* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:07] I STARTED, [PRESENTATIONS] I WANT TO MAKE A, A SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. UM, ABOUT A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, UM, THERE WERE 30 OF US WHO WENT TO, UH, WENT TO AFRICA, NIGERIA, CORVO, AND THEN GHANA, UH, VICE MAYOR FOR TIM. YOU WERE ON THAT, UH, TRIP ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN MR. CISNEROS, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, AND 27, 27 OTHERS. UH, LITTLE OVER A MONTH LATER, UH, WELL, AND ON THAT TRIP WHILE IN GHANA, WE MET THE, UM, UH, THE AMBASSADOR OF THE DIASPORA, UM, UH, AMBASSADOR BENNETT, UH, ALONG WITH HER SISTER, DR. UH, TONY LUCK, UH, AND, UH, IN, IN GHANA. THEY WERE, UH, REALLY, UH, VERY GRACIOUS, GRACIOUS HOSTS, UH, TO US. AND, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, STARTING, UH, UH, THEM OPENING UP AN OFFICE, UH, HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND WHILE I'M TALKING ABOUT 'EM, WELL, LET ME JUST ASK THEM TO STAND, UH, AMBASSADOR BENNETT AND, UH, DR. TONY LUCK, IF YOU WILL STILL STAND, UH, CONTINUE TO CONTINUE TO STAND. UH, THEY ARE NOW. WE VISITED THEM IN GHANA A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, AND THEY HAVE NOW, UH, COME TO HOUSTON, UH, TO, TO, UH, VISIT US. IN FACT, THEY'RE MAKING SEVERAL STOPS IN THE UNITED STATES. UH, THEY'RE HEADING ON TO, UH, DC AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE THEIR FINAL STOP, UH, WITH THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK, MAYOR ERIC ADAMS IN NEW YORK. UH, BUT THEY CHOSE HOUSTON TO BE THEIR FIRST STOP, UH, ON THEIR, ON THEIR TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES. AND THEIR GOAL WAS TO COME AND SET UP AN OFFICE FOR THE, UH, UH, UH, DIASPORA FOR THEIR NONPROFIT, UH, IN THE UNITED STATES. AND THEY WANTED THEIR FIRST OFFICE TO BE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I'M PLEASED TO SAY, UH, THAT, UH, WORKING WITH MY CHIEF OF STAFF, MASTER DENIM AND OTHERS, UH, THAT THEY HAVE LOCATED, UH, THEIR OFFICE, FIRST OFFICE IN THE UNITED STATES, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, WHICH WILL BE AT 31 31 EMANCIPATION IN THIRD WARD, AND WHAT WE CALL, UH, THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. AND SO, UM, UH, I WANT TO, UH, GIVE THEM A HOUSTON WELCOME. I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY WILL BE THAT THEY'RE ATTENDING A HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THEY WERE WITH ME LAST WEEK IN MY OFFICE, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY ARE ATTENDING CITY OF HOUSTON COUNCIL MEETING. AND, UH, AND THEY HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING IN THE CITY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR LAST DAY IN HOUSTON WILL BE TOMORROW WHEN THEY HEAD TO THE EAST COAST. BUT TO AMBASSADOR BENNETT, UH, WELCOME, UH, TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE ARE SO HONORED TO HAVE YOU HERE. SHE IS KNOWN, UH, IN ALL 55, UH, COUNTRIES IN AFRICA. AND THEN HER, HER SISTER, UH, DR. LUCK, UH, WHO IS ALSO A CO-FOUNDER OF THIS NONPROFIT, UH, WHO IS ALSO, UH, NEW, UH, WAS ACQUAINTED WITH A VERY, VERY GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, JIM LEE SOLOMON, UH, ALSO WELCOME, UH, TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND THEN WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RETURN. I TOLD THEM NEXT TIME, YOU KNOW, WITH A LITTLE ADDED NOTICE, WE'LL HAVE YOU IN GREATER FANFARE. BUT FOR TODAY, IF ALL OF YOU WILL JOIN ME IN WELCOMING AMBASSADOR BENNETT, UH, FROM GHANA IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. NOW, IF YOU'LL CONTINUE TO STAND, VICE MAYOR CASTEK TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS, WHAT WE CALL THEM, THE SISTERS, UH, HERE IN CITY HALL TODAY. UH, THEY GAVE US SUCH A WARM WELCOME IN GHANA. UM, WE, WE GOT TO TOUR THE HOME OF WB DUBOIS, AND ALL OF THE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING OUR TRIP WAS INCREDIBLE. AND SO TO HAVE YOU HERE AT CITY HALL FOR THE REASON OF OPENING A DIASPORA OFFICE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH IS THE FIRST ONE IN THE UNITED STATES, IS JUST SUPERB. UM, THIS IS WHAT FOSTERING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS LOOKS LIKE. UM, IT IS REASONS WHY WE DO THESE TRADE MISSIONS. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOSTER THESE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AFRICA AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO START WITH THIS DIASPORA OFFICE HERE ON EMANCIPATION, WE COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER LOCATION ON EMANCIPATION STREET. SO WELCOME TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND [00:05:01] WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED RELATIONSHIPS. THANK YOU. AND SINCE WE HAVE, AND SINCE YOU HAVE, UH, UH, UH, SINCE WE HAVE YOU BOTH HERE, AND AS WE SEGUE INTO THE PROCLAMATION, MAYOR, PRETEND IF I CAN ASK YOU TO TAKE THE SEAT. LET ME COME DOWN AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU ALL. 'CAUSE I KNOW Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE GETTING OUT TOMORROW MORNING. I THINK IT'D BE JUST BE FITTING, UH, TO HAVE A PICTURE WITH YOU ALL WITHIN THE CITY CHAMBER. SO CHAIR NOW RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS FOR A PROCLAMATION TO NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR THE NEW AMERICANS AND CITIES AND COUNTIES FOR CITIZENSHIP TO RECOGNIZE CITIZENSHIP DAY COLLEAGUES. IT'S AN HONOR TO BE STANDING HERE IN FRONT OF YOU. AND REGARDING, UH, CITIZENSHIP DAY, I'D LIKE TO INVITE NICOLE KU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS TO COME UP AND BE STERN PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HOUSTON ENDOWMENT TO PLEASE COME UP. THANK YOU, ZENOBIA LA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE TO PLEASE COME UP. AND ALSO, TERRANCE O'NEILL, DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF NEW AMERICANS, UH, TO PLEASE COME UP BEFORE I START OFF WITH THIS PROCLAMATION IN REGARDS TO CITIZENSHIP DAY, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THAT TODAY IS NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY. UH, SO THOSE OF YOU OUT THERE THAT HAVE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE, PLEASE GO REGISTER TO VOTE. YOU'VE GOT TILL OCTOBER 23RD, UH, AND YOU'RE ALSO ABLE TO, UH, UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS IF IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED. NO, EXCUSE ME, YOU GOT TILL OCTOBER 10TH, OCTOBER 10TH, UH, TO REGISTER TO VOTE AND CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS, UH, IF IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. UH, AND AGAIN, TODAY'S NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY AS WELL. SO IN REGARDS TO CITIZENSHIP DAY, WHEREAS CITIZENSHIP DAY AND CONSTITUTION DAY ARE OBSERVED EACH YEAR, EACH YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, COMMEMORATE THE SIGNING OF THE CONSTITUTION ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, 1787. AND WHEREAS THE CELEBRATION OF CITIZENSHIP DAY AND CONSTITUTION DAY PROVIDES A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS TO LEARN ABOUT AND TO REFLECT UPON THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF CITIZENSHIP AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES, AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR DETERMINATION, RESILIENCE, AND THE MEASURABLE WAYS IN WHICH THEY HAVE ENRICHED OUR CITY. CITIZENSHIP DAY REMINDS US OF THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME WITH BEING A CITIZEN, INSPIRING US TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN CIVIC PARTICIPATION, UP HOPE, DEMOCRATIC VALUES, AND WORK TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT OF OUR SOCIETY. AND WHERE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND SERVICES TO ASPIRING CITIZENS SO THEY CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PROVISIONS, PRINCIPLES, AND MEANING OF [00:10:01] THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FREEDOMS TO RIDE FROM IT. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON, A PROUD MEMBER OF CITIES AND COUNTIES FOR CITIZENSHIP CC FOUR C, A NATIONAL NETWORK CONVENED BY THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS AND NPNA OF OVER 110 CITIES AND COUNTIES COMMITTED TO INCREASING CITIZENSHIP AMONG ELIGIBLE US PERMANENT RESIDENTS, IS DEDICATED TO CREATING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES EQUALITY, RESPECT, EQUITY, AND UNDERSTANDING FOR ALL RESIDENTS, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR CITIZENSHIP STATUS. CITIZENSHIP DAY PROVIDES US WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THE ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO TIRELESSLY SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS ON THEIR PATH TO CITIZENSHIP. THEY PROVIDE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES, EDUCATION, AND ASSISTANCE THROUGHOUT THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS, EMPOWERING IN INDIVIDUALS TO, TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS. AND WHEREAS THE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS GRATEFUL TO THOSE INVOLVED WORKING DILIGENTLY TO ASSIST THOSE SEEKING CITIZENSHIP AND EXTENDS BEST WISHES ON A MEMORABLE OBSERVANCE OF CITIZENSHIP DAY AS WE CONTINUE TO EMBRACE HOUSTON'S CULTURAL, ETHNIC AND RACIAL DIVERSITY. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO THEREFORE, I, SYLVESTER TURNER, MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROUDLY PROCLAIMED SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2023 AS CITIZENSHIP DAY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. AND I CALL UPON ALL RESIDENTS TO JOIN TOGETHER IN COMMEMORATING THIS VERY SPECIAL DAY. LET US PROMOTE CITIZENSHIP AWARENESS, CELEBRATE THE REMARKABLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF IMMIGRANTS, AND FOSTER A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THAT'S JUST THE WAY WE DO IT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR TURNER AND COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS FOR THIS IMPORTANT PROCLAMATION AND FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING HOUSTON A MODEL IN THE COUNTRY FOR NATURALIZATION. FOR OVER 10 YEARS, HOUSTON ENDOWMENT HAS BEEN PROUD TO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS HELPING IMMIGRANTS MOVE ALONG THE LEGAL PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP. IN HOUSTON, OUR DIVERSITY IS ONE OF OUR GREATEST ASSETS. OURS IS A CITY OF IMMIGRANTS. ONE IN FOUR RESIDENTS IS FOREIGN BORN. 30 40% OF OUR CHILDREN HAVE A FOREIGN BORN PARENT. WE BELIEVE OUR REGION IS STRONGER WHEN OUR NEWEST RESIDENTS ARE EFFECTIVELY INCLUDED AND INTEGRATED INTO OUR COMMUNITY. BUT CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 300,000 RESIDENTS IN HOUSTON WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR LEGAL CITIZENSHIP. LESS THAN 10% ARE TAKING THAT STEP TOWARDS CITIZENSHIP EVERY YEAR. SO THAT MEANS THAT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE MISSING OUT ON ALL THE RIGHTS AND BENEFITS OF CITIZENSHIP. THINGS LIKE HIGHER INCOMES, HIGHER RATES OF HOME OWNERSHIP, THINGS THAT ARE GREAT FOR THEM, AND ALSO HAVE A POSITIVE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. OUR GOAL AT HOUSTON ENDOWMENT IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME A CITIZEN HAS THE INFORMATION AND THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO TAKE THAT STEP AND TO BE FULL AND ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE SO PROUD TO SUPPORT THE LAUNCH OF NATURALIZED NOW HOUSTON. THIS IS AN UNPRECEDENTED PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, WITH THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS, WITH THE HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE. AND WITH SO MANY NONPROFITS ON THE GROUND WORKING HARD HERE IN HOUSTON, TOGETHER THEY WILL WORK TO INCREASE NATURALIZATION PROGRAMMING IN THE REGION AND FOSTER THE SUCCESSFUL INCLUSION OF NE OF IMMIGRANTS INTO OUR, INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR COMMUNITIES. NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF MAKING NATURALIZATION MORE AFFORDABLE AND MORE ACCESSIBLE. AND HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE HAS PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE FOR YEARS IN COORDINATING IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES FOR SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THIS PARTNERSHIP CAN HELP ELIGIBLE HOUSTONIANS OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO BECOMING CITIZENSHIP THROUGH NATURALIZED. NOW HOUSTON, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT MORE HOUSTONIANS CAN GAIN ACCESS TO THE CRITICAL SUPPORTS THEY NEED TO COMPLETE THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS. WE ARE ALSO SO GRATEFUL TO THE CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS FOR COMMITTING VIGOROUSLY TO THIS WORK. YOU ARE SUCH IMPORTANT PARTNERS. YOUR RESOURCES THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED ARE VITAL, BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IS YOUR VOICE. HOUSTONIANS CAN FEEL CONFIDENT LOOKING AROUND, HEARING FROM CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS, AND KNOWING THAT THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS CITY AND THIS REGION SUPPORTS THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY TO NATURALIZATION. IT'S THROUGH THIS KIND OF CONTINUED COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND NONPROFIT SECTORS THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT ALL WHO LIVE IN HOUSTON HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE. THANK YOU. AND I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE NICOLE MAKU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NP AND A [00:15:01] THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND THANK YOU TO THE HOUSTON ENDOWMENT FOR THEIR ONGOING COMMITMENT TO HELP AS MANY HOUSTONIANS AS POSSIBLE ACCESS THE NATURALIZATION PROCESS TO COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS AND MAYOR TURNER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. I'M NICOLE MAKU. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS. I AM THE GRANDDAUGHTER AND DAUGHTER OF A NATURALIZED CITIZEN. AND AS I MENTIONED BELOW IN OUR ROUND TABLE EARLIER, THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT MOMENT IN ONE'S IMMIGRATION'S JOURNEY AND ONE'S FAMILY IMMIGRATION JOURNEY STORY. UM, NATURALIZATION IS REALLY ABOUT BELONGING. AND SO WHEN WE THINK OF WAYS TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS, I CANNOT THINK OF A MORE INCREDIBLE, UH, CITYWIDE, COUNTYWIDE INITIATIVE, UM, LEADING THE WAY TO REALLY PROMOTE ACCESS TO SERVICES, TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS, UH, TO NATURALIZATION BY FEE ASSISTANCE AND OUTREACH STRATEGIES AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES TO BE ABLE TO REACH ALL ELIGIBLE, UH, POPULATIONS. I THINK WE ARE REALLY HONORED AND DELIGHTED THAT MAYOR TURNER HAS BEEN A PART OF THE CITIES AND COUNTIES, UH, FOR CITIZENSHIP INITIATIVE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND IS REALLY LEADING THE WAY IN MAKING SURE THAT HOUSTON IS AND WILL REMAIN A WELCOMING CITY AND A MODEL OF HOW TO PROMOTE IMMIGRANT INCLUSION. WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROMOTING NATURALIZATION THROUGH THE NATURALIZED NOW HOUSTON CAMPAIGN, AND WE ARE SO EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH YOUR ROBUST COMMUNITY OF NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO BRING CAPACITY TO BRING COMMUNITY NAVIGATORS, UH, TO THE WORK IN HOUSTON THAT'S ALREADY UNDERWAY, SO THAT WE CAN SCALE AND REACH AS MANY AS WE CAN OF THOSE 312,000 NETS NATS ELIGIBLE HOUSTONIANS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, AND I'M DELIGHTED FOR YOU TO BE A PART OF OUR NETWORK AND OUR WORK, MAYOR TURNER. I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO OUR CLOSE PARTNERS AND NOBI LIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE. THANK YOU, NICOLE. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER FOR MAKING TODAY THE CITIZENSHIP DAY. UM, WHAT BETTER DAY TO SAY THAT WE ARE GOING TO LAUNCH NATURALIZED NOW HOUSTON. AND AS SOME, UH, PREVIOUS SPEAKERS HAVE MENTIONED, THERE ARE 312,000 PEOPLE IN GREATER HOUSTON WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO BECOME A CITIZEN, BUT HAVEN'T TAKEN THE STEPS. WHY? BECAUSE THERE ARE BARRIERS TO APPLYING FOR BECOME CITIZENS. ONE IS THE FINANCIAL BARRIER. THE SECOND ONE IS LANGUAGE BARRIER, THAT THEY'RE AFRAID THAT THE ENGLISH IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO PASS A CITIZENSHIP TEST. SO HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE WAS FOUNDED 10 YEARS AGO TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHARTER ARRIVALS TO APPLY FOR THE DEPORTATION PROTECTION. AND OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, WE WORKED TO EXPAND, UH, IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES CAPACITY LOCALLY. UM, AS YOU MAY KNOW, HOUSTON RESETTLED THE LARGEST NUMBER OF AFGHAN PAROLEES IN THE COUNTRY. MORE THAN 6,000 OF THEM HAVE BEEN RESETTLED IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND HOUSTON IS THE FOURTH LARGEST, UM, COMMUNITY WITH IMMIGRANTS. AND IT'S THE FASTEST GROWING IN OUR, WITH OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATION. SO IMMIGRANTS PLAY A BIG ROLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECONOMY. THEY ARE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. THEY ARE OUR NEIGHBORS. THEY ARE THE, OUR FRIENDS. THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, THE, UM, OUR, OUR, UM, NEIGHBORS. SO, SO WITH THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, THE NPNA NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP OF NEW AMERICANS, THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY, WE WANT TO CREATE THIS CONTINUUM OF SERVICES TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CITIZENSHIP. AND HOUSTON ENDOWMENT HAS BEEN THE MAJOR POWER, UH, TO MOVE THE CITIZENSHIP MOVEMENT. BEFORE, UM, THIS CAMPAIGN, HOUSTON ENDOWMENT HAS BEEN BEHIND, UM, THE NEW AMERICANS CAMPAIGN SUPPORTING LOCAL LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM TO HELP INDIVIDUALS APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP. WHAT ARE THE TWO COMPONENTS THAT WE ADD TO THIS PROCESS? IS WITH NPNA, DEVELOPING A NAVIGATOR PROGRAM, OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY, PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT THEY, UM, TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY, THEY CAN BECOME CITIZENS AND CONNECT THEM WITH THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS TO HELP THEM WITH THE PROCESS. SO WHERE HOUSTON IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES COLLABORATIVE STEPPED IN IS TO HELP ADDRESS THE FINANCIAL BARRIER. I MENTIONED EARLIER IN OUR MEDIA ROUND TABLE 30 YEARS AGO, I APPLIED FOR CITIZENSHIP MYSELF. THE COST OF APPLICATION WAS $40. UH, IT WAS STILL, YOU KNOW, SOME MONEY, BUT RIGHT NOW THE APPLICATION FEES IS $725. AND OVER THIS SPEND OF 30 YEARS, THE MINIMUM WAGE HAS NOT DOUBLED. IT WAS $4 AND 25 CENTS IN 1993 IS SEVEN, $7, AND $25, $7 AND 25 CENTS. I WISH IT $725 . UM, AND THE APPLICATION FEE IS A HUNDRED TIMES THE MINIMUM WAGE. SO IT IS A MAJOR BURDEN FOR FAMILIES, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LOW TO MODERATE INCOME. SO [00:20:01] WE HOPE THAT WITH THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, WE CAN HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY TO OVERCOME THE FINANCIAL BARRIER, TO HELP THEM TAKE THE FINAL STEP TO BECOME CITIZEN, TO COMPLETE THE SENSE OF BELONGING IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR TURNER AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR SUPPORTING THIS EFFORT. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU. THIS ROBUST PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IS WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE THIS SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE, WE HAVE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS IN Q. FIRST OFF, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. GRACIA HOUSTON IS AN OPEN CITY MAYOR. I KNOW I'VE HEARD YOU SAY COUNTLESS TIMES HOW ONE IN FOUR HOUSTONIANS WAS BORN ELSEWHERE. THIS IS A CITY OF, UH, WELCOMING. WE ARE THE BEST OF THE UNITED STATES IN THAT REGARD. SOCIOLOGISTS POINT TO HOW WE REFLECT THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES. I WANT TO THANK THE HOUSTON ENDOWMENT FOR MAKING IT SUCH, UH, TO YOU, ANN AND YOUR TEAM. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. I THINK FOR, AND TO HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THE NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP FOR NEW AMERICANS AND TO FOCUS ON NATURALIZATION, THIS IS SO CRITICAL FOR US RIGHT NOW. WE, WE DO BRING FOLKS LIKE THE GUESTS THAT WE JUST RECEIVED FROM AFRICA TO THIS TOWN, AND THIS MAYOR HAS BEEN AN AMBASSADOR BOTH NEAR AND FAR. AND, UH, WE ARE REALLY COMING INTO OUR OWN AT THIS BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY. SO I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE HERE FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THIS COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, TO BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND MAYOR, OF COURSE, TO YOU FOR YOUR GREAT LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR POTE. AND THANK YOU, UM, MAYOR AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. THIS IS SO GREAT. AND WOW, I'M SO GLAD THAT ENDOWMENTS INVOLVED AND EVERYBODY THAT SPOKE, ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE GONE OVER TO THE, UH, JULIA ADDISON TO SEE THE GEORGE W. BUSH PORTRAITS OF, UM, IMMIGRANTS. YOU KNOW, REMEMBER HOW HE DID THE ONES THAT HE DID, VETERANS, AND NOW HE DID IMMIGRANTS. AND THERE'S A GREAT EXHIBIT ON THE SECOND FLOOR OVER THERE. AND THE PORTRAITS ARE GREAT, AND HE'S TALENTED, AND WHO KNEW HE WAS A PORTRAIT ARTIST, BUT, BUT ON THE WALL IN THERE IS A CHART OF WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY. AND MAYOR, IT REMINDED ME OF STEVE COSTELLO'S CHART OF HOW YOU GET MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT AFTER A DISASTER WITH LIKE 5,000 STEPS. IT LITERALLY GOES, IT, IT'S A GREAT CHART. IT'S, IT'S PART OF THE EXHIBIT. AND SO I'M SO GLAD TO KNOW THAT THERE IS THE, IS THIS COLLABORATIVE THAT'S REALLY WORKING TO HELP PEOPLE. I MEAN, WHAT DID YOU SAY? AND 10% OF THE 312,000, I MEAN, PEOPLE NEED A LOT OF HELP GETTING THROUGH THAT MAZE. AND I'M SO GLAD TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. I'M GLAD YOU'VE HIGHLIGHTED IT. AND, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT LASTS, BUT Y'ALL GO OVER AND SEE THAT BECAUSE IT REALLY PUTS IN A PICTURE OF HOW DIFFICULT THAT PROCESS IS. AND IF THAT, I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN, EVERYBODY HAS BEEN TO A NATURALIZATION, UM, CEREMONY. I HAVE JUST ONCE, BUT MAN, I'LL NEVER FORGET IT. IT'S THE COOLEST THING EVER. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING, AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER, MICHAEL KOOSH. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THIS AND COUNCIL MEMBER. I APPRECIATE IT. I, UH, I THINK THAT, UH, AS A, AS A SON OF, OF OF IMMIGRANT GRANDPARENTS, UH, I'M HERE. MY DAD DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH UNTIL HE GOT IN THE FOURTH GRADE. HE LEARNED ENGLISH. AND, AND WHEN I LOOK BACK AT, AT, AT, AT, AT MY CHILDREN GOING TO SCHOOL WITH, WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO, WHO, WHO, WHO, I DIDN'T REALIZE THE PROBLEM THERE UNTIL THEY, THEY CAME TO ME BECAUSE I, I, I GOT INTO BUSINESS AND THEY, THEY RESPECTED ME AND THEY SAID, MR. KOSH, I, I, I, I, I, I DON'T, I CAN'T GET A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. I I CAN'T GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER. AND, AND I SAID, WELL, WELL, WHY? WELL, I I, MY PARENTS BROUGHT ME HERE WHEN I WAS LITTLE. AND, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I, I, I WAS SO FRUSTRATED, MAYOR, TRYING TO HELP THESE PEOPLE GET TO GET LEGAL, AS YOU MIGHT SAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, I, I BELIEVE IN THE GOOD BOOK, AND I BELIEVE WE'RE ALL CITIZENS OF THIS EARTH, AND SOMETHING'S GOT TO BE DONE. [00:25:02] UH, WE CALL 'EM DREAMERS. WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE DONE. WE CAN'T CREATE A, AN UNDERCLASS. IT, IT REMINDS ME OF, UH, OF WHEN I HEAR OF THE CASTE SYSTEM, WHEN I LEARNED OF IT IN YEARS AGO, WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER. I'M GLAD MY PARENTS, UH, I WAS BORN TO THEM, BUT, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO FIGHT TO BECOME A CITIZEN. BUT MY GRANDPARENTS HAD TO DO IT. BUT, BUT WE WERE JUST BORN INTO IT. AND, AND I, I BELIEVE THAT WE, THE COUNTRY HAS GOT TO WAKE UP. IT, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE NATIONAL TRAGEDIES THAT WE HAVE THIS SITUATION OCCURRING HERE. AND GOD BLESS YOU. 'CAUSE I, I KNOW, ROBERT, YOU HEAR EVERYTHING I SAY, AND I KNOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHOUT AMEN. BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT'S RIGHT. AND GOD BLESS YOU, MAYOR, FOR DOING THIS. AND, AND WE'VE GOT TO SOMEHOW ANOTHER ELEVATE THIS UP TO CONGRESS. THANK YOU. THANKS AGAIN, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, WE'LL GIVE YOU THE LAST WORDS, COUNCIL MEMBER. WELL, WELL, THANK YOU. I SHARED A STORY WITH ANNE STERN A LITTLE EARLIER. FIRST OF ALL, MY PARENTS ARRIVED FROM MEXICO AS YOUNG TEENAGERS WITH THEIR FAMILIES ESCAPING THE MEXICO REVOLUTION. UM, THEY RAISED SEVEN CHILDREN, AND I'M THE YOUNGEST. MY PARENTS WAITED TILL ALL THE KIDS WERE GROWN AND OUT OF THE HOUSE, AND THEN THEY TOOK THEIR TEST TO BECOME CITIZENS AFTER THAT. THEY DIDN'T MISS AN ELECTION, OR THEY WENT OUT AND THEY VOTED. MY AUNT, WHO WAS IN HER EIGHTIES, SHE DIDN'T HAVE AN EDUCATION AT ALL, BUT HER DREAM WAS TO BECOME A CITIZEN. SO I WOULD GO TO HER HOUSE AND I WOULD READ FOR THE QUESTIONS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND SHE WAS STRUGGLING AND SHE WAS STRUGGLING, AND SHE WAS STRUGGLING. SO WHEN HER DATE CAME TO GO GET THE TEST, I TOOK HER, I SAT IN THE ROOM WITH HER, AND SHE KEPT LOOKING AT ME, HOPING I WOULD GIVE HER THE ANSWERS, . BUT I GUESS THEY REALIZED SHE WAS IN HER EARLY EIGHTIES. SHE WAS FRAIL, AND THEY LET HER GET HER, UH, CITIZENSHIP. SO I TOOK HER TO HER GRADUATION AGAIN, SHE WAS FRAIL IN HER 80, EARLY EIGHTIES, USING THE WALKER. AND THEY SAID, IF YOU CAN STAND UP, STAND UP. AND I TOLD HER IN SPANISH, ANITA, YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND UP. THAT'S OKAY. SHE SAID, I'M GOING TO STAND UP. AND SHE LITERALLY, SHE STOOD UP AND SHE RAISED HER HAND, AND SHE WAS PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. AND THAT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE RECOGNIZING THIS DAY. AND AGAIN, IT'S NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY. IT'S OUR DUTY. IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE OUT THERE, TO MAKE OUR NATION, OUR CITY, OUR STATE, OUR COUNTY, EVEN GREATER. BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT UNLESS WE ACTUALLY GO OUT AND VOTE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AS MAYOR SYLVETA TURNER FOR A PROCLAMATION TO HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TO RECOGNIZE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION WEEK, THEY'RE COMING UP WITH THE PRO. OKAY. HI. DOING, IT'S MY, UM, IT'S MY HONOR TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION PRETTY MUCH UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. [00:30:01] AND LET ME READ, UH, THE RESOLUTION AS FOLLOWS, WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON RECOGNIZES THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF A RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY OF CLEAN, SAFE, AND HIGH QUALITY DRINKING WATER. AND WHEREAS PROTECTING OUR DRINKING WATER RESOURCES IS ESSENTIAL TO PRESERVE THE HEALTH OF OUR CITIZENS, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR ECONOMY, AND THAT ARE FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME. AND WHEREAS SOURCE WATER PROTECTION WEEK SERVES AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR WATER SOURCES, TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ABOUT BEST PRACTICES FOR SOURCE WATER PRESERVATION, AND TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TIRELESSLY TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR WATER SUPPLY. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS COMMITTED TO PROACTIVELY AND COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOPING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INDUSTRIES AND STAKEHOLDERS, TO SAFEGUARD AND ENSURE CLEAN, SAFE, UH, SOURCE WATER FOR ALL. AND WHEREAS THROUGH THE COLLECTIVE EFFORTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ITS PARDONS AND ITS RESIDENTS, WE CAN GUARANTEE A FUTURE WHERE CLEAN AND SAFE DRINKING WATER CONTINUES TO FLOW ABUNDANTLY FOSTERING A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR VIBRANT COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIC VITALITY. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON URGES ALL RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, AND ORGANIZATIONS TO SUPPORT THIS OBSERVANCE BY PARTICIPATING IN ACTIVITIES, INITIATIVES, AND PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE SOURCE WATER PROTECTIONS AND CONSERVATION TOGETHER, THIS ENSURES THE LONG-TERM EXISTENCE OF OUR WATER RESOURCES AND THEIR ESSENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR THRIVING AND RESILIENT CITY. SO, THEREFORE, I MAYOR CITY OF HOUSTON, DO HEREBY PROBABLY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2023 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2023 AS SOURCE WATER PROTECTION WEEK IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MAYOR, I APPRECIATE THIS RECOGNITION. IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR SOURCE WATER, UH, DRINKING WATER WELLS, GROUNDWATER WELLS, AND THE SURFACE WATER. UM, THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR DRINKING WATER FROM. SO THIS IS JUST A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT GO INTO MAKING OUR DRINKING WATER ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION. UH, AND I'M VERY PROUD TO ACCEPT THIS AND THIS RECOGNITION, RECOGNITION WILL GO A, A FAR AWAY FOR PUBLIC AWARENESS SO THAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY DO STEPS TO PROTECT OUR DRINKING WATER ALSO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND TELL US WHO YOU'RE, UM, I APOLOGIZE. I'M JAMIE SHAKER WITH THE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION GROUP. I HAVE DE TAKI WITH ME AND MICHAEL MORPHIN, ALL FROM THE SOURCE WATER PROTECTION GROUP. YOU GOT SOME OTHER PEOPLE WITH YOU TOO. OKAY. I TELL YOU WHAT, IF YOU TURN AROUND WITH ME, SOMEBODY HAS TO SIT THIS ENTIRE TWO PAGES. OKAY? SO WE'LL MOVE TO THE TOP INVOCATION. [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] OKAY? LET'S GET READY FOR THE SECOND PART OF THIS, UH, COMMUNITY SESSION. AND CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER KUBAN FOR THE IMPLICATION. MAYOR, BEFORE I PRAY, I'D LIKE TO SAY I, I COVERED YOUR PRAYERS. I, I HAVEN'T BEEN WELL SINCE JUNE THE 10TH. LORD, I THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SIT IN THIS CHAMBER WITH MY FRIENDS. I ASK YOU TO, UH, TO MOLD US TOGETHER, HEAL ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS, AND KEEP US IN GOOD HEALTH. WE PRAY IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. IF YOU PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNG GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE LAW. THANK YOU ALSO VERY, VERY MUCH. [00:35:01] UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR WATCHES. UH, 'CAUSE I KNOW SOME ARE COMING IN LIKE 30 MINUTES LATE, SO I KNOW THAT'S BY ACCIDENT. YOUR WATCHES MUST HAVE STOPPED. SO PLEASE CHECK YOUR WATCHES TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, ONE 30 IS NOT TWO O'CLOCK. UH, THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. SO IN FACT, I THINK I MAY START AND WE MAY START TAKING ATTENDANCE AT ONE 30, UH, INSTEAD OF TWO. UH, SO PLEASE CHECK YOUR CLOCKS, YOUR WATCHES, AND, UH, TRY TO GET HERE AT ONE 30. OKAY? UH, THAT'S IMPORTANT. UM, SO, UH, [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] UH, MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL PLEASE CALL THE ROLE MAYOR TURNER. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PEG HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN. COUNCIL. EVAN CHABA. HERE. COUNCILMAN MARTIN. PRESENT COUNCIL THOMAS. COUNCIL HUFFMAN. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS? HERE. COUNCIL GALLEGOS. HERE. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. I'M HERE. CONSTABLE CASTEX TATUM. HERE. COUNCILMAN KNOX. WILL WILL BE ASKING CONSTABLE ROBINSON. HERE. CONSTABLE ASH. HERE. CONSTABLE PLUMMER. HERE. CONSTABLE ALCORN NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF AUG. UH, APRIL 18TH AND 19TH. CASTEX TATUM. SECOND. SECOND, ROBINSON. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND ADOPTION OF MINUTES. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE IN THE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED. UM, [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] ON PROCEDURAL MOTIONS. CHAIR RECOGNIZES MAYOR PRO TIMM MARTIN? YES, MA'AM. I MOVE, UH, I MOTION TO MOVE MR. LORENZO WAL BUTLER JR. TO THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. AND THE REASON WHY I'M DOING THE ONE MINUTE AGENDA LIST IS BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS WE HAVE WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED ONE MINUTE. SO MR. LORENZA BUTLER, JUNIOR TO THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. SECOND ROBINSON. OKAY, LET ME, AND THEN LET ME BACK UP TOO. UM, WE HAVE A VERY LONG LIST OF SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TODAY, WHICH MEANS THAT WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL RULES FOR TODAY. UH, MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL PLEASE READ THE APPLICABLE SECTION OF RULE EIGHT. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF SUBSECTION A. IF THE TOTAL OF THE TIMES REQUESTED BY SPEAKERS AT ANY COUNCIL MEETING IS GREATER THAN 150 MINUTES, THE MAYOR SHALL ANNOUNCE AND EACH SPEAKER'S TIME SHALL BE ONE MINUTE. FURTHERMORE, WHEN THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBSECTION ARE INVOKED, THE QUESTION TIME FOR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS SHALL BE LIMITED TO A CUMULATIVE TIME TOTAL OF ONE MINUTE FOR EACH SPEAKER, NOTWITHSTANDING THE PROVISIONS OF THIS RULE. AND RULE 10 TO THE CONTRARY. OKAY. TO SUMMARIZE THIS MEETING, EACH PUBLIC SPEAKER, EACH PUBLIC SPEAKER, REGARDLESS OF THE MINUTES YOU SIGNED UP FOR, YOU WILL ONLY GET ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK. UH, AND THE WHOLE CITY COUNCIL WILL ONLY GET ONE MINUTE COLLECTIVELY TO RESPOND. ONE MINUTE. ONE MINUTE. OKAY. UM, NOW WE HAVE THE MOTION ON LORENZO. AND SO WE'VE DONE THE, THE MOTION ON LORENZO. DID YOU VOTE ON THE LORENZO BUTLER? THEY DID. OKAY. AND WHAT ABOUT DAVE? OKAY. NO. CAN APPROVE. SO NEXT IS COUNCILMAN ASH ON A PROCEDURAL MOTION. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO ADD TO THE, UH, THREE MINUTE AGENDA. UH, GIGI BUDUDA. THAT'S G-I-G-I-B-U-D-A-Y. GIGI BUDDA THE END OF THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA. OKAY. UH, IT'S BEEN ADDED. YOU HEARD THE MOTION THAT SECOND, SECOND MOVE AND SECONDING OBJECTION. CHAIR IS DONE. MOTION GRANTED. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, WHERE IS HE? THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO, UM, TO MOVE TAM MARIBELL TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD KAY WILLIAMS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIRS NOW? NONE. THAT MOTION IS GRANTED. COUNCILMAN JACKSON, WHO WAS THE OTHER NAME? HOLD ON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M SORRY. BACK UP. REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME. SURE. JUST THE ADDITION. JUST THE ADDITION. JUST THE ADDITION. OH, YES. UH, KAY WILLIAMS. KAY WILLIAMS, AND TAMARA. OH, IT'S KAY KAY WILLIAMS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THREE MINUTES AGENDA LIST. OKAY. GOT IT. GOT IT. NOW COUNCILMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE KEITH DOWNING AND KENNETH WILLIAMS TO THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE NUN AGENDA LIST. SECOND. ROBINSON MOVED IN SECOND. ANY OBJECTION? HEARING IS NONE. DO Y'ALL HAVE THAT ONE? I'LL GET IT. IT'S NON OKAY. ALRIGHT, SO BEAR IN MIND EVERYBODY HAS ONE MINUTE. OKAY. ONE, ONE MINUTE. OKAY. DID YOU DO OKAY? WITH THAT BEING SAID, MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL PROCEED TO CALL THE LIST. OKAY. FIRST SPEAKER LORENZO BUTLER. JUNIOR [00:40:01] LORENZO BUTLER. YEP. TO BE FOLLOWED BY CONNOR ELLIS. OKAY. DO YOU WANT, WHO DO YOU WANT? PLUMBER COULD. JACKSON. JACKSON. OKAY. MORNING MAYOR. UH, CITY COUNCIL. I'M, I'M LORENZO. PUBLISHER BUTLER JUNIOR. THE OLDEST CONTINUOUS BLACK PUBLISHED NEWSPAPER AND RADIO STATION COMPANY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI SINCE OCTOBER 18TH, 93. NEXT WEEK IS SEPTEMBER TWO. REMEMBER, GOLF CLASSIC AT THE HISTORICAL 100 YEAR HERMAN PARK. PLEASE JOIN US. IT'S IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION AND THIS IS WHERE THE INFORMANT STARTED. I'M GLAD TO HAVE BEEN THE PUBLISHER FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. AND ON OCTOBER 5TH AT THE HISTORIC EL DORADO BALLROOM, WE WILL CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY AND THE HISTORY AS WE HAVE STARTED THIS PAST THE JANUARY IN THE ROTUNDA. BEHIND ME IS THE NEXT GENERATION PUBLISHER. MAKE MIGUEL COLLEGE. THANK YOU. AND PRESIDENT OF THE FOUNDATION, VICE P KACK TATUM. UM, MR. BUTLER, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN FOR AMPLIFYING THE IMPORTANCE OF, UM, CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE HOUSTON IN INFORMER. WE DO HAVE THE HANDOUTS AND WE WILL, UH, MAKE SURE TO PUT IT ON OUR CALENDARS. AGAIN, GOOD TO SEE YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, KAREN, EMILY SHABAZZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU PUBLISHER FOR COMING TO THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. I CAN'T SWING A STICK, BUT I CAN SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER, SO I I I WILL BE DOING ACTING ACCORDINGLY AT BOTH EVENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD TO SEE YOU, LORENZO. THANK YOU, YOU MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, CONNOR ELLIS CON ELLIS IS HERE. THREE, FOLLOWED BY FAISAL LA NEY. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS CONNOR ELLIS. I'M A BUILDER WITH GOOD CHILD BUILDERS. UH, WE'RE A CUSTOM HOME BUILDER IN THE HOUSTON AREA. OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, UH, I'VE SPOKEN WITH MANY INDIVIDUALS FROM EACH OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS' OFFICES. I'VE ALSO SPOKEN WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS TEAM, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND THE CITY ENGINEER'S OFFICE, UH, REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHANGES BEING MADE TO THE CHAPTER NINE IDM RELATING TO ONSITE DETENTION, I'VE HEARD THAT THE CITY'S GOAL IS TO PASS CHAPTER 42 IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHAPTER NINE. UH, AND THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE'VE BEEN DELAYED ON THE IMPLEMENT, ON THE IMPLEMENTATION, SORRY, OF CHAPTER NINE. THAT SAID, UH, IT IS MY HOPE THAT WE SEE THE CHAPTER NINE REVISIONS SOON, REGARDLESS OF COUNCIL'S VOTE ON CHAPTER 42. UH, I ALSO WANTED TO COME OUT TODAY AND SAY THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE FROM EACH OF Y'ALL'S OFFICES THAT HAVE REACHED OUT TO OFFER CLARIFICATION ON HOW WE SHOULD NAVIGATE THE CHAPTER NINE REVISIONS AND SHOW MY PERSONAL SUPPORT FOR THESE REVISIONS. ONSITE DETENTION HAS BEEN A VERY COSTLY ITEM FOR OUR CLIENTS LOOKING TO BUILD A NEW HOME. AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THAT THE CITY HAS HEARD OUR CONCERNS AND IS WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING THESE CHANGES. I BELIEVE THESE WILL HELP PROMOTE GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR INDUSTRY. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE TIME HAS TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, FA ANI FA LA IS HERE. I RESPECTED MAYOR AND THE, AND THE COUNCIL. MY NAME IS FAZE ANI. I, UH, AM A DEVELOPER. MY COMPANY'S NAME IS URBAN ART PROPERTIES. WE DO A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT IN OST SOUTH AND OTHER POCKETS IN, IN HOUSTON. AND I'M HERE TO OPPOSE, UH, CHAPTER 42. I FEEL THAT THE, THE, THE, THE PROPOSED DESIGNS WOULD MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO CONTINUE TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE, UH, WILL, WILL, WILL GIVE US TWO OPTIONS. EITHER WE PUT THREE HOMES ON A 50 FOOT LOT WITH MORE CONCRETE, OR WE PUT ONE HOME ON A 50 FOOT LOT WITH ACCESS TO BACKYARDS. SO THE CURRENT TWO OPTIONS WILL GO AWAY AND IT'LL PUT MORE CARS ON THE STREET, WHICH WILL, UH, ALREADY CROWD OUR STREETS. SO I'M HERE TO OPPOSE THAT AND I, AND I HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER THIS. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, JOSE S [00:45:01] JOSE SALAS. JOSE IS HERE. HELLO, MY NAME'S JOSE. UM, I'M A HOMEOWNER IN DISTRICT B, AND I WANT TO VOICEMAIL OPPOSITION TO CHAPTER 42. RECOMMENDATIONS. SPECIFICALLY, THE NARROW LAW CHANGES. THE STREETS IN OUR DISTRICT ARE ALREADY SUPER NARROW. AND REMOVING THE DRIVEWAYS AND FORCING PEOPLE TO PARK ON THE STREET IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. NO ONE WANTS PEOPLE PARKING IN THEIR HOMES, UH, IN FRONT OF THEIR HOMES. HOMEOWNERS ARE ALREADY PUTTING LARGE STONES, NO PARKING SIGNS AND CONES OUT IN THEIR YARDS, UM, TO GET PEOPLE FROM, TO KEEP PEOPLE FROM PARKING IN THE STREET. UH, I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS VOTE AGAINST THIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, SARAH HOPPER. SARAH HOPPER. SARAH HOPPER. NEXT SPEAKER, ALEXANDER DEBO. ALEXANDER DEBO ALEXANDER DEBO ALEXANDER, HOW'S IT GOING? THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING ME TODAY. UM, I'M ALSO HERE TO OPPOSE THE PROPOSALS IN CHAPTER 42. UM, MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE BANNING OF FRONT LOADERS, WHICH ARE THE MOST DESIRED DEVELOPMENT STYLE. UM, IF THIS BAND PASSES THE NARROW LOT DEVELOPMENTS TAKE AWAY THE OPTION TO PROVIDE A PRODUCT WITH PRIVATE PARKING AND BACKYARDS. AND THIS ALSO MAKES IT MORE COSTLY FOR DEVELOPERS MAKING THE PRODUCT LESS AFFORDABLE TO THE CONSUMER. OVERALL, I THINK THIS WILL SLOW THE GROWTH OF OUR CITY AS WELL AS DETER PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY FROM INVESTING IN HOUSTON. LASTLY, A MAJORITY OF THE LOTS IN HOUSTON ARE 5,000 SQUARE FEET. SO IF THE REQUIRED FRONTAGE IS CHANGED TO THE 33 FOOT COMPROMISE, THIS WILL ONLY AFFECT THE LUXURY MARKETS WHERE THIS WILL STILL BE DOABLE AND MAKE THIS POPULAR DEVELOPMENT STYLE MUCH LESS ATTAINABLE. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER THIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND PRESERVE AFFORDABLE OWNERSHIP IN YOUR DISTRICT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. TOMORROW BELL. TOMORROW BELL IS HERE, BE FOLLOWED BY JOE DONALD. NUMBER ONE, I'M OPPOSED TO THE CHAPTER 42 CHANGES. I THINK THAT IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC TO GIVE AWAY THEIR RIGHT AWAY FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS TO MAKE PROFIT. THAT'S NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, I'M OPPOSED TO THE WAY THAT YOU ALL ARE GONNA BE DOING THE HOUSES AND FIFTH WARD THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE TAKING THE METHOD, NOT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT YOU PLAN TO SOLVE IS GOOD, BUT YOUR RESULTS IS NOT WORKING. GOOD INTENTIONS SOMETIMES DON'T ALWAYS TURN OUT GOOD. NUMBER THREE, I'M AGAINST THE GRANTING OF A, A PERMIT FOR ANOTHER CONCRETE BATCH IN DISTRICT B THAT MAKES NO SENSE NEXT TO LBJ. I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU ALL ARE ALLOWING THIS. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN STOPPED BEFORE IT EVER STARTED. THAT'S IT. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. JOE, DONNA. JOAN. DONNA IS HERE. THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME. I'M A HOMEOWNER IN DISTRICT C. UM, ALSO OWN A SMALL BUSINESS OVER THERE. UM, I WANTED TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST, UM, RESTRICTING ANY KIND OF PRIVATE OWNERSHIPS FOR LOTS ON LESS THAN 33 FEET WIDE. UM, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA MAKE THOSE HOMES REALLY EXPENSIVE. AND WE'RE GONNA BE PUSHING A LOT OF REALLY AWESOME HOUSTONIANS OUT TO THE BURBS. I DON'T WANNA SEE THAT HAPPEN. UM, I LIVE ON, UH, WAKEFIELD AT ALBA. IT'S A REALLY FUN, BUSY STREET AND TALKING WITH MY NEIGHBORS RECENTLY, AS WE WATCH A LOT OF THESE FLAGGED LOTS GO IN, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE WE ARE WHEN WE SEE A HOME THAT HAS A SINGLE DRIVEWAY GO IN BECAUSE WE KNOW WHERE THEY'RE GONNA PARK. BUT WHEN WE HAVE ONE OF THESE NEW BIG AREAS COME IN WITH 10 HOMES AT A SINGLE UP, WE'RE LIKE, WOW, WHERE ARE THEY GONNA PARK ON A STREET WHERE THERE'S ALREADY NOWHERE TO PARK? MAIN REASON WE'RE CONCERNED IS SAFETY. IT'S NOT ONLY SAFETY OF THE DRIVERS. YOU HEAR PEOPLE HONKING AS THEY GO BACK AND FORTH TRYING TO WEAVE IN AND OUT OF A SPOT, BUT ALSO FOR PEOPLE THAT WALK. I HAVE FOUR DOGS LEGALLY ALLOWED TO HAVE FOUR DOGS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT I WALK ALL OF THEM TOGETHER AND IT'S SCARY. I HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WALKING IN AND OUT OF, OF, OF CARS. AND, UM, DRIVERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING. BYE. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, LLOYD PULL PILLOW PULL UP. UH, LORD IS HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS LLOYD, I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND I ALSO LIVE IN THE RICE MILITARY AREA. UM, I'VE GONE OVER THE, UH, THE PROPOSALS AND REALISTICALLY A LOT OF 'EM MAKE SENSE. THE ONE THAT I REALLY WOULD LIKE COMPROMISE IS FOR THE FRONT LOADERS. UM, MOST OF THE LOTS, LIKE YOU'VE HEARD ARE 50 FOOT LOTS IN HOUSTON, THE MOST POPULAR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND HAVING THE FRONT LOADERS IS BIG. I THINK IT'S, IT'S SAFER TO HAVE YOUR OWN PRIVATE DRIVEWAY. SO IF NOT GOING FROM 12 FEET ON THE CITY SIDE TO REALLY GIVING US A 16 FOOT DRIVEWAY, IT'S GONNA MAKE IT SAFER. WE'RE GONNA BE A LOT MORE HAPPIER. UM, DON'T NEED ANY MORE CARS IN THE STREETS. UM, IF THERE'S MORE THEFT, THERE'S, THERE'S BIGGER TRUCKS COMING [00:50:01] THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS NOW. AND, UM, IF WE COULD COMPROMISE ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT WITH THE FRONT LOADERS, I REALLY FEEL EVERYONE WOULD BE HAPPY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER HARRIS BENSON HARRIS. BENSON HARRIS IS HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, I'M A REAL ESTATE BROKER, BUT ALSO A CITIZEN OF HOUSTON AND I'M AGAINST THE SPECIFIC PROVISION WHO, SORRY, UH, AGAINST SPANNING PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS ON NARROW LOTS. THE CHANGES PROMO PROPOSED WILL LIMIT PRIVATE PARKING SPACES FOR THE HOMEOWNER, INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF CARS IN THE STREETS, MAKING IT UNSAFE FOR, FOR US, FOR OUR KIDS, AND E EVEN OUR AGING FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE MOVING IN THE CITY AND WANNA BE CLOSE TO US WHO ARE HAVING KIDS. WHILE THESE CHANGES ALLOW FOR PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS ON 33 FOOT LOT LIMITS, JUST LIKE I SAID BEFORE, DEVELOPERS ARE EITHER GONNA BUILD LARGER SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, INCREASING THE MILLION DOLLAR PRICE POINT, OR THEY'RE JUST GONNA OPT TO NOT DEVELOP AT ALL AND MOVE TO THE BURBS 'CAUSE IT'S MUCH EASIER TO DO. SO. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS JUST GONNA MAKE PROPERTIES MORE EXPENSIVE. IT'S GONNA MAKE OUR CITY LESS SAFE. AND LIKE, UH, I THINK JOE SAID BEFORE, I THINK IT'S GONNA FORCE PEOPLE WHO WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF OUR VITAL CITY. LIKE I'M IN MONTROSE TO MOVE TO THE SUBURBS WHERE WE CAN AFFORD TO LIVE AND HAVE A PROPER HOUSE. UH, THE POPULAR FRONT LOADERS AS A BROKER IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DESIGN STYLES BECAUSE IT ALLOWS FOR PRIVATE BACKYARD, PRIVATE DRIVEWAY, AND THE SAFE PARKING THAT WE SEE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, SPEAKER JUAN WILLIAMS. JUANIE WILLIAMS. JUANIE WILLIAMS. NEXT SPEAKER. JEFFREY TNO. JEFFREY TNO. JEFFREY IS HERE. MY NAME IS JEFF RUN WALL. I'M A HOME BUILDER HERE IN HOUSTON. LET ME BE CRYSTAL CLEAR. YOU REMOVE NARROW LOTS FROM THE PLANNING CAPABILITIES. YOU'RE DESTROYING THE MOST AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION IN THE CITY. THAT AFFECTS HOME BUYERS AND THAT AFFECTS LOT OWNERS. IF YOU OWN A LOT IN INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS AND IT'S 50 FOOT WIDE OR 60 FOOT WIDE, YOU HAVE TO SELL IT TO A DEVELOPER THAT'S GONNA SUBDIVIDE IT. IF YOU FORCE THEM TO ONLY SELL TO SOMEONE THAT'S GOING TO BUILD A SINGLE HOUSE THERE, THEY CAN'T BUY THE LOT. THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO SELL THEIR INHERITED PROPERTY OR A LOT WHERE THEY HAVE THEIR LIFE SAVINGS IN IT. BECAUSE AS A DEVELOPER, I HAVE TO BUILD A MILLION DOLLAR HOME ON THAT LOT IN ORDER TO BUY IT FROM THEM. SO IT'S BUILD A MILLION DOLLAR HOME IN INDEPENDENT SITES THAT WON'T SELL, WHICH I'M NOT GONNA DO OR SUBDIVIDE IT. NOW, THIS IS WIDELY IMPACTFUL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A DECISION LIKE THIS, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT SO MANY PEOPLE NEGATIVELY. YOU THINK IT'S FOR A PRETTY GOOD REASON, RIGHT? IT MUST BE FOR A PRETTY GOOD REASON. IT'S TO REDUCE SIDEWALK INTERRUPTIONS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE GETTING RID OF FRONT LOADERS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK WE NEED TO DO A BETTER COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS. THANK YOU. THANKS SPEAKER. COUNCILMAN. I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN KASH. HOLD ON. SIR. SIR, SIR, COME BACK. COUNCILMAN KASH. JEFFREY. JEFFREY, YOU GOT CUT OFF AT THE END BASICALLY. AND, UH, SO SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU, YOU, YOU BELIEVE THAT WE GO AHEAD AND AND SAY YES SIR. SO, UH, IF WE'RE GOING TO IMPACT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE TAKING AWAY THE FRONT LOADERS TO REDUCE SIDEWALK INTERRUPTIONS. THAT'S THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S JUSTIFICATION FOR IT. AND SO HERE WE ARE, YOU KNOW, CHANGING THIS ALL UP FOR SIDEWALK INTERRUPTIONS AND THAT'S GOING, WE TAKE AWAY THIS AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTION IN HOUSTON. SO WE'RE RISING THE, THE PRICE OF HOUSINGS AND MAKING IT TO WHERE PEOPLE CAN'T SELL THEIR LOTS BECAUSE WE WANNA REDUCE SIDEWALK INTERRUPTIONS. OKAY? AND, AND THE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS OF THAT COULD BE REALLY, REALLY DRASTIC. I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE DONE A RESEARCH STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKET IMPLICATIONS OF THIS OR THE PRICE OF HOUSING IN HOUSTON, BUT IF THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE, I DON'T THINK WE'RE READY TO VOTE ON IT. WELL, THAT'S, I WANTED TO HEAR YOU FINISH THAT AND I THANK YOU SIR. THANK MAYOR. THAT'S NOT THE ONLY REASON. IN MANY OF THESE COMMUNITIES YOU HAVE HEAT ISLANDS AND IN MANY OF THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE YOUR FLOODING IS TAKING PLACE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER REASONS. IT'S NOT ABOUT SIDEWALKS, IT'S ABOUT FLOODING. IT'S ABOUT ALLOWING ALL OF THESE INTERRUPT, UM, DRIVEWAYS WHERE YOU DON'T ALLOW, UH, THE MITIGATION TO TAKE EFFECT. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAP WHERE THE HEAT ISLANDS ARE OCCURRING. SO THERE ARE MANY OTHER REASONS. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER. REBECCA KISTER. REBECCA KISTER. REBECCA. NEXT SPEAKER. MICHELLE ANN SMALL. MICHELLE. ANN SMALL. MICHELLE IS HERE. I'M JUST GONNA READ MY COMMENTS QUICKLY. . SORRY ABOUT THAT. ALL RIGHT. MY NAME IS MICHELLE AND I'M A REALTOR AND DEVELOPER HERE IN HOUSTON. IS I'M HERE TO SUPPORT CHAPTER 42. UM, I BELIEVE THE CHANGES PROPOSED TO THE ORDINANCES WILL VASTLY INCREASE A MUCH NEEDED INVENTORY IN OUR HOUSING LANDSCAPE. HOUSING, CLA H WORKING CLASS FAMILIES MAKING MODEST INCOMES. WELL UNDER A HUNDRED K WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THIS AMERICAN DREAM THAT IS VASTLY DECREASING AS WE SEE IT TODAY. [00:55:01] THIS PATH FORWARD IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE FOR HOUSTON, AS WELL AS AN ECONOMIC JUSTICE ISSUE FOR HOUSTON. THE ORDINANCE IS WRITTEN, IS NOT PERFECT, AND I'M SURE THERE'LL BE MANY REVISIONS, BUT PLEASE DON'T LET THE PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD. SO I'M HERE TO SUPPORT IT. HOPE YOU PASS IT. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. STAN. GEORGE. STAN. GEORGE. STAN. NEXT SPEAKER. SOPHIE ZIMMERMAN. SOPHIE ZIMMERMAN. SOPHIE. NEXT SPEAKER JEFFREY BATE. JEFFREY IS HERE. JEFFREY IS HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. UM, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE CHAPTER 42 CHANGES. UM, I BELIEVE THAT BY ADOPTING THIS ORDINANCE, YOU CAN CHANGE AND IMPROVE THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN IN OUR CITY, UM, BY MAKING OUR STREETS SAFER, PERFECT FOR PEDESTRIANS, BUT ALSO MORE BEAUTIFUL. SO MUCH OF OUR URBAN AREA HAS BEEN DESIGNED FOR CARS, NOT FOR PEDESTRIANS, AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE THE OPPOSITE. UM, PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS ON NARROW LOTS. THEY MAKE OUR STREETS LESS PRODUCTIVE, LESS SAFE. THERE ARE FEWER TREES, BROKEN SIDEWALKS, NO STREET PARKING AND ROWS OF GARAGES WHERE THERE COULD BE INSPIRING ARCHITECTURE WITH WINDOWS AND BALCONIES AND EYES ON THE STREET, WHICH MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER. UM, OUR DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCES, THEY DO ALLOW FOR VARIANCES. SO IF THERE ARE CASES FOR 50 BY 100 FOOT LOTS THAT CAN'T MEET THESE CRITERIA, UM, THE PLANNING COMMISSION CAN APPROVE VARIANCES. BUT RIGHT NOW, UM, WHAT IS THE EXCEPTION AS BEING THE RULE? AND I BELIEVE WE SHOULD REVERSE THAT. AND WE SHOULD LOOK AT THIS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS FOR NARROW LOTS. UM, AND I SUPPORT THE CHAPTER 42 CHANGES. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, KEVIN STUCKEY. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS KEVIN STUCKEY. I'M A BUILDER DEVELOPER HERE IN HOUSTON. WE HAVE BEEN FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. WE DON'T SUPPORT REVISING CHAPTER 42 TO ELIMINATE THE FRONT LOADED GARAGES. I THINK THAT'S SHORTSIGHTED. THE MAYOR NOTED PROBLEMS WITH DRAINAGE, PROBLEMS WITH, WITH MITIGATION. WHEN YOU CHANGE THAT SETUP, THE THE FRONT LOADED GARAGE, YOU ACTUALLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE ON THE LOT. SO WE, WE THINK THAT'S A, A REVERSE SITUATION. THE, UH, CITY PLANNING STAFF HAS IDENTIFIED SOME, SOME VIABLE OPTIONS. THEY DO WORK, THEY DO INCREASE COST, THEY DO INCREASE THE USE OF CONCRETE AND THEY DO ELIMINATE BACKYARD SPACE. SO YOU CAN SEE THERE, THERE'S GOOD AND BAD WITH BOTH. TO ELIMINATE A FRONT LOAD GARAGE, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IS SHORTSIGHTED. THE CURING, THE DRAINAGE PROBLEMS IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT UNDERTAKING AND I AGREE THAT THAT DOES NEED TO BE DONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, KEN, BOY, GOOD AFTERNOON. JUST SAY A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT. THE MAYOR HAD TO STEP OUT TO FILM A PUBLIC SERVICE COMMERCIAL AND HE WILL BE BACK IN A FEW MINUTES JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW. SO PROCEED. THANK YOU EVERYONE. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UH, I WORK FOR A BUILDER, UH, HERE IN HOUSTON. BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS. UH, AND I JUST WOULD SAY I OPPOSE, UH, CHAPTER 22 SPECIFICALLY THE NARROW LOTS WITH THE FRONT LOADING DRIVEWAYS. UH, THE PERMEABILITY ISSUE DOESN'T CHANGE. WHEN YOU CHANGE THIS DRIVEWAY. YOU'RE STILL GONNA GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF DRAINAGE COMING FROM A LOT ONTO THE STREET. IT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE THE NUMBER OF BALCONIES OR IT'S NOT GONNA CHANGE THE NUMBER OF FRONT DOORS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE STREET BECAUSE CHANGING THE DRIVEWAY TRAJECTORY DOESN'T CHANGE HOW WE'RE GONNA, HOW THE HOME IS GOING TO LOOK FROM THE FRONT. UH, IT STILL GONNA HAVE A BALCONY ON THE FRONT, UM, AND IT'S GONNA END RESULT OF MORE COST FOR A HOME IN HOUSTON AT THOSE. AND 25 FOOT LOTS ARE THE BREAD AND BUTTER FOR, UH, HOUSTON. UH, THAT'S WHERE WE GET THE MOST LOTS. SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE AFFECTING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, BILL BALDWIN. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M HERE TODAY ON BEHALF OF KATHY TREVINO, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATE REALTORS WHO COULD NOT BE HERE. I BELIEVE EACH OF YOU RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HER ON BEHALF OF OUR 49,000 REALTOR MEMBERS VOICING OUR SUPPORT FOR THE CHAPTER 42 AMENDMENTS AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY PROPOSED. I KNOW THAT A NUMBER OF REALTORS HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU IN OPPOSITION OF THESE PROPOSALS. PLEASE KNOW THAT THEY IN NO WAY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. HAR REMAINS STEADFAST IN OUR SUPPORT FOR THESE CHANGES. I DO AGREE THAT A NUMBER OF BUYERS DO WANT FRONT LOADING DRIVEWAYS, LARGE FRONT GARAGES AND LARGE BACKYARDS. WE DEBATED THIS WHEN WE WERE OVER, UH, OVERDOING THESE UH, CONSIDERATIONS. BUT AS ONE OF THE LARGEST REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATIONS IN THE COUNTRY, WE RECOGNIZE THE NEEDS OF [01:00:01] ONE CANNOT OUTWEIGH THE NEEDS OF MANY. AS REALTORS, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY NOT JUST TO HOME BUYERS, BUT TO THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE CITY WITH WHICH WE SERVE. WE STAND FOR STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS, SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS BY COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TIM. AND GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. UH, BILL, GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANKS. MORNING. UM, THE LETTER THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING, DID IT SAY IT WAS ON BEHALF OF 49,000? IT DOES. SO DID ALL 49,035 MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEBATED IT AND PASSED IT UNANIMOUSLY, WHICH SENT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH PASSED IT WITH ONLY ONE VOTE OF OPPOSITION. SO OVERWHELMINGLY THERE'S PEOPLE THAT VETTED IT, THE PROCEDURES THAT WE TYPICALLY HAVE AT THE ASSOCIATION. THAT'S HOW IT GOES THROUGH. SO THE, THE 30 SOME PEOPLE REPRESENT THE 49,000, CORRECT? UM, THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ACTION COMMITTEE, YES. THANK YOU SIR. SO MR. BALDWIN, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY FOR FIRST TIME HOME OWNERS. SO IF YOU'RE RESTRICTED AS A BUILDER TO BUILD ONE FRONT LOADER HOUSE AT 2,500 SQUARE FEET ON A 50 FOOT LOT VERSUS 2 2500 SQUARE FEET HOMES ON THAT SAME 50 FOOT LOT, WHAT WOULD THE PRICE OF THAT HOME BE? THAT SINGLE HOME BE DEPENDS ON THE LAND AND WHERE IT'S, YOU'RE, YOU'RE A REAL ESTATE BROKER, YOU'RE AN EXPERT AT THIS. THE AVERAGE PRICE IS $1 MILLION IN THE HEIGHTS FOR THAT HOUSE TODAY. AND FOR THE TWO, HOW WOULD THEY BE PRICED IF YOU HAD ONE IN ONE? THEY'RE A MILLION. DO THE 25 FOOT FRONT. SO NO MATTER IF YOU BUILD ONE HOUSE VERSUS TWO HOUSES, PRICE WOULD BE 2 MILLION VERSUS 1 MILLION. IT'S TWO. A NEW HOUSE COST ABOUT $2 MILLION IN THE HEIGHTS. 25 5 HOUSES, SPECIFICALLY TWO FRONT LOADERS. MOTION TO EXTEND CAST TATU MOVE MOTION. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED MOTION. GRANTED TWO FRONT LOADER HOUSES ON A 50 FOOT LOT PRICE POINTS VERSUS ONE FRONT LOADER HOUSE ON A 50 FOOT LOT AFFORDABILITY. THE PRICE IS DOUBLE COUNCIL MEMBER. IT'S EITHER 500,000 TO MILLION. YES, SIR. BUT REMEMBER THE ORDINANCE ALLOWS THEM NOW TO PUT THREE UNITS THERE INSTEAD OF TWO IN THAT SAME 50 FOOT WIDE LOT. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT AFFORDABILITY TO BUILD YOU. YOU STATED THE PRICE WILL BE DOUBLE WHEN YOU DO IT THAT WAY. SO HOW DOES THAT LOOK TO A YOUNG MAN OR WOMAN THAT'S TRYING TO AFFORD A HOUSE IN SOME OF THESE AREAS THAT WHERE MY KIDS WANNA LIVE AT THAT ARE 10 MINUTES FROM WORK, FROM DOWNTOWN, NOT WHAT I DO, WHICH IS AN HOUR FROM WORK. THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF 25 FOOT WIDE LOTS THAT ARE STILL BUILDABLE, THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PLOTTED AND THAT ARE IN THE RESELL MARKET TODAY FOR PEOPLE. BUT THE 25 FOOT WIDE LOT CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN HARMFUL FOR NEIGHBORHOODS. IT'S DIMINISHING GREEN SPACE, FRONT DOORS, EYES ON THE STREET, ANY NUMBER OF REASONS IF I HAD A LONG ENOUGH TIME TO EXPLAIN. SO MY NEXT QUESTION GOES TO THE MAYOR'S QUESTION OF ALLOWING MITIGATION TO TAKE EFFECT. WHEN I SEE THESE FRONT LOADERS BEING BUILT, THERE'S NEW MITIGATION, THERE'S NEW PIPES, THERE'S NEW DRAINAGE, THEY DIG IT OUT, THEY DIG OUT WHAT I CALL A SYSTEM THAT IS, DOESN'T HAVE WATER FLOW FROM END TO END. SO A NEW, AFFORDABLE, AFFORDABLE HOUSE WILL HAVE MITIGATION THAT IS BRAND NEW AND PROBABLY FITS TO OUR STANDARDS. WOULD YOU NOT AGREE WITH THAT IF AS OPPOSED TO AN UNDEVELOPED LOT? FOR SURE. CERTAINLY. UH, I THINK WE NEED A MOTION TO EXTEND. I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. SO YOU ARE ON THE, THE MOTION TO EXTEND SECOND FAVOR OPPOSED MOTION GRANTED. SO YOU ARE ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION? YES SIR. SO IS THE CHAIR OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AMENABLE TO A COMPROMISE THAT WOULD ALLOW FRONT LOADERS THAT GO IN AT 12 FEET WHERE IT'S THE CITY LAND THEN PROGRESS OUT TO 16 FEET TO THE HOUSE? I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME DISCUSSIONS ABOUT A COMPROMISE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR AT LEAST 20 FOOT OF FRONTAGE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AND PROVIDED THAT WE CAN PROTECT THOSE CLOSEST TO THE SCHOOLS AND PARKS AND MAYBE EVEN COMPLETE COMMUNITIES, THERE IS ROOM FOR A COMPROMISE. SO HOW WOULD BILL BALDWIN FEEL ABOUT THAT COMPROMISE? I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THE COMPROMISE COUNCIL MEMBER BECAUSE I, I THINK WE NEED MORE EYES ON THE STREET. WE NEED FRONT DOORS AND FRONT YARDS AND I THINK THESE 25 FOOT WIDE THINGS COMING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS AND OBLITERATING THE CURRENT HOUSING STOCK IS HARMFUL FOR THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROTECTION AS DEED RESTRICTIONS AND SPECIAL MINIMAL KNOT SIZE, WHICH ARE IN MOST AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT NOT IN UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS. SO WE'RE HARMING UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS AT A RAPID RATE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROTECTIONS AS AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE WOODLAND HEIGHTS, NOR HILL HEIGHTS, HOUSTON HEIGHTS, MANDEL PLACE, WINLOW PLACE WHERE I LIVE ALL HAVE 50 FOOT MINIMUM KNOT SIZES AND GARAGE SETBACKS OF 75 FEET OR MORE. THAT'S A VERY COMMON DEED RESTRICTION IN AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOODS BECAUSE NEIGHBORS WANT THOSE THINGS. YOU, NO ONE IS CLAMORING FOR 25 FOOT WIDE VANS NEXT DOOR TO THEM. AND I ALWAYS RESPECT YOUR OPINION, MR. LIN, AS YOU KNOW. THANK YOU. EXCEPT ONE. YES SIR. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER. NEXT SPEAKER. FERNANDO [01:05:01] RUIZ. MR. RUIZ, NEXT SPEAKER, CRYSTAL CASEY. HEY, MS. CASEY. HI. THANK YOU. UH, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I'M A THIRD GENERATION, UH, RESIDENT OF, UH, DISTRICT C AND I ALSO OWN A BUSINESS IN DISTRICT C. MOST OF THE AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 42 ARE INCREDIBLE FOR OUR CITY AND WE WOULD ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT THEM. HOWEVER, THE NARROW LOT LANGUAGE IS HARMFUL TO OUR INDUSTRY, BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS. JAMES ADAMS REMINDS US THE HAPPINESS OF THE PEOPLE IS ALONE, THE SOLE END OF GOVERNMENT. SO THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE IS THE ONLY FOUNDATION OF IT IN REASON, MORALITY AND THE NATURAL FITNESS OF THINGS. AND THEREFORE ANY ACT OF GOVERNMENT AND EVERY EXERCISE OF SOVEREIGNTY AGAINST OR WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE IS INJUSTICE. OVER 85% OF THE COMMENTS ON THE LIVABLE PLACES, UH, WEBSITE, OVER 85% OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME FORWARD TO THIS COUNCIL AND ALSO TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION, HAVE BEEN OPPOSED TO THE NARROW LOT LANGUAGE ONLY. WE'VE ALSO HAD OVER TWO THIRDS OF THE HOUSES BUILT IN THE GREATER, UM, INNER CITY, OUR FRONT LOADERS. SO IF WE'RE REMOVING THOSE AND WE'RE GONNA VOTE FOR THIS NARROW LOT LANGUAGE, HOW ARE WE DOING THAT WITH THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, KATIE PRICHARD. HI EVERYONE. UH, MY NAME IS KATIE PRITCHARD. I'M A HOMEOWNER IN DISTRICT C. UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST THE NARROW LOT PROVISIONS. I HAD THIS WHOLE THING TYPED OUT, BUT I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU A PERSONAL STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK. I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE THERE'S VERY NARROW STREETS. PEOPLE ARE PARKED ON THE STREETS. I WAS OUT WALKING MY DOGS, SWERVE IT IN AND OUTTA CARS. AND I ALMOST GOT HIT NOT BY ONCE, BUT TWICE ON A 45 MINUTE WALK. THAT IS NOT A LIFE I WANNA LIVE. AND FOR MY NEXT HOME, I WANT TO BUY A NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME. I LIVE IN AN OLD HOME RIGHT NOW, AND IF A SHARED DRIVEWAY OR IF I CAN'T GET A NEW CONSTRUCTION HOME WITH A PRIVATE DRIVEWAY, I WILL, FROM EVERYTHING I'VE EVER TOLD MYSELF, I WILL BE MOVING OUT TO THE SUBURBS AND I WILL HAVE TO COMMUTE TO WORK. 'CAUSE I WANT SPACE FOR MY GUESTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE I FEEL SAFE ON MY STREET. I URGE YOU TO STRONGLY DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS. THIS IS JUST FOR THE SAFETY OF HOUSTON AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. DO NOT PLEASE, I BEG YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU IN KINGWOOD. NEXT SPEAKER, . NEXT SPEAKER. TAYLOR BECKER. YOU GOTTA LAUGH AT THIS SOMETIMES, DON'T YOU? . ALL RIGHT. TAYLOR BECKER, BE FOLLOWED BY GEORGE FRAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS TAYLOR BECKER AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS OPPOSITION ON CHAPTER 42. AS A HOMEOWNER IN DISTRICT K, UH, I BOUGHT MY STARTER HOME IN A SHARED DRIVEWAY COMMUNITY BACK IN 2020. AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE CHANGES BEING PROPOSED WILL ENCOURAGE MORE OF THESE COMMON DRIVE DEVELOPMENTS, UH, AND BAN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ON VIRTUALLY ANYTHING BUT A FULL SIZE LOT. UH, THIS IS NOT IDEAL FOR MANY HOMEOWNERS, UH, FOR SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, PARKING, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, UH, BY OTHER HOMEOWNERS. IT'S TERRIBLE IN SH SHARED DRIVEWAY COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING MY OWN, NOT ONLY GUESTS, BUT OWNERS ARE FORCED OUT ONTO THE STREETS TO PARK OUTSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY, OUTSIDE OF THE GATES IF THEY'RE COURTEOUS ENOUGH NOT TO BLOCK YOUR GARAGE. UM, AND THESE PARKED CARS CREATE SO MUCH UNSAFE WALKING CONDITIONS FOR ME AND MY CHILD AND MY DOG. IT'S, I WOULD RATHER JUST NOT WALK AROUND MY CITY. UM, AND NOT ONLY THAT, THEY DRA THEY DAMAGE THE DRAINAGE DITCHES, UM, BLOCK ACCESS TO IT AND CREATE EASY TARGETS FOR, UH, CRIME MAKING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN MORE UNSAFE. UH, MY HOUSE, LIKE MANY OTHERS IN THESE SHARED DRIVEWAY COMMUNITIES ARE, IT'S TWO STORIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MS. BECKER. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. YES, VICE MAYOR PROTE. MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM, WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD DO YOU LIVE IN? I LIVE IN INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS. NEXT SPEAKER. GEORGE FRY. GEORGE FRY. NOT HERE. NEXT SPEAKER. MATTHEW CAMP. MATTHEW CAMP. MATTHEW CAMP. NEXT SPEAKER MARIE CARLISLE. AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS MARIE CARLISLE, AND I LIVE IN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 14 IN DISTRICT C. I AM HERE BECAUSE I HAVE CONCERNS REGARDING THE NARROW LOT PROVISIONS OF CHAPTER 42, AND I OBJECT TO THE EXTENT THOSE PROVISIONS, AS EVERYBODY HAS DISCUSSED, FAIL TO PROVIDE, PROVIDE ADEQUATE PARKING FOR RESIDENTS AND THEIR GUESTS, RESULTING IN MORE VEHICLES, PARKING ON ALREADY CROWDED STREETS. THERE'S A LACK OF CLARITY HOW THESE PROPOSALS WILL IN ANY WAY PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR RESIDENTS WHO LIVE ON THOSE NARROW STREETS WHERE YOU HAVE NO SIDEWALKS, YOU HAVE OPEN DITCHES AND PROTECT US FROM THOSE ADDITIONAL CARS THAT HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO PARK ON THOSE STREETS. UM, I ALSO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ENFORCEABILITY OR WHAT WE PERCEIVE AS THE LACK THEREOF OF THE EXISTING CITY ORDINANCES. [01:10:01] SO I'M HERE TO ASK ALL OF YOU THAT IF YOU DO PASS THESE PROVISIONS, YOU ALSO BACK IT UP WITH, UM, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO ENFORCEMENT WITHIN OUR CITY SO THAT THE BURDEN OF DEALING WITH ILLEGALLY PARKED VEHICLES, BLOCK STREETS AND WALKWAYS AND LACK OF SAFE AREAS FOR PEDESTRIANS, CHILDREN AND CYCLISTS DOESN'T GET PASSED DOWN TO ALL OF US HOMEOWNERS TO FIGHT AMONG ONE ANOTHER TO DEAL WITH THIS. FINALLY, ONE OTHER MINOR CONCERN I HAVE IS ABOUT THE REGULAR GRANTING OF VARIANCES BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THEY'RE ROUTINELY GRANTED, WHICH WILL KIND OF UNDERMINE HAS. THANK YOU EVERYTHING THEY'VE DONE. THANK YOU, MS. CARLISLE. NEXT SPEAKER, CHAD BOGGAN. AFTERNOON. MR. BOGGAN, THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME TO SPEAK WITH YOU. I'M GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. I'VE BEEN AN ADVOCACY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I HAD THE CHUCKLE TO MYSELF WHEN PEOPLE ARE TELLING ME THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE BUILDING THE HELP, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HAVING FRONT END LOAD GARAGES, YOU, YOU BILL WHAT YOU SELL. AND IF PEOPLE ARE ONLY BUILDING FRONT END GARAGES, THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA BUY. IF YOU GO AND LOOK AT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT THEY'RE DEVELOPING NOW, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FRONT LOAD GARAGES ANYMORE. THEY'RE ALL WITH SIDEWALKS, GRASS IN THE FRONT. AND I'M ON BEHALF OF THE 49,000 MEMBERS. WE DISCUSSED THAT. WE DEBATED THAT IN THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DIRECTOR MEMBERS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY, AND THE THOUGHT WAS, WE, WE NEED TO CHANGE. AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THE CITY IS DECIDING TO DO THE 42 LIVABLE SPACES AND, AND, AND THE REALTORS SUPPORT THIS WHOLE HARLEY. NOT ALL, BUT THE MAJORITY DO. THANK YOU, MR. GANY. I HAVE A QUESTION. SO THE, I HAVE THREE KIDS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THEY DON'T WANT TO DO WHAT I DO. I'VE TOLD THIS STORY MANY TIMES. I APPRECIATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW. WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE YOUNGER GENERATION IS THEY DON'T WANT THESE THREE STORY HOUSES THAT THEY'RE BUILDING. THEY WANT A TWO STORY HOUSE, WHICH IS A FRONT LOADER. THEY'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THEM. IT'S A HOUSE THAT THESE YOUNGER GENERATION REALLY ENJOY. I DON'T KNOW HOW OLD YOU ARE, BUT I THINK YOU'RE CLOSER TO MY AGE THAN YOU ARE TO MY DAUGHTER'S AGE. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE, OF THE YOUNGER GENERATION IN WHICH THEIR ABILITY TO FIND AN AFFORDABLE HOME, WHICH THEY WANT TO DO AT A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S 10 MINUTES FROM THEIR WORK, WHICH IS SIM NEAR DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO DO WHAT I DID FOR 60 YEARS OF MY LIFE. CHAPTER 42 LIVABLE SPACES ALLOWS MORE HOUSES TO BE BUILT ON THE LIVE. WE'VE GOTTA GET AWAY FROM EVERYTHING HAVING TO BE A SINGLE FAMILY HOME AT, WITH FRONT END LOADED GARAGES. YOU CAN SPREAD IT OUT. YOU CAN BUILD CONDOS. IT'S ABOUT AFFORDABILITY. WE CAN BUILD MORE. THIS CHAPTER 42 ALLOWS MORE HOUSES TO BE BUILT ON THESE LIVES. THANK YOU. MOTION TO EXTEND. SECOND I THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. GO AHEAD, MARK. COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR MARTHA TEX TATUM. HI, SHAQ. GOOD TO SEE YOU. I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW ABOUT THE DISCUSSION THAT YOU HAD IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS. UM, DID Y'ALL LOOK AT THE OTHER OPTIONS THAT WERE PRESENTED WITH CHAPTER 42 AND WHAT THE DISCUSSION WAS AROUND? UM, THE OTHER, UM, PROPOSALS WE LOOKED AT, WE LOOKED AT ALL THE PROPOSALS THAT WERE IN FRONT OF US. WE WENT THROUGH EVERYTHING. WE EVEN LOOKED AT THE VIDEO THAT WAS PUT OUT BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION. WE FELT LIKE THAT THE CITY, IF WE ARE GONNA MAKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE MORE UNITS. WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE DENSITY. CURRENTLY, THE WAY IT'S SET UP RIGHT NOW, WHEN EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THESE 300, $400,000 HOUSES ARE NOT AFFORDABLE TO, UH, MAYOR TIM'S, UH, KIDS AT THIS POINT. AND SO WE FELT LIKE HAVING MORE UNITS, BEING ABLE TO SHOW WHETHER IT'S A DUPLEX OR A FOURPLEX, BEING ABLE TO HAVE GRASS IN THE FRONT YARD. AND WHAT REALLY BOTHERED ME IN THIS MEETING WAS ALL THIS BUILDING IS BEING MOTION TO EXTEND. SO MOVE SECOND. ALL THOSE FAVOR OPPOSED? THE BUILDING IS BEING DONE IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. IF YOU GO TO ANY OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS WHERE IT'S NOT THE MAJORITY, YOU WILL SEE THAT THEY'RE DOING GARAGES IN THE BACK. YOU'RE SEEING THEY'RE PUTTING GRASS IN THE FRONT. IT'S, IT'S BEING IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND EVERYTHING'S ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT AFFORDABLE. OKAY, I GOT THAT. SO HAVE YOU SEEN THE COMPROMISE THAT WAS DISCUSSED ARE, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH, UM, THE COMPROMISE THAT, UM, THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION PRESENTED? YES. WE TALKED ABOUT, ABOUT THAT, THAT COMPROMISE. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT IN THE MEETING. AT FIRST, I LOOKED AT IT AND I'M SAID, OKAY, I CAN LIVE WITH THIS. BUT AS I LOOKED AT IT MORE AND LOOKED AT WHERE THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY'RE BUILDING THESE HOMES AT WAS IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THEY WASN'T DOING IT IN OTHER AREAS. THEY WERE STRICTLY COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. OKAY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE MOUTH, THEY'RE ALL IN COMMUNITIES [01:15:01] OF COLOR. AND IF YOU LOOK WHERE THEY STARTED, LIKE RICE, MILITARY AND ALL THESE OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, IN THE BEGINNING, THEY WERE DOING FRONT LOAD. THEY WERE DOING IT, BUT AS THEY PROGRESSED, THEY STOPPED DOING FRONT LOAD GARAGES. AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S SO? BECAUSE IT DIDN'T LOOK NICE. DRIVE DOWN, UH, INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS, AND YOU GOTTA MOVE OVER TO THE SIDE OR GO INTO A DITCH, OR YOU CAN'T, YOU PARK ON THE DRIVEWAY AND YOU'RE OUT IN THE STREET AND PEOPLE GOTTA WALK AROUND EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT JUST BECAUSE OF FRONT MOTION GARAGE MOTION TO, OKAY. I'M GOOD. MOTION. MOTION. OKAY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EDWARD POLLARD. MOTION TO EXTEND SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED MOTION GRANTED. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TIM. AND THANK YOU, SIR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS. YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT, UH, NOT ALL REALTORS, UH, AGREE WITH THE SENTIMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION, BUT YOU SAID THE MAJORITY OF THE REALTORS DO. UH, CAN YOU PRESENT US WITH, UH, WHATEVER DOCUMENTATION THAT SHOWS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE REALTORS DO? WELL, THE WAY OUR ASSOCIATION IS GOVERNED, YOU'D BE ON COMMITTEES. I'M, I'M CHAIR OF THE GOVERNMENT OF AFFAIRS COMMITTEES, SO THOSE THAT ON THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPRESENT MEMBERS ALL OVER THIS CITY. SO THAT'S OUR REPRESENTATION. AND SO WHEN WE VOTED, WE TOOK IT TO, WE VOTED IN THERE FOR THIS TO MOVE FORWARD, AND THEN WE TOOK IT TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH ARE ABOUT 18 TO 20 MEMBERS ALL ACROSS THE CITY, AND THEY ARE REPRESENTING THAT PART OF THE CITY. IF OUR MEMBERS DID NOT AGREE WITH THIS, THEY WOULD'VE WENT TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SAID, HEY, WE'RE NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS. WE'RE, WE'RE, WE ARE. ONLY, WE RUN AN ASSOCIATION WHERE WE ELECT MEMBERS TO, UH, REPRESENT US. AND NO ONE IN HERE THAT I'VE SEEN TODAY IS EVER I'VE EVER SEEN AT A HAR MEETING TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND IT'S AVAILABLE TO 'EM. SO, SO, BUT MY QUESTION IS, DO, DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT WOULD DOCUMENT THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE 49,000 MEMBERS COLLECTIVELY, UH, HAVE AGREED WITH YOUR POSITION? OR, OR IS IT SAFE TO SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT THEM ON THE COMMITTEES, UH, SHARE YOUR SENTIMENT MOTION TO EXTEND? I WOULD SAY THE, I WOULD SAY THE IN FAVOR OPPOSED MOTION. GRANTED, I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS THAT ARE REPRESENTING THOSE 49,000 WAS IN AGREEMENT. WE ONLY HAD ONE DISSENT IN THAT. AND I WAS ONE IN THE BEGINNING WAS NOT FOR THIS. AND AFTER I LOOKED AT IT AND, AND LOOKED AT THAT VIDEO THAT THE CITY PUT OUT, AND I DRIVE THOSE NEIGHBORS IN INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS, I REALIZED THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING IN COMMUNITIES THAT LOOK OF COLOR. THANK YOU, SIR. MR. BOGGAN, I RESPECT YOUR, UH, YOUR OPINION. UM, AND I WILL USE A QUOTE THAT THE GENTLEMAN IN THIS CHAIR, UH, WHO I ADMIRE AND RESPECT ALWAYS USES WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER ASHLEY, WHO TELLS HIM, DADDY, DON'T BUILD THE CITY FOR YOUR GENER GENERATION. BUILD IT FROM MY GENERATION. WE'VE ALL HEARD THAT. I THINK YOU AND I ARE OF CLOSER TO THE MAYOR'S GENERATION THAN HIS DAUGHTER IS. EVERY YOUNG PERSON I TALK TO REALLY LOVES THE FRONT LOADERS. I DON'T, BUT IT'S NOT MY CITY THAT I'M BUILDING. IT'S FOR MY KIDS AND MY GRANDKIDS. SO WHY SHOULD I GO AGAINST THEM? THE FUTURE GENERATION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON? WELL, MAYOR, UH, PRO TIM, I DO A RADIO TALK SHOW HERE IN HOUSTON ON REAL ESTATE FOR THE LAST 33 YEARS. I HEAR FROM MY COMMUNITY EVERY DAY, I'M WHERE THE TIRE MEETS THE ROAD. WHAT CHAPTER 42 DOES IS ALLOW FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING FROM TINY HOUSES TO, UH, UH, MULTI SMALL MULTIFAMILY CONDOS, DUPLEXES, FOUR PLEXES. SO YOUR CHILDREN WILL HAVE A PLACE TO STAY BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THEM WANT A SMALL PLACE. THEY DON'T WANT BIG MANSIONS. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER HAN UD MAHMUD. JOHANNA MAHMOOD. NEXT SPEAKER, TINA WILCHER. AFTERNOON, MS. WILCHER. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M TINA WILCHER. I'M A REAL ESTATE BROKER ASSOCIATE AT C3 21 EXCLUSIVE, AND A REAL ESTATE INSTRUCTOR FOR THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS AND TEXAS REALTORS. AND I SUPPORT THE CHAPTER 42 REVISIONS. I BELIEVE PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY OF PROGRESS, AND WHILE THERE HAS BEEN SOME DISSENT IN REGARDS TO THE PROPOSED ORDINANCES IN THE LONG RUN, THIS WILL LEAD TO SMARTER DEVELOPMENTS AND PROMOTE AFFORDABILITY FOR HOME BUYERS OF ALL TYPES, AND WILL PROMOTE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING AS THE ENTIRE NATION, INCLUDING HOUSTON FACES LOW INVENTORY AND HIGH INTEREST RATES. THE NEED FOR SMART DEVELOPMENT IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR. THIS IS WHY HAR SUPPORTS THROUGH THE REVISIONS TO CHAPTER 42, AS IT WILL HELP TO NOT ONLY INCREASE INVENTORY, [01:20:01] BUT ALSO ENSURE THAT WE WILL STRENGTHEN NEIGHBORHOODS. SPECIFICALLY, WE AGREE WITH THE REVISIONS AND MY REQUEST AS AN INSTRUCTOR IS THAT IF THESE PROPOSED CHANGES DO TAKE PLACE, THAT YOU WILL, YOU ALL WOULD DO SOME TYPE OF EDUCATIONAL FORM FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR BUILDERS AND FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, QUICK QUESTION. HOW DOES INCREASE IN INVENTORY RELATE WHEN YOU HAVE A SINGLE HOUSE ON A 50 FOOT LOT VERSUS TWO? IT'S GONNA CREATE MIDDLE HOUSING, AND SO THAT IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. UH, WE KEEP HEARING THIS MILLION DOLLAR NUMBER, THE MILLION DOLLAR NUMBER IN THESE COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE TO MAKE AFFORDABILITY AN OPTION FOR YOUR CHILDREN. I HAVE A DAUGHTER WHO'S 31 YEARS OLD. AGAIN, THEY DON'T WANT THE HUGE HOUSES. THEY DON'T WANNA HAVE TO MAINTAIN ALL OF THAT. SO THEY WANT SOMETHING THAT IS AFFORDABLE, BUT ALSO IN THE CITY AND IT MEETS THEIR NEEDS. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, JONATHAN, AN AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME'S JONATHAN A**L. UH, MY WIFE, THREE BOYS AND I ARE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT SEED. I'M A LIFELONG, UH, HOUSTONIAN. UM, I'M A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. I'VE BEEN BUILDING AND RENOVATING HOMES IN THE LOOP FOR ALMOST TWO DECADES. UM, I'VE RENOVATED HOMES, BUILT CUSTOM HOMES, BUILT LHA, SHARED DRIVEWAY, TOWN HOMES, AND NARROW LOT FRONT LOADERS. UM, THE LARO, THE I'VE BUILT SHARED DRIVEWAY COMMUNITIES, AND I COULD SAY WITH FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE THAT THIS IS THE WORST OPTION. THEY TAKE LONGER TO, TO DESIGN AND PERMIT COSTS MORE TO BUILD. AND IN MY EXPERIENCE, ARE FAR MORE DIFFICULT TO SELL THAN OTHER OPTIONS. MY FOCUS HAS BEEN ON NARROW LOT UNITS, UM, SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF DEMAND FOR, UH, THESE COMMON DRIVEWAY TOWN HOMES. UM, SHARED DRIVEWAY PROJECTS ON SMALLER LOTS DO NOT LAY OUT WELL AND COSTS MORE TO THE END USER PER SQUARE FOOT. I, I AM AGAINST CHAPTER 42. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TAR JACKSON FOR PROCEED. THANK YOU. UM, I PROCEED YOUR MOTION. OKAY. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE, UM, TRUSTEE KATHY BLUE FOR DANIELS IN FRONT OF LAURIE CLARK. SECOND ROBINSON MOTION IN A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. WE GOT IT. NEXT SPEAKER. WY DA LEON ON. NO, NO, NO. WE JUST HAD TO FRONT IT'S ONE PERSON. NEXT. THANK YOU, MA'AM. YOU'RE WELCOME. WE'LL GET TO YOU SOON. PROMISE RALEIGH DION. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M A LIFETIME RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND I HAVE LIVED IN DISTRICT K WITH MY WIFE AND FAMILY FOR OVER A DECADE. I'M AGAINST SOME OF THE PROPOSALS IN CHAPTER 42. SHARED DRIVEWAY. TOWN HOMES HAVE BEEN BUILT AROUND ME IN THE BRASSWOOD AREA OVER THE YEARS. WHEN I DRIVE BY THOSE HOMES, THEY ARE GATED OFF FROM THE REST OF THE COMMUNITY. AND THE STREETS UP AND DOWN ARE FILLED WITH PARKED CARS. THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. MY LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE MYLINE AREA IS MOSTLY DE RESTRICTED. SO THESE TOWN HOMES CAN'T BE BUILT ON MY STREET. I LOVE MY STREET BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE COMMUNITY. PEOPLE WASH THEIR CARS IN DRIVEWAYS, HAVE BARBECUES IN THE BACKYARDS. THE STREETS ARE FREE OF PARKED CARS. PEOPLE WALK THEIR DOGS UP AND DOWN THE STREET, KIDS RIDE THEIR BIKES. I REALIZE THAT THE CITY IN EAST DENSITY AS IT GROWS, BUT THESE TOWN HOME COMMUNITIES WITH NO PARKING, NO DRIVEWAYS, NO SENSE OF BEING PART OF A NEIGHBORHOOD ARE NOT THE ANSWER. THE NARROW LOT FRONT LOAD HOMES SEEM LIKE THE BEST OPTION TO ADD DENSITY WHILE MAINTAINING, EXCUSE ME, MAINTAINING THE NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL OF OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT SPEAKER. KATHY BLUFORD DANIELS. MAKE IT OKAY, ASH, YOU'RE PERFECT. WELCOME. I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK I'M TRYING TO MOVE TO KINGWOOD. , COME ON BACK THERE. WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU. ALL TURN OF ONE OF THE MICS. PERFECT. EITHER ONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING ME TO ACTUALLY COME BEFORE YOU ALL AND SPEAK. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF ITEM 15, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE RELOCATION OF SOME OF THE RESIDENTS IN FIFTH WARD. I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF FIFTH WARD. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER FOR RECOGNIZING MY TRUSTEE STATUS, MY ELECTED TRUSTEE STATUS, LET ME SAY, UM, . UM, BUT ALSO I WANT YOU ALL TO THINK ABOUT TOMORROW. I MEAN, AS YOU, YOU DISCUSSED THIS ITEM 15 IS THE FACT THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WAS BROUGHT UP BY SOME OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENTS WAS IF THERE ARE PEOP MULTIPLE FAMILIES LIVING IN A, IN ONE HOME, IF THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO MOVE WOULD BE GIVEN TO ONE PERSON OR TWO PEOPLE, OR THREE PEOPLE OR HOWEVER MANY FAMILIES THAT ARE THERE ALSO, UM, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY GIVE MORE TIME TO DISCUSS ALL OF THAT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE RESIDENTS THAT IT WILL BE IMPACTED BECAUSE WE HAVE INSTANCES WHERE [01:25:01] PEOPLE MAYBE HAVE, UH, UM, UM, NOT CAUGHT UP ON THEIR TACTIC. UM, SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING OF CONSEQUENCE FOR THIS RELOCATION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TAR JACKSON. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TRUSTEE DANIELS FOR COMING IN. SO, WITH THE CURRENT PLAN, WHAT IMPROVEMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OR ADDITIONS TO THE PLAN, UM, THAT HAS BEEN OUTLINED ACCORDING FOR THE RELOCATION? WELL, INITIALLY, AND WE COULD HAVE SOME SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT FOR, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED, BUT HAVING THEM UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES, THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES, HOMEOWNER'S INSURANCE FOR $250,000 PLUS HOUSE, AND IF THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY OPPORTUNITY, WOULD THEY HAVE TO REMAIN ON THE PROPERTY FOR FIVE YEARS VERSUS 10 YEARS. THERE'S JUST MANY FACTORS MM-HMM . THAT I BELIEVE THAT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED WITH THE RESIDENTS SO THAT THEY WILL THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT, WHAT THE SITUATION IS. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS ACTUALLY MORE, MORE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. OKAY. AND DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. I'M STILL COMING TO KINGWOOD. YES, MA'AM. GOD BLESS. LAURIE CLARK, YOU FOLLOWED BY TREMAINE CHADMAN ROSE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. CLARK. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE MEMBERS OF, UH, HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTOR REALTORS, NOBODY CONTACTED ME. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE PROPOSED BAN ON FRONT LOADING HOMES. THIS PROPOSAL IS GOING TO FORCE CARS ONTO THE STREET, AND IT'S GONNA CREATE REAL HAZARDS FOR THROUGH TRAFFIC, PEDESTRIANS, AND PARTICULARLY CHILDREN. THIS BAND ERADICATES GUEST PARKING. IMAGINE TRYING TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS IN A SHARED DRIVEWAY. I ASK, COULD YOU ALL LIVE WITH A SHARED DRIVEWAY, MULTIPLE NEIGHBORS? THIS PROPOSAL WILL CREATE ISSUES BETWEEN NEIGHBORS AND YOU ALL ARE LIKELY TO HEAR ABOUT IT. ENACTING THIS BAN WILL REMOVE THE AUTONOMY HOMEOWNERS SEEK. IN ADDITION, THIS PROPOSAL WILL RENDER BACKYARDS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE PETS OR CHILDREN THAT NEED OUTDOOR SPACE? I SUBMIT TO YOU, THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER HAS THESE NEEDS AS WELL. THANK YOU, MS. CLARK. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, TREMAINE CHADMAN ROSE CHIEF, FOLLOWED BY SPRINT. SPENCER HOOK. GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. CHAPMAN. ROSE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M TREMAINE CHAPMAN. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN. I GREW UP IN MISS CASTING'S, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE REALTORS. I AM ON A COUPLE GOVERNMENTAL BOARDS WITH, UM, THE REALTOR ASSOCIATION AND TEXAS REALTORS. UM, WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF CHAPTER 42. SOME OF THE REASONS THAT I OUTLINED, UM, IS IT'S A SAFE IT WHAT WE ARE HAPPY TO SEE. IT SAFEGUARD GREEN SPACES THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND CHARACTER. IT PRESERVES MORE GREEN SPACE AND FRONT YARDS OF HOMES, UM, TO INCREASE SAFETY OF OUR SIDEWALKS AND PROMOTE MORE WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, I GREW UP IN COMMUNITY, IN A COMMUNITY WHERE WE DID NOT HAVE THAT. AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF CARS, UM, IN DRIVEWAYS. THERE ARE BLOCKING THE VIEW OF CHILDREN. SOME OF THE CARS ARE NOT WORKING. UM, SO WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF IT. I'M IN SUPPORT OF IT AS WELL. THANK YOU. QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU. YES. SO WHAT WOULD YOU THINK OF A COMPROMISE THAT TAKES THE DRIVEWAYS WHERE I OWN, WHERE THE CITY OWNS THE LAND AND NARROWS IT FROM 16 TO 12. ONCE IT GETS TO THE PROPERTY OF THE HOMEOWNERS, THEY EXPAND IT UP TO 16. YOU'RE LISTENING TO THESE CONVERSATIONS. MM-HMM . THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, I'D SAY IT'S 80 20 THAT ARE HERE TODAY THAT ARE OPPOSED TO, UH, THIS PART OF IT. AND I THINK THAT'S THE ONE COMPROMISE THAT WE CAN DO THAT GETS EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE. WELL, I CAN ONLY SPEAK AS A REALTOR. NO, AS A HOMEOWNER, AS A MAMA. RIGHT. BUT MOST OF THE CLIENTS THAT I DEAL WITH, ESPECIALLY IN HOUSTON, THEY, THEY ARE LIVING IN THESE CONTEMPORARY HOMES. SO THEY, THEY'RE LIVING IN THE THREE AND FOUR STORY HOMES. A LOT OF THEM DO HAVE THE GARAGES IN THE REAR. I CURRENTLY LIVE IN A TOWN HOME LIKE THAT. AND WHAT IT HELPS IS WHEN IT STARTS FLOODING. NOW WE DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH STREET FLOODING, BUT THE FLOODING IS IN THE ALLEYWAYS. THE, UH, THE WATER, UH, DRAINS INTO THE DITCHES AND, AND TO THE, UH, RETENTIONS THROUGH THE ALLEYWAYS. SO IT, IT ALSO HELPS WITH KIDS WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS THAT ARE PLAYING, UM, IN THE STREET. KIDS WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO PLAY IN THE BACKYARD, BUT THEY DON'T DO THAT. THEY PLAY IN THE STREETS. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE, UM, [01:30:01] THE, THE FRONT LOAD PROPERTIES, THAT HELPS THE SAFETY OF THE KIDS. OKAY. THANK YOU MS. CHAPMAN. ALRIGHT, YOU'RE WELCOME. NEXT SPEAKER. SPENCER HUCK. AFTERNOON. MR. HUCK A GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNSEL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN MEETING. UM, SO A FEW THINGS I WANNA TOUCH ON FIRST. UM, I'M WITH CITY QUEST PROPERTIES. WE SELL, UM, ABOUT 500 NEW CONSTRUCTION HOUSES A YEAR. AND WE ACTUALLY FOCUS ON TRYING TO SELL THE MOST AFFORDABLE PRICE POINT. UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, YES. A A TRUE AFFORDABLE HOME IS NOT IN THE 300 400,000 PRICE POINT. UM, HOWEVER, IT IS THE CLOSEST THING YOU CAN GET TO IT. UM, SO FEW DIFFERENT POINTS. ONE LARGE DEVELOP LARGE, UH, PARCELS FOR SHARED DRIVEWAYS. IT WORKS FOR THE 50 BY A HUNDRED SQUARE FOOT LOTS. IT DOESN'T WORK. WE CAN BUILD THIS TODAY. UM, I'M PASSING AROUND A MAP, WHICH YOU'LL ALL SEE, WHICH IS A MAKEUP OF THE ENTIRE, UH, CITY OF HOUSTON. SO ONE THIRD OF THE ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON IS, UH, LOTS ARE 50 BY A HUNDRED OR 50 BY 120, 50 BY 130. SO THIS PROPOSAL IS GOING TO INHIBIT THOSE LOTS FROM BEING DEVELOPED. LIKE I SAID, WE COULD DEVELOP THE THREE HOMES ON THE, UH, SHARE DRIVEWAY TODAY. BUILDERS DO NOT DEVELOP THEM BECAUSE OF THAT. UM, SO I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HR R'S STANDPOINT. YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN SPENCER, UH, IT, IT, I, I DRIVE AROUND AND I SEE FRONT LOADERS BEING BUILT ALL OVER THE PLACE. MM-HMM . IN EVERY, I MEAN, LOTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, I LIVE INSIDE THE LUBE. I SEE A LOT OF THEM INSIDE THE LUBE. MM-HMM . UM, BUT I SEE 'EM IN DIFFERENT PLACES. YOU'RE A REALTOR, CORRECT? MM-HMM . MM-HMM . JUST ARE, CAN YOU TELL ME, LIKE, IS THERE, ARE THERE, 'CAUSE IT DOES CONCERN ME IF, IF THERE'S A QUESTION OF THESE BEING BUILT JUST IN CERTAIN PARTS OF TOWN MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, IS THIS INDICATIVE OF LIKE, WHERE THEY'RE BEING BUILT ALL OVER OR, SO THAT'S GIVE US A BETTER SENSE OF WHERE THEY'RE ALL BEING BUILT MM-HMM . SO THEY'RE BEING BUILT ALL AROUND INSIDE THE LOOP. UM, THAT MAP, THE LITTLE PURPLE SHOWS YOU THE MAKEUP OF THE LOTS, UM, TO OTHER PEOPLE'S POINTS ABOUT THEM BEING BUILT IN CERTAIN AREAS. THEY'RE BUILT IN THE HEIGHTS, THEY'RE BUILT IN OST. IT, IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY, IT'S, IT'S MORE ABOUT THE LAY OF THE LAND. UM, AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I DO IS I FIND LAND FOR DEVELOPERS. UM, AND AGAIN, MY BIGGEST THING IS THIS IS GOING TO SLOW THE GROWTH OF HOUSTON. IF, UH, HOMEOWNERS AND RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT THE, UH, TOWN HOMES AT ALL, THERE'S MINIMUM LOT SIZES THAT I'M HAPPY TO HELP, UH, THEM, UH, SET UP. ONE MORE THING THAT I WANTED TO ADD. MOTION TO EXTEND. ONE MORE THING THAT I WANTED TO ADD. HOLD ON. COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD. OH, WHAT'S GOING ON? ED SPENCER? YOU CAN HAVE, UH, UM, MY TIME. OH, THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. UM, SO I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE VARIANCE. UM, SOMEONE MENTIONED THE VARIANCE. THE VARIANCE IS A 90 TO 120 DAY PROCESS. AND IF PLANNING COMMISSION IS IN FAVOR OF APPROVING, UH, THE CHAPTER 42 AMENDMENTS, WHY ARE THEY GONNA GRANT THE VARIANCE? SO THAT IS A VERY UNREALISTIC POINT. AND THEN LASTLY, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE, THE HR R'S POINT OF VIEW. AGAIN, 45, 40 9,000, UH, MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE, NO MEMBERS WERE CONTACTED. UM, SO I THINK IT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER, UM, G-H-B-A-H-A-R AND CITY COUNCIL TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS. WE HAVE A COMPROMISE THAT I BELIEVE HELPS ALL OF PLANNING. AND I THINK THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE SHOULD VOTE ON TO, UH, PASS CHAPTER 42 AND KEEP EVERYONE ELSE HAPPY AS A REALTOR. WERE YOU CONTACTED REGARDING THIS SUBJECT? I WAS NOT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ARE YOU DONE? NO, HE, HE'S STILL IN COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD. HOLD ON. SPENCER, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP, UH, WITH COUNCIL ALCO, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S POINT, I USED TO SEE THESE FRONT LOADERS ONLY GETTING DEVELOPED IN THE AFFLUENT AREAS AT ONE POINT IN TIME. AND NOW IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE NOT JUST IN THE AFFLUENT AREAS, THEY'RE IN ALL OTHER AREAS. AND SO, 10, 12, 15 YEARS AGO, WE WEREN'T SEEING THEM IN OST OR IN SUNNYSIDE OR ACRES HOMES OR WHATEVER. BUT NOW WE ARE. SO I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE MOST, MOST OF THE, UH, THE LAND THAT WAS USED FOR DEVELOPMENT IN SOME OF THOSE MORE AFFLUENT AREAS, THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED. AND NOW SOME OF THE UNDEVELOPED LAND AND SOME OF THE, AND SOME OF THE OUTER LOOP AREAS THAT ARE MORE MINORITY ARE STARTING TO GET SOME OF THE ATTENTION. AND SO THAT MAY PLAY A ROLE IN WHY, UH, YOU SEE MAYBE MORE DIRECTION IN THOSE AREAS THAN IN THE PAST. MM-HMM. A HUNDRED PERCENT. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. TROY. ALLEN. [01:35:04] GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. ALLEN. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UH, MY NAME IS TROY ALLEN AND I'M WITH THE GREATER HOUSTON BUILDERS ASSOCIATION. UM, MUCH OF THE COMMENTS THAT ARE BEING SAID TODAY, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO TAKE IT FROM A PERSONAL STANDPOINT. AS A 26-YEAR-OLD YOUNG PROFESSIONAL LIVING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WORKING PROFESSIONAL, UM, I'LL SPEAK FOR PEOPLE OF MY AGE, GROUP PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE WORKING, WORKING TOWARDS GETTING A SINGLE FAMILY HOME. I UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYONE'S NOT ONE A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, BUT I WOULD LIKE A SINGLE FAMILY HOME. I THINK THAT HAVING THAT TO HAVE YOUR WIFE OR HUSBAND OR WHOEVER'S WITH, WITH YOUR KIDS AS YOU GROW INTO YOUR STARTER HOME, I KNOW THAT WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, MAYBE IF WE CHANGE THE WORD TO AT OBTAINABILITY, A 500 OR $400,000 HOUSE WITH TWO WORKING INCOMES IS ATTAINABLE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY. SO WHENEVER WE SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE A BIG HOUSE, IT'S FINE. I MIGHT NOT WANNA HAVE A BIG HOUSE, BUT A FRONT LOADER ALLOWS ME TO HAVE FIRST FLOOR LIVING ALLOWS ME TO HAVE A BACKYARD. IT ALLOWS ME TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND HAVE PRIVACY AS FAR AS, UM, WHAT THEY CALL THE TEXAS BASEMENT, WHICH IS YOUR, UM, YOUR GARAGE. WE HAD TO PUT STORAGE AND ALSO LESS CARS ON THE STREET. SO THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ED POLLARD? YES, SIR. TROY JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF MY TIME IF YOU WANTED TO FINISH UP. I'LL SAY IS THAT THERE'S A COMPROMISE THAT I'M PRETTY SURE MOST COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE SEEN. WHAT IT DOES IS IT ADDS MORE GREEN SPACE IN THE FRONT, TAKES AWAY, UM, LESS CONCRETE THAT'S BEING POURED. UM, THE IMPERVIOUS COVER IS A LOT LESS THAN ALL OF COMPROMISES THAT WE'VE SEEN. WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING THAT THE CITY HAS SAID THEY WANT TO SEE EXCEPT FOR GETTING MORE CARS ON THE STREET. AND I THINK THAT'S A PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCE WHERE YOU SAY, WE HAVE KIDS PLANNING IN THE STREET, WE HAVE KIDS PLANNING IN THE FRONT YARD. WE PUT MORE CARS ON THE STREET. YOU'RE BREAKING UP ON THE CURB, YOU HAVE THEM BLOCKING THE DITCHES AND ACTUALLY JUST MAKES A HEADACHE AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, TROY. BUT TO BE CLEAR, YOU ARE THE COMPROMISE, WHICH I'VE SEEN DOES. AND IT IS, AND I KNOW PEOPLE DON'T WANT CARS ON THE STREETS, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE PUBLIC STREETS AND PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO, I MEAN, WE DON'T WANNA FORCE ALL THE GUESTS ONTO THE, ONTO THE STREET. I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THERE SHOULD BE SOME PLACES, AND I THINK THAT'S THE CITY'S POSITION, THERE SHOULD BE SOME PLACES ON THE STREET FOR CARS AND YOUR, THE COMPROMISE DOES, LIKE RIGHT NOW, IF YOU HAD 10 HOU TOWN OF THESE HOMES ON A, ON A ROW, THERE'S NO PLACE TO PARK. CORRECT. BUT WITH THE COMPROMISE, YOU DO ALLOW, UM, FOR ABOUT EIGHT CARS, IF I RECALL, I THINK THE CITY'S PROPOSAL WAS 10 CARS WOULD BE ALLOWED TO PARK ON THE STREET. YOUR, YOUR COMPROMISE IS EIGHT CARS ON THE STREET. I WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK TO YOU ABOUT THE SPECIFIC NUMBER, BUT IT ALLOWS 18 FEET OF UNINTERRUPTED CURB IN BETWEEN, UM, ABOUT EVERY FOUR LOTS. RIGHT. AND RIGHT. AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT FOR THAT 18 FOOT BLOCK, SO, CORRECT. SO IT'S AN IMPROVEMENT AS FAR AS PROTECTING THE CITY'S RIGHT OF WAY ON THE STREET. OKAY. YES MA'AM. I WOULD SAY IT'S THAT THE PORTION THAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT. SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT THESE ENTIRE, SORRY, MOTION TO EXTEND. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED MOTION. GRANTED, THEY'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, THE ENTIRE BLOCK, WHENEVER WE'RE WALKING DOWN THE ENTIRE BLOCK, THERE'S NO PLACE TO WALK THAT'S JUST ALL DRIVEWAY AT THE DRIVEWAY. AFTER THE DRIVEWAY. WHAT THIS COMPROMISE DOES IS IT GIVES YOU 18 FEET UNDER, TOWARDS THE CURB, A SMALLER APPROACH, AND THEN YOU GET EIGHT FEET OF UN TOWARDS CURB ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO NOT JUST THE INFILLED LOTS, BUT THE ENTIRE BLOCK DEVELOPMENTS WILL LOOK BETTER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JOSH TAYLOR. JOSH TAYLOR. YES, SIR. TO BE FOLLOWED BY DAN AFTERNOON. MR. TAYLOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JOSH TAYLOR. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT C LIVING IN MIDTOWN FOR OVER SIX YEARS. I'M AGAINST THE CHANGES BEING PROPOSED IN CHAPTER 42 FOR A FEW REASONS. BIGGEST OF WHICH IS PARKING. MIDTOWN IS ONE OF THE MOST WALKABLE PARTS OF OUR CITY. UM, AND ITS STREETS ARE FULL OF PARKED CARS ON BOTH SIDES. IT MAKES CYCLING GOING FOR A WALK, WALKING DOGS, AND DRIVING MUCH MORE DIFFICULT CARS. PARKED SO CLOSE TO THE STREET CORNERS, IT'S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. MOST OF THE TIME YOU HAVE TO INCH OUT INTO TRAFFIC TO SEE WHO'S COMING. THERE'S ALREADY, THERE ALREADY AREN'T ENOUGH PARKING SPACES AT THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS, OR THE SHARED DRIVEWAY TOWN HOMES THAT FILL MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THE PROPOSAL TO BAND NARROW LOT FRONT LOADERS AND THE PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS WHERE PEOPLE CAN PARK OFF THE STREETS IS ONLY GONNA MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE. BANNING THE BANNING MOST PRIVATE DRIVEWAYS WILL ONLY MOVE MORE PARKED CARS ON THE ALREADY OVERCROWDED STREETS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, DAN KRUGER. DAN KRUGER WAS HERE AND HE MUST HAVE LEFT. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS COMMENTS ON MY FAVORITE SUBJECT. NEXT SPEAKER, GIGI BODAY. [01:40:01] GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND REALTOR. CHAPTER 42 WILL BAN THE MOST POPULAR OPTION FOR A HOMEOWNER AND FRONT, A FRONT LOADING HOME AS A REALTOR, TOURING BUYERS IN THE MOST DESIRABLE NEIGHBORHOODS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD OF MONTROSE, A SHARED DRIVEWAY IS ABSOLUTELY NOT CONSIDERED FOR MANY REASONS. CHAPTER 42 WILL OVERLOOK CURRENT HOMEOWNER SAFETY, DRIVING UP RESALE VALUE, MAKING IT TOO EXPENSIVE FOR A 50 FOOT LOT THAT CAN'T BE DIVIDED. HOMES WILL BECOME UNAFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES IN A TIME OF LIMITED INVENTORY, MORE PARKED CARS THAN A ALREADY CONGESTED NARROW STREET. INCREASING IMPERVIOUS SURFACES. VISIBILITY AND SAFETY FOR OUR DRIVERS, RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT C AND PEDESTRIANS WILL BE COMPROMISED. IF CHAPTER 42 PASSES NARROW LOTS WILL LOSE ACCESS TO A BACKYARD ON PROPERTY PARKING, FIRST FLOOR LIVING AND LIMITING HOMEOWNERS OF OWNERSHIP. I DO NOT SUPPORT CHAPTER 42. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND FRONT LOADING HOMES. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. KAY WILLIAMS. SHE'S NOT HERE. NEXT SPEAKER. KEY DOWNEY. NEXT SPEAKER. KENNETH. OH, IS HE? OH, I'M SORRY. MR. DOWNEY HERE. I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T SEE YA. I WAS READY TO KEEP IT MOVING. I'M SORRY. THAT'S ALL RIGHT. KEEP IT. I'M SORRY. MR. DOWNEY. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS KEITH DOWNEY. IF YOU CAN GET BEHIND ONE OF THOSE MICROPHONES THAT WOULD HELP US HEAR YOU BETTER. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. MY NAME IS KEITH DOWNEY. I'M SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT FOR CASHIER GARDEN. ALSO THE VICE CHAIR OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE. WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR EVERY CITIZEN IN HARRIS COUNTY, AN ENTITY BY THE NAME OF TEXAS COASTAL MATERIALS. LLC IS TRYING TO BUILD A ROCK CRUSHING PLANT AT 70, AT 58 75 KELLY STREET. I HAVE THREE REPORTS THAT YOU ALL CAN HAVE. I CAN MAKE MY OWN COPIES LIKE I MADE THESE. AND THE FACT IS, THIS IS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT THAT I GOT 72 HOURS AGO FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT SAYS WE ARE ALREADY AT PM PM REQUIREMENTS FEDERALLY BY THE GOVERNMENT. SO THIS ENTITY NOT ONLY THINKS THEY'RE SLICK BY PUTTING IT IN THE CROSBY NEWSPAPER AS A NOTICE, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE HAVE A BOND REFERENDUM COMING UP FOR $3 BILLION. COUNCIL MEMBER YOUR TIME. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MR. DOWNEY. YOU CAN HAVE MY TIME. OKAY. I'LL MAKE IT QUICK. WE HAVE A $3 BILLION REFERENDUM FOR ALL OF HARRIS COUNTY TO VOTE ON. 1 BILLION IS GOING TO LBJ. AND THIS FACILITY IS PROPOSED TO BE BUILT ACROSS THE STREET. THAT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO EVERYBODY IN HARRIS COUNTY. SO PLEASE, I'M GOING GIVE YOU THESE AND Y'ALL CAN LOOK AT IT. IT SHOWS THE MAP OF WHERE IT'S LOCATED, AND WE HAVE AN EXISTING CONCRETE BATCH PLANT IN AGGREGATE YARD 1000 FEET AWAY FROM IT. THIS ENTITY IS LOCATED IN FRIENDSWOOD IF YOU START GOOGLING THE MAP. AND SO THEY, UH, WHAT, AND I'LL SAY THIS REAL QUICKLY. I HAVE BROUGHT BORIS, UH, THEY SENATOR BORIS MILES. HAROLD DUTTON, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, UH, THE, UH, MR. ELLIS, I BROUGHT OF COURSE OUR COUNCIL MEMBER ON THIS. AND SO THE POWERS THAT BE ARE ALREADY ALIGNED TO SAY NO TO THIS. WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET AN AIR, FAST TRACK, AIR PERMIT FROM TCEQ. OBJECTION. SO I'M JUST BRINGING YOU UP TO SPEED ON THE HISTORY OF THIS. AND WHAT I'VE GOTTEN, WHAT I'VE GOTTEN IS THE FACT THAT THE EARLIEST WE CAN GET, AND I'M TOLD THIS YESTERDAY BY THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR HAROLD TON. THE EARLIEST WE CAN GET A MEETING IS THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER OR THE 1ST OF DECEMBER BY TC Q. HANG ON, HANG ON. MR. DOWNEY. COUNCIL DOWN. JACKSON, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? YES. THANK YOU MR. DOWNEY FOR BRINGING THIS, UM, TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, I WAS NOT AWARE. I THINK, I MEAN, THE COMMUNITY HAS DONE A GREAT JOB, UM, LIKE TACKLING THESE, UM, BATCH PLANTS GETTING IN FRONT OF 'EM. BUT THIS BATCH PLANT JUST CAME OUTTA NOWHERE CRUSH, ROCK CRUSHING PLANT. SO IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PERMIT. IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF PERMIT THAN IT WOULD BE FOR A CONCRETE BATCH PLANT. IT'S ROCK CRUSHING. RIGHT. AND SO, AND IT'S, AND IT'S BEING, UM, UM, BUILT RIGHT IN FRONT OF, OF A HOSPITAL LBJ HOSPITAL. AND SO IT'S VERY CONCERNING. YES, I COMMIT TO WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO DO WHATEVER I CAN TO, YOU KNOW, PUT A STOP TO IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT FAIR. AND WE HAVE ENOUGH BATCH, WHETHER IT'S BATCH, PLANT, ROCK, PRINT, PLANT, IT DON'T, IT DON'T BELONG IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SO, AND ALL THE SYSTEMIC ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND HEALTH. SO HAS THERE, HAS A MEETING BEEN SET UP? [01:45:01] UM, AND BEFORE THEY GET THE PERMIT, HAS THE STATE REPS SET UP A MEETING BEFORE THEY GET THE PERMIT? THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO. OKAY. AND WHAT I'VE SAID, THEY'RE TRYING, WHAT THEY'VE BEEN TOLD, AND I'M TOLD YESTERDAY ON THE PHONE, IS THE FACT THAT IT WOULD BE LATE NOVEMBER OR EARLY DECEMBER. TCEQ SAYS, WE ARE BUSY. SO, HAS HAS A, HAS A LETTER, BEEN A FORMAL LETTER, BEEN SENT TO TCEQ FOR THE RECORD AS WELL BY, BY MR. BORIS MILES. OKAY. AND WHAT ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD? HAVE Y'ALL SUBMITTED A, A, A LETTER TO TCEQ AS WELL? UH, NO. WE HAVE NOT AS A COMMUNITY. OKAY. BUT WE PLAN TO DO SO. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER MOTION. THANK YOU MR. D BEING HERE. MOTION TO EXTEND. MOVE. UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? NO DISCUSSION. ITEM PASSES. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. UM, VICE P PRO TEM, SO WE SUBMITTED A LETTER TO, WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO BEFORE THE COMMUNITY EVEN KNEW ABOUT IT. UM, OUR OFFICE SENT A LETTER, SENT, UM, MADE A REQUEST TO SENATOR MILES' OFFICE TO GET A LETTER IN TO TCQ MAKING THE REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY MEETING. WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN AN UPDATE ON THAT YET, BUT, UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. WE HAVEN'T GOT A DATE YET. OKAY. BUT THE FORMAL LETTER HAS BEEN SENT. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR PROTO. AND MR. DOWNEY, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE WITH THERE. WE'LL BE WITH YOU AND WE'LL, WE'LL WORK WITH SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE. WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH EVERYBODY TO WRITE THE LETTERS AND STAND WITH YOU AND THE COMMUNITY. IT'S, IT'S NOT RIGHT. AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON IS RIGHT TO, UH, BE ALERT TO WHAT'S COMING UP SO QUICK. WE WILL, UH, WE WILL STAND BY YOUR SIDE. THANK YOU. AND SAY NO TO ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE. YES, SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER GALLS. THANK, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I THINK, UH, SENATOR, UH, MILES TRIED TO PRESENT SOMETHING IN THE LEGISLATURE IN REGARDS TO THE CONCRETE PLANTS AND THE ROCK PLANTS AND, AND, AND, AND WHAT HAVE YOU, BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING TARGETED IN BASICALLY NEIGHBORHOODS OF COLOR. UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE, UH, WITH THE STATE LEGISLATION LEGISLATORS, UH, MOTION TO EXTEND SECOND, MOVE SECOND. AND WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE. MM-HMM . UM, AND, AND, AND, AND UNFORTUNATELY, I MEAN, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A LETTER AS WELL. UH, BUT AGAIN, IT'S CONTROLLED WITH THE STATE. IT'S CONTROLLED WITH TCEQ. UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ALSO. AND I KNOW YOU, YOU'VE SAID YOU'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO THE, TO YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR, YOUR STATE SENATOR, AND WHAT HAVE YOU MM-HMM . UH, BUT, BUT AGAIN, IT'S TCE Q'S RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT ARE IMPACTING THIS. UH, AND AGAIN, IT'S JUST, UH, HITTING OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. 'CAUSE YOU DON'T SEE THIS IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, AND, AND, AND IT'S SAD. IT'S SAD THAT THIS IS HAPPENING. UH, BUT AGAIN, I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A LETTER AS WELL. AND IT'S ANOTHER KICK AT HARRIS COUNTY IN GENERAL. WE ONLY HAVE TWO COUNTY HOSPITALS. MM-HMM . COUNCILMAN P*****K. I'M JUMPING IN LATE, SO I'M, I'M NOT SURE IF IT, IF I NEED TO, BUT WE, WE PUT OUT THE PERMITS THOUGH, FOR THIS, RIGHT? NO. OR YES, WE DID NOT. OKAY. 'CAUSE THAT'S HOW I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN ATTACK IT BY JUST NOT PUTTING OUT THE PERMITS. NO, THESE ARE, UM, PERMITS BY TCEQ. OKAY. YEAH. TCQ IS THE ONE THAT HANDLES ALL THIS. THANK YOU ALL. KENNETH WILLIAMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I AM KENNETH WILLIAMS. I'M VICE PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 48, AND A RESIDENT OF TRINITY GARDENS RIGHT ACROSS THE TRACK FROM CASHIER GARDENS. AND SO I AM HERE ALONG WITH MR. DOWNEY TO OPPOSE, UH, THE OPENING OF A ROCK CRUSHING PLANT AT 58 75. KELLY, UM, MUCH HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID ABOUT IT, BUT WE NEED A LOT OF THINGS IN DISTRICT B. WE DON'T NEED A, ANOTHER ROCK CRUSHING PLANT. UH, WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER SOURCE OF DUST AND PARTICULATE MATTER IN THAT AREA. A THOUSAND FEET FROM, UH, THE ENTRANCE OF LBJ. UM, ALSO A THOUSAND FEET FROM A CONCRETE BATCH PLANT. ALSO, UH, A THOUSAND FEET ABOUT FROM AN AGGREGATE, UH, PLANT ON THE RAILROAD, UH, TRACK. SO WE WANT TO ASK YOU AND URGE YOU TO PLEASE HELP US TO OPPOSE THE OPENING OF THIS PLANT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OH, COUNCIL MEMBER. HOLD ON A SECOND. ONE SECOND. WHAT GOT SIR COUNCILMAN GALLOS TH THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW THAT, UH, YOU MENTIONED THE LBJ HOSPITAL, BUT AS YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF THE BOND, UH, GOES THROUGH IN NOVEMBER, I MEAN, THEY'RE GOING TO ENLARGE THE LPJ HOSPITAL AND ADD MORE BEDS. SO THEREFORE YOU'RE EVEN LOOKING AT A LARGER HOSPITAL RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS PROPOSED SITE. I MEAN, THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY [01:50:01] TCQ IS DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO GIVE YOU A LETTER OF SUPPORT AS WELL. THANK YOU. AND LEMME JUST SAY THAT WE, WE ARE SOLIDLY OPPOSED TO THE SEAMEN CRUSHING PLANTS. UM, WE ALSO NEED THE SUPPORT OF THE LEGISLATORS BECAUSE C-T-C-E-Q-T-C-E-Q REPORTS TO YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND YOUR STATE SENATORS. SO, UH, BUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS OPPOSED TO THIS PLANT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. NEXT SPEAKER. BEN GOBIN. BEN GOMAN IS HERE NEXT. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, I WAS AT THE BOTTOM SPEAKING ABOUT THE CHAPTER 42. I'M ALSO OPPOSED TO THE NARROW LOTS, HAVING THE, UH, SHARED DRIVEWAYS. UM, AS EVERYONE ELSE ALREADY SAID, JUST ABOUT ANY LOT YOU CAN FIND IS 50 FOOT. SO, UM, WHEN YOU SUBDIVIDE, THAT'S 25 FOOT. SO IF YOU WANNA HAVE LOTS AND PUT SMALLER HOUSES ON THEM, THAT'S GREAT. BUT TO TAKE AWAY THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO BUILD A HOME WITH THE FRONT LOADER, UM, IT'S GONNA MAKE EVERYTHING MORE EXPENSIVE. UM, AS WELL AS FORCING MORE ON STREET PARKING, UM, WHICH WILL MAKE FOR MORE UNSAFE CONDITIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER. JASON WILLIAMS. JASON WILLIAMS. JASON NEXT SPEAKER. ROBERT JACKSON. ROBERT JACKSON IS HERE. GREETINGS AND PEACE. I, MY NAME IS ROBERT JACKSON, ALSO KNOWN AS RU ROBB. UH, I SERVE AS THE THIRD WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT MANAGER WITH PROJECT ROWHOUSES. UM, I ALSO SERVE ON THE BOARD OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 67. AND I'M HERE TO, UM, ECHO THE SENTIMENT FROM EUREKA GILKEY THAT SPOKE LAST MONTH, AS WELL AS, UH, LIBBY BLAND AND ANDREA GREER FROM PROJECT ROW HOUSES. JUST REITERATING THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING THE EL DORADO BALLROOM SIGN BACK ON TOP OF THE ROOF EVERY DAY. I DREAM OF THAT NEON SIGN. RETURNING TO OUR, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AS A FIFTH GENERATION THIRD WARD RESIDENT ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE THIRD WAR. WE KNOW THE VALUE THAT THIS COULD BRING FROM AN ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION STANDPOINT AS, AS WELL AS FROM A CULTURAL AND TOURISM PERSPECTIVE, WITH THIRD WARD CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT BEING A STATE DESIGNATION TO THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN LEVERAGE THIS. AND SO, IN SUPPORT OF CHAPTER 30 33, UM, UH, ARTICLE SEVEN, DIVISION FIVE OF THE COURT OF ORDINANCE, UM, I JUST ASK THAT WE ALLOW THE ROOFTOP SIGNS ON PROTECTED LANDMARK BUILDINGS AND ESTABLISH THE STANDARDS THAT ALLOW THOSE THINGS TO EXIST SO THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS AS WELL AS, UM, OUR ELDERS CAN BOTH EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY TIME. ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU. MAYOR, DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING ELSE? 'CAUSE I'M, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT ALREADY. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. I JUST WANT TO, UH, JUST TO EMPHASIZE HOW THIS CAN BE AN INTERGENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT OUR ELDERS IN THE 1920S AND THIRTIES GOT THE CHANCE TO, TO SEE. AND, UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. NEXT SPEAKER, MICHELLE BARNES. MICHELLE IS HERE TO FOLLOWED BY LORENZO WILTON. WELL, I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN EIGHT YEARS, . GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS MICHELLE BARNES. I AM CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY ARTIST COLLECTIVE. AND ON BEHALF OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND AS A COLLABORATOR WITH THE PROJECT ROHAS FAMILY AND THE GENERAL COMMUNITY THAT VALUES THE HISTORIC THIRD WARD, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPROVE ITEM 11 ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT WILL AMEND CHAPTER 33, ARTICLE SEVEN, DIVISION FIVE OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES. UM, THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THE THIRD WARD COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE THE CITY'S APPROACH TO PROTECTING HOUSTON'S HISTORY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITIES. THIS AMENDMENT IS CAREFULLY DRAWN SO THAT IT WILL APPLY ONLY TO BUILDINGS THAT HAVE MET THE REQUIREMENTS TO EARN PROTECTED LANDMARKS THAT ARE NO MORE THAN TWO STORIES HIGH. AND THAT CAN SHOW EVIDENCE THAT A ROOFTOP SIGN WAS IN EXISTENCE DURING THE PERIOD THAT WAS THE BASIS OF THE LANDMARK DESIGNATION. PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, THIS MEANS ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF BUILDINGS WOULD QUALIFY. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR MICHELLE, MY FRIEND. I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE. THIS IS INDEED A HUGE, UM, UH, SUBJECT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS [01:55:01] COME DUE. I THINK YOU ARE SO WISE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR WHAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT BEYOND THAT, I KNOW YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY SOME REALLY GOOD LAWYERS, , AND YOU, AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE NARROW NATURE OF THE WAY THIS WAS CRAFTED AND THE PUBLIC MEETING THAT WE HAD, UH, WHERE IT WAS CLEAR THAT THIS WAS CARVED OUT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EL DORADO BALLROOM AND TO ENHANCE THE LEGACY OF PROJECT ROS. THIS IS JUST RIGHT AND I THINK THE COUNCIL KNOWS IT, BUT WE'RE REALLY GLAD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU. YOU THANK COUNCILMAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU, MICHELLE. THIS IS A PERSON THAT I HAVE LOVED AND ADMIRED ALL OF MY LIFE. HER BROTHER AND MICHAEL AND I WENT TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SO IT'S THAT FAR BACK. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANTED TO SAY, BUT CERTAINLY YOU CAN HAVE MY TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DURING THE BUILDING'S HEYDAY IN THE 1940S, FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, A NEON MARQUEE BECKON FROM THE CORNER, DRAWING PEOPLE TO THE HEART OF THIRD WARD. THE ORIGINAL SIGN WAS LOST AFTER THE BALLROOM CEASED OPERATING IN THE 1970S. SO OUR TEAM LED BY NOTED HISTORIC RES RESTORATION SPECIALIST AT THE STERN. AND HICK ARCHITECTS HAS UNDERTAKEN CAREFUL RESEARCH SO THAT THE SIGN CAN BE RECREATED AS FAITHFULLY AS POSSIBLE. THEY REVIEWED ARCHITECT ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AND IMAGES, BUT ALSO RELIED UPON ORAL HISTORY. AND THE THIRD OF THE THIRD WARD RESIDENTS WHO SHARED VIVID MEMORIES OF THE BUILDING'S ORIGINAL NEON DECORATIONS. IT IS IN THOSE MEMORIES THAT WE HAVE MADE THIS PROJECT SO SPECIAL AND THAT POWER OUR DESIRE TO SEE THE EL DORADO BALLROOM ONCE AGAIN WEARING HER CROWN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MICHELLE. IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, LORENZO. WILTON LORENZO. WILTON LORENZO. NEXT SPEAKER. SARAZA PAGE. ZA PAGE. MS. PAGE. NEXT SPEAKER. JOSEPHINE PIERCE. JOSEPHINE PIERCE. JOSEPHINE. NEXT SPEAKER. PHILLIP TEMPLE. PHILIP TEMPLE IS HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS PHILLIP TEMPLE AND I'M A CONSTITUENT OF THE WOODCREST NEIGHBORHOOD IN DISTRICT C. FIVE YEARS AGO, I STOOD IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL TO SUPPORT OR ASKED FOR SUPPORT FOR ADDRESSING STORM WATER DRAINAGE IN THE WOODCREST COMMUNITY. THAT LED TO NUMEROUS FLOODING EVENTS. THAT WAS AFTER SUBMITTING NUMEROUS 3 1 1 REPORTS WITH MY NEIGHBORS ATTENDING CIP MEETINGS, SPEAKING WITH LOCAL MEDIA AND WORKING WITH THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 22. NOT MUCH HAS BEEN DONE TO ADDRESS DRAINAGE YET. UM, BUT I'M HOPEFUL WE'VE BEEN WAITING ON CENTER POINT TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK BEFORE DRAINAGE CAN BE IMPROVED. UM, RECENTLY COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE AND HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS REACHED OUT TO CONFIRM THAT CENTER POINT IS GOING TO ADDRESS WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO STORMWATER DRAINAGE REPAIR COMMENCING. SO I'M ASKING FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT TO KEEP PRESSURE ON CENTER POINT TO COMPLETE THE WORK NEEDED TO IMPROVE DRAINAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY IN THE WOODCREST COMMUNITY. YEP. YOU THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER TERRELL ETT. DOUCETTE DOUCETTE IS HERE. HERE. HI COUNSEL. MY NAME IS, UM, TERRELL DOUCETTE. UM, ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, 2023, MR. DOUGLAS DOUCETTE, MY FATHER, UM, WAS ALLEGEDLY PRESUMED DECEASED, BUT I HAVE YET TO FIND OUT WHAT HIS REMAINS ARE. AND I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY COMMUNICATION. UM, I'VE CONTACTED HPD HARRIS COUNTY CORONER OFFICE IN ADULT SERVICES. NO ONE HAS, UH, TOLD ME ANYTHING. UM, HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY INFORMATION. UM, CRIMSON HEIGHTS NURSING AND DEERBROOK NURSING HAS FAILED. MY FATHER, MR. DOUCETTE, WAS A DEACON SECRETARY OF CHURCH AND ADVISOR, AND A LEADER OF ALL ASPECTS OF HIS COMMUNITY IN LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA. I AM SORRY. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. MR. UM, A HARD WORKER AND A PEER. I'M JUST ASKING FOR HIM. OKAY. IN THIS SITUATION, MR. AND IF YOU'LL GET WITH, UH, RHONDA, RIGHT THERE, [02:00:02] RHONDA WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU AND RHONDA, IF YOU'LL FOLLOW UP ON, ON THE INFORMATION THAT HE'S NEEDING. ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN P*****K. ONE SECOND. MR. DOUCETTE. MR. DOUCETTE, COME BACK. COUNCILMAN P*****K. MR. DOUCETTE, I JUST WANTED TO OFFER MY CONDOLENCES ON THE LOSS OF YOUR FATHER. I KNOW THAT IT'S DIFFICULT AND, UH, I'M HOPING THAT YOU GET THE RESOLUTION YOU DESERVE. YES, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. BUT IF YOU'RE GOOD WITH RHONDA, SHE'LL WORK WITH YOU. OKAY. NEXT SPEAKER. MARYANNE SCOTT ARIAN SCOTT. NEXT SPEAKER DAVID CAVIN. DAVID CA DAVID. NEXT SPEAKER RONALD LAWRENCE. RONALD LAWRENCE. RONALD. NEXT SPEAKER JAMES SUTHERLAND. I'M SORRY. RONALD IS HERE. HELLO EVERYONE. I'M RONALD LAWRENCE AND I'M THE PROUD OWNER OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING LOCATED AT 45 25 WEAVER ROAD. TODAY I STAND BEFORE YOU TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT NOT ONLY JEOPARDIZES THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF MY BUILDING, BUT ALSO ENDANGERS THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF OUR TENANTS. THIS ISSUE ARISES FROM THE RECENT EXCAVATION WORK DONE BY PUBLIC WORKS. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON TAKES PROMPT ACTION TO COMPLETE THE VITAL TASK. THEY STARTED ON SEPTEMBER THE SIXTH. PUBLIC WORKS CAME TO ENHANCE THE DRAINAGE DITCHES ALONG WEAVER ROAD. THEY USED A LARGE DIGGING MACHINE TO REMOVE SEVERAL TRUCKLOADS OF SOIL FROM THESE DITCHES, BRINGING THEM DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE SIDEWALK. AS A RESULT, GAPS HAVE FORMED UNDER THE SIDEWALK AND MY BUILDING DUE TO EROSION. OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A CLEAN AND SECURE LIVING ENVIRONMENT WITHIN A PREDOMINANTLY IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY POPULATED NEIGHBORHOOD. I PROPOSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RETAINING WALL AS A NECESSARY SOLUTION TO PREVENT MORE EROSION. I'M RESPECT, I'M RESPECTFULLY ASKING MAYOR TURNER TO DIRECT PUBLIC WORKS TO RETURN TO THE SITE AND COMPLETE THE TASK. THEY STARTED. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND PUBLIC WORKS IS RETURNING TO THE SITE. THEY, THEY ARE GOING BACK OUT. THERE THEY ARE. YES SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. JAMES SUTHERLAND. JAMES SUTHERLAND. NEXT SPEAKER. SAMMY FORD. AND SAUL. WHERE? SAUL. SAL. SAL SAL IN THE BACK. OKAY. MR. WHO IS THAT? RONALD LAWRENCE. MR. LAWRENCE, IF YOU WANT TO TALK WITH SAL BACK THEN HE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH, WITH WHAT YOU WERE ASKING. OKAY. THANK YOU SAL. NEXT SPEAKER. SAMMY FORD. SAMMY FORD. SAMMY. NEXT SPEAKER. TIMOTHY SMITH. TIMOTHY SMITH IS TIMOTHY NEXT SPEAKER. EARL HIRSCH. EARL HIRSCH. THIS EARL. YES. YES. SO I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHATEVER THIS 42 THING IS. OKAY. , I'M HERE. SING THE PRAISE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS. I CAME OUTTA MY BUSINESS 'CAUSE I, HERE'S WHAT I, WHAT I SAW. THERE WAS A LEAK ON THE STREET WATER LEAK. AND I WAS FLOORED BY HOW WELL PUBLIC WORKS HANDLED THIS WHOLE THING. FIRST OF ALL, THIS GUY COME OUT A PICKUP TRUCK. I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE? TELL ME ABOUT THE LEAK. IS IT, HERE'S THE STEPS WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW. AND THERE WERE ALL THESE CREWS THAT CAME OUT. THESE GUYS WERE SO GOOD ON SITE FRIENDLY. I'D OFFER THEM WA WATER. THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, WE'RE OKAY. AND EVERY TIME, ANYTIME I HAD TO GET OUT IN MY DRIVEWAY, WHICH WAS A FRONT LOADED DRIVEWAY, AND NOW KNOWING THAT TERM , THEY JUST MOVED THEIR STUFF, I COULD HAVE JUST MANEUVERED MY OWN WAY. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'M A KID FROM NEW JERSEY. I KNOW HOW TO DO THIS STUFF. OKAY. SO I'M JUST SINGING THE PRAISE OF PUBLIC WORKS. THANK YOU GUYS. IT WAS AMAZING. A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE. WELL, THANK YOU. I DON'T THINK, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ENOUGH OF THIS PRAISE GOING ON. SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. I'M SORRY, COUNCILMAN MAYOR ALCO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU EARL. GOOD TO SEE YOU. AND HI. YEAH, WE DON'T GET TOO MANY PEOPLE COMING DOWN HERE AND SAYING THANKS. THANKS, THANKS. SO THAT WAS REALLY NICE. UM, AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK MAYOR. UM, I KNOW EARL HIRSCH HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE FLEET DEPARTMENT ON, ON SOME, UM, CLEAN ENERGY, UM, IDEAS. SO GOOD LUCK WITH ALL OF THAT AS WELL. RIGHT? THAT'S A, A FUEL CATALYST THAT CAME OUTTA NASA, THAT WAX INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION. WHEN YOU GET TO THE CAUSE, YOU IMMEDIATELY START RE REDUCING YOUR FUEL, CONSUMED LESS EMISSIONS. AND ALL THOSE PARTS, ALL THAT DIESEL MESSAGE YOU HEAR ABOUT THE TIER FOUR ENGINES, A LOT OF STUFF JUST GOES AWAY. WHAT THEY WANT IN FLEET IS A SOLUTION, NOT A BANDAID. THANK YOU. SO THANKS. THANKS, EARL. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALRIGHT, NEXT SPEAKER. TONY MANCO. TONY MANCO. TONY MANCO. NEXT SPEAKER. STACEY FAIRCHILD. STACEY FAIRCHILD. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, [02:05:01] I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT CHAPTER 42 AND, UH, AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN RICE MILITARY, 20 YEAR RESIDENT, LOTS OF FRONT LOADERS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALONG WASHINGTON AVENUE. UM, I AM, YOU KNOW, I LISTENED TO THE, UM, COMMENTS OF MIKE BERGER LAST WEEK, AND I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH HIM. UH, IF YOUR INTENT ON PASSING THIS, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU REMOVE THE FRONT LOADERS OUT OF THE ORDINANCE AND DEAL WITH THAT SEPARATELY. MAYBE TAKE THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND KIND OF HASH THIS OUT. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I, I HEARD SOMEONE SAY EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT, OR THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, IF WE STICK AROUND WITH OR WE FOCUS ON PERFECTION, WE'LL GET NOTHING. I'M NOT LOOKING FOR PERFECTION. I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR ENGAGEMENT. UM, AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS, IS WHENEVER WE'RE CONSIDERING SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC POLICY CHANGES IN THE FUTURE, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU DO THE FOLLOWING. AND THIS IS REALLY FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THAT ARE GONNA BE HERE FOR THE NEXT TERM. UM, YOU KNOW, BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT INCLUDING A BALANCE OF VOICES ON THE COMMITTEES. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANKS NATHAN. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, YOU CAN HAVE MY MINUTE OF TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT INCLUDING A BALANCE OF VOICES. IN THIS INSTANCE, THERE WAS ONLY ONE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTATIVE ON THE COMMITTEE OF 30 HEAVILY WEIGHTED, UH, WITH DEVELOPERS AND CITY EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS. AND THEN THERE WAS A THREE TO FOUR MONTH PERIOD DURING THIS TIME WHERE THERE WAS NO SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTATION. IN FACT, I'M THE ONE WHO HAD TO TELL DIRECTOR BROWN THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE, OR THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS DIDN'T HAVE REPRESENTATION. SHE WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF IT. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE HAVE INTELLIGENT, WELL-EDUCATED, THOUGHTFUL, CREATIVE LEADERS WHO WOULD WILLINGLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE GREATER GOOD OF HOUSTON. SO WHENEVER YOU'RE CREATING THESE COMMITTEES AROUND SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC POLICY THAT IMPACTS ALL HOUSTONIANS, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT YOU INCLUDE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS IN THIS CONVERSATION. NOT JUST ONE, BUT YOU KNOW, UM, SEVERAL, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY, UM, MEMBERS YOU HAVE OF THIS OR, YOU KNOW, FOR THESE COMMITTEES. AND LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, STACEY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GALLS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND BRINGING THIS TO ATTENTION. YOU CAN HAVE THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU. LASTLY, I JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, USE THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS AS A MODEL TO INFORM THE PUBLIC AND OBTAIN FEEDBACK. IT WORKS. UM, PEOPLE FEEL HEARD AND IT ALLOWS THEM TO MAKE PERSONAL DECISIONS BASED ON GOOD INFORMATION, WHETHER THEY AGREE WITH THE OUTCOME OR NOT. AND THE COMPROMISE THAT YOU ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY, I ONLY LEARNED OF IT YESTERDAY AND I HAD TO ASK FOR IT. SO IT WASN'T UNTIL I ASKED FOR IT THAT I ACTUALLY GOT A COPY OF THE BLACK LINE. UM, SO SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THIS COMPROMISE CONVERSATION. WELL, LEMME JUST SAY I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE COMPROMISE. I'M SORRY. I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE COMPROMISE. OKAY, WELL, THIS LATEST SO WELL THAT, THAT MAY BE SOME INDIVIDUALS FLOATING, BUT THEY DON'T SPEAK FOR ME. OKAY. BUT IT WAS TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY. SO I UNDERSTAND THEY TALKED ABOUT IT WHILE I WASN'T HERE, BUT IT DOESN'T SPEAK FOR ME. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO JUST CONSIDER US IN THE FUTURE WHENEVER YOU'RE PUTTING THESE THINGS THAT IMPACT ALL HOUSTONIANS TOGETHER. THANK YOU. LEMME JUST SAY I'M NOT AWARE OF A COMPROMISE. THANK YOU. OKAY. AND NEITHER IS IT GOOD TO OPERATE AROUND ME. NEXT SPEAKER, CRYSTAL STONEHAM. CRYSTAL STONEHAM. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS KRISTA STONEHAM. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HOUSTON LAND BANK. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I'M HERE, I BELIEVE AS THE LAST SPEAKER TO SPEAK ABOUT CHAPTER 42 AMENDMENTS. AND I AM IN SUPPORT. I PREVIOUSLY SERVED WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON DIRECTLY REVIEWING THESE CODES FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS. I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW THE OLD ORDINANCE IN PLACE REALLY CHANGE THE FACE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE AFFORDABILITY. AND IF YOU'RE NOT AWARE, THERE'S OVER HALF A MILLION PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO AFFORD HOUSING SOLUTIONS DIRECTLY RIGHT NOW IN HOUSTON. WITH THESE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, IT WILL PROVIDE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR OUR FAMILIES AND FOR HOUSTONIANS WHO DESERVE THEM. I ALSO WANNA SAY WITH THE RIGHT DESIGN SOLUTION, WHICH I THINK IS A [02:10:01] BIG PIECE THAT'S MISSING IN THIS CONVERSATION, ARE THE DESIGNERS. BECAUSE BUILDERS WITH ALL DUE RESPECT ARE NOT ARCHITECTS, THEN YOU CAN HAVE THE RIGHT SIZE SOLUTION BASED ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE PARCEL. THE HOUSTON LAND BANK OWNS PARCELS RANGING ANYWHERE FROM 2,500 TO 18,000 SQUARE FEET. EACH ONE REQUIRES YOUR TIME. COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND MS. STONE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW YOU HAVE HAD AN IMPORTANT ROLE WITH THE CITY. MM-HMM . UH, NOT ONLY IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, BUT WITH COMPLETE COMMUNITIES. A LOT HAS BEEN SAID OVER RECENT WEEKS AND MONTHS ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL AND FOCUSING ON THE NARROW LOTS THAT YOU OR, UH, YOUR ATTENTION IS, UH, DESCRIBING TODAY. AND FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE GENERAL LAND BANK. I WONDER IF YOU CAN TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, MOST NEGLECTED HISTORICALLY, AS WE HAVE SEEN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, MONTROSE HAS BEEN MENTIONED AS HAVING BEEN THE SUBJECT, A LOT OF THESE FRONT LOADERS. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN OVER TIME IN SOME OF OUR LESS AFFLUENT AND LESS, UH, DEVELOPER FRIENDLY HISTORICAL NEIGHBORHOODS? YES. I BELIEVE THAT WE'LL HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS BACK. CURRENTLY, PEOPLE ARE DRIVING IN THEIR GARAGES AND THEY'RE NOT ENGAGING WITH THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THAT SUBURBAN STYLE DEVELOPMENT HAS CREATED THE PLACE TO BE. WE OWN PROPERTIES IN ACRES HOME AND THE EAST END AND THE NORTHEAST AREA. BASICALLY THE AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AND NEGLECTED. EACH PARCEL REQUIRES A TAILOR MADE SOLUTION. UM, AND HENCE WHY THIS MISSING MIDDLE PHRASE IS, IS TRENDING SO MUCH BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HOUSTON USED TO BE BEFORE THEY WERE DEMOLISHED. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA GET BACK TO, IS HAVING DIFFERENT HOUSING TYPOLOGIES FOR THE DIFFERENT FAMILIES THAT LIVE HERE. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO ASK ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. I A MOTION TO EXTEND ANY OBJECTION, ANY OBJECTION NOT GRANTED, JUST IN, IN TERMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT MODEL AND THE COST OF LAND ITSELF. I KNOW OTHER SPECULATION TODAY HAS OCCURRED. DO YOU THINK THE MODELS THAT ARE IN THE MAYOR'S AT THE DIRECTOR'S CURRENT PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF US PROVIDES, UH, DEVELOPERS OPPORTUNITIES IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS? I DO. I THINK THAT'S ONE PIECE. I DO THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE SCENARIO, HENCE THE HOUSTON LAND BANK. WHY WE PROVIDE OUR LAND AT A SUBSIDIZED COST IN ORDER TO HELP WITH THAT AFFORDABILITY, THAT DOES HELP WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING. YOU NEED AFFORDABLE CONSTRUCTION. BUT I DO ALSO BELIEVE THAT WITH THE BALANCE OF THE DENSITY THAT WE'RE PROVIDING IN ADDITION TO OTHER CREATIVE FINANCING MODELS THAT NEED TO BE BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, THEN YES, WE CAN, WELL, LET ME, UH, AT LEAST AGREE WITH YOUR PRINCIPLE THAT GOOD DESIGN REALLY MATTERS. IN THIS CASE. IT'S, AND I THINK THERE ARE THOSE ON THIS COUNCIL WHO'VE HEARD, UH, OTHER PROPOSALS, MAYOR, THAT TALK ABOUT FRONT LOADERS THAT REALLY LOOK GOOD. AND THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE OUT THERE. BUT I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A PREVAILING PLANNING STANDARD FOR THE CITY THAT HAS YIELDED, UH, INCONSISTENT RESULTS TO SAY THE BEST OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN. ABSOLUTE. SO WE, WE NEED TO PROTECT NEIGHBORHOODS. I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TODAY. MAY I ADD ONE LAST POINT? MOTION TO EXTEND? MOTION TO EXTEND. SECOND. ANY OBJECTION. CHAIR IS NOT GRANTED. THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO ADD IS WE ARE PILOTING WHAT'S BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW ON OUR PROPERTIES. ONE OF THEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HAR AND THE ACRES HOME COMMUNITY. SO I DID WANNA SAY THAT I DO BELIEVE THIS CAN BE DONE AND WE'RE WILLING TO DO IT. COUNCIL MEMBER CIAU. UM, YOU AND I HAVE, HAVE BEEN IN A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS EXACTLY ABOUT THE POINTS THAT YOU WERE RAISING, THAT IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, AND WE HAVE NOT REALLY HEARD FROM DESIGNERS, BUT, BUT, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE VERY INTERESTED IN, IN PRESERVING THE CHARACTER AND THE FEEL OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT MAKES IT A NEIGHBORHOOD? AND, AND, AND WE'RE, WE SEE OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT WHEN THE FRONT LOADERS COME IN, A SUBURBAN SOLUTION INTO AN AN INNER CITY, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY THAT'S BEEN WALKABLE, IT'S BEEN PORCHES, IT'S BEEN NEIGHBORS, YOU KNOW, INTERACTING WITH EACH OTHER, THAT GOES AWAY. AND, AND, AND I REPRESENT A LOT OF OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT MM-HMM . THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT ARE, HAVE VERY SUCCESSFUL SOLUTIONS OF SMALL HOMES THAT DON'T HAVE GARAGES AT ALL. EXACTLY. YOU KNOW, AND THEY HAVE YARDS AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN DRIVEWAYS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES. I, I'LL IF I MAY, THANK YOU. TIME IS EXPIRED. OKAY. THANK YOU. BUT I THINK THE CONVERSATION IS WORTH CONTINUING. AND THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF CHAPTER 42, IS TO PROTECT COMMUNITIES BEFORE THEY ARE TOTALLY NEIGHBORHOODS, BEFORE THEY ARE DESTROYED. AND IF WE DON'T, IF WE ARE NOT BOLD ENOUGH TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, THEN YOU'RE GONNA SEE COMMUNITIES THAT LITERALLY THE CHARACTER PERSONALITY WILL CHANGE. AND THAT'S WHY CHAPTER 42 IS BEFORE US. UH, NEXT SPEAKER, ELI MONTOYA, RIVAS. ELI MONTOYA, RIVAS. GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, I WANNA THANK THE OFFICE OF SENATOR WITH MEYER FOR ALLOWING [02:15:01] ME TO, UH, FIND WHERE MY PASSPORT WAS. HERE'S MY US PASSPORT. I FINALLY GOT IT ON THE MAIL. I'M GRATEFUL AND I GOT MY LICENSE TO CARRY, WHICH I'M GRATEFUL. I'M JUST HERE TO ASK THE SAME AS ANY US CITIZEN, EVEN THOUGH I WASN'T BORN IN THE UNITED STATES, I WAS BORN IN MEXICO. UH, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT. UH, I, UH, PAY FOR THREE CELL PHONES AND I'M NOT GETTING PHONE CALLS. UH, I SUSPECT THAT, UH, SOME PEOPLE SEND, UH, I WAS WORKING WITH A COMPANY BY THE NAME OF A CM I'M COOPERING WITH THEM. THEY SEND CELL PHONES TO MEXICO. THEY DID LIKE A DAR BRIDGE. SO SOMEBODY IS DIRECTING OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, THE PHONE CALLS, THEY'RE BEING ANSWERED IN ANOTHER PART OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THEY'RE STEALING, UH, THE SOCIAL SECURITIES, THE TEXAS DRIVER'S LICENSE AND INFORMATION FROM AMERICA. YEAH. TIME HAS EXPIRED AFFECTING IN BUSINESS, SIR. THANKS SYDNEY. I'M GLAD YOU GOT YOUR DOCUMENTATION. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, . OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER. JACOB CLEMENT. HI, GUYS. OKAY, I'M GOING BEFORE CITY COUNCIL TODAY TO TALK ABOUT MY UNJUST TERMINATION FROM OUR ARAMARK. I'LL READ FROM THE TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD A TALK ON LABOR. THE POINT TO BE TAKEN IS THAT POPE FRANCIS AND IS ENCYCLICAL FOR SAYS THERE IS NO POVERTY WORSE THAN THE ONE THAT TAKES AWAY WORK AND THE DIGNITY IT BRINGS. SO I, I FELT WELL COMING WILL, WITHOUT HAVING WORK. I MEAN, UM, NO DIGNITY, BUT AT END RATE. I WANT TO, UH, SAY TO, TO MITCH, TO, TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLS. LOOK AT MY SHIRT. IT IS MY MEXICAN, MY HISPANIC SHIRT. AND THIS MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, IT'S HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. AND, AND THAT'S WHY I, I READ THIS IN HONOR YOU JACOB. YEAH. AND ALSO MARY NAN HUFFMAN. UH, YOU HAVE BEEN REALLY, UM, PRAISED BY ALEXANDRA D DE MUELLER. MUELLER. DO I HAVE A EXTENDED TIME TO SAY YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED? MAYOR, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, AND JACOB. UH, WE ARE LOOKING INTO TRYING TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET SOME MORE INSIGHT ON YOUR EMPLOYMENT. AND SO WE HOPE TO HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU SOON, EITHER FROM MY OFFICE OR COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON'S OFFICE. WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT TOGETHER. OKAY. AND I WANT TO COME AND CONGRATULATE WITH EDWARD ROBINSON'S BOSTON RED SOX, BECAUSE THEY BEAT THE, UH, TEXAS ORANGES AND THAT KEPT THE ASS A GAME AND A HALF IN FRONT OF THE FIRST PLACE. PLAY BALL. JACOB . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY, NEXT SPEAKER DECK. COMPLETE THE LIST OF SPEAKERS, I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN MAG GALLEGOS. JACOB, COME BACK. COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN MAG GALLEGOS. HEY, JACOB, WHEN I SAW YOU STAND UP, I WAS LIKE, OKAY, HE'S GONNA BE HERE CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, WEARING THAT . SO HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH TO YOU TOO. YES, IT'S SEPTEMBER AFTER ALL. THANK YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. THAT COMPLETES THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. OKAY. THANK [RECESS] YOU. YOU STAND IN RECESS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:00 AM PROPER LIFT STATIONS PROJECT ITEM TWO, RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DEPOSIT THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD OF SPECIAL COMMISSIONERS TO THE REGISTRY OF THE COURT, AND PAY OUR COST IN CONNECTION WITH EM. DOMAIN, PROCEEDINGS STYLE, CITY OF HOUSTON VERSUS UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST LC ET AL FOR THE ACQUISITION OF PARCELS, A Y 21 1 16 AND A Y 21 1 62 FOR THE UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT ITEM THREE, APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $150,000 AND NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDERS FOR SERVICES AND REPAIRS FOR FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AWARDED TO HOUSTON FREIGHTLINER, INC. ITEM FOUR, BARBARA ON LIGHTS OF THE ROCKIES, INC. FOR PROOF OF PURCHASE OF STUDIO LIGHTS AND LIGHTING EQUIPMENT. ITEM FIVE APPROVES SENIOR AUTHORITY AND THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED THREE HUNDRED TEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED THIRTY THREE THOUSAND TWENTY CENTS FOR THE, THE LEASE OF TWO POSTAGE MEETUP MACHINES WITH TWO SOFTWARE PACKAGES. ITEM OH, I'M SORRY, AWARDED TWO PITNEY BOWES. ITEM SIX, AMEND MOTION 20 21 0 9 TO INCREASE SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR THE PURCHASE OF A MOBILE RADIATION DETECTOR SYSTEM FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY AWARDED TO BUBBLE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES, INC. ITEM SEVEN RESOLUTION EXPRESSING NO OBJECTION TO APPLICATION FOR NON-COMPETITIVE 4% FEDERAL TAX [02:20:01] CREDITS FOR THE REHABILITATION OF BROOKSIDE GARDENS APARTMENTS, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMUNITY LOCATED AT 35 25 SOUTH HOUSTON, SOUTH SAM HOUSTON PARKWAY, EAST IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. ITEM EIGHT, RESOLUTION SUPPORTING DENOMINATION OF COUNCIL MEMBER ABBEY CAYMAN AS VICE CHAIR OF THE ENERGY ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE AND VICE CHAIR OF THE LARGE CITIES COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. ITEM NINE, ORDINANCE SUBMITTED THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS BY AMENDING SEVERAL SEXES OF CHAPTER 42 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES. ITEM 10, ORDINANCE AMENDED THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS BY AMENDING SEVERAL SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 26. ITEM 11, I'M ORDINANCE AMENDING. CHAPTER 33, ARTICLE SEVEN, CHAPTER DIVISION FIVE OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS, ITEM 12 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND ALLIES IN HOPE. ITEM 13, ORDINANCE ACCEPTING THE PROPOSAL FROM EVANSTON INSURANCE COMPANY, MARKEL . ITEM 14, ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING GRANT APPLICATION TO AN ACCEPTING AWARD FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION FOR PREGNANT PEOPLE. INFANT LINKED, LONG, LONG LONGITUDINAL SURVEILLANCE. CONGENITAL CYTO MEGA LAVAR MEGA LAVAR LAVAR. MM. ITEM 15 ORDINANCE CREATING THE FIFTH WARD VOLUNTARY RELOCATION FUND. ITEM 16, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING A MEMO, MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. ITEM 17, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $3,832,800 IN NO CENTS OUTTA EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION CONSOLIDATED FUND TO REPLACE BUNKER GEAR AND EMERGENCY LIFE SAFETY EQUIPMENT. ITEM 18 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE, THE EXECUTION OF A COMPROMISE SETTLEMENT RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN GWENDOLYN SMITHER AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. ITEM 19, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $250,000 AND NO CENTS OUT OF EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION CONSOLIDATED FUND FOR THE PLAN DATA CENTER. REFRESH ITEM 20, ORDINANCE SUBMITTING ORDINANCE NUMBER 20 18 3 48 AND AN ORDINANCE NUMBER 22 2 2 2 866 TO INCREASE MAXIMUM CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND SOCOM INTERNATIONAL INC. ITEM 21 ORDINANCE APPRO WE CAN AUTHORIZE IN LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH HOUSTON FIRST INC. CORPORATION. ITEM 22 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER SIX, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, EAST SIDE ZONE. ITEM 23, ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF SOUTH POST OAK REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER NINE, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. ITEM 24 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF EAST DOWNTOWN. REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER 15, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS EAST DOWNTOWN ZONE ITEM 25 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF SUNNYSIDE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER 26, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, SUNNYSIDE ZONE ITEM 26, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING 2023 CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN SANDY CENTER RIVER AUTHORITY 9 27 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD FOR ADMINISTERING THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AS APPROVED BY ORDINANCE NUMBER 20 21 7 25 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, OF AND TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD APPROVED BY ORDINANCE 20 21 7 24 ITEM 29, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING FOURTH AMENDMENT TO AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD APPROVED BY ORDINANCE 20 20 20 16, 7 35 AND 2021. 6 64. ITEM 30 HAS BEEN PULLED, THAT WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 31 IS AN ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING DISASTER DEBRIS REMOVAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND DRC EMERGENCY SERVICES. LLC FOR WEST FORK S CENTER RIVER AND LAKE HOUSTON DEBRIS REMOVAL PROJECT ITEM 32, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATE AND $22,840,400 AND NO CENTS. ITEM WATER AND SEW SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND, AWARDING CONTRACT TO MAIN LANE INDUSTRIES, LTD. THIS IS THE END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR MATTER HELD. ITEM 33. IT WAS A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM. SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER TO AWARD TO GENERAL MOTORS, LLC CUSTOMER CARE AND AFTER SALES DIVISION FOR PURCHASE OF OEM [02:25:01] AUTOMOTIVE PARTS AND SUPPLIES. I IT WAS TAGGED BY CONST MEMBER PLUMER. THIS IS ITEM SIX ON AGENDA SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023. ITEM 34 IS IN MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM, SECONDED BY CONST MEMBER ROBINSON TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER TO APPROVE SPENDING AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE GLOBAL R FOUR AIR SWEEPERS, REPLACING PARTS AND REPAIR SERVICES. THIS WAS, UM, FROM THE BY BOARD VENDOR ASSOCIATED SUPPLY COMPANY, INC. THIS WAS TAGGED BY CONSTABLE PLUMER SEC. THIS WAS ITEM EIGHT ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023. ITEM 35 WAS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF A SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT TO 2023 ACT ANNUAL ACTION PLAN TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. THIS WAS TAB BY COUNCILMAN ZOS. THIS WAS ITEM 15 ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023. ITEM 36 WAS AN ORDINANCE FINDING IN DETERMINING THAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY NO LONGER REQUIRED. THE CONTINUED USE OF A 10 FOOT WIDE PRESCRIPTION SANITARY SEWER EASEMENT, ABANDONING THE EASEMENT TO RALLIES. LLC. THIS WAS TAB COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THIS WAS ITEM 23 ON AGENDA SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023. ITEM 37 IS AN ORDINANCE FINDING IN DETERMINING THAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE NECESSITY NO LONGER REQUIRE THE CONTINUED USE OF A THREE FOOT WIDE UTILITY EASEMENT OUT OF LOT ONE BLOCK 3 81 PLACE SITUATED IN THE OBEDIENCE FENCE SURVEY, ABSTRACT NUMBER 6 9 3 HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCILMAN MC KAMAN. THIS WAS ITEM 24 ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2023. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SESSION OF SEPTEMBER 19TH AND 20 20 23. STATE TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM IN THE WORDS OF THE CURRENT CITY SECRETARY PAT JEFFERSON. DANIEL, I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH THIS. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS TREAT EVERYONE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. HAVE A BLESSED AND FANTABULOUS DAY. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, MADAM SECRETARY. YOU'RE WELCOME. MY NUMBER ONE THING ON WHAT'S THE TODAY'S DATE? SEPTEMBER, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER THE, THE 20TH, [RECONVENE] UH, 2023. I'M MISS SPECIAL ATTORNEY. I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER. OKAY, JUST A FEW COMMENTS BEFORE WE GET INTO [MAYOR'S REPORT] THE CONSENT AGENDA. UH, PLEASE BEAR IN MIND TOMORROW IS, UH, UH, THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE LAND WYATT SQUARE, UH, FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS. UM, AND THAT WILL BE, UH, WE'RE SAYING FRIDAY, BUT IT'S, THAT IS TOMORROW, SEPTEMBER THE 21ST. UM, THE LIN, THE LIN Y SQUARE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS WILL OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH FREE FUN PROGRAMMING FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY. THE FOREMAN JONES PLAZA HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED TO AN AMAZING GREEN SPACE, AND I THINK YOU ALL WILL, UH, CERTAINLY ENJOY IT. AND I'M HOPING, UH, THAT, UH, LYNN WHITE WOULD VERY MUCH ENJOY IT. UM, CERTAINLY, UH, HOUSTON FIRST CORPORATION AT THIS DEVELOPMENT. UH, BUT IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE PUBLIC PRIVATE INITIATIVE. SO REALLY WANT TO THANK LYNN WIDE FOR HER GENEROUS GIFT, UH, MAKING THIS HAPPEN. AND THAT WILL BE ON TOMORROW. UH, THERE WILL ALSO BE, UM, UH, THEY WILL BE SHOWING THE JONES PLAZA AS WELL. SO PEOPLE WILL BE GOING ONE FROM ONE PLACE TO THE OTHER ON TOMORROW AS WELL. UH, THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY WILL HOST THIS ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK GRAND FINALE THURSDAY NIGHT. IT IS AN EVENING WITH ARTHUR NICOLE HANNAH JONES, WHO WROTE THE 1619 PROJECT OF THE AUTHORS WILL ALSO BE FEATURED. UH, ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK IS A CITYWIDE READING PROGRAM THAT PROMOTES LITERACY, DIVERSITY, AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS BY ENCOURAGING HOUSTONIANS TO READ AND DISCUSS BOOKS WITH A COMMON THEME. SO THAT IS TOMORROW, I HOPE, UH, THAT, UH, HOPE, UH, THAT YOU ALL WILL JOIN US ON FOR THAT EVENT AS WELL. UM, HOBBY AIRPORT HAS BEEN NAMED THE MOST ENJOYABLE AIRPORT IN NORTH AMERICA FOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WORLDWIDE AS SELECTED BY PASSENGERS. AND THE AWARD WAS PRESENTED BY THE AIRPORT'S COUNCIL, INTERNATIONAL A CI. UH, AND SO COME ON AND CONGRATULATE THEM ON ANOTHER BIG AWARD. UM, AND THEN SEE, UM, UH, THIS COMING WEEKEND, OF COURSE, WE'LL BE, UM, UH, QUEEN B'S WEEK BEYONCE. UM, WE'LL BE IN TOWN HOUSTON'S HOMETOWN, AND SHE WILL HOLD TWO CONCERTS AT NRG. UM, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZING NOT EVERYONE HAS A TICKET AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS HOMETOWN. AND SO, UH, HOUSTON FIRST, ALONG WITH THE DOWNTOWN, UH, MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND OTHERS WILL BE DOING A, A, A TRIBUTE, I GUESS YOU CAN SAY, UM, UH, TWO BEYONCE. UM, HER NAME WILL BE PUT UP AT LIGHTS AT THE GEORGE BROWN, AND THERE'LL BE SOME [02:30:01] FIREWORKS AROUND THAT. UM, AND THEN THERE'LL BE A, A DRONE DISPLAY AS WELL NEAR THE DOWNTOWN AREA. UM, AND SO THAT WILL BE ON SATURDAY EVENING. AND PLEASE COME DOWN TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD. UM, SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THIS COMING, UH, WEEKEND. UH, THEN WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JEREMY PENA OF THE HOUSTON ASTROS HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR THE 2023 ROBERTA CLEMENTS AWARD. UM, CAN'T ASK FOR A BETTER GUY. UM, SO I WANT TO THANK HIM AND WANT TO THANK HIM FOR DOING A SPECIAL AD FOR US FOR THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER. HE CUT THAT ON YESTERDAY. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO JEREMY PENON. CONTINUE TO LIFT UP THE ASTROS, UM, AS THEY MOVE TOWARDS, UM, UH, THE PLAYOFFS. UM, AND THEN, UH, BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT BCYCLE AND THE STATE OF BCYCLE. UH, I'VE INDICATED TO BOTH PLANNING AND IN FACT, QUITE FRANKLY, THAT'S WAS CONVERSATION. I TALKED TO METRO ABOUT STANDING UP THE CYCLE. THEY'RE NOT AT THAT POINT READY TO DO THAT. UH, BUT I AM GOING TO BE RECOMMENDING THAT WE PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING TO TRANSITION THEM FORWARD, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THE END USER TO LOSE, UH, AS WE KIND OF WORK AS METRO WORKS TO STAND BCYCLE UP. AND SO YOU'LL SEE, PROBABLY SEE SOMETHING NEXT WEEK, UH, UH, WITH A REQUEST TO PROVIDE ANOTHER HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO THE BCYCLE SO THAT THAT OPERATION CAN CONTINUE. UH, AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS TRANSITION. I THINK IT WOULD BE A LOSS FOR THE END USER FOR OTHERS, UH, IF THAT, IF THE SERVICE WAS TO COMPLETELY STOP. SO, UH, THAT WILL BE COMING BEFORE YOU ON NEXT WEEK, AND I HOPE FOR YOUR FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION. UM, I THINK IN LARGE PART THAT IS, THAT IS IT. UM, TONIGHT, UM, INSTEAD OF THERE BEING A POLITICAL FUNDRAISER, WHICH I NORMALLY DO FOR MY BIRTHDAY, UM, THERE WILL BE A RECEPTION TONIGHT. BUT ALL THE PROCEEDS TONIGHT WILL BE DONATED, UH, TO MD ANDERSON, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, TO DOCTORS LIKE DR. WU, UH, WHO WAS, UM, UH, THE PLASTIC SURGEON AT MD ANDERSON AND TOOK THE BONE FROM MY LEG AND WE REPOSITIONED MY JAW AND, AND, UH, TO ASSIST OTHERS GOING FORWARD. SO EVERY SINGLE DIME TONIGHT, UM, AT THE EVENT TONIGHT IS GOING TO MD ANDERSON. AND SO YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO ATTEND AND BE PRESENT. UH, DR. WU AND OTHERS FROM MD ANDERSON WILL BE THERE AS WELL THIS EVENING. SO I WANT TO THANK THOSE WHO HELPED GENEROUSLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE EVENT. UM, BUT MD ANDERSON, AS YOU KNOW, IS, UM, THE BEST CANCER, UH, RESEARCH HOSPITAL IN THE WORLD. MM-HMM . AND THEY'RE BENEFITING A LOT OF PEOPLE. UM, AND SO I'M, I'M CERTAINLY APPRECIATIVE TO ALL THAT THEY, UH, HAVE DONE, UH, FOR, FOR ME AND FOR OTHERS. SO THAT'S THIS EVENING. UM, HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK THAT IS, THAT IS IT FOR ME. AND WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE CONSENT AGENDA [CONSENT AGENDA] UNDER THE PROPERTY CATEGORY. ITEMS ONE AND TWO. NEED A MOTION MOVE ROBINSON SECOND. MARTIN, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED ON ITEMS ONE AND TWO. UH, DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF COLE CRIME UNDER THE PURCHASING AND TABULATION OF BIDS CATEGORY ITEM THREE THROUGH SIX. NEED A MOTION MOVE ROBINSON. SECOND. MARTIN, I MOVE. AND SECOND ON ITEMS THREE THROUGH SIX. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSING GRANTED UNDER THE RESOLUTION CATEGORY ITEM SEVEN AND EIGHT. JUST NEED A VOTE ON THE SEVEN AND EIGHT. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY SINCE YOUR LIST WAS DISTRIBUTED. ITEM 30 AND 31 HAVE BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 30 AND 31 HAVE BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEMS REMOVED. [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] SEPARATE CONSIDERATION ARE 9, 10, 15, 20, 21, 25, AND 26. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN ARE 9, 10, 15, 20, 21, 25, AND 26. NEED A VOTE ON THE BALLOT. DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION, DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED GRANTED [02:35:09] ITEM, REMOVE TEMPORARY CONSIDERATION. ITEM NUMBER NINE. JUST NEEDS A VOTE TAG ROBINSON. ITEM NINE HAS BEEN TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO ALSO TAG NUMBER 10, IF YOU'LL CALL NUMBER 10. ITEM 10 NEEDS A VOTE TAG ROBINSON. ITEM 10 HAS BEING COUNT TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. ITEM 15 IS THE ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. WILL I, I'M SORRY. I'D LIKE TO TAG THAT ITEM. YOU'RE GONNA TAG 15. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMER. YES. I AMAM. , IF YOU WOULD HOLD YOUR TIME FOR A MOMENT. I APPRECIATE IT. SURE. 'CAUSE I WANNA TALK ABOUT ITEM 15. UM, THE PEOPLE IN FIFTH WARD, THE CANCER CLUSTER, HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS SITUATION FOR QUITE SOME TIME. UH, THE TEXAS HEALTH DEPARTMENT, UM, UH, DID THEIR STUDY AND FOUND THAT THERE'S, UH, MORE CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM CANCER IN THIS AREA THAN IN ANY OBJECTIVE CODE, UH, IN THIS CITY. AND THEN AS IT RELATES TO CHILDREN, MORE CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER THAN ANY OTHER PLACE IN THIS CITY. AND PEOPLE ARE NOT ONLY BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, PEOPLE ARE DYING OF CANCER. FOR EVERY ONE OF US, PROBABLY AROUND THIS TABLE, IF WE WERE LIVING IN THAT AREA AND HAD THE MEANS TO RELOCATE, WE PROBABLY WOULD. I CAN THINK OF ANYONE WHO PROBABLY HAD, WOULD HAVE THE MEANS THAT WOULDN'T SEEK TO RELOCATE. BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE STUCK IN A SITUATION BECAUSE THEY DON'T NECESSARILY, THEY DON'T HAVE THE MEANS TO GO SOMEPLACE ELSE. WHAT WE, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WE HAVE BEEN, UM, UH, UH, HAVING MANY CONVERSATIONS. LEGAL HAS BEEN HAVING MANY CONVERSATIONS WITH UP AND UP IS CONTINUING TO SAY, UH, EITHER THERE'S NO CONNECTION OR WE ARE GOING TO BE NEEDED TO DO MORE TESTING. THE EPA HAS STEPPED IN AND THEY ARE DOING MORE TE YOU HAVE ORDER UP TO DO MORE TESTING UNDER THEIR, UNDER THEIR SUPERVISION. BUT WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO DO MORE TESTING, OKAY, WHILE THEY CONTINUE TO DO MORE TESTING, PEOPLE ARE BEING DIAGNOSED AND THEY ARE DYING FROM CANCER. AND THEY HAVE BEEN SCREAMING FOR HELP. NOW WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THAT AREA, WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, IDENTIFYING WHERE THE PLUMES ARE, LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT FAITH AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN WHERE THERE'S THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF CANCER. AND IN ORDER TO RELOCATE EVERYBODY IN THAT AREA WHO MAY CHOOSE TO RELOCATE, IT COULD COST ABOUT $30 MILLION OR MORE. OKAY? BUT WE DON'T HAVE $30 MILLION AND UP SHOULD STEP UP, BUT THEY HAVEN'T STEPPED UP. AND WE COULD SIMPLY STAND DOWN AND DO NOTHING. WHAT MOVED ME IN THIS SITUATION IS THAT NOT TOO LONG AGO, A PERSON IN THAT CA IN THAT FIFTH WARD CANCER CLUSTER SON HAD DIED LIKE TWO YEARS BEFORE. AND NOW SHE HAS DIED MOST RECENTLY. AND QUITE FRANKLY, AS THE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, I JUST CAN'T SIT BACK AND JUST WATCH. AND IF YOU ALLOW ME TO BE A LITTLE PERSONAL ABOUT IT MM-HMM . FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER ABOUT A YEAR AGO. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, BUT I HAVE THE MEANS MM-HMM . OKAY? I HAVE THE MEANS. I CAN, I CAN, UH, UM, GOT THE BEST MEDICAL HELP IN THE WORLD. I HAVE THE MEANS, BUT AS THE, BUT AS THE MAYOR CITY OF HOUSTON, TO SIT BACK AND JUST WATCH AND WAIT ON STUDY AFTER STUDY OR TEST AFTER TEST AND PEOPLE ARE CONTINUING TO DIE, MAKES NO SENSE TO ME IN GOOD COUNTRIES. I CAN'T DO IT. CAN'T DO IT. AND SO WHAT I SAID TO MY TEAM, UH, WORKING WITH STEVE COSTELLO, WORKING WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, LET'S AT LEAST PROVIDE THE SEED FUNDING TO VOLUNTARILY MOVE PEOPLE OR TO GIVE THEM THAT OPTION. WE CAN DO THAT. WE DON'T JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND WATCH. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS ITEM DOES. [02:40:02] IT PROVIDES $5 MILLION SEEDING THIS FUND TO START THE PROCESS TO LOCATE PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE TO MOVE WHILE WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH EPA WHILE WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT UP. OKAY? AND WE ARE PROVIDING AT LEAST AN, A LIMITED BASIS. THAT MEANS IN THE AVAILABILITY, QUITE FRANKLY, TO WAIT. IT'S WAITING FOR WHAT, WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO DIE FROM SOME OTHER CHILD TO BE DIAGNOSED? WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? SO I AM REALLY, I'M REALLY, REALLY OUTDONE BY MOTION TO HUMAN TAG. THIS ITEM IS YOUR RIGHT. BUT PEOPLE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH. PEOPLE HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH. SO WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? WHAT? AND I KNOW EVERY DAY MATTERS. HAD I WAITED A FEW MORE WEEKS, A FEW MORE MONTHS, MY SITUATION WOULD'VE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE. EVERY DAY MATTERS. SO WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? I RESPECT YOUR RIGHT, BUT I I I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM. NOW YOU CAN TAG YOUR ITEM AND I'M DONE. BUT I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM THAT YOU ARE GOING TO TAG THIS ITEM. COUNCIL MEMBER JIM, I'M SORRY, MR. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT. FIRST MY LIGHT WAS ON COUNCILMAN FILLER. MY MOTHER IS ALSO A CANCER SURVIVOR. SO I'VE SUFFERED WITH SOMEONE IN MY FAMILY THAT HAS CANCER. I HAVE BEEN ON THE FRONT LINE OF THIS CONVERSATION FOR OVER A YEAR. I HAVE SPOKE WITH SCIENTISTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, ACADEMIA. I HAVE BROUGHT MORE ATTENTION PERSONALLY TO THIS CONVERSATION THAN I DON'T KNOW IF ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS. THIS IS INCREDIBLY PERSONAL TO ME. MY GRANDMOTHER TAUGHT AT WHEATLEY. MY FATHER'S A WHEATLEY GRADUATE. WE, WE WERE RAISED IN FIFTH WARD. SO THE FACT THAT RESPECTFULLY, AMIR TURNER, YOU ARE INSINUATING THAT I DON'T CARE AND I'M NOT COMPASSIONATE ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY IS SHORT OF OFFENSIVE. I WANT MAKE TO MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS WHAT THEY ARE DEALING WITH. THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE 5 MILLION IS SEED MONEY. IT IS BASED ON SCIENCE. IF WE ARE GOING TO EXPECT UP, EXPECT THE EPA EXPECT, UH, THE COMMISSIONER COURT TO APPROVE ADDITIONAL FUNDS OF UPWARDS OF $35 MILLION. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE ALL OF OUR DUCKS ARE IN THE ROW. YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS I DO, OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND. I'M NOT TAGGING THIS ITEM BECAUSE I DON'T WANT THEM TO MOVE. I WANT THEM TO MOVE. I WANT THEM TO BE SAFE. BUT I ALSO WANT THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH TO ENSURE THEY ARE, WE CARRY THEM THROUGH THE ENTIRE PROCESS. AND WE DON'T JUST MOVE SEVEN FAMILIES, WE MOVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT WANTS TO MOVE. THIS IS AN INFORMATIVE TAG. THIS IS NOT A TAG BECAUSE I'M NOT COMPASSIONATE AND THE ININ TO INSINUATE THAT I AM NOT THE MOST COMPASSIONATE PERSON OF THIS SITUATION. I'M JUST NOT GOING TO ACCEPT ON THIS HORSESHOE TODAY. SO MAJOR, I'M RESPECTFULLY TAGGING THIS ITEM BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AND HOW WE MOVE FORWARD AFTER THIS FUND IS CREATED. THAT IS THE ONLY REASON. I'M, I'VE TALKING TO MD ANDERSON ONCOLOGY, UM, TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS, ONCOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGISTS. I'VE SPOKEN WITH EVERY SINGLE SCIENTIST, GEOLOGISTS. I UNDERSTAND THIS SITUATION MORE THAN ANYTHING, MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THIS ROOM. AND SO I AM TAGGING THIS ITEM BECAUSE I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE TALK TO THE COMMUNITY, WE LET THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND JUST HAVE THEM ARMED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED SO THEY KNOW HOW TO MOVE FORWARD. THAT'S ALL I'M DOING. AND COUNCIL MEMBER, THAT IS YOUR RIGHT. BUT I WILL TAKE ISSUE THAT YOU'RE CLAIMING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THAN ANYBODY AROUND THIS TABLE. I'LL TAKE ISSUE WITH YOU ON THAT. NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY. NUMBER THREE, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT UP WHAT UP WILL OR WILL NOT DO. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT WHAT THE EPA DO, UH, DO WILL DO OR WILL NOT DO. THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO ABOUT WHAT WE WILL DO AS A COUNCIL HAS NOTHING ABOUT YOU. IF UP DOESN'T COME WITH A DIME, [02:45:01] THIS PROVIDES SEED MONEY TO AT LEAST MOVE AS MANY FAMILIES AS WE CAN TO RELOCATE THEM NOW RATHER THAN LATER. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT UP. I'M DISAPPOINTED WITH UP, BUT WE ARE NOT, WE DON'T NEED TO WAIT ON YOU. THIS IS ABOUT THIS CITY COUNCIL AND WHAT THIS CITY COUNCIL WILL DO. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT, UH, YOU MENTIONED ALL THESE OTHER PARTIES. THIS IS $5 MILLION COMING FROM THIS CITY COUNCIL IN A FUND THAT WILL PROVIDE THOSE PERSONS OUT THERE WITH THE OPTION IF THEY SO ELECT TO RELOCATE. NOW, NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT WE CAN HELP SOME OF THEM. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, ASH WIFE, MAYOR, I'M IN. I'M IN FAVOR OF THIS ORDINANCE. MY QUESTION IS, IF WE HELP THESE PEOPLE MOVE OUT, UH, WILL OTHER PEOPLE JUST MOVE IN? AND, AND HOW ARE WE GONNA KEEP OTHER PEOPLE FROM MOVING INTO THE PEOPLE WHERE THE PEOPLE HAVE MOVED OUT AND EXPOSE MORE PEOPLE TO THIS, UH, CARCINOGEN? UH, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE ORDINANCE THAT'LL HELP THAT? WELL, AND THAT'S WHAT WE, AND WHAT WE JUST MAKE THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE SENDING, NUMBER ONE, YOU CANNOT MOVE IN AND THEN COME AND COME AND TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FUND. IT'S FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THERE RIGHT NOW. OKAY? NOW IF ANYBODY ELSE COME IN, NUMBER TWO, WE ARE DRAWING, WE'VE BEEN DRAWING A GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTION THAT THIS AREA IS AN AREA THAT'S IN THE, THAT'S IN THE CONTAMINATED ZONE. WE ARE DOING THAT. AND NUMBER THREE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THERE AND WHO ARE SUFFERING WITH CANCER AND DYING FROM IT TO PROVIDE THEM WITH AN OPTION. 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY DON'T HAVE AN OPTION. THEY DON'T HAVE AN OPTION. THEY ARE TRAPPED BY VIRTUE OF THEIR OWN SOCIAL ECONOMIC STAT STATUS. AND ALL WE ARE DOING IS PROVIDING THEM WITH A LIMITED OPTION. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER CAME. I'M SORRY. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE, UH, THE PURPOSE OF TAGGING IF THE TAG IS JUST TO INFORM, BECAUSE WE CAN INFORM AS WE GO ALONG. UM, AS THE MAYOR SAID IT, IT HAS TAKEN A WHILE TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE THIS ITEM COULD EVEN COME TO COUNCIL. AND IF WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE IMPACTED FAMILIES, THEN WE CAN PASS IT TODAY AND INFORM TODAY. RIGHT? BUT IF THERE'S NO QUESTIONS ON, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROCESS FOR US, THE POLICY FOR US, THEN WAITING ONE WEEK WHEN WE KNOW THAT EVERY DAY COUNTS IN A, IN A MATTER LIKE THIS, UH, UM, I DON'T SEE THE RATIONALE IN THAT. AND SO, UM, I WILL JOIN WITH YOU IN THE, IN THE INFORMING PROCESS. AND I THINK WE ALL WILL JOIN IN, IN ENSURING THAT THE RESIDENTS KNOW WHAT THIS IS FOR AND WHY IT IS. BUT TO TAG IT, JUST TO INFORM, I THINK, UM, BRINGS MORE HURT THAN GOOD, UH, FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. AND, AND THE PURPOSE THAT IT'S BRINGING THAT IS COMING FORTH. SO, UM, I WILL ASK YOU TO RETHINK THAT AS WELL BECAUSE, UH, WE CAN ALL INFORM AS WELL AS PASSED IT AT THE SAME TIME. COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. I HAD GONE IN THE QUEUE BEFORE WE HAD HAD THE DISCUSSION 'CAUSE I JUST WANTED IT. UM, I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS THAT I JUST WANTED ANSWERED ON THE RECORD, AND I THINK YOU ANSWERED ONE OF THEM, WHICH IS ONE, THIS IS VOLUNTARY, THERE'S NO FORCED RELOCATIONS, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND I'M ASSUMING I HAD CIRCLED, UH, IN MY BACKUP A TWO TO THREE BLOCK RADIUS AROUND THE SITE. AND I'M ASSUMING THAT'S BECAUSE OUR FUNDS ARE LIMITED. THAT IS CORRECT. SO WITHIN THE TWO TO THREE BLOCK RADIUS, THAT $5 MILLION, WILL THAT, UM, ALLOW ANYONE WITHIN THAT RADIUS TO RELOCATE IF THEY WISH TO OR, YES. OKAY. SO ANYONE WITHIN THE DESIGNATED AREA CAN, CAN RELOCATE IF THEY SO DESIRE. WE'RE NOT SAYING WHO CAN AND CANNOT. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER KOSH, I KNOW THAT YOU HAD, UH, MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THIS PROPERTY, I'M ASSUMING MARY, I COULD BE INCORRECT, BUT WITH, UM, THE CITY OR PARTNERS PURCHASING AT FAIR MARKET VALUE, THESE PROPERTIES, THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY GONNA BE TURNED AROUND FLIPPED FOR NEW HOUSING. ARE OTHER LAND USE, JUST AS WE DO WITH FLOOD MITIGATION, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE PUTTING HOMES RIGHT BACK IN THAT ZONE, UM, WHEN A FAMILY CHOOSES TO RELOCATE, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT'S [02:50:01] THAT WAS CORRECT. IT IS A BUYOUT PROGRAM. RIGHT. OKAY. AND, UH, I THINK THAT ANSWERS ALL MY QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED A FEW, BUT I, I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE, UM, SOME OF THE PARTNERS THAT INCLUDE HOUSTON LAND BANK COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, UH, COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S OFFICE. SO I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THOSE PARTNERS AND, UM, ALSO APPRECIATE OUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO I KNOW HAS ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH RESIDENTS AND BEEN VERY VOCAL ON THIS ISSUE. LET ME ALSO ADD THAT EVERY PERSON OUT THERE HAS FILLED OUT A SURVEY. EVERYONE, EVERY SINGLE PERSON OUT THERE HAS FILLED OUT A SURVEY ALREADY, SO THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN TALKED TO. THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT NEW TO THEM. THEY HAVE FILLED OUT THE SURVEY. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JOHNSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, I FIRST CAME TO THE WHOLE CANCER CLUSTER, I THINK IT WAS LIKE 2015 WHEN, UM, TRUSTEE DANIELS BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION. AND SO I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND, UM, THE RESIDENTS OVER THERE ARE GETTING, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME RELIEF. AND THAT'S MOVING. COUNCIL MEMBER PALMER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS. I MEAN, YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK WORKSHOPS, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN ENGAGED. YOU KNOW, I KNOW I'VE BEEN DOING, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON OTHER ISSUES LIKE THE FLOODING AND THE, UM, DUMPING. SO OUR PARTNERSHIP, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, LIKE REALLY MOVE THE DISTRICT FORWARD. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT. UM, I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH, UM, WHAT'S HIS NAME OVER THIS PROJECT. I DID GET THE NAMES MIXED UP. COSTELLO, COSTELLO COSTELLO, YEAH. ON MONDAY. AND I DID HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS ONCE THEY ARE MOVE WITH THE LAND, WITH THE LAND BANK, THAT THEY WON'T OWN THE LAND. AND HE CLEARED THAT UP THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS WILL HAVE OPTIONS, UM, IF THEY, YOU KNOW, WANT TO HAVE A LOWER MORTGAGE, THEY CAN DO THE LAND TRUST, UM, OR THEY CAN DO LAND BANK. SO IT'S, THEY HAVE OPTIONS. AND SO HE ASSURED ME OF THAT. AND THEN I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THIS, AND I'VE BEEN HAVING ONE-ON-ONES, AND I TEND TO CONTINUE TO HAVE ONE-ON-ONES JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS CLEAR AND UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS WHOLE RELOCATION, UM, MEANS TO, YOU KNOW, IF THEY DO ACCEPT IT, BECAUSE IT IS VOLUNTARILY. SO, UM, I, I SUPPORT IT. UM, AND I WILL AGAIN, CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE RESIDENTS AND THEN PART PARTNER WITH YOU, UM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PALMER, BECAUSE I, AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN LEADING THIS AND YOU'VE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT IT, AND I REALLY, TRULY APPRECIATE YOU AND I KNOW THE RESIDENTS OVER IN FIFTH WARD AND CATCHMENT GARDEN DO DOES AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS, AND I DO SUPPORT IT. I MEAN, I LOST MY MOM AND MY THREE OLDER SIBLINGS FROM CANCER, SO I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DON'T POINT OUT AS WELL, WE DO HAVE A CLUSTER, A CANCER CLUSTER COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S MANCHESTER. AND THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP FOR YEARS. I MEAN, AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY, THEY TESTED THE SOIL AT HARTMAN PARK AND THEY FOUND IT WAS CONTAMINATED, BUT YET KIDS ARE PLAYING IN THAT PARK. SO MAYOR, IF IF BY DOING THIS, I'M HOPING YOU CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT THAT WE CAN DO THE SAME FOR MANCHESTER TO MOVE THOSE RESIDENTS OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE LIVING, THEY'RE A FENCE LINE COMMUNITY. THEY LIVE RIGHT NEXT TO VALERO AND THEY DEAL WITH THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR DECADES. THANKS, COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS. UM, I AM TAGGING THIS ITEM PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE REQUEST OF THE COMMUNITY. UM, A LOT OF THEM JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND AND THEY, THEY WANT TO AND TO, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. THIS IS NOT JUST INFORMATION COUNCILOR POLLARD. UM, I CLEARLY UNEQUIVOCALLY SUPPORT CREATING THIS FUND, BUT AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IN OWNERSHIP IN OUR BLACK COMMUNITIES, HOW IF THEY GIVE THEIR LAND UP, WHO'S GONNA, WHO'S GONNA BUY THE PROPERTY? ARE THEY EVER GONNA OWN THE PROPERTY? WHAT'S THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY GONNA BE? WHO IS GONNA COME IN AND ULTIMATELY FINISH PAYING FOR THE PROJECT? THERE'S SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT THE COMMUNITY, EVEN IN THE CAG MEETINGS, THEY JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS. THE FIRST TIME THEY HEARD OF THIS WAS LAST WEEK IN TERMS OF IT BEING ON THE AGENDA, NOT THE BUYOUT PROGRAM, BUT IT BEING ON THE AGENDA. THE COMMUNITY. I AM SPEAKING FOR THE COMMUNITY. I'VE SPOKEN WITH SEVEN COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT HAVE LED THIS AND THEY'RE JUST SAYING, COUNCIL MEMBER, WE JUST NEED A COUPLE DAYS TO JUST ASK A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. SO I'M NOT MAKING AN INDEPENDENT CONVERSATION. THESE PEOPLE AREN'T SPEED DIAL ON MY PHONE. SO I'M NOT NOT SUPPORTING THIS ITEM. I SUPPORT THIS ITEM. BUT THIS IS LEGACY PROPERTY. THIS IS PRIME PROPERTY. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHO, IF THEY GET, IF THEY GIVE UP THEIR HOMES AND THEY BUILD A NEW ONE, WHERE ARE THEY GONNA LIVE? WHERE [02:55:01] ARE THEY GONNA RELOCATE YOU? WHERE'S THE LAND BANK OWNED THE PROPERTY? ARE THEY MOVING OUT OF FIFTH WARD? ARE THEY IN FIFTH WARD? THESE ARE CONVERSATIONS OF CHANGING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE. SO IT'S NOT JUST A CONVERSATION YOU HAVE AFTER THE FACT. YES, THIS NEEDS TO BE, THIS NEEDS TO BE CREATED. AND I HOPE AND PRAY THAT EVERYONE ELSE JOINS ON TOP OF IT, BECAUSE I DON'T ONLY WANT SEVEN ONCE WE MOVE THE RENTERS OUT AND THIS, AND POTENTIALLY THE SEVEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO MOVE OUT, WE'RE NOT GONNA ANY MORE FUNDS. SO WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON. THIS IS A BIG DECISION AND I AM NOT MAKING DECISION ON MY OWN. IT IS AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT HAVE LED THIS CHARGE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS. SO THIS IS NOT A, THIS IS NOT A ME TAG, THIS IS A COMMUNITY TAG BECAUSE I'VE TALKED TO THEM ON A CONSISTENT BASIS AND I'VE SEEN THE DATA . THANK YOU, MAYOR. BUT THIS IS JUST TO CREATE THE FUND. THIS ISN'T TO MOVE ON IT. THIS, THIS IS JUST TO CREATE IT. SO NO ONE'S MAKING ANY ACTION FROM THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE TO DO THIS TOMORROW. SO, SO THE ITEM IS JUST GOING TO CREATE IT SO THEN WE CAN ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS OR MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND VALUE OR PROCESS OR POLICY AROUND THE ITEM. BUT ALL WE'RE DOING TODAY IS JUST APPROVING IT SO THAT THE BALL CAN GET STARTED AND THEN WE COLLECTIVELY WILL WORK WITH THEM TO ENSURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY MAY WANT TO CONSIDER OR NOT CONSIDER BECAUSE IT'S VOLUNTARY, BUT JUST, JUST CREATING, IT CONTINUES TO PUSH IT IN THE DIRECTION THAT WILL LEAD PEOPLE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY OUT OR NOT. AND SO I CONTINUE TO THINK THAT TAGGING IT FOR ONE WEEK, UH, WILL JUST PUT US IN THE SAME PLACE A WEEK FROM NOW BECAUSE NO ONE'S GONNA BE BUYING OUT TOMORROW. IT JUST, IT JUST CREATES THE FUND TO ALLOW THE PROCESS TO START. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WHY DON'T WE DO THIS? UM, UM, THE, UM, UM, THE COMMUNITY LEADERS OUT THERE WANT TO HOLD ON IT AND YOU'RE ACTING ON BEHALF OF THOSE COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THEY DON'T. UM, ITEM IS TAGGED. NEXT ITEM TAGGED BY COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. TAGGED BY COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. NEXT ITEM, ITEM 20 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE ON ITEM 20. COUNCILMAN IMPACT ON ITEM 20. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THIS IS FOR THE LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICES FOR THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER, AND I SUPPORT THE ITEM. I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THAT AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS, I KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THIS LATER THIS YEAR. THERE'S MANY DEPARTMENTS THAT USE SOME KIND OF LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICE, AND I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD SAVE MONEY BY MAYBE COMBINING THE, UM, IT INTO ONE COMPANY OR JUST LOOKING AT THAT WAY. SUCCINCT. IT MAKES SENSE IF YOU LET, WE'LL LOOK AT THAT. IT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . MR. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN ON 20. OH, THANK YOU MAYOR. I WAS JUST GONNA SPOTLIGHT THIS ITEM, UM, FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, THE SERVICES WE ARE PROVIDING THROUGH HEC AND 9 1 1. UM, THE LANGUAGES INCLUDE SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, MANDARIN, CANTONESE, KOREAN, ARABIC, GERMAN, FRENCH, UH, A WHOLE HOST OF LANGUAGES THAT I THINK REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF OUR CITY. AND WE HAVE HEARD FROM, UH, CONSTITUENTS ABOUT THE NEED, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE SERVICES. SO APPRECIATE THAT. WE'RE CONTINUING THIS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 20? DISCUSSION IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? GRANTED ON 20 ITEM. ITEM 21 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE ON ITEM 21. LEMME JUST MAKE A FEW COMMENTS ON 21. UM, I THINK WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE DECORATIVE LIGHTS ACROSS 59, THE BRIDGES. UM, AND QUITE FRANKLY, UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING TO THE, THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THE CITY AND TO THAT WHOLE AREA. UM, I KNOW IN JUST DRIVING THROUGH, I'VE, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE, UH, HOW ATTRACTED THE CITY LOOKED WITH THOSE LIGHTS AND CHANGING COLORS AND, AND QUITE FRANKLY, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE EIGHT YEARS, UM, CAN, YOU CAN'T IMAGINE THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS THAT HAVE COME IN, BUT PEOPLE WARNING THOSE LIGHTS, UH, LIT UP AND STUFF. I MEAN, IT JUST, I MEAN, VERY, VERY POPULAR, BUT IT'S BEEN HARD TO MAINTAIN THAT. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, JUST COME THESE CONVERSATIONS TAKING PLACE OVER THE YEARS. UH, HOUSTON FIRST THEN WENT OUT AND HAD REQUESTS, HAD SEVERAL REQUESTS, REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION. UH, THEY HAD AS MANY AS 20 DIFFERENT BUSINESSES TO RESPOND. [03:00:01] THEY NARROWED IT DOWN TO FIVE, UM, AND, UM, AND ENDED UP GETTING, UH, A VERY COMPETITIVE PRICE. UM, AND SO YOU, ON THIS ITEM, HOUSTON FIRST WILL BE PAYING ONE THIRD. THE CITY OF HOUSTON WILL BE PAYING TWO THIRDS, BUT HOUSTON FIRST WILL BE PROVIDING FOR THE ONGOING MAINTENANCE, 10 YEARS ON THIS. THEY'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. UH, IT INVOLVES NEW TECHNOLOGY. UM, IT WILL AGAIN, BE A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT, NOT JUST TO 59 AND ALL THOSE BRIDGES, BUT FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS A WHOLE. AND THE IMPRESSIONS THAT WE GET FROM PEOPLE, NOT JUST IN THIS CITY, BUT ALL OVER WHEN IT TAKES PLACE, IS JUST IN, IN, IN, IT'S JUST BEEN VERY, VERY POSITIVE. SO, UH, THIS WILL REALLY ENHANCE OUR CITY AND I HOPE THAT YOU WOULD VIEW IT, UH, FAVORABLY. COUNCIL MEMBER, KASH MAYOR, WHEN I SAW HOUSTON FIRST ON THIS, I WAS WONDERING, UH, IS, IS THIS A PROPER EXPENDITURE OF THE MONEY THAT THEY GET FROM HOT TAXES TO, TO, UH, FOR BEAUTIFICATION? WOULD, WOULD THAT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY? YEAH, AND THE WAY WE, WELL, THE WAY WE'RE LOOKING AT IT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MARKETING AND PROMOTING THE CITY. UH, AND THAT'S, UH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AND THE TECHNOLOGY INVOLVED, UM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS PICKING UP TWO THIRDS OF THE COST. SO THEIR, THEIR SHARE IS ONE THIRD, OURS IS TWO THIRDS. UH, THEIRS IS MORE DOING TO THE MARKETING PROMOTING END OF IT. UM, BUT I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A FAIR, IT'S A FAIR DISTRIBUTION. YOU KNOW, MAYOR, THE, UH, THE VINES, UH, STARTED GROWING YEARS AGO, UH, ON THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. OF COURSE, I, I PERSONALLY LIKE VINES ON THE FREEWAY, BUT THEY ACTUALLY CRAWLED UP THE LIGHTS AND, AND WERE COVERING THE LIGHTS AS WELL. AND I THINK WHAT STOPPED THAT WAS THIS MASSIVE FREEZE. WE FREEZE, WE HAD DURING YURI, OH YEAH, WE WANNA FREEZE. SO , SO I THINK YURI WAS OUR YARD BAND THAT DAY AND CLEARED THEM OFF. SO, UH, SO THEY'RE GONNA BE MAINTAINING THEM. YES. AND, AND BECAUSE OF THE, UM, IT, IT BEING A FREEWAY, I WAS WONDERING IF, UM, IF, IF, IF T DOTS INVOLVED IN THAT AS WELL. TEXT DO IS ON SO FAR. OKAY. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO DO A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. THIS, THIS, UH, DECORATIVE LIGHTING WAS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED, I BELIEVE, BY THE MONTROSE, UH, RIGHT MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, UH, WHO, WHO PROMISED TO, YOU KNOW, PUT 'EM IN THERE. WE GAVE 'EM PERMISSION TO DO THAT, PUT THE LIGHTS IN, THEY WERE GONNA MAINTAIN THEM FOREVER. AND OF COURSE THEN THEY WENT AWAY, UH, THE, THE MAN. SO WE ARE ENCUMBERED AS A CITY TO, TO TAKE CARE OF THESE ITEMS WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF COUNSEL ORIGINALLY, UH, BECAUSE THIS WAS A DECISION FROM THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. AND SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, THAT WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE ALLOWING MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS TO DO. UM, AND TS IS TO DO BECAUSE AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE WE MAY BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. I AGREE. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE ORIGINALLY DECIDED TO DO. THIS WAS A DECISION MADE BY ANOTHER ORGANIZATION THAT NOW WE ARE SPENDING TWO POINT OR A LITTLE OVER OR $2.6 MILLION TO REPAIR. AND THEN HOPEFULLY HOUSTON FIRST WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THAT, WHICH IS FINE. UH, BUT WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL MOVING FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO DO AND HOW THEY'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN IT IN THE EVENT THAT THEY GO OUTTA BUSINESS. UH, ANYWAY, THAT'S JUST MY COMMENT. THANK YOU. WELL, AND, AND POINT WELL MADE. I, I AGREE WITH YOU. UM, I THINK THIS IS A BETTER MODEL, UM, FOR WHEN YOU'RE MAKING THIS TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OF ENSURING THAT IT'S EXPENDITURE THAT'S MADE AND GOING TO BE MAINTAINED. AND, UH, SO I THINK THIS IS A BETTER MODEL. I AGREE WITH YOU A HUNDRED PERCENT. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNCILOR KNOX, THANK YOU FOR THE BACKGROUND. 'CAUSE I WAS GONNA PROVIDE THAT AS WELL. UM, THIS ALL STARTED, UH, WITH THE MONTROSE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, WHICH THEN WAS DISSOLVED. THE CHALLENGE BEING THAT, UH, AND I, I DON'T WANNA MISSPEAK, BUT FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THE DESIGN FLAWS SUCH THAT THEY CAN'T EVEN JUST SHUT ALL THE LIGHTS DOWN. SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE RANDOM LIGHTS THAT POP UP. BUT BEYOND EVEN THAT AND THE BEAUTIFICATION, WHICH IS IMPORTANT, AND AS A DISTRICT C COUNCIL MEMBER, I WANNA MAKE SURE, UM, COLLEAGUES AROUND THE HORSE WHO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO, UH, NEAR TOWN MONTROSE AND UNIVERSITY PLACE, THESE BRIDGES LITERALLY UNITE THE NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, WHEN I GO SPEAK AT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP THINGS THEY BRING UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BUT THE LIGHTS JUST AREN'T ABOUT BEAUTIFICATION. [03:05:01] WHAT'S ALSO GONNA BE INCLUDED IN THIS, UM, IS THE PEDESTRIAN AND STREET LIGHTING. REMEMBER, THESE ARE FUNCTIONAL BRIDGES THAT RESIDENTS WALK OVER, DRIVE OVER, AND THOSE LIGHTS AREN'T WORKING AS WELL. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, BECAUSE THE BRIDGES ARE ACTUALLY, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE OWNED BY TDOT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CORRECT LEGAL LANGUAGE, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO TO TDOT WITH THIS APPROVAL. TDOT HAS BEEN AT THE TABLE THIS ENTIRE TIME, SO I WANNA THANK TDOT AS WELL. I DON'T GET TO DO THAT OFTEN. UM, BECAUSE THERE'S ACTUAL PHYSICAL MAINTENANCE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THOSE BRIDGES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SAFE FOR PEDESTRIANS TO WALK ACROSS. SOME OF THEM PEOPLE DO NOT FEEL SAFE WALKING ACROSS RIGHT NOW. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THROUGH THE NEGOTIATIONS AND THROUGH THE PLANS, THOSE STRUCTURAL NEEDS ARE ALSO GOING TO BE ADDRESSED. SO WHILE YOU SEE THE BEAUTIFICATION PORTION THAT THE CITY'S OWNING, THERE'S A LOT MORE TO THIS AGREEMENT AND TO THE NEEDS OF WHAT'S BEING ADDRESSED, UM, FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT DISTRICT C, ALTHOUGH IT LIVES IN DISTRICT C, THE BRIDGES ARE KNOWN FAR BEYOND. BUT, UH, FOR OUR RESIDENTS, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THEY HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR. UH, AND I ALSO MAY, IF I MAY WANNA, UM, THANK HOUSTON FIRST. I KNOW THEY DIDN'T, UH, SIGN UP FOR THIS INITIALLY AND THEY'VE REALLY STEPPED UP, UM, ALONG THE WAY TO FIND A RESOLUTION FOR THIS ALONGSIDE YOUR ADMINISTRATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALL THIS I THINK IS REALLY HELPFUL. AND HAVING BEEN AROUND THERE AND THE PRESIDENT OF, UH, MONTROSE, AROUND THE TIME WHEN THESE THINGS WERE DONE, AND, UH, IN VARIOUS POSITIONS WHERE I UNDERSTAND THE DESIGN AND SOME OF THE AGREEMENTS, I AGREE WITH ALL MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE HISTORY, THE IMPORTANCE ABOUT THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH TXDOT. UM, IT'S LIKE THE PRINCIPLE THAT WE'RE NOW FINDING WITH DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE I 45, THE CAP WHERE TXDOT TYPICALLY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STRUCTURE, THE BASE STRUCTURE, THE BASE ILLUMINATION OF THE ROADWAY. AND I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH WHAT YOU'RE REMEMBERING WITH THE, UH, WITH WHAT YURI BURNT OFF THE, UH, LIGHTS FOR THE FREEZE, THAT THAT MAINTENANCE WAS TDOT'S RESPONSIBILITY. 'CAUSE THAT'S ON THE SIDES OF THOSE ROADWAYS AS OPPOSED TO THE LED LIGHTS THAT WE ALL LOVE SO MUCH ON THE BRIDGE, WHICH WAS INSTALLED AS DECORATIVE LIGHTING AND MONUMENTAL LIGHTING. SO THAT ALL HAS BEEN PASSED ALONG. COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, YOU KNOW, IT IS, YOU KNOW, NOW OUR ENCUMBRANCE ALONG WITH HOUSTON FIRST TO MAINTAIN THEM AND WE SHOULD BE AWARE ABOUT THAT FOR THE FUTURE. BUT, UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS. IT'S GONNA BE GREAT, MAYOR. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SEE THOSE BRIDGES WHEN WE'RE FLYING INTO TOWN AND WE KNOW IF THE ASTROS HAVE WON OR WE KNOW IF IT'S PRIDE DAY IN THE CITY AND, UH, SO MUCH TO GIVE THANKS FOR. SO, UH, I SAY LET IT BE, LET'S LIGHT THE LIGHT, THE CANDLE. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR PRO MARTIN. YES, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I DON'T THINK ANYONE WILL ARGUE THAT, UH, IT'LL ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. MY QUESTION IS THAT THE MONTROSE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT WAS FORMERLY HARRIS COUNTY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS NUMBER SIX AND 11. WHERE ARE THEY IN THIS ALLOCATION OF FUNDS, NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, THERE IS A MONTROSE TOUR. TIERS NUMBER 20. SEVENT NUMBER 27. WHERE ARE THEY IN THIS? IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S HOUSTON FIRST CITY OF HOUSTON, YET HARRIS COUNTY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WAS FORMALLY IN CHARGE OF THIS SIX AND 11 IN THE MONTROSE TOURS CHAPTER, UH, NUMBER 27. SO DO, ARE THEY CONTRIBUTING ANY MONEY TO THIS ENDEAVOR? AND THE ANSWER IS NO. UM, AND GO, KIND OF GOING BACK TO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX SAID, UM, MAYOR , I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE ANYTHING TO CONTRIBUTE, AND IF WE RELIED ON THEM, IT CAN END UP COMING BACK TO US ANYWAY TO PUT THE BILL. SO HARRIS COUNTY HAS NO MONEY. THAT'S A GREAT STATEMENT. THEY HAVE A LOT OF MY MONEY. , THEY HAVE NO MONEY. DON'T, OKAY, I'LL LEAVE IT ALONE. COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE MONEY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, NO DOUBT THESE LIGHTS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THEY WILL ADD TO THE BEAUTY OF THE CITY. UM, AND YOU KNOW, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CAME AND SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE WALKING ON THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, BUT I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WERE TALKING ABOUT ITEM NUMBER 15 WITH THESE CANCER CLUSTER RELOCATION AND THE $5 MILLION COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, AND NOW IT'S 2.6 MILLION OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE LIGHTS ARE A LUXURY AND I KNOW THAT IT, IT, IT WILL MAKE HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL. BUT TO GO FROM ITEM 15 TO ITEM 21, UM, [03:10:01] YOU KNOW, THEY MAY NOT FEEL SAFE WALKING, BUT THESE PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE LIVING. AND, UM, AND I'M GONNA VOTE NO ON THIS ITEM. WHAT I CAN SAY TO YOU IS THAT, UH, BASED ON EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE DOING, THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE WILL TURN OVER TO THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION WILL BE HIGHER THAN THE TIME WHEN WE SEEN BEFORE THE BUDGET. ALL OF THESE ITEMS, I WILL TELL YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THE ITEMS THAT'S COMING BEFORE YOU, BETWEEN NOW AND MY END OF MY TURN ARE COMING OUT OF THE, UM, UM, ADDITIONAL DOLLARS ABOVE THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE VOTED ON. SO THE NEXT MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WILL INHERIT A BUDGET SURPLUS OF MORE THAN $405 MILLION. SO EVERY ITEM COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, THAT YOU SEE, UH, NOW AND GOING INTO THE FUTURE, UH, COMING FROM DOLLARS THAT WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE BUDGETED, NOT BUDGETED, IT'S FROM THE SURPLUS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW, UH, THE FUND BALANCE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, IS RIGHT AROUND, LET'S SAY $470 MILLION. OKAY? THAT'S THE REASON WHY, UH, I'M RECOMMENDING, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE 5 MILLION FOR, UM, THE, THE RELOCATION OR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. SO THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE VOTED UPON, UH, THAT WE ESTABLISHED BASED ON THE BUDGET, THAT FUND BALANCE STILL EXISTS AND IS HIGHER. AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE ABLE TO PUT FORTH THESE P BACK. OTHERWISE, I CAN ASSURE YOU THESE ITEMS WOULD NOT BE COMING BEFORE YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND I, I TOO WAS LOOKING AT THIS ITEM ON, YOU KNOW, IS IT A, A NECESSITY OR NOT? I THINK THE, THE THING WE NEED TO KIND OF FOCUS ON IS WE HAVE AN ENTITY IN HOUSTON FIRST THAT IS WILLING TO DO THE LONG TERM MAINTENANCE. THAT'S, THAT'S THE BIG THING FOR ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE HOOK AS A CITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE TO MAINTAIN THESE LIGHTS THAT SEEM LIKE THEY'RE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN. SO, THANK YOU HOUSTON FIRST FOR THAT. SO IF WE HAD TO, IF YOU'RE NEGOTIATING A DEAL FOR A BUSINESS AND WE CAN GET A COMPANY TO COME IN AND PAY ONE THIRD OF THE UPFRONT COST AND THEN ALL OF THE LONG-TERM COSTS, THAT MAY BE A GOOD DEAL ON, ON AN AMENITY TYPE OF PROJECT. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW I LOOK AT IT. WE ALL AGREE THAT THE LIGHTS ARE BEAUTIFUL. WE ALL AGREE THAT THEY MAKE THE CITY MORE ATTRACTIVE. AND IF WE ARE NOT ON THE HOOK FOR THE LONG-TERM COST, WHICH SEEMS LIKE THAT'S GONNA BE THE BULK OF THE COST, WELL WE'LL PUT OUR LITTLE FAIR SHARE IN TODAY AND THEN HOUSTON FIRST, WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL GOING FORWARD AND, UH, AND THEN WE CAN REAP THE BENEFITS OF THAT. SO HOPEFULLY, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT IS HOW IT TURNS OUT. AND, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW I JUSTIFY BEING ABLE TO GO FORWARD ON THIS ITEM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THE OTHER, AND THE OTHER ELEMENT THAT I TOOK INTO ACCOUNT, UH, WE HAVE AUTHORIZED, FOR EXAMPLE, THE $5 MILLION ADDITIONAL TO, TO, UH, HPD, WHICH COVERS THEM THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE YEAR. SO THERE ARE CERTAIN PRIORITIES THAT WERE NUMBER ONE, OKAY. UM, AND PUBLIC SAFETY WAS NUMBER ONE. UM, AND THEN ALL OF THESE ITEMS ARE ITEMS THAT ARE COMING FROM THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE THAT WE DID NOT BUDGET FOR, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT BEFORE YOU COUNCILMAN MCCAIN IN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND I APPRECIATE THE SENSITIVITY OF THIS. UM, AND UH, YOU KNOW, THAT PUBLIC SAFETY DOES REMAIN NUMBER ONE. FOR INSTANCE, WE JUST PASSED A $3.8 MILLION FOR LIFE SAFETY EQUIPMENT FOR HFD, RIGHT? HECK, OTHER ITEMS THAT WE'RE NOT DISCUSSING. I DID WANNA ALSO SAY, UM, AS ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND, I EVEN INQUIRED, CAN WE JUST PULL THE LIGHTS DOWN? I ASKED THAT QUESTION AND THE COST, UH, I MEAN I, RIGHT TRACY, I'M LOOKING OVER AT TRACY. I MEAN, WE'VE HAD LONG CONVERSATIONS. 'CAUSE AGAIN, YOU HAVE SPOTTY LIGHTS THAT ARE, BECAUSE FLASHING, YOU HAVE PEDESTRIAN LIGHTS THAT AREN'T WORKING. CAN WE JUST PULL IT ALL DOWN? JUST LET TDOT DO THE BASIC MAINTENANCE. AND EVEN THE PULL DOWN COST TO REMOVE IT, I BELIEVE IS, UM, A VERY HEFTY, MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COST. SO ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO ADDRESS THIS IN THE BROKEN LIGHTS, IT'S GOING TO COST. UH, SO I, FROM A PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVE, ABSOLUTELY AGREE AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL. AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE AND IT WAS GONNA COST A VERY HEFTY PRICE TAG. I CAN'T RE RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WHAT IT WAS, BUT JUST TO EVEN PULL IT DOWN. THAT'S ALL. ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON ITEM 21? COUNCILMAN MC GALLEGOS? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THE PASSING OF STATE SENATE BILL 10 57 WHERE IN REGARDS TO INCREMENTS [03:15:01] FROM THE STATE, UH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD HOPEFULLY BE USED IN THE FUTURE TO MAINTAIN THESE BRIDGES? I MEAN, I THINK IT APPLIES TO, WHAT IS IT, TWO OR THREE MILES FROM THE CONVENTION CENTER? YEAH, CERTAINLY. I MEAN, 'CAUSE THAT WILL FALL UNDERNEATH HOUSTON FIRST, SO IT WILL HELP THEIR WHOLE REVENUE STREAM RIGHT. IDEA. YOU KNOW, SO I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ADDED BENEFIT. YEAH. SO, SO HOPEFULLY IF WE CAN SOMEHOW INCLUDE THAT IN THIS FOR FUTURE MAINTENANCE UPKEEP OF THESE BRIDGES WITH STATE BUILD. 'CAUSE THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A BILL THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN PLACE FOR 30 YEARS, RIGHT? IT'S TRUE. AND IT WOULD GENERATED BY ONE 28 BILLION AND IT'S TOURISM. SO IT SHOULD APPLY, RIGHT? ? YES. WE'RE OBLIGATING HOUSTON FIRST AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO THIS. AND THERE'S A MONTROSE TOUR. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAVE IN THEIR BUDGET. WHAT DO THEY HAVE? DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THE MONTROSE TOUR LOOKS LIKE FINANCIALLY? HE PASSED IT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT DOLLARS IS IN GOOD CONDITION. AND WHY SHOULDN'T THEY BE A PART OF THIS DISCUSSION? I'M IN FAVOR OF IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A BEAUTIFUL, UH, LANDMARK FOR THE CITY. BUT I'D LOVE TO KNOW ANYBODY. YOU KNOW, I KNOW IN MY TOUR, I KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAVE AND I KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY THEY SPEND AND I KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY IS OBLIGATED. BUT YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT THIS AND GO, YEAH, I GET IT. HOUSTON FIRST, EVEN THOUGH I SIT ON THE BOARD AND I DON'T REMEMBER THIS DISCUSSION AT HOUSTON, FIRST CITY OF HOUSTON, I GET IT. BUT THE MONTROSE TOURS, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT TERRORS. THEY SHOULD BE A PARTY TO THIS. THEY SHOULD BE A LARGE PARTY TO THIS BECAUSE IT'S THE BEAUTIFICATION OF THEIR AREA. SO IF THEY WANT TO GIVE ME MONEY TO BEAUTIFY KINGWOOD OR CLEAR LAKE, I'D APPRECIATE THE DONATION. ALRIGHT, COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS. JUST ADDING TO, UH, MAYOR PROM'S COMMENTS. I MEAN, AGAIN, MAYOR, THIS, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR FOR YEARS IN REGARDS TO ALONG THE GULF FREEWAY. WE HAVE SIX MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, AND EACH MANAGEMENT DISTRICT COULD ADOPT A SECTION OF THE GULF FREEWAY. THIS CAN BE UTILIZED IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY AS WELL. AND I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT SIX MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS. I HAVE, I DIDN'T EVEN INCLUDE THE TOURS THAT ARE ALONG THE GULF FREEWAY. SO IF YOU'VE GOT THESE SIX MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, AND THEN THE NUMBER OF TOURS THAT ARE ALONG THE GULF FREEWAY. THE GULF FREEWAY SHOULD BE SPOTLESS. GULF FREEWAY SHOULD BE SPOTLESS AND MAINTAINED WELL. AND IF WE COULD UTILIZE THAT ALSO IN OTHER AREAS OF OUR CITY AND OTHER, OTHER FREEWAYS, I MEAN, UH, WOULD HELP WITH THE UPKEEP AND UPKEEP AND MAINTENANCE OF OUR FREEWAYS AS WELL, ALONG WITH TEXTILE, OF COURSE. THANKS, COUNCILMAN MCCAIN. I DON'T WANNA KEEP GOING ROUND AND ROUND. SO I THINK WE SHOULD JUST CALL THE VOTE. AND I RESPECT EVERYONE'S, YOU KNOW, PERSPECTIVES ON THIS AND POINTS TAKEN. UM, I DID JUST WANNA SAY, 'CAUSE THE MANTRAS TOUR WAS BROUGHT UP. UM, THEY ARE COMPLETELY, UH, THEY ARE ALL IN, THEY'RE DOING A COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTIVE MANTRAS BOULEVARD RIGHT NOW. THEY'VE SIGNED AN MOU WITH THE UPPER KIRBY AND MIDTOWN TS TO COMPLETELY RECONSTRUCT WEST ALABAMA. REMOVING THAT FROM THE CIP OBLIGATION. THERE'S A WHOLE HOST. THEY'RE EVEN WORKING WITH OUR RESIDENTS. THEY'RE APPLYING FOR A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR GRANT, UM, TO DO, UH, SOME, A LOT OF SCHOOL SAFETY CROSSINGS THAT ARE NEEDED AROUND CERTAIN SCHOOLS IN MONTROSE. SO I DON'T WANT, UM, THAT TO GO UNNOTICED. I'M NOT SAYING ONE TSIS CAN'T DO MAINTENANCE OBLIGATIONS THAT MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS CAN. AND I HEAR YOUR POINT, BUT I DID JUST SINCE IT WAS BROUGHT UP, WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT THE TS IS DOING THAT'S ALSO NECESSARY FOR THE AREA AND THE, THE, UM, LARGE SCALE OBLIGATIONS THAT THEY'RE INCURRING FOR THOSE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WE'RE ON ITEM 21. ON ITEM 21. IN FAVOR. OPPOSE HUFFMAN? NO. SO HUFFMAN VOTING, NO. UM, THAT PASSES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ITEM. ITEM 25 IS AN ORDINANCE. SEND A VOTE ON ITEM 25 CA. COUNCIL MEMBER SHABA, I I CAN MAKE MY COMMENT AFTER THE VOTE, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY, WILL, ITEM 25, DISCUSSION ON 25. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR OPPOSED BROWN COUNCILWOMAN SHABA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ITEM. UH, THE APPROVAL OF THE, UH, TIERS 26 26 SUNNYSIDE BUDGET. THERE ARE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS IN THIS BUDGET THAT ARE GOING TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. AND I'M GONNA JUST KINDA HIGHLIGHT 'EM JUST VERY QUICKLY. CERTAINLY THE HERITAGE GREEN BEAUTIFICATION THE GATEWAY TO SUNNYSIDE TO CELEBRATE THE LOCAL HERITAGE, WHICH WILL BE WALKING AND JOGGING TRAILS AND, UM, AN ACTIVITY SPACE FOR THE COMMUNITY. ALSO, THE, UH, GATEWAY ON AIRPORT BOULEVARD. AND THEN THERE WILL BE AREA WIDE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS. BUT WHAT I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT IS THE DEMOLITION AND THE REBUILDING OF THE SUNNYSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER AND SWIMMING POOL. WE HAVE HAD COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT, UH, OLD BUILDING. AND SO CERTAINLY I AM SO [03:20:01] VERY EXCITED THAT THIS HAS BEEN IMPROVED APPROVED. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WANT TO THANK, UH, GWEN TILLESON, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, AS WELL AS, UH, NIKKI KNIGHT WITH THE SOUTHEAST, GREATER SOUTHEAST EAST MANAGEMENT. BUT THIS IS SO EXCITING TO ME TO GET THIS DONE FOR THAT WELL DESERVING COMMUNITY. UH, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU COLLEAGUES. THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM, ITEM 26 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO TAG THAT I'M, I'VE BEEN DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THIS AND THERE ARE TWO PARTIES THAT I STILL NEED TO GET WITH. SO I THINK WE'VE HELD IT LONG ENOUGH, SO I'D APPRECIATE IT. I'D, ID LIKE TO JOIN THE TAG, PLEASE. THANK YOU. I'M 26, IS BEING TAGGED BY MAYOR PRO TE MARTIN. AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANKS. ITEM, [MATTERS HELD] ITEM 33 HAS A MOTION, JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 33. COUNCIL COUNCILMAN FARMER ON 33. THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER. I'VE, UM, MENTIONED BEFORE ABOUT THE, THESE, UM, THESE CO-OPS I'VE SPOKEN WITH PROCUREMENT. THEY ASSURED ME THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME AGREEMENT TO CARVE OUT SOME LEVEL OF MINORITY ENGAGEMENT ON THESE. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM PROCUREMENT ON THESE YET. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS THESE COME FORWARD, WE REALLY NEED TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. 'CAUSE WE, WE ARE MOVING TOWARD MORE OF A CO-OP, UH, PROCUREMENT, UM, SYSTEM VERSUS GOING ON THE EBIT SYSTEM. SO I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS AND I WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH PROCUREMENT AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME ANSWERS FROM THEM PRETTY SOON. OKAY? SURE. OKAY. ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON ITEM 33 IN FAVOR? OPPOSED GRANTED ON 33, ITEM 34, WE HAVE A MOTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. ITEM 34, DISCUSSION ON 34. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR. OPPOSED GRANTED ON 34. ITEM 35 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM 35. DISCUSSION ON 35. DISCUSSION IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED ON 35. ITEM 36 IS AN ORDINANCE YOU NEED TO VOTE ON. ITEM 36, DISCUSSION ON 36 IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED ON 36. ITEM 37 IS AN ORDINANCE YOU NEED TO VOTE ON. ITEM 37, DISCUSSION ON 37 IN FAVOR, OPPOSE GRANTED ON 37. THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. THANKS. THIS MORNING WE START [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] WITH COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. OKAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MR. SROS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE, UM, THE, UH, UPCOMING, UH, FALL DATES AND LOCATIONS FOR TECH CONNECT FAIRS. THAT'S SOMETHING NEW FOR US, UM, THAT WE'LL BE ALIGNING WITH THE, UM, THE FAMILY FUND DAYS AT, AT THE PARKS. THERE WILL BE FIVE SIMULTANEOUS FAIRS ON THOSE THREE DATES. SO THE FIRST ONE IS THIS COMING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD, UM, WHERE TECH CONNECT FAIRS WILL BE, UM, FEATURED AT, UM, BONDY RECREATION CENTER, MONTE BEACH PARK, PROCTOR PLAZA PARK, UM, WOODLAND PARK AND STUY PARK. UM, THEY ARE FROM 10 O'CLOCK UNTIL TWO O'CLOCK. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO COME OUT AND, AND, UM, GET SOME REAL HANDS-ON, UM, INTERACTION WITH A LOT OF COOL STEM, UM, AND, AND, UH, AND HIGH AND, UM, DIFFERENT TECH DEVICES. UM, THE NEXT FARES WILL BE ON OCTOBER 28TH, WHICH WILL BE THE NORTH PART OF THE, OF, OF THE DISTRICT. AND, AND ALSO WILL BE, WILL BE AT AKER HOMES ON OCTOBER 28TH. AND, UM, AND, AND PARKS ON THE NORTH SIDE IN DISTRICT H. AND THEN ON NOVEMBER 18TH ON THAT FA FA FAMILY FUND, DAY TECH CONNECT WILL BE, UM, MOVING TO THE EAST AND TO THE SOUTH. SO WE WILL ALSO BE IN SUNNYSIDE, MAGNOLIA, UM, DENVER HARBOR AND SECOND WARD. SO, UM, I'LL GIVE YOU MORE SPECIFICS LATER ABOUT THAT. BUT IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCILWOMAN KNOX. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO POINT OUT, YOU KNOW, CRIME IS AN ISSUE THAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR YEARS. AND, UH, PEOPLE FORGET HOW, WHAT AN IMPACT THAT HAS ON INDIVIDUALS. OUR, MY OFFICE WAS IMPACTED RECENTLY BY THE DEATH OF, UH, OF BREE REDDICK. UH, ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS, UM, IS, IS HER COUSIN. UH, SHE WAS THE, UH, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AT SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A GRADUATE OF PRAIRIE VIEW A AND M. UH, SHE AND HER DOG ACTUALLY LOST THEIR LIFE IN AN ATTEMPT TO ASSIST A FRIEND AND COWORKER, UH, TO ESCAPE AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S D OFTEN DIFFICULT TO, TO REMEMBER, REMEMBER WHEN YOU READ, WHEN YOU SEE THE NEWS, YOU KNOW THAT MURDER HAPPENED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN. IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING. BUT CRIME AFFECTS US ALL, UM, OFTEN MORE PERSONALLY THAN WE RECOGNIZE. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR EVERYBODY TO PRAY FOR THE RIDDICK FAMILY AND FOR MY, UH, [03:25:01] STAFF MEMBERS, UH, SHEENA CHILDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE WILL MAYOR PRO TIM MARTIN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, THOSE RESIDENTS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CITY. BE SURE TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE RIBBON CUTTING OF EXPLORATION GREEN'S FINAL COMPLETION, WHICH WILL BE HELD SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, FROM NINE 30 TO 12 AT 16 2 0 5. DIANA IN HOUSTON. MY STAFF AND I WILL HAVE A TABLE SET UP AT THE EVENT, SO BE SURE TO STOP BY AND SAY HELLO. AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. UH, LAST WEEK MY OFFICE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEST OUT A NEW VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR THAT I PURCHASED FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, KINGWOOD, WITH OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS. THIS VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING IS INCREDIBLY USEFUL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AS IT OFFERS A SAFE ENVIRONMENT TO PRACTICE VARIOUS SCENARIOS. THE REALISTIC SIMULATOR HELPS IMPROVE DECISION MAKING SKILLS AND ENHANCED CRITICAL THINKING UNDER HIGH PRESSURE SIMULATIONS. THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THIS WAS A SIMULATION OF A SHOOTER WITHIN A HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE'VE HEARD ENOUGH DETAIL ON THIS SUBJECT OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS. AND, UH, THE SIMULATOR THAT'S USED FOR TRAINING IS AN AWESOME TOOL THAT HPD CAN TEACH ACTUAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND SITUATION THAT MAY BE CONFRONTED WITHIN A SCHOOL. SO WE'RE HAVING A MEETING, A COMMUNITY MEETING ON OCTOBER 17TH, WHICH IS A TUESDAY IN KINGWOOD AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER. AND I WOULD INVITE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE A DISTRICT WITH SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN HIGH SCHOOL SAFETY AND PROTECTION TO COME SEE THIS TOOL BECAUSE, UH, IT'S PURCHASED AND THEY USE IT AS A TRAINING TOOL. AND I DON'T SEE ANY PROBLEM IN LETTING OTHER PARTS OF HPD USE THIS SIMULATOR. UM, I CAN'T SAY HOW IMPRESSED I WAS WITH WHAT IT CAN DO AND WHAT CAN IT CAN ACCOMPLISH. SO IF YOU HAVE CONCERN ABOUT SCHOOL SAFETY LIKE I DO, UH, PLEASE COME ON OCTOBER 17TH TO KINGWOOD AND, UH, BE A PART OF THIS SIMULATION IN THIS VIRTUAL REALITY PROGRAM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ROBINSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, TODAY WE'RE CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE SPARK PARK THANK YOU PROGRAM. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AS PIVOTAL AS THAT'S BEEN TO THE CITY IN ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, IT WAS 1983, UH, WHERE WE BEGAN THE PROGRAM WITH MY PREDECESSOR IN THE AT LARGE TWO SEAT WITH, UH, ELEANOR TINSLEY AND, UH, THE GREAT WORK OF HER DAUGHTER, KATHLEEN OBE. SO WE ARE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THAT. PROVIDING ACCESS TO RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN HOUSTON BY DEVELOPING NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. TODAY'S SPARK HAS BUILT OVER 200 COMMUNITY PARKS THROUGHOUT 17 SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THAT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE. SO THANKS TO EVERYTHING YOU DO WITH THAT PROGRAM. AND THEN, UH, TONIGHT WE WILL BE COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES. UH, 50 YEARS AGO TODAY, TENNIS STAR, BILLIE JEAN KING STRUCK A BLOW FOR WOMEN'S EQUALITY IN SPORTS, DEFEATING HER MALE COUNTERPART, BOBBY RIGGS AT THE HOUSTON ASTRODOME. IT WAS VIEWED BY AN ESTIMATED 90 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND WAS LAUDED AT THE TIME AS A TRIUMPH FOR WOMEN IN SPORTS. MAYOR WILL BE SELLING BRAIDING THAT TONIGHT WITH HOUSTON'S OWN GREAT XENA GARRISON, AND SHE'LL REFLECT ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MATCH, WHICH WILL BE COMMEMORATED AT AN EVENT TONIGHT IN MIDTOWN AT THE MATCH. AND, UH, YOU DON'T WANNA MISS IT. TIME. DOES THAT MEAN, UH, FIVE 30? NOT SURE IT'S THIS EVENING. IT'S GONNA BE GREAT, AND WE NEED TO KNOW THE TIME. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S GONNA GET IT BY THE TIME SHE FINISHES HER POP OFF. . COUNCILMAN ALCO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THIS, UM, THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE THE FIRST DAY OF FALL SO EVERYBODY KNOWS I DO THAT FALLS PREVENTION EVENT FOR SENIORS EVERY FIRST DAY OF FALL. AND THIS THURSDAY, TOMORROW MORNING, I'LL BE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S DISTRICT IN, IN CASHMERE GARDENS WHERE WE'LL DO OUR BIG EVENT. WELL, HB IS PROVIDING SOME FLU, LIMITED FLU SHOTS. WE DON'T HAVE OUR FLU SHOTS YET, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT YET. WE NEED OUR FLU SHOTS IN. YEAH. BUT H B'S STEPPING IN TO DO, UH, SOME FLU, FLU SHOTS. WE TEACH PEOPLE BASICALLY ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN PREVENT FALLING 'CAUSE IT'S THE LEADING CAUSE OF FATAL AND NON-FATAL, UM, INJURIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS. SO, UH, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME. AND I'M ALSO DOING ANOTHER, UH, VERSION OF THIS EVENT IN CLEAR LAKE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN ON MONDAY MORNING. SO THAT'S COMING UP. MAYOR, I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT BCYCLE. UH, I MET, I SAW JAMES LLAMAS AT AN EVENT THE OTHER NIGHT, ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF THE ARTICLE ON, UH, IN THE CHRONICLE. AND I ASKED HIM, HOW, HOW MUCH IS IT A YEAR TO OPERATE ALL THE STATIONS, NOT JUST THE LIMITED ONES? AND HE SAID ABOUT $1.1 MILLION. I'VE RECENTLY BEEN TO NEW YORK, I'VE RECENTLY BEEN TO SAN FRANCISCO. I MEAN, WE NEED A, WE NEED A CORPORATE HELLO CORPORATIONS OUT THERE. I KNOW THEY'VE TRIED THIS ROUTE, BUT CITY BIKES IN NEW YORK, SO POPULAR. [03:30:01] AND, AND WHEN I WAS WALKING LAST WEEK, UH, LAST FRIDAY ALONG COLUMBIA TAP AND IN PARTS OF THE THIRD WARD, ALL THEIRS ARE SHUT DOWN. I MEAN, WE WENT BY PROJECT ROW HOUSE. I MEAN, IT'S JUST NOT FAIR. IT'S NOT RIGHT. SO WITH THIS 500,000, IS IT OUR INTENTION TO GET ALL OF THEM GOING AGAIN? IT'S TO, UH, TO GET, KEEP AT LEAST THE 60 AND THEN THE 60 COMES TO ABOUT FOUR 20. OKAY. SO IT WILL PROVIDE EVEN MORE OKAY. THAN THE SIXTIES. OKAY. WELL, WE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT NEXT WEEK, BUT, UM, I MEAN, I REALLY THINK THAT THE ARTICLE WAS A GOOD PUSH FOR, YOU KNOW, GETTING SOME CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT. IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY. IT'S KIND OF EMBARRASSING THAT THERE'S BLACK TAPE AROUND THEM AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER I CAN DO TO HELP IN THAT EFFORT, CERTAINLY WANNA DO THAT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ROBIN HAS ANY INFORMATION ON THAT? MAYOR? THE EVENT TONIGHT AT THE MATCH WITH THE ASTRODOME AND THE, UH, BILLIE JEAN KING, UH, EVENT IS AT FIVE 30. THAT'S THE COCKTAIL RECEPTION. THERE'S A FILM THAT WILL BE SCREENED AT SIX 30 AND ZINA GARRISON WILL BE INTERVIEWED BY AND MODERATED BY GINA GASTON. OH, COOL. SO IT'S GONNA BE A REAL GREAT EVENT AFTER THE MOVIE. SHE'S DOING THAT AFTER THE MOVIE. UH, YES. UH, 8:30 PM IS THE CONVERSATION OKAY. WITH ZINA AND, AND GINA. YEAH. OKAY. COUNCIL IMPACT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, IN DISTRICT DAY, WE CONTINUE TO GET A LOT OF PHONE CALLS ABOUT THE WATER QUALITY. UM, SINCE SEPTEMBER 1ST, THERE HAVE BEEN 457 CALLS TO THREE ONE CITYWIDE 358 OF THOSE CALLS WERE FROM DISTRICT DAY. SO THAT'S ROUGHLY 78% OF ALL WATER QUALITY CALLS ARE COMING FROM DISTRICT DAY RIGHT NOW. QUA QUALITY DEFINED AS WATER LEAKS OR NO WATER QUALITY ISSUES, QUALITY. SO THE, UM, SMELLY WATER, WATER DISCOLORATION. UM, AND I HAVE TALKED TO PUBLIC WORKS MANY TIMES ABOUT THIS, UM, AND THEY KEEP REASSURING ME THAT THEY ARE TESTING IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WATER QUALITY AT THEIR PARTICULAR HOUSE TO CALL IT INTO THREE ONE ONE AND THEY WILL COME AND CHECK IT. SO FAR, THEY HAVEN'T FOUND ANY ISSUES WITH THE QUALITY, BUT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED AND WE KEEP TRYING TO GET THAT COMMUNICATION OUT THERE. WE'VE SENT OUT E-BLASTS, BUT THE RESPONSE HAS KIND OF BEEN, WELL, WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S SAFE BECAUSE, I MEAN, IT DOES SMELL BAD. SO IF YOU COULD HELP US MARRIAGE AGAINST SOMETHING, IS THERE A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD? IS IT A PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD? IT'S MAINLY IN SPRING BRANCH, BUT DISTRICT A WIDE. AND THE ANSWER THAT WE RECEIVED IS THAT SINCE WE MOVED TO WELL WATER, JUST THE CONSTITUENTS IN THE WELLS THAT HAPPEN TO BE IN SPRING BRANCH ARE JUST SMELLY. AND IT'S STILL, THE QUALITY IS STILL THERE, BUT PEOPLE DON'T WANNA DRINK THE WATER IN DISTRICT DAY. AND SO, MAYOR, IF YOU COULD HELP US GET SOME KIND OF COMMUNICATION FROM PUBLIC WORKS THAT WE CAN SEND OUT, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A REALLY BIG ISSUE SINCE SEPTEMBER 1ST, LEMME GET ON IT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, OH, THIS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 23RD, DISTRICT B IS HOSTING A COMMUNITY CLEANUP IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUR ONE SAFE HOUSTON, UM, HOUSTON GARDEN CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND OTHER, UM, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS, SO PLEASE COME OUT ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 23RD TO HELP FIGHT ILLEGAL DUMPING IN DISTRICT B. UM, WE'LL ALSO HAVE BREAKFAST AND SNACKS, AND THE TEMPERATURE WILL BE IN THE EIGHTIES, SO WE'RE GONNA START EARLY AT 9:00 AM SO WE CAN, UM, MAKE SURE WE REMAIN COOL. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME OUT, IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FUN. UM, TO SIGN UP AND TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE CALL OR TEXT MY OFFICE AT 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 9. UM, AND I'M ASKING EVERYONE TO SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR OUR BE SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVE. SO ON SATURDAY OCTOBER THE 14TH, WE WILL HAVE OUR BIGGEST JOB FAIR EVER. UM, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. UM, I'M ALSO SO PROUD, I'M PROUD THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING PEOPLE INTO SOME GOOD PAYING JOBS. UM, THIS PAST LAST WEEK, I GOT A CHANCE TO TALK WITH A YOUNG LADY WHO WORKS AT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND SHE'S BEEN THERE FOR NINE MONTHS. AND SO SHE GOT THAT JOB THROUGH BE SUCCESSFUL AS WELL AS A YOUNG MAN WHO IS THE TRAIN CONDUCTOR, UM, WITH UNION PACIFIC. AND SO, UM, WE'RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO, AND THAT'S GETTING RESIDENTS IN SOME GOOD PAYING JOBS. AND SO OUR JOB FELL WILL BE ON OCTOBER THE 14TH, UM, AT GREENHOUSE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH, LOCATED AT 200 WEST GREENS ROAD. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT OUR OFFICE AT 8 3 2 469 0 7. AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BUZZ. CONTACT OUR OFFICE AGAIN AT 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 9. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE MEETING TOMORROW AT 2:00 PM CHIEF FINNER IS GONNA BE PRESENTING. SO I WOULD, UH, RESPECTFULLY ENCOURAGE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS TO COME IN PERSON IF THEY CAN. UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING BASICALLY MAYOR AN OVERALL FOUR YEAR REPORT, UM, FROM THIS TERM, WHAT HPD HAS BEEN BRINGING TO COMMITTEE, UM, AND [03:35:01] SOME OF THEIR INITIATIVES AND HOW THOSE ARE GOING. THERE WILL ALSO BE A QUICK, UH, PRESENTATION ON THE DASHBOARD CAMERAS, UH, THAT IS, I BELIEVE, FINISHED WITH PROCUREMENT IS GONNA BE COMING TO COUNCIL. AND THEN, UH, ALSO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS GONNA GIVE AN UPDATE ON RECRUITMENT AND CADE TRAINING. SO, UH, BIG ITEMS TOMORROW. AND MAYOR, ON THAT NOTE, UM, I WANTED TO, UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, BRING UP THE ISSUE. I MEAN, COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX TOUCHED ON IT. I, I WAS ALREADY PLANNING ON SPEAKING ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THE ISSUE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND, UM, IN HOUSTON, 73% OF DEATHS ARE CAUSED BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER. THAT'S FROM 2019 TO 2022. ALL OF THOSE INVOLVING GUNS, UH, SO DEATHS BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER, 79, 70 3% INVOLVED FIREARMS, UH, THERE IS A CALL TO ACTION. THE FIFTH CIRCUIT RECENTLY RULED THAT, UH, THOSE THAT, UH, HAVE A, HAVE BEEN FOUND IN A COURT WITH A PROTECTIVE ORDER, UM, BY A DOMESTIC ABUSER, THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COURT DO NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO REMOVE THAT FIREARM FROM THAT SITUATION, EVEN WHEN, UH, THERE'S A PROTECTIVE ORDER AGAINST THAT DOMESTIC ABUSER. THAT CASE IS GOING BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT IN NOVEMBER, AND THE HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER IS ASKING COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SIGN ON TO THEIR PETITION. UM, I HAVE DONE SO. I PROMISED THEM THAT I WOULD SHARE OUT THAT THEY ARE CALLING ON EVERYONE TO SIGN THEIR POSITION. UM, IN SUPPORT OF DOMESTIC ABUSE SURVIVORS, UH, AN AVERAGE OF 52 AMERICAN WOMEN ARE SHOT AND KILLED BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER EVERY MONTH. UH, WHEN A FIREARM IS PRESENT IN AN ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD, THE RISK OF HOMICIDE INCREASES BY 500%. UH, MAYOR, THAT ALSO LEADS ME TO ANOTHER SUBJECT I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, AND THANK YOU. UH, I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE LAST WEEK, BUT, UM, YOU HAVE FUNDED, UH, THE PROPOSAL FOR, UH, THAT I PUT FORWARD RELATED TO THE FIREARM INJURY, UH, DATA INITIATIVE THAT'S GOING TO STANDARDIZE REPORTING OF INJURIES THROUGHOUT THE REGION. IT'S THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE COUNTRY, UM, AND IS GONNA BE INSTRUMENTAL IN INFORMING OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ON MEANINGFUL INTERVENTION. SO, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, AND ON BEHALF OF, UH, SO MANY THANK YOU, I ALSO WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. UH, WE ARE SO EXCITED. THE CITY IS NOW, UH, WE HAVE SECURED THE FUNDING $15.5 MILLION TO PROTECT HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN THE GREATER HEIGHTS AREA, UH, ALONG TURKEY GULLY. UH, WE HAD A GREAT ANNOUNCEMENT LAST WEEK. UH, IT, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO RESIDENTS IN AN AREA THAT, UH, HAS OFTEN GONE UNNOTICED. I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE DAY ONE. UH, AND MY MESSAGE TO RESIDENTS IS NOT ONLY THAT WE'VE HEARD YOU, BUT THIS PROJECT IS HAPPENING. IT'S GOING INTO DESIGN WITH SHOVELS, UH, TENTATIVELY IN THE GROUND IN A YEAR. SO THIS IS NOT A 10 YEAR PROJECT. WE ARE NOT WAITING. AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE PARTNERS, INCLUDING AT THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT. AND COMMISSIONER ELLIS, UH, PUBLIC WORKS HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE IN THIS, UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS AND OF COURSE MAYOR YU, UH, FOR HELPING ME SEE THIS THROUGH. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND MY LAST THANK YOU OF THE DAY, UH, IS TO HOUSTON FIRST, NOT ONLY FOR THE BRIDGES, BUT UH, WE ALL, I THINK RECEIVED A LETTER THAT I WANTED TO QUICKLY READ FROM UNITE HERE. UM, THEY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH HILTON, UH, ON THE PROCESS FOR QUALIFYING FOR HEALTHCARE. AND THEY SAY THAT IT'S A, NOT ONLY A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE THE QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE FOR UM, EMPLOYEES, BUT THEY WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THE MANAGEMENT OF HILTON AND HOUSTON FIRST FOR WORKING THROUGH THEM WITH IT. MAYOR TURNER, THEY RECOGNIZE YOU AND US ON COUNCIL. UM, THEY EXPRESSED THEIR DEEPEST GRATITUDE FOR SUPPORT. SO A BIG WIN FOR WORKERS. APPRECIATE EVERYONE COMING TO THE TABLE ON THAT. I KNOW IT WAS A, A REALLY MEANINGFUL AND IMPORTANT ISSUE AS WE TALK ABOUT HEALTHCARE, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY CAN DO AND HOUSTON FIRST HAS DONE. SO THANK YOU'ALL. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN P*****K. I MEAN, I STUCK ALL AROUND THIS WHOLE TIME TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, , NEXT WEEK. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, . I KNOW YOU HAVING YOUR CELEBRATION TONIGHT FIRST, SO, AND I KNOW YOU HAVING, UH, YOUR BIRTHDAY IS NEXT WEEK, BUT YOU HAVING YOUR CELEBRATION TONIGHT, SO, UH, I'M SURE A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE TELLING YOU THAT TONIGHT, UM, SINCE THEY'LL SEED YOU TONIGHT. SO HAD ME BE ONE OF THE FIRST WE GOT A, A JELLY CAKE ON THE WAY FOR YOU. YEAH. AND, UH, YOU ALWAYS DO A LOT FOR US ON [03:40:01] OUR BIRTHDAYS TO COME OUT TO CERTAIN THINGS AND YOU KNOW, AS I WAS TELLING YOU EARLIER, I WANT YOU TO BE UPSET ON YOUR BIRTHDAY WAS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION AROUND THE TABLE. YOU KNOW, I NEVER GET UPSET, BUT, UH, YEAH, UH, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND, UH, WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I HOPE I WON'T BE THERE TONIGHT BY MYSELF, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, , BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BUT MY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY IS NEXT, NEXT WEEK, NEXT WEDNESDAY, NEXT WEDNESDAY. UH, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THAT. COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, OUR COMMUNITY RECENTLY CONVENED FOR AN ENLIGHTEN ENLIGHTENING SESSION ON THE UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR PROJECT SPEARHEADED BY METRO, UH, THAT WAS LAST NIGHT. THIS WORKSHOP ELICITED VALUABLE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DESIGN AND AMENITIES AND HEARTFELT APPRECIATION TO STEPHANIE FROM METRO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EDDIE MIRANDA WITH GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR THEIR PIVOTAL ROLES IN STEERING THIS INITIATIVE TO SUCCESS. UH, ALSO, UH, OUR COLLECTIVE SPIRIT WAS ON FULL DISPLAY AT THE TEXAS AIDS MEMORIAL GARDEN SERVICE DAY LAST SATURDAY. THE PARTICIPATION WAS JUST IMMENSE AND IMMENSE GRATITUDE TO ROTARY HOUSTON, SKYLINE BO HERE, LAW FIRM FRIENDS OF COLUMBIA TAP AND TEAM RUBICON FOR THEIR UNWAVERING DEDICATION. UH, YOUR EFFORTS EMBODY THE ES ESSENCE OF DISTRICT D IN REINFORCING, UH, STATUS AS THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION ON THIS SATURDAY, THE TRINITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 2,600 HOLMAN WILL HAVE THEIR PRODUCE MARKET FROM, UH, 10:00 AM TO 1:00 PM SO COME ON OUT AND GET FRESH PRODUCE AT, UM, THE MARKET. AND THANK YOU TO PASTOR ED JONES AND TO DIANE EGEL HART, WHO IS THE COMMUNITY LIAISON. UH, ALSO ON JOIN US AS WE COMMEMORATE THE THREE YEAR ODYSSEY OF THE THIRD WARD CUNY HOMES CHOICE NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE PLANNING GRANT. THAT WILL BE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 26TH FROM 6:30 PM TO 8:00 PM AT THE THIRD WARD MORTY SERVICE CENTER, 36 11 ENNIS. AND THIS WILL BE IN PERSON, IT WILL NOT BE, UH, THROUGH VIRTUAL MEANS. AND SO JUST COME OUT AND LOOK FORWARD TO EXCITING GIVEAWAYS AND DELIGHTFUL REFRESHMENTS. UH, KUDOS TO THE WORLD HARVEST OUTREACH CAREER EXPO, WHICH WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, A SALUTE, UM, TO THE OUTREACH CAREER EXPO FOR ORCHESTRATING AN EXEMPLARY JOB FAIR IN SUNNYSIDE LAST THURSDAY. UH, YOUR INITIATIVES ARE INVALUABLE CORNERSTONES IN OUR DISTRICT'S EVOLUTION ON THIS. NEXT WEDNESDAY, THERE WILL BE THE THIRD WARD. AT THE THIRD WARD MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. THERE WILL BE COMMUNITY MEETING, A COMMUNITY MEETING FROM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 27TH FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AGAIN, THAT'S 36 11 IN STREET. AND THEN THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ONE ON, WELL, THIS ONE WILL BE FIRST ON AT THE SUNNYSIDE HEALTH AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTER ON MONDAY NIGHT, UH, FROM 60 8:00 PM WHICH IS 44 10 REED ROAD. CERTAINLY, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, CHIEF FINN AND YOU MAYOR FOR THOSE CHANGES. UH, AMENDMENTS RATHER TO THE POLICE PURSUIT POLICY IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TALKED ABOUT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. GLAD TO KNOW THAT IT DIDN'T FALL ON DEAF EARS AND THAT HOPEFULLY SOME LIVES WILL BE SAVED. UH, WE JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT GIVING UP LAW ENFORCEMENT AND, AND PURSUING CRIMINALS. WE ARE JUST GOING TO BE MORE COGNIZANT OF HOW WE DO THESE PURSUITS. AND SO I THANK YOU AND CHIEF FINN FOR THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCILMAN MCCAIN? YEAH, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER EVANS SHABAZZ JUST REMINDED ME, POLICE PURSUIT POLICY IS ALSO GOING TO BE COVERED TOMORROW AT PUBLIC SAFETY. SO FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNCIL, REVEREND SHABAZZ, I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ADVOCATING FOR THIS, BUT, UM, THEY HAD THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE RELEASE, BUT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEEP DIVE A LITTLE FURTHER ON THE ACTUAL POLICY ITSELF TOMORROW. THANKS. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE? COUNCILMAN KOEN. RRNA MEETING. YOU JUST REMIND ME, IT'S NEXT TUESDAY MORNING AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT. THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, TALKING ABOUT THAT RAM MAYOR, AS YOU RECALL DURING THE BUDGET CYCLE. SO WE'RE REALLY GONNA GET INTO THE WEEDS OF CODE ENFORCEMENT. OKAY. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN PACK. IF YOU'LL REMIND ME ABOUT THE WATER, JUST SEND ME SOMETHING WE GET ON IT. UH, HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, UH, IS THERE A SPECIAL GROUP BACK THERE? YEAH, WE'RE HERE FROM HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL. OH, ALRIGHT. WELL, I DIDN'T, DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE WITHOUT RECOGNIZING FROM HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL. HEY, HEIGHTS, YOU KNOW. [03:45:01] YEAH. SO DISTRICT, DISTRICT SENIOR, THANKS FOR JOINING US. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SENIORS OR JUNIORS OR, YEAH, FROM THE 10TH THROUGH TO 12TH GRADE. WELL, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. UH, THANK YOU. AND IT WAS ONLY ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THAT I WAS A SENIOR, UM, WHEN YOU BECAME A CITY. YEAH. A WHILE TO GET OUT. ALL RIGHT, WELL, WELCOME TO, WELCOME TO YOUR CITY HALL. OKAY. THANKS FOR JOINING US. UH, THERE NOT DOING ANYTHING ELSE. WE STAND ADJOIN FOR TODAY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.