* 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. [2024 Budget Workshop: Department of Neighborhoods] [00:00:20] PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS 2024 BUDGET. SO, GOOD MORNING, DIRECTOR FRANCIS. ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU. THE, THE GREATEST SINGER THAT'S EMPLOYED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NO DOUBT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR PRO, TIM, UH, MR. CHAIR, VICE CHAIR IN HIS ABSENCE, THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE, STAFF AND CITIZENS WHO ARE HERE TODAY. I'M THE PROUD DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND REPRESENT THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MAKE HOUSTON A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE. AND TODAY WE ARE PRESENTING OUR FY 24 OPERATING BUDGET. NOW, BEFORE I BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY MANAGEMENT TEAM, SOME OF WHOM ARE HERE IN CHAMBERS THIS MORNING, BEGINNING WITH MY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND FINANCE MANAGER, MR. HERBERT SIMS TO MY RIGHT. AND, UH, THE REST OF THE TEAM, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, MR. REGINALD HARRIS, OUR, UH, FINANCE MANAGER WHO IS ALSO PRESENT. MS. EVANGELINA VI HILL, OUR PIO, MR. MAR CUEVA, OUR SENIOR STAFF ANALYST, MS. MALANEY MORRIS, AND MR. JOELLA GURE, WHO ARE ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATORS AND WHO IS IN CHAMBER WITH ME TODAY, I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR DIVISION MANAGERS, MS. RHONDA SOLDER OVER THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE, MR. VICTOR GONZALEZ OVER THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF GAME PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION, MR. TERRANCE O'NEILL, WHO OVERSEES OUR OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. AND MR. PAUL GREEN, WHO IS IN CHAMBERS TODAY WITH THE OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT. I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU GUYS, YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. SO WITH THAT, DON, LET'S PRESENT OUR BUDGET. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NOW, THIS IS SIMPLY OUR TABLE OF CONTENTS, WHICH WILL TAKE US RIGHT INTO OUR NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS OUR DEPARTMENTAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. NOW WE BEGIN TODAY'S PRESENTATION WITH A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CHART. OUR CHART INCLUDES BOTH OUR PERSONNEL AND OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURES TO COMPLY WITH OUR PERFORMANCE-BASED BUDGET CRITERIA AND FORMAT. OUR DIVISIONS AND EXPENDITURES ARE PLACED INTO SEVERAL PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW HERE THE TABLE SHOWN SUMMARIZE OUR DEPARTMENT'S ALIGNMENT TO MAYOR TURNER'S DEFINED PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES AS DEFINED IN HIS STRATEGIC GUIDANCE. DON'S PROGRAMMING ALIGNED WITH THE FOLLOWING MAYORAL PRIORITIES, SOUND, FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. AND OUR OVERALL DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET IS BROKEN DOWN AS SUCH. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW, LAST YEAR WE BUDGETED OUR FISCAL YEAR 23 EXPENDITURES TO BE AROUND $12.6 MILLION. BASED ON OUR MOST RECENT DATA, WE PROJECT TO HIT THAT MARK. OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 INCLUDES SOME MAJOR CHANGES. THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE OF $1.4 MILLION FOR NUISANCE ABATEMENT AND DEMOLITIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE SECURED $250,000 TO SUPPORT SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITIES AND OUTREACH, SOME OF WHICH WILL INCLUDE CONTINUED SUPPORTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, COMMUNICATIONS, WEB AND VIRTUAL SUPPORT, AND SELECTED OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES. THERE'S ALSO AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE DUE TO HOPE ALLOWANCES, HEALTHCARE AND PENSION OBLIGATIONS AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000. SO OVERALL, OUR PROPOSED BUDGET ALSO INCLUDES A 16% OR $1.9 MILLION INCREASE FROM FISCAL YEAR 23. THIS IS ALSO LATER REFERENCED IN SLIDE 17 WHERE WE HIGHLIGHT DEPARTMENTAL EXPENDITURES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW THE FOLLOWING SLIDES WILL DETAIL DON'S PROGRAMMING AS ALIGNED WITH MAYOR TURNER'S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE ALIGNS WITH SOUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE, WHICH PROVIDES EXECUTIVE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO ALL DIVISIONS OF OUR DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING SERVICES AND BUDGET, PURCHASING, RECEIVING GRANTS, RECEIVING FUNDS, AND ACCOUNT PAYABLES. OUR SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY INCREASES AND FUNDING FOR DEPARTMENTAL RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS. THE REFERENCED FUND IS FUND 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,330,000. THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES INCLUDE A SNAPSHOT OF OUR ADOPTED BUDGET VERSUS OUR ACTUAL UTILIZATION OR FUNDS EXPENDED OVER THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES, AS WELL AS ADOPTED REVENUE PROJECTIONS VERSUS OUR ACTUAL UTILIZATION. TO ILLUSTRATE OUR ACCURACY IN OUR PROJECTIONS AND COLLECTION, WE HAVE MAINTAINED 90% ACCURACY ACROSS THE LAST BUDGET CYCLES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS SLIDE IS OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION AND ALIGNS WITH THE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE [00:05:01] IN PROMOTING HEALTHY, SAFE, AND LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH RESIDENTIAL CODE ENFORCEMENT. THE SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY INCREASES AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS ADMINISTRATION AND NUISANCE ABATEMENT. UNDER CHAPTER 10 OF THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL CODE, THE REFERENCED FUND IS 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $7,906,000. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW THIS SLIDE WILL COVER OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR INSPECTIONS IN CODE ENFORCEMENT AND IT FEATURES THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED VIOLATIONS, OUR TARGET CONTEXT AND THE ATTENDANT PERFORMANCE MEASURES SPANNING THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES IN FY 22. NOW FOR BREVITY, I WILL NOT READ THROUGH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. I SEE THE DISAPPOINTMENT ON ALL OF YOUR FACES . HOWEVER, WHAT I WILL DO IS JUST FOCUS ON OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TARGETS AND OUR UPCOMING TARGETS AND TAKE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE AT THE END, IF THAT'S OKAY. NOW LOOKING AT OUR FY 23 TARGETS FOR AVERAGE DAILY INSPECTIONS, AVERAGE DAYS FROM REQUEST TO ACTUAL INITIAL INSPECTION, DANGEROUS BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED DANGEROUS BUILDINGS SECURED AND MADE SAFE JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES, RESOLVED RATE OF VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE AND ACTUAL WEEDED LOT CUTS. IF YOU LOOK AT OUR FY 23 TARGETS, WE WERE ABLE TO STAY VERY CLOSE TO OUR ACTUAL NUMBERS AS WELL AS MOVING FORWARD ON OUR ESTIMATES FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. WE INTEND OUR TARGETS FOR FY 23 AS WELL AS FY 24 TO REMAIN RELATIVELY CONSTANT. WE SEEM TO BE ON PAR WITH WHAT WE HAVE ESTIMATED BASED ON THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES AND LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT IN OUR ACTUALS AROUND DEMOLITIONS DANGEROUS BUILDINGS BEING SECURED, JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES, AND WEEDED LOTS. THIS NOT ONLY INCLUDES THE NUMBER OF ACTUAL ABATEMENT SERVICES THE DEPARTMENT HAS DELIVERED, BUT ALSO VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE BASED ON THE DEPARTMENT'S ENFORCEMENT MEASURES. SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE A TOTAL OF THOSE TWO ASPECTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS SLIDE SPEAKS TO OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE, AND ALIGNS WITH THE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE IN PROMOTING HEALTH AND SAFETY LIVABLE CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS. THE SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY INCREASES AND SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. THE REFERENCED ACCOUNT IS FUND 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,332,000. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. FEATURED HERE ARE ALSO THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR THIS OFFICE IN FY 22. WE WERE ABLE TO NOT ONLY SERVE THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON, UH, THROUGH THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT TO SET OUR TARGETS FOR FY 23 AND FY 24, WHICH ARE GOING TO REMAIN RELATIVELY FLAT. THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE THE NUMBER OF CALLS TAKEN FOR SERVICE, THE NUMBER OF CONSTITUENTS SERVED THROUGH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, COUNCIL INQUIRIES, AS WELL AS SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS FACILITATED. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE WERE ON PAR WITH OUR NUMBERS AND WE DID SEE A SHARP DECREASE COMING OUT OF FY 22, PARTICULARLY IN OUR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS DUE TO US RAMPING BACK UP AFTER COVID. HOWEVER, OUR OTHER NUMBERS AND CALLS AROUND CONSTITUENT SERVICES AS WELL AS COUNCIL INQUIRIES AND SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS FACILITATED REMAINED RELATIVELY FAT, UH, FLAT FOR THIS YEAR AND GOING INTO FY 24. NEXT SLIDE. UNDER GANG PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION, THIS SLIDE ALIGNS WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITY TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION. THE SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY INCREASES AND FUNDING FOR GANG YOUTH OUTREACH AND INTERVENTION COUNSELORS. THE REFERENCE TO COUNT IS 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,040,000. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. YOU'LL SEE HERE OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF EDUCATIONAL AND GANG AWARENESS PRESENTATIONS, NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL ADULTS TRAINED, THE NUMBER OF ANTI-GANG PROGRAM YOUTH WHO HAVE COMPLETED OUR SERVICES, AS WELL AS YOUTH WHO WERE ALSO, UH, THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH WHO RE-OFFENDED. AND THEN WE ALSO LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR PRESENTATION PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE BASED ON OUR PERFORMANCES. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE ACTUALLY REMAINING RELATIVELY CONSISTENT FROM FY 22 AND SET A TARGET IN FY 23 THAT WE WILL CONTINUE INTO FY 24. AND SO AS YOU LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MEASURE, WE SEE A SIGNIFICANT, UH, LEVEL OF, UM, SUCCESS WITH OUR PROGRAMS AS WELL AS A LIMITED NUMBER OF YOUTH WHO ACTUALLY RE-OFFEND BASED ON OUR SERVICES AND PRESENTATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS SLIDE ALIGNS WITH THE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES [00:10:01] INITIATIVE IN PROMOTING HEALTHY AND SAFE LIVABLE AND CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY, INCREASES, YOUTH LEADERSHIP, CONSTITUENT EDUCATION, AND VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES. THE REFERENCE TO COUNT IS FUND 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $654,000. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE UNDER OUR NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES IN, UH, UH, PERFORMANCE MEASURES HERE, WE ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF DOLLARS SAVED THROUGH OUR VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES, THE NUMBER OF HOURS DEDICATED BY OUR VOLUNTEERS. WE ALSO LOOK AT OUR NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE MONTH OF SERVICE PROGRAM, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY, AS WELL AS OUR BANDIT SIGN PROGRAM, THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS COMPLETED UNDER VOLUNTEER LABOR, AND THE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER PARTICIPANTS AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP EVENTS THAT ARE FACILITATED. SO IF WE LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS, WE SEE THAT WE'VE REMAINED RELATIVELY FLAT IN OUR VOLUNTEER NUMBERS, UH, ACROSS FY 22 INTO FY 24. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVES HAVE STAYED PRETTY CONSTANT AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT WE'VE DONE WITH VOLUNTEER LABOR. AND WE'VE ALSO HAD A PRETTY CONSISTENT NUMBER AROUND $53,000 BETWEEN FY 22 GOING INTO 24. BUT WHAT I WANNA SHOWCASE HERE ARE THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS THAT ARE SAVED BY VOLUNTEER SERVICES, WHICH LOOK LIKE THEY ARE IN THREE, THE $3 MILLION, $4 MILLION RANGE GOING INTO FY 24. HOUSTON BEING THE RESILIENT CITY HAS NEVER STOPPED GIVING OF ITS TIME. AND SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN THIS PROGRAM. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW THIS SLIDE ALIGNS WITH OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE UNDER NEW AMERICAN SERVICES AND PROMOTING HEALTH SAFETY AND CONNECTED NEIGHBORHOODS. OUR SIGNIFICANT BUDGET ITEMS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR MUNICIPAL PAY INCREASES AND OF COURSE SUPPORT THAT WE GIVE TO OUR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITIES. THE REFERENCE ACCOUNT IS FUND 1000 IN THE AMOUNT OF $330,000. AND HERE OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT ARE TRAINED IN OUR LANGUAGE ACCESS PROGRAM, OUR CITIZENSHIP FORUMS, DOCUMENTS THAT ARE TRANSLATED CITYWIDE, THE NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RESIDENTS SERVED HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS SCREENED FOR CITIZENSHIP PROGRAM AND OUTREACH EFFORTS, OUR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SCREENED TO COMPLETE CITIZENSHIP APPLICATIONS, AND OF COURSE THE NUMBER OF USERS WHO ARE SATISFIED WITH THE LANGUAGE TRANSLATION PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER. AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE ARE STAYING RELATIVELY FLAT ACROSS THE BOARD FROM FY 22 GOING INTO OUR F UH, Y 24 TARGET, MAINTAINING OUR NUMBERS FROM FY 23, WHICH WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN A SLIGHT DECREASE FROM FY 22, UH, LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF, UH, DOCUMENTS THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD TRANSLATED. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE'LL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF INCREASE AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN OUR TRANSLATION SERVICES, AS WELL AS THE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE SERVICES THAT WE WILL BE, UH, PROVIDING AS WELL AS THE RESIDENTS THAT WE EXPECT COMING INTO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO NOW BY NOW YOU'VE NOTICED THAT DON ONLY HAS ONE GENERAL FUND ACCOUNT, WHICH IS WHY, UH, THIS SLIDE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT REDUNDANT, BUT IT RECITES OUR PROGRAM EXPENDITURES THAT ARE OUTLINED IN SLIDE FIVE. IN SHORT, WE PROJECTED ACCURATELY IN OUR PROPOSED BUDGET INCREASE BY 16% OR $1.9 MILLION FROM FY 23. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW HERE, THIS SLIDE JUST PROVIDES A SNAPSHOT OF OUR PERSONNEL VERSUS NON-PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES. OUR TOTAL BUDGET IS $14,592,000 FOR NON PERSONNEL SERVICES. WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, WHICH ARE DETERMINED BY CENTRAL FINANCE. THAT INCLUDES OUR FUEL SERVICES, HEALTH INSURANCE, APPLICATION SERVICES, DATA SERVICES, HR CLIENT SERVICES, AND OUR VEHICLE SERVICES. MISCELLANEOUS SUPPORT GOES INTO OUR NUISANCE ABATEMENT, OUR INQUIRIES, UH, OUR INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES, SUPPLIES, MATERIALS, AND OTHER TYPES OF ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW THE NEXT THREE SLIDES WILL ADDRESS DEPARTMENTAL REVENUE FEATURED. HERE WE WILL SEE OUR FY 23 REVENUE FELL SLIGHTLY FROM $3,033,000 TO $2,596,000. WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO REMAIN FLAT THROUGHOUT THE EXTERNAL VARIABLES AND PASSIVE COLLECTION METHODS THAT WE EMPLOY IN OUR REVENUE. OUR MAIN SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, AS YOU KNOW, IS THE MONEY THAT WE COLLECT FROM LIENS THAT ARE PLACED ON PROPERTIES THAT WE ABATE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS GRAPH WILL ILLUSTRATE SLIDE 19, WHICH WAS THE PREVIOUS SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. WE'RE ROUNDING OUT OUR PRESENTATION WITH OUR REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS. SO THE DEPARTMENT EXPECTS OUR FISCAL YEAR 24 REVENUE COLLECTION TO INCREASE [00:15:01] BY AT LEAST 3% OVER OUR FISCAL YEAR. 23 ESTIMATES. 60% OF OUR REVENUE IS COLLECTED FROM CHARGES FOR SERVICES SUCH AS DEMOLITION AND WEED CUTTING FEES. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THE REMAINING 40% IS COLLECTED FROM LIENS AND INTEREST ON LIENS PASSIVELY. AND FINALLY, OUR REVENUE COLLECTION IS BASED ON A TREND ANALYSIS OVER THE LAST THREE TO FIVE YEARS, AS WELL AS EXTERNAL VARIABLES DUE TO PASSIVE COLLECTION METHODS. AND WITH THAT MR. CHAIR AND COMMITTEE, I CLOSE OUT MY PRESENTATION AND I'M NOW OPEN FOR YOUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR FRANCIS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, I'M LOOKING AT SLIDE EIGHT FOR THE AVERAGE DAILY INSPECTIONS AND SEE THAT THERE'S, UM, A PROPOSED INCREASE IN THAT AMOUNT, UM, FROM THE ESTIMATE OF LAST YEAR. MM-HMM . AND I KNOW FINDING INSPECTORS, KEEPING INSPECTORS, PAYING INSPECTORS, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE. SO IS THERE SOMETHING IN THIS BUDGET THAT IS GOING TO, UM, ADDRESS THAT SITUATION SO THAT WE CAN HIRE MORE INSPECTORS? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 43 INSPECTORS THAT ARE ACTUALLY ON THE GROUND AND WE HAVE 10 VACANCIES THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO FILL. SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A BIT OF A, UH, TWO-PRONG, UH, APPROACH. WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING OUR OWN LEVEL OF RECRUITMENT IN ADDITION WITH HR WHO'S HELPING US TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND ACTIVELY RECRUIT CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT THIS IS NOT A GLAMOROUS PROFESSION. AND WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF TURNOVER WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE KIND OF COME IN, UH, AND THEN MAYBE HAVE DECIDED AFTER THEIR PROBATIONARY PERIOD, THIS IS JUST NOT FOR ME. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES. AND SO ONCE WE ACTUALLY GET THOSE VACANCIES FILLED, THEN WE WANNA LOOK AT ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING. ONCE WE SEE WHAT'S WORKING AND WE SEE WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC WE NEED TO TARGET THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN CODE ENFORCEMENT, THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING IN MORE PEOPLE AND ADVOCATE FOR MORE POSITIONS. BUT RIGHT NOW, LOOKING AT THOSE NUMBERS, WHEN WE SET OUR TARGET, WHAT WE REALIZE IS THAT WE WILL NEVER NOT HAVE A JOB TO DO. UH, NUISANCE ABATEMENT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO ALWAYS BE IN PLACE. AND SO WHEN WE DID OUR PROJECTIONS, WE DID OUR PROJECTIONS, NOT BASED ON THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE, BUT QUITE FRANKLY JUST THE NEED IN THE CITY. SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO WORK WITH THE STAFF WE HAVE NOW FILL THOSE VACANCIES AND THEN SEE WHAT'S WORKING SO THAT WE CAN ADVOCATE FOR MORE POSITIONS. OKAY. SO THE 53 OR SO POSITIONS THAT WE'LL HAVE, WE'LL NEED MORE TO HIT THAT TARGET NUMBER? ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. ABSOLUTELY. AND AND I THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THAT. UM, AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WITH THE NUMBERS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD AND FINISH UP. OH, THANK YOU. SO WITH THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE, UM, OUR STAFF DOES AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB OF JUST REACHING THESE WITH THE LIMITED RESOURCES. BUT YES, WE DO NEED MORE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. THANK YOU, CHAIR. SO YOU MUST BE DOWN THAN WHAT THE, WHAT THE BUDGET SAYS. 'CAUSE IT SAYS YOU'VE GOT 49 NOW AND YOU'RE GOING TO 51. SO TO ME, THAT THAT JUST LOOKS LIKE TWO PEOPLE. BUT YOU MUST BE DOWN FROM THE 49. 49 IS WHAT YOU EX ESTIMATE TO BE OR ESTIMATED TO BE AT. SO YEAH, I, I HAD MY QUESTIONS WERE ALONG THE SAME LINE AS COUNCIL MEMBER PECK THERE. THERE'S INCREASED, UH, PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND INSPECTIONS, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE LIKE JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES AND WITH JUST TWO MORE PEOPLE. I DON'T KNOW HOW HOW YOU REALLY DO THAT OR 10. I MEAN, IT'S, THAT'S A, THAT'S A STEEP, UH, HILL TO CLIMB, BUT YEAH. UH, WE TALK ABOUT THIS EVERY YEAR. YES. UM, EVERY SINGLE YEAR. SO IT'S NOTHING NEW. UM, ON THE, IN THE CODE ENFORCEMENT, IN YOUR, IN YOUR, UM, RAW DATA, THERE'S A BIG JUMP IN LAWN LAND AND GROUNDS MAINTENANCE. MM-HMM . FROM BUDGETING 900,000 LAST YEAR TO 2 MILLION THIS YEAR. YES. BECAUSE YOU CAN DESCRIBE THAT FOR ME A LITTLE BIT. SURE. UM, AND ACTUALLY, UH, I SEE MY FINANCE MANAGERS CHOMPING AT THE BIT , GO FOR IT. GO FOR IT. LET'S HEAR FROM YOU. SO LOOK, I'LL, I'LL START OFF AND I'LL LET HIM FINISH UP. BUT IN SHORT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, WE HAVE, UH, LOOKED AT OUR NUMBERS, WHICH WE'VE SHOWN WITH OUR TARGETS. WE MOVE WITH THE LAST TWO BUDGET CYCLES, WE REALIZED THAT WE HAVE A LOT MORE THAT WE NEED TO DO IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, MOVING TOWARDS COMPLIANCE. THANKFULLY FOR US, WITH OUR ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, UH, WITH JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF SUCCESS IN BEING ABLE TO TOW AS REGULARLY AS WE WOULD LIKE, BASED ON THOSE CONTRACTS, WE ACTUALLY SET OUT DIFFERENT, UM, PILOTS WHERE WE ACTUALLY PUT OUT, YOU KNOW, WARNINGS AND WE WERE JUST DIRECTLY CONTACTING PEOPLE THAT HAD, YOU KNOW, JUNK MOTOR VEHICLE. OKAY. SO KIND OF, SO LESS LABOR INTENSIVE WAYS OF DEALING WITH IT. RIGHT NOW, LET, LET ME JUST SAY THIS, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, WE PUSH FOR COMPLIANCE, BUT WE DON'T PUSH FOR COMPLIANCE AND PERPETUITY. SO THERE'S ONLY SO MANY TIMES WE'RE GONNA VISIT YOUR PROPERTY AND GIVE YOU NOTICE AND TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND WE REALLY TAKE THOSE ON A CASE BY CASE. SO WE DID GO BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION AS WE SAW THE TREND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. OUR ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS HELPED PUSH SOME PEOPLE INTO COMPLIANCE, BUT WHERE WE [00:20:01] SAW WE NEEDED ADDITIONAL HELP ON THE ABATEMENT ARE WITH WEEDED LOTS AND WITH DEMOLITIONS, WHICH YOU'RE AWARE OF. AND SO WHAT WE FOUND IN A LOT OF INSTANCES, WE WERE ABLE TO GET SOME VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE, BUT WE CAN'T WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO COMPLY. SO THAT'S WHERE THE ADDITIONAL JUMP IN THE ABATEMENT BUDGET CAME FROM FOR OUR WEEDS AND GROUNDS AS WELL AS OUR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS. BUT YOU'RE DOUBLING UP ON, ON WEEDED LOTS NEXT YEAR? YES. OKAY. JUST ONE MORE. NO, GO AHEAD. OKAY. AND THEN I, I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PERFORMANCE MEASURE ON THE, UM, ENGAGEMENTS, LIKE GOING FROM 57,000 TO 15,000. I MEAN, THAT WAS KIND OF AT IF 22 WAS ACTUAL, I MEAN, EXPLAIN THE, THE DROP IN THERE. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU COUNT THEM, BUT THAT JUST SEEMED LIKE A BIG DROP. AND, AND I, AND BY THE WAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TARGET CONTEXT THAT YOU DID ON, ON THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES. I THINK YOUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE GOOD AND, AND APPRECIATE THE EXTRA WORK YOU DID ON THAT. OH, NO, BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. 57,000 TO 15, NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT SLIDE 14, COUNCIL MEMBER, THE COVID EFFORTS FROM 22, THE LIAISONS DID A LOT OF, THEY WERE STILL DOING A LOT OF COVID EFFORTS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN 22. AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT NUMBER'S SO MUCH HIGHER. SO THEY WERE STILL DOING A LOT OF HEALTH OUTREACH AND EVENTS. AND SO NOW THOSE ARE PRETTY MUCH FADED, PHASED OUT. SO THEY'RE GOING BACK TO THAT. THAT'S THE ANOMALY. SO 22 WAS THE ANOMALY. YOU CAN'T SEE 21 AND 20, BUT 22 IS THE ANOMALY. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PICK. THANK YOU. AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION ABOUT BANDIT SIGNS. YES. UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NEW PROGRAM TO, UM, HELP FOR CITIZENS TO HELP DO THE BANDIT SIGN COLLECTIONS? AND IF WE ANTICIPATE ANY SAVINGS, UM, FROM THAT PROGRAM OR ANY REVENUE TO THE CITY FOR FINES ISSUED? NO, NO PROBLEM. COUNCIL MEMBER. SO YES, WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER ANOTHER, UM, A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ELKHORN ASKED ABOUT AND, UH, CHAMPIONED ABOUT A YEAR OR SO AGO, UM, WE WERE WORKING WITH HARRIS COUNTY AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO DO SOME OF OUR WORK IN TANDEM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALIZED IS THAT HARRIS COUNTY'S PROGRAM IS ACTUALLY UNDER AND ENFORCED UNDER A STATE STATUTE, UM, THAT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THEIR PROCESS. SO WE ARE GETTING READY TO ACTUALLY ROLL THAT OUT THIS SUMMER SO THAT WE CAN START GETTING, UH, PEOPLE, WE'VE HAD KIND OF A SOFT LAUNCH IN CERTAIN AREAS TO KIND OF SEE HOW IT WORKS. BUT WE WILL BE ROLLING THAT FULL PROGRAM OUT SO THAT PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES CAN GO OUT AND VOLUNTEER BY HELPING TO PICK UP THOSE SIGNS. UM, WE WANNA TRY TO STRENGTHEN OUR ENFORCEMENT. SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO LOOK AT OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN TAKE A STRONGER, UH, STANCE ON WHAT WE CALL FREQUENT FLYERS AND REPEAT OFFENDERS. UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY JUST KIND OF PUTTING IT, YOU KNOW, OUT THERE PRETTY CONSISTENTLY. AND WE KNOW THEM BY NAME AND WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE. SO THOSE ARE THE PLANS, BUT WE'LL BE ROLLING THAT PROGRAM OUT THIS SUMMER. AND DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDS COMING TO THE CITY FOR THOSE FINES? UM, I'M HOPING SO. THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE DEPENDENT UPON, UM, THE LEGAL PROCESS, UH, WHETHER IT'S GONNA BE CITATIONS, BUT WHAT WE FOUND, AND I BELIEVE THAT VICE MAYOR PRO TEM ACTUALLY HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT IN FILING A CIVIL SUIT LAST YEAR ON A PARTICULAR FREQUENT FLYER WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A BETTER, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO CAPTURE, UH, THOSE FUNDS, UH, WHETHER IT'S THE FINES OR BEING ABLE TO GET PUNITIVE DAMAGES THROUGH THE CIVIL PROCESS. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE'RE ALSO CONSIDERING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR FRANCIS, WE HAVE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE, SO WE DO HAVE SIX PUBLIC SPEAKERS THOUGH, SO SURE. APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION. SO YOU WOULD EXIT STAGE, RIGHT? WE'LL HAVE THEM COME UP. THANK YOU. FIRST SPEAKER IS DOUG SMITH. DOUG, GOOD TO SEE YOU. HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER. YEAH, I GOT A LITTLE BURNED OUT I THINK LAST WEEK, , BUT IT'S NICE TO HEAR. DID WE BURN YOU OUT OR YOU BURNED YOURSELF OUT? I BURNED MYSELF OUT. ALSO THE TIMING, UH, GET A BUDGET ONE DAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE HEARING STARTS THE NEXT DAY. UH, IT MAKES IT TOUGH. IT DOES. UH, BUT IN ANY CASE, GOOD TO SEE. UH, IN THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION'S FIRST BUDGET FOR THE 2018 FISCAL YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT HAD AN FTE HEAD COUNT OF 107. IN THE CURRENT BUDGET THAT HAS BEEN REDUCED TO 84, THIS DEPARTMENT HAS MORE EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY THAN NEARLY ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT. AND THE LARGE REDUCTION IN HEADCOUNT SENDS THE MESSAGE. THE ADMINISTRATION LACKS CONCERN FOR THAT QUALITY OF LIFE. AND I WOULD JUST BE INTERESTED, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN TODAY, BUT I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE JUSTIFICATION, UH, FOR THAT DROP. AND REGARDING CODE ENFORCEMENT, UH, THE DIRECTOR USED THE WORD PASSIVE AND THAT FROM MY EXPERIENCE, IS DEFINITELY THEY, THE WAY THEY ENFORCE IT. AND IT'S NOT GOOD IN MY EX, UH, EXPERIENCE. YOU REMEMBER, I HOPE, THE, UH, JUNK TRAILER THAT WAS PARKED AT A PROMINENT [00:25:01] INTERSECTION, TIFFANY THOMAS. YES, TIFFANY CERTAINLY REMEMBERS IT. AND, UM, UH, THEY KEPT, UH, PUTTING CITATIONS. I THINK PROBABLY THE DEPARTMENT PUT 10 CITATIONS ON THAT, UH, JUNK TRAILER. AND IT'S JUST VERY FRUSTRATING FOR A CITIZEN TO SEE CITATIONS GO OUT AND THEN NOTHING HAPPENED. AND I THINK THEY NEED TO GET MORE ACTIVE IN THEIR ENFORCEMENT OF THESE CITATIONS RATHER THAN, AS SHE SAID, WE DO IT PASSIVELY. IT ALSO WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE REVENUE FOR THE DEPARTMENT. SO THOSE ARE MY CONCERNS. GIVE, GIMME THE NUMBERS AGAIN. UH, ON THE, THE 1 0 7, WHAT WAS IT? THE NUMBERS ON THE FT ONE? OH, SORRY. OKAY. YEAH, THE FIRST, IN 2018, THE HEAD COUNT WAS 107. AND IN THE, THIS NEW BUDGET IT'S 84, SO THEY'VE DROPPED 20. AND I THINK DIRECTOR FRANCIS TOUCHED ON THAT. IT'S THE, WE CAN'T FIND QUALIFIED PEOPLE AND THUS, YEAH, IF YOU'D LIKE AND WELL TO THAT, UH, AS FAR AS CODE ENFORCEMENT, THE EXPENSES ARE INCREASING 20%, UH, AND THE HEAD COUNT'S DROPPING. UH, AND THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE EXPLAINED OR ADDRESSED. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. TASHA. LET ME JUST MAKE ONE CLARIFICATION. SO AS YOU MENTIONED BEFORE, WE DO HAVE A DROP IN PERSONNEL. UNFORTUNATELY, I'D LIKE TO KEEP EVERYONE, BUT IF THEY FIND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, CAN'T KEEP THEM ALL IN ONE PLACE. AND CODE ENFORCEMENT, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE'VE SEEN A LEVEL OF ATTRITION, I THINK WITH THE GREAT RESIGNATION, WHICH WE'VE SEEN ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES, UH, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WITH COVI. SO WE'RE WORKING TO TRY TO REFILL OUR CUP. BUT LET ME JUST CLARIFY SOMETHING THAT YOU MENTIONED, UH, BEFORE, AND I APOLOGIZE, I DIDN'T MAKE THIS CLEARER. WHEN I SAY THAT WE ARE, UH, THAT WE, WHEN I MENTIONED THE WORD PASSIVE, I WAS NOT SPEAKING TO HOW WE ENFORCE, WE ARE AGGRESSIVE IN HOW WE ENFORCE PASSIVE WAS IN RELATIONSHIP TO HOW WE COLLECT THE REVENUE, NOT OUR ENFORCEMENT. AND WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO OUR CITATIONS, ONCE WE WRITE OUR CITATIONS, THEN THE LEGAL PROCESS TAKES OVER. SO IF THOSE CITATIONS AREN'T PROSECUTED, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, THEN THAT'S WHAT WE END UP SEEING. SO ONCE WE WRITE THE CITATIONS, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHERE OUR RESPONSIBILITY ENDS. BUT WE ARE NOT PASSIVE IN OUR ENFORCEMENT. OUR COMPLIANCE LEVELS SHOW THAT. BUT IN TERMS OF COLLECTING THE MONEY THAT WE PUT OUT, THAT HAS BEEN MORE OF A PASSIVE PROCESS THAT WE'RE WORKING TO IMPROVE. RIGHT. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOUG, YOU'RE SEEING THAT IN EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY, THE PRIVATE SECTOR DOES A BETTER JOB OF REACTING TO EVENTS THAT CAUSE PEOPLE TO LEAVE AND WAGES TO GO UP. SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT OUR, UM, WAGE SCALE, IN MY OPINION, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AND SEE IF WE ARE COMPETITIVE WITH ATTRACTING FOLKS. I KNOW THAT WE HAD A NUMBER OF ISSUES RELATED TO, UH, FOLKS THAT WORK IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DURING COVID. WE COULDN'T KEEP TRUCK DRIVERS BECAUSE THEY WERE AT THIS LEVEL TODAY FROM THE CITY. AMAZON CAME HERE AND THEN FEDEX WENT THERE AND WALMART WENT THERE. AND THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, IT'S A BIDDING WAR. AND I THINK THAT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER IN EVERY ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WITH HEAD COUNT IS OUR PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THEIR WAGES. AND IT'S TOUGH FOR US TO REACT. WE GOTTA REACT A LITTLE BIT QUICKER TO THAT, BUT, OKAY. WELL, JUST IN SUMMARY, AS A CITIZEN, IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING TO SEE CITATIONS POSTED OVER AND OVER AND OVER ON THE SAME JUNK TRAILER AND IT STAYED THERE. SO THAT'S PART OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DOUG. GOOD SEEING YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, JUST ONE THING ON THE TRAILER WE DID JUST UP THE FINES ON THAT AND WE'RE DOING SOME OTHER ON, ON JUNK TR WE DID JUST UP THE FINES ON, ON THOSE ILLEGALLY PARKED TRAILERS. OKAY. AND WE ALSO ARE BRINGING SOME OTHER, UM, THINGS TO COUNCIL SOON ON ILLEGALLY PARKED TRAILERS, TRUCKS. OH, COMMERCIAL VE VEHICLES. THAT'LL HELP TIGHTEN THAT UP. BUT, BUT WE HEAR YOU AND I UNDERSTAND. I MEAN, IT, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET AT ENFORCEMENT AND, AND HPD ENFORCES AND, UH, PARK HOUSTON ENFORCES. SO THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT AVENUES TO ENFORCE, BUT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO CREATE FINES THAT ARE IMPEDIMENT TO BAD BEHAVIOR BECAUSE IT'S, WE, WE'VE COME ACROSS THIS DIRECTOR, FRANCIS AND I HAVE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT WHEN IT'S LESS EXPENSIVE FOR FOLKS TO ILLEGAL DUMP THAN TO PAY THE FINE FOR ILLEGAL DUMP AND YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. EXACTLY. SO YOU NEED TO HIT 'EM WHERE IT HURTS. AND THAT'S IN THE POCKETBOOK. AND WE'VE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF THAT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS UNDER DIRECT OF FRANCIS' REGIME. BUT THAT PART OF THE ISSUE IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S CHEAPER FOR THEM TO PAY THE FINES THAN IT IS FOR RECTIFY THE SITUATION. AND OF COURSE, THIS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT STREET PARKING, THIS WAS PARKED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. UH, SO IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT STILL [00:30:01] I DON'T HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THANKS. THANKS, DOUG. BLANDING. HELLO AGAIN. UM, SO OF COURSE I HAD TROUBLE PULLING THE ARTICLE, UH, RIGHT BEFORE COMMENT, BUT, UM, RECENTLY AS OF LIKE THIS MORNING OR YESTERDAY, I SAW THAT MAYOR TURNER, ALONG WITH OTHER, UH, MAYORS OF LARGE CITIES, HAVE SIGNED ON A, ON A LETTER OF REQUESTING EITHER ADDITIONAL AID OR, UM, OTHER EFFORTS FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE OF THE INFLUX OF ASYLUM SEEKERS. AND RIGHT NOW THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS ONLY HAS $330,000. OBVIOUSLY WE'RE AN AMAZING, WELCOMING, DIVERSE CITY. AND SO MY QUESTION TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IS, WITH SUCH A SMALL BUDGET THERE, WHAT ARE THE EFFORTS TO HELP, UM, BEST WELCOME AND TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORT NEEDED TO THE INFLUX OF NEW HOUSTONIANS WE MIGHT BE HAVING OR ARE HAVING? AND I WISH I COULD GET THAT ARTICLE. . YES. SO GIVE ME THAT QUESTION AGAIN. YOU, I'M TRYING TO FOLLOW IT, BUT I'M ALSO TRYING TO READ IT ON THERE 'CAUSE I COULDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND. SO YEAH, RELATED TO THE INFLUX OF NUMBER OF HU OF HOUSTONIANS THAT WE'RE SEEING ON FROM BORDER SITUATION. YEAH. PARTICULARLY. SO, I MEAN OBVIOUSLY WE'RE A HUGE CITY THAT IS CONSTANTLY, UM, GETTING NEW CITIZENS, PERIOD, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH THE INFLUX OF ASYLUM SEEKERS. MY QUESTION IS, WITH SUCH A SMALL BUDGET FOR THE OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS, WHAT, UM, ARE SOME EFFORTS THE CITY IS GONNA TAKE TO BETTER WELCOME AND PROVIDE THE NECESSARY SERVICES? UM, BECAUSE 330,000 DOES NOT SEEM SUFFICIENT TO MEET THOSE NEEDS. ANYBODY WANT TO TAKE THAT ONE? UH, I THINK A LOT OF THE CITY RELIES ON PARTNERSHIPS WITH, YOU KNOW, CATHOLIC CHARITIES WITH, UM, VARIOUS GROUPS. UM, WHAT'S THE ONE IN SOUTHWEST AND IN ED POLLARD'S DISTRICT THAT, UH, UH, I FORGET THE NAME OF IT, BUT WE, WE DO RELY A LOT ON. IT'S NOT, UM, I DON'T THINK THAT IT IS, UH, CORE. I MEAN, IT'S CERTAINLY WE NEED TO BE DOING IT AND WE'RE DOING OUR BEST. WE DO INTERFAITH MINISTRIES AND, AND ALL OF THAT. BUT AS FAR AS THE, I THINK WE, WE JUST ARE THE, THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ADMINISTRATION I WOULD THINK IS TO RELY HEAVILY ON WORKING WITH, UH, NONPROFITS THAT ARE IN THIS, IN THIS FIELD. BUT I HEAR, I HEAR IT. I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I MEAN, THE NEED, THE NEED IS GREAT. AND WE DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH MONEY ALLOCATED TO IT. AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE WE REALLY RELY ON THE, THE CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, THAT AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE IN, IN THIS LINE OF WORK. AND THAT'S THEIR MAIN LINE OF WORK. THANK YOU. THANKS MICAL ROGERS. HOPE I GOT THAT RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. IT'S, UM, WITHAL, UH, ROGERS. AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE DISCUSSED TODAY. UH, MY QUESTION IS, I AM A COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE OSC SOUTH UNION COMMUNITY, AND THAT COMMUNITY SITS BETWEEN THIRD WARD AND SUNNYSIDE. SO OSC SOUTH UNION IS NOT PART OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. AND SO WITH, UM, MURDER INCREASINGS FROM 2013 UNTIL TODAY BY 160%, WE HAVE A LOT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE IN THAT COMMUNITY, WHICH MAKES THEM MORE LIKELY TO BE ENTERING INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. WHAT EFFORTS ARE SUPPORT FOR ANY EXISTING GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE DOING WORK TO PREVENT, UH, VIOLENCE AND EXPOSURE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM? ARE THERE, ARE THERE, IF ANY, OR IS THERE ANY FUNDING AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE IN THAT COMMUNITY ALSO? SO ARE THERE ANY NOT-FOR-PROFITS THAT, UM, IS THERE MONEY AVAILABLE FOR NOT FORFOR PROFITS TO HELP IN CURBING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY? I GUESS THAT'S THE QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW, BUT NOT SURE IF IT'S RELATED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, SOMEWHAT SO TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, UH, THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU SPOKE OF, OUR MAYOR'S OFFICE OF GANG PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION IS ALREADY WORKING ASSIDUOUSLY IN THAT AREA IN SOUTHEAST HOUSTON, AS A MATTER OF FACT, UH, BETWEEN SUNNYSIDE THIRD WARD AND THE SOUTH UNION AREA, WE HAVE SEVERAL PROGRAMS AT THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE IN THAT AREA SPANNING FROM ADDICTS TO WARING. UH, [00:35:01] ADDITIONALLY THERE ARE SOME OTHER PROGRAMS FEATURED UNDER ONE SAFE HOUSTON, WHICH ACTUALLY HAS A YOUTH AND GANG COMPONENT. AND UNDER ONE SAFE HOUSTON, WHICH IS THE CITY'S INITIATIVE ON CRIME, THERE HAVE BEEN EARMARKS FOR CERTAIN, UH, TRUSTED MESSENGER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS THAT HAVE NONPROFITS THAT ARE DOING SOME OF THE WORK YOU'RE SPEAKING OF. SO IF YOU VISIT THE ONE SAFE HOUSTON PLATFORM, YOU'LL PROBABLY SEE SOME OF THAT. I DID, I JUST DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING FOR THAT COMMUNITY. SO WORTHINESS OUTSIDE OF IT, SO OH, UNDERSTANDABLE. BUT ONE SAFE HOUSTON IS FOR THE ENTIRE CITY. OKAY. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, MS. ROGERS. THANK YOU ED PETIT. THANK YOU DIRECTOR ED PETIT. MR. PETIT, MS. STA, FOLLOWED BY JILL ELLE. HELLO EVERYBODY. UM, I DO NOT HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. I JUST HAVE PRICES BECAUSE I AM A GRADUATE OF COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY. IT'S AN AMAZING PROGRAM. UM, ON ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID WAS LET'S LOOK THROUGH THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS OF THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT OF LAST YEAR AND SEE WHAT PROBLEMS THEY HAVE SO WE CAN TRULY UNDERSTAND AND DISCUSS THEM TOGETHER. YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAD, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALKER TALKING TO US, UM, DURING COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY. WE LEARNED ABOUT ROBERT'S RULES. UH, I LEARN ABOUT THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHO DOES WHAT THERE. UH, AS SOMEBODY WHO'S LIKE YOUNGER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL THESE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN DOING WORK IN THE COMMUNITY FOR SO MANY YEARS, AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES UNIVERSITY WAS A REALLY GREAT WAY FOR US TO TOUCH BASE AND REALLY DO THAT INTERGENERATIONAL UNDERSTANDING, RIGHT? UH, OR TRY TO FOSTER THAT INTERGENERATIONAL UNDERSTANDING. UM, I'M ALSO REALLY GRATEFUL THAT THEY, THEY WERE REALLY OPEN WITH ME. I, I, I'M, AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M VERY OUTSPOKEN. I HAVE MY IDEAS, UH, AND I NEVER SAW ANY ATTEMPT TO LIKE CURTAIL THAT OR BE LIKE, CALM DOWN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR OPENNESS TO HEARING FROM EVERY CITIZEN. UM, AND I HOPE THAT THIS PROGRAM CONTINUES AND YOU CONTINUE GIVING FUNDING TO IT. AND YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. GELLE. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. SO I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS AROUND COST ENFORCEMENT, I'M SORRY, CODE ENFORCEMENT CODE ENFORCE, WHICH ARE, SO MY, MY CURIOSITY IS THAT ARE MOST OF THE CODE IN VIOLATIONS, DO THEY HAPPEN TO FALL IN LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES? AND IF SO, DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO GO AFTER CITIZENS THAT CAN'T, CAN EITHER NOT AFFORD TO CUT THEIR LAWNS OR THEY'RE DISABLED IN SOME WAY? AND SO THERE'S REASONS WHY THEY CANNOT TAKE CARE OF THE CODE VIOLATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, ARE WE BEING GOOD FIDUCIARIES OF OUR MONEY WHEN, WHEN I UNDERSTAND WE'RE AGGRESSIVE WITH, WITH, UM, THE ENFORCEMENT, BUT THEN IT GETS PASS, WE'RE PASSIVE WITH COLLECTIONS, SO THEN IT GOES TO LAWSUITS AND THEN IT JUST SEEMS LIKE WE'RE SPENDING MORE AND MORE MONEY ON CODE VIOLATIONS. ARE WE REALLY GETTING OUR MONEY'S WORTH IN, IN DOING SO? YOU KNOW, ARE THERE OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO SOME OF THE REPEAT OFFENDERS THAT MAYBE CANNOT HANDLE THE VIOLATIONS OTHER AVENUES INSTEAD OF LIKE GOING INTO A LAWSUIT AND SPENDING MORE MONEY AROUND ALL THAT? THAT, THAT'S KIND OF THE GIST OF WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT. WANNA TAKE A SHOT? UH, OUR AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER WHO REPRESENTS THE ENTIRE CITY, SALLY ALCORN. WELL, IT IS, IT IS A, IT, IT'S TOUGH. WE'RE, WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING AGAINST BAD BEHAVIOR, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO KEEP UP WITH BAD BEHAVIOR. I MEAN, THE BANDIT SIGNED THINGS, BAND, TEXAS JUNK REMOVAL. IF YOU'RE OUT THERE, I'M PULLING THOSE SIGNS DOWN. I HAVEN'T BEEN AT THE CLASS, I APOLOGIZE, BUT I'M PULLING 'EM DOWN WHEN NOBODY'S AROUND. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT DOES JUST END UP HAVING TO GO TO THE COURTS BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU, YOU JUST CAN'T GET ANYWHERE, ANY, ANYWHERE ELSE. I MEAN, YOU CAN CITE AND CITE AND CITE AND CITE AND THEY'LL PAY OR THEY'LL, UH, DEFER OR THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, DELAY IT AND, AND YOU'RE JUST, YOU'RE, WE'RE IN THIS CONSTANT BATTLE. SO SOMETIMES THERE'S JUST NO OTHER OPTION. DO WE KNOW DEMOGRAPHICALLY ARE THESE, YOU KNOW, ARE THESE REAL ESTATE GUYS THAT HAVE MONEY THAT JUST DON'T WANNA PAY? OR ARE THEY PEOPLE THAT ARE INDIGENT AND REALLY, I MEAN, THEY, THEY, THEY LIVE IN PROPERTY. SO I I, I'M AT LEAST ON THE BANDIT SIDE THING, IT MUST WORK. I MEAN, THEY MUST BE GETTING BUSINESS FROM THESE BANDIT SIGNS. I MEAN, THAT THEY, THEY KEEP DOING IT. SO OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING MONEY FROM, FROM THEIR SELLING OR PICKING UP THEIR JUNK. SO YEAH, I, I THINK THAT'S, I DON'T THINK IT'S A LOT OF INDIGENT PEOPLE. I THINK IT'S PEOPLE THAT ARE [00:40:01] MAKING MONEY. NO, IT'S, IT'S BUSINESS PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE DOING IT. YOU KNOW, I STILL HAVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I PASS THE STREET EVERY DAY. I STILL HAVE THIS POLITICAL SOUND, SALLY FROM THE CITY STILL HANGING UP IN A TREE . BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'S NEXT WEEK SALLY FROM THE CITY IS, SO ONCE I FIND HER, I'LL MAKE SURE I TELL HER ABOUT IT. ALRIGHT, THANKS Y'ALL. JUST KIDDING. SO THERE ARE NO OTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS. I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING. DIRECTOR FRANCE SAYS, YOU ALWAYS HAVE A SMILE ON YOUR FACE. YOU DO A GREAT JOB DAY IN AND DAY OUT. YOU'RE ONE OF THE MOST PLEASANT PEOPLE THAT WE WORK WITH DAY IN AND DAY OUT. YOU ALWAYS COME WITH A CAN-DO SPIRIT. UH, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY, AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT. IT'S A WELL RUN DEPARTMENT AND IT COMES FROM YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO EACH AND EVERY DAY. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THANKS FOR ALWAYS, UH, COMING HERE WITH A SMILE IN A, IN A, A SERVANT'S POSITION BECAUSE YOU ARE A SERVANT LEADER. SO THANK YOU. I JUST HAD TO SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE A DELIGHTFUL PERSON AND THIS IS GONNA BE MY LAST TIME SITTING IN THIS CHAIR TO HEAD IT UP. AND I ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOU FOR THE PERSON THAT YOU ARE AND THE HARD WORKER. SO, GOD BLESS. CHAIR, CHAIR. IF I MIGHT JUST ADD REAL QUICK, GAVE NO, YOU'LL BE HERE FOR FOUR MORE YEARS. SHE GAVE A RENDITION AT SYLVESTER GOD TURNER PARK. YOU MENTIONED HER SINGING. AND I'M NOT GONNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. BUT IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN. 'CAUSE IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RENDITION OF MR. ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD SONG THAT YOU'VE EVER HEARD. IT WAS AMAZING. SO SHE'S JUST A SPECIAL LADY, JUST A, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE, COME ON, WE AND WE'RE PRIVILEGED ON, COME ON. IT'S THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS BUDGET WORKSHOP. . SO THAT'S WHY THAT SALLY FROM THE CITY SIGN STILL HANGING UP THERE. 'CAUSE SHE VIOLATES EVERYTHING. ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDERS, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE HAVE IN HERE RIGHT NOW IF I DO THIS? ARE Y'ALL GONNA GIMME MY MONEY? , THANK YOU. SINGING TO HER SUPPER. YEP. JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THE SNIPPET. BUT THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, MAYOR PRO TEM AND, AND ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, ALL OF YOU, OUR JOY TO WORK WITH. AND WE APPRECIATE HOW YOU SUPPORT OUR DEPARTMENT. AND BECAUSE OF YOU, IT IS ALWAYS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A NEIGHBOR. WOULD YOU BE MINE? COULD YOU BE MINE? IT'S A NEIGHBORLY DAY. AND THIS BEAUTY WOULD, ESPECIALLY WITH MY BUDGET. WOULD YOU BE MINE? COULD YOU BE MINE? WE APPRECIATE HAVING NEIGHBORS JUST LIKE YOU. WE LOVE LIVING IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH YOU. SO LET'S MAKE THE MOST OF THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY. APPROVE MY BUDGET. AND WE MIGHT AS WELL SAY, WOULD YOU BE MINE? COULD YOU BE MINE? PLEASE APPROVE MY BUDGET. , PLEASE APPROVE. PLEASE APPROVE. PLEASE APPROVE AND ADD 10 MORE MILLION DOLLARS. SO I'LL DRAFT THAT, BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND APPROVE MY BUDGET. I'LL DRAFT THAT BUDGET. MY AMENDMENT'S COMING. AN EXTRA MILLION DOLLARS FOR DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBOR JUST FOR THAT SONG. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, DOUG, WE'LL GET IT. GOD BLESS. THANK YOU. WE'LL PICK UP NEXT WITH THE SOLID. WHAT DO WE HAVE? HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION. I. * 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.