* 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. [00:00:02] GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M, UH, PROUD TO BE THE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON. SAYS FOR ME TO CALL OUT MY NAME, BUT I THINK THAT'D BE A LITTLE OBVIOUS. BUT, UH, I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THIS FIRST COUNCIL MEETING OF MY ADMINISTRATION CHAIR RECOGNIZES [PRESENTATIONS] COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES. I AM SO EXCITED TO BRING UP MY FELLOW SORORITY MEMBERS. I WAS A TRI MAYOR WITH 10 WOMEN ON COUNCIL. YOU'LL HEAR YOU'LL HEAR A LOT ABOUT SORORITIES AROUND THIS TABLE. SO WE'VE GOT, UM, SOME, SOME OF MY SORORITY SISTERS HERE BECAUSE WE DO A REALLY GREAT THING AND WE'VE DONE A REALLY GREAT THING FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. WE RAISE MONEY FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER AT MD ANDERSON. SO WHEN BRING EVERYBODY UP, WE'RE GONNA READ THIS PRO PROCLAMATION. AND MAYOR, SOMETHING ELSE I WANTED YOU TO KNOW AT YOUR INAUGURATION WHEN THAT, UM, THE, THE GENTLEMAN WHO SAID THE PRAYER BROKE OUT INTO WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH A STORM, THAT WAS OUR TRYOUT RUSH SONG, . THAT'S WHEN WE WOULD GET RIGHT INTO THE LITTLE RUSHES FACES AND SAY, WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH A STORM, AND THEN THEY'D WANNA COME BE A TRI DELTA ANYWAY, SO IT HAD GREAT MEANING FOR ME. SO, REAL QUICKLY, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THIS. WHEREAS THE SALE BEGAN IN 2015 BY HOUSTON TRIDELTA PHILANTHROPIES, INC. THROUGH THE FUNDRAISING ARM OF THE HOUSTON TRIDELTA ALUMNI CHAPTER. THIS EVENT WAS THE VISION OF SOME, SOME DETERMINED HOUSTON TRI DELTA MEMBERS FUELED WITH A PASSION TO SERVE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN RECEIVING THE DEVASTATING NEWS OF A CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND GIVE THEM HOPE FOR EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS. AND WHEREAS EACH JANUARY HOUSTONIANS GATHER AND SHOP TO CURE CHILDHOOD CANCER IN SUPPORT OF FUNDING CUTTING EDGE PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH PERFORMED RIGHT HERE IN THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. THIS RESEARCH HAS LIFE-SAVING POTENTIAL, NOT ONLY FOR CHILDREN TREATED HERE IN HOUSTON, BUT FOR CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AND WHEREAS THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY REPORTS MORE THAN 9,000 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 15, WERE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER IN 2023, AND IS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN CHILDREN AGES ONE TO 14. AND WHEREAS THE SALE HAS DONATED OVER $1.65 MILLION TO UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, MD ANDERSON CHILDREN'S CANCER CENTER, AND TEXAS CHILDREN'S CANCER AND HEMATOLOGY CENTERS FOR SPECIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS. PROJECTS INCLUDE SARCOMA STUDIES, ACUTE MYELO, LEUKEMIA RESEARCH, BRAIN TUMOR TRIALS, STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION, SUPPORTIVE CARE AND MORE. AND WHEREAS IN JANUARY, 2024, THE SALE WILL CELEBRATE ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY AND COM COMMEMORATE $2 MILLION RAISED FOR CHILDHOOD CANCER RESEARCH, AN ENDEAVOR ENTIRELY RUN BY VOLUNTEERS. THIS TWO DAY SHOPPING EVENT, AND Y'ALL, IT'S AT THE BAYOU CITY EVENT CENTER. IT'S FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. UM, PLEASE COME. IT'S EVERYBODY, ALL THE GREAT STORES IN HOUSTON ARE THERE, AND THEY'RE ALL SELLING ALL THEIR STUFF. AND IT'S, AND YOU CAN GET SOME REALLY GOOD DEALS. UM, UH, ANYWAY, BACK TO THIS, UH, THE TWO DAY SHOPPING EVENT FEATURES MORE THAN 50 OF HOUSTON'S MOST LOVED BOUTIQUES IN ONE LOCATION, OFFERING MERCHANDISE AT DRAMATICALLY DISCOUNTED PRICES. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON COMMENDS THE SALES HOUSTON'S FOUNDING MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS AS THEY CELEBRATE A DECADE OF SUPPORTING VITAL RESEARCH FOR CHILDREN WHILE UPLIFTING SMALL LOCAL, SMALL BUSINESSES. MAYOR, THANK YOU. THEREFORE, I, JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM JANUARY 9TH, 2024 AS THE SALE HOUSTON DAY. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM MICHELLE LIPSCOMB, WHO'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE, UH, HOUSTON TRI DELTA PHILANTHROPIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, WHAT AN HONOR TO HAVE SO MANY, UH, IN ATTENDANCE AND RECOGNITION OF THE SALES 10TH YEAR. MY NAME'S MICHELLE LIPSCOMB, AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON TRI DELTA PHILANTHROPIES INC. AND CHAIRING THIS WITH ELIZABETH CONNIE AND SUSAN RIGHT BEHIND ME. UH, THE HOUSTON TRI DELTA PHILANTHROPIES IS A NON-PROFIT FOUNDED BY THE HOUSTON TRI DELTA ALUMNI. THIS IS A TALENTED, MOTIVATED GROUP OF HARDWORKING VOLUNTEERS WITH THE PASSION FOR GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. WE SHARE THE TRI DELTA'S NATIONAL GOAL OF SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH CANCER. WE'VE ALTERNATED EVERY TWO YEARS BETWEEN MD ANDERSON CHILDREN'S CANCER HOSPITAL AND TEXAS CHILDREN'S CANCER HOSPITAL AS OUR BENEFICIARIES. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS YEAR'S EVENT, WE WILL HAVE FUNDED OVER $2 MILLION IN PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH. SPECIAL THANKS TO MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND OUR REPRESENTATIVES FROM MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER AND THE HOUSTON TRI DELTAS, WHO DONATED BOUGHT TICKETS AND GAVE THEIR TIME OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS TO MAKE THIS EVENT SO INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL. AND ALSO, THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT HERE TODAY. AS MENTIONED, THIS THREE DAY EVENT IS ENTIRELY RUN BY VOLUNTEERS. WE ARE EXTREMELY [00:05:01] GRATEFUL TO OUR MEDIA AND IN KIND PARTNERS FOR SHARING OUR EVENT AND HELPING US REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE, INCLUDING LEE BELLA FROM CLEAR CHANNEL OUTDOOR, WHO'S WITH US TODAY. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE DR. GORLICK DIVISION HEAD AND CHAIR OF PEDIATRICS AT MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER TO SHARE THE IMPACT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A COUPLE OF WORDS. UH, PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY IS THE SUCCESS STORY OF ONCOLOGY OVERALL. 50 YEARS AGO, NO CHILDREN SURVIVED CANCER, AND NOW THE MAJORITY ARE SURVIVORS. UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT, BOTH ON BEHALF OF OUR PATIENTS AND FOR MYSELF AS A CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVOR, MYSELF. THAT SAID, THAT HIDES THE FACT THAT PEDIATRIC CANCER REMAINS AN UNSOLVED PROBLEM. UM, IT REMAINS THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF DEATH FROM DISEASE IN CHILDREN ONE TO 14. AND THERE ARE SO MANY AREAS WHERE PROGRESS STILL NEEDS TO BE MADE, WHETHER IT'S CHILDREN WITH BRAIN TUMORS, OR CHILDREN WHO PRESENT WITH ADVANCED CANCERS. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE SUPPORT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, TO SUPPORT SOME OF THE CANCER RESEARCH THAT'S DONE IN PEDIATRICS. BUT LESS THAN 5% OF THE FEDERAL BUDGET GOES TO PEDIATRIC CANCER. BR DOES A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT IT LEAVES A TREMENDOUS GAP. FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY OF HOUSTON, LIKE THE TRIDELTA SORORITY AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO RAISING FUNDS TO MAKE UP FOR THAT GAP, ARE WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. THE TRIDELTA SORORITY, THEY ARE MORE THAN JUST FUNDRAISERS. THEY, UH, MEET WITH THE RESEARCHERS. THEY DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE MONEY THAT'S U UH, THEY RAISE, THEY WORK HARD TO RAISE, IS USED MAXIMALLY AS POSSIBLE. THEY ARE SUPPORT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, UH, AMOUNTS TO, YOU KNOW, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER ALONE. AND IT'S REALLY IN THE PAST YEAR, THEY WERE ABLE TO RAISE $300,000. THIS WAS A CRITICAL YEAR WHERE, UH, THEIR RESEARCH DIRECTLY LED TO NEW TREATMENTS, SPECIFICALLY THESE TYPE OF DRUGS CALLED MENIN INHIBITORS THAT ARE CURING INFANTS WITH LEUKEMIA THAT HAD NOT BEEN POSSIBLE, UH, TO BE CURED IN THE PAST. SO, OBVIOUSLY, MUCH THANKS TO, UH, YOU FOR LISTENING. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR MAKING THIS PROCLAMATION. THANK YOU TO THE TRI DELTA SORORITY FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP. UM, THIS IS HIGHLY MEANINGFUL FOR OUR PATIENTS, AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THIS PROCLAMATION FORWARD. WE ALL KNOW THE POWER OF SOME DEDICATED WOMEN WORKING TOGETHER, UM, SPECIFICALLY FROM OUR, FROM OUR SORORITY. SO, UH, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE SALE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH YOU. MUCH SUCCESS. UM, THE, THE MONEY THAT YOU WILL RAISE, WE KNOW WILL GO TO A GREAT CAUSE. WE, WE CANNOT THINK OF A BETTER CAUSE THAN TRYING TO HELP CURE PEDIATRIC CANCER. SO, UH, MUCH SUCCESS FOR THIS WEEKEND. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE. UH, WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ME, YOU KNOW, HAVE SPENT 10 YEARS SUPPORTING CHILDHOOD CANCER, UH, RESOURCES, THE SUNSHINE KIDS, THE CANDLELIGHTERS, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. IN FACT, MY DOG IS NAMED AFTER MOTHERS AGAINST CANCER. I ADMIRE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR THESE BRAVE WARRIORS. AND IF YOU'VE EVER, IF YOU'VE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES AROUND A CHILD WITH CANCER, I CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO DO SO BECAUSE YOU WILL LEARN THE TRUE BRAVE HEARTS LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN. I THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO FOR MD ANDERSON, FOR TEXAS CHILDREN'S, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR THOSE CHILDREN AND THE FAMILIES BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER. AND IT'S, IT'S A MUCH NEEDED, A MUCH NEEDED AWARENESS, MUCH NEEDED FUNDING. AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND WHAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO. GOD BLESS YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, AND MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND TO ALL, UM, THAT ARE RALLYING AND MEETING THE CALL, UH, TO END CHILDHOOD CANCERS. UH, I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD THAT IN HOUSTON, WE ARE THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER AND WE ARE MD ANDERSON. UH, BUT THE WORK CONTINUES AND MUCH MORE AS NEEDED. SO I DID WANNA ALSO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE LEE AND CLEAR CHANNEL. UM, I, I KNOW WE HAVE THESE UP HERE JUST TO PROMOTE, UM, THE SALE AND THE FUNDRAISING THAT'S GONNA BE TAKING PLACE OVER THE WEEKEND. SO AGAIN, THIS IS THE EXAMPLE AND IT'S SO FITTING THAT THIS IS THE FIRST PROCLAMATION OF THE YEAR, UM, AND STANDING WITH AND OUR FAMILIES AS THEY DEAL WITH SOMETHING THAT NO PARENT, UM, SHOULD, SHOULD HAVE TO FACE. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND COUNCILOR ELKHORN, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. BEST WISHES ON YOUR SALE THIS WEEKEND. [00:10:02] GET YOUR PROCLAMATION HERE. PRO [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] JAM, CASTEX TATUM FOR THE INVOCATION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M HAPPY TO HAVE MIRACLE WEATHERSPOON JOIN US TODAY TO DELIVER THE INVOCATION, UH, MIRACLE IF YOU'D JOIN US AT THE PODIUM. MIRACLE WEATHERSPOON IS A SENIOR STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, OBTAINING HER BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN LIBERAL STUDIES, SPECIFICALLY IN AMERICAN STUDIES, US ETHNIC STUDIES AND EDUCATION. SHE WORKED IN THE DISTRICT, A OFFICE AS A HIGHER HOUSTON, HOUSTON FIRST INTERN, AND CONTINUES TO VOLUNTEER AT OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS WITH HER PEERS. MIRACLE CURRENTLY WORKS IN THE OFFICE OF RETENTION AND GRADUATION INITIATIVES AS A PEER ASSISTANT LEADER MENTORING STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR ACADEMIC JOURNEY. SHE IS A VISION TEAM MEMBER FOR ENTER VARSITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, EQUIPPING AND ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR FAITH ON THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON MIRACLE WEATHERSPOON. WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU DELIVER THE INVOCATION TODAY. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. UM, AND THANK YOU MAYOR WHITMEYER AND ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND PLEASE GET INTO A POSITION OF PRAYER. UM, MOST COMFORTABLE TO YOU, GRACIOUS, HEAVENLY FATHER, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TODAY, LORD. UM, THANK YOU FOR JUST THE OPPORTUNITY FOR WAKING US UP AND JUST TO BE HERE TOGETHER AS A CITY. GOD. UM, LORD, I JUST PRAY OVER THE ENTIRETY, UM, OF HOUSTON. UM, I PRAY OVER ALL THE CONSTITUENTS AND ALL YOUR PEOPLE GOD, THAT ARE HERE RIGHT NOW. GOD, LORD, I JUST PRAY THAT AS THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE WILLING TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY, THAT YOU JUST BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM AND YOU ENCOURAGE THEM IN THE WAYS THAT YOU HAVE DESTINED THEM TO BE GOD. LORD, I PRAY THAT EACH AND EVERY PERSON THAT'S IN THIS ROOM AND EVEN OUTSIDE OF THIS ROOM, GOD, UM, THAT WE JUST HAVE HEARTS THAT ARE HUMBLED AND CARING AND LOVING FOR EACH, FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. GOD. LORD, I PRAY THAT YOUR JUSTICE AND YOUR MERCY AND YOUR GRACE JUST REIGN UPON US, GOD, UM, EVEN EXTENDING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT AS A NATION AND AS A WORLD GOD, THAT WE'RE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AS ONE REGARDLESS OF ANY DIFFERENCES, UM, WHETHER THAT BE RACE, UM, CREED, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, EVEN RELIGION. GOD, I JUST PRAY THAT WE'RE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AS ONE AND JUST FIGHT FOR JUSTICE, LORD. AND MAY YOUR PEACE AND SHALOM JUST REIGN OVER US. GOD. UM, I PRAY THAT ALL VOICES ARE UPLIFTED, UM, AND THAT WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE HUMBLED EARS, MINDS, AND SOULS, AND THAT WE'RE ABLE TO CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER AND JUST LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER AS YOU HAS CALLED US TO DO. GOD, LORD, AGAIN, I JUST PRAY, UM, OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, UM, IN THIS LEADERSHIP THAT YOU HAVE CREATED, GOD, UM, I JUST ASK OVER YOUR BLESSINGS OVER EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE HERE, UM, AND OUR MAYOR LORD, AND ALL THESE THINGS WE PROCLAIM AND BELIEVE IN JESUS', PRECIOUS AND POWERFUL NAME. AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. ALLEGIANCE AMERICA REPUBLIC ONE NATION. NEXT, THE, [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] UH, MADAM SECRETARY, WOULD YOU CALL THE ROW MAYOR WHITMEYER? PRESENT. CONSTABLE PEG. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. HERE. COUNCILMAN CAMAN. PRESENT COUNCIL EVAN CHABA. HERE. COUNCILMAN FLICKINGER. HERE. COUNCILMAN THOMAS. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN? PRESENT. COUNCIL CASTILLO PRESENT. COUNCILMAN [00:15:01] MARTINEZ? PRESENT. COUNCILMAN POLLARD? HERE. COUNCILMAN CASTEX TATUM? HERE. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ? HERE. COUNCILMAN DAVIS. HERE. CARTER. PRESENT. COUNCIL PLUMMER HERE. AND COUNCIL ALCORN. HERE NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF AUGUST 1ST AND SECOND CAST T MOVE. SECOND. MOTION CARRIES. WE NEED THE VOTE. I NEED DISCUSSION. COUNCIL MEMBER ROMERO. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ? YES. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR. MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND MOVE MR. JOHNNY MATA TO THE TOP OF THE NON-AG AGENDA. SPEAKERS LIST THOMAS. SECOND. DUE SOME TRAVEL, TRAVEL ISSUES. THANK THOMAS. SECOND. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? DONE. SO GRANTED WE HAVE [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] A, UH, LARGE AGENDA AND LIST OF SPEAKERS TODAY. UM, THERE'S A COUNCIL RULE RULE EIGHT, THAT IF THE, UH, SCHEDULED SPEAKERS EXTEND OVER 150 MINUTES, THEY WILL BE ASKED TO LIMIT THEIR COMMENTS TO ONE MINUTE. TODAY THERE'S 210 MINUTES THAT HAVE SIGNED UP. SO WE WILL INITIATE THE RULE AND, UH, ASK EVERYONE TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE ONE MINUTE LIMITATION. THE CHAIR WILL USE HIS JUDGMENT TO EXTEND, UH, BUT THAT'S THE RULE. AS WE'RE GONNA START IT OUT TODAY, I WOULD ASK EVERYONE TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE DECOR IN THE CHAMBER, AND I'M GONNA ASK THAT WE LEAVE IN THE FUTURE, OR THOSE THAT WILL FOLLOW THE ONES IN OUR SEATS. NOW, LEAVE YOUR SIGNS OUTSIDE. WE'RE GONNA BE SO RESPECTFUL AND CONSIDERATE OF EVERYONE'S POSITION. QUITE FRANKLY, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. AND THE SIGNS ARE YOUR WAY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF, BUT I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE INTERESTED IN YOU VERBALIZING IT. YOUR SIGNS OBVIOUSLY BLOCK OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS. SO IN THE FUTURE, I'M NOT GONNA ASK FOR A RULE, I'M JUST GONNA ASK FOR YOUR COOPERATION THAT YOU LEAVE YOUR SIGNS AND PLACARDS OUTSIDE. I JUST THINK IT'LL BE MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE IF WE LISTEN TO YOU. WITH THAT SAID, UH, GOT ONE MORE PROCEDURAL MOTION. ANY ANY COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN FOR A PROCEDURE. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER AT, AT OUTTA ORDER RIGHT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION MEMBERS. THANK YOU. YOU STAND STRONG. WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER. ALRIGHT, ALL OF US TOGETHER. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD, HAVE A GOOD DAY. COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN SHABA TURN. ANSWER. LET'S SAVE ALL. THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON. I WOULD LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES. I WOULD LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE PUBLISHER LORENZA BUTLER TO THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE NON AGENDA POSITION. YES. SECOND. FIRST AND SECOND. IS THERE OBJECTION. CHAIR IS NONE. SO GRANTED WE DIDN'T DO CAYMAN. CAYMAN, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE BARBARA OMIC, UH, TO FOLLOW ISAAC METCALF ON THE ONE MINUTE NON AGENDA LIST ON THE SECOND. THANK YOU. FIRST AND SECOND. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR? NONE. SO GRANTED, MS. CARTER, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE MARIAN WRIGHT UP TO THE TOP, UH, UH, AHEAD OF THE ONE MINUTE PERSON. SECONDED MOTIONS MADE. ANY OBJECTION? SECOND. SECOND. SECOND. SO GRANTED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, HOLD ON. WAIT, DON'T FIT. THAT MAKES TWO OF US. . ISAAC METCALF IS CURRENTLY LISTED AT THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE NON AGENDA, SO TO FOLLOW. AND I, I GOT A SECOND. AND MAYOR, IF APPROPRIATE. I DID WANNA SAY THAT BECAUSE WE MOVED HER UP FOR THE STAFF. I KNOW THAT WE'RE AT CAPACITY IN THE ROOM, SO SHE'S BEING HELD OUTSIDE. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT RESIDENTS COMING ON CITY ISSUES ARE ABLE TO, UM, ENTER TO SPEAK ON THEIR CITY ISSUE. VERY GOOD. I'VE REACHED OUT TO HAVE THEM BRING HER UP. YES. IT'S, IT'S BEING HANDLED AS WE TALK. [00:20:02] ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER MEMBERS? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, OUR MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE EM KAHN BEHIND ISAAC METCALF UNDER THE ONE AMENDED NUN AGENDA BEHIND HIM. WE ALREADY HAVE BEHIND HIM. SO BEHIND AFTER BARBARA. OKAY. AFTER BARBARA. AFTER BARBARA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ? UH, YES. UH, MAYOR. UH, I HAVE SOMEONE DOWNSTAIRS AS WELL THAT'S WANTING TO SPEAK ON A CITY ISSUE THAT THEY'RE NOT ALLOWING TO COME UP IF WE CAN GET SOME HELP. SO PATRICIA CABRA, AS THEY GET FURTHER DOWN THE LIST, THEY'LL LET MORE PEOPLE UP. YES. UH, WE'LL SCHEDULE THAT AS WE GO FORWARD. ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL CALL OUR FIRST SPEAKER. MARLA BOYD. MARLA BOYD IS NOT PRESENT. AMBER BOYD. CORA. GOOD AFTERNOON. STEP BEHIND ONE OF THE MICS. EITHER ONE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS I COME TO, IN REGARDS TO LINE ITEM 35. I'M CALLING, I'M ASKING YOU GUYS TO REALLY LOOK INTO THIS MATTER BECAUSE I WANNA WANT TO ADDRESS THE TRANSPARENCY IN IT. UM, THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS MORNING, I PULLED UP THE CODE THAT THIS SECTION IS, IS LOOKING INTO, WHICH IS SECTION 2303. AND THIS IS A VERY DETAILED CODE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF REQUIREMENTS THAT GO INTO THIS TRANSACTION. AND I JUST WANT, I JUST WANT THE COUNCIL TO REALLY DELVE INTO IT AND LOOK INTO AND ADDRESS THE TRANSPARENCY OF THIS REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION AND SEE WILL THIS BENEFIT OUR CITIZENS OR WILL THIS BENEFIT THE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY THAT'S BEHIND THIS TRANSACTION? AND SO THAT'S MAINLY WHAT I WANNA FOCUS ON. I'M NOT GONNA HOLD UP ANY LONGER. I THINK I WAS WELL WITHIN MY ONE MINUTE. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION, BUT PLEASE DO LOOK INTO THIS CODE, MAKE SURE WE'RE TRANSPARENT ON WHAT'S GOING ON SO OUR CITIZENS ARE BENEFITED FROM THIS, AND WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING? SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. I SHARE YOUR CONCERN. WHAT I SAID, I SHARE YOUR CONCERN. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CASTILLO. CASTILLO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND SHARING YOUR CONCERNS. MM-HMM . ON THIS ITEM AND THE INFORMATION, IT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO GO THROUGH AND, UH, A NUMBER OF US ARE SIFTING THROUGH THAT. UH, NOW THAT WE'RE HERE AND, AND REST ASSURED THAT DUE DILIGENCE IS BEING DONE AND THAT IT MAY REQUIRE MORE TIME, BUT WE ARE, UH, LOOKING INTO THIS THOROUGHLY. MAY I, MAY I ANSWER THAT QUESTION? SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, MY QUESTION IS, HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR THAT INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC? THE PUBLIC, AND WHEN YOU'RE ADDRESSING THIS BEFORE YOU MAKE A DECISION, IS THIS GONNA BE SOON OR WHAT'S THE TIMELINE FOR THAT? WELL, THERE THERE IS A, THERE IS NO TIMELINE. UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING THROUGH, UH, TO DETERMINE HOW THE, THE PROGRAM, THE QUALIFIED HOTEL PROGRAM, IMPACTS THE CITY'S POTENTIAL REVENUES AND ALSO THE ADDITIONAL PORTION. THERE'S A PORTION THAT WHERE THE CITY WILL [00:25:04] EVIDENCE SHAVA. COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU. UH, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU, AMBER. IF YOU NEED A FEW MORE MINUTES, PLEASE TAKE MY TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, THERE'S A SECTION IN THE, IN THE, IN THE BY OR THE OUTLINE THAT SAYS THAT THERE'S A PORTION THAT THERE'LL BE A QUALIFICATION. ALLOW THE DEVELOPER TO BUY THIS. AND MY QUESTION IS, WILL, WILL THERE BE TRANSPARENCY IN THAT TRANSACTION? AND HOW WILL WE KNOW WHEN THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN? AND HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THAT? THOSE, THOSE ARE VALID QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE AS WELL. UM, AND SO I WOULD OFFER MY OFFICE AS ASSISTANCE TO YOU AS WE FIND THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS. UH, WE WILL SHARE THOSE WITH YOU. AND, UH, MY CONSTITUENT SERVICES DIRECTOR IS ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE. HIS NAME IS TY KAKOA. UM, I WILL HAVE YOU CONNECT WITH HIM SO THAT WE CAN KEEP YOU UPDATED AS WE'RE, UH, BROUGHT UP TO SPEED ON, ON ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? NO. THANK YOU, MS. BOYD. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE, BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION. AND, AND THE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS GONNA PUT THIS UNDER REVIEW AND WORK WITH THE COUNCIL OFFICES, MAKE CERTAIN THAT ALL HOUSTONIANS BENEFIT FROM THIS PROPOSAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL. NEXT. DOMINIC MAZO PRESENT TO BE FOLLOWED BY RANDY BAXLEY. I I'M DOMINIC MAZA. I KNOW I HAVE ONE MINUTE. UH, I WAS GOING TO SAY SOMETHING. FIRST OF ALL, ALL Y'ALL NEED TO, EVERY TIME YOU COME INTO THIS CHAMBER, THAT SHOULD BE YOUR GOAL. THE CITY IS THE PEOPLE AND YOU REPRESENT THE PEOPLE. MY THING IS ABOUT, THERE'S AN ARTICLE ON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT, ITEM 15. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING ELSE DONE WITH THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM. MAYOR, YOU'RE GONNA NEED MONEY. THAT'S GONNA BE, THAT'S NO QUESTION. BY BY APRIL. MY THING IS HEATHROW AIRPORT IN LONDON IS A CORPORATION. IT'S PROPERLY OWNED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT CAN BE DONE WITH BONDS AND THE FAA, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT MAYBE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, UH, WHERE THE CITY IS NOT SPENDING THAT TYPE OF MONEY TO KEEP THE AIRPORT UP. AND LASTLY, THE AIRPORT ITSELF BENEFITS HARRIS COUNTY AS WELL AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IT IS A PORCH AIRPORT. OB OBVIOUSLY, MY SUGGESTION IS, IS YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I FINISH MY SENTENCE IS TO LOOK AT PUTTING THE AIRPORT SYSTEM IN UNION WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY. WITH THAT AND OF COMMENTS. THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE IT THIS TIME. JOHNNY MATA? NO, NO, NO. OKAY. I REALLY MEANT RANDY BAXLEY . JOHNNY, JUST A MOMENT, PLEASE. I GOT YOU A LITTLE BIT OUT ORDER, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE UP THERE. GO AHEAD AND GO. AND WE'LL GET BACK TO, UH, MR. BAXLEY. AND I, GO AHEAD JOHNNY. MR. MUL, I APOLOGIZE TO COUNSEL AND TO THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE, WILL YOU STEP IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE MICROPHONES? HOW'S THAT? DOESN'T QUITE WORK. HOW'S THIS SPEAKER? OKAY. UH, MAYOR, UH, THE REASON I HAVE TO LEAVE IS, UH, THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS HERE ON THE CASE OF PREDATOR LINDEN IN LIBERTY COUNTY, AND THEY'VE ASKED TO MEET WITH ME. UH, AND SO I APOLOGIZE AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, AS YOU KNOW, UH, AS A SENATOR, YOU WERE INSTRUMENTAL ON GRAND JURY REFORM. YOU REMEMBER THAT IN 2015. AND THEN WE ARE VERY APPRECIATIVE, OF COURSE, IF WE'LL ADJUST AS MOVE VERY SLOW. AND, UH, AFTER THE SANDRA BLAND CASE IN HEMPSTEAD, THE OUTCRY FOR, UH, BAN REFORM WAS LOUD AND CLEAR, FORTUNATE THAT, UH, A FEDERAL JUDGE RULED THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL UNCONSTITUTIONAL. BUT NOW, [00:30:01] UH, THAT WAS A MAJOR VICTORY FOR PEOPLE, UH, ESPECIALLY DISENFRANCHISED INMATES. MR. MATA, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS SHORTLY. OKAY. SO NOW I COME IN, IN THE SENSE OF THE, UM, ISSUE THAT THERE ARE SOME OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING. ONE, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR HPD, WE WORK WELL WITH THEM, IS THE EVIDENCE THAT'S GONNA BE PRESENTED. AND, UH, I WILL, UH, HONOR THE TIME FACTOR. AND THANK YOU AGAIN. AND CONGRATULATIONS, MAAM. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT, PLEASE. RANDY BAXLEY. OKAY. I, I THINK I'LL JUST USE ONE MICROPHONE. UH, I'M RANDY BAXLEY. I LIVE IN 7 7 0 0 9, SO I'M PART OF DISTRICT H, WHICH IS WHERE THIS PROJECT WILL RESIDE. UH, PROJECT IS ITEM 35 ON THE AGENDA TODAY. IT'S BEEN FLOATING AROUND HERE SINCE NOVEMBER 14TH. WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT IT SINCE NOVEMBER 14TH. STILL HAVEN'T FOUND OUT A LOT. FOUND OUT A LITTLE THIS MORNING FROM OUR COUNCIL MEMBER, A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION THAT HE HAD AS TO EXACTLY WHERE IN THE PROJECT, BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE ACTUAL PLANS FOR THIS AND TO KNOWING HOW IT'LL IMPACT BOTH THE CITY, UH, FINANCES AS WELL AS THE POST ITSELF. THANK YOU. NEXT. THANK YOU ELIZABETH MARTIN. SORRY, COME ON. SORRY. I PRACTICED FOR THREE MINUTES, SO I'M GONNA DO MY BEST TO DO, DO THE BEST YOU CAN WITH ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GOT IT. UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER ESTEEM COUNCIL MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY MY OWN MAYOR, PRO TEM KA. I'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS ITEM SINCE IT FIRST APPEARED ON THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA. AS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH ALL FACETS OF DEVELOPMENT, SPECIFICALLY HOTEL DEVELOPMENT, UM, I HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS ON THIS BEING VOTED ON, AS EVERYONE HAS SAID WITH SO LITTLE INFORMATION. UM, I'M NERVOUS ABOUT THIS DOOR BEING OPENED FOR THIS POLICY FOR EVERYONE. THIS PROPOSED HOTEL WOULD RECEIVE TAX INCENTIVES BASED ON DEEMING A 21,000 SQUARE FOOT SPACE AS A CONVENTION CENTER. THE SMALLEST RECOGNIZED CONVENTION CENTER IN THE US IS IN MIDLAND COUNTY FAIR CENTER, TOTALING 102,000 SQUARE FEET. THIS IS 81,000 SQUARE FOOT DIFFERENCE. THERE ARE CENTERS THAT ARE SMALLER IN TOWNS SUCH AS PER ILLINOIS AND WICHITA FALLS, BUT THEY'RE CLASSIFIED AS CIVIC COMMUNITY CENTERS AND ATHLETIC ARENAS. I QUESTION THE LEGITIMACY OF THE SIZE OF THIS FACILITY AND ITS ABILITY TO BALANCE THE TAX INCENTIVE. HAD THE PERFORM BEEN PART OF THE ATTACHED BACKUP, WE WOULD ALL KNOW IF THE TAX INCENTIVES VERSUS THE EARNING POTENTIAL FOR THE HOTEL AND CONVENTION CENTER BALANCE OUT YOUR JOB. VERY GOOD JOB, . THE OTHER TWO POINT I WANNA BRING UP THAT THE, WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE KEY IS, YOU CAN'T PROVIDE AN ACCURATE PRO FORMA. AND IT, THE ROOMS ARE 90 TO 200, THAT'S 110 DIFFERENCE. PLUS YOU'RE OPENING IT UP TO THE OMNI POSTOC HOTEL, THE BRAND NEW ACQUIRED INTERCONTINENTAL, UM, SEVERAL OTHERS. AND IF YOU'RE NOT OFFERING IT TO ALL OF THEM, THANK YOU. VERY GOOD JOB. AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF YOUR CONCERNS. THANKS. THANK YOU, ANI. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR. MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. HAPPY NEW YEAR. I'M HERE TODAY TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM. IF YOU CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN FOR EVERY HOTEL OWNER IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, WE JUST ACQUIRE THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL IN MEDICAL CENTER. WE LIKE TO DONATE TWO FLOORS TO THE CITY, AND WE GET THE SAME TAX INCENTIVE. THIS PROCESS IS FLAWED. HOUSTON FIRST DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. I DON'T KNOW HOW HOUSTON FIRST CAN LEASE ON THE SPACE IN A HOTEL THAT THEY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WHAT IS THE OPERATIONAL COST, WHAT THEY GONNA DO WITH THAT HOTEL, AND HOW HOUSTON FIRST DID NOT EVEN GET A CHANCE TO VOTE ON THESE THINGS HERE AND DECISIONS MADE. THIS IS THE SAME CISM THAT THE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICE BEEN PLAYING FOR LAST 16 OR 18 YEARS IN THE CITY. I'M HOPING THAT UNDER THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION AND THE MAYOR, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEACON OF THE HOPE. I'VE BEEN IN CITY FOR 45 YEARS, I'VE NEVER BEEN SO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE CITY GOVERNMENT THAT I'VE BEEN THIS YEAR. SO CONGRATULATIONS ON YOU GUYS. I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS LOOK INTO THIS AND DO THE RIGHT THING. JUSTICE COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ONE QUICK QUESTION. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH SENATE BILL 10 57? YES, SIR. THAT CREATED THE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT AT REQUEST OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH WOULD ALLOW HOUSTON FIRST TO RECEIVE ALL THE ADDITIONAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX WITHIN A THREE MILE RADIUS OF GEORGE BROWN. YES. WHICH THIS [00:35:01] PROPOSAL WOULD, UH, JEOPARDIZE. YES. THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION OF DOWNTOWN AROUND GEORGE BROWN. YEAH. YES, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT. AND IS I CAN, I'VE TALKED TO 16 OTHER HOTEL OWNERS, THEY LIKE TO HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE SAME INCENTIVE. YEAH. AND YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY IS THE PROCESS IS FLAWED. YOU KNOW, THIS WAS NOT GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO ANYBODY ELSE. AND IT'S ALSO JEOPARDIZES FOR THE STATE THAT THEY COME IN THERE IF WE ABUSE THAT INCENTIVE IN THE STATES, SO THEY COULD COME BACK HERE AND JUST YANK THAT OFF FOR THE OTHER LEGIT HOTEL. AND THANKS TO YOU, THE MAJOR RENOVATION DOLLARS THAT ARE GONNA CONVENTION CENTER IS GONNA HOPEFULLY BOOST THE CITY ECONOMY FOR THOSE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. NEXT. JOHN FURNACE. JOHN FURNACE. BARBARA . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, WELCOME AND THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ELECTION. MY CONCERN IS A CITY PARK THAT IS LOCATED AT, IN THE MONTROSE AREA ON MONTROSE BOULEVARD, AND IT'S THE ENTRYWAY TO A LOT OF OUR CITY, THE MUSEUMS, THE HOSPITALS, AND IT'S, I'M JUST ASKING WHEN YOU GET REQUESTS FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WHICH WE'VE PARTNERED WITH ALONG WITH THE SCHOOL, THAT THAT PARK DOESN'T CONTINUE TO GET NEGLECTED. THAT'S SIMPLE. WE'RE WORKING IN THE PARK. WE CAN PROVIDE THE ELBOW GREASE AND WE CAN HELP WITH THE ACTUAL WORK, BUT WE JUST WANNA SEE THIS PARK REACH ITS FULL POTENTIAL, WHICH IT HASN'T. AND, UM, SO THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. JUST SAY, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR BARBARA, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR COMING, BUT MORE SO FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THE RESIDENTS, INCLUDING YOURSELF ARE DOING TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE PARK, THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE WORKED ON TOGETHER, INCLUDING, UM, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, GRAVEL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THE POWER POLES THAT HAD BEEN ABANDONED, UH, OTHER REPAIRS THAT HAVE BEEN NEEDED AND MUCH MORE WORK IS THE WORK NEEDS TO CONTINUE. SO I JUST WANTED TO LIFT UP THE WORK THAT YOU AND OTHERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE DOING TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS. AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE, UH, ON THAT. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. NEXT LORENZA BUTLER, THIS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY WEEKEND. OUR MAYOR, OUR CITY COUNCIL, A CHILD IS DESTINED IN THIS WORLD TO BE A THURGOOD MARSHALL, R BOOKER, TA MARIAN ANDERSON WITH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE, A DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. RW DU BOIS. I'M ASKING YOU TO JOIN THE GREATER HOUSTON FRONTIERS AT 6:00 PM AT THE GEORGE R. BROWN FOR THE VIP RECEPTION. AND ON MONDAY, THE HOLIDAY, VIRTUALLY ON K-H-O-U-T CHANNEL 11. PLEASE GIVE. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCIL, COUNCIL, MAYOR POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. PUBLISHER, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND TO THE ENTIRE GREATER HOUSTON FRONTIERS CLUB, UM, FOR ALL YOU ALL'S EFFORTS, EVERY SINGLE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY TO CELEBRATE THAT HOLIDAY AND ALL THE CONTRIBUTIONS, NOT ONLY OF DR. KING AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS, BUT OF OUR MODERN DAY, UH, HEROES AS WELL. SO, UH, MY OFFICE WILL BE PUTTING OUT THE INFORMATION AND WE WILL APPRECIATE THE EFFORT. GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU , UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, KEVIN SHABAZ. THANK YOU, UH, CERTAINLY, UH, PUBLISHER BUTLER, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A STALWART IN THIS ORGANIZATIONAL, [00:40:02] UM, EFFORT. AND SO I WANNA THANK YOU PERSONALLY, AND I DO LOOK FORWARD TO ATTENDING THE EVENT ON SUNDAY FROM SIX TO 10:00 PM AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR, UH, COMING FORWARD AND, AND ENCOURAGING US ALL TO PARTICIPATE AND TO SPONSOR, UH, IN WAYS THAT WE CAN. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, THANK YOU BROTHER PUBLISHER. GOD BLESS YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING. AND CERTAINLY THE GREATER, UH, HOUSTON FRONTIER CLUB IS, IS A REGULARLY LEGEND IN OUR CITY. AND, UH, CERTAINLY WE LOOK FORWARD TO JOINING YOU ON, UH, THIS, UH, THIS GREAT OCCASION. IT MEANS MUCH TO ALL OF US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE. ANYONE ELSE? THANK YOU, MR. BUTLER. WE'LL DO OUR BEST. I MAYOR OUR COUNCIL. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT CASE, KAHAN, KASIM KAHAN. I SIT DOWN WITH ACOM AND ALSO THANK YOU COUNCIL PERSON. UM, UH, JACKSON. CRAZY ABOUT YOU. UM, HERE. , I ALWAYS TEASE YOU ABOUT YOUR SMILE, MAYOR. I'M HERE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, AND IN PUBLIC TO EXPRESS MY 100% SUPPORT FOR THE MAYOR'S INITIATIVE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO TWEAK YOUR STRATEGY A LITTLE BIT OUTTA ALL DUE RESPECT. I'VE BEEN COMING DOWN HERE FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS SPEAKING TO OUR CITY COUNCIL, AND I'VE BEEN TOOTING THE SAME HORN ABOUT THE ROOT OF THE NEED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. AND THAT IS CHANGING THE WAY THAT PEOPLE THINK. THE REASON WHY I SAY I WANT TO TWEAK IT IS BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED ADDING MORE POLICE OFFICERS. THAT'LL HELP A LITTLE BIT, BUT MORE POLICE OFFICERS WILL NOT SOLVE THE VIOLENT CRIME ISSUE IN THIS CITY. UH, IT'LL HELP A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'VE BEEN AROUND THE WORLD. I'VE SPOKE IN MANY COUNTRIES. I'VE, IN TOKYO, I'M IN, UH, SOUTH KOREA, KUWAIT. I'VE BEEN IN THOSE PLACES WHERE THE CRIME IS SO LOW THAT THE POLICE ARE ACTUALLY BORED. YOU CAN PUT A MILLION POLICE OFFICERS ON THE STREET, BUT IF SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THEIR CAR OR IN THEIR APARTMENT OR DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THEY HAVE A LOADED GUN AND THEY HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE, SOMEBODY'S GETTING READY TO DIE. SO WE NEED TO START CHANGING THE WAY THAT PEOPLE THINK AND IT'S GONNA TAKE A PROCESS, AND WE CAN'T DO IT RIGHT AWAY. WE MIGHT NOT SEE IT IN THIS ADMINISTRATION, NOR MAYBE IN OUR LIFETIME. CAN I GET ANOTHER 30 SECONDS? SURE. HOWEVER, IT'S GONNA TAKE STRATEGY. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER. UM, COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE REALLY CLOSE. 'CAUSE YOU'RE WORKING REAL CLOSE WITH THE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY. THE PREACHERS NEED TO PREACH A MESSAGE THAT, THAT, THAT'S COHERENT. THE PARENTS, THE SCHOOL TEACHERS, THE, THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND THE POLICE, I'M WORKING VERY, VERY CLOSE WITH, WITH, WITH CHIEF FINNER. HE'S, HE'S HELPING TO TRAIN MY SECURITY TEAM. BUT WE NEED TO WORK. EVERYBODY GOTTA WORK TOGETHER. IT'S GONNA TAKE A PROCESS, BUT SOONER OR LATER, WE CAN CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK. IF IT'S PEACEFUL IN THOSE COUNTRIES, PEACEFUL IN THOSE CITIES WHERE CRIME IS SO IN TOKYO, THE POLICE ARE ACTUALLY BORED. BUT, BUT WE CAN DO IT HERE IN HOUSTON. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU BROTHER KHAN FOR AGAIN, YOUR LEADERSHIP, YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THE RESIDENTS AND DISTRICT B AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UM, IS SAFE. YOU KNOW, MY THEORY OF CHANGE IS THAT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS POVERTY. YOU KNOW, POVERTY IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS WELL. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I CONTINUE TO, I, I I, I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOU. AND AGAIN, JUST THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITIES. OKAY. MAY, MAY I SUPPORT HER POINT. THE POVERTY IS ANOTHER INGREDIENT, ANOTHER INGREDIENT. BECAUSE IF WE CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK, THEN THEY'LL CHANGE THE WAY THAT THEY RESPOND TO THE POVERTY THAT THEY HAVE. SO WE HAVE TO WORK AND CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK IN IT. THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA HELP SOLVE IT. THANK YOU. AGREE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. I AGREE WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, IMAN. NEXT, MARIAN WRIGHT. I FORGOT ALL ABOUT. JUST TELL ME WHAT, HI, UM, I'M HERE. I THINK MOST OF Y'ALL KNOW ME AS MISS 11TH STREET. THE REASON THAT I'M HERE ISN'T TO TALK ABOUT 11TH STREET, BUT TO USE IT AS AN EXAMPLE TO TELL YOU KIND OF WHAT IS GOING ON. THE COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON HAS A PROBLEM WITH FEELING THAT THEY'RE NOT HEARD. I'VE BEEN WITH ALMOST EVERY DISTRICT, AND IN EVERY DISTRICT AT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME THING. WE'RE NOT BEING HEARD. AND THE REASON THAT WE'RE NOT BEING HEARD WAS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE LAST ADMINISTRATION CONDUCTED BUSINESS. [00:45:01] AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS THEY WOULD TURN AROUND AND WHEN A COUNCIL MEMBER WANTED SOMETHING IN THEIR DISTRICT, IF THEY SAID YES, THEY WANTED IT, THEN ALL OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD FALL IN LINE AND VOTE FOR IT. DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID, WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTED. UM, ON 11TH STREET, YOU CAN LOOK AT WHAT THE POLICE SAID, THE FIRST RESPONDERS, YOU CAN LOOK AT WHAT THE FIREMEN SAID ABOUT 11TH STREET, THAT IT WAS GONNA REDUCE RESPONSE TIME. COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED ON IT, IT WAS DONE. ANYWAY, YOU CAN LOOK. AND WE HAD, WE WENT AHEAD AND WE HAD COUNCIL MEMBERS AT LARGE ALL COME OUT. AND YOU CAN READ THE LETTERS. I ONLY HAVE A MINUTE. CAN I PLEASE FINISH? I WON'T BE BUT 30 SECONDS MORE. UM, THE WOODLAND HEIGHTS CIVICS ASSOCIATION AND THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD CLUBS SAID THAT THEY WANTED IT, THEY WENT AHEAD AND THEY DID IT. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. YOU CAN READ WHAT MARK W. BROWN SAYS. LET ME, LET ME ASK YOU TO WRAP IT UP. MM-HMM . UH, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB AND WE'RE LISTENING. I GUARANTEE WE'RE LISTENING. OKAY. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO JUST SAY, THIS IS OUR COUNCIL. I MEAN, THIS IS OUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE PRESIDENT KEVIN STRICKLAND. AND I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO PLEASE LOOK AT THE LAST PAGE OF WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. I'M NOT GONNA READ IT OUT, OUT LOUD, UH, COUNCIL, BUT YOU REALLY NEED TO READ WE'RE HOW HE'S TREATING THE RESIDENTS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. AND LET YOUR NEIGHBORS KNOW WE'RE LISTENING AND WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THIS. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. NEXT I METCALF. GOOD AFTERNOON. HOUSTON. URBAN PLANNING AND CITY POLICIES HAVE ENGENDERED A DANGEROUS CULTURE OF CAR BASED TRAVEL. THE ISSUES WITH DRIVING AS A DOMINANT MODE OF TRANSPORTATION HAVE BEEN LAID OUT IN MANY REPORTS. CITY HALL HAS COMMISSIONED, INCLUDING THE VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN. THESE PLANS ARE FULL OF CARROTS TO WALK, BIKE AND PUBLIC TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE. ALTHOUGH THESE DON'T GO FAR ENOUGH AND ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED TOO SLOWLY ACROSS THE BOARD. BUT WHAT IS LACKING FROM ALL SUCH PLANS IS ANY STICKS THAT IS, THERE SEEMS TO BE AN UNWILLINGNESS TO MAKE DRIVING IN HOUSTON LESS CONVENIENT EXPERIENCES OF OTHER CITIES GLOBALLY SUGGEST THAT CHANGING HOUSTON'S CULTURE OF DRIVING WILL REQUIRE NOT ONLY INCENTIVIZING ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION, BUT ACTIVELY DE INCENTIVIZING, OWNING AND USING A CAR. TO THAT END, I ASK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL CONSIDER MORE DIRECT METHODS TO DEINCENTIVIZE CAR USE, INCLUDING ELIMINATING THE MANDATORY MINIMUM PARKING REQUIREMENTS, REDUCING ON STREETE PARKING, AND LOWERING ALL SPEED LIMITS ON CITY STREETS TO 25 MILES PER HOUR OR BELOW, REGARDLESS OF THE SPECIFIC ACTION YOU CHOOSE, THE COUNCIL SHOULD APPROACH THE PROBLEM OF TRANSPORTATION WITH A CLEAR-EYED UNDERSTANDING THAT A VISION TWO DEFERENTIAL TO CARS IS DOD TO FAIL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. SORRY, MAYOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, ISAAC. THANK YOU FOR COMING. UM, I DID JUST WANNA PING YOU, I KNOW YOU REACHED OUT TO OUR OFFICE ON A, A TRAFFIC LIGHT TIMING ISSUE. UM, OUR OFFICE HAD RESPONDED, BUT WE DIDN'T GET THE FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION WE NEEDED, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT INTERSECTION. UH, BUT I, I JUST WANTED, SINCE YOU'RE HERE TO, UM, ASK YOU TO WORK WITH US SO WE CAN GET THAT TAKEN CARE OF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'LL SEND THE INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILOR JACKSON FOR PROCEDURAL MOTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I'LL MOVE TO SUSPEND AND MOVE BRUCE TO MOVE REVEREND DANIEL GRAVES TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ONE MINUTE. IT'S BEEN MO MADE AND SECONDED. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR IS NOT SO GRANTED. THANK YOU. NEXT, PATRICIA CABRERA. GOOD AFTERNOON. I REPRESENT THE END COMMUNITIES, WHICH IS A COLLABORATIVE OF 12 INSTITUTIONS IN THE EAST END, THE PEOPLE THEY SERVE, AND RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES OF MAGNOLIA PARK AND SEVERAL ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, THE EAST END COMMUNITIES CONDUCTED A POLL TO COLLECT RESIDENTS OPINIONS AND CONCERNS ABOUT GREYHOUND MOVING ITS MIDTOWN, UH, OPERATIONS TO THE EAST END. UH, OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE NOT ABLE TO CONDUCT A COMMUNITY FORUM BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS, SO WE DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND, UH, GATHER THIS POLL. UH, THE POLL WAS OPEN FROM DECEMBER 15TH THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST, AND WE RECEIVED 206 RESPONSES, ESPECIALLY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF, OR THE MAJORITY FROM 7, 7, 0, 11, 12, AND 23 THAT ARE THE AFFECTED ZIP CODES. UM, WE ASKED TWO QUESTIONS. ONE WAS, HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IT? AND MOST RESPONDENTS ANSWERED THAT THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT THE ISSUE FROM THE NEWS, WORD OF MOUTH AND EAST END COMMUNITIES. THEN WE ASKED, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GREYHOUND MOVING THEIR OPERATIONS TO MAGNOLIA PARK? YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. COULD I HAVE JUST 30 SECONDS FOR THE LAST, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER? MARTINEZ HAS A QUESTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. NO, JUST IF YOU CAN JUST WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS, PLEASE. THANK YOU. [00:50:01] UM, THE, UM, THE MAJORITY OF, WE, WE GAVE THEM OPTIONS FOR, UH, RESPONSES THAT WERE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE, BUT ONLY 5% SAID THEY WERE OPPORTUNITIES. THE REST ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CRIME, THE HOMELESS, AND, UM, TRAFFIC. SO WE WOULD LIKE, UH, THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY TO BE HEARD. THIS IS AN ISSUE ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU, MA'AM. NEXT, HILDA RAMIREZ. GOOD AFTERNOON. CONGRATULATIONS MAYOR. AND THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M ALSO HERE WITH THE EAST END COLLABORATIVE. I'M A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE EAST END. I WOULD LIKE TO START BY SAYING GREYHOUND HAS BROUGHT A LOT OF THINGS TO THE FOREFRONT, BUT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL, SUCH AS A NEW COMMUNITY CENTER. WE'VE WAITED A LONG TIME. THERE HASN'T BEEN A UN SINCE I WAS A CHILD, SO THAT'S A LONG TIME. AND I WANTED TO JUST SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT PATRICIA MENTIONED. THEY'RE SAYING, WE DON'T WANT THE GREYHOUND STATION IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE'D LIKE YOU TO CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS. UM, WE WE'RE BEING TREATED THIS WAY BECAUSE WE ARE A MEXICAN COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DRIVE US OUT. THEY WOULD'VE NEVER DONE THIS TO OTHER COMMUNITIES SUCH AS THE HEIGHTS. UH, WE ALREADY HAVE TRAFFIC AND CONSTANT ROADBLOCKS DUE TO THE RAILROADS, AND WE ALREADY HAVE LIGHT RAIL. WE DON'T NEED GREYHOUND BUSES IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM. BUT AS MENTIONED, WE HAD OVER 200 RESPONSES AND 82 NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM THOSE. SO THANK YOU ALL, AND AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS. WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ALL AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. HOLD ON JUST A MOMENT. UH, MA'AM, MR. RAMIREZ. MR. RAMIREZ? YES. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ HAS, THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO THANK BOTH PATRICIA AND GILDA, UH, FOR COMING AND MAKING THESE RESPONSE, UH, THESE COMMENTS. UM, MAYOR, JUST KNOW THAT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR THIS SPECIFIC, UH, UM, MOVE THAT HAS HAPPENED WITH GREYHOUND. AND WE CONTINUE TO, UH, LEAN ON YOU FOR SUPPORT. UH, APPRECIATE YOUR STAFF BEING THERE. ALSO, COUNCILOR MEMBER, UH, RAMIREZ, MEMBER ALCORN, AND COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FOR BEING THERE. UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MONITORING AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE ALSO COLLABORATE WITH YOU ALL TO CONTINUE TO, UH, RAISE THOSE VOICES TO THE, TO THE ADMINISTRATION AS WELL. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER. THERE WAS, UH, A REPORT OF AN ASSAULT LAST NIGHT, SO, UM, AT THE STATION. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S AWARE. THANK YOU. LET, LET ME, LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT ONE, UH, WE'RE MONITORING IT VERY CAREFUL. I'M IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH, UH, COUNCILOR MARTINEZ CASTILLO, ALL OF US. SHARE YOUR CONCERNS. YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN SURPRISED LIKE THAT. I'VE ALREADY BEEN IN CONTACT WITH TDCJ, THE PRISON SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR PAROLEES GO TO THEIR PREDETERMINED LOCATION, THEIR PAROLE OFFICERS AT THE LOCATION ON HARRISBURG, WHO WILL MONITOR IT. VERY CAREFUL. AND OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, UH, COMMUNITY SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED WITH A TRANSACTION SUCH AS A RELOCATION OF OUR GREYHOUND STATION. SO, UH, LET'S, LET'S STAY IN CONTACT. WE ALL SHARE YOUR CONCERN. THANK YOU, MAYOR, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ NEXT. SHARON MONTE, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I'M HOPING THAT WITH THIS NEW LEADER LEADERSHIP, THE CITY OF HOUSTON ENDS THE INCREMENTALIZATION OF FOOD SHARING. SINCE MARCH OF 2023, THE CITY HAS ISSUED 80 CRIMINAL CITATIONS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SHARED FOOD TO DOSE IN NEED IN PUBLIC SPACES. THESE RESOURCES SPENT ON HPD TO PATROL FOOD SHARING COULD INSTEAD BE USED TO FEED AND CLOTHE SOME OF HOUSTON'S MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. SO I'M HERE ASKING FOR THREE THINGS. END THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE FOOD SHARING ORDINANCE, DROP CHARGES AGAINST OUR VOLUNTEERS AND REPEAL THIS ORDINANCE ONCE AND FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK. CAN WE DO A PROCEDURE MOTION? OH, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M SORRY. UH, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE JACOB CLEMENTE, UH, UP TO THE NON AGENDA, TECHNICALLY TWO MINUTE LIST TO FOLLOW. JOHN BOZO THOMAS. SECOND. THERE'S A MOTION. A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED NOT SO APPROVED. THANK YOU. NEXT, REVEREND JOSEPH, I MEAN, I'M SORRY. REVEREND DANIEL GRAVES. [00:55:06] THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, COUNCILMAN JACKSON. YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. AND, UH, EDWARD, WE ARE EXPECTING A LOT OF GREAT THINGS OUTTA YOU. UH, WHAT I'M FACED WITH NOW, MAYOR, IS THE CITY WATER DRINKING DEPARTMENT, WHICH I'M EMPLOYED WITH. THERE'S A TREMENDOUS PROBLEM THERE. THERE'S CORRUPTION BEYOND, BEYOND KNOWING. I WAS HIRED TO FIX THE PROBLEMS OUT IN THE KINGWOOD AREA ABOUT A YEAR AGO. WE WENT IN, WE GOT THAT STRAIGHT. WE ALMOST GOT IT TOTALLY DONE. WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IS I'M TRY, I AM BEING FORCED OUT. THEY'RE TRYING TO FIRE ME AGAIN, WHICH IS OF A THIRD OR FOURTH TIME. UH, THE OIGS OFFICE IS RESPONDING TO MY INVESTIGATIONS PROMPTLY. UH, WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THE HEAD MAN NOW HE HAS RESIGNED, UH, HOWARD SMITH OF GARY MORRIS, JOSE CYNTHIA LOPEZ, AND LOUIS CN ARE NOW TRYING TO ATTEMPT TO FALSIFY EVIDENCE TO SAY THAT, UH, TO HAVE ME FIRED OR REMOVED FROM THE POSITION, IF WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR DRINKING WATER DEPARTMENT IS APPALLING. CAN I PLEASE HAVE MORE TIME? THANK YOU, PASTOR. OH, BACK UP. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. UM, THANK YOU. UM, MR. GRAVES, UM, I KNOW THAT MY OFFICE SPOKE WITH YOU ABOUT THIS SITUATION, RIGHT? YES, MA'AM. YEAH. AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO, YOU KNOW, WE'LL FOLLOW UP. YES, MA'AM. UM, IT'S CONCERNING TO ME THAT YOU'RE HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH YOUR EMPLOYMENT. SO, UM, I'LL FOLLOW UP. I KNOW YOU TALKED TO MAYOR. I JUST DON'T HAVE ALL THE DETAILS. YES, MA'AM. BUT THIS IS A URGENT MANNER THAT NEEDS, IT NEEDS, IT NEEDS GRAVE, GRAVE ATTENTION BECAUSE WHAT IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A PROBLEM THAT CAN BE FIXED WITH A SCALPEL AND A STEADY HAND. WE DO NOT NEED TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE. WE DO NOT, WE DO NOT NEED TO BRING IN MORE CONTRACTORS. WE NEED TO EXECUTE WHAT IS THERE AND WHAT CAN BE FIXED NOW. OKAY, I'LL, IF WE, IF WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW THIS TO GO, THIS WILL BE A GRAVE PROBLEM. OKAY. SO I'LL FOLLOW WITH YOU AND I'LL WORK WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UM, ON THE SITUATION. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, RANDALL CATAN, CANON. GOOD. A COUN. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE NEW MAYOR. UM, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY. I'M HERE REGARDING HPD EVIDENCE. WE ALL HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL AND THE BACKLOG THAT'S CAUSING OVERCROWDING AND THE SENDING OF INMATES TO MISSISSIPPI, TO LOUISIANA, AND OTHER PARTS OF, UH, TEXAS COSTING, UH, A LOT OF MONEY AND THE MANY DEATHS. IN 2022, THERE WAS 22 DEATHS IN THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL. SO WHAT AM I DOING HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON? THREE QUARTERS OF THE CASES COME FROM HPD THAT ARE IN THE HARRIS COUNTY JAIL, AND ARE, YOU KNOW, IN THE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, UNFORTUNATELY, THE HPD EVIDENCE IS NOT REACHING THE SYSTEM. I'VE REACHED OUT TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UH, AND THEY HAVE INFORMED ME THAT IN MOST RECENTLY IS THE BALLISTICS, THE BALLISTICS EVIDENCE, WHICH USED TO COME, COME OUT IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS, THE REPORTS AND SO FORTH, WHICH IS FOR AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS AND MURDERS AND SO FORTH. ARMED ROBBERIES THAT USED TO BE LIKE TWO MONTHS TO GET TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, TO TAKE CARE OF THE CASE, EITHER GUILT OR EVIDENCE, UH, EXCUSE ME, GUILT OR INNOCENCE. EITHER YOU GET OUTTA JAIL OR YOU, YOU KNOW, GO TO PRISON. AND SO NOW IT'S USED TO BE TWO MONTHS, AND NOW IT'S APPROXIMATELY 16 MONTHS ON AVERAGE. UH, FURTHERMORE, THIS IS THE, A SIMILAR PROBLEM AND TIME HAS EXPIRED WITH THE DNA EVIDENCE FOR RAPES AND, UH, MURDERS AND SO FORTH. THANK YOU. NEXT, AMELIA GALLEGOS. HELLO, MAYOR. HELLO, COUNSEL. I'M HERE, ONE OF THE MICROPHONES. OH, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE HPD EVIDENCE AND ITS BACKLOG. UM, ATTORNEY COLLEEN MENTIONED, AT BEST, WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING YOU SPEAKING TO THE MIC. OKAY. UM, JUSTICE DELAY IS JUSTICE DENIED, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE JAIL IS EXTRA DANGEROUS DUE TO OVERCROWDING. IF HPD CAN GET EVIDENCE PROMPTLY TO PROSECUTORS AND DEFENSE ATTORNEYS, WE CAN HAVE MORE PROMPT TRIALS, REDUCE JAIL OVERCROWDING, SAVE TAXPAYER MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SENT TO OTHER COUNTIES AND STATE TO THE WAREHOUSE INMATE AWAITING TRIAL AND REDUCE LAWSUITS AGAINST HARRIS COUNTY. IT SEEMS LIKE A NO-BRAINER. WE ALSO ARE, I'M ALSO ASKING FOR, FOR THE BACKLOG TO ALSO HPD OF VIDEO EVIDENCE NINE ONE ONE. CALL RECORDINGS IN HPD DISCIPLINARY RECORDS BE TRANSPIRED TO THE PUBLIC. THANK [01:00:01] YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, CHELSEA MCBRIDE, CHELSEA MCBRIDE, SANNA AL NASIA. BEFORE I START, UM, CAN I PLEASE HAVE MY TWO MINUTES SO I CAN PROPERLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE INSTEAD OF JUST ONE MINUTE. OKAY. OKAY. YOUR TIME IS RUNNING. ALL RIGHT. I'M HERE TODAY TO WELCOME OUR NEW MAYOR AND URGE HIM TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS THAN HIS PREDECESSOR, AS WELL AS ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. QUITE FRANKLY, I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE HERE TODAY. I'M BEYOND THE POINTS OF ANGER AND DEVASTATION. FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS, WE HAVE WATCHED OVER 30,000 PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS BE MURDERED BY ISRAEL. OVER HALF OF THEM ARE CHILDREN. OVER 1.6 MILLION PALESTINIANS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. OVER 25,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN ORPHANED, AND ON AVERAGE 10 CHILDREN A DAY LOSE A LIMB IN GAZA. ON TOP OF THAT, THOSE ARE THOSE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE IN GAZA, ARE FACING STARVATION, SPREAD OF DISEASES, FATAL, FREEZING TEMPERATURES, AND MUCH MORE. ALL BECAUSE ISRAEL HAS CUT OFF FOOD, WATER, AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES, FUEL ELECTRICITY AND MORE. WHAT ENRAGES ME EVEN MORE THOUGH, IS THAT HOUSTONIANS TAXPAYERS MONEY IS HELPING FUND THIS. THEY'RE HELPING FUND MY PALESTINIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS BEING SLAUGHTERED. MY MONEY IS GOING TOWARDS THE GENOCIDE OF MY OWN PEOPLE. YOU TIME, GIMME 30 MORE SECONDS, PLEASE. 30 MORE SECONDS, PLEASE. WRAP. LET ME ADDRESS THE TAXES ARE GOING TO IT. SECONDS. JUST NOVEMBER, A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A REVISED INVESTMENT POLICY WAS PASSED. THE SLIGHT POLICY WAS APPROVED BY FORMER MAYOR TURNER AND EVERY OTHER CITY COUNCIL MEMBER PRESENT THAT DAY. MANY WHO ARE IN THE ROOM TODAY, AND SINCE AS OF SEPTEMBER, THIS PAST SEPTEMBER. ACCORDING TO QUARTERLY REPORTS, HOUSTON HAS INVESTED OVER $10 MILLION IN ISRAELI BONDS. $10 MILLION OF OUR TAXPAYERS MONEY HAS GONE TO THE SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS. HERE'S A QUESTION. SENATOR POLLARD, NOT SENATOR YET, BUT , I COULDN'T HEAR WHAT HE SAID. MAYBE ONE DAY, I, I'VE ALMOST ASKED EVERYONE TO PLEASE STATE THEIR NAME AND WHO THEY REPRESENT, , BECAUSE I'VE I'VE DONE THAT NUMEROUS TIMES. BUT ANYWAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. I'M SORRY. ROSEANNE, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, UH, COMING FORWARD. YOU CAN CALL ME ROSE, BUT THANKS. OKAY, ROSE, THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. I WILL GIVE YOU, UH, SOME OF MY TIME TO RESPOND. UH, BUT BEFORE THAT, UH, I KNOW THAT WE ALL RECEIVED A LETTER, UH, REGARDING, UH, THE INVESTMENT AND SECTION 9.10, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL LOOKING INTO IT TO PROVIDE MORE CLARITY. AND SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE A RESPONSE FOR THAT, UH, PROMPTLY. AND YOU CAN HAVE THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. WE REALLY HAVE TO MOVE ON. CAN I JUST SAY A FEW MORE SENTENCES? AND THAT'S IT. I'D GIVE YOU A COUPLE, I PROMISE I COUPLE OF SENTENCE, BUT BE, BUT I SAID 30 SECONDS WHILE AGO, AND SO NOW YOU WANT A COUPLE OF SENTENCE, I IT'S A DIFFERENT MEASUREMENT, BUT GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, I'M SURE BEFORE SOME OF YOU WERE HERE BEFORE, WHEN WE'VE CALLED AND URGED YOU GUYS TO PASS A CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW IT'S SYMBOLIC, WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT AMOUNT OF INFLUENCE, BOTH AT OUR LOCAL AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND PEOPLE ARE LOOKING TO YOU TO LEAD RIGHT NOW. OKAY? AND WE URGE YOU GUYS TO LEAD AND TO HELP STOP THE KILLING OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. LET'S, UH, LET'S, LET'S TRY TO HOLD BACK ON OUR APPLAUSE, PLEASE. NEXT. MAYA ABRAHAM. MAYA ABRAHAM IS NOT PRESENT. OH, UH, OKAY. I'LL JUST MAKE THIS REALLY QUICK. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M SICK OF COMING HERE. I'M, I'M SICK OF ASKING FOR THE SAME THING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE STANDING BEHIND WAR CRIMINALS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SAYS, UH, UH, FOR AMERICA. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SAYS AS AMERICANS, I DON'T KNOW. UH, WHEN THE LAST TIME THE US WAS AT A UN MEETING AND NOBODY STOOD BESIDE US, WE ARE LOSING OUR ALLIES. UM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE KEEP HAVING TO COME HERE AND CONVINCE YOU GUYS THAT WE'RE WATCHING CHILDREN BEING BLOWN TO BITS ON INSTAGRAM LIVE, AND WE'RE OUTRAGED, WE'RE UPSET, WE'RE UNHINGED, WE'RE ANGRY. SOME OF US ARE MOMS, SOME OF US ARE FATHERS. [01:05:01] THIS IS, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. AND, UM, I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN SYLVESTER, UH, MAYOR BECAUSE HE ENDED HIS LEGACY ON THE WRONG SIDE. HE HAD THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN THE WORLD IN FRONT OF HIM, AND HE STAYED SILENT. HE ENDED HIS LEGACY ON THE WRONG SIDE. AND MAYOR WHITMEYER, I CAN TELL BY LOOKING AT YOU, WE'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE YOUR MIND. I KNOW THAT. I DON'T, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE GONNA LISTEN TO US. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE WHAT WE SAY TO HEART. UM, BUT I JUST WANNA LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT I, I AM SICK OF COMING, COMING HERE. HERE. TAM EXPIRE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ELIJAH FERRIS. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR. THE FACT THAT ISRAEL IS COMMITTING ETHNIC CLEANSING IS INDISPUTABLE. THIS IS EVIDENT FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS, SETTLEMENTS IN THE OCCUPIED CITIES OF JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, AND THE WEST BANK, TO THE ILLEGAL DISPLACEMENT OF 1.9 MILLION PEOPLE IN GAZA, JUST AS A NAZI PARTY CALLED JEWISH PEOPLE, RATS, COCKROACHES, AND VULTURES. ISRAEL HAS REFERRED TO PALESTINIANS AS HUMAN ANIMALS, PEOPLE OF DARKNESS, AMALEK BARBARIANS, AND HAVE ALSO CLAIMED THAT THERE ARE NO INNOCENT CIVILIANS IN GAZA. DEHUMANIZATION IS A KEY CHARACTERISTIC OF GENOCIDE. EVEN IF THE ACTIONS OF ISRAEL IN GAZA DON'T MEET YOUR STANDARDS FOR GENOCIDE, YET, IF YOU DO NOT CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE, THEIR ACTIONS WILL EVENTUALLY MEET THAT STANDARD. THE QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU TODAY ARE WHY DO, WHY DO YOU HAVE MONEY TO SEND TO ISRAEL? BUT JUST LAST WEEK, YOUR POLICE FORCE BRUTALIZED AN ORGANIZATION WHO FEEDS THE HOMELESS BECAUSE THE CITY WON. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. MAY I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? ONE MORE QUESTION. BE, UH, BE RAPID PLEASE. ALRIGHT. AND WILL YOU BE THE LEADERS WHO CALLED FOR A CEASEFIRE, OR WILL YOU TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE SYSTEMIC ANNIHILATION OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, ALEX MCDONALD. UH, DEAR MAYOR WHITMEYER AND MEMBERS OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. AS HORRIBLE AS THE ATROCITIES WERE ON OCTOBER 7TH, THEY UNFORTUNATELY DO NOT COMPARE TO THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL WITH US SUPPORT BOTH BEFORE OCTOBER 7TH AND AFTERWARDS. PALESTINIANS HAVE BEEN UNDER A RURAL MILITARY OCCUPATION SINCE 1967. IN ADDITION, THE PEOPLE IN GAZA HAVE BEEN UNDER AN INHUMANE BLOCKADE, LIMITING ACCESS TO FOOD, MEDICINE, AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, EVEN EXPORTS, LEAVING GAZA HAS BEEN LIMITED, ENSURING THAT THERE IS NO FUNCTIONING ECONOMY THERE. UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS, ISRAEL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELLBEING OF ITS OCCUPIED IN THE GAZA AND IN WEST BANK. YET THEY'RE BOMBING AND STARVING THESE POPULATIONS. AND THE US NOT ONLY DOES NOTHING TO STOP IT, OUR GOVERNMENT PROVIDES POLITICAL COVER AND THE WEAPONS TO CONTINUE THE MASSACRE. AS HOUSTONIANS, WE HAVE PAID FOR THE BOMBS THAT HAVE KILLED ALMOST 10,000 INNOCENT CHILDREN AND HAVE DISPLACED, AS HAS HAS BEEN MENTIONED. APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION CIVILIANS. THE US HAS VETOED EVERY CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION PRESENTED TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL. THIS IS DEVELOPED FROM A WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS TO A WAR. YEAH. TIME HAS EXPIRED OF, OF US AGAINST PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. I ASK THAT THE, THAT THE CITY, UH, PASS A RESOLUTION DEMANDING AN IMMEDIATE CEASE FIRE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT. JOHN BOZO. JOHN BOZO. JACOB CLEMENT, YOUR TIME IS TICKING. JACOB. ALRIGHT. OKAY. I'M GOING TO SEE GOOD TIMES. OKAY. KEEPING YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER, MAKING WAY. YOU KNOW HOW, LAY OFF. GOOD. GOOD TIMES EASY. DONALD MARSH, . THANK YOU, SIR. WAIT AND SEE THIS TALKS UP. Y'ALL ARE ALL CELEBRITIES. AND SO I I, THIS IS AN ARTICLE GOING TO THE TEXAS CATHOLIC HILL THAT I READ ABOUT PRAYING FOR CELEBRITIES AS THE CHAIR, THE BLACK. [01:10:01] AND IT IS BECAUSE, WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, HARRISON FORD, HE GOT PAID FOR IT AND HE THANKED THE PEOPLE THAT WAS PRAYING FOR HIM. HE SAID HE REALLY APPRECIATED IT. AND SO AT, ANYWAY, UM, THANK YOU. WELL, I'M GIVING HIM, UM, ROBERT, UH, SOME THINGS FOR Y'ALL'S AUTOGRAPH. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK NEXT SPEAKER. NEXT. BARUCH CHASSEY. Y'ALL WATCH GOOD? Y'ALL GOOD TV? Y'ALL DUNNO. NO TV. Y'ALL Y IS IT ON? OKAY. HONORABLE MAYOR AND ESTEEM COUNCIL MEMBERS. MAY ALL OF YOU HAVE PEACE. UH, MY NAME IS FAROUK SHAMSI AND I'M THE CHAIR OF ENGAGE TEXAS, WHICH IS PART OF ENGAGE. THAT'S M AS IN MOTHER. WHEN YOU SAY ENGAGE A NATIONAL VOTER OUTREACH AND GET OUT THE VOTE ORGANIZATION, THAT ALONG WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, HELPED GET OUT 1.1 MILLION MUSLIM VOTES IN 2020 AND PLANS TO GET OUT 2 MILLION MUSLIM VOTES HERE IN 2024. RIGHT NOW, PUBLIC SAFETY IS A PRIORITY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT ESPECIALLY IN HOUSTON, BECAUSE WE ALL LIVE HERE, WE NEED TO HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY MEETINGS BECAUSE WE AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE TAKEN A STRONG STANCE ON THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND A CEASEFIRE FOR THE PALESTINIANS IN GAZA. DUE TO PEOPLE WORLDWIDE JOINING US MUSLIMS, THAT'S INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN, INCLUDING OUR FAITH LEADERS, IMAMS, MAY BE TARGETS FOR ESCALATION IN HATE IN OUR GREATER HOUSTON AREA. WE HAVE SEEN A POTENTIAL HATE CRIME ALREADY IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, WHERE IMAM, WHO WAS A 52-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND, FATHER, AND SPIRITUAL LEADER WAS SHOT AND KILLED AFTER MORNING PRAYERS EARLY LAST WEDNESDAY. MAY HE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE PEACE. LAW ENFORCEMENT NEEDS THE COMMUNITY AND THE COMMUNITY NEEDS LAW ENFORCEMENT TO HELP EACH OTHER PREVENT THE NEXT ACT OF HATE. MAY I HAVE 30 SECONDS. TIME HAS EXPIRED. WE NEED BOLD INITIATIVE DRIVEN COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WILL ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ITS RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO HELP THIS TASK MOVE FORWARD. MAYOR WHITMEYER, POLICE CHIEF FINNER HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF ED GONZALEZ AND NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO HOST A SERIES OF MAJOR TOWN HALL MEETINGS FEATURING VARIOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS ALONG WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES. JUST AS MAYOR WHITMEYER CONVENED A SUCCESSFUL INITIAL MEETING WITH THE AREA'S TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT, THAT THE IDEA OF TOWN HALLS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF GREATER HOUSTON AREA PRESENTED BY IMAM KASIM NEEDS TO BE ACTIVATED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU COUNCIL. SORRY, MAYOR, SIR, JUST SECOND. FR PERU, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR FARUK. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. UM, THE WORK OF ENG ENGAGE IS INCREDIBLE. UH, I I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOU ALL, UH, MANY, MANY TIMES BEFORE. AND, UH, MAYOR IS, UH, FR POINTED OUT ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON IS HATE CRIMES AND HATE INCIDENTS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS A DRAMATIC SPIKE IN HATE INCIDENTS. UH, I WOULD ASSUME BOTH IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY AND IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY. AND, UH, WHATEVER WE CAN BE DOING TO BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER RIGHT NOW, UH, YOU KNOW, PLEASE CALL ON ME, LEAN ON ME. BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A SPECIAL, UH, RECOGNITION FOR THE WORK OF M GAGE IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. PLUMMER. ONE MORE. PLUMMER. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR FRU FRU, MR. , THAT IT'S GOOD TO TO SEE YOU. UM, THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING THAT ENGAGE IS DOING. UH, THE OTHER PIECE I THINK WE SHOULD ADD TO THAT ALSO IS ENSURING THAT OUR CHILDREN IN THE, IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, HISD AND OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS YES, ARE ALSO PROTECTED. SO IF I CAN ASSIST YOU WITH THAT IN ANY WAY, ALRIGHT. JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED, THAT WOULD BE GREAT TOO. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT, RANDY WILKINS. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS. FIRST I WANT TO WISH THIS ADMINISTRATION SUCCESS NOW, UH, SUCCESSFUL Y'ALL IS SUCCESSFUL HOUSTON. AGAIN, MY NAME IS RANDY WILKINS. I'M THE CEO OF, OF A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY CALLED OLD PUNCH PICKUP. I'M ALSO THE STREET CZAR AND THAT'S WHERE MY PASSION LIES. MY MISSION IS TO STOP MURDERS AND THE MASS INCARCERATION OF MY PEOPLE. THAT MISSION STEMS FROM THE FACT THAT I TOOK A LIFE WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD AND I WAS SENTENCED TO DIE IN PRISON, MIRACULOUSLY AFTER BEING IN PRISON FOR 24 YEARS. I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY, HIGHLY EDUCATED AND FREE. I'M NOT GOING TO WASTE MY MINUTES DESCRIBING TO Y'ALL THE VARIOUS MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS I LED TO CHANGE THE MINDSET TO CONVICTED CRIMINALS OR THE ACTIONS I HAVE BEEN TAKING SINCE MY RELEASE IN FEBRUARY, 2018. IJI JUST WANNA STATE THAT I HAVE A GREAT IDEA FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT NO RESOURCES. AND THE GOVERNMENT SEEMS TO HAVE THE WRONG IDEAS, BUT PLENTY OF RESOURCES, MORE [01:15:01] POLICE ON THE STREETS ARE NOT GOING TO DETER ANYTHING, PERIOD. IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE CRIMINALS WAS SCARED OF THE POLICE. MORE, MORE POLICE MAY ONLY HELP TO ANSWER, TIME HAS EXPIRED. MORE POLICE MAY ONLY HELP TO ANSWER A CALL FASTER, BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE MINDSET OF THE CRIMINALS. MORE POLICE MEANS MORE ARRESTS, MORE SINGLE PARENTS, MORE POVERTY AND AND MORE CRIME. I WANT TO HELP THIS ADMINISTRATION ACHIEVE THE BEST RECORD CHANGE ON PUBLIC SAFETY. SAFETY. A LOT OF POLITICIANS PUT A LOT PUT ON LIKE THEY CARE WHILE THE CAMERA'S ON, BUT THEY DON'T DO Y'ALL. IF SO, LET'S WORK TOGETHER AND REALLY HELP PEOPLE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT, NALU AZI. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. SIT BEHIND THE MIC PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, UH, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ELECTION. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME'S NEIL, AND I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF MGH ACTION AS WELL, WHICH IS A NATIONWIDE MUSLIM AMERICAN ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION TO JOIN IN OUR CHAIR'S REQUEST FOR A SERIES OF TOWN HALLS ADDRESSING PUBLIC SAFETY AND HATE CRIMES. THIS ISSUE IS CLOSE TO HOME FOR MUSLIM AMERICANS BECAUSE WHILE, UH, THANK GOODNESS WE'VE BEEN SO FAR SPARED THE KINDS OF VIOLENT INCIDENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN OTHER PLACES IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS STILL INDISPUTABLE THAT WE ARE SEEING THE LARGEST WAVE OF ISLAMOPHOBIA ACCORDING TO CARE AND CARES REPORTS THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS SINCE DONALD TRUMP'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF, UH, THE MUSLIM BAN IN DECEMBER, 2015. UH, FOR THIS COUNCIL TO SHOW THAT PUBLIC SAFETY FOR ALL HIS HOUSTONIANS MATTERS, UH, IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE PUBLIC SAFETY IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF POLICE OFFICERS, IT'S ABOUT A HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING THAT INCLUDES ASSURING HOUSTONIANS THAT EVERYONE'S LIVES MATTER, INCLUDING PALESTINIAN, PALESTINIAN AMERICANS AND ARAB AMERICANS. SO IN JOINING, UH, WITH THIS REQUEST, I WOULD ALSO ASK THAT THIS COUNCIL, UH, TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY OF A FRESH START TO CALL FOR A CEASE FIRE AS MANY OTHER CITIES THE UNITED STATES HAVE DONE. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, DANIEL GAGE. DANIEL GAGE IS NOT PRESENT. GENEVA WADWORTH COLBERT IS NOT PRESENT. KATHY GUNNER IS NOT PRESENT. DEBORAH MORAN. SO THIS ISN'T REALLY A ONE MINUTE TOPIC, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO URGE YOU TO EDUCATE YOURSELF. MAYOR WHITT AND I ARE IRAN ON SMART POLICING. I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND INTELLIGENT AND SMART LIGHTING AS PART OF THAT. AND, UH, WHAT WE HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THE HANDOUT IN FRONT OF YOU. UM, WE HAVE WAY TOO MUCH LIGHT THAT LOOKS LIKE THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT. THE DETRIMENT OF THAT IS WE CANNOT SEE PEDESTRIANS. UM, YOU CAN'T, YOU ARE ALSO BOMBARDING LOW INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS WITH WHITE LIGHT, WHICH MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO SLEEP. AND THEN YOU'RE ARMING THEM. SO, UM, THERE ARE STUDIES THAT SHOW THERE'S MORE JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, UM, MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS, MOOD DISORDERS, WHEN PEOPLE CANNOT SLEEP. WE CANNOT SOLVE EVERY SOCIAL PROBLEM WITH LIGHTING, BUT WE CAN CEASE TO EXACERBATE IT, AT LEAST NOT, UH, MAKE IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO SLEEP. IMAGINE LIVING UNDER MULTIPLE LIGHTS LIKE THE ONE ON THE LEFT, WHICH IS WHAT WE DO TO MANY LOW INCOME PROPERTIES. SO WHAT WE NEED IS FOR THIS EDUCATION NOT TO COME FROM ENVIRONMENTALISTS, BUT FROM THE POLICE. WE HAVE THREE THINGS THAT HAVE, THAT CAN EDUCATE IN ONE MINUTE. THE LAMP. YEAH. TIME HAS EXPIRED. HAVE 20 MORE SECONDS. THE LAMP, A 22ND VIDEO, WHICH WE CALL A DISAPPEARING PE PEDESTRIAN VIDEO, AND OUR ALBUM OF GLARE AT AUTO PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS. THAT INCLUDES THE THREE VALET ACCIDENT THAT INCLUDES THE ONE MILE DRAGGING DEATH AT LAZY HOLLOW AND WESTHEIMER, WHERE YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE MAN APPROACHING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THAT CROSSWALK. YOU HAVE A QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN? YES. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, DEBBIE, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AND FOR OUR INCOMING COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE NEW, UH, DEBBIE, UH, VERY PROUD THAT YOU'RE A DISTRICT C RESIDENT, BUT YOU ARE ONE OF THE FOREMOST EXPERTS WHEN IT COMES TO LIGHTING ISSUES, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I JUST APPRECIATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE, YOUR SKILLSET, AND CONTINUING TO, UH, EDUCATE ALL OF US WHEN IT COMES TO [01:20:01] LITERALLY THE NUANCE OF, UH, WHAT LEVEL OF LIGHT BULB WE SHOULD BE USING. UH, NOT ONLY FOR HEALTH PURPOSES, BUT ALSO PUBLIC SAFETY PURPOSES. AND THAT KNOWLEDGE DOESN'T COME FROM ME, IT COMES FROM THE BEST LIGHTING ENGINEERS IN THE COUNTRY AND THE BEST DOCTORS AND, AND TRUSTEE OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. AND I'M JUST THE CONDUIT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, CHRISTOPHER JENKINS. CHRISTOPHER JENKINS IS NOT PRESENT. UH, THEODORE CARRERA. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, IN REFERENCE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON PARKS RECREATIONAL FACILITIES, AS WELL AS ONE OF THE MOST TALKED ABOUT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN HISD, THE PREMISE OF TODAY'S SPEECH IS TO MOTIVATE, ENCOURAGE, INSPIRE, EMPOWER, UPLIFT, MOTIVATE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, INFLUENCE EACH ONE OF YOU IN PUBLIC OFFICE, REGARDLESS OF YOUR RACE, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, AND PARTISAN PARTISANSHIP, UH, TO DO WHATEVER YOUR ABILITIES FROM AN AWARENESS, FINANCIAL AND, UH, SAFETY STANDPOINT. AWARENESS. HOW CAN WE AS PARENTS HELP BRIDGE THE 20 YEARS BEHIND IN READING, WRITING, MATH, VOCABULARY LANGUAGE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE STAR TEST? HOW CAN WE AS A CITY IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC EDUCATION FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE REGARDING THE FINDINGS FROM THE RICE UNIVERSITY KINDER RESEARCH SURVEY, AS WELL AS THE HOUSTON LIBRARY BICENTENNIAL 2036 TASK FORCE ON EQUITY FROM A SAFETY POINT, FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT, HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE TOURISM BY FIXING THE FENCING, THE LIGHTING, THE TREE TRIMMING, THE GARBAGE PICKUP, THE PET FRIENDLY CURBING THE STATE, THE STATIONS GRASS CUTTING AND RESTORATION. IN CLOSING, I BELIEVE THIS COULD, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. TWO SECONDS, TWO SENSES. THIS COULD MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WELLNESS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. JUST A SECOND SIR. CAME THEODORE, UM, ONE LOVE YOUR SWEATSHIRT. GO TEXANS. TWO. UM, I KNOW YOU STARTED TO TALK ABOUT PARKS. I BELIEVE YOU'VE ALSO BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON COTTAGE GROVE PARKS. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, 30 SECONDS IF YOU WANTED TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE PARKS NEEDS. YEAH, THERE'S A FENCING THAT'S OPEN ON I 10. SO THE, THE PARKS, THEY CATER TO THE COMMUNITY OF KIDS AND DOGS. SO THERE'S A FENCING THAT'S OPEN. SO A DOG OR A CHILD COULD RUN OUT ONTO SIX 10 OR I 10. SO THAT'S A CONCERN FOR ME. THE LADY BEFORE ME MENTIONED LIGHTING, SOME OF THE LIGHTING FOR THE BASKETBALL. AND ALSO, UH, IN TERMS OF YOU TOURISM AND INVITING COMMUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO COME TOGETHER WITH OUR CHILDREN, IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE UPGRADE AND RESTORE SOME OF THE ISSUES LIKE TREE TRIMMING OR CURBING YOUR DOG OR PICKING UP THE GARBAGE OR CUTTING THE GRASS, MAKING IT MORE INVITING AS A COMMUNITY FOR EVERYBODY. SO I JUST THOUGHT I'D BRING IT TO THE ATTENTION OF, UH, THE WHOLE COUNCIL HERE. AND I, I DID GET AN EMAIL BACK AND I DID GET A CALL BACK, SO I DON'T WANT TO JUST, YOU KNOW, COMPLAIN ABOUT THE JOB THAT YOU GUYS AREN'T DOING, BUT I'D LIKE TO ELEVATE THE JOB YOU GUYS ARE DOING, IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE. THANK YOU. NEXT, KARA GIL HOUSE, CAROL, GIL, KYLE IS NOT PRESENT. EMMA REGA, RTO. EMMA RTO, RICARDO ULTO, KU CONGRESS MEMBERS. UM, I'M HERE WITH MY 10-YEAR-OLD SON. WE LIVE IN THE CITY HOUSING. WE ARE VERY POOR. UM, WE HAVE PRE EXPERIENCING PRECARIOUS HOUSING BECAUSE IF WE, UH, DO, IF WE EARN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY, WE MIGHT BE THROWN OFF OF HOUSING. WE MIGHT BE THROWN OFF OF MEDICAID WHILE I HAVE BREAST CANCER. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES FOR POOR PEOPLE AND THEY'RE NOT HERE WITH US TODAY. IT'S VERY HARD TO GET INTO THIS ROOM. I HAD THREE THINGS I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME, SO I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO ADDRESS YOU PROPERLY. I WANNA SAY I'M HERE TO, UM, ASK YOU TO PLEASE RESCIND THE ANTI FOOD SHARING. WE NEED TO WORK ON OUR GIFT ECONOMY. WE NEED TO ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN NATURALLY AND UM, SO THAT WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER. NOBODY CAN HELP US WITHOUT EITHER US BEING IN TROUBLE OR THEM GETTING IN TROUBLE AND THAT'S NOT OKAY. WE'RE A CITY THAT CARES ABOUT PEOPLE. WE'RE THE CITY OF THE BIG HEART. UM, THE [01:25:01] ANTI FOOD SHARING IS AFFECTING THE FOOD, NOT BOMBS. I WANT, I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO IT, DO WHAT THEY DO PEACEFULLY AND LOVINGLY FOR EVERYBODY. UM, ZEPHYR AND I WENT TO EAT THERE AND WE WERE NOT TURNED DOWN. ANOTHER THING I WOULD LIKE IS FOR YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT TRANSIT WITHIN 10 MINUTES. I CANNOT GET TO TRANSIT. I DON'T EVEN HAVE A SIDEWALK FROM CITY HOUSING. THIS IS THE CITY OF HOUSTON OWNS OUR HOUSING. SO THANK YOU. NEXT NICK, JASMINE, KADA. ARI. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M HERE BECAUSE THE CHILDREN OF GAZA ARE STARVING. UNICEF HAS REPORTED THAT ALL CHILDREN UNDER FIVE ARE AT RISK FOR SEVERE MALNUTRITION AND PREVENTABLE DEATH. THERE IS SIMPLY NO JUSTIFICATION FOR THE MASS STARVATION OF CHILDREN. ONE IN FOUR HOUSEHOLDS ARE FACING A RISK OF FAMINE DUE TO THE VIOLENCE COMMITTED BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL. AND WHILE OUR TAXES FUND THE STARVATION OF CHILDREN ABROAD, WE DON'T HAVE TO LOOK MUCH FURTHER THAN OUR OWN DOWNTOWN TO FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN FOOD INSECURITY. VOLUNTEERS WITH FOOD, NOT BOMBS HAVE BEEN TICKETED JUST FOR FEEDING THE HUNGRY. I WAS 11 YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST VOLUNTEERED WITH FOOD NOT BOMBS, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. AND IT'S DISHEARTENING TO SEE THE CITY THAT I LOVE AND BOTH CRIMINALIZE THE PEOPLE WHO TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF COMPASSION WHILE ALSO TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE MASS STARVATION OF CHILDREN IN PALESTINE. THE WORLD IS WATCHING US IN THIS MOMENT, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO YOU, OUR ELECTED LEADERS, TO STOP CRIMINALIZING OUR GOOD SAMARITANS AT HOME AND TO CALL FOR A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE AND CHILDREN OF GAZA. THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. NEXT, LEMME ASK Y'ALL TO COOPERATE WITH US. THE TIME THAT YOU'RE CLAPPING IS CUTTING INTO MY ABILITY TO EXTEND PEOPLE'S COMMENTS. SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP APPLAUDING, YOU CAN, BUT I'M GONNA QUIT EXTENDING THE ONE MINUTE INTO 30 SECONDS OR EVEN TWO MINUTES BECAUSE YOU'RE EATING UP THEIR TIME. SO LET'S MORE, LET'S ALL REMEMBER WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER AND I'M TRYING TO BE VERY COOPERATIVE AND I'D ASK YOU TO DO THE SAME. SO PLEASE HOLD BACK YOUR APPLAUSE AND LET ME GIVE THE SPEAKERS ANOTHER 30 SECONDS. THANK YOU. MOTION COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE MR. STEVE MOORE. UM, UP NEXT HE'S GONNA BE NEXT CALL A SECOND. WE'VE HEARD THE, UH, MOTION A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION CHAIR, HERE'S NONE. SO GRANTED. NEXT, STEVE MOORE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M STEVE MOORE. HOUSTON'S LONG-TERM VIABILITY DEPENDS ON HOW WE FIX OUR WORST NEIGHBORHOODS. BUILDING AFFORDABLE NEW HOUSES OR APARTMENTS IS EXPENSIVE AND IT DOES NOT HELP HOUSTON'S LOW, OLDER, LOW INCOME APARTMENT NEIGHBORHOODS. I URGE YOU INSTEAD, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNCIL TO PRIORITIZE RENOVATION OF LOW INCOME APARTMENTS INTO OWNER OCCUPIED CONDO UNITS. LET RENTERS BECOME OWNERS. I BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE FOR JUST 30,000 PER UNIT OF SUBSIDIES AND AT A PRICE, A SALES PRICE OF ABOUT 90,000 PER UNIT. AND AT THAT PRICE, YOU COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REJUVENATE A WHOLE LOT OF HOUSTON'S WORST NEIGHBORHOODS. I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING THIS FURTHER WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU MR. MOORE. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILOR DAVIS. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? HOW ARE YOU? JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT AGAIN ABOUT THE PROCESS OF APARTMENT TO HOUSING, TO HOME OWNERSHIP? IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? YES, SIR. UM, YOU COULD SPEND 100, 200,000 BUILDING A NEW HOUSE, BUT, OR MORE. BUT YOU CAN, FOR 30,000 OF OF GOVERNMENT MONEY, YOU CAN TURN, YOU CAN START RENOVATING, UH, HOUSTON'S WORST NEIGHBORHOODS AND LET THE PEOPLE THAT RENT THERE BECOME OWNERS. I, I BOUGHT, UH, GUARDS OF BISSONNET CONDOS AND, UH, A CONDO ASSOCIATION. IT WAS SUPER HIGH CRIME. I GOT CONTROL OF THE OWNERSHIP OF THAT, OF THE CONDO ASSOCIATION. IT'S BEEN LOW CRIME FOR MANY YEARS. DO YOU HAVE A, SOME PLAN THAT STRUCTURED THAT? WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE 30,000 COMES FROM, BUT I KNOW THAT I CAN DO THE REST. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. [01:30:01] AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR BEING HERE. ONE THING THAT YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING ON IS TRYING TO CLEAN UP APARTMENT COMPLEX. AND I THINK THAT YOUR IDEA IS, IS, IS GREAT ONE. I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU OFFLINE. I'LL, I'LL DEFINITELY GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU. I'VE GOT YOUR PHONE NUMBER. BUT ONE THING THAT I WANTED JUST HAVE YOU KIND OF THINK ABOUT IN YOUR MIND IS WHEN WE FIND THAT WHEN THE CONDOS, WHEN THEY ARE OWNED, THE PEOPLE THAT PURCHASE THEM SOMETIMES LEASE THEM OUT AND DON'T MAINTAIN THEM. AND BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE, THEY'RE NOT AT THAT POINT, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING. WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME GUIDANCE OVERSIGHT THAT'S, WE DON'T HAVE TO DISCUSS IT RIGHT NOW, BUT I WANTED TO JUST MENTION THAT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH YOU. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I COMPLETELY AGREE. YOU IT HAS GOTTA BE WELL MANAGED. OKAY. IT HAS TO AND I'VE DONE THAT. I KNOW IT CAN BE DONE. AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT TAYLOR HICKS. HEY, HOW Y'ALL DOING? UH, STEP BEHIND THE MIC, PLEASE STEP BEHIND THE MIC. IT'S GONNA TAKE TOO LONG. THE FIRST QUESTION IS, WHEN ARE Y'ALL GONNA CHANGE THE TERMS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SO PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY SHOW UP TO IT? THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION. GO RIGHT AHEAD. Y'ALL NOT GONNA CHANGE THE TOWN HALL. TOWN HALL AND TIME OF THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS, SO, SO MORE PEOPLE CAN SHOW UP. WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE LISTENING TO YOU. GO RIGHT AHEAD. OH, I GUESS I'M NOT GONNA GET AN ANSWER FOR THAT QUESTION. OKAY. CASTILLO, YOU MY PERSON, SO I'M GONNA TALK TO HIM WHEN I'M DONE. WE ASK THE QUESTIONS. YEAH, I'M GETTING TO THE QUESTIONS. UH, GREAT FOOD INSPECTORS. HOW MANY, HOW MANY FOOD INSPECTORS DO WE HAVE IN THE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA? AND IF WE DON'T KNOW, UM, WHEN ARE WE GONNA PUT FOOD GRADES ON THE FOOD SO PEOPLE CAN KNOW WHAT TYPE OF SANITATION, WHATEVER IS GOING ON WITH THE FOOD? BECAUSE WE, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF, UH, FOOD INSPECTORS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH IS OUR BIGGEST MONEY MAKER IN THIS CITY. SO, UM, THAT, THOSE ARE QUESTIONS. I DON'T KNOW. THANK YOU, MR. HICKS. COUNCIL CASTILLO, I'M SORRY. I I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU. QUESTION. I'M SORRY. COUNCIL. THANK YOU MAYOR. I, I, MY OFFICE WANTS TO BE HELPFUL TO YOU. MM-HMM . SO I WOULD LIKE MY CONSTITUENT SERVICES DIRECTOR TO COME VISIT WITH YOU FOR THE TOWN HALL MEETINGS. WHEN YOU GONNA CHANGE 'EM? RIGHT NOW? OKAY. RIGHT NOW, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE FOOD INSPECTOR ISSUES. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, WE WILL GET WITH YOU AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. MANY. HOW MANY IS IT? HOW MANY FOOD INSPECTORS IS IT? WE'LL FIND OUT FOR YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU RANDY. IC. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME IS RANDY HIROSHIGE AND I'M AN ATTORNEY WITH TEXAS CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT, AS WELL AS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT H. UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE PETITION WE SUBMITTED YESTERDAY TO END THE CRIMINALIZATION OF FOOD SHARING IN HOUSTON. OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, TEXAS CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT AND FOOD NOT BOMBS, HOUSTON HAVE GATHERED SIGNATURES FROM OVER 24,000 INDIVIDUALS AND 180 GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS. FOR IN OUR PETITION, THEY JOIN US IN CALLING YOU TO TAKE THREE ACTIONS, ONE AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ANTI FOOD SHARING ORDINANCE. TWO DROP ALL PENDING CHARGES UNDER THE ORDINANCE, AND THREE, REPEAL THE ORDINANCE ONCE AND FOR ALL. NOW THIS, THE CITY SHOULD NOT BE SPENDING RESOURCES PAYING THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PATROL FOOD SHARINGS AND PAYING THE CITY ATTORNEY OFFICE TO PROSECUTE FOOD SHARING VOLUNTEERS. IT SHOULD BE USING THOSE RESOURCES TO FEED AND CLOTHE UNHOUSED PEOPLE HERE IN HOUSTON. AND I, AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, YOU HEARD FROM SHER ONE OF FOOD NOT BOMB'S MEMBERS. AND I ECHO EVERYTHING SHE SAID. UM, AGAIN, HOUSTON SHOULD BE CELEBRATING THOSE WHO SHARE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR RESPONSE. THANK YOU. NEXT. JAMES SUTHERLAND. JAMES SUTHERLAND IS NOT PRESENT. MARIO MARALLA. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR FOR ION. UH, MY NAME IS MARIO AND I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. UH, MY WIFE, SHE WAS SICK WITH THE CANCER AND ON, UNFORTUNATELY, SHE PASSED AWAY ON MARCH BEFORE AND SHE'S THE ONE USED TO DO THE BILL WATER, ALL THE BILLS. AND I WAS IGNORING ABOUT THE WATER BILL. AND THEN THEY SENT ME A BILL FOR $18,000. AND BY MYSELF, I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY ALL OF THEM. I MAKE AN ARRANGEMENT WITH THE CITY 'CAUSE NOBODY HELP ME. AND THEY PUT ME LIKE, UH, AT THE STORE AT THE WALL. AND MY, I SPENT A LOT OF MONEY WITH MY AND ALL THE, UH, [01:35:01] ALL THE MEDICINES WITH THE CANCER. LIKE I SAY ON, UNFORTUNATELY SHE PASSED AND MARCH THE FOURTH AND THAT'S WHEN THE DATE ATTACKED ME ABOUT THE WATER BILLS. UH, PAID MY BILLS FOR TO TRANSPLANT HER TO MEXICO. AND I WANT, WANNA KNOW IF HE, IF MAYEL CAN, DON'T, CAN I GET THAT SECOND? YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I TELL YOU WHAT, I THINK OUR TIME WOULD BE BETTER SPENT FOR YOU TO MEET WITH THE WATER DEPARTMENT. AND I KNOW THEY'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH YOUR, I'VE SEEN A REPORT AND WE WOULD LIKE TO RESOLVE THIS. SO IF YOU'LL MEET WITH, UM, SAL, SAL RUDA WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND MY OFFICE WILL BE INVOLVED AND TRY TO RESOLVE THIS FOR YOU. WE'RE SORRY ABOUT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE, SAL. WOULD YOU WORK WITH THIS GENTLEMAN AND THEN CYNTHIA? UH, MY OFFICE CAN CERTAINLY GET INVOLVED. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME. I UNDERSTAND. SO LET'S TRY TO RESOLVE IT STATUS. 'CAUSE I MAKE A ING WITH THEM, BUT I CAN AFFORD IT ANYMORE. I UNDERSTAND. AND WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER P*****K. COUNCIL MEMBER P*****K. UH, THANK YOU MARY. JUST SIR. WELL, MR. SIR, ONE SECOND. MR. MARIO. UM, I'M YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, SO THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. MY OFFICE DID GIMME SOME CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING YOUR ISSUE THAT I HEARD ABOUT TODAY. UH, THE MAYOR SAID THAT HIS ADMINISTRATION'S GONNA LOOK INTO AAL. YOU WANNA RAISE YOUR HAND, THIS GENTLEMAN BEHIND YOU, UH, WE'LL WORK WITH YOU AS WELL. SO PLEASE SPEAK WITH HIM AFTER, UH, YOUR COMMENTS. BUT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING INTO IT. FIRST OFF, I ALSO WANT TO SAY CONDOLENCES ON YOUR LOSS. UM, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF ASSISTANCE, WE WILL. SO CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE AND LET'S COLLABORATE ON IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. ANYONE ELSE? NEXT GUANA HAWK COUNCILMAN POLLARD. WE'LL WORK WITH YOU ON THAT ONE. IT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2018, SO IT'S LONG OVERDUE. YES, MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR POSITION. I'M HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A WATER BILL ISSUE TOO. I RECEIVED A WATER BILL FROM 2007. THAT'S 17 YEARS THEY SENT ME TO COLLECTIONS. I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE MY WATER TURNED OFF. I'VE BEEN SPEAKING WITH YOUR OFFICE FOR MONTHS REGARDING THE ISSUES WITH THE WATER BILL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN GO BACK 17 YEARS WITH A BILL WHEN YOU HAVE A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON BANKRUPTCIES AND CREDIT CARDS AND WHY IT TAKES YOU 17 YEARS TO DO A AUDIT ON THE WATER DEPARTMENT BILLS. TO ME, THAT'S BAD PHYSICAL MANAGEMENT. I'LL TELL WHAT CITY SERVICES. THE GOOD NEWS IS IT'S BEEN RESOLVED AND THE WATER PUBLIC WORKS IS GOING TO DISMISS THE CHARGES. OKAY. SO THANK YOU. GOOD. I'M UNDER MY A MINUTE. HAVE A GREAT THANK YOU. AND YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL TODAY, MA'AM. UH, CASSIUS TATUM, COUNCIL MEMBER MS. HAWK, GOOD TO SEE YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING TO BARBARA HYDE IN MY OFFICE. UM, IF YOU WANTED TO, UM, GIVE SAUL YOUR, UM, CONTACT INFORMATION YEAH, FINE. AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE IT. UM, BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME RESOLUTIONS COMING FROM THE WATER DEPARTMENT, SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UM, YOUR ISSUE IS TAKEN CARE OF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT, SUPER. THANK YOU. THAT TURKEY DAY. I GOT THE TURKEY TOO. PROCEED. OKAY, , THANK YOU. NEXT. VICTOR IBARRA, VICTOR BORROWER IS NOT PRESENT. ANDREW PATTERSON, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ELECTION THAT YOU DID. WELL, I MYSELF BRAND, I HAD 38,000 HOUSTONIANS VOTED FOR ME. IT WASN'T ENOUGH, I'M SORRY TO SAY, BUT IN REGARDS TO THE ISSUES THAT I BROUGHT FORWARD IN MY ELECTION, I WANTED TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION AS WELL. NOW, CURRENTLY WE HAVE A LOSS OF $1 MILLION OF INCOME FOR THE CITY DUE TO WATER BREAKAGE. THE WINE'S BEING BROKEN, IT'S GONNA COST 2.9 MILLION. BOTH JAPAN AND CALIFORNIA HAVE EXPERIENCED WINE BREAKAGE AND THEY HAD DEVELOPED NEW TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO HELP PREVENT THAT FROM OCCURRING. AS FREQUENTLY AS IT MAY, IT STILL MAY OCCUR, BUT IT'S GONNA LESSEN IT. SO THEREFORE, WHATEVER'S BEING DONE IN HOUSTON, IT NEEDS TO BE IMPLEMENTED. ALONG THOSE LINES, CALIFORNIA IS WILLING TO REACH OUT THEIR AMERICAN COMPANIES DEVELOPING THE PRODUCTS AS WELL. AT THE PRESENT TIME, I HAVE AN IDEA WHICH WOULD ADD AN INCOME TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON OF $10 MILLION OR MORE ON AN ANNUAL [01:40:01] BASIS. AND THAT'S A VERY SIMPLE IDEA AND I'D BE BILLING MORE THAN HAPPY TO DISCUSS THAT WITH ANYBODY AT ANY TIME. BUT THE THING IS, IS THAT IT NEEDS COOPERATION. NOT ONLY YOU HAD TIME, HAS YOU, THAT WAS THREE MINUTES. NO, ONE MINUTE TODAY. THANK YOU. YOU'VE DONE IT. I PLAN UP A THREE. NOW WE HAVE TO DIFFERENT RULE. AND YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB. SO THANK YOU. YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT RULE NOW. YES. WE ANNOUNCED AT THE BEGINNING THAT BECAUSE OF THE, UH, LARGE VOLUME OF I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU MAYOR. BUT THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY. NEXT. CARRIE RICE. HELLO MAYOR. I AM HERE TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT THERE ARE TERRORISTS IN YOUR CITY AND THEY ARE TERRORIZING THE HELL OUTTA ME. AND I AM VERY SICK OF COMING DOWN HERE. I'VE BEEN HERE, UH, AGAIN FOR MY, FOR THE 10TH TIME. AND I AM IN A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION. AND YOU WILL ARE OVER HPD AND HPD IS NOT A SIGN IN MY CASE. AND, UM, I'M JUST TIRED OF GOING THROUGH IT. I'M TIRED OF CALLING THE POLICE AND TELLING THEM COMING OUT TO MY HOUSE AND NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. AND I DEMAND JUSTICE. I DEMAND THESE PEOPLE OUTTA MY LIFE. YOU SHOULD DEMAND THESE PEOPLE OUTTA HOUSTON. AND I NEED HELP TO GET THEM AWAY FROM ME AND MY KIDS. I SAY I HAVE A VERY SICK DAUGHTER AT HOME BECAUSE OF THE TERRACE. AND I AM GETTING IN BAD HEALTH BECAUSE OF THE TERRACE. AND YOU GUYS NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I AM SICK OF CALLING HPD AND I'M SICK OF THEM COMING OUT THERE BLOWING SMOKE UP OUR BUTTS. I'M SICK OF DEALING WITH IT. I'M TIRED OF DEALING WITH TROY FINNER TOO. HE'S WELL AWARE OF THIS SITUATION. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT TROY FINNER IS WELL AWARE OF THIS TERRORIST ATTACK THAT'S ON MY LIFE AND YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AND I'VE ALREADY SPOKE TO THAT POLICEMAN OVER THERE. HE IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT TODAY BECAUSE I AM SICK OF GOING THROUGH IT WITH THESE IT IS TERRORISTS IN YOUR CITY. OKAY, THANK YOU MS. RICE. WE'LL CHECK ON IT. SAY WHAT? WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IT. LOOK AT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS, UH, YOUR TIME'S UP AND NOW WE'VE GOTTA GO TO WORK. OKAY, THANK YOU MA'AM. ALEXIS BROOKS. ALEXIS BROOKS IS NOT PRESENT. HAMZA ABU HARB. SO YOU GUYS SPEAKERS I WOULD HIGHLY APPROACH. GO AHEAD SIR. AM I READY? GOOD AFTERNOON. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MR. MAYOR. AFTER YEARS OF THE FALSE NARRATIVES BEING PUSHED ON, AS THE REAL NARRATIVE HAS FINALLY REACHED THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE FREE PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE ISSUE HAS NEVER BEEN MUSLIM FIGHTING THE JEWS. IT IS THE OPPRESSION AND GENOCIDE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE, JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS ALIKE, INDISCRIMINATELY BEING BOMBED WHO HAVE CO-EXISTED PEACEFULLY FOR CENTURIES. WE MUST INFORM YOU NOT ONLY OF THE ATROCITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING THERE, BUT AS WELL AS THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT THAT THESE EVENTS DID NOT HAPPEN IN A, IN A VACUUM. HOW IT WASN'T JUST SHE A COUPLE YEARS BACK OR THE INDISCRIMINATE BOMBINGS EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS IN HAS COINED BY THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES AS MOWING THE GRASS THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 1948. AND EACH YEAR SINCE THEN, THE STORIES THAT COME OUT OF THERE ARE MORE GRUESOME AND HORRIFIC THAN THE LAST. HOW CIVILIANS ARE GETTING SNIPED AS THEY'RE WALKING, SEEKING REFUGE WHILE CARRYING WHITE FLAGS. HOW SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN BOMBED, HOW HOSPITALS HAVE BEEN BOMBED, HOW CHURCHES HAVE BEEN BOMBED TIME, HOW MO MOS HAVE BEEN BOMBED. HOW THE BIRTHPLACE OF CHRISTIANITY DID NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR. THANK YOU. ALMOST ALL OF THE PRISONERS HELD IN ISRAELI PRISONS HAVE NOT RECEIVED A FAIR TRIAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ESSENTIALLY MAKING THEM HOSTAGES. I ASK YOU AND THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PUBLICLY AND OFFICIALLY SUPPORT A PERMANENT CEASE FIRE AND A LIFT OF DE SIEGE ON . THANK YOU. NEXT. OLIVIA POWELL. HELLO. UM, I WANTED TO START THIS OFF. EVERYBODY'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN PALESTINE. I WANNA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED HERE. UM, AT THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING I WENT TO, A MAN STOOD WHERE I'M STANDING TODAY, AND HE TOLD, UH, THE PRO, THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL THAT HE'S A DOCTOR IN HOUSTON. UM, [01:45:01] HE THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT MORE THAN A HUNDRED OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS HAD BEEN MURDERED IN PALESTINE BY AMERICAN MADE BOMBS. AND A GENOCIDE MADE POSSIBLE BY AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS, HIS TAX DOLLARS. UH, NOT ONE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER HAD ANYTHING TO SAY TO HIM, NOT EVEN AN OFFER OF CONDOLENCES. UM, IF ANY OF YOU WERE TO NEED HIS MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE FUTURE, IT WOULD BE EXPECTED THAT HE UPHOLD THE OATH HE TOOK AS A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL TO DO ANYTHING POSSIBLE TO SAVE YOU. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT THAT MAN THAT DAY WAS FAILED BY HIS ELECTED OFFICIALS WHEN EVEN SOME OF YOU HAD NOTHING TO SAY TO HIM. WHERE IS THE HUMANITY? OVER 30,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MURDERED IN PALESTINE SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, AND WE ARE ENTERING INTO OUR FOURTH MONTH OF RELENTLESS SIEGE WITH NO END IN SIGHT. ISRAELI OFFICIALS AREN'T EVEN TRYING TO HIDE THEIR GENOCIDAL INTENT. SO I ASK YOU, HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL, WHEN ARE THE IMAGES COMING OUT OF ZA AND THE WEST BANK GONNA BE ENOUGH FOR Y'ALL? UH, IF YOU CONTINUE TO DO NOTHING LIKE YOUR PREVIOUS COUNSEL, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I HOPE THE IMAGES OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BURIED UNDER THE RUBBLE HAUNT Y'ALL FOREVER, BECAUSE I PROMISE YOU, THE CHILDREN THAT ARE DYING AT A RATE OF ONE EVERY 10 MINUTES, THEIR BLOOD IS ON Y'ALL'S HANDS. AND WE'RE NOT GONNA LET Y'ALL FORGET. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NOW. NEXT. OLIVIA EZ. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. WHY DOES THE USA PRETEND TO BE WORKING FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION WHILE PROVIDING ISRAEL WITH CONTINUOUS SUPPLY OF WEAPONS? THEY ARE AT WAR WITH GAZA'S SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS, AMBULANCES, UN RELIEF WORKERS TARGETING BAKERIES, CITY BLOCKS, DROPPING BOMBS ON RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, ANCIENT HISTORICAL, HISTORICAL MONUMENTS, CHURCHES, MOSQUES, REFUGEE CAMPS, GRAVES. THIS IS NOT SELF DEFENSE. THIS IS GENOCIDE. THIS IS NOT SELF-DEFENSE. THIS IS TERRORISM. SO WITH THAT, I ASK, WHO ARE THE SAVAGES? THE ONES WHO STARVE A CIVILIAN POPULATION OR THE ONES WHO SHARE WHAT FOOD THEY HAVE, THE ONES WHO KILL AND DISMEMBER BABIES, OR THE ONES WHO CARE FOR THOSE ENTIRE FAMILIES THAT WERE KILLED. THE ONES WHO BOMB HOSPITALS OR THE ONES WHO REFUSE TO LEAVE THEIR PATIENTS DESPITE THE DANGER TO THEIR OWN LIVES. THE ONES WHO BOMB HOMES OR THE ONES WHO ASK RESCUERS TO SAVE THEIR MOM, BROTHER AND GRANDFATHER. AND THEN COME SAVE THEM. THE ONES WHO HATE, OR THE ONES WHO HOPE. PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE, YOU NEED ABOUT 50 MILLION BILLION DOLLARS TO TAKE EVERYONE OFF THE STREET IN THE US AND THEY SENT 150 BILLION TO ISRAEL TO FIGHT. THANK YOU PEOPLE THAT DON'T EVEN HAVE AN ARMY. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. NEXT MALIK ELLA C HELLO, MY NAME IS MALIK KOM. MY FATHER WAS BORN IN LEBANON IN 1964. HE WAS THREE YEARS OLD WHEN ISRAEL BEGAN BOMBING LEBANON ON AND GREW UP TO BE SOMEONE YOU WOULD ALL DEEM A TERRORIST BECAUSE HE WAS AGAINST THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF LEBANON AND NEIGHBORING PALESTINE. IT WAS IN HIS EARLY TWENTIES WHEN ISRAELI SOLDIERS KICKED IN HIS FRONT DOOR AND TOOK HIM. HE WAS IMPRISONED, STARVED, RELENTLESSLY, BEAT, AND ENDURED HOURS OF TWISTED INTERROGATIONS FOR SIX PLUS MONTHS. WHEN HE WAS RELEASED, IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, BLINDFOLDED, NAKED. AND HE'S ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES. I SHARE THIS STORY NOT FOR ME, BUT FOR YOU, SO THAT YOU CAN NO LONGER SAY THAT ISRAEL IS THE MOST MORAL ARMY AND THERE'S NO PROOF OF ANY WRONGDOING. AND ISRAEL'S CONTINUED BLATANT ATTACK ZA AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINE. THE PROOF EXISTS. MY FATHER EXISTS. MY BEST FRIENDS WHOSE FAMILY IS IN THE WEST BANK RIGHT NOW, THEY EXIST THE 1% OF GAZA'S POPULATION, HALF BEING BABIES THAT HAVE BEEN ERASED IN JUST THREE MONTHS, THEY EXISTED. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED IN ORDER TO CALL FOR IMMEDIATE PERMANENT CEASEFIRE? I WANT YOU ALL TO REMEMBER THAT THE LAND WHERE JESUS WAS BORN IS THE SAME LAND THAT WILL HARBOR THE BODIES OF TENS OF THOUSAND PALESTINIANS. THANK YOU. THAT YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO IGNORE. AND EVEN THOUGH IS ISRAEL WILL TRY TO RIP THE PALESTINIANS OF THE LAND, THEY CANNOT BECAUSE THEY WILL BE THE LAND. THANK YOU. AMEN. NEXT, EMMANUEL RAMOS. BEFORE MY TIME STARTS, I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST FOR THE FULL TIME, UH, DUE TO MY SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY. JUST, JUST START AND WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA LISTEN TO YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I WAS ALSO HOPING THAT MY, UH, MY ELECTED OFFICIAL WOULD BE HERE. SHE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. OKAY. THANK YOU. I WILL START MY TIME NOW. ESTEEM MEMBERS OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL FELLOW CITIZENS, I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY, NOT JUST AS A UNITED STATES MARINE, WHO HAS SERVED IN THE CRUCIBLES OF, OF CONFLICT, BUT AS A VOICE OF ECHOING THE CRIES OF THE OPPRESSED CALLING FOR JUSTICE, TRUTH, AND HUMANITY. MY EXPERIENCE IN THE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WARS HAS GIVEN ME A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE, A PERSPECTIVE THAT COMPELS ME TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST [01:50:01] THE ACTIVE GENOCIDE UNFOLDING IN PALESTINE AS WE CONVENE HERE, THAT PEOPLE OF GAZA ENDURE A HARROWING REALITY. A REALITY MARRED BY THE RELENTLESS SIEGE, THE SHACKLES OF OCCUPATION, AND THE CRIES OF THE INNOCENT LIVES CAUGHT IN THIS HORRIFIC ONGOING GENOCIDE. THE SITUATION DEMANDS OUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION, OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUS STIRRED BY THE SUFFERING OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. ON OCTOBER 7TH, THE WORLD WITNESSED A SINISTER ORCHESTRATION OF MISINFORMATION BY THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT, A NARRATIVE DESIGNED TO CLOAK THEIR ACTIONS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH FALSE CLAIMS OF BEHEADED BABIES, BURN BODIES, AND RAPED WOMEN. BUT WE, THE VIGILANT SEE THROUGH THE SMOKE AND MIRROR OF PROPAGANDA DEFENSE ALLEGED, UH, ALLEGED COMMITTED BY THE HAMAS, UH, BY HAMAS, WERE IN FACT THE CONSEQUENCES OF INDISCRIMINATE SHELLING BY ISRAELI OCCUPATION FORCES ON THEIR OWN CIVILIANS LEAVING HOMES IN RUINS AND CIVILIANS OF COLLATERAL DAMAGE THE TRUTH, HOWEVER, CANNOT BE CONCEALED FOREVER. ISRAELI TANK COMMANDERS AND APACHE PILOTS HAVE COME FORWARD CONFESSING ON CAMERA TO THE INDISCRIMINATE SHELLING OF THEIR OWN BASES AND CIVILIANS, EXCUSE ME, UH, NO EVIDENCE SHOWING THE LACK COUNCIL MEMBER OF CARTER COMMUNICATION ON THE GROUND WHILE MAKING FAITHFUL DECISIONS. UM, AND THEIR INDISCRIMINATE SHOOTING OF FLEEING FESTIVAL GOERS IS A DAMNING INDICTMENT OF MILITARY APPARATUS. RONAK. THANK YOU. LISTEN. IN THE FACE OF THESE TRAVESTY, WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE BRAVERY OF JOURNALISTS ON THE GROUND NAMES LIKE , MOTA AND OTHERS. COUNCIL MEMBER. THEY RISK THEIR LIVES TO UNVEIL THE TRUTH, TEARING DOWN THE FACADE OF A MORAL ARMY TO THE, IN ALL DUE RESPECT, REALITY FACED BY THE PEOPLE OF GAZA. YET LET US NOT FORGET THAT THESE JOURNALISTS ARE NOT MERE OBSERVERS. SIR INION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW. LISTEN TO ME. LET THEY HAVE BECOME TARGETS THEIR FAMILIES HUNTED, KILLED BY REGIMES. HELL, BEN, ON SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH, JOURNALISTS HAVE DOCUMENTED AND SHOWN THE WORLD ISRAEL'S RELENTLESS ASSAULT ON HEALTHCARE FACILITIES. LET ME MEANT TO BE SANCTUARIES. TIME OUT FOR THE WOUNDED TO FIND A PLACE OF HEALING. PAUSE FOR A MOMENT, PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER. SIR, ARE YOU CURRENTLY SERVING IN OUR, IN OUR MILITARY, IN OUR NATION'S MILITARY? I'M A VETERAN OF EIGHT YEARS OF THIS COUNTRY AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. YES, MA'AM. WE ALL UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE HERE TODAY AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORDS AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, SIR. APPRECIATE IT. UM, CAN I CONTINUE? NO, NO. WE, WE'VE GOTTA MOVE ON. WE OUTTA RESPECT FOR OTHERS. I WOULD ALSO REQUEST, UH, TO MEET WITH, UH, MY, MY, UH, MY ELECTED OFFICIAL, UH, MS. TATUM IN THE FUTURE. I AM A CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT K. I'VE, UH, I'VE VOTED FOR YOU TWICE. I'M REALLY THANKFUL THAT YOU WERE ELECTED AGAIN. THANK YOU. NEXT MAYOR RAJI PAL. PAL. OKAY, Y'ALL, WE HAD AN AGREEMENT. WE'RE GONNA GO BY THE RULES AND I'M GONNA BE VERY FLEXIBLE IN THE TIME RESTRAINTS, BUT IT'S A TWO-WAY STREET. YOU HAVE TO RESPECT THE RULES IF I'M GONNA WORK WITH YOU. OKAY? SO LET'S HOLD DOWN OUR SIGNS AND OUR APPLAUSE AND SHOUTS AND I'M GONNA WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF. THANK YOU. YES MA'AM. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS BAYAN RAJI. MY MOM, BORN AND RAISED IN A WHITE CATHOLIC HOUSEHOLD, USED TO JOKE ABOUT THE REASON SHE MARRIED MY DAD. HE WAS ARAB, SO I FIGURED HE HAD OIL MONEY. THE JOKE BEING IN THIS CASE THAT SHE MARRIED THE WRONG KIND OF ARAB. AS A PALESTINIAN, MY DAD DIDN'T HAVE CLAIM TO HIS HOMELAND, LET ALONE OIL MONEY. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU'RE WELL AWARE THAT ISRAEL HAS MURDERED MORE THAN 22,000 PALESTINIANS IN GAZA SINCE ISRAEL'S GENOCIDAL CAMPAIGN BEGAN IN OCTOBER. INCLUDED IN THAT TOTAL IS MORE THAN 11,000 CHILDREN. FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, THAT REPRESENTS 5% OF THE STUDENTS IN THE HISD. CAN YOU IMAGINE 5% OF HISD STUDENTS MURDERED IN FEWER THAN 100 DAYS AND REFERRED TO AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE? MS. HUFFMAN, I LIVE IN YOUR DISTRICT, YOUR PREVIOUS CAREER LINE, YOU PROSECUTED PEOPLE FOR EXPLOITING CHILDREN. WHAT GREATER EXPLOIT EXPLOITATION IS THERE THAN STEALING A CHILD'S LIFE? WHETHER OR NOT YOU VIEW THE ATTACK ON GAZA AS ISRAEL, THE OCCUPYING POWER DEFENDING ITSELF SHOULD BE NO QUESTION OF IN THIS MATTER OF 11,000 CHILDREN DEAD SINCE OCTOBER IS NOT A PRICE WE WOULD EXPECT ANY OTHER NATION TO PAY. SO WHAT I ASK OF YOU IS THIS, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. DO YOU MIND IF I FINISH WITH MY ASKS? [01:55:01] WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SPEAKER. THANK YOU FOR BEING COUNCIL. OH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD IS ON. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLETT IS HERE. THIS IS IMPORTANT. LET US SPEAK. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. I'M GONNA GIVE HER MY, I'M GONNA GIVE HER, I'M GONNA GIVE ABOUT THE TITAN. SIR, SIR, SO YOU DO STOP. PLEASE DON'T. NO FURTHER OUTBREAKS FROM YOU SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, GO AHEAD. I'M MOVING ON. NEXT SPEAKER. THAT'S YOUR P RUSTY SLOAN. COULD YOU PLEASE CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE PRESENT? GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, WHO REPRESENTS ME IN DISTRICT G. UH, I'M HERE TODAY OBVIOUSLY TO TALK ABOUT PALESTINE. I WAS HOPING TO, UH, ALSO SPEAK TO MAYOR WHITMEYER. HOPEFULLY HE'LL COME BACK FROM WHEREVER HE'S GONE. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOU IN YOUR CAPACITY AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. IN A LARGE PART, MOST OF WHAT YOU DO IS YOU DEAL WITH NUMBERS ON A DAILY BASIS, UH, PROJECTS, PROPOSALS, BUDGETS, THAT SORT OF THING. UH, AS A PREVIOUS SPEAKER MENTIONED, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS THAT ARE, THAT ARE GOING AROUND NOW. 30,000 PEOPLE DEAD OVER, 11,000 CHILDREN DEAD. AND I WANT YOU TO REALIZE THAT ONE DAY THE KILLING WILL END AND THERE WILL BE A FREE PALESTINE AND IT WILL LOOK TO YOU AND THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES AND IT WILL ASK YOU, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HELP ME GET FREE? AND I HOPE THAT YOU CAN ANSWER THEM BY SAYING THAT YOU USED EVERY BIT OF YOUR POWER, EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR VOICE TO DO WHATEVER YOU COULD. EVEN THOUGH IT MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT AND YOU DID NOT REALIZE AT FIRST THE HISTORY AND THE CONTEXT. I HOPE THAT YOU REALIZE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT MAY JEOPARDIZE YOUR CAREERS, YOU JEOP. THANK YOU MR. SLO, YOUR POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS, MR. THAT DO WHAT? RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS TODAY. NEXT SPEAKER UNA. FIRSTLY, I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL THE MEMBERS WHO, WHO WERE ELECTED AND REELECTED. UM, I'M A PHYSICIAN AND I WORK WITH SOCIAL WORKERS AND HUMAN HUMANITARIAN WORKERS. UM, I'VE WORKED WITH THEM IN INDIA AND UAE. THEY'RE ASKING SOME VERY ETHICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PALESTINIAN ISSUE AS TO WHY WE ARE UNACCOUNTABLY SENDING SO MUCH MONEY. WHY ARE WE AS UNITED STATES VETO USING OUR VETO POWER AND NOT LETTING THE UN RESOLUTION BE PASSED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A CEASEFIRE. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT AS A PHYSICIAN, AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS NOT A PLATFORM WHERE FALLEN POLICY IS DISCUSSED OR DECISIONS ARE MADE. HOWEVER, THE GROUND REALITY IS ACCORDING TO POLL, 68% OF AMERICANS WANNA CEASEFIRE. WE CAN SEE THAT. BUT ONLY 10% OF THE SENATORS IN CONGRESSMEN HAVE CALLED FOR CEASEFIRE. AND SO YOU SEE THAT'S WHY ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO CITY COUNCILS, TO ANY OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. 'CAUSE WE BELIEVE IN YOU. WELL, YOUR VOICE MATTERS. AND I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THOSE WHO HAVE CALLED OUT FOR CEASEFIRE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT MEANS SO MUCH. BUT EACH ONE OF YOU, WHEN YOU COME OUT AND CALL FOR CEASEFIRE, AND IF YOU ALL ELECTED COMBINED TOGETHER, CALL FOR A STATEMENT. THIS IS GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. 'CAUSE HOUSTON MATTERS. EVERY VOICE MATTERS. YOUR TIME HAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER HANZA AWAY. NEXT SPEAKER, HANZA AWAY. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE. I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT A AND I'M HERE AS PART OF THE NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE, WHICH HAS BEEN FIGHTING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INEQUITY HERE IN THE REGION. I WOULD LIKE TO START BY SAYING HOW I'M ASHAMED BY THE INACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHICH REPRESENTS THE MOST DIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY BY NOT BEING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY BY CALLING FOR A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE IN AN UNJUST WAR THAT IS CREATING ORPHANS. AS AN IMMIGRANT FROM PAKISTAN, MY GRANDPARENTS WITH THEIR FAMILY HAD TO WALK ON FOOT DURING D PARTITION OF INDIA CAUSED BY THE HATRED BETWEEN PEOPLE, WHICH WAS CREATED BY THE BRITISH, RESULTING IN THEM HAVING TO MOVE FROM INDIAN SIDE OF PUNJAB TO PAKISTAN WHILE LOSING PEOPLE THEY KNEW. A YEAR LATER, PALESTINIANS WENT THROUGH THE SAME AND THEY'VE GOING, THEY'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THIS FOR THE PAST 75 YEARS AND THIS GENOCIDE THAT IS HAPPENING NOW NEEDS TO END. I URGE THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO PASS A CEASE FIRE RESOLUTION LIKE ATLANTA, SEATTLE, AND OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE NATION. AND I'M THANKFUL YOUR TOWN HAS EXPIRED. I'M THANKFUL TO THE THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE CALLED PERSONALLY CALLED FOR [02:00:01] CEASEFIRE. THANK YOU STAN. NEXT SPEAKER IN DEAR HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. I AM A PALESTINIAN AMERICAN MOTHER OF THREE. I'VE ALSO BEEN A SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER FOR THE LAST 13 YEARS AND HAVE WORKED WITH YOUTH LIKE THE ONES BEHIND ME, THE GEN ZERS. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT INSPIRED ME TO COME OUT AND SPEAK TO YOU TODAY. MY STUDENTS HAVE DONE THEIR HOMEWORK. THEY KNOW THAT GAZA HAS BEEN UNDER SIEGE FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, AND OCTOBER 7TH WAS A RESULT OF 75 YEARS OF BRUTAL OCCUPATION. THESE YOUTH ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE MOBILIZED US, HUNDREDS OF AMERICANS TO MARCH, BOYCOTT, STRIKE AND SCREAM TO LET GAZA LIVE. FOR YEARS I'VE TAUGHT THESE KIDS ABOUT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. I TAUGHT THEM TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO PROTEST, TO PETITION AND TO WRITE TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVES. AND WHEN 70% OF THEM DID, 99% OF OUR REPS IGNORED THEM. FOR YEARS, I TAUGHT MY STUDENTS THAT LEGALITY DOESN'T EQUAL MORALITY. SLAVERY WAS LEGAL IN THE US AND ABOLITIONIST VOICES WERE EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR. YET IT IS UNDENIABLE. CAN I HAVE YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I HAVE UH, ONE MINUTE. I JUST HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, YOU CAN HAVE MY TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M PROUD TO PASS ON THE BATON TO THESE YOUTH. AND WHEN THEY TELL US TO MOBILIZE, WE MOBILIZE. WHEN THEY TELL US TO VOTE, WE VOTE. AND WHEN THEY TELL US TO ABANDON, WE WILL ABANDON MY ESTEEMED HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. YOUR UNIFIED VOICE WILL PUT PRESSURE ON THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP. THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT OUR CITY OF HOUSTON STANDS FOR HUMANITY. PLEASE CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE. WILL YOU STAND FOR US? WILL YOU LEAVE BEHIND AN HONORABLE LEGACY LIKE THE ABOLITIONISTS DID? THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. WELL, CAN YOU TELL ME TOMORROW I'M GOING TO SHOW MY STUDENTS THIS RECORDING. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL THEM WHAT THEY CAN DO? THEY'VE ASKED ME WHY THEIR PROTESTS, THEIR CALLS TO THEIR REPRESENTATIVES HAS BEEN A WASTE OF THEIR TIMES. WHAT CAN I TELL THEM? WHAT CAN YOU TELL THEM? I'M GOING TO SHOW THEM THIS RECORDING. WHAT CAN YOU SAY TO THEM? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS. NEXT SPEAKER, AYA BNI. HI, MY NAME IS AYA AND I'M AN 11-YEAR-OLD FIFTH GRADER IN HOUSTON. I'M A PALESTINIAN AMERICAN. AND FIRST I WANT TO SHOW YOU MY THAE. TODAY I WANT TO CONTRAST MY LIFE TO THE 11, TO THE 11 YEAR OLDS LIKE ME WHO LIVE IN . EVERY DAY I WAKE UP TO THE RINGING OF MY DIGITAL ALARM CLOCK WHILE THE CHILDREN OF ZA WAKE UP TO THE SOUNDS OF BOMBS. IF THEY EVEN GET TO WAKE UP. I ENJOY HOT BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER. WHILE THE CHILDREN OF ZA ARE BEING STARVED, I GET TO GO TO SCHOOL AND LEARN WHILE THE CHILDREN OF ZA CANNOT BECAUSE THEIR SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED. I GET TO GO TO SWIM TEAM IN MY FREE TIME WHILE THE CHILDREN OF ZA HAVE TO DIG THROUGH RUBBLE TO FIND THEIR PARENTS. I GET HUGS AND KISSES FROM MY PARENTS WHILE THE CHILDREN OF ZA HAVE LOST THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY. FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS I HAVE MARCHED WRITTEN LETTERS TO OUR CONGRESSMAN. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. YOU CAN GO RIGHT AHEAD. CAN I HAVE LIKE 20? YOU CAN HAVE ALL YOU WANT . AND TODAY I'M ASKING YOU TO PLEASE CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. I CAME HERE A MONTH AGO AND BEGGED YOU GUYS FOR A CEASEFIRE AND YOU GUYS ALL IGNORED US AND 10,000 MORE PEOPLE HAVE, UM, HAVE BEEN MURDERED. IT'S NOT FAIR THAT KIDS LIKE ME ARE SUFFERING. SO PLEASE TELL ME, HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL, WHAT ELSE CAN MY FRIENDS AND I DO TO HELP THE KIDS IN PALESTINE? THANK YOU. WELL DONE. CAN I ASK YOU WHERE YOU GO TO SCHOOL? WHAT, WHERE DO YOU ATTEND SCHOOL? I IN SCHOOL, UH, ATTEND SCHOOL AT MEIA ME, RIGHT? WHAT GRADE? FIFTH GRADE. WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO WHEN YOU GROW UP? UH, I WANNA BE AN ENGINEER. GREAT, WELL THANK YOU AND YOU'RE WELCOME HERE ANYTIME. AND, UM, WE ADMIRE YOUR, UH, COURAGE AND INTELLECT AND WE LISTEN TO YOU VERY CAREFULLY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NEXT. MICHELLE HARRIS. MICHELLE HARRIS IS NOT PRESENT. JOSEPH NIA. [02:05:17] JOSEPH NIA. YES. HELLO EVERYBODY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU. I'M VERY GLAD THAT I'VE SEEN MR. MAYOR RIGHT HERE AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL SPEAKING TO THE MIC. EXCUSE ME. SPEAK RIGHT INTO THE MIC, OKAY? I'M VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE, SIR, AND I'M VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. AND I WORK FROM DAY FIRST TILL DAY END. I WAS GETTING TO YOUR VOTE. SO I'M RIGHT HERE TO TELL YOU MY DEAR, SIR, I CAN DO AND I CAN MAKE THE OZONE LAYER TO BE CLEAR AND WE HAVE A OZONE. SO I'M READY TO WORK WITH YOU ON THIS CASE AND I'LL LET YOU HAVE MY ADDRESS AND MY TELEPHONE NUMBER ANYTIME YOU NEEDED ME OR YOU HAVE A TIME, PLEASE GIMME A CALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT SYLVESTER TURNER. SO THAT'S WHY YOU USE HIS NAME. WELCOME TO THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW YOU ALL. I'M HERE TODAY WITH FELLOW MEMBERS OF HOUSTON FOR PALESTINIAN LIBERATION. I'M SORRY, SORRY SIR. WILL YOU STATE YOUR NAME AGAIN? YOUR NAME? BUSTER TURNER. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UM, AS WELL AS OTHER GROUPS ADVOCATING FOR A CEASEFIRE AND GAZA. AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT AS PART OF RULE A, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO INTERRUPT SPEAKERS WHILE THEY'RE SPEAKING REGARDLESS OF WHAT IT IS. UM, AND ASK, UH, THE ADVOCATING FOR CEASEFIRE IN GAZA IN AN END TO THE BRUTAL COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT BEING CARRIED OUT BY ISRAEL. I'M VERY VOCAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE RECENTLY TAGGED YOU ALL IN A POST OF A WOMAN CRYING OUT IN AGONY AFTER HAVING TO UNDERGO A SURGERY WITHOUT ANESTHESIA OR PAINKILLERS BECAUSE OF THE BLOCKADE OF HUMANITARIAN AID CARRIED OUT BY ISRAELI FORCES. ALL OF YOU EXCEPT FOR COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, BECAUSE SHE HAS BLOCKED ME ON INSTAGRAM. IN THE CASE OF INGHAM VERSUS NORTH CAROLINA, THE SUPREME COURT REFERRED TO SOCIAL MEDIA AS THE MODERN PUBLIC SQUARE, IMPLYING THE FIRST AMENDMENT PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO SOCIAL MEDIA AS OUTLINED IN THE EVIDENCE I BROUGHT BEFORE YOU. ABBY CAYMAN HAS USED HER ACCOUNT ON INSTAGRAM IN HER CAPACITY AS A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AND BY BLOCKING ME ON INSTAGRAM, JUST BECAUSE SHE DISAGREES WITH THE BRUTAL MUR MURDER OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE YIELD THEIR TIME? THANK YOU. WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE YIELD THEIR TIME? COUNCILMAN POLLARD? SIR, WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR GOVERNMENT NAME? BRENDAN. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. WOULD YOU PLEASE YIELD YOUR TIME? NOT AT ALL. YOU SAID YOUR NAME WAS SYLVESTER TURNER. WHAT IS YOUR GOVERNMENT NAME? MY GOVERNMENT NAME IS BRENDAN. WHAT'S YOUR LAST NAME? TRAINER. THANK YOU. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. WOULD YOU PLEASE YIELD YOUR TIME? COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN HAS VIOLATED THE SUPREME COURT. SHE HAS STOMPED ON HER FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS AS OUTLINED IN THE EVIDENCE I BROUGHT BEFORE YOU, SIR. LET ME MOVE ON AND LET SOMEONE ELSE TESTIFY. PLEASE. SHE HAS DIRECTLY VIOLATED MY CIVIL LIBERTIES AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY. I THINK SHE WOULD BE OPEN TO ENGAGING IN CIVIL DISCOURSE, BUT ABBY CAMAN HAS BROKEN THE LAW AND UNDERMINED THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ALRIGHT, DAVE MARTIN, IN THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING, TRAMPLED ON THE SAFE CIVIL LIBERTIES BY DEMANDING WE BOWER AFRAID TO HAVE BOND, THAT SOME OF US DON'T BELIEVE IT. WE HAVE A CITY COUNCIL THAT VIOLATES THE CONSTITUTION AND REFUSES TO LISTEN TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND PUT OUT A STATEMENT AND SUPPORT SURE. CEASE FIRE AND GAZA AND END TO MILITARY FUNDING OF THE GENOCIDE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY IS HOW DO YOU PLAN ON PROCEEDING? YOU HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS BY THANK YOU CONSTITUTION. THANK YOU. WE HEARD YOU NEXT. JESSICA CAMPOS OR GOOD AFTERNOON? MY NAME IS JESSICA CAMPOS. I AM A MOTHER OF THREE I. UM, I THINK IT'S YOUR KIDS. THEY'RE MY DAUGHTERS. IT'S OKAY. OKAY, THANK YOU. NO MA'AM. Y'ALL CAN, I LIVE IN DENVER HARBOR. UM, I THINK MARIO CASTILLO IS OUR DISTRICT COUNSEL. AND, AND I'M GUESSING THOSE ARE YOUR DAUGHTERS WITH YOU? SURE. THEY'RE THEY'RE ALSO SPEAKING NEXT. OKAY, WELL GO AHEAD. SO I'M HERE [02:10:01] TO TALK ABOUT THE CELEBRATORY, UH, FIRE. SO, UM, JANUARY 4TH, I WAS HAVING DINNER WITH MY 3-YEAR-OLD WHEN SUDDENLY I STARTED HEARING GUNFIRE RIGHT BEHIND MY HOUSE. UM, THE, UH, NORM AT MY HOUSE IS TO RUN TO THE HALLWAY AND, AND SIT IN THE HALLWAY UNTIL THE GUNFIRE STOPS. THIS PARTICULAR TIME, I WANNA GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE. THIS IS WHAT WE HEARD BEHIND MY HOUSE WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE HALLWAY CRYING ON THE GROUND, HOLDING THEIR HEADS. MY 3-YEAR-OLD, MY 11-YEAR-OLD, MY 14-YEAR-OLD, MY HUSBAND HOLDING MY BABY WITH HIS BODY OVER HER. THIS WAS UNNECESSARY. SO DID YOU, DID YOU CALL 9 1 1? YES, WE CALLED 9 1 1 AS WE LAID ON THE GROUND AND THE FIRE WAS STILL GOING. WE WERE HOLDING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. ALL OF US CALLED. THEY CAN FINISH THE STORY. COUNCIL POLLARD COUNCILMAN POLLARD. HE HAD A QUESTION FOR YOU, MA'AM. COME BACK TO THE MIC. YES. UM, MA'AM, I, I WANT TO SAY I'M, I'M SORRY TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTERS. UM, LAST WEEK, SEVERAL OF US HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE JUST ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC, URGING HOUSTONIANS, UH, TO NOT HAVE CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE TO NOT SHOOT THEIR FIREWORKS, WHICH ARE ILLEGAL IN THE CI UH, CITY OF HOUSTON. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ALL STRUGGLED WITH TRYING TO CURTAIL IN EACH ONE OF OUR DISTRICTS, IS GETTING RESIDENTS TO BE MINDFUL, RESPECTFUL, UH, TO OTHERS, UH, DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING. IT IS NOT HAPPENING, SIR. I AGREE WITH YOU. BUT, UM, THIS PAST HOLIDAY SEASON, WE DID HAVE MORE REST AND MORE PRESENCE THAN USUAL. IT'S JUST A REALLY BIG CITY. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU NOT TO GET OVERLY FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT HAPPENED, BUT CONTINUE TO LEAN ON THIS AND TO CALL HPD ON THAT. AND IF YOU GIVE US, UH, MAKE SURE THAT YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER HAS YOUR ADDRESS, THEN WE'LL MAKE SURE WE LOG IT IN FOR THE NEXT TIME TO ENSURE THAT WE SHOW THAT IT'S A HOTSPOT. BUT THANK YOU FOR COMING. I, I DID CALL, I CALLED AND OFFICERS NEVER SHOWED UP AT OUR HOUSE. UM, I ACTUALLY HAD TO DO AN INVESTIGATION OF MY OWN. I WENT AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD FINDING OUT WHERE EVERYONE HEARD THE SOUND COMING FROM, AND I NARROWED IT DOWN TO THE ALLEYWAY BEHIND MY HOUSE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I FOUND THE BULLETS AND I TURNED THEM INTO THE OFFICERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. AS THE FIREWORKS THAT THEY TOLD ME THAT THAT WAS, MA'AM, JUST A MOMENT. MAYOR MA'AM, WE HAVE ANOTHER COMMENT FOR YOU. YES MA'AM. MAYOR PROTE, CAST , THANK YOU FOR COMING DOWN AND, AND REPORTING, UM, WHAT YOU HEARD DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON. UM, ALL OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE FIRING THEIR GUNS IN THE AIR BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY. UM, THE LAST HOLIDAY SEASON, I I KNOW OUR OFFICE PAID FOR OVERTIME DOLLARS FOR OFFICERS TO BE ON THE STREET, AND WE REPORTED SOME OF THE HOTSPOTS THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS REPORTED TO US SO WE COULD HAVE EXTRA PATROL. I'M CONFIDENT THAT YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD DO SOMETHING SIMILAR BECAUSE WE ALL WANT TO CURB THIS BEHAVIOR. UM, WE NEED TO STOP GIVING FIREARMS TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T NEED THEM. OR, I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I I I DO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU CONTINUE TO CALL WHEN YOU HEAR THOSE FIREWORKS. I MEAN THE FIREWORKS AND THE FIREARMS. UM, AND, AND WE ARE WORKING, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE AREN'T CALLING THIS CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE 'CAUSE THIS IS DEADLY GUNFIRE BECAUSE IT, ALL IT TAKES IS FOR ONE BULLET TO COME DOWN ON SOMEBODY'S CHILD OR SOMEBODY'S FAMILY MEMBER. SO WE, WE AGREE WITH YOU AND WE HEAR YOU. UM, AND WE'LL KEEP WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO CURB THIS BEHAVIOR IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THE OFFICERS TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. WELL, I DISAGREE THAT THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO BECAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE DONE IT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD AND, AND THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE HAVE WORKED ON IT. SO THERE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE AND WE ARE ALL WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO KEEP OUR, OUR RESIDENTS SAFE. BUT WE ARE ASKING HPD TO, UM, PATROL MORE DURING THOSE, UM, HOLIDAY SEASONS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE KNOW SOME OF THOSE HOT SPOTS. BUT IT, IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER TO TRY TO CURB THIS PATROL. YES. UM, MAYOR WHITMORE, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, UM, REALLY BIG ON PUBLIC SAFETY. PLEASE HELP ME MAKE MY COMMUNITY SAFE FOR MY CHILDREN. WELL, AS MAYOR, APPROACH HIM AND THE CHILDREN AROUND ME. WE HEAR YOU. AND WE'RE GOING TO DOUBLE OUR EFFORTS. I PERSONALLY THINK EDUCATION WOULD GO A LONG WAY. SO WE'VE GOTTA START BEFORE THE HOLIDAY SEASON, DO PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS TALK IN OUR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS, AND, UH, REMIND HOUSTONIANS WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. SO WE NEED LIGHTING IN OUR ALLEYWAYS. IT'S ALL MAYBE CAMERAS IN THE ALLEYWAYS OR CLEAR UP THE ALLEYWAYS. THERE'S MANY THINGS WE CAN DO. THANK YOU. YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO HAS A QUESTION. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND [02:15:01] THANK YOU JESSICA FOR BEING HERE. UH, AND YOUR DAUGHTERS AS WELL. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. UM, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT UNFORTUNATELY HAPPENS IN A NUMBER OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN DISTRICT AGE AS A NEAR NORTHSIDE RESIDENT. WE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AROUND HOLIDAYS AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I AM LOOKING INTO INITIATIVES INTO TO HOW TO HELP PREVENT. AND I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF THE MAYOR AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ALSO WANT TO HELP TACKLE THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THERE ARE, UH, IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER. IT IS A CITYWIDE ISSUE. BUT YOUR IDEAS, I WANT TO HEAR THEM. YES, SIR. UM, MY CONSTITUENT SERVICES DIRECTOR WILL, WILL VISIT WITH YOU WHEN Y'ALL ARE DONE SPEAKING TO GET THEM, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE, THE IDEAS THAT WE WANT TO GET TO WORK ON IMPLEMENTING. YES, SIR. THANK YOU COUNCILOR DAVIS. MS. CAMPBELL, I WOULD, I WOULD PRIDEFULLY ASK OF YOU TO GIVE THE MAYOR AND THIS COUNCIL PRAYERFULLY AND OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE AS COUNCILMAN POLLARD SAID, AND TATUM AS WELL AS STILL, THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND WE ALL ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IT. I, I DO BELIEVE THAT. BUT I WOULD ASK YOU PRAYERFULLY AND YOUR BEAUTIFUL FAMILY TO GIVE THIS MAYOR AND THIS COUNCIL AN OPPORTUNITY YES, SIR. TO SOLVE THAT ISSUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I ECHO COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. WE'RE GONNA CROSS THE CITY, NOT ONLY EDUCATE FOLKS, BUT WE'RE GONNA ASK THE FAITH COMMUNITY, OUR PRIESTS, OUR PASTORS. WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT A CITYWIDE INITIATIVE TO EDUCATE FOLKS. AND THIS WOULD BE WHAT I WOULD CATEGORIZE AS SMART ON CRIME. BECAUSE AFTER THE FACT ARRESTING SOMEONE, WE COULD ALREADY HAD A LOSS. SO WE REALLY NEED TO BE VERY PROACTIVE AND ALL OF US WILL WORK TOGETHER. I MEAN, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ONE HOUSTONIAN THAT DOES NOT KNOW AHEAD OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON THAT IT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS. AND IT COULD BE YOUR FAMILY. YES, SIR. SO YOU'RE REALLY GETTING A LOT ACCOMPLISHED TODAY. 'CAUSE I FEEL THE UNITY HERE AT COUNCIL THAT WE'RE GONNA COME TOGETHER AND MAKE THIS A, UH, SAFE CITY. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH THAT, BUT, UH, THE CONSEQUENCE IS GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BETTER CITY 'CAUSE OF YOUR MESSAGE AND, AND YOUR HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. BUT WE CAN DO BETTER AND WE WILL. THANK YOU, SIR. AND YOUR DAUGHTERS ARE WELCOME TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. GET BY THE MIC. DEAR ANNALIA ESPINOZA. ANNA, DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY ICELAND IS THE SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH? IT'S BECAUSE UNLIKE OUR LAWS IN AMERICA, THEY DON'T PASS OUT GUNS LIKE IT'S CHARITY. I LIVE IN DENVER HARBOR AND EVERY NIGHT I LIE AWAKE, AFRAID THAT I WILL HAVE TO BEAR THE LOSS OF A SISTER BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD THE GREAT IDEA THAT THEY SHOULD GO AROUND SHOOTING UP THE SKY FOR FUN. AND I'M TIRED THAT EVERY TIME WE TRY TO REACH OUT FOR HELP, THE POLICE COME UP WITH THE SAME EXCUSE THAT THEY'RE JUST FIREWORKS, THAT THEY'RE JUST CELL CELEBRATORY SHOTS. BUT I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIREWORKS AND A MACHINE GUN. SO HOW MANY DEATHS IS IT GOING TO TAKE IN GENDER IN DENVER HARBOR FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO OUR CRIES, OUR OVERALL CRIME RATES HAVE GONE UP BY 6.3% WITH A MINUS D RATING, ASSAULT BEING UP 3.94%. ROBBERY BEING UP BY 1.737% RAPE UP BY 0.5% AND MURDERER UP BY 0.05%. MIND YOU, THIS IS OUR SMALL COMMUNITY. SO EVEN IF THESE RATES SEEM INSIGNIFICANT, TRUST ME WHEN I SAY THEY ARE MUCH MORE SERIOUS THAN YOU THINK. AND EVEN AFTER SEVERAL CALLS OVER THE YEARS MADE BY LOCALS TO THE POLICE, EVEN AFTER THE MANY CROSSES IN THE GROUND NEAR MY HOUSE, NOTHING IS BEING DONE. I STILL HEAR THOSE GUNSHOTS BEHIND MY HOUSE, THE SAME GUNS AS EVERY OTHER YEAR. I FIND MYSELF ON THE GROUND AFRAID THAT BULLETS WILL COME FLYING THROUGH OUR WINDOWS. YOU TIME THIS MOTHER WITH HER, WITH HER BABY TWO HOUSES DOWN, HIDES UNDER HER BED, BEGGING FOR THEM TO STOP. MY NEIGHBOR BEHIND ME SAT IN THE BATHTUB WITH A SON. MY NEIGHBOR IN FRONT OF ME WAITED IN THE RESTROOM WITH HER GRANDCHILDREN. THE CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE NOT SAFE. SO PLEASE, FOR MY COMMUNITY, ONCE BUILT ON TEAMWORK AND LOVE FOR THE CHILDREN, FOR MY SISTERS, HELP DENVER HARBOR GIVE US NEW AIR TO BREATHE, NEW WATER, TO DRINK, GIVE FAMILIES THE JUSTICE THEY DESERVE, GIVES US, GIVE US THE SAFETY WE LONG FOR IN AN AREA SOME CANNOT ESCAPE. OKAY? PLEASE HELP US. WHERE DO YOU GO TO? WHERE DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL? UH, DEBAKEY. WHAT GRADE? NINTH. WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO WHEN YOU GROW UP? I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT. OKAY, GOOD. ALRIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. HOLD ON. COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR COMMENTS. AND JUST KNOW THAT I'M COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH Y'ALL. MY OFFICE IS COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH Y'ALL, UM, ON WAYS THAT WE CAN COMBAT THIS, UH, FROM PATROLS, FROM LIGHTING, YOU NAME IT. UH, WE'LL BE, WE WILL BE WILLING TO GET CREATIVE BECAUSE IT IS AN ISSUE THAT, THAT WE WANT TO TACKLE. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. NEXT. SOPHIA ROJAS. HELLO, MY NAME IS SOPHIE AND I'M 11 YEARS OLD. I LIVE IN DENVER, HARVARD. IS [02:20:01] THAT HOW YOU SAY IT? UM, I LIVE IN A CITY WHERE I HEAR GUNS, A GUNFIRE, GUNFIRES ALL THE TIME. AND I ALREADY HAVE GOTTEN USED TO IT. LAST THURSDAY, SOMETHING HAPPENED HORRIBLE. SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENED IN MY ROOM. I WAS DRYING MY FACE, LISTENING TO MY MUSIC WHILE SINGING ALONG WHEN MY MOM BARGED INTO MY ROOM AND SHE TOLD ME TO GET IN THE HALLWAY AND SHE LOOKED PANICKED. SO I FOLLOWED HER. MY MUSIC STOPPED BECAUSE OF MY PHONE TURNED OFF. WHILE THE MUSIC STOPPED, I STARTED HEARING GUNSHOTS. THE FIRST THING THAT I THOUGHT WAS, WHERE'S MY DOG? BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE SHOOTING AT MY DOG. I STARTED CRYING. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE GUNSHOTS CHANGE INTO A MACHINE GUN. MY MOM PUT, I'M SORRY. MY MOM PUT MY, ME AND MY SISTER ON THE FLOOR. I STARTED CRYING BECAUSE I THOUGHT, I THOUGHT THEY WERE SHOOTING AT US AND WOULD COME AT THE BACK OF OUR DOOR. ME AND MY SISTER TRIED TO CALL THE POLICE, BUT THEY DIDN'T ANSWER. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AHEAD. GO RIGHT AHEAD. WHEN MY SISTER GOT A HOLD OF THE POLICE OFFICERS, I AM SORRY, I LOST WHERE I WAS AT. I'M SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. I STARTED PANICKING. MY SISTER AND MY MOM WERE YELLING, TRYING TO TELL THE POLICE OFFICERS WHERE TO GO AND WHEN TO COME. MY DAD PUT THE DOG INSIDE. WE GOT UP BECAUSE THE SHOOTING STOPPED, BUT THEY SHOT ONE MORE TIME AND STOPPED. WE HEARD NO POLICE OFFICERS NEVER CAME. WE FOUND OUT WHAT HAPPENED, BUT MY MOM, WE NEVER FOUND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. BUT MY MOM DIDN'T. INATE. HOW DO YOU SEE IN, CAN I ASK QUESTION? DO YOU BELIEVE IT'S YOUR NEIGHBORS? DO YOU HAVE ANY? NO, SIR. I HAVE DO WE HAVE ELDERLY? WE HAVE A LOT OF ELDERLY PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I ACTUALLY, WHEN I DID MY INVESTIGATION, I MET ALL OF MY NEIGHBORS AND THEY'RE ALL ELDERLY PEOPLE. DO YOU THINK IT WAS GUESTS THAT PARTICULAR NIGHT? YES. AND IT WAS IN OUR ALLEYWAY. WE FOUND ALL OF THE GUN SHELLS FROM BOTH, UH, GUNS THAT WERE BEING FIRED. ONE WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF, UH, A DOLLAR BILL. THAT'S HOW LONG THE BULLETS WERE. OH, YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT'S A, A NEIGHBOR THAT WE COULD, COULD GO. IT WASN'T INVESTIGATE. UH, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO IT WAS. SURE. GO AHEAD BABY. OKAY, WELL, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS IT AND, AND I THINK YOU THIS, LET ME ASK YOU THIS DAUGHTER, WHERE DO YOU WHAT GRADE YOU IN? FIFTH, SIXTH. FIFTH. FIFTH. OH, OKAY. AND WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WHEN YOU GROW UP? I WANNA BECOME A VIC. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY IT. I'M SORRY. A PHOTOGRAPHER. OKAY. WELL, THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE AND YOU'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE. SO WE'LL, WE'LL TALK TO YOU SOON. BYE-BYE. THANK YOU. WHY DON'T ANY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CROWD CARE ABOUT A EAST WATER IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY? FIRST ONE, 5,000 MILES AWAY. YOU GUYS ARE DESPICABLE AMERICAN. EXCUSE ME, SIR. SIR. HERE. OKAY. OKAY. ORDER MR. MAYOR TO VACATE THE CHAMBERS HIM UP OUTTA HERE. NEXT. JOSHUA BULLARD. WHEN DID JOSHUA BULL, STEVE WILLIAMS, SHEMA ZAHI. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WHITMEYER. I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY TO PUT A NAME AND A LIFE STORY TO JUST 0.0001% [02:25:02] OF THE OVER 30,000 SOULS MURDERED DURING THE ONGOING BOMBARDMENT IN PALESTINE. THEY WERE BELOVED HUMAN BEINGS WITH DREAMS AND A DEEP DESIRE TO LIVE LIFE WITH BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS, FREEDOM, AND A DIGNITY JUST LIKE ALL OF US. I START WITH THE BELOVED RAZ ALGA. ON DECEMBER 28, RAZ, ONLY TWO YEARS OLD ASKED HIS FATHER, FATHER ABDULLAH FOR BISCUITS. SO HIS FATHER LEFT RIGHT AWAY TO FULFILL HIS SON'S REQUEST. WHEN ABDULLAH RETURNED, HE TRAGICALLY FOUND HIS FAMILY'S LIFELESS CORPSES SCATTERED AS THEY WERE HIT BY ISRAELI MISSILES. ABDULLAH IS SEEN IN A VIRAL VIDEO TELLING HIS MARTYRED, SON, I BROUGHT YOU YOUR BISCUIT. TAKE THEM WITH YOU. MY SON, FIVE-YEAR-OLD BILAL NADAL'S FATHER WRITES, HOW DID WE SWITCH ROLES? MY SON, YOU DIED AHEAD OF ME. YOU WENT FIRST. I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO FIRST. YAH. ER WROTE BEFORE HER DEATH. MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT YEAH, TIME HAS EXPIRED. MAY I HAVE ONE MORE MINUTE? COUNCILMAN POLLARD HAS A QUESTION YOU CAN HAVE MY MINUTE. YFA HEDA WROTE BEFORE HER DEATH. MY BIGGEST FEAR IS THAT WHEN MY DEATH IS REPORTED, IT WOULD BE ANNOUNCED AS ANOTHER NUMBER AMONG THE INCREASING NUMBERS. DAILY, THEY'D SAY A YOUNG WOMAN AND OTHERS WERE KILLED IN EX NEIGHBORHOOD. TODAY, I AM NOT A NUMBER. IT TOOK ME 24 YEARS TO BECOME WHO I AM. NOW. I HAVE FRIENDS AND MEMORY AND A LOT OF PAIN. YFA WAS KILLED ON DECEMBER 5TH BY ISRAELI MISSILES. YFA, YOU ARE NOT A NUMBER. WE WILL REMEMBER THE NAME YFA. HE THERE FOREVER. HAMZA DADOU WAS THE LAST SURVIVING. HAMZA DADOU WAS THE LAST SURVIVING SON OF WEAL. DADOU AL JAZEERA BUREAU CHIEF IN GAZA. WHILE'S WIFE, YOUNGEST SON, DAUGHTER, AND GRANDSON WERE ALL KILLED IN A TARGETED ATTACK IN THEIR HOME. IN OCTOBER, HAMZA WHILE'S ELDEST SON AND A JOURNALIST AS WELL WAS KILLED MONDAY, JANUARY 7TH, 2024 IN A TARGETED ISRAELI STRIKE ALONGSIDE HIS COLLEAGUE, MUSTAFA THORA. AS, AS THEY DROVE IN A DESIGNATED SAFE ZONE BY ISRAEL, HE POSTED WHAT IS NOW A FAREWELL POST TO HIS FATHER, SAYING, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS PATIENT AND HOPEFUL. MY FATHER, DO NOT DESPAIR OF RECOVERY AND DO NOT DESPAIR OF GOD'S MERCY. AND BE CERTAIN THAT GOD WILL REWARD YOU WITH GOOD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN PATIENT WITH. HAMZA REST IN PEACE WITH HIS FAMILY IN PARADISE FOR ETERNITY. I CONCLUDE MY STATEMENT TODAY BY PLEADING FOR MAYOR WHITMEYER AND ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ISSUE A PUBLIC STATEMENT FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE AS WELL AS URGING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO DO THE SAME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NEXT. EDUARDO DURAN. EDUARDO DURAN DARCIA DUCKIN MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN LIVING IN A BRAND NEW, UH, SENIOR FACILITY 1 0 2 CARSON COURT. SIX STORIES, NO SECURITY, NO CAMERAS. THE FOURS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX ARE NOT COMPLETE. SO WE ARE CARRYING DUST FROM THE HALLWAY INTO THE APARTMENTS. WE HAVE SENIORS WHO HAVE RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE TO INHALE THAT DUST EVERY DAY. I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE THE 10TH OF JULY. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE FLOORS. WE HAVE A STAIRWELL THAT'S NOT VENTILATED TOLD TO US BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WE HAD TWO SENIORS WHO WERE STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR BETWEEN FLOORS FIVE AND SIX, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME AND GET THEM OUT. I DON'T KNOW WHY OUR SENIORS ARE BEING TREATED LIKE THAT. THANK YOU SIR. SIR, COME BACK TO THE MORNING. ONE SECOND. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, MR. DUCKIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD AND LETTING US KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE. UM, I'M, I'M NOT IN THIS DISTRICT AND I DON'T WANNA STEP ON THE TOES OF WHOSE DISTRICT THIS MAY BE. SHE, BUT I WANNA, I WANNA ENSURE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER EVANS, YOU KEEP ME UPDATED ON WHAT YOU MAY HEAR ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. AND IF I CAN WORK WITH YOU ON, UH, DOUBLE TEAMING IT WITH YOU, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. UH, MR. DUNCANS, IF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, IS ONE OF OUR CITY'S MOST, UM, TALENTED SINGERS AND HAS DONE A LOT IN MANY OF OUR COMMUNITIES IN THE, IN THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT. IN THE FINE ARTS ARENA. UM, I'M, I'M, I'M FRUSTRATED TO HEAR THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO YOU AND OTHER SENIORS IN THE CITY. MM-HMM . UH, BUT WE WILL LOOK INTO IT AND I'LL WORK WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER TO HOPEFULLY HELP ADDRESS IT. SO THANK YOU FOR [02:30:01] COMING FORWARD. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. MR. DUCKIN, I KNOW THAT YOU CONTACTED THE OFFICE AND THE ELEVATOR. WE GOT THE ELEVATOR FIXED. UM, BUT CERTAINLY THIS HAS BEEN OCCUPIED FOR A MINUTE AT, AT LEAST SINCE IT'S MAY, JULY WAS IT MAY. OKAY. AND THAT THERE HAS BEEN THIS PROBLEM. SO WE'LL GET WITH THE MANAGEMENT AS WELL. OKAY. UH, TO FIND OUT HOW THEY'RE GOING TO COMPLETE THIS. BECAUSE TO LET PEOPLE MOVE INTO A BUILDING AND IT'S NOT REALLY READY FOR OCCUPANCY, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT APPROPRIATE. RIGHT. AND SO WE WILL LOOK INTO THE, INTO IT AND THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. AND I DO HAVE PICTURES OF ANYBODY LIKE TO SEE KEN. UM, YOU TWO? YES MA'AM. I YIELD TO YOU. IF, IF YOU'RE THROUGH, YOU'RE THROUGH. YEAH. YEAH. GREAT. UH, I DIDN'T WANNA CUT YOU OFF. DO WE KNOW WHO OWNS IT? WHOSE PROJECT IS IT? WELL, ASSET ASSET LIVING IS THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY. BUT THE SAME PEOPLE THAT OWN THE HUNTINGTON LIVING FACILITATE, THOSE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT ARE THIS FACILITY AND THEY HAVE ANOTHER, THIS IS THE GALA OF MCGREGOR. AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE THE 10TH OF JULY AND IT'S NOT GOTTEN ANY BETTER. AND WHO DO YOU SPEAK TO? AND I CAN SHOW YOU THE PICTURES IF YOU WALK ON THE HALLWAY FLOORS. I GO IN MY APARTMENT, I, MY, MY FLOORS WAX, MY FLOORS HAVE MY FLOORS SHINING. BUT EVERY TIME I LEAVE AND COME BACK, MY TRACKS ARE ON THE FLOOR. YOU'RE KIDDING. IT'S HORRIBLE. IT'S HORRIBLE. AND SO YOU COMPLAIN, I ASSUME TO THE MANAGER, TO THE MANAGEMENT, TO THE OWNERS, TO EVERYBODY I CAN TALK TO BEEN DOING IT SINCE JULY. AND THERE ARE OTHER SENIORS WHO'VE BEEN THERE SINCE MAY WHO HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT TO, SO WHEN YOU MOVED IN, IT JUST WASN'T FINISHED. IT WASN AND NOW THEY'RE WASN'T FINISHED ON OTHER FLOORS AND YOU'RE GETTING THE FALLOUT. YEAH. IF, BUT THIRD FLOOR, THE, THE FIRST TWO FLOORS ARE PARKING. MM-HMM . THE THIRD FLOOR IS WHERE THE MAIN OFFICE IS. IF YOU GO IN THE BUILDING, THE THIRD FLOOR, HALLWAY AND FLOORS ARE FABULOUS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE BRINGING THE PEOPLE IN TO SEE. BUT THEN WHEN YOU GO FOUR OR FIVE AND SIX, IT'S JUST CEMENT DUST. AND WHAT DO YOU PAY, IF I CAN ASK WHO, WHAT, WHAT DO THEY CHARGE FOR THAT? IT'S DIFFERENT PRICES FOR DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT APARTMENTS. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A THOUSAND DOLLARS, $1,600, $800 SOMETHING. IT'S JUST DIFFERENT PRICES. BUT, BUT TO, TO HAVE TO WALK OUT AND I WISH YOU COULD SEE THE PICTURES OF IT, BUT TO HAVE TO WALK OUT OF YOUR APARTMENT INTO A HALLWAY THAT LOOKS LIKE A ROAD THAT'S FULL OF SAND WHERE CARS OR SOMETHING HAS GONE UP AND DOWN THE STREET. SO ASSUMING THEY'RE CONTINUING CONSTRUCTION, YOU WOULD, WOULD YOU WANT TO RELOCATE? SURE. BECAUSE ONCE THEY START THE HALLWAY FLOORS, NOW WE ARE STUCK IN THE APARTMENTS TO, TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR, TO DRIVE. I, I KNOW I WAS LOOKING FOR A QUICK OUTCOME FOR YOU. UH, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED MAYBE MOVING TO ANOTHER FACILITY? I'VE CONSIDERED IT, BUT WE HAVE, I I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER SENIORS WHO ARE NOT WELL OFF AS I AM AND CAN'T GET AROUND. I MEAN, WE HAVE A LADY IN THE WHEELCHAIR, WHEELCHAIR BOUND IN A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, DOES NOT HANDICAP ACCESS. WELL, I PROMISE YOU WITH THESE FINE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN MY OFFICE, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THIS. OKAY. THANK YOU THOMAS. THOMAS, HANG ON ONE SEC. SIR. SIR, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. ONE SEC. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, MY GOOD BROTHER OF OMEGA SCI FI. ARE WE GONNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE, UH, IN GOOD HANDS. UM, YOU HAVE A GREAT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO'S VERY DILIGENT ON THESE THINGS. MM-HMM . SO IF YOU'LL PLEASE DISTRICT D OFFICE, KEEP ME IN THE LOOP, BUT WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT THAT CAN ASSIST YOU AND HELP WALK YOU THROUGH ELI AND THE BLUE, UH, UH OH, OKAY. BLAZER. OKAY. UM, CAN WALK WITH YOU HAND IN HAND AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S RESOLVED AND, AND THEN MOVING FORWARD IT JUST REALLY GOOD PUBLIC INFORMATION. ANYTIME YOU SEE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS AT A, IN A A HOUSING FACILITY, CALL 3 1 1. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THAT IS DOCUMENTED IN THAT DASHBOARD, WHICH THEN TRIGGERS INVESTIGATION FROM HABITABILITY SOMETHING COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S BEEN WORKING ON AROUND, UH, HOUSING. SO WE NEED TO HAVE THAT DOCUMENTED. IT IT IS. OKAY, GOOD. I'VE BEEN HERE. THE, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CAME GOOD. THEY SAID THAT THEY CAN ONLY HANDLE STUFF INSIDE THE UNIT, CORRECT. NOT OUTSIDE, CORRECT. I MEAN, CORRECT. SO ELI WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN . OKAY. THANK YOU. MY GOOD BROTHER. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I'M, I'M JUST CURIOUS, HAVE YOU CALLED 3 1 1? YES. OKAY. I ARREST MY, I I'VE BEEN TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. I ARREST MY CASE. OKAY. UH, WE NEED, WE NEED TO WORK WITH THESE FINE COUNSEL MEMBERS DIRECTLY AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE SOLUTION. OKAY. AND THIS GENTLEMEN COUNCILMAN DAVIS, JUST SIR, ONE MORE QUESTION. COUNCIL [02:35:01] MEMBER DAVIS BROTHER DUCKIN, HOW ARE YOU TODAY? SLOWLY, BUT SURE IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. YES. I JUST WANTED TO DITTO, UH, THE COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, IN THERE WORKING WITH COUNCILMAN CAROLYN AZZ. I WILL DO THE SAME TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO HELP YOU AND ASSIST IN THAT. OKAY. UH, CIRCUMSTANCE. ALRIGHT. BUT, AND I THINK THE MAYOR HAS PRETTY CLARIFIED SOME OF THE ISSUES, A WAY TO SOLVE IT. AND, UM, SO I'M SURE THAT ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF. THANK YOU ON YOUR BEHALF. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. NEXT, DR. THOMPSON ACWA. HI, UH, MAYOR WI WITH MAY, UH, SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS, I ACTUALLY TOLD YOU PROPHETICALLY THAT YOU ARE THE NEXT MAYOR OF HOUSTON. REMEMBER? AND YOU SAID, TELL YOUR FRIENDS, UM, CONGRATULATIONS. AND TO THOSE WHO ARE HERE, I'M ACTUALLY HERE. I'M AN INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEADER, PHYSICIAN, PREACHER, AND PUBLISHER IITA. I HAVE ABOUT, UH, SEVEN POINTS WHICH ARE ADVISED TO YOU, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE COMING YOU. AND THE FIRST POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS, UH, DON'T BE HORRID INTO ANY, ANY ACTION OR MISLED BY DEMANDS OF INTEREST GROUPS WHO WANT IT DONE THEIR WAY SAYING RIGHT NOW, OR THE ONE IN OFFICE PROPOSITION BEING POINT MAYOR TURNER DID NOT REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE BUT REFUSE TO GIVE IN TO DO OUR OUR WAY. AND RIGHT NOW, YOU ALSO MAY BE CONSIDERED HAVING FAILED BECAUSE BY NEGOTIATING YOU ARE NOT GIVING THEM IMMEDIATELY EVERYTHING THEY WANTED. SO I WANTED THAT TO BE IN RECORD. THEN THE OTHER POINT IS, YOU ARE ALREADY HAVING MEETINGS WITH THE COMMISSIONERS AT, UH, HARRIS COUNTY AND YOU ARE NOT TALKING WITH LENA. YOUR, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I GET A FEW SECONDS? SURE, SURE, SURE, SURE. ALRIGHT. AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT YOU ARE NOT REALLY, OR YOU HAVE NOT MET WITH LE HIDALGO, BUT SHE'S THE COUNTY JUDGE AND SHE ACTUALLY SAID SHE'S GOING TO WORK WITH YOU. I WOULD ACTUALLY BEG YOU TO ACTUALLY MEET HER SO THAT THE UNITY THAT YOU WANT TO CREATE IN THE CITY GOES ON. AND FINALLY, HISD ISSUE. YOU WERE ACTUALLY SET TO BE A DISUNITED DURING THE CAMPAIGN FOR VOTING, UH, FOR THE TAKEOVER. AND I THINK YOU MAY HAVE MEANT WELL, BUT LET THIS CITY PLATFORM NOT BE USED BECAUSE I SAID THAT BEFORE, UH, FOR THOSE CAMPAIGNS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, ERIC ROSS. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BEFORE COUNCIL AGAIN. MY NAME IS ERIC ROSS AND I'M A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE NEW ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRATULATE MR. WI WHITMEYER IN BEING THE 63RD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WHEN I FIRST MET MR. WHITMEYER AT HCDP BACK IN 2009, I LEARNED HE HAD DECADES OF SERVING THE PUBLIC. FIRST AS AN AIDE TO MICKEY LELAND, THEN AS A STATE REPRESENTATIVE, THEN AS A, AS A STATE SENATOR FOR 30 YEARS. I WAS INSPIRED BY HIS GENUINE COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE AND HIS LONG HISTORY OF PUBLIC SERVICE. HIS TENURE AS A PUBLIC SERVANT MADE ME REALIZE IF YOU WANT TO GET WORK DONE IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, YOU HAVE TO BUILD BRIDGES OF COMMON GROUND WITH PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES THAT SERVE THE PUBLIC AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH COMMON SENSE POLICY THAT ADDRESSES THOSE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. TAKE YOUR TIME. TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU LIKE . AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU MR. WHITMEYER, FOR YOUR SERVICE, FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS. MY SERVICES AND SUPPORT IS ONLY A PHONE CALL OR AN EMAIL AWAY, AND I'LL SHOW UP TO HELP OUT. THANK YOU ALL. MAY GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. BE SAFE. THANK YOU. NEXT LY MONTOYA REVIS. ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, MAYOR WITH MA. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. MARTHA CASTELL. UH, CONGRATULATIONS. I'M HERE, UH, WHO, UH, TO US WHO IS THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER OF DISTRICT E AND DURING THE TIME THAT WE'RE OUT FOR THE HOLIDAYS, UH, PRIMERICA RETALIATED AND THEY TRIED TO PUSH ME TO END MY CONTRACT ALSO. UM, I HAVEN'T CONTINUED HAVING PROBLEMS [02:40:01] IN DISTRICT EI KNOW, UH, THE DIVISION IS KIND OF WEIRD. UH, SO, UM, HAVING IN COMM COMMUNICATION WITH THE, UH, OFFICE OF DAN HAW, UM, CHARLES CUNNINGHAM DENIED ME AN APPOINTMENT. HE, THEY WERE KIND OF RUDE. UH, SO, UH, I KNOW THAT'S ABOVE YOUR PAY GRADE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, COMMUNICATE WITH DISTRICT E WHO IS THE CITY COUNCIL FOR DISTRICT E COUNCILMAN CARTER. SO, UH, I LIVE IN DISTRICT E AND I'M HAPPY TO HELP YOU CONNECT TO, TO, UH, CONGRESSMAN CRENSHAW, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. UH, I WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH HIM. I MET HIM ONCE. UH, HE STATED THAT HE CANNOT GIVE ME AN APPOINTMENT AND THEY WERE VERY RUDE. UH, THIS OFFICE IS OF, UH, WESLEY HOUSTON PARKWAY. YES. YES. AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF RACE TOO, BECAUSE I WAS DOWNSTAIRS. I WAS GETTING CALLED THAT ALLOW MRS. BARBARA UPSTAIRS. SO I JUST WANNA LET YOU KNOW, UH, MR. WIMAR, I KNOW YOU'RE A SENATOR, YOU HAVE A CAREER, BUT YOU CANNOT DISCRIMINATE, UH, OTHER FEMALES BECAUSE OF RACE. SO I'M HISPANIC AND I'M A UH, US CITIZEN AND I WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR OFFICE. I GOT FIRED FROM YOUR CAMPAIGN BECAUSE YOUR PEOPLE WERE VERY RUDE AND THEY SAID, I SAID SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT ALLOWED. AND IGA FIRED FOR YOUR CAMPAIGN. I THINK BECAUSE I'M MEXICAN WITH A US UH, NATIONAL, UH, US CITIZENSHIP. THANK YOU MS. RES. MS RES, IF YOU CONNECT WITH ONE OF OUR, MY STAFF MEMBERS IN THE BACK, THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR INFORMATION AND GET YOU TO, TO CONGRESSMAN CRENSHAW, DANELLE OR MAGGIE, WOULD YOU RAISE YOUR HAND? UH, THANK YOU MA'AM. RIGHT THERE. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT SANJANA. SMI. HELLO EVERYBODY. ISRAEL HAS DEMONSTRATED THEIR DRONE TECHNOLOGY TO PERFORM SURGICAL PRECISION STRIKES. SO WHEN WE ARE SEEING GAZA BEING TURNED INTO RUBBLE FOR THREAT THAT ONLY MAKES UP 1% OF THE POPULATION, WE MUST DEMAND FOR A CEASEFIRE. 'CAUSE THEIR CURRENT DELIBERATE ACTIONS ARE RESULTING IN 22,000 INNOCENT DEATHS. YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF, HOW IS ANYONE'S CIVILIANS OR HOSTAGES SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE? YOU MUST WRITE A LETTER TO BIDEN DEMANDING THAT WE HOLD AMERICA'S ALLIES TO A HIGHER STANDARD, REALIGNING HIM WITH THE 76% OF VOTERS THAT ARE DEMANDING FOR A CEASEFIRE. OR THE QUESTION REMAINS, WHAT ARE THE 24% DOING THAT WE AREN'T? YOU MUST DO YOUR DUTY, MAYOR WHITMEYER TO REPRESENT THE 3000 PALESTINIANS IN HOUSTON ALONG WITH THEIR 122,000 MUSLIM ARAB ALLIES BECAUSE THE CONTINUED SILENCE RESULTED IN ME BEING CAUGHT THE TERRORIST. WHEN WE KNOW ACCUSATIONS LIKE THAT HAVE LED TO THE KILLING OF A CHICAGO 6-YEAR-OLD CHILD, WHEN IT LED TO AN IMAM BEING KILLED OUTSIDE OF A MOSQUE. THESE DELIBERATE ATTACKS ALSO REACHED TO A COLLEGE CAMPUS WHERE THREE CHILDREN WERE GUNNED DOWN FOR BEING PALESTINIAN. TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I PLEASE FINISH? DO I HAVE ONE MORE SECOND? IF ANY OF US ARE HARMED OR KILLED, IT'S BECAUSE YOUR SILENCE AND INACTION FOR A CEASEFIRE MANUFACTURED THE CONSENT TO DEMONIZE PALESTINIANS AND THEIR ALLIES. I DON'T WANT TO DIE. I DON'T WANNA BE GUNNED DOWN. PLEASE SPEAK UP. UH, COUNCILMAN POLLARD AND THIS INCIDENT WAS RECORDED AND I DID TAG YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, SARAH SAYE. GOOD AFTERNOON, LATE AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS SARAH, SENIOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FOR WOODY JUNTOS. I ALSO SERVE ON THE A API ADVISORY BOARD AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WORK TOWARDS THE BETTER HOUSTON FOR EVERYBODY. UM, I SAY EVERYBODY TO EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF TALKING, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. WE HAVE DIRECTLY IMPACTED PEOPLE, NOT JUST FROM ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE, BUT FROM THE SYRIAN GOLAN HEIGHTS, EGYPTIAN, NORTHERN SINAI, SOUTHERN LEBANON, AND MANY COMMUNITIES FROM OUR COLLECTIVE BACKYARD THAT ARE FEELING THE BRUNT OF THIS MILITARY CAMPAIGN MARKED BY DISPROPORTIONATE USE FOR THE LAST 90 DAYS. AS YOU GO INTO YOUR PRIVATE SCREENINGS, YOUR BEHIND THE DOOR CONVERSATIONS, I IMPLORE YOU, UM, TO CONSIDER THE VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES NEEDED, UH, TO CREATE ACTIONABLE UH, STEPS. UH, WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE HOPING FOR IS A STATEMENT [02:45:01] OF SUPPORT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES TO FEEL SEEN AND HEARD. UH, A JOINT LETTER FROM CITY COUNCIL AND THE TEXAS DELEGATION URGING RECONCILIATION WORKING TOWARDS A SOLUTION THAT IS BEST FOR OUR COLLECTIVE BACKYARD. MAY I HAVE ONE MINUTE? ME? YES. TOWN HAS EXPIRED. UH, CAST COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU MAYOR SAARA, GOOD TO SEE YOU. YOU MAY USE, UH, MY TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, UM, WE HOPE THAT YOU WORK TOWARDS A SOLUTION THAT IS BEST FOR OUR COLLECTIVE BACKYARD. UM, AND ONCE WITH EQUITABLE SOURCES, AND I MENTIONED EQUITY, EQUITABLE SOURCES OF RELIEF AND MONETARY SUPPORT THAT IS NOT ONLY ONE SIDED. UM, I DO URGE, UM, THERE IS, UH, AN, UH, A OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO HEAR THE CHARGES, UM, THAT BBC IS GOING TO BE BROADCASTING ON JANUARY 11TH THAT I DO IMPLORE YOU TO WATCH. UM, I AM AVAILABLE TO CONNECT AND ENCOURAGE A ROUND TABLE, UM, TO BRING IN THOUGHT THOUGHT LEADERS TO HAVE MORE DIALOGUE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITIES AT A VERY CORE LEVEL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, ISHA. MANCHI. GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, PLUMBER THOMAS AND POLLARD FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF A CEASEFIRE, THE DEFINITION OF A GENOCIDE, THE DELIBERATE AND SYSTEMATIC DESTRUCTION OF A RACIAL, POLITICAL, OR CULTURAL GROUP. DID YOU KNOW THAT SOUTH AFRICA HAS FILED A CASE OF GENOCIDE AGAINST ISRAEL AT THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE? WHO WOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT APARTHEID AND OPPRESSION THAN SOUTH AFRICA? JESUS, PEACE BE UPON HIM, FOUGHT AGAINST OPPRESSION AND INJUSTICE. DID YOU KNOW THAT BOTH MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS THE MESSIAH, WHO WILL UNITE THE PEOPLE IN PEACE? WHAT WOULD HE SAY TO 75 YEARS OF OPPRESSION AND 20,000 PEOPLE INNOCENT CIVILIAN SLAUGHTERED IN THE LAND WHERE HE WAS BORN? THE SIGN DOWNSTAIRS SAYS, POLITICAL POWER IS A TRUST. PLEASE ADD YOUR NAMES TO THE STATEMENT, CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE NOW HOLDING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF THE MURDER BY ISRAEL IN HONOR OF MARTIN LUTHER KING. IN THE END, WE WILL REMEMBER NOT THE WORDS OF OUR ENEMIES, BUT THE SILENCE OF OUR FRIENDS. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, HANNAH THALBERG. HI, MY NAME IS HANNAH. I'M A DISTRICT I RESIDENT AND MEMBER OF JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE. MAYOR WHITMEYER, MY OWN COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, AND EVERYONE WHO'S EITHER RETURNING OR JUST STARTING THEIR TIME AS PART OF THIS BODY, I URGE MORE OF YOU TO CALL FOR AN IMMEDIATE PERMANENT CEASEFIRE, A LIFTING OF THE SIEGE IN FREE FLOW OF HUMANITARIAN AID IN TEGA. MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS WERE ETHNICALLY CLEANSED OUT OF POLAND, FLEEING ANTI-SEMITIC VIOLENCE NEVER TO RETURN HOME AGAIN. THOSE RELATIVES WHO STAYED WERE ALL EXTERMINATED DURING THE HOLOCAUST. THIS IS THE LINEAGE I WAS BORN INTO. NOW I SEE THE STATE OF ISRAEL'S PLANS TO PUSH PALESTINIANS OUT OF CAE UNDER THREAT OF BEING KILLED IF THEY DON'T LEAVE THEIR HOME LAND AS ONE IN 100 PEAS ALREADY HAVE BEEN. THIS IS WHY I PLACE MYSELF IN THE LONG LINEAGE OF ANTI-ZIONIST JEWS WHO KNOW THAT SAFETY EVERYWHERE COMES FROM SOLIDARITY AND NOT SUBJUGATION. PEASANTS HAVE BEEN SHOWING US ISRAEL'S CARPET BOMBING BLOCKADE, STARVATION AND SYSTEMATIC DESTRUCTION OF LIFE SUSTAINING CIVILIAN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR 95 DAYS. I HOPE WE CAN AGREE THAT SUCH COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT, CAN I HAVE JUST A FEW MORE SECONDS? YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. IT'S UNJUSTIFIABLE AND ONLY PERPETUATES A CYCLE OF VIOLENT OPPRESSION AND AT TIMES ARMED RESISTANCE THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 75 YEARS. PALESTINIANS MUST LIVE IN ORDER TO BE PART OF BUILDING A FUTURE OF PEACE BASED ON JUSTICE FOR ALL. SO I'M GLAD TO BE A RESOURCE FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO RAISE THEIR VOICE FOR PRESERVING LIFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, SARAH ALDI. ABDI, SAY KAZEEM. HOW ARE Y'ALL? UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, CONGRATULATIONS MAYOR. UH, SECONDLY, IT'S GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY HERE. UM, I DIDN'T WRITE ANYTHING FOR TODAY'S SPEECH, UM, BUT I'D KINDLY ASK ALL OF YOU TO, YOU KNOW, JUST PAY ATTENTION, ENGAGE WITH ME AS WELL. UM, I KNOW MAYBE NONE OF YOU ARE GOING TO CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE OR IF YOU DID WANT TO, MAYBE IT MIGHT NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HARD ON YOU GUYS THE SAME WAY IT IS FOR US. UM, [02:50:01] BUT YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE DOESN'T JUST HELP INNOCENT KIDS NOT DIE. IT HELPS, UH, YOU KNOW, PALESTINIANS OR MUSLIMS OR ARABS OR JEWS OR BLACKS, WHITES, ET CETERA, FEEL SAFER IN THE CITY, UH, THAT YOU GUYS REPRESENT, RIGHT? SO, UM, THE GENTLEMAN THAT JUST MADE, UM, A FOOL OUT OF HIMSELF ABOUT 20 MINUTES AGO AND YELLED AT US FOR COMING HERE AND ASKING FOR A CEASEFIRE, UM, HOW CAN I FEEL SAFE WALKING OUTSIDE NOW? YOU KNOW, UM, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, I'VE RECEIVED MANY DEATH THREATS. I GET CALLS FROM PRIVATE NUMBERS A LOT, I GET MESSAGES, PEOPLE HAVE LEFT STUFF AT MY HOME ON MY WINDOW. I ACTUALLY JUST MOVED BACK TO HOUSTON FROM AUSTIN AND, UM, IT'S BEEN THERE AND HERE YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. COULD I PLEASE JUST HAVE A MINUTE PLEASE? IS THAT OKAY? UM, SO WHAT MY POINT IS HERE IS, UM, CALLING FOR THE CEASEFIRE IS NOT JUST AGAIN, BENEFICIAL THERE, BUT IT IS HERE. UM, I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE SHOWN SUPPORT AND I KNOW A LOT OF YOU PROBABLY DEEP DOWN DO WANT TO HELP, BUT AGAIN, MAY FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T, BUT JUST THINK OF THE PEOPLE WHO, UH, DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE AND HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, WAKE UP EVERY DAY TO BOMBS AND GO TO SLEEP HOPING THAT THEY OBVIOUSLY COME BACK TO LIFE IN THE MORNING, RIGHT? SO, UM, IF YOU GUYS COULD AT LEAST BE A LITTLE BIT MORE ENGAGING IN THESE. UM, I'M SORRY THAT PEOPLE OBVIOUSLY GO OVER THE TIME AND DON'T LISTEN TO YOU GUYS WHEN YOU GUYS DO TRY TO MAKE SO, BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND NOT ONLY ARE WE FRUSTRATED AT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE, WE'RE FRUSTRATED WHEN WE COME HERE UPON YOU GUYS TO SPEAK AND LOOK YOU ALL IN THE EYE AND YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING DOWN AT YOUR PHONES OR TALKING AMONGST EACH OTHER. UM, AGAIN, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE PEACE EVERYWHERE, BUT IT DOES START WITH YOU GUYS AND IT STARTS WITH US. AND IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO RESPECT EACH OTHER, UM, FROM THE TOP AS IN YOURSELVES DOWN TO US, IT'S GOING TO BE HARD TO FIND PEACE ANYWHERE. SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN, AGAIN, UH, MAYOR, CONGRATULATIONS. I HOPE YOU CAN DO A LOT OF GREAT THINGS HERE IN THE CITY. UM, AND YOU KNOW, OUR TRUST IS IN YOU AND I HOPE WE DON'T HAVE TO LOSE THAT. UM, NOT TO DISCREDIT YOU AT ALL, BUT YEAH. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. NEXT, JOSEPH BALLARD. JOSEPH BALLARD IS NOT PRESENT. TRISH LES. HELLO OUT OF RESPECT FOR FORMER SERGEANT RAMOS RAMOS, WHO I CAN RELATE TO IN SOME WAYS BECAUSE MY HUSBAND, FORMER STAFF SERGEANT RAMIREZ SERVED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN AS A MEDIC. HE HAD SEEN THE HORRORS CAUSED BY UNWINNABLE AND IMMORAL WARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST JUST AS RAMOS DID. EVERY COMBAT VETERAN I KNOW IS DESPERATE TO SEE A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE AND THEY WANT TO SEE THEIR LEADERS STEP UP AND CALL FOR IT. I WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE FORMER SERGEANT RAMOS'S SPEECH, ISRAEL WIELDS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION WITH A CALLOUS DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE ARMOR. PIERCING ROUNDS FROM APACHE HELICOPTERS RIPPED THROUGH THE KIBBUTZ INCINERATING FAMILIES, AND CAUSING DESTRUCTION THAT MOST HEALTHCARE WORKERS LIKE MY HUSBAND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED OR SEEN IN THEIR LIFE. IN CLOSING, I IMPLORE THIS COUNCIL AND OUR COMMUNITY TO STAND ON THE SIDE OF JUSTICE, TO HEED THE CALL FOR A CEASEFIRE AND IN AND INTO THE SIEGE OF GAZA AND DISMANTLING OF THIS BRUTAL AND ILLEGAL OCCUPATION. ISRAEL'S ACTIONS IN DANGER, NOT ONLY OF THE LIVES OF PALESTINIANS, BUT OF AMERICANS THEMSELVES. LETTER VOICES, RESOUND AND UNITY AS WE DEMAND AN END TO THE SETTLER, SETTLER, COLONIAL, APARTHEID STATE OF ISRAEL. YEAH, TIME HAS IT AND THE BIRTH OF THE FREE PALESTINE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, ALEXANDER STRINGER. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE TALKING ABOUT AND IT IS THAT OUR DEMOCRACY, IT'S UNDER ATTACK. OKAY? WE ARE THREE YEARS REMOVED FROM JANUARY 6TH, THE DEADLIEST DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY. AND DONALD TRUMP AND HIS SUPPORTERS, THEY ARE MORE EMBOLDENED THAN EVER. JUST LOOK AT HOW THEY TALK ABOUT OUR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS. LOOK AT WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS. LOOK AT HOW THEY TALK ABOUT MINOR ATTRACTED PERSONS. DONALD TRUMP AND HIS SUPPORTERS. THEY ARE EVEN TRYING TO TAKE DOWN THE UNITED STATES POWER GRID RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION. AND WE NEED TO STOP THESE PEOPLE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CITY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR THE SAFETY OF THIS PLANET. AND THAT IS WHY WE NEED TO TURN HOUSTON INTO A 15 MINUTE CITY SO THAT WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF OUR CARBON, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, KEEP TRACK OF THESE RIGHT WING MAGA TERRORISTS BEFORE THEY STAGE A CYBER ATTACK THAT WILL DESTROY THIS COUNTRY. WE ALSO NEED TO BAN BITCOIN AND CONNECT ALL OF OUR MONEY TO A CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY. LISTEN, I'M ALMOST DONE. OKAY. IN ORDER TO PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRACY AND [02:55:01] TAKE BACK OUR PLANET, IT SHOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN 15 MINUTES FOR ANYBODY TO TRAVEL TO THEIR REQUIRED DESTINATION, BUT OUR ELECTIONS, THEY NEED TO TAKE WEEKS AND MONTHS IN ORDER TO CERTIFY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THANK YOU SIR. NEXT, EDUARDO DURAN. YEAH. ALRIGHT, SO I HAVE THREE MINUTES, RIGHT? TRY ONE MINUTE. JUST TOLD ME I HAD WHAT, THREE MINUTES, BUT OKAY. UM, IF I GO AHEAD AND SAY THIS, I'M TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO STATE BEFORE CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE IT'S A PUBLIC SPEAKING PLATFORM. I HEARD THE MAYOR SAY HOW WE CAN COME TO SPEAK ABOUT PUBLIC ISSUES AND INTERNATIONAL QUARRELS AND CRISIS THAT MAKE THEMSELVES APPARENT. AND I WANTED TO SAY SOME BASIC STATEMENTS THAT REFLECT THE VALUES THAT OUR COUNTRY WAS BASED AND WAS BUILT AND BASED ON THE US CONSTITUTION AND THE HOLY, THE HOLY BIBLE. I DON'T EXPECT ANY ANSWER BESIDES SAYING A PEACE AND SITTING DOWN. UM, SOCIAL CRITERIA, SOCIAL CRITERIA CRITERIA. SUBJECT MATTERS HAVE BEEN CRAMMED INTO A SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING POLITICAL CLOWN SHOW. I'LL REPEAT THAT ONE MORE TIME. SOCIAL CRITERIA AND SUBJECT MATTERS HAVE BEEN CRAMMED INTO A SEEMINGLY NEVER ENDING POLITICAL CLOWN SHOW. WHILE SINCERITY AND LEGITIMACY STILL REMAINS IN THE WORLD, THE REST OF US CAN ONLY WAIT AND MAKE OUR ATTEMPTS TO REMAIN IN A WORLD WHERE SINCERITY AND LEGITIMACY MATTERS. BECAUSE OUR LIVES MATTER, OUR LIVES, OUR LIVES OF OTHERS ARE IMPORTANT AND MORE IMPORTANT THAN, MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLITICAL PERSUASION, MORE IMPORTANT THAN POLITICAL PERSUASION. WHILE THE VALUES OF LIFE ARE IN QUESTION, HAVING BEEN DEFINED, TIME HAS EXPIRED, I GET 30 SECONDS WHILE THE VALUES OF LIFE ARE IN QUESTION, HAVING BEEN DEFINED, AND PEOPLE THANK YOU, UH, HOLD THE TRUTH IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT KNOW THIS, THAT IN THE LAST DAYS, PRAYERLESS TIMES WILL COME WHERE MEN WILL BE LOVERS OF THEMSELVES, LOVERS OF MONEY BOASTFUL, ARROGANT, ABUSIVE, DISOBEDIENT TO THEIR PARENTS AND GRATEFUL AND HOLY TO TIMOTHY THREE, ONE THROUGH TWO, GOD GAVE US A PROPER ORDER AND FUNCTION. THE MUSIC OF TODAY WANTS TO TURN PEOPLE INTO STUBBLE FOR THEIR FIRE. THE CONVENTION AND THE STREAMLINED FABRICATION OF CULTURE OF THE 19 HUNDREDS CONVENTION AND THE STREAMLINED FABRICATION OF THE CULTURE OF 19 HUNDREDS HAS LEFT THIS GENERATION COMPLACENT, IN APATHETIC TO WHATEVER HAPPENS TO TIMOTHY 31. TWO. I GUESS I WAS GONNA SAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN OBAMA SAID, WHEN, WHEN ALONG A C CHRISTIAN NATION IN 2009, WE SHOULD HAVE KEPT BEING A CHRISTIAN NATION, UH, RETURNED BACK TO GOD, NOT, NOT POLITICIANS, THE HOLY BIBLE, NOT ENTERTAINMENT, SEXUALITY AS A FACED WOULD COME AND PROLIFERATION, SO ON, SO FORTH. UM, I THOUGHT I HAD THREE MINUTES, BUT APPARENTLY I HAVE ONLY ONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND, AND LET ME, IF I COULD CONCLUDE TODAY BY FIRST THANKING MY COLLEAGUES FOR ASSISTING ME AND, UH, THE PUBLIC IN HAVING A SUCCESS WITH ME. TO THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN HERE ALL DAY, I FEEL COMPELLED TO LET YOU KNOW OUR SILENCE DOES NOT INDICATE OUR LACK OF PAIN FOR YOUR POSITION. WE FEEL THE PAIN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE. AND WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IN OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL WAY IS DECIDE HOW WE CAN BE MOST EFFECTIVE. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH BOTH SIDES SHOWING OUR CONCERN AND SYMPATHY. SO LET'S CONTINUE THE DIALOGUE, BUT BE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER. I'M CERTAIN I'LL SEE SOME OF YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BUT, UH, JUST UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE A JOB TO DO TO BRING THE COMMUNITIES TOGETHER. I THINK THE WORST THING WE COULD DO IS CREATE DIVISION BY OUR STATEMENTS, OUR SIGNATURE ON A PIECE OF PAPER. UM, THERE ARE PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON AND AROUND THE WORLD WORKING ON THIS ISSUE THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY MORE INFORMED AND PROBABLY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN WE WOULD BE AS HOUSTON CITY GOVERNMENT. BUT, UM, I'LL RECESS IN A MOMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS ON OUR MINDS AND AS WE GO FORWARD, LET'S BE RESPECTFUL OF EACH OTHER AND HOPEFULLY, UH, THE TRAGEDY WILL BE OVER SOON. THANK YOU. [RECESS] I RECESS UNTIL 9:00 AM IN THE MORNING FOR THE WEEK JANUARY 9TH AND 10TH, 2024. THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE FINANCIAL REPORT FROM CITY CONTROL AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY. ITEM ONE, ACCEPT WORK RECOMMENDATION [03:00:01] FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL TO FINAL A CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $4,652,912 91 CENTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH THE DCE CONSTRUCTION INC. ITEM TWO, RECOMMENDATION FROM CITY ATTORNEY TO DEPOSIT THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD SPECIAL COMMISSIONERS INTO THE REGISTRY OF THE COURT AND PAY OUR COSTS ACCORDING IN CONNECTION WITH THE NY DOMAIN PROCEEDINGS STYLE CITY OF HOUSTON VERSUS CROWDER INVESTMENTS, INC. AT ALL CAUSE NUMBER 1 2 1 2 6 3 5 FOR ACQUISITION AND PARCELS, KY 22 0 2 5 AND TCY 22 0 0 9 FOR THE 42 INCH WATERLINE FROM CLEAR LAKE CITY WATER AUTHORITY PLANT NUMBER THREE TO LAKE CITY BOOSTER PUMP STATION PROJECT ITEM THREE, FITNESS SUPERSTORE, INC. FOR PURCHASE OF EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. ITEM FOUR APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,219,009 AND 89 CENTS FOR PURCHASE OF FERRA TRUCK REPLACEMENT PARTS AND REPAIR SERVICES THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENT WITH THE SOURCE WELL FOR FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT FROM HFJ GROUP, L-L-C-D-B-A LONE STAR EMERGENCY GROUP. ITEM FIVE APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE AMOUNT OF $200,000 AND NO CENTS FOR EMERGENCY PURCHASE OF PARTS AND SERVICES TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF OUR TRASH AND RECYCLING COLLECTION VEHICLES FOR THE FLEET MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT FROM CUBANS SOUTHERN PLAINS, LLC ITEM SIX, EXCUSE ME, ITEM SIX, CARDWELL COUNTRY FOR PURCHASE OF CEV CHEVROLET TAHOE VEHICLES. ITEM SEVEN CARDWELL COUNTRY CHEVROLET FOR PURCHASE OF CHEVROLET SILVERADO, 2,500 HD VEHICLES. ITEM EIGHT, CARDWELL COUNTRY CHEVROLET FOR PURCHASE OF CHEVROLET SUBURBAN AND TAHOE VEHICLES. ITEM NINE APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY IN THE MILE NOT TO EXCEED $3,100,000 IN THOSE CENTS FOR EMERGENCY PURCHASE OF CHLORINE FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FROM BRENT TAG SOUTHWEST INC. ITEM 10 HAS BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 11, VECTOR CONTROLS LLC FOR PURCHASE OF POLYMER METERS AND PARTS. ITEM 12, FERGUSON WATER WORKS FOR PURCHASE OF REPAIR CLAMPS THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENT. ITEM 13, FERGUSON WATER WORKS FOR PURCHASE OF GATE VALVES THROUGH THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING AGREEMENT. ITEM 14 IS A RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NUMBER 20 23 20 DASH 29 APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING NOMINATION OF TOSHIBA INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION. ITEM 15, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $1,216,704 AND 78 CENTS OUT OF AIRPORTS RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT FUND. AWARDING CON CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT TO FMG CONSTRUCTION GROUP LLC ITEM 16, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $237,035 AND 68 CENTS OUT OF PARK HOUSTON SPECIAL REVENUE FUND APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO PARKING RIGHTS LICENSE AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN KIM HUNG DEVELOPMENT INC. ITEM 17 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $960,000 IN NO CENTS OUT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND AND $450,000 IN NO CENTS OUT OF CONTRIBUTED CAPITAL PROJECT FUND APPROVING AN A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK CONTRACT WITH ANSEL BRIAN CONSTRUCTION, LTD ITEM 18 ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING SOLE SOURCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN C OF HOUSTON AND ALPHA LAVAL INC. ITEM 19 ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING DERIVATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN C OF HOUSTON AND SCO LLC ITEM 20 ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT BETWEEN C OF HOUSTON AND A WC INC. ITEM 21 ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AWARDING CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND A IS INTERNATIONAL L-T-D-D-B-A BT SOFT ITEM 22 IS AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE RESCHEDULING OR POSTPONEMENT OF CERTAIN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. ITEM 23 HAS BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE FINDING AND DETERMINING THAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY NO LONGER REQUIRE THE CONTINUED USE OF TWO 60 FOOT WIDE STREET EASEMENTS AND A 110 FOOT WIDE DRAINAGE EASEMENT ALL SITUATED IN THE HICKS SHARP SHIRE SURVEY, ABSTRACT NUMBER 3 53 13 FORT BEND COUNTY, TEXAS ABANDONING THE EASEMENTS TO BLUE RIDGE COMMERCE CENTER WEST LLC ITEM 25 ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO ENTER A LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON GULF GATE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND HOBBY AREA DISTRICT ITEM 26 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $24,978 81 CENTS OUT OF WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND FOR ADVANCED FUNDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. ITEM 27 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $23,550,000 AND NO CENTS OUTTA METRO PROJECTS CONSTRUCTION D-D-S-R-F AWARDING CONTRACT TO DIRTWOOD GREEN CONSTRUCTION CO. ITEM 28 UNDER THE MATTERS HELD CATEGORY MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON TO DIRECT RECOMMENDATION FROM CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER TO AWARD TO TEXAS HIGHWAY PRODUCTS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCILMAN PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 20 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH. ITEM 29, MOTION FROM BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM, [03:05:01] SECONDED BY CONSTABLE ROBINSON TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER TO AWARD TO TEXAS UNDERGROUND INC. THIS WAS TAGGED BY CONST MEMBER PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 21 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH, 2023. ITEM 30 MOTION BY CONST MEMBER CASTEX TATUM, SECONDED BY CONSTABLE ROBINSON TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER TO AWARD TO CONSOLIDATE THE TRAFFIC CONTROLS INC. THIS WAS ALSO TAGGED BY CONSTABLE PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 23 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH, 2023. ITEM 31 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HOLLAND AT KNIGHT. THIS WAS TAB BY COUNCIL MCC COBA. THIS WAS ITEM 25 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH. ITEM 32 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND GREENBURG TARIG, LLP. THIS WAS ALSO TAB BY COUNCILMAN MCCOOK BOSS. THIS WAS ITEM 26 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH. ITEM 33 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND MCCALL, PARKHURST AND HORTON LLP. THIS WAS ALSO TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER KBA. THIS IS ITEM 27 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH, 2023. ITEM 34 IS AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING AND APPROVING AGREEMENT WITH APPROPRIATION BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HOUSTON LAND BANK. THIS WAS TAGGED BY CONSTABLE PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 69 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH, 2023. AND ITEM 35 IS AN ORDINANCE OF APPRO, AN AUTHORIZING QUALIFIED HOTEL PROJECT AND ADMINISTRATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS AND 4 0 1 FRANKLIN STREET, LTD. THIS IS ALSO TAKEN BY CONSTABLE PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 70 ON AGENDA OF DECEMBER 20TH, 2023. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SESSION OF JANUARY 10TH, 2024. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM IN THE WORDS OF OUR CITY SECRETARY PAT JEFFERSON. DANIEL, THAT'S ME. I LIKE TO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY. WOULD LIKE TO SAY, TREAT EVERYONE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. HAVE A BLESSED AND FANTABULOUS DAY [RECONVENE] COUNCIL COME TO ORDER. GOOD MORNING. IT IS TIME TO GO TO WORK. MANY OF US HAVE WORKED. UH, IN FACT, I'D SAY MOST OF US HAVE WORKED REAL HARD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. SO, UH, LET'S GET STARTED. [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 ] FIRST ITEM ON TODAY'S GENERAL WILL BE THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. CHAIR REC RECOGNIZES CONTROLLER HOLLANDS TO GIVE US, UH, CONTROLLER'S REPORT. GOOD MORNING CONTROLLER. GOOD MORNING MAYOR, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. MORNING MELISSA MAYOR. I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED NOVEMBER 30TH, 2023 IN THE GENERAL FUND. THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 370 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. THIS IS $45.8 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THE DIFFERENCE IS DUE TO A LOWER REVENUE PROJECTION THAN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IN TURN IS BASED ON DIFFERENT GROWTH PROJECTIONS FOR SALES TAX REVENUE. UH, BEFORE I CONTINUE, I WANT TO ADD THAT BY DESIGN, MY OFFICE'S PROJECTIONS WILL TEND TO BE, UH, LOWER OR MORE CONSERVATIVE, UH, THAN THOSE COMPARED TO THE ADMINISTRATIONS. AS THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT EVEN IN THE DOWNSIDE SCENARIO, OUR CITY HAS THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO PAY OUR HARDWORKING EMPLOYEES, COMPENSATE OUR VENDORS AND CONTRACTORS, AND OF COURSE, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON. BUT I WANNA BE CLEAR, GOING FORWARD, WE WILL BE EXPLICIT ABOUT THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING, INCLUDING WHEN WE'RE UTILIZING OPTIMISTIC BASE CASE OR CONSERVATIVE SCENARIOS. WE WILL ALSO REVISE OUR FORECAST WHEN ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND THE FACTS AT HAND MERIT RECONSIDERATION. AS OF NOW, OUR REVENUE PROJECTIONS ARE UNCHANGED FROM THE OCTOBER, 2023 REPORT, BUT MY OFFICE WILL BE BETTER POSITIONED TO PUBLISH A REVISED FORECAST IN THE NEAR TERM AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION'S PLANS TO USE THE REMAINING FUND BALANCE AS WELL AS ANY MEASURES UNDERWAY TO TERRAIN AND EXPENSES. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $182.9 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5% OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO IN RESERVE. EXPENDITURE ESTIMATES INCREASED BY $10.9 MILLION FROM THE OCTOBER, 2023 REPORT DUE TO AN INCREASE OF $10.9 MILLION IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT FOR THE MCGREGOR PARK DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, THE SHARPSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER PROJECT AND THE BUFFALO BAYOU DOWNTOWN GATEWAY NORTH PARK. THERE ARE NO PROJECTION CHANGES FOR THE ENTERPRISE OR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS FOR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS. THE CITY'S PRACTICE HAS BEEN TO MAINTAIN NO MORE THAN 20% OF THE TOTAL OUTSTANDING DEBT FOR EACH TYPE OF DEBT IN A VARIABLE RATE STRUCTURE. AS OF NOVEMBER 30TH, 2023, [03:10:01] THE RATIO OF UNHEDGED VARIABLE RATE DEBT FOR EACH TYPE OF OUTSTANDING DEBT WAS AS FOLLOWS, GENERAL OBLIGATION 0.35% COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM 2.68%, AVIATION, 0% CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT, 4.15%. MAYOR, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. UH, I REALIZED THAT THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION AND THE NEWLY ELECTED MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL WERE BRIEFED BY EVERY CITY DEPARTMENT DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CITY CONTROLLER'S OFFICE. SO I'D LIKE TO CHANGE THAT. MY OFFICE IS PLEASED TO INVITE MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND CITY COUNCIL TO PARTICIPATE IN A BRIEFING WITH ME AND MEMBERS OF MY SENIOR STAFF TO TALK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, HOW WE CAN BEST WORK TOGETHER AND TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU AND YOUR STAFF MIGHT HAVE. UH, MY SENIOR STAFF IS PRESENT WITH ME TODAY, SO I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR PRESENCE AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE. UH, WE WILL WORK TO IDENTIFY A DATE AND TIME IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS THAT DOESN'T CONFLICT WITH OTHER CITY MEETINGS, UH, AND SO EXPECT AN INVITATION FROM OUR OFFICE IN COMING DAYS. IN ADDITION, I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING WITH EACH OF YOU ONE-ON-ONE IN COMING WEEKS TO BUILD OUR STRENGTH IN OUR WORKING RELATIONSHIP. MR. MAYOR, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING WITH YOU LAST WEEK AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING, UH, TO GET TOGETHER ON A REGULAR BASIS. YEAH, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT IMPLYING YOU AND I HAVEN'T SAT DOWN AND TALKED . I AM NOT AT ALL, SIR. OKAY. WELL THAT'S GREAT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO A CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND, UH, WE REPRESENT THE SAME PEOPLE, SO LET'S GO TO WORK. ABSOLUTELY. UH, FINALLY, I SPOKE TO MANY OF YOU YESTERDAY ABOUT TODAY'S AGENDA ITEMS. UH, FOR THOSE I CONNECTED WITH, I TRULY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME. MY OFFICE WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF ITEMS BEFORE CERTIFICATION, SO WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO ESTABLISH AN EFFICIENT PROCESS FOR INFORMATION EXCHANGE GOING FORWARD. AGAIN, I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND YOUR FLEXIBILITY AS WELL AS YOUR COLLEGIALITY AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO SERVE OUR GREAT CITY. THANK YOU. SOUNDS GREAT. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, IF NOT, UH, CHAIR RECOGNIZES SAYS ACTING DIRECTOR MELISSA DEBOWSKI SOON THAT WILL NOT BE ACTING. I, UH, VERY COMPETENT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, MELISSA. MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. THIS IS THE FIVE PLUS SEVEN FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING NOVEMBER 30TH, 2023. FISCAL YEAR 2024. PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON FIVE MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS AND SEVEN MONTHS OF PROJECTIONS FOR THE GENERAL FUND. OUR REVENUE PROJECTION IS MORE, EXCUSE MELISSA SPEAKING TO MICAH? YES, A LITTLE BIT. SURE. CLOSER. OKAY. IS THAT BETTER? YES, MA'AM. OKAY, THANK YOU. THE REVENUE PROJECTION FOR THE GENERAL FUND IS 1.9 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND REMAINS UNCHANGED FROM THE PRIOR MONTH. OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTION IS 53.9 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND 10.9 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE PRIOR MONTH'S REPORT. THE VARIANCE FROM THE PRIOR MONTH'S PROJECTIONS ARE DUE TO AN INCREASE IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT TO REFLECT FUNDING FOR THE MCGREGOR PARK DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, THE SHARPSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER PROJECT AND THE BUFFALO BAYOU DOWNTOWN GATEWAY NORTH PROJECT. WE'RE CURRENTLY PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF 415.8 MILLION, WHICH IS 9.4 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PRIOR MONTH. AND, BUT STILL 16.7% OF ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. THIS FUND BALANCE REPRESENTS $228.6 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGETED 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO FOR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS. WE'RE PROJECTING THE FOLLOWING FORECASTING CHANGES FROM THE PRIOR MONTH, AND THIS IS RELATED TO THE ITEMS THAT I ALREADY PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED. UH, THE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES PROJECTIONS ARE INCREASED BY 10 MILLION DUE TO THE MCGREGOR PARK AND THE SHARPSTOWN COMMUNITY CENTER PARK. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR REPORTS. UH, HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU BOTH, UH, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, UH, SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ON, UH, THE SALES TAX PROJECTIONS AND, AND YOUR FORECAST FOR SEEING THEM, UM, AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE. SURE. UM, SO WHEN WE SET THE BUDGET FOR THE SALES TAX FOR FY 24, AT THAT TIME, THE BUDGET OF 865 MILLION WAS ABOUT 3% DECREASE FROM THE FY 23 ESTIMATE AT THAT TIME, UH, WHICH WE FELT WAS A CONSERVATIVE WAY TO BUDGET THE SALES TAX. UM, CURRENTLY BASED ON THE RECEIPTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR, YEAR TO DATE, UM, THE REMAINING MONTHS WOULD NEED TO COME IN 4.76% BELOW THE PRIOR YEAR, UH, WHICH IS STILL A VERY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE CONSIDERING THAT YEAR TO DATE, WE'VE COLLECTED 1.8% ABOVE THOSE PERIODS, UH, FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. UH, SO WE STILL VERY, YOU KNOW, WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT IN OUR PROJECTIONS AT THIS POINT. THANK YOU. AND TO CONTROLLER HOLLANDS, CAN YOU ELABORATE MORE ON, WELL, IN THE PAST, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE SOMETIMES [03:15:01] GIVES A MORE CONSERVATIVE VIEW AND ONLY ONE STANCE, BUT YOU SAID, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT GOING FORWARD YOU'RE GONNA HAVE AN OUTLOOK IN DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FROM A OPTIMISTIC STANDPOINT, MAYBE A MODERATE AND A CONSERVATIVE. THAT'S CORRECT. WELL, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT BECAUSE, UH, MANY TIMES ALL WE HEAR IS LIKE THE DOOM AND GLOOM, UH, AND IT WOULD BE GREAT, UH, TO HAVE DIFFERENT, UH, PERSPECTIVES, FINANCIAL ADVICE AND INSIGHT BASED ON WHAT'S COMING IN AND NOT JUST THE PURE CONSERVATIVE, BUT ALSO FROM AN OPTIMISTIC STANDPOINT AS WELL. SO THAT, THAT IS, UM, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. SO I APPRECIATE IT. YEAH, AND JUST TO, TO, TO CLARIFY AGAIN, GOING FORWARD, I THINK WHAT WE'LL TRY TO SHARE IS A BASE CASE SCENARIO, AN OPTIMISTIC SCENARIO, AND A CONSERVATIVE SCENARIO. UH, AGAIN, BUT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF OUR OFFICE, ULTIMATELY OUR PROJECTIONS WILL BE BASED ON THAT CONSERVATIVE SCENARIO. BUT WE'LL BE TRANSPARENT THAT THAT'S THE CASE. I LIKE THAT. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE ARPA MONEY. UH, AS WE LOOK AT THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR, WE KNOW THAT IN 2022 WE, WE, UH, USED THE ARPA MONEY TO ENHANCE OUR BUDGET TO REPLACE REVENUES TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT ONE 39 MILLION IN 23, 1 60 2 MILLION. AND LAST YEAR, 160 MILLION, SO 400 MILLION PLUS. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING EACH YEAR, UM, BY MY MATH AND WHAT'S REPORTED OUT OF OUR $604 MILLION THAT WE GOT IN ARPA REVENUE, UM, WE HAVE SPENT ABOUT 494 MILLION OF THAT. SO THAT LEAVES ABOUT 110 MILLION LEFT. NOW THERE, THAT'S BEEN COMMITTED TO A LOT OF PROJECTS. I'M LOOKING AT THE OCTOBER 31ST ARPA REPORT, BUT JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT, WHAT WE HAVE AS WE LOOK MAYOR TO THESE, THESE RAISES THAT WE'VE, WE'VE USED THE ARPA MONEY FOR THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO CONTINUE. SO LOOKING AT THAT ARPA MONEY AND LOOKING AT THE ROUGHLY BY THE CONTROLLERS, UH, MORE CONSERVATIVE PROJECTION OF ABOUT 190 MILLION OVER WHAT WE HAVE IN FUND BALANCE FOR THIS YEAR, THAT SEEMS TO BE THE MONEY. THAT'S, AM I DOING THIS CORRECTLY? UM, DIRECTOR BKI, THAT THAT SEEMS TO BE THE MONEY THAT'S, THAT'S LEFT. THAT'S NOT ALL. I MEAN, THAT'S THE ARPA MONEY THAT'S LEFT. SOME COMMITTED, BUT NOT SPENT. SOME, IF YOU LOOK DOWN THE LIST OF PROJECTS, LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT NOT SPEND IT ALL IN THAT CATEGORY. THAT MONEY COULD ROLL IN. IF YOU COULD GIVE SOME SENSE OF HOW THE ARPA MONEY WILL PLAY INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR BUDGET. SURE. UH, SO YOU'RE CORRECT. WE HAVE, UM, UTILIZED ARPA MONEY IN THE PAST THREE FISCAL YEARS FOR THE REVENUE REPLACEMENT, UH, FOR THE PROVISION OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES. UH, THERE IS STILL SOME MONEY THAT'S, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, OBLIGATED, BUT NOT YET SPENT, UH, WHICH WE DO STILL HAVE TIME FOR. UM, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A DEEP DIVE AND LOOKING AT THOSE REMAINING, UM, PROGRAM PROJECTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT MONEY CAN BE FULLY EXPENDED BEFORE THE DEADLINE. AND IF NOT, WE'LL LOOK TO REALLOCATE. WE CERTAINLY DON'T INTEND TO SEND ANY, ANY FUNDING BACK. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND AS WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, COUNCIL MEMBER ARPA MONEY WILL NO LONGER BE IN CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? IT'LL BE WHAT'S IN THE FUND BALANCE, UH, AND THEN IT'LL OF COURSE BE UP TO OUR SPENDING PRIORITIES AS WELL AS OUR REVENUE COLLECTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I DID NOT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. I KNOW, UH, IN THE COMING WEEKS AND MONTHS, THERE WILL BE BIG, DEEP DIVES FOR BOTH OF YOU ALL. BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, AND REC, THANK YOU AND RECOGNIZE BOTH OF YOU, UH, MR. CONTROLLER, INTERIM DIRECTOR, BOTH OF YOU, UM, ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED. AND WHILE YOU BOTH SERVE, UM, IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES, THE ABILITY FOR ALL OF US TO HAVE THE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES CONTROLLER FOR YOU TO BE LAYING OUT MORE CONSERVATIVE NUMBERS, BUT ALSO I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR, UM, YOU KNOW, A RANGE OF THOSE, WHAT THOSE DIFFERENT SCOPES LOOK LIKE. AND OF COURSE, UM, INTERIM DIRECTOR, YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE CITY, UM, FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND, UH, WE'RE, BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME AT THE DAY IN THIS CAPACITY, I DO WANNA SAY WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. UH, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. ANYONE ELSE? IF NOT, THANK YOU. IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE REPORT CAST THAT MADE A MOVE TO ACCEPT THE FINANCIAL REPORT? THOMAS SECOND MOTION BEEN MADE AND SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. IS THERE OBJECTION NONE. ALL THANK. THANK YOU. [MAYOR'S REPORT] COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. UH, THIS IS JANUARY'S HUMAN TRAFFICKING MONTH. WE'D LIKE TO, UM, [03:20:02] THANK OUR STAKEHOLDERS, HPD, OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT ARE WORKING TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS ISSUE. UH, HPD IS SHARING VIDEOS IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH THIS MONTH TO MAKE HUMAN TRAFFICKING, UH, A PRIORITY. I'D LIKE TO THANK OUR MENIL DAVIS, OUR HUMAN TRAFFICK, UH, DIRECTOR IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, ALSO AN OUTSIDE ACTIVIST AND LONGTIME FIGHTER OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING. OUR FRIEND KATHY GRIFFIN, WHO WORKS WITH ALAN ROSEN, THE CONSTABLE. SO, UH, WE NEED TO ALL JOIN HANDS AND ADDRESS THAT. I KNOW COUNCILMAN POLLARD, YOU HAVE DONE SIGNIFICANT WORK IN YOUR DISTRICT, AS OTHERS HAVE ACROSS THE CITY. SO JANUARY'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA REALLY DOUBLE DOWN ATTACKING HUMAN TRAFFICKING. UH, MONDAY'S, MLK DAY, THE PARADE WILL START, UH, ADJACENT TO CITY HALL AT NINE 40. UM, I INVITE EVERYONE TO JOIN. I'LL BE THERE, UH, TO JOIN THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY, TO SEE THAT THE MARCHING BANDS, DRILL TEAMS AND FLOATS HONORING DR. KING ARE RECOGNIZED. CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY BEN CRUMP. IT'S THE GRAND MARSHALL, JOINED BY HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT TO COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA, WHO IS A CO GRAND MARSHALL. REVEREND DERRICK KING, THE NEPHEW OF DR. KING, WILL ALSO BE IN ATTENDANCE BARK, UH, WHICH FACES CHALLENGES, WHICH I HOPE WE'LL ALL JOIN TOGETHER TO ADDRESS, UH, IS HAVING A FREE ADOPTION WEEKEND AT THE, UH, WEST SIDE CLUB, RUN BY VALE'S. UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT. AND ADOPTION FEES WILL BE FREE FOR ALL PETS AT THE EVENT SPONSORED BY LINDA VALE. ALSO, IT'S A, UM, SAD OCCASION THAT I HAVE TO, UH, ANNOUNCE THAT, UH, US REPRESENTATIVE EDDIE BERNICE, UH, PASSED THIS DECEMBER 31ST AT THE AGE OF 89. UH, CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE BRITISH JOHNSON WAS ABSOLUTELY A, UH, SYMBOL OF GOOD PUBLIC SERVICE. I, UH, WAS ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE WITH HER IN 73. WE WERE FRESHMEN THEN. SHE, UH, WAS ELECTED TO STATE SENATE ELECTED TO CONGRESS IN 92. SO SHE SPENT OVER 30 YEARS IN WASHINGTON REPRESENTING HER DISTRICT. SHE WILL BE LAID TO REST IN THE STATE CEMETERY TODAY, AND I INTEND TO ASK COUNSEL TO ADJOURN IN HER MEMORY TODAY. SO SHE'S A REAL ROLE MODEL FOR ALL OF US TO, UH, BE VERY CONSCIENTIOUS AND SERVE OUR DISTRICTS. [CONSENT AGENDA] MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU WILL NOW PROCEED WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA UNDER THE ACCEPT WORK CATEGORY. ITEM ONE HAS BEEN REMOVED, SEPARATE CONSIDERATION UNDER THE PROPERTY CATEGORY. ITEM TWO NEEDS A MOTION. TATUM MOVE. SECOND. MOTION BEEN MADE IN FAVOR, OPPOSED, MADE AND SECONDED. ANY OPPOSED? IF NOT, MOTION CARRIES UNDER THE PURCHASING AND TABULATION OF BIDS CATEGORY. ITEM 10 HAS BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEMS REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. 3, 6, 12, AND 13. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN, ARE 3, 6, 12, AND 13. NEED OF MOTION ON THE BALANCE? 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, AND 11. CAST TAYLOR. MOVE ON A SECOND. MOTION MADE AND SECOND OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNDER THE RESOLUTION CATEGORY. ITEM 14. JUST NEED TO VOTE ITEM, CARRIE. OKAY. IS THERE A MOTION? WE DON'T NEED THE MOTION, WE JUST NEED THE VOTE. JUST SAY ALL. OKAY. LET'S VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNDER THE ORDERS CATEGORY ITEMS 23 AND 27 HAVE BEEN PULLED AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. ITEM 19 HAS BEEN RECEIVED, ITEMS REMOVED. SEVEN. CONSIDERATION. 22, 24 AND 25. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN ARE 22, 24, AND 25. NEED A VOTE [03:25:01] ON THE BALANCE? I NEED A MOTION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] I REMOVE SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. ITEM ONE NEEDS A MOTION. CAT EXT. MOVED ON THE SECOND. MOTION MADE AND SECOND OPPOSED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. MOTION CARRIES BACKWARDS. ITEM THREE NEEDS A MOTION CAST. NEXT ITEM, MOVE ON A SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND ON FAVOR, SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I WAS WAITING FOR THIS TO PASS. I JUST SIMPLY WANTED TO SPOTLIGHT THIS ITEM. IT OFTENTIMES, UH, DOESN'T GET ATTENTION WHEN WE'RE PROVIDING NEW AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO OUR FIRE STATION, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS. SO THIS ITEM, UM, IS PROVIDING ADDITIONAL NEW, UH, WORKOUT EQUIPMENT, UH, TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR FIRE STATIONS. SO THERE'S SEVEN TOTAL IN DISTRICT C, BUT AGAIN, 97 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. AND I WANTED TO, UM, THANK EVERYONE FOR THIS ITEM BECAUSE AGAIN, PUTTING OUR, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS HEALTH AND WELLNESS AT THE FOREFRONT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT. VERY GOOD. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, IF NOT ALL IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT? SHE ALREADY DID IT. YOU'VE ALREADY DONE IT. YEAH, SHE WAS COMMENTING AFTER THE VOTE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ITEM SIX NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX, TA, MOVE I SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED NO PASSES. ITEM 12 NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX, TA MOVE. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN IN FAVOR. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. I, I'LL MAKE A COMMENT AFTER THE VOTE. AFTER THE VOTE. YES. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ALL OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU SO MUCH MAYOR. AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THESE ITEMS. THESE ARE CO-OP ITEMS. AND JUST TO KIND OF LET EVERYONE, UM, KNOW A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT'S GOING ON. CO-OPS ARE TYPICALLY, UM, WE'VE BEEN USING THOSE TO, UM, SECURE PROCUREMENT ITEMS. AND WHEN WE USE CO-OPS, WE, UM, WE TYPICALLY DON'T PUT THOSE ITEMS ON THE EBIT SYSTEM. SO PEOP SMALL BUSINESSES, MID-SIZE BUSINESSES ARE NOT ABLE TO APPLY OR, UM, ENGAGE IN THAT PROCUREMENT PROCESS. AND SO I WANTED TO JUST MENTION THAT THESE ARE ITEMS, UM, THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH CO-OP. UM, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICE. LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ADMINISTRATION AS WELL. UM, BUT AS WE WORK ON THE BACKLOG THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH IN THE PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ENGAGING SMALL BUSINESSES AND MID-SIZE BITS, MID-SIZE BUSINESSES, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS AS WELL. WE'VE JUST ENGAGED WITH A, UM, WITH A NEW EBIT SYSTEM CALLED ARIBA. IT'S BRAND NEW. WE'VE JUST ROLLED IT OUT. UM, AND WE'RE STILL ENGAGED. WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GET THE SMALL BUSINESSES TO ENROLL AND ONCE THEY ENROLL, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO, UH, BE A LOT MORE INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICE, THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, CREATE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ITEM SECRETARY. ITEM 13 NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATU MOVED. SECOND. MOTION MADE, SECONDED, UH, ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 22 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, COLLEAGUES, UH, SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL THAT, UH, LAST YEAR, TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR, I, UH, ATTEMPTED TO ADD, UH, THIS UPCOMING ELECTION DAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, UM, AS A CITY HOLIDAY. UH, WHILE THERE WERE SOME CHALLENGES IN DOING THAT AT THAT TIME, UM, I'M PUTTING FORWARD AN AMENDMENT NOW THAT WOULD RECOGNIZE NOVEMBER 5TH AS A COUNCIL HOLIDAY. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPEDE CITY SERVICES, BUT IT WOULD ALLOW THOSE THAT WE, WHEN WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE PUBLIC SESSION ON TUESDAY, UM, TO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE IN, UM, THE ELECTION AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESS THAT DAY. ALL WE ARE DOING WITH THIS AMENDMENT IS CONSOLIDATING ONE FURTHER COUNCIL SESSION TO WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH. UH, SO IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, PUBLIC SESSION AND COUNCIL AGENDA WOULD BOTH BE TAKEN UP ON NOVEMBER 6TH. UH, SO YOU HAVE THAT PAPER IN FRONT OF YOU. UH, MAYOR AT THIS TIME I'D BE HAPPY TO READ THE AMENDMENT THOUGH. IT'S BEFORE [03:30:01] YOU DO. DO WE NEED TO READ IT OUT LOUD? I GUESS IT'S A POINT OF INFORMATION. I THINK YOU DID A FINE EXPLANATION. ALRIGHT, SO WITH THAT, UM, I WOULD MOVE TO AMEND AGENDA ITEM 22 AS LAID OUT BEFORE YOU. AND THAT ALSO INCLUDES MODIFYING THE NUMBERS OF THE DATES AND THE SECTIONS FOLLOWING THAT SO THAT, UH, THAT REFLECTS THE ACCURACY. HOW MANY SECONDS AS ADOPTED. REMEMBER YOU'VE HEARD THE, UH, AMENDMENT, UH, MOTIONS MADE. ANY DISCUSSION? NOT, UH, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OF THE AMENDMENT? THOSE OPPOSED AMENDMENT PASSES. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDED ITEM? NOT WE NEED A MOTION CAST. TAKE A MOVE. I SECOND. MOTION'S MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED PASSES? MM-HMM . ITEM ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ANY DISCUSSION? YES, MAYOR PROTO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A BRIEFING WITH THE REAL ESTATE DEPARTMENT ON THIS ITEM. WANTED TO SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT, UH, ON ITEM 24, WE WERE LOOKING AT, UH, SELLING THIS PROPERTY. ANYTIME WE ARE LOOKING AT SELLING PROPERTY AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS NOT PROPERTY THAT WE'LL WANT BACK AND THEN HAVE TO PAY, YOU KNOW, THREE TIMES AS MUCH FOR IT, UM, ONCE WE'VE ALREADY SOLD IT. UH, BUT THE REAL ESTATE DIVISION DID STATE THAT THIS WAS AN ORPHAN PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT ORIGINALLY WE WERE LOOKING AT U USING FOR POSSIBLY THE TOLL ROAD. THE TOLL ROAD HAS BEEN STRAIGHTENED OUT. UM, SO THIS PROPERTY IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD NEED IN THE FUTURE. UM, WE DID HAVE AN INDEPENDENT APPRAISAL ON THE PROPERTY TO DETERMINE THE PRICE FOR THE PURCHASE. SO I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF, UM, THE TRANSFERRING OF THIS PROPERTY. VERY GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS? NOT MOTION. DON'T NEED A MOTION JUST TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OPPOSED? OPPOSED. AYES HAVE IT. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. 25. I'M SORRY. 25 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS PROJECT JUST A BIT. UH, IT'S A PARTNERSHIP, BETWEENT MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, WE HAD TO INCREASE, UH, THE AMOUNT HERE BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME, UH, STORM WATER ISSUES, UH, UNDERNEATH THE GROUND. AND SO, UH, IT'S A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO, TO, UH, UM, HAVE THESE TYPES OF PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE CITY AND OTHER ENTITIES, UM, THAT WORK WITH US. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, HOBBY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, AND THE GULF GATE. FIRST, THANK YOU. JUST TO VOTE MEMBERS, UH, VOTE ON ITEM 25 IN FAVOR OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. THERE WE GO. [MATTERS HELD] ITEM 28 WAS A MOTION. WE ALREADY HAD THE MOTION. WE JUST NEED A VOTE MOTION. WE ALREADY HAD IT. WE JUST NEED THE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED. ITEM CARRIES. ITEM 29, WE HAVE A MOTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED NO MOTION. MOTION PASSES YOU. ITEM 30 IS A MOTION. WE JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 31 IS AN ORDINANCE. THIS NEED TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 32 IS AN ORDINANCE. THIS NEED TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 33 IS AN ORDINANCE THIS NEED TO VOTE. THOSE IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION PASSES. ITEM 34 IS AN ORDINANCE. THIS NEED A VOTE. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO REFER THIS ITEM BACK TO THE MINI, I'M SORRY, DELAY THE MOTION, DELAY THE VOTE BEFORE WEEKS. UM, JUST [03:35:01] TO ALLOW US TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH YOU. MAYOR WHITMEYER, FIRST OF ALL, I AGREE WITH YOU. UH, THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE, BUT IN MY BRIEFINGS, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED TO MAKE THIS AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT SHOULD BE. CERTAINLY I'M IN CONTACT WITH COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, BUT IN MY BRIEFING, UH, WE NEED TO GET MORE INFORMATION FROM THE RESIDENTS. I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH THEM. I'M TOLD OUT OF THE 42 PIECES OF PROPERTY, NINE OF THE RESIDENCES HAVE AGREED TO RELOCATE. UM, HOW TO FACILITATE THAT HAS NOT BEEN CONCLUDED. UM, WE DON'T KNOW THE EPAS POSITION THEY'RE STUDYING. I DON'T NECESSARILY BELIEVE WE WAIT THE 18 MONTHS THAT THEY'RE TELLING US IT'LL TAKE. UH, I THINK IT WOULD BE AN INJUSTICE TO THE FAMILIES AND RESIDENTS TO TELL 'EM WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING WORKED OUT. UH, BUT WE NEED TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT. UH, ONE OF THE NINE FAMILIES HAS, FOR INSTANCE, ALREADY LEFT THE AREA. THEY'RE SEEING RETAIL DEVELOPMENT, THEY'RE SEEING CITY ISSUING PERMITS. THE LAND OFFICE IS CONSTRUCTING RESIDENCES. THERE'S A LOT OF MISTRUST IN THE COMMUNITY OF THIS PROPOSAL. THE PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE US RELOCATE FAMILIES TO DO THE LAND BANK LAND TRUST TO ESTIMATED $250,000 HOMES. I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S VISITED WITH THE FAMILIES ABOUT THE CHALLENGE OF PROPERTY TAXES, EVEN IF THEY COULD BE WAIVED. JUST THE REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF IT TO ISSUE $2 MILLION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM. TALKING TO MR. MICHELLE THIS MORNING, THERE'S NO PLAN IN EFFECT WHO YOU'RE GONNA GET TO MANAGE IT. I DEFINITELY WANT TO TALK TO COMMISSIONER ELLIS TO SEE IF THE COUNTY WOULD PARTNER WITH US. I WANT TO TALK TO THE COUNT, THE CONGRESSWOMAN. UH, I'LL BE IN CONTACT WITH THE EPA. I JUST WANNA BE AS TRANSPARENT AND OPEN WITH THE RESIDENCE AS POSSIBLE. THEY'RE DEPENDING ON US. I'VE NEVER REPRESENTED THE AREA BEFORE. I'VE CERTAINLY FOLLOWED IT. UH, AND NOW I DO REPRESENT THEM. SO I WANNA MEET WITH THE FAMILIES, THOSE THAT HAVE DISTRUST OF THE PROGRAM. I WANT TO CONSULT WITH 'EM. I WANNA WORK WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. CERTAINLY THE DISTRICT COUNCIL PERSON. I JUST WOULD LIKE MORE TIME. THIS WAS, I I FOLLOWED IT THROUGH THE PRESS. YOU KNOW, IT'S GREAT THAT THE EPA, UH, DIRECTOR COMES THROUGH, EVERYBODY GOES THROUGH AND ANNOUNCE A PLAN AND APPROVES 5 MILLION WHEN I'M BRIEFED. AND IT'S, AND IT'S GONNA TAKE 40 MILLION TO COMPLETE THIS MISSION. SO I JUST THINK IT'S, IT'S, WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB. AND I'M COMMITTED TO THAT. AND THIS IS NOT TO DELAY IT UNNECESSARILY, BUT I WOULD ASK, GIMME A MONTH TO GET ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE ROOM. COME BACK TO COUNCIL WITH AT LEAST A CLEAR PATH OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TODAY. I WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME TELLING THE RESIDENCES, THE RESIDENTS, AND OUR HOUSTONIANS THAT WE'RE MAKING A WISE DECISION TO START IT AND THEN STOP IT WOULD BE AN, AN INJUSTICE. CERTAINLY, I WISH THE CHRIS HOPE PLANT WOULD'VE NEVER BEEN THERE. AND IT'S, IT'S OTHER LOCATIONS AROUND THE NATION THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THIS. WE NEED SOME FEDERAL GRANT MONEY, WHICH I'LL BE SEEKING. WE NEED TO WORK WITH OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, OUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT ALSO THE STATE OF TEXAS OUGHT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER TO ACHIEVE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EQUALITY. WE NEED TO ALL SEE WHAT THE POSSIBILITIES ARE. BUT I WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME SAYING, I'VE GOT CONFIDENCE IN GOING FORWARD TODAY. I HOPE TO HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE A MONTH FROM NOW AND THEN WE CAN MAKE THE PROPER DECISION. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE ADMINISTRATION'S NEW, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD GOVERNMENT AND [03:40:01] FAIR TO THE RESIDENTS IF WE GAVE OURSELF A MONTH. I'LL SHARE MY BRIEFINGS AND INVOLVEMENT WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. BUT, UH, I KNOW YOU'VE WORKED REAL HARD. UH, I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE A LIST OF YOUR QUESTIONS THAT THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION THAT I INHERITED, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, EMPLOYEES STAFFING SAID THEY HADN'T SHARED THAT WITH YOU AS OF TWO DAYS AGO. REMEMBER, THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE'RE GONNA OPERATE AROUND THIS HORSESHOE. NOT ONLY SHOULD YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS, WHICH WAS SHARED WITH ME, AND I WAS TOLD THAT YOU, THAT THEY WERE DIRECTED NOT TO SHARE WITH YOU, THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE. BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS TOLD. NOT ONLY SHOULD YOU GET THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US SHOULD GET IT. SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT JUST GONNA TALK ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND COLLABORATION AND WORK. YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS, AND I WANNA SHARE 'EM WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. WITH THAT SAID, I WOULD LIKE A MONTH TO BRING US ALL TOGETHER ON THIS ISSUE. AND IT'S NOT A, UH, A DELAY. UM, FOR, FOR, FOR THE PURPOSES OF DELAY. IT IS TO HAVE A BETTER WORK PRODUCT. IT IS VERY SERIOUS. WE'VE GOTTA GET TO THE BOTTOM OF, IN THE VERY NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE PEOPLE ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO RELOCATE, THEY'RE SEEING DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT ONLY IS PLAYING INTO THE HANDS OF SOME OF THE AGITATORS THAT THIS IS A LAND GRAB BY DEVELOPERS. IT'S ANYTHING BUT THAT IN MY MIND. SO, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? WE DO, BUT CAN WE GET A SECOND ON THE MOTION FIRST? AND THEN COUNCIL, IS THERE A SECOND TO, UH, AGREE TO ONE MONTH? HOLD FOR SECOND DELAY. MOTION'S BEEN MADE. THERE'S DISCUSSION. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I AGREE THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THIS PROGRAM. UM, THE, THE VOLUNTARILY RELOCATION PROGRAM. UM, I LEARNED ABOUT THE CANCER CLUSTER BACK IN 2014, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE 2014. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DYING. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE, THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION CAME UP WITH A, IT'S NOT A A PERFECT PLAN, BUT IT'S A START. AND SO I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DO BOTH. WE CAN CONTINUE TO DIG DEEP, YOU KNOW, BUILD OUT THE PROGRAM, AND THEN WE CAN CON MOVE FORWARD. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK NOT VOTING ON THIS AND, AND REFERRING THIS BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION, IT'S NOT WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE RESIDENTS IN FIFTH WARD, UH, AROUND THIS COUNCIL CLUSTER. I KNOW YOU SAID IT'S SEVEN PEOPLE WHO, UM, SAY THAT THEY WANNA PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. AGAIN, IT'S VOLUNTARILY. IF WE CAN SAVE TWO OR THREE PEOPLE, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LOST A LOT. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, THERE'S A MEETING, COMMUNITY MEETING SCHEDULED NEXT WEEK, JANUARY NEXT WEEK, JANUARY THE 23RD, OR ACTUALLY THE TWO WEEKS. AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST MEETING. THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN MEETING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. UM, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAVE BEEN GOING DOOR TO DOOR. UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S FEAR BECAUSE THERE'S DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE AREA. IF WE CAN LIKE, STOP ISSUING PERMITS. I MEAN, I'M SAYING LET'S LOOK AT OTHER WAYS TO KIND OF PROTECT THE LAND OVER IN THAT AREA. AND I KNOW WHEN WE SPOKE, I MENTIONED GREENSPOINT, THE FLOODING IN GREENSPOINT. WE HAVE APARTMENTS THAT, UM, WE'VE TOLD DEVELOPER THEY, THEY CANNOT BUILD ON THAT LAND ANYMORE. SO WHY CAN'T WE DO THE SAME THING IN FIFTH WARD? BUT IN THE MEANTIME, IT'S PEOPLE HEALTH, PEOPLE LIVES ARE IN STAKE. AND SO I THINK IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GIVE THEM A PATHWAY OUT IF THEY WANT TO LEAVE THE AREA. NOBODY'S BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE FIFTH WARD OR LEAVE THE CANCER CLUSTER AREA. AND SO I JUST TOTALLY, I DON'T AGREE WITH REFERRING IT BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION. BUT AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I RESPECT YOUR POSITION AND RESPECT YOU AS THE MAYOR WANTING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS AREA. UM, BUT WE'VE BEEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND MANY OF US AROUND THIS, UM, HORSESHOE VOTED IN SEPTEMBER FOR THE $5 MILLION TO, TO, TO START GETTING PEOPLE MOVED OUT OF THE, UM, LOCATION OUT OF THE AREA. SO I JUST DON'T AGREE. BUT AGAIN, I HAVE TO RESPECT YOUR POSITION. WELL, I RESPECT YOUR VIEWS AND QUITE FRANKLY, I WISH THAT THE, THAT THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE PROPOSING THIS WOULD'VE DONE IT LIKE EIGHT YEARS AGO, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 YEARS AGO. THIS WAS DONE IN THE CLOSING MONTHS OF AN ADMINISTRATION. AND I GUESS YOU COULD SAY BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. BUT I DO THINK IT IS SO RECENT AND SO RUSHED THAT THERE ARE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS WHICH THE RESIDENTS DESERVE TO HAVE ANSWERED. YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO PIN YOU DOWN, BUT YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU TELLING 'EM THEY'RE MOVING TO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE AN INVENTORY IN THE HANDS OF THE RESIDENCES THAT [03:45:01] ARE GONNA GIVE THEM THEIR OPTIONS. ALL THIS WILL IMPACT THEIR JUDGMENT. SO I JUST SIMPLY THINK WE NEED MORE TRANSPARENCY. WE NEED A WORKABLE PLAN. WE NEED TO KNOW WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES TO MANAGE THIS. I CAN'T TELL ANYONE, AND I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF ANYONE CAN, UH, THE CITY ATTORNEY TOLD ME THIS MORNING, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT FAR. YES, FAMILY. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE EASY TO GO ALONG, GET ALONG. I UNDERSTAND SOME NEGATIVE MESSAGING, NOT ON YOUR PART, BUT ON SOME ACTIVISTS AND MAYBE THE PRESS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I GOT DOWN HERE TO BE TRANSPARENT AND BE HONEST AND NOT FOOL ANYBODY. AND I CAN'T IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SAY, OH, WE'VE GOT IT WORKED OUT. LET'S GO FORWARD TODAY. I WOULD HOPE IN A MONTH I'LL HAVE THE ANSWER TO SOME OF OUR QUESTIONS. AND IT'S NOT MY QUESTIONS, IT'S THE RESIDENTS. IT'S, I WILL COMMIT TO GOING TO THE COMMUNITY. TALKING TO THE NINE NOW, ONE OF THE NINE HAS ALREADY LEFT THE COMMUNITY. AND SO WHEN YOU ASK MR. COSTELLO AND OTHERS, HAVE YOU VISITED WITH THAT PERSON, WHAT IS HER PLANS? THEY CAN'T TELL YOU. THERE ARE TWO RENTERS THAT WILL GET $10,000 TO RELOCATE. WHAT DO THEY DO WHEN THEY RUN OUT OF THE 10,000? SO THERE'S JUST A LOT OF FAIR QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED, NOT COMMIT TO BRING THEM BACK IN A MONTH AND, AND DO THE BEST I CAN. I ONLY GOT BRIEFED ON THIS TWO DAYS AGO, AND QUITE FRANKLY, I COULDN'T ENJOY THE BALL GAME MONDAY NIGHT. LET ME STRIKE THAT. I ENJOYED THE BALL GAME MONDAY NIGHT, . I JUST WANTED TO GOOD SEE A GOOD FOOTBALL GAME. I GOT BRIEFED BEFORE I LEFT FOR THE BALL GAME AND I COULD NOT GET IT OFF MY MIND. IT'S THAT SERIOUS IN SUCH A EMOTIONAL, SIGNIFICANT DECISION BY THIS CITY ON BEHALF OF SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN, QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK NOT BEEN GIVEN THE FULL PICTURE. YOU KNOW, EPA SECRETARY COMES HERE, DOES A WALKTHROUGH. WHERE ARE THEY TODAY? WHERE'S OUR MONEY? WHAT IS THEIR PLAN? THE EPA COULD ACTUALLY RESTRICT THE DEVELOPMENT IN THAT PLUME AREA, I'M TOLD. SO I WANNA PARTNER WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, A REPRESENTATIVES, THE COUNTY, THE STATE, AND EACH OF YOU. BUT I JUST THINK ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENCES, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE A MORE DEFINITIVE PLAN. 5 MILLION IS A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT, BUT NOT WHEN YOU LET PEOPLE KNOW WE NEED 40, IF THE COUNTY MATCHES US WITH THEIR FIVE, WE'RE STILL SHORT. AND IT MIGHT BE AN ARGUMENT, WELL, AT LEAST WE HELPED A FEW FOLKS. THAT DOESN'T SOLVE THE LONG TERM PROBLEM FOR THE 42 PIECES OF PROPERTY IN THE PLUME AREA. SO I'M JUST USING, UH, MY SINCERITY AND COMMITMENT TO COME BACK IN A MONTH AND HAVE A BETTER REPORT THAN THAN THE WHAT I HAVE BEFORE YOU TODAY. I THINK IF NOTHING ELSE, IF WE HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMER IN GOOD FAITH ASKING FOR MORE TIME, SHE HADN'T EVEN SEEN THE QUESTIONS TO HER ANSWER. SHE'S A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. AND I THINK THAT WOULD SHED SOME LIGHT ON WHAT THE WISE DECISION WOULD BE. WITH THAT SAID, UM, COUNCILOR PAUL, I'LL BE YIELD TO COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AS YOU STATED, AND AS WAS HAS BEEN STATED AROUND THIS HORSESHOE, THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR SOME TIME NOW. WE CAN TRY TO GET EVERY ENTITY, YOU KNOW, IN THE COUNTRY, EPA STATE, COUNTY, WHOEVER, TO JOIN IN WITH US. AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT'S GONNA TAKE AND ALL OF THE DETAILS AND DYNAMICS AROUND THAT. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT AROUND THIS HORSESHOE WE HAVE DISCUSSED THIS PARTICULAR PLAN. AND ALTHOUGH IT MAY NOT BE THE BEST PLAN, IT IS A START. AND IF ALL WE CONTINUE TO DO IS GO BACK AND FORTH ON THIS ISSUE WHILE THESE PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE AT STAKE, THEN I THINK WE'RE DOING THEM AN INJUSTICE. I THINK WE CAN DO BOTH. IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE OR A OR IT COULD BE A AND WE PUSH FORWARD ON WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PASSED, RIGHT AND DISCUSSED. AND WE ALSO CONTINUE WITH THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE RESIDENTS. NOW NO ONE KNOWS THE RESIDENTS OF THAT AREA MORE THAN THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER. AS DISTRICT COUNT, AS A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, I DO BELIEVE WE NEED TO LEAN ON THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER FOR BEING THE CLOSEST TO THE ISSUE, TALKING TO HER CONSTITUENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE. AND THIS IS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM. SO WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT FORCING ANYONE TO DO ANYTHING, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO STOP THE PROGRESS WHILE WE CAN KEEP THE PROGRESS GOING AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. UM, AND SO I WILL DEFER TO THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER IF [03:50:01] YOU SAY THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUSH FORWARD ON THIS, UM, I'LL RESPECT THAT. AND I ENCOURAGE US ALL TO LOOK AT THIS FROM A HOLISTIC STANDPOINT. NOTHING'S REALLY GONNA TAKE PLACE IN, IN FOUR WEEKS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KNOW SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN TODAY. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS PUSH FORWARD TODAY AND THEN IN THE WEEKS ONGOING, CONTINUE TO LEARN MORE. AND IF WE NEED TO REVAMP, BRING IN ANOTHER ENTITY, THE COUNTY, UH, OR THE STATE, HAVE 'EM COME IN. BUT RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE NOTHING TO JOIN. AND THESE PEOPLE IN FIFTH WARD ARE WAITING FOR THIS TO, TO HAPPEN. AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT OUR LEADERSHIP SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHEN ARE THEY ACTUALLY GOING TO BE TRUE TO THEIR WORD? AND, UM, IF WE DO ANYTHING TODAY, IT SHOULD BE IN THE PROGRESS OF THE PEOPLE. AND I THINK GOING FORWARD WITH THIS WILL BE IN THE PROGRESS OF THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU. I'M THINKING ONE MONTH WE'LL HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION AND I THINK THAT WILL SERVE THE COMMUNITY WELL BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY DON'T HAVE ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS COUNCIL MEMBERS. SO I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN ME IN, UH, IN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. I THINK IT'S ALL OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LET THE FOLKS KNOW WHAT THE PLAN IS, WHO THEY'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH. LIKE I SAID, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A MANAGEMENT TEAM IN PLACE, SO IF YOU PASS THIS, UM, IT'S A, IT'S NOT THE, UM, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. UM, EVANS MAYOR PRO TEM EVANS. I'M SORRY, COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ. EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU. I I WANT TO JOIN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON IN URGING US TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS IS NOT AN END ALL BE ALL, AND IT'S STILL OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TO ADD TO THE FUND IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. BUT TO CERTAINLY DELAY THIS AFTER ALL OF THESE YEARS OF SUFFERING OF THIS COMMUNITY, I DO NOT THINK IS THE RIGHT COURSE. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION OR WHETHER WE NEED TO GO TO A VOTE OF THE COUNCIL, WHICH HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. AND SO IF IF IT'S NOT AT YOUR DISCRETION, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ITEM AND CALL FOR THE QUESTION. QUESTION BEFORE RIGHT NOW IS THE VOTE FOR THE FOUR WEEK DELAY. SO SHE'S COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, IS COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD HAD MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY WE TAKE A LOT OF STOCK IN WHAT A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER SAYS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND. AND MAYOR, YOU RAISED SOME REALLY IMPORTANT POINTS AND I'M, I'M VERY HAPPY TO HEAR WE ARE, UM, GOING OUT TO THE EPA AGAIN AND TRYING TO LEVERAGE ALL THOSE DOLLARS. AND, YOU KNOW, NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STATE MAYBE ALSO PUTTING FORWARD DOLLARS. UH, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THIS ITEM, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'D BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT, NOT JUST WEEKS AT COUNCIL, BUT IN MONTHS AND QUITE FRANKLY YEARS AHEAD OF TIME, IS THIS IS A, A FIRST STEP. THIS GETS THE BALL ROLLING. THIS ISN'T DEFINING THE ENTIRETY OF THE PROGRAM ITSELF. AND EVEN WITHIN THAT, I THINK MY QUESTION, IF I MAY, TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS ITEM WAS SIMPLY THE ALLOCATION OF THE DOLLARS. THAT THERE IS STILL OPPORTUNITIES EVEN WITHIN THIS PARTICULAR ALLOCATION WITH THE LAND BANK TO, UH, WORK THROUGH THE SPECIFICS OF THAT PROGRAM. THAT THIS DOES NOT FINE TUNE IT, IT SIMPLY GETS THE BALL ROLLING. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU ON THAT BECAUSE I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA PRECLUDE ANY OTHER EFFORTS THAT ARE ONGOING. UH, SO IF YOU COULD SHARE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THAT AND THE IMPORTANCE TO YOU OF THAT, UH, THAT WOULD HELP ME A LOT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY BEING BILLED OUT. WE'RE FLYING THE PLANE, BUILDING IT WHILE WE ARE FLYING IT. AND IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, ALL SET IN STONE. UM, FROM TALKING TO DIRECTOR WILLIAMS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S STILL WORKING OUT. THAT'S FROM MY UNDERSTANDING MM-HMM . BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. WE HAVE TO, UM, CONTINUE TO MAP OUT THE PLAN TILL WE GET TO THE FINAL PRODUCT. WE JUST CAN'T STOP. UM, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS. WE GET THE ANSWERS AS WE ARE MOVING ALONG. AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, TO THE MAYOR'S POINT, BECAUSE HE'S COMING IN AND NEEDS TO FOR HIMSELF, LOOK AT A LOT OF THIS AS DO THE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I KNOW THIS ITEM ITSELF WAS ONLY THIS PAST FALL, BUT HOW LONG HAVE YOU AND HOW LONG HAS THE CITY BEEN WORKING ON THIS? [03:55:01] I MEAN, I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON IT, BUT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT SINCE 2015, 1415. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHEN I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM KATHY BLUEFORD DANIELS WHO LIVE NEAR THE AREA. SO AS FAR AS THE CITY, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. NO, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR AND COUNCILMAN JACKSON. I, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS DEFER TO YOU IN TERMS OF MEAN YOU HAVE YOUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS. WHAT I JUST WANNA SAY IS THAT I THINK, I THINK WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS IS NOT DELAYING ANYTHING. IT'S JUST, IT'S THAT THIS PARTICULAR ITEM IS FORMING AN ACTUAL AGREEMENT WITH THE LAND BANK. THE ISSUE THAT I'M HEARING, AND MAYBE YOU'RE HEARING THE SAME THING, IS THAT THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. WE'VE, WE WERE PROMISED IN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE A SIT DOWN MEETING WITH THE LAND BANK, THE ONES THAT WANT TO SELL THEIR PROPERTIES OR TO RELOCATE VOLUNTARILY, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH THE LAND BANK AND UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DO MY TAXES LOOK LIKE? HOW MUCH AM I GONNA OWE ALL THOSE DETAILS. ONCE WE SIGN THIS CONTRACT, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY DIFFICULT TO GO BACK AND DO THAT. AND SO ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS AT LEAST ONE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH A LAND BANK, UM, IN THIS PARTICULAR, BECAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY ASSUME, UM, OR THEY, YOU KNOW, DECIDE TO RELOCATE. AND SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS, I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE A DELAY, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IS, I THINK WE'RE STILL MOVING FORWARD. WE'RE STILL CARVING OUT, WE'RE STILL MAKING ARRANGEMENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY'S FULLY AWARE. BUT I MEAN, I RESPECT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I REALLY DO. IT'S A COMPLICATED PROCESS. UM, I'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY ENGAGED IN THIS AS WELL, BUT YOU'RE ON THE GROUND AND I ALWAYS WANT TO DEFER TO YOU. I DO THINK THAT, UM, THIS IS AN COMPLICATED CONVERSATION AND NOW THAT WE'RE ENGAGING IN CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS, I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE, THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM JUST ALLOCATING THE MONEY THAT WE DID BEFORE THAT WAS DIFFERENT. BUT THIS IS AN ACTUAL AGREEMENT THAT A OWNER OF A PROPERTY NOW HAS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES THEIR RESPONSIBILITY LOOK LIKE? AND THEY'RE NOT AWARE OF THAT. THEY DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. AND I THINK IT'S ONLY FAIR TO LET THE RESIDENTS ACTUALLY PUT THE LAND BANK IN THE ROOM AND ANSWER ALL OF THEIR QUESTIONS. AND I THINK THAT'S ALL WE'RE TRYING TO DO. POINT OF ORDER. MAYOR WHITMEYER, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ CALLED FOR THE QUESTION. SECOND, OR WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT'D LIKE TO BE RECOGNIZED. QUESTION POINT OF ORDER. MAYOR, WOULD COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ, UM, RELEASE THE MOTION TO ALLOW WHOEVER IS IN QUEUE TO FINISH IN QUEUE WITH NO FURTHER COMMENTS BEING ADDED TO QUEUE? WOULD SHE, IT'S YOUR INTENTION TO CUT OFF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER'S COMMENTS? YES. CITY ATTORNEY ARTURO MICHELLE. UM, TO CALL, TO CALL THE QUESTION REQUIRES A SECOND AND A TWO THIRDS VOTE. I JUST WANTED THE BODY TO BE AWARE OF THAT. THOMAS SECONDS COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ'S MOTION. OKAY, THE QUESTION IS TO CUT OFF DEBATE AND HAVE A VOTE. UM, PLUMBER, HOW YOU GONNA CALL IT? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. A I'M CALL, CALL. WHICH WAY? SECRETARY, CALL THE ROLL, PLEASE. YES, VOTE. HONOR NO. CONSTABLE PECK? NO. CONSTABLE JACKSON? YES. MCMAN? NO. YES. COUNCIL FLICKINGER? NO. THOMAS YESABLE. HUFFMAN? NO. NO. YES. NO. MCC STATE TAYLOR? YES. NO, NO, NO. NO. FAILS. [04:00:01] MOTION FAILS. 12 FIVE. 12 TO FIVE. NOW RETURN TO CON CHAIR RECOGNIZES AS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. IN READING THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES, I SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES. UH, ONE OF THE GUIDELINES TALKS ABOUT ASSISTING RENTERS WITH MOVING OUT OF THE PROPERTY. AND AFTER THE RENTERS MOVE OUT OF THE PROPERTY, THEY WILL THEN ENGAGE THE OWNER ON SELLING THE PROPERTY. THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO PREVENT THAT OWNER FROM RENTING THAT PROPERTY OUT TO SOMEBODY ELSE. UH, WE SHOULD BE ENGAGING WITH THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, BUY THE PROPERTY IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO, AND THEN ASSIST THE RENTERS IN MOVING OUT AFTER WE'RE ESSENTIALLY THE LANDLORD. UH, THE OTHER THING IS THERE'S NEW CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN THIS AREA AS WELL. UH, IN FACT, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A GLO HOUSE THAT HAS JUST BEEN RECENTLY BUILT. SO WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, ONE ARM OF THE GOVERNMENT USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO REBUILD A HOME IN THE AREA, AND THEN US COMING IN AND GIVING MONEY TO GET OUT OF THE AREA. SO I, I THINK THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANT ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE RESOLVED BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. THANK YOU. I AGREE. MAYOR PRO TEM. THE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MY QUESTION IS TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, UM, WE WE'RE GETTING CONFLICTING MESSAGES. SO IS THERE ANY BUILDING BEING TAKING PLACE WITHIN THE 40 LOTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THIS PLUME AREA? UH, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, WHICH I WAS IN DECEMBER SOMETIME, THERE WAS NOTHING IN WHAT IS THE IDENTIFIABLE CLUSTER AREA, BUT THERE IS IN SOME OF THE SURROUNDING AREAS. SO DIDN'T WE PUT IN PLACE, UM, THAT NO PERMITS WOULD BE ISSUED IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA SO THAT NO CONSTRUCTION COULD BE TAKING PLACE IN THIS 40 LOT AREA THAT IT, THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING? YEAH. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A HOLD BY PERMITTING, UH, ON GRANTING PERMITS IN THAT CLUSTER AREA. SO I GUESS MY CONCERN IS IF WE MOVED FORWARD WITH PEOPLE MOVING OUT OF THE AREA, LET'S, LET'S SAY SOMEBODY DECIDES I DO WANT TO RELOCATE, UM, AND THE CITY TAKES OWNERSHIP OF THAT PARTICULAR LOT, UM, WILL COVENANTS BE PUT ON THAT LOT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING ON THAT PARTICULAR LOT? I THINK THAT IS THE PLAN TO KEEP IT FROM BEING USED FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES IN THE FUTURE. A COVENANT TO THE SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO WHEN FEMA BUYS OUT A PROPERTY. RIGHT. RIGHT. IT'S A COVENANT THAT IT'S A DE RESTRICTION THAT FLOODING. YES. SO I, I WANT US TO BE CLEAR WHEN PEOPLE ARE SAYING, BUT THEY'RE STILL BUILDING IN THAT AREA THAT THERE'S NOT CONSTRUCTION ON THESE 40 LOTS. THERE WILL BE CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE AREA, JUST LIKE IN PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS. ONE HOUSE THAT FLOODED CANNOT BE BUILT. NOTHING CAN BE BUILT ON THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY, BUT A COUPLE OF LOTS DOWN THERE ARE HOMES. SO THERE'S A SPECIFIC MAP THAT OUTLINES THE PLUME. AND THERE CURRENTLY IS NO ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THAT AREA. UH, CORRECT. AND I THINK THOSE MAPS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE, UH, PERMITTING WEBSITE. THERE ARE, THEY'RE AVAILABLE FOR, FOR BUILDERS AND THE PUBLIC. AND I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THERE'S CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THIS AREA. THERE'S NOT CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THE 40 LOT AREA THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED. UM, I DO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE STILL SOME OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS, MAYOR, WHAT, WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO IS THE SWEET SPOT HERE. UM, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE ALREADY VOTED ON THE $5 MILLION, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS ALLOCATION IS FOR $2 MILLION FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROJECT. IS WOULD YOU CONSIDER MAYBE, UM, THE 2 MILLION MAYBE IN AN ESCROW JUST TO PLACE HOLD SO THAT WE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DEFERRING TO THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD FEEL LIKE WE ARE STILL MOVING FORWARD, BUT WE STILL HAVE TIME TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS? IT, IT KIND OF SEPARATES THE ITEM, BUT MAYBE WE CAN DO AN AMENDMENT WHERE WE HOLD THE $2 MILLION IN ESCROW, UM, FOR ADMINISTRATION, BUT WE CAN STILL MOVE FORWARD. UM, AND THAT ALLOWS YOU TO VISIT WITH ALL OF THE PEOPLE YOU WANNA VISIT WITH. BUT WE STILL HAVE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE PROJECT OF, OF THAT WE ARE ALL WANTING BECAUSE I, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE DAY WE PASSED THE $5 MILLION, UM, [04:05:01] HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE RELIEVED, UM, BECAUSE SOMETHING FINALLY WAS TAKING PLACE. SO I I THINK THAT THERE IS A, THERE IS A SWEET SPOT HERE. UM, BECAUSE WE JUST NEED TO FIND IT. WELL, I THINK THE SWEET SPOT IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A MONTH FROM NOW. YOU'VE RAISED SOME VERY GOOD QUESTIONS AND THAT'S THE REASON WE NEED ADDITIONAL TIME. YOU'RE CORRECT. BASED ON MR. MICHELLE'S EXPLANATION, THE 42 PIECES DO NOT HAVE NEW CONSTRUCTION, BUT ACROSS THE STREET FROM 'EM IS, AND THAT'S THE CONFUSION AND THE MISREPRESENTATION OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING STUDIES, IS THE PLUME MOVING? THERE'S JUST A LOT OF IN DEPTH SCIENTIFIC HEALTH INFORMATION THAT WE DON'T HAVE TODAY. SO I UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF A SWEET SPOT. I PERSONALLY THINK COUNSEL HAS SPOKEN, SPOKEN RESPONSIBLY THAT A MONTH OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN A MONTH WE MAY COME BACK AND SAY, WE'VE HAD OUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED. THE EPAS POSITION IS THIS, THE COUNTY'S POSITION IS THIS. I THINK WE NEED A CURRENT REVIEW OF THE NINE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE AGREED TO RELOCATE. I DON'T THINK QUITE FRANKLY ANYBODY HAS SAT DOWN AND COUNSELED THEM. WHAT THAT MEANS, YOU GIVE A WR OR $10,000, THAT IS GREAT MOTION TO EXTEND SECOND UNTIL YOU SIT THERE AND SEE WHAT THEIR FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ARE. ARE THEY SENIORS? ARE THERE YOUNG FAMILIES? FOLKS? WE HAVE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND SO, OH, IT'D BE EASY FOR ME TO JUST GO ALONG, GET ALONG, BUT THAT'S NOT THE PURPOSE OF ME BEING HERE. THE 2 MILLION, NO ONE HAS A PLAN FOR HOW TO ADMINISTER IT. SO GIVE US A MONTH TO COME UP WITH A PLAN, GIVE US A MONTH TO COME UP WITH WHO ARE THE EXPERTS THAT CAN MANAGE THIS. AND SO I'M JUST NOT HERE AND YOU KNOW, I JUST, I CAN, I CAN IMAGINE WHAT ACTIVISTS WILL SAY WE'RE RETREATING. NO, WE'RE GOING FORWARD. WE'RE BEING AGGRESSIVE. WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT RIGHT. I'M SORRY THAT THESE QUESTIONS WERE NOT ANSWERED BEFORE WE COMMIT THE RESOURCES TO IT. WHO IN THE WORLD THINKS FIVE MILLION'S ENOUGH? IF YOU FART, LET'S DO IT. RIGHT? LET'S USE SOME OF THAT A OF MONEY COUNCILMAN AL CORNER. WHY, WHY DID Y'ALL SETTLE ON 5 MILLION INSTEAD OF THE 40 TO DO THE JOB IF IT HAS MERIT? AND THE QUESTION IS, YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED TO. YOU PROBABLY WEREN'T EVEN ALLOWED TO DISCUSS IT. LET'S DO IT RIGHT AND BE RESPONSIBLE IN A MONTH FROM NOW. I'LL BE THE FIRST TO SAY WE NEED TO, TO MOVE FORWARD. AND I WILL KNOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND I'LL BRING YOU, I THINK EVERY ONE OF Y'ALL KNOW, WHO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? WHAT'S THEIR PROFILE? WHAT'S THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES? WHERE WOULD THEY REALLY LIKE TO LIVE? AND AFFORDABILITY IS, IS THE HIGHEST PRIORITY, BUT I'M JUST THINK THE COUNCIL MADE A RESPONSIBLE VOTE RATHER GO. AND I, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, TO THE COUNCIL, THIS, THIS IS A VERY CRUCIAL AND CRITICAL ISSUE, UH, FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE CONDITIONS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAS HAPPENED TO THESE PEOPLE. BUT WHAT I'M HEARING, AND I'M REFERRING TO COUNCILMAN JACKSON IS WHAT I'M HEARING IT IN. MY CONCERN IS, UM, NINE PEOPLE, IF I UNDERSTAND THE COUNCIL IN THIS PLAN WAS TO APPROPRIATE THE RELOCATION OF NINE PEOPLE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THAT NINE HAS HAVE ANY OF MOVED THUS FAR? THEY HAVE NOT. SO, SO MY CONCERN IS THAT IT IS A CRUCIAL AND A CRITICAL SITUATION. BUT I ALSO THINK, AND WHAT I'M HEARING, I HEARD COUNCILMAN POLLARD SAID WE COULD DO BOTH, YOU KNOW, ONE, AND BUT THAT'S THE POSSIBILITY. I WASN'T HERE WHEN THE PLAN WAS MADE AND THE COUNCILS VOTED UPON IT, BUT ALSO HEARING THE MAYOR SAYING IF I'M HEARING IT RIGHT AND HE CAN CORRECT ME, BUT THAT THERE THE POSSIBILITY OF BENEFITING THOSE PEOPLE, THAT THERE ARE MORE DOLLARS, THERE ARE MORE BENEFITS THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO THAT SITUATION. I, THAT'S, IF THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING, I'M HEARING WE COULD DO BOTH, BUT I'M, BUT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, AND SOMEONE CAN CLARIFY THAT FOR ME AS TO WHETHER OR NOT WHAT YOU OPPOSING THERE THAT 30 DAYS TO, TO DO WHAT ITEMS. I THINK IF WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT IS THE ITEMS AND THE THINGS THAT, I THINK YOU'VE NAMED A FEW OF WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SOLIDIFY THIS PROJECT ON THE BASIS OF COUNCILMAN JACKSON SO THAT SHE COULD PROCEED WITH IT AS TO HOW WE'RE GOING TO BENEFIT THE, THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN [04:10:01] DEVASTATED BY THIS SITUATION. SO I THINK THE MOTION ON THE TABLE IS WHETHER WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE 2 MILLION. IS THAT CORRECT? IS THAT, IS THAT, I THINK THAT'S IT. TO DELAY. TO DELAY IT. TO DELAY IT. OKAY. SO I I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR. CLEAR THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING WOULD BENEFIT EVERYBODY, BUT WHAT WE DO GOING FORWARD WOULD EVEN BE A BIGGER BENEFIT IF THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING COMING FROM THE MAYOR THAT DELAYING IT 30 DAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADEQUATE IN WHAT WE'RE DOING. THANK YOU. UM, ONE ISSUE THAT REALLY NEEDS ADDRESSING, AND WE CAN DO WITHIN 30 DAYS, WE COULD PROBABLY DO IT IN A COUPLE DAYS. WE NEED TO ASK THE OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. AND CERTAINLY IF WE'VE GOT ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHICH WAS REPORTED TO ME, AND I'M TRYING TO KEEP POLITICS OUT OF THIS, IF WE HAVE A ELECTED OFFICIAL OUT THERE TELLING PEOPLE NOT TO RELOCATE COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, WE GOT A REAL SERIOUS PROBLEM AND IT'LL NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL. AND I DIDN'T HEAR IT FIRSTHAND, BUT STAFF REPORTED ME THAT THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE NOT TO MOVE. WELL, IF THAT'S CORRECT, WE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO. NO ONE OF THE PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED, AND I'M NOT SURE WE HAVE NINE TODAY. SO I JUST THINK IT'S IRRESPONSIBLE TO MOVE FORWARD IF WE DO NOT HAVE A REPORT TODAY AND A PLAN GOING FORWARD. AND I UNDERSTAND EACH AND EVERY INDIVIDUAL IS IMPORTANT. SOME WOULD ARGUE IF YOU SAVE ONE, OF COURSE THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT I'M LOOKING OUT FOR ALL THE FAMILIES. AND NUMBER TWO, WE'VE GOTTA EXPLAIN THIS TO ALL THE HOUSTONIANS. I I I WANNA BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT WE DO DOWN HERE. AND I DON'T THINK WE COULD DO AN ADEQUATE JOB TODAY OTHER THAN THE MESSAGING THAT WE TAKE IT VERY SERIOUS AND NO ONE TAKES IT MORE SERIOUS THAN ME. UH, BUT LET'S, LET'S BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHERE WE STAND. SO ANYWAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, ALLOW ME TO SHARE WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE RELATED TO THIS ITEM FOR MY NEW COLLEAGUES. AND A REMINDER TO MY CURRENT COLLEAGUES, UH, WHEN THIS ITEM WAS INITIALLY PRESENTED, THERE WERE THREE PARTNERS. A FAMILY HOUSTON, THE NONPROFIT AGENCY TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT TO THE I FAMILIES THAT IDENTIFIED INTEREST IN MOVING. SECONDLY WAS THE HOUSTON LAND TRUST. WE RAISED QUESTIONS AROUND PROPERTY TAXES. THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, UM, OPERATES A PROGRAM THAT WE FUND THROUGHTS TO RES, UH, TO, UH, RESTRICT LAND, UH, PROPERTY TAXES ON THEIR RESIDENTIAL HOME. THAT'S AN ITEM. WE'VE ALREADY PASSED THAT. THE LAST ITEM BEFORE YOU IS THE HOUSTON, UH, LAND BANK. UM, SO IF A FAMILY OR INDIVIDUAL CHOOSES THEY WANT TO SELL THEIR HOME, UH, WE WILL PAY THEM OUT. THEY WILL RETAIN THEIR EQUITY, AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE A NEW CONSTRUCTION DEAL. UM, THEY WILL FACILITATE THAT FAMILY. HOUSTON'S THE AGENCY TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION OF QUESTIONS ABOUT TAXES, CONTRACTS, ALL OF THAT. THEY'VE BEEN IN TANDEM. SO THOSE, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE ALREADY PASSED. THAT'S WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN COMMUNICATED. THAT'S WHAT'S ALREADY IN THE QUEUE. SO THOSE, UM, OPTIONS AND RESOURCES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SET UP. I DO WANNA UNDERSCORE THOUGH THAT, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY, UM, CITIES HAVE BEEN, UM, GUILTY OF, UH, BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, UH, BEING BUILT AND DEVELOPED, DEVELOPED AROUND ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, ISSUES, TRASH WASTE, RAILROADS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SELF-CORRECT DAMAGES OF POOR POLICY. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS HISTORICAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON HAS BEEN RINGING THE ALARM. AND THEN, AND THEN ALSO LET ME CAUTION AND, UM, SHARE WITH DISTRICT, NEW DISTRICT MEMBERS. UM, WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT B TODAY. WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT C TOMORROW. WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICT G NEXT WEEK. SO JUST BE MINDFUL WHEN A, A COUNCIL MEMBER IS TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT SHE IS ENGAGING WITH ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS. IT MAY BE YOU. I'LL COME BACK TO Y'ALL TALKING ABOUT PINEY POINT. AND Y'ALL KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT PINEY POINT, AND I HOPE TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT ON EVERY ITEM RELATED TO PINEY POINT AND THE PRESERVATION OF THAT DEAL. WHAT I DO KNOW AROUND THIS BODY IS THAT WE ARE INTELLIGENT AND WE CAN WALK AND CHEW GUM AT THE SAME TIME. WE CAN DO THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE CAN DO HERE. UM, SO, UH, I WANNA ALLOW THE MAYOR THE COURTESY TO GET THE INFORMATION SO HE CAN BE FULLY BRIEFED AND FULLY, UM, MADE AWARE OF ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE DONE. AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, UM, WITH YOUR SUPPORT. IF, IF YOU ARE IN SUPPORT OF THAT, I WILL SUPPORT THE MOTION TO DELAY. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE, UM, IN, IN WHAT MAYOR PRO TEM HAS OFFERED IN TERMS OF HOLDING THOSE FUNDS IN ESCROW, UM, WHO WILL WE BE TODAY WHEN THE NEWS HITS THAT SAYS THAT WE ARE CLAWING BACK $2 MILLION, UM, TO THESE FOLKS IN CASHMERE GARDENS IN FIFTH WARD. THEY'RE GONNA SAY, SEE, [04:15:01] I TOLD YOU THEY WEREN'T REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING ANYTHING. SEE, I TOLD YOU. SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING TODAY. UM, UH, SO I, I WANNA GO BACK TO THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE TABLE TO REFER, UH, AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, IF YOU WANNA ALLOW THE COURTESY, I'LL SUPPORT YOU. I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE A CLAWBACK, IT'S JUST WE'RE GOING TO, UH, OBJECTION POSTPONE FOR A MONTH. OBJECTION. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THOSE NON-PROFITS THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THE COUNSELING TOLD THE RELOCATION CANDIDATES THAT THEIR UTILITY BILLS MIGHT BE AS MUCH AS THREE TIMES AS HIGH IN THEIR NEW LOCATION. I UNDERSTAND PERCEPTION, BUT I'M DEALING WITH REALITY NOW. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO. WHEN, WHEN, WHEN SOME FAMILY WANTS TO MOVE IN ONE OF OUR AVAILABLE LAND OPPORTUNITIES, SPRING BRANCH, WHEREVER, INTO A 250, 300 $50,000 HOME, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO COUNSEL THEM. THE REALITY CAN THEY AFFORD IT AND IT IS GONNA BE WRONG TO PLACE 'EM IN A NEW LOCATION AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT AND THEY'LL FAIL. YOU KNOW IT, AND I KNOW IT. AND THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING TO PROTECT. THE RESIDENCES, GET FULL INFORMATION AND I WISH THEY WERE HERE TODAY AND I'LL, I WILL MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM. I'M NOT SURE IT'S NINE TODAY. SO I, I HEAR YOU AND I RESPECT THE INDIVIDUAL DISTRICT. YOU KNOW, I'VE REPRESENTED A DISTRICT SURE. FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I REPRESENT 'EM AS WELL. AND, AND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, CONSTITUENTS ARE GONNA BE ASKED TO PAY FOR THIS. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IS WE WANT IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I, AND TODAY THERE ARE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS THAT WILL IMPACT WHAT IS SUCCESSFUL. I NEED TO KNOW IF AN ELECTED OFFICIAL'S OUT THERE TELLING THEM, DON'T RELOCATE. I DON'T KNOW. THIS IS THE LAND DEAL. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW NO ABOUT THAT. I NEED THE COUNTY TO PARTNER WITH US. IT SITS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HARRIS COUNTY. THEY'VE GOT SOME RESOURCES WE DON'T HAVE. I'M ONLY URGING US TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND I THINK IN A MONTH, IT'S NOT A MAGIC WAND, BUT AT LEAST WE'LL BE MUCH MORE INFORMED. WE OWE IT TO THE PUBLIC. YES. I, I AGREE. I'M JUST SAYING THE PERCEPTION OF THE PEOPLE. WELL, YOU CAN HELP SHAPE THAT PERCEPTION. I, I'M ATTEMPTING TO TODAY. WELL, GOOD COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, ARE YOU IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION TO DELAY? VERY GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED THE 5 MILLION. IT'S JUST 2 MILLION TO START ADMINISTRATING THE PROGRAM. ALRIGHT? THIS IS A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM, WHICH MEANS WHEN YOU WALK IN TO INQUIRE ON THE PROGRAM, PEOPLE START TO GIVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM. THEN YOU GET TO DECIDE YOURSELF. DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROGRAM? NOT NO ONE'S FORCING YOU TO DO ANYTHING, RIGHT? AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, OR THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE CLARIFICATION, GUESS WHAT? THAT'S OUR JOB. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ELECTED TO DO, RIGHT? BUT WE DON'T WANT TO STOP THE PROGRAM FROM MOVING FORWARD. WHILE THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE QUESTIONS. LET'S GET 'EM THE ANSWERS. WE DON'T STOP THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE QUESTIONS. WE SAY THAT WE'LL WORK WITH YOU TO GET YOU CLARIFICATION. RIGHT? AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON HAS BEEN DOING THE WORK TO ENSURE THAT HER, UH, CONSTITUENTS HAVE ANSWERS. AND IF THEY DON'T, LET'S WORK WITH HER TO HELP, HELP GET THEM THE ANSWERS. BUT THIS IS A, THIS IS A ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR SOME TIME, RIGHT? AND THERE'S NOTHING PRECLUDING US FROM HAVING THIS PROGRAM IN THE 5 MILLION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED IN THE 2 MILLION TO ADMINISTRATE IT, TO THEN GO OUT TO OTHER OUTSIDE ENTITIES TO GET MORE MONEY TO ADD ON. WE DON'T STOP THE PROGRESS OF OUR PROGRAM BASED ON WHAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY OR MAY NOT DO. THIS IS A GREAT STARTING POINT. I THINK YOU'VE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB. AND AS A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, I STICK WITH YOU. CARTER, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AS AN, AS A, UH, NEW MEMBER ON THE BLOCK HERE, I'M LISTENING TO THE ROOM AND I'M LISTENING. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, WHAT IS THE PLAN IN PLACE? FOR INSTANCE, IF I'M ONE OF THOSE THAT AGREE TO THE BUYOUT, WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND ON MY HOUSING? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA GIVE ME FOR TAXES? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA GIVE ME AND TO KEEP ME FROM GOING DOWN THAT PATHWAY OF HOMELESSNESS? YOU CANNOT HAVE A PLAN. I MEAN, YOU CANNOT HAVE THROW MONEY AT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE NO PLAN FOR. YOU KNOW, AND YOU'VE GOT NINE OUT OF 42. HOW MANY OF THE NINE ARE ACTUALLY HOMEOWNERS? RIGHT? WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO ME TOMORROW WHEN I CAN'T PAY THE TAXES? WHAT IS MY PLAN NOW WHEN I'M ON THE STREET OR AM AT STAR OF HOPE? YOU KNOW, I THINK RESPECTFULLY TIME, THERE'S, THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL IN THIS ROOM THAT CAN ANSWER THE [04:20:01] QUESTIONS THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE JUST ON A DAY TO DAY, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO ME. AND IN ALL FAIRNESS, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON NEEDS TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE HER CONSTITUENTS WITH RESPONSIBLE, EDUCATED ANSWERS. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, A DELAY WILL ALLOW FOR THE TIME TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GIVEN 5 MILLION. THE STEPPING OUT AND GIVEN THE LAND BANK 2 MILLION TO GO AHEAD AND START THE PROCESS OF A BUYOUT. DOESN'T HELP THE HOMEOWNERS IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVANS SHAVAS. THANK YOU FOR POINT OF CLARIFICATION. I'M GONNA PARAPHRASE, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT COUNCIL HAS SPOKEN, COUNCIL ONLY SPOKE TO CUTTING OFF DEBATE. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT'S VERY RISKY BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT TO ENGAGE IN CONTINUE TO SPEAK, BUT WE HAVE SEEN THE OLD COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE SEEN THE ANGUISH OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY. I'VE SEEN NO REAL BENEFIT IN DELAYING EMOTION, SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ADMINISTRATING WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DETERMINED. THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO IS WORKING VERY HARD AND HAS WORKED VERY HARD, I I CERTAINLY SHOULD BE RESPECTED IN REGARDS TO WHAT HER COMMUNITY IS DEALING WITH. AND SO JUST WANNA MAKE THAT POINT OF CLARIFICATION THAT THE VOTE THAT WE TOOK WAS TO STOP THE DEBATE. IT WAS NOT TO VOTE ON THE MOTION TO DELAY. AND SO NOW IF I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD, I, I, I'M AFRAID TO CALL FOR THE QUESTION BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHO HAS NOT SPOKEN, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL FOR THE QUESTION ON THE MOTION. AND CERTAINLY IF I WILL LIFT THAT THIS TIME, IF THERE ARE ANYONE, IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO WANTS TO DO FURTHER DISCUSSION. BUT I WANNA RESPECT THE, THE PEOPLE OF THAT COMMUNITY WHOSE ANGUISH WE SAW, THEY CAME TO COUNCIL TO SPEAK TO US. 30 DAYS MAY MEAN NOTHING TO YOU, BUT IT MEANS A LOT TO THAT COMMUNITY. AND THEY HAVE DEALT WITH THIS MORE THAN 30 DAYS. AND SO CERTAINLY I, I SEE NO POINT IN, IN DELAYING SOMETHING WE CAN START, BUT STILL OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO AND ANSWER QUESTIONS. AND SO WITH CAUTION, I'M GONNA CALL FOR THE QUESTION AGAIN. WOULD YOU GIVE THE, UH, FLOOR TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON? CERTAINLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND, UM, THANK YOU COLLEAGUES FOR YOU KNOW, YOUR DISCUSSION. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION. MAYOR, I, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WANT TO BE FULLY BRIEF AND I RESPECT THAT AGAIN. UM, BUT I DO WANT TO ADD THAT THERE IS A MANAGEMENT COMPANY, THE RECOVERY OFFICE, UM, IS THE MANAGING THE PROGRAM AT THIS TIME. CORRECT. UM, MS. PLUMMER, I KNOW THAT YOU ON THIS AS WELL. UM, AND THE, WHAT IS IT? YEAH, THE RECOVERY OFFICE IN FAMILY HOUSTON IS PROVIDING THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES. SO THERE IS WRAPAROUND SERVICES AVAILABLE. CORRECT. AND THIS ITEM IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO PARTNER WITH THE LAND BANK SO THAT WE CAN MOVE ON. WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD IF WE DON'T PASS THIS PARTICULAR ITEM BECAUSE THIS IS THE, WHERE THE ADMINISTRATION IS GONNA TAKE PLACE OF THE PARTICULAR PROGRAM. YES, EXACTLY. YEAH. SO WE NEED PERSONNEL TO, IN ORDER TO START PLANNING THIS THING OUT. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DO NOT WANT TO DELAY IT. BUT AGAIN, MAYOR, I SUPPORT YOU IF YOU WANT TO DE DELAY IT, BUT I DON'T AGREE WITH IT BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A VERY LONG TIME TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF RELIEF IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA WHERE THEY'RE DYING OF CANCER. I UNDERSTAND. AND I COMMIT THAT, THAT 30 DAYS WOULD BE SPENT WORKING WITH THAT MANAGEMENT TEAM, SEE IF THERE ARE OTHERS THAT COULD GIVE US A PLAN OF ACTION. AND I WOULD EVEN URGE THEM TO COME GIVE IT TO EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER. 'CAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALL SHARE IN YOUR CONCERN. AND I BELIEVE IN 30 DAYS WE WILL DO A BETTER JOB ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENCES. AND THEN JUST KNOW THAT KATHY BLUEFORD DANIELS, UM, WHO ACTUALLY SOUNDED THE ALARM ON THIS COUNCIL CLUSTER, SERVED ON OUR TRANSITION ON THE, THE TEAM, ON THE, UM, COMMITTEE THAT IS MAKING THE DECISIONS AND, YOU KNOW, USHERING THIS, UM, PROGRAM FORWARD. SO, UM, WE DO HAVE COMMUNITY THAT WANT THIS TO MOVE FORWARD. WELL, I PLAN TO BE IN, IN THAT COMMUNITY OKAY. IN A VERY SHORT TIME. AND THAT'LL BE PART OF THE REPORT AND THE PROPOSAL WE COME BACK WITH IN 30 DAYS. I WANNA MEET WITH THE RESIDENCES. I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT THEIR UNDERSTANDING IS, MAYBE EVEN INTRODUCE THE MANAGEMENT TEAM THAT YOU JUST ANNOUNCED TO THE RESIDENCES. AND, UH, I'M CAN OBVIOUSLY SHARE [04:25:01] THE, UH, PERCEPTION CONCERNS. UH, BUT, UH, I THINK THE TRANSPARENCY AND REALITY IS, UH, EQUALLY IMPORTANT. YEAH. IN FACT, MAYBE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, I JUST THINK IT'S A SHAME THAT YOU ROLL SOMETHING OUT AND YOU GIVE THE MANAGEMENT TEAM, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEIR ASSIGNMENT WOULD BE. I KNOW WHAT MY ASSIGNMENT IS, I HAVE A FULL PLATE, BUT I'M PREPARED TO MAKE THIS A TOP PRIORITY BECAUSE I WAS BRIEFED TWO DAYS AGO BY THE CITY OFFICIALS IN CHARGE, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS. AND I CAN'T GO PUBLIC AND SELL HOUSTONIANS ON OUR CONCERNS. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, AND WE CAN GO DOWN THIS ROAD AND NOT SHARE INFORMATION WITH THE CITY AS A WHOLE. AND THEY WILL NOT SHARE IN THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT THEY HAVE TO GO INTO A UNFORTUNATE COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN MISLED YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE NEED UNION PACIFIC. IT'S AMAZING. WE HAVEN'T EVEN MADE THEM PART OF THE DISCUSSION. WHY DON'T YOU GIVE ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO CALL THE CEO OF UNION PACIFIC AND SAY THERE'S A NEW APPROACH. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY? GIVE ME SOME TIME. COUNCILMAN POLLARD TO GO TO THE CORPORATE COMMUNITY AND LET THEM SHARE IN THIS RESPONSIBILITY. AND DO WE FIND OUT THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS OUT THERE WORKING AGAINST US, LET'S EXPOSE THAT. WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO. AND I'M ASKING YOU TO GIMME 30 DAYS. I'VE GOT PLENTY TO DO, BUT THIS HAS BECOME A TOP PRIORITY. I HAVE A RECORD OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY. YES. AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE OUT THERE WORRIED ABOUT THE CRISO, WE OUGHT TO DEAL WITH ILLEGAL DUMPING WHILE WE'RE AT IT. AND I CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON. SO WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. I ASKED FOR 30 DAYS TO MAKE A BETTER INFORMED DECISION. AND I CANNOT IMAGINE THAT NOT BEING A WISE DECISION, BUT I RESPECT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. I CERTAINLY RESPECT A DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE. I'VE REPRESENTED A DEFINED DISTRICT FOR OVER 50 YEARS. I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, BUT ALSO KNOW WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND I'VE GOT A RESPONSIBILITY AND I'M TRYING TO MEET IT TODAY. SO I'M READY FOR THAT VOTE TOO. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT THAT THE CONTRACT WITH THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY HAS BEEN IN PLACE AND WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY CASEWORKERS ASSIGNED YET. SO MY POINT IS, IS THAT THINGS ARE, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT STOPPING THE PROCESS. IT'S JUST ALLOWING, I MEAN, WHY HAVEN'T, WHY HAVEN'T THE RESIDENTS BEEN ASSIGNED A CASEWORKER? BECAUSE THEY DON'T, NO ONE KNOWS REALLY HOW THE WHOLE THING IS ROLLING OUT. SO THIS IS JUST, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS, THIS IS DELAYING THIS ONE PARTICULAR PORTION OF IT, BUT EVERYTHING IS STILL MOVING FORWARD. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THAT. UM, WE'RE NOT STOPPING ANYTHING. THE, THE FUND HAS BEEN CREATED. WE'RE STILL BUILDING OUT THE PROGRAM. AND SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE THE RELIEF THAT THEY NEED. I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY OTHER ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF HEALTHCARE. UM, I'M GOING TO MEET WITH THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON THE 24TH, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT NATIONAL CANCER CLUSTERS AROUND THE NATION. HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET MONEY FOR THAT TOO. AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR MONEY TO COME FROM EVERYWHERE ELSE. THIS IS DONE. THE COMMUNITY IS GOING TO GET THE RELIEF THAT THEY NEED. LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY AND HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS FOR THEM. AND I BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THE CASE WORKER'S NOT BEEN ASSIGNED YET, IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF. BECAUSE IF THIS, IF THE ANSWERS WERE BEEN DONE, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE CASEWORKERS SO THEY COULD ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR. JACKSON IS BACK IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU. ONE, ONE THING THAT'S ON MY MIND IS I WOULD URGE IF WE HAD THIS 30 DAYS, EVERY ONE OF YOU SHOULD MEET WITH MR. COSTELLO, WHO WE RESPECT, WHO GAVE ME MY BRIEFING, AND GLORIA MARINO, UH, LET 'EM SHARE THEIR FRUSTRATION. YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T , I'M, I'M REPEATING THE BRIEFING I GOT. AND WHEN I ASKED THEM ON AN AGENDA ITEM, AND THEY ARE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANSWERS. UH, WE'VE GOT SOME WORK TO DO. SO I WOULD URGE YOU IF WE GOT 30 DAYS TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM AND, UH, AND, AND JOIN ME IN IN THE COMMUNITY. UH, YES. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND JUST WANT TO ADD THAT I DO A, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, AFTER THIS DISCUSSION, SUPPORT YOU, UM, IN GETTING MORE INFORMATION. WELL, I NEED YOU TO VOTE WITH ME THEN, . NO, NO, NO. AND, AND I'M, AND I'M, I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE YOU AND YEAH. AND I'M WITH YOU. YOU KNOW, YOUR VOTE'S MORE IMPORTANT. , BUT 30 DAYS, I MEAN, I, I MEAN, 30 DAYS HAS COME BACK AND JUST, AND HOPEFULLY YOU CAN COME BACK WITH THE 40. I THOUGHT 30 DAYS WAS REASONABLE. I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU. IT COULD TAKE MORE. BUT I'M, I'M, WE'RE GONNA [04:30:01] DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO BE HERE IN 30 DAYS WITH A PRODUCTIVE RESOURCE. YOU'RE COME WITH 40 MILLION THAT WE NEED TO LIKE COMPLETE THE WHOLE PROGRAM. . WELL, WE OUGHT TO BE THINKING LIKE THAT. NO. YEAH. I, I'M SURE YOU CAN. IF YOU'RE GONNA START, CAN'T COME UP. AND UNLESS YOU GOTTA PLAN. IF WE CAN HAVE A TRANSITION IN A GOOD MANAGEMENT TEAM IN PLACE, I WILL TALK TO, I'M GONNA BE TALKING TO THE EPA, I MEAN, WHERE IS OUR 40 MILLION? YOU KNOW, I, I HEAR THE COUNTY MIGHT MATCHES. THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. LET'S DRILL DOWN ON IT. GIMME AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THESE PHONE CALLS AND COMMITMENTS. AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN HONEST REPORT IN 30 DAYS THAT WE'VE MADE PROGRESS. AND I DO WANNA MEET WITH THE INDIVIDUALS. I'M GONNA BE OUT THERE. I ENJOY THAT. OKAY. THAT'S FAIR. ARE YOU GONNA GIMME 30 DAYS? 30 DAYS? SO I WILL, THAT'S A SWEET SPOT. I'LL SUPPORT YOU NOW. TECHNICALLY THE MOTION IS FOUR. OKAY. FOUR WEEKS, WHATEVER THE HECK, MARTIS. NOW HE'S PLAYING WITH THE CALENDAR. THAT MEANS IT'LL COME BACK ON FEBRUARY 7TH. FEBRUARY 7TH. IS THERE CONSENSUS ON THE AGENDA FOR SECRETARY? CALL THE ROLE. WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO EXCEPT GO TO WORK. JUST CALL. JUST CALL FOR A VOTE. JUST CALL FOR A VOTE. MADAM SECRETARY. AND THIS IS FOR A POSTPONEMENT OF FOUR WEEKS TO FEBRUARY. ALL IN. HMM. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. AYE. HAVE IT . THANK Y'ALL. WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO THIS REAL QUICK? ITEM 35. I THINK I NEED TO END THE HARTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. WHO JUST GOT A REALLY POLITICAL SCIENCE LESSON. BACK THERE. THANK Y'ALL. SEE WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO. OKAY. , THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. STUDY HARD AND STAY OUTTA TROUBLE. AND WE'LL SEE YOU SOON. SORRY. , THE HARTMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. THANK Y'ALL. GOVERNMENT STUDENTS. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTELL. THANK YOU MAYOR. ON ITEM 35, I MOVE TO REFER THIS BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION TO ALLOW FOR MORE TIME. OH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, I UNDERSTAND SHE NEEDS, THE SECRETARY NEEDS TO READ THE ITEM. ITEM 35 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. SECRETARY. CALL THE ROLL. I'LL JUST DO A FAVOR. ALL IN FAVOR SAY, AYE. UHUH. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTELL MAKES A MOTION TO RETURN IT TO THE ADMINISTRATION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY, AYE. HE GOT A SECOND PACK. HE HAD A SECOND. SECOND PECK. SECOND CAST MADE AND SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. OKAY, ANYTHING ELSE COME BEFORE THE COUNSEL THAT COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA? I UNDERSTAND [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] NOW WHAT Y'ALL CALL POP OUT. POP OFF, POP OFF. OR POP OUT, UH, THIS ORDER. MM-HMM . COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN CHAIR RECOGNIZES YOU. THANK YOU. UM, YOU ALREADY HIGHLIGHTED THAT JANUARY IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING MONTH. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A CAUSE THAT IS VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. UM, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPS, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARE THESE SHORT-TERM RENTALS. AND I KNOW THAT, UM, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE BESIDES, YOU KNOW, WREAKING HAVOC ON NEIGHBORHOODS BY HAVING PARTIES AND TRASH AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE KNOW THAT CRIMINALS ARE ALSO USING THESE SHORT-TERM RENTALS TO, YOU KNOW, PERPETUATE THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND BY THE TIME HPD HAS ENOUGH INFORMATION TO GET A WARRANT, THEY'VE MOVED LOCATIONS TO ANOTHER SHORT-TERM RENTAL AND THEY'RE RUNNING GIRLS SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO THIS IS SOMETHING, UM, IN THIS NEXT YEAR I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT FOR THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE. AND SO I APPRECIATE YOU HIGHLIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH ALSO COMING UP. UM, NEXT WEEK ON TUESDAY, WE'RE HAVING COFFEE WITH THE COPS AND THE COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, OFFICERS FROM WEST SIDE HPD, WE'RE GONNA MEET AT PECAN GRILL ON ELDRIDGE AT 9:30 AM SO COME OUT AND JOIN US IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE. THANK YOU, RAMIREZ. COUNCIL MEMBER? YES. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY PARADE ON MONDAY. I WILL BE THERE. I HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY ELSE THERE AND HOPING FOR GOOD WEATHER. [04:35:01] THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. ALRIGHT. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU, UH, MR. MAYOR, A GOOD LIVELY MEETING. CONGRATULATIONS TO MY COLLEAGUES, WEATHERED THE STORM THROUGH YOUR FIRST MEETING. SO I DO HAVE A FEW UPDATES, UH, RELATED TO NEIGHBORHOOD SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 25 AND ALE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD WORK ON SATURDAY, PLANTING 138 TREES ON WILL CRESCENT CARVILLE. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS THAT SUPPORT SUPPORTED THAT WORK. SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 17, UH, THE ELDRIDGE WEST OAKS AREA. WE HAVE AN, UH, WE'RE WORKING ON A SUBSTANTIAL UPDATE TO THE SHELFORD CITY PROJECT. HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS GOING TO, UH, BUMP THAT UP, BUMP THAT UP TO US REALLY SOON. UH, WE PROVIDED A, A LIMITED UPDATE IN OUR NEWSLETTER, SO STAY TUNED ON THAT. UM, THAT IS A FOUR PHASE PROJECT, UH, FOR OUR WASTEWATER SYSTEM, UM, AS IT RELATES TO TANGO WILD AND SOLID WASTE. MAYOR, UH, WHITMEYER, AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, WE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME SOLID WASTE DELAYS DUE TO THE HOLIDAYS. UH, TANGO WILD. WE ARE, UH, WE HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. MANY OF THEM ARE MONDAY, UH, PICKUPS, AND THAT, THAT'S WHERE THE DISRUPTION WAS SINCE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S FELL ON A MONDAY. UM, THAT IS IN PROCESS. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR RECYCLED ITEMS OUTSIDE. UM, GOOD NEWS TO BRIAR MEADOW. UH, WE HAVE A NOTICE TO PROCEED FOR THE TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES ON MEADOW GLEN AND STONY BROOK. MY OFFICE CONTRIBUTED $11,000 TO THAT PROJECT. WE ARE INSTALLING RACE CROSSWALKS AND ADDING ADDITIONAL SIGNAGE. UH, THE PROJECT WILL BEGIN ON JANUARY 22ND, AND WE SHOULD CONCLUDE FEBRUARY 12TH. UM, I ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT AN ITEM THAT WE VOTED ON EARLIER TODAY. UM, UH, IN SUPPORT OF COMPLETING THE FINAL PACKAGE OF SOME, UH, ROADWAY REHABILITATION PROJECT AND HIGHLIGHT THE PROJECT IN DISTRICT F WAS RICHMOND AT KIRKWOOD. WE'VE RECEIVED SOME RECENT, UM, EMAILS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS ON RICHMOND JUST TO REMIND RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT F CALL 3 1 1, SO WE CAN HAVE THAT DOCUMENTED, UH, IN THE DASHBOARD. SO PUBLIC WORKS CAN CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THAT AND PUT THAT IN THE Q4 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST WANNA TOUCH ON, UH, SOME OF THE, UM, UH, UH, MEDIA AROUND OUR, THE GLO PROJECT AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HURRICANE HARVEY. UH, AND I WANNA ENCOURAGE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS TO, UH, WATCH THE DECEMBER HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS MEETING WHERE WE HIGHLIGHTED ALL OF THE BENCHMARKS. WE'VE BEEN HIGHLIGHTING BENCHMARKS FROM GLO SINCE 2021. UM, BUYOUT IS AT 81%. UM, AND SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A BRIEFING FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, THEY'RE MORE THAN WILLING TO DO THAT. AS WE WORK THROUGH, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO PROTECT THE MORALE OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES THAT ARE NOT ONLY HAVE THEY EXPERIENCED, UM, IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY, THEY'RE MAKING SURE HOUSTONIANS ARE, CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THOSE RESOURCES, UM, AND WITH THOSE SUCCESSES. SO, UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER, I KNOW THAT YOU, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTNER WITH THE GLO, UM, AND TO WRAP UP THIS PROGRAM, YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, SOME GOOD YIELDS AND SOME GROUP GOOD FRUIT FROM THAT. THANK YOU MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THINGS HAPPENING IN AND AROUND DISTRICT K BACKED BY POPULAR DEMAND. EVERYONE LOVES THE SHRED DAYS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. UM, WE WILL BE, UM, SHREDDING IN DISTRICT K ON JANUARY THE 20TH FROM NINE TO 12:00 PM BE AT NEW FAITH CHURCH AND ALSO AT WESTBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AT 5,200 WILLOW BEND FROM NINE TO 12 AT WESTBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, RESIDENTS CAN NOT ONLY, UM, SHRED THEIR SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS, BUT THEY COULD ALSO, UM, COLLECT, UH, SMALL ELECTRONICS. SO IF YOU HAVE A DESKTOP PRINTER THAT DOESN'T WORK AND YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT, YOU CAN BRING IT TO DISPOSE OF IT. UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING RESIDENTS ON JANUARY 20TH FROM NINE TO 12 AT NEW FAITH CHURCH AND WESTBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH FOR SHREDDING THEIR SENSITIVE DOCUMENTS AND ALSO DISPOSING OF THEIR SMALL ELECTRONICS. IF YOU JUST CAN'T MAKE IT ON THE 20TH, ON JANUARY 27TH, WE'RE GOING TO FORT BEND HOUSTON TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE RESIDENTS ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHRED THEIR DOCUMENTS, UM, THAT MAY BE SENSITIVE. AND WE'LL BE AT RIDGE, UH, 51 0 7 RIDGE CREEK AT RIDGEMONT COMMUNITY CENTER FROM NINE TO 12:00 AM HAPPY MLK DAY ON MONDAY. UM, LET'S HONOR DR. KING'S LEGACY BY PARTICIPATING IN A, A WORTHY SERVICE PROJECT IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND LET'S CONSIDER IT A DAY ON AND NOT A DAY OFF. UH, IF YOU ARE NOT SIGNED UP FOR OUR DISTRICT K NEWSLETTERS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT, UM, TO KEEP UP WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY. MAKE IT A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR PROTE BECK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SINCE WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR, I JUST WANTED TO REMIND THE DISTRICT A CONSTITUENTS AND OUR AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT HPDS PIP MEETINGS, THE POSITIVE INTERACTION PROGRAM MEETINGS. UM, WE HAVE NORTH NORTHWEST AND OUR [04:40:01] NEW AREA MIDWEST DIVISION, UM, ALL IN DISTRICT A SO THIRD TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH FOR NORTH AND NORTHWEST DIVISIONS AT 7:00 PM THE NORTHWEST DIVISION MEETS AT THE LONG POINT FAITH CENTER, UM, AT 8 0 0 9 LONG POINT. AND THE NORTH DIVISION MEETS AT, UM, THE NORTH DIVISION STATION 9 4 5 5 WEST MONTGOMERY ROAD. UM, AND THEN OUR NEW MIDWEST DIVISION THAT WE NOW HAVE IN DISTRICT A AFTER REDISTRICTING THAT WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT, MEETS ON THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT THE MIDWEST STATION. SO WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO ATTENDING, UM, THOSE MEETINGS THIS MONTH. AND FINALLY, I WANT TO WELCOME OUR NEWEST DISTRICT, A STAFF MEMBER, ALAN ROMAN. UM, HE IS OUR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. HE JUST STARTED, UM, JANUARY 2ND, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM. HE IS GOING TO, UM, ATTEND THE, UM, CIVIC CLUB MEETINGS AND ALL THE MEETINGS IN DISTRICT DAY THAT, UM, I CAN'T GET TO. SOMETIMES THERE'S MULTIPLE MEETINGS ON THE SAME NIGHT. SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HIM ATTENDING THE MEETINGS AND ENGAGING WITH OUR DISTRICT A CONSTITUENTS. THANKS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, JUST TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK A BIT ON WHAT MAYOR PRO TIM WAS SAYING, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING IN THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARADE AS WELL. AND, UM, AS A COUNCIL OFFICE, WE, WE ARE ALSO, UM, EXCITED ABOUT PARTICIPATING ON DIV SERVICE WITH DEPARTMENT AND NEIGHBORHOODS THIS FRIDAY. UM, ALSO AS A NEW COUNCIL, I WANNA DEFINITELY THANK, UH, THE, THE STAFF, UH, THE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL, UH, VENITA, UH, CORINA, MERRICK KENITRA, AND ALL THE IT TEAM FOR GETTING US ALL UP AND RUNNING. UH, YOU Y'ALL BEEN WORKING TODAY, DAY, NIGHT, I THINK, FOR ALL OF US. UH, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY STAFF WHO ARE HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. UH, DISTRICT GUY IS REPRESENTED BY, UH, NOT JUST MYSELF, BUT ALSO THE, THE WORK, THE, THE, THE WORK THAT THE STAFF THAT, THAT THEY DO DAILY. SO, EDITH SANTA MARIA, WHO IS MY CHIEF OF STAFF BEHIND ME, UH, DIANE WYNN, SHE'S MY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, UH, STAFF MEMBER, UM, CHRISTINA CAMARILLO, MY AGENDA AND POLICY ANALYST, UH, YAARI BIERA, WHO'S WORKING WITH CONSTITUENTS ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. AND THEN SALLY MEDINA, WHO'S, UH, ALSO WORKING ON STAFF AS WELL. UM, AND, AND I'LL JUST CLOSE WITH THIS, WITH, UM, WITH THE TRANSPARENCY THAT THE MAYOR'S BEEN SPEAKING TO, UH, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO ALWAYS PUT FORWARD, UH, WHAT IS IT THAT THE CITY'S DOING. UH, WE HAD SOME FOLKS COME INTO COUNCIL YESTERDAY ABOUT GREYHOUND. UM, I REALLY WAS, UH, DISAPPOINTED ON HOW THAT, THAT IN INTERACTION HAPPENED TOWARDS THE END OF LAST YEAR. NOT KNOWING, NOT KNOWING ABOUT, UH, GREYHOUND MOVING FROM MIDTOWN OVER AND ACTUALLY BEING PROPOSED TO THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, WAS PROPOSING FOR THEM TO MOVE TO THE EAST END. AND SO JUST, UH, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT WITH THAT, UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER, AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AS WELL. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A QUICK UPDATE ABOUT PROP B. YOU KNOW, REMEMBER PROP B WITH HEAC AND, AND THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL. UH, THERE HAS, THERE ARE SELECT COMMITTEES THAT ARE MEETING ON BOTH, UH, BOTH FOR THE HOUSTON GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL AND FOR THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL. AGAIN, THIS IS TO, UM, ENSURE THAT WE HAVE MORE PROPORTIONAL VOTING. THAT'S WHAT THE VOTERS APPROVED. SO, UH, THE, THE CONVERSATIONS THUS FAR HAVE BEEN POSITIVE. I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MARTINEZ, UH, WHO ARE INVOLVED AS WELL. UM, TOMORROW NIGHT WE'LL BE MEETING ABOUT THE HGAC, UH, VOTING STRUCTURE. AND THURSDAY WE'LL HAVE OUR THIRD MEETING, UH, A VIRTUAL MEETING ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL. BUT JUST, I'M SAYING ALL THIS TO SAY, I THINK WE'RE GONNA WORK IT OUT. WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA WORK IT OUT THAT HOUSTON CAN STAY ON THESE BOARDS AND WE CAN SPEAK IN A REGIONAL VOICE THAT BENEFITS A GREAT NUMBER IN OUR CITY, THE POPULATION, AND ALSO, UM, LOOKS OUT FOR THE ENTIRE REGION. SO THAT'S A BRIEF UPDATE ON THAT. UM, THE OTHER THING, UM, MY CHIEF OF STAFF JORDAN AND I ATTENDED YESTERDAY, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER. UM, SO THAT WAS GOOD. I MEAN, WE NEED BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE OVER THERE. THAT WAS ACTUALLY PUT ON BY CHICK-FIL-A. SO NO MATTER WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT CHICK-FIL-A, I KNOW THERE'S CONTROVERSY ABOUT CHICK-FIL-A. EVERYBODY KIND OF AGREES THAT THEY DO HAVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD THE CHICK-FIL-A PEOPLE COME IN AND TALK ABOUT HOW TO TREAT CUSTOMERS. AND IT WAS ATTENDED BY ALL OF THE MANAGERS AND SOME OF THE LINE STAFF. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A REALLY GOOD PROGRAM ABOUT REALLY, UM, IT WAS STUFF AS BASIC AS LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE AND SAY, MY PLEASURE. AND, AND TO, AS, AS MUCH AS, YOU KNOW, HAVE EMPATHY AND LET'S TRY TO WORK TOGETHER. IT'S NOT A MATTER OF ALWAYS SAYING NO. AND THERE'S NO WAY THIS IS THE CODE. WE CAN'T DO IT. IT'S, UH, HOW DO WE GET TO, YES. AND SO THAT WAS POSITIVE, UM, A POSITIVE [04:45:01] THING GOING ON OVER AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER YESTERDAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN CARTER. WELL, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES AND CERTAINLY THE STAFF AROUND CITY HALL AND THE ANNEX FOR ALL THEY'VE DONE FOR US TO HELP GET US ON BOARD. AND THANK YOU, MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR YOUR PATIENCE AS WE LEARN ANYTHING FROM HOW TO GET IN THE PARKING GARAGE TO WHAT WE NEED TO ONBOARD. ALSO TO, WANTED TO JUST CALL OUT THE, UH, COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS, THE PIT COUNT, UM, IS THE WEEK OF JANUARY 22ND. IF YOU'VE NEVER PARTICIPATED IN THAT, GO AHEAD AND SIGN UP TODAY. AND, UH, I THINK THE FINAL TRAINING, THERE'S A TRAINING OPPORTUNITY ONLINE TOMORROW. NO, FRIDAY. IT'S FRIDAY, I'M SORRY. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND, AND FIND OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE HOMELESS SITUATION HERE IN HOUSTON AND, AND GETTING INVOLVED WITH THAT COUNT. UM, ALSO TOO, MY STAFF FOR THE MOST PART IS IN THE ROOM. UM, I'VE GOT HUGO MOJICA, WHO'S A, NOT A NEWBIE TO CITY HALL. HE WAS HERE BEFORE. UM, SO GET TO KNOW, HE'LL GET TO KNOW EACH OF YOU AND YOU GET TO KNOW HIM. UM, AND THEN I'VE GOT, UH, DANELLE FIELDS AND MAGGIE MONTERO, WHO WILL BE ON THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND WORKING WITH ALL THE DISTRICTS. AND THEN I WAS EVER SO GRATEFUL TO KEEP MS. SHIRLEY KING FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ASH'S, UH, OFFICE. AND SHE'S BEEN A GREAT ASSET. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR PATIENCE, AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING FROM EACH OF YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABBAT. THANK YOU. UM, IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE HONOR AND PLEASURE TO CONDUCT THE SWEARING IN CEREMONY FOR THE AREA ON AGING PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON LAST WEEK. THESE EXTRAORDINARY LADIES ARE SET TO DO PHENOMENAL WORK, AND ITS PARTICULARLY HEARTWARMING TO NOTE THE INCLUSION OF THE WIFE OF HPD OFFICER SAR, OR OSSOFF, WHO DUTIFULLY SERVES OUR COUNCIL EVERY WEEK. AND THEIR COMMITMENT AND INSIGHT ARE VITAL TO OUR COMMUNITY'S GROWTH AND WELLBEING. AND THEY, THE AREA ON AGING DOES A PHENOMENAL JOB, AN AWESOME JOB OF SUPPORTING OUR SENIORS. AND SO I WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THAT. SWEARING IN ON THIS PAST MONDAY NIGHT, UH, THERE WAS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN DISTRICT D AND CREATIVE GROUP ECONOMICS, WHICH MARKS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES POSED BY A TORNADO WARNING, OUR COMMUNITY'S RESILIENCE SHOWN THROUGH WITH A REMARKABLE TURNOUT TO DISCUSS AND WORK TOWARDS BETTERING DISTRICT D WITH NOT JUST PROBLEMS BUT PROPOSED SOLUTIONS. A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY STAFF AND MR. LLOYD FORD FOR, UH, THEIR DEDICATION AND MAKING THIS EVENT A SUCCESS. AND THEN, UH, FOLLOWING TODAY'S COUNCIL MEETING, I WILL JOIN THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN SUPPORTING THE MARTIN LUTHER KING WEEK OF SERVICE. UH, VOLUNTEERS WILL ENGAGE IN THE SAFE HOME PROJECTS IN DISTRICT D. THEY WILL PERFORM CRUCIAL TASKS LIKE BOARDING UP, VACANT HOMES, AND MANAGING LANDSCAPE. AND, UH, I'M, I WAS INVITED BY ROMAN AGUILAR, AND THIS SYMBOLIZES STRONG SUPPORT FOR THESE VITAL COMMUNITY EFFORTS. AND WE EXTEND OUR GRATITUDE TO ALL VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO IMPROVING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND CERTAINLY WE ARE PROUD TO SEE SUCH UNITY AND PROGRESS IN DISTRICT D AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE COLLABORATIVE AND FRUITFUL ENGAGEMENTS. I ALSO WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, THERE, WE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED WITH THE RECYCLING PROGRAM OF PICKING UP THE CANS. AND OF COURSE, THEY DID NOT COME ONE PARTICULAR WEEK IN MY COMMUNITY, AND, UH, THEY FINALLY PICKED IT UP TODAY. AND SO I WANNA BRING IT FORWARD AGAIN THAT WE NEED TO MAYBE DISCUSS GETTING ADDITIONAL CANS, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BUY ADDITIONAL RECYCLING CANS, BECAUSE THIS WAS RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS. AND SO CERTAINLY, UH, PEOPLE WERE CHALLENGED GOING DOWN THE STREET, BORROWING OTHER PEOPLE'S CANS SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO RECYCLE. I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I, I'M SURE THAT TODAY, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME GOOD DISCUSSION, BUT I AM A FIERCE SUPPORTER OF DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, AND SO, AND I ONLY AGREED FOR THIS DELAY BECAUSE THE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER AGREED, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THERE TO REPRESENT PARTICULAR AREAS IN THE COMMUNITY, AND WE HAVE MORE OF A, A, A TOUCH WITH THE PEOPLE. AND CERTAINLY WE APPRECIATE THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER EL AORN, SHE'S IN SUNNYSIDE AND DISTRICT D SO MUCH. IT'S LIKE THEY MAY KNOW HER BETTER THAN THEY KNOW ME. WATCH THAT. BUT AT ANY RATE, I WANNA WISH A HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY OF SERVICE. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PARADE. I HEAR IT'S GOING TO BE VERY FRIGID AND I, BUT I PLAN TO BE THERE, UH, WAVING TO THE PEOPLE AS WE PASS. AND SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK. THANK YOU. PARTICULARLY WHEN IT'S A DISTRICT OF DESTINATION, . AND I DON'T KNOW WHY I SAID THAT. CAN I GET AN AMEN? CAN I GET AN AMEN? I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. UH, COUNCIL, MAYOR. COUNCIL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. [04:50:01] I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT IT'S BEEN A VERY EXCITING WEEK, UH, GETTING SETTLED IN AND, AND CONDUCTING OUR FIRST MEETINGS. UH, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF HELP GETTING US SETTLED, AS YOU'VE HEARD. I WANT TO THANK, UH, VENITA AND HER TEAM WHO HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB, UH, GETTING US ONBOARDED. AND WE'VE BEEN, UH, HITTING, HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING THIS PAST SATURDAY. I ATTENDED A MEETING ORGANIZED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ ABOUT THE GREYHOUND BUS STATION. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN WAS THERE, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ WAS THERE. AND, UM, A NUMBER OF OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT WERE EXPRESSING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THAT FACILITY LOCATED TO THE, THE EAST END. AND IT IS IN DISTRICT. I, UH, I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ IN HIS EFFORTS TO KEEP THAT FACILITY SAFE AND FROM BECOMING A NUISANCE BECAUSE IT IS FAIRLY CLOSE TO DISTRICT H AS WELL. UM, AND, AND IT WILL IMPACT BOTH OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IF IT DOES, UH, START TO GO SOUTH. SO JUST KNOW THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU ON THAT. UM, WE WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY PARADE ON MONDAY, AND THEN ON JANUARY THE 13TH, WE WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN A DAY OF SERVICE WITH UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN GATOR SERVE PARK CLEANUP AT MOODY PARK. UM, SO I'LL INVITE ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN A DAY OF SERVICE EVENT, UH, TO SIGN UP AND JOIN US. UH, YOU CAN FOLLOW OR YOU CAN FIND THE LINK TO REGISTER AT, UH, ANY OF THE DISTRICT AGE SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES. AND, UH, WE WANNA ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO GET SIGNED UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER, UH, WHERE WE WILL BE SHARING A LOT OF INFORMATION AND, AND RESOURCES WITH THE DISTRICT. YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP, UH, UH, THROUGH A LINK ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES. AND FINALLY, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS TODAY, MY CHIEF OF STAFF, RUSSELL ETHERTON, WHO IS JOINING THE DISTRICT H OFFICE. AND HE COMES, UH, TO DISTRICT H WITH A CAREER IN NONPROFIT AND COMMUNITY, UH, BUILDING WORK OVER 10 YEARS. AND HE'S SOMEONE I'VE, I'VE KNOWN FOR A WHILE THAT, UH, HAS ALREADY STARTED WORKING HARD ON BEHALF OF THE CONSTITUENTS. AND, AND I'M EXCITED TO HAVE HIM ON THE TEAM. UH, THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? YEAH, YOU'VE GOT DAVIS. OH, I'M SORRY. DAVIS. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANT TO JUST SAY THAT IT HAS BEEN A, UH, EXCITING TWO DAYS, I MUST SAY. AND, UH, OF COURSE IT'S BEEN VERY, UH, UH, A GOOD EXPERIENCE ON WHAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN FOREST, THE CITY. AND I'M VERY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO FORWARD. UH, PART OF MY STAFF IS HERE. MY, UH, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF, UH, AND THAT WIRE IS IN THE OFFICE BECAUSE MY, UH, SCHEDULER, UH, MS. COSTELLO, UH, STELLA RAMIREZ IS, HAD A LOSS IN HER FAMILY. AND, UH, SHE'S NOT HERE, BUT MY CONSTITUENCY, UM, DIRECTOR REVEREND FREDDY OLIVER IS HERE. WE THANK HIM FOR HIS WORK. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH OTHERS. UM, I WAS SO EXCITED ON YESTERDAY. I HAD A MEETING WITH 43, UH, OF THE, UH, SUPER OF THE COMMUNITY, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD CIVIC LEADERS ON YESTERDAY MORNING. IT WAS A VERY, UM, INFORMATIVE MEETING, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM MUCH. UH, ALSO I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT, UM, I DID VISIT A NEW VETERAN SERVICE FACILITY ON WEBSTER THAT HAS BEEN OPENED, UH, FOR, FOR VETERANS TO GO THERE AND, AND, AND EAT AND SHOWER AND GET OTHER PERSONAL ISSUES GOING FORWARD. BECAUSE, UH, BEING A VETERAN, AS MOST PEOPLE KNOW, UH, THAT, UH, THAT'S DEAR TO MY HEART, UH, DEALING WITH VETERANS, MAKING SURE OUR VETERANS, MANY OF THEM ARE HOMELESS, OTHER OF THEM NEED OTHER FACILITIES. SO I WILL BE KEEPING VERY, VERY CLOSE CONTACT WITH THEM. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WE ALL CELEBRATING FOR OUR MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. UH, I WILL CERTAINLY BE JOINING THE MAYOR IN THAT EFFORT, SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, LAST WEEK HAS CERTAINLY BEEN AN EDUCATION, UH, ENJOYED IT AND APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP FROM THE CITY EMPLOYEES THAT, UH, HAVE KIND OF HELPED DRAG ME ALONG AND, AND GET US THROUGH IT. UH, DOWN IN CLEAR LAKE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A RECYCLING, THE ELECTRONIC RECYCLING THIS SATURDAY FROM NINE TO THREE. UH, SO ANYBODY WANTING TO GET THEIR ELECTRONICS RECYCLED NEEDS TO SHOW UP EARLY 'CAUSE THE TRUCKS FILL UP PRETTY QUICK. MM-HMM . SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY GOOD. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, UH, OUR NEW STAFFER, ANNA SMITH. AND IF YOU COULD PLEASE STAND. UH, ANNA HAS TRAVELED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, UH, CAME TO HOUSTON IN 2022 AND FELL IN LOVE [04:55:01] WITH OUR CITY, UH, AND HAS DECIDED TO REALLY, UH, PLANT SOME ROOTS HERE. SO, ANNA, WE'RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU. SHE WILL BE OUR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, UH, ONE OF OUR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COORDINATORS, AND MANY OF YOU ALREADY KNOW HER, BUT ANNA, WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU. UH, I WANTED TO THANK ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT FIRST RESPONDERS FROM OEM, UM, THOSE IN OUR HEX CENTER, HPD, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, FBI, THE LIST GOES ON FOR SUCH A SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. UH, IT WENT OFF WITHOUT A HITCH, AND THERE'S SO MUCH THAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES, UH, WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRST RESPONDERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS SO BIG. THANK YOU. UM, MAYOR, I, WHILE I THANK OUR FIRST RESPONDERS FOR THE SUCCESS IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING, UM, I DID WANNA RAISE, WE HEARD SOME PUBLIC SPEAKERS, UH, YESTERDAY THAT BROUGHT UP CONCERNS. UH, THERE IS A NEW REPORT OUT THAT SAYS THAT HOUSTON IS LEADING THIS YEAR IN HATE INCIDENTS THROUGHOUT, UH, THE NATION. SO WE ARE UP THIS YEAR 193% IN HATE INCIDENTS. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY HATE CRIMES, ALTHOUGH IN HATE CRIMES. WE ARE ALSO, UM, SEEING AN UPTICK. BUT I THINK THAT, UH, THIS REALLY MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB, ONE, WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, ALSO BEING THAT VOICE, UM, FOR DECENCY, FOR, UH, CIVILITY, AND FOR CELEBRATING EACH OTHER EVEN DESPITE ALL OUR DIFFERENCES. SO I'M KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS. I'M GETTING BRIEFED BY HPD, BUT I DID WANNA FLAG, UM, THAT THE LATEST REPORT IS CONCERNING THAT HOUSTON IS NOW LEADING THIS YEAR WITH A JUMP OF 193% IN HATE INCIDENTS. ON A BRIGHTER NOTE, I DID WANNA THANK, UM, OUR FIREFIGHTERS IN DISTRICT C AT STATION 33. UH, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL, UH, INCIDENTS WHERE THEY'VE RESPONDED AND WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING, UH, MESSAGES FROM OUR CONSTITUENTS, SPECIFICALLY THANKING THEM FOR THE CALIBER OF SERVICE THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING. UH, ON THAT, ALSO ON A PUBLIC SAFETY NOTE, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THIS IS CITYWIDE. UH, RESIDENTS KNOW THAT THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND COLLEAGUES, IF YOU COULD PLEASE HELP PUSH THIS OUT. THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS PUBLISHED THEIR HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN. UH, IT IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEW NOW. YOU CAN GO TO HOUSTON OEM.ORG. UM, THIS PLAN IS UPDATED EVERY FIVE YEARS. AND THIS, UH, LAST CYCLE, THEY DID A HUGE OVERHAUL IN TERMS OF EFFORTS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT NORMALLY DON'T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. SO I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO LOOK AT THAT. AND ANOTHER PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY. OUR MEMORIAL HEIGHTS TURS, WHICH IS DOING GREAT WORK IN THE CORRIDOR, IS LAUNCHING A PUBLIC INPUT, UH, MOBILITY STUDY, UH, TO REVIEW, UH, LAWRENCE PARK, WHICH RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON. AND THEN, UM, IN SHADY ACRES, 18TH, 19TH, AND 20TH STREETS, UH, WHICH ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF SOME REPAIRS. SO Y'ALL CAN FIND OUT MORE ON THEIR WEBSITE FOR THAT. UH, THIS WEEKEND IS THE HOUSTON MARATHON. FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO, UH, I'M NOT GONNA BLOW UP THEIR SPOT, BUT TO MY DEAR COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE BEEN TRAINING FOR THIS, UH, I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK. I WON'T SAY BREAK A LEG ON THIS ONE, UH, BUT I KNOW THAT Y'ALL WILL DO GREAT, AS WILL ALL HOUSTONIANS, THE MAIN ROUTE, UM, HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON DISTRICT C. SO I ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO GO TO, UH, THE MARATHON WEST, UH, WEBSITE, CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.ORG TO LOOK AT ROAD CLOSURES THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. AND THEN LASTLY, MAYOR, UH, BEFORE I WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY MLK DAY. UH, I DID WANNA BRING UP THE CONCERN THAT WE ARE EXPECTING A HARD FREEZE, UH, THIS COMING MONDAY, UH, THAT IS STILL IN FLUX. UH, IT'S NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS DEVASTATING. WE HOPE, YOU KNOW, THAT IS WHAT THEY'RE SAYING AS THE FEBRUARY WINTER STORM URI FREEZE. BUT WE STILL HAVE TO BE PREPARED, UH, TAKING CARE OF YOUR PEOPLE, PIPES, PLANTS, UH, PETS. NOT IN THAT ORDER, UH, BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO MESSAGE OUT, ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO MONITOR THE WEATHER PLAN AHEAD OVER THE WEEKEND, BE SAFE AND HAVE A WONDERFUL MARATHON WEEKEND, AND HAPPY MLK DAY. ANYONE ELSE? IF NOT, UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR A, UH, GOOD FIRST MEETING ON MY BEHALF. AND I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, ADJOURN IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON OF DALLAS, A LONGTIME PUBLIC SERVANT. WITH THAT SAID, UH, WE STAND, RECESS ADJOURNED, ADJOURNED. ONE ONE OF THOSE. * 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.