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AND ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER THE[INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE]
20TH, 2020 THIRD, I AM MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.I'M CALLING THE SPECIAL CALL MEETING OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER.
UM, LET ME, UH, FEEL BOW YOUR HEADS FOR A BRIEF INVOCATION.
FATHER GOD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS AFTERNOON.
WE PRAY, FATHER, THAT YOU WILL WATCH OVER THIS BODY, UH, HELP US IN OUR DELIBERATIONS AND THEN WE'LL GIVE YOU ALL THE GLORY.
THIS IS WHAT WE GOT, OH, I'M SORRY.
I PLEDGE THEE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDERGROUND, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR.
ALRIGHT, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA PROCEED.
[1:30 PM - ROLL CALL]
WE'LL DO THE ROLL CALL.I KNOW WE'RE STILL SHORT OF A, A QUORUM BY ONE, BUT WE DON'T NEED THE ROLL.
UM, THE QUORUM FOR THE CANVAS.
SO WHILE WE DO THE CANVAS, HOPEFULLY ONE OF THE MEMBER WILL, SHOULD COME UP.
UM, BEFORE WE GO TURN TO THE SECOND ITEM, WHICH REQUIRES A QUORUM.
SO, UM, YOU'LL CALL SECRETARY, YOU'LL CALL THE ROLE MAYOR TURNER.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN HERE.
AND YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ PRESENT? YES.
YOU AND COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ IS PRESENT.
AND, UM, AND SERVING IN THE SECRETARY OF CHAIR.
SO TROY, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US OUT TODAY.
[1.
ORDINANCE tabulating the votes cast and canvassing the returns of the City of Houston General and Special Elections held on November 7, 2023; making various findings and provisions related to the subject; declaring the official results of the General and Special Elections
]NEXT, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE CALL THE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER ONE AND READ THE CAPTION.ITEM ONE IS AN ORDINANCE IN THE VOTES CAST AND CANVASSING THE RETURNS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 2023, MAKING VARIOUS FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT DECLARING THE OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS, PROVIDING FOR SEVERAL ABILITY AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU HAVE, UM, TABULATED RESULTS IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, LEMME GIVE YOU A, A MINUTE TO A CHANCE TO REVIEW THEM.
AND THESE ARE ALL THREE COUNTIES.
THEN THERE'S MONTGOMERY, AS WELL AS, OKAY, SO THERE ARE THREE COUNTIES, INCLUDING IN THIS HARRIS, FORT BENNING, AND MONTGOMERY.
SO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT.
AND THEN I JUST ASK, UM, UH, ARE THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM AS IT RELATES TO THE CAMPING? ANY DISCUSSION? READY TO VOTE? OKAY.
OPPOSED? AND THE MOTION CARRIES.
SO THAT DEALS WITH THE CANVASSING, MAKE THE STATEMENT, UH, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS ELECTION CODE, I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT QUOTE, THE CANVAS OF THE GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON NOVEMBER THE SEVENTH, 2023, UH, HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
UH, NEXT, UM, WE WILL PROCEED TO CALL, UM,
[2.
ORDINANCE declaring the adoption of Houston City Charter Amendments submitted to the qualified voters of the City and approved by a majority thereof at Special Elections held on November 7, 2023, and ordering the Houston City Charter Amended to enable three or more Council Members to place an item on a regular City Council Meeting Agenda, and to allow the City of Houston to remain in a Council of Governments or Metropolitan Planning Organization only if votes on the Governing Board are apportioned proportionately on the basis of population
Should only be considered after passage of item 1 above
]THE AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, UM, MR. SECRETARY, AND IF YOU'LL READ THE CAPTION.ITEM TWO IS AN ORDINANCE DECLARING THE ADOPTION OF HOUSTON CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT SUBMITTED TO THE QUALIFIED VOTERS OF THE CITY AND APPROVED BY A MAJORITY THEREOF AS SPECIAL ELECTIONS HELD ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 2023.
AND ORDERING THE HOUSTON CITY CHARTER AMENDED TO AN ENABLE THREE OR MORE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PLACE AN ITEM ON A REGULAR CITY COUNCIL ME AGENDA.
AND TO ALLOW THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO REMAIN IN A COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS OR METROPOLITAN AND PLANNING ORGANIZATION ONLY IF VOTES ON THE GOVERNING BOARD OR APPORTIONED PROPORTIONATELY ON THE BASIS OF POPULATION, MAKING OTHER PROVISIONS AND FINDINGS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
AND I DO, UH, NOTE THAT THERE IS
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A QUORUM, UH, PRESENT THIS AFTERNOON.UM, THIS ITEM DID REQUIRE QUORUM.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? DISCUSSION.
READY TO VOTE IN FAVOR? OPPOSED? AND THE MOTION CARRIES.
UM, NOW LEMME RE UH, REFER TO, UH, THE CITY ATTORNEY.
UH, CAN YOU, YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS RELATED TO THIS LAST ITEM? OKAY.
UH, I THINK THE HA MEASURE IS SORT OF SELF-EXECUTING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY COUNCIL PROP A, THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THERE BE A, A COUNCIL COMMITTEE THAT ADOPTS RULES WITH REGARD TO THIS.
AND I BELIEVE THERE'S AN ETHICS SELECTION, THAT GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE THAT OPERATED ON A AD HOC BASIS BEFORE, UH, IT'S AT LEAST IT'S STILL LISTED ON THE WEBSITE.
AND THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT, UH, WHENEVER YOU HAVE TWO OR MORE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL DISCUSSING A A CITY BUSINESS, IT RAISES THE POSSIBILITY OF A DAISY CHAIN OR A WALKING QUORUM VIOLATION.
THAT'S NOT ONLY THE SUBJECT OF A CIVIL LAWSUIT, BUT CAN ALSO BE HAS IS ONE OF THE TWO PROVISIONS IN THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT THAT HAS, UH, UH, UH, CRIMINAL PENALTIES ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN PROSECUTIONS AND CONVICTIONS IN THE PAST.
UH, I THINK THAT WE CAN HAVE RELATIVELY SIMPLE RULES AND LEGAL CAN PROVIDE A DRAFT FOR THE COMMITTEE MEETING THAT COULD HELP, UM, PREVENT, UH, ANY, ANY CLAIM OF ANY, WHETHER IT'S A CRIMINAL OR WHETHER IT'S CIVIL AND IF THERE IS A CLAIM TO DEFEAT IT.
UH, I'VE DONE QUITE A BIT IN THIS AREA.
I HAD REPRESENTED A LARGE, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE LARGEST LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN TEXAS, UM, OVER SUCH ALLEGATION WHEN ITS STATE REGULATORY BODY DETERMINED, THERE WAS AN OPEN MEETINGS ACT VIOLATION.
UH, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE, UM, IT WAS IN FEDERAL COURT BECAUSE THERE WERE RELATED FEDERAL CLAIMS, THE FEDERAL JUDGE TO AGREE WITH THE POSITION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ULTIMATELY THE FIFTH CIRCUIT.
BUT IT WAS AT A LOT OF COST AND TIME AND CONSTERNATION AMONG MEMBERS OF ITS GOVERNING BODY.
SO I'D STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT, UH, THERE BE A, A COMMITTEE MEETING IN THE ADOPTION OF SOME SIMPLE RULES TO IMPLEMENT THIS.
AND THEN YOU'RE PROPOSING AN AN AD HOC COMMITTEE OR AN EXISTING STANDING COMMITTEE? I THINK THAT IT, I'M, I WAS A LITTLE UNCLEAR READING ON THE WEBSITE.
IT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS CREATED AD HOC, BUT THERE'S AN ETHICS ELECTIONS AND, AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, THE CHAIR OF WHICH IS COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, UH, THE VICE CHAIR AS COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH.
AND THE MEMBERS INCLUDE COUNCIL MEMBERS JACKSON CAYMAN, UH, EVAN SHABAZZ, THOMAS CISNEROS, GALLEGOS, CASTEX, TATUM, KNOX, ROBINSON PLUMBER, ALCORN.
ALRIGHT, THEN, UM, THEN WHY DON'T WE, UM, PLAN TO DO THAT? AND I THINK, UH, UM, LEGAL WILL BE PROPOSING, UM, SOME, I GUESS RULES FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER.
UM, AND ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE NEED SHOULD MOVE ON THAT NOW? I MEAN, ON THIS SIDE OF THE YEAR? UH, I, I, YOU COULD SCHEDULE A, A MEETING THIS YEAR IF, IF, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO GET ONE TOGETHER AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT WOULD BE ONE OR TWO MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE'LL PRO PROPOSE A DRAFT, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE, UH, REVISIONS TO THE DRAFT OR SO ON, BUT I THINK IT CAN BE DONE IN RELATIVELY SHORT ORDER.
WHY DON'T I GIVE WITH THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE AND THEN TRY TO WORK OUT A TIMELINE.
ANY DISCUSSION? ANYTHING ELSE? SHOW COUNCILMAN GALLOS BEING PRESENT? UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, WELL THEN LEMME SAY THAT, UM, UH, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, HOPEFULLY, UM, YOU'LL ATTEND THE PARADE.
I PRAY THAT THERE WON'T BE ANY RAIN.
UH, AND IF NOT, UH, I KNOW SOME WILL BE EATING DINNER AT ONE.
SOME MAY BE EATING DINNER AT THREE, SOME MAY BE EATING IT AT SIX AND SOME MAY JUST BE GRAZING ALL DAY LONG.
UH, ENJOY YOUR, ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYBODY.
WE, UNLESS THERE'S ANY FURTHER DI BUSINESS, WE STILL STAND ADJOURNED.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PRESENT.