* 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. [00:00:03] HI, FROM THE ANNA RUSSELL COUNCIL CHAMBER. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW IT, MS. RUSSELL WAS THE FORMER CITY SECRETARY. THIS COUNCIL CHAMBER WAS NAMED AFTER HER. THIS IS THE ANNA RUSSELL COUNCIL CHAMBER. I'M ABOUT TO READ THIS. COUNCILOR, THE CITY CAP, THE CAPTION FOR THE COUNCIL AGENDA WEEK OF JULY 2ND, 2024. WE HAVE THE REPORT FROM THE CITY CONTROLLER AND THE CITY ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE CURRENT FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CITY. ITEM ONE IS THE REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER 27, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, MONTROSE ZONE. ITEM TWO, REQUEST FROM MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MONTROSE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. ITEM THREE, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $956,486 AND 28 CENTS IN ACCEPTANCE OF WORK ON CONTRACT WITH VA UNDERGROUND UTILITIES, INC. ITEM FOUR RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A LETTER OF APPROVAL TO EMS PROS, LLC ITEM FIVE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF A LETTER TO OF APPROVAL TO NOVA EMS INC. ITEM SIX ORDINANCE, ESTABLISHING THE EASTERN WEST SIDE OF THE 8,500 TO 8,600 BLOCKS OF EASTER STREET. ITEM SEVEN ORDINANCE RENEWING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EAST AND WEST SIDE OF THE 1500 TO 1600 BLOCKS OF HARBOR STREET. ITEM EIGHT ORDINANCE CONSENTED TO THE ADDITION OF 15 POINT 1563 ACRES OF LAND TO HARRIS COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NUMBER 5 88. THAT'S THE END OF THE CONSENT AGENDA UNDER THE MATTERS HELD CATEGORY. ITEM NINE IS CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO ITEM 10. ITEM 10, MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM. SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO APPROVE FISCAL YEAR 2025. 2029, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND CASTEX TATUM. THIS WAS ITEM SIX ON AGENDA OF JUNE 26TH, 2024. ITEM 11, MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM. SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATION FROM CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER ON AWARD TO FERGUSON ENTERPRISES, LLC FOR PURCHASE OF COUPLINGS, TAB BY COUNCILMAN PLUM. THIS WAS ITEM 10 ON AGENDA OF JUNE 26TH, 2024. ITEM 12, MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX. SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS TO ADOPT. RECOMMENDATION FROM CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER ON WARD COBURN, COBURN SUPPLY COMPANY, INC. FOR PURCHASE OF FEEDINGS AND OF S TAB BY COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THIS WAS ITEM 11 ON AGENDA OF JUNE 26TH, 2024. ITEM 13, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING INTER LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY, HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT, HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, PORT OF HOUSTON, AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY, HARRIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, HARRIS COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT DBA, HARRIS HEALTH SYSTEM, AND HOUSTON LAND BANK. TAB BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON POLLARD AND RAMIREZ. THIS IS ITEM 20 ON AGENDA OF JUNE 26TH. ITEM 14, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $3,917,000 AND NO CENTS OUT. PUBLIC HEALTH. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND APPROVED AN AUTHORIZING DESIGN BUILD AGREEMENT WITH TIMES CONSTRUCTION INC. TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS, FLICKINGER, DAVIS AND CARTER. THIS IS ITEM 32 ON AGENDA OF JUNE 26TH, 2024. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THIS HUGE AGENDA FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SESSION OF JULY 2ND, 2024. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. SCHEDULED TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM IN THE WORDS FOR CURRENT CITY SECRETARY, WHICH IS ME, PAT JEFFERSON. DANIEL, I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH THIS. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS TREAT EVERYONE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. HAVE A BLESSED FANTABULOUS DAY. OH, WHAT? OH, WHAT? OR CATCH THESE HANDS. CATCH THESE HANDS. THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU, MADAM SECRETARY. YOU'RE THE BEST. YOU'RE WELCOME. MY NUMBER ONE FAN, , [INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, UH, TO GIVE THE INVITATION OR YOU'RE RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE REVEREND JEFFREY PITTMAN, PASTOR OF PETRA AND GREEN CHAPEL, A ME CHURCH TO, UH, COME UP AND DELIVER THE INVOCATION, UH, PETRIN GREEN CHAPEL. A ME CHURCH IS THE OLDEST CHURCH IN INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS, AND THEY'RE ANCHORED IN FAITH, LOVE, AND HOPE. AND WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE, UH, PASTOR PITTMAN HERE TODAY FOR THE INVOCATION WITH BOW HEADS HEART SPEAK. SPEAK INTO ONE OF THE MICS, PLEASE. ONE THE MICS. THANK YOU, SIR. WITH BOW HEADS AND HUMBLE HEARTS. FATHER GOD, WE COME TO YOU TO SAY THANK YOU, DE LORD. WE SAY THANK YOU DE LORD FOR THIS DAY, FATHER GOD. AND WE PRAY, FATHER GOD, FOR THESE SERVANT LEADERS WHO ARE GATHERED AROUND THIS TABLE. FATHER GOD, AND FATHER GOD, IF THEY NEVER KNOW, FATHER GOD, WE EVEN TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, NOW, THANK YOU, FATHER GOD, THANK YOU THAT YOU KNEW THEM IN THEIR WOUNDS BEFORE THEY WERE EVEN ELECTED TO THESE OFFICERS, FATHER GOD. BUT GUIDE THEM. GIVE THEM YOUR WISDOM, YOUR STRENGTH, AND YOUR POWER, FATHER GOD. AND WHEN IT GETS HARD IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE NIGHT, FATHER GOD, CLEAR THEIR MINDS, FATHER GOD, THAT THEY MIGHT [00:05:01] HAVE REST. FATHER GOD, FOR THE LABOR OF THEIR LOVE IS UPON THIS CITY, FATHER GOD. SO WE THANK YOU THE LORD, FOR THEIR ABILITY TO SERVE. WE THANK YOU THE LORD, FOR THEIR ABILITY TO VOLUNTEER IN THEIR LIVES. FATHER, THE GOD, THIS IS OUR PRAYER. IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN. AMEN. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND FOR THE FLAG PLEDGE, PLEDGE PLEDGE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND SEE REPUBLIC WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE OF LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. [9:00 AM - ROLL CALL] MA'AM, SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL CALL THE ROLE MAYOR, I WHITMEYER. PRESENT. COUNCILMAN PEG HERE. COUNCILMAN JACKSON? HERE. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. HERE. COUNCIL POLLARD. HERE. COUNCILMAN CASTEX TATUM. HERE. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ. HERE. COUNCILMAN DAVIS. HERE. COUNCILMAN CARTER. PRESENT. COUNCIL PLUMMER HERE AND CONSTABLE ALCORN HERE NEED [ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING] A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 23RD AND 24TH. CASTEX TATUM MOVE. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES. [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 ] NOW FOR THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT, RECOGNIZE CITY CONTROLLER, OUR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE. GOOD MORNING MAYOR, HONORABLE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. I'M PLEASED TO PRESENT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED MAY 31ST, 2024 CONTROLLER. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. LEMME GET THIS, GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE. WHERE WERE YOU YESTERDAY? I COULD HAVE USED THAT. WE GOOD TO GO? ALRIGHT, MAYOR, IN THE GENERAL FUND, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF $466.2 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. THIS IS $11.4 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT DUE TO A LOWER REVENUE PROJECTION IN FINANCE. BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $280 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5% OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO IN RESERVE. OUR REVENUE PROJECTION INCREASED BY $12.4 MILLION FROM THE APRIL, 2024 MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT, PRIMARILY DUE TO AN $8.6 MILLION INCREASE IN CHARGES FOR SERVICES BASED ON HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED AMBULANCE FEES AND A $3.5 MILLION INCREASE IN INTEREST INCOME BASED ON HIGHER INTEREST EARNINGS ON DEPOSITS AND INVESTMENTS. OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTION IS UNCHANGED FROM THE APRIL, 2024 REPORT IN THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS. THE CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT FUND SAW AN $8.1 MILLION INCREASE IN NON-OPERATING REVENUES BASED ON HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX COLLECTIONS AND A CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN TRANSFERS BROUGHT TOTAL OPERATING TRANSFERS TO AN INCREASE OF $8.1 MILLION AS WELL. THAT WAS A TRANSFER TO HOUSTON. FIRST, UH, WE'RE PROJECTING NO CHANGES IN THE OTHER FUNDS. THESE INCLUDE AVIATION, THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, STORM WATER, AND THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUNDS FOR OUR 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 MAY 31ST, 2024. THE RATIO OF UNHEDGED VARIABLE RATE DEBT FOR EACH TYPE OF OUTSTANDING DEBT WAS WELL BELOW THAT THRESHOLD. UH, MAYOR, I WANT TO REITERATE A CONCERN THAT I EXPRESSED YESTERDAY AT BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS. UH, AND THAT'S RELATED TO THE JUDGMENT, UH, AGAINST THE CITY ON THE 11.80 CENTS, UH, FOR DRAINAGE, UH, WE LOST THAT LAWSUIT. WE APPEALED, WE LOST THE APPEAL, OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE HEARD THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO APPEAL FURTHER TO THE SUPREME COURT. UH, THAT SAID, THERE'S A REASONABLE LIKELIHOOD, UH, THAT WE COULD LOSE THAT SUIT AND BE ON THE HOOK FOR WHAT MY OFFICE, UH, ESTIMATES TO BE BETWEEN 110 AND $120 MILLION. UM, THAT'S A BIG POTENTIAL EXPENSE AND, UH, WE HAVE TO BE CLEAR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IN THE INSTANCE THAT WE WERE TO LOSE THAT LAWSUIT, WHICH WE'VE NOW LOST TWICE IN A ROW ON IT, UM, HOW WE COVER THAT FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. OUR, UH, PARDON ME, , OUR, UH, OUR CITY ATTORNEY HAS, UH, YOU CAN TAKE THAT CALL IF YOU WANT TO IT MIGHT HELP YOU. OUR CITY ATTORNEY HAS, HAS STATED, UM, THAT WERE WE TO LOSE THAT WE WOULDN'T BE ON THE HOOK FOR THAT, UM, THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SAID, AND I'M, I'M SURE HE'S DONE HIS HOMEWORK. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM HIM. I HAVEN'T SEEN [00:10:01] ANY LEGAL STANDING FOR THAT POSITION. UH, AND SO WE JUST NEED TO BE PREPARED AND HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING AGAIN, OF HOW THAT COST IS GOING TO BE COVERED, YOU KNOW, ON THE DOWNSIDE SCENARIO. AND SO JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THAT RISK. AND WITH THAT MAYOR, UH, THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI. OKAY, GOOD MORNING. THIS IS THE 11 PLUS ONE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING MAY 31ST, 2024. FISCAL YEAR 2024 PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON 11 MONTHS OF ACTUAL RESULTS AND ONE MONTH OF PROJECTIONS FOR THE GENERAL FUND. OUR REVENUE PROJECTION IS $52.3 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND $9.8 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE PRIOR MONTH. AS THE CONTROLLER MENTIONED, THE VARIANCE FROM THE PRIOR MONTH IS PRIMARILY DUE TO A $5.6 MILLION INCREASE IN CHARGES FOR SERVICES DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED AMBULANCE FEES. WE'RE ALSO INCREASING OUR REVENUE PROJECTION BY 4.2 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED INTEREST EARNINGS FOR THE GENERAL FUND. ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, WE HAVE NO ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO REPORT FROM THE PRIOR MONTH, AND THE PROJECTION REMAINS $42.4 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET. SO BASED ON THOSE CHANGES, WE'RE CURRENTLY PROJECTING THE ENDING FUND BALANCE TO BE 477.6 MILLION, WHICH IS 9.8 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE PRIOR MONTH. AND IS 19.2% OF ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES NOT INCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. I JUST WANNA TOUCH ON SALES TAX SINCE, SINCE WE GENERALLY TALK ABOUT THAT. UH, SINCE THE PREVIOUS MONTH'S REPORT, UH, WE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE, UH, APRIL SALES TAX RECEIPTS, WHICH CAME IN ABOUT 1% HIGHER THAN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, AND ABOUT 0.4% HIGHER THAN BUDGET. SO BASED ON OUR CURRENT ESTIMATE OF $880.7 MILLION, UM, WE STILL FEEL THAT'S A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE GIVEN THAT YEAR TO DATE, WE'RE AVERAGING APPROXIMATELY FLAT TO THE PRIOR YEAR. SO THE REMAINING MONTHS CAN COME IN UP TO ABOUT 4% DOWN TO STILL HIT THE CURRENT PROJECTION. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT IN NEXT MONTH'S REPORT. SO THAT BEING SAID, THE FUND BALANCE IS $291.3 MILLION ABOVE THE TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5% OF EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO. MOVING ON TO THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS, UM, AS A CONTROLLER MENTIONED, THE ONLY CHANGE THAT WE HAVE IS THE CONVENTION ENTERTAINMENT FUND. UH, WE NON-OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY $8.1 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. AND AS A RESULT, WE HAVE TO INCREASE OUR OPERATING TRANSFERS BY THE 8.1 MILLION. UH, AS A CONTROLLER MENTIONED, WE HAVE NO CHANGES TO ANY OF THE OTHER ENTERPRISE OR SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS THIS MONTH. THAT CAN CONCLUDES MY REPORT VERY WELL. COUNCIL AL COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU. UM, CONTROLLER, THANKS FOR BRINGING UP THE, THE 11.80 CENT LAWSUIT. AS I SAID YESTERDAY, THAT'S ALL VERY TOP OF MIND FOR ALL OF US. UM, WE ARE, YOU, WE UNDERSTAND THAT POTENTIAL LIABILITY AND WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THAT CLOSELY. UM, UM, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, I'VE ASKED YOU THIS BEFORE, BUT I FORGET WHAT YOU TOLD ME. AT THE BOTTOM OF A PAGE NINE, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE THE FUND BALANCE END OF YEAR, THERE'S THAT ACTUAL YEAR TO DATE COLUMN THAT HAS $736 MILLION IN IT. WHAT I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE SEVEN $36 MILLION IN THAT ACCOUNT, BUT WHAT, WHAT IS THAT? MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, IT'S, RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THE, UM, CONTROLLERS PROJECTION 4 66 FINANCE PROJECTION 4 77, AND THEN IT SAYS ACTUAL YEAR TO DATE SEVEN. THAT'S RIGHT. 30. YES. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE, UH, IT'S A TIMING. I THINK, UH, WHEN YOU GO TO THE, WHEN YOU SEE NEXT MONTH'S REPORT, YOU'LL SEE THAT TRUED UP WHERE WE ARE. UH, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE, UM, STILL THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THE FINAL MONTH OF THE FISCAL YEAR IN JUNE. SO THE, THE PROJECTION THAT YOU SHOULD BE ANTICIPATING FOR WHAT WE SEE THE FUND BALANCE GOING TO BE AT THE END OF THE YEAR IS THE, IN OUR ESTIMATION, THE FINANCE PROJECTION COLUMN. AND IN THE CONTROLLERS ESTIMATION, THAT'S JUST ESTIMATION. IT'S JUST A TIMING THING. YES. OKAY. OKAY. AND ON THE, I I ASKED YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THE FIREFIGHTER BOND, AND YOU'RE GONNA BE PRICING THAT NEXT WEEK IN NEW YORK AND THEN CLOSING SOON THEREAFTER. YES. UH, SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, LIKE WE'RE ALL DONE WITH ALL THE STEPS LEGALLY, UM, TO GO AHEAD AND ISSUE THAT? IS THAT, THAT MIGHT BE A QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY. SO I'LL, I'LL START AND THEN I'LL LET THE CITY ATTORNEY FILL IN. SO TYPICALLY WHEN THE ATTORNEY GENERAL APPROVES A BOND TRANSACTION, THEY GIVE THEIR FORMAL APPROVAL BETWEEN THE PRICING OF THE BONDS AND THE CLOSING OF THE BONDS. UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING, BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLEXITY WITH THIS ISSUANCE IS ENGAGING THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. UH, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO THEM FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS ACTUALLY ABOUT THE BOND TRANSACTION, UM, TO GET TO A POINT WHERE IT'S NOT AN OFFICIAL APPROVAL FROM THEM, BUT A KIND OF AN INFORMAL, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST DIRECTIONALLY FROM THEM, UH, WHERE [00:15:01] THEY SEE IT, AND ANY QUE RESOLVING ANY QUESTIONS THEY HAVE ON THE FRONT END AS OPPOSED TO WAITING UNTIL AFTER PRICING. I'LL, I'LL LET THE CITY ATTORNEY FILL IN IF I MISSED ANYTHING. NO, I, I, I THINK THAT'S PRETTY ACCURATE AND COMPLETE AND ALL OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, THE PUBLIC FINANCE DIVISION OF THAT OFFICE HAVE BEEN FAVORABLE. OKAY. OKAY. GREAT. AND, AND HAVE ANY MONIES BEEN EXPENDED FROM THE FIREFIGHTER DEAL YET? I MEAN, HAVE WE PAID THE LAWYERS? HAVE WE PAID ANY FI I MEAN, WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE BOND FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS, BUT WE'VE MADE PARTIAL, UH, ATTORNEY'S FEES PAYMENT TO THEIR LAWYERS. OKAY. PER THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT OF, UH, 4 MILLION AND THERE'S A TWO AND A HALF MILLION REMAINING. OKAY. AND, AND HOW WILL EXPLAIN, AND I THINK YOU, I THINK YOU'VE SAID, OR I'VE HEARD THAT THE, THE, THE UNION WILL BE DISTRIBUTING THE, THE ACTUAL CHECKS FROM, UH, LIKE FROM THE CITY. I MEAN, HOW, WHAT ARE THE CONTROLS ON THAT? HOW, HOW IS THIS HAPPENING? IS IT ONE BIG CHECK TO THE UNION AND THEN THEY DIVVY UP OR WE GIVE THEM INDIVIDUAL CHECKS? OR HOW, HOW, HOW, WHAT ARE THE MECHANICS OF THE ACTUAL PAYMENTS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS? THEY'RE GOING TO BE INDIVIDUAL CHECKS BASED ON THE DATA THAT THEY'RE GIVING US. WE'RE GOING TO, TO RUN THAT AND ISSUE THE PHYSICAL CHECKS FOR THE, FOR THE UNION THEN TO PROVIDE TO INDIVIDUAL FIREFIGHTERS. SO THE CHECKS WILL BE ISSUED FROM THE CITY, GO TO THE UNION, AND THEN IT ISSUED TO INDIVIDUAL FIREFIGHTERS? CORRECT. OKAY. SO, I MEAN, I KNOW WHEN WE HAVE CHECKS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE GET LIKE INDIVIDUALLY WE SIGN, WE SHOW OUR ID, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. I'M ASSUMING THOSE SAME CHECKS WILL BE IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A LOT OF 4,000 CHECKS OR HOWEVER MANY CHECKS. I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT WE'VE GOT PROPER CONTROLS ON ALL OF THIS. YES. IS, UH, THEY WERE THE PLAINTIFF, THEY WON THE LAWSUIT AND THEY'RE DISTRIBUTING IT TO THEIR MEMBERS. AND, UH, IT'S AN ONGOING DISCUSSION I UNDERSTAND AMONG THE DIFFERENT FACTIONS WITHIN THE UNION. UNDERSTOOD. I JUST, I JUST AM MAKING SURE THAT THE, YOU KNOW, PROPER CONTROLS ARE IN PLACE WITH, WITH THAT MONEY. SURE, SURE. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKING HERE, I'VE GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THE CHANGE TO FORECAST FOR, FOR EITHER ONE OF YOU, THE AMBULANCE FEES, DID WE COLLECT MORE MONEY ON THAT? WAS THERE MORE USAGE? WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE DIFFERENCE WITH THAT? MORE USAGE. SO WE HAD MORE TRANSPORTS THAN WE HAD PREVIOUSLY FORECASTED. OKAY. AND THEN ON THE INTEREST INCOME, WE'VE MADE A COUPLE OF ADJUSTMENTS TO FORECAST BASED ON INTEREST INCOME, YET INTEREST RATES HAVE BEEN PRETTY STABLE. I ASSUME THAT MEANS WE'RE FORECASTING DECREASING INTEREST RATES THAT HAVEN'T ACTUALLY COME TO FRUITION. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING TO CHANGE THE FORECAST TO SAY WE RECEIVED MORE INTEREST INCOME THAN, THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED. THAT'S LARGELY CORRECT. THESE, THESE PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON, UH, PROJECTIONS THAT WERE MADE A YEAR AGO. OKAY. RIGHT. AND SO THIS, THE TREND HAS CONTINUED. DO WE GO BACK AND ADJUST THE FORECAST WHEN WE SEE THAT IT'S NOT COMING INTO LINE WITH WHAT WE, I MEAN, WOULD WE SAY, OKAY, WE THOUGHT INTEREST RATES WERE GOING TO DECREASE, WE WERE GONNA GET FOUR RATE CUTS BY THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, WE SEE THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY, SO THE NEXT THREE MONTHS THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR, WHATEVER THE CASE, DO WE RAISE OUR FORECAST UP AT THAT POINT IN TIME TO ACCOUNT FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, OR WE JUST DO THIS MONTH TO MONTH? UH, IT'S POSSIBLE TO DO SO GIVEN THE CONSERVATIVE STANDPOINT THAT WE'VE TRIED TO TAKE ON, ON THE CITY'S FINANCES, UH, WE'VE SELECTED NOT TO DO THAT. AND, AND IN THE PAST IT HASN'T BEEN INCREDIBLY COMMON TO DO SO. OKAY. AND THEN LASTLY, WITH THE INTEREST RATES, IS THIS A HEADWIND TO WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA COST US FOR THE BONDS FOR THE FIREFIGHTER SETTLEMENT SINCE INTEREST RATES HAVE BEEN HIGHER FOR LONGER? ESSENTIALLY? SO I THINK IF I COULD TOUCH ON THE FIREFIGHTER BONDS, SO THE INTEREST RATE THAT WE'RE ASSUMING ON THE FIREFIGHTER BONDS IS AROUND 4.2%. UM, THE CURRENT PORTFOLIO, THE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO AT THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, I THINK IS PRODUCING AROUND THREE, ABOUT ABOUT 3% RIGHT NOW. UM, AND SO WE DO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A MORE CONSERVATIVE ASSUMPTION ALREADY BUILT INTO THE AMOUNT THAT WE ARE BUDGETING FOR THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT FOR THE FIREFIGHTER BOND IN FY 25. SO I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT RATE. OKAY. UM, I THINK, UM, JUST CIRCLING BACK TO THE INVESTMENT INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO AND THE WAY WE LOOK AT THE PROJECTIONS, UM, AND THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, HIS TEAM DOES AN AMAZING JOB ON THE INVESTMENTS, UM, HIS STAFF THERE. THE WAY THE INVESTMENT INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO WORKS IS A LOT OF TIMES WE ARE PURCHASING INVESTMENTS THAT HAVE, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A LONGER LIFE TO THEM ON THEIR MATURITY. AS THOSE, UM, AS THOSE INVESTMENTS MATURE, UH, WE'RE ABLE TO REINVEST IN, UM, OTHER THINGS THAT ARE PRODUCING [00:20:01] A LITTLE BIT OF A HIGHER INTEREST RATE. SO WHAT YOU'RE KIND OF SEEING WITH THE INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO IS INVESTMENTS THAT HAD A LOWER INTEREST RATE THAT WE MIGHT HAVE PURCHASED A YEAR AGO OR TWO YEARS AGO ROLLING OFF. AND WE'RE REINVESTING IN THINGS THAT HAVE A HIGHER INTEREST RATE, BRINGING UP THE RATE OF THE POOL. I, I MEAN, I GUESS WHERE MY CONFUSION LIES IS I USED TO HAVE TO DO FORECAST FOR MY BUSINESS MONTHLY. UH, AND WHEN THE FACTS CHANGED AND THE FACTS WERE GONNA BE CHANGED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, I ADJUSTED MY FORECAST FOR THE YEAR THAT MONTH. I MEAN, IT MAY HAVE BEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, I CHANGED THE NEXT NINE MONTHS OF FORECAST BASED ON A NEW FACT MM-HMM . UM, WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE WE'D COME IN AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT MORE INTEREST INCOME WHERE I WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT WE'D BEEN ABLE TO TELL THAT SIX MONTHS AGO. WE, TO THE CONTROLLER'S POINT, WE DO PROJECT A LITTLE CONSERVATIVELY. AND AS YOU'VE SEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, MY OFFICE HAS, UH, CHANGED OUR PROJECTIONS, PARTICULARLY AROUND SALES TAX REVENUE. AND SO WE, WE'VE KEPT AN EYE ON THESE THINGS. UH, WE MEET WITH OUR INVESTMENT COMMITTEE QUARTERLY AND WE HAVE, UH, FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSIONS AROUND THESE PARTICULAR ISSUES. UH, AND EVEN THE EXPERTS HAVE DISAGREED MONTH BY MONTH ABOUT WHAT THE FED'S GOING TO DO ON INTEREST RATES. UH, AND SO AGAIN, WE'VE, WE'VE SELECTED TO NOT, UH, MAKE THAT ADJUSTMENT ON THESE PROJECTIONS. AND I THINK GOOD FOR US THAT THESE PROJECTIONS HAVE COME IN, OR PARDON ME, THAT THE ACTUALS HAVE COME IN HIGHER THAN PROJECTED COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, QUESTION REGARDING THE AMBULANCE FEES. I KNOW WE, UM, DISCUSSED LOOKING AT THE MEDICARE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT. UH, WE HAVEN'T UPDATED THAT IN A WHILE. UM, DO YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT? 'CAUSE THAT COULD ALSO CREATE SOME OPPORTUNITY FOR INCOME FOR US. I'M GONNA HAVE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . I WAS THE LAST SPEAKER. COUNCILMAN ALCORN, I MAY WE ACCEPT THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT DATED MAY 31ST, 2024. SECOND CASTILLO MOTION BEEN MAY AND SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU ALL [MAYOR'S REPORT] MAYOR'S REPORT. UM, IT'S FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY THE FOURTH, UH, THE CITY'S OFFICIAL 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION SHOW FREEDOM OVER TEXAS BEGINS AT FOUR O'CLOCK. GOES TO 10 O'CLOCK. GONNA BE WARM. LOTS OF PARTICIPANTS. UH, YEAH, AS THE MAYOR PROM, IT'S NOT GONNA BE WARM. IT'S GONNA BE HOT FOR THE RECORD, IT WILL BE HOT. UH, FIREWORKS ARE AT NINE 30, SO OBVIOUSLY THE CITY HAS GOT A GREAT LINEUP AS YOU WOULD EXPECT. AND, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE HOUSTONIANS TO PARTICIPATE, TALK TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, TALK TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS. BUT I THINK WE GOT, WE HAVE TO EMPHASIZE THE, UM, SAFETY. UM, IT'LL BE EXTREMELY HOT, QUITE FRANKLY, AT FOUR O'CLOCK. SO EVERYONE NEEDS TO USE GOOD JUDGMENT AND HAVE A FUN CELEBRATION. I THINK WE DO IT BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CITY IN AMERICA. AND, UH, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR HOUSTON TO BRING ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES TOGETHER FOR ONE LARGE CELEBRATION. FOR THAT SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR, UH, AROUND THE HORSESHOE DURING THE 4TH OF JULY AND NEW YEAR, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. UM, WE ALWAYS REMIND RESIDENTS AS WELL ABOUT, UH, THE CITY OF HU WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS ITSELF. UM, OTHER THAN THE CITY ITSELF DOING FIREWORKS, WE DO NOT PERMIT, UM, CELEBRATORY FIREWORKS. AND I ALSO WANTED TO PUT OUT A REMINDER, UH, THAT WE STRONGLY DISCOURAGE, UH, AND IT SHOULD NEVER, NEVER BE OKAY TO DO CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE AS WELL. UM, SO AS WE PRACTICE SAFETY IN KEEPING EVERYONE HYDRATED AND COOL, UM, FIREWORKS AND CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE ARE A BIG NO WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS, AND WE ASK EVERYONE TO RESPECT THAT. WELL SAID. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, REMINDER, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ MATTER OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, YESTERDAY I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH A FORMER CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEE WHO HAS HAD A HUGE IMPACT, I THINK, ON OUR CITY, AND I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HIM. HE'S MR. THOMAS RENICK. THOMAS, WOULD YOU MIND STANDING, AND I'M NOT GONNA ASK YOU TO SPEAK, BUT WOULD YOU MIND COMING FORWARD? THOMAS WAS AN ARCHIVIST HISTORIAN FOR THE HOUSTON, UH, REGION MUNICIPAL, UM, CENTER, AND DURING THAT METROPOLITAN CENTER. AND DURING THAT TIME, HE WAS HELPFUL IN ACQUIRING IMPORTANT RECORDS, [00:25:01] UH, THAT MAKE UP THE HISPANIC RESEARCH COLLECTION TODAY THAT IS HOUSED IN THE ITAN BUILDING. FOR 12 YEARS, HE, UH, TOILED AS A, AS A LOYAL CITY EMPLOYEE, ACQUIRING IMPORTANT RECORDS FROM THE TE HEINA FAMILY, WHICH WAS A PROMINENT, UH, RESTAURANT, UH, FAMILY PIONEERS IN, IN THE TEX-MEX, UH, RESTAURANT BUSINESS. ALSO RECORDS FROM THE JOHN JAY RA FAMILY. JOHN JAY RA WAS A, AN IMPORTANT CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, UH, IN THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY AND DID GREAT WORK, BUT ALSO RECORDS FROM THE MORALES FAMILY AND FROM LEONEL CASTILLO. AND THESE RECORDS ARE PART OF WHAT IS A NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT HISPANIC, UH, RECORDS COLLECTION THAT IS HOUSED WITHIN OUR LIBRARY. AND WE HAVE IN LARGE PART, UH, MR. KRIN TO THANK FOR THAT. AND I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HIM. HE LIVES IN THE SAN ANTONIO AREA CURRENTLY, BUT WAS BACK IN TOWN TO, UH, EXPRESS CONCERN FOR THE, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE COLLECTION AND ITS FUTURE LOCATION AT THE, UH, SITE THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED ON, UH, TURKEY BEND ALONG THE BIO. BUT, BUT, UH, UH, THOMAS HAS WRITTEN A NUMBER OF BOOKS INCLUDING, UH, ONE ENTITLED DEL PUEBLO, WHICH IS A HISTORY OF HOUSTON'S HISPANIC COMMUNITY. ALSO WROTE A BIOGRAPHY OF MR. FELIX DINA AS WELL. AND SO, THOMAS, I JUST WANTED TO BRING YOU UP AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, WHICH, UH, HAS LASTED AND WILL LAST FOR MANY MORE DECADES TO COME. AND YOUR WORK HAS GIVEN ALL OF US, UH, A TREASURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO ENJOY. AND SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK AND EXPRESSING CONCERN. THANK YOU FOR VERY KIND WORDS, UH, INVITING ME TO COME IN FRONT OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. YOU BET. ENJOY YOUR STAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. BEFORE I MOVE ON, UH, COUNCILMAN FLICKINGER, WHAT TIME TIME'S OUR, UH, KINGWOOD PARADE, WHICH IS ALWAYS A LARGE EVENT. I BELIEVE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE AT NINE 30. JANIE, CAN YOU HELP ME OUT WITH THAT? IS THAT CORRECT? THE WHAT? THE KINGWOOD PARADE. WHAT TIME WE'RE SUPPOSED TO ASSEMBLE? I, I, I BET, I BET COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER WOULD KNOW . SHE PROBABLY DOES . I WAS TRYING TO GIVE YOU A HAND SIGNAL OVER THERE, FRED, BUT IT'S OKAY. HAVING BEEN IN KINGWOOD SINCE 1972. I DIDN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION YESTERDAY. ANYWAY, GO AHEAD, JANIE. YOU WANT DETAILS? YEAH, NO. WHAT TIME ARE WE SUPPOSED TO START? YEAH, WE START AT 10 O'CLOCK CALL EVER YOU ARE EXPECTING. WHY DON'T YOU, THE MIC, MA'AM. OKAY. TAKE A, TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND TELL US . HI. THANK YOU, UH, FRED, UH, FOR ACKNOWLEDGING JANIE BRENNA. MY NAME IS JANIE BRENNA. I AM SUPER, SUPER EXCITED THAT WE ARE HAVING A FLOAT AT THE KINGWOOD INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE. UH, IT STARTS AT 10 O'CLOCK. HOWEVER, THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE ALL WELCOME TO, UH, SURROUND THE FLOAT THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER FOR KINGWOOD. AND THE GROUP PICTURE IS AT NINE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. SO, WILLIE DAVIS, FRED, UH, JULIAN, AND TWILA, UH, PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE GROUP PICTURE. 'CAUSE THE COMMUNITY SUPPORTS MAYOR JOHN MEYER AND SUPPORTS ALL THE COUNCIL. EVERYONE INVITED PEOPLE. . THANK YOU. YOU INVITE EVERYONE, MA'AM. WE'RE, WE'RE EVERYBODY. WE'RE GONNA ALL TRY TO BE THERE. OKAY. WE'RE, WE'RE A FAMILY. WE'RE BRINGING THE WHOLE FAMILY. WE ARE A FAMILY AND WE'RE INVITING THE MAYOR AND ALL OF THE CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE TO JOIN US. THAT'S WHO I MEANT WAS A FAMILY INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE. YOU GUYS. THANK YOU, CARTER. WOW. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER. WELL, AFTER SHE INVITED THE FAMILY, I WAS JUST GONNA TAKE A MOMENT AND, UH, Y'ALL MIGHT WANT TO GET TO KNOW JANIE, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, BECAUSE SHE'S LIKE THE NUMBER ONE BLOCK WALKER IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. YOU, YOU'RE INVITED TO THE PARADE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU. OKAY. [9:30 AM - PUBLIC SPEAKERS] THE PUBLIC SESSION. YES, SIR. ARE THERE ANY PROCEDURAL MOTIONS? WELL, NOPE. IN HER SPEAKER JACOB RUSSELL. MOTION COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU. I MOVE THE SUSPENDED RULES TO ADD FRED WOODS TO THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA. THREE MINUTE AGENDA. OKAY. AND WE HAVE A MOTION MADE. [00:30:01] UH, SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NO. MOTION PASSES. YES, SIR. PROCEED. THANK YOU. UM, GOOD MORNING, CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR WHITMEYER. UH, I WANNA START BY THANKING MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR FINALLY TAKING THE TIME TO SPEAK WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN ABOUT THE APPOINTMENTS OF THE MONTROSE TOURS BOARD. MR. MAYOR, I WISH YOU'D DONE THAT A MONTH AGO, UH, BEFORE YOU STARTED MEDDLING WITH OUR TOURS BOARD. GOING FORWARD, I HOPE YOU COULD LEAD WITH MORE OPENNESS, ENGAGEMENT, AND HUMILITY INSTEAD OF THE UNPREDICTABILITY, STUBBORNNESS AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT C HAVE HAD TO PUT UP WITH FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS. I BELIEVE SOME OF YOUR TOURS APPOINTEES ARE FRANKLY POOR REPRESENTATIVES OF MY COMMUNITY. IT IS ALSO OBJECTIVELY FOOLISH OF YOU TO REPLACE HALF OUR TOURS BOARD AT ONE TIME. I DO, HOWEVER, HOPE THIS MEANS YOU WILL QUICKLY LIFT YOUR PROHIBITION ON THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD PROJECT MOVING FORWARD AS WELL. ORIGINALLY DESIGNED OUR COMMUNITY WANTS AND NEEDS THE BETTER DRAINAGE, NARROWER STREETS, WIDER SIDEWALKS, SAFER SCHOOL CROSSINGS, IMPROVED BUS STOPS, NEW STREET TREES, AND PROTECTED BICYCLE FACILITIES THAT YOU HAVE CARELESSLY UPHELD FOR MONTHS. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCILOR CAMAN. THANK YOU, MARIN. I KNOW, UH, COLLEAGUES THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF MONTROSE RESIDENTS THAT ARE HERE TO SPEAK TODAY. SO I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME. UM, JACOB, MY REMARKS AREN'T SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED TOWARDS YOU, BUT I DID WANNA LAY OUT, UM, THAT AS YOU INDICATED, UH, THE MAYOR HAS BEEN, UM, VERY OPEN TO THE, UH, A SLATE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT I PUT FORWARD AS OPTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION. AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU MAYOR TURNER, UM, FOR, EXCUSE ME, MAYOR WHITMEYER. I'M SORRY, . I UNDERSTAND. I, I APOLOGIZE. I WANNA THANK YOU MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR, UM, RECONSIDERING SOME OF, UH, WHAT IS BEFORE US TODAY. UH, I DO WANNA THANK ALL THE RESIDENTS FOR COMING, UH, BECAUSE YOUR VOICE CONTINUES TO BE, AS WE KNOW, DISTRICT C CONTINUES TO SHOW UP AT PUBLIC SESSION ON THIS ISSUE OR A HOST OF ISSUES, AND YOUR ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND IMPERATIVE TO THE WORK THAT WE DO IN DISTRICT C. SO, I DO WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR VOICES. AND MAYOR, I DO WANNA THANK YOU FOR, UM, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE VOTING ON TODAY. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION AND ADVICE AND COUNSEL. AND, UH, I THINK THE COMMUNITY WILL BE SERVED BECAUSE WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER. AND I THANK YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR APPEARANCE. YOU'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE TOO. THANK YOU, COUNCIL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. NEXT, LAURA CONNOLLY, BE FOLLOWED BY VICTORIA ZABAR. GOOD MORNING. EXCUSE ME. GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL. UM, MY NAME IS LAURA CONNELLEY AND I'M A 40 YEAR RESIDENT OF MONTROSE AND I'M WALKING WELLNESS COACH. I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY ABOUT THE LONG AWAITED MONTROSE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. I WANT TO URGE YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO RESTART THIS PROJECT TO ENSURE OUR SAFETY, HEALTH, AND EQUITY FOR ALL MY NEIGHBORS. FIRST, SAFETY, A WALKABLE MONTROSE BOULEVARD IS ESSENTIAL FOR ENSURING THE SAFETY FOR ALL RESIDENTS. BY INCORPORATING SAFE SIDEWALKS, CROSSWALKS, AND TRAFFIC CONTROLLING MEASURES, WE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE RISK OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CARS AND PEDESTRIANS. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL PROTECT OUR CHILDREN, WALKING TO SCHOOL RESIDENTS, WALKING TO SHOP, NEIGHBORS, TAKING THE BUS TO WORK, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN MAKING OUR STREETS SAFER FOR ALL. SECOND, HEALTH, WALKABLE STREETS PROMOTE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WHICH IS CRUCIAL FOR REDUCING THE RISK OF CHRONIC ILLNESS BY MAKING, WALKING, UH, WALKING A MORE CONVENIENT AND ENJOYABLE OPTION. WE ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO DO THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES AND ROUTINES, WALKING AND BIKING RATHER THAN DRIVING. PLEASE RECONSIDER STARTING THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND IMPLORE ALL OF YOU, MAYOR COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. MAYOR, UM, AGAIN, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF SPEAKERS, SO I'M NOT GONNA ENGAGE WITH EVERYONE. BUT LAURA, UM, I HAVE A NOTE FROM MY STAFF THAT YOU'VE BEEN HELPING TO ORGANIZE THE WALK AUDITS, UM, THROUGH A A RP THAT'S CORRECT. OF MONTROSE ITSELF. SO I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK. AND DO YOU HAVE, UH, AN UPDATE FOR US ON HOW THAT'S GOING OR WHEN WE CAN EXPECT THAT WORK? LAST TIME WE DID IT, UH, AROUND WASHINGTON AVENUE CORRIDOR, THEY WERE OUT THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER. UH, I KNOW IT GOT VERY HOT, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE Y'ALL ARE DOING, UH, GOOD WORK, BUT SAFELY. THAT'S RIGHT. WE'RE STARTING A WEEK FROM SATURDAY AND WE WILL FINISH, UM, IN ABOUT FOUR WEEKS WALKING, UM, THE WHOLE ROUTE ON MONTROSE COLLECTING DATA POINTS PROVIDED BY THIS, THIS INSTRUMENT THAT A RP USES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. YES. TERRIFIC. AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER AND HELP OUT, WHAT, WHERE CAN THEY GO FOR THAT? THEY CAN CONTACT FRIENDS OF THE BOULEVARD OR THEY CAN CONTACT, UM, URBAN PASS, WHICH IS MY COMP WALKING COMPANY. AND GET IN TOUCH WITH ME. I ALSO ASK ALL OF YOU IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME OUT AND WALK WITH US. REALLY, YOU DON'T [00:35:01] KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WALK DOWN THE BOULEVARD UNTIL YOU'VE ACTUALLY DONE IT. I DID THE WHOLE LENGTH YESTERDAY. IT'S HOT. AND I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER, SOME PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CHOICE WHETHER THEY WALK OR NOT. IN THE SUMMER, EVERYONE DOESN'T HAVE A CAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. NEXT. VICTORIA ZABAR EVELYN SPIKE. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THET BOARD AND THE MANTRA REDESIGN. WHILE I'M VERY, UM, GLAD THAT Y'ALL REACHED A CONSENSUS AND YOU TALKED THROUGH THIS, I WILL SAY THAT AS A RESIDENT, THIS WHOLE PROCESS HAS BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING. UM, ALL OF THE POLITICKING, UM, FEELS VERY MUCH OUT OF YOUR HAND FOR A TOURS BOARD THAT HAS SUCH A DIRECT EFFECT ON HOW OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS RUN AND INVESTED IN. UM, AND I HOPE THAT THOSE THAT YOU CHOSE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ORIGINAL MONTROSE REDESIGN. I THINK THE ORIGINAL DESIGN IS VITAL TO THE SURVIVABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, AND ITS SURROUNDING AREAS FOR FLOODING, REASONS FOR CAR SAFETY, FOR PEDESTRIANS, FOR BIKE ACCESS, FOR BUSINESSES, EVERYTHING ALL AROUND. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, GIA LONGWORTH. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL AND MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. MY NAME IS GIA. I'M A MANTRAS RESIDENT AND I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY DISCONTENT WITH THE WAY THE MONTROSE TEARS BOARD HAS BEEN HANDLED BY THIS ADMINISTRATION. REPLACING THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD IN ONE FELL SWOOP WILL GREATLY HINDER THEIR ABILITY TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON ONGOING PROJECTS. ONE OF THE NOMINEES HAS BEEN TO COUNCIL SEVERAL TIMES TO ARGUE AGAINST THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD PROJECT, TANGENTIALLY ABOUT THE TREES, BUT MOSTLY ABOUT THE DRAINAGE COMPONENT. TO QUOTE HURT DIRECTLY, WE ARE NOT SEEING FLOODING IN MONTROSE. AND THERE ARE PARTS OF HOUSTON WHERE THE WATER IS ACTUALLY INUNDATING HOMES, FLOODING VEHICLES ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND THEY SHOULD BE THE PRIORITY, NOT A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE ALL YOU HAVE IS SIX INCHES OF STREET FLOODING. THE, THE DAY HER NOMINATION WAS ANNOUNCED, WITHOUT THE INPUT OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBER, IT RAINED ENOUGH TO FLOOD THE STREETS AND FLOOD MY HUSBAND'S CAR, RESULTING IN A WATER REMEDIATION BILL OF $400. THE LOCAL BUSINESS THAT SERVICED OUR CAR EVEN TOLD HIM THAT THEY HAD FOUR OTHER PEOPLE COME IN WITH FLOODED CARS THAT SAME DAY. NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER PARTS OF HOUSTON HAVE IT WORSE, BUT A FLOODED CAR IS STILL AN EXPENSIVE NUISANCE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED, NOT IGNORED. MAYOR WHITMEYER, FOR YOU TO DOMINATE SOMEONE WHO DENIES WE EVEN HAVE A FLOODING ISSUE IS FRANKLY INSULTING. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS MOVING FORWARD ARE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH THE DATA, SUPPORTING THE NEED FOR FLOOD MITIGATION AND SAFE STREET DESIGN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, EMILY ARWAN? YES. OKAY. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M EMILY WAN WITH PRESERVATION HOUSTON, AND I'M HERE THIS MORNING TO SPEAK, UH, TO ENCOURAGE A COUNCIL VOTE ON THE HISTORIC LANDMARK AND PROTECTED LANDMARK NOMINATIONS PRESENTED AT LAST WEEK'S HEARING. I WANNA, AGAIN, SPEAK IN SPECIFIC SUPPORT OF THE BRASSWELL BUILDING ON ALAMEDA FOR WHICH PRESERVATION. HOUSTON WROTE THE NOMINATION AT THE REQUEST OF THE OWNER WHO WISHES TO REDEVELOP THE BUILDING. LANDMARKING IS ONE WAY THAT HOUSTON RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF ITS HISTORY THROUGH A PROCESS THAT MUST BE INITIATED BY A PROPERTY OWNER. HOUSTON IS THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE COUNTRY, AND IT'S EARNED, EARNED A REPUTATION FOR BEING DYNAMIC AND FORWARD THINKING. HOUSTON'S HISTORY IS EQUALLY DIVERSE AND DYNAMIC, AND THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE VARIETY OF HISTORIC PLACES THAT REPRESENT EVERY COMMUNITY AND EVERY ERA OF ITS DEVELOPMENT. THE CITY'S PRESERVATION ORDINANCE COVERS THE OUTSIDE OF A BUILDING THAT'S VISIBLE FROM THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, BUT THAT DOESN'T FREEZE A BUILDING IN TIME. HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN HOUSTON HAVE BEEN REDEVELOPED, ADDED ONTO AND CONVERTED TO NEW USES, BOTH UNDER THE CITY'S PRESERVATION ORDINANCE AND THE MORE STRINGENT REVIEW THAT COMES WITH STATE AND FEDERAL HISTORIC TAX CREDITS. IN SEVERAL CASES, A HISTORIC REHAB PROJECT HAS BEEN THE VIABLE OPTION THAT'S BROUGHT A LONG VACANT BUILDING BACK INTO COMMERCE. PRESERVATION IS NOT THE OPPOSITE OF DEVELOPMENT, IT'S AN INTEGRAL PART OF IT. IT WORKS HAND IN HAND WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION ON ISSUES LIKE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. THIS HELPS HOUSTON EVOLVE MORE SUSTAINABLY WHILE KEEPING WHAT GIVES IT ITS IDENTITY AND MAKES IT SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE. WE'LL BE REACHING OUT TO MAYOR WHITMEYER AND INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TALK ABOUT THIS IN MORE DETAIL. UM, BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT PRESERVATION HOUSTON IS HERE AS A RESOURCE FOR QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR IDEAS RELATED TO THE OLDER PROPERTIES IN YOUR DISTRICT OR CITYWIDE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, LAURA CALLIE. [00:40:07] GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS LAURA. BEHIND THE MIC PLEASE. THE MIC, PLEASE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR MAKING CHANGES TO THE TEARS BOARD TO ENSURE A BOARD THAT LISTENS, MAKES DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS, AND IS WILLING TO CREATE A DESIGN THAT MEETS COMMUNITY NEEDS WITHOUT REDUCING LANES AND WITHOUT THE LOSS OF MATURE TREES. THERE ARE MANY HERE TODAY WHO DO SUPPORT THIS BUT COULDN'T MAKE THE SPEAKER'S LIST. I JUST ASK WHEN MAKING THESE BIG, EXPENSIVE, IMPACTFUL CHANGES, LOOK AT THE DATA AND ASK MAYBE THE SOMETIMES HARD QUESTIONS, BUT ASK THE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, FRED WOODS. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS FRED WOODS. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF NORTHWOOD MANOR CIVIC CLUB. UH, NORTHWOOD MANOR IS COMPRISED OF APPROXIMATELY 2000 HOMES. IT RECENTLY CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE SWAT PROJECT TO UPSIZE OUR EXISTING STORM SEWER SYSTEM WILL AFFECT LESS THAN 5% OF THOSE HOMES THAT ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY FLOODING AS COMPARED TO OTHER AREAS IN HOUSTON. FURTHERMORE, I LEARNED THAT WE WOULD HAVE BETTER BEEN SERVED THROUGH A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT TO ADDRESS THE FAILING DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD. I FOUND MYSELF THINKING HOW THIS PROBLEM, DECADES, GOING BACK DECADES COULD CONTINUE TO GO IMPROPERLY ADDRESSED. THERE ARE FEDERAL RESOURCES FROM THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, BUILDING RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES, FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE THAT CAN BE USED TO ENABLE OUR CITY GOVERNMENT TO IMPROVE STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND TO REDUCE THE RISKS FACED FROM DISASTERS. WE'VE EXPERIENCED DISASTER AFTER DISASTER IN NORTHEAST HOUSTON, AND YET SOMEHOW WE ARE STILL MISSING THE MARK. SHOW US THAT THE HISTORIC DI THIS DIVESTMENT ENDS WITH THE WHITMEYER ADMINISTRATION AND WITH THIS COUNCIL, THAT THERE WILL BE A TRANSPARENT EFFORT TO GO AFTER FEDERAL RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR LEAST RESILIENT COMMUNITIES. I'M NOT SATISFIED WITH THE PROPOSED CIP BUDGET. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND DIALOGUE REGARDING WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED AND THE PRIORITY OF EACH PROJECT. IT CONTINUES TO FEEL THAT WHEN, WHEN WE ARE NOT AT THE TABLE, WE ARE ON IT, DECISIONS CONTINUE TO BE MADE FOR US AND NOT WITH US. AND UNLIKE THE FIREFIGHTERS, WE ARE DUE OUR BACK PAY TO IN THE FORM OF PROJECTS TO ADDRESS OUR NEEDS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT OUR MORTALITY AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE. SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S AMENDMENTS AND CONSIDER NORTHWOOD MANOR FOR CIP TO ADDRESS OUR FAILING OUTDATED DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT, JACK VALINSKI. GOOD MORNING MAYOR COUNCIL. MY NAME IS JACK VALINSKI. YOU KNOW, IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE WOULD NOT HAVE CHURCH OR MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, BUT THIS CITY, WE NEED THEM BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY DUE TO CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE NEEDED IN THIS CITY. THE MONTROSE TOUR IS A VERY SPECIAL TOUR. IT WAS NOT CREATED BY THE CITY. IT WAS CREATED BY THE PEOPLE ORIGINALLY. MIDTOWN WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE OVER PORTIONS OF MONTROSE. AND WHEN THAT WAS BROUGHT TO COUNCIL IN THE LAST DAYS OF THE PARKER ADMINISTRATION, THERE WAS A PAUSE IN IT. AND TWO DAYS LATER THERE WAS A MEETING OF ABOUT 200 PEOPLE IN MONTROSE SHOWED UP. AND THE OPTIONS WERE MIDTOWNS GONNA TAKE OVER PART OF MONTROSE. THERE'D BE NO TURS OR YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN TURS. IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TUR, YOU'VE GOTTA DO YOUR OWN WORK. AND IT WAS THE PRESIDENT, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, GREG LAGRANDE, WHO DID THE WORK. THEY GOT TOGETHER, THEY GOT THE EXPERTS, THEY FOUND THE RIGHT PARCELS THAT MADE THE MOST SENSE. AND IN A COUPLE YEARS THERE WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN THE TUR. I'VE BEEN TO ALMOST EVERY MEETING PERSONALLY. WHEN, WHEN IT WAS IN PERSON, I WAS THERE, I WAS TO EVERY SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING. ALL THESE ITEMS WERE DISCUSSED. IT WAS OPEN. THEY DID INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS. THEY HAD BIG MEETINGS WHERE THE WHOLE DRAWINGS WERE SPREAD ACROSS TABLES AND PEOPLE WERE BE WERE ABLE THERE TO DO COMMENTS. THESE PROJECTS ARE WHAT WE NEED IN MONTROSE. WE NEED TO DO MONTROSE. [00:45:01] YOU KNOW, FOR 25 YEARS I DID THE PRIDE PARADE IN LOWER WESTHEIMER EVERY YEAR. I WAS AFRAID THE CITY'S GONNA SAY, WE'RE GONNA CLOSE WESTHEIMER DOWN AND WE'RE GONNA REDO IT. IT WAS ON THE CIP FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. AND THEN IT DROPPED OFF AND IT NEVER WAS PUT BACK UP AGAIN. SO NOW WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT WE'RE GONNA DO ASPHALT ON PART OF, ON, ON, ON WESTHEIMER, BUT THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THE TURS DID HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE HAD OUR REPRESENTATIVES THERE, THEY SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE, THEY LISTENED. I WANT THIS PROJECT TO CONTINUE. I KNOW MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW WANT THE PROJECT TO CONTINUE. AND WE WANT A BOARD THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS SUPPORTED THEM. THANK YOU, JACK. FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE ON AN UNRELATED MATTER. I THINK YOU WOULD BE THE PERSON TO SPEAK TO IT. WHAT'S THE ODDS OF MERGING THE ORIGINAL GAY PRIDE PARADE AND THE NEW PRIDE PARADE? THERE WERE SEVEN OF, I HOPE, AND LET ME PREFACE, OKAY. I HOPE YOU'LL TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE AND, AND FIND A WAY TO ACCOMMODATE ALL FACTIONS INTO ONE GREAT PARADE. BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THE RESOURCES THAT HPD AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS USE NOW FOR ANOTHER PARADE. AND, UM, I JUST THINK YOU COULD HAVE A GREATER CELEBRATION IF WE HAD ONE LARGE SUCCESSFUL PARADE. SO WE HAD A BOARD MEETING THE MONDAY AFTER THE NEW FACES OF PRIDE, UM, PARADE AND FESTIVAL THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY, A LETTER WAS SENT BY SEVEN PROMINENT ORGANIZATIONS ASKING US TO GO INTO ARBITRATION. WE WILL DO THAT. UH, IF THE PRIDE 365 WANTS TO WORK WITH US AND WE'LL WANT TO WORK WITH THEM, WE WILL DO THAT. BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A TRANSPARENT, WE HAVE TO HAVE AN OPEN ORGANIZATION WHERE THE MONEY GOES TO THE COMMUNITY. IT DOESN'T GO TO PEOPLE'S POCKETS, THAT IT'S OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE RUN A FESTIVAL AND A PARADE THAT IS RESPECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE, OF THE SPONSORS. UM, AND CERTAINLY I UNDERSTAND, I WAS AT THE MEETING WHERE THE, UH, THE POLICE CHIEF SHOWED UP AND TOLD US ABOUT THE RESOURCES. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WE WANNA SERVE THE COMMUNITY. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE OTHER ORGANIZATION, BUT WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO WORK TOGETHER TO HAVE ONE ENTITY. BUT IT TAKES TWO TO NEGOTIATE, NOT JUST ONE. WELL, THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD NEWS AND I APPLAUD YOUR DEMAND FOR TRANSPARENCY. UH, BUT, UH, WE DO NEED TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UH, EVERYONE SITTING DOWN AND HAVING A SERIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT ONE LARGE CELEBRATION. I WILL TELL YOU, UH, YOU MENTIONED WHEN IT, THE PARADE WAS DOWN WESTHEIMER, THAT WAS A PRETTY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE THAT GOT THINGS STARTED ABOUT IN 1981. I THINK THE PARADE STARTED IN 19, I THINK PROBABLY ONE OF THE LAST PERSONS AROUND THAT WERE IN THE FIRST PARADE. AND I KNEW IT OUT. I KNEW IT OUTGREW, OUTGREW, UH, MONTROSE. BUT, UH, I THINK IT JUST, THE CITY WOULD BE SERVED, THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE SERVED IF WE, UH, HAD WON LARGE PARADE. WE WANTED TO DO THAT. AND I HOPE THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE TO GET INVOLVED TO NEGOTIATE. BUT I WILL BE AVAILABLE TO EMPHASIZE ALONG WITH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THE NEED TO, UH, COMBINE THE TWO PARADES. WE WILL WORK TOWARDS THAT. AND I CERTAINLY REMEMBER, I REMEMBER SETTING UP THE PARADE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THAT WAS ONE OF THE NEATEST THINGS TO SEE FAMILIES BRING THEIR KIDS OUT TO WATCH THE FLOATS BEING BUILT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS INSISTED THAT THE PARADE PARTICIPANTS LEFT THE PLACE CLEANER THAN WHEN THEY STARTED. SO WE'RE IN DIFFERENT TIMES NOW. THE PARADE CAN'T FIT ON WESTHEIMER, IT'S DOWNTOWN. UH, CERTAINLY THE NEW FACES OF PRIDE WANNA MAKE THIS A DESTINATION. IMAGINE GETTING TOURISTS TO COME TO HOUSTON IN JUNE. SURE. UH, WE WANNA DO THAT. UM, SO, AND WE'VE DID THAT IN THE PAST, BUT WE WANNA DO IT AT A MUCH BIGGER LEVEL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. I APPLAUD YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU. NEXT, JOHN GE. GOOD MORNING MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS JOHN GUY. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE RICHWOOD PLACE CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND THE AT LARGE BOARD MEMBER OF THE NEW YORKTOWN ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 24. MAYOR I OR HAD HEARD ORIGINALLY THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN DID NOT HAVE INPUT INTO THE SELECTION OF NOMINEES FOR THE TURS BOARD. AND I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR TODAY THAT THAT HAS BEEN CHANGED AND YOU HAVE BEEN CONSULTING WITH HER. AND ALSO I WANTED TO VOICE MY TOTAL SUPPORT FOR THE MONTROSE RECONSTRUCTION BOULEVARD AND HOPE THAT SOMETHING CAN BE [00:50:01] WORKED OUT ON THAT 'CAUSE MAYOR, YOU AND I ARE BOTH PROUD GRADUATES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, AND I'M SURE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE, UH, COMPLETE REDESIGN THAT IS FINISHED NOW OF COLLUM BOULEVARD BETWEEN GULF FREEWAY AND BRAS BIO. AND THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL BOULEVARD AND I THINK THAT ONE DAY MONTROSE CAN BE BOULEVARD CAN BE JUST AS BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. COUNCILMAN CAME AND DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB REPRESENTING HER DISTRICT. SO THAT'S THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO WORK. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT, JULIE PAYNE. HI. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE HERE. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING OF ART IN THE WEST, UH, WEST END HEALTH CENTER. UH, PROJECT. BASIC CITY SERVICES AND RELATED COSTS SHOULD BE FUNDED BY TAXES COLLECTED BASIC CITY SERVICES. RELATED COSTS INCLUDE FIRST RESPONDERS, WATER, GARBAGE, ROADS, DRAINAGE. SOME WITH WHOM I GREW UP WOULD LABEL BASIC CITY SERVICES AS MEAT AND TATERS. MEAT AND TATERS ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUSTAIN THE BODY. IN THIS CASE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON. ART IS GRAVY. GRAVY MAKES FOOD TASTE BETTER, BUT IT'S NOT ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTENANCE ART ADDS BEAUTY AND CAN CERTAINLY MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD, BUT IT'S NOT ESSENTIAL TO SUSTAIN THE CITY. ART PROJECTS CAN BE FUNDED IN WAYS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE TAXES COLLECTED. NON-TAX FUNDING OF ART, UH, INCLUDE PERCENTAGE OF SALES OF ORIGINAL ART AT ART SHOWS, GRANTS AND COMPETITIONS FEES AT LARGE EVENTS AND FESTIVALS, FEES AT ART MUSEUMS, ANGEL INVESTORS, CROWDFUNDING AND AND STUFF LIKE THAT. MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, YOU HAVE INHERITED A FINANCIAL MESS. FOR TOO MANY YEARS, GOVERNING BODIES OF HOUSTON HAVE SPENT TOO MUCH TAXPAYER MONEY ON GRAVY. INSTEAD OF ITEMS IN THE ESSENTIAL MEAT AND TATERS, UH, CATEGORY, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, YOU WERE VOTED INTO OFFICE TO MAKE WISE AND REASONABLE DECISIONS ABOUT SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY. WE CERTAINLY DID NOT ELECT YOU TO RAISE TAXES. YOU ARE OUR HOPE FOR A BETTER RUN CITY AGENDA. ITEM 14 IS ONE FOR $3.9 MILLION CAPITAL PROJECT FOR ESSENTIAL BUILDING COSTS SUCH AS ROOF, HVAC, ET CETERA, WHICH IS MEAT AND TATERS. INCLUDED IN THIS 39.9 MILLION, UM, EXCUSE ME, 3.9 MILLION. CAPITAL PROJECT IS OVER $61,000 FOR ART, WHICH IS GRAVY. MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE USE OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS WISELY AND RESPONSIBLY. PLEASE ELIMINATE THE OVER $61,000 FOR GRAVY FOR THE PROJECT IN AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 14, PLEASE VOTE FOR FUND TO FUND ONLY THE MEAT AND TATERS OF THIS PROJECT. PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER LOOKING AT EVERY CITY EXPENDITURE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS MEAT AND TATERS ESSENTIAL. IF YOU WANT HELP DOING THIS, THERE ARE MANY RETIRED PEOPLE WITH BACKGROUNDS IN ACCOUNTING, THAT'S ME, FINANCE, ENGINEERING, ET CETERA, WHO WOULD BE HAPPY TO VOLUNTEER, NO MONEY EXPENDED SOME OF THEIR TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. PERSONALLY, MA'AM? UH, I THINK MA'AM. YES SIR. I THINK MOST OF US ARE ON A SALAD DIET. OKAY. OKAY. , THANK YOU. AND SALAD, BUT ELIMINATING THE GRAVY WOULD BE GOOD. HOLD YOU MS. MS. PAYNE. MA'AM. MS. PAYNE? MA'AM, YOU GOT US ALL HUNGRY. COME BACK. I'M SO SORRY. , TWA. MS. CARTER, COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, UH, ADMIT, UH, JULIE, I, AS I CALL HER JULIE THE PAIN. JTP , UM, IS A, UH, IS A, AN ACCOUNTANT AND SHE CERTAINLY DOES A FINE JOB. IT'S GOOD TO SEE, UH, THAT THAT FAR NORTH PART OF HOUSTON PAYING ATTENTION, KNOWN AS KINGWOOD PAYING ATTENTION. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SPEAK TODAY, JULIE, WHEN I SAW YOUR NAME LAST WEEK, I WAS LIKE, IS THIS THE JULIE PAYNE ? SURE ENOUGH, IT IS. AND IT'S, IT'S JUST GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL GETTING INVOLVED AND, AND CARING ABOUT THE TAX DOLLARS. AND, AND AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE'RE, I THINK WE ARE ALL ON, ON A SALAD DIET, BUT I, I LIKE YOUR MEAT AND TATERS. I, I GO ALONG WITH THAT. SO THANKS FOR COMING OUT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BE CAREFUL. NEXT, ROBERT CHOKE COMMON SENSE. [00:55:09] MY NAME IS BOB CHOATE. I'M AN ADVOCATE FOR RESPONSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. MS. PAYNE IS MY NEW SPIRIT ANIMAL. UH, I LIKE TO LOOK AT THE PIE AND THIS $61,937 FOR ART IS GONNA BE WHIPPED CREAM. I'M RETIRED. MY WIFE IS RETIRING IN A FEW WEEKS. WE'RE LOOKING AT A HEALTHCARE INSURANCE. UH, THE THREE CARS WE OWN HAVE AN AVERAGE LIFE OF 14 YEARS. I HAVE ROOF DAMAGE FROM THE, THE BROCHURE OR WHATEVER IT WAS CALLED, AND STATE FARMERS PROBABLY NOT GONNA PAY FOR IT BECAUSE IT'S FULLY DEPRECIATED. GUESS WHAT? I'M NOT LOOKING TO BUY ART NOT FROM MY HOME. HOUSTON IS OUR HOME, AS MS. PAYNE SAID. AND I FULLY AGREE. LET'S SPEND OUR MONEY WISELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, LIAM MCCULLUM. LIAM MCCULLUM. LAURA CARRERA. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR WHITMEYER, ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND FELLOW RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. MY NAME IS LAURA CARRERA AND I'M AN ARCHITECT AND I AM HERE ONCE AGAIN TO EMPHASIZE, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING OUR CITIES', LANDMARKS, AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS. AS I MENTIONED LAST WEEK, LANDMARKS ARE SYMBOLS OF OUR SHARED UNIQUE HISTORY, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY. THEY TELL THE STORIES OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE US AND REMIND US OF THE STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS THAT HAVE SHAPED OUR CITY. FOR 56 13 ALAMEDA, THEY TELL THE STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO FOUNDED BRASSWELL FLOWER SHOP, THE STORY OF AMISTAD BOOKSTORE AND THE AMAZING WORK BY THE COMMUNITY MUSIC CENTER, HOUSTON, THE BARBER SHOP, AND SOON A NEW LIFE FOR THIS BUILDING. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHARAZ. I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE VARIOUS EMAILS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROTECTION OF THIS PROPERTY BY THE VARIOUS, UH, NEIGHBORS. I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADD THE PROTECTED LANDMARKS TO THE AGENDA FOR APPROVAL AS IT WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE HOUSTON ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION. THESE BUILDINGS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, ATTRACTING TOURISTS, FOSTERING A SENSE OF PRIDE AND CONTRIBUTING TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. LET US WORK TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD OUR UNIQUE HERITAGE AND CREATE A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT CITY FOR ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION ON WHAT MATTERS AND MAKES A LASTING IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILOR EVAN SHIVA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING THIS MORNING. UM, I, SINCE WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION LAST WEEK, UH, THERE WAS SOME QUESTION AS TO WHO OWNED THE BUILDING. I HAVE RECEIVED DOCUMENTATION FROM MR. LEE THAT HE IS THE SOLE OWNER OF THE BUILDING, SO THAT HAS BEEN RESOLVED. BUT OF COURSE, AS MAYOR, UH, SAID, THAT'S, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE VETTED AND WE NEED TO KNOW THAT BEFORE WE GET TO COUNCIL. I, I STILL, YOU KNOW, THOUGH, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT BEING A PROTECTED LANDMARK. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THIS BUILDING, WHAT, WHAT THE ACTUAL PLANS ARE FOR THIS BUILDING. UH, AND I STILL AM VERY UNCLEAR ABOUT THAT. AND SO IF SOMEONE COULD CONVEY THAT TO MY OFFICE, I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WHY YOU ARE SEEKING THIS TO BE A PROTECTED LANDMARK OTHER THAN MAYBE SOME TAX, UM, INCENTIVES OR SOMETHING OF THAT NATURE. ABSOLUTELY. I BELIEVE THAT. NO, I THOUGHT HIS NAME WAS MATT. UH, MIKE PITTMAN AND HE'S HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. YEAH. WHAT'S HIS NAME? I'M THE OWNER. MIKE PITTMAN. I MEANT MIKE PITTMAN. I'M SORRY. YES. YEP. NO. OH, ROBERT E LEE'S NAME CAME UP. I'M SORRY. MR. PITTMAN. . YEP. YOU RIGHT. AND THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING. I JUST COMMUNICATE WITH HIM AND HE DID CLEAR THAT UP, UH, VERY CONCLUSIVELY FOR ME. YEAH. AND SO ANYWAY, UH, MY APOLOGIES. BUT YEAH, I, I I AM VERY UNCLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE PLANS ARE FOR THAT BUILDING. UH, AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. WONDERFUL. UM, I COULD ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT, AND I KNOW MIKE HAS SHARED, AND, AND IT MIGHT NOT HAVE NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO YOU [01:00:01] YET, BUT WE DID SHARE THE PLANS. UM, AND, AND THE INTENT IS FOR IT TO BE RESTORED. IF YOU DRIVE THROUGH ALAMEDA, YOU'LL SEE THAT MOST OF THE BUILDINGS ARE GONE. IT'S SORT OF LIKE HOUSTON AVENUE AND WHAT THE NAP BUILDING DID FOR THE COMMUNITY. PEOPLE ARE REALLY PROUD BECAUSE YOU ARE FINALLY SEEING, UM, A BUILDING BEING PRESERVED AND BEING BROUGHT BACK. THE KNAPP CHEVROLET BUILDING WAS RESTORED. IT HAD A LOT OF GRAFFITI. SAME THING AS THE INTENT FOR THE BRASSWELL SHOP. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PLANS, YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ARE BRINGING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPH FROM 1950S WITH, UM, OPENING IT UP, UH, BRINGING BACK, UH, THE, THE, THE WINDOWS, UH, AND SOME OF THE ORIGINAL SIDE WINDOWS. SO, UM, AND THE INTENT IS NOT TO BE A, UM, A CLUB AS WE, AS WE SPOKE LAST WEEK. CAN THAT BE A MATTER OF RECORD? THANK YOU. WELL, I'LL LET, AND THEN, AND, UH, THE, OUR CLIENT, MIKE PITTMAN, IS HERE. HE'S THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY. I KNOW HE'S ALREADY, UH, DEMONSTRATED THAT HE'S THE SOLE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY. AND I KNOW HE WOULD, UM, ALSO HAVE, UH, WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IF THAT'S, UH, POSSIBLE. UH, BUT YES, THE INTENT IS TO RESTORE THE BUILDING. AND TRULY, UM, ONE OF THE THING I WANTED TO CLARIFY FOR PARKING, UH, FOR THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS THAT CAME LAST WEEK, A LOT OF THESE SMALL SITES HA DO NOT MEET CURRENT PARKING REQUIREMENTS. UM, THE NAP WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. THESE SMALL SITES DO NOT HAVE, UH, ENOUGH PARKING SPACES. THE LOTS WERE SIMPLY NOT BUILT TO TODAY'S PARKING REQUIREMENTS. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS, IS NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE, BUT RATHER TO HELP THE PROPERTY BE REDEVELOPED. UH, SO IT'S VERY COMMON AMONG CITIES TO ALLOW FOR THOSE EXEMPTIONS ON PARKING BECAUSE THERE'S JUST NO, NO ROOM UNLESS YOU DEMOLISH THE BUILDING. UM, SO THAT IF, IF THAT'S THE, THE PARKING IS, IS, IS THE ADVANTAGE. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR, IF I COULD SUSPEND THE RULES SINCE SHE ASKED THAT MIKE PITMAN COME UP. UH, COULD HE COME AND SPEAK AT THIS TIME? UH, 'CAUSE HE'S NOT ON THE LIST. SO YOU'RE ADDING HIM. YOU'RE ADDING, I'M ADDING MIKE PITTMAN. MOTION. A MOTION? YES. I, WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION MADE IN SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. THANK YOU. SURE. IN MY WORLD, HE CAN COME ON UP. THANK YOU . MIKE PITMAN. I . GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. UH, MY NAME IS MIKE PITTMAN FOR THE RECORD. UM, IT'S A PLEASURE SEEING ALL YOU AGAIN. UH, FROM LAST WEEK, UH, I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT 56 13 ALAMEDA THAT YOU MAY HAVE. AND ALSO, UH, EXPRESSED MY SUPPORT AGAIN IN MOVING FORWARD WITH THE HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION FOR THIS PROPERTY. I GUESS THE OBVIOUS QUESTION, WERE YOU AWARE OF THE LEAVE FAMILY'S CLAIMS? NO. THE VERY FIRST TIME I WAS MADE AWARE WAS AT COUNCIL LAST WEEK, OUR COUNCIL MEETING LAST WEEK. IT WAS THE VERY FIRST TIME, AND THAT'S WHEN I PROVIDED MY, UH, UH, MY TITLE, MY TITLE, COMMITMENT TO COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ, UH, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE PERSONNEL WITH THE CITY AS WELL. AND I, I WOULD SAY AS WELL, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S BEEN MULTIPLE PER BUSINESS OWNERS AND PERSONS WHO HAVE SENT EMAILS TO THE COUNCIL, COUNCIL AT LARGE, INCLUDING YOURSELF, MAYOR WHITMEYER, IN SUPPORT OF THIS DESIGNATION. AND WE DO, I DO HAVE ANOTHER BUSINESS OWNER WHO HAS A BUSINESS IN DISTRICT, THE DISTRICT AS WELL, WHO IS NOT ABLE TO GET SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY, BUT IS HERE IN SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK AS WELL, TOO. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA, AGAIN, IT'S THE SAME QUESTION. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE RESTORING THE ARCHITECTURE, BUT WHAT ACTUALLY ARE YOU PLANNING TO PUT IN THIS BUILDING? UH, SO I'M JUST THE DEVELOPER. I'M LOOKING FOR A COMMERCIAL TENANT TO LEASE THE SPACE AND OPERATE THEIR BUSINESS THERE, WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE A, A, A CLUB. MY DESIRE IS NOT TO HAVE A, HAVE A CLUB. MY DESIRE IS TO, THAT WAS A GOOD POLITICAL ANSWER, . THANK YOU. . I'M NOT A POLITICIAN, BUT, UH, I, I COULD, I COULD ONLY RELAY WHAT MY DESIRE, MY DESIRE IS FROM THAT, THAT LENS. I LIVE IN THE DISTRICT AS WELL TOO. I HAVE A 2-YEAR-OLD SON. I HAVE ANOTHER SON ON THE WAY. AND I WANT TO HAVE A, I WANT TO HAVE A, A, A A COMMUNITY WHERE I CAN BRING MY CHILDREN TO, I CAN SIT DOWN WITH MY WIFE AND, AND KIDS AND ENJOY A MEAL. I CAN, I CAN HANG OUT WITH, WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND, AND DO THINGS THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE IN A, UM, UM, IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS, THAT IS UPLIFTING TO A COMMUNITY. IF I COULD ASK, WHAT DO [01:05:01] YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR JUDGMENTS, THE BEST USE FOR THAT BUILDING? UH, I BELIEVE THE HIGHEST AND BEST USED WOULD BE SOME SORT, SOME SORT OF RESTAURANT, UH, AN ELEVATED CUISINE, SOMEONE WHO IS, UH, A MICHELIN STAR CHEF, UH, SOMEONE WHO'S A JAMES BEARD, SEMI-FINALIST OR FINALIST, WHO WOULD COME AND DO A CREATIVE CONCEPT THAT OUR CITY WOULD BE PROUD OF AND WOULD PUT SOMETHING ON THE NATIONAL SCALE FOR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN. WHAT, WHAT'S THE OCCUPANCY, UM, CAPACITY? WHAT'S THE NUMBER PERMIT? UM, THE OCCUPANCY FOR RESTAURANT SPACE WOULD END UP AROUND 70 PEOPLE. I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE, I'D HAVE TO TALK WITH MY ARCHITECT TO SEE THAT, THE TECHNICAL NUMBER. OKAY. GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OH, AND, AND, AND CAN I, THE OTHER GENTLEMAN I HAVE HERE IS MARCUS DAVIS, UH, WHO'S, WHO'S IN, WHO'S IN THE, UM, IN THE CROWD. HE WASN'T ABLE TO GET SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. WOULD IT PERMIT THE COUNSEL TO CONSIDER A MOTION TO ADD MARCUS DAVIS TO THE RECORD FOR MAKING A, A COMMENT? I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION FOR MARCUS DAVIS TO COME UP AND SPEAK, UH, RIGHT AFTER MR. PITTMAN. OKAY. MOTION HAS BEEN MADE. SECOND, THEN. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU, MR. DAVIS. MARCUS DAVIS. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. UH, MARCUS DAVIS, ENTREPRENEUR IN, UH, DISTRICT D FOR THE LAST, UH, TWO DECADES. UM, WE RUN THE REGGAE HUT, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 44, 48, 14, UH, ALAMEDA. I'M, UH, FAMILIAR WITH AND, UH, IN FAVOR OF MR. PITMAN IN THIS PROJECT. FOR THE SIMPLE REASON OF I'M AN ENTREPRENEUR AND I SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND PARTICULARLY BEING A HOUSTONIAN, I SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURSHIP THAT IS IN FAVOR OF PRESERVATION. AND HAVING BEEN IN THE THIRD WARD COMMUNITY FOR THE LAST 25, 30 YEARS SINCE I DONE THE DOORSTEPS OF TEXAS SOUTHERN, I APPLAUD ANY ENTREPRENEUR THAT TAKES, UH, TIME AND EFFORT TO PRESERVE WHAT WAS BUILT THERE TO PRESERVE THE ARCHITECTURE, AND FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT THE SPACE LOOKED LIKE 10, 20, 30 YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE 30, 40, 50 YEARS AGO. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE MENTIONED WAS, UH, THE, THE, THE AMISTAD BOOKSTORE THAT WAS THERE PREVIOUSLY, WHICH WAS A STAPLE IN THE THIRD WAR COMMUNITY, UM, TO PRESERVE THESE THINGS. AND I, AND, AND I KNOW THERE'S A QUESTION OF WHAT THE INTENT IS. UH, I THINK THE IDEA OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PRESERVATION IS WHAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AND WHAT SHOULD BE APPLAUDED. RIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD. THANK YOU. NEXT, TERRY RICHARDSON. RICHARD, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME'S RICHARD STEITZ. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF THE CITY SINCE 2001. I LIKE ART. MY FAMILY LIKES ART. EVERYBODY I KNOW LIKES ART. HOWEVER, I THINK THE ONE IN THREE QUARTER PERCENT REQUIREMENT FOR THIS CAPITAL BUDGET TO BE ALLOCATED TOWARD ART IS EXCESSIVE. I HOPE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER RE, UH, REMOVING THIS HONOR'S REQUIREMENT AND FIND A MORE PRUDENT WAY TO SUPPORT ART IN THE CITY. NEXT, WITH REGINA CLORE, SPEAKER DANIEL PEREZ. DANIEL PEREZ, NEXT SPEAKER. JULIE TOBEY. JULIE TOBEY, GOOD MORNING TO THE CITY COUNCIL. AND I'M SO SORRY THE MAYOR LEFT BECAUSE I'M HERE TO THANK HIM FOR HIS RECENT ACTIONS, UM, FOR HIS MAKING THE DECISION TO APPOINT SOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO THE MONTROSE 27 TIERS. THE, UM, BOARD HAD REACHED AN IMPASSE, I BELIEVE, IN TERM LIMITS. SOME OF THOSE, INCLUDING THE BOARD PRESIDENT, HAD BEEN ON SINCE 2015. UH, [01:10:01] I APPRECIATE THAT THE MAYOR HAD AN INTEREST IN A BETTER PLAN THAT WOOD WOULD SERVE THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. UM, THE TREE, CONSIDERING THE TREES AND THE OTHER ISSUES INVOLVED AT WHICH THERE ARE MANY, AND, UM, I'M GLAD THAT THE NEW MEMBERS, UH, OF THE BOARD THAT ARE BEING APPOINTED, MOST OF THEM ARE FROM MONTROSE AND KNOW THE AREA WELL. I'VE GROWN UP IN HOUSTON, UM, SPENT MOST OF MY TIME IN MONTROSE, AND I JUST APPRECIATE THAT THE MAYOR HAD AN INTEREST IN A BETTER PLAN, WHICH WOULD SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. NOW. UM, AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE HERE WHO WEREN'T SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND HAVEN'T GOTTEN A MOTION APPROVED SO THAT THEY CAN SPEAK, BUT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. UM, I HAVE ANOTHER NOTE, UH, NOT TO PUT A DAMPER ON THE FREEDOM OF TEXAS CELEBRATION, BUT, UM, I'D LIKE TO SUBMIT IT'S ONLY TWO DAYS TO THE 4TH OF JULY AND ALREADY TO THE CLOSING OFF PARKWAY. SUBMIT. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE CITY TO, UM, ABANDON OR REPLACE THE TRADITIONAL FIREWORKS CELEBRATION WITH A DRONE LIGHT SHOW. UM, FIREWORKS CREATE EXTENSIVE AIR POLLUTION IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. THEY LEAVE HARMFUL CHEMICALS IN THE AIR FOR DAYS. THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS DISPLAY, OVER BUFFALO BIO CAUSES DEAFENING NOISE AND VIBRATIONS. I DON'T THINK PEOPLE THINK OF THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. I LIVE IN A SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. I LIVE IN MARIO CASTILLAS, OLD SIX WARD, HISTORICAL OLD SIX WARD. IT'S DREADED BY MANY OF US. IT'S, UM, DEAFENING NOISE, VIBRATIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SCARY TO PETS, WILDLIFE, AND PEOPLE WITH PSTP. I'M GLAD THE MAYOR CAME BACK. I WANTED TO THANK HIM FOR HIS RECENT, UM, DECISION TO APPOINT NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO THE TIERS 27, MANY WHO LIVE IN MONTROSE. UM, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAGMATIC CHOICE AT PEOPLE WHO WILL CONSIDER ALL THE ISSUES FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. NOW, I'VE MOVED ON TO SOMETHING ELSE, WHICH IS I LIVE IN THE, UH, HISTORICAL SIX WARD, AND I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE CITY TO, UM, REPLACE THE TRADITIONAL FIREWORKS DISPLAY WITH A, UM, I GUESS A LED OR A DRONE LIGHT SHOW. OTHER CITIES ARE DOING IT, SALT LAKE CITY, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, UM, BECAUSE OF THE POLLUTION, THE NOISE, AS I SAID, IT'S VERY, UM, FRIGHTENING. TWO PEOPLE LIVE IN THE AREA. PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER. I'M GLAD THEY HAVE THE CELEBRATION FOR THE 4TH OF JULY, BUT IT'S REALLY HARD FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE NEARBY. I LIVE IN, SPEAKING OF LANDMARKS, A HISTORIC HOUSE, UH, THE BETTY WILLIAMS HOUSE, WHICH WAS BUILT IN 1862. UH, IT'S ALSO ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER. YEAH, TIME HAS EXPIRED. YOU CAN FINISH. IT SHAKES WITH EVERY EXPLOSION, AND I WOULD JUST THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER REPLACING THIS TRADITIONAL, UM, IT'S JUST LIKE BEING IN A WAR ZONE, A TRADITIONAL DISPLAY WITH SOMETHING NEWER, AND HOW ABOUT FINDING A GREEN TECH COMPANY TO SPONSOR IT? THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. NEXT, AND EXCUSE ME, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. MY NIECE IS HERE, AND I DON'T, NINA, ARE YOU IN CHAMBERS? NINA HALEY. I'M COMPLETELY EMBARRASSING HER. THANK YOU. COME UP HERE, SWEETHEART. SHE'S GONNA EMBARRASS HER NIECE . MM-HMM. SHE'S HIDING BACK THERE IN THE CORNER. COLLEAGUE. THIS IS MY NIECE, NINA HALEY. COMPLETELY EMBARRASSING HER, BUT SHE'S VISITING ME TODAY. SHE'S A SENIOR AT DAWSON HIGH SCHOOL, UM, MAJORING IN FASHION DESIGN AND MARKETING, BUT SHE HAS A REAL DESIRE FOR CLIMATE ACTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON THE COMMUNITY. AND SO SHE'S HERE VISITING ME TODAY. SO I WANTED TO, THIS IS NINA HALEY, AND THIS IS COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR. HELLO, . HI, NINA. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. OH, NEXT, ANN TOBE. MY NAME'S ANN TOBY. UM, I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN. I'VE LIVED IN MONTROSE CONSISTENTLY FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, AND I'D LIKE TO SAY HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE TO HAVE A MAYOR WHO'S LEADING OUR CITY AND BRINGS TO HIS ROLE, HIS YEARS, UH, IN GOVERNMENT ON THE STATE LEVEL, BUT ALSO WHO KNOWS HOUSTON FROM A HISTORICAL AND A PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW. HAVING GROWN UP HERE, UM, BECAUSE OF HIS PRINCIPLED AND REASONED APPROACH, UM, HE'S BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE MANY ISSUES THAT AFFECT HOUSTON'S QUALITY OF LIFE IN HIS FIRST SIX MONTHS IN OFFICE. I TRUST THAT THE ADMINISTRATION WILL FIND WAYS TO CONTINUE TO GO FORWARD WITH INTEGRITY IN ADDRESSING THE ISSUES. UM, WE HAVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS [01:15:01] IN OUR CITY, THE POPULATION WITH WHICH I WORK, WITH THE FUNDING FROM THE CARES ACT GOING AWAY, WE WILL NEED TO FIND WAYS TO ENSURE THAT, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING'S AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS THE BASIC NEEDS OF PEOPLE, UM, WHO HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS, AND WHO DON'T HAVE THE CURRENT LIFE SKILLS FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING. UM, AND THAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAMS AND ACCESS TO MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTHCARE. SO, THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR THOUGHTFULLY PAUSING FOR REVIEW, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT AFFECT OUR CITY, AFFECT OUR MOBILITY, OUR SAFETY, OUR ENVIRONMENT, UM, FOR INCLUDING TREE CANOPIES IN, IN THAT THOUGHTFUL PROCESS, UM, THE TREE CANOPIES THAT DEFINE OUR CITY BY WORKING TOWARD A DESIGN FOR THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD PROJECT THAT DOESN'T REDUCE THE LANE WIDTHS, AND THAT DOESN'T DO AWAY WITH MASSIVE MATURE TREES, UH, LIVE OAKS THAT, UH, PROVIDE SHADE AND MITIGATE FLOODING AND POLLUTION. UM, AND I WOULD ALSO COMMEND YOU FOR REACHING A RESOLUTION WITH OUR FIREFIGHTERS, UNCOVERING PUBLIC CORRUPTION, UH, IN CITY HALL AND THROUGH THE, UM, MANAGEMENT DISTRICT TIERS, ENTITIES, AND, UM, JUST ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. UH, WOULD YOU LIKE MORE TIME ? SERIOUSLY, THOUGH? UH, I THINK YOU'LL BE PLEASED. WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT A COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS PLAN. WE'RE IN THE FINAL PLANNING. MIKE NICHOLS IS, IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE EXPERT, AND HE'S BROUGHT US SOME CONCEPTS, AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING LARGELY FROM FOUNDATIONS. SO, UH, WE, IT IS A HIGH PRIORITY, GOOD. AND TO DO IT, UH, IN A VERY SENSIBLE, UH, HUMANE WAY TO HELP THOSE THAT NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOUSING BEING FIRST, BUT ALSO RIGHT, UH, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE HOMELESS DO NOT NEED TO BE IN PUBLIC SPACE TO, UH, REPRESENT AND RESPECT THE WISHES OF ALL HOUSTONIANS. SO IT'S A PRO THAT'S, IT'S A PROJECT THAT WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY ON, AND THE NAVIGATION CENTERS ARE KEY IN DECOMMISSIONING THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS AND FINDING WAYS TO TRANSITION THEM INTO HOUSING. GREAT FIRST STEP. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING MULTIPLE NAVIGATION CENTERS SPREAD ACROSS HOUSTON. SO OUR COMMITMENT IS TO TRY TO BECOME THE FIRST LARGE CITY WITH, UM, HOMELESS NOT IN PUBLIC SPACE. AND MIKE IS, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HIM, AND RIGHT, WE'RE GOING FORWARD AND GONNA HAVE GOOD RESULTS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT, TARA RICE. GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS TARA RICE. UM, I MOVED HERE ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UM, FROM FORT WORTH, TEXAS. UM, I'M SORRY. I MOVED HERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UM, FROM FORT WORTH, TEXAS. UM, AND I JUST WANNA THANK THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, FOR NOT GETTING INVOLVED IN, UM, WHAT STEMMED FROM FORT WORTH, TEXAS. UM, AS I HAVE FIVE CHILDREN, AS A RESULT OF ME SPEAKING UP PUBLICLY FOR MY 20-YEAR-OLD, UM, WHO HAS SUFFERED FROM MENTAL ILLNESS HIS WHOLE LIFE, UM, AND STANDING MY GROUND AND STANDING TRUE ON GOD'S WORD, UM, I HAVE BEEN, NOT ONLY HAVE MY CHILDREN BEEN PUNISHED, I HAVE BEEN PUNISHED WITH FOUR MALICIOUS PROSECUTIONS. UM, AND, UH, THEY GOT, IT'S EIGHT, I'M GONNA TELL YOU THE NUMBER BECAUSE I HAVE COUNTED IT. I HAVE EXPERIENCED, UM, HOMELESS NINE TIMES SINCE APRIL 12TH, 2022. UM, AFTER THAT, IT'S, THEY HAVE INVOLVED NOT ONLY HPD, UM, WITH MAKING A MALICIOUS POLICE REPORT. AND I'M FACING TWO PROS, TWO MALICIOUS PROSECUTIONS RIGHT NOW HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY. UM, BECAUSE OF ME STANDING UP PUBLICLY SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THE INJUSTICE OF MY SON, WHO I BEGGED FOR YEARS FOR HIM TO GET HELP. UM, AND, UM, THEY REFUSE TO GIVE HIM HELP. HE'S 20. UM, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT MY, MY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN PUNISHED, BEEN [01:20:01] PUNISHED WHERE I HAD CPS CALL ON ME SINCE TWENTY TWENTY TWO, TWENTY TWO TIMES AS A RESULT OF ALEX KEMP OUT IN THE 323RD DISTRICT COURT, UM, ME STANDING TRUE ON GOD'S WORD AND NOT ALLOWING, UM, NOT ALLOWING THEM TO, TO DO MY SON THE WAY THEY DID HIM. UM, ON, I'M SORRY, LET ME BACK UP. LET, UM, ON APRIL 12TH, 2022, I WAS ARRESTED IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS, UM, WHILE OFFICER, AS THEY DO NOW, SIT OUT IN FRONT OF MY HOME, UM, BEFORE I WAS EVEN ARRAIGNED TO GET A BOND, I WAS LISTED AGAINST MY SON AS A STATE'S WITNESS TO TESTIFY AGAINST MY SON BECAUSE I AM PERSISTENT IN WHO I AM. AND THAT'S JUST HOW I ALWAYS WAS. I LOST MY JOB AS A BANKER AT WELLS FARGO. UM, EVEN AFTER MY, MY APPROVED WAS, IT WAS APPROVED FOR THE LEAVE BY LINCOLN FINANCIAL GROUP. I LOST MY JOB. SO THEY DON'T HAVE A PAPER TRAIL ON ME. SO WHAT DID THEY DO? THEY BUILT ONE. THEY BUILT ONE, AND THEY CONTACT THESE POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AND THEY MAKE UP FALSE ALLEGATIONS THAT ARE UNTRUE ABOUT ME DOING DRUGS, ABOUT, UH, THE CARE OF MY CHILDREN. AND, UH, THAT, THAT'S NOT HOW I DEAL WITH MY PAIN. I LIKE TO HANDLE MY PAIN. I LIKE TO REALLY DEAL WITH MY PAIN. UM, SO, BUT AS A RESULT, THAT HAS BECAME A PART OF MY STORY, BECAUSE NOW MY SON, WHO'S SEVEN, WHO'S 18, HE DID, HE DID GO TO DRUGS TO NUMB HIS PAIN FROM THE, FROM THE INJUSTICE OF HIS BROTHER WHO WAS CERTIFIED, WAS NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE CERTIFIED, UM, AS AN ADULT. AND, UH, LET ME INTERRUPT YOU FOR A MOMENT. UH, DO YOU HAVE FAMILY? WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. FAMILY, MEANING NOT YOUR, YOUR CHILDREN, BUT DO YOU HAVE PARENTS OR BROTHERS OR SISTER THAT CAN ASSIST YOU? I DO HAVE FAMILY, HOWEVER, THEY HAVE ALL BEEN RECRUITED TO, TO, TO MAKE UP THESE ALLEGATIONS THAT DON'T EVEN, THAT DON'T EVEN EXIST. THERE'S NO TRUTH TO ANY OF THEM. UM, BUT, UH, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU STAND UP AND YOU STAND ON GOD'S WORD AND YOU SAY, I'M NOT GONNA ALLOW YOU TO DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S WHAT'S RIGHT, SURE. IT'S WHAT'S RIGHT. BUT, UM, WE HAVE FACED, UM, AND THERE'S BEEN EIGHT DIFFERENT SHERIFF DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING HARRIS COUNTY, WHO HAS GOT INVOLVED IN THIS FIGHT. AND, UM, IT WAS BECAUSE A COWARD OUT OF HARRIS COUNTY, YOU KNOW, YOU IN TARRANT COUNTY, THERE'S THIS UNSPOKEN WORD YOU RESPECT WHO'S IN CHARGE. UM, IF YOU GO AGAINST WHO'S IN CHARGE, THEN THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES. NOT ONLY WILL THERE BE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOU, BUT THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES TO YOUR CHILDREN. YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE PUNISHED AS A RESULT. YEAH. LET ME PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND, UH, RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, MS. RICE, THANK YOU FOR COMING. UH, YOU SAY YOU MOVED HERE FROM FORTH WORTH? I DID HAVE HOW LONG? IT'S, UM, IT'LL BE A YEAR IN AUGUST. OKAY. AND, UM, YOUR SON THAT YOU SPOKE OF, IS THERE, IS THERE SOME OTHER MEDICAL DISABILITY REGARDING YOUR SON? OH, YES, HE HAS. UM, HE HAS A MENTAL DIS HE HAS A BEEN FACE DENTAL. THAT MONSTER'S BEEN IN MY HOME SINCE HE'S BEEN THREE. OKAY. UM, HE'S, IT'S BEEN IN MY HOME, UH, AND I HAVE DEALT WITH IT, AND I HAVE HANDLED IT, GOTTEN THE PROPER CARE AS A RESULT OF HIS MENTAL ILLNESS, IT HAS AFFECTED HIS ABILITY TO LEARN IN SCHOOL. SO HE WAS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION IEPS, FIVE OH FOURS WAS ADVOCATE. UM, IT HAS AFFECTED HIS ABILITY, THE WAY HE COMPREHENDS. SO HAS HE BEEN CONFRONTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT? IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE ALLUDING TO? YES, I'M SORRY. HE, HE WAS CERTIFIED AS AN ADULT. OKAY. UM, AND HE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE CERTIFIED AS AN ADULT BECAUSE IT SAYS IN HIS RECORDS THAT HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HE HAS A INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY. YEAH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT. I, I HAVE A, A GRANDSON WHO IS, YOU KNOW, HAS AUTISM, AND OF COURSE, ONE OF MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS ABOUT HOW THEY'RE VIEWED AND HOW SOMETIMES BE MIS UH, TAKEN AND UNDERSTOOD FOR THEIR SIZE AND WHATEVER, BASED UPON THEIR ABILITY. UH, HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO ANY, ANY ORGANIZATIONS LOCALLY THAT YOU KNOW OF THAT I HAVE REACHED OUT, BUT BECAUSE OF, UH, MY CIRCUMSTANCE, BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, IT'S LIKE EVERY TIME YOU PUT OUT ONE FIRE, YOU GOTTA PUT ANOTHER FIRE. OKAY, GOOD. IT'S, UM, AND I HAVE, NOT ONLY HAVE I BEEN HOMELESS, I HAVE EVER SINCE THE 2022, UM, I HAVE HAD NINE CARS TOWED, UM, BECAUSE OF MY SPEAKING OUT PUBLICLY AND, UM, STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND NOT ALLOWING MY SON TO BE PUNISHED FOR SOMETHING HE WAS BORN WITH, SO SOMETHING THAT GOD, HE WAS GIVEN. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BUT IT HAS AFFECTED, NOT ONLY HAS IT AFFECTED HIM, IT HAS AFFECTED MY OTHER CHILDREN. IT HAS AFFECTED MY DAUGHTER, ZOE, WHO IS FOUR YEARS OLD. YOU KNOW, SHE THINKS THIS IS, SHE THINKS SPEAKING OUT PUBLICLY IS MY JOB. SHE THINKS IT'S MY JOB. [01:25:01] AND, UM, BUT, BUT LITTLE DOES THERE KNOW MOMMY CAN'T GET A JOB BECAUSE THERE'S A, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT I HAVE RAISED HER TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, STAND UP FOR HERSELF. SURE. I LIKE TO, I LIKE TO JUST OFFER WHATEVER SYSTEM WE CAN. UH, MY, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF IS HERE, AND, UH, AFTERWARD I'D LIKE TO SEE IF COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, I WAS PLANNING ON REFERRING GOOD TO REBECCA IN MY OFFICE. WE'LL WORK WITH YOUR OFFICE. GOOD. YEAH, MA'AM, IF YOU WOULD TALK TO MY OFFICE AND, UH, WE'LL SEE WHAT RESOURCES WE COULD BRING TO ASSIST YOU. YEAH. THERE'S AN HBD REPRESENTATIVE THAT CAN ALSO GIVE US A STATUS REPORT ON ANY ACTIVITY THAT, UH, YOU'VE BROUGHT BEFORE US. GOOD. OKAY. AND ONCE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS. I HAVE BEEN WATCHING AND YOU, I LOVE YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. WORK WITH REBECCA AND, UH, GIVE HER THE INFORMATION WE NEED. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. BE SAFE. NEXT. SARAH FRAZIER. JUST A SECOND, MA'AM. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MEET NOW, REBECCA. THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. NOT AT ALL. GOOD MORNING. I'M SARAH FRAZIER. I AM A 20 YEAR PLUS RESIDENT AND HOMEOWNER IN MONTROSE. I AM ALSO THE SECRETARY FOR THE HYDE PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION WITHIN THE MONTROSE NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M HERE TO THANK THE MAYOR AND THE CITY AND COUNCIL FOR APPOINTING THIS NEW SLATE OF, UH, MONTROSE TURS BOARD MEMBERS, UM, FOLLOWING EXPIRATION OF THE EXPIRATION OF SEVERAL OF THE TERMS OF THE MEMBERS. UM, SO THE, THE KINDS OF PUBLIC PROJECTS THAT THE MONTROSE TOURS LEADS REQUIRE CITY APPROVAL ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS. UM, THERE'S A LANDSCAPE PLAN THAT HAS TO BE APPROVED. THAT LANDSCAPE PLAN INCLUDES WRITTEN PERMISSION FOR EACH AND EVERY PUBLIC TREE THAT'S GOING TO BE REMOVED, THAT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY PARKS AND REC. UM, THE CITY IS A NECESSARY PARTNER IN THE, UM, APPROVAL OF THESE, THESE PROJECTS. UM, SO TOUR'S, LEADERSHIP REQUIRES AN ABILITY AND A DESIRE TO PUSH PAST IMP PASSES, SUCH AS, UM, HAPPENED WITH A RECENT NEGOTIATION OF A SOLUTION AND WITH THE SHEPHERD DURHAM PROJECT. UM, AND I TRUST THAT, UM, THE, UH, THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS FOR THE TOURS HAVE THESE ABILITIES TO PUSH PAST IMPASSES AND WORK WITH, WITH YOU MAYOR WHITMEYER IN THE CITY, UM, TO HELP US MOVE FORWARD, UM, SUCH AS WITH THE MONTROSE BOULEVARD PROJECT, TO IMPROVE THE STREETS AND TO IMPROVE THE SIDEWALKS WHILE MAINTAINING OUR IMPORTANT TREE CANOPY. I TRUST THAT WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP, THIS WILL BE A TIME WHEN MONTROSE RESIDENTS WILL HAVE AN ENHANCED VOICE, UM, IN THESE IMPORTANT PUBLIC MATTERS FOR US. AND, AND I TRUST THAT WE'LL SEE ENHANCED ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, UH, IN DOING THIS PUBLIC WORK ALSO. SO AS THESE BOARD MEMBERS EMBARK ON THIS HARD PUBLIC SERVICE, UM, I WILL BE THERE TO SUPPORT, UM, DOING SMART WORK WITH PUBLIC FUNDS, UM, AND MAINTAINING MANTRAS, PUBLIC TREES ALSO. THANKS SO MUCH. OH, AND I WANTED TO ADD ONE MORE THING TO THINK ABOUT FOR THE FUTURE. UM, SOME CITIES HA ARE REALIZING THAT THE TREE CANOPY IS, UM, DECREASING ACROSS THE NATION IN ALL OF OUR CITIES. HOUSTON, ABSOLUTELY. THE KINDER STUDY SHOWS MONTROSE HAS LOST MUCH OF OUR TREE CANOPY. IT'S A PROBLEM FOR MANY NEIGHBORHOODS. SO ONE THING THAT CERTAIN CITIES SUCH AS PHILADELPHIA HAVE DONE IS TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE TREE PLAN TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOUSTON BE A PART OF THAT ENDEAVOR. I THINK IT'S THE FUTURE AND AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN FOR ALL NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALL ECONOMIC LEVELS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. NEXT, MARILYN LENNON. GOOD MORNING. I HAVE A PROPOSAL [01:30:01] AND I DID SEND THAT PROPOSAL TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. I'M GOING TO PRESENT, UH, PART OF IT TODAY. UH, AND IT'S A REQUEST. FIRST OF ALL, I AM AGAIN, MARILYN LUNAN, AND FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, I HAVE SERVED AT RISK YOUTH IN AND AROUND THE HOUSTON AREA AS AN EDUCATOR, COUNSELOR, MENTOR, AND CEO OF A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. MY PASSION FOR THE UNDER UNDERPRIVILEGED IS NOW LEADING ME TO APPLY FOR A CHARTER SCHOOL THROUGH TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, SERVING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GRADES NINE THROUGH 12, WITH THE GOAL OF INCREASING THEIR ABILITY TO BECOME DEPLORABLE AND FIND JOBS UPON GRADUATION, UH, FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND POSSIBLY BEFORE THEN. DURING MY FIVE YEARS, IN FIVE DECADES IN EDUCATION, I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN HELPING STUDENTS TO PASS THE TEXAS STATE MANDATED ELA TEST. MY PLAN IS TO USE THE SAME PROVEN STRATEGIES IN ALL TESTED AREAS, AND TO EXPAND MY REACH TO COMMUNITIES SUCH AS ACRES, HOMES, INDEPENDENT HEIGHTS, OR ANY OTHER INNER CITY SCHOOLS, UH, COMMUNITIES. THAT IS PATH OF LIFE. CAREER ACADEMY, WHICH IS THE NAME OF MY ACADEMY, WHICH WILL BE THE NAME OF MY SCHOOL, WILL NOT ONLY INCREASE GRADUATION RATES, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, DEVELOP REAL SKILL, REAL LIFE SKILLS, BUT ALSO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS GRADUATING WITH INDUSTRY CERTIFICATIONS AND OUR COLLEGE CREDITS. IN ESSENCE, OUR STUDENTS WILL BE READY TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE, AVOIDING A LIFE OF FUTILITY AND HOPELESSNESS, BUT RATHER BE PLACED ON A PRODUCTIVE PATH OF LIFE, SECURING A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, WHICH I WAS EXCITED TO FIND THAT OUT JUST RECENTLY, THAT THERE IS SUCH A, UM, INITIATIVE, SECURITY, A PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS, UH, ENGAGEMENT. THIS, UH, INITIATIVE WOULD EMPOWER US TO HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES AND DESPERATE NEED OF INNOVATION, LEADERSHIP, AND EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS. THEREFORE, I'M REQUESTING A LETTER OF SUPPORT EXPRESSING THE DETAILS OF THE PARTNERSHIP, WHICH WE WILL NEED TO INCLUDE IN OUR CHARTER APPLICATION TO BE SUBMITTED LATER THIS YEAR. I VISUALIZE MAYOR WHITMORE'S OFFICE BEING AN INVALUABLE PARTNER, LEADING POSSIBLE LENDING, POSSIBLE FINANCIAL SUPPORT IF POSSIBLE. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, CONNECTING OUR STUDENTS WITH THE HIGHER, UH, HOUSTON YOUTH INITIATIVE. BEING A NEW VENTURE, WE HAVE MANY NEEDS, SUCH AS A FACILITY FOR OUR SCHOOL AS WELL AS RESOURCES, HUMAN AND FINANCIAL, JUST IN TIME. OKAY. SO I THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THE PROPOSAL AND, UH, AS I STATED BEFORE, I'M ONLY ASKING FOR A LETTER OF SUPPORT, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, UH, OUR SCHOOL AND WITH THE, UH, INITIATIVE SO THAT WE CAN HELP OUR CHILDREN TO, UM, MOVE FROM A LIFE OF HOPELESSNESS TO PRODUCT OF PRODUCTIVITY. DO YOU, I THINK SOME, WHERE DO YOU, WHERE, EXCUSE ME IF INTERRUPT, WHERE DO YOU PROPOSE TO, TO PLACE YOUR, UH, CHARTER? I, UM, JUST FINISHED, UH, WORKING IN, UH, T WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. I KNOW THAT'S AN AREA OVER IN THAT ACRES HOMES. YES, MA'AM. I WORKED IN NORTH FOREST. UH, SO YOU JUST HAVE AN AREA, YOU DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC LOCATION. THAT'S WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIND NOW. OKAY. IT WOULD BE NICE IF SOMEBODY COULD SUGGEST SOMETHING AND HELP US OUT IN THAT AREA. COUNCILOR PLUMMER, THANK, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANK YOU MS. LENNON FOR BEING HERE TODAY. OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE STRUGGLES WE'RE HAVING WITH HISD RIGHT NOW, AND I, WE ARE FINDING THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE BECOMING A LITTLE BIT MORE, NOT NECESSARILY POPULAR, BUT WE'RE SEEING THEM A LOT MORE. WHAT I WOULD ASK OF YOU, AND WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE ALSO FIND IS THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS TYPICALLY TAKE THE BEST OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. IT'S A LOT OF THE REASON WHY THEY THRIVE, BECAUSE THEY, THEY'RE PULLING THE TOP STUDENTS, UM, FROM THOSE SCHOOLS. AND SO MY ASK OF YOU WOULD TO LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT CLOSELY AS YOU'RE RECRUITING YOUR STUDENTS, UM, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, IF WE TAKE THE TOP OF THIS, IF WE TAKE THE BEST OF THE BEST OUT OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEN WE'LL LEAVE THE ONES THAT REALLY NEED THE HELP. WELL, OUR SCHOOLS WERE AT RISK STUDENTS. WE'RE NOT TAKING THE BEST OF THE, THE BEST. OKAY, SO YOUR WE'RE TAKING SCHOOLS WHO ARE FAILING. OKAY. STUDENTS WHO ARE FAILING. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION [01:35:01] WITH YOU, SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE NEED. AND, UM, AND IF I MISSED THAT IN THE CONVERSATION, I, I APOLOGIZE. YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. MA'AM, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY NECESSARY, MA'AM. AND MA'AM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU FROM OUR OFFICE TO, TO TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN DEPTH. BUT THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. OKAY. HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU, MR. PALMER? UM, YEAH, AND MY TEAM IS NOT HERE. LET ME, I'LL STEP OUT AND GIVE YOU MY FRIEND. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, LIAM MCCOLLUM. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, I WANT TO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR ALWAYS STANDING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND CONSISTENTLY SHOWING YOUR LOVE AND CONCERN FOR YOUR FELLOW HUMANS. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ, I HOPE I'M SAYING THAT RIGHT. I'M SORRY, . AS MY COUNCIL MEMBER, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND SUPPORTING AN END TO THE BLOODSHED IN PALESTINE. I COME, I CAME TO ONE OF YOUR TOWN HALLS IN THIRD WARD, AND I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SEEING HOW ACTIVELY ENGAGED YOU ARE WITH YOUR COMMUNITY. AND I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLUMMER, POLLARD, AND MARTINEZ, THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THAT ALL LIFE IS PRECIOUS AND PUBLICLY SUPPORTING A CEASEFIRE. AND GAZA, MARIO CASTILLO, I AM ASHAMED THAT YOU ARE THE ONLY LGBTQIA PLUS REPRESENTATION ON THIS COUNCIL. THE FIRST PRIDE PARADE WAS A RIOT AGAINST POLICE OPPRESSION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST A MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY. I WOULD THINK THAT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO DRAW PARALLELS WITH THE PALESTINIAN PLIGHT FOR LIBERATION. BUT YOUR SILENCE IS ON THE CONTRARY. SALLY ALCORN, I FIND IT REPREHENSIBLE THAT YOU WOULD STAY SILENT AS YOUR FELLOW PROGRESSIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS OF COLOR STAND UP FOR HUMANITY BY CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE IN GAZA. I'M UNSURPRISED BECAUSE PEOPLE OF COLOR HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF LIBERATION MOVEMENTS, BUT DISAPPOINTED NONETHELESS. TISHA JACKSON, REMEMBER WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU AFTER THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING WHERE YOU WERE SO INSISTENT ON GETTING MY LEGAL NAME FOR PUBLIC RECORD? YOU ACCUSED ME OF HARASSING THE CITY COUNCIL. IF YOU DON'T WANNA BE UNDER THE EYE OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BECOME A POLITICIAN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME'S. UP NEXT. ANNIE LEE. WALTER VIDAL? YES, SIR. HAVE Y'ALL CALLED ? NO. NO, NOT YET. IS HE WATER? MR. VIDAL, PLEASE INTERPRET THIS PANIC, PLEASE. I'M SORRY, WHAT? YOU WANT SOMEONE TO SPEAK SPANISH? UH, I BET WE COULD. SOMEBODY FROM COUNCIL I CAN HELP. YOU WANNA GO HELP? YOU CAN HELP. GO AHEAD, SIR. GO AHEAD. SO HE WANTS TO SAY HI TO EVERYONE. GRANDE DRIVE. OKAY. SO THERE'S SOME ISSUES WITH, UH, TRAFFICKING AND DRUGS IN CASA GRANDE DRIVE. SO HE'S SAYING THAT, UH, AS A MINOR, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO [01:40:01] INVESTIGATE. UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S SOME, UH, CADILLAC CONVERTERS, UH, BEING STOLEN AS WELL. UM, SO HE'S BEEN TOLD THAT, UM, HE COULDN'T TAKE ACTION IF SOMEONE'S ON HIS PROPERTY. UM, BUT HE WOULD, HE WOULD BE IN TROUBLE IF HE TOOK SOME ACTION ON ANYBODY TRESPASSING. SO HE'S JUST COMING IN FOR SOME HELP. IF YOU DON'T MIND, UH, MAYOR, LET ME JUST SEE IF I CAN GET HIM SOME HELP AS WELL. OKAY. SO IT'S IN DISTRICT B, IT SOUNDS LIKE. HOW ABOUT THIS IDEA? YOU WANT TO TAKE THIS CASE? YEAH, WE'LL WORK TOGETHER. BRING IN THE COUNCIL. YEAH. MEMBERS. I'LL DO THAT. WOULD YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE GONNA EXCHANGE CONTACTS MAYBE? YEAH. AND PURSUE IT? WE CAN DO THAT. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT, MARIA LOPEZ. WE GOT A NEW, WE HAVE A NEW JOB FOR YOU COUNSELOR. I KNOW. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. PULL HER MIC DOWN. MARIA LOPEZ. MARIA LOPEZ. OKAY. SO SHE WAS INVOLVED IN THE HIT AND RUN IN MID-APRIL. UM, AND SHE HAS A, SHE HAS A CASE NUMBER, BUT SHE'S STILL TRYING TO FIND MORE INFORMATION. SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL TAKE THIS ON AS WELL. ALL, ALL DUTIES ARE SIGNED. ALL OTHER DUTIES ASSIGNED. I HERE . YOU DOING IT? JOB? YEAH. NO, NO, NO. NOT PER, SORRY. NO, [01:45:01] NO, NO. IT'S TOO GOOD. YOU MIGHT GET SOMEONE TO CHECK ON WITH HPD ON THE CASE. ERIC'S OUTSIDE. SO, YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON WANTS TO GET INVOLVED. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ FOR TAKING THE LEAD ON THIS. UM, MARY, MY CHIEF OF STAFF WILL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU IF YOU NEED SOME ASSISTANCE. YOU KNOW, SHE'S BILINGUAL AS WELL, AND SHE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE CONSTITUENTS. THANK YOU. OKAY. SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLAN. YEAH, WE GOT OKAY. THANK YOU. OH MY GOD. NEXT. CARRIE RICE. EMILY MEDLEY. EMILY'S MY WIFE. I'M NEXT ON THE AGENDA. MY WIFE, UM, COULDN'T MAKE IT THIS MORNING. JASON MEDLEY? YES. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, COUNSEL. MY NAME IS JASON MEDLEY. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN. UM, I'M AN AVID USER OF AND HAVE DONATED TO THE, UH, JOHNNY STEELE DOG PARK. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, CITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO ALONG BUFFALO BAYOU, UH, INCLUDING SPECIFICALLY THE JOHNNY STEEL DOG PARK. UH, I'M HERE TODAY SIMPLY TO ASK THE CITY TO, UH, LIGHT A FIRE UNDER THE PARTNERSHIP TO COMPLETE A A, A VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT. IT'S A SIMPLE FIX, BUT A VERY, UH, IMPORTANT PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN ON THEIR RADAR FOR, ACCORDING TO THEM, ABOUT THREE YEARS. UH, THAT WOULD ADDRESS A, UH, UH, A HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE, NOT JUST FOR DOGS, BUT ALSO FOR, UH, PREVENTING A DROWNING RISK. IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE PARK, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT, UH, THERE IS A POND SECTION. THAT POND IS, UM, MURKY WATER. IT'S RATHER STAGNANT. THE DOGS LOVE IT. UM, BUT YOU, IT IS NOT SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE LARGE DOG PARK. SO WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOG PARK, YOU HAVE TO LET YOUR DOG JUMP IN THE POND AND GET WET. UH, I FIRST REALIZED IT WAS A PROBLEM WHEN WE GOT OUR NEW DOG. SHE WENT TO THE, TO THE POND, AND SHE GOT A STOMACH BACTERIA THAT THE VET TRACED BACK TO STAGNANT WATER. I'VE TALKED TO OTHER DOG OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE. THEIR DOGS GET SICK. I'VE SEEN TWO CHILDREN WAITING IN THE POND. ONE WENT AFTER A DOG'S TENNIS BALL. PARENTS AREN'T REALLY PAYING ATTENTION. UH, YOU CAN'T SEE THE BOTTOM. IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH WATER DEPTH FOR A CHILD TO DROWN. UH, AND I'VE, I'VE SEEN DOGS DRINKING THE POND WATER WHILE ANOTHER DOG IS GOING TO THE BATHROOM NEXT TO THEM IN THE POND. AT A, AT A MINIMUM, YOU HAVE TO BATHE YOUR DOG EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT'S BAD FOR THE DOG'S SKIN. UH, AND YOU JUST SIMPLY CAN'T HAVE, UH, UH, MAKE A DECISION TO HAVE A DRY DOG PARK DAY OR A WET DOG PARK DAY. IT'S ALL OR NOTHING. AND SO THE FIX IS A SIMPLE GATE FI, EXTENDING THE FENCE WITH A GATE THAT SEPARATES THE POND SECTION FROM THE DRY SECTION. WE BROUGHT THIS UP. MY WIFE AND I BROUGHT THIS UP. UM, I WANNA RECOGNIZE HER EFFORTS. SHE, SHE COMMUNICATED DIRECTLY WITH THE PARTNERSHIP, DONATED MONEY TO THE CAUSE ABOUT A YEAR AGO. SHE'S BEEN KIND OF PUT OFF. THEY'VE PUNTED, SHE'S BEEN IGNORED. UM, AND WE, WE FINALLY MET WITH THE, THE, THE MAINTENANCE CHIEF, MR. JEWEL RODRIGUEZ, UM, A, A LONG TIME AGO. AND HE SAID HE HAD PLANS AND DESIGNS AND EVEN BIDS FOR THIS PROJECT, UM, ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. BUT THEY HAVEN'T PRIORITIZED IT. THEY DIDN'T PUT IT, UH, THEY DIDN'T PRIORITIZE IT. THEY'RE NOT PUTTING IT INTO ACTION. WE WALKED THE PARK WITH, UH, THE PRESIDENT OF, OF THE PARTNERSHIP. AND RESPECTFULLY, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SHE HADN'T BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND REALLY WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE LANDSCAPE OF THE PARK ITSELF. THAT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING. UH, WE'VE, WE'VE ASKED FOR UPDATES. UH, WE JUST WOULD ASK THAT THE CITY THANK YOU YOUR TIME, MAKE THEM PRIORITIZES PROJECT. SO BEFORE A CHILD DROWNS, GO AHEAD AND FINISH. ARE YOU CERTAIN? THAT'S BASICALLY IT. YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR ENTERTAINING THAT. COUNCILOR KAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND MR. MEDLEY, THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR WIFE. UM, YOU, I JUST WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP. UM, I KNOW WE HAD BEEN INCLUDED AND BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG. UH, MY OFFICE HAD ON SOME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS IN APRIL. AND JUST TO CLARIFY, SO I KNOW WHERE THINGS STAND, IF YOU DON'T MIND. UM, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAD, UH, SUGGESTED A SITE VISIT, WHICH WE ABSOLUTELY SUPPORTED. AND THEN, UM, OR, [01:50:01] AND THEN THE PARTNERSHIP, EXCUSE ME. THE PARTNERSHIP HAD OFFERED A SITE VISIT AND THEN, UM, YOUR WIFE HAD RESPONDED WITH TIMES AND THEN IT, THE CHAIN KIND OF DROPPED OFF, OR WE WEREN'T INCLUDED AFTER THAT. IS THAT THE SITE VISIT THAT YOU'RE REFERENCING? OR DID THAT SITE VISIT OCCUR JUST SO I KNOW WHERE THINGS STAND AS OF APRIL? SURE, YOU BET. WHERE THINGS STAND, UH, TO SUMMARIZE, WE BROUGHT IT TO THEIR ATTENTION ABOUT A YEAR AGO. RIGHT. I KNOW THEY, THEY KIND OF DISMISSED IT. UH, WE'VE, WE HAD TO ESCALATE IT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, TURN UP THE VOLUME A LITTLE. AND WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT SITE VISIT OKAY. WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE PARTNERSHIP. THAT'S BEEN, THAT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW AT LEAST OR MORE. THEN WE FINALLY JUST GOT AN EMAIL YESTERDAY, I THINK, OR THE DAY BEFORE FROM SOMEONE NEW AT THE PARTNERSHIP WHO SAID, I'M THE POINT PERSON. I'D LIKE TO DO A SITE VISIT. UH, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S JUST KIND OF GOING AROUND AND AROUND AND, AND, AND OBVIOUSLY LEFT HAND'S NOT TALKING TO THE RIGHT HAND AND ABSOLUTELY. WOULD YOU MIND, UM, IF YOU CAN, AND IF YOU'RE WILLING TO FORWARD US THOSE EMAILS ABSOLUTELY. SO WE KNOW WHO THE RIGHT POINT OF CONTACT IS. UM, IN THE PAST WE'VE HAD GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PARTNERSHIP, AND I THINK THAT, AS YOU SAID, THERE'S AN EASY FIX HERE. SO LET'S MAKE SURE IT GETS DONE. AND I APPRECIATE, UM, YOUR FAMILY'S LEADERSHIP AND ALSO, UM, NO PUN INTENDED, BUT PUTTING MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS, RIGHT. THAT Y'ALL HAVE SET UP FOR THE FIX. UM, I KNOW THAT DOG PARK IS BELOVED BY SO MANY YES. BUT IT CONTINUES TO NEED WORK. YES. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO HELP IF YOU CAN FORWARD US THOSE LATEST EMAILS SO WE CAN KEEP THANK YOU. MOVING IT ALONG. AND JUST FEEL FREE TO INCLUDE OUR OFFICE. I WILL MOVING FORWARD. YES. MY, MY WIFE EMILY MEDLEY, SHE'S A NURSE PRACTITIONER. SHE'S, YEAH. YOU KNOW, SHE DOESN'T WANT THERE TO BE, UH, NEITHER SICK DOGS NOR CHILDREN THAT DROWN. SO I'LL, I'LL HAVE HER SEND THAT TO YOU. AND WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. YOU KNOW, WE APPRECIATE IT IN HELPING TO DO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU MR. MEDLEY FOR COMING. I KNOW MY OFFICE HAS, UH, MY STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING WITH YOU TOO. AND ALSO IN COMMUNICATION WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE AND, AND BUFFALO BAYOU PARTNERSHIP. UM, I DO WANT TO, UM, ONE OF THE RESPONSES WE GOT FROM THE PARTNERSHIP IS THAT THIS WATER IS, IS TESTED, UM, TWO TIMES, OR TREATED TWO TIMES A WEEK DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. AND IT, UH, AND ONE ONCE A WEEK DURING THE WINTER. UH, IT'S ALSO, THERE'S A LISTENING SESSION, UM, AN INPUT SESSION, UH, BECAUSE OF YOUR ADVOCACY, UM, TO TAKE PLACE ON JULY 11TH FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM UH, AT THE PARK. UM, THERE'S ALSO AN ONLINE SURVEY FOR PEOPLE ABOUT THE PARK. SO I, I THINK THERE ARE SOME PROACTIVE MEASURES BEING TAKEN TO ADDRESS SOME OF YOUR CONCERNS. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANNA SEE A RESOLUTION TO THIS. SO THANKS FOR COMING. THANK YOU. DID I MISS, WAS THERE A QUESTION IN THERE OR WAS THAT JUST A STATEMENT? OKAY. NO, I WAS JUST REALLY WASN'T PEOPLE ABOUT THE MEETING, THE MEETING ON THE 11TH. CORRECT. AND, AND THAT THEY DO TEST THE WATER. I WAS KIND OF FREAKED OUT ABOUT THE WATER SITUATION. WELL, AND, AND I, AND I'M SURE THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN PROBLEMS, BUT, BUT, UH, IT, IT DOES HELP TO KNOW THAT THAT WATER IS BEING TESTED AND TREATED. AND I'M, AND I'M, AND I, THIS IS THE LAST THING I'LL SAY. I KNOW MY TIME EXPIRED, BUT JUST TO ADDRESS THAT, UH, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. AND I'M AFRAID THAT THE, THE PACE WILL CONTINUE LIKE THAT WITHOUT SOME PRESSURE. UM, ALSO, CHILDREN CAN DROWN IN CLEAN WATER. AND EVEN IF YOUR DOG IS CL YOU KNOW, IN CLEAN WATER EVERY DAY GETTING WET WHEN THEY'RE AT THE DOG PARK REQUIRES THAT THEY THEN BE BATHED. 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA RUN AROUND AND THE REST OF THE DOG PARK AND GET MUDDY. AND, AND BATHING A DOG FREQUENTLY LIKE THAT IS BAD FOR THEIR SKIN. SO, REGARD, AND, AND I'M GLAD THEY DO THAT. THEY SHOULD DO THAT. UM, BUT BY SECTIONING IT OFF, NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN SOMEONE WHO HAS MADE AN INFORMED DECISION TO ASSUME THAT RISK OF GOING INTO THAT SECTION. AND SHOULD THERE BE A DROWNING? UH, UH, YOU KNOW, AS AN ATTORNEY, I CAN TELL YOU THE CITY WOULD FACE LIABILITY NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF SIGNAGE IT PUT UP. BUT BY HAVING THAT SECOND GATE, NOW, YOU'VE GOTTEN, YOU KNOW, TWO GATES THAT SOMEONE HAS WALKED THROUGH IN ORDER TO GO TO THAT SECTION. SO THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'LL FOLLOW UP. OKAY. THANK YOU. WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON IT. I, I WILL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. NEXT. KENNETH. LAVERNE, I'M HERE. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. HOW YOU DOING, MAYOR? CONGRATULATIONS. IN YOUR VICTORY. THANK YOU. I MAYOR I'M DOWN HERE, UH, ABOUT, UH, THE NUON THAT WE HAVE IN OUR, YOU CAN DO ONE OF THE MICROPHONES. I DON'T NEED ONE ABOUT THE, UH, SO Y'ALL CAN HEAR ME ABOUT THE NEWSOME OF FIREARMS THAT WE HAVING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HERE IN THE FONTAIN DISTRICT. UH, JUST THE OTHER DAY, I HAD TO SEND A CONTRACT ON [01:55:01] MY MOM'S ROOF BECAUSE SHE, HE FOUND A BULLET HOLE IN THE ROOF. NOW THAT'S THE MONEY I GOTTA COME OUT MY POCKET WITH TO SPEND FOR SOME, SOMEONE THAT'S FIRING OFF, UH, A FIREARM. AND THE BULLET, YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING TO BALL. WE HAVE PROGESTERONES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE YARD. AND I'M THINKING IF WE CAN GET SOME SIGNS, MAYOR, WHERE THE CITY CAN MAKE SOME MONEY, PUT UP SOME SIGNS SAYING ILLEGAL USE OF FIREARMS. THERE WILL BE, UH, A A, UH, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY A FINE AND IF, UH, REWARDED, IF YOU FIND SOMEONE SHOOTING A FIREARM OFF, THAT WAS, UH, THAT WOULD HELP DETER SOME OF THIS PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT I HAD SIGNED ON YESTERDAY. I TALKED TO A FORMER, FORMER, UH, COUNCILMAN BROWN. AND, UH, HE CALLED THE POLICE OUT BECAUSE OF THE RAGE, ROAD RAGE THAT WE HAVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ALSO, THE OFFICER WAS ABLE TO STOP THREE CARS WITHIN A MINUTE AND SERVE TICKETS, WHICH HELPED THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT'S, THAT'S FINANCED FOR, FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FOR THE COUNCIL. SO I'M ASKING THAT, UH, IF WE CAN GET SOME SIGNS OUT IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, WE CAN'T GET ANY SECURITY GUARD, BUT IT'S DANGER WHEN, UH, YOU HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU'RE PAYING TAXES AND, UH, THERE'S BULLETS FLYING ANYTIME OF THE NIGHT, ANYTIME IN THE MORNING. AND NO ONE HERE WOULD LOVE TO LIVE IN THAT KIND OF PREDICAMENT. IT'S LIKE, UH, UH, THE AFGHAN WAR OVER THERE. SO IF WE COULD LOOK, BRING OUR ATTENTION TO THIS MAYOR, I'D APPRECIATE IT MUCH. UH, LIKE I SAID, I TALKED TO, UH, FORMER BROWN, AND WE ARE, HE'S TRYING TO SET UP A COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT GETTING ANY HELP OVER THERE IN THE FUN CHAIN. AND THESE ARE HISTORICAL, UH, HISTORICAL RESIDENTS. VERY HISTORICAL RESIDENTS. YEAH. CAN YOU HELP ME? I'M, I'M TRYING TO LOOK IT UP ON THE MAP. WHAT AREA IS CAWOOD? THAT'S A CITY STEAD TIP. WELL, LITTLE YORK, THAT'S AN OLD RESIDENT. THESE FOLKS ARE RETIRED PEOPLE, . AND THEY CAN'T GO IN THEY POCKET AFTER THEY RETIRED AND USED THEIR RETIREMENT TO PUT NEW ROOFS ON THEIR HOMES AND, AND, AND, AND, AND, UH, FIX THEIR CAR ROOFS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND THEN YOU GOT BABIES RUNNING AROUND THERE THAT'S, UH, PLAYING. AND THESE FIREARMS ARE BEING, THEY'RE BEING DISCHARGED ANY TIME OF THE DAY. AND THE PROBLEM IS, SOME OF THESE FOLKS, THEY BUY FIREARM FIREARMS AND THEY'RE NOT MATURE ENOUGH TO HAVE A FIREARM BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THE VALUE OF IT. I'M, I'M FUSSING, BUT, UH, IT IS, IT IS JUST REDUNDANT THAT WE HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS. WELL, YOU'RE CORRECT. AND, UH, IF WE GET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD PATROL, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. JUST A SIMPLE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD PATROL THAT WOULD DETER THESE PEOPLE FROM SHOOTING AND DISCHARGING THEIR FIREARMS. EVERY TIME SOMEONE GET A FIREARM, THEY WANT TO DISPLAY THAT THEY GOT A FIREARM. YES. LET ME, UH, YELL TO COUNCILMAN JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MR. LAVERNE FOR COMING IN AND BRINGING, UM, THIS SITUATION, UM, TO OUR ATTENTION. UM, I, YOUR CI CIVIC CLUB PRESIDENT, UM, MR. CHARLES NOBLE, UM, YOU GUYS STILL HAVE YOUR MEETINGS OVER THERE 'CAUSE HE HADN'T INVITED US TO ANY MEETINGS. BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS, UM, GET WITH THE NORTHEAST COMMAND CENTER AND, AND YOU GOT THIS WHOLE LIST OF FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS. AND I CAN PULL A MEETING TOGETHER WITH THEM SO THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH A PLAN ON HOW WE CAN TRY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICE IS MORE PRESENT OVER. UM, IN THE CYNIC WOOD COMMUNITY ON THE OTHER DAY, ONE OF THE, THE YOUNGSTERS OVER IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, I HELPED, I PUT THEM TO WORK BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE WORK. AND THEY CALLED ME. ONE OF THE YOUNG MEN CAME TO ME AND SAID THAT SOMEBODY DISCHARGED A ROCKET THROUGH HIS SISTER'S BEDROOM, RUN WITH A 2-YEAR-OLD IN THE BED WITH HER. THAT'S HORRIBLE. YES, IT IS. YEAH. SO MAYOR, I WISH WE COULD GET SOMETHING DONE. I MEAN, JUST A SIGN WITH, UH, ANYBODY THAT'S CAUGHT SHOOTING A FIREARM, THEY CAN BE, UH, CALLED IN AT 9 1 1 AND, UH, UH, REPORT THAT PERSON. BUT THEY ARE SCARED. THESE PEOPLE ARE SCARED, OF COURSE, TO SAY ANYTHING. THEY FIGURE IF THEY SAY ANYTHING, THEY'RE GONNA GET SHOT AT. BUT A SIGN WILL REALLY DO. THANK YOU MR. LAVERNE. ALSO, CAN WE GET THE RESIDENTS, LIKE WHEN WE HAVE CASES LIKE THIS, UM, WHERE PEOPLE ARE SHOOTING TO HAVE THE RESIDENTS CONTACT HPD? YES. IF, IF WE PUT A SIGN UP THAT WOULD GIVE THEM COURAGE TO CONTACT HPD. WHEN THEY HEAR TO CONTACT, ALL WE NEED IS ALL THEY NEED IS A SIGN. OKAY. BECAUSE EVERYBODY THAT THEY TOLD ME WHERE THEY SHOOTING, WHEN I WALKED YESTERDAY, EVERYONE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD TOLD ME WHAT, WHAT, UH, NEIGHBOR WAS SHOOTING THE [02:00:01] FIREARMS. BUT THEY'RE AFRAID TO CALL. I'M NOT CALL THEIR NAME. I'M NOT GONNA PRINT THAT OUT. THAT'S NOT MY JOB. SO THEY'RE AFRAID TO CONTACT HBD. THEY AFRAID THEY, WITH THE SIGNS JUST A SMALL SIGN. AND IF I HAVE TO MAKE ONE UP AND BRING IT TO YOU, THE I'LL DO THAT. SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE COURAGE TO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, UH, IF I CALL IN AND THEY KNOW IT'S A THOUSAND, $2,000 OR TWO YEAR OR WHATEVER YEAR IN PRISON FOR FINE, FINE. WE NEED SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MAYOR. OKAY. UH, MAYOR PROM HAS STATE MS. LAVERNE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND WE DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, WE DEAL WITH A LOT OF, OF THAT AROUND THE CITY. I DID WANT TO RECOMMEND TO, UM, YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CLEAR CHANNEL DOES, UM, AS, UH, A HELP TO THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITIES. I KNOW WE'VE HAD, UM, BILLBOARDS PUT UP THAT SAY, SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING MM-HMM . SO THAT RESIDENTS WILL KNOW THAT IT IS OKAY IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, TO SAY SOMETHING AND TO MAKE THOSE CALLS. SO I WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANY COUNCIL MEMBER TO REACH OUT TO, UH, CLEAR CHANNEL AND LEAVE VELA AND SEE IF THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER TO GET, UM, SOME BILLBOARDS AND THAT TYPE OF SIGNAGE PUT UP TO ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO CALL IN. I, I LIKE THAT IDEA, BUT LIKE I SAY, WHAT WE NEED, THEY NEED IT IN A FACE. AND LIKE, YOU HAVE YOUR BUS STOPS. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. ALRIGHT. MR. LAVERNE, SIR. COUNCILLOR AND PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. IF I COULD ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, COUNCILLOR JACKSON, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD WORK WITH, UM, THE CONSTABLE'S OFFICE? JUST FROM A PERSPECTIVE? JUST, JUST FROM A, UM, PATROL, FROM A PATROL PERSPECTIVE, YES, WE CAN. AND UM, AGAIN, THE NORTHEAST COMMAND CENTER, THE, UM, THE OFFICES OVER THERE, WE CAN DO A COMMUNITY MEETING. THEY WORK CLOSELY WITH NORTHWOOD MANOR, HAVE AND HAVE COME UP WITH A PLAN. AND, UM, FONTAIN, SNIC WOOD IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM NORTHWOOD MANOR. WE CAN DO A SIMILAR PROJECT WHERE THEY HAVE A PATROL PLAN THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THEY COMING DOWN THE STREET. AND I LIKE THE IDEA. UM, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ABOUT THE BILLBOARDS, UM, GETTING SOMETHING ON THE, UM, PLEASE. THE, UM, METRO BUS STOPS JUST TO BRING ATTENTION. LET THEM KNOW WE WATCHING OKAY. UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO I WILL GET WITH YOU, UM, MARY MARINO, MY 'CAUSE, UM, CHIEF OF STAFF. SHE'S IN THE BACK AND SHE'S GONNA COME AND SPEAK WITH YOU AND WE COORDINATE THE MEETING. THANK. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CAYMAN HAS A PROCEDURAL MOTION. COUNCILOR CAYMAN. UH, THANK YOU MARY. I HAD A REQUEST. UM, I'M NOT, I'M JUST CHANGING THE ORDER REALLY QUICKLY. UH, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE STEVEN LONGMEYER TO FOLLOW ALEXANDER'S SPIKE ON THE PREVIOUS ONE MINUTE LIST. SECOND MOTIONS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED MOTION PASSES. NOW. NEXT. JAMES BONNER. JAMES BONNER. THEODORE CARRERO. I GAVE, UM, YEAH, I GAVE THE COPIES TO THE GENTLEMEN. I WAS GONNA COME HERE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. THE TOPIC FOR THE 18 PAGES IS ABOUT, UH, FLOODING DRAINAGE. AND SO I KIND OF DID HOMEWORK ON IT INSTEAD OF JUST COMING UP HERE WITH A PIECE OF PAPER AND SPEAKING ON IT. I GAVE IT TO YOU GUYS. IT'S PRETTY MUCH PERTAINING TO I THINK FIVE OF THESE SPEAKERS LISTS. I CAME UP WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WHOLE CITY COUNCIL SO EVERYBODY CAN HAVE ONE. IT'S PERTAINING EVERYBODY'S COMPLAINT ON MONTROSE DRAINAGE. AND MR. WOOD SPOKE TODAY ABOUT SOME PLAN ABOUT HOW IT EXECUTES ONLY 5% OF THE PROBLEM FOR ALL THE PEOPLE. SO IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF HURRICANE SEASON AND IT'S GONNA BE RAINING AND FLOODING AND STORMING AND SO BEYOND. I'M NOT HERE TO KNOCK ANYBODY, BUT HERE TO EMPOWER, UPLIFT, INSPIRE. I WANTED TO, UH, I'VE BEEN DOING COMMUNITY SERVICE ADVOCACY SINCE 2018. UH, ONE OF MY BEST REFERENCES IS MR. LAWRENCE JEROME, FRANCIS PAYNE, WHO I'M SURE SOME OF YOU GUYS KNOW. HE PASSED AWAY. HE WAS PROCLAIMED ON DECEMBER 5TH, 2023. I'M A PARENT. I VOTE. I GOT MY COVID CARD, I GOT MY REGISTRATION TO VOTE. I GOT A CLEAN LICENSE. I GOT A CLEAN BACKGROUND CHECK. I GOT A AUTOGRAPH FROM, UH, MRS. RUTH J. SIMMONS. UH, ONE OF 12 KIDS FROM THE FIFTH WARD FROM MY CHILD, MY SON AND MY DAUGHTER. I GOT A, UH, AUTOGRAPH FROM, UH, RUTH AND CHARLIE LOPEZ. SHE WAS NOMINATED BY OUR PRESIDENT. AND I'M PRETTY MUCH JUST LOOKING FOR PURPOSE RIGHT NOW. I GOT A COUPLE AUTOGRAPHS FROM BOOKS FROM, UH, CASA JUAN DIEGO FOR IMMIGRANTS. SO I WORK WITH IMMIGRANTS RIGHT NOW. I'M DOING, UH, CANCER VOTES. [02:05:01] I GOT A COUPLE MORE AUTOGRAPHS, BUT BASICALLY I'M JUST HERE TO, UH, SPEAK ON WHAT I COULD DO AS A PARENT FOR HISD. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT BUDGET ISSUES. THEY WANT THE PRESIDENT OUT. THEY WANT 'EM IN. AND SO I GOT TWO KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I'M PRETTY MUCH HERE TO TALK ABOUT SAFETY IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE. I KNOW THE MAYOR'S CANDIDACY IS ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE. I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING TODAY ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. I GOT TWO KIDS THAT ARE 11 AND 12, KIND OF SCARED TO LIKE RIDE THE BUS. ALSO, WE'RE IN A HEIGHTENED TIME OF, UM, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY, UM, LOTS OF TENSION, YOU KNOW, JUST WITHIN THE CITY AND, AND, AND WORLDWIDE. SO I HAVE CHILDREN THAT WORRY. MY DAUGHTER'S GOING INTO SIXTH GRADE. SHE'S A LITTLE WORRIED. SO I'M PRETTY MUCH HERE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT SOMEONE COULD SUGGEST FOR ME AS A PARENT WHO'S WILLING TO DO SOME HOMEWORK ABOUT SOMETHING. AND HOW DO I, HOW CAN I HELP THE CITY, THE STATE, THE, THE, THE GOVERNMENT HELP HISD OR HELP THIS ISSUE? AND, YOU KNOW, I'M KIND OF HERE, JUST HERE FOR PURPOSE AND SOME SUGGESTIONS KNOWING THAT I HAVE A, A VERY EXTENSIVE, UM, RECORD WITH, UH, REFERENCES. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMMUNITY, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SHAKE HANDS WITH ED GONZALEZ AND SEE SPEECHES WITH MR. FENNER AND YOUR LISTEN TO MRS. JACKSON. SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I WELCOME IT. UM, JUST TO, LIKE I SAID, INSTEAD OF PEOPLE CONTINUING TO HEAR BAD, TALK ABOUT HISD, HOW CAN I AS A PARENT, YOU KNOW, BE PROACTIVE TO KIND OF HELP PUSH THE BUTTON. EITHER IT'S THE CITY, THE STATE, THE GOVERNMENT, GET THE FUNDING THEY NEED FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE OR THE SAFETY OR SOMETHING. I'M JUST HERE TO DO SOMETHING. AND I, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS DID FOR MRS. RICE. I HAVE TWO LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FROM CPS. I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE APPARENT AND TO BE ACCUSED OF ARGUING WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER AND THEN HAVING SOMEBODY CALL CPS. SO I THINK BEING ENCOURAGING TO THE CITY COUNCIL, EMPOWERING TO ONE ANOTHER. I MEAN, I'M JUST A PARENT. LIKE I SAID, I GOT, EVERYTHING'S ALL CLEAN AND I'M JUST RAH, I JUST, I WANT TO KNOW HOW I CAN HELP HISD. I'VE DONE LOGISTICS WITH THE HISD AND THIS CROSSING GUARDS AND, AND THE CONSTABLES. BUT NOW IT'S LIKE, I NEED NEW PURPOSE, ESPECIALLY WITH MY, UH, BEST REFERENCE NOW BEING PROCLAIMED. BUT HE'S NO LONGER WITH US. SO IT'S LIKE, I NEED DIRECTION AND I WANNA MY, SINCE I'M IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, I WAS GONNA SAY, LET ME THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND I WOULD SUGGEST YOU STAY INVOLVED. OH, YEAH. I'M GONNA KEEP SHOWING UP. THAT'S WHAT MR. LAWRENCE JERONE FRANCIS PAINT SAYS. JUST KEEP SHOWING UP, GOING IN, GOING INTO THE FALL. THERE'LL BE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR A PROCEDURAL MOTION. UH, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE MARIAN WRIGHT TO THE END OF THE SPEAKER'S LIST. SECOND MOTION MADE, AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, THOSE OPPOSED MOTION PASSES. REED TAYLOR, SHEREE TAYLOR, JOHN KENON. JOHN KENON, ER, MILLER SHENA, VAON E EDUARDO DURAN, SAM SMITH. JOHN STAPE. ELIZABETH SHEFFIELD. GOOD MORNING. UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU, MAYOR. AND I'D LIKE TO PREFACE THEM BY SAYING THAT I AM A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND I GREW UP WITHOUT SECURE HOUSING IN HOUSTON. I KNOW VERY INTIMATELY THE EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS AND BEING HUNGRY, ESPECIALLY AS A CHILD, AND ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS IN HOUSTON. UM, SO MY QUESTIONS IN LIGHT OF THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO ALLOW CITIES TO PUNISH THE UNHOUSED POPULATION FOR SLEEPING OUTSIDE, WHAT IS HOUSTON'S RESPONSE TO THIS RULING? MEANING, SHOULD THE UNHOUSED POPULATION BE PREPARED TO BE ARRESTED WHEN THEY CANNOT FIND A PLACE TO SLEEP INDOORS? UM, WHAT IS THE CITY GOING TO DO TO PROVIDE, AT THE VERY LEAST, ADEQUATE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THOSE THAT NEED AN INDOOR PLACE TO SLEEP? AND IF OUT OF RESPECT, AS YOU PUT IT FOR OTHER HOUSTONIANS, THE UNHOUSED OUGHT [02:10:01] TO BE OUT OF SIGHT AND PUBLIC AREAS, WHAT PRIVATE AREAS DO YOU SUGGEST THEY GO? LASTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT THE TENS OF MILLIONS THAT THE CITY HAS USED TO PURCHASE ISRAELI BONDS ACTUALLY BE USED FOR GUARANTEED HOUSING FOR UNHOUSED HOUSTONIANS. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'LL BE GLAD TO LET YOU VISIT WITH MY STAFF. UH, THE QUICK ANSWER THIS MORNING IS WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE HOMELESS. WE'RE REVIEWING THE SUPREME COURT RULING, BUT, UH, WE PLAN TO LEAD THE NATION IN PROVIDING NAVIGATION CENTERS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND, UH, DOING EVERY WE CAN, EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP THE HOMELESS AND AT THE SAME TIME, RESPECTING THE PUBLIC SPACE. SO THANK YOU. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A PRIVATE SPACE. SO I UNDERSTAND, BUT I'M NOT GONNA DEBATE COMPARED TO, I'M NOT GONNA DEBATE YOU THIS MORNING. WE, IF YOU'LL, IF YOU WANT TO BE INVOLVED, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. UH, MIKE NICHOLS, OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVANT HEADING UP THE INITIATIVE. AND, UH, I THINK YOU'LL BE PLEASED WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO HELPING THE HOMELESS FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, STARTING WITH A NAVIGATION CENTER, NOT JUST THE SUCCESSFUL ONE WE'VE HAD, BUT MULTIPLE NAVIGATION CENTERS. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR FUNDING NOW AND, UH, WE'RE VERY ENCOURAGED. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OKAY. I'D ALSO LIKE TO MAKE ONE MORE POINT. BEG PARDON? UM, ONE MORE POINT REALLY QUICKLY. IT'S VERY RUDE TO TELL SOMEONE THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH THEM THIS MORNING WHEN THEY'RE ENGAGING IN A CONVERSATION WITH YOU. SURE. AND AS A RESIDENT, I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH PUBLIC SERVANTS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MA'AM. NEXT, ELIZABETH, I MEAN, CLEMENT MATHIS SPEAKING IN, UH, INTO THE MIC, SIR. HELLO. HELLO. UM, CITY COUNCILMAN AND, AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I'M A PERMANENT SERVANT AND I'M ALSO A CITY OF HOUSTON, RESIDENT NATIVE. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALL MY LIFE. I HAVE ATTENDED AND SERVED AND PARTICIPATE IN MUSIC EDUCATION AND, AND IN A LARGE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES IN MY DREAMS. I SHARED 'EM WITH THE COMMUNITY AND, AND ALSO WITH WHAT OTHERS AROUND ME ALSO LIVE IN, IN A PLACE THAT, UH, NEEDS REPAIR. AND IT'S A BIT DEVASTATING. AND, UM, AND COMMERCIAL ETHICS WITH, UH, HOMELESSNESS, DEALING WITH ALCOHOLICS AND DRUG ADDICTS AND, AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY. THROUGH THESE EFFORTS OF, UH, MOBILITY OF HARMONY, OF WITHIN MY CRITERIA OF MOTIVATING MY, MY MUSIC AND ARTISTRY. THESE THINGS REPELLED AND, AND THINGS THAT WOULD BE ENGAGED. HOWEVER, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONTINUE MY EFFORTS AND CONTINUUM OF HAVING THE COMMUNITY TO BOND TOGETHER AND, AND SEE THAT THESE THINGS BE ESTABLISHED IN, IN GRAINS OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE NETWORKING AND POSSIBILITIES THAT OCCUR WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF THE JUDICIAL ETHICS AND, AND THE AGREEMENTS THAT WE ALL COME TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER AND, AND, UH, WHAT WE HAVE TOGETHER AS BEING HOMELESSNESS, HOMELESS, UH, BEING A, A HIERARCHY OF, OF ANY STATUS. I DON'T MEAN TO BE A, A, A PERSON THAT, UH, HAVE ANY LEVERAGE OF GREATNESS OR SMALLNESS, BUT I I TEND TO BE A PERSON THAT LIKE TO TALK AND, AND GRAVITATE AND, AND GIVE MY ALL ALLS THAT I CAN. AND THAT'S, UH, AND THAT'S THE BEST I CAN DO, SIR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT MUIR ALUD, MIRIAM NAVAN, [02:15:02] ELIZABETH, MISS KOHAN, RUDY FRANCO ALEXANDER, SPIKE. YES. OKAY. STEVEN LONGMEYER. GOOD MORNING. I'M STEVEN LONGMEYER AND I'M HERE TO COMMEND JOE WEBB, LISA HUNT, RAY VALDEZ, AND AMANDA FLORES, EACH OF WHOM DEMONSTRATED THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ETHICS, EFFICIENCY, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND TOLERANCE OVER THEIR TERMS OF SERVICE. ON TOURS BOARD 27 HOUSTON VOTERS PASS TERM LIMITS TO ENCOURAGE FRESH AND EVOLVING IDEAS IN GOVERNMENTS AND NOT DISPROPORTIONATE, UH, INFLUENCE FROM FORMER OFFICIALS NO LONGER ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS. VOTERS WANT CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS TO HAVE GREATER INPUT INTO THE CITY'S AGENDA, NOT EXCLUSION OF DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM CRITICAL PROCESSES. VOTERS EXPECT COUNCIL TO FULFILL ITS ROLE TO APPROVE MAYORAL APPOINTEES. THEY ALSO EXPECT YOU TO DISAPPROVE APPOINTMENTS WHEN THE PROCESS OR QUALIFICATIONS ARE FOREIGN FOUND WANTING. I COMMEND OUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER, ABBY CAYMAN AND OTHERS WHO HAVE SPOKEN OUT TO UPHOLD THESE PRINCIPLES AND ENCOURAGE EACH OF YOU TO FIERCELY PROTECT THE DELICATE BALANCE OF POWERS THAT FORM THE CORE OF HOUSTON'S GOVERNMENT GOING FORWARDS. AND I THANK EVERYONE WHO IS WILLING TO WORK SO HARD TO BRING OUR BOARD TOGETHER, AND I PRAY THAT WE CAN FINALLY GET ON WITH MAKING MONTROSE FIT FOR THE NEXT CENTURY OF ITS EXISTENCE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. THANK YOU. NEXT, CAESAR ESPINOZA, SAVANT MOORE. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. UM, CITY COUNCIL, I COME TODAY ADVOCATING FOR DISTRICT B, DISTRICT I AND DISTRICT D AS, UM, LAST WEEK THEY GAVE US A PROPOSED SCHOOLS THAT WILL BE CLOSED WITH THE BOND GETS APPROVED, AND THAT'S 15 SCHOOLS IN DISTRICT B, DISTRICT I AND DISTRICT D. I'VE EMAILED EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. I'M ASKING THAT YOU SUPPORT YOUR COLLEAGUES BECAUSE OUR SCHOOLS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE SCHOOLS IN YOUR DISTRICT. JUST TODAY. UM, DISTRICT, I HAD TO TRANSLATE FOR A CONSTITUENT. THERE'S A SCHOOL IN HIS DISTRICT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE CLOSED, THAT MAJORITY OF THOSE PARENTS AND STUDENTS ONLY SPEAK ESPANOL. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I ADVOCATE FOR THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. BUT THEN YOU THINK ABOUT A ISAAC AND THE CASHMERE GARDENS ELEMENTARY AND DISTRICT B, THEY'RE JUST AS IMPORTANT. THEY OFFER PRE-K, HE SAYS THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT THERE'S 25,000 SEATS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR PRE-K STUDENTS. WHY DON'T WE USE THE 15 SCHOOLS THAT ARE PROPOSED TO BE CLOSED AS YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED AS PRE-K HUBS? AND SO I'M ASKING THAT BEHIND THE SCENES. WE ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE. I TOLD Y'ALL MY CHILD, THEY TOOK AWAY THEATER ARTS, BUT THIS SEMESTER COMING UP, THEY'RE BRINGING THEATER ARTS BACK. SO EVEN THOUGH MY CHILD DOESN'T GET TO HAVE THAT IN UIL, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ADVOCATING, LITTLE THINGS WILL COME. SO I'M JUST ASKING THAT Y'ALL SUPPORT ALICIA JOHNSON. SHE'S GOING TO PARIS FOR THE OLYMPICS. SHE SAID, I REPRESENT THE HOOD BABIES. I REPRESENT EVERYBODY THAT LOOKS LIKE ME. SO EVEN IF YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ME, PLEASE ADVOCATE FOR US BECAUSE WE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ESTONIANS. ONE DAY I, I HOPE TO BE JUST LIKE MR. WHITMEYER. I'LL REPRESENT STATE REP FOR DISTRICT 1 42 IN TWO YEARS. AND SO I LOOK AT ALL OF Y'ALL'S BIOS AND I'M ASPIRING TO BE LIKE YOU. I RETIRED TWO WEEKS AGO FROM MY COMPANY SO THAT I CAN DO THIS FULL TIME BECAUSE NOBODY, AS YOU CAN SEE, CAN SHOW UP AT NINE THROUGH 11 O'CLOCK BECAUSE THEY'RE AT WORK IN MY COMMUNITY. THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION. YOU PROBABLY PROBABLY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHEN YOU GO THROUGH SECURITY. THERE'S A LADY THAT'S WORKING EXTRA HOURS BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT HAVE A CAR. AND I ONLY SEE HER ONCE A WEEK. YOU SEE HER EVERY DAY. SO ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE IMPORTANT. AND SO AS A YOUNG PERSON, I NEED YOUR HELP BEHIND BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING FOR, I'M GONNA HELP SISTER, UM, JACKSON FOR WHAT THAT MAN DID TODAY. AFTER I LEAVE HERE, I'M GONNA GO TO THE STREET AND TALK TO THOSE GANG MEMBERS TO STOP SHOOTING BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT. ONLY PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP ON MY SIDE OF TOWN IS PRECINCT SIX. THE CONSTABLES, WHEN WE CALL THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DON'T [02:20:01] SHOW UP, BUT IF YOU CALL THE CONSTABLES, THEY DO SHOW UP. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK Y'ALL FOR Y'ALL LEADERSHIP. I REALLY DO LOOK UP TO Y'ALL AS A YOUNG PERSON, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU HELD BEHIND THE SCENES BECAUSE DISTRICT B, DISTRICT I, DISTRICT D, WE'VE BEEN TAKING THE L FOR DECADES AND IT HAS TO STOP IN 2024. COUNCILLOR JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MR. MOORE FOR YOUR ADVOCACY. I WAS GONNA GIVE YOU SOME MORE OF MY TIME, BUT I GUESS YOU JUST GOT IT ALL OUT, UM, , BUT ALSO THE EMAIL THAT YOU SENT, I DIDN'T RECEIVE THE EMAIL. SO IF YOU CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THE EMAIL, WOULD LIKE TO STAY INFORMED ON WHAT YOU'RE LEARNING, UM, OUT IN THE STREET IN REGARDS TO HISD SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS SUPPORT, UM, AS GOOD AS WE CAN. SO THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. GOD BLESS Y'ALL. AND GOD BLESS HOUSTON NEXT. BENJAMIN BROADWAY. DANA JONES BROADWAY'S. HERE. MR. BROAD HERE. YEP. MICROPHONE. OKAY. YES. UH, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS BENJAMIN BROER. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE MAYOR OF CITY COUNCIL FOR LETTING ME SPEAK TODAY. I'M A PART OF NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE AND UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON FOR THE LAKEWOOD SUBDIVISION LIBRARY. UM, IT'S WELL NEEDED IN DISTRICT B BECAUSE, UM, OUR KIDS REALLY DO NEED IT. IF A 14-YEAR-OLD CAN DO A SMASH AND GRAB AND, AND A 16-YEAR-OLD CAN KILL A SECURITY GUARD, WE NEED TO BE PUTTING BOOKS INSIDE THEIR HANDS INSTEAD OF DANGEROUS THINGS LIKE GUNS. UM, ALSO THE CIP PROJECTS MAYOR, WE USED TO HAVE, UM, CIP TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO GET THE INPUT OF THE PUBLIC. WHY DON'T WE DO THAT NOW? OR CAN WE IMPLEMENT THAT BACK AS WELL? AND YOU STARTED A CAMPAIGN WITH YOUR MAYOR L'OREAL CAMPAIGN THAT YOU RAN. YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GONNA END THE, UH, AVALOR TAX DIVERGENT. CAN WE WORK ON THAT? YOU'VE WORKED WITH THE POLICE, YOU'VE WORKED WITH THE FIREMEN. SO LET'S SEE IF WE CAN START WORKING ON SOME OF THESE FLOOD ISSUES THAT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MR. BROADWAY FOR YOUR CONTINUAL ADVOCACY FOR THE NORTHEAST AREA IN REGARDS TO FLOODING AND THE, UM, THE LAKEWOOD LIBRARY. UM, THAT LIBRARY WAS DAMAGED DURING HURRICANE HARVEY, AND SO IT'S DESPERATELY NEEDED. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING. UM, THE POPULATION IS INCREASING, AND SO I'LL CONTINUE TO PUT THIS LIBRARY ON CIP REQUESTS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET IT UP AND GOING FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. NEXT, DANA JONES. JACOB CLEMENT. OH, Y'ALL WERE GONNA HEAR INSTRUC AND TRIPS FOREVER, BUT YOU OH, EXCUSE. BUT I MESSED UP. AND THEN, RIGHT NOW, WHAT I AM GOING TO DO IS I'M GONNA SAY THIS PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRY, SINCE I MISS THE, UH, THEREFORE THE RESPECT OF THIS, UH, COUNCIL. HEAVENLY FATHER, SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT TO HEAL OUR LAND AND COMMON OUR PEERS, ALL IN YOUR ARMS, ALL WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY SENSELESS VIOLENCE, HEAL THE HEART AND MINDS OF ALL WHO HAVE BEEN SCARRED BY HATE. WELCOME INTO THE PEACE OF YOUR KINGDOM, ALL THOSE WHO HAVE DIED. MAY THE LIGHT OF CHRIST STAND FORTH THROUGH YOUR FAITHFUL PEOPLE. BECOME A BEACON OF HOPE. MAY THE JUSTICE AND PEACE THAT ONLY YOU CAN BRING RIGHT IN OUR HEARTS [02:25:01] AND IN THE WORLD. AMEN. THIS IS SPIKE R JOHN JENSEN. AND THERE, THERE WAS SEE WITH A FLAG. BUT, BUT ALL I CAN SAY IS OUR PLEASURE. SEE ALLEGIANCE TO THE BLACK OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WI IT SEEN ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL THERE. THANK YOU, JACOB. HAVE A SAFE FOURTH. YEAH. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY FOR Y'ALL. GUYS. Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE HAVING A GREAT TIME. I KNOW THAT FOR SURE. JACOB, YOUR ASTROS ARE THREE GAMES BEHIND NOW. YEAH. ON THE CARTER. YOU YOU GOT IT BABE. YOU GOT IT BABE. . OKAY. GO TO GO TO WORK JACOB. GO TO WORK. OKAY, BABE. OKAY. BE SAFE. COME, COME BACK AND SEE US MY DAY. MARIAN WRIGHT. UH, LORD, HELP US . I HOPE THAT LORD HELP US. WASN'T 'CAUSE I WAS COMING UP NOW. I'M JUST TEASING. UM, SO I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I WENT TO A NEAR TOWN MEETING LAST WEEK AFTER COUNCIL, AND IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING AT THE NEAR TOWN MEETING. SO THEY HAD, UM, MR. HAM WHO WAS JUST HERE TO SPEAK A MINUTE AGO, STEVE, HE GOT UP AND HE MADE AN IMPASSIONED SPEECH TO EVERYBODY THERE SPEAKING ABOUT HOW THEIR EX-CO MEMBERS WHO ARE NOW ACTUALLY RUNNING THE SHOW AND THAT MS. CAYMAN IS NO LONGER LISTENING TO, AND THAT THE MAYORS ONLY LISTENING TO, WHICH IS, I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU TWO ARE WORKING TOGETHER. OKAY? AND THAT'S THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE. THAT'S THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE WITH EVERYONE, RIGHT? WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO LISTEN TO EVERYONE. IF TEARS OR TEARS AREN'T, THE BOARDS AREN'T LISTENING TO EVERYONE. AND IF YOU, THEY JUST SIT UP THERE AND PRETEND TO LISTEN IT EXPIRED. MAY I FINISH? PLEASE. WE HAVE AN ISSUE. SO IT'S GOOD TO MIX UP THE BOARDS AND I HAVE A COMBINATION OF PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO THAT EVERYBODY CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER. AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO. SO I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING THAT. UM, IT'S JUST SILLY TO DO IT ANY OTHER WAY. I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY I'VE STILL INVITED EVERYBODY TO COME OUT ON 11TH STREET AND TO KIND OF SEE WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON THERE. MS. CAYMAN AND MS. PLUMMER. NEITHER OF Y'ALL HAVE YET. MS. CARTER HAS, MS. ALCORN HAS. UM, AND I'D LIKE Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT ONE OF OUR BUSINESSES THAT'S RIGHT AT THE PART THAT HOPEFULLY THAT MEDIAN'S COMING OUT FROM REVOLUTION COFFEE. MONICA TILLEY CAME HERE AND SPOKE. NO ONE ADDRESSED HER WHEN SHE WAS HERE TO SPEAK. HER LAST DAY OF BUSINESS IS JULY 14TH. JULY 14TH. SHE'S DONE BECAUSE OF THE MEDIAN. SO, THANK Y'ALL. OH, AND PLEASE STOP SPENDING. I'VE MAJORED IN FINE ARTS. I UNDERSTAND ART, I UNDERSTAND IT. Y'ALL ARE SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY ON ART THAT'S NOT EVEN APPRECIATING. THINK ABOUT IT. THINK ABOUT HOW Y'ALL ARE SPENDING IT WHEN YOU DO SPEND IT. I UNDERSTAND IT'S FABULOUS AND WONDERFUL AND TERRIFIC TO HAVE SOMETHING AT THE AIRPORT, THE SYMPHONY AT THE AIRPORT AND WHATNOT. YOU KNOW, HARMONY IN THE SKY, BUT IT'S ONLY THERE FOR LIKE A SHORT PERIOD EVERY WEEK. SO UNLESS YOU'RE THERE RIGHT WHEN IT'S PLAYING, YOU'RE MISSING IT. THERE'S GOTTA BE SOMETHING WE CAN DO SO THAT WE CAN SHOWCASE WHAT WE HAVE HERE WITHOUT NECESSARILY HAVING TO PAY FOR IT. HOW ABOUT IF WE LOOK TO SOME OF THE UNIVERSITIES AND ASK IF THEY WANNA THROUGH THEIR MUSIC DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, USE THAT SPACE. I DON'T KNOW. ANYWAY, THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU. THAT COMPLETES THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. ALRIGHT, [CONSENT AGENDA] MADAM SECRETARY, WILL YOU NOW PROCEED WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY? ITEMS ONE AND TWO HAVE BEEN REMOVED. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION UNDER THE ACCEPT WORK CATEGORY. ITEM THREE NEEDS A MOTION, MOVE MOTIONS MADE IN SEGMENT. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES UNDER THE RESOLUTION CATEGORY. ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION UNDER THE ORDINANCE CATEGORY. ITEM EIGHT HAS BEEN REMOVED. SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. ITEM SIX AND SEVEN, JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. LET'S DO ONE AND TWO TOGETHER SINCE IT'S THE SAME PANEL [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] UNDER THE VOTE ITEMS REMOVED. ITEMS ONE AND TWO, WE'RE DOING ONE AND TWO ITEMS. ONE [02:30:01] AND TWO JUST NEED A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. I GOT IT. AND WE DO HAVE SOME OF THESE FOLKS HERE ACCEPT YOU. NOT GONNA CALL THE PEOPLE. ITEM FOUR IS A RESOLUTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM FIVE IS A RESOLUTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. I WAS GONNA GO REALLY FAVOR. I'M SORRY SIR. WE ON THE AGENDA. WELL, I, I, I I WAS, I WAS GONNA, I WAS ALREADY HERE AND I WAS WAITING TO, UH, GO I GUESS LAST OR WHATEVER. WE'VE, AND GONE TO THE, THE COUNCIL AGENDA. WE'RE WE'RE ON THE AGENDA, SIR. I'M SORRY. DID YOU HEAR YOUR NAME CALLED? I, I WENT OUTSIDE FOR A SECOND JUST TO SPEAK BECAUSE THAT, THAT, UH, UH, A HANDICAP PERSON. OKAY. LET ME, UH, GET TO CONSENT OF COUNCIL. DO Y'ALL MIND IF THE GENTLEMAN WAS ALLOWED TO SPEAK? UH, NO, NO, NO. I'VE JUST DECIDED THE GENTLEMAN CAN COME FORWARD AND SPEAK. COME SPEAK AND PROBABLY GET, BE BRIEF IF YOU CAN. ALRIGHT. SO YOU WANNA STATE YOUR, STATE, YOUR NAME? EDUARDO DURAN. YES, SIR. UM, SO, UM, UH, A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE, YOU KNOW, I TALKED ABOUT, UH, GENE EDITORS IN THE FOOD, UH, ENGINEER NANO MATERIALS AND FOOD. I MEAN, I, I BROUGHT YOU ALL THE SCIENCE MEDICAL LITERATURE, AND, UH, THIS TIME I'M ACTUALLY GONNA BRING UP SOMETHING THAT'S MORE, UH, OF A MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUE. UH, I ALREADY TALKED TO HPD ABOUT IT. UH, PRETTY MUCH, UH, THE ANIME CULTURE AND THE ANIME CONVENTIONS THAT ARE OCCURRING HERE ON THE US RIGHT THERE IS, UM, LEGAL GRAY AREA X-RATED ANIME, UM, PEDOPHILIA. COMPLETELY AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE TO DOWNLOAD. AND ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS LOOK AT THE FORMS OF THE ANIME, YOU KNOW, THESE ENTHUSIASTS AND EVERYTHING. AND THEY, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT IT VERY OPENLY. UM, VERY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA SUGGEST? YOU'VE GOT SOME SERIOUS TOPICS. WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU TALK TO MY STAFF AND LET THEM TAKE, UH, YEAH, BECAUSE YOUR COMMENTS DOWN AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON IT BECAUSE THERE'S A, A, IT'S INDOCTRINATING ALL OF THE ZOOMERS AND ALL THE NEXT GENERATION AND TO PRETTY MUCH JUST FALLING INTO THIS, UH, CULTURAL TRAP, WHICH IS VERY MUCH ENGINEERED BY THE, THE ANIME CULTURE. OKAY, VERY GOOD. YOU'VE MADE A GREAT POINT. YEAH. TALK TO REBECCA IN MY OFFICE AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT. THANK YOU. CAME ON ITEMS. ONE, TWO, UH, MEMBERS. LEMME JUST DO A POINT OF PERSONAL. I RESPECT THE COUNCIL RULES. I UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE CAN COME FORWARD, BUT IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE SOMETIME. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S HAVING A REALLY, REALLY BAD DAY. MM-HMM . AND TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE MOMENTS, I THINK, UH, IS WISE IN THE LONG RUN. SO, UM, I'M NOT GOING TO VIOLATE YOUR RULES. UH, I THINK WE NEED TO ACCOMMODATE FOLKS THAT OBVIOUSLY BELIEVE THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY AND IT WORKED OUT. THE GENTLEMAN'S OBVIOUSLY NEEDS TO TALK TO OUR STAFF. UH, COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WAS, UH, SPEAKING BACK ON THE AGENDA 'CAUSE WE MOVED SO QUICKLY THROUGH IT. I DO KNOW THAT SOME OF THE NEW APPOINTEES, UM, FOR THE TURS WERE HERE TODAY. I KNOW MOST OF THEM COULD NOT STAY, BUT I, WHOEVER IS HERE, IF YOU COULD PLEASE STAND. THANK YOU. AND THEN THERE WAS ONE, SO I I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HELEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. UM, I DO KNOW THAT, UM, MR. MATTHEW BRAUER AND I BELIEVE ROBERT GUTAR WERE HERE EARLIER TODAY. UM, AND I WANNA ALSO THANK MARDA JOHNNY FOR HIS WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. UH, AND LIKE SOME OF THE RESIDENTS HAD SAID, MARY, I DID WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS [02:35:01] THAT HAVE SERVED. UM, THEY HAVE DONE SO WITH THE, UM, UTMOST INTEGRITY AND THE, UH, COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE. UH, MANY OF THEM HAD TO SET, SET ASIDE THEIR OWN PERSONAL BUSINESS, UM, TO SERVE IN SUCH A CAPACITY BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT THE MONTROSE TOURS, UH, CONTINUES TO EXEMPLIFY THAT I HOPE OTHER TOURS WILL TAKE ON, UM, AT A TIME WHEN SOME OF OUR TOURS, UM, SHOULD BE UNDER SCRUTINY. UH, AND WE HAVE CONCERNS, AND I APPRECIATE THAT THOSE ARE BEING RAISED. THE MONTROSE TOURS HAS BEEN, UM, AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A GOOD TOURS CAN DO, LISTENING TO RESIDENTS GOING OUT AND GETTING GRANTS, BRINGING, BRINGING IN DOLLARS TO INVEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE. AND MY SINCERE HOPE, UM, FOR THIS NEW BOARD IS THAT, UM, THEY LEARN, I KNOW THERE'S A SHARP LEARNING CURVE. THERE'S A LOT OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, UM, THAT I CERTAINLY HOPE WE DO NOT LOSE. UH, BUT LISTENING TO THE RESIDENTS AND MOVING FORWARD ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND WHAT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST NEIGHBORHOODS INSIDE THE LOOP, IF NOT THE OLDEST. UM, AND WE NEED THOSE PROJECTS. WE NEED THAT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT. AND I APPRECIATE VERY MUCH MAYOR YOUR WORK WITH ME ON THIS. UM, AND THOSE WILLING TO SERVE. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION. OH, AND I AM SORRY. I ALSO NEGLECTED, I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, THE HONORABLE SUE LEVEL ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE WHO'S BEEN HERE. SO I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE HER. USUALLY WE RECOGNIZE, UM, FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE AUDIENCE. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SUE, FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE. NEXT ITEM FIVE IS AN ORDINANCE. THIS NEED A VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM EIGHT IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. ITEM PASSES. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. REALLY QUICKLY, UM, AND I APOLOGIZE. I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND MY NOTES. UM, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HESITANT WHEN IT COMES TO MUDS PEC, ESPECIALLY OUTSIDE OF A DISTRICT. UM, BECAUSE THERE'S NOT AS MUCH SCRUTINY AND AS WE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP, UM, THERE'S NOT AS MUCH PARTICIPATION IN MUDS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL MUDS ARE BAD. WE JUST KNOW THAT RESIDENTS DO NOT ENGAGE AT THAT LEVEL ALL THE TIME. UM, PREVIOUSLY WHEN STEVEN COSTELLO WAS AT THE CITY, UM, THERE WERE CERTAIN PROTOCOLS THAT WERE FOLLOWED, UH, MORE SO INFORMALLY, UM, IN REVIEWING MUDS FROM A PURPOSE OF FLOOD PROTECTION AND FLOOD MITIGATION, UM, THERE WAS ALWAYS, UH, A REVIEW TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A DEFINITIVE DRAINAGE PLAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOMETHING IS IN THE FLOOD PLAIN. THAT THAT DRAINAGE PLAN WAS APPROVED BY HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL, AND THAT THE DRAINAGE REPORT TO COUNSEL INCLUDES A STATEMENT ASSURING NO IMPACT TO DOWNSTREAM PROPERTIES. UM, I, I HAVE INQUIRED, AND I DO BELIEVE THEY'RE LOOKING INTO THIS, BUT MY ASK IS THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT REVIEW CONTINUES. UM, AND IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL MEASURES THAT WE CAN ALSO INCLUDE, AGAIN, AS WE LOOK TO FLOOD MITIGATION, UM, I WOULD FEEL A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THESE ITEMS. SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP NOW THAT STEVEN COSTELLO, WHICH WE APPRECIATE HIS SERVICE, IS NO LONGER AT THE CITY, MAKING SURE THAT THAT REVIEW CONTINUES. GOOD. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. NEXT, [MATTERS HELD] ITEM NINE, THE AMENDMENTS. COUNCILMAN CARTER 3 0 1. 3 0 1. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE AMENDMENTS AS I'VE, UH, PUT FORTH, UM, IN, IN FAVOR OF HFD. UM, CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, UH, GSD ON LOOKING FOR SOME SPACE TO CONSOLIDATE THOSE KINGWOOD, UH, FIRE STATIONS AND, AND HPD. SO THERE IS ACTIVITY UNDERWAY AND, AND I'M ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING. UM, AGAIN, UH, ON THE PRIORITIZING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CHILLER, YOU KNOW, AND ANOTHER CHECK MARK, CHECK THAT BOX, UM, FEASIBILITY STUDY. I THINK THAT THAT IS A GREAT, UH, BENEFIT TO OUR DEPARTMENT AND GAINING CERTAINLY EMS WOMEN, YOU KNOW, NURSES AND I, I THINK THAT'S, THAT WILL BE A GREAT ASSET FOR, FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FOR OUR CITY. AND APPRECIATE YOU TAKING A LOOK AT THE, UM, MONITORS, UH, FOR THE A EAS SYSTEMS. SO I'VE, BOTTOM LINE, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND, UH, LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED PROGRESS ON ALL OF THIS. AND I, UH, WILL WITHDRAW AS REQUESTED. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. AS IT STATE'S ACTIVITY IS UNDERWAY AGGRESSIVELY. NEXT 3 0 2, [02:40:03] YOU, YOU HAVE ANOTHER ONE. OH, I'M SORRY, YOU COVERED THAT ONE AS WELL. THE MOTION TO REMOVE. SO, SO YOU'RE WITHDRAWING 3 0 1 THROUGH 3 0 4, YES. 3 0 1, 3 0 2, 3 0 3 AND 3 0 4. OKAY. SORRY ABOUT THAT. YOU'VE HEARD THE MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? MOTION IS MADE IN SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. ALL OPPOSED NAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, 6.01. THIS IS TO MOVE FUNDING FROM FISCAL YEAR 2029 TO FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR THE NORTHWEST POLICE STATION REPLACEMENT PROJECT. MAYOR, THIS STATION IS ONE OF THE OLDEST STATIONS IN THE CITY THAT HAS NOT BEEN REMODELED. UM, IT'S HOME TO 164 EMPLOYEES. IT'S 4,420 SQUARE FEET. THERE'S 111 PARKING SPOTS, UM, WHICH INCLUDES THE ALLOCATED SPOTS FOR THE POLICE VEHICLES. UM, THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS, UM, 13 OF THEM, INCLUDING THE COMMANDER, ARE HOUSED IN A TRAILER WITH NO RESTROOM, UM, AND AC AND HEATING ISSUES. UM, THE ROOF LEAKS, THERE'S LACK OF LOCKERS FOR FEMALE EMPLOYEES, AND 31 EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN RELOCATED, UM, TO A BUILDING FOUR MILES AWAY WITH ONLY ONE RESTROOM IN THAT, UM, IN THAT BUILDING. I MEAN, WE ABSOLUTELY NEED A NEW STATION. UM, WE HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL, A GROUP THAT, UM, OFFERED TO DONATE PROPERTY LIKE LAND FOR US TO BUILD. IT WAS DEEMED THAT IT WASN'T BIG ENOUGH. I THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE MADE IT WORK, BUT WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS FOR OTHER LOCATIONS FOR THIS POLICE STATION. THE LOCATION RIGHT NOW IS JUST IN A TERRIBLE PLACE. IT, IT'S NOT CENTRAL TO THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE DIVISION. SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S NO FUNDING SOURCE IDENTIFIED, UM, FOR THIS, BUT I WOULD LIKE YOUR COMMITMENT TO AT LEAST START LOOKING AT THE PLANNING FOR THIS TO EITHER ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY OR EVEN, UM, I, I THINK THAT WE COULD USE CITY, OTHER CITY PROPERTY FOR THIS BUILDING. AT LEAST START MAKING HEADWAY TOWARDS THAT. WELL, FIRST, I'M SORRY THAT IT'S BEEN ALLOWED TO GET IN THAT CONDITION. IT'S, IT'S, UH, NOT WHAT GREAT CITIES ALLOW TO HAPPEN. I'LL COMMIT TO WORKING WITH YOU, FINDING A SOURCE. I THINK A CITY COUNTY PARTNERSHIP WOULD BE EXCELLENT AT THAT LOCATION. AND YOU HAVE A VERY SUPPORTIVE COUNTY COMMISSIONER, SO WE'LL ALL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. OUR FIRST RESPONDERS SHOULD NOT WORK IN THOSE CONDITIONS, SO LET'S GO TO WORK AND FIND THE RESOURCES. SO THANK YOU. WELL, IN LIGHT OF THAT, I WILL WITHDRAW, UM, 6.01. OKAY, SO 6 0 1 WITHDRAWN. 6 0 2 MOTION. UM, WE DON'T NEED ITEMS WITHDRAWN. 6 0 2. 6.02 IS TO, UM, REMOVE, UM, $6.6 MILLION FROM THE ANTOINE DRIVE PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT. UM, THIS IS THE PROJECT FROM HAMLEY TO HEMPSTEAD. IT'S THE PROPOSED ROUNDABOUT THAT WAS TO BE INSTALLED THERE. UM, OUR CONSTITUENTS DON'T WANT IT. NOBODY WANTS THIS ROUNDABOUT. I THINK THAT THERE ARE MUCH CHEAPER AND EASIER SOLUTIONS TO FIXING THAT INTERSECTION THAT WE ARE WORKING ON. SO I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT MONEY TO THE TANNER ROAD PAVING AND DRAINAGE PROJECT AND SAID, MAYOR, YOU KNOW HOW BAD TANNER ROAD IS. WE WERE THERE MARCHING UP AND DOWN TANNER, UM, WHEN YOU WERE A STATE SENATOR, WHEN THEY WERE PLANNING ON EXPANDING THE LANDFILL THERE. SO YOU'RE WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUES ON TANNER ROAD AND WOULD LIKE TO, UM, MOVE THAT MONEY THERE. COMMISSIONER RAMSEY IS WORKING ON THE COUNTY SIDE OF TANNER ROAD, BUT WE NEED FUNDING TO CONTINUE THAT PROJECT FORWARD. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE ALL KNOW CARDALE . IT'S AMAZING. IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT IT WAS NEVER DESIGNATED A COMPLETE COMMUNITY. UH, THE GOOD NEWS IS THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER WILL SHARE 50% OF THE COST AND WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. AND, UH, CENTER ROAD IS, UH, IN TERRIBLE SHAPE THE DRAINAGE, UH, WITH THE DARN LANDFILL THERE. UH, IT NEEDS A LOT OF ATTENTION. AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO OUR ATTENTION. I, I DO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT. YOUR VOTE ON IT ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED? YES. APPROVED. THANK YOU. 6 0 3, 6 0.03 IS, UM, TO ALLOCATE, UM, $35 MILLION OR ANY UNSPENT ENDING FUND BALANCE MONEY TO THE SPRING SHADOWS PAVING AND DRAINING DRAINAGE PROJECT. THIS PROJECT, UM, IT STARTED OFF AS A SPRING SHADOWS NORTH DRAINAGE AND PAVING PROJECT, UM, WHICH WE DO HAVE FUNDING IN THE CIP FOR, AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE IN 2018, AND IT'S, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON IT BECAUSE OF ENGINEERING ISSUES AND NOT HAVING ANYWHERE TO PUT THE WATER. SO WE'VE KIND OF COMBINED THE NORTH AND SOUTH PROJECTS TO MAKE THE PROJECT EVEN BETTER, HOPEFULLY AT THE END. UM, BUT WE STILL NEED A LOT MORE MONEY FOR THIS PROJECT. SO I'D LIKE TO ALLOCATE THE $35 MILLION THAT SHOULD BE IN [02:45:01] THE ENDING FUND BALANCE TO THIS PROJECT. SOUNDS GOOD. ACTIVITIES UNDERWAY. AND, UM, I'M GONNA, AS YOU WITHDRAW AT THIS TIME, AND LET'S GO TO WORK ON IT. WELL, IT SAYS THAT SINCE YOU SUPPORT IT, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A VOTE AND JUST S SURE. UP THAT MONEY. THANK YOU. WELL, I QUITE FRANKLY THINK WE HAVE TO FIND THE RESOURCES, MAYOR, I THINK THAT THE $35 MILLION IS THERE IN THE FUND BALANCE. UM, I KNOW, BUT, BUT I WOULD, LIKE LIZ IS GOING TO, WE WOULD PASS OUT A SPREADSHEET SHOWING THAT THERE SHOULD BE AN ENDING FUND BALANCE IN I KNOW, BUT THAT, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DRAINAGE, UM, CHARGE MONEY, I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE ANY MONEY ON THE TABLE. THAT IS, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL ABOUT KEEPING MONEY IN THE RAINY DAY FUND, ALL THESE OTHER FUNDS IN CASE THINGS COME UP. BUT THIS IS NOT A FUND TO LEAVE MONEY IN, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE A PROJECT READY. I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. AND I COMMITTED TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND WORK WITH YOU TO SEE THAT THE PROJECT'S COMPLETED. IT'S LONG OVERDUE, BUT, UH, I'M NOT SURE THIS IS THE TIME TO SPEND 35 MILLION WITHOUT KNOWING THE, UH, PROGRESS, THE PREVIOUS EFFORTS ON THIS PROJECT. SO, MAYOR, RESPECTFULLY, I THINK NOW IS THE TIME TO ALLOCATE THIS MONEY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CIP, WE HAVE THE MONEY AVAILABLE IN THE SPREADSHEET, AS YOU CAN SEE. SO PRESS THIS, PLEASE. WHICH WAS WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING WE DO IN A MORE EFFECTIVE VENUE, BUT WE'LL DO IT QUICKLY FOR YOU. I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SPREADSHEET THAT, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER'S OFFICE IS PASSING AROUND. IF I COULD SEE IT, THAT WOULD HELP ME. UM, BUT IN TERMS OF FUND BALANCE IN, UH, THE DRAINAGE D-D-S-R-F, THE, THE FUND BALANCES THAT ARE IN THESE FUNDS ARE ALREADY COMMITTED TO OTHER PROJECTS. SO THE WAY THE D-D-S-R-F FUNDS WORK IS THAT THEIR PAY AS YOU GO PROJECTS, SINCE WE NO LONGER THANK YOU, SINCE WE NO LONGER ISSUE DEBT FOR STREETS AND DRAINAGE PROJECTS. SO ANY FUND BALANCE THAT WOULD BE IN THE FUND IS ALREADY COMMITTED TO A PROJECT THAT IS EITHER, YOU KNOW, ALREADY UNDERWAY OR WAITING ON INVOICES TO PAY. BOTTOM LINE IS WE DON'T HAVE THE AVAILABLE MONEY MAYOR. WHEN YOU TAKE THE, UM, ALL OF THE PROJECTS FROM THAT CHARGE AND THE CIP AND YOU SUBTRACT WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET AND THEN THE M AND O AND TRANSFERS AND ALL OF THE EXPENDITURES, YOU'RE LEFT WITH $35 MILLION. I'M GIVING YOU THE BEST INFORMATION I CAN SUGGEST TO YOU WITH THE FINANCE DIRECTOR SAYING THAT IT'S BEEN COMMITTED. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. THANK YOU, MARIN. I APPRECIATE THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER IS, UH, FIGHTING, UH, STRONGLY FOR HER DISTRICT AND THE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS THAT I THINK WE ALL WANT TO SEE THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I REALLY COMMEND YOU. UM, PART OF THE CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US IS MULTIPLE ITEMS WITH THIS PRICE TAG ARE HIGHER AND, UM, TO CHOOSE ONE DISTRICT OVER ANOTHER WITHOUT IT GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS CAN BE A CHALLENGE. ADDITIONALLY, WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE 35 MILLION THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED. UM, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, COULD YOU SPEAK TO THE CHALLENGES WE MAY BE FACING AS IT RELATES TO, UM, INCREASED COSTS, UH, INFLATION, UH, NOT ALWAYS IS A PROJECT, UM, WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF WHAT WE HAVE BUDGETED FOR, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. SO HAVING A BUFFER AT TIMES, UM, TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGES TO DESIGN, CHANGES TO CONSTRUCTION, UM, INCREASED COSTS, IS THAT A, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? YES. YES. AND I THINK, UM, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE SPREADSHEET CORRECTLY, AS LAID OUT BY, UM, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM, ARE YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE PROJECTS THAT THE DRAINAGE CHARGE IS ALLOCATED TO IN THIS PROPOSED CIP IN COMPARING IT TO THE BUDGET? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, SO I, I, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S POINT, AND I ALSO WANNA REITERATE WHAT I SAID, THAT ANY FUND BALANCE THAT WOULD BE REMAINING IN THIS FUND IS, LIKE I MENTIONED, THESE PROJECTS ARE PAY AS YOU GO, SINCE WE'RE NOT ISSUING DEBT. SO THERE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, WE'RE APPROPRIATE IN FY 24 THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED TO PAY INVOICES FOR. AND THAT'S WHAT THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE FUND BALANCES ARE ALREADY, UM, COMMITTED TO THOSE PROJECTS. YEAH, AND I, AND I JUST WANNA SAY FOR THE RECORD, 'CAUSE COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, YOU AND I HAVE PARTNERED MANY TIMES TO ADDRESS FLOOD MITIGATION AND YOU CONTINUE TO BE A CHAMPION IN THAT, THAT, UM, IF YOU DO CALL A VOTE, THAT'S NOT REFLECTIVE OF, UM, ALL OF OUR AGREEMENT THAT WE NEED MORE INVESTMENT IN DRAINAGE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. COUNCILLOR ALCORN. SO I FEEL LIKE THIS QUESTION COMES UP EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS FUND BALANCE IN, IN THE D-D-S-R-F. AND, AND THIS IS THE ANSWER ALWAYS, BUT I WOULD FEEL [02:50:01] MORE COMFORTABLE IF WE KIND OF KNEW WHAT WAS PLEDGED AGAINST US. I FEEL LIKE WHEN WE HAVE THE CIP AND THERE'S AMOUNTS IN EVERY YEAR THAT THO THOSE ARE THE AMOUNTS COVERED. I MEAN, THERE IS INFLATION AND THINGS THAT COME UP. YOU DO HAVE A BUFFER. AND I THINK THE FINANCIAL POLICIES MAKES US KEEP A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND THEY'RE 10% OR SOMETHING. BUT IT, IT'S, AND, AND AGAIN, SPRING SHADOWS, I MEAN, SHE SINCE THE MOMENT SHE SAT DOWN HERE AND EVEN BEFORE THAT, SHE'S BEEN ADVOCATING FOR SPRING SHADOWS. MM-HMM . AND SHE DOES THE WORK TO KIND OF, TO, TO FIND THAT, THAT MONEY. AND I'M NEVER REALLY SATISFIED WITH JUST EVERY YEAR THAT THIS COMES UP, IT'S LIKE, OH, WELL THAT'S ALL ALREADY COMMITTED, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T, IT SEEMS TO JUST TRANSFER EACH YEAR. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO GO TO WHATEVER PROJECT. IT'S STILL, THE ENDING FUND BALANCE IS STILL REALLY MORE THAN THE 10%. UM, SO I, I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SAY, WELL, WE OWE THIS MUCH FOR THIS PROJECT AND THIS MUCH FOR THIS PROJECT AND KIND OF LAY IT ALL OUT AND, AND MAYBE IT'S JUST A SAMIR OR SOMEBODY IN, IN PWE AND IN PUBLIC WORKS ACCOUNTING NEEDS TO REALLY DO A DEEP DIVE INTO IT FOR US. BUT, BUT, UM, UH, I JUST, I MEAN, I ACCEPT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND I DON'T WANNA SPEND MONEY OR COMMIT MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT, THAT WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE WORK ON THE TRANSPARENCY OF THIS FUND BALANCE BECAUSE IT JUST KEEPS COMING UP. AND I GUESS THE OTHER THING I WOULD POINT OUT IS THAT, UM, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING, OF COURSE, LIKE, UM, THE MAYOR MENTIONED WE, YOU KNOW, WE SUPPORT THE PROJECT AND IN FACT, PUBLIC WORKS IS, UM, WANTING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PROCURING THE DESIGN SERVICES, UM, WHICH THE FUNDING FOR THE DESIGN IS PROGRAMMED WITHIN ANOTHER PROJECT IN THE CIP. SO I THINK I WOULD ASK IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, LET PUBLIC WORKS MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, USING THE EXISTING RESOURCES FOR THE DESIGN AND, AND TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S POINT, UM, DO MORE OF A DEEP DIVE INTO THE FUND BALANCE AND WHAT PROJECT SPECIFICALLY IS THIS GOING TO BE PAYING FOR? I, ALL I CAN SAY IS I'M TRYING TO BE FAIR, AND I THINK , HAVING BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS PROCESS, THERE'S A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT THAT COULD BE MADE. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CIP LIST OUGHT TO BE A COMMITMENT THAT MEANS SOMETHING I'VE REVIEWED PREVIOUS, UH, CIP LIST AND IT, QUITE FRANKLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU TOLERATE IT BEING ON THERE AND THEN FIVE YEARS, EIGHT YEARS LATER, NO ACTION. SO I'M COMMITTED TO A REVIEW. I THINK THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD BE A GREAT, UH, WORKSHOP TO IMPROVE THE, UH, FUNCTIONALITY OF, OF THE CIP LIST. SO ANYWAY, UM, VICE PRO COUNCIL, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR PROTE, THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN'S POINT, WE DEFINITELY NEED A DEEP DIVE OF THIS MONEY BECAUSE THERE, EVERY SINGLE YEAR THERE IS A BEGINNING FUND BALANCE OF THIS ACCOUNT. AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS NOT AN ACCOUNT THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLE WHEN THERE ARE PROJECTS READY TO GO THAT WILL HELP MITIGATE PEOPLE'S FLOODING. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS 35 MILLION, IT, IT, AND I THINK A LOT OF THIS STEMS FROM, THERE'S PROJECTS THAT ARE PLANNED EVERY FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN I KNOW IN DISTRICT A, MOST OF THE TIME THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE PLANNED DO NOT HAPPEN THAT FISCAL YEAR FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. IT GETS BUMPED TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR OR TWO FISCAL YEARS LATER. AND THAT MONEY THAT WAS ALLOCATED FOR, WHETHER IT WAS THE DESIGN OR CONSTRUCTION, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT MONEY WASN'T SPENT. AND SO IT'S JUST SITTING THERE AND THEN THE BEGINNING FUND BALANCE FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AND SO IF THERE, IF THAT HAPPENS AGAIN AND THERE'S MONEY LEFT ON THE TABLE BECAUSE A PROJECT DIDN'T GO FORWARD, WE SHOULD SPEND THAT MONEY ON SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S SHOVEL READY OR DESIGN READY. UM, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST, IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR WE'RE JUST LEAVING THAT MONEY ON THE TABLE BECAUSE A PROJECT DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT FISCAL YEAR. AND SO MAYOR, IF I CAN HAVE YOUR COMMITMENT TO FINDING ANY AVAILABLE FUNDS, SHOULD THERE BE ANY, UM, ENDING FUND BALANCE IN THIS ACCOUNT AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR TO USE ON THIS PROJECT? UM, SEVERAL YEARS AGO THIS PROJECT WAS PRE-ENGINEERED AND THE SOUTH PART OF SPRING SHADOWS, IT WAS A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS PROJECT. AND THEY'RE REWORKING IT. AND YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THAT COST WILL GO WAY DOWN, BUT PEOPLE ARE FLOODING NINE TIMES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THERE'S ONE STREET WHERE NEIGHBORS PURCHASE A PUMP SO THEY CAN PUMP WATER OUT TO NEW ORLEANS ROAD BECAUSE THEY FLOOD EVERY TIME IT RAINS. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE IN 2018. WE CAN'T KEEP YEAR AFTER YEAR JUST PUSHING THIS DOWN BECAUSE EITHER WE CAN'T FIND THE FUNDING OR BECAUSE OF ENGINEERING ISSUES WE HAVE TO GET MOVING ON THIS PROJECT. PEOPLE'S HOMES HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY IMPACTED. THEIR LIVES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED EVERY SINGLE TIME IT RAINS. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I DIDN'T COME DOWN HERE TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. I HEAR YOU CLEARLY. WE HEARD FROM NORTHEAST EARLIER THIS MORNING. I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO ALL DO IS COMMIT OURSELF TO ATTACKING THE FLOODING ISSUES [02:55:01] AND THE DRAINAGE, UH, ATTEMPT TO GET COUNTY RESOURCES. THE STATE, AND I WON'T KICK THIS DOWN THE ROAD, I KNOW YOUR DISTRICT'S BEEN NEGLECTED. YOU HAVE SHOWN AND EXPRESSED YOUR FRUSTRATION, UH, FOR OVER A YEAR. TO ME, UM, I KNOW IT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE, BUT IF THE FINANCE DIRECTOR SAYS IT'S BEEN COMMITTED AND SPENT, UH, I HAVE TO RESPECT THAT AND JUST COMMIT TO THAT. THIS WILL BE A TOP PRIORITY AND, AND I KNOW WE CAN GET IT DONE. UH, YOU'VE TOLD ME AND PREV, I SAID A YEAR AGO, IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR, YOU WOULD SAY, UH, IT WAS READY TO GO. THE FUNDING WAS THERE, BUT THERE WAS A DISPUTE OVER ENGINEERS, WHICH YOU AND I COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW IF IT WAS READY TO ROLL, THAT WE WOULD STOP IT BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS USING THE WRONG ENGINEERS. SO WE'LL BE VERY TRANSPARENT. THE FUNDING, UH, SYSTEM, AS COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN MENTIONED, WE NEED TO ALL SIT DOWN AND COME UP WITH A BETTER METHOD AND, AND KEEP OUR COMMITMENTS. COUNCILOR DAVIS, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS, IS THAT THE, UH, THE REQUEST THAT MANY OF THESE, UM, DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE AND REGARDING THEIR CIP FUNDS SEEMS TO, AS I'M LEARNING, IT SEEMS TO ALWAYS BE PUSHED DOWN THE ROAD. SO, I MEAN, WHICH ULTIMATELY MAYOR AFFECTS THE COMMUNITY, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FLOOD MITIGATION. SO ARE WE, ARE WE CONSIDERING, I'M SURE YOU ARE RE LOOKING AT THESE PROJECTS, ARE WE TELLING COUNCIL MEMBER PECK THAT THIS IS NOT A DELAY FOR FURTHER YEARS? OR, OR IS IT THAT YOU GOING TO, UH, LOOK AT OTHER METHODS BY WHICH TO MEET THE GOAL OF THIS, OF THIS DOLLAR AMOUNT? WHAT I SAID WAS THAT SHE HAS EXPRESSED HER FRUSTRATION TO ME BEFORE I EVEN GOT HERE. MM-HMM . SHE EXPLAINED TO ME, SHOWED ME THE PROJECT, SHE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT WASN'T DONE. UH, I'M NOT GONNA BRING UP THE TOPIC 'CAUSE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD THAT SOME MAYORS PLAY FAVORITES. I DON'T, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF Y'ALL'S DISTRICT I REPRESENT AND I WANT IT TO BE DONE TIMELY, TRANSPARENT, AND EXPRESSED TO THE PUBLIC HOW SHORT OF FUNDING WE ARE. I, I WOULD ANTICIPATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, WE, WE ATTEMPT TO DO A LARGE BOND ISSUE FOR DRAINAGE, INFRASTRUCTURE, SIDEWALKS, LIGHTING FOLKS. IT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE WHEN YOU TRAVEL ACROSS THE CITY, YOU KNOW, I SEE, UH, THE, THE CONDITION OF SIDEWALKS, CURBS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SIGNIFICANT SIDEWALK PROPOSAL IN THE NEAR FUTURE. SO, UH, I DON'T, CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT'S BEEN DELAYED TIME AFTER TIME. UM, I'M GONNA BE FAIR, THE COMMITMENTS ARE OUT HERE IN PUBLIC. UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET TO WHERE NEXT YEAR WE SAY THE MONEY'S ALREADY BEEN SPENT. UH, IF IT'S, IF IT'S AVAILABLE FOR THIS PROJECT AND WE'LL GO FORWARD. BUT THE, THE, UH, THE CONCERN ABOUT THE, THE DRAINAGE AND THE FLOODING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD COULD BE REPEATED PROBABLY IN EVERY DISTRICT SITTING HERE AT THE TABLE. SO WE'VE GOT TO SEE WHO'S BEEN WAITING THE LONGEST, WHO HAD A COMMITMENT, WHAT'S AVAILABLE FUNDS, AND DO THE RIGHT THING. AND I'LL COMMIT MR. MAYOR POINT OF ORDER, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MEET PAST 12 O'CLOCK SECOND. AND I THINK WE OUGHT TO CORRECT THAT WHEN WE GET AROUND TO IT. WE'RE THE ONLY LEGISLATIVE BODY PROBABLY IN THE WORLD THAT HAS TO GET PERMISSION TO KEEP WORKING. SO ANYWAY, Y'ALL, WE HAVE A MOTION IN THE SECOND MOTION MOTIONS MADE AND SECOND, ALL IN FAVOR OF BEING ABLE TO DO THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS, SAY, AYE, THOSE OPPOSED NA MOTION PASSES, WE TO MAYOR. WE'RE REALLY BLESSED TO GET TO WORK PASSED NOW. YEAH, I I'M, I JUST WANT TO SAY I'M GLAD THAT YOU ADDRESS THE FAIRNESS BECAUSE WE HEAR IT OFTEN THAT CERTAIN AREAS GET DOLLARS AND THINGS DONE ABOVE OTHER AREAS AND, AND THAT, AND THAT'S KNOWN FACT. AND I, I, I DON'T, I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE I GOT HERE, BUT, BUT THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN MY OPINION AS AN AT LARGE. IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BASED UPON CERTAIN AREAS GET DOLLARS THAT DIDN'T GET DOLLARS BASED ON FAVORITISM OR WHATEVER. BUT IT I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. SO, WELL, I'M GLAD THAT YOU, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT NEED CORRECTING. I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE ON THAT. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I RESPECT THE FACT THAT THIS MAYOR DOESN'T PLAY FAVORITES. UH, I ALSO RESPECT THE HELL OUT OF, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK ARGUING FOR HER CONSTITUENTS YEAR AFTER YEAR. SHE HAPPENS TO BE, UH, MY DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER. SO, UM, I, I SUPPORT HER AND, AND WHAT SHE'S [03:00:01] DOING. AND I THINK BACK TO THE VOTE WE TOOK LAST WEEK OR, OR ON A, UM, FIVE YEAR, $25 MILLION CONTRACT FOR THE ARTS, UH, THAT WAS PULLED BACK BY THE ADMINISTRATION, THANKFULLY, UH, MAYOR, AND YOU KNOW, THIS COMES DOWN TO PRIORITIES. WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WHOSE HOMES FLOOD EVERY TIME IT RAINS, AND WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THEM. AND, UM, SO I FEEL FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND, UH, WISH TO SUPPORT HER IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN. VERY GOOD. YOU WITHDRAW IT. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR MAKING THIS A PRIORITY AND IN LIGHT OF THAT, I WILL WITHDRAW. BUT I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT ALSO GRANT FUNDING, ANYTHING WE COULD DO TO TRY TO GET GRANTS FROM OTHER ENTITIES TO GET SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MOVING, WE SHOULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT AS WELL. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE THAT WOULDN'T HELP WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT. OKAY. VERY GOOD ITEMS. WITHDRAWN. 6 0 4, 6 0.04 IS TO ALLOCATE $10 MILLION TO THE AGNES MOFFITT PARK RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. UM, MAYOR, THE, WHEN WE, UM, PASSED THE 2022 BOND, UM, IN AUGUST OF 2022, I HAD AN AMENDMENT TO ALLOCATE THE $10 MILLION FROM THIS BOND PROPOSAL AND THAT AMENDMENT PASSED. AND IT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE VOTERS VOTED FOR THIS BOND. AND SO WE WERE READY TO START PLANNING THIS PARK. IT'S A 40 ACRE PARK, UM, IN DISTRICT A AND WE'RE READY TO GET THIS PARK MOVING. OKAY. DO YOU WANT IT'S ACTUALLY PROGRAMMED IN THE FUTURE. CIP WE NEED TO MAYOR, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S ACTUALLY PROGRAMMED IN THE CIP, BUT PER THE BOND THAT PASSED THERE SHOULD BE $10 MILLION ALLOCATED TOWARDS IT. AND I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SIGNIFICANT PLANNING. UM, SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN COMMIT TO NOW AND THEN I'M DOING IT IN 2020, FY 2026, YOU'RE ME TO COMMIT TO A LOT. YES. DON'T, THANK YOU. GIVE IT ALL THE WAY. YEAH, I'M NOT SEE COMING UP. NO, WE'LL WORK ON THAT. OKAY. WELL THEN I WILL, UM, WITHDRAW THIS, UM, AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. 6 0 5. 6 0 5 IS TO, UM, ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP TO EVALUATE THE CIP PROCESS TO DETERMINE A FAIR WAY OF ALLOCATING THE STORM DRAINAGE AND STREET AND TRAFFIC FUNDING. I THINK AS EVERYONE JUST KIND OF TALKED ABOUT, IT SOMETIMES IS BASED ON FAVORITES, IN MY OPINION. IT'S NOT ALWAYS BASED ON NEEDS. IT'S NOT ALWAYS BASED ON THE, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY HAVING STRUCTURAL FLOODING IN THEIR HOMES. AND SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A WAY TO FAIRLY ALLOCATE THIS MONEY. UM, MANY TIMES IN DISTRICT A IT SHOWS THAT WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, BUT IT, THAT PROJECT GETS PUSHED AND SO WE ACTUALLY GET $0 THAT FISCAL YEAR OF ANY KIND OF FLOOD, MAJOR FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT. AND SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A FAIR WAY OF ALLOCATING THIS MONEY EVERY SINGLE YEAR. I AGREE. AND I WORK WITH YOU GOING FORWARD. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, UM, VICE MAYOR PER TIM FOR, FOR DOING THIS. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND MAYOR TO, TO BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION. LAST YEAR WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS PLAN MANUAL. UM, IT IS STILL IN DRAFT FORM, WHICH IS A LITTLE TERRIFYING. UM, AND SO I'M ASKING TO OBVIOUSLY WORK WITH YOU COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, TO SEE IF WE CAN MAYBE BRING THIS TO GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT AND, AND TO GET THAT OUT OF DRAFT AND ACTUALLY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT EVERYONE'S DEALING WITH WHEN IT COMES TO WAR FIRST. SO THANK YOU VICE MAYOR PER TIM, THAT'S ALL. HONESTLY, I SUPPORT THE EVALUATION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THEN I WILL WITHDRAW THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACK. THANK YOU MAYOR. OKAY. AMENDMENT NUMBER 7.01. MY FIRST AMENDMENT IS TO REBUILD THE LAKEWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. THIS LIBRARY WAS DESTROYED, UM, DURING HURRICANE I, UH, HARVEY, NOT IKE HARVEY. UM, AND SO JUST WANT TO SEE IF WE CAN APPLY FOR, YOU KNOW, DISASTER FUNDS TO GET THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THIS LIBRARY BACK UP AND GOING. THAT WILL BE GREAT. WE HAVE NO FUNDING SOURCE AT THIS TIME, BUT I'LL WORK WITH YOU TO, UH, WORK WITH THE LIBRARY, UH, OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNTY ASSISTING US. SO WE'LL, UH, CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR SOURCES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MAYOR. SO I WILL WITHDRAW THAT AMENDMENT AGAIN AND KEEP PRESSING FOUR. WE TRY TO GET ON LOT OF SEVEN TWO. OKAY. UM, 7 0 2 IS, UM, WELLINGTON PLACE, UM, WHICH REPEAT REPEATEDLY FLOODS. UM, AND SO IT DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR SWAT. [03:05:01] UM, STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE. UM, AND OF COURSE I HAVE ADDITIONAL THREE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT I'VE JUST ADDED. UM, THAT'S GONNA BE THE TABLE AMENDMENTS. UM, AFTER SPEAKING WITH PUBLIC WORKS ON YESTERDAY, ALL THESE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE SUBMITTED FOR SWAT DONE, THE STUDIES ARE DONE. THEY DO NOT QUALIFY FOR SWAT. UM, THEY ARE CIP PROJECTS. AND SO NOW WE HAVE FOUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN DISTRICT B THAT HAVE TO WAIT, CONTINUE TO WAIT, UM, TO GET, UM, YOU KNOW, WORK DONE TO MITIGATE THE FLOODING. AND OF COURSE, LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR PER TIM PECK MENTIONED, UM, THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS FLOOD EVERY TIME IT RAIN, THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ACTUALLY FLOOD EVERY TIME IT RAIN. WHEN, UM, DISTRICT B WAS ANNEXED INTO THE CITY, THERE WAS NO INVESTMENT, UM, DONE. AND IT WAS LATE, UM, TWO, UM, 1960S AND EARLY 1970S. AND SO NO INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, THESE ARE THE FIRST STUDIES THAT WERE DONE ON THESE NEIGHBORHOODS. UM, THANKS TO THE SWAT PROJECT, WHICH, WHICH PUT, UM, PUT PRESSURE ON, UM, PUBLIC WORKS TO GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO FIND OUT WHY THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE FLOODING. AND SO OF COURSE, WAITING AFTER SWAT AND THE STUDIES COME BACK, UM, IT'S STILL SWAT, IT'S STILL, UM, CIP PROJECTS AND SO IT'S GONNA TAKE 15 MILLION FOR CONSTRUCTION FOR THIS PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD. I KNOW THE, UM, ADMINISTRATION DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING SOURCE, BUT JUST WANT TO KEEP THIS ON THE RADAR THAT THESE NEIGHBORHOODS NEED SOME HELP BADLY. I SHARE YOUR CONCERN, WE JUST GOTTA FIND THE RESOURCES. YEAH, IT'S NOT AVAILABLE AS WE TALK. OKAY, I WILL WITHDRAW. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. AND 7 0 3. 7 0 3 IS, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, UM, THE RE SUBMITTING THE REPAIRS FOR SHEPHERD, UM, AC UM, BRULEY SHEPHERD ACRE HOME LIBRARY, NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY. AND SO THIS AMENDMENT IS JUST TO MOVE IT UP, UM, TO 2026 INSTEAD OF 2029. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, ADMINISTRATION FOR SUPPORTING THAT, UM, TO GET IT TAKEN CARE OF. AND THE COST IS 3 MILLION. WE, WE SUPPORT THAT. LET ME CLARIFY THE, SOME OF THE MISINFORMATION, UH, IT'S GONNA GO FORWARD. WE'RE OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE OPERATIONAL COST. IF YOU TALK TO CJ AND THE LIBRARY SYSTEM, UM, ALE HAS BEEN A MODEL PROGRAM. UH, WE'RE FINDING THAT WE NEED ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL FUNDING THAT CONTINUE SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL. SO, UH, WE'RE EVALUATING VERY CAREFULLY THE SCHEDULING OF THE NORTH ACRES HOME REGIONAL LIBRARY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF STARTED WE'LL BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE IT AND OPERATE IT IN A FASHION THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD DESERVES. RIGHT. AND THERE ARE, THERE ARE SEVERAL, UM, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INTERESTED AND WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH THE LIBRARY. I MEAN, AS WE TALK ABOUT RESOURCES TO MAINTAIN IT OR TO MAN THE, UM, FACILITY, THERE ARE, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER AND WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE INVOLVED IN THAT. AND ALSO I WANT TO EMPHASIZE WE'RE NOT GONNA NEGLECT THE BEAH SHEPHERD LIBRARY, UH, THERE ON WEST MONTGOMERY AND LITTLE YARD. IT'S, UH, HONORS AN ICON. IT SERVES A USEFUL PURPOSE AND WE'RE MAKING CERTAIN THAT, UH, THE NEW LIBRARY COMPLIMENTS IT AND DOESN'T, UH, ENDANGER ITS, ITS, UH, ACTIVITY AT ALL. SO THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU. WE JUST VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF ITEM 7.03, SAY, AYE. THOSE OPPOSED A MOTION PASSES COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON ON 7.4. OKAY. 7 0 4 IS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW NORTH REGIONAL LIBRARY. UM, AND I APPRECIATE YOU FOR PUTTING IT BACK ON THE CIPI KNEW IT WAS PULLED OFF AND, UM, YOU AGREED TO PUT IT BACK ON, ENROLL IT INTO, UM, 2025. AND SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO GO ON RECORD WITH THIS. AGAIN, APPRECIATE THE ADMINISTRATION FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THIS, NOT JUST, IT'S NOT JUST THE LIBRARY, BUT IT'S, UH, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO A LEAF ON A SMALLER SCALE. AND SO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GETTING, UM, THIS PROJECT OVER IN THE AREA. YES, YOU HEARD MY COMMITMENT, SO IF YOU WITHDRAW, WE'LL GO FORWARD. OKAY. I WILL WITHDRAW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 7.04 WITHDRAW. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. WE'LL DO THAT WHEN WE GET TO NUMBER 10. OKAY. YES. I'M LOOKING TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR THE AMBULANCES THAT WOULD GIVE US, UH, 10 ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES. UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO PULL THAT MONEY FROM FUTURE YEARS. I MEAN, THE PROBLEM WE'VE GOT WITH THE AMBULANCES AND THE FIRE RESPONSE VEHICLES IS THE LEAD TIME IN ACTUALLY GETTING THESE. SO WE WANTED TO SEE ABOUT PUTTING THIS IN NOW TO HOPEFULLY GET THESE FOR TOO LONG. VERY GOOD VOTE. ADMINISTRATION [03:10:01] SPORTS. ALL IN FAVOR? OH WAIT. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU MAYOR AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, ONE THING I WOULD JUST WANNA CONTINUE TO BRING UP IS WE HAVE TO RE WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE MEDICARE, MEDICAID, UH, REIMBURSEMENT THAT FIRE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS UTILIZING RIGHT NOW. IT IS A REVENUE STREAM FOR US. SO AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANNA WORK CLOSELY WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, UM, H OF WHOEVER I NEED TO WORK WITH, BUDGET, WHOEVER THAT IS, UM, TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE GET THAT WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE BECAUSE THAT IS A REVENUE STREAM FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. UM, WELL GOOD AFTERNOON AT THIS POINT. UM, I WAS TRYING TO GET SOME CLARIFICATION ON THIS, ON THIS ITEM MAYOR. UM, WE'RE DECREASING FUNDS FROM A FISCAL YEAR 28 TO BE ABLE TO PUT FORTH THE DOLLAR FOR FISCAL YEAR 25. AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW ARE WE DOING THAT? WHY ARE WE DOING THAT? UM, IF, IF, IF, I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM BEHIND THAT FOR, FOR FISCAL YEARS THAT ARE SO FAR OUT FOR, FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. SURE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU SIR. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO, UM, SIMILAR TO COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S AMENDMENT, UM, ON 7.03, THIS IS MOVING FUNDING FORWARD FROM FY 28 TO 25. UM, SO THE WAY WE, UM, FINANCE THE PURCHASE OF THE AMBULANCES IS WE ISSUE DEBT FOR THEM. AND SO THIS WOULD BE KIND OF, UM, PULLING FORWARD THAT ORDER PERIOD WHERE, WHERE WE'RE STILL ABLE TO FINANCE THE COST OVER TIME. SO IT'S A RELATIVELY SMALL IMPACT TO THE CHANGE IN WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE'RE ORDERING THEM IN FY 25, WE MAY NOT RECEIVE THEM UNTIL LATE IN THE YEAR. UM, SO THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT ON THAT WOULDN'T START UNTIL EVEN 26 OR 27. SO, UM, PULLING THINGS FORWARD WITHIN THE FIVE YEAR WINDOW, UM, PART OF IT IS FINANCIALLY RELATED, BUT PART OF IT IS WHAT CAN WE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH, RIGHT? SO A LOT OF TIMES WITH VEHICLES LIKE THIS, IT'S BETTER IF YOU CAN HAVE THE FUNDING AVAILABLE, GET THE ORDER IN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE LONG LEAD TIME. SO FOR THAT REASON, WE WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS ITEM. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. COUNCILOR FLICKINGER BACK TO, UH, COUNCIL WOMAN'S PLUMBER'S POINT, AND I FORGET WHICH HEARING IT WAS, BUT THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW, BECAUSE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON OR THE HARRIS COUNTY, THE HFD SUPPLIES, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE AMBULANCE SERVICE, WE BASICALLY SET THE RATE THAT MEDICAID MEDICARE REIMBURSE AT. SO YEAH, THAT IS SOMETHING WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO LOOK AT. AND MAYOR, CAN I ACKNOWLEDGE, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. WE, WE HAVE, UM, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THOUGH TO INCREASE IT BASED ON STATE AND WE JUST HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET. AND SO WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD ON THAT AND THAT'S JUST BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T DONE. VERY GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN, I APPRECIATE COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER AMENDMENT AND YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE TALKING, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR, WE'RE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE PLACING THE ORDER IN BEFORE THE BILL COMES DUE, AND I AM ASSUMING THAT THIS IS NOT THE ONLY EXAMPLE WHERE WE CAN BE ACTUALLY PLACING THOSE ORDERS NOW WHILE ESTIMATING WHEN THAT PAYMENT IS GONNA BECOME DUE. UM, SO MAYOR, I WOULD, I I GUESS IT'S MORE OF AN INQUIRY BECAUSE I, I HATE THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER HAD TO PUT FORWARD AMENDMENT FOR US TO GET THE ORDER IN WHEN WE KNOW THAT THERE'S SUCH A LONG LEAD TIME JUST TO RECEIVE THE AMBULANCES. SO ARE WE PLANNING ENOUGH AHEAD OUT TO GET ORDERS IN NOW WHEN WE KNOW, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA BE PAYING IN TWO YEARS OR A YEAR, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. UH, SO JUST AS WE ARE LOOKING AT A PLETHORA OF THINGS, I'M HOPING THAT, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR DILIGENCE IN FIGURING THIS ONE OUT BECAUSE IT'S CRITICAL AND VITAL TO PUBLIC SAFETY. UM, BUT I'M SURE THERE, THERE ARE OTHER EXAMPLES WHERE WE CAN BE DOING THIS. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THE ANSWER IS YES. WE'RE DOING IT IN TIME. MM-HMM . THAT'S ALSO, WE JUST NEED A VOTE. NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR OF 10.01. SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN'S NOT PRESENT DAY AND REQUESTED THAT IT BE WITHDRAWN. ANY OBJECTION, CHAIR NONE. MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, NUMBER 1601 IS FOR THE ALAMEDA PLAZA DITCH. UM, THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT STARTED OUT AS A SWAT PROJECT, AS YOU ALL KNOW. [03:15:01] UM, IT WAS A $3 MILLION PROJECT, THEN MOVED TO A $12 MILLION PROJECT. AND THEN AS THERE WAS A MORE COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE 400 HOMES IN THE SIX LANE MILES OF STREETS, THAT HAS HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY UP UPGRADE OR IMPROVEMENT. UM, WE MOVED TO A $32 MILLION PROJECT AND WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT THIS COULD POTENTIALLY GO UPWARDS OF $50 MILLION, UM, FOR THE TOTAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE STREETS AND DRAINAGE. AND TO ALSO CLOSE THE DITCH, UH, THAT RUNS, UH, THROUGHOUT ALAMEDA PLAZA. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THE NUTRI RATS AND, UM, THE CURRENT BRUSH IS OVER 10 FEET TALL IN ALAMEDA PLAZA RIGHT NOW. WE'VE JUST SUBMITTED A, A REQUEST. UM, UNFORTUNATELY OUR BUDGET ALLOWS US TO CUT THIS TWO TO THREE TIMES A YEAR, WHICH ISN'T SUFFICIENT FOR THE DITCH. I KNOW WE PUT A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY IN THAT AREA FOR US TO CUT THIS DITCH. I THINK THIS IS A, A GREAT PROJECT FOR US TO ALSO PARTNER WITH THE COUNTY AND LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS THROUGH GRANTS. I KNOW THAT SOME OF THAT PRELIMINARY WORK HAS HAPPENED. UM, I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO PUBLIC WORKS AND THEY HAVE STARTED THE DCR PROCESS, WHICH IS FOR THE DESIGN AND THE CONCEPT. UH, WE WILL BE MOVING TO SOME COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UH, SO WE CAN GET TO SOME ACTUAL ENGINEERING PLANS. UM, BUT THIS IS A AREA IN DISTRICT A THAT HAS, UH, BEEN NEGLECTED FOR YEARS. THIS DITCH IS, IT SMELLS, UM, THERE IS TRASH LITTERED IN THE DITCH AND IT, IT CAUSES A, A FLOODING PROBLEM AS WELL AS, UM, IT'S JUST A, A, A BIG NUISANCE IN THE COMMUNITY TO LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS THIS OPEN DITCH WITH RATS AND OVERGROWN BRUSH AND HAVE TO DRIVE THROUGH THIS EVERY DAY. UM, MAYOR, I KNOW THAT WE, WE'VE HAD, UH, CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT YEAR AFTER YEAR. UM, I, I WILL, UM, WITHDRAW IT BECAUSE WE HAVE STARTED THE DESIGN AND AND CONCEPT PROCESS, UH, WITH COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO BE SCHEDULED, UH, HOPEFULLY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, UH, SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THIS PROJECT MOVING FOR THOSE 400 RESIDENTS WHO HAVE GONE WITHOUT, UM, THIS TYPE OF SERVICE FROM THE CITY FOR YEARS. I, UH, AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAID. IT'S A PRIORITY. UH, WE TALKED TO PUBLIC WORKS THIS MORNING, SO THE PROCESS IS UNDERWAY AND, UH, WE'LL SEE IT THROUGH COMPLETION. THANK YOU. UH, 1602 IS A PROJECT. WE'VE HAD SOME RESIDENTS FROM THE STELLA LINK AREA COME TO COUNCIL, AND I WILL TELL YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, THEY HAVE BEEN DILIGENT ABOUT CREATING, UH, MAPS AND GRAPHS AND CHARTS. UH, THIS, THIS COMMUNITY IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE STELLAR LINK CORRIDOR WITH THE STORM WATER DRAINAGE CAPACITY BEING INSUFFICIENT IN THIS AREA. RESIDENTS ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FLOODING THAT HAPPENS IN THEIR AREA. UM, THIS IS A, A PROJECT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GET ON THE CIP. WE ARE, UM, ADVOCATING FOR THIS TO GET ON THE CIP WITH A FUNDING SOURCE. UM, I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A CURRENT STORMWATER MASTER PLAN REPORT, UH, THAT WILL HELP US TO PRIORITIZE ALL OF THE AREAS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT NEED, UM, INCREASE IN CAPACITY AND TO REVIEW ALL OF OUR STORMWATER DRAINAGE, UM, PROJECTS. SO, UM, I WILL REQUEST, I, I WILL, UH, WITHDRAW, UH, THIS AMENDMENT WITH THE, UM, KNOWLEDGE OF THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN, UM, BEING COMPLETE. AND WE, WE'LL SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH THE RESIDENTS IN THE STELLA LINK CORRIDOR WITH PUBLIC WORKS SO THAT THEIR CONCERNS CAN BE ADDRESSED. UM, AND WE CAN MOVE FORWARD TO GETTING THIS ACTUALLY ON THE CIP WITH, UH, FUNDING ATTACHED. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. I'LL, I'LL DEFINITELY STAY INVOLVED WITH YOU. UH, NEXT. AND THEN WE HAVE ITEM 10. ITEM 10, UH, 7 0 5. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, 7 0 5. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SO 7 0 5, 7 0 6, 7 0 7. [03:20:02] I KNOW WE'RE GOING THROUGH EACH ONE OF 'EM, INDIVIDUAL, BUT THESE ARE ALL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WAS ON THE, UM, SWAT LIST. THEY UNDERWENT STUDIES. WILLOW RUN SUBDIVISION, UM, SECTION SIX. UM, AND SO THE PROJECTS ARE TOO LARGE FOR SWAT OR LDP, AND SO IT'S GONNA REQUIRE, UM, A CIP APPROXIMATELY 30 MILLION. AND SO, UM, WANNA GO ON RECORD WITH THIS. I KNOW THAT THERE'S NO FUNDING SOURCES, BUT, UM, AFTER THE CONVERSATION YESTERDAY WITH PUBLIC WORKS, THEY WAS JUST AS SHOCKED AS I WAS. AND SO THESE ARE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT REALLY NEED SOME WORK. AND THESE ARE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT, UM, NACA AND THE RESIDENTS HAVE COME IN REPEATEDLY ABOUT, ABOUT THESE PROJECTS. UM, WE THOUGHT THEY WERE UNDERWAY, BUT NOW THEY'RE BASICALLY NOT IN EXISTENCE. SO, YEAH. WELL, I KNOW IT'S A PRIORITY OF YOURS AS WELL AS MYSELF. UM, I KNOW WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN, AND, UH, WHAT'S, UH, SO IMPRESSIVE TO ME IS EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER HAS THE SAME STORY. SO IT'S PRETTY MUCH A UNIVERSAL CITYWIDE CHALLENGE TO ADDRESS DRAINAGE. AND, UH, CERTAINLY SOME COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN, UH, DISREGARDED MORE THAN OTHERS. BUT IF WE DO A MASTER PLAN, UH, THEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO FIND THE RESOURCES. I THINK THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THIS, UH, AND IT'D BE OUR JOB TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT, UM, THEY SEE THE NECESSITY AND THE TIMELY FASHION IN WHICH WE NEED TO FIX THIS. SO, UH, I'LL WORK WITH YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALL RIGHT. ON 7 0 5, I WILL WITHDRAW. 7 0 6. 7 0 6 IS SIMILAR HIDDEN VALLEY SUBDIVISION, UM, CIP PROJECT, UM, FOR 7.5 MILLION. THAT'S APPROXIMATELY, UM, NO FUNDING SOURCE, BUT, AND I'LL WITHDRAW THAT AMENDMENT AS WELL. FAIR. 7 0 6 WITHDRAWN. 7 0 7. AND 7 0 7 IS CENIC WOODS SUBDIVISION. UM, AND SO THAT PROJECT IS APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION OR MORE. UM, BUT AGAIN, ALL THESE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE UNDERWENT STUDY, AND SO THEY ARE READY TO, UM, GET SOME WORK DONE TO IT. AND I WILL WITHDRAW THAT ONE AS WELL. THANK YOU. 7 0 7 WITHDRAWN. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SHABAZ. EVAN SHABA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANT TO INTRODUCE THREE AMENDMENTS, AND THEN I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THEM. AND, AND THEN I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT AN IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCE. UM, THE FIRST ONE, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS, THE COLUMBIA TAP, UH, THE IMPROVEMENTS, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE ASSAULTS AND ROBBERIES THERE, AND WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ADD ADEQUATE, UH, SAFETY MEASURES. AND SO I'M ASKING TO ALLOCATE A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT, WHICH WILL ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY AND PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH BY PROVIDING SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIGHTING AND CAMERAS AND LANDSCAPING AND BEAUTIFICATION. AND, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT FIRST, AND THEN I WANNA MOVE ON. I'M NOT TRYING TO TAKE YOU FAST, MAYOR, BUT IF IT WORKS, UM, I'M GONNA , UH, THEN WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE SAFE SIDEWALKS PROGRAM. UM, THE COMMUNITY HAS LONG BEEN UPSET ABOUT THE TRAVEL OF THE STUDENTS FROM STERLING HIGH SCHOOL ON MARTINDALE. THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO, TO WALK ON SIDEWALKS OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE. AND SOME OF THESE STUDENTS ARE LEAVING LATE IN THE EVENING BECAUSE THEY'RE PARTICIPATING IN AFTERSCHOOL ACTIVITIES. AND SO WE WOULD LIKE, UH, $2 MILLION A ALLOCATED FOR THE SAFE SIDEWALKS PROGRAM. AND THEN THE THIRD ONE IS THE UPGRADE AND RENOVATION OF THE JOHNSON NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY AND SMITH BRANCH LIBRARY, UH, WHICH, UH, ONE SERVES JACK GATES, THE OTHER ONE SERVES WORTHING. AND WE'RE ASKING FOR 1.2 MILLION FOR UPGRADES AND RENOVATIONS, WHICH WILL ADDRESS ONGOING INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS AND PREVENT CLOSURES FOR REPAIRS, UH, AND ENHANCE TECHNOLOGICAL RESOURCES. NOW, IN THE BIBLE, IT SAYS, UH, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER YOUR SOURCE. AND, UM, THE SOURCE OF THIS WOULD BE, UM, THERE WAS A PROJECT APPROVED, THE CIP PROJECT APPROVED FOR RENOVATION OF THE RIVERSIDE HEALTH CENTER. UM, THAT WAS BACK IN 2017, AND THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, BUT SINCE THEN, UH, AS RECENTLY AS DECEMBER OF 2023, THAT BUILDING WAS SOLD. AND SO NOW THERE'S NO LONGER A NEED TO USE THOSE FUNDS FOR THAT BUILDING. BUT, UM, IT WAS SOLD FOR, UH, OVER $4 MILLION. AND THAT MONEY, OF COURSE, WENT TO THE GENERAL FUND, BUT [03:25:01] THERE ARE, UH, OTHER FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THE CIP FUNDING, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOCATED TO MY UNDERSTANDING. IT, THAT HAS NOT BEEN CONVEYED TO ME. SO I WOULD LIKE TO, BECAUSE IT'S A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY DIRECTLY, UH, AND IT IS A DISTRICT D ASSET, I WOULD LIKE TO RETAIN THOSE FUNDS TO USE THEM FOR THOSE AMENDMENTS FOR THE CIP, BECAUSE THEY WOULD MORE THAN ADEQUATELY DO THAT. AND THEN, JUST AS A SIDE NOTE, UH, THERE IS ANOTHER ASSET IN DISTRICT D THAT WILL BE SOLD, AND THAT IS GOING TO BE THE SUNNYSIDE HEALTH AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, WHICH I THINK WILL BE ABOUT $12 MILLION, UH, FOR THE ENTIRE PROJECT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF SOME OF THAT FUNDING CAN BE ALLOCATED TO GET, TAKE CARE OF THIS COLUMBIA TAP, TAKE, TAKE CARE OF THESE STUDENTS WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STREET, AND CERTAINLY TO TAKE CARE OF OUR LIBRARIES. WELL, THANK YOU. YOU CERTAINLY PUT A LOT ON, ON OUR PLATE, UH, WHICH I APPLAUD. I WANT YOU TO BE FULL, MAYOR, I WANT YOU TO BE APPLAUD FIRST. FIRST OF ALL, I UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM IS THE FUNDS. THIS IS MEETING TABLES, MEETING TABLE. WELL, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE CHALLENGES. FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON THE COLUMBIA TRAIL. IT'S, IT'S A TOP PRIORITY WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE SAFEGUARD OF THE COMMUNITY. UH, WE'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO TSUI, I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S BEEN NEGLECTED. AND WE'RE GONNA GET THERE WITH THE SAFETY MEASURE BY COLLABORATION, UH, HPD THROUGH YOUR WORK SPENDS RESOURCES THERE, BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH. SO I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO TSU, THERE'S NO REASON THE VIABLE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY HAVE COULD NOT EXTEND ITSELF TO THE COLUMBIA TRAIL. YOU HAVE A CONSTABLE THAT WE WANT TO TALK WITH. IT IS IN THE COUNTY. SO MEMBERS, WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO IS JUST INSIST THAT THESE OTHER AGENCIES USE THEIR RESOURCES ON OUR NEEDS. THEY ALL SIT INSIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT THE CLEMENT TRAIL NEEDS THE LIGHTING. WE'RE WORKING WITH CENTER POINT. I WILL BE VERY DISAPPOINTED IF, IF CENTER POINT DOESN'T GIVE US GRANT MONEY, START THE LIGHTING PROCESS, THEN THE TSU WORKING WITH HPD, THE CONSTABLE, YOU KNOW, IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULDN'T BE A TERRIBLE THING IF, IF U OF H PARTICIPATED IN IT. WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. AND THE COLUMBIA TRAIL IS NEVER GONNA BE THE TRAIL THAT IT DESERVES WITHOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. OKAY, WELL, THAT, THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF THAT, NO, WE'RE TAKING CARE OF THAT. NOW, LEMME GO TO THE, THE OTHER PROJECTS. UH, WE'RE FIXING TO ROLL OUT A MAJOR SIDEWALK PLAN, AND I WILL MAKE CERTAIN THAT THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL IS A TOP PRIORITY. IT'S, UH, I CAN GO BACK TO THE BOB LANIER DAYS. WE LOST A STUDENT, A JUNIOR HIGH STUDENT, SIXTH GRADE ACTUALLY, IN NORTHWEST HOUSTON. AND NOW IF YOU'LL SEE IN SOME COMMUNITIES THE PROTECTIVE WALKWAY FOR STUDENTS TO AND FROM SCHOOL. SO THAT IS CERTAINLY ON THE SHORT LIST. UH, WHEN WE GO INTO A SIDEWALK, UH, TRANSFORMATION PLANT, UH, THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE SCHOOL INDIVIDUALLY SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY. UH, THE THIRD ITEM THAT YOU MENTIONED, UH, FINANCE INFORMS ME THAT THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN PUT INTO THE POOL. I DO RESPECT AND APPRECIATE THAT YOU'D LIKE 'EM KEPT IN YOUR DISTRICT. WE'LL CERTAINLY ADDRESS THAT. BUT AS WE TALKED, THOSE FUNDS HAVE BEEN, UH, PLACED IN THE POOL. SO GOOD JOB OF REPRESENTING YOUR DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. OKAY? BECAUSE I WANT, I WANT IT TO CONTINUE TO BE THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. OKAY? BA BASED ON YOUR, UH, FEEDBACK, MAYOR, I WILL WITHDRAW MY AMENDMENTS, BUT CERTAINLY I WILL PRESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MOVE FORWARD ON THE COLUMBIA TAB, ON THE, UM, SAFE SIDEWALKS 'CAUSE THAT'S SO NEEDED. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY IS SAYING IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. BUT CERTAINLY, UH, BASED ON YOUR COMMENTS, IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND CERTAINLY, UH, THE UPGRADES TO THE LIBRARY, UH, YOU WILL LOOK AT THAT AS WELL. SO I WILL WITHDRAW. WELL, YOU, YOU AND I ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. SO THESE ARE MINE AND YOUR PROJECTS, AND IT'LL SERVE ALL HOUSTONIANS. I'M A BIG TEXER MAYOR, AND I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I, I, I APPRECIATE THE JOB YOU DO. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANT TO LEND MY VOICE IN SUPPORT OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ WITH REGARD TO THE COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL. I MET WITH ED PETIT AND THE FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL. THIS IS NOT JUST A CIP PROJECT, BUT IT'S, IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ROBBED AT GUNPOINT, THERE, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED. IT'S A TRAIL THAT GETS A LOT OF USE. UH, PEOPLE WHO USE [03:30:01] IT MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THE DANGER THEY'RE IN, AND IT IS IN DIRE NEED OF LIGHTING. AND I HOPE THAT CENTERPOINT WILL DO, UH, WHAT IT CAN TO HELP THE CITY IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY ON THE COLUMBIA TAP TRAIL. AND SO I, I SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ AND HER EFFORTS TO MAKE THAT TRAIL MORE SAFE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. UH, NOW WE NEED TO VOTE ON THE ITEM AS AMENDED. I YOUR MOTION COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WE HAVE A MOTION TO VOTE. SORRY. WHAT? GIVE A, SHE SAYS WE HAVE A MOTION. WE JUST NEED A VOTE, WHICH WE'LL DO WHEN WE HEAR FROM YOU AFTER, AFTER WE HEAR FROM YOU, WE'LL VOTE. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK TO SEVERAL DISTRICT C ITEMS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE CIP. I DID NOT PUT FORWARD AMENDMENTS BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS. UM, AND WHEN WE DISCUSS IT, I THINK ALL OF US HAVE SEEN PROJECTS THAT CONTINUE TO JUST MOVE DOWN THE LINE, UM, IN TERMS OF THE YEAR IN WHICH THEY BEGIN, WHICH INCREASES THE COSTS OF THEM. UM, AND SOMETIMES THEY MOVE ALL THE WAY, QUITE FRANKLY, OFF OF THE CIP. WE ALSO IN DISTRICT C HAVE SOME MAYOR THAT HAVE NEVER MADE IT ONTO THE CIP BECAUSE THE OF HOW MUCH IS NEEDED TO ACTUALLY BRING FORWARD THOSE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, COTTAGE GROVE WEST. UM, AND IN YEARS PAST, WE'VE HAD MANY, MANY RESIDENTS COME TO SPEAK ABOUT COTTAGE GROVE, UM, IS IN DESPERATE NEED, BUT WHAT WAS $47 MILLION SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THEN HAD TO GO BACK TO MEET ATLAS 14 CRITERIA 'CAUSE IT DIDN'T MOVE FAST ENOUGH. AND NOW THE COST IS PROJECTED TO BE OVER $80 MILLION. AND THAT'S JUST FOR COTTAGE GROVE WEST, WHICH MAYOR I KNOW YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. UM, WE ALSO SEE IN THIS CIP, UH, THAT FOR THE HEIGHTS LIBRARY, WHICH IS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1926, WHICH AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH. UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY MOVED BACK A YEAR FARTHER IN TERMS OF JUST MOVING TO DESIGN. UH, IN THE MEANTIME, THE CITY IS HAVING TO SPEND MONEY ON REPAIRS EVERY TIME THAT THAT BUILDING LEAKS AND IT RAINS. UH, I, I HAVE MET WITH THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE, UM, INTERIM DIRECTOR WILSON AND ALL OF HER WORK, UH, TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS. BUT AGAIN, AS WE'RE VOTING ON THIS TODAY, HEIGHTS LIBRARY HAS NOW BEEN PUSHED BACK INTO FY 29 SIMPLY FOR DESIGN. BUT WE'RE SPENDING MONEY TODAY ON NEEDED REPAIRS. UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT, UH, IN THE CIP, THERE'S A NEW ITEM RELATED TO THE MONTROSE LIBRARY. UM, AND I, I WELCOME ALL OPPORTUNITIES TO INVEST IN YOUTH EDUCATION, UH, AND APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE NOT MOVING MONEY OUT OF ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, FOR THAT. UH, I ALSO WANNA THANK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT FOR WILEY PARK. THE IMPROVEMENTS COMING AS IT RELATES TO FOURTH WARD FRIEDMANS TOWN. UH, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT MET US AND RESIDENTS OUT THERE LAST YEAR. UM, AND THEY HEARD, HEARD THE RESIDENTS, IT'S NOT ALL OF THE NEEDS, BUT IT'S SOME, AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE MANGA MANOR PARK, UH, WHICH IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE DISTRICT. THE EQUIPMENT AT THAT PARK, INCLUDING THE PLAYGROUND, WAS IN SUCH, UM, A STATE THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ACTUALLY HAD TO REMOVE ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A, A DANGER. SO IT'S AN EMPTY PARK NOW, AND IT WILL COST $350,000 TO REPLACE THAT EQUIPMENT. SO WE ARE WORKING WITH PARKS DEPARTMENT ON THAT. UM, ANOTHER ITEM, THE FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM FOR, UM, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH LIBRARY IN FOURTH WARD. WE DON'T HAVE THE PROPER FIRE SUPPRESSION TO PROTECT, UM, HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO THE CITY. AND WE'RE RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE AS THE STEWARDS FOR THAT HISTORY. UH, SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED. MAYOR, I KNOW YOU'RE PASSIONATE, AS AM I, ABOUT WEST GRAY MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, AND THERE'S NOTHING IN THE CIP RELATED TO WEST GRAY MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOUR TEAM AND OUR OFFICE CONTINUE TO WORK TO FIND, UM, ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES, INCLUDING FEDERAL DOLLARS. AND I APPRECIATE CONGRESSWOMAN FLETCHER'S EFFORTS. MY POINT IN ALL OF THIS, UM, AND THAT, SORRY, THAT ALSO DOESN'T INCLUDE THE FLOOD MITIGATION THAT IS NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. I TOUCHED ON COTTAGE GROVE WEST. THERE ARE POCKETS OF MEYERLAND THAT ARE STILL AT RISK DESPITE PROJECT BRAZE AND THE LIST GOES ON. BUT I DO WANNA THANK PUBLIC WORKS ALL DEPARTMENTS, AND SPECIFICALLY, UM, IN DISTRICT C, WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO ACTUALLY MOVE ITEMS OFF OF THE CIP FOR THE CITY. AND THE TSS HAVE TAKEN ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THOSE COSTS TO LESSEN THAT BURDEN SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD IN OTHER DISTRICTS. UH, SO A LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR CIP IN DISTRICT C AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ, I KNOW FOR [03:35:01] DISTRICT D AS WELL. AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE WE SHARE THAT BORDER, SO I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. UM, THE TSS ARE ACTUALLY TAKING ON THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE CIP FOR US, WHICH WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE, SO TO EVERYONE INVOLVED, BUT WE STILL HAVE CRITICAL NEEDS IN SOME OF THE OLDEST INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE ENTIRE CITY. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, ITEM 10 AS AMENDED MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES ITEM 11, SECRETARY ITEM 11. WE HAVE A MOTION. JUST NEED TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED MOTION PASSES. ITEM 12, WE HAVE A MOTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. COUNCIL PLUM. COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I, I TAG THIS ITEM BECAUSE THIS IS A LARGE PROCUREMENT ITEM THAT WAS PLACED ON THEIR REBA SYSTEM. SO IT DID GO OUT TO BID. IT'S, UM, UPWARDS OF $4 MILLION. THE ISSUE THAT WE FOUND ON THIS ITEM, AND THE REASON WHY I TAGGED IT, WAS BECAUSE OBO, UM, INITIATED A WAIVER ON THIS PARTICULAR, UM, CONTRACT, WHICH PREVENTED ANY MINORITY MWBES TO EVEN GET INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. AND THESE ARE, THESE ARE EASY. I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR THE CITY, BUT THEY'RE EASY TO ACQUIRE. AND A MINORITY, A SMALLER MID-SIZE TO, YOU KNOW, SMALL TO MID-SIZE, UM, COMPANY COULDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT TO BE APPROVED FOR SOMETHING THIS LARGE. AND SO I AM WORKING WITH THE ADMINISTRATION. UM, I SPOKE WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS, AND SO I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THIS ITEM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT THERE'S SO MANY LOOPHOLES, NOT ONLY FROM THE STATE, BUT ALSO FROM THE CITY THAT DON'T ALLOW ENGAGEMENT. AND WE JUST HAVE TO ELIMINATE THOSE. AND IT'S JUST TAKING TOO LONG TO DO IT. AND SO I'M JUST, I'M URGING THE ADMINISTRATION TO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THIS. I WANNA HAVE A DEEPER CONVERSATION WITH OBO TO UNDERSTAND, UM, WHY THE WAIVER WAS PLACED ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. IT WAS MENTIONED THAT WAS A DROP, THAT WAS A DROP SHIP, UM, CONVERSATION. BUT MANY SMALL AND MID-SIZE COMPANIES CAN DO DROP SHIPS. THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE. SO WE HAVE TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN ELIMINATE THESE, THESE, THESE, UM, THESE ROADBLOCKS, UH, THAT REALLY HINDER ENGAGEMENT. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. ANYONE ELSE? NOT ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 13 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. ALL OPPOSED SAY NO. MOTION PASSES. GO AHEAD. ITEM 14 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. FLICKINGER COUNCILMAN FLICKINGER. YES. I TAGGED THIS ITEM LAST WEEK. UH, WANTED SOME MORE TIME TO DISCUSS IT. I THINK WE ALL AGREE WE SHOULD BE SUPPORTING THE ARTS. THE QUESTION IS HOW AND WHETHER OR NOT WE USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DO THIS. AND IF WE DO USE TAXPAYER DOLLARS, HOW DO WE DO THAT? UM, I DON'T THINK THAT PROGRAM SPENDING, WHEN WE REPLACE A ROOF AND AN HVAC AND THE WATER HEATERS IS THE WAY TO DO IT. UM, WE'RE SPENDING $63,000 ON THIS, OR $62,000. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT PIECE OF ART WE BOUGHT. NO ONE KNOWS IF WE DID BUY A PIECE OF ART, MAYBE IT WENT TO RESTORATION OF ART. MAYBE IT WENT TO THE CONSERVANCY OF ART. UH, I MEAN, WE DON'T KNOW THE, OUR CONSTITUENTS, UH, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'VE HAD INFLATION THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE THE SEVENTIES. A LOT OF 'EM ARE STRUGGLING TO PAY THE BILLS. WE'RE GONNA BE GOING BACK TO THEM. I'M FAIRLY CERTAIN IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE ASKING FOR MORE MONEY FROM THEM. AND I THINK WE NEED TO SHOW THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO CONTROL SPENDING. YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE CAN GET CREATIVE AND SUPPORT THE ARTS IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT DOESN'T COST TAXPAYER DOLLARS. I, I'M SURE THIS ITEM WILL PASS, AND I'M FINE WITH IT. I KNOW THE BUILDING NEEDS TO BE REDONE, AND THAT'S GOOD. I, I JUST THINK WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT IT. AND MAYOR, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING AT IT. UH, STEVEN DAVID SENT OUT SOME REPORTS THIS WEEKEND, WENT THROUGH 'EM, AND I HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS, AND APPARENTLY THEY DID TOO BECAUSE HE, HE RESPONDED BACK TO ME. YES, I WAS LOOKING AT THE SAME THING. AND THERE WAS SOME DATA ENTRY ERRORS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, WASN'T ACTUALLY FINDING AN ARTIST, BUT WAS ACTUALLY PAYING FOR THE ART. UH, SO I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO DO A LOT OF WORK TO CLEAN THIS UP. THANK YOU. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NO. OCEAN PASSES, PLEASE. THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] THANK YOU, MA'AM. STARTING POP OFF WITH COUNCILOR [03:40:01] PLUMMER CARTER EVAN, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. NOT ON YOUR LIFE. I WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, WE RECENTLY CELEBRATED THE GRADUATION OF THE, UH, CADET CLASS 2023 E FROM THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. THIS CEREMONY MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THEIR VITAL SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. I WAS HONORED TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF MAYOR WHITMEYER, AND IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO JOIN CHIEF PENA IN ACKNOWLEDGING THE HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT OF THESE NEW CADETS TO KEEPING OUR CITY SAFE. I, I WANT TO CERTAINLY THANK VICE MAYOR PROTI, AMY PECK FOR COMING TO THE CEREMONY. AND THEN WE HAD, UH, HUGH HUGO MOJICA REPRESENTING COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER, AND JUST REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION AS WELL. THEN WE HAD THE, UH, SENIOR, THE SUNNYSIDE SENIORS PROM, WHICH WAS HELD AT THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. IT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENT. UH, THESE SENIORS DON'T MISS A BEAT AND GRATEFUL THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT SUCH A LIVELY AND ENGAGING CELEBRATION FOR OUR COMMUNITY'S CHERISHED SENIORS. THOSE SUNNYSIDE SENIORS ARE REALLY OFF THE CHAIN. THEY ARE REALLY HAVING A GREAT TIME AND, UH, JUST SO HAPPY THAT I, WE CAN SUPPORT THEM TO KEEP THEM HERE AND SUSTAINING THEMSELVES AND ENJOYING THEMSELVES. UH, THEN I WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, THE PRIDE PARADE PARTICIPATION, I ENJOY RIDING ON THE PRIDE FLOAT WITH, UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CERTAINLY MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. AND WE REALLY HAD A GREAT TIME. I THINK THAT THAT IS THE SMARTEST, THE SMARTEST TIME TO HAVE A PARADE AT SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING, UH, WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE TO MELT. AND THEN IT WAS, IT WAS PRETTY SHORT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THE PEOPLE WERE SO ENGAGED AND HAVING SUCH A GREAT TIME. UH, I WANT TO SAY THAT THE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE NEXT WEDNESDAY AT 2:00 PM HERE IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS. AND PLEASE JOIN US, UH, FOR THAT COMMITTEE MEETING WHERE WE'LL DISCUSS UPCOMING CULTURAL INITIATIVES, EXPLORE WAYS TO ENHANCE OUR CITY'S CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS, WHICH IS SO VERY IMPORTANT, AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH THE ARTS. AND YOUR INPUT IS ESSENTIAL. UH, AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL COME OUT AND PARTICIPATE AND COME HERE AND PARTICIPATE IN THAT MEETING. AND JUST THANK EVERYONE. HOPEFULLY YOU WILL HAVE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE WEEKEND, A LONG WEEKEND. AND, UH, THAT CONCLUDES WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANNA START BY, UM, INVITING EVERYONE TO THE LINDE PARK 4TH OF JULY PARADE THIS COMING THURSDAY. IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT TIME, AND, UH, THEY HAVE A GOOD CROWD THERE. UH, I'LL BE, UH, THE GRAND MARSHALL THIS YEAR, UH, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING, UM, AS A NEW RESIDENT OF LINDE PARK. AND, UM, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE THE LINDE LITTLES KID PARADE AT 9 45. UH, THE STANDARD PARADE AT 10 AND THEN AT NOON AT THE MD ANDERSON. YMCA IS THE STARS, STRIPES AND SPLASH DOWN, UH, WHERE YOU CAN GO. THE POOL WILL BE OPEN, THERE WILL BE FOOD ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS TO DO, SO YOU CAN MAKE A WHOLE DAY OUT OF IT. UM, AND IT'S GONNA BE, UH, THIS THURSDAY, UH, FOR 4TH OF JULY. UM, I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UH, THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO PARTICIPATED THIS PAST SATURDAY AND THE PRIDE 365 PARADE. WE DID HAVE A LOT OF FUN ON THE FLOAT, AND, UH, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW FOLKS THERE, UH, IN ATTENDANCE TO CELEBRATE. AND, UH, I DO HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UH, WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR THE GROUPS TO COME TOGETHER. AND IT'S ENCOURAGING TO HEAR TODAY, UH, FROM NEW FACES THAT, UH, THEY'RE WILLING TO BE A PART OF THAT PROCESS. UH, I WANNA INVITE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT H, UH, TO ATTEND THE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP. WE ARE HAVING ON JULY 10TH AT THE INDEPENDENCE HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTER AT 6:00 PM THAT IS A WEDNESDAY. IT WILL BE A WORKSHOP ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, COVERING ESSENTIAL STEPS TO TAKE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER AN EMERGENCY TO ENSURE SAFETY. AND, AND WE KNOW WE HAVE OUR FAIR SHARE HERE IN HOUSTON. UM, SO PLEASE COME OUT AND JOIN US AND GET SOME VALUABLE INFORMATION AS WE ARE NOW, UH, FULLY IN HURRICANE SEASON. UM, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE EVERYONE OF MY OFFICE, CITYWIDE TOWN HALL OF 2024, THE SECOND ONE SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 12TH AT THE A LEAVE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER FROM 6:00 PM TO 7:30 PM [03:45:02] THIS IS PART OF, UH, OUR MISSION TO BRING CITY HALL TO THE RESIDENCE WHERE THEY LIVE, BECAUSE NOT EVERYONE CAN MAKE IT TO DOWNTOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY ON A TUESDAY, WE'RE INVITED THE APARTMENT DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS, UM, AGAIN TO ATTEND AND MEET WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THIS TOWN HALL AND ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. OUR FIRST TOWN HALL WAS WELL ATTENDED, AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE EVEN MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE PRESENT AT THIS EVENT. IN THE SOUTHWEST, FOOD AND DRINK WILL BE PROVIDED COURTESY OF OUR SPONSORS, A LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS IN SOUTHWEST HOUSTON CALLED KIMBERLY ADVERTISING, AND ANOTHER SMALL BUSINESS AND WEBSITE MARKETING IN THE NORTHWEST HOUSTON CALLED MR WIND.COM. SO, LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A SAFE AND HAPPY 4TH OF JULY. VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN INGER? YES, WE'RE HAVING OUR MONTHLY ELECTRONIC RECYCLING IN KINGWOOD AT THE KINGWOOD, UH, METRO PARK AND RIDE THIS SATURDAY. UH, ALSO WANTED TO THANK DIRECTOR SIMS. UH, WE HAD AN EVENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, TAKING IT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, LAST WEEK, AND THAT WENT VERY WELL. UM, ALSO, MARK MITCHELL IS GOING TO BE LEAVING OUR OFFICE. IT IS GOING TO BE THE VICE PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT, UH, BAAB. NICE. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO MARK. I'M KIND OF SAD HE'S LEAVING, BUT THAT'S ON ANOTHER NOTE. UM, WE ALSO GOT A NEW INTERN, TOM SAUNDERS, AND HE WILL BE FINISHING UP HIS NUCLEAR ENGINEERING DEGREE AT TEXAS A AND M NEXT YEAR. SO HE'S, UH, ELEVATED THE IQ AT THE OFFICE QUITE A BIT. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE SPECIFICALLY ALONG WASHINGTON AVENUE, UM, SEVERAL BARS OPERATING WITHOUT THE PROPER PERMITS. UH, HPD IS CONTINUING TO GO OUT IN SIGHT. UH, BUT I'D LIKE TO PICK UP THE CONVERSATION AGAIN ABOUT WHAT MORE WE CAN BE DOING, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S, WE HAVE GREAT BUSINESSES AND WE HAVE GREAT PARTNERS, AND WE DON'T WANNA STIFLE ECONOMIC, UH, GROWTH AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN SOMEBODY IS FLAGRANTLY VIOLATING THE LAWS OF OUR CITY, UH, AND PUTTING A STRAIN ON LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES, UH, I'M, I'M HOPING WE CAN DO MORE, UM, EVEN IF IT'S JUST TO SET AN EXAMPLE, UH, OF THE ACTION THAT WE'RE WILLING TO TAKE, UH, TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S FOLLOWING THE RULES. UH, THAT BEING SAID, AS WE TALK ABOUT CELEBRATION, I WANNA WISH EVERYBODY, UH, VERY HAPPY. 4TH OF JULY, UM, MAYOR WITH THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS CELEBRATION. EVERY YEAR, WE ACTUALLY PARTNER IN THE DISTRICT AND FUND, UM, GUN SAFES, UH, FREE GUN SAFES AND GUN LOCKS FOR DISTRIBUTION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HPD AND BE SMART. UM, SO THIS YEAR WE WILL HAVE, UH, I BELIEVE CLOSE TO 700, UM, FOR FREE. UH, SO FOR RESIDENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE, UH, COME CHECK OUT THE TENT, SAY HI TO OUR HPD OFFICERS AND MAKE SURE, UH, THAT YOU'RE GETTING A FREE GUN LOCK OR GUN SAFE TO MEET THE NEEDS AND, UH, CONTINUE RESPONSIBLE FIREARM OWNERSHIP. UH, WITH THAT, HOPING EVERYONE CELEBRATES SAFELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR THOMAS. THANK YOU, UH, TO THE DISTRICT F RESIDENTS, I HAVE A LENGTHY UPDATE, UM, PARTICULARLY AS WE CONTINUE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SUMMER OF SAFETY INITIATIVE. AS THE SUMMER CONTINUES TO COME IN HOT WITH AN ACT OF HURRICANE SEASON AND HEAT ADVISORIES. A REMINDER, DISTRICT F HAS A DISTRICT F DISASTER PLAN, UM, CURATED FOR US IN MIND, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOUSTON TOOL BANK, THE CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS AT ELDRIDGE WEST HOUSTON ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES, AND PINEY POINT ELEMENTARY, THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT'S WEBSITE. YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLAN, AN ENGLISH, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, CHINESE, ARABIC, AND FRENCH. PLEASE SIGN UP FOR ALERT HOUSTON. AS WE CONTINUE TO NAVIGATE THIS HOT SUMMER, I WANNA THANK THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT'S PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM FOR CANVASSING WITH MY OFFICE AND A FEW VOLUNTEERS AT COLLING HAM PARK APARTMENTS. THERE WAS A RECENT FIRE AT THAT LOCATION, AND SO WE WENT OUT TO, UM, EACH, UH, TO EACH UNIT PROVIDING INFORMATION FROM OEM AND THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT. UM, HOUSTON FIRE WILL RETURN TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIALS. JULY 1ST IS THE START OF THE, OUR FISCAL YEAR. AND MY OFFICE WILL SEND OUT A COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUND JOT FORM AS WE DO EVERY YEAR, SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THE PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE IN MIND WE PRIORITIZE FOR FUNDING. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT OUR FISCAL 24 BUDGET, WE HAVE INITIATED 95% OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE PRO PROJECTS FUNDED FROM THE DISTRICT F OFFICE AND KEEPING IN LINE WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE CONVERSATION AND WELL, PUBLIC SAFETY, [03:50:01] PUBLIC SAFETY AND INFRASTRUCTURE GOES HAND IN HAND. UM, AND TODAY, COUNCIL, WE PASSED OUR, UM, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TO THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE LISTENING, THAT DISTRICT F WILL BE THE BENEFICIARY OF $182 MILLION OF INVESTMENT OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THOSE PROJECTS INCLUDE ADDING A GENERATOR AT THE A LEAF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER THAT A PROJECT INCLUDES, UM, UH, AN IN, UM, A A, IT'S A TRAIL, A WALKING TRAIL WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, UM, SHARED BETWEEN DISTRICTS G AND F, THE GESNER STREET AND P PROJECT, AND THE LONG AWAITED BISSONNET CORRIDOR. A LIST, A DETAILED LIST OF THOSE PROJECTS ARE ALREADY ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THEY'LL BE IN OUR NEWSLETTER, AND YOU CAN FIND, UM, ALL OF THE CITY CIP PROJECTS ON THE WEBSITE. I WANNA WELCOME MARIO CLINTON. HE'S THE NEW COMMANDER OF THE WEST SIDE HPD COMMAND CENTER. HE IS A NEW COMMANDER AND NEW TO THE WEST SIDE. MY OFFICE PLANS ON HOSTING A MEET AND GREET. COME MEET THE COMMANDER, UM, LATER THIS SUMMER. STAY TUNED. UM, WE WELCOME HIM TO THE, UH, WEST SIDE. IF YOU MEET HIM, DEFINITELY INTRODUCE YOURSELF. UM, AND, AND MAKE SURE YOU GET TO THE PIP THIS SUMMER ON JULY 13TH. WE'RE CONTINUING WITH OUR SUMMER OF SAFETY AT THE A LEAF AQUATIC CENTER FOR THE SECOND FREE SWIMMING TRAINING. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSTON SWIM WAVES, HOUSTON PARKS DEPARTMENT, AND THE WALMART ON SOUTH KIRKWOOD AND WESTHEIMER. WE HAVE A WAITING LIST, NEARLY OVER 50 FAMILIES, SO IF YOU HAVE A CHANGE OF PLANS, PLEASE NOTIFY OUR OFFICE. STEPHANIE ON MY TEAM WILL BE REACHING OUT VIA EMAIL AND PHONE CALL, SO IF YOU'RE A REGISTERED LOOKOUT FOR THAT REMINDER. UM, OUR ONGOING STREETLIGHT INITIATIVE IS STILL IN PROJECT DISTRICT F IS LIT. SEVERAL PROJECT, UH, APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF THREE NEIGHBORHOODS FOR A TOTAL OF 10 STREETLIGHT INSTALLATIONS IN PARKLAND PARK HOLLOW AND BRAZE VILLAGE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS PROCESS TAKES BETWEEN 10 AND 12 WEEKS FOR COMPLETION, AND MY OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS TO TRACK THIS PROJECT TO COMPLETION, AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO COMMUNICATE ALL UPDATES IN ADVANCE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN INSTALLING MORE STREETLIGHTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE DISTRICT F OFFICE. UM, AS MENTIONED IN THE LAST NEWSLETTER AND ON AND FEATURED BY A BC NEWS, UM, THE CUT OF SUMMER JOBS AND RESPONSE TO THAT, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A LEAF ISD WORK AND WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, HPD AND A FEW CHURCHES AND, UM, UH, EMPLOYERS FOR A TARGETED SUMMER ENRICHMENT POPUP AT THE A LEAF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. THANK YOU TO THE WESTCHASE, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR REACHING OUT FOR YOUR SUPPORT. IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN HIRING YOUNG PEOPLE THIS SUMMER, OR EXTENDING SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS ON THE WEST SIDE, PLEASE REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE. WE WOULD LOVE TO PARTNER WITH YOU ALSO AROUND QUALITY OF LIFE AND SUMMER IN RICHMOND. I WANNA SHOUT OUT THE HOUSTON ZOO. IT'S THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN. UM, LITERALLY WE RECEIVE 500 TICKETS AND WITHIN TWO HOURS, WE HAD CLOSE TO 1200 RESIDENTS SIGNED UP, UM, TO RECEIVE, UH, THOSE TICKETS. AND WE HAVE A 250 PERSON WAIT LIST. I CALLED OUR FRIENDS AT THE HOUSTON ZOO. THOSE TICKETS WERE DELIVERED THIS MORNING. SO IF YOU WERE ABLE TO MAKE THE SIGN UP LIST IN TIME, YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR TICKETS IN THE MAIL TODAY. UH, MAKE SURE TO SEND US A PHOTO OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ENJOYING ONE OF THE BEST CITY ASSETS SO WE CAN PUT IT ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND OUR NEWSLETTER. UH, IN CLOSING, CONTINUE TO REFLECT ON THE JULY 4TH AND LET IT REMIND YOU AND ALL OF US TO CONTINUE TO PROTECT, FREEDOM, JUSTICE, AND LIBERTY FOR ALL. I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GONNA BE OUT THERE FOR THAT HOT HEAT AND JULY 4TH, UM, SO I'M GONNA WATCH THAT ON TV, BUT BE SAFE, STAY HYDRATED, AND, UH, ANY QUESTIONS, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AND YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. MAYOR PROTE, CASTEX TATUM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, WANT TO REITERATE THE IMPORTANCE OF, UM, CELEBRATING SAFELY. UH, COUNSEL, YOU MAY REMEMBER, UM, TWO YEARS AGO, WE DID HAVE A RESIDENT TO DISCHARGE A FIREARM, UM, IN A DEADLY ACT BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TO CALL IT A CELEBRATORY ACT. UM, AND A YOUNG GIRL IN DISTRICT K WAS HIT WITH THE STRAY BULLET THAT CAME DOWN. SO, AGAIN, WE ARE REITERATING, UH, PLEASE DO NOT, UH, SHOOT GUNS IN THE AIR TO CELEBRATE THE 4TH OF JULY. UH, IF YOU HEAR GUNFIRE REPORTED TO NINE ONE ONE CALL CRIME STOPPERS, UH, AND LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL HAVE A FUN AND SAFE, UH, 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY. THEN WANT TO, UM, SHARE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE BRIARGATE COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. THEY WILL BE HOSTING THEIR COMMUNITY CLEANUP EVENT ON SATURDAY, JULY THE SIXTH FROM 7:00 AM TO 11:00 AM AT 7,200 WEST FUQUA STREET. UH, DO WANT TO THANK THOSE BOARD MEMBERS FOR ADVOCATING FOR CLEAN SAFE COMMUNITY. UH, THE DISTRICT EIGHT TEAM, UH, HOT TEAM WILL BE THERE TO ASSIST, UH, AND APPRECIATE THEM FOR SCHEDULING AND CARING ABOUT THEIR COMMUNITY. UH, THE OFFICE OF [03:55:01] BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE ANNUAL TURNER SCHOOL OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND THIS PROGRAM ENGAGES IN HELPING MINORITY OWNED AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES WITH RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW AND EXPAND THEIR BUSINESSES. THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED THROUGH JULY THE 31ST. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN CONTACT THE OB OFFICE OBO OFFICE AT 8 3 2 3 9 3 0 6 0 0. UH, STAY CONNECTED WITH DISTRICT K, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTERS. MAKE IT A GREAT DAY, AND BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. VERY GOOD. VICE MAYOR PROTE BECK, I'LL PASS. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FIRST WANNA START OFF BY THANKING OUR PUBLIC WORKS, UH, COO RANDY MACKAY FOR TAKING TIME TO JOIN ME LAST FRIDAY, ALONG WITH THIS TEAM, UH, UH, RUDY MORENO AND RAYMOND THERIOT. UH, AND ALONG WITH, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR REGGIE HARRIS FROM DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT, UH, SOME EMPTY COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN A NUISANCE IN OUR AND ALONG THE GULF FREEWAY FOR SOME TIME. AND WE'RE ABLE TO GET, UH, TWO EMERGENCY ABATEMENTS. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE BEING CLEANED UP, UH, RELATIVELY QUICKLY. UM, ALSO WANNA JUST MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS KNOW THAT WE HAVE STARTED THE CIVILITY ORDINANCE PETITION ALONG THE HARRISBURG CORRIDOR. UM, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD. WE STARTED AT JUNE 26TH, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING, UH, STATE SENATOR CAROL ALVARADO AND STATE REP ANNA HERNANDEZ JOIN ME ON THE CANVAS ON AUGUST THE THIRD. I INVITE THE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT AND HELP GATHER THOSE SIGNATURES, UM, AND UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S MORE THAN JUST, UH, THE CIVILIAN ORDINANCE. WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING FUNDING WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH REPRESENTATIVE HERNANDEZ AND, AND SENATOR ALVARADO IN THE NEXT LEG LEGISLATIVE SESSION. ALSO WANNA CONGRATULATE, UH, UM, THE HOUSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY RECEIVING $6 MILLION FOR, UH, HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS AND OLDER ADULT HOME MODIFICATIONS. UH, THIS IS GONNA BE HELPFUL IN ADDRESSING SOME OF THE, THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE ALONG THE HARRISBURG CORRIDOR. UM, AND, AND SPEAKING TO THE GREYHOUND SPECIFICALLY, UH, WANT TO THANK DR. E IKA WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND NISH WITH CAREER RECOVERY AND RESOURCES. UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO BRING SOME OF THOSE, UH, DIRECT RESOURCES TO THE HARRISBURG LOCATION WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR TDCJ, UM, AND ALSO THOSE THAT ARE POSSIBLY, UH, UM, UNSHELTERED. UM, WANNA, UH, ALSO LET YOU KNOW THAT ON SATURDAY, JULY 13TH, MY OFFICE IS HOSTING THIS THIRD RESOURCE FAIR, AND IT'S GONNA BE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON DISASTER PREPAREDNESS. SO I INVITE, UH, AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, TO JOIN ME AS WELL. IT'LL BE AT THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE NORTHEAST. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW TOMORROW MORNING I'LL BE PARTICIPATING IN THE SEGUNDO COFFEE LABS KIDS STORY TIME AS THEIR FEATURE READER. UH, I'LL BE READING ONE OF MY KIDS' FAVORITE BOOKS. IT'S CALLED KICK THE BALL OR PATON. IT'S, UH, PUBLISHED THROUGH ART DE PUBLICO UNIVERSITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. UH, IT'LL BE AT, UH, AGAIN, UND THE COFFEE LAB AT SEVEN 11 MILBY STREET. AND STORY TIME WILL BEGIN AT 10:00 AM. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER . THANK YOU. UM, I KNOW COLLEAGUES, WE ALL GET A LOT OF, UM, UH, REQUESTS FOR, UH, HELP AT THE PERMITTING DEPARTMENT. SOMETIMES I DESCRIBE MY JOB AS A PERMITTING CONCIERGE MM-HMM . BUT, UM, I'M EXCITED THAT THERE, UH, ALVAREZ AND MARCAL IS GONNA BE COMING IN. I NOTICED IN THE BUDGET THERE'S SOME MONEY FOR THEM TO COME IN, AND THEY'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS ON SOME PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS THAT SHOULD BE GETTING GOING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. I DID, I, IN MY WORK FIRST TERM ON PERMITTING STUFF, I DEVELOPED A PRETTY GOOD LIST OF ABOUT CLOSE TO 300 PEOPLE, USERS OF THE SYSTEM. UM, AND I SENT OUT A, A SURVEY TO THEM, JUST KIND OF WHAT'S WORKING AT PERMITTING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING AT PERMITTING, WHAT ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT THAT WILL, UM, GET TO RUDY MORENO AND TO, UH, WILL HOPEFULLY INFORM THIS ENGAGEMENT. SO, UM, ANYBODY WHO'D LIKE TO SUBMIT SOME NAMES TO THAT KIND OF OVERALL PERMITTING LIST, OR YOU'RE, YOU'RE HA YOU'RE, FEEL FREE TO SEND IT OUT YOURSELF. YOU CAN TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT. WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN SOME REALLY GOOD RESPONSES. THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD THING. I MEAN, PEOPLE ARE PUTTING DOWN THINGS THAT ARE WORKING OVER THERE, SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS. AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS TOO. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY, UH, HELP IS ON THE WAY. THANKS, COUNCIL MEMBER, MEMBER EVAN SHEBA. THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR ONE OTHER BITE AT THE APPLE. MM-HMM . I WANT TO DEEPLY, UH, GIVE MY CONDOLENCES, UH, AS WE DEEPLY MOURN THE LOSS OF JEWEL BROWN, A TRUE ICON OF HOUSTON'S RICH MUSICAL HERITAGE WHO PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 86. SHE WAS KNOWN FOR HER POWERFUL VOICE AND DYNAMIC STAGE PRESENCE. JEWEL BROWN PERFORMED WITH LEGENDARY JAZZ MUSICIAN LOUIS ARMSTRONG DURING THE 1960S, AND SHE BROUGHT A UNIQUE ENERGY AND TALENT TO HIS BAND. I ALSO, SHE WAS A NATIVE OF HOUSTON'S THIRD WARD. SHE CHOSE TO COME HOME AND TAKE CARE OF HER FAMILY INSTEAD OF, UH, GETTING THE FAME THAT I'M SURE SHE WOULD'VE GOTTEN. BUT SHE WAS THE BELOVED [04:00:01] FIGURE IN THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE. SHE IS THE SUBJECT OF MY COMMUNITY LEADER SPOTLIGHT. I ENCOURAGE THOSE IN DISTRICT D OR THOSE INTERESTED IN WHAT'S GOING ON IN DISTRICT D TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AT DISTRICT D@HOUSTONTX.GOV. UH, BUT CERTAINLY YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT, UM, MS. BROWN AS WELL AS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. AND SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH AND YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. ANYTHING ELSE? IF NOT EVERYONE, BE SAFE. AND I'LL SEE AT THE CELEBRATION I. * 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.