* 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. [Special-Called Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee on October 10, 2023.] [00:00:13] GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER REGULATORY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. I'M SALLY ALCORN, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE, AND I'LL BE SERVING AS PROVI PRESIDING OFFICER AND WOULD LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES. ALL OTHER, ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN, IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE. I HAVE MY VICE CHAIR, AMY PECK IN ATTENDANCE, AND WE ALSO HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER AVA ABBY CAYMAN'S, OFFICE DISTRICT C COUNCIL MEMBER IN MARY ANNE HUFFMAN'S, OFFICE, DISTRICT G COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS'S ROS'S, OFFICE DISTRICT H VICE MAYOR PROAM, MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE DISTRICT K COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX. OFFICE POSITION ONE AT LARGE AND C COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON'S OFFICE POSITION TWO AT LARGE AND ALSO DISTRICT F STAFF. UM, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS OFFICE AND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER'S OFFICE AT LARGE POSITION FOUR. SO WELCOME TO EVERYONE. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION. UM, COLLEAGUES, IF YOU'LL RECALL, UM, DURING THE BUDGET, UM, CYCLE, THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CODE ENFORCEMENT AND KIND OF HOW COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN BETTER WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. HOW CAN THEY CAN GET ATTENTION FOCUSED ON ISSUES IN THEIR SPECIFIC DISTRICTS. SO THIS COMMITTEE MEETING KIND OF WAS A, A RESULT OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS DURING, UH, BUDGET WHEN ACTUALLY COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE ASKING IF SOMEBODY COULD BE POSSIBLY ASSIGNED TO THEIR AREA TO KNOW IT BETTER. AND SO, DIRECTOR TASHA FRANCIS IS GONNA KIND OF WALK US THROUGH THE BUSINESS MODEL, WALK US THROUGH HOW THEY TRIAGE, UH, REQUESTS, WALK US THROUGH HOW WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. SO THIS SHOULD BE VERY INFORMATIVE AND UH, REALLY APPRECIATE DIRECTOR FRANCIS BEING HERE. I THINK WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKERS AT THE END. YOU GUYS KNOW THE DRILL. WE'LL GET RIGHT. WE'LL GET STARTED RIGHT, RIGHT AWAY. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR FRANCIS, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALRIGHT, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BEFORE THIS BODY TO TALK ABOUT THE BUSINESS MODEL FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I WANT TO GO AHEAD AND JUST START WITH OUR PRESENTATION AND GET RIGHT INTO THE MEAT AND POTATOES SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN BOOK WHEN WE ALL GET UP FROM HERE TODAY. SO FIRST SLIDE PLEASE. SOUNDS GOOD. WONDERFUL. SO THE INSPECTIONS AND PUBLIC SERVICES DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR RESIDENTIAL CODE ENFORCEMENT. AS WE ARE ALL AWARE UNDER, UH, CHAPTER 10 OF THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL CODE, THE VIOLATIONS THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR, UH, RANGE FROM DANGEROUS BUILDINGS, EXCESSIVELY HIGH WEEDS AND GRASS, TRASH AND DEBRIS ON PRIVATE PROPERTIES, GRAFFITI REMOVAL, AND THEN OF COURSE OTHER GENERAL, UH, NUISANCES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MINIMUM STANDARDS VIOLATIONS ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. NOW, RESIDENTIAL CODE ENFORCEMENT IS AN INDISPENSABLE PART OF OUR PUBLIC POLICY AND IT WORKS FOR US TO PROTECT OUR PRIVATE AND OUR PUBLIC INVESTMENTS TO REDUCE BLIGHT AND OF COURSE REDUCE SUBSTANDARD LIVING CONDITIONS IN HOUSTON COMMUNITIES. NEXT SLIDES PLEASE. NOW, JUST SO THAT WE CAN HAVE AN IDEA OF THE BIGGER PICTURE, THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT JUST SOME BASIC STATS. THOSE BASIC STATS INCLUDE THE FACT THAT OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON COVERS THE ENTIRE CITY 11 COUNCIL DISTRICTS, NEARLY 2.7 MILLION PEOPLE. AND THAT OF COURSE ENCOMPASSES 671 POINT 82 SQUARE MILES. AND THE REASON WHY LEAST EMPHASIS THERE IS SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER VARIABLES THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR STAFFING VERSUS OUR ABILITY TO ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD, UH, WITH OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES. CURRENTLY WE HAVE 54 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS CITYWIDE. THIS INCLUDES 49 ON THE GROUND AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE FIVE VACANCIES. SO ONCE THOSE VACANCIES ARE FILLED, WE'RE LOOKING AT A TOTAL OF 54 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WITH THESE CODE ENFORCEMENT POSITIONS IN FY 2023, WE AVERAGED YEARLY INSPECTIONS IN THE AMOUNT OF 97,604 INSPECTIONS. THAT IS AMAZING GIVEN THE AMOUNT OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE. THOSE INSPECTIONS INCLUDED, NOT ONLY INITIAL INSPECTIONS ON A CASE, BUT THAT ALSO INCLUDED CHECKBACK INSPECTIONS, COMPLIANCE CHECKS. AND THEN IT ALSO TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE FACT THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL FREQUENT FLYERS IN SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES, WHICH MEANS WE'VE BEEN TO SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES MORE THAN ONCE AND PER INSPECTOR THAT COMES OUT TO AROUND 1,877 [00:05:02] INSPECTIONS PER INSPECTOR FOR THAT ENTIRE YEAR. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, . NOW WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STAFFING MODEL THAT WE UTILIZE HERE, STAFFING MODELS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, VARY FROM CITY TO CITY. ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT IS THE FACT THAT PRIOR TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS ADOPTING RESIDENTIAL CODE ENFORCEMENT AND MOST CITIES, CODE ENFORCEMENT IS ACTUALLY CARRIED OUT BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. OKAY? AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE STAFFING MODELS, THAT WILL DEPEND ON WHAT THE ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS ARE. THAT WILL DEPEND ON THE CAPACITY OR THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. AND THAT WILL ALSO DEPEND ON THE TIME, NOT JUST THE TIME IN TERMS OF THE SHIFTS, BUT THE TIME IT WILL TAKE FOR US TO TRAVERSE 671.82 SQUARE MILES. NOW, THE VARIABLES THAT ARE USED TO DETERMINE STAFFING ALLOCATIONS INCLUDE BUT AREN'T LIMITED TO. AND I, I JUST BROUGHT, UH, IN THE ONES THAT WE CONSIDER WITHIN DON THE CALLS FOR SERVICE, THAT'S OUR 3 1 1 INPUT. THE RESPONSE TIME, THE TIME IT TAKES FOR US TO GET WHERE WE HAVE TO GO SHIFT DISTRIBUTION, THE AMOUNT OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WE HAVE IN THE AMOUNT OF SHIFTS WE CAN ACTUALLY PUT IN PLACE, THE GEOGRAPHIC DISBURSEMENT, AGAIN, OUR SQUARE MILEAGE, AND THEN OF COURSE OFFICER TO POPULATION RATIO. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS HOW MANY CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS DO WE HAVE TO COVER THE SQUARE MILEAGE OF OUR PARTICULAR CITY? NOW IN HOUSTON, HOUSTON'S MODEL INVOLVES THE WORKLOAD ASSESSMENT. WE ARE RESPONSIVE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF AT THIS TIME TO BE AS PROACTIVE AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BE, BUT WE ARE MORE RESPONSIVE BASED ON THE WORKLOAD ASSESSMENT THAT COMES IN. AND THAT IS WHAT GUIDES OUR STAFFING ALLOCATIONS, NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, NO SPECIFIC FORMULA. WE LITERALLY BASE OUR WORKLOAD ON CALLS THAT ARE COMING IN AVAILABILITY AND THE OBJECTIVE STANDARD OF FIRST IN FIRST OUT. SO THE ORDER THAT IT'S CALLED IN IS HOW WE NORMALLY DEAL WITH THAT. NOW, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO PRIORITIES, WE HAVE TWO PRIORITIES THAT WE LOOK AT. AND WHEN I SAY THAT THERE ARE TWO PRIORITIES, IT'S REALLY ONE PRIORITY, BUT IT AFFECTS TWO ISSUES, WHICH ARE ACTUALLY THE TWO LARGEST ISSUES WE FACE IN CODE ENFORCEMENT. AND THAT IS WHETHER OR NOT THE ISSUE MEETS AN EMERGENCY STANDARD. IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY STANDARD WHERE THE EVIDENCE SHOWS A SERIOUS AND IMMEDIATE HAZARD. AND THAT IS TYPICALLY THE CRITERIA FOR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS. OR IF IT IS AN EMERGENCY STANDARD WITH HIGH WEEDS WHERE IT LITERALLY IS GOING TO BE HIGHER THAN 48 INCHES. THAT IS THE PRIORITY THAT WE ALLOCATE TO OUR CASES. THAT MAY TAKE US AWAY FROM FIRST IN AND FIRST OUT, ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF THAT STANDARD LITERALLY WILL HAVE US IN COMPLETE AND UTTER CHAOS. FOR INSTANCE, GRANTED WHEN WE GET PRIORITY CALLS FROM CITIZENS OR EVEN COUNCIL OFFICES, IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T AGREE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT. IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OR THE GRAVITY OF IT, BUT IF EVERYTHING BECOMES A PRIORITY THEN NOTHING IS A PRIORITY. SO THE OBJECTIVE STANDARD THAT WE EMPLOY IS DOES THIS MEET THE EMERGENCY STANDARD, WHICH IS SET OUT FOR TWO PARTICULAR INFRACTIONS, WHICH HAPPEN TO BE OUR TWO HIGHEST. AND THEN WE WORK OUR RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THOSE FIRST AND THEN WE CONTINUE WITH WHATEVER ELSE IS COMING IN FIRST IN AND FIRST OUT. NEXT SLIDE. NOW TO PAINT ANOTHER PICTURE, UH, SO THAT WE CAN GET EXACTLY AS WE MENTIONED BEFORE, THE DEMOGRAPHIC OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER PER CITY. WE JUST LOOKED AT THE MAJOR TEXAS CITIES TO KIND OF PAINT THE PICTURE A LITTLE MORE BROADER. SO IN DALLAS, AND THESE ARE RECENTLY VERIFIED NUMBERS WHERE WE ACTUALLY CALL THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICES TO GET THESE NUMBERS. DALLAS 385.5 SQUARE MILES, 260 INSPECTORS. THAT MEANS 1.4 SQUARE MILE TO COVER PER OFFICER SAN ANTONIO 465.4 SQUARE MILES. THEY HAVE 147 OFFICERS. SO THAT MEANS EACH OFFICER COVERS 3.1 SQUARE MILES AUSTIN 305.10 SQUARE MILES. THEY HAVE 80 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. EACH OFFICER IS GONNA COVER 3.8 SQUARE MILES FORT WORTH 349.2 SQUARE MILES. THEY HAVE 58 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. SO EACH OFFICER IS COVERING 6.0 SQUARE MILES. HOUSTON 671.82 SQUARE MILES, 54 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. EACH OFFICER COVERS 13 SQUARE MILES PER OFFICER. NOW FOR ANYONE WATCHING AND TRYING TO PUT INTO THEIR MIND, LET ME PAINT THE PICTURE A LITTLE MORE CLEARLY WHAT [00:10:01] THAT LOOKS LIKE. EVERYTHING'S BIGGER AND BETTER IN TEXAS AND CERTAINLY BIGGER IN HOUSTON, RIGHT? BUT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW LARGE A SQUARE MILE IS, IF WE LOOK AT THIRD WARD, THIRD WARD, THE COMMUNITY IS ABOUT 2.9 SQUARE MILES BY ITSELF. THAT'S NOT ALL A DISTRICT D. IF WE LOOK AT SPRING BRANCH, I BELIEVE SPRING BRANCH IS AROUND THE SAME SIZE, SOMEWHERE AROUND 2.9 SQUARE MILES, JUST THE COMMUNITY. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT EACH ONE OF OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS HAVING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR 13 SQUARE MILES, THAT IS SEVERAL COMMUNITIES TYPICALLY IN ONE AREA. AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR STAFFING MODULE ONE ASSIGNED ONE ASSIGNED CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WOULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO COVER ANY DISTRICT. AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY WE ARE RESISTANT TO HAVING ANY TYPE OF ASSIGNMENTS THAT DON'T ALLOW THE FULL COVERAGE OF ONE AREA. SO WHEN COUNCIL MEMBERS WANT THEIR OWN SPECIFIC CODE, ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH HAVING ENOUGH PEOPLE TO ASSIGN TO A DISTRICT. BUT EVERY YEAR WHEN WE HAVE THE BUDGET AND THERE IS A RECOMMENDATION, WHICH WE DO APPRECIATE BECAUSE WE DO NEED MORE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, THE POINT I'M MAKING HERE IS ONE IS STILL NOT GONNA GET YOU ANY CLOSER TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF YOUR DISTRICT. SO THAT WAS THE POINT OF MAKING THIS ILLUSTRATION. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. NOW UNDER OUR PROCESS SUMMARY NUMBER ONE, PRETTY SIMPLE. I THINK WE KNOW THIS. CALL INTO THREE ONE ONE. WE DO THE INITIAL INSPECTION ON THE PROPERTY. WE BY LAW HAVE TO GIVE THEM TIME TO CORRECT UNDER THE TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE. THAT TIME IS SEVEN DAYS AND IT'S FLEXIBLE BASED ON THE MUNICIPALITY. NOW, ON AVERAGE, WE DON'T GIVE PEOPLE JUST SEVEN DAYS TO CORRECT THEIR UH, ISSUES OR INFRACTIONS QUITE FRANKLY. WE TRY TO MOVE TO COMPLIANCE FIRST BECAUSE THAT OF COURSE IS COST SAVINGS TO THE CITY. THAT MEANS WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND CORRECT SOMETHING ELSE SOMEONE'S DONE. BUT ON AVERAGE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF OUR STAFFING ALLOCATION, JUST LOOK AT EVERY SITUATION ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. IF THE CASE WARRANTS MORE TIME, THEN THEY'RE WITHIN THEIR DISCRETION TO GIVE THAT BASED ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES. IF THERE ARE SOME OTHER EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY TAKE LONGER AND SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENS, WHAT ARE THOSE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES? WE MIGHT BE DEALING WITH MINIMUM STANDARDS VIOLATIONS FROM AN ELDERLY COUPLE ON A FIXED INCOME. SO WE MAY ACTUALLY BE TRYING TO CONNECT THEM WITH CITY SERVICES OR COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP THEM. WHAT ARE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES? PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY MAY NOT HAVE A WAY OF MAKING THOSE CORRECTIONS. SO THEN WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EITHER GETTING THEM SOME TYPE OF RESOURCE ALLOCATION OR JUST GIVING THEM MORE TIME TO FIGURE THAT OUT. THOSE ARE THE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE DEAL WITH. HOWEVER, WHAT WE DON'T DO IS KEEP SOMETHING ON OUR BOOKS IN PERPETUITY. WE ARE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE FOR YEARS AND YEARS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING IN OUR STAFFING MODEL THAT PRIOR TO ME COMING HERE, WE HAD A LOT OF CASES THAT WE MONITORED THAT WAY WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO A RESOLUTION WITH THESE CASES. SO AFTER A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, IF THEY HAVE NOT CORRECTED THE VIOLATION, THEN WE'LL REINSPECT THE PROPERTY TO DETERMINE COMPLIANCE. IF A CITATION IS APPROPRIATE, WE WILL GIVE IT AT THAT TIME. AND THEN IF ABATEMENT IS APPROPRIATE, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD TO ABATE THE PROPERTY AND CORRECT THE INFRACTION. NEXT SLIDE. NOW THE ABATEMENT PROCESS, THIS IS JUST AN AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME BECAUSE WE GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON HOW LONG IS IT GONNA TAKE FOR THE CITY TO ACTUALLY CORRECT IT. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIOLATIONS WE HAVE FOR WEEDS AND TRASH, WE'RE AVERAGING ABOUT 60 DAYS. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, YOU KNOW, WEEDS OR TRASH ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. ONCE WE MADE AN IDENTIFICATION OF THE ISSUE, WE HAVE TO FIRST ESTIMATE WHATEVER COST THE ABATEMENT IS GOING TO BE. ONCE WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE COST, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AND ISSUE IT TO THE APPROPRIATE CONTRACTOR. AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND WE THANK YOU FOR APPROVING ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS. ONCE WE ACTUALLY GET OUR CONTRACTORS, WE ISSUE THAT WORK. THE PROPERTY IS USUALLY ABATED WITH THEM 30 DAYS AFTER THAT INVOICE IS SENT OVER. AND THEN WE WILL FILE A LIEN PURSUANT TO OUR MUNICIPAL CODE TO RECOUP THOSE FINANCES FOR JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES. BECAUSE TEXAS IS A PROPERTY, RIGHT? STATE JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES AND DANGEROUS BUILDINGS ARE OUR TWO LONGEST PROCESSES. THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY MAKE SURE WE GO ABOVE AND BEYOND ON THE DUE PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OWNER HAS BEEN APPROPRIATELY NOTIFIED BECAUSE THERE IS A LOSS OF PROPERTY. SO WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES, WE HAVE TO SEND ADDITIONAL NOTIFICATION NOT JUST TO THE OWNER BUT THE LIEN HOLDER OF THE, OF THE VEHICLE THAT IS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW. WE'LL SET UP AN ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING, AN ORDER WILL ISSUE. IF THAT VEHICLE MEETS THE THRESHOLD FOR [00:15:01] A JUNK MOTOR VEHICLE, THEN AT THAT POINT, IF WE NEED TO GIVE TIME TO THE OWNER TO COMPLY, TOW IT, CRUSH IT, WE'LL DO THAT. IF THEY DON'T, WE ISSUE THAT WORK TO A CONTRACTOR. THE CONTRACTOR WILL TOW THE VEHICLE, THE CONTRACTOR WILL CRUSH THE VEHICLE, AND THEN A LIEN WILL BE ASSESSED TO THE OWNER TO RECOUP THE CITY'S EXPENSES. AND OUR FAVORITE TOPIC, DANGEROUS BUILDINGS, SIMILAR PROCESS. WE START OFF WITH THE, THE NORMAL INSPECTION. ONCE WE'VE HAD THAT DONE, WE PREPARE FOR AN ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER BETWEEN THE BUILDING AND STANDARDS COMMISSION. ONCE WE'VE HAD OUR BUILDING AND STANDARDS COMMISSION ORDER, UNDER ALL OF THOSE ORDERS, YOU ARE USUALLY GIVEN 90 DAYS FOR OWNER COMPLIANCE. THAT IS EITHER TO SECURE, THAT IS EITHER TO REPAIR OR TO DEMOLISH THE BUILDING DEPENDING ON WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS. ONCE THAT HAS HAPPENED AND THAT 90 DAYS HAS EXPIRED OR ANY TIME AFTER THAT, NOW WE GO BACK AND RE WE LOOK AT THE ACTUAL EXPIRED ORDER TO DETERMINE ON OUR ADAPT BOARD, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF LEGAL DON, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND HPD TO SEE IF THAT BUILDING NOW QUALIFIES TO BE DEMOLISHED. SO IT'S ACTUALLY A TWO STEP PROCESS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH. IF THE DAP COMMITTEE SAYS YES, THE DAMAGES ARE AT THE POINT WHERE WE CAN DEMOLISH, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD, DISCONNECT ALL OF OUR UM, WHETHER IT'S THE THE GAS OR THE ELECTRICITY THAT, OR THE UTILITIES ON THE PROPERTY. AND THEN OF COURSE ISSUE IT TO A CONTRACTOR. LET THEM MOVE FORWARD ON THE DEMOLITION WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER WE HAVE ACTUALLY DISENGAGED ALL THE UTILITIES. AND THEN OF COURSE, PLACE A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY TO RECOUP THE CITY'S EXPENSES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FINAL SLIDE. SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO CLOSE WITH BEFORE I OPEN MYSELF UP FOR QUESTIONS IS THAT I WANTED TO GIVE, UH, THIS PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, FOR ALLOWING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY WALK THROUGH THE MEAT AND POTATOES AND THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF WHERE WE ARE ACTUALLY TRIAGING AND DOING CASES. A LOT OF TIMES, UH, WHEN WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY WALK THROUGH WHAT OUR PROCESS IS BECAUSE I THINK THAT WILL AID IN UNDERSTANDING. AND WITH THAT, I OPEN MYSELF UP TO THE COMMITTEE'S QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY INFORMATIVE. UH, VICE CHAIR, AMY PECK. YES, THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU COUNCIL. UM, GOING BACK TO YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE ONE INSPECTOR PER COUNCIL DISTRICT. YES. UM, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE INSPECTOR PER COUNCIL DISTRICT IS DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH. YES. I THINK WHAT, WHAT I'M HOPING WE CAN MOVE TOWARDS MM-HMM . UM, IS WHERE WE HAVE ONE INSPECTOR ASSIGNED TO OUR DISTRICT AND THE REST OF THE INSPECTORS ARE JUST CITYWIDE AS NEEDED BECAUSE OF COURSE SOME COUNCIL DISTRICTS NEED MORE INSPECTORS THAN OTHERS. BUT IF WE HAD AT LEAST JUST ONE THAT UM, IS JUST FOCUSED ON EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT, IT WOULD HELP US WHEN WE HAVE ISSUES THAT JUST NEED TO BE ELEVATED THAT, YOU KNOW, IT MAY NOT FIT INTO THE CATEGORY OF THE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MM-HMM . ISSUES THAT NEED TO GET DONE RIGHT AWAY. BUT SOMETIMES WHEN PEOPLE ARE CALLING OUR OFFICE AND IT'S A BUNCH OF PEOPLE AND WE NEED TO GET SOMETHING SOLVED, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO AT THAT POINT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC INSPECTOR, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITY AND UNDERSTANDS, YOU KNOW, THE ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING AGAIN AND AGAIN. YES. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE ONE AT LEAST ASSIGNED TO EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT AND THEN EVERYONE ELSE ASSIGNED CITYWIDE AS NEEDED. UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, IN MY COUNCIL DISTRICT. AND, AND IF I MAY RESPOND TO THAT COUNCIL MEMBER, PECK, YOU HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL CHAMPION EVERY YEAR YOU ARE ALWAYS ADDING OR ADVOCATING FOR ADDITIONAL CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND THAT IS NOT LOST ON ME IN MY DEPARTMENT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. THE ONLY SLIGHT PUSHBACK I WOULD GIVE WITH THAT, IF I COULD JUST DRILL DOWN TO WHAT THE ISSUE I SEE IS HERE IS BEING ABLE TO ESTABLISH A PRIORITY. SO HAVING SOMEONE IN DISTRICT A OR DISTRICT A OR DISTRICT D COMES DOWN TO THE CONSTITUENTS WHO HAVE PLACED A PRIORITY ON AN ISSUE THAT'S HAPPENING IN THEIR DISTRICT. AND I GET THAT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT JUST LIKE YOUR PHONES ARE RINGING, TRUST ME, MINE ARE RINGING BECAUSE IF THEY'RE CONTACTING YOU, I'M GETTING IT FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND I'M ALSO GETTING IT DIRECTLY IN MY OFFICE. SO WE'RE ALREADY AWARE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT EVEN IF WE GAVE YOU ONE ASSIGNED CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO EACH DISTRICT TODAY, BASED ON THE FACT THAT EVERY CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER RIGHT NOW WITH THE OVERALL NUMBER THAT WE HAVE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 13 SQUARE MILES, THAT ONE, EVEN IF WE ASSIGN THEM TODAY, IS STILL GOING TO MISS A LOT THAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR DISTRICT. WHICH IS WHY I WAS TRYING TO ILLUSTRATE HOW MUCH COVERAGE EACH ONE ACTUALLY HAS TO GET. I THINK WHAT WOULD BE BETTER FOR US AT THIS POINT IS TO PROBABLY HAVE A MORE FULFILLED CONVERSATION AROUND THE PRIORITIES. BUT RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, WE HAVE THE ONLY OBJECTIVE STANDARD TO BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH ISSUES IS AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD. SO FOR ME, ONE THING MIGHT BE A [00:20:01] PRIORITY FOR YOU, ONE THING MIGHT BE A PRIORITY AND CERTAINLY FOR THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO LIVE AROUND IT, LOOK AT IT, SEE IT, IT'S AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY. THE PROBLEM IS OUR RESOURCES CAN'T SUPPORT EVERYBODY'S IDEA OF WHAT IS A PRIORITY. DOESN'T DISCOUNT, IT DOESN'T DISCOUNT THE IMPORTANCE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO, PART OF ME JUST BRINGING OUT WHAT WE LOOK AT RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF, UH, PRIORITIES BASED ON OUR RESOURCES, OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR FUNDING, WE DEAL WITH THE EMERGENCY LEVELS FIRST BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE STATES, UH, HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE AS WELL AS OUR MUNICIPAL CODE, THOSE PRESENT THE HIGHEST ISSUE AROUND PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. MY EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN MOST OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE A PRIORITY FOR MANY PEOPLE IN MOST AREAS IS SOMETHING EITHER A REPEAT OFFENDER, SOMETHING WE'VE HAD TO COME OUT ABOUT TWO OR THREE TIMES. AND TRUST ME, WE DON'T LIKE HAVING TO GO, WE, THE CITY IS TOO LARGE FOR US TO KNOW CERTAIN ADDRESSES BY THEIR NAME. BUT I THINK IF WE CAN MANAGE EXPECTATIONS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT THE CITY SEES AS A PRIORITY, 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT AGAINST EACH OTHER, WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM. THAT I THINK WILL BE HELPFUL. WHAT I CAN SAY IS IF WE HAD MORE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND WE WILL GET THERE, UM, THEN WHAT I FORESEE, WHICH WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR HOUSTON, IS NOT ONLY MORE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO CUT DOWN ON THE AMOUNT OF SQUARE MILEAGE THEY HAVE TO COVER, BUT IDEALLY I CAN SEE TEAMS THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO DISTRICTS BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY WE WERE, WE HAD ENOUGH PEOPLE TO KIND OF DO THAT. MM-HMM . WE DON'T. SO I SEE YOUR POINT, I HEAR EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON AT THIS POINT. WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW. BUT I DO AGREE THAT IDEALLY EVERY DISTRICT WILL HAVE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO THAT AREA THAT WILL GET TO KNOW THE AREA AND GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE. BUT WHAT I ALSO WANT TO ASSURE HOUSTONIANS AT THIS POINT IN TIME IS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE CAPACITY TO DO THAT, I DON'T WANT ANY HOUSTONIAN TO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH WHATEVER REPRESENTATIVE OF DON IS IN YOUR DEPARTMENT. EVEN IF THEY AT THIS POINT MAY BE ON THE NORTH SIDE, NORTHWEST TODAY, NORTHEAST TOMORROW, THE SAME LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED AND IS REQUIRED AND EXHIBITED WHEREVER WE ARE. SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR TO FEEL AS THOUGH YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT YOU NEED BECAUSE THERE MAY BE SOMEONE DIFFERENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE OUR RESOURCES HAVE TO PUT THEM WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED. SO, BUT THANK YOU AND I'M HAPPY TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. AND I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZING. I THINK THAT'S A DEFINITELY A GREAT WAY TO LOOK AT THIS. MY ONLY CONCERN IS THAT IN CERTAIN COUNCIL DISTRICT PRIORITIES ARE DIFFERENT. SO WHAT MIGHT BE SURE. REALLY IMPORTANT IN ONE COUNCIL DISTRICT JUST ISN'T AN ISSUE IN ANOTHER. AND WE HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES THAT NEED TO GET SOLVED. SURE. UM, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP, UM, THE CONVERSATION GOING ABOUT USING COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS. YES. UM, WHETHER THAT'S FOR OVERTIME OR TO EVEN HIRE SOMEONE FOR, YOU KNOW, OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT TO JUST HAVE THAT FOCUS ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE CONCERNS ARE IN OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT. I APPRECIATE THAT AND I'M OPEN TO IT. THANK YOU. GLAD TO CONTINUE IT. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE HAVE BEEN JOINED BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ROBERT GALLEGOS OFFICE AND AYE, ALSO FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE TO DISTRICT B UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN'S OFFICE. YES. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FRANCIS FOR THIS PRESENTATION. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, IF WE GO BACK TO THE ABATEMENT PROCESS SLIDE, DID I UNDERSTAND YOU CORRECTLY THAT THESE TIMES THAT YOU'VE LISTED THE 61 80 AND 365 DAYS, THESE ARE JUST AVERAGES, RIGHT? RELATIVELY OKAY. SOMETIMES DEPENDING IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY STANDARD AND I, I PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED ON DANGEROUS BUILDINGS AND KIND OF WALKED THROUGH THAT EMERGENCY STANDARD. SO IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY IN A HIGH WEEDS CASE, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT GONNA TAKE 60 DAYS. SURE. BUT, OR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS NOT GONNA TAKE THAT LONG IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY STANDARD. SO THAT'S THE FLEXIBILITY IN THIS. THE OTHER FLEXIBILITY IN THESE AVERAGES IS OWNER COMPLIANCE. SO SOMETIMES THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR NUMBERS. SO WHAT I'M GETTING AT IS THERE'S A LOT OF VARIABLES THAT COULD PROBABLY GO INTO MM-HMM . HOW THESE NUMBERS ARE DEFINED. AND I ASSUME THE AVAILABILITY OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IS ONE OF THOSE VARIABLES. YES. AND SO IF WE WERE TO HAVE MORE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, WE COULD REDUCE THE TIMES FOR THESE ABATEMENT PROCESSES. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. OKAY. YES. AND I THINK THE OTHER THING AS WELL, UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, OUR MODEL RIGHT NOW IS BASICALLY DRIVEN AS A RESPONSIVE MODEL WHERE WE ARE RESPONDING TO WHAT'S COMING IN. SO WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE WHEN WE ACTUALLY HAVE ADDITIONAL CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON THE GROUND, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN THE BEAT THAT POLICE OFFICERS WOULD HAVE BECAUSE I MENTIONED BEFORE THAT THIS IS MODELED AFTER POLICE OFFICER OR PUBLIC SAFETY TYPE SITUATIONS. SO IMAGINE HAVING ENOUGH PEOPLE TO LITERALLY RIDE AROUND NEIGHBORHOODS, IMAGINE MORE SHIFTS. AND RIGHT NOW WITH OUR LIMITED STAFF, WE ACTUALLY HAVE EXTENDED INTO WEEKENDS BECAUSE WE REALIZED EIGHT TO FIVE MOST PEOPLE [00:25:01] ARE AT WORK, WE'RE AT WORK, BUT THEY'RE NOT AT HOME. SO WE ACTUALLY STARTED IMPLEMENTING EVENING SHIFTS WHERE WE COULD AND WEEKEND SHIFTS WHERE WE COULD, SO WE COULD ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE. RIGHT. SO MORE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND ALLOWS FOR MORE PROACTIVE ACTIVITY, WHICH MAY LEAD TO SHORTER ABATEMENT TIMES, AND OF COURSE, UM, MORE COMPLIANCE I WOULD SEE. YEAH. SO THAT'S WHAT WHAT IT COULD LOOK LIKE. YEAH, THAT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE. AND, UM, MY FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO THAT WOULD BE, DO WE HAVE, OR DOES DAWN HAVE ANY, UM, DATA RELATED TO THE AB ABATEMENT PROCESS TIMELINES FOR OTHER CITIES SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF COMPARE OURSELVES MORE, HAVE SOMETHING TO COMPARE THAT TO? YEAH. NOT READILY AVAILABLE. OKAY. UM, AND PART OF THE REASON IS I STARTED THE PRE THE PRESENTATION OFF SAYING THAT EVERY CITY HAS A DIFFERENT STAFFING MODEL BASED ON THEIR RESOURCES. SO MY GUESS WOULD BE OF COURSE, 'CAUSE I, YOU KNOW, ONLY KNOW THE NUMBERS THAT FORT WORTH AND DALLAS HAVE GIVEN TO ME. BUT BASED ON THAT, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE IN PLACE THAT MAKE THEIR STAFFING MODELS LOOK DIFFERENT, WHICH MEANS THEIR ABATEMENT MODELS MAY LOOK DIFFERENT. WHAT IS CLEAR, LOOKING AT, I THINK IT WAS SLIDE NUMBER FIVE, AND LOOKING AT HOW MANY CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THEY HAVE TO COVER THEIR SQUARE MILEAGE. I WOULD ASSUME PROBABLY THAT THEIR ABATEMENT PROCESS MAY LOOK DIFFERENT, UM, BASED ON THEIR ABILITY TO DO MORE PROACTIVE INSPECTIONS AND MAYBE MOVE A LITTLE FASTER THAT WAY. WHAT I CAN'T SPEAK TO HOWEVER, IS THEIR BUDGET. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR BUDGETS ARE. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE OTHER PART OF IT. AND THIS COUNCIL HAS BEEN, UH, AND THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN GREAT ABOUT GIVING DON LITERALLY THE HIGHEST BUDGETS WE'VE HAD ON ABATEMENTS, WHETHER IT'S THE ACTUAL NUISANCES OR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS AS WELL, UM, IN THE 12 YEARS THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE. SO IT WOULD REALLY DEPEND ON A LOT OF OF DIFFERENT VARIABLES THAT I CAN'T SPEAK TO. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU. AND, AND FOLLOWING UP ON MR. RAIN'S QUESTION, I HAD A SIMILAR QUESTION ABOUT THE ABATEMENT PROCESS NUMBERS, ESPECIALLY ON JUNK VEHICLES AND, AND DANGEROUS BUILDINGS. MM-HMM . THOSE SEEM KIND OF SET. SO I HAD THE SAME QUESTION. IF MORE, UH, CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, ARE WE JUST GETTING TO THE PROBLEM SOONER SO THEY CAN GET IN THIS 180 OR 365 DAY QUEUE MM-HMM . OR THOSE PRICES? I THINK HOW YOU ANSWERED HIS QUESTION WAS THOSE TIMELINES WOULD ACTUALLY DECREASE, THEY COULD POSSIBLY DECREASE THERE. BUT YOU JUST MADE ME THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE THAT I DID NOT MENTION THAT, THAT I NEED TO GO AHEAD AND MENTION NOW. SO A PART OF OUR ENTIRE PROCESS, THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS IS NOT IN A VACUUM. SO WE HAVE OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF THAT HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PAPERWORK MM-HMM . THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT. SO WITH EVERY CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER THAT WE HAVE, IDEALLY WE'VE GOTTA HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO ACTUALLY DO THE NOTICES, SEND THE NOTICES OUT. WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT WHO DOES OUR WARRANTS. SO A LOT OF THE TIME THAT IS ACTUALLY MENTIONED IN THIS PROCESS, NOT, DOESN'T JUST DEPEND ON OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON THE STREET, IT DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF ADMIN STAFF THAT WE HAVE TO HELP FACILITATE THE PAPERWORK. IT DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY LEGAL CAN TURN AROUND OUR WARRANTS, HOW QUICKLY THEY CAN TURN AROUND. UM, AND THESE ARE INSPECTION WARRANTS WHEN WE'RE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION TO GO ON PROPERTIES OR ABATEMENT WARRANTS WHERE WE'RE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION TO GO ON PROPERTIES. SO THOSE ARE DIFFERENT VARIABLES. THE TIME IT MAY TAKE FOR LEGAL TO DO OUR TITLE REVIEWS IN OUR DANGEROUS BUILDINGS AS WELL AS THE, UH, THE LIEN HOLDER REVIEWS. SO ALL OF THIS TIME DOESN'T JUST CONSIDER WHAT THE INSPECTORS GO OUT AND DO. THAT'S ONE PART OF IT. THERE IS A WHOLE PROCESS THAT INCLUDES THE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, NOT ONLY FOR MY DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WE DEPEND ON TO HELP US CARRY OUT THE LEGAL ASPECT OF THE WORK WE DO. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND, AND WHAT IS YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF? WHAT, HOW MANY ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF DO YOU HAVE SUPPORTING THESE, THE 54 CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS? LET ME CIRCLE BACK ON THAT. OKAY, THAT'S FINE. AND LET YOU KNOW THAT'S, THAT'S FINE. AND WHAT IS THE AVERAGE SALARY OF A CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER? RIGHT NOW, I BELIEVE WE'RE AT ABOUT 40 40,000. YES. SO ALL IN YOU'RE PROBABLY, IT'S ABOUT 60,000 IF YOU COUNT, UM, IN, IN INCLUDING BENEFITS YES. HEALTH BENEFITS AND PENSION, ET CETERA. SO ABOUT 60,000. UH, YOU'VE GIVEN US GOOD COMPARISON NUMBERS AND, UH, WONDERING WHAT YOU THINK IS THE RIGHT NUMBER FOR HOUSTON. IF YOU, IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU ASK FOR DURING BUDGET TIME? UM, IT'D BE HARD FOR ME TO COME UP WITH A NUMBER RIGHT NOW, BUT WHAT I WOULD DO IS I WOULD LOOK AT, UH, MORE THAN LIKELY I'D START MY FORMULA WITH AN AVERAGE OF WHAT I'M SEEING ACROSS THE CITY IF HOUSTON, AND THEN I WOULD LOOK AT OUR SQUARE MILEAGE. AND I THINK IN ORDER TO BE REASONABLE, PROBABLY MAYBE ONE OFFICER PER TWO SQUARE MILES OR THREE. OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND ON THE STAFFING STATEWIDE CODE STAFFING, YOU SAID A LOT OF THESE, UH, CITIES, THEY ARE ACTUALLY LAW ENFORCE ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL. OH NO. SO YOU DO, I MEAN, SOME OF THEM ARE OR, OR HOUSED IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SECTION OR WHAT, WHAT WELL, SOME OF THEM, WHAT I WAS DOING WAS, UH, SPEAKING TO THE HISTORY OF CODE ENFORCEMENT. OKAY. SO ACROSS MANY JURISDICTIONS, THIS TYPE OF [00:30:01] CODE ENFORCEMENT IS ATTACHED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. RIGHT. PRIOR TO, UH, ESE PARKER CARVING OUT THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THIS WAS NEIGHBORHOOD PROTECTION UNDER HPD. RIGHT. SO THE STAFFING MODELS WILL LOOK VERY MUCH LIKE THE BEAT MODELS THAT MOST PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES EMPLOY IN TERMS OF HOW MANY PATROL PER POPULATION. WELL, WE OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, AREN'T ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE STAFFING MODELS THAT'S THERE. THE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE, UH, ACTUALLY LISTED HERE, SOME OF THEM ARE ATTACHED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THEN SOME OF THEM ARE INDEPENDENT OUTSIDE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. OKAY. OKAY. MM-HMM . OKAY. THANK YOU. STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE. YES. YES. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. UM, SO I KNOW THAT PEOPLE GET REALLY FRUSTRATED WHEN THEIR CALL ISN'T ANSWERED QUICKLY ENOUGH. YES. UM, BUT I DON'T THINK Y'ALL GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THE WORK YOU DO. AND I WAS WONDERING, DO YOU HAVE A, UM, I LOVE THE DASHBOARDS WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO SEE MM-HMM . LIKE WHAT HAS BEEN DONE? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING WHERE PEOPLE CAN TRACK LIKE ALL THE, ALL THE ABATEMENTS YOU DO, EVERYTHING YOU DO? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ACKNOWLEDGING THE WORK OF OUR DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY. UM, STAFF WORKS REALLY, REALLY HARD. AND I'M SURE YOU CAN SEE BY THESE NUMBERS THAT THAT IS A VERY HEAVY LIFT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT TWO. UM, WE DON'T HAVE A CURRENT DASHBOARD, BUT I'M HAPPY TO LOOK AT THAT AS AN OPTION MM-HMM . UM, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO START TRACKING SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE DEPARTMENT. SO I AM DEFINITELY WILLING TO LOOK INTO THAT. AND I LOVE THE IDEA. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO REITERATE TO ALL OF OUR COUNCIL DISTRICTS, WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY LIAISONS THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOUR DISTRICT ON ISSUES, BUT THE PUBLIC CAN ALSO CALL IPS DIRECTLY. ONCE THEY HAVE ALREADY CALLED 3 1 1, THEY HAVE A SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER. UM, THEY CAN ACTUALLY CALL US DIRECTLY AT EIGHT THREE TWO THREE NINE FOUR ZERO SIX HUNDRED. IF THEY ARE NOT GETTING ENOUGH INFORMATION FROM THE 3 1 1 COUNT, THEY CAN ALWAYS CALL THAT NUMBER AS WELL TO FIND OUT WHERE WE ARE IN A PROCESS. AND I THINK THAT IDEALLY WHAT I WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT CODE ENFORCEMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLICATED PARTS OF CITY ADMINISTRATION. SO EVEN IF WE HAD 300 PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, EVEN IF WE HAD $5 MILLION SITTING IN OUR COFFERS, THERE IS A LEGAL PROCESS THAT HAS TO BE OBSERVED. SO IN ORDER TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS, WE THANK THE PUBLIC FOR THEIR PATIENTS WITH US AND JUST ASK THAT WE CAN JUST LEVEL SET AND UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A PROCESS AND IT'S NOT JUST A PROCESS FOR YOU HAVING TO LIVE AROUND IT. IT'S A PROCESS FOR US, BUT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT SO THAT WE DON'T, UH, EXPOSE THE CITY TO ANY LIABILITY. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE DO, UH, PROPERLY. AND THE LEGAL PROCESS CAN SOMETIMES TAKE TIME. BUT THANK YOU. BECAUSE I WOULD, I WOULD LOVE TO BRAG ON WHAT HAPPENS IN DISTRICT B, RIGHT? YES. LIKE THIS MONTH CODE ENFORCEMENT DID THIS, DISTRICT B, AND ALSO I THINK LIKE ANOTHER SUGGESTION WOULD BE THE NOTES IN 3 1 1. MM-HMM . RIGHT? BECAUSE I, I, I LOVE EXPLAINING TO OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT EVERYTHING IS A PROCESS, RIGHT? YOU CAN'T JUST TEAR DOWN A BUILDING 'CAUSE IT'S, YOU DON'T LIKE IT. YES. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR CARRYING THAT MESSAGE IN THE NOTES TO PUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE INSPECTORS COULD PUT IN WE'RE IN STEP ONE OF THE PROCESS MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, UM, OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON THE CASE. IT'S JUST THAT YOU HAVE TO WAIT. NO, I, I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THAT. UM, WE CAN, UH, LET ME TAKE THAT BACK TO MY TEAM AND SEE HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FACILITATE, I THINK GETTING MORE DETAILED, UH, YOU KNOW, UPDATES. UM, AS WE MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE BY OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND WE'RE LIMITED ALL THE WAY AROUND AND DON. BUT LET'S SEE HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND JUST BY OUR TRUSTEE MATH JORDAN'S TRUSTEE MATH OVER HERE WITH, THAT WOULD BRING FOR THE THREE MILE RADIUS THAT WOULD BRING US TO 160 CODE ENFORCE A HUNDRED AND SIXTY, SIXTY NINE, A HUNDRED SIXTY NINE MORE THAN THE 54. OKAY. OKAY. AND THAT'S ANOTHER JUST $10 MILLION 60 GRAND IN. SO OKAY. THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT GUYS. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. YEAH. AND THAT'S NOT 10 MILLION ONCE THAT'S 10 MILLION EVERY YEAR. OKAY. UM, STAFF FROM COUNCIL, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE. YES. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FRANCIS FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, I WANNA TAG ON TO, UM, COUNCIL MADAM CHAIR'S, UM, QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO SALARY FOR THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS MM-HMM . AND THEN GOING BACK TO THE STAFF, UH, STATEWIDE CODE STAFFING COMPARISON. MM-HMM . YOU UM, SHOWED THE COMPARISON, UM, WITH THE SQUARE MILEAGE OF THE CITIES AS WELL AS THEIR INSPECTORS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW COMPETITIVE IS THE SALARIES FOR THE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS COMPARED TO, UM, THOSE OFFICERS IN OTHER CITIES? SO WHEN WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT OUR, UH, SALARIES RECENTLY WITH THE MOST RECENT, UM, RAISES THAT WE'VE HAD THROUGH HOPE AS WELL AS, UH, SOME THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET APPROVED BY THE ADMINISTRATION WITHIN OUR OWN BUDGET FOR EXISTING STAFF, WE ARE ACTUALLY ON PAR IN [00:35:01] TERMS OF ENTRY LEVEL RIGHT. COMING IN RIGHT NOW. SO WE ARE, WE'RE KIND OF ON PAR WITH THAT. I THINK THE BIGGER ISSUE THAT, UM, IS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, IF I CAN JUST BE VERY BLUNT HERE, IS THAT THE INDUSTRY OF CODE ENFORCEMENT IS NOT, UH, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ASPIRE TO. IF I COULD JUST KIND OF SAY IT THAT WAY. UM, IT'S KIND OF ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE MIGHT BE AN INTEREST, YOU KNOW, MAYBE COMING OUT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A PART OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT THE AVERAGE EVERYDAY PERSON IS NOT TRYING TO GO TO A DILAPIDATED PROPERTY AND INSPECT IT. THE AVERAGE EVERYDAY PERSON IS NOT TRYING TO OUTRUN, YOU KNOW, DOGS WHO ARE THERE OR ENCOUNTER SNAKES OR VERMIN IN A HIGH WEEDED SITUATION. THE AVERAGE PERSON IS NOT JUST BROUGHT INTO THIS PARTICULAR AREA. SO WE END UP HAVING TO DO IS FIND WAYS TO MAKE THIS INDUSTRY I THINK, MORE ATTRACTIVE. UM, WHEN I TALKED WITH, UH, WE JUST HAD A MEETING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES IN DALLAS A FEW WEEKS AGO AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING TO RECRUIT BECAUSE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM PEOPLE ARE HAVING ISSUES RECRUITING IN THIS PARTICULAR INDUSTRY. BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE COULD BE MORE OPPORTUNITY, OBVIOUSLY IF WE HAVE MORE COMPETITIVE SALARIES THAT MAYBE WE CAN GO ABOVE THE PRICE POINT, WHICH MAY BRING PEOPLE, UH, IN THIS INDUSTRY AS WELL HERE. AND THE PEOPLE THAT I FIND THAT, UH, HAVE BEEN IN IT, HAVE BEEN IN IT IN, UH, FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO IT'S EITHER GONNA BE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENTS OR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS. WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THOSE PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES INTERESTED IN CODE ENFORCEMENT. SO ONCE THEY GET IN, ALSO RETAINING THEM. MM-HMM . BECAUSE WE'RE COMPETING WITH OTHER INDUSTRIAL LEVEL JOBS. SO RIGHT NOW THE BIGGER ISSUE I THINK TOO IS THE FACT THAT I COULD DO CODE ENFORCEMENT OR I COULD GO WORK AT THE PORT OF HOUSTON. I COULD DO CODE ENFORCEMENT OR I COULD GO AND GET MY TWIC CARD AND DRIVE TRUCKS. I COULD DO CODE ENFORCEMENT. AND HOUSTON IS BOOMING ECONOMICALLY. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER OPTIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING. AND WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE STAFF WE'VE LOST IN THE PAST, I'M GONNA SAY PROBABLY THE PAST YEAR IT HAS BEEN BECAUSE THEY HAVE GONE FOR BETTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES. SO THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. SEEING NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF IN THE QUEUE, UM, DIRECTOR FRANCIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR VERY INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION. IT'S OBVIOUS TO ME WE'VE GOTTA GET SOME MORE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND UH, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR WALKING US THROUGH HOW EVERYTHING IS TRIAGED AND WE'LL, UM, CERTAINLY BE TAKING THIS, UH, MODEL WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEIR NEED FOR A TEAM. I REALLY LIKE THE IDEA OF A TEAM FOR EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT. MM-HMM . AND I'M REALLY HOPING WE CAN GET THERE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT I'LL CALL UP OUR FIRST, I'M ASSUMING IT'S DOUG SMITH? YES, I SURE HOPE IT IS. 'CAUSE HE IS OUT THERE WAITING PATIENTLY. ALL RIGHT, MR. SMITH, I'M GONNA SIT. OH, COME ON. WELL WAIT RIGHT HERE. YOU CAN BRING THIS ONE UP. COME ON MS. JUST SMITH UHUH. I GOT IT. YOU CAN JUST, HERE WE GO. NO, THEY'RE JUST GONNA RAISE THIS. OH, OKAY. THAT'S VERY LOW. IT'S SLOW. BUT YOU KNOW, , GOOD MORNING. UH, I CAME BECAUSE I HAD A VERY UNSATISFACTORY EXPERIENCE WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT IN THE A LEAF AREA. YOU MAY REMEMBER ME COMING TO COUNCIL WITH A JUNK TRAILER THAT SAT IN A VERY PROMINENT CORNER IN LEAF AND IT SAT THERE FOR I THINK A YEAR AND A HALF OR TWO YEARS. AND I KEPT SEEING VIOLATION NOTICES FROM DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. AND IT WAS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I WOULD IMAGINE PROBABLY THERE MIGHT'VE BEEN 10 OR 15 VIOLATION NOTICES THAT WERE ISSUED AGAINST THAT PROPERTY AND NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. UH, FINALLY BECAUSE OF THE CONTINUING COMPLAINTS BY ME AND OTHER CITIZENS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE, UH, OWNER WAS EMBARRASSED TO FINALLY HAVE TO MOVE THE TRAILER. BUT IF WE, IF I HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, I THINK THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE THAT PROBABLY HAVE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE. AND I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TEETH INTO THE PROCESS, GET STUFF, DON'T JUST POST IT, ACT ON IT. AND ANOTHER PLACE THAT I THINK NEEDS TO BE PUT MORE TEETH INTO IT IS IN THE COLLECTION DEPARTMENT. I COULDN'T FIND THE NUMBER, BUT I KNOW, I REMEMBER SEEING AT ONE POINT THERE ARE MILLION, MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF UNCOLLECTED FINES AGAINST THESE PROPERTIES. AND UH, [00:40:01] THEY SEEM TO, I MEAN, IT JUST BUILDS. AND I THINK WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN BOTH INSTANCES IS LIENS NEED TO BE FILED AGAINST THE PROPERTY SO THAT EVENTUALLY THEY CAN CONDEMN THE PROPERTY AND SELL IT AND GET THEIR MONEY BACK. SO I JUST WANNA SEE MORE ENFORCEMENT IN THIS AREA BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT THERE. UH, AND I ALSO JUST WANNA MENTION A COUPLE THINGS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR, UH, THE BUDGET INCREASED ABOUT 20%. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGETED FTES, THEY HAVE DECREASED, UH, BY TWO. UH, AND THAT DOESN'T SAY TO ME THAT THEY REALLY ARE WORKING IN THIS AREA TO GET IT IMPROVED. AND FINALLY, REGARDING THE JUNK VEHICLES, UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT MUST BE JUNK VEHICLES ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY GOOD LUCK IN A LEAF CALLING THE POLICE IF THERE'S A CAR ON THE STREET, UH, THEY GIVE IT, UH, 24 48 HOURS AND IT'S TOWED AWAY. SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. SO NO, THANK YOU. UM, DOUG, WE GET THAT YOU BRING UP GOOD POINTS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT. I MEAN, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT PROCESSING, GOING OUT AND INSPECTING AND THE FOLLOW UP, BUT THE ENFORCEMENT PROCESS AND, AND DIRECTOR IS MOST, IS SOME OF THE, IS SOME OF THAT ENFORCEMENT DICTATED BY STATE CODE OR, OR LIKE WITH DANGEROUS BUILDINGS AND, AND JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES? THAT'S STATE CODE? UM, YES. SITUATION, NO, ACTUALLY, AND I APPRECIATE MR. SMITH ACTUALLY, UH, RAISING THE ISSUE OF ENFORCEMENT. SO THERE, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THERE ARE A LOT OF PLAYERS IN HOW WE DEAL WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT. SO ONCE WE ACTUALLY GIVE THE CITATION THAT ENDS DON'S RESPONSIBILITY, IF A CITATION HAS BEEN ISSUED AT THAT POINT, IT HAS TO BE PROSECUTED AT THE MUNICIPAL COURT LEVEL. SO OUR PROSECUTORS ARE THEN ACTUALLY PUT IN PLACE TO PROSECUTE OUR INFRACTIONS. WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO OUR LIENS, WE ACTUALLY FILE OUR LIENS. BUT IN ORDER FOR US TO GET THE MONEY BACK FROM THOSE LIENS PRIOR TO A SALE OF THE PROPERTY, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO PERFORM A LIEN FORECLOSURE TO FORECLOSE ON THOSE LIENS THAT MEAN FORECLOSING ON THE PROPERTY, BUT JUST FORECLOSING ON THE LIEN ON THE PROPERTY TO RECOUP THE FUNDS. THESE ARE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS THAT I'M CURRENTLY HAVING WITH CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO MICHELLE. SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD THEIR RESOURCES AND LEGAL AS WELL TO, UH, BECOME, UH, MORE ASSERTIVE IN TERMS OF COLLECTING THE MONEY FROM THE CITY. RIGHT NOW, PASSIVELY, WHEN WE DO COLLECT THAT MONEY, THE PRIORITY OF A MUNICIPAL LIEN IS AT THE BOTTOM IN THE SALE OF A PROPERTY. SO THERE ARE OTHER LIENS THAT MAY BE IN PLACE ON PARTICULAR PROPERTIES ONCE THEY'RE SOLD, BUT THE CITIES IS AT THE BOTTOM. IT IS USUALLY EXTINGUISHED, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFICULT TO RECOUP THE FUNDS IN A SALE OF THE PROPERTY. BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING, UH, THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, ATTORNEY MICHELLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE CITY CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF RECOUPING, UH, THOSE FUNDS AS WELL AS LOOKING AT HOW OUR CASES ARE PROSECUTED IN MUNICIPAL COURT SO THAT WE WILL HAVE, UH, MORE TEETH IN THE CITATIONS. THE FINES ARE ALSO DETERMINED BY THE PROSECUTOR AND THE JUDGE WHO IS HEARING THE CASE. SO THOSE ARE THE FACTS. DO THE FINES RANGE? WHAT, WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM FINE FOR? I MEAN, THEY'RE PROBABLY RANGE DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS, BUT IT DEPENDS ON WHAT IT IS. BUT MOST FINES START OFF AT $500 AND USUALLY THEY CAN BE ASSESSED FOR EVERY INFRACTION. OKAY. MM-HMM . YEAH. YEAH. DOUG, THAT'S GOOD. I, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK INTO WHAT WE'RE LEAVING ON THE TABLE AS FAR AS FINES. SHE USED THE TERM THAT I LIKE TEETH IN IT. YEAH, I SAID THAT BEFORE. RIGHT. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S NEEDED. HOW, HOW MANY LAWYERS ARE ASSIGNED FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO DON IN THESE? I WILL NEED TO, YEAH, I CAN ASK, I CAN ASK LEGAL AS WELL. AND HOW MANY, UM, AS YOU TALKED ABOUT ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO SUPPORT, HOW MANY, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF PER INSPECTOR? IS THERE? LIKE THREE INSPECTORS GET ONE OR? LET ME CIRCLE BACK TO MAKE SURE. OKAY. UH, BUT I DO KNOW THAT JUST AS WE HAVE A, UH, LOWER NUMBER OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, HAVE HAD SOME ASSISTANCE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION WITH TEMPORARY STAFF TO HELP PUSH OUR PAPERWORK. MM-HMM . UH, SO LET ME JUST MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR ON THAT NUMBER. YEAH. I'M TRYING TO GET AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF REALLY WHAT'S NEEDED TO, TO PROVIDE THESE SERVICES. UM, MR. RAINS AND CAP AND COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN'S OFFICE. YES. YEAH. THANK YOU. AND JUST TO, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THOSE, THOSE COMMENTS, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT UH, SOME OF THE ISSUES WE'RE HAVING WITH ENFORCEMENT ARE PROBABLY RELATED TO STATE CODE. UM, ARE THERE, WERE THERE ANY ATTEMPTS MADE, UM, DURING THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION? WERE THERE ANY BILLS THAT WE WERE WATCHING TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH THAT LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO ENFORCE? SO, NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF, BUT LET ME JUST GO AHEAD AND, AND RESTATE THAT AND I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT BACK OUT. SO THE STATE CODE, IN MY OPINION, I THINK IS FINE. THE ISSUE IS HOW OUR CASES ARE ACTUALLY, UM, EXECUTED ONCE WE GET TO COURT. SO ONCE WE WRITE A CITATION, IF FOR WHATEVER REASON A CITATION IS DISMISSED ONCE WE GET TO COURT, THAT'S YOUR TEETH RIGHT THERE. [00:45:01] THAT'S WHERE THE FINES ARE RIGHT THERE. WHEN WE PUT LIENS ON THE PROPERTY, AT THAT POINT, THE LIENS CAN SIT THERE UNTIL WE ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD TO EXECUTE THOSE. SO THAT'S WHERE, UH, ATTORNEY MICHELLE AND I ARE TALKING ABOUT. JUST OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON SOME OF WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE A STRONGER POINT TO CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS MOVING FORWARD ON THE FINES THAT WE HAVE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WITH THAT COLLEAGUES, UH, I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. AND THE, UH, OUR NEXT RNA MEETING IS GOING TO BE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH, AND WE WILL PRESENT AMENDMENTS TO, UH, CHAPTER 37, WHICH DEFINES THE CITY'S REGULATIONS FOR INVESTOR OWNED UTILITIES THAT OPERATE WITHIN THE HOUSTON CITY LIMITS, INCLUDING ELECTRIC, GAS, AND WATER UTILITIES. THIS CHAPTER OUTLINES UTILITY RATE ADJUSTMENT, FILING REQUIREMENTS, HEARING REQUIREMENTS, UTILITY STANDARDS OF SERVICE, AND CABLE TV REGULATIONS. SO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. THANK YOU DIRECTOR, AND THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU EVERYONE. * 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.