[FY 2026 Budget Workshop: Mayor's Office on May 19, 2025.]
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OF THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AND I'M JOINED BY MY VICE CHAIR, MARIO CASTILLO, COUN AND MAYOR VICE MAYOR PROAM.AMY PECK, COUNCIL MEMBER JULIAN RAMIREZ.
AND STAFF KATE LER FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
WE'RE STARTING NOW WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, NEXT CITY COUNCIL, THEN OBO.
THEN WE'LL HAVE A BREAK FOR LUNCH, THEN HUMAN RESOURCES, A RA AND FIRE.
UM, WELCOME VALERIE BERRY AND STEVEN DAVID, WHO ARE GONNA GIVE US A OVERVIEW OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE BUDGET.
SO, WITH NO FURTHER ADO, BECAUSE WE WANNA STAY ON SCHEDULE.
GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT Y'ALL GAVE US 30 MINUTES INSTEAD OF AN HOUR, SO I WON'T FILIBUSTER YOUR TIME.
UH, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, SO FOR THE MAYOR'S BUDGET, UH, JUST LIKE EVERY BUDGET OR EVERY DEPARTMENT ACROSS THE CITY, WE TRY TO ALIGN IT TO THE MAYOR'S STRATEGIC OBJE OBJECTIVES.
AND THE, THOSE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES OF WHAT WE DO WITH IT WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT ARE EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT, TOURISM PROMOTION, AND THEN OUR ENTER FUND TRANSFERS ARE GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS IN EFFECT.
IT'S JUST BASICALLY MAKING SURE THAT THE WHEELS STAY ON AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO OPERATE AND SERVE.
UH, CABLE TELEVISION IS QUALIFIED AS QUALITY OF LIFE, AND THEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FALLS INSIDE THE INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET.
UM, 85% OF OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET, UH, SITS WITHIN GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS.
UM, IT'S SIMILAR TO THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET, WHICH IS IN EFFECT THE, UH, THE FACT THAT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE'RE ALL EXPECTED TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT.
FOR THE VOLUNTARY MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PAYOUT OPTION, WE HAD EIGHT FTES.
UM, THERE WERE THREE WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT PROGRAM, TWO WITHIN TOURISM PROMOTION, AND THREE WITHIN CABLE TELEVISION NETTING TO A ONE POINT, UH, $1.03 MILLION, UH, REDUCTION.
THESE POSITIONS WERE ALL DELIMITED FROM OUR BUDGET, MEANING THEY WENT AWAY.
UH, WE DID NOT PLAN ON BACKFILLING THEM.
UH, THIS IS GOING TO THE DEPARTMENT RESTRUCTURE, UH, ENVISION.
SO AS YOU CAN TELL, UH, WE HAD A VERY LOW SPAN OF CONTROL.
UM, OUR PROPOSED STATE WILL BE FIVE.
THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF REORG.
I KNOW THAT Y'ALL SPOKE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT.
UH, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT LATER IN THIS SLIDE.
BUT AS YOU KNOW, THE EXPECTATION THAT MAYOR WHITMEYER SET FOR FY 25 WAS ONE OF DISCOVERY.
IT'S THE REASON WHY THE, UH, EY STUDY WAS DONE, AND WE DID THE EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, THE EXPECTATION FOR FY 26 IS ONE OF CHANGE.
UH, WE'VE ASKED ALL DEPARTMENTS TO ENVISION WHAT A RESTRUCTURE LOOKS LIKE.
WE, WE TAKE OUR OWN MEDICINE IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
AND, UH, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW WAS WE WERE ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAD A VERY HIGH, UH, CURRENT STATE MANAGER TO SUPERVISOR OR OUR SUPERVISORS HAVING THREE OR FEWER DIRECT REPORTS.
71% OF OUR SUPERVISORS DID, UH, THROUGH OUR REORGANIZATION, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DELIMITED.
WE EXPECT THAT TO BE, UH, HOVERING AROUND 35%.
BUT AS IS WITH, UH, THE CHANGE IN PERFORMANCE METRICS, UM, AS WELL AS WITH THE ORG.
THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF POINT IN TIME, AND WE ALL LOOK FORWARD TO COMING BACK TO Y'ALL TO SHOW YOU THE WAY THAT THE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS GONNA BE RESTRUCTURED.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE GONNA GO FROM FOUR LAYERS OF MANAGEMENT TO THREE.
UM, THAT IS ACTUALLY THE FLATTENING OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AS I SAID EARLIER, 85% OF OUR BUDGET IS ALLOCATED TOWARDS, UH, EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT.
UM, THIS IS, UH, EXCUSE ME, NOT EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT.
85% IS GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS, WHICH A LARGE PORT OF PORTION OF IT IS GOING TO BE, UH, THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT WE HAVE FEWER LAYERS IN BETWEEN BECAUSE WE ALL WORK DIRECTLY FOR THE MAYOR.
UH, THE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IS THAT THE OVERALL REDUCTION FROM FY 25 TO FY 26 FOR US FROM FTES WAS 86 FTES TO 75.
UH, WE DO BELIEVE THAT WE CAN, UH, BE LEANER AS AN ORGANIZATION, UM, AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO, IN SUPPORT TO THE DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS DIRECTLY TO HOUSTONIANS.
SO, I'LL BREAK OUT OF OUR EXPENDITURE IN FUNDS.
UH, IS THAT WE HAVE FOUR CATEGORIES, GENERAL FUND, UH, CABLE TELEVISION AND TOURISM PROMOTION.
UH, AS A REMINDER, UH, CABLE TELEVISION AND TOURISM PROMOTION ARE ACTUALLY PEGGED TO REVENUES.
UM, SO AS THE REVENUES IN THOSE PARTICULAR CATEGORIES GO UP, AND I'LL TOUCH ON THAT IN THE REVENUE SECTION, WE EXPECT THE EXPENDITURES TO GO UP AND, AND FOR REASONS THAT YOU'LL SEE.
HOWEVER, WITHIN THE GENERAL FUND, THE MAYOR WAS ACTUALLY, UH, QUITE ADAMANT ABOUT MAKING SURE, AGAIN, THAT WE TAKE OUR OWN MEDICINE.
SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES BY ALMOST 10%, WHICH WE ARE QUITE PROUD OF.
UM, AND AS A REMINDER, WITHIN TOURISM PROMOTION, WE ACTUALLY HAVE THREE PRONGS OF ACTIVITIES.
THE FIRST IS TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
THE SECOND IS SPECIAL EVENTS, AND THEN THE THIRD IS CULTURAL AFFAIRS.
UH, BUT IN EFFECT, WE SAW A NET 1.3% INCREASE TO THE MAYOR'S GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
BUT THAT WAS DRIVEN NOT BY GENERAL FUND REDUCTIONS, WHICH WE SAW, AGAIN,
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10% OF 9.7% OF, UH, BUT IT WAS DRIVEN BY CABLE TELEVISION AND TOURISM.UH, TOURISM INCREASE IN CABLE, CABLE, CABLE TELEVISION DECREASING SLIGHTLY.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE THIS VERY NIFTY 3D GRAPH.
THANK YOU, VAL, VALERIE, SO MUCH OF, UH, FY UH, FY 24, ACTUAL BUDGET ESTIMATE FOR FY 25, AND THEN FY 26 PROPOSED.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE IN THE GREEN BAR, UH, ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THAT, UH, WE NOW HAVE AN $8.13 MILLION BUDGET FOR GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
AND WE SEE AN INCREASE OF ABOUT $1.3 MILLION, UH, EXCUSE ME, $1.7 MILLION WITHIN, UH, THE TOURISM FUND.
AND THEN A SLIGHT INCREASE, UH, WITHIN THE CABLE TELEVISION FUND.
NEXT SLIDE, A BREAKOUT OF THOSE, UH, EXPENDITURES ARE, UH, SEEN BELOW 59% OF THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES ARE PERSONNEL.
UH, WHEREAS WITH, UH, CABLE TELEVISION, 31% IS, UH, PERSONNEL, AND THEN TOURISM PROMOTION IS 11%.
UM, AGAIN, TOURISM PROMOTION IS, IS THE ONE THAT I'LL FOCUS ON, UH, WITH REGARD TO EXPENDITURES, BUT IN EFFECT, THAT IS WHERE, UH, THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS CONTRACTS GO.
THE, THE GRANTS CONTRACT WITH THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE, AS WELL AS, UH, A POCKET OF MONEY THAT GOES, IS RESERVED FOR SPECIAL EVENTS IN THE EVENT IN WHICH WE CAN'T FIND SPONSORS, UH, MONEY THAT WE CAN DRAW DOWN FROM AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THOSE EVENTS.
UM, THE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE HERE, UH, IS THAT IN THE HOUSTON CABLE FUND, ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UH, A LITTLE BIT IS, UH, THE SERVICES.
SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS A SUPPLIES CAPITAL AND RESTRICT RESTRICTED, UH, ARE PRETTY LOGICAL.
WE SEE THOSE ACROSS, ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS.
BUT IN THE SERVICES, WE HAVE $1.8 MILLION OF EXPENDITURE OF SERVICES.
SLIGHT, UH, PORTION OF THAT GOES TOWARDS CAPEX, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THAT GOES ACTUALLY TO A PAYMENT TO THE NON CITY OF HOUSTON NONPROFIT, UH, HOUSTON MEDIA SOURCE, HMS. IT ALSO PAYS FOR THINGS LIKE CLOSED CAPTIONING, WHICH WE SHOULD ALL BE SEEING HERE.
SO, EXPENDITURES BY PROGRAM, AGAIN, WITHIN THE CABLE TELEVISION PROGRAM, UH, WE'VE GOT CABLE TELEVISION, DEBT SERVICE, AND INTERFUND TRANSFERS, WHICH JUST FOR THE PURPOSES, THIS IS A NAMING CONVENTION.
WE DON'T HAVE DEBT SERVICE IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
IT'S ALL INTERFUND TRANSFER, WHICH IS A REMINDER.
INTERFUND TRANSFER IS THINGS LIKE PAYING, UH, GENERAL SERVICES FOR WHAT THEY PROVIDE, PAYING IT FOR LICENSING AND SUPPORT, UH, ET CETERA.
UH, WE SAW A SLIGHT INCREASE, UH, IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UH, WE SAW A DECREASE OF $1 MILLION DECREASE, $1.1 MILLION DECREASE IN EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT PROGRAM.
AND THEN WITHIN TOURISM AND PROMOTION, WE SAW $1.7 MILLION INCREASE.
UM, AND JUST AS A REMINDER, UH, THE WAY THAT TOURISM PROMOTION BUDGET IS SET IS ACTUALLY THROUGH A MACRO MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS DONE IN HOUSTON.
FIRST, WHERE THEY GO AND PROJECT HOW MANY BEDS AND HEADS, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO BE IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR.
SO THIS IS, UH, RELATED DIRECTLY TO HOT REVENUE.
AND SO AS THEY PROJECT, THE GOOD THING IS THAT HOUSTON IS BECOMING MORE ATTRACTIVE, AND WE'RE EXPECTING MORE PEOPLE TO STAY IN HOTELS WITHIN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT OF THE THREE MILE AREA AROUND IT.
AND, UH, WE EXPECT THOSE REVENUES TO GO UP, WHICH MEANS WE EXPECT THOSE, UH, EXPENDITURES TO GO UP AS WELL.
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AGAIN.
SO BREAKING IT OUT BY INDIVIDUAL FUND.
IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, WITH CABLE TELEVISION, THAT PRIORITY SITS WITHIN QUALITY OF LIFE.
UH, I'M GONNA TAKE NOTES, UH, CHAIR ALCORN FROM YOU AND, UH, NOT READ THIS OUT, UH, FROM PREVIOUS ONES.
SO I'LL JUST GIVE YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS OF IT AND THEN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.
BUT AS A REMINDER, THIS IS CABLE TELEVISION.
UM, ALL OF THE PERFORMANCE METRICS THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE ARE A WORK IN PROGRESS.
UM, THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME EXERCISE THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING AND, AND GOING THROUGH, UH, WITH THE ERNST AND YOUNG EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, AND THANKS TO Y'ALL APPROVING THE NEXT PHASE OF THE, UH, OF THE IMPLEMENTATION THIS WEEK.
UH, WE ARE DOING, I BELIEVE, EIGHT HOSTED SESSIONS FOR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, UH, WORKSHOPS WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS.
SO WE ARE WORKING ON THESE PERFORMANCE METRICS, AND SO WE'LL KEEP Y'ALL UPDATED AS THOSE CHANGE.
UM, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
THE THING TO REMIND Y'ALL AND REORIENT YOU TO IS WHAT THIS DOES.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THIS IS WHERE, UH, GWEN TILLS AND BELL, OUR CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, SITS, SHE OVERSEES, UH, TS SHE OVERSEES THE PROCESS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, GREEN WATER, GREEN STORM WATER, UH, INCENTIVES, CHAPTER THREE 80 AGREEMENTS, INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT AGREEMENTS, ALL OF THOSE SIT WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, UH, THE DIGITAL KIOSK PROGRAM OPERATES OUT OF THIS AS WELL, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'LL SEE THEM IF YOU GO RIGHT OUTSIDE, YOU CAN SEE 'EM THERE.
NEXT SLIDE, EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT.
SO THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.
UH, THIS IS THE MAYOR'S EXECUTIVE TEAM.
THIS IS, UH, ALSO THE SUPPORT, UH, FUNCTIONS THAT WE PROVIDE AND THE FOLKS THAT Y'ALL INTERACT WITH.
SO THANK BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AGENDA, OFFICE SCHEDULING, THE MAYOR'S SCHEDULING TEAM, AND THEN HIS EXECUTIVE TEAM THAT SITS THERE AS WELL.
UM, THAT'S WHERE ALL OF THESE SIT.
ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE, UM, ALL OF Y'ALL KNOW VERONICA WEATHERSPOON.
UM, SHE RUNS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CORRESPONDENCE.
THIS IS NOT JUST THE CONSTITUENT SERVICES ARM OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, BUT ALSO THE ONE THAT RECEIVES LITERALLY EVERY TIME SOMEONE REACHES OUT TO THE MAYOR AND SAYS, I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS, OR, I NEED YOUR HELP, THERE, IT GOES THROUGH HER OFFICE.
UM, AND SO IT'S ONE OF THE BUSIER, BUSIER FOLKS WITHIN
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OUR, OUR OFFICE.UH, AGAIN, THIS IS TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS.
UM, THIS ONE IS ONE OF THE ONES, AS I SAID, AS, UH, OUR HOT PROJECTIONS GO UP, THE EXPENDITURES GO UP.
AND THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE THIS, THE GRANTS CONTRACT WITH THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE IS, UH, PREDICATED ON A PERCENTAGE, 93% OF HOT REVENUES THAT COME INTO THIS FUND.
UH, GO TO THE CIVIC ARTS CONTRACT, AND THEN 7% SITS WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE THAT FUNDS THE POSITIONS THAT SIT WITHIN CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AS WELL AS, UH, A, THE MAYOR'S HOT RESERVE, WHICH IS INTENDED FOR SPECIAL, UH, SPECIAL EVENTS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
WHEN SPECIAL EVENTS CAN'T MEET THEIR FUNDRAISING GOAL, IF AND WHEN THEY, THEY DON'T MEET IT, OR IF WE HAVE LAST MINUTE REQUESTS THAT, UH, WE DECIDE ARE SORT OF MERITORIOUS FOR GROWING HOUSTON AND GROWING THE FOOTPRINT, THEN WE WOULD PULL DOWN FROM THAT FUND.
AGAIN, THIS IS, IT SAYS DEBT SERVICE AND INTERFUND TRANSFERS.
IT'S JUST INTERFUND TRANSFERS.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, PAYING FOR ALL OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT THE CITY OF HU OR EXCUSE ME, THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE UTILIZES.
THINK, OUTLOOK, POWER BI, ALL THE LICENSING AND ALL THE GOOD STUFF THAT GOES INTO THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS.
SO, FY 26 REVENUE HIGHLIGHTS ARE IN THE GENERAL FUND BUCKET.
UH, WE HAD $221,000, UH, HIGHER THAN PROJECTED OR HIGHER THAN FY 25 ESTIMATE, UH, IN THE DIGITAL NETWORK DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE KIOSK UNITS.
THE MORE KIOSK THAT WE HAVE, THE MORE MONEY THAT WE MAKE.
UM, THIS IS, UH, A VERY STANDARD THING THAT CITIES ACROSS THE US DO, WHERE THEY ENTER INTO, UH, REVENUE AGREEMENTS, UH, FOR UTILIZING POTENTIALLY PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING.
OF COURSE, WE PUT BIG, BIG BARRIERS AND GUARDS AROUND, UH, WHAT CAN AND CAN'T BE ADVERTISED AS WE DO WITH EVERYTHING HERE.
UM, WE TEND TO SHY AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT MIGHT BE CONTROVERSIAL AND STICK MORE TO INFORMATIVE THINGS, WHICH IS ALONG THE SAME LINES AS THE WAY AND A LOT OF ALCOHOL.
AND THE WAY THAT IN WHICH THE, UH, THE WAY THAT N-H-H-T-V OPERATES AS WELL, WHERE THEY STICK TO, UH, TO SORT OF GOVERNMENT OPERATE OR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMING, UH, WHAT WE SAW WITHIN THE CABLE TELEVISION PEG FUNDING.
UH, SO STATE FRANCHISES BUDGETED $348,000 LOWER THAN THE FY 25 ESTIMATE.
THIS IS IN EFFECT DUE TO THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE UTILIZING.
SO, AS A REMINDER, THIS, UH, PARTICULAR FUNDING STREAM IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS TO CABLE SERVICES.
SO WHENEVER WE SEE A DECREASE IN, UH, REVENUE INTO THIS FUND, IT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE FEWER CABLE SUBSCRIBERS MO OPTING TO MOVE OVER TO STREAMING SERVICES.
AND THEN WITHIN TOURISM PROMOTION, UH, IT'S $1.9 MILLION HIGHER.
AND THAT'S, AGAIN, UH, REITERATING THE FACT THAT WE'RE EXPECTING HIGHER HOT REVENUE, UH, IN THE YEARS FORWARD.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE VALIDATES, BUT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE DOES NOT DRIVE IT.
THIS IS, AGAIN, DONE BY A MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS, UH, ORIGINATING WITHIN HOUSTON.
FIRST, LOOKING AT THE LANDSCAPE OF TOURISM WITHIN HOUSTON, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE EXPECT BEDS TO BE OCCUPIED, HOTEL BEDS TO BE OCCUPIED.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS, UH, ANOTHER 3D GRAPH, UH, THAT SHOWS THE GENERAL FUND, UH, REVENUES VERSUS TOURISM VERSUS CABLE TELEVISION FUND.
UM, AGAIN, WE ARE EXPECTING MORE REVENUE THIS YEAR, LARGELY DRIVEN BY THAT $1.7 MILLION INCREASE, UH, WITHIN HOT REVENUE PROJECTION.
IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS, UH, A SPREADSHEET VERSION OF THE SLIDE YOU JUST SAW.
UM, SO, UH, I'M NOT GONNA BELABOR THE POINT.
UH, AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE, REVENUE, UH, BY PROGRAMS. THIS IS ALWAYS A FUN ONE THAT I LIKE TO POINT OUT.
UH, SO EXECUTIVE OVERSIGHT, IF YOU GO TO THE, UH, THE THIRD LINE THERE, WE ACTUALLY, UH, PROJECT A LITTLE BIT OF REVENUE WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE DO ANYTHING STANDARD, IT'S BECAUSE THAT PEOPLE RUN FOR OFFICE AND Y'ALL'S FILING FEES COME RIGHT TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
SO WE CLAIM Y'ALL'S FILING FEES AS REVENUE.
THAT CONCLUDES MY, MY, UH, PRESENTATION.
I TRIED TO BLOW THROUGH IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE TO LEAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
YOU BLEW THROUGH IT PER, UH, VERY WELL AND VERY SPEEDY.
WE HAVE BEEN ALSO BEEN JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER MARY ANNE HUFFMAN.
WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER, COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER, UH, MAYOR PROAM, MARTHA KAST.
TATUM IS ONLINE, AND ALSO HER CHIEF OF STAFF.
DEEDEE IS HERE, AND FRED FLICKINGER IS ONLINE AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE A PRETTY FULL HOUSE HERE.
WE WILL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, STEPHEN, FOR THAT, UH, QUICK PRESENTATION.
SO, UH, I'VE BEEN ASKED BY A COUPLE FOLKS ABOUT MOCA MM-HMM
AND WHAT'S IN STORE FOR LEADERSHIP THERE.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? YEAH, OF COURSE.
SO WE, WE ALLOCATED TWO FTES TO THIS BUDGET.
AS A, A REMINDER, IT WENT FROM F FIVE FTES TO TWO FTES.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE RECOGNIZED WITHIN THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS OFFICE WAS THAT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, DESIRE FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM THE ARTS COMMUNITY THAT I KNOW ALL OF Y'ALL HEAR FROM, UM, ABOUT THE, THE WANT TO SEE STRATEGY.
WE WANT TO SEE SORT OF THE HIGH-MINDED, UH, LOOK AT ARTS.
AND I WOULD VIEW THAT IN THE CRAWL, WALK, RUN SCENARIO AS A RUNNING EXERCISE.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT WE, WE ARE SORT OF HYBRID, BUT, OR IN BETWEEN THE CRAWLING AND THE
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WALKING PHASE WITHIN THAT OFFICE.UM, THERE WERE UNPAID INVOICES.
UM, THERE WERE CHALLENGES AROUND, UM, BEING ABLE TO GET ART AND PAY FOR THE MONEY.
I THINK THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR WHEN WE RENEWED THE CIVIC ARTS CONTRACT WAS THAT WE SAW A PRETTY, UH, SIGNIFICANT FUND BALANCE, EFFECTIVELY, MONEY NOT GOING TO ARTS, JUST SITTING INSIDE OF A FUND.
AND AS A REMINDER, IN THE CIVIC ARTS, THAT'S THE 1.75%, UH, IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURES FOR VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION, $500,000 AND ABOVE THAT GETS ALLOCATED TO GO TO THE ARTS WITHIN EACH DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE ASSESSING, AGAIN, OUTSTANDING INVOICES, OPEN CONTRACTS, UH, WHERE WE ARE GOING TO, WHO, WHO NEEDS TO RECEIVE, UH, SORT OF THE, THE ARM WRAPPING AROUND SERVICE, AND THEN EFFECTIVELY REBUILDING THAT OFFICE.
UM, AND SO BEFORE TALKING ABOUT LEADERSHIP, I'D LIKE FOR, WE, THE MAYOR IS REALLY, REALLY KEEN ON MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO THE FUNDAMENTALS, BECAUSE THE FUNDAMENTALS THAT WEREN'T BEING DONE LED TO GALLERISTS AND ARTISTS NOT GETTING PAID.
UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, ERNST AND YOUNG HAS DONE A STUDY OF THE TS.
WHEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE THAT? SO WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO BRIEF THE MAYOR, UH, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, ON THE FINAL REPORT WE HAVE, THERE ARE TWO PORTIONS TO IT, IF YOU REMEMBER, THERE WAS THE, UH, TURS SPENT ANALYSIS.
SO THIS IS THE EXACT SAME EXERCISE THAT WE PUT OURSELVES THROUGH, UH, WITH THE EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS.
AND THIS WAS UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE SPEND OUR MONEY ON, HOW WE SPEND IT, WHY WE'RE DOING IT, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GETTING THE BEST ECONOMIES OF SCALE WITHIN OUR, UH, EXPENDITURES.
SO THE ZONES HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT AS WELL.
AND THE EXPECTATION MOVING FORWARD, UM, IN CONVERSATIONS WITH GWEN IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE SETTING POLICY FOR THE ZONES TO BEGIN DOING, UH, STANDARD BOOKKEEPING, ONE AMONGST THEMSELVES.
WE SAW DIFFERENT BOOKKEEPING, UH, BOOKKEEPING PRACTICES ACROSS THE ZONES, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IN LINE WITH US, THEY'RE A COMPONENT UNIT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THEIR BUDGET THE SAME WAY THAT WE LOOK AT OURS AND UNDERSTAND IT.
AND SO THAT'S GONNA BE THE EXPECTATION MOVING FORWARD.
THE SECOND PART, UH, WAS THE ACTUAL FORENSIC ACCOUNTING ANALYSIS.
UM, SO ONE OF THE, THERE WERE TWO THINGS THAT IT DID.
ONE WAS, IT DID A DEEP DIVE INTO, UH, ONE OF OUR ZONES.
AND THEN THE SECOND WAS THAT THEY ACTUALLY CREATED, AGAIN, THE SAME EXERCISE THAT WE PUT OURSELVES THROUGH.
WE ARE DOING A PROACTIVE FORENSIC ACCOUNTING DASHBOARD.
SO FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH NOT JUST, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON EXPENDITURES, BUT WITH T'S EXPENDITURES, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FLAG, UH, THOSE TRANSACTIONS THAT SEEM OUT OF LINE WITH WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING, AND THEN WE CAN BEGIN DOING TRIAGE AND DEEP DIVE ANALYSIS ON THOSE EXPENDITURES AS WELL.
SO, STEVEN, THE TWO FTES FOR MOCA ARE, ARE THEY THERE NOW OR NO, THERE'S ONE VACANT FT.
AND THAT, THAT WILL BE THE HEAD OF IT, OR MAYBE, UH, THE EXPECTATION TO BE QUITE HONEST, IS THAT WE WANNA BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO, UH, I'LL SAY A STAFF ANALYST TYPE ROLE.
SOMEONE WHO CAN INTERACT WITH OUR SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LIKE SAP, UM, BECAUSE AGAIN, THE, THE WORK OF THAT OFFICE, UH, THE LANGUAGE OF THAT OFFICE IS AN LOA, IT'S A LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION, BUT IN EFFECT, IT TELLS THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND FIND A NEW ART PIECE OR GO AND, UH, OKAY.
YOU KNOW, COMMISSION A PIECE OF ART.
SO MORE OF THE KIND OF PUBLIC FACING PERSON.
IS HAA, ARE Y'ALL LOOKING TO THAT FOR THAT TO BE THE, THE MORE PUBLIC FACING MAYOR'S OFFICE REPRESENTING THE ARTS? NO, NOT NECESSARILY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO IS FIND THAT RIGHT PERSON.
UM, THERE, THE MAYOR HAS ADVISORS WHO HE'S ALWAYS HAD ON THE ARTS.
AND THOSE PEOPLE ARE AFFILIATED WITH HHAA, UH, BUT THEY ARE SEPARATE FROM HA AS ADVISORS.
AND SO WE SAW LAST WEEK, VETERANS IS NOW WITH DON, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
NOW WITH DON, UH, MOPD IS, IS NOW BEING PAID FOR, WAS IT ALWAYS PAID FOR WITH METRO GENERAL MOBILITY? NO, NOT ALWAYS.
BUT IT HAS BEEN, IT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN PAID FOR OUT OF PUBLIC WORKS WHERE PUBLIC WORKS PAID FOR, IT BOUNCED AROUND.
OR, OR BUILDING INSPECTION FUND, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH.
IT WAS EITHER THE METRO GENERAL MOBILITY OR WHATEVER.
SO, BUT IT WASN'T EVER PAID FOR WITH, WITH, IT WAS ALWAYS PAID FOR BY PUBLIC WORKS.
MOI MEAN, MOPD WAS? THAT'S CORRECT.
STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND PROVIDING THE UPDATED ORG CHART MM-HMM
IS THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND DOMESTIC ABUSE, IS THAT STILL WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OR WHAT'S THE STATUS OF THAT? SO THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS.
GOES A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT COUNCILMAN ALCORN, AND I THINK THERE'S A GOOD SORT OF CONVERSATION THERE'S ABOUT THEORY AND AND PRACTICE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS HAVE DONE, UH, IS THEY SHOW THAT THEY CARE PUBLICLY, UH, FOR A PARTICULAR TOPIC BY MOVING IT INTO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
WELL, SIMILAR TO CITY COUNCIL, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ISN'T A REAL DEPARTMENT, RIGHT.
WE DON'T HAVE THE NORMAL FUNCTIONS THAT YOU SEE OUT OF ALL THE DIRECTORS THAT CAME AND PRESENTED.
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DON'T HAVE A NESTLED INSIDE OF US, AN HR FUNCTION.UM, WE RELY ON THE HR DIRECTOR.
UM, VALERIE IS A DEPUTY DIRECTOR INSIDE A RA AND SHE HELPS SUPPORT US WITH OUR FIN OR WITH OUR BUDGET.
UM, WE, WE BRING DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN.
AND BECAUSE WE'RE NOT A REAL DEPARTMENT, A LOT OF THOSE FUNCTIONS, UH, THAT SAT INSIDE THAT HAD MAYOR'S OFFICE OF MONIKERS, UM, WERE SORT OF STUCK ON AN ISLAND.
UM, AND THEY WERE FORCED TO ENTER THEIR OWN, UH, INFORMATION INTO SAP DEAL WITH THEIR OWN HR PROBLEMS. AND THEY WERE SORT OF ISOLATED IN A WAY THAT WE DIDN'T THOUGHT WAS REFLECTIVE OF THE IMPORTANCE THAT THE MAYOR PUT INSIDE THOSE FUNCTIONS.
AND SO, REALLY A MOVING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS IS GIVING THEM A PLACE IN WHICH THEY CAN BE FULLY SUPPORTED, SUPPORTED BY A DEPARTMENT.
THE MAYOR STILL INTERACTS WITH THOSE DIRECTORS DAILY AND IT'S EDUCATION TOO, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, THANK YOU, CHAIR.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I'M REALLY INCREDIBLY PLEASED, UM, BY THE FACT THAT YOU ALL ARE FOLLOWING YOUR OWN INSTRUCTIONS MM-HMM
IN WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE DEPARTMENTS TO DO, YOU'VE DONE AS WELL.
UM, QUESTION ABOUT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF TRADE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
WE KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A RESTRUCTURING.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ORG CHART THERE? AND BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY COUNCIL GENERALS HERE AND ACCESS AND BRINGING MORE, DRAWING, MORE INTERNATIONAL MONEY TO THE CITY, UM, HOW DO WE KIND OF PLAN ON DOING THAT? AND, AND WHO'S KIND OF RUNNING THAT DEPARTMENT? I KNOW GIGI'S THERE, BUT SHE'S AMAZING, BY THE WAY.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS, UH, WITHIN THAT OFFICE IS TO BE ABLE TO STRIKE THE BALANCE BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND LOCAL PRESENCE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO THE MAYOR IS THAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON HOUSTON.
AND EVERYONE DRIVES TOWARDS HOUSTON RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE AN AMAZING CONSULAR CORE, AND THAT THEY DO A TON OF GOOD WORK IN REPRESENTING AND ADVOCATING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT THEY WORK WITH.
SO, GIGI'S JOB IS TO OBVIOUSLY GO AND, UH, WORK WITH, INTERACT WITH ALL OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS, INTERACT WITH ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE.
UM, BUT THE EXPECTATION MOVING FORWARD IS HOW DO WE EMBRACE HOUSTONIANS WHO HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE? I THINK EVERYBODY AROUND THE SOURCE, WHO KNOWS, WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL CITY.
WE SPEAK MORE THAN 90 LANGUAGES TO DO BUSINESS HERE.
UM, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT, SOME OF Y'ALL'S DISTRICTS, UH, YOU HAVE SOME OF THE LARGEST, UH, FOREIGN RESIDENTS, UH, POPULATIONS WITHIN AMERICA.
UM, AND WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF IT.
AND SO I THINK THE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE MAYOR AND THE, THAT'S REFLECTED BY THE WORK THAT GIGI DOES, IS HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE INTERACTIONS WITH THE CONSULAR CORPS AND MAKE THEM MEANINGFUL IN A WAY IN WHICH WE CAN MOVE THE BALL FORWARD FOR HOUSTONIANS AND IMPROVE THEIR SERVICES.
AND HOW MANY FTES ARE PLANNED FOR THAT DEPARTMENT? SO RIGHT NOW, UH, THERE ARE THREE FTES.
UH, SEVEN, SEVEN ARE BUDGETED, SEVEN ARE BUDGETED.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE THREE WITHIN, UH, WITHIN, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE OF TRADE AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS.
AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER UNFILLED POSITIONS THAT WE'RE WAITING TO FILL.
SO, SO WE'RE PLANNING ON FILLING THOSE.
UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE MAYOR AND G ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH.
STEVEN, UH, BACK TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
ARE THERE ANY OUTCOME MEASURES THAT YOU USE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT? OR WILL YOU COME UP WITH ANY? WE DO.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT, UH, THE, SOME OF THE ONES WE'RE RECOGNIZING ACROSS THE CITY THAT WE NEED TO IMPROVE ALL OF OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS.
A LOT OF THEM, UH, WE ARE DOING, ARE OUTPUTS.
SO HOW MANY THINGS ARE WE DOING? WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH OUTCOME MEASURES.
UM, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE PRETTY MEANINGFUL, AT LEAST, UH, TO THE WAY THAT THE MAYOR THINKS ABOUT, UM, THE FUTURE OF NOT JUST T BUT THE CITY IN GENERAL, IS HOW DO WE REFLECT THAT WE ARE KEEPING EVERYTHING ABOVE BOARD? RIGHT? WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF VERY SALACIOUS STORIES ABOUT, UH, ONE OF OUR T IS COMING THROUGH.
UM, AND SO HOW DO WE PUT PERFORMANCE METRICS IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE DOING THE WORK THAT WE EXPECT THEM TO DO? UM, AND WHEN IT DEVIATES FROM WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING, HOW DO WE HANDLE IT? AND SO I, I AM OPEN TO RECEIVING, WE'RE ALL OPEN TO RECEIVING ANY SORT OF SUGGESTED PERFORMANCE METRICS.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO EXPECT, UH, UH, ERNST AND YOUNG TO HELP US DO IS TO IDENTIFY THOSE BEST AND BRIGHTEST, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE METRICS ACROSS FROM THEIR, ALL OF THEIR CLIENTS ACROSS THE US LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THOSE.
BUT I, I KNOW ONE THING THAT CONCERNS ME IS HOW LATE WE GET THESE TOURS, BUDGETS IN THE PROCESS.
I THINK WE SHOULD GET THEM MUCH, MUCH EARLIER.
UH, SO, SO THAT THEY'RE MORE MEANINGFUL AND WE CAN, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT, UM, A LITTLE BETTER.
UM, AND THE ONLY OTHER THING I HAVE RELATES TO CABLE REVENUE.
AND YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, REVENUE'S DOWN.
I MAY HAVE MISSED WHY IT WAS DOWN, BUT COULD YOU RUN THROUGH THAT AGAIN? YEAH, OF COURSE.
SO, UH, WE RECEIVE, UH, WE RECEIVE MONEY THAT IS PREDICATED ON CABLE SUBSCRIPTION.
UH, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT FUNDING SOURCE COMES FROM, FROM STATE FRANCHISE.
SO AS PEOPLE SUBSCRIBE, FEWER TO AT AND T AND COMCAST AND OTHER CABLE PROVIDER SERVICES, UM, WE RECEIVE FEWER MONEY, FEWER DOLLARS FOR THAT.
AND, AND SORT OF TANGENTIALLY RELATED, I GUESS THE CITY IS IN A LAWSUIT RIGHT NOW REGARDING COLLECTING THE FRANCHISE TAX FOR STREAMING VIDEO STREAMING.
[00:25:01]
MM-HMMSO I, I ASSUME A LOT OF THOSE CABLE SUBSCRIBERS HAVE GONE OVER TO JUST VIDEO STREAMING.
I CAN'T SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT'S WHAT I'VE DONE,
I'M THE REASON
SO, UM, AGAIN, I CAN GET, WE CAN GET YOU THAT ANSWER.
AND THAT, THAT'S, I CAN PROBABLY FARM IT OUT THROUGH THE BUDGET, BUT I, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THE DISCUSSION WHEN WE KEEP HAVING THE DISCUSSIONS OVERT AND MORE OF THIS WILL COME OUT, I'M SURE WHEN WE GET THE EY THING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PHASING SOME OUT OR, YOU KNOW, DO LOOKING AT A, A DIFFERENT WAY AND, AND TRYING TO GET A HANDLE OF, OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT IMPACTS THE REVENUE CAP.
AND SINCE YOU'RE HERE, AND SINCE IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SINCE I'M HERE, WHY DON'T WE JUST HAVE A QUICK DISCUSSION ON THAT? WHY DON'T WE, BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE TO, I MEAN, I HEAR IT ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THET, LOOK AT THE TSAS, AND, AND YOU'VE HEARD IT TOO, GWEN, AND, AND IT'S NOT QUITE AS EASY AS JUST LOOKING AT THE
WE DO HAVE A REVENUE CAP, SO IF YOU'D ADDRESS THAT.
SO TELL ME, UM, WHAT, WHAT SPECIFIC QUESTION WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ANSWER FIRST? SO I WAS ASKING ABOUT THE TOTAL TA TOTAL TAX REVENUE THAT GO, THAT IS, SO IT'S ALL THE INCREMENT, RIGHT? AND DO WE HAVE A DOLLAR FIGURE FOR THAT AMOUNT THAT GOES? UM, LAST YEAR FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IT WAS AROUND 230 MILLION.
THAT WAS JUST THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S, UM, PORTION THAT IT'S ABOUT 23%.
I MEAN, WE, EVERY YEAR WHEN THERE IS A REQUEST TO DO ANY KIND OF ANNEXATION, WE, WE DO ANOTHER SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE ARE RELATIVE TO THE 25% CAP.
SO WE'RE ABOUT 23% AND THAT REPRESENTS ABOUT 230 MILLION.
THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE OTHER REVENUE COMING FROM JURISDICTIONS LIKE HARRIS COUNTY.
REMEMBER THAT IS AN ADDITION TO THE CITY'S PORTION.
SO IN EXCESS OF 230 MILLION TOTAL, 230 MILLION.
THAT WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.
MAYOR'S OFFICE ON, OH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN.
COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ IS ONLINE.
AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
APPRECIATE, UM, EVERYTHING THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS DOING.
I THINK THAT EY STUFF HAS BEEN GREAT.
I THINK THE RESTRUCTURING HAS BEEN GREAT.
I THINK THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT HAS REALLY HELPED.
Y'ALL ARE DOING A LOT OF BIG THINGS THAT ARE, ARE REALLY MAKING AN IMPACT ON, ON THE CITY'S FINANCES.
SO REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK ON THAT.
AND EVERYBODY IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, I KNOW HOW HARD YOU GUYS WORK.
THANK YOU MARTA, CYNTHIA, EVERYBODY THAT'S OUT THERE, UM, ED, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC COMMENTERS COME ON UP.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE BUDGET.
WE DO HAVE ROBERT RHUBARB JACKSON SIGNED UP.
MR. JACKSON, ARE YOU ONLINE A NUMBER HERE? OKAY, GREAT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME ONLINE? I'M ONLINE.
THIS IS ROBERT RU ROBB JACKSON.
I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE NEWLY LAUNCHED Q ARTS TASK FORCE.
I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A PERSPECTIVE.
UM, I'M A DISTRICT D RESIDENT, FIFTH GENERATION, THIRD WARD RESIDENT.
I USED TO, UH, BE ONE OF THE THIRD WARD CULTURAL DISTRICT MANAGERS WITH PROJECT WAREHOUSES FROM 2021 TO 2023.
I'M AN ARTIST IN THE CITY, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, AS WE'RE DOING BUDGET PROPOSALS AND, UM, REVISIONS OR WHATNOT, THAT COMMUNITY AT THE CENTER AND, UM, RESIDENTS ARE AT THE CENTER OF THIS WORK.
UM, WE HAVE A STRONG TASK FORCE IN A LARGE COMMUNITY, OVER 250 COMMITTED FOLKS TO ARTS AND CULTURE.
SO I JUST WANT TO, UM, UH, DOUBLE DOWN ON THE FACT THAT AS THESE DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE, AND WE RECOGNIZE THE HIERARCHAL RELATIONSHIPS AND DYNAMICS OF THIS WORK, THAT WE ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS OF ALL INCOME LEVELS HAVE A VOICE AT THE TABLE, AND THAT THEY'RE BEING, UH, PROMOTED AND PRIORITIZED WHEN IT COMES TO ARTS AND CULTURE IN THE SECTOR.
UM, AS WE KNOW, THERE'S CULTURAL ASSETS THAT, UM, ARE IN OUR COMMUNITIES LIKE THE SHIFT COMMUNITY CENTER AND THIRD WARD TO OUR PREMIER, UH, THEATER DISTRICT, UH, VENUES.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S STILL SOME IMPACTS IN HEALING ARTS THAT ARE COMING AS A RESULT OF PUBLIC ART FUNDING.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THINKING AND CONSIDERING, UM, THE IMPACTS THAT ARTS AND CULTURE HAS ON HOUSTONIANS AT LARGE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR, FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
ANYONE ELSE, EITHER ONLINE OR IN THE CHAMBER THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? OKAY.
OH, CRAIG HAUSCH, YOU, YOU WERE
[00:30:01]
RIGHT HERE IN FRONT OF ME.UM, I'M JUST REALLY, UH, GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOU, STEVE, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE THEATER DISTRICT, AND COLLECTIVELY ALSO PART OF THE HUE ARTS, UH, PIECE THAT SERVES ALL OF THE DISTRICTS IN THE CITY.
UM, THE HUE ARTS, OR SORRY, THE HOUSTON'S ART SECTOR IS QUITE FRANKLY, IN MY OPINION, MAGICAL AND IT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
EACH YEAR, 84 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS COLLECTIVELY SPEND ABOUT 503 MILLION TO SPEND TO, TO SUPPORT 4,100 FULL-TIME JOBS.
AND THAT'S IN THE SEVEN CULTURAL DISTRICTS ALONE, UH, THROUGH THE PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS.
OUTSIDE OF THE CIVICS ART WORK.
UM, OF PARTICULAR NOTE, TAXABLE REVENUE FROM THE CORE ARTS AND CULTURAL INDUSTRY HAS GROWN BY 63% SINCE 2010.
THERE ARE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THIS GROWTH, BUT WE BELIEVE THE CITY AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE HAS PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE AS IT HAS IMPLEMENTED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LAST ARTS AND CULTURE PLAN.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, WHICH CURRENTLY SITS AT APPROXIMATELY $250,000, REFLECTING A 55% DECREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET.
DESPITE THE INCREASE IN TOURISM REVENUE, TOURISM PROMOTION REVENUE, WE FULLY SUPPORT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE'S BROADER GOALS AROUND INCREASING EFFICIENCY AND IMPACT, AND ARE EAGER TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU ALL IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO ENSURE THAT EVEN WITHIN A STREAMLINED FRAMEWORK THAT THE ARTS REMAIN MEANINGFULLY SUPPORTED IN THAT SPIRIT, WE RESPECT, UH, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST MORE CLARITY ON HOW THE FUNDS ARE BEING REALLOCATED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR BUDGET, AND HOW THOSE SHIFTS WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE THE CITY'S GOAL FOR A THRIVING, INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE CULTURE SECTOR.
OVER THE PAST DECADE, THE CITY'S SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS AND CULTURE HAS HAD AN OUTSIZE IMPACT STRENGTHENING THE SECTOR AND ENRICHING THE LIVES OF ESTONIANS.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
WE ARE BUILDING ON A PROUD CIVIC LEGACY, ONE SHAPED BY VISIONARY LEADERS WHO RECOGNIZE THAT A THRIVING CULTURAL LIFE ATTRACTS NEW RESIDENTS, INSPIRES INNOVATION, AND ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO BUILD LASTING ROOTS IN HOUSTON, THAT A LEGACY IS ALIVE AND THRIVING.
WE URGE YOU TO KEEP THAT LEGACY IN MIND AS YOU CONSIDER THE MOCA BUDGET BY EITHER RESTORING FUNDING OR ENSURING THAT REALLOCATED FUNDS ARE USED TO ENHANCE, UH, THE SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS SECTOR IN NEW AND MEANINGFUL WAYS.
WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND STAND READY TO WORK WITH YOUR ADMINISTRATION, UM, UH, TO ENSURE THAT, TO CHAMPION THAT THE ARTS ARE CORNERSTONE OF HOUSTON'S IDENTITY.
AND REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR WORK.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR, FOR COMING.
AND I HAVE ASKED THAT QUESTION, AND THOSE, THOSE FUNDS WILL BE ALLOCATED TO THE ARTS.
THEY ARE PART OF THE ARTS, CORRECT? STEVEN? I'VE ASKED THAT AND I THINK IT WAS MORE, IT WAS MORE ABOUT STREAMLINING WHAT WAS GOING ON INSIDE THE CITY AND GETTING MORE MONEY TO, TO THE YOU CAN EXPLAIN.
IT'S A GOOD CONTEXT, I THINK, TO PROVIDE AS WELL.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO NOTE IS THAT THERE'S, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF WHICH WE SPEAK, BUDGET VERSUS ACTUALS ARE, ARE A REAL THING.
AND THAT OFFICE HAD VERY FEW FTES WHERE THERE WAS A LOT OF BUDGETED FTES WITHIN IT, BUT THE, THEY WERE NOT FILLED.
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THE WORK WASN'T BEING DONE.
UM, AND THE IMPORTANT THING, UH, THAT THE MAYOR INDICATED TO, UH, TO ME AND TO EVERYBODY ELSE IN OUR STAFF THAT'S BEEN WORKING WITH THIS, IS THAT THE, THE MONEY TO ARTS CANNOT STOP.
RIGHT? WE RECOGNIZE THAT Y'ALL ARE CRITICAL PARTNERS AND THAT YOU DO HAVE AN OUTSIZE IMPACT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UM, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I WENT TO THE MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND I'M A MUSICIAN MYSELF.
AND, UH, THE, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING.
THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, UH, WHAT WE RECOGNIZED WAS THAT FOR US TO ENSURE THAT THE WHEELS DON'T FALL OFF, WE HAVE TO GET VERY, VERY GOOD AT THINGS LIKE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN TRACK DATA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS A CRITICAL ASPECT OF ADVOCATING FOR THE ARTS IS BEING ABLE TO PULL DATA OUT ABOUT WHAT THE ARTS ARE DOING.
AND THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE AS A CORE, AS A CORE CAPABILITY.
UM, AND SO RE REBUILDING THAT IS, IS THE FUNCTION RIGHT NOW.
UM, WHAT I, WHAT WE'VE ASKED, UH, IS GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF RUNWAY, LIKE NOT A YEAR, RIGHT? LIKE MONTHS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO REBUILD IT, GET SOMEONE IN THERE WHO CAN, WHO COULD SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF ARTS, BUT ALSO CAN SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF DATA AND REPORTING AND CONSISTENT, UH, YOU KNOW, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND BEING ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT ARTISTS AND GALLERIES GET PAID.
AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE SEE IS, IS BEING ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PROGRAMMING.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT CONTRACT MANAGEMENT.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE, THE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT.
THERE'S A STRATEGY SIDE TO ART THAT WE ARE NOT TOUCHING AT ALL.
I THINK HUGH ARTS, MARCY DALLAS AND I HAD A CONVERSATION LAST WEEK EXACTLY ABOUT THAT, THAT WE MIGHT BE, WE COULD BE THE MOST AMAZING THING IN THE WORLD AT CONTRACT MANAGEMENT, BUT IF WE CAN'T HIT THAT STRATEGY PIECE AND, AND SAY, WHAT DO WE WANT TO BE AS A CITY, THEN WHAT DO WE DOING? AND I AGREE WITH HER COMPLETELY.
UM, BUT GOING BACK TO THE CRAWL, WALK, RUN, UH, STRATEGY IS A RUN SCENARIO.
CRAWLING AND WALKING IS, IS THE THING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT REALLY GREAT AT RIGHT NOW.
AND A AND AN EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS A PHYSICAL EXAMPLE,
[00:35:01]
UM, THAT I THINK IS, IS A GOOD, A GOOD WAY TO LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT CHALLENGES ARE.WE JUST HAD A, UH, AN EXHIBIT IN THE BASEMENT WRAP UP.
UM, AND WE SAW THAT THERE WERE MAYBE THREE TO FOUR EXHIBITIONS A YEAR.
WE WANTED TO LIKE DOUBLE TRIPLE THAT.
UM, CITY COUNCIL HAS NEVER HAD AN EXHIBITION AS FAR AS I'M AWARE, WITHIN Y'ALL'S FLOOR.
UM, WE HAVE PLENTY OF ART AND STORAGE THAT WE COULD COME THROUGH, UH, THAT WE COULD GO AND AND PUT, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE, THE DISPLAY DOWN IN THE BASEMENT WAS LITERALLY AN, I'M NOT KIDDING, STAPLED TO THE WALL.
IF YOU GO WALK DOWN IN OUR BASEMENT RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN GO SEE THE HOLES THAT WERE LIKE BUILT INTO THE WALL AS THEY STAPLED THE ART TO IT.
RIGHT? THAT'S A GOOD, GOOD PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, TO GET PAST.
SO I APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT HERE.
AND THANKS FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO.
THE, THE BIG TAKEAWAY THAT I WANT TO JUST FLAG IS THAT THERE IS A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS.
AND CIVIC ART, WHICH IS SOMETHING I HAVEN'T HEARD YET AROUND THE HORSESHOE.
AND WE COVERED THAT SOME IN COMMITTEE TO MAKE THAT DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE CIVIC ART PROGRAM AND THE REST OF THE ARTS.
AND, AND, AND BELIEVE ME, YOU'VE GOT MANY CHAMPIONS UP HERE IN THE HORSESHOE LOVE YOU.
THAT ARE NOT GONNA LET THE CITY'S MEANINGFUL SUPPORT OF THE ARTS DIMINISH IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
ANY MORE PUBLIC SPEAKERS? OKAY.
WITH THAT, THANK YOU VALERIE, STEVEN, EVERYBODY IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
Y'ALL DO GREAT WORK AND WE'LL BE BACK IN A FEW MINUTES FOR CITY COUNCIL.