-HMM . THAT SWIMMING POOL, THOSE DOLLARS CAME FROM A REPRESENTATIVE, UH, DUTTON THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE. IN FACT, I WAS ON THE, ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE TO HELP HIM GET THOSE THROUGH. OKAY. AND, AND AS YOU GO DOWN THAT PATH, SINCE I HAVE A FRESHMAN THAT HAS TO GO UP THERE, I'LL BE GLAD TO PIGGYBACK SOME OF MY NEEDS ONTO [04:10:01] YOUR TWO STATE REPS. CONSIDER IT. YOU CAN, YOU GOT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET ME DO THIS. LET ME, UM, THIS, LET ME KNOCK OUT, UH, UH, LET'S GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO. NO, I'M SORRY. LEMME GO TO PLUMMER FIRST. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. MAYOR TURNER. SO I KNOW, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, BUT I'M GONNA GIVE YOU, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A HEADACHE TODAY. COLLECTIVELY, I, I GOT MY CAFFEINE. OKAY. OKAY. WANNA TAKE A SIP? I 14, I MEAN, 4.01 THROUGH 4.04 ARE CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF APARTMENT INSPECTION REFORM. I KNOW WE'RE BREAKING 'EM DOWN. I KNOW THAT YOU RULED SOME OF 'EM OUTTA ORDER BECAUSE THEIR ORDINANCES AND OTHERWISE, BUT IT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND EXPECTATIONS ENFORCEMENT, THE PERSONNEL THAT WE NEED FOR OUTREACH. SO I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO GIVE ME THE COURTESY TO LET ME GO THROUGH THESE. AND THE, THE REASON, AND THE REASON I RULE THEM OUT ON IT, IT, IT REQUIRES AN, IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. AND I, I UNDERSTAND IT REQUIRES, BUT WE DO HAVE A HABITABILITY TO DEPARTMENT THOUGH, AND THIS ENFORCEMENT FALLS UNDER HABITABILITY, WHICH IS UNDER PUBLIC WORKS. AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S, AND AND IF I CAN, BECAUSE, UH, IF I CAN EXPLAIN THIS GROUP, AND THAT IS THE REASON, FOR EXAMPLE, WHY, UM, I AM MOVING, I SUPPORT 4.02, BUT AS, AS, AS SUBSTITUTED BECAUSE SINCE THERE IS IN HABITABILITY DEPARTMENT MM-HMM . OKAY. THEN WE CAN HAVE MORE INSPECTORS TO DO SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU ARE WANTING THEM TO DO. YOU KNOW, YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? SO THAT ONE, I'M, I CAN MOVE THAT PIECE FORWARD. OKAY. SO BY CONCERN WITH THE, SO WE NEED TO, LET ME, LET ME JUST DEAL WITH 4.01. 'CAUSE AT 4.2 WE DO NEED TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO, BUT 4.01, SO 4.01 IS A LANDLORD TRAINING PROGRAM. BUT THAT ONE IS GONNA BE, THAT'S RULED OUT OF ORDER BECAUSE IT WAS CAN I, CAN I ASK THAT WE REFER, CAN WE, CAN I ASK THAT WE REFER THAT TO PUBLIC WORKS IN THE CREATION OF ORDINANCE? I CAN, I CAN'T REFER JUST LIKE I, I MENTIONED TO COUNCILMAN P*****K AND SOME OF THE OTHERS BECAUSE IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST NOT BEFORE TODAY. OKAY. WELL, CAN I REFER THIS TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO CREATE AN ORDINANCE? NOT AN ORDINANCE? WELL, YOU CAN REFER IT TO ME. NO, I WANNA REFER IT TO THE ADMINISTRATION SO THAT YOUR TEAM CAN HELP ME WRITE AN ORDINANCE FOR THIS. BUT YOU CAN, YOU ARE REFERRING I'M NOT, I'M, I UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING. IF I WASN'T INCLINED TO BE SUPPORTIVE, I WOULD NOT BE SUPPORTING 4.02. I KNOW, BUT 4.02 IS REALLY NOT, THIS IS ACTUALLY HABIT. SO PUBLIC, JUST IN FULL TRANSPARENCY, PUBLIC WORKS IS ALREADY GOING TO HIRE HABITABILITY INSPECTORS. THEY'RE GONNA BE CROSS-TRAINED. BUT WHAT I UNDERSTAND, WHAT I UNDERSTOOD TODAY WAS THAT THOSE HABITABILITY INSPECTORS WOULD NOT BE GOING INTERIOR TO THE INTERIORS. THEY WOULD JUST BE ON THE EX ON THE EXTERIOR, WHICH IS A, A PROBLEM. SO WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE HABITABILITY INSPECTORS ACCORDING TO WHAT THEIR DEFINITION IS. WE NEED HEALTH INSPECTORS, UNLESS YOU MAKE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER AND SAY THAT THOSE HABITABILITY OR, UM, INSPECTORS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BRING ON BOARD WILL BE CROSS-TRAINED, UH, WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO INSPECT MATERIALS. WELL, YOU CAN TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT. I'M OPEN TO THAT. OKAY. I'M OPEN TO THAT. SO, SO, SO CAN MAKE AN AMENDMENT RIGHT NOW? NO. MAYOR TURNER, I HAVE WAITED A YEAR FOR THIS. PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW. I'M SAYING, BUT WHAT YOU JUST SAID, YOU CAN COME TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT. NO, I WANNA DO IT RIGHT NOW. BUT YOU CAN'T, BUT YOU CAN'T DO IT RIGHT NOW. WANT MAYOR TURNER? IT'S THE BUDGET. YOU CAN'T, I WANNA MAKE AN AMENDMENT AND THEN LETS WILL VOTE ON IT THEN. BUT YOU, BUT YOU CAN'T GET THERE BECAUSE 4.01 IS NO, I'M ON FOUR. I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA JUST GO AND CONCEDE ON 4.01 OKAY. AND WE'RE GONNA HOP ON 4.02 AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE AN AMENDMENT. OKAY? OKAY. WE'RE ON 4.02. ON 4.02. I'D LIKE TO AMEND THE ORDINANCE TO CHANGE HABIT HABITABILITY INSPECTORS TO HEALTH INSPECTORS SPECIFICALLY FOR INTERIOR APARTMENT CODE VIOLATIONS. THOMAS SECONDS. SO HOW ARE YOU DESCRIBING THEM? HEALTH INSPECTORS? MM-HMM . OR HABITABILITY? HABITABILITY AND HEALTH INSPECTORS. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THAT. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THAT PRIVILEGE TO MAKE THAT DECISION. SO I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE EIGHT ADDITIONAL HEALTH INSPECTORS BECAUSE CURRENTLY THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN, HEALTH INSPECTORS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE ABLE TO LOOK AT APARTMENT CODE VIOLATIONS INTERNALLY. ALRIGHT. WHY DON'T WE DO THIS? IF YOU ACCEPT, ACCEPT, UH, AN AN AMENDMENT HABITABILITY SLASH HEALTH INSPECTORS, THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA LABEL 4.02 HABITABILITY SLASH HEALTH INSPECTORS. [04:15:01] AND THEN I THINK THAT WILL COVER EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET. YES. YES. AND I WILL SUPPORT THAT. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S, WILL YOU ACCEPT MY YES, I ACCEPT THAT, MA'AM. OKAY. UH, THAT'S THE AMENDMENT TO 4.02 HABITABILITY SLASH HEALTH INSPECTORS AND ADMINIS AND ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT, MARTIN'S AND THE Q AND PRO, TIM, ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT. SO IT'S, IT'S AT YOUR DISCRETION, BUT THE GROUND RULES AS WE WALKED INTO THIS WAS WE ARE NOT GONNA TOUCH RESERVES. THEREFORE, I DIDN'T PUT ANY MONEY INTO, UH, INTO AN AMENDMENT. I DIDN'T SUBMIT AN AMENDMENT AND A BUNCH OF FOLKS DIDN'T SUBMIT AMENDMENTS BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD WHAT WE CAN DEAL WITH AND WHAT WE CAN'T DEAL WITH, AND WE CANNOT DEAL WITH PULLING MONEY FROM RESERVES. SO YOU'RE ASKING FOR $12.8 MILLION IN YOUR BUDGET. WAIT, WAIT. LET ME FINISH 12.8 MILLION IN ALL OF YOUR BUDGET REQUESTS, AND ALL OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE FUNDED WITH RESERVES. AND IF WE'RE GONNA PLAY THAT GAME, THEN I'M GONNA SUBMIT TABLE AMENDMENTS, WHICH I CAN DO, BUT IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE WITH THE CHAIR, YOU HAVE TO OVERRIDE THE CHAIR AND GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. BUT BECAUSE OF THAT, I'M NOT GONNA VOTE FOR ANY AMENDMENT OR ANY DEAL THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO FUND IT THROUGH RESERVES, BECAUSE WE ALL KNEW THAT COMING INTO THIS AND WE ALL PLAYED BY THOSE RULES. UH, OKAY. I ANSWER NOT GIVING YOU MY TIME. GO BY TIM, SO IT'S NOT, IT'S $440,000. HOLD ON ONE SEC. HOLD ON. HE'S REFERRING TO THE HAZARD PAY. I'M SORRY, THE HAZARD PAY. I'M NOT EVEN ON HAZARD PAY. I'M TALKING ABOUT ALL OF YOUR, YOUR AMENDMENTS. OKAY, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. 13 MILLION. ONE SECOND COUNCILOR. OKAY, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. COUNCILOR, I'M DEALING WITH, HOLD ON, HOLD ON. HOLD, HOLD. WAIT, HOLD, HOLD, HOLD. THIS COKE IS SWEET. YOU ? YEAH. YEAH. YOU, YOU ALMOST MADE ME SPRAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE AMENDMENT. SO POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IF WE CAN ALL JUST FOCUS ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE AMENDMENT FOR A SECOND. ALL THE AMENDMENT IS SAYING, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT THE CITY WILL CONSIDER THE HIRING AND FUNDING THE SALARIES OF, IS THAT CORRECT? TRUE. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY. AND THE ONLY THING WE ARE DOING IS I'M JUST AMENDING IT. I'M JUST AMENDING. LOOK, I'M TRYING TO, I'M TRYING TO BE AS HELPFUL AS I CAN. OKAY. I'M JUST AMENDING SAYING HABITABILITY AND HEALTH INSPECTORS. IT IS TRUE. IT WILL COME FROM THE RESERVE. OKAY. BUT IT'S LIMITED IT TO 440,000. OKAY. I'M JUST TRYING, I'M JUST, I'M JUST TRYING TO BE, I'M JUST TRYING TO BE, WELL, YOU GOT, Y'ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO. UH, OKAY. UH, SO THAT'S THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT, HABITABILITY AND HEALTH INSPECTORS. ANY OBJECTION TO THE AMENDMENT AS AMENDED? ANY OBJECTION NOW ON 4.02 AS AMENDED ON 4.02 AS AMENDED. ANY DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED GRANTED ON 4.02 AS AMENDED. SO, MAYOR I MIND VOTING NOTE. OKAY. WHAT'S NEXT? COUNCILMAN PLUMMER SHOW. COUNCILMAN KNOX VOTING? NO. OKAY. WHAT'S NEXT? OKAY, THE, UM, 4.03 WAS, UM, REGARDING PERSONNEL. SO WE'LL JUST, I'LL, I'LL WITHDRAW THAT. MAYOR TURNER. OKAY. SO WE CAN SEND THAT TO, UM, AND HAVE A LONGER DISCUSSION REGARDING ORDINANCE CREATION. UM, AND THEN 4.04 WAS THE APARTMENT INSPECTION REFORM. OUTREACH IS SPENDING MONEY SO PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE. YES. UM, AND WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE. SO I'LL WITHDRAW THAT AS WELL. OKAY. AND THAT, THAT WILL BE A PART OF A NEW AMENDMENT. OKAY. 4.05 IS MY BATTER INTERVENTION PROGRAM. THE CITY SHALL CONSIDER IMPLEMENTING A BATTER INTERVENTION PROGRAM, UH, TO ADDRESS THE EXPONENTIALLY. AND I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY, VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE. CONTINUE TO BE VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE, UH, OF THE PIP PROGRAM. MM-HMM . IT'S JUST NOT ELIGIBLE HERE. SO, SO, SO COULD WE, COULD WE SEND THIS PROGRAM OR COULD WE PUT THIS PROGRAM UNDER ONE OUR ONE SAFE HOUSTON PLAN? I, I WILL, I WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN IT, BUT I JUST CAN'T ENTERTAIN, ENTERTAIN IT HERE BECAUSE IT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. BUT I UNDERSTAND. I I'VE ALWAYS BEEN FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE APPEAL PROGRAM. OKAY. MEMBER KAMAN. OKAY. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WAS ALSO GONNA SAY, I KNOW IT'S OUT OF ORDER, BUT, UM, ANYTIME I'VE BROUGHT ANYTHING RELATED TO ABDA, SPECIFICALLY HAWK, BUT ALSO I WANNA EMPHASIZE ABDA 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. UM, MEEL PATEL DAVIS, YOUR OFFICE HAS BEEN EXTREMELY OPEN TO THAT. UH, COUNCILOR PLUMMER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO MEEL PATEL DAVIS ALREADY. 'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE OFFICE THAT THIS FALLS UNDER. BUT I JUST WANNA ALSO RECOMMEND THAT, 'CAUSE I'D LOVE TO SEE THIS MOVE FORWARD. YEAH. I WILL HAVE A CONVERSATION. I'LL HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYOR TURNER REGARDING THAT. OKAY. BECAUSE I THINK THIS WOULD BE REALLY BENEFICIAL. [04:20:01] OKAY. UM, I'M GOING TO WITHDRAW 4.06 BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T VOTED YET, BUT IT IS ON THE AGENDA ITEMS FOR TODAY. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, US PUTTING FORTH SOME FUNDS REGARDING EVIDENCE KITS AND TRAININGS. REALLY? OH SIX, WELL, 4.06. 4.06. RIGHT. . YEAH. SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR KIND OF HEARING MY ASK ON THAT. OKAY. AND, UM, WE WILL BE VOTING ON THAT TODAY. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, MY LAST, OH NO, 4.07. 4.07. AND, AND THE REASON WHY I ASK FOR IT TO BE WITHDRAWN, 'CAUSE I'M ALREADY, I'M WORKING WITH PARKS ON A NUMBER OF PARKS INITIATIVE AND THIS CAN BE, THEY CAN HANDLE THIS DIRECTLY. OKAY. OKAY. PERFECT. NO, I, I'M COUNCIL, I WAS GOING TO, UH, ADDRESS 4.07. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WANTS TO SAY ANYTHING SHE DID. NO, I'M, NO, I'M, I'M SAYING THAT SUPPORTIVE. I THINK THAT'S GREAT AND PARKS CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS THEMSELVES. AND I WHAT REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SURE NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. MAYOR, I, I WANT, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT SURE. TO COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, I THINK THIS IS A-C-D-S-F PROJECT. AND I BELIEVE THAT IF MR. K WOULD REACH OUT TO MY CHIEF OF STAFF OF MA AND SHARE THE DETAILS OF THE IMPROVEMENTS, THEN WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK WITH HPR TO TRY TO GET THIS IMPLEMENTED, UH, AT CRESTMONT PARK. AND SO I WANT TO TAKE, UH, TAKE THE LEAD IN RESPONSIBILITY ON THIS. AND SO THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER FOR BRINGING IN NO, THANK YOU. AND I THINK WANT, MY DADDY ALWAYS TOLD ME DON'T SPEND OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS RESPECTFUL THAT TIME. WELL, WE COLLABORATED, WE WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN GOTTEN TO THIS POINT. OKAY. THANK, BUT IT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. BECAUSE SHE'S THE CHURCH SECRETARY AND TREASURER. SO YOU CAN . YEAH, I, I MEAN, IF SHE WANTS TO PAY FOR IT, THAT'S PERFECTLY FINE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. AND THEN THE LAST, THE LAST ITEM IS FOUR SEVEN, BEEN WITHDRAWN. OKAY. IS 4.08, UM, WHICH IS THE HAZARD PAY FOR FOR FIRE. UM, MAYOR TURNER, I KNOW THIS, I KNOW THEY JUST GOT A RAISE, BUT THIS IS A ONE TIME $3,000. IT IS, UM, $11 MILLION. THEY HAVE WORKED SO HARD IN TIRES FOR US. SO I'M JUST, I MEAN, I JUST THINK IT'S NECESSARY. I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. BUT I THINK THAT IT'S, I IT IS NECESSARY. WELL, LEMME, LEMME JUST SAY, LEMME JUST SAY NOW. 'CAUSE I, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RECORD IS CLEAR. 'CAUSE I HATE WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY ARE NOT GETTING PAID. NOT, I DIDN'T SAY THAT. NO, BUT THAT'S OKAY. I'M JUST, I'M JUST TELLING YOU, I'M SAYING I'M NOT, I DON'T WANNA BE POLITICAL. THEY'RE 18% RAISE A MINIMUM OF 6% AND BEAR IN MIND, BUT, AND I WANT US TO, I DON'T WANT US TO FORGET. NOW, UNDER PROPOSITION B, WHEN IT WAS VALID, WE GAVE THE FIREFIGHTERS $17 MILLION, WHICH WE NEVER GOT BACK. 17 MILLION ON TOP OF THE 18%. MM-HMM . 17 MILLION. SO TO GO NOW AND ADD ANOTHER 11 MILLION, I MEAN, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING UNDER HAZARD CONDITIONS AND I RESPECT THAT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. SO HAVE POLICE, SO HAS, SO HAS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SOLID WAYS. SO WHEN YOU GO DOWN THIS ROAD, YOU MAY AS WELL COUNSEL GO DOWN THE WHOLE ROAD. WE'VE GOTTEN, WE'VE HAD SOLID WAYS PUBLIC WORK EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES. NO, I, I, YOU SEE, YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? SO I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE, AND YOU REALLY, YOU CAN'T PAY ANY OF THEM ENOUGH. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . LEMME JUST SAY THIS, YOU CAN'T PAY ANY OF THEM ENOUGH. BUT I DO KNOW I SAW THOSE HEALTH WORKERS OUT THERE WITH THEIR UNIFORMS ON WHEN IT WAS FREEZING COLD AND RAINY, AND THEY WERE OUT THERE WORKING AND THEN IN THE HEAT WHEN IT WAS HOT AND THEY HAD THEIR UNIFORMS ON. SO ALL OF THEM HAVE DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB FOR THIS CITY. AND I DON'T WANT IT TO MAKE, I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK THAT WE ARE BEING UNGRATEFUL OR THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN UNGRATEFUL WHEN WE ARE SAYING NO. BUT IF YOU GO DOWN THIS ROAD, THEN YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE TO START ACKNOWLEDGING ALL OF THEM. WELL, I JUST THINK IT'S NECESSARY JUST BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE'VE, THEY'VE FACED RETENTION ISSUES. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST NOT COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER CITIES. AND I JUST, IT'S, LIKE I SAID, IT'S A ONE TIME ALLOTMENT OF MONEY, UM, FOR, FOR THEM. AND, UM, AND, AND THEN, SO, OKAY. UH, COUNCIL HUFFMAN, UH, THANK YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF WANNA ECHO WHAT THE MAYOR SAYS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GOING DOWN THIS ROAD OF ALL THESE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. I MEAN, THE POLICE WERE OUT THERE TOO, YOU KNOW, WORKING DURING COVID-19. AND I DO APPRECIATE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, THIS MORNING. AND ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE. THERE WAS A FIRE IN MY DISTRICT WHERE THERE WERE THREE FATALITIES. UM, AND THEY'RE STILL INVESTIGATING IT. UM, BUT ALSO THE HFD CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES WHO CAME TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO I JUST DON'T THINK THAT WE COULD DO THIS JUST FOR FIRE. AND SO THAT'S WHY I WOULD OPPOSE THIS COUNCIL COUNCILWOMAN, [04:25:02] I APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS, BUT I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THIS FOR ANYBODY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A CITY CHARTER THAT PROHIBITS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM ENGAGING IN PAY AND BENEFITS NEGOTIATIONS WITH EMPLOYEES. UH, THAT'S THE REQUIREMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE LEADERSHIP OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. SO IF WE START DOWN THIS ROAD, WE ALSO HAVE A, A CITY ORDINANCE, OR NOT A CITY ORDINANCE, A CITY CHARTER ISSUE THAT SAYS WE CANNOT DIRECT THAT SAYS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. WE CANNOT DIRECT DEPARTMENT HEADS OF HOW THEY CAN SPEND THEIR SPECIFIC MONEY. I MEAN, WE CAN GIVE THE DEPARTMENT THE MONEY AND THEY CAN DO WITH IT AS THEY CHOOSE, BUT WE CAN'T SIT AROUND THIS TABLE UNDER THE CITY CHARTER RULES AND DICTATE TO A DEPARTMENT HEAD HOW THEY CAN SPEND THEIR MONEY. SO I APPRECIATE THE INTENT OF ALL OF THIS. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, OUR FARMER DO DESERVE SOMETHING. SO DO OUR POLICEMEN. SO DO OUR PUBLIC WORK. SO DOES EVERY CITY EMPLOYEE, UH, THAT WORKS IN THE CITY THROUGH THIS PERIOD. AND SO, BUT THAT'S UP TO THE ADMINISTRATION, I THINK, TO NEGOTIATE THAT IN THE NEXT CONTRACT, UH, NEGOTIATIONS THAT COME UP DOWN THE PIKE. ANY RATE? THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. OKAY. I, I ECHO COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, YOUR THOUGHTS. UH, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, MAYOR, YOUR THOUGHTS. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, MY QUESTION WAS GOING TO BE, DOES THIS INCLUDE HAZARD PAY FOR, UH, THE JANITORS THAT WERE REQUIRED TO COME TO WORK? UH, DOES IT INCLUDE, FOR EXAMPLE, MAYOR, THE HEALTH EMPLOYEES? SO I ALSO WANT TO, I HAD A POINT OF INFORMATION. MAYOR, DID WE NOT, DURING THE PANDEMIC ALSO PROVIDE A CARVE OUT FOR HOUSING HFD EMPLOYEES THAT CONTRACTED CID WHEN THAT WE SPENT MONEY MIL, I'M, I ASSUME MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON FOR POLICE AND FIRE THAT WE DID NOT AFFORD YES. OTHER FRONTLINE WORKERS DURING THE PANDEMIC. UM, AND HAVE WE NOT JUST, UH, INCREASED PAY SALARIES AGAIN FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT? YOU HAVE, OKAY. SO AGAIN, I, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE THOUGHT OF THIS. UM, MY CONCERN IS GOING DOWN THE ROAD OF SAYING YOU DESERVE THIS OVER SOMEBODY ELSE. AND TO COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX'S POINT, UH, RECOGNIZING THE PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE OF IT AS WELL. POINT WELL TAKEN. SO JUST MAYOR, ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN MAYOR. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAD A MOUTHFUL BEFORE I ASK YOU A QUESTION. . I'M GOOD. I'M GOOD. UM, DID YOU EVER CLAW BACK THE MONEY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT CLAWING BACK? SO NONE OF THAT EVER OCCURRED. DO YOU MIND IF I ASK THE, UH, AND I WILL TELL YOU, AND I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF CLAWING IT BACK. MAY I, MAY I ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY A QUESTION? SURE. UH, CITY ATTORNEY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX BRINGS UP THE FACT THAT YOU KNOW THAT, THAT THE CHARTER, WHICH I UNDERSTAND I'VE READ IT, THAT WE CAN'T NEGOTIATE, UH, CONTRACTS WITH OUR EMPLOYEES. THE CITY COUNCIL CANNOT. WOULD THIS, UH, WOULD THIS AMENDMENT BE IN, IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE CHARTER IF WE WERE TO PASS IT? UH, IT COULD VIOLATE THE CHARTER IF IT IS TO THE POINT THAT WAS MADE BY THE COUNCIL MEMBER THAT IF IT IS DIRECTING HOW A DEPARTMENT IS TO USE FUNDS FOR PURPOSES OF COMPENSATION. THAT'S A GOOD ANSWER. OBJECT BACK TO YOU. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE BEING IMPORTANT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT NONE OF MY COMMENTS OR THIS AMENDMENT IS INSINUATING THAT SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS. I'M SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT FIRE RIGHT NOW. THAT'S WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT. I APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE CITY WORKER, EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN PUBLIC SAFETY. I MEAN, I'M A HEALTHCARE WORKER. I KNOW THE RISKS I TOOK ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE IN CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I DON'T WANT MY COMMENTS TO BE MISCONSTRUED. UM, BUT I, I RESPECT YOUR POSITION. SO ARE YOU WILLING TO WITHDRAW? ARE YOU WANT US TO VOTE ON IT? ARE YOU WILLING TO WITHDRAW THE AMENDMENTS? ARE ARE YOU ADVANCING THE AMENDMENT? NO. I'D LIKE TO ADVANCE THE AMENDMENT. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM OF ORDER? MAYOR, I BELIEVE THE ITEM IS OUT, OUT ORDER BECAUSE IT VIOLATE, I BELIEVE THE, UH, THE, UH, AMENDMENT IS OUT OF ORDER BECAUSE IT VIOLATES THE CITY CHARTER. OKAY. ONTARIO. MICHELLE, YOU WANNA RULE? I MEAN, YES. GIMME YOUR OPINION AND THEN I'LL MAKE MY RULING ACCORDINGLY. I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE TENANTS, IF EITHER WAS AN ORDINANCE OR IT VIOLATED, UM, ANY INTRU UPON THE ADMINISTRATION AND IT VIOLATED THE CHARTER. YEAH, I, I WOULD, UH, MY LEGAL OPINION WOULD BE TO AGREE WITH THAT POINT OF ORDER. OKAY. THEN I, GIVE ME A MINUTE OUT OF ORDER. OKAY. I'LL WITHDRAW THE AMENDMENT. [04:30:01] THANK YOU. OKAY. THANKS. COUNCILMAN ALCO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, UH, WE DID 5.01 AND 5.02, SO I'LL GO TO 5.03. I RESPECT THE RULING OF THE CHAIR THAT THIS IS, UH, NOT A BUDGET AMENDMENT, BUT WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU MAYOR IN THE FUTURE ABOUT, UH, WHAT I'M FINDING A PATTERN OF CONSISTENT OVER BUDGETING AND HEALTH BENEFITS, UM, ABOVE THE 16.7% THAT WE DO. AND THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO DO IS SET UP, DO THE AUDIENCE TO SET UP THE TRUST. OKAY, GREAT. AND THIS YEAR, $7 MILLION A LOAN THAT WE COULD FIND I GOT RETURN BACK TO. SO I'LL, I'LL MOVE ON TO 5.04. I'VE GOT A VISUAL AID HERE. BEAR WITH ME. OKAY. WE DO A LOT OF PAPER IN THIS CITY, AND I THINK DURING THE PANDEMIC WE ALL LEARNED THAT WE COULD DO WITHOUT PAPER. WE GOT ON OUR LAPTOPS, WE LOOKED UP STUFF. THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS THAT I LITERALLY NEVER LOOKED AT BECAUSE I LOOKED AT 'EM ON MY LAPTOP. UH, WE SPENT $5.5 MILLION CITYWIDE IN THESE CATEGORIES. WE COULD ALL DO BETTER. WE COULD ALL CUT BACK. SO I THINK 10%, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WENT DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT ONE TIME, THAT WAS A LITTLE MICROMANAGING. SO NOW I'M JUST DOING ACROSS THE BOARD 10% THAT I THINK WE COULD ALL DO A 10% BETTER, SAVE OUR, SAVE OURSELVES $500,000 IN THESE CATEGORIES. YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT CAME TO MIND FOR ME? 'CAUSE WHEN I INITIALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT, UM, I HAD A CALL WITH THE, WITH THE, 'CAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL PAPER. THESE, THESE ARE THE LINE ITEM CATEGORIES, THE ONES I LISTED THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH PRINTING PAPER, YOU KNOW, JUST DOING STUFF LIKE THIS, DOES THAT REQUIRE, FOR EXAMPLE, NOTICES THAT WE SEND OUT WATER BILLS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE? I'M NOT SURE ABOUT WATER BILLS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME THINGS WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO CUT BACK ON. AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY. 'CAUSE I WAS TALKING TO A, A SENIOR CITIZEN WHEN WE, WHEN WE HAD MADE SOME CHANGES IN SOLID WASTE ON THE PICKUP SCHEDULE. AND, UH, AND SHE CALLED AND SHE WAS REAL IRATE. IN FACT, SHE CALLED, UH, THE, UM, WHAT YOU CALL IT, THE OFFICE UP THERE. AND UH, UH, AND THEY BROUGHT IT TO ME AND THEY SAID, MAYOR, SHE'S VERY, VERY IRATE. YOU KNOW? SO I CALLED, I CALLED HER AND WHAT SHE SAID WAS THAT, MAYOR, IF, IF YOU ALL HAD TOLD ME ABOUT THE SCHEDULE, AND I KEPT SAYING, WELL, WE PUT IT OUT ONLINE, WE PUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT. AND WHEN, WHEN I FINISHED ALL OF THAT, AND SHE SAID, BUT MAYOR, I DON'T DO, I DON'T DO ANY OF THAT. I, I LIKE GETTING STUFF IN THE MAIL. I I SAW THAT COMING. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNEW THAT SENIOR CITIZENS ARE A BIG PART OF THIS. I I TOTALLY GET THAT. RIGHT. I'M NOT TRYING TO ELIMINATE, YOU KNOW, 5.5 MILLION OR EVEN 5 MILLION. I'M TRYING TO ELIMINATE 10%. IF WE COULD DO 10% BETTER, UM, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A BUDGET SAVINGS RIGHT THERE. IT'S SOMETHING WE ALL LEARNED WE COULD DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER ON DURING THE PANDEMIC. WE HAD WAY LESS PAPER AND THINGS TO DEAL WITH. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WILL YOU, WILL YOU ACCEPT, AND I'M NOT NECESSARILY OPPOSED, BUT WILL YOU ACCEPT AMENDMENT THAT SAYS REDUCE EXPENDITURES BY FIVE TO 10%? I'M TOTALLY GOOD WITH THAT. OKAY. OKAY. FIVE TO 10%. FIVE TO 10%. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. THAT'S THE A THAT'S THE AMENDMENT. THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT. REDUCE EXPENDITURES BY FIVE TO 10%. EVERYTHING IS FREE. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALQUAN, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND MAYOR, YOUR OPENNESS TO IT, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR RESILIENCY PLANS, OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALQUAN, WHEN I HAD READ THIS, I HAD NOT MAYOR, TO YOUR POINT, THOUGHT ABOUT THE PRINTABLE, YOU KNOW, WATER BILLS, BUT MORE SO INTERDEPARTMENT, UH, INNER DEPART, TRANSACTIONAL WORK, UM, THAT WE JUST DON'T NEED TO NECESSARILY DO ANYMORE. UH, AND THIS WILL REQUIRE US TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENTIONAL WITH THAT. SO I HAD SEEN THE, THAT 10% MORE SO FROM INTER AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL WORK, NOT NECESSARILY OUR OUTWARD FACING COMMUNICATIONS, BUT I, SO AGAIN, I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THIS ITEM AND THAT, UH, WE CAN VOTE ON IT. OKAY. UH, MEMBER KOSH MAYOR, FOR YEARS, MY BANK WAS ASKING ME, DO YOU WANT, UH, DO YOU WANT TO YOUR SERVICES TO JUST BE PAPERLESS? AND I ALWAYS RESISTED THAT. AND THEN ONE DAY, UH, I, IT JUST DAWNED ON ME, WHY AM I GETTING THIS STUFF IN THE MAIL WHERE PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT IT? SO I WENT PAPERLESS BACK ABOUT EIGHT TO 10 YEARS AGO. AND I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TO GIVE PEOPLE THAT SAME OPTION ON WATER BILLS, I GET A CITY WATER [04:35:01] BILL ELECTRONICALLY, YOU KNOW, GIVE 'EM THE OPTION SO WE DON'T HAVE TO MAIL IT TO 'EM. BUT THERE'S GONNA BE OLD SCHOOL DINOSAURS LIKE ME THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT STILL WANT TO GET A, A, A LETTER IN THE MAIL, YOU KNOW? SO, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT, BUT THERE, BUT I'M CHANGING. I'M MORPHING AND, AND SO I, I NOW DON'T WANT TO GET IT IN THE MAIL. I WANT YOU TO EMAIL IT TO ME. SO MAYBE I'VE ALREADY GIVE PEOPLE A CHOICE. OKAY. UM, MAYOR I PROAM MARTIN. YES. I'D LIKE TO SEE IF, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD ACCEPT THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. AND THAT IS TO REDUCE EXPENDITURES BY 10% IN INTER FUND PRINT SHOP SERVICES. AND BY 20% IN GENERAL FUND CATEGORY, 1060 500 UNDER SUPPLIES BY 20% AT AT LARGE FIVE. OH, THAT'S YOU. SO SHADY. I MEAN, HP HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DID A SURVEY AND ASKED CAROL HADDOCK ON, ON GETTING RID OF WATER BILLS, PAPER WATER BILLS, AND PEOPLE FREAKED OUT. AND WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY MIGRATE PEOPLE FROM PAPER WATER BILLS INTO ELECTRONIC WATER BILLS. AND I THINK YOU'LL FIND THAT THE SAME WAY. I'M A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN YOU ASK YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF WHO USED TO WORK FOR ME, I GET THINGS PRINTED AND I PUT THOSE PRINT THINGS IN A FILE THAT I HAVE DESIGNATED FOR EACH CATEGORY. THAT'S JUST THE WAY I WORK. AND I GET YOUR 10%, BUT TAKE IT OUTTA YOUR BUDGET IF IT MEANS THAT MUCH TO YOU. OKAY? I TELL YOU WHAT, FOR RIGHT NOW, OKAY. WE GOT ONE AMENDMENT ON HERE. FIRST. HE NEED A BREAK? NO. OKAY. I LIKE PAPER. OKAY. OKAY. AND BEFORE, BEFORE WE GET TO MAYOR PRO, TIM, WE GOT, WE GOT FIVE TO 10%. THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD ASK, UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT FIVE TO 10, IS THAT WE EXCLUDE LIKE WATER BILL FROM THAT. YEAH. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. AND THAT'S, THAT WAS REALLY MORE OF MY INTENT. UM, MAYOR PRO TEM. I'M CERTAINLY NOT LOOKING TO DO AWAY WITH WATER BILL. I MEAN, I DO THINK THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH BRINGS UP A GOOD POINT. YOU OFFER. YEAH. YOU CAN WORK ON THAT IF YOU HAVE THAT OPTION. YEAH. RIGHT. TAKE IT. BUT I, THIS IS FOR INTERNAL PRINTING THAT'S NOT BEING DONE. AND, UM, AND, UH, SO I APPRECIATE THE MAYOR'S, UH, SUPPORT OF A FIVE TO 10% DECREASE. OKAY. UH, ANY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE FIVE TO 10% EXCLUDING WATER BILLS? AND THEN WE ADD THAT, SO AT THE END HERE, SO YOU RUINED, EXCLUDING WATER BILLS. OKAY. GOT POINT OF WATER. MAYOR, THERE'S, THERE'S AN AMENDMENT. THE, THE, THE, UH, THE VICE MAYOR, THE, YEAH, HE HAS HIS AFTER HE HAS HIS, AFTER I VOTE BIN THROUGH. DID YOU RULE HIM OUT OF WATER? ? YEAH. YEAH. RULE HIM OUT, OUT, OUT OF WATER RIGHT DOWN. OKAY. ON THE TABLE. OKAY. UH, FIVE OR 10% WE'RE EXCLUDING WATER BILLS IN THIS, IN THIS GROUP. SO WE'RE JUST ADDING THAT AT THE END. RIGHT. SAVINGS EXCLUDING WATER. RIGHT. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT AS AMENDED? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED? GRANTED. OKAY, NOW WE ARE ON THE AMENDMENT 5.04 AS AMENDED. UH, ANY OTHER FIVE TO 10? YOUR AMENDMENT? NOT HIS. YEAH, MY AMENDMENT IS GONE. IT IS PASSED. . YEAH, . OKAY. OKAY. UH, ON 5.04 AS AMENDED. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? OKAY, GRANTED. OKAY. STILL AS AMENDED STILL WITH YOU. COUNCILMAN MALCO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND 5.05. THIS I, I PUT IN, UM, BASICALLY, AND, AND MAYOR, YOU WERE AT ALL THE CIP MEETINGS TOO, AND THE REDISTRICTING MEETINGS TOO. UM, AND, AND ON MY PUBLIC BUDGET SURVEY, 50% TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE AT ALL THOSE CIP MEETINGS. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE OVER AND OVER. YOU KNOW, USUALLY, UH, IN THE PAST, SOMETIMES RESIDENTS HAVE A SHORT MEMORY WHEN IT COMES TO FLOODING. IF IT HASN'T FLOODING FOR FLOODED FOR A WHILE. IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS SINCE HARVEY. NOBODY HAS A SHORT MEMORY. EVERYBODY STOOD UP AT THOSE MICROPHONES AND TALKED ABOUT FLOODING AND TALKED ABOUT MORE MONEY FOR, FOR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I JUST, I KNOW THAT, UM, THE MAYOR PRO HAS MADE THE POINT OF NO RESERVES. I, I'M SORRY. I DID HEAR YOUR, YOUR GUIDANCE VERY CLEARLY ABOUT, UH, NO POLICY AMENDMENTS. I DO THINK THE FUND BALANCE IS A PART OF THE BUDGET. I DON'T, I DON'T, I MYSELF DON'T LIKE TO TAKE FROM FUND BALANCE AND I ASK EXCRUCIATINGLY DETAILED QUESTIONS OF, OF DEPARTMENTS SO I CAN TRY TO TAKE FROM OTHER ITEMS. BUT WHEN I GET GOOD ANSWERS BACK, I, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THE FUND BALANCE IS, IS THE ONLY PLACE. AND I WILL SAY HISTORICALLY, OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, AND WE LOOKED BACK OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE HAVE GREATLY UNDERESTIMATED UNDER ENDING FUND BALANCE BY A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IS KIND OF THE AVERAGE. I MEAN, STARTING BACK IN, IN, UH, FY 13, $107 MILLION THE LAST FIVE YEARS IT'S BEEN, FOR INSTANCE, 72, 90 $2 MILLION WE HAD OVER WHAT WE EXPECTED THE NEXT YEAR, $130 MILLION THE NEXT YEAR, $92 MILLION, $101 MILLION LAST YEAR, $101 MILLION. SO IT'S, [04:40:01] IT'S ALWAYS WAY. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN WAY OVER. AND BELIEVE ME, I BELIEVE THAT FUND BALANCE IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE'RE USING ARPA FUNDS FOR RECURRING EXPENDITURES, AND WE'RE GONNA NEED OUR FUND BALANCE. I DON'T LIKE TO TAKE FROM FUND BALANCE, BUT I THINK WITH A, WITH A PATTERN OF NOT JUST A LITTLE BIT OF OVER, OVER ESTIMATING, BUT A PATTERN OF REALLY ENDING UP WITH A LOT MORE FUND BALANCE THAN WE THINK. UM, $5 MILLION IS A SMALL PORTION TO PUT TOWARDS MORE STREET AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT IT'S BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN MAYOR. THE WAY THAT, UH, I HAVE CHOSEN TO BUDGET IS THAT, UM, THE DAY AFTER THIS BUDGET IS APPROVED, WE, I MEAN, IS, IS APPROVED, UH, WE START BUILDING UP THE FUND BALANCE BECAUSE WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA FALL SHORT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE YEAR IN WHICH, UM, SINCE I HAVE BEEN MAYOR, UM, WE HAVE UTILIZED THAT FUND BALANCE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, OKAY. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, OF, SINCE THESE UPPER DOLLARS HAVE COME. UM, AND SO THAT'S THE REASON, UM, WE BUILD UP THE FUND BALANCE. NOW, I WILL TELL YOU THE REASON WHY I'M, I'M, I'M OPPOSED TO, UM, THIS PARTICULAR AMENDMENT IS, IS NOT THAT, UM, MORE DOLLARS ARE NOT NEEDED IN THE CIP, THE DOLLARS ARE NEEDED. BUT I THINK YOU HAVE TO WAIT AND EVA, AND SEE WHERE WE ARE AT THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR TO MAKE AN ASSESSMENT AS TO WHETHER OR NOT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT, UH, TO PULL FROM THE FUND BALANCE TO PUT IN THE CIP. AND THEN EVEN IF YOU SAY $5 MILLION, $5 MILLION, WHERE, OKAY. AND WE, WE OFTEN EVALUATE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WE NEED TO INCREASE THE SWAT PROGRAMS. AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION AROUND THE TABLE THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE THE SWAT PROGRAMS FROM 20 MILLION TO MORE THAN THAT. SO THAT'S ONE OPTION OF GETTING PROJECTS OUT THE DOOR QUICKER. SO I'M ALREADY IN CONVERSATION, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH MY FINANCE DEPARTMENT ON THIS, ON HOW WE CAN PUT MORE MONEY INTO THE SWAT INITIATIVE. OKAY? SO THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M OPPOSING IT, NOT BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE WITH WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM, UM, BUT ON THIS ONE I WOULD SAY ALLOW US MORE TIME FOR, FOR US, FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO KIND OF LOOK AT IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'LL WITHDRAW WITH YOUR COMMITMENT TO LOOK AT THAT. I MEAN, I DO, WE ALREADY, IT REALLY WAS A RESOUNDING THEME THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET SEASON. SO AGREE. I AGREE. THAT'S DO THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, 5.06 I RECOGNIZE HAS TO BE, OKAY. I'M SORRY, ONE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCILMAN POLLACK. OH, YOU WERE DRAWING? MM-HMM. OKAY, NEVERMIND THEN. , THANK YOU FOR, FOR NOT TRYING TO BE, UH, A COUNTERBALANCING INFLUENCE IN THIS MATTER. , CONSERV. CONS. CAMAN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY AFTER THAT. UM, NO, I, COUNCILOR ALCORN IS AN AT LARGE MEMBER YOU WERE AT, ALONG WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER COUNSELORS, INCLUDING COUNCILOR ROBINSON. IT EVERY SINGLE CIP MEETING, SO THANK YOU BECAUSE, UH, I MEAN, YOU HEARD IT, MAYOR, YOU'RE HEARING IT FROM ALL OF US. I HAVE IT PUT FORWARD MY SPECIFIC PROJECTS, BUT TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT SWAT, CIP, ALL OF IT, WE WE'RE ALL PERKING UP, UM, AT THAT HOPE, UH, BECAUSE THE NEED IS DESPERATE. I THINK THE ONE THING, AND I HAVEN'T RAISED THIS YET, UM, WITH ALL OF THE FINANCING, ALL OF THE FUNDING NEEDS, NOT ONCE DURING THIS BUDGET, IF WE TALKED ABOUT THE REVENUE CAP, AND I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT THERE, BUT THE REVENUE CAP, UM, BUT THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER FOR, AS AN AT LARGE MEMBER LOOKING OUT FOR THE DISTRICTS IN TERMS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. AND MAYOR, THANK YOU AS WELL. AND AGAIN, I, I COMMIT WE NEED MORE MONEY INTO THE SWAT INITIATIVES, OKAY? THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. OKAY? AND I'LL BE COMING BACK TO YOU ON THAT. OKAY. COUNCILMAN ACO? YES. 5.06. I RECOGNIZE AND, AND FULLY KNEW GOING INTO THIS, THAT THIS, THIS WILL REQUIRE AN ORDINANCE, SO I WILL WITHDRAW. BUT I DO THINK THAT THE CONVERSATION DOES NEED TO BEGIN ON THIS, ON A, UH, SOLID WASTE. YEAH. AND LET ME, LET ME, UH, CHIME IN BY JUST SIMPLY SAYING, UM, THIS DOES NEED TO HAPPEN, OKAY? AND, AND I, I, I CAN BE, UH, MORE DIRECT AND, AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIMING. IT'S GONNA EITHER HAPPEN WHILE I'M THE MAYOR OR IT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH THE NEXT MAYOR. BUT THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. THE WAY SOLID WASTE IS FUNDED RIGHT NOW IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. WE ARE, SO IF YOU TOOK THOSE OP OPERA DOLLARS OUT, THE CITY WOULD [04:45:01] BE IN TROUBLE IF YOU TAKE THE OPERA DOLLARS OUT, WE ARE IN TROUBLE ON SOLID WASTE. AND, AND MAYOR, UM, I KNOW THAT WE WILL BE BACK TO THE FUND BALANCE. AND I SAW THAT YOU ADDED IN THE LANGUAGE DRAWING DOWN FROM DOLLARS FROM FUND BA BALANCE. I MEAN, THAT'S A GIVEN, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA BE BACK TO THE FUND BALANCE FOR SOLID WASTE FOR OVERTIME WITHIN MONTHS. AND IF YOU TAKE, IF YOU TAKE THE UPPER DOLLARS OUT, IF YOU REDUCE, IF THAT FUND BALANCE IS NEEDED TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AND YOU CAN'T USE IT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN SOLID WASTE TRUCKS ARE NOT RUNNING, AND ALL THE HEAVY TRASH, BULK WASTE ARE, WE ARE GOING TO BE OVERWHELMED OR 20 TO $40 MILLION UNDER BUDGET EVERY YEAR ACCORDING TO THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN. YOU KNOW, WALKING IN THE DOOR EVERY DAY, YOU'RE 20 TO $40 MILLION DOWN. AND I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU LIVE IN THIS CITY. IF WE DON'T, IF WE DON'T CHANGE HOW WE FUND SOLID WASTE, UM, THE CITY IS JUST GOING TO BE IN BAD SHAPE. SO NOT DEALING WITH IT HERE, BUT I WOULD, IT'S, IT IS EITHER GONNA HAPPEN IN THIS ADMINISTRATION AND WHILE I'M HERE, OR IT'S GONNA HAPPEN VERY SOON WITH THE NEXT ONE. BUT IT IS GOING TO, I PROMISE YOU IT IS, IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE PEOPLE ARE GONNA DEMAND IT AND ALREADY CLOSE TO DEMANDING IT NOW, BUT IT'S GOING, IT'S GONNA HAPPEN. SO GALL COUNCILMAN MCG GALLS, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. I KNOW THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING IN OFFICE NOW FOR NINE YEARS, AND I STILL RECALL THAT DAY WHEN FORMER DIRECTOR HAYES CAME INTO MY OFFICE AND MADE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR WAY BACK WHEN, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE NEED HELP. YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR EQUIPMENT'S BREAKING DOWN. WE'RE LOSING THE MANPOWER. OUR CITY KEEPS GROWING. THERE'S MORE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, CALL FOR SERVICES SERVICE OUT THERE. AND, AND, AND, AND YET WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO ACTUALLY PAY FOR IT SINCE WE'RE THE ONLY MAJOR CITY, UH, OR THE ONLY CITY IN TEXAS THAT DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE. UM, AND, AND, AND SOMETHING DOES NEED TO BE THE ONLY, THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY, THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTRY THAT, THAT, THAT DOESN'T HAVE A FEE. UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND, AND AGAIN, THE, THE CITY JUST KEEPS GROWING, JUST KEEPS GROWING. WE'RE LOSING THE MANPOWER, OUR EQUIPMENT'S BREAKING DOWN. AND I, FOR ONE, UH, MY STAFF CONSTANTLY IS GETTING CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS UPSET THAT THEIR TRASH HAS NOT BEEN PICKED UP IN A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS. UH, AND IT, IT, IT, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. UH, SO WE NEED TO BITE THE BULLET AND, AND, AND, AND, AND TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND STOP KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION THAT GOES DEEPER THAN JUST THE FEES THAT WE HAVE FOR THE GARBAGE. I THINK WE NEED TO RECONSIDER HOW WE COLLECT GARBAGE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, THE TRASH COLLECTION INDUSTRY IS GROWING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ALL OVER HOUSTON. AND SO I, I THINK IT MIGHT BE TIME WHILE WE'RE CONSIDERING THIS FEE, IS ALSO TO CONSIDER PRIVATIZATION OF COLLECTION. WE COULD CHARGE A FEE AND LET YOU KNOW, WE CAN DIVIDE THE CITY INTO SECTIONS AND HAVE PEOPLE BID ON STUFF AND LET THEM CARRY THE COST OF THE MATERIALS, EQUIPMENT AND ALL OF THAT. UM, AND THEN WE MIGHT COULD KEEP A SMALL CONTINGENT OF OUR CURRENT SOLID WASTE TO GO AROUND PICKING UP ILLEGALLY DUMPED TRASH MIGHT BE A BETTER USE OF OUR INDIVIDUAL, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT. SO I THINK WE NEED TO DO THIS TO SAVE THIS FOR A DISCUSSION, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GET READY TO DO IT AND REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A LOT BETTER WAY THAN THE WAY WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING IT NOW, JUST BY REQUIRING THE CITY TO DO IT. AND I THINK THE CITIZENS WOULD ALSO BE MORE INCLINED TO BE WILLING TO PAY AN EXTRA FEE TO GET BETTER SERVICE THAT THEY WOULD GET AT A PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, A PRIVATE COLLECTION, UH, COMPANY. SO THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHTS. GOTCHA. COUNCILMAN MCCOY? YES. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. I THINK THAT'S A GOOD DISCUSSION. WE NEED TO LOOK AT ROUTES TOO, BUT THE, TO YOUR POINT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF US HAVE, HAVE PRIVATE TRASH. WE PICK UP 391,000 HOMES, THE CITY DOES, AND WE'VE GOT ABOUT 51,000 ON THE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS WHO HAVE PRIVATE TRASH. THEY'RE ALREADY PAYING THEMSELVES. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN BROUGHT UP TO THE POINT, UM, TO ME, UH, LIKE DO WE, DO PEOPLE NEIGHBORHOODS KNOW ABOUT THIS? THERE MIGHT BE MORE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WANT TO DO PRIVATE TRASH. I MEAN, IF WE, YOU KNOW THAT, THAT'S FINE. THE PRIVATE TRASH PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE PAYING THIS FEE, OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE ALREADY PAYING TO THROUGH THEIR HOA, SO YEAH, IT'S ALL PART OF A BIGGER, BROADER DISCUSSION. BUT, UM, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, MY CO-AUTHOR ON THIS, UH, SAID IT, IT'S COMPLETELY UNSUSTAINABLE RIGHT NOW. AND WE'RE NOT, WE CAN'T KEEP DOING THINGS THE SAME WAY AND EXPECT A DIFFERENT RESULT. IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT GONNA WORK. AND WE ARE A COMPLETE OUTLIER IN, IN, ACROSS THE NATION AND [04:50:01] ACROSS TEXAS. AND IF YOU WANT MORE MONEY FOR THE GENERAL FUND, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE AND EVERY, EVERY OTHER NEED, THIS IS ONE WAY THAT, THAT I THINK THAT WE CAN GET THERE. SIGNIFICANT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, I AGREE WITH, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN REGARDS TO, AND I'VE, UH, ALSO MENTIONED THIS TO THE FORMER DIRECTOR AND TO THE CURRENT DIRECTOR. IF, IF WE, IF WE ARE GOING TO CHARGE THIS FEE, BEING THAT WE'RE THE ONLY CITY THAT DOES NOT HAVE A FEE FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION, IT'S GONNA BE FOR MORE THAN JUST PICKING UP YOUR TRASH CAN AND PICKING UP YOUR RECYCLING BIN. IT'S ALSO GONNA BE PICKING UP THOSE TIRES THAT ARE THROWN AT A VACANT LOT. IT'S ALSO GONNA BE TO PICK UP THE ILLEGAL DUMPING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. WE, WE, WE HAD A CONSTITUENT THAT CAME HERE A FEW MONTHS AGO, UH, AND SHE SAYS SHE IS TIRED OF HER NUM OF HER NEIGHBORHOOD BEING THE DUMPING GROUND OF, OF PEOPLE JUST COMING IN AND DUMPING, ILLEGAL DUMPING. AND THAT'S WHEN YOU MENTIONED IT TO HER MAYOR, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE ONLY CITY THAT DOES NOT HAVE A GARBAGE FEE. AND SHE SAID, WELL, I'M WILLING TO PAY THAT, BUT CLEAN UP MY NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I EXPECT, UH, NOT JUST TO PICK UP THE TRASH CAN, NOT TO JUST PICK UP THE RECYCLING BIN, BUT ALSO TO PICK UP THOSE TIRES THAT ARE THROWN AT THE VACANT LOTS AND ALSO PICK UP ILLEGAL DUMPING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LOOK AT THAT. UH, COUNCILMAN, MAY I CO STILL WITH YOU? OKAY, FINALLY, UH, 5.07. I APPRECIATE THE ADMINISTRATION'S, UH, SUPPORT. THIS WAS JUST, WE WENT DOWN FROM $5 AND 90 CENTS PER CAPITA. THIS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO LIKE $5 AND 71 CENTS. THIS, UH, 233,000 JUST, UM, GETS US BACK TO THE FIVE 90. UH, I WILL SAY WE'RE STILL, YOU KNOW, WAY BELOW OTHER CITIES PER CAPITA SPEND. SAN ANTONIO, $10 AND 43 CENTS. DALLAS, 1195, AUSTIN, 1658 FORT WORTH, 10 37 EL PASO, 1281. SO WE'RE JUST GETTING TO FIVE 90, WHICH IS IS OUR LAST YEAR SPENDING. SO IT'S A SMALL AMOUNT. THANKS, THE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS. THANK YOU. UH, ANY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON, ON 5.07 IN FAVOR? OPPOSED GRANTED ON 5 0 7? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. COUNCILMAN PECK ON YOU , UH, MOTION TO ADJOURN. I GIVE YOU FIVE. I GIVE YOU, I GIVE YOU FIVE MINUTES. FIVE MINUTES. AND THEN WE MUST COME BACK. OKAY. FIVE MINUTES. WE MUST COME BACK. FIVE MINUTES. ALRIGHT, WE WE'RE STARTING AGAIN. WE'RE STARTING. WE'RE STARTING. EVERYBODY. WE'RE STARTING. I'M COMING. I'M COMING. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN PECK ON 6.01, THE MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR 6.01, AS YOU HEARD FROM MANY OF THE SPEAKERS THIS MORNING, IS TO ALLOCATE $25 MILLION TOWARDS THE SPRING SHADOW SOUTH DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT, AND $30 MILLION TOWARDS THE SHERWOOD OAKS DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT. THESE TWO PROJECTS ARE VERY MUCH NEEDED AS PEOPLE HAVE FLOODED MULTIPLE TIMES, NOT ONLY IN HEAVY RAIN EVENTS, BUT IN JUST REGULAR RAIN EVENTS AS WELL. AND THE MONEY FOR THIS IS COMING FROM THE FUND BALANCE OF D-D-S-R-F DRAINAGE CHARGE, OF WHICH THERE IS $68 MILLION IN THIS FUND THAT IS RESTRICTED TO THIS ACCOUNT. BUT ACCORDING TO THE BUDGET, NOT COMMITTED TO PROJECTS, IT IS THE FUND BALANCE. AND SO THE MONEY, IF IT'S JUST SITTING THERE IN THIS ACCOUNT AND CAN ONLY BE USED FOR DRAINAGE PROJECTS, THERE'S REALLY NO REASON TO KEEP MONEY IN THIS FUND BALANCE WHILE PEOPLE ARE FLOODING. SO I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT EVERYONE VOTES IN FAVOR OF THESE TWO PROJECTS SO THAT WE CAN MITIGATE THE FLOODING IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, PROTECTING THOUSANDS OF HOMES FROM FLOODING. RIGHT? THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT THOUGH IS THAT, UH, THIS IS A $55 MILLION AMENDMENT, BUT WHATEVER AMOUNT IT IS, UH, IT NEEDS TO BE HOWEVER IT'S GONNA BE UTILIZED. UM, PUBLIC WORKS NEEDS TO BE A PART OF, IT'S A CIP PROJECT. YOU KNOW, UH, DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS ALL HAVE DRAINAGE NEEDS WITHIN THEIR, WITHIN THEIR DISTRICT, UM, RESTRICTED, SORRY. SHE PROVIDED THIS. AND THE BALANCE IS RESTRICTED. AND WHAT I'M LOOKING AT, THE BALANCE IS RESTRICTED, BUT WHETHER IT'S RESTRICTED OR NOT, UM, WITHOUT FACTORING INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF THE NEEDS THROUGHOUT THIS DISTRICT, WITHOUT THE CITY AND ALL OF THESE DISTRICTS, WE SIMPLY CAN'T ALLOCATE IT THIS WAY. SO THAT'S WHY THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, OPPOSES. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MC KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE ALL THE RESIDENTS IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT CAME FORWARD. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. UH, I KNOW IN OUR CIP MAYOR, UH, I THINK 30 RESIDENTS STOOD UP AT ONCE FROM COTTAGE GROVE IN DISTRICT C. UH, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, COTTAGE GROVE EAST, UH, THAT'S GONNA COST $25.7 MILLION. IT'S BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR ABOUT [04:55:01] A DECADE. BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE COTTAGE GROVE WEST 88 0 MILLION DOLLARS THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN PULLED OFF OF THE CIP 'CAUSE IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE. UH, TURKEY GULLY, AND I KNOW YOU HAVE GULLY, UH, $8 MILLION TO TRY AND GET TURKEY GULLY GOING. SO I, I LIST ALL THOSE, JUST SO YOUR CONSTITUENTS UNDERSTAND THAT REGARDLESS OF THE VOTE, WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER AND WE'RE ALL PUSHING FOR ALL OF THESE PROJECTS. UM, AND AGAIN, I RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, THIS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO YOUR DISTRICT. WE DON'T WANNA TAKE AWAY FROM THAT. AND WE'RE ALL ADVOCATING FOR STUFF IN OUR DISTRICTS AS WELL. AND AGAIN, THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO GO AROUND AND WE NEED, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO AGAIN, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOUR, YOUR CONSISTENT, JUST LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON WITH HER ITEMS AS WELL. I DON'T THINK ANYONE AROUND THE HORSESHOE DOESN'T SUPPORT, UH, THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR THESE THINGS. GOING BACK TO COUNCILMAN PAT, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I AGREE THAT THERE'S NEEDS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHICH I THINK GOES BACK TO MY POINT FROM BEFORE, THAT THERE'S NO REASON TO KEEP MONEY IN THIS ACCOUNT NOT BEING UTILIZED AND JUST SITTING THERE. THERE'S NO REASON FOR THAT. IT CAN'T BE USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN PUT IT IN THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S JUST FOR DRAINAGE PROJECTS WHEN PEOPLE ARE PAYING THEIR DRAINAGE CHARGE. AND YES, THERE ARE NEEDS ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, I THINK IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT, BUT WE'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY AS A BODY IN THE PAST TO HAVE A FAIR WAY OF FUNDING THIS THROUGH CIP AMENDMENTS. AND IT WAS THE WILL OF MOST OF THIS BODY NOT TO DO IT IN THAT MANNER. AND SO NOW, IF WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT ONE-OFFS AS FAR AS PROJECTS AND NOT A MORE FAIR WAY OF FUNDING THIS, UM, AND GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS. SO IF THOSE ARE THE RULES THAT WE'RE PLAYING BY, I'M TRYING TO GET THIS MONEY FOR MY DISTRICT. SO THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE. THERE'S NO REASON FOR THIS MONEY TO SIT HERE. THESE ARE SHOVEL READY PROJECTS. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY AND COMMISSIONER KAGEL HAVE BOTH AGREED THAT THEY CAN TAKE OVER THE CONSTRUCTION OF THESE PROJECTS SO THERE WOULDN'T BE A CAPACITY ISSUE FOR PUBLIC WORKS OR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IF WE CAN TRANSFER THE MONEY AND DO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THEM, THEY'RE READY TO GO. WELL, LEMME JUST SAY THAT THE CIP COMES UP, UM, IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS MM-HMM . THAT'S ONE WAY. UH, BUT I DON'T SEE HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALLOCATE THESE DOLLARS TO ONE DISTRICT. I JUST TOLD COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, NO, UH, TO HER REQUEST, AND THERE WERE EXTENSIVE REQUESTS. I TOLD, UM, VICE MAYOR PRO TIM, NO. YES. LAST YEAR. SO THE CIP IS COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. IF YOU WANNA HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, THEN WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION THEN, BUT I DO, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE EQUITABLE TO APPROPRIATE $55 MILLION TO JUST THE ONE DISTRICT AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERYBODY ELSE. BUT I LEAVE THAT TO THE COUNCIL, TO THE DISTRICTS. IF NOT THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MEMBERS DISTRICTS WANT TO DEFER AND GIVE YOU THE MONEY THEN, SO BE IT. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, KOSH MAYOR, WHEN I HEAR THAT, UH, THAT THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN A RAINY DAY FUND AND THEY'RE NOT USING IT AS, TO ME, THAT'S INSANE. AND IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. AND, AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY COUNCIL MEMBER PECK IS FEELING LIKE SHE IS, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE BEFORE HER BEING A COUNCIL MEMBER, BUT SHE WAS WORKING WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER STARK AND THIS NEWAGE ROAD PROJECT AND ALL THAT'S FLOODING IN DISTRICT A WHAT GETS ME IS IT IS SOME, THESE HOUSES ARE FLOODING WHEN WE JUST HAVE A GOOD RAIN, YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT A HURRICANE, BUT A BUT A HEAVY RAIN. AND THAT, THAT CONCERNS ME. WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING TO MITIGATE THE FLOODING. SO I'LL CERTAINLY BE SUPPORTING THIS. I BELIEVE THAT, UH, SHE'S GOT TO PUSH THIS FOR HER DISTRICT. AND, UH, SO I'LL SUPPORT HER. UH, VICE MAYOR CASTEK TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I, I DEFINITELY FEEL YOU. I I, I DEFINITELY FEEL YOU. WE, WE'VE GOT SOME PROJECTS IN DISTRICT A THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED DONE SPECIFICALLY IN ALAMEDA PLAZA. AND I'D LOVE TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF FUNDING. UM, WHEN I READ YOUR AMENDMENTS, I HAD A CONVERSATION, MAYOR, AND I'D LIKE IF WE COULD GET CLARIFICATION FROM DIRECTOR HADDOCK. I, I DON'T THINK THAT THIS MONEY IS NOT COMMITTED. I THINK THIS IS THE MONEY THAT WE USE FOR FEDERAL LOCAL MATCH. UM, WHEN I JUST GOT THERE, IF, IF I HEARD CORRECTLY THAT THIS WAS THE MONEY THAT WE USED TO APPROPRIATE FOR OUR FEDERAL, LOCAL MATCHES, AND WE CAN'T GET THOSE GRANTS IF WE DON'T HAVE THE LOCAL MATCHES. SO THAT IS TRUE. IT'S NOT REALLY NOT COMMITTED FUNDING. AND THAT IS TRUE. AND SHE SAID YOU USE THAT USE AS DEFINED IN THE CHARTER AMENDMENTS FUNDING IS TIED TO EXISTING CONTRACTS. WE SET ALL FUNDING TIED TO AN EXECUTED [05:00:01] CONTRACT IN A RESTRICTED ACCOUNT BECAUSE IT CAN BE SPENT ELSEWHERE. AND SO THAT IS A PART OF, UM, HOW IT IS BEING USED. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCILMAN PET GIVE YOU THE FINAL WORD BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. IF YOU'LL ALL REFER TO THE PACKET THAT WERE PASSED OUT. I'M IN THERE. I'M IN THERE. I'M SORRY, MAYOR. I'M IN THE QC TOO. COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, I WANTED TO JUST WEIGH IN AND SAY, I, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND ADVOCATING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY AND FLOODING AND, AND JUST WANTED TO WEIGH IN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LAST YEAR'S CIP AMENDMENTS, I, I TURNED IN FOUR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WHERE WE HAVE STRUCTURAL FLOODING THAT HAS BEEN VERY SEVERE AND, AND, AND WAS TOLD IT WAS PREMATURE. WE ARE STILL WAITING. YOU KNOW, THE, THE COMMUNITIES OF INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, NORTHLINE, DENVER HARBOR, EAST TEXAS, JENSEN, THIS INCORPORATES A, YOU KNOW, SO MUCH, SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE STRUGGLING AND LIVING IN POVERTY AND, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ALL ALL OVER OUR CITY, BUT, BUT IT'S REALLY CONCENTRATED IN SOME AREAS. AND I JUST NAMED FOUR THAT IT'S A BIG PROBLEM IN MY DISTRICT. YOU KNOW, I, I I I COMMEND YOU FOR REPRESENTING YOUR DISTRICT AND TRYING TO GET FUNDS THERE, BUT, BUT THAT, I DON'T BELIEVE THIS IS THE EQUITABLE WAY TO DO IT. YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE LOOKING ALL OVER OUR CITY, INCLUDING MY DISTRICT AS WELL. THANK YOU. RIGHT. AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT THESE FUNDS ARE ALREADY APPROPRIATED FOR THE CURRENT CIP PROJECTS. COUNCILMAN P SO I, I HEAR WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT PUBLIC WORKS IS SAYING THAT THESE FUNDS ARE ALREADY COMMITTED. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER P THANK YOU, MAYOR. IF Y'ALL REFER TO THE PACKETS THAT I PASSED OUT, UM, AND FLIP TO THE LAST PAGE WHERE IT SHOWS THE BREAKDOWN OF, UM, THE D-D-S-R-F DRAINAGE CHARGE, WHERE IT SHOWS THE $68 MILLION IN THE FUND BALANCE AS RESTRICTED, NOT COMMITTED. AND YOU CAN FLIP TO ALL OF THE OTHER FISCAL YEARS, STARTING WITH 2012, UM, WHEN, WELL, THIS PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2011, SO 2012 IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THERE WERE REAL FUNDS IN THIS. AND YOU CAN SEE A FUND BALANCE EVERY FISCAL YEAR. NOW, PRIOR TO FISCAL YEAR 2020, I BELIEVE IT WAS KIND OF CO-MINGLED WITH THE OTHER REBUILD HOUSTON MONEY. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO TELL, BUT SINCE THAT, UM, HAS BEEN IN ITS OWN, IN ITS OWN FUND NUMBER, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A FUND BALANCE EVERY SINGLE FISCAL YEAR. SO TO ME, THAT SHOWS THAT MONEY IS BEING LEFT IN THIS ACCOUNT NOT BEING SPENT. AND IF IT IS COMMITTED TO PROJECTS, IT SURELY DOESN'T SHOW THAT IN THIS BUDGET. ALSO, IT SHOWS THAT WE ARE SPENDING, UM, $112 MILLION ON PROJECTS FROM MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS AND OPERATING TRANSFERS. AND LOOKING AT THIS BUDGET, TO ME THAT IS SHOWING WHAT THE CIP PROJECTS ARE FOR. AND THE REST IS A FUND BALANCE. IF THIS MONEY IS ACTUALLY COMMITTED TOWARDS PROJECTS, IT WOULDN'T BE IN THE FUND BALANCE, IT WOULD BE COMMITTED. SO THERE'S MONEY EVERY FISCAL YEAR BEING LEFT ON THE TABLE WHEN PEOPLE ARE FLOODING. COUNCILMAN AQUAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'M LOOKING AT THE FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT EN ENTER. I MEAN, WE TREAT THE D-D-S-R-F AS AN ENTERPRISE FUND, BASICALLY, UM, ENTERPRISE FUND RESERVE POLICIES, IT SAYS EACH ENTERPRISE FUND AS DEFINED SHALL HAVE AN APPROPRIATE WRITTEN METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM CASH RESERVES TO SERVE AS A MARGIN OR BUFFER FOR MEETING OBLIGATIONS, MITIGATING RISKS, AND ENSURING STABLE SERVICES AND FEES. SO MY QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM OF RESERVES IN THIS, IN THIS FUND? AND AGAIN, WHAT I'M BEING TOLD COUNCILMAN MALCO IS THAT AS THESE CONTRACTS ARE BEING COME THROUGH AND THEY PULL FROM THE FUND BALANCE TO GO ON TO THESE EXISTING CONTRACTS AND THAT THOSE DOLLARS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE TO BE DISPERSED AROUND THIS TABLE. THAT'S IS WHAT I'M BEING TOLD. SO IT'S NOT A MINIMUM OR MAXIMUM AMOUNT. AND THE FUND BALANCE, IT'S LIKE A REVOLVING FUND IT TO PAY AS YOU LIKE REACH. IT'S WHERE THEY HOLD THE DOLLARS AND THEN AS THE, THE, THE CONTRACTS COME THROUGH, THEY PULL FROM THIS FUND BALANCE TO PAY ON THOSE EXISTING CONTRACTS. IT'S LIKE A REVOLVING FUND. THAT'S WHAT PUBLIC WORKS IS TELLING ME. OKAY. AND AGAIN, AND EVEN WHAT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. THEN THE OTHER ISSUE IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE, IF IT DID EXIST AND GIVE IT TO ONE COUNCIL MEMBER, AND THEN THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL HAVE TO DECIDE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. [05:05:01] THANK YOU MAYOR. I HAVE A QUESTION ON THIS LAST PAGE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BECK, IT SAYS, NONS SPENDABLE, RESTRICTED, COMMITTED, ASSIGNED UNASSIGNED. AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS RESTRICTED, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE RESTRICTED PART IS? YES, I DO. CAN I ANSWER HIS QUESTION? WELL, I'M ASKING YOU. OKAY. UM, I HAVE, UM, FROM THE PRE, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION, UM, FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT WHEN THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ENTERPRISE FUNDS. UM, AND RESTRICTED IS, UM, FUND BALANCE SHOULD BE REPORTED AS RESTRICTED WHEN CONSTRAINTS PLACED ON THE USE OF RESOURCES ARE EXTERNALLY IMPOSED, ET CETERA. COMMITTED IS SELF-IMPOSED LEGAL LIMITATION BY GOVERNMENT'S HIGHEST LEVEL DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY. UM, SO BASICALLY IF IT'S, IT'S RESTRICTED TO THE D-D-S-R-F ACCOUNT, BUT COMMITTED MEANS THAT IT'S NOT COMMITTED TO ANY PROJECT. AND IF IT IS, IT SHOULD SURELY SAY THAT IN THE BUDGET ALSO. LET, LET, LET ME LET, 'CAUSE LET ME ASK MELISSA TO COME SPEAK TO THIS BECAUSE COUNCIL MEMBER, I THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO TAKE DOLLARS THAT DON'T EXIST. OKAY? THAT'S NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, IT'S UNFAIR TO ALL THE OTHER DISTRICT MEMBERS IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS. UM, THEN EVERYBODY ELSE IS SAYING, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE IS GREATER THAN THE OTHER. BUT MELISSA, MELISSA WILL JUST COME AROUND BECAUSE I THINK SHE CAN SPEAK TO THIS AND BEAR MIND. WELL, I GUESS MY QUESTION, MAYOR, IS YOU'D MENTIONED THAT, THAT THESE DOLLARS, THESE RESTRICTED DOLLARS WE USE TO COVER MATCHING COSTS WITH WITH OTHER GRANTS. YEAH, I'M SAYING MELISSA, IS THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE RESTRICTION? MELISSA CAN SPEAK TO THIS. MELISSA DUBROSKI, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THIS AND, AND CLARIFY. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, SO THE FUNDS THAT ARE SHOWN IN THERE ARE NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANY NEW PROJECTS. THEY'RE SET ASIDE TO PAY FOR, UM, CONTRACTS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE FOR EXISTING PROJECTS SINCE IT'S A PAY AS YOU GO FOR THE STREET AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, WE ENTER INTO THE CONTRACTS ON THE PROJECTS. THEY HAPPEN, THE INVOICES COME SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND WE USE THE CASH TO PAY FOR THEM. OKAY, SO THAT, SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THE CA THE MONEY THAT'S SHOWING RESTRICTED, WHICH SHOWS AS A FUND BALANCE ISN'T REALLY A FUND BALANCE. IT'S RESTRICTED BECAUSE WE OWE THAT MONEY ON A PAY AS YOU GO, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE REMOVING CIP PROJECTS AND PAYING 'EM WITH THE D-D-S-R-F, RIGHT? AS PAY AS YOU GO. CORRECT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS TO MELISSA? OKAY, THANKS. THANK YOU. UH, BACK TO YOU COUNCILMAN PAT. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I THINK WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE BUDGET, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THAT IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, MONEY THAT'S COMMITTED AND IT'S NOT SHOWING THAT IT'S COMMITTED IN THIS. UM, BUT EVERY YEAR THERE IS A FUND BALANCE. SO EVEN IF THIS MONEY IS COMMITTED TOWARDS CERTAIN PROJECTS, A LOT OF TIMES THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER AT THE END OF EACH FISCAL YEAR. WE ARE NOT SPENDING AS MUCH MONEY AS WE ARE ACTUALLY ALLOCATING FOR THE CIP. SO THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER. UM, BUT IF THAT IS THE CASE THAT, UM, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS SAYING THAT THIS MONEY IS COMMITTED TOWARDS PROJECTS, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA TAKE MONEY FROM OTHER PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN COMMITTED TO PEOPLE. SO IN LIGHT OF THAT, I WILL SUBMIT AN ALTERNATE AMENDMENT TO THIS. LIZ, YOU YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT I HAVE AN ALTERNATE AMENDMENT TO THIS BE AND BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA TAKE MONEY FROM OTHER COUNCIL DISTRICTS. SO YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WITHDRAW THIS AMENDMENT. YOU BEAR. MAAM, WE GOT 40 SOME OTHER AMENDMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PAC. LIZ IS PASSING IT OUT. WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THIS AMENDMENT DO? COUNCIL MEMBER PAK. SO THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THAT AMENDMENT THAT BASICALLY SAYS THAT ANY ACTUAL FUND BALANCE THAT IS LEFT IN AT, AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR THAT HAS NOT BEEN SPENT ON ANY PROJECT IN FISCAL YEAR 23 SHALL GO TOWARDS THESE TWO PROJECTS. BUT, BUT IT DOESN'T EXIST. I'M GONNA RULE THAT OUT OF ORDER. IT DOESN'T EXIST. NEXT AMENDMENT. I RULE THAT OUT OF ORDER. IT DOESN'T EXIST. WE'RE NOT GONNA DEAL WITH SOMETHING AS A HYPOTHETICAL AMENDMENT. MAYOR, MOTION TO OVERRULE. I SECOND THAT. MOTION? YEAH. MOTION OVERRULES. MOTION THERE A SECOND. MOTION? NO SECOND. THERE'S A SECOND. SECOND. HUFFMAN. SECOND. SECOND. OKAY, SPEAK TO IT. MAYOR. EVERY FISCAL YEAR, CERTAINLY IN DISTRICT A, WE'VE HAD PROJECTS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN IN A FISCAL YEAR AND DID NOT HAPPEN AND WERE PUSHED TO ANOTHER FISCAL YEAR. [05:10:01] THEREFORE, IF THERE WAS MONEY COMMITTED, LIKE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS SAYING THAT THERE IS MONEY COMMITTED TO A SPECIFIC PROJECT AND IT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THAT FISCAL YEAR, THEN THAT MEANS THAT THERE IS MONEY AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR LEFT OVER. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, I WANNA PUT IT TOWARDS THESE TWO PROJECTS. OKAY. AND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING EX EXISTS BY EVERY DISTRICT AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE DEALING WITH AMENDMENTS FOR DOLLARS THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY EXIST. IT MAKES NO SENSE. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM BEFORE WE VOTE? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF WAIT, WAIT. THERE'S A MOTION TO OVERRULE THE CHAIR, RIGHT? AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON. WE'RE VOTING ON A MOTION TO OVERRULE. ALL IN FAVOR IN OVERRULING THE CHAIR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS. AND OPPOSED AND OVERRULING THE CHAIR. MOTION FAILS. NEXT AMENDMENT 6.02. THIS IS TO EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF INSTALLING ARTIFICIAL TURF AT LIBRARY GROUNDS AND MULTIPURPOSE CENTERS. AND, UM, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT BOARD MAYOR. MM-HMM . WE, THE, THE VOTE WAS FOR WHETHER OR NOT WAS GONNA OVERRULE THE CHAIR, RIGHT? OH, SO 6.01 STILL IS, IS BEFORE US. I RULE IT OUT OF ORDER. OH, WELL THERE YOU GO. WE STILL HAVE TO VOTE ON THE ONE. DID YOU WITHDRAW THE, YOUR ORIGINAL AMENDMENT? I THOUGHT YOU WAS RULING THE, THE ALTERNATE NEW AMENDMENT. THE AMENDMENT WAS RULED OUT OF ORDER. WE VOTED ON THAT 6.01. AS I SUBMITTED ORIGINALLY, I'M WITHDRAWING BECAUSE BACK, BACK OF THE LIGHT OF NEW INFORMATION THAT I'M NOT TAKING. HOLD, HOLD, HOLD, HOLD IT, HOLD IT. WE ARE BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL AMENDMENT. ARE YOU ADVANCING YOUR ORIGINAL AMENDMENT? AND SHE SAID WE SHOULD WITHDRAW. I'M WITHDRAWING. WITHDRAW. OKAY, NEXT AMENDMENT. NEXT AMENDMENT. SO 6.02 IS ABOUT, UM, INSTALLING ARTIFICIAL TURF AT LIBRARY GROUNDS AND MULTIPURPOSE CENTERS. WE HEARD IN THE BUDGET HEARINGS THAT MOWING IS VERY EXPENSIVE. AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, UM, LIMIT SOME OF THIS MOWING, THAT WOULD BE, UM, A BIG FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO THE CITY. UM, AND THIS IS NOT FOR PARKS, THIS IS NOT FOR BIG AREA GRASSY AREAS. I'M THINKING MORE IN TERMS OF, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TWO LIBRARIES IN DISTRICT A HAVE VERY SMALL PATCHES OF GRASS THAT TO HAVE PEOPLE DRIVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE, SPEND THE GAS MONEY, SPEND THE TIME TO MOW TINY PATCHES OF GRASS, IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH THAT AREA TO SAVE MONEY. ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE SPRING BRANCH AREA? ARE YOU REFERRING TO THE ENTIRE DISTRICT A REFERRING THE ENTIRE CITY? ENTIRE CITY. JUST TO EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR CITY. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PARKS ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON, NOT PARKS MAYOR. UM, JUST LIBRARIES AND MULTIPURPOSE CENTERS, NOT PARKS THAT OF COURSE WE WANNA KEEP GRASS, RURAL GRASS AT PARKS, YES. SHALL EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF STARTING ON FISH CHURCH AT LIBRARY GROUNDS AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTER GROUNDS. OKAY. AND THIS IS MEMBER CAYMAN. OKAY. AND COUNCILMAN KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I APPRECIATE, UM, THIS AMENDMENT. I KNOW THAT THERE WERE DURING THE BUDGET CONVERSATIONS WITH PARKS, SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND ASTROTURF. I HAVE A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, UM, RELATED TO, LOOK, WE'RE WE'RE THE HOME OF ASTROTURF, LITERALLY. UM, SO I'M NOT OPPOSED TO LOOKING AT THIS AT ALL. I WOULD JUST ASK THAT WE ALSO DIRECT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT TO CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ALONG WITH THAT. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS IS ACTUAL, UM, PLASTIC INVOLVED. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME STUDIES RELATED TO CONTAMINATION. READ OFF. IF IT'S A SMALL AREA, IT MAY NOT IMPACT THAT. UM, I KNOW THAT ASTROTURF CAN ALSO CREATE ADDITIONAL HEAT, UM, ISSUES. SO MY ONLY ASK WITH THIS AMENDMENT AND I FULLY SUPPORT IT, IS IT, UH, FOLLOWING THE WORDS, UH, SHALL EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS AT AN AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF INSTALLING SO THAT WE ARE DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT TO LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF THIS, BUT ALSO THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OR, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS OF IT. JUST SO THAT IT'S CLEAR AMENDMENT ACCEPT YES, I ACCEPT THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. OKAY. OKAY. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT? YEP. IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED? GRANTED NOW THE ITEM IS UP 6.02 AS AMENDED. DISCUSSION ON THAT ONE, MARTIN? UM, MAY I, YEAH, JUST MAKING SURE THAT THIS IS MIXED EXPLORATION OF THE BENEFITS BECAUSE IF WE'RE PURCHASING AN ARTIFICIAL TURF, THAT'S AN EXPENDITURE WITH NO PULL DOWN ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO THIS IS JUST EXPLORING THE COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF INSTALLING ARTIFICIAL TURF. THAT IS CORRECT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED. UH, NEXT ITEM 6.03 IS, UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS SHALL EVALUATE THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF SHARING MODI MOWING DUTIES. ON ESPLAN LIBRARY GROUNDS AND MULTIPURPOSE CENTER GROUNDS. RIGHT NOW, PUBLIC WORKS AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT BOTH HAVE MOWING, UM, DUTIES. AND IF THERE'S A WAY THAT WE, I SUPPORTED COUNCIL MEMBER, I SUPPORTED ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM. DISCUSSION [05:15:01] IN FAVOR OF POST GRANITE. THANKS. SIX POINT. NEXT, NEXT ITEM 6.04. UM, THIS IS EXPLORING THE FINANCIAL BENEFITS OF TAKING OVER MOWING ALONG MAJOR THOROUGHFARES FOR RESIDENTS WHEN THERE'S NO ACCESS TO GET THERE. WE HAVE STREETS IN OUR DISTRICT WHERE IT'S BLOCKED OFF BY A FENCE. AND EVEN THOUGH THE ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT, THERE'S JUST NO FEASIBLE WAY FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY DO THIS. OKAY. DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF POST GRANTED. NEXT, ITEM 6.05. IT'S RULED OUT OF ORDER, REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. NEXT ITEM. MOTION TO OVERRULE. I SECOND THAT MOTION, THEN SECONDED. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER JACK. MORNING. . UM, SINCE YOU WAS OVERRULING SEEKING A MOTION, IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE. ALL IN FAVOR OF HER MOTION TO OVERRULE. RAISE YOUR HAND. OPPOSED? OPPOSED. EVERYONE ELSE? IT FAILS. NEXT ITEM. POINT. POINT OF ORDER. I'M SORRY. POINT OF ORDER OF ORDER. YES. UM, WHEN SOMETHING IS RULED OUT OF ORDER, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE CAN SPECIFICALLY BE A MOTION TO OVERRULE. I, AGAIN, I'M NOT, I DON'T HAVE MY ROBERT'S RULES WITH ME, BUT I I DO KNOW I DO. SO, MAYOR, I BELIEVE WHAT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS THE ORIGINAL ONE THAT WE, THAT WAS ATTEMPTED TO BE OVERRULED WAS ONE THAT WAS ACCEPTED BY THE CHAIR ORIGINALLY. AND THEN, UM, YOU MADE A DECISION THAT WAS OVERRULED WHEN SHE SUBMITTED A, UH, A, A SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT. RIGHT. BUT THIS ONE WAS ALREADY RULED OUT OF ORDER BEFORE WE GOT HERE. AND SO THEREFORE I DON'T THINK A VOTE WAS REQUIRED. IT'S ALREADY BEEN RULED OUT OF, OUT OF ORDER. YEAH, BUT SHE, SHE WAS CHALLENGING, SO I WOULD JUST LOOK, BUT I, I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THAT UNLESS IT'S ON THE FLOOR ALREADY. WELL, I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU. I'M, I'M JUST LOOK, SAY SOMETHING TORO MICHELLE. NO, THAT IS A PROPER PROCEDURE. IF A COUNCIL MEMBER CHALLENGES A RULING OF THE MAYOR AND THERE'S A SECOND, THEN IT CAN BE PUT TO A VOTE. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID. OKAY. MOTION TO RULE FAILED. NEXT ITEM 6.06. ALSO RULE OUT OF ORDER. ALSO RULED OUT OF ORDER. IT REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE MOTION TO OVERRULE. IS THERE, I SECOND, I SECOND THAT MOTION. BUT THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU SAID YOU'D WORKED WITH ME, MAYOR ON THE, UM, THE FIXED LICENSE PLATE READERS, UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD AS WELL ABOUT GETTING IT. YOU, BUT YOU PULLED IT BACK. THIS COUNCIL MEMBER CHOOSING TO CHALLENGE THIS ONE. I DID. NO. OH, OKAY. GOT IT RIGHT HERE. SO THERE'S A MOTION. OVERRULED. IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND. OKAY. AND NO REASON TO, UH, TO OVERRULE THE CHAIR. MY REASON TO MAKE THIS MOTION IS BECAUSE ANYTHING THAT HAS A FISCAL NOTE ASSOCIATED WITH IT HAS TO DO WITH THE BUDGET AND THEREFORE CAN BE HEARD WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET. I'D LIKE TO REMOVE MY SECOND. I'M SORRY. I'D LIKE TO REMOVE MY SECOND. OKAY, THE SECOND IS REMOVED. IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION? OVERRULE? HEARING NONE NOW. THERE IS NO SECOND. NEXT ITEM. 6 0 7. 6 0 7. IF YOU ARE ADVANCING, UM, 6.07. MAYOR, IN LIGHT OF THE INFORMATION THAT CAME OUT YESTERDAY ABOUT, UM, HIRING RETIRED POLICE OFFICERS, I WILL WITHDRAW THIS AMENDMENT. NEXT ITEM 6.08 IS TO EXPLORE THE FINANCIAL AND OTHER BENEFITS OF HIRING RETIRED FIREFIGHTERS, UM, FOR FIRE INSPECTIONS. THIS IS TO SUPPLEMENT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MANY DUTIES RIGHT NOW. AND SO IF WE CAN HIRE PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE ALREADY TO DO THE ADMINISTRATION SPECIALIZED ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT, I SUPPORT IT. UM, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON IT? DISCUSSION? YES, YOUR HONOR. MAY I APPROACH HIM, MARTIN? NOT TO BE PICKY. I FIND THIS TO NOT BE A BUDGET AMENDMENT, SO I'LL VOTE AGAINST IT. UM, OKAY. ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORTED, UM, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED AGAINST, UH, GRANTED. SO MAYOR, PRETEND VOTING NOTE. NEXT ITEM, A BUDGET AMENDMENT. NEXT ITEM 6 0 9 IS THAT 6.09. AND THAT ONE IS OUT OF ORDER. REQUIRES AN ORDINANCE MAYOR, UM, JUST TO NOT WASTE EVERYONE'S TIME, IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NOT A WILL OF THIS BODY TO OVERRIDE YOUR RULING. SO I WILL JUST GO ON TO THE ONES, UM, THAT YOU HAVE NOT RULED OUT OF ORDER. OKAY. SO THE NEXT ONE THAT YOU'RE ADVANCING, THE NEXT ONE IS SIX POINT 10. OKAY. UM, AND THIS ONE, UM, YOU WANNA EXPLAIN IT. THIS IS, UM, TO ALLOCATE MONEY FOR THE 9 1 1 TELECOMMUNICATORS [05:20:01] AT THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER. IT'S $585,000. UM, THE FUNDING SOURCE IS FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THEY ARE ADDING 10 NEW EMPLOYEES TO THEIR DEPARTMENT, WHICH OF COURSE IS VERY NEEDED. BUT IN MY OPINION, THE 9 1 1 TELECOMMUNICATORS, UM, THIS IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU CALL, UM, THE NON-EMERGENCY LINE, THERE IS NO ONE THERE TO PICK UP THE PHONE. AND SO THE $585,000, UM, THIS WOULD BASICALLY MEAN A $3,214 A YEAR PAY RAISE PER THE 182 EMPLOYEES THERE. OKAY? AND THE REASON WHY I OPPOSE THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE DECISION. I MEAN, YOU'RE TAKING IT FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. WHERE'S A NEED? UH, IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE WERE DEALING WITH A HAZARDOUS PAY ISSUE. THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE CALL AND WE ARE, WE ARE ADDRESSING ALL OF OUR HIRING AND ALL 23 OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. SO AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, MICROMANAGING AND, AND ADMINISTRATION OPPOSES. COUNCILMAN MIN LOCK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR CITY LEGAL. I BELIEVE THIS ONE ALSO VIOLATES OUR CITY CHARTER THAT REQUIRES US TO STAY AWAY FROM TELLING DIRECTORS OF CORP OF, UH, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS HOW TO SPEND THEIR MONEY. UH, WE'RE WE'RE RESTRICTING, UH, THIS PARTICULAR ADMINISTRATOR TO HIRING 10 NEW EMPLOYEES FOR THIS PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AM I ACCURATE ON THAT THOUGHT? UH, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT THE CHARTER PROVIDES IS ANY COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DIRECTING A A DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR, WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED HERE IS AN ACTION BY COUNCIL AS A WHOLE, WHICH WOULD BE, WHICH WOULD BE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT, BUT IT MAY IMPINGE ON THE ABILITY OF THE MAYOR TO UNDER THE CHARTER. THE MAYOR ALSO HAS COMPLETE CONTROL OVER ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS. I THINK IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT CHARTER PROVISION. OKAY? ITEM IS B FOUR, UH, SIX POINT 10. ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTRATION OPPOSES. PLUS WE HAVE OUR WHOLE PAY RAISES. LIKE FIRE HAS THIS NEGOTIATIONS. POLICE HAVE THEIR NEGOTIATIONS WHERE THERE'S A NEED ADMINISTRATIVELY, WE WILL WORK TO MEET THAT NEED TO PICK OUT ONE GROUP AND TO DIRECT FUNDS TO THIS ONE GROUP, UH, GOES CONTRARY TO WHAT WE ARE DOING ADMINISTRATIVELY ACROSS THE BOARD. SO ADMINISTRATION OPPOSES ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON SIX 10 IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. OKAY. YOU GOT A VOTE. Y OPPOSED? OKAY, THE ITEM FAILS. NEXT ITEM. THE NEXT ONE, UM, IS SIX POINT 18. 6.1. YEAH. SIX POINT 18. SIX POINT 18. UM, THIS IS, UM, ANY FUND BALANCE FROM THE CONTAINER. LEASE FEE AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR SHALL BE A ALLOCATED TO THE WATER AID TO ELDERLY RESIDENTS FUND. UM, AND IT APPEARS FROM THE BUDGET THAT THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER, UM, IN THE, AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR FROM THIS ACCOUNT IS A LITTLE BIT HARD TO TRACK SINCE THE, THERE'S MULTIPLE GL LINES FROM THE CONTAINER LEASE FEE, BUT IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS MONEY LEFT OVER AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. SO, OF COURSE, MY PREFERENCE IS THAT WE LOWER THAT FEE, BUT I'M SURE THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. SO IF WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY SPENDING AS MUCH MONEY ON THE CARTS AS WE'RE TAKING IN, THEN THIS WOULD BE A BENEFIT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED. AND THE REASON WHY THE ADMINISTRATION OPPOSES, BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, WE ARE SETTING UP THAT PARTICULAR ACCOUNT FOR THESE CONTAINER FEES. SO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE AMOUNT IS. UM, BUT THE DOLLARS ARE SPENT ON CON ON THE CONTAINERS FOR THE CONTAINERS. AND SECONDLY, IF THERE'S ANY UNENDED BALANCE, IT NEEDS TO GO TO SOLID WASTE. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR SOLID WASTE. SO THAT'S WHERE THESE DOLLARS NEED TO GO. THE DOLLARS ARE BEING GENERATED FOR THE, FOR THE CONTAINERS FOR SOLID WASTE. AND IF THE, IF THERE ARE ANY LEFTOVER DOLLARS, THEY NEED TO STAY WITHIN SOLID WASTE. THAT'S WHY I'M OPPOSING. UM, UM, THE ADMINISTRATION IS OPPOSING THIS AMENDMENT. UM, DISCUSSION ON SIX 18. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT. OPPOSE AMENDMENT FAILS. NEXT SIX POINT 20. THIS SIX POINT 20. THIS IS TO REVIEW THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE CITY CIVIC ART PROGRAM, SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO EXEMPTING THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. IN THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM THE PROGRAM. THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF $7.8 MILLION THAT COULD BE REALLOCATED TO THE DEPARTMENTS IF THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS. COURTS ART IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT IN LIGHT OF WHAT THE CITY IS GOING THROUGH WITH THE DEMANDS FOR HPD AND HFD, THINK THIS MONEY, MONEY COULD BE BETTER ALLOCATED AT THIS TIME. OKAY? BUT THIS IS, THIS IS UNDOING THE, THE PUBLIC [05:25:01] ART PROGRAM THAT WAS INSTITUTED YEARS AGO, UH, FOR THE, UM, THROUGH THE CIP FOR PUBLIC ART TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ART ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THIS AMENDMENT HAS THE EFFECT OF PRETTY MUCH UNDOING IT. MAYOR, THIS IS JUST FOR THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS. IT'S NOT UNDOING THE ENTIRE ORDINANCE, IT'S JUST EXEMPTING TWO DEPARTMENTS FROM THIS ORDINANCE BECAUSE THE MONEY COULD BE BETTER ALLOCATED TO THOSE DEPARTMENTS. BUT WE ARE GIVING, WE'RE GIVING THE DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW WHAT THEY NEED. WHY WE WANNA UNDO THE ART PROGRAM. I, I JUST CAN'T, I CAN'T SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT. I DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION. COUNCILMAN, CAN YOU CLARIFY? IS THIS AN ORDINANCE? NO, SHE'S, SHE'S REDIRECTING MONEY THAT THE OR EXISTING ORDINANCE PROVIDE FOR, AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO REVISIT THE ORDINANCE TO DO THAT. OH, I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. OKAY. ARTURO. YOU, I HADN. I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT THAT WAY, BUT WAS THIS REQUIRING ORDINANCE? WOULD THIS REQUIRE REVISION TO THE ORDINANCE? YEAH, I HADN'T, IT PROBABLY WOULD UNLESS YOU DID IT VOLUNTARILY THROUGH YOUR EXECUTIVE POWERS. YEAH. I'M SORRY. THIS, THIS WILL REQUIRE THE ORDINANCE TO BE REVISED. IT WAS SET UP BY ORDINANCE AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO REVISE IT. I'M GONNA HAVE TO RULE THIS ONE OUT OF ORDER. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. I'M SORRY. OKAY, SIX 20 IS RULED OUT OF ORDER. NEXT 6.22. I UNDERSTAND THAT MAYOR, THAT YOU SUPPORT WITH SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE AND I WILL ACCEPT THAT SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE. THIS IS ABOUT THE, UM, STRATEGIC VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM, LEASING VEHICLES. AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN EXPAND THIS PROGRAM THAT HAS ALREADY PROVED TO SAVE MONEY FOR THE CITY, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD EXPAND IT AS NECESSARY. ALRIGHT. AND THE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS AND YOU ADVANCING THE SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE? YES. YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, WHAT IS THAT? IT'S THE SUBSTITUTE ON THE LEASING OF VEHICLES. THE STRATEGIC VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR ALL TAKE HOME VEHICLES ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS THAT LANGUAGE. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS AMENDMENT? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 6.22. NEXT 6.23. THIS IS, IF THE ENDING FUND BALANCE IS ABOVE THE REQUIRED 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, 1% OF THE MONEY OVER THAT SHALL BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS PAYING THE CITY'S DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IN FISCAL YEAR 23, BASED ON THE PROPOSED UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, IT WOULD MEAN ABOUT $1.3 MILLION GOING TOWARDS DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. AND AS WE KNOW, THAT IS A BIG ISSUE THAT WE ARE ALWAYS FACING. SO ANY MONEY THAT WE CAN ALLOCATE TOWARDS THAT, UM, I THINK WOULD BE IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST. AND LEMME SAY ON 6.0, 6.23, WE ALREADY HAVE A FUND FORMULA NOW FOR DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. OKAY? RECOGNIZING IT'S NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. WE DO HAVE A HUGE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE. UM, BUT I WILL BE VERY RESISTANT TO TAKING AWAY FROM THE FUND BALANCE. WE'RE OBLIGATED TO MAINTAIN A FUND BALANCE OF 7.5% AND THEN WE TRY TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY FUND BALANCE TO EITHER BALANCE THE BUDGET AND THEN BEAR IN MIND WE HAVE RECURRING EXPENSES. POLICE, FIRE, MUNICIPAL WORKERS, WE'VE ALL AGREED TO THEIR FOR, TO THEIR PAY. THESE, THESE WILL BE INCURRING EXPENSES YEAR AFTER YEAR. AND WHEN YOU START TAKING AWAY FROM THE OBLIGATING PORTIONS OF THAT, UM, FUND BALANCE, YOU REALLY ARE NO LONGER HAVING A FUND BALANCE BECAUSE YOU'RE DEDICATING A PORTION TO OTHER SOURCES. AND SO I WILL ALWAYS BE OPPOSED TO, UM, MESSING WITH THE FUND BALANCE IN THIS MANNER. QUITE FRANKLY, IT'S NOT CONSERVATIVE GOVERNANCE AND IT'S NOT FISCALLY PRUDENT. SO I I I'M FIRMLY OPPOSED TO THIS ONE HERE. 6.23. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. YOU GOTTA VOTE. I'M SORRY. I'M DOING SO FAST. I GET DO A ROLL CALL THERE. 6.2. WE ON SIX. WE ON 6.23. IT FAILS. WE CAN MOVE ON. . COUNT THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENTS. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT. RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT. POLL, UH, HUFFMAN KNOX, UH, UH, ALCORN PLUMBER. AND, UM, PACK OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT. IF YOU OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT OBJECTION. IF YOU OPPOSED TO THIS AMENDMENT. COME WE GOTTA DO A ROLL CALL. MAYOR. WAIT. DO Y'ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU'RE VOTING ON? [05:30:02] NO, BUT I MEAN, BUT SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FUND BALANCE AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TAKING 1% AWAY FROM YOUR FUND BALANCE. Y'ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING? ALRIGHT, WE'RE GETTING READY TO VOTE ON THIS AMENDMENT. WE'RE GETTING READY, WE'RE GETTING READY TO VOTE ON THIS AMENDMENT. ALL IN FAVOR OF COUNCIL MEMBERS PEC FUND, I MEAN, AMENDMENT TO TAKE ROLL CALL TO TAKE 1% OF YOUR FUND BALANCE. OKAY. OKAY. CALL THE ROLL. MAYOR TURNER. NO. COUNCILMAN PECK? YES. COUNCILMAN JACKSON? NO. COUNCIL MCMAN? NO. COUNCILMAN EVAN SHABAZ? NO. COUNCILMAN MARTIN? NO. COUNCILMAN THOMAS? NO. COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN? YES. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS? NO. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS? NO. COUNCIL POLLARD? YES. COUNCIL CASTEX TATUM? NO. COUNCILMAN KNOX? YES. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON? NO. COUNCILMAN KOSH? YES. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER? YES. COUNCIL ALCORN? YES. FAIL 10. MOTION FAILS. TEN SEVEN. NEXT ITEM 6.25 IS SIMILAR TO THE LAST ONE, BUT INSTEAD OF IT GO WELL THIS, OH, SORRY, BUT I WAS LOOKING AT THE WRONG ONE. UM, THIS IS, UM, $2 MILLION SHALL BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS SWAT PROJECTS AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE 11 COUNCIL DISTRICTS. IT'S COMING FROM THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND, WHICH OF COURSE WE WANT TO KEEP A HUGE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND IN CASE OF HURRICANES OR OTHER RELATED EVENTS LIKE THAT. HOWEVER, THESE SWAT PROJECTS HAVE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM FLOODING. AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN PUT MORE MONEY INTO THOSE SWAT PROJECTS, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD DO THAT. THIS IS ON 6.25, TAKING, TAKEN 2 MILLION FROM YOUR BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND. WE OPPOSE IT. 'CAUSE YOUR BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND IS FOR YOUR HURRICANE SEASON. COUNCILMAN, YOU TAKE THE MONEY FROM THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND, HURRICANE SEASON COMES UP, YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, WE'LL GO SCRAMBLING FOR IT. UM, BUT I'LL LEAVE IT UP TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO VOTE ON, ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANNA TAKE MONEY FROM THE HURRICANE FUND, UM, FOR THESE OTHER PROJECTS. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I APPRECIATE THE FOCUS ON SWAT. UH, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT. AND CIP MAYOR, BASED ON YOUR REMARKS EARLIER TODAY, YOU ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK WITH PUBLIC WORKS AT ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SWAT. IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY. I I APPRECIATE THAT. AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I, I DON'T WANNA BE PUT IN A POSITION, BUT WHERE WE'RE VOTING AGAINST ADDITIONAL SWAP DOLLARS COMING TO OUR DISTRICTS MAYOR, BASED ON YOUR COMMITMENT TO EXPAND THAT FUNDING, UM, I, I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCIL MAYOR PRO MARTIN. SO WE ALREADY HAVE $2 MILLION ALLOCATED. SO I'M READING YOUR BUDGET AMENDMENT. IT SAYS 2 MILLION SHALL BE ALLOCATED. WE HAVE 2 MILLION ALLOCATED NOW. RIGHT? THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL $2 MILLION. OKAY. NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY STATED. THEN SHOULD BE 2 MILLION ADDITIONAL SHALL BE ALLOCATED. 'CAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE THE ALLOCATION OF 2 MILLION TO SWAT. OKAY. SO THAT MAKES A TOTAL OF 4 MILLION ALLOCATED. GOT IT. COUNCIL PAT, MAYOR, UM, BECAUSE OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN SWAT, WE WILL WITHDRAW THIS ONE AND APPRECIATE YOU ADDING MORE MONEY TO SWAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, ADMINISTRATION OPPOSED TO 6 1 2 5. ARE THOSE IN FAVOR OF 6 1 2 5? SHE WITHDREW. WITHDRAW? YES. OKAY. SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR THAT. NEXT ONE, 6.27. THIS IS TO REDUCE THE EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE THREE EMPLOYEES. THIS WOULD REDUCE IT TO TWO EMPLOYEES, UM, BEING CONSISTENT WITH SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. UM, AND THIS MONEY WOULD GO TOWARDS, UM, SALARY INCREASES FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT INSPECTORS AND TO HIRE NEW INSPECTORS. AS WE HEARD IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS, THE INSPECTORS ARE MAKING NOT ENOUGH MONEY. AND SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN INCREASE THEIR SALARIES IN THE CONDITIONS THAT THEY'RE WORKING IN, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD DO THAT. AND OF COURSE, THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES IS VERY IMPORTANT, COMPLETELY SUPPORT THAT DEPARTMENT. BUT WE ALSO HEARD IN THE BUDGET PRESENTATIONS THAT NONPROFITS DO MOST OF THIS WORK. AND THE CITY'S [05:35:01] JOB IS COORDINATING WITH THE NONPROFITS. SO IF THE CITY ISN'T THE ONES PRIMARILY DOING THAT WORK, UM, PERHAPS WE CAN REDUCE THAT DEPARTMENT A LITTLE BIT AND REALLOCATE THOSE DOLLARS. WELL, PRIMARILY THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT TWO EMPLOYEES AT THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. AND THEY DO QUITE A BIT OF WORK IN, IN COORDINATING WITH ALL OF THE, UM, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. IF YOU, IF YOU START REDUCING THAT, BASICALLY YOU'RE SAYING YOU ARE OPPOSED TO THE NEW AMERICANS AND, AND TO THE OFFICE. AND THIS IS A CITY BASED ON IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING TO THIS CITY. SO THIS, THIS, THIS GOES CONTRARY TO WHO WE ARE AS A CITY. IIII DISAGREE WITH WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON SIX POINTERS? COUNCILMAN PAT, MAYOR? I BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE TWO EMPLOYEES AND THEN IT INCREASED TO THREE. AND SO THIS IS JUST MOVING IT BACK DOWN TO TWO, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY. AND AGAIN, IF THE NONPROFITS ARE THE ONES DOING THE WORK, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT DEPARTMENT. BUT IF THE NONPROFITS ARE DOING THE WORK, THEN MAYBE WE CAN REALLOCATE THIS MONEY. YEAH. THREE. THERE ARE THREE DEPART. THERE ARE THREE EMPLOYEES IN THERE THAT JUST HIRED SOMEONE MAKING THREE, AND SHE MAKES, UH, $30,000. SO YOU WANNA ELIMINATE TWO OF THE THREE, WHICH EFFECTIVELY MEANS YOU ARE ELIMINATING THE, THE DEPARTMENT. AND I OPPOSE THAT. BUT THAT IS YOUR PRIVILEGE. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? HONOR, THAT'S IT. OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. SO YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF IT. OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENT. AMENDMENT DIES. NEXT 6.29 IS ADDING TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE, INFORMATION ABOUT COMPANIES RECEIVING BENEFITS FROM THE CITY, UM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE NAME OF THE COMPANY, THE TAX ABATEMENT AND THE TAX INCENTIVES. SO THIS IS FOR, UM, FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY AND WORKS IN CONJUNCTION WITH FINANCIAL POLICY. M NINE ADMINISTRATION SUPPORTS ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR POST GRANTED OPPOSED NO BUDGET AMENDMENT. UH, SHOW MAYOR PRO VOTING. NO. NEXT ITEM. IT DIDN'T. NEXT ITEM 6.32 IS A FINANCIAL POLICY SHALL BE MADE TO REQUIRE ALL INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER ENTITIES TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 90 DAYS AFTER THE PROCESS BEGINS. WE HAVE HEARD MULTIPLE TIMES THAT INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS TAKE SO LONG THAT IT CAUSES CERTAIN ENTITIES TO NOT WANT TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN, UM, INCRE ACCELERATE THAT TIMELINE, PERHAPS WE CAN LEVERAGE THE MONEY WITH OTHER ENTITIES FOR THE, UM, BENEFIT OF, YOU KNOW, FLOODING MITIGATION PROJECTS OR OTHER PROJECTS. AND QUITE FRANKLY, COUNCIL MEMBER, I DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO GET TO AT THIS ONE HERE. UM, I MEAN, GIVE, GIMME, GIMME AN EXAMPLE. I, I I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE, I DON'T QUITE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR HERE, MAYOR. WHEN OTHER ENTITIES, SUCH AS, LIKE THE COUNTY FOR EXAMPLE, THEY'RE TRYING TO DO AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, KIND OF LIKE WITH NEW ONES, UM, SOMETIMES IT TAKES SO MANY MONTHS TO ACTUALLY EXECUTE THAT IN OUR LOCAL AGREEMENT THAT WE'RE WAITING AND WAITING AWAITING. UM, AND THE PROJECT COULD HAVE ALREADY STARTED BY THEN. SO IT'S JUST TO ACCELERATE THAT TIMELINE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET THESE PROJECTS MOVING. THAT'S NOT A BUDGETARY AMENDMENT. I'M GONNA RULE THAT OUT OF ORDER. FISCAL POLICY. THANKS. 6.36. THIS IS TO ALLOCATE $585,000 FOR THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE FOR THE AUDIT DIVISION. UM, AND AGAIN, THIS MONEY COMES FROM, UM, THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. AUDITING IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE HAS FOUND A LOT OF MONEY IN EFFICIENCIES. UM, AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S CRUCIAL TO REALLY HAVE A ROBUST AUDIT DEPARTMENT IN OUR CITY. SO YOU ASKING FOR IT? THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE HAS NOT ASKED US FOR IT. WELL, IN THE PRESENTATION, UM, FROM THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, THEY MENTIONED A DECREASE IN THAT DEPARTMENT. WELL, THEY DIDN'T ASK. THEY HAVEN'T ASKED FOR ANY MONEY. AND THEN YOU WANT TO TAKE THE MONEY FROM THE CITY'S FINANCE DEPARTMENT. EXPLAIN THAT ONE TO ME. BECAUSE IT'S 10 NEW EMPLOYEES THAT THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, UM, IS HIRING THIS FISCAL YEAR. AND SO IT'S JUST A REALLOCATION OF THAT MONEY. THEY DIDN'T COME TO HIS OFFICE AND ASK FOR IT. AND IF THEY HAD SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR IT ALSO, WE PROBABLY WOULD'VE GIVEN IT TO THEM. [05:40:01] AND THEN NUMBER TWO, YOU WANNA TAKE IT FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT OVER HERE? I I, I CAN'T SUPPORT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER. I TRY TO WORK WITH YOU, BUT I, SORRY. DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE IN FAVOR OPPOSE AYES NEXT? YEP. I BELIEVE THAT IS ALL OF THEM. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UH, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE? WE ARE BACK ON THE, WE ARE BACK ON ITEM FIVE AS AMENDED ON NINE FIVE AS AMENDED DISCUSSION ON NINE FIVE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN OH NINE FIVE IS AMENDED. UM, REALLY QUICKLY, MAYOR, I MENTIONED IT BRIEFLY, BUT I THINK WHAT WE HAVE SEEN TIME AND AGAIN WITH EVERY SINGLE, UH, BUDGETARY PRESENTATION, EVEN THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE DISCUSSIONS OF AMENDMENTS, THE CON, THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO FALL UNDER ARE JUST NOT SUSTAINABLE, PERIOD. THEY'RE JUST NOT, UM, WHETHER IT'S WHAT POLICE NEEDS AND FIRE NEEDS IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY, CAD, UM, RMS, YOU NAME IT, WE STILL NEED IT. MULTIMILLION DOLLARS WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR LIBRARIES, PUBLIC WORKS, SOLID WASTE, THE LIST GOES ON. I WANNA BRING TO THE FOREFRONT, AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON THIS BUDGET, BUT AS OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS POINTED TO, WITHOUT THOSE ARPA DOLLARS, WE WOULD CONTINUE TO BE IN BIG TROUBLE. UM, AND I DON'T WANNA SEE US KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. UM, I KNOW THAT MORE AND MORE RESIDENTS ARE ENGAGING, UH, WITH THE BUDGET, WHICH I THINK IS TERRIFIC. BUT I THINK THE FOCUS, AGAIN, NEEDS TO BE ON THE FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON CONTINUES TO FALL UNDER. WHETHER IT'S THE STATE IMPOSED LIMITATIONS, WHETHER IT'S THE VOTER IMPOSED LIMITATIONS, UM, WE HAVE TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT. WE HAVE, AGAIN, IT IS UP TO THE VOTERS, BUT WE CANNOT PERFORM THE OBLIGATIONS LEGALLY THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO DO WITHOUT A REPRIEVE. SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE. OKAY. UH, SO I, AGAIN, I I LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING THIS BUDGET. I RECOGNIZE THE CHALLENGES THAT WE CONTINUE TO FACE, BUT I, I CAN'T VOTE WITHOUT SAYING IT. AGAIN, WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE REVENUE CAPS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON AND CONSTRAINTS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. AND, UM, LET ME JUST, UM, UM, WELL, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE BUDGET? ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE BUDGET? READY TO VOTE? MADAM SECRETARY, YOU CALL THE ROLL MAYOR TURNER. AYE. COUNCIL PEG? YES. COUNCILMAN JACKSON? YES. COUNCIL MC CAMAN? YES. COUNCIL EVANS CHABA? YES. COUNCILMAN MARTIN? YES. COUNCIL THOMAS? YES. COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN? YES. COUNCIL CISNEROS? YES. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS? YES. COUNCILMAN POLLARD? YES. COUNCILMAN CASTEX TATUM? YES. COUNCILMAN KNOX? NO. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON? YES. COUNCILMAN KOSH? NO. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER? YES. COUNCIL ALCORN? YES. THANK YOU ALL. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, UM, AND, AND FOR BEING ATTENTIVE, IF YOU WILL. I'M GONNA HAVE TO CHECK, UH, OUT AND I MAYOR PORT TIMMA. TAKE IT FROM HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, MADAM SECRETARY. NEXT ITEM. ONE SECOND. ITEM FIVE IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. I MEAN, ITEM SIX. I'M SORRY. ITEM SIX IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. I'M NOT DOING THAT AGAIN. ITEM SIX. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM SIX? IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM SEVEN IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ITEM SEVEN. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ORDINANCE PASSES. ITEM EIGHT IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. DISCUSSION ON ITEM EIGHT IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ORDINANCE CARRIES. ITEM 12 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ITEM 12. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM 12? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ORDINANCE CARRIES. ITEM 13 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ACT. ITEM 13 IS BEING TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. ITEM 14 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST [05:45:01] NEED A VOTE ACT. ITEM 14 IS BEING TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. ITEM [MATTERS HELD] 25 IS NEEDS A MOTION. ITEM 25 PASS. STATE A MOVE. SECOND, ROBINSON. OKAY. THE SPECIFIC MOTION IS TO UPHOLD THE DECISION MADE BY THE APPEALS BOARD APPEALS BOARD TO DENY, TO DENY THE ON-PREMISE SIGN AT 7 0 7 GOLF FREEWAY. I'M NOW MAKING THAT MOTION. MOTION TO UPHOLD CAYMAN MOVES. SORRY. CAYMAN MOVES. CAYMAN MOVES. SECOND. SECOND, ROBINSON. SECOND ROBINSON. COUNCIL MEMBER DISCUSSION. COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD. THANK YOU CHAIR. AND, UM, I TAGGED THIS ITEM LAST WEEK BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING INTO THIS MATTER. AND FOR ME, UH, A LOT OF THIS DEPENDED ON NOTICE. WHEN DID THE CHICK-FIL-A OWNERS HAVE NOTICE THAT THERE WOULD BE A, UH, SIGN CHANGE? AND THERE WAS DISCUSSIONS IN THE RECORD THAT SHOW THAT IN MARCH OF 2020, THEY WERE IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY ABOUT PLANS, ABOUT PERMITS, ABOUT, UH, RENDERINGS. AND, AND THAT INCLUDED THE, UM, SIZE OF THE SIGN. AT NO POINT IN TIME IN THE RECORD HAVE I SEEN ANYTHING THAT SPEAKS TO CHICK-FIL-A, GETTING PRIOR NOTICE THAT THERE WOULD BE A CH A SIGN CHANGE AS THEY WERE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS. AND SO MY QUESTION TO, UH, THE CITY ATTORNEY IS, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE RECORD THAT SHOWS THAT THE CITY GAVE PRIOR NOTICE TO CHICK-FIL-A THAT THERE WOULD BE A SIGN CHANGE OR, UH, IN, IN MY READING OF IT, THE, THE, THE CITY ADMINISTRATION POINTED OUT THAT, UH, IT WAS ON THE WEBSITE. BUT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUAL NOTICE TO THE APPLICANT, NO, THERE WASN'T. SO THERE WAS NO INDIVIDUAL NOTICE TO THE APPLICANT? CORRECT? CORRECT. IN YOUR OPINION, IS IT UNLIKELY THAT THIS WILL HAVE A DOMINO EFFECT ON ANY OTHER BUSINESS? UH, I I'M ASSUMING THAT WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT IS IF, IF COUNSEL WERE TO GRA GRANT THE APPEAL AND ALLOW THEM TO HAVE A, UM, EFFECTIVELY TO HAVE A VARIANCE, WHETHER THAT WOULD AFFECT OTHER, OTHER APPLICANTS. YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S REALLY HARD TO TELL, UH, ON THAT. 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA DEPEND ON THE SPECIFIC FACTS. UH, IT'S IN THE NATURE OF AN EQUAL PROTECTION CLAIM, THOSE ARE DIFFICULT FOR SOMEONE TO PREVAIL ON. UH, IN YOUR OPINION, WOULD IT BE UNLIKELY? IT, IT, IT REALLY, I, I CAN'T COMMIT TO THAT. 'CAUSE IT'S HARD TO SAY. I WILL SAY THAT IT, THAT STANDARD IS A RATIONAL BASIS. THE CITY'S ACTION WILL BE UPHELD IF THERE'S A RATIONAL BASIS FOR THE DISTINCTION IN TREATING, UH, ONE, UH, ONE APPLICANT DIFFERENT THAN ANOTHER. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER LETICIA PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, MAYOR VICE P PERM, UM, OR MAYOR PERM? MY BIGGEST CONCERN WITH THIS IS THAT IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS THAT HAS BEEN VERY VIABLE, THAT DID ALL OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. BUT BECAUSE THEY GOT CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUREAUCRACY, THEY'RE NOW BEING AFFECTED. AND, UM, I JUST HAVE A, I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THAT. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE, THEY SHOULD GET PUNISHED FOR SOMETHING WHEN THEY DID EVERYTHING THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. BUT WE AS A CITY DID NOT LET THEM KNOW WHAT THE CHANGES WERE OR ALLOW THEM TO PREPARE. SO I, I, I DON'T BELIEVE I CAN SUPPORT THIS ITEM. COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KUBOSH, MAYOR PRO TEM, TELL ME, WHAT DOES A YES VOTE BY THIS COUNCIL DO? DOES IT GIVE THEM THE RIGHT TO PUT UP THE BIGGER SIGN, HIGHER SIGN IT UP, OPPOSES THE DECISION, AND THEY PUT UP THE SMALLER SIGN? CORRECT. AND, AND I'LL ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY, CAN YOU GIVE US A BASIS ON RULE 12? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. IT'S RULE 12, UH, IN THE RECORD. YEAH. IT, IT'S AN APPEAL FROM A DECISION OF, UH, OF A HEARING PANEL FROM BELOW. THAT CAN HAPPEN IN VARI IN VARIOUS WAYS. SO WHAT THE MOTION IS TO UPHOLD THE DECISION OF THE, UH, OF THE APPEAL BOARD BELOW. AND THE APPEAL BOARD DENIED CHICK-FIL-A'S REQUEST TO PUT UP THE LARGER SIGN. SO VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE HERE WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF DENYING CHICK-FIL-A, THE ABILITY TO PUT UP THE, THE TALLER SIGN. IT WOULD BE THE, IT WOULD BE THE SMALLER SIGN. SO, SO, SO I STILL HAVE TIME. [05:50:01] SO A, A A YES VOTE BY THIS COUNCIL OPPOSES THE APPEAL BOARD, WHICH DENIES THEM THE RIGHT TO THE SIGN. YES. SO IF I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO PUT UP A LARGER SIGN, I NEED TO VOTE NO. CORRECT. THANK YOU. SO, UH, COUNSELOR, UH, AS THE SIGN CODE DOESN'T ALLOW FOR WAIVERS, AREN'T THEY REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE CURRENT RULES THAT EVERYBODY ELSE HAS FOLLOWED? WELL, THAT HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE OF THE CITY IN THE PAST. UH, I CAN'T SAY FOR CERTAIN, BUT MY RECOLLECTION IS, I CAN'T RECALL ANOTHER INSTANCE WHERE A VARIANCE, IF YOU WILL, HAS BEEN PERMITTED. AND TO ANSWER COUNCIL MEMBER ASH'S QUESTION DIRECTLY BY VOTING YES. CHICK-FIL-A HAS THE OPTION ONLY OF PUTTING UP THE SMALLER SIGN. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, SINCE COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, YOU HAD BROUGHT UP THE TIMELINE. I NEED CLARIFICATION ON A FEW THINGS. UH, SO ONE, THIS INFORMAL MEETING WAS IN MARCH OF 2020, IS THAT CORRECT? ACCORDING TO THE RECORD, YES. ACCORDING TO THE RECORD, YES. WHEN DID THE NEW ORDINANCE GO INTO EFFECT? JULY 29TH. OF 2020. SO THERE WOULD'VE BEEN NO OPPORTUNITY UNTIL AN ORDINANCE WAS PASSED FOR THAT QUOTE UNQUOTE NOTICE. IS THAT CORRECT? YOU, IT, IT IS NOT THE PRACTICE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO SAY, HEY, THERE MAY BE AN ORDINANCE COMING THAT HAS NOT BEEN PASSED YET. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, IT, WELL, IT, IT GENERALLY, THE CITY DOES NOT PROVIDE NOTICE, UH, TO INDIVIDUALS OF CHANGES IN ITS ORDINANCE ORDINANCES. SO I HEARD STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. I'LL, I'LL I'LL DEFER THAT QUESTION TO YOU, BUT, SO IN JULY, THE ORDINANCE PASSED, AND THEN WHEN WERE THE DOCUMENTS ACTUALLY SUBMITTED TO THE CITY FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE SIGN ITSELF? UH, ACCORDING TO THE RECORD, AND IF I CAN GO BEYOND THE SPECIFIC QUESTION, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ANSWERING THERE, I THINK, HANG ON. I CAN, THE FOLLOWING YEAR, IN DECEMBER OF 21, WHEN THE SIGNED APPLICATION WAS FILED, BUT YOU CANNOT FILE A SIGNED APPLICATION UNTIL YOU FIRST FILE FOR A BUILDING PERMIT OR CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, BECAUSE SIGN CANNOT DETERMINE UNDER WHAT RULES APPLY IF IT DOESN'T KNOW THE TYPE OF BUSINESS YOU'RE OPERATING. AND THE FIRST PERMIT, UH, OF ANY SORT THAT WAS FILED ACCORDING TO THE RECORD, WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020. SO THE FIRST PERMIT THAT THEY FILED WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020 AFTER THE ORDINANCE HAD BEEN IMPLEMENTED. JULY 29TH WAS THE, WHEN THE ORDINANCE WAS PASSED. THE RECORD REFLECTS THAT THE FIRST PERMIT OF ANY SORT WAS FILED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2020. AND IN THE RECORD OF REVIEW, IS IT CLEAR, DOES IT STATE WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY HAD DONE ALL THE STEPS THAT THEY HAD NEEDED TO DO? AND DOES THE ENTITY RECOGNIZE THAT AS WELL? IN THE RECORD? THERE WERE QUESTIONS BY THE, UM, BY THE HEARING BODY TO THE EFFECT OF HAD THE CITY VIOLATED ANY OF ITS LAWS. AND THE ANSWER WAS NO. IT WAS POSED MORE AS A QUESTION OF FAIRNESS. OKAY. AND THEN LASTLY, THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING UP THE CHA THE ISSUE OF CHALLENGES AND THE EQUAL PROTECTION CHALLENGES WHILE THE CITY COULD PREVAIL BECAUSE IT'S A HIGH STAN BURDEN TO OVERCOME MM-HMM . IS THERE A COST TO THE CITY WHEN CHALLENGES ARE FILED? UH, YES. THERE'S A COST IN DEFENDING ANY SORT OF CHALLENGE. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM. I, I HEARD YOU SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF I COULDN'T, SHE'S NEXT IN THE QUEUE. OKAY. GREAT. VICE MAYOR PRO TEM. MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TIMM. AND, AND MY QUESTIONS ARE FOR, UH, ATTORNEY MICHELLE. I, MY CONCERN IS IF I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND I GET A PERMIT AND I COME TO A CITY MEETING WITH CITY EMPLOYEES, AND I'M NOT TOLD ABOUT A CHANGE THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS PROCESS, AND THIS IS A WELL ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATION, THEY KNOW HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH CITIES AND CITIES KNOW HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH A BUSINESS LIKE CHICK-FIL-A, I FEEL LIKE REASONABLE NOTICE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN. THE RESPONSE I GOT WAS, IT WAS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. TO ME, THAT'S NOT REASONABLE NOTICE BECAUSE EVEN THE PEOPLE IN THAT MEETING IN MARCH DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE CHANGE WAS COMING. SO IT'S, IT'S UNREASONABLE FOR US TO SAY THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FACTS, [05:55:03] EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS HAS A SIGN AT THAT SAME HEIGHT. GRANTED, WE'VE GOT A NEW SIGN CODE AND WE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY FOR A NEW SIGN CODE. GRANTED, HOWEVER, THIS IS AN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCE. THE TIMING IS UNUSUAL. A LITTLE BIT BEFORE OR A LITTLE BIT AFTER, WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. BUT COVID HAPPENED. THEY FILED FOR THIS, UM, THEY BOUGHT THIS PLACE. NO PERMIT HAPPENS IN THREE MONTHS. WHETHER THEY HAD KNOWN ABOUT A PERMIT, THEY STILL WOULDN'T HAVE GOT IT, BECAUSE WE DON'T MOVE THAT FAST. AND SO IT'S UNFAIR IN MY REASONABLE THOUGHT PROCESS TO THINK THAT THEY WOULD STILL GET DENIED THIS PERMIT. THEY ARE GOING TO BE THE SAME LEVEL WITH EVERY OTHER BUSINESS. IF IT WAS OUT BY ITSELF IN A NEW CORRIDOR SPACE, THEN I WOULD SAY, WELL, WE'VE GOT A NEW PROCESS. WE'RE STARTING A NEW, BUT IT IS AN INFILL. SO POPEYE'S IS GONNA HAVE A SIGN, KEYNES IS GONNA HAVE A SIGN. CHICK-FIL-A IS GONNA SIGN. IT MIGHT NOT ADD CHICK-FIL-A DON'T EVEN NEED A SIGN BECAUSE PEOPLE GONNA GO TO CHICK-FIL-A. RIGHT. BUT I MEAN, I I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY WANT A SIGN AND BECAUSE OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, I PERSONALLY THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE ASSIGNED. AND WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN APPEAL? IF THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO IS LOOK AT WHAT WAS SUBMITTED DURING THE LAST DECISION MAKING PROCESS? THAT'S, THAT'S NOT AN APPEAL. AN APPEAL SHOULD BE, YOU GET TO STATE YOUR CASE AND THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A DECISION. I MEAN, THE WAY I LOOK AT IT BASED ON THE FACTS THAT WERE PRESENTED, THERE WAS A LETTER THAT SAID WHEN THE MEETING, WHEN THEY, UM, INITIALLY STARTED THIS PURCHASE. AND I FEEL LIKE THERE SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF GRANDFATHERING CLAUSE FOR THIS ORGANIZATION BECAUSE OF THE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. AND I DON'T THINK IT OPENS PANDORA'S BOX. WE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY FOR A CORRIDOR FOR, UM, SCENIC HOUSTON. UM, YOU KNOW, I I I WANT TO HEAR FROM COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE THE FAIR, REASONABLE THING TO DO IS TO ALLOW THEM TO GET THE SIGN BECAUSE OF THESE UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. IF THE TIMING WAS DIFFERENT, IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT. BUT BASED ON THE EVIDENCE AND THE, WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD, IF I WENT TO A MEETING WITH CITY EMPLOYEES AND NO ONE TOLD ME THAT THERE ARE CHANGES COMING OR BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THOSE CHANGES THAT ARE COMING, HOW WOULD I KNOW THAT CHANGES ARE COMING? COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY THOMAS. THANK YOU. I'M A CONFLICTED WITH THIS. BUT JUST WHEN WE JUST LOOK AT, ACCORDING TO THE RECORD, RIGHT? SO IF YOU'RE IN PRE-DEVELOPMENT MARCH, 2020 AND THE ORDINANCE GOES INTO EFFECT JULY, 2020, EVEN WITHOUT A PANDEMIC, AND PER THE TESTIMONY FROM CORPORATE OFFICE, THEY WORK WITH THE CITY PERMITTING ALL THE TIME. SO THEY KNOW EVEN WITHIN THOSE THREE MONTHS, THEY WOULDN'T NOT ACCOMPLISHED THAT. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED ALL THOSE PERMITS BY JULY, 2020. WHICH IF THERE WAS A GRANDFATHER CLAUSE, THEY WOULD'VE POSSIBLY BEEN WITHIN THAT TIMEFRAME. BUT TO BE ABLE TO APPLY, THEY DIDN'T APPLY FOR THE CERTIFICATE UNTIL 2021. SO IT'S A, I CONFLICT IT. I GET IT. I DO. BUT I ALSO THINK THAT IF, IF IT WAS WITHIN THE, IF IT WAS WITHIN 60 DAYS, SURE. BUT YOU'RE TALKING THE NEXT YEAR. AND SO THEN WHAT TRIGGERS ANOTHER BUSINESS BY SAYING, WELL, I CAME IN 2021 AS WELL AFTER THE ORDINANCE. AND THEN WHAT ABOUT ME? I, I MEAN, I GET IT. I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO. UH, I GET IT. BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND WHY THE APPEAL BOARD SAID NO. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR TIM FIR FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, TH TH THIS IS, UH, SIGN CODE DOES NOT ALLOW ANY VARIANCES. AND THIS WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY BACK IN JULY OF 2020 BY THIS BODY. I REPRESENT DISTRICT I AND MY COMMUNITY WANTS TO IMPROVE ALONG THE GULF FREEWAY. I RESPECT ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICTS. AND I'M ASKING FOR THAT RESPECT AS WELL. THERE WAS A STAKEHOLDER MEETING BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2017. IT CAME TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN JULY 22ND, 2020. AGAIN, TH THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SCENIC HOUSTON CAME TO MY OFFICE. [06:00:01] I'M ASSUMING THEY WENT TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT ALSO IMPACTS THE BUSH AIRPORT. 'CAUSE IT'S I 45 NORTH ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GULF FREEWAY GOING INTO HOBBY IN REGARDS TO, IN, IN, IN REGARDS TO THE, UH, THIS NEW, UM, AIR AIRPORT CORRIDOR. OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN BEFORE YOU WERE IN OFFICE. I'M, I'M, MY APOLOGIES, MAY HAVE BEEN COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. BUT, BUT EITHER WAY, THEY, THEY CAME TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER D COUNCIL MEMBER I, AND IN REGARDS TO TRYING TO IMPROVE, 'CAUSE THESE ARE MAIN CORRIDORS FROM OUR AIRPORTS, AND YOU'RE SETTING A PRECEDENCE IF YOU'RE ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN AS WE SPEAK. THERE'S ANOTHER FAST FOOD RESTAURANT THAT'S BEING BUILT AT THE OLD FINGERS PROPERTY. SO IF WE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, WHAT WILL KEEP THEM FROM COMING HERE, THEM COMING HERE TOMORROW AND SAYING, HEY, THEY, THEY WANT, THEY ALSO WANT A SIGN THAT'S UP 40 FEET TALL. SO THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT CAREFULLY, BUT AGAIN, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN, WHEN IT'S STATED THAT THE PUBLIC DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A STAKE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING THAT STARTED IN NOVEMBER OF 2017. SO WITH THAT SAID, I WILL TAG THIS FOR NEXT WEEK. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND, I KNOW IT'S BEEN TAGGED. WILL YOU KEEP IT FOR, WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE. KEEP IT FOR ADDITIONAL. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. GO AHEAD. AS THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER WITH THIS CHICK-FIL-A, YOU ARE REQUESTING THAT WE DO UPHOLD THE DECISION OF THE APPEALS BOARD? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KNOX. THANK YOU. SO THE TIMELINE THAT I SHOW, LOOK, WHEN YOU SUBMIT PLANS TO PERMITTING, THOSE PLANS HAVE ON THERE YOUR PLANS FOR YOUR SIGN. AND, BUT THE RULE IS THAT YOU CAN'T APPLY FOR THE PERMIT, FOR THE SIGN UNTIL YOU'VE ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED THE BUILDING. MM-HMM . SO THEY MADE AN EFFORT TO CONSTRUCT THEIR BUILDING BEGINNING SOMETIME BEFORE MARCH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THEY WERE HAVING THESE MEETINGS. THEY ENDED UP IN THESE MEETINGS AND GOT THEIR PLANS APPROVED IN MARCH. IN JULY OF 2020, WE PASSED AN ORDINANCE THAT PROHIBITED THIS, THIS SIZE SIGN. WELL, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. UH, THEY COULDN'T BUILD THEIR SIGN. THEY COULDN'T APPLY FOR THEIR PERMIT SIGN UNTIL AFTER THEY COMPLETED A STRUCTURE, WHICH THEY DIDN'T COMPLETE UNTIL I THINK DECEMBER OF 2021. THEN, AND ONLY THEN COULD THEY APPLY FOR A PERMIT. NOW, THIS DELAY IN CONSTRUCTION WAS CREATED BY GOVERNMENT WHO SHUT DOWN BUSINESSES DURING COVID. SO THIS COMPANY IS GOING TO BE PUNISHED BECAUSE GOVERNMENT FROM THE US CAPITAL ALL THE WAY TO CITY HALL, SHUT BUSINESSES DOWN AND DIDN'T ALLOW OFFICES TO OPERATE. AND IT CREATED DELAYS THAT PREVENTED THEM FROM TIMELY GETTING THIS, UH, THIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTED TO THE POINT WHERE THEY COULD GET A PERMIT. SO, YOU KNOW, I, I'M INCLINED TO THINK, YOU KNOW, WE MAKE A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF, UM, ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE OF THE COVID SITUATION. AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO. UM, FOR A BUSINESS THAT HIRES A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO MATCH THE EXISTING SIGNS OUT THERE. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING THAT, THAT WAS BUILT AFTER OR THAT WAS SUBMITTED FOR A PERMIT AFTER JULY OF 2020 WILL HAVE THIS ISSUE. SO THIS NEW BUSINESS COMING IN, I DON'T THINK WE'LL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. UH, SO I'M INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE OF THE BUILDER OR THE COMPANY, BUT RATHER A DELAY IMPOSED BY GOVERNMENT. AND WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO, WHY WOULD WE WANNA FORCE THEM TO PAY THE PRICE FOR THE DELAY THAT WE CAUSED? YOU KNOW? AND IF THEY COULDN'T GET THEIR PERMITS, THEY COULDN'T BUILD THEIR, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THEIR CREW OUT THERE, THEY WERE DELAYING THEIR OWN CONSTRUCTION, I'D HAVE NO SYMPATHY. BUT IN THIS CASE, I BELIEVE I DO HAVE SOME SYMPATHY BECAUSE THIS DELAY IN THEIR PROCESS WAS CAUSED BY GOVERNMENT. SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BEFORE WE GO TO ROUND TWO, I'LL MAKE MY COMMENTS ON, UH, ISSUES LIKE THIS. I LIVE IN AN AREA THAT HAS PEDESTAL SIGNS. WE DON'T ALLOW THOSE, AND IT LOOKS GREAT. IN CASES LIKE THIS, I ALWAYS TEND TO DEFER TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO KNOWS THIS STREET, THIS SUBDIVISION BETTER THAN ANYONE. SO WHEREVER COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS GOES WITH THIS, SO GO, I, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. I WANTED TO ASK, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. 'CAUSE WITH ALL, ALL DUE RESPECT, UM, TO DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, I KNOW HOW HARD EVERYONE IS WORKING FOR THIS CORRIDOR, AND YOUR OFFICE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT. THE, THE BUSINESS THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO THAT IS COMING NOW, DID THEY PURCHASE THAT [06:05:01] BUSINESS BEFORE THE CHANGE IN JULY? COUNCIL MEMBER? THAT, THAT, I DON'T KNOW. I WAS USING THAT AS AN, THAT, I DON'T KNOW. I WAS USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE, BECAUSE AGAIN, I SEE THAT THEY'RE CONSTRUCTING A STRUCTURE, WHICH TO ME LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT. MM-HMM . UH, IT ONLY HAS THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SKELETON PART OF THE BUILDING THAT'S UP AT THE MOMENT. UH, BUT, BUT AGAIN, WE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY ON THIS AIRPORT CORRIDOR. WE, WE KNEW WHAT WE WERE VOTING ON, OR AT LEAST I'M ASSUMING WE ALL KNEW WHAT WE WERE VOTING ON. UH, AND, AND NOW IF WE GO AHEAD AND ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, WHAT KEEPS SOMEONE ELSE FROM COMING BACK AND SAYING, WELL, THEY ALL, THEY TOO WOULD LIKE A 40 FOOT SIGN. WE JUST VOTED ON IT. I THINK WHAT KEEPS THEM FROM COMING BACK IS THAT THEIR PURCHASE WAS AFTER THE ORDINANCE CHANGED. SO THE SITUATION WITH THIS ONE IS THE PROPERTY WAS PER THE, THE BUSINESS WAS PURCHASED PRIOR TO THE ORDINANCE CHANGED. SO TO ME, IT FEELS LIKE THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED A GRANDFATHER, UM, BECAUSE THEY PURCHASED BEFORE THE ORDINANCE CHANGED FOR ANYBODY ELSE COMING AFTER THE NEW RULES, THEY CAN'T COME TO THE BODY AND SAY, YOU DID IT FOR THEM, BUT YOU WON'T DO IT FOR ME. WELL, YOU BOUGHT AFTER THE NEW RULES. YOU, YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU, YOU, YOU HAVE A CANNES BURGER KING AND POPEYE'S, JUST A FEW FEET AWAY FROM THIS NEW CHICK-FIL-A YESTERDAY COMING BACK FROM THE AIRPORT. I, I DROVE BY THERE TO SEE FOR MYSELF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON? 'CAUSE AGAIN, I WAS NOT HERE LAST WEEK. AND TO KNOW THAT THE SIGNS OF KANE'S BURGER KING AND POPEYE'S, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HARD TO EVEN SEE BECAUSE THEY'RE BEHIND OAK TREES. SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT, WHY, WHY, YOU KNOW, CHICK-FIL-A IS, IS IS ASKING FOR THE 40 FOOT SIGN WHEN THEY'RE VERY HARD TO SEE. 'CAUSE YOU HAVE OAK TREES IN FRONT OF THESE SIGNS IN FRONT OF THE RESTAURANTS. UH, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT, IT JUST DOESN'T, UH, MAKE SENSE TO ME IN THE SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ASKING FOR THE SIGN WHEN, AGAIN, YOU HAVE OAK TREES ALONG THE FREEWAY AND THEY'RE HARD TO SEE TO BEGIN WITH. SO THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN. THIS ITEM HAS BEEN TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN AND MAYOR PRO TEM. I, I AS WELL DEFER TO THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, THAT IS, YOU KNOW, OUR TRADITION, UNLESS IT'S OVERWHELMING. UM, FOR THE RECORD, NOTHING WAS APPROVED TO MY UNDERSTANDING. UH, CITY ATTORNEY, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, NOTHING WAS APPROVED OR SUBMITTED IN MARCH OF 2020. THAT WAS A MEETING WHERE THEY DISCUSSED THEIR PLANS, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPERS DO WITH THE CITY. BUT NOTHING WAS SUBMITTED IN TERMS OF PERMITTING PRIOR TO THE ORDINANCE GOING INTO EFFECT IN JULY OF 2020 MONTHS PASSED BEFORE PERMITS WERE SUBMITTED. SO AGAIN, AND, UH, VICE MAYOR PERM, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT GRANDFATHERING IN DISTRICT C, WE ARE HAVING A TON OF ISSUES WITH GRANDFATHERING, WHERE DEVELOPERS ARE SITTING ON LAND FOR YEARS AND THEN DOING THINGS, INCLUDING DRAINAGE ISSUES. SO I, AGAIN, I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE SPECIFIC ORDINANCE, BUT I'M JUST, I'M VERY HESITANT TO EVEN GO INTO THE GRANDFATHERING CONVERSATION WHEN WE'RE ALREADY FACED WITH SO MANY ISSUES RELATED TO, UH, RULES RETROACTIVELY NOT APPLYING THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE. SO I JUST, AGAIN, I, I DEFER TO THE DISTRICT, BUT FOR THE RECORD, WANTED TO BE CLEAR. MARCH OF 2020, NOTHING WAS SUBMITTED TO THE CITY. AND FOR THE RECORD, GOVERNMENT DID NOT CREATE A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. THANK YOU. AND, AND I'LL RESPOND TO THAT. THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING. WELL, AM I IN THE QUEUE? NO, NO. I GOTTA GET MY POINT ACROSS. YOU FINISHED, BUT YOU ARE NOW. OKAY. MY POINT EXACTLY. UM, WE HAD A SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT WHERE, UH, PROPERTY OWNER BOUGHT SOME PROPERTY BEFORE WE CHANGED THE DRAINAGE RULES. AND AS HARD AS I TRIED TO PREVENT THEM FROM BUILDING A, A MEAT MARKET AND A GROCERY, UH, STORE, AND A GAS STATION ALONG THE BAYOU, BECAUSE HE PURCHASED THAT LAND PRIOR TO THE CHANGES, HE WAS ABLE TO DO IT. AND JUST AS A, AS A POINT, NO MATTER WHO STARTED WHAT, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND PERMITTING WERE DEEMED ESSENTIAL. THUS THEY DID NOT SHUT DOWN DURING COVID. 'CAUSE I REMEMBER SIGNIFICANTLY WORKING WITH THE CEO OF DE HARVEY BUILDER, MR. JOE CLEARY, ON THAT PARTICULAR LANGUAGE. SO THAT ORDINANCE, THEY TOOK EXTRA MEANS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR WORKERS AND OTHERS WERE PROTECTED, BUT CONSTRUCTION DID NOT AS AN INDUSTRY SHUT DOWN. SO ITEM 25, AGAIN, YOU WANT IN THE QUEUE. ITEM 25 AGAIN, HAS BEEN TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. THAT'S TAGGED. [06:10:01] NEXT ITEM. UM, GALLEGOS BECK COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] ALL RIGHT. WE'LL START POP OFF WITH COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. DID HE MISS LAST COUNCIL MEMBER YOU PASSED? YOU PASSED. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON PASSED. K PASSED. COUNCIL MEMBER KOSH. COUNCIL PECK. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. COUNCIL MEMBER ALLEN PASS. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. COUNCIL MEMBER PECK PASS. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. SO FIRST LET ME JUST SAY THANK I PASSED , COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THIS HAPPY PRIDE. I KNOW WE'RE TALKING HURRICANE SEASON. HURRICANE SEASON. IT'S ALSO THE BEGINNING OF PRIDE MONTH. HAPPY PRIDE COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ NEVER PASSES. YOU KNOW, THE CHURCH CLERK CAN'T PASS, BUT I'LL MAKE IT FAST. MAKE IT FAST. MAKE IT FAST. MAKE IT FAST. OKAY. I, I JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO SOME SENIORS THAT WERE, UH, HAD TO SEND OFF AT THE EMANCIPATION ECONOMIC COUNCIL ON SATURDAY. AND I WANNA CONGRATULATE THEM. DIRECTOR, UH, ALICIA NEAL AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR SEAN OWENS DID A FANTASTIC JOB. I ALSO WANNA MENTION THE LAST NIGHT, DISTRICT D HELD AN IMPORTANT COMMUNITY MEETING FOR THE RIVERSIDE TERRACE RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR HISTORIC DIS DISTRICT DESIGNATION AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH. I WANNA THANK, UM, CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO MICHELLE, MARGARET WALLACE BROWN, ROMAN MCALLEN, UH, UH, COR JOHNSON, COMMANDER JOHNSON AND THE SPECIAL TEAMS HPD ST. MARY'S CHURCH, KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, AND LADIES AUXILIARY, AND CERTAINLY CAM MARSHALL, WHO CAME OUT AND, AND DID A FANTASTIC JOB AT MCING. ON THIS SATURDAY, WE HAVE A COMMUNITY CLEANUP ON JUNE THE FOURTH FROM NINE TO 11 AT 4,800 PETERSON STREET. UM, TO REGISTER VOLUNTEER, UM, GO TO WWW.ONETEAMONEFIGHTMINISTRIES.COM. UH, THEN ON JUNE THE FOURTH, THERE WILL BE A CELEBRATION LAUNCH OF THE GEORGE PERRY FLOYD FIELD ATHLETIC FIELD AT YATES HIGH SCHOOL. THAT WILL BE FROM 10 TO NOON, 36 50 ALABAMA. AND THEN WE HAVE AKA DAY AT CITY HALL ON TUESDAY, JUNE 7TH FROM 10 TO TWO. AND I'M A PROUD MEMBER, AS WELL AS SOME OF MY OTHER SORROWS THAT SIT HERE. AND THEN MY LAST ANNOUNCEMENT IS THE SOUTH MARK SOUTH PARK COMMUNITY VIOLENCE PREVENTION MEETING, WHICH WILL BE JUNE THE EIGHTH FROM SIX TO SEVEN 15 AT THE HOUSTON BLACK FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION. COME OUT AND JOIN US ON ONE OTHER THING. WE WILL DO FREE PET VACCINATIONS, UH, PACKAGES ON JUNE THE SIXTH, UH, AT BARK 3,200 CARR STREET. SO GO ONLINE TO BARK AND REGISTER. THANK YOU FOR THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION . THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS PASS PASS COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN. ALL I'LL SAY IS, UH, UH, TOMORROW. I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AN EXTRA NEWSPAPER, SO I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO GO GET THAT NEWSPAPER WHEN THEY DELIVER 'EM TOMORROW. SO, THANKS A LOT. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN PAPER, IT'S ANOTHER JOKE. SAY SHE GETS THE PAPER. VICE MAYOR, PRO MARKET CAST EXT STADIUM. ALL RIGHT. MEETING ADJOURNED. COME. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.