* 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. [PRESENTATIONS] [00:00:04] COUNCIL COME TO ORDER. UH, CHAIR'S GONNA RECOGNIZE MAYOR POT CASTEX TATUM TO PRESIDE. GOOD AFTERNOON, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN FOR A PROCLAMATION TO TEXAS 8 1 1 AND THE COMMON GROUND ALLIANCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC, RECOGNIZING APRIL AS NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TODAY I AM PROUD TO WELCOME SAN LATRELL WITH TEXAS 8 1 1 AND BILL JOHNSON WITH PHILLIPS 66, BOTH HEADQUARTERED IN DISTRICT G. IF Y'ALL WANNA JOIN ME UP HERE, NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH IS A TIME TO RAISE AWARENESS AMONG HOMEOWNERS, CONTRACTORS, PUBLIC OFFICIALS, AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ABOUT A CRITICAL STEP BEFORE STARTING ANY DIGI DIGGING PRO PROJECT. CALLING 8 1 1 8 1 1 IS A FREE SERVICE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE, AND WHETHER YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL EXCAVATOR OR JUST A HOMEOWNER, PLANTING A TREE TO ENSURE UNDERGROUND UTILITY LINES ARE MARKED BEFORE DIGGING BEGINS UNDER TEXAS LAW, IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO DIG DEEPER THAN 16 INCHES, YOU'RE REQUIRED TO CALL 8 1 1. THIS INCLUDES ALL KINDS OF PROJECTS FROM INSTALLING A FENCE TO BUILDING A POOL, AND IT'S NOT JUST A LAST MINUTE CALL. HOMEOWNERS AND CONTRACTORS MUST CONTACT 8 1 1 AT LEAST TWO BUSINESS DAYS IN ADVANCE, EXCLUDING WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS. SO THIS MONTH, PHILLIPS 66 AND TEXAS 8 1 1 AND OTHER ENERGY AND UTILITY COMPANIES ARE STEPPING UP THEIR OUTREACH TO PROMOTE SAFE DIGGING PRACTICES, ESPECIALLY AS SPRING HOME IMPROVEMENT SEASON KICKS OFF. I TRULY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF TEXAS 8 1 1 AND THE NATIONAL 8 1 1 NETWORK ARE DOING NOT JUST TODAY, BUT YEAR ROUND TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE AND INFORMED. AND SO I HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR YOU, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN FOR THIS DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT WORKS. YOU KNOW, YOU AND I WORK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES SO OFTEN ON THINGS THAT ARE PROBLEMS LIKE A LOT OF 'EM, BUT HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF, UH, PROPER USE OF A SYSTEM THAT, UH, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS PASSED AT STATE LEVEL, THERE WERE SO MANY WIRES AND PIPES AND THINGS BEING, UH, ENDANGERED. SO THIS IS EXCELLENT. WE WANT TO THANK OUR PARTNERS WITH PHILLIPS 66 AND TEXAS 8 1 1, AND THEREFORE, I, JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON HERE BY PROCLAIM APRIL, 2025 IS NATIONAL SAFE DIG DIGGING MONTH IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, JUDGE. NEITHER ONE I THANK YOU, MAYOR WHITMEYER. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, MY NAME'S BILL JOHNSON. I'M FROM PHILLIPS 66. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE COMPANY. UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE TO PARTNER ON, UH, WITH, UH, TEXAS 8 1 1 ON NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH. UM, AT PHILLIPS 66, WE DELIVER ENERGY AND IMPROVE LIVES. UM, WE DO THAT LARGELY THROUGH PIPELINES. WE OPERATE 70,000 MILES OF PIPELINE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND THIS IS A CRITICAL EFFORT AROUND KEEPING OUR PIPELINES, OUR PEOPLE, OUR EMPLOYEES, AND OUR COMMUNITIES, UM, WHICH LARGELY INCLUDES HOUSTON, UM, SAFE. SO, UM, WE, WE LIKE PEOPLE TO CALL 8 1 1 BEFORE THEY DIG. AS COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN SAID, IT'S A REQUIREMENT TO DO THAT TO BUSINESS DAYS AHEAD OF DIGGING, AND, UM, IT'S A FREE SERVICE. IT'S VERY KEY FOR US TO SPREAD AWARENESS. SO WE WOULD APPRECIATE YOU SPREADING AWARENESS TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND DISTRICTS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE. AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT TO, UH, IT'S NOT TO GET IN THE WAY OF GETTING WORK DONE. IT'S ACTUALLY TO MAKE SURE THE WORK GETS DONE. UM, SAFELY, WE'VE LEFT YOU WITH SOME INFORMATION, UH, PUBLIC OFFICIALS AWARENESS, UH, BOOKLET. UM, THERE'S PLENTY OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON OUR, UM, WEBSITE AND FROM OUR FRIENDS AT TEXAS 8 1 1. YES, THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WHITMEYER, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND EVERYONE HERE TODAY. I'M SAM LITTRELL. I'M REPRESENTING TEXAS 8 1 1, AND IT'S MY HONOR TO BE WITH YOU ALL TODAY AS WE RECOGNIZE NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH. TEXAS 8 1 1 IS THE STATE'S ONE CALL NOTIFICATION CENTER, AND WE HELP PREVENT ACCIDENTS BY ENSURING THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THE UNDERGROUND UTILITIES ARE BEFORE THEY BEGIN TO DIG. WHETHER YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER OR A CONTRACTOR, CALLING 8 1 1 IS BOTH FREE AND EASY, AND IT'S JUST A QUICK CALL THAT CAN HELP YOU AVOID COSTLY AND DANGEROUS ACCIDENTS. EVERY YEAR, HUNDREDS OF ACCIDENTS HAPPEN BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T CALL 8 1 1 PRIOR TO DIGGING. AND IN MOST OF THOSE CASES, DAMAGES AND INTERRUPTIONS OF SERVICE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. WITH THAT ONE SIMPLE STEP. NATIONAL SAFE DIGGING MONTH IS A REMINDER TO US ALL THAT SAFETY [00:05:01] STARTS WITH MAKING THAT ONE PHONE CALL. TEXAS EIGHT ONE ONE IS PROUD TO WORK ALONGSIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. TOGETHER WE CAN REDUCE ACCIDENTS AND ENSURE THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE, WHETHER ON THE JOB OR AT HOME. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CALL 8 1 1 BEFORE YOU DIG. IT'S FREE, SIMPLE, AND IT CAN TRULY SAVE LIVES. THANK YOU TO MAYOR WHITMEYER IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR SUPPORT IN THIS IMPORTANT INITIATIVE. THANK, THANK YOU. SO TAKE A PICTURE RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER FOR A PROCLAMATION TO THE VILLAGE CENTERS TO RECOGNIZE THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY. FIFTH COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER HERE. WELCOME. HELLO. SO THESE ARE SOME FRIENDS FROM KINGWOOD. UH, MANY YEARS AGO, SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAW A NEED AND THE NEED WAS TO ADDRESS, UM, UH, SOME SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO NEEDED JOB PLACEMENT, TRANSPORTATION, RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES AND, AND DIFFERENT THINGS. SO THE VILLAGE, YOU'VE BEEN THERE A WHILE, RIGHT, LUKE? YEAH. BEEN THERE. SO IT'S NOW 25 YEARS OLD, SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE YOU FOR 25 YEARS. HOW'S THAT SOUND? YEAH. SO WHEREAS THIS VILLAGE CENTERS WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2000 AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROVIDING ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR ADULTS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENT DISABILITIES. AND IN 2025 PROUDLY CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF IMPACT AND GROWTH. AND WHEREAS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, THE VILLAGE CENTERS HAS EXPANDED FROM A SMALL DAY PROGRAM INTO A COMPREHENSIVE ORGANIZATION THAT NOW OFFERS MULTIPLE PROGRAMS, FACILITIES, RESIDENTIAL HOMES, A THRIFT STORE BENEFITING NEARLY 200 ADULTS IN MAKING A PROFOUND DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. AND WHEREAS THE MISSION OF THE VILLAGE CENTERS IS TO EMPOWER ADULTS WITH IDD TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE INDEPENDENCE, IMPROVE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING, AND DEVELOPED SKILLS FOR EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THROUGH ITS DEDICATION, THE VILLAGE CENTERS HAS BECOME A LEADING ORGANIZATION, SERVING ADULTS WITH IDD IN THE NORTHEAST HOUSTON REGION. AND WHEREAS THE HOPE, JOY, AND RESILIENCE OF THE VILLAGERS AND THEIR FAMILIES INSPIRE US ALL, REMINDING OUR COMMUNITY OF THE STRENGTH FOUND AND PERSEVERANCE, AND IN THE IMPORTANCE OF INCLUSIVITY BY RAISING AWARENESS OF BOTH THE CHALLENGES FACED AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY ADULTS. WITH IDD, THE VILLAGE CENTERS CONTINUES TO ENRICH THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA, AND WHEREAS LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE, THE VILLAGE CENTER REMAINS COMMITTED TO EXPANDING RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS, DEVELOPING NEW TRANSITION AGE YOUTH INITIATIVES, REVITALIZING DAY AND VOCATIONAL SERVICES, AND LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUED GROWTH AND STABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY. AS PART OF ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, THE ORGANIZATION WILL HOST EVENTS TO HONOR ITS ACHIEVEMENTS AND ENCOURAGE ONGOING COMMUNITY SUPPORT. AND IT'S ON YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN CARTER. AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING TO OUR ATTENTION WHAT MAKES HOUSTON SUCH A GREAT CITY. AS PEOPLE GO ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS AND GOING TO SCHOOL, THEN YOU HAVE THE VILLAGE THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF THOSE THAT NEED THEIR ASSISTANCE. SO IT'S A GREAT DEMONSTRATION OF WHY WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT CITY, AND I AM SO PROUD. THEREFORE, I, JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM APRIL 1ST, 2025 IS THE VILLAGE CENTER'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY DATE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THAT'S QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND WE'RE GOING TO, UH, RECOGNIZE, UH, THREE VILLAGERS HERE TODAY. AS PER, AS A PARTICIPANT [00:10:01] OF THE VILLAGE CENTERS, YOUR RECENT TRANSITION INTO A GROUP HOME REPRESENTS A POWERFUL STEP IN YOUR PATH TOWARDS INDEPENDENCE. YOUR ENTHUSIASM, ESPECIALLY AS A PASSIONATE BASEBALL FAN, BRINGS JOY AND CONNECTION TO THOSE WHO KNOW YOU. YOUR PERSEVERANCE REMINDS US ALL TO PURSUE OUR DREAMS WITH HEART AND PURPOSE. LUKE, HERE YOU GO. AND THEN CHRISTINA HATCH. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE VILLAGE CENTERS, YOU'VE TAKEN A BOLD STEP BY MOVING INTO A GROUP HOME, EMBRACING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH. YOUR DREAM OF BECOMING AN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTOR REFLECTS A DEEP DESIRE TO EMPOWER OTHERS THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND COMPASSION, AND YOUR JOURNEY INSPIRES OTHERS TO AIM HIGH. CHRISTINA, THERE YOU'RE, AND THEN LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, IS SCOTT CARVER. THROUGH YOUR HARD WORK DETERMINATION AND THE SUPPORT OF THE VILLAGE CENTERS, YOU'VE REACHED AN INCREDIBLE MILESTONE EARNING A POSITION AS A RECEPTIONIST. YOUR PROFESSIONALISM, POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE HAVE MADE YOU A VALUED TEAM MEMBER AND A ROLE MODEL TO OTHERS WORKING TOWARDS THEIR GOALS. CONGRATULATIONS, SCOTT HARPER. DIANE, DO YOU WANNA OH, OH, YOU WANNA SAY A FEW, COUPLE WORDS? YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF MAKING THE VILLAGE CENTERS SUCCESSFUL OVER THE YEARS WITH A NUMBER OF PUBLIC SERVICES GRANTS AND ENABLING US TO ACQUIRE FACILITIES OVER THE YEARS AND JUST ALLOWING US, UH, TO BE SUSTAINABLE AND TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND SUCCEED. UM, THE IDD FIELD IS GROSSLY UNDERFUNDED IN GENERAL, PARTICULARLY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO WE'RE FILLING A CRITICAL NEED AND NEED TO CONTINUE TO LEAN ON THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY AND OF OUR GOVERNMENT LOCALLY AND BEYOND, AS WELL AS RAISING CHARITABLE SUPPORT. SO WE'RE AGAIN, INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR, UM, THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE AWARENESS TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU ALL AND TO EXPRESS OUR THANKS IN THIS 21ST ANNIVERSARY, 25TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER HERE. JUST WANNA SAY, WHAT A GREAT ORGANIZATION DOING GOD'S WORK. Y'ALL REALLY DOING GOOD STUFF. CONGRATULATIONS ON 25 YEARS. TAKE A PICTURE, RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN FOR A PROCLAMATION TO ZTRIP FOR THEIR COMMITMENTS TO SUPPORTING CITY EFFORTS. COME ON DOWN. ZTRIP, AS Y'ALL REMEMBER, ZTRIP WAS A BIG, HUGE HELP TO US DURING ALL OUR STORMS AND OUTAGES AND WHATNOT. COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT, COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT, FROM MAYOR JOE WHI, JOHN, JOE MAYOR JOE WHITMEYER, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR JOE, THINKING OF ZIMMERMAN. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. I'M SO LUCKY TO BE JOINED HERE BY MELISSA MCGEE IS THE GENERAL MANAGER, AND WE HAVE MIKE, ALEX, LAUREN, CATHERINE, AND MCKAYLA ALL, UM, WITH ZTRIP HERE WITH US. SO HERE WE GO. WHEREAS ZTRIP HAS PARTNERED WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO PROVIDE CRITICAL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO HOUSTONIANS DURING TIMES OF CRISIS, EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES. AND WHEREAS DURING WINTER STORM ENZO FROM JANUARY 19TH TO JANUARY 24TH, 2025, ZTRIP PROVIDED MORE THAN 750 RIDES IN JUST SIX DAYS SAVING LIVES BY ENSURING A RECORD NUMBER OF PASSENGERS HAD SAFE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM WARMING CENTERS AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN DANGEROUSLY COLD. AND WHEREAS ZTRIP HAS DEMONSTRATED ITS DEDICATION TO PUBLIC SAFETY THROUGH THE COMMITMENT OF ITS EMPLOYEES WHO CONTINUED TRANSPORTATION EFFORTS DURING SUBFREEZING AND HAZARDOUS, ICY CONDITIONS. AND WHEREAS ZTRIP HAS REMAINED COMMITTED TO PROVIDING LIFESAVING ON DEMAND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES THROUGH ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF HOUSTON RECOMMEND COMMENDS Z TRIP AND RECOMMENDS [00:15:01] COMMENDS AND RECOMMENDS FOR ITS DEDICATION TO THIS VITAL PARTNERSHIP OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. AND FOR ITS CONTINUED EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT HOUSTONIANS IN NEED OF EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION CAN RELY ON ZTRIP FOR SAFE AND ACCESSIBLE RIDES, SUPPORTING THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVES. AND THANK YOU TO THE MANAGEMENT, THE ADMINISTRATORS, BUT THANK YOUR WORKERS THAT LEAVE THEIR HOME. WE HAVE SOME DRIVERS HERE, AND THAT'S WHO I WANT TO DO A SHOUT OUT FOR YOU BECAUSE IT'S LIKE WHEN WE ALL HAVE CHALLENGES THROUGH THE FREEZE, I KNOW YOU DO TOO, BUT YOU LEAVE YOUR HOMES TO COME PROVIDE THE TRIPS FOR THE VULNERABLE AND CITIZENS OF HOUSTON. THEREFORE, I JOB WHITMEYER MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM APRIL 1ST, 2025 Z TRIP DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. CONGRATULATIONS. GOOD AFTERNOON. WE JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE HONOR AND FOR INVITING US HERE TODAY. WE'RE EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND FOR THE ONGOING PARTNERSHIP WITH, UM, THE CITY. UM, WE BELIEVE IN AND TAKE PRIDE IN BEING GOOD STEWARDS IN THE COMMUNITY AND PROVIDING THIS NECESSARY SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO MAKE SURE TO THANK CATHERINE AND HER TEAM DOWN AT A RA. WE REALLY COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THEM. AND AS MAYOR SAID, THE DRIVERS, THEY'RE THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE COMPANY, UM, OUT THERE JUST GETTING IT DONE ALL THE TIME, REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCE. SO WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL AND WE APPRECIATE OUR STAFF AND OUR DRIVERS. SURE. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER DURING THESE STORMS, WE ALWAYS GET THE INFORMATION FROM THE ADMINISTRATION THAT SAYS, IF PEOPLE NEED A RIDE, HAVE THEM CONTACT ZTRIP. ZTRIP WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR US TO GET OUR CONSTITUENTS TO AND FRO. IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO PUT, UH, A FACE WITH THAT SERVICE AND WE APPRECIATE, ESPECIALLY THE DRIVERS. UM, I MEAN, I WAS NOT GOING TO BE DRIVING DURING ENZO AND, UM, I MEAN, WE HAD UNPRECEDENTED SNOW IN THE CITY AND YOU KNOW, I'M NERVOUS WITH HOW PEOPLE DRIVE WHEN IT'S SUNNY OUTSIDE, . SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND MAKING SURE HOUSTONIANS HAD A SAFE WAY TO TRAVEL, UM, TO GET THE SHELTER THAT THEY NEEDED DURING THAT EVENT. AND WE APPRECIATE YOU RECOGNIZING THEM TODAY. UM, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU. [2:00 P.M. – INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] AS IS COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ FOR THE INVOCATION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I BELIEVE BISHOP HICKMAN IS HERE. IF NOT, THEN I'LL THANK YOU, BISHOP, YOU ALWAYS SHOW UP RIGHT ON TIME. , UH, CERTAINLY, UH, IT'S ALWAYS AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE, UM, UH, TO HAVE BISHOP, UH, AL HICKMAN SENIOR HERE. HE'S CERTAINLY A PERSON THAT I'VE KNOWN AND HAD SO MUCH RESPECT FOR, UH, FOR A LONG TIME IN MY LIFE. HE'S ALSO A THIRD WARD NATIVE, AND I KNOW Y'ALL KNOW HE'S JY FOR LIFE, RIGHT? SO ANYWAY, HE'S GONNA COME FORWARD. UH, HE ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON WHERE HE SERVED ON THE STU STUDENT SENATE ALONGSIDE THE CURRENT MAYOR OF HOUSTON AND FOUNDED THE FIRST NAACP COLLEGE CHAPTER ON CAMPUS SERVING AS ITS INAUGURAL PRESIDENT. HE EARNED A DEGREE IN ECONOMICS IN 1980, AND CERTAINLY HE WENT ON FOR HIS THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION AT THE UNION INTERDENOMINATIONAL SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY. [00:20:01] HIS PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY INCLUDES NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN BUSINESS, AND HE MANAGED WALGREENS FROM 1980 TO 1988. IT'S GOOD TO BE WELL-ROUNDED AND SO CERTAINLY, UM, HIS MANAGERIAL SKILLS AS WELL AS HIS PASTORAL SKILLS HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN AN ASSET TO DISTRICT D AND TO ME PERSONALLY. AND SO I'M GONNA ASK BISHOP DIXON, BISHOP DIXON, MY LORD, BISHOP HICKMAN, TO, UH, COME FORWARD AND CERTAINLY WITH MY APPRECIATION BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WAS GIVING THE INVOCATION TODAY. THANK YOU, MARTA. I GUESS READING IS FUNDAMENTAL, BUT THANK YOU. AND I, HE, HE ANSWERED THE CALL SO QUICKLY AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, BISHOP HICKMAN. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR. OUR MAYOR TO THIS COUNCIL, TO OUR FRIEND COUNCIL LADIES, TABBA. WE THANK GOD FOR HER AND ALL OF HER WORK IN DISTRICT D. OKAY? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OKAY, GOOD. GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN TO ALL THIS PRESENT TO, TO YOU MAYOR, TO THIS COUNCIL, AND AGAIN TO OUR COUNCIL. LADY AZZ. WE THANK GOD FOR HER, SHALL WE PRAY? I GOT OUR FATHER. WE COME BEFORE YOU WITH THANKSGIVING IN OUR HEARTS, AND EVERY DAY FOR US IS A DAY OF THANKSGIVING. LORD, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS COUNCIL. WE THANK YOU FOR THIS MAYOR. WE'RE GRATEFUL OF GOD THAT YOU'LL ALLOW US TO DO BUSINESS IN THIS PARTICULAR TIME, IN THIS PARTICULAR ERA. AND GOD, WE PRAY THAT THE MINDS ARE CLEAR, THAT THE HEART ARE CONSECRATED, AND THAT ALL THAT IS DONE IN THIS BUILDING FOR THE SAKE OF THIS CITY, SHALL BE DONE ALSO TO YOUR GLORY. WE ASK FOR GOD THAT YOU WILL STRENGTHEN AND THAT YOU WILL GIVE WISDOM WHERE WISDOM IS NEED. AND HELP US, OUR FATHER, ALWAYS IN OUR SPIRIT MIND TO LEAN ON YOU. BECAUSE IF WE LEAN ON YOU, YOU WILL INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING. FATHER, ONCE, ONCE AGAIN, WE JUST THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SERVANTS AND SERVANT LEADERS IN THAT PRECIOUS NAME OF JESUS WE PRAY. AMEN. AMEN. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND FOR THE FLAG? UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE REPUBLIC NATION UNDER GOD. [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING] MA'AM. SECRETARY, YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. MAYOR WHITMEYER. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER PECK HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. YEAH, SHE'S PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTEX TATUM. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER PRESENT AND COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER WILL BE ABSENTING. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCO HERE NEED A MOTION TO DELAY THE MINUTES. CASTEX TELL YOU TO MOVE. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. MEMBERS, WE [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] HAVE A GUEST. WE HAVE A VERY LONG LIST OF SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TODAY. 'CAUSE WE HAVE MORE THAN 150 MINUTES WORTH OF SPEAKERS. THE RULES REQUIRE US TO ONLY GIVE EACH OF YOU ONE MINUTE, EVEN IF YOU SIGNED UP FOR MORE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. I HAD TWO MOTIONS. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD BOB STEIN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TWO MINUTE NON AGENDA LIST. I NEED A SECOND ON THAT ONE. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE CATHERINE MCNEIL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. SECOND. ALL IN MOTION MADE AND SECOND AGENDA LIST. YEAH, I'M GROUPING PEOPLE THAT ARE SPEAKING ON THE SAME ITEM TOGETHER. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED THE NAY. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. UH, AND THEN CARTER HAS A PROCEDURE. COUNCILMAN CARTER. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD JACOB. WELL, TO MOVE JACOB CLEMENTE UP TO THE TOP OF THE ONE MINUTE NON AGENDA AND TO ADD THE FOLLOWING TO THE TOP OF THE TWO MINUTE NON AGENDA. CYNTHIA VEZ, EVAN MCCLELLAN, LEWIS VAR, MARCUS ESTEBAN AND MICHAEL LEWIS. MOTIONS MADE AND SECONDED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. DOES OPPOSED NAY MOTION PASSES? UH, SHABBAT. I DUNNO WHAT THAT IS. COUNCIL MEMBER SHABA, DID YOU WANNA BE RECOGNIZED? THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE DR. ABDUL MUHAMMAD TO THE TOP OF THE THREE [00:25:01] MINUTE LIST. UM, THREE MINUTE AGENDA OR NON AGENDA. WELL, HE'S ALMOST, YEAH, WELL, HE HAS A FEW SPEAKERS AHEAD OF HIM, BUT I'D LIKE TO MOVE HIM TO THE TOP WITH ALL DUE RESPECT. THANK YOU. AGENDA OR NON AGENDA LIST. I'M SORRY. AGENDA OR NON AGENDA? NON AGENDA. I'M SORRY. NON AGENDA. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ANYONE ELSE? NOT I WILL TAKE THE LIBERTY TO RECOGNIZE BRADLEY ELLIOT, CEO OF BOMA, THE BUILDING OFFICERS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION WHO BROUGHT AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF YOUNG COLLEAGUES WITH HIM TODAY. WELCOME TO CITY HALL. IF Y'ALL WANNA STAY IN A MOMENT. THANK YOU. ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY INVOLVED AT THIS TIME. MADAM SECRETARY, IF YOU'LL CALL OUR FIRST SPEAKER, TRAVIS MILLARD. TRAVIS MILLER. TY RAPIER. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. COUNT. OH, YES. CAN YOU HEAR ME? STEP OVER FRONT. JUST SEPARATE. OH, JUST SEPARATE. I GOTCHA. THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WHITMEYER. I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS TAKING THE TIME. MY NAME IS KYLIE RAPIER. I'M A LICENSED AGENT WITH STYLED REAL ESTATE GROUP. I'M HERE TO, UM, DISCUSS THE SHORT TERM RENTALS THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH HAR SUPPORT SMART ENFORCEABLE REGULATIONS THAT PRIORITIZE COMMUNITY SAFETY, PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND SUPPORT HOUSING ACCESS, ALL WHILE RESPECTING PROPERTY RIGHTS. WE DO HAVE ONE CONCERN WITH THE UNINTENDED IMPACT ON THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE. UM, THE WAY THE TERM PLATFORM IS DEFINED AS IT STANDS, THE LANGUAGE WOULD MISTAKENLY PULL IN MLSS LIKE HR.COM. THAT'S PROBLEM BECAUSE HR IS NOT A SHORT TERM RENTAL PLATFORM. DOES NOT MANAGE BOOKINGS EXCEPT PAYMENTS, NOR DOES IT MAKE ANY, UH, MONEY OFF OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS. IT IS SIMPLY A LISTING TOOL USED BY LICENSED PROFESSIONALS TO MARKET PROPERTIES. AS IT STANDS, UM, THE ORDINANCE WOULD BRING IN MLSS, LIKE HAR. SO WE ARE JUST ASKING FOR A SMALL CHANGE THE DEFINITION. IT WOULD BE IMPACTFUL AND WOULD KEEP THE ORDINANCE FOCUSED ON ACTUAL SHORT TERM RENTAL PLATFORMS WHILE PROTECTING TOOLS THAT SUPPORT THE REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS IN THIS APPROACH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, LONG LIST TODAY, SO I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK TO EVERYONE, BUT FOR THOSE HERE ON THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE, UM, WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK. MYSELF, OF COURSE, CHAIR RAMIREZ AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN ARE PLANNING TO PUT FORWARD SEVERAL AMENDMENTS TOMORROW. MM-HMM . UH, ONE, TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT HAR HAS RAISED RELATED TO THAT PLATFORM DEFINITION. UH, WE, WE WILL LIKELY BE THEN TAGGING THE ITEMS SO THAT EVERYONE WILL HAVE TIME TO REVIEW THOSE AS WELL. BUT WE DO THINK, UH, THERE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A SOLUTION FOR YOU. PERFECT. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, QUINN ROCKWELL. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THANK YOU FOR ADDRESSING THAT AMENDMENT. I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS AS A VOLUNTEER LEADER AND A COMMERCIAL BROKER WITH COLDWELL BANKER COMMERCIAL. UM, WE COMMEND THE CITY'S EFFORT, UH, TO BRING ORDER AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO RENTALS. HAR HAS LONG SUPPORTED SENSIBLE REGULATIONS AND SAFEGUARD TO SAFEGUARD PUBLIC SAFETY, PRESERVE NEIGHBORHOOD QUALITY, AND PROTECT HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES WITHOUT OVERREACHING INTO THE RIGHTS OF PROPERTY OWNERS OR RESPONSIBLE PROPERTY OWNERS. THAT'S WHY I WANNA FLAG THIS CONCERN, AND I, SO I APPRECIATE. SO TO CLARIFY, HAR DOES NOT TAKE BOOKINGS PROCESS ANY PAYMENTS OR GENERATE REVENUE FROM SHORT-TERM RENTAL ACTIVITY. IT'S SIMPLY AN INFORMATION TOOL FOR LICENSED REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS, INCLUDING MLSS IN THIS ORDINANCE, WOULD PLACE INAPPROPRIATE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS ON SERVICES THAT AREN'T INVOLVED IN SHORT-TERM RENTAL, UH, TRANSACTIONS. SO THANK YOU AGAIN. AND, UH, THIS IS JUST A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT REVISION, UH, THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO MAKE, UH, JUST TO KEEP THE FOCUS ON OF THE ORDINANCE WHERE IT BELONGS ON THE ACTUAL BOOKING PLATFORMS AND AVOIDS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT J BRADLEY. [00:30:03] GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CITY COUNCIL MIC. THIS ONE. THAT'S OKAY. SOUNDS GOOD. ALRIGHT. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I'M JAY BRADLEY, BROKER AND OWNER OF PRESTIGE REALTY GROUP. UM, AND I PROUDLY SERVE AS A VOLUNTEER LEADER WITH THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. UM, HAR SUPPORTS THE CITY'S INTENTION TO REGULATE SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN A WAY THAT PROMOTES SAFETY, LIVABILITY, AND HOUSING ACCESS. UH, THESE ARE SHARED VALUES, HOWEVER, WE WANNA BRING YOUR ATTENTION AS AN ISSUE. UH, REGARDING TO THE ORDINANCE THAT YOU ALREADY MENTIONED, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, THE DEFINITION OF PLATFORM IS OVERLY BROAD AND COULD UNINTENTIONALLY CAPTURE WEBSITES LIKE HAR, WHICH IS A MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE USED BY LICENSED REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS. HAR DOESN'T FACILITATE BOOKINGS, HANDLE PAYMENTS, OR BENEFIT FINANCIALLY FROM STR ACTIVITY. IT IS NOT A BOOKING PLATFORM, AND WE PREFER IT NOT BE REGULATED LIKE ONE. UH, A CLARIFICATION AND DEFINITION ENSURES THE CITY'S REGULATION EFFORTS, UH, FOCUSED ON ACTUAL SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROBLEMS, UH, ON PLATFORMS, UM, WITHOUT CREATING UNNECESSARY COMPLIANCE BURDENS FOR THE TOOLS LIKE HAR THAT SIMPLY PROVIDE LISTING VISIBILITY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A VALUED PARTNER IN CREATING A FAIR AND EFFECTIVE STR POLICY FOR OUR GREAT CITY. THANK YOU GUYS. NEXT, MIGUEL CRIMIN LEAVE TO BE FOLLOWED BY GRETCHEN GILLIS. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, LOOKS LIKE THE FIGHT'S OVER. UH, THE BAD GUYS WON NOTHING. CAN YOU HEAR ME ALRIGHT? YEAH. NOTHING ANYONE SAYS TODAY WILL LIKELY SWAY ONE VOTE, BUT I HOPE YOU RECONSIDER SOON. NOT ONLY AFTER AN UNNECESSARY DEATH OR THE PREVENTABLE TRANSFER OF VAST SUMS OF WEALTH FROM YOUR CITIZENS TO A HANDFUL OF MOSTLY OUTSIDE INTERESTS IN THE FORM OF THE DESTRUCTION OF EQUITY AND NEIGHBORHOODS. AS FOLKS LIKE ME WHO CAN MAY JUST FLEE THESE BASTARDIZED HOTEL, HOTEL ZONES FOR PEACE, QUIET, AND IN MOST CASES, SIMPLY THE RIGHT TO GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. I'M GONNA READ A QUOTE FROM LAST MARCH ABOUT A YEAR AGO, QUOTE, IN THE PAST, IT'S BEEN OVERLOOKED. IT'S GOING TO BE A PRIORITY IN MY ADMINISTRATION. WE WANT TO ENFORCE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES FOR HOUSTONIANS. IF BAD ACTORS WANNA SUE US, WE'LL SEE YOU IN COURT. LAUDABLE WORDS FROM MAYOR WHITMEYER ISSUED AFTER HEARING A LITANY OF HARROWING, AND IF THEY WEREN'T TRUE, LARGELY UNBELIEVABLE TALES OF THE HORRORS INVADING ST'S WROUGHT ON FORMERLY CALM NEIGHBORHOODS. THE PROPOSED REGULATION MAYOR WHITMEYER IS A FAILURE BY YOUR LEGAL TEAM AND FELLOW COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND THEY'VE ABSOLUTELY UNDERMINED YOUR INTENTIONS BY KOWTOWING THE OUTSIDE LOBBYISTS AND CAPITALISTS. SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO VOTE THIS DOWN TOMORROW, I HOPE YOU'LL RECONSIDER SOON. THANK YOU. NEXT. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS GRETCHEN GILLIS AND I'M A VOTER WHO HAS LIVED IN THE MUSEUM DISTRICT FOR 15 YEARS. I THINK THE SHORT TERM DRAFT RENTAL ORDINANCE IS NOT ADEQUATE PROTECTION FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE VIOLATIONS AND REPEAT VIOLATIONS WOULD SEEM TO RESULT ONLY IN SMALL FINES FOR LAR OPERATORS OF LARGE COMPLEXES, SUCH AS THE 20 PLUS UNIT, UH, 1116 BANK STREET PROPERTY, WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH NOISE, TRASH PARTIES, DRUGS, PROSTITUTION, STREET TAKEOVERS, PLUS AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF CITY RESOURCES SUCH AS POLICE AND AMBULANCE ACTIVITY FOR PROBLEMS SUCH AS DRUG OVERDOSES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND SWAT TEAM ARRESTS. I AM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE RENTING OUT A SPARE BEDROOM ON A SHORT TERM BASIS. WHAT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT ARE THE BIG OPERATORS LIKE THE OWNER OF 1116 BANK STREET, WHOSE LARGE COMPLEXES BECOME NUISANCES BY FUNCTIONING AS HOTELS WITHOUT MANAGEMENT OR SECURITY ON SITE. CITY OFFICIALS MIGHT RECALL IT TOOK A HUGE EFFORT BY OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO GET 1116 BANKS REMOVED FROM THE AIRBNB PLATFORM. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US WANT TO KEEP REPORTING, DOCUMENTING AND DEALING WITH THESE NUISANCES. WE WOULD RATHER HAVE AN ORDINANCE THAT CLASSIFIES THESE HOTEL-LIKE OPERATIONS AS HOTELS WITH ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WOULD BE PLACED ON THE OWNERS AND OPERATORS. AND THAT LIMITS HOTELS TO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. IE NOT A RESIDENTIAL STREET LIKE THE, UH, HOTEL ORDINANCE I UNDERSTAND DOES 1116 BANK STREET HAS BECOME A DEFACTO HOTEL AND NONE OF US BOUGHT REAL ESTATE IN THE MUSEUM DISTRICT TO LIVE NEAR A HOTEL LIKE BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY NOT ONE THAT IS SO DISRUPTIVE AND PROBABLY REDUCING THE VALUE OF OUR PROPERTIES. I WOULD RESPECTFULLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO RETHINK AND REVISE THIS PROPOSED ORDINANCE BECAUSE I JUST DON'T THINK IT WILL PREVENT THE BAD OPERATORS FROM CONTINUING WHAT THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING FOR YEARS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. UH, EXCUSE ME, MA'AM. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MS. GILS, REALLY QUICKLY, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS HERE RELATED TO CONCERNS ABOUT MULTIFAMILY, WHICH IS HOW THIS ALL GOT STARTED TO BEGIN WITH. UH, AGAIN, THERE WILL BE SOME PROPOSED LANGUAGE. IT WON'T BE EVERYTHING TOMORROW THAT WE HOPE WILL [00:35:01] HELP ADDRESS THE MULTIFAMILY BASED CONCERNS. AND, YOU KNOW, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. I DON'T HAVE THAT LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF ME. LEGAL STILL WORKING ON IT, UH, BUT WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK AFTER THAT AS WELL. OKAY? I, I, I WOULD POINT OUT THAT JUST A SUCH A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF CITY RESOURCES ARE GOING INTO ONE PROPERTY COMPARED TO THE REST OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD. UNDERSTAND JUST MY OBSERVATION AND I DON'T DISAGREE WITH YOU. THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU. NEXT, JASON GINSBURG TO BE FOLLOWED BY STEPHANIE HAYNES. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. ON THE SUBJECT OF THE PROPOSED SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE. COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ HAS SAID THAT ENFORCEMENT WILL BE KEY. BUT YOU KNOW, ON THE NEWS THIS WEEKEND, I SAW THAT A HUNDRED GUYS ON THREE WHEELERS TOOK OVER WASHINGTON AVENUE FOR HOURS AND HPD COULDN'T OR WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THAT TAKEOVER WAS IN YOUR DISTRICT, WHICH IS MY DISTRICT, WHICH HAS THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS BY FAR SEEING WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND KNOWING HOW HARD IT IS TO GET HPD TO RESPOND TO A NOISE COMPLAINT, DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE CITY HAS ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO POLICE OVER A THOUSAND STR IN OUR DISTRICT AND TO PROTECT YOUR CONSTITUENTS? THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME, SIR. UH, YES MA'AM. COUNCILMAN KAMAN YOU, BUT I'M HAPPY TO RESPOND. I'M SORRY IF YOU'D LIKE, OH, I, I MEAN, JASON, WE'RE HAPPY TO TALK OFFLINE. YOU HAVE PROVIDED SO MANY HELPFUL, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ON THIS. UH, WHILE WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU BROUGHT UP WASHINGTON AVENUE, I'VE BEEN VERY, UH, OUTSPOKEN ON THAT ISSUE AS WELL AS THOSE AROUND THE HORSESHOE KNOW. UH, AND I'M HAPPY TO TALK WITH YOU OFFLINE ABOUT WHAT TRANSPIRED OVER THE WEEKEND. 'CAUSE IT WAS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CMK AND I, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS THAT YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ AND ESPECIALLY COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, CONTINUED TO DEDICATE TO THIS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT, GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE HAYNES. I'M WITH THE HOTEL LODGING ASSOCIATION OF GREATER HOUSTON. UM, FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY TO SPEAK REGARDING THE PROPOSED SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE. UM, WE APPRECIATE THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE GROWING PRESENCE OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN OUR COMMUNITY, BUT WE ARE ALSO CONCERNED WITH THE CURRENT VISION OF THE ORDINANCE. NOTABLY, WHILE THE ORDINANCE REFERENCE COMPLIANCE WITH CERTAIN CITY CODES, IT LACKS BASIC INSURANCE AND LIFE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS BE PRESENT ON THE PROPERTY. FURTHERMORE, THERE IS NO OBLIGATION FOR SHORT TERM RENTAL OWNERS TO SHARE THE SAFETY AND GENERAL OCCUPANCY INFORMATION WITH GUESTS WHICH RAISE CONCURRENT, EXCUSE ME, CONCERNS ABOUT THE WELLBEING, BOTH OF VISITORS AND THE SURROUNDING RESIDENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, CJ JOHNSON, MARTIN PRENDER PRENDERGAST TO BE FOLLOWED BY URSULA. JESSE, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I'VE SPOKEN HERE BEFORE. I'M A A, UH, SHORT TERM RENTAL HOST. MY NAME IS MARTIN PREUSS. I'VE SPOKEN HERE BEFORE. I AM A SHORT TERM RENTAL HOST AND, UH, THE, I'VE SPOKEN WITH, UH, SEVERAL OTHER HOSTS AND WE ARE IN AGREEMENT AND HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH SOME KIND OF REGULATION AND BRING RESPONSIBLE HOSTS, UM, TOGETHER, UH, AND GET RID OF THE BAD ACTORS, UH, THE BAD, BAD FOR OUR BUSINESS. UM, SO I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANY KIND OF REGULATION. I DID, UH, LOOK OVER THE, THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE. AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT DO CONCERN US. AND I, I, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THERE ARE AMENDMENTS, UM, OBVIOUSLY I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THEM OVER. BUT, UH, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THE, UH, THE ABILITY TO OPERATE AND NOT BE DELISTED IS AS IT IS WRITTEN, UH, UH, WE HAVE TO BE APPROVED FOR A LICENSE FIRST. UH, BUT THERE'S NO, UM, NOTHING IN THE WORDING THAT SAYS HOW LONG THAT TAKES. UM, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE, I KNOW IN LA I THINK IT'S EIGHT [00:40:01] TO NINE MONTHS. SO, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK FOR CLARIFICATION ON EXACTLY HOW THAT WOULD WORK OUT. I, I'VE HEARD THAT ONCE OUR APPLICATION IS IN THAT WE COULD OPERATE. UM, BUT AGAIN, I'VE, THERE'S NOTHING IN, IN THE ORDINANCE AS, AS, AS SPOKEN. UM, ONE LAST THING IS, UH, THE HAVING THE LICENSE REVOKED, UH, WHICH HAS A NUMBER OF FELONIES LISTED, WHICH OF COURSE, A VERY SERIOUS, UH, OFFENSES. AND THE WHOLE REASON FOR THIS ORDINANCE IS TO GET RID OF THOSE KIND OF, UH, PEOPLE OUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, BUT ALSO THROWN IN THERE AS KIND OF A CATCHALL, DISORDERLY CONDUCT, WHICH DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME, UH, IMPACT TO SAY A RAPE OR, OR SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, OFFENSES ARE LISTED. LET ME, UH, LET YOU YIELD TO COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHIBA STATE. MM-HMM. IT'S ME. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, I WANTED TO ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, NIDRA, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TIMELINE THAT HE BROUGHT UP? UM, BECAUSE HIS CONCERN WAS THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT SATURDAY. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING WITH SOFTWARE COMPANY. IT'S GOING TO BE AN ONLINE APPLICATION PROCESS, AND IN THE UN CODIFIED VERSION OF THE ORDINANCE, THERE'S GOING TO BE LEAD TIME. SO WE DON'T, WE'LL START ACCEPTING THE APPLICATIONS IN AUGUST. WE INTEND TO HAVE THEM ALL, UM, PROCESSED AND READY TO GO BY JANUARY OF 26. SO, SO, SO FOR SIX MONTHS WE COULDN'T OPERATE NO, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO OPERATE OKAY. AS YOU GO THROUGH THE PROCESS. YEAH. WE'RE NOT STOPPING. OKAY. AT LEAST THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AT THIS POINT. YES. AND THAT WILL BE, THAT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE ORDINANCE. IT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE IN THE CODIFIED VERSION OF THE ORDINANCE. IT'S GOING TO BE IN THE UN CODIFIED PORTION. SO THE LEAD TIME WILL BE THERE FOR EVERYBODY TO GET THEIR APPLICATIONS IN. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU. SO YOU WILL BE ABLE TO OPERATE WHILE YOU'RE APPLYING. THANK YOU. NEXT URS OR JESSE CATHERINE MCNEIL TO BE, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JACOB CLEMENTI. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M CATHERINE MCNEIL. I'M PRESIDENT OF THE MAMA CIVIC CLUB AND I PERSONALLY LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A 22 UNIT SMALL APARTMENT COMPLEX, WHICH IS AIRBNB AND VRBO. EVEN THOUGH WE'VE HAD IT KICKED OFF, IT CONTINUES. SO MY QUESTION IS, IF THIS IS NOT GONNA BE CONSIDERED A HOTEL, AND I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN THE PROPOSAL THAT IT WOULD BE, ARE YOU GONNA CHARGE PER UNIT THE FEE? HOW ARE YOU GONNA TRACK THAT? WILL IT, I MEAN, IS IT DOOR TO DOOR? WHAT DO YOU, HOW IS THAT GONNA WORK? UM, UH, WE'D REALLY LIKE THE MULTI-UNITS ADDRESSED. COUNCILOR ALCORN. THANK YOU CATHERINE. AND THIS, THIS IS REALLY HOW IT ALL BEGAN, ISN'T IT? IT BEGAN ON BANK STREET. THIS WHOLE THING BEGAN WITH BANK STREET 16 BANK STREET, AND WE ARE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND RAMIREZ AND I ARE GOING TO PROPOSE SOMETHING TO DEAL WITH THAT BECAUSE WHEN THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO GET TO, THE CRUX OF THE DENSITY, I, I'M GOING TO PROPOSE SOMETHING ABOUT THE DENSITY, THE NUMBER OF PLACE, UH, NUMBER OF UNITS IN A MULTIFAMILY AS WE DEFINE IT IN CHAPTER 42. UM, TRY TO LIMIT THE NUMBER THAT WE CAN HAVE. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S GONNA FLY ALL WITH LEGAL AND EVERYTHING, BUT I, I THINK THIS IS HOW WE STARTED, UM, WITH THESE REALLY EGREGIOUS PROPERTIES THAT, UM, NOT ONLY CAUSE A LOT OF NUISANCE, BUT TAKE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OFF OF OUR ROLES. AND, AND I'D LIKE TO TRY TO LIMIT THE DENSITY IN, IN THAT. AND I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN HAS, HAS ANOTHER AMENDMENT THAT WILL DEAL WITH, UH, THE MULTIFAMILY AS WELL. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN COMMENT. CATHERINE. NO, GO AHEAD. UH, NO. IN ADDITION TO THE DENSITY AMENDMENT, UH, I, AGAIN, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL. WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR LEGAL TO REVIEW, BUT IT WILL ONCE, LET'S SAY YOU DO HAVE A MULTIFAMILY WITH MULTIPLE, UH, PERMITS SO TO SPEAK, OR REGISTRATION, SO TO SPEAK. UH, ONE, THERE WILL BE FINES UNIT BY UNIT. BUT IF THERE ARE, UM, A CER IF IT CROSSES A CERTAIN THRESHOLD WHERE THERE'S CLEAR ABUSE WITHIN THAT ENTIRE PROPERTY, THEN ALL OF THOSE UH, WOULD BE REVOKED. IT WON'T HAVE TO BE ONE BY ONE BY ONE. GOING BACK [00:45:01] TO THE ENFORCEMENT CONCERNS, HOW DO YOU START ENFORCING ONE UNIT, THEN ANOTHER UNIT, THEN ANOTHER ALL THE WAY TO 2030, ET CETERA. SO THERE WILL BE LANGUAGE AGAIN, WE HAVE TO WORK WITHIN WHAT WE THINK WHAT LEGAL IS ADVISING US WILL BE PERMISSIBLE AND PASS MUSTER, UH, IN THE COURTS. BUT BOTH ALL OF US ARE WORKING TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT, UH, THANK YOU IS A GOOD START BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS ALL CAME ABOUT BECAUSE OF BANKS BECAUSE IN YOUR AREA BUT ALSO IN THE HEIGHTS. ANOTHER MULTIFAMILY, UH, AS WELL, THIS PROPERTY OWNER OWNS ABOUT 12 OF THEM, IF NOT MORE. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, I DIDN'T THINK YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SHORT TERM RENTALS AS YOU WERE ENJOYING THE ELEPHANT MIGRATION LAST NIGHT AT HERMAN PARK, BUT I HOPE YOU'LL BRING EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER OVER TO SEE IT 'CAUSE IT'S QUITE AMAZING. I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT. YEAH, THAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY YESTERDAY, WAS SEEING THE ELEMENTS AT THE COMMONS IN HERMAN PARK CONSERVANCY, FREE TO THE PUBLIC. UH, PLEASE GO SEE IT. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK. THANK YOU. NEXT. JACOB CLEMENTE, JACOB TO BE HI GUYS. OKAY, UH, WELL I'M, TOMORROW I'M GOING TO THE AUSTIN CITY BECAUSE THE TEXAS TRIBUNE IS HOSTING A, UH, SYMPOSIUM ON, UH, THE STATE OF HEALTHCARE IN HE IN TEXAS. AND SO I'M GOING THERE TO WELL BE A, UH, IMPRESSION, TRYING TO GET KNOWLEDGE AND THEN, RIGHT, UH, I WANNA SAY THIS ALLY ACO MEAN THAT, UH, IS ALMOST A CENTERFOLD IN THIS MAGAZINE. PERFECT. MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN OF HIS, SHE'S ALMOST A CENTERFOLD. TELL YA, . AND THERE THIS IS CONCERNED THAT IF YOU MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A MAYOR MEYER, YOU CAN FIND ONE OF THESE IN HIS OFFICE, NOT HIS OFFICE, BUT THIS WEDDING ROOM, THE PERFECT MOST INFLUENCED WOMAN OF HOUSTON. AND, UM, I, I WANT, UH, MARIO RIO TO BE HERE BECAUSE HE MADE THE PAPER. OKAY. AND, UM, WELL IT IS A QUITE NICE ARTICLE AND UM, IT'S GOOD TO READ BECAUSE IT'S VERY, READERS ARE LEADERS. ALRIGHT, JACOB, BE SAFE. YEAH, I GOTTA GO TO THE BALLGAME WHERE ASTO ARE GONNA WIN. WIPE GO ASTROS. BYE GUYS. BYE. BE SAFE. NEXT, PAUL YODER. CYNTHIA VEZ, UH, TO BE FOLLOWED BY EVAN MCCLANNAHAN. HI MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M HERE TO THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, UM, TO THE COMMUNITY DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE AUSTIN STREET BIKEWAY AND FOR SEEKING A WIN-WIN PLAN THAT IS SAFE AND CONSIDERS ALL INVOLVED PARTIES. TO THE MEDIA OUTLETS THAT WILL WRITE AND HAVE WRITTEN ON THIS ISSUE, PLEASE PUBLISH A FULL STORY WITH THE FULL FACTS. I SEE ONLY ONE PERSPECTIVE THAT OF THE CYCLISTS THAT MOSTLY RIDE BY OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES AND MINISTRIES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR LEISURE. BUT WE LIVE AND WORK THERE AND HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE UNSAFE DISORDERLY ISSUES DAILY. THANK YOU FOR TAKING A STANCE FOR THE GREATER GOOD. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE LISTENED MAGNIFICAT MINISTRIES, IT HAS THREE BLOCKS THERE AND CANNOT SAFELY BACK OUT OR USE THEIR DRIVEWAYS WITHOUT HITTING A CYCLIST. FIRST THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND YOU'LL HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, HAS DOES NOT HAVE SAFE PARKING LANES TO PRACTICE THEIR DAILY FIRE DRILLS. RESIDENTS NEED SAFE LOADING AND UNLA LOADING ZONES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET. WE NEED TRASH CANS TO NOT BE IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET. WE NEED A, WE NEED THE CESSATION OF THROUGH TRAFFIC BECAUSE GARBAGE CAN'T STOP THERE AND THERE'S ONLY ONE DRIVING LANE TO END. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ORDER ON AUSTIN STREET, THERE'S A TWO-WAY BIKE LANE ON A ONE-WAY STREET BEST PRACTICES, INCLUDING NTO, WHICH YOU CAN LOOK UP WHAT THAT STANDS FOR. SAY IT QUOTE UNQUOTE. THIS INTRODUCES A NEW DESIGN CHALLENGE AND MAY INTRODUCE ADDITIONAL CONFLICT POINTS AS MOTORISTS MAY NOT EXPECT ONCOMING BICYCLISTS. THAT IS A TRUE STATEMENT. WE HAVE COUNTLESS VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF THIS HAPPENING OVER AND OVER. IT IS, THERE IS CHAOS ON [00:50:01] AUSTIN STREET AND WE THANK YOU THAT YOU ARE RESTORING ORDER. AND I WANT FOR THE RECORD FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND WE ARE NOT AGAINST CYCLISTS. MAY I FINISH? WE ARE FOR A WIN-WIN SOLUTION. WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. AND THERE WAS A CITY COUNCIL APPROVED BIKE PLAN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BIKEWAY HOUSTON IN 2017. WE WERE ALL HAPPY WITH THAT. COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND OTHERS, THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION SAID, NOPE, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THEY SHOVED IT DOWN OUR THROATS. WE'RE ASKING FOR A WIN-WIN. WE CAN ALL WIN HERE. THERE CAN BE A SAFE BIKEWAY AND THERE CAN BE CONSIDERATION FOR THE COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES. THANK YOU EVAN. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABA. THANK YOU MAYOR. I WAS JUST GONNA GIVE HER ADDITIONAL TIME. CYNTHIA HAS CERTAINLY BEEN VERY DILIGENT IN RELAYING THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAFETY OF THESE BIKE LANES FROM THE INCEPTION. AND SO MY CONCERN, CERTAINLY I'M CONCERNED FOR BIKERS, BUT THEY ARE PASSING THROUGH AND YOU HAVE RESIDENTS THAT ARE THERE THAT ARE CERTAINLY INCONVENIENCE SUCH AS THE SAME SITUATION ON BLOCK. OTHER THAN WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, FIRE DEPARTMENTS TRYING TO PRACTICE. WE HAVE AN, AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING IN TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY THAT IS TRYING TO FUNCTION WITH THOSE BIKE LANES THERE. AND SO I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP, UH, YOU AS WELL AS THE MAYOR. THANK YOU COUNCILOR. UH, POLLARD POLL, UH, THIS IS FOR A PROCEDURAL MOTION. MAYOR CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, MA'AM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. I DID WANT TO CLARIFY ONE POSITION, AGAIN NOT RELATED TO AUSTIN STREET, BUT AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S BIKE PLAN, YOU ARE IN SUPPORT OF MOVING FORWARD WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION AS LAID OUT THERE IN THE WORK THAT HAD GONE INTO THAT. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CURRENTLY. OKAY. THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE OR I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING. YEAH, JUST THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S BIKE PLAN. YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT AND YOU HAD SAID YOU SUPPORTED THAT THE 20 17 1 BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS THE INTENTION OF THE CITY TO CON TO BE CONSISTENT WITH NTO GUIDELINES. YOU HAVE A ONE WAY BIKE LANE ON A ONE WAY STREET THAT MAKES SENSE. THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL BIKE PLAN AND THEN THERE WERE TIME PRESSURES AND ELLIS WANTED TO CONTRIBUTE THE MONEY AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT MADE HASTE AND THEN THEY PUSHED A TWO-WAY BIKE LANE ON A ONE-WAY STREET. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. YES. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. IT'LL BE AFTER YOU MA'AM. GOOD AFTERNOON. ALRIGHT, AFTER HER. OKAY. OKAY, CYNTHIA, THANKS FOR VOICING YOUR OPINION. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN P*****K. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I'D LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD, UH, JASMINE PORTER AFTER BERNADETTE KIKI, WHICH IS AT THE THREE MINUTE AGENDA LIST. MAIDEN SECOND. SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT EVAN MCCLANAHAN AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I VERY QUICKLY WOULD JUST LIKE TO ALSO OFFER SUPPORT FOR REMOVING THE BIKE LANES ON AUSTIN STREET. UH, I'M EVAN MCCLANNAHAN, THE PASTOR AT FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH. WE'RE AT, UH, HOLMAN AND CAROLINE AND AUSTIN. SO RIGHT THERE, THREE QUICK REASONS. ONE IS THAT, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE OLD BUILDINGS, THEY HAVE NOT A LOT OF PARKING. SO EVERY PARKING SPACE MATTERS. EVERY WEDDING, EVERY FUNERAL, EVERY CHURCH SERVICE, EVERY MUSIC EVENT, UH, EVERY CAR CAN HOLD FOUR PEOPLE. SO EVERY PARKING SPACE MATTERS. AND THOSE ARE LOST, OF COURSE, WITH BIKE LANES. UH, NOT A HUGE DEAL BECAUSE THESE AREN'T REALLY HEAVILY TRAFFICKED AREAS, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY ONE LESS LANE OF TRAFFIC, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANNA TURN RIGHT AND YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE METRO LINE TO COME, THEN THE METRO LINE COMES FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION. YOU MIGHT BE STUCK WITH THAT RED LIGHT FOR A WHILE 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T TURN RIGHT. BUT REALLY THE BIGGER CITY PLANNING POINT, UH, IS THAT I THINK IT'S A FANTASY THAT WE WILL HAVE A CRITICAL MASS OF, UH, MOTORISTS WHO REPLACE THEIR CARS FOR BICYCLES. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. IT'S TOO HOT. PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE UP THEIR AUTOMOBILE AND USE THEIR BICYCLE. THEIR MA THEIR HOBBY BICYCLISTS FOR SURE. AND BIKE LANES AND PUBLIC PARKS OR OFF CITY STREETS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. THEY'RE NOT USED VERY MUCH AT ALL FROM WHAT I CAN SEE. SO I AM VERY HAPPY THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER THERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. NEXT LUIS VIVAR TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARCUS ESTEBAN. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, COME TALK TO FOR Y'ALL. UM, I'M A RESIDENT OF AUSTIN STREET IN THE 2,800 BLOCK AND WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE, THEY'RE NOT AWARE, THAT'S ACTUALLY THE NEAREST PART OF AUSTIN STREET. ORIGINALLY THERE WERE TWO LANES, TRAFFIC LANES AND TWO UH, PARKING LANES ON THE SIDE. [00:55:01] AND WHEN THE TWO, UM, WHEN THE BIKEWAY WAS PUT IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORS, UH, KIND OF PROTESTED BECAUSE WE WERE REDUCED TO A VERY ONE WAY. UH, TRAFFIC LANE WAS VERY NARROW AND THE PARKING LANE WAS VERY NARROW AGAIN. AND WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE WAS INSISTENCE PUTTING A, A TWO-WAY, UH, BIKE PATH IN FRONT OF OUR HOMES WHEN THERE WAS ALREADY ONE PLAN FOR CAROLINE STREET A, A BLOCK AWAY. WE KEPT INSISTING THAT WE WERE NOT OPPOSED TO HAVING A SINGLE BIKE LANE, WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE PREVIOUS, UH, PLAN THAT HAS BEEN TALKED ABOUT. WHEN CAROLINE WAS A, A YEAR LATER WAS GOING TO OPEN UP, WE ALSO ASKED FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER REMOVING THE SECOND, THE, UM, SOUTHBOUND LANE WHEN THE CAROLINE STREET OPENED UP AND THAT WAS REFUSED AND IT'S NEVER BEEN DONE. SO WE HAVE NOW TWO SOUTHBOUND LANES A BLOCK AWAY, WHICH MAKES NO SENSE TO US AND IT'S BEEN A DETRIMENT TO US. I MEAN, I CANNOT HAVE ANYBODY DELIVER IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. IT'S SO BAD. LET ME FINISH UP THAT. EVEN GPS, WHEN I GET MY ADDRESS, IT TAKES 'EM AROUND THE CORNER BECAUSE PEOPLE CANNOT STOP. UBER TRIES TO PICK ME AROUND THE CORNER. IF I'M BEEN TRYING TO GO TO THE AIRPORT, MY LUGGAGE, I HAVE TO GO, YOU KNOW, HAUL MY LUGGAGE AROUND. SO IT'S CREATED A LOT OF CONVENIENCE TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. APPRECIATE Y'ALL'S TIME. THANK YOU. NEXT MARCUS ESTEBAN TO BE FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL LEWIS. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS MARCUS, A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF ON AUSTIN STREET. I'D LIKE TO READ A STATEMENT FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON AUSTIN STREET TO SECOND THE RECORD STRAIGHT REGARDING THE UNSAFE CONDITIONS THAT ARE PRESENT WITH THE TWO-WAY BIKE LANE FOR THE CAPTAIN AT FIRE STATION SEVEN, HE HAS STATED THAT THE FOLLOWING SCRIPT IS TRUE FOR THE MEMBERS AS A WHOLE WHO AGREE AND RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY THE COMMUNITY'S POSITION, BUT ALSO FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE WHEN THEY ARE RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES. THE TWO-WAY BIKE LANE DOES NOT HAVE, DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON RESPONSIVE SAFETY AND RESPONSE TIME WITH CARS PARKED ON ONE SIDE AND A BIKE LANE TAKEN TO THE OTHER SIDE DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE TRUCKS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD WITH A VEHICLE PARKED ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET AND A BIKE LANE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET CREATES A NARROW PATH FOR THE TRUCKS. IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF WE WILL HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE OR HOP THE CURB THAT CREATES THE BIKE LANE. IT IS A MATTER OF WHEN TURNING OUR TRUCKS DOWN. SIDE STREETS HAS ALSO BEEN MADE MORE DIFFICULT. WE DO CHECK OUR APPARATUS THERE, BUT THE CITY DOESN'T CARE. THEY TOLD US TO GO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO CHECK THE TRUCKS. THEY WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT OUR PARTICULAR STATION PUTS INTO MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING OF OUR TRUCKS. SOME DAYS WE CLEAN THE TRUCK FOR FOUR TO SIX HOURS, DEPENDING ON THE SHIFT THAT'S ON DUTY, FINDING SOMEWHERE ELSE MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. ACCESS TO THIS PARTICULAR RESIDENCE IS ALREADY AN ISSUE WITH THE TREES AND POWER LINES AND THE FACT THAT NOW OUR POSITIONING OPTIONS ARE EVEN MORE LIMITED. GAINING ACCESS WILL WHERE ADDITIONAL WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL TIME AND POSSIBLY MORE EFFORT AND FIREFIGHTERS TO PUT UP GROUND LADDERS. STATION SEVEN CAPTAIN VOICE CONCERNS ABOUT THE BIKE LANE CONSISTENTLY SINCE 2020 AND WAS IGNORED BY MARY TURNER. THOSE WHO ARE TASKED WITH ENSURING. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. REVEREND FINISH. THANK YOU SIR. HIS VOICE WAS NOT HEARD AND OUR CONCERNS WERE NOT HEATED AND OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN AFFECTED AS A RESULT FOR FIVE YEARS. I'M NOT FOR THE BIKE LANE, I'M NOT AGAINST THE BIKE LANE. I COME HERE AS AN IMPARTIAL MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT ULTIMATELY IS FOR TWO THINGS. THE WELLBEING OF THOSE LIVING IN THIS COMMUNITY AND THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC THAT VISITED. AS THINGS STAND NOW, NEITHER ARE BEING PRIORITIZED AS LONG AS THE TWO-WAY BIKE LANE REMAINS. THANKFULLY, AFTER YEARS OF WAITING, PLANNING, AND TALKING, THINGS HAVE BEEN SET IN MOTION TO RESTORE THE SAFETY IN OUR COMMUNITY. I'M GRATEFUL AND I APPRECIATE YOUR DEDICATION TO THE CITY AND AS CITIZENS, YOUR ATTENTION TODAY AND CONSIDERATION AS WE NAVIGATE FOSTERING LOVE AND INCLUSIVITY. INCLUSIVITY IN THE CITY THAT I CALL HOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I, UH, LIKE YOUR U OF H. SURE. THANK YOU SIR. GO CRUZ. ALRIGHT, HAVE A GOOD DAY. NEXT MICHAEL LEWIS TO BE FOLLOWED BY URSULA JENSEY. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, LONGTIME RESIDENT ON, ON AUSTIN STREET AS WELL. UH, JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE, UH, WITH THE DEDICATED TWO WAY BIKE LANE. UH, THERE HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT DAILY CONCERNS REGARDING DELIVERY AND SERVICE VEHICLES BLOCKING STREET AND PARKING 'CAUSE OF THE BIKE LANE, UH, 'CAUSE OF LIMITED PARKING ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET. IN ADDITION TO THE SAFETY ISSUES WITH THE DEDICATED TWO-WAY BIKE LANE, UH, THERE ARE NUISANCE ISSUES. THE TWO-WAY DEDICATED BIKE LANE PROMOTES BIKE SWARMS THAT COME THROUGH OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A LOT OF NOISE, WITH A LOT OF LIGHTS, MOST ESPECIALLY AFTER 10:00 PM UH, IT'S DISRESPECTFUL, IT'S INCONSIDERATE AND IT'S THOUGHTLESS, UH, TO COME THROUGH A RESIDENTIAL AREA WITH THAT VOLUME OF NOISE, UH, AND LIGHT. UH, ON THAT STRETCH OF AUSTIN STREET, MOST OF THE BIKE TRAFFIC TENDS TO BE RESIDE, UH, TENDS TO BE, UH, LEISURELY AND RECREATIONAL RATHER THAN COMMUTER. SO IN REFERENCE TO THE 2017 BIKE PLAN, UH, THAT WAS ENDORSED BY BIKE HOUSTON, IT CALLED FOR A ONE-WAY NORTHBOUND BIKE LANE ON AUSTIN TO COMPLIMENT THE ONE-WAY SOUTHBOUND BIKE LANE ON CAROLINE STREET. THAT SEEMS TO BE A WIN-WIN FOR BOTH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND THE CYCLIST COMMUNITY. UH, BECAUSE IT RETAINS PARKING ON BOTH SIDES OF AUSTIN STREET. UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS PLACED FOR THEIR DRILLS INTO A, INTO SERVICE THEIR TRUCKS. WE DON'T HAVE TRASH CANS IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR STREET. UM, AND, AND CYCLISTS WILL HAVE, UM, A WAY TO TRAVERSE ON AUSTIN STREET. [01:00:01] SO HOPEFULLY THE CURRENT ACTION WILL MITIGATE, UH, THESE TYPES OF ISSUES AND ELIMINATE THE SAFETY AND NUISANCE ISSUES THAT WERE ADDRESSED EARLIER. IN CLOSING, I DO COMMEND THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR WORKING TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE AND FOR GIVING THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION AND RESPECT TO NOT JUST THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE CYCLIST COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THE RESIDENTS BUSINESSES AND CITY SERVICES THAT OCCUPY THESE STREETS ON A 24 7 BASIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET ME, UH, PUBLICLY THANK YOU FOR SERVING ON THE MIDTOWN TOUR. YOU'RE WELCOME. YOUR LEADERSHIP IS VALUABLE AND HELPS COMING YOUR WAY. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT URSULA JESSE TO BE FOLLOWED BY RANICE KING. HI MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. SORRY, I'M GOING BACK TO SDR REAL QUICK. I WAS OUT OF THE OFFICE, UM, OUT OF THE ROOM. UM, SO QUICKLY ON STR, UH, I AM PROPOSING, UH, AMENDMENTS AND REDRAFT. I'VE SENT THE AMENDMENTS TO A COUPLE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ALREADY. UM, BASICALLY I'M JUST GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, A KIND OF SPECIFIC, UM, ON SECTION 28 7 33, THERE'S A DISPROPORTIONATE GROUPING OF OFFENSES, UH, DISORDERLY CONDUCT. A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR, UH, IS BUNDLED TOGETHER WITH SERIOUS FELONIES. THERE'S UNREASONABLE LANDLORD ACCOUNTABILITY, NO NOTIFICATION MECHANISM, AND, UM, NO CONSIDER, NO CONSIDERATION OF REMEDIAL EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF THE LANDLORDS. I HAVE PROPOSED SOME RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE. I'M HAPPY TO SEND TO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AS, UH, IN ADDITION TO THOSE WHO I'VE ALREADY SENT IT TO. SO JUST LET ME KNOW. HAPPY TO SEND YOUR WAY. UM, ALSO WITH REGARD TO SECTION 28 70, SORRY, 28 7 3 3. UH, THERE'S AN UNREALISTIC REGISTRATION TIMELINE, UH, EXPECTATIONS AND A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BURDEN DURING THE WAITING PERIOD. OKAY? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT, NO QUESTIONS. BERNICE KING TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALFREDO BLANCO. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS RANICE KING AND I'M WITH REESE'S RESOURCES, THE VOICE OF COMMUNITY EVENTS. AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE TWO COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT'S HAPPENING IN THE HEIGHTS IN THE GREATER HEIGHTS. WE ARE HAVING A COMMUNITY FISH FRYING WITH THE BEST FISH YOU GUYS HAVE TO COME IN. AND, UM, IT'S HOSTED BY CHARLESTON'S KITCHEN AND THEY'RE THE HOME AND SWEET SAVORY OF THE MINI PIES. AND IT'S GONNA BE A 3 4 1 9 CASTER STREET. AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN LEAVE THIS WITH YOU GUYS. UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU COME AND PARTICIPATE AND WE ALSO HAVE A WALK AND PRAYER, ONE YEAR CELEBRATION WITH LIGHT PRODUCTIONS AND, UM, IT'S GONNA BE REFRESHMENTS AND GIVEAWAYS AND IT'S A GREAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO WALK AND GET REFRESHED. AND THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. CAN I LEAVE THIS HERE? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ALFREDO BLANCO CHARLES CAMPAIGN. IS THAT CHARLES CHARLES CAMPAIGN? UH, I, OH SORRY. FIRST TIME CHARLES CAMPAIGN. I AM A LEISURELY BICYCLIST. UH, ACTUALLY DIDN'T REALLY CYCLE UNTIL TWO YEARS AGO, UH, JUST 'CAUSE OF THE MS ONE 50, SO I STARTED TRAINING. IT'S BEEN NICE TO HAVE AUSTIN STREET. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED IT, SO JUST KIND OF SAYING WOULD ENJOY TO HAVE IT BACK, UH, OR SOME KIND OF ALTERNATIVE OR SOMETHING, BUT IT'S REALLY NICE HAVING TO GO UP TO WHITE OAK BAYOU OR BRAISED BAYOU SO I COULD, YOU KNOW, TRAIN AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. NOT HAVE TO LIKE, WORRY ABOUT POTHOLES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S ABOUT IT. UM, YEAH, GO COOKS. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY AND GOOD LUCK. NEXT. DIANA DE TORE FRANK PRCA TO BE FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN DOKE. GOOD AFTERNOON YOUR HONOR. AND [01:05:01] CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M FRANK PRCA. I LIVE IN COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S DISTRICT AND I AM ONE OF THE USERS OF THESE PROTECTED BIKE LANES. I DON'T REALLY CARE WHETHER IT'S A ONE-WAY, ONE OR A TWO-WAY ONE, BUT I WANT A, A CURB BETWEEN ME AND THE MOTORISTS. I USE AUSTIN STREET TO GO FROM THE MUSEUM DISTRICT DOWNTOWN TO THE ONE THAT GOES ALONG THE BAYOU. IT IS FABULOUS, AND IF YOU WANT TO ADJUST IT SOMEHOW, THAT'S FINE, BUT DON'T TAKE IT OUT. AND AS FAR AS THOSE ARMADILLOS ON HEIGHTS BOULEVARD, THOSE ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, ESPECIALLY IN THAT SECTION RIGHT BEFORE ALL THE CARS GETTING ON THE FREEWAY. SO PLEASE PUT THEM BACK. AND HAVING THOSE 10 OR MORE POLICE OFFICERS LOOKING AT US AT THAT SAFETY ACTION LAST WEEK WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE CITY FOR THE MONEY THAT YOU PAID THOSE GUYS TO STAND IN THERE AND LOOK AT US. THE, YOU COULD HAVE PUT THE ARMADILLOS BACK FOR PROBABLY A WHOLE LOT LESS. SO PLEASE GIVE THAT SOME FURTHER THOUGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND I, I'D ASK FOR DECORUM IN THE, IN THE ROOM JUST TO RESPECT THE RULES FOR EVERYONE. UM, MR. PRCA, UH, AS A DISTRICT C RESIDENT, I'LL ASK 'CAUSE AGAIN, I'LL DEFER TO DISTRICT D RESIDENTS WHERE THEY ARE. UM, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, WHETHER IT'S TWO LANES OR MAYBE SAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE SPACE FOR ROAD USERS WITH ONE LANE, BUT THE PROTECTION IS WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT MOST. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IS A, IS A, IS A COMPROMISE HAVING, FOR EXAMPLE, SHARED USE PATH. SO LEGALLY A CYCLIST ISN'T PERMITTED FROM RIDING ON A SIDEWALK IF THERE'S NO AVAILABLE CORRIDOR, THEY HAVE TO BE IN THE ROAD WITH A DRIVER. AS A DRIVER, I DON'T WANNA BE SLOWED DOWN BY A CYCLIST AND I DON'T WANNA HIT A CYCLIST. SO WOULD HAVING SHARED USE PATHS MOVING FORWARD AS AN ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE, UH, BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD FEEL SAFE UTILIZING? UH, PROB MAYBE, BUT I'M TELLING YOU, SIDEWALKS FORGET ABOUT IT. YOU CAN'T EVEN WALK ON MOST OF THE SIDEWALKS IN HOUSTON, THAT, THAT'S NOT EVEN AN OPTION THE WAY THEY ARE NOW. RIGHT. I, A SHARED USE PATH IS A NEW LANE. ONE SIDE IS FOR PEDESTRIAN. IT'S SIMILAR TO, UH, BAGBY STREET. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YEAH. IN FRONT ON BAGBY OR DURHAM SHEPHERD OR OTHERS WHERE YOU'RE IMPROVING THE SIDEWALK AND PEDESTRIAN ROOM, REMOVING CYCLISTS OUT OF THE WAY SAFELY SO THAT EVERYONE CAN COMMUTE WHILE MAINTAINING THOSE DRIVING LANES. IF YOU DID BAGBY STREET OR SHEPHERD IN DURHAM, THAT WOULD BE FABULOUS. THOSE ARE GREAT. IF Y'ALL HAVEN'T BEEN ALONG SHEPHERD DURHAM, UH, LATELY, CHECK THAT OUT. YOU'LL BE VERY IMPRESSED. IT'S, IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THEY'RE PLANTING TREES AND THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYBODY AND THE CARS CAN STILL GO AS FAST AS THEY WANT TO, SO. SURE. THANK YOU, SIR. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. HOLD ON. COUNCILMAN CARTER? SIR? SIR? COUNCILMAN CARTER? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GONNA GO OUT ON A LIMB HERE AND SAY I AM CERTAINLY IN FAVOR OF BIKE PATHS THAT SEPARATE THE BIKES AND THE TRAFFIC, BUT TO HAVE BIKES AND A LITTLE CONCRETE HUMP KEEPING ME FROM A BIKE LANE AS MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DISTRACTED ON PHONES LOOKING AROUND. MM-HMM . I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT EVEN FOCUSED ON DRIVING, LET ALONE A BIKE RIDER. I, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND THINK, OH MY GOD, IF I'D SWERVE FOR A MINUTE, I'D TAKE OUT A BIKER. I, I, YOU KNOW, I'M ALL FOR BIKERS, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE A BIKE PATH, NOT A BIKE LANE IN, IN A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE. AND I THINK THEREIN LIES THE DIFFERENCE AS WE LOOK AT BAGBY, LOVE BAGBY, LOOK AT KELLY STREET ON SIX 10, LOOK AT HEIGHTS. THAT IS IT. THE DANGER IS, IS I THINK THERE'S A, IT'S JUST A, IT'S JUST A BAD, IT'S JUST A BAD DEAL. SO I HOPE WE CAN FIND A HAPPY MEDIUM, BUT I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE BIKERS ARE COMING FROM. BUT AS A DRIVER, AND HOUSTON IS A DRIVING CITY, IT'S A PROBLEM FOR THE DRIVERS TOO. I'D BE ALL FOR PUTTING UP WHAT I THINK ARE COMMONLY CALLED JERSEY BARRIERS BETWEEN THE BIKE LANE AND THE CAR LANES. THOSE ARE ABOUT THREE OR FOUR FOOT HIGH CEMENT BARRIERS. THAT WOULD BE FINE. THAT'D BE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY. UM, BUT, UH, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CA CAYMAN WAS TALKING ABOUT THOSE SHARED USE ONES AS LONG AS THERE'S WIDE ENOUGH FOR THE PEDESTRIANS IN ONE SIDE AND THE BIKERS ON THE OTHER. SURE. YEAH, IT IS. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT JUSTIN DO TO BE FOLLOWED BY BRYCE GURICK, [01:10:01] MAYOR WHITMEYER COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. I'M ONE, YES, I AM ONE OF THOSE PASS THROUGH BIKERS. I GUESS. I COMMUTE, UH, TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY BY BIKE. IT'S 12 MILES ROUND TRIP FROM NEAR NORTH SIDE TO MONTROSE WHERE I WORK. UH, 50% OF MY TRIP IS PROTECTED, THE REST IS NOT. AND I PLAY FROGGER WHEN I HAVE TO CROSS DALLAS, WHEN I HAVE TO CROSS WESTHEIMER, WHEN I HAVE TO CROSS GRAY. AND I HAVE EVEN BROKEN MY ARM ON THESE STREETS BECAUSE THEY'RE A MESS. UM, BUT THE REMOVAL OF THE BIKE LANES, UH, ON AUSTIN STREET, WHICH IS A CORE CORRIDOR, DOES MORE THAN DISRUPT MY COMMUTE. IT REALLY DISRUPTS MY TRUST IN THIS CITY. IMMEDIATELY THIS WEEKEND, WE WERE TOLD WITHOUT NOTICE THAT EVERYTHING WAS JUST GOING AWAY. THAT'S OUR PROTECTED PATH. WE HAVE SO FEW AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S GONE WITHOUT A PLAN IN PLACE. I WORK IN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT YOU DO IS YOU COMMUNICATE TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS WHAT THE PLAN IS. I AM. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHO TODAY ON THIS COUNCIL ACTUALLY SUPPORTS THE REMOVAL OF THIS BY HAND. PLEASE SHOW ME. I MEAN, I'M, I AM I JUST, SO I'M THE ONLY YOU KNOW. SO THE ONLY PERSON AT THIS POINT THAT I KNOW THAT'S SUPPORTING THIS BIKE LANE IS MAYOR WHITMEYER. THANK YOU. AND I'M ASKING THE COUNCIL TODAY TO RESTORE SAFETY FOR US AND RESTORE MY TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE CITY. 'CAUSE WE NEED TO BE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE. THAT'S SIMPLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, BRYCE GERRICK. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WHITMEYER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TODAY. HOUSTON IS A VIBRANT, DIVERSE CITY WITH MANY UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT OUR BIKE LANES CONNECT. I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH THE MOST RECENT DECISION TO REMOVE THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE. THE SEVERS, THE SAFEST WAY TO COMMUTE FROM MIDTOWN, MIDTOWN TO DOWNTOWN AND VICE VERSA, EXPOSING HUNDREDS OF CYCLISTS TO THE POTENTIAL OF BEING STRUCK BY AN AUTOMOBILE. IF THEY CONTINUE TO COMMUTE VIA BIKE, UH, I UNDERSTAND IT WILL BE REPLACED BY A SHERIFF, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, AS I'M SURE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS AWARE, HOUSTON DRIVERS DON'T EXACTLY FOLLOW TRAFFIC LAWS. THIS IS MY BIGGEST CONTENTION WITH REMOVING THESE SAFETY DEVICES. IT LACKS INSIGHT INTO THE REALITY OF COMMUTING ON HOUSTON. ROADS SAFETY SHOULD ALWAYS TRUMP INCONVENIENCE. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THESE BIKE LANES SERVE THOSE NOT FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO OWN A MOTOR VEHICLE. MAYOR WHITMEYER, PLEASE STOP WASTING TAXPAYER DOLLARS, REMOVING THESE SAFETY DEVICES, AND INSTEAD INVEST IN A SAFER, MORE ROBUST MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION NETWORK. COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE PROTECT YOUR CONSTITUENCY AND DO THE SAME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, JULIANNE AGNO TO BE FOLLOWED BY BOB STEIN. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JULIANNE AGNO AND I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE REMOVING THE CONCRETE BARRIERS ON THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE IS A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. MY HUSBAND AND I MOVED TO A TOWNHOUSE ON AUSTIN AND TWA STREET BECAUSE OF ITS BIKE ABILITY. HE COMMUTES BY BIKE TO WORK EVERY DAY AND AUSTIN STREET IS A CRUCIAL PART OF HIS ROUTE. WITHOUT THE BARRIERS, HE AND EVERY OTHER CYCLIST WILL BE FORCED TO SHARE THE ROAD WITH CARS IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT PRIORITIZES VEHICLES OVER SAFETY. MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORS USE IT TO WALK, RUN, AND TAKE THEIR DOGS OUT WHEN THE SIDEWALKS ARE TOO CONGESTED, DAMAGED, OR NON-EXISTENT. I'VE SEEN ELDERLY RESIDENTS AND YOUNG FAMILIES WALK WITH KIDS HERE BECAUSE IT'S SMOOTHER AND SAFER. IT'S A VITAL PART OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'S DAILY LIFE. THE MAYOR HAS CITED A LACK OF RESIDENT RESIDENTIAL PARKING AS A REASON FOR REMOVING THE BIKE LANE, BUT THAT ISN'T TRUE. STREET PARKING IS ABUNDANT. FRIENDS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COME AND PARK EASILY, OR BETTER YET, THEY'VE BIKED OVER BECAUSE THEY FELT SAFE DOING SO. THAT'S THE KIND OF CITY WE SHOULD BE FOSTERING. ONE WHERE BIKING IS AN OPTION, NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT. A TWO-LANE ROAD WITH ONLY SHEROS ISN'T A SOLUTION. UM, IT WILL LEAD TO MORE SPEEDING, INCREASED WRONG TURNS, AND INEVITABLY MORE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME'S BOB STEIN. I DO COMMUTE ON A BIKE TO WORK EVERY DAY. I HAVE FOR 47 YEARS. UH, I RIDE ABOUT 8,000 MILES A YEAR. I AM NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT AUSTIN. I RIDE ON AUSTIN EVERY DAY TO WORK AT RICE. MONDAY MORNING. I WROTE ON IT WITH MY GRANDSON. SCHOOL WAS OUT, UM, ONLY TO FIND THAT THEY WERE TEARING UP. AUSTIN, AS ONE SPEAKER HAS MENTIONED, I HEARD NOTHING ABOUT THIS AND I DON'T THINK ANY COUNCIL [01:15:01] MEMBERS VOTED ON THIS. THIS IS A UNILATERAL ACTION BY THE MAYOR. I RESPECT THAT AND I RESPECT THE MAYOR'S POSITION ON IT. HOWEVER, I LIVE IN THE HEIGHTS AND THE 11TH STREET BIKE PATH WAS BUILT TWO YEARS AGO. IT WAS A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION, CAREFULLY STUDIED. IT IS NOT ABOUT BIKERS, IT'S ABOUT OLD PEOPLE. AND THEN YOU SMALL CHILDREN, THERE ARE THREE SCHOOLS, HARVARD HOG HELMS TALK TO THE PRINCIPALS AT THAT SCHOOL AT EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS. CHILDREN, INCLUDING TWO OF MY GRANDCHILDREN, RIDE THEIR BIKES EVERY DAY. IT'S NOT EVEN THE BIKE PATH, IT'S NOT EVEN THE CONCRETE PROTECTIONS. IT'S PEOPLE CROSSING 11TH STREET. MY WIFE WHO WORKS AT CITY COUNCIL FOR MANY YEARS WALKS ON THOSE STREETS. IT IS THE TRAFFIC THAT SLOWS DOWN. ALL I'M ASKING COUNCIL TO DO IN THE MAYOR IS CAREFULLY STUDY THIS, NOT MAKE A MIDNIGHT DECISION TO PULL UP THE BARRICADES. PEOPLE RELY ON THAT. LOOK AT THE DATA. MY COLLEAGUES AT KINDER INSTITUTED RICE HAVE LOOKED AT THAT DATA SINCE THE BUILDING OF 11TH STREET BIKE PATH, PEDESTRIAN AND VEHICLE. AND YEAH, BICYCLISTS. ACCIDENTS HAVE GONE DOWN. IT'S NOT ABOUT CONVENIENCE FOR BICYCLISTS. BICYCLISTS, IT'S ABOUT SAFETY. THAT IS SOMETHING THE MAYOR WAS ELECTED ON. THAT IS SOMETHING THE MAYOR SAID HE WOULD PROVIDE. AND I'M ONLY ASKING NOT TO PULL IT UP. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE WHO DON'T LIKE BIKES IN THE ROADWAY. WE CAN DEBATE THAT IF PEOPLE ARE AFRAID WHEN THEY DRIVE THAT THEY'RE GONNA HIT A BICYCLIST. I SHARE THEIR CONCERN. BUT THE ISSUE HERE IS NOT ABOUT VEHICULAR AND CYCLISTS, IT'S ALSO ABOUT PEDESTRIANS AND YOUNG PEOPLE. I WOULD ONLY ASK THAT THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL STUDY THIS BEFORE THEY MAKE RASH DECISIONS TO PULL UP THE 11TH STREET PROJECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCILOR CAYMAN. NOW MAYOR, I JUST, BOB, I WAS GONNA GIVE YOU SOME OF MY TIME 'CAUSE I HEARD THE BELL GO OFF, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE. UM, I KNOW IT TAKES A LOT FOR YOU TO COME DOWN HERE AND I REALLY APPRECIATE. THANK YOU YOUR TIME. COUNCILOR POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, BOB, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR INSIGHT. UM, AND JUST ON THIS ENTIRE ISSUE AND TOPIC, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE PERSPECTIVES ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS UNDERSTANDABLY, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE A DIVERSE CITY WITH DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND WE LIVE THROUGH DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. UH, BUT WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT ISSUES THAT IMPACT THE COMMUNITY, YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THAT COMMUNITY WITHOUT FIRST SPEAKING TO THAT COMMUNITY. AND THEN GETTING ALL THOSE SIDES, UH, AT THE TABLE SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THOSE PERSPECTIVES AND HOPEFULLY FIND SOME TYPE OF EITHER COMPROMISE OR AT LEAST HAVE THE DIALOGUE SO PEOPLE CAN FEEL HEARD. AND I THINK, UH, WITH THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE TODAY AND THE AMOUNT OF EMAILS THAT WE GET, UM, THE SENTIMENT IS THEY WANT TO BE HEARD AND THEY WANT TO VOICE THEIR OPINION ON WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I THINK IF WE DO A BETTER JOB OF LISTENING TO FOLKS FIRST ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOW IT IMPACTS THEIR DAILY LIVES, THEN WE WON'T HAVE AS MUCH PUSHBACK WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE PROPOSED. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. I, IF I MIGHT, I SIT ON THE MEMORIAL HEIGHTS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. I WORKED ON THE DURHAM AND SHEPHERD PROJECT. THE MAYOR KNOWS ABOUT THAT. WE TALKED ABOUT IT ONE DAY WHEN THE MAYOR WAS OPENING A NEW BRIDGE ON THE BIKE, UH, WHITE OAK BAYOU AT THE TIME THERE WAS TALK ABOUT ACTUALLY PUTTING BIKES WITH VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. I WAS ONE WHO SAID, MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD IDEA, NOT DOWN SHEPHERD IN DURHAM. AND I'M A GOOD BIKER AT 74. I STILL RIDE PRETTY WELL, BETTER THAN MOST OF YOU. BUT THE IMPORTANT POINT WAS WE DECIDED TO DO WHAT ONE OF THE SPEAKERS MENTIONED, WIDEN THE SIDEWALKS TO ACCOMMODATE BIKERS. WHAT I'M GUESSING I'M SAYING IS THERE ARE LOTS OF COMPROMISES HERE. IF FIREFIGHTERS FEEL THAT THEY'RE TURNING RADIUS FOR THEIR TRUCKS ARE IMPEDED BY HAVING BARRICADES, FINE, WE SHOULD LOOK AT THAT AND GET RID OF THE BARRICADES. THAT'S A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT NOT NECESSARILY TEARING IT UP. I'VE HEARD THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON AUSTIN STREET MAKE REAL LEGITIMATE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR BIKE BATTLE. AND I DIDN'T HEAR THAT BEFORE AND I RESPECT IT. ALL I'M ASKING THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL TO DO IS LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY. NOT ONLY, UM, I THINK MEMORIAL HEAD STREET DEVELOPMENT HAS GOOD DATA ON CRASHES, PEDESTRIAN INJURIES, BUT TALK TO THE PRINCIPALS OF THOSE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HELMS, HARVARD HOG, THOSE ARE KIDS RIDING THE SCHOOL EVERY DAY. TEARING UP THE 11TH STREET WILL PREVENT THOSE KIDS FROM RIDING THE SCHOOL, BUT ALSO THE CROSS STREETS. THOSE CITIZENS DEBATED THAT WITH, WITH OUR FORMER MAYOR. AND I THINK IT'S AT LEAST LISTENED TO THEM BEFORE WE MAKE A RASH DECISION TO PULL IT UP, WHICH IS COSTLY TO SAY THE LEAST. NOT JUST IN MONEY, BUT INCONVENIENCE IN LIVES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. COUNCIL ALCOR. [01:20:01] THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU BOB FOR YOUR COMMENTS. AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IN THE SAFETY ASPECT OF IT. I RECENTLY, UM, PARTICIPATED ON THE EAST END IN A A CHARITY BIKE RIDE. WE RAN ABOUT, WE RODE ABOUT 10 MILES. AND BOY, YOU SURE DO FEEL A LOT SAFER RIDING IN A PROTECTED BIKE LANE. EVEN THOUGH WE HAD PEOPLE ALONG WITH US AND A LOT OF PEOPLE RIDING THE STREET, I CHOSE TO GO IN THE PROTECTED BIKE LANE BECAUSE YOU ARE, YOU ARE SAFER IN, IN THAT PROTECTED BIKE BIKE LANE. I HAVE HEARD MAYOR, I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE YOU DON'T WANNA P**S OFF THE BIKE PEOPLE AND YOU DON'T WANNA P**S OFF THE ANIMAL PEOPLE. UM, AND I HAVE HEARD FROM A LOT OF OF PEOPLE ON THIS BIKE LANE AND CYNTHIA AND OTHERS, WE WORKED, I WORKED WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SHABAZZ A LOT WHEN THE, THE BIKE LANE FIRST WENT IN. YOU HAVE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT THAT AREA, THE TRASH, THE FIRE, THE WHOLE DEAL. BUT I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH YOU DR. STEIN, ABOUT THE DATA. I'VE ASKED FOR CRASH DATA, I'VE ASKED FOR COST DATA, I'VE ASKED FOR TRAFFIC DATA. UH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE ALL THAT DATA WHEN THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR COMING AND AND I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE. BIKE LANES ARE CONTROVERSIAL IN EVERY CITY. YOU CAN'T GO TO A CITY WHERE, WHERE THEY HAVEN'T HAD A BIG FIGHT ABOUT BIKE LANES. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HARD. IT'S CHANGING AS HARD. WE ARE A CAR-CENTRIC CITY. I THINK INSIDE THE LOOP IN THE AREAS, UH, PEOPLE ARE USING THOSE BIKE LANES. I'VE CERTAINLY HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE USING THE BIKE LANES. I, MYSELF JUST BEING IN IDO RECENTLY CERTAINLY APPRECIATED THE PROTECTED BIKE LANES. SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, BOB AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALQUAN. THANK YOU ALL. YOU BROUGHT UP 11 STREET AND I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT AS WE'RE DEALING WITH THESE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE NOT PAINTING WITH BROAD STROKES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT COMMUNITY BY COMMUNITY. AND I, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT 11TH STREET BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT BIKE LANES, IT WAS ABOUT SAFETY CROSSING THE STREET FOR PEDESTRIANS AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, NOT JUST NICHOLSON, BUT AT MULTIPLE INTERSECTIONS AND FOR DRIVERS AS WELL. UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE AROUND SCHOOLS, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME RESIDENTS IN MONTROSE AND OTHER AREAS, A LOT. WE HAVE CLUSTERS OF SCHOOLS TOGETHER AND A LOT OF THOSE FAMILIES DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE BUS BECAUSE THEY LIVE SO CLOSE. SO ALL OF THOSE FAMILIES WALK, ALL OF THOSE FAMILIES BIKE BECAUSE OF WHERE THOSE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED. SO I, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT TO THE CONVERSATION, YOUR EXPERTISE, BUT ALSO YOUR AS LIVED EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO 11TH STREET. YEAH, I I JUST ONLY HOPE I CAN LIVE WITH NOT WINNING A POLITICAL BATTLE. I CANNOT LIVE WITH HAVING A DUE PROCESS. ALL I ASK THE COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR TO DO IS LIKE HE HAS, HE'S CONSULTED OBVIOUSLY WITH THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY. HALF A DOZEN PEOPLE SPOKE TODAY. I WOULD ONLY ASK HE DO THE SAME AND BROADEN IT TO INCLUDE THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, AND WHAT MAYOR TURNER DID, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. THAT'S ALL I ASK. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. NEXT, DR. ABDUL MUHAMMAD, THE NAME OF ALLAH OF ME, ASAM, PEACE BEYOND TO YOU AND TO THE MUSLIM I BAR, UH, MAYOR WITH MY CITY COUNCIL. THE LAST TIME I CAME BEFORE THIS COUNCIL WAS IN AUGUST 22ND, 2017. THE COUNCIL IN THE CITY WAS DEEPLY DIVIDED WHILE DEBATING THE REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE STATUES. I CAME BEFORE THIS COUNCIL AND I ASKED THE MEMBERS TO VOTE ACCORDING TO THEIR CONSCIENCE, BUT TO DO WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE CITY. 48 HOURS LATER, HURRICANE HARVEY MADE LANDFALL AND WE WERE FORCED TO UNIFY AND COME TOGETHER FOR OUR SURVIVAL. CRISIS. AFTER CRISIS HAS ENSUED, FORCING US TO FIND A WAY TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE SAKE OF THE WHOLE. TODAY I'VE COME TODAY TO ADDRESS OUR CITY'S MA MANY CHALLENGES, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE SOLUTIONS WILL COME FROM POLITICAL ITY OR EVEN FISCAL WIZARDRY ALONE. RATHER, I BELIEVE THAT THE ROOT OF OUR CHALLENGE AND ULTIMATELY THE SOLUTION IS SPIRITUAL, THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY AND FEAR AND ANGER IN HOUSTON IN THIS BUILDING. AND SADLY, EACH OF US IS UNCONSCIOUS OF HOW OUR PARTICULAR SIN MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY AND ANGER. WE DON'T SEEM TO REALIZE THAT BY OFFENDING EACH OTHER WE ARE OFFENDING GOD. THANK YOU. OPPOSED BY SAYING THIS. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. GO AHEAD. PROCEED. OKAY. THEREFORE, MAYOR WHITMEYER, I'M COMING TO YOU AND ASKING YOU, AS JONAH ASKED THE KING OF NINEVEH IN THE BOOK OF JONAH, TO DECLARE AND LEAD OUR CITY IN THE DAY OF REFLECTION, REPENTANCE, AND RECONCILIATION. [01:25:02] TO, TO DEMONSTRATE TO OUR STATE, OUR NATION, AND THE WORLD, HOW ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE CITIES ON THE PLANET CAN COME TOGETHER IN A BOND OF UNITY. AND WE WOULD SEEK THE FAVOR OF THE SOVEREIGN OF THE UNIVERSE SEEKING HIS MERCY TO SPARE OUR CITY AND OUR PEOPLE FROM HIS WRATH. LASTLY, I'LL CLOSE BY SIMPLY SAYING THAT I'M NOT COMING BEFORE YOU TO SILENCE ANY LEGITIMATE CRITICISM OF ANY POLICIES OR DIFFERENCES AROUND THIS HORSESHOE. RATHER, WE'RE URGING A SHIFT FROM ZERO SUM GAME DEBATE MODE TO A DIALOGUE WITH THESIS AND ANTI ANTITHESIS CAN COME TOGETHER FOR A SYNTHESIS TO MOVE US BEYOND THE POLITICAL DIVIDE. AND I CLOSE BY SIMPLY SAYING TO OUR PROGRESSIVE AND CONSERVATIVE COUNCIL PERSONS, THE DIRECTION OF OUR CITY IS NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT, BUT FORWARD. AND IT HAS TO BE TOGETHER. YOU MAY DISAGREE WITH WHAT I JUST SAID, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO SHOW ME A BIRD THAT CAN FLY WITH ONLY ONE WING. SO I PRAY THAT YOU WOULD TAKE WHAT I'M ASKING OF YOU MAYOR TO HEART. IT'S NOT ALL ON YOU. LASTLY, I WANT TO SAY TO THIS COUNCIL, I'VE SERVED EVERY MAYOR FROM WHITMEYER TO WHITMEYER. IT'S THE TRUTH. AND I CAN TELL YOU, MAYOR, THAT EVERY MAYOR AND EVERY CITY COUNCIL, SINCE I'VE BEEN OVER THE CITY AS THE MINISTER OF THE HONORABLE MINISTER LOUIS FARRAKHAN, EVERY MAYOR HAS KICKED A CERTAIN BUCKET DOWN THE ROAD. EVERY COUNCIL HAS DONE IT. AND WHAT YOU HAVE INHERITED IS ALL THAT HAS COME BEFORE US, NOT JUST ON THE LAST ADMINISTRATION. IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES. AND THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THE WAY THAT WE'VE HANDLED METRO. AND IN A PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH OTHERS, I, I'LL SIT DOWN AND I'LL TELL YOU, I CAN GIVE YOU EVERY MAN WHAT THEY KICKED DOWN THE ROAD THAT YOU'VE INHERITED FROM THE PENSION TO EVERYTHING. BUT I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER TO CALL THIS DAY AGAIN A REFLECTION FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BELIEVE IN GOD REPENTANCE. FOR THOSE OF US WHO KNOW THAT WE'VE SINNED AND OFFENDED EACH OTHER AND GOD AND A DAY OF RECONCILIATION SO WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND MOVE THIS CITY FORWARD. I THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. AND MAY GOD BLESS THIS MIGHTY CITY THAT I LOVE SO MUCH. THREE OF MY SONS BEEN BORN HERE AT WOMEN'S HOSPITAL AND I'VE ENJOYED PROBABLY THE SUCCESS THAT MANY HAVE. AND I THANK GOD FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU AND YOU OFFERING YOURSELF FOR PUBLIC SERVICE. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DAVIS MINISTER. YES SIR. UM, GOOD TO SEE YOU, MY BROTHER. GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORD OF WISDOM. I THINK IT'S ALWAYS APPROPRIATE THAT THE CITY TAKE A PAUSE SINCERELY, AND OFTENTIMES WE DO GET IN THE GRASS AND IN THE WEEDS ABOUT WHAT SIDE OF THE FENCE OR THE AISLE OR YOU WANNA BE ON. BUT I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT OF US THAT WE MUST ALL TAKE A STEP BACK, START LOOKING AT THINGS FROM A SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE. I BELIEVE THAT YOU BELIEVE IT. WE WALKED DOWN THE ROAD OF MANY YEARS IN MANY FIGHTS IN THIS CITY. SO I WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT I HOPE THAT WE ALL WILL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE WISE. AND OFTENTIMES WE HEAR COMMENTS, BUT CERTAINLY SOMETIMES WE MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE COMMON SENSE AND SPIRITUALITY BECAUSE WE ALL MADE OF IT. WE ARE A TRICHOTOMY, NOT A ONE OTOMY. WE ARE A TRICHOTOMY. AND OF COURSE I AIN'T GONNA GET INTO THAT WHOLE THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM, MY BROTHER. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR STAND. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN DAVIS. UH, AGAIN, UM, I WANT TO SELL ALL THOSE ON THE MINISTERIAL ADVISORY BOARD TO THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON THAT I DON'T WANT TO LEAD THIS THING. I DON'T EVEN WANNA BE ON THE PROGRAM. I'M GOING TO PUT ON SACKCLOTH AND IN THE ASHES AND JOIN THE CITY IN ITS REPENTANCE 'CAUSE IT'S THE GROUP, ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES IN THE WORLD. AND I DO, I JUST BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE THAT PAUSE AND THEN GO BACK AT THESE ITEMS SO THAT EVERYONE CAN BE HEARD. NO, NO, NO MORE DEBATE. 'CAUSE IN DEBATE YOU HAVE WINNERS AND LOSERS, BUT IN DIALOGUE YOU SHARE A THESIS AND A ANTITHESIS AND YOU COME TOGETHER WITH A SYNTHESIS SO THAT WE CAN ALL MOVE FORWARD. THAT'S HOW THIS THING WILL WORK. AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS CITY MORE THAN ANY PLACE ELSE ON EARTH AND COMING TOGETHER WITH ALL OF YOU, THINK ABOUT THE IMMIGRANTS THAT ARE CONCERNED. YOU THINK ABOUT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY THAT'S CONCERNED WITH ANTISEMITE. YOU THINK ABOUT THE MUSLIMS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST. YOU THINK ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST MANY OF OUR ICONS. ALL OF US ARE IN PAIN RIGHT NOW. AND SO WE GOTTA STOP FOR A MOMENT AND JUST HAVE A HEALING AND THEN MOVE FORWARD. AND WE CAN SOLVE THE BUDGET DEFICIT. WE CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM. WHETHER YOU GONNA HAVE WITH THE POLICE [01:30:01] WANTING A NEW CONTRACT. ALL OF THIS CAN BE RESOLVED, BUT IT HAS TO BE TOGETHER. AND IT'S NOT JUST ON THE MAYOR, IT'S GONNA BE ON ALL OF US TO MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. NEXT BERNADETTE, KIKI TO BE FOLLOWED BY JASMINE PORTER. PRAISE THE LORD. UH, BLESSED MEN COUNCIL, MEN AND WOMEN AND, UH, BEAUTIFUL HOUSTONIANS. I AM HERE TODAY SENT BY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TO SPEAK TO THIS BODY AND TELL US THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS COMING. AND HE HAS SENT PROPHET DR. DAVID OOW, THE ASIAN ELIJAH IN THE BIBLE. BLESSED PEOPLE, I BRING YOU THE TRUTH. THE ASIAN ELIJAH AND MOSES IN THE BIBLE, AS THE TWO LIVING WITNESSES ARE MINISTERING ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, THEY ARE THE ONES THAT STRUCK THE CORONAVIRUS BECAUSE THE ENTIRE HUMANITY DOES NOT WANNA HEAR THAT THE LORD JESUS CRISIS COMING. THANK, THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THEY ALSO STRUCK THIS, MY, MY EARTHQUAKE THAT JUST HAPPENED. NOW YOU WILL SEE THE PROPHECY ON THEIR WEBSITE. IT IS ON THE PAPER I HAVE, UH, DISTRIBUTED. YOU WILL SEE THE WEBSITE, THE PROPHECY. YOU SEE HOW IT'S FULFILLED THAT THE ONES THAT STRUCK THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE, THE TSUNAMI OF JAPAN. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS BECAUSE THE LORD HAS LOVED HOUSTONIANS. AND LIKE MY MINISTER SAID, WE ALL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER AND INVITE THEM. THEY'VE SPOKEN IN THE BRAZILIAN NATIONAL PARLIAMENT, THEY'VE SPOKEN IN THE ITALIAN NATIONAL PARLIAMENT. THEY HAVE SPOKEN IN THE ISRAELI, CONNECTED AS THE PROPHETS OF ISRAEL THAT HAVE BEEN SENT BACK. ALL OF YOU KNOW ELIJAH NEVER DIED. THEY'RE BACK. OKAY? AND TO RECEIVE THEM IS GRACE TO, FOR US TO WORK WITH THEM IS GRACE. THOSE WHO ARE NOT WORKING WITH THEM IS LIKE THE EARTHQUAKE THAT YOU SEE, THAT DIGGING UP IS PROJECTED TO BE UP TO 10,000. OKAY? SO I NEED TO WORK WITH EV EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. I'M REALLY PLEADING AND I'LL KEEP COMING. YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE THE LAST OF ME HERE UNTIL WE HAVE THE BIGGEST REVIVAL, THE BIGGEST COMING TOGETHER. THIS IS NOT ABOUT DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN. THIS IS ABOUT ALL OF US. YES MA'AM. COMING TOGETHER, HEARING WHAT THE LORD JESUS IS SAYING AND PREPARING FOR RAPTURE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. BLESSING, MAYOR. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. MY EMAIL IS IN YOUR EMAILS AND UH, I LOOK FORWARD FOR US WORKING TOGETHER. THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MA'AM. NEXT, JASMINE PORTER TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANGELA ROSS. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. COUNCIL MEMBERS, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. MAYOR WITTMEYER, IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME. UH, MY NAME IS JASMINE PORTER. I'M THE FOUNDER OF THE PEACE PROGRAM. SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF IT BEFORE. UM, THE PEACE PROGRAM IS A DUAL FOCUS PROGRAM. WE PROVIDE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELLNESS TRAINING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND WE FACILITATE COMMUNITY RELATION INITIATIVES. THE PROGRAM IS CERTIFIED BY THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM WHERE OFFICERS RECEIVE ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR ATTENDING THE CLASS. WE'RE ALSO GRATEFUL FOR THE PROCLAMATION THAT WE RECEIVED JUST LAST YEAR, HONORING THE PROGRAM'S IMPACT. WE BEGIN OVER FOUR YEARS AGO AS A PILOT PROGRAM WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE POLICE UNION AND COUNCIL MEMBER. POLLARD HAS EXPANDED INTO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND FORMED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ENGAGE OUR YOUTH IN FOSTERING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CIVILIANS AND OFFICERS. WE ACTUALLY TAKE THE POLICE OFFICERS INTO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND PRACTICE MINDFULNESS AND WELLNESS TOGETHER. UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE QUITE LITERALLY THE THREAT OF SOCIETY. AND BECAUSE OF THIS, THEY EXPERIENCE A DISPROPORTIONATE RATE OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PTSD AND SUICIDE. IN FACT, WE LOSE ABOUT WELL OVER 300 OFFICERS PER YEAR TO SUICIDE PERMISSION TO CONTINUE. UM, IT IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WE NOT ONLY HAVE OFFICERS ALIVE AND WELL TO PROTECT AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO THAT THEY ARE IN THE BEST STATE OF MIND TO TRULY PROTECT AND SERVE. THE PROGRAM ALSO HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT THE CITY AT LARGE BY [01:35:01] REDUCING LEGAL EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH POLICE INVOLVED INCIDENTS THROUGH THIS PROACTIVE AND PREVENTATIVE APPROACH. I STANDING HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY, BECAUSE DUE TO DEPARTMENT BUDGET CUTS, CONTINUED FUNDING FOR THE PEACE PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY UNSUSTAINABLE THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO IS ESSENTIALLY COUNTER THE IMPACT OF CUMULATIVE AND CHRONIC STRESS BY PROMOTING NEUROPLASTICITY. IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE RESTRUCTURING THE BRAIN SO THAT WELL THROUGH MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION AND SOUND THERAPY AND MINDBODY CONNECTION SO THAT THEY HAVE ENHANCED DECISION MAKING SKILLS, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND FOCUS. EXCUSE ME, COUNCILMAN POLLARD WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT OR PLEASE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, JASMINE, FIRST I WANNA THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR THANK YOU, YOUR EFFORTS AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, UM, THE PIECE PROGRAM FOR YOU ALL, UH, WHO DON'T KNOW. AND TO REMIND OTHERS. THE PEACE PROGRAM IS SOMETHING THAT WE COLLABORATED ON SEVERAL YEARS AGO, UH, AFTER THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD, GEORGE FLOYD. AND WE WERE TRYING TO FIND A WAY IN WHICH WE COULD PROVIDE OUR HPD OFFICERS WITH A SPACE WHERE THEY COULD, UM, DECOMPRESS, THEY COULD WORK ON THEIR ANXIETY, UH, THEY CAN DO JOURNALING, UH, SOUND THERAPY, YOGA, MEDITATION. AND JASMINE LEADS THIS EFFORT. UH, IT WAS FUNDED FIRST THROUGH THE HOUSTON POLICE OFFICERS UNION AND THEN THROUGH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, BUT BECAUSE OF BUDGET, UH, CUTS OR BUDGET STRESS, UH, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE FUNDING THAT PROGRAM. AND THIS IS FOR OUR OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THIS CLASS. UM, MY OFFICE HAS OR WILL BE PUTTING FORTH A PROPOSAL MAYOR THROUGH OUR COUNCIL OF DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS, UH, TO TO BE BRIDGE FUNDING, UH, FOR THE PEACE PROGRAM TO CONTINUE. AND SO YOU'LL BE GETTING THAT ON YOUR DESK OR SHOULD HAVE IT ON YOUR DESK. AND AS WITH THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE PROPOSED, I AM ASKING FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF THOSE DOLLARS SO THAT THE PEACE PROGRAM CAN CONTINUE AND OUR OFFICERS CAN GET THE TRAINING THAT THEY NEED, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DEESCALATE IN, UH, TENSE MOMENTS WITH THE PUBLIC. THANK YOU. MAY I CLOSE WITH, UH, OUR PROGRAM IS REALLY BELOVED BY ALL OF OUR OFFICERS, UM, AND OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. AND WE DO HAVE THE FULL SUPPORT OF CHIEF DEEDS AND HIS EXECUTIVE STAFF AS WELL TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ANGELA ROSS TO BE FOLLOWED BY RONNIE HAMPTON. I'M NOT A PUBLIC SPEAKER. MY I WANNA RUN AWAY, BUT THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. UH, I COME HERE BECAUSE I'M IN DIRE NEED OF, UH, HELP. UH, FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS I HAVE BEEN, UH, PLA WITH EXTREME AND DANGEROUS CYBER HARASSMENT AND PERSON HARASSMENT TO MAKE ME FEEL UNSAFE. THE PERSON BEHIND THIS IS MY EXPO, WILLIAM ROSS. HE'S A MULTIMILLIONAIRE AND HE'S COMMITTED ACTUAL FRAUD. AND HE'S TRYING TO INTIMIDATE ME IN ORDER TO, GOSH, IN ORDER TO GIVE UP MY RIGHT FOR MY FUNDS, I DON'T WANNA BE HERE. UH, HE HAS COMMITTED LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL CRIMES, INCLUDING PERJURY. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE FBI THAT, THAT HPD, UH, MAYBE SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY'VE NOT DONE ANYTHING. I'VE WRITTEN LETTERS TO, UH, LOCAL AND STATE REPRESENTATIVES TO CHE A AND HIS FAM AND HER, HER STAFF, AND ALSO TO YOU, MAYOR WHITE. I'M QUITE SURE YOU DIDN'T GET IT, BUT I DID WRITE YOU. I'M IN DESPERATE NEED OF HELP. UH, HE HAS, UH, HACKED INTO, UH, UH, BANKS, UH, SEVERAL BANKS. I WON'T CALL THE NAMES. AND ALSO, UH, FEDERAL, UH, BUT FIDELITY RETIREMENT PLACES WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR MONEY. I HAVE AN ACCOUNT THERE AND I CAN'T GET INTO IT. I MEAN, HE'S THROWING SOME MAJOR AND DANGEROUS THINGS. UM, BEAR WITH ME PLEASE. UH, I'M NOT ABLE TO SECURE MY HOME PROPERLY. HE'S HACKED THROUGH THIS TRUCK. SHALL YOU'RE GONNA PROCEED. OKAY. BUT LET ME, LET ME HELP, UH, WITH A QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE AN ATTORNEY? I HAD FOUR ATTORNEYS, FOUR ATTORNEY. NONE WORKED FOR ME. BEG YOUR PARDON? I HAD FOUR ATTORNEYS AND NONE OF 'EM WORKED FOR ME, UNFORTUNATELY. I THINK HE WAS, THEY WERE ENTICED BY MY EX-BOSS. I WAS IN COURT YESTERDAY. UM, THERE'S NO HELP. I MEAN, I WHICH, WHICH COURT WERE YOU IN YESTERDAY? UH, THE FAMILY COURT. UH, JUDGE B JANICE BIRCH. AND YOU HAD AN ATTORNEY WITH YOU? NO, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE AN ATTORNEY. I HAD TO EVENTUALLY REPRESENT MYSELF, UH, BECAUSE I HAD FOUR ATTORNEYS AND THEN, SO I STOPPED TRUSTING THEM. NONE OF 'EM WORKED FOR ME. MM-HMM . AND SO IT'S JUST, I I, I'M, I'M IN DI DENNIS. DO YOU, DO YOU, UH, ARE YOU EMPLOYED? I'M A RETIRED BUSINESS ONLY. WE HAD A BUSINESS AND, UH, IT, IT WAS DOING WELL [01:40:01] AND I RETIRED FROM THAT. AND I, I'M ALSO, I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DISABILITY WITH MY BACK, AND SO YES MA'AM. NO. WELL, YOU'VE TURNED TO HPD. WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO ERIC, MR. CARR, SERGEANT, WOULD YOU TALK TO OUR GUEST? WHY DON'T YOU LET HIM GET A STATUS REPORT OF YOUR OKAY. COMPLAINT WITH HPD. OKAY. AND I WOULD, IF YOU CAN HAVE THE RESOURCES, I WOULD, UH, SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY. OKAY. AND THAT'S A PROBLEM. I CAN'T GET TO ATTORNEYS. I, WHEN I TRY TO MAKE PHONE CALLS, MY, MY PHONE CALLS ARE EITHER I REDIRECT IT TO A SCAMMER OR, UH, YES MA'AM. CUT OFF. I MEAN, HE'S DOING SOME MAJOR THINGS AND, AND WELL, I WOULD TALK TO THE OFFICER. HE CAN GIVE YOU SOME GOOD ADVICE, BUT THERE'S NOT MUCH WE CAN DO ABOUT A LOT OF YOUR ALLEGATIONS. RIGHT? RIGHT. UH, BUT I'M JUST, I, I CAN'T GET ANY HELP FROM ANYONE. I MEAN, HE ASKED ME FOLLOW AND TALK TO MR. CARR. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND, UM, THEY HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES. OKAY. MAY I HAVE ONE MORE THING PLEASE? SURE. HE'S DONE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY HOUSE. WHEN I'M AWAY FROM HOME. HE TRACKS ME AND HE SENDS PEOPLE INSIDE OF MY HOUSE TO DAMAGE IT. AND SO IT'S JUST, I JUST FEEL UNSAFE AND I, I DON'T HAVE ANY RESOURCES. ME, I'M, I'M SORRY. AND OFFICER CARR WILL REVIEW IT AND MAYBE REFER YOU TO A DISTRICT ATTORNEY IF IT'S A CRIMINAL MATTER? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. I APPRECIATE IT. GOOD LUCK NE NEXT, RONNIE HAMPTON. MARIA RAMOS. MARIA RAMOS, JEAN NUAN NUAN, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOU, FOR YOU GUYS LETTING ME SPEAK. UH, CAN I HAVE SOMEONE AT THE OFFICE TO SAY THEIR FIRST AND FULL NAME PLEASE? ANYBODY? JUST, JUST SAY YOUR FIRST AND FULL NAME. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAID, SIR. I JUST WANT ANYBODY FROM THE OFFICE TO SAY THEIR FIRST AND FULL NAME. WHAT OFFICE TO SAY WHAT? YOUR FIRST AND FULL NAME. SAY YOUR FIRST AND FULL NAME. NO, YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME. I DO APOLOGIZE. ANYBODY, BODY. TH THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SPEAK. DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO PRESENT TO THE COUNCIL? YES. IT'S, IT'S PART OF WHAT I'M DOING, MA'AM. BEFORE. OKAY. THIS IS MARTHA TATUM. THANK YOU. AND WE'RE WAITING FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. UM, SO LATELY I'VE BEEN ASKING MYSELF WHAT IS MY NAME? THAT IS WHY I HAD ASKED YOU THAT QUESTION. OKAY. MY FULL NAME IS JEN WAN. I CAME HERE AS A REFUGEE IN 2005, UM, WITH MY SISTER VENUS NEWAN AND MY FATHER ANTHONY NEWAN. AND I GRADUATED FROM DOHERTY MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL. DID A YEAR OF COLLEGE AT NICHOLS FOR SPORTS MANAGEMENT BUSINESS. UM, I WORK NUMEROUS JOBS. I WORK AT THE YMCA AS A PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS STAFF AND CHILDCARE OVERVIEWING FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS HAVING MY OWN ROOM. I WORK AT POLO PARK, WHICH IS A BASEBALL PARK IN MASSACHUSETTS. UM, I WORK FOR THEIR, UH, THE W SOCKS FOUNDATION. BEING THE 50 50 SELLER TOP SELLER. I WORKED AT DCU CENTER, HANOVER THEATER AS A AUDIO PROGRAMMER AND, UH, IN A MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT FOR THEIR PROGRAM. I WORK ALSO WORKED AT A HARD DEALERSHIP AS BDC SALES . AND LATELY I'VE BEEN ASKING CAN I PROCEED? DID YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC ASK OF THE COUNCIL TODAY? UH, YES. IT'S FOR, UH, DISCRIMINATION AND ASSISTANCE. IT'S FOR WHAT KIND OF ASSISTANCE? UH, DISCRIMINATION ASSISTANCE. UH, FOR DISCRIMINATION AND ASSISTANCE. OKAY. CAN YOU, CAN YOU TALK WITH HIM AND GET HIM THE INFORMATION THAT HE NEEDS? JAMES, CAN YOU SEE JAMES RIGHT OVER THERE AND JAMES CAN HELP YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. NEXT SPEAKER. DAVID RICHARD. DAVID RICHARD. GOOD EVENING. UM, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, UM, MAYOR WHITMORE. THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALLOWING THIS TIME. MY NAME IS DAVID RICHARD. I AM THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNITY 180. I STAND BEFORE YOU GUYS TODAY AS A COMMUNITY LEADER, BUT ALSO AS SOMEONE WHO AT 16 YEARS OLD, LIVED IN THIS CITY, [01:45:01] HOMELESS, UH, AND SLEPT RIGHT HERE ON PIERCE STREET. UM, FOR YEARS, UH, THIS CITY HAS BECOME A GREAT SOURCE OF PRIDE FOR MYSELF. UM, IT HAS PROVIDED ME WITH SO MANY LIFE CHANGING RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES. IT WAS HOUSTON THAT UPLIFTED ME. AND SO THE PERSON, THE PURPOSE OF TODAY, UH, IS FOR US TO INTRODUCE COMMUNITY 180 AND SHARE INITIATIVE WITH YOU GUYS CONCERNING HUG HOUSTON. UH, THIS MISSION, UH, HAS LIVED THROUGH AN ORGANIZATION. WE STARTED IN 2020 DURING THE PANDEMIC CALLED COMMUNITY 180, WHERE WE SERVE FAMILIES STILL HERE IN HOUSTON, UH, WHO ARE FACING FINANCIAL DISPARITIES, UH, WHO ARE WITHOUT, UH, WHO HAVE A NEED. UH, WHETHER IT'S ECONOMICAL, LACK, OR WHETHER IT'S GREAT CONCERN, SOMETHING THAT EXISTS GREATLY TODAY. AND IT'S A GREAT CONCERN FOR SO MANY HOUSTONIANS. I'M PROUD TO, UH, ANNOUNCE THIS ORGANIZATION TO INTRODUCE THE EVENT THAT IS SET TO TAKE PLACE IN THE GREENSPOINT AREA ON MAY 24TH, WHICH IS THE HUG HOUSTON BLOCK. COMMUNITY BLOCK PARTY. GREENSPOINT IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS FULL OF POTENTIAL. UH, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NOTICE CONSISTENTLY, MAY I CONTINUE? YES, SIR. GO AHEAD. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE NOTICED CONSISTENTLY IS THAT IN THE GREENSPOINT AREA, OVER 38% OF THE HOUSEHOLDS IN GREENSPOINT LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE FAMILIES ARE FALLING IN WHAT THE UNITED HEALTH UNITED WAY CONSIDER TO BE ALICE. MEANING THEY HAVE EMPLOYMENT, BUT THEY DON'T MAKE ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR BASIC NEEDS. OUR ORGANIZATION WORKS, UH, TIRELESSLY EACH MONTH TO SERVE THOSE FAMILIES WITH WHAT WE CALL COMMUNITY CARE BAGS THAT FILL THEM UP, GIVE THEM 50, $200 WORTH OF ESSENTIAL GOODS. ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE ON MAY 24TH, OUR THIS OPERATION OR THIS PARTNERSHIP ALLOWS US TO PARTNER WITH LOCAL AND OTHER REGIONAL DIRECTORS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT THESE FAMILIES NEED, THEY'RE ABLE TO ACTUALLY RECEIVE. OKAY. I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND THANK COUNCILWOMAN TARSHA JACKSON'S OFFICE LAST WEEK. HER TEAM CAME OUT AND THEY WALKED WITH US THROUGH GREENS POINT TO SERVE THESE FAMILIES AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER THE NEED IS IN THIS COMMUNITY, WE'RE MEETING IT. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS COMMUNITY, BUT WE NEED MORE SUPPORT AND WE'D LIKE TO A, REQUEST A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON. OKAY. IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. THANK JACKSON COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU MR. RICHARD FOR COMING IN AND SHARING, UM, GIVING THE COUNCIL AN UPDATE ON YOUR ORGANIZATION. UM, MY OFFICE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN, UM, ABSOLUTELY. YOU SHARE, YOU SHARED THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP. ABSOLUTELY. UM, AS I MENTIONED, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE STAFF MENTIONED, UM, EVERY FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH, OUR FAITH-BASED ALLIANCE, UM, COME TOGETHER, WHICH IS QUITE A FEW ORGANIZATIONS AWESOME. THAT WORK IN DISTRICT BEING, SO WE INVITE YOU TO COME BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. ABSOLUTELY. UM, THAT'S HOW WE ABLE TO COLLABORATE, UM, YOU KNOW, EFFECTIVELY. UM, AND IN FACT THIS PAST, UM, THANKSGIVING, WE SERVE OVER 3000 AND PEOPLE, UM, FED 'EM. AND SO THIS COMING YEAR WE, THIS THANKSGIVING WE PLAN ON DOING 10,000. SO WE'D LOVE TO, UM, PARTNER WITH YOU, UM, ABSOLUTELY. AND BRING YOU IN THE MIX. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING UP. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN AND AGAIN, THANK YOU COUNCIL FOR HEARING ME TODAY. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU MY FRIEND FOR COMING. I'M GLAD YOU CAME IN ORDER TO LET OTHERS KNOW KINDA WHAT IT IS YOU YOU'RE DOING AND, UH, COMMEND OUR COURSE, OUR COLLEAGUE IN THAT DISTRICT. BUT THERE ARE OTHERS WHO WOULD LOVE TO SUPPORT WHAT IS YOU'RE DOING. YES, SIR. AND, UH, I'LL REACH OUT TO YOU AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. I'M AT, OR SO I'M NOT A DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE A LARGE CITY AND THERE ARE PEOPLE AROUND THE CITY. CORRECT. THAT WILL EXTEND HELP TO YOU AS WELL. OUR FOCUS, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME REPLYING TO THAT, OUR, OUR FOCUS IS HOUSTON ENTIRELY. ABSOLUTELY. WE'RE STARTING THIS IN, WE'RE STARTING IT IN GREENS POINT, BUT OUR TEAM GOES OUT AND DO DOOR TO DOOR IN EACH COMMUNITY TO SEE EXACTLY HOW WE CAN BE FEET ON THE GROUND. WE KNOW YOU GUYS CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE AT ALL TIMES, RIGHT. THE COMMUNITY REQUIRES ALL OF US, NOT SOME OF US. ABSOLUTELY. RIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. I LOOK FORWARD TO, I'LL GIVE MY INFORMATION. YES SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SIR. THANK YOU MAYOR. NEXT TOMORROW. ERO TOMORROW. WHAT THE HELL IS IT TOMORROW? HELLO. I AM ALSO NOT SO GOOD AT, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKING, BUT GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MR. MAYOR WHITMEYER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I'VE PREPARED A SMALL PACKET FOR EACH OF YOU THAT I CAN HAND OUT AFTER, IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT. I HAD A BOARD BUT I WAS TOLD I CAN'T BRING IT, SO I LEFT IT AT HOME. UH, MY NAME IS TAMARA PANERO. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING AT CAESAR EVENT RENTALS. HOUSTON. WE'RE A FULL SERVICE EVENT RENTAL COMPANY, PROVIDING EVERYTHING FROM FURNITURE AND DECOR TO TENTS AND STAGING ALL THE ELEMENTS NEEDED TO BRING A VISION TO LIFE FOR [01:50:01] A CITY FESTIVAL OR TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE CITY AND A NICE GALA. WHAT SETS US APART IS BOTH OUR SCALE AND OUR DEDICATION FROM OTHER EVENT RENTAL COMPANIES. WE ARE A NATIONAL COMPANY WITH SIX BRANCHES ACROSS THE US, TWO IN CALIFORNIA, ONE IN NEVADA, TWO IN FLORIDA, AND OF COURSE OUR BRANCH HERE IN TEXAS. OUR HOUSTON TEAM SERVICES THE ENTIRE STATE FROM AUSTIN AND DALLAS TO SUGARLAND AND THE WOODLANDS. PLEASE WRAP UP MA'AM. WE GOT A LONG LIST OF WITNESSES. OKAY. CAN I ADD JUST A LA A LITTLE? YEAH, SURE. BUT JUST BE YES SIR. CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIME. THANK YOU SIR. UH, WE DO EVENTS THAT, UH, CAN HOLD OVER WELL OVER 10,000 ATTENDEES. WE HAVE THE ABILITY WITH THE LARGE FURNITURE. UM, AND YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALSO. THANK YOU MR. WHITMEYER, FOR AN EVENT THAT YOU DID IN THE PAST AS, UH, UH, AFTER OCTOBER 7TH, YOU HAD, UH, IT WAS AT THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM. AND I PERSONALLY JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AS A JEWISH PERSON. UM, IT WAS A FRIGHTENING TIME AND, UM, SEEING YOUR LEADERSHIP AND STANDING AGAINST ANTISEMITISM BROUGHT A SENSE OF SAFETY TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT AS WELL. UH, THAT'S ALL. I JUST WOULD LIKE TO PASS OVER. WHO SHOULD I PASS? OKAY, THANK YOU. THAT GENTLEMAN OVER THERE. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, BE SAFE. NEXT BASILIO. ROB ROBLES BAILEY COLLINS BASTARD SWIN, ERNESTINE NEWTON MASANI DENMAN, CARLOS ESPINOZA, ARMANDO TORRES. I, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M ARMANDO TORRES. I COME FROM DISTRICT THREE, SORRY, DISTRICT, DISTRICT E IN, UH, CLEAR LAKE. AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BIKE LANES, WHICH I DO APOLOGIZE FOR REOPENING THE FLOOR FOR, UM, AS A STUDENT FOR THE PAST ONE YEAR, I'VE WALKED TO SCHOOL AND I'VE SEEN MY ROUND OF CYCLISTS WHO CYCLE IN THE DARK AND ALSO ON VERY UNSAFE, UH, SIDEWALKS WHICH ARE NOT FIT FOR BOTH CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. UM, NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF OPPOSITION TO BIKE LANES, SPECIFICALLY IN DOWNTOWN, AND I HEAR THOSE PEOPLE AND I APPRECIATE THEIR OPINIONS. BUT I THINK AS A HOUSTONIAN, THAT THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MOVE FORWARD FROM CAR DEPENDENCY TO MULTIMEDIA TRANSPORTATION IS BY TAKING A CHANCE WITH THESE BIKE LANES. AND FOR THAT, I PROPOSE THAT WE START FOCUSING A LITTLE BIT MORE ON MY LOCAL AREA, THE CITY OF CLEAR LAKE, WHICH I FIND IS A VERY SUITABLE AND PROMISING CANDIDATE FOR THE BIKE LANES AS THERE'S MANY STUDENTS AND MANY PEOPLE WHO ALSO USE BIKES BOTH ON THE ROAD AND ON THE SIDEWALKS, AND WHICH ARE VERY IN DANGER FROM THE, THE MOTORISTS WHO ALSO USE THE, UM, THE ROADS. SORRY, SORRY, I'M LOST. UM, NOW I KNOW THAT THIS IS, THIS IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THERE IS A ROAD THAT I'VE SEEN ON MY WAY WHEN I WAS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL CALLED GEMINI AVENUE, WHICH ACTUALLY DOES PARTAKE IN THE, IN THE BIKE PLAN, UH, OUTLINED BY THE BAC, WHICH WAS HEADED BY OR INSTITUTED BY MAYOR TURNER CONDOLENCES. UM, SO IN THIS SENSE, I KNOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXPAND THE PLAN INTO THE AREA AND POSSIBLY USE MY CITY AS A TESTING GROUND TO FURTHER OUR EFFORTS IN THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA. THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY VOICE AND HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, SIR. SECONDER COUNCILOR FLICKINGER, APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN. UH, SLOAN FROM MY OFFICE IS, IS HERE AND, UH, SHE'D LIKE TO EVEN VISIT WITH YOU IF YOU WANT A FEW MINUTES [01:55:01] AND KIND OF GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ALL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. DOES SHE WANT TO DO THAT NOW OR? YEAH, SHE'S RIGHT THERE IN THE BACK. OKAY, THANK YOU. NEXT SEBASTIAN LAUR. HI. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE VALUE AS I SEE IT, OF THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE. I CAN SAY FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT NOT EVERY BIKE LANE IN HOUSTON IS IDEALLY DESIGNED OR CONSTRUCTED. SOMETIMES WE'VE JUST BLOCKED OFF A NARROW SHOULDER THAT THEN BECOMES A SLCE FOR DEBRIS. UM, OFTEN OUR PATHS ARE DISCONNECTED. SOMETIMES A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD STREET ENDS UP BEING A PREFERABLE OPTION. BUT THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE REALLY IS USEFUL. IT'S WIDE. IT'S BASICALLY A FULL CAR LANE. SO THIS MEAN THAT IT, THIS MEANS THAT IT STAYS CLEAN AND IT'S BI-DIRECTIONAL SO IT CAN CHANNEL PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE NORTH SOUTH BIKE TRAFFIC, UH, THROUGH MIDTOWN AND DOWNTOWN. MOREOVER, IT'S IN AN AREA THAT IS PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO MOVE CARS QUICKLY. WHEN I'M DRIVING IN MIDTOWN, I HAVE PLENTY OF THREE OR FOUR LANE SPEEDWAYS TO CHOOSE FROM SAN JACINTO, FANON OR CAROLINE. BUT THIS MEANS THAT IT'S AN ESPECIALLY DICEY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR BIKES WITH AUSTIN STREET, WE'VE TAKEN ONE NORTH SOUTH LANE AND SIMPLY SET IT ASIDE FOR CYCLISTS. SO WHETHER YOU'RE BIKING FROM DOWNTOWN HCC, UH, BUFFALO BAYOU OR IDO, ONCE YOU'RE ON AUSTIN, YOU'RE SAFE FOR A LONG STRETCH OF MID HOUSTON. IT MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR BIKERS BUT ALSO EASIER FOR THE DRIVERS WHO DON'T HAVE TO DODGE US WHEN THEY'RE GUNNING FOR THE YELLOW LIGHT ON SAN JACK. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS NOT PRIORITIZING BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE. THAT'S YOUR PREROGATIVE, ESPECIALLY IN A TIME OF TIGHT BUDGETS. BUT THIS CASE FEELS DIFFERENT HERE. YOU'RE NOT JUST CANCELING OR ALTERING A FUTURE PROJECT. YOU'RE RIPPING OUT A LONGSTANDING ARTERY OF HOUSTON'S BIKE NETWORK THAT IS CURRENTLY USED BY LOTS OF US HERE. AND I DON'T SEE WHO BENEFITS DRIVERS GAIN VERY LITTLE FROM HAVING THAT ONE NEW LANE OPENED UP AND CYCLISTS WILL LOSE A LOT. UM, SO IN THE SPIRIT OF SOME OF THE DISCUSSION THAT CAME BEFORE, I WOULD LIKE CITY COUNCIL TO PLEASE CONSIDER REINSTALLING SOME VERSION OF THE PROTECTED LANE, UH, ONCE THE ROAD REPAVING IS DONE. AND I WOULD SEE THAT AS A WIN-WIN. SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. THANK YOU. NEXT ANNETTE, FRANK O KENDO. NOBODY PRONOUNCES THAT, RIGHT? UM, SO I BROUGHT A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF FOR Y'ALL. THERE'S A PICTURE OF, OH SORRY, BROUGHT A COUPLE OF PICTURES FOR Y'ALL. THIS IS MY CAR IS UM, MAZDA THREE HATCHBACK. I LIKE IT A LOT. THIS IS MY BIKE. IT'S AN E-BIKE. IT TAKES ME A LOT OF PLACES EVEN IN THE HOUSTON SUMMER, ESPECIALLY DOWN THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE 'CAUSE IT'S ALL SHADED. EVEN IN THE SUMMER IT'S NOT THAT BAD. I LIVE IN THE EAST END SECOND WARD, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT. I WORK AT THE MED CENTER. I TAKE THE AUSTRIAN STREET LANE TO BIKE COMMUTE. IF YOU GUYS DON'T BELIEVE ME, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LIKE, NOBODY TAKES THOSE LANES. I CAN SHARE MY STRAVA PROFILE. Y'ALL CAN SEE THE HEAT MAP. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT GO DOWN THERE, BUT BIKES ARE EFFICIENT. YOU DON'T SEE THEM AS MUCH 'CAUSE THEY DON'T GET STUCK LIKE CARS DO. THEY JUST GO THROUGH THIS QUARTER. DOESN'T JUST BENEFIT CYCLISTS, BE IT COMMUTERS OR HOBBYISTS. I SEE RUNNERS, I SEE WALKERS, I SEE STROLLERS ALL THE TIME. 'CAUSE THE SIDEWALK IS SO WONKY THAT THE BIKE LINE IS PREFERABLE TO IT. I KNOW THAT, UM, CYCLISTS WILL ALWAYS BE CONTROVERSIAL AND HATED, BUT A CORRIDOR LIKE THAT MAKES THE WHOLE ROAD SAFER. THERE IS DATA TO BACK THIS FOR DRIVERS, FOR CYCLISTS, FOR PEDESTRIANS, FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT DRIVE, WHO USE MOBILITY SCOOTERS TOO. I'VE SEEN THOSE TWO ON THE AUSTIN BIKE LANE. AS SOMEONE WHO WORKS IN HEALTHCARE AND SCIENCE, I ALSO SEE THAT WE'RE A VERY UNHEALTHY CITY. VERY SEDENTARY PEOPLE. WE SHOULD MOVE. AND YOU KNOW HOW IT MAKES IT VERY EASY TO MOVE, JUST GET TO PLACES ON A BIKE. MOST OF THE INNER LOOP IS DENSE ENOUGH THAT WE CAN CUT A LOT OF CAR TRIPS USING OUR BIKE. FINALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE [02:00:01] PARKING IS AT THE TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. I HOPE YOU NEVER HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. I HOPE YOUR LOVED ONES OR YOU ARE NOT SICK. UM, BUT IT IS REALLY EXPENSIVE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR ON THE LOW END, THOUSANDS ON THE HIGH END. A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN'T PAY THAT. A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD A CAR. THEY USE BIKES TO MOVE AROUND BECAUSE IT IS EFFICIENT, BECAUSE IT IS HEALTHY, BECAUSE IT IS COST EFFECTIVE. ARE WE ALSO NOT PROTECTING THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO BE IN THIS CAR-CENTRIC CITY? JUST BECAUSE IT'S CAR-CENTRIC, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CANNOT SPARE A TINY PIECE OF THE PIE FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE HEALTHIER, MORE EFFICIENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. I SEE PEOPLE WITH CARGO BIKES CARRYING THEIR KIDS. UM, I SEE LITTLE KIDS ENJOYING THE BIKE LANE. MY UH, COUSIN JUST GOT A LITTLE TRAILER FOR HER BABY BECAUSE THEY GO TO HERMAN PARK ALL THE TIME. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PARKING AT HERMAN PARK. IF YOU TRY TO PARK DURING SPRING BREAK, YOU WOULD'VE KNOWN THAT. BUT THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYBODY IF WE JUST TAKE THE METRO, IF WE JUST BIKE, IF WE DON'T EXCLUSIVELY USED CARS TO GET EVERYWHERE. THANK YOU PAUL HERRERO TO BE FOLLOWED BY JACK VALINSKI MAYOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. I FOR ONE, APPLAUD THE CITY FOR REMOVING THE ARMADILLOS AND CLEANING THE BIKE LANES ON HEIGHTS BOULEVARD. I RIDE DOWN THERE FREQUENTLY AND IT'S MUCH SAFER NOW THAT THE BIKE LANES HAVE BEEN CLEARED. AND THAT'S AN OPINION SHARED BY OTHER EXPERIENCED CYCLISTS. I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT BIKE HOUSTON, A TALE OF TWO BRIDGES AND MY COUNCIL MEMBER WEREN'T CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE BIKE LANES IN THEIR PRIOR CONDITIONS WHEN THEY WERE FULL OF DEBRIS INCLUDING DISLODGED ARMADILLOS THE PROBLEM. THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH PROTECTED BIKE LANES. THEY GET FILLED WITH DEBRIS AND THE PROTECTIONS, ARMADILLOS OR CURBS KEEP A CYCLIST FROM AVOIDING THAT DEBRIS. I KNOW DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CITY'S PLAN IS FOR HEIGHTS BOULEVARD, BUT I HOPE IT KEEPS IT AT JUST PAINTED BIKE LANES. IF YOU WANNA IMPROVE IT, YOU COULD ADD LIGHTING UNDER THE I 10, UH, OVERPASS THERE. IT'S PRETTY DARK. I ALSO FOUND IT INTERESTING THAT LAST WEEK SPEAKER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ARM DI THE HAWK GOING UP AT NICHOLSON AND 11TH STREET. I THOUGHT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN SAFETY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS AND THAT'S WHAT ORIGINALLY, IF YOU LOOKED AT WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTED, WAS JUST A HAWK OR LIGHT AT NICHOLSON AND 11TH STREET. THEY DIDN'T WANT BIKE LANES. FURTHER, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR THE GREAT JOB THAT HE'S DOING. WHETHER IT'S BRINGING COMMON SENSE TO TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS LIKE MONTROSE BOULEVARD, RESOLVING THE, UH, FIREFIGHTER'S CONTRACT STALEMATE, REFORMING THE EXCESSIVE WATER BILLS, ROOTING OUT CORRUPTION AND LISTENING TO HIS CONSTITUENTS INSTEAD OF JUST SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. SO THANK YOU MAYOR AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS THIS MORNING ON HELLO HOUSTON. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME MORE TIME ? NO THANK YOU. ONE OTHER COMMENT FROM WHAT BOB STEIN WAS SAYING, LOOKING AT THE DATA, YOU GOT A LOT OF COMMENTS. WELL JUST LOOK AT THE DATA ON 11TH STREET. LOOK AT IT ON THE SIDE STREETS, . YEAH, THERE'S MORE TRAFFIC ON THE SIDE STREETS, THE KIDS RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE KNOWS, BUT FIRE AND POLICE WILL NOT GO DOWN 11TH. I KNOW THE FIRE APPARATUS CANNOT GO DOWN 11TH. THEY CAN'T TURN ON TO YALE AND THE KIDS, THE POLICE GET CAPTURED IN THE BIKE OR IN THE, THE SINGLE LANE AND IN AN EMERGENCY THEY CAN'T GO AROUND ANYONE. AND IT'S PUSHING TRAFFIC DANGEROUSLY THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT I'M NOT GONNA GET IN THAT DEBATE TODAY. IT'S WELL DOCUMENTED BY THE FIRST RESPONDERS. I CAN NAME THE STATION AND THE INDIVIDUALS, THEY HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM ANSWERING CALLS ON 11TH. AND IF YOU KNOW BEN BERG WHO RUNS B AND B BUTCHERS ON WASHINGTON, HE'S GOT A VERY NICE RESTAURANT ON 11TH AND HE'LL TAKE, I CAN'T GET MY SUPPLIES THERE. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A SIMPLE, BACK TO THOSE ARMADILLOS, THEY WERE TEARING UP PEOPLE'S TIRES. WE JUST DON'T DO THINGS TO AGGRAVATE PEOPLE OR TO CREATE AN ISSUE. WE'RE SOLVING PROBLEMS AND I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TODAY. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THAT'S GOOD. JUST [02:05:01] A SEC. I DID WANNA SAY IT'S NOT ACCURATE ABOUT THE CONCERN ABOUT DEBRIS AND BIKE LANES. I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO DID A CLEANUP. I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN PARTICIPATED IN ONE. WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THINGS LIKE THAT. THE CONCERN IS WHEN THE COST OF RIPPING EVERYTHING UP, THE LACK OF NOTICE TO THE COMMUNITY OR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO 11TH STREET, THERE ARE SO MANY PERSPECTIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVEN MORE IMPROVEMENT. BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, IT'S NOT JUST NICHOLSON AND I SUPPORT A HAWK SIGNAL THERE, BUT WHEN WE'VE ASKED FOR HAWK SIGNALS AT 19TH, WHEN WE'VE ASKED FOR HAWK SIGNALS AT 20TH, WHEN WE'VE ASKED FOR ASSESSMENTS ALL ALONG NICHOLSON, THOSE HAVE BEEN DENIED. AND WHEN WE ARE SPENDING $200,000 ON A HAWK SIGNAL, HOW ARE WE EVALUATING THOSE? THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE BEING JUMPED TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD SOME SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. WE HAVE FINITE RESOURCES, SO WE ASK FOR TRANSPARENCY WITH THAT. WE ASKED FOR COLLABORATION WITH THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE HEARING IN OVER A HUNDRED PLUS EMAILS THAT HAVE COME INTO OUR OFFICE IN JUST THE PAST TWO WEEKS ALONE. SO I'M NOT HERE, HERE, HERE ARGUE. I'M SAYING ONE OF FROM ME. SO THEY WEREN'T ALL IN FAVOR OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. I I'M TALKING ABOUT THE REQUEST FOR INCREASED SAFETY. AND SORRY, I'M NOT HERE TO DEBATE. I'M SAYING I AGREE WITH YOU. BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SOLUTIONS, RIPPING THINGS UP IS NOT THE ANSWER WITHOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH A PLAN IN PLACE AS TO WHAT TO DO NEXT AND THE FUNDING AVAILABILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, HOW WE MOVE FORWARD, NOT SPENDING MORE MONEY TO TEAR THINGS UP WHEN WE HAVE NO PLAN AS TO HOW TO MAKE THEM SAFER MOVING FORWARD. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. YOU HAVE BEEN ENGAGED THROUGHOUT EVERYTHING AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR VOICE IN WORKING WITH YOU. OKAY, WELL, BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE CLEANED UP A FEW BIKE LANES AND THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION SPENT $160,000 ON A BIKE LANE STREET SWEEPER THAT LASTED TWO OPERATIONS I UNDERSTAND AND THEN BROKE DOWN. BUT LOOK AT CAVALCADE, LOOK AT WALL. YOU CAN LOOK AT ANY PROTECTED BIKE LANE IN THIS CITY AND IT'S GONNA BE FILLED WITH DEBRIS. AND YES, EVERY NOW AND THEN PEOPLE GO OUT AND CLEAN ONE OF THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, JACK VALINSKI. JACK MAYOR COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. UH, LAST TUESDAY I WAS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED, UH, AS PRESIDENT OF THE NEAR TOWN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I'M GONNA BE AROUND A LITTLE BIT. UM, AND IT'S NOT MY FIRST TIME IN LEADERSHIP. AND IN LEADERSHIP. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO. YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOUR CONSTITUENTS WANT YOU TO DO AND YOU GOTTA LISTEN TO THEM. I WAS HEAD OF PRIDE OR IN LEADERSHIP PRIDE FOR 25 YEARS AND THE MOST IMPORTANT MEETING TO ME WAS THE ONE AFTER THE PARADE BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE LISTENED AND HEARD WHAT WENT RIGHT AND WHAT WENT WRONG, BECAUSE THAT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WHEN METRO DECIDED TO DO REPAVING ON WESTHEIMER, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING. THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS TO HAVE A PUBLIC MEETING. SAME THING WITH WASHINGTON AVENUE. WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO WHEN APPARENTLY THEY'RE GONNA DO THAT TO MONTROSE. I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY METRO WAS DOING WORK ON TEXAS AVENUE BECAUSE ON SUNDAY I WALKED THE ENTIRE SPAN OF TEXAS AVENUE FROM MEMORIAL ALL THE WAY TILL THE TRAIN WENT INTO THE TUNNEL. I DIDN'T SEE A SINGLE, I DIDN'T SEE A SINGLE BUS STOP THERE. SO I'M NOT SURE WHY METRO'S DOING WORK ON TEXAS AVENUE. WE NEED TO HAVE MORE TRANSPARENCY. WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE COST OF REDOING HOUSTON AVENUE. AND I HEARD YOU MAYOR ON ON US ON THE RADIO TODAY. I APPLAUD YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY TO GET MORE MONEY INTO THE SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. BUT WE REALLY NEED TRANSPARENCY MORE ON THESE MATTERS SO THE PUBLIC CAN COMMENT AND AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY THINKS, NOT JUST A SMALL GROUP. THANK YOU. NEXT, MICHAEL MORITZ. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M A NEW RESIDENT OF DISTRICT C, FORMER RESIDENT OF DISTRICT H AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY. SO MUCH OF THE NARRATIVE ABOUT THESE BIKE LANES AND AUSTIN STREET, IT'S ABOUT BIKES. BUT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT, A FEW OTHER PEOPLE POINTED OUT IS THAT WHEN THE COUNTY PUT THAT FACILITY IN ALL TYPES OF NON-CAR USERS FLOCKED [02:10:01] TO THE STREET. WE'RE TALKING RUN CLUBS, MOMS WITH STROLLERS, PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS. SO WE HAVE A SAFETY CRISIS IN THIS CITY, TRANSPORTATION SAFETY CRISIS IN THIS CITY. AND THESE TYPES OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS MAKE THE STREETS SAFER. I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR WHAT THE RESIDENTS SAID ABOUT PARKING AND TRASH PICKUP AND DELIVERIES, BUT THIS WAS IN THE BIKE PLAN. IT'S A CRITICAL CORRIDOR AND WE NEED TO FIND A SOLUTION TO MAINTAIN IT. WE REALLY, THERE ARE 45 NORTH SOUTH CAR LANES IN MIDTOWN FROM BAGBY TO CHIN AIR 45 5, AND THERE'S ONE FULLY PROTECTED BIKE LANE. WE HAVE GOT TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION THAT KEEPS THAT IN PLACE. THANK YOU. NEXT CHLOE COOK TO BE FOLLOWED BY RANDALL ARD. HI EVERYBODY. UM, I'M CHLOE COOK. I KNOW SOME OF Y'ALL FROM, UM, YEARS OF ORGANIZING FOR TRANSPORTATION SAFETY AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND MOBILITY IN HOUSTON. UM, SALLY ABBY, UM, HAVE REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH Y'ALL. UM, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE. I AM A NEW RESIDENT OF MIDTOWN. I LIVE BETWEEN CAROLINE AND AUSTIN STREET BECAUSE OF THE BIKE LANES. THAT'S PART OF WHY I MOVED THERE. I LIVE ONE BLOCK FROM MAGNIFICO. UM, I'VE NEVER SEEN THEIR TRUCKS BACK OUT AND HIT A BIKE. UM, IT'S JUST NOT REAL. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INSTANCE WHEN ADDING A BIKE LANE MAKES A DRIVER IN GREATER DANGER. IT'S THEIR JOB TO DRIVE SAFELY ON THE LANES THAT ARE GIVEN TO THEM. AND THE OTHER THING THAT I'M REALLY, REALLY UPSET ABOUT IS THAT THE MAYOR HAS CONTINUED. YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO REFER TO ME AND OTHER ORGANIZERS AND OTHER CONCERNED COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS PAID PROTESTORS. AND OH MY GOD, I WISH I WERE PAID TO BE HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT I'M ACTUALLY NOT AT MY REAL JOB BECAUSE I'M HERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, TALKING ABOUT THE BIKE LANE THAT YOU TOOK AWAY FROM ME THAT I USE TO COMMUTE, TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. I CANNOT AFFORD A CAR. MY DAY JOB DOESN'T PAY ME A TON. MY CAR'S ON ITS LAST LEGS. I DON'T DRIVE IT 'CAUSE IT'S NOT SAFE. THAT'S THE DECISION I MADE FOR EVERYBODY'S SAFETY, THAT I DON'T DRIVE A BROKEN SHITBOX CAR DOWN THE ROAD AND HIT SOMEBODY. I'M DOING THE SAFE THING AND YOU'RE TAKING AWAY MY SAFETY. I WORK ON A SHERROW STREET, WHICH IS WHAT I KNOW AUSTIN IS SUPPOSED TO BE CONVERTED TO. I I WATCHED SOMEBODY DRIVE LIKE 50 MILES AN HOUR DOWN MANDEL RUN OFF THE ROAD WHEN THEY LOST CONTROL OF THEIR CAR AND HIT A CHILD AT THE MANIL. THAT'S CRAZY. A KID WITH A TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY BECAUSE A CAR ON A DESIGNATED BIKE ROUTE WITH SHEROS IS STILL ABLE TO RIP DOWN A REALLY, REALLY WIDE RESIDENTIAL STREET. I ALSO LIVE BY THE FIRE STATION. THE SIRENS ARE CONSTANT. I KNOW THEY'RE GETTING WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT. IT'S JUST CRAZY. IT'S JUST CRAZY TO TAKE OUT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT DOES NOT ENDANGER DRIVERS AND IT DOES PROTECT EVERYBODY ELSE. AND THEN CLAIM THAT THAT IS A PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURE. I AM PROFOUNDLY UPSET. THANK YOU. NICKS NEXT RANDALL ARD. MICHAEL TOBA. DEREK FINCHEM TO BE FOLLOWED BY OBA CHOCHO. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS DEREK FINCHEM. I LIVE NEAR EMANCIPATION IN BALDWIN PARKS IN MIDTOWN. UH, IN, IN, UH, UH, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, EVAN SHABAZZ DISTRICT. I WORKED DOWNTOWN AS A PROFESSOR AT SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF LAW. I BIKED TO WORK EVERY DAY ON THE AUSTIN STREET STREET BIKE LANE. THAT LANE AND ITS PHYSICAL PROTECTION SAVED MY LIFE. ON OCTOBER 28TH, 2021, A WHITE TESLA TURNED TOO FAST OFF. PIERCE STRUCK THREE CONCRETE SAFETY BARRIERS AND HIT ME HEAD ON MY FACE. MY HANDS AND MY BIKE HIT THE HOOD. I WAS THROWN INTO THE AIR AND I LANDED ON MY BACK. I BROKE SEVEN RIBS AND I WAS TAKEN TO THE MEMORIAL HERMANN TRAUMA CENTER. I WAS WEARING A HELMET, [02:15:01] AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THOSE RAISED SAFETY BARRIERS SLOWED THE CAR ENOUGH TO KEEP ME ALIVE. I'M DEEP, DEEPLY, DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO MADE THAT LANE SAFE FOR ME, MY SON, MY WIFE, MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, AND COUNTLESS OTHERS. BUT NOW THE BARRIERS ARE GONE REMOVED AS FAST AS THE REPUTATION OF A ONCE RESPECTED PUBLIC SERVANT, I FEAR MORE PEOPLE WILL BE HURT. PLEASE RESTORE THE BARRIERS. PLEASE PROTECT ALL ROAD USERS. IT WILL SAVE LIVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT OLGA CHOP CO. GIA LONGWORTH TO BE FOLLOWED BY KEVIN STRICKLAND. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, MY NAME IS GIA. WHEN I GO TO VISIT MY BROTHER WHO LIVES IN EDO, WE LIKE TO RIDE OUR BIKES TO DISCOVERY GREEN USING POLK STREET. I'M URGING COUNSEL TO DELAY THE POLK STREET ABANDONMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE ALMOST CERTAINLY WON'T GET A PROPER REPLACEMENT. NOT WITH A BAYER. HE'S MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT IF YOU VALUE FREEDOM OF MOBILITY, YOU SHOULD JUST MOVE TO ANOTHER CITY. IT SEEMS THAT TO THE MAYOR, A SLIGHTLY INCONVENIENCED DRIVER IS A FAR GREATER TRAGEDY THAN ANY INJURED PEDESTRIAN CYCLIST OR MOTORIST. AND IF THAT SEEMS HARSH, THINK ABOUT IT. IF I BLEW OUT A TIRE ON SOME RANDOM CURB, DO YOU THINK THE MAYOR WOULD REMOVE IT? NO. BUT IF I CAN'T DRIVE STRAIGHT AND POP A TIRE ON SOMETHING MEANT TO KEEP FOLKS DRIVING SAFELY, WELL, HOLD ON. WE WOULDN'T WANNA MISS A CHANCE TO SCORE POINTS IN THE CULTURE WAR. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY DEATHS OR INJURIES A STREET RACKS UP A DRIVER'S ABILITY TO SPEED IS SACRED. WHY MAKE ROADS SAFER? WHEN YOU COULD JUST HAVE FIRST RESPONDERS DEAL WITH IT AS IF THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH WORK ALREADY. TRAFFIC COMING FEATURES MAY SAVE LIVES, BUT IF WE WERE TO PROACTIVELY PREVENT SPEEDING, HOW ELSE IS THE MAYOR SUPPOSED TO GET HIS PHOTO OPS? THIS IS RIDICULOUS. IT'S NOT ABOUT BIKE LANES, IT'S ABOUT MAKING OUR ROADS LESS DEADLY FOR EVERYONE. FOLLOW THE DATA. NOT CONJECTURE, NOT CULTURAL WARS. YOUR JOB IS TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. SO DO THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. X KEVIN STRICKLAND TO BE FOLLOWED BY LUKE LEWIS. HELLO, I'M KEVIN, FOUNDER OF WALK AND ROLL HOUSTON, WHERE WE TRY TO CREATE A CITY WHERE HOUSTONIANS CAN WALK AND ROLL SAFELY AND EASILY AS WE NEED. I BIKED HERE EVEN THOUGH IT'S NO LONGER LEGAL. THAT'S THE PART WHERE YOU LAUGH. , THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE PAID ACTIVISTS AT THE MANY PROTEST IN MEETINGS IS LAUGHABLE. IT JUST, IT'S LUDICROUS. THAT'S A MAG ATTACKING TALKING POINT THAT WE'VE HEARD BEFORE. THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO LABEL THEM AS SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP IS SUCH BAD FAITH FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE ELECTED TO OFFICE, WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO ENGAGE WITH US. IT'S A CONVENIENT EXCUSE SO YOU CAN CONTINUE TO IGNORE US. AS A DISTRICT C RESIDENT, I'M THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH OUR ACTUAL ELECTED LEADER, ELECTED TWICE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, WHO ENGAGES WITH US IN GOOD FAITH. SUE LOVELL IS A REGISTERED LOBBYIST, NOT THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM MONTROSE AS MUCH AS YOU TRY TO ELEVATE HER PROFILE. IF ERNST AND YOUNG IS LISTENING, WE NEED YOU TO ASK FOR ANOTHER CONTRACT TO AUDIT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. THE AMOUNT OF WASTE COMING FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS STAGGERING. WE'VE IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 40 PROJECTS THAT YOU HAVE PAUSED, CANCELED, OR RADICALLY CHANGED. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A FEW EXAMPLES. THIS IS JUST A TINY BIT. HOUSTON AVENUE WASTED THE 100,000 SPENT BY THE PRIOR COUNCIL MEMBER. 1 MILLION TO REDO IT BROKE THE GAS AND WATER LINES IN THE PROCESS. MONTROSE BOULEVARD, 400,000 FOR THE REDESIGN, AND NOW IT'S SHORT. FOUR TO $6 MILLION WITH NO EXPLANATION YET HOW THAT SHORTFALL WILL BE COVERED. WEST ALABAMA, 90,000 FOR THE REDESIGN TO REMOVE THE BIKE LANE BLOSSOM AT WESTCOTT 600. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED FOR THE LIGHT SIGNAL NEAR YOUR HOUSE. LOWER WESTHEIMER, 40,000 WASTED. WHEN THAT SPEED BUMP, THE RAISED CROSSWALK IS GONNA BE REMOVED. AND NOW THE HAWK SIGNAL AT NICHOLSON, WHICH THE COUNCIL MEMBER TALKED ABOUT. MY LAST COMMENT, BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES BEG FOR THESE KINDS OF IMPROVEMENTS AND WAIT FOR THEM FOR YEARS. AM I WRONG? COUNCIL MEMBERS? JACKSON, THOMAS POLLARD, CASTILLO MARTINEZ, EVAN SHABAZZ, CASTEX TATUM. WHERE IS THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE INTERSECTION AT WEST FUQUAY? WHERE 2-YEAR-OLD EMMANUEL MOLINA WAS KILLED ON DECEMBER 12TH. [02:20:01] UM, ONE LAST THING. IF Y'ALL KNOW BOB STEIN, UM, I LOOK UP TO HIM SO MUCH. I TOOK CLASSES FOR HIM AT RUSH UNIVERSITY AND FOR HIM TO BE HERE TODAY SHOWS YOU HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO HIM. SO, SO MUCH RESPECT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN JACKSON. COUNCIL PROCEDURAL JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I MOTION TO, UM, SUSPEND THE ROUGE TO MOVE ISAIAH THOMAS, UM, AFTER LUKE LEWIS. BE BEHIND LUKE LEWIS. UM, UNDER THE THIRD THREE MINUTE NON AGENDA. THOMAS SECOND. MAIDEN. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME. MOTION PASSES. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LUKE LEWIS. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT H AND I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT BIKE LANES AND PEDESTRIAN, UH, FOCUSED INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I JUST WANNA GIVE MY PERSPECTIVE REALLY BRIEFLY. UM, I TAKE ALL MODES OF TRANSIT. I DRIVE A CAR, I WALK, I RUN, I RIDE A BIKE. I TAKE THE BUS, I TAKE THE TRAIN. I DON'T DO THAT JUST TO PASS THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS. I I USE IT TO GO TO LOCAL BUSINESSES. YES, I USE IT FOR FUN. I GO TO RESTAURANTS, BUT I ALSO USE IT TO GET PLACES WHERE I NEED TO GO. I GO TO THE HARDWARE STORE TO PICK UP SUPPLIES FOR MY HOUSE. I GO TO THE DOCTOR, I GO TO THE DENTIST, I GO TO THE GROCERY STORE. THERE ARE WAYS TO GET AROUND THE CITY, BUT WE NEED TO GIVE MORE PEOPLE THE OPTION TO TAKE WHAT WAY MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR THEM AND THEIR NEEDS AND WANTS. RIGHT NOW, IT IS HARD TO DO THINGS THAT DO NOT EXIST. WE HAVE VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF A BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN AND NON-CAR USER INFRASTRUCTURE. IT W CAR INFRASTRUCTURE, WAY OUTNUMBERS ALL THE OTHER OPTIONS. ALL THAT I AM ASKING AND MANY OTHERS THAT I'VE HEARD TODAY IS TO JUST GIVE MORE PEOPLE MORE OPTIONS TO GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO SAFELY IN A WAY THAT FITS THEIR LIFESTYLE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, NEXT ISAIAH THOMAS. YEAH. HOW IS EVERYBODY DOING TODAY? I APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS ISAIAH THOMAS, AS Y'ALL KNOW, I'M FROM AKER HOME, MISS TORTURE JACKSON. I'M, UM, OH, CAN Y'ALL ALL HEAR ME NOW? UH, I'M FROM ACUS HOME. I'M A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. UH, I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN 2020, BROKE MY SPINE. AND, UM, THAT, THAT'S WHAT LED ME TO BEING A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER FOR THE YOUTH IN, IN AGA HOME OR, OR JUST REALLY IN, UM, THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS AROUND HOUSTON. UM, AND THAT WHICH LED ME TO HAVING A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BECAUSE I HAD TO COME OUTTA MY OWN POCKET WITH HELPING KIDS IN THE YOUTH, UM, WITH GETTING, UM, RESOURCES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WERE TELLING ME THAT I HAD TO GET A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OF MY OWN SO THAT I COULD BE ABLE TO COME UP HERE AND SPEAK TO YOU ALL AND GET SOME TYPE OF BACKING WITH MY GUN VIOLENCE EVENT. UM, MY BROTHER GIE THOMAS, HE IS A BOOKER T LEGEND, USED TO SCORE 40, 50 POINTS A GAME, NEVER HAD ANY TYPE OF SUPPORT COMING TO THE GAMES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO BE ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE YOUTH, BE ABLE TO HELP THEM, UM, TO NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THESE TYPE OF RIFF FS JUST LIKE HOW WE HAD GROWING UP. WE DIDN'T HAVE SUPPORT AND WHATNOT. SO IF WE CAN BE ABLE TO GET INSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY AND HELP THE YOUTH WITH RESOURCES AND DIRECTION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, UM, THAT'S WHAT I NEED YOU ALL'S HELP WITH. AND THE SUPPORT, MS. TORTURE JACKSON, UM, WE HAVE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION CALLED WIPO, YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE A, UM, A WEBSITE. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THESE WORKS WITHIN THE EGGERS HOME COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, THE PEOPLE ARE JUST NOT, UH, JUST NOT HELPING US, UM, IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THEY, THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE, BUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA KEEP TRYING AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP SHOWING UP HERE AND TRYING TO GET YOU ALL'S HELP. VERY GOOD. COUNCILLOR JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU MR. THOMAS. UM, FIRST FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND FOR, UM, STARTING IN A NONPROFIT TO WORK WITH OUR YOUTH, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH FRED AND WITH OUR OFFICE WHO ACTUALLY LEADS, UM, OUR CREDIBLE MESSENGER PROGRAM AND OUR, UM, SPECIAL PROJECTS, UM, WITHIN DISTRICT B. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING WITH YOU MORE, UM, ON WITH WHAT YOU DOING, CONNECTED TO WHAT WE ARE ALREADY, UM, DOING WITHIN THE DISTRICT AND ALONG WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, SUPPORT AT RISK YOUTH. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING AND SHARING, UM, YOUR ORGANIZATION WITH OUR COLLEAGUES HERE [02:25:01] AROUND THE HORSESHOE. YES, MA'AM. I, I HOPE Y'ALL, YOU ALL GOT MY, UH, MY PRINTOUTS AS WELL AS, AS THE EMAILS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. NEXT JARRELL GOMEZ, MAYORS MARGOT RIDGE. AUSTIN SPADE, MAN. HELLO. HOW ARE WE? UH, MY NAME'S AUSTIN. I WORK FOR BYRD, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MICRO MOBILITY COMPANIES YOU'VE LIKELY SEEN IN AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, IN DALLAS. UH, I'VE ACTUALLY SPOKEN WITH MANY OF YOU AND OR MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM. UH, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE, UH, WORD ON THE STREET IS, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THIS WORLD CUP COMING TO TOWN, AND, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A MAJOR EVENT THAT'S GONNA NEED A LOT OF WAYS TO MOVE PEOPLE AROUND. THE REASON I WANTED TO CHAT WITH EVERYBODY BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO LAUNCH A SMALL MICRO MOBILITY PILOT IN YEAR IN HOUSTON TO BE ABLE TO RAMP UP THE CITY IN TERMS OF PREPAREDNESS FOR A FULL FLEDGED MICRO MOBILITY PROGRAM TO GET PEOPLE AROUND HOUSTON IN A SAFE WAY THAT RAISES REVENUE FOR THE CITY, UH, AND IS TIGHTLY CONTROLLED WITH COMPLIANCE MEASURES. UH, AND IT GETS RID OF THAT SORT OF UNREGULATED BACK OF TRUCK MARKET THAT EXISTS TODAY. AND WHAT I HEAR FROM, YOU KNOW, MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS DOWNTOWN, LIKE DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, HOUSTON FIRST AND DISCOVERY GREEN, IS THAT THIS IS GONNA BE A MAJOR ASSET TO THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET LEVERS OF CONTROL THAT DON'T EXIST TODAY. UH, NAMELY HAVING A SCOOTER UNABLE TO ENTER DISCOVERY GREEN, UH, THROUGH, UH, TECHNOLOGY THAT PREVENTS THAT BEHAVIOR. UM, SO WITH THAT SAID, UH, I'D HATE COMING AND NOT GIVEN AN ASK TO COUNCIL, BUT MY ASK IS THAT THERE WOULD BE A DISCUSSION AMONGST COUNCIL WITH THE MAYOR, UH, AND POTENTIALLY GETTING SOME ORDINANCE LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF YOU TO POTENTIALLY EXPLORE A PILOT PROGRAM THAT IF IT WASN'T WORKING OUT FOR THE CITY, THAT YOU COULD ELIMINATE IN ADVANCE OF, UH, ANY WORLD CUP ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR, AND THANKS FOR COMING. I AGREE. UH, I THINK THAT A PILOT'S A GREAT IDEA IN ANTICIPATION OF FIFA AND JUST IN, IN REGULAR LIFE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT A MAJOR CITY THAT I KNOW OF THAT DOESN'T HAVE SOME KIND OF, UH, BIKE SITUATION AND SCOOTER SITUATION. THEY, I KNOW WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT, BIG ISSUES, YOU KNOW, TRASH IN CITIES. A LOT OF THAT'S BEEN WORKED OUT WITH GEOFENCING. I THINK STARTING SMALL, AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS A GOOD IDEA. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF UNREGULATED SCOOTERS ALL OVER THE PLACE YEP. THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY SAY ON. AND THEY'RE CAUSING WREAKING ALL KINDS OF HABIT. I'VE RIDDEN THESE BIKES IN OTHER CITIES. IT'S FUN. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET AROUND IT. IT'S ALMOST GONNA BE, IN MY OPINION, EXPECTED WHEN PEOPLE COME FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO A MAJOR CITY TO SEE, UH, THE SOCCER GAME. SO I, I'M ALL FOR THE DISCUSSION. I, I KNOW THERE'LL BE A LOT OF, OF PROS AND CONS AND, UM, I'D LOVE TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IT'S RUINING OUR WALKABILITY DOWNTOWN. AND WE WILL END UP HEARING FROM THE MANAGER OF THE FOUR SEASONS OF HILTON AND THE MARRIOTT AND THE WALKABILITY OF LIVING YOUR ROOM, GOING TO ONE OF THE RESTAURANTS, MAYBE EVEN TRYING THE MUSEUM DISTRICT. UH, CERTAINLY A THEATER DISTRICT HAS BECOME VERY, VERY DANGEROUS. NO ONE'S EN ENFORCED IN CURRENT ORDINANCE, NO HELMETS. YOU SEE 11, 12 YEAR OLDS USING IT. YEP. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A REAL TRAGEDY ON OUR HANDS IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I, I, I AGREE MR. MILLER. WE'VE REALLY, REALLY CREATED A, UH, NIGHTLIFE AROUND DISCOVER GREEN. BUT IF YOU WATCH THE PEOPLE AND LISTEN TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE HERE FOR OUR CONVENTIONS, THEY ACTUALLY WILL MOVE OUT OF THE FOUR SEASONS TO ANOTHER LOCATION BECAUSE OF THE DANGERS. YEAH. I, I COMPLETELY AGREE. AND I ALREADY, WE HAD ALREADY BEEN, I KNEW YOU WERE COMING. YEP. SO ALL I SAY IS GOOD LUCK. YEAH. I, I, I AGREE WITH YOU BY THE WAY. I THINK THAT THE WAY IT IS NOT ONLY JUST LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THE POLICE AND THE BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADERS DOWNTOWN HOUSTON FIRST IS ON A ROLL AND THEIR CONVENTION ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DANGERS. UH, I AGREE. WE ARE NOT THOSE PROGRAMS, MR. MAYOR, I'M SUGGESTING THAT YOU ELIMINATE THOSE PROGRAMS THROUGH AN ORDINANCE THAT CREATES A PERMIT STRUCTURE FOR THE CITY. WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY THAT PREVENTS THE DEVICES FROM GOING ON THE SIDEWALK, BUT THEN IT PUTS THEM IN THE STREET AND WE EVEN HAVE A WORSE PROBLEM THEN. YEAH. YOU CAN CONTROL WHERE THEY GO ACTUALLY ON THE STREETS. I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT THE STREETS ARE FOR, WE, WE'LL DISCUSS IT, BUT I JUST WANT TO PUT YOU, UH, IT'S NOT, UM, THEY WEREN'T DESIGNED FOR IT. I'LL PUT IT THAT WAY. I, I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO SEE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR YOURSELF, MR. MAYOR. I, I LOOK FORWARD TO [02:30:01] VISITING WITH YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEP. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR AUSTIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND, AND I AGREE, MAYOR, UM, YOU KNOW, COVERING ABOUT 80% OF DOWNTOWN, WE DO GET A LOT OF, UH, COMPLAINTS ABOUT, UH, UNREGULATED SCOOTERS. UM, AND, AND THAT IS, THAT IS A PROBLEM. BUT I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO, HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT IS IF THIS IS GONNA BE OUT IN, IN, IN THE PUBLIC, THEN WE SHOULD WORK ON REGULATING, UH, GEO-FENCING, MAKING SURE THAT WE KNOW WHERE THEY'RE AT, UH, MAKING THE SAFE. UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN SEVERAL CALLS, OF COURSE FROM THE FOUR SEASONS AS WELL, DISCOVERY GREEN. AND I THINK IF WE CAN, UH, COME UP WITH A, A A A PLAN THAT EVERYONE IS INVOLVED WITH, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, REGULATING SCOOTERS IS IMPORTANT, UH, WOULD ULTIMATELY MAKE IT SAFER, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE AT DISCOVERY GREEN WHERE I'VE RECEIVED SEVERAL CALLS, UH, WHERE THEY'RE WRITING THROUGH, UM, AT THE MOMENT. SO I, I, I TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR OFFER, AUSTIN, WITH HAVING, HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, AND I DEFINITELY WOULD APPRECIATE IT, MAYOR. YOU KNOW, WE CAN, UM, ALLOW SOME OF THESE FOLKS, UM, OUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S THE FOUR SEASONS, DISCOVERY GREEN TO ALSO PARTICIPATE AS WELL, UH, TO BETTER, TO MAKE IT SAFER ESSENTIALLY FOR, FOR, UH, THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY USING THEM, BUT MORE SO FOR PEDESTRIANS AND, UH, CYCLISTS AND VEHICULAR TRAFFIC AS WELL. AND I, I JUST POINT OUT COUNCILMAN THAT DALLAS HAD A REAL ISSUE WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF UNREGULATED SCOOTER COMPANIES. THEY HAD 20,000 SCOOTERS IN THAT CITY AT ONE POINT. IT WAS A NIGHTMARE. I'LL BE THE FIRST TO SAY IT. UH, BUT THEY'VE ACTUALLY REINTRODUCED A PROGRAM TIGHTLY REGULATED MAXIMUM THREE PROVIDERS, A TIGHT CAP ON DEVICES, EXTREMELY STRINGENT FINES IF WE'RE NOT TO BE COMPLIANT TO THE RULES THAT THEY'VE SET OUT OF THE PROGRAM. AND, UH, AS A RESULT, THEY'RE HAPPY. THE PROGRAM'S GROWING LOW AND SLOW, WHICH IS, I THINK, THE WAY TO DO ANYTHING. YEAH. AND, AND, UH, THEY'VE SEEN REALLY GREAT SUCCESS. AND I'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT SUCCESS IN THE GREAT CITIES WE'LL TALK ABOUT, I WOULD SUGGEST THERE'S HIGHER PRIORITIES FOR OUR POLICE OFFICERS AT THE PRESENT TIME. SO THANK YOU. LOOK FORWARD TO VISITING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. APPRECIATE IT. NEXT, JOY BLAZER. HELLO, COUNCILMAN AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND HELLO MAYOR. I'M A NORTH SIZE RESIDENT AND I WORK IN MONTROSE. I COMMUTE DAILY ON MY BICYCLE TO AND FROM WORK, AND I DID USE THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANE AS A SAFE AND PROTECTED BIKE LANE TO GET TO WORK SAFELY. UM, CONTRARY TO COMMENTS THIS MORNING ON THE RADIO, I COMMUTE TO WORK ON A BIKE, NOT IN A CAR. UM, I'M NOT A PAID ACTIVIST. I WORK AT A MUSEUM, AND I'M ALSO A RECREATIONAL CYCLIST AND A COMPETITIVE CYCLIST. EXISTING AND PLANNED BIKE LANES IN HOUSTON ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT IN PROVIDING GOOD AND SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS, NOT JUST THOSE IN A CAR. ONE OF MY BIGGEST SURPRISES IN MOVING TO HOUSTON IS THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST ROBUST CYCLING SCENES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE ARE MORE THAN 30 BIKE SHOPS IN THIS CITY. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WHO BIKE HERE EVERY WEEK. AND WITH THE MS ONE 50 BIKE RIDE OUTTA HOUSTON LATER THIS MONTH, WHICH ENCOURAGES NEW AND SEASONED RIDERS TO BOTH FUNDRAISE AND CHALLENGE THEMSELVES ON THE BIKE, THAT BIKE RIDE RAISED MORE THAN $10 MILLION FOR THE MS SOCIETY AND TEXAS ALONE. I CO-LEAD A MS BIKE TEAM, UM, MS ONE 50 BIKE TEAM AND CAN PERSONALLY ATTEST TO THE INCREDIBLE BENEFITS OF CYCLING HAS BROUGHT TO BOTH MYSELF AND MY COMMUNITY IN HOUSTON. UM, AND I'M HERE TO ASK THAT THE COUNCIL, LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS THAT ASSAULTING PEDESTRIAN CYCLISTS AND PUBLIC TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE IS INCREDIBLY BACKWARDS AND ECONOMICALLY WASTEFUL. GOOD INFRASTRUCTURE TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ALL OF ITS RESIDENTS AND HOW THEY TRAVEL ACROSS THE CITY. IF YOU RIP OUT BIKE LANES, IT DOESN'T MEAN THE CYCLISTS STOP RIDING A BIKE. IT JUST MEANS YOUR DRIVERS WILL BE DELAYED FURTHER BECAUSE CYCLISTS WILL BE ON THE ROADS INSTEAD OF THE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE. RIDING A BIKE IS A BASIC HUMAN MODE OF TRANSPORTATION, AND YOU CAN EITHER BUILD FOR IT OR YOU CAN IGNORE IT, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO GO AWAY BECAUSE YOU PREFER A CAR. WE ALL KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BIKE AND PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT NICO, ROD BENJAMIN PETERS. AH, MAUD BAHA. SOPHIE URA, TREVOR REMAN. UH, THANKS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. ANYONE WHO HAS EVER RIDDEN A BIKE KNOWS THAT IF YOU ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD, YOU FALL. IT IS THIS MOMENTUM FORWARD THAT KEEPS US UPRIGHT IN BALANCE. RIGHT NOW, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED HOUSTON BIKE CLAN IS NOT ONLY NOT MOVING FORWARD, BUT IT'S [02:35:01] BACKPEDALING LIKE MANY OTHERS. I RIDE A BICYCLE FOR TRANSPORTATION AND USE THE AUSTIN STREET PROTECTED BIKEWAY. OFTEN I USE IT TO GET FROM NEAR NORTH SIDE WHERE I LIVE, TO THE MUSEUM DISTRICT AND TO HERMAN PARK REGULARLY. I SHOP FOR GROCERIES AT FANIA BECAUSE THERE IS A BIKE LANE THAT PROTECTS THIS ERRAND. I PASS MULTITUDES OF OTHERS DAILY ON BIKES, FOOT SCOOTERS, AND OTHER FORMS OF MICRO MOBILITY. WE HAVE THE FUTURE BEGGING FOR LOWER FOOTPRINT TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS, AND IF WE WANT TO BE A RELEVANT CITY THAT IS COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER CITIES IN QUALITY OF LIFE, WE'LL NEED THESE CRITICAL AND PROTECTED BIKE PATHS. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I, I, CAN I JUST FINISH? YOU CAN HAVE US 30 SECONDS, BUT THANK YOU. WE STILL GOT A LONG LIST OF WORK. THANK YOU. I USE PROTECTED BIKEWAYS TO GET TO THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, A COMMITTEE ON WHICH I SERVE, I WAS APPOINTED TO THE BAC BY THE LATE MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER. THESE ON STREET PROTECTED BIKEWAYS ARE PART OF MAYOR TURNER'S LEGACY. LET'S HONOR HIS LEGACY AND NOT RIP THEM OUT. LET'S CONTINUE THIS MOMENTUM FORWARD SO THAT WE DON'T FALL. THANK YOU, NICK. TIMOTHY NAEC TO BE FOLLOWED BY DIANA THE VILLA. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, I'M THE FOURTH GENERATION OF MY FAMILY TO LIVE IN DENVER HARBOR. I GREW UP VISITING MY GRANDPARENTS THERE AND MOVED THERE SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO HELP TAKE CARE OF MY ELDERLY GRANDMOTHER. I'VE SEEN THE WAYS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS SUFFERED FROM NEGLECT AND DISINVESTMENT BY THE CITY. THE DITCHES OUTSIDE MY HOUSE DON'T DRAIN. ABANDONED HOUSES COLLAPSE IN OVERGROWN JUNGLES. HEAVY HAULED TRASH PICKUP IS OFTEN MONTHS LATE. THE LOCAL LIBRARY HAS ABYSMAL HOURS AND SHELVES ONLY A QUARTER. FULL TRAINS REGULARLY BLOCK THE ONLY STREETS CONNECTING MY NEIGHBORHOOD TO THE REST OF THE CITY. WE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS HERE THAT REQUIRE REAL LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT FROM THE CITY TO FIX. I UNDERSTAND THAT RESOURCES ARE LIMITED, THAT THE CITY IS FACING SERIOUS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, AND THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE HARD CHOICES AND WHERE MONEY AND TIME CAN BE SPENT. SO I FIND IT DEEPLY TROUBLING THAT THE CITY HAS REPEATEDLY CHOSEN INSTEAD TO SPEND ITS LIMITED MONEY AND TIME IMPROVING CAR AND BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THE HEIGHTS OR MIDTOWN, ONLY TO THEN SPEND MORE MONEY REMOVING THOSE IMP UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO MAKE THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS LESS SAFE. THANK YOU. I KNOW THAT MONEY CAN BE BETTER USED IN MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. NEXT, DIANA AVILA. TATIANA CLARK, BLAKE DAVENPORT. AFTERNOON COUNSEL MAYOR. SO EIGHT YEARS AGO, I, UH, RELUCTANTLY MOVED TO HOUSTON BECAUSE I THOUGHT OF IT AS, UH, A CITY THAT MOSTLY FELT LIKE A WALMART PARKING LOT ON THE FEEDER OF A CONGESTED HIGHWAY. AND, UH, WELL, THAT'S TRUE IN SOME AREAS. I THINK, UM, THE WALMART PARKING LOT ACTIVITY THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, UH, SPEAKS TO THAT, UH, LATELY. UM, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED FIND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT, BEAUTIFUL OUTDOOR SPACES, UH, OUR BAYOU. UM, AND, UH, OF COURSE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THOSE THINGS AND RESTAURANTS AND PLACES. I LIKE TO GO BY BIKE LANE. UM, WHEN I GO VISIT JULIANNE ON AUSTIN STREET, I DON'T DRIVE MY F-150, UH, AND PARK IT. SO IF YOU LIVE OVER THERE, YOU'RE WELCOME, UH, . AND, UM, I CAN, I CAN'T TELL THAT STORY ANYMORE, RIGHT? SO I, I WAS SO EXCITED. I WAS, OKAY, THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER IN HOUSTON. IT'S NOT WHAT EVERYBODY THINKS IT IS, RIGHT? SO MY PEOPLE, MY FRIENDS THAT WANNA MOVE, MY FRIENDS THAT WANNA MOVE HERE, UM, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT'S GETTING BETTER. UM, SO THE MAYOR SAID, UH, ON THE RADIO EARLIER TODAY, WHO HE'S LISTENING TO. UH, IT'S SUE LEVEL AND MARLENE GAFF. MARLENE BROUGHT UP THE STREET PARKING AND THE TRASH CONTAINER COLLECTION ISSUE. IF THAT HAD, IF THAT, UH, BIKE LANE REMOVAL HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED, WE WOULD'VE HEARD FROM A LOT MORE THAN, THAN THE FIVE PEOPLE, UH, THAT ARE UPSET ABOUT THE TRASH CAN. IT'S BEEN IN FOR FIVE YEARS, RIGHT? SO, UM, IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST MADE UP. UH, THEY, THE MULTIPLE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW HAVE CALLED THE, UH, FIRE STATION THERE. UM, THANK YOU. FIRE. THEY SAID, IF ANYTHING, THE BIKE LANE HELPS BECAUSE, UH, IT KEEPS THE TRAFFIC LANE OPEN. IT'S KINDA INSULTING. IT FEELS LIKE MARLENE, UH, POPPED A TIRE 10 YEARS AGO, AND NOW ONE PERSON CAN GO TO THE MAYOR AND GET SOMETHING REMOVED THAT TOOK FIVE YEARS IN PUBLIC COMMENT TO GET ADDED. UM, AND THAT JUST FEELS KIND OF IMMATURE AND, AND SHORTSIGHTED. UM, WE'RE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE, IN THE WORLD OR IN THE, IN THE US. UM, OKAY. UH, IT FEELS LIKE A REAL BAD WAY TO DO TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR A CITY. THANK YOU. THANKS. NEXT. AARON BERG [02:40:09] TO BE FOLLOWED BY NOLAN PEARSON. HEY, I'LL DO THIS EVERY WEEK. HUH? THIS IS A LOT. . MY NAME'S DR. AARON BERG. I TOOK A HALF DAY OFF OF WORK TO COME HERE AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE REMOVAL OF THE AUSTIN STREET BITE LANE. I'VE LIVED IN HOUSTON SINCE 2011, AND I'VE BEEN A PROPERTY OWNER ON AUSTIN STREET SINCE 2017. IN YOUR DISTRICT, DR. CHAVA, UH, BEFORE THE BIKE LANE WAS PUT IN, IN THE NEARLY 15 YEARS, ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA SKIP AHEAD. BY REMOVING BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CITY IS TAKING A HUGE STEP BACKWARDS AND IS ACTIVELY MAKING THE QUALITY OF LIFE WORSE FOR ITS CITIZENS. MYSELF, MY NEIGHBORS, AND THE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE CITY USE THAT BIKE LANE TO GET TO THE STORE, GO TO SCHOOL, TO COMMUTE, TO WORK IN THE MED CENTER AT RICE, AND TO TRAVEL ACROSS DOWNTOWN TO VISIT FRIENDS AND FAMILY. TAKING IT AWAY WILL MAKE THE STREET AND MY NEIGHBORHOOD MORE DANGEROUS, NOT LESS. I AM CONCERNED THAT CARS WILL SPEED DOWN OUR STREET LIKE THEY DID BEFORE THE BIKE LANE WAS INSTALLED. PUTTING FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AT RISK. I'VE HEARD A LOT OF MISSTATEMENTS ABOUT THAT BIKE LANE SITTING HERE TODAY AND PREVIOUSLY. AND I WANNA ADDRESS THE ONE ABOUT PARKING. I LIVE ON THAT STREET. I KNOW THAT SECTION OF STREET, EVERY SINGLE HOUSE IN THAT SECTION OF THE AUSTIN STREET HAS A TWO CAR GARAGE WITH TWO PARKING SPACES IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE. THERE IS PLENTY OF PARKING. THE CITY DID A PARKING STUDY BEFORE THEY PUT THE BIKE LANE IN. THERE IS ENOUGH PARKING EVEN WITH THE BIKE LANE THERE. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE COUNCIL. WHEN THE CITY IS OPERATING UNDER A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT, WHY ARE YOU WASTING TAXPAYER DOLLARS? REMOVING FUNCTIONING INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WHY ARE YOU DECREASING OUR PROPERTY VALUES BY REMOVING FEATURES THAT MAKE MY NEIGHBORHOOD OUR CITY MORE LIVABLE AND EASIER TO GET AROUND? THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU, SIR. NEXT, NOLAN PEARSON TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOHN NICKS. HELLO Y'ALL. COUNCIL AND MAYOR. UH, I LIVE IN MIDTOWN IN BETWEEN CAROLINE AND AUSTIN STREET. I MOVED THERE 40 DAYS AGO. I SIGNED THAT LEASE BECAUSE I BIKE EVERY SINGLE DAY. THAT BIKE LANE IS NOW BEING REMOVED. NOW, OCCASIONALLY I DO USE A CAR. AND LET'S SAY I'M ON ELGIN STREET AND I WANT TO GET UP TO GRAY. ALRIGHT, I CAN TAKE A SINGLE LANE ON JACKSON. I COULD TAKE A SINGLE LANE ON. SHE, I COULD TAKE THE THREE LANES ON CRAWFORD. I COULD TAKE THE ONE LANE ON AUSTIN, OR I COULD TAKE THE FOUR LANES ON SAN JACINTO. SO THAT'S 10 LANES AVAILABLE TO ME AS A VEHICULAR USER TO GET UP TO GRAY STREET. SO WHY ARE WE ADDING ONE MORE? WHY ARE WE TAKING AWAY A MAJOR ARTERY FOR CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? FOR ONE MORE LANE. THANK YOU. NICKS. JOHN, NICKS AUTUMN BREEZE, EDUARDO DURAN, CAMDEN KIRKLAND. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, MY NAME'S CAMDEN KIRKLAND. I'M A RESIDENT OF EAST DOWNTOWN AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT DENYING THE POLK STREET ABANDONMENT. POLK STREET'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT STREETS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, LARGELY BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE MAJOR ARTERIES TO CONNECT THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF TOWN. UH, YOU CLEARLY HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE TODAY THAT CARE ABOUT PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE. UH, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, YOU WERE PITCHED LESS THAN 10 MINUTES AGO ABOUT TRYING TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO GO AND VISIT THINGS. DOWNTOWN CLOSING POLK DOESN'T HELP WITH THAT. UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER, UH, I HOPE THAT YOU AND I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AND VISIT OUR ALMA MATER IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO CELEBRATE WINNING THE NCAA TITLE, UH, AND ALSO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, UH, WITH SOME OF THE AWESOME AND AMAZING ARCHITECTURAL AND CITY PLANNER STAFF AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON. WHILE YOU'RE THERE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT, ELIZABETH FOSTER, WE WRAP DEAR CYNTHIA SINGLETON. MIDDLE PAGE RIGHT HERE. ALRIGHT, I GOT YOU. OKAY, WE'RE GETTING THERE. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR. OH, YES, SORRY. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBERS, MAYOR. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR DILIGENCE TO HEAR CONSTITUENT CONCERNS AS A CITIZEN THAT REALLY TOUCHES ME. MY NAME IS CYNTHIA SINGLETON AND I'VE LIVED IN THE EAST END NEAR CGAS PARK [02:45:01] SINCE 2004, WHERE MY HUSBAND AND I RAISED OUR CHILDREN. I'M A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN, FIFTH GENERATION TEXAN, AND HAVE WITNESSED HOUSTON GROW FROM THE PRE DAYS TO PRESENT. AND I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF BAD DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS MADE OVER THE YEARS IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID YET ANOTHER BAD DEVELOPMENT DECISION. I AM HERE TO VEHEMENTLY URGE YOU TO OPPOSE THE ABANDONMENT OF POLK STREET ARTERY AND PAUSE. THE CURRENT PLAN OF THE CONVENTION CENTER. POLK STREET IS ONE OF THE MAIN ARTERIES CONNECTING THE COMMUNITIES ON THE EAST SIDE TO DOWNTOWN. I USE POLK STREET PERSONALLY FIVE TO 10 TIMES A WEEK, EITHER IN MY CAR OR ON A BIKE. I WOULD USE IT MORE, BUT FOR THE HORRENDOUS QUAGMIRE IN DEBACLE OF A TRAFFIC THAT'S, UH, CONSTITUTES THE INTERSECTION OF HARRISBURG EMANCIPATION, UM, IN TEXAS, HOWEVER, UM, ALSO POLK STREET IS ONE OF THE FEW SAFE BIKE LANES, UH, TO ACCESS THE AUSTIN STREET CORRIDOR DOWNTOWN. HOWEVER, THAT WILL ALL CHANGE IF POLK STREET IS ABANDONED, MAKING ACCESS TO DOWNTOWN EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. I ATTENDED THE PUBLIC MEETING TO HEAR HOUSTON'S FIRST THREE MINUTES. THANK YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. WRAP IT UP. I HAD THREE MINUTES, I THOUGHT. NOT ONE MINUTE. UM, TO HEAR A FEW FIRST PROPOSED EXPANSION TO GEORGE R. BROWN AND I HAVE MORE CONCERNS ABOUT HEARING THEIR PROPOSED PLAN. FIRST OF ALL, THEY'VE KNOWN ABOUT HOUSTON AS A SITE FOR THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION SINCE AUGUST OF 2023. THE, AND WE JUST HAD PUBLIC NOTICE IN JANUARY OF 2025 THAT THEY WERE, UM, NEEDING TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE CITY. UM, I, SO THAT'S SMOKE. I ALSO, UM, IN REMINDING PEOPLE THAT THIS EXPANSION IS PRIMARILY TO CREATE A PLAZA IN THE MIDDLE. THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IS GONNA BE IN AUGUST. WHO IN THEIR BUSINESS SUIT, IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO SPEND TIME OUTSIDE IN THE BUSINESS SUIT IN OUR A HUNDRED TO 105 DEGREE WEATHER IN A PLAZA. I ALSO CALL SUIT. I LIKE RIDING BACK IN 105 DEGREE WEATHER. GO AHEAD, . THANK YOU, MA'AM. AND UM, ALSO, I CALL THEIR ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF WHY A SECOND STORY BUILDING CAN'T BE BUILT TO ALLOW POLK STREET TO REMAIN OPEN A MIRROR. THEY SAY IT'S NOT VIABLE. WE'VE HAD NO ANSWER TO REALLY EX THANK YOU MA'AM. EXPLANATION MA'AM, YOUR TIME'S UP. AND THERE HAVE BEEN NO TRAFFIC STUDIES. I, I'M SORRY, I THOUGHT I HAD, I PREPARED A THREE MINUTE STATEMENT. I THINK THAT'S, I'M SORRY IT WAS SO POPULAR TODAY THAT WE HAD TO GO DOWN TO ONE. THANK YOU. NEXT ANISHA WILDER. GLENDA HENRY. JOEL DEJE. YES. RIGHT HERE. ALRIGHT. UH, MY NAME IS JOEL DEJE WITH THE SHILLER INSTITUTE AND THE LA ROUGE ORGANIZATION. I WANT TO EXTEND MY CONDOLENCES FOR THE LOSS OF YOUR COLLEAGUE AND FORMER MAYOR CONGRESSMAN SYLVESTER TURNER. I SPOKE TO HIM SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS OF THIS PODIUM, AND HE WAS ALWAYS GRACIOUS IN RECEIVING BOTH CRITICISM AND PRAISE ABOUT THIS SPACE PROGRAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN CRITICAL TO HOUSTON. WE NEED TO REDEDICATE OURSELVES TO GET BACK TO THE MOON WITH THE HONORIS PROGRAM OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, SUNY WILLIAMS AND BUSH GILMORE WILMORE PROVED THAT WE COULD SURVIVE NINE MONTHS IN SPACE. BUT TO GET ASTRONAUTS COSMO KNOTS AND TOKA KNOTS SAFELY TO BARS WILL REQUIRE A FASTER MEANS OF PROPULSION. THE SURFACE OF, OF THE MOON HAS AN ABUNDANCE OF THE HELIUM THREE ISOTOPE, WHICH IS A PERFECT FUEL FOR FUSION ROCKETS. AND THE THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED ALSO. GO AHEAD. ARE YOU THROUGH SIR, SIR JOE? YES. ARE YOU THROUGH? HAVE YOU HAD ADEQUATE TIME? I HAD ANYTHING. OH, OH, OKAY. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT I, I'M SURE SYLVESTER TURNER WOULD APPROVE THIS MESSAGE. YES. VERY WELL SAID. THANK YOU. OKAY, NEXT. ELIZABETH JENNINGS. EDUARDO DURAN. OH, I'M HERE, SIR. OH, YOU'RE ELIZABETH. OKAY, I'M SORRY. LET'S MULTITASK. [02:50:02] UH, YES, THEY DISTINGUISHED, UH, MAYOR AND COUNSELORS OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE HONOR TO ADDRESS YOU ON THE SUBJECT OF, OF HOUSTON'S TRADE WITH CHINA THROUGH OUR PORT. UH, MY NAME IS, UH, ELIZABETH JENNINGS. I'M A SUSTAINING MEMBER OF THE SILLER INSTITUTE, WHICH, UH, HAS LONG PROMOTED THE IDEA OF BUILDING A NEW SILK ROAD, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE NINETIES. UM, AND I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT IN 2017, UH, YAO MING AND FORMER MAYOR, UH, SYLVESTER TURNER LED A DE UH, DELEGATION TO BEIJING TO PROMOTE HOUSTON TO CHINA. WE ALL BENEFITED FROM, UH, THE INCREASED TRADE THROUGH OUR PORT IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. YOU ALL RECEIVED, UH, A PICTURE, UH, THAT'S BEING HANDED OUT RIGHT NOW OF THAT DELEGATION. UM, AND ALSO A GRAPH OF, UH, OF THE PORT OF HOUSTON'S REPORT FROM, UH, MARCH 17TH, 2022 OF ALL THE IMPORT CONTAINERS BY COUNTRY. AND, UH, CHINA WAS IN THE LEAD AT THAT TIME, UH, AS OF, UH, BY 33%. UH, IT HAS GROWN SINCE THEN. AND, AND THE TRAFFIC OF THESE CONTAINER SHIPS FROM ASIA HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL. AND MAY I HAVE 30 SECONDS MORE, SIR? YES, GO AHEAD. BUT QUICKLY WRAP IT UP. YEAH. UH, JUST SO YOU KNOW, MANY AMERICANS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT WHO OWNS THE PANAMA CANAL, AND IT WAS A COMPANY CALLED CK HUTCHINSON, WHICH WAS FORMED IN HONG KONG BEFORE HONG KONG WAS REPATRIATED, UH, TO CHINA. AND THEN SUDDENLY THEY WERE APPROACHED TO SELL ITS PANAMA CANAL PORT STEEL, TO A BLACKROCK LED CONSORTIUM. AND, UH, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN READ ABOUT IN THE THINGS THAT WERE HINTED OUT HERE ON BLACKROCK. AND, UH, THE, UH, THE CHINESE STATE ADMINISTRATION, UM, FOR MARKET REGULATION IS PUTTING THE POTENTIAL SALE OF RELEVANT COURT ASSETS TO SUCH CONSORTIUM TO AN ANTITRUST REVIEW. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD WOULD LIKE TO FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND ELIZABETH, THANK YOU FOR COMING. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THE REST OF MY TIME TO FINISH? UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, THAT, UH, UH, THE BLACKROCK CONSORTIUM HAS, UH, ASSET MANAGEMENT OF OVER $9.4 TRILLION. AND SO THEY'RE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY CAN ACTUALLY BULLY NATIONS AS SMALL AS PANAMA, UM, TO DO TO TOWARDS THEIR WILL. AND IT WOULD BE IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES TO, UM, MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR SUCH GLOBALISTS TO BULLY SMALL NATIONS, ESPECIALLY ONES THAT WE, WE HAVE TO TRADE AND DEAL WITH. WELL, I I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND I WANT YOU TO LET JOE KNOW THAT I DID RECEIVE HIS EMAIL AS WELL AND, AND, AND HAVE HIS POINTS AND WE'LL, WE'LL FORWARD THOSE OVER TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS. OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. NEXT, EDUARDO DURAN. NEXT SPEAKER. JOSHUA WILLIAMS. JOSHUA WILLIAMS. NEXT SPEAKER. ARE YOU JOSHUA? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. COME ON. JOSHUA. WE'RE READY FOR YOU. . HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING? DOING WELL, THANK YOU, SIR. UH, SPEAK BEHIND THAT MICROPHONE. WOULD YOU PLEASE? JOSHUA WILLIAMS AND MR. WHITMORE LAST WEEK I WAS NERVOUS COMING UP HERE TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. TODAY I AM CALM AND READY. MR. MR. MAYOR, I'M HERE TO SPREAD AWARENESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH MEN IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. THE SERVICES ARE REAL BAD. LIKE REAL BAD. MAYOR. THE HOUSING SITUATION IS CRAZY, MR. MAYOR AFTER SIX O'CLOCK, IT'S NO PLACE FOR MENTAL HEALTH MEN TO GET A, A HOT MEAL ON THEIR STOMACH. WE TAKE MEDICATION THAT NIGHT. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. MAYOR, HOW DO WE, I MEAN, HOW DO YOU GUYS WANT US TO TAKE MEDICATION WITH NO FOOD ON OUR STOMACHS? IT'S JUST ONE THING. I'M HERE TODAY TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH FOR MEN IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. IT'S HARD OUT HERE FOR US MENTAL HEALTH MEN. IT'S NO REAL HELP OUT HERE FOR US. I FEEL LIKE THE MAYOR OF HOUSTON HAS TO STAND UP FOR US. WE REALLY NEED HELP OUT HERE. YOU GUYS CANNOT BLAME US MENTAL HEALTH PEOPLE. YOU GUYS HAVE TO DO BETTER FOR US. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. YES, SIR. WE JUST NEED SOME HELP, MA'AM. FOR MENTAL HEALTH MAN, BECAUSE WE ARE BEING CHRONICALLY HOMELESS ON THE STREETS FOR ONE YEAR. THEY WANT [02:55:01] US TO BE ON THE STREETS FOR ONE YEAR. I HAVE ALL OF THE PAPERWORK THAT THEY ASKED ME FOR AND I'M STILL HOMELESS ON THE STREETS. WE NEED SOME TYPE OF FUNDING MA'AM, FOR THESE. UM, LIKE THE SEARCH PLACE FOR THE BEACON, RIGHT? FOR LAWYERS OF THE STREETS. THOSE PLACES NEED SOME TYPE OF FUNDING TO HELP US BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WE'RE ASK JAMES TO HELP YOU. I KNOW THAT YOU CAME HERE BEFORE AND WE ARE WORKING WITH YOU TO TRY TO GET YOU SOME ASSISTANCE. IF YOU CAN TALK TO JAMES, HE'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP YOU. BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING DOWN AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. WE DO NEED MORE HELP FOR NOW. I JUST FEEL KIND OF DISRESPECTED THAT THE MAYOR COULDN'T STAY FOR LIKE, HE STAYED FOR EVERYBODY ELSE. HE'S COMING BACK. HE HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. OH, CAN YOU JUST TALK TO ? OH NO I DIDN'T. TO THE BATHROOM? NO, I JUST WROTE THE LETTER FOR HIM. MAN, HE'LL BE BACK. I JUST, I JUST WROTE THE LETTER FOR HIM. YEAH, . AND THIS IS WHAT THEY GIVE US FOR BREAKFAST. I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO THINK HE JUST LEFT BECAUSE OF IT WAS YOU. IT WASN'T HE THIS FOR BREAKFAST AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. THEY GIVE US A SANDWICH, MA'AM. AND THIS IS BREAD AND THEY'RE GIVING US CHEESE. IT'S JUST GONNA HAVE US CONSTIPATED, RIGHT? THIS IS THE, LIKE THIS IS WHAT THEY GIVE US FOR BREAKFAST. I'M JUST EXPLAINING THIS TO YOU GUYS. I'M SORRY I'M TAKING, THEY GIVE US SOME HERSHEY'S CANDY AND SOME GRAHAM CRACKERS AND SOME, UM, RITZ. I DON'T KNOW, BUT THIS IS WHAT THEY GIVE US FOR BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING AND THEN THEY ADD ONE MORE SANDWICH FOR LUNCH. THIS IS NOT A 2000 DAILY VALUE FOR SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, TO GET IN THEIR BODY. THIS IS JUST GOING TO HAVE US CONSTIPATED ALL THE TIME. SIR, THE ONLY PLACE THAT DOES HOT MEALS IS THE BEACON, RIGHT? THEY DOES A HOT BREAKFAST AND THEY DOES A HOT LUNCH. OKAY, WE'RE GONNA SEE IF WE CAN GET YOU A HOT LUNCH. UM, JAMES CAN, NO, I DON'T. DON NEED A HOT LUNCH MA'AM? I WORK AT WASHINGTON CHEW. MA'AM, I GOT MY CHECK TODAY. OKAY. I'M JUST HERE TO SPREAD AN AWARENESS, MA'AM, I'M NOT GOING TO STOP. YOU HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB WITH THAT AND WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING. I'M BE BACK NEXT WEEK TOO, MA'AM. YOU HAVE A BLESSED DAY, OKAY? YOU TOO. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. YES MA'AM. JAMES, IF YOU WILL TALK TO HIM PLEASE SO THAT HE CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION. IT'S GONNA BE OKAY. I THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR. I'M SORRY YOU MISSED MY SPEED, SIR. YOU HEARD IT IN THE BACK. THANK YOU. NEXT. THANK YOU SIR. DOMINIQUE MAZO PRESENT. DOMINIC MAZA. I KNOW I HAVE A MINUTE. UM, I KNOW WE ARE GONNA PUT PEOPLE ON THE TURDS TOMORROW AND IT'S ONE THING I I AM HOPING EVERYBODY THINKS ABOUT WITH BEEN THESE TURDS WITH THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE. NOT ONLY THINK OF YOUR TURDS, BUT THINK ABOUT MAYBE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT BACK ON YOUR, ON YOUR VANS FOR THE GOOD OF THE CITY. SECONDLY, I GOT A PICTURE GOING AROUND. IT HAPPENED TWO BLOCKS FROM HERE ON THE BAGBY BIKE LANE. I GOT OFF THE 41 BUS YESTERDAY. AND THERE'S NO CLEAR INDICATION WHEN YOU'RE COMING OFF THE BUS THAT YOU'RE ENTERING A BIKE LANE. THERE'S NO INDICATION ON THE BIKE LANE ITSELF IF THE TRANSIT STOP. AND I'VE ALSO SEEN THIS ON THE HEIGHTS BIKE LANE ON THE 40. SO MY THING IS, WHEN THESE THINGS WERE PUT IN, Y'ALL WEREN'T THINKING OF ANOTHER CONSTITUENCY. METRO CUSTOMERS. YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S BEEN TWO. EACH MOBILITY GROUP HAS BLINDERS ON AND THEY'RE NOT THINKING OF THE WHOLE PICTURE. AND RIGHT NOW I'M ON THE SAFETY COMMITTEE OF THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY COUNCIL AND THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS, IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME. THANK YOU TO YOU. NEXT ILI MONTOYA RIVAS. UH, HI. I CHOSE A TOPIC, UH, TODAY FOR, UH, RE WHAT WAS RETALIATION OR HARASSMENT AFTER, UH, THE, UH, JEAN WILMAR, UM, CAMPAIGN, UH, HAVEN BEEN COMING TO PUBLIC SESSION? UH, SIMPLY BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S, UH, IN MY BEST INTEREST TO COME HERE WEEKLY. UH, BUT AFTER THE FUNERAL, UH, BEFORE UH, SYLVESTER TURNER GOT SICK, THEY KEPT CALLING US AND CALLING US AND CALLING US. MY OTHER LINES ARE SUSPENDED, ASKING FOR MONEY, UH, MAKING THE THREATS. UH, RIGHT NOW MY KIDS ARE WITH ME. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. MY, UH, EX-HUSBAND DROPPED THEM OFF AND SOMEBODY BY THE NAME OF JOHN AND MY EX-HUSBAND IS MOVING BACK TO HOUSTON, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE HAVING SOME KIND OF FIGHTS. UH, I DON'T KNOW. THEY DON'T TELL US EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE HEIGHTS. AND WHILE LUPE FERNANDEZ WAS NEIGHBOR WITH JOHN, WITH MAR. SO I DON'T KNOW WHETHER [03:00:01] THE SITUATION, THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THOMAS IS ASKING CEASE AND DEIST AND FOR PEOPLE TO STOP HARASSING US AND ASKING FOR THINGS BECAUSE WE CAN HELP THEM. THANK YOU. SO SINCE HE, YOU WERE WITH SYLVESTER, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR BROTHERS, BUT THEY WERE, UH, MAKING THAT THREATS. THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU. NEXT CHRISTINA ROMBERG TO BE FOLLOWED BY CAMERON ARMSTRONG. HELLO MAYOR. AND COUNSEL, I'D LIKE TO START BY REMINDING YOU ALL THAT THE AVERAGE COST OF CAR OWNERSHIP IN HOUSTON IS ABOUT $10,000 A YEAR. AND IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO OWN A CAR IN THIS CITY OR IN THE COUNTRY YET. AND I'M ASSUMING YOU GUYS CAN ALL MAKE THE CONNECTION THAT THIS FORCES PEOPLE TO GET AROUND THE CITY USING OTHER MODES. THAT IS BIKING, WALKING, TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. YET THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS WASTE A FULL ON ASSAULT ON ALL OF THOSE OTHER FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION. I MEAN, WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED WITH METRO NEXT. WE'RE SEEING WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE BIKE PED. THE BIKE AND PED CROSSINGS, WESTHEIMER, UM, I MEAN THERE'S SO MANY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. THE REMOVAL OF THE BIKE LANES ON AUSTIN STREET AND YOUR PLANS TO REMOVE THEM ON 11TH STREET BREAKS MY HEART. I USE THEM. I'M A BIKER. I USE THEM TO BIKE MY KIDS TO SCHOOL. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. AT A TIME WHEN THE CITY HAS SO LITTLE MONEY, YOU'RE REALLY CHOOSING TO SPEND YOUR DOLLARS TO PULL OUT INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS PROTECTING EVERY SINGLE TRANSPORTATION MODE. CAR USERS, BIKERS, WALKERS. YOU COULD BE DOING SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE. I WOULD REALLY LIKE THE COUNCIL TO LET US KNOW. DO YOU, YOU REALIZE THAT THE AUSTIN STREET BIKE LANES WERE PAID FOR BY PRECINCT ONE. ARE YOU PREPARED TO RETURN THAT $2 MILLION? OKAY, YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT. THANK YOU. NEXT, CAMERON ARMSTRONG. OKAY, GOOD A MISS. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MR. MAYOR AND SEE COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, I'M CAMERON ARMSTRONG AND I'M HERE TO REQUEST YOUR YES VOTE ON ITEM NUMBER 48. PLANNING COMMISSION CAREFULLY CONSIDERED THE SITUATION OF 2041 NORFOLK ON SHEPHERD DRIVE IN DECEMBER. THEY REVIEWED EXTENSIVE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE GUIDED BY THE PLANNING AND LEGAL DEPARTMENTS AND VOTED 12 TO TWO TO RECOMMEND CORRECTING SMLS ORDINANCE 2011 A 67 TO REFLECT ITS APPROPRIATE COMMERCIAL USE. UNTIL NOW, A CLERICAL ERROR IN THE LAW HAS RESTRICTED THE PROPERTY TO SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DESPITE FACING SHEPHERD DRIVE WITH 25,000 CARS DAILY, A WHATABURGER STAR PIZZA STRIP CENTER, AND A LARGE PARKING LOT. YOUR VOTING YES WOULD CORRECT AN UNINTENDED ERROR AND RESPECT THE WORK OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY DEPARTMENTS. IT WOULD ENSURE FAIRNESS IN THE STRAIGHTFORWARD APPLICATION OF CHAPTER 42 AS INTENDED. I URGE YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT, I'M SORRY, COUNSEL SIR. MR. ARMSTRONG ARMSTRONG. MR. ARMS, ARMSTRONG, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU'VE COME SEVERAL TIMES, YOU'VE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON THIS. I I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR WAITING TILL THE END OF THE LIST TODAY. UM, AS I MENTIONED TO YOU ON THE PHONE, WE DO STILL HAVE SOME OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS, UH, THAT ARE, THAT LEGAL IS REVIEWING. UM, BUT WE WILL, WE'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AND APPRISED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, ANDREW SNEAD. AMY ERICKSON. GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M HERE TODAY 'CAUSE UM, TDOT'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE POLK STREET CLOSURE HAS BEEN MISCHARACTERIZED. WHILE THEIR FREEWAY DESIGN WOULD INTERRUPT DIRECT POLK STREET CONNECTION, THEY LISTENED AND THEY DESIGNED A U-TURN BRIDGE THAT IS ONE THIRD MILE DETOUR FOR POLK. WHILE THIS WAS NEVER THE EAST END COMMUNITY'S PREFERRED SOLUTION, WE'VE ALWAYS HOPED TO REVISIT A PROPER POLK STREET BRIDGE. AND IT'S DEEPLY DISINGENUOUS TO USE THAT COMPROMISE TO JUSTIFY FURTHER MOBILITY DAMAGE. THE MAYOR'S OWN GUIDELINE GUIDING MOBILITY PRINCIPLES WOULD BE ABANDONED IF POLK CLO IF POLK CLOSES THREE VEHICULAR LANES WOULD BE LOST, VIOLATING HIS LANE WIDTH NUMBER MAINTENANCE, A TWO-WAY LELAND SOLUTION LIKE SAFE SIDEWALKS AND PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. [03:05:01] EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES WOULD SUFFER WITH A 1.5 MILE PERIMETER OF THE RESULTING COMPLEX. MAYOR, I'M NOTICING A TREND. PEOPLE WHO AGREE WITH YOU ARE DISTINGUISHED AS RESIDENTS AND THOSE WHO DON'T ARE PORTRAYED AS HAVING SPECIAL INTERESTS. THIS IS PETULANT AND IT NEEDS TO STOP. I ASSURE YOU, I'M A RESIDENT AND MY INTERESTS ARE WITH MY COMMUNITY, OUR MOBILITY, OUR SAFETY, AND OUR PROSPERITY. COUNSEL, I URGE YOU TO DENY THE CURRENT JRC APPLICATION. HOUSTON FIRST NEEDS THE GRB SOUTH EXPANSION, READY FOR THE 2028 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION. ENCOURAGE THEM TO SUBMIT SEPARATE APPLICATIONS TO PROCEED WITH CONSTRUCTION WHILE ADDRESSING COMMUNITY CONCERNS ON POLK. ONE LAST THING ON TRANSPARENCY. TRANSPARENCY IS NOT DEFERRING TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR TPIA REQUESTS NOT. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. GO AHEAD. YOU CAN WRAP UP. IT'S NOT WAITING 45 DAYS TO DISCLOSE THAT THE ABANDONMENT ACTUALLY INVOLVES SIX STREETS, NOT ONE OR TWO OR THREE. UM, AND, AND MAKING DISINGENUOUS STATEMENTS HERE AT PUBLIC SESSION. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, AND ONE THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT, 'CAUSE THIS WAS INTRIGUING TO ME IN THE LAST DISCUSSIONS THAT CAME UP WAS, UH, THAT THIS WAS DECIDED BY T MAYOR THROUGH AN AGREEMENT A LONG TIME AGO. SO I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH TDOT. I I WANNA BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS. I'M NOT SURE I HAVE IT RIGHT. UH, I WAS TOLD THAT, YOU KNOW, DURING THE 45 DISCUSSIONS, UH, PEOPLE WERE REALLY MAD AT TDOT ABOUT THIS SITUATION WITH POLK. UM, BUT THEY DID A DIVERSION AROUND WHAT I THINK WHAT YOU JUST SAID, A A THIRD. CAN YOU JUST DESCRIBE THAT, THAT DIVERSION FOR ME? SO IF YOU'RE COMING, UM, FROM MY HOUSE ON POLK, AND YOU GUYS ARE WELCOME TO COME TO MY HOUSE. SO YOU'RE GOING TOWARDS DOWNTOWN FROM PO TOWARDS DOWNTOWN. SO THE NEW PLAN WOULD BE TO TAKE A RIDE ON SAN EMANUEL, RIGHT? GO UP TWO BLOCKS. OKAY. TAKE ANOTHER, UM, TAKE A LEFT ON LAMAR, WHICH WOULD ACT AS THE U-TURN OVER THE FREEWAY. A LEFT ON NEW HAMILTON STREET, WHICH DOESN'T CURRENTLY EXIST, BUT JUST BUILDING RIGHT. I TALKED, HE TALKED TO ME ABOUT NEW HAMILTON. YEAH. AND THEN TAKE A RIGHT AND CONTINUE UP PULL. OKAY. SO THAT WAS KIND OF THE TEXT COMPROMISE WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON HOW THAT WOULD WORK. CORRECT. BUT THAT'S NO LONGER, THAT'S NOT A PART OF THIS PLAN BECAUSE OF THE, WHERE THE EXPANSION IS. SO HOUSTON FIRST IS PROPOSING TO CLOSE, UM, POLK BETWEEN ON, WELL, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S CHARTRES ALL THE WAY UP TO ANITA DEIST AMERICAS, RIGHT. CHARTRES AND ANITA. MM-HMM AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT'S CHANGED FROM THE, I MEAN THE RESIDENTS WEREN'T HAPPY WITH WHAT TEXDOT HAD, BUT THIS WAS KIND OF A A THIS CAME OUT DURING THE DISCUSSIONS TO MAKE THAT DIVERSION. RIGHT. IT WAS COMPROMISED. SO Y'ALL WOULD BE OKAY WITH THAT STILL IF THAT WAS AN OPTION? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. NEXT ROY HIRSCH. UH, GOOD NEWS IS I THINK I'M THE LAST SPEAKER. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, I'M ROY HERSI. I'M A RESIDENT OF THE EAST END. UM, AND SPEAKING TO CONTINUE WITH WHAT, WHERE THE CONVERSATION WAS WITH AMY ABOUT THE T PLAN LAST WEEK, THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION, DISAGREEMENT ABOUT TXT ROLE AND ENCLOSURE OF POLK STREET. DUE TO THE GEORGE R. BROWN TDOT'S FREEWAY PLAN WOULD SEVER CONNECTION OF POLK BETWEEN SAINT EMANUEL AND HAMILTON. HOWEVER, TXDOT PLANNED TO MITIGATE THAT WITH THE U-TURN BRIDGE AS SHOWN IN FIGURE ONE. THIS WAS NEVER THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE OF THE EAST END COMMUNITY AND WE ALWAYS HELD OUT HOPE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO REVISIT THE CONCEPT OF A POLK BRIDGE. HOWEVER, IT IS THE HEIGHT OF CYNICISM TO USE THAT COMPROMISE TO JUSTIFY THE FURTHER DEGRADATION OF THE EAST END TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. AS IMPERFECT AS THE TEXTILE ALTERNATIVE IS. THE HOUSTON FIRST PROPOSAL IS FAR WORSE. MAY I FINISH? YES, I'M ALMOST DONE. GO AHEAD, FINISH UP. OKAY. UH, THE HOUSTON FIRST PROPOSAL IS FAR WORSE, NOT JUST TO THE EAST END COMMUNITY, BUT FOR ALL COMMUTERS WHO USE POLK STREET REGULARLY TO ACCESS DOWNTOWN DESTINATIONS. THIS, THIS IS CLEARLY SHOWN IN FIGURE TWO AND THREE, WHICH IS PROOF THAT TXDOT DOES NOT PROPOSE TO CLOSE POLK. IF THIS DOES COME UP FOR A VOTE, PLEASE VOTE TO MAINTAIN POLK STREET. UM, HOWEVER, WE ARE HOPEFUL THE REASON WILL PREVAIL AND IT WILL NEVER COME TO A VOTE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S LIKE TWO MORE. EDUARDO, DURAN, [03:10:05] EDUARDO. HI THERE GUYS. I WAS LOOKING FOR, UH, SOME CLIPS TO GO AHEAD AND EDIT TOGETHER, UM, BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO DO SO, SO I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND TAKE WHAT I I HAVE HERE AND, AND PLAY IT TO THE MICROPHONE NEXT TIME. I WILL HAVE ACTUAL EDITED CLIPS TOGETHER. UH, THIS IS THE MOST LEGITIMATE ACTUAL JOURNALISM THAT I'VE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AND THE THINGS THAT HE'S DESCRIBING IS EVERYTHING FROM MICROSOFT, UH, MORE OR LESS MERGING WITH COCA-COLA. UM, THE DISCUSSION OF, YOU KNOW, ENGINEER NET NET PARTICLES IN THAT AS WELL. BUT I GUESS, UH, I'LL JUST PUT UP THIS ONE, UH, THIS DISCUSSION ON UH, ON, ON THIS, ON THE END OF THIS ONE VIDEO. OH, SHE WANTED TO SAY THE BIGGEST SHEEPLES IN THE WORLD. THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTED TO SAY. SHE HAD TO HOLD HERSELF BACK. I SUPPOSED TO GOT THREE MINUTES BY THE WAY. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED TO BE ELECTED TO BE ELECTED IN CANADA, BUT I THINK WE'RE FINE. THANK YOU. I WAS GONNA HAVE THREE MINUTES. CAN I WAIT TILL, CAN I WAIT TILL NEXT WEEK AND HAVE MY THREE MINUTES THEN SINCE NEXT WEEK? YEAH, BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT BEING COUNTED AS THIS TIME, THEN I PRETTY MUCH JUST QUALIFIED FOR THREE MINUTES ALTOGETHER. OKAY. I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A MINUTE RIGHT NOW, BUT PLEASE WRAP IT UP. AND AMERICA HAS RACED AHEAD OF US BACK AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM, THE AVERAGE BRIT WAS CATCHING UP WITH THE AVERAGE AMERICAN IN TERMS OF INCOME AHEAD. WOW. WE ARE NOW $34,000 A YEAR BEHIND. WE ARE POORER THAN MISSISSIPPI, WHICH IS THE POOREST AMERICAN STATE. WOW. AND THE SAME IS TRUE, THE SAME IS TRUE OF FRANCE AND GERMANY AND TO SOME EXTENT OF CANADA BECAUSE THEY'VE PURSUED ALL OF THESE WOKE POLICIES, HIGH TAXES, HIGH SPENDING, NOT USING THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES AND JUSTIN TRUDET WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THAT. AND OF COURSE MARK CARNEY HAS BEEN THE ADVOCATE OF THESE POLICIES. SO, OKAY. GOT I WHAT IS GOING ON IN CANADA? THANK YOU. WE UNDERSTAND IN THE SAME WAY AS I THINK PEOPLE IN, SO I'LL, I'LL BE, I'LL BE EDITING ACTUALLY THE, THE PIECES TOGETHER SO I CAN JUST GO AHEAD AND ALRIGHT, I APPRECIATE YOU. ALL RIGHT, HAVE A GOOD DAY NEXT TIME. UM, I WOULD LI LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND JUST DO THAT. THANK YOU. SOUNDS GOOD. NEXT, THIS COMPLETES THE LIST OF SPEAKERS. [RECESS] WE STAY IN RECESS TILL NINE IN THE MORNING. THANK MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OR REAPPOINTMENT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE GREATER HOUSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. ITEM THREE, REQUEST FOR MAYOR FOR CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF SALLY ALCORN TO POSITION ONE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON DEFERRED COMPENSATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE. ITEM FOUR, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS FOR APPROVAL OF FINAL CONTRA CON FINAL CONTRACT AMOUNT WITH TB CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION INC. ITEM FIVE, RECOMMENDATION FROM DIRECTOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE JOINT REFERRAL COMMITTEE. ON REQUEST FROM LAURIE KING DECLINING THE ACCEPTANCE OF REJECTING AND REFUSING THE DEDICATION OF A FOUR FOOT WIDE UTILITY EASEMENT LOCATED WITHIN LOT FIVE BLOCK THREE OF THE BOEING EDITION. ITEM SIX, APPROVED SPINNING AUTHORITY WITH CAR SOFT TECHNOLOGY COURT ITEM SEVEN, THE FRENCH CO HAD ODD INTEREST INC FOR EMERGENCY CATERING SERVICES. ITEM EIGHT, SEALS B FORD FOR PURCHASE OF 1 20 25 FORD F TWO 50. UH, FOUR BY TWO TRUCK ITEM NINE APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR PURCHASE OF EMISSION TESTING AND OIL CHANGE SERVICES FOR LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES WITH LENE INC. ITEM 10, CHASTAIN ENTERPRISES HOUSTON, LLC DOING BUSINESS AS CHASTAIN FORD FOR PURCHASE OF ONE FORD TRANSIT VAN ITEM 11, LAKE COUNTRY CHEVROLET FOR PURCHASE OF ONE CHEVROLET TAHOE PPV ITEM 12 APPROVED SPINNING AUTHORITY FOR PURCHASE OF TWO FORD F THREE 50 ELECTRICIAN UTILITY TRUCKS. ITEM 13, DOGGED HEAVY MACHINERY SERVICES LLC AND EWALD AL KUBOTA FOR PURCHASE OF EARTH MOVING EQUIPMENT. ITEM 14, DRIVE FORCE CORP FOR EMERGENCY WATER DAMAGE REPAIR SERVICES AT VARIOUS CITY FACILITIES. ITEM 15, SYNERGY MEDICAL LABORATORIES INC. FOR LABORATORY TESTING [03:15:01] SERVICES. ITEM 16, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO FOR FIRST RESPONDER OPIOID OVERDOSE NALOXONE TRAINING DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. ITEM 17 AMEND MOTION 2023 DASH 31 TO INCREASE SPENDING AUTHORITY FROM $1,445,136 TO $1,806,420 FOR A PURCHASE OF AMMUNITION AND ACCESSORIES. ITEM 18, FERGUSON ENTERPRISES LLC FOR PURCHASE OF MANHOLE COVERS ITEM 19:00 PM CONSTRUCTION AND REHAB LLC FOR EMERGENCY REPAIR OF A 42 INCH SEWER LINE AT THE BELTWAY WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT. ITEM 20 FERGUSON ENTERPRISES LLC FOR PURCHASE OF DUCTILE IRON RESILIENT WEDGE GATE VALVES. ITEM 21 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF LETTER OF APPROVAL TO B WILLIAMS AND COMPANY LLC. ITEM 22 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF LETTER OF APPROVAL TO DAY SPRING EMS INC. ITEM 23 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF LETTER OF APPROVAL TO ECLIPSE AMBULANCE SERVICE LLC. ITEM 24 ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 28 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS ADDING ARTICLE 23 ESTABLISHING A REGI REGISTRATION BASED REGULATORY FRAMEWORK RELATED TO THE ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION AND A FEE THEREOF THEREFORE, FOR THE OPERATION OF SHORT TERM RENTALS. ITEM 25 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HOUSTON'S CAPITAL INVESTING IN DEVELOPMENT AND IN EMPLOYMENT OF ADULTS INC. ITEM 26 ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2023 DASH 10 93 TO INCREASE MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNT AND APPROVE AN AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. ITEM 27, ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2013 DASH THREE 15 TO INCREASE MAXIMUM CONTRACT AMOUNT AND APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING THIRD AMENDMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON. ITEM 28, ORDINANCE APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON. ITEM 29 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $11 MILLION OUT OF AIRPORTS RENEWAL AND REPLACEMENT FUND AS ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION TO THREE ON-CALL AVIATION PLANNING CONSULTING SERVICES, CONTRACTS BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND RECCONDO AND ASSOCIATES INC. LANDRUM AND BROWN INC. AND HNTB CORPORATION. ITEM 30 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $12,708,000 FOR VEHICLES AND RELATED EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS CITY DEPARTMENTS. ITEM 31 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $350,000 FOR ELECTRICAL COMMUNICATIONS AND SECURITY SYSTEM UPGRADES AT HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IMPOUND LOT. ITEM 32. ORDINANCE PROVEN IN AWARD AND CONTRACT TO DORY H HERTEL, D-V-M-D-B-A, DOING BUSINESS AS DJ VETS FOR VE VETERINARY SERVICES FOR MINOR PATROL HORSES. ITEM 33, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND JSM AIRPORT SERVICES LLC FOR BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEMS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES. ITEM 34 ORDINANCE APPROVED AND AUTHORIZING FOURTH AMENDMENT TO ENTER LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY. HARRIS COUNTY FOR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE JOINT PROCESSING CENTER. ITEM 35 ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDES OF THE 700 BLOCK OF EAST 12TH STREET BETWEEN BEVERLY STREET AND STUDIO WOOD STREET. ITEM 36 ORDINANCE MAKING CERTAIN FINDINGS RELATED TO THE USE OF APPROXIMATELY 7,404 SQUARE FEET OF LAND OUT OF SYLVAN RODRIGUEZ PARK IN CONNECTION WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THE EXISTING 42 INCH SOUTHEAST TRANSMISSION WATERLINE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY THREE FROM FUQUA STREET TO LAKE CITY PUMP STATION. ITEM 37 ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING PER PURCHASE AND SELLER AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS CELLAR AND MAG KHAN AND ZIA FOR SALE OF APPRO. APPROXIMATELY 5,380 SQUARE FEET OF CITY OWNED LAND. ITEM 38 ORDINANCE APPRO PROVEN ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS THROUGH GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND TEXAS DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR LOCKWOOD WASTEWATER LIFT STATION GENERATOR INSTALLATION PROJECT ITEM 39 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $2,703,507 45 CENTS APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND BOLDMAN ENGINEERING AND CONSULTING INC. ITEM 40 ORDINANCE [03:20:01] APPROPRIATING $145,950 OUT OF WATER AND SEWER SYSTEM. CONSOLIDATED CONSTRUCTION FUND APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND IDS ENGINEERING GROUP INC. ITEM 41 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $837,509 26 CENTS APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND IS CONSULTANTS. LP ITEM 42, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $441,160 APPROVING AN AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND WESTERN SOLUTIONS INC. ITEM 43, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $3,454,490 AWARD AND CONTRACT TO CSI CONSOLIDATED LLC DOING BUSINESS AS AIMS COMPANIES. THANK YOU. ITEM 44 SET A HEARING DATE TO PROVIDE A RESOLUTION OF NO OBJECTION FOR THREE APPLICANTS SEEKING 4% HOUSING TAX CREDITS. ITEM 45 SET A HEARING DATE TO PROVIDE A RESOLUTION OF NO OBJECTION FOR TWO APPLICANTS SEEKING 4% HOUSING TAX CREDITS. ITEM 46 ORDINANCE APPROVED AND AUTHORIZED A MODIFICATION TO LOAN BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS AND MCGREGOR GROCERY LLC. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER AND WAS ITEM 51 ON THE AGENDA OF MARCH 26. ITEM 47 ORDINANCE RELATING TO FISCAL AFFAIRS OF REINVESTMENT. ZONE NUMBER 27, CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS CAYMAN AND ALCORN AND WAS ITEM 56 ON AGENDA OF MARCH 26TH AND ITEM 48, ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2011 DASH 8 67 TO RECLASSIFY 2041 NORFOLK. AND THIS WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN AND WAS ITEM 57 ON THE AGENDA OF MARCH 26. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE CAPTIONS OF THE AGENDA FOR APRIL 1ST AND SECOND 2025. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT SESSION OF HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL'S SCHEDULE TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM AND IN THE WORDS OF THE CURRENT CITY SECRETARY PAT JEFFERSON DANIEL ALWAYS TREAT EVERYONE THE WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED. HAVE A BLESSED AND FAN TABLET DAY. THANK YOU MR. SECRETARY. THANK YOU MY NUMBER ONE COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU. THAT'S NOW FOR [ADMIN REPORT] THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. WE RECOGNIZE CONTROLLER AND DIRECTOR MELISSA DEBOWSKI. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. HONORABLE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND STAFF. UH, I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT TO YOU THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED FEBRUARY 28TH, 2025. UH, AS YOU SAW YESTERDAY, THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS IN THIS ONE. UM, SO SO BEAR WITH US AND I'M SURE MELISSA WILL SAY THE SAME. THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IS PROJECTING AN ENDING FUND BALANCE OF $228 MILLION OR 8.8% OF EXPENDITURES LESS DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025. THIS IS $121.2 MILLION LOWER THAN THE PROJECTION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THE DIFFERE IS DUE TO A LOWER REVENUE AND HIGHER EXPENDITURE PROJECTION THAN THAT OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT. AS WAS POINTED OUT IN LAST MONTH'S REPORT, THE MOST NOTABLE DIFFERENCE IS THAT OUR NUMBERS ACCOUNT, UH, FOR THE A HUNDRED $0.3 MILLION THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO PUT TOWARDS DRAINAGE PROJECTS FOR THE GENERAL FUND THIS FISCAL YEAR. WHILE FINANCES NUMBERS DO NOT, BASED ON OUR CURRENT PROJECTIONS, THE FUND BALANCE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $33.4 MILLION ABOVE THE CITY'S TARGET OF HOLDING 7.5% OF TOTAL EXPENDITURES, UH, EXCLUDING DEBT SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO IN RESERVE. WE'VE INCREASED OUR REVENUE PROJECTION BY $46.8 MILLION FROM THE JANUARY, 2025 REPORT, AND WE'VE INCREASED OUR EXPENDITURE PROJECTION BY $63.9 MILLION. THAT RESULTS IN A NET INCREASE OF $17.1 MILLION IN DEFICIT SPENDING. THE INCREASES IN REVENUE PROJECTIONS REFLECT THE FOLLOWING, AN INCREASE OF $32.3 MILLION IN THE SALE OF CAPITAL ASSETS DUE TO THE TEX CONDEMNATION OF HP D'S SOUTH CENTRAL SUBSTATION. AN INCREASE OF $18 MILLION IN CHARGES FOR SERVICES DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED AMBULANCE FEES. AN INCREASE OF $3.7 MILLION IN TRANSFERS FROM THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM DRIVEN BY THE 3 1 1 SERVICE CONSOLIDATION WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AND ADDITIONAL TRANSFER FROM THE [03:25:01] PARK HOUSTON FUND AN INCREASE OF $1.5 MILLION IN LICENSES AND PERMITS DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED SPECIAL FIRE PERMITS. LIQUOR LICENSES AND LIMOUSINE PERMITS AN INCREASE OF $0.6 MILLION IN OTHER FRANCHISE FEES DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED SOLID WASTE HAUL FRANCHISE FEES AND A DECREASE OF $9.1 MILLION IN INTERGOVERNMENTAL DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED TURS MUNICIPAL SERVICE FEES. THE INCREASE IN EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS REFLECTS THE FOLLOWING, AN INCREASE OF $54.6 MILLION IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DRIVEN BY HIGHER THAN EXPECTED OVERTIME, SPECIAL PAYS, PHASE DOWN BILLING AND COLLECTIONS AND WINTER STORM ENZO RELATED COSTS AN INCREASE OF $20.4 MILLION IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DUE TO HIGHER THAN EXPECTED OVERTIME COSTS AND THE ADDITION OF A SIX CADET CLASS, AN INCREASE OF $0.6 MILLION ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO REFLECT FLEET CHARGEBACK OVERAGES A DECREASE OF $0.8 MILLION ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO REFLECT IT. CHARGEBACK SAVINGS, A DECREASE OF $2.8 MILLION ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS TO REFLECT INTERFUND INSURANCE CHARGEBACK SAVINGS, A DECREASE OF $5 MILLION IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS DUE TO HEALTH BENEFIT SAVINGS FROM LOWER ENROLLMENT, AN INCREASE OF $0.5 MILLION PRIMARILY RELATED TO THE OTHER CHARGEBACK ACCOUNT. ADJUSTMENTS ACROSS VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, A DECREASE OF $0.8 MILLION IN THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER. FOLLOWING THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WITH THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, A DECREASE OF $3 MILLION IN GENERAL GOVERNMENT REFLECTING THE TRANSFER TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR A SIX CADET CLASS AND THE MCKINNEY OFFICE RENTAL REDUCTION FOLLOWING THE 3 1 1 CONSOLIDATION. MOVING TO ENTERPRISE FUNDS AND AVIATION OPERATING REVENUES DECREASED BY $14.9 MILLION, MAINLY DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED SIGNATORY LANDING FEES. OPERATING EXPENSES DECREASED BY $11.4 MILLION DUE TO LOWER INSURANCE PREMIUMS, LOWER ELECTRICITY AND NATURAL GAS USAGE AND LOWER SPENDING ON BUILDING MAINTENANCE SERVICES AND COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT PARTIALLY OFFSET BY PERSONNEL OVERAGES. NON-OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY $17.2 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED INTEREST ON POOLED INVESTMENTS. TOTAL TRANSFERS INCREASED BY $13.7 MILLION DUE TO $21.7 MILLION AND INCREASES IN THE TRANSFER FROM THE REVENUE FUND TO THE AIRPORT. $10 MILLION TO THE RENEW AND REPLACEMENT FUND OFFSET BY A DECREASE OF $18 MILLION IN THE DEBT SERVICE TRANSFER AND COMBINED UTILITIES OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY $53.3 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED WATER AND SEWER SALES. OPERATING EXPENSES INCREASED BY $1 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER CONSTRUCTION SITE WORK SERVICES OFFSET BY DECREASE IN OTHER EQUIPMENT SERVICES DUE TO CONTRACT IMPLEMENTATION DELAYS. OPERATING TRANSFERS DECREASED BY $17.8 MILLION DUE TO CAPITAL EQUIPMENT PURCHASE. DELAYS OFFSET BY A TRANSFER TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE 3 1 1 CONSOLIDATION IN CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT. NON-OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY $1.9 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED COLLECTIONS OF HOT TAXES AND REVENUES. AS A RESULT, OPERATING TRANSFERS ALSO INCREASED BY $1.8 MILLION IN THE STORMWATER FUND. EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY $2.3 MILLION DUE TO SAVINGS IN PERSONNEL AND DELAYS IN VEHICLE PURCHASES OFFSET BY HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE SERVICE COSTS. OPERATING TRANSFERS OUT INCREASED BY $2.6 MILLION DUE TO DUE TO THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUNDS. PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS BEING PAID OUT OF THE STORMWATER FUND IN THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUND AT VALOR REVENUES INCREASED BY $8.5 MILLION DUE TO TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND FOR STREET AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS AND HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED INTEREST ON POOLED INVESTMENTS EXPENDITURES DECREASED BY $7.4 MILLION DUE TO DELAYS IN VEHICLE PURCHASES AND D-D-S-R-F DRAINAGE REVENUES INCREASED BY $1.4 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED INTEREST ON POOLED INVESTMENTS IN D-D-S-R-F. METRO EXPENDITURES INCREASED BY $1.2 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED ELECTRICITY COSTS OFFSET BY A DECREASE IN TRANSFERS FOR DEBT SERVICE AS A RESULT OF PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS BEING PAID OUT OF THE STORMWATER FUND. I'M TRYING Y'ALL FOR OUR COMMERCIAL PAPER AND BONDS. THE CITY'S PRACTICE HAS BEEN TO MAINTAIN NO MORE THAN 20% OF THE TOTAL OUTSTANDING DEBT REACH TYPE OF DEBT IN A VARIABLE RATE STRUCTURE. AS OF FEBRUARY 28TH, 2025, THE RATIO OF UNHEDGED VARIABLE RATE DEBT FOR EACH TYPE OF OUTSTANDING DEBT REMAIN WELL BELOW THAT [03:30:01] THRESHOLD. MAYOR AND COUNCIL. YESTERDAY, MY OFFICE DELIVERED TO EACH OF YOU A PERSONAL COPY OF THE CITY'S OF HOUSTON'S FIRST EVER OF POPULAR ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE ER ONE OF THE CONTROL OFFICER. THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE'S CORE VALUES IS TRANSPARENCY, AND WHEN WE SAY TRANSPARENCY, WE MEAN TRANSLATING COMPLEX FINANCIAL DATA INTO PLAIN ENGLISH, MAKING IT RELEVANT TO THE DAILY LIVES OF HOUSTONIANS AND PUTTING THAT INFORMATION DIRECTLY INTO THEIR HANDS. THE PR IS A CLEAR, CONCISE SNAPSHOT OF THE CITY'S FINANCES AND OVERALL FISCAL HEALTH. THE NUMBERS IN THE PR COME FROM THE CITY'S ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT OR THE ACTER, BUT INSTEAD OF A DENSE 300 PAGE DOCUMENT DESIGNED FOR PUBLIC FINANCE PROFESSIONALS OR FOLKS WITH ACCOUNTING DEGREES AND ONE THAT WILL PUT MOST PEOPLE TO SLEEP, THE PR IS AN EASY TO READ, VISUALLY ENGAGING SUMMARY INTENDED FOR EVERYDAY HOUSTONIANS. THE PR IS NOT A NEW IDEA OR A CONCEPT, BUT IT'S ONE THAT HAS BEEN LONG OVERDUE IN HOUSTON. THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION HAS ENCOURAGED STATES AND CITIES TO PRODUCE PATHERS SINCE AT LEAST 1991, BUT UNTIL NOW, HOUSTON, DESPITE BEING THE LARGEST CITY IN TEXAS AND THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN AMERICA, WAS THE LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY WITHOUT A PR. EVEN DALLAS HAS ONE. SO IT'S TIME FOR HOUSTON TO RISE TO THAT STANDARD. WE'RE PROUD TO BRING HOUSTON'S FINANCIAL REPORTING PRACTICES INTO THE 21ST CENTURY WITH THIS EDITION AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE THE PR ON AN ANNUAL BASIS GOING FORWARD. YOU CAN FIND IT ONLINE BY SIMPLY SEARCHING HOUSTON PFR OR PAFR, AND IT SHOULD BE THE FIRST LINK THAT YOU SEE. PRINTED COPIES ARE LIMITED. WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE PAPER HERE AND SAVE SOME MONEY, BUT IF THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE INTERESTED IN PRODUCING ADDITIONAL COPIES, MY OFFICE IS HAPPY TO GUIDE YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. OUR HOPE IS THAT THIS SIMPLIFIED SUMMARY GIVES MORE HOUSTONIANS A CLEAR ACCESSIBLE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING USED. AND FOR THOSE WHO WANNA TAKE A DEEPER DIVE, YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT THE COMPREHENSIVE REPORT AS WELL. JUST SEARCH ONLINE FOR HOUSTON AFER, A CFR FOR THAT REPORT. UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I KNOW IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE I WAS LAST BEFORE YOU, BUT I WANT TO AGAIN REQUEST YOUR UNANIMOUS SUPPORT IN RENAMING THE DOWNTOWN STRETCH OF BAGBY, THE SYLVESTER TURNER AVENUE. WE'VE SECURED THE REQUIRED SUPPORT FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS. ONLY ONE PROPERTY OWNER. ONLY ONE PROPERTY OWNER HAS YET TO FORMALLY JOIN US, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL HAVE THAT WE'LL HAVE THEIR SUPPORT AGAIN SOON. THAT SAID, WE HAVE SURPASSED THE 75% THRESHOLD WITHOUT THEM, AND SO THE NEXT STEP IS COUNCIL ACTION. I HOPE THIS WILL HAVE BEEN TAKEN UP AND MOVED FORWARD BY THE TIME THAT WE SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN FOR NEXT MONTH'S FINANCIAL REPORT. AND I WANNA THANK YOU IN ADVANCE AND HOUSTON, THANKS YOU AS WELL. FINALLY, MAYOR AND COUNCIL YESTERDAY, DEPUTY CONTROLLER WILL JONES PRESENTED AN ANALYSIS TO THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OUTLINING THE GROWING CHALLENGES AND CONTAINING OVERTIME EXPENSES ACROSS BOTH UNIFORMED AND CIVILIAN OPERATIONS. WHILE EXCEEDING OVERTIME BUDGETS HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT ROUTINE OVER THE LAST DECADE. THE SITUATION HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DETERIORATED IN FISCAL YEARS 2024 AND 2025. THIS YEAR, SOLID WASTE FIRE AND POLICE ARE PROJECTED TO EXCEED THEIR OVERTIME BUDGETS BY 75%, 95% AND 190% RESPECTIVELY. THE PROJECTED OVERTIME BUDGETS FOR POLICE AND FIRE THIS YEAR ARE EACH ON TRACK TO REACH ALL TIME HIGHS. WHILE THE TOTAL OVERTIME BUDGET WITHIN GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS IS $65 MILLION FOR THE YEAR OVERAGES IN JUST THESE THREE DEPARTMENTS ARE PROJECTED TO EXCEED $70 MILLION. THE VOLUME AND MAGNITUDE OF THE OVERAGES IS CONCERNING AND EQUALLY TROUBLING IS THE FACT THAT HISTORICALLY DEPARTMENTS HAVE RELIED ON VACANCY SAVINGS FROM UNFILLED POSITIONS TO OFFSET THE EXCESS. PLUGGING THE GAP WITH THAT SAME APPROACH WILL BE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT. UH, THIS YEAR, SOLID WASTE IS ALREADY TRENDING OVER BUDGET IN BOTH REFUSE DISPOSAL AND TEMPORARY PERSONNEL SERVICES. HPD FACES ONGOING UNCERTAINTY RELATED TO FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR DISASTER RELATED OVERTIME AND PERSISTENT CHALLENGES IN FIGHTING VIOLENT CRIME. AND HFD IS EXPERIENCING OVERAGES IN SPECIAL PAYS AND PHASE DOWN THAT MAKE AN INTERNAL OFFSET THAT'S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST UNLIKELY THAT LEAVES THE FUND BALANCE AS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO COVER THE OVERAGES FURTHER STRAINING OUR $330 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL. SIMPLY PUT, WE HAVE TO GET THESE NUMBERS UNDER CONTROL WITH SUCH A SIGNIFICANT DEFICIT ALREADY IN PLAY. IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE PUT A PLAN IN PLACE TO CONTINUE PROVIDING CRITICAL SERVICES LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRASH COLLECTION AT A HIGH LEVEL WITHOUT FURTHER STRAIN ON OUR BALANCE SHEET. AS DETAILED IN THE AUDIT PLAN THAT WE RELEASED TO YOU A FEW WEEKS AGO, OUR AUDIT DIVISION WILL BE CONDUCTING TARGETED REVIEWS OF OVERTIME PRACTICES IN BOTH UNIFORMED [03:35:01] AND CIVILIAN DEPARTMENTS. THESE AUDITS WILL EVALUATE WHETHER INTERNAL CONTROLS ARE ADEQUATE TO ENSURE THE APPROPRIATE USE AND ACCURATE PAYMENT OF OVERTIME. DETERMINE WHETHER CURRENT PRACTICES ALIGN WITH CITY POLICY, IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL FACTORS DRIVING RECENT OVERTIME SPIKES AND UNCOVER ANY INSTANCES OF WASTE, MISUSE OR INEFFICIENCY. THE SCOPE OF THE AUDIT WILL COVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, AND IT WILL INCLUDE A REVIEW OF BACK PAY TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY. THE COMMITMENT I WILL MAKE IS TO DELIVER PRACTICAL, ACTIONABLE FACTS SO THAT YOUR DECISIONS CAN BE WELL-INFORMED, DATA-DRIVEN, AND CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD BY ALL HOUSTONIANS. MY OFFICE REQUESTS AND EXPECTS THE FULL COOPERATION OF OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND LEADERSHIP IN COMPLETING THIS IMPORTANT WORK. THANK YOU. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. COUPLE QUICK QUESTION. WHAT'D YOU SAY WILL PUT PEOPLE TO SLEEP? THE ACT FOR THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT. IT'S A DOCUMENT THAT'S ABOUT THIS THICK, HAS A BUNCH OF NUMBERS IN IT, YOU THINK THAT PUTS PEOPLE TO SLEEP IT WELL, LET'S WAKE UP, LET'S WAKE UP JUST SOME FACTS. UH, MR. JONES, WHEN DID HE JOIN YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND WHAT WAS HIS PREVIOUS JOB? UH, MR. JONES USED TO BE, UH, THE FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE POSITION THAT MR. BASKE IS IN. SURE. AND I THINK HE JOINED YOU, YOU AND I I WAS SWORN IN AT 1201 ON JANUARY SUNDAY NIGHT. I, I DON'T CAN'T SPEAK FOR YOU, BUT HE LEFT THE, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE THE DAY BEFORE I WAS SWORN IN WORKING DAY AND THE DAY BEFORE YOU WORKED, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, HE WAS. AND HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN THE FINANCE DIRECTOR? CONTROL HIMSELF TO ME WAS THE, UH, FINANCIAL, FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT, UH, FOR SOME TIME. I'M NOT SURE. SO HE SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE PREVIOUS FACTS AND FIGURES OF PREVIOUS CITY BUDGETS AND OVERTIME POLICIES. HAS THE FINANCE , HE SHOULD KNOW THAT IT'S ACTUALLY LOWER THIS YEAR. ARE YOU ASKING ME A QUESTION OR ARE YOU TALKING? SURE, I'M DOING BOTH. HE SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH THE OVERTIME POLICIES AND NUMBERS OF PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS. UH, YES. AND THE ANALYSIS THAT WE SHOWED GOES OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. YEAH. AND SO HE SHOULD KNOW THAT HE DIDN'T PRESENT APPLES AND APPLES TO THE COUNCIL YESTERDAY IN TERMS OF ALL FUNDS THAT WERE APPLIED TO OVERTIME. UM, NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO. THE FOCUS OF YESTERDAY'S PRESENTATION, I'M REFERRING, LET ME FINISH. THE FOCUS OF YESTERDAY'S PRESENTATION WAS OVERTIME IN THE GENERAL FUND. SURE. UH, AND, AND THE THREE AREAS OF FOCUS WERE POLICE AND FIRE, WHICH HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LARGE OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, AS WELL AS SOLID WASTE, WHICH WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND, SOLID WASTE HAS THE MOST OVERTIME. UH, BY FAR IT'S ROUGHLY ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE CIVILIAN OVERTIME. SO HE SHOULD IN THE GENERAL FUND, EXCUSE ME IF FOR INTERRUPT. SO HE SHOULD KNOW WHEN HE JUST USED HIS ESTATE'S REPORT USING GENERAL FUNDS. HE KNOWS WHEN HE WAS A DIRECTOR, HE USED GENERAL FUNDS, ARPA MONEY CARES MONEY, AND REALLY PAID FOR OVERTIME WITH FEDERAL FUNDING AND THEN LARGELY FROM UNDERSTAFFED. SO, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, PERHAPS YOU DIDN'T GET THE BRIEFING THAT I'VE RECEIVED. AND I'M GONNA ASK OUR FINANCE DIRECTOR TO SHOW THE COMPARISONS THAT WERE PRESENTED YESTERDAY. IN FACT, MR. CONTROLLER, LET'S LOOK AT THE REAL PICTURE BECAUSE THE PUBLIC DECIDE DETER THE PUBLIC'S ENTITLED TO HEAR. AND MELISSA, IF YOU WON'T HAND OUT THAT, THAT GRAPH AND I'LL YIELD TO YOUR PRESENTATION. BUT MR. HOLLANDS, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THREE NEW DIRECTORS IN EACH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS. DO YOU NOT? UH, FIRE AND POLICE HAVE BEEN ON THE JOB ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS. SO THEIR EFFICIENCIES ARE KICKING IN. WE HAVE ADDITIONAL 130 OFFICERS FILLING THOSE UNFILLED POSITIONS. WE'VE HAD TWO STORMS. WE'VE HAD 260,000 SUSPENDED HPD CASES. THERE IS SO MANY REASONS WHY WE'VE REACHED INTO OVERTIME. CERTAINLY THE WEEKEND SURGES ARE $14 MILLION EACH, WHICH THE PUBLIC AND THIS COUNCIL ARE ASKING FOR. BUT TO SAY THAT IT'S AN ALARMING AMOUNT, IT'S JUST ABOUT WHERE IT'S BEEN AND YOUR FINANCE DIRECTOR KNOWS IT 'CAUSE HE HAD MELISSA'S POSITION AND WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA LET IT SLIDE BECAUSE IT'S TOO IMPORTANT. IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A POLITICAL REPORT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE IN MARCH OF 25. I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENT. MAY THIS REPORT IS NOT POLICY. I WAS NOT SLEEPING THROUGH ANY OF IT. IT REALLY, MAYOR, IF YOU'RE NOT ALARMED BY THESE OVERTIME FIGURES, SIR, THEN WE GOT A REAL PROBLEM. NO, WE'RE ADDRESSING IT. MAYOR, DIRECTOR, MAYOR FACED REAL CHALLENGES FOR YEARS. I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO CITY, ALWAYS OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES. WE'RE JUST CLEARING THE RECORD FOR THE PUBLIC. THE RECORD IS THAT WE HAVE RECORD OVER TIME, PERIOD. YES, SIR. AND THERE'S CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE [03:40:01] CITY HISTORY. THERE'S CIRCUMSTANCES THAT REQUIRED THIS. THOSE ARE THE FACTS. THIS IS NOT OPINION. IT'S NOT. I RECOGNIZE THE DIRECTOR OF IT'S THE FACTS. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, MAYOR. SO THE GRAPHIC THAT WAS, UM, JUST DISTRIBUTED TO YOU ALL SHOWS THE, UM, OVERTIME FOR THE THREE DEPARTMENTS HIGHLIGHTED YESTERDAY, INCLUDING ALL FUNDS. SO WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS IN 20 21, 20 22, 20 23, UM, WE DID RECEIVE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH ARPA AND CARES THAT WERE SPENT ON OVERTIME, UM, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIRE AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS. SO WHEN YOU INCLUDE THOSE OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS AS WELL AS SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, UM, FROM THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, YOU DO SEE THAT THE, UM, THE LARGE SPIKE THAT THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE WAS SHOWING IN INCREASED SPENDING IN GENERAL FUND, UM, IN 24 AND 25. WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT THE GENERAL FUND IS SPENDING MORE, UM, IN THOSE YEARS THAN IT HAD HISTORICALLY, THE GENERAL FUND IS SIMPLY MAKING UP FOR THE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO US THROUGH THE CARES AND THE ARPA. SO, UM, LOOKING AT THE, LOOKING AT THE, THE BARS, YOU SEE, OF COURSE THE FY 25 IS STILL A PROJECTION. AND THAT REFLECTS THE, THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE IN THE MOFA, UM, YESTERDAY THAT WAS PRESENTED, UH, AS FAR AS INCREASING THE GENERAL FUND PROJECTIONS. BUT YOU SEE THE FY 24 NUMBERS, 23, 22 AND 21 NUMBERS. THOSE FIGURES NOW INCLUDE ALL THE ARPA AND CARES FUNDING AS WELL AS SOME OF THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, UM, THAT IS USED ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS. UM, I KNOW THAT AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WE HAVE NEW LEADERSHIP IN THOSE DEPARTMENTS AND WE ARE CLOSELY WORKING WITH THEM ON THE OVERTIME. UH, WE KNOW THAT THE CALL VOLUMES HAVE NOT DE DECREASED. IN FACT, THEY HAVE INCREASED, UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED. UM, AND AS THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE MENTIONED IN THEIR PRESENTATION YESTERDAY, TYPICALLY WE DO HAVE BASE PAY SAVINGS, UM, IN THE BUDGET THAT WOULD OFFSET THE COST OF THE OVERTIME. UH, THIS YEAR WE ARE MORE CONSTRAINED ON THAT BASE PAY SAVINGS AS WE'VE IMPROVED THE, UH, RECRUITING, THE RETENTION, THE MAYOR MENTIONED JUST IN THE POLICE, UH, DEPARTMENT ALONE AS FAR AS THE NUMBER OF CLASSIFIED OFFICERS LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY FY 25, COMPARING THAT TO FY 23, THERE'S OVER 130 ADDITIONAL CLASSIFIED OFFICERS ON THE PAYROLL. SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT, UM, THE BASE PAY SAVINGS IN ORDER TO OFFSET THE OVERTIME COSTS. AND ALSO WITH THE, UH, LOSS OF THE FEDERAL FUNDING, THE GENERAL FUND HAS BEEN FORCED TO TAKE ON, YOU KNOW, THESE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THE OVERTIME IS NECESSARY TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES FOR THE CONSTITUENTS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO, UM, MENTION THAT THE GENERAL FUND PROJECTIONS FOR THE FUND BALANCE AT THE TIME WE ADOPTED THE BUDGET, UM, THE GENERAL FUND FUND BALANCE WAS PROJECTED TO BE, UM, JUST OVER 10% OF EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT. EVEN WITH THESE INCREASED OVERTIME COSTS THAT WE'RE REFLECTING IN THE REPORT, THE GENERAL FUND FUND BALANCE IS, HAS INCREASED THE PROJECTION TO, UM, OVER 13% OF EXPENDITURES, LESS DEBT SERVICE. SO IT'S, I THINK IT'S MISLEADING TO PAINT A PICTURE THAT THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THAT'S HAPPENING HAS INCREASED DRASTICALLY FROM PRIOR YEARS. IT'S JUST THE FUNDING SOURCE IS DIFFERENT AND IT'S TRUE THAT THE GENERAL FUND IS HAVING TO ABSORB MORE, UH, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS AVAILABLE TO US. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ALRIGHT, YOU ALL, YOU ALL HAVE, UH, DONE A GREAT JOB OF KIND OF EXPLAINING WHERE WE ARE. UM, IT WAS SHOCKING TO SEE THE REPORT YESTERDAY. UM, EVEN THESE NUMBERS DON'T ON THIS GRAPH, ALTHOUGH MAY BE ACCURATE, DON'T, I DON'T THINK PAINT THE COMPLETE PICTURE EITHER. IF YOU HAVE ANY BUSINESS, YOU, YOU HAVE TO EITHER REDUCE YOUR REVENUE OR FIND MORE, UH, OR INCREASE YOUR REVENUE OR CUT YOUR EXPENDITURES. THE FUNDING SOURCES DIRECTOR THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING FROM PREVIOUS YEARS THAT WERE USING CARES AND ARPA DOLLARS ARE NO LONGER THERE. CORRECT. SO IF WE KNOW THAT THE, THE FUNDING SOURCE IS NO LONGER THERE, THEN WE HAVE TO CHANGE OUR STRATEGY AND HOW WE ALLOCATE DOLLARS. AND WE, AND WE HAVE, SO WHEN I MENTIONED THE CHANGE IN THE FUND BALANCE FROM THE TIME OF THE ADAPTIVE BUDGET TO NOW THE IMPROVEMENT THAT REFLECTS THE COLLABORATION WITH METRO. SO WE'RE BRINGING IN $50 MILLION A YEAR, MORE OF RECURRING REVENUE FROM METRO TO HELP OFFSET THE EXPENDITURES THAT WE'RE HAVING TO ABSORB IN THE GENERAL FUND. UNDERSTOOD THAT, THAT [03:45:01] YOU'RE TAKING MONEY FROM METRO THAT WAS TO, TO PAY. SO COLLABORATING, COLLABORATING WITH METRO, COLLABORATING, COLLABORATING WITH METRO TO USE SOME OF THEIR, THEIR DOLLARS TO OFFSET SOME OF THE DOLLARS THAT WE NEED. AND I'M NOT SURE WHERE THEIR DOLLARS WILL GO FOR THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED. BUT, UM, WHEN, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE BUDGET THAT YOU ALL PUT FORTH THAT WE VOTED ON LAST FISCAL YEAR, AND YOU'RE ESTIMATING THE AMOUNT OF OVERTIME THAT WE'RE GONNA USE, WHY IS THERE SUCH A GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE PROJECTED AND WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY SPENDING? SO TO TOUCH ON WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT YESTERDAY, THAT GAP, AND WE, AND WE DID TALK ABOUT THE BUDGETING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS. WHEN WE BUDGET FOR OVERTIME, IT WOULD BE, YOU WOULD BE, IN MY OPINION, OVER BUDGETING IF YOU INCREASED YOUR BUDGET FOR OVERTIME AND BUDGETED YOUR BASE PAY AS IF EVERY SINGLE POSITION WAS GOING TO BE FILLED. TYPICALLY WE HAVE VACANCIES, ATTRITION, UM, YOU KNOW, ISSUES WITH RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, NOT JUST IN THESE DEPARTMENTS, IN ALL DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND TYPICALLY THAT BASE PAY SAVINGS FROM THE ISSUES WITH RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OVER OFFSETS THE COST OF THE OVERTIME. BUT YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS YEAR WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE THE SAME BASE PAY, WHICH WE SHOULD HAVE PROJECTED. AND IN THE BUDGET, UH, OF THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, LET'S SAY FOR POLICE, WE BUDGETED ABOUT $20 MILLION IN OVERTIME. BUT LAST YEAR WE SPENT ALMOST 40 MILLION. AND THEN FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, WE PUT THE BUDGET, UH, FOR OVERTIME AT 13.7 MILLION WHEN LAST YEAR WE SPENT 40. WHY WOULD WE NOT EXPECT TO USE THE SAME AMOUNT OF OVERTIME FROM LAST YEAR? AND THEN IF WE KNEW WE DIDN'T HAVE THE SAME FUNDING SOURCES, WHY WOULD WE CONTINUE TO APPROVE SO MUCH OVERTIME? BECAUSE IT SEEMS AS IF WE'RE SPENDING WAY MORE THAN WHAT WE'RE BRINGING IN AND WE'RE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CITY FINANCES. AND IF THESE ARE RECORD NUMBERS, HOWEVER YOU LOOK AT THEM, UM, THE MAYOR MENTIONED LAST YEAR THAT WE ARE BROKE. HE MAY WANT TO MAKE THAT STATEMENT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE GOING BACKWARDS. YOU CAN'T SPEND WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE. AND IT SEEMS LIKE AT THE MOMENT WE'RE STARTING TO SPEND WHAT WE DON'T HAVE. IT IS VERY TYPICAL. IF YOU LOOK BACK THROUGH ALL THE YEARS THAT WE ADJUST OUR ESTIMATES THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR AND TRUE ALL OF OUR BUDGETS UP DURING THE GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BASE PAY SAVINGS, THERE'S ALSO SAVINGS AND OTHER LINE ITEMS IN THESE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS THAT WE USE TO OFFSET WHERE THEY HAVE OVERAGES. SO IN THE TOTALITY OF THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS FOCUSING ON OVERTIME, RIGHT? MM-HMM . BUT IN THE TOTALITY OF THE BUDGET, YOU MAY HAVE SAVINGS IN THOSE AREAS TO OFFSET WHERE YOU HAVE OVERTIME COSTS AND YOU SEE ALL THAT TRUED UP THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR. AND DO WE HAVE THOSE SAVINGS IN OTHER AREAS IN THIS YEAR? THERE'S MUCH MORE OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE WE'VE IMPROVED ON THE RECRUITMENT AND THE RETENTION. SO THE $330 MILLION PROJECTED BUDGET SHORTFALL WITH, WITH OVERTIME GOING IN THE DIRECTION THAT IT'S GOING CURRENTLY, IS IT SAFE TO SAY THAT THE, THE BUDGET DEFICIT MAY BE EVEN LARGER BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE, UM, TO THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR? NO, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE THROUGH ALL THE INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON OVER THE LAST YEAR, THAT BUDGETARY GAP HAS DECREASED. AND WE'RE GONNA BE PRESENTING THAT WHEN WE PRESENT THE BUDGET IN THE BEGINNING OF MAY. AND CAN YOU, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME INDICATION OF HOW WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THAT BUDGET DEFICIT SINCE WE'RE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AWAY FROM HAVING TO START REALLY DIVING INTO THIS MM-HMM . YOU? UH, WELL, AS I MENTIONED, THE COLLABORATION WITH METRO. SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THOSE STAKEHOLDERS TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL REVENUES. UM, YOU'VE SEEN ALREADY SOME OF THE, UH, IN THIS MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT, WHAT WE PRESENTED YESTERDAY, SOME OF THE CONSOLIDATIONS, UH, OF THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, THINGS THAT WE WERE WORKING ON EVEN BEFORE THE ERNST AND YOUNG REPORT. BUT THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE 3 1 1, THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE CODE ENFORCEMENT, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH OUR DOLLARS AND THOSE SAVINGS ARE ALREADY BEING REFLECTED IN THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. AND YOU'LL SEE THOSE CARRYING FORWARD INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR AS WELL AS RECURRING SAVINGS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, YOU MADE A NUMBER OF GOOD POINTS. IT'S ALMOST AS, AS IF YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE FACTS. UM, THIS PAGE IS A PRESENTATION FROM YESTERDAY. UM, IT'S PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. I DON'T HAVE 17 COPIES TO RUN AROUND WITH A REBUTTAL, BUT WHAT IT SAYS VERY CLEARLY IS THAT OVERTIME HAS EXCEEDED BUDGET FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. RIGHT? LAST 10 YEARS. MM-HMM . SO WE'RE NOT MAKING UP STUFF. THIS IS, THIS IS THE DATA. NOW THE ISSUE, AS WAS NOTED IN YESTERDAY'S REPORT, [03:50:01] AS WAS NOTED IN MY COMMENTS TODAY, WAS THAT THAT WAS PLUGGED IN THE PAST WITH VACANCY SAVINGS. AND THAT THAT OPTION IS EITHER NOT AVAILABLE OR LESS AVAILABLE TO US RIGHT NOW. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WERE IN THE REPORT YESTERDAY. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS I JUST SAID. NO SHADING OF ALL OF THIS IN MY, IN MY, MY, MY REMARKS JUST NOW. I SAID ONE OF THE REASONS IS BECAUSE OF UNCERTAINTY RELATED TO FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT THAT WE'VE GOTTEN IN THE PAST, RIGHT? NOT HIDING THAT. THAT'S IN THE REPORT YESTERDAY. IT'S IN WHAT I JUST TOLD YOU. NOW, THE ISSUE, WHICH YOU JUST POINTED OUT IS WE KNEW ARPA FUNDING WAS RUNNING OUT. WE KNEW THAT THOSE ONE TIME FUNDING SOURCES WERE NO LONGER GONNA EXIST. AND WHILE WE SAW OVERTIME GOING UP, WHAT WE DID IN THE BUDGET THAT THIS COUNCIL PASSED IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR WAS WE BUDGETED LESS FOR OVERTIME INSTEAD OF MORE EVEN WHEN WE KNEW THAT REIMBURSEMENTS WERE GOING TO RUN OUT. THAT'S ODD. NOW IT IS A FACT. AND HERE'S THE CHART RIGHT HERE THAT THE GAP BETWEEN BUDGETED OVERTIME AND ACTUAL OVERTIME PROJECTED THROUGH THE END OF THIS YEAR IS AN ALL TIME HIGH. IT'S RIGHT HERE. NUMBERS, NO SHADE, NO BIAS. THESE ARE THE PROJECTIONS AND FINANCES NUMBERS IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE PROJECTING AND WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING ARE OFF BY ABOUT 2%, RIGHT? SO THEY'RE NOT IDENTICAL. THEY NEVER ARE, BUT THEY'RE ROUGHLY IN LINE THIS 190% SURPASSING OF THE BUDGET THAT'S NOT MADE UP BY 2% DIFFERENCE ON, YOU KNOW, ESTIMATION. AND SO, AGAIN, WE GOTTA DEAL WITH THE NUMBERS HERE. WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY HERE. UH, AND WE NEED A PLAN TO GET THIS UNDER CONTROL, UH, AND TO, TO COVER THE COST OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. POLICE ARE DOING INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT WORK, AND I THINK YOUR OFFICE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF REALLY HIGHLIGHTING THIS FOR US IN A VERY SIMPLE WAY. AND I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO, UH, WILL JONES FOR THIS REPORT, BECAUSE MANY OF US WERE ON THE PHONE LAST NIGHT SHOCKED AT THE NUMBERS THAT WE WERE SEEING. AND I'M NOT A FINANCE PROFESSIONAL. YOU ALL ARE. AND I TRUST BOTH OF YOU A LOT AND I RESPECT BOTH OF YOU ALL A LOT. AND THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M, I'M VERY MUCH CONCERNED AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THIS SHORTFALL IN SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. AND I'M CONCERNED THAT WHEN WE KNEW THAT THE FUNDING SOURCES WERE NOT GONNA BE AVAILABLE AND WE KNEW THAT THE BASE PAY WAS NOT GONNA BE THE SAME OPTION, WHY ARE WE SPENDING MORE? IT SEEMS LIKE THIS ADMINISTRATION MAY HAVE A SPENDING PROBLEM AND WE HAVE TO REALLY GET THAT UNDER CONTROL. COUNCILOR POWELL, YOU'VE SAID IT TWICE NOW, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE POLICE OVERTIME. I WASN'T ADDRESSING YOU. I WASN'T ADDRESSING YOU. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE POLICE OVERTIME IS NECESSARY TO DEAL WITH THE 260,000 SUSPENDED CASES THAT NO ONE HAD BUDGETED FOR. AND THEN THE WEEKEND SURGES THAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, ABOUT 14 MILLION, UH, UH, A SURGE. SO, UH, THERE'S AMPLE IN, UH, DATA TO SHOW THAT THE POLICE OVERTIME IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PUBLIC YEAH, THE, THE DATA MAP SHOWED THAT IT'S THE SAME, BUT, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE SAME FUNDING SOURCES. YOU, YOU, YOU HAD ARPA AND CARES BEFORE. YOU DON'T HAVE THAT NOW. YOU BUDGETED LESS OVERTIME FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR KNOWING THAT LAST FISCAL YEAR THE OVERTIME WAS MUCH HIGHER THAN PROJECTED FROM, FROM, FROM FUNDS. BE BESIDES, THAT'S WHERE YOU GET INTO THE APPLES AND APPLES. YOU'RE GOING BACK TO APPLES AND ORANGES TODAY. WE'RE DEALING WITH ALL FUNDS, WHICH YOU DEALT WITH TODAY. SO WHERE DID YOU ONLY GENERAL FUNDS? WHAT FUNDS ARE YOU DRAWING ON NOW? AND LEMME JUST CONCLUDE OUR DISCUSSION 'CAUSE IT'S KIND OF A DIVERSION ON YOUR PART. I'LL BE GLAD TO SHARE THE BALANCE BUDGET PROPOSAL WHEN IT'S COMPLETE AND YOU'RE GONNA HOPE BE IMPRESSED, BUT PROBABLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET THAT, UH, CARRIES OUT OUR RESPONSIBILITY. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. YOU BET. COUNCILMAN, COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I, I HAD QUESTIONS, BUT I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED BECAUSE I, WE GOT INTO A BIT OF A BACK AND FORTH AND I DON'T BELIEVE DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI WAS ABLE TO PRESENT HER MONTHLY REPORT, SO I'M HAPPY TO DIVE IN ON WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING, OR I'M HAPPY TO HOLD THOSE QUESTIONS UNTIL THE DIRECTOR GIVES HER REPORT. DIRECTOR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROCEED? WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE, I, I YIELD TO THE DIRECTOR AND THEN I'LL, I'LL ASK MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. OKAY. I, I'LL TRY TO HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS. UM, OKAY. FOR THE, UH, FOR THE GENERAL FUND, UH, THE REVENUE PROJECTION IS 40.7 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE ADOPTED BUDGET AND 50 MILLION HIGHER THAN THE PRIOR MONTH. [03:55:01] UH, THE VARIANCE IS PRIMARILY DUE TO A $32 MILLION, UH, INCREASE IN SALE OF CAPITAL ASSETS DUE TO TX DOTS CONDEMNATION. I ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT A $19.9 MILLION INCREASE IN CHARGES FOR SERVICES, PRIMARILY DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED COLLECTION OF AMBULANCE FEES, AS WELL AS A $3.7 MILLION INCREASE IN TRANSFERS, UM, FROM THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE, UH, 3 1 1 THAT I MENTIONED. SO THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, FOCUSING ON THAT, UH, INCREASED DE EFFICIENCIES AND CONSOLIDATION, UH, THAT I MENTIONED, UH, TO COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD JUST NOW, UM, I'LL GO ON TO TALK ABOUT SALES TAX. SINCE WE TALKED ABOUT THE AUDIT LAST MONTH, THE CONTROLLER'S, STATE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, UH, RETURNED THE, UM, THE FUNDING TO US AND OUR LAST REMITTANCE, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ENTERING INTO THAT REPAYMENT PLAN WITH THEM. SO WE WON'T BE TAKING THE ONE TIME HIT. UM, BUT BASED ON THE CURRENT COLLECTIONS, WE'RE STILL PROJECTING THAT OUR CURRENT ESTIMATE OF SALES TAX, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT CHANGING THAT AT THIS POINT. EVERYTHING IS IN LINE, UM, AND THE REMAINING PERIODS NEED TO COME IN ABOUT 1.5% BELOW THE PRIOR YEAR TO HIT THE ESTIMATE. UM, ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE OF, OF COURSE, ALL OF OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OVERTIME, THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF THE INCREASE IN OUR INCREASED EXPENDITURE PROJECTIONS, UM, THAT WE REFLECTED FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, WE DID HAVE OFFSET THAT WITH SOME SAVINGS IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND HEALTH BENEFIT SAVINGS DUE WERE DUE TO LOWER THAN ANTICIPATED ENROLLMENT. UM, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL, UM, SAVINGS WITH THE 3 1 1 CONSOLIDATION FOR, UM, LEASE COSTS THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE TO PAY FROM THE GENERAL FUND. UH, WE ALSO SAW, UM, SAVINGS, UM, IN INTER FUND INSURANCE CHARGEBACK DUE TO LOWER THAN BUDGETED, UM, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS ON OUR INSURANCE POLICY FOR THE CITY. AND ALL OF THOSE TOGETHER, UH, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE PROJECTING A FUND BALANCE OF 13.5% OF EXPENDITURES LESS DEBT, UH, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM WHAT IT WAS AT THE TIME OF THE ADOPTED BUDGET WHEN IT WAS AROUND 10% OF EXPENDITURES LESS DEBT. SO OUR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD, UH, MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE WE GETTING THIS FUNDING FROM? IT'S COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, AND EVEN WITH ABSORBING IT IN THE GENERAL FUND. OUR FUND BALANCE, UH, IS IMPROVED SINCE THE TIME OF THE ADOPTED BUDGET. UM, I'LL JUST HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS ON THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS. UH, THE AVIATION FUND OPERATING REVENUES DECREASED BY 14 MILLION, UM, AND EXPENDITURES ALSO DECREASED BY 11 MILLION. UM, CONVENTION ENTERTAINMENT, HOT REVENUES INCREASED BY 1.9 MILLION, AND IN THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, OPERATING REVENUES INCREASED BY 53 MILLION DUE TO HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED WATER AND SEWER SALES. UM, SO THOSE WERE THE, THE MAIN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FINANCIAL REPORT. THANK, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU TO BOTH OF YOU. I'LL TAKE THE, THE LIGHT POINTS FIRST. I, I SUPPOSE, UH, CONTROLLER HOLLANDS, THANK YOU, UH, FOR CONTINUING THE DISCUSSION, UM, AROUND THE RENAMING, UH, OF BAGBY DOWNTOWN TO, UH, SYLVESTER TURNER AVENUE. UH, I HAVE, UH, SUBMITTED THAT REQUEST AND INQUIRY TO THE NEW, UH, COUNCIL, UH, PROP A COUNCIL, UH, TO BEGIN THAT REVIEW. AND I WOULD HOPE FOR, UM, UNANIMOUS SUPPORT ON THAT. UH, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT. BUT THANK YOU FOR ELEVATING IT AND CONTINUING TO BRING THAT DISCUSSION FORWARD. UH, AS WE SEEK TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE, UM, OUR LATE MAYOR, UH, THE DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, UH, AND TO DIRECTOR HOLLANDS, UH, THE REVENUE GENERATED THE 32.3 MILLION FROM THE, I BELIEVE IT'S THE SOUTH CENTRAL HPD SUBSTATION THAT WAS, UH, A CONDEMNATION PROCEEDING OR I CALL, I SAY TAKING, UH, FROM TDOT DUE TO THE, UH, ONGOING WORK WITH TDOT. SO WE'RE TAKING THAT 32 MILLION INTO THE GENERAL REVENUE FUND. UH, IS THAT SITTING THERE AND MAYBE MAYOR, THIS COMES TO, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, I DON'T WANNA GET AHEAD OF ANYTHING, BUT ARE WE PLANNING TO SET THAT ASIDE TO BUILD A NEW SUBSTATION? ARE THERE PLANS FOR THAT OR IS THAT GOING TO REPLENISH THE COFFERS OF THE GENERAL FUND TO MEET SOME OF THAT STOP GAP RIGHT NOW? LIKE, ARE WE PLUGGING THE HOLE WITH THAT EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW WE'LL NEED A SUBSTATION LATER? MM-HMM . SO, UM, WE ARE REFLECTING IN THE GENERAL FUND IN THESE ESTIMATES, AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU WILL SEE, UM, IN THE CIP WHEN WE, UM, PROPOSE THE NEW CIP WHAT THE PLAN FOR, UH, REPLACING THAT SUBSTATION IS, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS IN THE LAST CIP AS WELL AS WE, AS WE KNEW THIS WAS COMING. UM, WE ARE GOING TO PLAN TO, UM, UH, [04:00:01] YOU KNOW, UPDATE THOSE ESTIMATES IN THE CIP. SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO THAT IS PLANNING TO GO BACK OUT POTENTIALLY, OR WE USE, DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? ARE WE USING IT TO FILL SOME OF THE BUDGET DEFICIT RIGHT NOW? MM-HMM . AS A STOP GAPP MEASURE, OR ARE WE, WE CAN'T COUNT IT BOTH WAYS, RIGHT? I THINK IS WHAT I'M ASKING. THAT THAT'S OUR PLAN IS TO LEAVE IT IN THE GENERAL FUND RIGHT NOW, UM, AND LOOK TO FINANCE THE COST OF THE, UH, POLICE STATION OVER TIME. OKAY. UM, AND I'LL, I'LL GET BACK TO FINANCE. OH, I'M SORRY. DID I CUT YOU OFF? WELL, I JUST WANTED TO, SINCE I WAS THINKING ABOUT DEBT ISSUANCE, I DID WANNA FOLLOW UP ON YOUR QUESTION YESTERDAY ABOUT THE TAX EXEMPT, UM, UH, CONVERSATIONS ON TAX EXEMPT BONDS, UH, CONVERSATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. UM, SO WE DID AN ANALYSIS AND, UH, BASED ON THE DIFFERENCE IN THE COST OF BORROWING WHEN WE ISSUE, UH, BONDS AT A TAX EXEMPT, UH, STATUS VERSUS A TAXABLE STATUS, IT WOULD INCREASE THE COST OF OUR INTEREST PAYMENTS BY ALMOST 30%. UM, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR TOTAL PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S EASILY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OVER THE LIFE OF OUR DEBT. SO THAT TAX EXEMPT STATUS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ISSUE THOSE BONDS AT IS CRITICAL FOR US TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN FINANCING OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS. SO THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THAT. AND I KNOW CITY CONTROLLER, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAX EXEMPT BONDS AS WELL FOR THE PUBLIC THAT MAY NOT BE AWARE RIGHT NOW IN CONGRESS, THEY'RE DISCUSSING CUTTING THE TAX EXEMPT STATUS OF MUNICIPAL BONDS. UM, THAT'S BEEN IN PLACE PRETTY MUCH I BELIEVE SINCE 1913. UH, I'LL, I'LL GET TO OTHER FEDERAL CUTS IN A SECOND. UH, BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT AS A CITY WE'RE WORKING TO ADVOCATE, UM, TO PROTECT THAT TAX EXEMPT STATUS BECAUSE AS YOU'RE SAYING, IT'S A 30% INCREASE OVER THE LIFE. THAT IS A HUGE HIT WHEN WE ARE ALREADY, UH, VERY, VERY RESTRICTED AND CONSTRAINED IN TERMS OF OUR, OUR FINANCING RIGHT NOW. UH, THE OTHER FEDERAL IMPACT I HAD WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, I FELT, FOUND THE OVERTIME PRESENTATION TO BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL. WE'RE NOW HAVING A MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AROUND OVERTIME. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR JONES. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY AROUND THIS HORSESHOE IS, UH, SEEKING TO DISCREDIT YOU, YOUR KNOWLEDGE, YOUR BACKGROUND, UH, AND YOUR HANDLE ON THESE ISSUES. UH, I, I DO THINK WE HAVE TO TAKE A VERY HARD LOOK AT HOW WE ARE PROJECTING OUR OVERTIME. UH, MAYOR I DEFENDED, FOR EXAMPLE, IN SOLID WASTE, UH, HOW THESE EMPLOYEES, THE CIRCUMSTANCES THEY'RE WORKING UNDER, UH, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR BASE SALARY, YES, THEY'RE GETTING OVERTIME, BUT IT'S NOT EVEN COMING CLOSE TO OVERTIME IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS WHEN THEY'RE WORKING UNDER SOME OF THE HARDEST CONDITIONS THAT WE CAN IMAGINE AT THE CITY. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE SEEING A VERY HUGE JUMP IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, IN PART AS A, YOU KNOW, JUST A FACT OF THE MATTER RELATED TO CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS AND THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE, UH, I HAD ASKED YESTERDAY. WE ALSO DON'T HAVE YET THE PROJECTION OF THE OUTCOME OF THE, UH, NEW POLICE CONTRACT AS WELL. SO THOSE COSTS COULD INCREASE POTENTIALLY. AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. I'M SURE YOU WILL LAY ALL OF THAT OUT DURING THE BUDGET TIME. BUT CONTROLLER, YOU HIT ON, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS. WE DO NOT HAVE THE, SOME OF THE FLEXIBILITY WE PREVIOUSLY HAD DUE TO VACANCIES OR THE LACK THEREOF NOW, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. THERE WAS A TOOL WE HAD PREVIOUSLY, RIGHT? AND SO AS, AS THE PROBLEM AROUND VACANCIES IS, IS GETTING BETTER, THERE'S STILL WORK TO DO, BUT THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S LESS VACANCY SAVINGS AVAILABLE AND IN SOME OF THOSE HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED TOWARDS, TOWARDS SIMILAR AUGMENTING SERVICES, RIGHT? SO SOLID WASTE, SOME OF THAT MONEY IS GOING TOWARDS GETTING OUTSIDE HELP, UH, TO PICK UP TRASH. AND SO, AND SO, YEAH, THAT FUNDING KIND OF FIXED THAT'S BEEN USED IN PREVIOUS YEARS IS EITHER ENTIRELY UNAVAILABLE OR LESS AVAILABLE THAN, THAN BEFORE. AND AGAIN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT ON JUST THE MAGNITUDE OF DOLLARS. NOW, YOU KNOW, POLICE AND FIRE ARE LARGER DEPARTMENTS THAN SOLID WASTE, RIGHT? BUT IN SOLID WASTE, IT'S A, IT'S A $3 MILLION OVERAGE. AND THEN IN THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 20 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS OVERAGES. THE, UM, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI YOU MENTIONED WITH METRO, UH, THE UTILIZING OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS FROM METRO. DOES THAT INCLUDE THE SET ASIDE THAT WE ARE PLANNING RELATED TO THE DRAINAGE LITIGATION? AGAIN, I BROUGHT UP LAST YESTERDAY THAT WE HAVE A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, OR DEPENDING ON NEGOTIATIONS THAT MAY BE LESS, BUT AS OF NOW, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS PRICE TAG COMING DUE. WHERE DOES THAT PLAY INTO THIS? SO THE CONTROLLER HAS REFLECTED THOSE, UH, ESTIMATES IN HIS PROJECTION. [04:05:01] WE HAVE NOT REFLECTED THEM IN THESE PROJECTIONS YET AS THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE ONGOING WITH THE PLAINTIFFS. UM, AND SO, UH, I THINK WHAT I MENTIONED IN THE LAST MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT, WHICH I KNOW FEELS LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO BECAUSE IT WAS, UM, THAT, UM, WE PLAN TO LAY OUT THAT BUDGET AND THOSE COSTS WHEN WE, UM, NO LATER THAN WHEN WE PROPOSED THE BUDGET AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY. THANK YOU. UH, THE, GOING BACK TO THE FEDERAL IMPLICATIONS, SO WE HAVE THE TAX EXEMPT STATUS AT RISK OF THE BONDS, UH, IS THERE A WAY TO DO AN ANALYSIS AS WE GO INTO THE BUDGET SEASON RELATED TO THE IMPLICATIONS? FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE LOSING FEDERAL GRANTS THAT WE HAD THAT SUPPLEMENTED STAFF IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. UM, BOTH TEMPORARY BECAUSE THEY WERE GRANT RELATED AND POTENTIALLY FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. SO WE ARE POTENTIALLY ABOUT TO LOSE ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES OR LOSE THE FUNDING FROM THOSE, WHICH COULD HAVE ADDITIONAL IMPACTS ON OVERTIME. UM, WE ARE SEEING, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH NATURAL DISASTERS, UH, WE, YES, WE HAVE ALWAYS RELIED ON THE FEDERAL MATCH AND WE, THAT HAS BEEN MADE GOOD THUS FAR, BUT THAT IS UNCERTAIN MOVING FORWARD IF WE WILL HAVE THAT LUXURY. I BROUGHT UP YESTERDAY THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE AS A CITY WE ACCURATELY ACCOUNT FOR WHAT IS NEEDED IN NATURAL DISASTERS OR EXTREME WEATHER, GIVEN HOW MANY WE ARE SEEING ANNUALLY, UH, AND THE HOST AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF THEM. SO I THINK MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTING FOR MORE OF THAT WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO RELY AS HEAVILY ON THAT MATCH COMING IN AND THAT SUPPLEMENTAL VALUE COMING IN. BUT IS THERE A WAY, UH, TO START AN ASSESSMENT IF ONE IS NOT ALREADY BEING DONE ON THE FEDERAL IMPLICATIONS UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OF WHAT THE CITY IS FACING FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE DEFINITELY CLOSELY MONITORING IT. UM, AND AS YOU MENTIONED WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED, UM, ABOUT CERTAIN GRANTS. IT, IT IS VERY UNCERTAIN, UM, ABOUT WHAT COULD BE LOST IN THE FUTURE, CERTAINLY. UM, BUT WE DID, UM, WE DO HAVE A COMPILATION OF ALL OF THE ACTIVE GRANTS, UH, FEDERAL GRANTS CITYWIDE. UH, HOW MUCH OF THAT IS BUDGETED FOR PERSONNEL, UH, BROKEN DOWN BY DEPARTMENT AND WE CAN PROVIDE THAT TO CITY COUNCIL. YEAH, I, I WOULD, UH, EXCUSE ME, CITY CONTROL, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK IF YOU ALL CAN PROVIDE US WITH AN UPDATE, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS CHANGING AND BEING CUT. UH, AND WE ARE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A FULL HANDLE ON WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT ARE FROM A CITY FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE HEADING INTO BUDGET SEASON. I DIDN'T MEAN TO CUT YOU OFF CITY CONTROL. NO, SURE. SO, UM, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG ON THIS, THE HISTORICALLY INFORMATION AROUND GRANTS HAS BEEN HOUSED IN THE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS. AND SO WHEN THE THREAT OF ALL THOSE GRANTS DISAPPEARING POPPED UP ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU KNOW, A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, UH, FINANCE DID, UH, A REAL YEOMAN'S EFFORT OF GOING AROUND INDIVIDUALLY AND PULLING ALL THAT IN. I THINK WHAT THE FINDING WAS, BIG PICTURE WAS OVERALL EXPOSURE CURRENTLY IS ABOUT $2.6 BILLION, 2.6 BILLION IN THE FEDERAL GRANTS TOTAL BILLION, BILLION WITH A B. UM, NOW THAT'S NOT IN A SINGLE YEAR, RIGHT? I THINK ON AVERAGE IT'S PROBABLY STRETCHED OUT OVER FIVE OR SIX YEARS. UM, THE, THE BIG TICKET ITEMS ARE HOUSING, WHICH IS 99% FUNDED BY FEDERAL GRANTS. AND THEN HEALTH, WHICH IS, I DON'T KNOW THE PERCENTAGE, BUT MAJORITY FUNDED BY FEDERAL GRANTS. IS THAT ACCURATE? SO THOSE WOULD BE THE MAJOR AREAS THAT WOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DEVASTATED. UM, IN TERMS OF ANALYSIS, AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE PARTICULAR DATA, UH, IN THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE AT THIS MOMENT. UH, OUR AUDIT PLAN DOES INCLUDE AN ANALYSIS OF THE GRANT FUNCTION AND EXPOSURE AND SO ON. UH, AUDIT PROCESSES TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN SORT OF, UH, QUICK IN AND OUT ANALYSIS. UH, WE'D BE HAPPY, YOU KNOW, WITH ACCESS TO DATA TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF DO AN ASSESSMENT, BUT WE ALSO WILL BE DOING A LONGER TERM ASSESSMENT THROUGH OUR AUDIT PLAN. THANK YOU. 'CAUSE I KNOW POLICE AND FIRE ALSO RELY HEAVILY. UM, AND THEN ON GRANTS, AND I ALSO WANTED TO NOTE, I THINK I WOULD, I THINK WE'RE LARGELY ALIGNED ON THE OVERALL ESTIMATE AROUND, UH, THE ISSUE IF WE LOST THE, THE NON-TAXABLE, UM, BONDS. BUT WE ARE DOING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A TAKEAWAY FROM YESTERDAY TO DO AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS ON THAT, AND WE'LL RETURN TO YOU WITH KIND OF SPECIFIC PROJECTIONS THERE. BUT, BUT WHAT DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI JUST LAID OUT, I THINK WE'RE ALIGNED ON THAT. VERY MUCH APPRECIATED TO BOTH OF YOU. AND I DID WANNA MENTION ON THE TAX EXEMPT STATUS OF THE BONDS, IT'S NOT JUST THE GENERAL OBLIGATION, GENERAL FUND FUNDED DEBT THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, COULD BE IMPACTED BY THAT. WE U WE ISSUED TAX EXEMPT BONDS FOR THE COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM, WHICH FINANCES THE WATER WASTEWATER, UM, AS WELL. SO [04:10:01] IT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BROAD IMPLICATIONS. WELL, WELL, I'LL BE REACHING OUT TO, UM, OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT, UM, AS A CITY WE ARE ADVOCATING FIERCELY, UH, TO PROTECT THIS. UH, IT'S, THAT'S A BIG ONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KAMAN. YOU DID A GREAT JOB OF POINTING OUT CIRCUMSTANCES AND, UH, EVENTS IMPACT, UH, THE OVERTIME. CERTAINLY I DIDN'T LIST, UH, WHEN I MENTIONED THE TWO STORMS AND THE FLEECE OVERTIME, UH, SUSPENDED CASES, KINGWOOD, OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IN EARLY LAST YEAR SPENT DAYS AROUND THE CLOCK IN KINGWOOD. IT'S JUST SO ESSENTIAL THAT WE USED COMPLETE INFORMATION AND NOT USE SCARE TACTICS BECAUSE IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THERE WAS NOT THE TRANSPARENCY THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DISPLAYING TODAY. THE OVERTIME WAS USED BY THE UNDERSTAFFING OF THESE DEPARTMENTS, UNFULFILLED POSITIONS, PARTICULARLY FIRE. BUT NOW WE ARE DOING A MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL RECRUITING AND RETENTION. THEN YOU MOVE OVER TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UNFILLED POSITIONS. WE HAVE 130 NEW OFFICERS, SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT, UH, UNFILLED POSITION, REVENUE SOURCE, NOR DO WE HAVE THE FEDERAL FUNDING. SO THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, IN PREVIOUS YEARS, WE'VE HAD LARGE OVERTIME, UH, CALCULATIONS, BUT THEY WERE NOT, UH, COMING OUTTA GENERAL FUNDS. NOW, IN TERMS OF THE POLICE OVERTIME AND FIRE, WE'RE RESPONDING TO THE PUBLIC. WE'RE NEVER GONNA GO INTO A POLICY THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA PAY FOR ADDITIONAL POLICE PROTECTION. WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THAT WHEN WE LAY OUT OUR PROPOSED BALANCED BUDGET. WE'LL GIVE THE PUBLIC AN OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AND HAVE AMPLE, UH, POLICE AND FIRE. I ALSO EMPHASIZE THAT WE'VE GOT NEW DIRECTORS IN EACH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE GONNA HELP US WITH OUR EFFICIENCIES AND OUR OPERATION MODELS. SO WE'RE SET CERTAINLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK, BUT I THINK IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE COMPARE PREVIOUS YEARS APPLES AND APPLES. AND, UH, IT'S JUST DISAPPOINTING TO ME THAT PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE AND LEADING THAT EFFORT, UH, HAVE A NEW APPROACH WHEN THEY LAID OUT THE, THE OVERTIME, UH, BALANCE YESTERDAY. AND I'M JUST NOT GOING TO, WE'RE JUST NOT GONNA DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC THAT WAY. WE'RE GONNA BE TRANSPARENT, HONEST, AND LET 'EM KNOW WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AND THAT IT WILL SHOW UP AS OVERTIME, UH, TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, OUR FIRE RESPONSE TIME, OUR RECRUITING, EVERYTHING'S HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND SOLID WASTE. WE'RE GONNA MEET OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR IN A MOMENT. YOU, I HOPE EVERYONE'S GONNA BE AS IMPRESSED AS I AM. HE'S ONLY BEEN OUT THERE A FEW DAYS AND HE'S GOT SOME EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS. UH, HE COMES VERY PREPARED AND WE'RE GONNA GIVE HIM SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. PREVIOUS YEARS, THE CITY ONLY BOUGHT USED SOLID WASTE GARBAGE TRUCKS, SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF MISMANAGEMENT THAT EFFICIENCY. THE, THE ERNS AND YOUNG REPORT WE'RE FOLLOWING IT. AND SO I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN TODAY'S, VERY PRODUCTIVE. BUT, UH, WE'VE GOT THE OVERTIME UNDER CONTROL IN TERMS OF HOW IT'S PAID FOR AND THE IMPACT IT HAS, THE SHORTFALL, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU SAY YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CERTIFY A BUDGET WHEN YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE BUDGET? WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET BECAUSE WE MUST, AND WE'RE TAKING MEASURES. I I TOLD Y'ALL TWO WEEKS AGO THAT THE PLAINTIFFS THAT RAN IT UP, $120 MILLION ARE WORKING WITH US. WE'RE NOT GONNA ADDRESS THAT THIS YEAR. WE'RE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM FOR FUTURE YEARS. SO, UH, WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING, I GUESS IS THE EMPHASIS AND TO GET UP AND, AND HEAR, UH, SOMEONE USE APPLES AND ORANGES IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED IS JUST WRONG. AND I, I WOULD SAY MAYOR, RESPECTFULLY IS, IS SOMEBODY THAT WAS HERE DURING THOSE TIMES IN THOSE ADMINISTRATIONS. UM, YOU USE ALL THE TOOLS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE TOOLBOX AS YOU WERE DOING TO BALANCE THE BUDGET EVERY SINGLE YEAR UNDER SIGNIFICANT CONSTRAINTS THAT THE CITY IS FACING. FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE THE ONLY MAJOR CITY IN THE UNITED STATES UNDER TWO, UH, REVENUE CAPS THAT I GOT IT. NO OTHER CITY HAS TO DEAL WITH. SO WITH UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES, YES, WE HAVE TO, I'M, I'M SO GLAD WE'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OVERTIME ALLOCATION THAT SOUNDED GENERAL FUND WHEN THAT WASN'T NECESSARILY AS BURDENSOME ON THE GENERAL FUND PREVIOUSLY. UH, BUT EVERY SINGLE ADMINISTRATION, EV AND I, I BELIEVE, UH, ONE OF OUR FAITH LEADERS SAID THAT BEFORE EVERY ADMINISTRATION DEALS WITH THEIR CHALLENGES, AND THEN IT'S UP TO THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION TO DEAL WITH THE NEXT SET OF CHALLENGES. AND THIS IS OUR CHALLENGE. AND WE, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DO NOT HAVE THE VACANCIES [04:15:01] THAT WE DIDN'T, UH, THAT WE PREVIOUSLY HAD, BUT THAT IS OUR BURDEN AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ADDRESS, UH, NOT TO POINT THE FINGER OR SAY, UH, COULD, WOULD'VE, SHOULD'VE, COULD'VE. UH, WE HAVE CHALLENGES AHEAD OF US. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE FUNDING OVERTIME. I THINK EVERY DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER AROUND THE HORSESHOE PAYS FOR ADDITIONAL OVERTIME. I KNOW I DO, UH, TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR THAT. SO I THINK THIS IS JUST A VERY VALUABLE CONVERSATION HEADING INTO VERY GOOD. AND THE REVENUE CAMPS OBVIOUSLY PLAY A MAJOR ROLE. AND ALSO WE DON'T HAVE A POWER PLANT LIKE AUSTIN THAT SELLS ELECTRICITY NOR A GAS PLANT LIKE SAN, SO WE FACE CHALLENGES NO OTHER MAJOR CITY FACES, BUT WE'RE MEETING THOSE. THAT'S THE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED TODAY. THIS IS TRANSPARENCY, FULL TRANSPARENCY, WHICH HASN'T BEEN THE PRACTICE IN MY OPINION IN PREVIOUS YEARS. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CAPMAN, AGAIN, JUST RETURNING TO, TO FACTS. UH, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CITY HAS FACED DISASTERS YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. AND SO THAT DATA EXISTS, YOU KNOW, IT'S BAKED INTO WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST DECADE, UM, IN WILL JONES' ANALYSIS YESTERDAY. UM, AND, AND, AND I JUST HAVE TO SAY, UM, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM FROM ATTACKS ON THE COMPETENCE AND THE INTEGRITY OF OUR DIRECTORS. THANK YOU. UH, BUT IN WILL JONES' ANALYSIS YESTERDAY, NOT ONLY WAS OVERTIME RELATED TO DARYL, UH, BARRELL AND DERECHO FULLY REMOVED FROM THE ANALYSIS PERIOD BECAUSE IT'S FEDERALLY FUNDED, SO IT'S NOT AFFECTING THE GENERAL, BUT WINTER STORM ENZO WAS POINTED OUT, AND IN DIRECTOR JONES' REMARKS, UH, HE ALSO STATED, WHICH IS FACTUAL, THAT IF YOU COMPLETELY TAKE OUT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY WHEN WE HAD THAT SPIKE IN OVERTIME, WE'RE STILL RUNNING A RECORD. IT WOULD STILL BE A RECORD HIGH GAP EVEN IF WE TOOK FEBRUARY OUT ENTIRELY. AND SO, AGAIN, LET'S, LET'S USE FACTS, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS IS A REAL CHALLENGE AND IT HAS TO BE ADDRESSED, UH, IN A STRAIGHTFORWARD MANNER IN TERMS OF CERTIFICATION. I WILL DO MY DUTY, UH, AS THE CITY CONTROLLER, UH, TO CERTIFY FUNDS AVAILABLE IF THEY'RE AVAILABLE, AND TO NOT DO THAT IF THE FUNDS ARE NOT PROJECTED TO BE AVAILABLE. SO WE DO AWAIT, UH, THE BUDGET AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE. SURE. I, I WANTED TO ADD ONE POINT ON THE DISASTER COST FOR THE OVERTIME. SO, UH, YOU'RE RIGHT. THE, THE ENZO COSTS, UM, YOU KNOW, DOES DEFINITELY CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERTIME PROJECTIONS THAT WE'RE SHOWING. AND THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE PROJECTIONS IN THE MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. UM, WINTER STORM, ENZO, YOU KNOW, AS HISTORICAL AS IT WAS FOR THIS AREA, WAS NOT A FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTER. SO WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT, UM, ON THAT. AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT THE MAIN DRIVER OF THE NUMBERS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT HELP. UM, AND THEN ON THE OVERTIME FOR BARREL, UH, FOR FIRE AND POLICE, YES, WE HAVE THE FEDERAL SHARE, THE 75%, BUT THE LOCAL SHARE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO COVER THE COST OF THAT LOCAL SHARE. SO THAT'S INCLUDED IN THESE PROJECTIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR PROM TATUM. THANK YOU. MAYOR CO. UH, CONTROLLER HOLLANDS, YOU MADE A COMMENT ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE OVERTIME IN SOLID WASTE. I, I, I DIDN'T FOLLOW YOU ON THAT COMMENT. SURE. SO CAN YOU REITERATE THAT? ABSOLUTELY. SO IF YOU LOOK AT, UH, CIVILIAN OVERTIME WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND, THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR IS $6 MILLION. SOLID WASTE BUDGET IS 4 MILLION OF THAT 6 MILLION. OKAY. POLICE CIVILIAN IS ANOTHER ONE, AND THEN EVERYBODY ELSE IS ANOTHER ONE. SO, OF CIVILIAN GENERAL FUND OVER TIME, UH, SOLID WASTE MAKES UP TWO THIRDS OF THE BUDGET. AND WHEN YOU DO ANALYSES LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA GO INTO EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY. IT'S A HIGH LEVEL ANALYSIS. SO WE FOCUSED ON THE LARGEST, UH, POT OF CIVILIAN OVERTIME, WHICH WAS SOLID WASTE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT MAKES SENSE. BUT I'M, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE CORRELATION BECAUSE OF THE SALARIES FOR SOLID WASTE. I MEAN, THE, THE SALARY RANGE IS ONLY THE, THE 47 TO 55 FOR, SO THEIR OVERTIME COSTS, UM, DON'T EVEN COMPARE TO THE OVERTIME COST OF THE OTHER CATEGORIES. AND I DON'T WANT US TO PUT OUT THE SOLID WASTE OVERTIME AND SOUND THIS BIG ALARM, ALTHOUGH IT'S A, IT'S AN ISSUE WE NEED TO ADDRESS. IT IS IN NO WAY COMPARED TO THE OVERTIME IN THE OTHER TWO AREAS, CONSIDERING THE ANNUAL SALARY OF THE SOLID WASTE EMPLOYEES. SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT ALL THE [04:20:01] VARIABLES, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR POLICE AND FIRE, UM, I WOULD THINK THE THEORY WOULD BE IF WE HIRE MORE POLICE OFFICERS, THE OVERTIME WOULD GO DOWN. WHERE DO WE FIND THE, THE BALANCE? WHERE WILL WE START TO SEE THE DECREASE IN OVERTIME IF WE CONTINUE TO HIRE MORE POLICE OFFICERS OR MORE FIREFIGHTERS, WHEN WILL WE SEE THAT EFFICIENCY? AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE VARIABLES LIKE CALLS FOR SERVICE, UM, BUT IS THERE A TIMELINE OR IS THERE A NUMBER WHERE WE SAY, WE'VE HIRED 300 MORE POLICE OFFICERS NOW WE WON'T NEED AS MUCH OVERTIME? DO WE HAVE THAT KIND OF PROJECTION NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS DATA? YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL SEEK TO UNCOVER IN OUR AUDITS. UH, BUT YES, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, JUST TO SPEAK TO THE FACTS, THE TOTAL OVERAGE FOR SOLID WASTE IS PROJECTED TO BE $3 MILLION. THE TOTAL OVERAGE FOR POLICE IS PROJECTED TO BE $26 MILLION, AND THE TOTAL OVERAGE FOR FIRE IS PROJECTED TO BE JUST NORTH OF $42 MILLION. SO IN TERMS OF MAGNITUDE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT THAT SOLID WASTE IS SMALL COMPARED TO THOSE TWO. THE REASON IT SHOWED UP IN THE ANALYSIS AT ALL WAS BECAUSE WE LOOKED AT CIVILIAN OVERTIME IN ADDITION TO UNIFORMED OVERTIME. WE DIDN'T WANNA SINGLE OUT OUR UNIFORMED AGENCIES. AND SOLID WASTE IS THE LARGEST POCKET OF OVERTIME WITHIN CIVILIAN GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS. I GUESS DIRECTOR DEBOSKY, I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU, YOU PLAY A, A BIG ROLE IN THE PROJECTIONS WHEN WE'RE DOING THE BUDGET. DID YOU FIND THAT WE MADE THE PROJECTIONS FOR THE OVERTIME LAST YEAR WITH THE THOUGHT OF AS WE HIRE MORE POLICE OFFICERS, THE OVERTIME WOULD GO DOWN. AND DO YOU THINK THAT NOW WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE WILL SEE THAT, THAT DIFFERENCE? OR ARE THERE JUST TOO MANY VARIABLES TO MAKE A, A STRONGER PROJECTION? I, I DO THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIABLES. I THINK ONE THING THAT, UM, THAT ANYONE WOULD AGREE WITH IS THAT RETENTION IS KEY IN ALL THESE AREAS TO RETAIN SOME OF THESE EXPERIENCE, UH, FIREFIGHTERS OFFICERS AND SOLID WASTE EMPLOYEES AS WE'RE BRINGING IN CADETS. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY GRADUATE FROM THE ACADEMY AND THEY FIRST GET DEPLOYED ONTO THE STREET, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO THE, THE EXPERIENCE FACTOR, RIGHT? UM, AND SO IT, IT IS, YOU KNOW, THE CASE, I THINK THAT YOU'RE STILL GONNA NEED OVERTIME AS THESE CADETS ARE COMING OUTTA THE ACADEMY AND BEING, YOU KNOW, FULLY TRAINED AND FULLY DEPLOYED INTO THE FIELD. I DO THINK IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO SEE THOSE OVERTIME COSTS COME DOWN, EVEN IF YOU HOLD STEADY ON, YOU KNOW, REQUESTS FOR SERVICE AND CALL VOLUME. UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DISASTERS, WE HAVE INCIDENTS WHERE WE NEED TO STAFF, UM, THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS PREDICTABLE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU BOTH, UH, FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. UM, CONTROLLER HOLLINS, IS THERE A REASON THE PRESENTATION YESTERDAY ON OVERTIME CHOSE ONLY TO LOOK AT, UH, GENERAL FUNDS AND NOT ALL OF THE FUNDS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS? UH, BECAUSE THE GENERAL FUND IS WHERE WE HAVE A DEFICIT ISSUE, UM, IN ANY REMARKS OR ANALYSIS THAT I EVER SHARE PUBLICLY, I SAY, LOOK, WE HAVE AIRPORTS, WE HAVE COMBINED UTILITY, WE HAVE CONVENTION ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. THOSE ARE IMPORTANT. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE CRACKING DOWN ON WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE IN THOSE AREAS. AND HOPEFULLY THEY'RE BEING EFFICIENT. BUT WHERE THE, THE REAL FOCUS IS, IS, IS THE GENERAL FUND. BECAUSE IF, IF THERE'S AN ISSUE THERE, THEN WE'RE, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, THEN WE'RE GONNA SEE CHALLENGES AROUND DELIVERY OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES DELIVER DELIVERY OF CRITICAL SERVICES LIKE TRASH PICKUP, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE SERVICES LIKE LIBRARIES, PARKS, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, WHICH IS ALSO CRITICAL. SO THESE, THE GENERAL FUND IS, IS, IS THE BREAD AND BUTTER, AND, AND IT'S WHERE WE'RE HAVING A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S WHY THAT'S THE FOCUS OF THIS ANALYSIS. OKAY. THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, THANK YOU FOR THIS CHART. UH, WHICH TELLS ANOTHER SIDE OF THE STORY THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, IT GOES BACK TO 2021 FISCAL YEAR. AND IT'S INTERESTING TO LOOK AT YOUR CHART IN, IN CONJUNCTION WITH, UH, THE CHART PRESENTED YESTERDAY BY, BY MR. JONES. SO IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, UH, ACCORDING TO YOUR CHART, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, THE CITY SPENT ALMOST $53 MILLION ON POLICE OVERTIME. AND ACCORDING TO MR. JONES, UH, CHART, UM, 17 OF THAT, I'M SORRY, 2020, UH, MILLION OUT OF THAT CAME OUT OF THE, UH, [04:25:01] GENERAL FUND, WHICH MEANT THAT MORE THAN HALF OF IT CAME OUT, CAME FROM ANOTHER SOURCE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT OTHER SOURCE WAS IN FISCAL YEAR 2021? SURE. UM, SO IN 2021, UM, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GENERAL FUND AND TOTAL SPENDING, UM, CAME FROM, THERE WAS SOME FUNDED OUT OF THE DISASTER RECOVERY FUND. UH, BUT THE MAJORITY OF IT CAME FROM CARES ACT 14 MILLION FROM FEDERAL FUNDING FROM THE CARES ACT, AND 13 MILLION IN, UM, POLICE SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS LIKE THE POLICE SPECIAL SERVICES FUND AND ASSET FORFEITURE FUND. ALRIGHT. IN FISCAL YEAR 22, OVERTIME SPENDING WAS, UM, A LITTLE OVER 51 MILLION, 23 OF WHICH CAME OUTTA GENERAL FUNDS. AND WHERE DID THE REST OF IT? 28 MILLION, MORE THAN HALF OF IT COME FROM. MM-HMM. THE MAJORITY, UH, CAME FROM THE OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, LIKE I MENTIONED, AND, UM, ANOTHER 9 MILLION IN ARPA FEDERAL FUNDING. SO THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION CHOSE TO PAY FOR MOST OF THE POLICE OVERTIME OUT OF, UH, FUNDS OTHER THAN THE GENERAL FUND, IS THAT RIGHT? UM, I WOULDN'T SAY THE MAJORITY. ABOUT ABOUT HALF. ABOUT HALF AND HALF BETWEEN FEDERAL FUNDS AND SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS. OKAY. AND A LOT OF THAT CAME OUT OF, UM, ONE TIME FINITE FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WAS GOING TO END, IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT. SO THE CITY PAID FOR RECURRING EXPENSES OUT OF A ONE TIME FUNDING SOURCE THAT WAS GOING TO GO AWAY, CARES AND ARPA DEFINITELY HAD A TIMELINE ON IT. AND SO, UM, OVER, OVER TIME, AND MR. MR. JONES' CHARTS SHOWED THIS, UM, THESE DEPARTMENTS HAVE GOT USED TO SPENDING, UH, A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY ON OVERTIME. AND, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE FOR EACH OF THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE ACTUAL OVERTIME HAS EXCEEDED THE ADOPTED BUDGET. SO IF YOU GO BACK TO, UH, 2020 OR 2021, LET'S SAY, UM, THE CITY BUDGETED 10.1 MILLION OR THE ACTUAL OVERTIME SPENDING IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS TWICE THAT 20.6 MILLION. IN 20 22, 10 AND A HALF MILLION WAS BUDGETED, THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY SPENT WAS 23 MILLION. AND SO YOU SEE A TREND THERE WHERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT IS BUDGETED FOR POLICE OVERTIME, BUT IN ACTUALITY, A LOT MORE IS SPENT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE'RE LEFT TO DEAL WITH NOW, IS IT NOT? YES. YES, SIR. AND, UM, AS, AS WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THERE ARE, UH, OTHER SAVINGS IN OTHER AREAS OF THE DEPARTMENT, UM, A LOT IN BASE PAY SAVINGS TO HELP OFFSET THE COST OF THE OVERTIME. UM, IF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT'S DONE THROUGH THE GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS. SO WE'LL BE LAYING THAT OUT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH AT OUR NEXT MONTHLY FINANCIAL, UM, MEETING TO TALK ABOUT THE GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS AND WHAT THE FINAL BUDGETARY NEEDS OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS ARE. SO THAT'S AN ANNUAL PROCESS TO TRUE UP THE BUDGET TO THE ESTIMATES. OKAY. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN FLICKING YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I HAVE A QUESTION ON SOMETHING OTHER THAN OVERTIME, UH, TO THE DIRECTOR. YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, SALES TAX REVENUE. YES. AND I BELIEVE THE FIGURE YOU GAVE WAS THAT WE'D ACTUALLY HAVE TO DECREASE OUR CURRENT RATE OF SALES TAX COLLECTIONS BY 1.5% IN ORDER TO COME IN AT BUDGET. YES. THEREFORE, WE'RE TRENDING ABOVE. YES. UM, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE FISCAL YEAR, LAST YEAR THAT GAVE US A BENEFIT THAT WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY ACHIEVING OR NOT THAT I FORESEE. OKAY. UM, I THINK THAT'S WHY WE WANNA HOLD OUR PROJECTION STEADY NOW WITH THE AUDIT, UH, THAT THE STATE COMPTROLLER DID IDENTIFY, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE FACTORING INTO OUR FUTURE PROJECTIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MAKING THAT ADJUSTMENT. SINCE THAT, UM, REMITTER WILL NO LONGER BE ERRONEOUSLY REIT TO US. OKAY. SO, SO BARRING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, WE SHOULD ACTUALLY COME IN AHEAD OF, WE, THERE SHOULD BE A BIT OF A KISS THERE, RIGHT? THAT'S OUR FORECAST. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL COUNCILOR ALCORN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ KIND OF WENT THROUGH THE EXERCISE I WANTED TO DO ON THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN 24 AND 25. ARE WE STILL USING ARPA FUND? IS THERE STILL, ARE THERE STILL ARPA FUNDS TO BE USED? OR ARE THEY ALL GONE A SMALLER AMOUNT? SO LIKE IN POLICE, IN THE POLICE BUDGET, LET'S SAY 24, YOU'VE GOT, YOU BUDGETED, UM, 20 MILLION, SPENT 38 MILLION OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, 63,000,024. WHAT, WHAT WAS THE DELTA? WHAT, WHAT WERE THE FUNDS? [04:30:01] SO THERE'S ABOUT 6 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDS IN FY 24, ANY AND 25, OR ARE WE ALL DONE WITH VERY MINIMAL. VERY MINIMAL IN 25. OKAY. SO WHAT IS THE EXTRA THEN FROM THE 55 56 PROJECTED IN 25 FROM THE 40 THAT THE CONTROLLER SAID WAS FROM GENERAL FUND MM-HMM. ALL SPECIAL SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS, POLICE SPECIALS. YEAH. POLICE SPECIAL FUNDS. OKAY. SO AR F IS GONE, ESSENTIALLY GONE NO MORE TO BE DONE IN THE FUTURE YEARS. OKAY. UM, FOR OVERTIME, YEAH. I GUESS IT'S MY ASK, AND THIS GOES ALONG WITH WHAT THE MAYOR PRO TEM WAS SAYING. AT SOME POINT, YOU WANNA SEE MAYOR, AND I KNOW THERE'S, UH, CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS TO BE BRINGING IN ADDITIONAL FIRE, ADDITIONAL POLICE, UH, ADDITIONAL TRASH, UH, SOLID WASTE WORKERS TOO. BUT, BUT AT SOME POINT YOU DO WANNA SEE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE HAVE A CORRESPONDING DECREASE. BUT LIKE ANYTHING LIKE, LIKE ANYTHING INFLATION AND ON, ONCE YOU START SPENDING UP TO A LEVEL, IT VERY RARELY GOES BACK DOWN. PLUS YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE ALL THESE DISASTERS AND EVERYTHING THAT HOUSTON HAS TO DEAL WITH, AND, AND, AND LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA KIND OF RISE THE OCCASION OF WHATEVER THE HECK'S GOING ON WHEN YOU'RE IN CHARGE. YOU GOTTA, YOU GOTTA PROVIDE THE SERVICES. SO YOU DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S ALL GONNA WORK. BUT IN MY MIND, I, I HOPE OUR BUDGET PROCESS MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTS WHAT WE SEE. 'CAUSE I MEAN, AND, AND WE ASKED YESTERDAY, WELL, HOW COME, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BUDGETING SO MUCH LESS FOREVER TIME? WELL, BECAUSE WE GO TO THE DEPARTMENTS AND WE SAY, YOU GOTTA CUT. SO THEY GO LIKE, YEAH, OKAY, WE GOTTA CUT, WE GOTTA CUT. BUT THEN WE ENDED UP NEED HAVING ALL THESE EXTRA NEEDS. SO I GUESS IN SOME WAY I WANT A MORE, HOPEFULLY A MORE REALISTIC PICTURE, EVEN IF IT'S DARK, UM, AT BUDGET TIME, ABOUT WHAT, WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY SPENDING IN EACH OF THESE DEPARTMENTS IS MY ASK. AND DEFINITELY AS PART IS THE BUDGET OF PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS AND LEADING UP TO THAT, WHERE WE ARE WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. AND WE'VE TALKED FOR OVER A YEAR ABOUT LOOKING AT THE VACANCIES AT THE DEPARTMENTS. UM, A LOT OF THE WAY DEPARTMENTS STAY UNDER BUDGET IS 'CAUSE THEY DO HAVE THAT VACANCY SAVINGS MM-HMM . SO, UM, REALLY TRULY CAPTURING THE COST OF THOSE VACANCIES AND THE SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE VACANCIES. YOU'RE GONNA SEE, UH, UH, A BIG CHANGE IN THE WAY WE BUDGET IN FY 26. OKAY. WELL, THAT, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND, AND A LITTLE BIT TO THAT AS WELL. FIRST OF ALL, THANK Y'ALL BOTH FOR THE REPORT. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, IT'S DEFINITELY SHOCKING TO SEE THE INCREASE, RIGHT? OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. BUT IN SAYING THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT NEW. AND, UH, ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT I MADE YESTERDAY WAS, UM, IN ALL OF OUR CHALLENGES, IT'S LACK OF STAFFING. AND THEN HOW WE'RE MITIGATING IS BY THROWING MORE MONEY AT IT. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN STOP THROWING MORE MONEY AT IT AND START FIXING THE OPERATIONAL SIDE OF IT. UM, SO I WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, THANK THE MAYOR FOR CONSOLIDATING 3 1 1 CODE ENFORCEMENT, UM, PROCUREMENT, AND LOOKING AT FINANCE BECAUSE THAT, THAT IS PART OF THAT, THAT THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO OTHER HARD DECISIONS, RIGHT? I'VE TALKED ABOUT IT SEVERAL TIMES. UM, HOW DO WE RE RIGHT SIZE THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT? HOW DO WE BRING ON DEMAND? UM, IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS POPULAR. AND OF COURSE I WAS SOMEWHAT CRITICIZED FOR HER, BUT MYSELF, UH, COUNCILOR ALCOTT AND COUNCILOR, UH, CASTILLO AND PLUMBER DECIDED TO TALK ABOUT A TAX RATE INCREASE. AND, AND I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE DIFFICULT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THESE ARE NOT NEW, NEW CHALLENGES. WE KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN REDUCING THE TAX RATE FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. WE KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, SOLID WASTES, INCREASED CUSTOMERS 45,000 OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. WE CAN'T CONTINUE TO DO THE SAME THING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, RIGHT, CONSOLIDATING, RIGHTSIZING, SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS, SOME OF THE, THE MORE CHALLENGING ONES WE NEED TO START ADDRESSING AS WELL. WE KNOW EMS IS 80 OVER 80% CAUSE, SO WE NEED TO START RIGHT SIZING THAT DEPARTMENT AS WELL. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE MORE AMBULANCE AND NOT BUYING AS MANY APPARATUSES PUMPERS, UH, KNOWING THAT FIRES ARE NOT AS, AS EXTENSIVE AS THEY WERE 20 YEARS AGO, 30 YEARS AGO. AND SO MY, MY, UH, MY, UH, GOAL THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS TO MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHAT I WAS ELECTED FOR. AND SO MAKING THOSE HARD DECISIONS IS GONNA BE A TRASH FEE, POSSIBLY SOMETHING THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS NOT HAD ONE OF THE LARGEST MUNICIPALITIES WITHOUT A TRASH FEE. AND I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT. I'LL CONTINUE TO BRING AN AMENDMENT TOWARDS THAT, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DO NEED TO IDENTIFY THOSE REVENUE SOURCES. AND SO, UM, NO MORE THROWING MONEY AT STUFF, RIGHT? WE DON'T HAVE ARPA DOLLARS. WE KNEW THEY WERE RUNNING OUT. AND SO NOW IT'S TIME TO MAKE SOME OF THESE HARD DECISIONS FOR FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND THE HORSESHOE FOR A LOT LONGER THAN I HAVE. UM, AND SO I'M READY TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS DURING THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO, UM, OFFER AND SUGGEST THAT WE RETIRE THE WORD TRANSPARENCY IN THIS HORSESHOE, BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE OFFERING IS THE FURTHEST FROM THAT. [04:35:01] UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT WE START TELLING THE TRUTH. AND THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, IS THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THOSE ONE-TIME FEES, WE WERE IN THE MIDST OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THANK YOU, US CONFERENCE OF MAYORS, THANK YOU, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES FOR ADVOCATING FOR CITIES, LOCAL CITIES TO SAVE OUR, UH, EMPLOYEES WE DIDN'T HAVE A LAYOFF OF, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN ADDRESS OVERTIME THROUGH POLICE, THROUGH, UH, CRIME SPIKES. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO WE CANNOT HAVE ISOLATED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE, UH, A ONE TIME FEE WITHOUT TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN OUR CITY. UM, IF THE ADMINISTRATION IS GOING TO OFFER, UM, A BALANCE BUDGET, IT WILL BE ON THE BACK OF MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES. WHAT IS MISSED FROM THIS CONVERSATION IS THAT WE HAVE 2,700 ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES TO RETIRE, AND THEY'RE LITERALLY BEING WALKED OFF THE PROPERTY BY, BUT YET WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, TRAINING FOR NEW CADETS AND ALLOWING, UM, OLDER, UH, POLICE OFFICERS IN FIRE TO, UH, HAVE THAT TIME SO THEY CAN STAY IN THE SYSTEM. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. WE'RE CONSOLIDATING DEPARTMENTS. UH, PEOPLE ARE WALKING AROUND HERE IN FEAR. UH, AND SO THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THE INFORMATION THAT DIRECTOR JONES OFFERED IS THE TRUTH. AND WE NEED TO LAY THIS INFORMATION OUT THERE SO WE CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS FOR THIS CITY. THANK YOU CONTROLLER'S OFFICE. THANK YOU, UM, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI FOR YOUR INFORMATION. BUT I, I NEVER HEARD THIS. I WAS STARTLED TO HEAR THAT. AND WE NEED TO HEAR IT IN, UH, WE NEED TO HEAR COMPLETE INFORMATION ALL TIME SO WE CAN MAKE THE BEST DECISION. LISTEN, WE, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO THROW MONEY AT THINGS, BUT THAT'S WHAT THIS BODY HAS DONE. WE ARE DEALING WITH NOT PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP, BUT POLITICAL FAVORS. WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF AN HPD CONTRACT. AND GUESS WHAT? HPD BETTER ASK FOR EVERY DOLLAR, BECAUSE WE'VE GIVEN EVERY DOLLAR TO EVERYBODY ELSE, OKAY? AND IF IT WAS ME, I WOULD WANT EVERYTHING. AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS HERE. AND SO I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S FALSE, AND I THINK WE NEED TO STOP TALKING ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. MY NAME IS ON EVERY ITEM FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS IN SUPPORTING OVERTIME FOR POLICE. UH, THE, UH, 18% RAISE FOR HOUSTON FIRE, THE DISTRICT OFFICE DOLLARS TO MIDWEST AND WEST SIDE. MY NAME IS ON EVERYONE. SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ME TOO, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERY INCUMBENT WHO WAS HERE IN THOSE LAST FOUR YEARS. AND LET ME BE CLEAR, AND LET ME CLOSE MY REMARKS. LET THIS BIRD FLEW, OR THIS MEASLE OUTBREAK. GET OUTTA HAND AND LET'S SEE WHAT CARDS YOU'RE DEALT WITH. LET'S SEE WHAT DICE YOU GET TO ROLL AND THE DECISIONS YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE TO PROTECT THIS CITY. THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS, JOBS THAT NEVER RETURNED, PEOPLE WHO BURIED PEOPLE. WE MADE THE BEST DECISION FOR HOUSTONIANS WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS. UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO OUR BUDGET HEARINGS, UM, SO WE CAN START GETTING TO THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER AND, AND DOING RIGHT, AND REALLY LEADING IN THIS CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR REPORTS, AND CERTAINLY I APPRECIATE, UH, ON YESTERDAY WHEN MR. JONES WAS, UH, MAKING HIS PRESENTATION, ONE OF THE THINGS I SAID WAS, I ASKED HIM ABOUT HOW LONG, HOW MANY YEARS THIS BEEN GOING ON? 10 YEARS. THERE HAS BEEN THIS OVERTIME, UH, UH, ISSUE BEING PUT BEFORE COUNCIL, AND IT WAS VOTED UPON WITH, WITH ALL OF THE ONES WHO WERE HERE. NOW, I I RECALL COMING HERE BACK SOME YEARS BACK AND, UH, DOING THE GUN BUYBACK FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BY THE ADMINISTRATION, AND, UH, WHICH WERE MONEY THAT WAS SPENT AND APPROVED BY COUNSEL ALSO AT THE TIME. I RECALL COMING DOWN AND ASKING THAT QUESTION. AND I, IN, IN RESPONSE TO THAT ISSUE OF THE CRIME, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS COUNCILMAN POLLARD SAID, WELL, PASTOR DAVIS, ONE OF THE THINGS IS, DID YOU KNOW THAT THE MAYOR HAD, UM, HAD INCREASED THE OVERTIME IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE? AND I'M REMEMBER SAYING, WELL, YOU KNOW, OVERTIME AND GOOD FOR THAT, BUT OVERTIME ALSO MEANS OVERWORKED. NOW IN DEALING WITH IT, I'M DAD, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS BROUGHT THAT STATEMENT UP ABOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAVING A CONTRACT BEFORE US NOW. SO I THINK WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT THE OVERALL PICTURE AND WHAT THE MAYOR, OBVIOUSLY, AND WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO IN TERMS OF BALLOTS IN THE BUDGET, LOOKING AT ALL OF THESE, BECAUSE WE VOTED ON PAY RAISES FOR LABOR PEOPLE. WE'VE DONE THAT WITH THE FIRE. ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIX, WE, WE'VE BEEN KICKING CANS WHEN IT COMES TO FINANCES THAT HAS NOW TURNED INTO BARRELS. THEY AIN'T CANS ANYMORE. AND SO THE REALITY IS GOOD FOR THESE NUMBERS. I HEAR EVERYBODY APPLAUDING THE FACT WHAT MR. JONES PRESENTATION. AND I, IT TOO, I'M GLAD THAT WE ARE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE DOLLARS, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO STEP, TAKE A STEP BACK. AND WE KNEW BEFORE, DURING 2020 WE WERE TAKING IN GOVERNMENTAL DOLLARS. [04:40:01] THAT'S NOTHING NEW, YOU KNOW, QUESTION. THE FACT WHETHER WE GOING TO GET IT GOING FORWARD. THAT'S WHAT BALANCING THE BUDGET'S ALL ABOUT. TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, UM, REDUCING OUR TAX AND REVENUE TAX. WE KNOW THAT'S AN ISSUE. IT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME. SO EVERY ADMINISTRATION, EVERY COUNCIL HAS TO FACE THE FACTS BECAUSE WHEN THE MAYOR EARLY LAST YEAR SAID, WE WERE BROKE, PEOPLE BROKE OUT. LIKE IT WAS A, IT WAS A, A DISEASE. IT WAS TRUE. SO THE ISSUE ABOUT WHAT WE DEALING WITH TODAY IS NOTHING NEW. IT, IT IS NOTHING NEW. SO I'D LIKE TO SEE GOING FORWARD THAT WE START ADDRESSING THESE MATTERS IN REGARDS TO THE DOLLARS THAT WE'RE SPENDING. I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYONE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF DOLLARS, DOLLARS THAT WENT OUT OF OUR, OUT OF THE CITY CONFER THAT PEOPLE HAVE SOME HAVE GONE TO JAIL FOR. SO ALL OF THAT HAS TO BE A FACTOR. AND I HOPE THAT WE, IN LOOKING AT ALL OF THIS, THAT WE TAKE A REAL GOOD LOOK AT IT AND LOOK AT IT AND UNDERSTAND FROM WHERE WE WERE TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS IN TERMS OF MAKING THIS, UH, US COME TO SOME SENSES ABOUT HOW WE ARE SPENDING OUR MONEY, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN COME UP WITH SOMETHING, UM, IN AGREEMENT AS TO THE MAYOR PUT PRESENTS THE BALANCING OF THIS BUDGET, UH, THAT SEEMED TO BE ALWAYS A DIRTY WORD ABOUT BALANCING BUDGETS. SO, UH, I, I APPRECIATE ALL OF WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE PRESENTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, JUST WANT TO GET A, A KIND OF AN UNDERSTANDING, SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BALANCING THE BUDGET. I KNOW THERE WAS ALWAYS MENTIONS OF TRYING TO DO A STRUCTURAL BUDGET RIGHT NOW, WHEN WE PUT FORTH LAST YEAR'S BUDGET FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, WE HAD ALL THESE PROJECTIONS ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. NOW WHEN IT COMES TO OVERTIME, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE WE'RE WAY OVER BUDGET THAN WHAT WE PUT IN DIRECTOR. IS, IS THAT ACCURATE STATEMENT? ARE WE ABOVE, ARE WE PAYING MORE OVERTIME THAN WE PROJECTED TO PAY BASED ON WHAT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL BUDGET? WE ARE, AND THAT'S BEEN THE CASE FOR MANY YEARS, AS YOU SEE IN THE CONTROLLER'S PRESENTATION. OKAY. SO IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS, THERE WERE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES THAT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO US THIS YEAR. IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT. ALRIGHT. SO WHEN WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE NOT THE SAME FUNDING SOURCES, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO INTO IT WITH A STRATEGY TO SAY, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE THOSE SAME DOLLARS, THEN WE HAVE TO STAY WITH THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE. MM-HMM . BECAUSE IF WE GO ABOVE THE BUDGET THAT WE HAVE, THEN WE START GOING INTO THE, THE NEGATIVE. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY. AND, UM, WHAT BRINGS ME A LITTLE CALM IS SOME OF MY MORE FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE OR PERCEIVED FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE COLLEAGUES SEEM OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT. SO MAYBE I SHOULD BE MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT AS WELL. BUT WHEN WE HAVE, UM, THESE DISCUSSIONS, WE'RE EITHER GONNA HAVE AND PAY THIS OVERTIME, OR WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE DISCUSSIONS ON BRINGING IN MORE EMPLOYEES AND HAVING LESS VACANCIES, WHICH THEN YOU INCREASE HEALTH, WHICH YOU THEN INCREASE PENSIONS, AND THEN YOU'RE STILL FINDING YOURSELF SPENDING WAY MORE MONEY. SO I THINK THE GOAL WOULD BE WHEN WE PUT FORTH THE BUDGET, WHATEVER THE BUDGET SAYS, WE GIVE A ACCURATE AND REALISTIC, UH, PROJECTION OF WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO SPEND. AND WE STAY WITHIN THOSE BOUNDARIES. AND I THINK WE ALL DO THAT WITH OUR OWN FAMILIES AND OUR OWN BUSINESSES, IS THAT WE HAVE A BUDGET AND WE STICK WITHIN THOSE, THOSE, UH, GUARDRAILS. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN WE'RE SPENDING THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY AND OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, IT'S NOT COMING OUT OF OUR POCKET. WE'RE, WE'RE VERY GENEROUS AND WE CAN'T BE AS GENEROUS AND THEN EXPECT FOR US TO STILL BE A FISCALLY PRUDENT CITY. AND MY LAST POINT IS, UM, MY OFFICE HAS OVERTIME DOLLARS FOR POLICE THAT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR. AND SO WHEN WE, WHEN WE DO HAVE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE, WE'RE NOT USING IT. AND THEN WE'RE TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO, UH, UM, PLUG HOLES IN OTHER AREAS AS WELL. BUT I DO THINK THIS IS A, A TRUE, UH, RED FLAG THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF. AND IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT I TRUST, UH, WITH THE FINANCES DIRECTOR, IT'S YOU AND CONTROLLER. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE TRANSPARENCY FOR US. THANK YOU. I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, GOING TO THE FY 26 BUDGET, UM, TO YOUR POINT, I THINK A BIG PART OF IT IS LOOKING AT THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS. AND I DON'T JUST WANNA FOCUS ON THESE THREE, RIGHT? UM, THAT'S PART OF THE ERNST AND YOUNG STUDY. UM, [04:45:02] YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY FOUND IS LOOKING AT OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. WE CALL 'EM PERFORMANCE MEASURES. THEY'RE REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET BOOK AS OBB, OUTCOME-BASED BUDGET PERFORMANCE MEASURES. AND WE HAVE A, UM, UH, A DASHBOARD ON OUR WEBSITE THAT SHOWS THOSE PERFORMANCE MEASURES HOW WE'RE DOING AGAINST OUR TARGET. AND A BIG PART OF IT IS LOOKING AT THE OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT. HOW CAN WE BE MORE EFFICIENT AND FOCUSING ON, UM, NOT JUST OUTPUT, BUT ON THE OUTCOME OF WHAT THE DEPARTMENTS ARE GETTING DONE. SO THAT'S ALSO GONNA BE A BIG FOCUS FOR THE BUDGET AS WELL. AND THE REASON I TRUST YOU SO MUCH IS YOU WERE A PART OF THAT LAST ADMINISTRATION AND YOU DID A GREAT JOB AT BRINGING US THROUGH. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? HUFFMAN? COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN? THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I AM OPTIMISTIC ABOUT, UM, THE FINANCES OF THE CITY AND WHAT'S BEING DONE BY THIS ADMINISTRATION. I THINK THAT THE ERNST AND YOUNG STUDY IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND THAT WE DECIDED LAST COUNCIL MEETING TO CONTINUE WITH THAT ERNS AND YOUNG CONTRACT SO WE COULD, UM, YOU KNOW, SEE THE FRUITS OF THAT. BUT LIKE YOU SAID, DIRECTOR DEBOWSKI, YOU KNOW, OUR DEPARTMENT OR OUR DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS, WE NEED LEADERS, RIGHT? AND WE NEED OUR DIRECTORS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT THE WASTE IS BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS THEIR DEPARTMENT BETTER THAN THE DIRECTOR OVER IT. AND SO EVEN LOOKING AT THE NEW CHIEF OF POLICE, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE CAME IN, HE'S LOOKING AT, OKAY, WELL IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS, HOW CAN WE WORK SMARTER? YOU KNOW, LET'S REARRANGE SOME PEOPLE INSTEAD OF HAVING, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE PEOPLE IN ONE AREA, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT MAKES SENSE TO SPREAD THEM OUT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT LEADERS DO. AND SO WHEN THESE BUDGET WORKSHOPS HAPPEN, I WANT THE DEPARTMENTS TO COME WITH REAL EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO WITHIN THEIR DEPARTMENT. YOU KNOW, I WANNA SEE LEADERSHIP AND, UM, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. VERY GOOD. ANYONE ELSE? IF NOT, THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE REPORT? I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE FEBRUARY, 2025 MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT. THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR? THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL [MAYOR'S REPORT] MEMBER HUFFMAN, YOU WERE MENTIONING THE DEPARTMENT HEADS. I'M EXCITED THIS MORNING TO, TO INTRODUCE THE Y'ALL TO OUR NEW INTERIM SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR. UM, HE WAS WORKING IN, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND ONCE AGAIN, WE DID OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND FOUND SOMEONE WITH VAST EXPERIENCE. HAVING RECENTLY BEEN THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR THE CITY OF COMMERCE COLORADO, SOMEONE THAT WAS BEING HEAVILY RECRUITED BY JURISDICTIONS IN OUR, IN OUR COMMUNITY TO COME HEAD UP SOLID WASTE OUR PUBLIC WORKS. HE'S JUST A REAL PROFESSIONAL. AND, UH, MR. LARRY HASSEN. MR. HASSON, YOU WANT TO COME FORWARD? UM, HE'S BEEN ON A JOB JUST A FEW DAYS, BUT I'VE ASKED HIM TO DO AN ASSESSMENT AND COME, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS STRAINED. UM, WE THINK OUR, OUR WORKERS THAT SHOW UP EACH DAY AND OVERWORKED, UNDERPAID. BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSESS WHERE WE ARE AND HAVE A TRANSPARENT, OH, WRONG WORD, A TRANSPARENT REPORT OF THE TRUE OPERATION AND NEEDS OF SOLID WASTE. 'CAUSE IT IS CRITICAL. BUT IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE. MR. HASSON, UH, WELCOME. AND, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOU, UH, GIVING US A CORRECT AS ASSESSMENT. YES, SIR. THE FLOOR IS YOURS. IF YOU'D LIKE YOU, UH, FIRST OFF, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. HONOR MOMENTUM MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. I AM LARRY S HASSON, UH, CURRENTLY INTERIM DIRECTOR OF SOLID WASTE. UH, VERY, VERY EXCITED TO SERVE THIS COUNCIL AND ALSO THE ADMINISTRATION. UM, ONLY MY THIRD DAY ON THE JOB, UM, SMALL TASK THAT WE GOT ACCOMPLISH IS LOOKING HOW WE CAN EFFECTIVELY SERVE OUR CITIZENS MONITORING THE BUDGET. COUNSEL, ARE YOU SIR? YES, SIR. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT. COUNCILOR KAMAN? NO. INTERIM DIRECTOR. I JUST, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP. ABSOLUTELY. UM, WE, WE ALL KNOW AND RECOGNIZE WE HAVE CHALLENGES, UH, THAT ARE ONGOING. I DO WANNA TAKE, I DO WANNA TAKE A MOMENT, UH, TO THANK DIRECTOR WILL FALK FOR HIS SERVICE. ABSOLUTELY. UM, YOU KNOW, HE SERVED, HE CAME TO HOUSTON BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IN HOUSTON. MM-HMM . UM, HE MOVED HIS FAMILY HERE. UH, AND I DO WANNA THANK HIM AGAIN WITH UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES FOR HIS SERVICE. UH, I KNOW YOU ARE ALL IN WHEN IT COMES TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. YES, MA'AM. SO AGAIN, I WANNA THANK YOU NOT ONLY FOR LOOKING OUT FOR [04:50:01] OUR RESIDENTS. 'CAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A CRITICAL SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE. WE ARE LEGALLY BOUND BY THE STATE OF TEXAS TO PICK UP TRASH. UH, IT IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE. UH, BUT YOU'RE ALSO LOOKING OUT FOR THE EMPLOYEES. YES, MA'AM. AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THAT VERY, VERY MUCH. SO WELCOME ABOARD IN THIS NEW POSITION. UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU DIRECTLY. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR, UH, RECOGNIZING DIRECTOR WILFRED'S PROFESSIONALISM AND TIME. HE DEVOTED TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I WISH HIM NOTHING BUT THE BEST COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR PROJA, CAST STATE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MR. HASSAN, WELCOME. THANK YOU. UM, I MEAN, YOU, YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST THREE DAYS THAT YOU ARE STEPPING IN INTO A, A, A DIFFICULT POSITION. YES, MA'AM. UM, UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERFUNDED DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY. YES MA'AM. AND THAT'S NO SECRET TO ANYONE. RIGHT. UM, BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, UM, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, WE WILL SUPPORT YOU. UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE CHALLENGES, BUT I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT, UM, THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT THAT WE GET IN OUR OFFICES, I KNOW SPECIFICALLY IN DISTRICT A YES MA'AM, IS AROUND SOLID WASTE. YES, MA'AM. UM, MAKING SURE THAT THE TRASH IS PICKED UP, MAKING SURE THE RECYCLING'S PICKED UP, MAKING SURE THE HEAVY TRASH AND TREE WASTE IS PICKED UP AND PEOPLE GET MAD ABOUT IT. THEY'RE VERY FRUSTRATED ABOUT THEIR GRASS DYING. THEY'RE FRUSTRATED ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS LOOKING LIKE, UM, WAR ZONES, SPECIFICALLY AFTER BIG DISASTERS. SO I AM WISHING YOU THE VERY BEST, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT YOU, WE WILL DO. UM, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE STARTED WITH DIRECTOR WILL FOX, SPECIFICALLY THOSE TRANSFER STATIONS. YES, MA'AM. UM, AND SOME OF THOSE BIG IDEAS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, HE STARTED AND WE WILL WORKING TOWARDS THAT WE KNOW WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YES, MA'AM. UM, AND AS I CONCLUDE, I DO WANT TO ALSO THANK DIRECTOR WILL FAULK FOR HIS ACCESSIBILITY AND PICKING UP THE PHONE AND, UM, ANSWERING THE CALLS WHEN WE, UM, CALLED HIM ABOUT CONCERNS IN OUR OFFICE. AND, UM, AGAIN, WELCOME AND WE WISH YOU THE VERY BEST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MA'AM. COUNCILOR POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I TOO WANNA, UH, JOIN MY COLLEAGUES AND SAY WELCOME. UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. UM, YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS JUST, UM, VERY CLEAR AND DIRECT COMMUNICATION YES, SIR. SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME PREDICTABILITY, UM, SOME UNDERSTANDING THAT WE CAN RELAY TO OUR CONSTITUENTS ON WHATEVER UH, THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE. YES, SIR. RIGHT. AND I THINK THE BETTER THE COMMUNICATION, THE MORE, UH, PEOPLE WILL NOT ONLY HAVE THE INFORMATION, BUT THERE'LL BE LESS FRUSTRATION. YES, SIR. RIGHT. AND I TOO WANT TO ALSO THANK DIRECTOR WILL FAULK FOR HIS SERVICE, UM, COMING FROM FLORIDA TO, UH, TO HOUSTON. UH, I THINK HE DID THE BEST WITH WHAT, WHAT HE HAD. YES, SIR. AND, UH, I WISH HIM WELL. SO LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, CONGRATULATIONS. WELCOME. AND, UH, I AGREE WITH ALL THE COLLEAGUES THAT WE ARE, UH, CERTAINLY BEHIND YOU AND SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR EFFORTS. THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE FACING YOU, UH, ARE MANY, BUT, UH, WE HAVE CONFIDENCE AND THANK THE MAYOR, HIS CHOICE OF PUTTING YOU IN THIS POSITION. AND WE CERTAINLY THINK DIRECTOR AL, THE SHORT TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, HE'S DONE A, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST AN ADMIRABLE JOB IN TERMS OF MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR, OUR CITY. AND SO, UH, WE SUPPORT YOU 100%. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. CONGRATULATIONS. WELCOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCILOR ALCORN. THANK YOU. WELCOME TO THE NEW POSITION. ALSO, WANNA THANK DIRECTOR WILL FA IT WAS A JOY TO WORK WITH HIM. YES. AND, UH, HOPE YOU'RE GONNA BE FIRED UP ABOUT COMPOSTING. YES, SIR. UM, AND, AND, UH, ALSO, UH, DO YOU KNOW THE STATUS OF THE BURNS AND MCDONALD REPORT THAT WAS LOOKING AT DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS? NOT AT THE PRESENT TIME, MA'AM. OKAY. MAYOR, YOU KNOW, WHEN'S IT COMING? WHEN'S THIS BIG STUDY COMING? SO WHAT? THE BURNS AND MCDONALD'S STUDY THAT WAS LOOKING AT THE OPERATIONS OF SOLID WASTE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS IN DUE TIME, IN DUE TIME. I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. YEAH, YOU NEED SOME HELP? YES. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. AND, UH, ONE OF THE, UH, REALLY FASCINATING EXPERIENCES FOR DIRECTOR WILFORD AND I WOULD DRIVE THE STREETS OF HOUSTON. AND, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU, WE'LL DO THE SAME, MEET THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND, UH, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY OPEN DOOR POLICY. YES, SIR. UH, A COUPLE MORE COMMENTS. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, I TOO WANT TO CONGRATULATE YOU. THANK ON, UM, STEPPING INTO THIS VERY IMPORTANT ROLE. LIKE MY COLLEAGUE SAID, SOLID WASTE TRASH PICKUP IS, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER ONE CALL THAT WE GET, [04:55:01] UM, WITHIN OUR DISTRICT. AND SO WE DO ASK, UM, THAT COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR, WILL FALK WAS GREAT, UM, ALWAYS AVAILABLE. YOU ANSWER, YOU CALL HIM. HE'S, HE'S RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW, DOING TOURS WITH US THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AS YOU KNOW, UM, DISTRICT B DEAL WITH A LOT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING. YES, MA'AM. AND SO, UM, JUST COMMUNICATION, YOU KNOW, LETTING US KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, WITHIN THE DISTRICT WOULD PICK UP, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT RECYCLING AND TRASH NOT BEEN PICKED UP. AND SO IF WE CAN KNOW, IF WE KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE IS, WE ABLE TO RELAY THAT, UM, INFORMATION TO OUR CONSTITUENTS. AND SO, UM, TRANSPARENCY, COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL. YES, MA'AM. UM, ESPECIALLY, UM, WITH SOLID WASTE. AND SO AGAIN, UM, HERE FOR YOU, UM, LET US KNOW IF YOU ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. COUNCILOR HUFFMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND CONGRATULATIONS. WELCOME, UH, TO THE CITY. UH, LIKE MY OTHER COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE STEPPING INTO A HARD JOB AND A JOB THAT EVERY, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL DISTRICT OFFICE, UH, RELIES HEAVILY ON THE COMMUNICATION, THE ACCESSIBILITY, THE RESPONSIVENESS OF SOLID WASTE. AND SO, UH, WE JUST LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND TO CONTINUE ALL OF THAT. THANK YES MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, GO TO WORK'S. ALL I CAN SAY, YES, SIR. YES, SIR. , THANK YOU ALL. AND WE'LL GET YOU THE BURN MCDONALD REPORT. BUT WE DON'T NEED TO, WE DON'T, WE, WE DON'T NEED A REPORT TO KNOW IT'S BROKEN. SOME, SOME OF US, SOME OF US DIDN'T NEED A STUDY TO KNOW HOW BROKEN IT IS. WELL, BUT ANYWAY, WE'LL GET IT. WE'RE GONNA GET IT IN DUE TIME. YOU'LL BE THE FIRST ONE THAT GETS IT. MEMBERS HOUSTON FIRST JOINS U OF H TO HOST A FINAL FOUR WATCH PARTY. SATURDAY NIGHT PUBLIX'S INVITE AT SIX 30, TIP OFF 7 49. LET'S GO. CHEER ON THE COUGARS. AS A COUGAR, UH, I'M EXCITED AS I CAN BE. I KNOW WHERE I'LL BE. IF NOT, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE I'LL BE. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. I'M, I DON'T SEE, I'M ASSUMING THEY WIN. IF YOU GO TO THE GAME AND THEY WIN SATURDAY NIGHT, THEN YOU'VE GOT TO BE THERE MONDAY NIGHT. SO I'M NOT SURE I WANNA BE OUTTA THE CITY FOR THREE DAYS, SO PROBABLY BE WITH THE MOST OF YOU WATCHING IT ON TV, BUT I'M REALLY, REALLY EXCITED. AND, UH, IT'S JUST ANOTHER REASON WE'RE SUCH A GREAT CITY, CERTAINLY WITH OUR SPORTS VENUES. BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO LET THEIR CONSTITUENTS KNOW THAT THEY CAN GO DOWN, HAVE A HUGE 20 FOOT SCREEN AT THE, UH, PLAZA IVAN NEED TO, AND, UH, HAVE A GREAT SAFE TIME. MIGHT WANT TO ALSO LOOK AT THE DANGERS WHILE YOU'RE DOWN THERE AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT OF THE SCOOTERS AT DISCOVERY GREEN AND THE ADJOINING, UH, ADJOINING STREETS. IT'S REALLY OUTTA CONTROL IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN DOWNTOWN AT 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT OR WHEN THE THEATERS ARE ARE, UH, DISMISSING. BUT CERTAINLY SATURDAY NIGHT, UH, YOU'LL SEE THE CONFLICT BETWEEN WALKABILITY AND THE SCOOTERS WITH 11, 12 YEAR OLDS DRIVING THEM WITH NO HELMETS. IT'S, UM, IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM. BUT ANYWAY, NOT GONNA SOLVE THAT ONE TODAY, BUT WE CAN CHEER ON THE COUGARS AND, UM, I PLAN ON A PLAN MONDAY NIGHT FOR SURE. WITH THAT SAID, CONSENT AGENDA. [CONSENT AGENDA] CONSENT AGENDA, PLEASE, MA'AM. MR. SECRETARY TODAY, MADAM SECRETARY, MR. MR. AND GOOD FOR YOU. ALRIGHT, UNDER THE MISCELLANEOUS CATEGORY, ITEMS ONE, TWO, AND THREE. NEED A MOTION CAST, THEY SAY A MOVE, SECOND. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED AYE. MOTION PASSES UNDER THE ACCEPT WORD CATEGORY. ITEM FOUR NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. AN AY MOTION PASSES UNDER THE PROPERTY CATEGORY. ITEM FIVE. NEEDS A MOTION PASS. STATE A MOVE. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. AS OPPOSED TO NAY. MOTION PASSES UNDER THE PURCHASING AND TABULATION CATEGORY ITEMS. 6, 7, 11, AND 16 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN. 6, 7, 11, AND 16. NEED A MOTION ON THE BALLOT? MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NA. MOTION PASSES [05:00:03] UNDER THE RESOLUTIONS CATEGORY ITEMS 22, 21, 22 AND 23. NEED A VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSING A MOTION PASSES UNDER THE ORDINANCE CATEGORY. ITEM TWO. ITEM 33 HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED AND WILL BE CONSIDERED IF IT'S RECEIVED BEFORE THE END OF THE MEETING. ITEMS 24, 28. 30, 32 AND 38 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. I'M SORRY. I HAVE THOSE WRONG ITEMS. 24, 28, 30, 32, 34 AND 38 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR CONSIDER SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. THOSE NUMBERS AGAIN. 24, 28, 30, 32, 34 AND 38. NEED A VOTE ON THE BALANCE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. GOT [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] IT. ITEM SIX NEEDS A MOTION CAST. TA MOVE. SECOND. MOTION IS MADE. AND SECOND ON ITEM SIX. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. OKAY, ITEM SEVEN NEEDS A MOTION. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. OKAY. COUNCIL, SAY A MOVE. SECOND. SECOND. OKAY, WE HAVE A MOTION. AND SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, ON THIS ITEM, UM, I WAS INTERESTED IN FIGURING OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ALL WERE WE ORDERING, UH, FOR, FOR THE CATERING ITEMS. UM, IT SEEMED A BIT EXCESSIVE TO ME, BUT AFTER SPEAKING WITH MY, ONE OF MY GOOD FRIENDS, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, UH, SHE EXPLAINED TO ME WHY, YOU KNOW, THAT AMOUNT OF FOOD MAY BE NECESSARY. AND, UM, SO I APPRECIATE HER INSIGHT. SO I'LL BE SUPPORTING THIS. ALTHOUGH I, I DO THINK THAT AMOUNT IS, UH, COULD BE OVER THE TOP. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR PROAM PECK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, AND I AGREE IT IS A LOT OF MONEY. UM, I ASKED THE QUESTION IF WE CAN WORK ON PRE-POSITIONING A CONTRACT RATHER THAN DOING AN EMERGENCY PURCHASE ORDER TO POTENTIALLY SAVE SOME MONEY. AND, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE WORKING ON THAT. SO I APPRECIATE THEM LOOKING INTO THAT. I KNOW WE NORMALLY GET THIS MONEY, UM, REIMBURSED WHEN IT'S A FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTER, BUT THIS SITUATION, IT WAS NOT A FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTER. BUT EVEN IN THE FUTURE, IF WE ARE GETTING REIMBURSED, IT'S STILL TAX DOLLARS. IT MAY NOT BE CITY TAX DOLLARS, BUT FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS, WE SHOULD STILL BE GOOD STEWARDS OF THAT MONEY. SO I APPRECIATE THEM LOOKING INTO THAT FOR COST SAVINGS. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I, I JUST WANT TO THANK OEM AND EVERYONE THAT IS FED THROUGH OEM. UH, THESE ARE FOLKS WHEN THERE IS A DISASTER THAT WE HAVE TO ACTIVATE, THEY ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK. UH, WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT BEDS FOR THEM. THEY'RE SLEEPING IN THEIR OFFICES, THEY'RE SLEEPING ON A COT IF THEY'RE LUCKY TO HAVE IT. UM, SO WHILE THE PRICE TAG IS A LOT, WHAT WE'RE GETTING IN TERMS OF THE, THE RETURN ON PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, IS IMPORTANT. UM, I, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, I THINK YOUR IDEA ABOUT HAVING A, A CONTRACT IN PLACE, IT WOULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL. AND HOPEFULLY WE COULD FIND SOME COST SAVINGS THERE. UH, BUT TO YOUR POINT, AND WHAT I RAISED WITH, UH, THE, IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET, THERE ARE DISASTERS THAT WE ARE HAVING TO FUND THAT ARE NOT REIMBURSABLE, UH, THAT WE ARE NOT GETTING SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR. AND I THINK MOVING FORWARD, WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF PLANNING FOR THE COST THAT WE CAN INCUR BECAUSE OF THESE DISASTERS. BECAUSE THEY ARE HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY, THEY ARE MORE SEVERE. UH, BUT I DO WANNA CONGRATULATE OEM. THE QUESTION WE HAD ASKED IS, UH, HOW DID THIS FIT INTO THEIR BUDGET THAT THEY HAD ALLOCATED FOR THIS PAST YEAR? AND IT DID. THEY ARE MEETING WHAT THEY HAD BUDGETED FOR. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO WANT TO SEE IN A DEPARTMENT IS THEM STAYING WITHIN WHAT THEY SAID AND WHAT COUNCIL AUTHORIZED. SO, I, I THINK THEY DID A GOOD JOB HERE. IT IS A BIG PRICE TAG. UH, BUT WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO EAT WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS SHUT DOWN IS THE PROBLEM. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. WHAT'S INTERESTING TO ME IS NO ONE'S ASKED HOW MANY SANDWICHES, HOW MANY HOURS, HOW MANY LENGTH OF TIME DID THEY SLEEP ON THE FLOOR? DOES THIS INCLUDE BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER? I CAN GO ON AND ON. IT'S MONEY THAT WAS SPENT FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILY AND YEAH. DOES IT LOOK LIKE A BIG TICKET? YEAH. IF YOU'RE JUST GOING IN AND ORDERING A MEAL. BUT, UH, YOU GOTTA [05:05:01] KEEP IN MIND THE FOLKS, THE VENDORS WERE BRINGING IT IN VERY DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE STORMS, IT WAS THE KINGWOOD FLOOD. IT WAS THE SNOWSTORM. I CAN GO ON ON. I KNOW I'VE BEEN OUT THERE AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT, UH, AT LEAST FOUR OR FIVE INCIDENTS. SO, UH, BE GOOD TO GET A GOOD ACCOUNTING OF IT. BUT I THINK THE REAL PICTURE WOULD BE, WHAT DID WE GET FOR THAT MONEY? AND I THINK WE WOULD ALL THINK IT WAS, UH, WELL SPENT. BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. JUST NEED A VOTE. NEED A VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT. ITEM 11 NEEDS A MOTION. SECOND, SAY TO MOVE. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY MOTIONS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 16 NEEDS A MOTION. ALL CAST . MOVE. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. A MOTION PASSES. ITEM 24 IS AN ORDINANCE JUST NEEDS TO VOTE. COUNSEL RAMIREZ FOR HIS TABLE AMENDMENT. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ FOR AMENDMENT. YES, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU. THIS IS THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE, UH, THAT HAS BEEN MUCH TALKED ABOUT. AND, UM, I HAVE SOME TABLE AMENDMENTS, MAYOR, THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, PLACED AT THE HORSESHOE. UH, EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER SHOULD HAVE THEM, AND THIS IS OFFERED JOINTLY. UH, ALONG WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THE LIST OF TABLE AMENDMENTS AT THIS POINT INCLUDES ONE A, ONE B, 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE. WHAT I, UH, SUGGEST WE DO MAYOR, IS GIVE EACH COUNCIL MEMBER A CHANCE TO LAY OUT, UH, THESE AMENDMENTS. AND I'D ASK COLLEAGUES TO WITHHOLD A TAG AFTER THEY'RE LAID OUT. UH, WE TAG THE AMENDMENTS AND TAG THE ITEM AND GIVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS A CHANCE TO DIGEST AND ALSO, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN ON, UH, THESE AMENDMENTS. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY SUGGESTION AT THIS POINT. VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN? UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. NO, I WAS IN Q1 TO, UH, LAY OUT OUR AMENDMENTS. I'LL DE YIELD BACK TO, UH, CHAIR RAMIREZ FIRST, UH, TO DO SO. VERY GOOD. I WAS GONNA LAY IT OUT. I'M SORRY. OR PROCEED. MAYOR. YES. ARE WE LAYING 'EM OUT OR ARE WE JUST TAGGING THEM? WE JUST TAG PLEASE, PLEASE. WE'RE GONNA LAY OUT AND TAG, OR WE'RE GONNA LAY THEM OUT INITIALLY. AND IF I MAY PROCEED, UH, MAYOR, SO AMENDMENT ONE A, AMENDMENTS ONE A AND ONE B ARE ACTUALLY SORT OF COMPETING AMENDMENTS. SO THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE THAT HAS COME TO US FROM A RA AND LEGAL WITH A LOT OF INPUT FROM STAKEHOLDERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, WOULD PLACE THE BURDEN OF APPLYING FOR THE CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION ON THE OWNERS AMENDMENT. ONE A WOULD PLACE THE BURDEN OF APPLYING FOR A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION ON THE OPERATOR, WHICH IN MANY CASES WILL BE THE OWNER. MANY OF THESE ARE OFFERED FOR RENT BY THE OWNER, BUT NOT IN EVERY CASE. SO, UM, THE AMENDMENT WOULD, UH, REQUIRE EACH OPERATOR OF A SHORT-TERM RENTAL TO REGISTER THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL. THAT'S AMENDMENT ONE A, AMENDMENT ONE B, WHICH IS DIFFERENT WOULD PLACE, AND THIS IS AT THE SUGGESTION OF A RA AND LEGAL WOULD PLACE THE BURDEN TO APPLY FOR A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION ON THE OPERATOR OR THE OWNER. AND, UM, SO ONE A AND ONE B ARE COMPETING AND THEY'RE DIFFERENT FROM, UH, THE PROVISIONS IN THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE THAT WE HAVE BEFORE US IN ITEM 24. AND SO I'LL DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUES ON THE OTHER AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. UH, COUNCIL CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AS IT PERTAINS TO AMENDMENT TWO, UH, AS WE HEARD, UH, YESTERDAY AND FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS, ALL OF THIS STARTED, UH, BY BAD ACTORS AND MULTIFAMILY THAT ARE NOT ONLY TAKING HOUSING STOCK AWAY, BUT CREATING A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK AS WELL AS A NUISANCE. UH, WE ALSO HAVE CHALLENGES WITH ENFORCEMENT. WE TALK A LOT ABOUT EFFICIENCY. THIS AMENDMENT WILL ALLOW THE CITY TO REVOKE ALL CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION OF A PARTICULAR OWNER OR OPERATOR IF WE SEE THAT 25% OR MORE OF THEIR REGISTRATIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REVOKED. SO FOR EXAMPLE, [05:10:01] UH, IF YOU HAVE A LOCATION, BANK STREET WITH OVER 20 UNITS, IF WE START SEEING, RATHER THAN HAVING TO GO UNIT BY UNIT BY UNIT TO REVOKE EVERY SINGLE TIME, IF YOU REACH, OKAY, YOU'VE HIT 25% OF YOUR, OF THOSE UNITS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REVOKED AND IT CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADDRESS THAT ENTIRE PROPERTY AS A WHOLE. UH, WHICH GOES A LONG WAY WITH ENFORCEMENT IN REDUCING THE BURDEN, NOT ONLY ON THE CITY, BUT ON RESIDENTS THAT ARE FACING THIS, UH, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND I WILL FOR AMENDMENT THREE, DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUE COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, ALONG THOSE SAME LINES SINCE SINCE MARCH OF 2023, MAYOR, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THAT AND HEAR HEARING A WHOLE LOT FROM RESIDENTS IN MULTIFAMILY. UH, WHEN THERE'S DENSITY OF UNITS THAT ARE STR IT CAN BE A REAL PROBLEM. AND THIS SEEKS TO, UH, KIND OF COPY WHAT SAN ANTONIO DID. THEY ACTUALLY DO LIMIT, UM, 12 AND HALF PERCENT ON A BLOCK FACE CAN BE SINGLE FAMILY AND MULTIFAMILY. EACH HOUSING TYPE GETS A LIMIT OF 12.5%. THIS IS, UH, REALLY JUST FOCUSING ON THE MULTIFAMILY UNITS, MULTIFAMILY UNITS AS THEY'RE DEFINED IN CHAPTER 42, THE DEFINITIONS THERE AND WOULD LIMIT IT TO 25%. A LOT OF THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS ALREADY LIMIT THE NUMBER OF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE RUNNING AN APARTMENT, YOU AL IN YOUR LEASE. IT'S ALREADY LIMITED. I HAVE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION. THEY'RE LOOK FOR LOOKING FORWARD TO IF, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ, IF, IF YOU INCLUDE THIS ON YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE AGENDA NEXT WEEK AT COMMITTEE, I'M SURE THEY'LL BE HERE, UH, TO FLESH THIS OUT FURTHER. AND THAT BASICALLY IT'S JUST TO PROTECT HOUSING STOCK AND TO NOT CREATE A CRITICAL MASS IN A, IN A MULTI-FAMILY, UH, PROJECT OF, UM, RENTALS. THANK YOU. AND THEN AMENDMENT FOUR. UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE REQUIRE IN ALL HOTELS. UH, IF SOME OF US HELPED ACTUALLY TO PASS THIS ORDINANCE, UH, IN OUR FIRST TERM. BUT THIS WOULD REQUIRE THAT APPLICANTS AND ALL EMPLOYEES RECEIVE A, THERE IS A FREE TRAINING, UH, AVAILABLE TO THEM, BUT RECEIVE TRAINING ON RECOGNIZING HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AGAIN, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT WE FACE, UH, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND THIS IS ONE KIND OF STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL THE PARTNERS AT THE TABLE. SO THIS WOULD REQUIRE APPLICANT TO PARTICIPATE IN A VERY BRIEF BUT IMPORTANT FREE ONLINE TRAINING, RECOGNIZING HUMAN AND SEX TRAFFICKING, AND THEN AMENDMENT FIVE. I WANT TO, UH, RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER PECK FOR HER LEADERSHIP ON THIS. UH, SHE HAD ACTUALLY, UH, PROPOSED THIS, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, UM, TO ADDRESS CONCERNS THAT THEY COULD ACT IN INADVERTENTLY BE INCLUDED, UM, IN SOME OF THIS LANGUAGE. SO IT'S CLEANUP LANGUAGE, IT DOES NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE FLUSHING OUT WITH LEGAL. UH, BUT I DO WANNA THANK BOTH A RA AND LEGAL MAYOR. THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, TRUE PARTNERS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, NOT ONLY IN WORKING THROUGH THESE AMENDMENTS, BUT WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WORKING WITH OUR OFFICES, UH, TO BRING THIS ORDINANCE FORWARD. UH, WITH THAT I CONCLUDE VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ? YES, MAYOR. SO UNLESS ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WOULD CARE TO WEIGH IN ON THE AMENDMENTS AT THIS TIME, UNDERSTANDING THERE'LL BE, UH, A CHANCE TO DO SO LATER. I WILL GO AHEAD AND TAG THESE AMENDMENTS AND TAG THE ITEM. OKAY. COUNCILOR RAMIREZ. AND I'LL RELEASE THE TAGS FOR THANK YOU, BROCK. OH, DO YOU WANT, WELL, I, I'D LIKE TO JUST, UM, WE, WE DID, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE, UH, ALL THE GROUPS THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH, AND ESPECIALLY THE RESPONSIBLE OWNERS, UH, THEY'RE, THEY'RE A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS. AND I'D LIKE TO ASK THE CITY ATTORNEY. THEY, THEY PUT FORWARD SOME SUGGESTIONS ON BASICALLY HOLDING, I KNOW IT HAS TO DO WITH CHAPTER 1 25. I'VE SPOKEN WITH NIJA ABOUT THIS, BUT HO THEY WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PRO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LEASING IT OUT TO SOMEBODY. I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SHORT TERM RENT IT TO SOMEBODY. THEY MIGHT DO SOME NEFARIOUS THING IN THE, IN THE APARTMENT THAT THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT. THEY WANT THE, THESE AMENDMENTS SPEAK, OR THE AMENDMENTS THAT THEY WANTED. SPEAK TO NOTICE, LIKE HOW THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF NOTICE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER FOR THE, THE REST OF THE, THE RE REVOCATION AND EVERYTHING TO HAPPEN. CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT WHY WE CANNOT INCLUDE THAT, THAT KIND OF AMENDMENT? WELL, I THINK ONE THING YOU'RE LOOKING AT LIMITED RESOURCES IN THE CITY TO ENFORCE THIS CHAPTER 1 25, UH, IN THE CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE. UM, IT, IT HAS A DRACONIAN PENALTY IF THERE ARE A, A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF CERTAIN VIOLATIONS. UH, AND THE OWNER DOES NOT CURE OR ABATE. WE DO NOT HAVE A CURE AND ABATE PROVISION HERE IN THIS. BUT, UH, CHAPTER 1 21 PROHIBITS ANY USE OF [05:15:01] THE PROPERTY FOR A YEAR, UP TO A YEAR, IS WHAT A ACCORD CAN DO IN THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE. UH, A PERSON CAN STILL USE THE PROPERTY FOR LONGER TERM RENTALS AND SO ON. SO THERE ARE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, THAT I, I THINK IS WHY OURS IS WRITTEN WITHOUT AN AN ABATE OR CURE PERIOD. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERY MUCH. COUNCILMAN MCCARTER. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, JUST WANNA THANK ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN LISTENING THIS MORNING ABOUT A SPENDING PROBLEM. WE HEAR SPENDING PROBLEM, SPENDING PROBLEM, BUT WE HAVE A COLLECTIONS PROBLEM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO BEING ABLE TO COLLECT FINES. AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE ASKED WHAT'S THE OUTSTANDING DOLLAR AMOUNT ON, YOU KNOW, ON FINES? AND THE ANSWER IS, WHO KNOWS? IT LIES WITHIN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. AND THERE'S NOT THIS ONE BUCKET OF MONEY, BUT LIKE THAT REVENUE TO THE CITY IS, COULD BE VERY CRITICAL. AND SO CERTAINLY WHEN, WHEN IT LOOKS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDING YET MORE TO, YOU KNOW, HERE'S ANOTHER FINE AND HOW DO WE COLLECT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE JUST NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT BECAUSE CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL THE VIOLATION AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE. AND I, I WONDER, YOU KNOW, LIKE HOW, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED SOMETHING IN PLACE, BUT HOW BURDENSOME DOES THAT BECOME ON THE COLLECTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT SIDE? I THINK WE'RE, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING AT ADDING A PRETTY HEAVY LIFT, I GUESS. UM, AND WE'RE ALREADY STRAPPED ON RESOURCES AND, AND THIS I THINK, UM, CERTAINLY HAS THE, HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. SO I JUST WANTED TO WEIGH IN ON THAT. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCILOR RAMIREZ, FINAL THOUGHT, MAYOR. AS COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN ALLUDED TO, WE WILL EXPAND THE AGENDA OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE, UH, THAT SCHEDULED FOR, UH, MONDAY, APRIL THE SEVENTH AT 2:00 PM TO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THESE TABLE AMENDMENTS. SO I'D ENCOURAGE COUNCIL MEMBERS IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS IN AN OPEN PUBLIC SETTING, UH, IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AS WELL. THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE TAGS BY COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ ON THE AMENDMENTS AND THE MAIN ITEMS, COUNCILOR RAMIREZ TAGS THE AMENDMENT AND THE MAIN ITEM. THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM 28 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 30 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 32 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES AS OPPOSED TO NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 34 IS AN ORDINANCE, JUST NEED A VOTE. COUNCILOR RAMIREZ. COUNCILOR RAMIREZ. YES, MAYOR. THIS IS, UH, AN ORDINANCE TO PAY $14 MILLION TO HARRIS COUNTY FOR THE JOINT PROCESSING CENTER, WHICH IS THE, THE COUNTY'S JAIL. AND LAST YEAR, ABOUT THIS TIME, WE PAID THE SAME AMOUNT. AND, UH, I FRANKLY THINK IT WAS TOO MUCH MONEY. WE WERE TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT THE CITY WAS TRYING TO NEGOTIATE A BETTER DEAL. HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER AND, UH, SAME AMOUNT. AND SO I, I, I STILL THINK IT'S TOO MUCH MONEY AND I'D ENCOURAGE, UM, BOTH PARTIES TO TRY TO REACH, UH, AN AMOUNT THAT IS LOWER AND, AND MORE REASONABLE IN TERMS OF WHAT'S PROVIDED TO, UH, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND, AND WE'VE HEARD A NUMBER OF THE SAME TYPES OF COMPLAINTS THAT WE HEARD LAST YEAR ABOUT THE WAY OUR POLICE OFFICERS ARE TREATED THERE AND SO FORTH. SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA TAG THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. I SHARE YOUR CONCERN. I GET REPORTS THAT OUR OFFICERS GET SO FRUSTRATED AND IT TAKES 'EM OFF THE STREETS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GETTING THE RESPONSE THAT WE ANTICIPATED WHEN THAT AGREEMENT WAS MADE. AND IT'S JUST GOT TO IMPROVE. SO GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE COUNTY, MAYBE THE POLICE CHIEF AND THE SHERIFF CAN DISCUSS IT, BUT WHOEVER, UH, OUR OFFICERS ARE ENGAGING, JUST MAKE SOME WAIT TWO, THREE HOURS BEFORE THEY CAN GET BACK TO THEIR PATROL. SO IT'S UNACCEPTABLE. AND I JOIN YOU AND, UH, EXPRESSING THAT WE, WE MUST DO BETTER AND GET OUR, WE'RE WE'RE THEIR PARTNERS AND THEY'RE NOT TREATING US LIKE ONE. COUNCILLOR FLICKINGER. YEAH, MAYOR, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CHIME IN. I'VE HAD NUMEROUS DISCUSSIONS WITH OFFICERS WHERE THEY'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT IT TAKES THEM WHEN THEY HAVE A SUSPECT IN CUSTODY, THAT THEY'RE GONNA ACCEPT CHARGES ON. UH, AND IT'S NOT JUST AN INCONVENIENCE FOR [05:20:01] THEM ALL THE TIME THEY SPEND DOING THAT, IT'S TIME THEY'RE OFF THE STREET. MM-HMM . AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS AS IT IS, AND FOR THEM TO BE SPENDING HOURS ON INTAKE. IT'S A PROBLEM FOR ALL OF US. YES, SIR. I UNDERSTAND. YOU WANT TO TAG IT RAMIREZ, HOW TO GET HE BEAT YOU TO IT. COUNCILOR RAM RAMIREZ. YOU TAGGED THE ITEM. YES, SIR. I DID. VERY WELL TAGGED BY. THAT'S OKAY. VERY WELL. NEXT ADAM'S TAG. NEXT ITEM 38 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM [NON-CONSENT - MISCELLANEOUS] 44 NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX, TATU, MOVE I SECOND. MOTIONS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSING A MOTION PASSES. ITEM 45 NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX TATUM, MOVE TO SET THE HEARING DATE, UM, ON THE FOLLOWING, MULTI-FAMILY, UH, DEVELOPMENTS LANCASTER, SUGAR CREEK FOR 9:00 AM ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9TH, 2025. I SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. [MATTERS HELD] NEXT ITEM 46 IS AN COUNCILLOR. EVAN SHIBA. THANK YOU MAYOR. I MOVE TO REFER ITEM 46. BACK TO THE ADMINISTRATION. RAMIREZ. SECOND. MOTION IS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. AS OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT. MARTIN, THEM IN THE GOT IT. [NON CONSENT - MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] COUNCILOR RAM MAYORS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND, UM, SO THIS ITEM WAS ON THE AGENDA LAST WEEK AND IT WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER. THANK YOU FOR TAGGING THIS ITEM, COUNCIL MEMBER AND THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER EVANS SHABAZZ, UH, FOR REFERRING BACK. SO, SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE LAST WEEK? AND LET ME SORT OF RECAP. UH, THIS ITEM PERTAINS TO THE FORGIVENESS OF A LOAN, UH, THAT IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN CONNECTED WITH, UH, THE MCGREGOR, HEB PROPERTY, HFC. THE HOUSTON HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION HAS COME TO US ASKING THAT, UH, AN ECO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN, UH, THAT THE CITY GAVE TO THEM, BE FORGIVEN FREE AND CLEAR AND SO FORTH. UM, WE ASK QUESTIONS AND IT COMES OUT THAT'S NOT A REALLY GOOD DEAL FOR THE CITY. UM, AND IN THE INTERIM CONVERSATIONS AMID HAD, AND THIS HAS BEEN REFERRED BACK, WHEN IT COMES BACK TO US, IT WILL BE A MUCH BETTER DEAL. SO INSTEAD OF THE LOAN BEING FORGIVEN, IT WILL BE CONVERTED INTO A DEFERRED PAYMENT LOAN, WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN HHFC MCGREGOR SELLS THE PROPERTY, THEY WILL OWE THE CITY A BALLOON PAYMENT FOR THE BALANCE OF THE LOAN, WHICH IS MORE THAN $8 MILLION. SO WHEN THE PROPERTY GETS SOLD, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'RE INTERESTED IN SELLING THE PROPERTY, AT SOME POINT THE CITY WILL GET ITS MONEY BACK AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO USE THAT MONEY ON OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS SUCH AS JOB CREATION, PERHAPS ANOTHER GROCERY STORE IN A FOOD DESERT, ET CETERA. SO THIS IS A MUCH BETTER DEAL FOR THE CITY. THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER FOR THEIR, THEIR WORK ON THIS. EXCELLENT COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I JUST WANNA ASSURE EVERYONE THAT THE GROUND LEASE IS NOT IN JEOPARDY, AND THAT WAS ALWAYS A CONCERN. AND SO I'M VERY HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING AND, UH, SEND IT BACK TO ADMINISTRATION. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCILOR ALCORN. JUST GONNA SAY GOOD WORK, AND THAT'S GOOD WORK. WE WANTED THAT PROGRAM INCOME FOR MORE FOOD DESERT PROJECTS, SO I'M GLAD WE'RE WORKING THAT OUT. NEXT, ITEM 47 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN COUNCILOR KAMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COLLEAGUES, I TAGGED THIS ITEM LAST WEEK. UH, IT IS THE BUDGET FOR THE MONTROSE TURS. UH, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAD WAS WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS BUDGET. UM, WE KNOW THOUGH THAT NUMBERS HAVE ALREADY CHANGED, AND WE KNOW THAT THE SCOPE OF WORK AND MULTIPLE ITEMS HAS ALREADY CHANGED. MAYOR, I WANNA THANK YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR WORKING WITH ME. UH, I'M GONNA ASK FOR SUPPORT ON THIS ITEM WITH THE UNDERSTANDING MAYOR, THAT, UH, THIS IS THE MONTROSE BOARD WILL TAKE UP, UH, CORRECTIONS TO THE BUDGET. THAT INCLUDES, I BELIEVE, SOME VERY EXCITING, UH, ADDITIONS THAT WILL SUPPORT THE GREATER COMMUNITY, UM, OVERALL MAYOR. SO I WOULD, UH, ASK FOR SUPPORT ON THIS ITEM WITH THE UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT THAT, UH, I BELIEVE THE MONTROSE TURS BOARD WILL [05:25:01] BE MEETING APRIL 21ST. SO TO BRING A CORRECTED, UH, OR NEW FY 25 BUDGET BACK TO CITY COUNCIL BY APRIL 30TH. WE HAVE A BREAK WEEK, THE WEEK THAT THE BOARD WOULD VOTE, SO IT WOULD BE THE IMMEDIATE FOLLOWING DAY. SO I, AGAIN, THANK YOU MAYOR, UH, AND YOUR TEAM FOR WORKING WITH ME ON THIS, UH, TO BRING WHAT I THINK WILL BE SOME TRANSFORMATIONAL AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY, UH, POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS AND WE'LL CONTINUE THIS DIALOGUE. IT'S BEEN VERY PRODUCTIVE. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL IN. YEAH, JUST A VOTE. ALL IN. JUST A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT ITEM 48 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED TO VOTE ALL IN CAMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CAMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THIS IS AN ITEM I HAVE REALLY STRUGGLED WITH. UH, WE ASKED FOR ADDITIONAL TIME JUST THIS MORNING, RIGHT BEFORE COUNSEL. UM, I HAD AN ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION WITH LEGAL. UH, THIS PERTAINS TO, UH, BACK IN 2011, UH, A STREET IN MONTROSE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WORK TO INCORPORATE INTO THE SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE A PROPERTY OWNER, A VERY NICE GENTLEMAN WHO I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR IN HIS FAMILY, OWNED ONE OF THE PROPERTIES THERE AND HAS SAW IT, UM, AN EXCEPTION, UH, FOR COMMERCIAL USE. UH, I'M GOING TO BE VOTING NO ON THIS ITEM. IF IT HAD TO DO WITH THE POPULARITY CONTEST OR THAT I REALLY WANNA HELP ONE INDIVIDUAL, UM, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT. BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT, UH, IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, THE SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE SHOULD BE PROTECTED. UM, DOES REMAIN TRUE, UH, TO PROTECT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFTER ALL THE WORK, UH, THAT HAS BEEN DONE. SO I WOULD, UH, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST SUPPORT, UH, ON THAT ITEM IN VOTING. NO. VERY GOOD. RAMIREZ, COUNCILOR RAMIREZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, IN WITH RESPECT, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, UM, THIS ITEM COMES TO US FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHICH HAS ALREADY APPROVED IT AND, AND, UH, RECOMMENDED, OR I SHOULD SAY RECOMMENDED, RECOMMENDED THAT IT BE APPROVED. I MET WITH THE GENTLEMAN AND FRANKLY, HE, HE PRESENTED A, A PRETTY COMPELLING CASE, UH, THAT THE PROPERTY WAS MISCLASSIFIED ORIGINALLY, AND THAT SIMILARLY SITUATED PROPERTIES ALONG SHEPHERD ARE ALREADY CLASSIFIED AS AS COMMERCIAL. SO, UH, IN VIEW OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S DECISION AND, UM, UH, HIS SIDE OF IT, I'M, I'M INCLINED TO SUPPORT IT. VERY GOOD. MAYOR PROTE, CASICK STATE, MY QUESTION IS TO LEGAL, IF, IF THE PROPERTY IS A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN A PARTICULAR BLOCK, UM, WOULD THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE, IF WE CHANGE THIS, UM, DESIGNATION TO COMMERCIAL, WOULD THAT EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO GO ON TO THE NEXT HOUSES IN THAT BLOCK? MY CONCERN IS IF THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY IS RESIDENTIAL THE SAME AS ALL OF THE OTHER PROPERTIES ON THAT BLOCK, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD KEEP IT RESIDENTIAL. BECAUSE IF WE CHANGE IT TO COMMERCIAL, NOW, THE OTHER HOMES ON THAT BLOCK CAN SAY, NOW WE HAVE PRECEDENT THAT THIS BLOCK IS COMMERCIAL, BUT THE, THE GUY WHO IS ASKING FOR THIS WANTS THIS TO REMAIN RESIDENTIAL, AND EVERYTHING ELSE ON THAT BLOCK IS RESIDENTIAL. UM, THE MINIMUM LOT, THE SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE IS WHAT WE DO TO PROTECT THAT. AND IF WE SAY, IF WE VOTE YES, WE ARE NOW NOT PROTECTING THAT. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE GOT TO, FROM THE PLANNING COMMISSION, NOT PROTECTING THE SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE THAT PEOPLE GO THROUGH TO PROTECT THAT RESIDENTIAL LOT. WELL, AS, AS I UNDERSTAND THE FACTS HERE, I THINK THE DEBATE ARISES BECAUSE THIS WAS USED AS AN ART GALLERY WITH AN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE. AND SO THE COMMUNITY THERE FELT, WELL, IT WAS BEING USED RESIDENTIAL, THERE ARE NO DEED RESTRICTIONS. IF YOU HAD A DEED RESTRICTION ANALYSIS, YOU WOULD LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, UH, WHAT IMPACT DID IT HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY? WERE THERE CARS PARKING THERE? WAS THERE TRAFFIC GOING IN AND OUT? BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. UH, WHEN THE GENTLEMAN CAME BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION, HE ARGUED HE HAD CONSIDERED IT, UM, NOT SUBJECT TO DEED RESTRICTIONS AND RESIDENTIAL. THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THIS, UH, SETS A PRECEDENT, IT, IT DOESN'T REALLY, BECAUSE WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS A RECLASSIFICATION TO CARVE THIS OUT. UH, AND THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD IMPACT, DEPENDING ON WHAT USE ULTIMATELY HAPPENS HERE, IT COULD IMPACT THE ADJOINING RESIDENCES. BUT IN TERMS OF SETTING [05:30:01] A PRECEDENT, IT WOULD REQUIRE THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO RECLASSIFY THIS PARTICULAR, UM, ORDINANCE AGAIN. AND, UH, I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN PAST PRECEDENCE FOR THAT. IF THE, UM, UH, IT'S NOT AN EASY, UH, THERE, THERE'S A DEBATE ON BOTH SIDES WITH THIS, BUT IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT CLEAR CUT IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT THE PLANNING COMMISSION WAS OBVIOUSLY, UH, INFLUENCED BY THIS APPLICANT'S APPEAL, IF I MAY RESPOND. COUNCILOR POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MY, MY QUESTION IS, UM, THE, THE PROPERTIES THAT'S NEXT DOOR TO, UH, THIS APPLICANT, ARE THEY ALREADY RESIDENTIAL? AND WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE APPLICANT'S, UM, HOPEFUL USE FOR HIS COMMERCIAL PROPERTY? WHAT, WHAT IS THAT? WILL IT REMAIN LOOKING LIKE A RESIDENTIAL OR CAN YOU ANSWER THAT FOR ME, COUNCIL MEMBER? YES, THANK YOU. SO THE HOME WAS A TWO STORY HOME THAT FACED NORFOLK, SO IT DID NOT FACE SHEPHERD. AGAIN, MONTROSE, YOU HAVE THIS CULMINATION OF COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL, AND FOR YEARS, RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN DOING WHAT THEY CAN WITH THE TOOLS THEY CAN TO PROTECT THEIR PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS AND BLOCKS. AND SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE IS ONE OF THOSE. SHEPHERD AND NORFOLK AT THE CORNER IS WHAT THIS PRO, WHERE THIS PROPERTY LIES ON SHEPHERD, THERE IS COMMERCIAL, BUT THE WAY THAT THIS PROPERTY TRADITIONALLY FACES AND THE ADDRESS IS ON NORFOLK, FACING NORFOLK WITH RESIDENTIAL ALL THE WAY DOWN ON HIS SIDE. AND THEN ALL BUT ONE THAT HAD BEEN CARVED OUT PREVIOUSLY BEFORE SMLS WAS APPLIED. FOR MY CONCERN HERE, UH, AGAIN, I I RESPECT THIS INDIVIDUAL. I DON'T LIKE HOW THE CARDS HAVE FALLEN IN HIS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE, BUT THE REASON THEY WANT THIS CARVE OUT IS TO POTENTIALLY SELL AS COMMERCIAL. AND WHEN IT COMES TO CARVING AWAY AT THE PROTECTIONS THAT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE, MY CONCERN IS FOR THE PRECEDENT, NOT NECESSARILY THAT THIS MAY SET FOR THE REST OF THIS BLOCK, BUT IN ALL OF OUR DISTRICTS, IF SOMEBODY COMES BACK AND SAYS, OH, NO, NO, I WAS USING IT AS COMMERCIAL, EVEN THOUGH, UH, THE PROPERTY WAS NOT REPLANTED OR PERMITTED UNDER COMMERCIAL WAS NOT LISTED ON HCA AS COMMERCIAL, THE HOME ITSELF WAS A HOME, A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME. IT WAS USED AS A CO-OP WITH A GALLERY WHERE THEY WERE SELLING. NEIGHBORS ACTUALLY COMPLAINED ABOUT THAT USE AS COMMERCIAL PREVIOUSLY. SO, AND THEY SAID, SO THE NEIGHBORS SAID, NO, IT'S NOT COMMERCIAL. SO THE NEIGHBORS WANT TO KEEP IT RESIDENTIAL, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS TO KEEP IT RESIDENTIAL. UH, AGAIN, THIS IS A, THE REASON I HAVE DELAYED THIS FOR SO LONG IN WORKING WITH LEGAL, SPEAKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SPEAKING WITH THE APPLICANT HIMSELF, AND I DO NOT TAKE LIGHTLY, UM, GOING, UH, CHA GOING AGAINST PLANNING COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION. BUT THAT IS WHY IT COMES TO COUNCIL FOR US TO APPROVE. IF IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO COME TO COUNCIL FOR US TO MAKE A DETERMINATION ON THEN WHAT PLANNING COMMISSIONS SAID, UH, WOULD BE, WOULD HOLD. SO AGAIN, IN THIS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCE, EXCUSE ME, I I WILL BE NOT SUPPORTING THIS AND ASKING THAT WE SUPPORT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WOULD, UH, CALL FOR THE VOTE AFTER WHOEVER'S IN QUEUE. COUNCILOR FLICKINGER, I WENT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE PROPERTY AND, AND THE PROBLEM IS IT SITS ON THE CORNER. EVERYTHING ON SHEPHERD'S COMMERCIAL, EVERYTHING ON NORFOLK IS RESIDENTIAL. YEAH, IT'D PROBABLY BE FAIR TO SAY THIS SPECIFIC PIECE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TO A OBJECTIVE PERSON REVIEWING IT WOULD LOOK COMMERCIAL. THEY'RE ON THAT BUSY SHEPHERD CORNER. BUT CERTAINLY COUNCILMAN CAVIN MAKES APPROPRIATE COMMENTS THAT THERE'S A CONCERN GOING DOWN THE RESIDENTIAL STREET THAT IT WOULD IMPACT THEM IN, IN THE HOME AS IT WAS DESIGNED. AGAIN, THEY, THEY HAVE TORN IT DOWN SINCE WAS A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL HOME CALL. YEAH. THANK YOU. UH, THAT'S ALL. THAT'S ALL. MEMBERS JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NA. ROLL CALL. ROLL CALL YOU. ROLL CALL. ROLL CALL. VOTE. OKAY. MAYOR WHITMEYER? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER PICK. NO. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER. EVAN SHABAZZ. NO. COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER. MARTINEZ. NO. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD? NO. [05:35:01] COUNCIL MEMBER. CASS TATUM? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN? YES. FOUR 11. NEXT, THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. VERY GOOD. MEMBERS NOW POP OFF. ADDITIONAL POP OFF. I MIGHT ASK. I OFF ALREADY. I DON'T HAVE USE NO WORDS FOR THE DAY. START WITH ALCORN. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR. WE RECENTLY HAD SOMEBODY WITH A REALLY HUGE WATER BILL BECAUSE THEY, BECAUSE OF THE MORATORIUM, WHICH I TOTALLY BELIEVE IN, THE MORATORIUM NOT CUTTING SOMEBODY OFF, BUT SOMETIMES IF THEY DON'T GET A NOTICE THAT THEIR WATER'S ABOUT TO BE CUT OFF AND THEY'RE GETTING EMAILS AND SOMEBODY MISSES THE EMAILS, IT GROWS AND GROWS AND GROWS TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. AND WE ASKED HOW MANY, HOW MANY WATER BILLS DO WE HAVE OUT THERE NOW? OVER $5,000 IN ARREARS. AND THERE'S 5,062 OVER $10,000 IN ARREARS. AND 2,400 OF THOSE ARE SINGLE FAMILY ACCOUNTS. SO THERE'S A BIG BUNCH OF MONEY. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW, I GUESS WE'RE GONNA WAIT TILL THE, THE MORATORIUM TILL ALL THE REMOTE READERS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, WHICH IS A GOOD IDEA. JUST SAYING THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE BUILDING UP BIG BILLS AND I THINK SOME OF THE ONES THAT REQUEST E-BILL, THEY THINK SOMEBODY ELSE IS PAYING OR THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY MISS 'EM OR WHATEVER. I DON'T KNOW, WHATEVER. THAT'S, I'M JUST THROWING OUT OUT THERE. THE OTHER THING IS, BECAUSE JORDAN REALLY WANTED ME TO THROW THAT OUT THERE. SHE'S CONCERNED ABOUT IT. THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY IS WAY TO GO HITS DEPARTMENT. THEY JUST SENT EVERYBODY IN THE CITY AN EMAIL. Y'ALL ALL GOT THIS. IT'S A PICTURE OF A COPY MACHINE. IT SAYS, DO YOU NEED A HARD COPY? IF YOU DON'T, DON'T PRINT IT OUT. SO GO HITS, DON'T MAKE YOUR HARD COPIES. ALL BUDGET WORKSHOPS WILL BE COMPLETELY WITHOUT PAPER. AND SO JUST BRING YOUR LAPTOPS AND ALL . DON'T MAKE IT MY PROBLEM. THE END COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER EVAN SHABAZZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I WANT TO THANK PUBLIC WORKS MYSELF. UM, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, MY WATER BILL TRIPLED AND MY WATER BILL IS GENERALLY VERY LOW. I CALLED AND THEY CAME OUT IMMEDIATELY AND FOUND OUT THAT MY SPIGOT WAS NOT TOTALLY TURNED OFF. SO YOU HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL WHEN YOU HAVE WATER HOSES IN THE SPIGOTS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CUT OFF BECAUSE THAT LITTLE SEEPAGE CAN CERTAINLY, UH, MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR BILL GOING UP. SO I WANT TO THANK PUBLIC WORKS FOR THEIR QUICK RESPONSE AND FOR THE RESOLUTION THAT I WAS ABLE TO IMPLEMENT IMMEDIATELY. SO THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, NOW, UH, I WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, DISTRICT D IS IN FULL BLOOM. UH, WE HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT ON LAST WEEK, IF I CAN GET TO IT, UM, AT THE HERMAN PARK CONSERVANCY. AND IT WAS THE CONSERVANCY'S ANNUAL HAT LUNCHEON. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SITE TO SEE. UM, MAYOR PRO TEM WAS THERE AND WE HAD ON OUR LITTLE, UH, FASCINATORS, AND WE GOT RIGHT ON IN THERE WITH THE, WITH THE PEOPLE. AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EVENT. THE COMMUNITY LEADERS CAME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT ONE OF HOUSTON'S MOST BELOVED GREEN SPACES, AND THANKS TO INCREDIBLE GENEROSITY, THE LUNCH AND RAISED $550,000 TO HELP KEEP HERMAN PARK VIBRANT, ACCESSIBLE, AND WELCOMING TO ALL UPCOMING EVENTS. ON TOMORROW, THE HOUSTON ROCKETS, MOSES LEROY PARK BASKETBALL COURT UNVEILING WILL BE FROM FOUR 30 TO FIVE 30. THE LOCATION IS 3,100 TRULY STREET HOUSTON IN THE THIRD WARD AREA. JOIN US AS WE UNVEIL THE NEWLY RENOVATED BASKETBALL COURTS, A COLLABORATION WITH THE HOUSTON ROCKETS THAT WILL BRING ENHANCED RECREATIONAL ACCESS TO FAMILIES AND YOUTH IN THE THIRD WARD COMMUNITY. AND I WAS CERTAINLY PROUD TO SUPPORT THIS TRANSFORMATIVE INVESTMENT IN DISTRICT D ON SATURDAY. IT WILL BE A BIG DAY IN DISTRICT D. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CLEANUP AT THE SOUTH UNION, UH, LOCATION FROM 9:00 AM TO NOON. THERE WILL BE A LUNCH SERVED FROM 1215 TO ONE. AND [05:40:01] THAT'S AT Z SCALES PARK, 35 0 1 CARTER STREET, 7 7 0 2 1. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTH UNION CIVIC CLUB, TEXAS CLEANUP WOMEN AND THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, ALSO ON SATURDAY, THE DISTRICT D CHAINSAW VOLUNTEER WORKSHOP, UH, ORGANIZING MEETING FROM 10 TO TWO, TRAINING OUR NEIGHBORS TO BECOME FIRST RESPONDERS IN POST-DISASTER CLEANUP AND EMERGENCY RECOVERY. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. IF WE CAN GET PEOPLE TRAINED, THEN THEY CAN IMMEDIATELY RESPOND TO THESE DISASTERS THAT ARE SURE TO CONTINUE. UH, ON ALSO, THERE WILL BE A 47TH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CANDLELIGHT, VIGIL AND SLAB CAR SHOWCASE FROM TWO TO 6:00 PM AT THE MCGREGOR PARK, WHICH IS 52 25 CALHOUN ROAD, FEATURING FOOD MUSIC VENDORS AND A POWERFUL PROGRAM WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS. LOOK FORWARD TO CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN JOINING US. UH, DISTRICT D CONTINUES TO LEAD WITH LOVE, SERVICE, AND ACTION. AND I THANK YOU AND EVERYONE FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AS WE MAKE BOLD DRIVES TOGETHER. AND CERTAINLY IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER, PLEASE EMAIL US AT DISTRICT D@HOUSTONTX.GOV. WE CERTAINLY, UH, TRY TO PROVIDE A LOT OF INFORMATION AND RESOURCES, AND MOST RECENTLY, ONE OF OUR HIGHLIGHTED PERSONS WAS MRS. VIVIAN HARRISON, WHO CERTAINLY WAS A WONDERFUL TEACHER AND A NEIGHBOR WHOSE SERVICES WERE YESTERDAY. BUT I CERTAINLY WANT TO, UH, INVITE PEOPLE TO COME BECAUSE WE WANNA RECOGNIZE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT'S POSTPARTUM OR WHETHER THEY ARE STILL WITH US. SO THANK YOU MAYOR. THAT CONCLUDES WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN DAVIS. COUNCILOR FLICKINGER. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO COMPLIMENT COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ, UH, ON THAT HEB ITEM. I MEAN THAT $8 MILLION IS GONNA BE ABLE TO BE USED FOR, UH, ADDRESSING ISSUES THAT ALSO NEED ATTENTION. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO WE HAD BEEN TALKING, UH, ABOUT THIS AND I HAVE SOME FAMILIARITY WITH COMMERCIAL LEASES, AND I THINK THAT PROMPTED SOME OTHER QUESTIONS AND HE DUG INTO IT AND WAS ABLE TO COME TO A MUCH BETTER RESOLUTION, I BELIEVE. UM, KIND OF ON THAT SAME NOTE, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE CHRONICLE, I BELIEVE CAME OUT LAST FRIDAY OR SATURDAY ABOUT, UH, THE MONEY BEING SPENT FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING AND HOW LITTLE OF IT WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE BENEFIT OF LOW INCOME PEOPLE, UH, AND HOW SO MUCH OF IT WAS GOING TO OTHER PARTIES. AND THEY HAD SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES IN THERE. UH, BROADSTONE TOSCANO GOT 1.4 MILLION IN A TAX ABATEMENT, AND THEY'RE ONLY GIVING OUT $400,000 FOR LOW INCOME HOUSING. UH, THE LUMEN GOT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS TAX ABATEMENT, AND THEY'RE ONLY GIVING OUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN LOW INCOME HOUSING. UH, SO THERE ARE REALLY SOME EGREGIOUS EXAMPLES, SOME THINGS THAT WERE PROVED PREVIOUSLY WHERE WE'RE GIVING AWAY A LOT OF TAX MONEY AND IT'S NOT GOING TO THE PEOPLE THAT IT NEEDS TO. AND I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT. KIND OF DOVETAILING INTO THE HEB DISCUSSION WE HAD TODAY. UM, KINGWOOD, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE ELECTRONIC RECYCLING EVENT THIS SATURDAY STARTING AT NINE O'CLOCK. UH, SO IT'LL GO ON UNTIL THE TRUCKS ARE FULL. UM, IN CLEAR LAKE LAST SUNDAY, OR LAST SATURDAY, IT WAS, UM, ACTUALLY WAS, UH, READING A PROCLAMATION FOR THE AVIATOR RUN. AND I WAS FAIRLY UNFAMILIAR WITH THIS UNTIL I ACTUALLY SHOWED UP. AND THIS IS FOR A GROUP WINGS OF COMPASSION, WHICH IS THROUGH THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM, WHO DOES CHARITABLE WORK FOR EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH THE AIRPORTS AND ALSO FOR TRAVELERS. UH, THEY RAISED $25,000. UH, WE ACTUALLY GOT TO RUN ON THE RUNWAYS AT ELLINGTON FIELD, AND I PROMISED THEM NEXT YEAR I WOULD ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE AT A MINIMUM BY WALKING. SO LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY ELSE COME ON OUT FOR THIS NEXT YEAR. IT WAS REALLY A GREAT EVENT AND HAD A GREAT TIME. UH, THE DIRECTOR OF CIAC WAS OUT THERE, UH, AND ACTUALLY HE RAN, UH, THE WHOLE COURSE IN LESS THAN, UH, 10 MINUTES A MILE. SO HE DID QUITE WELL. IT WAS QUITE IMPRESSED. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN, THE HOUSTON OPEN, UH, DISTRICT CS MEMORIAL PARK WAS AN ABSOLUTE SMASHING SUCCESS AGAIN THIS YEAR. EVERY YEAR IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER. UH, I THINK THE SPECIAL THING ABOUT THIS TOURNAMENT, NOT ONLY IS IT THE PARTNERSHIP, THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP, BUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A PGA PGA RANKED COURSE ON A MUNICIPALLY RUN PUBLIC GOLF COURSE IN HOUSTON. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. UH, THE SPOTLIGHT THAT THIS BRINGS TO THE CITY, BUT THE GOOD THAT IT DOES, [05:45:01] UH, IS JUST A EXCEPTIONAL. I WANNA THANK THE ASTROS FOUNDATION, OF COURSE, THE CRANE FAMILY. UM, BUT THOMAS BELL AND GILES KIBBY AND THE ENTIRE TEAM FOR EVERYTHING THEY DID, UH, DESPITE THE WEATHER, IT WAS A SUCCESS. TEXAS CHILDREN'S FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIP. OF COURSE, MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY, UH, WHO IS OUT THERE, UH, CHRIS AND HIS TEAM ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. HARD OFTEN DOESN'T GET, UM, THE RECOGNITION THAT THEY DESERVE FOR HOW GREAT THIS COURSE IS. PARKER, UM, JULIE WILSON, ALL THE STAFF THAT WORKS THE PARK THERE, UH, AND THE COURSE MOS, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS COMES IN TO HELP, UH, EILEEN RICARDO REMO, THE WHOLE TEAM, OF COURSE HPD AND THE OUTREACH THAT HAS DONE IN ADVANCE MAYOR, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, TO KEEP THE RESIDENTS HAPPY. HOPEFULLY YOU FOUND THAT IT RAN SMOOTHLY. UM, BUT WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOODS SO THAT THERE'S AS MINIMAL IMPACT AS POSSIBLE WHILE HAVING, UH, ONE OF THE MOST PREMIER TOURNAMENTS IN THE COUNTRY. I WANNA THANK ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, THE RESIDENTS. AGAIN, IT'S JUST WONDERFUL TO HEAR ALL THE POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS AND FEEDBACK WHEN YOU GO OUT TO THE COURSE, AS MANY OF YOU DID, YOU TALK TO RESIDENTS, YOU TALK TO PEOPLE VISITING FROM OUT OF TOWN, AND THEY HAVE NOTHING BUT WONDERFUL THINGS TO SAY. NOT JUST ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT, BUT ABOUT MEMORIAL PARKS GOLF COURSE, WHICH AGAIN, WE KEEP AFFORDABLE, UH, FOR THE PUBLIC AND FOR HOUSTONIANS. OUR ANNUAL RAIN BARREL SALE, UH, IS JUST A FEW WEEKS AWAY. UH, AS AN OFFICE, WE SUPPLEMENT THE COST SO THAT IT'S ONLY $10 COMPARED TO UPWARDS OF SOMETIMES BETWEEN 70 AND $150 FOR A RAIN BARREL. SO DISTRICTS SEE RESIDENTS, UH, THEY ARE GOING QUICKLY. THE SPOTS WE OFFER 150, 150, EXCUSE ME, UH, YOU CAN VISIT OUR DISTRICT C WEBSITE TO SIGN UP AGAIN. THERE MAY BE A FEW MORE LEFT, BUT THAT SALE IS COMING UP, UH, I BELIEVE IN TWO WEEKENDS. AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY, UH, WHO WORKS WITH US, WHETHER IT'S PUBLIC WORKS, RAINWATER SOLUTIONS, WHO'S OUR VENDOR. UM, IBEW IS OUR HOST THIS YEAR. UH, SO WE'LL BE OUT THERE FOR THE ACTUAL DISTRIBUTION. WE ALWAYS HAVE, UH, HOPE VOLUNTEERS. HPD HELPS US WITH TRAFFIC AND SAFETY. AND AGAIN, THIS YEAR, TREES FOR HOUSTON WILL BE OFFERING FREE TREES FOR ANYBODY THAT WANTS ONE WHO HAS SIGNED UP. AND LASTLY, UH, COTTAGE GROVE SWAT, OUR DISTRICT C FUNDED STORMWATER, UH, DRAINAGE PROJECT. OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IS SCHEDULED TO START THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 3RD, UH, WITH COMPLETION IN SEPTEMBER. FINGERS CROSSED. UH, WE ARE REESTABLISHING DITCHES. WE ARE REGRADING, WE'RE HELPING, UH, MITIGATE FLOODING, BUT ALSO INCREASING SAFETY WITH SIDEWALKS ALONG THIS CORRIDOR. BUT AGAIN, COTTAGE GROVE, AS YOU HEAR FROM RESIDENTS THAT COME BEFORE US, NEEDS A LOT MORE WORK, UH, ESPECIALLY BOTH SIDES OF COTTAGE GROVE. SO THIS IS ONE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'RE AHEAD, UH, EXCITED ABOUT, BUT MUCH, MUCH MORE, UH, TO DO. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MA'AM. COUNCILMAN HUFFMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ENGAGED HOUSTON HAS, UH, BEEN DOWN NOW FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. UM, REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE CONSTITUENTS CALLING OUR OFFICE INQUIRING ABOUT PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. AND, UM, I WAS JUST WONDERING, DO WE KNOW OR DO WE HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN OR IF ENGAGED HOUSTON WILL BE BACK ONLINE? UM, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS A GREAT RESOURCE, WHETHER IT'S ENGAGED HOUSTON OR ANOTHER PLATFORM OR, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET INFORMATION. BUT, UM, DO WE HAVE THIS A STATUS ON, YEAH, RAN RANDY'S ON TOP OF IT. HE'S TRYING TO GET IT WHERE IT'S TOTALLY ACCURATE. THERE WAS SOME MISINFORMATION THAT CAUSED A FLARE UP THAT WE ALL REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS. THANK YOU MAYOR COUNCILOR RAMIREZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANNA START OUT BY TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE ON, AND THAT IS HOW IMPORTANT OUR STAFFS ARE. UH, YOU FIND A GOOD, UH, WELL RUN COUNCIL OFFICE, AND YOU'RE GONNA FIND A GREAT STAFF, UH, SUPPORTING US. AND, UM, PARTICULARLY ON THIS MCGREGOR HEB THING, I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY CHIEF OF STAFF LEAH TAL, FOR ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS. WE'VE BEEN ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS SINCE JANUARY WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED ON THE AGENDA, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA SEE, UH, SOME MONEY COME BACK TO THE CITY THAT WE CAN USE TO GOOD EFFECT. SO, UH, OUR, OUR STAFFS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE WORK WE DO, AND, AND I GIVE 'EM A SHOUT OUT SECOND. UM, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THIS MORNING IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, UH, BY INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER MIKE MORRIS ON THE MIDTOWN TUR. ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING, [05:50:01] SAD, UH, STORY ABOUT HOW THAT TURS HAS BEEN MISMANAGED AND ABOUT HOW MONEY AND LAND HAS BEEN, UH, WASTED. AND, UM, THE TAXPAYERS DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS. UH, WE NEED TO GIVE GREATER OVERSIGHT TO THESE T IN GENERAL. MOST OF THEM ARE, ARE FINE, THEY OPERATE WELL. UH, MIDTOWN IS ONE OF THE EXCEPTIONS, AND I HOPE THE ADMINISTRATION WILL LOOK AT, UH, DEALING WITH THAT, POSSIBLY EVEN ROLLING UP THAT TURS AND SHUTTING IT DOWN. UM, THIRD COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER TALKED ABOUT, UH, PFCS OR PUBLIC FACILITIES, CORPORATIONS, UH, IN ANOTHER, UH, ARTICLE THAT APPEARED IN THE CHRONICLE. AND WE VISITED THIS TOPIC LAST YEAR IN RELATION TO SOME P PFCS FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A RESULT OF THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THESE PC DEALS, UH, THAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY IS A PARTY TO COME BEFORE CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. THEY ALL GOT APPROVED EVEN THOUGH, UH, ONE OF 'EM FRANKLY DID NOT PROVIDE MUCH AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME ADDITIONAL PFCS COME TO US IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE AS A RESULT OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WAS HAD LAST YEAR. THESE DEALS ARE GONNA BE, THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE MORE AFFORDABILITY, WE'LL SEE WHEN THEY COME TO US, WHETHER THEY'RE GOOD DEALS OR NOT, BUT, UH, THINGS ARE LOOKING UP THERE. AND FINALLY, A SHOUT OUT TO OUR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM OR HOUSTON COUGARS IN THE FINAL FOUR. MAYOR, YOU TOUCHED ON THIS EARLIER. GREAT TO SEE. UM, I GREW UP WATCHING VICE LAMBA JAMA, UH, COACHED BY GUY LEWIS AND ALL THOSE GREAT NAMES. AKEEM M LAJUAN, CLYDE DREXLER. AND, UH, IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS. I LOOKED IT UP THE SEASON STARTED WITH 352 BASKETBALL TEAMS ELIGIBLE, UH, TO WIN THE TITLE AND GO TO THE FINAL FOUR. SO UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM IS ONE OF THE FOUR LEFT, AND I THINK THEY'VE GOT A GREAT SHOT AT WINNING IT ALL. SO I WANNA SAY GOOD LUCK, GOKU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR THOMAS. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ SAID THAT I ALREADY POPPED OFF, SO I'M GONNA TRY TO KEEP . I'M GONNA TRY TO KEEP MY WORD COUNT LOW TODAY. UM, JUST WANNA, UH, HIGHLIGHT AS A REMINDER, UM, TO THOSE ON THE MIDWEST HOUSTON SIDE, ON THE EAST SIDE OF DISTRICT F THAT THE RICHMOND STREET REHAB PROJECT, THAT $15 MILLION PROJECT, THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE OVERLAY. UM, THE CONTRACTOR HAS REQUESTED AN EXTENSION AND HAS INCREASED CAPACITY. UM, THIS IS A CONCRETE ASPHALT MIX AND WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT, UM, FOUNDATION PROBLEMS ON RICHMOND. AND ALL OF US WHO, UM, DRIVE THAT MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT. UM, SO I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE, UH, PATIENT WITH US. UM, AND ONCE ENGAGE HOUSTON OR WHATEVER PLATFORM IS BACK UP, YOU'LL ABLE TO RECEIVE DIRECT UPDATES, UM, AS THAT PROJECT MOVES FORWARD. SO, UH, WE ARE STILL LOOKING TO COMPLETE THIS AT THE TOP OF SUMMER, OR MIDSUMMER, BARRING ANY WEATHER DELAYS. UH, SECONDLY, I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR PASSING ITEMS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF ITEM 41. UM, IT'S LISTED AS AILEY FOREST, BUT THIS IS CATALINA SQUARE AND CATALINA SQUARE HA HAS LITERALLY NOT RECEIVED ANYTHING FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO THE 803, $837,000 AROUND DRAINAGE AND PAVING IMPROVEMENTS, IT'S GOING TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, THIS IS GONNA INCREASE DETENTION AND SOME STREET REHAB, SO LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THAT. I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN MY NAME WITH MY COLLEAGUES IN THANKING FORMER DIRECTOR MARK WILLOCK, UH, FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP, UM, DURING HIS TIME AT THE CITY, UM, UH, POST-DISASTER ESPECIALLY THOSE CREWS WERE ALWAYS ON THE WEST SIDE CLEANING UP, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I JUST WANNA APPRECIATE HIM AND, AND, AND WISH HIM WELL. AND, AND THANK, UH, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR AND WANNA SUPPORT HIS, UH, LEADERSHIP AS WELL. UH, THE ROBINDALE, HOA, WHICH IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HIGHWAY SIX, THEY HAVE A $64,000 WATER BILL WAS $77,000 AND $64,000 OF THAT IS PAST DUE. WE ARE WORKING THROUGH SOME HOA CHALLENGES. UM, THERE'S A, A NEW TEAM ON ONLINE, AND SO WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM. UH, THERE'S, UH, THEFT AND ALL TYPES OF THINGS HAPPENING. AND I JUST THINK IT SPEAKS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, OUR US HOSTING OUR DEEP RESTRICTION WORKSHOP WILL WAIT TILL AFTER THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO SEE HOW THE LEGISLATURE, UH, ADDRESSES SQUATTERS. UM, BUT I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE HOAS THAT ARE DEALING WITH THIS. PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE SO WE CAN FACILITATE, UH, ACCURATE INFORMATION SO YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR WATER BILL. UH, AND THEN LASTLY, UH, THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. INVITE STAKEHOLDERS AND RESIDENTS TO ATTEND THE IN-PERSON SPRING 2025 COMMUNITY MEETING, TAKING PLACE TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2ND, [05:55:01] UM, FROM SIX TO EIGHT AT THE HIRA CLARK MULTI-SERVICE CENTER IN DISTRICT K. THE MEETING WILL FEATURE AN OPEN HOUSE. ATTENDEES CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHERE THOSE FUNDS GO. YOU'LL HEAR DIRECTLY FROM STAFF AND YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS. PLEASE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS. UH, THESE ARE THE TYPES OF MEETINGS WHERE, UH, YOU AS A RESIDENT AND A BENEFICIARY CAN BENEFIT FROM THESE FEDERAL DOLLARS. AND WE REALLY NEED YOUR INPUT. UM, IF MY OFFICE CAN BE OF ANY SUPPORT TO YOU, PLEASE REACH OUT TO DISTRICT F AT HOUSTON TX GOV. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR PROAM, CAST SIX TATUM. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. I HAD THAT HCD COMMUNITY MEETING ON MY POP OFF TOO. JUST TO REITERATE, THAT WILL BE TONIGHT, UM, FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM AT THE HI CLARK MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. IF YOU NEED, UH, MORE INFORMATION, YOU CAN DEFINITELY VISIT, UH, HOUSTON.GOV/HOUSING. UH, DO WANNA GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, PRESIDENTS AND OUR, UM, CIVIC CLUB HOA SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, PRESIDENTS. THEY ATTENDED, UM, A DISCUSSION THIS WEEKEND. WE HAD ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS AND THE STAFF FROM A RA AND CITY LEGAL WERE THERE, UH, SO THAT THE RESIDENTS CAN GET ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON OUR SHORT-TERM RENTAL, UM, INFORMATION. AND WE WILL BE SHARING, UH, THOSE AMENDMENTS AS WELL SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THAT DISCUSSION AND GET THAT FEEDBACK. KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL DAY SATURDAY, APRIL THE FIFTH IS KEEP HOUSTON BEAUTIFUL DAY. WE'VE GOT SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE CLEANUPS. UM, IF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS PARTICIPATING, LET US KNOW. WE, WE DO WANT TO, UM, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH OUR HOT TEAMS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP DISTRICT K BEAUTIFUL. AGREE. NEW FAITH CHURCH, UH, WILL BE HOSTING THEIR FIRST SATURDAY SOUP KITCHEN, AND IT WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, APRIL THE FIFTH, FROM NINE TO 11 AT 42 45 WEST FUQUA. AND THE DISTRIBUTION WILL HAVE EMPHASIS ON, UM, SINGLE MOMS WITH CHILDREN. SO YOU CAN PARTICIPATE THERE. UH, THANK YOU. AND BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. THANK YOU. UH, MEMBERS, IF I COULD REQUEST YOU TO TAKE UP ITEM 33. IT'S ARRIVED IN THE AIRPORT, SAYS IT'S TIME SENSITIVE. 33. ITEM 33 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR TI PECK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, FIRST I WANNA THANK PUBLIC WORKS FOR HELPING US WITH A WATER LEAK ISSUE AT ST. JEROME'S CHURCH IN DISTRICT A. UM, WE GOT MANY PHONE CALLS ABOUT IT. IT WAS A BIG ISSUE, SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK THEM FOR, UM, TAKING CARE OF THAT SO QUICKLY. UM, OUR NEXT COFFEE WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND COPS IS NEXT THURSDAY, APRIL 10TH AT 10:00 AM AT THE WHITE OAK CONFERENCE CENTER. PLEASE JOIN US, UM, 7 6 0 3 ANTOINE. WE'LL HAVE LIGHT BYTES CONVERSATIONS AND HPD WILL BE THERE AS WELL TO, UM, TALK TO YOU ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. OUR NEXT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING IS TUESDAY, APRIL 8TH AT 10:00 AM UM, THE HOUSTON FIRE MARSHAL AND HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER WILL BOTH HAVE PRESENTATIONS ON AFTER HOURS AND BYOB CLUBS TO KIND OF ROUND OUT THAT TOPIC THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. SO PLEASE JOIN US FOR THAT. AND FINALLY, UM, I JUST WANTED TO WELCOME BACK, NOR LAURA NEWELL IN NITA'S OFFICE. SHE'S BEEN OUT FOR SOME TIME WITH, UM, VERY SCARY MEDICAL SITUATION. SO, UM, SHE DOES SUCH A GREAT JOB AND WE JUST WANTED TO WELCOME HER BACK. THANKS, COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, JUST A FEW THINGS. THIS SATURDAY WE'LL BE HOSTING OUR THIRD COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE HOUSTON LAND BANK REGARDING THE FORMER BROWNFIELD, UH, SITE AT 78 11 HARRISBURG. UH, THIS MEETING IS FOCUSED TO ON ALIGNING REDEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR THE COMMUNITIES PRIORITIES, INCLUDING INTEGRATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES. IT'S THIS SATURDAY, APRIL THE FIFTH AT 9:00 AM AT THE MAGNOLIA MULTI-SERVICE CENTER. ALSO, NEXT WEEK I'LL BE JOINING UNION PACIFIC AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN CHICAGO. UH, WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, SEEING FIRSTHAND HOW THE CREATE PROGRAM AND THE CREATE PROGRAM IS A CHICAGO REGIONAL REGION, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY PROGRAM. IT'S A PUBLIC, PRIVATE, UH, PARTNERSHIP, UH, THAT SUCCESSFULLY IS DELIVERED ABOUT $2.5 BILLION IN RAIL RELATED MOBILITY PROJECTS OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES. UH, MY GOAL IS TO BRING BACK SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES, UH, HELP DRIVE SOME REAL PROGRESS TOWARDS, UM, MOBILITY, SAFETY, AND RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UM, AROUND GREAT SEPARATION, UH, IS WHAT WE REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE EAST END. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT AND I APPRECIATE, UH, UNION PACIFIC'S PARTNERSHIP ON THAT, ON THAT TRIP. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I WANNA ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PLEASE GO VISIT MORE JOBS HOUSTON.COM. UH, IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS IN NEED OF A, UH, JOB OR A CAREER CHANGE. WE HAVE OVER 2000 JOBS AVAILABLE IN ALL DIFFERENT INDUSTRY SPACES. NO MATTER IF IT'S A ENTRY LEVEL JOB OR SOMETHING [06:00:01] THAT REQUIRES A POSTGRADUATE DEGREE. THOSE, THOSE JOBS ARE CHANGING EVERY SINGLE, UH, WEEK AND IT'S FULLY AUTOMATED. SO, UH, NOT ONLY WILL YOU FIND JOBS ON THE WEBSITE, UH, BUT ALSO CAREER RESOURCES AS WELL. SO PLEASE SHARE WITH ANYONE YOU DEEM, UH, WOULD BENEFIT FROM IT. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. THANK YOU. YOU REST OKAY, MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR PRODUCTIVE DAY. UH, WE STAND RECESS, ADUR AD HMM, ADJOURN ONE OF. * 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.