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TECHNOLOGY AND[Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee on August 3, 2023.]
INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE.I AM SALLY ALCORN, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE.
THE CHAIR, DAVID ROBINSON, IS NOT HERE.
SO I'M FILLING IN AND EXCITED FOR ROADSIDE DITCH DAY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
UM, I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
I'LL WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF IN ATTENDANCE.
WE HAVE IN THE CHAMBER COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK, COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON.
AND VIRTUALLY WE HAVE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVE MARTIN.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM DAVE MARTIN HERE, SORRY.
FROM COUNCIL MEMBER M ANN HUFFMAN, IN PERSON STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CIRO'S OFFICE.
VIRTUALLY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALL'S OFFICE.
WE HAVE IN PERSON STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE.
ALSO MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE AND DAVID ROBINSON'S OFFICE.
AND TIFFANY THOMAS'S STAFF IS ALSO HERE.
SO WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE MEETING.
THIS MEETING IS OBVIOUSLY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
THE VICE CHAIR IS PRESIDING OFFICER OF TODAY'S COMMITTEE MEETING.
I AM PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE CHAMBER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 DASH 27 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES.
ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE VIR IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VI VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. WE HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY, ONE VIRTUALLY AND ONE IN PERSON.
IF ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TODAY AND YOU'RE HERE, WE'RE WELCOME TO SIGN YOU UP TOO.
FIRST, WE'LL HEAR ABOUT THE ROADSIDE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM, THEN GIVE WATER A BREAK CAMPAIGN UPDATE, FOLLOWED BY HOME ELEVATION GRANTS AND ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM.
WAIT TILL THE END TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS.
EACH COUNCIL MEMBER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES, AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW THE DRILL.
UM, VICE MAYOR PROAM, MARTHA CASTEX TATUM, WHO HAS JOINED US VIRTUALLY.
SO I'LL CALL THE FIRST PRESENTATION UP, THE ROADSIDE DITCH REESTABLISHED PROGRAM, A A BEST VALUE PROACTIVE APPROACH.
JOHANNA CLARK, SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE OPERATIONS, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, UH, MADAM VICE CHAIR, UH, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM.
WE KNOW THAT IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING AND A LOT OF CONVERSATION.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT IS, UM, CLARIFICATION.
SO WE NOW CALLING IT REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM.
UM, PART OF THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAD BEEN HAVING IS THE DEFINITION OF MAINTENANCE.
UM, SO TO MAKE IT CLEAR TO EVERYONE, UH, WE ARE CREATING A NEW DEFINITION OF REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM.
UM, SO SOME OF WHAT JONNA IS GOING TO SHARE IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
SOME CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT, UM, OUR PREVIOUS OPERATIONS, THE CHANGE IN OPERATIONS, AND HOW WE CURRENTLY OPERATE TODAY, AND THE TRANSITION, UM, TO A PROACTIVE SCHEDULE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM.
UM, AND SO I WILL JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY FOR EVERYONE, WE HAVE ALWAYS, UH, DONE THE MAINTENANCE OF OUR DITCHES IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THERE IS A FLOW LINE FLUSHING OUT THE CULVERTS.
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF OUR PRACTICE.
UM, HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, IT HAS BEEN RESPONDING TO 3 1 1 CALLS.
UM, BUT THIS PROGRAM WILL, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUR SAME PRACTICE, UM, JUST A DIFFERENT NAME SO THAT IT IS CLEAR FOR EVERYONE, UH, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
AND THEN ALSO CLARIFYING WHAT IS THE, UH, RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER AND WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY.
UM, I DO SAY, UH, TO GET TO THIS POINT, WE'RE REALLY THANKFUL FOR THE ADVOCACY OF, UH, DISTRICT B, UH, MS. TARRA JACKSON, COUNCIL MEMBER TER AND HER ADVOCACY, UH, THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY, UM, THAT HAVE, UH, BEEN A VOICE, UH, TO GET US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND TO GET US THE FUNDING THAT WE NEED, UM, TO HAVE AN ESTABLISHED PROGRAM.
UH, AS ALWAYS, WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, YOU GUYS PROBABLY HAVE THIS MEMORIZED BY NOW.
UM, BUT OUR PURPOSE TO GATHER, WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE, AND WE HAVE OUR FIVE TO THRIVE VALUES, ROCKET RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, AND TEAMWORK.
AND SO I WILL PASS IT OFF TO, UH, MS. CLARK TO GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION AND, AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, WHAT OUR ROLLOUT PLAN IS GOING TO BE FOR THIS PROGRAM.
AND THEN WE WILL BE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERONICA DAVIS, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT, SETTING IT UP LIKE THAT.
ALSO, DO WANNA, OF COURSE, ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON AND THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE FOR, UM, REALLY ADVOCATING FOR
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THIS.I KNOW MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS, INCLUDING COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, UM, AND, AND OTHERS SPENT, HAVE SPENT A LOT OF MONEY IN THEIR DISTRICTS ON, ON DITCH MAINTENANCE.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY GREAT AND, UM, NICE JOB ON NPR THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
MY NAME IS JOANNA CLARK AND I MANAGE OUR STORMWATER OPERATIONS IN THE CITY.
UM, I WANTED TO START, AND, UM, APPRECIATE REALLY VERONICA FOR A GOOD INTRODUCTION.
THIS IS VERY EXCITING TIMES FOR US.
THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO SET UP THE EXAMPLE FOR PROACTIVE APPROACHES THAT CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR THE CITY.
SO I WANNA START WITH THIS SLIDE, UM, TO SHOW YOU THE MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PUBLIC WORKS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING AND OPERATING DAILY, INCLUDING DRAINAGE ASSETS.
SO IN THIS SLIDE, YOU SEE THE UNDERGROUND PIPES THAT ARE JUST ONE OF THE TYPE OF, UH, DRAINAGE SYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.
WE ALSO HAVE SURFACE ABOVE LEVEL SYSTEMS LIKE THE ROADSIDE DITCHES THAT WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
JUST TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF IDEA OF THE, UH, ASSETS THAT WE MAINTAIN ON THE CITY.
WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2,500 MILES OF ROADSIDE DITCHES THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT ALL THE DISTRICTS.
AND BEFORE WE GO INTO THE PROGRAM, I WANNA DO A, A LITTLE RECAP ABOUT BASIC CONCEPTS.
AND SO WHAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND, WHAT A ROADSIDE DITCH IS.
SO ROADSIDE DITCH IS AN OPEN CHANNEL THAT IS CARVED IN THE GROUND PARALLEL TO ROADWAYS.
THESE DITCHES ARE A VERY COST-EFFECTIVE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY OF DIVERTING A STORM WATER FROM THE ROAD SURFACE AND NATURALLY DIRECTED TO RESERVOIRS, TO CREEKS TO BIOS, EVEN TO CONNECT TO SOME OF OUR ENCLOSED SYSTEMS. AS, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE OVER 200, UH, 2,500 MILES OF THOSE TYPE OF DITCHES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO TALKING ABOUT HOW WE MAINTAIN THESE DITCHES, HOW, WHAT DO WE DO IN THE CITY TO BE SURE THAT WATER IS FLOWING TO POINT A, UH, FROM POINT A TO POINT B? SO WE TALK FIRST ABOUT BASIC MAINTENANCE, AND THESE ARE TASKS THAT PREVENT UNEXPECTED FAILURE FAILURES.
THAT MEANS THAT THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK SUDDENLY WITHIN A SHORT TERM OR IMMEDIATE ACTION.
SO THIS IS WHERE, UM, THE ABIDING PROPERTY OWNERS ARE VERY CONTRIBUTING PARTICIPANTS OF THESE TASKS.
SO WE TALK ABOUT BEING SURE THAT THE DITCHES ARE CLEAR OF OBSTRUCTIONS AND OBSTRUCTIONS.
WE TALK ABOUT VEGETATION, ABOUT LITER, ABOUT WATER BOTTLES, ABOUT ANY TYPE OF DEBRIS THAT IS LIGHT AND REASONABLY FOR A PROPER OWNER LEAVING JUST IN FRONT OF A DISH TO HAVE CLEAR OUT OF THIS AREA.
AND ALSO AVOIDING UN PERMITTED INSTALLATIONS.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE SEE THESE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT, UH, MORE IN A SLIDE AHEAD INSTALLATIONS THAT ARE PLACED IN THE DITCHES THAT DO NOT ALLOW FOR OUR WATER TO FLOW SMOOTHLY, AGAIN, BETWEEN CULVER'S FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
NOW, A NEXT LEVEL OF CARE OR MAINTENANCE IS WHAT WE'RE DEFINING TO THE AS DITCH REESTABLISHMENT.
SO THIS REESTABLISHMENT IS, UM, ARE REFERS TO THE TASK THAT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS HAS HISTORICALLY TAKEN OVER TO BE SURE, AGAIN, THAT THE DITCHES HAVE THE PROPER CAPACITY TO CARRY THE STORM WATER THAT WE NEED TO DISCHARGE INTO THE MAIN WATER WASTE IN THE CITY.
SO FOR THESE, WE TYPICALLY SHOW UP AT NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HEAVY MACHINERY, WITH GREAT OILS, WITH DUMP TRUCKS, WITH COLOR FLUSHERS TO REGRADE THE DITCHES TO CLEAR, TO GRAB, TO ESTABLISH THE FLOW LINE.
SO YOU REMEMBER MY PREVIOUS SLIDE, THE FLOW LINE IS THE BOTTOM OF THE DITCH.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE FLAT TOPOGRAPHY IN THE CITY MAKES IT VERY TOUGH, VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE WATER TO FLOW, AS WELL AS THE CLAY SOILS THAT WE HAVE IN MAJORITY OF THE CITY.
UH, SO THIS IS WHAT PUBLIC EARTH HAS BEEN DOING.
AGAIN, HISTORICALLY REGRADING, REESTABLISHING THE DITCHES, UH, FLUSH IN THE CULVERS.
BE SURE THAT THESE PIPES THAT WE HAVE TO INSTALL UNDER DRIVEWAYS OR UNDER INTERSECTIONS THAT THEY'RE NOT FULL OF DEBRIS.
AND ALSO REMOVING HEAVY OBSTRUCTIONS, HEAVY DEBRIS, ILLEGAL DUMPING THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
WE PARTNER VERY CLOSE WITH SOLID WASTE TO BE SURE THAT ALL THESE AREAS ARE CLEAR, BUT IT'S STILL A BIG, BIG, BIG CHALLENGE FOR THE CITY.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MAINTENANCE, BECAUSE I WANNA, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND CLEARLY WHERE WE ARE TODAY, HOW THIS STARTED AND WHAT CHANGES HAVE HAPPENED HISTORICALLY.
THAT WAS A VERY KEY YEAR TO CHANGE OPERATIONS FOR DRAINAGE.
PRIOR TO 2001, WE HAD A PROGRAM CALLED NEIGHBORHOOD TO STANDARDS THAT WAS A PROACTIVE APPROACH, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ESTABLISH TODAY.
THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT COUNCIL DISTRICTS WERE THE ONES THAT SELECTED NEIGHBORHOODS AND LOCATIONS FOR PUBLIC WORKS TO COME IN AND DO SOME LEVEL OF MAINTENANCE.
AT THAT TIME, WE WERE USED TO PLAN, DO SOME LEVEL OF INVESTIGATION SURVEYS.
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CULVERS, UH, WE REESTABLISHED THE DITCHES.SO THIS WAS A PLAN WORK WITH SOME LEVEL OF ADDED VALUE CITYWIDE.
NOW WHAT HAPPENED? 2000 ONES COMES IN AND THE 3 0 1 HELPLINE WAS CREATED.
UH, IT WAS, IT'S AN EXCELLENT TOOL TO GET THE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY TO BE SURE THAT OUR NEIGHBORS ARE SHARING WITH US WHAT IS NEEDED, WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE.
HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT THESE CASES ARE CREATED HAVE A VERY TIGHT DEADLINE.
OUR APPROACH MOVE FROM BEING PROACTIVE TO BE REACTIVE, MAJORITY OF IT.
SO THE WAY IT WORKS TODAY, UM, WHILE WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THESE CHANGES, THE PUBLIC REPORTS CONCERNS TO THE 3 0 1 SYSTEM.
WE CREATE A CASE, THE LEVEL OF PLANNING AND SURVEYING HAD TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED.
SO OUR STAFF CONDUCTS A VERY BASIC LEVEL OF INVESTIGATION.
UM, AND WE DISPATCH CREWS AND EQUIPMENT TO REESTABLISH THE DISHES, TO FLUSH THE CULVER'S.
HOWEVER, AGAIN, A LOT OF THESE RESPONSIBILITIES HAD TO BE FIT WITHIN THAT SLA OR SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT, UH, TIMES THAT WE ARE GIVEN.
UM, WITH THIS TYPE OF METHODOLOGY, WE HAVE BEEN, IN AVERAGE REESTABLISHING 200 MILES OF ROADSIDE DITCHES EVERY YEAR.
SO IF YOU MAKE THE MATH, THE 2,500 MILES TOTAL, 200 A YEAR, THIS IS EQUIVALENT OF HAVING TO CLOSE TO A 12 YEAR SERVICE CYCLE.
UM, NOT EVEN PLAN IS ON VERY CLEAR CLUSTERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
'CAUSE WE'RE RESPONDING TO THE 3 0 1, UH, CASES THAT GET TO BE CREATED FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, SO THIS IS A REACTIVE TYPE OF WORK WITH A VERY REDUCED LOCALIZED VALUE.
AND I WANNA MENTION THAT THE CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS HAVE BEEN INCREASING.
WE HAVE HAD STAFF REDUCTIONS IS VERY CHALLENGING FOR US TO MAINTAIN OUR HEAVY MACHINERY.
THESE GRAD OILS ARE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE DUMP TRUCKS.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES WITH OUR FLEET DEPARTMENT, ALTHOUGH WE COORDINATE VERY WELL TO HAVE THE SPECIALIZED SERVICE THAT WE NEED TO KEEP EQUIPMENT FUNCTIONALLY.
UM, AND ALSO, AS YOU KNOW, THE INCREASED RAINFALL IN THE CITY AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD IN GENERAL, HAVE CREATED A LOT OF CHALLENGES FOR US.
THE MORE RAIN WE HAVE, THE MORE INTENSITY STORMS, HURRICANES, THAT TRANSLATES ALSO INTO MORE INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
THAT OBVIOUSLY RESULTS IN THROUGH MORE 3 1 1 CASES THAT ARE TYING OUR HANDS TO BE MORE PROACTIVE.
SO ALL THESE CHALLENGES CONTINUE GROWING.
UM, ALSO THE DEADLINE THAT WE WERE USED TO HAVE OF 60 DAYS BACK IN 2016 WAS REDUCED TO 30 DAYS.
SO AGAIN, MORE CHALLENGES IN OUR HANDS TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK TO BE PROACTIVE.
AND LASTLY, OUR TEAMS THAT DO ALL THESE REE ESTABLISHMENTS ARE THE SAME TEAMS THAT RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES.
WHETHER IT IS RESPONDING TO A STORM, TO A WINTER STORM, TO A MAYORS EVENT THAT NEEDS SOME LEVEL OF SECURITY, THE USE OF OUR DUMP TRUCKS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT TO BLOCK STREETS AND SO ON.
WE TYPICALLY LOSE THREE TO FOUR DAYS AS MINIMUM, UM, WHEN WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO THESE TYPE OF EVENTS AND EMERGENCIES.
SO HERE WE'RE IN 2013 AND WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE THE ADMINISTRATION HAS GIVEN US THE GREEN LIGHT TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM THAT PUTS US BACK INTO A PROACTIVE APPROACH.
AND WE ARE LABELING ROADSIDE DISH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM.
THIS WILL BE A TRANSITION FROM A POINT REPAIR TO A PROACTIVE APPROACH.
IT'S EVEN IMPROVED BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA NEC ALTHOUGH WE WILL BE COORDINATING VERY CLOSE WITH THE DISTRICTS.
THIS IS GONNA BE BASED IN VERY OBJECTIVE AND DATA THAT WE PUBLIC WORKS WILL BE AND ARE ALREADY COLLECTING.
SO THE WAY IT WILL WORK IS WE WILL BE CONDUCTING INSPECTIONS CITYWIDE.
UH, WE WILL CONTINUE PLANNING, GETTING BACK TO DETAIL INVESTIGATIONS, SOME LEVEL OF SURVEYING.
UH, THERE HAS TO BE ELEVATION MEASUREMENTS TO BE SURE THAT THAT FLOW LINE OF THE DITCHES ARE PROPERLY ESTABLISHED.
UH, WE WILL COME BACK TO REPAIR CULVERS ON DRY WASTES, REESTABLISH THE DITCHES AND FLUSHING THESE CULVERS TO BE SURE OBSTRUCTIONS ARE OUT OF THE WAY.
UH, SINCE, SINCE IT'S GONNA BE FULLY PLAN, THIS PUTS US BACK INTO A FIVE YEAR SERVICE CYCLE.
WE ARE COMMITTING TO REESTABLISH 500 MILES OF DITCHES EVERY YEAR.
SO VERSUS THE 12 SERVICE CYCLE THAT YOU SAW IN THE PREVIOUS METHODOLOGY, THAT WAS NOT EVEN PLANNED AT ALL.
SO THIS IS A PROACTIVE WORK WITH A BEST VALUE CITYWIDE.
NOW, UH, THERE HAS BEEN, UH, AND I'M GLAD WE, WE RECOGNIZE COUNCIL, UM, DISTRICT B AND SO MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE COOPERATED WITH US FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, HELPING US RECOGNIZE THE HIGH PRIORITY AND ANITA WE HAVE FROM THE NORTHEAST COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE OTHER COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IN THE CITY.
UH, APPROXIMATELY 70% OF OUR ROADSIDE DITCHES ARE LOCATED ON THESE AREAS.
AND THEY DO NEED, UM, SPECIAL ATTENTION, ESPECIALLY DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET TO THIS NEW SERVICE CYCLE.
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UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE EXPERIENCED.THE RESOURCES WE HAD PRIOR TO JULY 1ST ARE NOT SUFFICIENT FOR US TO REESTABLISH 500 MILES OF DITCHES A YEAR.
THAT'S A VERY AGGRESSIVE AND, UM, DRIVEN METHOD.
HOWEVER, WE'RE VERY THANKFUL THE ADMINISTRATION HAS APPROVED A ONE-TIME INJECTION OF RESOURCES FOR FISCAL YEAR 24 FOR US TO ACQUIRE EQUIPMENT AND SECURE CONTRACTS THAT ARE GONNA BE COMPLEMENTING OUR IN-HOUSE OPERATIONS.
SO WE ARE WORKING ON SECURING THOSE RESOURCES WITH THAT FUNDING FOLLOWING THAT YEAR.
AFTER FISCAL YEAR 25, WE WILL BE REQUESTING ALSO IN-HOUSE, IN-HOUSE STAFFING AND ADDITIONAL CONTRACT RESOURCES TO ESTABLISH THAT SUPPORT YEAR AFTER YEAR.
SO IF YOU SEE THE TIMELINE ON THIS SLIDE OF HOW THE PROGRAM IS GONNA WORK, UM, WE WERE VERY CLEAR WITH ADMINISTRATION THIS CANNOT HAPPEN FROM ONE DAY TO ANOTHER.
WE WILL HAVE A TRANSITION PERIOD, ESPECIALLY TO ADDRESS AGAIN THE NEEDS THAT ARE ON THE NORTHEAST COMMUNITY AND THE OTHER COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IN THE CITY.
THIS YEAR, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO INSPECT 1500 MILES OF ROADSIDE DITCHES THAT ARE LOCATED WITHIN THESE AREAS.
AND WE ARE INITIATED ALREADY AND WORKING WITH PROCUREMENT INTO THE ACQUIRING THE $15 MILLION OF EQUIPMENT THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED AND $25 MILLION IN CONTRACTS.
THAT WILL BE, UM, AGAIN, AN EXTENSION OF OUR IN-HOUSE SERVICES.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING ALREADY IN FISCAL YEAR 24.
OBVIOUSLY, ASIDE OF OUR REGULAR OPERATIONS, RESPONDING TO OUR THREE ON ONE SERVICE REQUEST FISCAL YEAR 25, WE WILL BE FINISHING THE REST OF THE, UH, INSPECTION.
SO A THOUSAND MASKS WILL BE INSPECTED ON THE REMAINING AREAS IN THE CITY.
AND WE ARE GONNA START WITH THE ESTABL REESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROADSIDE DITCHES ON THESE PRIORITY AREAS.
SO WE'RE COMMITTING TO APPROXIMATELY 450.
WE DON'T WANNA GO WITH THE 500 AT ONCE BECAUSE AGAIN, THE TRANSITION PERIOD IS TAKING PLACE AND WE STILL NEED TO HAVE SOME CAPACITY TO SERVE THE REST OF THE CITY.
SO THOSE ARE THE APPROXIMATELY FIVE, UH, 50 MILES THAT RM SHOWING ON FISCAL YEAR.
AND 25 FISCAL YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 27 WILL BE COMPLETING THE REESTABLISHMENT ON THE NORTHEAST AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
AND I HAVE TO MENTION, IF YOU SEE MY FOOTNOTE ON THIS SLIDE, THAT THIS THIS PLAN, THIS SCHEDULE HAD TO BASED ON, HAD TO BE BASED ON AN ASSUMPTION.
AND OUR ASSUMPTION IS THAT THE INSPECTIONS THAT WE'RE PERFORMING ARE GONNA SHOW THAT APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE DITCHES ON THESE PRIORITY AREAS ARE IN POOR CONDITION.
COULD BE LESS, COULD BE MORE, BUT WE HAD TO START SOMEWHERE.
SO THAT TAKES US TO FISCAL YEAR 27, WHERE WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE COMPLETING THE ESTABLISHMENT ON THESE AREAS FISCAL YEAR 28.
THAT'S WHEN WE START WITH OUR FIVE YEAR CYCLE.
THIS IS WHERE WE WILL HAVE THE CITY DIVIDED INTO DRAINAGE ZONES THAT WILL HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC SCHEDULE FOR REESTABLISHMENT.
AND WE WILL BE FOLLOWING THAT FIVE YEAR CYCLE.
NOW, I WANTED TO SHOW YOU ON THIS SLIDE THE CONDITION ASSESSMENT THAT WILL BE FOLLOWING OUR INSPECTIONS.
'CAUSE THIS, THIS FIRST STEP IS VERY, VERY CRITICAL.
UM, I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE, OUR INSPECTION ASSESSMENT IS VERY DETAILED AND IS GONNA BE EVALUATING DITCHES BASED ON CAPACITY, BASED ON THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS, UH, PRESENCE OF VEGETATION, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WITHIN A CONTROL LEVEL IS NECESSARY TO AVOID EROSION ON OUR DITCHES AND TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE HELPING WITH THE STORM WATER QUALITY AND INFILTRATION, AND ALSO THE OVERALL INTEGRITY OF THE DITCH.
OUR INSPECTORS ARE ASSIGNING SCORES BASED ON THIS, UM, TANK CRITERIA AND WE'LL BE CLASSIFYING OUR DITCHES UNDER GOOD, MODERATE OR POOR CONDITION.
SO THIS TABLE HERE IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF HOW ONE OF THOSE INSPECTIONS WILL WORK.
THIS IS A SCREENSHOT OF OUR, UM, MAP.
WE'RE GONNA, OUR GI S TEAM IS DILIGENTLY WORKING ON DEVELOPING A DASHBOARD AND A MAP.
TRANSPARENCY IS A VERY KEY ELEMENT ON OUR COMMITMENT, UH, TO BE SURE THAT WE HAVE TRANSPARENCY WITH THE DISTRICTS, WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO THIS MAP WILL BE AVAILABLE, UM, VERY SOON WHERE, UH, THE COMMUNITIES CAN SEE HOW THE DITCHES ARE CLASSIFIED WITHIN THE POOR, MODERATE, OR GOOD CONDITION COLOR CODED.
UM, AND THEN BASED ON THIS RESULT, WE'RE GONNA START SETTING UP THE PRIORITIES, OBVIOUSLY STARTING WITH THOSE DITCHES THAT ARE RATED AS POOR.
SO JUST RECAPPING ON MY PREVIOUS LIFE, FISCAL YEAR 25 TO 27 WILL BE GIVING A STRONG PRIORITY TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IN THE CITY.
AND MOVING FORWARD FY 28 AND FUTURE, THE CITY WILL BE DIVIDED ONTO THESE DRAINAGE ZONES TO START OUR FIVE GR CYCLE.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CONCEPTS THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT WE ALL UNDERSTAND.
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DITCHES ARE VERY, THEY'RE VERY COMPLEX.UH, THEY ARE NOT SINGLE POINT ABOVE ASSETS.
SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE TOP LEFT, UH, ON A SLIDE THAT I I A PICTURE THAT I WANTED TO SHOW HERE.
UM, BECAUSE IT'S VERY CLEAR IN HOUSTON, WE, WE CAN HAVE, AND WE DO HAVE A STANDING WATER CAUSED BY DRIVEWAY CULVERS THAT HAVE VERY VARIOUS SIZES OR THE, OR WE HAVE AN UNEVEN DITCH FLOW LINE.
SO AS I WAS EXPLAINING YOU, WE TYPICALLY DON'T HAVE A VERY CONTINUOUS SEGMENT OF DITCH THAT'S VERY UNUSUAL TO SEE.
WE TYPICALLY HAVE CULVERTS IN BETWEEN OR DITCHES THAT HAVE TO GO UNDERGROUND TO PASS THROUGH INTERSECTIONS.
SO IT'S VERY EASY TO SEE STANDING WATER IN BETWEEN THOSE, THOSE POINTS.
SO HAVING SAID THAT, UM, I JUST WANNA BE SURE WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT STANDING WATER DOES NOT NECESSARILY TRIGGER THE NEED FOR REESTABLISHMENT.
IT MIGHT BE THAT WITHIN THOSE 36 7 2 HOURS THAT WE CONSIDER TYPICAL WITH THE CLAYS THAT WE SEE IN HOUSTON, THE WATER IS STILL INFILTRATING.
UM, BUT ALSO THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME OF OUR INSPECTIONS THAT ARE GONNA FIND SOME OF THOSE DITCHES WHERE THE CULVERTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY OFFSET OR WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE ENCOURAGEMENT OR OTHER CHALLENGES.
AND IN THAT CASE, CONSIDERING AGAIN, THE AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE WE HAVE, THESE SEGMENTS ARE GONNA BE TRANSFERRED TO SOME OF OUR REHABILITATION PROGRAMS, WHETHER IT'S SWAT, LDP, OR ANY OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE GONNA HAVE MORE RESOURCES AND TIME TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THESE MORE DETAILED, UM, TYPE OF A SCOPE AND DESIGN AND SURVEY.
UM, UH, ALSO MENTIONING ON THE RIGHT SIDE, IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT THE, WE WILL HAVE HEAVY MACHINERY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK.
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA SEE IT MORE OFTEN, EVEN IF HISTORICALLY WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONE IT.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF 500 MILES A YEAR, IT IS HUGE.
IT'S, AGAIN, A VERY AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE.
SO WE WILL BE SEEING MORE HEAVY MACHINERY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO WE ASK FOR THE DISTRICTS HELP COMMUNICATING THIS TO THE COMMUNITY AND ASKING THE UM, UH, RESIDENTS TO BE PATIENT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA, WE ARE GONNA BE DOING OUR BEST TO BE SURE THAT HOUSTON HAS A GOOD SURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEM THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
ANOTHER KEY POINT THAT WE NEED TO, UH, MAKE TODAY IS THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
ASIDE FROM UNDERSTANDING THESE CONCEPTS, WE DO HAVE STILL A LOT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE ONE, UM, CLEAN CITY PROGRAM THAT SOLID WASTE IS, IS, IS STARRING.
UM, WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSE WITH THEM TOO, BUT AGAIN, THESE, THESE PICTURES ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY, MANY WE HAVE IN MANY AREAS ON THE CITY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT NO MATTER HOW WELL WE REESTABLISH A DISH AND FLUSH THE CULVERS, WE'RE GONNA FIND THIS TYPE OF DEBRIS, TRASH, TAR SOFAS ON THE DITCH.
THE WATER IS NOT GOING TO FLOW.
SO WE ALL NEED TO DO OUR PART TO PROMOTE THE PROGRAM, PROMOTE ALL THESE LEGAL DUMPING AREAS WHERE CITIZENS CAN GO AND DISPOSE THEIR DEBRIS AND HOPEFULLY A STRONGER ENFORCEMENT TO BE SURE THAT WE CATCH BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS THAT ARE DOING THIS, UM, NEGATIVE IMPACT, HAVING THIS NEGATIVE IMPACT FOR THE CITY.
UH, ON THE RIGHT SIDE, ALSO ON I MENTION ENCROACHMENTS AND PERMANENTED CLOSURES, WE SEE A LOT OF THESE ALSO IN MANY DITCHES ON THE CITY WHERE UNFORTUNATELY S MIGHT NOT BE AWARE, UM, THE FUNCTION OF A DITCH.
UH, IT IS FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT.
AND WE SEE, UH, AGAIN, LIKE THIS WALL, BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE THAT THEY GET TO BE PLACED ON THE DITCH, BUT THEY ARE OBSTRUCTING THE WATER TO FLOW.
UH, MANY AREAS LIKE YOU SEE ON THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, THEY COVER THE DISH TO CREATE PARKING PATHS OR SIMPLY THEY PLACE TREES AND, UH, FENCES AND MANY OTHERS THAT WE SEE.
AND AS POLYGUARD, WE'RE ABOUT TO LAUNCH A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO TEACH RESIDENTS OF WHAT CAN GO AND CANNOT GO ON A DISH IF WE WANTED TO WORK.
UH, SO AGAIN, UM, A LOT OF HELP THAT WE NEED FROM THE DISTRICTS HELPING US WITH THIS CAMPAIGN TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY.
I WANNA RECAP AS WE COME TO THE END OF THE PRESENTATION ON THE STRATEGIES THAT WE HAVE ON OUR HAND TO TAKE CARE OF OUR DRAINAGE ASSETS BEFORE WE GET TO PLAN A CIP OR A MAJOR RECONSTRUCTION.
SO WE TALK ABOUT BASIC MAINTENANCE, WHERE THE BODY PROPERTY OWNERS ARE KEY PARTICIPANTS, UM, FOR THEM TO HELP US CLEAR THE OBSTRUCTIONS OF ANY DISH THAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR PROPERTY.
AGAIN, JUST KEEP IT A MOW LIGHT DEBRIS, NO LITTER, DON'T INSTALL, THINGS ARE NOT PERMITTED.
AGAIN, WITH 2,500 MILES OF DITCHES, IT'LL BE UNREALISTIC TO THINK THAT THE CITY CAN BE TAKING CARE OF THESE, THESE THINGS AT THE FREQUENCY THAT WE SHOULD DO IT.
UM, SECONDARY REESTABLISHMENT CONCEPT THAT WE HAVE INTRODUCED TO THIS PROGRAM WILL BE MOVING, UH, TO A PROACTIVE PLAN WORK APPROACH ON A FIVE YEAR CYCLE.
AND THERE, REHABILITATION, WHICH I MENTIONED
[00:25:01]
PREVIOUSLY, OUR, OUR EXISTING PROGRAMS, THE STORMWATER ACTION TEAM, SWAT, LDP, OUR LOCAL DRAINAGE PROGRAM AND STREET AND DRAINAGE REHABILITATION PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING MORE AND MORE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.THESE ARE, UH, PROGRAMS THAT ARE VERY VALUABLE AND HELP US MOVE OVER AND ONE STEP AHEAD ON THE TYPE OF SCOPE THAT WE NEED TO DO TO TAKE CARE OF THESE DITCHES.
LASTLY, JUST A, JUST A BRIEFING ON THESE PROGRAMS TO BE SURE THAT ALL OUR COMMUNITY AND DISTRICTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE.
THE STORM WATER ACTION TEAM OR SWAT PROGRAM WAS CREATED IN 2017 AFTER HARVEY, AND THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE, UM, UH, OR ADDRESS LOCALIZED DRAINAGE PROBLEMS THAT ARE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO OVERBANK OR RIVER IN FLOODING.
UH, THESE ISSUES ARE TYPICALLY, UM, OR AREAS ARE NOMINATED BY COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
WE WORK VERY CLOSE WITH MY TEAM TO BE SURE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND SCREENING, UM, ALL OF THESE STEPS ARE FOLLOWED.
UH, TO BE SURE THAT WE KNOW REHABILITATION IS A GOOD APPROACH.
UH, WE RECEIVE TYPICALLY $20 MILLION EVERY FISCAL YEAR.
SOME YEARS, LIKE ON 23, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE PARTNERSHIP WITH FLOOD CONTROL AND GET ADDITIONAL DOLLARS FOR THE PROGRAM.
BUT TYPICALLY WE RECEIVE 20 MILLION THAT GET TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS.
AND WE TRY THIS PROGRAM PROJECTS TO BE VERY QUICK TURNAROUND 12 TO 18 MONTHS AT MAX.
ALSO, OUR, UH, WE HAVE OUR LOCAL DRAINAGE PROGRAM.
OUR LDP IS ALSO, UM, A REHABILITATION PROGRAM THAT ADDRESSES DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE, MAINLY MAINTENANCE RELATED ISSUES THAT WE CANNOT HANDLE IN HOUSE.
UM, AND THIS WORK CAN BE NOMINATED THROUGH OUR MAINTENANCE OR THROUGH THE PUBLIC ALSO PROJECTS THAT GET NOMINATED TO SWAT BUT MAYBE DOESN'T HAVE CAPACITY OR DOESN'T REALLY FIT THE REQUIREMENTS.
AND WE GET LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 11 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR.
THEY'RE NOT DISTRIBUTED THROUGH DISTRICTS.
THEY'RE CITYWIDE WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE.
UM, ALSO QUICK 12 TO 18 MONTH QUICK TURNAROUND.
AND LAST FEW YEARS I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU, WE HAVE DONE MORE AND MORE STREET AND DRAINAGE REHABILITATION.
THESE TYPICALLY ARE DRAINAGE DRIVEN PROJECTS THAT NEED ADDED ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WE HAVE SOME PROJECTS WHERE WE ARE PLANNING TO IMPROVE WHETHER DITCHES OR UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS, BUT MAYBE THAT AREA NEEDED.
ALSO, SIDEWALKS, BIKE LANES, PAVEMENT, RESERV FACING.
SO WE HAVE ADDED THOSE ELEMENTS AND IT BECOMES A MAJOR, UH, REHABILITATION PROGRAM THAT WE ARE TAKING CARE OF NOW.
UM, AND THAT WAS MY MY LAST SLIDE.
I WANNA MENTION THAT THERE IS COOPERATION BETWEEN PUBLIC WORKS AND OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT DRAFTING AND ORDINANCE THAT SUMMARIZES THE DETAILS OF THIS PROGRAM.
AND I HOPE THIS, UM, THE COPY WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON FOR YOU TO REVIEW.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND IF THERE'S ANY QUESTION, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER.
AND I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ VIRTUALLY, AND BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD.
UH, MS. CLARK, I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION SO MUCH AND, AND WE ARE CALLING THIS THE DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM.
LET'S BE VERY CLEAR THIS, WE'RE NOT COMING TO PICK UP THE TRASH.
YOUR, THE JUICE BOX THAT'S LEFT IN YOUR DITCH.
SO DITCH REESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM, VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
FIRST IN THE QUEUE WITH QUESTIONS AS COUNCIL MEMBER PECK.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO JUST SO I UNDERSTAND IT, UNLESS YOU'RE IN THE NORTHEAST AREA OR A COMPLETE COMMUNITY, WE'RE NOT GETTING TO ANY OTHER AREAS UNTIL FISCAL YEAR 28, IS THAT RIGHT? NOT NECESSARILY.
SO IN THE SLIDE WE HAVE THE, THE, THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM, WE HAVE LEFT SOME CAPACITY TO SERVE THE REST OF THE CITY.
UM, AGAIN, THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO BE CLEAR.
THERE'S A TRANSITION PERIOD WITH YES, A LOT OF OUR RESOURCES WILL BE DEDICATED TO CONDUCT THE INSPECTIONS.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, THIS FISCAL YEAR, THAT'S OUR MAIN OBJECTIVE.
SO THE REST OF THE CREWS ARE DEDICATED TO SERVE THE ENTIRE CITY AND SOME THE NEXT FISCAL YEARS.
BUT WE WILL BE EVERY YEAR TRANSITIONING INTO A VERY DETAILED SCHEDULE.
RIGHT NOW, OUR PRIORITY IS TO TAKE THE QUEUE OF SERVICE REQUESTS THAT ARE THERE FOR DISH REESTABLISHMENT AND ADDRESS AS MANY AS WE CAN WHILE THE INSPECTIONS ARE HAPPENING.
THAT WAY, WHEN THE NEXT FISCAL YEARS COME IN, WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GO FULLY PROACTIVE.
BUT ABSOLUTELY THE REQUESTS OR ANY OTHER AREAS THAT NEED ATTENTION, THEY, YOU ALL CAN COMMUNICATE THEM WITH US AND THEY WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.
SO BECAUSE IT, I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S 450 MILES FOR NORTHEAST AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND JUST THE 50 FOR THE REMAINING AREAS, AT LEAST IN FISCAL YEAR 26.
SO WHEN WE DO HAVE THOSE ISSUES, BASICALLY ONLY 50 MILES IN THE REST OF THE CITY IS GOING TO BE DONE.
IS THAT, THAT THAT IS AN ESTIMATE, YES.
AND THE REASON WHY IS THAT BASED ON OUR INVENTORY, ABOUT 70% OF THE ROADSIDE DISHES ARE ALREADY ON THOSE AREAS ON THE NORTHEAST AND COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
SO WE, WE HAD TO AGAIN, COME OUT WITH A TRANSITION PLAN TO BE SURE THAT WE STILL HAVE SOME CAPACITY TO SERVICE
[00:30:01]
THE REST OF THE CITY.BUT MAJORITY OF THE DITCHES HAVE BEEN ON THESE AREAS ARE GONNA REQUIRE MOST OF THE RESOURCES.
AND AND JUST ONE CLARIFICATION IS IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WHEN WE'RE DOING THE LAST THOUSAND MILE OF INSPECTION, WE WILL HAVE THE DATA TO KNOW IF SOMETHING IS REALLY POOR IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND SO IN THAT CASE IS EVEN BEING ABLE TO ADDRESS THEM IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT JUST REMEMBER, IT'S JUST THIS FIRST YEAR, IT IS, WE'RE STILL BUSINESS AS USUAL COLLECTING THE DATA, UH, ON THE INSPECTION SIDE IN THE FI THE FIRST 1500 MILES AND THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR WE WILL BE DOING THE LAST THOUSAND MILES.
BUT IF WE SEE SOMETHING IN THE REALLY POOR, WE'RE NOT GONNA WAIT TILL FISCAL YEAR OF 27 TO ADDRESS IT.
SO ANYTHING THAT FALLS IN THAT POOR THAT WE IDENTIFY GOES INTO THE QUEUE TO BE ADDRESSED.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT DISTRICT A DOESN'T GET LEFT OUT OF THIS.
UM, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE A TINY SECTION THAT'S IN A COMPLETE COMMUNITY AND THERE'S A LOT OF DITCH ISSUES IN THE REST OF DISTRICT A I MEAN, WE, IT HAS BEEN SUCH A PRIORITY FOR US THAT WE EVEN ESTABLISHED THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM.
WE HAVE TWO DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS IN DISTRICT A BECAUSE IT IS SUCH AN ISSUE.
AND SO TO SEE THAT, LIKE SO MUCH OF THIS IS JUST GOING TO OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY AN ISSUE IN DISTRICT A, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BEING ADDRESSED IN DISTRICT A AS WELL.
THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON.
AND THANK YOU MS. DAVIS AND MS. CLARK FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, DIRECTOR HADDOCK AND ALL OF, UM, PUBLIC WORKS FOR JUST THE EFFORT, UM, THAT YOU PUT IN MAKING SURE THAT THIS DITCH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM OR, UM, WHAT IT'S REESTABLISHING, UM, THE DITCH MAINTENANCE, UM, PROGRAM MOVE FORWARD.
AND SO FOR THE RESIDENTS AND DISTRICT B, THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME WAITING.
UM, PERSONALLY FOR MYSELF, I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR THIS SINCE, UM, HURRICANE IKE, YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A, A A A WIN, A HUGE WIN FOR THE RESIDENTS.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE FOR THEIR ADVOCACY AS WELL.
UM, MAYOR TURNER, YOU KNOW, FOR, UM, LEADING THIS EFFORT AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANT TO GET THOSE THANKS OUT.
BUT I HAD ONE QUESTION TO ASK.
I NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES IS, UM, STAFF, YOU KNOW, UM, AND SO I WAS WONDERING IS THERE A PLAN TO PARTNER WITH, UM, UNION PACIFIC? 'CAUSE A LOT OF THESE ROADSIDE DITCHES, UM, RUN ALONG THEIR TRAIN TRACKS.
AND SO I KNOW MY OFFICE HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH, UM, UP ALONG WITH SOME OF THE COMMUNITY ABOUT MAINTAINING OR CLEANING UP SOME OF THESE DITCHES.
SO IS THAT, UM, ON YOUR RADAR? AND THEN ALSO, UM, I KNOW I NOTICED THAT WE MEN YOU MENTIONED THAT TRASH IN DITCHES.
I KNOW WE DEAL WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING, UM, THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, BUT ALSO THERE IS CURRENTLY, UM, SOLID WASTE IS ENCOURAGING RESIDENTS TO PUT TREE WASTE IN DITCHES SO THAT THEY CAN SCOOP IT UP.
AND SO WHAT, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE THERE ANY TYPE OF CONVERSATIONS THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT AS THEY, THE RESIDENTS PUT THIS TRASH IN THE DITCH FOR SOLID WASTE, THAT ALL OF THIS TRASH IS, YOU KNOW, THE SOLID WASTE COME AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ALL CLEANED UP SO THAT THERE'S NO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRASH DON'T PILE UP EVENTUALLY, UM, OVER TIME.
OKAY, SO LET ME START WITH YOUR LAST POINT.
YEAH, WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH SOLID WASTE.
UH, 'CAUSE IF IT'S A SHORT TERM PLACEMENT, THAT MIGHT NOT BE AN ISSUE, BUT OUR CONCERN IS THAT THE TRASH MIGHT BE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE DISH OR MIGHT BE DAYS BEFORE THEY GET PICKED UP.
THERE MIGHT BE RAIN COMING IN.
SO WE'LL BE HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHERE THAT TRASH NEEDS TO BE PLACED.
I'LL PERSONALLY ADVOCATE NOT TO BE ON THE DITCH.
UM, IT IS ALSO EASIER FOR THEM TO PICK IT UP WHEN IT'S ON THE BANKS OF THE DITCH NOT IN THERE.
SO, BUT THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT POINT BECAUSE WE'LL BE HAVING GOOD TALKS TO COORDINATE VERY WELL.
SO WE, WE DO, WE HAVE VERY GOOD PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RAILROADS THROUGH OUR REHABILITATION PROJECTS.
WE COORDINATE VERY CLOSELY WHEN WE HAVE ISSUES ON THEIR SIDE THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
BUT, UM, YOU REMEMBER, THE CITY HAS NOW A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WITH ALL THE RAILROAD COMPANIES AND MY TEAM IS LEADING THE QUARTERLY DISCUSSIONS AND WE DON'T JUST WAIT FOR A QUARTER MEETING TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES.
THEY DO HAVE, WE HAVE A VERY PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION CHANNEL WHERE WE LET THEM KNOW ABOUT AREAS THAT ARE WE, THEIR JURISDICTION THAT ARE CAUSING DRAINAGE ISSUES TO THE CITY SYSTEM.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY ADDRESSING THEM AND REPORTING TO US.
UM, I BELIEVE THE SETTLEMENT HAS A THREE YEAR PERIOD FOR THE CITY TO ISSUE CERTIFICATION TO THESE, UH, RAILROAD COMPANIES TO VERIFY THAT THE WORK HAS BEEN DONE.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING VERY CLOSELY.
UM, DID YOU SAY, WAS THIS GOING TO BE DONE IN-HOUSE OR WE CONTRACTING THIS OUT IS THAT COMBINATION RIGHT NOW HAS RESOURCES WE HAVE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT.
SO $50 MILLION WERE APPROVED FOR US TO BUY MORE EQUIPMENT.
SO THAT'S WHERE IT STARTING THAT
[00:35:01]
PROCUREMENT PROCESS THIS YEAR.UH, FOLLOWING YEAR WE'LL BE REQUESTING ADDITIONAL STAFF TO OPERATE THAT EQUIPMENT.
UH, BUT WE WILL, WE ALSO HAVE PROOF $25 MILLION FOR CONTRACTS.
SO WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON THE PROCUREMENT OF SECURING THESE CONTRACTS TO START THE WORK.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS A ONE TIME INJECTION OF FUNDING FOR CONTRACTS AND EQUIPMENT.
AFTER FY 25, WE WILL REQUIRE DOLLARS TO HAVE THESE CONTRACTS IN PLACE BECAUSE, AGAIN, 2,500 MILES, 500 MILES A YEAR ARE, WE HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES WITH FLEET AND PERSONNEL TO PUT ALL THE, UH, EFFORTS JUST IN HOUSE.
SO WE LIKE TO HAVE THAT COMBINATION OF CONTRACTS AND IN-HOUSE RESOURCES.
AND WILL THERE BE SOME COORDINATION WITH THIS PROGRAM AND THE CITY OWNED OFF-ROAD DITCHES, OR IS THAT STILL GOING TO BE JUST A SEPARATE, COMPLETELY SEPARATE PROGRAM FOR MAINTAINING THOSE? YEAH, THE ROAD CHANNELS, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FALL WITHIN OUR SAME STORMWATER OPERATIONS MANAGERS BOTH OPERATES BOTH, BUT OFF-ROAD CHANNELS ARE MANAGED OR THEY'RE MAINTAINED.
IT IS ALSO A COMBINATION BECAUSE WE DO HAVE IN-HOUSE CREWS THAT ARE FULLY DEDICATED TO OFF-ROAD CHANNELS, UH, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, BUT WE ALSO ADDRESS A LOT OF THOSE THROUGH OUR SWAT AND LDP PROGRAMS. SO THEY ALSO HAVE A COMBINATION.
UH, BUT THIS PROGRAM IS EXCLUSIVELY LOOKING AT ROADSIDE DITCHES WHERE WE HAVE THE CHALLENGES AS THEY FACE PROPERTIES AND THEY ARE ALONG THE ROADS.
SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT THEY'RE UNDER THE SAME UMBRELLA OF OUR OPERATIONS.
I I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THE MONEY, THE, THE $25 MILLION FOR CONTRACTS AND THE $15 MILLION FOR EQUIPMENT, THE ONE TIME INFUSION, HOW LONG DOES THAT TAKE US? HOW, HOW LONG DOES THAT DOES? WHAT DO WE NEED THROUGH THIS NEXT FIVE YEARS? THE $15 MILLION ARE GONNA ASSURE THAT WE ACQUIRE THE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE ESTIMATE WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR US TO PROBABLY COMPLETE 300 OF THE 500 MILES THAT WE'RE COMMITTING A YEAR.
SO ONCE WE GET THEM, WE WILL MAINTAIN THE EQUIPMENT, THEY'LL BE PERMANENT PART OF THE CITY INVENTORY, THE 25 MILLION FOR CONTRACTS.
WE'RE SETTING UP CONTRACTS A A SET OF CONTRACTS, NOT JUST ONE THAT ARE GONNA VARY BETWEEN TWO AND THREE YEARS.
WE ESTIMATE THAT THOSE 2,500, UH, 25 MILLION ARE GONNA HELP US THROUGH THIS TRANSITION.
THE FIRST PROBABLY TWO TO THREE YEARS.
SO THE FIRST TWO OR THREE YEARS WERE GOOD.
WITH THE, WITH THE 40 MILLION, YES.
I MEAN THE, THE EQUIPMENTS ARE, AS I UNDERSTAND, BUT THE, THE CONTRACTS, THE $25 MILLION WORTH OF CONTRACTS WILL TAKE US THROUGH FY 26 PROBABLY.
AND THAT'S ESTIMATE FROM US BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE THAT WE HAVE WITH CONTRACTS BEFORE THROUGH OUR AND LDP.
UM, I'M GONNA SHARE WITH YOU THAT CURRENTLY WE SCHEDULING A PILOT WORK WITH ONE OF THESE CONTRACTS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, NOT, NOT WITH THE 25 MILLION 'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME TO SET UP.
BUT SOME OF THESE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE WHERE THERE WERE SOME STILL SOME FUNDING AVAILABLE, WE'RE SELECTING A FEW PILOT LOCATIONS SO WE CAN EVALUATE AND ASSESS AND BE VERY OBJECTIVE OF HOW MUCH, HOW FAST AND HOW WELL THESE CONTRACTORS CAN DO THE WORK TO BE MORE ACCURATE.
AS FY 25 COMES IN PLACE, WE'LL HAVE MORE CONFIRMED ACCURATE NUMBERS, BUT THIS IS OUR ESTIMATE.
UM, NEXT, UM, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE.
UM, THANK YOU MS. UM, CLARK AND DIRECTOR DAVIS FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I ASKED THIS QUESTION ON BEHALF OF VICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM.
IS THERE AN ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF OPEN DITCH DATA AND MAPS THAT CAN BE SENT TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS? NOT RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE INSPECTION DATA, UH, WE DON'T HAVE IT 'CAUSE WE'RE STARTING THIS YEAR.
HOWEVER, UM, OUR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT IS, UM, IT HAS A PUBLIC INTERFACE, ALSO HAS A LAYER FOR ALL OUR STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND YOU CAN, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE LINK IF IT'S NEEDED.
AND THERE'S A LAYER THERE THAT IS, UH, YOU CAN TURN ON FOR ENCLOSED SYSTEMS, UM, ALSO FOR OPEN DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AS THAT WHERE, WHERE YOU WILL SEE THE ROAD SIDE.
THAT JUST, THAT WOULD BE GREAT, YOU KNOW, PER DISTRICT.
NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM STAFF, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CISNEROS OFFICE.
UH, THE FIRST, I JUST WANNA CONFIRM THAT 3 1 1, UH, REPORTS OF, YOU KNOW, DRAINAGE ISSUES WITH THE DITCHES AND CULVERTS WILL STILL BE INVESTIGATED.
I THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT MS. CLARK, BUT I JUST WANNA GET KIND OF A VERY CLEAR CONFIRMATION ON THAT.
SECONDLY, I KNOW WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT COMPLETE COMMUNITIES AND THEN THE NORTHEAST, UM, KIND OF SECTION.
OBVIOUSLY MOST OF THAT IS WITHIN COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S DISTRICT, BUT IF WE COULD GET A MAP OF WHERE SPECIFICALLY, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT NORTHEAST, UM, PRIORITY ZONE IS.
[00:40:01]
YES.THE, THE 3 0 1 SERVICE REQUESTS ARE GONNA CONTINUE BEING ADDRESSED.
UM, WHAT WE'RE ASKING IS FOR PATIENTS DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD, AS WE MOVE ON YEAR AFTER YEAR, WE WANNA MOVE ON INTO BEING PROACTIVE.
SO NOT TO MIX SUBJECTS, BUT IF YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, WE HAVE OUR CITY DIVIDED INTO 12 GREEN ZONES HAVE A VERY CLEAR SCHEDULE FOR HOW MANY, UH, PASSES, HOW WHAT MONTH OF THE YEAR WE ARE SCHEDULED TO MOW THE GREEN SPACES ON THE RIGHT OF WAY THERE.
OUR GOAL IS TO MIRROR THAT WITH OUR ROADSIDE DITCHES.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE WE RECEIVE THOUSANDS, THOUSANDS OF DISH MAINTENANCE REQUESTS A MONTH, THESE REQUESTS HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED FIRST.
SO, UM, YES, THERE WILL BE ADDRESSED ABSOLUTELY, BUT AS WE START RECEIVING RESULTS FROM OUR INSPECTIONS, IF WE JUST CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION ON A DISH BASED ON THAT VERY DETAILED CRITERIA THAT I SHOW AND SHOWS THAT A SEGMENT OF A DITCH IS UNDER GOOD OR MODERATE CONDITIONS AND WE WILL BE DOCUMENTED OUR RESULTS, THAT DISH WILL PROBABLY HAVE A LOWER PRIORITY THAN A DISH THAT HAS A POOR RATING.
SO THE RESPECTIVE 3 0 1 REQUEST WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE DETAILS ABOUT THAT INSPECTION.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE TRANSITION WILL HAPPEN, BUT ABSOLUTELY, WE WILL NOT BE IGNORING OR CLOSING AT ANY POINT, ANY REQUEST WITHOUT ADDRESSING OR PROVIDING PROPER RESPONSE.
YEAH, AND, AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, UM, THE OTHER PIECE OF THIS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN PLACE, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES, UM, TO ACTUALLY HAVE FOLLOW UP CALLS WITH CITIZENS.
WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN IS WHEN IT RAINS, WE GET A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT DITCHES THAT THERE'S WATER IN THE DITCH BECAUSE IT IS RAINING.
UM, AND SO ALSO PUTTING IN A PROCESS, UM, EVEN PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION, UM, TO HAVE OUR, OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS TO FOLLOW UP ABOUT 48 PLUS HOURS AFTER THE RAIN TO JUST CONFIRM WITH THE CITIZEN IF THERE IS STILL RAIN IN THE DITCH.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT TENDS TO HAPPEN WITH A LOT OF THESE CALLS OF, AND, AND YOU SEE IT EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WE SEE AN INFLUX OF CALLS.
SO TO ALSO ROOT OUT THINGS WHERE IT IS JUST RAIN EVENTS, UM, AND THEN INVESTIGATIONS WHERE WE HAVE ACTUAL POOR DITCHES THAT NEED TO BE REESTABLISHED.
OKAY, I THINK WE JUST HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAK.
I SEE NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE.
UM, BUT I THINK WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER ON THIS ITEM, UM, COMING VIRTUALLY, UH, HUEY GERMAN WILSON, IF YOU ARE ON, PLEASE HIT STAR SIX TO UNMUTE AND OH, SHE'S ACTUALLY ON VIRTUALLY, SO SHE WANTS TO MUTE.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND THANK YOU CO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND PUBLIC WORKS.
THIS, UH, THIS, UH, REESTABLISHING AND DITCH MAINTENANCE IS VITAL TO NORTHEAST HOUSTON.
AS YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD US SAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
UH, WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, 40 YEARS WAITING FOR THIS TYPE OF CAMPAIGN, EVEN BEFORE DITCH MAINTENANCE WHEN IT W WOULDN'T, WAS STILL, UH, BEING DONE BY THE CITY.
IT WAS, WE WEREN'T SEEING QUITE THE LEVEL OF CARE WE NEEDED.
AND THEN AFTERWARDS, OF COURSE, WE WEREN'T SEEING THE LEVEL OF CARE WE NEEDED.
I AM HUEY GERMAN WILSON, UH, PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 48 TRINITY HOUSTON GARDENS.
AND, UH, I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UH, JOHANNA AND HER TEAM, UH, DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN LAYING IT OUT ON HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK.
BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT WHEN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION COMES IN, WHAT IS THE REAL PLAN FOR, UH, DITCH MAINTENANCE WHEN THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T WANT IF IN IN THE EVENT THAT THEY DON'T WANNA KEEP COMPLETE COMMUNITIES? UM, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT THEY DO, BUT YOU KNOW, THE LIKELIHOOD OF A NEW MAYOR, UH, PICKING UP THE, THE CURRENT MAYOR'S, UH, UH, MODEL AND MOVING WITH IT MAY NOT EXIST.
AND SO WE NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND READY TO PLAN FOR IT, EVEN THOUGH, UH, AS, AS, UH, JOHANNA MENTIONED, UH, 70% OF THESE OPEN DITCHES ARE IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON, BUT THEY DO EXIST IN OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT LOOK LIKE OURS.
AND WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY'RE IN UNDER THAT COMPLETE COMMUNITY'S UMBRELLA, THAT THEY ARE ALSO GETTING THE LEVEL OF ATTENTION THAT THEY, THAT THEY REQUIRE.
UM, THE ADVERTISEMENT TO COMMUNITIES AND HOW WE WORK WITH COMMUNITIES ON THIS IS GONNA BE CRUCIAL BECAUSE WE'VE HAD ISSUES WHERE, UM, UH, A STREET IS CLOSED OFF FOR MONTHS AT A TIME AND RESIDENTS LIVE ON THOSE STREETS AND CAN'T GET IN AND OUT.
AND WHILE WE DO NEED THE DITCH DITCH MAINTENANCE AND WE NEED THE
[00:45:01]
COVERTS REPLACED, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LEAVING SOME OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO, TO, UH, TO, UH, UH, TO ALLOW FOR TRAFFIC TO GET IN AND OUT OF THEIR COMMUNITY.AND THEN, UM, AND IT'S MUDDY AND CRAZY, UH, UH, A, A GREAT DEAL OF THE TIME AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME UP WITH A BETTER PLAN SO THAT THEY CAN GET IN AND OUT OF THEIR DRIVEWAYS AND UP AND, YOU KNOW, UP AND DOWN THE STREET FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES AND JUST EVERYDAY TRAFFIC SO THAT THEY CAN GO TO WORK.
MY LAST, UH, CONCERN IS, OR QUESTION IS, UH, IS THE CITY LOOKING AT IRA MONEY TO SUBSIDIZE THIS, THESE PROJECTS BECAUSE THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY ON THE TABLE THAT WOULD BENEFIT THESE COMMUNITIES IF THE, IF THE, THE CITY WERE TO LOOK AT THAT MONEY BECAUSE NORTHEAST HOUSTON AND SOME OF THE OTHER COMPLETE COMMUNITIES ARE, WOULD FALL DIRECTLY UNDER THAT IRA INFRASTRUCTURE REDUCTION ACT MONEY, UM, THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR THAT.
AND IF WE'RE ALREADY DOING THE PROJECTS, WE WE COULD LEVERAGE IT.
UH, SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS CONSIDERING.
UM, MS. WILSON, ALL, ALL GREAT POINTS.
I, I DO SAY I DO THINK THIS IS GONNA BE REALLY POPULAR.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS WILL BE, UH, UH, UM, I HOPE, UH, A PROGRAM THAT CONTINUES IN THE AREAS THAT NEED IT MOST, UH, ON YOUR, UH, THE EDUCATION POINT.
I THINK I HEARD THE, THE SPEAKERS SAY THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LOT OF EDUCATION AND FOREWARNING NEIGHBORHOODS ALSO EDUCATION ON WHAT STANDING WATER IS.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS LIKE GETTING THE, THE CONSTRUCTION CREWS AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING'S OKAY FOR PEOPLE TO COME INGRESS AND EGRESS OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT'S GONNA BE A BIG PART OF THIS.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, WITH PEOPLE LIKE, LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS THAT ARE GONNA HAVE TO GET THAT WORD OUT THAT THIS IS COMING AND, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ALL, YOU KNOW, KIND OF COOPERATE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION HEAVY EQUIPMENT THAT'S GOING ON.
AND YOUR LAST POINT, I THINK WAS, REMIND ME, SORRY.
BELIEVE ME, I THINK WE'RE GOING AFTER ALL POSSIBLE FUNDS THAT ARE COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR ALL KINDS OF PROJECTS.
SO I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ALL PUSHING FOR LOTS OF APPLICATIONS TO GO FOR, FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE FUNDING.
I MEAN, THIS WILL TAKE US THROUGH FY 26, BUT THEN WE NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF, OF ALL OTHER AVENUES OF, OF FUNDING TO KEEP THIS GOING.
'CAUSE I, I DO THINK THIS IS GONNA BE A, A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM THAT WILL BE POPULAR KIND OF LIKE SWAT HAS BEEN SO POPULAR IN REALLY ADDRESSING THE, UM, LOCALIZED DRAINAGE IN, IN, IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS AS ALL AS ALWAYS.
AND THANK YOU, UM, PRESENTERS, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
AND MOVING ON, WE WILL GO NEXT TO THE GIVE WATER A BREAK CAMPAIGN UPDATE BY LACEY ULRICH WITH EVENT PLANNING AND OUT.
SHE IS THE EVENT PLANNING AND OUTREACH LEAD FOR HOUSTON WATER, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, LIKE IT WAS SAID, MY NAME'S LACEY ULRICH.
I'M THE EVENT PLANNING AND OUTREACH LEAD AT HOUSTON WATER AND TODAY I'M GONNA BE GIVING AN UPDATE ON OUR GIVE WATER BREAK CAMPAIGN.
AS YOU HEARD FROM THE PREVIOUS PRESENTERS AT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, WE LIKE TO START ALL OF OUR PRESENTATIONS WITH OUR PURPOSE.
TOGETHER WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON TO THRIVE.
UH, WE DO SO BY EMBODYING OUR FIVE VALUES, RESPECT, OWNERSHIP, COMMUNICATION, INTEGRITY, AND TEAMWORK.
AND TODAY I'M HERE REPRESENTING OWNERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION AS I REPORT THE SPENDING AND REACH OF OUR CAMPAIGN.
ALRIGHT, SO REALLY QUICK, I WANTED TO POP THIS GRAPHIC ON TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY.
WELL, IF YOU SAW MY FIRST PRESENTATION INTRODUCING THE CAMPAIGN, I REALLY FEEL THAT JUST BY SEEING THIS ONE GRAPHIC RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY REMEMBERING THE GIVE WATER BREAK CAMPAIGN.
THE LOOK, THE FEEL, THE ASTRONAUT HELMETS, SOME OF THE CATCHY TAGLINES MIGHT BE COMING BACK TO YOU.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE BEAUTY OF THIS CAMPAIGN.
IT'S MEMORABLE, IT'S IDENTIFIABLE, AND OF COURSE IT'S FUN.
GIVE WATER A BREAK IS HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS NEW WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
IT WAS CREATED IN JULY OF 2022, AND WE SPENT THE LAST YEAR DEVELOPING THE CAMPAIGN DESIGNING COLLATERAL MATERIALS AND MARKETING AND ADVERTISING THE CAMPAIGN AND ITS MESSAGING.
TODAY I'M GONNA BE GIVING AN UPDATE TO REPORT THE REACH OF THE CAMPAIGN SINCE ITS LAUNCH.
SO IN MY LAST REPORT, I SPENT A GOOD CHUNK OF THE PRESENTATION EXPLAINING WHY HOUSTON NEEDS A WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.
AND JUST TO QUICKLY SUMMARIZE THAT INFORMATION TO KEEP IT IN THE FRONT OF YOUR MINDS DURING THIS PRESENTATION, I'M GONNA GO OVER THOSE MAIN DRIVERS.
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WELL, BETWEEN 2020 AND 2070, HOUSTON'S POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM 4.7 MILLION TO 6.2 MILLION, LARGELY DUE TO THAT POPULATION GROWTH.OUR WATER DEMAND IS PROJECTED TO INCREASE WHILE OUR WATER SUPPLY IS PROJECTED TO DECREASE.
NEARLY 30% OF HOUSTON'S FUTURE WATER SUPPLY WILL NEED TO COME FROM CONSERVATION STRATEGIES SIMULTANEOUSLY.
CLIMATE PROJECTIONS FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS SHOW THAT HOUSTON CAN ANTICIPATE MORE FREQUENT DROUGHTS DUE TO INCREASES IN THE NUMBER OF HOT DAYS PER YEAR, LENGTHENING OF OUR SUMMERS INCREASING IN THE TEMPERATURES OF THE HOTTEST DAYS, EXPERIENCED EACH YEAR LONGER MULTI-DAY HEAT WAVES, AND MORE INTENSE EXTREMES IN RAINFALL, AVERAGING FROM FIVE TO A HUNDRED INCHES.
NOW MORE THAN EVER, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR HOUSTONIANS TO UNDERSTAND OUR FUTURE WATER CHALLENGES AND HOW WE CAN MAKE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT THROUGH CONSERVATION.
TODAY I'M GONNA BE REFERENCING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD OR TWDB.
SO WHAT IS THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD? WELL, IN 1957, FOLLOWING YEARS OF SEVERE DROUGHT, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD WAS CREATED BY LEGISLATIVE ACT AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
THE BOARD IS CHARGED WITH PROVIDING LEADERSHIP PLANNING, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, INFORMATION, AND EDUCATION FOR THE CONSERVATION AND RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF WATER IN TEXAS, ALONG WITH GUIDES AND EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION.
EVERY FIVE YEARS, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD PUBLISHES THE STATE WATER PLAN, OUR 50 YEAR ROADMAP TO WATER POLICY AND PLANNING IN TEXAS.
THE MISSION OF THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD IS TO LEAD THE STATE'S EFFORTS IN ENSURING A SECURE WATER FUTURE FOR TEXAS.
TO BETTER SUPPORT WATER PROGRAMS AND CONSERVATION PLANNING THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THE TWBD HAS CREATED A MULTITUDE OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES OR BMPS FOR MUNICIPAL ORGANIZATIONS.
EACH BMP HAS SEVERAL SECTIONS THAT COVER IMPLEMENTATION, SCOPE, WATER SAVINGS, COST-EFFECTIVENESS, CONSIDERATIONS, AND HELPFUL RESOURCES.
ACCORDING TO THE TW DB'S, PUBLIC OUTREACH, BMP, PUBLIC OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS CAN RESULT IN SHORT AND LONG-TERM WATER SAVINGS FOR MUNICIPALITIES SHOULD BE PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED CONSISTENTLY TO BE EFFECTIVE SHOULD PROVIDE INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC ACTIONS AND MEASURES CUSTOMERS CAN TAKE TO IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY GOALS AND ARE DIFFICULT TO QUANTIFY.
CALCULATING THE DIRECT WATER SAVINGS FROM OUTREACH PROGRAMS IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE.
HOWEVER, BY TRACKING ENGAGEMENT AND IMPRESSIONS, UTILITIES CAN QUANTIFY HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE REACHED AND THE PROGRAM'S COST EFFECTIVENESS.
SO TODAY I'M GONNA BE REPORTING ON JUST THAT THE REACH AND COST EFFECTNESS OF THIS CAMPAIGN.
I'LL BE GOING OVER THE RESULTS OF OUR IN-PERSON OUTREACH EVENTS, OUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA, OUR PAID ADVERTISING, AND THE EARNED MEDIA THAT WAS COORDINATED THROUGH OUR HIRED PR AGENT.
STARTING WITH OUR IN-PERSON OUTREACH EVENTS.
IN TOTAL, OVER THE LAST YEAR, OUR TEAM ATTENDED 81 OUTREACH EVENTS FEATURING THE GIVE WATER BREAK MESSAGING AND EDUCATION REACHING A TOTAL OF 58,428 PEOPLE.
THESE EVENTS INCLUDE HOA MEETINGS, SCHOOL EVENTS, SUMMER CAMPS, CONFERENCES, FESTIVALS, AND MORE.
BASICALLY ANYWHERE HOUSTONIANS ARE GATHERING, BEING PROVIDED EDUCATION, OR LOOKING FOR RESOURCES, WE TRY TO HAVE A PRESENCE.
IN TOTAL, WE INVESTED $9,760 ON ITEMS SUCH AS PRINT MATERIALS LIKE FLYERS, TRI-FOLD STICKERS, AND BOOTHING MATERIALS SUCH AS TENT TABLECLOTH AND RETRACTABLE BANNERS.
SO THIS IS ONTO OUR OWNED MEDIA ITEMS THROUGH THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, A TOTAL OF 170 POSTS WERE MADE PROMOTING THE GIVE WATER BREAK MESSAGING, WATER CONSERVATION INFORMATION, AND DROUGHT INFORMATION.
ALL OF THESE POSTS WERE UNPAID AND ACHIEVED A TOTAL OF 200,953 IMPRESSIONS.
THE MAJORITY OF THESE POSTS ARE MADE ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK, BUT WE ALSO UTILIZED INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND NEXTDOOR.
THE WEBPAGE, UH, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS GIVE WATER BREAK WEBPAGE, WHICH INCLUDES DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT DROUGHT STAGE, WATER CONSERVATION TIPS, OUTREACH EVENTS, OUTREACH PROGRAMS, AND OTHER HOUSTON WATER CAMPAIGNS.
RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 99,592 WEBPAGE VISITS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THE ENTIRE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS WEBPAGE ACTUALLY RECEIVED AN ALL AROUND FACELIFT IN LATE OCTOBER OF 2022, WHICH ALLOWED US TO ADD THE ADDITIONAL CONTENT THAT'S THERE NOW.
AND HOUSTON WATER DID NOT INVEST ANY FUNDING INTO THE WEBPAGE AT THIS POINT.
IT'S ALL BEEN DONE INTERNALLY.
CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES OR C-A-S-C-C-A-S IS BASICALLY THE BILLING DEPARTMENT IN REGARD TO OUR WATER BILLS.
THROUGH, THROUGH CAS, WE WERE ABLE TO RUN ON BILL MESSAGING, WHICH IS BASICALLY
[00:55:01]
EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.WE CAN PUT A SMALL AMOUNT OF TEXT DIRECTLY ONTO THE WATER BILLS THAT ARE MAILED OUT TO THE CUSTOMERS.
SO THE PHOTO ON THE RIGHT SHOWS THE AREAS HIGHLIGHTED IN ORANGE, WHERE ON THE BUILD MESSAGING CAN BE PLACED.
WE ALSO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO UTILIZE BILL INSERTS, WHICH ARE A SMALL, UH, FULL COLOR FLYER THAT CAN BE ADDED INTO EACH OF THE MAILED PAPER WATER BILLS.
AND THEN ALSO WE CAN UTILIZE EMAIL BLASTS WHICH GO OUT TO ALL OF THE CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE OPTED TO RECEIVE THEIR BILLS ELECTRONICALLY.
THE GRAPHIC IN THE CENTER OF THE SLIDE IS A SCREENSHOT OF AN E-BLAST THAT WENT OUT.
CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES HAS BEEN AN AMAZING RESOURCE WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNICATING AND EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
THROUGH A COMBINATION OF ON BILL MESSAGING BILL INSERTS AND A MULTITUDE OF EMAIL BLASTS, WE ACHIEVED 6,130,000 IMPRESSIONS.
OUR INVESTMENT COST OF 9,000, UH, $172 COMES FROM THE PRINT COST FOR BILL INSERTS.
OKAY, NOW I'M GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT OUR PAID ADVERTISING, BUT BEFORE I GO INTO EACH OF THE OUTLETS, I WANT TO EXPLAIN THE INVESTMENT FOCUS STRATEGY.
SO FOR ALL OF THE PAID ADVERTISING, THE BROAD AUDIENCE WAS ALL CITY OF HOUSTON ZIP CODES.
THEN WE PUT AN INCREASED FOCUS OR SPENDING INTO A FEW DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
THE FIRST CATEGORY WAS CUSTOMERS LIVING IN ZIP CODES WITH A LARGER NUMBER OF HIGH WATER USERS.
WE DETERMINED THESE ZIP CODES BY LOOKING AT WATER BILLING INFORMATION DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS AND ACCOUNTS USING AN AVERAGE OF GREATER THAN 10,000 GALLONS OF WATER A MONTH WERE LABELED AS HIGH WATER USERS.
THE 20 ZIP CODES WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF HIGH WATER USERS RECEIVED INCREASED ADVERTISING INVESTMENT.
AND JUST FOR A VISUAL AS TO WHERE THESE ZIP CODES ARE LOCATED IN THE MAP ON THE RIGHT, THE DARKER THE SHADE OF THE CENSUS TRACK, THE HIGHER THE WATER USAGE.
THE NEXT CATEGORY WAS CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN COMPLETE COMMUNITIES.
AN ADVERTISING FOCUS WAS PUT ON THESE ZIP CODES TO MAKE SURE THE MESSAGING AND EDUCATION WERE RECEIVED BY HOUSTON'S UNDERSERVED AREAS WHERE CONSERVATION CAN POTENTIALLY HELP WITH WATER AFFORDABILITY.
AND THE LAST CATEGORY THAT RECEIVED INCREASED ADVERTISING INVESTMENT WAS CUSTOMERS WITH INTERNET OR RADIO OR INTERNET OR VIDEO SEARCHES INDICATING THEY HAVE AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM, A LEAK, A HIGH WATER BILL, OR QUESTIONS ABOUT LANDSCAPING FOR THE TIMING OF THE AD PLACEMENTS.
ALL OF THE ADVERTISING SPENDING WAS UTILIZED LEADING UP TO OR DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN HOUSTON EXPERIENCES HIGHER WATER DEMAND ISSUES DUE TO INCREASED LANDSCAPING, IRRIGATION.
AND FOR ALL OF THE PAID ADVERTISING, THE GRAPHICS AND VIDEOS USED EITHER EDUCATE ABOUT THE CURRENT DROUGHT STAGE OR PROVIDING GENERAL WATER CONSERVATION TIPS AND INFORMATION.
SO NOW I'LL GO INTO EACH OF THE, UM, PAID ADVERTISING OUTLETS.
UH, THEY WERE RUN FOR A TOTAL OF 13 WEEKS AND RESULTED IN 686,320 IMPRESSIONS.
THE GOOGLE ADS GENERATED 34,120 CLICKS TO THE GIVE WATER BREAK WEBPAGE AND HAD AN INVESTMENT COST OF $8,414.
NOTABLY, THE AVERAGE COST PER CLICK FOR THE ADS CAME IN AT JUST UNDER 25 CENTS PER CLICK.
ACCORDING TO GOOGLE ADS INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS, THE AVERAGE COST PER CLICK FOR EDUCATIONAL CONTENT IS 49 CENTS, AND GOVERNMENTAL CONTENT IS 81 CENTS.
HAVING A MUCH LOWER AVERAGE COST PER CLICK SPEAKS TO THE CAMPAIGN'S ABILITY TO CATCH PEOPLE'S ATTENTION.
YOUTUBE ADS, UH, THEY WERE RUN FOR A TOTAL OF EIGHT WEEKS AND RESULTED IN 843,603 IMPRESSIONS.
THE INVESTMENT COST WAS $3,934.
THESE ADS APPEARED AS A SKIPPABLE OR A SHORT NONS SKIPPABLE VIDEO THAT PLAYS BEFORE THE YOUTUBE VIDEO STARTS.
AS STREAMING SERVICES LIKE HULU BECOME MORE AND MORE POPULAR, IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO INCLUDE, INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE IN THE MARKETING PLAN.
THIS WAS HOUSTON WATER'S FIRST TIME ADVERTISING THROUGH HULU.
PREVIOUSLY HULU'S MINIMUM BUDGET REQUIREMENT WAS A LITTLE BIT HIGH FOR US, BUT LUCKILY THEY RECENTLY REDUCED THE MINIMUM BUDGET, WHICH ALLOWED US TO GIVE IT A TRY.
THE ADS WERE RUN FOR THREE WEEKS, HAD AN INVESTMENT COST OF $3,000, AND GENERATED 179,390 IMPRESSIONS.
TV ADVERTISING FOR TV ADVERTISING.
WE UTILIZED TRADITIONAL TV ADS THROUGH A BC CHANNEL 13, WHICH AIRED MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, 5:00 AM TO 11:30 PM SPECIFICALLY DURING NEWS PROGRAMMING.
UH, WE ALSO USED FOX, UH, STREAMING ADS THAT AIRED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 12:00 AM TO 12:00 PM THE STATIONS WERE SELECTED BASED ON OBTAINING THE HIGHEST VIEWERSHIP NUMBERS.
DURING THE TIME OF THE ADVERTISING RUN, 55 TRADITIONAL TV SPOTS WERE AIRED AND ALL OF THE TV ADVERTISING COMBINED GENERATED NEARLY 4.6 MILLION IMPRESSIONS.
THE ADVERTISEMENTS RAN FOR NINE WEEKS AND THE INVESTMENT COST WAS $13,410.
[01:00:02]
RADIO ADVERTISING TO REACH A VARIED AUDIENCE, A MIXTURE OF RADIO STATIONS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT MUSIC GENRES WERE SELECTED, INCLUDING CONTEMPORARY ADULT COUNTRY AND SPANISH LANGUAGE.ALONG WITH NPR NEWS STATION 88.7, THE ADS WERE READ LIVE ON THE AIR DURING TRAFFIC AND NEWS UPDATES, AND RAN FOR A TOTAL OF 10 WEEKS.
THE ADS ACHIEVED OVER 3 MILLION IMPRESSIONS AND HAD AN INVESTMENT COST OF $16,810.
LASTLY, FOR OUR, OUR, OUR PAID MEDIA IS OUR WORK WITH OUR HIRED PR AGENT THAT SPANISH OR SPECIALIZES IN SPANISH SPEAKING MEDIA.
THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, WE COORDINATED INTERVIEWS WITH SPANISH SPEAKING TV OUTLETS, INFLUENCER PARTNERSHIPS, PRINT STORIES, DIGITAL STORIES, RADIO STORIES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA OUTREACH.
ADDITIONALLY, THE HIRED PR AGENT HAS HELPED HOUSTON WATER TO BE MORE PLUGGED IN WITH LOCAL HISPANIC ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES TO ALLOW FOR OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION.
A TOTAL OF 42 MEDIA SPOTS WITH NEARLY, UH, 2,100,000 IMPRESSIONS WERE ACHIEVED, AND THE INVESTMENT COST WAS $8,000.
AND SO THIS SLIDE, IT TOTALS ALL OF THE INVESTMENTS MADE FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE GIVE WATER BREAK CAMPAIGN.
SO THAT INCLUDES THE CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT DESIGN AND THE CREATIVE, ALL THE VIDEOS, GRAPHICS AND MATERIALS, ALL OF THE PAID ADVERTISING THAT I JUST WENT OVER, THE HISPANIC, UH, PR COSTS AND OUR OUTREACH MATERIALS.
SO ALL OF OUR BILL INSERTS AND MAGNET STICKERS, UH, TRIFOLDS, THE TENTS, EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE, THE TOTAL INVESTMENT IN THE WATER CONSERVATION AND DROUGHT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WAS $98,732.
AND JUST NOTING THAT THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE STAFF HOURS FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CAMPAIGN.
SO, AS WE LEARNED EARLIER, IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MEASURE DIRECT WATER SAVINGS FROM OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS, BUT WE CAN, HOWEVER, LOOK AT THE REACH AND COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAMPAIGN.
ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, A COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH AND PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM WOULD RANGE IN COSTS STARTING AT 25 CENTS PER CUSTOMER YEAR TO SEVERAL DOLLARS PER CUSTOMER PER YEAR.
WITH HOUSTON'S CUSTOMER POPULATION OF 2,529,611, A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF $98,732.
THE COST PER CUSTOMER PER YEAR INVESTED IN THE CAMPAIGN WAS AROUND 4 CENTS.
JUST DEMONSTRATING THAT HOUSTON'S BUDGET FOR THE WATER CONSERVATION CAMPAIGN IS WELL BELOW, UM, THE RECOMMENDED AVERAGE.
IN TOTAL, THE CAMPAIGN ACHIEVED OVER 17.9 MILLION IMPRESSIONS WITH A COST PER IMPRESSION OF 0.01 CENTS.
LOOKING FORWARD, IN FISCAL YEAR 24, WE PLAN TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND IMPLEMENT THE CAMPAIGN THROUGH THE COUNCIL ACTION THAT WAS PASSED IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR.
$50,000 HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED TO CONTINUE TO FUND GIVE WATER BREAK.
THE PLAN SPENDING INCLUDES, UM, CONTINUED PAID, PAID ADVERTISING FOR THE CAMPAIGN, THE CREATION OF ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, VIDEOS AND GRAPHICS COVERING ADDITIONAL WATER CONSERVATION TOPICS, UM, MORE TRANSLATED MATERIALS AND CREATING MATERIALS GEARED TOWARDS STUDENTS AND CHILDREN.
ADDITIONALLY, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS WAS AWARDED A $50,000 GRANT BY THE TEXAS COMMISSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY THROUGH THE GALVESTON BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM.
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE GIVE WATER BREAK CAMPAIGN.
THE GRANT WAS AWARDED THROUGH THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE, WHICH AIMS TO PROMOTE PROGRAMS THAT ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND FOSTER ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY.
WE WERE THRILLED THAT THE GALVESTON BAY ESRA PROGRAM SAW THE MERIT OF THE CAMPAIGN AND WANTED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
THE GRANT FUNDS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN FISCAL YEAR 24 AND WILL FURTHER SUPPORT CAMPAIGN ADVERTISING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.
AND FINALLY, OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS WANNA BRAG A LITTLE BECAUSE IN 2023, THE CAMPAIGN RECEIVED THE HIGHEST AWARD AVAILABLE, THE PLATINUM AWARD IN THE INTERNATIONAL A VA DIGITAL AWARDS COMPETITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN CONCEPT DESIGN AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION.
UM, IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. AL ULRICH.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, THIS WAS SOMETHING I ASKED FOR WHEN WE VOTED ON THE ITEM, AND IT WAS REALLY HELPFUL TO SEE, UM, THAT PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY CLICKING ON IT
YOU KNOW, WE VOTE ON THIS SOMETIMES AND NEVER SEE ANY RESULTS IF IT WAS SUCCESSFUL, IF IT WAS NOT.
AND SO THIS IS JUST REALLY HELPFUL TO SEE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MONEY THAT WE DID SPEND ON THIS, THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT IT.
I'M GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PRESENT OUT THE NUMBERS AND LET YOU GUYS SEE WHERE THAT SPENDING WENT.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REQUEST.
'CAUSE I FOUND THAT REALLY INTERESTING TOO.
AND, AND NOW THAT WE'RE IN THIS VOLUNTARY DROUGHT SITUATION, IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE CAN SERVE.
AND, AND, UM, SO THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ON THE AWARD
[01:05:01]
AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.I DID, I DO THINK WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER WHO IS PRESENT, UM, ON THIS ISSUE.
MEMBERS OF THE TTI AND VICE CHAIR SALLY HOR.
MY NAME'S STEPHANIE VALDEZ AND I'M THE WATER JUSTICE ORGANIZER.
WITH THE COALITION FOR ENVIRONMENTS EQUITY AND RESILIENCE, WATER JUSTICE IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT AND AMONG ITS CRUCIAL DIMENSIONS, WATER AFFORDABILITY AND AVAILABILITY ARE OF THE UTMOST SIGNIFICANCE.
HOWEVER, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES FACE WATER RELATED CHALLENGES AND ARE OFTEN DIS APPROPRIATE, DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS.
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY EXCITEMENT AND GRATITUDE FOR THE GIVE WATER A BREAK CAMPAIGN INITIATED BY THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL.
IT'S HEARTENING TO WITNESS PROACTIVE STEPS BEING TAKEN TO ENSURE WATER CONSERVATION AND EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION, ESPECIALLY DURING DROUGHTS BROUGHT ON BY CLIMATE CHANGE.
THIS CAMPAIGN RIGHTLY RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBILITY TO CLEAN WATER, ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES FACED BY MANY DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES BY PRIORITIZING WATER CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY.
WE TAKE SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARDS BUILDING A RESILIENT FUTURE FOR ALL, REGARDLESS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
AS SEER, WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS AND WILL BE HONORED TO HAVE A MEETING TO DISCUSS CRITICAL ISSUES RELATED TO WATER AND CLIMATE JUSTICE.
THE JOURNEY OF WATER JUSTICE IS NOT SOLELY ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN, BUT IT IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN HUMAN DIGNITY AND SOCIAL EQUITY.
THE WELLBEING OF OUR COMMUNITIES DEPEND ON EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THIS PRECIOUS RESOURCE, AND WE MUST ENSURE THAT THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US ARE PRIORITIZED IN THESE EFFORTS.
THANK YOU STEPHANIE, AND THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK YOU DO AT SEER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
NEXT WE'LL BRING UP DAVID WARDLOW, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TO DISCUSS HOME ELEVATION GRANTS.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
KEN DAVID WARDLOW, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, I'M JOINED TODAY BY MY GRANTS MANAGEMENT TEAM.
WE HAVE LUCY CORREA ASSISTANT, UH, DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AS WELL AS BRIAN RAM, WHO LEADS THE HOME ELEVATION PROGRAM FOR US.
ALSO, SEAN SFUS HAS RECENTLY JOINED THE TEAM, SO I WANNA RECOGNIZE THEM FOR THEIR EFFORTS ON THIS PROGRAM.
I'M HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF UPDATE ON OUR HOME ELEVATION GRANT PROGRAM AND PROVIDE A, A PREVIEW OF A REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION.
AND JORDAN, UH, COULD YOU NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AS YOU'VE SEEN FROM OTHER PRESENTATIONS, WE LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEGINNING OF OUR PRESENTATIONS.
OUR PURPOSE FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
TOGETHER, WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR HOUSTON THRIVE TO THRIVE.
WE GOT THE VALUES
AND THEY SPEAK TO WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND HOW WE DO IT.
ON THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT IS HOUSED WITHIN OUR GRANTS MANAGEMENT TEAM, UH, WITHIN THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES SECTION OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.
AND IN ADDITION TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY WE SUPPORT.
UH, WE DO SERVE AS THE PASS THROUGH, UH, GRANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR PERFORMING HOME ELEVATIONS, PRIMARILY USING FUNDS UNDER FEMA'S FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE OR FMA PROGRAM.
UH, I WILL JUST NOTE, UH, AS OUR PREVIOUS, UH, SPEAKER TALKED ABOUT, THIS PROGRAM IS MANAGED THROUGH THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD AGAIN.
SO THIS IS A KIND OF A PROGRAM THAT THEY ALSO ASSIST WITH OUTSIDE OF WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK OF AS THEIR CORE PROGRAMS. ALRIGHT, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FMA HOME ELEVATION PROGRAM.
IT IS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE RISK OF REPETITIVE FLOOD LOSS FOR HOMES.
AND IT REQUIRES THE, UM, PROPERTIES TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE FLOODPLAIN ORDINANCE.
SO BASICALLY ELEVATING THOSE HOMES.
I WILL NOTE, UH, THE KEY DISTINCTION BETWEEN ELEVATION AND BUYOUTS.
'CAUSE WE DO RECEIVE THAT QUESTION FROM TIME TO TIME.
UH, AND IN ELEVATION WE'RE KEEPING THAT PROPERTY ACTIVE IN HOUSING STOCK AND AS A CITY ON THE TAX ROLL AS OPPOSED TO A BUYOUT, RIGHT, WHERE THAT IS NOW PERPETUALLY IN GREEN SPACE REMOVED FROM THE TAX ROLL.
UM, AND YOU END UP WITH THESE POCKETS OF MISSING THINGS IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO WE DO LIKE TO, UH, HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS PROGRAM IS VERY VALUABLE IN KEEPING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS INTACT, KEEPING PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES, PARTICIPATING IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
I WILL NOTE IT IS A VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION PROGRAM.
[01:10:01]
AND JUST, UH, SINCE INCEPTION I'VE GOT SOME FIGURES LATER.WE HAVE ELEVATED 50 HOMES, UH, THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
I'VE GOT SOME EXAMPLES FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE.
UH, THIS IS A TYPICAL EXAMPLE THAT YOU SEE.
UM, SO IT'S A RELATIVELY MODEST LIFT IN THIS CASE, UH, BUT YOU'LL SEE THE TYPE OF, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE COVERED WITHIN THE GRANT.
THIS IS A SLIGHTLY LARGER HOUSE.
OH, I THINK WE MIGHT'VE MISSED A SLIDE IN THERE.
UM, I WAS GONNA SHOW YOU AN EXAMPLE THAT SHOWED SOME IMPROVEMENTS, UH, POST ELEVATION AS WELL.
THE GRANT, UH, COSTS ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE ELEVATION OF THE STRUCTURE TO MEET THE FLOODPLAIN ORDINANCE.
ELEVATION COSTS ANY NECESSARY MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING COSTS, UH, AS WELL AS A TEMPORARY HOUSING ALLOWANCE.
UM, THERE ARE A FEW UPGRADES THAT WE CAN INCLUDE WITHIN THE BASIC ELEVATION GRANT, UH, PROGRAM.
UH, SO SOME ADDITIONAL ELEVATION FOLKS MIGHT CHOOSE TO PAY TO ELEVATE THEIR HOME ABOVE THAT REQUIRED MINIMUM LEVEL, UH, CHANGES TO THE BLOCKING MATERIAL THAT ENCLOSES THE SPACE UNDERNEATH THEIR HOME.
UH, GENERALLY THESE ARE ITEMS THAT HAVE TO BE PERFORMED AT THE TIME OF ELEVATION.
THINGS THAT ARE PURELY AESTHETIC OR THINGS THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE LATER HAVE TO BE DONE UNDER A SEPARATE CONTRACT LATER.
AND THE EXAMPLE I WAS GONNA SHOW YOU, UH, THIS HOME, UH, THEY HAD ELECTED TO DO, UH, A NICE BRICK WRAP OF THE, UH, THE ELEVATION, UH, WITH A PORCH ARCHITECTURAL STAIRS, UH, AND LANDSCAPING.
UM, AND, UM, THE AVERAGE ELEVATION COST FOR COMPLETED, UM, HOMES HAS BEEN ABOUT $290,000.
OUR CURRENT BIDS ARE ACTUALLY TRENDING A LITTLE BIT LESS THAN THAT DUE TO SMALLER HOUSING SIZES, UM, AND SOME OTHER FACTORS INVOLVED.
UM, I WILL NOTE THIS IS NOT THE ONLY OPTION AVAILABLE TO PROPERTY OWNERS, RIGHT.
WE DO SEE A LOT OF PRIVATE ACTIVITY HAPPENING IN THESE COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
EITHER THEY'RE DOING ELEVATION ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT THE GRANT ASSISTANCE, UM, OR THEY'RE GOING.
AND SOMETIMES WE SEE RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THESE, THESE PROPERTIES AS WELL.
I, I DO WANNA REITERATE THE PROGRAM PROVIDES THIS GRANT ASSISTANCE, UH, THAT ALLOWS THESE PROPERTY OWNERS TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES AND THEIR EXISTING COMMUNITIES.
UM, SOME NOTES FOR WHAT IS REQUIRED UNDER THE PROGRAM TO PARTICIPATE.
AGAIN, WE'RE SEEKING TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE RISK OF REPETITIVE LOSS IN FUTURE CLAIMS TO THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.
SO THE REQUIREMENT IS YOU HAVE TO BE A PARTICIPATING MEMBER WITH A FLOOD INSURANCE POLICY.
UH, JUST AS A SIDEBAR, A NUMBER OF OUR CURRENT AND, UH, RECENT PARTICIPATING PROPERTIES HAVE SEEN 5, 6, 7, EVEN SOMETIMES UP TO 11 FLOOD LOSSES, UH, WITH PAYOUTS FROM THE FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM EXCEEDING A MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, THE PROGRAM REQUIRES THESE ELEVATIONS TO BE COST EFFECTIVE UNDER FEMA RULES, EITHER THROUGH PRE-CALCULATED BENEFITS.
NOW, IF THE COST FOR ELEVATION IS UNDER $205,000, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO A MORE ELABORATE BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS, BUT WE CAN DO A SEPARATE BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS AS WELL.
UM, THERE'S CERTAINLY BEEN CRITICISM OF THE PROGRAM AND THE COST THAT IT IS TO ELEVATE SOME OF THESE STRUCTURES, UH, AND THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE.
UM, BUT I DO WANNA NOTE AGAIN THAT THE PROGRAM DIRECTLY BENEFITS THE PARTICIPATING PROPERTY OWNERS AND IT REDUCES THE LONG-TERM LIABILITY TO THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM.
AND BY EXTENSION, THOSE SAVINGS PASS ON TO THE PARTICIPATING RATE PAYERS AND TO THE TAXPAYERS THAT BACKSTOP THAT PROGRAM.
ALRIGHT, SO THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE DIFFERENT COST, UM, SHARES THAT ARE INVOLVED DEPENDING ON THE PARTICULAR LOSS HISTORY OF A, OF A, OF A, UH, HOUSE, UM, UNDER NON-REPETITIVE LOSS.
SO THIS IS WHERE THERE'S BEEN AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, EVENT OR A NO EVENT.
UH, AND YOU'RE IN THIS, UH, THE, UM, THE FLOOD HAZARD AREA, UM, OR YOU'VE HAD MULTIPLE EVENTS, BUT THEY'VE BEEN OUTSIDE A 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIOD.
SO THE HOMEOWNERS ARE PARTICIPATING, UH, AND PUTTING SOME, SOME FUNDING INTO THE ELEVATION.
UH, IF YOUR PROPERTY, UH, QUALIFIES AS A REPETITIVE LOST STRUCTURE, THIS IS WHERE THERE'S BEEN MORE THAN TWO CLAIMS, UH, FOR OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS WITHIN ANY ROLLING 10 YEAR PERIOD, UH, SINCE 1978.
UM, THEN YOU QUALIFY AS A REPETITIVE LOSS AND YOU GET A 90 10 COST SHARE IF YOU QUALIFY AS SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS.
THIS IS WHERE THERE'S BEEN MORE THAN FOUR CLAIMS TOTALING, UH, $20,000.
SO $5,000 EACH IN A 10 YEAR PERIOD.
OR YOU'VE HAD TWO CLAIMS WHERE THE, UH, PAYOUT HAS EXCEEDED, UH, I BELIEVE THE, UH, BUILDING'S VALUE.
UH, THEN YOU QUALIFY AS SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS, UM, AND YOU GET POTENTIALLY A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE, UH, GRAND COSTS COVERED BY THE PROGRAM.
WE HAVE, I WILL NOTE, SEEN THE STATE STEP IN AND COVER THE NON-FEDERAL SHARE IN AT LEAST ONE YEAR, UH, FROM THE NEW TEXAS INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCY FUND AFTER HARVEY.
UH, THIS IS AT THE BOARD'S DISCRETION AND WE'RE YET TO SEE IF THIS SUPPORT WILL CONTINUE LONG TERM.
GONNA GIVE YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM ACTIVITY SINCE INCEPTION.
[01:15:02]
ALRIGHT.SO THE GRANTS THAT WE HAVE, UH, ESSENTIALLY COMPLETED AT THIS POINT STEMMING FROM THE 2015 AND 2016 APPLICATIONS.
AGAIN, THIS IS LARGELY ACTIVITY COMING OUT OF THE HARVEY, I'M SORRY, THE MEMORIAL DAY AND THE TAX DAY FLOOD EVENTS.
UM, THE APPLICATION CYCLE BEGINS IN THE FALL SO THAT YOU SAW EACH YEAR THOSE FOLKS ROLL INTO THE PROGRAM.
NOT EVERYBODY ELECTS TO PROCEED UNDER THE PROGRAM OR THEY MAY BECOME INELIGIBLE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME.
UH, THEY FAIL TO MAINTAIN INSURANCE.
UH, A NEW OWNER OF THE PROPERTY MAKES A DIFFERENT DECISION, UH, OR THEY'VE ELECTED TO GO A DIFFERENT WAY.
THEY HAVE PRIVATE ELEVATION OR RECONSTRUCTION.
SO YOU SEE, UH, FROM THESE TWO FMA GRANTS, WE'VE COMPLETED 49 ELEVATIONS.
SO, THE GRANTS THAT ARE AWARDED AND PENDING AT THIS POINT, A TOTAL 177 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES.
AND THIS TOUCHES ALL 11 OF THE DISTRICTS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UH, THEY'RE BASICALLY AT THE STAGE WHERE WE'VE ACCEPTED BIDS.
I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS IN A MOMENT AND THEY'RE ABOUT TO BEGIN ELEVATIONS.
UH, AND AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, THESE WERE LARGELY SPURRED BY HURRICANE HARVEY LOSSES.
AND THEN WE HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL YEARS THAT ARE KIND OF IN THE QUEUE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD WAITING A GRANT AGREEMENT FOR THE 2021 APPLICATION.
AND ON 2022, WE EXPECT THE AWARD.
UH, BUT IT'S NOT FORMALLY BEEN AWARDED YET.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER 58, UH, PROPERTIES THAT LOOK TO PARTICIPATE.
PLEASE TO BRIEFLY WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, SO EACH FALL WE ARE SOLICITING PROPERTY OWNER INTEREST.
THAT'S IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM APPLICATION CYCLE.
UM, AFTER WE SUBMIT THOSE APPLICATIONS IN THE LATE FALL, UH, I THINK NOVEMBER DECEMBER TIME PERIOD, UH, THE DECISION TIMELINE DOES VARY.
UH, DEPENDING ON THE YEAR IN QUESTION, IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE FOR HARVEY.
UM, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ABOUT SIX TO 12 MONTHS AFTER APPLICATION.
WE FIND OUT IF, UH, THOSE PROGRAMS WILL MOVE FORWARD AND THEN IT TAKES US ANOTHER SIX TO NINE MONTHS, UH, OR SO, UH, TO GET UNDER AGREEMENT WITH THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD POST THE GRANT, UH, AWARD.
UH, WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF STEPS WE DO FOLLOW.
WE COME TO YOU, UH, AGAIN WITH ANOTHER ACTION TO AUTHORIZE THE GRANT.
UH, SO YOU ALL ARE SEEING AT THAT POINT THE SPECIFIC LIST OF, UH, ADDRESSES THAT ARE COVERED BY THE GRANT COMING TO YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL.
UH, FOLLOWING GRANT ACCEPTANCE, UH, WE DO PRE-QUALIFY OUR CONTRACTORS, UH, THROUGH A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A POOL OF SIX CONTRACTORS THAT WE, UH, HANDLED THAT THIS EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UH, WE WORK TO BID THE ELEVATION PROJECTS WITH BID WALKS.
UH, PRESENT THESE BIDS TO OUR HOMEOWNERS.
THEY'RE ALLOWED TO SELECT, UH, FROM THE BIDS THAT MEET THE GRANT REQUIREMENTS.
SO WITHIN THE GRANT BUDGET, THEY MIGHT GET TO PICK, UH, WHICH CONTRACTOR THAT THEY USE.
UH, WE WORK THEM TO DETERMINE WHAT ELIGIBLE OR ANY INELIGIBLE COSTS THEY WANT TO ADD TO THE AGREEMENT.
THERE ARE THREE AGREEMENTS INVOLVED.
UM, THERE'S A HOMEOWNER CONTRACTOR ELEVATION AGREEMENT THAT IS THE CORE CONTRACT FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY DO THE ELEVATION.
THE CITY IS NOT A PARTY TO THAT AGREEMENT.
IT IS BETWEEN THE HOMEOWNER AND THE CONTRACTOR.
UH, THE CITY IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE, ESSENTIALLY THE PASS THEIR GRANT FUNDS WITH THE ELEVATION AGREEMENT WITH THE HOMEOWNER, AS WELL AS NOW A NEW AGREEMENT THAT WE INSTITUTED AFTER OUR, OUR CHALLENGES WITH A, A CONTRACTOR GOING BANKRUPT, AN ESCROW AGREEMENT WHERE WE ARE ACT AS THE FIDUCIARY FOR ALL OF THE COSTS THAT THE HOMEOWNER'S RESPONSIBLE FOR.
WHETHER THAT'S THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE GRANT SHARE OR ANY OF THOSE ADDITIONAL COSTS, THE CITY HOLDS ONTO THOSE FUNDS.
AND AS WORK IS PERFORMED, WE RELEASE IT TO THE CONTRACTOR.
THEY'RE NOT WRITING A CHECK UPFRONT TO THE CONTRACTOR IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH THAT CONTRACTOR.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE DONE TO HELP PROTECT HOMEOWNERS IN THE PROGRAM.
UM, FOLLOWING THAT, UH, TRADITIONALLY WE BRING EACH OF THESE, THE TWO AGREEMENTS I MENTIONED, THAT THE CITY IS A PARTY TO, TO CITY COUNCIL FOR ACTION.
UM, AND THEN, UH, ONCE THOSE ARE COMPLETED, UH, THE CONTRACTOR CAN OBTAIN THEIR BONDING AND THE NTP FOR THE PROJECT CAN BEGIN, UH, ONCE EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE.
UH, TYPICAL ELEVATIONS TAKE ABOUT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE ONCE THE CONTRACTOR IS ON SITE AND WORKING.
UM, BUT I DID WANNA NOTE THERE, RIGHT, YOU SAW ABOUT 220 ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES ALREADY IN THE QUEUE.
TWO AGREEMENTS FOR THOSE THAT MOVE FORWARD.
UM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO TO 300 COUNCIL ACTIONS ON FOLKS LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ELEVATIONS IN THE VERY NEAR TERM.
SO WHY ARE WE HERE? UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, WE'RE HERE TO PRESENT A PROPOSAL TO HELP EXPEDITE OUR ABILITY TO MOVE THIS PROGRAM FORWARD AND NOT AWAIT.
YOU'VE ALREADY ACTED ON THE AGREEMENT.
YOU'VE ALREADY ACTED ON THE, ON THE APPLICATION TO THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEKING.
TO HELP EXPEDITE, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND REDUCE THE, QUITE FRANKLY, UH, PILING UP ITEMS ON YOUR AGENDA, UH, IS TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE THESE HOMEOWNER IN ESCROW AGREEMENTS.
UM, WE WOULD PROPOSE TO BRING TO YOU
[01:20:01]
IN ACTION FOR EACH GRANT THAT WOULD OUTLINE BASICALLY HERE THE NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS WE ANTICIPATE.HERE'S THE LIMIT OF GRANT FUNDING INVOLVED, AND THEN DELEGATE TO, UM, THE MAYOR AND, AND THE DIRECTOR THE ABILITY TO ENTER INTO THOSE AGREEMENTS AND EXECUTE THE PROGRAM.
FOR ANY FUTURE GRANTS, WE WOULD INCLUDE THAT ACTION WITH THE GRANT ACCEPTANCE.
SO AGAIN, YOU WOULD SEE AND ACT ON THIS AT LEAST TWICE AND APPLICATION AND A GRANT AWARD.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE YOU WOULDN'T SEE THIS ACTIVITY COMING THROUGH.
BUT WE WOULD AVOID HAVING TO COME THROUGH WITH EVERY PROPERTY FOR EVERY SINGLE, UM, AMENDMENT, UH, OR, UM, AGREEMENT COMING THROUGH.
UH, I WOULD NOTE IN BOTH CASES WE WOULD NOTIFY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WHEN THE HOMEOWNER AGREEMENTS ARE READY TO BE EXECUTED FOR TRANSPARENCY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM.
SO KEEPING COUNCIL MEMBERS INFORMED IS, IS IMPERATIVE FOR US.
SO WE WILL BE PERFORMING ONGOING STATUS REPORTS.
AGAIN, THIS IS A HIGH VOLUME OF ACTIVITY FOR THIS PROGRAM.
SO, UH, NOTIFYING YOU ALL OF THE STATUS OF HOMEOWNER AGREEMENTS ONCE CONSTRUCTION IS IN GOING ON, WHAT THE PROGRESS OF THAT IS AND AS THINGS ARE COMPLETED.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, UH, THIS IS, WE THINK A VALUABLE PROGRAM, UH, TO, TO KEEP AGAIN, COMMUNITIES WHOLE.
UH, SO WORKING WITH YOU ALL FOR ADDITIONAL OUTREACH FOR FUTURE CYCLES WE THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT AS WELL.
AND I THINK THAT IS IT AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. WARDLOW.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES OR STAFF? OKAY, GREAT JOB.
NEXT WE WILL BRING ON BERTFORD.
DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSTON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TO TALK ABOUT ENTERPRISE EMAIL, ARCHIVAL SYSTEM.
OKAY, GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF.
I'M RK FER WITH HITS AND WITH ME IS DIRECTOR LISA CANTON, CIO AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE, SUNNY COLEMAN.
UH, TODAY I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT AN ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM.
AND IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL BEGIN TO DIG INTO THE DETAILS.
SO HERE THE COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST IS A FOR A NEW CONTRACT WITH SHI GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS OR RESELLER.
THE UPCOMING COUNCIL ACTION WILL AUTHORIZE SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR A NEW THREE YEAR CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT FOR AN ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM.
THIS LEVERAGES A DEMI DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION RESOURCES CONTRACT AND PROVIDES FULL SUPPORT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON EMAIL BUSINESS LIFECYCLE ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY, A P EIGHT DASH 10 OF WHICH WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON AN UPCOMING SLIDES.
SO THE PREVIOUS CONTRACT AMOUNT WAS $2,310,034 AND 66 CENTS.
THE NEW CONTRACT AMOUNT, $2,244,135 AND 65 CENTS.
THE CONTRACT TERM WOULD START OCTOBER 12TH, 2023 AND RUN THROUGH OCTOBER 11TH, 2026.
THE MWBE GOAL FOR THIS CONTRACT IS EXEMPT AND THIS APPLIES TO ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT IS AN ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM.
SO FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THIS IS A CLOUD-BASED SYSTEM THAT WE USE TO SATISFY NUMEROUS REQUESTS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST FROM CITIZENS TO THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT HAVING REQUIREMENTS FOR HOLDS AND FOR EDISCOVERY ACTIONS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO MANAGE AT THE RETENTION STORAGE OF EMAIL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES COMMISSION OR T-S-L-A-C, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT MULTIPLE TIMES IN THIS PRESENTATION, WHICH INCLUDES THE MAINTENANCE, PRESERVATION, RETENTION, AND DESTRUCTION OF EMAILS PER THE POLICY THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE.
IN ADDITION, THIS SYSTEM IS CONFIGURED TO AUTOMATICALLY RETAIN EMAILS AND AUTOMATES THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE CITY RETENTION POLICY.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE SYSTEM ALSO SERVES AS A SEARCHABLE EMAIL REPOSITORY FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE CITY THAT CAN SEARCH THEIR EMAIL HISTORY DURING THEIR EMPLOYMENT AT THE CITY.
SO IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'RE GOING TO TRANSITION TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY EMAIL BUSINESS LIFECYCLE POLICY AP EIGHT DASH 10.
AND THE MAIN POINT OF THIS CONTENT IS THAT EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM IS IN COMPLETE SUPPORT AND ALIGNMENT AND ENFORCEMENT OF THIS POLICY.
SO THIS POLICY IS SPONSORED BY THE ADMINISTRATION, ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.
AND I'M GONNA GO THROUGH SOME OF THE DETAILS OF IT FROM A POLICY STATEMENT PERSPECTIVE.
ITS STATES EMAIL MAINTENANCE WILL CONFIRM TO
[01:25:01]
THE TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES COMMISSION, THE T-S-L-A-C REQUIREMENTS, PLUS OTHER GOVERNMENT CODES.IN ADDITION, IT, IT APPLIES POLICIES FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND A RA.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY IS TO ESTABLISH THE STANDARDS FOR CITY OF HOUSTON EMAIL LIFECYCLE, WHICH IS MANAGED BY HITS, WHICH INCLUDES THE MAINTENANCE, PRESERVATION, RETENTION, AND DESTRUCTION OF EMAILS FROM THE CITY PERSPECTIVE.
SO THE SCOPE APPLIES TO ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE GOVERNED BY THE T-S-L-A-C REQUIREMENTS WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL PEEL BACK THE ONION A LITTLE BIT AND TALK ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE POLICY.
SO EMAILS ARE MAINTAINED FOR CITY USERS FOR RETENTION PERIODS AS DEFINED BY THREE GROUPS.
ONE GROUP NON-REGULATED USERS.
THESE ARE STANDARD CITY EMPLOYEES THAT USE EMAIL ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS TO DO THEIR JOBS.
THE SECOND GROUP ARE REGULATED USERS.
THESE ARE USERS SPECIFICALLY DEFINED BY HR AND A RA BASED ON THEIR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AND THEIR EMAIL PROCESSING RELATED TO THEIR DUTIES.
THESE ARE USUALLY DECISION MAKE MAKERS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH WORK DEALING WITH CONTRACTS, POLICY GRANT PROPOSALS, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS, AND OTHERS.
AND THE THIRD GROUPING IS HOLDS.
SO THESE ARE PRESERVATION NOTICES.
LEGAL HOLDS ARE LITIGATION HOLDS WHICH REQUIRE PRESERVATION OF ALL DATA THAT MAY RETAIN TO LEGAL MATTERS FOR THE CITY.
AND OTHER INFORMATION REQUESTS LIKE PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUESTS, AUDITS, OR INVESTIGATIONS.
SO NOW THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE GROUPINGS, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SCHEDULE AND HOW THE POLICY REQUIRES THIS TO BE ENFORCED.
SO EMAIL WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ASSIGNED RETENTION PERIODS DEFINED BY RETENTION SCHEDULES AS DEFINED BY THE T-S-L-A-C AND THERE'S MULTIPLE CATEGORIES.
SO THE RETENTION SCHEDULE AS DEFINED IN THE POLICY IS A MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS THAT GROWS YEAR OVER YEAR.
THAT COULD BE AS LONG AS PERMANENT OF WHICH I'LL SHOW YOU DATA ON IN THE COMING SLIDES.
SO IF WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT GROUPINGS AND HOW THIS, THE POLICY IS REQUIRED FOR US TO ENFORCE FOR EACH DIFFERENT GROUPING.
SO NON-REGULATED USERS, THESE ARE EMAIL USERS FROM THE CITY THAT USE EMAIL ON THE REGULAR BASIS BY THE RETENTION REQUIREMENT IS TWO YEARS FOR THEIR EMAILS.
THE REGULATED USER EMAILS, AGAIN, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE DECISION MAKERS THAT ARE TIED TO POLICIES, GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND OTHERS HAVE A START OF A TWO YEAR DEFAULT, BUT THEN ARE STAGED YEAR OVER YEAR UP TO PERMANENT DEPENDING ON THE USE CASES.
SO LEMME GIVE YOU SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT, WHAT THAT THAT MEANS.
SO FOR REGULATED USERS, IF THE PHRASE IN AN EMAIL STATES THE TERM GRANT PROPOSAL, THE RETENTION REQUIREMENT IS THREE YEARS FOR THAT EMAIL.
FOR ANOTHER OPTION FOR A REGULATED USER ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, THE RETENTION REQUIREMENT FOR THAT FOR THE CITY IS FOUR YEARS.
FOR, FOR A REGULATED USER HAVING THE PHRASE ACCOUNT RECONCILIATION, THAT RETENTION REQUIREMENT IS FIVE YEARS.
AND THEN A PHRASE OF AGENT CONTRACTS HAS A RETIREMENT OR A RETENTION SCHEDULE OF INDEFINITE OR PERMANENT.
SO THOSE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF REAL WORLD CASES OF HOW THE, THE, THE POLICY IS IN PLACE THAT WE IN HITS MUST ENFORCE USING THE SYSTEM.
SO, AND OF COURSE LAST BUT NOT LEAST, EMAILS SUBJECT TO A HOLD REQUESTED BY LEGAL ARE MAINTAINED UNTIL LEGAL RELEASES THE HOLD AND ONCE RELEASED, THEN THE EMAILS FALL BACK INTO THE GROUPINGS THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT BASED ON RETENTION PERIODS BASED ON THE CONTENT OF WHAT'S IN THE EMAIL.
SO NOW THAT WE'VE COVERED ALL THE DIFFERENT DETAILS OF THE POLICY, WE NOW NEED TO DIG INTO THE POLICY AROUND DESTRUCTION OF EMAIL.
THE RETENTION PERIODS ARE SET IN THE C CITY'S EMAIL ARCHIVAL SOLUTION BASED ON CONTENT AS DEFINED BY THE T-S-L-A-C.
AND WHEN EMAILS MEET THE RETENTION REQUIREMENT, THE EMAILS ARE AUTOMATICALLY CLASSIFIED AS READY FOR DESTRUCTION.
SO THE POLICY STATES THAT HIT SELL CARRY OUT EMAIL DESTRUCTION ON THE SIXTH BUSINESS DAY OF EVERY MONTH FOR ALL EMAILS REACHING THEIR RETENTION PERIOD END DATE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE THAT ARE STILL ON HOLD.
AND I CAN CONFIRM THAT HITS, WE DO THIS CONSISTENTLY EVERY MONTH ON THE SIXTH BUSINESS DAY TO COMPLY WITH THE POLICY AND THEN EMAIL SUBJECT TO A HOLD ARE SET AS NON-ELIGIBLE FOR DESTRUCTION UNTIL THE HOLD IS REMOVED.
SO THAT COVERS THE DETAILS OF THE, THE AP POLICY EIGHT DASH 10 OF WHICH THIS ENTERPRISE EMAIL ARCHIVAL SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED AND COMPLETELY SUPPORTS.
SO, SO IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME SYSTEM GROWTH OVER TIME.
SO I HAVE A SNAPSHOT HERE OF TWO DATES.
ONE IS JULY OF 2018, AND THE SECOND IS CURRENT FROM JULY OF 20 20 23, THE MOST CURRENT.
AND WE HAVE TWO DATA POINTS TO TALK ABOUT.
ONE, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EMAILS THAT ARE STORED IN THE SYSTEM, AND TWO, THE STORAGE SIZE OF THOSE EMAILS.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS ALL IN, IN, IN SUPPORT OF THE POLICY
[01:30:01]
THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, IMPLEMENTING AND, AND AND MAINTAINING.SO IN JULY OF 2018, THE SYSTEM HAD OVER 210 MILLION EMAILS IN IT, WHICH TOOK UP A STORAGE SIZE OF 35.8 TERABYTES.
SO IF WE LOOK TO CURRENT TIMES OF JULY OF 2023, THE NUMBER OF EMAILS HAVE INCREASED TO 337 MILLION AND THE STORAGE SIZE HAS INCREASED TO 83 MILLION.
SO THAT EQUATES TO A 60% INCREASE IN NUMBER OF EMAILS AND 132% INCREASE IN STORAGE SIZE THAT'S REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE POLICY.
SO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON THE JULY, 2023 NUMBERS.
SO OF THE 337 MILLION EMAILS JUST UNDER 268 MILLION ARE LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS OLD AND APPROXIMATELY 69.5 MILLION ARE GREATER THAN SEVEN YEARS OLD.
SO JUST PEELING BACK THE ONION JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THOSE 69 MILLION JUST UNDER 32 MILLION ARE GREATER THAN 10 YEARS OLD AND ALMOST 28,000 EMAILS ARE OLDER THAN 20 YEARS OLD.
SO THE POINT BEING WE'RE WE HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLATES THAT'S DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED TO FULLY CO COMPLY AND SUPPORT THE POLICY FOR THE CITY.
SO NOW THAT WE'VE COVERED THE POLICY AND THIS USAGE OF THE SYSTEM, LET'S MOVE NOW TO THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
WHERE I'LL TALK ABOUT THE FINANCIALS AND OUR DETAILED EXPENSE BREAKDOWN AND, AND PROJECTED SPEND FOR THE DURATION OF THE CONTRACT.
SO THE PREVIOUS CONTRACT AMOUNT WAS $2,310,034 AND 66 CENTS.
THE NEW CONTRACT AMOUNT PROJECTED $2,244,135 AND 65 CENTS.
AND NOW FOR THE THREE YEARS OF THE CONTRACT, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE ANTICIPATED SPEND.
SO THE FIRST FISCAL YEAR FY 24, WE PROJECT TO SPEND $770,367 AND 43 CENTS.
AND THEN FOR EACH OF THE OUTLYING TWO YEARS OF THE CONTRACT FY 25 AND FY 26, WE ANTICIPATE SPENDING IN BOTH YEARS 736 DO $736,884 AND 11 CENTS, WHICH BRINGS US TO THE 2.24 MILLION TOTAL.
SO THAT COVERS THE MEAT AND THE CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATION.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS MOVE TO THE LAST SLIDE, WHICH IS THE Q AND A FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. COR FOR THIS IS FASCINATING.
IT REALLY IS HOW THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF EMAILS AND HOW LONG THEY'RE KEPT AND, AND THIS THIS, UH, THIS COMPANY WILL HELP.
THEY GO THROUGH IT AND SEE IF ANY OF THOSE KEY WORDS ARE IN THE EMAILS AND THEN THEY KNOW HOW TO THAT THEY SAVE 'EM OR YES, IT'S AUTOMATICALLY CONFIGURED.
WE DEFINE THE WORDS IN THE, IN THE SYSTEM FOR THE RETENTION AND IT AUTOMATICALLY CONFIGURES 'EM FOR THE EXAMPLES I USED FOR THE TIME PERIODS.
AND THEY'RE DEFINED BY THE T-S-L-A-C REQUIREMENTS AND THEN OUR A RA DEPARTMENT.
SO IT'S, IT'S ABLE TO JUST KEEP 'EM PROPER, BUT REGULAR OLD C CITY EMAILS THAT DON'T HAVE ANY OF THESE TRIGGER WORDS ARE JUST TWO, IT'S TWO YEARS.
UM, THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO PROOFPOINT IS THE CURRENT ARCHIVE SYSTEM, IS THAT RIGHT? UH, YES.
WE HAD NOT MENTIONED THE NAME FOR, FOR UH OH SORRY,
SO IS THIS GOING TO BE A SHIFT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY STAFFERS WHO WORK FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL? THAT IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE THOSE KEY EMAILS NOW? SO THAT, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
SO THE, THE SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED AS I MENTIONED, AND IT SHOULD BE MANAGING THE EMAIL FOR EACH USE CASE AS I MENTIONED, AS TO WHICH, WHICH USE CASE THERE MAY BE.
SO YOU MAY BE DEFINED AS A REGULATED USER, I'M NOT SURE IT'S DEFINED BY A RA AND THE T-S-L-A-C.
SO DEPENDING ON YOUR USE CASE AS COMPARED TO YOUR STAFF MEMBERS AND OTHER CITY EMPLOYEES, THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT RULES AND REGULATIONS TO COMPLY WITH THE POLICY.
I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THAT'S GOING TO WORK BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE KNOW WE CAN ALWAYS GO INTO THAT ARCHIVE SYSTEM AND FIND ANY EMAIL THAT WE EVER NEED, UM, IF THERE'S AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST OR SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT FOR WHATEVER REASON.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA LOSE THAT CAPABILITY AFTER, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, WILL THIS ALSO ALLOW HITS WHEN WE GET, UH, OR LEGAL DEPARTMENT WHEN WE GET AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST FOR THEM JUST TO DO THAT SEARCH AND AUTOMATICALLY PULL THE EMAILS RATHER THAN US DOING THAT? YES, THIS IS, IT'S THE ABILITY FOR ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO PULL SEARCH CRITERIA.
IT COULD BE LEGAL, IT COULD BE YOU AS NEEDED OR WHATEVER'S NEEDED FOR A CITY DEPARTMENT TO BE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUEST.
THAT'S, UM, APPRECIATED BECAUSE I ALWAYS GET WORRIED WITH THE OPEN RECORDS REQUEST THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET EVERY, EVERYTHING THAT'S BEING ASKED.
SO THAT'S GREAT IF YOU KNOW IT'S JUST AN AUTOMATIC SEARCH AND THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
SO THERE'S DIFFERENT, I MEAN THERE'S THE WORDS THAT TRIGGER THE, THE HOW LONG
[01:35:01]
THEY'RE KEPT AND THEN THERE ARE THERE CLASSIFICATIONS OF EMPLOYEES? YES.SO THERE'S, THERE'S TWO TYPE OF EMPLOYEES.
ONE IS THE GENERAL EMPLOYEE THAT, UH, THAT'S DEEMED A NON-REGULATED USER THAT AFTER JUST THEIR EMAILS ARE KEPT FOR TWO YEARS AND THEN, OR, OR TO BE DESTROYED AFTER THAT THERE'S REGULATED USERS WHICH ARE DECISION MAKERS, RIGHT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE DEFINED BY HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE A RA DEPARTMENT THAT THEN THEIR KEYWORDS ARE SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL SCRUTINY.
AND ANALYZED AUTOMATICALLY PUT IN THOSE MULTIPLE MULTI-YEAR GROUPINGS FOR RETENTION AS THE EXAMPLES I USED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I DON'T THINK WE HA OH, HERE COMES DIRECTOR KENT.
I WAS JUST GONNA ADD THE POLICY THAT BERT IS REFERENCING IS ONLINE AND IT DOES DEFINE WHO A REGULATED USER IS.
SO YOU CAN GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT THAT WHAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING NOW IS NOT NEW OR CHANGING THE POLICY.
SO WHATEVER RETENTION YOU'RE SEEING TODAY, THAT WOULD CONTINUE.
UM, I'M ALMOST POSITIVE THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE CONSIDERED REGULATED USERS.
UM, BUT WE JUST NEED TO GO IN AND VERIFY THAT.
I KNOW THAT AS A DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR I AM AND SO WE HAVE UM, MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT RETENTION SCHEDULES FOR REGULATED USERS PER THAT POLICY.
AND IT WAS SO, UM, INTERESTING TO SEE THE GROWTH IN, IN NUMBER OF EMAILS, RIGHT.
SENT OVER THIS, UH, RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, UM, VERT WENT INTO THAT EXAMPLE TO SHOW YOU THAT STORAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE GOING TO INCREASE, RIGHT.
BECAUSE THERE ARE CERTAIN CLASSES OF USERS AND EMAIL TYPES THAT ARE PERMANENT STORAGE.
SO THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GO UP.
THANK YOU FOR A GREAT PRESENTATION AND THANKS TO ALL OF YOU COLLEAGUES.
THIS IS A, A LENGTHY MEETING SO I APPRECIATE YOUR HANGING IN THERE.
AND I'LL UM, JUST ANNOUNCE THAT THE NEXT TTI MEETING WILL BE AUGUST 24TH, 2023 AT 2:00 PM THIS IS THE BIG ONE SPECIAL CALLED MEETING TO REVIEW THE PROPOSED 2021 BUILDING CODE AMENDMENTS.
AND WITH THAT OUR MEETING'S ADJOURNED.