[00:00:17]
DROPS.TODAY WE ARE STARTING WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, SO WELCOME TO THE DIRECTOR, PLANNING DIRECTOR VON TRAN.
I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME MY COLLEAGUES TO THE HORSESHOE.
I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM, AMY PECK, AND STAFF FROM DISTRICT C, DISTRICT B AT LARGE.
JULIAN RAMIREZ,
I'M SURE WE'LL BE JOINED BY OTHERS AS TIME GOES ON.
STAFF, E STAFF FROM DISTRICT E, SORRY, ONLINE.
ALRIGHT, SO WE KNOW THE DRILL.
WELCOME, UM, TO YOUR FIRST BUDGET WORKSHOP AND FEEL FREE TO PROCEED.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ALCORN VICE, VICE CHAIR CASTILLO, WHO HOPEFULLY WILL JOIN US SHORTLY AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL AS AIDS.
I AM VON TRAN, DIRECTOR OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE PLANNING DEV, THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET.
I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK CITY COUNCIL FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S WORK HERE.
PRESENT WITH ME TODAY ARE MEMBERS FROM MY TEAM, DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROBERT WILLIAMSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR LARRY NTH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR HECTOR RODRIGUEZ, OUR FINANCE TEAM, ALEX GARCIA AND DANELLA GOMILLION, CHIEF OF STAFF, ANNA, AND ASSISTANT COUNCIL LIAISONS.
ON THE SCREEN IS A TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR WHAT I WILL BE PRESENTING BEFORE I GO INTO THE PRESENTATION, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAD A HEADSTART ON REORGANIZING OUR DEPARTMENT AND HAVE POSITIONED OURSELVES TO EX TO SUCCEED THROUGH CHALLENGING TIMES AHEAD.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY APPOINTMENT AS DIRECTOR LAST JULY, WE BEGAN WORKING ON MAPPING OUT PROCESSES IN THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICE DIVISION TO IDENTIFY AND CORRECT INEFFICIENCIES AND REDUNDANCIES.
SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WE BEGAN REASSIGNING ROLES, MATCHING TALENTS TO KEY POSITIONS, SETTING UP TEAM MEMBERS FOR SUCCESS WHILE ENSURING SERVICE DELIVERY CONTINUED TO BE MET.
I WILL GO INTO MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS WHEN I GET TO SLIDE SIX ABOUT RESTRUCTURING OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
OUR PERMITTING TEAM RETURNED TO THE OFFICE FIVE DAYS A WEEK IN SEPTEMBER.
OUR PLANNING TEAM RETURNED IN OCTOBER AND THE REMAINING DIVISIONS RETURNED ON NOVEMBER ONE, THREE MONTHS EARLIER THAN THE REST OF THE CITY.
OUR PRODUCTIVITY HAS INCREASED BECAUSE STAFF RETURNED TO THE TO THE OFFICE FIVE DAYS A WEEK.
HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF OUR INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY.
LAST JULY, ONLY 29% OF COMMERCIAL PLANS WERE REVIEWED WITHIN 13 DAYS AND ONLY 12% OF RESIDENTIAL PLANS WERE REVIEWED IN 10 DAYS.
BY, UH, BY OCTOBER, OUR TEAM HIT 99% FOR COMMERCIAL REVIEWS WITHIN 13 DAYS AND 80% FOR RESIDENTIAL REVIEWS WITHIN 10 DAYS.
CURRENTLY, WE ARE MEETING OUR GOALS AND WORKING ON SHORTENING THE REVIEW DAYS EVEN FURTHER DOWN TO SEVEN DAYS.
WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING THIS EVEN AFTER WE DISCONTINUED THE USE OF CONTRACT EMPLOYEES AT THE HOUSTON PERMITTING CENTER, SAVING US OVER $30,000 A MONTH.
WE BELIEVE WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIND MORE SAVINGS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR THAN WHAT THE BUDGET IS PROPOSING.
I WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IN SLIDE SEVEN DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES.
THE EY EFFICIENCY STUDY HELPED US EVALUATE HOW WE CAN BETTER STREAMLINE OUR OPERATIONS.
YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS NOT ONLY IN THE BUDGET, BUT ALSO IN OUR PERFORMANCE.
THIS SLIDE SUMMARIZES THE DEPARTMENT'S STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT.
SIX MAJOR FUNCTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT ALIGN TO THE MAYOR'S PRIORITIES AND INITIATIVES.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND GIS ALIGN WITH GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS.
COMMUNITY REGIONAL SERVICES AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ALIGN WITH QUALITY OF LIFE DEVELOPMENT
[00:05:01]
SERVICES.DESIGN REVIEW, SUPPORT SERVICES AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ALIGN WITH INFRASTRUCTURE.
AS FOR THE DEPARTMENT BUDGET BY PRIORITY, ABOUT $3 MILLION REPRESENTING 17% OF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET ALIGN ALIGNS TO GOVERNMENT.
THAT WORKS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
REPRESENTING 15% OF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET ALIGNS TO QUALITY OF LIFE AND ABOUT 11 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS REPRESENTING 68% OF THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET ALIGN ALIGNS TO INFRASTRUCTURE.
FOR THE PLANS TO ELIMINATE THE GAP INITIATIVE, FIVE POSITIONS ALONG WITH A FEW LINE ITEMS WERE ELIMINATED FROM THE BUDGET TOTALING APPROXIMATELY $439,000.
THIS RESULTED IN A SAVING OF 10% TO THE GENERAL FUND AND 10% TO THE CENTRAL SERVICE REVOLVING FUND, ALSO KNOWN AS THE EGIS FUND.
THE FIVE ELIMINATED POSITIONS SET VACANT FOR A LONG PERIOD.
THEREFORE, WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE FILLING THEM.
AS FOR THE VOLUNTARY MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PAYOUT, OPTION FIVE OF THE NINE ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE PAYOUT TO OPTION PRODUCING APPROXIMATELY $715,000 IN VALUE REDUCTION.
WITH THE PROPOSED AND IN PROGRESS RESTRUCTURING, THESE FIVE POSITIONS ARE DEEMED NONCRITICAL AND WILL NOT AFFECT SERVICE DELIVERY.
THE VALUE AND REDUCTION IS REFLECTED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
I ALLUDED EARLIER IN MY OPENING REMARKS THAT THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAD AN EARLY START ON RESTRUCTURING OUR DEPARTMENT AND STREAMLINING OUR OPERATIONS.
WHEN I JOINED THE DEPARTMENT LATE LAST JULY, WE HAD AN AVERAGE OF THREE SPAN OF CONTROL.
52% OF OUR MANAGERS HAD LESS THAN FOUR DIRECT REPORTS, AND WE HAD FIVE LAYERS OF MANAGEMENT.
WITH OUR PROPOSED STATE, WE WILL HAVE AN AVERAGE OF SIX SPAN OF CONTROL.
ALL MANAGERS WILL HAVE MORE THAN FOUR DIRECT REPORTS.
WE WILL REDUCE THE LAYERS OF MANAGEMENT FROM FIVE TO FOUR WITH THE DIRECTOR BEING ONE LAYER, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE ONLY TWO LAYERS BETWEEN A MEMBER OF STAFF AND THE DIRECTOR.
WE ARE PROPOSING A TECHNICAL NON MANAGERIAL TRACK FOR OUR PLANNERS AND GIS ANALYSTS.
THE NEW JOB CLASSIFICATION SHOWN ON THE SCREEN ALLOW FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT WITHOUT TAKING ON THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT.
THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A QUICK OVERVIEW OF EXPENDITURES BY FUND.
THE PROPOSED EXPENDITURE FOR FY 26 IS $16.9 MILLION.
A DECREASE OF APPROXIMATELY $452,000 OR 3% ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
THE PROPOSED $41,000 OR 1% INCREASE IN THE GENERAL FUND IS DUE TO CHANGES IN RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS AND HOPE INCREASES.
THE PROPOSED $249,000 OR 2% DECREASE IN THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND IS DUE TO CHANGES IN THE INDIRECT COSTS AND RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS.
THE PROPOSED $244,000 OR 14% DECREASE IN THE CENTRAL SERVICE REVOLVING FUND IS FROM DEPARTMENT SAVINGS INITIATIVES AND THE VOLUNTARY MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PAYOUT OPTION, AS WELL AS THE CHANGES IN RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS.
THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND WHILE THE PROPOSED FY 26 EXPENDITURE DECREASED BY 3% FROM THE FY 25 BUDGET.
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR FY 25 ESTIMATE IS 12% LESS THAN OUR FY 25 BUDGET, MEANING WE ARE SPENDING WAY LESS THAN OUR CURRENT BUDGET.
[00:10:01]
AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON STREAMLINING OUR PROCESSES, I EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE.THIS IS A BAR GRAPH OF THE SAME INFORMATION ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE PERSONNEL VERSUS NON-PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES.
THE GENERAL FUND SUPPORTS OUR EFFORTS TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION FOR THE CITY'S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AND REGIONAL PLANNING EFFORTS AND INITIATIVES.
OF THE $3 MILLION FROM OUR GENERAL FUND, 76% IS FOR PERSONNEL COSTS AND 24% IS FOR OTHER COSTS.
THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND SUPPORTS OUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT OF LAND WITHIN THE CITY AND THE ETJ AND COMPLIANCE WITH OUR DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS WITHIN THE CITY OF THE $12.1 MILLION FROM THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, 63% IS FOR PERSONNEL COSTS AND 37% IS FOR OTHER COSTS.
ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS INVEST IN THE CENTRAL SERVICES REVOLVING FUND FOR GIS SERVICES.
OF THE $1.5 MILLION FROM THE EGIS FUND, 82% IS FOR PERSONNEL COSTS AND 18% IS FOR OTHER COSTS.
THIS FUND COVERS TECHNOLOGY SERVICES AND SOFTWARE COSTS.
FINALLY, WE HAVE THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND.
THE $150,000 SHOWN HERE IS FOR NON-PERSONNEL COSTS.
THERE ARE NO FTES PAID BY THIS FUND.
THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A QUICK OVERVIEW OF EXPENDITURES BY PROGRAM.
AS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE EXPECT OUR EXPENDITURE TO DECREASE WHEN WE STREAMLINE OUR PROCESSES AND ACHIEVE EVEN HIGHER EFFICIENCY.
IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, WE'LL MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH SLIDES ONE THROUGH, I'M SORRY, SLIDES 11 THROUGH 21.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR OUR CORE SIX CORE FUNCTIONS WILL, WILL EVOLVE AS WE CONTINUE TO REFINE OUR KPIS IN THE COMING MONTHS.
BEGINNING WITH ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES PROVIDE ADMINISTRATIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE, FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION AND MANAGERIAL SUPPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT.
COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL SERVICES TEAM FACILITATES THE LONG-TERM STABILITY OF HOUSTON THROUGH PLANNING EFFORTS AND ADMINISTERING ORDINANCES AS REQUIRED BY THE CODE OF ORDINANCES.
CHAPTER 28, THE PROHIBITED YARD PARKING AND 42, THE MINIMUM BUILDING LINE AND LOT SIZE.
THOSE ORDINANCES PROVIDE TOOLS TO PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER.
THEY CONTINUE TO HELP STABILIZE AND STRENGTHEN NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE CITY.
WE HAVE SEEN THIS THROUGH COMMUNITIES WHO REAPPLY AFTER THEIR ORDINANCES EXPIRES.
THESE TOOLS ARE DRIVEN BY STATE LAW AND CITY ORDINANCES REQUIRING ADHERENCE TO STRICT DEADLINES AND NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES.
ADDITIONALLY, THIS TEAM COMPILES AND PROVIDES DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND MAPS AS WELL AS SUPPORT BOUNDARY CHANGES TO THOSE MAPS.
THEY ALSO CONDUCT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES FOR THE DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE LAST SLIDE.
AS MENTIONED, WE'LL CONTINUE TO REFINE OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN THE COMING MONTHS.
THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND DESIGN REVIEW TEAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SUBDIVISION
[00:15:01]
PLA REVIEW, SITE PLAN REVIEW, AND ADMINISTERING ORDINANCES THAT GOVERN THE LOCATION OF HOTELS, MOTELS, TOWERS, AND HAZARDOUS ENTERPRISES.THE TEAM PROVIDES STAFF SUPPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND TOWER COMMISSION.
WE HAVE RECEIVED RECORD NUMBERS OF PLAT AND SITE PLAN APPLICATIONS OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
THE HEIGHTENED ACTIVITY HAS BEEN LEVELING OFF AND WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE.
WE'VE ADDED TWO NEW OUTPUT MEASURES AND FOUR NEW EFFICIENCY MEASURES, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON REFINING THEM.
THESE THREE MEASUREMENTS HAVE BEEN REVISED.
THE REVISIONS ARE SHOWN ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
THE GIS DIVISION MANAGES AND MAINTAINS KEY DATA USED ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR MAPPING AND ANALYSIS AND SYSTEM OPERATIONS.
THIS TEAM OVERSEES THE CITY'S OFFICIAL ADDRESS DATABASE, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
THEY WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CITY AND REGIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS TO SUPPORT EFFECTIVE SERVICES THROUGH ACCURATE ADDRESSING MAPPING ANALYSIS AND TIMELY DATA UPDATES TO THE 9 1 1 DISPATCH SYSTEM.
THIS INCLUDES BEING ON CALL, STAYING OVERNIGHT AT THE HOUSTON EMERGENCY CENTER DURING DISASTERS AND ASSISTING WITH RECOVERY EFFORTS.
HERE WE'VE ADDED THREE NEW OUT OUTPUT MEASURES AND TWO NEW EFFICIENCY MEASURES, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON REFINDING THEM IN THE COMING MONTHS.
THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION MAINTAINS HOUSTON'S ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY THROUGH PRESERVATION INITIATIVES.
THIS TEAM ADMINISTERS AND FULFILLS THE DUTIES PRESCRIBED BY ORDINANCES AS REQUIRED BY CHAPTER 33.
ARTICLE SEVEN OF THE CODES OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES.
THEY REVIEW APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS TO ALTER, DEMOLISH, AND BUILD NEW BUILDINGS IN THE CITY'S 23 HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND TO OVER 400 LANDMARKS IN THE CITY.
ADDITIONALLY, THEY PROVIDE STAFFING TO SUPPORT THE HOUSTON ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION AND THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION APPEALS BOARD.
THE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION WORKS CLOSELY WITH SEVERAL CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUTSIDE PARTNERS TO ENSURE ADEQUATE AND SAFE MOBILITY.
FOR HOUSTONIANS, OUR ROLE IS TO GUIDE POLICY THROUGH PLANNING ACTIVITIES, COORDINATING STAKEHOLDER DISCUSSIONS, AND ENSURING THE CITY OF HOUSTON PRIORITIES ARE EXPRESSED TO OUTSIDE AGENCIES.
THE TEAM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING ANNUAL UPDATES TO THE CITY'S MAJOR THOROUGHFARE AND FREEWAY PLAN, PARTICIPATING IN INTER-AGENCY REVIEW OF ROAD AND SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION, ASSISTING WITH STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND PROVIDING TECHNICAL ANALYSIS.
IN THE COMING YEAR, WE WILL CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND TO COLLABORATE WITH ENTITIES ACROSS THE TRANSPORTATION SPECTRUM FROM HGA TEX METRO AND OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL NOW BE FACILITATING ANNUAL UPDATES TO OUR HIGH INJURY NETWORK, WHICH IDENTIFIES ROAD SEGMENTS WHERE A DISPROPORTIONAL NUMBER OF CRASHES AND ENTRIES ARE OCCURRING, ALLOWING US TO PRIORITIZE THE INVESTMENT OF OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS.
WE ARE PROPOSING TO ADJUST OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS TO CONSOLIDATE SIMILAR ITEMS AND BETTER MATCH THE CURRENT PRIORITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.
AS FOR REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS, THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE GENERAL FUND OR TO THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND.
WE EXPECT TO COLLECT $11 MILLION IN REVENUE IN THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR.
THE LION'S SHARE OF THIS COMES FROM DEVELOPMENT FEES AND SMALLER SHARE
[00:20:01]
FROM OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS INTO THE CENTRAL SERVICES REVOLVING FUND.OVERALL, WE ARE PROPOSING A REVENUE INCREASE OF $166,000 OR 2% ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
SLIDE 24, SO THIS IS A SLIDE I JUST WENT OVER.
THE PREVIOUS ONE WAS JUST A BAR GRAPH OF THE SAME INFORMATION.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE REVENUE BY PROGRAM PLANNING AND PERMITTING.
REVENUES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY $229,000 OR 3%.
THE GIS FUND IS EXPECTED TO SEE A REVENUE DECREASE OF $65,000 OR 4% DUE TO DECREASES IN EXPENDITURE.
THIS CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I WANT TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE MY COLLEAGUES WHO HAVE JOINED SINCE WE GOT STARTED.
WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN, EVAN SHABAZZ.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER MARY ANNE HUFFMAN, VICE CHAIR OF MARIO CASTILLO COUNT, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, MARTHA CASTEX TATUM AND COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ.
ALSO STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ'S OFFICE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN.
UM, LOOKING AT SLIDE AT 13, THE VERY BOTTOM LINE WHERE IT SAYS THE NUMBER OF NEW CIVILITY ORDINANCE AREAS REVIEWED ANNUALLY, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE TARGET FOR FY 26 IS NOT APPLICABLE BECAUSE THEY'LL BE CAPTURED IN OTHER PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
UM, DOES THIS INDICATE THAT MAYBE WE'RE WORKING ON A CITYWIDE CIVILITY ORDINANCE? CERTAINLY.
UM, SO WE ARE STILL EXPECTING AS THEY COME IN, UH, THIS IS INITIATED MAINLY FROM NEIGHBORHOODS, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT FOR US TO NECESSARILY PROJECT IT.
SO AS THEY COME IN, WE WILL CERTAINLY IMPLEMENT IT.
I DON'T HAVE A, UH, THE ANSWER, UH, TO THE QUESTION AS IT, UH, AS FOR WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL BE A CITYWIDE UM, INITIATIVE.
AND THEN ON THE NEXT SLIDE, SLIDE 14, THE BOTTOM LINE AGAIN, IT SAYS, NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED ANNUALLY.
UH, WHY ARE Y'ALL EXPECTING THAT NUMBER TO GO DOWN? SO THIS NUMBER, UM, HOW WE PROJECTED THIS YEAR, WE ACTUALLY ADJUSTED HOW WE PROJECTED.
UM, IT WENT DOWN IN A SENSE THAT PREVIOUS YEARS THE PROJECTIONS WERE REALLY HIGH AND WE JUST ADJUSTED IT TO BE MORE REALISTICALLY LOOKING AT WHAT WAS ACTUALLY DONE PRIOR YEARS.
SO IN THE PAST, UM, THE DEPARTMENT HAS ALWAYS PROJECTED REALLY, REALLY HIGH NUMBERS.
SO THIS YEAR WE JUST TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND JUST TRY TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE REALISTIC.
THANK YOU STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZ.
GOOD AFTERNOON, AND THANK YOU FOR THIS, UH, PRESENTATION.
MY QUESTION IS IN REFERENCE TO NEIGHBORHOOD DEED RESTRICTIONS, AS I LOOK AT THE PARKING IN YOUR YARDS, UM, BLOCK LINES AND OTHER, UH, SETBACKS AND WHATNOT, UH, WE WERE FORTUNATE TO RECEIVE FROM YOUR DEPARTMENT A, UH, PRESENTATION THAT WE SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
THE LAST ONE WE GOT WAS FROM CALENDAR YEAR 2022.
BY CHANCE HAS THAT BEEN UPDATED SO THAT THE COMMUNITY IS AWARE OF YOUR EFFORTS? CERTAINLY.
I CAN GO BACK TO THE TEAM AND CHECK ON, UH, WHAT IS OUR SCHEDULE AND, UH, SINCE YOU ARE ASKING ABOUT THIS, UH, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE LAST TIME WE DID A PRESENTATION WAS IN 2022, AND SO CERTAINLY WE CAN PUT THAT ON OUR BOOKS AND SEE IF WE CAN UPDATE AND COME BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, DO THAT PRESENTATION AGAIN.
WE WOULD APPRECIATE A COPY COMING TO DISTRICT D.
THANK YOU KINDLY, CERTAINLY STAFF, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMANS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
ALL OF YOUR STAFF IS INCREDIBLE TO WORK WITH.
I THINK THE PLANNING COMMISSION PLANNERS HEAR FROM ME THE MOST.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS TAKING THE TIME TO WALK ME THROUGH THESE SOMETIMES COMPLEX APPLICATIONS.
UH, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS, UM, IS THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ENGAGED IN THE REVIEW OF THE IDM THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW? WE ARE.
ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT THE IDM FOR ROAD CONSTRUCT, UH, ROAD DESIGN OR EVERY
[00:25:01]
BUILDINGS? EVERYTHING ELSE? EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING ELSE, UH, THAT FALLS INTO PUBLIC WORKS, UH, MORE THAN PLANNING.BUT SO PLANNING'S NOT ENGAGED IN ANY OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS? UH, WE ARE ENGAGED IN OR WE ARE ENGAGED IN THE REVIEWS OF SIDEWALKS.
UM, AND THAT'S AS FAR AS IT IT, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS BUILDING, UM, STRUCTURAL MECHANICAL, WE DO NOT REVIEW THAT.
WE WILL WE'LL REVIEW SITE PLANS AND SIDEWALKS.
AND THEN CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? OKAY, GREAT.
UM, BEFORE YOU BECAME DIRECTOR OF PLANNING DEPARTMENT, WHEN HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL APPROVED, UM, THE LIVABLE PLACES INITIATIVES, UPDATING SOME OF CHAPTER 42 AND EVEN THE WALKABLE PLACES ORDINANCE, IF, ARE THERE ANY, UM, EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO MAKE CHANGES TO ANY OF THOSE INITIATIVES? AND IF SO, WOULD THERE BE PUBLIC HEARINGS HELD? WHAT WOULD THE PROCESS BE? UH, YES.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT.
UH, WE ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED IN THE LAST PLANNING COMMISSION THAT WE ARE REVISITING CHAPTER 42, SECTION 180 8 AND 180 8 0.5.
UH, WE WILL BE HOLDING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
WE ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH TWO, UH, CHAIR COMMISSIONERS, TWO CHAIRS APPOINTED COMMISSIONERS ON REVIEWING THE LANGUAGE.
IN THOSE SECTIONS, WE'RE LOOKING TO CLARIFY CLEAN UP, UM, SOME OF THE CONFUSING, CONFUSING, UH, LANGUAGE AS WELL AS UPDATING, UH, CERTAIN PARAMETERS, UH, IN THE CODE.
WE WILL BE PRESENTING THAT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE SCHEDULE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT CERTAINLY WE CAN SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
AGAIN, WE JUST ANNOUNCED THAT IN THE LAST PLANNING COMMISSION.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU DIRECTOR FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ARE THERE CURRENTLY ANY PLANS FOR THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO UTILIZE AI FOR BUDGETARY SAVINGS? YEAH, AI IS THE TALK OF THE TOWN
UM, SO YES, ACTUALLY, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT A APPLICATION, UH, FOR HELPING WITH THE FRONT DESK INQUIRIES AS WELL AS THE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF EMAILS, UH, THAT WE GET THROUGH, UM, OUR DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO, UH, WE'RE IN THE EARLY STAGES.
I THINK THAT, UM, I HAVE MY STAFF HERE, MY DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROBERT WILLIAMSON, IS ACTUALLY LEADING THE EFFORT ALONG WITH MY CHIEF OF STAFF.
UH, THEY HAD, UM, MAYBE ONE OR TWO MEETINGS.
THEY'RE REVIEWING SOME OF THE, UM, TECHNICAL SOFTWARES AND SO WE'LL HOPE TO COME BACK TO YOU, UM, OPTIMISTIC THAT WE DEFINITELY CAN FIND EFFICIENCIES, UH, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, THAT SHIRLEY TAKES UP A LOT OF OUR PLANNERS TIME ANSWERING VERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
SO AS WE BUILD AND UTILIZE AI TECHNOLOGY, THAT WILL FREE UP A LOT OF THE TIME FOR OUR STAFF TO REALLY FOCUS ON DOING WHAT THEY DO, UM, AND THE CORE EXPERTISE OF WHAT THEY DO IN PLANNING VERSUS JUST ANSWERING A LOT OF SIMILAR QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
UM, DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN YOU MAY EXPECT THE, THE SERVICES TO BE UTILIZED? I'D LOVE TO HAVE IT YESTERDAY.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS, UM, IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS.
BUT AGAIN, UM, IT DEPENDS ON BUDGET CONSTRAINTS AS WELL.
BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN ILLUSTRATE THAT WHATEVER INVESTMENTS THAT WE PUT INTO THIS TECHNOLOGY, IT WILL SAVE US IN TIME IN, IN THE SENSE OF HOURS THAT OUR STAFF WILL HAVE TO SPEND, UH, TO DO THE SAME TASK.
IN, IN THAT SAME VEIN, WHAT ABOUT AT PLAN REVIEW? WHAT ABOUT AI AT PLAN REVIEW? I KNOW I'VE SEEN SOME PRESENTATIONS OF COMPANIES THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SPIT IN THE PLANS.
THEY CAN, THEY CAN HAVE ALL THE CHAPTER 42 RULES IN THE COMPUTER.
WE, YOU KNOW, HUMANS ARE NEEDED TO DO A LOT OF THIS AND MAKE SURE THAT INFORMATION'S RIGHT, BUT I CAN SEE AN AI APPLICATION IN PLAN REVIEW FOR SURE.
UM, SO, UH, CERTAINLY THAT IS ON OUR WISHLIST AS WELL.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE WITH THAT ROUTE IS THAT OUR CITY IS SO DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CITIES.
WE ARE NOT A ZONED CITY AND SO MANY OF THE SOFTWARES THAT EXIST OUT THERE ARE FOR CITIES WITH ZONING, AND THEY'RE ABLE TO, UM, CREATE A, UH, SORT OF, UM, EFFICIENCY THROUGH, UM, BEING ABLE TO DUPLICATE AND BUILD UP ON OTHER CITIES.
SO I THINK FOR HOUSTON, UM, WE ARE IN
[00:30:01]
A DIFFERENT CATEGORY AND IT MIGHT TAKE A LOT MORE FOR US TO GET THERE, BUT CERTAINLY THERE ARE TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN HELP US, UM, JUST TO MAKE THE REVIEW PROCESS EASIER.UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THERE ARE SCANNING TECHNOLOGIES THAT CAN HELP US SCAN SOME PLATS AND SURVEYS AND POINT OUT INFORMATION THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
UH, FORTUNATELY MANY OF OUR, UM, UH, PLANNERS ARE VERY YOUNG WITH VERY, VERY YOUNG EYES.
I USED TO CAN READ FONT SIX NOWADAYS, IF YOU GIVE ME SOMETHING LESS THAN FONT FOUR, SORRY,
UH, BUT UM, YEAH, THAT, THAT IS ON OUR WISHLIST, BUT I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE VERY, VERY LONG TERM.
IT'S GONNA BE TRICKIER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO IMPLEMENT, IMPLEMENT WITH THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE ZONING.
THANK YOU STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE.
HOW ARE YOU? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS AMAZING PRESENTATION, UH, FOR COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER.
SIDEWALKS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO ONE OF HER QUESTIONS IS, WHAT METRICS OR DATA JUSTIFY MAINTAINING 54.5 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES? WHILE ONLY 2.9 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES ARE ALLOCATED TO TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, WHICH IS KEY TO MOBILITY GOALS? UH, CERTAINLY.
UM, SO AS FAR AS TO THE RATIO OF, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TEAM AND THE TRANSPORTATION TEAM, UH, TO BE VERY HONEST, UM, I INHERITED THE, UM, STRUCTURE OF THIS DEPARTMENT.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, I CAN DEFINITELY SAY THAT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IS THE BREAD AND BUTTER AND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE DO EVERY TWO WEEK.
WE REALLY CHURN OUT ANYWHERE FROM 120 APPLICATIONS TO ABOUT 180 APPLICATIONS WHILE THE TRANSPORTATION TEAM IS IN CHARGE OF THE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PLAN.
AND EACH YEAR, UM, OVER THE YEARS, IT RANGES ANYWHERE FROM EIGHT APPLICATIONS TO, UH, AT OUR FULLEST OR AT OUR MOST BUSIEST.
UM, I BELIEVE WE'VE HAD MAYBE ABOUT 25 APPLICATIONS.
AND SO I THINK THAT IS MAINLY THE REASON FOR HISTORICALLY, UM, THE RATIO OF THE SIZE OF EACH OF THE DIVISION.
NOW, WITH THAT SAID, I CAN, UM, ALL OF OUR PLANNERS ARE CROSS-TRAINED.
UH, MANY OF US ARE OUR GOAL AND THE DEPARTMENT IS 80 20.
YOU DO THE CORE OF WHAT YOU DO, WHETHER IT'S TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, COMMUNITY PLANNING, PERMITTED REVIEWS, OR PLAT REVIEWS.
AND THEN THE OTHER 20% WE ROUND OURSELVES, UH, THIS YEAR, PART OF THE RESTRUCTURING IS WE'RE REALLY ENCOURAGING PLANNERS, UH, TO BROADEN UP THEIR SCOPE, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE, UH, THAT WE HAVE.
SO I HOPE I ANSWERED THAT QUESTION FOR YOU AS FAR AS THE RATIO.
ON SLIDE 12, LOOK, IS THE RE ON MINIMUM LOT SIZE, UH, LOOK AT HOW MANY THERE WERE IN LIKE 20, 24, 5,000 SOMETHING.
DID EVERYBODY JUST GET 'EM DONE AND NOW WE'RE JUST DOING A LOT LESS OR WHAT'S THE REASON FOR THE DECLINE IN THE NUMBER? I THINK THEY JUST NEIGHBORHOODS GOT 'EM DONE WHEN THE RULE CAME OUT AND NOW THERE'S JUST FEWER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT NEED TO DO 'EM.
I THINK RIGHT NOW, UH, THE BULK OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING ALSO ARE RENEWALS AS WELL.
AND ON SLIDES 14 THROUGH 16, I APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, COMMENTS ABOUT WANTING TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE METRICS AND, AND THE FINANCE DIRECTOR SAID THAT AT EACH QUARTERLY BUDGET MEETING, WE'LL BE ROLLING OUT THOSE SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT TILL ALL THE WAY NEXT YEAR TO GET THE, THE NEW ONES.
BUT, UH, SINCE THESE ARE THE, THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES HAVING TO DO WITH PLAN REVIEW, YOU KNOW, TO ME IT'S, IT'S VERY, I WANT THEM TO BE SOMETHING THAT THE PUBLIC COULD LOOK AT AND THINK, OKAY, THEY'RE DOING THIS, EVEN IF IT'S BROKEN DOWN, LIKE NUMBER OF APPLICA OR PERCENTAGE OF APPLICATIONS REVIEWED FIRST ROUND, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
'CAUSE SOMETIMES WHEN IT'S JUST LIKE, OH, WE'RE GETTING 'EM ALL DONE 80%.
AND SO, AND THEN WE TALK TO CONSTITUENTS ARE LIKE, I'VE STILL BEEN AROUND FOR, BUT I MUST SAY THINGS ARE SO MUCH BETTER.
I'M GETTING FEW WAY, WAY, WAY FEWER COMPLAINTS ABOUT PLAN REVIEW.
SO, BUT I'M JUST SAYING AS YOU'RE DEVELOPING THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, MAKE 'EM SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET THROUGH THE WHOLE SYSTEM? AND FIRST, THE FIRST REVIEW, SEVEN DAYS, GREAT.
THEN WE KNOW THEY HAVE TO COME BACK AND THE TALK CLOCK TICKS, YOU KNOW, STARTS OVER AND ALL OF THAT.
SO JUST THOSE PERFORMANCE METRICS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
I KNOW THERE'S A DASHBOARD ON THE PLANNING WEBSITES THAT'S VERY HELPFUL AND EVERYTHING, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO
[00:35:01]
GET THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, UM, SPECIFICALLY REALLY GET THOSE.UM, I PUT SOME, UM, QUESTIONS ONLINE, BUT WANTED TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HIGH INJURY NETWORK AND THE, AND THE CRASHES.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE VISION ZERO ACTION PLAN.
I SEE THAT IN, IN YOUR COMMENTS THAT YOU'RE KIND OF REORGANIZING THOSE PERFORMANCE METRICS, UM, MORE IN LINE WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION'S, YOU KNOW, GOALS, WHICH IS GREAT.
I DON'T CARE HOW YOU SLICE IT OR WHAT YOU CALL IT, BUT I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MEASURING IN SOME WAY WHAT WHAT WE ARE DOING TO ADDRESS, UH, YOU KNOW, INTERSECTIONS AND AREAS OF TOWN THAT REALLY NEED THE FOCUS.
SO AGAIN, AS YOU'RE LOOKING AT PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND SPENDING AND I, AND THEN GRANTED, WE KNOW THAT'S, THAT'S PUBLIC WORK SPENDING ACTUALLY.
BUT AS YOU'RE WORKING IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, HOW ARE WE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ARE WE DOING THE GREAT, WE'RE GETTING THE HIGH INJURY NETWORK REPORT OUT, THAT'S GREAT, BUT LIKE, HOW EFFECTIVE IS THAT REPORTING IN, YOU KNOW, IN IN, IN DIRECTING THE, THE DOLLARS THAT PUBLIC WORKS NEED TO BE NEEDS TO SPEND? YES.
THESE ARE GREAT COMMENTS AND CERTAINLY IT WILL TAKE US, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE PLANS AND WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER WITH PUBLIC WORKS AS THEY ROLL OUT THEIR, UM, CIP PROGRAMS, WHETHER IT'S FOR REDOING AN INTERSECTION OR REBUILDING, UM, SIDEWALKS OR WHERE DO WE BEGIN BUILDING SIDEWALKS.
THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE ARE COLLABORATING WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO DO.
AND, UH, NOTED, UM, YOUR COMMENT THAT IT WOULD BE GREAT THAT AS THESE PROJECTS ARE BEING ROLLED OUT, THAT WE WILL ALSO TRACK AND TIE IT INTO SOMEHOW CAPTURE THAT, CAPTURE IT THIS AREA THAT WOULD BE, I FORGOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON IN THE HORSESHOE.
ALSO, CAN YOU GIVE ME A STATUS ON THE FREIGHT PLAN, UH, THE TRUCK, TRUCK TRUCK ROUTE PLAN? UH, YES.
SO THE TRICKY PART TO THE TRUCK ROUTE PLAN, UM, IS THAT, UM, AT THIS TIME WE ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD TO CREATE A PLAN.
NOW, WE HAD JUST COMPLETED THE PILOT PLAN IN CEDAR GAS.
WE'VE COMPILED A REPORT WITH SOME RECOMMENDATION FOR THE AREA.
BUT AS FAR AS THE, THE BIG PLAN THAT WAS PROMISED, YOU KNOW, WAY BEFORE I GOT HERE, UM, WE ARE NOT PURSUING IT AT THIS MOMENT.
WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT THE PLAN WILL NOT BE EFFICIENT WITHOUT ENFORCEMENT.
I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY THE KEY COMPONENT.
AND SO, UM, RIGHT NOW TO HAVE ENFORCEMENT, WE WILL NEED TO MOVE POLICE OFFICERS TASKED WITH PRESENTING OR PREVENTING CRIMES OVER TO ENFORCING THE TRUCK ROUTES.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS JUST TO DO THIS.
AND SO THEREFORE, THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT LIKE FRONT AND CENTER, UH, FOR US RIGHT NOW IN THE DEPARTMENT.
I WANTED TO, UM, COMMENT ON THE TRUCK WE'RE ROUTING, UM, PLAYING, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A CRITICAL PIECE.
UH, IT WAS A PROJECT THAT I WAS WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY ON MM-HMM
AND SO, UM, MY QUESTION IS, IF WE ARE HALTING IT BECAUSE OF, UM, POLICE, HAVE WE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THE MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING ON THE BACK END FOR RECONSTRUCTION ROADS, UM, THE POLLUTION AND JUST ALL, ALL THE HAZARDS THAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS? HAD, DID WE FACTOR IN THAT? SO I WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE TEAM IN TERMS OF WHAT, I GUESS THE INITIAL PLATFORM.
WHEN I GOT HERE, IT WAS A PROJECT THAT WAS NOT FRONT AND CENTER.
AND SO I'LL SEE IF I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ON YEAH.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE STILL 18 WHEELERS GOING THROUGH THE, UM, RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS AND THAT'S WHY THIS ORDINANCE WAS CRITICAL.
UM, IMPORTANT TO THE NORTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT JUST THE NORTHEAST, BUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
BUT, UM, NORTHEAST IS, IT'S IMPACTED BY A LOT OF 18 WHEELERS AND I KNOW WE DID THE STUDY AND SO, UM, WE'D LIKE TO DISCUSS MORE.
I KNOW THAT WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE BUDGET, BUT DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, WAYS THAT WE CAN, UM, IMPLEMENT IT BECAUSE IT'S NEEDED.
I MEAN, WE ARE, WE'RE SPENDING MONEY ON FIXING THE ROADS AND, YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS THAT'S BEEN DESTROYED BECAUSE OF 18 WHEELERS IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS RIGHT NOW, I DID GET MY, I DID ROLL UP MY SLEEVES AND WORKED A LITTLE BIT WITH THE TEAM THAT WAS ON THE GROUNDS ON THIS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I RECALLED WAS THAT A HUGE PART OF THAT PROBLEM IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS BECAUSE MANY OF THE PROPERTIES OWNED,
[00:40:01]
UM, THE OWNERS ARE USING IT, OR IT IS A BUSINESS THAT IS IN THE TRUCKING BUSINESS.SO THE TRAFFIC FROM THE 18 WHEELERS, THEY'RE NOT CUTTING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEY ACTUALLY RESIDE AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY'RE THERE.
AND SO I THINK THE PROBLEM IS NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO BE SOLVED BY SAYING YOU CANNOT CUT THROUGH BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY, THEIR BUSINESSES ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO, BUT WHY ARE BUS, OKAY, I KNOW THIS KEEP GOING ON, BUT WHY ARE BUSINESSES IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS? THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
A LOT OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THE RESTRICTION.
SO THEN THAT GOES TO ANOTHER PROBLEM.
THE RESTRICTION ENFORCEMENT, THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.
AND SO, UM, WE CAN'T JUST KEEP IGNORING THE PROBLEM.
I'M JUST, I GUESS I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE WE'RE PUTTING A HALT TO A PROJECT THAT IS CRITICAL.
UM, YEAH, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING TO RESIDENTS ABOUT THAT THIS WAS COMING, UM, THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN A CONSTANT COMPLAINT.
IT'S A LOT IN DISTRICT B FOR SURE, OTHER AREAS OF TOWN.
UH, BUT WE, WE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME.
SO IT IS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTING, UM, TO MANY OF US THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT THERE'S KIND OF A HALT ON THAT.
'CAUSE WE KIND OF WE'RE PROMISING SOME RELIEF FROM THE, FROM THE TRUCK PLAN.
AND, AND A, A PLAN WITHOUT ENFORCEMENT IS, IS NOT GREAT.
UM, IT'S ALSO THE, HOW WE WORK WITH THE G GI GPS DEALS MM-HMM
AND YOU KNOW, HOW THEY ROUTE TRUCKS THROUGH AREAS.
WE GET CALLS ALL THE TIME ABOUT TRUCKS GOING THROUGH PLACES WHERE THEY SHOULDN'T BE.
UM, SO I KNOW THAT'S NOT ALL ON YOUR DEPARTMENT, BUT THE, THE PLAN SITUATION.
SO WHAT, SO WHAT BECOMES OF THE PLAN? I MEAN, WHAT, HOW DO WE USE THE EDUS PLAN? YEAH, SO I THINK RIGHT NOW ON THE TABLE IS, UM, WE'VE PRESENTED SOME SOLUTIONS ON ONE, ONE INTERSECTION AND WE HAD A PLAN OR A PROPOSAL FOR, UH, CHANGING OUT SOME OF THE SIGNS THAT WERE ORIGINALLY INSTALLED.
SO PUBLIC WORKS INSTALLED SOME OF THOSE SIGNS.
THEN WE CAME BACK IN THE PILOT STUDY, UH, AND DID SOME, UM, TRAFFIC COUNT TO SEE IF THOSE SIGNS WERE WERE EFFECTIVE.
AND THEN IT TURNED OUT THAT THE FEEDBACK FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS, SOME OF THE SIGNS WERE NOT AS VISIBLE.
SO THROUGH ALL OF THE FEEDBACK AND ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, THERE WAS A PROPOSAL AND A PACKAGE WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIGNS AND NEW SIGNS.
UM, SO I WOULDN'T SAY THAT WE STALLED IT.
I, I MAINLY THE LARGER TRUCK PLANS FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE CITY.
BUT AS FAR AS SET OF GAST, WE WERE WORKING ON IT ALL ALONG.
SO THERE WILL BE SOME RESULTS FROM THE SET OF GAS PLAN THAT WILL BE IN EFFECT.
SO, SO JUST TO CLARIFY, I'M SORRY FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING.
WE DIDN'T STALL THE SET OF GAS PILOT PLAN.
WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN HELP SOLVE SOME OF THE ISSUES THROUGH THOSE SIGNAGE.
BUT WHEN I SAID IT WAS MORE OR LESS THE LARGER ENTIRE CITY TRUCK PLAN THAT WAS PROPOSED IN THE ORDINANCE THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING TIME ON.
I, I'M LOOKING AT YOUR, THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUND, UM, REVENUES, WHICH SEEM PRETTY FLAT.
AND, AND I'VE BEEN HEARING JUST ANECDOTALLY SOMETIMES LIKE THAT THAT PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS ARE SHORTER.
AND THAT MIGHT BE FOR A BUNCH OF REASONS, BUT ARE YOU, ARE WE SEEING KIND OF THE SAME LEVEL OF, I I, I'M ASSUMING FROM WHAT YOU'RE PROJECTING AS FAR AS REVENUES THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING KIND OF THE SAME AMOUNT OF DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'VE HAD THIS YEAR? IT'S KIND OF FLAT, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE'RE NOT IN A BIG GROWTH PERIOD, BUT WE'RE ALSO NOT IN DECLINE.
IT'S, IT DIDN'T CHANGE VERY MUCH AT ALL.
UM, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW IF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES THIS YEAR WITH EACH QUARTER TO ADJUST AS YOU KNOW, THAT IT'S VERY HARD TO PREDICT.
AND AND YOU SAID YOU KIND OF CHANGED THE WAY YOU YEAH.
PROJECTED, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY APPLICATIONS YOU'LL GET.
I MEAN THAT'S REALLY OUR, THE GRAVY OF THIS DEPARTMENT IS, IS GETTING, UM, THE APPLICATION FEES IN.
BUT, UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU JUST KIND OF HOW, WHAT, WHAT PARAMETERS DO YOU USE TO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT? I MEAN, DO YOU LOOK AT LIKE ULI STUFF OR STATISTICS FROM THE INDUSTRY, FROM THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY OR WHAT, WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU USE TO PROJECT? SO DEVELOPMENT? YEAH, SO WE'VE BEEN JUST PROJECTING BASED ON PAST HISTORICAL PERMITS AND DATA THAT CAME INTO US AND YEAR OVER YEAR IT'S BEEN PRETTY STABLE.
SO FOR THIS YEAR WE WERE EXPECTING FOR
[00:45:01]
IT TO NOT, NOT GO UP REALLY HIGH.SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY IT'S GONNA BE SIMILAR.
YOU JUST LOOK AT ECONOMIC INDICATORS OR YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOTTA BE SOME KIND OF SCIENCE TO, TO PROJECTING THIS.
HISTORICAL DATA OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS JUST GENERAL MARKETS AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING OUTSIDE AS WELL FOLDING IT.
AND IT'S SORT OF UM, KIND OF LIKE A COMBINATION OF SCIENCE DATA FROM PAST HISTORICAL, UH, PERFORMANCES AND THEN JUST WHAT DO WE THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN IN THE MARKET.
AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TRICKY BUSINESS IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE CRYSTAL BALL THESE DAYS.
BUT JUST A COMMENT THAT THE PLANNING PLANNING, UM, COMMISSION MEETINGS WERE GETTING SHORTER.
KIND OF GAVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF PAUSE, LIKE USED TO HAVE THE LONG, LONG MEETINGS WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF APPLICATIONS.
TYPICALLY IT PICKS UP AT AROUND RIGHT BEFORE SUMMER.
SO I'M KIND OF GLAD THAT WE'RE BEING CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, UM, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WAS PROJECTING A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, A LITTLE BIT HIGHER EACH YEAR, BUT THIS YEAR WE DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S STABILIZE IT OUT.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
I'M SORRY, GUADALUPE FERNANDEZ.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION DIRECTOR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WE'LL LET THE PUBLIC SPEAKER COME UP.
YOUR FIRST BUDGET PRESENTATION.
MY NAME IS GUADALUPE AND I PRESENT REPRESENT BAYOU CITY WATERKEEPER.
WE UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S GOAL OF IMPROVING EFFICIENCY IN PERMITTING AND PLANNING PROCESSES.
HOWEVER, WE WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS PURSUIT OF EFFICIENCY MUST NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF THOROUGH AND ROBUST REVIEWS, PARTICULARLY CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND FLOOD MITIGATION.
HOUSTON'S HISTORY UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT, STREAMLINED PROCESSES MUST MAINTAIN RIGOROUS SCRUTINY OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ON OUR VALUES AND GREEN SPACES AND PRIORITIZE THOROUGH RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AND OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS.
CRUCIALLY, WE EMPHASIZE THE VITAL ROLE OF THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT'S GIS MAPPING.
THESE RESOURCES GUIDE CRITICAL SAFETY, FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT DECISIONS ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS.
CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN ACCURATE AND ACCESSIBLE GIS AS ESSENTIAL TO THE PREVIOUS POINTS AROUND THE TRUCK ROUTE MAPS.
THIS SPEAKS TO THE TRANSPARENCY AND EQUITY THAT IS NEEDED IN OUR CITY.
HOUSTON'S PROJECTS AND PLANS MUST INVOLVE TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE COMMUNICATION AND ENSURE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES FOR ALL HISTORIANS, ESPECIALLY THE MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND OUR POPULATIONS IN THE CITY.
SO WE URGE THE DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT EFFICIENCY MEASURES INCLUDE SAFEGUARDS AND ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO UPHOLD THE INTEGRITY OF THESE VITAL REVIEWS.
SUPPORTED BY ROBUST GIS DATA, UH, THOROUGHNESS AND EFFICIENCY CAN COEXIST WITH THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL PLANNING.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING ON A MORE EFFICIENT AND RESPONSIBLE PERMITTING PROCESS IN HOUSTON.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS ONLINE OR IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME FORWARD.
GREAT JOB PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
THANKS TO ALL THE STAFF FOR ALL THE GREAT WORK YOU DO.
AND WE WILL TAKE A BREAK UNTIL HOUSING AT TWO 30.