[FY 2024 Budget Workshop: City Council]
[00:00:19]
I HAD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IN ATTENDANCE, WE HAVE VICE CHAIR EDWARD POLLARD, AND THAT IS IT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND THEN WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ, MARY NAN HUFFMAN, CARLOS CISNEROS, MICHAEL KNOX, AND DAVID ROBINSON.
TODAY'S BUDGET WORKSHOPS ARE CITY COUNCIL PRESENTING AT 10:30 AM OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AT 11, HUMAN RESOURCES AT 1230, FLEET MANAGEMENT AT ONE 30 AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS AT TWO 30.
ADDITIONALLY, THE BUDGET WORKSHOP SCHEDULE IS POSTED ON THE BFA WEBSITE AND ALL BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIR COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND BUDGET WORKSHOPS ARE BROADCAST ON HTV THROUGH THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL CHANNEL.
IN ADDITION TO STREAMING ON THE HTV FACEBOOK PAGE.
IF ANYONE WANTS TO SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS, THEY WERE COMPLETED YESTERDAY AT THREE O'CLOCK.
BUT IF YOU HAVE SOME COMMENTS TODAY ON THESE INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS, UH, WE HAVE, UM, ON MY LEFT, YOUR RIGHT, UH, SOMEONE FROM MY OFFICE WHO WILL BE MONITORING THE SHEET.
IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS HERE OR IN PERSON THAT DID NOT SIGN UP YESTERDAY, AS I MENTIONED, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT TODAY.
THE MAIN PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY 24 BUDGET IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 31ST.
AGAIN, THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY 24 BUDGET IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 31ST DURING OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND WORKSHOP.
AND I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS OFFICE HAS JOINED US AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ IS LIVE VIRTUALLY.
SO COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SUBMIT ANY DEPARTMENT BUDGET WORKSHOP QUESTIONS IN A WORD DOCUMENT, WE UPLOAD THAT TO SHAREPOINT.
OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, DISTRICT E STAFF HAS SHARED LINKS TO SHAREPOINT BUDGET WORKSHOPS AND HELD A REFRESHER TRAINING TO MAKE SURE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PREPARED FOR THIS BUDGET SESSION.
ALL PRESENTATIONS FOR BUDGET WORKSHOPS WILL BE POSTED ON SHAREPOINT 48 HOURS BEFORE THE DAY OF THE DEPARTMENT WORKSHOP AND DELIVERED TO COUNCIL INBOXES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL ANNEX.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR STAFF IS UTILIZING WORKSPACE AND PICKING UP DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS IN YOUR MAILBOXES IN A TIMELY FASHION.
THESE PRESENTATIONS WILL THEN BE UPLOADED TO THE BFA WEBSITE.
DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO PROVIDE RESPONSES WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE CONCLUSION OF THIS PRESENTATION.
OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION TO ANY QUESTIONS POSTED AT THE START OF THE WORKSHOP TO SPARK DEPARTMENT RESPONSES WILL ALSO BE UPLOADED TO SHAREPOINT FOR ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO REVIEW.
IF QUESTIONS ARE SUBMITTED AFTER THE PRESENTATION DEPARTMENTS HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND VIA SHAREPOINT FROM TIME OF POST QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN BE UPLOADED AT ANY TIME DURING THE WORKSHOP.
THE EARLIER THE BETTER ALLOWING FOR DEPARTMENTS PLENTY OF TIME TO PROVIDE RESPONSES.
PUBLIC SPEAKING SHOULD HAVE SIGNED UP ONLINE BY THREE O'CLOCK, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A PROVISION THAT THEY CAN SIGN UP WHEN THEY GET HERE.
THE DAY OF THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
THE AMENDMENT TEMPLATE HAS ALSO BEEN POSTED TO SHARE BUDGET WORK SPOTS, WORKSPACE.
REMEMBER THE AMENDMENT IS THE WAY THAT YOU ADDRESS WHAT YOU FEEL IS INEFFICIENCIES IN THE 24 BUDGET IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY AMENDMENTS, THEREFORE YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BUDGET BECAUSE THE WAY TO SUBMIT THOSE IS THROUGH THE AMENDMENT TEMPLATE.
AND WE'LL TAKE THOSE UP THE DAY OF THE FULL ABUD BUDGET HEARING MAYOR TURNER SENT OUT A MEMO TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COUNCIL OFFICES TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS ON THE FY 24 BUDGET RELATED TO COUNCIL MEMBER AMENDMENTS ONLY OPERATIONAL BUDGET RELATED AMENDMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED.
POLICY AMENDMENTS SHOULD NOT NOT BE SUBMITTED AND WILL BE RULED OUT OF ORDER.
PLEASE SEE THE MAYOR'S MEMO FOR MEDICINAL GUIDANCE AMENDMENTS ARE DUE BY MAY 31ST.
ONCE AGAIN, AMENDMENTS ARE DUE BY MAY 31ST.
I'D LIKE TO WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN AND WE'LL START THIS MORNING WITH SO MUCH DIRECTOR VENITA JONES, WHO WILL PROVIDE THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET.
[00:05:01]
MAN TO YOUR RIGHT THAT JUST JOINED US,MY NAME IS VENITA JONES AND THIS MORNING I WILL BE PRESENTING CITY COUNCIL'S FY 24 PROPOSED BUDGET.
BUT PRIOR TO MY PRESENTING, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY STAFF.
I HAVE OVER HERE MARY HAMILTON, HE HANDLES ALL OF THE BUDGET AND COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS FOR CITY COUNCIL.
I HAVE KENITRA LOVE, SHE'S A RECEPTIONIST THAT GREETS EVERYBODY THAT COMES TO CITY HALL ANNEX AND WITH A BEAUTIFUL SMILE AND TAKES CARE OF EVERYBODY.
SHE DOES ALL YOUR PCARD, YOUR INVOICES AND ANY TYPE OF EXPENSES THAT NEED TO COME THROUGH FOR CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAVE CORINA VELASQUEZ AND SHE IS YOUR GSD LIAISON.
IT LIAISON, EVERY LIAISON YOU NEED FOR CITY COUNCIL.
HE IS ACTUALLY A HUMAN RESOURCE EMPLOYEE.
HE WORKS FOR HR BUT HE DOES CITY COUNCIL.
AND YOUR AND YOUR DEPARTMENT ALWAYS DOES A GREAT JOB GREET US WITH A SMILE AND UH, WARM KIND WORD.
SO WE DO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR US.
SO THERE ARE 16 COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE HAVE 11 DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS, DISTRICT A THROUGH DISTRICT K, AND WE HAVE FIVE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT OVERSEES THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THEY HAVE A VISION.
AND I'M GONNA READ THE VISION FOR CITY COUNCIL IS FROM VISION TO ACTION.
SO CITY COUNCIL'S VISION FOR HOUSTON IS TO DEVELOP PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES THAT REFLECTS THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUENTS, BUSINESSES, AND THE COMMUNITIES.
WE STRIVE TO TURN OUR VISION INTO ACTION AS WE STAY ALIGNED WITH THE MAYOR'S INITIATIVES.
SO THIS IS CITY COUNCIL'S ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.
AS YOU SEE, AS I STATED BEFORE, THERE ARE 16 COUNCIL MEMBERS AND IN FY 23 THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 79.5 FTES.
THERE'S PROJECTED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 77.4 IN FY 24, BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR.
SO THIS NUMBER IS DEFINITELY GOING TO INCREASE.
UM, ONCE WE HAVE AN ELECTION THIS YEAR BELOW THE 16 COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU SEE CITY COUNCIL GENERAL, THAT IS WHERE ALL OF THE CITY COUNCIL'S HEALTH BENEFITS RESIDE IN THAT SPECIAL FUND FOR THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS.
BELOW THAT, YOU SEE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
THESE ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS FOR CITY COUNCIL FOR FY 23.
FOR THE GENDER, WE HAD 25 MALES AND 54 FEMALES.
WE HAD 27 WHITE, 22 HISPANIC LATINOS, TWO ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS, AND 28 AFRICAN AMERICANS BLACK.
SO WHAT I WANNA DO NOW IS JUST GIVE YOU A BUDGET COMPARISON FROM FY 23 TO FY 24 AND I'M GONNA BREAK IT DOWN SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE NUMBERS EXACTLY HOW THEY ARE.
THE ADOPTED BUDGET FOR FY 23 WAS $13,985,308.
AND THE WAY THAT NUMBER IS BROKEN DOWN IS $7,857,840 IS THE OPERATING BUDGET FOR CITY COUNCIL.
THAT IS WHAT THEY USE TO OPERATE THEIR OFFICES.
EACH OFFICE'S BUDGET IS DIVIDED 16 BY 16 WAYS EVENLY.
THAT'S $491,115 PER OFFICE TO RUN THEIR OFFICE AND OPERATE IT.
BELOW THAT IS THE $5,500,000 FOR ONLY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OFFICES.
THAT IS ALSO DIVIDED BY JUST THEM AND THEY GET $500,000 EACH TO OPERATE.
BELOW THAT IS THE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR FY 23, 620 $7,468.
THAT BRINGS YOU BACK TO YOUR TOTAL BUDGET THAT WAS ADOPTED AT 13 MILLION 9 85 3 0 8.
CURRENTLY THERE WERE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN YOUR BUDGET.
ONE OF 'EM WAS $20,888 FOR HEALTH BENEFITS AND THEN YOU HAD 3,258,000 OH 0 4 7 THAT CARRY FORWARD.
AND THE CARRY FORWARD IS COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
SOMETIMES PROJECTS, AND THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN REVIEWED BY LEGAL APPROVED BY THE MAYOR, BUT FOR SOME REASON THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE THOSE PROJECTS.
THEREFORE, THE ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WERE NOT COMPLETED DURING THAT FISCAL YEAR WILL CARRY FORWARD.
SO THAT'S WHAT THAT 3 MILLION 258 0 4 7 IS FOR THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND CARRY FORWARD GOING TO FY 24.
[00:10:01]
BUDGET PROPOSED IS $14,172,858.THE OPERATING BUDGET WILL BE $8,035,313.
EACH OFFICE WOULD HAVE APPROXIMATELY $502,207 TO OPERATE THEIR OFFICE.
AGAIN, YOU HAVE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND, 5,500,000 HEALTH BENEFITS, 637,545.
THAT BRINGS YOU TO YOUR PROPOSED BUDGET.
NEXT, I'M GONNA GO OVER THE PROGRAM DETAILS FOR CITY COUNCIL.
THE FIRST PROGRAM IS JOURNAL YOUR OPERATING BUDGET, WHICH IS 8,000,673.
THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS THERE'S A 3% HOPE INCREASE.
YOU HAVE YOUR IT CHARGES AND THAT'S REGULATED BY HITS.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE HEALTH BENEFITS.
THERE ARE SOME CHANGES IN THAT.
THE SECOND PROGRAM WILL BE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES.
THERE WAS 5,500,000 IN PREVIOUS YEAR AND THE PROPOSED IS ALSO THE SAME.
NEXT WE HAVE ALL OF THE HITS CHARGES FOR CITY COUNCIL.
THESE ARE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS THAT CITY COUNCIL CANNOT MOVE, USE OR TRANSFER.
AND THESE NUMBERS ARE DRIVEN BY HITS.
IT'S DRIVEN BY THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS OR THINGS THAT ARE WITHIN THE COUNCIL OFFICES.
AND ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THESE NUMBERS, THEY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO HITS, BUT THE DECREASES IN INCREASES ARE DUE TO THE UPDATES OF VARIOUS CHARGEBACKS, MODELS AND METRICS THAT IT HAVE RECEIVED.
SO AS AN OVERALL OPERATING BUDGET, YOU WILL SEE 89.77% OF CITY'S COUNCIL'S BUDGET IS GONE TO PERSONNEL.
YOU HAVE EIGHT POINT 10% GOING TO OTHER SERVICES AND CHARGES.
AND OUT OF THAT EIGHT POINT 10% YOU HAVE 55%, WHICH ARE THE HITS CHARGES.
TWO POINT 10% IS THE OFFICE SUPPLIES, AND THEN 0.04% IS YOUR EQUIPMENT.
NEXT WE HAVE THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
AGAIN, AS I STATED EARLIER, $3,258,047 WAS CARRIED FORWARD FROM THE FY 22 BUDGET TO THE FY 23 BUDGET.
IT WAS ADOPTED AT $500,000 FOR EACH DISTRICT OFFICE.
GOING FORWARD, WE ARE NOT SURE HOW MUCH WE'LL BE CARRIED FORWARD AT THIS TIME.
WE WILL NOT KNOW THAT NUMBER UNTIL THE END OF THIS FISCAL YEAR.
SO AS OF NOW, IT IS PROPOSED AGAIN TO BE THE SAME AMOUNT, $5,500,000.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE MAJOR PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING DONE WITH COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND.
I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND SINCE IT WAS ADOPTED AND I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE DOING GREAT WORK WITH THESE FUNDS.
THEY ARE GETTING ALL OF THEIR REQUESTS FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THEY ARE UTILIZING THEIR IDEAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT THEY WANT DONE IS BEING DONE WITHIN THEIR OFFICE, IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AND YOU CAN JUST SEE HERE, A COUPLE OF 'EM ARE HIGHLIGHTED THAT ARE BEING DONE WITHIN THE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS.
AND OUT OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICT'S OFFICES, YOU WILL SEE RIGHT HERE THEY HAVE GIVEN TWO OF THEIR MAJOR PRIORITIES INITIATIVES THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON.
I WON'T READ THEM ALL, BUT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO, YOU CAN ALSO PULL 'EM UP ON SHAREPOINT AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS INITIATIVES AND PRIORITIES ARE.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS AT LARGE, AND THESE ARE THE INITIATIVES THAT ALL THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE STRIVING TO COMPLETE TO HELP THE COMMUNITIES.
HERE WE HAVE WHERE THE FUNDS ARE GOING.
AS YOU CAN SEE, MOSTLY EVERYTHING'S GOING TO, UM, WE GOT HPD, WE GOT PARKS SOLID WASTE, PUBLIC WORKS HEALTH.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY'RE KINDA SPREADING THE MONEY ALL AROUND THE CITY AND THEY'RE DOING GREAT WORK.
AND THAT'S EXACTLY HOW THE COUNCIL DISTRICT'S FUNDS ARE BEING UTILIZED.
THIS SLIDE SLIDE IS JUST FOR YOU TO REVIEW.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THOSE IT CHARGES THAT I WENT OVER.
THESE ARE THE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS AND THIS IS WHAT EACH ONE OF THEM MEAN AND THAT'S HOW THEY AFFECT YOUR OFFICE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LISTENING.
AND ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME TODAY? COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU BERNITA AND MERRICK AND EVERYBODY FOR ALL YOU DO.
UH, SIDEWALKS, YOU'VE GIVEN ME THIS NUMBER BEFORE, BUT
[00:15:01]
CAN YOU REMIND ME OR YOU CAN SEND IT TO ME LATER, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HAVE BEEN SPENT ON COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS ON SIDEWALK.OH, SPECIFICALLY SIDEWALKS, RIGHT? YEAH, I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK THAT UP.
OKAY, SO SPECIFICALLY SIDEWALKS.
THANK YOU MAYOR, CAN YOU GET THAT? YES MA'AM.
UH, TO MS. JONES AND YOUR ENTIRE STAFF, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL, UH, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS, UH, LISTENING AND BEING OPEN-MINDED TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY MY OFFICE, UH, HELPING US NAVIGATE THESE COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS.
HELP US NAVIGATE OUR OFFICE BUDGET AND FIND WAYS TO BE AS EFFICIENT AS WE CAN WITH THOSE DOLLARS.
UH, YOU ALL ARE OUR BEST POINT OF CONTACT FOR ALL THINGS RELATED TO COUNCIL AND, UH, WANNA, I APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO.
THANK YOU STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
I JUST WANTED TO ECHO COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD'S COMMENTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN WANTED ME TO THANK YOU ALL DIRECTLY.
OF COURSE, BERNITA, MERRICK, LAURA CORINA, TANITIA, AND WELCOME TO THE CITY.
CHRIS, IT'S BEEN SO GREAT TO WORK WITH YOU ALL.
WHENEVER WE HAVE A PROBLEM, Y'ALL IMMEDIATELY COME UP WITH A SOLUTION IN HOW WE CAN FIX IT AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
THANK YOU STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE.
ON SLIDE 10, UH, FOR HITS, ARE THESE NUMBERS PER COUNCIL OFFICE OR TOTAL? TOTAL? TOTAL.
LEMME GO TO THAT SLIDE AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT THAT WAS ABOUT.
YOU HAD INPUT AT, AT LARGE PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES BEFORE.
OUT OF THE FIVE, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COUNCIL DISTRICT? DO THEY NOT HAVE PRIORITIES AND THE ONE THAT DIDN'T ANSWER OR WHAT HAPPENED? JUST DIDN'T GET ANY SUBMITTED FROM THAT OFFICE? NO INFORMATION.
UM, NUMBER OF FTES THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR? THE SAME? NO, IT WAS 79.5 THIS YEAR.
AND AGAIN, THERE'S ELECTION YEAR.
A LOT OF TIMES DURING ELECTION YEAR, A LOT OF THE EMPLOYEES START LOOKING FOR OTHER JOBS AND IT DOES DECREASE.
SO THIS IS, SO YOUR OFFICE HAD A CHANGE IN IN HR PERSON, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE CHANGE? I'M NOT SURE.
I THINK, WELL THEY WANTED HR TO COMPLETELY HAVE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS UNDER HR, SO THEREFORE IT'S NO LONGER UNDER COUNSEL.
CAN YOUR HR PERSON, PERSON GIVE US ANY INPUT INTO THAT? THE REASON WHY I ASK IS WE, FROM TIME TO TIME, WE HAVE HR ISSUES AS WELL.
AND IT WAS ALWAYS GREAT WHEN WE WENT TO YOUR OFFICE AND HAD A CONVERSATION AND YOU TOOK MATTERS IN YOUR OWN HAND AND DID A GREAT JOB OF FULFILLING OUR NEEDS.
YOU RAN A GREAT, YOU RUN A GREAT OFFICE, SO THANK YOU.
WHAT WAS THE CHANGE ABOUT? WAS IT ABOUT MONETARY? WAS IT ABOUT BETTER SERVICE? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK YOU CAN HAVE BETTER SERVICE THAN WHAT YOU GAVE US.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE DIRECTOR WANTED COUNSEL TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES OF ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND HAVE HR UNDER HR.
BUT IS THAT CONSISTENT WITHIN EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT WE SEE WITHIN THE CITY? I'M NOT SURE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL HR PERSON HOUSED WITHIN, WHETHER IT'S FINANCE, OBO, I'LL ASK OBO THIS NEXT QUESTION AS A MATTER OF FACT.
SO, UM, WE HAVE HR AT 1230, SO I'LL MAKE SURE THAT I ASK DIRECTOR CHEEKS THAT QUESTION AS TO WHY THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE, UM, SINCE IT HAS HAPPENED, I'VE HAD SOME TURNOVER AND I'VE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE INFORMATION.
SO I DON'T KNOW, IF SOMETHING'S NOT BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT.
BUT YET THERE WAS A CHANGE AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS BROKEN TODAY.
SO I WILL ADDRESS MY QUESTION AND I'M NOT SURE HOW OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS FEEL IF THEY HAD ANY ISSUES, BUT, UH, WHEN IT CAME TO HIRING AND WHEN IT CAME TO THE, WE MAKE AN OFFER AND THEN IT'S HR CAN'T GET IT TO IT FOR A MONTH.
BY THAT TIME, SOMEONE HAS THE ABILITY TO JUMP TO ANOTHER JOB, UH, WHICH IN THIS MARKET IS REALLY TOUGH.
WE WANT TO HIRE 'EM TODAY AND GET 'EM STARTED TOMORROW.
AND THAT SEEMS TO NOT BE HAPPENING.
SO I WILL DIRECT MY QUESTIONS TO HR AT 1230, BUT IF ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER HAS HAS ANY OPINION ON THAT, I WOULD WELCOME THEIR THOUGHTS AS WELL.
WE HAVE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE.
SO AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR WHAT Y'ALL DO FOR US.
YOU MAKE US LOOK GOOD EACH AND EVERY DAY YOU DO IT WITH A WARM
[00:20:01]
GREETING AND A FRIENDLY SMILE.AND, UM, EVEN WHEN, UM, MS. LISA GREEN, OFFICER LISA GREEN IN HERE, WE'LL SALUTE HER AS WELL BECAUSE YES, SHE KNOW, WE KNOW THAT SHE'S A VALUABLE PART OF YOUR TEAM AS WELL.
WE'LL TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO TRANSITION PUBLIC SPEAKER.
WE HAVE ONE, ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER.
I WAS FALLING ASLEEP ON THE JOB.
YEAH, I'LL BRING COFFEE NEXT TIME.
UM, I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION, UM, DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'LL SUBMIT ANY DEPARTMENT QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL, BUT MY QUESTION TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IS WHAT TANGIBLE STEPS OR AMENDMENTS DO YOU PLAN ON TAKING FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024 TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE, UM, TO ALL HOUSTONIANS? SO AS FAR AS PUBLIC COMMENT, ARE YOU REFERRING TO WHAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE HEARING AND THE BUDGET, WHICH IS COMING UP OR WHAT? UM, NO PUBLIC COMMENT GENERALLY.
UM, JUST IN TERMS OF, UM, LIKE LANGUAGE, IN TERMS OF TIMING, IN TERMS OF OUTREACH, IN TERMS OF MORE VIRTUAL OPTIONS, UM, AND HYBRID OPTIONS.
JUST WHAT AMENDMENTS DO YOU FORESEE? SO I I, I TOOK THAT QUESTION ON THE VERY FIRST PRESENTATION.
THE VERY FIRST DAY YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE PERSON WHO MADE THAT DECISION.
WHEN WE GO TO BUDGET WORKSHOPS, THE FIRST, THE FIRST PRESENTATION WE HAD WAS A FIVE YEAR FORECAST THAT OPENS IT UP TO ANY QUESTION THAT ANYONE WOULD HAVE.
THEN WE MOVE INTO INDIVIDUAL BUDGETS.
OUR QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE FROM US COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC, SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BUDGET.
SO IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE THE BUDGET FOR COUNCIL.
SO THE QUESTION ON FINANCES RELATED TO ONE DEPARTMENT, PARTICULARLY COUNCIL, BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST IS THE QUESTIONS ARE ALWAYS BROAD, VERY BROAD RANGE.
THOSE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED DURING THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST OR IN THE PUBLIC HEARING, I THINK WE'RE HAVING ON THE 31ST.
SO, UH, I WOULD INVITE ANY QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE, WHICH YOURS IS PARTICULAR TO RELATED TO THE BUDGET, WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE OFFERING AMENDMENTS THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE BUDGET THAT WE JUST HAD THE PRESENTATION FOR IN THAT CITY COUNCIL BUDGET.
BUT THAT QUESTION, ANYONE CAN CHOOSE TO ANSWER IT.
BUT I WILL ANSWER THAT WHEN I, UM, MEET ON THE 31ST BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, I HAVEN'T DONE ALL MY BUDGET AMENDMENTS YET AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
I ACTUALLY SAW MORE RELATED TO DISTRICT FUNDS AND THE ABILITY TO USE MAYBE A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUNDS, UM, FOR BETTER OUTREACH TO CONSTITUENTS, MORE LIKE LANGUAGES, ACCESSIBILITY AND OTHER ACCESSIBILITY TO CONSTITUENTS.
SO I WAS LOOKING MORE AT IT FROM A DISTRICT SERVICES FUND STANDPOINT AND HOW THAT MIGHT BE, UM, SOME TANGIBLE STEPS Y'ALL MIGHT USE.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, VICE CHAIR, ED POLLARD.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
UH, WHAT WE DO IS WE ROUTINELY PROBABLY ON A MONTHLY BASIS REACH OUT TO ALL OF OUR CIVIC CLUBS, OUR HOAS, UH, DIFFERENT NONPROFITS IN THE AREA, DIFFERENT FAITH BASED INSTITUTIONS, AND WE DO IT IN, UH, ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
BUT WE PUT IT OUT THERE TO THEM ASKING WHAT PROJECTS, UH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE US USE THE DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS FOR? AND USUALLY THEY WILL SEND US BACK LIST AND THEN WE WILL GO OVER THOSE LISTS, PRIORITIZE THOSE LISTS, AND THEN SUBMIT BASED ON THE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE.
SO OUR OFFICE IS ROUTINELY REACHING OUT TO DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, UH, OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS ON DIFFERENT NEEDS.
AND THAT'S HOW WE DECIDE ON WHERE TO SPEND THE MONEY.
WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA ADD ABOUT THE VIRTUAL OPTIONS.
I MEAN, I, I AGREE WITH YOU THERE.
I PROBABLY DIFFER WITH THE CHAIR AND, AND SEVERAL OTHERS, BUT I DO THINK THAT IT'S TOUGH FOR PEOPLE TO GET DOWN HERE DURING THE WORKDAY AND THIS IS YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
AND WE OUGHT TO BE LOOKING IN THE FUTURE AT SOME TYPE, WHETHER IT'S EVERY BUDGET HEARING OR A SEPARATE, UH, PUBLIC BUDGET HEARING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY OR SOMETHING.
THE EVENING, YOU KNOW, NOT NECESSARILY EVERY BUDGET WORKSHOP NEEDS TO BE VIR VIRTUAL, BUT MORE OUT, ESPECIALLY WITH OUTCOME-BASED BUDGETING THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DRIVEN FROM THE, FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR, YOUR DESIRED PRIORITIES.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE ARE GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO SUBMIT BUDGET AMENDMENTS PERTAINING TO PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE, THE BUDGET.
BUT I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT MORE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, UM, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
AND I'M CERTAINLY ALL FOR THAT, LOOK FORWARD TO THAT NEXT YEAR AND WATCHING IT ON HTV MYSELF.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, HPD RECEIVED THE LARGEST NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS.
[00:25:01]
ALMOST 2 MILLION FILED FI BY PARKS AND RECREATION AT 1.3, SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT AT 1.2.I CAN GIVE YOU MY PARTICULARS.
UH, WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND STREET REPAIRS.
YOU KNOW, WE, UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE STREETS THAT WERE BUILT TO REALLY WIN THE DAY OF 18 WHEELERS GOING UP AND DOWN.
AND I DON'T KNOW THE ENGINEERING SIDE OF THIS, BUT THEY WERE BUILT WITH NON INCH CONCRETE CONCRETE AND THEY'RE DOING 11 INCH CONCRETE, WHICH MEANS, WHICH MEANS OUR CONCRETE ISN'T AS STABLE AS MOST STREETS THAT THEY'RE BUILDING TODAY.
SO WE DO A LOT OF CONCRETE PANEL REPLACEMENTS.
I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF POTHOLES.
YOU PATCH A POTHOLE TODAY, IT'S JUST AS BAD NEXT WEEK.
SO WHAT OUR ATTEMPT TO DO ON COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS HAS BEEN TO DO INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED PARTICULAR CONCRETE PANEL REPLACEMENTS.
SO, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT PATH WILL CONTINUE BECAUSE OUR STREETS NEED A LOT OF ATTENTION, ESPECIALLY THE ONES IN THE SOUTH BELT ELLINGTON AREA, UH, PARTICULARLY CRENSHAW ROAD, WHICH HAS BEEN AN A STREET THAT'S HAD SIGNIFICANT ISSUES FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS.
SO, UM, NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN Q.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? NO, YOU'RE PREACHING TO THE CONVERTED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT.
I'D LOVE TO SEE MORE MONEY AT, AT ALL LEVELS FOR THAT.
THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS COMING AS WELL.
SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING AS MUCH AS I CAN.
ALRIGHT, WE'LL TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO TRANSITION TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION, WHICH BE WOULD BE, UH, OBO, ALSO OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.