* 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. [PRESENTATIONS] [00:00:06] THE AUGUST 2ND, 2022, UH, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO WATER AS A HYBRID MEETING, UH, WITH SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS JOINING IN PERSON AND SOME USING MICROSOFT TEAMS. UH, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, FOR A PROCLAMATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF HOUSTON'S SALVADORIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND RECOGNIZED IN AUGUST 6TH, 2022 AS SALVADORIAN AMERICAN DAY COUNCIL MEMBER PECK. MM-HMM. HEY, HOW ARE YOU, SIR? HEY, YOU VERY MUCH SO MUCH FOR SIR. NICE TO MEET YOU. YOU DOING? GOOD AFTERNOON. IT'S MY HONOR TO PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION TODAY FOR SALVADORIAN AMERICAN DAY. THIS IS ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER KUBO, WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. UM, BUT I'M EXCITED THAT HE ASKED ME TO PRESENT THIS ON HIS BEHALF BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY SALVADORIAN MEMBERS OF, UM, THE COUNCIL STAFF, INCLUDING TWO CHIEF OF STAFFS, UM, DANIEL FROM COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS OFFICE, AND MY OWN CHIEF OF STAFF. UM, SO LIZ, WHO'S BACK HERE TOO. SO I'M EXCITED TO PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION TODAY. WHEREAS THE AFTERMATH OF 40 YEARS OF INTERNAL POLITICAL TURMOIL FORCED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR TO FLEE THAT COUNTRY AND SEEK PEACE AND SECURITY IN A NEW COUNTRY. THE UNITED STATES, SALVADORIAN AMERICANS CONSTITUTE A SIGNIFICANTLY GROWING POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND WHEREAS THE SALVADORIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY CONTINUES TO MAKE GREAT ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO DAILY LIFE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHERE THEY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, PROFESSIONAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS, SALVADORIAN, AMERICAN FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES, AND GENERATIONS THAT FOLLOW ARE COMMITTED TO MAINTAIN BOTH SALVADORIAN AND AMERICAN CULTURES WHILE PROMOTING CULTURAL EXCHANGE. AND WHEREAS SINCE 2005, SALVADORIAN AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES IN CITIES AND STATES ACROSS THE NATION HAVE CELEBRATED AUGUST 6TH AS SALVADORIAN DAY ELD DEL SALVA SALVADOR. AND WHEREAS HISTORICALLY ON AUGUST 6TH, 1525, THE OFFICIAL FOUNDING OF VIA DAY SAN SALVADOR WAS DECLARED IN THE VA DE AMMAS, WHERE INDIGENOUS ANCESTORS OF EL SALVADOR FOUGHT HISTORIC BATTLES AGAINST THE SUBMISSION OF AN ABUSE OF SPANISH COLONIALISM TO PRESERVE THE LIFE AND LIBERTY OF THE KUTA KUKA TELECO POPULATION. IN 2006, THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RESOLVED THAT SALVADORIAN AMERICANS SHOULD HAVE A NATIONALLY ESTABLISHED DAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTION AND VALUE OF THEIR CULTURE TO THE UNITED STATES. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON RECOGNIZES ALL SALVADORIAN AMERICANS FOR THEIR HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE STABILITY AND WELLBEING OF OUR CITY, STATE, AND THE NATION, AND RIGHT HERE AND SAY, AND THEREFORE, I SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROUDLY PROCLAIM AUGUST 6TH, 2022 AT SALVADORAN AMERICAN DAY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. CONGRATULATIONS TO EAST COAST. THANK YOU. WOW. TO GOD BE THE GLORY. AMEN. AMEN. UM, BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANNA THANK MAYOR, OUR MAYOR, SYLVESTER TURNER, AND COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KASH FOR, FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I AM SO INCREDIBLE HONORED TO RECEIVE THIS PROCLAMATION ON BEHALF OF HALF A MILLION SALVADORIANS LIVING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON TODAY. UH, THIS IS A HISTORICAL DAY FOR US. UM, 36 YEARS AGO, UH, AT THE AGE OF 14, I FLED MY COUNTRY EL SALVADOR DURING, UM, THE MIDST OF A CIVIL WAR IN A, A MILITARY CONFLICT AND TURMOILS IN MY COUNTRY AND GUN VIOLENCE. UM, WHEN I ARRIVED IN AMERICA, I WAS ALONE. I HAD NO PARENTS, I HAD NO DIRECTION AND, UM, NOT A LICK OF ENGLISH. AND ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD I'M HERE AND STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY. YES. AND, UM, EVERYTHING WAS VERY CONFUSING. I WAS TERRIFIED. AND DURING MY STRUGGLE, I MET MANY PEOPLE THAT HELP ME ALONG THE WAY, AND I WAS ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL, BECOME A US CITIZEN, AND BUILD MY OWN BUSINESS. WOO. I [00:05:01] PROMISED MYSELF THAT MY CHILDREN WHO NEVER HAS TO GO TO WHAT I WENT THROUGH, THAT THEY WILL HAVE A BETTER LIFE, A SAFE LIFE, A LIFE OF ABUNDANCE. AND LIKE ME, MANY SALVADORIANS IN THE DIASPORA, WE SHARE THE SAME STORY. TODAY, THERE IS 3 MILLION SALVADORIANS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES. AND FOR US, THIS COUNTRY GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. ONE YEAR AGO, I WENT BACK TO THE COUNTRY TO RECONNECT WITH MY FAMILY AND MY CULTURE, AND TO MEET MY NEW FAMILY MEMBERS. I TOOK MY HUSBAND AND MY KIDS AND THINGS WERE GREAT IN THE COUNTRY. BEAUTIFUL. WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT NOW, A PRESIDENT THAT CARE FOR THE WELLBEING OF THE SALVADORIAN PEOPLE. AND I CAN'T WAIT HOW PRESIDENT BUKE WILL MAKE THE COUNTRY A BETTER PLACE AND WHAT HE'S GONNA DO IN THE FUTURE TO KEEP THE COUNTRY MOVING FORWARD. TODAY, I INVITE ALL OF YOU TO CELEBRATE EL D DEL SALVADOR AND HOUSTON FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE FOUNDER OF DEL SALVADOR, MR. GOCHE, HIS NAME IS SALVADOR GOMEZ GOCHE. HE FOUNDED ELD SALVADOR IN LOS ANGELES. AND WHEN I WENT BACK TO EL SALVADOR, I CONNECT WITH HIM AND HE PASSED THE TORCH TO ME TO ORGANIZE EL SALVADORE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR THE FIRST TIME TO ORGANIZE AND LEAD THE FESTIVAL. MY COMMUNITY IS A VERY HARD AND LOYAL COMMUNITY. WE PAY TAXES AND RESPECT THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY. AND TODAY, I HUMBLE, RECEIVED THIS PROCLAMATION ON BEHALF OF MY PEOPLE, AND I AM HAPPY TO BE THE VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY TO MY PASTOR, MY MENTORS, MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY, MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA. THANK YOU. GRACIAS. GOD BLESSES SALVADOR. GOD BLESS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. WE GOOD? YES. AND NOW IF YOU OH, THAT'S OKAY. YEAH. TURN RIGHT AROUND. IF I CAN GET YOU OUT. CHAIR, WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTIN FOR A PROCLAMATION TO THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE ORGANIZATION DOES TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF ALL HFD CHIEFS AND OFFICERS AND HOUSTONIANS IN GENERAL. MAYOR PROM. THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM. IT'S AN HONOR AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MR. BRIAN SKY, EAGLE UP HERE. AND CHIEF, WHY DON'T YOU COME AS WELL? COME ON. SO MANY OF YOU KNOW BRIAN FROM HIS DAYS WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WHEN BRIAN WAS AHEAD OF THE FIREFIGHTERS UNION. BUT RECENTLY, BRIAN AND I HAVE BEEN VERY INVOLVED IN A PROJECT THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO BOTH OF OUR HEARTS. AND NOT ONLY AS A LAWYER THAT HE IS, BUT ALSO AS SOMEONE THAT SAW THE DEVASTATION FROM HURRICANE HARVEY. UH, BRIAN IS SPEARHEADING A PROGRAM THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON THAT HELPS US WITH FLOOD INITIATIVES THAT'S HELPS US BECOME A MORE RESILIENT CITY THAN WE ARE TODAY. SO I APPLAUD BRIAN FOR THAT AS WELL AS RECOGNIZING HIM, UH, WITH THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION HERE TODAY. WHEREAS THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEFS OFFICERS ASSOCIATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2018 AS PART OF THE CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, LOCAL EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND ADVANCE THE RIGHTS OF CHIEFS AND OFFICERS BY PROMOTING PUBLIC SAFETY, PROVIDING LEADERSHIP DIRECTION COUNCIL, AND ADVOCATING FOR THE IMPROVED WORKING CONDITIONS AND RELATIONSHIP WITH CITY LEADERS. WHEREAS THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION HAS IMPROVED [00:10:01] COMMUNICATION AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND IMPROVED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY THROUGH MEDIA CAMPAIGNS TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON FIRE SAFETY ISSUES, EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONCERNS, AND DISASTER PREPARATIONS. AND IF MANY OF THESE PEOPLE, IF MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS, UM, CHIEF BRIAN SKY, EAGLE'S WIFE IS AN EMS, UH, OFFICER FOR THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, SO DOES A GREAT JOB WITH THAT. SO THERE ARE FAMILY THAT'S BORN AND BRED RED AND, UH, DO A GREAT JOB. SO WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON COMMENDS, THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF'S OFFICER ASSOCIATION FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO ENHANCE THE EQUALITY OF LIFE OF ALL CHIEFS AND OFFICERS OF THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ALL HOUSTONIANS EXTENDS BEST WISHES FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUCCESS. SO THEREFORE, I VESTER TURNER MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROUDLY PROCLAIMED JULY 22ND, 2022 AS HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION DAY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. BRIAN, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. NOW RECOGNIZE MY GOOD FRIEND BRIAN SKY. EAGLE, BRIAN, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MARTIN. THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. I'LL KEEP THIS SHORT. WE HAVE A, A FULL HOUSE, BUT I DID WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND RECOGNIZING THE CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION AND THE GOOD THAT WE, THAT WE DO BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY. WE ARE PROBABLY THE MOST DIVERSE ORGANIZATION OF CHIEFS AND OFFICERS THAT EVER EXISTED. SPEAKING TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS TALKS ABOUT, UH, AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, THE U OF H LAW CENTER IS GONNA BE A BRAND NEW BUILDING, A GREEN BUILDING, A RESILIENT BUILDING. AND FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS, WE HAVE BEEN ORGANIZING WITH, UH, COUNTY LEADERS. WE HAD A MEETING WITH TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UH, BOTH WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS. AND WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IS, AS HE MENTIONED, THE FLOODING AND THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO, UM, REDUCE THE FLOODING, IF NOT PREVENT IT, AND ESTABLISH DREDGING AND RESPONSIBILITY AND OVERSIGHT OVER HOW THAT HAPPENS. UH, WE GOT A VERY POSITIVE REACTION FROM THE DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LAW CENTER. PROFESSOR HESTER HAS ASSIGNED US SOME LAW STUDENTS TO DO THE RESEARCH ON IT. THAT ALWAYS VERY HELPFUL WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE LEGAL HURDLES. WE GOTTA GET BY. SO FAR IT'S BEEN VERY REFLECTIVE. SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. COUNCILMAN, UH, MARTIN TO GO MOVE FORWARD. BUT THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION AND THE GOOD WORK WE DO BOTH WITH THE PUBLIC AND WITH EACH OTHER. THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE QUEUE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR PROAM. BRIAN, GREAT TO SEE YOU. AND YOU TOO, DR. YOU KNOW, IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW IT ALL. AND, UM, IT'S BEEN A JOY TO WORK WITH YOU THROUGH THE YEARS AND CONGRATULATIONS ON WHAT YOU'RE DOING AT U OF H AND WITH YOUR ROLE IN THE CHIEF OFFICERS ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. WITH THANK YOU ALL. TURN AROUND. CHIEF CHAIR NOW RECOGNIZES VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM FOR A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATED. INCORPORATED TO RECOGNIZE ITS 2022 SEEDS OF GRATITUDE CELEBRATION VICE MAYOR PRO TEM. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO MARTIN, I'M GOING TO ASK KAREN FRANKLIN IF SHE WILL JOIN US AT THE PODIUM, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS TODAY I'M HONORED TO PRESENT A PROCLAMATION TO WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION AND RECOGNIZE RECOGNITION OF ITS 2022 SEEDS OF GRATITUDE CELEBRATION. THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION UNDER DIRECTORSHIP OF MS. KAREN FRANKLIN HAS BEEN SERVING YOUTH IN THE HOUSTON AREA FOR OVER 31 YEARS. THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION OFFERS COST-FREE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THAT HELP TO DEVELOP OUR FUTURE LEADERS AND INNOVATORS. AND ON SATURDAY, AUGUST THE SEVENTH, THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION WILL CELEBRATE. ITS 2022. SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY. I SAID SATURDAY AND DIDI ROSE SUNDAY. SO I'M, I'M READING IT WRONG. SO IT IS SUNDAY, UH, WE'LL CELEBRATE ITS 2022 SEEDS OF GRATITUDE AFFIRMING LIFE, BOLDLY, BRAVELY AND BEAUTIFULLY EVENT AT THE HOBBY CENTER AT 3:00 PM AND EVERYONE IS INVITED TO ATTEND. UH, AND SO WE DO HAVE A PROCLAMATION, UH, AND THE PROCLAMATION READS. WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BASED IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. IT WAS ESTABLISHED TO PROVIDE YOUTH WITH RESOURCES AS THEY STRUGGLE AGAINST THE MANY ADVERSITIES THAT CHALLENGE THEM. IN TODAY'S [00:15:01] WORLD, IT WAS DESIGNED TO SERVE AS A DEVELOPMENT VEHICLE TO ENHANCE THE POSITIVE GROWTH AND CHARACTER OF ALL YOUTH, REGARDLESS OF RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, PHYSICAL MENTAL ABILITY, HANDICAP OR ECONOMIC BACKGROUND. CHARTERED IN APRIL, 1991, THE ORGANIZATION EQUIPS YOUTH WITH THE NECESSARY EXPERIENCES AND RESOURCES TO FUNCTION AS PROACTIVE CITIZENS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES WORLD. YOUTH FOUNDATIONS PROGRAMS ARE INTENDED TO ASSIST YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ADDRESS AND NAVIGATE THROUGH RISK FACTORS THAT COULD HINDER THEIR GROWTH AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING OF TODAY'S YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE FOUNDATION FOCUSES ON ENRICHMENT AND EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS AGES SIX TO 24 YEARS, AND PARTNERS WITH INDUSTRY EXPERTS TO DEVELOP LIVING LABS. EXPERIENCES SUCH AS ROCKETRY, DESIGN, GAMING DEVELOPMENT, MATHEMATICAL ALGORITHM DESIGN, SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS, FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS, AND MUCH MORE. ON JULY 24TH, 2022, WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION WILL HOST THE 30TH ANNUAL WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION SEEDS OF GRATITUDE EVENT WITH THE THEME DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND WE SALUTE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION INC. ON THIS IMPORTANT OCCASION AND EXTEND BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS. MAYOR SO, SO THEREFORE, I, SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROUDLY PROCLAIMED JULY 24TH, 2022 AS WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. CONGRATULATIONS, KAREN AND TO THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR, PRO TIM MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER TO EACH OF OUR AMAZING LEGISLATORS THAT IS GUIDING US HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I TOO AM A PRODIGY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND BECAUSE OF THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES CLEARLY DEFINED BY YOU, THIS IS US. I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY MOM. COME ON UP FRONT. EVEN AS A CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEE, YOU TAUGHT US THE VALUE OF BEING PUBLIC SERVANTS. AND THIS IS MY CHAMPION, EVELYN LUCAS. SO NOT ONLY AM I HERE WITH MY MOM, SHE'LL BE HERE AS WE CELEBRATE THE SEEDS OF GRATITUDE. I'M HERE WITH MY EXAMPLE, MY AUNT DOROTHY, HER BABY SISTER OUT OF 14, MY COUSINS AND NIECE AND MARGARET THAT ARE HERE. AND THE TEAM, THE BOARD MEMBERS, RAINEY EDWARDS, THE AMBASSADORS, THE STUDENTS, KENYATA, HANNAH, IVAN, MARIAH, AND JONATHAN WERE IVAN. YES. SO WE ARE HERE BEING THAT EXAMPLE, EXTENDING OURSELVES. AND AS IT WAS SAID, WHEN YOU LEARN TEACH, WHEN YOU GET GIVE NOTED BY MAYA ANGELOU, WE'RE GIVING OURSELVES AWAY SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PRODUCE THE BEST AND GREATEST CITIZENS FOR TOMORROW. I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU GUYS TO HEAR BRIEFLY FROM OUR STUDENT AMBASSADORS, AND AGAIN, WE EXTEND THE INVITATION FOR YOU TO JOIN US ON SUNDAY. MARIAH, JONATHAN, IVAN AND DEIDRE. SHE'S PART OF OUR, OUR, OUR LEGEND HERE AS WELL. MARIA, GO AHEAD. SO, UM, I'VE BEEN PART OF THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION FOR A LONG TIME NOW, AND JUST SEEING IT GET TO THE LENGTH THAT IT'S GONE, GOTTEN TO AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE'VE ACHIEVED TOGETHER AND JUST ALL LIKE THE FREE WORKSHOPS AND THE GREAT MEMORIES, IT REALLY JUST MAKES MY HEART HAPPY TO SEE THAT IT'S FINALLY RECEIVING A PROCLAMATION. AND I JUST WANNA INVITE Y'ALL TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO TAKE PART OF WORLD EARTH FOUNDATION, LIKE, YOU KNOW, COME TO SEATS OF GRATITUDE ON SUNDAY, JUST SEE HOW MUCH THIS ORGANIZATION HAS REALLY TRANSFORMED THE LIVES OF THE YOUTH AND GIVING US A DIRECT VOICE TO SPEAK OUT OF. SO I'LL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, NONPROFIT AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER. SO THANK YOU. GOOD JOB, JONATHAN. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. MY NAME IS JONATHAN KIMBALL. I'M A CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, PURSUING AN ACCOUNTING MASTER'S. UH, I JUST WANTED TO FIRST THANK YOU ALL FOR EMBRACING WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION AND GIVING THIS GREAT PROCLAMATION TO THE ORGANIZATION THAT HAS POURED SO MUCH INTO MY LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS. I'VE BEEN WITH THE PROGRAM SINCE 2013, SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GROW A LOT OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR PRESENTING US WITH THE PROCLAMATION. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB, CITY COUNCIL. GOOD AFTERNOON. [00:20:01] THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ACKNOWLEDGING WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION. A LOT OF YOU ALL KNOW ME AND MY TENURE DURING THE CONGRESSWOMAN, UM, OR EVEN BEFORE THAT WITH JOLANDA JONES. BUT BEFORE, UH, THESE POLITICAL FIGURES, THERE WAS ONE MENTOR THAT HAD MY BACK AND THAT WAS KAREN FRANKLIN AND THE WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION. AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY I WOULD NOT BE STANDING HERE. I WOULD'VE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN CONGRESS AND ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR WITHOUT HER GUIDANCE. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU GUYS. THANK HELLO. MOST OF YOU ALL HAVE SEEN ME OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND FIGHTING FOR FIGHTING AND FIGHTING FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN TO MAKE THE CITY OF HOUSTON A MORE PERFECT CITY. I JUST WANNA TELL YOU THAT KAREN FRANKLIN CHANGED MY LIFE. I WAS IN LAW SCHOOL AND AT THE TIME WE WERE THE FIRST CLASS, I'D LIKE TO SAY IT'S THE ALPHA CHAPTER, BUT IT'S THE FIRST. WE WERE THE FIRST CLASS AND WENT UP THERE AND WAS ABLE TO SNAG A FELLOWSHIP WITH A MEMBER OF CONGRESS. AND THAT GOT ME TO WHERE I AM TODAY. A PERSON WHO'S WORKED FOR THE LAST THREE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS, A PERSON WHO'S BEEN ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SIT IN THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENTS. UM, THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS BECAUSE I WAS TAUGHT BY A PERFECT EXAMPLE. AND I'M NOT GONNA LET THE MAYOR GET AWAY BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN MY MENTOR FOR A WHILE. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO YOU JUST SAW A SNAPSHOT OF OUR 32 YEARS, BUT THERE'S MANY MORE. WE ARE ONE OF THE MANY VESSELS AND VEHICLES THAT ARE THERE TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THE NEXT DEFINITIVE VOICES. AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING US AS A CMC AGENCY AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . TAKE A PICTURE. YEAH, TAKE. OKAY, LET'S GET ON BOTH SIDES. RECOGNIZED AS MAYOR SYLVETA TURNER FOR A PROCLAMATION TO THE US COAST GUARD IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR BIRTHDAY. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR PROAM. AND THIS IS THE 232ND BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AND MIS CAPTAIN JASON SMITH, SECTOR COMMAND SECTOR, HOUSTON GALVESTON. HE'S RIGHT HERE. MR. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. EVERYBODY ELSE. COME ON. COME ON, COME ON, COME ON. ALONG WITH THE I DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF VETERAN AFFAIRS. UM, LOOK, AND I KNOW THIS IS A BIG DAY AND, UH, I KNOW Y'ALL WANTED US ON THE, ON THE SHIP TODAY TOO, YOU KNOW, SO WE'LL HAVE TO, UM, TAKE A RAIN CHECK ON THAT. UM, BUT DO LOOK FOR US. BUT THIS IS THE 232ND BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD. WHEREAS ON AUGUST 4TH, 1790, THE OLDEST DISCONTINUOUS SEA GOING SERVICE OF THIS NATION WAS FORMED. THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD WAS ORIGINALLY ORGANIZED AS A FLEET OF CUTTERS TO STOP ILLEGAL SMUGGLING FROM THE SEA AND COLLECT REVENUE DUE ON GOODS, GOODS COMING TO THE YOUNG NATION LATER CALLED THE REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE. THIS SMALL ORGANIZATION COMBINED WITH THE LIFE SAVING SERVICE IN 1915 [00:25:01] AND ASSUMED ITS NOW FAMOUS NAME, THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD. IN 1967, THE COAST GUARD WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. AND IN 2003, TO THE AGENCIES, UH, TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, TODAY, THEY ARE BOTH FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND MILITARY FORCES. THE COAST GUARD RESERVE WAS ESTABLISHED ON JUNE 23RD AS A CIVILIAN RESERVE. IT WAS RENAMED THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY IN 1941. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS PROUD TO HAVE US COAST GUARD SECTOR, HOUSTON, GALVESTON, AND 23 OUTLYING UNITS, INCLUDING 41 SMALL BOATS, EIGHT CUTTERS, AND THREE HELICOPTERS, WITH OVER 1700 PERSONNEL, INCLUDING 927 ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL, 210 RESERVE PERSONNEL, 105 CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES, AND 483 AUXILIARIES. WORKING ASIDE OUR OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERS AND INCLUDING HPD TO ENSURE THE NATION'S LARGEST PORT COMPLEX REMAINS SAFE, SECURE, AND CLEAN BY PERFORMING THE COAST GUARD'S ELEVENS, UH, STATUARY MISSIONS. AND WHEREAS ON THE AVERAGE YEAR, OUR LOCAL COAST GUARD CONDUCTS 325 SEARCH AND RESCUE CASES, SAVING OR ASSISTING 480 LIVES AND PROTECTING OVER $12 MILLION IN PROPERTY 589 MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION RESPONSES, PROVIDING TIMELY CLEANUP OF ALL SPILLS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RELEASES 4,700 AND AND 42 REGULATORY INSPECTIONS AND ENSURING COMPLIANCE OF THE AREA'S COMMERCIAL VESSELS AND WATERFRONT FACILITIES. 3,175 VESSEL BOARDINGS, KEEPING OUR PORTS AND COASTS SECURE AND VESSEL TRAFFIC SERVICE FOR 219,266, MARITIME TRANSIT AND MAINTENANCE ON 544 AIDS TO NAVIGATION TO PRESERVE SAFETY ON THE NATION'S BUSIEST WATERWAYS. AND WHEREAS THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD CELEBRATES 232 YEARS OF HONOR, RESPECT, AND DEVOTION TO DUTY. BUT BEFORE I GO ON, I DO WANT TO GO BACK BECAUSE DURING HURRICANE HARVEY, THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD STEPPED UP IN A HUGE, HUGE WAY. AND QUITE FRANKLY, UM, IT WAS THE COAST GUARD AND THOSE FLYING THOSE HELICOPTERS WHO CAME IN AND LITERALLY, LITERALLY RESCUED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE FROM THE ROOFTOPS OF THEIR HOMES. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I WILL NEVER FORGET, UH, THE VOLUNTARY, THE COURAGE, UH, THAT THE US COAST GUARD DEMONSTRATED AND SAVED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE'S LIVES. AND SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, BECAUSE THEY DEMONSTRATED THEIR COMMITMENT AND THEIR DEDICATION TO DUTY AS THE NATION'S PREMIER MARITIME LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY, COAST GUARD PERSONNEL SERVE TO SAVE LIVES, PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, AND DEFEND THE HOMELAND. AND THE COAST GUARD'S MOTTO IS SIMPLE. IS IT TUS? THAT'S RIGHT, SIR. ALWAYS READY TO DEFEND OUR NATION AND CARRY OUT, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY MISSION. AND THAT'S EVEN WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE HURRICANE HARVEY. SO, THEREFORE, I, SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, HE PRIOR PROUD, PROUDLY RECOGNIZED AUGUST 4TH, 2022 AS UNITED STATES COAST GUARD, 232ND BIRTHDAY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. CONGRATULATIONS, UH, CAPTAIN JASON SMITH, AND TO EVERYONE AFFILIATED. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU MUCH. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT SUPPORTER OF THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD HERE IN THE GREAT CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, AND ALSO TO THE, TO YOU AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. UH, AND FOR THE WARM WELCOME HERE IN THIS, IN AT THE CITY, UH, 232 YEARS, UH, WE'VE BEEN AROUND SUPPORTING ALL THE COAST GUARD MISSIONS. YOU HEARD MANY OF THEM A FEW MINUTES AGO, AND IT'S DEFINITELY NEEDED, UH, PARTICULARLY HERE IN THE, IN THE PORT OF HOUSTON, THE LARGEST PORT IN THE COUNTRY, OVER TWO, OVER 2.5 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CARGO IS BROUGHT IN AND OUT OF THE PORT OF HOUSTON. A LOT OF TIMES I THINK WE FORGET ABOUT THAT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ONLY THE COAST GUARD SUPPORTING THAT PORT, BUT ALSO OUR PARTNERS LIKE THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, THIS MORNING WE WERE, WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A, UH, TACTICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DEMONSTRATION. WE HAD COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, HUFFMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN OUT THERE. UH, REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THEM BEING THERE, UH, TO DEMONSTRATE THE PARTNERSHIP, THE STRONG [00:30:01] PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, MR. MAYOR, UH, I WANNA PRESENT YOU WITH A COAST GUARD HAT AND MAKE YOU AN HONORARY COAST GUARD, MAN. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HERE, YOU STAN OF THE COAST GUARD. SO MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING. AND TODAY, IN FRONT OF YOU, WE HAVE REPRESENTATION REPRESENTATIVES FROM, UH, ALL ASPECTS OF THE COAST GUARD. WE HAVE OUR, NOT ONLY OUR ACTIVE DUTY MEMBERS, WE HAVE OUR AUXILIARY HERE, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR RETIREES HERE, UH, AND OUR CIVILIAN MEMBERS THAT MAKE UP THE COAST GUARD, UH, 1700 COAST GUARD MEN AND WOMEN, UH, SERVE THIS AREA. AND WE ARE PROUD TO DO THAT FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN, THAT MAYOR, THAT HAT FITS YOU WELL, SIR . THANK YOU, MAYOR POT TAM, AND THANK YOU MAYOR FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU. CAPTAIN SMITH. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND I HAD AN AMAZING TIME THIS MORNING. I MEAN, REST ASSURED OUR PORT IS WELL PROTECTED AND ALL THE VESSELS ARE WELL PROTECTED. NOBODY IS GETTING BY THESE GUYS. WE WERE IN BOATS, WE WERE ON THE HPD POLICE, UH, PORT PATROL BOAT, AND THEN THE COAST GUARD HAD TWO OTHER BOATS. AND IT WAS LIKE A BAD GUY COME IN AND YOU TELL 'EM TO SLOW DOWN AND, AND YOU HONK YOUR HORNS AND YOU, YOU KNOW, GET EVERYTHING READY. AND WE WERE TWISTING AND TURNING AND, YOU KNOW, BIG, I MEAN, THEY TURN ON A DIME, THESE BOATS. AND MAYOR, WE SIT HERE AND APPROVE THESE $800,000 BOATS. WE GET FEDERAL GRANT MONEY FOR THEM, FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. MONEY WELL SPENT, MAN. I MEAN, NOBODY IS GETTING PASSED. NOBODY IS GONNA BE ABLE TO GET TO OUR VALUABLE ASSETS DOWN THERE AT THE PORT. UM, REST ASSURED AND JUST LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE CO WHAT THE COAST GUARD DOES, UM, AT THE PORT AND ALL PROTECTING OUR WATERWAYS WAS SO INTERESTING. EVERY DETAIL WAS MAPPED OUT. EVERY DETAIL OF OUR DRILL WAS MAPPED OUT. THERE WAS NO SURPRISES. IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT OPERATION. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR, ON YOUR 232ND BIRTHDAY, AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO OUT THERE AND DO THIS DEAL. IT WAS, IT WAS A GREAT TIME. THANK YOU, MA'AM. AND JOINING US VIRTUALLY, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM. AND, UH, MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RECOGNIZING, UM, THIS IMPORTANT BIRTHDAY AND CAPTAIN. TO EVERYONE THERE, UH, IS CHAIR OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY. UH, WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL THAT, UH, THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE COAST GUARD DO. UH, WE TALK ABOUT THE PORT AS ONE VULNERABILITY, BUT MAYOR, AS YOU INDICATED, ROOFTOP RESCUES, WHETHER IT'S A MANMADE OR NATURAL DISASTER, UH, YOU ALL ARE THERE RESPONDING, PROTECTING EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. AND MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND I'M SO BUMMED I COULDN'T BE, UH, AT THE DRILL TODAY. BUT, UH, I'M HEARING REPORTS BACK ABOUT HOW, UH, NOT ONLY SUCCESSFUL THE DRILL WAS, BUT HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS THAT, UH, OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO BE THERE. SO, CONGRATULATIONS, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM UH, MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. 232 YEARS DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED. UH, I HATE, I GOT TO MISS THE DRILL THIS MORNING, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN JUST GAVE ME A REAL VISUAL. , SHE HAD A GOOD TIME. YES, IF THAT SAYS ANYTHING, SHE HAD TO CHANGE AFTERWARDS. SO, . BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, DO IT AGAIN AND, AND WE CAN RESCHEDULE AND MAYBE GO OUT THERE TO ACTUALLY SEE FIRSTHAND, BECAUSE I DEFINITELY WANT TO, UH, SEE IT. I KNOW THE WORK THAT YOU DO IS, UM, REQUIRES BRAVERY. AND, AND HE, THE HEROISM THAT WE EXPERIENCE DURING OUR, UM, NATURAL DISASTERS IS UNEXPLAINABLE TO PEOPLE. UM, WHEN YOU SEE IT ON THE NEWS IS ONE THING, BUT TO SIT HERE AND SEE YOUR FACES AND KNOW THAT YOU PUT YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR OTHERS, UM, WE, WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND COMMEND YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON ON THURSDAY. UM, I'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO ON THE PORT TOUR, SO HOPEFULLY I'LL SEE SOME OF THE, UH, COAST GUARDS IN ACTION ON THURSDAY. SO, UH, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON 232 YEARS, AND WE WISH YOU THE VERY BEST. AND MAY GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. AND, AND THANK YOU TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE COAST GUARD, WHILE 1790 MAY BE AN IMPORTANT DATE FOR YOU, GENTLEMEN AND LADIES, UH, TO ME, THE COAST GUARD WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED ON THE DATE OF AUGUST 23RD, 2005. AND I LOOK AT MY FRIEND TIFFANY D. THOMAS, WHEN THE COAST GUARD DURING THE MIDDLE OF HURRICANE KATRINA, WHEN I WAS THERE, RESCUED OVER 35,000 NEW ORLEAN. MANY OF 'EM FROM ROOFTOPS AND WITHOUT THE COAST GUARD. IF YOU EVER WANTED TO READ A BOOK ABOUT THE PRIDE OF THE COAST GUARD, THERE'S A BOOK THAT WAS WRITTEN BY A TULANE PROFESSOR, UH, DR. DOUGLAS BRINKLEY. AND THE BOOK IS THE GREAT DELUGE, AND PROBABLY HALF OF IT IS DEDICATED TO [00:35:01] SCENES OUT OF NEW ORLEANS, WHERE THE COAST GUARD AND A NUMBER OF NATIVES OF NEW ORLEANS WENT AROUND THE CITY FOR WEEKS AND RESCUED PEOPLE. SO, UH, WHILE 1790 IS IMPORTANT FOR ME AS A NATIVE NEW ORLEAN FOR MY FRIEND, TIP THOMAS FOR ABBY CAYMAN, WHO WENT TO TULANE THERE DURING THE MIDST OF HURRICANE KATRINA, UH, I'LL ALWAYS BE INDEBTED TO YOU, GENTLEMEN AND LADIES FOR THAT DATE. AND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A TRIVIA QUESTION, THE COAST GUARD WAS FOUNDED IN 1790, AND IF ANY OF YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS PAID ATTENTION TO THE BROADWAY PLAY, YOU WILL KNOW WHO THE FOUNDER OF THE COAST GUARD WAS. YOU DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION REALLY CLOSELY 'CAUSE IT WAS ABOUT TWO SECONDS WORTH OF COAST GUARD ACTION ON THAT ALEXANDER HAMILTON. WOW. HAMILTON. YES. THANK YOU. MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM , ENCORE. ENCORE. NO, YOU'RE DONE, YOU'RE DONE. IN MORE WAYS OR MORE, HUH? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. OKAY, CAPTAIN, EVERYBODY. LET'S, OKAY. WE'RE GONNA GET READY TO START WITH THE, UH, COMMUNITY SESSION, BUT BEFORE THAT, AS THEY CLEAR, [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] OKAY. AND IF YOU'LL JUST BOW YOUR HEADS, FATHER, WE COME BEFORE YOU THIS AFTERNOON. NUMBER ONE, GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. NOT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SO GOOD, BUT BECAUSE YOUR LOVE, FOSTER PASSAGE, THE LOVE THAT WE HAVE FOR OURSELVES. WE PRAY, FATHER, THAT YOU WILL COME INTO THIS ROOM, THAT YOU WILL, UH, WATCH OVER OUR DELIBERATIONS, OUR CONVERSATIONS, AND GIVE US WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE THAT EXCEED OUR OWN CAPACITY. AND THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD, HELP US TO DO THE VERY BEST WE CAN FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE ARE HERE TO SERVE. AND IN THE END, WE GIVE YOU THE GLORY AND THE HONOR. AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE, P THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, REPUBLIC NATION. [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] AND IF YOU'RE PREPARED FOR THE ROLL, CALL, MADAM SECRETARY, MAYOR TURNER. HERE. COUNCIL PEC. HERE. COUNCILMAN JACKSON. HERE. COUNCIL MC CAMAN. PRESENT LINE COUNCILMAN EVAN DEBA. HERE, COUNCILMAN MARTIN. HERE PRESENT. COUNCILMAN THOMAS. PRESENT COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS. HERE. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCILMAN POLLARD? HERE. COUNCIL CASTEX [00:40:01] TATUM. HERE. COUNCILMAN KNOX WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON HERE. COUNCILMAN KUBO WILL BE ABSENT. CONSTABLE PLUMMER AND CONSTABLE ALCORN HERE NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF JUNE 7TH AND EIGHTH. CAST. TATUM MOVED SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED IN SECOND ON THE ADOPTION OF THE AMENDMENT, UH, OF THE MINUTES. ANY OBJECTION, JERRY'S? NONE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED. AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S ONE PERSON WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN STANDING RIGHT UP HERE BEHIND ME WHO'S NOT HERE. THAT'S WILLIAM PAUL THOMAS. WILLIAM PAUL HAS CHOSEN TO RETIRE. UH, YEP. HE HAS CHOSEN TO RETIRE. HE NOTIFIED ME. AND, UH, IT WAS MY HOPE THAT, UM, THAT, UM, HE WOULD BE AT LEAST WITH, UM, ME THROUGH THE END OF MY TERM. UM, BUT HE'S MADE THAT DECISION FOR HIS PERSONAL REASONS TO RETIRE. AND THOUGH I HATE IT, I CERTAINLY AM RESPECT IT. AND SO, UH, HE HAS ADDITIONAL TIME, VACATIONAL TIME AND PERSONAL TIME. AND SO HE'S SPENDING, UH, THAT TIME WITH HIS FAMILY. AND I'M SURE YOU KNOW, HE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO ALL OF YOU. AND YOU ALL KNOW HOW I THINK HE LOVED THE COUNCIL MEMBERS MORE THAN HE LOVED ME . UM, BUT THAT WAS HIS PASSION, YOU KNOW, SERVING. UM, BUT HE HAS CHOSEN TO RETIRE. SO RESPECT HIM FOR THAT. UH, BUT I'M SURE HE'LL BE, HE'LL BE REACHING OUT, UH, TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. UM, HAVING SAID THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MATA, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW MATA MATA WILL BE STEPPING UP, YOU KNOW, UH, WALTER HAMBRICK WILL ALSO BE STEPPING UP AND Y'ALL ALL FAMILIAR WITH, WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS AS WELL. UM, AND THEN, UM, UH, THEN Y'ALL ALL KNOW HOW TO REACH, HOW TO REACH ME. OKAY? ALRIGHT. UH, HAVING SAID FOR THAT, AND PLEASE PRAY FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY. LET ME ADD THAT. OKAY. UH, WITH THAT, UH, BEING SAID, PROCEDURES, [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] UH, LET ME GO A FEW THINGS FOR THE PUBLIC MEETING FOR TODAY. UM, FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. REMEMBER, UH, IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE MEETING, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW AND THEN YOU CAN PROCEED TO HANG UP. STATE YOUR NAME WHEN MAKING A, A MOTION OR, UH, SECONDING AN ITEM. FOR THOSE JOINING VIRTUALLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW. AND IF THE AGENDA DIRECTOR FAILED TO SEE YOU, PLEASE SPEAK UP AND I'LL RECOGNIZE YOU. AND REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST BE VISIBLE AND ON CAMERA WHILE YOU ARE SPEAKING. FOR THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO ARE HERE TODAY, UH, JUST REMEMBER THAT IN ORDER TO BE, UH, UH, TO SPEAK TODAY, YOU HAD TO SIGN UP WITH THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE BY 3:00 PM ON YESTERDAY. AND WE WILL CALL YOUR NAME IN THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU SIGNED UP WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. IF YOU ARE HERE IN PERSON, PLEASE COME UP TO THE PODIUM AND STAND RIGHT BEHIND ONE OF THOSE MICS. AND IF YOU ARE, UH, UH, CALLING IN, PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. AND IF YOU ARE APPEARING ON CAMERA, CLICK ON THE MICROPHONE ICON AND THE CAMERA ICON. YOU WOULD THEN HAVE ONE, TWO OR THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK. AND AFTER YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, UH, THE BELL WILL RING. AND WHEN YOU HEAR THE BELL, BRING YOUR COMMENTS TO AN IMMEDIATE END. AND YOU MAY ONLY SPEAK WHEN YOU ARE RECOGNIZED. HAVING SAID THAT, ARE THERE ANY PROCEDURAL MOTION? COUNCIL MEMBER MCMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD, UH, TO MOVE JACOB. JACOB CLEMENTI UP, UM, TO THE, FOR ONE MINUTE, UH, EXCUSE ME, TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE NON AGENDA LIST. UH, HE HAS TO GO TO WORK AT THE ASTROS GAME, SO HE IS ASKED TO BE MOVED UP. OKAY. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION MOTION'S BEEN SECOND. ANY OBJECTION, JUDGE? NONE. MOTION IS GRANTED. ANYONE ELSE? COUNCILMAN JACKSON. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE. UM, KARA GALLOWAY UP TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE LIST. OKAY, SECOND ROBINSON. TO FOLLOW JACOB? TO FOLLOW JACOB CLEMENT, BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY MOVED JACOB TO FOLLOW JACOB? YES. YES, SIR. OKAY. OKAY. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION BEEN SECOND IN THE OBJECTION. CHAIR NONE. AND MOTION IS GRANTED. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. UH, MADAM SECRETARY, YOU PROCEED TO CALL THE SPEAKERS FOR THIS JANIA MARRE JANIA. MARRE JANIA IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY JUAN CARDOZA. QUENDA. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JANIA MARRE AND I'M AN ORGANIZER WITH UNITE HERE THE UNION. AND WE REPRESENT [00:45:01] WORKERS AT GEORGIA R BROWN CONVENTION CENTER, THE NEW MARRIOTT MARQUEE, AND ALSO THE HILTON AMERICAS DOWNTOWN, AND ALSO WORKERS AT THE AIRPORT CONCESSION WORKERS. NOW ON AUGUST 19TH, WE'RE HOSTING A TEXAS HOSPITALITY WORKERS SUMMIT. WE WILL PRESENT THE TEXAS HOSPITALITY WORKERS BILL OF RIGHTS AND WORKERS WILL SPEAK ON THESE ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEM EVERY DAY. WE'VE EMAILED YOUR OFFICES AND I'VE ALSO BROUGHT MORE INFORMATION ON THE HOSPITALITY WORKERS BILL OF RIGHTS. SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED ON IN SUPPORT OF THE TEXAS BILL OF RIGHTS. THANK YOU TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, EVANS SHABA, PLUMBER THOMAS, AND GALLEGOS. AGAIN, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ALL AND YOUR OFFICES AND THANK YOU. AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE AUGUST 19TH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. AND I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCILMAN CAMERON, SHE'S ON THE SCREEN. THANK YOU MAYOR. JANICE, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATIONAL EFFORT, UM, FOR THIS WORKER SUMMIT, I THINK IT'S, UH, JUST A INCREDIBLE, THE ORGANIZING THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED AND THAT YOU ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO ACCOMPLISH. UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SIGNING ON. I CAN'T BE AT THE SUMMIT, UH, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT AGAIN, I JUST, I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A SUCCESS. AND I THINK THE FACT THAT YOU ARE BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER IN THAT TYPE OF FORMAT IS EXTRAORDINARY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT CAME IN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. CAN I HAND THIS TO GUYS? I GIVE THEM TO RE RENEE RIGHT THERE. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. JUAN CARDOZA, NDA. JUAN CARDOZA ODO. IF YOU'RE PRESS STAR SIX, I I THINK I'M, I'M HERE ON TEAM, SO I THINK Y'ALL WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR ME. UM, MY NAME IS JUAN CARDOZA ODO. UM, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND ELECTIONS AT HOUSTON IN ACTION. UM, I WAS HERE TWO WEEKS AGO WITH SOME REPRESENTATIVES OF, OF OUR MEMBERS, UM, AT THE REDISTRICTING HEARING TO PROVIDE SOME INPUT ON THE REDISTRICTING PLAN. UM, I'M HERE, UH, BEFORE Y'ALL TODAY TO PROVIDE Y'ALL AN UPDATE. SO SINCE THEN, UM, HOUSTON AND ACTION MEMBERS AND PARTNERS, UH, PUT TOGETHER A REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL. AND I WANTED TO WALK YOU ALL THROUGH SOME, SOME FEATURES ABOUT REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL. BUT FIRST OFF, I WANTED TO SHARE WHY WE'RE WE'RE DOING THIS. SO OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS WORK ON A HOST OF ISSUES LIKE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. AND AS WE MAPPED OVER 40 COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST ACROSS THE CITY, WE STROVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE COMMUNITIES THAT SHARE ISSUES, THAT THERE WERE KEPT COMPLETELY WHOLE, UH, WITHIN COUNCIL DISTRICTS. SO A FEW OF THE FEATURES THAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT ON OUR PROPOSAL IS FIRST THAT CHINATOWN BE CONTAINED COMPLETELY WITHIN DISTRICT F. SO THIS MEANS MOVING PRECINCT THREE 11 AND AN AREA BOUNDED BY THE BELTWAY CORPORATE DRIVE, BEACH DRIVE, UM, AND, AND BEACH DRIVE, ADDING IT TO DISTRICT F. SECOND, WE PROPOSE THAT THE BRAYS OAK SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD BE COMPLETELY INCLUDED IN DISTRICT K. AND THEN THIRD, WE PROPOSE THAT AN AREA SURROUNDING THE LONE STAR COLLEGE NORTH VICTORY CAMPUS, UH, WHICH IS, UM, WEST OF ACRE HOMES IN NEAR THE GREATER INWOOD AREA, THAT, THAT BE ADDED TO DISTRICT B. SO WE SUBMITTED OUR PROPOSAL TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND I WANTED TO WALK YOU ALL THROUGH SOME OF THOSE, SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'RE PROPOSING. AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO YOU ALL IN INCORPORATE. I KNOW THAT'S THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT JOB, THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU ALL INCORPORATING THOSE PROPOSALS IN GOOD FAITH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY, VERY, VERY MUCH. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER, JACOB CLEMENT. JACOB NG, HEROES OF WIN MAINE PARK, COMMON, ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT S NATIONALITIES, CULTURES, AND RACES FROM THE POLICE OFFICERS SUCH AS OFFICER BARRETT TO OFFICER BRUMBERG. THE WORKERS AND GUEST SERVICES MADE UP OF AND [00:50:01] DIRECT FAN ASSISTANCE ARE MITCH, JUAN, JOHN, AND THEIR SUPERVISORS. RONALDO AND JUDY, I THINK US ARAMARK WORKERS AND THE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE ARE THE MOST HANDS-ON WORKERS WHO ARE UNSUNG HEROES. FOR INSTANCE, LET'S SAY I HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO BE A SWEEPER BETWEEN SECTION 3 22 TO KILLEN BARBECUE. MY TASK IS TO KEEP THE FLOOR CLEAN AND CLEAR. SOME FANS COME UP TO ME TO ASK HIM WHERE THE ELEVATOR IS SOMEWHERE. A CERTAIN SECTION IS OTHERS WHERE KILLEN'S BARBECUE IS AND OTHERS WHERE THE CLOSEST RESTROOM IS. AND SO, HEY, LOOK AT THESE. DAVID ROBINSON , YOU NEED ASHO. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH JACOB. AND UH, I'M GLAD YOU'RE STILL HERE. AND YOU WEREN'T TRADED YESTERDAY, . YEAH, IT WAS CLOSE. . WELL, THANK YOU. WE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU, JACOB. SO, BUT I, I'M WITH THE BEST TEAM, NOT THE BOSTON RED SOCKS. YES, SIR. LOOK OVER THERE. BUT WE, WELL, WE WE AGREE WITH YOU. UH OH. AND I BOUGHT THE SHOES, UM, FOR THIS PRICE OF $50. ALRIGHT. AND HEY THERE. KA KICK ASS. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, THANKS. THANKS JACOB. ALL THE BEST MAN. OKAY. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER. CAROL GALLOWAY. CAROL GALLOWAY, FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER. GOOD TO SEE YOU, MS. GALLOWAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. HONOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS IS JUST SO GOOD TO BE HOME FOR A LITTLE SHORT PERIOD, BUT I'M BACK AGAIN. I THINK I WAS HERE ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, MAYOR, ABOUT THREE, UH, TALKING ON THE SAME ISSUE. UH, WHEN I HEARD THE NEWS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WAS GOING TO BE INVESTIGATING THE CITY ON DISCRIMINATING AGAINST BLACK AND BROWN FOR TRASH, I, I, I, I SAID WHAT? I SAID, THEY DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY. MAYOR, I WAS KNOWN AS THE TRASH QUEEN WHEN I SERVED HERE ON COUNCIL BECAUSE WE HAD SO MUCH TRASH IN DISTRICT B. EVEN THE LATE ANNA RUSSELL ON MY DEPARTURE AT THE, THE HONORING THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THEY WAS LEAVING, SHE GAVE ME A HUGE BEAUTIFUL STRAW HAT WITH A BUNCH OF TRASH TAPE PASTED ON IT BECAUSE I WAS KNOWN AS I SAID. SO I COME UP HERE JUST TO KIND OF ENLIGHTEN THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT ILLEGAL DUMPING. 'CAUSE THERE WAS THEN NO ONE IS UNDERSTANDING AND SPECIAL IN DISTRICT B. ALSO, WHAT WE HAVE IN DISTRICT B IS PERSONS ILLEGAL DUMPING. THE CITY HAS PROVIDED IT STARTED OFF, I'VE BEEN HERE IN HOUSTON ALL MY LIFE FOR NATIVE HOUSTON FOR EIGHT DECADES. THAT'S ME. OKAY, WHAT HAPPENED? THE CITY STARTED OFF PICKING UP HEAVY TRASH LONG YEARS AGO. WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT. EVEN ERNEST MCGOWAN, THE LATE ERNEST GOWN, HE, HE, UH, WAS ABLE TO PUT IN DEPOSIT DEPOSITORIES SO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO HAD TRASH COULD GO. OF COURSE THE CITIZEN THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A LOT OF TRASH HANGING AROUND THOSE DEPOSITORIES, WHICH IT WAS. AND THE CITY KEPT IT VERY NEAT AND CLEAN AND THEY TOOK THE TRASH OFF. THEY DIDN'T. SO EVERYBODY ACCEPTED THAT IT WAS A GREAT PROGRAM. WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS THESE PERSONS, I USED TO GO AROUND AT TWO OR THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING CHASING ILLEGAL DUMPERS UNTIL THE POLICE STOPPED ME AND GOT ME AROUND BY THREE O'CLOCK. 'CAUSE I CUT MY LIGHTS OFF GOING AROUND THE BRIDGE BECAUSE THERE WAS A KNOWN DUMP SITE. AND I SAID, OKAY, I'M GONNA CATCH ME IN SOME OLD ILLEGAL DUMPERS, WHICH I DID CATCH A FEW. I'LL GIVE YOU THAT IN A FEW MINUTES. GIVE A LITTLE TIME. 'CAUSE THIS IS A STORY PEOPLE MUST KNOW ABOUT IN THIS RESPECT. IT'S NO THE, THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB IN DISTRICT B TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE TRASH. I CAN TAKE YOU RIGHT NOW WITHIN A MILE RATINGS. AND YOU WILL SEE ABOUT FOUR DUMP SITES. THE REASON IS PEOPLE START A LITTLE PILE AND THEN HERE COME ANOTHER GROUP WOULD ADD TO THAT PILE. AND THE PILE STARTS STACKING UP THE NEIGHBORS. NOBODY REPORTS IT, IT JUST UNTIL IT'S A COMPLETE DUMP SITE. AND SO WHAT HAPPENS? YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I'LL EXTEND YOUR TIME. THANK YOU MA'AM. SECOND. SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THE FACT THAT [00:55:01] SOMEONE FINALLY CALLS AFTER YOU HAVE ALL THIS TRASH AND REPORT IT. AND OF COURSE THE CITY AS THE BEST THEY CAN IN THE NORTH SIDE, IN THE NORTHWEST SIDE, N*****S HOME, YOU HAVE SO MANY OF THEM SITES THEY CAN'T KEEP UP WITH IT. AND SO IN SOME AREAS I SAID THE ANGLO AREA, THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRASH LIKE THAT. THOSE PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION. AND SO THEY TRASH. WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN, IT'S PICK UP SOONER. SO IT'S NOT NO DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY. WHEN I GOT ON COUNCIL, THE FIRST THING I DID WHEN I SAW THE PENALTY CODE WAS SO SMALL, I THINK IT WAS ONLY $50 FINE. I WENT TO STATE REPRESENTATIVE SYLVESTER TURNER BACK THEN. THAT WAS IN 2000. I WENT TO HIM, I SAID MAYOR, I SAID STATE REP. I SAID, YOU GOT TO INTRODUCE A BILL TO INCREASE THE PENALTY CODE FOR PERSONS THAT ARE ILLEGAL DUMPING. AND IMMEDIATELY HE PUT ONE IN AND THE BILL PASSED AND THAT INCREASED IT. I HEAR NOW THAT THE PEN CODE IS EVEN HIGHER. BUT I CAME DOWN HERE TO TELL THE MAYOR, I TOLD MAYOR BILL WHITE, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED. I EVEN BROUGHT TO MAYOR A A DESIGN T-SHIRT. I DIDN'T BRING MY T-SHIRT WITH ME TODAY AND GAVE IT TO HIM ABOUT TWO OR THREE YEARS AGO WHEN I SPOKE ON THE TRASH. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE THE METHOD THAT WE ARE HANDLING THESE PERSONS WHO ARE ILLEGAL DUMPING. I DESIGNED A T-SHIRT, BUT CITY HOUSTON BROUGHT IT HERE, MADE IT, BROUGHT IT HERE. YOU ARE GONNA HAVE TO SHAME THESE PEOPLE. YOU ARE GONNA HAVE TO PUT THEM ON TELEVISION. THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T SHAME THEM, THE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE. SO I TOLD MAYOR WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IS FIND THEM AND MAKE 'EM DO COMMUNITY SERVICE. PUT THE T-SHIRT ON, MAKE SURE YOU PARTNER WITH ALL THE MAJOR NEWS STATION. HAVE THEM COME OUT WHEN LET THEM PICK UP THE HEAVY TRASH, THE ILLEGAL DUMPING. ONCE THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE SEEN ON TV PICKING UP TRASH BECAUSE THEY WAS A PERPETRATOR OF THE TRASH, THEN THEY WOULD TAKE CHANGE THEIR HABITS AND NOT ILLEGALLY DUMP IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND I JUST WANNA SAY SOLID WASTE IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB TRYING TO HANDLE ALL THAT. THAT'S IN THIS UB IT IS OVERWHELMING. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DO IT BECAUSE THAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THEIR ASSIGNMENT. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO PICK UP EVERY TRASH AT YOUR RESIDENCE AND THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ROAD. THAT'S WHAT IT WAS DESIGNED FOR. YOU HAVE THE DEPOSITORY THAT IS FREE AND THEY DON'T DO THAT. BUT I HAVE CALLED PERSON. AND WHAT I DID, MAYOR, I GOT TO TELL YOU THIS ONE. I WENT TO THE NEIGHBORS WHERE THEY HAD THE BLIND SCREECH AND PEOPLE GO AND DUMP. I HAD LITTLE CHANGE IN MY CAMPAIGN FUNDS. I SAID, I WENT TO THE NEIGHBORS. I SAID, IF YOU SEE ANYBODY GOING THAT WAY WITH SOME TRASH, TRY TO GET THEIR LICENSE PLATE, I WILL PAY YOU $50 OFF MY CAMPAIGN FUND. WHICH I DID. I WAS ABLE TO GO TO THREE RESIDENTS. THESE ARE PEOPLE RIGHT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I WENT TO THREE RESIDENTS. THAT WAS THAT. I WAS TRACED DOWN THEIR LICENSE PLATE AND GOT THE INFORMATION, WENT TO THEIR HOME AND TOLD THEM AND THEY APOLOGIZED AND SAID THEY WILL NOT DO IT ANYMORE. BUT THIS IS JUST SOME OF THE IDEAS. I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT IT IS NO DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE I'VE BEEN A PART OF THE NAACP AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO, FIGHT DISCRIMINATION. AND IT'S NOT THAT I'VE BEEN THE PRESIDENT AND I WHOLE OFFICE NOW, IF IT WAS, I WOULD BE THE FIRST ONE TO YELL AND SAY, HEY, THE CITY'S NOT DOING WHAT THEY SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. THAT'S NOT SO MAYOR. SO I JUST WANT TO COME HERE AND GIVE Y'ALL A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE, OF WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH ESPECIALLY, AND JUST BE AND TIA YOU'LL NEVER CATCH UP WITH IT. OKAY? SO IT'S, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS HAPPENED IN D AS WELL ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE. SO I WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW WE DON'T WANT NO INCREASE NEITHER TO PAY FOR NO CRASH MAIL. SO IF Y'ALL CAN FIND OUT A WAY SO THE CITIZENS WON'T HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO COME, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME IF PEOPLE KEEP DOING THE, THE SOLID WASTE HAVE TO KEEP DOING EXTRA JOBS. SO PLEASE, LET'S CATCH 'EM, GET SOME CAMERAS. UH, JOEL OSTEEN, I WENT TO HIM WHEN I, I WAS ON COUNCIL AND I HAVE TO COMMAND PASTOR JOEL OSTEEN. HE DONATED THE CITY $20,000 FOR US TO PURCHASE TWO EARMARK FOR DISTRICT B. SO IF WE CAN GET MORE CAMERAS AND CATCH THESE PEOPLE AND SHOW THEM UP ON TELEVISION, TRUST ME, THE PROBLEM WILL MINIMIZE ITSELF. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO ME AND MAYOR. THANK YOU. AND Y'ALL DO WHAT YOU CAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MS. CONWAY. I CAN TELL YOU THAT, UH, MORE CAMERAS, MORE CAMERAS ARE ON THE WAY. OH, I HAVE INSTRUCTED, UH, DIRECTOR WILL, [01:00:01] UH, TO PURCHASE A LOT MORE CAMERAS TO BE PUT UP. SO THAT'S ON THE WAY. I DID WANT TO ASK ONE QUESTION. AND YOU ALLUDED TO IT WAS THE HEAVY TRASH PICKUP, THE BUCK WASTES THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE, WAS THAT A RESPONSE TO ALL THE ILLEGAL DUMPING? WAS THAT INTENDED TO, TO TRY TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM ILLEGALLY DUMP DUMPING? UH, YES. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT IT WAS. THAT'S, THAT'S THE REASON IT WAS PUT IN PLACE. FEELING LIKE IF A HOMEOWNERS CAN SET THEY TRASH OUT AND THEY ROTATE EACH MONTH WHAT TYPE OF TRASH IT WOULD MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE. BUT SEE WE HAVE THESE LITTLE MENS IN THESE LITTLE PICKUP TRUCKS. I'VE CAUGHT SOME OF 'EM. I'VE STOPPED THEM FROM DUMPING, MAKE 'EM PICK UP THEY TRASH AND PUT IT BACK. THEY GO OUT AND GET THESE LITTLE OIL JOBS AND SAY, OH, I'LL HAUL YOUR TRASH OFF FOR YOU TO MAKE THEM A BUCK OR SO. BUT THEY COME RIGHT BACK TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND DUMP IT. SO THIS IS WHAT I, I'VE CAUGHT SEVERAL OF THEM DOING THIS. THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON. IT'S OUR OWN PEOPLE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT KNOWS THE NEIGHBORHOOD VERY WELL AND KNOW WHERE THE BLIND SPOTS ARE, WHERE THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH DUMPING. SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. AND SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE THINGS IN PLACE FOR THE HOMEOWNERS AND THE RESIDENTS, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE EXTRA DOLLAR SOMEWHERE ELSE GO ACROSS TOWN, PICK UP SOMEBODY ELSE TRASH AND THEY BRING IT OVER HERE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY AND DUMP. 'CAUSE EVERYBODY I CALL DUMP IT LIVE WITHIN A MILE OR TWO RATINGS OF WHERE THEY DUMPED. SO THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON. THANK YOU. HOLD ON A SECOND. COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLOWAY FOR YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP AND JUST YOUR, FOR YOUR ADVICE. UM, I AGREE THAT, UM, SOLID WASTE IS DOING A GOOD JOB. UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A HOT TEAM, UM, THAT'S OUT THERE THAT'S PICKING UP, UM, THE ILLEGAL DUMPING. AND THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB AS WELL. THEY DON'T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT, UM, SOLID WASTE HAVE, BUT THEY'RE DOING THE BEST THAT THEY CAN. AND SO I AGREE THAT WE HAVE TO START HOLDING THESE, UM, THESE DUMPERS ACCOUNTABLE. THEY'RE DOING IT. THEY DUMP 'EM BECAUSE THEY GET AWAY WITH IT. UM, AND THERE'S, AND I HAVE SOME RESIDENTS TO ACTUALLY RECORD AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, WE CAN'T USE THE RESIDENTS RECORDING, BUT WE'RE TALKING TO DIRECTOR ALLEN AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO SEE HOW WE CAN START USING THE RECORDINGS FROM RESIDENTS WHO CAPTURE, UM, PEOPLE RECORD, UM, ILLEGAL DUMPING. SO, UM, I AGREE WITH YOU. WE HAVE TO PUT 'EM ON BLAST, PUT 'EM ON THE NEWS, DO WHAT WE CAN TO EMBARRASS THEM. BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE DESTROYING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND IT'S FRUSTRATING, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS WE GET CAUGHT UP, I KNOW THE MAYOR A FEW MONTHS AGO, HE ALLOWED THE ANTI-LITTER TEAM TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME, UM, MORE TIME IN OUR DISTRICT TO GET IT CLEANED UP AND, AND IT WAS LOOKING GOOD FOR A DAY. AND THE NEXT DAY YOU GO BACK OUT THERE, THE SAME AREA IS OVERGROWN WITH, UM, ILLEGAL DUMPING. SO I'M WITH YOU. UM, ANY ADVICE, SUGGESTIONS YOU CAN GIVE ME? UM, I'M, I'M OPEN TO IT. UM, JUST KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP DISTRICT BE CLEAN. OKAY. THANK YOU MA'AM. I WANNA COME IN THE HOT TEAM TOO. I OKAY. , I'VE WORKED WITH THEM. THEY ON THE BALL. I GOT THE NUMBER DIRECT, HONEY, THEY DONE DONE SOME THINGS. THAT'S THAT TRASH HELP. SO THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT, THANK Y'ALL. COUNCIL COUNCILMAN EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MS. GALLOWAY. UH, ONE OF THE GREATEST PLEASURES THAT I HAVE HAD, UH, WORKING WITH THE NAACP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAS BEEN THIS LEGEND, THIS ICON. AND TO BE ABLE TO CALL HER LATE AT NIGHT AND HEAR SOME OF THE STORIES OF THINGS THAT SHE DID WHEN SHE WAS IN COUNCIL. I MEAN, WE HAVE HAD GREAT LAUGHS AND GREAT CONVERSATIONS AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. I HAD A, UH, OCCASION TO BE WITH A GROUP THIS WEEKEND AND SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY, I GUESS ENLIGHTENING TO ME WAS A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE BY A, A GENTLEMAN WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, I USED TO HEAR AND I USED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE DUMPING, HE SAID, AND ONE DAY I REALIZED IT WAS ME ONE DAY HE REALIZED THAT HE WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DUMPING. THAT'S THE KIND OF REVELATION THAT WE NEED OTHERS TO HAVE. I MEAN, WE ARE RUNNING BEHIND THIS TRASH. WE HAVE HOT TEAMS. THE MAYOR HAS PROVIDED CONTRACTORS TO GO INTO THE COMMUNITIES. THIS IS A, A HORRIBLE SITUATION. BUT YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT, I'M JUST EXPLAINING, I'M NOT COMPLAINING. IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE THAT WE ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK ON. BUT I THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT IT'S NOT DISCRIMINATORY BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THE MORE TRASH YOU HAVE, THE LONGER IT'S GONNA TAKE FOR YOU TO PICK IT UP. MM-HMM . AND IT MAY APPEAR TO BE DISCRIMINATORY MM-HMM . BUT IF YOU, I MEAN, SOME PEOPLE GO ON AND SELF CLEAN IN OTHER DISTRICTS AND OTHERS, ONCE THEY PASS BY IT AND FIGURED THEY GOT AWAY, THEY KEEP IT MOVING. MM-HMM . AND SO IT CERTAINLY, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE MORE, IT TAKES A LONGER TIME. MM-HMM . AND I THANK YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND I THANK YOU MRS. GALLOWAY FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE IMPORTANT TO MY LIFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, GOOD TO SEE YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GALLOWAY, YOU ARE A LIVING LEGEND. GOOD TO SEE YOU IN THE CHAMBER. YES. [01:05:01] BUT I AGREE WITH YOU, A THOUSAND PERCENT MARVIN ZELLER, UH, VISITED OUR TELEVISION STATION EVERY NIGHT AND LET US KNOW WHICH RESTAURANT WAS NOT THAT HAD SLIME IN THE ICE MACHINE AND WHICH RESTAURANT HAD ROACHES AND WHICH RESTAURANTS HAD ALL OF THIS. AND WE MADE DECISIONS BASED ON THAT. AND I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. AND OUR VICE MAYOR HAS, YOU KNOW, UM, AN EXAMPLE OF THAT, OF CATCHING THOSE, UM, UH, PERPETRATORS, THE DUMPERS MM-HMM . UM, AND PUT THEM ON CAMERA. SO I THINK, THINK EVERY RIGHT. I THINK A TV STATION SHOULD, EVERY AT SIX O'CLOCK AND 10 O'CLOCK SHOULD SHOW YOU WHO THE, THE CULPRIT IS. AND SO WE CAN, UH, ONE, COLLECT THAT, UH, $5,000 MONEY AS WE CAN DO THAT TOO. BUT THEN ALSO TO, UH, TO SHAME PEOPLE AND LET 'EM KNOW THAT WE ARE WATCHING AND WE DO VALUE, QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY BECAUSE WE DO, THERE'S A, A TON OF MONEY THAT WE ARE INVESTING AT A DISTRICT LEVEL FROM THE ADMINISTRATION JUST TO REALLY ADDRESS THIS. BUT WE DO NEED ALL TYPES OF SUPPORT AND ALL TYPES OF ATTENTION. SO THANKS FOR COMING AND GIVING US THAT HISTORY LESSON, THAT CONTEXT, UM, UH, FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE ON COUNCIL AND AS A LEADER. THANK YOU. MOTION TO EXTEND. MOTION TO EXTEND MOVED SECONDING CHAIR. VICE MAYOR PROTE CAST STATE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLOWAY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. UH, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. IT'S A MIND SHIFT CHANGE. YES. UM, WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT TRASH BEGETS TRASH. YES, MA'AM. UM, AND WHAT AND WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE CAMERAS IN DISTRICT K, UM, LAST WEEK WE PUT OUT OUR, OUR FIRST VIDEO OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE'VE CAUGHT DUMPING IN THE DISTRICT. UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO CIRCULATE THAT VIDEO TO AS MANY MEDIUMS AS WE CAN BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THEMSELVES BECAUSE MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE CAUGHT DUMPING ON OUR CAMERAS LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND HPD HAS KNOCKED ON THEIR DOORS. MM-HMM . AND STATISTICS SHOW THAT PEOPLE DUMP ONE TO THREE MILES FROM THEIR HOME. THAT'S RIGHT. AND WE HAVE EVIDENCE OF THAT. THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE CAMERAS, UNFORTUNATELY ARE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, BUT ONCE YOU KNOCK ON THEIR DOOR WITH THEIR PICTURES FROM THE CAMERAS, THEY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE SEEN 'EM CRY. WE'VE, WE'VE SEEN 'EM SAY, OH, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING. OH. THE STORY JUST CHANGES WHEN YOU SEE YOURSELF ON A CAMERA AND YOU AND THE POLICE OFFICER SAYS, IS THIS YOU? THEN THERE'S A NEW PERSPECTIVE. YEAH. SO I THINK THAT THE WORD HAS GOTTEN OUT IN DISTRICT K. UM, WE ARE, WE ARE SEEING LESS, UH, DUMPING SPECIFICALLY IN THE SPACES THAT WE ARE MONITORING EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND WE HAVE INCLUDED MORE CAMERAS. AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT USING, UH, $10,000 CAMERAS. WE'RE USING GAME CAMERAS. THESE CAMERAS COST TWO, $300. WOW. AND WE ARE USING GAME CAMERAS AND, BUT IT'S LABOR INTENSIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PAY SOMEBODY TO PULL THE FOOTAGE WHEN WE FIND DUMPING. BUT IT'S THE WAY WE CAN AFFORD TO HAVE MORE CAMERAS IN THE DISTRICT MM-HMM . AND WE PLAN TO, UH, MAKE A VIDEO EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT WE CATCH DUMPING IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY TO CHANGE THE MINDSET. AND HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL WANNA KEEP DISTRICT K AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. BEAUTIFUL. I KNOW. THANK, SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE AND WE WILL CONTINUE THE FIGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CAROL, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME HERE AND GIVE US THAT HISTORY. AND, UM, KNOW WHEN YOU WERE ON CITY COUNCIL, THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU AND STILL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU. YES. AND SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND THE DOT AND THAT FINE, THAT FINE RIGHT NOW IS UP TO 4,000. $4,000. WOW. GOOD. AND, UH, AND CITY COUNCIL AND THEY NEED COMMUNITY SERVICE. RIGHT. AND CITY COUNCIL HAS RAISED THE FINE UP TO THE MAX OKAY. OF 4,000. AND NOW WE JUST NEED TO ENCOURAGE OUR MUNICIPAL JUDGES AND OTHERS WHEN PEOPLE ARE CAUGHT AND BROUGHT BEFORE THEM FOR THE JUDGES TO TAKE THESE, TAKE THESE MATTERS SERIOUSLY AND NOT JUST, UH, LET PEOPLE GO . RIGHT. WE DON'T WANT THE DOJ TO HAVE EXTRA WORK WHEN THEY DON'T NEED TO TO WELL, THE WORST THING, WELL THE, THE, THE DISAPPOINTING THING ABOUT THE DOJ IS THAT WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IT'S FORCES THE CITY TO SPEND MONEY TO DEFEND RIGHT. WHEN THOSE DOLLARS COULD BE SPENT ON DEALING WITH THESE PARTICULAR ISSUES. THAT'S RIGHT. INSTEAD OF THE LAWYERS THEMSELVES. BUT BE THERE AS THE MAYOR. WE'LL DEAL WITH IT. THANK, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU, CAROL. OKAY. APPRECIATE YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER. DR. THOMPSON ACWA. DR. ACWA IS HERE, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I'M USED TO ADDRESSING, UH, THE CHAIRPERSONS OF ELECTED COUNCIL. SO LET ME SAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, I AM DR. THOMPSON AQUA TUBA, INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEADER, PHYSICIAN AND COMMUNICATOR. I AM HERE TO ADDRESS THE REDISTRICTING ISSUE. AND IN JUST A FEW SECONDS AND ONE OR TWO MINUTES, I WILL BE DONE. I START BY SAYING THIS, WHICH I HAVE GATHERED WHILE YOU WERE AWAY SUPPOSING ON [01:10:01] COUNCIL AND CITY MISSION YESTERDAY, YOU WERE THE OPPRESS. TODAY YOU ARE THE OPPRESSORS. WHEN WE GET A NEW MAYOR, THINGS WILL CHANGE. THAT IS LULAC AGAINST THOSE THEY CONSIDER BLACK OPPRESSORS. IN THIS HOST, LULAC HAS CONSTANTLY DEFENDED THE REASONS WHY THERE SHOULD BE MORE DISTRICTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MASSIVE NUMBER OF LATINOS. AND IT IS WE BLACK PEOPLE WHO SIT IN THIS HOST AND KEEP MAKING THE STATEMENT, HOW CAN YOU AS SITTING, IF WE ADD MORE DISTRICTS OR DO WHAT YOU WANT, YOU ARE GOING TO WIN THE ELECTIONS OR THE OUTCOME. THAT IS STUPID. WHY SHEILA JACKSON LEE ARE AGREE. SET THE SAME LIKE LULAC THAT YOU ARE DILUTING AT DISTRICTS. YOU ARE DOING ALL OF THIS AND YOU ARE GOING TO AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTIONS. NONE OF YOU, MY PEOPLE BEHIND HERE RAISE THE VOICE. WHY DID YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE AGAINST LULAC? WITHOUT LULAC, WE DID NOT BECOME MALES. HOW IS IT THAT WHEN THE LATINOS BEGIN TO MAKE A POINT, AND THAT IS OUR TIME, IT IS PEOPLE WITH MY COLOR WHO STAND AGAINST THEM. HOW CAN YOU DETERMINE THE OUTCOME? HOW DO YOU THINK THAT HE WILL FAVOR YOU? OH NO. DO AWAY WITH THE AT LARGE COUNCILORS, THEY HAVE NO USE AND THEY ARE NOT ANSWERABLE TO ANY BLOCK OR DISTRICT. GIVE REPRESENTATION BACK TO THE PEOPLE. MAKE MORE DISTRICTS. IF THE NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED, STOP THIS POLITICS OF WE ON THE CITY, WE CAN DO AS WE WANT FOR YESTERDAY, YOU WERE THE OPPRESS. TODAY YOU ARE THE OPPRESSORS. AND STOP TALKING THIS FOOLISHNESS OF I REPRESENT BLACKS AND CHINESE IN MY DISTRICT. DEAR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. THE NEXT SPEAKER ERIC JOHNSON OR ERIC JOHNSON IS ERIC JOHNSON HERE. ERIC JOHNSON IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY GEORGE HERNANDEZ. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL. GOOD AFTERNOON. MAYOR TURNER. YES MA'AM. UH, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I WENT TO GO PAY MY RENT ON FRIDAY OF LAST WEEK. AND I WAS TOLD THAT, UH, THEY WERE NOT ACCEPT MY RENT. I AM ON A HOUSING PROGRAM THROUGH THE WAY HOME AND I WORK WITH A GROUP CALLED ENDEAVORS. UH, THE UNIT DID FILL THE INSPECTION. NOT TO NO FAULT OF MY OWN. THE UNIT IS ACTUALLY, UH, THE COMPLEX IS FALLING APART. I ALWAYS SEE MAYOR TURNER ON THE NEWS SPEAKING ABOUT HOMELESS HOUSING AND TRYING TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BECOMING HOMELESS. UM, AS OF TOMORROW, THAT WOULD BE MY PLIGHT. AND I WENT TO GO PAY MY RENT ON FRIDAY AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT IT. AND BEING ON THE HOUSING PROGRAM, YOU CANNOT GET INTO A HOUSE, INTO AN APARTMENT WITHOUT IT BEING INSPECTED FIRST. THERE'S NO IMPOSSIBLE WAY FOR ME TO GET AN APARTMENT INSPECTED FROM FRIDAY TO MOVE OUT BY THE 3RD OF AUGUST. UH, I, I CALLED HERE YESTERDAY. I WAS TOLD BY SOMEONE FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND FROM THE MAYOR PRO TE'S OFFICE THAT THEY WERE GIVING ME A CALL BACK. BOTH GUYS' NAMES WERE MARK. I DIDN'T GET THE LAST NAMES, BUT IT WAS IRONIC THAT THEY BOTH NAMED MARK AND N NEITHER ONE OF 'EM CALL BACK MY CASEWORKER, UH, DID REACH BACK OUT TO ME THIS MORNING. SHE WAS OFF ON YESTERDAY. UH, BUT SHE REALLY HAD NO WAY FOR ME TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO YET. SHE'S WORKING WITH, UH, AN APARTMENT COMPLEX TO TRY TO GET ME MOVED. BUT IT AGAIN, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE BETWEEN FRIDAY TO WEDNESDAY WITHOUT AN APARTMENT BEING INSPECTED. AND I JUST CAME TO LET YOU ALL HEAR MY PLIGHT. ALRIGHT, MR. JOHNSON, THIS IS A, UM, THIS IS A SITUATION. YOU ARE, YOU WERE HOUSED AT THE REDFORD. YES, SIR. A NEW OWNER. AND THERE ARE SEVERAL, IN FACT, THERE, THERE, THERE MAY BE A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE WHO WERE FORMERLY HOMELESS, UH, THAT ARE HOUSED AT THE REDFORD. MM-HMM . A NEW OWNER, [01:15:01] CAME IN AT THE REDFORD AND DECIDED THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO RENEW THE LEASES WHEN THEY EXPIRED. YES. OKAY. UH, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH HIM, UM, AND ASK THAT HE CHANGE HIS MIND. AND QUITE FRANKLY, I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO TRY TO GET HIM TO CHANGE HIS MIND. UH, BUT HE DECIDED, UH, NOT TO RENEW, UH, THOSE, THOSE, UH, THOSE LEASES. I KNOW THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS IS WORKING WITH YOU TO TRY TO FIND, TO RELOCATE YOU YES. AS WELL AS MANY OF THE OTHER CLIENTS SO THAT YOU DON'T END, YOU DON'T END UP BACK ON THE STREET. OKAY. SO THEY'LL, THEY'RE WORKING, UH, TO TRY TO, UH, RELOCATE, FIND OTHER SUITABLE HOUSING. YES, SIR. AND, UH, THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK, UH, TO DO THAT. AND SO THEY WILL, MARK EICHENBAUM IS THE SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR THE MAYOR FOR HOMELESS. SO I KNOW HE'S WORKING ON THIS MATTER AS WE SPEAK. UH, SO IF, IF, UM, WHEN DOES YOUR, WHEN DOES YOUR, UM, TIME EXPIRE AT THE REDFORD? UM, THE PROGRAM ITSELF WOULDN'T EXPIRE UNTIL NOVEMBER. HOWEVER, AS I WOULD, I WENT TO GO GIVE THE 10, THE LEASING OFFICE MY PAYMENT, AND NOT THE MANAGEMENT, BUT SOMEONE SPEAKING THROUGH THE MANAGEMENT CAME BACK AND SAID, WE WOULDN'T, WE WOULD NOT ACCEPT IT. YOU HAVE TO BE OUT BY THE THIRD, BY THE WHEN, BY THE THIRD, WHICH IS TOMORROW. WHICH IS JUST, ALRIGHT. OKAY. LET US CONTINUE TO, LET US CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. UH, 'CAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T WANT YOU OR ANYBODY ELSE, UH, TO HAVE TO, UH, TO BE HOMELESS. OKAY? UM, SO LET US, LET US CONTINUE. WE'RE WORKING FRANTICALLY TO TRY TO COME TO EITHER RELOCATE. AND AGAIN, UH, UM, I'M GONNA ASK THE NEW OWNERS OF THE REDFORD TO WORK, TO WORK WITH US, TO WORK WITH THE CITY. UH, UM, SO WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU, OKAY? OKAY, MR. JOHNSON. SO JUST HANG IN THERE, BUT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN, NEITHER YOU NOR THE OTHER, UH, TENANTS, UH, AT THE REDFORD. OKAY? THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR, FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. AND LEMME JUST SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, AND I KNOW THE ECONOMICS HAVE CHANGED, UM, BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER, THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF FOLK THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN OFF THE STREETS THAT ARE IN THESE UNITS. UH, AND I'M GONNA ASK THE, THE, THE APARTMENT MANAGEMENT, THE APARTMENT OWNERS TO WORK WITH US ON THIS. OKAY? AND THE CITY WILL WORK WITH THEM, UH, TO TRY TO MAKE IT WHERE IT'S, UH, AN NOT AN ECONOMIC LOSS FOR THEM. UM, BUT WE JUST NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO WORK TOGETHER SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE BACK ON OUR STREETS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, BUT WE'LL STAY IN TOUCH. MR. MR. JOHNSON? MM-HMM . OKAY. HERANDEZ. NEXT SPEAKER. GEORGE HERNANDEZ. GEORGE HERNANDEZ, PLEASURE IS MINE. YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN THIS CITY, DIRT POOR. AND NOW MOST OF YOU GUYS THAT I'VE SEEN SUCCESSFUL, EXCEPT FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE FUTURE, I WITNESSED SO MUCH CRACK AT THAT BUS STOP. EVERY TIME THERE'S KIDS COMING FROM DIFFERENT STATES. YOU CALLED THE COALITION OVER THERE AT MONTROSE AREA? NO, IT'S DRUG INFESTED. I TRY TO WORK FOR THE POLICE. I TRY TO WORK FOR MY AGENCY. NOTHING GIVES, THIS CITY IS DRUG INFESTED. IT'S A DIVERSE CITY. I WENT TO THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. GRADUATED IN 1985. THAT'S ALL I GOTTA SAY. YOU KNOW, Y'ALL, Y'ALL VOTE FOR PEOPLE JUST LIKE WONDERFUL. UH, MR. TURNER. I MET YOU AT IHOP, UM, BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNG. THAT'S ALL I GOTTA TELL YOU. NOW. THESE KIDS ARE KILLING US. BABY BOOMERS. MAN. I, I WAS RIDING MY MOTORCYCLE AND SOME RICH LADY HIT MY BIKE. AND LOOK, I'M STILL CRIPPLED AND I CAN'T EVEN CASH MY DOG ON [01:20:01] A CHECK BECAUSE OF WHY? 'CAUSE I GET ROBBED BY THESE BLACKS. AND YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT MINORITY? COME ON NOW. I'M A MINORITY. I GREW UP DIRT POOR ON P NINE EQUIPMENT. I WENT, MAN, I WENT, I WENT. I BUST MY CHOPS FOR MY KIDS. MY SON IS IN SPOT. MY EX-WIFE WORKED FOR A DREAM OF FOR 30 YEARS. WHAT GIVES Y'ALL RIGHT RIGHTS FOR THESE KIDS OUT THERE GETTING NEGLECTED? I, THERE'S A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL RIGHT NOW, 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL RIGHT NOW OUT THERE IN THE STREETS WHILE Y'ALL IN LUXURY. I DON'T CARE ABOUT LUXURY. I CARE ABOUT MISSIONARY. AND IF Y'ALL CALL YOURSELF MISSIONARIES, TAKE OFF YOUR JACKET. I KNOW WHEN YOU CAN GO OUTSIDE, YOU GET ON YOUR MASERATI OR LEXUS OR YOUR THREE STORE TOWN BECAUSE MOST OF THESE FOUR PEOPLE ARE BIPOLAR LIKE ME, I HAVE TO TAKE MEDICINE. IF NOT, I'M A FLARE UP. I JUST DID SEVEN YEARS ON RETALIATION. 'CAUSE I WENT TO NUMBERS AND I HAD SEX WITH A LESBIAN WHO HAPPENED TO BE A COP. I'M TIRED OF THIS MAN. I, AND I, I JUST HAD IT. SO AFTER THIS YEAR, I'M LEAVING TEXAS AND I THINK Y HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU MR. HERNANDEZ. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. DEREK MOTON. DEREK MOTON, IF YOU HAVE PRESSED STAR SIX. DEREK MOTON. STAR SIX. YES SIR. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. MR. MOTON. MAYOR TURNER. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. YES. MAYOR TURNER CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY, MAYOR. UM, MY FORMER OFFICER. AND WHILE I WAS ON THE STREETS, I WAS DISPATCHED TO A CALL. I WAS THE FOURTH PERSON THERE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINANT. AND I WAS SHOWN SOME FOOTAGE INVOLVING CONDUCT THAT BY 200 DASH THREE GENERAL ORDER, I HAD TO NOTIFY MY IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR. I DID THAT. I DID MY JOB. BUT RETALIATION FOLLOWED AGAINST ME. ACTION WASN'T TAKEN AGAINST ANYONE IN THIS ENTIRE INCIDENT BUT ME. I DOCUMENTED THE RETALIATION IN MY FIELD NOTES. I HAVE CASE NUMBERS TO SUPPORT IT. I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I COULD WITH THE DEPARTMENT. UH, I ENDED UP LOSING MY CREDENTIALS AND I ENDED UP HAVING AN INCIDENT AT MY HOUSE, MY OWN HOME, ON MY OWN TIME INVOLVING TWO HOUSTON POLICE SERGEANTS. I'VE FILED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND ACTION HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN. MY LATEST COMPLAINT I'VE BEEN TOLD BY AN INTAKE SERGEANT WAS CLOSED. LIKE ALL THE OTHER COMPLAINTS WERE CLOSED. AND I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK NO INTERVIEWS. UH, MAYOR TURNER, I'M RESPECTFULLY ASKING FOR LEADERSHIP IN THIS ISSUE. I REACHED OUT TO DEPARTMENT, EMAILS, PHONE CALLS, AND NO ONE'S EVER CALLED ME AFTER VOICEMAIL OR ANYTHING. AGAIN, I'M JUST REQUESTING LEADERSHIP IN THIS ISSUE. 'CAUSE I DID MY JOB. THE REP, MY IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR IN ACCORDANCE WITH 200 DASH THREE, I HAD TO NOTIFY THAT SUPERVISOR, ROBERT LUC WOULD NOT LOOK AT THAT VIDEO. AND IT WAS VERY DISTURBING. SO AGAIN, I JUST NEED LEADERSHIP IN THIS MATTER. THANK YOU MR. MOTON. I'LL CERTAINLY TAKE A LOOK AT IT. I DO KNOW THAT THEY SAYING THAT THEY DID INVESTIGATE THE SITUATION. THEY SENT SOMEONE OUT FOR A WELFARE CHECK, YOU KNOW, ON YOU. AND THEY DID NOT, UH, AND THEY LOOKED AT THE CONDUCT OF THE OFFICERS AND THEY DIDN'T SEE ANY VIOLATION OF POLICY. BUT I'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT. OKAY? AND I APPRECIATE YOU COMING BEFORE US. WELL, SIR, UH, WERE YOU THERE AT THE TOTALITY OF WHAT I JUST SAID? BECAUSE THAT THE INCIDENT AT MY HOME, I WAS OFF. I WASN'T, I WAS IN MY HOUSE A TOTAL OF 40 MINUTES. I WASN'T EVEN HOME THAT DAY. I'M IN MY HOME FOR 40 MINUTES AND THEY'RE AT MY DOOR. SO THEY WERE EN ROUTE TO SOMETHING. THEY WERE EN ROUTE TO AN EMPTY HOUSE BASICALLY. 'CAUSE IT TAKES 40 MINUTES TO GET FROM ECD TO MY HOME. I UNDERSTAND. LET ME, LEMME TAKE A LOOK AT IT. MR. MR. MOTON. LEMME TAKE A LOOK AT IT. OKAY, SIR, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. WHO DO I CONTACT TO GET A FOLLOW UP ON THIS? BECAUSE AGAIN, I WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERAL ORDERS WITH THE VIDEO THAT I SAW INVOLVING POLICE CONDUCT AND HANDCUFFS PRISONER. WELL, YOU CERTAINLY CAN CALL MY CHIEF OF, YOU CAN CALL MY CHIEF OF STAFF, BUT LEMME TAKE A LOOK AT IT. OKAY. LEMME JUST TAKE A LOOK AT IT. YES, SIR. AND THE NUMBER, THE NUMBER TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF. UH, YOU CAN JUST REACH OUT TO MY CHIEF OF STAFF. UM, YOU CAN CALL, UH, CAN YOU CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE? YOU CAN CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. THANK SIR. YOU CAN CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, THANKS. NEXT SPEAKER. [01:25:08] GARDEN ROSEN GARDEN ROSEN, HOW'S IT GOING? EVERYBODY REQUESTING MY FULL THREE MINUTES OR I WILL SUE. OKAY GUYS, MY NAME'S GORDON ROSEN. I'M HERE FOR THE GUN BUYBACK. WE HAVE WAY TOO MANY GUNS ON OUR STREET IN HOUSTON, AND I'M CURRENTLY HERE TO TURN IN MY, MY STEP KID'S GUNS. MAYOR TURNER, THANK YOU FOR INITIATING THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON POLICY SO WE CAN GET GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF OUR CITIZENS. HERE I HAVE A FORTNITE PUMP SHOTGUN, WHICH HAS BEEN USED BY MANY, MANY TROUBLED KIDS TO MURDER OTHER CHILDREN IN VAIN ONLINE ON THE GAME FORTNITE, THIS GUN HAS BEEN USED TO TERRORIZE THE MODERN AMERICAN KID AND THE AMOUNT OF MINORITY KID DEATHS IN FORTNITE DUE TO THIS GUN IS JUST TOO MUCH. AND THIS, THAT'S AN ACT OF RACISM ON THE PART OF FORTNITE. AND HERE I HAVE AN A AR 15 SUPER SOAKER, AN AQUA RIFLE 15. A GUN THAT IS RAINED ON MANY KIDS IS PARADES. I'M DOING MY PART IN TAKING AWAY MY KIDS' GUNS AND USING THE MONEY FROM THE GUN BUYBACK. THIS GUN SHOULD BE WORTH A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE GUN BUYBACK. AND IF YOU GUYS WANNA INVEST, OF COURSE YOU CAN GET THIS FOR LIKE 50 BUCKS. GET A HUNDRED DOLLARS PROFIT OFF IT AND THIS GUN SHOULD BE ANOTHER $100. I'M GONNA USE MY MONEY FROM THE GUN BUYBACK FOR LESS ARCHAIC PURPOSES THAN ARE OH, CIRCUIT AMENDMENT. I'M GONNA USE IT FOR PUBERTY BLOCKERS FOR MY KID. AND I'M GONNA ALSO GONNA PUT THE REMAINING MONEY INTO A TRUST FUND FOR TRANSITION TRANSITION SURGERY WHEN HE TURNS 14 IN 10 YEARS. KIDS THESE DAYS NEED TO BE TAUGHT TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE. THE ONLY SHOPS THAT KIDS SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO IS A COVID VACCINE ONE TIME PER WEEK. AND WE SHOULD NOT BE FUNDING THE NRA. WE SHOULD BE FUNDING PFIZER INSTEAD AND TAKING MONEY FROM THEM AS WELL. I WANNA PERSONALLY SELL THESE GUNS BACK TO YOU, MAYOR TURNER, BECAUSE WITH THIS YOU CAN BLOW YOUR LOAD ON ANOTHER MAN. AND WITH THIS YOU CAN GET ANOTHER MAN WET, WHICH WE KNOW YOU LIKE TO DO, ESPECIALLY WITH RICK PERRY. BACK IN THE EIGHTIES, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND YOU KEEP TAKING AWAY GUNS FROM CRIMINALS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THE NEXT SPEAKER, LATOYA HARRISON, YOUR TIME EXPIRED FOR YOU GOTTA APPEAL. LATOYA HARRISON. LATOYA HARRISON. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, LATOYA LATOYA HARRISON STAR SIX LATOYA HARRISON. NEXT SPEAKER. ROSALYN WILLIAMS. I'M HERE. ROSALYN WILLIAMS. HELLO. HIYA. YES. IS THAT MATOYA HARRISON? I DO APOLOGIZE ABOUT THAT. MY PHONE WASN'T, UM, ING. UM, YES, I WAS CALLING IN, UM, BECAUSE, UH, WE HAD A RECENT, UM, INCIDENT AT, UM, AT MY CHURCH HOME. AND, UH, POLICE WERE CALLED. AND LONG STORY SHORT, UM, THEY DID NOT, UM, FOLLOW WHAT THE LAW STATES AS FAR AS A COMMERCIAL LANDLORD TENANT, UM, LT. AND UM, AT THAT POINT WE, UM, INFORMED THEM THAT THE LAW STATES THAT, UM, A LAND, A COMMERCIAL LANDLORD HAS THE RIGHT TO LOCK OUT A TENANT FOR NONPAYMENT. AND, UM, NOT ONLY DID THEY, UH, NOT UPHOLD THAT, UM, UNTIL THE TENANTS THAT THEY HAD TO, UM, REMAIN OFF OF THE PROPERTY, BUT THEY INFORMED US THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE, UM, STOPPING THEM FROM BREAKING INTO THE BUILDING, UH, AND REENTERING WITHOUT A WRIT OF REENTRY SERVED BY A CONSTABLE. UH, BUT ALSO THAT, UH, THEY WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THAT OUR CHURCH IS THE RIGHTFUL OWNER OF THE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY. AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO, TO SAY OR THINK IN REGARDS TO THAT. MS. HARRISON. I WOULD NEED A LOT MORE INFORMATION IF THERE'S, IF YOU ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU, UH, UH, YOU CAN CALL AND AND MAKE A COMPLAINT AND THEY WILL INVESTIGATE IT. BUT, UH, I WOULD NEED A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAN WHAT YOU PROVIDED ME. OKAY? YES, SIR. UM, THE NAME OF OUR CHURCH IS NEW FRONTIER FELLOWSHIP. RIGHT. IT'S [01:30:01] NOT GONNA HELP ME. AND, UH, WE'RE LOCATED INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS. UM, AND WE'VE, UM, WE ARE LOCATED AT 3 2 7 WALTHALL DRIVE IN INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS. AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY SINCE 19, UM, ON RECORD SINCE 1988. RIGHT. LET ME ASK YOU, LET, LET ME, LEMME JUST 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SOLVE THIS TODAY, OKAY? LET ME ASK YOU TO REACH OUT TO YOUR CITY TO REACH OUT TO YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. I THINK YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS CARLOS US CISNEROS. SO IF YOU WILL REACH OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, UH, THEN I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO WORK WITH HER. OKAY? ALRIGHT, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? YES. THE MAYOR'S CORRECT. I'M THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS AND I WELCOME, UM, UH, YOUR CALL AND, AND, AND WE'LL WORK WITH YOU AND, AND WITH THE MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. ROSALYN WILLIAMS. ROSALYN WILLIAMS, STAR SIX. ROSALYN WILLIAMS. STAR SIX. ROSALYN WILLIAMS. NEXT SPEAKER. JAMES WILLIAMS. II JAMES WILLIAMS II I'M HERE. I'M HERE SIR WILLIAMS. OKAY, MS. WILLIAMS, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM. YES, SIR. I'M, YES SIR. I'M PIGGYBACKING ON WHAT MRS. HARRISON SAID. UM, WE HAD, I HIRED A CON WE HAD HIRED A POLICE OFFICER TO COME OUT THE, HE ENDED UP BEING ACCOUNTABLE. HE TOLD US WE HAD EVERY RIGHT, HE LOOKED AT OUR DOCUMENTS, BUT WHEN THEY CALLED SIX POLICE OFFICERS WERE THERE ON THE PROPERTY AND THEY GOING TO THREATEN OUR PASTOR, WHICH I'M THE POLICE OFFICER. TOTALLY IGNORED THAT. I WANT TO SEE WHICH ONE OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSONS, INCLUDING MS. RIS WILL COME OUT SUNDAY TO MAKE SURE OUR PASTOR IS SAFE AND ALSO TO LOOK AT OUR DOCUMENTS SO THEY CAN LEAVE OUR PREMISES. THEY HAVE NOT PAID RENT OR ANYTHING. THEY HAVE BEEN THERE AN EXTRA TWO MONTHS. WE HAVE THE RIGHT AS A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS TO EVICT THEM. I WANT SOMEBODY FROM THE CITY COUNCIL TO BE MAN OR WOMAN ENOUGH TO COME AND HELP US ON SUNDAY, MA'AM, IT SOUNDS LIKE SO IT WON'T BE ANY MORE CONFUSING. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE, SO IT WON'T BE SIX MORE POLICE OFFICERS. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL, I VOTED FOR YOU, UH, TWICE. I WANNA SEE SOME ACTION NO. TO HELP US MS. WILLIAMS. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ALL NEED A, A LAWYER. THAT'S WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME. SIR, YOU ALL NEED A LAWYER, SIR. SIR, YES, MA'AM. THE THING IS, THE THING IS THAT AS A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNER, WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EVICT. NO, I UNDERSTAND. IS THAT NOT STATED IN THE TEXAS STATE LAW? I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE SAYING, MS. WILLIAMS. I'VE BEEN A LAWYER FOR 40 PLUS YEARS, BUT YOU GOT TWO ISSUES HERE AND YOU DO NEED A LAWYER. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTACT A LAWYER. OKAY, SIR. ALL CHURCHES LOW ON FUNDS, UH, LAWYERS, UM, ARE REQUIRED A LOT. I'M SURE THERE'S SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THERE WHO ARE LAWYERS. IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP US OUT, WE WOULD DEEPLY APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, I DON'T, I DON'T HEAR ANYBODY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP US. NO, MA'AM. UH, BUT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER. OKAY. CALL HER CI. SHE'S RIGHT THERE. I, I'M WILLING TO LISTEN TO WHATEVER SHE HAS TO SAY TO ME. WELL, YOU NEED, I CAN COME TO HER OFFICE TOMORROW MORNING. WELL, YOU NEED TO REACH OUT TO HER. PLEASE REACH OUT TO HER. OKAY. I CAN, CAN SHE, CAN SHE SAY SOMETHING TO ME? CAN WE HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER TOMORROW? CAN SHE TELL ME SOMETHING? UH, MS. WILLIAMS, REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER TOMORROW. OKAY. ALRIGHT, NEXT, SIR. UM, NO DISRESPECT MA'AM, BUT SHE'S THERE. CAN SHE LET ME KNOW SOMETHING? CAN I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HER TOMORROW? YOU CAN CALL HER TOMORROW. MS. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS? UM, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE AND, AND, AND I MEAN, WE ARE, I WILL BE HERE FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING IN THE MORNING TOO. THERE ARE OTHER MEETINGS. I'M HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU. PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE SO WE CAN SCHEDULE SOMETHING. OKAY? OKAY. I WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I I WANNA SEE HOW FAR THIS REALLY GOES WITH HELPING US. WELL, THANK YOU. OKAY. I THINK THAT WAS THE CHURCH. WAS THAT THE CHURCH? YES, THAT WAS THE CHURCH. CHURCH. OKAY. WELL, LET'S, LET'S CONTINUE TO PRAY. THE NEXT SPEAKER, JAMES WILLIAMS II JAMES WILLIAMS, II STAR SIX JAMES WILLIAMS, STAR X TOGETHER. JAMES? HELLO? HELLO. MAY I TURN? YES, SIR. UH, YES, SIR. UH, I'M CALLING PASTOR NEW FRONTIER FELLOWSHIP. [01:35:01] UH, WHAT YOUR OFFICERS DID WAS FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE STATE OF TEXAS LAW. EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER WILL BE EMAILING THEM OUR DOCUMENTATION OF THE REAL PROPERTY RECORDS OF WHICH YOUR OFFICERS FAILED TO EVEN VIEW OR LOOK AT WHEN THEY CAME OUT TO THE PREMISES. NOT ONLY DID THEY FAIL TO EVEN VIEW THE REAL PROPERTY RECORDS, WHICH THEY CAN EASILY ACCESS BE OF HCA, THEY ALSO FAILED TO EVEN LOOK AT THE LEASE FOR THE PROPERTY. SO I BELIEVE THAT THE POLICE OFFICERS ARE STILL SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW STATE OF TEXAS LAW IN TERMS OF A COMMERCIAL LOCKOUT, MR. AND WHEN THOSE TENANTS PUT OFF THE LOCKS IN WHICH WAS PLACED UPON THE BUILDING, THE POLICE OFFICERS STOOD RIGHT THERE, HAVE 'EM ON VIDEO, WATCH THE SCENE UNFOLD, FAILED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MR. WILLIAMS WOULD, NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THE OFFICERS CAN PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH LAW THEY WOULD LIKE TO FOLLOW, WHICH ONES THEY WOULD NOT LIKE TO FOLLOW. BUT I WILL BE EMAILING YOUR OFFICE BOOKS IN A RECOUNT OF THE SITUATION SO THAT YOU CAN BE AWARE WHAT YOUR OFFICERS DID NOT FOLLOW SO THAT IT CAN HAVE A RECORD OF THAT. YEAH. WELL, MR. WILLIAMS, LEMME JUST SAY THEY ARE NOT LAWYERS NOW. THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE LAWYERS. I ABSOLUTELY BE LAWYERS. I ASK FOR THEM TO FOLLOW THE I UNDERSTAND COMMERCIAL. OKAY. I DIDN'T ASK FOR THEM TO BE LAWYERS. WELL, THAT LAW STATES CLEARLY ANY TENANT, ANY REAL PROPERTY RECORD WHO IS COMMERCIAL, THOSE TENANTS NEED A RIGHT OF REENTRY TO ENTER THE PROPERTY. I WILL SPECIFY AND CC THE LAW TO EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, JUST SO IT CAN BE NO CONFUSION. ARE YOU FINISHED, MR. WILLIAMS? YES, SIR. GO. RIGHT. OKAY. I SUGGEST YOU ALL GET A LAWYER. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I I'M GONNA SUGGEST THE SAME MR. WILLIAMS. I KNOW YOU ALL ARE FRUSTRATED. UM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A DISPUTE WHETHER A PERSON CAN BE AT THE PROPERTY OR NOT. A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS NOT YOUR DISPUTE DOES NOT GIVE THOSE TENANTS THE RIGHT TO STAY AT OUR PROPERTY WITHOUT PAYING RENT. THAT'S WHY THE COMMERCIAL LAW WAS CREATED. BUT THE ONLY DOES NOT GIVE THE, THE ONLY PERSON, THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN RULE ON THE LAW. THE ONLY PERSON THAT CAN RULE ON THE LAW THAT'S ON THE BOOKS IS A JUDGE. THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN ENFORCE WHETHER OR NOT, UH, A PERSON CAN OR CANNOT BE AT THE PROPERTY. AND THEY WOULD GIVE YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, AFTER A HEARING, THEY WOULD GIVE YOU A, A HOLDING ON THAT. SO WHEN YOU COME TO CITY COUNCIL, YOU'RE COMING TO THE WRONG FORM. WE'RE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU AND LISTEN TO YOUR, YOUR ISSUES AND CONCERNS. BUT IF YOU HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE A DISPUTE THAT'S A LEGAL DISPUTE, THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO GO TO THE APPROPRIATE FORUM AND ONLY A JUDGE WILL BE ABLE TO DICTATE TO THE ONLY A JUDGE WILL BE ABLE TO DICTATE TO AN OFFICER, UH, WHAT THEY CAN AND CANNOT DO WHEN IT COMES TO A PROPERTY DISPUTE. SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, CLAY JORDAN. CLAY JORDAN TO BE FOLLOWED BY CLARENCE LENTON. HELLO, MAYOR TURNER CITY COUNCIL. UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. FIRST OFF, UM, MAYOR TURNER, I'D LIKE TO SAY IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME, AN ORDINARY CITIZEN TO GET UP HERE AND SPEAK IN FRONT OF THE CITY, UM, ABOUT SOMETHING THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN ONE OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH THE, UM, WEST 11TH PROJECT. I KNOW Y'ALL ARE SICKLY TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT IT, BUT I WANNA TELL YOU THAT I HAVE FIGURED OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. UM, YOU KNOW, AS A RESIDENT IN THE AFFECTED NEIGHBORHOOD AREA, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSULTED ABOUT THE PROJECT. I KNOW YOU THINK THAT'S HAPPENED, BUT BASICALLY, NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR, YOU CHANGED PROJECTS ON US. WHEN YOU WENT FROM THE THREE-LANE APPROVED FHAF FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION PROJECT TO A NEW TWO-LANE CREATION FROM THE CITY, THAT PROJECT SHOULD HAVE GONE BACK THROUGH THE ENTIRE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD STREET PLANNING PROGRAM. AND THAT DID NOT OCCUR. IF IT HAD OCCURRED, THE AFFECTED NEIGHBORS WOULD'VE BEEN CONSULTED AND YOU WOULD'VE SEEN THAT THEY WERE THE ONES AFFECTED OR YOU WOULD'VE SEEN WHAT THEIR CONCERNS WERE. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. AND, UM, THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TODAY. AND YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH I BELIEVE THE BIKE LANES ARE A WONDERFUL PROJECT AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT HAPPEN, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU WOULD'VE FOUND FROM THOSE MEETINGS IS MOST PEOPLE ARE EXPRESSED THE CONCERN OF PUTTING THE ROAD CHANGES TOGETHER WITH THE BIKE CHANGES CREATE BOTH DANGEROUS BIKE LANES AS WELL AS A DANGEROUS ROAD THAT'S GOING TO AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE ON THE SIDE STREETS, INCLUDING THE CYCLIST. I KNOW YOU SAID YOU LOOKED AT IT FOR TWO MONTHS. UM, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'VE LOOKED AT THE LEGAL ASPECT, WHICH IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THE AFFECTED AREA, WHICH IS SEPARATE FROM THE, THE PUBLIC SUPPORT AND SAID YOU BASICALLY, UM, ARE IGNORING THE AFFECTED AREA. AND I HAVE TO COME UP HERE TODAY AND SPEND BASICALLY THREE MINUTES DOING SOMETHING. I'M GONNA EXPERIENCE THAT JUST TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THAT. AND THAT'S NOT RIGHT. BUT IT'S NOT JUST THAT THE CITY CODE'S NOT FOLLOWED THE SAME CODES IN THE FEDERAL CODE ARE IN THE GRANT BASICALLY, THAT WE'RE GETTING FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. THEY REQUIRE THAT IT BE DONE TOO. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY DEFINE THIS PROJECT [01:40:01] AS BEING DIFFERENT. THEY DON'T RECOGNIZE A TWO LANE CONSTRUCTION AS BEING A ROAD DIET. AND IF THEY, THAT'S PART OF WHAT MAKES IT A DIFFERENT PROJECT. BUT, UM, AT ANY RATE, THEY REQUIRE THE SAME THINGS. AND IF WE TAKE GRANT MONEY FOR IT, TECHNICALLY IT IS. UM, TECHNICALLY IT MAY, IT'S IT'S FRAUD. I'M SORRY. I'M, I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT PUBLIC SPEAKING, BUT, BUT I SUPPOSE, WELL, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS WHY I'M IRRITATED. WE WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THIS IN THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS, BUT I'M HAVING TO STAND UP HERE AND PUT MYSELF IN FRONT OF ALL OF YOU JUST TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS MY POINT. AND I DON'T LIKE IT. AND I THINK BASICALLY THE BIKE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS MOSTLY COMPOSED OF BIKE HOUSTON MEMBERS AND THEY'RE DIRECTING THE ROAD TRAFFIC AND THE PLANNING. AND I WAS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED WHEN I NOTICED IN THE MESSAGE THAT YOU'RE GOING FORWARD ON THE 11TH STREET PROJECT THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOT A PICTURE OF THE HEAD OF BY HOUSTON'S CHILDREN IN THE VIDEO. IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE THAT THEY'RE DETACHED FROM THE PROJECT. AND YOU WERE DOING A TRUE INDEPENDENT EVALUATION THAT I WOULD SEE THAT SORT OF STUFF. SO I'M QUITE UPSET. I DON'T THINK THAT YOU, I HAVE TO SAY IT. MAYOR TURNER. I LIKE YOU. I THINK YOU MEAN. WELL, THAT'S MY THREE MINUTES THAT I WAS ALLOWED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. JORDAN. UM, MAYOR, I'M SORRY. I'M MA'AM. OFFICER, MAAM. MCC, THANK YOU MAYOR. MR. JORDAN. UM, I, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING TODAY. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A FEW QUICK SECONDS TO WRAP UP. YOU WERE SO PATIENT, UM, WAITING TO SPEAK TODAY. AND I KNOW YOU WERE, WERE A LITTLE NERVOUS. YOU, YOU KNOW, YOUR MESSAGE IS, UH, WE UNDERSTAND YOUR MESSAGE. BUT IF YOU WANTED TO WRAP UP AND THEN MAYOR, I JUST HAD A QUICK COMMENT AFTERWARDS. IT'S AN HOUR COMMENT WITH, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T FOLLOW. OH, I THOUGHT IT WAS AN HOUR. IT'S GIVING YOU TIME. OKAY, WELL, I'M SORRY. WELL, AT ANY RATE, BASICALLY I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. 'CAUSE IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN GIVEN FAIR REPRESENTATION AND IT DOES, IT, IT REALLY, I HAVE TO SAY, MAYOR, THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE DECISION BEING MADE TO CHANGE THE PROJECT ON NOVEMBER 8TH, THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE MEETING THAT DIDN'T WORK AND NO REAL INPUT FROM THE AFFECTED NEIGHBORS. WE FEEL LIKE THE FIX WAS PUT IN A LONG TIME AGO BEFORE WE EVEN HAD A CHOICE. AND THAT BIKE, HOUSTON BASICALLY IS JUST ALLOWED TO DRAW A CRAYON AND GO WHERE THEY WANT, EVEN IF IT'S NOT SAFE. AND I UNDERSTAND THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE GUYS THAT ARE IN BIKE HOUSTON ARE PROFESS NOT PROFESSIONAL CYCLISTS, BUT I MEAN, EXPERIENCED CYCLISTS, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. BUT WHEN YOU PUT THESE BIKE LANES ON THE ROAD THAT ARE DANGEROUS, THEY INVITE PEOPLE THAT AREN'T SO EXPERIENCED TO GET OUT THERE. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE SAFE. AND AT ANY RATE, I MEAN, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT MORE TO THE SUBJECT. I DON'T THINK I'M COMFORTABLE CONTINUING, BUT THANK YOU , YOUR HONOR. LEMME JUST SAY THE FOCUS WAS NOT, THE FOCUS WAS NOT BY HOUSTON. THE FOCUS WAS ON THE FACT THAT, THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS STRETCHES OF ROADS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT LITERALLY, LITERALLY ON 11TH STREET IN THAT SECTION, THERE ARE MORE ACCIDENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN THAT SECTION THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER STREET IN THIS CITY. SO IT WAS, IT, IT WASN'T DRIVEN BY, BY HOUSTON. AND THE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN GOING ON OUT IN THAT AREA SINCE 2019. WELL, IT'S BEEN THREE. THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSIONS FOR THREE YEARS AND THERE HAVE BEEN COMMUNITY MEETINGS. AND I WENT OUT THERE MYSELF SEVERAL TIMES. SO WE CAN DISAGREE BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ISSUES WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES. BUT THE DRIVING FORCE IN MAKING THE DECISION WAS NOT BY HOUSTON. THE DRIVING FORCES THAT YOU HAVE FAMILIES AND KIDS THAT ARE IN HARM'S WAY. AND LITERALLY, FACTUALLY IN THAT STRETCH, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF ACCIDENTS ON THE ROAD. AND WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL VISION ZERO TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS ON OUR ROADS AND STREETS. THAT WAS THE DRIVING FORCE. BUT I KNOW WE, WE ARE NOT GONNA AGREE. AND I RESPECT THAT. I RESPECT YOU FOR BEING HERE. UM, BUT I MADE THE BEST DECISION THAT IT COULD BASED ON THE EVIDENCE AND THE FACTS BEFORE ME. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, MR. JORDAN, I DID JUST WANNA SHARE A FEW FACTS WITH YOU. YOU ARE REFERENCING TDOT AND FEDERAL FUNDING. UH, THIS PROJECT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, AND I, I COULD BE MISTAKEN, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE ARE NO, UM, FEDERAL OR TDOT RELATED GRANTS FOR THIS PROJECT. NOW, THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL ONES IN THE AREA, IMPROVING SAFETY IN MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION. UM, AND I'M, I, I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, UM, MY OFFICE REACHED OUT TO YOU, I BELIEVE TWICE WHEN WE SAW YOU ON THE SPEAKER'S LIST. BUT YOUR MAILBOX IS FULL. AND I KNOW THAT THE MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION HAD ALSO REACHED OUT, UM, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET AHOLD OF YOU. UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE AND WE CAN GET YOU MORE DETAILS, UH, IN TERMS OF ALSO WHAT THE CITY'S GONNA BE DOING, NOT JUST WITH THE CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE, BUT, UM, FOR 10TH STREET AND OTHER STREETS. AND AGAIN, I LIVE IN THE AREA AS WELL, UM, DURING [01:45:01] CONSTRUCTION, UH, MITIGATING TRAFFIC AND THINGS OF LIKE THAT, UM, AND NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY EFFORTS, UM, THAT WILL BE UNDERWAY. SO AGAIN, WE, WE ALL APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE INFORMATION YOU NEED, UH, MOVING FORWARD AND, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT. AND MAYOR, THANK YOU. I, I HAVE TO SAY, UM, DOING THAT SITE VISIT MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS, WERE WITH MAYOR TURNER FOR THAT. UH, MAYOR YOU'LL RECALL THE STUDENTS, UH, THAT CAME OUT THAT WALKED TO SCHOOL THAT SPECIFICALLY ASKED YOU FOR THIS AS WELL. SO, UM, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE ALL THE FACTS ARE OUT THERE, BUT, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE MR. JORDAN, YOU COMING DOWN AS WELL. MAY I ASK YOU ONE QUESTION? SURE. OH, HOW IS IT THAT THE, WE CONSIDER IT TO BE THREE YEARS OF PLANNING WHEN THE PROJECT CHANGED IN NOVEMBER OF LAST YEAR. OH. DURING THIS WHOLE THREE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT INPUT THAT WAS, WAS RECEIVED THROUGH THOSE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS. SO THE PROJECT THAT WAS PRESENTED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THREE, UH, THREE YEARS AGO IN 2019, THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN MODIFICATION TO ADDRESS, UH, SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WAS PRESENTED BY PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA. THAT'S A PART OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS. I, I UNDERSTAND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY. THANK YOU, MARY, FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I, AND I DO APPRECIATE YOU COMMENT. SO THANK YOU, YOU AGAIN. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER SPEAK. CLARENCE LINTON. CLARENCE LINTON. CLARENCE. CLARENCE. LINTON. CLARENCE. NEXT SPEAKER. ROBERT MARTIN. ROBERT MARTIN. IF YOU'RE PRESS STAR SIX. ROBERT MARTIN. STAR SIX. ROBERT MARTIN. STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. MARY MARTIN. MARY MARTIN. STAR SIX. MARY MARTIN STAR SIX MARY. HI, THIS IS MARY MARTIN. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. YES, MA'AM. I'M GONNA LET MY HUSBAND SPEAK. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR TURNER AND COUNSEL, I WAS TRYING TO GET IN, BUT IT, IT WOULDN'T ACCEPT. THAT WAS MY WIFE, MARY MARTIN. UM, MY CONCERN IS WITH, UH, THE, THE COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC. I LIVE IN THE ACRE HOME AREA. I'M ON THE EAST SIDE OF DESOTO AND WE'VE GOT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES COMING DOWN THIS STREET AND THEY'VE BEEN HITTING THE POWER LINES, UH, HIDDEN COMMUNICATION LINES. AND, UM, THEY BARREL DOWN HERE, TEAR 'EM UP AND NOTHING'S DONE ABOUT IT. UH, NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, LAST TUESDAY THEY HIT A LINE, KNOCKED THE POLE OVER, AND NOW WE ARE FACED WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WITH ELECTRIC ELECTRICAL REPAIRS THAT THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE VEHICLE SAYS THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEIGHT OF THE LINES. I DID TALK TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, ATTORNEY ALSO TALKED TO THE, UM, UM, UH, OFFICER WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TRAFFIC CONTROL. UH, HE DIDN'T CALL ME BACK, BUT THERE'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS. THERE'S, WE'VE GOT POWER LINES THAT ARE TOO LOW. WE'VE GOT COMMERCIAL TRUCKS COMING DOWN HERE THAT ARE TOO HIGH AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. WE NEED SIGNAGE TO TELL THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. DO WE NEED TO PUT AN OFFICER OUT ON THE STREET, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING DONE. I'M NOT GOING TO PAY SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPAIR MY ELECTRICAL WHEN A COMMERCIAL TRUCK COMES DOWN THE STREET THAT I PAY TAXES FOR AND STARTS RUINING THE LINES RUNNING INTO STUFF. DO YOU GET WHAT I'M SAYING? WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU, MR, MR. MARTIN, HELLO? IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POWER LINES, THAT IS CENTER POINT. THAT IS, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT IS, THAT IS CENTER, CENTER POINT. UM, THAT'S OKAY. WELL, I'M, I'M SORRY. WELL, MAYOR TURNER, MAYOR TURNER, I TALKED TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE TRUCK AND THEY SAID THAT THEY'VE BEEN GOING ROUND AND ROUND WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. ABOUT THE HEIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO REGULATE THE HEIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO INDICATE TO YOU, MR. MARTIN. IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE POWER LINES, THE TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION LINES, THAT'S CENTER POINT ENERGY. THAT IS NOT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT IS CENTER POINT. RIGHT. AND YOU NEED, RIGHT, AND THE CENTER POINT LINES RUN PARALLEL TO THE STREET. WHAT GOES ACROSS THE STREET ARE COMMUNICATIONS LINE, WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS XFINITY AND AT AND T. UM, [01:50:01] BUT I GUESS WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M SAYING IS WHAT'S THE LAW HERE? BECAUSE WE'VE GOT LINES THAT ARE TOO SMALL. I MEAN TOO LOW. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE COMMUNICATION'S, SUPPOSED TO BE 18 FEET, AND POWER IS SUPPOSED TO BE 22 FEET. THE TRUCK'S LIMIT SUPPOSED TO BE 14 FEET. AND TOM HAS EXPIRED. WHO ENFORCES THAT? AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, MR. MARTIN AND MS. MARTIN, IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE POWER LINES, THAT IS CENTER POINT. IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT AT AND T ARE UTILIZING THEIR POLES, THEN THAT'S CENTER POINT AND AT AND T BUT THOSE ARE NOT CITY OF HOUSTON'S LIONS. SO, UM, LET ME JUST SAY TO YOU, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO CENTER POINT AT 7 1 3 2 7 2 0 7 22 22 7 1 3 2 0 7 22 22. THAT'S CENTER POINT. AND THAT'S WHO YOU NEED TO CALL. OKAY. UM, MAYOR TURNER AND CITY OF HOUSTON COUNCIL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. AND MAYOR TURNER, KEEP WRAPPING 44. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, THANK YOU. BUT IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM THERE, THEN YOU REACH BACK AND, AND, AND TOUCH BASES WITH ME, OKAY? YES SIR. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. AND I ASSUME THAT WAS MARY MARTIN TOO. I WAS TALKING TO THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. UH, OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. MARIA TELLES. MARIA TELLES. MARIA TELLES TO BE FOLLOWED BY ROBERT FOR MARIA. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MARIA TELLES. YOU GET RIGHT BEHIND THAT, THAT MIC RIGHT BEHIND THE MICROPHONE, MIC, THE RED LIGHT. OKAY. UM, MY NAME IS MARIE ES. I LIVE IN HOUSTON TOO MANY YEARS, 55 YEARS. AND, UH, I KNOW SINCE I START LIVING IN HOUSTON, IT WAS A VERY NICE PLACE. UH, GOOD PEOPLE TRUSTING, PEOPLE RESPECTFUL. UM, WELL, RIGHT NOW I'VE EXPERIENCED IT, UM, WITH NEIGHBORS. I EXPERIENCED IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. UM, UM, BEING JEALOUS, BEING P PREJUDICED, BEING P TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO WE ARE TRYING TO LIVE THEIR LIFE, NORMAL LIFE WITH FAMILY SHARING, WITH FAMILY VALUES, RESPECTFUL. WELL, WHEN THEY SEE THIS, THEY GO TO HURT US. THEY TRY TO DISMISS MY LIFE BY CRUSHING ME IN THE CAR. AND AS BEING, UM, A YOUNG MAN WHO I MET IN HCC WHILE I WAS, UH, TAKING CLASSES FOR MY FATHER EDUCATION. UM, I WORKED THE BEGINNING OF MY LIFE WITH ATTORNEYS IN ACCOUNTING, DEALING, BILLING TO 50 COUNTRIES, 60 COUNTRIES, UH, IN ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT. WELL, I TRIED TO LIVE COMPARABLE LIFE RIGHT HERE WHEN I START LIVING HERE. AND THEN WHEN THIS, UM, GUY I MET IN HCC AS AS A STUDENT, HE FOLLOW UP TO ME. HE'S TOLD TO ME SO MANY YEARS TRYING TO DISMISS MY LIFE WITH NO REASON. UH, HE HAD A CHOICE OR WITH CAMERAS. AND HIS MOTHER, TRACY, FIRST OF ALL, HE CLIMBED, HE TALKED TO ME IN HCC THAT HE IS A POOR MAN. HE WORKS PART-TIME HOURS. HE ALSO WAS A STUDENT FOR COMPUTERS THEN. WELL, I WAS USING THE FACILITY FOR COMPUTERS AND HCC UM, THIS GENTLEMAN, HE WAS LIKE, AFTER ME, HE FOLLOWED ME UP THROUGH TO THE PLACE I LIVE TO SEE WHAT KIND OF CAR I DRIVE. AND HE JUST WAS, UM, NOT A GOOD GUY. NOT A, NOT A GOOD PERSON. YOU COULD SEE THE GUY. APPARENTLY HE WAS IN ALCOHOL AND DRUGS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. SO THIS IS WHAT I EXPERIENCED. AND MR. LABS THE YES, HE FOLLOW ME. MR. SINCE 1990, MR. LAPS THREE. MS. LOBB, YOUR, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. [01:55:01] UH, YOUR, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, ROBERT FOR ROBERT FOREIGN. BE FOLLOWED BY JERRY MONROE. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. UM, I WAS A BUSINESS OWNER HERE OUT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I OWNED A COMPANY CALLED PREFER READY MIX, AND I EMPLOYED OVER 20 EMPLOYEES HERE AT THE TIME. UM, IN BETWEEN THAT, UM, I HAD A COURT RECEIVER THAT LIED TO A COURT. UH, AND I KNOW THIS KIND OF LEANS INTO A CIVIL SIDE, BUT IN, UH, THIS COURT RECEIVER STATED THAT PREFERRED READY MIX WAS OWNED BY ONE OWNER WHEN THAT WASN'T THE CASE. UH, THERE WAS PUBLIC RECORD THAT THERE WAS MULTIPLE OWNERS OF PREFERRED READY MIX. UM, IN BETWEEN THIS, THIS FORCED MY COMPANY BECAUSE WE HAD TO STOP OPERATIONS INTO FILING A CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY. UM, IT'S VERY EMBARRASSING TO ACTUALLY BRING THAT UP AS WELL. BUT IN BETWEEN THIS, I RAN INTO A, AN ATTORNEY AT THE TIME NAMED JESSICA LEE HOF THAT OPERATED OUTTA HOUSTON. MS. HOF PROMISED THAT SHE WOULD REPRESENT, UM, MY COMPANY AND GET ALL MY ASSETS BACK SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE DOWN OPERATIONS. AND IN BETWEEN ALL OF THIS, UH, THE RETAINAGE WA WAS GOING TO BE $20,000. I GAVE MS. HOFF WHAT LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THAT I HAD LEFT, WHICH WAS $20,000 TO REPRESENT US. AND MS. HOFF DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY. UM, IN BETWEEN ME FILING STATE BAR, UH, CLAIMS, I WAS ONE OF 40 VICTIMS. UM, SO IN BETWEEN THAT I FILED WITH THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE A REPORT TO FILE CHARGES. 'CAUSE IF THE SHOE WAS ON THE OTHER FOOT AND I SOLD YOU CONCRETE FOR $20,000, ACCEPTED THE MONEY, I'D BE IN JAIL. UM, THEY DISBARRED MS. HOFF ON A DIFFERENT VICTIM'S CLAIM, BUT IT WAS SIMILAR TO MINE. AND ONCE I HIRED NEW COUNSEL OUTTA DALLAS TO REPRESENT MY COMPANY, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE FEDERAL COURT AND THE US TRUSTEE WERE AWARE OF THIS, UH, AND THAT IT WAS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. THEY ISSUED A, THEY, THEY ISSUED AN ORDER FOR HER TO RETURN THE MONEY, WHICH SHE DID NOT. AND THEY ENDED UP ISSUING AN ARREST WARRANT FOR MS. HOFF AS WELL. UH, BUT IT WAS A CIVIL BENCH WARRANT. AND IN BETWEEN ME TRYING TO CONTACT EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY HERE OUTTA HOUSTON TO TRY TO GET SOMETHING DONE, UH, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE THAT THERE WAS NO RECORD OF ME FILING ANYTHING IN THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE. SO I REFILED AN HPD WHERE THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD TAKE 90 DAYS FOR THEM TO EVEN LOOK AT IT OR TO BE ASSIGNED A, UH, DETECTIVE, BUT IT WOULD BE MORE OF A, A CIVIL ISSUE. UM, WHAT I'M WANTING OR SEEKING IS FOR SOME ATTENTION TO BE BROUGHT TO THIS. 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, WITH ME GOING TO COURT AND TALKING TO THE FEDERAL JUDGE THERE, UH, JUST KINDA EXPRESSING, YOU KNOW, WHY WASN'T THIS REFERRED OVER TO THE US ATTORNEY OR A DISTRICT ATTORNEY IF Y'ALL KNEW ABOUT THIS? UM, HE JUST BASICALLY TOLD ME I CAN GO DIRECTLY. SO I FEEL THAT THEY ENABLED MS. HOFF TO ROB OVER 40 OTHER PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF, WHERE I HAD TO DOUBLE PAY. AND MY COMPANY IS ACTUALLY AT A POINT OF A DEFAULT BECAUSE THE TRUSTEE WANTS MORE MONEY FROM US. YEAH. TOM HAS EXPIRED. UM, AND I HAVE THE WARRANT. IF Y'ALL, YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, YOU CERTAINLY MORE THAN WELCOME TO LEAVE IT WITH RENEE. UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN HELP YOU ON THIS ONE, UH, MR. FORM. BUT I WOULD, UH, IF, IF YOU'VE, UH, REACHED OUT TO HPD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO HPD. BEYOND THAT, I DON'T SEE HOW I CAN HELP YOU ON THIS ONE. GOT YOU. I DO APPRECIATE THAT. YOU KNOW, CONS, COUNCILMAN POLLARD? UH, THANK YOU SIR FOR CALL COMING IN. UH, DEFINITELY UNFORTUNATE SITUATION. I CAN TELL YOU THAT AS YOU WERE SPEAKING, MANY OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS THINKING I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO DO THAT YOU'VE ALREADY DONE. SO I DO THINK YOU'RE TAKING THE NECESSARY STEPS. UH, IF THERE'S ALREADY A WARRANT OUT, UM, THEN THERE ARE AUTHORITIES IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT ARE SEEKING, UH, HER PRESENCE, UH, TO BRING HER IN. UH, AND SHE'S JUST ON THE RUN AT THE MOMENT. BUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING IS, UH, WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE. AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT SITUATION AND PAY THAT MONEY. UH, BUT HOPEFULLY SOMETHING, UH, ENDS UP IN YOUR FAVOR AND JUSTICE IS DONE. I DO, I DO APPRECIATE THAT. AND THE WARRANT IS ACTUALLY A CIVIL BENCH WARRANT BECAUSE SHE JUST DIDN'T FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. WHAT THE US MARSHAL JOSEPH CASTRO OUTTA HOUSTON NOTIFIED ME WAS IS THAT WHAT, WHAT I HAVE GOING ON IS SEPARATE AND IT'S CRIMINAL AND TO TRY TO GET EYES ON IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES SIR. MM-HMM . NEXT SPEAKER JERRY MONROE. BE FOLLOWED BY MARY WILLIAMS. [02:00:03] I'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR A WHILE. MY NAME IS GARY. IF YOU CAN'T REMEMBER THAT, JUST CALL ME FIVE STAR. I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMBER BECAUSE SOME KIDS AT YATES NEEDED SOME WATER AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER DELIVERED A WHOLE PALLET. I APPRECIATE IT. OTHER THAN THAT, WE AIN'T GONNA BEG FOR NOTHING. YOU DON'T WANT TO HELP 'EM. WE DON'T CARE. I HAD TO GIVE YOU GUYS OVER THERE A LAW LESSON. I'M A FEW HOURS AWAY FROM MY BACHELOR'S IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE. I WANNA BE A PROSECUTOR TO PUT PEOPLE IN JAIL. THIS IS A LIMITED PUBLIC FORUM. AND UNLESS SOMEBODY CURSES YOU OUT OR THREATEN YOU, YOU CAN'T JUST BE REMOVING PEOPLE FROM THIS MICROPHONE. YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT THEY SAID, BUT YOU JUST CAN'T DO IT. YOU HAD AN AFRICAN AMERICAN PRESIDENT THAT GOT CALLED N WORDS AND MONKEYS AND ALL THAT, AND HE HAD TO TAKE THAT STOP SETTING THEM GUYS UP. 'CAUSE I'M GONNA SUE 'EM. I PROMISE YOU. HISD LEARNED THE HARD WAY. 300,000 THEY LOST. BUT WHAT I CAME HERE TODAY IS TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS SOME MEDICAL ISSUES. IT'S CALLED A HEART ATTACK. IT'S CALLED A HEART ATTACK. I WANT THE PEOPLE TO SEE YOU BEFORE YOU GET A HEART ATTACK. YOU GET WARNING SIGNS. OBOI DONE CAME HERE BEFORE I CAME HERE BEFORE. HOW DARE YOU KEEP DISRESPECTING TAWANA BRYANT. HOW DARE YOU KEEP DOING IT. OBO. SO THIS IS WHERE WE GONNA GO WITH THIS. I RECOMMEND THAT IF SOMETHING HAS NOT BEEN DONE RIGHT WITH THIS LADY TO FIX IT, THAT'S YOUR WARNING SIGN. THE NEXT TIME. I'M NOT SAYING NOTHING. I'M GONNA SEND SOME FOLK UP IN THIS BUILDING THAT THE GOOD MAYOR AIN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO STOP 'EM FROM DIGGING ALL OFF IN YOUR BUSINESS. IF, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS AS HISD, WHEN YOU GET COMPANY, I'M NOT TALKING NO MORE. OBO IS A SHAM. IT'S A SHAM. YOU, YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR WHITE PRIMES. YOU, YOU MESS OVER YOUR BLACK SUBS AND YOU EXPECT FOR THESE PEOPLE TO KEEP DEALING WITH THIS. I RECOMMEND, AND I'M TELLING YOU, I'M BEING STRAIGHT UP. YOU CAN, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO 'EM. DON'T. I AM GOING TO SEND YOU SOME FEDERAL COMPANY AND AIN'T NOBODY IN THIS BUILDING GONNA BE ABLE TO STOP MY LIKING, LIKE TO EAT LUNCH WITH 'EM NOW. WON'T HAVE TO JUST DROP IT OFF NO MORE. AIN'T NO MORE GAMES WITH OBO BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY CAME HERE AND TALKED ABOUT IT. SO WHAT YOU GONNA TO DO? YOU READY TO PLAY CHESS WITH A CHESS MASTER? OH, BY THE WAY, STERLING SHAW, I WENT BEHIND Y'ALL BACK. I TOOK CARE OF THAT. THAT'S WHAT I DO. I DON'T HAVE THE HAMMER OF ACCOUNTABILITY. I'M THE BADDEST SOB IN THE COUNTRY WHEN IT COME TO FIXING THINGS. OBO FIX IT. IT IS YOUR TIME. AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA END UP DOWN THE STREET IN THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE. AND NOW WE GOING TO HAVE A PROBLEM. BUT BEFORE I COME HERE, ALREADY GOT THE EVIDENCE. THANK YOU VERY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. NEXT SPEAKER. MARY WILLIAMS, MS. WILLIAMS, MARY WILLIAMS. HELLO. OH, HI, MR. PROFESSOR TURNER. AND I'M SORRY I HAD TO BE THE LAST ONE AND YOU HAD TO GO TO THAT. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK TO ME TODAY. SO I WAS ONE OF THE HOUSTONIANS THAT BEEN HERE ALL MY LIFE. I'VE BEEN ON MY JOB 22 METERS. I WENT THROUGH THE CITY OF HOUSTON PROGRAMS TO GET THE HOUSE ON THAT, THE, THE HOUSE THAT Y'ALL WAS GIVING US TO GET FUNDS. I DID EVERYTHING. THEY ASKED ME ON EVERYTHING, AND THEN I HAD PAID AN INSPECTION AND I PAID A, UH, UH, EARNEST MONEY AND THEN THEY TELL ME IT'S NO MORE MONEY. AND THESE APARTMENTS TOO HIGH FOR, UH, SINGLE PARENTS BY THEMSELVES. ONE BEDROOM, $1,150, THESE REGULAR APARTMENTS. THEY DON'T DO NOTHING TO 'EM. AND WHAT ELSE YOU GOING TO DO? YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEWHERE TO STAY. I'M JUST ASKING IF THAT, UH, PLACES OUT TO JUST, I'M NOT ASKING YOU OUT JUST TO HELP ME WITH THE, UH, DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR ONE OF THE CITY. OKAY. HELLO? HELLO? HELLO? YES, MA'AM. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. ARE YOU FINISHED? YES, SIR. I'M FINISHED. AND YOU ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB. OKAY. I CAN BARELY HEAR YOU. I'M SORRY. OH, YOU CAN BARELY HEAR ME. I'M SAYING I WAS ONE OF THE PERSONS THAT DID THE CITY OF HOUSTON THING FOR THE DOWN [02:05:01] PAYMENT FOR THE SINGLE FAMILIES. AND I DID EVERYTHING AND DID EVERYTHING THAT THEY ASKED ME, SEND THEM ALL MY DOCUMENTS, ALL MY PAPERS AND EVERYTHING, PAID AN INSPECTION FOR THE HOUSE, PAID MY EARNINGS MONEY, AND NOW THEY'RE TELLING ME IT'S NO MORE FUN. YEP. THE THE RENTAL MONEY IS LIMITED. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU MAYOR. MS. WILLIAMS. UHHUH . YES. RIGHT. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, OUR LOCAL PROGRAM, ARE YOU TALKING FROM HURRICANE HARVEY? CORRECT. NO, HARVEY, THE HARVEY PROGRAM. THE HARVEY, IT WAS THE HARVEY PROGRAM. AND NOW WE ARE STUCK IN THESE APARTMENTS WITH THIS MORTGAGE SO HIGH NOW. AND, UH, REGULAR PEOPLE ON JOBS DON'T MAKE THE MONEY THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE REQUIRING US TO DO. IT'S LIKE THE CITIZEN PEOPLE ARE GETTING LEFT BEHIND. SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE HAS ATTEMPTED TO, UM, RECAPTURE THOSE FUNDS WHICH DIRECTLY IMPACTS POTENTIAL HOMEOWNERS SUCH AS YOURSELF. UH, THOSE DOLLARS HAVE BEEN ALMOST SLASHED IN HALF. UH, WHICH LIMITS OUR ABILITY TO DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING, OF RECEIVING HOMEOWNERS ASSISTANCE. UM, AND SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY WE HAD IN THE QUEUE. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WERE AN APPLICANT THAT WAS ALREADY IN THE, IN THE QUEUE. BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, AT THE STATE LEVEL, THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO RECAPTURE THOSE FUNDS. SO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WE ARE LIMITED IN OUR ABILITY TO, UM, TO COMPLETE THAT APPLICATION. I WOULD NEED MORE INFORMATION. BUT, UM, I WILL HAVE, I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTER PUBLIC SESSION TO GET MORE DETAILS PERSONALLY. OKAY. WELL, I, I HAVE TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER NUMBER BECAUSE MY CELL PHONE GOT WET TODAY. I WAS USING MY COWORKER CELL PHONE. OKAY. I WILL, I WILL GET YOUR INFORMATION THOUGH. STAY OR TOMORROW. OKAY, THAT'S FINE. YOU CAN, YOU CAN GET ME AND I, I'LL GET YOUR INFORMATION AND I'LL CALL YOU MYSELF. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. LINDA MURRAY. LINDA MURRAY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANNIE JOHNSON. WE KNOW DR. SHABAZZ. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU LEFT HISD. THIS IS JUST REALLY, AND UH, THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY ONE GREAT HOOP. EVEN IT WASN'T EVEN AS GOOD AS THIS WHEN YOU WERE AT HA, WAS IT MR. POLLARD AND YOU WERE, UH, THE PRESIDENT? UH, I'M JUST AN ORDINARY CITIZEN. I'M ANOTHER ORDINARY CITIZEN WHO GAVE HER SATURDAYS UP TO CAMPAIGN FOR, UH, ONE OF OUR LEGISLATORS. I FORGET WHETHER HE WAS RUNNING FOR, FOR OFFICE FOR THIS OR FOR SOMETHING ELSE. BUT HE HAD STAYED, HE HAD STAYED COMMITTED TO SEE THAT. HIST TEACHERS GOT LAPTOPS AND FREE LAPTOPS. AND AT THAT TIME IT WAS WAY BETTER THAN 10 YEARS AGO. THEY WERE OUT OF REACH FOR ANY TEACHER TO AFFORD. WELL, DURING THAT TIME WHEN WE GOT BACK TO HIM, BECAUSE SOMEHOW THE ADMINISTRATION AT HISD WAS TRYING TO SEE THAT EVERY TEACHER WAS NOT GOING TO GET THOSE LAPTOPS. HIS OFFICE AT OUR UNION CONTINUALLY HAD TO CONTACT HIS OFFICE TO MAKE SU ASCERTAIN THAT WE ALL WERE DISTRIBUTED. THE, THE LAPTOPS WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GIVE $200 DEPOSITS. ALL KINDS OF STUFF THEY TRIED TO DO TO US. NOW WHEN I'M HERE ABOUT OBFUSCATION AND JUST WHAT THE YOUNG LADY, THE, I, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER SHE'S YOUNG OR NOT. TWO OF MY FRIENDS, WE SHOUTED AROUND THE CHURCH FOR SISTER TUBBS BECAUSE SHE WAS TOLD BY THE CITY. SHE SAID THAT SHE WAS GOING TO GET HER HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE REBUILT. AND MY GOOD GIRLFRIEND, ANOTHER FORMER CHURCH MEMBER, SHE KEPT MY KID, SHE WAS TOLD WE'RE IN DISTRICT B. IF ANY OF YOU HAD READ THE ARTICLE, THOSE OF YOU THAT STILL GET THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, YOU FOUND OUT THAT MOST OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE DENIED WERE IN DISTRICT B. AND THE OTHER ONE WAS THE ONE, THE SUNNY SIDE OR SOMETHING OR OTHER. THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OUT, UH, HAVE NOT HAVE BEEN PROMISED HOMES SINCE HARVEY. SINCE HARVEY. AND THE ONLY THING I DID WAS SAY, OKAY, LET ME CALL. BECAUSE THEY'RE SENIOR CITIZENS. THEY DON'T HAVE, WHO HAS A HUNDRED DOLLARS? WHO HAS A HUNDRED BUCKS TO RUN A COMPUTER AND PAY FOR INTERNET? OBVIOUSLY THE DISTRICT THAT I LIVE IN THINKS THAT WE ALL DO. I CALLED, I FINALLY, I [02:10:01] I I WAS TOLD, I CALLED UP CAROL MIMS WAS THE ONE THAT RECOMMENDED ME TO GO AND GIVE MY SATURDAYS UP. I DIDN'T EVEN GET A PIZZA. I'VE NEVER BEEN PAID FOR CAMPAIGNING FOR ANYBODY. UH, IT'S, I I, SO WE GOT, I GOT, I GOT A, AN EMAIL, AN OBNOXIOUS EMAIL BACK FROM MY COUNCIL PERSON. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I'M STILL TRYING TO, I'M STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND TO GO ACROSS TOWN AND PICK UP PAPERS. NO, WHY CAN'T YOU CALL YOU GIVING THE, OUR MAYOR A BLACK EYE? THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I'M SORRY THAT FOLKS ARE SAYING THIS ABOUT THE, IT'S, IT'S A LACK IT. CAROL WAS SAYING IT'S NOT WHAT THE SANITATION DEPARTMENT, IT MUST BE THE STAFF THAT'S IN THE OFFICE. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU, WELL, YOU KNOW YOU DON'T NEED WHAT MS. MURRAY? WHAT, I'M SORRY, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE ISSUE? I'M STILL, THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT ANN BENNETT ON JUNE 17TH IN DISTRICT B WHOM I TAKE TO VOTE AND HAVE DONE SO FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, WAS GIVEN PAPERS TO SIGN. AND SHE WAS TOLD THAT HER HOUSE WAS GOING TO BE DEMOLISHED AND SHE WAS GOING TO GET A NEW ONE. WHEN I READ IN THE NEWSPAPER THAT THE GLO HAD AGAIN DECLINED 80% OF THE APPLICATIONS, WHICH I EXPECT A COUNCIL PERSON THAT HAS FIVE OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO KNOW ABOUT AND HER STAFF TO KNOW ABOUT, THEY OB FIRST, THEY DIDN'T EVEN ANSWER MY QUESTION. I SENT THEM, I HAVE TO SEND AN EMAIL TO YOU TO GET THEM TO. ONLY THING I WANTED TO KNOW WAS WHERE DO THEY STAND WITH THE CITY BECAUSE THEY SIGNED IT WITH THE CITY. RIGHT. BUT THAT PROGRAM IS RUN BY THE STATE GLO. YES. BUT THE AS AS I SAID BEFORE, AND I'VE BEEN SAYING THE CITY CAME OUT WHEN YOU CAME AND SPOKE AT 1360, YOU HAD TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT THOUGH THE CITY COLLECTS THE APPLICATIONS THERE, AT THAT POINT, THEY GAVE THE APPLICATION TO YOU. DON'T. THING WE WANTED TO KNOW WAS WHERE IT WAS. I UNDERSTAND MS. MUR, BUT WHAT I'M, WHAT THE POINT THAT I'M TRYING TO MAKE MM-HMM . IS THE STATE GLO TOOK OVER THAT PROGRAM FROM THE CITY. THAT'S JUNE. SINCE JUNE 17TH. YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. JUNE 17TH. OKAY. YES. THEN WHAT WOULD IT HAVE BEEN FOR SOMEONE TO SAY WE ARE SORRY THAT THEY DIDN'T GET ANY NOTIFICATION? YOU ARE GONNA HAVE TO, AND THEN THEY ALSO NEED TO CONTACT, THAT'S THE STATE, OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE. WELL, THAT IS TRUE. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THAT IS WHAT WAS, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO, HOW YOU EXPECT ANN DOESN'T DRIVE, BUT, BUT I'M SISTER BENNETT. SISTER BENNETT DOESN'T DRIVE. SISTER TUBS DOESN'T DRIVE. I'M THE ONE THAT HAS TO GO AND GET MY CAR AND GO OVER AND GET A FORM LETTER THAT I THINK IS AN OUTRAGE. AND, UH, I'M, I'M GONNA SEND IT TO AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. AND THAT'S EVEN FOR THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE 2017. YOU KNOW HOW YOU HA IT ATE YOUR LUNCH ON REELECTION? PEOPLE WERE SAYING THAT YOU MESSED UP THE MONEY THE STATE TOOK OVER THE, THE GLO PROGRAM. I MEAN THE, UH, HOUSING REPAIR PROGRAM, MS. UH, MS. MURRAY, THE STATE. YES. BUT THEY WERE JUST ORDERED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE TAKEN TO COURT, AND THEY WERE ORDERED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO GO BACK OVER THOSE APPLICATIONS. NO, MA'AM. NO, MA'AM. THAT'S WHAT'S IN THE NEWS. WELL, THEN NO, THE VERACITY IS NOT, DON'T, DON'T QUESTION MY VERACITY. READ IT IN THE CHRONIC. ALRIGHT, COUNCILOR, I'M POLL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MS. MURRAY, THANK, THANK YOU FOR COMING. I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE FRUSTRATED AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, YOU AND OTHERS, UH, DESERVE TO BE FRUSTRATED. MY MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, AS, AS A COUNCIL BODY, SINCE YOU'RE HERE BEFORE US TODAY, DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC REQUEST OF US? YES, YOU ARE. THE COUNCIL BODY. YOU'VE THE STATE TOOK IT OVER. I THINK IT DON'T, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO TELL THEM, WE'VE TURNED OVER THESE PAPERS TO YOU. LET US KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT OUR CITIZENS AND OUR TAX PAYING RESIDENTS NEED TO DO. NOT STICKING THEM ON A WILD GOOSE TEST. YEAH. SO, UM, WORK WITH US BY REACHING OUT AS YOU HAVE, BUT IF WE KNOW THESE SPECIFIC ADDRESSES AND LOCATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUALS, THEN OUR COUNCIL OFFICE WILL WORK WITH YOU ALL DIRECTLY TO REACH OUT TO GLO TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET BETTER COMMUNICATION FOR YOU. THAT'S NOT THE WAY GLO WORKS. COUNCILMAN PAUL. THEY CONTROLLED THAT PROGRAM. UNDERSTAND THEY THE SPENDING. I UNDERSTAND, BUT WHAT WE, WHAT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE JUST WANNA KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT. MAYBE THEY'RE PART OF THE 20% THAT WASN'T DENIED. [02:15:02] THAT INFORMATION IS WITH THE STATE. WE ALREADY SHOUTED. BUT HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET IT? THEY WEREN'T EVEN TOLD, THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW. AND WHEN I CALLED THE COUNCIL MEMBER, THEY SAID, IT'S NOT US, IT'S THE GLO. BUT YOU HANDED IT OVER THE PAPERS. YOU DIDN'T LET US GO, YOU DIDN'T LET US TEACHERS GO. WHEN WE, WHEN YOU SAW TO IT THAT WE GOT LAPTOPS, I'M SURE YOU DON'T REMEMBER THAT FAR BACK. YEARS AGO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TOOK 15 MINUTES TO START. I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. UH, COUNCILMAN CHALMERS. SURE. THANK YOU FOR, UM, COMING. AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THE, UH, TRANSITION OF THE PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN AS SMOOTH. UM, WE HAD OVER 350 APPLICATIONS SIMILAR TO THE SISTERS THAT YOU HELP WITH COMMUNITY THAT WE TRANSFERRED OVER TO THE GLO UPON RECEIPT. UM, EACH APPLICANT WAS SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE A LETTER, WHICH, A CONTACT TO A, UH, CASE MANAGER WITH THE GLO WHERE THEY COULD WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEIR STATUS WAS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF, OF THAT HOME. I WILL TELL YOU, IN TERMS OF THE APPLICATIONS THAT WERE DENIED FROM THIS, FROM ON OUR END, UH, MANY OF THE HOMES THAT WERE UNABLE TO RE BENEFIT OF THE GLO PROGRAM IS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE A CLEAR TITLE OR THEY HAD BACK TAXES. SO, UM, UH, PARTICULARLY IN DISTRICT B AND DISTRICT D, RIGHT. SO, UH, THE ESTATE PLANNING SIDE, BUT FOR THE APPLICATIONS THAT WERE ALREADY IN THE QUEUE, THE CITY HAD ACTUALLY SECURED MORE THAN A GLO. UM, AND I THINK YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER WILL BE MORE THAN WILLING TO FACILITATE THAT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THEIR CASE MANAGER SO THEY CAN GET AN ACTIVE UPDATE ON WHERE THEIR STATUS IS. SO THEY CAN WALK HAND IN HAND WITH YOU AND I, AND I'M I'M SURE SHE SHARE INFORMATION, UNDERSTAND HEARING NON GRANTED. YES. AND, UM, AND FORGIVE US FOR THE, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION. WE GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT, UM, RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, BEING DENIED AFTER BEING APPROVED. AND IN ORDER FOR US TO GET INFORMATION, GLOW IS REQUIRING THAT WE GET A LETTER FROM THE CONSTITUENT IN ORDER TO GET DETAILS. BECAUSE THE, AGAIN, THE, THE, THE, THE HOUSE, THE PROJECTS ARE NOT NO LONGER WITH THE CITY. WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH HAROLD TON'S, OFFICE STATE REPRESENTATIVE HAROLD TON, BECAUSE THEY ARE IN, UM, AUSTIN. AND SO ACTUALLY, UM, I JUST GOT A TEXT, SOMEONE THAT'S LISTENING ON, MARY FONTANO HAD OFFERED TO COME PICK UP THE PAPERS BECAUSE SHE WORKS WITH HAROLD TON. I TOLD MARY FONTANO, THAT'S A WHOLE, THIS, THIS PAPER IS AN INSULT. IT'S AN AND BENNETT WHO HAS VOTED FOR YOU. MM-HMM. BUT MS. MS. MARY, I WAS PULLED OUT OF SECOND GRADE. MM-HMM . FROM WHEN TO KEEP, KEEP HER DOWN SYNDROME'S BROTHER. MM-HMM . SHE'S MY AGE. RIGHT. OKAY. THAT HAPPENED BACK THEN YOU ALL WERE ALL A TWITTER ON CAROL'S, UH, HISTORY THAT HAPPENED BACK THEN. RIGHT. SHE DIDN'T GET ANY LETTERS. SHE'S IN A TWO BEDROOM IN THE BACK OF A HOUSE BECAUSE SHE HAS MOLD IT. YES, MA'AM. IT WOULD'VE BEEN NICE. AND WHAT YOUR OFFICE WOULDN'T DO WAS EVEN GIVE ME A PHONE CALL, MARY. NO, I DROVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE IN THE HEAT, THANK HEAVENS. I FINALLY HAVE A CAR WITH AIR CONDITIONING. BUT I DROVE ALL THE WAY OVER THERE IN THE HEAT MM-HMM . IN THAT OFFICE. AND, UH, SHE LEFT OUT THESE PAPERS OKAY. FOR HER TO START TO LET THEM KNOW. AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN NICE IF, IF, IF, IF THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE US THROUGH THIS SORT OF RIGAMAROLE, WE'LL GET, IT'S WHAT THEY KNOW IS ASKING US TO DO. AND SO I, AND AGAIN, I, I APOLOGIZE AND YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION, BUT MY OFFICE WOULD, AND THERE WAS ONE EMAIL THAT I HAD WRITTEN YOU ABOUT MM-HMM . SEVERAL MM-HMM . AND, UH, THERE'S A CIRCUITOUS THING GOING ON WITH THE ANSWERING OF THE PHONES, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. BUT, UH, I KNOW. SO NOW, UH, DO YOU HAVE A CARD? YES, MA'AM, I DO HAVE A CARD. THANK AND PLEASE TELL YOUR OFFICE TO PLEASE GIVE OUT CARDS. AND MS. THOMAS, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE, IF YOU DON'T MIND. THANK YOU FOR NAYHA. NAYHA NA, THERE HE IS. UH, I I NEED A CARD. SO I DIRECT THEM ABSOLUTELY. IN THE DARK. EVERYONE DOES NOT HAVE, UH, EVEN IF YOU DID HAVE A DOGONE FAX MACHINE, YOU ALL GIVE OUT THE WRONG FACTS THEN. I'M SORRY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, NEXT, NEXT SPEAKER. ANNIE JOHNSON. ANNIE JOHNSON. IS ANNIE JOHNSON HERE. IT'S A ROUGH DAY. ANNIE JOHNSON. NEXT SPEAKER. BENJAMIN BROWARD. BENJAMIN, UM, BROWARD JUST TO BE FOLLOWED BY JERRY RILEY. YOU GUYS DOING? SO ORIGINALLY I WAS GONNA COME UP HERE AND TALK ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW, ACRES, HOMES, THIRD WARD, SOUTH PARK IN MLK, BUT I'M GONNA GO AND STICK WITH, UM, THIRD WARD, MAINLY TSU AND, UM, UH, THE RADIO STATION. K-T-S-F-U-F FILM. SO YEARS AGO WHEN YOU HAD A, UH, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, HE DROPPED DOWN $180 MILLION FOR YOU GUYS. AND THEN RECENTLY DEMOCRAT COMES IN AND SAYS, AH, WE'RE TAKING THAT BACK. SO HE SNATCHED, WHAT ABOUT 90% OF IT. BUT BEING A, UH, MAYOR IN A DEMOCRATIC CITY WITH THE, UH, HPCU PROBABLY SUCKED A LITTLE BIT, [02:20:01] BUT YOU KNOW, AS POLITICS. BUT I'M GONNA TO ASK YOU TO HELP ME, HELP YOU. I KNOW THAT WE CAN TAKE THE UNIVERSITY, NOT ONLY THE UNIVERSITY, BUT WE CAN TAKE THE, UH, RADIO STATION, KTS FM 90.9 TO THE, UM, EPITOME OF, OF PUBLIC RADIO. WE CAN TAKE, UH, THE UNIVERSITY TO THE, UH, FOREFRONT OF ALL HBCUS. AND WE'RE GONNA DO THAT JUST BY USING TWO SIMPLE THINGS. WE'RE GONNA USE, UM, WE'RE GONNA USE, UM, DENZEL WASHINGTON AND THIS COMMENCEMENT. HE REMINDED THOSE STUDENTS THAT WHAT THEY NEEDED TO SUCCEED WAS ALREADY OUT THERE, THAT ALREADY GOT US PLACED THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO REACH OUT, USE THE TOOLS TO HELP PROP FELLOW MA MUSIC IS THE KEY. THAT KEY IS OUR OWN K-A-T-S-U-F FM. SO I'M REQUESTING AT LEAST 15 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME WITH YOU SO THAT I CAN SHOW YOU HOW THESE TWO THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN. UH, I'M NOT A REPUBLICAN, I'M NOT A DEMOCRAT. I'VE NEVER BOUGHT A DAY IN MY LIFE, MAN. OKAY? I MEAN, IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. A COIN HAS THREE SIDES TO IT. IT'S GOT A LEFT SIDE AND THE RIGHT SIDE, BUT IT HAS A MIDDLE. WHAT STANDS ON? MEET ME IN THE MIDDLE AND LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE. LET'S SOLVE IT. I GREW UP IN THE CITY 12 YEARS AGO. I SAT IN THE, UM, ICU AT BEN'S HO, I MEAN, UM, YEAH, IN THE HOSPITAL ROOM. HAD MY, UH, FIRST OPEN HEART, FIVE O'CLOCK ON A FRIDAY. NURSE BEHIND ME ASKED ANOTHER NURSE, WHAT TIME WAS IT? RIGHT WHEN SHE ASKED THAT I CAN HEAR THE COMMERCIAL ON KTIC ABOUT RICK AND HIS BLUES CREW AT FIVE O'CLOCK. AND I LOOKED AT HER AND I SAID, IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK, MR. CHRIS, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? WELL, FOR YEARS I LISTENED TO THE MUSIC AND I LOVE JAZZ. SO MY SECOND YEAR, A YEAR LATER, MY SECOND OPEN HEART, IT LASTS A LITTLE LONGER. I THERE FOR TWO WEEKS. BUT I TELL YOU WHAT, MANAM, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE LISTENING TO PUBLIC RADIO IN YOUR EAR. 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, MA'AM. ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT FROM PUBLIC. YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT FROM ANY OF OTHER RADIO STATION. YOU'RE GETTING IT FROM PUBLIC RADIO AND JAZZ. I LOVE JAZZ. OKAY? BUT TO SIT THERE 12 O'CLOCK MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WITH A MORPHINE DRIP, LISTEN TO DONNA. SO DONNA EDWARDS, THAT'S A HAPPY SMILE MAN FOR FOUR HOURS. OKAY? SO I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF I CAN HELP YOU AND I CAN, I KNOW I CAN. HONESTLY, LET'S GET BACK THAT MONEY, OKAY? AND LET'S TEAR IT UP. LET'S SHOW THE CITY, LET'S SHOW THIS COUNTRY. LET'S SHOW THIS WORLD THAT THIS LITTLE TOWN OF HOUSTON, WHICH USED TO BE THE MOST METROPOLITAN CITY. IS IT STILL? NO, YOU DID NOT. THE FOURTH LARGEST. OKAY. BUT WE'RE ALSO THE MOST METROPOLITAN, MEANING WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. LARGEST WE'RE THE MOST DIVERSE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WANNA DO. OKAY? COUNCILOR A P*****K. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, THANK YOU MR. BROWER FOR COMING FORWARD. I KNOW YOU'RE A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT J I'M A PROUD, UH, GRADUATE OF TEXAS SOUTHERN. COOL. SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN IT. MY OFFICE WILL REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY, UH, SO WE CAN HEAR MORE OF YOUR IDEAS, SEE HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. TRUST ME. ONE THING I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT, MY IDEA TO DO THAT, IT'S EASIER. SOME PEOPLE DRINK COFFEE WHILE Y'ALL GET A COFFEE, BUT GIVE IT A LITTLE SLEEVE WITHOUT COFFEE. RIGHT? WELL, SOON YOUR SLEEVE IS GONNA STICK TO YOUR COFFEE, OKAY? FOR YEARS WE WALK AROUND WITH A STUPID CUP OF COFFEE WITH A STUPID SLEEVE AND IT FALLS OFF. I DON'T KNOW WHY WAITED IS SO LONG. SO MY FIRST PATENT WITH MORE TO COME, ALL OF THIS, THIS IS STEVE'S SLICK. THE THE SLEEVE STICKS TO THE CUFF. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MR. BROWARD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S ALL IT'S GONNA BE. OKAY? YEP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. JERRY RILEY. JERRY RILEY. HERE. JERRY, JERRY RILEY. NEXT SPEAKER. MARY EDWARDS. EDWARDS. MS. EDWARDS. MR. EDWARDS TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANNIE WILLIAMS. GOOD EVENING, COUNCILMAN AND MAYOR. I'M HERE BY A GAS BILL. I RECEIVED ONE FOR 2 0 8 88, AND I RECEIVED TWO MORE. 1, 1 66 AND 1 28. AND ONE DAY I WAS SITTING OUTSIDE AND THE GAS PEOPLE WAS WORKING ACROSS THE STREET. AND THIS MAN CAME, HE TOLD ME HE NEEDED TO GO IN THE BACKYARD. I SAID GO. HE HAD HIS BADGE ON AND GAS SUIT. AND EVER SINCE HE WENT BACK THERE, MY GAS BILL BEEN GONE UP. I HARDLY [02:25:01] COOK BECAUSE I GET MEALS ON WHEELS. I'M 84. WHAT WOULD I DO WITH A BILL? $208 AND 88 CENTS IN THE SUMMER. THAT WAS THAT, UH, THAT TOO IS, THAT'S CENTER POINT. AND, UH, MY CHURCH PAID MY BILLS WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AND BAKER RIPLEY PAID SOME. OKAY, I GOT YOU. LET ME ASSIGN YOU TO, TO A COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CAROLYN EVANS SHABA. UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOUR CHURCH AND YOU KNOW, SHE'S QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THE CHURCHES AND, AND EVERYTHING AND, BUT SHE'S YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND THE GAS, THAT BEAUTIFUL WOMAN RIGHT THERE IN THAT GREEN AND BLACK, RIGHT? AND, UH, BUT, BUT THE GAS BILL IS CENTER POINT. THAT'S CENTER POINT. AND I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN CHAON CAN ASSIST. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. EDWARDS. UH, STEVEN IN MY OFFICE DID CALL YOU AND HE LEFT A MESSAGE, SO I DON'T THINK YOU ALL HAVE SPOKEN. AND SO I WILL ASK HIM TO REACH OUT TO YOU AGAIN, AND YOU CERTAINLY CAN DO THAT AS WELL. UH, BUT AS THE MAYOR SAID, IT IS CENTER POINT. BUT YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE CAN OFFER YOU ANY DIRECTION, WE CERTAINLY WILL DO THAT. SO I'LL ASK STEVEN TO CALL YOU AGAIN. HE DID LEAVE YOU A MESSAGE. SO IF YOU LISTEN TO THAT MESSAGE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY GIVE HIM A CALL BACK. USUALLY YOU TALKING ABOUT MR. JAMES IN THE OFFICE? YES. STEVEN JAMES? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. YES, MA'AM. CALL HIM BACK. YOU KNOW HIM WELL AND CERTAINLY BECAUSE HE'S ALWAYS MADE HIMSELF AVAILABLE TO TRY TO HELP YOU IN SOME OTHER SITUATIONS AND WE ARE NOT GONNA STOP. AND SO, UH, I ASK YOU THAT YOU GIVE STEVEN JAMES A CALL, OKAY? OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN. THANKS, MS. AB EDWARDS. NEXT SPEAKER. ANNIE WILLIAMS. ANNA WILLIAMS. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX ANNIE WILLIAMS, STAR SIX. ANNIE WILLIAMS, STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. TAWANA BRYANT. TAWANA BRYANT, GOOD DAY AND ALL HONOR TO GOD ONCE AGAIN. I'M HERE IN CONTINUATION OF MY QUEST FOR EQUITY FOR MY FIRM, TRINITY FREIGHT SERVICES FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S, OBO AND PRIME CONTRACTOR. INE THE HEARING WAS A CHARADE OF COMPLETE JUDICIAL IRRESPONSIBILITY. LISTEN TO THIS SHORT CLIP WHEREBY JUDGE GIL GILMORE IN AN ATROCIOUS MANNER, INSTRUCTS THE COURT REPORTER TO STRIKE FROM THE RECORD HER DOMESTIC SHENANIGANS. YOU SHOULD GO TO THE HO, THEN WE SHOULD GO TO THE HOSPITAL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TELL YOU. I'M NOT A DOCTOR. I CAN'T FIX IT. YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT. NOW, , DON'T PUT THIS, PARDON ME. THE FULL VERSION HAS BEEN POSTED ONLINE AND EMAILED TO THIS ENTIRE COUNCIL. DUE TO THE HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL WAY YOUR APPOINTED HEARING OFFICER RETIRED, JUDGE GILMORE HANDLED THE HEARING. I HEREBY FOR THE SECOND TIME, WITHIN TWO WEEKS, APPEAL TO THIS CHAMBER FOR AN IMPARTIAL PUBLIC HEARING AS STIPULATED IN THE CITY'S ORDINANCE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. WELCOME. ILI MONTOYA. RIVAS. I MONTOYA. RIVAS. THANK YOU. ILI. MONTOYA. RIVAS. NOT HERE. NEXT SPEAKER. OMA HARRIS. NEMA HARRIS, STAR SIX OMA HARRIS STAR SIX OMA HARRIS. NEXT SPEAKER ERICA HARRISON. IT'S ERICA HARRISON. HERE. ERICA HARRISON. ERICA HARRISON. NEXT SPEAKER. THIS COMPLETES THE LIST OF [RECESS] SPEAKERS. STAND IN RECESS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:00 AM OF THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR THE WEEK. APRIL, I MEAN AUGUST 2ND AND THIRD, 2022. ITEM ONE, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLIAM J. TAYLOR. THE THIRD TO POSITION SEVEN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER THREE, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE ZONE FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE. DECEMBER 3RD, 2023. ITEM TWO, REQUEST FOR MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF WILLIAM J. TAYLOR. THIRD, TO POSITION SEVEN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, FORMERLY THE MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE DECEMBER 3RD, 2023. ITEM THREE, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OR REAPPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS. ITEM FOUR, RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVE A MOTION SUBMITTING [02:30:01] THE NO NEW REVENUE AND VOTER APPROVAL TAX RATES BASED ON THE ESTIMATED TAX ROLL INFORMATION. ITEM FIVE, EXCUSE ME, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $1,911,762 AND 49 CENTS. AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH PM CONSTRUCTION AND REHAB. L-L-C-D-B-A-I-P-R SOUTH CENTRAL FORCE MAINE RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT GOLF COURSE LIFT STATION. ITEM SIX, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $1,163,197 AND 30 CENTS. AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH SPECIALIZED MAINTENANCE SERVICES, INC. FOR SANITARY SEWER CLEANING AND TELEVISION INSPECTION IN SUPPORT OF REHABILITATION. ITEM SEVEN, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINDING A CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,644,920 AND 4 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE WORK ON CONTRACT WITH TEA CONSTRUCTION LLC FOR WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM REHABILITATION AND RENEWAL. ITEM EIGHT, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR ADHESION PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,071,320 AND 3 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE TO WORK ON CONTRACT WITH GRAVEL LLC FOR QUICK CONNECT ELECTRICAL AND IMPROVEMENTS AT 50 LIFT STATIONS. ITEM NINE, RECOMMENDATION FROM FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $2,526,769 AND 17 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH WEISINGER INCORPORATED FOR NEW REPLACEMENT OF WATER WELL AND WELL COLLECTION LINE WHITE OAK ITEM 10, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $3,339,525 AND NO CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH T CONSTRUCTION LLC FOR FY 2017 CLEARING AND GRUBBING FOR OPEN DRAINAGE SYSTEMS WORK ORDERS. NUMBER ONE, ITEM 11, EVANS ENTERPRISES INC. FOR EMERGENCY PURCHASE OF NINE GROUNDWATER WELL PUMPS FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM 12, ORDINANCE APPROVING THE APPLICATION FOR IT AND ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS THROUGH A GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF COVID-19 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AS PART OF THE FY 2022 CARES ACT, ECONOMIC RECOVERY CORPS AND EQUITY IMPACT INVESTMENTS PROGRAM. ITEM 13 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AMENDMENT NUMBER SEVEN TO GRANT CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES FOR CITY'S READINESS IN INITIATIVE. ITEM 14, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AMENDMENT NUMBER SEVEN TO GRANT CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS. ITEM 15 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AMENDMENT NUMBER SIX TO GRANT CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES FOR LABORATORY RESPONSE NETWORK. ITEM 16 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SOLE SOURCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND A DB SAFE GATE AMERICA'S LLC ITEM 17 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TEXAS. ITEM 18 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT TO REIMBURSE ST. ANN'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL. ITEM 19 ORDINANCE, ESTABLISHING THE NORTH SIDE OF THE 800 BLOCK OF WELCH STREET BETWEEN CONVERSE STREET AND CROCKER STREET. ITEM 20 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $290,448 AND 90 CENTS OUT OF DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL CAPITAL FUND DRAINAGE CHARGE AS AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND CIVIL TECH ENGINEERING INC. ITEM 21 WAS AN ORDINANCE 20 22 5 78, PAST SECOND READING OF JULY 27TH, 2022. IT'S AN ORDINANCE GRANNY TORO ROHO INC. DBA ACTION TRUCKING A TEXAS CORPORATION. THIS IS THE THIRD AND FINAL READING. THIS IS THE END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE COUNCIL SESSION OF AUGUST 3RD, 2022. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL SCHEDULED, BEGIN AT 9:00 AM AND THE ROOSEVELT FORMER CITY SECRETARY, MS. ANNA RUSSELL. SHE ALWAYS SAID, DRIVE SAFE, DRIVE FRIENDLY, AND HAVE A NICE DAY. IN THE WORDS 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 THING. OKAY, I'VE GOT ABOUT 9 0 3 [RECONVENE] ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST THE THIRD, 2022. OUR MAYOR, SPECIAL ATTORNEY. I'M CALLING THIS MEETING GOVERNOR HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL DAUGHTER. THE FIRST ITEM OF [ADMIN REPORT] BUSINESS TODAY WILL BE THE, UH, THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT AND THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COMPTROLLER CHRIS [02:35:01] BROWN AND ALSO, UH, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. UH, WILL JONES. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M PLEASED. PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JUNE 30TH. IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 339.9 MILLION FOR FY 22. THIS IS $5 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 173.1 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5%. OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY 18.5 MILLION FROM THE MAY, 2020 REPORT, PRIMARILY DUE TO THE FOLLOWING CHANGES. INDUSTRIAL ASSESSMENTS INCREASED BY 1.9 MILLION. SALES TAX INCREASED BY 13 MILLION. OTHER TAXES INCREASED BY 1.6 MILLION. ELECTRICITY FRANCHISE TAX INCREASED BY 900,000. TELEPHONE FRANCHISE TAX INCREASED BY 900,000. GAS FRANCHISE TAX INCREASED BY 262,000 LICENSES AND PERMITS INCREASED BY 376,000. CHARGES FOR SERVICES INCREASED BY 1.5 MILLION. DIRECT INTER FUND REVENUES DECREASED BY ONE 4.4 MILLION MUNICIPAL COURTS. FINES AND FORFEITS INCREASED BY 407,000. INTEREST INCOME INCREASED BY 258,000. LOOKING AT THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES, EXPENDITURE ESTIMATES DECREASED BY 5.3 MILLION FROM THE MAY, 2020 REPORT AS FOLLOWS. SAVINGS FROM PERSONNEL SUPPLIES AND SERVICES RESULTED IN A DECREASE IN PROJECTED EXPENDITURES BY 25.6 MILLION. IN ADDITION, SAVINGS REALIZED FROM THE RENEWED SERVICE AGREEMENT BY THE JOINT PROCESSING CENTER TOTALED APPROXIMATELY 1.2 MILLION. UH, THE SAVINGS FROM PERSONNEL SUPPLIES AND SERVICES WERE OFFSET BY AN INCREASE IN THE STORMWATER ACTION TEAM SWAT TRANSFER OF 20 MILLION. MOVING ON TO THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, THE TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE INCREASED, UH, IN THE AVIATION OPERATING FUND BY 24.5 MILLION. THE TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES DECREASED BY 1.8 MILLION IN THE CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT FACILITIES OPERATING FUND. TOTAL OPERATING REVENUE INCREASED BY 1.4 MILLION. UH, NON-OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY 926,000. LOOKING AT THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES DECREASED BY 1.3 MILLION. OPERATING EXPENSES DECREASED BY 27.4 MILLION AND NON-OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY 45 46 0.5 MILLION IN THE STORMWATER FUND. TOTAL REVENUES DECREASED BY 9.1 MILLION AND THAT WAS DUE TO LESS TRANSFERS FROM THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM. AND IN THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUND AT VALOREM, TOTAL REVENUES DECREASED BY 80,000 WHILE TOTAL EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 4.1 MILLION. IN THE D-D-S-R-F DRAINAGE CHARGE, TOTAL REVENUES INCREASED BY 125,000. UH, AND THAT WAS DUE TO HIGHER INTEREST INCOME WHILE TOTAL EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 4.7 MILLION. AND FINALLY, IN THE D-D-S-R-F METRO FUND, TOTAL REVENUES DECREASED BY 355,000, UH, DUE TO DECREASED TRANSFERS IN WHILE TOTAL EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 5.6 MILLION. IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS, THE VARIABLE RATE DEBT IS WELL BELOW THE 20% THRESHOLD. SO, MAYOR, I'LL MOVE ON TO THE QUARTERLY, UH, INVESTMENT AND SWAP REPORT. AS OF JUNE 30TH, THE CITY HAD $5.2 BILLION INVESTED IN OUR GENERAL INVESTMENT POOL. FITCH REVIEWED THIS POOL AND ASSIGNED ITS HIGHEST RATING THAT OF AAA INVESTMENTS ARE 110 MILLION HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR. AND AS OF JUNE 30TH, THE GENERAL INVESTMENT POOL WAS YIELDING 1.075%, WHICH IS UP FROM 0.772% IN THE PRIOR QUARTER. AND FINALLY, THE QUARTERLY SWAP REPORT, THE CITY HAD POSITIVE RECEIPTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2022, FROM ITS SWAPS OF EIGHT MILLION TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY FOUR THOUSAND TWENTY DOLLARS. AND THE FAIR VALUE OF THE SWAPS AS OF JUNE 30TH, 2022 WAS NEGATIVE 133 MILLION, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 54 MILLION LESS THAN LAST QUARTER. THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, DIRECTOR, UH, WILL JONES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNSEL, UH, GOOD MORNING. THIS IS THE 12 PLUS ZERO FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2022. FISCAL YEAR 2022. PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON 12 MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS. [02:40:01] UM, HOWEVER, JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT FISCAL YEAR 22, UM, IS STILL OPEN AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE, UH, PAYMENTS AND ACCRUALS THROUGH THE END OF AUGUST. UH, SO, UH, THE RESULTS ARE NOT FINAL UNTIL THE PUBLICATION OF THE 2022 ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT. UH, NEXT MONTH WE WILL BEGIN PRESENTING THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023. AT THE TIME OF THE FY 23 ADOPTED BUDGET, THE BEGINNING FUND BALANCE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 312 MILLION. IN THIS 12 PLUS ZERO FINANCIAL REPORT, WE ARE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THAT THIS FUND BALANCE WILL BE 345 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 33 MILLION. SO ONTO THE GENERAL FUND, OUR REVENUE PROJECTION, UM, IS 10.5% HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET, AND 13.6 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE 11 PLUS ONE REPORT. UM, AND THE VARIANCES IS FROM, UH, THE VARIANCE FROM THE PRIOR MONTH PROJECTION IS PRIMARILY DUE TO, AND THIS IS OUR REVENUE, 11.2 MILLION INCREASE IN SALES TAX AND 1.8 MILLION INCREASE IN CHARGES FOR SERVICES AND 1.7 MILLION INCREASE IN OTHER TAXES. SO THAT MAKES UP THE MAJORITY OF THAT 13.6 MILLION INCREASE. SO LOOKING AT OUR EXPENDITURES, OUR, OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTION IS 28 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND 5.3 MILLION LOWER THAN LAST MONTH'S REPORT. THE VARIANCE FROM PRIOR MONTH'S PROJECTION IS DUE TO 25.6 MILLION DECREASE IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO REFLECT YEAR SAVINGS AND PERSONNEL SUPPLIES AND SERVICES. UH, 1.2 MILLION DECREASE IN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR SAVINGS IN THE JOINT PROCESSING CENTER, AND A 20 MILLION INCREASE IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT TO REFLECT THE TRANSFER TO THE STORMWATER ACTION TEAM PROGRAM. UH, 1.5 MILLION INCREASE IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT FOR LIMITED PURPOSE ANNEXATION PAYMENTS. UH, AND WITH THAT, WE ARE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THE ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 345 MILLION, WHICH IS 77.7 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET. AND 15.5% OF EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. THE FUND BALANCE IS 178.1 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGET AT 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. I AGREE WITH THE CONTROLLERS ON THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS. SO I'LL MOVE ON TO THE OTHER FUNDS. UM, LOOKING AT THE HEALTH BENEFITS FUNDS REVENUES INCREASED BY 1.1 MILLION DUE TO PLAN TIER CHANGES IN LOWER ENROLLMENT. OUR PROPERTY AND CASUALTY FUND REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 10.7 MILLION, PRIMARILY DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED COSTS. OUR WORKERS' COMPENSATION FUND, OPERATING REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 1.3 MILLION, PRIMARILY DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPA ANTICIPATED CLAIMS. UM, AND OUR AUTO DEALER SPECIAL FUNDS REVENUES INCREASED BY 4.8 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED SALES OF IMPOUND VEHICLES. LOOKING AT THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER FUND REVENUES DECREASED BY 2.3 MILLION DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED REIMBURSEMENT FOR 9 1 1 STAFF. UM, THE PARK HOUSTON SPECIAL FUND EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY 1.3 MILLION, PRIMARILY DUE TO SAVINGS AND PERSONNEL SUPPLIES AND SERVICES AND OUR RECYCLING FUND. THE REVENUES INCREASED BY 2.2 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED RECYCLING REVENUES RELATED TO THE CURRENT MARKET. COMMODITIES EXPENDITURES ALSO DECREASED BY 1.8 MILLION IN THAT FUND. UM, SO MOVING ON QUICKLY TO THE HOUSTON ECONOMY, A COUPLE HIGHLIGHTS. THE AVERAGE ALL PRICE OF 114.84, UH, FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE WAS 4.8% HIGHER THAN PRIOR MONTHS PRICE OF 109 POINT 55. UM, ON THE EMPLOYMENT SIDE, UM, ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, THE HOUSTON METRO AREA, UH, EMPLOYMENT STOOD AT 3.23 MILLION. THAT'S UP APPROXIMATELY 1% COMPARED TO TO MAY. UM, THE PRELIMINARY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE MONTH OF MAY WAS 4.3% COMPARED TO PRIOR MONTH AT 4.1%. AND JUST, UH, LOOKING AT THE HOME SALES ACCORDING TO HAR, UH, FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, SHOWS TOTAL SINGLE FAMILY HOME SALES OF 9,000 7 28, WHICH WERE 8.6% LOWER. UM, BUT THE AVERAGE PRICE ROSE BY 13.2% TO 355,000. AND FINALLY, UM, DO WANT TO, UH, SHARE WITH COUNCIL, AND I DID SHARE THIS YESTERDAY WITH THE BFA COMMITTEE, THAT I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THE OPEN BUDGET, WHICH IS PHASE ONE OF OUR OPEN FINANCE, UH, INITIATIVE. SO YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A, UH, SOME COMMUNICATION REGARDING THAT. AND WITH THE LINK TO THAT. AND THAT LINK IS OPEN FINANCE DOT HOUSTON TX.GOV. UM, SO WITH THIS INITIATIVE, YOU CAN VISUALIZE THE ALLOCATION OF FUNDS AND YOU CAN EXPLORE THE RAW DATA. UM, SO I'M VERY EXCITED, UH, FOR THE LAUNCH OF OUR PHASE ONE OF THE O OPEN FINANCE, WHICH IS THE OPEN BUDGET. UM, IT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY PHASE TWO, WHICH WILL BE OPEN PAYROLL, AND THEN PHASE THREE, WHICH WILL BE OPEN CHECKBOOK. SO EXCITED FOR THAT TO, TO LAUNCH. AND SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT, PLEASE, YOU KNOW, LET MY MY TEAM KNOW. AND WE ARE HAPPY TO WALK YOU THROUGH THAT, THAT WEBSITE AND SHARE WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS. 'CAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY [02:45:01] MUCH. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. AND DIRECTOR JONES, IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND MAYOR, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE LAUNCH OF THE TRANSPARENCY PROJECT IN THE PORTAL. UM, IS THERE SOMEONE THAT COULD FOLLOW UP WITH MY OFFICE? I, I PICKED UP ON THE FACT THAT REVENUES ARE ACT FINALLY INCREASING AGAIN AS IT RELATES TO RECYCLING. UH, AND I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROJECTION OF THAT COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, SEEING WHERE OUR RECYCLING REVENUES ARE GOING. UH, I JUST, MY EARS PERKED UP AT THAT 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT GOOD NEWS IN, IN A LITTLE BIT. YEAH, AND JUST TO SHARE WITH THAT, SO WE HAVE DEFINITELY SEEN A SHIFT WITH THE INCREASE IN THE COMMODITIES MARKET. SO EVEN FROM A YEAR AGO, UM, WE WEREN'T MAKING ANY REVENUE FROM RECYCLING. AND NOW WE'VE SEEN A PRETTY BIG SHIFT WHERE THE REVENUE IS GOING UP AND THE WAY THE CONTRACT IS STRUCTURED, THE CITY SHARES WITH THE REVENUE WITH THE VENDOR, BUT IT ALSO REDUCES OUR, OUR REFUSE COST. SO IT'S DEFINITELY, UM, A BIG TURNAROUND FOR OUR RECYCLING FUND. THAT'S, YEAH, THAT'S TERRIFIC. IF SOMEONE COULD, IF WE COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE PROJECTIONS AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT ABSOLUTELY. FROM A REVENUE AND AGAIN, RESOURCES PERSPECTIVE, THAT'D BE GREAT. WE'LL REACH OUT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . COUNCILWOMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MY QUESTION WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, CAME IN. SO, UM, EVIDENTLY OUR MARKET, WE FOUND A MARKET FOR SOME OF THESE RECYCLABLE MATERIALS, AND I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHO THAT IS OR WHERE WE'RE SENDING IT. YEAH. SO IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, IF YOU SEND HER STUFF, SEND ME SOME STUFF TOO. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. IN FACT, WILL, IF YOU WOULD SEND IT TO, SEND IT TO EVERYBODY. YEAH, WE'LL DO THAT. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, UH, GOOD MORNING. CAN YOU REPEAT THE HOME SALE, UH, PERCENTAGES? I DON'T HAVE THE REPORT IN FRONT OF YOU. OH, I'M SORRY. YEAH, SO THE HOME SALES, UM, SO FOR JUNE, THE SINGLE FAMILY HOME SALES WAS 9,000 7 28. THAT WAS EIGHT PER 8.6% LOWER, UH, COMPARED TO JUNE OF LAST YEAR. BUT THE MEDIUM PRICE ROSE BY 13.2% TO 355,000. MM. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . WELCOME COUNCIL, MAYOR CALLING. THANK YOU, MAYOR, ON THE, I'M ON THE PORTAL. SO, GREAT NEWS HERE. ARE, ARE Y'ALL GONNA BE DOING SOME TUTORIALS, LIKE HOW TO SLICE AND DICE THIS? WELL, I MEAN, WE CAN, I, I KNOW YOUR OFFICE HAS REACHED OUT AND WE'RE GONNA SET SOMETHING UP. OKAY. BUT, UM, WE, WE CERTAINLY CAN. GREAT, GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. OKAY. THAT'S ALL. SEEING NO ONE ELSE. UM, MAYOR, CHAIRMAN. YES, MAYOR. MOTION TO ACCEPT THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT DATED JUNE 30TH, 2022 AS PRESENTED. SECOND ROBINSON. THE MOTION'S BEEN A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ANY OBJECTION? CHAIR NONE. AND THE MOTION AS ADOPTED? THANK YOU BOTH. THANK YOU, COMPTROLLER. THANK YOU. UH, FINANCE DIRECTOR. OKAY, LET ME, UM, LET ME NOW TURN TO [MAYOR'S REPORT] THE MAYOR'S REPORT AND MAKE A FEW, UH, COMMENTS. UH, BEFORE WE TURN, BEFORE WE TURN TO THE AGENDA, UM, ON YESTERDAY I TOLD YOU, UM, THAT, UM, WILLIAM PAUL HAS SENT ME, HAD SENT ME AN EMAIL, UM, AND EXPRESSING SEEMS THAT HE WAS, HAD CHOSEN TO RETIRE. AND THE REASON IN THAT EMAIL WAS FOR MEDICAL REASONS. UM, AND OF COURSE IT'S BEEN REPORTED THERE WAS, THERE IS MORE. AND TO THE EXTENT, UM, WHAT'S BEEN REPORTED IS TRUE, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UM, IT WILL BE DISAPPOINTING. IT WOULD BE DISAPPOINTING IF WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED IS TRUE. UM, SO WE SHALL SEE. I LITERALLY CANNOT ADD ANYTHING OR SPEAK TO IT BECAUSE NO ONE ON MY EXECUTIVE TEAM HAS, UH, BEEN, UM, TALK TO, OR THIS SUBJECT HAS COME UP AT ALL. LITERALLY, LITERALLY. SO THE ONLY THING THAT I CAN, UH, SAY, UH, IS BASED ON THE EMAIL THAT, UH, THAT WILLIAM PAUL SENT TO ME A WEEK AGO, TUESDAY EVENING. AND I THINK THAT EMAIL HAS BEEN PROVIDED. I THINK MOST OF YOU, IF NOT ALL OF YOU, HAVE SEEN IT. UM, AND THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU. UH, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT I INDICATED TO, UH, I SPOKE TO HUMAN RESOURCES THIS MORNING, UH, TO REMIND ALL 22,000 EMPLOYEES, UM, WHAT THE POLICIES ARE. UH, THAT, UH, ALL 22,000 ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE POLICIES, UM, UH, OF THE CITY AND TO FOLLOW THE LAW. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT POLICIES ON GIFTS OR RECEIVING ANYTHING, UH, FOR SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED. SO WE WILL REMIND ALL 22,000 EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AND HUMAN RESOURCES WILL BE DOING THAT, UH, AS OF [02:50:01] TODAY. BUT, UH, LITERALLY I CANNOT ADD, UH, ANYTHING ELSE 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. AND, UH, AND NO ONE'S BEEN TALKED TO BY MY EXECUTIVE TEAM. SO I WANTED TO, UH, TO PUT THAT OUT AND SAY THAT. AND THAT'S ALL I CAN TELL YOU. OKAY. SO WE WILL SEE WHAT UNFOLDS. ALRIGHT. UH, WITH RESPECT TO MONKEYPOX, UH, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A SHIPMENT OF 6,740 DOSES OF THE MONKEYPOX VACCINES. UM, THE HOUSTON HEALTH WILL RECEIVE UP TO 16,780 DOSES IN THE COMING WEEKS AND WILL PROVIDE 30% TO HARRIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH. UH, VACCINE SUPPLIES ARE STILL LIMITED, UH, AND YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION, UH, ON THE HOUSTON HEALTH WEBSITE BY CALLING 8 3 2 3 9 3 4 2 2 0 MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. UH, AND THEN WE SAY EVEN WITH, UH, UH, THE HOUSTON EXPECTED TO RECEIVE 16,780, WE STILL NEED A LOT MORE, UH, BECAUSE THE CASES ARE EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING. SO THE DEMAND IS, IS OUT THERE, THE DEMAND IS HIGH, IT EXCEEDS OUR SUPPLY, BUT WE DO NEED MORE AND CERTAINLY ENCOURAGING THE CDC AND THE STATE TO SEND US MORE, UH, BECAUSE THE CASES ARE EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING, EVEN THOUGH RELATIVELY SPEAKING TO PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, CHICAGO, SAN FRANCISCO, DC OUR NUMBERS ARE LOWER, MUCH LOWER. UH, STILL WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BE OUT IN FRONT AND NOT BE CHASING. SO, UH, UH, WE'LL BE CONTINUOUSLY ASKING CDC AND THE STATE FOR MORE. UH, WITH REGARDS TO THE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM THAT TOOK PLACE THIS SATURDAY, IT WAS INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL. UH, THE INITIAL PLAN WAS TO BE OUT THERE FROM EIGHT TO 12. I WILL TELL YOU THAT CARS WERE LINED UP BEFORE 8:00 AM UH, AND ALL DAY. UH, THE LINE WAS ABOUT TWO MILES LONG. AND QUITE FRANKLY, WE END UP CUTTING IT OFF, UM, AFTER 6:00 PM UM, OTHERWISE PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN OUT THERE FOR TILL EIGHT, 9:00 PM AT NIGHT. UH, 845 GUNS WERE COLLECTED. A LITTLE MORE THAN $100,000 IN THE VISA GIFT CARDS WERE DISTRIBUTED. UM, AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED FROM THAT. NUMBER ONE, UH, NUMBER ONE, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SORT OF RESPONSE WE WERE GOING TO GET, UM, BUT WE WILL BE INCREASING THE STAFFING. HPDI HAVE TO GIVE A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT TO HPD. THEY WERE VERY METICULOUS IN THE COLLECTION OF THESE, IN, OF THESE WEAPONS, THESE GUNS, VERY, VERY METICULOUS, TAKING DOWN VIN NUMBERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO THEY WERE VERY, VERY METICULOUS. SO I WANNA GIVE A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT TO THEM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE CARS TO GO THROUGH, GO THROUGH THE LINE. UH, THE SECOND IS THAT, UH, UH, THE PROGRAM WAS NOT DESIGNED, UH, FOR MANUFAC, PRIVATELY MANUFACTURED FIREARMS, GHOST GUNS. SO WE WON'T BE ACCEPTING THOSE, UH, NEXT TIME. SO THOSE WERE THE TWO LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED. UH, BUT, UH, PEOPLE DID RESPOND, AND THERE WERE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE CAME AND, AND TURNED IN VOLUNTARILY TURNED IN THEIR GUNS. UM, AS ONE WOMAN SAID TO ME, UM, GUNS IN THE HOME DIDN'T WANT THEM IN THE POSSESSION OF KIDS, AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS, OR SOMEBODY BREAKS IN THE HOME, UH, STEAL THE GUNS, AND THEN THEY END UP, UM, BEING A PART OF SOME CRIME THAT'S BEING COMMITTED. UH, ONE GUY SIMPLY CAME UP, TURNED IN A, HIS, HIS, UH, WEAPON, AND SIMPLY SAID THAT, UM, UH, AND IT WAS VALUED MORE THAN WHAT HE WAS GETTING. BUT HE NEEDED, BECAUSE OF INFLATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE, HE NEEDED THE MONEY. AND ESSENTIALLY SAID TWO OR THREE MONTHS FROM NOW, MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT STORY, MIGHT NOT HAVE TURNED IT IN. UM, BUT ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, HE SIMPLY NEEDED THE MONEY. UM, SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CABB AB CAYMAN, WHO WAS OUT THERE AND, UM, WORKING OUR FAITH-BASED PARTNERS WHEEL LAB AND NEW BAPTIST CHURCH WAS JUST AMAZING. I WANT TO THANK PASTOR ORTEGA FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, UH, FOR CONTRIBUTING AN ADDITIONAL $25,000, UH, TO THE PROGRAM. IT WAS HIS, UH, CONTRIBUTION THAT HAD THE, THAT PURCHASED THE RADIO SPOTS. I WANNA THANK PASTOR TEGA FOR, UH, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES FOR, FOR HIS PARTICIPATION. UH, I WANT TO THANK OUR OTHER PARTNERS, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER, RODNEY ELLIS, COMMISSIONER GARCIA AND OTHERS FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR, UH, STRONG PARTICIPATION. UH, OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, COUNCILWOMAN, CHIEF JACKSON LEE, CONGRESSMAN L GREEN, UH, STATE LEADERS WERE THERE. UM, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS, COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS, [02:55:01] BUT IT WAS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT, UH, AND SOMETHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN ONE SAFE HOUSTON. SO, UM, UM, BASED ON WHAT TOOK PLACE ON SATURDAY, UH, I ANTICIPATE, UH, DOING IT ONE OR TWO MORE TIMES. UH, AND THE NEXT ONE, UH, WE ANTICIPATE WILL BE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS IN YOUR AREA IN THE A LEAF AREA. SO, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO, TO COMING IN YOUR DIRECTION, AND WE'LL BE TALKING, UH, WITH YOU, UH, QUITE A BIT AS WE SEEK TO PLAN IT. AND THEN, UH, POSSIBLY ONE MORE. OH, CREST HAS BEEN MADE TO COME TO GO TO THE EAST END, AND SO WE'LL LOOK IN THAT DIRECTION AS WELL. UH, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS HIGHLY, UH, HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL. AND WE HAD METEOROLOGISTS FROM AS FAR AS JAPAN, UH, WHO CAME AND, UH, UH, WANTED TO WITNESS THE PROGRAM. AND I WILL TELL YOU, THEY WERE, THEY WERE VERY IMPRESSED BY WHAT, BY WHAT THEY SAW. UH, SO, UH, LET ME THANK, AGAIN, LET ME THANK HPD FOR, FOR ITS, UH, FOR THIS EFFORTS. LET ME THANK, UM, UH, STAFF, UH, PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT OF AFFAIRS, UH, CRYSTAL AGO FOR THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL. I WANT TO THANK HER AND HER TEAM WHO DID JUST AN INCREDIBLE JOB. I CERTAINLY WANNA GIVE A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT TO CRYSTAL GOR FOUR AND SO MANY OF THE CITY EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT PARTICIPATED IN MAKING IT SUCCESSFUL. UM, WE ARE PLANNING AND, UM, THE AFRICAN ENERGY SUMMIT, UH, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE, UH, NEXT MONTH. UH, WE ARE EXTENDING INVITATIONS TO THE HEADS OF STATE OF OUR AFRICAN, UH, COUNTRIES, UH, TO COME AND, AND, UH, AND WORKING WITH THE, UH, CEOS OF SOME OF OUR ENERGY COMPANIES. UH, THAT AFRICAN SUMMIT IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH, SEPTEMBER THE 22ND, AND SEPTEMBER THE 23RD. AND SO LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIS OLSON OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, AND MONSTER DENON, UH, FOR TAKING THE LEADERSHIP ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR INITIATIVE. AND YOU SHOULD BE HEARING MORE ABOUT IT AS WE MOVE FORWARD. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TEAM AT BARK WHO HAD A RECORD 389 PETS ADOPTED DURING LAST MONTH, EMPTIED THE SHELTERS 389. UH, SO I REALLY WANT TO GIVE THEM A GREAT DEAL OF, UH, THANKS. UH, THIS WAS A GREAT OUTCOME DURING THE BISSELL PET FOUNDATION SPONSORED CAMPAIGN, THE, EXCUSE ME, THE LARGEST FUNDED ADOPTION EVENT IN THE COUNTRY. UH, THE TEAM HAS NOW TRANSITIONED INTO THE ANNUAL CLEAR THE SHELTERS CAMPAIGN SPONSORED BY NBC UNIVERSAL AND WILL BE PARTNERING WITH LOCAL TV AFFILIATES TO PROMOTE $20 ADOPTION FEES ALL MONTH. SO, MORE DETAILS ON THEIR CAMPAIGNS ARE AVAILABLE@HOUSTONBARK.COM. UH, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND CONGRATULATE BUM BEE THRILL BURGERS. UH, THEY ARE, UH, VERY ON BUM BEE, UH, WAS NAMED THE, UM, THRILL BURGERS, WAS NAMED THE GREATEST BURGER IN THE COUNTRY. UH, LAST FRIDAY ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA'S, UNITED STATES OF BURGERS COMPETITION. SO, UH, FIRST BOND WON A LOCAL COMPETITION IN HOUSTON, AND THEN WAS SELECTED TO COMPLETE COMPETE IN THE NEW YORK CITY AND GMA. AND SO HE'S NOW INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH THE CITY FOR A FUN EVENT THAT WOULD INCLUDE A POPUP THREE OF BURGERS HAMBURGER STAND, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THE DETAILS OF THAT. UM, AND THEN THIS MORNING, UH, HAD THE PLEASURE OF PARTICIPATING WITH THE, WITH THE CENTER OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, SAI, ALONG WITH NASA, THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON FUND, FOOD BANK. THEY ARE GIVING OUT, UH, THESE, UM, UH, HOW WOULD I CALL IT? UH, OUR, OUR, OUR TEMAS LEARNING LUNCHBOX STEM KITS. AS YOU KNOW, THE AMAS MISSION TO, TO THE MOON IS GOING TO, IS COMING UP REAL SOON. IN FACT, IT'S, UH, STARTING THE END OF THIS MONTH. AND SO THEY'RE GIVING OUT THESE, UH, TEMAS LEARNING LUNCHBOX STEM KITS FOCUSES ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH. AND, UH, THIS IS THEIR SECOND, UH, CITY THAT THEY HAVE CHOSEN, UH, IN THE COUNTRY. ORLANDO WAS FIRST, AND THIS MORNING THEY'RE GIVING OUT ABOUT 2000 OF THEM. EMIS, I SAID, OUR TEAM IS EMIS, MS. EMIS. UM, AND SO IT'S THE, THE, THE THEME IS, UM, UH, FEEDING THE MINDS, UM, AND, AND FEEDING, UH, LIVES. AND SO THEY ARE DOING THIS ALSO IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK. AND LET ME TELL YOU, THERE WERE LINES AND LINES AND LINES AT TRADER VILLAGE, UH, THIS MORNING. UM, BUT I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR PUTTING HOUSTON DOWN. UH, AND THIS IN, WITHIN THIS BOX, UH, [03:00:01] THERE ARE ABOUT 10 HOURS OF, OF, OF, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? UM, EXPERIENCE. YEAH. LEARNING, UH, EXPERIENCES. YEAH, FOR, FOR, FOR INDIVIDUALS AND AS WELL AS THE FAMILY. AND SO, UM, I REALLY WANT TO THANK THEM FOR, FOR BEING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEY'LL BE OUT THERE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG WITH THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK. SO JUST A GREAT DEAL THIS MORNING. AND, UH, I ENJOYED BEING OUT THERE WITH THEM. UH, AND I THINK WITH THAT, UH, THAT SHOULD WRAP ME UP. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UH, I, I LOVE SEEING ALL OF THE ENGAGEMENT AROUND NASA. I KNOW ON THE, UH, JULY 29TH, WE JUST CELEBRATED NASA'S 64TH BIRTHDAY. BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN THE SPAN OF 64 YEARS, IT'S TRULY REMARKABLE IN THE FACT THAT HOUSTON'S AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF IT, UM, IS, IS SPECIAL. JUST TO GO BACK TO THE GUN SAFETY, OR EXCUSE ME, THE GUN BUYBACK, UH, PROGRAM, UH, SEEING THE LINES, UH, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT GOING IN, BUT SEEING THOSE LINES, IT WAS CLEAR THAT HOUSTONIANS ARE STEPPING UP, UM, TO ADDRESS WHAT THEY CAN ON THEIR END AS IT RELATES TO, UH, GUN VIOLENCE AND GUN SAFETY. UH, I JUST WANTED COLLEAGUES TO SHARE A FEW STORIES. AND COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, I'M REALLY EXCITED. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE IN YOUR, UH, YOUR DISTRICT. UH, ONE GENTLEMAN, UH, HAD BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR ANOTHER GOVERNMENT, UM, BUYBACK PROGRAM HE HAD INHERITED. THEY FOUND IT IN HIS FAMILY'S SHED, A SOUGHT OFF SHOTGUN. THIS IS A MAN THAT OWNS MULTIPLE GUNS AND AS FLUENT AS HE IS IN FIREARMS, UH, WAS NOT COMFORTABLE HAVING A SOUGHT OFF SHOTGUN, UH, IN THE HOME, AND DID NOT WANT TO SELL IT TO A SECONDHAND STORE. HE WANTED A SAFE WAY TO DISPOSE OF IT. SO I SPOKE WITH HIM. I SPOKE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN, UM, WHO QUITE FRANKLY, JUST IN THE MIDST OF EVERYTHING, IS NO LONGER COMFORTABLE KEEPING HER FIREARMS IN THE HOME AND DID NOT KNOW WHERE TO SAFELY, UM, REMOVE THEM TO. SO AGAIN, THE FACT THAT WE ARE PROVIDING AN AVENUE FOR SAFE REMOVAL OF FIREARMS WHERE THEY CANNOT BE SOLD IN A SECONDHAND STORE OR TO SOMEONE ON THE STREET, UM, OR IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A BACKGROUND CHECK AND YOU'RE TRANSFERRING A FIREARM, UM, THAT WE ARE PROVIDING THAT SAFE REMOVAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE THAT WANT IT. UH, I, I JUST THINK WE SAW THE NUMBERS AND IT SPOKE TO THAT HOUSTONIANS ARE WILLING AND WANT THIS TYPE OF SERVICE PROVIDED. SO AGAIN, UH, I JUST WANNA THANK ALL THE RESIDENTS THAT, UH, WAITED IN LINE. I KNOW THAT OTHERS COULDN'T NECESSARILY MAKE IT, BUT ARE NOW WATCHING TO SEE AND THINKING ABOUT HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE OR SAFELY STORE THEIR FIREARMS. ALL OF THAT GOES TO PREVENTING, UH, FIREARMS, GETTING IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE THAT SHOULDN'T, OR CHILDREN IN A HOME OR SOMEBODY WITH, UM, GOING THROUGH MENTAL STRIFE. ALL OF THOSE THINGS POINT TO, UM, GUN SAFETY. SO BIG CONGRATULATIONS, MAYOR, AND TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND HPD FOR DOING JUST AN OUTSTANDING JOB. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT I RARELY MISS AN EVENT, DISTRICT D, BUT I HAD A, A COMMITMENT OF A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I DID SEND YOU THAT INFORMATION, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE OVER AT NOON, BUT I'M FINDING OUT THAT IT WAS MUCH LATER, WHICH IS GREAT, YOU KNOW, AND I JUST HOPE PEOPLE TAKE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO NOT JUST TRY TO CUT DOWN ON GUNS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY WITH THE ROBBERIES AND THE BURGLARIES, BUT THEY WILL ALSO LOOK AT THE DANGER TO CHILDREN WHEN THE HO, WHEN THE GUNS ARE NOT SAFELY, SAFELY, UH, STORED. AND SO, UH, I MEAN, JUST YESTERDAY, A A TEEN SHOT A A 15-YEAR-OLD IN THE HEAD AND THEN SHOT HIMSELF. SO WHERE, WHERE DID HE GET THESE GUNS? AND SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT AS WELL. AND I COMMEND THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON FOR COMING FORWARD TO, TO BUY INTO A PROGRAM THAT CAN HELP US TO ANYTHING HELPS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CRITICIZE. WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT? YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THE AK 40 SEVENS. WE MAY NOT, BUT TO DO NOTHING IS A TRAVESTY. AND SO I DO SUPPORT IT, AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE DID COME OUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK. I THINK THAT IT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MAYBE EVEN ON A PERSONAL LEVEL FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY BE STRESSED OR THINKING OF DOING THINGS TO THEMSELVES. AND SO WE CAN'T INTERPRET WHAT THE OUTCOME WILL BE, BUT WE KNOW THAT WE MADE AN EFFORT. AND SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THAT. YOU CHIEF FENNER AND HPD AND OF COURSE WHEELER AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH FOR OFFERING THEIR, UH, LOCATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN KOSH MAYOR, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, UH, KIM OG SAYS THAT THIS WE, THAT [03:05:01] WE'RE INVOLVING IN WEAPON LAUNDERING. AND SHE SAYS THAT, UH, IT MAKES A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY A PARTY TO TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE, UH, IN THESE GUN BUYBACKS. I, I BELIEVE WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT OUR DULY ELECTED DISTRICT ATTORNEY IS SAYING, BECAUSE SHE HAS TO TRY THESE CASES THAT, THAT, UH, INVOLVE WEAPONS. AND, UH, I, I WOULD DEFER TO HER, UH, UH, IN THESE MATTERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I WOULD'VE APPRECIATED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER IF SHE HAD, UH, PROVIDED US WITH HER CONCERNS PRIOR TO THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT. THIS HAS BEEN AROUND FOR FIVE MONTHS. SHE CHOSE TO WRITE HER LETTER THE DAY BEFORE. SHE SAT IN ON TWO MEETINGS AND SAID NOTHING. SO I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO IT WITH THE DA, 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW. I, I'M NOT GOING. UM, THE REALITY IS THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER DAS ACROSS THE STATE THAT DISAGREE. UM, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY GUNS ON OUR STREET, WAY TOO MANY GUNS. SO, YOU KNOW, OUR INPUT IS ALWAYS WELCOME AND APPRECIATED. THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD ASK FROM THE DA IS PROVIDE HER RESPONSE IN A TIMELY FASHION AND NOT THE DAY BEFORE AN EVENT. BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU, THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE WAS OVERWHELMING. IT WAS OVERWHELMING. AND HPD DID AN AMAZING AND AMAZING JOB, AND THEY WERE VERY METICULOUS. AND SO IF SHE'S CRITICIZING HPD, THEN SHE JUST NEEDS TO COME OUT AND CRITICIZE HPD BECAUSE THEY DESIGNED THE PROGRAM. THEY DESIGNED THE PROGRAM, THEY COLLECTED THE WEAPONS, THEY WERE VERY METICULOUS. SO IF SHE'S CRITICIZING HPD, CRITICIZE HPD PUBLICLY AND LOUDLY, BUT MAYOR, SHE IS, SHE'S CRITICIZING, DON'T YOU GET IT IN A LETTER THE DAY BEFORE. BUT, BUT MAYOR, SHE IS THE ELECTED DISTRICT ATTORNEY THAT HAS TO TRY THESE CASES. WE COULD ALWAYS HAVE STOPPED IT BASED ON HER, HER RECOMMENDATION. I HAVE TO DEFER TO THE ATTORNEY, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY. WELL, OKAY, WELL, I, I GOT THAT. BUT YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE BACKLOG TOO. SO I DON'T, I I DON'T WANNA GO BACK AND FORTH. IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY. IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY. AND I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE THEIR CONCERNS, SO, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ENTITLED TO THEIR VIEWS. BUT IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY. AND LEMME TELL YOU WHAT I FOUND AMAZING WHEN YOU HAD HPD POLICE WORKING ALONGSIDE THE COMMUNITY AND FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS, THAT WAS, THAT WAS AN AMAZING DAY. POLICE COMMUNITY, FAITH-BASED, ALL WORKING TOGETHER IN TANDEM TO HELP TO CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. SO NOTHING IS PERFECT, BUT YOU CAN'T SACRIFICE THE GOOD, SEEKING THE PERFECT AND END UP DOING NOTHING. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, OH, MAY APPROACH, MAY APPROACH. JOHN MARTIN. YES, THANK YOU, MAYOR. ON A LIGHTER AND LESS CONTROVERSIAL NOTE, UH, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE LAUNCH OF ARTEMIS ONE THAT WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, AUGUST 29TH AT 8:33 AM FOR YOU NERDS OUT THERE OTHER THAN MARTA AND MYSELF, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT DAY. AND AS PEOPLE KNOW, ARTEM ARTEMIS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY IS THE TWIN SISTER OF APOLLO, WHICH WAS OUR LAST, UH, MOON, UH, MISSION THAT WE HAD. SO ARTEMIS ONE MONDAY, THE 29TH OF THIS MONTH AT 8:33 AM UH, TURN ON YOUR NASA CHANNEL. AND IT'S HISTORIC BECAUSE IT'S TAKEN A PERSON OF COLOR AND A AND A WOMAN, UH, TO THE MOON. SO IT IS HISTORIC, UH, IN AND OF ITSELF. UH, MEMBER KNOX. THANK YOU MARY, YOU MADE A STATEMENT JUST NOW ABOUT THERE ARE TOO MANY GUNS IN HOUSTON, AND I'M, I'M CURIOUS WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE AN APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF GUNS FOR HOUSTON. WELL, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 390 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES. THERE ARE OVER 400 MILLION GUNS IN THE UNITED STATES. IN THE UNITED STATES. WE POSSESS 50% OF THE GUNS WORLDWIDE. SO MY QUESTION IS, IS IT APPROPRIATE TO HAVE ONE GUN PER PERSON, TWO GUNS PER PERSON? HOW MANY GUNS IS APPROPRIATE? WE HAVE TOO MANY HERE. OR IS IT YOUR POSITION THAT NO ONE SHOULD HAVE ANY AT ALL EVER? NO, NO. UH, COUNCILMAN MIN. BUT WHAT, BUT WHAT, WHAT WE CANNOT DENY GUN VIOLENCE REPRESENT THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR OUR [03:10:01] CHILDREN. THAT IS A FACTUAL STATEMENT. LOOK, I'M NOT TRYING TO TAKE YOUR GUN AWAY, OKAY, , BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS WITH A GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM, THESE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTARILY CHOSE TO GIVE UP THEIR GUNS. NOW, IF YOU WANNA KEEP, IF YOU, AND LEMME JUST SAY THAT, AND I'LL BE DO, IF YOU WANNA KEEP YOUR GUN, I'M FINE. I'M, I'M, OH, I'M GONNA KEEP MY GUN. OKAY, THEN, THEN YOU WE'RE COOL. WE, WE, WE, YEAH, WE TOGETHER. BUT PEOPLE WANNA VOLUNTARILY GO UP. JUST, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS. IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE AN ILLEGAL FIREARM, LIKE A SAW OFF SHOTGUN, YOU CAN SURRENDER THAT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT ANY TIME. YOU CAN CALL 'EM OUT THERE, THEY'LL COME RECOVER IT FROM YOU, CHECK IT, DO WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO, AND DESTROY IT. IN FACT, IF YOU HAVE AN INHERITED GUN THAT YOU DON'T WANT IN YOUR HOUSE THAT YOUR RELATIVE HAVE HAS LEFT YOU, YOU CAN RETURN THAT FIREARM AT ANY TIME BY CALLING THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY'LL COME PICK IT UP SAFELY AND SAFELY DISPOSE OF THAT WEAPON. SO THE BUYBACK PROGRAM'S NICE AND EVERYTHING, BUT IT'S ATTRACTING PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TRADE MONEY FOR GUNS LIKE THESE, THESE, UM, GHOST GUNS. SEEMS TO ME THAT'S THE, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THAT IS THOSE ARE THE GUNS THAT ARE THE MOST ATTRACTIVE TO PEOPLE THAT ARE GONNA INVOLVE IN CRIME BECAUSE THERE'S NO SERIAL NUMBERS ATTACHED TO THEM. THEY'RE CHEAPLY MADE, THEY'RE CHEAP. THEY, THEY DON'T WORK VERY WELL, BUT THEY'RE GOOD ENOUGH TO GET THE WORK DONE. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WAS IMPRESSED TO SEE THAT WE HAD 60 SOME ODD GHOST GUNS SHOW UP. THAT WAS GREAT. 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF GUNS THAT CRIMINALS WOULD LIKE TO USE BECAUSE THEY'RE UNTRACEABLE. YOU CAN'T, THE A TF CAN'T TELL YOU WHERE THAT GUN WAS PURCHASED OR MANUFACTURED BECAUSE THERE'S NO SERIAL NUMBER ON IT. SO, UH, THE, THE MOST POSITIVE THING THAT I SAW CAME OUT OF THAT, UM, THAT GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM WAS THE COLLECTION OF ALL THOSE GHOST GUNS THAT ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON THE STREET. SO AT ANY RATE, KUDOS FOR THAT. BUT, UM, THERE ARE MANY WAYS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A GUN OR IF YOU HAVE A GUN THAT YOU DON'T WANT OR THAT YOU DON'T FEEL YOU NEED ANYMORE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY SURRENDER THOSE TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT ANY TIME. THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO COME TAKE 'EM FROM YOU AND DISPOSE OF THEM PROPERLY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. AND I WILL TELL YOU THE FACT THAT THE PEOPLE BROUGHT THOSE GHOST GUNS WAS POSITIVE IN THE SENSE THAT THEY, IT DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS OUTLAW THE MANUFACTURER OF THESE PRIVATELY MANUFACTURED FIREARMS LIKE GHOST GUNS, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT TRACEABLE, BUT THEY ARE JUST AS DEADLY. SO, I AGREE WITH YOU. THERE NEEDS TO BE LAWS ON THE BOOK, FEDERAL AND STATE THAT PROHIBITS THE MANUFACTURING OF THESE GHOST GUNS. THAT WAS ANOTHER TAKEAWAY, UH, FROM FROM SATURDAY, COUNCILMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, I WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS ON, UM, A SUCCESSFUL EVENT. I HAD OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT IN THE PAPER. UM, AND OF COURSE I HAD A, UM, CONSTITUENT REACH OUT TO ME AND WANTED TO KNOW HOW CAN SHE, OR WHAT CAN SHE DO? SHE HAVE A, UM, DAUGHTER THAT'S MENTALLY ILL, AND SHE PURCHASED A GUN, AND SO I WANTED TO KNOW HOW CAN SHE GET THAT GUN FROM HER, UM, DAUGHTER. AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, WHAT TYPE OF PROGRAMS ARE WE THINKING ABOUT TO HELP, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS OR CONSTITUENTS THAT KNOW SOMEBODY SHOULD NOT HAVE A GUN, UM, ON HAND. AND SO I WASN'T ABLE TO GIVE HER ANY SOLUTION, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, UM, I SEE MIKE KNOX, HE HAS SOME SUGGESTIONS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS CAN LIKE COME UP WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR CONSTITUENTS WHO WANT TO REPORT, UM, MAKE A REPORT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE GUNS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE THEM, ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. SO, CONGRATULATIONS. UM, WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO TRY TO GET THESE GUNS OFF THE STREET. COUNCILMAN MEMBER SHABAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, YOU KNOW, I COMMEND THE GUN BUYBACK, AS I SAID BEFORE, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN ELEPHANT THAT'S SITTING ON THE COUCH. I WANNA KNOW WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO TAKE A STAND TO BAN THE AK 47 AND THE AR FIFTEENS WHERE PEOPLE ARE GOING IN AND KILLING OUR CHILDREN, KILLING ADULTS AND GROCERY STORES. SO WE CAN BANTER ABOUT WHETHER WE NEED TO HAVE A GUN AND WHETHER PEOPLE WANNA VOLUNTARILY TURN IN THEIR GUNS. BUT WHEN WAS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WHICH IS CHARGED WITH, WITH WITH OUR SAFETY OF ALL IN THE FACE OF VALDI AND ALL OF THE OTHER CRIMES THAT HAVE OCCURRED? AND CERTAINLY THEY SAY, WELL, IT'S NOT THE, THE GUNS THAT IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE PEOPLE, RIGHT? AND SO, BUT IF YOU BAN THESE GUNS, THEN THE PEOPLE CAN'T GET THEIR HANDS ON THEM TO BE ABLE TO PER PERPETUATE THESE CRIMES. AND SO I, I JUST COULDN'T JUST SIT HERE AND ACT LIKE IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE COMING IN TO TURN IN THEIR GUNS. IT'S ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN. AND I'M REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT, AS EVERYONE ELSE IS, I'M SURE. BUT WE ARE IGNORING THAT AND THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS BEEN PLACED ON OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BE ABLE TO, TO IMPLEMENT [03:15:01] THOSE LAWS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KUBO, IN RESPONSE TO SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS RELATED TO, UM, WHAT THE DA SAID, AND I CAN'T SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE DA, NOR WOULD I DARE TO, BUT THROUGH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, HPD EMPHASIZED HOW THOROUGH THESE GUNS WERE GOING TO BE SEARCHED THROUGH N IBIN AND OTHER SYSTEMS ACTUALLY COLLECTING POTENTIAL EVIDENCE RATHER THAN THESE GUNS REMAINING ON THE STREETS, AGAIN, GOING TO PAWN SHOPS, ET CETERA. SO, THE FACT THAT HPD IS THE ONE COLLECTING THEM, THAT THEY ARE RUN THROUGH ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE A TF, BASICALLY GETTING, UH, YOU KNOW, A NOT A INDIVIDUAL'S FINGERPRINT, BUT A FIREARM FINGERPRINT, UM, I THINK GOES TOWARDS AT LEAST WHAT HPD IS SAYING, HELPING TO SOLVE CRIME. UH, SO I DID WANNA SHARE THAT INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WAS PUBLIC AS, AS WELL, THAT THESE FIREARMS AREN'T JUST DISPOSED OF. UH, THEY ARE THOROUGHLY EXAMINED AND PROCESSED THROUGH HPDS OWN RECOMMENDATIONS AND SYSTEMS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, TO YOUR POINT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, UM, MAYOR, I KNOW THAT THE, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, THE COMMISSION AGAINST GUN VI VIOLENCE IS LOOKING AT PROGRAMS SUCH AS SAFE STORAGE OUT OF THE HOME. IF YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE IN YOUR HOME, UM, MAY HAVE CHALLENGES AT THE MOMENT ARE THEIR LOCATIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE AT POLICE STATIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE AT, UM, VA, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, GROUPS, SOMEWHERE WHERE RESIDENTS CAN SAFELY STORE THEIR FIREARMS OUTSIDE OF THE HOME, UH, WHILE THE PERSON THAT IS AT RISK IS GETTING THE HELP THAT THEY NEED. SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE HAPPENING. I THINK THERE ALREADY ARE SOME PROGRAMS FOR THAT, THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP. I'M HAPPY TO HELP YOU LOOK INTO, UM, BUT MAYOR, THE FACT THAT, UM, SO MANY PEOPLE TURNED OUT FOR THIS, EVEN IF THEY CAN ON THEIR OWN, UH, CONTACT HPD, A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW THAT, BUT THIS PROVIDED AN INCENTIVE AND IT'S WORKING. SO CONGRATULATIONS, UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, I'M HAPPY TO HELP WITH THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT IS MAYOR'S REPORT. AND MADAM SECRETARY, WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE [CONSENT AGENDA] CONSENT AGENDA UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY. ITEMS ONE THROUGH FOUR NEED A MOTION, A MOVE. SECOND, ROBINSON, IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEMS ONE THROUGH FOUR. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED, GRANTED, UH, WE JUST APPROVED OF COURSE, ITEMS ONE AND TWO. THESE ITEMS APPOINTED MR. WILLIAM TAYLOR, THE MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE, UH, TURS AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY BOARD. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH, UH, WITH MR. TAYLOR. UH, AND FOR ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, WE HAVE APPOINTED THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE TO THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, UH, FOUNDATION BOARD. UH, POSITION ONE IS AIDEN G VEGA. POSITION TWO IS NICHOLAS JIMENEZ, AND I THINK NICHOLAS IS, IS NICHOLAS HERE? MM-HMM . OKAY. IF YOU'LL STAND UP, NICHOLAS. AND IF YOU'LL JUST COME RIGHT IN FRONT. UM, AND IF YOU'RE HERE, IF YOU STAND UP AND JUST COME TO THE FRONT. UH, THIS IS NICHOLAS A. JIMENEZ. POSITION THREE IS RACHEL L VALS. POSITION FIVE IS GAYNE FLOYD DREXLER. POSITION SIX IS NEIL THOMAS. POSITION SEVEN IS RENE M BOYCE. POSITION NINE IS, IS CIA A GREEN? AND POSITION 11 IS MARY JANE WAKEFIELD. UH, MR. MENNA, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING, TO WORKING WITH YOU ON THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD. THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME AND YOUR SERVICE. UH, YOU WANNA JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF? GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. MORNING COUNSEL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. IT'S A PLEASURE TO SERVE THE CITY OF HOUSTON ON THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD. UH, MY NAME IS NICHOLAS JIMENEZ AND, UH, DAY JOB IS REPRESENTING COMCAST. UH, I'VE GOT THREE KIDS AND WE JUST RECENTLY MOVED TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. LOVING IT SO FAR. THANK YOU. SORRY VERY MUCH. TIME, VICE MAYOR TATUM. NICHOLAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SERVICE THAT YOU WILL ATTEND, UH, TO THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION BOARD. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE SPENDING YOUR PERSONAL TIME AS WELL AS YOUR BUSINESS TIME AT WITH, UM, COMCAST. I KNOW THAT THEY WERE A SPONSOR OF, UH, SEVERAL OF THE EVENTS IN, IN OUR DISTRICT. UM, AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE A GREAT ASSET TO THIS BOARD. SO WE WELCOME YOU TO HOUSTON, AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE ALONGSIDE EACH OF THE MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN, UH, NOMINATED TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND MR. JIMENEZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE IN YOUR GREAT SERVICE ALREADY CONTRIBUTING MIGHTILY TO THE CITY. THE FOUNDATION BOARD AT THE LIBRARY IS SO IMPORTANT TO US, UH, NOT ONLY FOR THE GREATER AND BROADER MISSION [03:20:01] OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM, BUT THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS SPECIFIC THAT I'M AWARE OF RIGHT NOW. UM, A LITTLE BIT MAYOR OF A PREVIEW TO AN EVENT THAT'S GONNA BE ON THE 22ND OF SEPTEMBER. IT'S A NEW, UH, ARCHIVE AND MAP COLLECTION AT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM IN THE JULIA IDA IEN BUILDING MAYOR. IT'S A PROJECT I KNOW, UM, SOME PRIVATE PHILANTHROPIC MONEY HAS BEEN PROVIDED AND GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE HOUSTON, UH, UH, LIBRARY FOUNDATION. IT IS A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I KNOW I'M GONNA BE ENCOURAGING ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES AND YOU MAYOR, TO JOIN US ON THAT DAY. BUT, UH, NICHOLAS, THANKS SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO. AND WITH CHAIR, UH, ALICIA GREEN ELLIS, UM, HER GREAT LEADERSHIP IS NOTEWORTHY, AND I JUST WISH YOU ALL THE BEST AS YOU CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR GREAT LIBRARY SYSTEM. THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN MCC KAMAN. THANK YOU, NICHOLAS. WELCOME TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I KNOW YOUR, YOUR PREDECESSOR WHO SERVED ON THE BOARD, UM, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE WORK, AND I KNOW YOU WILL BE AS WELL. SO IT, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU, UH, ON A BOARD. AS COUNCILMAN ROBINSON SAID, WE ALL CARE DEEPLY ABOUT, UH, I WANTED TO ALSO QUICKLY, UH, GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO DISTRICT C RESIDENTS SERVING, UH, NEIL THOMAS, AND OF COURSE, LECIA GREEN, UH, FOR THEIR CONTINUED SERVICE. THANK YOU COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHIBA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, NICHOLAS. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET NICHOLAS AT ANOTHER EVENT, AND I MEAN, HE HAS SUCH A, A WONDERFUL SPIRIT AND HE'S JUST SO VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HE, HE'S ENGAGED IN. AND SO I'M SO VERY DELIGHTED THAT YOU HAVE OFFERED YOUR SERVICE FOR THIS BOARD. CERTAINLY, I HAVE TO SAY, MY, UM, SPELMAN SISTER, GAYNE, FLOYD DREXLER AS WELL FOR HER REAPPOINTMENT AND LECIA GREEN, WHO IS A, A LONGTIME PERSON, A FRIEND THAT I HAVE KNOWN. AND CERTAINLY FOR EVERYONE WHO DONATES THEIR TIME TO THESE BOARDS. I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT. BUT I CERTAINLY WELCOME YOU TO HOUSTON. YOU'VE BEEN HERE A MINUTE NOW, AND I, I HOPE HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE ACCLIMATED YOURSELF TO THIS HEAT. BUT, UM, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, NICHOLAS. LOOK CLARK TO WORKING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT ITEM AND CATEGORY ITEM SIX AND 10 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEMS 5, 7, 8, AND NINE CAST MOVE SECOND, ROBINSON BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED ON 5, 7, 8, AND NINE. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED UNDER THE PURCHASING EXAMINATION OF BS CATEGORY. ITEM 11 NEEDS A MOTION CAST MOVE SECOND. ROBINSON BEEN MOVED IN SECOND ON ITEM 11. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSING GRANTED ON 11 UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY. ITEMS 19 THROUGH 21 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED OF VOTE ON THE BALANCE, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED, ITEM 19 ISN'T, I MEAN, I'M SORRY. ITEM SIX NEEDS A MOTION. SECOND, ROBINSON, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED ON ITEM SIX. DISCUSSION ON ITEM SIX. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED. UH, SIX PASSES. ITEM 10 NEEDS THE MOTION. CASTEX STATE MOVE SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED AND SECONDED ON ITEM 10. DISCUSSION ON 10. DISCUSSION ON 10. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED ON 10. ITEM 19 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. WE ON ITEM 19, DISCUSSION ON 19. DISCUSSION ON 19. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 19. ITEM 20 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 20. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN ON 20. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THIS IS AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE COTTAGE GROVE EAST CIP PROJECT. FOR THOSE THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH COTTAGE GROVE, UM, IT'S AN OVERDEVELOPED HELL FOR DISTRICT C RESIDENTS. UM, WE HAVE, UH, STREETS THAT ARE TOO NARROW. UH, NOT ONLY, UH, FIRST RESPONDING TRUCKS GO INTO DITCHES, BUT SCHOOL BUSES HAVE GONE INTO DITCHES. HOMES ARE FLOODING, THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS. UM, IT'S THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A CHECK ON RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT. SO THIS IS GOING TO MAKE, UM, GREAT STRIDES ON COTTAGE GROVE EAST, UM, INCLUDING, AGAIN, CONSTRUCTION OF STORM DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS, CONCRETE PAVING, CURBS, SIDEWALKS, DRIVEWAYS, UNDERGROUND UTILITIES. UM, MAYOR AT OUR, UH, CIP AND REDISTRICTING TOWN HALL [03:25:01] IN DISTRICT C, WE HAD OVER 20 NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS AND RESIDENTS FROM COTTAGE GROVE WEST, NOT EAST, COME, UH, TO TALK ABOUT HOW DESPERATE WE NEED INVESTMENT INTO COTTAGE GROVE WEST. UH, AT THIS POINT, COLLEAGUES, IT WOULD BE SO EXPENSIVE THAT WE CAN'T EVEN PUT IT ON THE CIP BECAUSE SO MUCH WORK IS NEEDED. UM, SO I I JUST WANNA BRING ATTENTION TO, UH, THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE FACING. THE ROADS ARE NARROW AND UNSAFE. UM, EMERGENCY VEHICLES LITERALLY ARE GOING INTO THE DITCHES THERE. UM, AND AS CRUCIAL AS THIS PROJECT IS, UH, WE NEED SOME SOLUTIONS IN COTTAGE GROVE WEST. SO PUBLIC WORKS IS CONTINUING TO LOOK AT IT, BUT IT'S MY JOB TO CONTINUE TO ELEVATE, UM, THE CONCERNS OF OUR RESIDENTS AND WE'RE, THEY'RE IN TROUBLE IN COTTAGE GROVE WEST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 20 IN FAVOR OPPOSED GRANTED ON ITEM 20? ITEM 21 IS AN ORDINANCE AND ITEM 21, COUNCILMAN MAYOR 21. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THIS ITEM. I, I WAS CONTACTED, UM, BY AN INDIVIDUAL, KIND OF AT THE END OF 2021 ABOUT THIS. THE, THEY, THEY OPERATE, THEY COMPANY WAS HOLLAND SOLID WASTE, BUT, AND THEY WERE PAYING AND DOING EVERYTHING THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO, BUT THEY KNEW THIS COMPANY WAS NOT DOING THAT. SO WE REALLY WORKED WITH, UH, A RA AND HPD. AND ANYWAY, WE'RE BRINGING 'EM INTO COMPLIANCE, SO GLAD TO SEE THIS. THANK YOU. OKAY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 21? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 21, THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE START OFF TODAY WITH [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] COUNCIL MEMBER P*****K. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. UH, JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW BACK TO SCHOOL BACKPACK DRIVES THAT WE'LL HAVE IN DISTRICT J COMING UP THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 11:00 AM WE'LL BE PARTNERING WITH THE SOUTH GESNER ENGULFED IN STOREFRONT HPD, UM, FOR A BACKPACK DRIVE AT 6 2 2 7 SOUTHWEST FREEWAY THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6TH, 2022. WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH THE ALLIANCE FOR BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE AT THE PLAZA AMERICAS MALL, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 7 5 0 0 BEL AIR BOULEVARD ON AUGUST 5TH. WE'LL ALSO BE COLLECTING, UM, WELL ALL THIS WEEK WE'LL BE COLLECTING SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE, UH, SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THE MIDWEST HPD STATION. UM, SO PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE BACKPACKS, PENCILS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, UH, TO DROP OFF AT THE MIDWEST HPD SUBSTATION, UM, SATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH, THERE'LL BE A BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVE AT THE RAINDROP FOUNDATION, WHICH IS AT 9 3 0 1 WEST BELFORT, WHICH IS ON THE BORDERLINE OF DISTRICT J AND K. UM, BUT PLEASE COME OUT ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH, UH, TO THAT LOCATION IF YOU NEED, UM, BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES AS WELL. AND THE LAST ONE IS GONNA BE ON AUGUST 20TH AT 10:00 AM UM, WE'LL BE HAVING THAT BACK TO SCHOOL. SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE AT 7 0 8 0 SOUTHWEST FREEWAY. WE'VE PUT ALL OF THIS ONLINE SO YOU CAN CHECK OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES FOR THAT AS WELL. UM, BUT WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE STUDENTS AND ALL THE FAMILIES HAVE ENOUGH SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND FOR, UM, OTHERS, LEAVE FOR BEAR IN MIND, UH, THAT THERE IS NO MEETING NEXT WEEK, AND THAT IS A BREAK WEEK. SO OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE TUESDAY, UH, AUGUST THE 16TH, AND WEDNESDAY, AUGUST THE 17TH. NOW IF YOU, IF YOU JUST NEED TO COME, THE CHAMBER WILL BE OPEN, , AND ARE YOU MORE THAN WELCOME TO OCCUPY THE CHAIRS, LIGHTS WILL BE ON AND, UM, YOU KNOW THAT WE'LL TURN ON THE MICS IF YOU JUST HAVE TO BE HERE NEXT WEEK. UM, AND I'LL BE WATCHING YOU FROM, FROM THE OFFICE. OKAY? WHAT TIME? UH, FOR THOSE WHO JUST WANT TO COME IN, YOU CAN COME IN AT THE REGULAR TIME. 6:00 AM ALRIGHT. NO, YOU CAN COME IN AT NINE AND THEN, UH, AND TURN ON YOUR MIC AND I'LL, I'LL HEAR YOU. ALRIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANT TO THANK THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, SOUTHEAST PATROL DIVISION COMMANDER COLLINS, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN, UH, THE HONORARY MAYOR OF SUNNYSIDE, SANDRA HINES, AND ASSISTANT CHIEF PATRICIA CANTU FOR JOINING ME AT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DONATIONS OF SEVERAL NEW SOUND METERS THAT WILL BE PLACED IN THE SOUTHEAST PATROL DIVISION. UH, MY OFFICE USED CDSF FUNDS AND PROVIDED 10 NEW AND UPGRADED SOUND METERS IN AN EFFORT TO SUPPORT HPDS GOAL OF MAINTAINING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS. UNLESS YOU LIVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SOME OF THESE AREAS, YOU CANNOT APPRECIATE WHAT THESE SOUND METERS CAN DO TO CONTROL, UM, THESE SITUATIONS, THIS NUISANCE. AND WE JUST HOPE THAT THE JUDGES WILL ENFORCE THE ORDINANCES WHEN THE PERPETRATORS [03:30:01] COME BEFORE THEM, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THIS TO JUST BE THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR CITIZENS. ALSO ON YESTERDAY, THE GRIGGS LONG MACAU ROAD RAIL SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT HAD A MEETING RECAP AND, UH, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THOSE UNION PACIFIC AND BNSF RAIL LINES THAT ARE, UH, CERTAINLY A PROBLEM FOR THE PEOPLE IN TRYING TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THAT COMMUNITY. I EVEN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO A METRO REPRESENTATIVE, UH, ABOUT THEIR TRAIN AND HOW IT IS ALSO AN IMPAIRMENT, UH, TO PEOPLE TRYING TO NAVIGATE AND HOW THEY CONSTRUCTED THAT PARTICULAR AREA TO WHERE IT IS NOT EASY TO GET TO THAT, TO THE COURTHOUSE AND OTHER TEXANS LI UH, YMCA AND ALL THOSE. SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT. ALSO, UM, TOMORROW THERE WILL BE A LIGHT RAIL LOFTS RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY, WHICH IS THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE NEWEST HOUSING EDITION. 56 NEW HOUSING UNITS AND 29 UNITS ALLOCATED TO HOUSING THE HOMELESS THAT WILL BE TOMORROW AT 10:00 AM AT 4,600 MAIN STREET. ALSO ON SATURDAY, THERE WILL BE A MCGREGOR PARK CLEANUP. I ALWAYS THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR COMING OUT TO, TO HELP WITH THAT. AND THAT WILL BE FROM 9:00 AM TO NOON AT 52 25 CALHOUN ROAD. UM, AND CERTAINLY THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER CLEANUPS IN THE AREA, BUT I ALWAYS APPRECIATE THAT THERE WILL BE A FREE BACK TO SCHOOL AND FAMILY FUN DAY EVENT AT THE CRESTMONT PARK COMMUNITY CENTER. AND THAT WILL BE SATURDAY FROM 10:00 AM TO 3:00 PM THAT'S 5,200 ZELENSKY, UH, BOULEVARD. AND THEN ALSO THERE WILL BE A PROVISION ACADEMY BACK TO SCHOOL FESTIVAL LOCATED IN SUNNYSIDE, WHICH IS RIGHT DOWN THAT LITTLE STREET NEXT TO THE SUNNYSIDE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. AND THEY WILL HAVE A, UH, BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR FROM 11:00 AM TO 3:00 PM AND SO THAT WILL BE GREAT. AND THEN AT THE RIVERSIDE PARK ON SUNDAY, 2,600 CALUMET, I WILL WORK WITH, UH, BRIDGING THE, UH, DIGITAL DIVIDE AND MGM TECHNOLOGY TO GIVE OUT HOTSPOTS TO PEOPLE, UH, WHO COME OUT TO GET THEM. AND I TRAVELED RECENTLY. THOSE HOTSPOTS ARE PHENOMENAL FOR KEEPING YOU CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET. YOU CAN HAVE 'EM IN YOUR CAR, YOU CAN HAVE 'EM WHEREVER YOU GO. SOME OF THE REMOTE AREAS THAT MAY NOT HAVE A GOOD CONNECTION. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR HOTSPOT WHERE YOU CAN CONNECT UP TO 30 PEOPLE. AND AT THIS PARTICULAR FAIR, THERE WILL ALSO BE HAIRCUTS AND PONYTAILS AND TWISTS AND KIDS HAIRSTYLES THAT WILL BE OFFERED. SO THAT WILL BE FROM THREE TO 7:00 PM ON SUNDAY, AUGUST THE SEVENTH. AND, AND SO ANYWAY, THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. THERE WILL BE GAMES, MAYOR, YOU CAN COME OUT AND PLAY A COUPLE OF GAMES. THERE WILL BE PERFORMANCES AND PRIZES, UH, FOR THOSE THAT COME OUT TO PARTICIPATE. AND I THINK THAT CONCLUDES WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN MCC CARLOS CISNEROS, MAYOR, UM, THE CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH COMMITTEE THAT WAS MEETING THAT WAS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK, UM, IS NOW BEING RESCHEDULED BECAUSE OF COUNCIL BREAK WEEK. SO IT'LL BE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH, WHERE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL BE COMING TO TALK ABOUT, UM, PROGRAMS THAT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFERS THAT STEM OR, OR CURB OR PREVENT, UM, VIOLENCE IN YOUNG PEOPLE AND HELPS DIRECT THEM TO, UM, UH, TO, TO GOOD DECISIONS AND, AND HEALTHY LIVES AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AS, UM, PRODUCTIVE, CONTRIBUTING CITIZENS. SO THAT TIES BACK INTO MAYOR YOUR, UM, ONE SAFE HOUSTON PROGRAM. THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE OF A VERY COMPLICATED PUZZLE, MAKING SURE THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE, ARE, ARE GROWING UP, UM, TO BE HEALTHY AND, AND WELL BALANCED. UM, UH, THIS WEEK IS THE LAST WEEK OF THE TECH CONNECT PROGRAM IN DISTRICT AGE PARKS. UM, TODAY IS THE FINAL TECH CONNECT FAIR FOR THE SUMMER. IT'S AT MOODY PARK. IT'S STARTING AT 11 O'CLOCK. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO GO, IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF FUN. UM, I WANNA THANK MY INTERNS WHO'VE BEEN WORKING AT ALL THE DISTRICT AGE PARKS TO, UM, IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM AND TO, UM, FACILITATE THE, UH, ACTIVITIES, STEM ACTIVITIES, AND BRINGING ESPECIALLY TECHNOLOGY TO, TO CHILDREN IN DISTRICT H. YOU KNOW, SO MANY OF THEM DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THIS AT HOME. SO, UM, WE, WE'VE GOT FREE PUBLIC 24 7 WIFI AT ALL DISTRICT AGE PARKS, AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF, UM, DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT HAVE, THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER. I WANNA THANK ALL THE RESOURCE PROVIDERS. IT'S, THEY'VE BEEN AMAZING. I WANNA THANK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WHO'S BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE AND, AND, UM, AND HAS REALLY LED THIS. THE VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE TO APPLY TO BE A TECH CONNECT INTERN FOR THE, UM, THE PARKS AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. SO WE'RE HIRING NOW. UM, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH, WITH [03:35:01] MY OFFICE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. IT'S A, UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO HIRE INTERNS BETWEEN 16 AND 24 YEARS OF AGE. YOU CAN BE IN HIGH SCHOOL, YOU CAN BE IN COLLEGE, YOU CAN BE, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY YOUTH. THERE'S, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY. THE PROGRAM WILL RUN BETWEEN MID-SEPTEMBER TO TO MID-MAY. UM, SO CHECK US OUT. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ONLINE IF YOU WANNA LEARN MORE OR, OR JUST GET IN TOUCH. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. UH, MAYOR PRO, TIM MARTIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN THE, UH, DISTRICT E AND THE DISTRICT OF EXCELLENCE. SO, UH, BEFORE I DO THAT, BEFORE I DO THAT, I HAVE TO, AFTER THE LAST TWO DAYS, I HAVE TO BE, UH, HATER AND I'M HATING ON DYLAN D ROBS AND MY MAN OVER THERE WEARING THAT UGLY HAT. . SO NICE. YES, YES. E ENJOY SITTING AT HOME FOR THE PLAYOFFS WHILE THE ASTROS ARE WINNING IT AGAIN. SO IN DISTRICT E MARK MITCHELL'S SECOND YEAR IN MY OFFICE, AND TO MY LEFT, EVERYBODY'S RIGHT, JESSICA BEAMER CELEBRATING HER EIGHTH YEAR IN OUR OFFICE. AND ON MONDAY SHE'S ALSO CELEBRATING HER ANNUAL 21ST BIRTHDAY. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY JB. AND WE'RE ALSO CELEBR, UH, SAYING FAREWELL TO OUR SUMMER INTERN ABBY, AND WISHING HIM FALL AT A AND M. I JUST DON'T LIKE SAYING THAT WORD. I'M A HATER ON A AND M TOO. SO, UH, KINGWOOD MONTHLY RECYCLING EVENT WILL BE EITHER SATURDAY, AUGUST 6TH FROM 10:00 AM TO THREE OR UNTIL THE TRUCKS ARE FULL, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS FULL AT AROUND NOON. SO GET THERE EARLY AT THE KINGWOOD METRO PARK AND RIDE. AND THE CLEAR LAKE MONTHLY RECYCLING EVENT WILL BE HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY AS WELL ON, I'M SORRY, NEXT SATURDAY AS WELL. AUGUST 13TH AT 9:00 AM TO 3:00 PM OR ONCE AGAIN, UNTIL THE TRUCKS ARE FULL. AND, UM, ENJOY THE GAME AT ONE 10 TODAY, EVERYONE. THANK YOU. UH, VICE MAYOR PROTO CAST, THAT TITLE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, YESTERDAY WE HAD THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, ISSUE A PROCLAMATION TO WORLD YOUTH FOUNDATION. WANT TO INVITE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. THE ORGANIZATION WILL PRESENT ITS SEEDS OF GRATITUDE AFFIRMING LIFE, BOLDLY, BRAVELY, AND BEAUTIFULLY CELEBRATION ON SUNDAY AT 3:00 PM AT THE HOBBY CENTER. UH, WE HOPE THAT, UM, YOU CAN JOIN US FOR THAT CELEBRATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND CELEBRATION OF GRATITUDE. AND THEN ON TUESDAY, AUGUST THE NINTH, FROM 10 TO ONE, I'M CO-SPONSORING A JOB FAIR WITH THE FIVE CORNERS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. TURNS NINE METRO WORK AND WORKFORCE SOLUTION. UH, METRO WILL BE HIRING ON THE SPOT. THESE POSITIONS DO NOT REQUIRE A CDL. UH, THE JOB FAIR WILL BE AT THE FOUNTAIN LIFE CENTER. IF YOU KNOW PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN EMPLOYMENT, UM, AND DRIVING, UH, FOR METRO, THEY CAN VISIT WWW DOT METRO JOB FAIR AT ON EVENTBRITE. AND FOR MORE INFORMATION, FEEL FREE TO, UH, GIVE MY OFFICE A CALL. AND THEN ALSO ON AUGUST THE 13TH, UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL BACK TO SCHOOL DRIVES. UM, I'M WORKING ON ONE WITH THE AVENUE 360 SOUTHWEST, AND THAT IS GOING TO BE AUGUST THE 13TH FROM 11 TO 2:00 PM AT THE FOUNTAIN LIFE CENTER. UH, IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE NUMEROUS BACK TO SCHOOL EVENTS IN THE DISTRICT, YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THOSE ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU. AND BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I REALLY JUST BRIEFLY, THE, UH, TTI COMMITTEE WILL BE MEETING TOMORROW MORNING AT OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH AT 10:00 AM UH, MAYOR. AND THE, THE THREE ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA INCLUDE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. IT'S AN UPDATE ON RESILIENT HOUSTON AS WELL AS THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. I THINK YOU ALL WILL FIND THIS VERY EXCITING. UH, FROM PRIYA ZACHARIA, OUR CHIEF, AGAIN, BOTH ON RESILIENT HOUSTON AS WELL AS THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT UPDATE. UH, THE PROFESSIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING SERVICES CONTRACT FOR BOTH THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM IS ALSO ON OUR AGENDA, UH, FROM DIRECTOR KENT AND HER TEAM AT THE AIRPORT, AS WELL AS WITHIN IT. AND FINALLY, WHAT MAKES THIS A JOINT TTI AND PUBLIC SAFETY HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE MEETING. WE WILL BE HEARING FROM HPD ABOUT THE FLOCK AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER CONTRACT. AND I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE, UH, CARED A LOT ABOUT THIS. SO WE'VE GOT THREE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TOMORROW MORNING AT 10:00 AM COME ON DOWN, IT'S GONNA BE GREAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU. UM, FIRST I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY NIECE'S BIRTHDAY. SHE TURNED 19 ON AUGUST 1ST. UM, KENNEDY THOMAS, I CALL A NOIE, BUT, UH, SHE'S KENNEDY TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. SHE'S NICE AND GROWN. UM, ON AUGUST 4TH, TOMORROW WE HAVE A SERIES OF BACKPACK DRIVES, UM, AS WELL AS [03:40:01] EVERYONE ELSE. TOMORROW AT ALE TAYLOR, THERE'S A BACKPACK DRIVE FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM ON AUGUST 6TH AT CHURCH OF THE, UH, CHURCH OF THE OIL FROM 9:00 AM TO 12:00 PM BACKPACK, FOOD, UM, LOTS OF SUPPLIES. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A SERIES THAT WE'LL BE RELEASING OUT. AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION WILL BE SHARED IN OUR NEWSLETTER AND ON OUR MICROSITE FOR THE CITY. AND THEN I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE WE'VE HAD SOME RECENT DEATHS IN THE, UH, IN THE DISTRICT. UH, MS. ROSE, JEANETTE BROWN, SHE PASSED AWAY LAST WEEK. HER SERVICES WERE SATURDAY. SHE ACTUALLY SERVED ON YOUR TASK FORCE FOR POLICING REFORM. AND SO MS. ROSE WAS WITH US FOR THE VERY FIRST MASS DRIVE WE DID, UM, PASSING OUT FOUR SINGLE MASKS. AND, UM, SO SHE PASSED AWAY. SO WE ARE AS SENDING CONDOLENCES AND PRAYERS TO HER FAMILY. LONG TIME AF RESIDENT BEFORE AIF WAS EVEN IN THE CITY. UH, SHE HAD LIVED THERE. SO, UM, UM, MUCH LOVE TO HER. ALSO, MR. JOSEPH EARL THOMPSON PASSED AWAY HIS SERVICES ON SATURDAY. I WILL BE WITH THEM AND THEIR FAMILY WITH THE A ME CHURCH. AND THEN ONE OF MY CLASSMATES FROM ELSIK PASSED AWAY LAST WEEK. UM, HE WAS 41 YEARS OLD. I WANNA SEND, UM, CONDOLENCES TO THE GRIFFIN FAMILIES, TO STARLA JAMON KW AND THEIR MOTHER, MS. GRETA, UH, FRAY GRIFFIN, REST IN HEAVEN. UM, AND THEN A NOTE TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, WE HAD A, UH, PUBLIC WORKS WATER MAIN BREAK. THE, IT'S FIXED. THERE ARE OPEN REQUEST UNTIL IT'S COMPLETE. I DON'T NEED ANY MORE STICKY NOTES ON MY DOOR. WE GOT IT. I HAVE EMAILED THIS TO HOA. IT'S COMING. IT'S FIXED. WE ARE ON OUR WAY. UH, THE, I DON'T NEED ANOTHER STICKY NOTE. UM, BUT I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, AUGUST 20TH. AND I'LL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE THIS DURING POP OFF. AND THEN IT SHOULD RELEASE THIS WEEK FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. I'M HOSTING MY SECOND ANNUAL DISTRICT F JOB FAIR. UM, THIS, UH, AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE 75 EMPLOYERS. CON CONFIRM, CONFIRMED. LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 630 INDIVIDUALS. I THOUGHT SUCCESS WAS HAVING A HUNDRED PEOPLE SHOW UP. UM, WE HAD 630. SO I JUST WANT TO, UM, SHOUT OUT TO ALI, FSD, THE WORKSOURCE, UH, SPROUTS, THE GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION, ALL OF OUR SPONSORS FOR WORKING WITH US. THERE'S MORE TO COME ON THAT. UM, AN UPGRADE FROM LAST YEAR. WE HAVE TWO PRE-EVENT, SO WE'RE GONNA HELP PEOPLE GET READY WITH THEIR RESUME AND THEIR PORTFOLIO. BUT ALSO WE'RE WORKING WITH THOSE WITH THE REENTRY PROGRAM. SO YOU ARE COMING OUT OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM AND YOU'RE READY TO GET BACK TO WORK. WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU ON AUGUST 11TH AND ON THE 12TH AND MORE TO COME AND ON THOSE EVENTS WILL BE HELD AT JUDSON ROBINSON LIBRARY IN WEST CHASE. UM, SO THAT CONCLUDES MY COMMENTS FOR TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN MAY ICO. THANK YOU MAYOR. I, I ATTENDED YESTERDAY'S PERMIT ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MAYOR, AND THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD NEWS COMING OUT. UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MAKING SOME REAL CHANGES. THEY HAVE THIS MOONSHOT GOAL OF REVIEW IN TWO. THEY'RE DOING A LOT. THAT'S MEAN TWO TIMES THROUGH THE SYSTEM. UM, THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF COM WORKING ON A LOT OF COMMUNICATIONS AROUND THAT. THEY HAD A JOB FAIR RECENTLY. THEY, UH, PUT OUT 14, UH, OFFERS ON THE SPOT. UM, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF DETAIL WITH CHECKLISTS AND WITH KIND OF ANALYZING COMMENTS THAT ARE THAT, OR REJECTIONS THAT ARE OVER AND OVER. AND WHAT CAN THE DEPARTMENT DO TO HELP PEOPLE NOT HAVE THOSE SAME REJECTIONS? SO I'M REALLY ENCOURAGED TO WHAT HATS OFF TO CHRIS BUTLER. HE'S BEEN AT THIS A LONG TIME NOW. GETTING RUDY MORENO IN THE MIX OVER THERE IS A REALLY GREAT MOVE. MARLENE GAFFER FOR HER ROLE AND JERRY BROOKS ON THE, UM, PERMIT ADVISORY BOARD. IT'S A COMPLEX ISSUE. IT'S A COMPLEX SYSTEM OVER THERE, BUT THEY'RE REALLY FOCUSED. AND, AND CHRIS WILL SAY, HE SAID YESTERDAY, JUST BECAUSE WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT A CERTAIN WAY OR JUST BECAUSE THAT WAS THE RULE, WE MIGHT NEED TO CHANGE THE RULE OR WE MIGHT NEED TO LOOK AT THAT. SO THE ATTITUDE'S REALLY GOOD, AND I REALLY AM SEEING A LOT OF POSITIVE MOVEMENT AND, AND HAPPY TO REPORT THAT. ALSO WANTED TO ANNOUNCE, UM, SINCE WE'LL BE GONE, SO YOU CAN GET ON YOUR CALENDARS AN IMPORTANT MEETING JOINT TTI AND RNA MEETING ON AUGUST 23RD ON, UM, CHANGES TO THE SIDEWALK ORDINANCE. SO PUT THAT ON YOUR CALENDAR. 10:00 AM THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. I WANNA WELCOME VERONICA SHILOH. SHE'S OUR NEW DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO OUR OFFICE. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE HER. UH, IT'S REALLY NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT SPEAKS SPANISH IN OUR OFFICE. SO NOW EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT WILL BE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE A NEW SCHEDULER, CATHERINE WASHINGTON. SHE'S JOINED US AS WELL. UM, THERE'S A CHECKLIST. YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING WITH OUR APARTMENT COMPLEXES. AND SO THERE IS A VERY CLEAR WAY IN WHICH OUR RESIDENTS HAVE TO, UM, MAKE COMPLAINTS ABOUT ISSUES THEY'RE HAVING. AND SO THERE'S A COMPLETE CHECKLIST ON OUR WEBSITE. UM, IF YOU GO TO AT LARGE FOUR WEBSITE, UM, IT'S A COMPLETE CHECKLIST. IT IS CURRENTLY IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. WE ALSO HAVE IT IN KOREAN AS WELL. IT'S BEING EDITED AND MAKING, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT IT SAYS EVERYTHING PROPERLY. SO THAT WOULD BE THERE. AND WE'RE TRYING TO INCLUDE ALL LANGUAGES, UM, ON, ON THAT CHECKLIST SO THAT, UM, [03:45:01] OUR RESIDENTS KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT SO THAT WE CAN, UM, DEAL WITH THE ISSUES PROPERLY. AND FINALLY, THERE ARE MULTIPLE BACKPACK EVENTS THAT, THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE CITY. SO KUDOS TO ALL OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE DISTRICTS, UH, TO MAKING SURE OUR KIDDOS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED. UM, WE HAVE TEAMED UP WITH MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL. UM, MY DENTAL OFFICE, MAXILLA DENTAL HAS PUT IN, UM, HYGIENE PACKS. EVERYONE HAS TO HAVE A TOOTHBRUSH, RIGHT? AND SO WE PUT THAT. SO IT'S REALLY BEEN NICE TO, TO JOIN OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UM, IN MAKING THAT HAPPEN. AND, UM, AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER P THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, WE HAVE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS IN THE DISTRICT, A OFFICE ABOUT HIGH WATER BILLS, AND I KNOW EVERYONE'S GETTING THOSE AS WELL. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT MIGHT REDUCE CONFUSION IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE WATER METERS HAVE, UM, ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE ELECTRONIC READING DEVICES. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, NOT ALL OF THE METERS HAVE THAT CAPABILITY WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE IN REAL TIME HOW MUCH WATER IS BEING USED. AND SO THEY JUST GET THE BILL AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND IT'S STICKER SHOCK BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MONITOR IT THE WHOLE MONTH, AND THEY CAN'T EVEN SIGN UP FOR THE, UM, LEAK, UM, ALERTS EITHER. AND SO IT'S JUST, THEY JUST GET THE BILL AT THE END OF THE MONTH AND THEY CAN'T CHECK BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY WERE HOME BASED ON WHAT THEY WERE DOING. AND SO IT JUST CAUSES SO MUCH CONFUSION. I HEARD THAT ALL OF THE METERS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT CAPABILITY BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, BUT ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO SPEED THAT UP, ESPECIALLY NEW METERS THAT ARE GETTING INSTALLED, THERE'S NO REASON WHY A NEW METER SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS CAPABILITY. BUT THE ONES THAT ARE BEING INSTALLED DON'T HAVE IT. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO INCREASE THAT, TO SPEED UP THAT TIMELINE, I THINK THAT WOULD REALLY TAKE CONFUSION OUT OF SOME OF THESE BILLS. NO FOLLOW UP ON THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. AND WE ARE ALL HEARING, UM, AND I STARTED TO CALL MYSELF ON MY BILL. MM-HMM . UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, NA NACA, THE NATION'S LARGEST HUD APPROVED NONPROFIT HOME OWNERSHIP AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION WILL BRING ITS HISTORY MAKING ACHIEVE THE GREEN, ACHIEVE THE DREAM EVENT TO HOUSTON FOR FOUR DAYS IN, UM, DISTRICT B. UM, IT'S GONNA BE AUGUST THE FOURTH THROUGH THE SEVENTH. AT GREENHOUSE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH. NCA PROVIDES THE BEST AFFORDABLE HOUSING HOME OWNERSHIP PROGRAM FOR LOW INCOME TO MODERN INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR HOME BUYERS CAN MEET WITH A NCA COUNSELOR AND AN UNDER UNDERWRITER AT THIS ONE STOP EVENT. UM, AND ACCESS NCA'S BEST IN AMERICA MORTGAGE, NO DOWN PAYMENT, NO CLOSING COSTS, NO FEES, NO MORTGAGE INSURANCE. AND BELOW THE MARKET RATE, UH, MARKET INTEREST RATE. UM, NCA'S RECENT EVENTS, UM, IN MIAMI AND NEW YORK HAD OVER 20,000 PEOPLE SHOW UP. AND SO THE RENTS ARE RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW RENTS ARE SKYROCKETING, AND THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENTS TO GET A LOWER, UM, PAYMENT RATE. SO DURING THIS FOUR DAY EVENT, THOUSANDS OF HOME BUYERS WILL RECEIVE ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING FROM HUD APPROVED NACA COUNSELORS, AND MANY OF MANY WOMEN OBTAIN THEIR, THEIR APPROVAL WITHIN THE SAME DAY. NA HAS RECEIVED OVER 20 BILLION, UM, IN DOLLARS FROM, AND 15 OF THOSE BILLION DOLLARS IS FROM BANK OF AMERICA. SO IF YOU INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT, PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE AT 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 0, UM, NINE. THE EVENT IS FREE. IT'S FROM 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER FOR THE EVENT@WWW.NAKA.COM, AND WALK-INS ARE AVAILABLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMERON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, A FEW QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS. UH, I KNOW COUNCILOR ALCORN AND I HAD A GREAT TIME. UH, LAST NIGHT WE HAD A NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENT THAT WAS EARLY THIS YEAR, UH, FOR HOMEOWNERS ON, UH, VIRGINIA, FERNDALE AND SACKETT AND KIPLING, UH, IN PART OF UPPER CURVY. SO THANKS TO THE RESIDENTS FOR ORGANIZING, UM, HPD FOR BEING THERE AND SUNSHINE KIDS FOR THE VENUE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON ALREADY ANNOUNCED OUR JOINT TTI PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING TO REVIEW, UM, THE PROCUREMENT OR CONTRACT FOR THE COUNCIL FUNDED, UH, CAMERAS THAT ARE GOING IN. UH, OF COURSE THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CAMERAS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED, BUT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT. UH, WE JUST FOR RESIDENTS APPROVED, UH, AT COUNCIL TODAY, UH, SLOT DITCH CHANNEL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THAT DITCH IS PARALLEL TO BEACH NUT BETWEEN SOUTH RICE AND NEW CAN NEWCASTLE, ALL OF THE RESIDENTIAL AREA THAT CONTINUES TO FLOOD. UM, SO THANKS TO LAURA ROCHA AND THE ENTIRE, UH, TEAM AT PUBLIC WORKS. UH, MAYOR, I THINK THAT BRINGS UP AN IMPORTANT POINT. WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THE CITY AND THE FLOOD CONTROLLER MAKING TO PREVENT FLOODING, BUT THE FUNDING ISN'T ENOUGH. AND WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HGA, WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THE GLO, AGAIN, ALL OF THAT POINTS TO THE CITY IS DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN, BUT WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS. SO I LOVE SEEING THESE TYPES OF ITEMS, BUT DO WANNA DISCLAIM, UH, THAT WE [03:50:01] ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET AND WE NEED MORE. UH, WE ALSO SAW, UH, MORE SMLS SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE, UH, PROTECTIONS FOR NEIGHBORS IN EAST MONTROSE, THE EAST MONTROSE CIVIC CLUB. WE HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE ONES OF THESE COMING TO AGENDA. SO HUGE SHOUT OUT, UH, TO THE CIVIC CLUB AND TO KAREN AND OTHERS FOR CONTINUING TO PUSH. AND I ENCOURAGE OTHERS AND OTHER PARTS OF THE DISTRICT TO DO THE SAME. AND FINALLY, UH, IT'S HOUSTON RESTAURANT WEEKS. UH, IT STARTED AUGUST 1ST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 5TH. UH, FOLKS CAN GO TO HOUSTON RESTAURANT WEEKS.COM. UH, THEY EVEN HAVE A SPECIAL TAB FOR RESTAURANTS PARTICIPATING THAT HAVE PATIOS FOR THOSE THAT MAYBE DON'T WANNA GO INSIDE RIGHT NOW. UH, BUT IT'S A GREAT WAY TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL FOOD BANK. UH, HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL OF THE SPONSORS AND PARTNERS, BUT ESPECIALLY, UH, THE HOUSTON RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION FOR ALL THAT THEY DO. SO, ENJOY SOME GOOD FOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCILMAN EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR INDULGENCE. I AM, YOU KNOW, SO DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE ARE NOT MEETING NEXT WEEK, BUT I, I MISSED, UH, TWO EVENTS THAT ARE GONNA TAKE PLACE, UH, IN MY DISTRICT BEFORE WE GET BACK. UH, ONE IS THE JOB FAIR AND NETWORKING EVENT, UH, ON AUGUST THE 11TH, ON THURSDAY FROM 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM NEXT WEEK AT THE HARAMBE BUILDING, WHICH IS 39 0 3 ALAMEDA ROAD. AND SO THERE WILL BE EMPLOYERS THERE, UH, WILLING AND ABLE TO OFFER EMPLOYMENT, UH, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED OF, UH, A JOB ALSO, UM, THE STERLING AVIATION EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL, 1 1 6 2 5 MARTINDALE ROAD WILL HAVE THEIR, UH, BACK TO SCHOOL, UM, ON AUGUST THE 13TH, WHICH IS SATURDAY FROM 9:00 AM TO NOON. AND SO WE ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO COME OUT. AND MAYOR, I BELIEVE YOU ALSO HAVE YOUR EVENT ON THE 13TH. UH, YOU, YOU MAY WANT TO GIVE, GIVE YOUR OWN EVENT, BUT CERTAINLY WE WILL HAVE ONE SIMULTANEOUSLY AT, UM, STERLING. AND I WANNA LET THE STERLING COMMUNITY KNOW, AS WELL AS THE JACK GATES COMMUNITY, KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING TO GET SAFE SIDEWALKS, UH, THAT HAS COME TO OUR ATTENTION, THAT THE STUDENTS ARE WALKING IN UNSAFE AREAS. AND SO WE ARE ENCOURAGING THE USE OF THE CITY SIDE SAFE SIDEWALK PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS TO LET PEOPLE, UH, BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN SAFELY NAVIGATE TO AND FROM SCHOOL. SO, THANK YOU MAYOR AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR INDULGENCE. THANK YOU. YES. THE MAYOR'S BACK TO SCHOOL. UH, EVENT WILL BE SATURDAY, UH, AUGUST THE 13TH. UH, WE, UH, AFTER GEORGIA BROWN, WE'RE PREPARING FOR 25,000 KIDS. AND SO, UH, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO REGISTER ONLINE. AND, UH, THE PRESS CONFERENCE FOR THE, FOR THE BACK TO SCHOOL EVENT WILL BE TOMORROW MORNING, MATTER OF FACT. SO THAT'S COMING UP ON AUGUST THE 13TH. UH, NOT THIS SATURDAY, BUT NEXT SATURDAY. AND THIS IS THE LAST WEEK I WILL HIRE HOUSTON YOUTH INTERNS. MM-HMM . IT'S THE LAST WEEK WE'VE HAD ABOUT 14,000. YOU'VE HAD MANY OF THEM IN YOUR OFFICES OR IN THE DEPARTMENTS. UM, THEY HAVE JUST DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL AND EXCEPTIONAL JOB. IN FACT, IF YOU HIRE HOUSTON YOUTH PERSON, IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM, STAND UP IF, DO WE HAVE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM? YEAH, NO, STAND UP. YEAH, THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONAL AND, UM, WANNA WISH THEM WELL, GOING BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL AND OUR COLLEGE OR WHATEVER THEIR FUTURE ENDEAVORS MAY BE. UM, BUT WE JUST HAD, WE'VE HAD, WE'VE JUST BEEN VERY FORTUNATE, UM, 14,000, UH, INTERNS AND, UM, SO LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE CAN, WE CAN INCREASE THAT NUMBER BEYOND 15,000 ON, ON NEXT YEAR. SO THIS IS THE LAST WEEK IN, WISH THEM THE VERY BEST. UM, COUNCILMAN P*****K. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. OUR INTERNS DO A PHENOMENAL JOB OVER THE SUMMER AND THAT HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM DEFINITELY GIVES A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND EXPOSURE, UH, TO THOSE WHO ARE 16 TO 24 IN THE HOUSTON AREA. I WANT TO GIVE A PERSONAL SHOUT OUT TO, UH, THE DISTRICT J INTERN CAMERON MUD, WHO ATTENDS VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY. UH, AND THIS IS HIS SECOND YEAR IN OUR OFFICE. SO THANK YOU CAMERON, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, UH, DURING THE SUMMER. THANK YOU. AND WE WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE A YEAR ROUND, UH, SUMMIT IN, I MEAN, YEAR ROUND INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS WHO, UH, WOULD LIKE TO WORK, UH, WHILE THEY'RE, UH, IN THE SCHOOL. AND SO, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO DO A YEAR ROUND CO COUNCIL MEMBER SNE, SO IS GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT, UH, AS WELL. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE NEXT PHASE OF HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH. SO I WANT TO THANK, UH, OLIVERO KOSKI AND JANE CHEEKS, UH, FOR GIVING LEADERSHIP TO THE HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH PROGRAM. THEY HAVE DONE AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB. HAVING SAID THAT, WE DO NOT MEET NEXT WEEK. OKAY? WE DON'T, [03:55:01] WE DON'T MEET NEXT WEEK. UH, BUT WE'LL MEET AFTER THAT. SO, UH, BE SAFE AND, UH, ENJOY WHEREVER YOU'RE GONNA BE. WE STAND, UH, ADJOURNED. * 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.