* 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. [00:00:14] TO THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [Government Operations Committee on December 4, 2024] COMMITTEE MEETING. AT THIS MOMENT, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF THAT IS, THAT ARE PRESENT. WE HAVE STAFF FROM DISTRICT BCGI AND, UM, AT LARGE ONE, AND WE HAVE OH, COUNCILMAN GER. YEP. HE'S ONLINE. UM, AND WHO ELSE? COUNCIL CARTER JUST WALKED IN THE DOOR. WELCOME. COUNCIL CARTER AT LARGE FOUR IS BEING, IS ONLINE AND DISTRICT K, IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, STAFF ARE LARGE TWO. OH, OKAY. TODAY'S MEETING, WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION, UM, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS AT CITY OF HOUSTON'S MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM. AT THIS MOMENT, I'D LET, I'D YIELD TO DIRECTOR HERBERT SIMS AND MR. ROMAN AGUILAR FOR THEIR PRESENTATION. IF I WOULD ASK, UM, TO PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVITING US HERE THIS AFTERNOON TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. 'CAUSE IT'S PROVIDED SOME GREAT SERVICE TO MANY COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CITY. UM, ROMAN AGUILAR TO MY LEFT IS OUR PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR THE, THE MATCHING GRANTS PROGRAM. AND SO HE'S THE PERSON THAT MANY OF YOUR STAFFS OR YOU HAVE SPOKEN WITH REGARDING YOUR APPLICATIONS OR INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM. SO WE'LL GET STARTED FROM HERE. UM, THE MATCHING GRANTS, UM, PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP THAT IS COORDINATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS TO REIMBURSE COMMUNITIES WITH BEAUTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS USING, UM, COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS. BY WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD A COMMON GOAL, THE PROGRAM ALLOWS VOLUNTEERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO CREATE STRONGER COMMUNITY BONDS. IN THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, THIS PROGRAM IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SPACES. MATCHING GRANTS ALLOWS THE CITY TO DOUBLE THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE FUNDS ALLOCATED AND ENABLES COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE LARGER SCALE PROJECTS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE UNATTAINABLE TO BENEFIT CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. OUR GOAL IS THAT THIS IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE FROM NEIGHBORHOODS BY INSPIRING ONGOING MAINTENANCE FUTURE PROJECTS AND SUSTAINED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. NEXT SLIDE. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, THE CITY WILL RE REIMBURSE UP TO 50% OF PROJECTS TOTAL BUDGET. THE MINIMUM BUDGET PROJECT, THE MINIMUM PROJECT BUDGET MUST BE AT LEAST $1,000 WITH A MINIMUM OF A $500 GRANT. THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT WILL, WE WILL REIMBURSE FOR A PROJECT IS $5,000 WITH A, WITH THE TOTAL PROJECT COST OF 10. NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE IS A, A SMALL SNAPSHOT OF THE PROCESS. UM, IT'S BEEN TWEAKED OVER THE YEARS, SO I WANTED TO TAKE SOME TIME WITH THIS PART OF THE, UM, WITH THIS SLIDE. THE PROCESS FOR APPROVING, UM, MATCHING GRANT FOLLOWS THE CITY OF HOUSTON ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL POLICIES AND CONSIDERS THE NEEDS OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, UH, STAKEHOLDER DEPARTMENTS. THAT INCLUDES, UM, HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENTS, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS, CITY LEGAL, AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. SO, KEY DATES FOR APPROVAL IN THIS PROCESS. AUGUST 31ST IS THE DEADLINE TO COMPLETE THE TRAINING THAT YOU CAN FIND ON OUR WEBSITE, UH, AND SUBMIT AN INTENT TO APPLY FORM SIGNED BY YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT'S AUGUST 31ST. UM, THIS WAS IMPLEMENTED TO ASSIST YOU GUYS IN THE ALLOCATION OF YOUR BUDGET AND TO KNOW WHAT PROJECTS YOU HAD OUT THERE EARLIER THAN LATER, UH, WHICH WAS THE NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE. SOME PROJECTS REQUIRE APPROVAL FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS LIKE H PART AND HPW. IN ORDER TO BEGIN, WE ASK THAT PARTICIPANTS SUBMIT THEIR PROJECTS FOR APPROVAL TO THESE DEPARTMENTS BY OCTOBER 1ST. NOW, THAT'S NOT A HARD AND FAST DEADLINE, BUT THEY RUN THE RISK OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION BY THE NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE IF THEY DON'T FOLLOW THAT. SO, IF ALL THE PROJECTS SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER, THEY'RE NOT GONNA MEET THE NOVEMBER 1ST DEADLINE AND, AND NO EXCEPTION WILL BE MADE. THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS WILL COORDINATE WITH STAKEHOLDER DEPARTMENTS TO COMPLETE THE APPROVAL PROCESS AND WILL NOTIFY APPLICANTS BY JANUARY 2ND. NEXT SLIDE. SO, THE REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS, THE ORGANIZATION MUST OBTAIN A VENDOR NUMBER, PHOTOS OF THE COMPLETED PROJECT, [00:05:01] PROOF OF SERVICES AND PAYMENTS MADE AFTER PROJECT WAS APPROVED. ORIGINAL RECEIPTS, THESE COULD BE INVOICES, CHECKS, CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS, OR BANK STATEMENTS. PROJECT MUST BE PAID IN FULL BY ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT PROJECT MUST BE COMPLETED BY MAY 31ST, AND APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT WITHIN 30 BUSINESS DAYS, BUT MOST OF THE TIME, SOONER CASH TRANSACTIONS ARE IN KIND SERVICES, FOOD MATERIALS, VOLUNTEERS OR EQUIPMENT CANNOT BE SUBMITTED FOR REIMBURSEMENT. NEXT SLIDE. SO, ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA. YOU MUST COMPLETE, COMPLETE THE TRAINING WORKSHOP. UM, THIS ANSWERS A LOT OF LOW HANGING FRUIT QUESTIONS THAT ORGANIZATIONS MAY HAVE. UM, IT HELPS THEM TO KNOW HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION AND HOW TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS. THE COUNCIL MEMBER MUST APPROVE THEIR PROJECT AND THE INTENT TO APPLY BY AUGUST 31ST. UH, COMPLETE A MATCHING GRANTS APPLICATION BY NOVEMBER 1ST. APPLICANTS MUST BE A NEIGHBORHOOD BASED ORGANIZATION AND OR CIVIC CLUB INCORPORATED AS A 5 0 1 C3 OR A 5 0 1 C FOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THROUGH THE STATE OF TEXAS. AND THIS MAY REQUIRE A PARTNERSHIP WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION THAT WE DO ALLOW. SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE CIVIC CLUB, BUT THEY MUST PARTNER WITH SOMEONE WITH THIS STATUS, SUBMIT A 12 MONTH OPERATING BUDGET FROM THE ORGANIZATION. PROPOSED BUDGETS MUST BE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF HOUSTON. APPLICANTS MUST IDENTIFY HOW THE ORGANIZATION WILL FUND AND SUPPORT THE FUTURE PROJECT. I'M SORRY, IN THE FUTURE. UM, JUST REMEMBER THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON MUST HAVE AN ACTIVE 5 0 1 C3 OR FOUR NONPROFIT BECAUSE THIS SERVES AS A PHYSICAL AGENT AND IT HELPS US WITH FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, AND WE DO NOT PAY, UM, GRANT FUND FUNDED PROJECTS TO INDIVIDUALS. AND THAT'S A, THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION WE GET. SO, NEXT SLIDE. PROPOSED PROJECTS. SO THE CRITERIA CONTINUES. WE NEED A LETTER OF PERMISSION FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER AND OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY OF THE PROPOSED SITE AT THE TIME OF SUBMITTAL. SO THE PROPERTY OWNER MAY BE A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY. THE OWNER MAY BE A PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER OR AN ASSOCIATION IF THE PROPERTY IS A COMMON AREA, PROOF OF OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPOSED SITE, COPY OF THE DEED, HCAD RECORD, ET CETERA. PHOTO OF PROPOSED SITE AND SITE MUST BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. SO IF THE COMMUNITY IS GATED AND THAT PROPERTY IS NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, THAT THAT PARK SAY'S A PARK BENCH FOR A GATED PARK THAT'S NOT ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, THAT PROJECT WILL NOT BE APPROVED. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE MUST HAVE THREE LETTERS OF SUPPORT, AND THAT'S TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY FOR THIS PROJECT. UM, IF THE PROJECT REQUIRES, UM, APPROVAL OR PERMITTING FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT, PRE-APPROVAL FROM THE APPROPRIATE CITY OF HOUSTON DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED. THAT'S PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS AS MENTIONED EARLIER. UM, SCOPE OF WORK IS REQUIRED FOR, UM, PURCHASING, UM, POLICY AND EXAMPLES OF APPROVED PROJECTS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO. WE'VE HAD FOLKS DO STREET SIGNS, TOPPERS, ENTRYWAY, SIGNAGE, ENTRYWAY, COLUMNS. WE'VE HAD ESPLANADE LANDSCAPING, IRRIGATION SYSTEMS, PARK BENCHES, ELECTRICAL SIGNAGE, WALKWAYS WITH PAVERS, MURALS, TREE PLANTING, ET CETERA. WE'VE HAD MANY DIFFERENT PROJECTS WITH THIS FUNDING. YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND THEN WE'LL SHOW YOU SOME, UM, APPROVED PROJECTS. UM, MAPLEWOOD, UM, HAS DONE, UM, SEVERAL ESPLANADES IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, UM, AND SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATION. SO, AND THAT'S BEEN GREAT FOR THAT COMMUNITY. UM, THEY ALSO HAVE A PHOTO OF THE BEFORE AND AFTER, WHICH IS GREAT. THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, MARYLAND ESTATES. THEY REDID THE ENTRYWAY SIGN TO THE COMMUNITY, WHICH WAS ALSO VERY NICE, UM, AND IMPROVED, UM, THE LOOK AND FEEL OF THE ENTRY OF THAT COMMUNITY. UM, WE HAD THE INSTITUTE OF CHINESE CULTURE, UM, THAT IMPROVED THEIR SIGNAGE THERE IN, UM, THE AREA AND THEY USED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP THEM PLANT NEW, UM, LANDSCAPING AND UPGRADE THE SIGNAGE IN THAT AREA. AND THEN LASTLY, I THINK WE HAVE NOR HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, WHICH APPLIED THE LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS AS WELL, AND THE BLUE TOWEL PROJECT AND RESTORING THOSE BLUE TOWEL STREET SIGNAGES, UM, THAT THEY HAVE IN DISTRICT C. SO THAT'S JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE FUNDED. SO I JUST THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS POINT. YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. COUNCILMAN MCCARTER. THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. THESE ARE EXCITING PROJECTS BECAUSE CERTAINLY COMMUNITIES CAN GET BEHIND THEM. JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON YOUR, UH, THE LETTERS OF SUPPORT. UM, I MAY HAVE MISSED IT, BUT CAN THOSE, ARE THOSE FROM COMMUNITY [00:10:01] MEMBERS? COMMUNITY LEADERS IN ADDITION TO THE DOCUMENTATION? IS THAT CORRECT? YES, YES. THAT, THAT IS CORRECT. SO THE LETTERS SUPPORT SHOULD COME FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS, UM, POSSIBLY LOCAL BUSINESSES NEARBY JUST TO SHOW THEIR SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WE'RE NOT FUNDING SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY'S AGAINST, UM, OR THAT THERE'S SOME CONTROVERSY BEHIND. SO THOSE LETTER OF SUPPORT ARE IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER DOCUMENTATION THAT IS REQUIRED. OKAY, GREAT. THAT'S WHAT I FIGURED. SO THE OTHER, UM, THE OTHER ITEM IS I, I KNOW YOU'VE SENT, I MEAN YOU HAVE THE, I HAVE THE PRESENTATION, BUT UM, I THINK WE HAVE MAYBE A ONE SHEETER THAT CAN KIND OF GO OUT TO NEWSLETTERS AND SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY. HAVE YOU ALL SENT THAT OUT YET AND I'VE MISSED IT MAYBE? NO, NOT FOR, WE, WE JUST FINISHED THE CYCLE FOR THIS YEAR ON NOVEMBER 1ST, SO THAT WOULD GO OUT. UM, WE WOULDN'T GO OUT AGAIN UNTIL JUNE OF 25. UM, OKAY, THANK YOU. WE MAY CONSIDER JUST A INFORMATIONAL PIECE BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES BY THE TIME IT GETS IN THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED, IT'S LIKE, OH, WE DON'T HAVE TIME AT THIS POINT. UM, SO MAYBE JUST LIKE A ONE SHEETER SHOWING THESE ARE PAST PROJECTS OR JUST SOMETHING FOR SURE. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I THINK THE MORE WE CAN SHARE AND MAKE PEOPLE AWARE, THE BETTER OFF WE ARE AND JUST ON A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OR JUST HOWEVER YOU SEE THAT, BUT IT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, EVEN JUST TO GO ON THE WEBSITE AND LOOK AT PAST PROJECTS OR SOMETHING. JUST THE AWARENESS I THINK IS KEY. NO, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. AND THANK Y'ALL FOR ALL YOU DO. APPRECIATE YOU. YEAH, NO, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. WE, UM, ROMAN HAS INCREASED THE PRESENCE AND WE HAVE SAW AN INCREASE IN, IN PROJECTS, SO THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. THANK YOU. AND I BELIEVE COUNCILMAN MC CAYMAN IS ON VIRTUALLY. OH, I'M SO SORRY. . YES, I'M, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER. YES. I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THAT. MY APOLOGIES. IT'S NO PROBLEM. I'M LOOKING AT THE NEXT CHAIR OVER . YES. UM, SO ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN IN OUR OFFICE, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PARTNERING, UM, FOR THE DON MATCHING GRANT PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. WE'VE SEEN JUST SO MANY GREAT PROJECTS COME TO FRUITION AND WE APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR THE SUPPORT, UM, AND FOR OTHER PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL. DON HAS WORKED WITH US ON. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH BEHALF OF COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN IN XI. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE MY CO-CHAIR, COUNCILOR FLICKINGER. HE'S ACTUALLY VIR ON VIRTUALLY AND HE DOES HAVE A QUESTION. YEAH, ACTUALLY, JUST TO COMMENT, UM, WE WORKED WITH, UH, DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS ON SEVERAL GRAIN APPLICATIONS HERE THIS YEAR. UM, UNFORTUNATELY BERYL KIND OF CAUSED SOME PROBLEMS WITH MEETING THE DEADLINES, BUT THEY WORKED WITH US REALLY WELL TO, TO TRY AND, UH, GET THOSE APPLICATIONS IN. AND I THINK THIS IS A, A REALLY GO GREAT PROGRAM. NOW, IT DOES REQUIRE MATCHING FUNDS FROM THE INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL DISTRICTS, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER BUR AND I I DO HAVE A QUESTION. CAN PEOPLE APPLY ANNUALLY OR DOES THAT, ARE THEY ONLY ABLE TO APPLY ONE TIME? THEY'RE ABLE TO APPLY ANNUALLY. SO SOME OF THE PROJECTS, I KNOW MAPLEWOOD THAT YOU SAW IN THE POWERPOINT AS WELL AS NOR HILL, ARE FREQUENT APPLIERS. SO THEY SOMETIMES THEY HAVE LARGE SCALE PROJECTS THAT THEY CAN'T DO WITH THE 5,000. WE GIVE THEM ONE YEAR. SO THEY'LL APPLY EVERY YEAR IN COMPLETE PHASES OF SOME PROJECTS. AND WHAT IS OUR ANNUAL BUDGET? LIKE? HOW MUCH DO WE GET TO SPEND? DOES IT, DOES IT VARY PER, PER IT VARIES FISCAL YEAR, EACH INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBER AND HOW MANY PROJECTS THAT ARE, UM, SUBMITTED. OKAY. UM, ONE THING WE CAN DO IS COME BACK, WE DO HAVE A SEPARATE COMPONENT FOR SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE HAVE A VERY SIMILAR, BUT IT'S A SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD GRANT THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE THE MATCH. OKAY. AND SO IT'S A VERY SIMILAR PROJECT. I MODEL IT AFTER THE MATCHING GRANTS. THAT IS FOR SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS ONLY. THANK YOU. SO, YOU KNOW, AT LARGE OFFICES DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY . SO IN THE FUTURE, CAN YOU FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR US TO YES. I, I TO PLAY, I'VE TALKED TO ROMAN ABOUT IT AND WE'VE LOOKED INTO IT, UM, FOR THAT. AND THAT'S WHY I BRING UP THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ONE. OKAY. BECAUSE THAT'S ANOTHER WAY FOR YOU GUYS THAT IF YOU KNOW OF SOME IMPROVEMENTS OR AREAS AND MAYBE THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T HAVE THE MATCH THE FUNDS TO, TO MATCH, UM, IT, UM, THAT PROJECT MAY BE, OR THAT GRANT PROCESS MAY BE A BETTER ONE FIT FOR THEM VERSUS MATCHING GRANTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THAT ONE COMES FROM, FROM THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET. OKAY. WELL, I DON'T HAVE ANYONE ONLINE OR IN THE CHAMBERS THAT HAS ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER. OH, YES, YES. SO WE DO HAVE TWO PUBLIC SPEAKERS HERE. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. IT'S NICE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE LIGHT . IT'S NICE FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THINGS. . YES. . THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING SOME SUNSHINE TO [00:15:01] OUR DAY. . YES, . THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. DOMINIC MAZAK CARE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. TO, WHAT I WAS GOING TO THINK ABOUT SAYING, HEARING WHAT I'M HEARING, HEARING AND HEARING WHAT I HEARD AT CITY COUNCIL. I THINK CITY COUNCIL, AND AGAIN, WHY I SAID AT IN THE BEGINNING, WE ARE GONNA HAVE A, UH, A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS DEFICIT COMING INTO NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. IF, IF I'M LISTENING TO SALLY ALCORN CORRECTLY, BUT SALLY CAME UP WITH SOMETHING. I THINK A LOT OF THE OPERATIONS THAT THE CITY DOES COULD BE EITHER PRIVATIZED AND I DON'T WANNA PUT TR AS ANY JOB. THAT'S A UNION JOB. OKAY. LET'S, LET'S, I'LL PUT THAT ASTERISK ON THAT ALSO TOO. UH, PUBLIC, PRIVATE, THE THREE P PUBLIC, UH, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. I THINK THAT WOULD, I THINK SOMEBODY SUGGESTED THAT BE EVEN FOR THE ZOO OR THAT SORT OF THING. I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT EVERY, OR HAVE THE CITY GONE OUT TO BUSINESSES. THEY NEED A BUSINESS IN A DISTRICT OR A DETER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UH, A LOT OF THESE BUSINESSES HAVE MONEY, UH, SET ASIDE FOR, FOR, UM, GOOD CAUSES. THAT'S ANOTHER, ANOTHER POSSIBILITY. BUT ALSO TOO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALL THESE, WE HAVE THE CHURCH, WE'VE GOT MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS. ARE WE ACTUALLY SAYING, AND MAYBE WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE CITY CHARTER. IS OUR CITY CHARTER THE RIGHT CHARTER FOR HOUSTON TODAY? THE CITY CHARTER CAME INTO EFFECT BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, AND IT STARTED OUT WITH THE WARS. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, THAT WORD IN THIS TOWN IS A, CAN BE A, A TRIGGER WORD, BUT I'M JUST USING THIS AS HISTORY. MAYBE WE, HOUSTON IS SO BIG, WE GO INTO FOUR DIFFERENT COUNTIES. MAYBE WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT BRINGING GOVERNMENT TO THE LETTER DISTRICT LEVEL. I MEAN, THIS POOL HERE IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS KINDA LIKE, UH, THE SENATE BUT OUT, OUT IN THE DISTRICT WHERE THE, WHERE THE COUNCIL MEN AND WOMEN ARE UP AGAINST THE VOTERS. MAYBE WE NEED TO START DIVIDING UP THE CI. MAYBE WE NEED TO REDO THE, UH, THE CITY CHARTER TO BRING GOVERNMENT DOWN TO THE PEOPLE. AND WITH THAT, I HAVE NO OTHER COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING OUR MEETING TODAY. OUR MEETING IS ADJOURNED. OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE IN FEBRUARY. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. * 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.