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THAT'S THE TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY[Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee on November 3, 2022. ]
AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.IT IS THURSDAY MORNING, IT'S 10:00 AM IT'S NOVEMBER 3RD, 2022.
AND THIS MORNING'S MEETING OF THE TTI COMMITTEE, UH, WELCOMES ALL STAFF MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO ARE HERE TODAY, BOTH IN THE CITY HALL CHAMBER HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, AS WELL AS ONLINE.
I'D LIKE TO NOTE THE MEETING IS BEING HELD IN HYBRID MODE DUE TO THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
THAT'S CHAPTER 5 51, THE PROVISIONS THAT ALLOWED PUBLIC MEETINGS TO BE HELD SOLELY, VIRTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THIS MEETING WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND AS CHAIR, THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THIS COMMITTEE, I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
THIS IS APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES.
ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. WE HAVE THREE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY, ALL VIRTUALLY, UH, AND THE DEADLINE TO SIGN UP WAS YESTERDAY AT 5:00 PM HOWEVER, AS ALWAYS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE MAY BE SENT TO THE AT LARGE2@HOUSTONTX.GOV, UH, EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE WILL SHARE ANY QUESTIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, THAT ARE APPROPRIATE TO THE QUESTION FOLLOWING THE MEETING.
AND WE WILL DISTRIBUTE THE RESPONSES THROUGH OUR COMMITTEE WEBSITE AND MAILING LIST.
UH, SO TODAY'S MEETING FEATURES THREE TOPICS, UH, AND WE WILL START WITH PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICTS, INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
THIS IS A PRESENTATION BROUGHT FORWARD BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PARK HOUSTON FROM THE ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S MARIA ERSHAD AND FOLLOW THAT.
FOLLOWING THAT, WE WILL HEAR ABOUT THE HIGH CAPACITY FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES CONTRACT.
THAT'S WITH PS LIGHTWAVE, AND WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM BERT FERT, WHO'S THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, UH, REGARDING INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
FURTHER, WE WILL HEAR FROM ANTHONY EGAN, UH, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INFRA FOR INFRASTRUCTURE WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
AND FINALLY ON OUR AGENDA TODAY, THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT RADIO REPLACEMENT SUBJECT WILL BE DISCUSSED BY NICK CORIN, AND HE'S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, ALSO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION OF THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM.
I'D LIKE TO REMIND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO REMAIN ON MUTE AND HOLD THEIR QUESTIONS TO THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION.
AND NOTE THAT TO QUEUE IN, YOU SHOULD SEND A MESSAGE IN THE CHAT REQUEST TO SPEAK, AND WE WILL DO SO AND PUT YOU INTO THE QUEUE.
AND EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, ALONG WITH ANY STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE QUESTIONS TODAY.
FOR EACH PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO ASK THE SPEAKER TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND ANY STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT FOR THE RECORD.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL TURN TO OUR PRESENTATIONS FOR THE DAY.
I SEE THAT MS. URSA ERSHAD IS IN THE CHAIR.
UH, MADAM DIRECTOR, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN TO YOU FOR THE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT'S INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS DISCUSSION.
UH, GOOD MORNING, CHAIR ROBINSON, VICE CHAIR ALCORN AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING US TIME ON THE AGENDA TO DISCUSS THE PARKING BENEFITS DISTRICT AND THE RELATED INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
MY NAME IS MARIA ERSAD AND I AM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR PARK HOUSTON.
SO, TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICTS.
I'M GONNA GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW, UM, OF WHAT A PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT IS.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO THE DETAILS OF THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
AND THEN IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS AT THE END, I'M HAPPY TO, UM, RESPOND TO THOSE.
SO, WHAT ARE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICTS OR PBDS? THESE ARE TOOLS THAT WE USE TO MANAGE THE IN DEMAND, UH, PARKING.
A NET SHARE OF THE METER REVENUE IS RETURNED BACK TO THE DISTRICT TO FUND PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
THE CITY CURRENTLY HAS THREE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICTS, AND I'M GONNA COVER THOSE IN A FEW SLIDES.
BUT OUR TEMPLATE FOR THE PBD RETURNS, UH, 60% OF THE NET REVENUES BACK TO THAT DISTRICT.
IT ALSO REQUIRES AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF AREA REPRESENTATIVES, AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS CHARGED WITH SELECTING AND PRIORITIZING THE PROJECT LIST.
UM, THE PROJECTS OR THESE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS CAN BE, UH, NEW PROJECTS THAT THE COMMITTEE DESIRES TO PUT IN PLACE, OR IT CAN BE THE MONEY CAN BE USED TO FUND EXISTING PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE.
THE CITY HAS FINAL APPROVAL OVER THE PROJECT LIST AND, UM, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER LIST.
SO ALL PBDS DO REQUIRE CITY COUNCIL
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APPROVAL, AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE CAN BE MANAGED EITHER BY THE CITY OR WITH AN EXISTING MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.SO, HOUSTON'S FIRST, PBD WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN 2014 FOR THE WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.
THE BOUNDARIES ARE FROM HOUSTON TO LILLIAN TO WESTCOTT TO CENTER STREET.
ESSENTIALLY, WASHINGTON IS METERED, AND WE'VE MADE AN ACCOMMODATION IN THE ORDINANCE TO RELAX THE CRITERIA FOR STREETS TO OBTAIN RESIDENTIAL PARKING PERMITS OR RPP.
NORMALLY, RPP REQUIRES THAT 75% OF THE STREET BE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL PER HCA, BUT NORTH OF WASHINGTON, WE SAW A PROBLEM WHERE THERE WERE STREETS AND RESIDENTS WISH TO IMPLEMENT, UH, RESIDENTIAL PARKING PERMITS, BUT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE 75%, UH, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ON THAT STREET, THEY WERE UNABLE TO MOVE IN THE PERMIT PROCESS.
SO THEY WERE NOT ELIGIBLE TO GET RELIEF FROM THE CONGESTION GENERATED BY THE NEARBY BUSINESSES WITH THE PBD ORDINANCE AND ONLY IN THE WASHINGTON CORRIDOR, AS LONG AS A STREET IS WITHIN 1000 FEET OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THE WASHINGTON PBD.
AND THE PETITION, OF COURSE, HAS TO HAVE SUPPORT FOR THE RPP.
WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT A STREET BEING 75% RESIDENTIAL.
SO THERE WAS AN ACCOMMODATION MADE FOR NEARBY BUSINESSES BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT PEOPLE WERE GONNA TRY AND AVOID METERS AND GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND ALSO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY, UH, WHEN THE WASHINGTON CORRIDOR ORDINANCE WAS DRAFTED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, WE INCLUDED A PROVISION FOR A MANAGEMENT DISTRICT TO ASSUME THE MANAGEMENT FUNCTION OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
UH, THE PROVISION WAS, UH, INCLUDED TO ALLOW THE TRANSFER OF THIS FUNCTION, UM, FOR WASHINGTON, SHOULD A MANAGEMENT DISTRICT COME INTO PLAY THERE.
AND THE PROVISION WAS ALSO INCLUDED TO ENSURE THAT ANY OTHER FUTURE PPDS WOULD HAVE THIS ABILITY.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE EXISTING MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS IN THE SEDAN, AND WE WANTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CITY.
AND THEY ALREADY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE AREA.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE MANAGING PROJECTS THERE ALREADY.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW, PARK HOUSTON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING ALL THE PROJECTS IN THE WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.
UM, AND THESE PROJECTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY OUR CORE FUNCTION.
UH, WE HAVE TO LEARN NEW THINGS, RESEARCH NEW IDEAS, AND THIS HAS BEEN GREAT FOR US AS AN ORGANIZATION, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE CHALLENGING WHEN WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES.
SO FOR WASHINGTON, WE HAVE PROJECT MANAGE THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF BIKE RACKS, AND WE OVERSAW A SECURITY PROGRAM FOR OFF-DUTY OFFICERS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH HPD TO DEPLOY FLOCK SECURITY CAMERAS IN THE WASHINGTON CORRIDOR.
SO OTHER PROJECTS THE PBD ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN INCLUDE MIDBLOCK CROSSWALKS, UH, PURCHASING SOUND METERS, AND OTHER SECURITY RELATED EFFORTS.
UM, SO WHEN WE DRAFTED THE ORDINANCE AND WE PUT IN THE PROVISION FOR THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, THE THOUGHT WAS THAT, UM, WHERE WE HAVE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, WE WANTED TO COLLABORATE WITH THEM, UM, SO THAT WE COULD, UH, IMPLEMENT THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND MOVE FORWARD AND BE MORE EFFICIENT.
OUR SECOND PBD WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN DECEMBER, 2019 IN THE MUSEUM PARK NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WENT INTO EFFECT IN FEBRUARY OF 2020, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, PARKING WAS GREATLY IMPACTED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
HOWEVER, WE ARE NOW SEEING A RETURN TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS OF PARKING.
OUR THIRD PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT IS IN MIDTOWN, AND THIS WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN APRIL OF 2022.
SO OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, YOU WILL SEE TWO INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS FOR CONSIDERATION ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, WE HAVE AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE GREATER SOUTHEAST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WHO WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE MUSEUM PARK PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT, AND THEIR PROJECTS.
THE SECOND ILA IS WITH THE MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AND THE AGREEMENT IS THE SAME.
THE MIDTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PBD COMMITTEE IN ANY RESULTING PROJECTS.
NOW, THE CITY STILL REMAINS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT ON BOTH COMMITTEES.
A RA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS AND THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES ARE OPERATING ACCORDING TO ORDINANCE.
TODAY, I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH THE ILAS.
THESE HAVE, UH, BOTH BEEN SHARED WITH THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS BOARDS FOR REVIEW AND EXECUTION.
WE ANTICIPATE THAT THESE, UH, ILAS WILL BE ON CITY COUNCIL AGENDA IN DECEMBER.
SO WHAT IS THE ILA? ESSENTIALLY, THE ORDINANCE LAYS OUT THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT WE NEED THE ILA TO NOT ONLY PROVIDE MORE DETAIL ON THE ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS, BUT ALSO TO HAVE A TOOL TO ENSURE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PBD AND THE INTENT OF THE ORDINANCE ARE BEING SATISFIED.
AND ALSO, SINCE THIS INFER INVOLVES TRANSFERRING FUNDS TO THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, WE NEED A DOCUMENTATION IN PLACE TO TRANSFER THESE FUNDS.
SO UNDER THE ILA, THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE PUBLIC MEETINGS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECTS SELECTED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE PER ORDINANCE MUST BE COMPOSED OF
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AT LEAST FIVE TO NINE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE COMMUNITY.UM, SO IT SHOULD BE A MIX OF RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.
AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE REVENUES FROM THE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT, UM, CAN BE APPLIED TO EXISTING, UH, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OR NEWLY IDENTIFIED PROJECTS.
UH, AS DETERMINED BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE CITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING QUARTERLY FINANCIAL UPDATES TO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE CITY RETAINS FINAL APPROVAL OVER THE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE MEMBERS LIST AND THE PROJECT LIST.
UH, THE PBD WILL ALSO HAVE CITY OFFICIALS SERVING AS EX-OFFICIO, UH, IN AN EX OFFICIO ROLE SO THAT WE CAN ADVISE ON PROJECTS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS LOOKING AT.
UM, FINALLY, A RA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RECONCILIATION OF THE PBD FUNDS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, AND REMITTANCE OF THOSE FUNDS TO THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT FOR THE PROJECTS.
THE TERM OF BOTH ILAS IS A FIVE YEAR INITIAL TERM WITH ONE FIVE YEAR RENEWAL.
NOW, IF FOR SOME REASON THE PBD IS TERMINATED, THE ILA IS AUTOMATICALLY TERMINATED IF THE ILA IS TERMINATED BY EITHER THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT OR THE CITY.
BUT THE PBD REMAINS IN PLACE, THE CITY, UH, BECOMES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE PROJECTS.
UM, BOTH PBDS HAVE ACCRUED FUNDS FROM FY 22, WHICH WE HAVE BANKED.
SO WE HAVEN'T TRANSFERRED THOSE FUNDS YET BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, WE NEED THE ILA IN PLACE BEFORE WE SEND ANY MONEY OVER THE ILA INCLUDES A PROVISION THAT WILL ALLOW A RA TO TRANSFER THE FY 22 FUNDS WITHIN, UH, 30 DAYS OF THE FINAL EXECUTION OF THE ILA.
AND IF THIS COMES, IF THESE ILAS COME TO COUNCIL IN DECEMBER AS WE PLANT, SO BY JANUARY SOMETIME, WE WILL BE SENDING MONEY TO THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS FOR THOSE PROJECTS.
SO WE WANTED TO ALSO LET YOU KNOW, I THINK, CAN YOU GO BACK ONE SLIDE? I THINK WE'RE AHEAD.
SO WE WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THE REVENUES THAT HAVE BEEN GENERATED FOR BOTH PBD.
SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UM, BOTH IN JANUARY AND AT THE END OF THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
SO THIS SLIDE, UH, LETS YOU KNOW THE FY 22 SHARE OF THE REVENUES THAT WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO BOTH MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, AND THEN A PROJECTION FOR WHAT WE ANTICIPATE FY 23 WILL BRING.
UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE FY 23 FUNDS WILL BE TRANSFERRED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT JULY OF 23 FOR THE NEXT TRANSFER.
AND I STOOD EARLIER, UM, FY 22 FUNDS WOULD BE TRANSFERRED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF FINAL EXECUTION OF THE ILA.
SO THAT'S AFTER COUNCIL APPROVAL.
SO IN CONCLUSION, ARA IS RECOMMENDING THAT CITY COUNCIL APPROVE THE ORDINANCES FOR BOTH ILAS.
UH, WE BELIEVE THIS IS A GOOD PARTNERSHIP WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ALREADY VERY ACTIVE AND FAMILIAR WITH BOTH DISTRICTS.
THEY ARE ALREADY DO, UH, DEPLOYING AND IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS IN BOTH AREAS.
UH, THE CITY WILL REMAIN ACTIVELY ENGAGED.
UM, WE BELIEVE THIS MAKES GOOD SENSE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE.
AND WITH THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THOSE NOW.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND THE PROPOSAL AND, UH, THE SUCCINCT NATURE OF YOUR PRESENTATION.
WE DO HAVE A STAFF MEMBER AT LEAST OR TWO IN THE QUEUE, BUT BEFORE GOING TO QUESTIONS, LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE WITH US IN THE CHAMBER.
AND I'LL START WITH OUR VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER, SALLY ALCORN, WHO'S THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER FROM POSITION NUMBER FIVE.
AND WE HAVE ONLINE TWO OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM DISTRICT C.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, AND FROM THE AT LARGE POSITION NUMBER THREE, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KOSH, AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STAFF MEMBERS WITH US TODAY.
ONLINE WITH US IS, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON'S OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS'S OFFICE, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HUFFMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS, THE VICE MAYOR PRO TIM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM.
AND WE HAVE IN THE CHAMBERS STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX AND COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER.
AND I BELIEVE THAT ALSO JOINING US ONLINE IS COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ FROM THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION.
AND I THINK WITH THAT, UH, WE WILL TURN TO QUESTIONS AND, UH, START WITH STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE.
ON PAGE FIVE, UM, YOU STATE THAT CITY'S RESPONSIBILITIES PROVIDE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORTS.
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POSSIBLE TO SEND TO COUNCIL OR IN THE FUTURE QUARTERLY REPORTS ON THE EXISTING, JUST IN THE FUTURE? SURE.WE CAN SHARE THE SAME REPORTS WITH YOUR OFFICE THAT WE SHARE WITH THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES, ABSOLUTELY.
WE WILL, UH, GET THAT AS WELL.
IF YOU COULD FORWARD TO THE COMMITTEE, WE WILL CIRCULATE AND MAKE AVAILABLE.
UM, WE HAVE ONE, UH, WE HAVE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF IN QUEUE.
UH, SO IF YOU CAN HOLD, I THINK WE HAVE ONE QUESTION, AND THIS I KNOW IS FROM A CITIZEN WHO IS IN SUPPORT OF THIS, OUR FRIEND KATHLEEN O'REILLY FROM THE MUSEUM DISTRICT SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
KATHLEEN, I BELIEVE IF YOU'RE ONLINE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE AND SEE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR US TODAY.
AND IF NOT, WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET YOUR QUESTION FORWARDED.
WE UNDERSTAND THAT MS. O'REILLY MAY BE HAVING SOME CHALLENGES GETTING ONLINE, AND IF SO, WE'LL GET THAT QUESTION FOR YOU SHORTLY, MS. AAD.
UM, SO I BELIEVE WITH THAT WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT, UM, WE, THIS FIRST TIME ON THE AGENDA IS TAKEN CARE OF.
WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND HOLD ON, WE'RE GONNA TRY ONE MORE TIME FOR THE SPEAKER.
UH, MS. O'REILLY, HAVE YOU JOINED US? ARE YOU ABLE TO UNMUTE GOING TWICE? AND WE WILL GET BACK TO MS. O'REILLY? THANK YOU, MS. ARSHAD.
UH, WE WILL, AS SAID, GET THE PRESENTATION ONLINE.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL GO ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
AND SO THE NEXT ITEM BEFORE US IS, UH, THE HIGH CAPACITY FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES PRESENTATION.
AND AS MENTIONED WITH US TODAY FROM THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, OUR BERTFORD, UH, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, ALONG WITH ANTHONY EGAN, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WHO'S WITH US ALSO FROM THE INFRASTRUCTURE DIVISION.
GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I BELIEVE YOU'RE ALL QUEUED UP AND, UH, TAKE IT AWAY.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY.
WE'RE HERE TO GIVE A TTI PRESENTATION ON, UH, NEW PROPOSED CONTRACT FOR HIGH CAPACITY FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES.
SO WITH ME, IT'S, I'M BUR FER.
I HAVE, WE HAVE ANTHONY EGAN, AND WE ALSO HAVE DIRECTOR CAN IN THE BACK.
JANE WU FROM HITS TEAM HERE TO BE PART OF THIS.
SO IF WE, SO I'LL KICK OFF THE, THE PRESENTATION, GO THROUGH THE, THE FIRST MAIN SLIDE AND THEN I'LL KICK, THEY'LL TRANSITION TO ANTHONY TO TAKE US THROUGH A LOT OF THE TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE PRESENTATION.
SO IF WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO HERE'S THE FOCUS, FOCAL FOCUS ON, UH, BOTTOM LINE UPFRONT INFORMATION.
THE COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST IS FOR A SPENDING AUTHORITY INCREASE.
THE VENDOR RECOMMENDED FOR THIS CONTRACT IS PS LIGHTWAVE.
THE CITY'S CURRENT HIGH CAPACITY FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES CONTRACT EXPIRES ON DECEMBER 26TH, 2022.
AND WE ARE HERE TO REQUEST COUNCIL ELECTION TO, TO CREATE A NEW CONTRACT THAT WILL LAST US UP TO FIVE YEARS.
THE PREVIOUS CONTRACT AMOUNT WAS $5,397,291 AND 53 CENTS.
THE NEW PROPOSED CONTRACT AMOUNT IS $8,750,000.
THE TERM IS A THREE YEAR TERM WITH TWO ONE YEAR RENEWAL OPTION PERIODS.
AND FROM AN MWBE PERSPECTIVE, WE HAVE AN APPROVED 0% GOAL WAVERING, AND THIS IS FOR CITYWIDE ALL CITYWIDE DEPARTMENTS.
SO THAT COVERS THE HIGH LEVEL FOCUS ON THE PRESENTATION.
IF WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TRANSITION TO, TO ANTHONY EGAN TO TAKE US INTO THE MEAT OF THE DETAILS.
ALRIGHT, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THANK YOU BURT.
I'M GONNA GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR CITY OF HOUSTON NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THEN I'LL BRIEFLY GO OVER THE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE WITH PS LIGHTWAVE, AND THEN THE FINANCIALS.
THE CITY'S ENTERPRISE DATA NETWORK SUPPORTS A CRITICAL FOUNDATION CONNECTING ALL 23 CITY DEPARTMENTS TO THE CITY'S DATA CENTER, THE INTERNET AND CLOUD APPLICATIONS.
THIS INCLUDES MISSION CRITICAL PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES SUCH AS CAD OR COMPUTER AID DISPATCH, AS WELL AS CITIZEN SERVICES SUCH AS 3 1 1 AMONG MANY OTHERS.
THE ENTERPRISE DATA NETWORK SUPPORTS ALL 21,000 EMPLOYEES AND IS COMPRISED OF THOUSANDS OF ROUTERS, SWITCHES, ACCESS POINTS, AND OTHER SYSTEMS THAT ARE LOCATED IN MORE THAN 350 SEPARATE CITY FACILITIES WITH GROWING DEMAND FOR HIGH SPEED CONNECTIVITY, THIS SPENDING AUTHORITY WILL HELP KEEP THE EXISTING SERVICES ACTIVE OR KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, AND WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE NETWORK CAPACITY AND STRENGTHEN THE RESILIENCY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE CITY IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT TO MODERNIZE THE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE THAT INCLUDES UPGRADING AND OR CHANGING THE SERVICE TYPE AT EACH LOCATION.
ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA BRIEFLY TAKE YOU THROUGH SOME INFORMATION ABOUT PS LIGHTWAVE.
PS LIGHTWAVE PROVIDES INTERNET ACCESS, PRIVATE ETHERNET CONNECTIVITY,
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AND DARK FIBER SERVICES TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.THERE ARE CURRENTLY 331 ACTIVE FIBER NETWORK SERVICES WITH PS LIGHTWAVE, WHICH SERVE OVER 200 CITY FACILITIES.
THIS INCLUDES MANY CRITICAL AND PRIORITY FACILITIES.
PS LIGHT WAVE'S NETWORK CONSISTS OF MORE THAN 5,500 MILES OF FIBER OPTIC CABLE WITHIN THE REGION THAT CURRENTLY HAVE THE LARGEST ON-NET FIBER FOOTPRINT WITHIN CITY FACILITIES OF ALL VENDORS.
PS LIGHTWAVE HAS BEEN A CITY VENDOR, A RELIABLE CITY VENDOR SINCE 2013.
THIS PROCUREMENT OF SERVICES IS BASED ON THE GSA OR GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION COOPERATIVE.
ALSO, PS LIGHTWAVE IS A HIGHER HOUSTON FIRST BUSINESS.
SO, A BRIEF BREAKDOWN OF THE ACTUALS FROM THE PRIOR TWO YEARS.
UH, WE HAVE AN ANNUAL TWO YEAR AVERAGE OF APPROXIMATELY $1,513,000.
AND THE ASK FOR THIS NEW AGREEMENT IS FOR $1.75 MILLION PER YEAR FOR THE THREE YEAR TERM, PLUS THE TWO RENEWAL OPTION YEARS FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 8.75 MILLION OVER THE FIVE YEAR LIFESPAN OF THE CONTRACT.
WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY HAVE.
VERY GOOD GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO MIGHT LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS, BUT BEFORE GETTING THERE, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN HAS JOINED US IN THE CHAMBERS, UH, WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM OUR VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN.
AND I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND THE, THIS IS THE CURRENT CONTRACTOR THAT WE HAVE NOW AND, AND THEY'VE HAD, THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK SINCE WHAT YEAR? SO THIS, UH, THE, THE FIRST SERVICES WITH, UH, PSL BEGAN IN 2013.
AND YES, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, THIS IS A CONTRACTOR WHO'S PROVIDING $1.5 MILLION OF SERVICES TODAY.
SO SINCE 2013, THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK.
THEY'VE BEEN PROVIDING HIGH SPEED, UH, SERVICES TO, SO DO WE JUST KEEP ROLLING THEM? DO WE NOT DO A, A COMPETITIVE, UH, ASK WHEN WE RE-UP THE CONTRACT? SO CURRENTLY WE'RE GOING THROUGH A PROCESS AS REVIEW THE CITY'S LEGACY INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THAT'S A MULTI-YEAR EFFORT.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAKE DETERMINATIONS ABOUT WHAT THE NEEDS WILL BE.
UM, WE DO BASE THE DECISION MAKING ON COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENTS.
AND I'M, AND I'M, I'M GOOD WITH THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENT IF THAT SATISFIES OUR PROCUREMENT.
I, I JUST WANNA, USUALLY WHEN WE HAVE A THREE YEAR CONTRACT WITH TWO, YOU KNOW, WITH A ONE YEAR OPTION AND A ONE YEAR OPTION, WE THEN HAVE ANOTHER SELECTION PROCESS.
SO WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THIS COMPANY DOES A GREAT JOB, YOU KNOW, BUT I WANNA, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST WHAT I'M USED TO SEEING.
AFTER WE HAVE A THREE YEAR CONTRACT, A ONE YEAR RENEWAL, A ONE YEAR RENEWAL, THEN PUT IT BACK OUT FOR BID, THEN WE, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT JUST TO JUST KEEP GOING SINCE THAT'S 10 YEARS WITHOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER, UM, COMPANIES TO BID ON THE WORK.
I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
I SEE THAT THE DIRECTOR HAS JOINED US, PERHAPS, UH, WITH A WORD TO RESPOND.
SO IT IS FAIRLY COMMON FOR THE CITY TO USE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING FOR MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENTS.
UM, NPS LIGHTWAVE IS NOT THE ONLY PROVIDER THAT WE USE.
WE ACTUALLY TODAY HAVE, UM, AS MANY AS 10 OR 11 DIFFERENT SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT PROVIDE VOICE OR DATA CIRCUITS TO THE CITY.
UM, AND SO, UH, THIS IS A SUBSET AND IT IS TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.
I BELIEVE ANTHONY TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT IN THE, UM, PART OF A PRESENTATION.
UM, BUT IT IS A SUBSET OF WHAT WE DO FOR THESE SERVICES.
WELL, I, I GUESS I THINK PART OF HIS ANSWER THOUGH WAS THAT YOU'RE STUDYING NOW THE LEGACY PROGRAM AND WHAT NEEDS TO DO.
SO WOULD THAT MIGHT NOT BE LIKE WE GO TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON FOR ANOTHER YEAR OR TWO WITH OUR CURRENT VENDOR AND THEN PUT PUT, I MEAN, I JUST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, AND I KNOW COOPERATIVE PURCHASING, THEY ARE VETTED, YOU KNOW, THAT IS A COMPETITION IN AND OF ITSELF, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO I JUST, I JUST THINK IT'S A, IT'S A LONG TIME TO HAVE ONE THING WITHOUT ONE CONTRACT, WITHOUT ANOTHER COMPETITION.
IT, IT IS AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT IS TO SOME EXTENT US, UM, HOPING TO COME BACK TO COUNCIL ONE TIME WHILE WE FINISH UP THE DESIGN OF THE NEW NETWORK ENVIRONMENT AND TO, UM, PROVIDE SOME OF THAT SPENDING AUTHORITY THAT AS WE MAKE THOSE FINAL DECISIONS, THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THAT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS LENGTH.
[00:25:01]
REALLY JUST TO TRY TO PUT IT UP FRONT.WE DO MAKE AN EFFORT, UM, ALWAYS WITH YOU GUYS TO FORECAST AND ADVANCE WHAT WE THINK WE MIGHT NEED, UM, FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, I THINK WE, THE ONE MEMBER OF THE, UH, SPEAKING PUBLIC WHO IS HERE, I THINK WE'LL HAVE A SIMILAR QUESTION TO FOLLOW UP.
BUT BEFORE GOING THERE, WE'LL, LET'S HEAR FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND, UH, DIRECTOR KENNETH THE OUTSET, I WANNA SAY TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM, THANK YOU AS ALWAYS.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, TECHNOLOGY AND, UH, CONTRACTS RELATED TO SECURITY EFFORTS AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORTS.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE SPECIALIZATION THAT'S REQUIRED WITH THAT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT.
ME AMONG SEVERAL OTHERS ARE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT CAD AND WE'RE TRYING TO PLAY CATCH UP RIGHT NOW STILL.
SO I, I APPRECIATE THOSE EFFORTS.
I DID WANNA ASK IF YOU ALL CAN TAKE US BACK A LITTLE BIT JUST IN TERMS OF THE HISTORY OF THIS CONTRACT SPECIFICALLY.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT WAS PUT OUT PREVIOUSLY AS AN RFP AND THEN THAT WAS CANCELED.
UM, COULD YOU BRIEFLY JUST TAKE US THROUGH THAT HISTORY? 'CAUSE AGAIN, FOR ME, I, I TRUST THAT EVERYTHING HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY VETTED, UM, HERE AT THE CITY.
UH, WE DO HAVE A, A, A VERY GOOD, UH, RULE BASED AND PROCESS BASED WAY IN WHICH WE DO THESE TYPES OF AGREEMENTS.
I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
IF YOU COULD WALK US THROUGH THAT TIMELINE.
SO, SO FIRST, FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, UM, THE CITY HAS LEVERAGED COOPERATIVE PURCHASING FOR TELECOMMUNICATION CIRCUITS.
AND SO WHEN I USE TELECOM, UM, THE PHRASE, I'M APPLYING IT TO BOTH VOICE AND DATA CIRCUITS.
AND SO FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, UH, THAT, THAT IS THE MECHANISM THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS USED.
AND FOR THAT MATTER, THE STATE OF TEXAS ACTUALLY MANDATES ALL STATE AGENCIES TO LEVERAGE WHAT THEY CALL TEXAN, UM, WHICH IS A TELECOMMUNICATION SUBSET OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION RESOURCES COOPERATIVE PURCHASING.
WITH THAT SAID, UM, THE CITY DOES SPEND, UH, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY ON THESE TYPES OF SERVICES.
AND WE DID BACK IN 2019 ISSUE AN RFP.
AND IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME DOING THAT.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED WITH THAT SOLICITATION PROCESS, WE WERE LOOKING TO SEE, UM, TO COMPETE WITH, YOU KNOW, OUT ON THE MARKET TO SEE IF WE MIGHT GET BETTER PRICING BY DOING AN RFP VERSUS COOPERATIVE PURCHASING.
UM, THAT RFP WAS ISSUED IN NOVEMBER OF 2019, AND I'M SURE ALL OF YOU CAN REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED SHORTLY AFTER THAT.
UM, WE HIT THE PANDEMIC AND THAT DRAMATICALLY SLOWED DOWN THAT EFFORT, AND IT ALSO PUT IT LOWER DOWN ON THE, THE PRIORITY, UM, POLL OF WHAT ALL OF US WITHIN THE CITY WERE DOING.
SO THE RFP IN ITSELF WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN ANY THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT TO OCCUR.
WITH THAT SAID, ONCE WE DID GET BACK ONTO THE RFP, THERE DEFINITELY WERE SOME ISSUES WITH THE, UM, STRUCTURE OF THAT RFP DOCUMENT.
AGAIN, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE PROPOSING ALL, UH, TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELATED SERVICES CITYWIDE.
UM, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WERE OMITTED THAT WE HAD TO ADD BY LETTER OF CLARIFICATION.
WE HAD A LOT OF TURNOVER DURING THAT TIME PERIOD.
UM, IN FACT, UM, SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAD ASSOCIATED WITH THAT RFP WERE FURTHER COMPLICATED ON THE PRICING.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID AFTER WE SAW THAT WE HAD ISSUED FIVE LETTERS OF CLARIFICATION, THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER, AND I SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, THIS, THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
AND SO WE REEVALUATED AND SAID, DID WE SEE ANY BETTER PRICING THROUGH THAT RFP PROCESS, OR DID WE SEE THAT THE COOPERATIVE PROCESS WAS JUST AS GOOD OR BETTER? AND WHAT WE SAW WAS THAT THE PRICES WERE FLUCTUATING, AND AS WE DID LETTERS OF CLARIFICATION, DIR PRICING WAS EVEN BETTER.
AND SO WHY GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AGAIN IF IT VALIDATED THAT THE COOPERATIVE PROCESS AND PRICES WERE STILL A BETTER VALUE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON? WHY DON'T YOU CONTINUE SINCE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE LEFT.
WELL, I'LL THANK YOU FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, UM, WE'RE GETTING FINANCE FINANCIALLY IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO FOLLOW THIS PROCESS FROM WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING.
UM, ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT WOULD JUST BE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEED TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON AND, UH, I UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULD NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN, DIRECTOR, YOU ALL DO A PHENOMENAL JOB.
I'M NOT QUESTIONING THAT AT ALL.
UM, IF IT'S TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, WHY ARE WE STRUCTURING THIS CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT
[00:30:01]
THIS WAY WITH THE EXTENDED, UM, PERIODS BEYOND QUOTE UNQUOTE, JUST KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON WHILE WE WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS A LITTLE BIT MORE? I, I, I CAN TELL YOU IT'S REALLY JUST, UM, HEDGING A LITTLE BIT ON THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE FUTURE.SO FOR INSTANCE, IF WE WERE TO ONLY DO A 12 MONTH CONTRACT, THIS WOULD BE COMING DUE AGAIN IN DECEMBER OF 2023 WHEN WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TURNOVER IN THE ADMINISTRATION AND EVEN ON THIS BODY.
RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S NOT A VIABLE OPTION.
IT'S ALSO, UM, NOT ENOUGH TIME FOR US TO, TO GO THROUGH ANY OTHER SORT OF SOLICITATION PROCESS, EVEN IF WE WERE TO DO THAT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE PLANNING IS TO STRUCTURE IT AS A STANDARD CONTRACT.
IT IS TYPICAL IN MY DEPARTMENT FOR US TO DO A THREE YEAR BASED TERM PLUS TWO OPTION YEARS.
AND THAT WAS THE REASON WHY WE RECOMMENDED THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA GET TO, UH, FURTHER PURSUE THIS WITH THE SPEAKER WHO, UH, HAS SOME VESTED INTEREST IN THIS HIMSELF.
UM, AND I THINK THE TERMS BEING WHAT THEY ARE, THE, THE FORMER SLIDE, THE LAST SLIDE THAT YOUR TEAM PRESENTED, DIRECTOR SHOWED, UM, THOSE FISCAL YEAR 2023 THROUGH 2028 WITH THE PROJECTED SPEND OF 1.75 MILLION PER YEAR.
SO THAT, UH, INTO THOSE OPTION PERIODS WOULD CERTAINLY PROVIDE, UH, SOMETHING OKAY.
WE HAVE MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF BACK IN QUEUE.
WE'LL GO WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN JUST TO CONTINUE.
NO, I, AND AGAIN, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, AND IF IT'S STANDARD THAT THAT'S WHAT WE DO, I RECOGNIZE THAT.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY'S GETTING THE BEST DEAL THAT WE CAN IN THE FUTURE AS WELL, AND USUALLY OPENING IT BACK UP, YOU KNOW, AND KEEPING THAT COMPETITIVE PROCESS GOING IS A BENEFIT TO ALL.
UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE RESPONSES.
THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING A LOT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER AND NOW FROM STAFF, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE.
UM, DIRECTOR, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE THE RIGHT PERSON TO ADDRESS THIS, OR MAYBE I SHOULD SPEAK WITH THE PROCUREMENT, THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE, UM, QUESTIONS CAME UP ABOUT DOES THE CITY HAVE A SYSTEM WHEN CONTRACTS ARE GOING TO EXPIRE LIKE A TICKLY 180 DAYS, JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR, REST OF THE WORLD? SURE.
AT THAT POINT WE DID NOT BECAUSE THE COST, THEY SAID THIS SYSTEM WAS GONNA COST APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED TO $200,000.
DO YOU KNOW IF A SYSTEM IS IN PLACE WITH THE CITY? SO WE KNOW WHEN CONTRACTS ARE EXPIRING, SO WE'RE NOT SURPRISED AND WE HAVE TO DO EMERGENCY.
SO A SYSTEM IS IN PLACE IN, IN FACT, I WILL CORRECT EVEN THAT PRIOR, UM, INFORMATION THAT YOU RECEIVED, THE CITY HAS ALWAYS HAD, UM, A REPOSITORY FOR CONTRACT EXPIRATION DATES.
WHAT, UM, THE CITY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING ON A PROJECT TO DO SO, IS A MORE ROBUST CONTRACT AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT MAKES THAT REPORTING, UH, EASIER TO GET TO THAT DATA AND MORE VISIBLE, RIGHT? BUT THE SYSTEM OF RECORD HAS BEEN AND STILL IS SAPI WILL TELL YOU ALSO THIS CONTRACT EXPIRATION IS NOT ONE THAT HAS COME UP AND SURPRISED US.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TRYING TO ESCALATE OUR NETWORK REDESIGN.
AND AGAIN, AS ANTHONY MENTIONED, THE CIRCUITS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, THEY ARE TIED TOGETHER TO THAT REDESIGN EFFORT.
AND SO IT'S REALLY A MATTER OF, WITH ALL OF THE OTHER COMPETING PRIORITIES, UM, COVID INCLUDED, BUT MANY OTHERS OF THOSE NATURAL DISASTERS AND THINGS WE'VE DEALT WITH IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE JUST HAD TO, TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT ON THE REDESIGN.
SAP EXISTS AND CONTRACT EXPIRATION DATES ARE REQUIRED TO BE ENTERED INTO THAT REPOSITORY.
THAT'S THE SYSTEM OF RECORD FOR CONTRACTS.
I THINK, UM, AS, AS A WITNESS AND SOMEONE WHO, WITH THE DIRECTOR IN HER TEAM STUDIES THAT UPCOMING SAP AND, UH, THE MATRIX THAT WE KEEP ANTICIPATES ALL CONTRACTS AS THEY'RE NEARING, UH, THEIR TERMINATION, AND WE REALLY TRY TO KEEP THINGS IN THE QUEUE AND KEEP IT ALL ON OUR TOES.
I THINK DIRECTOR KENT IS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THAT THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND A REAL EXEMPLARY MEMBER OF OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM TO HELP US STAY AHEAD OF THINGS.
SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UH, WE HAVE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE OR STAFF MEMBERS FOR THAT MATTER.
I WANT TO THANK YOU DIRECTOR, AS WELL AS YOUR TWO ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, DEPUTY CHIEF FER AND ANTHONY EGAN.
AND, UH, WE DO HAVE ONE QUESTION, UH, ON FROM THE PUBLIC.
AND THIS IS MR. NICK JIMENEZ, WHO'S COMING VIRTUALLY TO US.
UH, NICK, ARE YOU THERE? YES, SIR, I AM.
MR. CHAIRMAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY?
[00:35:01]
YES, I CAN GO AHEAD WITH YOUR QUESTION.UH, LIKE YOU SAID, CHAIRMAN ROBINSON, MY NAME IS NICK MENEZ.
I JOIN YOU AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR COMCAST BUSINESS.
AS I'M SURE EVERYONE'S AWARE, COMCAST BUSINESS PROVIDES BROADBAND INTERNET, CABLE TELEVISION OFFICE AND MOBILE PHONE OFFICE SECURITY SMART OFFICE SOLUTIONS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
WE SERVE ORGANIZATIONS OF ALL SIZES FROM MOM AND POP RESTAURANTS TO LARGE CORPORATIONS, AND YES, GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATIONAL CUSTOMERS AS WELL.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIR ALCORN, TTI COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, UH, AND SHARE SOME BRIEF REMARKS.
UH, GOOD MORNING, DIRECTOR KENT, TO YOU AS WELL.
I APOLOGIZE I COULDN'T BE THERE IN PERSON.
UH, BUT I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE VIRTUALLY.
THIS DISCUSSION AROUND A CONTRACT FOR FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES IS IMPORTANT TO ME, TO US, TO MY COMPANY.
UH, FIBER CIRCUIT SERVICES ARE A CORE OFFERING OF COMCAST BUSINESS AND A CONTRACT OPPORTUNITY WE'D LIKE TO EARN.
RECOGNIZING THAT THE CITY DOES NEED TO ACT TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.
I THINK WHAT MY POSITION IS, WHAT MY COMPANY'S POSITION IS, IS THAT A, A SHORTER CONTRACT, YOU KNOW, ONE YEAR OR WHATEVER MAKES SENSE, UH, COULD ACHIEVE THAT GOAL WHILE ALLOWING FOR A COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE COULD PARTICIPATE.
COMCAST DOES PARTICIPATE IN THE DIR CONTRACTING VEHICLE AS WELL AS GSA, UH, BUT THERE'S SOME ELEMENTS HERE THAT, THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT SEPARATELY, BEYOND WHAT'S ON THOSE ELEMENTS.
I I ALSO JUST WANNA SHARE SOME BACKGROUND, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE ON COMCAST.
COMCAST IS PROUD TO BE A RESPONSIBLE CORPORATE CITIZEN IN HOUSTON, PARTNERING WITH THE CITY ON A LOT OF EFFORTS THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THIS COMMITTEE.
SINCE 2011, OUR INTERNET ESSENTIALS PROGRAM HAS BEEN BEEN A LEADER IN BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE.
DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE LAUNCHED LIFT ZONES TO PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY WITH RELIABLE HIGH SPEED CONNECTIVITY AT NEARLY 50 COMMUNITY ANCHORING, UH, COMMUNITY ANCHOR LOCATIONS, INCLUDING CITY MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS AND LOCAL NONPROFITS.
WE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES OWNED BY WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR, THOSE THAT ARE MOST IMPACTED BY SHUTDOWNS AND WORK FROM HOME POLICIES.
THROUGH OUR COMCAST RISE PROGRAM, WE'VE ANSWERED THE CALL WHEN NATURAL DISASTERS HAVE IMPACTED OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, MAKING CASH DONATIONS, AIRING PSAS, PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND OPENING UP OUR WIFI NETWORK, UH, FOR EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.
JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF OUR COMMITMENT TO THE GREAT CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO EARNING THE CITY'S BUSINESS AND HELPING POWER CONNECTIVITY AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO MEET THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. MENEZ.
AND, UH, FOR YOU BEING WITH US TODAY, VIRTUALLY, UH, DIRECTOR, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO RESPOND TO THE SPEAKER.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO, AND WE TYPICALLY DON'T ENGAGE WITH OUR, WITH OUR PRESENTERS, UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SAY.
I, I THINK THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, IS THAT WE DO APPRECIATE COMCAST.
THEY ARE A TREMENDOUS PARTNER TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, I KNOW NICK MENTIONED THE LIFT ZONE PROJECT SPECIFICALLY THAT MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH, AND THAT PUBLIC INTERNET SERVICES THAT THEY HAVE PROVIDED THROUGH THAT PROGRAM TO OUR CITIZENS WHO ARE PART OF THOSE, UM, WHO ATTEND AND UTILIZE THOSE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, UM, AND COMMUNITY CENTERS.
IT, IT IS A TREMENDOUS PARTNERSHIP.
UM, WE DO MANY SERVICES WITH COMCAST TODAY.
UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THEIR PARTNERSHIP AND WE'RE EXCITED TO LOOK AT THEIR OFFERINGS THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR.
AND I THINK WITH THAT, WE ARE DONE WITH, UH, SPEAKERS AND, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WITH QUESTIONS.
I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN AND YOUR TEAM.
AND, UH, WITH THAT WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR FINAL PRESENTATION FOR TODAY ON THE AGENDA.
THAT'S ITEM NUMBER FOUR, AND WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT RADIO REPLACEMENT CONTRACTS, UH, TODAY WE HAVE JOINING US ONLINE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR NICK CURRAN FROM INFRASTRUCTURE, ALSO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS GROUP WITH THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM AND DIRECTOR, I SEE YOU'RE HANGING IN THE CHAIR.
BUT, UH, MR. KERAN, DIRECTOR, UH, IF YOU'RE READY TO GO, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
MY NAME IS NICK KERAN, AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO REPLACE HPDS AGING RADIO FLEET.
SO, THEIR CURRENT RADIO HAVE REACHED THEIR END OF LIFE AND SUPPORT BY THE MANUFACTURER.
WE ARE REQUESTING SPENDING AUTHORITY TO REPLACE THEM WITH A MORE INNOVATIVE NEXT GEN MODEL THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF BROADBAND FEATURES THAT WILL INCREASE OFFICER SAFETY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON INITIATIVE.
THE REQUEST IS FOR 45.5 MILLION FOR THE RADIOS.
WE'RE ALSO REQUESTING ADDITIONAL SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR PROFESSIONAL FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR A VALUE OF 2.5 MILLION FOR THE TOTAL PROJECT COST OF 48 MILLION.
THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ARE FOR INVENTORYING THE RADIOS AND ACCESSORIES AT COMPLEX DEPLOYMENT PLAN PROGRAMMING IN 180 DAYS OF INSTALLATION SERVICES FOR THE MOBILE RADIO.
[00:40:01]
HPDS PATROL AREA AND THEIR RADIO FLEET.AS WE ALL KNOW, HPD PROTECTS A VERY LARGE POPULATION AND AREA.
THEY COMPRISE THE BULK OF THE USERS.
WE SUPPORT AND GENERATE OVER 1.5 MILLION OF THE 3.5 MILLION CALLS THAT OCCUR ON THE RADIO NETWORK MONTHLY.
THIS GROUP IS PART OF EVERY LARGE SPECIALTY EVENT THE CITY HOSTS FROM SPORTING EVENTS TO NATIONAL WORLD LEADER VISIT.
THE PROPOSED RADIOS WILL INCREASE THEIR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AND PROVIDE A HEIGHTENED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR EVERY OFFICER AS THEY WORK TO KEEP HOUSTON A SAFE PLACE.
OUR SOLICITATION REQUEST PROPOSERS TO PROVIDE VARIOUS PAYMENT STRUCTURES, INCLUDING FINANCING OPTIONS THAT COULD ALLOW THE CITY TO RECEIVE ALL DEVICES UP FRONT, BUT PAY FOR THEM OVER TIME.
WE HAVE RECEIVED THE MAYOR'S APPROVAL TO USE 10 MILLION IN OUR FUNDING FOR FY 23 AND 24 PAYMENT PLUS 5 MILLION UP FROM THE CITY'S CITY'S TECHNOLOGY.
THE BALANCE OF THE FUNDING WILL BE DESIGNATED FOR PHASED PAYMENT FOR FY 26 THROUGH 29.
THIS TYPE OF RADIO ALLOWS FOR MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING TO DELIVER REAL-TIME INFORMATION TO BETTER PREPARE OFFICERS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE INCIDENT OR EVENT.
THESE FEATURES WILL PROVIDE AN ADVANCED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE INCIDENT THEY'RE RESPONDING TO, THEREFORE INCREASING THE SAFETY OF OUR OFFICERS.
GPS LOCATION REPORTING HAS ALSO BEEN A CONCERN FOR HPD FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
THE RADIO NETWORK'S BACKHAUL SYSTEM JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MEET THIS NEED, WHEREAS ACCESS TO AN AN LTE BROADBAND NETWORK WOULD NOT ONLY ALLOW DISPATCHERS AND SUPERVISORS TO VIEW THE LOCATIONS OF OFFICERS, BUT OFFICERS WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEE WHERE OTHER OFFICERS ARE IN A MAPPING SOLUTION THAT'S BUILT INTO THE RADIO.
SO THIS PART ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF A STORY I'VE HEARD WHERE, UH, AN OFFICER WAS SERVING A WARRANT.
EARLY MORNING HOURS, UH, SUSPECT TOOK OFF RUNNING IN, OF COURSE, THE OFFICER GAVE CHASE, THEY RAN THROUGH A FIELD, THE SUSPECT TURNED AROUND, SHOT THE OFFICER, HE FELL IN THE FIELD AND CONTINUED TO RADIO AND HIT HIS EMERGENCY BUTTON FOR HELP.
AND OTHER OFFICERS WERE SWARMING THE AREA AND JUST, THEY REALLY STRUGGLED TO FIND HIM.
SO THIS THIS ONE, THIS ONE WEIGHS A LOT WITH ME, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I I PUT THAT ONE OUT THERE.
SO THERE'S A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT FEATURE THAT WILL BRING ANOTHER TOOL FOR OFFICERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
THERE ARE TWO FLAVORS OF THIS VIRTUAL ASSISTANT.
ONE THAT ALLOWS THE OFFICER TO CHANGE THE CHANNEL OR VOLUME SETTING WITHOUT THE NEED TO LOOK AT THE RADIO.
THIS FEATURE IS ACCESSIBLE BY SIMPLY REQUESTING IT THE WAY YOU WOULD ALEXA OR SIRI.
THE FEATURE ALSO USES VOICE RECOGNITION TO ENSURE OTHER OFFICERS MAKING A REQUEST DOES NOT CHANGE THE SETTING FOR THE OFFICERS AROUND THEM.
THE SECOND FLAVOR WILL ALLOW OFFICERS TO CONDUCT DRIVER'S LICENSE AND LICENSE PLATE LOOKUPS, PERMITTING THEM TO KEEP THEIR VIEW ON THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION.
THIS FEATURE ALLOWS FOR THE OFFICERS TO MAINTAIN THEIR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DURING THAT INCIDENT.
SO WHILE WE'VE DONE A GOOD JOB PROVIDING RADIO SYSTEM COVERAGE IN THE METRO AREA, THINGS HAVE CHANGED DUE TO THE GROWTH HOUSTON CENTERS EXPERIENCE SINCE THE RADIO SYSTEM'S COMPLETION OVER NINE YEARS AGO.
THE BROADBAND ACCESS PROVIDES A SUPPLEMENTARY COVERAGE FOR OFFICERS BY LETTING THE RADIO CONDUCT CALLS ACROSS THE BROADBAND NETWORK BACK INTO THE RADIO SYSTEM, ENSURING THE CALL GETS TO THE PEOPLE THAT NEED TO HEAR IT.
THIS WILL EXPAND THE RADIO, RADIO SYSTEM COVERAGE TO ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE THAT BROADBAND NETWORK IS AVAILABLE.
SO, THE GRANTED SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR THIS, THESE TYPES OF RADIOS WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE INCREASED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, BUT PROVIDE A LITTLE MORE PEACE OF MIND FOR THE USER THAT HELP WILL BE ON, WILL BE ABLE TO FIND THEM IN THEIR TIME OF NEED.
UH, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION? UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR.
I THINK THAT'S A EXCELLENT PRESENTATION.
WE DO HAVE A QUESTION AND AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAS A QUESTION, UH, AND WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.
BUT WE'RE GONNA START HERE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, WITH YOUR QUESTION.
UM, SUSAN, DIRECTOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND WE'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT NEXT GEN TECHNOLOGY, AND I KNOW THAT THIS WILL BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE DIRECTOR KENT WITH ALL OF THE UPCOMING IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
UM, RELATED TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE, WHAT IS THE LIFE? I MEAN, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT LIFE EXPECTANCY AND A LOT OF OUR TECHNOLOGY HASN'T JUST REACHED, UM, ITS END OF LIFE.
SO WITH THE THIS NEW EQUIPMENT, WHAT IS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY? WELL, THE VENDORS TELL US SEVEN TO 10 YEARS.
UH, THE CURRENT MODEL THEY'RE USING HAS LASTED THE 2012.
I THINK WE DEPLOYED THOSE IN 20 OR 2020, UH, ABOUT 12 YEARS NOW.
SO THE RADIOS WON'T STOP WORKING, BUT WE ARE LOSING FUNCTIONALITY.
UH, SO THIS RADIO OR THESE TYPES OF RADIOS, THERE'S, THERE'S A FEW OF THEM THAT, UH, I WOULD SAY THE SEVEN TO 10 YEARS IS A GOOD BENCHMARK TO PUT ON IT.
BUT AS TECHNOLOGY MOVES QUICKER, UH, IT, IT CAN BE MORE DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH.
AND I'M ASSUMING THIS IS THE MOST CUTTING EDGE THAT WE CAN GET RIGHT
[00:45:01]
NOW, SO THAT WE DON'T RUN INTO ISSUES DOWN THE ROAD AS WE'RE INTEGRATING OTHER NEXTGEN TECHNOLOGY.IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S VERY CORRECT.
COUNCIL MEMBER THAT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FOCUSES WE HAD ON THIS PARTICULAR, ON THESE PARTICULAR TYPES OF, UH, RADIOS TO BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE INTO OTHER SYSTEMS THAT WE'LL BRING ON FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND LASTLY, UM, FROM A, A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, FROM OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, AND I'M JUST SPIT BALLING HERE, AND I MAY BE COMPLETELY OFF BASE, SO APOLOGIZE, THIS IS NOT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, IF WE TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, YOU ALL ARE THE EXPERTS.
UM, THERE'S NOW A LOT OF APPS THAT LISTEN IN ON POLICE RADIO CHATTER.
UH, SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IS ACCURATE, SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IS NOT ACCURATE.
BUT AS WE'RE NOW LOOKING AT GPS TECHNOLOGY, UM, YOU KNOW, ARE OUR OFFICERS GOING TO BE SECURE, UH, GIVEN THAT THOSE LOCATIONS, UH, ARE SENDING THOSE SIGNALS, RIGHT? SO IF YOU HAVE OTHER APPS AND LOCATIONS LISTENING INTO RADIO CHAT OR REPORTING A CALL IN, WHETHER THAT'S A REAL CALL OR NOT, IT COULD BE SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, ARE WE PUTTING OFFICERS OR THE COMMUNITY IN HARM'S WAY? UH, HOW IS THAT PROTECTION? IS THERE A BARRIER FIREWALL THERE OR DO WE KNOW YES.
COUNCIL MEMBER? NO, IT, IT'S, IT'S A PROTECTED, UH, UH, VIRTUAL PIPE WHERE THAT INFORMATION IS ENCRYPTED AND IT RUNS THROUGH INTO AN ENCRYPTED, UH, PROTECTED SYSTEM.
SO, BUT, UH, I, I DO UNDERSTAND, UH, YOUR COMMENTS ON RADIO CHATTER BEING LISTENED TO.
UH, WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE A FEW THINGS AND WORKED WITH HPD TO INCREASE THEIR USE OF ENCRYPTED TALK GROUPS, THEIR ACTUAL CHANNELS, TO TRY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THAT.
NOW, WE, WE STILL HAVE SOME IN THE CLEAR WITH THEM, BUT, UH, SOME OF THEIR MORE, UH, YOU KNOW, SO SOME OF THE, THE TALK IS, I'M SORRY, I'M NOT TRYING TO TRIP OVER MY WORDS THERE.
THANK, BUT TO SUMMARIZE THOUGH, THE, THE, NOT ONLY THE VOICE TRAFFIC IS ENCRYPTED ON THOSE, UM, APPROPRIATE TALK GROUP CHANNELS, BUT THE DATA IS ENCRYPTED AS WELL.
COUNCIL MEMBER AND DIRECTOR, THANKS SO MUCH.
THAT IS THE LAST QUESTION IN THE QUEUE FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
I WANT TO THANK YOU AND, UH, CERTAINLY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR KERN.
UH, AND WITH THAT, WE, WE HAVE ONE OTHER, UH, MEMBER OF THE SPEAKING PUBLIC WHO'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT TODAY.
THAT'S MR. DOUG SMITH, WHO IS WITH US.
THANKS FOR BEING AT YOUR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETING THIS MORNING.
AND IF YOU'D TAKE THE CHAIR, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR QUESTION.
AND IF YOU COULD TELL US WHO IT'S DIRECTED TO.
IT'S NOT DIRECTLY RELATED DIRECTLY TO, UH, WHAT WAS PRESENTED TODAY, BUT IT CERTAINLY IS ADDRESSED TO HITS.
AND THAT IS, I WAS VERY HAPPY TO LEARN THIS WEEK THAT THE, UH, OPEN FINANCE BUDGET MODULE, WHICH I DIDN'T REALIZE HAD BEEN OUTSTANDING FOR THAT AS LONG AS IT HAS BEEN, UH, WAS, UH, ALIVE.
AND TODAY I LEARNED FROM THE DIRECTOR THAT THE PAYROLL MODULE IS LIVE.
AND I MADE THIS COMMENT AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING THE OTHER DAY AND I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE TO APPEAL TO THE DIRECTOR VIRTUALLY.
BUT SINCE SHE'S HERE, I TALKED TO HER BEFORE THE MEETING STARTED.
AS SOMEBODY THAT'S VERY INTERESTED IN THIS, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
I KNOW THEY'VE DONE TUTORIALS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE PROGRAM, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
THIS PROGRAM IS FOR NOT ONLY COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND IF THEY COULD DO A YOUTUBE VIDEO ON THE HIGH POINTS OF BOTH MODULES, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
UH, WHAT I SEE IS GREAT, BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO A, AND I WANT TO COMMEND THE DIRECTOR ON THAT, BUT WHEN YOU GO INTO SOMETHING NEW, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHERE TO GO TO GET STARTED.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO, I MENTIONED THIS TO HER AND SHE'S GONNA CHECK WITH THE MAYOR, BUT I JUST WANTED TO PRESENT IT HERE.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO SAY, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO WHEN I WAS HERE, YOU WERE NOT HERE DIRECTOR, BUT I MADE THE COMMENT THAT A FEW YEARS AGO, CAROL HADDOCK MADE A FANTASTIC PRESENTATION ON THE STATUS OF THE D-D-S-R-F UH, PROGRAM.
AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE IF THAT COULD BE DONE AGAIN.
UH, I'M PARTICULARLY, AND I THINK IT WAS LIKE THREE YEARS AGO, I'M PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN WHERE WE STAND AS FAR AS GETTING ALL OF THE STREET DEBT PAID OFF WITH THE D-D-S-R-F MONEY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT 'CAUSE YOU WEREN'T HERE, AND I'M NOT SURE WHETHER YOU HEARD ME SAY THAT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. SMITH.
YOUR TWO POINTS OF OBSERVATION AND GOOD IDEAS AS ALWAYS FOR THE CITY.
WE WILL SPEAK WITH, UH, DIRECTOR HADDOCK ABOUT THAT AS WELL AS I KNOW, UH, DIRECTOR KENT IS HEARING YOU NOW.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR PAYING ATTENTION AND, AND BEING HERE WITH US TODAY.
UM, AS A MATTER THAT IS OUR FINAL, UH, SPEAKER, I DID WANT TO REVISIT THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER, MS. KATHLEEN O'REILLY, WHO WAS HERE, UH, ONLINE WITH US, BUT COULDN'T UNMUTE.
[00:50:01]
WE HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HER THAT WE WILL CIRCULATE TO COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO ARE ON OUR DISTRIBUTION.UH, TO SUMMARIZE, SHE HAS WRITTEN AN EMAIL TO, UH, OUR OFFICE AND I WILL SUMMARIZE, UH, THE LETTER BY READING BRIEFLY FROM THAT EMAIL SAYING, THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HOUSTON SOUTHEAST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.
PLEASE FIND, ATTACH THE MUSEUM PARK SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD LETTER OF SUPPORT.
BOTH EFFORTS WERE INITIATED THROUGH THE MUSEUM PARK LIVABLE CENTER STUDY, AND THROUGH THE HARD WORK OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ERSHAD AND THE SUPPORT OF HOUSTON SOUTHEAST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, THEY ARE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHED.
THIS INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IS THE FINAL STEP IN IMPLEMENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND IT'S SIGNED.
BEST REGARDS, KATHLEEN O'REILLY, PRESIDENT OF THE MUSEUM PARK, UH, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UM, I, WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE FOR YOUR TIME, QUESTIONS AND ATTENTION TODAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT PRESENTATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE TTI WEBSITE.
THAT'S WWW.HOUSTONTX.GOV/COUNCIL/COMMITTEES/TTI.HTML.
I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR NEXT TT MEETING WILL BE, UH, TAKING PLACE HERE BACK IN THE CHAMBERS AT HOUSTON CITY HALL ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1ST.
THAT'S AT 10:00 AM AND WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE ADJOURNED.