[Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee on July 13, 2023.]
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IT IS 10:00 AM MY NAME IS DAVID ROBINSON.I'M CHAIR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE.
THAT'S TTI TO U AND IT IS, UH, SEVEN 13 THE DAY OF THE DISTRICT OF HOUSTON.
SO, UM, UH, WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE CHAMBER AND ONLINE.
THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER, AND I'D LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND OFFICIALS HERE PRESENT TODAY.
I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD IN A HYBRID MODE DUE TO THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
THAT'S CHAPTER 5 51, THE PROVISIONS THAT ALLOWED PUBLIC MEETINGS TO BE HELD SOLELY AND VIRTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
UH, THE MEETING WILL BE AND IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS CHAIR, THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE.
I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.127, AND THAT'S OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE THAT'S APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES.
ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. TODAY WE HAVE NINE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY.
TWO OF THEM ARE WITH US VIRTUALLY, AND SEVEN OF THEM ARE, UH, HERE OR PLAN TO BE IN THE CHAMBERS.
THE DEADLINE TO SPEAK IS 5:00 PM ON THE DAY BEFORE OUR MEETING YESTERDAY.
AND, UM, HOWEVER, AS ALWAYS, WE ARE INTERESTED IN ANY QUESTIONS, AND THEY MAY BE SENT TO THE AT LARGE2@HOUSTONTX.GOV EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WE WILL SHARE THEM WITH THE DEPARTMENTS ACCORDING TO THE AREA OF FOCUS AND FOLLOW UP, UH, WITH THEM AFTER THE MEETING TO DISTRIBUTE RESPONSES.
TODAY'S MEETING COVERS A NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS AND ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
UH, AND IN ORDER TODAY, WE WILL FIRST HEAR FROM, UM, THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER.
THAT'S CHRIS BUTLER WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION UPDATE AS, AS WELL AS BYRON KING, OUR BUILDING OFFICIAL.
ALSO WITH THE PERMITTING CENTER AND HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, HUGH PERMITS THE PERMITTING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM FOR FISCAL YEAR 24.
PROJECT APPROPRIATIONS WILL BE PRESENTED TODAY ALSO BY CHRIS BUTLER, OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR FROM HOUSTON PUBLIC PERMITTING CENTER AS ALONG WITH SUMMER SHAO, WHO IS OUR DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT OFFICE OF THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S HITS, UH, SO THAT IS OUR SECOND ITEM.
OUR THIRD ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, A TRAFFIC NETWORK UPDATE.
WE'LL HEAR FROM DIRECTOR LISA KENT, WHO IS THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE HITS DEPARTMENT, UH, FABIO CAP WILL BE PRESENTING.
HE IS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
AND FINALLY ON THE AGENDA TODAY IS THE SAP CONTRACT AMENDMENT.
WE'LL HEAR ALSO FROM HITS ON THAT.
CALPANA PII IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING, AND SUMMER SHALL AGAIN, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE WITH HITS WILL DO THE PRESENTING.
UH, TODAY I'D LIKE TO REMIND COUNCIL MEMBERS TO REMAIN ON MUTE AND HOLD THEIR QUESTIONS TILL THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION, NOTING THAT TO GET IN QUEUE, YOU SHOULD SEND A MESSAGE TO THE CHAT WITH A REQUEST TO SPEAK AND WE WILL GET YOU INTO OUR LIST.
I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF WHO ARE HERE TODAY IN PERSON IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK HERE WITH US IN CHAMBER FROM DISTRICT A, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TARSHA JACKSON FROM DISTRICT B.
DAVE MARTIN'S, CHIEF OF STAFF IS HERE NEXT TO ME.
WE HAVE CARLOS CISNEROS, VIRTUALLY WITH US, HER STAFF FROM DISTRICT H, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HUFFMAN.
HER STAFF IS WITH US VIRTUALLY REPRESENTING DISTRICT G.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS OFFICE.
HIS STAFF FROM DISTRICT I IS WITH US IN PERSON IN THE CHAMBER.
ALSO WITH US VIRTUALLY IS STAFF FROM DISTRICT J COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM OUR VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM, MARTHA CASTEX TATUM OF DISTRICT K HERE WITH US IN PERSON, ALSO AT LARGE.
COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX, HIS CHIEF OF STAFF IS WITH US HERE IN PERSON IN THE CHAMBER.
UH, I AM YOUR CHAIR FROM THE POSITION TWO AT LARGE.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER MICHAEL KUBOSH.
HIS STAFF IS WITH US VIRTUALLY FROM POSITION THREE AT LARGE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER,
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HER STAFF IS WITH US VIRTUALLY AS WELL IN POSITION FOUR.UM, AND I THINK WITH THAT, WE ARE READY TO TURN TO THE AGENDA.
UM, FOR EACH PRESENTATION, I'D LIKE TO ASK THAT THE SPEAKER INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND ANY STAFF THAT'S PRESENT FOR THE RECORD.
UM, WE'LL HAVE PRESENTATIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS, AND THEN PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO WITH THAT GENTLEMAN BEFORE ME AT THE PODIUM, UM, THIS IS THE ITEM ON CONSTRUCTION CODE, THE MODERNIZATION UPDATE.
UH, DIRECTOR BUTLER, UH, THE FLOOR IS YOURS FROM THE PERMITTING CENTER, IF YOU'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND, AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL NEXT TO YOU.
GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF.
MY NAME IS CHRIS BUTLER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER.
BESIDE ME IS MR. BYRON KING, THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S BUILDING OFFICIAL.
TODAY, MR. KING WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE CONS, CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION.
I WANNA BE MINDFUL THAT TODAY'S UPDATE IS NOT A REVIEW OF BUILDING CODE AMENDMENTS, NOR IS IT RELATED TO CHAPTER 42.
AND WITH THAT, MR. KING, UH, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBER AND EVERYONE PRESENT.
UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS BYRON KING, UH, THE CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY TO PROVIDE A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION PROJECT THAT BEGAN A YEAR AGO IN JUNE.
I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON IN MANY CAPACITIES FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, AND I AM EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE WORK WE DO AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
OUR PURPOSE OF TOGETHER WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE IS OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE, ALONG WITH OUR FIVE TO THRIVE VALUES THAT WE CALL ROCKET, WHICH IS RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, AND TEAMWORK.
TODAY, I'M PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE AND THE TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING OF THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION PROJECT.
THIS PROGRAM IS A KEY COMPONENT TO OUR DEPARTMENT'S PURPOSE OF CREATING A FOUNDATION, A FOUNDATION BY PROVIDING THE BUILDING BLOCKS UTILIZED BY ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, AND OTHERS IN THE BUILT AND DESIGNED COMMUNITY.
THESE CODES HELP US STAY SAFE FROM EVERYDAY DISASTERS, SUCH AS FIRES, BUT ALSO TO PROTECT US FROM THE EXTREME WEATHER PATTERNS SUCH AS HURRICANES, FLOODING, STRONG WINDS, AND EXTREMELY COLD AND HEAT.
NOW LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK BACK TO WHERE WE ARE HEADED.
HOUSTON'S BUILT ENVIRONMENT ACTUALLY BEGAN IN 1836 WHEN WE HAD TWO REAL ESTATE ENTREPRENEURS FROM NEW YORK, UH, WHICH IS AUGUSTUS AND JOHN ISLAND PURCHASED A LARGE AREA OF LAND ALONG BUFFALO BIO AND FOUNDED A CITY THAT LATER WAS NAMED AFTER SAM HOUSTON.
HOUSTON HAS GROWN TO BECOME THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY AND POPULATION IN A HOUSTON WORLD COUNTRY.
IT WOULD RANK AS THE 27TH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD.
THE EARLY YEARS SAW INVESTMENT INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAILROADS THAT INCREASED THE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR FREIGHT AND PASSENGERS, RIGHT, GREATLY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF JOBS.
SO IN 1901, OF COURSE, OIL WAS DISCOVERED, AND BY THE 1950S, HOUSTON'S ECONOMY SHIFTED, SHIFTED TOWARD ENERGY, AND LARGE COMPANIES BEGAN RELOCATING TO HOUSTON, AND OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT BEGAN TO GROW EXTENSIVELY.
BY THE LATE SEVENTIES, PEOPLE WERE MOVING TO HOUSTON AT A RATE OF OVER A THOUSAND A WEEK.
AND IN THE NINETIES, WE HOUSTON BEGAN TO DIVERSIFY, TO REDUCE ITS DEPENDENCE ON A PETROLEUM DRIVEN ECONOMY AFTER LEARNING A VALUABLE LESSON FROM THE EIGHTIES RECESSION DUE TO A MAJOR DOWNTURN IN OIL PRICES.
SO STARTING IN 2000, MAJOR STORMS WERE THE CONTINUING THEME THROUGHOUT THE DECADE, HOUSTON, HOUSTON OPENED ITS ARMS TO EVACUEES FROM NEW ORLEANS AND THE GULF COAST DURING HURRICANE KATRINA, ONLY TO BE DEVASTATED TO SELL THREE YEARS LATER BY HURRICANE IKE.
NOW IN THE NEXT DECADE LEADING UP TO THE SUPER BOWL 51, IN 2017, HOUSTON WOULD SPEND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW PROJECTS IN DISTRICT DISTRICTS FROM DOWNTOWN TO HOBBY AIRPORT.
THE PROJECTS FROM NEW HOTELS TO ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS WERE DESIGNED TO ENDURE THE BEGINNINGS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
HOWEVER, IN AUGUST, 2017, HURRICANE HARVEY HIT FOLLOWING THE 2016 MEMORIAL DAY FLOOD WITH 12 INCHES OF RAIN AND THE TAX DAY FLOOD WITH MORE THAN 24 INCHES OF RAIN, WHICH HAS LED TO MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION AND HOW BUILDING CODES CAN MAKE COMMUNITIES SAFER.
NOW, AS OF JULY OF 21, THE NINE COUNTY HOUSTON REGION HAD A POPULATION OF 7.2 MILLION.
HARRIS COUNTY HAD A POPULATION OF 4.7, WHILE CITY OF HOUSTON HAD 2.3 MILLION, THAT 665 SQUARE MILES, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS LARGER IN AREA THAN THE CITIES OF CHICAGO, DALLAS, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, PHOENIX, AND SAN DIEGO, WHICH HAS A POPULATION DENSITY OF 3,538
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PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE.NOW, ACCOUNTING FOR EXPECTED POPULATION CHANGES DUE TO MIGRATION AND NATURAL CHANGE.
THE POPULATION OF THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA IS PROJECTED TO GROW TO 2.8 MILLION RESIDENTS IN 2030 AND TO ALMOST 12 MILLION RESIDENTS BY 2060.
NOW LET'S SPEAK ON HOW BUILDING CODES PROTECT US FROM A WIDE RANGE OF POTENTIAL DAMAGE DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
SINCE 1980, THE GRADY HOUSTON REGION HAS EXPERIENCED 12 MAJOR, 12 MAJOR RAIN THUNDERSTORM AND OR FLOOD EVENTS.
NOW, THAT'S FIVE HURRICANES, FIVE TROPICAL STORMS, TWO WILDFIRES, A PANDEMIC, A SEVERE WINTER STORM IN FEBRUARY 21, AND A HEAT WAVE IN THE SUMMER OF OF 22.
HARVEY IN AUGUST OF 17 WAS FOLLOWED BY TROPICAL STORM EMELDA IN 2019.
AND THESE EXPERIENCES HAVE EXTENSIVELY SHOWN THAT HOUSTON'S PATH TO MARTIN BUILDING CODES AND RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER.
350,000 PROPERTIES ARE PROJECTED TO HAVE SUBSTANTIAL RISK OF FLOODING BY 2050.
AND OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS, HOUSTON CAN EXPECT MORE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND HIGHER UTILITY RATES THAT WILL IMPACT HOW NEW BUILDINGS ARE DESIGNED.
IN THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE THAT YOU SEE HERE, UH, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING CODES IS, AND THIS PICTURE IS FROM ROCKPORT, TEXAS.
AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, STRUCTURES BUILT TO NEW ADDITIONS OF THE BUILDING CODES CLEARLY PROVIDE MORE RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION.
BY STAYING CURRENT IN OUR BUILDING CODES, WE CAN HELP OUR CITIZENS PROTECT THEIR HOMES AND BUSINESSES PROVIDING SAFETY AND GREATER SECURITY.
CLIMATE CHANGE HAS A COST, AS WE ALL KNOW, A COST TO LIVES AND A COST TO OUR ECONOMY.
YOU CAN SEE BY THE TREND LINE ABOVE AND INCREASE IN THE COST OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IS PROJECTED IN THE FUTURE DUE TO NATURAL DISASTERS.
HOWEVER, A NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BUILDING SCIENCE STUDY FOUND THAT ADOPTING MODERN MODEL BUILDING CODES SAVE $11 FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED THROUGH EARTHQUAKE, FLOOD, AND WIND MITIGATING BENEFITS.
THIS SAVINGS REPRESENTS AVOIDED CASUALTIES, LESS TRAUMATIC POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, REDUCE PROPERTY DAMAGE, FEWER BUSINESS INTERRUPTIONS, LOWER INSURANCE PREMIUMS, AND QUANTIFIES THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE MARTIN CODES HAVE IN PROTECTING US FROM THE DESTRUCTIVE FORCES OF DISASTERS.
AS SHOWN IN THE GRAPHIC, A SMALL UPFRONT INVESTMENT BUYS A LOT OF PROTECTION THAT ON AVERAGE AMOUNT OF ONE TO 2% OF TOTAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION COSTS, A 1% COST PREMIUM WILL PROVIDE THE ROOF TIEDOWNS WINDOW COVERS AND OTHER FEATURES THAT HELP A HOUSE SURVIVE HIGH WINDS DURING A HURRICANE.
HOUSTON HAS A PLAN TO MANAGE THE DEMANDS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND IN JANUARY OF 24, WE WILL ADOPT SEVERAL AGGRESSIVE RESILIENT CODES TO HELP KEEP HOUSTONIANS SAFE.
IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTER, HURRICANE HARVEY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON APPROPRIATED A FELLOW FEDERAL GRANT FOR DISASTER RECOVERY FOR THE FOLLOWING SEVERAL PLANNING ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN, BOTH STATING THE GOAL TO ADOPT THE MOST CURRENT BUILDING CODES, TO PROVIDE AS MUCH RESILIENCE IN THE CODE AS CODES AS POSSIBLE.
NOW TO QUOTE THE RESILIENT HOUSTON PLAN BUILDING CODES AND THEIR CONSISTENT AND TIMELY UPDATING AND ENFORCEMENT ENSURES THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF BUILDINGS, THEIR FUNCTIONS, AND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.
AS PART OF THIS CODE ADOPTION AND LOOKING TOWARD BOTH RESILIENT HOUSTON AND THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, THE CITY WILL LOOK TO INCLUDE RESILIENT ITEMS IN THE 21 CODE UPDATE.
THIS INCLUDES UPDATING THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS STANDARD FROM THE 2016 EDITION TO THE 2021 EDITION, WHICH CONTAINS A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT UPDATES WE'LL COVER LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION.
WE WILL ALSO ADOPT AN APPENDIX SECTION FOR BOTH SOLAR AND EV THAT WILL PROVIDE BUILDERS BOTH COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW FOR DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING A BUILDING IN A WAY THAT FACILITATES AND OPTIMIZES THE INSTALLATION OF A ROOFTOP SOLAR, SOLAR PHOTO VOLTE, WHICH IS PV SYSTEM AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES READINESS EV.
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ALLOW FOR EASY INSTALLATION AFTER THE BUILDING HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED.SHOULD THE OWNER DESIRE TO INSTALL A SOLAR PV SYSTEM OR EV CHARGING ABILITY, FURTHER HOUSTON'S SHIFT TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RESILIENCE.
A FOCUS ON THE CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS THAT WILL FURTHER INCREASE HOUSTON'S RESILIENCY, WORKING WITH AND SUPPORTING OTHER HOUSTON RESILIENCY INITIATIVES SUCH AS RESILIENT HOUSTON AND THE HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, COMBINED WITH THE ADOPTION OF MODERN BUILDING CODES, WHERE FURTHER HELP HOUSTON ACHIEVE A HUNDRED PERCENT HAZARD RESISTANT BUILDINGS.
THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION PROJECT WAS FUNDED BY A FEDERAL GRANT DUE TO THE DEVASTATION OF HARVEY.
THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT INCLUDE, ONE, ADOPT THE MOST CURRENT BUILDING CODES AND DEVELOP A SYSTEM THAT WILL PROVIDE FOR EASE IN ADOPTING FUTURE CODES SO THAT HOUSTON ALWAYS REMAINS CURRENT WITH ITS BUILDING CODES, PROVIDING USE OF THE MOST CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES AND FORWARD-THINKING STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING TWO, DEVELOP TOOLKITS AND TECHNICAL MEMOS TO EDUCATE CITY EMPLOYEES AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS OF THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE BUILDING CODES FROM 2015 TO 2021.
AND LASTLY, PROVIDE WORKSHOPS THAT INFORM AND EDUCATE ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO HELP ENSURE A SMOOTHER AND FASTER PERMITTING SYSTEM.
EACH CODE ADOPTION TAKES SEVERAL YEARS ONCE THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL APPROVES AND RELEASES THE CODES.
THE LONGEST TIME IT TOOK TO IMPLEMENT A NEW CODE WAS THE RECENTLY ADOPTED 2015 BUILDING CODES THAT TOOK SEVEN YEARS TO ADOPT.
WITHIN MONTHS OF THE ADOPTION OF THE 2015 CODES, WE AGGRESSIVELY MOVED FORWARD TO ADOPT THE 2021 CODES.
NOW THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE FASTEST CODE ADOPTIONS SINCE WE ADOPTED THE 2000 BUILDING CODES.
OKAY, NOW LET'S LOOK AT THE PROCESS.
UPON FINAL VETTING BY THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE, THE CODES ARE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY'S LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
ONCE ONCE COMPLETED BY LEGAL, THE CODES WILL BE REVIEWED BY CITY COUNCIL'S TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE, WHERE THE CITY WILL HOST A SPECIAL CALL MEETING FOR ANYONE TO PROVIDE.
FINAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE CODES.
THE BUILDING CODES ARE THEN SUBMITTED TO HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION.
AND THE TARGET DATE TO SUBMIT TO THE TTI COMMITTEE IS SEPTEMBER 28TH WITH A TARGET DATE FOR ADOPTION IN OCTOBER OF 2023.
WHAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING IS EFFECTIVE DATE OF JANUARY OF 2024 HOUSTON'S 21 CONSTRUCTION CODES.
THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM BEGAN IN JUNE OF 2022 WITH OUR CONSULTANT THAT WAS HIRED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PROJECT TO COMPLETE AN INITIAL CODE ANALYSIS TO COMPARE HOUSTON'S 2015, THE 2018 BUILDING CODES, AND INCLUDING ALL OF OUR AMENDMENTS TO THE 2021 BASE CODES.
LAST BUILDING CODE ADOPTION CYCLE, THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER HOLDERS MENTIONED THEY DID NOT BELIEVE OUR PROCESS WAS INCLUSIVE OR TRANSPARENT.
AFTER RESEARCHING 10 CITIES, HOUSTON SELECTED THE BEST IN CLASS STRATEGIES AND KICKED OFF OUR 2021 BUILDING CODE ADOPTION PROCESS IN DECEMBER OF 2022.
WITH COMMUNITY SUPPORT, WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE MORE THAN 50 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR A TOTAL OF 200 PARTICIPANTS TO VOLUNTEER THEIR EXPERTISE.
COMMUNITY TASK FORCE GROUP MEMBERS INCLUDE THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS, DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS, SUSTAINABILITY OFFICERS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVOCATES, AMONG MANY OTHERS.
42 COMMUNITY SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH 32 CITY STAFF, UH, AS OF DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR, AND FOR SIX MONTHS, BEGINNING IN JANUARY AND GOING THROUGH JUNE.
EACH TASK FORCE GROUP THAT YOU SEE HERE REVIEWED ALL NEW PROPOSED AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED BY THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE CCM WEBSITE.
ONCE A TASK FORCE GROUP APPROVES AN AMENDMENT, THE PROPOSALS MOVE TO THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE THAT CONSISTS OF ALMOST 200 COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS.
THE CCMC WOULD THEN DISCUSS AND PROVIDE THE CITY THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPROVAL OR DENIAL.
PROPONENTS WERE ALLOWED TO GO THROUGH AN APPEAL PROCESS IF THEIR AMENDMENT PROPOSAL WAS DENIED, AND WE HAD FOUR APPEALS, TWO OF WHICH WERE APPROVED BY THE CCMC.
WE HAVE COMPLETED THE MAJORITY
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OF THE CODES WITH ONE REMAINING CODE TO BE COMPLETED, COMPLETED BY MID-AUGUST.TO DATE, MORE THAN 5,000 HOURS HAVE BEEN DEDICATED TO THE CODE ANALYSIS AND JUST UNDER 4,000 HOURS FOR THE TASK FORCE GROUPS TO REVIEW SUBMITTED AMENDMENT PROPOSALS.
EACH OF THE CODES HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED MORE THAN ONCE AND EXTENDED TO SUPPORT THE REQUEST OF COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO HAVE TIME TO REVIEW THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND TO SUBMIT AMENDMENT, AMENDMENT PROPOSALS.
EACH PUBLICATION BEGINS WITH 30 DAYS, AND THE CODES EITHER EXTENDED OR REPOSTED, WOULD APPROVE AMENDMENTS.
THERE WILL BE ONE FINAL PUBLICATION UPON THE CITY LEGAL'S DEPARTMENT'S REVIEW, AND, AND WE ARE TARGETING AUGUST 21ST TO SEPTEMBER 19TH TO POST THE FINAL PROPOSED BUILDING CODES.
NOW, FOR A PERIOD OF SEVEN MONTHS, BETWEEN NOVEMBER 14TH AND OF 2022 AND JUNE 17TH, 2023, WE RECEIVED 166 AMENDMENTS.
MOST OF THE DENIED AMENDMENTS PROPOSALS FELL BELOW BASE CODE AND THE OTHER MOST OF THE WITHDRAWING AMENDMENTS ARE DUE TO DUPLICATES SUBMITTED OR BECAUSE THE PROPONENTS SUBMITTED A REVISED PROPOSAL.
WE HAD THREE CRITER CRITERIA FOR ANY CODE AMENDMENT PROPOSAL.
ONE, IT DOES NOT REDUCE THE FIRE OR LIFE SAFETY PROVISIONS.
TWO, COMPLY WITH THE INTENT OF THE CODE IN QUALITY, STRENGTH, EFFECTIVENESS, FIRE RESISTANCE, DURABILITY, AND SAFETY.
AND LASTLY, HELP STRENGTHEN AND ENSURE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY.
IN HOUSTON, WE TOOK THE LAST CRITERIA TO A NEW LEVEL OF SAFETY AND ADOPTED THE A SC 7 20 22 EDITION VERSUS THE 2016 A-S-C-A-S-C SEVEN IS THE STANDARD FOR MINIMUM DESIGN, LOWS AND ASSOCIATED CRITERIA FOR BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES.
20, UH, ADVANCING TO A SCE 7 22 20 22 WILL WE WILL PROVIDE BETTER AND MORE RECENTLY GATHERED ENGINEERED DATA DESIGNED TO PROTECT HOUSTON HOUSTONIANS AGAINST HURRICANES SUCH AS HARVEY.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE CCM STAFF WORK TOGETHER WITH MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY OF FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERS AND THE HOUSTON WATER DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE UPDATES TO THE HISTORIC HOUSTON BREAK TANK REQUIREMENTS THAT WILL BE MORE IN LINE WITH NFPA, WHICH IS THE NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION STANDARDS.
AND THIS NEW AMENDMENT WILL REMOVE THE MANDATORY BREAK TAKE REQUIREMENT AND WILL INSTEAD REQUIRE HYDRAULIC CALCULATIONS BE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE ANY POTENTIAL NEEDS FOR A SYSTEM.
THIS WILL HELP ENSURE THAT INADEQUATE SYSTEM IS PROVIDED ONLY WHEN NEEDED AND WILL REDUCE ANY UNNECESSARY SYSTEMS AND POTENTIAL ISSUES AFFECTING WATER SUPPLY DURING OPERATIONS.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS, WHICH IS EARLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUILDING CODES, WATER DISPENSERS WERE ADDED TO ENSURE EVERYONE HAD ACCESS TO PUBLIC WATER.
NOW WE HAVE ACCESS TO WATER ALMOST EVERYWHERE.
SO WE'VE REVISITED INCLUDED BOTTLED WATER ACCESS TO WATER IN PUBLIC SPACES, ACCESS TO WATER AT RESTAURANTS AND WATER DISPENSERS FOR THE, FOR THESE REASONS.
IN ADDITION TO THE AFTER EFFECTS OF COVID, THE NEED FOR WATER FOUNTAINS AT COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS HAS SHIFTED THE BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION.
BOMA REQUESTED THIS CHANGE IN THE CITY AND WORKING THROUGH THE RESOLUTION COMMITTEE CAME UP WITH AN AGREEMENT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH ACCESS TO WATER WHILE BEING CONSCIOUS OF THE COST IN INVOLVED FOR DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS.
NOW, THESE ARE JUST OF THE FEW SIGNIFICANT CHANGES THAT WE PROVIDE TRAININGS UPON ADOPTION OF OUR CODES.
AND BEGINNING IN OCTOBER, WE WILL BEGIN OFFERING WORKSHOPS TO EDUCATE OUR STAFF AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS ON THE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FROM 2015 TO THE 2021.
AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN SUBMITTING A PERMIT APPLICATION.
WE WILL HAVE MORE INFO ON TRAININGS AND THE WORKSHOPS COMING SOON.
BUT FOR MORE INFORMATION, UH, THE GENERAL INFORMATION ON, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE EMAIL IS INFO DOT CCM AT HOUSTON TX DOT GLV.
AND ALSO UPDATES ON THE CCC M UH, PROJECT WEBSITE, UH, THAT YOU SEE HERE.
AND ALSO, MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER IS ON HERE IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
I'D LIKE TO THANK, UH, MY MANAGERS, UH, BUTLER, CHRIS BUTLER HERE FOR ALLOWING ME TO PRESENT AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER TO YOU AND FOR, UH, YOUR ENTIRE COMMITTEE TO PRESENT THIS, UH, PRESENTATION.
MR. KING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I THINK THAT WAS BOTH SUCCINCT AND COVERED A AN AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION OF THE PROCESS THAT WE'VE BEEN ENGAGED WITH.
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ADMIT OR, UH, UH, SPEAK TO THE FACT THAT LAST YEAR, UM, ADOPTING THE PROCESS WAS NOT AS SMOOTH AS MANY OF US WISH IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.AND I THINK SO FAR WE HAVE SEEN A PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN INCLUSIVE.
THAT LONG AND EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF FOLKS, UM, IS IMPRESSIVE.
AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE, UH, PRESENTED AS, AS WELL AS YOU DID TODAY.
WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO'D LIKE TO ADDRESS YOU.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE'LL HEAR, AND LET ME RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY OUR VICE CHAIR, THAT'S COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN FROM THE AT LARGE POSITION, NUMBER FIVE.
UM, CHRIS AND BYRON, THIS HAS BEEN A JOURNEY FOR SURE, AND WE WERE, UH, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, ROBINSON AND I WERE BOTH AT THE KICKOFF AND WE'VE BEEN ATTENDING YOUR FRIDAY AFTERNOON, UH, MEETINGS OF THE, OF THE, OF THE COMMITTEE.
AND JUST REALLY JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE, THE PROCESS CONTINUING TO PLAY OUT AND, AND THANKS TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS.
I THINK IT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD ROCKY SPOTS OF IT, BUT OVERALL IT'S BEEN VERY INCLUSIVE AND, AND, UM, A LOT OF GOOD WORK HAS GONE INTO IT.
AND JUST TO SEE OVER 5,000 HOURS, THAT'S A WHOLE HECK OF A LOT OF WORK ON PEOPLE'S PARTS IN GETTING THIS RIGHT.
I SAID THERE ARE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE AND I BELIEVE, UH, VICE CHAIR, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY ONE SPEAKING TO THE, UH, EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR PRESENTATION, MR. KING.
UM, AND WITH SEEING NO OTHERS AT THIS POINT, WE MAY TURN TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD THAT'S RELATED TO THIS ITEM.
UM, AND I WOULD ASK THAT, UH, YOU ALL, UH, GIVE UP THE PODIUM FOR A MOMENT AND IF WE CAN TURN TO THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, FIRST THAT ARE HERE IN THE CHAMBER.
AND IF I MAY, THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS LIST, UH, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN DO THAT PAUSE FOR A MOMENT.
WE HAVE GOT OUR, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS GONNA BE VIRTUALLY ATTENDING.
AND, UH, MR. IVANEZ, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE THE FIRST IN THE QUEUE TODAY, AND, UH, YOU HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES.
MY NAME IS HERMAN IVANEZ AND I REPRESENTED THE CITIZENS CLIMATE LOBBY DURING THE ADOPTION OF THE 20, UH, 2021 BUILDING CODES.
UH, SPECIFICALLY I WAS A MEMBER OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OR ENERGY CONSERVATION WORKING GROUP.
UH, AND, UH, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I ALSO WAS WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON CLIMATE MOVEMENT AND WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE, UH, ADOPTION OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
I WANTED TO COM COMPLIMENT THE CITY FOR USING THE FRAMEWORK, UH, THIS TIME IN REVIEWING AND AMENDING THE, UM, BUILDING CODES.
UM, IF YOU, UH, I WAS AT THE TABLE AND I HAD A VOICE.
UH, I, THE CITY HELD FIRM WITH ANY AMENDMENTS PROPOSED, UH, THAT WERE PROPOSED WERE TO CLARIFY THE CODES OR MAKE THEM STRONGER.
AND EVEN THOUGH, UH, OTHERS THAT PARTICIPATED, UH, TESTED THAT RESOLVE THE CITY HELD FIRM, I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE, UM, A MORE RESILIENT AND EFFICIENT HOUSING AND BUILDING BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WE DID IN THESE COMMITTEES.
AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD FOR YOU GUYS TO ADOPT THE BUILDING CODES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE, UH, COMMENT, UH, MR. IBANEZ.
AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR PARTICIPATION, UH, THUS FAR.
I, I AGREE WITH YOU AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
WE HAVE ANOTHER VIRTUAL SPEAKER, BUT WE'RE HAVING SOME INTERFACE ISSUES WITH HIM ONLINE.
SO WE'LL TURN TO THE FIRST SPEAKER WHO IS HERE, I BELIEVE WITH US TODAY.
MARK, IF YOU'RE HERE TO BE FOLLOWED BY DOMINIC MAZAK, WHO'S OUR FRIEND.
BUT, UH, MR. MR. ROBERTS, GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
THANKS FOR YOUR PART IN THE PROCESS AS WELL.
UM, LET'S GET YOUR MICROPHONE ON.
UH, VICE CHAIRMAN ALCON, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
[00:30:01]
MARK ROBERTS.I'M THE SENIOR REGIONAL MANAGER OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL, AND I SERVE ON THE HOUSTON CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE.
UH, I DON'T THINK THAT ICC HAS EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO, UH, ADDRESS THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE, SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.
UH, I'M SIMPLY HERE TO INTRODUCE MYSELF AND TO INTRODUCE DIRECTLY THE INTERNATIONAL CO-COUNSEL TO THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, THE, THE INTERNATIONAL CO-COUNSEL OR CO-COUNSEL IS AN AMERICAN NOT-FOR-PROFIT MEMBERSHIP BASED ORGANIZATION.
WE HAVE OVER 60,000 MEMBERS THAT DEVELOP THE INTERNATIONAL CODES, WHICH ARE ADOPTED IN IN EVERY STATE.
UM, WE ARE DEDICATED TO ALL ASPECTS OF BUILDING SAFETY AND RESILIENCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
WE HAVE OVER 399 STATE CHAPTERS NATIONWIDE WITH 18 OF THOSE CHAPTERS HERE IN TEXAS, UH, 4,200 MEMBERS HERE IN TEXAS.
WE MOST RECENTLY HAVE THE HOUSTON CHAPTER OF ICC THAT HAS, UM, UH, BEEN RATIFIED WITHIN ICC.
UM, SO ADOPTING BUILDING UPDATED BUILDING CODES CREATES ENVIRONMENTS THAT IMPROVE, UH, GENERALLY PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, WELFARE, AND ASSIST ECONOMIC INTEREST.
UH, MR. KING WENT INTO QUITE A FEW THINGS THAT I WAS GONNA BRING UP SO I WON'T REPEAT, REPEAT ANYTHING THAT, THAT HE BROUGHT UP TODAY ABOUT THE STUDIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THE I CODES AS WELL AS THE AMENDED VERSIONS OF THE I CODES THAT WILL BE ADOPTED BY HOUSTON ADDRESS RESILIENCY IN ALL CHAPTERS AND TOPICS, INCLUDING THOSE ON CRITICAL FACILITIES, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS, ACCESSIBILITY, AND THE LIST GOES ON RIGHT DOWN TO SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS.
UH, MR. ROBERTS, LET ME LET YOU WRAP UP IF YOU COULD.
I'M JUST, PLEASE TAKE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS.
UH, WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE AND COMMEND THE EXCELLENT WORK THAT'S BEEN, UH, FROM THE EFFORTS OF CITY STAFF JENSEN HUSEN ASSOCIATES COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN RICHARDSON, UH, AS WELL AS THE STAKEHOLDER MEMBERS SERVING ON THE CONSTRUCTION CODE, UH, MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION AND I SHARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT AND GRATEFUL FOR THE BROAD COALITION OF INTEREST SPEAKING AND THE ICC WAS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS SO FAR TO DATE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. ROBERTS.
ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. DOMINIC MAZUK.
THREE MINUTES AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
AND MR. MAZUK, I THINK YOU ARE REPRESENTING YOURSELF TODAY.
MY TIME STARTS NOW, UH, WITH THE BUILDING CODES.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THINGS IN THE CODES FOR THINGS LIKE SOLAR PANELS, WATER CISTERNS FOR, UH, HOLDING RAINWATER.
AND THIS LAST TIME, MAYBE IF THAT, IF YOU PUT A COATED CISTERN IN, MAYBE YOU GET A REDUCTION ON THE DRAINAGE FEE.
'CAUSE IT'S TAKING WATER OUT OF THE, YOU OUR, OUT OF THE FLOOD PLAIN.
I THINK TOO, YOU NEED TO BE SITTING DOWN WITH METRO AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, SO EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND PARTICULARLY AS YOU KNOW, I WROTE METRO HERE, 96 TO THE RED LINE, TO THE TUNNEL SYSTEM.
BUT WITH METRO, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS GOING ON WITH METRO.
NEXT, THE UNIVERSITY LINE BRT LINE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE VARIOUS BOOST QUARTERS, AND I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO SIT DOWN WITH METRO AND GET A STANDARD PLAN GOING SO THAT THERE'S NO DELAY.
ONCE, ONCE THE, THE PERMITTING SET BY AMTRAK IS D AND METRO.
WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER, WE GET THESE PROJECTS OUT.
UH, ONE CONSIDERATION NOW, I'M GONNA GO OFFLINE HERE, IS THAT NORTHLINE TRANSIT CENTER.
IT'S NOT ABOUT CODE, BUT WE'RE STILL HAVING PROBLEMS UP THERE WITH MERCHANTS BLOCKING SIDEWALKS.
AND I THINK TO SALLY, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING FOR YOU TO LOOK AT AND TALK TO METRO ABOUT.
I'VE BEEN TO METRO MEETINGS AND THEY STILL ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
AND WITH THAT, I HAVE NO OTHER COMMENTS.
I'M GONNA SEND IT BACK TO YOU, DAVID.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. MEEK FOR BEING HERE AND ATTENTIVE AS ALWAYS.
WE'LL MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WHICH IS MR. RICHARD ANDERSON HERE IN CHAMBER.
MR. ANDERSON, IF YOU'D APPROACH THE PODIUM AND, UH, GIVE YOU YOUR THREE MINUTES.
I THINK TECHNICALLY WE OFFER TWO MINUTES USUALLY TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, BUT TODAY WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'RE OFFERING THREE SAME PRICE.
[00:35:01]
LEFTUH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UH, EITHER ONLINE OR IN THE CHAMBERS.
I'M DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL, UH, RESOURCES FOR OUR PMG CODES WITH THE INTERNATIONAL CODE COUNCIL.
SO THAT'S OUR PLUMBING, MECHANICAL FUEL, GAS, SWIMMING POOL AND SPA CODE, AND OUR PRIVATE SEWAGE DISPOSAL CODE.
AND OBVIOUSLY THERE'S OVERLAP WITHIN OUR RESIDENTIAL CODE, OUR ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE WHERE PLUMBING, MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND, AND EVERYTHING ELSE MATTER.
AND THAT'S WHY OUR CODES FULLY CORRELATE WITH EACH OTHER, KIND OF TALK TO EACH OTHER FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
UM, WE HAVE A, A SUITE OF 15 CODES THAT DO THAT AND A, A SW OF OTHER STANDARDS THAT ARE USED IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
AND LIKE MY COWORKER, MARK, I HAD THIS WHOLE TESTIMONY WRITTEN UP, BUT, UM, CITY STAFF DID SUCH AN EXCELLENT JOB OF PRESENTING TO THE COMMITTEE AND TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, I'M JUST REALLY GONNA SPEAK FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
UM, BEING A, A MASTER PLUMBER IN TEXAS, A LICENSED PLUMBING INSPECTOR WITH MED GAS, I ALSO HOLD AN HVAC LICENSE WITH TDLR.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN CODE DEVELOPMENT ON A LOCAL LEVEL AS A CONTRACTOR, UM, GOING BACK TO THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS WHEN I WAS IN AMARILLO, TEXAS, AND THEN AS THEIR CHIEF PLUMBING MECHANICAL IRRIGATION INSPECTOR.
I WORKED FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR A WHILE.
UH, I WAS ALSO, UH, A CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL IN FORT COLLINS, COLORADO BEFORE COMING TO WORK FOR ICC.
SO I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE CODE DEVELOPMENT FOR MANY OF YEARS.
AND WHAT I WANT TO DO NOW IS JUST APPLAUD THE CITY OF HOUSTON STAFF FOR FIRST OF ALL, NOT ONLY RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WERE HURDLES WITH THEIR CO-DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, BUT UM, HAVING THE WHEREWITHAL TO ACTUALLY TAKE ACTION AND MOVE FORWARD AND MAKE THIS PROCESS BETTER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THEM SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THIS, CONNECTING THEM WITH, WITH OTHER INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS.
AND THEY TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW WHAT WORKS AND DOESN'T WORK IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE LARGE OR SMALL.
THEY LISTENED TO WHAT WAS NEGATIVE FEEDBACK SO THAT THEY DIDN'T REPEAT MISTAKES.
SO IN SUCH A GREAT WAY, THEY PROVIDED A, A STREAMLINED PROCESS WHERE EVERYBODY THAT I SPOKE WITH FELT LIKE THEIR VOICE MATTERED.
AND, AND I THINK WE NEED TO APPLAUD STAFF FOR THAT.
UM, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM IS THE EASY THING.
FINDING THE SOLUTION IS OFTEN THE HARD THING.
SO, UM, MY HAT'S OFF TO, UH, CITY STAFF AND I'M GONNA LITERALLY JUST APPLAUD THEM IN THE ROOM.
I THINK THEY DO SUCH A GREAT JOB.
AND MR. CHAIR, THAT'S MY TESTIMONY.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. ANDERSON.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, UM, WE, WE REFRAIN FROM APPLAUDING IN, IN THIS CHAMBER WITH, UH, RESPECT TO THE PROCESS, BUT I, I LOVE THE WAY THAT YOU APPROACH THAT.
UH, I WILL COMMENT FROM MY CHAIR.
I SEE A LOT OF SMILING FACES ON THE STAFF OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S DEPARTMENTS.
UH, YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NOTEWORTHY AND, UH, COMMENDED AND, UH, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.
WE'RE NOT DONE YET, AS YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF DATES GOING FORWARD.
UH, THE BUILDING OFFICIAL, MR. KING, AS WELL AS, UH, MR. BUTLER FROM HIS, UH, LEADERSHIP WITH THE PERMIT CENTER HAVE TALKED ABOUT SOME DATES THAT, UH, WERE MENTIONED AS FIXED AND FAST.
AND OF COURSE, UH, WE HOPE THAT THOSE ARE TRUE AND SET IN STONE.
WE WANT EVERYBODY, UH, ESPECIALLY OUR EXCELLENT STAKE HOLDING GROUP TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE, THERE MAY BE SOMETHING THAT COMES UP AND, UH, YOU ALL HAVE DONE WELL TO BEAR WITH THE PROCESS, BUT AGAIN, NOTING THE LEADERSHIP AT THE PERMITTING CENTER AND THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENTS, THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT AND, UH, YOUR COMMENTS ARE REALLY WELL RECEIVED.
SO THANKS AGAIN AND, UH, APPRECIATE IT.
IF I COULD SAY ONE THING IN CLOSING.
UM, IT WAS TRULY AN HONOR TO BE CHOSEN TO SERVE AS A CO-CHAIR FOR THE TASK FORCE GROUP FOUR FOR THE PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL.
AND IT WAS, UM, I, I WAS JUST AMAZED BY HOW CITY STAFF AND YOUR SUBCONTRACTOR HANDLED THE MEETINGS.
UM, JUST AS SOMEBODY WHO WAS INGRAINED IN THE PROCESS, IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE WORK THEY DID.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. RICK LORD.
UH, BELIEVE I HAVE NOT SEEN RICK IN THE CHAMBER YET THIS MORNING.
UH, MR. LORD RON IN THIS CASE, YOU'RE HERE.
ACTUALLY, UH, IT'S KIND OF A HOME OLD HOME WEEK.
I SERVED AS A STAFF PERSON FOR THIS, UH, UH, COUNCIL, UH, COMMITTEE WHEN IT FIRST STARTED UNDER MAYOR BROWN'S, UM, REGIME.
SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY
[00:40:01]
TO, TO SPEAK TODAY.I'M WITH THE, I'M, I'M REPRESENTING THE SOUTHWEST PIPE TRADES ASSOCIATION.
THAT'S WHAT I VOLUNTEERED UNDER THE MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING, UH, TASK FORCE.
AND, UH, I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK, UH, THE MAYOR, THE COUNCIL'S LEADERSHIP, UH, ON THE MODERNIZATION AND STAFF'S HARD WORK AT, AT, UH, PUTTING THIS, UH, TOGETHER.
UM, I DO KNOW, YOU KNOW, I KNOW EVERYONE IS SAYING THIS PROCESS HAS, HAS BEEN, UH, GREAT AND IT HAS BEEN VERY INCLUSIVE, BUT THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO PARTICIPATE, UH, THAT WERE NOT ABLE TO.
AND SO WE'RE STILL WANTING TO, UH, HAVE INCLUSION.
UH, THAT'S A, A VERY IMPORTANT, UH, UH, TERM FOR THIS, UM, BECAUSE IT DOES MEAN, UM, UM, THE CODES INCLUDE ALL, UH, ASPECTS OF, UH, INDUSTRY AND FROM THE PIPE TRADES.
WE, UH, THE PIPE TRADES REPRESENTS PLUMBING AND HVAC INSTALLERS AND, UH, SERVICE PEOPLE.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF CUTTING EDGE, UH, INFORMATION IN THE PLUMBING CODE AND IN THE MECHANICAL CODE, UH, MATTER OF FACT, ONE OF THE AMENDMENTS WAS TO INCLUDE, UM, 24 REFRIGERANTS IN THE 21 CODE.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON WILL HAVE SOME OF THE MOST UP TO DATE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS TO THEIR CODES.
WHEN THIS CODE IS ADOPTED, IT WILL PUT THE, THE CITY AT THE CENTER OF THE, OF THE COUNTRY, UH, AND IN SOME ASPECTS THE WORLD.
REALLY DO APPRECIATE, UH, INCLUSION.
UM, I'M HOPING THAT, UM, WHEN, UM, WE DO SOME, WHEN THIS, UH, UPDATE COMES UP AROUND NEXT TIME, THEY ASK FOR SOME INPUT ON HOW TO MAKE THE PROCESS A LITTLE EASIER, A LITTLE SMOOTHER.
BUT, UH, THE, THE, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN PUT INTO THIS, UH, DOES PUT THE, THE CITY WELL AHEAD OF JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTICIPATE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. LORD.
AGAIN, YOUR, UH, REPRESENTATION AND YOUR LONG SERVICE IS DULY NOTED AND APPRECIATED HERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS TODAY, AND WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, HEARING FROM YOU ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO REFINE THE PROCESS.
SO THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR, THANK VERY MUCH, CHAIRMAN.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK ONLINE VIRTUALLY TO NICHOLAS RAD KEVI, IF I'VE GOT THAT CLOSE TO RIGHT.
UM, ARE YOU WITH US VIRTUALLY STAR SIX TO UNMUTE IF YOU COULD, UM, NICHOLAS, IF YOU'RE THERE, WE'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE.
WE THINK WE'VE GOT YOU ONLINE, WE SEE YOU THERE, AND IF NOT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT SPEAKER WHO'S HERE IN THE CHAMBERS.
AND WE MIGHT ASK MR. JOHNNY MATA TO PLEASE COME FORWARD.
UM, MR. MATA, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, ALSO FOR BEING A STAKEHOLDER AND, UH, WITH YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
I'M A LIFELONG HOUSTONIAN, TEXAS LICENSED JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER AND SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FIELD SERVICE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PLUMBING AND MECHANICAL OFFICIALS, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS I AMO.
WE THANK THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION OF DATE.
THE THOROUGH STAKEHOLDER PROCESS WITH INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND PROFESSIONALS DEMONSTRATED TRUE PARTNERSHIP AND FURTHER ILLUSTRATED YOUR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRY.
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING ON THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE OVER THE PAST FOUR MONTHS.
I'VE BEEN VOLUNTEERING MY TIME, NOT ONLY FOR THE CCMC, BUT THE TASK FORCE GROUP FOUR MEETINGS, WHICH FOCUS ON MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND PLUMBING CODES.
AND ALTHOUGH THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS COMING TO A CLOSE, I'M HONORED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THIS PROCESS AND STAND READY TO COLLABORATE AND SUPPORT THE CITY AS WE WORK TOWARDS A SAFER AND MORE RESILIENT HOUSTON.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK, UH, CITY STAFF AND EVERYBODY THAT'S INVOLVED.
I THINK IT'S A PROCESS THAT'S BEEN, UH, HAS BEEN SAID BEFORE.
IT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE DECEMBER.
AND, UH, ALSO WANT TO, UH, ALSO ADD THAT THE UNIFORM PLUMBING AND UNIFORM MECHANICAL CODES, THE CODES THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED IN HOUSTON SINCE 1985 ALSO HAVE A PROCESS THAT THEY GO THROUGH, WHICH IS A THREE YEAR CYCLE.
I KNOW IT WAS, UH, MENTIONED THAT ONE OF THE OTHER CODE BODIES HAVE A THREE YEAR, WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME CYCLE, THE SAME, UH, SAME ADDITION OF THE CODES.
AND FURTHERMORE, UH, ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN SPOKE ABOUT RAINWATER HARVESTING.
THAT IS IN OUR UNIFORM PLUMBING CODE AS AN APPENDIX.
WE DO HAVE A PROVISIONS FOR THAT ALSO, AS WELL AS GEOTHERMAL AND HYDROGEN PROVISIONS, WHICH WE ALL SEE WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY COMING IN IS
[00:45:01]
BIG IN OUR UNIFORM MECHANICAL CODE.SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO CLOSE AND THANK YOU'ALL FOR HAVING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, AND I'M GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF THERE ARE ANY.
THANK YOU MR. MATA FOR BEING HERE.
THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, BUT I WANT THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF IT.
I KNOW I'LL PUT A PLUG IN FOR RAINWATER HARVESTING.
I'VE GOT A 500 GALLON TANK IN MY YARD.
UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
OUR FINAL SPEAKER ON THIS ITEM IS MR. JOSH HOL.
JOSH, IF YOU'RE HERE WITH US, UH, WE BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE TO BE HERE IN CHAMBER.
WE'RE NOT SEEING YOU STAND UP OR IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
UH, BUT WE DO THINK THAT WE NOW HAVE CONTACT WITH, UH, NICHOLAS, ARE YOU THERE VIRTUALLY ONLINE? YOUR TURN IS NOW UP.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOUR TIME IS ON.
WELL, MY NAME IS NICHOLAS RAD.
YOU DID GET THE PRONUNCIATION CORRECT, WHICH I'M VERY IMPRESSED WITH.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY, UH, BOTH REPRESENTING MYSELF AND I'M A SOLAR ENGINEER FOR A COMPANY CALLED MODEL ENERGY.
UM, WE PROVIDE PLAN SETS AND SOLAR DESIGNS FOR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL SOLAR SYSTEMS, UM, AND HAVE, UH, A, UH, CIVIL ENGINEERING STAMP IN TEXAS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE MY THANKS FOR THIS UPDATE TO THE, UH, BUILDING CODES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR SOLAR, THE INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE, UM, UPDATING TO 2018, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT OFFSETS FROM THE EDGES, UM, OF ROOFS ARE DONE, WHICH PROVIDES SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SPACE FOR SOLAR.
UM, THERE ARE SOME NEW EXCEPTIONS THAT ALLOW FOR SHORTER SETBACKS AT, AT THE RIDGES, UM, WHICH WILL BE VERY USEFUL TO EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF HOUSES THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR SOLAR IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND I ALSO THINK THIS PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVING THE TRAINING OF THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER, UM, AS THE 2018 CODES ARE A BIT MORE COMPLEX.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, THE SKILL OF THAT DEPARTMENT WILL IMPROVE.
UM, AND THIS, THIS MOVE HAS BEEN SOMETHING I'VE LONG AWAITED AS A SOLAR ENGINEER BECAUSE WORKING WITH THE MANY JURISDICTIONS ACROSS TEXAS IS VERY FRUSTRATING FOR THE SOLAR INDUSTRY BECAUSE WE DON'T GENERALLY LIMIT OURSELVES TO WITHIN THE CONFINES OF ONE JURISDICTION.
AND THE BOUNDARY OF HOUSTON IS INCREDIBLY COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT TO PARSE WHICH JURISDICTIONS, WHICH PROPERTIES ARE IN.
AND SO STANDARDIZATION OF FIRE CODES, UM, IS A VENTURE PRIORITY FOR THIS INDUSTRY ACROSS THE NATION.
AND SO I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE HOUSTON, UH, MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS UPDATE.
AND I WANTED TO THANK EVERYONE, UM, WHO'S GOT PUT WORK INTO THIS UPDATE, UM, HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT WILL REALLY HELP US IN THE YEARS TO COME.
AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYONE, CITY COUNCIL FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. RAZIN.
UH, APPRECIATE THAT IN YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE SOLAR, UH, SPHERE AND, UM, BRINGING YOUR COMMENTS TO THE PUBLIC TODAY HERE AT CITY HALL.
UM, SO WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS AND QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
UH, DIRECTOR, I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I THINK MOST OF THOSE COMMENTS REFLECT THE GOOD WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP.
MR. KING, THANK YOU AND ALL YOUR STAFF.
AND WITH THAT, UH, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT REAL QUICK? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE, THE TEAM MEMBERS WHO PUT THE PRESENTATION TOGETHER PLEASE AND BEEN WORKING SO HARD.
UH, CARLOS HEATH, ALEX IVANNI, STEVE AND LEWIS, UH, IN THE BACK IF YOU WANNA WAVE OR STAND UP.
'CAUSE I GUARANTEE YOU BYRON AND I DID NOT PUT ALL THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER.
SO WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM AND I APPRECIATE THEIR, THEIR DI DUE DILIGENCE ON PROVIDING THE INFORMATION THAT THE CITIZENS SO DESERVE.
I I ALSO SEE A LICENSED ARCHITECT THERE, MY FRIEND STEVE SELZER.
SO WANT TO MENTION HIM AS WELL.
UM, DIRECTOR BUTLER, I BELIEVE YOU'RE STILL AT THE PODIUM FOR THE SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
THIS IS, UM, OR THE THIRD ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS HOUSTON PERMITS THE PERMITTING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM, FISCAL YEAR 24, PROJECT APPROPRIATIONS.
UH, JOINING YOU IS OUR FRIEND SUMMER XO, THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE, UH, WITH THE HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES OR HITS DEPARTMENT SUMMER AND, UH, DIRECTOR BUTLER.
ONE SECOND TO MOVE THIS CHAIR.
AND GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBER AND STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MORNING TODAY.
UH, WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT THE HUGH PERMITS PERMITTING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM FY 24 PROJECT APPROPRIATIONS.
I AM THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER OF, UH, ENTERPRISE APPLICATION AND
[00:50:01]
THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR THE HOUSTON IT TECHNOLOGY SERVICES.UH, WITH ME HERE IS, UH, MR. CHRIS BUTLER, WHO'S THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
ALRIGHT, WE WILL GET THE PRESENTATION STARTED.
UH, WE ARE HERE TODAY FOR THE APPROPRIATION OF THE HPW ENTERPRISE CONTRIBUTED FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT THE HUE PERMITS PROJECT.
THE VENDORS INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT IS, UH, INFOR AND SIERRA DIGITAL, AND THIS FUNDING IS THE, UH, THIS FUNDING PLAN FOR THE MULTI-YEAR PROJECT ENABLES HPW TO ALLOCATE FUNDING TO PROJECT, UH, MILESTONES AS NEEDED RATHER THAN, UH, REQUEST FOR THE FUNDING ALL UPFRONT.
UH, FY 24 FUNDING APPROPRIATIONS WILL ALLOW FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE HUE PERMITS PROJECT TO, UH, REPLACE THE CURRENT ILMS PERMITTING AND INSPECTION SYSTEM FOR THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER.
THE PREVIOUS APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY 22 AND FY 23 WAS $10 MILLION, AND THE CURRENT REQUEST FOR FY 24 IS 5.5 MILLION.
AND THE PRIMARY DEPARTMENT USERS ARE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AND RELATED, UH, DEPARTMENTS.
UH, FOR THE VENDOR OVERVIEW FOR THIS PROJECT, WE HAVE THE PRODUCT VENDOR IS INFOR AND INFOR HAS AN EXISTING CITY OF HOUSTON SOFTWARE LICENSE AND SUPPORT AGREEMENT.
AND THE CONTRACT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL ON JUNE 13TH, 2017 FOR THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES VENDOR.
UH, SIERRA DIGITAL HAS AN EXISTING, UH, CITY OF HOUSTON MANAGED SERVICES CONTRACT WITH A COUNCIL APPROVAL DATE OF MARCH 21ST, 2019.
SO THE INFOR SOFTWARE IS USED BY A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES AS WELL AS FEDERAL, STATE, GOVERNMENT, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO STREAMLINE BUSINESS AND PUBLIC SERVICES.
THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION SOFTWARE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING MODULES, LICENSING, PERMITTING, BILLING, PUBLIC PORTAL, AND MOBILE INSPECTIONS.
SO INFOR IS THE CITY'S PERMITTING AND INSPECTIONS PLATFORM.
SIERRA DIGITAL, WHO'S A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES VENDOR, IS A HOUSTON LOCAL IT CONSULTING FIRM THAT IS PRIMARILY OWNED BY MINORITY BUSINESS, UH, WHO HAS AN EXISTING CONTRACT TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S INFOR AND OTHER VARIOUS APPLICATIONS.
NOW I WILL TURN OVER TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR BUTLER TO TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THE BENEFITS.
THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S LEGACY INTEGRATED LAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH IS PREFER KNOWN AS ILMS, HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY APPLICATION USED TO FACILITATE THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
ILMS FACILITATES PERMIT, APPLICATION INTAKE, APPLICATION PROCESSING, PERMIT ISSUANCE, LICENSING, INSPECTIONS, COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT.
THIS APPLICATION IS ANTIQUATED AND WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW COMMERCIAL OFF THE SHELF CONFIGURABLE APPLICATION.
THE RESULT WILL BE AUTOMATION AND PROCESS STANDARDIZATION THROUGH A SINGLE SCALABLE APPLICATION DEVELOPED USING THE INFOR PUBLIC SECTOR OR IPS PLATFORM.
PLEASE NOTE, WE ARE NOT REINVENTING THE PERMITTING CENTER WITH THIS NEW SOFTWARE.
HOWEVER, WE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS CHANGE TO STREAMLINE PROCESSES AND MAKE THEM MORE CONSISTENT ACROSS DISCIPLINES.
THIS NEW STANDARDIZED PLATFORM ENHANCES OUR ABILITY TO GROW AND CHANGE IN THE FUTURE.
OUR PROJECT OBJECTIVES, DURABILITY, CONVENIENCE, PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP, COMFORT AND TIME SAVING FOR DURABILITY.
WE INTEND TO MODERNIZE AND TRANSFORM THE CITY'S PERMITTING AND INSPECTION PROCESS THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF A WORKFLOW DRIVEN APPLICATION THAT ENABLES FURTHER EXPANSION AND SCALABILITY.
WE ALSO NEED TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL REPORTS AND THE ABILITY TO GENERATE ADDITIONAL REPORTS IN HOUSE.
AS FAR AS TIME SAVING, WE WANT TO ELIMINATE MANUAL PROCESSES WHERE POSSIBLE.
RIGHT NOW, CONTRACTOR REGISTRATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO PULL TRADE PERMITS.
ELECTRICAL, FOR EXAMPLE, REQUIRE SEVERAL MANUAL STEPS BY A BACKEND USER THAT WILL BE ELIMINATED BY A SYSTEM PROMPT PROCESS TO VALIDATE THE LICENSE VIA NEW INTERFACE WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATION.
WE ALSO INTEND TO STANDARDIZE AND OPTIMIZE BUSINESS PROCESSES ACROSS THE AREAS OF THE PERMITTING BUSINESS TO PROVIDE INTERNAL EFFICIENCY AND CONSISTENCY TO THE CUSTOMER
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CONVENIENCE, REVISIT THE PLAN REVIEW ASSIGNMENT PROCESS TO IMPROVE ACCURACY, EFFICIENCY, AND REDUCE LAST MINUTE REVIEWS NEEDED.WE ALSO ENABLE TO, WE INTEND TO ENABLE A COMPLETELY ONLINE PERMITTING AND REGISTRATION PROCESS.
CURRENTLY CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION PROCESS AND THE 10 PROCESS THAT INVOLVE ANNUAL BILLING THAT WILL BE AUTOMATED THROUGH WORKFLOW AND ONLINE PORTAL.
PLEASE NOTE THE SCOPE TO CHANGE THE SCOPE CHANGE TO FOCUS ON REPLACING IMS. SO THERE WILL BE SOME MANUAL PROCESSES WE AREN'T BRINGING IN.
ONE EXCEPTION IS THE STORM WATER QUALITY PERMIT THAT IS MANUAL AND NOT IN ILMS TODAY.
WE ALSO IMPROVE, WE INTEND TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE BY PROVIDING EASE OF USE AND TRANSPARENCY OF PROJECT STATUS AND NEXT STEPS.
THE CUSTOMER STATUS DASHBOARD IS THE SAME FOR EVERY PROCESS AND PROVIDES AWARENESS OF WHO HAS THE BALL IN THE NEXT STEPS AND ET CETERA.
WE ALSO INTEND TO STANDARDIZE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS, WHICH WILL BE SENT AT TIME OF APPLICATION SUBMITTAL AND WHEN FEES ARE DUE AND OTHERS CONFIGURED AS NEEDED.
AUTOMATED EMAILS ARE NOT POSSIBLE IN OUR CURRENT ILMS SYSTEM TODAY.
COMFORT TO IMPROVE THE RELIABILITY OF SYSTEM INTERFACES AND ADD ADDITIONAL SYSTEM INTERFACES WHERE DATA FROM EXTERNAL SYSTEMS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESS.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF APPROVED RELIABILITY, THE INSPECTORS, WHICH WE HAVE OVER 300 IN THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER, USE A CURRENT PLATFORM OF TELEWORK, WHICH IS AN INTERFACE INSPECTION APPLICATION.
THE NEW MOBILE FIELD INSPECTOR IS IPS AND HAS THE SAME BACKEND.
NO LONGER HAVE NEED TO MANUALLY UPDATE ILMS WHEN THE INTERFACE HAS ISSUES AND PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP, IDENTIFY AND APPROVE METRICS AND THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT ENHANCE THE CUSTOMER'S EXPERIENCE AND THE BOOST OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.
ALL RIGHT, SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE CURRENT PLANNED, UH, PROJECT TIMELINE.
WE HAVE FINISHED DESIGN AND INITIAL CONFIGURATION WITH CONFERENCE ROOM PILOTS WHERE THE HPC END USERS HAVE A CHANCE TO PREVIEW THE SYSTEM AND GIVE THEIR FEEDBACK.
UM, NOW WE'RE, UM, STARTING INTO THE CONSTRUCTION AND USER TESTING PHASE.
UM, AND OUR CURRENT PLAN GO LIVE.
IT IS SPRING OF 2025 FOR THIS PROJECT.
HERE IS THE CURRENT APPROPRIATION SUMMARY IN FY 22.
THE, UH, AMOUNT OF 4.5 MILLION WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL ON JUNE 22ND, 2022 FOR FY 23.
THE AMOUNT OF 5.4 MILLION WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL ON AUGUST 30TH, 2022.
AND THIS CURRENT APPROPRIATION IS FOR FISCAL YEAR 24, AND THE APPROPRIATION AMOUNT REQUESTED IS 5.5 MILLION.
THIS IS THE CURRENT REQUEST, AND IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL COME BACK TO ASK FOR THE APPROPRIATION OF THE FY 25 FUNDING, WHICH IS AROUND $2 MILLION.
WE HAVE A VIDEO PRESENTATION ON THIS PROJECT.
LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT TO ROLL.
HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S NEW PERMITTING SYSTEM Q PERMITS? DO YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT THE AMAZING BENEFITS THE NEW SYSTEM WILL BRING? COME WITH ME.
LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE NEW HUE PERMIT SYSTEM.
Q PERMITS IS A NEW AUTOMATED SYSTEM AIMED AT TRANSFORMING THE CURRENT PERMITTING AND INSPECTION PROCESS.
THE NEW HUE PERMIT SYSTEM WILL STANDARDIZE THE WAY CUSTOMERS APPLY FOR PERMITS AND HOW THOSE PERMIT REQUESTS ARE PROCESSED.
THE SYSTEM WILL HAVE THREE COMPONENTS, ONE HUE PERMITS.
THIS IS SET TO REPLACE, I PERMITS.
IT IS THE CUSTOMER FACING PART OF THE SYSTEM WHERE CUSTOMERS WILL APPLY FOR PERMITS AND GET UPDATES ON THE STATUS OF THEIR PERMIT APPLICATION.
TWO, TWO PERMITS BACK OFFICE SET TO REPLACE THE INTEGRATED LAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OR ILMS. THIS IS WHERE OUR INTERNAL STAFF WILL WORK.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO RUN REPORTS AND COLLABORATE IN REAL TIME WITH OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS.
MANUAL TASKS WILL NOW BE AUTOMATED WITH THE HELP OF DASHBOARDS AND TOOLS THAT STAFF MAY USE TO ASSIGN TASKS AND VISUALIZE THE STATUS OF PROJECTS.
IT IS A MOBILE APPLICATION FOR INSPECTORS ACCESSIBLE VIA A TABLET OR COMPUTER.
INSPECTORS WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE PHOTOS AND EASILY COMPLETE INSPECTIONS
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THROUGH THIS APP.THEY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO SEE THEIR ASSIGNMENTS, REASSIGN INSPECTIONS, AND TRACK THEIR WORK.
Q PERMITS WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH IMPROVED CAPABILITIES AND A CONVENIENT AND MODERNIZE SYSTEM TO FULFILL PERMITTING AND INSPECTION REQUESTS.
LET'S EXPLORE SOME ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.
WITH A NEW HUE PERMIT SYSTEM, A CUSTOMER WILL ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS AS THEY APPLY FOR PERMITS.
CUSTOMERS WILL HAVE ONLINE ACCESS TO THEIR ACCOUNTS TO VIEW DETAILS ABOUT WHAT MAY BE HOLDING UP THE PROCESS.
THE NEW HUE PERMIT SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEND AUTOMATED NOTIFICATIONS SO THAT CUSTOMERS ARE AWARE OF NEXT STEPS OR ACTIONS THEY NEED TO TAKE DURING THE INSPECTION PROCESS.
CUSTOMERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES THAT PROVIDE REAL-TIME UPDATES SENT BY THE INSPECTOR.
THREE INTEGRATIONS, NEW PERMITS WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH ADDITIONAL SYSTEMS THAT WILL MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR CUSTOMERS AND STREAMLINE THE PERMITTING AND INSPECTION PROCESSES.
FOR EXAMPLE, INTEGRATION WITH THE COURT SYSTEM KNOWN AS CS SMART.
THIS WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO OUR INTERNAL TEAM TO ALLEVIATE THE NEED TO CHECK TWO SEPARATE SYSTEMS FOR STATUS AND PLANNED DATES.
INTEGRATION WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATION AND THE TEXAS STATE BOARD OF PLUMBING EXAMINERS.
THIS WILL AUTOMATE THE CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION PROCESS.
NO LONGER WILL CONTRACTORS HAVE TO COME IN AND REGISTER MANUALLY EACH YEAR AND MUCH MORE.
AND LET'S NOT FORGET, WITH THE NEW SYSTEM, CUSTOMERS WILL NOW HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACCESS THEIR PERMITS ONLINE.
THE QR CODE ON THE PERMIT WILL ALLOW ANYONE WITH ACCESS TO THE PERMIT TO SEE THE PERMIT DETAILS EVEN AFTER THE PERMIT IS ISSUED.
THE HUE PERMITS PROJECT IS UNDERWAY, DESIGNED AND NOW BEING BUILT.
PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR PROGRESS UPDATES OR TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF THE NEW SYSTEM, VISIT THE HUE PERMITS HOMEPAGE AT WWW.HOUSTONPERMITTINGCENTER.ORG/HUE PERMITS.
ALL RIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND IT'S TIME FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MS. MS. Z AND MR. BUTLER FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
PROUD TO HAVE THAT FOR THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE HERE TODAY.
AND WE DO HAVE ONE SPEAKER OF THE PUBLIC BEFORE WE DO.
I DON'T SEE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE UNLESS I'M SEEING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KAM.
AND FIRST LET ME START BY RECOGNIZING YOUR ARRIVAL.
AND ALSO I SHOULD MENTION THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ FROM THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION IS ALSO WITH US ONLINE VIRTUALLY, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL'S TEAM, UH, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A, UH, LENGTHY PROCESS.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL MORE WORK TO DO, BUT I, I DO WANNA GIVE CREDIT TO ALL THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD ON.
UM, SO I, I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER.
DO WE KNOW WHEN THE, UM, REQUEST FOR FUNDING IS GONNA BE COMING TO COUNCIL OF THE, ON THE SLIDE THAT HAD THE DATES MISSED AND THE TIMELINE? I APOLOGIZE, MICHELLE.
UM, I THINK IT'S, UH, VERY SOON AFTER TTI.
AND AGAIN, UM, PLEASE CONVEY OUR APPRECIATION TO EVERYONE THAT WORKED ON THIS AS WELL AS THOSE IN THE PERMITTING CENTER.
THANK, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND I BELIEVE WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS AND STAFF FOR THE DAY.
SO WE DO HAVE ONE MEMBER FROM THE PUBLIC IF YOU ALL MIGHT YIELD THE PODIUM.
UH, AND I WILL CALL ON, UH, DEVIN ROBINSON FRIEND.
UM, MR. ROBINSON, IF YOU WOULD APPROACH THE PODIUM, THE FLOOR WILL BE YOURS.
CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? YES, SIR.
UH, SO MY NAME IS DEVIN ROBINSON.
FIRST OF ALL, LET ME SAY NO RELATION TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON.
BUT WE DO KNOW ONE ANOTHER WELL IN THE, UH, LONG TIME PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY AND, UH, AS WELL, I WANNA ALSO SAY THANK YOU TO, UH, CITY STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE TO HEAR ME.
UM, THANK YOU TO ANY FORMER OR CURRENT SERVICE MEMBERS, UH, IN THE ROOM THAT MAY BE HERE.
UM, MY FAMILY AND I APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE.
UM, THAT SAID, I AM FROM A MILITARY SERVICE FAMILY, AND WE HAVE A CORE VALUE IN MY FAMILY, WHICH IS LIVE TOGETHER, DIE TOGETHER.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS I'M HERE TO OBVIOUSLY SPEAK ON THE BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS FOR, UH, THE TTII MAY BE A LITTLE LATE TO THE PARTY.
GRANTED THAT, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S OFFICE, I BELIEVE THE $15 MILLION APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE STAFF AUGMENTATION PROJECT IS ALREADY THROUGH THE PIPELINE.
UM, THAT SAID, WE ALL HAVE OTHER BUDGETARY ITEMS, AND THIS IS A BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
[01:05:01]
FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY.THAT SAID, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT ABOVE THE DOOR THRESHOLD, THE CITY R THE PEOPLE ACRONYM AND PHRASE, UM, TO SPEAK ON THAT.
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, UM, THE FINANCES OF THE CITY THAT ARE APPLIED TO, UM, THESE BUDGETARY ITEMS, WHETHER THEY BE TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER THEY BE THE CONSTRUCTION CODE MODERNIZATION PROJECT AND DATA COLLECTION, AND THE CONTRACTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE THIRD PARTIES SUCH AS JENSEN HUGHES, UM, ARE ALL PRIOR TO OR PRIORITY ITEMS. UM, WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST OR MAKE REFERENCE TO IS IN MY EXPERIENCE IN THE PAST THREE MAYORAL ADMINISTRATIONS OF, UH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, MAYOR TURNER, FORMER MAYOR PARKER, UH, AND THEN, UH, MAYOR BROWN IS I'VE BEEN IN THE, UM, PERMITTING AND, AND PLAN REVIEW, UH, GAME FOR A LONG TIME.
AND WHAT I UNDERSTAND RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE ARE DEFICIENT BY APPROXIMATELY 60 TO 90 EMPLOYEES, UM, THROUGH PLAN REVIEW.
AND, AND THAT HAS BEEN OBVIOUSLY OFFLOADED.
UM, WHAT I WOULD OFFER HERE TODAY, OR WHAT I'M HERE TO OFFER TODAY, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME THANK, UH, UM, CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL BYRON KING.
HE'S MADE A LOT OF STRIDES IN, UH, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ASPECT.
UM, I REPRESENT A DESIGN BUILD FIRM, SO WE OSCILLATE BETWEEN PLAN REVIEW AND FIELD INSPECTIONS.
AND THE FIELD INSPECTORS, UH, ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY COURTEOUS THESE DAYS, BYRON, SO THANK YOU.
IT, IT'S BEEN, UH, A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH SOME OF THEM.
WE STILL HAVE A FEW HICCUPS ON SOME PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
UM, AND WHAT, AT THE, AT THE PLAN REVIEW STAGES OF HAVING EMPLOYEES WITH, YOU KNOW, SUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE TO, UH, FACILITATE FASTER PLAN REVIEWS IS WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER THE MONEY BE FOCUSED.
YOU KNOW, IF THERE WERE CERTAIN BUDGETARY ITEMS THAT COULD BE DIDACTED FROM AND MORE MONEY APPLIED TO THAT, UM, I THINK HIRING BONUS INCENTIVES WOULD HELP.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, INCREASED PAY RATE WOULD HELP, AND I THINK THAT WOULD HELP CREATE A MORE FLUID PROCESS IN THE PLAN REVIEW, WHICH REGARDING THE CONSTITUENTS THAT I HAVE, MY CLIENTS, UM, GET ENTIRELY FRUSTRATED WITH.
AS WE ALL KNOW, TIME IS MONEY, AND IF THEY CAN'T OPEN, THEY CAN'T MAKE MONEY.
AND, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR LONG SERVICE WITH, UH, WORKING WITH THE CITY.
UM, MR. ROBINSON, I KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE WITH APPROPRIATIONS.
JUST TO CLARIFY ONE POINT IN THE PRESENTATION, THE PERMITS, HUGH PERMITS FISCAL YEAR 24 APPROPRIATIONS IS TARGETED FOR COUNCIL ACTION ON JULY THE 26TH.
SO THAT'S UPCOMING LATER THIS MONTH.
UM, SO, UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AT ANY TIME.
I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, MYSELF, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I THINK IN PARTICULAR, AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN CERTAINLY HAVE ALL WORKED ON A NUMBER OF ITEMS RELATED TO PERMITTING TO TRY TO FACILITATE THE PROCESS.
IT'S NEVER A COMPLETE PROJECT.
UH, THERE'S ALWAYS REFINEMENT, UH, WITH OUR INSPECTORS WITH THE FIELD.
SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING COMMITMENT AND YOUR COMMENTS HERE WITH US TODAY.
UH, WITH THAT, WE HAVE NO FURTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS TODAY.
SO WE HAVE TWO ITEMS LEFT ON THE AGENDA, AND WE WILL TURN TO THOSE NOW.
IT'S THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TRAFFIC NETWORK UPGRADE.
AND FOR THAT, WE WILL HEAR FROM TWO INDIVIDUALS, UM, WELL, I GUESS DIRECTOR KENT FROM THE HITS DEPARTMENT.
OUR CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER IS GONNA STAND BEHIND THE SCENES AND TURN THE PODIUM OVER TO OUR VERY CAPABLE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN PUBLIC WORKS, THE TRAFFIC AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS.
UM, FABIO, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW IT IS, UM, AN EXCITING DAY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT, NOT LEAST OF WHICH IS DUE TO THE PRESENTATION YOU'RE ABOUT TO GIVE, BUT ALSO TO CELEBRATE, UM, YOUR DIRECTOR, VERONICA DAVIS AND THE PUBLICATION THAT SHE LAUNCHED.
UH, TODAY IT IS, AND, UH, AND THE TITLE OF THE BOOK IS INCLUSIVE TRANSPORTATION, A MANIFESTO FOR REPORTING DIVIDED COMMUNITIES, SOMETHING WE ARE ALL WORKING AND CARING A LOT ABOUT.
SO SHOUT OUT TO DIRECTOR DAVIS.
AND, UM, RELATED TO SOME OF WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO TODAY, UH, MR. KAPI, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
GOOD MORNING MEMBER, THE COUNCIL, STAFF, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
I'M AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR USTA PUBLIC WORKS AND A PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION DRAINAGE OPERATIONS, UH, SERVICE LINE.
I AM PRIVILEGED TO BE HERE TODAY IN FRONT OF YOU TO, UH, PRESENT WHAT IS EASILY, UH, IDENTIFIED AS A DIRECT FAVORABLE OUTCOME OF A CONTINUED COORDINATION, UH, BETWEEN, UH, TWO GREAT, UH, CITY DEPARTMENTS, UH, THE HOUSTON INFORMATION
[01:10:01]
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, AND THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AND THEIR STAFF.AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE TWO DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR NUMEROUS YEARS ON, UH, UH, IDENTIFYING, UH, THE SOLUTION TO, UH, TO, UH, RESPOND TO TECHNOLOGICAL NEEDS.
UM, THEY WILL HELP THE DEPARTMENT, EASTERN PUBLIC WORKS TO EFFICIENTLY, UH, MAINTAIN THE INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY TODAY.
UH, WE'RE GONNA PRESENT ON, UH, AN ITEM THAT, UH, WILL ADDRESS A VERY PARTICULAR NEED THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR SOME TIME NOW AND HAD, UH, MANY OF THE TALENTED STAFF, UM, LOOKING AT A, A SOLUTION TO UPGRADE, UM, UH, A VERY MUCH NEEDED, UH, PART OF OUR, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
HERE TO YOU IS THE SUMMARY OF THE REQUEST.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO, UH, REQUEST FOR A ACCOUNT SELECTION TO APPROVE THE MOTION FOR SPENDING AUTHORITY.
UH, THE INFORMATION, THE VENDOR IS A NETS SEEING NETWORK SOLUTION, AND THE PURPOSE IS TO PURCHASE REGULARIZED NETWORK ROUTERS AND RELATED SOFTWARE SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO PROVIDE STATE-OF-THE-ART TRAFFIC CONTROL CAPABILITIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THE EQUIPMENT WILL REPLACE END OF LIFE COMPONENTS AND ENHANCED CYBERSECURITY PROTECTION, UH, TO THE CITY INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
THE TOTAL SPENDING AUTHORITY REQUESTED, UH, IS JUST A LITTLE SHY OF $5.4 MILLION, AND, UH, EXACT AMOUNT IS, IS SHOWN ON THE SLIDE.
UH, THE TRAFFIC NETWORK, UM, IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT WE DO HERE IN THE TRANSPORTATION GENERAL OPERATION, AND IT IS THE FOUNDATION, UH, FOR OUR STAFF TO BE CAPABLE TO MANAGE, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN, UH, THE, THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, THE TRAFFIC CONTROLS, THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL, KEEP THEM IN COORDINATION, AND ALSO TO OPERATE AND MANAGE REMOTELY, UH, THE NUMEROUS DEVICES THAT ARE PART OF THE CITY, UH, INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
UH, THE, THE DEPARTMENT USED OF PUBLIC WORKS HAS INVESTED, UH, A LOT OF MONEY TO UPGRADE AND, UH, AND BRING THE CITY OF HOUSTON ON THE FOREFRONT WHEN IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY AND PROVIDE SERVICES TO THE, THE MOBILITY AND, AND PROVIDE SAFE ROADWAY SYSTEM TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND, UH, THIS, THIS, UH, THIS IS A MUCH NEEDED, UM, UM, UH, PART OF THE PUZZLE.
WITHOUT COMMUNICATION, OUR STAFF WILL BE UNABLE, UH, TO PROVIDE THOSE MUCH NEEDED SERVICES.
UH, THOSE SERVICES ARE REMINDER ARE, UM, VERY TIGHT TO THE VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN, ESPECIALLY, PARTICULARLY THE SAFE SYSTEMS, UH, PORTION GOAL THAT, THAT, THAT IS INCLUDING THE DOCUMENT.
AND, UH, IT JUST A LOT OF STRATEGIES THAT ARE PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT OPERATION.
ALSO KNOWN ASTI SMO, UH, WHICH ARE, ARE, ARE ACTIVE ARTERIAL MANAGEMENT, INCIDENT RESPONSE AND, UM, INTEGRATED CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT THAT WE DO IN COORDINATION WITH TECHSTAR AIRS COUNTY.
HERE FOR YOU IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE, UH, HIGH, UH, UM, CON THE HIGH VIS, UH, UM, HIGH LEVEL VISUAL OF THE CURRENT CONDITION AND THE CHALLENGES THAT THE STAFF, UH, HAS BEEN WORKING ON ADDRESSING.
UH, AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATION COMMISSION, ALSO KNOWN AS FCC, HAS CHANGED THE FREQUENCY REQUIREMENTS SOME TIME AGO.
AND, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS LEGACY YMAX, UH, UH, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND EQUIPMENT, UH, IS NO LONGER IN COMPLIANCE.
UH, THE CURRENT EQUIPMENT REACH ALSO IN THE LIFE AND HAS DEMONSTRATED CAP, UH, COMPATIBILITY ISSUES WITH THE WIRELESS, UH, CARRIER WHO PROVIDE THE WIRELESS CELLULAR SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNICATION NETWORK.
THE CURRENT EQUIPMENT DOES NOT WORK WELL IN THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT, UH, BECAUSE THOSE DEVICES ARE IN, UH, OUTSIDE, UH, IN ENCLOSURES IN TRAFFIC CABINETS.
SO THEY ARE SUBJECT TO, UH, EXTREME WEATHER CONDITION, VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES, AND ALSO VERY COLD TEMPERATURES, DUST AND, AND, UH, AND ALSO, UH, UH, OTHER THINGS, UH, CAUSING STABILITY ISSUE.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST THING, UH, IT IS NOW 5G READY, AS YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES.
AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, WE ARE COMMITTED ON MAKE SURE THAT OUR, THAT HOUSTON, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IS READY, UH, TO, TO ADOPT THAT.
JUST LIKE YOU CANNOT USE A 10-YEAR-OLD CELL PHONE WITH MODERN APPS, WE ALSO HAVE TO MODERNIZE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE READY, UH, TO ALL THE, UH, THE, THE, THE NEW, UH, STRATEGIES THAT TECHNOLOGY IS BRINGING TO US.
SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF THE NEW PLATFORM THAT WE ARE, UH, REQUESTING TO, TO, TO INTEGRATE.
NOW, THIS IS IZED TO WITHSTAND THE, THE EXTREME OUTDOOR CLIMATE CONDITION.
UH, THE RANGE IS NEGATIVE 40 CELSIUS TO 160, UH, CELSIUS, VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES, UH, WHICH ARE WAY, UH,
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UH, ABOVE WHAT WE HAVE, UH, RECORDED IN THE FIELD.UH, THE GREAT FLEXIBILITY, MODULARITY AND EXPANSION CAPABILITIES.
UH, THIS PLATFORM IS GONNA GIVE US THE ABILITY TO ADD ON FEATURES AS WE SEE ON THE HORIZON COMING THROUGH.
UH, AND ONE OF THE, THE, THE, THE MOST NOTABLE FEATURE IS THE FACT THAT IT'S A 5G READY, UM, IS A WEB THAT IS A WEB-BASED MANAGEMENT, UH, TOOL FOR THE STAFF, UH, THAT ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THIS TOOL AND ENABLE THE TEAM TO, UH, RE REMOTELY OPERATE, MONITOR THE SYSTEM, AND, UH, AND, AND APPLY A MUCH RAPID DEPLOYMENT.
SOME OTHER BENEFITS, UH, VERY IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS, UH, KEEP OUR INFRASTRUCTURE SAFE FROM CYBER ATTACKS.
UH, ENHANCE CYBERSECURITY MONITORING IS ONE OF THE FEATURE OF THE SOLUTION.
THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL HARDWARE REQUIRED, AND IT PROVIDES VERY DETAILED INVENTORY ACCESS AND VULNERABILITY DATA, UH, WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH OUR OPERATION, WITH TRANSPORTATION OPERATION.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S MODULAR, BECAUSE IT'S FLEXIBLE, BECAUSE IT, IT GIVE US THE ABILITY TO BUILD ON, UM, IT CAN EASILY ENABLES US TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES AS CONNECTED AND AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE, UH, WHENEVER WE SEE A RADIANT SAFE TO APPLY.
SO, AND, UH, ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT KEY PART OF THIS PLATFORM IS THE FACT THAT IT HAS THE ABILITY TO DO EDGE COMPUTING.
UM, EDGE COMPUTING IS A TERM USED IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, UM, UH, INDUSTRY TO DESCRIBE THE ABILITY OF A DEVICE TO DIGEST DATA ON THE SPOT WITHOUT SENDING INFORMATION TO A DATA CENTER AND THEN DELAY, UH, TO COME BACK TO THE FIELD.
THIS, UH, UH, SAVING IS IN TIME AND THIS ABILITY TO COMPUTE DATA MUCH FASTER.
UH, IT RETURNS INTO A, UH, A SAFETY IS RECOGNIZED.
THEY COULD PROVIDE SAFETY TO OUR, UM, UH, ROAD USERS, BOTH THE VEHICLE, THE PEDESTRIAN, ANY SECOND AND SPLIT SECOND, UH, CAN, CAN PROVIDE US WITH THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE A SAFE SYSTEM.
HERE SUMMARIZES THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UH, WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL OF THE, UH, PARTNERSHIP AND COORDINATION COMMITMENT FROM OUR HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO HELP US, UH, WITH THE PLANNING AND DEPLOYMENT OF THOSE UNITS.
AND, UH, ROUGHLY WE ARE LOOKING AT FOUR TO SIX WEEKS FOR THE PLANNING PROCESS.
AND, UH, THANKS AGAIN TO, UH, INTERDEPARTMENTAL, UH, EFFORTS.
UH, WE ARE PLANNING ON INSTALLING ABOUT 200 UNITS A WEEK, WHICH WILL, UH, WEATHER PERMITTING AND OTHER EMERGENCY PERMITTING, UH, WILL ALLOW US TO, TO HAVE ALL THESE UNITS DEPLOYED BETWEEN 10 TO 12 WEEKS.
CLOSING IS THE SUM IS FINANCIAL SUMMARY FOR THIS REQUEST.
UH, THE FUND IDENTIFIED FOR THIS ONETIME PURCHASE IS THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUND, WHICH IS A VALORIAN TAXES FUND, 2311.
UH, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IS $5,391,000, 15, 15 AND 80 CENTS.
UH, WHAT IS VERY NOTABLE WHY SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO THAT? UH, THANKS TO THE LEADERSHIP OF OUR DIRECTORS, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, ADD, UH, TO REALIZE AN INCREDIBLE SAVINGS, UH, AND WE HAVE TO JUMP ON THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE 72%, AND WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THAT.
COULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, PLEASE? 72% SAVINGS.
AND, AND WE WORKING ON VERY TIGHT SCHEDULE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, AND WE THANK YOU FOR THAT NEXT SLIDE.
THIS CONCLUDES THIS, THE, THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, UH, THE PRIVILEGE TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CILLO, UM, FOR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
WE HAVE ONE, UH, SPEAKER IN QUEUE, AND IT IS THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX.
UM, WHEN TRAFFIC SIGNALS ARE EITHER OUT OR BLINKING RED, IS THE CITY NOTIFIED ABOUT THAT OR DOES THE CITY DEPEND ON MOTORIST CONTACTING 3 1 1? AS PART OF OUR STRATEGIES TO, TO INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY, WE HAVE INVESTED INTO ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO REMOTE, UH, UH, TO REMOTELY RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF, UH, THE STATUS OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW.
SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO HAVE A VERY ROBUST AND RELIABLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
SO THESE DEVICES, THEY ARE IN THE FIELD DEPLOYED, AND WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLY LARGE NUMBER OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS AS A ONE SINGLE, YOU KNOW, LOCAL AGENCY.
UM, UH, THIS BRINGS SOME CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO DEPLOYMENT OF TECHNOLOGY.
'CAUSE A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY WORKS VERY WELL AT SMALL SCALE.
THEN WHEN YOU ARE BRINGING DEPLOYMENT ON LARGE SCALE, UM, WE ARE RECEIVING SOME OF THE CERTIFICATION.
WE ACTUALLY, OUR GOAL IS TO, UH, HAVE A VERY FULL AND ROBUST KNOWLEDGE OF THE SET, OUR SIGNALS.
[01:20:01]
AND NOW AS YOU KNOW, SOME MALFUNCTION ARE CAUSED BY, UM, THE, THE AVAILABILITY OF POWER.BUT WE, WE CAN ALSO NOTIFY THAT AND WE CAN COORDINATE WITH CENTERPOINT AS NEEDED.
SO WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON HAVING THAT TYPE OF ABILITIES.
SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, AS OF TODAY, IF LIGHTS ARE EITHER FLASHING RED OR OUT, IS THE CITY NOTIFIED OR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TELLING ME YET.
I'M INCONSISTENT BECAUSE THE CURRENT COMMUNICATION NETWORK IS, IS, IS BASED ON END OF LIFE, UH, DEVICES, WHICH IS NOT ROBUST.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SUCH A HIGH PRIORITY TO DO THAT.
WE HAVE CAPABILITIES CURRENTLY, BUT IT IS NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT RELIABLE.
SO WE STILL RELY ON INTEGRATE OUR RESPONSE WITH THE, THE INFORMATION THAT WE RECEIVED THROUGH THE 3 0 1 SYSTEM.
MR. MOSS, I THINK YOU'RE ASKING A YES OR NO QUESTION, AND I THINK THAT ANSWER WOULD HAVE TO BE NO FROM WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT IT'S PARTIALLY FUNCTIONAL.
I KNOW THAT TOUCHES ON, UH, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT IS KEEN AND DEAR TO MY HEART, WHICH IS MAKING OUR LIGHTS BETTER SYNCHRONIZED IN THIS CITY.
I KNOW THERE'S A NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THAT, INCLUDING METRO AND SOME OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS WITH TDOT AND OTHER AUTHORITIES AROUND THE REGION.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT HAVING MET, UH, JUST BEFORE THE 1ST OF JULY WITH MAYOR TURNER TO DISCUSS OBJECTIVES OF THIS COMMITTEE FOR THE SIX MONTHS AHEAD, UH, THAT WILL CONCLUDE HIS TIME IN OFFICE AS WELL AS MINE.
UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PRIORITIES INCLUDING TA, TRAFFIC SYNCHRONIZATION, SO MR. KALO, UM, I THINK WITH VERONICA DAVIS, WITH YOUR DIRECTOR, CAROL HADDOCK, WE WILL BE, UH, BRINGING THAT FORWARD TO THIS COMMITTEE.
SO FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THAT TOPIC, PLEASE BEAR WITH US AND WE WILL, UH, ADDRESS IT HERE IN THE COMING MONTHS.
AGAIN, WE HAVE NO COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF IN QUEUE.
I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, AND WE'LL MOVE TO OUR FINAL ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS THE SAP CONTRACT AMENDMENT.
UM, AND WITH US TODAY, SUMMER XO WILL COME BACK TO THE PODIUM AS THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR HITS.
AND SHE WILL BE JOINED BY CALPANA PI LA, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING WITH HITS.
UH, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CITY, COLLEAGUES AND EVERYONE JOINING US ON THE CALL TODAY.
I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING APPLICATIONS WITH THE HOUSTON IT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
WITH ME HERE I HAVE SUMMER J, WHO'S THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHAO.
I AM THE DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE FOR THE HOUSTON IT SERVICES.
TODAY WE ARE HERE WITH A REQUEST TO AMEND THE CURRENT SAP CONTRACT.
WE'RE HAVING A MOMENT WITH LOADING THE PRESENTATION.
IT'S APPARENTLY LOADING ONLINE, BUT WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT A MOMENT OR TWO IN THE CHAMBER WORKING WITH STAFF.
THERE DOES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN SOME TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE HERE, SO, UH, CHANGING TO THE VIDEO IN THE CHAMBER.
MS. PALAI, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A RICH PRESENTATION, UH, WITH THE POWERPOINT, BUT PERHAPS WE COULD, UH, THERE WE GO.
I THINK WE ARE, WE'RE GETTING IT TO WORK RIGHT NOW.
[01:25:01]
I BELIEVE IT'S JUST COME UP ONLINE, SO THE FLOOR IS BACK TO BEING YOURS.TODAY WE ARE HERE TO REQUEST TO AMEND THE CURRENT SAP CONTRACT TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT TERM, INCREASE THE SPENDING AUTHORITY, AND TO MODIFY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE AGREEMENT.
SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE SERVICES FOR THE ERP SYSTEMS AND THE RELATED SOLUTIONS.
TOTAL SPENDING AUTHORITY REQUESTED.
UM, HERE IS 12,000,890 1009 92 CENTS.
THIS WILL ALLOW US TO EXTEND THE NEW TERM UP UNTIL AUGUST 19TH, 2027.
THE MWBE GOAL IS 35%, AND THE PRIMARY DEPARTMENT USERS FOR THIS SOFTWARE ARE ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS.
SAP, WHICH STANDS FOR SYSTEM ANALYSIS.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IS THE VENDOR THAT HAS OVER 437,000 CUSTOMERS IN 160 COUNTRIES AND HAS EMPLOYEES IN 130 COUNTRIES.
THIS SOFTWARE IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER OF THE ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE.
MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
HERE'S THE, HERE'S THE SLIDE, CONTINUING WITH THE VENDOR OVERVIEW.
IN THIS SLIDE, SAP HAS ABOUT 7,200 CUSTOMERS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATIONAL AREAS.
THIS IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING TEAM OVERVIEW.
THE ERP TEAM MANAGES THE SYSTEMS SAP AND KRONOS.
WE HAVE SEVERAL MODULES IMPLEMENTED THAT HELP US RUN THE HUMAN RESOURCES FINANCIAL PROCUREMENT AND REPORTING SOLUTIONS FOR THE CITY.
HERE IS A QUICK LOOK ON THE USAGE OF THE SAP SYSTEM HERE AT THE CITY.
ALL OF THE CITY'S BUDGET IS MAINTAINED IN SAP, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, A TOTAL OF $5.7 BILLION WAS MANAGED IN FISCAL YEAR 23.
THE VENDOR AND OTHER PAYMENTS PROCESSED WHERE $4.7 BILLION AND TOTAL PAYROLL PROCESSED WAS 584 MILLION.
THERE WAS 38,000 EMPLOYEES MANAGED IN THE SYSTEM IN FISCAL YEAR 2023.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE OPEN FINANCE PORTAL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON OPEN FINANCE WEBSITE WAS MADE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE LAST YEAR.
ALL OF THE DATA FOR THE OPEN FINANCE BUDGET, PAYROLL AND CHECKBOOK DASHBOARDS IS PROVIDED BY THE BACKEND SAP SYSTEM.
SAP SUCCESSFACTORS IMPLEMENTATIONS WAS THE LARGEST SAP IMPLEMENTATION SINCE WE WENT LIVE WITH SAP IN THE YEAR 2007.
AND THIS WAS A SUCCESSFUL DEPLOYMENT AND WE HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM ALL LEVELS OF THE ORGANIZATION.
I BELIEVE THERE IS A LAG IN THE SLIDES.
UM, BUT THE NEXT SLIDE IS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WE'RE, WE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME CHALLENGES THERE, BUT WE'LL GET IT ONLINE IF YOU CAN PROCEED.
YEAH, THIS SLIDE SHOWS A PICTURE THAT WAS TAKEN DURING THE PROJECT SUCCESS, UM, CELEBRATION EVENT.
I THINK WE MOVED OVER TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I BELIEVE WE CAN SEE THE SLIDE.
IT'S COMING INTO LARGER FORMAT, SO IF YOU COULD PROCEED.
THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN DURING THE PROJECT SUCCESS CELEBRATION EVENT,
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UH, WITH, UH, WITH THE MAYOR.AND WE WANTED TO, UH, PUT IT OUT HERE TO SHOW EVERYONE ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS A QUICK PREVIEW OF THE SUCCESS FACTORS AND THE BENEFIT FOCUS SCREENS THAT EMPLOYEES SEE.
THESE ARE THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS CURRENTLY USED AT THE CITY.
WE WILL LOAD THE PRESENTATION ONLINE SO THAT IF YOU COULD PROCEED OKAY, WE WILL SYNCHRONIZE THAT OR DO OUR BEST TO HAVE IT LIVE ON THE WEB.
ALRIGHT, SO ON THIS NEXT SLIDE WE HAVE THE SUMMARY OF CURRENT RENEWALS.
THE RENEWALS ARE FOR SAP SUCCESS FACTORS, WHICH IS THE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND THE PAYROLL SOLUTION BENEFIT FOCUS, WHICH, UM, IS THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS MANAGEMENT, SAP ANALYTICS CLOUD, WHICH IS A REPORTING ANALYTICS SOLUTION, SAP ARIBA FOR CONTRACT AND PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS AND FIELD GLASS, WHICH IS USED FOR THE CONTINGENT WORKFORCE ALONG WITH THE SAP ENTERPRISE CORE COMPONENT MAINTENANCE, THAT WHICH IS THE BACKBONE SYSTEM, UM, FOR THE FINANCE, HR, PROCUREMENT, AND PAYROLL AT THE CITY.
MOVING TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION, UM, REGARDING THE TOTAL ADDITIONAL SPENDING AUTHORITY REQUESTED FOR 12,891,992 AND 54 CENTS.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION, AND WE CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
MS. BLY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEARING WITH THE TECHNOLOGY HERE.
THE SLIDES WERE NOT SYNCHRONIZED PERFECTLY, BUT IF YOU CAN PAUSE FOR A MOMENT HERE.
WE HAVE THE FINANCIAL INFORMATION NOW POSTED, POSTED ON LIVE ON OUR PRESENTATION HERE IN CITY HALL CHAMBERS.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF, OR OTHERS IN THE QUEUE, NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
SO WITH THAT, WE ARE GRATEFUL ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT PRESENTATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE TTI WEBSITE.
THAT'S AT WWW.HOUSTONTX.GOV/COUNSEL/COMMITTEES/TTI HTML.
AND I WILL ANNOUNCE THAT OUR NEXT MEETING OF THE TTI COMMITTEE, WE'LL TAKE PLACE ON AUGUST 3RD, 2023 AT 10:00 AM CHAIRED BY OUR VICE CHAIR, UH, FOR TTI, UH, AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND YOUR, UH, PAYING ATTENTION.
I DO SEE THAT THERE MAY BE ONE SPEAKER WHO HAS, UH, ENTERED THE CHAMBER.
LADIES, PERHAPS IF YOU COULD GIVE US ONE MOMENT AT THE PODIUM.
UH, LITTLE UNORTHODOX, BUT THIS IS OUR FRIEND DOUG SMITH.
DOUG, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, COME ON FORWARD.
WE ARE ALWAYS GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU.
SO, UH, IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND, UH, ASK HER QUESTION OR COMMENT SMITH.
AND, UH, I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION CODE REVITALIZATION OR CHANGES UNTIL I CAME IN TODAY.
AND, UH, I HAVE TO SAY, IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A WAY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UH, THAT AFFECTS SO MANY CITIZENS.
UH, SOUNDS LIKE I GOT GREAT FEEDBACK.
THAT'S NOT THE REASON I CAME TODAY, BUT I, UH, I WAS REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THAT.
UH, DOES THE DEATH STAR BILL, UH, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE, UH, BFA MEETING AFFECT THIS AT ALL? UH, AS IT GOES ON, I APPRECIATE YOU ASKING, AND I, I THINK I'D LIKE TO LOOK INTO THAT WITH OUR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOLKS BEFORE I ANSWER FULLY.
UM, WE DO, UH, REGULATE OUR OWN BUILDING CODE IN THE CITY TODAY, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S THE WAY IT WILL STAND.
BUT, UH, APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
BUT THE REAL REASON I CAME, UH, WAS TO REPEAT SOMETHING I SAID AT THE, UM, UH, COUNCIL MEETING WHERE IT WAS A, A MARATHON MEETING, UH, ON CHAPTER 42, PUBLIC HEARING.
AND I THINK WHAT I HAD TO SAY, MAYBE GOT LOST IN THE PROCESS AND IT REGARDS, UH, WATER METERS AND THE FACT THAT, UH, PEOPLE ARE GETTING HIT WITH THOUSAND DOLLARS BILLS OR TWO, OR THREE OR $4,000 BILLS BECAUSE OF MIS UH, MISREADING OF THE WATER METERS.
AND, UH, WHAT I SUGGESTED AT THAT MEETING WAS THAT IF A WATER BILL IS MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE AVERAGE BILL FOR THE LAST 12 MONTHS, UH, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, RATHER THAN JUST GOING AHEAD AND BILLING IT AND CAUSING, UH, CUSTOMERS BANK ACCOUNTS TO BE OVERDRAWN IF THEY'RE ON A DIRECT CHARGE, UH, THEY WOULD HOLD THE CHARGE, TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S A TRUE BILL OR WHETHER IT'S SOMETHING
[01:35:01]
WRONG WITH THE METER.BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S REALLY CAUSING CITIZENS A LOT OF PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN WIDELY, UH, COMMENTED ABOUT.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE NOT ONLY TODAY, BUT FOR ATTENDING THAT MARATHON MEETING AS YOU DESCRIBED IT, AND, UH, AND MAKING SURE THAT YOUR COMMENT WA WAS HEARD.
AND AS A MATTER OF THE PUBLIC RECORD, IT WILL BE AGAIN, ENTERED INTO THAT, UH, HERE TODAY.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. SMITH.
AND WITH THAT WE HAVE COME TO THE END OF OUR PRESENTATION.
UH, OUR MEETING TODAY IS, UH, CONCLUDED AND WITH THIS, UH, GAVEL, I HEREBY ADJOURN THE MEETING.