* 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. [00:00:01] HOW ARE Y'ALL, CYNTHIA? YES, SIR. CHRIS AND STEVEN. LET ME FIRST START OUT BY THANKING MY TEAM. I THINK IT JUST CONFIRMS AGAIN WHAT A GREAT TEAM WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER AT CITY HALL. I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST EVER. MS. SANTOS TODAY, UH, HAS SPENT HER CAREER AT THE, UH, MUNICIPAL COURTS. SHE AND JUDGE MARSHALL ARE WORKING TOGETHER. AND, UH, THAT SYSTEM WILL BE, UH, MUCH IMPROVED IN THE NEAR FUTURE, CERTAINLY WHEN WE GET THEIR FACILITIES UP STANDARD. YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING. OF ALL THE THINGS Y'ALL COULD COVER, YOU CAN GO RIGHT DOWN THE STREET WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE AND SEE HOW DYSFUNCTIONAL THE CITY IS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS I RAN, UH, THE COURTS HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED SINCE HARVEY. AND YOU PUT THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF SOME THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT THIS MORNING. CITIES HAD MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ARPA MONEY, WHICH MOST CITIES USE FOR ONE TIME EXPENDITURES. UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS BEEN USING IT FOR OPERATIONS. WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN NICE AND SMART IF THEY WOULD'VE FIXED THE DAMAGED COURTS? UH, AFTER HARVEY, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE COURTS NOT OPERATING, IT IS THE SECOND LARGEST REVENUE SOURCE FOR THE CITY. MUNICIPAL COURTS FINES. SO, YOU KNOW, JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE THAT WE DIDN'T BRING OUT THIS MORNING, BUT UH, IT'S RELEVANT TO WHAT WE DISCUSSED ALL MORNING. THERE JUST HAS BEEN NO ACCOUNTABILITY OF CITY GOVERNMENT, WASTEFUL SPENDING, NO MANAGEMENT OF PROCUREMENT. I THINK CYNTHIA WILSON SPOKE TO NO CAREER PATHS. SO YOU HAD TO BECOME A SUPERVISOR. IF WE WERE GONNA RECOGNIZE YOUR, YOUR SKILL AND APPRE OUR APPRECIATION. SO 40% OF OUR SUPERVISORS SUPERVISE THREE OR FEWER PEOPLE. 'CAUSE NOBODY DID IT RIGHT IN THE PAST. SO WHAT YOU SAW THIS MORNING IS THE REASON I RAN FOR MAYOR TWO YEARS AGO. AT THIS TIME I WAS IN THE SENATE WORKING ON HOUSTON ISSUES, BUT I WAS ASKED TO COME BACK AND FIX HOUSTON. AND WE TOOK A HUGE STEP IN THAT DIRECTION THIS MORNING. SO I THINK MY STAFF, I THINK THE 12,000 CITY EMPLOYEES THAT PARTICIPATED, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU LISTEN TO YOUR EMPLOYEES AND, UM, WE WILL IMPLEMENT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WE ALREADY HAVE. IN FACT, QUITE FRANKLY, WE DID IT BEFORE WE DID THE ASSESSMENT. WE STARTED IN JANUARY LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES, HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE, PUBLIC WORKS. WE HELD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE 'CAUSE NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO HOUSTONIANS ABOUT THEIR BROKEN WATER BILLS. GREAT, GREAT CITY, GREAT PEOPLE. UH, WE JUST HAVE TO GET CITY GOVERNMENT UP TO STANDARDS, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, AFTER WORKING LONG HOURS SOMETIME, I WONDER HOW ARE WE DOING SO GREAT AS A CITY? WHEN I SEE THE BROKEN OPERATIONS OF CITY GOVERNMENT, AND IT GETS BACK TO HOUSTON HAS GREAT PEOPLE. IT'S, UH, NON-PROFITS, IT'S FAITH BASED INSTITUTIONS. UH, WE'RE A GREAT CITY. IF WE CAN GET GOVERNMENT AS THIS ASSESSMENT REPORTS, GET CITY GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONING AT A HIGHER STANDARD, HOUSTON BE THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD. WE USE OTHER COMPARABLE CITIES FOR OUR COMPARISONS, AND IT'S VERY GLARING THAT ONE, WE DO SOME THINGS RIGHT, BUT WE ALSO DO NOT MANAGE OUR FINANCES, OUR RESOURCES AS WELL AS WE SHOULD. BUT WE SURE MISS THE BOAT. THERE'S ONLY ONE OTHER CITY, PHILADELPHIA, WHICH IS NOT SOMEONE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MODEL AFTER, SPENT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THEIR ARPA FUNDING ON OPERATIONS. SO, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, UH, UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT'S WHY PEOPLE APPROACH ME ABOUT RUNNING FOR MAYOR. I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY AND TODAY WAS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. [00:05:01] AND NOW WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK LEFT TO DO. BARRY, YOU MENTIONED THAT BOB AND ALLEN ARE GONNA WORK WITH US IN TERMS OF THE DRAINAGE SETTLEMENT. COULD YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE? WILL THE PAYMENT PLAN AT ALL CHANGE? HOW WILL THIS ALL PLAY OUT? WELL, THEY WANT TO FIX HOUSTON ON A PERMANENT BASIS, AND I AGREE WITH THEM BASED ON WHAT I JUST REPORTED. YOU KNOW, WE'VE KICKED THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD TOO LONG. FOR YEARS, OUR FINANCES WERE BROKEN, SO PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION SOLD OFF PROPERTY. PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS, UH, LAID PEOPLE OFF. PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS DID NOT HAVE THE REVENUE CAP THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A CHANGING WORLD. BUT IN MEETING WITH THE PLAINTIFFS, THEY WANT A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO FUNDING OF DRAINAGE AND ROADS. LORD KNOWS, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I RAN. AND, UH, SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MEET AND, UH, THEY'RE GONNA BE PART OF THE SOLUTION. UH, I MENTIONED BRIEFLY THIS MORNING, I KNOW THESE INDIVIDUALS, I KNOW THEY MEAN WELL. AND QUITE FRANKLY, I CONGRATULATED THEM ON, UH, HAVING THE IN FOR JUST, JUST HAVING THE INTEREST OF THE CITY AT THE, IN THEIR PURPOSE AND FOLLOWING THE LAWSUIT. BUT WE, YOU KNOW, IT'S WHAT'S AMAZING TO ME IS SOME FOLKS THAT ACT LIKE THAT WAS A SURPRISE. THE LAWSUIT'S BEEN HERE SINCE 2019. THERE'S PEOPLE AROUND THIS HORSESHOE THAT WERE HERE THE ENTIRETY OF SINCE THE LAWSUIT WAS FILED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ANOTHER CHALLENGE WHERE EXPERIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS MATTER. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO MEET WITH 'EM AND I'M, UH, VERY GUARDEDLY OPTIMISTIC THAT WE'LL RE REACH A, UH, A VERY POSITIVE OUTCOME. IT'LL HELP US FOCUS ON THE DRAINAGE IN THE STREETS. UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE THE, THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES. WE'LL SHARE THAT THE, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT WAS ALSO MISSING THAT WE DIDN'T TALK A LOT ABOUT THIS MORNING, BUT I SEE IT ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN I'M IN THE COMMUNITY, THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY OF CITY GOVERNMENT. DO YOU THINK THE FOLKS WERE EVER REALLY TOLD ABOUT THIS LAWSUIT? I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FOLKS, THE RESIDENTS THAT THIS IMPACTS THE PEOPLE THAT PUT THEIR TRUST IN US. THEY DON'T KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT LAWSUIT. NEVER WERE ALLOWED TO HEAR ABOUT IT. THEY DID. THE, THE RESIDENTS DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S FOUR COURTS BOARDED UP AND, UH, CAN'T EVEN GET INTO COURT. AND WHAT IT'S ALSO DONE AFFECTED THE MORALE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. POLICEMEN ARE BEGINNING TO WRITE TICKETS, PART OF OUR SAFETY IN DEALING WITH OUR FATALITIES. DID YOU HAVE AN HPD QUESTION FOR YOU? BUT FIRST I JUST WANNA CLARIFY. SO IS THAT 100 TO 150 MILLION STILL DUE COME JUNE? OR IS IT TOO EARLY TO SAY? LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE ONGOING DISCUSSIONS AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR A POSITIVE OUTCOME AND WE'RE GONNA MANAGE THE CITY'S FINANCES. WE WILL SUBMIT A BALANCED BUDGET. AND, AND THAT'S ONE CONSIDERATION THAT WE ARE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH. YOU MENTIONED HPD, OBVIOUSLY NEGOTIATIONS JUST KICKED OFF. SURE. THEY'RE ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. WE HAVE ALL TALKED ABOUT THIS. WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. UH, WHAT, WHAT CAN YOU TELL THE PUBLIC IN, IN TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT YOUR PLAN THE PUBLIC IS? THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY IS MY HIGHEST PRIORITY. AND, UH, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS SINCE THE FIRST MEET AND CONFER IN 98. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S ? I'D LOVE TO SHARE ALL MY BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE WITH SOME OF YOU THAT MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH IT. I WAS ON THE NEGOTIATING TEAM IN 98 AFTER THE FIRST MEET AND CONFER. I KNOW THE PROCESS, I KNOW THE PLAYERS AND IT'LL BE VERY SUCCESSFUL. AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE OUR BENEFIT PACKAGE COMPETITIVE WITH ANY OTHER MAJOR CITY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO IT'S VERY PRELIMINARY, BUT, UH, THEY ARE A TOP PRIORITY. THE OFFICERS KNOW IT, THE RANK AND FILE KNOW IT, THEIR MORALE IS HIGH. AND, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE TO GIVE THEM THE BENEFITS PACKAGE THAT, UH, NOT ONLY WILL RECRUIT OFFICERS, BUT RETAIN OFFICERS, BUT THEY'RE WORKING, UH, MUCH HARDER THAN THEY HAVE IN RECENT YEARS. MAYOR CHRIS [00:10:01] USED THE TERM OR, OR THE NUMBER FIVE TO 15% IN TERMS OF POTENTIAL SAVINGS, UH, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A $5 BILLION CITY OPERATION. MM-HMM . UH, ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT THAT CAN BE REALIZED, UH, ONCE THESE, ONCE THESE REVIEWS, UH, ARE UNDERWAY? THAT'S THE EXPECTATIONS AND CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, LAST QUESTION. HOW YOU GONNA DO THIS? WE HAVE PLANS, AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE'VE MET CHALLENGES. I'M TALKING ABOUT US IN THE CITY WITH THESE INDIVIDUALS. UH, URCHIN YOUNG DID A GREAT, GREAT JOB. UH, IT'S REASONABLE TO EXPECT FIVE TO 15% SAVINGS. AND IT'S NOT LIKE TURNING ON A SLIGHT SWITCH. IT WILL BE A PROCESS. BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE COME BEFORE COUNCIL AND OTHERS POLITICIZE THIS BY, TELL US YOUR STORY. TELL US YOUR STORY. . WE'RE WORKING, IT'S A PROCESS, BUT WE KNOW OUR RESPONSIBILITY. MOST OF US HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION BEFORE THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE POLICE. I GO BACK TO 98 AS AN ATTORNEY AND ONE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE UNION AGAINST THE CITY. I KNOW THE GIVE AND TAKE. I KNOW WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE. I KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO HIRE AND RETAIN OFFICERS. AND QUITE FRANKLY, THEY'RE EXCITED THAT I'M THE MAYOR AND, UH, THEY'RE GONNA BE EXCITED WHEN WE FINISH. AND, UH, IT'LL ONLY IMPROVE OUR RECRUITING AND RETENTION. MAYOR, YOU MENTIONED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WE HAVE COMPARED TO OUR PEER CITIES. MM-HMM . UH, IS THERE ROOM FOR SCALING DOWN THE WORKFORCE? YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY. WE LISTEN TO THE EMPLOYEES. UH, SO NEVER BEFORE HAVE WE BEEN SO INCLUSIVE. THE CITY NEVER LISTENED THEIR EMPLOYEES TO THE DEGREE THAT THIS ASSESSMENT DID. I DO PERSONALLY, ONE OF MY GREATEST PLEASURES IS SEEING A HOUSEKEEPER IN THE BASEMENT ON THE WAY TO LEAVING. AND I GO OVER AND SHAKE HER HAND AND THINK HER, IT'S AMAZING. THEY, THEY'VE NEVER HAD ANYONE SHOW THAT APPRECIATION. UH, I COULD GO ON AND ON AND TALK ABOUT THE FOUNDATION OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND HOW WE'RE GONNA BUILD ON THAT, BUT WE HAVE TO ALSO, AS WE GO FORWARD, TAKE CARE OF OUR EMPLOYEES. THE, THE INDIVIDUALS AT THE EMERGENCY CENTER THAT WORK AROUND THE CLOCK, SLEEP ON THE FLOOR, SEVERELY UNDERPAID, BEEN BUILDING FOR YEARS. SO I RAN TO FIX HOUSTON. I WAS ASKED TO RUN TWO YEARS AGO. I WAS A SENIOR MEMBER IN THE STATE SENATE DEALING WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. I'VE BEEN IN THE SENATE WHEN WE HAD SHORTFALLS. I KNOW THE PAINFUL DECISIONS YOU HAVE TO MAKE. WE WILL BALANCE THE BUDGET. WE WILL NOT JEOPARDIZE BASIC SERVICES, BUT WE'LL HAVE A STRONGER CITY WHEN WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. AND IF YOU DO THE MATH, FIVE, 10% OF A COUPLE OF BILLION DOLLARS, IT COULD BE THAT WE DON'T HAVE A RESOURCE PROBLEM. WE HAVE A MANAGEMENT PROBLEM. MAYOR, DO YOU KNOW WHEN WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY AND THE SOLID WASTE OPERATIONS SOON? AND SOLID WASTE IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE, UM, LACKING IN ACCOUNTABILITY. YOU KNOW, I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT RECYCLING AND, AND EVEN, YOU KNOW, I CALLED IN LOCATIONS PRETTY REGULARLY. I CALLED IN ONE ON EAST HOUSTON ROAD TWO DAYS AGO, GOT PICKED UP YESTERDAY. WE GOTTA GET AWAY FROM THINKING, WE JUST THROWING MONEY AT THAT, THAT NOT ONLY THAT PROBLEM, BUT OTHERS. SO WE'RE REVIEWING THEIR ASSESSMENT, UM, HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE. UM, THE STORMS AND THE WEATHER AND VACATION HAS COMPLICATED THEIR JOBS. UM, I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE, THE DISPATCH INDIVIDUALS BEING OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID, SOLID WASTE. BEFORE I GOT HERE, THE PRACTICE WAS BUYING A USED GARBAGE TRUCK IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. THAT'S WHAT THEY DID, WOULD NOT MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN ALLOWING THEIR WORKERS TO DO THEIR JOB. [00:15:02] YOU CAN'T GO BUY USED GARBAGE TRUCKS FROM OUTTA STATE AND EXPECT THEM TO CARRY THE LOAD. WE'RE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA. WE DON'T HAVE TO BUY USED GARBAGE TRUCKS AND THEN WONDER WHY THE GARBAGE IS NOT BEING PICKED UP. THEY BREAK ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO, NO, I DON'T HAVE YOU A SCHEDULE NOT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, I'LL, UH, I'LL CALL THE DIRECTOR THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO SEE IT. AND QUITE FRANKLY, HE KNOWS I'M MONITORING SOLID WASTE VERY, VERY CAREFULLY. IT'S, IT'S ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT, BUT ALSO CHALLENGE, UH, JOBS, LACK OF RESOURCES, LACK OF TRUCKS, AND OVERWORKING THEIR INDIVIDUALS. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE ASSESSMENT BEFORE WE GIVE 'EM ADDITIONAL MONEY. WE'LL GIVE 'EM ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WHEN WE FEEL COMFORTABLE IT'S GOING TO MAKE AN IMPACT. MAYOR, ANY TIMELINE ON THE TOURS STUDY? NO. UH, WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON THIS. UH, WE MONITOR THE TOURS, CERTAINLY STARTING WITH MIDTOWN BECAUSE OF ITS LEGAL CHALLENGES, BUT IT'S IN, IT'S IT BEING CONDUCTED AS WE TALK. THERE'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT HASN'T EVER BEEN ATTEMPTED BY THE CITY'S ADMINISTRATION. UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, UH, HANDLING THEIR, THEIR MONIES PROPERLY AND THE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, YOU KNOW, LET ME EMPHASIZE THAT. I HEAR ABOUT IT WHEREVER I GO. PEOPLE BELIEVE THERE'S CONFLICTS OF INTEREST DOWN HERE, AND THEY READ ABOUT 'EM IN THE PAPER, IN THE PRESS BEFORE I GOT HERE. AND, UH, THAT'S ENDED. UH, IT GOES AS SO FAR AS THE CORRUPTION. YOU HEARD COUNCILMAN FLICKINGER FRUSTRATED THAT WE HAD A CITY EMPLOYEE INDICTED, CONVICTED, PLED GUILTY TO STEALING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, AND THEN GOT A LIGHT SENTENCE. SO, YOU KNOW, DON'T GET ME STARTED ON PUBLIC SAFETY IN GENERAL AND ACCOUNTABILITY, OR WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE COURTHOUSE OR NOT HOLDING THE DEFENDANTS THAT HPD TAKES OVER THERE. WE GOT TO PROCESS PEOPLE THAT ARE CHARGED WITH MAJOR CRIMES, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE, MAKE THE CITY SAFER, AND, UH, ARE YOU CONFIDENT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEWS OF THIS SORT WILL SERVE AS A DETERRENT FOR CORRUPTION IN THE FUTURE? KIND OF THINGS? CERTAINLY THE WAY IT'S DESIGNED, BUT WE'RE DEALING WITH HUMAN BEINGS AND, UH, BUT WE'RE PROACTIVE. YOU KNOW, MOST OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE SO HONEST, HARDWORKING, YOU GOT SOME PEOPLE THAT THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY, YOU KNOW, PRISONS FULL OF 'EM. THEY JUST THINK THEY CAN OUTSMART THE SYSTEM. BUT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR INDICATORS THAT SOMEONE COULD BE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES AND THE LAWS. SO, WE'LL WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES, UM, AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO THE VERY BEST WE CAN TO CUT OUT CORRUPTION AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. UM, YOU KNOW, HELL AND THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL LAY LIAISON FOR THE CITY SERVING PRISON TIME RIGHT NOW. PEOPLE HEARD CONTROLLER COLLINS, UH, RAISE THE ALARM LAST WEEK. SURE. WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO FOLKS? YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS, UH, HOPE OF, OF, OF SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET ME JUST SAY NO ONE NEEDS TO POLITICIZE THIS. IT'S UNFORTUNATE. IT'S, IT DIVERTS US FROM OUR MISSION. SO THE PUBLIC HAS CONFIDENCE IN ME, UH, HERE ACROSS HOUSTON. MY COUNCIL MEMBERS THIS MORNING HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME. SO ALL I CAN SAY IS WE KNOW WHAT OUR JOB IS. WE'RE CONDUCTING IT IN A BUSINESS-LIKE MANNER, RUNNING THIS, LIKE THE MAJOR BUSINESS IT IS AND THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES. SO MY RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE THAT HEAR OTHERS COMMENT IS, UH, IS SOLID. OKAY, I GOTTA GO TO WORK. THANK YOU. * 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.