* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] WE DON'T HAVE ANY GOOD AFTERNOON. WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, PROCLAMATIONS, UH, THIS MORNING, THIS AFTERNOON. SO, UH, IT IS 2:00 PM [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6TH, 2022. I'M MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, AND I'M CALLING, UM, 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 TEAM. UH, THE CHAIR, UH, NOW RECOGNIZES MAYOR PRO TEM FOR THE INVOCATION AND PLEDGE. YES, THANK YOU, MAYOR. IT'S MY HONOR TO LEAD US IN PRAYER. TODAY WE HAVE, UH, A NUMBER OF GREAT HOLIDAYS COMING UP. THIS IS A HOLIDAY SEASON, AND WITH THAT BRINGS SOME INCREASE IN TEMPERATURES AS FAR AS PERSONALITY. UH, PEOPLE GET A LITTLE ANGST, THEIR TRAFFIC IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT BAD. SO ON THE 18TH, WE CELEBRATE HANUKKAH, AND ON THE 25TH, WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. AND ON THE 26TH, WE CELEBRATE CON UH, KWANZA. SO WHAT I ASK IS THAT DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, THERE'D BE MANY DISTRACTIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL MEANING AND THE TRUE REASON FOR THESE CELEBRATIONS. SO I ASK PEOPLE TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT TAKING A FEW MOMENTS OVER THESE NEXT FEW DAYS AND NEXT FEW WEEKS TO PRAY, READ THE BIBLE, SING CHRISTMAS HYMNS. IF YOU LIKE, LIGHT THE MENORAH, OR WHETHER YOU'RE WITH FAMILY OR ALONE BY YOURSELF, ENJOY YOUR QUIET TIME BECAUSE IT CAN HELP US REFOCUS ON THE TRUE MEANING OF HANUKKAH, OF CHRISTMAS AND OF KWANZA. SO MY PRAYER CENTERS US AND REMINDS US OF THE THINGS THAT ARE TRULY IMPORTANT IN LIFE, AND THAT'S OUR FAITH, OUR FAMILY, AND OUR CONTINUED GOOD HEALTH. SO IF YOU'D BOW YOUR HEAD AND JOIN ME IN PRAYER, LET US PRAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ASK YOU TO GRANT US PEACE AND YOUR WORLD, AND IN OUR COUNTRY AND IN OUR CITY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, GREEN IS PEACE IN OUR OWN HEARTS, ESPECIALLY DURING OUR CHALLENGING TIMES, AND WE FIELD, OUR WORLD IS SPINNING OUTTA CONTROL. HELP US STAY FOCUSED ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. THANK YOU FOR LOVING THE WHOLE WORLD ENOUGH TO SEND THE GREATEST GIFT YOU COULD EVER DO, AND THAT IS THE GIFT OF YOUR SON'S LIFE. SO I ASK THIS THROUGH MY FAITH, THROUGH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE, PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE OF THE UNITED STATES AMERICA, FOR WHICH IS STANDS INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AMEN. AMEN. OKAY, UH, LET'S SEE, UH, NEXT WE'LL [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] HAVE THE ROLL CALL. MADAM SECRETARY, MAYOR TURNER. HERE. COUNCIL PECK. HERE. COUNCIL JACKSON. HERE. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. CONS, CONSTABLE EVAN VAL. HERE. COUNCILMAN MARTIN. PRESENT, COUNCIL THOMAS PRESENT, COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN. PRESENT, COUNCILMAN ROS? HERE. COUNCIL GALLEGOS. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. COUNCILMAN CASTEX TATUM? HERE. COUNCILMAN KNOX. HERE. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. COUNCIL KUBOSH. HERE. CONSTABLE PLUMMER HERE. AND CONSTABLE ALCORN. HERE. WE NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF JUNE 1ST, 2022. CASTEX TATUM, MOVE, KUBOSH. SECOND. BEEN MOVED IN, SECONDED ON THE ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES. ANY THE OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE IN THE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED. UH, JUST A FEW, UH, COMMENTS FOR THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE JOINING US REMOTELY. UH, IF YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE MEETING, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW AND THEN YOU CAN PROCEED TO HANG UP. UH, BEAR IN MIND YOU HAVE TO STATE YOUR NAME, UM, WHEN MAKING A MOTION OR SECONDING AN ITEM. FOR THOSE JOINING VIRTUALLY, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT WINDOW AND WE'LL BE MONITORING THE CHAT WINDOW AND WE'LL CALL ON YOU. AND PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST BE VISIBLE ON CAMERA WHILE YOU ARE SPEAKING FOR [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS THIS AFTERNOON, THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT YOU HAVE TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A SPEAKER, AND YOU HAD TO SIGN UP WITH THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE BY 3:00 PM ON YESTERDAY. WE WILL CALL YOUR NAME IN THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU SIGNED UP WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED. IF YOU ARE IN PERSON, PLEASE STEP UP TO THE PODIUM, AND IF YOU ARE CALLING IN, PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. IF YOU ARE APPEARING ON CAMERA, CLICK ON THE MICROPHONE ICON AND THE CAMERA ICON, AND THEN YOU WILL BE GIVEN, UM, WELL, IT WAS ONE, TWO, OR THREE MINUTES. BUT, UM, THERE WILL BE A MOTION TO BE RECOGNIZED, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE REACHED THE, THE LIMIT TODAY IN TERMS OF, UH, THAT WILL TRIGGER THE ONE MINUTE, UH, PER SPEAKER. MM-HMM . OKAY. AFTER YOU, AFTER YOUR, AFTER YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, THAT ONE MINUTE, UH, THE BELL WILL RING. AND WHEN THE BELL RINGS, SHE MUST COME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP. AND YOU MAY ONLY SPEAK WHEN YOU ARE RECOGNIZED. [00:05:01] UH, FI. UH, FINALLY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LONG LIST OF SPEAKERS, UH, WE HAVE A SPECIAL WHICH HAS TRIGGERED THE SPECIAL RULE. MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL PLEASE READ THE APPLICABLE SECTION OF RULE EIGHT. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION A. IF THE TOTAL OF THE TIMES REQUESTED BY SPEAKERS AT ANY COUNCIL MEETING IS GREATER THAN 150 MINUTES, THE MAYOR SHALL SO ANNOUNCE AND EACH SPEAKER'S TIME SHALL BE ONE MINUTE. FURTHERMORE, WHEN THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBSTANCE ARE INVOKED, THE QUESTION TIME FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SHALL BE LIMITED TO A CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF ONE MINUTE FOR EACH SPEAKER. OKAY. SO TO SUMMARIZED, UH, THIS MEANS THAT EACH PUBLIC SPEAKER, THOSE WHO ARE IN PERSON, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE WITH US REMOTELY, RE UH, REGARDLESS OF THE MINUTES YOU SIGNED UP FOR YOU WILL ONLY GET ONE MINUTE, ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK. AND THE WHOLE OF CITY COUNCIL WILL ONLY HAVE ONE MINUTE COLLECTIVELY TO RESPOND. UM, FIRST, ARE THERE ANY PROCEDURAL MOTIONS? I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MAYOR TURNER. UM, I MOVE TO ADD, UH, MOVE ALVIN BYRD TO THE TOP OF THE AGENDA FOR ONE MINUTE. SECOND. I SPEAK FIRST SPEAK FIRST. TO SPEAK FIRST. YES. OKAY. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTIONS BEEN SECOND. AND ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR NONE. MOTION IS GRANTED. THANK YOU. I DUNNO WHO THE SECOND WAS. THE CHAIR NOW RECOGNIZED AS VICE MAYOR FOR TIM CASTEK TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. FOR POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, I'D LIKE TO MOVE, UH, CLAUDE CUMMINGS TO THE THIRD PERSON UNDER WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY A THREE MINUTES BEHIND REVEREND CHARLES NOBLE. SECOND ROBINSON. OKAY, ROBINSON. SECOND. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION HAS BEEN SECOND. AND THE OBJECTION SHALL IS NONE. AND THE MOTION IS GRANTED. NOW THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILMAN KASH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND MOVE, UM, UH, DOUG SMITH TO BE THE, UH, TO, TO FOLLOW, UH, CLAUDE CUMMINGS AS OUR THIRD SPEAKER. THANK YOU. SECOND ROBINSON. FOLLOW CLAUDE CUMMINS. FOLLOW CLAUDE CUMMINGS. OKAY. I HAD ALREADY MOVED HIM. YOU'VE HEARD NO. CLAUDE. HE'S AFTER. TO FOLLOW CLAUDE, DOUG SMITH WILL FOLLOW CLAUDE CUMMINGS. THAT'S THE MOTION. BEEN SECONDED. ANY OBJECTION? CHAIR'S? NONE. AND THE MOTION IS GRANTED. UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER PROCEDURAL MOTIONS? NOW THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES VICE MAYOR PER TIM MARTHA CASH TATUM FOR APPOINTED OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, TODAY I AM VERY EXCITED THAT WE HAVE SOME VISITORS HERE WITH US FROM CAMEROON AFRICA. UH, MANY OF YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT I WAS INVITED TO CAMEROON TO THE KABE CONFERENCE. UH, AND DURING THAT CONFERENCE, I ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THE MAYOR'S ASSOCIATION, UH, IN CAMEROON. AND I HAD A GREAT MEETING WITH THE MAYOR OF ALAH, AND I WAS ABLE TO INVITE THE MAYORS IN CAMEROON TO COME TO HOUSTON. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT, UH, MONTH OR SO AFTERWARDS, THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN US UP ON OUR OFFER TO INVITE THEM TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND HERE THEY ARE. WE'VE HAD A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A GREAT LUNCH. IF Y'ALL WANNA COME FORWARD, UH, I, I'D LIKE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE YOU HERE AND HEAR, HEAR FROM YOU FOR A, A MINUTE OR SO. UH, MAYOR, THE YOUR OFFICE OF, UH, TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS HAS, HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL. WE HAD A GREAT LUNCH HOSTED BY HOUSTON FIRST, UH, AND TODAY WITH US, WE HAVE, UH, MAYOR DAVID NAJI AND MAYOR LAZAR ZE WITH US HERE TODAY. UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A FEW WORDS, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, AND WE WELCOME YOU TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYO. GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. GOOD AFTERNOON TO THE GREAT PUBLIC AND PEOPLE OF HOUSTON. I WANT TO TAKE THE ONE MINUTE THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO THE OTHERS. WE UNDERSTAND BECAUSE THAT'S HOW COUNCIL SESSIONS ARE. WE, UM, I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED CITIES AND COUNCILS OF CAMEROON, MR. TAMBA AUGUSTI, WHO WOULD'VE LOVED TO BE HERE. WE ARE QUITE AMAZED AND HUMBLED WHEN MADAM DEPUTY MAYOR, THE VICE MAYOR, INVITED US AND WE SET WILL NOT LET GO THE OPPORTUNITY OR HAVE BEEN HERE A VERY BIG GROUP. THERE'S THE END OF THE YEAR, WE'RE WORKING ON OUR BUDGETARY SESSIONS, SO WE'RE SENT AHEAD TO COME AND LOOK AT THE PLACE AND COME AND TELL THEM. SO WE'LL CERTAINLY BE COMING BACK BECAUSE YOUR PEOPLE ARE GREAT PEOPLE. HOUSTON IS A GREAT CITY. YOU ARE SO WELCOMING. WE ARE AMAZED BY EVERYTHING. YOUR HOSPITALITY HAS TOUCHED OUR HEARTS. AND, UM, WE WANT TO TELL YOUR PEOPLE CAMEROON IS A NICE PLACE TOO. WE LOOK FORWARD TO BE [00:10:01] HAVING YOUR PEOPLE. WE LOOK FORWARD, WE HAVE A HUGE CAMEROONIAN POPULATION HERE, AND WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING GOOD CARE OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WE PRAY WE HAVE CORPORATIONS THAT WILL BE WIN-WIN. AND WITH THAT, WE CAN ONLY SAY, YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST. WE ARE LOVE, YOU'RE LOVABLE, AND WE LOVE YOUR PEOPLE. WE THANK YOU PEOPLE. THANK YOU. BUT, UM, IN A AFRICAN TRADITION, WHEN WE GO SOMEWHERE, WE TAKE A LITTLE THING FOR REMEMBRANCE. SO MR. MAYOR WILL BEG OF YOU TO ACCEPT JUST A LITTLE GIFT. IT COMES FROM THE HEART. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, I'M MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BOYER, WHICH IS A UNIVERSITY TOWN WITH A POPULATION OF ABOUT 150,000 PEOPLE. AND LAZARUS IS MAYOR OF MOCA. THE CITY OF MOCA HAS A POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 120,000 PEOPLE. WE ARE FROM THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PART OF CAMERO MOCA. IT'S A PLEASURE MEETING. LIKEWISE. WE JUST BROUGHT THIS LITTLE THING FOR YOU, IS CARON MADE. THIS IS A LOIN THAT DEPICTS THE CITY OF BOER. SO YOU HAVE BOER COUNCIL. VERY NICE. YOU HAVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE THE ANIMALS, WE HAVE THE COMMON ANIMAL IS THE ELEPHANT. SO YOU HAVE TO, THIS IS A REUNIFICATION FOUND MONUMENT, 50 YEARS THAT BROUGHT THE FRENCH SPEAKING AND ENGLISH SPEAKING PART OF THE COUNTRY TOGETHER. AND THIS IS THE COUNCIL BUILDING IN BOER, AS IS NOT AS BIG AND USUAL LIKE THIS ONE. , THIS IS THE BISMARK FOUNTAIN IN BOYER. THANK YOU. SUMMER. VERY NICE. VERY NICE. VERY THANKFUL. AND THIS IS A CAMEROONIAN HOUSE COAT IS NOT THE AMERICAN TYPE, WHICH IS SO MODERN. THIS IS AFRICAN TO, SO WE SAID WHILE YOU'RE AT HOME, YOU COULD USE THIS . OH YEAH. THIS IS, AND A PAIR OF SLIPPERS TOO FOR THE HOUSE. THANK YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME, SIR. THANK YOU. LEMME FOLD FOR YOU WANT COME ON, MAYOR. SO STAY UP HERE FIRST. WE ARE COUNCIL MEMBER VICE MAYOR PROAM. MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? NO. OR YOU'RE GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS. WELL, THANK YOU VERIS. IT'S AN HONOR FOR US TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR COMING TO, TO SEE US. UM, I WANNA THANK YOU MAYOR TOO, FOR, UM, FOR YOUR WELCOME AT HEART, YOU KNOW, TO AFRICA. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE HOUSTON AFRICA SUMMIT THAT YOU HOSTED THIS YEAR WAS SO IMPRESSIVE. IT WAS, UM, I, IT I LEARNED SO MUCH THERE MYSELF AND, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, REALLY CAME TO UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST, YOU KNOW, WITH A PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSTON AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE TACKLING, UH, THE CHALLENGES OF ACCESS AND ACCESSIBILITY TO ENERGY. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, LOOK FORWARD TO OUR FUTURE PARTNERSHIPS COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR PROTI. AGAIN, WELCOME TO HOUSTON. UH, MAKE SURE RAUL TAKES YOU TO PAPA DO'S BEFORE YOU LEAVE. UH, THAT IS A HOUSTON STAPLE AND A SPECIAL TO NOTE YOU. YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DO HAVE A LARGE CAMEROONIAN, UM, PRESENCE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF REPRESENTING THE LARGEST WEST AFRICAN POPULATION IN THE CITY, IN THE UNITED STATES, RIGHT THERE IN A LEAF. SO I'M GU I GUARANTEE. UM, MANY OF YOUR FOLKS ARE RIGHT THERE ON THE WEST SIDE. SO THE NEXT TIME Y'ALL COME, MAKE SURE YOU BRING A HEAD WRAP AND SOME OTHER FABRIC TOO. UM, I HAPPEN TO, UH, FAVOR AFRICAN PRINT DRESSES, UH, JUST AS A PLUG, BUT ENJOY OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY, UM, AND OUR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. AND WE ARE BETTER BECAUSE YOU'RE JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU. AND THANKS AGAIN, MAYORS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR, YOUR VISIT HERE. NOW, IT'S DISAPPOINTING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER, CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ CHANGED OUTTA HER KARATE KIT OUTFIT THAT SHE HAD ON EARLIER FOR LUNCH. WE REALLY DID ENJOY THE LUNCH THAT WE HAD WITH YOU. [00:15:01] SO THANKS TO HOUSTON FIRST FOR PUTTING IT ON. AND ALSO THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR, PRO TIM, MARTHA CASTEX, TATU, FORGET THIS GREAT DELEGATION HERE. SO I'LL LEAVE THE LAST WORDS TO YOU, VICE MAYOR. ALRIGHT, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, TO THE MAYORS, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. I HAD AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING TIME IN CAMEROON, AND I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU HEAP, UH, OUR, OUR INVITATION, UH, TO BE HERE WITH US IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US WHO LIVE AND SERVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU ARE MOST WELCOME IN OUR CITY AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED RELATIONSHIPS. UH, RAUL, THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN AND BEING SUCH A GREAT CONNECTOR. UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS WELL. UH, MAYOR, I DID WANNA SAY THAT, UM, THE DIRECTOR, CHRIS OLSON AND HIS TEAM DID A FANTASTIC JOB MAKING SURE THAT, UH, OUR GUESTS WERE WELCOME HERE AT CITY HALL TODAY WITH A TOUR AND THE LUNCHEON. SO, THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR, UH, EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE AND TO HOUSTON FIRST FOR SPONSORING THE LUNCH. UH, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED RELATIONSHIPS. AND LEMME JUST SAY BEFORE WE WRAP UP, UH, MAYOR, PRETEND. UM, I'M WANTING TO THANK THE VICE MAYOR TIM FOR, FOR MAKING, UH, FOR MAKING THE TRIP TO CAMEROON AND FOR JUST BEING, UH, AN INCREDIBLE HOST ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE CITY. SO THANK YOU, VICE MAYOR TIM, UH, FOR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS AREA. AND THEN MAYOR, LEMME THANK YOU ALL, UM, UH, FOR, UM, ON SHORT NOTICE COMING, COMING RIGHT, UH, BEHIND, UH, THE VICE MAYOR PRO TEMS TRIP TO CAMEROON AND COMING TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND, UH, I REGRET THAT I WASN'T ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND, AND GET A CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOU ALL EVEN MORE. UH, BUT I AM DELIGHTING PLEASED AT LEAST THE, UH, THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FROM CITY COUNCIL TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ON TRADE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, UH, TO AMBASSADOR RAUL, UM, THAT'S WHAT I CALL HIM, AMBASSADOR , UH, FOR, UH, TAKING GOOD CARE OF YOU. AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STAY, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU ARE, WHETHER YOU'RE MAYOR IN THIS CITY OR OUTSIDE OF THIS CITY, IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. WE ALL DO THE SAME THINGS. UH, WE TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE THERE. SO MAYORS JUST DO THE SAME THING REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE. SO, UH, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOUR STATE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR WHAT YOU BROUGHT TODAY. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE DRESS OR THE HEADDRESS , BUT IT'S CERTAINLY APPROPRIATE FOR THE MAYOR . UH, SO, UH, SO THANK YOU ALSO VERY, VERY MUCH. AND THEN I LOOK FORWARD, UH, MYSELF TO VISITING, UH, CAMEROON. SO, UH, ENJOY THE REMAINING PORTION OF YOUR STAY, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEN LET ME INVITE YOU BACK, UH, NEXT YEAR, UH, WHEN WE HOST THE AFRICAN, UH, ENERGY SUMMIT. UH, IT WILL BE THE SECOND ONE, UH, IN THE CITY. THE FIRST, OF COURSE WAS THIS YEAR, AND THAT SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME IN THE, IN THE FALL OF, OF NEXT YEAR. SO LOOK FORWARD TO STAYING IN TOUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. ANYTHING YOU LET US KNOW. OKAY. SAME THING. HOW LONG Y'ALL GONNA BE HERE? WE'RE HERE, WE LEAVING ON FRIDAY. OKAY. WE'RE NOW GET STARTED. UM, VICE MAYOR, PRETEND I SEE YOU IN THE QUEUE. IS THAT, OH, NO, NO, THAT'S OKAY. I'LL SAY. ALRIGHT, MADAM SECRETARY, YOU'RE CALLED THE, UH, FIRST, UH, SPEAKER FOR TODAY. ETHEL BROOKS. ETHEL BROOKS IS ETHEL BROOKS. HERE. ETHEL BROOKS. ETHEL BROOKS. NEXT SPEAKER. LLOYD NAMS. LORD NAMS, UH, N-E-L-M-S. LLOYD NAMS. IT'S LORD NAMS. HERE. LORD NAMS. NEXT SPEAKER. I'M SORRY, WE SHUFFLE OFF 20 MORE. UH, WE, WE MOVED ALVIN BIRD TO BE THE FIRST SPEAKER. LET'S THREE NAMES, BUT THEY ALL WON. THEY'RE ALL ONE VERY FIRST. YOU SPEAK FIRST? YES. FIRST. STEVE FIRST. SO GO AND CALL HIM NEXT. YES. OKAY. ALVIN BIRD. ALVIN BIRD IS HERE. THANK YOU, MS. PAT. SECRETARY. UM, FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYBODY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS FOR THE ACCOMMODATION. AND I WANT TO, UH, [00:20:01] PUBLICLY THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE FOR BEING SO RESPONSIVE. UH, IN PARTICULAR, MR. PHILIP JONES. UH, MAYOR, I'M HERE. I ONLY HAVE ONE MINUTE, BUT NORMALLY I WOULD NOT BE UP HERE, TRY TO GO THROUGH THE SYSTEM. BUT WE ARE HAVING A SERIOUS INCREASE OF ILLEGAL DUMPING OF DIRT. NOW, I'M NOT A DIRT OLOGIST, BUT ALL THIS DIRT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A WORD, BUT WE GONNA USE IT TODAY. BUT ALL THIS DIRT THAT'S COMING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS GETTING OUR SENIORS NERVOUS AND ANXIOUS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WE ARE HAVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS DIRT IS COMING FROM. NOW. WE DID CATCH A PERPETRATOR, UH, LAST WEEK. AND, UM, THROUGH HPD AND UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, THEY WERE ABLE TO TRACK DOWN THIS, THIS BUSINESS. AND THE FOLKS AGREED TO COME AND CLEAN UP THAT PARTICULAR SITE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I CAN GIVE YOU MY TIME. THANK YOU TO THEY AGREED TO COME AND CLEAN UP THAT SITE. HOWEVER, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL COULDN'T PURSUE THE REST OF THE SITES, WHICH IS ABOUT FOUR OF THEM IN ONE THREE POINT MILE, 3.4 MILE RADIUS TO WHERE ALL OF THIS DIRT LOOKS THE SAME. NOW, WHAT WE'VE DONE, WE'VE ASKED THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE HAS ASKED THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO AT LEAST TEST THIS DIRT SO WE COULD FIND OUT. 'CAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS DIRT IS COMING FROM, JUST TO RELIEVE OUR SENIORS TO LET THEM KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THIS DIRT IS CONTAMINATED OR NOT. BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'LL TAKE A WHILE IN THIS PROCESS TO HAVE THE DIRT REMOVED. SO HERE'S A CONSIDERATION. PROPERTY OWNERS VACANT LOTS, AND ESPECIALLY OLD BUSINESSES THAT ARE VACANT, SHOULD BE REQUIRED MAYOR TO SECURE THEIR AREAS BECAUSE THEY'RE ALLOWING DIRECT ACCESS AND EASY, UH, ADVANTAGEOUS AREA. I MEAN, WAYS TO DUMP IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND WE WANNA TRY TO GET THAT UNDER CONTROL. UH, YOU GUYS GOT THE PICTURES? MM-HMM . YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? WE JUST REMOVED 1200 TIRES FROM ONE AREA OFF OF, UH, COLLINSWORTH AND JENSEN. THEN THE OTHER DAY, THE HOT TEAM, OKAY, WE NEED A MOTION CAME BACK AND REMOVED TO EXTEND A SECOND MOVE TO EXTEND ONE MINUTE. AND THEN THE HOT TEAM CAME BACK AND REMOVED ANOTHER 215 FROM THE SAME AREA. NOW, IT'S NOT LIKE YOUR DEPARTMENTS ARE NOT DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, IT'S JUST THAT THIS IS ONGOING. YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING. WELL, THAT'S A PROBLEM THAT WE ARE HAVING. AND IT'S NOT THAT THE OBS CITY IS NOT REMOVING OR CLEANING UP, WE JUST HAVE PERPETRATORS. UM, AND SO WE JUST NEED ADDITIONAL ACTION, UM, AFTER THOSE WHO ARE PERPETRATING WHO ARE DOING THESE SORT SORTS OF THINGS. BUT WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW, WE'LL FOLLOW, WE'LL FOLLOW UP. HOW LONG AGO DID IT START HAPPENING? YES. HOW LONG AGO DID IT START HAPPENING? HOW DID THIS START HAPPENING? NO, HOW LONG AGO? HOW LONG AGO? OH, THIS, UH, THE, UH, WE, THE TIRES WERE IN, UH, MARCH AND THE, IN MARCH. AND THEN THE, UH, INFLUX OF THIS DIRT HAS BEEN IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS. WELL, IT, IT TAKES TIME TO GO IN AND DUMP AND DUMP. I ASSUME IT'S MORE THAN ONE TRUCKLOAD OF DIRT. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. IT TAKES TIME. SO SOMEBODY'S, SOMEBODY'S SEEING AND KNOWING SOMETHING. UM, BUT LET'S FOLLOW UP WITH THE, ON THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM. AND MAYBE THIS PERSON THAT WAS CAUGHT, MAYBE THE PERSON WHO WAS CAUGHT, KNOWS WHO ELSE HAS BEEN DUMPING THAT DIRT. AND IT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE SAME PERSON AND IT COULD BE THE, AND IT COULD BE THE SAME PERSON. SO IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN DO TO HELP US OUT, OKAY. AT LEAST SO THAT WE CAN LET OUR SENIORS KNOW. VICE MAYOR, PRO CAST TATUM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THIS, THIS IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING AROUND THE CITY. I WILL TELL YOU THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID WHEN WE WERE, UM, HAVING TIRES DUMPED IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE CANVASSED ALL THE TIRE SHOPS AND TRUCK STOPS AROUND AND, AND WE BROUGHT THE PICTURES OF THE TIRES AND SAID, WE KNOW THAT THIS IS YOU. AND, UH, WE HAVE CAMERAS UP. AND IF YOU ARE CAUGHT DUMPING THESE TIRES IN OUR COMMUNITY, YOU WILL RECEIVE A CITATION. AND THERE ARE PENALTIES. UH, AND WE NOTICED THAT THE, THE TIRE DUMPING, UH, WAS LESSENED BECAUSE WE DID CANVAS THOSE TIRE SHOPS AROUND THE AREA. UH, NO INDIVIDUAL HAS THIS MANY TIRES. NO, THESE ARE TIRE COMPANIES AND THESE ARE TRUCK STOPS THAT ARE, THAT ARE PUTTING THESE TIRES HERE. AND I THINK, UH, ONE REALLY GOOD THING THAT OUR HOT TEAM DID WAS CANVASED THE TIRE SHOPS IN THAT AREA. WE TOLD, WE TOLD, WE KNOW THIS IS YOU. YEAH. WE DID GET WITH, UH, JAVIER FRUCTO. RIGHT. UH, THE TIRE ENFORCEMENT, UM, DIVISION, UM, DEPARTMENT. AND HE DID TRY TO TRACK IT DOWN. SO I, I DEFINITELY THINK YOU SHOULD, YOU SHOULD VISIT THOSE TIRE SHOPS AND THOSE TRUCK STOPS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT [00:25:01] THOSE TIRES ARE COMING FROM THOSE COMPANIES. RIGHT, RIGHT. ALL IN ONE AREA. OKAY. MOTION TO EXTEND, MOVE, EXTEND ROBINSON SECOND. IS THERE A SECOND? IS THERE A SECOND? THANK COUNCILMAN JOHNSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU ALVIN FOR COMING IN. UM, ALSO JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT WE DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THEY DO HAVE IT ON THEIR, UM, SCHEDULE TO COME OUT AND TEST THE SOIL THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT. YEAH. AND LEMME TELL YOU, THESE ARE, THESE ARE BUSINESSES MM-HMM . THAT ARE DOING THIS. THIS IS NOT, THESE ARE NOT INDIVIDUALS. SO THOSE ARE BUSINESSES. OKAY. THANKS. HAVING, THANK YOU SO MUCH. MM-HMM . NEXT SPEAKER. LORD NIMS. LORD NIMS. LORD NIMS. HERE NEXT. NEXT SPEAKER. JAY CORONA. CORONA. JAY CORONA. IF YOU'RE PRESSED STAR SIX. JAY CORONA. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. JAY CORONA EVERY AGREE. JAY CORONA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. THANK YOU. I'M HERE. YES, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER. I'M GONNA QUICKLY COMMENT ON THIS 99 29 HOMESTEAD PROPERTY. THERE'VE BEEN A LOT OF ASSERTIONS MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. AT BEST. THOSE ARE EITHER OUT OF CONTEXT OR AT WORST. IT IS OUTRIGHT WRONG. CASE IN POINT IS THIS NOTION THAT THAT PROPERTY IS NOT FIT FOR EITHER COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL USE OR THAT IT IS NOT CLEAN. UH, TCQ ITSELF ISSUED AN INNOCENT OWNER PROGRAM CERTIFICATE FOR THAT PROPERTY. IT WAS DONE SO BASED ON AN ADDITIONAL, UH, SURROUNDING PROPERTY THAT HAD A DRY CLEANING FACILITY THAT WAS PART OF THEIR PROGRAM. SO THAT JUST OUTRIGHT WRONG. AND I THINK MAKING SUCH A SURGEONS OR CLAIMS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY FOUND IN, IN FACT OR JUST MISCOMMUNICATED IN SOME WAY IS NOT ONLY INFLAMMATORY FOR THE OWNERS OF THAT PROPERTY, BUT ALSO INFLAMMATORY FOR THE COMMUNITY. THE COUNCIL ITSELF IS WELL AWARE THAT THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE MATTER OF DEVELOPING THAT PROPERTY. IN FACT, THEIR ATTORNEYS INVOLVED FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ITSELF, THEY HAVE THE CLEAN CERTIFICATE AND THE CITY ITSELF IS REQUESTING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. YES. HAS THAT IS BEING PROVIDED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER POINT OF ORDER. MAYOR? YES. UH, WE, WE MADE, UH, PRIVILEGED MOTIONS AT THE BEGINNING AND THE ORDER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, UH, ALVIN BY AND, AND THEN CLAUDE CUMMINGS. AND, AND THEN, UH, UH, DOUG, UH, SMITH. RIGHT. MOTION WAS TO FOLLOW REVEREND. YEAH. THE CLAUDE CLAUDE CUMMINS AND DOUG SMITH WERE TO FOLLOW AFTER REVEREND CHARLES NOBLE ON THE THREE MINUTES. OKAY. RIGHT. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. BRIAN BOYD. BRIAN BOYD OF YOUR PRESS STAR SIX. BRIAN BOYD. STAR SIX. BRIAN BOYD. STAR SIX. I SEE HIM THERE, BUT HE'S NOT MEETING NEXT SPEAKER. PRESS MO. YES. I'M SORRY. IS THAT BRIAN BOYD? YES. IS THAT BRIAN BOYD? YES. OKAY. WE CAN HEAR YOU. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR. COUNCIL, THE PURPOSE OF MY BEING HERE IS TO ADDRESS 99 20 MINUTES. I'M PART THE . I'M A GRADUATE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL IN WORKERS HOME. AND I HAVE OVER 40 YEARS AS A VP IN PROJECT MANAGER IN NEW DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT. THAT'S NOT ENOUGH REPURPOSING OF PREVIOUSLY USED FACILITIES IN THE AREA THAT UNDERUTILIZED. AFTER LISTENING TO ALL THE PARTIES AND, UM, A WEEK AGO AND MAPPING OUT THE AREA, UH, THERE ARE MAJOR OBSTACLES THAT HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED IN . 50 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY OF THE LOCATION. THIS PROJECT WILL REQUIRE PRIVATE FUNDING FOR PROBABLY OVER $50 MILLION OR MORE. AND THEN IT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME FROM CITY AND STATE SOURCES. WE'RE NOT FUNDED FROM THE LOCAL AND STATE BRANCHES OF OUR GOVERNMENT. IT WILL BE NOT VIABLE TO BUILD ON THAT LOCATION. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. PERCY MOULTRIE. PERCY MOULTRIE IS PERCY HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARY MOULTRIE. PERCY'S HERE. RIGHT BEHIND THE MIC. I WANNA SAY GOOD AFTERNOON TO THE COUNCIL. RIGHT BEHIND THE MIC. MAYOR. THERE YOU GO. I WANNA SAY GIVE IT AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE KMART BARGAIN CENTER. UH, GOT OUTTA SERVICE IN 69. BOUGHT MY HOUSE ON BRADSHAW IN, IN FONTAINE PLACE IN 73. SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE 50 YEARS, I SEEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD GO DOWN. WE'VE ELECTED CITY COUNCIL AFTER CITY COUNCIL ONLY TO SEE THINGS CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE. [00:30:01] I'M CONCERNED THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD OUR RIGHTFUL INPUT IN THE THINGS THAT GO ON IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE A BATCH PLANT RIGHT BEHIND THAT K BAR BARGAIN CENTER RIGHT NOW. WE HAD NO INPUT. AND THIS IS OUR CONCERN AND WE, IT'S TIME FOR US TO HAVE SOME INPUT. UH, MAY I THINK YOU CAN IDENTIFY WITH OUR PLEA. 'CAUSE I KNOW WHERE YOU WERE RAISED AND I KNOW YOU KNOW THE PROBLEMS AND THE THINGS THAT WE GO THROUGH AND WE ARE TIRED. WE WANNA SEE SOME PROGRESS. WHAT DO YOU, LET ME ASK, WHAT ARE YOU ASK? WHAT ARE YOU ASKING US FOR THE BADGE? THE LET HAVE SOME INPUT ON WHATEVER GOES ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OUT AS A COMMUNITY. RIGHT. AND YOU CERTAINLY, YOU CERTAINLY HAVE INPUT AND CAN'T HAVE INPUT. THE BASS PLANT THAT'S OVER THERE, THAT'S STATE REGULATED. THAT'S NOT THE CITY COUNCIL. SO THE CONCRETE B PLANT, THAT'S THE STATE. THAT'S JUST ONE. OKAY. WE GOT THREE APARTMENT COMPLEXES WITHIN THREE BLOCKS. WE HAD NO INPUT ON THOSE COMPLEXES, WHICH HAS TAKEN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD DOWN. WHICH APARTMENT COMPLEXES ARE YOU REFERRING TO WHEN YOU HAD NO INPUT? THERE'S TWO SETS OF APARTMENTS ON HOMESTEAD AND LITTLE YORK AREA THAT WERE BUILT WHEN ALL, I GUESS IN THE EIGHTIES, NINETIES. WELL, I WASN'T HERE THEN. I'M NOT THAT. MY, MY COMPLAINT IS MAYOR, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU WEREN'T HERE, BUT MY COMPLAINT IS AS A COMMUNITY, WE'VE ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT HAVE BEEN SUPPOSEDLY REPRESENTING US. BUT, BUT I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT NOW? YOU NO INPUT ON ANYTHING THAT GOES ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OUT. ALRIGHT. OKAY. OKAY, I GOT YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. MARY MOULTRIE. MARY MOULTRIE VIA PRESS STAR SIX. MARY MO, MARY MOULTRIE, STAR SIX. MARY MOJO, STAR SIX. MARY MOJO. NEXT SPEAKER CHANDRA EXO CHANDRA EXO. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, CHANDRA. EXCELLENT. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, I WAS CALLING IN ABOUT THE, UM, KMART LOCATION. UM, IT'S DIFFICULT TO LIVE IN A AREA WHERE YOU ARE LIVING IN THE VALUE OF YOUR PROPERTY IS CONTINUE TO GOING DOWN BECAUSE YOU HAVE THINGS BUILT IN THE AREA, OR YOU DON'T HAVE THE INPUT AS THE COMMUNITY WHO LIVES OVER HERE. PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE OVER HERE SEEMS TO MAKE DECISIONS OF WHAT'S GONNA GO ON INSTEAD OF INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY. SO I WANTED TO KNOW WHEN ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS GOING TO, UH, ALLOW THE COMMUNITY TO BE INCLUSIVE AND ON ANYTHING THAT GOES ON? BECAUSE IF YOU PUT IT OVER HERE, ANYTHING, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, IF IT THE POLICE, THE VALUE OF THE COMMUNITY, THEN THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF WHATEVER YOU PUT OVER HERE IS GONNA BRING CRIME AND ALL KIND OF UNATTRACTIVE ACTIVITY. AND THAT'S NOT FAIR TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE. BUT WE, I'M, I'M STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. NO ONE IS TO BE INCLUDED INTO ANYTHING THAT'S GOING FOR, FOR INSTANCE, UH, IF THEY'RE GONNA REBUILD KMART, UH, BUILDING, IF, IF THEY'RE GONNA HAVE ANYTHING TO BE DONE TO IT. I THINK THE COMMUNITY NEED TO BE INVOLVED INTO WHAT SHOULD BE BUILT THERE OR WHAT SHOULD BE CREATED THERE IN ORDER TIME BY. RIGHT. BUT LET ME MAKE, LET ME MAKE CLEAR TO EVERYBODY, THE CITY DOES NOT OWN THAT PROPERTY AT, AT TIDWELL. AT HOMESTEAD. THE KMART, THE CITY DOES NOT OWN THAT PROPERTY THAT'S PRIVATELY OWNED. THE CITY DOESN'T OWN THAT. SO I I BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. BUT PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THE CITY DOES NOT OWN THAT K MARK THAT IS PRIVATELY OWNED. OKAY. OKAY. NEXT. SPEAKER CARICE PRINCE CARICE. PRINCE STAR SIX. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU ABOUT THE KMART. CAN YOU HEAR ME, MAYOR? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. YES. I WAS, UH, JUST LISTENING TO ABOUT THE KMART SHOPPING CENTER. THAT'S A CONCERN OF MINE. I KNOW THAT'S OWNED BY MR. KHANANI AND ME AND SOME OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY. WE WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY BE INVOLVED AND LET HIM, UH, BE INVOLVED WITH US AS WELL. AS FAR AS SPEAKING ON WHAT'S GOING TO BE DONE WITH THE KMART SHOPPING CENTER, WE WOULD LIKE TO, I, WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH MR. KANI, THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY AS FAR AS WHAT'S GONNA BE THERE. OKAY. THAT'S UP TO THE, UH, THE LANDOWNER. THAT'S NOT UP TO US. THAT'S NOT UP TO US. YEAH. SO I WAS JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE BECAUSE NOTHING'S BEING DONE AS FAR AS, UH, WITH, WITH A COUNCIL MEMBER. WE WE'RE [00:35:01] NOT GETTING A LOT DONE OVER HERE. I MEAN, WE'RE TRYING, BUT I MEAN, IT'S JUST NOTHING. WE CALLED SO MANY TIMES ABOUT THE TRASH IN, UH, DUMPED, YOU KNOW, OVER AND OVER IN THE SAME SPOTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, REVEREND CHARLES NOBLE. REVEREND CHARLES NOBLES. REVEREND NOBLE'S HERE BE FOLLOWED BY CLAUDE CUMMINGS SECOND AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYBODY. STEP OVER TO THIS ONE. GOOD. ON GOOD AFTERNOON. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYBODY. UH, I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE FONTAINE AND S WOODS CIVIC CLUB MAYOR, AND WE HAVE ABOUT ROUGHLY A LITTLE BIT OVER 7,000 RESIDENTS. AND I THINK AFTER THE LAST WEEK, WHAT WAS SHARED, IT GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY CONCERNED. AND I GOT A LOT OF PHONE CALLS ABOUT THAT. UH, SO I REACHED OUT TO MR. KANI AND ME AND MR. KANI IS GONNA WORK TOGETHER SO THAT, UH, WE CAN KIND OF EASE SOME OF THE FEARS OF SOME OF THE PEOPLE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY DO FEEL, UH, OSTRACIZED. THEY FEEL LEFT OUT. UH, AND IN SOME WAYS THEY FEEL PATERNAL BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIVE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHO COME IN AND THEY WANT TO DO THINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND WITH MR. KHANANI. AND THAT'S WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S IN DISARRAY. SO WE ASKED TO MEET WITH HIM AND WANT TO MEET WITH YOU AS WELL IN, IN OUR CONCERNS IN TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN POSSIBLY DO WITH THE CITY, UH, AND MR. KANI AS WE GO FORWARD WITH THAT PROPERTY. AND SO THAT'S MY REQUEST. IF YOU CAN WORK WITH US AND MR. KANI AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AS WELL, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAN, WHOEVER, WHOEVER WANTS TO SPEAK. IT'S AFTERNOON, Y'ALL. OKAY. SO, AND I'M THANKFUL TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, SHE AGREED TO COME OUT TO OUR CIVIC CLUB MEETING TO SPEAK TO THE RESIDENTS. SO IF THEY'RE LISTENING, I HOPE THAT THEY WILL KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON WILL BE THERE AS WELL AS MR. KHANANI. AND MAYBE WE CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COME TOGETHER WITH SOME KIND OF IDEAS THAT WE CAN ALL BENEFIT FROM THAT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I JUST ASK THAT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, PLEASE, UM, MAKE SURE THAT, I KNOW DISTRICT B IS BIG, BUT FONTAINE AND S WOOD IS A SUBDIVISION AND THEY DON'T LIKE BEING GENERALIZED BECAUSE WHEN A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN AND SAY NORTHEAST, IT MAKES THEM FEEL UNEASY. AND LIKE, WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? THEY'RE NOT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IF YOU'RE GONNA, IF THERE'S SOME TALK ABOUT RADICALLY CHANGING THE FACE OF A COMMUNITY, THOSE RESIDENTS WANT TO KNOW, AND I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A RIGHT. THEIR VOICES SHOULD NOT BE MARGINALIZED OR THEY SHOULD FEEL, YOU KNOW, OSTRACIZED IN SOME WAY AS TO WHATEVER THE PLANS MAY BE. AND SO I JUST WANNA BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER AND EVERYBODY HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT. AND IF MAYOR, YOU CAN TAKE SOME TIME TO WORK WITH US. WE, I THINK WE CAN GET THIS THING DONE. YEAH. I'M WILLING TO WORK WITH WHOMEVER. THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE. , THAT IS NOT MY, YOU, YOU ALL ARE BRINGING THIS TO ME. THAT'S NOT MY ISSUE. SO MY BROTHER USED TO LIVE IN SCENIC WOODS AND OKAY. SO I WAS, UH, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW, AWARE OF SOME OF THE MONIES THAT MR. KHANANI HAD BROUGHT INTO THE COMMUNITY, AND I DON'T THINK THE RESIDENTS KNOW. AND I THINK WE'LL SOLVE ALL OF THAT ON THE 12TH. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT CIVIC CLUB MEETING ON THE 12TH. AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS AGAIN. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK Y'ALL. GOOD. SEE, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO MOTION TO EXTEND, YOU KNOW, MOTION TO MOTION, MOTION TO EXTEND, MOVE, EXTEND ROBINSON, THEN MOVING IN SECOND, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS, AND I JUST WANTED TO GREET YOU AND TELL YOU THANK YOU. YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT FOR A WIN-WIN FOR THE COMMUNITY. AMEN. AND I JUST WANTED TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. THANK YOU. AND I WANT MY BROTHER AND MY FATHER AND THEM TO GET THEM APARTMENTS. Y'ALL GOT GOING ON OVER THERE TOO. . OKAY. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. CLAUDE CUMMINGS. CLAUDE CUMMINGS. CLYDE IS HERE. HI THERE, MY NEIGHBOR. HOW YOU DOING MA'AM? CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE KMAR, UH, ISSUE. AND LEMME JUST SAY THIS, I'M NOT HERE TO ATTACK ANYONE AND CERTAINLY NOT HERE, UH, TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE AT THE LAST, UH, AT THE LAST MEETING, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T AGREE WITH SOME OF THOSE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE. FIRST OF ALL, I OWN PROPERTY IN THAT AREA, NOT CLOSE, CLOSE TO THE KMART CENTER. SO I'M FAMILIAR WITH IT. UH, BUT I'M ALSO FAMILIAR WITH MR. KASHANI THAT I'VE KNOWN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. UH, THERE WERE COMMENTS ABOUT HIM NOT CARING FOR HOUSTON. I JUST THINK THAT'S INCORRECT. HE DOES CARE FOR HOUSTON. HE CARES FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES. UH, I'M THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT NAACP. HE'S GOT BROUGHT TOYS IN, HE'S BROUGHT FOOD IN DURING DISASTERS. HE'S DONE A LOT TO HELP, UH, IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND I BELIEVE THAT HE, HE'S GOING TO WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT AREA IS TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE THEY DO, HE DOES HAVE A PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT OUT THERE. UH, SO MAYOR, THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE RESOLVE THIS? AND I LIKE WHAT YOU SAID AT THE LAST MEETING, LET'S SIT DOWN AND MEET WITH YOU. LET'S HAVE A MEETING AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO TRY TO COME TO SOME TYPE OF RESOLUTION [00:40:01] TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT TEARING EACH OTHER UP. YOUR TIME HAS, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. I WOULD GIVE, UM, UM, SOME MORE OF MY TIME. RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. I THINK THAT, THAT THERE SHOULD BE A WAY, AND YOU OFFERED THAT FOR US TO SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH YOU, TO WORK THROUGH THIS. HE'S A PRIVATE, UH, HE OWNS THE PROPERTY. THE CITY DOESN'T, AND SOMETIMES IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR LARGE PROJECTS. I MEAN, HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE ASTRODOME AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH IT? RIGHT. AND SO, UM, AND SO I BELIEVE THAT IF WE CAN SIT DOWN IN A CONSTRUCTIVE WAY WITH, UH, WITH, WITH MR. KANI AND, UH, WITH TARSHA, WITH OUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND OTHERS WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND, AND, AND TALK WITH THEM AND BE A PART OF THAT MEETING. ALSO TO SEE IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE WAY TO HELP THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS HELP MR. KHAN AND HIS INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK, SO THAT'S MY REQUEST AS MAYOR. I'M SECOND. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? YES. DE OKAY. LOOK, LET'S, LET'S STAY WITH WHO'S IN THE QUEUE. OKAY. I I, I NO PROBLEM, MAYOR, I APOLOGIZE. UH, MR. CUMMINGS, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU. UH, I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO DISTRICT B SPECIFIC MATTERS. YES. UM, I'M GONNA DEFER TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER WITH THAT. BUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN ALL THAT YOU DO FOR THE CITY YES. HISTORICALLY, THROUGH TODAY. UM, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR UNION LEADERSHIP, YOUR LEADERSHIP IN SO MANY REALMS. SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. YOU, IT'S NOT THANK YOU. OFTEN WE GET TO SEE YOU IN PERSON, BUT THANK YOU. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH COUNCIL MEMBER. I, YOU KNOW, I JUST BELIEVE WITH, UM, WITH, IF WE SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH, WITH PRIVATE INVESTORS AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IN THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY SOMEONE LIKE MR. KASHANI WHO'S DONE SO MUCH FOR SO MANY COMMUNITIES, WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO WORK THIS ISSUE OUT. THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE. WITHOUT TEARING EACH OTHER UP, YOU KNOW, AND BECOMING, UM, DISJOINTED INSTEAD OF WORKING TOGETHER IN UNITY. I THAT IT'S THAT MOTION TO EXTEND MM-HMM . MOVE. IT MOVES. SECOND. COUNCILMAN JOHNSON, THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU MR. COMMENTS. THANK YOU COUNCIL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND JUST, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NEVER BEEN A QUESTION ABOUT AL'S KANIS, UM, PASSION FOR THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? I KNOW HE'S DONE A LOT IN THE COMMUNITY. I MEAN, JUST RECENTLY ADVOCATED FOR A NEW SCOREBOARD FOR THE TIP, RIGHT? WELL, JIM, YOU KNOW, AND HE'S DONE A LOT OF WORK AROUND THE G UNITY. THE CONCERN IS THAT THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN VACANT FOR OVER TWO DECADES. I UNDERSTAND THAT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY CONCERN AND MAKING SURE THAT THAT PROPERTY, THE PROJECT IS MOVING FORWARD. UM, I'VE HAD CONVER SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MAYORS ADMINISTRATION, UM, ABOUT HOW CAN WE GET RESOURCES TO MR. KHANANI. AND SO THE CONCERN IS WE'RE STILL NOT MOVING FORWARD, RIGHT? AND SO I, I INVITE 'EM TO THE TABLE. I INVITE EVERYBODY TO THE TABLE. I WANNA BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION AND I WANT THE COMMUNITY TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION, BUT AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD. I WAS LOOKING AT AN ARTICLE FROM 2013, WE'RE TALKING IN THE SAME CONVERSATION THAT WAS A DEMOLITION ORDER ON THIS PROPERTY AND IT'S STILL NOT DEMOLISHED. SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? WE'VE HAD SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS BEFORE ME THAT HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET SOMETHING DONE WITH THIS PROPERTY. AND SO MY THING IS, AS A COMMUNITY, AS YOU KNOW, THE CITY, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP MR. KANI MOVE FORWARD? SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR COMMENT. I JUST WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE DISTRICT. WELL, A COUPLE THINGS AGAIN. ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. MOTION TO EXTEND THERE. SECOND MOVED. AND SECOND. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHA. EVAN SHABAZZ. NOW THANK YOU MAYOR. AND WHEN CLAUDE CUMMINGS COMES DOWN, THAT'S LIKE EEF HUTTON. AND SO CERTAINLY I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT, BUT I AM SO VERY HONORED THAT YOU ARE HERE. YOU ARE MY COHORT AS WELL ON THE NAACP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ALWAYS TRYING TO WORK THINGS OUT IN AN EQUITABLE WAY. AND SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR COMING. THANK YOU. NOW THAT'S IT. OKAY. THANKS CLAUDE. OKAY. YEAH. SO THE, MY ANSWER TO THAT, UM, TO BE QUITE HONEST, IS WITH YOU, IS THAT WE STILL CONTINUE TO TALK. YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WERE SAID AT THE LAST MEETING THAT WERE JUST UNTRUE. AND I JUST FELT A NEED TO COME DOWN AND DEFEND AL. UH, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, THEY SAID HE WAS A SLUM. LORD, HE'S NOT A SLUM LORD. YOU KNOW, IT WAS SAID THAT HE DID NOT, UH, HE DOES, DID NOT CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITIES. AND THOSE THINGS WERE SAID AND I HEARD THE TAPE. SO THEY WERE SAID. AND SO WHAT, AGAIN, WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS. LET'S SIT DOWN AND TALK THROUGH IT. YOU KNOW, YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN FIXED IN DISTRICT B. YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT FOLK WHO ARE BUILDING HOUSES. YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK THAT GALVESTON IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM 'EM BECAUSE OF THE FLOODING THAT'S STILL TAKING PLACE THERE. AND YOU AND I HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THAT, BUT NOTHING HAS MOVED FORWARD. JUST RECENTLY, I SPENT $2,000 PUTTING IN A PUMP IN MY COMMU AND BACK. YOUR TIME HAS, HAS EXPIRED. OKAY. BEHIND THE HOUSE THAT I GREW UP IN TO PUMP WATER FROM THE BACKYARD TO THE DITCH. THANKS. NOTHING'S BEEN RESOLVED ABOUT THAT. SO I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. ALRIGHT? THOSE KIND OF THINGS. I'M LET Y'ALL, Y'ALL, I'M GONNA LET Y'ALL CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION, OKAY? OKAY. ALRIGHT. BUT THANK YOU. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN FIX THAT ISSUE IF WE MOVE FORWARD. AND I THINK WE START BY MEETING WITH YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANKS MAN. NEXT SPEAKER. DOUG SMITH. DOUG SMITH. HE LEFT. DOUG LEFT. [00:45:04] CATHERINE CHERRY. CATHERINE CHERRY. CATHERINE CHERRY HERE. CATHERINE CHERRY. CATHERINE CHERRY. NEXT SPEAKER. RAY JONES. RAY JONES. RAY JONES IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY VALERIE WASHINGTON. GET RIGHT BEHIND THAT MIC, THIS MICROPHONE. EVENING MAYOR CITY COUNCIL. I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE OLD KMART SHOPPING CENTER. AND ONE OF THE REASONS I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE OLD COMMENTS OLD K MARK SHOPPING CENTER IS BECAUSE I WATCHED THE TAPE ON LAST WEEK, AND OF ALL THE NEGATIVE THINGS THAT WAS BEING SAID, I THOUGHT MAYBE I AT LEAST COULD COME AND TELL A FEW POSITIVE THINGS. ONE OF THE THINGS IS I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHEAST COMMUNITY AT NORTHEAST NORTHWEST COMMUNITY ASHTON GROUP. AND WE SERVICE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. WE'LL HAVE OUR OFFICE THERE FOR SIX YEARS. AND, AND, AND THAT, AND I, I I, I CAME WITH A LONG SPEECH, BUT I JUST WANNA READ SOMETHING SO MAYBE Y'ALL CAN GET IT. AND I WANT LEAVE NOTHING OUT. UH, SO I CAME TODAY TO SPEAK ABOUT THE POSITIVE THINGS THAT IS GOING ON AT THAT LOCATION. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PLANS DRAWN UP, WHICH OR SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AND THERE HAS BEEN MINISTERS GROUP WHO I'VE SIT DOWN WITH MR. ALONI. AND, AND ONE OF THE GROUPS FROM YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED MEMBER COUNCIL MEMBER MS. SHA. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND HELLO MR. JONES. AND YOU CAN HAVE, UH, MY AND ONE OF THE GROUPS WITH MINISTERS GROUP HAVE ALSO SIT DOWN WITH THE MAYOR. AND MAYOR, I WAS GLAD WHEN YOU SAID ON LAST WEEK, CAN WE COME TOGETHER AND WORK THIS OUT WITHOUT DOING THIS? BECAUSE I KNOW WHEN YOU SAY THAT, YOU KNOW MORE THAN WHAT THEY KNOW. AND I THINK IF THEY FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE AND COME AND SIT DOWN AND LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT ARE TRYING TO BE DONE OUT THERE, A LOT OF 'EM DON'T KNOW. THAT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST AREAS FOR COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER TO HELP FUNCTIONS AT. EVEN LAST WEEK, SENATOR MILES, CONGRESS, JOHNSON LEE, THEY HAD TURKEY GIVEAWAY. THE LOCK WAS PULLED. WE CAN'T JUST TALK ABOUT THE NEGATIVE THINGS THAT GOES ON. AND THEN ANOTHER THING I SAY TO COUNCILMAN AND I SAY TO EVERYBODY, WHEN YOU COME INTO A COMMUNITY, YOU GET WITH THE COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THEN ADD YOUR PEOPLES. YOU CANNOT PUT TOGETHER A COMMUNITY LEADER LIST AND THEN LET THAT LIST TO REPRESENT THE COMMUNITY. I'VE BEEN OUT THERE 55, 6 YEARS AND I KNOW THAT COMMUNITY BETTER THAN ANYONE. AND I'VE BEEN IN POLITICS SIX, FIVE YEARS, SO THERE'S NOTHING POLITICALLY I DON'T KNOW AND CAN'T WATCH. AND IF YOU'RE PUTTING SOMETHING TOGETHER FOR POLITICAL GAME, I'M NOT GONNA LET IT GO. THERE ARE SOME THINGS HAPPENING IN THE NORTH COURSE. UH, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. UH, ALRIGHT, RAY, WE GOT YOU. THAT'S IT. YES. YES, SIR. . ALL RIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER. VALERIE WASHINGTON. VALERIE WASHINGTON. IF YOU PRESSED STAR SIX, VALERIE, VALERIE, WASHINGTON STAR SIX. VALERIE WASHINGTON STAR SIX VALERIE. NEXT SPEAKER ROBERT MORRIS. ROBERT MORRIS IS, IS HE? ROBERT MORRIS IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY ELIZABETH MARTIN MAYOR, COUNCIL SEASONS GREETINGS. I WAS ASKED TO TAKE A GOOD LONG LOOK SEVERAL YEARS AGO AT THE, UH, PLAZA, THE HOMESTEAD PLAZA, KMART CENTER, DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU, AND JUST BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION, I'M A 48 YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER, 72 YEAR RESIDENT OF HOUSTON. SO I, I LOOKED AT THIS PRETTY CLOSELY. I WAS ASKED BY MR. KANI, MAKE SURE IT WAS SAFE. AND IT'S INTERESTING, IT'S BEEN SUBJECT TO NO LESS THAN SEVEN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES BY VERY PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS THAT I'VE KNOWN. I WENT THROUGH THOSE WITH A FINE TOOTH COMB. AND THE SOIL DOWN TO 30 FEET IS CLEAN AS A WHISTLE BY HOUSTON STANDARDS, BUT VERY CLEAN. THE GROUNDWATER IS ONLY SLIGHTLY IMPACTED BY THESE OLD DRY CLEANERS. THE STATE HAS TAKEN ON THAT AS UNDER THEIR DRY CLEANER REMEDIATION PROGRAM. BUT THERE'S NOTHING IN THAT WATER THAT AFFECTS ANYTHING AT THE SURFACE. AND OF COURSE, ALL THE FOLKS OUT THERE [00:50:01] DRINKING PIPE WATER FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I'M HERE TO TELL YOU'S A GOOD PLACE TO DEVELOP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER, ELIZABETH MARTIN. ELIZABETH MARTIN IS HERE. BE FOLLOWED BY SADIE RUCKER. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY AMAZING DISTRICT K WARRIOR. MY NAME IS ELIZABETH MARTIN AND YOU MAY THINK I LOOK VAGUELY FAMILIAR. THAT'S BECAUSE I'M IN THE BACKGROUND OF MANY COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT YOU ATTEND AND THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY HORIZON. I LIKE BEING IN THE BACKGROUND AND BEING UP HERE TO ADDRESS LAST WEEK'S MEETING GIVES ME THE WILLIES. UM, BUT I HAD TO COME OUT AND TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK. SADIE AND AL SADIE IS A BORN HOUSTONIAN. AL HAS BEEN HERE LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN ALIVE. I DON'T MEAN TO AGE HIM, BUT BECAUSE OF THIS COMMITMENT, I GET TO WORK IN MY HOMETOWN ON HOUSTON COMMUNITY PROJECTS THAT INCLUDES THE TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. THIRD WARD, THE CURRICULUM FOR THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SCHOOL TOY DRIVES IN ALL OF YOUR COMMUNITIES. UM, FOOD DRIVES IN ALL OF YOUR COMMUNITIES. AND OUR MOST HIGH PROFILE PROJECT, THE UNITY BUSINESS LAB, WHICH WE CHOSE TWO SCHOOLS IN DISTRICT B AS OUR INAUGURAL SCHOOLS. CASHMERE WHEATLEY. WE COULD HAVE GONE TO WESTBURY, WHICH IS WHERE I'M ZONED TO. WE COULD HAVE GONE TO YATES WHO WAS VERY VOCAL, BUT WE CHOSE TO GO THERE, WHICH MEANS I GET TO SPEAK TO THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE PAYING THE PROPERTY TAXES MORE THAN YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. UH, COUNCILWOMAN JOHNSON, THANK YOU. UM, I GET TO SPEAK TO THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY WANT IN, IN HOMESTEAD, WHICH IS PRETTY COOL. I THINK IT'S A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AND BECAUSE THEY WANNA COME BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND SO I GET TO HEAR A A LOT ABOUT THAT. UM, WHILE I NEEDED TO DEFEND OUR COMMITMENT TO HOUSTON COMING OUT TO HERE TODAY, I ALSO WANTED YOU TO KNOW WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. UM, THE TEAM THAT WANTS TO BRING A VIABLE DEVELOPMENT TO THE RESIDENTS AND TO THE FUTURE THAT'S COMING UP THERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER, SADIE RUCKER. SADIE TO BE FOLLOWED BY AL KHANANI. I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO ADDRESS YOU, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THINGS. SO I'M GONNA SAY SINCE THIS IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON, DEAR SANTA, YES, I BELIEVE IN SANTA. I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS. BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN HERE IN HOUSTON. BUT IT'S STILL A VERY BEAUTIFUL WONDERLAND THANKS TO THE DEDICATION OF THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL PEOPLE. YES, I AM PRESIDENT OF HORIZON INTERNATIONAL GROUP. AS ELIZABETH STATED, I AM A HOUSTONIAN AND I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF THAT FACT. AL AND I HAVE BEEN COMMITTED IN EVERY WAY TO MAKE HOUSTON, THE ENTIRE HOUSTON A STRONGER AREA IN WHICH WE ALL LIVE IN. I'M EMBEDDED IN THE COMMUNITY. MY MOTHER WAS AN EDUCATOR IN THIS AREA. SHE TAUGHT FOR DECADES IN THE AREA. WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH ME, MIC LELAND WAS IN HER CLASSROOM. SHE TAUGHT STATE SENATOR NIA THOMPSON AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE HAROLD DUTTON. HAROLD DUTTON PICKED HIS MAJOR BECAUSE OF MY MOM. MY MOM WAS A MATH TEACHER AND HE BECAME A MATHEMATICIAN AS WELL. EVERY TIME HAS ASPIR COUNCIL MEMBER HAVING CHABON. THANK YOU MAYOR. I, I CERTAINLY CAN'T LET SADIE RUCKER SIT DOWN WITHOUT WE, WE HAVE A HISTORY. WE GREW UP TOGETHER. OUR MOTHERS WERE GREAT FRIENDS. YES. UH, PLAYED BRIDGE TOGETHER ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND SO YES, THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, YOU KNOW, I WON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THE, THE, THE SAD HISTORY, BUT CERTAINLY I APPRECIATE YOU COMING. THANK YOU. WHAT I WANTED TO EXPRESS TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON IN PARTICULAR, WE ARE EMBEDDED IN HOUSTON. WE ARE WILLING TO HELP YOU. AND WE HAVE BEEN ON THAT SITE PRETTY MUCH EVERY MONTH. THERE IS A HUGE PROBLEM IN DUMPING. BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER TO YOU IS LET'S GET A MONTH OF DUMPING DAY ON THAT HOMESTEAD SITE. CITE THE LOCATION, SEE IF THE CITY CAN COME IN AND PICK UP. WE DO HAVE TIRE PROBLEMS. WE HAVE FURNITURE PROBLEMS, WE HAVE BABY BED PROBLEMS. WE HAVE MATTRESS PROBLEMS. ANYTHING YOU THINK OF IS DUMPED AT THAT SITE AND WE HAVE CLEANED IT UP. WE HAVE NO ISSUES WITH DOING THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH US AND GET THAT DONE. KMART WAS THERE. SO WHAT I'M SUGGESTING, LET'S BRING BACK THAT BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL. ANOTHER THING, SORRY FOLKS. I KNOW IT WAS A POPEYE'S THERE TOO, BUT THAT BIRD HAS FLOWN BY. SO ALL I'M ASKING IS LET'S WORK TOGETHER. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS REALLY IS PEACE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. THANK YOU. AND I WANT TO SADIE. SADIE. YES SIR. YES SIR. AND I WANT THE FRIED CHICKEN THAT YOU PROMISED ME. OH, . I JUST TOLD YOU THAT BIRD HAS [00:55:01] FLOWN. NO, ANYTIME YOU WANT THAT. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ON YOU. SO I HAVE WITNESSES NOW, SO IT'S IN YOUR BALLPARK. OKAY. AND ANY OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE MAYOR, UH, THAT'S UP TO HIM. 'CAUSE THAT'S ON HIS INVITE. I OKAY, . THANK YOU. SHE LIVES RIGHT CORNER SPEAKER COMING SPEAKER AL KANI. AL KANI BE FOLLOWED BY BILL FRANKS. I CAN TALK FAST MAYOR, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I CAN TALK IN ONE MINUTE. I'M JUST HERE TO GET SOME OF THE POINTS ACROSS. THERE WAS A LOT OF MISINFORMATION WAS PASSED OUT LAST WEEK. UH, IT CUT ME A SURPRISE MUCH AS MOST OF YOU GUYS AS YOU KNOW, MAYOR, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH YOU BEFORE. COUNCIL MEMBER GOT IN AN OFFICER. I THINK SOME OF THIS INFORMATION WAS MALICIOUS. IT WAS POLITICALLY DRIVEN. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S ELECTION SEASON COMING IN CONSTITUENTS. THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK AND SAY, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? SO LET'S FIND A VICTIM SO WE CAN ATTACK THAT. THE LAST THING THAT YOU WANT TO DO IN THIS TYPE OF COMMUNITY IS ATTACKING DEVELOPERS. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY DEVELOPERS THEY HAVE CALLED ME. THEY SAID THEY WOULD NEVER EVER DO A DEVELOPMENT IN THAT DISTRICT. SO, BUT WHEN YOU'RE GOING OUT AND PUTTING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPERTY BEING CONTAMINATED, NOT ONLY YOU HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY, YOU HEARD IN YOUR CONSTITUENTS, WE SEND THE REBUTTAL COUNCIL MEMBER SAID THAT INFORMATION WAS NOT CORRECT AND IT WAS MADE UP. HERE IS THE INFORMATION. THESE ARE THE COPIES, THESE ARE THE TEXT MESSAGES. I'M NOT TURNING INTO HIS OFFICE OF OAG, BUT MY CLAIMS ARE ACCURATE. I'M JUST NOT. AFTER MAKING FACETIOUS THAT, AND THIS IS OPEN FOR ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO COME AND INSPECT THOSE ALLEGATIONS, YOU ARE MORE THAN HAPPY. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN MCCOSH. THANK YOU. UH, AL, HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED THIS KMART PROPERTY? WE BOUGHT THE PROPERTY ON 2012. AND AND IS THERE ARE, I JUST HEARD THE LADY SPEAK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DUMPING. DO THEY DUMP ON YOUR PROPERTY? YES SIR. AND WE HAVE A FULL-TIME CREW. WE PICKING UP ALL THOSE, WE HAVE SPENT $1.5 MILLION SINCE WE ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY JUST TO MAINTAIN THE PROPERTY, PAY THE TAXES. WHEN THAT PROPERTY IS DEVELOPED, IT WILL BE THE HIGHEST REVENUE PRODUCER IN THE TAXES IN ENTIRE COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICTS. THE PAYMENT ON THAT CENTER WHEN IT'S DEVELOPED THERE ON A MONTHLY BASIS IS MORE THAN THE MAYOR'S ANNUAL SALARY. BUT THE COUNCIL MEMBER FAILS TO UNDERSTAND THAT SALARY'S KIND OF LOW . WHAT, WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. IT'S THE GOVERNMENT SALARY. ACTUALLY, THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE COMMON. WE BOTH ARE ADVOCATES AND WE WANT TO MAKE THINGS WORK. BUT WHAT SHE FAILS TO UNDERSTAND IS THE DEVELOPMENT I'VE OFFERED TO TEACH HER THAT THE BANK DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF STUFF. YOU HAVE TO MAKE $250,000 A MONTH PAYMENT IN ORDER FOR THAT PROPERTY. NOT FORECLOSURE. THE SOLUTION OF TEAR IT DOWN. IT DOESN'T SERVE ANYTHING. IT WOULD JUST BRING THE TRUCK DRIVERS TO PARK OVER THERE. WE ARE COMMITTED TO IT. WE HAVE HAD THE PLANS HERE. WE HAVE SPENT $300,000 ON THE PLANS. WE, WE ARE WILLING TO PUT IN $10 MILLION IN THE FACILITY, BUT WE CAN'T PUT ALL THE MONIES THERE. HOLD ON, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. MOTION TO EXTEND. MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND WE MOVE. SECOND. OBJECTION CHAIR. NONE. NOW, UH, MAYOR PUT TIM MARTIN. YES, THANKS MR. KANI. UH, WE, WE LIVE IN A STATE THAT HAS STRONG PROPERTY RIGHTS, STRONG PROPERTY RIGHTS. YOU AS A DEVELOPER, AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THE CITY'S PERMITTING PROCESS, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER THE HECK YOU WANT TO DO WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT. BUT WE WOULD ASK YOU TO WORK WITH THE RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA. SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THIS WENT SIDEWAYS LAST WEEK AND THIS WEEK, BUT I'D LOVE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THAT. YEAH, WELL I HAVE NO IDEA. I WAS JUST SURPRISED AS MAYOR HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT, HE'S A STAFF HAS BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. ALL THAT INFORMATION THAT THE COUNCILMAN SHE'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH. SOME OF THOSE, THERE ARE MEMOS, EMAILS THAT SHE KNOWS THE PROPERTY IS NOT CONTAMINATED. SHE KNOWS WE WERE WORKING ON THAT. THERE ARE THREE ARCHITECTURALS AND THE RENDERINGS AND YOU GUYS GOT A COPIES OF FOR INFORMATION SAYING THAT WE ARE JUST NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ABSOLUTELY FALSE. AND I THINK IT WAS REALLY POLITICS. I'VE BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK LINE, HOW THAT WORKS. WE ARE COMMITTED TO IT. WE WANT TO DEVELOP IT, BUT WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT THE CITY. NOW REMEMBER, WE DID NOT CREATE THE PROBLEM. I CAME IN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OUR PREVIOUS CAMP, SOME MEMBERS SAID, I NEED YOU TO COME IN HERE AND BUY THE PROPERTY. WE HAVE COMMITTED. WHEN THE MAYOR'S TURNER'S OFFICE CAME IN THERE, WE COMMITTED TO $80 MILLION IN OUR CITIES. WE ARE EXCEEDING THAT BY MOTION TO MILLION DOLLARS. MOTION THEN MOTION TO EXTEND THEN MOON SECONDING OBJECTION HERE. STAND GRANTED. SO WE'LL BE INVESTING $110 MILLION IN THE COMMUNITY OF THE NEEDS, INCLUDING A THIRD WARD, SUNNYSIDE ACRES HOME AND OTHER TYPE OF THINGS. FOR HER TO COME IN THERE AND BLOCK AND EXTORT ME FROM BLOCKING ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT AND ANOTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS TO NOT GIVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE OF HER AGENDA. THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR. THAT'S NOT EQUITABLE. THAT'S WHAT I NOT STAND FOR AND NOBODY SHOULD STAND FOR. SO WHEN [01:00:01] I'M LOOKING AT THE COUNCIL, IT SAYS, JUSTICE AND COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER JUSTICE AND COUNCIL. I BELIEVE IN THAT. AND YOU SHOULD BELIEVE IN THAT. AND COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR AND MAYOR LAST WEEK, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD APTLY SAID, UH, YOU KNOW, DUNNO HOW THIS GOT PERSONAL, BUT WE HAVE TWO REALLY GREAT PEOPLE, UM, INVOLVED IN THIS. AL YOU KNOW, I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR YOU AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU DO WITH THE CITY. AND MY FRIEND HERE, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. I ALSO HAVE PROFOUND RESPECT FOR, SO I WOULD ASK IS YOU ALL WORK THROUGH THIS AS THE RESIDENTS WORK THROUGH THIS, UM, TO SET ASIDE THE, UH, PERSONAL ALLEGATIONS AND ACCUSATIONS. UH, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON CONTINUES TO DO WHAT SHE FEELS IS BEST FOR THE DISTRICT. UM, I'M NOT INVOLVED IN THE PERSONAL ASPECTS OF THIS. I CANNOT SPEAK TO THAT. I'M JUST SAYING AS A COUNCIL, I THINK IT GOES A LONG WAY. IF YOU ALL CAN COME TOGETHER, UH, FIND A MEETING OF THE MINDS. BUT ALSO I WOULD JUST ASK, YOU KNOW, I HAVE PROFOUND RESPECT FOR YOU. I ALSO HAVE PROFOUND RESPECT FOR COUNCILMAN JACKSON. IT IS A LITTLE HARD TO SIT HERE, UM, WITH SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT'S BEING USED. I, I UNDERSTAND A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH THAT MOTION. ONE LAST TIME. A MOTION TO EXTEND QUESTION? NO. OKAY. THANKS AL. A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH YOU. WE DID NOT THE ONE THAT MADE IT PERSONAL. THANK YOU. THANKS AL. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. BILL FRANKS. BILL FRANKS. IT'S BILL. BILL FRANKS. HERE. BILL. NEXT SPEAKER. PAUL PRITT PRITT. PAUL PRITT. P-R-I-V-A-T. PAUL PRITT, UH, PRIVATE PRITT PAUL. NEXT SPEAKER RICHARD JOHNSON IS RICHARD JOHNSON. HERE. RICHARD JOHNSON. RICHARD. NEXT SPEAKER SEMI DURACELL FOSTER. SEMINOLE DURACELL, FOSTER PRESS STAR, SIX. DELLE FOSTER, SEMINO DAROL FOSTER PRESS STAR SIX. STAR SIX. SHE JUST UNMUTED ONE LAST TIME. SEMINAR. DEAR ALL FOSTER, NEXT SPEAKER, AARON ROSKI. AARON ROSKI IS AARON HERE. AARON IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY JESUS GUEVARA. HOW YOU DOING GUYS? HI, UM, MAYORIA TURNER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. UM, LAST TIME I SPOKE TO YOU, UH, YOU TOLD ME TO GET CERTIFIED WITH THE CITY. UM, WELL, I'M NOW A CRANE OPERATOR, WELDING CONTRACTOR, UH, WITH THE CITY. UM, I, UH, COULD USE SOME ASSISTANCE. UM, YOU COULD THROW SOME MONEY MY WAY. DEVELOPER TOO, . UM, BUT I, UH, UM, TRIED WITH MCCARTHY. UM, I'M JUST, UH, I NEED SOME ASSISTANCE. THAT'S ALL. UM, I CALLED THE, UH, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. UM, LOVE VOICEMAILS, THE LGBT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TOO. UH, BUT IT HAS A POST OFFICE ADDRESS INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL ADDRESS. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING BACK AS OF YET. UM, AND JUST CALLING ENGINEERING COMPANIES AND, UH, A LOT OF THE COMPANIES OUT HERE TRYING TO GET SOME BUSINESS CONTRACTS. AND, UM, ANOTHER THING, UM, UH, THE OBO, UM, WEBSITE, UM, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT MAYBE, UH, YOU COULD HAVE, UH, THE ABILITY TO BID WITHOUT THE INSURANCE ON SOME CONTRACTS OR MAYBE ALL IF POSSIBLE, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND YOU'RE GONNA NEED THE INSURANCE. UM, BUT ONE SECOND. UM, VICE PP JIM CAST, CONGRATULATIONS. I, I'M GLAD THAT YOU TOOK THAT STEP FORWARD. THANK YOU. I WAS GONNA SAY, UM, IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE OBO PAGE, THIS LAST, THIS WEEK, WE HAD THE MEET THE BUYER PROCUREMENT FORM AT, UH, THE GEORGE OR BROWN. UH, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF BUSINESS OWNERS THERE TALKING DIRECTLY TO, UH, BUSINESSES FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTRACTING. SO MY SUGGESTION IS DEFINITELY TO FOLLOW THEIR PAGE FOR OPPORTUNITIES LIKE MEET THE BUYER, UH, PROGRAM SO THAT YOU CAN MEET THE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO TALK TO SO THAT YOU CAN WORK ON THOSE CONTRACTS. I'M HAPPY TO, UM, SET UP A, A, A TIME TO TALK TO YOU SO YOU CAN MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON THAT DISTRIBUTION LIST. THANK YOU. AND THAT YOU ARE, ARE FOLLOWING THEIR PROGRAMMING. THEY ALSO HAVE PROGRAMMING ON, UM, UH, EXPANDING AND BUILDING YOUR CAPACITY. AND, AND THEY HAVE A WORKSHOP EXACTLY ON HOW TO, UM, GET YOUR, YOUR BONDING CAPACITY. SO ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS ARE BENEFICIAL TO PEOPLE THAT ARE STARTING THEIR BUSINESSES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND I REALLY WANT YOU [01:05:01] TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT AND THAT'LL HELP YOU, UM, IN YOUR QUEST TO, TO MOVE TOWARDS MORE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES. THANK YOU. THANKS. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. JESUS GUEVARA. JESUS GUEVARA IS HERE BE FOLLOWED BY JOSEPH BALLARD. GOOD AFTERNOON, CITY COUNCIL. CITY OF HOUSTON COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JESUS AVARA. I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE KMART SHOPPING CENTER. I'M HERE TODAY TO PROPOSE CHANGES OR TO MODIFY THE ORDINANCE APPLICATION FOR MODIFICATION OF A SIDEWALK. THE CHANGE WILL ONLY APPLY TO CITIZENS THAT DO NOT HAVE SPACE TO INSTALL A SIDEWALK, WHICH IS VERIFIED BY THE HOUSTON PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON ARE BEING CHARGED $1,200 BY THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO VERIFY THAT A SIDEWALK CANNOT BE INSTALLED. THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON DO NOT HAVE CONTROL OF A SIDEWALK. THAT THAT DOES NOT FIT IN THE PERIMETERS OF THEIR LOTS. AND THEREFORE, MODIFICATION IS, AND THEREFORE NO MODIFICATION IS BEING MADE TO THE SIDEWALK. I HAVE GATHERED INFORMATION FROM CITIZENS AND PUBLIC WORKERS FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT MONEY AND TIME FROM BOTH PARTIES ARE BEING MISSPENT. CITY OF HOUSTON PLAN REVIEWERS SPEND COUNT OF HOURS EVERY DAY EXPLAINING, I'M SORRY, THE SIDEWALK ORDINANCE AND CITIZENS, I'M SORRY. FIND IT, FIND IT HARD TO JUSTIFY THE FEE TO VERIFY THAT A SIDEWALK DOES NOT FIT. MR. AVARA, I'M SORRY. YEAH, PLEASE BEAR IN MIND. WE ONLY HAVE ONE MINUTE FOR TODAY. WHAT I CAN DO IS THAT I'LL HAVE SOMEONE FROM PLANNING, UH, FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT REACH OUT TO YOU AND SPEAK TO YOU ON THIS ISSUE. 'CAUSE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING A LOOK AT OUR SIDEWALK ORDINANCE. OKAY? OKAY. SO I'LL HAVE SOMEONE REACH OUT AND TALK TO YOU FROM PLANNING. UH, I'VE HALF, I'VE, I'VE SPENT CALENDARS OF TIME TALKING TO PEOPLE OF, OF PLANNING. OKAY, THEN LET ME, LET ME HAVE THEM EDUCATE ME ON WHAT, ON WHAT YOU ARE REQUESTING. OKAY. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN MAYOR ALCO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, I DO KNOW THAT THE, THE ADMINISTRATION IS PREPARING SOMETHING, UH, CHANGE TO THIS AND THAT APPLICATION FEE IS GOING TO COME DOWN. CORRECT? SO WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT IT'S COMING SOON TO CITY COUNCIL. SO WHO, WHO COULD I TALK TO THAT ABOUT, I MEAN, PLANNING DEPARTMENT? I HAVE. OKAY, THEN, THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GIVE US SOME TIME. WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE ORDINANCE. THE ORDINANCE IS AS IS COMING TO CITY COUNCIL. I SEE. I'M TRYING TO GET YOU, I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT EXACT, IF YOU'VE ALREADY TALKED TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE AWARE OF YOUR ISSUE, THEN WE ARE TALKING, WE ARE TALKING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND THERE'S AN ORDINANCE THAT'S COMING. WELL, THE ONLY REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE THIS IS THE ONLY SOLUTION THAT THEY GAVE ME. I MEAN, SO, OKAY, LET ME, LET ME TRY, LEMME TRY ONE AGAIN. WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT WE ARE, WE ARE CURRENTLY TAKING A LOOK OKAY. AT THE SIDEWALK PARKINGS WE ARE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT YOU ARE SAYING TO US TODAY. SO SHOULD I EXPECT A CALL FROM, FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT OR SHOULD I CALL THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT? 'CAUSE I, UH, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON A PROJECT, IT'S BEEN SIX MONTHS THAT A HOMEOWNER CAN'T GET THEIR PERMITS BECAUSE OF THIS REASON. WELL, LET ME HOLD ON A SECOND. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. MR. G**O, WHEN THE MAYOR IS TELLING YOU THAT HE IS GOING TO RECOMMEND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WILL BE TALKING TO YOU IN A DIFFERENT TONE OF VOICE. PERFECT. THANK YOU, SIR. YOU NEED TRUST THE MAYOR. I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. UHHUH. . THANKS. OKAY, NEXT. NEXT SPEAKER. JOSEPH BALLARD. JOSEPH BALLARD. JOSEPH BALLARD. HERE. NEXT SPEAKER ANG. ANGIE DANIEL. ANGIE DANIEL. A NGE. ANG DANIEL. HE, HE IS HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU ALL. UH, MY NAME IS DANIEL. I LIVE IN HOUSTON. AND UH, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE 'CAUSE I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE WATER, THE WATER THAT WE DRINK FROM OUR TAP. AND UH, I WANT TO ASK YOU GUYS, IS IT SAFE FOR US TO DRINK THAT WATER OR NOT? BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT I DID MY OWN RESEARCH ACCORDING TO THE, UH, EWG, WE'VE BEEN DRINKING HARD WATER, WHICH IS FULL OF MINERALS LIKE, UH, CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM THAT MIGHT BE BAD FOR OUR BODY. SO IT'S NOT BETTER FOR US TO SWITCH TO SOFT WATER, WHICH IS MORE [01:10:01] NATURAL AND MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT SALTY. 'CAUSE UH, HOT WATER IS REALLY NOT GOOD FOR US, ESPECIALLY ME. 'CAUSE EVERY TIME I DRINK WATER FROM OUR TAP, IT HURTS MY STOMACH. SO MY THING IS NOT BETTER FOR US TO TRANSITION TO SOFT WATER. WHAT I CAN TELL YOU, UH, MR. DANIEL, IS THAT THE, THE WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK. IS IT? YES SIR. THE WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK. BUT THE THING IS, I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON COMPLAINING ABOUT THE, THE, THE SIDE EFFECT OF IT. 'CAUSE IT HURTS MY STOMACH AND PEOPLE AROUND ME COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. I, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR PERSONAL INDIVIDUAL SITUATION. BUT WHAT I CAN SAY TO YOU IS THAT THE WA THE WATER IS VERY SAFE TO DRINK. OKAY? I HAVE A SECOND QUESTION. OKAY. UH, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TO BE A CDL DRIVER FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS AND, UH, I WAS TOLD THAT I CAN ONLY DRIVE WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND NOT GO ALL OVER THE, THE COUNTRY. UH, AS, AS ALL CDL APPLICANTS. I WENT TO THE DOCTOR FOR MYD. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OKAY. THANK, THANK YOU MR. DANIEL. NEXT SPEAKER. DEREK MOTON. AND LEMME JUST SAY AS YOU LEAVE, IF, IF YOU, MR. DANIEL, IF YOU'LL, IF YOU, UH, IF, DO YOU HAVE YOUR CDL LICENSE? I'M TRYING TO GET ONE, BUT I, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE RESTRICTIONS IN IT. THAT'S MY, MY PROBLEM. 'CAUSE I WANNA BE ABLE TO DRIVE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. I, I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT WE IMPOSE. YOU JUST HAVE TO, IF YOU WANT TO BE A DRIVER FOR US, DEPENDING ON WHICH DEPARTMENT AND POSITION YOU HAVE TO HAVE A CDL LICENSE. NOW WHAT THE REQUIREMENT IS, THAT'S THE STATE REQUIREMENT. OKAY. THAT'S AT THE STATE LEVEL, NOT HERE AT THE CITY LEVEL BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF WEIRD THAT I CAN JUST DRIVE WITHIN TEXAS AND NOT GO ALL OVER THE, I MEAN THE COUNTRY. I, I, I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. THAT'S, YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE STATE LICENSING. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. OKAY. DPS. OKAY. THANK YOU SIR. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. DEREK MOTON. DEREK MOTON PLUS, UH, STAR SIX. DEREK MOTON. STAR SIX. DEREK MOTEN. STAR SIX DEREK. NEXT SPEAKER. TIAWANA BRYANT. TIAWANA BRYANT STAR SIX. TAWANA BRYANT STAR SIX. ANA BRYANT STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. STEVE WILLIAMS. STEVE WILLIAMS. STAR SIX. STEVE WILLIAMS. STAR SIX. STEVE WILLIAMS. NEXT SPEAKER. MONIQUE MECADO. MONIQUE MECADO. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, MONIQUE? UH, YES MA'AM. UH, I'M SO SORRY, SIR. I, I'M TRYING TO FIND WHERE I HIT, UH, THE NUMBER. BUT, UM, I'M ACTUALLY CALLING, UH, IN REGARDS TO AN ANIMAL SHELTER, IT CALLED BARK. UM, MY CONCERN IS THE ANIMALS THAT ARE GETTING PUT DOWN DAILY, LIKE IN HIGH AMOUNTS OF NUMBERS, UM, THERE'S NO TRANSPORTATION WHEN THERE'S PROGRAMS OUT THERE. UM, I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT IS PREVENTING THIS SHELTER FROM BECOMING A NO KILL SHELTER? I'M SORRY. AND THE QUESTION IS IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO CHANGE THAT OR TO HELP PREVENT ANY MORE, UH, KILLINGS. I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE FUNDING IS GOING IN THIS PARTICULAR SHELTER, SO THAT'S LIKE ONE OF MY CONCERNS. YEAH. WELL THERE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FACTORS THAT ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT AN AN ANIMAL IS PUT DOWN. WE DON'T WANNA PUT DOWN ANY ANIMAL THAT'S NUMBER ONE. SO WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO DO THAT. BUT A LOT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT, UH, AS RESPECT TO THE CONDITION DISPOSITION, UM, OF THE ANIMAL ITSELF. UH, OVER OVERCROWDING IS ANOTHER ELEMENT. AND UM, THAT'S WHY WE'RE TAKING STEPS TO PROVIDE EVEN ADDED CAPACITY. SO I CAN'T, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A SPECIFIC, UM, RESPONSE. THIS DEPENDS ON THE CONDITIONS THAT EXIST AT THE, AT THE TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. UH, OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. AND I JUST WANTED TO ANSWER, UM, THAT THE, A LOT OF THE ANIMALS HAVE BEEN LIKE HEALTHY AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TIME, I GUESS, TO FOSTER THEM OUT. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY WAY, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY COULD MAYBE GET A NEW DIRECTOR OR I'M GETTING A, IT'S NOT ABOUT GETTING A NEW DIRECTOR, BUT IF THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO [01:15:01] FOSTER OR ADOPT ANIMALS, WE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO THAT. WE DO, WE DO PUT OUT A LIST BEFORE ANY ANIMALS ARE PUT DOWN IN MANY CASES. AND SO IF PEOPLE WANT TO ADOPT, WE ENCOURAGE ADOPTION. UH, IF PEOPLE WANTS TO FOSTER, AS LONG AS THEY'RE PROVIDING A LOVING ENVIRONMENT HOME FOR THESE ANIMALS, WE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE THAT. SO, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR CALLING IN. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. CHRISTINE MOORE. CHRISTINE MOORE, STAR SIX. CHRISTINE. CHRISTINE. CHRISTINE MOORE. NEXT SPEAKER. ERICA BLANEY. ERICA BLANEY, CALLING IN FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. ERICA BLANEY. ERICA BLANEY. NEXT SPEAKER. JANE MADDOX. JANE MADDOX, THE PRESS STAR. SIX. JANE MADDOX. STAR SIX. JANE MADDOX, STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. SUSAN WAGNER. SUSAN WAGNER VIA PRESS STAR SIX. SUSAN WAGNER. STAR SIX SUSAN. NEXT SPEAKER. DEBORAH ALLEN. DEBORAH BORA. ELAINE ALLEN. IF YOU PRESS STAR SIX, DEBORAH BORA. ELAINE ALLEN, STAR SIX. DEBORAH BORA. ELAINE ADAM ALLEN. NEXT SPEAKER WALTER VIDELL. WALTER VIDELL AND WALTER AL. WALTER VIDAL. WALTER VIDELL VIA PRESS STAR SIX. WALTER BADAL. NEXT SPEAKER. JOHN DAVIS. JOHN DAVIS CALLING IN FROM DALLAS. JOHN DAVIS. YOU PRESS STAR SIX. MAYOR, CAN YOU HEAR ME? MR. DAVIS, CAN WE HELP YOU FROM DALLAS? THIS IS MR. DAVIS. YEAH, I'M FROM DALLAS, TEXAS RIGHT NOW I'M IN MEXICO. UH, I GOT A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU MR. MAYOR. UH, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS THIS, YOU MADE AN ARREST ON THE TAKEOFF CASE AND ONCE YOU MADE AN ARREST, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU ARRESTED, THEY WAS INVOLVED IN ANOTHER MURDER, SAME DICE GAME AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION. HIS NAME IS JAMES CROSS, AKA DUKE, THE JEWELER. IT'S BEEN 60 DAYS. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE AN ARREST ON DUKE THE JEWELER'S CASE? THE SAME PEOPLE THAT WAS INVOLVED WITH THE TAKEOFF CASE ARE THE SAME ONES INVOLVED WITH DUKE, THE JEWELER CASE. AND WE DO SEE PICTURES OF YOU WITH ONE OF THE SHOOTERS. MR. MICHAEL PRINCE. I HAVE PICTURES WITH YOU AND MR. MICHAEL PRINCE AND PICTURES WITH YOU AND MR. J PRINCE, HIS SON IS THE ONE THAT STEPPED OVER THE DEAD BODY. IT TOOK Y'ALL 31 DAYS TO MAKE AN ARREST. WHEN ARE YOU GONNA MAKE AN ARREST ON DUKE? THE JEWELER. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? YES, I DO HAVE SOMETHING ELSE TOO. UH, I WANT TO SAY YOU JUST GAVE 50 CENTS THE KEYS TO THE CITY. WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? MAN IS A FELON FROM NEW YORK CITY. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? HE MOVED TO HOUSTON, TEXAS TO SOLVE MURDERS. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY. YOUR TIME EXPIRED. THANK YOU. AND I, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MY THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, LARRY JACKSON. AARON JACKSON FROM GEORGIA. AARON JACKSON, STAR SIX GREETING MARY. HOW, HOW YOU DOING? EVERYTHING IS GOOD. OKAY. OKAY. SO, UM, I'M A FROM ATLANTA, I'M A CITIZEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE ARTIST TAKE OFFICE THAT, UH, DIED IN YOUR CITY LAST MONTH. AND, UH, I WANTED TO KNOW THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND JAY PRINCE SENIOR AND HAVE YOU AND JAY PRINCE SENIOR CREATED LIKE ANY PROGRAM TO LIKE UPLIFT THE, UH, KIRSTEN, UH, COMMUNITY. AND I ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE WAS INJURED AT THE, UH, BOWLING ALLEY ON THE, UH, NIGHT TAKEOFF SIDE? OKAY, LEMME BACK IN. LEMME REFER YOU TO THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, OKAY? OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. TAMELA MATTHEWS. ELLA MATTHEWS, PRESS STAR SIX. ELLA MATTHEWS, STAR SIX ELLA MATTHEWS. HELLO, PAPERWORK. THIS IS ME. YES, MA'AM. SAM MATTHEWS. HI MAYOR. I AM A CONCERNED, UM, PARENT AND MOTHER OF, UH, HOUSTONIAN. UM, I HAD PLANNED ON MOVING TO HOUSTON, BUT, UM, UM, I THINK THAT KEEP RUNNING INTO THIS SAME PROBLEM OF THE CRIME, THE MURDERS THAT'S TAKEN PLACE IN HOUSTON. AND I WANNA [01:20:01] KNOW WHY IT IS THAT THE SAME PEOPLE THAT'S, UM, CONNECTED WITH, UM, THE TAKEOFF CASE, IT'S THE SAME PEOPLE CONNECTED IN THE DUKE, THE JEWELERS CASE, WHICH IS NOT BEING LOOKED AT AT THIS POINT. BUT I FEEL LIKE IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS COMING OUT THAT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PRINCE FAMILY AS WELL AS, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT'S INVOLVED IN THESE, UM, MURDERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, ASHLEY HAYNES. ASHLEY HAYNES FROM CINCINNATI, OHIO STAR SIX ASHLEY HAYNES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. SO WE HAVE A NUMBERS PROBLEM IN HOUSTON AND HOUSTON. 22% OF BLACK AMERICANS MAKE UP HOUSTON, BUT YET THE MAJORITY OF THE SHOOTINGS IN PRISONS ARE BLACK AMERICANS. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS IN THE TAKEOFF CASE, LITTLE CAM IS SEEN WITH HIS GUN SHOOTING, HIS GUN SHOOTING TAKEOFF. WHY IS HE NOT BEING CHARGED? AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE WITNESSES? THE PRINCE FAMILY, SPECIFICALLY J PRINCE JR, CONTACTED AND PAID WITNESSES $10,000 IN SOME CASES, NOT TO SPEAK TO POLICE, TO GIVE THE NURSE FOOTAGE THIS INTIMIDATION AND BRIBERY AT ITS FINEST. HOW DO WE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOU TO DO YOUR JOB WHEN YOU ARE SEEING HANGING OUT WITH THE PRINCE FAMILY AND ASSOCIATES TAKING PICTURES AND ICED OUT JEWELRY? IT'S UNSETTLING TO SAY THE LEAST. THE PRINCE FAMILY BRAG ABOUT HOW THEY RUN HOUSTON, HOW WE HAVE TO CHECK IN WITH THEM. I THOUGHT THE MAYOR RAN THE CITY. THE PRINCE FAMILY HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY GOING BACK 30 YEARS, AND WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. THEY CAN'T POISON OUR CITY. AND GIVE US A TURKEY AND A SMILE AND THINK THAT MAKES IT OKAY. YOU'RE OUR MAYOR. TAKE THE PLACE LEAD, LEAD US AND OUR CHILDREN. TWO FINE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOU TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER SUNDAY RAINEY. SUNDAY RAINEY FROM MARILYN STAR SIX SANDY RYAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. I'M HERE READINGS TO EVERYONE AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS. I'M HERE BECAUSE I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PUBLIC SAFETY. AS A FORMER RESIDENT OF HOUSTON, I USED TO LIVE IN CORPUS CHRISTI. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY HAVE YOU ALLOCATED FROM THE FISCAL BUDGET FOR THE THIRD AND THE FOURTH QUARTER IN LIGHT OF THE TWO CRIMES, THE TWO MURDERS OF MR. BALL AND MR. CROSS THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR PATROL A TASK FORCE, UM, TO CONTROL THESE DICE, GANGS, AND ALSO, UH, A DIVERSION PROGRAM OF SOME SORT FOR THE YOUTH. BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT MR. JOSHUA STARTED HIS LIFE OF CRIME AS A YOUTH AND ESSENTIALLY THE CITY FAILED HIM. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHEELED IN AND TAKEN INTO SOME SORT OF PROGRAM THAT WOULD'VE HELPED DETER HIM FROM HANGING AROUND WITH THESE OLDER GUYS AND LEADING A LIFE OF CRIME. SO I'M SURE THE CITIZENS WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING WHAT DO YOU GUYS HAVE IN PLAN IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE TO COMBAT THESE PROBLEMS TO ENSURE THAT THEIR SON IS NOT THE NEXT VICTIM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, WILLIE WILSON. WILLIE WILSON. UH, PRESS STAR SIX FROM FLORIDA, WILLIE WILSON, STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER, QUEEN JONES. QUEEN JONES. IF YOU PRESSED STAR SIX QUEEN JONES FROM STAR SIX QUEEN JONES. NEXT SPEAKER. EBONY BRADSHAW. EBONY BRADSHAW, THE PRESS START SIX, FROM GEORGIA EBO EBONY BRADSHAW, VOTED EBONY BRADSHAW, STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. AUSTIN LEWIS. AUSTIN LEWIS. IS AUSTIN HERE? YES. TO BE FOLLOWED BY LARISSA JACOBS. HOW'S IT GOING, COUNSEL? UH, MY NAME'S AUSTIN LEWIS. UM, I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUILDING, I BELIEVE FIVE OR SIX TIMES NOW. I HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK. BUT, UH, THERE'S A CITY ORDINANCE IN PLACE AND IT'S, IT'S, UH, CITY ORDINANCE TWO DASH FOUR 14. AND THAT ENFORCES THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PASSED BY [01:25:01] THE MAYOR'S OFFICE HERE FOR SECURITY ON CITY PREMISES. UH, THE SECURITY PERSONNEL DOWNSTAIRS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE A PHYSICAL ID IN ORDER TO COME INTO THIS BUILDING. UH, THE ONLY TIME I HAVE TO GIVE A PHYSICAL ID IN THIS STATE IS IF I'VE BEEN LAWFULLY ARRESTED. THAT IS THE ONLY TIME I HAVE TO GIVE A PHYSICAL ID. I HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN THIS BUILDING ONCE BEFORE FOR COMING INTO THIS BUILDING FOR TRESPASSING. IT'S NOT ILLEGAL. YOU CAN COME INTO THIS BUILDING. THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S BUILDING. Y'ALL WORK FOR US. MAYOR, YOU WORK FOR US. I WOULD ASK THAT YOU ADDRESS THIS WITH THE SECURITY AND YOUR OFFICERS SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS CHANGED BECAUSE IT IS ABSOLUTELY APPALLING THAT I HAVE TO CO I HAVE TO COME TO THIS BUILDING AND BRING A PHYSICAL ID. WHAT IF THERE'S HOMELESS PEOPLE THAT WANT TO COME HERE? WHAT IF THERE'S HOMELESS PEOPLE THAT WANNA COME HERE AND SPEAK AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING? YOU'RE GONNA MAKE THEM BUY AN ID TO COME INTO THIS BUILDING. RIDICULOUS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER LARISSA JACOBS. LARISSA LARISSA JACOBS TO BE FOLLOWED BY ELVA TREVINO. HI, FIT HOUSTON IS DEDICATED TO INCREASING ACCESS TO FREE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS. UM, OUR VISION IS THAT HOUSTON WILL BE ACTIVE AND VIBRANT AND SUPER HEALTHY AND VERY FULLY ENERGETIC. UM, OUR EFFORT FIT HOUSTON GREW OUT OF THE HOUSTON 2036 TASK FORCE ON EQUITY, UM, AS LED BY LARRY PAYNE AND CAMBRA MARSHALL AND OTHER KEY LEADERS. UM, WE'RE WORKING ON FOUR THINGS AND WE'RE JUST HERE TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THEM. THE FIRST THING IS THE CITYWIDE HEALTH CAMPAIGN. WE'RE WORKING ON FREE OUTDOOR GYMS CALLED FIT LOTS. WE ARE, UH, WORKING ON A CITYWIDE WELLNESS MOVEMENT WITH LOTS OF PARTNERS, UM, AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. SO IN JANUARY, ON JANUARY 1ST, WE'RE GONNA START HASHTAG WALK 30, WHICH IS OUR CAMPAIGN TO GET EVERYBODY TO WALK. UM, THIS IS A KNOWN DRIVER OF GOOD HEALTH AND CAN PREVENT AND CONTROL CHRONIC DISEASE. UM, SOME OF THE COMMITTED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE WITH US, UH, AND FRIENDS ARE DONNA COLE OF COLE CHEMICAL, BAKER RIPLEY, THE YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON RICE UNIVERSITY, U OF H. CAN I KEEP GOING? YEAH, TIME HAS EXPIRED. UM, HOPE CLINIC COUNCIL, COUNCILMAN MAY COEN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU LARISSA. I'VE MET WITH, UM, WITH LARRY PAYNE AND WITH LA LARISSA. SHE'S GOT LOTS OF GREAT PLANS. MAYOR, THIS IS A WELCOME. UM, WELCOME. THE WALKING THING'S GONNA BE REALLY EXCITING AND WE'RE GONNA GET ALL INVOLVED IN THE WALK 30 AND PROMOTE WALKING MEETINGS INSTEAD OF SITTING AROUND AND MEETING ALL THE TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD DO IT IN THIS HORSESHOE, BUT AT LEAST STAFF MEETINGS, UH, START DOING WALKING MEETINGS. SO WE'LL BE DOING SOME WORK AND HELPING OUT WITH SOME GRAPHICS ON THAT. BUT, UH, THE, THE, IF YOU WANNA JUST GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE, ON THE 2036, UH, TASK FORCE. I WOULD TO THINK THAT'S INTERESTING. PEOPLE MIGHT NOT, MIGHT KNOW THIS IS GOING ON OR NOT KNOW IT'S GOING ON, BUT TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. UM, THE HOUSTON 2036 TASK FORCE ON EQUITY WAS REALLY, UM, AN INCUBATOR FOR 36 LEADERS FROM ALL OVER HOUSTON. A LOT OF US ARE DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE COMMUNITY. WE WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITIES NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS. WE LISTENED TO YOUR RESIDENTS, UM, AND WE GOT TOGETHER AND WE TRIED TO COME UP WITH INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS. MY GROUP WAS DEALING WITH HEALTH, HEALTH EQUITY. WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FREE WAYS TO ADDRESS AND PREVENT DISEASE. WE ALSO HAD OTHER GROUPS ADDRESSING SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE. WE'LL HAVE A SYMPOSIUM JANUARY 21ST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, EVA TREVINO. EVA TREVINO VIS IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ. HI EVERYONE. SO I'M LUCK. I'M HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THE HAPPIER PART OF TODAY. UM, MY NAME IS ELVA VINNO. I'M THE OWNER OF CHAMPIONS CLUB. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, FOR YOUR PROCLAMATION ON OUR MOVEMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC IN HEALTH AND FITNESS TO JUST RAISE THE CITY. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR ANY OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THAT. I'M REALLY EXCITED TO JOIN FORCES AND TO BE A BOARD MEMBER FOR FIT HOUSTON. UM, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING AND THIS NONPROFIT IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING FREE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT WILL LEAD TO HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES. WE ARE HERE TODAY TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT, LIKE WE MENTIONED, UM, IN OUR MISSION IN A TIME WHERE A CITY NEEDS IT THE MOST. AND TO BE HONEST, BEING IN HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR 10 YEARS, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING A MOTHER AND COMING FROM A LEAF TEXAS AND SEEING SO MANY OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE LESS RESOURCES, LESS LEADERSHIP, UM, LESS FAITH ASPECT TO JUST WHAT THEY IMPLEMENT ACROSS A CITY, I SEE SUCH A PROBLEM, UM, COMING FROM HEALTH ISSUES, MYSELF AND MY FATHER HAVING CANCER, THAT THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH ACCESS. BUT WE SHOULD BE THE HEALTHIEST CITY IN AMERICA. AND I'M COMMITTED THROUGH MY HEALTH ISSUES TO CONTINUE TO SEE THE CITY THRIVE. BUT JOINING FORCES WITH FIT HOUSTON, WE NEED YOUR INVOLVEMENT, WHETHER IT BE POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SITTING DOWN WITH US, TALKING TO US, OPENING UP CONTACTS, UH, BLOCKING ARMS WITH LARISSA AND THE OTHER LEADERS THAT ARE HELPING US. WE KNOW THAT WE CAN [01:30:01] DO THIS BY 2036. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, AND I'M VERY PROUD OF WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING. LOOK FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. YES. OKAY. I'M SORRY, ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND. ONE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU BOTH, UM, FOR COMING UP AND SHARING, YOU KNOW, YOUR PROJECT. I KNOW I HAD A CONVERSA CONVERSATION WITH YOU EARLIER THIS SUMMER ABOUT, UM, PUTTING FIT LOTS THROUGHOUT THE PARKS, UM, WITHIN, UM, DISTRICT B, UM, EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THOSE CONVERSATIONS. I KNOW YOU SPOKE WITH ANDY EKIN AND HE'S DOING SOME PROJECTS ON THAT AS WELL. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PARTNERSHIP. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN AND SHARING AND THANK YOU ON WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PERSONAL EXAMPLE. IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, AND YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. JUST WANTED TO PUT MY APPRECIATION IN AS WELL. I KNOW I SPOKE WITH LARRY PAYNE AS WELL ABOUT THIS GREAT PROGRAM. OF COURSE, 2036 WILL BE OUR 200TH ANNIVERSARY AS A CITY AND AS THE STATE OF TEXAS. IT'S A GREAT AND AUSPICIOUS OCCASION. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. I'M A PLANNER, SO I WANNA BE ON YOUR PLANS AND IF YOU ALL WOULD REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE, I'D, I'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU. I LOVE THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO BRIDGE THE GENERATIONS AND I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A GREAT WAY IN SO MANY WAYS FOR THE EQUITY, THE TASK FORCE. AND, UM, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU BOTH. NEXT SPEAKER, MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ. MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ, PRESS STAR SIX. MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ. STAR SIX. MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ, STAR SIX. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. I, I WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOU THE ISSUES I HAVE, UH, ABOUT CREDIBILITY. UM, UH, UH, SUSPECTED ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DEPARTMENT OF HARRIS COUNTY DOMESTIC RELATIONS OFFICE, UH, CASE AL , UH, IN PREPARING A CHILD REPORT, UH, SHE HAS FALSIFIED MEDICAL RECORDS, CRIMINAL RECORDS, CHILD ABUSE, CHILD ENGAGEMENT, TESTIMONY WITH GOVERNMENT, CODE DOCUMENT, GENDER DISCRIMINATION, MARGINALIZED, I SUSPECT MARIA ENA OF TAKING BRAS AND FALSIFYING HIS, UH, EVALUATION REPORTS. HOW CAN WE LET OUR CHILDREN BE ROBBED OF THEIR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY CHILDREN IS THE BEST . WHY, WHY THERE IS NO CREDIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, ETHICAL AND INTEGRITY. UH, THIS ORGANIZ, UH, ORGANIZATION HAS TO REALLY LOOK AT, UH, UH, THE FEDERAL LEVEL INVESTIGATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AM OUR NEXT SPEAKER, AMBER KORA. AMBER IS HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY JEFF BERG. JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT 99 HOMESTEAD WAS OVER. UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS AMBER COR. I'M A LICENSED ATTORNEY THAT WHO PRACTICE REAL ESTATE AND CONSTRUCTION LAW. AS AN ATTORNEY AND ADVOCATE, I TRULY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ADVOCATING FOR THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. I'M GONNA START OFF BY SAYING I RESPECT EVERYONE'S POSITION AND THOUGHTS. HOWEVER, AS I MENTIONED, AS I ATTENDED LAST TUESDAY'S COUNCILMAN MEETING, I WAS ASTONISHED TO HEAR THE ALLEGATIONS AND UNTRUTHS THAT WERE SPOKEN AGAINST MR. KANI REGARDING NINE 20 HOMESTEAD. MR. KANI WAS CALLED THE SLUMLORD OUTSIDER, SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND BASED ON THOSE STATEMENTS, IT WAS PROPOSED TO COUNSEL THAT MR. KANIS COMPANY SHOULD NOT RECEIVE FUNDING FOR THE A HDP 2000 HOLMES PROJECT. THESE COMMENTS WERE TORTIOUS AND DEFAMATORY. I KNOW OUR LEADERS ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE HOUSTON BETTER. HOWEVER, BEHAVIOR THAT IN ENTAILS EXAGGERATION MANIPULATION OF THE TRUTH, YET TIME HAS EXPIRED, WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE, BUT, BUT TO POSSIBLE LITIGATION. SO, AS WE'VE SAID BEFORE, THE BEST WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS IS EVERYONE COMING TOGETHER AND FORMING A PLAN THAT WORKS INSTEAD OF SPEWING UNTRUTHS. AND THAT'S ALL. THANK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK NEXT SPEAKER BERG. JEFF BERG. UM, PRESS STAR SIX. JEFF BERG. STAR SIX. JEFF BERG. STAR SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. RHONDA JONES. BRENDA JONES. STAR SIX. RHONDA JONES. SIX. RHONDA JONES. SIX. NEXT SPEAKER. I, MAN VIS, [01:35:04] HELLO. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR TURNER. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, I WANNA ADDRESS YOU. THERE IS NO EVICTION AT THIS POINT, BUT I WANNA SAY THIS IN SPANISH RECENTLY. I HAVEN'T CONFRONTED BY THE LDS MEMBERS OF, UH, THE WAR OF GREENS BAY. THEY THREATEN ME TO, UH, SEND ME TO JAIL FOR TRESPASSING WHEN I HAVE BEEN TAKING MY DAUGHTER TO CHURCH. AND I'LL SAY THIS, NOT ONLY PERSONA YEAH. TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO ME, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER KASH, ABOUT THE DRONES THAT THEY WERE FLYING ON THE CITY. AND I DO NOT AGREE. I WILL DEFEND MYSELF BECAUSE I'M TIRED OF THIS MAYOR. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. JACOB CLEMENT. HI GUYS. JACOB. OKAY, UH, I TOLD THAT I WAS COMING HERE AND HE SAID, TELL HIM TO, AND HE SAID, THE EMPHATICALLY STOP THE CRIME IN HOUSTON, PLEASE EX MULTIPLE EXCL, MARK. AND THEN HE SAID, TELL THEM THAT'S WHAT HOUSTON WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS. NOW, THAT'S A SEPARATE, WHAT I SAY NOW IS, YOU KNOW, WHY I'M WEARING THIS GARBAGE, NOT GARBAGE UNIFORM IS BECAUSE THIS IS MY UNIFORM WHEN I WORK AT THAT, NOT THAT NO MEN, NOT MEN PARK, BUT AN RG STADIUM. AND WELL, I'M LUCKY I CAN WEAR THIS TIE. AND IT HAS, UH, THE TIE CLUB FOR THE HEATH HOUSTON TEXANS, AND, UH, ANOTHER TIE PEN FROM, UH, STRANGER AND THE STREET, STREET LEVEL, UH, PART OF THAT AND THE MEN OF NRD STADIUM. AND I HAVE ON BLACK SLACKS, BLACK TENNIS SHOES. AND THIS SHIRT IS WHAT ARAMARK PROVIDES US TO WEAR THIS PURPLE, PURPLE SHIRT. SO, YOU KNOW, I'M A ROYAL PEN AND THE, YOU KNOW WHAT, YEAH, TIME HAS EXPIRED. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR JACOB, AS ALWAYS, IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU. I JUST WANTED TO SAY HI, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO AT NRGI. I REALLY LIKE THAT TEXANS TIE. UH, WHAT'S THE, WHICH HOLIDAY DO YOU PREFER? HANUKKAH OR YUM? KI OH, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. SEE? YUM. KIPPER IS LIKE THE MOST SOMBER DAY IN THE JEWISH CALENDAR. YEAH. SO I GOTTA RECOGNIZE THAT IN THE OBSERVANCE OF IT. BUT HANUKKAH FOR KIDS, EIGHT NIGHTS OF GIFTS. CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THAT. YEAH. MM-HMM . WELL, UM, OKAY. AND, UH, DAVE MARTIN AND DASH ARE GONNA REPEAT. AND ALSO DAVE ROBINSON, THE BOSTON RED SOX, THEY'RE GONNA GO, WELL, THEY, THEY'LL PROBABLY BE THE YANKEES THAT WAS FROM ROBINSON. JACOB, I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU DIDN'T, UH, PAY UP AND GET JUSTIN VERLANDER TO STAY HERE AND LET HIM GO TO THE METS. WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED? I'M BROKE . OH, WE LOVE ME. REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. NEXT HERE. I HAVE A, A, UH, A OLYMPIC PEN THAT I GOT FROM, UH, MY BOSS AT, UH, UH, ENERGY SETTING. SHE WAS A, A HOUSEKEEPER, RIGHT? WITH THE 22 2 OLYMPIC, TOKYO, JAPAN. AND I WENT TO THE OLYMPIC PARALYMPICS IN 92, 96 AND 2002. GOOD DEAL. THANKS JACOB. AYE. NEXT SPEAKER. JOHNNY GENTRY. JOHNNY GENTRY, YOU PRESS STAR SIX. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK. JOHNNY GENTRY. JOHNNY GENTRY. STAR SIX. JOHNNY GENTRY. JOHNNY GENTRY. NEXT SPEAKER. THIS COMPLETES THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. WE STAND IN [RECESS] RECESS. WE STAND IN RECESS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:00 AM 9 0 5 20 22. I'M MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. [RECONVENE] UH, AND I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER, [REPORT FROM CITY CONTROLLER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY including but not limited to, a revenue, expenditure and encumbrance report for the General Fund, all special revenue funds and all enterprise funds, and a report on the status of bond funds and a Quarterly Investment Report by the City Controller ] UH, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS ON TODAY'S AGENDA WILL BE THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. LET ME RECOGNIZE COMPTROLLER CHRIS BROWN AND, [01:40:01] UH, THE FINANCIAL DIRECTOR, WILL JONES. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING OCTOBER 31ST IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 300.8 MILLION FOR FY 23. THIS IS 37.7 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 127.2 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING SEVEN POINT A HALF PERCENT OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES AND RESERVES. THE FY 23 BEGINNING FUND BALANCE IS 16.5 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE FY 22 ENDING FUND BALANCE REPORTED IN THE JUNE 30TH MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. UH, THIS INCREASE IS DUE TO YEAR END ADJUSTMENTS TO REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES THAT WILL NOT BE FINAL UNTIL THE FY 22 ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT IS PUBLISHED. OUR PROJECTIONS ARE UNCHANGED FROM THE SEPTEMBER 22 REPORT. UH, IF WE LOOK AT OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS, WE HAVE NO CHANGES IN OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS. AND MOVING ON TO OUR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS, ALL OF OUR VARIABLE RATE DEBT IS BELOW THE 20% THRESHOLD. AND THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD MORNING. THIS IS THE FOUR PLUS EIGHT FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING OCTOBER 31ST, 2022. FISCAL YEAR 2023. PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON FOUR MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS AND EIGHT MONTHS OF PROJECTIONS IN THE GENERAL FUND. OUR REVENUE PROJECTION IS 4 MILLION LOWER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM, UH, PRIOR MONTH'S REPORT. UH, SAME FOR THE EXPENDITURES. OUR PROJECTIONS REMAIN UNCHANGED FROM THEIR PRIOR REPORT. UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THE ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 338.5 MILLION, WHICH IS 14.6% OF EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. THE FUND BALANCE IS 165 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGET AT 7.5% FOR THE ENTERPRISE AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS. WE ARE PROJECTING NO CHANGES FROM THE PRIOR MONTH. UH, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU BOTH. ANY QUESTIONS TO EITHER THE COMPTROLLER OR TO THE FINANCE DIRECTOR? HEARING SEEN NONE, UH, CHAIR RECOGNIZES MAYOR PROTO FOR MOTION. YES, MAYOR. MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR OCTOBER AS PRESENTED. SECOND, ROBINSON MOVED. AND SECOND, ANY OBJECTION? CHAIR IS NONE. AND MOTION IS GRANT. THANK YOU BOTH. APPRECIATE IT. MM-HMM . LET'S SEE. [MAYOR'S REPORT] JUST A FEW, FEW COMMENTS. UH, OF COURSE, UH, WE WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF FLU SEASON, SO LET ME ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET THEIR FLU SHOTS, UH, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE JUST, UM, CAME OUT OF THANKSGIVING AND OUR WAY TO THE, UH, HOLIDAY SEASON, END OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. SO PLEASE GET YOUR FLU SHOTS. UM, WE WERE OUT AT BREWSTER PARK IN FIFTH WARD, THE NICKEL YESTERDAY. I WANT TO THANK JALEN GREEN, THE ROCKETS, ADIDAS, UH, FOR, UM, REDOING THAT, THOSE, THAT BASKETBALL COURT OUT THERE, THE BACKBOARDS, THE, UH, THE FLOOR ITSELF. UM, THE KIDS. I MEAN, KIDS LOVED IT. SO I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THEM AND GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO JAYLEN GREEN. HE'S A SUPERSTAR ON THE COURT, BUT HE'S A SUPERSTAR IN THE COMMITTEE. I MEAN, IN THE COMMUNITY. A YOUNG MAN DOING A, DOING AN AWESOME JOB. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU JAYLEN. UH, WITH THEIR SUPPORT, THEY'VE GOT, UH, UM, NEW LED LIGHTING, NEW BACKBOARDS ORNAMENTAL FENCING, UH, JAYDEN GREEN SIGNATURE COURT ARTWORK INSTALLED BY PROJECT, UH, BACKBOARD, UH, WHICH ADDS A SPECIAL TOUCH. AND EVEN MORE, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF VETERANS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS REMINDS US THAT TODAY IS NATIONAL PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DATE. AND SO ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 7TH, 1941, JAPAN LAUNCHED A SNEAK ATTACK ON THE US SPECIFIC FLEETS BASE AT PEARL HARBOR IN HAWAII. AND THIS DATE IS TO REMEMBER AND HONOR THE 2,403 AMERICANS WHO WERE KILLED DURING THIS ATTACK. UM, I WANT TO THANK SPECIAL EVENTS SUSAN CHRISTIAN AND HER TEAM, UH, FOR THE RELIANT ENERGY MAYOR'S HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR, UH, UH, THAT TOOK PLACE ON SATURDAY NIGHT. IT WAS, UM, THEY DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB. AND SO I WANT TO THANK THEM. THEY'VE HAD, THEY'VE HAD TO DO THREE PARADES IN THE MONTH IN NOVEMBER. UM, AND THEN, OF COURSE, TURN AROUND AND DO THE RELIANT ENERGY MAYORS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR. UH, LET ME THANK, UH, LET ME THANK, UH, [01:45:01] ALL OF THEM, ALL OF THE SPONSORS, EMPLOYEES, UH, POLICE, UH, YOUR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES FOR HELPING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. UH, PLEASE REMEMBER AND PUT ON YOUR CALENDARS, UH, THAT OUR, OUR NEXT MAJOR PARADE IS NEXT MONTH FOR MLK MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY ON JANUARY 16TH, 2023. SO, UH, PLEASE, UH, PUT THAT ON YOUR CALENDARS AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE. UH, THIS, UH, WE PARTNER WITH THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY FOR THE 40 45TH ANNUAL ORIGINAL MM MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY PARADE. SO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE CAN SIGN UP ONLINE, AND WE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON. BUT THAT'S THE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY PARADE ON JANUARY THE 16TH ON DOWNTOWN. SO, UH, DO PLAN, DO PLAN TO ATTEND. UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S IT FOR, FOR, FOR ME, UH, FOR TODAY. SO, UH, [CONSENT AGENDA] NOW WE CAN PROCEED TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. MISCELLANEOUS ITEM ONE IS A MOTION T MOVE SECOND ROBINSON THEN MOVED AND SECONDED ON ITEM ON ITEM ONE, UH, DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED AND GRANTED, THIS IS FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HARRIS COUNTY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NUMBER 12. UH, IF YOU ARE HERE, PLEASE STAND. POSITION ONE IS JEFF DARCY. POSITION TWO IS STEVEN C HAM. POSITION THREE IS DAVID BELL. AND POSITION FOUR IS WILLIAM RA ROSS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH, UH, ALL OF THEM ON THIS PARTICULAR, UH, BOARD. THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM, ITEM TWO IS A MOTION CASTEX TATUM, MOVE SECOND ROBINSON. AND MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEM TWO. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED AND GRANTED THIS IS TO, UM, HOUSTON CIVIC EVENTS. UM, AND IF YOU ARE HERE, PLEASE STAND. UH, POSITION TWO IS LISA FARDA HARPER. AND POSITION FOUR IS KIM IRIS KING. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THESE TWO ON, UH, HOUSTON CIVIC EVENTS. ITEM THREE IS A MOTION CASTEX A MOVE. SECOND ROBINSON. ITEMS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION, PURCHASE AND TABULATION CATEGORY ITEM SEVEN, EIGHT. UH, JUST NEED A VOTE ON THE BALANCE SEVEN THROUGH 11. SECOND, MOVE ROBINSON ON ONE SECOND, ONE SECOND. UM, SEVEN THROUGH 11 ON SEVEN THROUGH 11. RIGHT NOW WE'LL COME BACK TO THREE ON 7, 2 11. UM, IT'S BEEN MOVED IN. IT IS BEEN MOVED IN SECOND ON ITEM SEVEN THROUGH 11. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR, OPPOSE, AND GRANTED. UH, AND NOW WE'LL GO BACK TO THREE. DO WE NEED A MOTION ON THREE? ITEM THREE. MOTION VOTED. WE DID, WE DID THREE. WE NEED FOUR. FIVE. ADAM THREE NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX. TATUM, MOVE SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED IN SECOND ON ITEM THREE. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION. A FAVOR, OPPOSED AND GRANTED. MM-HMM . ITEM 12 HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY. ITEM 16 HAS BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 19 HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED AND WILL BE CONSIDERED AF IF IT IS RECEIVED BEFORE THE END OF THE MEETING. ITEMS REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION OR ITEM 13, 21, 22, 24, AND 40. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN ARE 13, 21, 22, 24, AND 40. JUST NEED A VOTE ON THE BALANCE IN DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED AND GRANTED ITEM VOTE, ACCEPT CONSIDERATION. ITEM FOUR NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM, MOVE SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED IN SECOND ON ITEM FOUR. COUNCILMAN MC CAMAN ON FOUR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THIS IS FOR APPROVAL OF GREATER HARRIS COUNTY NINE ONE ONE'S EMERGENCY, UH, BUDGET. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY, THEY REQUIRE THE MAJOR CITIES THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE REGION TO APPROVE THEIR BUDGET. UH, AND ONCE WE APPROVE THE BUDGET, WE ACTUALLY AS A CITY [01:50:01] GET REIMBURSED THE AMOUNT THAT'S ON THE AGENDA. MAYOR, I DID WANNA HIGHLIGHT ONE ITEM THAT WAS DISCUSSED DURING COMMITTEE WHEN THIS WAS BROUGHT FORWARD. WE APPRECIATE GREATLY THE PARTNERSHIP OF GREATER HARRIS COUNTY 9 1 1. THEY'VE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND EVEN PROVIDING NEW EQUIPMENT, UH, FOR HPD DEATHS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. HOWEVER, WE STILL CONTINUE TO, UH, RECEIVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT LONGER THAN NORMAL WAIT TIMES FOR NON-EMERGENCY LINES WITH 9 1 1. AND WE KNOW THAT ALL CALLS ARE RECEIVED FROM THE SAME OPERATORS. SO AS WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH GREATER HARRIS COUNTY 9 1 1, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION AT THE HORSESHOE THROUGH COMMITTEE ABOUT WHAT MORE CAN WE BE DOING WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT HOUSTON IS GETTING THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED AS A CITY IN THE LARGEST REGION THAT COVERS EMERGENCY RESPONSE. SO I, I JUST WANNA BRING THAT TO THE FOREFRONT. I APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES DISCUSSIONS ON THAT. I THINK OUR 9 1 1 OPERATORS ARE DOING AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB. THEY NEED MORE SUPPORT IN WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO LEAN ON OUR PARTNERS AT OTHER LEVELS TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. UH, I THINK WE WOULD ALL BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, TOTALLY, TOTALLY AGREE, SO APPRECIATE IT. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM FOUR IN FAVOR? OPPOSED GRANTED ON ITEM FOUR, ITEM FIVE NEEDS A MOTION. TATUM MOVED. SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED. AND SECOND ON ITEM FIVE. UH, CHAIR. RECOGNIZE THIS MAYOR PRO TEMPT ON ITEM FIVE. YES, MAYOR, I TAG THIS, I SQUARED THIS ITEM, UH, TO GIVE KUDOS TO HOUSTON. FIRST. NOT GONNA TAG IT, GUYS. OKAY. YOU KNOW, THE LAST TWO YEARS WHEN YOU'RE IN THE CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU AND YOU'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF ATTRACTING PEOPLE TO YOUR CITY AND YOU CAN'T DO IT BECAUSE THERE ARE NO FLIGHTS AND THERE ARE PER NOBODY'S IN HOTELS. IT, IT MADE FOR A TOUGH, DIFFICULT TIME FOR THE FOLKS AT HOUSTON FIRST AND JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN A TOUGH TIME. AND THEN TO GIVE THEM KUDOS FOR WHAT THIS BUDGET LOOKS LIKE MOVING FORWARD. UH, REALLY GOOD PICTURE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WERE VERY BLEAK, BUT, UH, DUE TO THE HARD WORK AND DILIGENCE, AND I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE CHAIRMAN DAVID MINTZBERG'S, CEO, MICHAEL HECKMAN, CFO, FRANK WILSON, AND HEAD OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, MS. TRACY PRINCE FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND EVERYBODY ON THE STAFF AT HOUSTON. FIRST GREAT ORGANIZATION WITH GREAT PEOPLE AND GOT US THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME. AND JUST PERSONALLY, I'D LIKE TO THANK, SAY THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO EACH AND EVERY DAY AND, UH, WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE FOR HOUSTON. FOR, IT'S NOTHING BUT BRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND WHILE WE'RE DISCUSSING, YOU ALL WANTED TO JUST COME UP FRONT, ALL YOU JUST COME UP CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCILMAN MAG GALLEGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR. I, I, I TOO WANT TO THANK HOUSTON FIRST EVERYONE AT HOUSTON FIRST, AND DAVID AND MICHAEL, UH, AND FRANK AND TRACY AS WELL. SO THANK YOU'ALL FOR EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL DO, AND THANK YOU TO THE BOARD. UH, I'M HONORED TO SIT ON THAT BOARD REPRESENTING CITY COUNCIL. UH, AND, UH, JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE AND WE'RE A, AND ARE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN REGARDS TO, UH, ESPECIALLY EVERYTHING THAT THE CITY HAS GONE THROUGH THESE PAST FEW YEARS. UH, AND Y'ALL ARE STILL THERE. Y'ALL ARE STILL DOING THE BEST IN REGARDS TO IMPROVING AND RENOVATING OUR CITY OWNED VENUES. UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO PROMOTE THE CITY AS AN INTERNATIONAL CITY, WHICH AGAIN, LIKE I STATED YESTERDAY, UH, WAS DONE IN THE, UH, TRAVELED AND LEISURE MAGAZINE AS HOUSTON BEING ONE OF 50 DESTINATIONS FOR 2023. UH, SO THANK, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR HOUSTON FIRST AND EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL DO ON THAT. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND MY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ARE ALONG THE SAME VEIN. YOU GUYS ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB. UH, THE MAYOR AND HIS REPORT THIS MORNING REALLY SPOKE OF THE THREE PARADES, UH, THAT WE'VE CELEBRATED THIS YEAR. OF COURSE, YOU'RE NOT PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ASTROS VICTORY, BUT SO MUCH ELSE, DAVID AND MICHAEL, FRANK AND TRACY, YOU GUYS ARE LEADING THE TEAM. YOU MAKE US ALL VERY, VERY PROUD. I KNOW WE'VE GOT SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2023, AND IT'S GONNA BE A WONDERFUL LAST YEAR OF THIS MAYOR'S, UH, ADMINISTRATION. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THAT. WE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING WHATEVER WE CAN TO SUPPORT YOU. THANKS, MAYOR. PORT CASTEK TAYLOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, SAY THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, AND I AM, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SUPPLIER, UH, DIVERSITY INITIATIVES, UM, WITHIN HOUSTON FIRST AND MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR CONSTITUENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. AND THEN OF COURSE, I COULDN'T LET, UH, YOU COME FORWARD WITHOUT SAYING, UM, KUDOS TO TRACY PRINCE, WHO IS OUR PERSON WHO INTERACTS WITH US ON THE MOST [01:55:01] FREQUENT BASIS AND WANT TO, UH, LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT SHE DOES AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF, UH, KEEPING US ABREAST OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AT HOUSTON FIRST AND INTERACTING WITH US, UH, AS COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE NEEDS THAT WE HAVE. UH, DURING THE TML CONFERENCE, SHE PLAYED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN MAKING SURE EVERYTHING, UH, WE NEEDED AS, UH, THE CONFERENCE WAS GOING FORTH, WAS TAKEN CARE OF. SO TO THE ENTIRE TEAM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND TO TRACY, WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT YOU DO FOR US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, ECHOING WHAT EVERYONE HAS SAID. I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THAT YOU DO, AS I SAID DURING COMMITTEE, ALL THAT YOUR STAFF DOES. AND TRACY, UH, IT IS SUCH A PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE PARTNERSHIP. UH, I ALSO WANTED TO RECOGNIZE BECAUSE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MORE OF THE PUBLIC LISTENS TODAY THAN DURING COMMITTEE. UM, AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT, UH, AS COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS POINTED OUT AT COMMITTEE, UH, BRINGING JANITORIAL UP TO 15 AN HOUR IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING REALLY, UH, I THINK HISTORIC MAYOR AND IMPORTANT AND THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL CONTINUING TO PUSH AND REVIEW FOR PAID PARENTAL LEAVE AS WELL, UM, FOR STAFF, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE AS A CITY WANNA REPRESENT YOU ALL ARE DOING, UH, BOTH PUBLICLY AND BEHIND THE SCENES. SO THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M GONNA MAKE IT SHORT AND JUST KINDA SAY DITTO. UH, JUST GREAT JOB, GREAT TEAM. OF COURSE, WE INTERACT WITH TRACY A LOT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, BUT SHE'S A GREAT, GREAT REPRESENTATIVE OF HOUSTON FIRST AND REALLY, REALLY TAKES GOOD CARE OF US. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND EVERYONE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE SAID, BUT I WANNA SPECIFICALLY THANK TRACY FOR, UM, HELPING US PUT TOGETHER ALL THE GIFTS THAT WE DID WHEN WE TRAVELED TO THE UAE IN DUBAI. SHE HAD JUST BAGS OF STUFF FOR US AND THEY WERE SO WELL RECEIVED. SO EVERYBODY IN THE ARAB EMIRATES HAS, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, NASA AND HOUSTON HAS HOUSTON T-SHIRTS AND THEY'VE ALL GOT, NOW, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF SLIPPED IN SOME, SOME TEXAS PECANS JUST 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SO YUMMY. UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU FOR MAKING HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, LOOK AS AMAZING AS IT ACTUALLY IS. AND, UM, AND, UM, WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK. THANKS. OKAY. AND LET ME, UM, I'M OF COURSE JOINING WITH EVERYONE. THANK YOU. AND THANKING, UH, HOUSTON. FIRST, DAVID, MICHAEL, THE WHOLE TEAM, UM, FOR THIS TAKING PLACE. GIVE US SOME IDEA OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT IN 2023 WHEN IT COMES TO CONFERENCES, CONVENTIONS, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE WE LOOKING IN COMPARISON, FOR EXAMPLE, TO 2019? YEAH. UH, CHAIRMAN, CHAIRMAN BERG MAYOR, THANK YOU. AND, AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORT. UM, AS HAS BEEN COMMENTED ON, IT'S BEEN A DIFFICULT LAST TWO AND A HALF, 32 AND A HALF YEARS, 30 MONTHS. AND, UH, WE HAVE DEFINITELY TURNED THE CORNER. UH, BEFORE WE COMMENT ON WHAT'S UPCOMING, THERE'S A COUPLE FOLKS, UH, PRIOR TO STAFF THAT I WANT TO RECOGNIZE. UH, WE'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF HAVING COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON SERVE, UH, ON OUR BOARD FOR THE ENTIRE TIME THAT I'VE BEEN CHAIR UP UNTIL JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO. AND I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR HIS DEDICATION, HIS SERVICE, UH, IN PARTICULAR HELPING US TO LOOK AT, UH, MANY ISSUES THROUGH AN ARCHITECTURAL LENS AND, AND UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR YOUR SERVICE TO US COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, WHO'S RECENTLY JOINED US. UH, VERY APPRECIATIVE TO HAVE YOU ON OUR BOARD AND THE PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU BRING AND, AND THE PART OF TOWN THAT, THAT YOU PARTICULARLY REPRESENT IN HELPING US UNDERSTAND HOW OUR BUILDINGS AND, AND THE CONVENTION CENTER RELATE TO THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN. SO, VERY, VERY PLEASED TO HAVE YOU ON OUR BOARD. MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, CERTAINLY KEEPS US FOCUSED REGULARLY ON THE BUDGET, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, UH, EVERYTHING FOOTS. AND, UM, I'VE SERVED WITH HIM NOW FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND MAYOR, UH, YOU CERTAINLY HAVE SELECTED TERRIFIC REPRESENTATIVES TO BE ON OUR BOARD. AND, AND IT, IT REALLY SHOWS IN THEIR ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND THE PERSPECTIVE THAT THEY BRING AND THE HELP THAT THEY PROVIDE TO US IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATING WITH ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE DON'T DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT A PHENOMENAL STAFF. UH, ALL OF YOU INTERACT, AS YOU'VE SAID, WITH, WITH TRACY, UH, AND WITH FRANK AND WITH MICHAEL, AND WITH ME AND WITH MEMBERS OF OUR BOARD. UM, WE STRIVE TO BE AVAILABLE. UM, WE, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND OUR JOB AND OUR RESPONSIBILITIES, AND THAT IS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF THE CITY, TO THE MAYOR, TO THE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, UM, AND TO DO THE BEST WE CAN TO PROMOTE HOUSTON EACH AND EVERY DAY. AND WE WAKE UP EVERY DAY COMMITTED TO THAT. UH, AND IT'S SURE, NICE TO BE HERE WHERE THE BUDGET [02:00:01] IS IN THE BLACK AS OPPOSED TO BEING IN THE RED. UH, FOR THE PARTICULARS, I'LL TURN OVER TO MICHAEL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, CHAIRMAN MINTZBERG, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP OF OUR BOARD AND AND ORGANIZATION. MAYOR, THANK YOU, UM, FOR YOUR CONSISTENT, STRONG LEADERSHIP. UH, WE FOLLOW YOUR LEAD, UH, FOR PROMOTING THE CITY ALL OVER THE WORLD AND ALL OF COUNCIL. UH, ANYTIME THAT WE'VE EVER NEEDED ANYTHING THAT STRONG SUPPORT CAN, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH FOR THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS. UM, AND TO OUR TEAM. WE HAVE A, A PASSIONATE AND DEDICATED GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS THAT COME TO WORK EVERY DAY WANTING TO HELP HOUSTON AND HELP BUILD VALUE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. UM, WE ARE VERY, VERY, UM, UH, ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT GOING INTO 2023. WE'RE IN A STRONG TRAJECTORY, NOT ONLY ORGANIZATIONALLY, BUT AS A DESTINATION. HOUSTON CONTINUES TO BE RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE BEST CITIES IN THE WORLD. WE BELIEVE IT IS THE BEST CITY IN THE WORLD, BUT WE HAVE REALLY GREAT, UM, ASSOCIATIONS FROM TRAVEL AND LEISURE TO, UH, AMERICA'S BEST CITIES, YOU NAME IT. WE CONTINUE TO BE RECOGNIZED AMONGST THAT GROUP. AND IT IS OUR GOAL TO CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THOSE RECOGNITIONS AND IMPROVE ON THEM. WE HAVE A FULL, UM, UH, COMPLIMENT OF CITYWIDE CONVENTIONS NEXT YEAR. THE FINAL FOUR WILL ALSO BE HERE IN 2023. OUR LEISURE TRAVEL, UH, IS, IS AT LEVELS THAT IS PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS. UH, AND IF WE ACHIEVE WHAT IS IN THE BUDGET NEXT YEAR, WE ARE DUE TO COLLECT MORE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX THAN EVER IN THE CITY'S HISTORY. THAT IS A DRAMATIC SWING FROM WHERE WE WERE IN THE LOWEST POINTS FROM 2020 AND 2021. OUR JOB IS TO HELP SHEPHERD THAT BRAND THAT WE BUILT, THAT UNIFIED BRAND UNDER MAYOR TURNER'S LEADERSHIP ALL OVER THE WORLD, UH, DOMESTICALLY TO EVERY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALL OVER THE WORLD. UH, WE TAKE THAT CHARGE VERY SERIOUSLY. WE UNDERSTAND WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT IS TO DO THE WORK THAT WE DO ON BEHALF OF THIS ENTIRE HOUSTON COMMUNITY. AND OUR JOB IS TO BUILD VALUE. WHEN WE ARE SUCCESSFUL, BUSINESSES ARE SUCCESSFUL. WHEN BUSINESSES ARE SUCCESSFUL, THEY CREATE JOBS. THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHAT WE STRIVE TO DO EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND WITH THAT, WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED HERE, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL 2023 MAYOR. SO LET ME JUST, LEMME JUST ASK THIS, BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES WHERE THE CITY HAS BEEN RANKED IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. AND, UH, BUT IF YOU TAKE, IF YOU TAKE WHERE THE CITY HAS BEEN OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, I MEAN, UH, HAVE Y'ALL BEEN ABLE TO PUT, UH, THESE RANKINGS IN SOME SORT OF PERSPECTIVE FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU TAKE WHERE THE CITY WAS 50 YEARS AGO, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT THESE RANKINGS EXISTED. YOU KNOW, HAVE WE MOVED UP? HAVE WE, ARE WE IN, IN A, UH, RANKED BETTER? ARE WE THE SAME? HAVE WE MOVED DOWN, UH, IN A WORSE POSITION TO KIND OF PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE ON THE TRAJECTORY OF THE CITY? HAVE WE MAYOR, IF I COULD, IF I COULD RESPOND TO THAT, AMERICA'S BEST CITIES, UH, UM, UH, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST AUTHORITATIVE, UH, RANKINGS, UM, IN THE COUNTRY LAST YEAR, WE WERE 17 THIS YEAR. WE WERE 11TH. THEY CALLED HOUSTON AMERICA'S STEALTHY, POWERHOUSE ON THE RISE. UM, THAT IS AS HIGH AS WE'VE EVER RANKED IN THAT RANKING. MAYOR. UM, AND WHEN YOU HAVE TRAVEL AND LEISURE, WHICH IS THE AUTHORITY ON TRAVEL THAT CALLS US ONE OF THE 50 PLACES TO TRAVEL TO IN THE WORLD, ONE OF ONLY FOUR US CITIES, BIG US CITIES THAT WERE INCLUDED. AND I MEAN, THESE WERE SOME OF THE MOST HISTORICAL PLACES IN THE WORLD OR SOME OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER LEISURE DESTINATIONS IS TO ME THAT IS AS HIGH OF A RANKING AS WE GET INTO MY KNOWLEDGE. TRAVEL AND LEISURE HAS NOT RECOGNIZED US AS THAT BEFORE. SO WE ARE IN A CONSIDERABLE BETTER PLACE THAN WHAT WE HAVE BEEN. MAYOR. WHAT I WOULD ADD TO THAT, AND, AND MICHAEL SAID IT, BUT I, I'D EMPHASIZE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RANKINGS WHERE HOUSTON WAS NOT EVER MENTIONED. WE WEREN'T EVEN ON THE, THE LIST OF TOP 50 PLACES TO VISIT TOP 25. WE'RE NUMBER 11. UH, WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MOVE US INTO THE TOP 10 NEXT YEAR. AND THOSE ARE PLACES THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE WEREN'T THERE LAST TIME. WELL, LET ME ASK YOU TO DO, TO DO, TO DO, UH, US A FAVOR. AND THAT IS, IF YOU TAKE THESE DIFFERENT RANKING CATEGORIES, UH, TELL US WHERE WE, WHERE WE RANKED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS. IF WE DIDN'T RANK AT ALL, WE DIDN'T RANK. UH, BUT I THINK THAT HELPS TO GIVE US SOME SENSE ON WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE ADVANCING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. AND HOUSTONIANS CAN BE VERY PROUD OF THAT OR WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE NOT. AND IT IS, WHEN YOU HEAR THESE NUMBERS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY SOUND GREAT, BUT IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY CONTEXT. MM-HMM . SPECIFIC. OKAY. SO WHAT I MEANT, WHAT I WOULD ASK HOUSTON FIRST TO DO, UH, [02:05:01] YOU START WITH WHEN THESE RANKINGS OCCURRED IN THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND TELL US WHERE WE PLACE THEN AND WHERE WE PLACE, OR WE PLACE RIGHT NOW. AND MAYOR, IF I MIGHT EVEN GO ONE FURTHER, UM, SOMETHING THAT I ALWAYS LOOK AT AND I THINK WOULD BE ILLUSTRATIVE TO, TO YOU AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, IS TO GO BACK A DECADE AND LOOK AT OUR VISITORS, UH, NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE COME. ABSOLUTELY. UM, WHERE WE WERE IN 2019, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, WHERE HAPPENED TO US AND WHERE WE PROJECT TO BE NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER. AND I THINK YOU'LL SEE THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE, UH, COMPELLING IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT WE'VE BEEN ATTRACTING TO THE CITY. SO IT'S ONE THING, IT'S GREAT TO BE RANKED RIGHT, BUT THEN IT'S GREAT TO SEE WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF US BEING ABLE TO ATTRACT VISITORS? AND AS MICHAEL WELL SAID, TO DRIVE BUSINESS HERE. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WHEN WE BRING VISITORS, WE PUT PEOPLE IN HOTELS, THEY GO OUT TO EAT, THEY BUY THINGS, AND IT REALLY ADDS VIBRANCY TO, TO THE USED GREATER HOUSTON AND THE GREATER HOUSTON ECONOMY. AND THEN LEMME PUT YOU A LITTLE BIT FURTHER TOO. AND THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, DALLAS HAS, UH, SEEING WHAT HOUSTON HAS DONE, HAS DONE, YOU KNOW, THE TWO, UM, CONVENTION HOTELS, GEORGIA BROWN IN BETWEEN CONNECTING, UH, BUT DALLAS HAS, THEY PUT FORTH THIS HUGE BOND PROPOSAL ON GETTING SOME STATE SUPPORT. UH, AND THEY ARE INTENDING TO TRANSFORM THE DOWNTOWN DALLAS AREA TO BE MUCH, MUCH MORE COMPETITIVE. UM, HOW, WHAT DO WE, WHAT WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING IN A, UM, TO STAY, TO STAY AT THE FRONT, OKAY. AND NOT JUST WITH DALLAS, OKAY, THAT'S THEY OTHER SUBURB, BUT SUBURB, BUT, BUT IN TERMS OF BEING COMPETITIVE GLOBALLY AS WELL AS, AS WELL AS DOMESTIC, YEAH, THERE COULD BE POTENTIALLY RESOURCES AVAILABLE, MAYOR AT, AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT WE WOULD PURSUE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO REIMAGINE, UM, OUR DOWNTOWN, UH, AND, AND TRANSFORM WHAT THOSE EXPERIENCES COULD BE, NOT ONLY FOR OUR CONVENTION, UM, GOERS, VISITORS, LEISURE TRAVELERS, BUT ALSO FRANKLY HOUSTONIANS. AND THERE ARE WAYS IN WHICH THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GO ABOUT, UM, UH, RETHINKING AND REIMAGINING THAT TO MAKE US MORE COMPETITIVE THAN EVEN EVER. NOW THAT WE HAVE THE, THE PANDEMIC BEHIND US, WE'VE NOW BEEN ABLE TO START CASTING OUR EYE FORWARD ON WHAT THAT COULD BE AND HOW WE WANNA LOOK. OVER THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS, WE'VE MADE GREAT INVESTMENTS AS A COMMUNITY DOWN TO OUR CONVENTION CAMPUS, BUT OTHERS HAVE NOTICED AND THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO, TO, TO CATCH UP WITH US. AND WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN STAY AHEAD OF THAT COMPETITION. BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S NOT JUST DALLAS, IT'S OTHERS THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE NOTICED. AND WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF THAT WORK RIGHT NOW. MAYOR, MAYOR. IT, IT'S AN ARMS RACE. UM, WHEN WE IMPROVE, OTHERS SEE IT AND THEY GO DO IT. AND WHEN I WAS IN NASHVILLE WEEK BEFORE LAST AND LOOKING AT AT WHAT THEY HAVE GOING ON, AND WE COMPETE ACROSS THIS COUNTRY AND WE COMPETE ACROSS THE WORLD. AND SO WE ARE RIGHT NOW VERY, VERY FOCUSED ON WHAT ARE WE GONNA LOOK LIKE IN 2030 AND IN THE NEXT DECADE. AND, AND WE HOPE TO BE BACK TO YOU VERY SHORTLY WITH, WITH EVEN MORE SPECIFICS ON THAT. YEAH. WELL, LET ME, AND, AND, AND THE ONE FANTASTIC ORGANIZATION I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF, OF THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE, YOU SAID, FIRST LEMME LEMME JUST SAY THAT, UM, BECAUSE FINANCIALLY, UH, FRANK, AS YOU VERY WELL KNOW, IN 20 20, 20 21, IT LOOKED VERY BLEAK AND FRANK, YOU WERE GIVING ME A VERY DISMAL REPORT, UM, AND WANTED MORE MONEY FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND THINGS ARE IN MUCH BETTER, IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION. SO LET ME THANK, LET ME THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WHAT, FOR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE. AND, UH, CONVENTIONS ARE COMING BACK, CONFERENCES ARE COMING BACK. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITY, YOU KNOW, OVER THERE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE WEATHERED THE STORM AND BOUNCING BACK AND I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL THE WORTH THEM BACK. UM, BUT NOW AS WE LOOK FORWARD, AS WE LOOK FORWARD, UH, GEORGIA BROWN HAS A SOMEWHAT OF A FRONT DOOR, UM, DOESN'T HAVE A BACK DOOR AT ALL. OKAY? THEN FUTURISTICALLY, IT NEEDS TO BE FUTURISTIC. OKAY? SO LET ME JUST ENCOURAGE, UM, YOU ALL TO CONTINUE TO LOOK ON, UM, HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN A VERY DYNAMIC WAY AND TO, AND TO UTILIZE WHAT WE HAVE. BUT TO BUILD ON THAT SUCH THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, NO OTHER CITY, UH, CAN, CAN TELL CONVENTION PEOPLE ARE PURSUING CONVENTIONS AND CONFERENCES AND YOU NAME IT, NCAAS AND ALL THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON WAS THEN, BUT WE ARE NOW, YOU KNOW, [02:10:01] SO, AND I KNOW YOU ALL ARE TAKING A LOOK AT IT, BUT LEMME JUST PUSH THAT WE DEVELOP, UH, AT LEAST THE BLUEPRINT FOR THOSE PLANS, UM, IN 2023. OKAY? IT WON'T GET, THINGS WON'T GET BUILT IN 2023, UM, BUT WE AT LEAST NEED TO DEVELOP THOSE BLUEPRINTS. AND THAT'S WHY I'M VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN PUTTING THESE NUMBERS IN CONTEXTS OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS SO THAT WE CAN COLLECTIVELY SEE THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE OR THE LACK THEREOF. UH, HAVING SAID THAT, LET ME, LET ME, UH, TO COUNCIL MEMBER KING. THANK YOU, MARY. JUST WANTED TO PUT, PUT ANOTHER FEATHER IN THE CAP. UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RANKINGS, I BELIEVE THE CHRONICLE THIS MORNING REPORTED THAT, UH, THE 2023 WORLD'S BEST CITIES REPORT CAME OUT RANKING HOUSTON IN THE WORLD, NUMBER 42, BEATING ALL OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS AND THE MAJORITY OF CITIES, UH, IN OUR COUNTRY. SO I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT AS WELL, THAT IT'S NOT ONLY THE NATIONAL RANKINGS, BUT THE INTERNATIONAL RANKINGS. AND I WANNA GIVE YOU YOUR PROPS WHERE, WHERE THEY RIGHTFULLY DESERVE, AND PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW WHERE WE WERE AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY, AND WE, AND IT'S BEEN DONE UNDER SOME VERY CHALLENGING TIMES. OKAY? SO I THINK THAT'S IT'S IMPORTANT. UM, UM, AND THIS, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN AT THE HAM, YOU KNOW, AND DAVID, YOU'VE BEEN THE CHAIR COURSE OF SEVEN YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, SO WE JUST NEED TO PUT THINGS IN CONTEXT. AND, UM, AND MICHAEL, YOU CAME IN A VERY TOUGH TIME IN THAT TRANSITION. UH, FRANK TRACY, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH FOR YOU. I MEAN, YOU, YOU'VE BEEN LIKE THE FACE OF HOUSTON FIRST, AND SO, UM, KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS. OH, COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANTED TO, TO SAY, TO REACT TO WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UM, HOW DO WE, UM, EXPAND WHAT WE ARE DOING? AND I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY COMES DOWN TO STANDING ON OUR STRENGTHS AND, AND YOU ARE WORKING ON THOSE THINGS. BUT I, AND WE, WHEN I VISITED WITH YOU THIS WEEK, UM, I TOLD YOU ABOUT, UM, A HUMONGOUS BIG ART FESTIVAL THAT I WENT TO IN MIAMI, ART BASEL THAT I, I, I SEE WE'VE GOT SO MUCH GOING ON HERE IN HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR, THE, THE RICH, UM, DIVERSE CULTURES WE HAVE HERE ALREADY VERY VIBRANT ARTISTIC COMMUNITIES. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE GOT WONDERFUL FINE ARTS, WE'VE GOT, UM, GREAT STREET ART THINGS GOING ON IN HOUSTON. WE'VE GOT, UM, WE'VE GOT A A LOT GOING ON HERE THAT I THINK THAT WE COULD BUILD ON THAT TOO, BECAUSE ART BASEL TAKES OVER MIAMI, IT TAKES OVER MIAMI BEACH. IT IS EVERYWHERE, EVERYWHERE. I MEAN, CHURCHES ARE OPENING UP AND THEY HAVE, EVERYONE'S GOT SMALL THINGS GOING ON. AND THEN THERE'S HUGE INTERNATIONAL BIG THINGS GOING ON, AND IT BRINGS IN SO MUCH MONEY TO THE, TO THE CITY AND, AND INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM THAT I THINK THAT WE'RE NOT FAR FROM BEING ABLE TO DO TOO. SO I HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIX OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DEFINITELY EXPLORE BECAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S, UM, THERE'S SO MUCH CAPACITY THAT'S ALREADY HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. WELL, MAY I APPROACH, MAY I APPROACH TIM MARTIN? YES, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UH, YESTERDAY DURING OUR VFA COMMITTEE MEETING, WE TALKED ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND BEING ABLE TO COMPETE WITH THE CITIES THAT WE CANNOT QUITE FRANKLY, COMPETE WITH NOW IN THE REAL BIG CONVENTIONS, VEGAS, ORLANDO, NEW ORLEANS, SOME OF THOSE CITIES, AND THE EXPANSION OF THE CONVENTION CENTER AND SOON TO BE DALLAS IN THAT CATEGORY. BUT WHAT WE NEED MOVING FORWARD, BEGINNING IN JANUARY, IS SOME HELP FROM OUR HOUSTON LEGISLATORS, BECAUSE THE REASON WHY DALLAS IS DOING THIS IS BECAUSE THEIR LEGISLATORS DID A BETTER JOB THAN OURS AT GETTING MONEY. YEAH. THAT WE WEREN'T AWARE OF. YEAH. AND QUITE FRANKLY, WE NEED TO GO AFTER THAT MONEY FAST AND FURIOUSLY TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH DALLAS. UH, WE'RE BIGGER THAN DALLAS. WE'RE BETTER THAN DALLAS. DALLAS. WE HAVE EVERYTHING ON TOP OF DALLAS. WE'RE THE, THE CITY THAT EVERYBODY'S WANTING TO COME TO. UH, WE HAVE A BETTER FOOTBALL TEAM THAN THEM, BUT , BASEBALL, BASEBALL, BASEBALL FOR SURE. BUT ANYWAY, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT LET'S MAKE SURE WE NEVER MAKE THIS MISTAKE AGAIN. OKAY? AND THAT IS, UM, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE CITY OR THE, THE FACIL HOUSTON FIRST IN THIS CASE, OWN AND OPERATE THE HOTEL THAT'S ANCHORED TO A CONVENTION CENTER. AND I LOVE THE MARQUEE, BUT WE GAVE IT AWAY AND WE GAVE IT AWAY AT THAT TIME BEFORE ANYBODY HERE WAS ON THIS COUNCIL, INCLUDING MYSELF, UH, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE DEBT CAPACITY, UH, TO GO BACK INTO THE MARKET. BUT THE WAY YOU DO THAT IS MAYBE YOU JOINT PROJECT WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE CONSTANTLY MADE MAD AT, YOU, FIRE UNIONS AND THEIR PENSIONS, POLICE UNIONS AND THEIR PENSIONS, MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES AND THEIR PENSIONS. THE REASON WHY I SAY THAT IS THEIR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO CONSISTS OF REITS REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST, AND IT'S A GREAT BUSINESS TO BE IN. AND IF YOU HAVE THAT ANCHOR HOTEL THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO TO IN THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND WE OWN IT HOUSTON FIRST, AND WE OPERATE IT, WE GET THE REVENUE. AND THIS [02:15:01] YEAR, FRANK, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THE REVENUE AT THE HU OF THE HILTON IS GONNA SPIN OUT TO BE ABOUT $42 MILLION. THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. SO PROACTIVELY, EVERYBODY ON THIS BODY NEEDS TO GET UP TO AUSTIN, TALK WITH OUR LEGISLATORS, GO AFTER THAT MONEY THAT THEY GAVE DALLAS UNFAIRLY MY OPINION. AND LET'S PUT THE MASTER PLAN TOGETHER AND LET'S GET THIS SUCKER MO, UH, MOVING. WE GOT 13 MONTHS. LET'S DO IT. THANKS, MAYOR PRO TIM, UH, VICE MAYOR, PRO CAST ON, ON THE SAME, UH, LINE OF LEGISLATION. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT IN OUR, IN OUR MEETING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, THE FILM INDUSTRY AND THE LEGISLATION THAT WE NEED TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN TO TRY TO GET MORE INCENTIVES, UH, FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN THE FILM INDUSTRY. SO, MAYOR, I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT SO THAT OUR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM CAN REALLY JUMP ON THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. I, I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS AND OTHER MEETINGS ABOUT THAT, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, WE, WE'VE HEARD THAT THE GOVERNOR IS DEFINITELY IN FAVOR OF HAVING MORE MONEY, UM, IN THE, IN THE FILM INDUSTRY IN TEXAS. WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET SOME OF THOSE, UM, INCENTIVES TO FALL ALL THE WAY TO HOUSTON. UH, SO LET'S, LET'S KEEP THAT IN THE FOREFRONT. AND THEN THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING THAT I WANNA, UH, HIGHLIGHT IS, UH, THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL. UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT, MAY REMEMBER HOW OTHER CITIES WERE ON THE NATIONAL NEWS ABOUT JUNETEENTH. AND BECAUSE WE ARE IN SUCH CLOSE VICINITY TO GALVESTON AND ALL THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF JUNETEENTH THAT HAPPENED HERE IN OUR CITY, THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY BE THE ONE AMPLIFYING THE MESSAGE OF JUNETEENTH AND HAVING THE BIG CELEBRATIONS, UM, AND, AND HAVING PEOPLE COME TO HOUSTON TO CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HELPING TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE WE AMPLIFY JUNETEENTH IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AS WELL AS THE NEW WINE FESTIVAL THAT, UH, WE WANNA HOST IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. PLEASE CONSIDER US, UH, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE, THE PLANNING AND, AND IMPORTANT PARTNERS IN THAT SO WE CAN GET THE WORD OUT AND DO WHAT WE CAN TO SUPPORT IT AS WELL. SO, VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE GOING FORTH AND LOOK FORWARD TO ASSISTING LEGISLATIVE AS WELL AS ON THE GROUND IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO MAKE ALL OF THESE EVENTS SUCCESSFUL. SO, JUST A COUPLE OF OF COMMENTS IN RESPONSE. UM, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS. UM, SO WE'RE OPEN, UM, FESTIVALS, EVENTS, YOU NAME IT. WE DON'T HAVE A LOCK ON THE IDEAS. WE'RE PURSUING AS MANY AS WE CAN. UM, MAYOR PRO TEM, WE'RE GONNA GIVE OUR LEGISLATORS, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, HOPEFULLY HELP US THIS COMING SESSION. UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, AND GENERALLY OUR FILM DEPARTMENT WITH LIMITED RESOURCES DOES A PHENOMENAL JOB. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF OF THE MEMBERS HAVE SEEN THE, UH, I CAN'T REMEMBER NOW, WHETHER IT'S NETFLIX OR HULU, THE SHOW MO, UM, I THINK IT RAN EIGHT OR NINE EPISODES AND IT, UH, FEATURES HOUSTON ALL THE TIME. AND OUR FILM DEPARTMENT PLAYED A BIG PART IN GETTING FEATURED. UM, AND IT'S A PHENOMENAL, IT'S, IT'S A DARK COMEDY. AND HOUSTON IS MENTIONED THROUGHOUT BECAUSE THAT THAT'S HIS HOME. SO WE'RE ON IT, YOU KNOW, WITH WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE. WE PURSUE EVERYTHING WE CAN AND WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR HELP EVERY PLACE WE CAN GET. AND MICHAEL, BEFORE I GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD, LET ME, COUNCILMAN AL, THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND, AND I DON'T WANNA RAIN ON THE PARADE. IT'S BEEN SO GREAT ON HOUSTON. FIRST, YESTERDAY WE TALKED ABOUT THE LIGHTS. UM, WHILE I HAVE YOU HERE, I GOTTA ASK ABOUT THE BIRD, THE BIRD IN FRONT OF THE CONVENTION CENTER, THE FRONT DOOR TO THE CONVENTION CENTER. UM, WHAT'S THE PLAN? SO, UM, UH, THE, UH, WINGS OVER WATER IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THE ART PIECE THAT'S IN FRONT OF THE GEORGE R. BROWN. UM, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH IT. UM, OUR BOARD LOOKED VERY CLOSELY AT WHAT IS THE BEST, UM, SOLUTION FOR THAT. AND IN WORKING WITH HAA AS WELL, AND, AND THE, AND THE DESIGNER, WHAT IS THE BEST LONG TERM PLAN FOR THAT? THE BEST LONG-TERM PLAN WAS TO FIX IT IN PLACE, UH, AND KEEP IT LIT AND KIT, GET THE, UH, GET THE WATER JETS, UM, GOING AGAIN, UH, THAT IS WORK IS NEARLY COMPLETE. UM, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S A GREAT SPOT THAT IS, UH, GETS A LOT OF INSTAGRAM OPPORTUNITIES THERE. IT'S TURNED OUT WELL. IT WON'T MOVE IN THE FUTURE, UNFORTUNATELY. IT WILL BE FIXED IN PLACE. BUT THAT WAS THE BEST SOLUTION, UM, FOR THE FUTURE, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE, UM, CONTINUING ISSUES RELATED TO, TO FIXING IT. IT'LL STILL HAVE THE LIGHTS, ALL THE LIGHTS, YOU CAN CHANGE, CHANGE THE LIGHTS TO BE DIFFERENT THINGS. TAKE THE LIGHTS. IT'LL JUST BE STATION THERE, FOG MACHINE, THE, THE, THE WATER JETS, ALL, ALL OF THAT. OKAY. BUT IT JUST, IT JUST WON'T GOT IT. THANK IT. JUST WON'T MOVE YOU. AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK FRANK. UM, HE'S BEEN GREAT ABOUT GIVING ME THE DETAIL. I MEAN, YOU GET THIS 200 MILLION IN 200 MILLION OUT [02:20:01] AND HE, BUT MAN, HE HAD IT RIGHT THERE. HE HAD ALL THE DETAIL AND LINES AND, AND DOES A GREAT JOB WITH ALL THE NUMBERS. AND, AND KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU. I DIDN'T MEAN TO JUST BRING UP THE ONE, THE THING, BUT MAN, THE LIGHT'S OVER 59 AND THE, THE BIRD, OR WHAT DO Y'ALL CALL IT? WHAT'S THE REAL NAME OF THAT? RP. WINGS OVER WATER. DEAD WINGS OVER WATER. THE DEAD BIRD, . WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE THE, IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS SO GREAT WHEN IT WAS FIRST INSTALLED AND, AND, UM, ANYWAY, IT'S TOO BAD 'CAUSE IT'S SUCH A BIG SPACE. SO THANK YOU FOR WORKING ON IT, COUNCILWOMAN. THANK YOU. I I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE THAT Y'ALL HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT THING. I'VE BEEN IN THIS OFFICE FOR OVER ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AND I'VE SEEN IT WORK LIKE TWICE IN ALL THAT TIME. AND IT'S, IT'S REMARKABLE WHEN IT IS MOVING. I'M SAD TO HEAR THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT MOVE IN THE FUTURE, BUT NEVERTHELESS, Y'ALL HAVE A PLAN AND LET'S GET THE WATER BACK ON, AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT LOOK, DO SOMETHING. AGREE TOTALLY. THANK YOU. PUT SOME OTHER BIRDS AROUND IT THAT ARE FLYING . YEAH. BUT YEAH, YOU KNOW, YEAH, PUT SOMETHING AROUND WHERE YOU THINK IT'S MOVING, YOU KNOW, UH, BE INNOVATIVE. GIVE SOME, GIVE SOME YOUNG FOLK THEY KNOW HOW TO, YOU KNOW, PUT, CREATE THE AURA AND THE BIRD IS, IT'S STILL, BUT IT'S MOVING. IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, TO TALK WITH, UM, THE TEAM AT NASA, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. . THEY FAILED TWICE. ALRIGHT, MICHAEL, I, I GIVE YOU THE LAST, THE LAST WORD ON THIS. UH, MAYOR AGAIN, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR, UM, UH, THE ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE ALL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UH, OVER THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING, WHAT WE'RE DOING. UM, AGAIN, I'LL JUST REITERATE, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE DO. UH, I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER JOB THAN TO, THAN TO PROMOTE HOUSTON ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TALK ABOUT THE PLACE THAT WE LIVE AND THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH. UM, AND, UH, AND MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSISTENT LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT FOR ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO. I SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ALL OF OUR ASSOCIATES, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH A TOUGH TIME, BUT REALLY DO ENJOY, ENJOY WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE THINK THE FUTURE, UM, UH, FOR HOUSTON IS INCREDIBLY BRIGHT AND OUR TRAJECTORY HAS, HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE ON THE RIGHT PATH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ALL YOU FRANK, UH, DAVID, TRACY, AND THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION. 'CAUSE IT IS A, IT IS AN ENTIRE TEAM, UH, FROM ME. LEMME JUST SAY, AND I THINK Y'ALL HAVE DONE JUST AN INCREDIBLE JOB. VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE, THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE FACED, BUT HOW WE'VE BEEN VERY RESILIENT AND CONTINUE TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD IN THE RANKINGS, EVEN THOUGH WE FACE DISASTERS AND STORMS, YOU NAME IT. BUT FROM A GLOBAL VIEW, FROM A DOMESTIC VIEW, HOUSTON CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE RANKINGS. SO SOMETHING MUST BE WORKING AND NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE FIXED. OKAY? SO, THANK YOU ALSO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. THANK YOU ALL. OH, OKAY. UH, THIS IS GONNA BE A CLOSE VOTE 'CAUSE WE HADN'T VOTED ON ON THEIR BUDGET. I JUST DAWNED ON ME MORE TO REMIND WE HADN'T VOTED ON ITEM FIVE. UM, SO ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM FIVE? ANY OTHER DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED GRANTING ITEM FIVE, NOW WE ARE DONE. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. NEXT ITEM, MADAM SECRETARY. ITEM SIX NEEDS A MOTION. SECOND, ROBINSON MOVED AND SECONDED ON ITEM SIX. DISCUSSION ON SIX. DISCUSSION ON SIX IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED ON SIX. ITEM 12 IS A RESOLUTION. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 12. DISCUSSION ON 12. DISCUSSION ON 12 IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED ON 12. ITEM 13 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 13. DISCUSSION ON 13, DISCUSSION ON 13 IN FAVOR. OPPOSED GRANTED ON 13. ITEM 21 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 21. TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG, TAG. ARE Y'ALL SURE? YES. . WHO WAS THE TAG? THOMAS MAN. TATUM, ALCORN, ALCORN PLUMBER. MAYOR PRO TIM, VICE MAYOR PROTE. THOMAS CASTEX, TATUM PLUMBING IN ALCORN. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT ITEM. ITEM 22 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 22. DISCUSSION ON 22. KNOX. COUNCILMAN KNOX ON 22. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AS YOU RECALL, I'VE BEEN A BIG PROPONENT OF SEPARATING THE, UH, D-D-S-R-F FUNDING TO FOUR SEPARATE BUCKETS. AND THE REASON FOR THAT WAS WE WANTED TO, OR ME AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE WANTED TO KEEP TRACK PARTICULARLY OF THE DRAINAGE [02:25:01] FEE BECAUSE THAT WAS SOLD TO THE PUBLIC AS TO BE USED ONLY FOR ACTUAL MITIGATION, ACTUAL STREET REPAIR. AND WE CONSISTENTLY HAVE, UM, PROPOSALS LIKE THIS WHERE WE'RE GONNA USE THE DRAINAGE FEE MONEY TO DO AN ASSESSMENT, UM, IN PREPARATION OF THE ACTUAL DIG, UH, TO DO THESE THINGS. AND, AND I, I THINK OUR POSITION, UH, WE'VE SEPARATED THE FUNDS SO WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF THIS SORT OF THING. WE'VE, WE'VE DEMONSTRATED TO OUR, WE'VE SAID TO THE PUBLIC WHEN THAT THIS WAS PROPOSED AND WHEN, WHEN THEY VOTED ON IT, THAT THIS DRAINAGE FEE WOULD ONLY BE USED FOR HARD COST OF ACTUALLY MITIGATING, UH, FOR FLOODING OR CORRECTING STREETS. UM, AND I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THIS, BUT THE, UH, THE, THE MONEY FOR THAT SHOULD COME FROM ONE OF THE OTHER THREE BUCKETS OF THE D-D-S-R-F. AND SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE THIS CHANGE SO THAT WE, SO THAT WE DON'T USE THE DRAINAGE CHARGE SPECIFICALLY, BUT USE SOME OTHER FUNDING SOURCE BECAUSE FRANKLY, UH, THIS IS THE SORT OF THING THAT, THAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO QUESTION WHAT THEIR GOVERNMENT IS DOING. THEY SAY ONE THING AND DO SOMETHING ELSE. WE'VE TOLD THE PEOPLE WE'RE NOT GONNA USE THIS MONEY FOR THIS KIND OF PURPOSE. AND WE TURN AROUND. AND, AND THE OTHER THING I HAVE TO SAY IS WHEN I, WHEN I, I GET ANSWERS OR WHEN I ASK THIS QUESTION, WHAT'S THE JUSTIFICATION FOR USING DRAINAGE FEE ON THIS KIND OF THING? AND I GET GENERIC NON-ANSWERS, UH, IN RESPONSE. I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH MR. WARDLOW YESTERDAY, UM, OVER THE PHONE. HE WAS NICE ENOUGH AND WE WERE CONGENIAL ENOUGH, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT WAS, WELL, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING AND YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS. AND BASICALLY I GOT NO ANSWER, UH, HOW, HOW THEY'RE JUSTIFYING THE USE OF THIS PARTICULAR FUNDING SOURCE FOR THIS PARTICULAR ACTIVITY. SO MAYOR, DO YOU HAVE SOME JUSTIFICATION THAT WOULD, WOULD QUALIFY? WHAT I GOT FROM MR. WADLOW WAS, IT'S ESSENTIAL. IT'S ESSENTIAL TO THE COMPLETION OF THE TASK. WELL, SO IS BUYING THE EQUIPMENT TO USE, SO IS PAYING THE SALARIES OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WORKING THERE. SO IS EVERYTHING ELSE UNRELATED TO ACTUAL DIGGING ON THE EARTH, PUTTING A CULVERT IN DEALING WITH DRAINAGE OR WITH MITIGATION OR REPAIR OF THE STREET. SO EVIDENTLY, UH, WE'VE LIED TO THE PUBLIC AND SAID, NOW THAT YOU KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S ESSENTIAL, WHICH INCLUDES EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT, YOU CAN'T DO THE PROJECT WITHOUT EMPLOYEES. YOU CAN'T DO THE PROJECT WITHOUT EQUIPMENT. YOU CAN'T DO PROJECTS WITHOUT ASSESSMENTS. YOU CAN'T DO PROJECTS WITHOUT ANY OF THIS STUFF. SO IT'S ALL NOW OPEN FOR ALL OF THIS, UH, DRAINAGE FEE TO BE USED FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE ON ANY DRAINAGE THING. AND I THINK THAT FLIES IN THE FACE OF WHY WE SEPARATED THIS BECAUSE WE WERE, AT THE TIME I THOUGHT WE WERE INTERESTED IN FULFILLING THE PROMISES THAT WE MADE TO THE PUBLIC. SO DO YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF JUSTIFICATION WHY THE DRAINAGE FEE IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS NON-PHYSICAL EFFORT TO GET THIS PROJECT DO GOING? AND THE AND THE ANSWER IS YES. I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NORTH CANAL PROJECT, WHICH IS A MAJOR PROJECT. IN FACT, IT'S ONE OF OUR HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROJECTS. UM, THERE'S BEEN NO MISREPRESENTATION TO THE PUBLIC WHEN YOU HAVE THESE SORT OF DRAINAGE PROJECTS. YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE DESIGN WORK. YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK. IF YOU TAKE THE DESIGN WORK OUT, THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK OUT, YOU DON'T GET TO THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OR THE DIGGING. SO THESE ARE, THESE ARE COSTS THAT ARE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMPLEMENT TECH IMPLEMENT WITH THE EXECUTION OF THE DRAINAGE PROJECT. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE HERE. NOW, YOU, YOU USE THE TERM HARD. SOME WOULD CALL 'EM, THEY COULD BE SOFT CALLS, OKAY? BUT THEY ARE CALLS THAT ARE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROJECT. BUT FOR THE DESIGN WORK, THE ARCHITECTURAL WORK, YOU NEVER GET TO THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT. SO THESE ARE THE SOFT CALLS ON A MAJOR DRAINAGE PROJECT. NOW, UM, YOU MAY WANT TO JUST USE THE DOLLARS JUST ON THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION THAT, UH, BUT THAT WOULD BE A VERY, VERY RESTRICTED AND LIMITED VIEW. AND THE QUESTION IS ON THIS DRAINAGE PROJECT, WHICH CERTAINLY FALLS WITHIN THE DDA, YOU KNOW, R SY PROJECT SCOPE, WHETHER OR NOT YOU JUST WANNA SEPARATE THE DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURAL WORKOUT AND SAY, GO FIND THE MONEY SOMEPLACE ELSE. TO ME THAT DOESN'T MAKE, THAT DOESN'T [02:30:01] MAKE SENSE. IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. UM, BUT THESE ARE, THIS IS THE DDS AUDIENCE, BUT THIS IS THE DESIGN ARCHITECTURAL WORK FOR THIS PROJECT, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S INCLUDED ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. AND IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE REPRESENTATIONS, UH, THAT WE HAVE MADE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SO YEAH, I ASKED THOSE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, I ANTICIPATED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO RAISE, UH, UH, SOME CONCERNS ON THIS ITEM. AND SO I ASKED THEM TO WALK ME THROUGH IT, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE COSTS WERE DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXECUTION OF THIS PROJECT. AND, AND THEY ARE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, APPRECIATE THOSE WORDS. AND I THINK MISREPRESENTATION IS MUCH BETTER WORD THAN LIED. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, I THINK THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE FACT IS THIS PROJECT IS SO CRITICAL TO OUR RESILIENCE AND TO OUR AVOIDING ANOTHER EVENT. YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T KEEP THE RAIN FROM FALLING AS IN HARVEY AND SOME OF THE OTHER DISASTERS, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY AFFECT ONE OF THE MOST, UH, INUNDATED PARTS OF OUR CITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONFLUENCE OF WHITE OAK AND BUFFALO BAYOU, WHICH IS THE HEART OF OUR CITY. IT'S WHERE THE CITY OF HOUSTON WAS LAID OUT ORIGINALLY. IT IS THE CENTER OF COMMERCE. IT IS SO MUCH FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT REASONS FOR OUR CITY. AND THE, THE PROJECT THAT IS THE NORTH CANAL PROJECT IS ONE OF THE FOUR MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE EMBARKED UPON SINCE HARVEY TO HAVE MASSIVE IMPACT IN MITIGATING FUTURE FLOOD AND STORM EVENTS. I DO SEE THAT, UH, OUR CHIEF, UH, RESILIENCY OFFICER, UM, OUR FORMER COLLEAGUE, UH, STEVE COSTELLO IS IN THE OFFICE IN THE, UH, CHAMBER HERE. MAYOR, I DON'T KNOW IF IF YOU'D LIKE HIM TO SAY ANYTHING. I KNOW I'M CONVINCED THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND, UH, HIGHLY IMPACTFUL FOR THAT IMPORTANT PART OF DOWNTOWN ON OUR NEAR NORTH SIDE, AND THEN UPSTREAM IN WHITE OAK FOR DISTRICT C FOR DISTRICT, UH, H AND SO MANY PARTS OF OUR CITY. SO I, I FIND IT IMPERATIVE. I ALSO FIND IT, UM, NORMAL, FRANKLY, TO COME INTO, UH, ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND THINGS THAT WE WILL, WILL FIND IN THE COURSE OF AN ARCHITECTURAL, AND IN THIS CASE, A HIGHLY IMPORTANT ENGINEERING PROJECT FOR OUR CITY. SO I THINK THE HDR, THE FIRM THAT IS, UH, GOING TO RECEIVE THESE INCREASED FUNDS, THEY ARE DOING A SERIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL TESTS THAT ARE CRITICAL, UH, TO THE PREPARATION TO DO THE PHYSICAL WORK THAT YOU REFER TO. AND I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN IN THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT. SO THIS TO ME IS A SIGNIFICANT AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT PROJECT THAT MUST GO FORWARD. AND THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE ADDED COSTS ARE WITHIN THE REALM OF WHAT, WHAT WOULD REALLY BE EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE IN A COURSE, IN A PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. COUNCILMAN MAYOR KOEN. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON REALLY SAID IT. I MEAN, I THINK THESE, THESE CHARGES ARE ABSOLUTELY INTEGRAL TO THE DRAINAGE PROJECT, AND I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT THE DRAINAGE FEE I PAY ON MY BILL ARE GOING TOWARDS THIS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY TO MAKE SURE WE GET THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECT AT THE CONFLUENCE OF BUFFALO AND WHITE OAK DUNN TO PROTECT DOWNTOWN AND POINT WEST POINTS WEST ALONG I 10, I THINK IT COMPLIES WITH OUR CITY ORDINANCE FOR, FOR REBUILD HOUSTON, FOR THE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE, AND ALSO WITH THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, UM, WHICH ALLOWS US TO HAVE A, A, UM, A DRAINAGE CHARGE. I THINK WE'RE COMPLETE COMPLIANCE AND CERTAINLY NOT LYING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHERE THIS MONEY'S GOING. COUNCIL MEMBER 21ST. CAYMAN FIRST. COUNCILOR MCMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WASN'T GONNA SAY ANYTHING, BUT I DO FEEL AN OBLIGATION, GIVEN THE DIRECT IMPACT THIS HAS ON DISTRICT C. I'LL LET COUNCIL MEMBER CIRO SPEAK IF SHE WANTS ON DISTRICT H, BUT THE ABSOLUTE IMPORTANCE OF THIS, ONE OF THE LARGEST REGIONAL, UH, FLOOD DETENTION AND MITIGATION PROJECTS THAT WE AS A CITY HAVE UNDERTAKEN, UM, TO CHARACTERIZE IT THE WAY IT'S BEEN CHARACTERIZED AS A GRAVE OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF A HIGHLY COMPLICATED AND NECESSARY, UH, PROJECT. SO ON BEHALF OF DISTRICT C, I WOULD IMPLORE COUNSEL TO, UM, SUPPORT THIS ITEM, SUPPORT THE PROJECT, AND MY APPRECIATION, UM, TO MAYOR YOUR STAFF, UH, STEVE COSTELLO AND OTHERS FOR CONTINUING TO PUSH, UH, TO SEE THIS THROUGH. THANKS, COUNCILMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I APPRECIATE ALL THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT, AND I AGREE. I THINK THE PROJECT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL TO OUR CONTINUED PROCESS. THAT'S NOT MY POINT. MY POINT IS THERE [02:35:01] ARE FOUR BUCKETS OF MONEY AVAILABLE TO FROM THE D-D-S-R-F, AND, UM, WE HAVE A VALOREM, UH, WE HAVE CONSTRUCTION AND WE HAVE METRO. THE ONLY ONE THAT WE WENT TO THE PEOPLE TO GET PERMISSION TO DO WAS THE DRAINAGE FEE. AND DURING THE COURSE OF THAT, UM, PROPOSAL, THE CITY OF HOUSTON MADE PROMISES TO THE PUBLIC THAT THIS DRAINAGE FEE WOULD BE USED TO DIRECTLY TO IMPACT THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION, THE ACTUAL MITIGATION OF FLOODING AND THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF, OF STREETS. WE HAVE THE MONEY IN THESE OTHER THREE BUCKETS. AND ALL I'M SAYING THAT WE NEED TO DO IS, YES, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PROJECT, BUT LET'S, LET'S FULFILL OUR PROMISE THAT WE MADE TO THE PUBLIC, USE THE OTHER MONEY IN THE D-D-S-R-F. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, MAYOR, WE DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, GET IT FROM SOMEWHERE, SOMEWHERE ELSE. IT NEEDS TO COME OUT OF THE DD UH, R-S-S-R-F FUND. BUT YOU CAN DO THAT USING ONE OF THE THREE OTHER BUCKETS. THAT'S THE PURPOSE AND REASON WHY WE SEPARATED THOSE FOUR ACCOUNTS SO THAT WE COULD KEEP TRACK OF WHAT MONEY WAS GOING WHERE, TO WHAT PART OF THE PROJECT. AND, UH, I'LL, I'M GONNA VOTE NO ON THIS, JUST NOT BECAUSE I'M OPPOSED TO THE PROJECT, BUT BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE USE MONEY OTHER THAN DD THE, THE DRAINAGE FEE PART OF THE, THE D-D-S-R-D-D-S-R-F FUNDING. UM, WE NEED TO USE THE MONEY FROM METRO OR A VALOREM OR, OR THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS TO COVER THINGS LIKE THIS, THESE SOFT EXPENSES THAT WE PREPARE AND THEN SAVE THE MONEY IN THE, IN THE DRAINAGE FEE TO ACTUALLY DO THE WORK. AND THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING. THAT'S ALL THE, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND COUNCILMAN MC, UH, KNOX, I GIVE YOU A GREAT DEAL OF CREDIT BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST CAME IN AND WHEN WE FIRST CAME IN AS, AS MAYOR, THAT THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT YOU RAISED, BECAUSE WE HAD NOT SEPARATED IT, THE DIFFERENT BUCKETS, AND BASED ON YOUR COMMENTS, WE STARTED SEPARATING THEM IN DIFFERENT BUCKETS. UM, BASED ON, ON THE OBSERVATION THAT YOU, THAT YOU MADE YEARS AGO IN MY SEVEN YEARS HAS BEEN HERE, THIS CONVERSATION LIKE WE ARE HAVING TODAY HAS RARELY COME UP SINCE WE SEPARATED THOSE BUCKETS. RARELY. AND THAT'S WHY I AM CONFIDENT ON THIS PARTICULAR MATTER. WE WENT THROUGH THE ASSESSMENT AND THE DRILL. 'CAUSE I KNEW THIS CONVERSATION WAS GOING TO, WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND SO I ASKED DELINEATE FOR ME WHY WE ARE DOING, GOING TO THE D-D-S-R-A-F, OKAY. AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME, MAYOR, MAYOR, THIS IS A MAJOR DRAINAGE PROJECT. THIS WORK IS NEEDED TO DO THIS DRAINAGE PROJECT. YOU DO NEED THIS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN WORK. IT, IT IS NEEDED. AND IT IS VERY, VERY MUCH RELATED, DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE DRAINAGE PROJECT. SO ALL I WOULD SAY I RESPECT, I RESPECT EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE SAID. I GOT IT. AND THAT'S WHY WE DIVIDED THESE DIFFERENT BUCKETS BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE SAID. GOT THAT. UH, AND WE HAVE, I THINK THIS LESS THAN FIVE TIMES. HAVE WE EVEN HAD A CONVERSATION, UH, ON THIS IN THE, IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS? I MEAN, IN YEARS SINCE YOU BROUGHT THIS UP, BUT ON THIS ONE I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT THIS ONE, THIS ONE DOES, THIS ONE DOES RELATE, BUT I KNOW WE, WE CAN, WE MAY HAVE IT A SIXTH TIMES ON THE NEXT MONDAY. I GOTCHA. I I GOT YOU. I GOTCHA YOU. BUT I, I DO WANT TO GIVE YOU CREDIT, UM, FOR, FOR RAISING THE ISSUE AND, UM, THIS BODY ACTING ON THE ISSUE. AND, AND I, AND, AND SO WE'VE BEEN VERY CAUTIOUS. AND I KNOW THIS ONE YOU MAY SAY, WELL, MARY, YOU KIND OF STEPPED OVER TO, BUT, UM, BUT UM, ON THIS ONE, WE JUST HAVE TO, WE AGREE TO DISAGREE. WE AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THIS ONE. OKAY. COUNCILMAN KOUBA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MAY, MAY I ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY A QUESTION CONCERNING THIS? SURE. UH, COUNCILOR, UH, DOES THE DESIGN PART OF A PROJECT, WOULD THAT, UH, WOULD THE DESIGN PART FALL UNDER, UH, THE, THIS, UH, UH, DD, UH, SRF FUND, UH, ACCORDING TO THE WAY WE PASS THE CHARTER AMENDMENT BACK IN, I THINK IN 2010, THAT'S BEEN THE INTERPRETATION OF THIS OFFICE SINCE, SINCE THE TIME OF THE PASSAGE. SO THE DESIGN PHASE WOULD BE CONSIDERED A PART OF THE, THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION? YES. I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION HERE. YES. AM I RIGHT, MAYOR, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE QUESTION. OKAY. THANK, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MAG GALLEGOS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BROUGHT UP SEVERAL TIMES HERE AT THE HORSESHOE AS AN EAST ENDER. I'M CONCERNED, UH, IN [02:40:01] REGARDS TO NORTH CANAL HIGH FLOW DIVERSION CHANNEL OF WATERS COMING IN FROM WHITE OAK BAYOU, UH, INTO BUFFALO BAYOU. SO, UH, THIS, THIS ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, STUDY, I THINK IS, IS, IS, IS IMPORTANT. UH, I'VE ASKED, UH, FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER COSTELLO TO KEEP, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT, UH, UH, IT DOESN'T IMPACT THE EAST END, UH, IN REGARDS TO FLOODING. UH, THE EAST END DOES NOT FLOOD, UH, AND WE DO NOT WANNA FLOOD. UH, SO AS AN EAST ENDER THAT'S PAYING INTO THE DRAINAGE TREE, AND I'M, I'M, UM, AND OTHER EASTENDERS, I MEAN, I THINK THIS IS, UH, MONEY'S WELL SPENT FROM THE DRAINAGE FEE, UH, TO SEE IF THIS IS GOING TO IMPACT THE EAST END IN ANY WAY. UH, SO AGAIN, I'M ASKING FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER COSTELLO TO, UH, TO KEEP AN EYE ON THAT AND, UH, TO KEEP ME UPDATED. THANK YOU. GOOD. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE, ON ITEM 22? ON ITEM 22? DISCUSSION? YES. IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED. SHOW COUNCILMAN MIN KNOX VOTING. NO. ITEM PASSES. NEXT ITEM, ITEM ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 24. DISCUSSION ON 24, DISCUSSION ON 24. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 24. ITEM 40 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 40. AND, AND EVEN BEFORE WE VOTE ON ITEM 40. MM-HMM . IT WAS RIGHT HERE. THERE WE, ME SOMETHING. [40.   ORDINANCE appropriating $5,281,230.00 out of Dedicated Drainage & Street Renewal Capital Fund – Ad Valorem Tax; approving and authorizing Purchase and Sale Agreement between CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE ("Seller”) and City of Houston, Texas (“Purchaser”) for purchase of 73.081 acres of land, located at the 9700 block of Ruffino Road, Houston, Texas; approving a form of Special Warranty Deed - $5,281,230.00- - General Fund - DISTRICT J - POLLARD ] OKAY. I WANNA HIGHLIGHT ITEM, ITEM 40, UH, BECAUSE, UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UH, RAFINO FOR YEARS MM-HMM . OKAY. FOR, FOR YEARS AND FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, UH, UH, THE ADMINISTRATION BEGAN PURSUING OPEN GREEN SPACES FOR CONVERSION, UH, RESERVED FOR REGIONAL STORMWATER DETENTION. THE REINO HILL SITE IS AN EXISTING CLOSED LANDFILL, UH, THAT HAS BEEN OUT OF COMMISSION FOR THE LAST 30, 30 YEARS. UH, THE LANDFILL IS APPROXIMATELY 150 ACRES OWNED PARTIALLY BY THE CITY OF AND THE CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE. AND THE CITY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT SUBMITTED A COVID FUNDING, UH, HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT, UH, PROJECT GRANT APPLICATION TO TEXT DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TO CONSTRUCT CHANNEL IMPROVEMENTS TO KEEGAN'S BAYOU AND CONVERT THE PORTION OF BINA HILLS OWNED BY THE CITY OF BEL AIR TO REGIONAL DETENTION. UH, SUCCESSFUL RECEIPT OF GRANT WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION TO RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON, SPECIFICALLY WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF BELTWAY EIGHT AND US 59. BUT CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, THEY PUT OUT ON THE MARKET THERE 73 ACRES OF THE RAFINO HILL SITE, AND THEY RECEIVED SEVERAL QUALIFIED BIDS, UH, THE CITY. UM, WE ENTERED INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, UH, WITH WEST UNIVERSITY EVEN AFTER THEY HAD RECEIVED BIDS AND HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON ACQUIRING THESE 73 ACRES ALONG WITH THE ADDITIONAL ACRES, ACRES, UM, OWNED BY AIRE, UH, TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND QUITE FRANKLY, TO OUR, TO OUR REGION. UM, AND I WANT TO THANK STEVE COSTELLO. I WANT TO THANK CAROL. UM, I WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR OF, UH, WEST UNIVERSITY PLAYS THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY COUNCIL OF WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, WHO VOTED ON MONDAY, UH, TO TO, TO THE SALE OF THAT PROPERTY TO THE CITY, TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND SO THE ANTICIPATED OUTCOME OF THE COMBINED REGIONAL DETENTION OF THE ENTIRE FIN HILL SITE AND KEEGAN'S BAYOU IMPROVEMENTS WILL RESULT IN FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION TO APPROXIMATELY 1300 STRUCTURES. AND FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTIONS TO AN EXCESS OF 1600 STRUCTURES WILL RESULT DUE TO LOCALIZED HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT EVEN BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS, THAT WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, FLOOD MITIGATION, THIS IS A MAJOR PROJECT. IT'S A MAJOR PROJECT. AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE COST IS ABOUT $10 MILLION AND SPLIT IT IN, UH, UH, BETWEEN, UH, CIP OF PROJECTS, WHICH ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS AS WELL AS THE FUND BALANCE. UM, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS WORTH, UM, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND TO THE FUTURE OF FLOOD MITIGATION. UM, SO I'M GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT BEFORE WE VOTE ON IT. UM, AND THEN AS FOR, [02:45:01] AS FOR YOUR SUPPORT, WEST UNIVERSITY SAID YES, AND NOW WE JUST NEED, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL TO SAY YES AS WELL. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER, DISCUSS ANY DISCUSSION ON, ON ITEM NUMBER 40 IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED ON ITEM 40. THANK YOU ALSO VERY, VERY MUCH, STEVE. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU STEVE. AND EVERYBODY AFFILIATED WITH IT. OKAY, [NON-CONSENT - MISCELLANEOUS] NEXT ITEM. ITEM 41 IS A MOTION TO SET A DATE IN NOW LESS THAN SEVEN DAYS FROM DECEMBER 7TH, 2022. CAST SECTION A MOVE, SECOND ROBINSON MOVE, THEN SECOND ON ITEM 41 TO SET A DATE. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION SETTING. THE DATE IS AS DECEMBER 14TH, SETTING THE DATE FOR DECEMBER 14TH. 14TH, YES, SIR. 2022. OKAY. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED GRANTED ON ITEM 41. [MATTERS HELD] ITEM 42 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 42. DISCUSSION 42, COUNCIL MEMBER OXONE, 42. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAD A NICE DISCUSSION WITH, UH, OH. ON. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAD A NICE DISCUSSION WITH, UH, SUSAN CHRISTIAN ABOUT THIS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE REASON FOR THIS ORDINANCE IS THE CONCERN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY WHO ATTEND LARGE PUBLIC GATHERINGS EITHER COMMERCIALLY OR FOR WHATEVER REASON. UH, IT'S OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. UM, AND I, I WAS EX EXPLAINED THAT SHE SAYS, WE'RE GOING TO, WE NEED TO TARGET MUSIC FIRST. I, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT REGARDING MY LEGAL CONCERNS ABOUT OUR LIABILITY IF WE APPROVE A PLAN AND SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING. UH, ALSO, WHETHER OR NOT WE ACTUALLY HAD, UM, ANY RIGHT TO DO THIS AS FAR AS PRIVATE PROPERTY, BECAUSE WE, UH, PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, WE DON'T, ARE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF TELLING PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY CAN DO ON THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTY. RECEIVED A GOOD ANSWER ABOUT ALL OF THAT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS THERE'S NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN A MUSIC EVENT AND ANY OTHER LARGE PUBLIC EVENT. AND, UM, I, I DON'T, YOU SAID EARLIER LAST WEEK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GIVING UP THE PERFECT IN, IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT, YOU KNOW, SURRENDERING THE GOOD. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A THIRD OPTION, THERE'S A BETTER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE PERFECT, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE JUST THE GOOD. YOU CAN HAVE THE BETTER. AND I THINK IF OUR CONCERN IS REALLY FOR THE SAFETY OF THE POPULATION WHO ATTEND LARGE FUNCTIONS, THEN WE NEED TO DO THAT. I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA. UM, AND I THINK ALL WE NEED TO DO IS THE, THE CURRENT POLICY IS, IS APPROPRIATE FOR ALL LARGE, UH, PUBLIC EVENTS. NOW, IT'S BEEN RAISED THAT WE DON'T WANT TO GET IN THE WEDDING BUSINESS OR THE PARTY BUSINESS, BUT THOSE DON'T MEET THE CRITERIA OF THIS ORDINANCE, WHICH REQUIRES A PUBLIC EVENT, A WEDDING, A PARTY, WHATEVER. THOSE ARE PRIVATE EVENTS. AND THEY DON'T FALL UNDER THIS CATEGORY AT ALL. SO I CAN'T THINK OF ANY PRIVATE PARTY EVENT THAT WOULD APPLY BECAUSE IT REQUIRES THE INVITATION OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO APPEAR, OR THEY HAVE TO PURCHASE A TICKET TO APPEAR AT THIS LOCATION. SO I WOULD LIKE TO AMEND THIS TO JUST REMOVE THE WORD MUSIC FROM THE ENTIRE ORDINANCE EVERYWHERE IT APPEARS, AND JUST HAVE AN ORDINANCE TO DEAL WITH LARGE GATHERINGS. 'CAUSE I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THE PUBLIC AT LARGE NEEDS TO BE SATISFIED THAT IF THEY WANT TO ATTEND A LARGE PUBLIC EVENT THAT SOMEBODY IN THE CITY HAS VETTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING ON THE PROGRAM OR THE PUTTING ON THE EVENT HAVE A PLAN FOR SAFETY. A, A PLAN FOR, YOU KNOW, FACILITIES, A PLAN FOR ENTRY AND EXIT A A PLAN TO CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S REASONABLE. SO MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO JUST SIMPLY REMOVE THE WORD MUSIC FROM THE ENTIRE ORDINANCE. I THINK IT APPLIES AS IT'S WRITTEN TO ALL LARGE PUBLIC EVENTS OF 500 OR MORE PEOPLE WHO, UH, PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, WHO INVITE THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR WHO REQUIRE A TICKET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO GET INTO IT. SO IF THAT'S NOT OUT OF ORDER, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT AMENDMENT, COUNCILMAN MANOCK HAS PUT FORTH AN AMENDMENT TO STRIKE THE WORD MUSIC, UH, FROM THE ORDINANCE AND MAKE IT, UM, APPLY TO ALL EVENTS. UM, IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND IT, MAYOR, UH, SO I CAN DISCUSS IT. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. UM, LET ME, LET ME JUST, AND SO THAT AMENDMENT IS BEFORE US RIGHT NOW. LEMME JUST SAY ON THE AMENDMENT, UH, IT DOES BROADEN THIS ORDINANCE WAY BEYOND THE INTENDED PURPOSE. UH, THIS ORDINANCE WAS SPECIFICALLY CRAWFORD TO DEAL WITH THE MUSIC AND TO DEAL WITH MUSIC EVENTS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY WHERE THERE ARE MORE [02:50:01] THAN 500 PEOPLE. AND IT HAS BEEN VETTED BY POLICE AND FIRE AND ALL OF THE VARIOUS PARTNERS. AND THERE'S BEEN EXTENSIVE CONVERSATION, AND IT WAS, AND IT WAS WRITTEN TO BE NARROWLY TAILORED BECAUSE YOU ARE DEALING WITH PRIVATE PROPERTY. SO THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO IMPACT EVERYBODY IN TERMS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING. BUT THIS, THIS AREA IN TERMS OF MUSIC WAS DEEMED THE MOST URGENT TO ADDRESS. OKAY. UM, AND WOULD HAVE, UH, THE GREATEST IMPACT ON THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PEOPLE MOVING FORWARD AND ON OUR RESOURCES FROM POLICE AND FIRE. SO, BOTH CHIEF PENA, CHIEF NER, UH, SUSAN WITH SPECIAL VINCE AND OTHERS HAVE CAREFULLY CRAFTED AN ORDINANCE. AND I ASKED THEM TO CAREFULLY CRAFT A VERY NARROW OR ORDINANCE SINCE WE WERE DEALING WITH PEOPLE'S PRIVATE PROPERTY. WHEN YOU CAST THAT BREADTH THAT, THAT, THAT NET AND, AND REMOVE MUSIC AND INCLUDE EVERYTHING, THEN YOU, YOU REALLY ARE, UH, IMPOSING THE, THE CITY'S WILL ON PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS ACROSS THE BOARD WITH LITTLE OR NO JUSTIFICATION FOR IT. SO I OPPOSE THE AMENDMENT. UM, AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, THERE ARE THREE OPTIONS HERE THAT'S SEEKING THE PERFECT MM-HMM . AND YOU DON'T WANNA SEEK THE PERFECT THAT'S SEEKING THE GOOD. AND IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEEK THE GOOD, THEN THE THIRD OPTION IS NOTHING. AND NOTHING DOESN'T BECOME AN OPTION AT ALL. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS ORDINANCE HAS BEEN VETTED AND THIS IS THE ORDINANCE THAT IS BEFORE US. AND THIS IS WHERE POLICE AND FIRE BELIEVE IS THE GREATEST INTEREST FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE WELLBEING OF CITIES OF HOUSTON. AND IT WAS CRAFTED IN ORDER TO BE AS LIMITED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, BUT WITH THE JUSTIFICATION, UM, FOR, UH, HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY. AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS WRITTEN IN THIS FASHION. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT. WE, WE ARE ON THE, WE ARE ON THE AMENDMENT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN ON THE AMENDMENT PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND AS A REMINDER TO COLLEAGUES, UH, THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORK FOR MONTHS, UH, THIS CAME BEFORE A SPECIAL CALLED, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING ON OCTOBER 13TH. UH, WE'VE HAD OVER TWO MONTHS TO HAVE, UH, DISCUSSION, NOT JUST THROW SOMETHING UP AT THE TABLE. UM, THIS ADDRESSES A PARTICULAR NEED THAT OUR DEPARTMENTS, OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT, OUR SPECIAL EVENTS DEPARTMENT, MAYOR, YOUR TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED AS A PROBLEM THAT WE CAN ADDRESS. UM, I AM ALL FOR LOOKING AT OTHER AVENUES AND MAYOR, JUST LIKE WE MENTIONED THE INTERLOCAL, UH, TO ADDRESS NRG, THOSE STEPS ARE HAPPENING AND WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE. BUT FOR SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN VETTED FOR SOMETHING THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT, H-F-D-H-P-D AND THE CITY HAS NOT IDENTIFIED AS A NEED, UM, I'M NOT COMFORTABLE ON VOTING ON TODAY, UH, AGAIN, THIS NEEDS TO MOVE FORWARD. IT'S IMPORTANT AS A REMINDER, IT ADDRESSES THE GAP THAT ENSURES CERTAIN TYPES OF EVENTS ARE PROPERLY VETTED. AND THERE ARE SUFFICIENT SAFETY PLANS IN PLACE TO NOT PUT THE BURDEN ON LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THE CITY. IT'S BASICALLY BRINGING IN A NEW GROUP THAT, AGAIN, THE CITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS IDENTIFIED THERE'S A NEED FOR WHEN IT COMES TO PRIVATE PROPERTY AND MUSIC. UH, SUCH AS, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE HAVE BEEN ACTUAL INSTANCES OF WHERE THERE'S, ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, SOMEONE WANTS TO THROW A BIG MUSIC FESTIVAL, THE CITY LEARNS ABOUT IT WITHIN A DAY OR TWO, THERE'S BEEN NO PROPER PLANNING, THERE'S BEEN NO SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE, AND THE CITY THEN HAS TO STEP IN. HPD HAS TO STEP IN AT THE EXPENSE OF THE CITY AND UNABLE TO RECOUP THOSE COSTS. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ADDRESSING. SO I ALWAYS, ALWAYS THINK WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR ALL OTHER PLACES WE CAN ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S A TOP PRIORITY, THE PRIORITY OF A CITY OF GOVERNMENT. HOWEVER, THE AMENDMENT HASN'T BEEN VETTED. IT HASN'T BEEN REVIEWED, AND THIS PARTICULAR ITEM HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR MONTHS AND WE KNOW IS A SPECIFIC NEED TO THE CITY ITSELF. UM, SO I LAY THAT OUT THERE AS AN OPPORTUNITY MAYOR TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, TO CONTINUE TO LOOK. BUT IN MY CONVERSATIONS THROUGH THE QUESTIONS WE'VE ASKED AT COMMITTEE THROUGH OTHER AVENUES, THIS IS THE PARTICULAR NEED THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THIS INSTANCE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER C**S TO COUNCILMAN KASH. MAYOR, I SECOND IT 'CAUSE I WANTED TO TALK, TALK ABOUT IT, BUT, UH, IS THIS ALSO BEEN, HAS [02:55:01] IT ALSO BEEN PASSED BY THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT? YEAH, BUT THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS HERE. WE HAVE THE, YEAH, WE HAVE THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, UH, WITH THE COUNTY AND THAT'S DEALING WITH THE NRG. RIGHT? OKAY. AND THAT'S DEALING WITH A LARGE EVENTS, I WANNA SAY 6,000 PEOPLE OR MORE, UH, AT THE NRG COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT, THEY HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER'S COURT HAS APPROVED THAT INTERLOCAL AND FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE CAN AUTOMATICALLY GOES INTO EFFECT OVER HERE. I'VE AUTHORIZED IT AND APPROVED AND SIGNED OFF ON IT. SO THAT'S THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT DEALING WITH NRG. THIS PARTICULAR ORDINANCE DEALS WITH, UM, PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS WHO ARE HO HOLDING MUSIC EVENT WITH A CROWD OF 500 OR MORE. AND THIS CAME INTO PLAY, IT WAS LAST YEAR, I RECALL IT WAS LAST YEAR WHEN, WHEN, UH, POLICE CHIEF, UH, FENNER AND CHIEF PENA CAME TO, TO ME, ALONG WITH SUSAN CHRISTIAN AND OTHERS, AND SAID, THERE'S AN EVENT THAT'S BEING HELD ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. AND THEY SAID, UH, UH, THERE ARE NO, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT OR, UH, CONTROLS ON THE EVENT. I REMEMBER THAT. AND WE THINK IT CAN GET OUTTA HAND, AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, IF IT GETS OUTTA HAND, IT'S HAPPENING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND WE ARE GOING TO GET BLAMED FOR IT. 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SAY, WHY DID WE, WHY DIDN'T WE DO SOMETHING? AND SO THIS PARTICULAR ORDINANCE CAME UP TO ADDRESS THAT PARTICULAR EVENT, DEALING WITH PEOPLE, PRODUCERS WHO DECIDE, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT THAT THEY WANNA HOLD THIS EVENT. AND WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND EVERYTHING, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU GOT HUNDREDS, HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE SHOWING UP AND SOMETHING HAPPENS. AND THEN HERE WE ARE IN THE NEWS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SAYING TO US, DID Y'ALL PERMIT THAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU PERMIT IT? AND WHY DID Y'ALL ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN? SO THE INTENT WAS NOT TO TRY TO CONTROL EVERY PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WHO ARE HOLDING SOMETHING WHERE THERE'S BEEN NO PROBLEM. NOW IN RESPONSE TO COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, IF DOWN THE ROAD THERE'S A NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT A PARTICULAR AREA. AND AS COUNCIL MEMBER CAME AND SAID, WE CAN DO THAT, BUT WHAT I SAID TO EVERYONE, WE ARE DEALING NOW WITH PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, AND I DON'T WANT US TO THROW A BROAD NET ON HOW PEOPLE SHOULD UTILIZE THEIR PROPERTY UNLESS IT BECOMES A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. AND POLICE, AND FIRE AND OTHERS ARE COMING TO, TO THE CITY AND SAYING, WE NEED TO ADDRESS IT. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS PARTICULAR AUDIENCE IS INTENDED TO DO. SO WHEN YOU COMBINE THIS WITH THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, UH, WITH THE COUNTY DEALING WITH NRG, THEN I THINK IN MANY WAYS WE'RE COVERING OUR BASIS AS IT RELATES TO THE LARGE MUSIC EVENTS. WELL, MAYOR, IF I COULD RECLAIM JUST A LITTLE BIT OF MY TIME. SURE. UM, I, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO THINK OF, OF, OF WHAT TYPE OF A PROGRAM WOULD ACTUALLY DRAW A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THEN I STARTED THINKING, WELL, YOU KNOW, UH, IF, IF YOU HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE A, A POLITICAL RALLY, A BIG POLITICAL RALLY ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW, IF WE'D REALLY WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN GOVERNING THAT. ALRIGHT. AND I WOULDN, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT, UH, UH, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND OUT. I I DON'T WANT US TO PASS THIS. AND THEN SIX MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD, SOMETHING HAPPENED AND, AND, UH, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX WOULD BE RIGHT. WE SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING. SO HEAVEN SHOULD BE RIGHT, . AND SO THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO DISCUSS IT, YOU KNOW? RIGHT. NO, I, I, BECAUSE I I I'M IN FAVOR OF IT, BUT I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT OTHER BIG EVENTS WOULD CREATE SUCH A DANGER, BUT I WOULDN'T HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT ASTROWORLD WOULD'VE CREATED SUCH A DANGER. WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS WHEN THIS CAME UP AND, AND, UM, THE, THE, THE CONVERSATION IS WE DON'T WANT TO OVERREACH. SO LIKE, LIKE I INDICATED TO SUSAN M DO NOT PUT CHURCH OR FAITH-BASED EVENT IN THIS DEAL. I DON'T WANT CHURCHES AND ANYBODY ELSE COMING TO US AND SAID, RIGHT, WHAT ARE Y'ALL DOING? SO THAT'S NOT IN HERE. UH, ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, THEY ARE NOT IN HERE. WE DON'T WANT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS SAYING WE ARE INTRUDING ON. THAT'S NOT IN HERE. SO IT IS INTENDED TO BE VERY NARROWLY CONSTRUCTED TO WHERE WE KNOW THE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN. OKAY, THANK YOU MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS CISNEROS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I SUPPORT THE ORDINANCES WRITTEN, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX. I, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. [03:00:01] I UNDERSTAND, BUT I, I ALSO SEE THAT THIS DOESN'T PRECLUDE, YOU KNOW, UH, FUTURE, UM, ORDINANCES THAT, YOU KNOW, TO ADDRESS OTHER VENUES OR OTHER EVENTS OR ISSUES. UM, AND I'M, AND I'M, I FEEL, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENT IN HEARING HOW WELL VETTED THIS WAS AND HOW SUPPORTIVE, YOU KNOW, THE POLICE AND FIRE HAVE BEEN. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S WELL WRITTEN. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR PRO MARTIN. YES, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, WAY OUTTA MY LEAGUE. BUT THIS IS THE AGE OF INSTAGRAM INFLUENCERS AND THEY CREATE EVENTS AT THE DROP OF A HAT. THIS IS THE DAY OF WANT TO BE PRODUCERS WANT TO BE THIS AND WANT TO BE THAT. QUITE FRANKLY, I NEVER HEARD OF OFFSET UNTIL WE HAD THAT INCIDENT, UH, ABOUT A MONTH AGO. SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS IS TO GET IN FRONT OF ALL THESE EVENTS AND AT LEAST HAVE THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT IT FROM A PERMANENT STANDPOINT. BECAUSE IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THIS WAS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IN ONE DAY WE HAD THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE GONNA SHOW UP ON A STREET CORNER AND HAVE A FESTIVAL. AND IT WAS HARD FOR THE MAYOR TO SHUT IT DOWN. BUT WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN DOING THAT. WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE IN GETTING IN FRONT OF THINGS. AND SUSAN HAS DONE A NICE JOB WITH THIS, BUT I MEAN, THIS IS A NEW AGE THAT WE LIVE IN. AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER KUBA, YOU AND I ARE PROBABLY THE OLDEST ONES ON THIS, UH, THIS CITY COUNCIL AND, AND WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE INSTAGRAM. I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING AND MAYOR'S A YOUNG KID COMPARED TO US, BUT, BUT THIS IS WHAT THIS WORLD HAS COME TO AND PEOPLE REALLY GET INVOLVED IN THAT. AND I HOPE THEY HAVE A GOOD TIME, BUT I HOPE EVERYBODY'S SAFE. AND THIS IS OUR METHODOLOGY FOR MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE. AND YOU CAN SEND YOUR KID TO THESE EVENTS WITH A PERMIT COUNCIL, COUNCILMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I THINK Y'ALL HAVE MADE MY POINT. THE, THE SAME RISKS APPLY AT A MUSIC INDUSTRY THAT APPLY TO ANY OTHER LARGE, UNINTENDED OR OR UNKNOWN POLITICAL, UH, ANY KIND OF AN EVENT AT ALL. AND SO IF IT'S THE PUBLIC IS INVITED, THE SAME RISKS THAT YOU'D HAVE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL, YOU'D ALSO HAVE AT THAT EVENT AS MY COLLEAGUE, UH, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, MARTIN SUGGESTED THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING OUT ON IN THE INTERNET THAT, YOU KNOW, LARGE GATHERINGS OF PEOPLE APPEAR ON PRIVATE PROPERTY OR WHATEVER, AND, AND THOSE SAME RISK WILL APPLY. UM, I THINK THAT I'M SATISFIED THAT I'VE DONE MY PART ON THIS THING. SO I'M GOING TO WITHDRAW MY MOTION AND, UM, WE'LL JUST VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION. BUT JUST LEMME SAY THIS, I THINK THAT WE'RE, WE'RE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO ACTUALLY GET IN FRONT OF THESE SITUATIONS AND THE EXEMPTION OF THE SCHOOLS AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND A CLASS A ONE CERTIFIED FACILITIES LIKE A THEATER UNDER THE STARS AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING, THOSE ARE ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE. IT IS THE, THE POPUP TWITTER THING, OR THE POPUP, YOU KNOW, EVENT THAT MIGHT OCCUR THAT WE REALLY WANT TO DEAL WITH BECAUSE THEY, THEY SHOW UP AND THEY DON'T HAVE A PERMIT. WE, WE DON'T HAVE AN OPTION UNTIL SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS, WE CAN'T INTERVENE. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS ORDINANCE. WE WERE JUST FOCUSED ON MUSIC BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S SEEMS TO BE THE, THE THING EVERYBODY'S FOCUSED ON AFTER THE ASTROWORLD EVENT, BUT THIS ALSO APPLIES TO OTHER THINGS. SO IF Y'ALL DON'T WANNA DO IT, THAT'S FINE, I'LL WITHDRAW MY MOTION. BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THIS THOROUGH DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND BEING CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE DO. UH, I I THINK IT'S INCONSISTENT THAT WE TAKE PUBLIC EVENTS THAT ARE ONLY MUSIC RELATED WHILE ALLOWING OTHER EVENTS THAT CREATE JUST AS MUCH OF A RISK, JUST AS MUCH OF A HAZARD, JUST AS MUCH OF AN INCONVENIENCE, UH, THAT ARE NOT MUSIC RELATED. UM, BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY WE WANNA MISS. THAT'S FINE. I'LL WITHDRAW MY MOTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCILMAN KNOX WITHDRAW SAYS AMENDMENT. COUNCILMAN YOU WITHDRAW YOUR SECOND BASED ON ALL THE GOOD DISCUSSION. MAYOR, YOU LET US HAVE, I'LL, I'LL WITHDRAW MINE. THANK YOU. OKAY, NOW WE'RE BACK ON THE MAIN ITEM. COUNCILMAN CAME, CAME IN ON THE MAIN ITEM. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND I ONE APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF, AS YOU SAID, IT BEING NEARLY TAILORED TO ADDRESS WHAT THE CITY HAS CURRENTLY BEEN FACING. YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPERTY RIGHTS AND NOT OVERREACHING. UH, AND WE CAN'T NECESSARILY, WE CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. UH, SO I, I APPRECIATE THE WORK. I DID REALLY QUICKLY WANNA RECOGNIZE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED, UM, FROM FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF PENA AND HIS TEAM CHIEF NER AND HIS TEAM, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN, YOU AND YOUR TEAM. I KNOW SHE'S IN THE ROOM FOR THIS. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, [03:05:01] UH, CITY ATTORNEY, YOUR STAFF. UH, THIS WAS CRAFTED THOROUGHLY AND DEEPLY BY, UH, THE STAFF IN CITY LEGAL, INCLUDING, UH, TRACY, UH, CALABRESE, JOSEPH HAYES, AND REBECCA WENT, UH, THEY HAVE SPENT MONTHS ON THIS MAKING SURE THAT IT DOES, UM, APPLY, UH, IN THE APPROPRIATE MANNER THAT'S NARROWLY TAILORED SO THAT WE AS A CITY ARE NOT CROSSING A LINE WHEN IT COMES TO PROPERTY RIGHTS. SO I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THEM BECAUSE THEY DID THE WORK ON THIS. UH, AND I DID ALSO WANNA PUT OUT THERE THAT IF PASSED, UM, IT, IT WOULD GO INTO EFFECT WITHIN 90 DAYS. UH, AND THERE IS A PLAN. MY UNDERSTANDING IS BY THE DEPARTMENTS TO DO THAT OUTREACH, TO DO THAT EDUCATION, TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE IMPACTED, UM, WOULD BE AWARE OF THIS. AND AGAIN, WE'RE NOT RESTRICTING THE ABILITY OF ANYONE TO DO THIS, TO HAVE A MUSIC FESTIVAL OR A SPECIAL EVENT. IT'S SIMPLY TO BRING THEM INTO THE PERMITTING PROCESS SO THAT THERE'S ADDITIONAL EYES AND TIME FOR THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SAFE PLANS IN PLACE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 42? ANY OTHER DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED? ITEM PASSES. THANK YOU ALSO VERY MUCH FOR THE DISCUSSION. OKAY, NEXT ITEM. ITEM 43 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE? YEAH. ITEM 43. THERE'S GONNA BE AN AMENDMENT BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS ON 43. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I MOVE TO AMEND ITEM NUMBER 43 TO CHANGE SECTION 6.5 0.31 OF THE LOAN AGREEMENT ATTACHED RESTRICTIVE COVENANT AND ANY OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE LOAN AGREEMENT AND ATTACHMENTS, EXHIBITS AND APP DEPENDENCIES AND ORDINANCE THAT NEED TO BE ADJUSTED TO CHANGE THE MINIMUM AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS FROM 90 A MI TO 80 A MI SECOND ROBINSON, BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. YOU'VE HEARD THE AMENDMENT. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT DISCUSSION? THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, IN FAVOR OPPOSED GRANTED ON THE AMENDMENT. NOW WE'RE BACK TO ITEM 43 AS AMENDED WITH THE A MI GOING FROM FROM 82 AND 120 INSTEAD OF 90. THOMAS, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU. UH, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL AND THANK YOU MAYOR, UH, FOR, UM, APPROVING THE AMENDMENT. SO, JUST AS A REMINDER, YOU'RE GONNA SEE A SERIES OF SINGLE FAMILY HOME DEVELOPMENTS THAT COME BEFORE COUNCIL. WE BRIEF THREE IN NOVEMBER, AND YOU'LL SEE THIS ALL THROUGH 2023. SO I JUST WANT TO, UH, REMIND YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU THAT AS WE TALK ABOUT GENTRIFICATION AND A LOT OF OTHER STUFF IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, THIS IS ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY TO HALT GENTRIFICATION. WE HAVE TO DISRUPT THE IDEA AND THE NARRATIVE THAT EVERYBODY IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE BROKE, THAT THEY'RE POOR AND THEY CANNOT AFFORD. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AN AFFINITY FROM ACRES, HOMES, SUNNYSIDE A LEAF THAT THEY CANNOT MOVE BACK 'CAUSE WE HAVE NO NEW CONSTRUCTION FOR THEM. I'M ONE OF THOSE PERSONS. I CANNOT FIND A NEW CONSTRUCTION DEAL THAT'S AFFORDABLE IN, IN MY COMMUNITY. SO WHEN THESE ITEMS COME UP, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET AHEAD OF THAT AND RECRUIT THE PEOPLE TO COME BACK HOME THAT ARE EDUCATED, HAVE THE AFFORDABILITY. THEY THEY HAVE THE CASH. THEY WANNA SEND THEIR KIDS TO OUR SCHOOLS. THEY WANT TO PURCHASE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY DON'T WANNA BUY THEIR MAMA'S HOUSE. THEY DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THE REHAB. SO, UH, LET US NOT BE REACTIVE. LET'S GET AHEAD OF THIS. 'CAUSE THIS IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, HEY, YOU CAN LEAVE KATIE AND COME BACK TO AKERS HOME. COME BACK TO SUNNYSIDE, COME BACK TO A LEAVE, COME BACK TO THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE EAST END AT AN AFFORDABLE RATE. THE ONLY NEW CONSTRUCTION DEAL IN MY DISTRICT IS STARTING AT FOUR 10. AT FOUR 10 AT FOUR 10. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WORK ON YOUR STAFFS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THESE DEPARTMENTS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT US BECAUSE THIS CITY DON'T MAKE, GIVE NOBODY NO MONEY. OKAY, . SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT US. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO CREATE WEALTH, THAT THIS IS IT. THIS IS OUR, THIS IS ONE OF OUR LAST HITS, MAYOR TURNER THROUGH 2023. WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE IN IN AFFORDABILITY. SO, YOU KNOW, I WANNA ENCOURAGE YOU TO HOST EVENTS WITH ALL TYPE OF BANKERS. MORTGAGES ARE DOING IT. THEY'RE CREATIVE WITH MAKING SURE IF YOU GOT A SIX 80 CREDIT SCORE, YOU CAN GET IN A HOUSE. THIS IS OUR TIME TO GET THEM BANKED, TO GET THEM CREDIT WORTHY AND GET THEM READY TO PURCHASE A HOUSE AND PURCHASE IN THE CITY LIMITS, AND LEAVE THE SUBURBS TO COME TO THE CITY. SO LET US WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET AHEAD OF THAT, AND WE GOTTA DO. THANK YOU MAYOR PROTI. THAT CONCLUDES MY CONFERENCE AND THE MIC HAS BEEN DROPPED. OKAY. COUNCILMAN COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I ECHO OUR, UM, CHAIR, HOUSING CHAIR. UM, THIS ITEM WAS TAGGED LAST WEEK BECAUSE SOME ADVOCATES WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE AFFORDABILITY PERIOD, UM, AS WELL AS THE, UM, A MI AND THANK YOU FOR THE AMENDMENT. UM, BUT OF COURSE, I AGREE WITH THE FACT THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO COME BACK INTO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANNA SLOW DOWN GENTRIFICATION. THAT STILL IS, THAT'S A FEAR OUT THERE. UM, BUT, UM, CONGRATULATIONS ON JUST THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING TO MEET YOUR GOAL OF [03:10:01] AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND OF COURSE, I SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE. AND, AND THEN ALSO I SPOKE WITH ORACLE AND SOME OF THE PARTNERS OUT THERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE SOME LOCAL, UM, SUBCONTRACTORS THAT ARE ALSO WORKING ON THIS PROJECT. AND SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT PEOPLE FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS DEVELOPING WITHIN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU CHAIR FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND, UM, YOUR ADVOCACY. AND THANK YOU MAYOR. AND YEAH, I SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL VICE MAYOR POT, TIM T THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. I WANTED TO JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT AMENDMENT. AND THEN, UH, MAYOR, IF WE COULD, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC VIEWING, DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE, UH, 90, UH, PERCENT A MI AND THE 80% A MI. BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES WE TALK ABOUT A MI AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, WELL, HOW MUCH DOES THAT MEAN? UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, IF I'M MAKING $65,000 50 AND, AND I HAVE A FAMILY OF TWO, WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT MY A MI? AND IT'S COMPLICATED FOR FOLKS. AND IF WE COULD JUST KIND OF TOUCH ON THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT A MI AND WHAT THE BUYING POTENTIAL IS. AND I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT BECAUSE I HAVE A YOUNG SON WHO IS WORKING HIS FIRST JOB, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF RENTING VERSUS OWNING. AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT HOUSES. AND I WILL TELL YOU, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WHO ARE WORKING TO FIND AN AFFORDABLE PLACE TO LIVE. AND, UH, AND WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO RENT VERSUS OWNING, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. MM-HMM . UH, AND I DON'T MIND HIM LIVING AT HOME, BUT EVENTUALLY HE WANTS TO HAVE HIS, HAVE HIS OWN PLACE. UM, BUT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO FIND SOMEWHERE AFFORDABLE FOR HIM TO LIVE AND NOT BE HOUSE POOR. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, HE'S GOTTA PAY HIS TRUCK NOTE, HE'S GOTTA PAY HIS CELL PHONE BILL, HE'S GOTTA BUY GAS TO GO TO WORK, BUT HE CAN'T AFFORD THE MORTGAGE. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT 90% A MI AND THE 80% A MI. WELL, LET ME, LET ME JUST SAY BIGGER, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR ONE PERSON AT 80%, THAT'S 49,600. SO IF THEY'RE MAKING 49,600 AT 80%, UH, THAT'S 49,600 AT A UP TO 120% FOR ONE PERSON, THAT'S 74,400. OKAY. FOR TWO PERSON AT 80% IS 56,700. UH, FOR TWO PERSON AT 120%, UH, THAT'S $85,000. UH, A MI FOR THREE PERSON AT 80% AREA MEDIUM INCOME, THEY CAN MAKE UP TO 63,800 FOR THREE PERSON HOUSEHOLD. AND THAT THREE PERSON AT 120% IS 95,700. AND FOR FOUR PERSON HOUSEHOLD, 80% IS 70,850. AND THEN AT 120%, IT'S 106,300. SO BASICALLY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR YOUR TEACHERS AND FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS, UM, UH, TO BE LIVING IN THESE COMMUNITIES. AND I, I WANT TO ECHO, UH, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS HAD TO SAY, AND THAT IS EVEN WHEN MY DAUGHTER, MY DAUGHTER WANTED TO RETURN AND LIVE IN THE SAME IN THE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT SHE WAS HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING SOMETHING. SHE JUST COULDN'T, SHE COULDN'T FIND IT. AND SHE, AND SHE COULDN'T FIND UNLESS, AND UNLESS DAD STEPPED IN AND WENT THE REST OF THE WAY. OKAY. SO AFFORDABILITY IS A VARIABLE TERM. MM-HMM . OKAY. YOU CAN BE AT 30% AND MAKING VERY LITTLE, AND YOU NEED SOMETHING THAT'S AFFORDABLE FOR YOU AT 30%, BUT YOU CAN BE AT 80%. AND IF YOU'RE ONE PERSON, AND IF YOU'RE 80% IS YOU'RE MAKING 49,000, YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD. OKAY. SO IT IS A, IT IS A, IT IS A, IT'S, IT'S, IT IS, UM, IT'S RELATIVE TO WHAT YOU ARE MAKING. AND FOR MANY KIDS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO GREW UP, UH, IN CASHMERE GARDENS OR FIFTH WARD, OR AS COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY THOMAS SAID, A LEAF OR IN ACRES HOME OR SUNNYSIDE, AND THEY WANT TO COME BACK AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING AFFORDABLE, THAT'S NICE. AND IF THEY CAN'T FIND IT, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY END UP DOING? THEY GO TO THE LANDS, THEY GO TO PARA LAND, SUGAR, LAND WOODLANDS. SO THEY GO TO THE LANDS BECAUSE THEY WILL SAY TO YOU, WE LOOKED IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND MAYOR, YOU KNOW, [03:15:02] YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE DOING OKAY, BUT WE CAN'T AFFORD YOUR HOMES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IF IT'S AT 350,000 AND $400,000, WE CAN, WE CAN TAKE THAT SAME MONEY AND GET IT MUCH BETTER BY SOMEPLACE ELSE. YEAH. SO WE OUTTA HERE, AND AS ONE OF MY ASSOCIATES SAID TO ME WHEN I WAS AT THE LAW FIRM AND A PARTNER, AND HE MOVED OUTSIDE, HE SAID TO ME, WELL, WHEN Y'ALL BUILD A HOUSE THAT I CAN AFFORD, THAT'S QUALITY, YOU KNOW, INSIDE THE CITY, I'LL COME BACK. SO AFFORDABILITY IS RELATIVE. SO WHAT WE END UP HAVING TO DO AND NEEDING TO DO IS WHAT I CALL, WE NEED MIXED INCOME HOUSING. AND WHEN YOU GET MIXED INCOME HOUSING, YOU ARE IN A BETTER POSITION TO GET THE GROCERY STORES BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE ROOFTOPS. SO THERE'S A LOT TO IT. I DO WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, BECAUSE IN, UH, TAGGING THE ITEM, WE WERE ABLE TO GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK, UH, AT THAT 90% AND LOWERED DOWN TO 80%. SO I APPRECIATE YOU TAGGING THE ITEM. I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS FOR, FOR HER LEADERSHIP AND WHAT SHE SAID AND HOW YOU STATED IT, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID. AND OF COURSE, UH, WITH HER BEING A PROFESSOR, YOU KNOW, AND THIS IS WHAT SHE DOES. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND QUITE FRANKLY, LET ME ENCOURAGE YOU TO, TO, TO SPEAK EVEN MORE TO THIS SUBJECT BECAUSE I THINK IT GETS LOST. PEOPLE DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND IT, SO WE JUST NEED TO HAVE A MORE IN DEPTH CONVERSATION. BUT ANYWAY, GOOD DISCUSSION. SHE'S DONE. VICE MAYOR TIM, CAST TATUM. OH, I'M DONE. YOU'RE DONE. MAYOR. MAYOR TIM MARTIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, FRIDAY NIGHT, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING TO THE MAYOR CELEBRATION, BUT MY 27-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER REMINDED ME THAT I AGREED TO HELP HER MOVE FROM HER APARTMENT IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SIMILAR STORY TO THE MAYOR. THIS IS A 27-YEAR-OLD FEMALE COLLEGE GRADUATE ENGINEER WHO WANTS TO LIVE 10 MINUTES, 15 MINUTES AWAY FROM WHERE SHE WORKS. SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DO LIKE I DO. AND THAT IS TO DRIVE AN HOUR EVERY DAY AND AN HOUR BACK. SO DAD'S ALWAYS TRYING TO GIVE HER MONEY. MOM'S ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE HER INDEPENDENT. SO WE STRUGGLE WITH THAT. AND USUALLY MOM WINS AND THE INDEPENDENCE MEANS WE HAD TO RENT A U-HAUL AND WE HAD TO MOVE HER FROM A FOURTH STORY APARTMENT INTO HER BROTHER'S PLACE THAT HE LIVES NOW, BECAUSE SHE LOST HER ROOMMATE. SO WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR TWO YEARS FOR A HOUSE WITHIN THIS AREA. DAVID KNOWS THIS. ABBY KNOWS THIS. CAN'T FIND ANYTHING. WE FIND THINGS, THEY'RE $700,000, BUT OH, THAT'S JUST FOR THE LAND. THE HOUSE IS WORTH A THOUSAND AND THE LAND IS WORTH, WORTH 699,000. WELL, INTEREST RATES GOING UP, REQUIREMENT OF LENDERS TO, FOR 25% DOWN PAYMENTS. SO TIFFANY D, $400,000, THAT'S A HUNDRED GRAND. WHAT KID, I DON'T CARE HOW GOOD YOU ARE AND HOW SMART YOU ARE, IT HAS A HUNDRED GRAND TO PUT DOWN ON A HOUSE. SO MY SISTER FROM NEW ORLEANS, I APPLAUD YOU FOR THIS INITIATIVE. IT'S TOUGH OUT THERE. I DON'T KNOW HOW KIDS ARE DOING IT NOWADAYS. I REALLY DON'T. BECAUSE LITERALLY FOR TWO YEARS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A HOUSE AND WE CAN'T FIND A DARN THING. AND I HOPE IT WORKS OUT. I WOULD NEVER HAVE MY SISTER LIVE WITH ME. BUT MY , MY, MY SON, UH, MICHAEL IS THE SWEETEST YOUNG MAN YOU'LL EVER MEET IN YOUR LIFE. AND HE, HE'S AGREED TO TAKE, UH, TAKE ON, UM, HIS SISTER WHO DRAWS ME NUTS. BUT ANYWAY, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE DADDY'S DAUGHTER'S DADDIES. AND THAT'S WHAT WE, THAT'S WHAT WE DO, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO. BUT THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT. AND THE GOAL OF BUILDING 3000 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES BY THE END OF 2023 IS SO IMPORTANT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE INVENTORY OUT THERE TO KIND OF MODERATE THE PRICES. UM, AND SO, AND IT DOES NEED TO BE MIXED INCOME, BUT YOU GOTTA HAVE THE INVENTORY. AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE PUSHING, PUSHING TO GET 3000 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES BUILT OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. AND THIS ISSUE IS NOT A REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT ISSUE, NOT A BLACK, WHITE HISPANIC ISSUE. THIS IS A, HOW DO WE DO THIS? IT'S IN TIP D. YOU DIDN'T DROP THE MIC, BUT I'M GONNA DROP IT FOR YOU. SO APPLAUSE TO YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU, MARIN. UM, I JUST WANTED TO ECHO WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING. AND IN DISTRICT C WITH SOME OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE, UM, RATES [03:20:01] THAT ARE CONTINUING TO GROW, UH, AND IT'S NOT JUST YOUNG ADULTS THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO STAY IN THE DISTRICT. IT'S YOUNG FAMILIES, IT'S OLDER FAMILIES, IT'S SENIORS. AND, UH, MONTROSE FOR EXAMPLE, MAYOR HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST EVICTION RATES IN THE ENTIRE CITY, IF NOT THE COUNTY. UH, AND IT, WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST POPULATION OF RENTERS THERE THAT CANNOT STAY, THAT HAVE LIVED THERE FOR DECADES. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THOUGH THAT I WANTED TO RAISE, THAT'S A CHALLENGE FOR THE CITY. WE SUPPORT DENSITY. WE SUPPORT AFFORDABILITY, BUT THEY HAVE THE, THOSE HOMES HAVE TO BE BUILT RESPONSIBLY. AND IN DISTRICT C, WE HAVE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT, SOME GREAT DEVELOPMENT, BUT ALSO CHALLENGES WITH BAD DEVELOPMENT. AND WITH THAT INCREASED DENSITY INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES THAT WE CONTINUE TO FACE. SO AS WE CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, MAYOR PRO TEM KNOWS THIS BECAUSE I GET TEXTS FROM, YOU KNOW, HIM ABOUT CERTAIN ISSUES, UM, THAT HIS FAMILY EXPERIENCES IN DISTRICT C, UH, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUSTAIN THE DENSIFICATION. AND I HAVE A LOT OF CONCERNS, UM, THAT WE'RE NOT KEEPING UP WITH THAT AS WELL. AND SO I JUST RAISED THAT IN ADDITION TO THE IMPORTANCE OF, UM, EQUITY, AFFORDABILITY, UH, SUPPORTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, KEEPING FOLKS IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUSTAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE, WITH THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THAT'S OCCURRING RIGHT NOW. AND THAT GOES ALSO TO PUBLIC SAFETY WITH OUR PATROL BEATS. WHEN YOU HAVE INCREASED DENSIFICATION, FOR EXAMPLE, AND SEE WE HAVE APARTMENT COMPLEX AFTER APARTMENT COMPLEX AFTER APARTMENT COMPLEX GOING UP. WE HAD THE LARGEST GROWTH ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS, BUT THE SAME, FOR EXAMPLE, CENTRAL PATROL DIVISION, UH, WITH THOSE SAME RESOURCES. AND THEY CAN'T NECESSARILY KEEP UP WITH THE POPULATION GROWTH. SO I, ALL OF IT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED, AND I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING TOWARDS THAT HOLISTICALLY, BUT I DID WANNA RAISE MY CONCERN RELATED TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 43? AS AMENDED? AS AMENDED? UM, IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRAND ON ITEM 43. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT ITEM, ITEM NINETEENS COME IN. SO WE'LL GO BACK TO 19. OKAY. ITEM 19 HAS BEEN RECEIVED. GOING BACK TO ITEM 19. IT IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 19. DISCUSSION ON 19 ON 19. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 19, THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. OKAY. [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] WE'LL START OFF TODAY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, OH, I'M SORRY. JUST, JUST BEFORE YOU DO THAT, HE FORCED SALLY ALCON WORKS OUT THE DOOR. TASHA, UH, THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HAS SENT OVER THEIR FIRST PACKAGE OF THE SPOILS FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL BED ON THE HOUSTON ASTROS. SO, UH, COUNCIL STAFF, UH, MAYOR STAFF, EVERYONE'S INVITED TO COME TO PARTAKE IN THE PHILLY SNACKS IN THE NORTH CONFERENCE ROOM AFTER THIS COUNCIL MEETING. SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO COUNCIL MEMBER MAYOR PRO TEM CURTIS JONES, JR. OF PHILADELPHIA AND HIS STAFF. YOU KNOW, THE PHILLIES PUT UP A REALLY GOOD CHALLENGE. THEY WERE PROBABLY THE HOTTEST TEAM IN BASEBALL, JUST LIKE ATLANTA WAS. UH, A YEAR BEFORE THAT. I GOT TIRED OF WATCHING HARPER AND SCHWABER AND MARSH AND ALL THOSE GUYS. BUT, UM, WE'LL ENJOY THE SPOILS FROM PHILADELPHIA. THIS WILL BE OUR FIRST OF TWO PACKAGES. AND, UH, GOOD LUCK TO THE PHILLIES NEXT YEAR, AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE WORLD SERIES. THANK YOU. NOW, COUNCILMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, FIRST I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE HARRIS COUNTY AUDITOR'S OFFICE AS PART OF OUR BE SUCCESSFUL, UM, COMMUNITY CAPACITY BILL INITIATIVE. I RECEIVED A, UM, EMAIL ON YESTERDAY, A UPDATE ON SOME HIRES, PEOPLE THAT THEY HIRED. UM, IN FACT, WE GOT KENDRA MCKOWSKI, WHO WAS OFFERED AND ACCEPTED A POSITION AS GRANTS ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS. UM, AND SO SHE RECEIVED, UM, ANALYST, I'M SORRY, AND SHE RECEIVED, AND HER SALARY IS 63,000 A YEAR. UM, AND THE SECOND PERSON IS MS. INE, WHO ACTUALLY ACCEPTED A POSITION AS SENIOR ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE ACCOUNTANT, AND HER SALARY IS 76,000 A YEAR. AND SO BOTH OF THESE INDIVIDUALS, UM, ONE START TO YESTERDAY AND THE OTHER ONE IS GONNA START ON THE 19TH. AND SO I JUST WANNA THANK, UM, HARRIS COUNTY AUDITOR'S OFFICE FOR PARTICIPATING, UM, IN THE INITIATIVE AS WE CONTINUE TO TRY TO GET RESIDENTS AND DISTRICT B, UM, INTO SOME GOOD PAYING JOBS. UM, ALSO WANT TO INVITE ALL DISTRICT B RESIDENTS TO OUR DISTRICT B HOLIDAY DINNER, WHICH IS HAPPENING THIS SUNDAY, UM, DECEMBER, DECEMBER THE 11TH AT 6:00 PM IT'LL BE TAKING PLACE AT NEWT FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH AT 8 9 5 5 NORTH WAYSIDE. UM, TO [03:25:01] REGISTER, UM, REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE, 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 9. UM, AT THIS EVENT, WE WILL HAVE OUR DISTRICT B CHOIR WHO WILL BE SINGING, UM, AND THE DISTRICT B CHOIR WILL EVENTUALLY GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND DO SOME CAROLING FOR OUR SENIORS. AND SO OUR CAROLING WILL TAKE PLACE ON NEXT WEDNESDAY, UM, AT 4:00 PM AND IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CHOIR, COME ON AND, UM, SIGN UP. AND WE ARE GONNA HAVE SOME CHOIR REHEARSAL, I THINK, THIS WEEKEND. AND WE'RE GONNA GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND START JUST SHARING SOME LOVE AND JOY AND SOME GOOD MUSIC. SO THANK YOU. HAVE A BLESSED WEEK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LET ME KNOW WHEN THE REHEARSALS, UH, WILL BE . UH, COUNCILMAN MCCAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, I, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE ITEMS ON REFINO AND NORTH CANAL. UH, TWO BIG PROJECTS THAT I'VE CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE ON ALONGSIDE OTHERS, BUT, UH, DISTRICT C IS VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATIVE FOR THAT. UH, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, UM, THOSE IN THE DEPARTMENT, BOTH ANDY KIN'S OFFICE, UM, AND ALSO PLANNING UNDER DIRECTOR WALLACE BROWN AND SPEC, SPECIFICALLY ROMAN. UM, WE HAD ITEMS 24 THROUGH 37, WHICH WERE HISTORICAL, UM, TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR HISTORICAL SITES. THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THOSE ARE IN DISTRICT C, SO WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY. THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF TOOLS, AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THOSE TOOLS, UM, AS WE WORK ON HISTORICAL PRESERVATION. SO A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THEM AND TO OUR RESIDENTS FOR THAT. AND FINALLY, UM, THIS THURSDAY, SO TOMORROW AT 6:00 PM I'M GONNA BE HAVING A VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING, UH, WITH, UH, RESIDENTS IN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 22, ABOUT AN EXCITING IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BLOSSOM IN WESCOTT, UH, CROSSWALK. WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR OVER A YEAR, UH, AT THE REQUEST OF RESIDENTS WHO USE THAT NOT ONLY AS A MAJOR BIKEWAY, BUT ALSO PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TO GET TO MEMORIAL PARK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, SO WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THAT. MAYOR, I WON'T BE ABLE TO ATTEND AT THE LIBRARY, THE RECEPTION, UH, FOR, UH, FAMILIES AND THE NONPROFITS THAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING IN THE DISTRICT. UH, WE'LL HAVE STAFF THERE. BUT AGAIN, UH, WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR LIFTING UP NONPROFITS. UH, IT'S A, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM THAT, THAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING TOMORROW. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN AND MR. BOSS. THANK YOU, MAYOR, ON TODAY, I WILL BE A JUDGE AT THE Y WOMEN STARTED UP PITCH COMPETITION, WHICH WILL BE FROM THREE TO 5:00 PM TODAY. UH, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WILL COMPETE FOR EXCLUSIVE TO GAIN EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO VALUABLE RESOURCES, GUIDANCE AND CAPITAL, AND TO INVEST THEIR BUSINESSES TO THE NEXT LEVEL. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING IN THAT. ON THIS SATURDAY AT ST. JOHNS DOWNTOWN, THERE WILL BE A BLACKMAIL SUMMIT. IT'S FREE ADMISSION. AND TO REGISTER, YOU WOULD GO TO BLACKMAIL SUMMIT.EVENTBRITE.COM. AND AGAIN, IT'S ON THIS SATURDAY AT 1:00 PM. FINALLY, MAYOR, I WANT TO INVITE YOU AND MY COLLEAGUES TO THE COMMUNITY TOWN HALL MEETING ON TOMORROW NIGHT, THURSDAY AT PILGRIM CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST AT 31 15 LODGE, WHERE WE WILL DISCUSS THE RECONFIGURATION AND PROJECT UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON BLOT BETWEEN ENNIS AND SCOTT. UH, AND ALSO A PRESENTATION ON THE PROPOSED CITY TIE IN TO OTHER BIKE LANES. AND MAYOR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT PERFECT AND GOOD, BUT I'M GONNA SUGGEST THAT GOOD, BETTER, BEST, NEVER LET IT REST UNTIL THE GOOD IS BETTER AND THE BETTER IS BEST. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA DISCUSS ON TOMORROW. N MAYOR, YOU AND MY COLLEAGUES ARE INVITED AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. HAVE A GREAT WEEK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. GOOD, BETTER, GOOD, BETTER, BEST. NEVER LET IT REST UNTIL THE GOOD IS BETTER AND THE BETTER IS BEST. THANK YOU. NOW, NOW, HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO BIKE LANE? , COME ON OUT. YOU HEAR ABOUT IT, MAYOR, COME ON OUT THURSDAY NIGHT, PILGRIM CHURCH. THANK YOU. GOOD IS BETTER. AND THE BETTER COUNCIL MEMBER NARROWS WHAT YOU GOT FOR US. I KNEW THAT. I KNEW THAT RON , IT MUST BE AN EDUCATOR THING. UM, WELL JUST, I, I HAD SOME THINGS I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT, BUT I THINK I'M GONNA HOLD OFF ON TO A MORE APPROPRIATE TIME. UM, BUT JUST TO ALSO THEN SAY THAT WE HAVE A, UM, A DISTRICT H NEWSLETTER THAT, THAT GOES OUT EVERY THURSDAY MORNING. AND THIS, UM, THIS WEEK, LIKE EVERY WEEK, IS FULL OF, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF INTERESTING INFORMATION FOR DISTRICT H RESIDENTS, UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES, LOTS OF OF HOLIDAY EVENTS THAT IN COMMUNITIES ALL OVER [03:30:01] DISTRICT H ARE HOSTING. PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE AND WE'LL PUT YOU ON THE LIST AND IT'LL BE DELIVERED TO YOUR EMAIL BOX EVERY THURSDAY MORNING AT, AT THE DISTRICT H OFFICE. THE NUMBER IS SEVEN, I MEAN 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 3. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, VICE MEMBER TIM TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST ONE, UH, QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT. THE SPECIAL CALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, IS TODAY AT 2:00 PM WE WILL BE DISCUSSING, UM, TS ANNEXATIONS. WE DO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER THE 14TH. SO THIS WILL BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO GATHER THE INFORMATION THAT WE'LL NEED, UM, FOR OUR DECEMBER 14TH PUBLIC HEARINGS. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, A PASS MAYOR. OKAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS. SURE. UM, GOOD NEWS. JANUARY 14TH IS THE OFFICIAL FIRM DAY OF THE NEW A LEAF CENTER THAT IS OUR RIBBON CUTTING. SO I EXPECT ALL OF YOU TO BE THERE. IT'S THE FIRST CENTER OF ITS KIND IN THE CITY, A BUILDING THAT'S ALREADY WON NATIONAL AWARDS FOR DESIGN AND ITS ARCHITECTURE. SO VERY PROUD OF THAT. UM, HOWEVER, THE PEOPLE ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT THEIR RIBBON CUTTING. UM, SO ON SUNDAY, SO I JUST WANNA REMIND THE COMMUNITY, UM, WHILE THEY WERE OUT THERE SUNDAY, UH, AT THE SKATE PARK, AT THE BASKETBALL AND RIDING THE BIKES, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT TO SEE. UM, BUT I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT, UM, AS WE GET READY FOR OUR RIBBON CUTTING, PLEASE PROTECT OUR ASSET. THIS IS YOUR ASSET. UH, KEEP IT CLEAN AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS SAFE. UM, EVERYONE IS EXCITED. AND SO THEY HAD NO IDEA WHO I WAS. 'CAUSE I WAS COMING FROM THE GROCERY STORE WITH MY HOODIE ON AND, YOU KNOW, SWEATS. AND I HEARD THIS BABY SAY, I LOVE THIS PARK. AND I WAS JUST LIKE, IT'S GREAT. I SAW THE YOUNG MAN IN THE WHEELCHAIR PULL UP AND I WAS LIKE, THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THESE BUILDINGS ARE NECESSARY. THIS IS WHY THIS INVESTMENT IS IMPORTANT. UM, I SAW AN OLDER MAN RIDING HIS BIKE ON FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEOTAPING BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE JUST SO EXCITED TO GET THERE. SO, UM, UM, THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE DO THIS. BUT I JUST WANNA REMIND THEM, WE AIN'T REALLY OPEN Y'ALL, SO JUST, UH, BE GOOD OUT THERE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S NUMBER ONE. SO NUMBER TWO, AND MAYOR, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS. THERE WAS A, A, A LUBIES THAT'S NOW CLOSED DOWN ON FRON. IT'S NOW PERMITTED TO BECOME A POKER CLUB. A WHO, A POKER CLUB. AND I'M INUNDATED OFF OF WEST PARK, JEANETTA FRON RICHMOND WITH POKER CLUBS. I'VE DONE MORE THAN ENOUGH OVERTIME FOR MIDWEST HPD. THEY'VE EXPENDED THAT. I THINK THEY HAVE A HUNDRED DOLLARS LEFT JUST TO ADDRESS POKER CLUBS AND THOSE AFTER HOURS. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S AN ORDINANCE OR SOME TYPE OF BASELINE THAT WE NEED TO ESTABLISH IN THE CITY, BUT RESIDENTS ARE ALREADY NERVOUS BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, UH, OTHER, NOT ALL POKER CLUBS, BUT THERE ARE SOME IN THAT AREA. THEY'RE SHOOTING IN, IN THE BUILDING IN THE PARKING LOT. IT'S ALREADY DOCUMENTED. HP D'S BEEN THERE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE DO SOMETHING SIMILAR LIKE WHAT WE DO WITH THE STRIP CLUBS WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING. I DON'T KNOW. BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING WHERE WE CAN GO BACK OUT TO COMMUNITY TO SAY THAT THERE'S SOME ENFORCEMENT IN PLACE. 'CAUSE THEY'RE VERY NERVOUS. AND SO, UH, THAT LUBY'S FOOTPRINT IS A, IS A LARGE FOOTPRINT. AND SO, UM, THEY'RE IN PROCESS. I, YOU KNOW, I I SUPPORT BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT TO COME IN, BUT NOT AT THE SAKE OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN PUBLIC SAFETY. SO, UM, I'LL, I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THAT. YEAH, AND THAT'S, I MEAN, THAT, UH, HAVE TOUR MICHELLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT PLEASE, BECAUSE I KNOW WE DON'T REGULATE IT. WE DON'T, WE DON'T. I'M JUST INUNDATED. I'M SPENDING A LOT OF EFFORT WITH MIDWEST ON THOSE AFTER HOURS AND THOSE POKER CLUBS AND THERE'S A LOT OF GUN ACTIVITY, UM, HAPPENING IN THAT AREA WITH THE, SURROUNDING THOSE POKER CLUBS. BUT I DO THINK WE CAN DO SOMETHING ON THESE AFTER HOUR PLACES FOR SURE. I, I MEAN, I JUST NEED SOME HELP. 'CAUSE I'M, I'M, I'M, I GOT YOU. I'M DROWNING OVER THERE. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, MY, UH, 10TH GRADE ENGLISH TEACHER, UH, ELLA JEFFERSON, YOU KNOW, ELLA JEFFERSON, SHE GOES TO THE BRIDGE. UM, SHE WAS CHECKING HER MAIL AND THERE WAS A PIT BULL. AND THIS IS ABOUT A YEAR AGO, A PIT BULL WAS CHASING HER. SO SHE FELL, SHE TRIPPED ON HER SIDEWALK THERE, HAD TRIPPING HAZARDS IN BROOKFIELD. SO SHE BROKE HER HIP. AND SHE'S BEEN RECOVERING FOR ABOUT A YEAR. SO I DID A SITE VISIT IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD AND GOT A COST ESTIMATE FROM PUBLIC WORKS TO REPLACE HER SIDEWALKS. IT'S $2 MILLION TO REPLACE THE SIDEWALKS, HER SIDEWALK AND THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF HER ON ONE STREET. UM, I AIN'T GOT IT. SO AGAIN, $2 MILLION. AND THEN THERE'S THIS, THERE'S A TREE ON THE SIDE THAT REALLY, THE ROOTS HAVE DISRUPTED THE SIDEWALKS, WHICH CAUSED HER TO TRIP. AND IT'S ON THE CITY, IT'S ON THE, THE TREES ON THE CITY SIDE, BUT IT'S A GOOD HEALTHY TREE. AND WE DON'T REMOVE HEALTHY TREES. BUT I, SO THESE ARE THE TYPE OF, UM, BARRIERS WE HAVE AROUND ONE SIDEWALK REPAIR AND THEN $2 MILLION. IT WOULD TAKE ME TWO YEARS. THE COST ASSESSMENT CAME FROM A PUBLIC WORKS. HUH? I DID A, I, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZED THE COST ESTIMATE BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS WITH HER. SEND IT, SEND IT TO ME FOR ALMOST A YEAR. SEND IT TO ME. SURE, I WILL. I JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST IN THE LARGER OF HOW WE TALK ABOUT [03:35:01] SIDEWALKS AND HOW WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IT WE, THERE'S A PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA THROUGH CUSTOMER ROBINSON TAKE A LOOK AT THAT TOO. I WILL. YEAH. SO I JUST WANT TO RAISE THAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE TYPE OF COST IT TAKES IN ORDER TO MAKE THESE NEIGHBORHOODS HOME. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN A SURVEY OF THE ENTIRE SUBDIVISION TO GET ALL OF THEM ON THE SAME LEVEL. SO, UH, OLDER NEIGHBORHOOD, LOTS OF ROOTS, LOTS OF TREES. I GET THAT. BUT THE GENESIS IS BECAUSE A, A DOG WAS CHASING HER AT HER MAILBOX. SHE TRIPPED AND FELL. SHE'S 70 PLUS YEARS OLD. UM, RIGHT. AND SO, UM, IT JUST SO HAPPENED SHE, SHE KNOWS HER COUNCIL MEMBER BECAUSE, UH, SHE TAUGHT ME AND I WAS ABLE TO GET THERE AND ADDRESS. BUT EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE THAT TYPE OF ACCESS. SO, UM, ANY ASSISTANCE ON THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE. THANK YOU MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MCO. WELL, I WAS GOING TO PASS, BUT SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SIDEWALKS, UH, I MEAN I, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THIS DISCUSSION BEFORE, MAYOR, IF, IF THE CITY CONTINUES ITS POLICY IS THAT, THAT SIDEWALKS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE, OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE REALLY BAD SIDEWALKS. UM, I I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD LOOK IN THE FUTURE TO A SIDEWALK BOND, UH, BOND ISSUE. I MEAN, IT'S NOT AGAINST REBUILD, IT DOESN'T COUNT AS THE STREET, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PAY AS YOU GO. AND WE COULD, UM, IT WOULD TAKE A CHANGE IN POLICY 'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE THE CITY TAKING OVER, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SIDEWALKS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD EXACTLY WORK, BUT, UM, ULTI, I MEAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERY WHICH WAY. AND I KNOW, UH, PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS ARE, ARE BRINGING SOMETHING FORWARD TO BRING MORE MONEY. WE HAVE TO MORE PUBLIC INVESTMENT IS COMING FOR SIDEWALKS. BUT, UH, AND I, I KNOW THAT'S A HIGH ESTIMATE, BUT I'VE MET WITH ENGINEERS AND EVERYTHING. SOMETIMES IT REALLY IS SUPER EXPENSIVE. 'CAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TREES, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DRAINAGE, YOU'RE, THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS INVOLVED, UM, IN A SIDEWALK. BUT IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY A, A BROADER CONVERSATION. BUT, UM, COST SHARING WITH PROPERTY OWNERS IS AN IDEA TOO, THAT SOME CITIES DO WHERE YOU PAY CITY PAY SOME, THEY PAY SOME. THERE'S A, A BUNCH OF WAYS TO SKIN THIS CAT. BUT, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE'RE WE'RE JUST GONNA, THE CITY'S GONNA HAVE TO EVENTUALLY COME UP WITH FUNDS TO, TO PUT, PUT MORE INTO THE PEDESTRIAN REALM. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO WISH CATHERINE WASHINGTON, MY SCHEDULER, MY OFFICE. I VERY, VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. OH GOOD. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. COUNCILMAN P THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, FIRST I WANNA HIGHLIGHT ONE OF OUR GREAT CONSTITUENTS IN DISTRICT A RON DELANEY, WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF ANTOINE FOREST ESTATES. UM, OVER THE WEEKEND THERE WAS A GIANT HOLE, UM, ON ANTOINE, RIGHT BY DESOTO, I MEAN LIKE, I CAN'T EVEN CALL IT A POTHOLE. IT WAS JUST A GIANT HOLE IN THE GROUND. UM, THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAD COME OUT LAST WEEK TO PUT A MIDDLE PLATE OVER AND THE PLATE MOVED AND THERE WAS JUST A GIANT HOLE IN ANTOINE. SO HE ACTUALLY STOPPED TRAFFIC AND PUT UP A BARRICADE HIMSELF SO THAT NO ONE WOULD GET HURT. AND SO PUBLIC WORKS DID COME OUT VERY QUICKLY AND THEY ADDRESSED IT AND IT'S ALL FIXED NOW. SO THANK YOU TO PUBLIC WORKS. SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT RON FOR DOING THAT. I MEAN, TO STOP TRAFFIC ON ANTOINE, THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY BIG FOR SOMEONE TO DO. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND HE'S ALWAYS HELPING OUR HOT TEAM WHENEVER THERE'S TRASH THAT THEY'RE PICKING UP IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD. SO JUST WANTED TO THANK HIM FOR EVERYTHING THAT HE DOES IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, NEXT I HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE, UM, IN, AT CIGNA SUNDAY IN THE PARK THIS SUNDAY AT SCHWARTZ PARK. DECEMBER 11TH, 8 2 0 3 VOGUE LANE. IT'S A FREE CELEBRATION FROM 12 TO 4:00 PM MUSIC, DANCING, FREE FOOD AND GAMES. SO HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE THERE ON SUNDAY. AND UM, FINALLY, MAYOR, ON A SAD NOTE. UM, SENIOR OFFICER OF VIDAL LOPEZ IS IN THE HOSPITAL THIS MORNING. HE WAS HIT BY A TRAIN EARLIER TODAY. HE AND HIS WIFE ARE VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH MY CHIEF OF STAFF. SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW WITH HIM. I JUST WANTED TO, UM, MAKE EVERYONE AWARE THAT WE DO HAVE AN OFFICER IN THE HOSPITAL AND, UM, HOPE THAT EVERYONE WILL THINK OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY AND THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TODAY. THANK YOU. I WAS TOLD ABOUT THAT. SO LET'S KEEP HIM IN OUR PRAYERS. UM, YEAH, BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT WE HAVE A LOT OF TRAINS GOING THROUGH, GOING THROUGH OUR CITY. SO BE VERY, VERY, VERY CAREFUL. OKAY. UM, ANYTHING ELSE FROM ANYONE? OKAY, THANK YOU ALSO VERY MUCH. WE STAND, HOW MANY MORE CONSTANT MEETINGS DO WE HAVE? JUST IS ONE, TWO TILL THE END OF THE YEAR? THE 14TH AND THE 21ST? YEAH. ONE ON THE 21ST. NOT ON THE 21ST. YES SIR. YEAH, OUR BREAK WEEK IS THE 28TH. WE, WE, WE CAN PUT IT ONE IN I WANT OBJECT TO THAT REAL LIGHT, MARY. YEAH. HEY, AFTER THE 16TH THUMB STRAIGHT. YEAH. . I CAN PUT IN A BREAK. WE ON 21ST. WELL LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT, AT THAT 'CAUSE. 'CAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, I WAS, I WAS NOT, I WAS NOT PLANNING ON BEING HERE ON THE 21ST. I'M FINE HAVING TWO WEEKS OFF. YEAH, WE, LET'S VOTE ON THAT. YOU'RE EXHAUSTED. YEAH. WE'LL, YEAH. POSTED. SO LET ME DO IT NEXT WEEK. YEAH. 'CAUSE YEAH, 21ST, RIGHT? I GOTTA GET MY, I GOT MY SHOPPING IN. YEAH, I'M FINE WITH THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT THEN. THAT, I'M GLAD WE HAD THAT FINAL . WE STAND [03:40:01] 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.