* 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.
           
          [00:00:18]
ALRIGHT, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PRESENT. 
          I'LL, SO YOU WANNA THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN  FOR BEING PRESENT AND DIRECTOR CAROL HANOCK OF PUBLIC WORKS. 
          UM, RICKY RICK MANEY, UH, WHO'S THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF PUBLIC WORKS AND LISA GARRISON, WHO'S THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES DIVISION. 
          UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          UH, OVER THE PAST, UH, FEW MONTHS, SEVERAL MONTHS, REALLY. 
          UM, I'VE HEARD THE COMMUNITY AND THEIR FRUSTRATIONS WITH KIND OF WATER BILLS, UM, AND I KNOW THEY'RE GETTING AN UNEXPECTEDLY HIGH WATER BILL, UH, IS FRUSTRATING. 
          UH, I THINK IN PART IN TIME WE'VE ALL EXPERIENCED THAT. 
          CERTAINLY I HAVE MYSELF. 
          UM, TODAY WE HAVE, UM, POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO SHARE WITH YOU. 
          UM, AND IT STARTS WITH CHANGES TO THE SPECIFIC WITNESSES. 
          I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THE PUBLIC WORKS, UH, AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, ARTUR MICHELLE, UH, FOR HAVING BEEN WORKING ON THESE PROPOSED CHANGES FOR US SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. 
          THIS IS BEING, UH, TODAY WE HAVE POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS, UH, TO SHARE WITH YOU, AND IT STARTS WITH CHANGES TO SPECIFIC ORDINANCES. 
          UM, THIS HAS BEEN ADDRESSED THROUGH PROPOSED ORDINANCE CHANGES BECAUSE CURRENT CITY ORDINANCES NOW RESTRICT OUR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THE PUBLIC'S CONCERNS. 
          AND I'VE HEARD THIS SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS FROM PUBLIC WORKS, UH, THAT EVEN WHEN, UH, WE WANTED TO MAKE CHANGES OR TO MODIFY PEOPLE'S CUSTOMERS WATER BILLS, UH, THE CURRENT CITY ORDINANCES RESTRICTED JUST HOW MUCH WE COULD DO. 
          UH, AND QUITE FRANKLY, UH, THESE ORDINANCES ARE OUTDATED. 
          AND THEY WERE WRITTEN AT A, FOR A DIFFERENT TIME WITH MANY OF THE ORDINANCES WHEN MANY OF THE ORDINANCES WERE FIRST ENACTED. 
          THEY WERE CREATED WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT WERE WORKED PROPERLY AND THAT WE RECEIVED ACCURATE READINGS OF CUSTOMERS WATER USAGE. 
          TODAY'S REALITY IS QUITE DIFFERENT. 
          AND TODAY WE'RE FACED WITH A HIGH NUMBER OF FILLING NEED OF READING DEVICES, UH, DUE TO, UH, THE AGED INFRASTRUCTURE. 
          AND THE CITY MUST RELY ON A MUCH HIGHER NUMBER OF ESTIMATED MEETINGS, UM, RELYING ON A NUMBER MUCH HIGHER THAN ANY OF US. 
          LIKE, UH, WE ARE WORKING TO REPLACE THE METERS, BUT THIS WILL TAKE, STILL TAKE SOME TIME. 
          AND MEANWHILE, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ACT NOW TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS NECESSARY RELIEF, UH, FOR MONTHS. 
          UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AS WE LISTEN TO THE RESIDENTS CLIENT RIGHT WAY, A MORE ACCURATE WAY TO PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED RELIEF FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. 
          AND TODAY I WANT TO OUTLINE NINE PROPOSALS, UH, FOR CHANGING OUR WATER, BUILDING. 
          OUR S UH, THEY'RE ON THIS WEEK'S AGENDA A COUPLE OF DAYS FROM NOW, AND I WILL PRESENT THEM TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY. 
          NOW, WE'VE BEEN LISTENING AND WE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE TALK TO, UH, LEGAL AS WELL AS PUBLIC WORKS EXTENSIVELY. 
          AND TODAY, UM, MY ADMINISTRATION, UM, IS, UH, PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE HOW WE ARE TAKING ACTION TO ADDRESS, UH, MANY OF THESE ISSUES. 
          THE COMBINED IMPACT OF THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES IS THAT OUR CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES TEAM WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH THE TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO RESOLVE THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF ON THE FIRST CALL, NUMBER ONE, FIRST, WE, UM, WE WILL REMOVE THE LIMIT TO THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU CAN GET HELP AFTER YOU'VE HAD A PRIVATE WATER LEAK. 
          AS IT IS WRITTEN TODAY, WATER CUSTOMERS CAN ONLY RECEIVE TWO ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEAKS PER YEAR, EVEN IF THE LEAKS ARE AT DIFFERENT PLACES AND TIMES. 
          UH, SO WE ARE GOING TO REMOVE THAT LIMIT. 
          UH, WHENEVER THERE'S A LEAK THAT COMES UP FOR A CUSTOMER, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES, WHETHER IT'S TWO, WHETHER IT'S FOUR, WHETHER IT'S SIX IN A YEAR, UM, WE PUBLIC WORKS WILL HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS THOSE LEAKS WHEN THEY OCCUR. 
          NUMBER TWO, 
          [00:05:01]
UH, WE WILL ADD AN INCENTIVE FOR CUSTOMERS WHO REPAIR THEIR PRIVATE WATER LEAK AND APPLY FOR THE ADJUSTMENT. 
          THE INCENTIVE WILL REDUCE CUSTOMER'S BILLS TO THEIR AVERAGE WATER USAGE IF THEY COMPLETE A REPAIR WITHIN 30 DAYS OF RECEIVING THEIR BILL. 
          UH, SO IF THEY DO THAT, UH, WE'LL GO BACK TO THEIR AVERAGE USAGE. 
          IF THEY COMPLETED WITHIN 30 DAYS, REPAIR THE PRIVATE. 
          IF A CUSTOMER REPAIRS THEIR LEAK WITHIN 30 TO 60 DAYS OF RECEIVING THEIR BILL, THEY'LL RECEIVE A 75% ADJUSTMENT. 
          AND IF THE REPAIR IS COMPLETED MORE THAN 60 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING THE BILL, THEY WILL GET A 50% ADJUSTMENT. 
          COMBINED. 
          THESE CHANGES WILL INCENTIVIZE CUSTOMERS TO MAKE THEIR REPAIRS TO, UH, PRIVATE LEAKS. 
          NUMBER THREE, IN ADDITION TO THESE ADJUSTMENTS, WE WILL PROVIDE CUSTOMERS WITH A 100% CREDIT FOR WASTEWATER CHARGES WHEN THEY RECEIVE AN ADJUSTMENT TO THEIR BILLS FROM REPAIRING A WATER LEAK. 
          TODAY, RESIDENTS ONLY RECEIVE 50%, EVEN THOUGH THE WATER DOES NOT PASS THROUGH THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM. 
          WE ARE CHANGING THAT, AND SO THEY WILL RECEIVE A 100% CREDIT. 
          IN SOME CASES, EVEN AFTER RECEIVING AN ADJUSTMENT, THERE MAY BE A HIGH BALANCE REMAINING TO QUALIFY FOR ANY ADDITIONAL ADJUSTMENTS. 
          WE'RE LOWERING THE REQUIREMENTS. 
          SO NUMBER FOUR, THE CURRENT ORDINANCE ONLY ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO QUALIFY FOR CREDIT IF THE COSTS MORE THAN $2,000 ON THEIR BILL OR MORE THAN $250. 
          FOR LOW INCOME RESIDENTS, WE ARE PROPOSING REDUCING THE LIMIT TO $1,100 RESPECTIVELY, SO THAT IN THE FUTURE A CUSTOMER CAN QUALIFY FOR CREDIT IF THE LEAD COSTS MORE THAN $1,000 OR $100 FOR LOW INCOME ELDERLY RESIDENTS. 
          THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN SOME CUSTOMERS RECEIVED A HIGH WATER BILL AND THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION. 
          IT'S NOT A LEAK. 
          THE METER IS WORKING FINE, THEY JUST HAVE A HIGH WATER BILL. 
          NUMBER FIVE, CURRENTLY THE MAXIMUM RELIEF WE CAN OFFER IS TO LOWER THE BILL DOWN TO 150% OF THE CUSTOMER'S AVERAGE WATER USAGE, WE'RE GOING TO LOWER THAT TO 125%. 
          NUMBER SIX, THERE ARE SOME SITUATIONS WHERE A CUSTOMER NEEDS HELP WITH THEIR BILL AND IT DOESN'T FIT INTO ANY OF THESE OTHER CATEGORIES. 
          THE CURRENT ORDINANCE HAS A HIGH THRESHOLD FOR CUSTOMERS TO QUALIFY FOR ADJUSTMENTS. 
          CURRENTLY, THE AMOUNT MUST BE FIVE TIMES A CUSTOMER'S AVERAGE BILL AND THE ONLY GETTY REDUCTION OF $4,000 FOR ONE ADJUSTMENT THAT DOESN'T EXCEED TWO MONTHS. 
          WE ARE PROPOSING THAT COUNCIL APPROVAL, UH, REDUCING THAT THRESHOLD TO TWO TIMES A CUSTOMER'S AVERAGE MONTHLY BILL RATHER THAN FIVE TIMES, AND THAT THE CUSTOMER ACCOUNT SERVICES TEAM CAN REDUCE THAT BILL BY UP TO $10,000 FOR ONE ADJUSTMENT THAT DOES NOT EXCEED TWO BILLING CYCLES. 
          THIS LOWERS THE CRITERIA AND INCREASES THE BENEFIT FOR THE CUSTOMERS. 
          NUMBER SEVEN, YOU ALSO HAVE HEARD FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR BASIC SERVICE CHARGES WHEN THERE'S A WATER METER AT A PROPERTY, EVEN IF THEY AREN'T USING ANY WATER. 
          I'VE HEARD FROM A COUPLE OF FOLKS ON A TUESDAY AT AT TWO O'CLOCK WHEN THEY'VE COME BEFORE US UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM. 
          TO AVOID THESE CHARGES, THE CUSTOMER MUST PAY FOR A PRIVATE PLUMBER TO CAMP THE LINE AND THEN REMOVE THE METER, WHICH CAN COST UP TO $1,500 OR MORE. 
          MOVING FORWARD, THE CITY IS GOING TO OFFER CUSTOMERS THE OPTION TO HAVE THE METER LOCKED FOR A ONE TIME FEE OF $150. 
          ONCE A CUSTOMER IS CHARGED FOR THE LOCK BASIC SERVICES, CHARGES ARE TOTALLY REMOVED. 
          AND IF FOR SOME REASON A CUSTOMER WANTS TO REACTIVATE THAT METER, THE CITY WILL NOT CHARGE AND THE CUSTOMER WILL NOT HAVE TO PAY A DEVELOPER IMPACT FEE. 
          NUMBER EIGHT, WE ALSO ARE PROPOSING BENEFITS FOR CUSTOMERS WHO HELPED US REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF PAPER BILLS. 
          CUSTOMERS WILL SAVE 50 CENTS FOR EACH MONTHLY BILL THEY RECEIVE ONCE THEY SIGN UP FOR 
          [00:10:01]
ONLINE EBILL. 
          AND NUMBER NINE, FINALLY, IN COORDINATION WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER HOFFMAN, UH, THAT PROPOSED AN ORDINANCE THAT LIMITS A LOOK BACK AT BILLING TO THREE MONTHS, THE OFFERING TO CO THE CURRENT PRACTICE. 
          BECAUSE WHAT THEY HAVE, WHAT THEY HAVE PUT FORTH, UH, IS A PRACTICE THAT'S ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. 
          UH, BUT WE ARE OFFERING TO CODIFY THE CURRENT PRACTICE OF PUBLIC WORKS BY NOT PERMITTING A LOOK BACK OF GREATER THAN THREE MONTHS FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS. 
          AND THAT'S A BIG DISTINCTION, NOT FOR OTHERS, BUT FOR SINGLE, SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL. 
          AND IT'S ACTUALLY ALL, AND IT'S ALL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS. 
          AGAIN, WE HAVE ALREADY INSTITUTED THIS AS A PRACTICE, BUT WE ARE NOW MAKING THIS A PERMANENT CHANGE BY ORDINANCE. 
          THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION TO EACH OF THESE PROPOSED CHANGES, AND THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL ASK COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE CHANGES COME THIS COMING WEDNESDAY. 
          AS I SAID EARLIER, THIS YEAR, WHEN YOU ARE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND WE STAND OUT OVER A HALF MILLION BILLS, 500,000 OR MORE A MONTH, UH, YOU'RE GOING TO RUN INTO SOME ERRORS, BUT I ASK PUBLIC WORKS AND THE CITY ATTORNEY TO BEGIN WORKING ON THE PROPOSED CHANGES. 
          TODAY IS AN EXAMPLE OF THOSE CHANGES. 
          AND KEEP IN MIND, THE INCORRECT BILLS MAKE UP LESS THAN 0.8% OF OUR TOTAL. 
          BUT AS A CITY, WE CAN DO BETTER. 
          AND ANY CUSTOMER THAT THAT RECEIVES A BILL HIGHER THAN THEY DESERVE, THAT CUSTOMER NEEDS TO GET RELIEVED FROM THE CITY WE'RE IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE BUSINESS. 
          AND WITH THESE CHANGES, I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THE OVERWHELMING PERCENTAGE OF COMPLAINTS, UH, THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED, UH, WILL BE ADDRESSED AND WE WILL NOT BE RESTRICTED BY PAST ORDINANCES, UM, THAT HAVE PREVENTED IN PART, UH, ON THE CITY FROM ADDRESSING THE THESE CUSTOMER CONCERNS. 
          AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, AS ISSUES ARISE, UH, WE WON'T HESITATE TO ADDRESS THE MATTER. 
          HAVING SAID THAT, LEMME NOW PAUSE AND BRING UP THE RECORD HAT. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. 
          IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE UP HERE AND REPRESENT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          AS MAYOR SAID, I'M CAROL HADDOCK. 
          I'M THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. 
          UH, WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING ACCURATE AND TIMELY BILLS EACH AND EVERY MONTH. 
          AND, UH, WE KNOW THAT, UH, WE HAVE NOT ALWAYS HIT THE MARK OVER THE LAST YEAR AS WE'VE WORKED THROUGH THIS. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALK ABOUT, THE, THE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE REMOTE READ DEVICES, UH, TO GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE, UH, BACK IN 2019, UH, BEFORE, UH, WE IMPLEMENTED THE, THE REPLACEMENT CONTRACT TO REPLACE THESE REMOTE READ DEVICES, PUBLIC WORKS WAS NEEDING TO GET MANUAL READS ON ABOUT 40,000 ACCOUNTS. 
          AND THAT RESULTED IN US ESTIMATING SIX TO 7,000 ACCOUNTS EACH AND EVERY MONTH. 
          AND THAT WAS MANAGEABLE WITH THE MANPOWER THAT WE HAD AND THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAD. 
          TODAY, WE HAVE OVER 125,000 OF THESE REMOTE READ DEVICES THAT HAVE FAILED. 
          AND, UH, WE'RE REQUIRED TO ESTIMATE NEARLY 40,000 BILLS A MONTH. 
          THAT'S WHY WE'RE IN THE, THE POSITION THAT WE'RE IN. 
          AND, AND THE THE SITUATION THAT YOU'RE SEEING, THAT YOU'RE SEEING. 
          BUT IT IS, IT IS DEFINITELY, UH, THIS, UH, CHANGE THAT THE MAYOR HAS NOT ONLY PROPOSED, BUT THE MAYOR HAS, UH, VERY MUCH, UH, UH, PRODDED US TO MOVE THESE FORWARD AND GET THESE TO YOU TODAY, UH, WILL ALLOW US TO, TO ADDRESS THOSE IN A MUCH MORE TIMELY MANNER AND WORK WITH OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE. 
          UH, I I DEFINITELY WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND THANK LISA GARRISON AND HER TEAM. 
          UH, THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, LISTENING TO THE CONCERNS, LISTENING TO THE SPECIFIC, UM, INFORMATION THAT WE'VE RECEIVED. 
          WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF, OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HIGH BILLS AND THEY'RE ALL CAUSED FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. 
          AND THAT'S THE REASON THAT YOU'RE SEEING NINE PROPOSALS TODAY IS THOSE PROPOSALS, UH, ADDRESS THE VARIOUS REASONS THAT WE'RE SEEING FOR STILL HAVING HIGH BILLS, AND ALSO ADDRESS OUR STAFF LIMITATIONS ON THEIR ABILITY TO ADDRESS, UH, THESE HIGH BILLS. 
          THESE CHANGES WILL ALLOW OUR STAFF TO ACTUALLY DO THINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN PROHIBITED FROM DOING IN THE PAST. 
          AND SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PART OF THESE SOLUTIONS MOVING FORWARD. 
          UH, WE'RE THANKFUL TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR BRINGING FORWARD, UM, ISSUES AS WELL. 
          UH, WE, WE, WE HEAR YOU, UH, AND WE KNOW THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HEAR WAYS TO IMPROVE AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WE LOOK FORWARD, UH, TO, TO CONTINUING TO HEAR THAT, BUT ALSO KNOW THAT WE KNOW IT'S A GOOD DAY WHEN WE CAN PRESENT A PLAN TO THE COMMUNITY TO HELP PROVIDE RELIEF, UH, TO EVERYBODY, INCLUDING OUR MOST VULNERABLE 
          [00:15:01]
HOUSTONIANS AND OUR SENIOR CITIZENS. 
          UH, PEOPLE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO CHOOSE, UH, BETWEEN, UH, FOOD, MEDICINE, WATER, UM, BASIC NEEDS IN A DAY IN THEIR DAILY BUDGET. 
          UH, CLEAN, SAFE WATER. 
          CLEAN, SAFE DRINKING WATER REALLY IS A HUMAN RIGHT, AND IT IS PART OF OUR OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DELIVER THAT. 
          UH, WE, WE ARE REQUIRED TO CHARGE WHAT IT COSTS US TO DELIVER WATER, AND THAT'S HOW OUR RATES ARE SET. 
          BUT THAT STILL DOES CREATE, UH, AN EXTENSIVE, UH, CHALLENGE FOR SOME PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          UH, WE, WE SUPPORT THESE CHANGES. 
          WE LOOK FORWARD TO IMPLEMENTING THEM, AND WE STAND READY TO IMPLEMENT THEM AS SOON AS COUNCIL, UH, PASSES THEM. 
          UH, WE STAND TOGETHER, UH, WITH THE MAYOR, WITH CITY COUNCIL, AND WITH OUR TEAM TODAY AS PART OF OUR PURPOSE, UH, THAT TOGETHER WE CREATE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR EACH AND TO THRIVE. 
          WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO BE THIS TOGETHER, UH, AND WE ARE, WE ARE GLAD TO BE PART OF THAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TODAY. 
          THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. 
          DIRECTOR HADDOCK. 
          UH, YOU SEE, UM, THE PROPOSED CHANGES, UH, RIGHT THERE ON THE SCREEN. 
          UH, WE'RE PREPARED TO SEND YOU SOME QUESTIONS. 
          UM, AND RESPECTFULLY, I SENT QUESTIONS TO THESE PROPOSED CHANGES ONLY, UH, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH TODAY AND THAT'S WHERE THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON TODAY. 
          SO WHEN WE, UM, BEFORE WE ENTERED THE CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE TO REPLACE METER READING DEVICES, WE HAD ABOUT 40,000 THAT HAD FAILED THAT WE WERE HAVING TO MANUALLY READ EVERY MONTH, WHICH REQUIRED US TO ESTIMATE ABOUT SIX TO 7,000 BILLS ON A MONTHLY BASIS. 
          TODAY WE HAVE 125,000 OF OUR 550,000 ACCOUNTS THAT REQUIRE A MANUAL READ ON A MONTHLY BASIS, WHICH MEANS WE ARE ESTIMATING ABOUT 40,000, UH, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GET ALL 25,000. 
          THE MAYOR DIRECTOR HAD APPROVE THESE CHANGES ON WEDNESDAY. 
          HOW, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO IMPLEMENT THEM ALL TO A LITTLE OUT? YES. 
          WE JUST HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO WE CAN, WE CAN START IMPLEMENTING THESE IMMEDIATELY AS FAR AS THE RELIEF, UM, AS FAR AS THE ESTIMATED, THE ONES ABOUT ESTIMATING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY WILL GO INTO EFFECT AS THE NEXT BILLING CYCLE ROLLS OUT. 
          SO AS THE NEXT BILLS ARE GENERATED, IT WILL BE IN PLACE, UH, FOR THE MAYOR. 
          HAVE YOU DONE ANY KIND OF ESTIMATE OF, OF WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THIS WILL HAVE ON THE CITY'S BUDGET? WE HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION, AND QUITE FRANKLY, OVERALL, WE THINK WE CAN COVER ALL OF THE, THE CHANGES WITHIN OUR, OUR COST CONSTRAINTS. 
          IT SHOULD NOT, UH, ADD, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE, UH, TO OUR BOTTOM, TO OUR BOTTOM LINE. 
          UM, THE ORDINANCE CHANGED IN TERMS OF HOW MANY LEAKS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, CAN BE ADDRESSED, BUT NOT WITHOUT RESTRICTING PEOPLE TO JUST TWO. 
          WE THINK WE CAN, WE CAN MAKE THOSE, UM, IMPLEMENT THESE CHANGES WITHOUT THERE BEING ANY, UH, SIGNIFICANT COST, UH, TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON OR TO THE CS SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. 
          HAS THERE BEEN ANY UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC WORKS INVESTIGATION AND, UM, I'M RESTRICTING IT YES. 
          TO THESE CHANGES FOR TODAY? NOTHING ON THAT. 
          NOT AT THIS TIME. 
          THAT'S AN INVESTIGATION THAT'S ONGOING. 
          THE ONLY THING I WILL DO IS CORRECT, UH, ERRONEOUS INFORMATION THAT THE CITY HAS PAID OUT $10 MILLION. 
          THAT'S TOTALLY FALSE. 
          SO ANYBODY WHO'S REPORTING, UH, THAT THE CITY HAS PAID OUT $10 MILLION IN THIS PARTICULAR MATTER, THAT'S WRONG. 
          UM, I WILL SAY JUST THE EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN, UH, RELIEVED FROM DUTY. 
          THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN TERMINATED AND ABOUT $406,000 WAS PAID OUT TO THAT PARTICULAR CONTRACT UNTIL IT WAS FOUND. 
          SO THAT $10 MILLION IS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          UM, I WAS SIMPLY ASKING PEOPLE TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE AND BE MORE ACCURATE. 
          SORRY, UH, VERY QUICKLY ON THE, ON THE DEVICES THAT HAVE FAILED, UM, YOU INDICATED, I JUST WANNA CLEAR, YOU SAID 40, EXCUSE ME, YOU REQUIRED, AND I BELIEVE 40,000 DEVICES ARE FAILED. 
          IS THAT CORRECT? UH, SO THE, THE ALL OF THEM THAT REQUIRE MANUAL READS, THE DEVICE HAS FAILED OR IT DOES NOT HAVE A DEVICE AT ALL. 
          SO HOW MANY DEVICES TOTAL HAVE FAILED? THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET INTO REAL FAST, SO WE CAN GET YOU THAT NUMBER. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE THAT SPECIFIC NUMBER. 
          THEY SAID, DO YOU KNOW THE NUMBER THAT IT FAILED? I MEAN, IT'S SOMEWHERE. 
          SO WE'VE ALSO REPLACED DEVICES. 
          WE'VE PUT 71,000 IN THE GROUND AS WELL. 
          SO WE'VE REPLACED DEVICES OF THOSE THAT HAVE FAILED AS WELL. 
          SO IT'S, IT'S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 120,000 AND 200,000. 
          UM, BUT GET THAT NUMBER 20 TO 2000 DEVICES THAT HAVE FAILED. 
          [00:20:01]
SO MY QUESTION OFF FOR THAT NUMBER IS THE FOLLOWING. 
          SO LIKE, LET'S SAY I'M A HOUSTON RESIDENT TONIGHT AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY DEVICE, THE FAILURES OF THESE DEVICES BECAUSE THEY'RE OUTDATED. 
          IS IT BECAUSE IT WAS A FAULT? UM, AND IF I HAVE THAT DEVICE THERE, I GUESS WHAT I'M TRYING GET TO IS WHAT ARE THE DEVICES, WHAT ARE THE NAMES, THE MODELS? SO HOUSTON GONNA SAY, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT PUBLIC WORKS. 
          I HAVE THIS DEVICE, MAYBE YOU MIGHT WANNA CHECK IT TO SEE IF WE NEED TO GET THIS DEVICE REPLACED. 
          SO THE THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION, UH, IS, IS PROBABLY A LITTLE BROADER THAN YOU WANT, BUT WE STARTED PUTTING IN REMOTE READ DEVICES IN THE LATE NINE NINETIES IN THE MAJORITY OF THE CITY. 
          UH, WENT IN BETWEEN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS AND THE LATE 20, YOU KNOW, LATE 2009, 2010. 
          SO THESE ARE ALL REACHING 20 YEAR LIFE. 
          AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT CELL PHONES, COMPUTERS, EVERYTHING FROM THAT DAY AND AGE, ALL THIS DEVICE IS IS THAT IT LITERALLY READS THE METER AND TRANSMITS IT. 
          IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY MEASURE THE WATER. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY THE TRANSMISSION OF THE, THE READ. 
          AND SO THAT DEVICE FAILING MEANS WE HAVE TO COME MANUALLY READ IT, BUT IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY MAKE ANYTHING NOT WORK ON THE METER THAT'S THERE AT YOUR HOUSE IN THE, AND DO WE KNOW WHAT THE SHELF LIKE WAS ON THESE METERS AT THE VERY BEGINNING? DID THEY COME PURCHASING LIFETIME WARRANTY OR 40 YEAR WARRANTY? I MEAN, I'M LOOKING TO TRY TO SAVE MONEY FOR THE CITY. 
          OR IF YOU'RE SAYING FOR 20 YEARS AND IT WENT ON YOU, THEN YOU GUYS HAVE THE RIGHT CLAIM TO GO AGAINST THE MANUFACTURER. 
          NOT SHORT AT ALL. 
          THEY, UH, WERE ACTUALLY ESTIMATED TO LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS AND WE'VE HAD MANY OF THEM IN THE, THE GROUND CLOSER TO 15 TO 20. 
          SO THEY'VE, UH, THAT'S THE REASON THAT WE WENT TO REPLACE THESE STARTING IN 2019 BECAUSE WE WERE GETTING UP TO THAT 20 YEAR. 
          UM, AND WE KNEW THAT WE WOULD SEE INCREASES IN FAILURES AND UNFORTUNATELY THE PANDEMIC, UM, BECAUSE THESE DEVICES RELY ON A CHIP AND IT'S THE SAME CHIP THAT CELL PHONES AND COMPUTERS AND VEHICLES RELY ON. 
          AND WHEN THE MAN, THE, UH, MANUFACTURER'S FACILITIES SHUT DOWN, WE WERE UNABLE OUR MANUFACTURER OF THESE DEVICES WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CHIPS. 
          LEMME JUST ADD, BUT REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE REPLACEMENTS TAKE PLACE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE EQUIPMENT WORKS, THE NON PROPOSED CHANGES WILL COVER THAT. 
          SO AS WE, UH, WORK TO REPLACE THE TECHNOLOGY, IMPROVE THE TECHNOLOGY, CORRECT THE TECHNOLOGY, THESE NINE PROPOSED CHANGES WILL COVER PRETTY MUCH EVERY CUSTOMER OUT THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET AN ACCURATE BILL OR IN THE END GETS AN ACCURATE BILL THAT REFLECTS THEIR TRUTH. 
          SO THE PURPOSE OF THESE NINE PROPOSED OR CHANGES, AND MOST OF THEM ARE DEALING WITH ORDINANCE EXCHANGES, UH, SHOULD HELP TO MAKE SURE THAT CUSTOMERS GET THE BILL THAT REFLECTS THEIR ACTUAL USAGE. 
          AND, UH, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE TO SEE THIS NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF TRYING TO PROFIT, UH, FROM GIVING PEOPLE, FROM PEOPLE GETTING HIGH WATER BILLS. 
          WE WANT THE BILLS TO REFLECT THEIR ACTUAL USAGES. 
          YES, SIR. 
          HEY, MAYOR TURNER, CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT THE TIMING? I KNOW THAT YOU HAD SAID YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS. 
          WHY NOW? WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG? I CAN UNDERSTAND MAYBE SOME OF THESE CHANGES, BUT THE INSTANCE, THE 50 CENTS SAVINGS ON THE ELECTRONIC BILL WAS ONES, WHY DIDN'T YOU DO SOME OF THIS STUFF MONTHS AGO? WELL, BECAUSE WE STARTED STUDYING IT MONTHS AGO. 
          UM, AND SO YOU EVALUATE IT, YOU ALSO HAVE TO EVALUATE, UH, WHAT'S CREATING, UH, PREVENTING, LET'S SAY, UM, UM, PUBLIC WORKS FROM MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES. 
          IF SOMEONE COMES AND THEY GIVE AND THEY PROVIDE A HIGH WATER BILL, MY QUESTION IS, WHY COULDN'T Y'ALL JUST ADDRESS IT? AND THE UM, THAT, UM, WE WERE GETTING BACK IS THAT MAYOR, THERE ARE CERTAIN ORDINANCES THAT EXIST. 
          SO THE COURT, THE, THE CHARGE WAS GO BACK AND LOOK AT ALL OF THESE ORDINANCES THAT CONTROLS PEOPLE'S WATER BILLS. 
          'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA MAKE ONE CHANGE. 
          AND THEN A WEEK LATER, TWO MONTHS LATER, YOU SAY, HERE'S ANOTHER ORDINANCE, SO LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE DO A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK SO THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING IT AS MUCH, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN A HOLISTIC WAY. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. 
          THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU DO WANT TO ASSESS THE FINANCIAL IMPACT ON THE CITY SO THAT IF WE ARE MAKING THESE CHANGES, DO WE HAVE TO DO ANYTHING ELSE FINANCIALLY? AND SO THEY'VE MADE THAT ASSESSMENT AND THAT TAKES TIME. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST PUBLIC WORKS, IT'S ALSO THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT. 
          AND THEN YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT FROM NICO'S POINT OF VIEW. 
          IF WE ARE MAKING THESE CHANGES, IT'S GONNA CREATE ANY PROBLEMS WITH OUR BOND COVENANT, WITH OUR UTILITY SYSTEMS C US. 
          AND SO LEGAL HAD TO DO ITS ASSESSMENT. 
          IF YOU END UP MAKING CHANGES QUICKLY JUST BECAUSE THE PRESSURE IS ON YOU AND YOU MAKE THIS AND YOU MAKE IT WORSE FOR THE CITY, THE CUSTOMER DOESN'T WIN AND NEITHER DOES THE CITY 
          [00:25:01]
AS A WHOLE. 
          SO IT'S ALWAYS PRUDENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE VET THESE CHANGES AND UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE DOING BEFORE YOU BRING THEM FORTH AND THEN YOU BRING THEM FORTH. 
          SO AFTER LOOKING AT THESE, UM, THE PROBLEMS, THE ISSUES, THE PROPOSED CHANGES, UH, IT HAS TAKEN SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT WE'RE HERE WHERE WE GOT, DID THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS PROPOSAL MAYBE FORCE YOU TO MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT NOW BECAUSE YOU, THEY CAME OUT AND SAID THAT THEY HAVE THIS ORDINANCE PROPOSAL THAT THEY'RE GONNA HAVE AN AGENDA A COUPLE HOURS LATER. 
          YOU SAID YOU HAD YOUR OWN, UM, ORDINANCE PROPOSALS THAT YOU WERE GONNA PROPOSE. 
          I MEAN, WHY DO IT A COUPLE HOURS AFTER THEY MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT? HOW, HOW NOT WHY NOT DO IT A MEETING BEFORE THEM MEAN DID THEY IMPACT OR INFLUENCE YOUR DECISION TO COME WITH THIS AT ALL? WELL, YOU ALWAYS GOOD TO DO IT AT THE RIGHT TIME. 
          THAT IS BEST FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. 
          AND A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK IS ALWAYS GOOD FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. 
          IF SOMEONE COMES FORTH WITH A GOOD IDEA, WE'LL ENTERTAIN THAT GOOD IDEA. 
          AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S ONE OF THE NINE, UM, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE NINE, THE OTHER EIGHT, UM, ARE MORE WHAT I CALL COMPREHENSIVE. 
          AND QUITE FRANKLY, EVEN WITH THE PROPOSAL THAT'S BEEN PUT FORTH BOTH FORTH BY THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THAT'S A PRACTICE THAT'S ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. 
          IT JUST HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN ORDINANCE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW, BUT WE WERE ALREADY DOING THAT. 
          THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ALWAYS COME FORTH WITH EXCELLENT IDEAS AND WHENEVER THEIR IDEAS COME FORTH, THEY ARE TIMELY. 
          AND SO I DARE NOT TELL A COUNCIL MEMBER OR MEMBERS THAT THEIR IDEA IS TOO LATE. 
          SO WHEN THEY PUT IT FORTH, IT'S ALWAYS TIMELY AND IT'S BEING INCORPORATED HERE. 
          BUT THE REALITY IS WHETHER, WHETHER THESE IDEAS COME, CAME FORTH AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR OR COMING FORTH IN DECEMBER, IS THE END USER, THE CUSTOMERS, UH, THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM THESE CHANGES. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD DEAL. 
          I DO INTEND TO BE THE MAYOR UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST, 1159. 
          SO EXPECT OTHER THINGS TO COME. 
          THEY MAY COME AT 10:00 PM ON DECEMBER 31ST BEFORE I LEAVE, BUT UH, THE PEOPLE ARE PAYING ME TO FOR WORK THE ENTIRE TIME AND I SHOULD WORK THE ENTIRE TIME. 
          SO YEAH, THAT'S A KIND OF LONG ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. 
          UH, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, I WISH THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SOONER. 
          BUT IT DOES TAKE, IT DID TAKE PUBLIC WORKS, FOR EXAMPLE, SOMETIME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE TECHNOLOGY AND, UH, UM, THE READ THAT WE WERE GETTING AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY, THOSE SLEEVES WERE ACCURATE OR WHETHER OR NOT WE NEEDED TO FACTOR, UH, WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD REPLACE CERTAIN THINGS TIMELY. 
          AND SO BASED ON ALL OF THE INPUT THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE VARIOUS, UM, EXPERTS IN THE AREA, WE THINK THESE CHANGES, PROPOSED CHANGES WILL GO A LONG WAY IN BENEFITING, UH, THE CUSTOMERS. 
          MAYOR, ANOTHER ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE HEARD COMPLAINTS ABOUT IS ABOUT THE APPEALS PROCESS. 
          I DON'T SEE THAT ON THIS LIST OF PROPOSED CHANGES. 
          ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE WATER ADJUSTMENT BOARD AND THE APPEALS PROCESS? WE'RE, BUT I WOULD TELL YOU THAT MANY OF THE APPEALS, APPEALS WOULD DO BECAUSE, UM, THE ORDINANCE, ORDINANCE IS RESTRICTED, UH, WHAT PEOPLE, UM, WHAT PUBLIC WORKS COULD DO. 
          AND SO PEOPLE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF PEOPLE WERE, UM, IF THEY HAD A HIGH WATER BILL, WE COULD ONLY MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT TO 4,000 AND THEY STILL HAVE, EVEN WITH THAT 4,000, IT WAS STILL HIGH, THE AUTOMATICALLY RESPONSE FROM CUSTOMERS, THAT'S APPEAL. 
          AND THEN WHEN YOU TAKE IT TO THE BOARD AND THEY TAKE A LOOK AT THE ORDINANCE AND THEIR QUESTION IS, DID YOU ALL OPERATE IN ACCORDING WITH THE ORDINANCE? IF THE ANSWER WAS YES, THEN THE END USER STILL LEFT AWAY WITH THE HIGH BILL AND THEY WERE UNHAPPY. 
          OKAY, SO IN ORDER FOR, EVEN FOR THE APPELLATE PROCESS TO WORK, YOU HAVE TO MODIFY THE ORDINANCES SO THAT WHEN THE HEARING EXAMINER IS LOOKING AT, UH, WHY DID THE WATERING DEPARTMENT CUSTOMER, WHY DID THEY COME TO THIS CONCLUSION? AND THEN THE RESPONSE WAS, WELL, THIS IS THE ORDINANCE AND WE OBLIGATED TO ABIDE BY THE ORDINANCE. 
          EVERYBODY WAS STUCK. 
          AND THEN THAT'S WHAT I WAS GETTING. 
          MAYOR, EVEN WHEN WE WANTED TO MAKE A CHANGE, THE ORDINANCE PREVENTED US FROM MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGE. 
          SO YOU HAD TO CHANGE IT. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW. 
          I THINK NOW WHAT YOU'LL SEE MOVING FORWARD IS THAT WITH THE, WITH THE, WITH THE CHANGE OF THESE ORDINANCES NOW, THE APPELLATE APPELLATE PROCESS WOULD HAVE EVEN GREATER MEANING. 
          SO IT'S NOT ABOUT CHANGING THE APPEALS PROCESS, IT'S ABOUT CHANGING THE ORDINANCES THAT WAS RESTRICTING PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO FULLY CORRECT THE PROBLEM. 
          DID I MAYOR ALONG THE SAME LINES, ANOTHER QUESTION WE'VE GOT, UM, IS THERE ANY AVENUE WHERE CUSTOMERS WOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR WHAT WOULD NOW BE FOUND TO HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVE WATER BILL CHARGES WITH THESE CHANGES? IS THERE A CERTAIN LENGTH OF TIME BACK THAT, 
          [00:30:02]
THAT ONE, I DON'T KNOW. 
          IT'S BETTER WITHIN THIS. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO DO TO TRY TO GO BACK. 
          I REGRET THAT. 
          UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS THINGS AS SOON AS, AS SOON AS CITY COUNCIL VOTE, UH, ON WEDNESDAY, WE CAN IMMEDIATELY, UH, EFFECTUATE, UH, I THINK A MUCH MORE FAVORABLE, UM, ENVIRONMENT FOR THE CUSTOMERS. 
          BUT GOING BACK I THINK IS A LITTLE BIT LATE FOR THAT. 
          JUST ONE BIG QUESTION FOR DIRECTOR, WELL, IF I MAY, UM, IS THERE A MAP OF WHERE THE REMOTE READ DEVICES THAT FAILED AND ALSO WHERE PUBLIC WORKS IS PLACED IN, UH, NEW DEVICES? AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE, CAN YOU GIVE US A SENSE OF WHAT AREAS OF TOWN YOU'RE SEEING AND FAILED THE MOST IN? SO I'M GONNA ASK LISA, IF YOU, IF YOU, DO WE HAVE A MAP OF THAT? I KNOW THAT YOUR TEAM WAS WORKING ON ONE. 
          YEAH. 
          NOW AS FAR AS THE FAILING DEVICES, THEY ARE CITYWIDE AND, AND THEY HAVE THE, IF YOU MAP THE ACCOUNTS THAT HAS HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED OR NEED TO BE ESTIMATED, UM, THAT IS CITYWIDE THAT WE SEE THAT. 
          UM, SOME OF THE AREAS WHERE WE HAD THE, UM, THE, THE, THE ORIGINAL CENSUS, UM, REMOTE READ DEVICES, THOSE WERE THE ONES THAT WERE CONCENTRATED IN THE WEST AND THEN SOUTHWEST, UM, WHICH WERE THE OLDEST OF THE OLDEST WHERE WE HAD THE PILOT PROGRAMS, BUT THE REST OF THEM, THEY WERE DEPLOYED CITYWIDE. 
          UM, AND SO THEY'RE ALL AGING CITYWIDE. 
          CAROL, WE, CAROL, YEAH, CAROL, SINCE, UH, CITY DATA THAT WE'VE EXAMINED SINCE 20 20, 20 20 TO 23, THERE'S BEEN A LARGE JUMP PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA REQUEST ADJUSTMENTS. 
          ABOUT 65% IS THE SPIKE. 
          I CAN SEE THAT 65% HAS BEEN THAT SPIKE. 
          AND, AND WHAT IS YOUR DEPARTMENT OR THE CITY MAYOR DOING SPECIFICALLY TO DRILL DOWN AND REALIZE OR ASK WHAT IS REALLY CAUSING THIS SPIKE SEPARATE FROM THE ISSUE THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE WITH THE READERS? WELL, SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, EIGHT PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE, NOT JUST ONE, BECAUSE WE KNEW, WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, WHEN WE HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, AND PARTICULARLY IN A TIME WHEN WE WENT INTO DROUGHT, THE ESTIMATE THAT WE USED TO GENERATE THE BILL, THIS IS IMPORTANT. 
          CAN WE JUST HOLD ON IF YOU DON'T MIND? WE CAN CERTAINLY HOLD ON IF YOU DON'T MIND. 
          MAYBE WE CAN GET THERE NOW. 
          GREAT. 
          SO, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE, UH, METERS THAT MAYBE WE'LL GET SOMEBODY TO GO. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, SO WHEN WE HAVE METERS THAT HAVE BEEN ESTIMATED FOR A A PERIOD OF TIME, WE'RE USING A, A BASICALLY A 12 MONTH AVERAGE. 
          UM, WE THROW OUT THE HIGH AND THE LOW AND, AND GET TO AN AVERAGE USAGE. 
          AND SO IF THEY WERE BEING ESTIMATED BEFORE WE WENT INTO THE DROUGHT LAST YEAR AND THEN THEIR WATER USAGE WENT UP, AND THEN WHEN WE FINALLY GET THAT MANUAL READ DOWN THE ROAD AND LOOK BACK AT THAT BACK PERIOD AND DO THE CATCH UP BILL, THAT'S WHEN MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE, WE SAW THE HIGH BILLS, MOST OF 'EM FELL INTO THAT CATEGORY. 
          SO THE CAT THE CATCH UP, I DON'T SAY MOST OF 'EM, BUT VERY LARGE NUMBER OF THEM CAME INTO THAT CATEGORY. 
          THE OTHER ISSUE WAS IF THAT WAS HAPPENING AND YOU HAD A LEAK, YOU HAD NO INDICATION THAT YOU HAD A LEAK IF YOU WEREN'T SEEING IT IN YOUR YARD OR YOU WEREN'T SEEING IT PULL UP SOMEWHERE. 
          AND SO PEOPLE HAD LEAKS THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SEE AND UNABLE TO CURE AND THAT'S NOT THEIR FAULT. 
          AND SO THESE, THESE CHANGES ARE TO REALLY HONE IN ON THE PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING WHERE THEY DID NOTHING WRONG AND THE, THE RULES IN PLACE RESULTED IN THEM HAVING A, A VERY HIGH BILL. 
          AND MAYOR, VERY QUICKLY, IF YOU, CAN YOU ADDRESS THIS FROM A PROFESSIONAL VANTAGE POINT, BUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN ACRES, ACRES, HOMES, PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE CITY IN THE SOUTHWEST HOUSTON, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM TODAY IF THEY'RE RIGHT NOW FIGHTING PUBLIC WORKS AND HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THAT RELIEF BECAUSE OF THIS SYN BY YOUR OFFICE? WELL, YOU KNOW, LOOK, WE DON'T WANT, UM, PEOPLE FEEL AS THOUGH THEY HAVE TO FIGHT PUBLIC WORKS. 
          AND WE DON'T, I DON'T WANT PUBLIC WORKS TO TELL US THOUGH THAT, UM, UH, WE SHOULD, UM, BE, UH, CHARGING PEOPLE MORE THAN WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEY'RE USING. 
          SO, UM, WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. 
          YOU KNOW, WE USED TO BE, EXCEPT MY CONTRACT IS OVER THERE. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. 
          WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TO CREATE A, A, UM, SYSTEM SO TO SPEAK, THAT WORKS FOR THE END USER, THAT WORKS FOR EVERY HOUSTON CUSTOMER REGARDLESS WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY LIVE, RIGHT? QUESTION THERE WAS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT IS THERE THE CHALLENGE OF HAVING TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND HOW TO MAKE THAT PAYMENT? THEY'VE BEEN BATTLING TIME ON, WELL, THERE'S NO QUESTION. 
          WE ARE CREATING A MUCH MORE, UH, SENSITIVE PROCESS. 
          YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ABOUT, UM, WHERE WE CAN ONLY GIVE YOU A 50% CREDIT WHEN YOU, QUITE FRANKLY, YOU 
          [00:35:01]
SHOULD BE GETTING A HUNDRED PERCENT CREDIT. 
          WE'RE NOW CHANGING THIS, THE, THE, UM, THE ORDINANCE TO GIVE YOU THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT CREDIT. 
          IF YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PAYING A HUNDRED DOLLARS, UM, AND YOUR ACTUAL BILL, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN GETTING $50. 
          UM, THEN THAT'S WHAT YOUR, THAT'S WHAT YOUR BILL SHOULD BE AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SHOULD BE PAYING. 
          SO WE ARE CORRECTING THAT TOTALLY. 
          UH, WE ARE INCENTIVIZE SOME PEOPLE. 
          IF YOU GOT A PRIVATELY, THE SOONER YOU REPAIR IT, UH, THE BETTER THE OUTCOME FOR YOU TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER. 
          IT MAY COST YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE YOU. 
          SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. 
          YOU KNOW, WE DON'T CARE HOW MANY LEAKS OCCUR, WHETHER IT'S TWO, WHETHER IT'S FOUR, WHETHER IT'S SIX IN THAT YEAR, WE'LL DEAL WITH EACH ONE INDIVIDUALLY. 
          AND IF YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER WATER, UH, UM, WHAT'S CALL IT ON YOUR, ON YOUR PROPERTY, UM, NO, THE, UM, THE METER, YOU GOT THE LOCK, YOU GOT ANOTHER METER THAT YOU'RE NOT USING. 
          INSTEAD OF IT COST YOU $1,500, UH, TO CORRECT IT. 
          IF YOU TELL US WE'LL LOCK IT, THAT'S 150. 
          UH, THAT'S A, THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS. 
          UH, SO IT'S NOW THE ONE CHANGE, IT'S A HOLISTIC CHANGE. 
          UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE GOING BACK 12 MONTHS LOOKING AT YOUR BILL. 
          WE'LL GO BACK THREE MONTHS AND WE'RE CODIFYING THAT INTO, INTO THE ORDINANCE. 
          UM, SO WHAT WE ARE PUTTING FORTH, UH, I BELIEVE WILL SUB WILL ADDRESS MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED AND WAS SIMPLY WHAT I WOULD SAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD, GIVE US TIME TO WORK THESE THINGS THROUGH. 
          UM, BUT ASSUMING THAT THIS CHARGES HAS PASSED ON ON WEDNESDAY, UH, THERE'S NO TIME DELAY, UM, THEY WILL, WE WILL IMPLEMENT THESE CHANGES, UH, THE VERY NEXT DAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          SO EVERYTHING THANK YOU ALL. 
          LEMME THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, WORKING WITH US FOR BEING PATIENT. 
          UH, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF ATTENTION ON THIS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO PROVIDING ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT YOU MAY NEED. 
          UH, SO YOU CAN ARTICULATE AND PROVIDE THAT TO YOU. 
          MAYOR, ONE FINAL REQUEST. 
          YOU PUT THE SLATE BACK UP FOR US SO WE CAN GET SHOT. 
          A COPY THAT WON'T.
* 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.