* 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] IT IS 1:36 PM ON [PRESENTATIONS] TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2023. I'M MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN, AND I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO, OR COUNCIL TO ORDER. UH, CHAIR NOW RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN FOR A PROCLAMATION TO OVERCOME, TO RECOGNIZE TEAL TALK DAY 2023. ALL RIGHT, LET'S MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT PRO. ALL RIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. UH, I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE RAINY OUT, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL APPRECIATIVE, UH, OF THE RAIN TODAY. SO, UH, I KNOW WE HAVE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS WITH US. AND TODAY, UM, WE ARE CELEBRATING OVERCOME. UH, SEPTEMBER IS OVARIAN, UH, CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, BUT OCTOBER IS ALSO BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. AND I KNOW SOME OF OUR, UM, SURVIVORS IN THOSE GRAPPLING WITH OVARIAN CANCER, CANCER ALSO STRUGGLE WITH BREAST CANCER. SO WE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS A FITTING TIME TO PRESENT THIS. UM, I, I'M JOINED BY, UH, ZI SEN, UH, OUR FOUNDER, UH, AND ALSO BETTY WHITE, WHO IS A SURVIVOR AND BOARD MEMBER. SO, BETTY, IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. AND, UH, I HAVE BEEN PRESENTING THIS PROCLAMATION, I THINK EVERY YEAR SINCE I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE. PERFECT. YES. UH, AND THE, YOU KNOW, RUINS YOUR STORY OF YOUR MOTHER, UH, WHO LIVED WITH I KNOW LOVE AND GRACE, UH, PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY AFTER 11 MONTHS OF BEING DIAGNOSED WITH A ADVANCED OVARIAN CANCER. UM, AND IN HONOR OF YOUR MOTHER, YOU FOUNDED THIS EXTRAORDINARY ORGANIZATION, AND I JUST WANNA SHARE A FEW STATISTICS BEFORE WE GET TO THE PROCLAMATION THAT CLOSE TO 20,000 WOMEN, UM, THIS YEAR ALONE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH A NEW OVARIAN CANCER DIAGNOSIS. AND, UH, OVER 13,000 WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER, UH, WILL LOSE THEIR BATTLE TO IT. UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS IMPACTED SO MANY OF US AND OUR FAMILIES, UM, BUT I WANNA RECOGNIZE, UH, OVERCOMES WORK, UH, ASSISTING OVER A THOUSAND PATIENTS SINCE 2014. AND TWO AND A HALF MILLION INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN REACHED ANNUALLY WORLDWIDE VIA AWARENESS AND OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS LIKE THIS. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO GO TO OVERCOME.ORG TO LEARN MORE. AND WITH THAT, UH, MAYOR PROM, I'M GONNA PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION, WHEREAS OVERCOME IS AN OVARIAN CANCER FOUNDATION WITH THE, WITH THE MISSION TO RAISE GLOBAL AWARENESS, FUND RESEARCH IN SEARCH OF A CURE, AND PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO UNDERSERVED OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS IN NEED. UH, IT WAS FOUNDED BY ZI, AS I SAID IN 2012, IN MEMORY OF YOUR MOTHER AND THOUSANDS OF WOMEN, WOMEN AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE NATION HAVE BENEFITED FROM EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT PROVIDED BY OVERCOME, UH, Y'ALL'S ABILITY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS DISEASE THAT CURRENTLY HAS NO SCREENING AVAILABLE. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS. UM, SEVERAL WOMEN HAVE BEEN BENEFICIARIES OF, UH, THE OVER CARE PATIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT OFFERS LIFESTYLE PACKAGES AND GRANTS TO OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS IN NEED. AND ON SEPTEMBER 23RD, UH, SO LAST, I THINK TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, OVERCOME, HOSTED THEIR TEAL TALK DAY TO HONOR ALL WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN CANCER. DURING OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, TEAL TALK DAY WAS CREATED TO ENGAGE A LARGER AUDIENCE IN COMING TOGETHER TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR OVARIAN CANCER BY TALKING TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS, AND HOSTING EVENTS FURTHERING THE ALTRUISTIC MOVEMENT OF GOODWILL AND SAVING LIVES. SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON COMMENDS AND THANKS OVERCOME AND ALL OTHERS INVOLVED IN THIS EFFORT TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER AND EXTENDS BEST WISHES FOR SUCCESSFUL OBSERVANCE OF OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. AND CONGRATULATIONS, LADIES, THEREFORE, I MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN ON BEHALF OF SYLVETA TURNER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2023 AS OVERCOME TEAL TALK DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. WELL, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PICTURE IN ONE MOMENT. UM, BUT I WANTED TO GIVE BOTH OF YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A FEW QUICK REMARKS. OF COURSE. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US. UH, I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY MENTION THAT THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL TIME FOR US TO TALK ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER. AND ALSO, UH, OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. SO WE ARE KIND [00:05:01] OF AT THE CUSP OF THE TWO. AND I WANTED TO BRING THIS POINT UP BECAUSE THERE ARE SEVERAL WOMEN, AND BETTY IS A REPRESENTATION OF THAT, THAT GET DIAGNOSED WITH BOTH CANCERS. SO BETTY IS A 25 YEAR SURVIVOR OF OVARIAN CANCER, BUT THEN, UM, ON HER 24TH YEAR, BETTY WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER. SO, UM, SHE IS REPRESENTING BOTH CANCERS. AND WE ARE, BECAUSE WE ARE AT THE CUSP OF THE OVARIAN AND THE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, I WANT TO BRING TO THIS ATTENTION TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, OVARIAN CANCER AND BREAST CANCER CAN HAPPEN TOGETHER. THERE CAN BE INTERLINKED. AND SO HAVING THAT AWARENESS IS VERY IMPORTANT, UM, THAT ONE CAN DEVELOP INTO THE OTHER. AND WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT WOMEN THROUGH THEIR JOURNEY. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US TODAY. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THIS IS, UH, GREAT NEWS FOR EVERYONE. THE OVAL TALKS THAT, UM, THE TEAL TALK DAY, IT, AND THEY TAKE PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY, PRESUMABLY. AND ARE THEY AFFILIATED WITH ANY INSTITUTION OR IS IT INDEPENDENT OF THAT? SO THE TEAL TALK DAY IS ACTUALLY, UM, THE MAYOR AS, UM, UM, AS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN, UM, CAME AND MENTIONED. SHE, UH, THEY PRO YOU PROCLAIMED, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL DAY TO WE THIS YEAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE SAW A POST FROM UKRAINE ON TEAL TALK DAY, ACTUALLY. GREAT. SO FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IT WAS CELEBRATED. SO WONDERFUL. WE HAVE AT LEAST COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, WHO'D LIKE TO ADDRESS YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN FOR BRINGING FORWARD THIS PROCLAMATION AGAIN. UM, AND BETTY, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY. AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO TO BRING AWARENESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU, AND I GUESS THE REASON I ASK ABOUT THE INSTITUTION, I KNOW THAT A FAMILY MEMBER OF MINE WHO, UH, DID PASS WITH OVARIAN CANCER WAS, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR A CLINIC AT MD ANDERSON FOR THAT PURPOSE. SO I KNOW WE ARE VERY MUCH BELIEVERS IN MY FAMILY OF YOUR CAUSE. UM, GLAD TO SEE SO MUCH TEAL TODAY AND, UH, GRATEFUL FOR THE INITIATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THANKS FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU ALL. AND I'LL, I'LL JUST DO ONE LAST PUSH OVERCOME.ORG OR.COM.ORG ORG.ORG. UH, SO MORE PEOPLE CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING. THANK YOU. AND, AND THAT IS OVER A, IT'S OVER. YEAH. OVERCOME WITH AN E . WITH OVER WITH AN A AS IN OVARY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. EXACTLY. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE, AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN FOR A PROCLAMATION TO THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE TO RECOGNIZE OVER A CENTURY OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN THE FLOOR AGAIN IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND JUST AS WE HAVE ALL BEEN PERSONALLY TOUCHED, UH, BY CANCER IN SOME SHAPE OR FORM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, WITH YOUR STORY, I KNOW MANY OF US IN OUR FAMILIES HAVE, BUT THERE'S ANOTHER PERSONAL STORY, UM, AND VERY CLOSE CONNECTION WITH THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE. SO I WAS, UH, IN HONOR OF EVERYTHING THAT JHV HAS DONE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I WANTED TO ALSO RECOGNIZE THEM. SO I'M JOINED BY, UM, VICKI SAMUELS LEVY AND MATT SAMUELS, UH, TO REPRESENT THE PAPER. UH, BUT THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE, AS MANY KNOW, UH, HAS BEEN OF SERVICE TO HOUSTON FOR OVER A CENTURY. UH, THEY WERE FOUNDED IN 1908 AND, UH, CHRONICLING EVEN, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING WORLD WAR I, UH, THE LIVES OF JEWISH HOUSTONIANS AND HAVE THUS FAR RECEIVED, I THINK THIS YEAR ALONE. AND I'LL SHARE THIS IN THE PROCLAMATION, BUT MANY ACCOLADES FOR THEIR COVERAGE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. UM, WE ALSO LOST THE MATRIARCH, UH, OF THE PAPER, UM, JEAN SAMUELS, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UH, SHE PASSED. WE LOST HER IN MAY, SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALSO TOOK A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE HER AND HONOR HER MEMORY AS WELL. SO, WITH THAT, I WILL PRESENT THIS PROCLAMATION FOR OVER A CENTURY. THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE HAS STOOD AS A CORNERSTONE IN HOUSTON'S JOURNALISTIC LANDSCAPE SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1908. THEY HAVE DI DILIGENTLY CHRONICLED HOUSTON'S HISTORY, BOASTING AN IMPRESSIVE ARCHIVE OF ARTICLES DATING BACK BEFORE WORLD WAR I AND PROVIDING A LENS INTO THE DAY-TO-DAY HAPPENINGS OF HOUSTON'S JEWISH COMMUNITY. THIS YEAR, THE JEWISH HERALD [00:10:01] VOICES 115 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE WAS RECOGNIZED WITH 18 AWARDS FROM BOTH THE TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION AND THE TEXAS GULF PRESS ASSOCIATION. BEYOND PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE FOR JOURNALISM IN OUR CITY, THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE HAS BEEN A CONSTANT AND FERVENT PARTNER IN FOSTERING COMMUNITY TIES. WHILE PROUDLY SERVING HOUSTON'S JEWISH COMMUNITY, THEY EXEMPLIFY COLLABORATION WITH NONPROFITS, CHARITIES, AND LOCAL ENTERPRISES TO STRENGTHEN BONDS THROUGHOUT OUR CITY. HOUSTON ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT THE PAPER LOST ITS MATRIARCH THIS YEAR, JEAN SAMUELS, WHO WILL FOREVER BE THE HEART OF THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE FOR HALF A CENTURY, ALONGSIDE HER LATE HUSBAND, JOSEPH SAMUELS, SHE SERVED AS THE PAPER'S EDITOR AND CO-OWNER. SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN CHAMPIONING STORY STORIES THAT ADDRESSED INJUSTICES AND CELEBRATED UNIVERSAL LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE. HER DEDICATION ENSURED THE PAPER'S LASTING LEGACY AND HER COMMITMENT TO THE PRINCIPLED SPIRIT OF THE PAPER THAT LIVES ON THROUGH HER FAMILY. AND ALL OF THOSE TIED TO THE PAPER, MAY HER MEMORY BE A BLESSING AND BRING STRENGTH TO ALL THOSE WHO KNEW AND LOVED HER. AND WE EXTEND OUR DEEPEST APPRECIATION TO THE JEWISH HELD VOICE FOR ITS UNWAVERING SERVICE TO OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTRY, UPHOLDING THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES GUARANTEED UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND THEIR VOICE IN AND FOR THE HOUSTON JEWISH COMMUNITY. AND VICKI AND MATT, CONGRATULATIONS. THEREFORE, I MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN ON BEHALF OF SYLVETA TURNER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER 3RD, 2023 AS JEWISH HERALD VOICE DAY. THANK YOU. SAY YOUR REMARKS. I THINK I ALMOST FELL OVER A SECOND AGO. , UM, THIS IS QUITE AN HONOR FOR MATT AND ME TO STAND HERE TODAY BEFORE YOU, UM, FOR IN FRONT OF ALL OF YOU. UM, MY PARENTS BOUGHT THE PAPER 50 YEARS AGO, AND MATT AND I CONTINUE IT TODAY. UH, IT'S AN HONOR TO REPRESENT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND ALLIES OF THE COMMUNITY, WHICH INCLUDES, UM, EVERYONE HERE AT CITY HALL AND EVERYONE WHO SERVES IN OFFICE FOR THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS. IT'S A REAL PRIVILEGE. I WISH MY MOTHER WHO DIED IN MAY, UM, COULD BE HERE TODAY. SHE WOULD BE VERY EMBARRASSED BY THIS. UH, AND, UM, MY DAD WOULD PROBABLY THINK, UM, OH, WELL, I DESERVE THIS , NOT REALLY, BUT I HAVE WONDERFUL PARENTS AND I EVERY DAY, UM, STRIVE TO HONOR THEIR MEMORY. WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH ALL OF YOU HERE TODAY. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VERY GREAT HONOR. THANK YOU. YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, YOUR HUMILITY SPEAKS VOLUMES, AND I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. WE DO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER PECK IN THE QUEUE FOR YOU HERE. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, FOR BRINGING THIS PROCLAMATION FORWARD. UM, JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO IN THE COMMUNITY. I READ IT ALL THE TIME AND, UM, FEEL SUCH A CONNECTION JUST FROM READING, UM, ALL OF THE INFORMATION. AND, UM, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DO THE SAME. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE JEWISH HERALD VOICE, BUT ALSO, UH, BEYOND THE JEWISH COMMUNITY. IT'S OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I'M PICKING UP MY RAIN BARREL THIS WEEKEND THAT ABBY CAYMAN HAD MADE POSSIBLE IN OUR DISTRICT. EXCELLENT. WE, WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL, UH, RAIN BARREL DISTRIBUTION COMING OUT. THAT'S A GOOD THING. GOOD FOR YOU, . YEAH. THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON FOR A PROCLAMATION TO LINK HOUSTON TO RECOGNIZE NATIONAL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER VERY MUCH. AND COLLEAGUES AND FOLKS HERE IN THE CHAMBER. UM, TODAY I'M VERY PLEASED TO WELCOME LINK HOUSTON TO THE CHAMBER. A NUMBER OF FRIENDS ARE HERE AND GLAD TO HAVE THEM WITH US. THIS IS, UH, IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. SO AS THE CHAIR OF OUR TTI [00:15:01] COMMITTEE, OUR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL, IT IS MY HONOR, NOT ONLY TO STAND WITH LINK HOUSTON, GREAT ADVOCATES FOR TRANSPORTATION POLICY IN THE EIGHT COUNTY REGION, BUT ALSO IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TRANSFORMING THE STREETS IN THE FACE OF OUR CITY IN WAYS, UH, THAT A GENERATION AGO WE MIGHT NOT HAVE IMAGINED. SO IT IS INDEED, MY HONOR TO BE HERE, COLLEAGUES. THANK YOU FOR PAYING ATTENTION. AND, UH, THE PROCLAMATION, UH, READS AS FOLLOWS, UH, WHEREAS PEOPLE WITHOUT A CAR OR THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE TO DRIVE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY. APPROXIMATELY 25% OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION FACE SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO MOBILITY SUCH AS INADEQUATE SIDEWALKS, POOR TRANSIT, LACK OF CONNECTIVITY, AND DANGEROUS ROADS. AND WHEREAS THE NEEDS OF NON-DRIVERS ARE OFTEN DISREGARDED IN TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND POLICIES, THE GOAL SHOULD BE A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM DESIGNED TO SUPPORT ALL INDIVIDUALS REGARDLESS OF ABILITY, AGE, OR INCOME THAT WILL STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES AND ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE. AND WHEREAS LINK HOUSTON URGES ALL HOUSTONIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING THIS INITIATIVE'S MISSION IS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ALLOWS THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO DRIVE REGULARLY TO EXPERIENCE THE BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES THAT NON-DRIVERS FACE WHEN TRYING TO MOVE SAFELY THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON COMMENDS LINK HOUSTON FOR RAISING AWARENESS OF THE PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF NON-DRIVERS WHILE PROMOTING TRANSPORTATION THAT IS SUPPORTIVE OF ALL INDIVIDUALS. MAYOR, THEREFORE, I MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN ON BEHALF OF SYLVETA TURNER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER 2ND THROUGH EIGHTH, 2023 AS NATIONAL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. CONGRATULATIONS. THANKS VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER, WE HAVE A, WE, UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FOLKS FROM LINK HOUSTON HERE. PETER ECCLES IS THE DIRECTOR OF POLICY. LL DUNCAN IS THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. NICK ARCOS IS HERE ALONG WITH MARA GOMEZ. AND PETER, LET ME TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO YOU. GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND THANK YOU ALL. UM, AS COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON MENTIONED, WE ARE LINK HOUSTON. WE ADVOCATE FOR A ROBUST AND EQUITABLE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK SO THAT ALL PEOPLE CAN REACH OPPORTUNITY. AND WE ENVISION A HOUSTON WHERE IT'S POSSIBLE TO BE A FIRST CLASS RESIDENT WITHOUT OWNING A CAR. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING WITH YOU ALL WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. ORIGINALLY STARTED BY DISABILITY RIGHTS WASHINGTON THIS PAST YEAR. IT WAS ELEVATED TO THE NATIONAL LEVEL BY AMERICA WALKS AND LINK. HOUSTON'S VERY EXCITED TO AMPLIFY WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING HERE WITH YOU ALL TODAY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PEOPLE WHO DO NOT AND CANNOT DRIVE. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT 25% OF THE POPULATION DOES NOT OR CANNOT DRIVE A VEHICLE. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS. FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT'S QUITE EXPENSIVE. THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES JUST LAST WEEK THAT IT NOW COSTS AN ESTIMATED $12,000 A YEAR TO OWN AND MAINTAIN A PERSONAL VEHICLE THAT'S IN ADDITION TO FOLKS WHO, UM, HAVE SOME SORT OF DISABILITY, UM, FOR WHICH DRIVING IS TOTALLY INACCESSIBLE TO THEM. UM, AND YET FOR DECADES, OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HAS BEEN DESIGNED AROUND DRIVING AROUND THIS SINGLE MODE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE GREAT MANY PEOPLE IN OUR POPULATION WHO SIMPLY CANNOT DRIVE. UM, LINK HOUSTON GREATLY APPRECIATES MAYOR TURNER'S CALL FOR A PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE WAY THAT WE APPROACH TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. UM, AND WE'RE GREATLY ENCOURAGED BY ALL THE PROGRESS MADE OVER THE GREAT OF THE PAST FEW YEARS. BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING WITH YOU ALL, AND TO CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU TO PARTICIPATE AND TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS EXPERIENCED BY FOLKS WHO DO NOT DRIVE BROKEN SIDEWALKS, LONG WAIT TIMES, HOT HOURS SPENT IN THE SUN. UM, SO YES, WE HAVE CALLED ON EVERY CANDIDATE RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE AS WELL AS EVERY SITTING ELECTED OFFICIAL HERE TODAY. UM, AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE METRO BOARD TO CHOOSE NOT TO DRIVE FOR ONE OR MORE OF YOUR TRIPS THIS WEEK THROUGH OCTOBER 8TH. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. OH, AND ONE MORE, ONE MORE THING I'LL MENTION, UM, IN HONOR OF WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING, WE'RE HAVING A COMMUNITY CELEBRATION JUST ACROSS THE STREET AT THE JULIA IEN BUILDING ON THURSDAY EVENING TRANSIT AND THE CITY. AND YOU ARE ALL INVITED TO JOIN US THERE AS WELL. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PETER, MAY I ASK YOU TO PLEASE INTRODUCE WHO'S WITH YOU? WE CAN, WE CAN KNOW WHO THEY ARE. YES, ABSOLUTELY. WE HAVE SHIRE DUNCAN, OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE HAVE NICK ARCOS, OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, AND WE HAVE MARA GOMEZ, WHO IS OUR MANAGER OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT HERE TODAY. UM, WE ALSO HAVE PROBABLY A FAMILIAR FACE TO MANY AROUND THE HORSESHOE. GABE ZERUS, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UM, FORMERLY OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHO, UM, GREATLY WISHES THAT HE COULD BE THERE TO HERE TODAY. UM, BUT NONETHELESS, THANKS YOU ALL FOR, UM, [00:20:01] HELPING US ON OUR WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING. AND PETER ECKERS, YOU ARE ALSO A FAMILIAR FACE THAT WE ARE HAPPY TO SEE. AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, UM, ADVOCATING AND PROMOTING, UM, THE WEEK WITHOUT DRIVING HERE IN HOUSTON. AND AS IT'S NOW NATIONAL EVENT, UM, WE ARE EXCITED, YOU KNOW, FOR YOU AND THE GOOD WORK THAT LINK HOUSTON DOES. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON FOR THIS, UM, COMMENDATION. AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE. UM, FIRST ON, ON THE LIST IS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, CHAIR ROBINSON. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UH, AND MORE SO THANKS TO ALL OF THE STAFF AT LINK AND PLEASE SEND OUR BEST TO GABE. WE LOVE HIM, UH, AND HOPE HE'S DOING ALL RIGHT, BUT ALSO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, ALL OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, ENGAGEMENT THAT YOU ALL DO. UH, A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT C, UH, Y'ALL ARE A CORE AND INHERENT PART OF. AND, UH, I WANTED TO GO BACK. YOU HAD SAID 25% OF HOUSTONIANS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A VEHICLE FOR ONE REASON OR, UH, THEIR OWN VEHICLE FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. IS THAT NATIONWIDE OR IS THAT SPECIFIC TO HOUSTON? THAT'S A NATIONAL STATISTIC AND THAT'S, UM, UH, FOLKS THAT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, EITHER DO NOT OR CANNOT DRIVE A VEHICLE. THANK YOU. WELL, AGAIN, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I LOVE LINK HOUSTON. UM, THERE IS NOT ONE DECISION THAT I MAKE WHEN IT COMES TO EQUITY AND TRANSPORTATION WITHOUT LOOKING SOMETHING UP OF SOME WHITE PAPER YOU'VE POSTED OR SOMETHING ON YOUR WEBSITE OR CALLING ONE OF YOU UP AND ASKING THE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GUIDING US. YOU ARE TRULY OUR GUIDEPOST IN TERMS OF EQUITY. THERE'S SO MANY CONCERNS THAT WE DO HAVE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION. AND YOU ARE, YOU ARE THE PILLAR. YOU ARE WHAT WE LOOK TOWARDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITIES ON THIS HORSESHOE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, AND, UM, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. AND WE NEED YOU, WE NEED YOU VERY VOCAL AND, AND WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER AND, AND CHAIR, IF I COULD, BEFORE WE PAUSE FOR A PHOTOGRAPH, JUST LIKE TO SAY ON BEHALF OF THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS, GENERALLY SPEAKING, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN IS NOT WITH US TODAY. SHE IS ONE OF US IN OUR NUMBER WHO REGULARLY GOES WITHOUT A CAR. SO SHE IS TO BE COMMENDED TODAY IN HER ABSENCE, UH, AND SAYING THAT FOR THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY AND THE LARGEST GEOGRAPHICAL, UH, CITY AMONGST THOSE, UH, THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING. SO APPRECIATE THAT LINK. HOUSTON, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND, UH, YEAH, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU LYNN HOUSTON, CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS COMMENDATION AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANKS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK EVERYONE. CHAIR NOW [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER LETICIA PLUMMER FOR THE INVOCATION. THANK YOU MAYOR PERAM. I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE NORE ALI, YOU WANNA GO TO THE FRONT? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, NOREEN. SO NOREEN ALI IS A LIFELONG HOUSTONIAN WHO GREW UP IN THIRD WARD. SHE ATTENDED TOBAY, MY HIGH SCHOOL, AND HER PASSION IS IN EDUCATION THAT SHAPED A CAREER IN EDUCATION REFORM. NOREEN JOINED TEACH FOR AMERICA AFTER COLLEGE WHERE SHE TAUGHT REFUGEES AND NEWCOMERS AT SUTTON ELEMENTARY IN GULFTON. SHE HAS SINCE WORKED WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND ALSO SERVED, UM, ON THE EXECUTIVE BODY FOR THE ISLAMIC EDUCATION. IN ADDITION, SHE'S A PART OF THE, UM, THE AREA SURAH COUNCIL, RIVER OAKS ISLAMIC CENTER, AND FORMAL SCHOOL LEADER. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WOMEN IN ISLAM IS, IS OFTEN RARE. WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF THEM COMING UP AND REALLY REPRESENTING THE WOMEN IN ISLAM. AND, UM, AN ARENA HAS DONE THAT INCREDIBLY WELL. AND IT'S MY HONOR TO BRING HER HERE TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, ASAM WALLUM. MAY PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN PLUMBER FOR THE WARM WELCOME AND FOR THE HONOR OF JOINING CITY COUNCIL IN PRAYER, BIMAN RAHIM, IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE INFINITELY COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL, THIS IS HOW WE OPEN PRAYERS AS MUSLIMS [00:25:01] BY INVOKING THE ALMIGHTY WITH HIS BEAUTIFUL NAMES, A RAHMAN, A RAHIM, THE INFINITELY COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL PRAISE BE TO THE CREATOR AND THE SUSTAINER OF ALL THE WORLDS, THE GIVER OF LIFE, THE GUIDER OF HEARTS, THE EVER PRESENT, AND THE ALL AWARE. THERE'S A TEACHING IN ISLAM THAT WHEN WE ARE MERCIFUL TO THE ONES IN THIS WORLD, THE ONE IN THE HEAVENS IS MERCIFUL TO US. GATHERINGS LIKE THIS ONE REMIND US OF THE COURAGE THAT IT TAKES TO LEAD WITH MERCY AND LOVE. MAY GOD BLESS OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND ALL THOSE WHO ARE HERE MAY HE GUIDE AND ALLOW US TO SEE ONE ANOTHER. AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WE PRAY THAT WE ARE BLESSED TO BE MERCIFUL SERVANTS, AND THAT WE ARE BLESSED TO RESPECT THE HUMANITY OF OTHERS. ALPHA, THE ONE WHO OPENS ALL THINGS OPEN AND PURIFY OUR HEARTS SO THAT WE MAY TRULY SEE EACH OTHER. CREATE FOR US A WAY FORWARD. MAKE US A MEANS OF RELIEF FOR THOSE IN NEED. AND ALWAYS MAKE US JUST IN OUR DECISIONS. NO ONE CAN WITHHOLD THE BLESSINGS. GOD OPENS FOR PEOPLE, NOR CAN ANYONE BUT HIM RELEASE WHAT HE WITHHOLDS. QURAN, CHAPTER 35, VERSE TWO. WHEN WE FACE DOORS IN OUR LIVES THAT SEEM TO BE CLOSED, ALLOW US TO KNOW YOU BY THIS NAME. , THE ONE WHO CAN OPEN ANY CLOSED THING BECAUSE A DOOR HAS TO BE CLOSED IN ORDER FOR SOMEONE TO OPEN IT. I'LL END WITH THE PRAYER OF PROPHET MOSES. MAY PEACE BE UPON HIM. MY LORD, OPEN MY HEART AND MAKE MY TASK EASY FOR ME. UNTIE THE KNOT FROM MY TONGUE SO THAT THEY MAY UNDERSTAND ME. QURAN CHAPTER 20, VERSE 25. AS WE PRAY FOR UNITY, LET US STAND FOR TRUTH AND JUSTICE. NO MATTER WHO IS FOR OR AGAINST IT. LET US HOLD ON TO HOPE. NO MATTER HOW INSURMOUNTABLE THE OBSTACLES MAY SEEM, ILLUMINATE THE PATH AHEAD AND ALLOW US TO BE THE LIGHT THAT WE SEEK IN YOU. AMIN, THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE. ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO REPUBLIC WHICH EXCHANGE ONE NATION UNDER GOD, EVEN LIBERTY, COMMUNITY JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY, [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] NEXT WE'LL HAVE ROLL CALL. MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL MAYOR. ATTORNEY WILL BE AFTER. COUNCIL MEMBER PECK HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. HERE. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. PRESENT COUNCILOR EVAN SHABAZZ. COUNCILMAN MARTIN. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN THOMAS. PRESENT. COUNCILOR HUFFMAN. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN CISNEROS? HERE. COUNCILMAN GALLEGOS. COUNCILMAN POLL WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCIL CASTEX TAYLOR WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCIL OX WILL BE ABSENT. CONSTABLE ROBINSON HERE. COUNCILMAN KUBOSH? HERE. CONSTABLE PLUMMER HERE. AND CONSTABLE ABCO WILL BE ABSENT. NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF APRIL 24TH AND 25TH MAY 2ND AND THIRD AND JUNE 6TH AND SEVENTH KUBOSH. MOTION. SECOND MOTION. AND SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? MOTION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. NOW ARE THERE ANY PROCEDURAL MOTIONS BEFORE WE START PUBLIC SESSION? WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK. THANK YOU. UM, ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE CLAY JORDAN TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE NON-AG AGENDA LIST. SECOND. OKAY, MOTION AND SECOND FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. SO [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE NON AGENDA. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. CITY SECRETARY CLAY JORDAN. ALL RIGHT, MADAM SECRETARY, PLEASE CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER. AUSTIN RICHIE. MR. RICHIE AUSTIN. RICHIE, GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. HOW ARE Y'ALL TODAY? DOING GREAT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP HERE AND SPEAK. UH, MADAM IS AUSTIN RICHIE. I'M THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS, UH, AND AUSTIN SPINE INTERNATIONAL. UH, OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO RESTORE THE OVERALL WATER QUALITY OF, UH, ENTIRE ENVIRONMENTS. IS THAT BETTER? UH, UM, MY APOLOGIES. YES. SO OUR, UM, PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE IS TO RESTORE THE OVERALL WATER QUALITY OF RIVERS, LAKES, BAYS, ALL THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND BEYOND. AND NOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT WITH EQUIPMENT THAT IS COMPLETELY POWERED, UH, BY RENEWABLE ENERGY. AND, UH, WE ALSO ARE THE THIRD MANUFACTURERS OF ACTIVATED CHARCOAL OR, OR CARBON IN THE UNITED STATES. AND, UH, DO THAT RIGHT HERE IN TEXAS. [00:30:01] SO, UH, I COME TO YOU TODAY JUST TO SHARE, UH, WITH YOU WHAT WE'RE DOING, WORKING ON, AND, UH, ASK THAT, UH, YOU WOULD CONSIDER SUPPORTING US IN THE FUTURE. THANKS. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBBINS. THANK YOU. MAYOR PRO TEM AUSTIN. JUST WONDERING WHERE YOU ALL ARE. BASED WITH THE LAKE PROJECT, UH, OUT OF TEXAS AND LOUISIANA, NOT A PARTICULAR CITY, BUT JUST STATEWIDE. AND STATEWIDE. I'VE SPOKEN WITH THE GLO AND THEY RECOMMENDED, UH, THAT WE START IN LAKE LIVINGSTON. VERY GOOD. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. RICHIE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. NEXT SPEAKER CLAY JORDAN, TO BE FOLLOWED BY SABRE RICHARDSON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. JORDAN. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR APPROACH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, FOLLOWING, UH, THE LINK HOUSTON MERRILL FOR, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, STEP A LITTLE BIT TO YOUR RIGHT SO WE CAN CATCH YOU ON THAT, MIKE. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, FOLLOWING THE LINK, HOUSTON MAYORAL FORUM, 10 DAYS AGO, DISTRICT C CANDIDATE, PARADA BRADLEY WAS OUTSIDE TALKING WITH A CROWD OF POTENTIAL CONSTITUENTS. WHEN SHE WAS APPROACHED BEHIND BY A MUCH LARGER HEAVYSET MAN, MUCH LIKE MYSELF. HE GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDER AND SPUN HER AROUND AND STARTED HIS INVECTIVE. ARE YOU PERADA? I'M FINDING OUT SHE WAS, HE MOVED HIS EYES TO THE CROWD AND SHADOWED FOR THEM NOT TO LISTEN TO HER. THAT SHE WAS HOMOPHOBIC AND AGAINST THE BIKE LANES AND BLOCKED HER FROM HANDING OUT LITERATURE. BEFORE RUNNING OFF, THAT MAN WAS KEVIN STRICKLAND, PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER HEIGHTS SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. HE'S BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW. PRADA IS NEITHER HOMOPHOBE NOR AGAINST BIKE LANES, BUT I IMAGINE IN THE SECOND, KEVIN SAW A TERRIFIC FEAR IN HER EYES. HE REALIZED HOW FAR OUT OF BOUNDS HE'D GONE. AND HE A BIG WHITE MAN SHOUTING OUT A SMALLER BLACK WOMAN BECAUSE HE DID NOT LIKE HER OPINIONS AND WOULD SOUND AS TERRIBLE AS IT DOES NOW. AND CAME UP WITH HOMOPHOBE AS THE LAST SECOND LIE TO SAVE HIMSELF FROM HIS LUNACY. WHILE THAT MASAGE HIMSELF, DESPITE WITNESSES FOR PARATA, THE FEAR IS STILL VERY REAL. SHE NO LONGER FEELS SAFE TO CAMPAIGN AS SHE DID BEFORE, AND FINDS HERSELF GUARDED TO WHOM AND HOW SHE APPROACHES PEOPLE. IT IS THE TEXTBOOK DEFINITION OF POLITICAL SUPPRESSION. KEVIN IS ARDENT SUPPORTER OF BIKE LANES TO THE EXCLUSION OF ALL ELSE. HE WAS NAMED G-H-S-N-C PRESIDENT AFTER MAKING, HAVING, AFTER HAVING MADE HIS BELIEFS AND AGGRESSION KNOWN HE NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS A REPRESENTATIVE. AND HE CERTAINLY SHOULD BE REMOVED NOW, BUT APPEARS THE CITY FORGOT ALL POWERS TO CENSOR BAD BEHAVIOR LIKE THIS TO STOP LIA LIA LIAISING WITH G-H-S-N-C UNTIL FIXED IS ONE POSSIBILITY, BUT IT WOULD SUGGEST THE TIME FOR THE SNCS HAS PASSED. THERE ARE 88 SNCS, 50 OF WHICH ARE NOW DEFUNCT. THEY'RE NOT REPRESENTATIVE IN WHOLE OR PART. MANY MEMBERS CIVIC CLUBS CHARGED DUES, EXCLUDE RENTERS AND ACT MORE AS SOCIAL CLUBS FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS WHERE ANY DESCENT FROM GROUP THINK IS NOT TOLERATED. THE CITY ALREADY HAS BETTER ONLINE TOOLS TO GAUGE REAL PUBLIC SUPPORT. AND POLITICIANS NEEDS TO STOP USING THIS AS A LEVER TO PRETEND GREATER PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR PROJECTS THAN EXIST. KEVIN THOUGHTS? KEVIN'S THOUGHTS ARE MOSTLY NO LONGER ON PARATA OR EVEN THE GREATER HEIGHTS. HE'S OFF DESTROYING TREES IN MONTROSE. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY ORGANIZATIONS WHO SPIKE SUPPORT BIKE LANES AND DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY STILL WELCOME THIS TYPE OF BAD BEHAVIOR AS LONG AS IT FAVORS THEIR GOALS. THE CITY SHOULD NOT, WHILE YOU MAY NOT HAVE DIRECT CONTROL OVER THEM, YOU CAN MAKE THEM STEP BACK UNTIL THEY GET THEIR MEMBERS UNDER CONTROL. THE HEALTH OF A DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON DIVERSITY OF OPINIONS BEING HEARD. NO ONE GROUP HAS ALL THE RIGHT ANSWERS, DESPITE HOW FERVENTLY SOME BELIEVE. AND I DID FORGET TO GIVE A HANDOUT, BUT I'M GONNA DO IT RIGHT NOW OF THE TEXT MESSAGES FROM THE WITNESS AND THE POLICE REPORT THAT FILED ON THE INCIDENT. IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE, WHO SHOULD I HAND THIS TO? THANK YOU, MR. JORDAN, TO THE ATTORNEY RIGHT HERE ON THE END. THANK YOU, SIR. ANY QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. NOBODY'S IN QUEUE. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. SBRA RICHARDSON. SABRE RICHARDSON. SARE RICHARDSON. NEXT SPEAKER BONITA. ALLISON BONITA. ALLISON. NEXT SPEAKER JACQUELINE LIVINGS. JACQUELINE LIVINGS. NEXT SPEAKER, PATRICIA MCNEIL. PATRICIA MCNEIL. NEXT SPEAKER, FREDERICK MIMS. FREDERICK MIMS. NEXT SPEAKER, DAVID CAVIN. MR. CAVIN, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING TODAY? GOOD, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. I DON'T LIKE TO CORRECT ANYBODY ON MY NAME, BUT, UH, JUST IT'S CALVIN. JUST LIKE CALVIN. CALVIN GOT. I REALLY HATE CORRECTING PEOPLE 'CAUSE IT JUST, WHO GETS ANYBODY'S NAME RIGHT. SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, . SO THANK YOU. WELL, UM, GLAD TO BE IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL AGAIN. WELL, LAST TIME I WAS HERE WAS WITH, UH, ST. JOSEPH HOUSE AND, UH, WITH NIECE PARKER. UH, WE WERE CELEBRATING, UM, MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS AND I STILL HAVE TIES WITH THEM 'CAUSE THAT'S A PLACE I GO FOR, UH, TREATMENT AS WELL. UM, BUT, UM, I WANTED TO BRING UP AN INS AND THE IDEA WITH THE GARBAGE FEES, UH, THE 20 TO $25 FEES FOR THE CITY. IT COULD ALSO BE WITH, UH, APARTMENTS OR CONDOS AS WELL. THERE'S SOME [00:35:01] KIND OF MAYBE EXTRA DOLLAR OR TWO FOR THEM INSTEAD. BUT, UM, A RESTORATION THAT EMMETT JUDGE EMMETT HAD BROUGHT UP FOR A HUNDRED, $2 MILLION THAT COULD, THAT GARBAGE FEE COULD FUND THE RES RESTORATION, UH, FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL OR SPECIAL EVENTS. I HAVE A, UH, MADE IT INTO A PARTIAL MUSEUM FOR ITS HISTORIC, UH, STATURE TO ENCOURAGE TOURISM AND TO BRING IN REVENUE TO THE CITY. UM, AS FAR AS AS, AS THAT AS GOES. UM, AND I HAVE, I I BROUGHT UP AN INTERESTING IDEA LIKE THAT WITH, UH, HARRIS COUNTY, UH, UM, TRANSIT AUTHORITY. AND THEY'VE IMPLEMENTING SOME THINGS THAT LOOKS LIKE WHAT I'VE DESCRIBED, UM, FOR THEIR METRO SYSTEM. AND IT'S BRINGING, IT'S GONNA, THEIR SYSTEM WILL BRING TO, UH, A, A GOOD DEAL OF REVENUE FOR FREQUENCY AS WELL AS, UM, OF, OF RIDERS AND, UM, AS WELL AS HAVE PEOPLE, UH, GET MORE SERVICES, WHETHER THEY'RE TRYING TO SETTLE OVER THERE BETWEEN NEW OR TRANSPORTATION IDEAS. SO I FIGURED THAT THIS 20 TO $25 WOULD, WOULD PAY, IT'S MORE THAN LIKE, WHAT, PROBABLY 2 MILLION OR SO THAT ARE IN HOUSES AND 2 MILLION THAT ARE IN APARTMENT LIFE. SO IF YOU ATTACK ON MAYBE A LITTLE SMALLER FEE FOR THEM SINCE THEY ALREADY PAY A FEE, I THINK FOR OTHER RESOURCES, UH, THEN THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY MAKE, WHAT, 4 MILLION EXTRA REVENUE OR MORE, UH, BY MY FIGURES, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE FUZZY, BUT IT WOULD BRING IN AT LEAST A GOOD 4 MILLION OR MORE, I WOULD SAY, TOWARDS FUNDING THE CITY RESTORATION PROJECT. UM, SO IF WE CALCULATE THAT OVER SEVERAL, MULTIPLE PEOPLE, THAT WOULD BE, UH, 125, YOU KNOW, VERY QUICKLY. UM, WE'VE BEEN WAITING AT LEAST FIVE SINCE 2014 TO GET SOMETHING. SO MAYBE 20, 25, 20 26, YOU KNOW, REVENUE WOULD MOVE PRETTY QUICKLY SINCE IT WOULD BE A MONTHLY FEE, YOU KNOW, SO I WOULD FIGURE THAT WOULD HELP THE CITY, THE JUDGE EMMETT'S IDEA AND, UM, YEAH, HAVE A GREAT, SOME KIND OF SPECTACULAR RICE OR, OR, OR COUGAR GAME OR SOMETHING TO HAVE THE OILER SHIRTS ON, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S SOMETHING HOUSTONIAN. WELL, THANK YOU MR. CAVEN, FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS. AND, UM, SINCE IT WAS THE PARKER DAYS, YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS, SO DON'T BE A STRANGER. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY THAT I DIDN'T HEAR THAT LAST PART. I SAID SINCE YOU LAST CAME IN THE PARKER ADMINISTRATION. YES. YOU HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN AT LEAST EIGHT YEARS, SO I SAID DON'T BE A STRANGER. I THANK YOU. EIGHT YEARS YOU SAID? YES. WOW. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. YEAH. WELL, 'CAUSE THEY HAD, UM, PROP ADVOCATED FOR THAT. AND I'M, YOU KNOW, I DEAL WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, SO I, I'M SLOW, BUT I'LL GET TO IT. ALL RIGHT. AND I'M HOPING TO KEEP COMING BACK BECAUSE I, I DO WRITE MAIL, UH, EMAILS FREQUENTLY. I DO HAVE THE ENERGY FOR THAT. YOU GOT IT. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. HAVE A GREAT DAY. NEXT SPEAKER, CAROLYN MILLER TO BE FOLLOWED BY DEBORAH MILES. GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. MILLER. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS CAROLYN MILLER. I LIVE AT 57 16 HIRSCH ROAD. I LIVE IN DISTRICT B AREA. UH, I'M A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT PATIENT AND I HAVE LIVED THERE SINCE APRIL 1ST. I WAS A STROKE VICTIM. AND, UH, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, UH, A HOMELESS PERSON HAS BEEN LIVING AT 58, UH, 16 HERSCH ROAD, WHICH IS A, A VACANT LOT NEXT DOOR TO ME. AND THIS PERSON HAS BEEN BREAKING INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AND PROVIDING ALL OF THIS SEWAGE AND STUFF IN THE, IN THE AREA. AND IT HAS A RODENT AREA IN THERE. I WENT TO THE POLICE IN JULY. I REPORTED EVERYONE TRYING TO GET SOMETHING WITH THIS MAN, UH, OUT OF THERE AND TO NO AVAIL TO THE PROBLEM. AND I'M ASKING IF YOU ALL COULD PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS SITUATION. UH, I, I, I HAVE, UH, A, A REPAIRMAN COMING HERE AND WE'RE USING STUFF FOR RATS TO TRY TO KEEP THE RATS AWAY, BUT AS LONG AS THE MAN PUTS THAT STUFF OVER THERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE RATS ARE RUNNING AND WE CAN'T GET AWAY WITH IT. AND I'M BUYING ALL OF THE, THE, THE RED STUFF THERE IS TO PUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO TRY TO GET IT AWAY. THE GUY HAS BROKEN INTO MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE [00:40:01] WATER. I GOT A PROBLEM WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH THE WATER. THEY SAY I GOT TWO FOR SINCE, UH, JU WELL, I'M SORRY, MAY, JUNE, JULY HAS BEEN TWO. AND I CAME UP WITH SEVEN. I GOT THAT YESTERDAY. AND SO I NEED YOU ALL TO HELP ME WITH THIS, THIS PROBLEM I'M HAVING WITH THE WATER THERE, COMING FROM THIS MAN. AND WITH HIM STAYING THERE. IT USED TO BE, UH, A CHURCH THERE, BUT THE CHURCH, UH, PROBLEM, THE CHURCH LOST THE, THE BUILDING THERE AND IT'S JUST A VACANT LOT. AND SO IF YOU COULD HELP ME, I REALLY WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I, I'M, I, I HAD TO COME TO CITY COUNCIL TO GET SOME HELP BECAUSE I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE EVERYWHERE TRYING TO GET HELP AND I COULDN'T GET ANYONE TO HELP ME WITH ANY OF THE AGENCIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. MILLER. I KNOW THAT, UH, WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER IN Q BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON AGAINST, UH, BASED ON THE ALLEGATIONS. AND SERGEANT KEN HERNDON, WHO IS OVER TO OUR LEFT, YOUR RIGHT, WILL GET WITH YOU. BUT BEFORE THAT, COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, AND MS. MILLER, I'M SORRY THAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE SITUATION. I'M THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR YOUR AREA. YES, MA'AM. UM, SO SOMEONE FROM MY STAFF WILL FOLLOW UP. UM, ACTUALLY I TALKED TO PJ. YOU TALKED TO PJ SEVERAL TIMES, MA'AM. OKAY. OKAY. SO, UM, WELL I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU PLEASE AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S TAKEN CARE OF. OKAY. THANK YOU. PLEASE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MS. MILLER. DEBORAH MILES. DEBORAH MILES. NEXT SPEAKER. NATHAN WASHINGTON. NATHAN WASHINGTON. NEXT SPEAKER. DARRELL HARPER. DARRELL HARPER. NEXT SPEAKER. SHAY SHARP. SHAY SHARP. OKAY. TO BE FOLLOWED BY DOUG SMITH. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH OH. I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS 'CAUSE I DON'T, I DON'T DO THIS. IT'S OKAY. I DON'T DO THIS. UM, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT'S BEEN ONGOING WITH ME AND I'M BEING VERY SERIOUS. IT'S NOT A JOKE, IT'S NOT A, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE DONE THAT, MADE JOKES ABOUT MY SITUATION, BUT I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH A LOT OF DISCRIMINATION AND A LOT OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WHEN IT COMES TO MY SITUATION. AND THE SITUATION THAT I'M IN NOW IS VERY MUCH ILLEGAL. I HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY HELP FOR MY SITUATION. I THINK MORE SO A LOT OF THIS, AND I'M NOT BEING RACIST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT TYPICALLY, LIKE MY SITUATION WITH BEING A MINORITY, I THINK IT'S GETTING LOOKED OVER AND I WENT TO SCHOOL. I'M FROM CHICAGO, I HAVE MY MINOR AND I WENT UP TO SCHOOL UNTIL MY LAST SEMESTER. AND I FEEL LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE WORKING IN CERTAIN POSITIONS, I THINK A LOT OF THEM SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED ABOUT A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DO AS FAR AS LYING, MANIPULATING CONTENT, LYING ON PEOPLE'S NAMES, JUST TO BE FUNNY. AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE HAS BEEN THROUGH THIS OR HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS. AND I'M IN A POSITION RIGHT NOW THAT I SHOULDN'T BE IN DUE TO CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I WON'T ADDRESS TO PUBLICLY. 'CAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULD TALK TO YOU GUYS PERSONALLY ABOUT. BUT I FEEL LIKE WE NEED MORE, WE NEED MORE PEOPLE OVER PLACES LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE LIBRARIES AND PLACES, THE PUBLIC PLACES THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO AND FEEL COMFORTABLE. AND I'M NOT TRYING TO PLACE BLAME ON ANYBODY. I'M NOT A VICTIM. I DO HAVE BOUNDARIES, BUT I ALSO FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL WHO WE PUT IN THESE EIGHT POSITIONS AND DIFFERENT POSITIONS AROUND THE CITY. BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS I'VE SEEN, WE DON'T KNOW WHO, WHO THIS, WE DON'T KNOW. 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO SPEAK UP. I'M NOT SCARED TO SPEAK UP AND I WON'T STOP SPEAKING UP UNTIL I SEE A CHANGE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. AND AGAIN, I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO YOU GUYS PERSONALLY ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE OF MY SITUATION. BUT AS FAR PUBLICLY, I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF UNFAIR THINGS HAPPENING TO ME. AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS COULD ACTUALLY HELP MY SITUATION AND NOT BELIEVE A BUNCH OF THIRD PARTY PEOPLE WHO SIT UP HERE AND, YOU KNOW, THEY TRY TO COVER UP WHAT THEY DO BY LYING [00:45:01] AND LYING TO PEOPLE ALL OVER. AND THEN NOBODY IS HEARING MY SIDE. SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE FLOOR TO ACTUALLY EXPLAIN A SITUATION. AND THAT GOES FOR ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM. NOBODY SHOULD BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST NO MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU ARE. SO, YEAH, THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT, UH, ACCORDING TO THE HPD RECORDS, THERE'S NO RECORD OF YOU AND MAKING A COMPLAINT, BUT MS. RHONDA, OVER TO YOUR RIGHT AND SERGEANT HERNDON ARE HERE TO HELP YOU WITH THAT. SO IF YOU WOULD SPEND SOME TIME WITH HIM, MAYBE THEY CAN POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. GOOD LUCK. DOUG SMITH. DOUG SMITH. WE SAW HIM EARLIER TODAY, BUT I GUESS HE DIDN'T COME BACK. NEXT SPEAKER. MARIAN SCOTT, MARY AND SCOTT. NEXT SPEAKER. RICHARD HANNAH. AFTERNOON. MR. HANNAH. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, I'VE, I I'VE PRODUCED A PEOPLE'S NEWS FOR THE LAST 67 YEARS. I'VE TALKED TO MANY OF YOU. I INTERVIEWED MANY OF YOU BEFORE. UM, I REALLY NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT COMING UP AND SPEAK TO CITY COUNCIL, BUT I TALKED TO COUNCIL MEMBER EOS, AND HE SAID YOU, HE'S COME TO SPEAK TO CITY COUNCIL AND LET THE CITY COUNCIL KNOW. I'VE, UM, I'VE KNOWN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KOSH SINCE I WAS A KID. I WAS A BIKE MESSENGER DOWNTOWN. MY MY ISSUE TODAY, UM, 'CAUSE I'M A, I'M A, I'M A PRODUCER OF THE NEWS, BUT I ALSO WORK A REAL JOB TOO, AS IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY. BUT, UM, THE PROBLEM I HAVE RIGHT NOW IS THE, THE SCOOTER SITUATION DOWNTOWN. AND IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE, UM, TWO PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN KILLED ON THOSE LITTLE SCOOTERS ARE RIGHT NOW IN THE, ON THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN AND IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. I WAS DOWNTOWN, UM, A WEEK AGO, AND WE HAD FIVE OR SIX SCOOTERS GOING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION GOING. AND THOSE SCOOTERS GO ABOUT 15, 20 MILES PER HOUR. THERE ARE A DANGER TO, UM, UM, THEMSELVES, AND THEY'RE ALSO A DANGER TO PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING AROUND, UM, AROUND TOWN THAT MIGHT HIT THEM. AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENED IN THE PAST. I'M ASKING CITY COUNCIL IF THEY, IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO TRY TO TRY TO SOLVE THE SITUATION, THE SITUATION'S GOTTEN OUTTA HAND. I'VE SEEN WHERE YOU HAD SEVEN OR EIGHT OF THEM GOING FROM THE SIDEWALK TO THE, UH, TO THE STREET AND THEN GOING, AND THEN TURN THE BACK AROUND AND GO IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. UM, THIS IS A DANGER, THIS IS A DANGER TO, UM, TO MY, MYSELF AS A PEDESTRIAN, EVEN WALKING DOWN THE SIDEWALK I'VE SEEN WHERE, UM, THEY'VE HIT PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE SIDEWALK WALKING DOWN, GOING TO SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, THE DIFFERENT VENUES DOWNTOWN. UM, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE EAST SIDE AND ON THE EAST SIDE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO THE STADIUM, THEY'RE GOING TO DIFFERENT VENUES. AND, UM, UM, IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT I'VE SEEN 'EM GO FROM, UM, THE STREET. AND IT'S NOT JUST THIS, THIS, THE, UM, SCOOTERS. YOU HAVE THESE OTHER DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEHICLES AND IT'S MORE AND MORE OF THESE SHOPS THAT ARE OPENING UP AROUND TOWN. UM, AND IT'S BECOMING A, IT IS BECOMING A PROBLEM IN THE THIRD WARD ALSO. SO I WOULD ASK THE CITY COUNCIL IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO TO TRY TO FIX THIS SITUATION. THANK YOU, MR. HANNAH. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. WELL, MR. HANNAH, EXCUSE ME. MR. HANNAH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO BE HERE TODAY. I, I KNOW YOU BROUGHT THIS TO MY ATTENTION AT, AT, AT AN EVENT THAT WE WERE AT. UH, AND THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING UP. UH, YES, I, I TOTALLY AGREE. UH, IT'S GOT, IT'S GOTTEN OUTTA HAND IN REGARDS TO THESE, UH, SCOOTERS. UH, AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL THAT CAME AND SPOKE HERE ABOUT A MONTH, TWO MONTHS AGO, UH, WHERE HE OWNS A BRICK AND MORTAR PLACE WHERE YOU CAN RENT OUT SCOOTERS. HIS ARGUMENT IS WHY ARE WE ALLOWING POPUP TENTS, UH, TO SELL SCOOTERS? I MEAN, TO, UH, LEASE SCOOTERS? UH, AND, AND, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT. I'M HOPING A RA, UH, WILL REACH OUT TO ME, UH, SO THAT WAY WE CAN SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN REGARDS TO REGULATING, UH, AND NOT ALLOW POPUP TENTS. IT'S GOTTEN OUTTA HAND. UH, IF YOU GO OUT INTO THE EAST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU'LL SEE A NUMBER, A NUMBER OF POP-UP TENTS, UH, LEASING OUT SCOOTERS. UH, AND I AGREE WITH YOU, I'VE SEEN IT FOR MYSELF, WHERE YOU HAVE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS, THEY'RE MOSTLY TEENAGERS, UH, AND THEY'RE COMING ON THE WRONG ON, ON THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC. UH, YOU KNOW, WE AS A CITY, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS. UH, I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT YOU SAID, UH, LIKE YOU STATED, THAT, THAT HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES. UH, AND, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE TEENAGERS OUT THERE JUST LAUGHING AND JOKING, I ACTUALLY SAW A MAN HOLDING AN INFANT, UH, AND, AND HE WAS ON A SCOOTER. UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, MAKES NO SENSE, NO SENSE. UH, AND WE AS A CITY NEED TO ADDRESS THIS. UH, AND IT'S NOT RIGHT, UH, WHERE SOMEONE ACTUALLY HAS A BRICK AND MORTAR, UH, LOCATION LEASING OUT SCOOTERS, AND YET HE HAS COMPETITORS JUST POPPING UP A TENT AND, AND LEASING OUT SCOOTERS. UH, SO WE NEED TO FIGURE [00:50:01] THIS OUT. I'M HOPING A RA UH, WILL BE THE DEPARTMENT THAT CAN ADDRESS THIS. I WOULD, I WOULD HATE TO HAVE THIS REGULATIONS AND HAVING THE POLICE TO HAVE TO DO MORE, MORE, UM, CITATIONS OR WHATEVER. BUT IF I'M RIDING A, IF I'M RIDING A MOTOR SCOOTER, I HAVE TO HAVE, I HAVE TO HAVE A LICENSE, RIGHT? I HAVE TO HAVE, I HAVE TO HAVE, UH, SOME TYPE OF, UH, UM, REGISTRATION ON MY BIKE. IF I'M RIDING A MOTORCYCLE. IT'S THE SAME THING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IF, UM, IF YOU'RE RIDING THESE TYPE OF OF VEHICLES, IT SHOULD BE SOME TYPE OF REGULATION THAT'S TOTAL, THAT'S TOLD TO THESE PEOPLE BEFORE THEY GET OUT ON THESE, ON THE, ON THE STREETS AND RIDE AROUND, RIGHT? IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, AND, AND, AND, AND WHEN YOU SAY OTHER VEHICLES, I'VE SEEN, I'VE SEEN SMALL LITTLE MOTORCYCLES. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, VERY SMALL. IF YOU'RE IN A PICKUP TRUCK, THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE GONNA SEE THAT LITTLE MOTORCYCLE, YOU KNOW, IN, IN FRONT OF YOU. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING SOONER OR LATER IS GOING TO HAPPEN, UH, WHERE MORE PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE GETTING HURT OR, OR LOSING THEIR LIVES. AND WE, WE, WE, AS A CITY NEED TO ADDRESS THAT. I WAS, I, YOU KNOW, I, I WORKED IN AUSTIN FOR A BIT BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME AND, UH, WOULD HATE TO HOUSTON TO GET THE SAME WAY WHERE YOU SEE, UM, PEOPLE TAKE THE SCOOTERS AND THEY DUMP 'EM IN THE LAKE, THEY DUMP 'EM IN THE BIOS AND THEY DUMP 'EM. THEY JUST DUMP 'EM AS LIKE TRASH. UM, AND IT'S, IT, IT, IT'S, IT IS TRASHED UP THE WHOLE CITY OF AUSTIN WITH THE, WITH THE SCOOTERS. I WOULD HATE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN HERE. AND I WOULD HOPE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD ADDRESS IT AND TRY TO COME UP WITH SOME TYPE OF SOLUTION TO THAT BEFORE IT GETS THAT BAD. AND IT'S WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTIN, IT GOT REALLY BAD ENOUGH FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION, RIGHT? AND THAT, THAT, THAT'S AFTER A NUMBER OF PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES. RIGHT? AND, AND, AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO COME BY. UM, AND, AND AGAIN, THE, THE MAYOR STUDY IS GONNA BE LOOKING INTO IT AND I'LL BE REACHING OUT TO HIM AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. HANNAH. NEXT SPEAKER, JONATHAN HOROWITZ. AFTERNOON. MR. HOROWITZ, GOOD AFTERNOON TO Y'ALL. UM, I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING SOME OF YOU IN THE PAST. UM, BUT FOR THOSE THAT I HAVEN'T MET BEFORE, UH, THIS IS REALLY JUST KIND OF AN INTRODUCTION. UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS JONATHAN HOROWITZ, AND AS OF YESTERDAY, UH, I STARTED A NEW ROLE AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEW HOUSTON HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE. AND Y'ALL MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THAT, UH, AS IT WAS FOR THE PAST 60 YEARS, THE GREATER HOUSTON CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. AND, UH, YOU'LL RECALL THAT LAST YEAR, UH, THE ORGANIZATION DECIDED TO, UM, SPLIT UP FROM HOUSTON FIRST AND IS NOW, UH, THE HOUSTON'S NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, UH, CHARGED WITH PROMOTING ALL OF THE FANTASTIC HOSPITALITY THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE COUNTRY. AND SO MY CHARGE NOW IS TO LEAD THAT ORGANIZATION, LITERALLY AS EMPLOYEE NUMBER ONE AS OF YESTERDAY. AND, UH, TO TAKE THAT TO ITS, UH, LOGICAL CONCLUSION AND FRUITION. SO, JUST A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON ME, I GOT HERE 33 YEARS AGO, UH, FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE OF ALL PLACES TO GO TO RICE UNIVERSITY, AND I'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE. NEVER, UH, NEVER LEFT. UH, WENT TO LAW SCHOOL HERE DOWNTOWN, PRACTICED LAW DOWNTOWN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND ABOUT 18 YEARS AGO, KIND OF JUMPED OFF A CLIFF AND GOT INTO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, UM, BE BECOMING ONE OF THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE TASTING ROOM, WINE BARS AND MAX'S WINE DIVE RESTAURANTS. AND, UH, WENT ON TO RUN THE COMPANY THAT OWNS THE ORIGINAL NIN FFAS AND ANTONE'S POE BOYS, TWO VERY ICONIC HOUSTON BRANDS, WHICH WAS FANTASTIC. UM, AND DURING THAT TIME, I, I GOT VERY INVOLVED IN THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, BOTH, UH, LOCALLY HERE IN HOUSTON AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, AND CURRENTLY THIS YEAR SERVING AS CHAIR OF THE BOARD ON A STATEWIDE BASIS FOR THE TRA. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH MANY OF YOU AND, YOU KNOW, THE NEW MAYOR, WHOEVER THAT MAY BE, UM, NEXT YEAR. AND, UH, KIND OF COORDINATING WITH HOUSTON FIRST AND THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION AND GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP AND HOUSTON HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION, UM, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT ONCE HOUSTON FIRST BRINGS ALL THESE PEOPLE INTO OUR CITY, WHETHER IT FOR IT'S FIFA OR REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, WHEN EVERYBODY COMES INTO TOWN, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TELLING 'EM WHERE TO GO AND HOW TO ENJOY THE HOSPITALITY IN THIS CITY, AND REPRESENTING HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND DESTINATIONS AND ATTRACTIONS LIKE THE ZOO AND MUSEUMS AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE GOT HERE TO OFFER IN THIS CITY. SO, UH, AGAIN, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH MANY OF YOU AS WE COME AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER TO REALLY PROMOTE THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY HERE IN HOUSTON. AND, AND THANK YOU, MR. HOROWITZ. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS IN Q AND I KNOW YOUR ORGANIZATION WELL, AND THEY'RE LED BY A GREAT CHAIRMAN AND MY, UH, COUSIN REI REGGIE MARTIN. YES. HE'S ALL OUR COUSINS. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. THANK YOU, JONATHAN. FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY. UM, NOT ONLY TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THIS NEW ROLE THAT I'M VERY EXCITED YOU'RE HEADING UP. UM, BUT ALSO [00:55:01] FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU'VE KIND OF BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH WITH YOUR SERVICE IN TERMS OF, UM, WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, UH, LEADING THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION AND THE GREATER HOUSTON RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION, ONE OF MY FAVORITE ORGS. UM, BUT FOR ALL THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO AND NOW STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE, UM, THANK YOU AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOU. AND I ALSO WANNA, BECAUSE YOU'RE REPRESENTING THE HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE, I DO ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, THE HOSPITALITY WORKERS THAT WORK THROUGHOUT MY, OUR CITY, UM, DAY IN AND DAY OUT. I KNOW THAT THE INDUSTRY, UM, WAS VERY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC AS WERE ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES. SO I, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE VOICE THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING AND LIFT UP, UH, THE VOICES OF THE WORKERS AS WELL, CERTAINLY. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. AND OBVIOUSLY, WE CAN'T DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT ALL OF THEM, AND IT HAS GOTTEN HARDER AND HARDER TO BE IN THAT INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW, SO I CERTAINLY DO APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS. THANK YOU, JONATHAN. SO NICE TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN AS WELL. THANK YOU. I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR YOU, AND I SEE YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW ROLE TOO. SURE. UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATED WORKING WITH YOU AND JUST, AND THE, AND THE APPRECIATION THAT I HAVE FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO, UM, TO SERVICE AND, UM, AND, UH, AND, AND, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, BEING A, UM, A, UM, A PLAYER IN THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, TO, YOU KNOW, SEEKING, YOU KNOW, UM, GOOD SOLUTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY, NOT JUST THE BUSINESS. AND I, I, I, UM, VALUED THAT A LOT WHEN WE DID WORK TOGETHER IN SOME, UM, SECOND WORD OF, UM, YEAH. PROJECTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THAT. LUCK. GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK, UH, JONATHAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CONGRATULATIONS. I KNOW THAT, UH, MAYOR PROTO AND I, UH, WE REPRESENT COUNCIL ON HOUSTON FIRST, AND AT THE BOARD MEETING LAST WEEK, IT WAS MENTIONED THAT WE'RE BACK TO PRE PANDEMIC IN REGARDS TO THE NUMBER OF CONVENTIONS HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO THINGS ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE LOOKING BRIGHT AND MOVING FORWARD. AND, UH, SO NOW WITH YOU IN THE HELM IN REGARDS TO PROMOTING OUR CITY, REGARDING OUR RESTAURANTS AND OUR HOTELS, UH, IT'S GREAT. SO, UH, IF THERE'S ANYTHING I CAN DO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL DO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. AND CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN MR. HOROWITZ. THANK YOU FOR YOUR, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU. TAKE CARE. THANK YOU AS WELL. NEXT SPEAKER, GAY HART. GAY HAR. NEXT SPEAKER, AN ANGELIL CORTEZ ANGEL CORTEZ. NEXT SPEAKER, PAULA GRAZERS. PAULA GRAZERS. YES, SIR. GOT IT. GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. GRAZER. GOOD AFTERNOON. SLIDE OVER A LITTLE BIT TO YOUR RIGHT. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS PAULA GRAVES. THANK YOU. UM, GREETINGS TO ALL OF YOU ALL. UM, I'M CALLING, I'M COMING TO YOU AGAIN ABOUT A SIDEWALK PLACED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. I RECEIVED A GLO HOME, UH, DUE TO THE HARVEY, UH, WATERS, UH, DAMAGING MY OLD HOME. UM, A LITTLE BACKGROUND. I'M A HOUSTONIAN BORN HERE IN 1956. SO I LIVED AROUND THE CORNER FROM BARBARA JORDAN'S GRANDMOTHER OR MOTHER. OKAY. UM, I WAS EDUCATED THROUGH THE HISD SYSTEM AND UM, WHAT I'M SAYING IS I AM A LOYAL, AND I ADORE HOUSTON, BUT THEY HAVE PLACED A SIDEWALK IN MY YARD. UM, THE EASEMENT SHOULD BE 15 FEET. THEY PLACED A SIDEWALK 30 FEET INTO MY YARD. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE REALLY FEEL THAT A SINGLE PARENT OF TWO RAISE MY KIDS, SEND 'EM TO COLLEGE. MY PARENTS ARE STILL LIVING. THEY SAID THAT. THEY TAUGHT US THAT IF YOU ARE WILLING TO WORK FOR IT, THEN YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO WORK AND EDUCATE YOURSELF, YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT. AND I DID THAT. AND NOW THE CITY, THROUGH PLANNING, THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS, THROUGH NEGLECT, HAVE FAILED ME IN A WAY THAT IS WHEN I LOOK OUT MY FRONT DOOR EVERY DAY, I SEE THAT SIDEWALK. IT'S LIKE, HERE'S MY HOUSE. YOU ARE THE SIDEWALK, SIR, WHERE YOU ALL ARE SITTING. THAT'S THE SIDEWALK. MY YARD WAS MUCH BIGGER. WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS [01:00:01] MADE A MISTAKE. AND I KNOW WITH THE ADVENT OF CERTAIN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THAT WE HAVE, IT'S OKAY TO TELL A LIE. IT'S BECOME OKAY TO JUST LIE TO PEOPLE. BUT YOU CANNOT LIE ABOUT A SIDEWALK THAT YOU WALK OUT THE FRONT DOOR AND SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY. EVERY SINGLE DAY. I'M LOOKING AT THAT SIDEWALK. THEY'VE TAKEN A SLICE OF MY LAND. I TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE AND THEY SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT SOME COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. YOU DO WANT A SIDEWALK, DON'T YOU? OF COURSE I DO. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THEM THERE BEING A SIDEWALK. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH 'EM TAKING MY LAND. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH AN EASEMENT. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH 'EM TAKING EXCESS LAND, A LADY ON THE SAME PROGRAM. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A COUPLE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ADDRESS YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS. HELLO, MS. GRAVES. THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY. UM, THIS IS AN ISSUE. YOU CAME BACK, UM, IN FEBRUARY AND SPOKE ABOUT, AND AT THAT TIME, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE SIDEWALK WAS ACTUALLY PLACED IN THE CITY RIGHT AWAY, NOT YOUR LAND. UM, YOU DIDN'T AGREE WITH THAT. UM, UH, UH, YOU WERE ASKED IF YOU HAD A COPY OF THE PLAT TO CONTEST IT, AND YOU SAID YOU DID NOT. DID YOU GET A COPY OF THAT FROM THE, UM, THE, THE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE? I HAVE A GENERAL WARRANTY DEED. UM, WELL, IF YOU HAVE A, A COPY OF YOUR, OF A PLAT THAT CAN ESTABLISH YOU WHERE THE, WHERE YOU BELIEVE THE, THE, UM, THE, THE LEGAL BOUNDARY OF YOUR LAND IS, YOU CAN USE THAT. THE MAYOR DID SAY HE WOULD HAVE THE DEPARTMENT LOOK AT IT. AGAIN, THE UPDATE THAT I HAVE FROM THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IS THAT, THAT THEIR FIRST DETERMINATION WAS CORRECT, THAT, THAT IT'S ON CITY PROPERTY, NOT ON YOUR PROPERTY. SO IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO CONTEST THAT, I WOULD, I WOULD RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WERE ADVISED BEFORE, TO GET A COPY OF THE PLAT FROM THE, UM, THE COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE. OKAY. THE PLAT DOES NOT SHOW, DOES NOT SHOW THE SIDEWALK. THE PLAT DOESN'T SHOW THE SIDEWALK. THE PLAT DOESN'T SHOW THE EASEMENT OR ANYTHING. HOWEVER, THE LADY NEXT DOOR RECEIVED A SIMILAR HOME TO MINE. THE SIDEWALK WAS PLACED CORRECTLY ON HER PROPERTY. IT WAS PLACED AT THE 15 FEET EASEMENT, MA'AM, SO OUR HOUSES ARE SITTING LIKE THIS. MY SIDEWALK IS HERE. HER SIDEWALK IS OUT HERE. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE, I MEAN, THIS WAS A, UM, THE GLO PLACED THE SIDEWALK ON CITY PROPERTY AND THE, THE, THE OTHER SIDEWALK WAS ALSO PLACED ON CI CITY PROPERTY FURTHER UP. BUT THE, THE, THE POINT THAT YOU'RE MAKING THAT IT'S ON YOUR PROPERTY, IT, IT DOES NOT SEEM TO, TO TO BE THE SAME DETERMINATION THAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENTS HAD. IT REDUCES THE VALUE OF MY PROPERTY. TAKE AWAY, UH, FIVE OR 10% OF YOUR PROPERTY, HOW MUCH WOULD IT BE WORTH? SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, VERIFIED THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, VERIFIED WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS THE LOCATION PER THE APPROVED PERMIT PROCESS. SO THEY DID EXACTLY WHAT THE PERMIT PROCESS TOLD THEM TO DO. THAT IS WHAT THEY TOLD THEM TO DO. OKAY. IT WAS IN ACCURATE THOUGH. THEY ALSO SAID THAT MY STREET IS 30 FEET WIDE. IT'S NOT, IT'S 10 FEET WIDE. OKAY. WHY DON'T WE HAVE, THE WHOLE THING IS BASED ON INACCURATE, WHATEVER. WHY DON'T WE HAVE WHATEVER? AND WHAT I'M SAYING IS BECAUSE THE INFORMATION WE'RE RECEIVING IS THEY DID IT ACCORDING TO APPROVED PERMITTING PLAN. SO LET'S HAVE MS. RHONDA TO YOUR RIGHT. UH, GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THEN WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC WORKS. GO OUT THERE AND CHECK IT AGAIN AND VERIFY THAT IT DOES MEET WITH THE APPROVED PERMIT PLANS. OKAY? THAT'LL THAT WORK. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. YES, MA'AM. NEXT SPEAKER. DR. STEVEN COOK TO BE FOLLOWED BY MICHELLE BOUCHARD. HEY, DOCTOR. HELLO, DR. COOK. HOW ARE YOU? I'M GONNA HAVE TO SPEAK FAST. MY NAME'S DR. STEVEN COOK. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND I'M A LONGTIME MONTROSE RESIDENT. AND I'M COMING TO YOU TODAY, UM, ABOUT A MONTROSE TOUR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. SINCE I'M THE FIRST TO SPEAK ON THIS, I'M GONNA GIVE A BIT OF BACKGROUND. UH, THE MONTROSE TOUR HAS PROPOSED A $53 MILLION STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE INCREASING DRAINAGE AND EXPANDING SIDEWALKS ALONG THE ENTIRETY OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD FROM ALLEN PARKWAY TO 59 IN PHASES. I'D ACTUALLY LIKE TO TAKE A SECOND TO THANK THE MONTROSE TOUR FOR DOING THIS. I THINK, UH, I PASSIONATELY CARE ABOUT MY COMMUNITY AND I THINK WE DO NEED BETTER SIDEWALKS AND DRAINAGE. SO THAT'S, UM, A GREAT THING. UM, [01:05:01] THERE WAS A PUBLIC MEETING HELD ON SEPTEMBER 18TH ABOUT PHASE ONE OF THIS PROJECT. AND AT THE MEETING, THE COMMUNITY LEARNED OF THE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT TO THE EXISTING TREES THAT WOULD ALSO BE COMING ALONG WITH THIS PROJECT. WE LEARNED THAT BETWEEN 57 AND 61 EXISTING TREES WOULD BE CUT DOWN IN PHASE ONE. THAT'S BETWEEN ALAN AND CLAY. UH, AND THIS INCLUDES 50 ORDINANCE PROTECTED TREES AND 11 OTHER ONES. UM, THE OUTCRY FROM THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. UM, A PETITION WAS STARTED AND TO DATE, WE HAVE 4,906 SIGNATURES. UM, AND OVER A HUNDRED RESIDENTS ATTENDED A PEACE WALK ON SUNDAY TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THESE TREES. UM, AND, UH, YES, I KNOW MS. UH, CAYMAN WAS THERE AS WELL, AND AS WELL AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. UM, TO DATE THE, THE MANCHESTER HAS RESPONDED WITH A CLARIFYING MEMO, UH, IN WHICH THEY ASSURED US THAT NO HEALTHY MATURE LIVE OAKS WOULD BE REMOVED OR REPLACED. BUT IF YOU REALLY LOOK CLOSELY AT THE DETAIL OF THAT 22 PAGE MEMO, THERE'S A LOT OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION THERE. IN FACT, THE NUMBER OF ORDINANCE PROTECTED TREES HAS ACTUALLY INCREASED FROM 50 TO 53 IN THAT MEMO. UH, AND THIS INCLUDES 29 OAKS THAT WILL BE CUT DOWN IN PHASE ONE ALONE. SOME OF THE CITED REASONS FOR THEM COMING DOWN ARE THAT THEY, QUOTE, CONFLICT WITH THE SHARED USE PATH AND QUOTE, ARE NOT OPTIMALLY LOCATED FOR THE PEDESTRIAN SIDEWALKS. UM, I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING HERE THAT THERE'S ALSO NO PLANS FOR IRRIGATION FOR ANY OF THE REPLACEMENT SAPLINGS THAT WILL BE GOING IN. UM, SO I'M COMING TO YOU AND ASKING FOR YOUR HELP. UM, IN FACILITATING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MONTROSE TOURS, UM, I HAVE BEEN CALLED LOTS OF NAMES ONLINE. I HAVE BEEN, UM, YELLED AT ON THE STREET. I'VE BEEN PITTED AGAINST MY NEIGHBORS. IT'S BEEN CLAIMED THAT I DON'T CARE ABOUT CHILDREN. I'M ACTUALLY A SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER. UM, AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE CASE. I REALLY AM FOR SMART PROGRESS. I JUST THINK WE HAVE A ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS. RIGHT. AND I WOULD HATE TO SEE THIS RUSHED ACROSS THE THRESHOLD AND DONE IN A SHODDY WAY. SO, IF YOU CAN AT ALL, GET THE EAR OF THE MONTROSE TOURISM AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO REEVALUATE THE DESIGN, MAYBE LOOK AT ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS, TIMELINES, IRRIGATION, OR AVOID SOME OF THESE ORDINANCE PROTECTED TREES, I'D BE SINCERELY GRATEFUL TO YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ABEY CAYMAN. THANK YOU. AND DR. COOK, THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, A FEW THINGS I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. YOU DO HAVE THE TS BOARD HERE. OKAY. UM, SO WE WILL HEAR FROM THEM. I, I WANNA THANK OUR TS AND RESIDENTS BECAUSE THE TS I DO BELIEVE IN GOOD FAITH IS DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO SPEAK WITH AND REACH OUT. AND I KNOW THEY'VE OFFERED WALKTHROUGHS, YOU KNOW, TO GO AND WE EVEN HAVE A COMMITMENT. UM, IT WASN'T JUST MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, BUT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN WAS ALSO OUT THERE. OKAY. YEAH. UM, THE, YOU KNOW, TREES FOR HOUSTON, THE DIRECTOR, UM, IS GONNA BE DOING A WALKTHROUGH AS WELL. UH, SO THERE'S A LOT THAT'S IN PROCESS AND RIGHT NOW. UH, SO I WANNA APPRECIATE ALL THE RESIDENTS ABSOLUTELY. THAT ARE ENGAGING. UM, ONE QUICK QUESTION. I HAD, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF SPEAKERS, SO THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS I WANNA ASK, BUT I CAN'T RIGHT NOW. UM, YOU ATTENDED THE SEPTEMBER 19TH MEETING. HAD YOU ATTENDED ANY OF THE OTHER NO. PUBLIC INPUT MEETINGS. I, I MEAN, THIS PROJECT, RIGHT. AND I KNOW SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST LEARNING ABOUT IT, SO I WANNA BE SENSITIVE TO THAT. MM-HMM . BUT THE TS HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS WITH COMMUNITY INPUT AND CIVIC CLUB INPUT, ET CETERA, FOR A FEW YEARS NOW. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I KNOW WHEN YOU KIND OF CAME YES. INTO IT. SO THE FIRST MEETING I ATTENDED WAS ON, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE 19TH. YEAH. OKAY. PERFECT. AND AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOUR ENGAGEMENT VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP WOULD BE WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. THANK YOU. MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, DR. COOK, JUST A SECOND TO SAY THANK YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. APPRECIATE BEING APPRECIATED. MM-HMM . UM, AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER FROM THE DISTRICT IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY ON TOP OF IT. WE DID GET TOGETHER BRIEFLY AT MY HOME WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND BARRY WARD, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF, UH, TREES FOR HOUSTON. I LIVE JUST DOWN THE BLOCK FROM MY PARENTS. YEAH. UH, YES. AND THE, AND THE, THE BOULEVARD. I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN, UH, URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING. I CHAIRED THAT COMMITTEE FOR THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS. ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS IS A DEAR FRIEND AND, UH, AWARD-WINNING ARCHITECT, UM, WHO WOULD NOT LEAVE US HANGING, NOR CHOP DOWN ANY TREES THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO CHOP DOWN. I'M TRULY COMFORTED BY THE FACT THAT, UM, THE PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE WORKING ON THIS ARE THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS, NOT JUST IN HOUSTON, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR BOARD IS EXTRAORDINARY FOR THE TOURS. AND I'M JUST SAYING, UM, HAIL TO ALL OF THE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE FLAGGING THIS BECAUSE, UH, IF THEY DID ONE THING WRONG THAT I WOULD CRITICIZE THEM ABOUT, AND NOT EVEN KNOWING HOW IT SLIPPED THROUGH THEIR ATTENTION, IT'S THAT THE COMMUNICATION WASN'T TOTALLY, UM, UP TO SNUFF FOR INFORMING [01:10:01] MM-HMM . NEIGHBORS. AND I ASSURE YOU, SINCE I SPOKE TO, UH, MY ARCHITECT FRIEND, UH, YESTERDAY, UM, I'VE GONE BACK AND LOOKED AT A BUNCH OF CORRESPONDENCE. THE MEETINGS THAT YOU ATTENDED, THE MEETINGS IN THE NORTH MONTROSE CIVIC CLUB AREA, THOSE ARE, THOSE HAVE ALL TAKEN PLACE MM-HMM . AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION OUT THERE. SO, UM, GOOD. I JUST WOULD ENCOURAGE, SINCE 4,906 PEOPLE HAVE SINCE, UM, SEPTEMBER 19TH REACHED OUT. YEAH. I THINK THAT COULD BE INCORPORATED TOO. HOPEFULLY A ABSOLUTELY. I THINK, YOU KNOW, AND IF YOU HAVE A PRINTOUT, I'D LIKE TO LEAVE FOR EVERYBODY HERE. GOOD. PLEASE DO. AND THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR THE INVECTIVE YOU'RE GETTING ONLINE. SUCH APOLOGIES FOR THAT. YOU HAVE TO ENDURE IT. WE SOMETIMES ENDURE THAT AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, SO KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT. AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TIME. SO, DR. COOK, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, I KNOW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS COMING BEHIND YOU. I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE WITH THE TOURS OR IF THERE'S CONCERNED CITIZENS LIKE YOU, BUT I LIVE IN AN AREA CALLED THE LIVABLE FOREST. MM-HMM . I'LL TELL YOU WHAT OUR TOUR DID LAST THURSDAY. MAYBE YOURS CAN DO THIS. WE'RE PAYING $880,000 TO RELOCATE 77 TREES INSTEAD OF KILLING THEM. GREAT. AND WE'RE GONNA RELOCATE THAT. IT'S GONNA COST US A LOT OF MONEY, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE WE MADE A COMMITMENT TO THE CITIZENS THAT FOR EVERY TREE THAT WE KNOCKED DOWN, WE WILL EITHER TRANSPLANT THEM OR WE WILL PLANT A NEW TREE. THANK YOU. NOT SURE IF THE MONTROSE TOURIST HAS THE ABILITY TO DO THAT, BUT I THINK MONTROSE TOUR PROBABLY HAS ENOUGH MONEY AND PROBABLY A LOT MORE MONEY THAN OUR TOURIST 10 THAT WE HAVE ON KINGWOOD. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT IDEA, OR A SUGGESTION FOR YOU, SIR. THAT'S WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AB COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAME IN. YEAH. AND I, I LOVE THE IDEA MAYOR PER TIME OF RELOCATING SOME OF THE TREES. BUT I DID, JUST FROM A, THE TOURISTS CAN SPEAK TO THIS ABOUT HOW MANY TREES THEY ARE GOING TO BE REPLANTING. AND THAT IS, I BELIEVE, INCORPORATED IN. AND IF I COULD JUST STRESS ONE MORE THING. I HAVE PLANTED 50 TREES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD THIS YEAR ALONE. AND I HAVE BEEN SINGLE-HANDEDLY KEEPING THEM ALIVE BY WATERING THEM. I THINK THAT'S A BIG CONCERN, THAT THERE'S REALLY NO PLAN IN PLACE YET TO, UH, TO IRRIGATE THE REPLACEMENTS SAPLINGS THAT WILL BE GOING IN. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HOPEFULLY THE TOURISTS WILL HEAR. AND WE YEAH. WE, I HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR IN TERMS OF THE INQUIRY RELATED TO, UM, THE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. RIGHT, RIGHT. WE'RE GOING THROUGH A DROUGHT RIGHT NOW. I WAS JUST AT THE TREES FOR HOUSTON RIBBON CUTTING THIS MORNING. UH, WE HAVE EVEN A, WITH OUR ANNUAL RAIN BARREL SALE, WE GIVE AWAY FREE TREES WITH TREES FOR HOUSTON, LITERALLY THIS WEEKEND. SO THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT, UH, I DON'T THINK IS LOST ON ANYONE AROUND THE HORSESHOE. SECOND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SECOND KNOWLEDGE FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON, JUMP IN. NO. WANNA BE CAREFUL. WANNA BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT IRRIGATION SYSTEM? 'CAUSE THE TOURISTS CAN'T PAY FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT REQUIRES ONGOING MAINTENANCE. MM-HMM . THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE TO FALL TO THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT OR ANOTHER SOURCE. SO, I HEAR YA. WE'RE ALL GREAT HAND WATERING, LIKE DR. COOK'S TALKING ABOUT. YOU GOTTA GET OUT THERE AT THE RIGHT TIME. NOT DURING THE DAY, BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY WITH THE RAIN WE'RE GETTING TO THE END OF THIS SEASON. AND IF I COULD JUST SAY ONE LAST THING TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME, JUST BECAUSE I LOVE TREES DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T LOVE CHILDREN OR MY COMMUNITY OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, DR. NEXT SPEAKER, NOW PLEASE. NEXT SPEAKER, MICHELLE BOUCHARD. HELLO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, COUNCILMAN ROBINSON AND MICHELLE AND COUNCILWOMAN, UH, CAME IN FOR COMING OUT TO THE PROTEST. MY NAME'S MICHELLE BOUCHARD. I I LIVE IN MONTROSE. I OWN A TOWNHOUSE IN MONTROSE. I'M A, I'M A TEXAN AND I ECHO A LOT OF, UH, EVERYTHING THAT STEVEN SAYS. BUT, UH, I HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROJECT UNTIL THE SEPTEMBER 18TH, UH, MEETING. MY NEIGHBOR TOLD ME SHE SAW IT ON NEXT DOOR. NEIGHBOR, I KNOW EVERYBODY ON MY STREET. NO ONE ON MY STREET. I LIVE A BLOCK OFF OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD. NO ONE HAD EVER HEARD OF THIS PROJECT. SO THERE WAS A VERY SERIOUS LACK OF COMMUNICATION, EVEN THOUGH THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME. AND ON TOP OF BEING CONCERNED JUST ABOUT THE TREES THEMSELVES, WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CARBON SEC SE SEQUESTRATION YES. IMPACT THAT THE REMOVAL OF HUNDREDS OF TREES PERHAPS WILL HAVE, UH, UH, ON OUR COMMUNITY. BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST PHASE ONE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF TREES ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 59. AND I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS IN THE ENERGY BUSINESS WHO ARE ASKING ME, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT, IS THERE AN ANALYSIS OF THE CARBON SEC SEQUESTRATION? BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, LIVE OAKS ARE ESPECIALLY ADEPT AT TAKING IN CARBON MORE THAN OTHER SPECIES. SO I THINK WE, UH, WE DESERVE TO HEAR ABOUT THAT ANALYSIS. THE SECOND ASPECT OF THIS TIERS PLAN THAT WILL BE EXTREMELY DELETERIOUS TO OUR EVERYDAY LIVES IS THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT WILL BE DRIVEN TO THE ADJACENT SMALL STREETS WEST OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD. DUE TO THE PROHIBITION OF WEST TO EAST TRAFFIC ON WEST CLAY, BOWER, JACKSON, AND WELCH, OUR WESTERN STREETS ARE NARROW AND ALREADY EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE. [01:15:01] AND AT THE SEPTEMBER 18TH TEARS PRESENTATION AND ENGINEER FROM GAGE TOLD ME AND MY NEIGHBOR, THAT ONLY 500 CARS A DAY WOULD BE DRIVEN DOWN OUR LITTLE STREETS. NOW THIS IS UNTENABLE. I WILL TELL YOU, OUR STREETS ARE, IT'S HARD TO GET DOWN THESE STREETS NOW, AND IT WILL MAKE OUR LIVES VERY DIFFICULT, OUR EVERYDAY LIVES. AND WE DESERVE TO SEE THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS. I FEEL I UNDERSTAND THOSE SMALL NUMBER OF PARENTS WALK THEIR CHILDREN ACROSS MONTROSE TO GET TO WHARTON ELEMENTARY. AND AS A PARENT WHO WALKED MY KIDS TO SCHOOL, I UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR SAFETY. HOWEVER, WOULDN'T TRAFFIC LIGHTS SYNCHRONIZED WITH THE ONES AT WEST DALLAS AND WEST GRAY AS WELL AS A CROSSING GUARD, BE MORE LOGICAL, LESS EXPENSIVE, AND MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL WAY TO GO? I'M ALSO CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THE CHILDREN THAT ATTEND WHARTON RESIDE IN THE DISTRICT AND ACTUALLY WALK TO SCHOOL. ARE WE GONNA SACRIFICE THE SAFETY OF ALL OUR RESIDENTS WHO WALK THEMSELVES, THEIR STROLLERS, THEIR DOGS ON THE SIDE STREETS FOR THE COSTLY BENEFIT OF A FEW FAMILIES, WHEN ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TAKE THE REASONABLE CONVENTIONAL APPROACH OF TRAFFIC LIGHTS? THE THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN ROCK TRUST WHO SHARE MY FEELINGS AND WE DESERVE TO BE HEARD. AND THIS PROCESS HAS TO SLOW DOWN. SO WE FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE HEARD. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN, YOU GOT IT IN RIGHT UNDER THE BUZZER. I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR ENGAGEMENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO, MS. BROUCHARD, UH, WE HAVE A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS, MR. KENNETH ALLEN PARKS AND RECREATION. HIS RESPONSE WAS, THE EXISTING LEGACY OAKS IN THE MEDIAN ALONG MONTROSE BOULEVARD WILL BE PRESERVED, WILL ALL BE PRESERVED AND HAVE TREE PROTECTION PLANS IN PLACE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TREE. HOWEVER, MANY SMALLER OAKS AND ELMS ALONG THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD, BETWEEN THE STREET AND THE SIDEWALK FROM ALLEN PARKWAY TO SOUTH OF WEST CLAY WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. OR THEY ARE CURRENTLY EITHER UNHEALTHY IN CONFLICT WITH POWER LINES AND PLANTED IN SMALL PLANTING STRIPS, NOT CONDUCIVE FOR GROWTH. THE EXISTING RED BUG TREES IN THE MEDIUM WILL ALSO BE REMOVED DUE TO NARROWING OF THE MEDIUM TO WIDEN TRAFFIC LANES. EACH TREE REMOVED WILL BE REPLACED INCH FOUR INCH. THE REPLACEMENT TREES WILL BE LARGER FORMED SPECIES SUCH AS LIVE OAK AND BALL CYPRUS, AND WILL BE PLANTED WHERE APPROPRIATE BETWEEN THE STREET AND SIDEWALK, AS WELL AS WITHIN THE MEDIAN SPECIES SELECTION IS NOT YET FINALIZED AND MAY BE ADJUSTED BEFORE THE FINAL APPROVAL OF THE PROJECT TO BETTER ACCOMMODATE EXPECTED FUTURE CLIMATE AND GROWING CONDITIONS. NO TREE REMOVAL PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. REPEAT, NO TREE REMOVAL PERMITS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FROM THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ON THIS PROJECT TO DATE. HOWEVER, UPON REVIEW OF THE 90% CONSTRUCTION PLANS, ALL PROPOSED TREE REMOVALS FOR PHASE ONE COMPLY WITH SECTION 33 1 12 C AND SECTION 33 DASH 1 55 OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON CODE OF ORDINANCES. WITH ALL DUE TO RESPECT, SIR, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU READ THE MATERIALS THAT DR. COOK SENT YOU BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, DISCREPANCIES AND THAT DOES NOT ADDRESS MY CONCERN ABOUT CARBON SEQUESTRATION, WHICH, UH, APPLIES TO NOT ONLY THIS SMALL PART, BUT THE PART ON MONTROSE BOULEVARD WHERE WE HAVE WAY MORE TREES GOING DOWN TO 59 ROBINSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. THANKS AGAIN, MICHELLE, UH, FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS. AND WE WILL DEFINITELY POUR OVER THE, UH, INFORMATION FROM DR. COOK. UM, HAVING GOTTEN TO THE RALLY ON SUNDAY AND THEN DRIVEN BOTH DIRECTIONS, UM, SLOWLY WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BARRY WARD FROM TREES FOR HOUSTON. I KNOW HE HAS, AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED, PLEDGED HIS ONGOING, UH, SUPPORT AND EXPERTISE WITH THE TOUR BOARD, WITH THE DESIGN. WE DID HAVE A, A CONVERSATION ABOUT CARBON SEQUESTRATION. SO THAT IS, YOU'RE RIGHT ON POINT ABOUT THAT AND, YOU KNOW, SPARING THE DETAILS OF THAT DISCUSSION. RIGHT NOW, WE WILL BE TALKING TO OUR EXPERTS. SO YOU ALL ARE GOING IN WHAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM JUST READ FROM OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT IS REGARDING THE 90% COMPLETION OF THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS. SO, SO FAR THE POINT IS THERE, THE GROUP IS ADHERING TO THE STANDARDS OF OUR CODE AND ORDINANCES, WHICH IS IMPORTANT, BUT THAT STILL, UH, SPEAKS TO THE EFFORT THAT YOU ALL ARE PRODUCING HERE TO GET YOUR, MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS, UH, AS STRONG A PROPOSAL AS IT CAN POSSIBLY BE. SO WE'RE GONNA KEEP WORKING WITH YOU. AND, UH, LAST POINT, THE, UH, COORDINATION OF THE SIGNALS THAT YOU SPOKE ABOUT FOR WARDEN AND ELSEWHERE AS CHAIR OF THE TTI COM COMMITTEE. THAT'S FOR TRANSPORTATION. WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT [01:20:01] SIGNAL, UM, COORDINATION THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UH, NOT, UH, THIS THURSDAY, BUT IN OUR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING. SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THAT AND MAKE IT BETTER ACROSS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT IT UP. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I WOULD ASK YOU PLEASE LOOK AT THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS TOO, AND WALK DOWN MY LITTLE STREET OF MARCONI VAN BUEN, ALL THOSE STREETS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, DR. GEORGIA HITCHCOCK. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'LL TRY NOT TO REPEAT. UM, THE, MY NEW, ACTUALLY MOSTLY NEW FRIENDS. WE JUST A GROUP OF NEIGHBORS WHEN WE ALL SIMULTANEOUSLY FOUND OUT AND WERE SHOCKED. UH, WHEN I HEARD JUST TWO WEEKS AGO ABOUT THE TEARS PROJECT, TAKING DOWN, UM, ALL THOSE TREES. I LIVE, UM, JUST OFF MONTROSE. I'M A RETIRED DENTIST AND I'M BEEN THERE MANY YEARS ENJOYING WONDERFUL, UH, TREES ON MONTROSE WEREN'T DRIVING DOWN THREE OR FOUR TIMES EVERY DAY, PROBABLY. UM, I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I WAS ALONE IN, IN THINKING, UM, THAT THIS WAS NOT, UH, THAT THIS FIRST PHASE ALONE WAS JUST AGAINST RATIONAL DESIGN IN MANY WAYS. SO MY DAUGHTER AND I STARTED A PETITION, WHICH YOU HEARD ABOUT. AND, UM, IN JUST TWO WEEKS, WE HAVE NEARLY 5,000 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED AND MANY, MANY HAVE COMMENTED. AND, UH, MOST OF THE, I HAVE COPIES OF THAT FOR, UH, FOR MAYBE FOR YOU, ABBY, UH, THAT WOULD PROBABLY SINCE MOST OF OUR, OF THESE, UH, COMMENTS FROM MONTROSE AND FROM ZIP CODES IN DISTRICT C. BUT THEY ALSO ARE FROM AROUND HOUSTON, AROUND TEXAS, UH, AND ELSEWHERE BECAUSE, UM, MONTROSE IS TRULY LOVED AND IS A TOURIST DESTINATION FOR THE CITY, FOR ANYONE WHO'S BEEN THERE. VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT RESPONDED, UM, ARE JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT IT. AND, UH, WE JUST, WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE ANY, ANY, UH, ENOUGH INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME. I THINK SOME SM SOME MEETINGS WERE HELD THAT WERE VERY SPARSELY ATTENDED. I, I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS, BUT I DID SEE THOSE. UM, IF WE'D KNOWN, WE WOULD'VE BEEN SPEAKING UP EARLIER. MY TRAINING IS SCIENCE. I, THE SCIENCE IS NOT WITH THIS PROJECT AFTER A RECORD HOT SUMMER, MORE EXPECTED, WHY WOULD WE AND ONE FELL SWOOP DESTROY FOREVER. THE CARBON ABSORBING OXYGEN PRODUCING SHADE CANOPY THAT COOLS THE WHOLE STREET AND AREA AROUND IT, THEN PAVE OVER LARGER AREAS OF FOREST GROUND WITH HOT CEMENT AND THEN PLANT LITTLE VULNERABLE TREES, SAPLINGS THAT REQUIRE INTENSE CARE TO SURVIVE. UM, THERE'S JUST GOT TO BE A WAY TO, FOR BETTER WALKWAYS AND SCHOOL CROSSINGS, UM, WITHOUT DESTROYING OLD GROWTH OAK TREES. UM, YOU KNOW, WAS, WAS THIS WAS CHEER THINKING OR WAS, WAS, DID THE CITY HAVE A THOUGHT ABOUT HOW MANY YEARS IT WOULD TAKE FOR NEWLY PLANTED SAPLINGS TO ONCE AGAIN SHADE, MONTROSE AND THE WALKWAYS THE WAY IT SO BEAUTIFULLY DOES NOW? UM, 50 YEARS. A HUNDRED YEARS? UH, IT, IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR A BIG TREE TO MAKE SHADE. UM, THIS PROJECT JUST NEEDS A LOT MORE THOUGHT, UM, BEFORE OUR, UM, BOULEVARD IS DESTROYED. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DR. HITCHCOCK, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. YES, DR. HITCHCOCK. THANK YOU. UM, I HAD ONE QUESTION FOR YOU 'CAUSE WE, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT SEGMENT ONE, UHHUH, UM, AND THE REMOVAL OF, OF THE TREES THERE. AND THAT CONCERN AS SOMEONE THAT LIVES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, I, I THINK YOU KNOW THIS, BUT I DON'T WANNA PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH. THERE ARE SEGMENTS OF MONTROSE THAT DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A TREE CANOPY, CORRECT? YES. UM, ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF EXPANDING THE TREE CANOPY ALONG THE ENTIRETY OF THE CORRIDOR, EXPANDING THE CANOPY ALONG THE ENTIRE YES. YES MA'AM. OF COURSE. BUT NOT THAT THE REMOVAL OF ALL, UH, RIGHT. AND I, AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING, I'M NOT, I I HEAR YOU. I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M GETTING AS MUCH RESIDENT INPUT AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THE TURS CAN HEAR YOU. SO I'M ASKING QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE, AGAIN, WE HAVE TS MEMBERS HERE, SO I WANT THEM YES, OF COURSE. YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA ENGAGE AND BE ENGAGED AND HAVE CONTINUED TO BE ENGAGED. UM, BUT OVERALL, IF THE OBJECTIVE IS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE CORRIDOR TO EXPAND THE TREE CANOPY, UH, REDUCE FLOOD MITIGATION, ET CETERA, THAT YOU ARE IN SUPPORT OF THAT? WELL, IN, IN GENERAL, YES. ANY, ANYBODY WOULD BE IN SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, UM, I WILL, UH, SHOULD I GET THESE TO YOU NOW? I HAVE THE COMMENTS. I, AND, UM, I HAVE A, THE, ANOTHER, UH, STATEMENT. MY, MY DAUGHTER AND I WOUND UP DOING THIS, UM, [01:25:01] UH, ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP AND COMMENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DR. HITCHCOCK. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MS. MEDI RICE. MR. BEG YOUR PARDON, MR. MEDI RICE GREETINGS WELCOME. I GOT A FEW HANDOUTS IF I CAN HAND IT. PLEASE DO. RIGHT THERE WITH RHONDA. THANK YOU MEDI. HEY, APPRECIATE YOU GUYS HAVING ME. IT'S BEEN ROUGHLY ABOUT SIX MONTHS SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. UM, I WAS KINDLY, UH, APPOINTED BY HISD AS, UH, TIERS 14 APPOINTEE TO THAT BOARD. UM, I'M ALSO A BOARD MEMBER OF THE NORTH MONTROSE CIVIC ASSOCIATION. I HAD A KI COMMITTEE AT OUR KIDS, HISD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR SAFER WALKS. AND WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED AND ASSISTED OUR TIERS. 27 TO APPLY TO TDO FOR $5 MILLION GRAND TO HELP SUPPORT SAFER WALKS TO THREE SCHOOLS IN NORTH MONTROSE THAT INCLUDE WHARTON, DLA, GREGORY LINCOLN AND VANGUARD. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'M A DAD WHO WALKS HIS KIDS TO SCHOOL. I GET TO DO THAT TWICE A DAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL. MYSELF AND MY KIDS DO THIS AGAINST ALL ODDS. WE, ALONG WITH DOZENS OF FAMILIES, CROSS MONTROSE BOULEVARD FOR THIS ONE SCHOOL. BUT THERE ARE SIX HISD SCHOOLS ALONG MONTROSE BOULEVARD. SO IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THIS RIGHT. UM, ACCORDING TO A RECENT TRAFFIC STUDY, THE AVERAGE SPEED OF CARS IN OUR MONTROSE SCHOOL ZONE IS 45 MILES PER HOUR. THE RANGES OF THE SPEED LIMITS ARE 20 TO 35 MILES PER HOUR. SO YOU CAN SEE HOW WE'RE IN A LITTLE CONFLICT HERE. LITTLE KIDS LIVES UP AGAINST 45 MILES PER HOUR. MONTROSE IS PART OF THE 6% OF ROADS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 60% OF TRAFFIC INJURIES AND DEATHS ACCORDING TO VISION ZERO, WHICH YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR, IN YOUR SLIDES. THIS HAS BEEN A HIGHLY DANGEROUS WALK FOR MYSELF, MY TWO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GIRLS, MY WIFE, MY MOM, GRANDMA WHO COMES IN TOWN AND WALKS THOSE KIDS. THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, WE APPROACHED THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, HPD, THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE, COUNCILMAN CAYMAN'S OFFICE, AND TIERS 27 TO SEE HOW WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS AREA SAFER FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES WHO WALK AND BIKE TO SCHOOL. TO YOUR CREDIT, THIS ENGAGEMENT WORKED. GOVERNMENT HAS RESPONDED. I WAS POINTED TO MONTROSE TIERS 27 TO HELP WITH SOLUTIONS. AND NEARLY EVERY PUBLIC MEETING, ROUGHLY 40, SINCE I'VE ENGAGED TIERS 27 HAS HOSTED OVER THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS. THE CHILDREN IN THEIR JOURNEYS HAVE BECOME AN AREA OF FOCUS THAT HAS SHARPENED OVER TIME. EARLY ON, PARENTS ENUMERATED ALL THE PROBLEMS IN, IN A COGENT MANNER AND SHARED THIS DATA WITH TIER 27. TIER 27 COUNCILOR COUNCILMAN CAYMAN, HPD COUNCIL CONSTABLE'S OFFICE IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ACTUALLY CAME TO OUR SCHOOL TO MEET 60 FAMILIES TO HEAR THE ISSUES WITH THIS JOURNEY. THEY CAME TO THE NORTH MONTROSE CIVIC ASSOCIATION TO HEAR WHAT RESIDENTS HAVE TO SAY THE NEEDS OF THE AREA. COUNCIL COUNCILMEN CAME AND ACTUALLY CAME TO OUR SCHOOL WITH A LEGION OF OTHER, UM, UH, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO WALK THE AREA OF GREGORY LINCOLN AND WHARTON. THEY SAW THE ILLS THAT WE SUFFER FROM. WE HAVE TERRIBLE SIDEWALKS, WE HAVE TERRIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE. IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO WALK AROUND THE AREA. SHE WOULDN'T PUT HER, I THINK AT THE TIME, 2-YEAR-OLD, DOWN ON THE GROUND BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU, MR. RACE. WE'LL TURN TO COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. YEAH. UM, ME, I, WE'VE BEEN GIVING EVERYONE ELSE EXTRA TIME, SO I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A FEW SECONDS TO WRAP UP. AND THEN I HAD A, A QUESTION OR TWO FOR YOU. YEAH, CERTAINLY. SO, UM, THIS PROJECT'S BEEN ADMITTED TO THE WILL OF KIDS, FAMILIES, RESIDENTS, AND NEIGHBORS. THIS HAS BEEN A LONG, THOUGHTFUL PROCESS SINCE 2019. IT HASN'T BEEN DONE IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. I'VE BEEN ATTENDING MANY OF THOSE MEETINGS. MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE HAVE ATTENDED MANY OF THE MEETINGS FOR THIS ITERATION. AND WE AIM FOR IMPROVED CROSSWALKS AND SIDEWALKS FOR THE KIDS IN ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION INTERVENTIONS THAT REDUCE SPEEDS FROM THAT 45 MILE PER HOUR AVERAGE TO THE ACTUAL POSTED SPEED, UP TO 35 MILES PER HOUR, PRESERVING AS MANY HEALTHY TREES AS POSSIBLE WHILE INCREASING AVAILABLE CANOPY. EVERY TREE IN THIS, IN, IN THIS FIRST PHASE HAS BEEN EVALUATED BY URBAN FORESTRY, INDEPENDENT ARBORISTS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS. WE ARE PRESERVING ALL THE MATURE MAJESTIC TREES, THE ONES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS SICK, STRUGGLING, OR DEAD. YOU HAVE PICTURES OF THOSE. LOOK AT THE PICTURES. THESE ARE SAD STATE OF TREES. FOR EVERY ONE OF THESE TREES THAT ARE IN A SAD STATE, WE'RE PLANTING TWO AND A HALF TREES. THESE ARE NOT SAPLINGS. I HEAR SAPLINGS. THESE ARE 65 GALLON COMMERCIAL GRADE TREES. THEY'RE 10 TO 12 FEET TALL, THEY SPAN SIX FEET. THESE ARE THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE'VE SCALED ACROSS THE CITY, AND I FIND IT INSULTING. SO, READY? I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA, SORRY, I'M GONNA RECLAIM [01:30:01] A LITTLE BIT OF MY TIME. SURE. PAUSE. UM, SO AGAIN, LIKE I'VE ASKED OTHER RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, WHICH MEETINGS YOU'VE ATTENDED. SO JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, HOW MANY PUBLIC MEETINGS HAVE YOU ATTENDED? I'VE ATTENDED ROUGHLY THREE DOZEN ME MEETINGS OVER THE LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS. OKAY. AND YOU LIVE IN THE AREA AS WELL AS SOME OF THE OTHER RESIDENTS THAT HAVE SPOKEN? I LIVE IN A PARALLEL STREET TO ONE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ON PATO STREET. RIGHT. SO I WILL FEEL THE SAME TRAFFIC AS THIS INDIVIDUAL. THE TIER IS OFFERED TO STUDY AFTER THIS GOES LIVE IF IT'S GONNA BE A PROBLEM. THEY'VE ALSO SAID THEY HAVE SOLUTIONS IN MIND. RIGHT. AND THAT'S, THIS HAS BEEN A DIALOGUE. YEAH. AND AGAIN, MY, MY GOAL IN SITTING HERE IS TO GET AS MUCH, UM, BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO FIND SURE SOLUTIONS, RIGHT TO SAVE AS MANY TREES AS POSSIBLE WHILE GETTING CRITICAL FLOOD MITIGATION IN PROTECTING THE TREE CANOPY AS MUCH AS WE CAN, DOING THE REPLANTING AS MUCH AS WE CAN, ET CETERA. THE SEGMENT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, I THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW WITH SEGMENT ONE. CORRECT. IS THE SCHOOL, WHERE IS THE SCHOOL AS IT RELATES TO SEGMENT ONE FOR OTHERS THAT MAY NOT BE. YEAH, IT'S HALF A BLOCK AWAY FROM WEST CLAY, SO IT'S LITERALLY HALF A CITY BLOCK FROM WEST CLAY AND MONTROSE. OKAY. AND SO WE'RE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY, AND LAST QUESTION, 'CAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN ASKING OTHER RESIDENTS, 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TO PUBLIC MEETINGS, OTHER PEOPLE JUST LEARNED ABOUT IT THROUGH VOICE BY NEIGHBORS. HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE MEETINGS, UM, THAT THET HAS BEEN PUTTING ON? SURE. SO THERE'S, THERE'S MULTIPLE WAYS. ONE, THEY HAVE AN EMAIL LIST, YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR IT. TWO THROUGH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. ALL THE TIERS ARE, ARE LINKED THROUGH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, TIERS 27 IS ONE OF ALL OF THEM THAT ARE LINKED. THEY HAVE THEIR CALENDARS ON THERE. I THINK I DO BELIEVE THEY SAY, I THINK IT'S THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT'S POSTED THERE. IT'S REGULARLY AVAILABLE AND THEY PUSH OUT EMAILS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS CONTINUOUSLY. SO THOSE MEETINGS ARE 50, 50 TO 60 PEOPLE SOMETIMES THAT ARE REGULARLY THERE, RESIDENTS THAT I SEE AND HAVE BECOME FRIENDS WITH. AND WE ITERATE ON THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS ONCE A MONTH. SO THEY'VE BEEN A GREAT TIER OF MODEL TIER TO WORK WITH. OKAY. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. DAVIS. MR. RES, NEXT SPEAKERS WILL BE, UH, LISA. LISA HUNT. LISA, THANK YOU MADAM SECRETARY. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SECRETARY. MS. HUNT? YES, MA'AM. UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. I'M LISA HUNT, I'M A MEMBER OF THE MONTROSE TURS BOARD, UM, AND THE CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF OUR TOURS. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE MONTROSE AREA AND FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS ONE OF THE OLDEST AREAS OF THE CITY WITH DEEPLY, UM, IMPAIRED INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS PUBLIC SERVICE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US AT THIS TIME. I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE MONTROSE TOUR SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN NOVEMBER OF 2015. AND THE INCEPTION OF THE MONTROSE TOURS CAME, UM, AS A RESULT OF PUBLIC OUTCRY. UH, WHEN THE MIDTOWN TOURS WANTED TO ANNEX MONTROSE, 300 NEIGHBORS SHOWED UP AT ST. THOMAS, UH, UNIVERSITY, UH, TO SAY NOT IN OUR BACKYARD WITHOUT OUR CONVERSATION AND TALK. MONTROSE IS A DEEPLY ENGAGED COMMUNITY THAT CARES DEEPLY ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE. IT'S FILLED WITH, UM, PEOPLE WHO RENT, UH, STUDENTS WHO CARE, AND PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP AS WELL AS MAKE THEIR OPINIONS KNOWN. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE STRIVEN TO DO AS A BOARD IS TO CREATE AS MANY AVENUES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS POSSIBLE. AND WHILE IT FEELS LIKE EGG ON THE FACE TO HAVE A PETITION OF 4,000 PEOPLE, THAT'S MONTROSE. SO IN SOME WAYS, I THINK THAT ENGAGEMENT IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE FACT THAT WE'VE SOUGHT INPUT AND THAT WE'VE LISTENED WHEN IT WAS PEOPLE WHO WERE EXPERIENCING FLOODING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AS A RESULT OF THE LACK OF DRAINAGE THAT GOT INCORPORATED INTO OUR PLAN WHEN IT WAS BICYCLISTS THAT WERE CONCERNED THAT OUR WA UH, OUR SIDEWALKS WERE INADEQUATE. UM, FOR THIS PHASE ONE PLAN. WE MADE CHANGES WHEN PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WANTED PUBLIC ART TO BE PART OF THIS PLAN. WE LISTENED AND WE LOOKED FOR PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT DESIRE. AND, UM, TREES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CRITICAL TO THE LIFE OF THE MONTROSE COMMUNITY AND EVERY PROJECT THAT WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN. AND SO AS THE NEIGHBORS ARE EXPRESSING CONCERN, MANY OF WHOM ARE LATE TO THE TABLE AND HAVE NOT ENGAGED, UH, IN THIS PROCESS, WE WANT TO LISTEN TO THEM AND TAKE THEIR CONCERNS SERIOUSLY. ARE ALL OF THE TREES THAT ARE IMPACTED IN PHASE [01:35:01] ONE HEALTHY? NO, THEY ARE NOT. MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN BRUTALLY, UM, PRUNED TO ACCOMMODATE UTILITIES AND ARE INJURED. UM, THE, THE PLANTING AREAS ARE DEEPLY NARROW IN THIS PHASE ONE, UM, POLICY. I MEAN, UM, AREA. AND ONE OF THE COMMITMENTS WE HAVE HAD AS A BOARD IS TO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF PUBLIC DOLLARS. SO WE DO NOT WANNA PUT IN PLANT MATERIAL THAT WE AS A TOURS CANNOT MAINTAIN. UH, AND SO I JUST WANNA HAS THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE. THANK YOU MS. HUNT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. YES. UM, LISA, YOUR CHURCH IS ALSO IN MONTROSE, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. AND, UH, I WANNA FIRST OFF, THANK YOU ALL, UM, FOR HELP BEING HOME TO A LOT OF THE PUBLIC MEETINGS. UM, CAN YOU SPEAK REALLY QUICKLY TO YOUR ROLE, UM, ONE IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THE STUDIES THAT YOU HAVE CHAMPIONED, UM, AS IT RELATES NOT JUST TO THIS PROJECT, BUT A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MONTROSE. AND I A THOUSAND PERCENT AGREE, THE REASON WHY WE HAVE SO MUCH ENGAGEMENT IS THE REASON WHY OUR DISTRICT IS SO INCREDIBLE, RIGHT? RIGHT. THAT THE FEEDBACK IS HELPFUL. THE FEEDBACK IS WHAT YOU ALL HAVE STRIVEN TO INCORPORATE INTO YOUR PLANS. ABSOLUTELY. UH, SO I APPRECIATE THE OPEN MIND, OPEN HEART APPROACH TO ALL OF THIS, BUT IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO THE STUDIES THAT WENT INTO THIS, NOT THE ENGINEERING STUDIES, BUT I MEAN THE, THE PEOPLE TO PEOPLE STUDIES, UH, RELATED TO EQUITY THAT HELPED EDUCATE AND INFORM WHAT Y'ALL FOCUS ON. ABSOLUTELY. UM, SO WHAT I WOULD, UH, SAY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DRIVERS FOR OUR DECISION MAKING AS A TOURS IS THE LIVABLE CENTER STUDY THAT WAS CONDUCTED AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR WORK TOGETHER AS A TOURS. UM, AND, UM, THE ENVIRONMENT, UM, BOTH BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT WERE VALUES THAT WERE LIFTED UP AS WELL AS PUBLIC, UH, ART AND WALKABILITY AS WELL AS A MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION. SO THAT'S BEEN A BLUEPRINT. WE'VE ALSO LOOKED AT THE QUALITY OF LIVING, UM, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND LACK THEREOF IN THE MONTROSE. WE'VE SPENT MONEY DOING STUDIES ABOUT THAT AND LOOKING AT THE LONGEVITY OF, UM, OUR HOUSING STOCK. CAN WE BE BETTER ON THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AREA? ABSOLUTELY. AND WE HAVE JUST, UM, CONTRACTED WITH HOLLOWAY, UH, TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. AND SO, UH, WE REALLY ARE LOOKING FORWARD AND, UH, WILL CONTINUE TO BE DATA DRIVEN AND RESPONSIVE TO LISTENING TO OUR COMMUNITY. RIGHT. AND I APPRECIATE THAT SOME OF THE COMMITMENTS THAT Y'ALL HAVE MADE WITH THE WALKING TOURS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING TREE BY TREE AND THE ENGAGEMENT ON THAT. UM, BUT I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE, AGAIN, AS AN AREA, AS A DISTRICT THAT HAS BEEN HARDEST HIT BY REPETITIVE FLOODING THAT WHEN I GOT THE CALL ABOUT THIS, THE HEART OF THIS PROJECT INITIALLY WAS THE FLOOD MITIGATION AND PROTECTION FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT A LOT OF THE REALLY INTENSE TREE PRUNINGS THAT HAVE TAKEN ON ALONG THE CORRIDOR. I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM, UH, CENTER POINT HERE. OUR COMMUNITY IN MONTROSE HAS GONE THROUGH A LOT, UM, IN DEALING WITH UTILITIES. AND I DO WANNA JUST, UH, AS A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, JASON IS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY TO LISTEN. UM, AND, UH, THAT I HAVE SUBMITTED EVEN A REQUEST AS WE TALK ABOUT THE UTILITY POLES THAT ARE GOING UP, THAT THOSE BE PAUSED, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WE CONTINUE TO GRAPPLE WITH THAT. BUT WITH MONTROSE BOULEVARD SPECIFICALLY, WILL THE UTILITIES REMAIN OR BE BURIED? MY UNDERSTANDING COUNCIL MEMBER IS THAT THEY WILL BE RETAINED BUT MOVED. UH, SO THEY WON'T BE IN, UM, THEY WON'T BE CREATING AS NARROW A STRIP, UH, FOR THE TREES. SO THE HEALTH OF THE TREES WILL BE MORE ENHANCED. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, JOE WEBB. GOOD AFTERNOON MR. WEBB. HOW ARE YOU, SIR? DOING WELL, COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. I'M JOE WEBB. I CHAIR THE MONTROSE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND TS 27. I ALSO CHAIR THE PROJECTS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE. I'M AN ARCHITECT AND AN URBAN PLANNER BY PROFESSION AND A 27 YEAR RESIDENT OF MONTROSE IN A 100 AND 2-YEAR-OLD HOUSE. THE REDEVELOPMENT OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD IS ABOUT CREATING WHAT THE COMMUNITY TOLD US THEY WANTED. THEY WANTED IN THE WALK BIKE STUDY, IN THE LIVABLE CENTER STUDY AND MULTIPLE MEETINGS SINCE THEN. THEY WANTED A RECOGNIZABLE, WALKABLE SIGNATURE BOULEVARD STREET CAPE [01:40:02] SITUATION THAT SAYS YOU ARE IN MONTRO. NO SIGNS, NO BIG STRUCTURES THAT, YOU KNOW, CREATE A GATEWAY. BUT THEY WANTED A SENSE OF PLACE, A SENSE OF WELCOME AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE AFTER. AND SINCE THAT 2019 EFFORT THAT, UH, RESULTED FROM THE LIVABLE CENTERS STUDY, WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE RESULTS OF THAT. AND WE STARTED PRIORITIZING PROJECTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE SOLICITED FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CRITICAL ON OUR INPUT AS TO MONTROSE PROPER. WE HAVE HAD FOUR DEDICATED PUBLIC MEETINGS. WE HAVE HAD TWO OF THOSE, WHICH ARE IN SHE STYLE, WHICH MEANS YOU COULD GO OVER THERE AND MARK ON THE DRAWINGS AND TELL US WHAT WE MISSED AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO THAT'S THERE. AND WE'VE ALSO DONE 42 50 BOARD MEETINGS THAT TALK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE ON EACH OF OUR PROJECTS IN ADDITION TO EIGHT CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS AND THE NEAR TOWN PRESIDENT'S GROUP, TO TELL THEM WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHERE WE ARE. WE DO NOT MAKE DECISIONS IN A VACUUM. WE MAKE THEM WITH COMMUNITY INPUT AND WE PUBLISH ALL THE RECORDS OF THAT COMMUNITY INPUT. AND THEN WE TELL YOU HOW WE'VE INCORPORATED. MONTROSE IS NOT JUST SOME ISSUE OR PROJECT THAT HAS JUST APPEARED OUTTA NOWHERE. WE LIKE TREES TOO. WE TAKE IT, DO NOT TAKE IT LIGHTLY, THAT WE HAVE TO REMOVE THEM FOR CLARITY. AND YOU HEARD, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EARLIER, THE LARGE JOKES IN THE MEDIAN ARE BEING PRESERVED. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION PROTOCOLS. WHAT WE ARE REMOVING IS THE SICK, THE UNHEALTHY, THE DISFIGURED DUE TO RADICAL TRIMMING AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE CONSTRAINED WITH INSUFFICIENT SPACE FOR ROOT SYSTEMS. WE DO NOT TAKE REMOVAL LIGHTLY. WE ALSO DO A COMPLETE TREE INVENTORY. WE KNOW WHERE EVERY TREE IS, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS. WE KNOW IT'S HEALTH IF IT NEEDS TO HAVE SOME HELP. AND THEN WE CREATE PROTECTION PROTOCOLS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF. AND AS WE STEP DOWN, I'M GONNA SLIDE OUTTA MY NOTES FOR A MOMENT AS WE STEP DOWN MONTROSE AND GO SOUTH, WE GET INTO THE OAK ALLEY THAT GENERATIONS BEFORE US PLANTED. THAT WILL BE PROTECTION. YEAH. TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANKS. THANK YOU MR. WEBB. UH, QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN. THANK YOU. UM, JOE, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU AS BEING SUCH AN ENGAGED RESIDENT, UM, BUT ALSO FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLE WITH THE TS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO THE HISTORY OF THIS PROJECT. RIGHT. AND I, I'VE BEEN AT SOME OF THE, BEEN AT SOME OF THE CHARETTES STYLE WHERE EVERYONE'S LITERALLY PUTTING POST-ITS ON, YOU KNOW, CORNERS OF IT, ET CETERA. YEAH. UM, CAN YOU TALK FOR A SECOND ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WHERE THE EXPANDED SIDEWALKS CAME FROM? WAS THAT INITIALLY IN THE PLAN, OR HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? THAT WAS NOT INITIALLY IN THE PLAN. WE ARE GO, WE STARTED OFF WITH SIX FOOT SIDEWALKS, WHICH IS A MANDATORY ON A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE. THE BIKE COMMUNITY CAME TO US. UH, THEY WERE CONCERNED AND AS SIR, THE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE KIDS WERE CONCERNED, WAS THAT SUFFICIENT? SO WE LOOKED AT THE 10 FOOT, UM, SHARED PATH PRO, UH, WAY OF APPROACHING IT. IF YOU'VE WALKED BUFFALO BIO, IF YOU'VE SEEN THAT PATH, THAT IS A 10 FOOT SHARED PATH, YOU CAN BIKE AND YOU CAN WALK. IT'S SAFER, IT'S BETTER. AND IT'S, AND IT ALSO CAN BE CONFIGURED TO WHERE WE HAVE SUFFICIENT SPACE TO PUT PROPER TREES IN THAT WILL GROW AND DEFINITELY SHADE IT. AND AS IT RELATES TO THE TREES, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FEEDBACK IS AN ENTIRE PART OF THIS PROCESS THAT I, I BELIEVE Y'ALL HAVE TRIED TO FOLLOW. UM, YES. RIGHT. YOU'VE GOTTEN FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. YOU INCORPORATED SOMETHING IN, YOU'RE NOW GETTING MORE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY. UM, ARE THERE FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES AS, FOR EXAMPLE, BARRY AND TREES FOR HOUSTON IS DOING THE WALKTHROUGH, AS RESIDENTS ARE DOING THE WALKTHROUGH, ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO SAY, HEY, MAYBE WE CAN WORK AROUND THIS, YOU KNOW, PARTICULAR TREE. LIKE IS THERE ANY ROOM AT THIS POINT, AT THIS POINT FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES? I KNOW TWO, TWO WALKS WE'RE TRYING TO SCHEDULE AT THIS MOMENT TO DO THAT VERY THING. PERFECT. I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE AN EXACT TIME BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR BACK, BUT YES. UH, OKAY. AND, AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT I, I WANTED TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE OF THERE ARE, YES. THIS IS CONTINUING TO BE A WORK IN PROGRESS. I DO RECOGNIZE THE URGENCY MM-HMM . UM, THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR, FOR YEARS. AND WE DO NEED TO MOVE FORWARD TO GET THE FLOOD MITIGATION. AND AGAIN, AS ONE OF THE MAIN CORRIDORS, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PEOPLE INVOLVED, RIGHT? WITH 4,000 SIGNATURES. THERE'S THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE ALONG THE CORRIDOR. UM, BUT I, I SEE, I'M, BASED ON WHAT Y'ALL SAID, I'LL, I'LL MAKE SURE THE RECORD'S CLEAR. UM, BUT EVERYONE AROUND HOUSTON USES MONTROSE BOULEVARD. IT IS A SOURCE OF PRIDE, UM, NO PUN INTENDED, BUT GENUINE PRIDE FOR, UH, OUR CITY. SO THE WORK, THE INTENTIONALITY, [01:45:01] ALL OF THAT, UM, I, I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THE NEED TO CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM TO GET THIS PROJECT MOVING. UM, WELL, IT'S, IT'S ALSO A KEY STARTER ON OUR DRAINAGE PROCESS IN ALLEVIATING THE FLOODING POTENTIAL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THAT, AND THE WALKABILITY, THE USABILITY OF THE SPACE, THOSE TWO HAVE BECOME VERY BALANCED IN THIS PROCESS. SO WE DISCOVERED THAT THROUGH OUR RESEARCH. YEAH. AND SO IT'S NOW AN IMPORTANT FACTOR OF IT. AND THEN THE SAFETY, UH, WE ARE WORKING ON THAT ALSO. UH, IN FACT, WE JUST WENT THROUGH A RAISE GRANT PROCESS. WE DIDN'T GET IT. AND NOBODY ELSE DOWN HERE DID EITHER. UH, BUT ONE OF OUR HIGHEST MARKINGS AS TO THEIR, THEIR SCORING WAS IN THE SAFETY FACTOR. YEAH. AND, AND I WANNA THANK THE TS BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB GETTING CREATIVE, TRYING TO PULL DOWN FUNDS TO HELP THE FAMILIES IN THE AREA, UM, THAT HAVE RAISED SAFETY CONCERNS AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JOE. I KNOW, UM, THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS. UM, WHILE THERE ARE SOME HIGHLY TRAINED AND EXCELLENT PROFESSIONALS ON THIS, YOU AND YOUR LICENSE ON THE BOARD ALONG WITH PASTOR HUNT ARE NOT PAID. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HARD WORK AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO AHEAD. SO THANKS AGAIN FOR STAYING WITH US. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR US. GREAT. NEXT SPEAKER, KEVIN STRICKLAND. MR. STRICKLAND, HOW ARE Y'ALL TODAY? AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR THIS CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN DEMOCRACY. UM, I WAS SLANDERED AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR AND SO I'D LIKE A FEW SECONDS TO ADDRESS THAT. WHAT YOU HEARD WAS FLAT OUT UNEQUIVOCALLY A LIE, AND IT'S NOW BEEN REPEATED PUBLICLY. WE KNOW HOW THIS WORKS, RIGHT? DIFFERENT PEOPLE REPEAT THE LIE, SO IT SORT OF MAKES IT STICK. SO I SUSPECT YOU'LL HEAR MORE OF THAT TODAY. THERE ARE 20 PEOPLE THERE. UM, IT'S A LIE. IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR. SO THE FACT THAT CANDIDATES, SOME CANDIDATES WANNA SAY CRAZY THINGS TO GET ATTENTION IS DISAPPOINTING AND IT DAMAGES OUR DEMOCRACY, IS ALSO VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC SESSION CAN BE USED TO PLATFORM THIS. ALL RIGHT, NOW WHY I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT LIVABLE PLACE. NO, I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT LIVABLE PLACES. UH, MONTROSE BOULEVARD, THE BIG PICTURE HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED YET. UH, MONTROSE BOULEVARD IS A 30 YEAR FACILITY AT THE END OF ITS USEFUL LIFE. CURRENTLY, IT DOES NOT SERVE DRIVERS AND IT DEFINITELY DOES NOT SERVE PEOPLE WALKING AND BIKING. IT IS A HIGH INJURY NETWORK. I'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT HERE BEFORE. IT HAS SO MANY CRASHES ON IT THAT IT'S DESIGNATED AS ONE OF THE CITY'S 6% OF STREETS THAT CAUSE 60% OF OUR CRASHES. AND AS MEDI MENTIONED, THE AVERAGE SPEED IS 45. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU SOME NUMBERS 'CAUSE WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THIS ENOUGH. SO FAR THIS YEAR WE'VE LOST 13 BICYCLISTS. THAT IS AS MANY AS THE ENTIRE YEAR LAST YEAR. SO IT'S NOT GETTING BETTER. SECOND, 67 PEDESTRIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED WHILE WALKING AS A RESULT OF CAR VIOLENCE. AND IN A MOMENT I'LL TALK ABOUT WHY THAT RELATES TO MONTROSE BOULEVARD. UH, HALF OF THIS PROJECT, IT'S A $52 MILLION PROJECT. HALF OF IT IS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE DRAINAGE, UTILITIES, SEWER IN HOUSTON. WE LOVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR CRAPPY INFRASTRUCTURE, RIGHT? THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THAT AND IT'S FUNDED. THOSE TWO THINGS HAPPENING TOGETHER IS VERY UNUSUAL, RIGHT? WE KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES. UH, MONTROSE FLOODS THE TOURS, DID A DRAINAGE STUDY FOUR YEARS AGO TO IDENTIFY THIS. SO THAT'S GONNA BE ADDRESSED IN THIS PROCESS. IT'S SHOCKING TO ME THAT WE HAVE TO WORK SO HARD TO MAKE THE CASE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE STREET WHERE THEY LIVE SAFELY. THERE ARE SIX SCHOOLS IN THIS CORRIDOR. MANY AND MANY OTHER PARENTS WALK THEIR KIDS ACROSS MONTROSE DAILY. CAN YOU IMAGINE WITH CARS GOING 45 MILES PER HOUR, HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS AND HOW RISKY THAT IS. UH, WE NEED TO DISPEL THIS NOTION THAT THE TURS HAS NOT BEEN ENGAGING OR A TRANSPARENT, UM, DEMOCRACY IS A TWO-WAY STREET. YOU HAVE TO ELECT TO PARTICIPATE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS FOR YOU, COUNCILMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN HAS JUST CHIMED IN. NO, KEVIN, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I'M, YOU KNOW, SAYING YOU CAN TAKE LIKE 10 SECONDS TO WRAP UP, BUT I KNOW YOU HAD SOME DATA THAT YOU ARE ALSO GOING OFF OF. AND IF, IF YOU WANNA CIRCULATE THAT, UM, [01:50:01] TO TO COUNCIL, WE'D BE HAPPY TO REVIEW THAT TOO. UH, TO QUICKLY, I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE TUR, EVEN THOUGH I LIVE IN THE HEIGHTS, I'VE BEEN GOING TO THE TURS MONTROSE MEETINGS, UH, FOR THREE OR FOUR YEARS. UM, THEY'RE OFTEN CITY UH, CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS THERE. SO WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT, WELL THEY'RE ELECTING NOT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. YOU DO HAVE TO MAKE SOME EFFORT. THAT'S THE BARE MINIMUM FOR THE WAY DEMOCRACY WORKS, RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO ELECT TO PARTICIPATE. UM, IF I CAN MAKE ONE LAST POINT YEAH. ABOUT ENGAGEMENT. THIS PROJECT FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END IS VERY DIFFERENT. IT'S SO DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THAT COMMUNITY IMPACT THE LOCAL LITTLE NEWSPAPER DID A STORY ABOUT IT. SO LET'S JUST THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MOMENT. IT'S SO DIFFERENT. IT'S SO MUCH BETTER. THAT COMMUNITY IMPACT DID A STORY ABOUT THAT TO DOCUMENT THAT. ALRIGHT. SO YOU CAN I, YEAH. I'M GONNA RECLAIM MY TIME JUST 'CAUSE WE HAVE OTHER SPEAKERS. UH, BUT, BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, ALEXANDRA SMITHER. ALEXANDER SMITHER TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALEXANDER SPIKE. NEXT SPEAKER ALEXANDER SPIKE. MS. MS. SMITHER. YES MA'AM. GO AHEAD. UH, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME COME AND SPEAK THIS AFTERNOON. MY NAME'S ALEXANDRA SMITHER. I'M ALSO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MY HUSBAND AUSTIN. LOU ELLEN, WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT HERE TODAY. UM, I LIVE IN DISTRICT CI LIVE A COUPLE OF BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD, UH, PLAN. UM, I'M AN OPERA SINGER AND I ALSO WORK IN, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZING. SO I HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE TO SPEAK ABOUT PLANS THAT WERE BAD FOR THE CITY, THAT WERE CARBON BOMBS, SO TO SPEAK. UM, I'M ACTUALLY NOT HERE TO DO THAT TODAY. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD PLAN. UM, I USE MONTROSE BOULEVARD EVERY DAY TO WALK WITH MY HUSBAND, WITH MY NEPHEW, UM, TO TAKE THE BUS TO DRIVE. YOU NAME IT. I USE OZ BOULEVARD EVERY DAY. AND, UM, I BELIEVE THAT THIS PLAN WILL RESULT IN A BEAUTIFUL DESIGNED BOULEVARD THAT IS GOING TO MAKE IT MORE SAFE FOR NOT JUST PEOPLE LIKE ME, BUT OTHER PEOPLE. AND I THINK THE TREE PROTECTION PLAN LOOKS GOOD FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN. AND, UM, I THINK THAT, YEAH, I'M JUST HERE WANTED TO SAY I SUPPORT IT. AND THANK YOU FOR THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK YOU'VE DONE. AND I HOPE THAT ALL THE ENGAGEMENT AROUND THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BEING MORE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER AND FOCUSING LESS ON PEDESTRIANS AND TREES FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND US ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR ENVIRONMENT LESS CAR CENTRIC. AND I HOPE THE DISCUSSION WILL LEAD TO THAT. SO THANK YOU AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MS. SMITHER. THANK YOU. UH, REALLY QUICKLY, ALEXANDRA, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU, UM, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN ALL OF THE SPACES THAT YOU DO THEM IN, RIGHT. WE HAVE AN AMAZINGLY ENGAGED COMMUNITY, UM, TO WHICH YOU ARE A MEMBER. UH, WHEN DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECT AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ENGAGED? I SAW A MEETING FOR THE PROJECT MAYBE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. UM, BUT I WAS REALLY BUSY WITH WORK, SO I ONLY REALLY STARTED LOOKING AT THE PLANS A COUPLE DAYS AGO TO BE HONEST. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER ALEXANDER SPIKE. MR. SPIKE ALEXANDER SPIKE COMING TO THE PODIUM. YES SIR. GO AHEAD. GOOD AFTERNOON, Y'ALL. MY NAME IS ALEXANDER SPIKE. I SPEAK BOTH AS A RESIDENT OF THE MONTROSE AREA AND AS AN ADVOCATE WITH AIRLINES, HOUSTON AIRLINES. HOUSTON IS A NON-PROFIT ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION WORKING TO REDUCE THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACTS FROM AIR POLLUTION AND ADVANCED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AS AIRLINES, HOUSTON, I SPEAK ONLY ON THE IMPROVED MULTIMODAL REALM, WHICH PROMISES TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS AND TAKE EMISSION MAKING CARS OFF THE ROAD. WE APPROVE OF THE ADDITION OF A SHARED USE PATH ON MONTROSE BOULEVARD. WE BELIEVE EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO GET AROUND SAFELY AND COMFORTABLY NO MATTER THE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION USED. HOUSTON IS IN A, HOUSTON IS IN A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. WE'VE SUFFERED OVER 70 PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST DEATHS AND OF JULY. AND THE STREETS ARE ONLY GONNA GET MORE DANGEROUS AS THE TEMPERATURE DECREASES AND MORE PEOPLE GO OUT. AND ABOUT EARLIER THIS WEEK, PARENTS AND CHILDREN OF THE SIX SCHOOLS THAT DOT THE CORRIDOR WALKED THE LENGTH OF THE BOULEVARD TO CALL IN THE CITY AND TERRA TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THIS PROJECT, WE NEEDED TO EXECUTE ON THIS COMMUNITY DRIVEN PLAN AND GET THESE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS INSTALLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BY ACCOMMODATING, ENCOURAGING MULTIMODAL ACCESS, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS A CHOICE TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR ERRANDS, GET TO WORK, VISIT FAMILY AND FRIENDS, HOW THEY CHOOSE. THIS IS HOW WE BEAT TRAFFIC. THIS IS HOW WE IMPROVE AIR QUALITY. AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TRIPS WITHIN THREE MILES CAN EASILY BE DONE BY FOOT OR BY BICYCLE. BUT [01:55:01] GIVEN THE STATE OF OUR PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE, FEW WILL WALK TO THE GROCERY STORE OR TO WORK. I'VE GOT FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO WILL DRIVE FROM ONE SIDE OF MONTROSE BOULEVARD TO THE OTHER, OR A HANDFUL OF BLOCKS THEREAFTER. UM, BECAUSE THE SIDEWALKS ARE SO BUSTED AND THE ROAD'S SO UNPLEASANT TO BE NEAR, I'LL REMIND EVERYONE THAT THIS PLAN IS A COMPROMISE. THE ORIGINAL HOUSTON BIKE PLAN INCLUDED AN ON STREET BIKEWAY FROM MONTROSE BOULEVARD. UH, WE AS ADVOCATES AND RESIDENTS UNDERSTAND ALL PROJECTS WILL HAVE PUSH AND PULL IN HOW WE USE OUR PRECIOUS RIGHT OF WAY. THE SHARED USE PATH IS EXACTLY THAT COMPROMISE MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY AND MANY YOUNG ADVOCATES CAME TO EVERY TOUR AND CITY MEETING SINCE DECEMBER OF 2022, UH, TO MAKE SURE SOME SORT OF PEDESTRIAN BICYCLE TREATMENT WAS INCLUDED. THIS PROJECT IS A PRODUCT OF MANY, MANY MONTHS OF ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION FROM YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, UH, FOR Y'ALL'S TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN IN THE QUEUE REALLY QUICKLY, ALEXANDER, 'CAUSE SOME RESIDENTS HAVE BROUGHT UP CONCERNS WITH THE REMOVAL OF TREES. THE IMPACT OF CARBON AIR QUALITY IS SOMEBODY THAT IS, UH, IS A DISTRICT FUNDED AIR QUALITY MONITORS IN PARKS NEARBY BECAUSE OF THAT CONCERN. UM, DOES AIRLINES HAVE A POSITION ON WHETHER OR NOT, UH, THE IMPACT OF CARBON? RIGHT? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT REMOVING CARS OFF THE ROAD, WHICH WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE, THE TREE ISSUE, SO TO SPEAK? WE ARE NOT STEPPING INTO THE TREE DRAMA. OKAY. UNDERSTOOD. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL SAID. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, AUSTIN LEWELLEN. AUSTIN LEWELLEN IS NOT PRESENT. SEMINAR DURELL FOSTER, MS. DURACELL FOSTER, NOT PRESENT. NEXT SPEAKER. LOUIS DARLING. MR. DARLING LOUIS DARLING. NEXT SPEAKER, JIM TUCKER. MR. TUCKER IS PRESENT. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. IF YOU COULD MOVE CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, DURING THIS COUNCIL TERM, YOU'LL HOPEFULLY CONSIDER IMPASSE THE UPDATED NATIONAL BUILDING STANDARDS OF 2021 VERSION FOR USE IN HOUSTON. THIS UPDATE WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN RECOMMENDED INSTALLATION AND OTHER BUILDING PRACTICES THAT WILL HELP US ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS OF THE 2020 HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT REPORT ON HOW WE WERE PROGRESSING, UH, FROM THE IMPROVING MEASURES TAKEN TO DATE, AND HOW WE WERE PROGRESSING ON THE REPORTING SCORECARD ON PAGE 20 OF THE CAP IN COMING YEARS, MANY OF THE LOW RISE TWO TO SIX FLOOR OFFICE IN LIGHT INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS DATING FROM THE BOOM OF THE LATE 1970S AND EARLY EIGHTIES WILL BE REPLACED BY HIGHER DENSITY RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE BUILDINGS. IT'S CRITICAL THAT THESE NEW STRUCTURES ARE AS LOW IMPACT AS POSSIBLE, AS THEY WILL HAVE USEFUL LIVES OF 50 YEARS OR MORE. UM, I'VE BEEN ON A NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL AND OTHER VOLUNTEER BOARDS, SO I KNOW YOU AS A COUNCIL ALWAYS HOPE TO DO STRATEGIC THINGS AND END UP SPENDING YOUR TIME ON OPERATIONS. YOU AND THE NEXT COUNCIL WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING STRATEGIC. HOWEVER, ON WATER USE. WE HAVE RECENTLY BEEN HAVING REASONABLE LIMITATIONS ON LANDSCAPING AND OTHER NON-HEALTH AND SANITATION WATER USE. THERE IS NO REASON TO USE TREATED POTABLE WATER FOR LANDSCAPING AND WASHING VEHICLES. GRAY WATER ARE THE WATER USED FROM SHOWERS, CLOTHES AND DISHWASHERS, SINKS AND SUCH MAY BE USED TO FLUSH TOILETS AND FOR LANDSCAPING. CLEARLY THERE ARE LIMITED RETROFIT OPPORTUNITIES, BUT FUTURE COMMERCIAL AND MULTI-FAMILY BUILDINGS CAN PLAN TO RETAIN GRAY WATER FOR LANDSCAPING AND FLUSHING TOILETS. THIS IS FOR THE FUTURE, BUT THE FUTURE CAN START NOW AND WE WILL LIKELY BE WATER STRESSED OFTEN IN OUR FUTURE. PLEASE CONSIDER IT. UM, ALSO, UH, I'M, UH, UM, A MEMBER OR A, A RESIDENT WITHIN TURS 27. UH, AND, UM, THE, UM, EFFORTS TO DATE I, I THINK HAVE BEEN THOUGHTFUL AND COMMUNICATIVE AND, UM, UH, I'M, I'M IMPRESSED BY THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE AND I'M SURE THE DISCUSSIONS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL WE, UH, WE HIT A FINE, UH, UH, SATISFACTION OF AS MANY OF THE CONSIDERATIONS AS POSSIBLE IN SHALA. FINALLY, IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE TONIGHT, SIX 30 TO EIGHT, PLEASE JOIN THE EAST MONTROSE CIVIC ASSOCIATION AT OUR ANNUAL NEIGHBORHOOD NIGHT OUT. IT WILL BE IN FRONT OF ANDERSON FAIR AT THE INTERSECTION OF GRANT AND WELCH [02:00:01] THE COOLEST STREET IN HOUSTON. AND THE RAIN'S SUPPOSED TO END AT FIVE O'CLOCK. SO THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. TUCKER. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S IN THE QUEUE. UH, JIM, THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU, I MEAN, YOU GET SO INTO THE WEEDS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, SOME OF THIS STUFF, ESPECIALLY IRRIGATION, DRAINAGE, UH, WATERING. I'M LOOKING OVER AT OUR CHAIR OF TTI, UM, 'CAUSE I KNOW HE'S GONNA BE WA INTO THIS A LOT, UM, ON WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF. BUT I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HOW ENGAGED YOU CONTINUE TO BE, UH, NOT JUST FOR THE GREATER MONTROSE AREA, BUT FOR THE CITY AS A WHOLE. SO, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I KNOW THE CONSIDERATION THE COUNCIL GAVE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO OUR MINIMUM LOT SIZE WAS VERY THOUGHTFUL AND, UH, UM, UH, I THINK, UH, PROVIDED A, UH, RESULT, UH, HOWEVER UNSATISFYING IT WAS TO SOME OF US. BUT THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. TUCKER. AND I KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS IN DISTRICT C, SO COUNCIL MEMBER CAER CAMAN TAKING ISSUE WITH WADING INTO DRAINAGE. UH, PROBABLY WON'T DO THAT, BUT I'M GONNA COME TO YOUR, I I CAUGHT THAT. UH, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. TUCKER. AND PLEASE COME HELP US EAT ALL THOSE PIZZAS WE GOT DONATED. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS. NEXT SPEAKER, GLENDA MOORE. GLENDA MOORE IS NOT PRESENT. NEXT SPEAKER, CARMEN, CARMEN CO'S COMING FROM THE BACK TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANDREW PATTERSON. MS. COLON, GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CARMEN COLON. I'M ACTUALLY A SENIOR AT DUCHENNE ACADEMY. I'M A BORN AND RAISED HOUSTONIAN, AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE CHILD HUNGER CRISIS IN HOUSTON. SO FIRST CHILD HUNGER STEMS FROM BEING FOOD INSECURE AND BEING FOOD INSECURE. ACCORDING TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF AR. AGRICULTURE COMES FROM WHEN A FAMILY FAILS TO SUPPLY ENOUGH FOOD FOR ALL FAMILY MEMBERS AT SOME POINT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AND FOOD INSECURITY IS A WAY TO MEASURE HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD THEIR FOOD. AND SO IN HARRIS COUNTY, THE FOOD, THE, SORRY, THE, UM, CHILD FOOD INSECURITY RATES FROM 2019 TO 2020 INCREASED FROM 20.1% TO 23.7%, WHICH IS 295,000 CHILDREN IN THE HOUSTON, IN HARRIS COUNTY. AND IN 2021, THE RATES WERE AT 19.8%. SO THAT IS A DOWNFALL, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT FAST ENOUGH, AND THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO CR TO SUPPLY ALL OF THESE CHILDREN WITH FOOD. AND SO THE IMPACT ON THE CHILD IS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON THEIR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. THEY HAVE MORE FREQUENT TRIPS TO THE HOSPITAL, WHICH THEY'RE JUST IN GENERALLY POOR HEALTH BECAUSE OF THEIR LACK TO FOOD AND OR THEIR LACK OF ACCESS TO FOOD, I SHOULD SAY. UM, AND THEIR ACADEMIC, BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES CAN STEM FROM HAVING A LACK OF FOOD. UM, AND THEY'RE AT HIGHER RISK FOR CHRONIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS DIABETES, HEART DISEASE, AND DEPRESSION, AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. AND THIS IS AFFECTING, UM, LOW INCOME FAMILIES. AND THE AFFECTED COMMUNITIES ARE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE HOUSTON AREA. UM, AND THERE ARE MANY ORGANIZATIONS ALREADY HELPING IN THE CAUSE OF CHILD HUNGER, SUCH AS CHILDREN AT RISK AND COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION, CEP. AND SO THE CHILDREN AT RISK, CEO, DR. BOB SANBORN, SANBORN HAS SAID THAT OUT OF THE 2 MILLION KIDS IN THE HOUSTON AREA, 70% QUALIFY FOR FREE OR LOW PRICED LUNCHES. AND A QUARTER OF THAT 70% ARE CONSIDERED TO BE FOOD INSECURE. AND SO EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO ENDING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY FOR CHILDREN. AND NUTRITIOUS MEALS ARE CRUCIAL TO HELP WITH THAT CHILD'S EDUCATION AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. AND IT'S VERY HARD FOR THE CHILD TO BE AN ACTIVE PARTICIPATORY STUDENT IF THEY'RE GOING HUNGRY. AND SO THEY WRITE, UM, THIS, IT'S CALLED GROWING UP IN HOUSTON. IT'S A BOOKLET ABOUT THE BIGGEST LIKE PROBLEMS FACING HOUSTON CHILDREN. AND SO REFERENCING THE 17TH EDITION, THE CEP, UM, THE QUALIFICATION OR, OKAY, SORRY. SO THE CEP ALLOWS SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN LOW INCOME AREAS TO SERVE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH WITHOUT EXTRA COSTS TO THE ENROLLED STUDENTS. AND SO THE QUALIFICATIONS TO BE IN CEP WAS 40% OF THE STUDENTS' SCHOOL, LIKE THE STUDENTS WITHIN THE SCHOOL HAVE TO QUALIFY FOR FREE SCHOOL LUNCH MEALS FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPATION IN OTHER FEDERAL BENEFITS. BUT NOW IT IS 25%. SO AGAIN, IT IS LIKE INCREASING AND IT IS GETTING BETTER, BUT IT'S JUST NOT, UM, AT A FAST ENOUGH RATE. AND SO WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. AND SO THAT ALSO THOUGH, LEAVES SOME CHILDREN THAT ARE INELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL AID, WHICH IT'S ABOUT OUT. OKAY. SO 20 OR 70? YES, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. CLONE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PAK IS IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU. UM, DO YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME MORE TIME TO FINISH? UM, UH, SURE. I JUST WANTED TO ADVOCATE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, HELPS TO GIVE THESE ORGANIZATIONS A PLATFORM AND JUST CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE ORGANIZATIONS [02:05:01] AND ENCOURAGE VOLUNTEERS TO HELP THEM BECAUSE THAT IS THE BIGGEST THING THAT THEY NEED AS VOLUNTEERS, UM, AND ESPECIALLY, UM, LEADING THESE INELIGIBLE FAMILIES TOWARDS THE ORGANIZATIONS TO FURTHER HELP WITH THEIR ACCESS TO FOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CARMEN, FOR COMING TODAY. THAT WAS A LOT OF REALLY GREAT INFORMATION AND I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU AFTERWARDS TO, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST DISCUSS IT FURTHER, BUT I CAN REALLY TELL HOW PASSIONATE YOU ARE ABOUT IT. AND, UM, I DEFINITELY JUST SENT PHOTOS OF YOU TALKING TO YOUR MOM. SO , THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MS. COLON. GREAT. GREAT WORDS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU INDEED. NEXT SPEAKER, ANDREW PATTERSON. MR. PATTERSON. HELLO, COUNCIL MEMBERS. HELLO, MAYOR TEMP. MY NAME'S ANDREW PATTERSON, AND AS SOME OF YOU KNOW, I'M RUNNING FOR, UH, A SEAT ON THE COUNCIL HERE. MY POSITION IS, IS THAT THE CITY RIGHT NOW IS IN DIRE NEED OF COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE EFFICIENTLY AND APPROPRIATELY. RIGHT NOW, IT SEEMS TO BE THAT EVERY ORGANIZATION OR AGENCY HAS THEIR OWN PIPE. THEY DON'T WANT TO COMMUNICATE, THEY WANNA DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. IT COULD BE TIER, IT COULD BE THE, THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, IT COULD BE THE COUNTY, IT COULD BE THE FLOODING DISTRICT, FLOODING DISTRICT'S. A GOOD EXAMPLE HERE TODAY, IT'S BEEN THE RAIN, AND I'M SURE THE, SOME PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME FLOODING. AND THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT BECAUSE MONEY THAT HAD BEEN SPENT SET ASIDE FOR THE PROJECTS ON FLOODING HAS BEEN USED FOR OTHER EARMARKED OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR THE GOVERNMENT FOR OTHER THINGS TO BE DONE. PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT, THEY'VE COMPLAINED TO ME ABOUT IT. THEY'VE COMPLAINED ALL ALONG ABOUT VARIOUS ASPECTS HERE OF CITY COUNCIL, ABOUT THE MAYOR NOT BEING ABLE TO DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AND NOT COMMUNICATING AS TO WHY THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY DID AND THE FAILURE OF THAT COMMUNICATION. AND THAT'S DISHEARTENING TO ME BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT MY NUM MY NUMBER OF YEARS IN 79 SINCE I'VE BEEN IN HOUSTON. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH POLITICAL PARTIES IN IN OFFICE, IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE THAT THEY'RE GONNA DO WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO AND DAMNED EVERYBODY ELSE. THEY DON'T REALLY CARE WHETHER THEY'RE GONNA BE IN ONE ELECTION CYCLE OR THEY'RE GONNA TURN OUT, THEY DON'T CARE. RIGHT NOW, PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE A HUGE WAR CHEST BUDGET AND HOW THEY GOT THAT AND MAKING BELIEVE, OR PERHAPS WRONG OR RIGHT, THAT PEOPLE, COMPANIES HAVE ACCESS TO THE CITY GOVERNMENT TO GAIN CONTRACTS. THEY HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OVER ORDINARY CITIZENS. AND THAT'S A CONCERN THAT PEOPLE ARE EXPRESSED BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY ARE SUFFERING. WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS SUBSIDENCE ON THE ROADS OVER AT PLEASANTVILLE, WHICH I RECENTLY WAS OVER THERE AND WAS ABSOLUTELY ALMOST AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE, ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD BECAUSE OF THE SITE. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I'VE SEEN ISSUES WITH THE FLOODING DEPARTMENT OR FLOODING, UH, AGENCY WHERE OTHER DEPARTMENTS WERE PUTTING IN STORM STORE PIPES CAUSING GREATER FLOW INTO THE BIO AND NOT COMMUNICATING TO THE FOLKS. AND THEY'RE ALREADY BIO'S ALREADY KEPT MAXED OUT. SO WHERE'S SOME WATER GONNA GO? IT'S GONNA GO FLOOD. AND WHAT HAPPENS? PEOPLE ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR HOMES, THEY'RE GONNA GET THE CLAIMS AND SO FORTH. THE CITY ITSELF HAS GREATER RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CITIZENS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THE CITY SCREWS UP, THE CITY'S GONNA BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE GONNA JUST SIMPLY JUST PASS IT ON AND IGNORE IT. LET THE LET THE CITIZENS, THE FAMILIES SUFFER AN AREA SUFFER. AND THIS IS REALLY UNTENABLE IN MY OPINION. I WAS GONNA SAY, THERE'S A MOVIE A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, WHICH YOU MAY REMEMBER, MR. ROBINSON CALLED COOL HAND. LUKE. IT WAS A GREAT LINE IF YOU ALLOW ME TO FINISH YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, MR. PATTERSON. CAN I FINISH? THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS IN THE QUEUE. GIMME YOUR PUNCHLINE. GREAT LINE IN THE MOVIE. ALL WE HAVE HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU MR. PATTERSON. APPRECIATE THAT. NEXT SPEAKER. DENNIS SANDERS. MR. SANDERS NOT IN THE CHAMBER. NEXT SPEAKER. TADA. TATI. WRIGHT. WRIGHT. TASHA WRIGHT. MS. WRIGHT, YOUR TURN. HOW Y'ALL DOING? KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY MESS MY NAME UP. Y'ALL KNOW MY NAME. Y'ALL KNOW ME. IF YOU CAN SPEAK RIGHT INTO THE MICROPHONE. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMENTS. I HOPE SO. I'M FURIOUS WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE CITY. Y'ALL HAVE KNOWINGLY AND INTENTIONALLY IGNORED MY CHRIST FOR HELP. FAR AS MY RIGHTS WITH CERTAIN THINGS, TRYING TO LIVE HERE, TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH MY LIFE. WHATEVER THIS VENDETTA IS Y'ALL [02:10:01] GOT WITH THE NEW ORLEANS PEOPLE, Y'ALL HAVE TOOK THAT OUT ON ME. I AM SUFFERING. I HAVE SUFFERED WHERE I HAD TO LAY MY HEAD IN. I HAVE LOST MY PLACES. I HAD RECOVERED FROM SYNTHETIC CUSH AND CIGARETTES DUE TO Y'ALL NEGLECT. THE NOT HEARING ME, NOT TAKING ME SERIOUS. NOTHING THAT I HAVE, UH, SPOKEN ABOUT OR BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, UH, FOR Y'ALL. Y'ALL LOST AND IMPORTANT PHOTO ALBUM TO A CASE THAT I HAVE TO GO TO COURT FOR ON FRIDAY PERTAINING TO ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I LOST MY PLACE. I HAD TO TAKE AND FILE MY OWN PERSONAL LAWSUITS WITH THESE PEOPLE. AND I'M LOOKING FOR THAT, UH, PHOTO ALBUM BECAUSE ME BOUNCING AROUND AND BEING HOMELESS IN MY CAR DURING THE ARC DE FREEZE. AND THE WHOLE TIME DURING THE SUMMER WHILE I WAS 113 DEGREES LOST THINGS. THINGS GOT MESSED UP. I CAME HERE NUMEROUS TIMES, WARNED YOU GUYS, ASKED YOU GUYS NICELY, PLEASE LOCATE THAT PHOTO ALBUM. I CAME HERE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN JANUARY, THE 31ST OF 2023, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO. NOBODY ASKED FOR THE PHOTO ALBUM. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT GETTING IT TO Y'ALL, BUT I LEFT IT WITH A YOUNG MAN THAT'S NOW IN SCHOOL NO LONGER HERE. CAN'T GET AHOLD OF TIFFANY D. NOBODY CALLED ME BACK. I'M ASKING Y'ALL PLEASE. 'CAUSE Y'ALL ARE GETTING READY TO RUIN ME. I'VE ALREADY BEEN RUINED. I'VE BEEN THROWN BACK IN THE SLUMS OF THIRD WARD. I'M BACK SMOKING AGAIN ON KUSH. I GOT DREAMS, I GOT GOALS. I GOT A LOT TO OFFER. I BROUGHT UP A LOT OF SUBJECTS I'M INTERESTED IN, BUT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY HELP AND MY MENTAL STATE RIGHT NOW. AND I NEED HELP. I HAVE A TICKET FOR MY FIRST CAR I BOUGHT DURING THE PANDEMIC. Y'ALL SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN FOR TWO YEARS. ALL MY STUFF IS OUT. I'M IN TROUBLE. I NEED TO SEE ABOUT MY MENTAL HEALTH. I CAN'T. I GOTTA GET MY DRIVER'S LICENSE. I WANT TO GET MY DRIVER'S LICENSE. THAT WAS THE DEAL. BUT NO PANDEMIC 15 YEARS AWAY FROM MY HOUSING. ALL THAT'S CORRUPT DURING THE PANDEMIC. EVERYBODY OUTTA CONTROL. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET MY SIDE OFF. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME OUT AFTER THIS. SEE ME, SEE WHAT IT IS I NEED. I DON'T WANNA RUIN TEXAS. I DON'T WANNA RUIN ANYBODY. SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. OKAY? I'M HURT, I'M HURTING. I DO NOT WANNA HURT MYSELF. I DO NOT WANNA HURT ANYBODY. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SUICIDAL. NEVER. THE PROOF IS RIGHT HERE. Y'ALL GOT ME SUICIDAL. I'M CRYING. I'M BREAKING DOWN ALL IN PUBLIC. MY DIGNITY AND EVERYTHING. I HAVE A LOT TO OFFER. I CAN READ BLUEPRINTS. I GOT SKILLS AND ARCHITECT. NO BOUND ARCHITECT. TIME. YOUR HAS YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. UHUH. MM-HMM BECAUSE I WATCHED Y'ALL, Y'ALL HEARD ALL THE MESS, EVERYTHING. Y'ALL WAS HAPPY, SMILED AND ALL. NO THANK YOU MS. WRIGHT. I'M BEEN TO THE NITTY GRITTY. GO MS. THANK YOU. WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE QUEUE. I'D LIKE TOUH, I WON'T TALK. SHE'D LIKE TO ADDRESS YOU. MS. EVANS SHAVE ALL GOT ME IN TROUBLE. THANK YOU. DON'T, DON'T LEAVE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. 'CAUSE Y'ALL BOOTING ME. Y'ALL HAVE BEEN DOING THAT. LET'S LISTEN TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. I, I'M, I'M HEARING YOUR QUIET. HEY MISS, UH, CAROLYN, HOW ARE YOU? YOU GOT MY VOTE? I DON'T CARE WHO GETS MAD ABOUT IT. YOU CAN SAY FOR ALL I CAP. OKAY. THANK YOU. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED AND MEMBER WILL AVENUE WILL HAVE BEEN HELPING ME? WELL, HELLO. LET'S LISTEN TO THE COUNCIL MEMBER. MR. I TRYING TO FIND OUT, HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED GOING TO HARRIS COUNTY TO SEE IF YOU COULD GET SOME ASSISTANCE RIGHT THERE ON MCGREGOR? 'CAUSE THEY DO HAVE A FACILITY. WAS WHAT? MENTAL? YEAH. RIGHT. YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'RE HAVING SOME MENTAL ISSUES BECAUSE THE FIRST PART IS WHY I'M HAVING MENTAL BREAKDOWN. IT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THE STUFF Y'ALL BEEN DOING. OH, I UNDERSTAND. I'M, I'M HERE BY MYSELF. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I WANT, I WANNA MOVE PAST THAT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU TO MAYBE GO OVER THERE AND NAH. AND CHECK YOURSELF IN. WE NOT BEN, BEN TODD, I WANT Y'ALL TO HELP ME. WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. WELL, BEN TO CAN MAYBE HELP YOU. I, NO, BEN TOP CAN'T HELP ME. I'VE DONE ALL THAT WHILE I WAS HOMELESS, MESSED MY MEDICATIONS UP, DISCRIMINATING NONE OF THAT. WE NOT GONNA FLIP THIS ON MY MENTAL, WE TO FOCUS ONM, JUST LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS. I'M Y'ALL, I'M WRONG TO MESS UP MY MENTAL OKAY. LOST MY SERVICE DOG TO BARK. HAD HIM ADOPTED OUT. CAN'T FIND HIM. DON WON'T FIND HIM. I DON'T HAVE NOBODY TO HELP ME WITH THAT. MAN, YOU'VE HAD A TOUGH TIME. NO, NO. TOUGH TIME. AND THIS WHAT Y'ALL GIVING TO MY ANCESTORS TOO. I'M A SURVIVOR OF THREE PURPLE HEARTS WORLD WAR II VETERANS THAT THEY, UH, RETIRED, PASSED AWAY. ONE OF THEIR WIVES DIED 28 YEARS AGO AT THE AGE OF 98. Y'ALL DOING THAT TO ME. MY COUSIN JUST LEFT THE PENTAGON. STACEY HERE. COME ON MAN. FOR REAL. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED THAT DISRESPECT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. WRIGHT. NO THANKS. Y'ALL HAVE MOWED ME. THE NEXT SPEAKER, NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. KYLE WINSTON, BECAUSE I'M COMING BACK. MR. WINSTON [02:15:02] AFTERNOON EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON ALL. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THANK YOU. UM, I AM HERE BECAUSE THE PARKING AT THE AIRPORT FOR VETERANS. UM, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME, THIS IS PROBABLY NOTEWORTHY BECAUSE I'M GONNA SAY SOMETHING AT THE END. FIRST OF ALL, MY NAME IS KYLE WINSTON. I'M A 24 YEAR AIR FORCE VETERAN. UH, I MADE IT TO OR PRIVILEGED TO MAKE IT TO THE HIGHEST RANK IN THE AIR FORCE CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT. ONLY 1% CAN DO IT. I DID THAT, UH, MAINLY TO SERVE ALL OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO JOINED THE SERVICE. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD SOMEONE THAT COULD, THEY COULD TALK TO AND HELP THEM THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER. SO I DID THAT. THE, THE REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE OF THE PARKING AT THE AIRPORT. THERE WAS A NEW PARKING ORDINANCE PUT INTO PLAY, UH, I THINK SEPTEMBER THE 12TH. DON'T HOLD ME TO TOO MANY OF THESE FACTS. EXACTLY. I JUST WENT THROUGH THIS YESTERDAY EVENING, SOMEWHERE AROUND ONE OR TWO O'CLOCK. SO I, I DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO DO THAT, TO GET TO HERE AND EVERYTHING ELSE. SO, EXCUSE ME IF I MESS UP SOME OF THE FACTS. UM, IT WAS FREE FOR VETERANS. NOW THIS NEW PARTICULAR PLAN IN PLACE IS FIVE DAYS IN THE, UH, THE PARKING DECK. THEN YOU PAY A HUNDRED PERCENT AFTER THAT DAY SIX FORWARD. IF YOU'RE OUT IN, UM, THE, UH, EX, YOU KNOW, THE OUTLYING PARKING AREAS IS 60 DAYS AND THEN YOU PAY 61 DAYS FULL PRICE. THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH THIS IS NUMEROUS. ONE, IT WAS NEVER ADVERTISED FOR A VETERAN, SAY SUCH AS MYSELF. I HAVE BEEN TO HELP MY PARENTS AND OTHER THINGS, AND I'VE BEEN GONE FOR ONE MONTH, TWO MONTHS, THREE MONTHS, WHATNOT. IF YOU ADD UP 30 DAYS AND $25 A DAY, IT'S $750 A MONTH. YOU HAVE VETERANS THAT HAVE BEEN GONE PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER THE 12TH, AND THEY HAVE BEEN PROBABLY THINKING, HEY, MY PARKING IS FREE. THEY MAY STAY GONE 35, 45 DAYS. THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK TO A 750 TO $1,000 PARKING BILL, AND THEY HAVE NO CLUE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THAT. JUST LIKE YESTERDAY, I LEFT AND CAME BACK IN SEVEN DAYS AND I ONLY HAD TO PAY FOR TWO DAYS. SO THE, IT WAS A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR MYSELF. SO THE, I'VE BEEN TRAVELING, I'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE, UH, THE YEAR 2010. SO I'M, UH, THINKING IT'S THE OLD PLAN. I HAD NO CLUE THAT THERE WAS A NEW ORDINANCE IN PLACE. SO YOU HAVE PROBABLY OUT THERE IN THOSE PARKING DECKS, MAYBE HUNDREDS OF VETERANS THAT ARE GONNA COME BACK. STARTING FROM THAT, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO PAY FROM SEPTEMBER THE 12TH TO TODAY. JUST IMAGINE THAT'S $300. YOU PROBABLY HAVE HUNDREDS OF VETERANS OUT THERE NOW. THAT'S ABOUT TO RUN INTO A TRAIN WRECK. MAY I HAVE ONE TO EXTENT MR. YOUR TIME? SO BEFORE YOU DO, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I THINK YOU'RE BRINGING AN IMPORTANT POINT HERE, THERE. WE DO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE, UH, A RA, UH, NYLA YAYA IS IN THE BACK AND SHE IS A GOOD PERSON FOR YOU TO TALK TO ABOUT THE REGULATIONS. YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT. SO I'M, I'M GRATEFUL FOR YOU CALLING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, GIVE YOU A MOMENT TO WRAP UP YOUR QUESTION. OKAY. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IS, WELL, NOW, NOW SOME PEOPLE MAY ARGUE WITH THIS POINT, BUT I THINK THAT THE CITY WOULD PROBABLY BE ADVISED TO KEEP A, A VETERAN'S DATABASE OF VETERANS THAT WOULD WANT TO PUT THEIR NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, WHATNOT IN THERE. MM-HMM . AND ANYTHING THAT YOU OFFER THAT YOU OFFER TO VETERANS, A VETERAN THAT VOLUNTEERS TO PUT, HAVE THEIR NAME PUT IN THAT DATABASE, CAN GET CELL PHONE, UH, COMPUTER CALLS, TEXTS, OR EMAILS THAT WOULD HAVE LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THIS COMING. IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH THANKS OF THAT NATURE CONSIDERING, AND THANK YOU. THERE MAY BE SOME DISPENSATION. WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK WITH MS. YAYA IN THE BACK. ALRIGHT. AND, UH, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. MS. WINSON. YES, SIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU HAVE A GOOD EVENING. NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE. YAY. MONTOYA REVIS THREE, FOLLOWED BY JACOB CLEMENTE. MS. MONTOYA RIVAS. WELCOME MR. ROBINSON. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, THE TOPIC WAS ACTUALLY A PS WHAT I SEE ON THE LIST. IT SAYS AIRPORT, I'M CURRENTLY NOT EMPLOYED BY THE AIRPORT. I'M COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT. I'M LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT. I'M GOING TO DIFFERENT, UH, APPOINTMENTS AND I'M TRYING ALSO TO BUILD MY BUSINESS. AND, UM, I HAVE AN IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OFFICE OF CARLOS ROS BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO HELP MR. GASPER, PENA OR, UH, GASPAR OR PENA JUNIOR AND SENIOR ARE FIGHTING. UH, ONE OF THEM KNEW MY GRANDMOTHER, UH, OF THE CHURCH THAT, UH, THE SPIRIT CHURCH, THAT IT WAS IN THE HEIGHTS. AND THEY KNOW JOHN [02:20:01] WITH MY, I WAS HELPING HIM. I WAS STAYING AT HIS RESIDENCE. I WAS KILLING ROERS. I WAS DOING PEST CONTROL AND I WAS TAKING HIM TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, UH, AT THE, UH, WITH, UH, DR. ANTONIO RAMOS. SO, UH, I WILL BE HAPPY TO COMMUNICATE WITH MRS. CARLOS EZ, BUT ACCORDING TO THE POLICE AND A PS, I HAVE NO RIGHTS TO STEP IN INTO HIS LIFE, EVEN THOUGH HE'S ASKING FOR HELP. SIR, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AND UNDER OATH, I SWEAR THAT THAT'S WHERE I WAS STAYING. THIS MONTOYA RE THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS, UH, IN THE QUEUE TO ADDRESS YOU, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR COMMENTARY. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, JACOB CLEMENTE. JACOB, WELCOME TO THE CITY CHAMBERS. THANK YOU. GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE. CAN GET READY. ALRIGHT, CAN YOU APPROACH THE MIC RIGHT NOW? HAS THE BIGGEST SLUSH IN EVER FURNISH. YOU CAN SEE IT. YOU CAN BUY IT. JOLLY BURN. DELIVER. FREE. FREE. THANKS JACOB. GO ASTRO. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA ALLOW THAT. HERE COME THE ASTROS BURNING WITH DESIRE. HERE COME THE ASTROS BREATHING ORANGE. NICE. HERE COME THE ASTROS WITH WINNING ON THEIR MASK. HERE COME THE ASTROS NUMBER ONE. OKAY, SO I MEAN, I WANTED TO PRESENT YOU MR. TURNER. NO, ACTUALLY YOU'RE MR. ROBINSON. OH, UH, NO, UH, YOUR APPEAR FOR YOU MRS. ROBINSON. THANK YOU JACOB. OH, YOU'VE HEARD OF A GOLD MEDALS AND LUM. WELL THIS IS AN ORANGE MEDAL AND I'M GONNA PRESENT IT TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON, YOU'RE VERY KIND, JACOB, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I THINK. MADAM SECRETARY, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. JACOB, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I ACCEPT ON BEHALF OF, I GIVE THIS TO YOU MAYOR TURNER. IF YOU COULD GIVE IT TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, THAT'D BE VERY NICE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, MARIAN WRIGHT. MARIAN WRIGHT IS IN THE AUDIENCE AND SHE'S SAYING, UH, SHE'S GONNA HOLD OFF TODAY. THAT COMPLETES THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. VERY [RECESS] GOOD WITH THAT, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. WE ARE IN RECESS AGENDA FOR THE WEEK, OCTOBER 3RD AND 4 20 23. ITEM ONE IS A PUBLIC HEARING TO PROVIDE A RESOLUTION OF NO OBJECTION FOR THE 4% TAX CREDIT APPLICATION OF BINET APARTMENTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP. THEN WE HAVE THE REPORT FROM THE UH, CITY CONTROLLER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY. ITEM TWO, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF AMY JEAN TO POSITION EIGHT OF THE HOUSTON COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES. ITEM THREE, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF APRIL HARRIS DAVILA TO POSITION TWO OF THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE COMMISSION. ITEM FOUR, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FIVE CORNERS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, FORMERLY HARRIS COUNTY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NUMBER 10 B. ITEM FIVE, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE HOUSTON FOOD AND SECURITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS. ITEM SIX, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF GWENDOLYN GWEN TILLSON TO SERVE AS ADVISORY NON-VOTING MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE HOUSTON LAND BANK. ITEM SEVEN, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OR REAPPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE ST. GEORGE PLACE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS. ITEM EIGHT, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF 679,167 AND 50 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF CON OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH THE LANDSCAPE ART INC. ITEM NINE, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $1,074,754 AND 29 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE WORK ON CONTRACT WITH THE TEAMWORK AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES INC. ITEM 10, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF 6,000,060 3006 $55 AND 51 CENTS AND IS HELPED TO WORK ON CONTRACT WITH ANGEL BROTHERS ENTERPRISES. LTD ITEM 11, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $832,366 AND 74 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE WORK ON CONTRACT WITH CSI CONSOLIDATED L-L-C-D-B-A CLEAN SERVE LLC [02:25:07] ITEM 13 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $350,000 AND NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY PURCHASE OF SERVICES AND PARTS FOR THE FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT ON WARD TO CHASTAIN ENTERPRISES HOUSTON, LLC ITEM 14, TACTICAL SUPPORT EQUIPMENT LLC FOR PURCHASE OF ANNUAL WARRANTY AND SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE OF SPECIALIZED SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT AND A 15 TURTLE IN HUGHES, 5,000,030 1050 553 25 AND WHOLESALE ELECTRIC SUPPLY CODE OF HOUSTON INC 991,690 3050 693055 CENTS FOR ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES FOR VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. ITEM 16, COBURN SUPPLY COMPANY INC. FOR PURCHASE OF FIRE HYDRANTS FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. ITEM 17 APPROVED SPRINTING AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $3,050,000 AND OH CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE REPAIR FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON AWARD TO T AND T CONSTRUCTION ITEM 18 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $3,640,000 AND NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE REPAIR FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON THE WATERS SPACE CITY ENVIRONMENTAL ITEM 19 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY AND THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $303,640,000 AND NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE REPAIR FOR HOUSTON. PUBLIC WORKS ON THE WATER NEAR CONSTRUCTION LLC AND A 20 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY AND THE MILE 90 EXCEED $3,600,000 IN NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE REPAIR FOR HOUSTON. PUBLIC WORKS ON THE WATER NEAR BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION AND 21 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY AND THE MILE 90 EXCEED $3,900,000 IN NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATER. NINE REPAIR INSPECTION SERVICES FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON AWARD TO CST CONNECTIONS. LLC ITEM 22 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE MILE NOT TO EXCEED $3,600,000 NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATER. NINE REPAIR FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON AWARD TO ST. HARLEM CONSTRUCTION. LLC ITEM 23 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE MILE NOT TO EXCEED $3,536,000 IN NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE INSPECTION SERVICES FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS ON THE WATER CHECK CONSTRUCTION RESOURCES INC. ITEM 24 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 3,000,055 $50,000 IN NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY WATERLINE REPAIR ON AWARD TO C AND J ARSENAL CONSTRUCTION ITEM 25 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE MILE NOT TO EXCEED $11,275,000 AND NO CENTS AWARD TO HYDRO MAX U-S-A-L-L-C ITEM 28 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE MILE NOT TO EXCEED FOR MILLION $99,400 AND NO CENTS ON AWARD TO EX ASYLUM DEWATERING SOLUTIONS INC. ITEM 27 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY THAT MIGHT NOT TO EXCEED $4,560,000 AND $560,425 AND NO CENTS ON AWARD TO LOOSE CONSTRUCTION AND INSPECTION FIRM LLC. ITEM 28 IS THE RESOLUTION OF AUTHORIZING GRANT APPLICATION TO TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD FOR LAKE HOUSTON DAM SPILLWAY. ITEM 29 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $2,488,000 IN NO CENTS OUT OF AIRPORTS IMPROVEMENT FUND AND IMPROVING AN AUTHORIZING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND DENTAL HOME INC. FOR OCULUS MEDIA CONTENT PRODUCTION COMPANY ITEM 30 OR MISAPPROPRIATING $154,000 IN NO CENTS OUT OF EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION CONSOLIDATED FUND AND $25,000 OUT OF CONTRIBUTED CAPITAL PROJECT FUND. ITEM 31 ORDINANCE OF PROOF WE AN IZED AND COMPROMISE SETTLEMENT RELEASE AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND TINA BALDWIN. ITEM 32, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING 15 THOU $15,362,000 OUT OF POLICE CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND AND AWARDING CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK CONTRACT TO T BUILDERS LP ITEM 33 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT BETWEEN CD HOUSTON AND CIVIL CORPORATION. ITEM 34 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING CONTRACT BETWEEN C DIFF HOUSTON AND DESIREE BITNER, L-L-C-D-B-A FIRST RESPONSE FAMILY CLINIC ITEM 35 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATION TO THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD FOR STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LAKE HOUSTON DAM SPILLWAY. ITEM 36 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS AND MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. DBA DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER THREE, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE ZONE ITEM 37 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF GREATER GREENSPOINT REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER 11, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS GREENSPOINT ZONE ITEM 38, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC APPLICATION FOR AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE US BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT FOR THE FY 23 BULLETPROOF VEST PARTNERSHIP I 39 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING 2 MILLION, $2 MILLION IN FROM GRANT EQUIPMENT. GRANT EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION CONSOLIDATED FUND FOR FY 2024, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN BUDGET ITEM 40 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING. AND THE LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS AND HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS. ITEM 41 [02:30:01] ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATION FOR AND ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT FUNDS THROUGH THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT FOR THE SELENA QUINTON PEREZ, DENVER HARBOR PARK IMPROVEMENTS. ITEM 42 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF GRANT APPLICATION FOR AN ACCEPTANCE OF GRANT FUNDS THROUGH THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT FOR FY 24 LOCAL PARK DIRECTED GRANT FUNDS TO THE IMPROVEMENTS OF TIDWELL PARK AQUATIC FACILITY. ITEM 43 ORDINANCE SUBMITTING ORDINANCE NUMBER 20 23 3 40, PASSING APPROVAL ON MAY 17TH, 2023. ORDINANCE RENEWING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF THE 1500 BLOCK OF ARLINGTON STREET WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. ITEM 20, ITEM 44 ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE AIRLINE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. ITEM 45 ORDINANCE FINDING AND DETERMINING PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY FOR THE ACQUISITION OF AND PROPERTY INTEREST IN CONNECTION WITH THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KNOWN AS THE WINDERMERE LANE OUTFALL REPAIR PROJECT FOR THREE PARCELS OF LAND REQUIRED FOR THE PROJECT AND SITUATED IN JOHN D. TAYLOR SURVEY ABSTRACT 72. ITEM 46 SET A PUBLIC HEARING DATE FOR APPROVAL TO USE 1,940 SQUARE FEET OF THE BIO GREEN WASTE HALL ACCESS LAND FOR THE F-Y-F-W-S-D NUMBER 23 TUNNEL AND 14,110 SQUARE FEET FOR TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION STAGING AREA WITHIN THE PARK. ITEM 47 IS A RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TO CITY COUNCIL. DRAW LOTS TO DETERMINE THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER IN AS MUCH AS IDENTICAL BIDS WERE RECEIVED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARD FOR FY 2024 DRAINAGE. WE HAVE SWAT WORK ORDER NUMBER TWO, COUNCIL DRAW LOTS DUE TO RECEIVING IDENTICAL BIDS FROM GRAVEL LLC AND NEAR CONSTRUCTION. 0.985 BID ADJUSTMENT FACTOR ITEM 48 WAS AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS AND MEMORIAL CITY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER 17, CITY PEACE, TEXAS. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN. THIS WAS ITEM 32 ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023. ITEM 49 IS THE ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF 20, UH, FISCAL AFFAIRS OF UPPER KIRBY. WE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE 19 CD HOUSTON, TEXAS UPPER KIRBY ZONE. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THIS WAS ITEM 33 ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ITEM 50 IS AN ORDINANCE RELATED TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF LELAND WOODS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER 22 CDP IN TEXAS, LELAND WOODS ZONE. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THIS WAS ITEM 35 ON AGENDA OF SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2023. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE WEEK OCTOBER 3RD AND FOURTH. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF CITY COUNCIL. SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM IN THE ROSE ROBERT 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 MADAM SECRETARY. YOU'RE WELCOME. MY NUMBER ONE FAN ON IT [RECONVENE] IS 9:04 AM ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4TH. I AM MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN AND I'M CALLING THIS MEETING OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER. FIRST ITEM [REPORT FROM CITY CONTROLLER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY including but not limited to, a revenue, expenditure and encumbrance report for the General Fund, all special revenue funds and all enterprise funds, and a report on the status of bond funds ] ON TODAY'S AGENDA WILL BE THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT CHAIR RECOGNIZES CONTROLLER CHRISTOPHER BROWN AND MR. WILL JONES, DIRECTOR WILL JONES. GOOD MORNING GENTLEMEN. UH, GOOD MORNING MAYOR PERAM COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING AUGUST 31ST, 2023 IN THE GENERAL FUND. THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 420.4 MILLION FOR FY 24. THIS IS 45.8 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 237.3 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5% IN RESERVES. THE FY 24 BEGINNING FUND BALANCE IS 41.4 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE FY 23 ENDING FUND BALANCE. UM, THIS IS BASICALLY DUE TO YEAR END ADJUSTMENTS THAT WILL BE, UH, FINALIZED ONCE THE FY UH, 23 ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT IS PUBLISHED. UH, NEXT MONTH OUR PROJECTIONS ARE UNCHANGED FROM THE JULY, 2023 MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. UH, WE HAVE NO CHANGES IN THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS IN LOOKING AT OUR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS ALL OF OUR VARIABLE RATE DEBT AS WELL BELOW THE 20% THRESHOLD. AND THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU DIRECTOR JONES. ALRIGHT, WELCOME. GOOD MORNING. UH, THIS IS THE TWO PLUS 10 FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING AUGUST 31ST, 2023. FISCAL YEAR 2024. PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON TWO MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS AND 10 MONTHS OF PROJECTIONS FOR THE GENERAL FUND. BOTH OUR REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS REMAIN [02:35:01] UNCHANGED FROM THE ADOPTED BUDGET IN THE PRIOR MONTH. WE'RE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THE ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 466.2 MILLION, WHICH IS 14.8 MILLION HIGHER THAN LAST MONTH. AND 19.1% OF ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. THE FUND BALANCE IS 283.1 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGETED 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. WE'RE PROJECTING NO FORECAST CHANGES ON THE ENTERPRISE AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS. UM, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. THERE ARE NO COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE. SO CHAIR NOW RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGO. FOR A MOTION, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT DATED AUG, AUGUST 31ST, 2023 AS PRE PRESENTED. ANY DISCUSSION? MOTION. SECOND DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED. THANK YOU GENTLEMEN. FIRST ITEM [1.  9:00 A.M. PUBLIC HEARING to provide a Resolution of No Objection for the 4% tax credit application of BISSONNET APARTMENTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP ] TODAY WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING. MADAM SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL ITEM NUMBER ONE? ITEM ONE IS A PUBLIC HEARING TO PROVIDE A RESOLUTION OF NO OBJECTION FOR THE 4% TAX CREDIT APPLICATION, ABY APARTMENTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER DO YOU CALL THE PUBLIC SPEAKER? BLAKE HOPKINS. BLAKE HOPKINS? YES, SIR. MR. HOPKINS, AS YOU COME UP, UH, MICROPHONE TO YOUR RIGHT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR PRO TEM AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS BLAKE HOPKINS. I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT WITH LINCOLN AVENUE COMMUNITIES. WE ARE THE DEVELOPER, UH, OF THE PROPOSED, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT BINET APARTMENTS. UH, I'M HERE FOR QUESTIONS, UH, OR COMMENTS, UH, SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY. UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST, I'LL JUST WAIT FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY THANK YOU MR. HOPKINS. THERE ARE NO COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE WITH QUESTIONS. SO THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE BESIDES PAT? MOVE CLOSE THE HEARING. THOMAS SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION TO CLOSE AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF OPPOSED MOTION? GRANTED NOW WE'LL START WITH [MAYOR'S REPORT] THE MAYOR'S REPORT. SO FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOUSTON ASTROS. THEY WON THE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST DIVISION, SIX OUTTA SEVEN YEARS COMES CLOSE TO OUR TAX RATE DEDUCTION OF NINE OUT OF 10 . SO WE'RE ON A SIMILAR TYPE OF ROLE. YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, THEY HAD TO WIN EVERY GAME IN ARIZONA WHO'S A PLAYOFF TEAM. AND THEY WON LAST NIGHT IF YOU SAW THAT. AND THEY DID THAT. AND THEN THEY HAD TO HAVE THE DALLAS RANGERS, UH, WIN ONLY ONE GAME. AND THEY DID THAT AND LOOKED LIKE THEY CELEBRATED A LITTLE TOO HARD WHEN THEY WON THE WILD CARD AND THEY COULDN'T PLAY ON SUNDAY. SO LOOK FORWARD TO SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND HOSTING GAME ONE OF THE A LDS AND GAME TWO OF THE A LDS. AND LET'S HOPE WE REVERSE THAT TREND OF HOME GAMES THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING. BUT, UH, AL ALSO OUTFIELDER YAN ALVAREZ, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, MARTHA CASTEX TATUM FAVORITE ATHLETE IN THE WORLD, HAS BEEN NAMED THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANNOUNCED THIS ON TUESDAY. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO YAN ALVAREZ EARLIER. GOT THE PLAYER OF THE WEEK, PLAYER OF THE WEEK. SO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING. WE GOTTA KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING. SO GOOD LUCK TO THE ASTROS AND, UM, BRING US HOME. UH, ANOTHER ONE. WE'LL BE WITH YOU AND CHEER AS HARD AS WE CAN. LATER TODAY AT ONE 20, FEMA WILL CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT TEST ON ALL CELL PHONES, WIRELESS DEVICES, RADIOS, AND TVS. THIS IS A STANDARD TEST THAT OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. NO ACTION IS NEEDED AND THERE IS NO NEED FOR ALARM. SO, ONCE AGAIN, TODAY AT ONE 20 OUR TIME, FEMA WILL CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT TEST ON CELL PHONES, WIRELESS DEVICES, RADIOS AND TVS. SO BE PREPARED AT ONE 20. UH, THE RAIN AND, UH, WAS WELCOME RELIEF YESTERDAY, UH, TO THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND THE CREWS AND THE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE OUT REPAIRING THE WATER LEAKS ALL ACROSS THE CITY. WHILE THE RAIN IS VERY HELPFUL AND WE LOOK FOR MORE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO LIFT THE DROUGHT WATERING RESTRICTIONS. SO EVEN WITH THE RAIN, WE ARE IN EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO PLEASE ABIDE BY THE DROUGHT WATER RESTRICTIONS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. HOUSTON WATER CREWS AND CONTRACTORS HAVE REPAIRED MORE THAN 4,000 LEAKS SINCE JUNE 1ST. WE CONTINUE TO UTILIZE 10 CONTRACTORS TO REPAIR WATER LEAKS IN A TIMELY MANNER. AND ON TODAY'S [02:40:01] AGENDA, WE'LL HAVE A NUMBER OF EPOS THAT GO HAND IN HAND WITH CONTRACTORS REPAIRING THESE LEAKS. HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS PRIORITIZES REPO REPAIRS BASED ON THE SIZE AND THE PROXIMITY TO THREATEN THE LOSS OF WATER SERVICE TO EMERGENCY FACILITIES, SCHOOLS, AND LARGE AREAS. WE ASK THE PUBLIC TO CALL 3 1 1 TO REPORT WATER LEAKS SO THAT WE CAN TRACK AND MAKE REPAIRS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND TO CONTACT 3 1 1 AGAIN, IF ANY PERSON NOTICED THAT THE CONDITION OF THAT REPORTED LEAK BECOMES WORSE. SO AGAIN, PLEASE CALL 3 1 1 TO REPORT LEAKS. AND IF IT CONTINUES OR IT GETS WORSE, MAKE SURE YOU CALL 3 1 1 AGAIN OR PLEASE VISIT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.ORG. AGAIN, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS.ORG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WATERING AND LEAKS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NASA TURNS 65 TODAY, THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, I BELIEVE , BUT NASA IS 65 ON SUNDAY, UH, PAST SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST. THE SPACE AGENCY IS REFLECTING ON HOW FAR IT'S COME AND HOW MUCH MORE THERE IS TO EXPLORE FROM THE MOON TO MARS. I KNOW WE HAD A NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEMBERS OUT AT, UH, INTUITIVE MACHINES COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. WHEN THE GENTLEMAN, UH, THAT, AND BARTA WHO WAS UH, THERE, SHE WAS GEEKING OUT AS A, UH, NASA GEEK THAT SHE IS. BUT THE GENTLEMAN WHO GAVE THE ADDRESS WAS VERY INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT OUTER ARBIT AND GALAXIES AND UNEXPLORED AREAS AND THE UNIVERSE IN GENERAL. IT WAS, UH, IT WAS QUITE INTERESTING IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM A STATISTICAL STANDPOINT, BECAUSE WE ARE A MICROCOSM OF WHAT THE UNIVERSE LOOKS LIKE. SPACE AGENCY IS NOT ONLY REFLECTING ON HOW FAR THEY'VE COME IN 65 YEARS, BUT TO HIS POINT, HOW MUCH MORE THERE IS TO EXPLORE FROM THE MOON TO MARS. AND THEN TO EXPLORE OTHER AREAS IN THE UNIVERSE. WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER IN OUR BACKYARD AND TO BE HOME TO THE MARRY THE MANY, MANY ASTRONAUTS, ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS, AND OTHER FOLKS AFFILIATED WITH OUR NATION'S SPACE PROGRAM IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE SECTOR. UH, DOWN IN SPACEPORT, WE HAVE THREE GREAT COMPANIES AND WE'RE TALKING TO MORE AS WE SPEAK. WE HAVE INTUITIVE MACHINES THAT HAD THEIR GROUNDBREAKING, UH, LAST FRIDAY. AND WE HAVE RIBBON CUTTING, I'M SORRY, RIBBON CUTTING LAST FRIDAY. AND THEN WE HAVE DECEMBER 7TH, WE HAVE AXIOM AND COLLINS, UH, RAYTHEON, I THINK IT'S COLLINS THAT HAS THEIR RIBBON CUTTING ON, UH, DECEMBER 7TH. SO I INVITE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO COME TO SPACEPORT ON DECEMBER 7TH AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING OUT THERE BECAUSE IT'S EXCITING. MM-HMM . I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO LEARN ABOUT NASA'S HISTORY AND MISSION SPACE PROGRAM SUPPORTS OUR COMMUNITY AND PROVIDES MANY, MANY JOBS. JUST LAST FRIDAY, INTUITIVE MACHINES OFFICIALLY OPENED THEIR DOOR TO ITS CUTTING EDGE LUNAR PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS FACILITY AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. IN THE COMING DAYS, THE COMPANY WILL SHIP ITS NOVA SEA LUNAR LANDING AHEAD OF ITS MAIN MAINED VOYAGE TO THE MOON. UH, THE AXIOM EQUIPMENT AND THE LUNAR MODULE HAS TAKEN THE, UH, THE PAYLOAD UP TO THE, UH, MOON AHEAD OF THE LAUNCH IN HOPEFULLY 24, MAYBE 25 FOR ARTEMIS TWO LAST NIGHT, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN HONORED MAYOR SYLVETA TURNER WITH THE DISTINGUISHED FRIEND OF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AWARD FRIEND OF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN AWARD. THE AWARD IS BESTOWED ON THOSE WHO HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO SUPPORT AND UPLIFT THE VALUES OF U OF H DOWNTOWN, THE GATORS AND THE MAYOR'S DAUGHTER, ASHLEY TURNER ACCEPTED THE AWARD FOR HER DAD WHO COULD NOT BE THERE, BUT I BET HE'S WATCHING. AND MAYOR, CONGRATULATIONS AND I HOPE YOU'RE WELL. THAT CONCLUDES THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS FOR TODAY. WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. MM-HMM . ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON, UH, THE MAYOR PRO TEMS COMMENTS? MOVE CLOSE THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS. . WOW. NOBODY IN FAVOR? I'LL LEAVE IT OPEN. ALRIGHTY. SOON AS SHE'S DONE WITH MISCELLANEOUS. [CONSENT AGENDA] OKAY. UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY, ITEMS TWO THROUGH SEVEN, JUST NEED A MOTION MOVE, ROBINSON THOMAS, SECOND MOVE AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEMS TWO THROUGH SEVEN? HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION GRANTED, UH, TWO THROUGH SEVEN WERE A NUMBER OF COMMITTEES AND, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND I THINK WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THOSE FOLKS HERE TODAY. SO WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE [02:45:01] YOU AND MAKE SURE YOU GET YOUR RECOMMENDATION AND YOUR KUDOS. UM, AMY JEAN AMMA, JEAN OF THE HOUSTON COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE OUR FRIEND WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF DISABILITIES. ANGEL STAND UP WAVE TO US. SO THAT WAS A GOOD ONE. SO ANGEL DOES A GREAT JOB DAY IN DOUBT DAY OUT. IT'S A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH HIM. UH, IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE, UH, WEST GRAY MULTI-CENTER, UM, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH THINGS ABOUT ANGEL AND HIS PASSION FOR THAT MULTI-SERVICE CENTER AND WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE IN THE, IN THE FUTURE. SO, ANGEL, UM, YOU KNOW, PON, EVERYTHING YOU DO IS, IS GREAT FOR US AND IT'S AN HONOR TO WELCOME YOU, MS. JEAN, IF YOU WOULD. YEAH, PULL THE MIC, PULL THE MIC DOWN IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS. HELLO, MY NAME IS AMI. I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE, UH, JOINING THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITY. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO, AND THANK Y'ALL FOR ADDING ME TO IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR PROAM. AMI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. UH, AND I, I TOO WANNA ECHO NOT ONLY THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, THIS COMMISSION, BUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, FOR OUR DISABILITY COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. UH, I WAS RECENTLY THIS WEEKEND, UH, WITH ANGEL AND THE TEAM OVER AT WEST GRAY, MAYOR PRO TEM. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, WHAT WE'RE RE-ENVISIONING FOR THE EXPANSION OF SERVICES THERE, UH, IS, IS TRULY HISTORIC AND EXCITING. UH, BUT I, I DID WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION SERVING. UM, I WAS JUST AT THE CHAMPIONS OF INCLUSIONS AWARDS AND, UH, I MEAN THE, THE JOY, THE LOVE, THE CONNECTIVITY, AND THE EMPOWERMENT THAT I SAW, UM, GAVE ME HOPE, RIGHT? AND SENT ME ON A WEEKEND, UH, THAT WAS MADE BETTER BECAUSE OF WHAT I WAS ABLE TO BE AROUND. SO AGAIN, AMI, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I'M, I'M SO EXCITED FOR WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BRING. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. I MEAN, THANK YOU ALSO, UH, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE, UM, IN A, ON BEHALF OF MY BROTHER MICHAEL, WHO'S, UH, PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED. UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING OUT THERE AND BEING A REPRESENTATIVE FOR HIM AS WELL. SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU MS. JOHN. WE APPRECIATE IT AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO SERVES ON THE HOUSTON COMMISSION OF DISABILITIES. AND WE, AGAIN, WE CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT OUR DIRECTOR, ANGEL EY, WHO DOES A GREAT JOB REPRESENTING ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE, UH, LIMITATIONS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. HE DOES A GREAT JOB DAY IN AND DAY OUT AND, UH, WE CONTINUE TO BE IMPRESSED BY HIS ENTHUSIASM AND HIS WORTH ETHICS. SO THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION. GOD BLESS AND KEEP GOING. THANK YOU AGAIN, AMI. THEN WE HAVE MS. ABR HARRIS DAVILA, WHO IS ON THE CONTRACT COMPLIANCE COMMISSION. MS. DAVILA DAVILA DAVILA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, I AM A, UH, GRAD OF, UH, UT I WENT THERE FOR LAW SCHOOL AND FOR, UM, UNDERGRAD. AND I'M JUST SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO USE THE EDUCATION. I CAME THERE TO HELP MY NEW HOME, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. GO HORNS, . GO HORNS. FANTASTIC. SO FAR OFF TO A GOOD FOOTBALL SEASON, RIGHT? SO, MY GOD, FINALLY, LET'S NOT JINXY, . THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND TO ALL THE FOLKS ON THE CONTRACT COMPLIANT COMMISSION. THANK YOU. WE ALSO HAVE, UH, ONE OF THE DIRECTORS OF THE FIVE CORNERS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, WHICH WAS FORMERLY THE HARRIS COUNTY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NUMBER 10 B EDNA NEWSOM, D DEVERO, DEVERO, MS. EDNA, DO SOME DEVERO STEP FORWARD. IT'S A UNIQUE SPELLING. YES, MA'AM. WELL, YOU HAVE TO BE, SOME HAVE TO, TO HAVE SOME ROOTS FROM LOUISIANA IF A NAME LIKE DEVEREUX. OH, UH, YEAH, I GOT IT FROM MY HUSBAND. THERE YOU GO. GOOD. UH, AND IT IS NOT THE, UM, FRENCH SPELLING, SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED. THEY WANT TO USE THE, UM, SPANISH SAYS A LOT OF VOWELS. YES. BUT ANYWAY, I'M GLAD TO BE HERE. THIS IS MY, MAYBE MY THIRD TERM WITH THE, UH, FIVE CORNERS MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. AND, UH, I'VE ENJOYED SERVING. I'VE BEEN OFFICIALLY RETIRED FOR 23 YEARS MAYBE, [02:50:01] AND I HAVE WORKED. LOOK, KEEP WORKING. IF YOU WANT TO GET PAID, KEEP YOUR JOB BECAUSE ONCE YOU RETIRE, YOU WORK AS HARD, BUT YOU DON'T GET PAID WITH MONEY. AMEN. BUT YOU GET SATISFACTION FROM SERVING THE COMMUNITY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT ATTITUDE AND APPRECIATE ALL YOUR WORK AT THE FIVE CORNERS IN, IN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. SO WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ FOR SOME COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THAT. I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE RETIREMENT IS WHEN THEY PAY YOU NOT TO WORK. YOU GOT IT. . AND SO, YOU KNOW, BUT AGAIN, YOU DON'T, SOME OF US DON'T HAVE SENSE ENOUGH TO SIT DOWN, BUT WE WALK IN OUR CALLING. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU MS. DEVEREUX, APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE FROM THE HOUSTON FOOD INSECURITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, UH, SADE PERKINS. GOOD MORNING. GREAT TO HAVE YOU. UM, MY NAME IS SADE PERKINS. I'M EXTREMELY EXCITED TO BE SERVING ON THE FOOD INSECURITY BOARD. I'M A VETERAN AND NOW I GET TO SERVE AGAIN IN THIS WAY. I'M ALSO THE OWNER OF THE FREEDMAN'S TOWN FARMER'S MARKET. AND THANK YOU ABBY, FOR NOMINATING ME. THANK YOU. AND WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. SADE, I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU UP HERE TODAY. AND OLIVIA, THANK YOU FOR, UH, WORKING ON THIS NOMINATION. UH, WE MET DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, AS YOU WERE WORKING TO BRING A FARMER'S MARKET SUPPORTING LOCAL BLACK SMALL BUSINESSES INTO THE COMMUNITY, UM, TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY AND WHAT WE KNOW IS A FOOD DESERT, UH, IN DISTRICT C. SO FOR THAT WORK, I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGES, BUT I DID WANNA LIFT UP, UM, YOUR PASSION, YOUR COMMITMENT, AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUST SHARING A FEW WORDS ABOUT, UM, YOUR TIES TO THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING ON. SURE. UM, SO FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, OR ALMOST THREE NOW, I HAD BEEN, UH, I PUT TOGETHER, UH, A, A FARMER'S MARKET IN FOURTH WARD IN FRIEDMANS TOWN BECAUSE THERE ARE NO GROCERY STORES OVER THERE. UM, THE CLOSEST ONE WOULD BE THE DOWNTOWN RANDALL'S OR THE RIVER OAKS KROGER. AND, UM, I SAW A NEED IN MY COMMUNITY AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT BROUGHT ME TO IT. I LITERALLY STARTED WITH, UM, WITH NOTHING, JUST THE SUPPORT OF, OF A COMMUNITY CHURCH THAT ALLOWED ME TO USE A LOT IN THEIR AREA. AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO JUST FIND VENDORS AND BUSINESSES AND WHATNOT AND TRY TO SUPPORT THOSE VEN UH, BUSINESSES AS WELL AS SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY WITH, WITH HEALTHY FOOD. UM, THE DROUGHT HAS MADE IT EXTREMELY HARD THIS SUMMER, UM, AS FAR AS FOOD PRODUCTION AND, AND ALL OF THAT. SO, UH, WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH A DROUGHT OURSELVES AS WELL. BUT, UM, WE HOPE TO BE UP AND RUNNING AGAIN SOON, HOPEFULLY. AND THANK YOU. AND ALL THE FOLKS THAT SERVE ON THE HOUSTON INSECURITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT ON WHAT THE PANDEMIC AND THE DROUGHT HAS DONE, UH, TO THE WORK THAT YOU DO. SO SADE, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. MAYOR PROAM, AT THE RISK OF, UH, SOLICITING A, UH, UH, AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR YOUR FARMER'S MARKET, WHAT ARE THE HOURS? IT WAS FROM NINE TO TWO ON SATURDAYS. OKAY. AND CAN YOU GIVE THE ADDRESS JUST AS A FARMER'S MARKET FREQUENT OR I, UH, 11 EIGHT VICTOR STREET. SAY AGAIN. 1108 VICTOR STREET IN FREEMANS TOWN. AND IS THERE A WEBSITE FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE LOOKING THERE? THERE'S NOT A WEBSITE. THERE'S SOCIAL MEDIA THOUGH. INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, ALL THAT. GREAT. THANKS AGAIN. THANK YOU. AND, AND THANKS AGAIN, SADE. AND, AND I'M SURE YOU ARE A SMOOTH OPERATOR ON THAT BOARD. . . THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SADE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, MADAM SECRETARY, WE'LL GO TO THE ACCEPT WORK ITEMS UNDER ACCEPT WORK CATEGORY. ITEMS NINE AND 10 WILL BE REMOVED. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEMS EIGHT AND 11? MOVE ROBINSON. I SECOND. MOTION. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? ITEMS CARRY UNDER THE PURCHASING AND TABULATION OF BS CATEGORY. ITEM 14 HAS BEEN RECEIVED. SO WE NEED A ITEM 17 HAS BEEN REMOVED. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED OF MOTION ON THE BALANCE. MOVE ROBINSON ON THE SECOND MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OPPOSED? ITEMS CARRY UNDER THE RESOLUTION CATEGORY. ITEM 28. JUST NEEDS A VOTE. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM 28? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. OPPOSED? 28 CARRIES [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY ITEMS REMOVED. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION ARE 34, 36, 37 AND 42. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN ARE [02:55:01] 34, 36, 37 AND 42. NEED A VOTE ON THE BALANCE? ANY DISCUSSION ON THE BALANCE OF THE ITEMS? SEEING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR? OPPOSED ITEMS CARRY. OKAY, WE'LL GO TO ITEM NUMBER NINE, MADAM SECRETARY. THANK YOU. I MOVE FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. ITEM NINE NEEDS A MOTION MOVE ROBINSON THOMAS, I SECOND MOTION. AND A SECOND ON ITEM NUMBER NINE. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM NINE? COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR PROTIME, JUST SPOTLIGHTING THIS ITEM. UM, THIS IS RELATED TO THE CONNECTOR FOR THE MKT TRAIL. UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS HAVE REALLY BEEN PUSHING FOR AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO, UH, LIFT THIS PROJECT UP AGAIN. THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER NINE? ANY, NONE? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. ITEM NINE CARRIES. ITEM 10 NEEDS A MOTION. MOVE ROBINSON. SECOND. SECOND. MOTION. AND SECOND. ALL IN THE DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER 10. ITEM 10. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. ITEM 10 CARRIES. ITEM 17 NEEDS A MOTION. MOVE ROBINSON. A SECOND MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR PROAM. AS, AS THESE NEXT ITEMS WILL BE, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M ADDING UP ABOUT $47 MILLION WORTH OF, UH, EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDERS. I WAS ASKING, I I'M CERTAINLY GONNA BE VOTING IN FAVOR WHOLEHEARTEDLY ON THESE CONTRACT, ON THESE AMOUNTS. I JUST, I WANNA GET SOME CLARITY. I ASKED, UM, FOR NUMBERS THAT LIKE TRYING TO GET, WHEN I, WHEN I GO OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE, I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT WE'RE INVESTING HEAVILY IN THIS. SO I GOT A NUMBER OF $33 MILLION THAT WE'VE SPENT ALREADY IN EPOS THIS YEAR. THIS WILL BE AN EXTRA 47. SO I GUESS THAT'S $80 MILLION IN EPOS. CORRECT. AND THEN AN ALL, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS NUMBER THAT I RECEIVED IS FOR PART OF THE YEAR OR ALL, BUT ALL OF FY 23, WE SPENT 36 MILLION. CORRECT. WHICH SEEMS LO I MEAN WE HAD A LOT OF LEAKS LAST YEAR I THOUGHT TOO. IS THAT MM-HMM . AM I NOT LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS RIGHT OR NO, I, I MEAN, ARE WE SPENDING 80 MILLION THIS YEAR AS COMPARED TO 36 MIL? DID WE DO MORE IN HOUSE OR, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A, A CLARIFICATION ON UPI THINK WE DID A NUMBER OF THEM UNDER REGULAR CONTRACT. OKAY. NOT EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDER CONTRACTS. OKAY. SO, UH, LAST NIGHT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS SENT OUT A NICE TWO PAGER. THEY SENT THEM TO YOUR STAFF. HOPEFULLY YOU RECEIVE THAT. YEAH, I SAW THAT BOX. AND I KNOW MANY OF Y'ALL HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT THE PROGRAM, THE ACTIVE LEAKS PRIOR TO JUNE. RIGHT. I GOT, I GOT THAT. I WAS JUST, I WAS JUST ASKING REALLY ABOUT THE, THE, THE NUMBER. YEP. OKAY. AND IT'S, AND A LOT OF IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REGULAR CONTRACTS AND EMERGENCY PURCHASE WORKERS. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ABEY CAYMAN, UH, THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. AND I, I TOO, COUNCIL MEMBER ELKHORN WAS LOOKING AT THAT SHEET. WHAT I MM-HMM . WHAT I SAW AND YOU, YOU KIND OF TOOK THE WORDS OUTTA MY MOUTH. I WAS GONNA JUST SAY WHAT THIS AMOUNT IS THAT WE'RE VOTING ON TODAY. IT'S A PACKAGE AGAIN, OF UM, CLOSE TO $48 MILLION IN SPENDING AUTHORITY. SO ALLOWING THE CITY TO GO OUT AND SPEND UP TO THAT AMOUNT, BOTH FOR REPAIR AND INSPECTIONS. AND THEN THE PDF THAT WE GOT, UM, 40 MILLION SO FAR IN EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDER CONTRACTORS. BUT I ALSO APPRECIATE WHAT THEY INCLUDED, WHICH WAS SOMETHING I HAD ASKED. UM, YES. WHEN, UH, RANDY AND DIRECTOR HADDOCK HAD COME BEFORE US, WHICH WAS WHAT IS THE COST IN OTHER WAYS TO THE CITY AND THE IMPACTS OF DROUGHT. SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, AN ESTIMATED COST OF CITY CREW OVERTIME, UM, FROM ONLY JUNE TO SEPTEMBER IS 1.1 MILLION. UH, THE ESTIMATED COST TO TREAT UNACCOUNTED WATER LOSS, 1.27 MILLION. SO THERE'S ALL OF THESE HIDDEN COSTS THAT WE'RE BEING IMPACTED BY, UH, AS IT RELATES TO DROUGHT. AND OF COURSE THE RAIN IS STARTING, WE'RE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. BUT THEN YOU ADD ON THE RISK OF FLOODING, RIGHT? AND WE'RE SEEING THOSE WEATHER EXTREMES. SO THE COST IS VERY REAL WITH THIS. UM, AND I APPRECIATE, I DID WANNA THANK ALL THE CREWS. I WANTED TO GIVE ONE EXAMPLE REALLY QUICKLY, UH, 'CAUSE IT WAS COVERED IN THE NEWS AND THE HEIGHTS. EVERYONE SAW THERE HAD BEEN A, A WATER LEAK FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. AND BECAUSE CREWS, UH, COULDN'T GET TO IT, THEY HAD BEEN OUT INSPECTING AND THE FLAGS WENT UP. BUT BECAUSE OF THE DELAYS, IT ERUPTED PRETTY MUCH INTO A GEYSER AND THERE WAS RISK OF WATER GOING INTO HOMES, UM, IN AN OPEN DITCH SYSTEM. SO, UH, I IMMEDIATELY WAS ALERTED TO IT. UH, DIRECTOR HADDOCK CAME ON SITE WITH ME HERSELF. RANDY WAS ON TOP OF IT. RAY TECH, ONE OF OUR CONTRACTORS DID A PHENOMENAL JOB. SO I DO WANNA APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE, BUT ALSO THE RISKS OF WHAT IT'S TAKING TO GET TO SO MANY LEAKS. AND IN DISTRICT CI [03:00:01] DO WANNA MAKE SURE RESIDENTS ARE HEARD, AND I'M BEING A VOICE FOR THEM IN, YOU KNOW, THE CONSISTENT REPORTING, RIGHT. OF WE'RE SEEING LEAKS UPWARDS OF THREE WEEKS. UM, SO I'M, MY HOPE IS THAT THIS MONEY, UM, WILL HELP TO EXPEDITE, UM, THOSE 3 1 1 CALLS AS WELL. YES. UH, AND JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE DATA, THIS NEWS RELEASE WENT OUT LAST NIGHT, BUT PUTS IT IN PERSPECTIVE, THE ACTIVE LEAKS PRIOR TO JUNE 1ST WERE LESS THAN A HUNDRED ACTIVE LEAKS SINCE JUNE 1ST ARE GREATER THAN 500. THE NUMBER OF COM CONTRACTORS THAT WE USED PRIOR TO JUNE 1ST WERE FOUR AFTER JUNE 1ST OVER 10, AND WE'RE SEEKING TWO MORE. SO TO PERTINENT TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S QUESTIONS, REPAIRS COMPLETED SINCE JUNE 1ST OF THIS YEAR BY THE CITY HAVE BEEN 2,600 BY CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN 1,700. SO A LOT OF THE REPAIRS WE'RE STILL DOING WITH CITY EMPLOYEES, BUT TO KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND, UH, WE HAVE GONE TO OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS. SO THE NUMBER OF CALLS THAT WE RECEIVED SINCE JUNE TO SEPTEMBER 30TH TO 3 1 1, WE'VE RECEIVED ALMOST 20,000 CALLS RELATED TO WATER LEAKS. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE METHODOLOGY. WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE IN A, AN EXPEDITED FASHION. BUT, UH, WITH THE WEATHER AND THE DROUGHT, IT, UH, IT SEEMED TO HAVE REALLY GOTTEN AHEAD OF WHERE WE, UH, CAN ACTUALLY DO IT INTERNALLY. THUS, WE HAD TO DO THE CONTRACTORS. THUS WE HAVE THE EPOS COUNCIL MEMBER MARIANNE HUFFMAN. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE IN DISTRICT G, JUST LIKE IT HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND SO, UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE SOME OF THESE, UM, CONTRACTORS COME TO DISTRICT G, TAKE CARE OF THE LEAKS. AND ALSO JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC FOR EVERYONE WHO REPORTS THE LEAKS, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE OUR EYES AND EARS OUT THERE. UM, WE HAVE BIG DISTRICTS AND WE TRY TO GET TO AS MANY PLACES AS WE CAN, BUT PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICES, YOU KNOW, IF A REPORT HAS BEEN MADE TO 3 1 1, FOLLOW UP WITH OUR OFFICES AND GIVE US THAT NUMBER SO THAT WAY WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON IT TOO, AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BEING ADDRESSED IN A TIMELY MANNER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR PRAM. I MEAN, TH THIS IS A, UM, NEARLY $48 MILLION. HERE I IS. CAN WE ASK TO HAVE THE DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR HADDOCK OR HER REPRESENTATIVE COME IN TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS OR CLEAR UP SOME THINGS HERE IN REGARDS TO THIS VOTE? AND I THINK I'D REFER THAT OVER TO THE TTI COMMITTEE. I MEAN, WE, AND YOU CAN, I KNOW SHE'S WAS AT A MEETING THIS MORNING. I DON'T THINK SHE'S AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW MM-HMM . BUT, AND IF YOU READ THE REPORT, IT'S, IT'S PRETTY INCLUSIVE. I MEAN, IT, IT TALKS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF LEAKS THAT WE HAVE. IT TALKS ABOUT THE EMERGENCY, IT TALKS ABOUT THE PROCEDURE. UH, THE WAY WE TIME THIS IS THAT HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY FACILITIES AND SCHOOLS ARE EMERGENCIES, MAJOR LEAKS. GUSHERS, GEISERS, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CAME AND TALKED ABOUT EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDERS. THE MINOR LEAKS ARE TAKEN TWO TO THREE, UH, TWO TO FIVE WEEKS. SO, UH, WE PRIORITIZE THE WAY WE ATTACK THESE THINGS. AND, UH, I THINK SO FAR, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE WE INSTITUTED THE 10 CONTRACTORS WITH TWO MORE ON STANDBY, I THINK IT'S MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. UM, AND YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAG THE ITEMS. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND DOING THAT SINCE IT'S AN EPO. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, EVERY TIME I'VE ASKED 'EM A QUESTION, THEY'VE BEEN THOROUGH, THOROUGH IN THEIR INFORMATION TO ME. STILL, YOUR YOUR TIME, SIR. WELL, I MEAN, THE QUESTION WAS BROUGHT UP IN REGARDS TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO IN REGARDS TO THE $33 MILLION. WAS THAT LAST YEAR? THAT WAS LAST YEAR. EARLY PART OF THE YEAR, RIGHT? YEAH. SO IT WAS LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR, CORRECT. AND, AND SO HOW MUCH HAVE WE PAID SO FAR THIS YEAR? 47 PLUS THE 40 PLUS. THIS THAT WE, AROUND 80 PLUS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 40. THIS IS ROUGHLY 40. SO $87 MILLION ON EPOS RELATED TO LEAKS. WELL, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA THAT THEY SHOWED US, THE CITY'S CREWS ARE STILL DOING, UH, ABOUT DOUBLE THE WORK OF THE CONTRACTOR CREWS, 2,600 BY CITY 1700 BY CONTRACTOR REPAIR. SO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS STILL THROUGH THE H HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DURING THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE EMERGENCY REPAIRS. AND IT'S JUST GOTTEN AHEAD OF US. WE'VE BEEN SCREAMING, COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BEEN SCREAMING ABOUT WATER LEAKS. WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT? THE CITY IMPLEMENTS A PLAN, HIRE CONTRACTORS GET EPOS. SO MY OPINION, THEY'RE ANSWERING THE CALL OF COUNCIL, AND I APPLAUD THAT COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON, AND WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. YOU [03:05:01] MENTIONED THE TTI COMMITTEE, AND THE FACT IS THAT DIRECTOR HADDOCK AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ALL THOSE, UM, MORE OR LESS END OF YEAR PRESENTATIONS THAT PUBLIC WORKS WILL BE DOING FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR COUNCIL. UM, AS A SUMMARY FOR THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED A LITTLE BIT, THINK OF IT AS TRANSITION REPORT, BUT ALSO, UM, AS IT RELATES TO SOME OF THE DISASTERS WE'VE SEEN, AND THIS IS ONE THAT I AGREE WITH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, IT REALLY WARRANT WARRANTS, UH, SOME OF THE ROLLED UP STATISTICS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN WAS ASKING ABOUT. AND OUR VICE CHAIR FOR THE TTI COMMITTEE IS ON POINT, AS USUAL. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, DIRECTOR HADDOCK NOT ONLY, UM, INDICATED THROUGH, UH, WHAT THE DEPARTMENT SENT OUT LAST NIGHT, BUT I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S FAIR. IF WE CAN FIND TIME ON OUR VERY PACKED AGENDAS FOR THE THREE MM-HMM . REMAINING MONTHS, UM, THIS IS STUFF THAT ALL OF OUR CONSTITUENTS WOULD LIKE TO SEE. YES, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE FOR OUR, UH, NEWSLETTERS, ET CETERA. COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. I, I JUST WANTED TO ADD, 'CAUSE THE CALL HAS COME FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, BUT REALLY IT'S THE CALL OF RESIDENTS. UM, SO I, I WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT. AND WHILE YES, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR NUMBERS TOO, RIGHT? HOW ARE WE FARING IN DROUGHTS? AND SO TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S POINT, VERY VALID ABOUT COMPARING TO LAST YEAR AND WHAT THAT DIFFERENTIAL IS. BUT I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, DELAYING ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GET ADDITIONAL, UH, CREWS OUT INTO THE FIELD, ASAP, UH, TO ADDRESS THE NEED, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE LOSING MILLIONS OF GALLONS. RESIDENTS DON'T WANNA SEE US LOSING WATER. I DON'T, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA SEE MORE DAMAGE DONE, UH, AT THIS POINT. RIGHT. AND JUST AS A REMINDER, LAST FOUR MONTHS, JUNE, JULY AUG, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER INTO 3 1 1, WE'VE HAD ALMOST 20,000 CALLS INTO 3 1 1 20,000 CALLS. COUNCIL MEMBER GAYA GOES BACK TO YOU. NO, THAT'S FINE. IN, IN REGARDS TO, UH, CHAIR ROBINSON, IF IT COMES TO TTI, AT LEAST TO GIVE A LITTLE BREAKDOWN AND, AND, UH, ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT. THAT'S GREAT. WE'LL DO THAT CHAIR. ABSOLUTELY. YEP. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION? ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ITEM CARRIES. THAT WAS ITEM NUMBER 17. 17. ITEM 17 PASSES. ITEM 34. AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ITEM 34, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR PROAM. I DID WANNA TAKE A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE TO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, CHIEF PENA IS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY FOR THIS ITEM. UM, CHIEF, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE. UH, YOU HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING ON THIS, UM, ALONGSIDE MANY OTHERS, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UH, AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN COME BEFORE COUNSEL, ARE MULTIPLE ITEMS RELATED TO FIREFIGHTER SAFETY. AND, UH, THIS ITEM OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TO PROVIDE MEDICAL HEALTH SCREENINGS FOR AN ESTIMATED 3,658 INCUMBENT UNIFORM PERSONNEL. UM, THESE ARE LIFE SAVINGS SCREENINGS, AND WE KNOW THAT, SO I THINK WE ALSO HAVE SOME, UH, OTHER, UH, UH, EMS OR HEALTH OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE. BUT I, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE YOU CHIEF AND THE DEPARTMENT, AND THANK THE MAYOR, UM, FOR BRINGING THIS ITEM FORWARD, BECAUSE IT IS A VERY BIG DEAL WITH LIFESAVING, UM, IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR FIREFIGHTERS. YES. AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, AND THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE GREATEST FIRE CHIEF IN THE UNITED STATES. MR. SAM PENA, BY FAR. NONE BETTER. SO THIS IS OUR REQUIREMENT BY NFPA AND IT'S JUST MEETING THEIR NATIONAL STANDARD. AND SOME OF THE TESTS THAT THEY DO, THEY DO CANCER SCREENING, THEY DO PHYSICALS, THEY DO BLOOD AND URINE ANALYSIS, ANALYSIS, AND THEY ALSO DO VISION. SO IT'S A PRETTY THOROUGH, UM, TYPE OF STANDARD. AND IT'S, UH, ONE THAT IS VERY MUCH NEEDED IN THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN DETECT ILLNESS BEFORE IT GETS TO A POINT WHERE YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. CHIEF, ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON ITEM NUMBER 34? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. ITEM 34 PASSES. ITEM 36 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ITEM 36, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. LAST ONE, I PROMISE. UM, I, NO PROBLEM. I DID WANNA THOUGH RECOGNIZE, UM, MAIN STREET, MARKET SQUARE TURS, UM, WHICH OVERLAPS, UM, BOTH HINC. UH, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING SOME INCREDIBLE WORK ALONG, UH, THE BAYOU TRAILS, INCLUDING A NEW PARTNERSHIP THAT I'D BEEN WORKING ON FOR YEARS TRYING TO GET GOING, WHICH WILL BE, UM, WHAT DISTRICT C IS FUNDING WILL BE THE FIRST, UH, NEW PUBLIC FACING CHARGERS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES THAT THE PUBLIC CAN ACCESS ON CITY PROPERTY AT OUR PARK. SO I [03:10:01] REALLY WANNA THANK OUR TOURS, UM, FOR DOING JUST AN OUTSTANDING JOB WITH PARTNERSHIPS ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THEY'VE TAKEN ON. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. AND ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS IN RECENT MEMORY IS THE LIN WYATT SQUARE. YES. THAT THEY WERE VERY INVOLVED IN. IF RESIDENTS HAVE NOT BEEN TO LIN WYATT SQUARE, I INVITE THEM TO GO OUT AND SEE IT. IT'S A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL FACILITY. AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. YES, I TOO WANNA THANK THE MAIN STREET MARKET SQUARE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND ALL THEY HAVE DONE IN, IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, UH, UH, GOING BY THERE IN THE EVENINGS, UH, IN REGARDS TO THE THEATER DISTRICT AND SEEING THE, UH, MOVIES THAT THEY'RE SHOWING OUT AT NIGHT. UH, UH, PEOPLE JUST ENJOYING THEMSELVES AND LIKE YOU JUST STATED, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM IN REGARDS TO LYNN WYATT. UH, THAT'S JUST ANOTHER AMENITY IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, UH, THAT, UH, HOUSTONIANS AS WELL AS VISITORS TO OUR CITY CAN ENJOY. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING OUT THERE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON ITEM 36? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ITEM 36 PASSES. ITEM 42 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. I AROUND 30, 37. OH, I THINK WE SKIPPED. ITEM 37 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM 36 7? COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR PER TIM. UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT PROJECTS THAT'S HAPPENING, UM, IN GREENS POINT, UM, GREENS POINT TOWARD T UM, WE'RE CONSTRUCTING THE GREENS POINT PUBLIC SAFETY CAMPUS. UM, WE ALSO EXPANDING THE SKATE PARK OUT IN THAT AREA. THAT'S, WE GOT SIDEWALK PROJECTS HAPPENING, UM, STREET, UM, DRAINAGE PROJECTS, UM, OFF OF NORTH BOROUGH AS WELL AS GREENS PARKWAY. AND SO REALLY PROUD OF THE T THEY'RE DOING A GREAT JOB, UM, IN MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE PUSHING, UM, COMMUNITY PROJECTS. COMMUNITY PROJECTS IS GONNA IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY FORWARD. AND SO LOOK FORWARD, UM, TO CONTINUING WORKING WITH THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, AND THANK YOU MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAT TAR. SO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING, AS YOU MENTIONED. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON ITEM 37? YES. SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? ITEM 37, CARRIES NOW ITEM 42. NOW. ITEM 42. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM 42? COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON, THANK YOU AGAIN. I AM REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT. AND OF COURSE, THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROJECTS IN DISTRICT B. THIS IS GONNA BE THE FIRST EVER YEAR ROUND PUBLIC POOL IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND SO AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF THIS, I KNOW, RIGHT, THIS POOL BEEN SHUT DOWN. UM, IN FACT, THEY WERE GONNA LIKE, PULL THIS POOL UP AND PUT A SPLASH PAD. AND I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE, UM, NIA THOMPSON. I REACHED OUT TO HER AND SHE WAS ABLE TO GET THE MONEY TO GET THIS POOL DONE. AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO ACCEPT THESE DOLLARS SO THAT WE CAN START MOVING FORWARD ON, UM, THIS AMAZING PROJECT. AND SO LOOKING FORWARD TO GROUNDBREAKING AND EVERYTHING. SO THANK YOU. AWESOME. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR PROAM. CONGRATULATIONS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, ONE OF THE FIRST MEETINGS WE DID WHEN YOU, UM, GOT INTO OFFICE, WE WENT OUT TO TIDWELL PARK AND YOU, UM, THAT COMMUNITY DID NOT WANT A SPLASH PAD THAT WAS LOUD AND CLEAR. AND I SAW, UM, REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON AT A MEETING THE OTHER NIGHT AND JUST THANKED HER SO MUCH. UM, THIS IS, I REALLY LEARNED THAT THAT MEETING WITH ALL THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, HOW VERY, THE HISTORY OF THE POOL AND HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO THE COMMUNITY, AND, AND IT WAS JUST THIS CONSTANT REMINDER THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S FORGOTTEN ABOUT US. WE HAVE THIS EMPTY POOL. SO THIS IS GREAT NEWS AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO GET THIS GOING. GOOD WORK. COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO. TIM, I JUST WANNA, UM, SHOUT OUT DISTRICT B AGAIN FOR YET ANOTHER INVESTMENT. DISTRICT B GETS EVERYTHING. THIS IS GREAT. I'M EXCITED FOR YOU. . COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO. TIM, CONGRATULATIONS. THIS IS HUGE. I WAS LITERALLY OUT THERE YESTERDAY AND I SAW THAT POOL AND IT WAS SO SAD. AND SO, UM, SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR DOING THIS. UM, THANK YOU. THE ADMINISTRATION, THANK YOU FOR, FOR REPRESENTATIVE, UM, SCHIZOPHRENIA THOMPSON. UM, THIS IS GONNA BE A GAME CHANGER AT TOWELL PARK AND, AND, AND IT'S WELL NEEDED AND, AND NECESSARY. SO THANK YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. UH, I'M GONNA ADD MY, MY WORDS TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, 'CAUSE THIS IS INCREDIBLE. I, I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, DIRECTOR KENNETH ALLEN. 'CAUSE HE WALKED WITH US THIS SPRING AND WE SAW THE STATE OF THINGS OUT IN TIDWELL. AND TO YOUR CREDIT COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, YOU SAID, NO WAY UHUH, NO SPLASHED AS IT'S BEEN SAID. AND THIS IS A HUGE GAME CHANGER FOR THE NORTHEAST. THIS IS, THIS IS A DESTINATION PARK. WHEN, WHEN WE GET THIS THING DONE, THE AQUATIC CENTER IS GOING TO BE STATE OF THE ART OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS WHEN THE ELEMENTS ARE FAVORABLE. UM, YOU KNOW, CAN'T WAIT TO BE THERE WITH YOU. SO POOL PARTY. THANK YOU. BEFORE WE GO [03:15:01] TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON FOR LAST COMMENTS, WE'LL, PROBABLY AT THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION, WE PROBABLY NEED THE DISTRICT OF BIG BUCKS, DISTRICT B. SO, AND, AND SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO REPRESENTATIVE. GIMME A MINUTE. I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING. YEAH, SO, SO FRON YOU THOMPSON NOT ONLY AN INITIAL $10 MILLION, BUT ANOTHER $5 MILLION THAT WENT TOWARDS THIS PROJECT. AND IT WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ITEM 45, WHICH WE PASSED UNDER CONSENT. AND THAT WAS FROM A MILLION DOLLARS WE RECEIVED FROM REPRESENTATIVE ANNA HERNANDEZ, 41 41 FROM ANNA HERNANDEZ. SO A LOT OF GREAT PARTNERSHIPS WORK IN, UH, CITY AND STATE THAT GIVE US GREAT PROJECTS LIKE THIS. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO FOR FINAL COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON FROM THE DISTRICT OF BIG BUCKS. YES, I KNOW WE GOT THE BIG BUCKS HAPPEN, THE BBS HAPPENING IN DISTRICT B, THE BIG BUCKS COMING DOWN. YEAH. BUT JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE DIRECTOR ALLEN. THANK YOU FOR, UM, POINTING THAT OUT BECAUSE HIS TEAM HAS BEEN AMAZING. UM, GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITIES, WE'VE BEEN DOING TOUR TOURS ACROSS DISTRICT B, LOOKING AT THE PARKS, UM, GENERATING A LIST OF WANTS, UM, THAT THE COMM THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, MOVING FORWARD ON THE PARKS. AND SO JUST THE COLLABORATION HAS BEEN GREAT. SO I'M REALLY A, AGAIN, EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT. YES, AS YOU SHOULD BE. AND AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO, TO DIRECTOR KENNETH ALLEN, WHO DOES A GREAT JOB FOR US DAY IN AND DAY OUT. SO THANK YOU TO DIRECTOR ALLEN. ANYBODY ELSE? ANYONE ELSE? JUST VOTE. JUST NEED A VOTE ON ITEM NUMBER 42 42. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? ITEM 42 PASSES. ITEM 46 [NON-CONSENT - MISCELLANEOUS] IS A MOTION TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING. ITEM 46 TO MOTION TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING. MOVE TO SET THE HEARING, UH, ON AT 9:00 AM ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2023 UPON A SECOND. MOTION TO SET THE HEARING AND THE MOTION A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? ITEM 46 PASSES MOTION FOR A PUBLIC HEARING SET FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST 9:00 AM ITEM 46 FOR SEVEN, I MEAN 47. THE RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS THAT THE COUNCIL DRAW LAWS TO DETERMINE THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER AND AS MUCH AS IDENTICAL BIDS WERE RECEIVED IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARD FOR FFY 2024 DRAINAGE REHAB SQUAD WORK ORDER NUMBER TWO, WE HAVE TO DRAW OUT, WE, SO WE'LL HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS DRAW THE LOTS. SHE'S LUCKY. WE HAVE TWO GRAVA AND URI. GIVE US THAT ONE AGAIN. GRAVA AND YURI. GRAVA AND YURI. SO SHE HAS TWO PIECES OF FIRST LOT GRAVA AND YURI. AGAIN, THIS IS DUE TO IDENTICAL PRICING BY TWO OF OUR CONTRACTORS. AND THE WINNER IS NERI CONSTRUCTION. AND THE WINNER IS, HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT? N-E-N-E-E-R-I-E-N-E-R-I-E. NERI CONSTRUCTION. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. OKAY, GO TO MATTERS. HELD ITEM [MATTERS HELD] 48. ITEM 48 IS IN ORDINANCE. YOU SEEN THE VOTE? ITEM 48. ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEM 48? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, OPPOSE. ITEM 48 CARRIES. THAT WAS FOR THE MEMORIAL CITY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER 17. THANK YOU. ITEM 49 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ITEM 49. ANY DISCUSSION ON 49 IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. ITEM CARRIES. AND THAT WAS THE UPPER KIRBY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF THE REINVESTMENT ZONE. NUMBER 19. ITEM 50 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ITEM 50, COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THE, THAT I'M EXCITED TO SEE, UM, LELAND TURS STARTING TO IMPROVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH. UM, I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TURS. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT PROJECTS THAT, UM, WE, WE WE WILL BE COLLABORATING ON. AND SO, [03:20:01] AND YOU KNOW, WE JUST PASSED THE, UM, THE, UM, FINANCIAL BUDGET MEAN, NOT THE BUDGET, THE, OR WHAT WAS IT, THE POLICY. SO I WAS A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, UM, T BEING, UM, DISCONTINUED BECAUSE OF ITS PERFORMANCE. MM-HMM . BUT, UM, I SEE NOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ON THE MOVE TO SOME GREAT THINGS. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, CONTINUING THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TS. THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON ITEM 50? SEEING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? OPPOSE. ITEM CARRIES. ONCE AGAIN, LELAND WOODS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. ALL RIGHTY. AND WE'LL GO TO POPOFF POPOFF AND WE'LL [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] START OFF WITH MY FAVORITE COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN. BUT, UM, SO LAST NIGHT MY STAFF AND I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. WE VISITED FIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE AND THREE ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND MANY OF 'EM, AS WE ALL KNOW, WERE RAINED OUT. UH, THEIR COMMUNITY EVENTS HELD AROUND DISTRICT E AND KINGWOOD, SUMMER WOOD EDGEBROOK, AND CLEAR LAKE. AND AS I WENT SOUTH, I CAME BACK AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO GIVE A GOODNIGHT KISS TO MY TWO GRANDSONS. SO THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF NATIONAL NIGHT OUT FOR ME UNEXPECTEDLY. SO I APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO COORDINATE THE EFFORTS AND OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, HOUSTON FIRE, HOUSTON POLICE, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFFS CONSTABLES FOR MAKING THESE EVENTS ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL AND ALWAYS FUN TO BE AT. YESTERDAY WE HAD NACHO AND HOT DOG DAY. SO IF YOU HAD YOUR NACHOS OR YOUR HOT DOGS THAT WERE DONATED BY SAM'S AND HEB AND IT'S A CMC EVENT THAT WE'RE HOLDING. BLUE BIN STARTED ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 2ND. THE BLUE BIN IS THE KISS A CRITTER FUNDRAISER. THE COUNCIL MEMBER WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY RAISE, KISSES THE CRITTER TO AVOID KISSING THE CRITTER. ADD MONEY TO YOUR BOX. IT'S REAL EASY. THE BOOB ENDS ARE PLACED ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE CITY HALL ANNEX. TODAY WE ARE HAVING SEAFOOD COURTESY OF MAMBO SEAFOOD, WHAT'S ON THE MENU? FRIED RICE, FRIED MEDIUM SHRIMP, FRIED FISH, AND FRENCH FRIES, ALL FOR THE LOW COST OF 12 BUCKS. YOU CAN'T GET A BETTER DEAL THAN THAT. SODA DRINKS. A DOLLAR MAMBO SEAFOOD DONATED THE FOOD AND THE FOOD SALE WILL BE LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF CITY HALL. SO THANKS AGAIN, MAMBO SEAFOOD FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10TH, WE WILL HAVE OUR SWEET BREAD DAY DONATED BY EL BINO BAKERY. BOLIO BOLIO BOLIO BAKERY FROM THE WEST SIDE LOCATION ALSO WILL HAVE STARBUCKS AND PASTRY DAY FROM THEIR TUNNEL LOCATION. THE FOOD SALE WILL BE LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF CITY HALL ANNEX AT EIGHT 30 ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10TH. YOU CAN'T GET A BETTER DEAL THAN THAT. AND ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11TH, WE'LL HAVE TAMALE DAY DONATED BY COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK. ALSO, WE'LL HAVE NOTHING BUNT CAKES FROM THE WEST UNIVERSITY LOCATION. HOPE THEY HAVE THE RED VELVET, WHICH IS MY FAVORITE. THE FOOD SALE WILL BE LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE CITY HALL ANNEX AT 1130. SO COME AND ENJOY FOOD AND SEE EVERYBODY DURING THE RAISING MONEY FOR THE CMC EVENT. AND REMEMBER, WE HAVE THE SOFTBALL GAME ON FRIDAY, SO HOPE EVERYBODY SHOWS UP TO PARTICIPATE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM. UH, DUE TO THE WEATHER, MANY OF OUR, UH, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENTS IN DISTRICT, I WERE CANCELED. UH, BUT I DO WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO, UH, PARK PLACE CIVIC CLUB, UH, WOOD SHADOWS TO, UH, CLINTON PARK AND MANCHESTER. THEY DID HAVE THEIR NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. UH, MY STAFF WAS OUT THERE YESTERDAY, SO, UH, THANK YOU. UH, THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD A REALLY GREAT TIME. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ORGANIZING NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, ALSO THIS, UH, COMING SATURDAY, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE EVERYONE, UH, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WALK FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AT STEW PARK. IT STARTS AT SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. UH, I WANT TO PERSONALLY THANK PATRICK MCBAIN, UH, FOR EVERYTHING THAT HE HAS DONE THESE PAST YEARS, UH, IN, IN BRINGING AWARENESS TO MENTAL HEALTH. UH, SO THANK YOU TO PATRICK. AND AGAIN, THAT'S AT SEVEN O'CLOCK THIS SATURDAY AT STU PARK. UM, AND, UH, I'LL, I'LL BE THERE. SO I'LL BE WALKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR PRO TEM. I ALSO, UH, WANNA THANK MY TEAM FOR, UH, GETTING OUT THERE FOR NATIONAL NIGHT OUT LAST NIGHT, WE WERE, UH, UH, ALL OVER THE PLACE. WE, UH, HEADED NORTH WITH DISTRICT B, DISTRICT H, WE WERE IN DISTRICT A AND DISTRICT G. LOTS OF FUN OUT THERE. UM, IN BETWEEN THE RAIN, GOT SOME GREAT, UH, MOMENTS WITH, UH, CITIZENS CELEBRATING THE BONDS WITH, UH, UH, HPD, [03:25:01] SOME OF OUR CONSTABLES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS. SO GREAT NIGHT IN BETWEEN THE RAINDROPS. UM, ALSO WANT TO JUST REMIND EVERYONE TOMORROW WE DO HAVE, UH, OUR MONTHLY TTI COMMITTEE MEETING THAT'S, UH, THE 5TH OF OCTOBER AT 10:00 AM RIGHT HERE IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS. UM, THESE LAST FEW MONTHS, MAYOR PRO TEM ARE BUSY FOR TTI. WE GOT FIVE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA AND THEY INCLUDE A THREE YEAR REPORT FROM, UH, MISS DIRECTOR PRIYA ZACHARIA, THE CHIEF RESILIENCY OFFICER. THE RESILIENT HOUSTON AND HOUSTON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN ARE GONNA BE DISCUSSED. SO PLEASE COME OUT THAT IN AND OF ITSELF ARE, UH, WOULD BE WORTH ATTENDING. THE ONE HOUSTON MASTER PLANNING PROJECT. PHASE ONE WILL BE PRESENTED BY HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS, UM, IN THE AFOREMENTIONED CATEGORY OF THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT ARE LONG AND IMPORTANT ITEMS FOR THE CITY, WE'LL HAVE A COASTAL SURGE PROTECTION UPDATE, UH, FROM THE GALVESTON BAY PARK PLAN TEAM AT THE SPEED CENTER AT RICE. UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BAY, ONE OF MY PA FAVORITE PROJECTS OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND PROTECTING, ESPECIALLY OUR LOW LYING AREAS IN DISTRICT E, UH, DISTRICT D DISTRICT I, LOTS OF OUR WATERFRONT AND EASTWARD LEANING DISTRICTS AND PARTS OF THE CITY. AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, REGARDING REPETITIVE LOSS AREAS IN FLOOD. THAT ANALYSIS IS ALSO RELATED TO STORM SURGE AND OUR REPETITIVE FLOODING ISSUES. AND FINALLY, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS WILL BE PRESENTING AN UPDATE ON CHAPTER 26, UH, REGARDING HALLS BAYOU AND THE GREENWAY PARK. THERE WAS ACTUALLY AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA TODAY HAVING TO DO WITH THAT, UH, SANITARY SEWER CONNECTION. AND WE WILL PRESENT TOMORROW AS AN EXAMPLE OF A, UH, LONG-TERM HIGH COST, UH, COMPONENT OF OUR CONSENT DECREE. SO, LOTS OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TOMORROW. THEN I JUST WANNA SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOUSTON ASTROS FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I THINK WE'RE ALL CELEBRATING THAT AND LOOKING FORWARD TO A GOOD, ANOTHER RUN HERE IN 2023. BUT ALSO CONGRATULATIONS ARE DUE TO THE HOUSTON DYNAMO FOR WINNING IN THE US OPEN CUP. LITTLE SHOUT OUT, UH, FOR ALL OF THE DYNAMO FANS IN INCLUDING OUR OWN MARTA KO, WHO MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT DISAPPOINTED WITH, UM, UH, ELLE MESSI GOING DOWN HARD WITH THE MIAMI FC. UM, BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT. FLUKE. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT DYNAMO COMING BACK, SO LET'S KEEP THE RUN GOING FOR THE BALANCE OF THE SEASON. THANK YOU MAYOR PORTO. THANK YOU CHAIR. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE, UH, TTI COMMITTEE WILL EXPAND BY ONE IF WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE HOUSTON, UH, WATER SITUATION AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. YOU BET. ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS. THANK YOU MAYOR PROTE. I WANNA JOIN, UH, MY COLLEAGUES IN THE COURSE OF, UM, CELEBRATING NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. WE HAD AN AMAZING TIME ON THE WEST SIDE LAST NIGHT. UM, WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT WITH TANGO WILD, UH, WESTHEIMER CONTEMPORARY GREEN WEST PARK VILLAGE, ASHTON PARK, AND WE DID HAVE A COUPLE OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT CANCELED, UH, DUE TO THE RAIN, BUT THEY'RE ALREADY WORKING TO RESCHEDULE THEIR OWN NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. SO, UM, UM, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO JOINING THEM. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE DISTRICT F STAFF, UM, WHO WAS ABLE TO, UH, HANG WITH ME ALL NIGHT. AND CHIEF FINNER JOINED ONE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS ATTENTION IN SERGEANT CHAN OUTTA WEST SIDE FOR GETTING ME SAFELY. TO EACH LOCATION, I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE, THE CONVERSATION WE HAD AROUND NASHVILLE NIGHT OUT. CLEARLY WE HAVE SPECTACULAR RESIDENTS THAT ARE WORKING FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. UM, BUT ONE THING THAT, UM, I HIGHLIGHTED AND I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE PARKS DEPARTMENT. UM, PUBLIC SAFETY IS NOT JUST EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT POLICING. UM, PUBLIC SAFETY IS ALSO MAKING SURE THAT OUR PUBLIC SPACES HAVE ADEQUATE LIGHTING, UM, AND ACCESS TO STREETS AND A DA, UM, A DA RAMPS. AND SO ONE OF THE INITIATIVES IN DISTRICT F IS, UH, A STREET LIGHTING TREE CUTTING INITIATIVE. AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL AROUND SUPPORTING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVE. AND THEY'VE CUT BACK TREE CANOPIES THAT ARE, UM, HIDING, UH, COVERING THE, UH, STREETLIGHTS, WHICH HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS HELP IN IN OUR DISTRICT. AND SO WE'RE ASKING DISTRICT DEAF RESIDENTS TO CONTINUE TO COMPLETE THE LINK, LET US KNOW WHERE THOSE DARK LOCATIONS ARE, IF WE NEED TO INSTALL A LIGHT OR IF WE NEED TO TRIM BACK THOSE TREES. UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IS MOVING EXPEDITIOUSLY ON THAT, AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THEM FOR THAT WORK. UM, AND JUST REALLY JUST A SHOUT OUT AND A THANK YOU TO EVERY RESIDENT AND HOA LEADER THAT HAS DEDICATED AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF TIME IN ORGANIZING YOUR NEIGHBORS. IT IS NOT AN EASY FEAT. UM, AND SO NO MATTER IF YOU HAD FOUR OR 40 PEOPLE SHOW UP, I WANNA JUST ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PUBLIC EFFORT AND CONTINUE, UM, KEEPING THE WEST SIDE THE BEST SIDE. THANK YOU MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR PROAM. YESTERDAY WAS THE TML BOARD MEETING, AND I WANNA, UH, THANK, UM, CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO MICHELLE, WHO CAME TO TALK ABOUT HIS SUCCESS WITH, [03:30:01] SO FAR, WITH 2127 HB 2127, WHICH WAS REALLY, UM, ALL OF THE MEMBERS REALLY WERE ANXIOUS AND INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, EL PASO AND, AND SAN ANTONIO JOINED US IN THAT LAWSUIT, BUT EVERY CITY WANTS TO SEE THAT GO. SO HE DID A GREAT JOB EXPLAINING TO THE MEMBERS ABOUT THAT. AND WE ALSO HAD SOME NOT GREAT FROM THE TML, UM, LEGAL STAFF, SOME NOT GREAT SYNOPSIS OF RENTAL LAWS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, BEING STRICKEN DOWN HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET REALLY CREATIVE IN THAT, IN THAT, UM, IN THAT SITUATION. UH, I WANNA THANK THE AT LARGE TEAM, UH, AT LARGE FIVE TEAM WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE YESTERDAY. AND ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE, UM, A HUNDRED YEARS OF BAKER RIPLEY TONIGHT. UM, WE'LL BE GOING TO THAT TONIGHT. UM, JAMES BAKER WILL BE THERE. IT'S A BIG DEAL A HUNDRED YEARS AGO OF, OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY, SO CHEERS TO THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK. THANK YOU, MAYOR PERAM. UM, I JUST WANNA THANK ALL OF THE DISTRICT A RESIDENTS WHO CAME OUT LAST NIGHT TO NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IN THE RAIN, UM, SOMETIMES, AND I ALSO WANTED TO THANK ALL OF OUR OFFICERS AS WELL, WHO CAME OUT. I THINK AT EVERY STOP I MADE LAST NIGHT, I SAW AT LEAST ONE POLICE OFFICER, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THAT. I KNOW, UM, JUST TALKING TO, UM, ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS, EVERYONE WAS REALLY EXCITED THAT HPD WAS OUT THERE AND THE KIDS REALLY LOVED SEEING THE POLICE CARS AND SITTING IN IT AND EVEN TURNING THE SIRENS ON AT SOME POINT, . SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR BEING OUT THERE. UM, AND I ALSO WANT TO INVITE EVERYONE TO THE ANNUAL DISTRICT DAY PUBLIC SAFETY TOWN HALL. IT WILL BE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28TH AT 11:00 AM UM, IT WILL BE AT SPRING SPIRIT, THE CAMPBELL ROAD LOCATION, 3 9 1 1 CAMPBELL ROAD. WE WILL HAVE FREE FOOD. UM, IT'LL BE FAMILY FRIENDLY. YOU CAN BRING THE KIDS, WE'LL HAVE KIDS ACTIVITIES AS WELL. SPEAKERS INCLUDE CHIEF FINNER, CHIEF PENA, AND OUR HPD COMMANDERS FROM NORTH AND NORTHWEST DIVISIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. THANK YOU. I TOO WANT TO, UM, CONGRATULATE AND THANK ALL THE CIVIC CLUBS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. UM, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEM SHUT DOWN CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE RAIN, UM, WE STILL HAD A GOOD NIGHT. UM, EAST HOUSTON CIVIC CLUB, CLAREMONT PLACE GET GLENWOOD FOREST HOUSTON GARDENS, UM, FIFTH WARD, WILLOW RUN, YORKDALE, TRINITY GARDENS, ALL THESE, UM, CIVIC CLUBS CONTINUED TO, YOU KNOW, DESPITE THE RAIN, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY KEPT THEIR DOORS OPEN AND PEOPLE CAME OUT AND WE HAD A GREAT TIME. I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UM, THE NORTHEAST COMMAND CENTER FOR, YOU KNOW, DRIVING US AROUND . UM, THE WHOLE DIS YOU KNOW, DISTRICT B IS KIND OF BIG. UM, BUT UM, THEY DROVE US AROUND AND, UM, APPRECIATE THEM FOR COMING OUT AND SUPPORTING US, SO THANK YOU. YES, I ASKED COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAMAN. OKAY. HE, HE WAS JUST SIDE EYE BECAUSE HE HAD, I GOT WHEN YOU SAID DISTRICT DISTRICT B IS LARGE OF, OF 60 MILES FROM MY HOUSE TO THE END OF MY DISTRICT, SO, YOU KNOW. YES MA'AM, ABSOLUTELY. COUNCIL MEMBER ABEY CAYMAN. UH, YEAH, I WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. UM, SO I'M GONNA SHARE OUT A FEW RESOURCES. ABDA AID FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE PROVIDES FREE LEGAL SERVICES, INCLUDING PROTECTIVE ORDERS FOR FAMILIES IN NEED. UM, THEY ALSO PROVIDE COUNSELING AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. THEIR NUMBER IS 7 1 3 2 2 4 9 9 1 1, OR YOU CAN GO TO ABDA.ORG. UH, HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER, OF COURSE, IS ALSO AN INCREDIBLE PARTNER. UM, THEY HAVE A 24 7 HOTLINE. CALLS ARE FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL COUNSELORS ARE ABLE TO HELP, HELP YOU NO MATTER WHAT LANGUAGE YOU SPEAK. UH, FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, YOU CAN CALL 7 1 3 5 2 8 2 1 2 1. UM, AND THERE'S ADDITIONAL NUMBERS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT, UH, 7 1 3 5 2 8 7 2 7 3. BUT OF COURSE, YOUR FIRST CALL IN, UH, SITUATION WHERE YOU FEEL THAT YOUR LIFE OR YOUR FAM LOVED ONE'S LIFE IS AT RISK, IS TO CALL 9 1 1. UM, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND SHOUT OUT, WE HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE EARLIER THIS WEEK, UM, WITH ABDA AND CLEAR CHANNEL, BUT, UM, ROCKETS, UH, PLAYER TAR EASTON, UH, HAS HAD HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, UH, WITNESSING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND, UH, HE'S, I THINK, ONE OF THIS YEAR'S SPOKESPERSONS PARTNERING WITH ABDA. SO I WANNA THANK HIM AS WELL, UH, BECAUSE THIS, UH, ISSUE IMPACTS ALL OF US. UH, SO AGAIN, COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU CAN HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT RESOURCES THIS MONTH, I WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATIVE. UH, ON A, ON A LIGHTER NOTE, UH, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, UH, DESPITE THE RAIN, UH, DISTRICT C SHOWS UP, WE MADE IT TO OVER 20, UH, EVENTS, AND THAT MEANS WE DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SOME OF THE OTHER ONES, UH, THAT WERE GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. BUT IT WAS SO GREAT TO BE WITH RESIDENTS. AND I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO OUR CENTRAL PATROL DIVISION. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE AS WELL. WE WERE SEEING OFFICERS AT EACH EVENT AND ALSO [03:35:01] SERGEANT GRAHAM FOR SPENDING SOME EXTRA TIME WITH ME. UH, I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT. UH, WE WERE OUT AT WEST END, UH, AND THEY HAD BEEN, THEIR LIGHTS HAD NOT BEEN WORKING FOR OVER A YEAR AND A HALF, UH, AND BECAUSE THEY WERE HAVING SUCH A BIG GATHERING, PARKS GOT ON IT, THEY ALSO FILLED UP THE PARK WITH CHIPS, UM, FOR THE PLAYGROUND. SO WE DO REALLY APPRECIATE PARKS JUMPING ON THAT. ANOTHER MOMENT OF GRATITUDE. UM, IT, GREGORY LINCOLN ELEMENTARY IN FOURTH WARD. AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, ONE OF THE LARGEST POPULATIONS OF UNHOUSED CHILDREN IN OUR CITY, UH, THAT ARE BUSED TO THE SCHOOL FROM SHELTERS. AND, UH, THEY, WE HAD BEEN DOING SUPPLY DRIVES, THEY WERE STILL IN NEED. UH, SO MY OFFICE HAD PURCHASED, UH, SOME OF THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES THEY STILL NEEDED. BUT, UM, PASTOR LOU AND FIRST LADY JACK JACKIE MCELROY STEPPED UP ONCE AGAIN, UH, WITH ANTIOCH PROVIDING EVEN MORE UNIFORMS, UH, FOR THOSE IN NEED. SO, AGAIN, APPRECIATE ALL OF THE PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE GOING ON. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NASA, BUT I ALSO WANNA WISH A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MAYOR'S, UH, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, WALTER HAMBRICK. UH, WALTER HAMBRICK. UH, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT HE DOES. FOFO, HE'S FOFO TODAY AND IT'S GOOD TO HEAR ABOUT MY FAVORITE HOUSTON ROCKET PLAYER, TARA EASTON FROM, FROM LOUISIANA, LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL MEMBER FROM THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION, CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR PROAM. ON, UH, LAST WEDNESDAY WE CONTINUED OUR CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. AND DISTRICT DI WANNA GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO COMMANDER CAROL ETTA JOHNSON OF HPD ASSISTANT CHIEF PATRICIA CANTU, BYRON KING, GRACE CHANDLER, DAVID NORTHERN SASHA MARSHALL SMITH, TANISHA MANNING, CHRISTINA, CHRISTINA NORWALK, CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO MICHELLE AND ELDRIDGE PUGH FOR THEIR INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. IT WAS A WONDERFUL OUTING AND EVENT, AND WE ARE CERTAINLY GONNA RESCHEDULE THE SUNNYSIDE, WHICH WAS CANCELED BECAUSE OF WEATHER. UH, WE'LL PROBABLY RESCHEDULE THAT, UM, WEEK AFTER NEXT. UH, ALSO ON WE ARE ABSOLUTELY ELATED THAT THE FOURTH BEZOS ACADEMY HAS FOUND ITS HOME RIGHT HERE IN DISTRICT D. THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW HOPE HOUSING BRINGS HOUSING ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND NOW QUALITY TUITION, FREE PRESCHOOL EDUCATION UNDER ONE ROOF. THIS IS A MOMENTOUS STRIVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT EMBODIES WITH DISTRICT D IS ALL ABOUT COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY UPLIFT. ON LAST SATURDAY, TSU CELEBRATED THEIR HOMECOMING. WHAT AN ELECTRIFYING WEEK OF EVENTS FOR THE TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY HOMECOMING. THE ENERGY, PRIDE, AND UNITY DISPLAYED WERE INDEED PALATABLE AND WONDERFUL BECAUSE THEY HAD GREAT FOOD, UH, AS WELL AS GREAT FELLOWSHIP. SEEING SO MUCH TIGER PRIDE WARMS THE HEART AND REMINDS US OF THE RICH CULTURE AND COMMUNITY OF SPIRIT, CERTAINLY AT OUR HBCU. AND THAT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN DISTRICT D. AND I ACTUALLY WAS ABLE TO HUG, UH, TALK TO FIST BUMP AND WALK THE ENTIRE PARADE. YES, I DID SAY THAT I DID WALK THE ENTIRE PARADE AND I HAD A GREAT, GREAT TIME. I ALSO WANNA CELEBRATE THE RIBBON CUTTING OF THE, A ROCKET WAREHOUSE, WHICH WAS ON THIS MONDAY. AND IF YOU KNOW A ROCKET, THEY HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS, I THINK ABOUT 30 YEARS, AND THEY HAVE PROVIDED A TR PROVIDED A TREMENDOUS SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK, UH, DEANDRE SAM, WHO IS SUCH A WONDERFUL PERSON IN HIS OWN RIGHT. I WANT TO THANK TAMARA BELL, WHO ACTUALLY COORDINATED THIS ENTIRE EVENT, AND IT WAS WONDERFUL. AND CERTAINLY OUR CONGRESSWOMAN, SHEILA JACKSON LEE WAS ABLE TO JOIN US AS WELL. THAT PARTICULAR WAREHOUSE IS GOING TO CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORK AND JOBS FOR PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN DISTRICT D. ALSO, I DON'T KNOW, DID IT RAIN IN DISTRICT D LAST NIGHT? YOU KNOW, WE KINDA SPECIAL, BUT ANYWAY, UH, SOME OF THE, UM, EVENTS HAD TO BE RESCHEDULED AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL RESCHEDULE THEM BECAUSE I'D LOVE TO COME OUT AND ENGAGE. BUT IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT. I WAS PARTICULARLY GLAD THAT SOME OF THE CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS HOUSED THEMSELVES IN ONE LOCATION. IF THEY WOULD ALL DO THAT, WE COULD MAKE THEM ALL. AND SO, UH, CERTAINLY I HAVE TO THANK MY STAFF FOR GETTING OUT THERE AND REPRESENTING ME IN SOME PLACES. BUT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE, UM, SUNNYSIDE, UH, CLOVER LAND MUSEUM PARK, CERTAINLY. UM, WE WERE THE ED MCGREGOR AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT AREAS WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THEM ALL, BUT OF COURSE WE CAN'T. BUT WE LOVE YOU ALL AND, AND WE ARE JUST GONNA TRY TO MAKE IT WORK. ANYWAY, UH, UM, ON FRIDAY I WILL BE ATTENDING AND SHOWING MY FULL SUPPORT, SUPPORT FOR THE 2023 OUT FOR GOOD GALA, THE L-G-B-T-Q HOUSTON'S PREMIER ANNUAL EVENT. [03:40:01] AND THIS GALA WILL BE HONORING ANN J. ROBINSON ROBESON, EXCUSE ME, DR. ANN J ROBESON, FOR HER 35 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE AT THE MONTROSE CENTER. ALSO, I AM GREATLY LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING A SPEAKER AT THE UPCOMING HOUSTON RENAISSANCE AWARDS RECEPTION, CELEBRATING 130 YEARS OF BLACK NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS. UH, CERTAINLY WE KNOW PUBLISHER LORENZA BUTLER, AND HE WILL BE THERE AND WE WILL HAVE A FINE TIME. AND WE WILL ALSO NOT ONLY BE, WILL IT BE A HISTORIC OCCASION, BUT ALSO A TESTAMENT TO THE LONGEVITY AND IMPACT OF BLACK MEDIA IN OUR CITY AND BEYOND. THEN I'M VERY EXCITED, UH, FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESS FINANCE WORK FINANCE WORKSHOP 1 0 1, WHICH WILL BE A FINANCIAL LITERACY AND PLANNING FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. THAT ENGAGEMENT WILL BE THURSDAY, OCTOBER THE 11TH FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AT THE SUNNYSIDE HEALTH AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. I BELIEVE THAT CONCLUDES WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS. THANK YOU, MEMBER TIM. UM, I, I WANNA THANK ALL THE HPD OFFICERS WHO REALLY CAME OUT IN, IN A BIG WAY AT EVERY ONE OF OUR NATIONAL NIGHT OUT OF EVENTS. DISTRICT H UM, THE RESIDENTS REALLY APPRECIATED YOU, THEIR PRESENCE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH THEM. AND, UM, AND MY STAFF AND I ATTENDED, UH, UM, 15 DIFFERENT NATIONAL NIGHT EVENT GATHERINGS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. UM, WE DID HAVE SOME, UM, UH, SOME THAT WERE BEING RESCHEDULED THAT I LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATING IN THOSE. BUT, BUT MOSTLY PEOPLE STILL CAME OUT AND SCRAMBLED TO FIND A WAY TO STILL GET TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, FIND FOUND, UM, SHELTER OR, OR, UM, MOVED OVER A LITTLE BIT OR WENT INTO PEOPLE'S HOMES OR, UM, IT WAS, IT IT SHOWED A LOT OF RESILIENCY, I THINK, IN, UM, CREATIVENESS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW, UM, HOW HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO FIND THE ACCOMMODATIONS THEY NEEDED TO HAVE THE SUCCESSFUL EVENTS. AND I MEAN, IT REALLY DROVE HOME HOW, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT WITH HPD AND TO, UM, AND, AND TO VISIT WITH EACH OTHER. IT STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, UM, UM, OFFICER MANRIQUEZ WHO DROVE US AROUND. HE'S FROM THE CENTRAL DIVISION AND, UM, AND WAS DELIGHTED IN TALKING WITH HIM THAT, UM, DISCOVERED THAT HE IS A, WAS A MARIACHI WITH MY SON. UM, MANY YEARS AGO AT MECCA, THEY BOTH PLAYED A VEELA, SO THAT WAS FUN TOO. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON. THANK YOU. UM, AS I THANKED THE CIVIC CLUBS AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PARTICIPATION, UM, IN NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, I WANNA THANK MY STAFF. UM, MY STAFF DID A GREAT JOB. UM, WE MANAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN EVERY NATIONAL NIGHT OUT THAT THAT TOOK PLACE. AND SO JUST WANNA COMMEND THEM FOR, UM, THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE DISTRICT B OFFICE. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. UH, SECOND THAT WITH MY OFFICE TOO. I MEAN IT, A LOT GOES IN BEHIND THE SCENES TO NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, SO EVERYONE WAS WORKING TIRELESSLY. UM, I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THIS WEEKEND IS OUR DISTRICT'S THE ANNUAL RAIN BARREL SALE. UH, SO TO ALL THE RESIDENTS THAT SIGNED UP, WE ARE SO EXCITED, UH, TO BE OUT THERE WITH YOU. BUT I WANTED TO ALSO GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON AND I, UM, WE'RE AT THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE NEW, UM, TREES FOR HOUSTON HOME, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE KINDER FOUNDATION. SO THE KINDER CAMPUS OF TREES FOR HOUSTON, RIGHT IN DISTRICT C. AND OF COURSE THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR THEY'LL BE PARTNERING WITH US. SO ANY RESIDENT THAT REGISTERED FOR RAIN BARREL ALSO HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET A FREE TREE. SO WE APPRECIATE THEIR PARTNERSHIP, UH, AND GLAD TO HAVE 'EM IN THE DISTRICT. ALRIGHTY, ANYBODY ELSE GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE, MEETING ADJOURNED. HAVE A VERY BLESSED DAY AND A WONDERFUL WEEK. * 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.